Kevin Winter/Getty Images for NARASChance the Rapper treated graduating high school students to a surprise performance by Childish Gambino Monday night in Chicago.

Chance was hosting an Open Mike event at the Harold Washington Library Center in his hometown, and he told the crowd, "My next guest needs no introduction." Gambino -- aka Donald Glover -- then stepped out and performed his number-one hit, This is America, as the students screamed and rushed the stage.

Malcolm London, who hosted the event with Chance, posted a video of the performance on Twitter with the comment, thank you @donaldglover for coming to our 30th @socialworks_chi @OpenMikeChicago !!! thank you @chancetherapper for leveraging your celebrity for the youth of Chicago in moments like these.

Chance and Gambino have been working together since Chance was featured on They Dont Like Me on Gambinos 2012 Royalty mixtape. The three-time Grammy winner was also featured on The Worst Guys on Gambinos 2013 album, Because the Internet. Gambino returned the favor that same year, collaborating on Favorite Song on Chances 2013 mixtape, Acid Rap.

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Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349Bangalore is the leading city for those seeking job opportunities in the technology sector, by a considerable margin.

After the duo, Pune comes at the third place with 10 per cent, following by Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai.

Bengaluru: Bangalore continues to be the lead tech job creator in the country with 22 per cent of all IT job positions, followed by Delhi-NCR, which originated 11 per cent opportunities for techies, as per a study conducted by job site, Indeed, based on the hiring data collected for a period of three years between May 2015 and May 2018.

After the duo, Pune comes at the third place with 10 per cent, following by Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai, which generated 9, 8 and 7 percentage of the total technology jobs in the country respectively.

Bangalore is the leading city for those seeking job opportunities in the technology sector, by a considerable margin. Smaller cities including Mohali (3 per cent) and Ahmedabad (4 per cent) saw a fair share of job postings in the sector, said the company.

Discussing the ranking of cities in providing jobs, Managing Director of Indeed Sashi Kumar emphasised on the use and adoption of new technology by companies time to time.

"Organisations should constantly keep evolving with the advent of new technologies, be it artificial intelligence, machine lear-ning or big data analytics, because technologies always bring opportunities for job seekers," Kumar said.

However, he added, while there are ample jobs available in India, the need of the hour is talent that is adequately skilled to fulfil the responsibilities the job entails. Employers all over the world are in search of employees with the ability to continuously upskill themselves, and thus continue to stay relevant to the organisation. There is a consistent demand for professionals in the sector, with jobs outnumbering talent, due to a persistent skill gap or ability mismatch, the study observed.Dhadak is the adaptation of national award-winning director Nagaraj Manjules Sairat.

Janhvi Kapoors debut film Dhadak will be releasing next month. Speaking at the launch of its trailer on Monday, the debutant said that her role in the film is what she had wished for when she saw the Marathi blockbuster Sairat.

Dhadak is the adaptation of national award-winning director Nagaraj Manjules Sairat. While Sairat was set in rural Maharashtra, Dhadak is based in Rajasthan. Janhvi said that she had watched the original film along with her mother, Sridevi.

I saw Sairat with my mom at home. I remember watching it and telling mom that I wish this was my first film, I wish I could do something like it. Mom and I had this big discussion about how even she wanted a role like this for me, says elegant Janhvi.

However, the actress also makes conscious efforts to avoid any comparisons with the original film and its lead actress Rinku Rajguru. My character is different from the original character played by Rinku. What Rinku has done in Sairat, nobody can do that. I have tried my best to be honest towards my craft, she says.

The Dhadak girl also got emotional talking about her mother, who passed away in February this year. When asked her if she received any tips and advice from her mother, emotional Janhvi said, The biggest and most helpful tip that she has given me is to work hard and feel every emotion. I miss my mom.

Her co-actor Ishaan Khattar further reveals, It was a lively atmosphere on sets and we didnt feel any pressure thanks to Shashank Khaitan (director of Dhadak) who made us feel comfortable.

While Dhadak will mark Janhvis foray into Bollywood, Ishaan has made his acting debut with Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidis Beyond The Clouds.

Karan Johar denies nepotism in Dhadak

Karan Johar has been at the centre of the Nepotism controversy in Bollywood. But ask him about the Dhadak lead pair, and he quickly says that both the actors are there because of their hard work.

These days people keep talking about surnames, ignoring hard work behind ones success. It is not easy to be in front of the camera to face the audience or even the media. These are kids. We always give a tag or a word (nepotism). I will not use the word (nepotism) or else I would be seen as promoting it. I will say that people are here not because of that word, but because of their hard work, says the filmmaker. However, the merits of Karans claims will be judged on the basis of the success of the movie.

The Kapoor family had come to cheer up the new talent Janhvi. Harshvardhan Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Mohit Marwah, Sanjay Kapoor attended the trailer launch.The sisters Khushi and Janhvi also had an emotional moment at the event.T o society she is the glamorous lady of Longleat; to her two young sons she is a biscuit-baker extraordinaire.

Viscountess Weymouth has revealed that John, three, and Henry, 18 months, have developed such a sweet tooth that she has turned into a cookie-making machine, whipping up endless supplies of sweet treats for them.

The former model, 32, and husband Ceawlin, Viscount Weymouth, 44, run the stately home and estate in Wiltshire which includes Britains first safari park. She now has her own attraction called Emmas Kitchen offering food made from local ingredients  and her hungry toddlers have apparently cottoned on to her culinary prowess.

Im always cooking and can be found in the kitchen rustling up something for myself and the boys, she said. They love cookies and Im constantly baking them for them. Im like a cookie-making machine sometimes  they go so quickly and I have to make more.

Henry is the champion eater in the house. The first time he walked on his own properly it was towards a bowl of fresh buttercream icing he wanted another taste of.

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However, she insists that they eat healthily too. I believe in eating everything in moderation, so they eat what I eat really, she added.

Steve Mytton

Lady Weymouth, born Emma McQuiston, grew up in Chelsea and met Viscount Weymouth at Soho House. The couples marriage in 2013 was boycotted by his father, the Marquess of Bath, 86, after a row over the removal of murals at the house.

The following year John was born via caesarean section after Lady Weymouth was diagnosed with a bleed on the brain and a disorder with her pituitary gland. Doctors warned her that a second pregnancy could kill her.

(Steve Mytton ) / Steve Mytton

Last year she had a baby via a surrogate. Henry was born at a private clinic in America. She set up her self-titled venture in the Victorian kitchen in 2015. Its nice to be able to create lovely food with knowledge and input from how they were made by those that came before us, she said.

Lady Weymouth added: Family is the most important thing in the world. We love cooking and eating together. The more the merrier is a favourite motto when entertaining as well.

Next weekend she will join TV chefs, including the former BBC Saturday Kitchen host James Martin and the Hairy Bikers, in a live cookery demonstration at the second Longleat Food and Drink Festival.H ave you ever wondered how long it took for you and your friend to become friends? If so, a recent study appears to have uncovered the answer: 90 hours. That's 90 hours of quality time spent chatting, joking, laughing... (Simply 'working together' doesn't count).

The research, carried out by Jeffrey Hall, associate communications professor at the University of Kansas, looked into how long new acquaintances had spent getting acquainted, and how their relationships had developed the more they saw each other.

A study in two parts, the first questioned 355 adults who had recently relocated and made new friends, on how many hours they'd spent with their new pals, and about the shared activities they'd undertaken.

The study then asked participants to categorise each of the friends into one of four categories: acquaintance, casual friend, friend and close friend.

He used this information to work out how long it takes people to move those they meet up their personal scale of friendship.

In the second part of the study, Dr. Hall questioned 112 freshers from the University of Kansas on the number of hours they had spent with two new friends, three times, over nine weeks.

Combining the results of both studies, Dr. Hall concluded it takes 50 hours for people to view those they meet as 'casual friends', and up to 90 hours before they're important enough to be considered a 'friend'.

For a really good pal, however, the research revealed 200 hours of quality time was needed for a person to earn themselves the coveted title of 'close friend'.

When people transition between stages, theyll double or triple the amount of time they spend with that other person in three weeks time, Dr. Hall explained.

We have to put that time in, he said. You cant snap your fingers and make a friend. Maintaining close relationships is the most important work we do in our lives - most people on their deathbeds agree.Madhuri Dixit is happy about working with her old friends Inder Kumar and Karan Johar, and also hopes filmmakers will focus on women-centric films.

After her debut in Marathi film Bucket List Madhuri Dixit is busy with her upcoming projects with director Inder Kumars Total Dhamal and Karan Johars Kalank.

The actress is excited for her role in KJos Kalank. I was looking for such a character that I am playing in Kalank and there was no reason to even hesitate to say yes to it, gushes the actress.

In Bucket List, the actress played a role of a strong and ambitious woman and wishes filmmakers work more on such scripts. I believe, its the best time that filmmakers focus on women oriented subjects, she says.

After she signed films with her old friends and filmmakers Inder Kumar and Karan Johar, there has been a talk in the film industry that Madhuri works only with people whom she knows well. However, she denies that her friendship plays any part in accepting or rejecting roles and says, I do not select a film on the basis of friendship. I accepted to be a part of these films only because of the story, plot, my character and good cast.

The actress is glad with the kind of response her first Marathi film is getting. I am happy that Marathi film industry has welcomed me whole-heartedly. This has increased myself confidence.

Though Madhuri has recently met the serving president of BJP Amit Shah, which was part of BJPs Sampark se Samarthan (contact for support) campaign, she dismisses any plans for her joining any party.

The government needed my support in its initiative and that was all about the meeting. When probed about possibilities of she joining politics in future, the actress says, I am not at all a political person. As an artist I can only understand acting and other aspects of filmmaking. I have no interest in joining politics so far.T here used to be a saying among bikers when the topic of buying a new helmet came up; Got a 10 head? Buy a 10 helmet.

But with a mind-boggling array of helmets now on sale, costing from around 25 for a basic open face to around 650 (more if you add communication systems) for a top-flight Schuberth, does the cost really reflect safety levels on offer?

All must pass the same tests to gain EC approval, a legal requirement for sale in the UK. In addition, consumers can consult the Department for Transport-run Sharp scheme to check most helmets safety ratings. Theyre scored out of a maximum of five stars depending on how well they perform in uniform tests.

Even this can be perplexing however; some costly helmets score lower than far cheaper ones; Halfords 35 MYX for instance has four stars while Schuberths widely acclaimed C3 Pro (often chosen by police) has only three.

Front-view of the Shark Evo helmet

Further complicating the buying decision are countless other considerations: comfort, visor movement, the inclusion - or not - of an internal sun visor, how the strap and buckle sit in front of the neck, weight, how wide a field of vision the aperture allows, ventilation, design and so on.

Now - following my visit to French helmet manufacturer Shark, which has been in business for over 30 years and which produces 450,000 helmets a year - theres another big issue to consider; do you go for a hard or a soft shell?

I visited their HQ near Marseille on a fact-finding mission with Chris Cotton of Motolegends which specialises in upmarket motorcycle gear at its store near Guildford. We wanted to discover how to choose and look after a helmet, how long a helmet should last - and how to tell, in the event of minor damage, whether to replace it.

What Shark were most keen to talk about however was what they claim to be their soft shell approach which they have followed for years - but which few consumers appear to have heard about.

Shark says its approach is similar to that underpinning modern car design, with their helmets outer shells (like a cars bodywork) built softer than the industry average. This is so that they can absorb forces more effectively in a crash, instead of transmitting forces to the riders head and brain.

Their approach is the opposite, they say, to that of many other leading helmet makers which intentionally make their helmet shells hard.

There are complications however. The precise rate at which a helmet decelerates is critical to avoid brain damage, says Shark, which claims to have discovered the ideal formula after conducting detailed investigations with CEESAR, a leading European crash and injury analysis centre, and by drawing extensively on its racetrack experience.

By way of example they say that a typical US helmet is much harder. This is because US helmets origins are rooted in designs aimed at protecting car drivers, not riders. Typically, they say, drivers helmets are struck in precisely the same location repeatedly during a crash. This is reflected in official US helmet tests which reward hard shells by aiming repeated blows at one portion of the helmet.

By contrast claims Shark, when a motorcyclist crashes, their helmet typically needs to absorb not repeated blows to one precise point but across many different parts of the shell, thereby allowing the helmet shell to be softer, and potentially lighter, overall. Theres no point in beefing up the shell for repeated blows - to one spot,- that simply wont occur. This, they say, is reflected in the design of their helmets as well as the more realistic tests meted out by Sharp, possibly explaining why Sharks helmets often score highly in these official tests.

As for fit, Shark - which has been in the business of making motorcycle helmets for around 30 years, and still produces, on average, two new models a year - recommends following the detailed advice also espoused by Sharp, and you can find it here.

When it comes to replacement of your helmet after a knock, matters are opaque. Some owners return their lids after a crash and Shark X-rays them for damage, but this isnt a service they routinely offer.

We cannot say categorically that you should replace it after a drop of three feet, or five feet or whatever, says Export Manager Arnaud Cotton. There are different circumstances every time. So unfortunately, its still a question of guesswork.

Arnaud stresses that after a knock, some helmet damage can be invisible to the naked eye, for instance to out-of-sight layers of the all-important EPS liner (the bit that looks like dense, expanded polystyrene). This can be detected only through professional evaluation.

Shark - which describes its products as mid premium, and which builds them in factories at Portugal and Thailand - warranties its helmet for five years but says most users replace their helmets within two to three years. Questioned on how long a helmet should last, they are equivocal, pointing out that to answer that they would need to know how often it was used, what climate it was used in (sweat, in hot conditions, hastens deterioration) and how the helmet was stored.

They do say that ideally, helmets should be kept somewhere dry and where they can air - especially immediately after use when they can be sweaty. On another point of information, they say that if your helmet is uncomfortably tight in one spot, it is acceptable to gently remould the EPS (for instance across the forehead) with your thumbs. Just dont overdo it.

We asked which helmet construction - carbon fibre, fibreglass or polycarbonate - offered a higher level of protection, and were told there was no difference; all must pass the same tests. The differences come in weight, shell size and, sometimes, appearance.

And the big question - the difference between a 25 helmet and a 350 helmet? We believe ours are safer, was all we could get from Arnaud, although he does suggest that higher quality materials used by more expensive manufacturers offer quieter, more comfortable helmets.

We are innovators, says Arnaud. We were the first to have visible carbon fibre, the first with a crumple zone, the first with Evo (Sharks flip-face helmet, legally approved for riding in the closed, as well as open position).

Shark X-ATV anti-mosquito helmet

And thats without mentioning their latest X-ATV open-face helmet complete with anti-mosquito net, for hot climates.

Now, Shark says it is on a three-year campaign to become the worlds number one helmet supplier, partly through natural expansion, partly through acquiring other brands. It also aims to enter the cycle helmet market, although under a different brand name.

In the meantime, says Shark - and this, surely is the big difference between a serious player and an also-ran - they continue to test to destruction one in every 120 helmets that come off their production line, to ensure quality and safety. Which means a total of 3,750 factory-wrecked helmets a year. Now that is surely the definition of thorough.

More information on helmet fitting here.

An example of the way Shark evolves its products in response to demands from consumers is the latest EVO-ONE 2 flip-face, a revised version of the popular EVO-ONE, which scores a full five stars in those Sharp tests (the 2 has not yet been rated). It now has a better, revised, auto-up/auto-down system that automatically lifts the visor whenever the chin guard is raised or lowered while in use, following consumer feedback, they say.

It also has a stronger closing system and a revamped dark chrome finish. Shark says it was designed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to reduce noise levels and improve stability. Its claimed to have improved ventilation, a reinforced chin guard, redesigned side plates, new high-grade finishes and a reconfigured breath guard with a stronger magnet to enhance the fastening. Its available in the UK in 17 colours, and costs from 349.99.A n alleged member of banned Neo Nazi group National Action has admitted plotting to murder an MP with a Roman sword and threatening to kill a female police officer.

Jack Renshaw, 23, dramatically pleaded guilty this morning to planning to kill West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper with the fearsome weapon, known as a Gladius Machete, that he had bought online.

He also confessed to threatening the life of a female police officer during a suspected National Action meeting at a pub in Warrington on July 1 last year.

Renshaw had denied the charges until today, when the prosecution case against him and five co-defendants began.

It is alleged Renshaw was given permission for the "politically and racially motivated" attack by Christopher Lythgoe, 32, the suspected ringleader of the National Action group.

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson QC said National Action has since 2013 "engaged in a campaign of virulently racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic propaganda through which it sought to stir up a violent race war against ethnic minorities and others it perceived as 'race traitors' in this country.

"Hostile to democracy and the British state, National Action actively sought to recruit and to radicalise young people through violent imagery and hate-filled language in its social media messages, provocative street demonstrations, and through its intimidation of local communities."

Renshaw continues to deny being a member of National Action, alongside Lythgoe, Garron Helm, 24, Matthew Hankinson, 24, Andrew Clarke, 33, and 25-year-old Michael Trubini.

Mr Atkinson said the trial "concerns their support for, involvement in and membership of the proscribed racist Neo Nazi group National Action.

"This case also concerns violent actions that one of the defendants, Jack Renshaw, was undeniably preparing to undertake in support of the objectives of the group, actions he was planning with the blessing of another defendant, Christopher Lythgoe, which involved politically and racially motivated murder."

Mr Atkinson told jurors National Action was banned in the wake of the murder of Jo Cox MP in June 2016, when the Home Secretary decided it was involved in terrorism.

The six defendants are accused of continuing to be "active members" of National Action following the imposition of the ban in December 2016 until their arrests in September last year.

Lythgoe, from Warrington; Helm, from Seaforth in Merseyside; Hankinson, of Newton Le Willows, Merseyside; Clarke, from Prescot, Liverpool; Trubini, of Warrington, and Renshaw, from Lancashire, all deny belonging to a proscribed organisation.

Lythgoe also denies a count of encouraging another to commit an offence.

Renshaw pleaded guilty to making threats to kill and one charge of preparation of an act of terrorism.P olice today smashed a county lines drugs gang running crack cocaine and heroin from east London to Ipswich.

More than 80 officers swooped on nine addresses in London, Essex and Ipswich in co-ordinated dawn raids today as part of the Mets drive to target gangs expanding into rural markets.

Four men were arrested in east London, one courier was held in Essex and two women were held in the Suffolk town targeted by the gang.

The Standard accompanied officers on a raid in Canning Town in the early hours today. The 21-year-old suspect was not at home but a search of his bedroom uncovered five mobile phones and a 10-inch hunting knife.

The suspect, who lived with his parents in a small redbrick close near the Royal Docks, was being sought by police today along with another suspect.

The mans startled parents told detectives their son was at home at 10pm and went to bed but that he must have slipped out in the night without telling them where he was going.

The suspects arrested today are aged between 20 and 35 and were held on suspicion of supplying class A drugs.

Earlier this year the Government announced 3.6 million for a national county lines centre to tackle the spread of crack cocaine and heroin into rural towns and villages.A distinctive water feature near Tower Bridge has been bricked up amid concerns that Londoners staring at smartphones could trip and fall in.

The Rill, a 260m channel flowing through limestone paving, has connected London Bridge station to the riverside as part of the More London complex for more than 15 years.

Over the past fortnight it has been fenced off, drained and bricked up, with signs stating essential maintenance is being carried out.

Broadgate Estates, which manages More London, declined to say why the Rill has been removed, but it is believed to be related to health and safety concerns.

Scores of Londoners have taken to Twitter to complain, with one blaming the alarming number of people who trip over the Rill while looking at their mobile phones.

Broadgate Estates declined to say why the water feature had been bricked up / Sarah Gaventa

Others agreed that they were sad to see the water feature go, saying it added an element of play to an otherwise corporate space.

Lib Dem councillor for Borough and Bankside ward, Adele Morris said: [It's] such a shame to see these water channels blocked up at More London, as things like that brighten up the otherwise boring public realm.

Maybe they were a hazard to those with restricted vision or mobility, but if that is the case what a pity they couldn't find a workable solution.

Sarah Gaventa, a public space expert, told the Standard that alternative measures could have been taken to make the feature safer without removing it completely.

She said: "It really was the most distinctive thing about a very indistinctive public space. It had a quality about it which was not just visual.

"It really struck a chord with a lot of people when they started bricking it up. If it's to do with people not looking and tripping, then you could say the same thing abut curbs and fences."

Ian Kirkpatrick, commercial director of the Fountain Workshop, who built the water features at More London, said he was sad to see it go.

We have no idea why they chose to infill the Rill - they didnt discuss their decision with us, but we are sad to see it go, he told the Standard.

It has been an iconic feature for us and has contributed to us becoming involved in a host of other projects, such as Granary Square at Kings Cross.

The Fountain Workshops website states that the Rill was designed to maximise the effect of the flowing water, creating chevrons of ripples as the rill travels through the site.

A planning application was lodged with Southwark Council to pave the Rill last month, sparking a flurry of objections.

The Rill water feature may be a somewhat idiosyncratic feature, but it is an attractive feature which adds greatly to the character, distinctiveness and enjoyment of this public space, states one.

The Rill adds character and children enjoy playing with it. Filling it in will make the area a boring concrete corridor between office blocks, writes another.W estminster Council has pledged to investigate after an upmarket Park Lane nightclub was accused of charging black customers twice the price for entry.

Drama, a celebrity haunt located in the Hilton hotel in Soho, denied allegations of racial discrimination following claims made online.

Film producer Nadine Marsh-Edwards said on Twitter that her daughter was asked to pay 20 at the club on Saturday night, while white women were charged 10.

She wrote: My daughter went to a club in the West End last night. Black girls got charged 20 entrance fee - white girls 10... London life right now."

The post was widely shared and several councillors pledged to help investigate, while Ms Marsh-Edwards later confirmed City Halls Night Tsar Amy Lame had also been in contact with her.

Westminster Councillor Ian Adams, Cabinet Member for Public Protection and Licensing, told the Standard: "Racial discrimination is abhorrent, and it is very concerning to hear of these allegations at a nightclub in Westminster.

"We are looking into these claims and will work with the relevant authorities, such as the police, to ensure this matter is fully addressed.

Pancho Lewis, a Labour councillor for the West End, described the allegations as a "disgrace" and said the club's licence could be suspended until it can prove they are not true.

Drama, which describes itself as a regular celebrity hangout and has attracted stars including Drake, Rihanna and Lindsay Lohan, said it was urgently investigating the claims.

A spokesperson for the venue told the BBC: We operate a non-discriminatory policy and we place a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion.

"We do not tolerate any form of discrimination against any individual or group. The standard door charge at Drama Park Lane is 20.

"Promotions are offered for various reasons, but never on the grounds of discrimination of race, colour or national origin.

TripAdvisor reviews of the club have previously complained of similar racial discrimination.

"I have never experienced such discrimination from a London club before," one person wrote.

"If you're black, stay away," said another.

A reviewer called George P claimed he was told that the club was full but his wife, who was described as white, was allowed entry.C ould this be the BBCs summer of the discontent? Strikes are looming, according to sources, with some wanting to picket over equal pay. Others, we were told, are angry over changes to contract terms and conditions. Despite this, a representative of the corporation insists that a wide variation in Terms and Conditions has been agreed by the unions and will lead to a simplified, more consistent and fair offer for staff.

BBC Women, the group formed following revelations in October that male presenters received sums approximately four times more than female colleagues, are frustrated by the slow pace of the equal-pay negotiations and are desperate to strike. They are being calmed by union representatives, who have explained the complicated legal procedures required before action can be taken. A number have approached union reps to ask if they can strike and theyve been told its not that simple, says a source. Rules around industrial action whether strikes or work to rule  are tight. Carrie Gracie became a figurehead for gender pay after resigning as China editor in January because her opposite numbers in Washington and the Middle East were paid up to 249,000 and 199,000 compared to her 135,000.

Tony Hall defended the salary gap, saying there were differences in the scope and scale of their work. Last night, however, the urgent issue facing management was terms and conditions proposals. After 18 months of protracted negotiations, NUJ and Bectu members voted on action. Unites ballot closes on Thursday.

Management wants to scrap unpredictability allowances (UPAs)  money for having to come in at inconvenient hours and short notice (defined as 14 days)  which cost 30 million a year but only generate 11 million  and are described as unfair and inconsistent. As some UPAs are written into contracts and pensionable, they are effectively pay. And once youve got UPA in your contract, you tend to keep it, says a source. Worse than anything, the source continues, is the emotional toll all the disputes are taking on BBC workers.

A spokesperson states that the BBC are attempting a new approach to scheduling and working that will balance its need for flexibility, with their employees' need for optimum work/life balance. that we are seeking a new approach to scheduling and working which balances the business need for flexibility with employees need for a work/life balance. The UPA/Flexibility allowance will no longer be used, and employees receiving it would have it frozen as legacy payments and pro-rataed. This also removes employee commitment to have to work at short notice, replacing it with new arrangements.

This process has been the culmination of 18 months hard work between the BBC and the unions", a spokesperson said this afternoon. "The deal we have reached offers fairness and equality for staff across the organisation and otherwise clearly would not have been recommended to their members by the unions. We believe that the majority of staff and unions members will see this deal as a positive step forward as we continue to modernise the BBC.

BECTU and NUJ members have voted in favour of the proposed changes.

A 31-min Fortnite at the Rees-Moggs

Do Jacob Rees-Moggs children play the controversial shoot-em-up game Fortnite? The Tory MP for North East Somerset told LBC he was unfamiliar with the highly addictive game but the first thing they say to me in the mornings is, Can I have a go on the iPad? He adds: Im trying to train them to say good morning first. But Rees-Mogg is a soft touch. I give them 31 minutes: they get an extra minute to find it and then the alarm goes off. And if well-behaved they may get another go later. Ah, todays feckless youth.

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Steve Double, MP for St Austell and Newquay, led a debate to recognise the Cornish national identity in the 2021 census. It didnt get off to a great start. Order, shouted Speaker John Bercow above the shuffling. If Members are leaving, I am sure they will do so quickly and quietly.

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What were Michael Fallon and David Cameron talking about in The Ivy Kensington this morning  an historic day in the Commons ahead of crunch votes on Brexit. I dont comment on that sort of stuff, said Cameron. So were they plotting? Not plotting, just reminiscing, said Fallon with a cheeky smile. Talking about times past.

Furnish and dad-to-be Gandy head a well-turned out crowd at Neptune

Checks away: David Furnish with models Darren Kennedy, Harvey Newton-Haydon, Toby Huntington-Whiteley and Johannes Huebl (Photo Dave Benett/Getty Images) / Dave Benett/Getty Images

David Furnish, film-maker and husband of Sir Elton John, joined a well-dressed crowd last night at GQs Mens Fashion Week dinner at Neptune, the restaurant at Bloomsbury hotel The Principal. Furnish has had a busy few months: he attended the royal wedding in May and has been working on Rocketman, an Elton John biopic starring Kingsman actor Taron Egerton.

Furnish was joined by model David Gandy, who is thrilled to be expecting a child with his girlfriend Stephanie Mendoros, a criminal lawyer. Were going to need a bigger car, he said this week. Its our first. Its all very new to us. Its going to be fun.

Over at the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park, Juliet Stevenson and Celia Imrie attended the press night performance of Monogamy. The play, a social satire about a celebrity chef, stars Genevieve Gaunt.

SW1A

Zac Goldsmith, Conservative MP for Richmond, Park, found a poem taped to a lamppost outside his constituency office. Choice lines included: 45 votes/No thanks, Zac Goldsmith and We dont want you moneyed sons of gold and children of Roth. Goldsmith (below) calls it interesting, but questioned whether Roth should read wrath or if it was an abbreviation of Rothschild. If so, my mother has some serious questions to answer.

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John McDonnell would have fallen foul of new anti-terror plans and been prosecuted for historic offences, according to John Woodcock MP. Last night he recalled the shadow chancellor saying that the ballot, the bullet and the bomb would end British rule in Northern Ireland. If my understanding of the new legislation is right, had that legislation been in place at the time when the honourable member apparently made those remarks, he would have been guilty of a terrorist offence.

Quote of the day

Those who say it can not be done should not interrupt those doing it. Ivanka Trump tweets a Chinese Proverb as her father talks peace with North Korea. The Chinese say theyve never heard the phrase

All the right noises

Theatregoers who talk or rustle food wrappers during a play arent doing anything wrong, according to Mark Rylance, actor and former Shakespeares Globe director. He blames actors for not doing enough to keep audiences attention. Surely [the audience] should be allowed to do what they want, he says. If theyre making noise then youre not holding them. Youre not telling the story well enough. But to complain about them, that cant be right. His comments were made during the International Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference. He added that all his contracts stipulate his voice must never be amplified.

Art buff: Salma Hayek (Photo Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images) / Corbis via Getty ImagesThe most important of these amendments is to give parliament a truly meaningful vote on the final deal. I coined the phrase a meaningful vote  and I have been clear ever since that it must be just that: meaningful. I have been equally clear that if the deal the prime minister strikes with the EU does not meet our six tests, then we will vote the deal down. The amendment upon which MPs will vote tomorrow would deliver on the commitment for a meaningful vote. It would provide a safety valve in the Brexit process. It makes clear that  should the prime ministers proposed article 50 deal be defeated later this year  it would then be for parliament to say what happens next, not the cabinet. It would, in effect, take no deal off the table once and for all.A series of 15 amendments made by the House of Lords to the Government's Brexit bill will be put before MPs on Tuesday.

Mrs May could see a revolt by pro-EU Tory MPs determined to keep Lords' amendments in the legislation. By 10am, her Justice Minister Dr Phillip Lee had already quit so he could rebel against the Government.

However, the Prime Minister has warned Tory remainers that if they defy her over the changes, it will undermine the UK's position in negotiations with Brussels.

In what is set to be a tense two days, this week's votes could reveal how vulnerable the Government is to being defeated at a later date.

These are some of the key questions being asked about this week's votes.

Theresa May could see a revolt by Tory remainers on key legislation / AFP/Getty Images

What is the purpose of this Bill?

The EU (Withdrawal) Bill revokes the 1972 Act which took the UK into the European Economic Area, a free trade area between 28 countries.

The bill also transposes all relevant EU law into British statute so there are no holes in the law book at the point of Brexit.

What happened to the Bill in the House of Lords?

Peers defeated the Government on 15 issues, introducing amendments on issues ranging from future UK membership of the customs union and European Economic Area (EEA) to whether MPs should get a "meaningful vote" on the final Brexit deal.

The House of Lords introduced 15 amendments to the bill / PA Archive/PA Images

What was the Government's response?

The Government has accepted one of the Lords amendments, allowing the UK to continue to co-operate with EU agencies, which it says is already its policy.

It opposes the other 14 and will be seeking to overturn them, though in some cases it is offering a compromise solution.

What are the crunch votes and when will they happen?

Issues most likely to provoke rebellions include the"meaningful vote" and the question of whether the date of Brexit should be written into law - both due for votes on Tuesday afternoon - as well as whether the UK should stay in the customs union or EEA, which should come early on Wednesday evening.

The EU Withdrawal Bill: All you need to know

Is the Government guaranteed to get what it wants?

Far from it. Even with the support of 10 Democratic Unionist Party MPs, Mrs May has a working majority of just 13 in the Commons, which means she can be defeated by a rebellion of as few as seven Tory backbenchers.

What is the "meaningful vote" about?

The Government has promised MPs a vote on the final Brexit deal, but initially said it would be a simple "take it or leave it" choice.

The House of Lords amended the Bill so that if MPs reject the deal, they can direct ministers to go back and renegotiate.

The Government's compromise is that a minister would come to the House within 28 days of a deal being rejected to tell MPs what will happen next.

This vote is on a knife-edge, with the Opposition and Tory rebels hopeful of victory.

How about the Customs Union?

The Lords passed an amendment stating that Brexit cannot go ahead until a minister has presented a report setting out what the UK has done to try to negotiate continued CU membership.

Although these terms would not necessarily keep the UK in the customs union, defeat in the Commons would be politically explosive, as it would show Mrs May has no majority for one of her key "red lines" she set out in her 2016 Tory conference speech.

And the EEA vote?

The Lords amendment would require ministers to prioritise Norway-style membership of the EEA, which would again breach Mrs May's red lines and be seen by Leave backers as "Brexit in name only".

There is little chance of Government defeat on this issue, as Jeremy Corbyn has ordered his MPs to abstain and back an alternative Labour amendment requiring access to a European "internal market".

What happens next?

The Bill will return to the Lords on June 18, kicking off a process of "Parliamentary ping-pong" which sees it bounce from House to House until agreement is reached.

Is it all over once this Bill has passed?

No. There will be plenty more chances for upsets as separate Bills on customs and trade come before MPs next month, followed by legislation on future immigration rules later in the year and a Withdrawal Agreement and Implementation Bill once the final Brexit deal is struck.A minister dramatically resigned today in protest at Theresa Mays refusal to give Parliament a proper vote on Brexit negotiations.

Justice minister Phillip Lee quit live on stage after accusing Downing Street of fobbing off MPs with a bogus choice between a bad deal and a cliff-edge.

The loyalist, a friend of Mrs May who attended his wedding, said he could not look his children in the eye if he failed to speak out against an EU exit process that was being mishandled and would harm the country.

He added: I believe the evidence now shows that the Brexit policy our Government is currently pursuing  is detrimental to the people we are elected to serve.

Crunch day: Theresa May / AP

The bombshell resignation came hours before the PM faced a series of crunch votes, including a rebellion over the issue of whether MPs can have a meaningful vote on the final Brexit deal.

There were rumours of a last-minute concession being considered at No 10.

Pro-Europe Tory MPs said more resignations could follow with up to eight junior and middle-ranking ministers who could leave unless Mrs May stood up to hard Brexiteers led by Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Justice minister Dr Phillip Lee dramatically quit over Brexit today / AFP/Getty Images

Dr Lee resigned during a speech at the Bright Blue think tank. He also called for Brexit to be postponed and for a second EU referendum on any exit deal secured by Mrs May.

He said: If, in the future, I am to look my children in the eye and honestly say that I did my best for them I cannot, in all good conscience, support how our countrys current exit from the EU looks set to be delivered.

Ex-minister Nick Boles said: I admire his honesty and integrity. In a dig at David Davis he went on: So much classier to resign on principle when nobody is expecting it, than to threaten resignation but never follow through.

Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable praised his courage, Labours Chuka Umunna called it a hugely significant moment while Green leader Caroline Lucas said: I hope that other ministers will search their consciences and do the same. The Prime Ministers spokesman said: His reasons for resigning are a matter for him.

Downing Street this morning looked set to face down Tory rebels on the meaningful vote revolt in the Commons, the biggest of todays so-called Super Tuesday divisions.

No 10 threw out a compromise offered by former Attorney General Dominic Grieve that would give the House of Commons a vote to make ministers offer a new deal without going as far as letting Parliament dictate terms.

By rejecting the olive branch from the leading soft-Brexit backer, No 10 was gambling it could face down a hardline House of Lords amendment that could empower Parliament to take charge.

Writing in todays Standard, Mr Grieve warned MPs would not abdicate responsibility for holding the Government to account, but this is going to involve us all standing up to those intent on stopping us from doing so.

Downing Streets calculations were then upset by the departure of Dr Lee, the 47-year-old Conservative MP for Bracknell, a loyalist who has only ever rebelled on HS2, a local issue.

He said on Twitter: I am incredibly sad to have had to announce my resignation as a minister in Her Majestys Government so I can better speak up for my constituents and country over how Brexit is currently being delivered. For me, this is about the important principle of Parliamentary sovereignty.

Resigning is a last resort  something I feel I must do because, for me, such a serious principle is being breached that I would find it hard to live with myself afterwards if I let it pass.

Tory sources in his Leave-voting constituency said he may face protests from association members and officers.

His move raised the stakes for Mrs May as soft-Brexiteers who would have supported the Grieve amendment rejected the Governments own offer: to give a statement to MPs within 28 days if MPs reject Mrs Mays Brexit deal this autumn but not to allow any fresh vote to accept or reject her new plan.

Tory MP Sarah Wollaston said: Merely issuing a statement in response would make it a meaningless final vote.

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said he would back the tough Lords amendment: If the Prime Ministers Brexit deal is rejected by Parliament, she cannot be allowed to proceed with no deal. Parliament must decide what happens next.Salman Khan, along with his upcoming release Race 3, is also gearing up for the Da-Bangg tour.

Salman Khan, along with his upcoming release Race 3, is also gearing up for the Da-Bangg tour which is to be held in USA and Canada soon.

For the same, he, along with his leading ladies Sonakshi Sinha, Katrina Kaif and Daisy Shah, held a press conference on Monday night.

At the press conference, the superstar, in an unusual attempt, accepted the Boom Floss challenge and broke into a cute dance.

While he was giggling during the dance, even his favourite actress Katrina Kaif was seen laughing while he completed the challenge.

Even when he was rehearsing, the actor reminded himself of O o jaane jaana and started practicing. While doing so, Daisy Shah guided him and then misguided him in a manner of teasing. To this, Salman even told her you shut up. See the whole video here:

Race 3, starring Daisy, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Saqib Saleem and Anil Kapoor, releases this Friday i.e. on Eid.T heresa May has seen off a potential defeat over her flagship Brexit bill, after last-minute concessions which could give MPs a bigger say on the final withdrawal agreement and make a "no-deal" exit much less likely.

MPs voted by 324 to 298 to reject amendment 19, a House of Lords change to the EU Withdrawal Bill which would have given MPs the power to tell the Prime Minister to go back and renegotiate the Brexit deal.

And former attorney general Dominic Grieve withdrew his own proposals spelling out precise terms under which MPs should be given a "meaningful vote" on the eventual deal - including the power to dictate what the Government should do if no acceptable agreement is reached by February 2019.

Pro-EU Tories held back from rebellion after ministers indicated they were ready to discuss changes requiring the Government to seek parliamentary approval for its approach if the Commons rejects a deal this autumn.

Mr Grieve confirmed he voted with the Government after receiving assurances, telling Sky News: "I am quite satisfied we are going to get a meaningful vote."

If confirmed, the move represents a dramatic climbdown from Mrs May's original plan to offer MPs a "take it or leave it" vote to accept the withdrawal agreement or leave the EU without a deal.

Rebel ringleader Dominic Grieve said: "I have just voted with the Government following the assurances we got from the Prime Minister in a meeting this afternoon that our concerns, which led to this amendment being tabled, will be addressed."

Justice Minister resigns over handling of Brexit

He told Sky News he was "fairly confident" the concerns would be addressed when the Bill goes back to the House of Lords.

"I am quite satisfied that we are going to get a meaningful vote on both deal and no deal," he said. "I have no doubt about it after today."

He added that there was "no doubt" that Phillip Lee's resignation as a minister had played a role in forcing the Government to rethink.

Ahead of the vote the Prime Minister warned senior ministers in her Cabinet that defeating the government would undermine her premiership and make negotiations with Brussels harder.

But there was talk of a Tory rebellion and, hours before the crunch vote, Mrs May faced the shock ministerial resignation ahead of Phillip Lee.

Remain-supporting Dr Lee quit as justice minister live on stage during a speech in London, saying he could not support "how our country's exit from the EU looks set to be delivered".

Following the result a jubilant Dr Lee wrote online: "Delighted that the Government has agreed to introduce an amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill which will give Parliament the voice I always wanted it to have in the Brexit process. This justifies my decision to resign and makes it a lot less painful.

"However, I can only vote on the amendment that is before Parliament. I resigned because I could not support the Government's opposition to the Lords' amendment and still cannot. But the Prime Minister has given her word. I trust her and so I will abstain."

The Government's compromise is believed to be that a minister would come to the House within 28 days of a deal being rejected to tell MPs what will happen next, but an amendment tabled by former attorney general Dominic Grieve would insist on a binding Commons motion.

A Downing Street source said: "We will get a good Brexit deal that works for everybody in the UK. The Government's amendment today provides for a meaningful vote."N ASA's little Mars rover is battling a fierce dust storm the size of North America which is raging over the surface of the Red Planet.

The Opportunity rover was forced to halt operations last week as the storm swept over Perserverance Valley, bringing enough dust to blot out the sun.

Engineers at NASA have put the robot into minimal operations mode and are waiting to see if it will still function once the dust has settled.

The exploration rover relies on light to run its solar panels, which charge its internal battery and generate power for its heaters.

While the rover sent a transmission down to Earth on Sunday, the storm has intensified in recent days bringing "a dark, perpetual night over the rover's location", NASA said in a statement.

An artist's impression of the NASA Mars exploration rover on the surface of the Red Planet / NASA

Scientists are concerned over the robot's power levels.

There is a risk that Opportunity will get too cold as it struggles to power its internal heaters, which protect its batteries from Mars' extreme cold.

Like the human body, the exploration rover cannot function well under excessively hot or cold temperatures.

In order to survive, the rover must not exceed temperatures of -40C to +40C.

NASA Mars Landing 1 /11 NASA Mars Landing Nasa's Mars Exploration rover Spirit descends towards the surface of Mars, where craters can be clearly seen. Picture: Reuters <br></br>A Reuters Nasa's Mars Exploration rover Spirit descends towards the surface of Mars, where craters can be clearly seen. Picture: Reuters



; Reuters Stage two shows a computer image of a set of inflatable balloons descending onto the surface of Mars. The balloons bounced as much as 40 times on the surface before deflating and releasing the Nasa Spirit rover. <br></br>A PA Stage two shows a computer image of a set of inflatable balloons descending onto the surface of Mars. The balloons bounced as much as 40 times on the surface before deflating and releasing the Nasa Spirit rover.



; PA The first pictures from the spacecraft Spirit were beamed back to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, which is controlling the mission. The Martian surface can be seen under an airbag which aided landing on January 3. <br></br>A Reuters The first pictures from the spacecraft Spirit were beamed back to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, which is controlling the mission. The Martian surface can be seen under an airbag which aided landing on January 3.



; Reuters An image is taken of the surface of Mars from the exploration rover Spirit after it landed and rolled out of its protective airbags in the Israel-sized Gusev Crater. <br></br>A Reuters An image is taken of the surface of Mars from the exploration rover Spirit after it landed and rolled out of its protective airbags in the Israel-sized Gusev Crater.



; Reuters A computer generated image shows how the rover extended its front legs and rolled off the lander, it is able to roam around the flat, wind-scoured Martian plain which appears to be peppered with small rocks. <br></br>A PA A computer generated image shows how the rover extended its front legs and rolled off the lander, it is able to roam around the flat, wind-scoured Martian plain which appears to be peppered with small rocks.



; PA An artist's impression of the Mars exploration rover leaving its launch equipment. The six-wheeled vehicle is set to roam the Red Planet's rocky surface in search of geological evidence that Mars was once suitable for life. <br></br>A PA An artist's impression of the Mars exploration rover leaving its launch equipment. The six-wheeled vehicle is set to roam the Red Planet's rocky surface in search of geological evidence that Mars was once suitable for life.



; PA This Nasa image shows the golf cart-sized Spirit rover on the surface of Mars, exploring the planet's geology in a search for evidence of past water activity in the rocks and soil. <br></br>A PA This Nasa image shows the golf cart-sized Spirit rover on the surface of Mars, exploring the planet's geology in a search for evidence of past water activity in the rocks and soil.



; PA Nasa and Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists embrace as they watch the first images arriving in California from the exploration rover Spirit on Mars. <br></br>A Reuters Nasa and Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists embrace as they watch the first images arriving in California from the exploration rover Spirit on Mars.



; Reuters Pete Theisinger, project manager of the Mars Exploration Rover mission raises a glass of champagne in celebration of the safe landing of the rover Spirit on January 3 <br></br>A Reuters Pete Theisinger, project manager of the Mars Exploration Rover mission raises a glass of champagne in celebration of the safe landing of the rover Spirit on January 3



; Reuters Space probe Spirit beamed back the most detailed colour pictures of Mars on Tuesday, January 6, revealing a dusty, wind scoured plain littered with rocks <br></br>A Reuters Space probe Spirit beamed back the most detailed colour pictures of Mars on Tuesday, January 6, revealing a dusty, wind scoured plain littered with rocks



; Reuters Nasa team member Jim Bell said: 'I am in shock and awe. We designed Spirit to do this so we shouldn't be surprised but it is spectacular detail.' <br></br>A Reuters Nasa team member Jim Bell said: 'I am in shock and awe. We designed Spirit to do this so we shouldn't be surprised but it is spectacular detail.'



; Reuters

The storm was first detected on Saturday, June 1 and promptly grew to span more than seven million square miles - an area greater than North America.

Scientists said the swirling dust has created an extreme smog that blots out sunlight.

NASA said Opportunity's power levels had dropped "significantly" by Wednesday, June 6, requiring the rover to shift to minimal operations.

But data from the transmission on Sunday told engineers that the rover still has enough battery charge to communication with ground controllers at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

It also showed the rover's temperature to be around -29C.

NASA said it will continue to monitor the rover's power levels closely in the week to come.

However, it said that the rover has already proved hardier than expected by lasting nearly 15 years - despite being designed for a 90-day mission.

This is not the first time Opportunity has hunkered down in bad weather.T his is the moment leading Brexiteer Arron Banks walked out of a Commons probe into fake news because he "had a lunch appointment" - leaving MPs floundering.

The Leave.EU founder and his communications chief Andy Wigmore were grilled by MPs for three hours on Tuesday over the conduct of their campaign in the 2016 EU referendum.

In a sometimes fiery exchange at the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee the pair admitted using spin and exaggeration.

But Mr Banks abruptly ended the hearing by saying the pair needed to leave immediately for a lunch meeting.

Arron Banks answering questions on Fake News before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee / AFP/Getty Images

The campaigner was asked to answer one last question by committee chair Damian Collins, but he refused and walked out while the cameras were still rolling.

Mr Banks said: "Sorry, I really have to insist. I was told a certain time and weve got a luncheon appointment we dont want to be late for."

Mr Banks said the Leave.EU campaign had used "alternative methods" to influence the Brexit vote.

Leave.EU Brexit campaign co-founder Arron Banks (R) and political campaigner Andy Wigmore were grilled by MPs / EPA

However, he and Mr Wigmore criticised evidence given by alleged whistleblowers including Brittany Kaiser and Christopher Wylie, saying they were "not particularly credible witnesses".

In a series of spikey exchanges they also accused the whole committee of being Remain supporters with a "vested interest in trying to discredit the Brexit campaign", and accused Parliament of being a source of fake news.

Mr Banks also addressed reports from the Sunday Times claiming he held a series of undisclosed meetings with Russian embassy officials around the time of the 2016 referendum campaign.

The paper said it had seen emails showing he also discussed a potential business deal involving six Russian gold mines with ambassador Alexander Yakovenko after being introduced to him by a suspected Russian spy.

Mr Banks admitted seeing the ambassador twice, and then the mines owner but declined to get involved after being advised it could be "problematic".

Mr Banks told the committee: "I have got no business interests in Russia and I have done no business deals in Russia."L ast-ditch talks are being held to avert a Tube strike which could cause chaos for tens of thousands of commuters on one of London's busiest underground lines.

The 24-hour Tube strike is due to take place on Thursday causing disruption for thousands of commuters.

Speaking on Tuesday morning a TfL spokesman said the strike was due to go ahead.

He said: As far as we are aware the strike will go ahead on Thursday, but we are currently in talks with the unions.

Faces of frustration: Battling the Tube strike 1 /17 Faces of frustration: Battling the Tube strike A tired commuter sits on a bus at Liverpool Street Jeremy Selwyn A man looks through window on a bus at Victoria Station Carl Court/Getty Images The top deck of a bus full on unimpressed commuters Stefan Rousseau/PA Commuters queue patiently at Victoria bus station Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images A man yawns on his way to work, as extra buses are laid on to help with capacity during a 24-hour tube strike Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Unhappy commuters on a bus at Victoria Station Alex Lentati A man looks out on a window on a bus whilst battling the 24 hour tube strike Stefan Rousseau/PA Commuters in Stratford, London wait for buses Stefan Rousseau/PA A bus loaded with passengers bear the brunt on London Underground industrial action PAJohn Stillwell/PA Disgruntled commuters walk across London Bridge making their way to work on foot Leon Neal/Getty Images Commuters are seen through the windows of extra buses AFP/Getty Images Bus queues at Liverpool Street Jeremy Selwyn A woman wait for a bus at Liverpool Street Jeremy Selwyn Commuters are seen through the windows of extra buses Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images A woman make a call on her phone during the tube strike Jeremy Selwyn Commuters queue for busses at Victoria Station Carl Court/Getty Images People queue for buses at London's Waterloo Station Dominic Lipinski/PA

Here is everything you need to know:

When will the strike take place?

The walkout will begin on Thursday morning and continue all day. A TfL spokesman said some services on Friday could be delayed in the morning.

What Services will be affected?

The strike will affect the Jubilee line, however Bakerloo and Metropolitan line services in north-west London are expected to be extremely busy.

The walkout could shut down the entire Jubilee line service.

The rest of the Tube network including the District line, as well as TfL Rail, London Overground and DLR, will operate as normal.

What is the reason for the strike?

The walkout is over changes to the Jubilee line timetable made by TfL.

Originally two 24-hour tube strikes were organised by Aslef and RMT were planned to go ahead in June.

The first strike was due to take place on June 6 but it was called off after the unions agreed to suspend its industrial action for the time being following talks with TfL.

RMT and Aslef said that Thursdays strike on the Jubilee line will go ahead as planned.

Could it be resolved?

The strike is likely to go ahead if talks fail to resolve the timetable disputes.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: "RMT is bitterly disappointed that tube managers have knocked back an opportunity to negotiate a settlement to this dispute in extensive talks that broke up on friday. They failed to put a single proposal forewards.

It is outrageous that tube managers are trying to bulldoze through timetable changes without agreement that ride roughshod over existing rostering agreements. It is symptomatic of a management that is out of control and hell bent on imposing change through diktat rather than through the established negotiating machinery.

Drivers are angry at the impact on work life balance and rightly see this move as the thin end of a very long wedge that could see processes and agreements unilaterally shredded by tube bosses.

RMT remains available for further talks but the action starting this week goes ahead as planned and the massive disruption it will unleash is solely down to the intransigence of tube management.

Nigel Holness, TfLs Director of Network Operations for London Underground, said: We have adhered to our agreements and policies with the trade unions throughout this dispute. The action is completely unnecessary and will only cause disruption for customers, for which I apologise. The new Jubilee line timetable is already benefiting thousands of Londoners every day and I call on the unions to continue working with us to deliver a good service to our customers and to call off this unjustified strike action.

What measures have been put in place to minimise travel disruption?

Tfl Travel Ambassadors will be at key locations to provide additional travel information and advise those affected by the strike action.

Around 70 extra buses will be in operation to help customers complete their journeys.D onald Trump and Kim Jong-un have opened their historic nuclear talks with a handshake as the leaders met for the first time in Singapore.

The highly anticipated summit is aimed at defusing tensions on the Korean peninsula and marks the first time a sitting US president has met a North Korean leader.

Mr Trump and Kim were pictured meeting and shaking hands ahead of the talks that the US leader said represent a one-time shot at peace.

The summit is being held at a hotel on Sentosa, a popular tourist island a few hundred metres off the Singapore mainland, at 9am local time (2am UK time) on Tuesday.

Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong-un at historic summit / AP

Trump said after meeting Kim that he is feeling "really great, adding: "We're going to have a great discussion and a terrific relationship."

Kim said through an interpreter that it "was not easy to get here" and that there "were obstacles but we overcame them to be here."

The two leaders meet at the historic summit in Singapore / AFP/Getty Images

The first 45 minutes of this historic meeting will be just Kim, Mr Trump and their translators. Mr Trump earlier said he would know within the first minute whether it is going to be a success.

Trump-Kim historic nuclear summit - in pictures 1 /11 Trump-Kim historic nuclear summit - in pictures North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) shakes hands with Donald Trump during their historic summit Getty Images Kim Jong Un (L) walks with President Trump (R) at the start of the talks AFP/Getty Images A historic moment. President Donald Trump shakes hands as he meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un AP The pair made history as they shook hands for the first time in Singapore AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump smiles while seated with members of his delegation during the US-North Korea summit AFP/Getty Images The North Korea leader Trump stand together at the Capella resort AP North Korea's leader looks on while seated with members of his delegation during the talks AFP/Getty Images The summit got underway shortly after 9am local time on Tuesday AFP/Getty Images North Korea leader Kim Jong Un listens to Trump as they look out from a balcony at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island AP North Korean leader Kim Jong Un smiles as he meets with President Donald Trump AP President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sentosa Island AP

Ahead of the summit, Mr Trump tweeted with cautious optimism: "Meetings between staffs and representatives are going well and quickly ... but in the end, that doesn't matter.

We will all know soon whether or not a real deal, unlike those of the past, can happen!"

Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong-un during their first meeting / AP

The leaders are scheduled to hold a larger meeting and working lunch after their initial talks this morning.

Mr Trump's chief of staff, national security adviser and secretary of state are among those expected to join.

Kim Jong Un's Bodyguards Escort His Car Ahead of Singapore Summit

The US President earlier defended his decision to meet with Kim, tweeting that North Korea has already released three detainees and that missile tests have halted.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo injected a note of caution whether Kim would prove to be sincere about his willingness to denuclearise.

Officials of the two sides held last-minute talks to lay the groundwork for the summit of the old foes.

The event was almost unthinkable just months ago, when the leaders were exchanging insults and threats that raised fears of war.

The combatants of the 1950-53 Korean War are technically still at war, as the conflict, in which millions of people died, was concluded only with a truce.

On Tuesday morning, Mr Pompeo fed the mounting anticipation of diplomatic breakthrough: "We're ready for today."

He told reporters the event should set the framework for "the hard work that will follow", insisting that North Korea had to move toward complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation.

North Korea, however, has shown little appetite for surrendering nuclear weapons it considers vital to the survival of Kim's dynastic rule.

South Koreans in Seoul watch on a screen the US President Trump meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / Getty Images

Sanctions on North Korea would remain in place until that happened, Mr Pompeo said. "If diplomacy does not move in the right direction ... those measures will increase."

He added: "North Korea has previously confirmed to us its willingness to denuclearise and we are eager to see if those words prove sincere."T wo Italian ships have been dispatched to help rescue more than 600 migrants stranded in the Mediterranean after they were denied entry to the country.

The rescue ship Aquarius has been stuck since Saturday in waters off the coast of Italy and Malta, both of which denied it safe port in a dramatic bid to force Europe to share the burden of arrivals.

The ship has 629 migrants on board, including 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 children and six pregnant women.

On Tuesday Italy sent two boats to collect those onboard and take them to the Spanish port of Valencia.

Aquarius: The boat, pictured in 2016, rescues migrants stranded in the sea / AP

The boats will assist Spanish officials and charity SOS Mediterranee  which rescued the migrants onto the Aquarius from inflatable boats off the coast of Libya.

The aid group Doctors Without Borders, which works with SOS Mediterranee, urged both Italy and Malta to reconsider their refusal to allow the stranded migrants landfall and then safe passage by other means to Spain  which has offered safe harbour.

One of the migrants is helped aboard the rescue vessel off the coast of Libya / REUTERS

The aid group said the migrants were `'exhausted and stressed" and warned of severe health risks to a number of the passengers during the 1,500-kilometer journey, expected to take three to four days.

The charity expressed particular concern for patients who had been resuscitated and risked developing "significant pulmonary disease after swallowing sea water."

The migrant rescue boat is currently stranded at sea unable to dock in Malta or Italy / REUTERS

Another 21 patients suffered severe chemical burns from exposure to sea water mixed with fuel, while others risk pneumonia and yet others need immediate surgery for orthopaedic issues.

But Italy's new anti-migrant interior minister, Matteo Salvini, is making good on a campaign pledge to close Italian ports to non-governmental organisations that pick up migrants at sea.

Salvini, whose League is part of the populist coalition that took office this month, promised voters that other European countries would be made to share the burden of caring for asylum-seekers arriving in Italy.

"We have hosted 650,000 migrants in recent years alone, all of whom pass by Malta, an EU country, and the government says, `Ciao, Ciao, go to Italy.' ... I am happy to have given a small, first response," he told Italian television.

While Mr Salvini turned away the Aquarius, an Italian Coast Guard vessel with more than 900 migrants rescued in seven operations is expected to reach Italy's shores on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, hundreds of migrants aboard the Aquarius were being transferred Tuesday afternoon to ships operated by the Italian navy and coast guard, which are then to accompany the aid ship to the Spanish port of Valencia.

Fresh provisions - including 950 bottles of water, 800 boxes of noodles and snacks, blankets, hats and socks - were delivered to the Aquarius on Tuesday, charity workers said.D onald Trumps top economic adviser Larry Kudlow has been rushed to hospital after suffering a heart attack.

The US leader tweeted to news shortly before his highly anticipated meeting with Kim Jong-un in Singapore on Tuesday.

Mr Kudlow had accompanied the president to last weekends G7 talks in Canada that ended in Mr Trump retracting his endorsements of a joint statement.

Mr Kudlow was in good condition at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.

Larry Kudlow, left, accompanies Mr Trump and other world leaders at a G7 summit in Canada / Getty Images

She said Kudlow was doing well and that doctors expect him to make a "full and speedy recovery."

News of Kudlow's illness was broken by Trump himself just minutes before he met with North Korean leader.

"Our Great Larry Kudlow, who has been working so hard on trade and the economy, has just suffered a heart attack," Trump tweeted.D onald Trump and Kim Jong-un shared a historic 13-second handshake when they met at the start of their groundbreaking summit in Singapore.

The two leaders greeted each other at the Capella hotel on Sentosa Island on Tuesday morning, before heading inside for discussions about denuclearisation.

Body language experts said the US president projected his usual dominance over the North Korean leader by reaching out first and patting his shoulder.

But Kim responded by firmly gripping Trumps hand and looking him directly in the eyes for the duration of the handshake.

Donald Trump's shakes - in pictures 1 /14 Donald Trump's shakes - in pictures North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un shakes hands with US President Donald Trump at the start of their historic US-North Korea summit AFP/Getty Images North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un shakes hands with US President Donald Trump at the start of their historic US-North Korea summit AFP/Getty Images US President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un as they sit down for their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore AFP/Getty Images Mr Trump and Kim shake hands for the cameras before sitting down to sign a document Reuters US President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong-un at the Capella resort on Sentosa AP Le Crunch Trump and President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands at the US ambassador's residence, on the sidelines of the NATO summit, in Brussels AFP/Getty Images The Hug Swerve Back in 2016, Hillary Clinton swerves a hug from Trump following the first presidential debate AFP/Getty Images The Comey Shimmy FBI director James Comey rejects a Donald Trump handshake in favour of a handshake The Soft Touch Theresa May shakes hands with Trump in Washington earlier this year Getty Images The Power Struggle President Donald Trump reaches to shake hands with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Oval Office AP Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin AFP/Getty Images US President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump shake hands during a transition planning meeting in the Oval Office at the White House AFP/Getty Images Vice president-elect Mike Pence and Republican president-elect Donald Trump shake hands Getty Images

It wasnt a straight-out handshake, Allan Pease, an Australian body language expert and author of several books, told Reuters.

It was up and down, there was an argy-bargy, each one was pulling the other closer. Each guy wasnt letting the other get a dominant grip.

Trump: Meeting with Kim 'better than anybody expected'

Trump is highly experienced in the art of using body language to project authority, having spent his entire career as a business leader and TV personality. He also has a height advantage over Kim, and is almost twice his age.

Following the summit, Trump praised Kim as a "very worthy, very smart negotiator".

The handshake lasted for 13 seconds / AP

They concluded the extraordinary summit with lofty promises by the US president to take care of a "very dangerous problem" and Kim forecasting "major change for the world".Kareena Kapoor Khan is determined to give all her attention to her 1-year-old son, Taimur.

Kareena Kapoor Khan is determined to give all her attention to her 1-year-old son, Taimur. Hence, after Veere Di Wedding, for which the actress received much praise, Kareena has been pulling away from immediate assignments to focus on her real-life role as a mother.

For this reason, Kareena has said no to a number of offers that have come her way in recent times. The most recent offer that Kareena turned down was that of Director Ashutosh Gowariker, who wanted to remake the Marathi hit, Aapla Manus, with Kareena in the lead.

Says a source close to Kareena, Bebo (Kareena) is very clear about her priorities. Her son, Taimur, comes first. He needs her at the moment. And Kareena will only do one film at the most per year until Taimurs dependency on his mother lessens.D onald Trump and Kim Jong-un concluded an extraordinary summit by signing a document pledging to work towards the "complete denuclearisation" of the Korean peninsula.

The document signed by the two leaders also said they will join efforts "to build a lasting and stable peace regime".

The White House has yet to release the document's text, but it was photographed by the news media during a signing ceremony in Singapore.

The historic nuclear summit between Mr Trump and Kim went better than anybody could imagine, the US leader has said.

Donald Trump meets Kim Jong Un

The North Korea leader echoed the US Presidents remarks by telling reporters they had "put the past behind them" and that the world was about to see "historic change".

After a lengthy one-on-one meeting with Kim, Mr Trump sounded optimistic about his ability to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programme.

They later enjoyed a working lunch, accompanied by their aides, where the US president told reporters he had a really "fantastic meeting" with Kim that he believes was "really very positive."

Mr Trump and Kim sign a document acknowledging the progress of the talks / Reuters

"I think better than anybody could imagine", he added. Talks apparently went so well that Mr Trump showed Kim his limo, nicknamed "The Beast", opening the door so he could see inside.

Mr Trump and Kim shake hands for the cameras before sitting down to sign a document / Reuters

The summit concluded with the two leaders signing the letter, the full details of which will be revealed in due course.

Kim told reporters that they had "decided to leave the past behind" and that the world was about to see a "historic change". While Mr Trump told reporters the pair had signed a "pretty comprehensive document" after some "very intensive" but "great" time together.

Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump meet for historic talks in Singapore / Getty Images

When asked by reporters what was in the signed letter, Mr Trump replied: "You'll be seeing everything in just a while."

The summit got under way at a hotel on Sentosa, a popular tourist island a few hundred metres off the Singapore mainland, at 9am local time (2am UK time) on Tuesday.

It was aimed at defusing tensions on the Korean peninsula and marks the first time a sitting US president has met a North Korean leader.

Historic moment: The leaders shake hands ahead of the meeting / AP

Mr Trump said after initially meeting Kim that he is feeling "really great about the talks, adding: "We're going to have a great discussion and a terrific relationship

Donald Trump meets Kim Jong-Un - In pictures 1 /21 Donald Trump meets Kim Jong-Un - In pictures Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong-un during their first meeting AP Mr Trump and Kim sign a document acknowledging the progress of the talks Reuters AP AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Getty Images Mr Trump and Kim shake hands for the cameras before sitting down to sign a document Reuters AP AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images AP North Korea leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump share a 13-second handshake upon meeting AP AP AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images EPA AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images AP REUTERS Reuters

Kim said through an interpreter that it "was not easy to get here" and that there "were obstacles but we overcame them to be here.

Ahead of the summit, Mr Trump tweeted with cautious optimism: "Meetings between staffs and representatives are going well and quickly ... but in the end, that doesn't matter.

We will all know soon whether or not a real deal, unlike those of the past, can happen!"

The leaders began a larger meeting and working lunch after their initial talks this morning, which lasted for 41 minutes.

Mr Trump's chief of staff, national security adviser and secretary of state were among those to join for the lunch which included a menu of prawn cocktail with avocado, sweet and sour crispy pork with Yangzhou Fried Rice and homemade XO chilli sauce and Haagendaz vanilla ice cream.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo injected a note of caution whether Kim would prove to be sincere about his willingness to denuclearise.

Officials of the two sides held last-minute talks to lay the groundwork for the summit of the old foes.

The event was almost unthinkable just months ago, when the leaders were exchanging insults and threats that raised fears of war.

Mr Trump, left, and Kim walk together as the highly anticipated summit gets under way / AP

The combatants of the 1950-53 Korean War are technically still at war, as the conflict, in which millions of people died, was concluded only with a truce.

On Tuesday morning, Mr Pompeo fed the mounting anticipation of diplomatic breakthrough: "We're ready for today."

Donald Trump smiles during the meeting with Kim-Jong-un in Singapore / AFP/Getty Images

He told reporters the event should set the framework for "the hard work that will follow", insisting that North Korea had to move toward complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation.

North Korea, however, has shown little appetite for surrendering nuclear weapons it considers vital to the survival of Kim's dynastic rule.

Sanctions on North Korea would remain in place until that happened, Mr Pompeo said. "If diplomacy does not move in the right direction ... those measures will increase."

He added: "North Korea has previously confirmed to us its willingness to denuclearise and we are eager to see if those words prove sincere."T he personal chemistry between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un was everything the president had hoped for, but how all the goodwill is to be translated into serious action remains vague.

The joint statement signed by the two leaders was groundbreaking in its aspiration  but very short on detail. They pledged a new chapter in relations between the US and North Koreans for peace and prosperity.

They also looked forward to a lasting and stable regime on the Korean peninsula. Note the use of the word regime in the singular. Does this suggest eventual unification of north and south with one federal system?

Thirdly, the North  the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea  reiterates its declaration of last April to work towards the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un at their first meeting / AP

Again, there is little hint how this will be done, and whether a full blown international inspectorate will be involved.

The final paragraph of the joint statement pledged the return of remains of victims and prisoners of the Korean war between 1950 and 1953. It is a burning issue for both Korean communities, but the larger matter of human rights was not mentioned at all.

On two previous occasions Pyongyang has agreed with the US that it will stop its nuclear arms programme for economic assistance and help with civil nuclear energy. Two former presidents visited the regime as special envoys  Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.

A compilation of Donald Trump and Kim Jong Uns handshakes at Singapore Summit

Yet those deals fell apart and more nuclear weapons and warheads were developed  up to 60 active devices to date, including missiles that can hit the US mainland, Antarctica and European Nato countries.

The question raised by todays show in Singapore is what is different this time, and how certain is it that the aspirations for a nuclear-free and prosperous Korean peninsula can be realised. A lot depends on the follow-up talks between officials in Singapore, and the days to come.

Crucially, Mr Trump has put secretary of state Mike Pompeo in charge of the US team and not national security adviser John Bolton. Mr Pompeo is trusted by Pyongyang. Mr Bolton, who said they should be treated like Libyas Colonel Gaddafi, is not.

Monitoring and inspecting the dismantling of North Koreas nuclear apparatus is notoriously difficult. It is easy to conceal active military bases and laboratories in the countrys mountainous terrain, and the regime is a past master at deception and camouflage.

America has demanded CVID  Complete Verifiable Irreversible Denuclearisation. This is also required by six UN resolutions imposing sanctions for North Koreas violation of nuclear proliferation agreements. It means that UN body the International Atomic Energy Authority will have to be involved  which the DPRK has steadfastly refused to allow up to now.

Mr Pompeo is to travel to Beijing to brief the government there about the summit.

China is where the critical issue of lifting sanctions on the DPRK must be resolved  Beijing will want to have a large role in the reconstruction of the North Korean economy. It does not want to let its North Korean client drift into economic dependence on America and South Korea.

Kim appears to know the world has changed since his father and grandfather carried out their policies of aggressive North Korean isolation.

This kind of meeting brings out the theatrical best of Donald Trump. Tackling trade and the G7, the intricacies of nuclear diplomacy with Iran, perhaps bring out the worst. Spontaneously inviting Kim to the White House, offering to cut back on military manoeuvres, are deft moves to keep up the momentum.Waghmare's is the 6th arrest in connection with the killing of Lankesh, who was shot dead in front of her house here on September 5, 2017.

Lankesh was known for her strong views against hardline Hindutva. (Photo: File)

Bengaluru: Another suspect has been arrested in connection with the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, police said on Tuesday but denied speculation about him being the assassin.

The Special Investigating Team (SIT) of Karnataka police probing Lankesh's killing said it has arrested 26-year- old Parashuram Waghmare from Sindhagi in Vijaypura district of the state.

Waghmare was produced before the 3rd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's court in Bengaluru which remanded him in SIT custody for 14 days for further interrogation, an official release said.

Inspector General of Police B K Singh, who heads the SIT, told PTI that nothing has emerged during the probe so far to suggest that Waghmare had shot Lankesh. "No. That thing has not come in our investigation," he said amid speculation in the media that Waghmare could be the assassin.

Waghmare's is the 6th arrest in connection with the killing of Lankesh, who was shot dead in front of her house here on September 5, 2017.

Lankesh was known for her strong views against hardline Hindutva.

"His role in the conspiracy and other details will be revealed later as it would affect the investigation at this stage," the SIT release said.

Waghmare was said to have links to right wing groups. The SIT had earlier arrested five people-- K T Naveen Kumar alias Hotte Manja, Amol Kale, Manohar Edve, Sujeeth Kumar alias Praveen and Amit Degvekar. Naveen Kumar is from Maddur in Mandya district of Karnataka, while Kale and Degvekar are from Maharashtra.

Edve and Sujeeth Kumar are also from Karnataka. Naveen Kumar, who had founded the Hindu Yuva Sena, was the first to be caught in Bengaluru while attempting to sell ammunition.

The other four were arrested for planning to kill Kannada writer K S Bhagawan, also known for his anti-Hindutva stand. It was while probing this case that the police suspected their role in Lankesh's assassination.AIIMS sources said Mr Modi enquired about Mr Vajpayees condition and met his family members.

New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was on Monday admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for a routine checkup. A statement issued by the BJP and by AIIMS said his condition is stable. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, home minister Rajnath Singh and health minister J.P. Nadda visited the former PM at AIIMS.

Well-placed sources at AIIMS said Mr Vajpayee arrived there at around 11.30 am for a routine checkup and was admitted to the Cardio Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at CN Centre. Former Prime Minister Vajpayee will be kept under observation under the watchful eyes of a team of doctors for tonight and any decision on his discharge will be taken as per the advice of experts, he said.

Earlier on Monday, the BJP in a statement said that on the advice of his doctors, Mr Vajpayee was admitted to AIIMS for routine checkups and investigations. Later, AIIMS said in a statement: Former Prime Minister Vajpayee has been admitted for examination and management. He is stable. A team of doctors, under the supervision of AIIMS director Randeep Guleria, are conducting tests.

In the evening, at around 7.30 pm, Prime Minister Modi visited Mr Vajpayee at AIIMS, and spent around 50 minutes there. AIIMS sources said Mr Modi enquired about Mr Vajpayees condition and met his family members. Earlier in the evening, Congress president Rahul Gandhi was first to visit the former PM at AIIMS. Later, BJP president Amit Shah, home minister Rajnath Singh, health minister J.P. Nadda and veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani also visited the former PM at AIIMS, a source there said.

The PMO tweeted late Monday evening: PM Narendra Modi visited former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee at AIIMS today. He was at AIIMS for about 50 minutes... The Prime Minister interacted with family members of Mr Vajpayee. He also spoke to doctors and enquired about the health of Mr Vajpayee.

Mr Vajpayee, 93, was Prime Minister briefly for 13 days in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004. As his health deteriorated, he slowly withdrew from public life and has been confined to his residence for many years. In 2015, Mr Vajpayee was awarded the Bharat Ratna, Indias highest civilian award.Kashif Jameel, 34, a property dealer, was returning home around 11 pm, when some men came on a motorcycle and opened fire at him.

Kashif Jameel was immediately taken to a private nursing home where a bullet lodged in his neck was surgically removed. (Photo: Agencies)

Lucknow: Kashif Jameel, brother of Dr Kafeel Khan of Gorakhpur, who was shot at by unidentified persons late on Sunday night, is now said to be out of danger.

Kashif Jameel, 34, a property dealer, was returning home around 11 pm, when some men came on a motorcycle and opened fire at him.

Jameel was immediately taken to a private nursing home, where a bullet lodged in his neck was surgically removed. He was later shifted to the BRD medical college, where he is being kept under observation. He also received bullet injuries in shoulder and arm.

The SP city Vinay Singh said that they were still not aware of the motive behind the crime but initial investigations indicate that this could be a result of business rivalry.

Meanwhile, Dr Khan told reporters that the police tried to delay medical attention to his brother by moving him from one medical facility to another.

He has urged chief minister Yogi Adityanath to ensure the security of his family. I have been advised indirectly to be alert and I fear there is a threat to me and my family, he said.

Meanwhile, BSP president Mayawati condemned the attack on Dr Khans brother and said that the incident was an example of the jungle raj prevailing in the state.

The victims brother Dr Kafeel Khan was arrested last year after the death of children due to disruption in oxygen supply at the BRD Medical college. Dr Khan was in-charge of the pediatric ward, when the tragedy happened. He was recently released on bail after spending eight months in jail.Rahul said PM Modi said he would be country's watchman and not PM, but instead he became 'watchman for only 15 to 20 rich people.'

Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, 'Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi ran away with Rs 35,000 crore, Vijay Mallya took off with Rs 9,000 crore and even Lalit Modi decamped... But he says nothing... He will also run away.' (Photo: PTI)

Mumbai: Without directly naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday compared him to prominent fugitives and expressed suspicion that even he may run away like Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya and Lalit Modi.

Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi ran away with Rs 35,000 crore, Vijay Mallya took off with Rs 9,000 crore and even Lalit Modi decamped... But he says nothing... He will also run away, Rahul Gandhi said, addressing a meeting of his partys booth-level workers in suburban Goregaon.

Launching his sharpest attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi yet, Rahul Gandhi claimed there was fear now in Modis voice.

Unki awaaz me ek ghabraahat hai (There is fear in his voice)... The Prime Minister runs the country through bhaashans (speeches) only... But I am not scared as I am a soldier of truth, the Congress chief said amid spontaneous rounds of claps punctuating his speech.

Rahul Gandhi said PM Modi had contended that he would be a watchman of the country and not the Prime Minister, but instead he has become a watchman for only 15 to 20 rich people.

Rahul Gandhi said the country is suffering under the lies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while the Congress always stood for the truth.

Accusing the BJP and PM Modi of spreading hatred throughout the country, Rahul Gandhi pointed out that the Congress has always united India and taken everybody along.

The ordinary Indians who voted for the BJP had faith in the Prime Minister, but now they feel Modi has betrayed their trust totally. Farmers were expecting proper prices for the produce from him, but now they die alone and the Prime Minister is not there with them... He has made everybody cry, the Congress chief said.

Earlier during the day, Rahul Gandhi, who attended a court hearing in a defamation case in Bhiwandi (in adjoining Thane district), said: Ours is a fight of ideology and the system... Let them file any number of court cases against me, I shall fight them... I am not bothered.Instead of seeking to alter the status of the occupied territories, Pak should immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation, it added.

The transfer of powers of the AJK Council to the AJK government will reportedly result in an increase of the powers of the Pakistani government in PoK.

New Delhi: India on Monday lodged a strong protest with Pakistan through diplomatic channels against the so-called Azad Jammu and Kashmir Interim Constitution (13th Amendment) Act 2018 and asked the neighbouring country to vacate all areas immediately, saying the region is an integral part of India and that any action to alter the status of any part of the territory is illegal and unacceptable.

According to Pakistani media reports, the joint sitting of the so-called Azad Jammu Kashmir Legislative Assembly and the AJK Council, held in Muzaffarabad (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) late Friday, approved the 13th amendment in Act 1974, in the so-called Constitution of the region. The transfer of powers of the AJK Council to the AJK government will reportedly result in an increase of the powers of the Pakistani government in PoK.

The Government of India has conveyed a strong protest through diplomatic channel today against the so-called Azad Jammu and Kashmir Interim Constitution (13th Amendment) Act 2018, the MEA said in a statement late on Monday.

It was clearly conveyed that the entire State of Jammu and Kashmir, which also includes the so-called Azad Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India by virtue of its accession in 1947. Any action to alter the status of any part of the territory under forcible and illegal occupation of Pakistan has no legal basis whatsoever, and is completely unacceptable, the statement added.

Instead of seeking to alter the status of the occupied territories, Pakistan should immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation, it added.India hopes that any resolution on denuclearisation of Korean peninsula will address concerns over N Korea's nuclear proliferation linkages.

Trump said, 'We signed a joint statement that is an unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of North Korea.' (Photo: AFP)

New Delhi: India on Tuesday welcomed the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un as a "positive development" and hoped that any resolution on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula will address its concerns over Pyongyang's nuclear proliferation linkages.

Soon after Trump and Kim signed a "comprehensive" document promising to end seven decades of hostilities between the two countries, the External Affairs Ministry said India supports all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy.

Read: Kim vows full denuclearisation, Trump promises security at historic meet

"We also hope that the resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue will take into account and address our concerns about proliferation linkages extending to India's neighbourhood," it said in a statement, in an apparent reference to North Korea's alleged nuclear proliferation linkages with Pakistan.

India has been pressing for a probe into Kim regime's proliferation linkages so that those responsible for it are held accountable.

Following their summit in Singapore, Trump and Kim pledged to denuclearise the Korean peninsula and work for finding a peaceful resolution to seven decades of hostilities between the two countries.

"India welcomes the US - DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) Summit held in Singapore. This is a positive development. India has always supported all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy," the External Affairs Ministry said.

After the talks, the US president said that the process of denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula will begin "very soon" and the North Korean leader promised to leave the past behind.

"We hope that the outcomes of the US-DPRK Summit will be implemented, thus paving the way for lasting peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula," the ministry said.

Trump said, "We signed a joint statement that is an unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of North Korea."

According to some media reports, Pakistan had secretly supplied North Korea with nuclear enrichment technology when A Q Khan headed the country's nuclear programme.

They said Pakistan supplied vital machinery, drawings and technical advice to North Korea, allowing Pyongyang to enrich uranium as early as 2002.

In April, Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in had held a historic summit to bring lasting peace in the Korean Peninsula.Siddaramaiah says he has had talks with everyone, including MB Patil, who were reportedly unhappy over not becoming a minister.

Siddaramaiah, who is also leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), said, 'There is no one who is dissatisfied... everyone is satisfied now.' (Photo: File)

Bengaluru: Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday maintained there was no discontent within Congress now over denial of ministerial berths and expressed confidence that no party MLA would join hands with the BJP.

Confident about the Congress-JD(S) coalition government completing its full five year term, Siddaramaiah, who is also leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), said, There is no one who is dissatisfied... everyone is satisfied now.

Pointing out he has had talks with everyone who were reportedly unhappy over not becoming a minister, including MB Patil, he said how much ever BJP tries to entice our MLAs, no one will go.

There was growing discontent among newly elected Congress lawmakers who were left out during the June 6 cabinet expansion, with some openly expressing dissatisfaction and holding separate meetings.

The disquiet that had come out in the open soon after the exercise has gone silent in the last two days following efforts by the party leadership to pacify upset MLAs.

Responding to BJP state president BS Yeddyurappas comments that several Congress leaders are eager to join his party, Siddaramaiah said Yeddyurappas words have no value.

He (Yeddyurappa) himself doesnt know what he is talking about, he told reporters in Mysuru, as he accused the BJP of trying to entice Congress MLAs with money and posts.

He said the coalition governments first coordination committee meeting is scheduled for June 14.

Siddaramaiah, who heads the coordination committee that has the responsibility to oversee smooth functioning of the coalition government, said the agenda has not yet been prepared.

I will look into it once I go to Bengaluru tomorrow, he said.

Stating that he hasnt spoken to Congress president Rahul Gandhi yet regarding the issue of new Karnataka Pradesh Congress president, the former chief minister, in response to a question, said he would go to New Delhi after completing pending work here, including his nature care treatment.

Siddaramaiah said he was confident of the government completing its term, adding the public mandate was for five years.

Only thing is that a coalition government had to be formed as the public verdict was not in favour of one party, he said.

To a question on Kumaraswamys comments about rampant corruption in the system, Siddaramaiah said: I dont know where he has seen (corruption), if he has seen let him stop.... When he has come to know where corruption is, let him stop.

Stating that corruption starts with transfers, Kumaraswamy had on Monday said there are middlemen in the corridors of Vidhana Soudha (the state secretariat) for this purpose who claim the chief minister and ministers are with them.

Not wishing to react on Kumaraswamys statement that he was made chief minister on Congress insistence, he said I havent spoken to him, so I cannot react.

The former chief minister also termed reports about his contesting the coming Lok Sabha election as a creation of the media.Why it matters: It seems that as long as there has been email, there have been email scammers. Even today, people are taken in by these fraudsters, but authorities are fighting back. The US Justice Department has announced the arrest of 74 people, 42 in the US and 29 in Nigeria, for being involved in business email compromise (BEC) schemes.

Operation Wire Wire, a coordinated effort by Interpol, national police forces, and US agencies including the FBI, DoJ, Homeland Security, Treasury Department, Secret Service, and the Postal Inspection Service, was conducted over a six-month period. In addition to the arrests, it resulted in the seizure of nearly $2.4 million, and the recovery of approximately $14 million in fraudulent wire transfers.

BEC schemes usually involve scammers targeting victims who have access to their employers' accounts, or businesses that perform regular wire transfers. The criminals will trick people into transferring money, typically by impersonating a colleague or business partner after obtaining access to that persons email account.

Other individuals fell victim to classic romance and lottery scams, and on some occasions, the perpetrators asked for sensitive information, such as tax records, instead of cash. One case saw two Nigerians living in Dallas posing as a property seller and requesting a $246,000 wire transfer from a real estate attorney.

The arrests took place in the US, Nigeria, Canada, Mauritius, and Poland. Some of those arrested were working as part of larger criminal organizations, while others acted alone.

"This operation demonstrates the FBI's commitment to disrupt and dismantle criminal enterprises that target American citizens and their businesses," said FBI Director Christopher Wray.

The Justice Department said BEC schemes and similar email scams have cost victims $3.7 billion since the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) began tracking the incidents.

Fraudsters can rob people of their life's savings in a matter of minutes, said Attorney General Sessions. These are malicious and morally repugnant crimes. The Department of Justice has taken aggressive action against fraudsters in recent months, conducting the largest sweep of fraud against American seniors in history back in February.The two parties discussed the development of Venezuelan soccer, as well as the international organization's support to these ends. | Read MoreFormer finance minister was summoned for Tuesday after he was first questioned on June 5 by the ED in Aircel-Maxis case.

The investigating officer of the case is expected to record P Chidambaram's statement under PMLA on Tuesday, like the last time. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the second round of questioning in the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case, officials said.

The senior Congress leader arrived at the ED's headquarter in the national capital shortly before 11 am, they said. He was summoned for Tuesday after he was first questioned on June 5 by the agency, a department that reported to him during his tenure in the Finance Ministry.

The investigating officer of the case is expected to record Chidambaram's statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday, like the last time, they added. It is understood that the agency wants to put across a fresh set of questions to him regarding the deal and decisions taken by him.

The agency had recorded his statement for six hours on various aspects last time.

The ED had earlier recorded statements of defunct Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) officials when this deal took place and it is expected that Chidambaram may be confronted with these too.

Some specific queries on circumstances and procedures adopted by the now-defunct FIPB while giving approval to the Aircel-Maxis deal during his tenure were reported to have been put to him last time, they said.

Chidambaram's son Karti has already been questioned by the ED in this case, twice. After leaving the ED office on June 5, Chidambaram had tweeted that all answers he gave to the probe agency were already recorded in government documents. He also had said that there is no FIR, yet a probe had been initiated.

"More than half the time taken up by typing the answers without errors, reading the statement and signing it!, he had said in his tweet.

Chidambaram, also a former home minister, had earlier approached the court of Special Judge O P Saini seeking relief from arrest by the ED in the case.

The court then directed the ED not to take any coercive action or arrest him till July 10 in connection with the case. The ED had first asked him to appear before it on May 30 and on the same day, Chidambaram knocked the court's door.

The court, in its order on May 30, had noted that Chidambaram has undertaken to comply with the summons issued by the ED while saying he apprehended his arrest by the agency.

The Aircel-Maxis case pertains to grant of FIPB clearance to firm M/S Global Communication Holding Services Ltd in 2006 for investment in Aircel.

The Supreme Court had on March 12 directed investigating agencies -- the CBI and the ED -- to complete their probe into the 2G spectrum allocation cases, including the Aircel Maxis alleged money laundering case, in six months.

The agency had said that the FIPB approval in the Aircel-Maxis FDI case was granted in March 2006 by Chidambaram even though he was competent to accord approval on project proposals only up to Rs 600 crore and beyond that, it required the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).

The ED is investigating "the circumstances of the FIPB approval granted (in 2006) by the then finance minister".

"In the instant case, the approval for FDI of USD 800 million (over Rs 3,500 crore) was sought. Hence, the CCEA was competent to grant the approval. "However, the approval was not obtained from the CCEA," the ED had alleged.

The agency said its probe revealed that the case of the said FDI was "wrongly projected as an investment of Rs 180 crore so that it need not be sent to the CCEA to avoid a detailed scrutiny".

The ED is probing the Aircel-Maxis deal under the PMLA after taking cognisance of a 2011 CBI FIR in the case.

The senior Chidambaram had earlier described the ED action in this case as a "crazy mixture of falsehoods and conjectures" and said that the charge sheet filed by probe agencies was rejected by the court.

However, the agencies maintained that the FIR in the case had not been quashed.

In September 2017, the ED had attached assets worth Rs 1.16 crore of Karti and a firm allegedly linked to him in connection with this case.'The plot to assassinate PM Modi and Fadnavis seems mysterious and story of a horror film,' said editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamna'.

The Shiv Sena said PM Modi's security is as strong as Mossad (Israel's intelligence agency) and it is virtually impossible for anybody to penetrate it. (Photo: File)

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government's claim about a Maoist plot to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Tuesday questioned by the BJP's ally Shiv Sena, saying that the claim "does not seem to be legitimate".

As a high-level meeting presided by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh decided to strengthen the security of PM Modi, the BJP slammed opposition parties for claiming that the plot could be a publicity ploy and said it was the "lowest point of insensitivity and politics".

Read: Rajnath Singh reviews PM's security after assassination plot unearthed

NCP chief Sharad Pawar alleged the BJP was playing the "threat letter card" to gain sympathy.

Read: BJP trying to garner sympathy: Sharad Pawar on PM Modi assassination plot

The comments came against the backdrop of a claim by Maharashtra police that Maoists were plotting assassination of the prime minister and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The police, after arresting five people with alleged Maoist links last week, had said that a letter was seized from the house of one of them in which there was a suggestion about assassinating PM Modi in "Rajiv Gandhi-type incident".

Read: Maoists planning to kill PM Modi in 'Rajiv Gandhi type' incident: Pune cops

"The plot to assassinate them (PM Modi and Fadnavis) seems mysterious and the story of a horror film," said an editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamna'.

Quoting contents of the purported Maoist letter, the editorial said, "Modi has succeeded in forming governments in 15 states. If this continues, the organisation will be in trouble. And thus, Modi should be eliminated. All this was revealed by the police, which seems laughable."

It said the issue is being milked for political purpose, adding, "this conspiracy does not seem to be legitimate, is what being said by the experts."

The Shiv Sena said PM Modi's security is as strong as Mossad (Israel's intelligence agency) and it is virtually impossible for anybody to penetrate it.

Earlier, Pawar raised doubts over the veracity of the threat letter.

"The BJP has realised that they are losing the popular support. In order to gain sympathy, the BJP is now playing the threat letter card. However, I am sure that the people will not fall prey to such tactics," he said at a function in Pune on Monday.

"I have spoken to a senior retired police officer who told me that when such letters come they do not go to media but to the security agencies which make sure that adequate security measures are taken," the former chief minister said.

Fadnavis hit out at Pawar, saying he was not expected to "stoop to this level". In a tweet in Marathi, Fadnavis said that "Pawar ji should play politics of the nation and not politics of hatred."

Questioning the veracity of the threat letter seized by police, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said it is "unverified", and noted that it was government's duty to provide foolproof protection and security to the prime minister.

"I do not think you should take all these unverified letters as though they are official documents. Such letters will float about," Chidambaram told reporters when asked about the threat letter.

"It is the business of the government to offer and provide complete protection to the Prime Minister of India...So let the Government take whatever measures it has to take to provide complete foolproof protection and security of the prime minister. We are all interested in the security of the PM of India," the former union home minister told reporters in Delhi.

Union minister Prakash Javadekar said everybody should have condemned such an attempt, more so as India has lost two prime ministers to violence.

"People are still not sensitive," the BJP leader said at a news conference in Delhi.

Javadekar said instead of questioning those who wrote the letter opposition parties were questioning as to how it came to the fore.

"This is the lowest point of insensitivity and politics".

Home Minister Rajnath Singh held the high-level meeting in which National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Director Intelligence Bureau Rajiv Jain were present to review the security in the wake of inputs about threat to PM Modi's life.A subsidiary of global shipping line COSCO has moved into a new $25 million container handling hub in Melbournes west built by developer Cadence Property Group.

Oceania Container Services will occupy the seven-hectare site on a 15-year lease (with further options to extend) after the facility was completed last month by Cadence.

The purpose-built site at 28 Jones Road in Brooklyn has a 50,000-square-metre concrete hardstand capable of storing 8500 shipping containers, a container wash bay and a warehouse, office and workshop.

The Brooklyn site is capable of storing 8500 shipping containers. Credit:Cadence Property Group

The property, essentially a clearing hub for unloading and storing containers, will be the sole Melbourne site for Oceania, which operates other container parks around the country.Virgin Australia boss John Borghetti says he will depart the airline confident that he has set it up for future success by radically transforming it into Australia's second full-service airline competing head-to-head with Qantas.

The industry veteran announced on Tuesday he would leave the company at some point before January 1, 2020, and Virgin has started a global search for a replacement.

Since joining as chief executive in 2010, Mr Borghetti has overseen a transformation of Virgin from the budget airline Virgin Blue to the full-service carrier it is today, with international operations and a global network forged through partner airlines, lounges in major airports, the lucrative loyalty business Velocity, and purchase the budget airline Tigerair and regional operator SkyWest.

But it has been a costly exercise, compounded the financial damage of a ferocious domestic capacity war with Qantas, and Virgin has run up accumulative statutory losses of just under $1 billion under Mr Borghetti.The home insulation program would not have been considered by the Rudd government in February 2009 if not for the global financial crisis and the need to find stimulatory fiscal measures, former Treasury head Ken Henry told the Supreme Court of Victoria on Tuesday.

Dr Henry made the comments under cross-examination by Jim Delany, QC, during lengthy questioning about the controversial program in a class action case brought by pink batts businesses.

Former Treasury secretary, Ken Henry. Credit:Quentin Jones

Dr Henry also told the court that he didn't know if the program, which was linked to four deaths and was the subject of a royal commission, would ever have been introduced at a future date, without a major event like a global economic shock.

"Maybe this program would have been considered by government at some stage, but it would not have been considered by government in February 2009 (without the GFC)," he said.Robert De Niro got himself a standing ovation when he called out, "I'm going to say one thing: F--- Trump!" at the Tony Awards in New York on Monday, but it seems not everyone was impressed by the 74-year-old actor's takedown of the US President.

The move, which generated headlines around the world, didn't appear to sit too well with The Project co-host Waleed Aly when it came up during Tuesday night's episode of the news program.

Showing footage of De Niro's latest efforts  on Tuesday he made a public apology to Canada and its Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for Trump's recent behaviour  Aly's co-host Pete Helliar pointed out to the audience that Aly was "furious" about what had occurred at the Tony Awards.

"I just  what is going on here?" Aly asked after the footage was replayed on screen. "So De Niro gets up and he says 'F Trump' and gets a standing ovation?"At a London Fashion Week show overnight, it wasn't the clothes by designer Xander Zhou that got tongues wagging. It was the prosthetic bellies worn by the male models.

According to reports, the models rubbed and caressed the bumps during the show, with some even lifting their shirts  a number of which carried the slogan "new world baby"  to reveal the lifelike prostheses.

You may remember that Eckhaus Latta used a (female) pregnant model in its show at New York Fashion Week last September, while a pregnant Gemma Ward walked for David Jones two years ago.

While it's hard to argue against the use of pregnant women in runway shows as part of the steady march towards diversity across age/race/size/gender in modelling, we're not sure the world is ready for male pregnant models, even if they are  as Xander Zhou alleged  making a statement about futurism or the potential existence of extraterrestrial life.Cancer June 22-July 22 It's a good day to challenge your own assumptions. Your mind is a little more open than usual, and your vision is a little sharper. You're looking at the world through a lens of humour and inquisitiveness, which makes everything extra absorbing. It's a good day to demonstrate your intelligence in a conversation or presentation, or on a test. Your mental synapses are firing quickly and well, making it easy to think fast. Leo July 23-August 22

If you need a change today, it's a great time to switch up your routine. You're extra curious now, so you may find yourself drawn to a fascinating new subject or person. Anything mentally stimulating is right up your alley. You can get inspired and take off in a whole new direction, if you like. Or, you can simply have some interesting conversations that make you think in a new and different way. Virgo August 23-September 22 You have no problem catching all the small stuff today. Detail-oriented by nature, now your eye is especially keen. The only problem is, not only are you catching the small stuff, you're sweating it. It's hard to determine what's important and what isn't. Consequently, everything seems hugely significant -- and you end up driving yourself crazy trying to manage it all. Preserve your sanity by shooting for good enough rather than perfection. Libra

September 23-October 22 Your work and projects are enhanced today by strokes of genius that are generated seemingly from thin air. This is the kind of day when you can easily work your way out of a dead end in your thinking or planning, or even take things in a whole new direction. You're thinking outside the box, with great results! Some might even say you're downright brilliant. Put this mental stimulation to good use. Scorpio October 23  November 22 You need a change -- except, depending on your personality, you aren't likely to embrace any sort of shift in plans, goals or current situation. That's why the universe has a way of intervening, imposing changes whether you want them or not! If some routine part of your life shifts today, keep in mind that it's probably for the best. Do your best to adjust to the new conditions gracefully.

Sagittarius November 23-December 20 Welcome to a talkative day. Your mouth and fingers could be a blur as you take phone calls, send emails and text messages, and chat online. You might brainstorm ideas for a project or plans for a future one. You might do some networking, either social or professional. And yet, at the end of the day, you may wonder what you really accomplished, if anything. Let's hope there was some substance in there! Capricorn December 21-January 19

You've got a mind for facts and figures today. If you have numbers to crunch, it's a good day for it, as long as you don't get caught up in the small details that don't really matter in the grand scheme of things. The same goes for doing research of any kind: Get a good grasp of the various options or components, but use them to create a sense of the overall picture. Aquarius January 20-February 18 The worst use of today's current cosmic energy would be to stay in one place, focusing on one, tedious task. Of course, there's not much worry of that happening. Even if you have a big project ahead of you that's going to require a lot of focus, you'll find ways to spice things up. Even working through complex problems is interesting and enjoyable, since it gives you a mental workout! PiscesThree adults and a teenager were watching go kart races when they say they heard a bang and then the whistle of a shot passing over their heads from a nearby gun club, police said on Tuesday.

Police closed the Melbourne International Shooting Club in Port Melbourne following several reports of gunshots in the area around midday on Monday.

A sign on the front gate of the Melbourne International Shooting Club on Tuesday. Credit:Jason South

At the time of the incident, the four witnesses at the Melbourne International Karting Complex on Todd Road were about 150 metres away from the spot where three shooters were active on the range.

Police said no one was injured and no bullets or fragments have been found."We've gone a bit Grand Designs," staff at the Australian National University explain as they lead the way through scaffolds and puddles on site at the university's new $263 million development.

In the upgraded Union Court, timber has largely taken the place of steel, and wooden beams soar overhead, the skeleton of six sustainably-designed buildings still in construction.

The precinct is more than six years in the making, and set to open early next year, but just a few months ago the whole site was under water.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr (left) and ANU vice-chancellor Prof Brian Schmidt on site at the new Kambri precinct. Credit:Karleen Minney.

Vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt said on Tuesday it was "extraordinary" that a February rainstorm which brought much of Canberra to a standstill and flooded the ANU's Chifley Library, only set the project back three weeks.Rajnath Singh also said that Maoists are fighting a loosing battle and their area of influence has been reduced to a large extent.

New Delhi: In view of the alleged threat from Maoists, the Centre has decided to enhance the security cover of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, particularly when he is conducting a road show or attending any outdoor event.

Sources said the Ring Round Team (RRT), provided by the Special Protection Group (SPG), will be further strengthened with more police personnel from Central armed police forces as well as state police in the second and third round of outer security cordon at events attended by the PM.

The decision to enhance the Prime Ministers security was taken at a high-level meeting chair-ed by home minister Rajnath Singh and national security advisor Ajit Doval on Monday along with senior officials from multiple intelligence and security agencies. Sources said the decision to review and further revamp PMs security was taken in the wake of a letter recently recovered from some Naxal sympathisers which mentions PM Modi being targeted in a Rajiv Gandhi-type assassination attempt during his road shows.

Last week home minister had said that the government was concerned about the PMs security and all necessary steps would be taken to ensure that his the security cover is foolproof. Mr Singh had also said that Maoists are fighting a loosing battle and their area of influence has been reduced to a large extent.

The PMs inner security cordon is managed by the elite SPG, while para-military and local police are roped in for managing the outer cordon as well as for crowd control. The SPG, which was formed through an Act of Parliament, also provides security cover to some former Prime Ministers as well as their family members.

As an immediate measure, more SPG personnel would be put on duty as part of the PMs RRT and the number would be increased whenever the PM is attending an outdoor event, especially road shows where he is more exposed to the possibility of an attack. The SPG co-ordination teams will visit the venues well in advance where PMs event is to be held for better security arrangements by the local police. We will also ensure more use of technology like drones for better surveillance of venues and the crowd. Since PM would be travelling a lot in the days ahead due to Assembly elections in three states, all necessary steps would be taken, a senior security official said.

The Pune police, in connection with investigations into the Bhima-Koregaon violence last December, had allegedly recovered a letter talking of targeting the Prime Minister from Rona Wilson who has been arrested along with five others following multiple raids in Delhi, Mumbai and Nagpur.

The letter, which was apparently addressed to one Comrade Prakash and written by some R, mentions arranging Rs 8 crore and procuring sophisticated weapons like M-4 rifles along with large quantity of ammunition, for a possible attack on the Prime Minister.Liszt and Beethoven - Two Soul Mates. Marcela Fiorillo. Wesley Music Centre, 20 National Circuit, Forrest. Saturday, June 16, 7pm. Tickets: $30-$45. marcelafiorillo.iwannaticket.com.au or at the door.

Beethoven bust statue by Hagen. Credit:Library of Congress

Argentinian pianist Marcela Fiorillo says her next concert brings together works by two composers she thinks have a lot in common as musical innovators who expanded the techniques and resources of the piano.

"Both of them created a new way of understanding piano performance and the piano literature," she says.

Both men also had intense struggles as composers, she says: Beethoven was a freelancer, without the patronage of the church or the monarchy, and sometimes had to battle to open doors for commissions and to survive.An experienced psychiatrist at the Canberra Hospital was forced to take stress leave for two months because of staff shortages, an inquest into the suicide of a patient heard last month.

The doctor, who has worked in psychiatry for 41 years, told the May 1 hearing that colleagues said he should withdraw himself because he was burning out.

He also said there was a high turnover among the mental health nurses in the hospital, again because of burnout, but conceded the problem went beyond Canberra.

The psychiatrist said that the ACT had a problem recruiting and retaining people, and blamed in part better working conditions in other states.

He also pointed to chronic psychiatrist shortages across Australia and the world.A 15-year-old girl was drinking alone at her north-west Sydney family home last Friday when she watched an online instructional recipe video and consumed a deadly cocktail resulting in a blood alcohol level of eight times the legal driving limit.

The teenager, who has been identified as Paris Kamper, was found unconscious at the semi-rural property in Kenthurst shortly before 9.30pm on Friday, before emergency services were called to take her to The Childrens Hospital at Westmead.

Paris Kamper, 15, died after consuming a lethal amount of alcohol. Credit:Facebook

Despite the best efforts of medical experts, who kept the teenager under sedation and on ventilation across the weekend, she died on Monday morning just before noon.

"The disturbing fact about this whole case is that the young lady was 15 years of age," Superintendent Rob Critchlow, The Hills Police Area Commander, said, describing the teenager as "free-spirited, well-respected and well-liked".Queensland's Court of Appeal has ordered a teenage rapist be sent back to jail because his original sentence was too low.

Xzaveah Elijah Wano was 17 in January last year when he and a friend broke into the woman's home in Cairns and sexually assaulted her while she slept.

Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath appealed the sentence. Credit:Fairfax Media

They fled when the complainant woke, stealing property from her home before they left.

The pair then broke into a second home with the intention of attacking another woman, who managed to scare them off.Almost 140 wedge-tailed eagles and four other protected bird species were found dead in Victoria's east with authorities calling it the 'biggest case" they had ever seen amid fears the toll could be far greater.

Initial reports indicated 81 dead eagles had been found, but the environment department confirmed on Tuesday that 136 dead eagles have been counted throughout a property in bushland and scrub during extensive searches.

It's understood piles of dead eagles were found hidden on a farm in Tubbut in far East Gippsland, along with the carcasses of four other protected bird species.

Charges are yet to be laid, but a person is helping investigators with their inquiries.A lucky student from every Victorian secondary school will soon be offered a $5000 scholarship to study at the University of Melbourne as part of a push to increase the institution's diversity.

The new Melbourne Principals Scholarship will be awarded every year to students from 580 state, independent and Catholic schools who have been singled out by their principals for their excellent grades and contribution to the community.

The University of Melbourne has unveiled major changes to its Melbourne model Credit:Simon Schluter

Students will receive $5000 to support the cost of studying and other living expenses, while their course fees will still incur a HECS debt that will need to be repaid when the student is earning a professional wage.

University of Melbourne deputy vice-chancellor Professor Carolyn Evans said the university wanted to look beyond high ATARs and enrol more diverse students from around the state.Many residents in the Mordialloc street witnessed the crash and its aftermath, with mourners stopping by during Saturday to pay their respects.

Police at the scene of the plane crash in Scarlett Street, Mordialloc. Credit:Justin McManus

Mount Martha father of two Anthony Liddell, 50, was killed when the Cessna 172 he was flying plummeted to the ground in Scarlet Street near Moorabbin Airport just after 5pm.

The family of the pilot killed in a plane crash in Mordialloc last Friday has released a statement thanking the people "who selflessly tried to render help".

"The family of Anthony would like to acknowledge the Scarlet Street residents," the statement said, "and the people who selflessly tried to render help at the crash site."

The statement went on to thank "Anthony's work colleagues, who arrived at the scene within minutes, and of course the fire brigade, police, and ambulance paramedics who worked at, and had to witness, the horrific scene.

"The family's thoughts are with them all, and we would like to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts."

A preliminary report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau is expected to take 30 to 40 days.

A spokesman said on Tuesday that it could take a year for the bureau to release its final findings, with a thorough investigation into pilot records and the crash site in progress.The iftar which was being held after a gap of two years and the first since Rahul Gandhi took over as the President of the Party.

New Delhi: After a day of speculation that former President Pranab Mukherjee might not make it to the list of invitees for the Congress Iftar party on June 13, the Party officially clarified late evening that Mr Mukherjee has been invited and he has accepted the invitation also. The iftar which was being held after a gap of two years and the first since Rahul Gandhi took over as the President of the Party, is likely to be another show of Opposition unity, with all the leaders, who were present at the swearing-in of the Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka, likely to attend or send their representatives.

Speculation was rife throughout the day that Mr Mukherjee was unlikely to be invited with many party insiders claiming that the leadership had decided not to invite former vice president Hamid Ansari as well, since they had held constitutional positions. Mr Mukherjees office too confirmed that no invitation has reached them yet.

However, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted late evening: Congress President has extended an invite to Sh. Pranab Mukherjee & he has graciously accepted. Hope this will set to rest unwarranted speculation..

To set the record straight, May I point out that Pranab Dada had attended the last Iftar get together organised by then Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi too. Bereft of unwarranted issues, let compassion & friendship for all guide us in the holy month of Ramzan, he added.

It might be recalled that Mr Mukherjees decision of addressing an RSS convocation at its Nagpur headquarters had sent political circles into a tizzy with the Congress Party split wide open on the issue.

While many Congress leaders like Ramesh Chennithala, Jairam Ramesh and Anand Sharma had openly criticised the former President, officially the party had commended the speech made by him at the function.

Mr Mukherjees own daughter Sharmishtha and senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel had also come down heavily on him for his decision to attend the function.

The former Presidents decision had stirred the pot on the ruling side too. NDA ally Shiv Sena in an editorial in Party mouthpiece Saamna had written that RSS was preparing for Plan B by inviting Pranab Mukherjee as it was not confident of a Modi win in the general elections.

Sources in many parties, including the Trinamool Congress and the erstwhile NDA ally Telugu Desam Party, feel that Mr Mukherjee has the potential of emerging as the most respectable Prime Ministerial face in case of a hung verdict.Notorious yellow oBikes will soon be swept off Melbourne's city's streets in the wake of a crackdown.

The company is leaving Melbourne rather than meet strict new rules imposed by the Environment Protection Authority.

Under the new rules, the Singaporean company would have been required to pay $3000 in fines if an abandoned bike blocked a street for two hours.

Melbourne lord mayor Sally Capp said the actions of some riders had made it hard to manage the bike-sharing system.Richard Denniss paused and looked around the suddenly silent room. He wanted to let his point seep in.

The Australia Institute in Manuka was packed. Denniss was launching his Quarterly Essay, Dead Right. This is a coruscating examination of how the tentacles of neo-libralism have spread through the economy until any other way of thinking has been banished. But that wasnt the point he was making now.

A man in uniform walks along the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial. Credit:AAP

Go to the War Memorial, he urged. Look at the Eternal Flame. Its stark and beautiful, a poignant reminder of the sacrifice of more than 100,000 Australian soldiers whove lost their lives in war. Nearby are two plaques. They say the flame is a gift to the nation from the Australian Gas Industry.

Are you really telling me that after an unrivalled global performance of 27 years of economic growth we need to rely on the Gas Industry to remember our dead? Cant we even afford to do this by ourselves? Is this a memorial, or just an opportunity for sponsorship?More than a decade ago, mining billionaire Clive Palmer planned to convert Wyuna into a floating pleasure palace. It came to nothing, just as proposals by her latest owners to sail Wyuna to Melbourne have foundered over the past two years, despite a full refit.

The Wyuna in an earlier guise as a training and radio ship. She is now stranded in Tasmania.

For want of a berth, she swings at lonely anchor in Bell Bay on Tasmanias Tamar River, her time running down.

She spent long years helping shepherd thousands of ships to safe harbour in Melbourne, but the good ship Wyuna now floats in peril herself, with no port to call her own.

Their problem, they say, is that authorities have rebuffed all their efforts to find a berth in Melbourne.

Meanwhile, Tasmanias port authorities have run out of patience and want the old ship gone, threatening otherwise to seize her and sell her, possibly to be broken up for scrap.

Wyuna, a stately old vessel, is said to be the worlds last remaining pilot cutter. She was for two decades home to Port Phillips maritime pilots, who guided ships in from Bass Strait to Melbournes docks.

A group of Victorian maritime enthusiasts and business leaders wants to bring Wyuna home to Melbourne to be maintained, displayed and used as a special example of the citys maritime history.

We have been talking with Soldier On to make the ship a wellbeing drop-in centre as the indications are that these ex-service personnel would love to maintain the ship, says Max Bryant, president of the Western Port Oberon Association Inc of the Victorian Maritime Centre, which owns the 65-year-old cutter.Trump-Kim summit live: Updates from Singapore

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DismissHistory has been made in Singapore, with the first meeting between leaders of the United States and North Korea, which has been isolated from the world for decades as it defied the United Nations Security Council and built a nuclear arsenal and aggressively tested intercontinental ballistic missiles. At 9am Kim shook hands with Trump and greeted him in English: "Nice to meet you, Mr President." Loading When they strode out in front of the flags of both nations for the camera-made moment of the historic handshake, Kim smiled, while Trump talked and kept a steady gaze. "We're going to have a great discussion, and I think tremendous success," Trump said as the two men sat down briefly before TV cameras. "We will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt" .

Kim, speaking through an interpreter, said: "There were fetters and wrong practices that at times covered our eyes and ears, but we overcame everything to come this far." Loading Both men looked tense. Kim leaning forward in chair. Trump tapping his hands together repeatedly.

The media were then ushered out of the room. The two men later emerged from their meeting looking relaxed as they walked the open-air corridors. Trump said the meeting had been "very good". The US has publicly said it wanted North Korea to end its nuclear program in return for an economic boost. North Korea has previously said it wanted a step-by-step approach and a security guarantee in return.

North Korea and South Korea had already committed to signing a peace treaty to end the Korean War by year's end, but this would also require US agreement. Rather than a finalised deal, today's summit, if successful, was expected to start the dialogue process and set a path an terms for denuclearisation. North Korean and US negotiators met three times on Monday, and talked late into the night, over differences in their definition of denuclearisation, South Korean media reported. North Korea's definition of "complete denuclearisation" reportedly covers the removal of the US nuclear umbrella from the Korean Peninsula as a security guarantee, in return for the permanent dismantling of North Korea's nuclear program. Any downgrading of the US military presence in South Korea would likely be resisted by the White House and unpopular in South Korea.

Trump will hold a press conference this afternoon Minutes before his arrival at the meeting, Trump tweeted that top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow had suffered a heart attack and was being treated at a hospital back in Washington. "Our Great Larry Kudlow, who has been working so hard on trade and the economy, has just suffered a heart attack. He is now in Walter Reed Medical Centre," Trump said on Twitter. A long-time television commentator, Kudlow, 70, was hired by Trump in March to replace Gary Cohn as director of the National Economic Council.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said later of Trump adviser Larry Kudlow: "he's doing well." Kudlow's wife, Judy, said he was doing "fine," according to Robert Costa, a Washington Post reporter, in a Twitter posting. In another tweet, Costa said Kudlow "is up and talking tonight and spoke by phone with Dr Art Laffer," citing two people close to Kudlow. Kudlow, a former Ronald Reagan economic adviser and Wall Street economist, has played a key role in ongoing trade talks. Kudlow accompanied Trump this weekend to the annual G7 meeting in Quebec, where the president traded barbs with the leaders of Canada, Germany and France over trade. On Sunday, Kudlow said on CNN's State of the Union that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "really kind of stabbed us in the back" after criticising US tariffs on imported steel and aluminum and Trump's positions on trade in a news conference following the summit.Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala said Mukherjee has readily accepted the invite for the celebrations on June 13.

Rahul Gandhi will play host at this year's Iftar scheduled to be held at a luxury hotel in the city. It will be the Gandhi scion's first Iftar event after taking over the reins of the party. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: Former president Pranab Mukherjee will attend the Iftar hosted by Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi on June 13.

Iftar marks the customary breaking of the daylong fast during the holy month of Ramzan.

Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala said Mukherjee was invited by the Congress chief for the event and he has readily accepted the invite.

The ex-president had raised quite a few eyebrows with his recent visit to the RSS headquarters. The visit had left several Congress leaders and his own family members miffed and anguished.

"Multiple media houses have raised questions on Iftar invite to Pranab Mukherjee on behalf of Congress president. Congress president has extended an invite to Pranab Mukherjee and he has graciously accepted. Hope this will set to rest unwarranted speculation," Surjewala said.

He tweeted saying Mukherjee had attended the last Iftar organised by then Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

"To set the record straight, May I point out that Pranab Dada had attended the last Iftar get-together organised by then Congress President, Sonia Gandhi too. Bereft of unwarranted issues, let compassion and friendship for all guide us in the holy month of Ramadan," he said.

Rahul Gandhi will play host at this year's Iftar scheduled to be held at a luxury hotel in the city. It will be the Gandhi scion's first Iftar event after taking over the reins of the party.

The Congress had given its Iftar ritual a miss in the last two years.

The party conventionally invites leaders of all faiths as well as top diplomats to the event.But the joint statement did say the two sides had agreed to recovering the remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action and repatriating them. If the joint statement does lead to a lasting detente, it could fundamentally change the security landscape of Northeast Asia, just as former US President Richard Nixon's visit to Beijing in 1972 led to the transformation of China. Before signing what Trump described as a "comprehensive" document, Kim said the two leaders had a historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind. The world will see a major change. Trump said he had formed a "very special bond" with Kim and that relationship with North Korea would be very different. "People are going to be very impressed and people are going to be very happy and we are going to take care of a very dangerous problem for the world," Trump said.

Asked whether he would invite Kim to the White House, Trump said: "Absolutely, I will." He called Kim "very smart" and a "very worthy, very hard negotiator". "I learned he's a very talented man. I also learned that he loves his country very much." The full statement Joint statement of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea at the Singapore Summit

President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a first, historic summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018. President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new U.S. - DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Convinced that the establishment of new U.S. - DPRK relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world, and recognizing that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un state the following: The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new U.S. - DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity. The United States and the DPRK will will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified. Having acknowledged that the U.S. - DPRK summit - the first in history - was an epochal event of great significance in overcoming decades of tension and hostilities between the two countries and for the opening up of a new future. President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un commit to implement the stipulations in this joint statement fully and expeditiously. The United States and the DPRK commit to hold follow-on negotiations, led by U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and a relevant high-level DPRK official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the U.S. - DPRK summit.The non-bailable warrants were issued by Special PMLA judge Salman Azmee against Nirav Modi and 10 others, including his family members.

Nirav Modi is said to have left the country before criminal cases were lodged against him. (Photo: File)

Mumbai: A special court in Mumbai on Tuesday issued non-bailable warrant against diamantaire Nirav Modi and his family members in the over USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank fraud case after taking cognisance of a charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate last month.

The ED had last week moved the special court seeking warrants against the accused persons.

The non-bailable warrants (NBWs) were issued by Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) judge Salman Azmee against Nirav Modi and 10 others, including his family members.

The ED had last month filed a 12,000-page chargesheet in the multi-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) cheating and fraud case against Nirav Modi and 23 others, including his father Deepak Modi, sister Purvi Mehta, brother-in-law Maiank Mehta, brother Neeshal Modi and another relative Nehal Modi.

The ED has charged the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the over Rs 13,000 crore PNB scam case.

Nirav Modi is said to have left the country before criminal cases were lodged against him. In a meeting held between Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and UK Minister of State for Countering Extremism, Baroness Williams in Delhi on Monday, the UK side confirmed the presence of Nirav Modi in Britain.Health MoS was in Mirzapur district to participate in a programme.

Lucknow: In a shocking incident, Union minister Anupriya Patel became a victim of eve-teasing in Uttar Pradesh.

According to reports, Ms Anupriya Patel, minister of state for health and family welfare and a member of the Apna Dal party, was in Mirzapur district on Sunday, to participate in various public programmes. She was returning to Varanasi in the night when three youths in a car started hurling indecent comments at her and chased the ministers vehicle.

Initially, the minister ignored them but the youths, who were in a car without a number plate, continued to misbehave with the minister. The security personnel tried to chase them, but the youths disappeared only to reappear again. But when the young men did not mend their ways, the ministers security personnel in the cavalcade began chasing them. They disappeared for sometime, only to reappear later and continue hurling dirty comments. The incident happened between Orai and Varanasi.

Ms Patel realised that the situation was going out of control and informed the Varanasi police and other senior officials. The three men were soon nabbed as the police set up roadblocks on the route. Apna Dal (S) president Ashish Singh Patel confirmed the incident and said that the police have arrested the culprits.

Sources said that Ms Anupriya Patel had decided to apprise the chief minister Yogi Adityanath and the Bharatiya Janata Party national president Amit Shah about the incident.Senior UP minister Swatantra Dev Singh on Sunday demanded a high level probe into the matter.

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh estate department, on Monday, ordered an investigation into government properties in bungalows recently vacated by former chief ministers.

The move comes after reports that former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had ripped off tiles, air-conditioners, fittings etc. from his bungalow before vacating it. Senior UP minister Swatantra Dev Singh on Sunday demanded a high level probe into the matter.

Leaders like Akhilesh Yadav claim to represent the downtrodden sections of society but lead a life of luxury and that too, at the cost of the state exchequer. A probe is needed into the matter to expose such leaders, the minister had said.

The estate department had taken legal opinion and estate officer Yogesh Shukla told reporters that Our employees have started making a list of properties allotted to these bungalows. We will see what is missing and notices would later be sent to all the occupants.Amit Shah will pay tribute to BJP ideologue Shyama Prasad Mukherjee at a memorial in Punjab's Lakhanpur area on June 23.

The purpose of the tour is to strategise ways to help BJP win the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, particularly finding the right formula to capture seats the party lost in 2014, party leaders said. (Photo: File)

Jammu: BJP chief Amit Shah will visit Jammu and Kashmir later this month to chalk out the strategy for 2019 Lok Sabha polls, a party leader said.

Amit Shah will pay tribute to BJP ideologue Shyama Prasad Mukherjee at a memorial in Punjab's Lakhanpur area on June 23, he said.

"BJP chief Shah will visit Jammu on June 23 in connection with the 'Balidan-Divas' of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. During the visit, he will also chalk out the strategy of the party in JK for 2019 elections," BJP state chief Ravinder Raina said.

Ravinder Raina said Amit Shah will first visit Shama Prasad Mukherjee's memorial at Lakhanpur and pay tributes before arriving in Jammu.

Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, founder of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh (BJS), had died under mysterious circumstances in the Srinagar jail on June 23, 1953.

The purpose of the tour is to strategise ways to help BJP win the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, particularly finding the right formula to capture seats the party lost in 2014, party leaders said.

The BJP chief will review the performance of the PDP-BJP coalition government, assess the working of the organisation, development projects and security situation and issues relation refugees and migrants during his visit, they said.



The first and foremost purpose of his visit to chalk out a poll strategy besides infusing fresh enthusiasm among the party leadership and cadres, Raina said.

Amit Shah will also address a seminar of intellectuals organised by the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Foundation, Raina said.

He will address the core group of the party and review organisational matters at an executive meeting and give direction for future goals, he said.

Amit Shah will discuss matters pertaining to refugees, including PoK and west Pakistan, migrants and border people affected by the shelling from Pakistan, he said.

"Our aims to win all the seats in J&K and prepare ground for victory of the party in next Assembly polls to achieve mission 44 plus to have BJP CM," Raina said.He said he had spoken to MLAs, M.B. Patil, B.C. Patil, Sangamesh, S.R. Patil, D Sudhakar and others and none of them were unhappy.

Mysuru: Former chief minister Siddaramaiah claimed here on Tuesday that there were no disgruntled Congress MLAs and there was no threat to the JD(S)-Congress coalition government in the state.

Speaking to reporters, he said he had spoken to MLAs, M.B. Patil, B.C. Patil, Sangamesh, S.R. Patil, D Sudhakar and others and none of them were unhappy.

No one will go with the BJP. All those attempts have failed. The coalition government will complete its five year term, he maintained.

Asked about the next KPCC president, he said he had not yet spoken to Congress president, Rahul Gandhi about it. Mr Siddaramaiah, who was on his first visit to his hometown of Mysuru after the assembly poll, said he had accepted the peoples verdict in Chamundeshwari, where he was defeated.

I do not want to analyse it. This result may have shocked the media, but not me, he added

On chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamys statement that he was shocked at the corruption in Vidhana Soudha, he said, I dont know. If he has seen it, let him stop it.

While he seemed to be putting up a brave front, the elections have clearly taken a toll on the former CM as he revealed that after the first coordination committee meeting on Thursday, he planned to go to Dharmasthala for 12 days for some naturopathy.

Earlier, addressing Congress party workers and voters of Varuna constituency to thank them for electing his son, Dr Yathindra, he said victory and defeat must be accepted in a democracy.

I accept the mandate of the people. This is not the first time I have lost, he said.

I have never been excited by victory or depressed by defeat. But what pains me is that despite doing so much good work, people did not meet our expectations, he added.American Society for Microbiology researchers made a new discovery about the disease.

Washington: A specific class of virus can drive Parkinson's disease, a new research has claimed.

According to the study conducted by the American Society for Microbiology, bacteriophages play a certain role in the onset of Parkinson's disease (PD).

The researchers, led by George Tetz, showed that the abundance of lytic Lactococcus phages was higher in PD patients when compared to healthy individuals. This abundance led to a 10-fold reduction in neurotransmitter-producing Lactococcus, suggesting the possible role of phages in neurodegeneration. Comparative analysis of the bacterial component also revealed significant decreases in Streptococcus spp. and Lactobacillus spp. in PD.

Lactococcus are regulators of gut permeability and are enteric dopamine producers, which plays a primary role in PD. "The depletion of lactococcus due to high numbers of strictly lytic phages in PD patients might be associated with PD development and directly linked to dopamine decrease as well as the development of gastrointestinal symptoms of PD," said Tetz.

To explore bacterial and bacteriophage community compositions associated with PD, the researchers used shotgun metagenomics sequencing data of fecal microbiome from 32 patients with PD and 28 controls.

The results indicated that the decrease in Lactococci in the PD patients was due to the appearance of strictly lytic, virulent lactococcal phages belonging to the c2-like and 936 groups that are frequently isolated from dairy products. These results opened a discussion on the role of environmental phages and phagobiota composition in health and disease.

"Bacteriophages have previously been overlooked as pathogenic factors, and the study points out their pivotal role in pathogenesis," said Tetz. Future research is needed to explore bacterial viruses as a diagnostic and treatment target for therapeutic intervention.

The study research is presented at ASM Microbe, the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, held from June 7th to June 11 in Atlanta, Georgia.Arshad Hussain, who is resident of Jharkhand, while getting off the train offered his seat to the French lady who was standing at the door.

Hussain has been sent to police custody till June 14. (Photo: PTI | Representational)

West Bengal: A railway employee was arrested from West Bengal's Burdawan over a complaint of molestation by a French national.

Arshad Hussain, who is a resident of Jharkhand, while getting off the train offered his seat to the French lady who was standing at the door.

The accused showed the empty seat to the lady and molested her.

The fellow passengers caught the accused and handed him over to the Railway Police Force (RPF).

Hussain has been sent to police custody till June 14.CM was speaking at panel discussion on Governance and Artificial Intelligence with Vice Premier of Quebec Dominique Anglade in Montreal.

The Maharashtra government also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Fonds de recherche du Qubec - Nature et Technologies, to form an international working group on agriculture for crop disease eradication, use of artificial intelligence for agricultural technologies and soil management. (Photo: File)

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said Artificial Intelligence will create more jobs and help in bridging the gap between the rich and the poor. The technology could also help in facilitating the reach of health services to remote areas, he said.

Fadnavis was speaking at a panel discussion on Governance and Artificial Intelligence with Vice Premier of Quebec Dominique Anglade in Montreal. Dismissing the fear of losing jobs due to artificial intelligence, he said, "On the contrary, it will create even more jobs and not just that, it will repair and solve many problems. Artificial intelligence has the power to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor." Fadnavis said that due to the information asymmetry in India between the rich and the poor, he proposes to use artificial intelligence tools for access to basic services.

"Health services can be provided in remote villages using artificial intelligence-powered diagnostic tools like retinal photography and its transmission via internet to centrally located doctors," he said. Artificial intelligence (AI) is an area of computer science that emphasises the creation of intelligent machines that work and react like humans. The chief minister also spoke about the death of several farmers in the state's Yavatmal district last year while spraying pesticides in their fields. Start-ups were now showing a way out by using drones and artificial intelligence for the purpose, he said. The chief minister also spoke about the use of technology in service delivery and to bring sustainability in the era of climate change.

"Technology is like a horse, one has to take control of it and ride it. Once you start riding it, it will be at your service," he said, while elaborating the government's role as a facilitator in the use of technology.

The Maharashtra government also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Fonds de recherche du Qubec - Nature et Technologies, to form an international working group on agriculture for crop disease eradication, use of artificial intelligence for agricultural technologies and soil management.

Fonds de recherche du Quebec - Nature et Technologies is a nature and technologies researchers group under the Government of Qubec and a combination of various universities.

Fadnavis also attended a Canada-India Business Council (CIBC) reception hosted by its CEO Kasi Rao at Quebec. Along with the potential and growth story of Maharashtra in all sectors, Fadnavis spoke on how a 'third Mumbai' is in the offing with the new urban agglomeration between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. The chief minister also spoke about the first smart industrial corridor and AURIC smart city. Aurangabad Industrial City (AURIC) is a greenfield smart industrial city being developed across nearly 7,900 acres as part of Shendra Bidkin Industrial Area.

It is collectively a part of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC).

"India and Maharashtra are progressing and expanding with more opportunities. It is time to once again think to invest with the same energy in Maharashtra," Fadnavis said, appealing Indian investors from Canada to visit, invest and explore the state. Maharashtra will become a trillion dollar economy by 2029 but the government intends to achieve it by 2025 as Prime Minister Narendra Modi envisages to make India a 5 trillion dollar economy, and the state has the biggest role to play in this process, Fadnavis said.

He was replying while being interviewed by Perrin Beatty, the president and CEO, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, on 'leading the global growth in an era of competitive federalism'.The deceased girl was identified as Sheetal Mishra, who stayed inside a makeshift tent near Oberoi mall.

Mumbai: A four-year-old girl allegedly drowned in a pit dug for the metro near Goregaons Oberoi mall Sunday evening. While the family claimed that the police refused to lodge a complaint, the Vanrai police has refuted such claims saying that an accidental death report (ADR) was already registered and that nobody came forward with any complaint.

The deceased girl was identified as Sheetal Mishra, who stayed inside a makeshift tent near Oberoi mall. Her father Karan told The Asian Age that he sold knick-knacks at the signal and barely made enough to sustain the family.

Sunday evening, I came back at around 6pm and asked Sheetals whereabouts. Her mother said she had gone to a shop. When I checked there, she was not to be seen. While I was looking around, I found her body floating inside the pit that has been dug for the ongoing metro. We rushed her to a nearby hospital but she was declared dead on arrival, he said.

Sheetals parents said that the girl had died due to negligence on the part of the site contractor of the metro as the pit had no barricading. They said that the police came to the hospital and registered an ADR on the basis of facts. Karan said, When we sought to register a complaint, the officials did not entertain us. They also said that my family and a few others staying in temporary tents, were staying there illegally and that they would evict us from there if we lodged any complaint.

The police however said that it did not turn down any complaint. Vinay Rathod, deputy commissioner of police, zone twelve, said, The parents can come anytime with the complaint and we would register it. The claims are unfounded and they were never threatened. We will take down their complaint whenever they approach us.Earlier on June 5, businessman Raj Kundra was summoned by the ED in connection with the said scam.

Kundra's name turned up in the report following alleged links with Bitcoin scamster Amit Bhardwaj. (Photo: File)

Mumbai: No concrete evidence has been found against Businessman and actor Shilpa Shetty's husband Raj Kundra in Crypto Currency fraud case.

This was mentioned in the first charge sheet filed by the Police in the matter, informed Manisha Zende, Investigating Officer and Cyber cell Inspector. "The case is separately investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as well," she said.

Earlier on June 5, Kundra was summoned by the ED in connection with the said scam. Kundra's name turned up in the report following alleged links with Bitcoin scamster Amit Bhardwaj.

According to media reports, Bhardwaj had started the country's first online marketplace which accepted bitcoins and had also started bitcoin mining start-ups.

He reportedly lured in investors with promises of hefty returns, assuring the investors of access to the bitcoin mining system that would let them mine their own bitcoins.

Kundra had allegedly promoted one of Bhardwaj's operations.

In May, the Gujarat branch of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had arrested Kirit Paladiya for stealing bitcoins from his partner.

According to the police authorities, Paladiya stole 176 bitcoins worth over Rs 9 crore from his partner, Shailesh Bhatt.

Also, Amreli's Superintendent of Police Jagdish Patel, Amreli local Crime Branch inspector Anant Patel and two other constables were arrested for being involved in the case.The court had on May 2 asked Gandhi to appear before it to record his plea in the defamation case filed by RSS worker Rajesh Kunte in 2014.

Kunte had filed the case after watching Rahul Gandhi's speech at an election rally in which he had alleged that the RSS was behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi. (Photo: File)

Thane: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday pleaded not guilty in a defamation case filed against him by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker in a court here.

Gandhi arrived at the court in Bhiwandi at 11.10 am amid heavy security cover and was greeted by hoards of people raising slogans in his support.

Inside the court, when Judge A I Sheikh, read out charges against him, Gandhi said, "I am not guilty."

The court had on May 2 asked Gandhi to appear before it to record his plea in the defamation case filed by RSS worker Rajesh Kunte in 2014.

Kunte had filed the case after watching Rahul Gandhi's speech at an election rally in which he had alleged that the RSS was behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi.

"The RSS people had killed (Mahatma) Gandhi," the Congress president had allegedly said in the rally.

Charges have been framed against Rahul Gandhi under section 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code.

During his two-day visit to Maharashtra, Rahul Gandhi is also expected to address party workers and interact with its corporators in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.The election was also viewed as a battle between the state cabinet minister Pankaja Munde and Opposition leader, Dhananjay Munde.

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the Legislative Council election for the prestigious Beed-Osmanabad-Latur constituency. The election became the talking point after Nationalist Congress Partys (NCP) candidate had pulled out of the contest at the last minute, after which the party lent its support to an independent candidate. The election was also viewed as a battle between the state cabinet minister Pankaja Munde and Opposition leader, Dhananjay Munde. By ensuring victory for the BJP candidate, Ms Munde outsmarted her estranged cousin.

BJP candidate Suresh Dhas won this election defeating NCP and Congress supported independent candidate Ashok Jagdale. This election was from the members of local bodies. Congress and NCP had almost 80 votes more than BJP. But, BJPs Mr Dhas not only covered the gap but also pulled almost same number of votes from NCP camp.All said Bhaiyyu Maharaj was instrumental in several socio-political happenings over the last nearly 20 years.

Mumbai: The suicide of spiritual guru Bhaiyyu Maharaj in Indore on Tuesday has sent shock waves through Maharashtras political circles, where he was said to have maximum clout.

As far back as September 19, 2011, Udaysingh Deshmukh aka Bhaiyyu Maharaj, was seen giving lemon juice to then chief minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, to end his Sadbhavana mission fast. Recently, he was offered minister status in Madhya Pradesh but refused to accept it. Apparently, Bhaiyyu Maharaj wanted to lead a normal life and towards the same, married Dr Ayushi Sharma on May 1, 2017.

All said Bhaiyyu Maharaj was instrumental in several socio-political happenings over the last nearly 20 years. Recently, the state saw a mammoth morcha led by the Maratha community over a range of demands. It was said that Bhaiyyu Maharaj was the one person through whom the state tried to negotiate with the agitators.

Bhaiyyu Maharaj was also close to social activist Anna Hazare. When Vilasrao Deshmukh was the chief minister of the state, Bhaiyyu Maharaj spoke to Mr Hazare several times to break the deadlock between the veteran activist and the state government. So much so that when Mr Hazare agitated for the right to information in Maharashtra, it was Bhaiyyu Maharaj who tried to mend fences between the government and him.

During elections, it was said that Bhaiyyu Maharaj helped candidates get tickets of all parties. So much so that hopefuls ran to meet him at his Indore ashram ahead of elections.

The guru also helped a number of social organisations working for the marginalised and poor sections of the community. He helped NGOs working for farmers welfare and on many occasions, arranged community marriages for farmers children. He helped bright students from Marathwada and Vidarbha to get further education in Pune, Mumbai and even abroad.The RSS-BJP cannot dictate who should be the Prime Minister of a formation to be supported by the BJP to keep the Congress out.

The accusation that former President and former Congressman Pranab Mukherjee has become a Hindutva convert because he addressed the passing-out convention of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteers does not hold water.

Mr Mukherjee was never an ideology-bound politician. It would also be unfair to accuse him of being a wily opportunist and nothing more. He has a sense of the nation and he understands the high calling of politics as public service. But he has always practised politics as the need and opportunity required.

For a party like the Congress, which professed socialism and secularism ad nauseam, Mr Mukherjee was neither an ardent socialist nor a fervid secularist. Ideology is the trapping of naive and credulous politicians, and not seasoned ones. But he had made himself indispensable to the party. He became a key leader in the Congress Party when there were not enough shrewd people in the organisation and he managed things in the party as well as in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in 2004-09 and 2009-12. There were of course some fumbles and blunders on the way, including the unseemly political scuffle with the then home minister P. Chidambaram.

The feverish speculation that he is plotting to become the Prime Minister in 2019 at the head of a non-BJP and non-Congress federal front has filled the air. But there is a need to give a plausible twist to the rumour mill of Mr Mukherjees indefatigable Machiavellian gambit. The argument that he went to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur to woo the Hindutva outfits top brass has too many loose ends to it. First, it presumes that the BJP is not getting a majority in the Lok Sabha election of next summer, and therefore the RSS would agree to a political formation headed by Mr Mukherjee and which could even be supported by the diminished BJP. The underlying motive for this outcome is that the RSS would be quite happy to see the BJP lose the election under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah, so that it gets back the reins of control over the BJP.

It also means that there is a discernible rift between Modi-Shah duo and the RSS leadership. It is both an interesting and attractive hypothesis. But there are too many twists to it. A good hypothesis should be simple and clear.

The RSS might be anxious to regain its parental rights over the BJP but it cannot hope to do so by backing a superannuated politician like Mr Mukherjee, though it may believe that it needs a sophisticated Hindutva man like Mr Mukherjee and not the crudely muscular Hindutva politics of Mr Modi and Mr Shah. It needs to look to a younger man, and if rumour-mongers are to be believed, then Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party commandant Arvind Kejriwal is the GenNext Hindutva politician.

Mr Mukherjees prime ministerial aspirations might be born of the overvaulting ambition of a Macbeth, but Mr Mukherjee does not dare to be heroic at the cost of being turned into a tragic hero. He would consider the options but he would pass them by once he recognises the unfeasibility of the ploy. He would rather be the titular statesman of Indian politics than risk everything he has because if he were to be seen trying to be the Prime Minister and failing to reach his goal, then he would lose whatever stature he has acquired as a sagacious politician.

But it is quite possible that Mr Mukherjee is surveying the current Indian political scene and reckoning with the possible outcomes and thinking of ways of dealing with them even as a chess player would in his imaginary game. But it is far from being a real game.

The former President is not in the competition and it is quite unlikely that even the ragtag non-BJP, non-Congress front would ever consider giving the top job to Mr Mukherjee. So why is everyone engaged in enjoying this khayali pulao? There seems to be a consensus all around that the BJP under Mr Modi and Mr Shah will face a setback in 2019, and this is a possibility that even ardent admirers of Mr Modi are considering. Till 2017, the Modi brigade saw no place for Indias Opposition, much less the possibility of the Opposition edging out the BJP. The Modi advocates have raised the question  If not Modi, who?  and they have argued that if Mr Modi is not acceptable in his own right, then he will remain a choice because the others  read Congress president Rahul Gandhi  are worse. The Opposition parties are working out ways of coming together to defeat the BJP in 2019 because they see their very political survival at stake, but they are not considering any sage-like leader like Mr Mukherjee to lead them.

The RSS-BJP cannot dictate who should be the Prime Minister of a formation to be supported by the BJP to keep the Congress out. The non-Congress, non-BJP parties would not entertain the Pranab-as-PM proposal even if the RSS were to favour it. Mr Mukherjee burned his boats with the Congress much before he spoke at the RSS rally on June 7. He made it clear in an interview even before he was pushed into the presidency that he would not serve the Congress under Rahul Gandhi. He sees the generational absurdity of working with Rahul Gandhi after he had worked so closely with Indira Gandhi.

Mr Mukherjee did not work with Rajiv Gandhi, but he had worked with P.V. Narasimha Rao. His working relationship with Sonia Gandhi was purely functional. It did not carry the emotional overtones of the kind that he had with Indira Gandhi.

It is the end of the road for Mr Mukherjee with the Congress because he is not willing to work under a new generation Nehru-Gandhi. The federal front leaders too are not really enamoured of Mr Mukherjee. The former President is really a stranded politician.Tech companies have woven into the fabric of our daily lives, making their services indispensable for daily tasks.

If technology giants such as Facebook, Google and Amazon face a common threat to their dominance, it probably lies in a single word: trust. In some respects, these companies are riding high. They have woven themselves into the fabric of our daily lives, making their services indispensable for daily tasks like keeping in touch with family and friends, watching TV and buying cat food. Revenues are up and profits are soaring.

But they have also drawn the attention of regulators in Europe and the US thanks to carelessness with consumer data and other problems. Facebooks leaky data controls, for instance, let Cambridge Analytica mine the profiles of up to 87 million people in an attempt to swing elections. The social network has also had to beef up manual oversight to clamp down on the spread of fake news.

Googles YouTube has likewise been implicated in the spread of political conspiracy theories. Not long ago, Amazons always-listening Echo speaker inadvertently recorded a familys conversation at home  and then sent the recording to someone else.

Some of these issues are systemic; others may be little more than the growing pains of new technologies. What they all fuel, though, is a sense that technology may not always warrant the implicit faith we place in it.

Trust looms large in modern life. We still get on aeroplanes even though they sometimes come apart in flight. We go to hospitals even though medical errors sometimes kill patients. These services are too important to live without, despite the occasional disastrous error. But those industries are also heavily regulated because of the risks involved. Technology companies, by comparison, are largely unconstrained.

Trust issues could be especially acute for technology companies since their services are effectively omnipresent yet largely inscrutable. You cant audit Googles algorithm to see why its giving you certain search results the way you can watch your bank balance. You just have to trust that the company is upholding its promises.

Yet so far, such concerns dont loom large for most consumers. That trust is eroded, but the uncomfortable thing is no one really cares, says Scott Galloway, a New York University marketing professor. As long as they trust that technology will improve their lives, they dont appear to care about the other stuff.

A 2016 survey from the Pew Research Center, for instance, found that only 9 per cent of users were very confident that social media companies could protect their data. More than half had little or no confidence. Yet a January survey found that 69 per cent of US adults using social media, unchanged from 2016.

But tech giants have fewer worries about consumers defecting to their rivals, in part because they each do their best to lock users into their array of complementary apps and services. That doesnt stop them from sniping at one another, of course.

History does offer a cautionary tale for tech companies that grow too complacent. Roughly a decade ago, Microsofts dominance in personal computers seemed impregnable, even after a bruising antitrust fight over its Windows monopoly. Then came the iPhone, which Microsoft ridiculed  at least until the mobile computing wave it unleashed swamped the Windows PC.

Could a similar shift today tap into underlying consumer discontent and topple todays tech giants? Perhaps, although its not clear exactly how.

One possibility could involve blockchain, the technology that underlies bitcoin and similar cryptocurrencies. Some enthusiasts have begun to talk about blockchain-based social networks that could operate without central authorities such as Facebook, which in theory could also minimise privacy risks. But that could take years if it comes to pass at all.Vietnamese legislators approved a cybersecurity law that tightens control of the internet and global tech companies.

The cyber law, which takes effect on January 1, 2019, requires Facebook, Google and other global technology firms to store locally important personal data on users in Vietnam and open offices there.

Vietnamese legislators approved a cybersecurity law on Tuesday that tightens control of the internet and global tech companies operating in the Communist-led country, raising fears of economic harm and a further crackdown on dissent.

The cyber law, which takes effect on January 1, 2019, requires Facebook, Google and other global technology firms to store locally important personal data on users in Vietnam and open offices there.

The vote in the National Assembly came a day after lawmakers delayed a decision on another controversial bill that had sparked violent protests in parts of the country on the weekend. Thousands of demonstrators in cities and provinces had denounced a plan to create new economic zones for foreign investment that has fueled anti-Chinese sentiment.

Some protesters had also derided the cybersecurity bill, which experts and activists say could cause economic harm and stifle online dissent. Tuesdays vote was held as police manned barricades outside the legislature in the capital Hanoi. The cyber law was approved by 91 per cent of attending legislators.

Human rights group Amnesty International said the law was a devastating blow for freedom of expression, allowing the state to force tech companies to hand over potentially vast amounts of data, including personal information, and censor users posts.

With the sweeping powers it grants the government to monitor online activity, this vote means there is now no safe place left in Vietnam for people to speak freely, Clare Algar, Amnestys director of global operations, said in a statement.

Under the law, social media companies in Vietnam are required to remove offending content from their platforms within one day of receiving a request from the authorities.

The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), an industry group that was leading efforts to soften the proposed legislation, said the law would hinder Vietnams ambitions for GDP and job growth in developing a digital economy.

These provisions will result in severe limitations on Vietnams digital economy, dampening the foreign investment climate and hunting opportunities for local businesses and SMEs to flourish inside and beyond Vietnam, said AIC Managing Director Jeff Paine.

Vo Trong Viet, head of the defense and security committee that drafted the law, said the requirement to store data inside Vietnam was feasible, crucial to fighting cybercrime and in line with international rules.

Placing a data centre in Vietnam increases costs for businesses but is a necessary requirement to meet the cybersecurity need of the country, he told legislators.

The United States and Canada had urged Vietnam to delay the vote and review the law to ensure it met global standards and addressed concerns that it may hurt digital innovation in Vietnam, where its 94 million people are a target for local small businesses as well as global consumer brands.

About 55 million Vietnamese are regular social media users, according to a 2018 global digital report by the media consulting firm We Are Social, and HootSuite, a social media management firm. Vietnam ranked seventh among active Facebook-using countries, the report said, while its economic hub, Ho Chi Minh City, was number 10 among cities with active Facebook users.

Canada said some of the localisation requirements might increase costs, uncertainty and risks for Canadian businesses and inhibit their global operations.

The Vietnam Digital Communication Association said the requirements could reduce Vietnams gross domestic product by 1.7 per cent and wipe off 3.1 per cent of foreign investment. Trade and foreign investment are crucial to Vietnams economy.Kim Jong Un is very serious about denuclearisation and has already destroyed missile testing facility, Donald Trump said.

Singapore/Mumbai: Following his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, US president Donald Trump said the two countries are prepared to start a new history. We are ready to write new chapters. The past does not have to define future, Trump said.

Addressing a press conference, Trump thanked Kim Jong Un for taking a bold step for a bright future of his people adding that his talks with the North Korean leader were honest, direct and productive.

Showering praise on the North Korean leader, Trump said, "It takes a lot of courage to give up weapons and take to the path of peace. All credit to him. Kim Jong Un is a very talented guy who has been able to take this challenge at the age of 26 and be able to manage it as well as he has."

"No one thought this would be possible, but today we are seeing it happening before our eyes. We all dream of a Korea where all Koreans (north and south) live together in harmony," Trump added.

Also Read: Kim vows full denuclearisation, Trump promises security at historic meet

Saying that anyone can make war, but only the most courageous can make peace, Trump added: Chairman Kim has before him an opportunity like no other to be remembered as the leader who ushered in a glorious new era of prosperity for his people.

Calling his meeting with Kim one of the greatest moments in the history of the world, Trump said that the two countries signed a very comprehensive document today adding "I think when he (Kim Jong Un) lands in North Korea he will start the denuclearisation process soon".

When asked about Kim Jong Un's denuclearisation plans, Trump said, "Kim Jong Un is very serious about the denuclearisation and has already destroyed a missile testing facility and have agreed to destroy another one. He seemed very sincere to move on."

On the issue of sanctions imposed on North Korea, Trump said, "The sanctions will come off when we are sure that nuclear missiles are no longer a factor," adding that he is looking forward to lifting them off.

Trump further said that US will stop holding military exercises on the Korean peninsula, adding: "We will be stopping the war games and it will save us a lot of money."

Responding to a question over inviting Kim Jong Un to the White House, Donald Trump it will be done at the "appropriate time".

Donald Trump said that the issue of human rights was discussed with Kim Jong Un.

I believe its a rough situation over thereWe did discuss it today, pretty stronglyWell be doing something on it. Its rough in a lot of places, by the way, Trump added.

When asked if bringing back the remains of US soldier died during the Korean war was on the agenda. Donald Trump said, "When we entered the room for discussions, we did not have bringing back the remains on the agenda. It was on my mind since many people had mentioned and requested for it. After the intense discussion, at the very end I just happened to mention that it would be a very nice gesture for the US to get back the remains".

Trump further said he (Kim Jong Un) could have said let us discuss it in the next meeting, but no, he immediately said it makes sense and agreed to do it right away. For the thousands and thousands, I guess way over six thousand that we know of in terms of the remains, they'll be brought back".

Earlier in the day, Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un made history Tuesday, becoming the first sitting US and North Korean leaders to meet and shake hands, as they seek to end a tense decades-old nuclear stand-off.

Also Read: Here's what Trump and Kim Jong Un ate during lunch over denuclearisation talks

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised to leave the past behind and work toward "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula" in return for security guarantees from US President Donald Trump as they signed a joint statement wrapping up their historic summit in Singapore.

Trump and Kim conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new relations between the two countries and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, according to the statement.

After the delegation-level meeting, Trump joined Kim for a working lunch which had a mix of Western and Asian dishes, such as Korean stuffed cucumber and beef short rib confit with some Haagen-Dazs ice cream to top things off.

As the two men entered the room, photographs were taken, with Trump joking about wanting to get a "beautiful picture" in which he looked good.

The two leaders then took a post-lunch stroll in the courtyard of the hotel.

The meeting at a luxury hotel in Singapore's Sentosa island came after months of diplomatic twists and turns.

The United States hoped the summit will pave way for complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula while North Korea saw the opportunity to get itself recognised as a player on the world stage.The Trump administration will only accept complete denuclearisation of the North, Mr Pompeo stressed.

Singapore: The US is likely to offer North Korea unique security guarantees to persuade it to give up its nuclear arsenal, secretary of state Mike Pompeo said Monday, on the eve of a historic summit in Singapore.

The White House said preparatory negotiations had moved more quickly than expected and Mr Trump would leave Tuesday evening after his talks with Kim Jong Un, seemingly ruling out the possibility the unprecedented tete-a-tete would run to two days.

The meeting, long sought by Pyongyang, will be the first ever between a serving US President and a North Korean leader, and will focus on the nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles the North has spent decades developing.

The Trump administration will only accept complete denuclearisation of the North, Mr Pompeo stressed.

In return, Washington would offer different and unique guarantees to provide them sufficient certainty that they can be comfortable that denuclearisation is not something that ends badly for them.

Though Mr Pompeo refused to go into details, he made it clear that the guarantees would go further than the 2005 agreement in which the US pledged not to attack North Korea with nuclear or conventional weapons.

The White House said on Monday Mr Trump would begin his meeting with Mr Kim at 9 am (local time) on Tuesday with a one-on-one meeting with translators but no advisers or aides. Only after that initial personal session will national security officials join the meeting.Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un sign 'comprehensive' joint text; North Korean leader vows complete denuclearisation.

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump sign a document at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island on Tuesday in Singapore. (Photo: AFP)

Mumbai/Singapore: In a historic summit, US president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a comprehensive joint document as they held the first-ever-meeting Tuesday morning in Singapore. In the joint text, Kim Jong Un has committed to 'complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula'.

A meeting, which was closely watched across the world, seems to have narrowed down the differences between the two countries as the two firebrand leaders heaped praise on one another. The US president called Kim "a very talented man" who loves his country very much adding that they have "developed a very special bond".

The North Korean leader also hailed the "historic meeting" and vowed to leave the past behind.

The meeting at a luxury hotel in Singapore's Sentosa island came after months of diplomatic twists and turns.

Also Read: Here's what Trump and Kim Jong Un ate during lunch over denuclearisation talks

The United States hoped the summit will pave way for complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula while North Korea saw the opportunity to get itself recognised as a player on the world stage.

Here are the LIVE updates on Donald Trump's meeting with Kim Jong Un:

13:56 pm: Our meeting been very, very good. By giving up its weapons and accepting commerce and embracing trade, North Korea has the potential to be an incredible place: Trump

13:54 pm: Kim Jong Un committed to destroying missile engine test site, says US president.

13:52 pm: Trump says Korean war will 'soon end'.

13:50 pm: Kim Jong Un has the chance to cease a better future for his country. Anyone can make war but only the most courageous can make peace: Trump

13:50 pm: "We are prepared for the new history. We are ready to write new chapters. The past does not have to define future, says US President Donald Trump.

13:49 pm: It is a great day and one of the greatest moments in the history of the world: Trump

13:48 pm: Want to thank Chairman Kim for taking a bold step for a bright future of his people...Meeting with Kim was honest, direct and productive, says Donald Trump .

13:47 pm: US president Donald Trump begins press conference after meeting with Kim Jong Un.

12:30 pm: Convinced that the establishment of new US-DPRK relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world, and recognizing that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un signed a joint statement, reports reuters. The key points of the joint text are:

1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.

2. The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

3. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

4. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

11:55 am: Kim commits to 'complete denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula' in joint text, reports news agency AFP.

11:54 am: Trump-Kim document commits US to 'security guarantees', eyes establishment of 'new US-DPRK relations', reports AFP.

11:49 am: US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands after signing 'comprehensive document'.

#WATCH: US President Donald Trump & North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands after signing 'comprehensive document' at #SingaporeSummit. pic.twitter.com/YUxdWDWsgO  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

11:40 am: China praised the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as historic and called for "full denuclearisation" to resolve tensions on the Korean peninsula, reports news agency PTI.

11:35 am: "We have developed a very special bond," Trump says on his meeting with Kim Jong Un.

11:33 am: Donald Trump says Kim is a very talented man who loves his country very much.

11:31 am: We are starting that process very, very quickly, says Donald Trump when asked if there was an agreement to denuclearise North Korea.

11:25 am: 'We'll meet again and we'll meet many times', says US President Donald Trump, when asked if he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will meet again in the future.

11:22 am: When asked if he would invite North Korean leader to the White House, US President Donald Trump said 'absolutely'.

11:13 am: Trump, Kim sign 'comprehensive' joint document, reports AFP.

11:10 am: Kim Jong Un hails 'historic meeting', vows to 'leave the past behind'.

11:01 am: A lot of progress. Really, very positive, I think better than anybody could have expected, top of the line, really good, Trump says, adding we're going right now for a signing, reports news agency AFP.

10:16 am: US president Donald Trump expects 'signing' with Kim Jong Un after the summit, reports Reuters.

10:10 am: Donald Trump hails 'really fantastic' meeting with Kim, says 'a lot of progress' made.

09:42 am: "I think the entire world is watching this moment. Many people in the world will think of this as a scene from a fantasy, science-fiction movie," said Kim Jong Un after meeting US president Donalad Trump.

09:30 am: After their bilateral meeting at the Capella hotel in Singapore's Sentosa island, Trump and Kim met for a working lunch along with their aides. As the two men entered the room, photographs were taken, with Trump joking about wanting to get a "beautiful picture" in which he looked good, news agency PTI reported.

The working lunch which had a mix of Western and Asian dishes, such as Korean stuffed cucumber and beef short rib confit with some Haagen-Dazs ice cream to top things off.

07:55 am: US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un go into a second meeting joined by key aides, after 48-minute one-on-one talks with only their interpreters, reports news agency AFP.

(Photo: AFP)

07:40 am: "We overcame all kinds of skepticism and speculations about this summit and I believe that this is good for the peace", says Kim Jong Un after meeting Trump.

07:35 am: After the one-on-one talks that lasted over 40 minutes, Donald Trump said the meeting with the North Korean leader was 'very, very good,' and that both the countries have an 'excellent relationship.' He also predicted that Kim Jong and he 'will solve a big problem, a big dilemma.'

Both the leaders walked together along the balcony after the meeting. "Working together, we will get it taken care of," Trump said after the meet, reports news agency AP.

07:30 am: The first meeting between North Korea's Kim Jong Un and US president Donald Trump ends. The two held discussions for less than an hour.

07:10 am: This is the first time when we are seeing the American and North Korean flags together. The two countries have been on opposing sides since the Korean War in 1950, when the North invaded South Korea.

06:59 am: Trump and Kim Jong are holding one on one meeting.

06:57 am: As the summit begins, US President Donald Trump predicts he will have a 'great relationship' with Kim Jong Un while the North Korean leader says "we came here after overcoming" all the obstacles, reports news agency AP.

06:45 am: The two leaders walk together along colonnade to begin private meeting with their interpreters.

06:40 am: US president Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un launch historic summit with a handshake. The leaders shook hands for several seconds with Trump reaching out to touch the North Korean leader on his right shoulder.

(Photo: AFP)

VIDEO: US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meet and shake hands in Singapore, creating history as they attempt to negotiate an end to a decades-old nuclear stand-off pic.twitter.com/ewcNz9hLFE  AFP news agency (@AFP) June 12, 2018

06:01 am: Kim Jong Uns convoy arrives at summit venue. His black armored limousine with two large North Korean flags is surrounded by police vehicles, their lights flashing, and other black cars.

05:55 am: Donald Trump arrives at Capella Hotel on Singapores Sentosa Island, a resort island off Singapores port with luxury hotels.The anti-Islam tweet created a furore on social media, with twitterati calling for firing the chef.

'Its sad to see that you (Priyanka) have not respected the sentiments of Hindus who have been terrorized by Islam over 2000 years. Shame on You (sic),' Kochhar tweeted. (Photo: Twitter | @atulkochhar)

Dubai: A popular Indian-origin chef in the United Arab Emirates has landed in a controversy after he allegedly posted an anti-Islam tweet, triggering calls for his sacking, a media report said on Tuesday.

Atul Kochhar, a Michelin-Star chef well known in Dubai for his Rang Mahal Indian restaurant at the JW Marriott Marquis hotel, received flak after taking a dig at Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra for her tweet over an episode in American television series Quantico that purportedly portrayed Hindu nationalists as terrorists, the Khaleej Times reported.

Its sad to see that you (Priyanka) have not respected the sentiments of Hindus who have been terrorized by Islam over 2000 years. Shame on You (sic), Kochhar tweeted. He later deleted the tweet and apologised for the major error that was made in the heat of the moment on Sunday, the paper said.

There is no justification for my tweet ... I fully recognise my inaccuracies that Islam was founded round 1400 years ago and I sincerely apologise. I am not Islamophobic, I deeply regret my comments that have offended many, Kochhar tweeted on Monday.

The anti-Islam tweet created a furore on social media, with twitterati calling for firing the chef. Popular commentator and Arab journalist Khaled Almaeena tweeted: You (Kochhar) have offended me. As a person who loves India its people no matter what their caste or creed. As a secular and liberal, it truly is a horror statement.

Some said they would boycott the restaurant. Chef Celebrity showed his true colours. I wont eat here after reading the racist tweets by the head chef, a UAE resident posted on his Facebook page.

I have cancelled my wedding anniversary meal for next month at your restaurant. You knew exactly what you meant as you tweeted that message, another Twitter user added.

JW Marriot hotel, however, distanced itself from the chefs comments. We are aware of the comments made by Chef Atul Kochhar. We would like to stress that we do not share the same views as stated in the remark, nor is it a representation of the culture of diversity and inclusion that we pride ourselves on at the hotel, the hotel tweeted on Monday.The confirmation comes from a UN body and an international NGO. To date, 477 deaths in violent attacks, compared to 2,014 in 2017 (down 76.3%). The collapse in violence also confirmed by peaceful Ramadan, plagued by bloody attacks in the past. Four people were arrested for setting fire to ballot storage warehouse ahead of vote recount.

Baghdad (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The number of civilian casualties in the context of attacks or episodes of violence has " significantly decreased since the beginning of the year, largely following the defeat of the of the Islamic State jihadist militias (IS , ex Isis). According to Iraq, two international agencies, one linked to the UN and the other committed for years to monitoring the number of deaths in the Arab country, report on Iraq.

In a report released this week by the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (Unami) and the Iraq Body Count, it emerges that the victims among the population have decreased by 80% in the first five months of 2018, compared to the same period of the previous year. In 2018 there were 477 deaths in violent attacks, compared to 2,014 in 2017 (a decline of 76.3%).

The number of injured has dropped from 2,977 to 939 in these first five months, with a decrease of 68.4. The number of civilian victims due to political or religious violence has dropped from 7,708 last year to 1,818 in 2018 (down 76.4%).

The fall in the number of violent episodes also continued during Ramadan, the holy month of fasting and Islamic prayer. A substantial difference, when in the past the jihadist militias and extremist groups took advantage of it to carry out bloody attacks.

Even the parliamentary elections of 12 May, for the first time since the 2003 US-led invasion, took place without major incidents. However, there the shadow of (possible) fraud remains, which has pushed the Iraqi Parliament [with the support of the executive] to ask for a manual recount of the votes.

The operation could, however, be hampered by the fire at the weekend in the most important ballot storage warehouse. The authorities have opened an investigation, which in a few hours led to the arrest of at least three policemen and an Electoral Commission employee.

In a note the Minister of the Interior Qassem al-Araji stressed that "there is no doubt" about the malicious nature of the gesture. The extent of the damage is not yet clear, but it seems that most of the ballots have been saved from the flames.by J.B. An Dang

Protesters push back 120 police agents and seize the Provincial People's Committee building. Police arrest 102 people in connection with the events on Sunday. For the Bishop of Vinh, "the bill should be widely discussed by people at all levels and go to a referendum.

Hanoi (AsiaNews)  The Vietnamese National Assembly was expected to adopt a bill on special administrative and economic units on 15 June. The latter are located in Van on (Quang Ninh province), Bac Van Phong (Khanh Hoa province) and Phu Quoc Island (Kien Giang province) and would be open to Chinese companies.

The bill includes incentives. If approved, it would allow the Chinese companies to obtain concessions of up to 99 years for land in the zones, which are located in areas of significant geopolitical and historical interest.

Following the protests caused by the bill, the government announced its postponement to a later unspecified date.

Conversely, the National Assembly today approved the Internet Security Law, which imposes severe restrictions such as requiring users to provide personal information and blocking access to Google, Facebook, YouTube and political blogs.

To this end, some 10,000 members of the cyber war military unit will monitor the "wrong political views" that proliferate on the Internet.

Meanwhile, recent protests have been criticised by the authorities who have threatened mass arrests in the southern province of Binh Thuan. In fact, local authorities said that Sundays protests had "dire consequences".

In a press conference on Monday afternoon, the deputy head of the Provincial Propaganda Department Huynh Thai Duong said that "the act of vandalising government offices is incredible in peacetime.

Indeed, Sundays protest caused major damage to the Provincial People's Committee building as well as the destruction of scores of vehicles. Sunday events are "comparable to a revolt".

For Duong, such actions are "unacceptable" and "must be punished". State media announced the arrest of 102 people in connection with the violence.

However, as the press conference was taking, a large number of protesters blocked a section of the National Highway No 1, paralysing traffic between northern and southern Vietnam for hours.

Tuy Phong District president Huynh Van ie accused protesters of setting fire to police cars on the highway and throwing stones and Molotov cocktails.

In the incident, protesters supported by the local residents held back 120 police officers and forced them to retreat into the local police station. Afterwards, the latter handed themselves over to the demonstrators, removed their uniforms and left all the equipment behind (picture 1).

The police station was vandalised and vehicles were burned (picture 2). This suggests that members of the police force are unwilling to fight their own people protesting against what appears to many Vietnamese to be a sell-out to China.

Late at night, hundreds of protesters stormed the provincial Committee Committee's building for the second night in a row, seriously clashing with police.

A petition for the immediate release of 102 people arrested was rejected. This morning, another group of 99 people was arrested in Binh Thuan.

According to state media, police in neighbouring provinces also arrested dozens of people for participating in "illegal" protests, including workers from the Taiwanese-owned Polyene textile company in Ho Chi Minh City who were on strike.

The bishop of Vinh, who also chairs the Justice and Peace Commission, Mgr Nguyen Thai Hop issued a statement urging the government to refrain from violence against its own people and to listen to them.

For the prelate, the economic zone bill "can seriously compromise our national security and sovereignty. We need to hear everyone to know what they think. Therefore, the bill should be widely discussed by people at all levels, especially by specialists through learned debates. In the end it should to go to a referendum, as established by law."

Lastly, "the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Vietnam suggests, respectfully, that the National Assembly should respect the popular will.by Shafique Khokhar

The politician signs the cheques for the first month. More than 2,000 ex workers, 90 per cent of whom are Christian, have been waiting since the start of 2018, of which. Pensions range from 22 to 88 dollars a month, depending on the years of service. Many beneficiaries who suffer from work-related illnesses cannot pay for their medications.

Faisalabad (AsiaNews)  After six months of waiting, the former employees of the Faisalabad City Waste Management Company received their monthly pension. At least 2,200 people, 90 per cent of whom are Christian, were waiting for this since the start of the year.

Last Sunday, they organised a protest in front of the companys offices, pledging to come back today for more. But yesterday, to prevent it, mayor Malik Razzaq signed the cheques.

Pensions range from 2,500 to 10,000 Pakistani rupees (US$ 22 to US$ 88), based on the years of service. In total, the mayor paid out 161,000 rupees (US$ 1,400), promising that the pensions for the next four months will be paid following Eid celebrations, which mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

After the announcement, the sanitation workers decided to suspend todays demonstration. However, the pensioners union pledged more protests to hold the mayor to his word.

Sundays action was organised by trade unions and Christian associations like the Ittehad Labour and Staff Union, Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) and the National Minorities' Alliance Pakistan.

The organisations representing workers engaged in what few want to do had complained that the city was late in paying. They stressed that on 10 May, the Lahore High Court had ordered the payment of back pensions but nothing had happened.

For Ittehad Labour and Staff Union leader Abrar Younas, the responsibility for the delays lay with the mayor himself.

"He used pension funds for his political campaign, Younas said. This is a major violation of pensioners rights. Some of the latter have serious health problems."

In fact, because of the toxic substances present in the waste, sanitation workers have inhaled noxious fumes over the years. As a result, many of them have contracted asthma, skin allergies, heart problems, intestinal disorders, hepatitis.

Robin Daniel, president of the National Minorities' Alliance Pakistan, notes that since this started, "seven people have died from lack of medicines and stress. We are worried about families health and the economic situation. Most former employees have no other means to live on except their pension. We will continue our battle until we get justice."

HRFP president Naveed Walter also slammed the threats against pensioners, adding We will continue to provide them with legal support. We leave all options open, including an appeal to the Supreme Court."The marchers are walking under the sun, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees, respecting the Ramadan fast. The March began in May, in response to a suicide bombing in the city of Lashkargah and had reached Ghazni, 200 km from the capital.

Kabul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A journey of 700 km, under a scorching sun with temperatures of 40 degrees: This is the march of a group of Afghans who, having left Helmand, are threading the dangerous roads of Afghanistan to reach Kabul and raise their voices in a cry for peace.

It all began with nine people, who set out from Helmand province after a terrorist attack in the city of Lashkargah on March 26th. A suicide bomber blew himself up at a stadium, killing dozens of civilians. The attack resulted in a series of peace demonstrations, launched by the victims' relatives to cries for a ceasefire. "Our tears have not dried yet," declares one of the participants.

The marchers' requests have remained unanswered: on the contrary, violence is intensifying in the province. For this reason, on May 13, nine young activists decided to start a march across the country. Dozens have joined along the way: now there are about 50. The participants, who arrived yesterday in the provincial capital of Ghazni (in the photo), continue on their march even while observing the fasting imposed by Ramadan. The goal is to reach Kabul - about 200 km away - before the end of the holy month.

Peace, however, still seems far away, despite the declared ceasefire for Eid (June 15) between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Today, the Taliban attacked the Moqur police district in the province of Ghazni, killing five policemen. Yesterday, an ISIS terrorist killed 13 people in the capital, at the Afghan Ministry of Development and Rural Rehabilitation. His victims included women and children.Yangon (AsiaNews) - The civil war in the northern state of Kachin has entered its seventh year. On June 9, 2011, the troops of the Tatmadaw [the powerful Burmese army], led a military offensive against the rebels of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) near a Chinese hydroelectric plant in Momauk. The clashes triggered the resumption of the age-old conflict, putting an end to a 17-year cease-fire between the Burmese government and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), Kia's political arm. It is the political organization that reflects the autonomous aspirations of the Kachin ethnic minority, a Christian component made up of Catholics for 40% and Baptists for 60%.

According to official data of the KIO and various local community organizations, there have been over 3,800 armed clashes between the two sides since June 2011. The fighting between Kia and the Burmese army continued during the government of the National League for Democracy (NLD) ) of the democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi, engaged in a difficult peace process, in the ethnic state and throughout the country. In two and a half years since the NLDs electoral victory, there have been more than 1,300 clashes. The government is the subject of harsh criticism from peace activists, denouncing the silence of the institutions on war and human rights violations (extrajudicial killings, incarcerations and rape) in Kachin.

Caritas Myanmar (Karuna Mission Social Solidarity - KMSS) reports that there are about 150 thousand residents displaced since the civil war resumed. Among these, 130 thousand people live in the 165 internally displaced IDP camps located in Kachin and in the north of the neighboring ethnic state, Shan; 20 thousand are hosted in by the host community. Since the resumption of the conflict, 405 villages have been damaged or destroyed. Added to these are 311 churches, 24 Buddhist monasteries, 34 childcare centers, 122 schools, and 264 outpatient clinics. In 2018 alone, 50 villages were abandoned and residents were forced to find refuge in refugee camps, with host families or relatives' homes. There are over 6 thousand new IDPs. In the exodus, many civilians have been killed or injured by landmines, which are scattered across large areas of the territory. 13 people died this year and 39 suffered serious injuries.

Humanitarian assistance for IDPs has decreased over the course of the year and many are suffering the consequences of the cuts. As the hopes for a peaceful resolution for the Kachin state fade, UN agencies, NGOs and religious-inspired organizations such as Caritas find it difficult to raise funds to support them. The dilapidation of shelters, the harsh climate and extreme weather conditions affect the grueling life in the camps. The morale and hopes of children, women, young people and the elderly are eroded by continuous armed clashes and decreased aid.

Three days ago, the Kachin Youth Movement and other civil society organizations organized a prayer service in the state capital Myitkyina, for peace. The Catholic Church and other religious leaders officiated the peaceful event (photo). The Myanmar Police Forces intimidated the participants throughout its duration. In the afternoon, the authorities informed some of the organizers that they would be questioned, as the demonstration had lasted longer than expected. They also responded to the performances organized by the young participants. Today, the local court imposed a fine on them. (L.J.G.)The presidential decree issued secretly gives Lebanese citizenship to 375 foreigners, including Syrians and Iraqis, Christians and Muslims. Some of them are under suspicion for iffy connections. For Card Al-Rahi, they do not honour "Lebanese nationality". The life of the country itself is in danger. Maronite bishops meet to discuss Church, social and pastoral issues.

Beirut (AsiaNews)  The Maronite Church, at the urging of Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi and on behalf of its Bishops, has loudly called for "the withdrawal of the naturalisation decree" by which the President of the Lebanon granted citizenship to at least 375 foreigners.

Recently promulgated in a hurry and away from public scrutiny, the decree appears to benefit "dodgy" Syrians, Palestinians and Iraqis who "would not honour Lebanese nationality".

Many Lebanese are "worried", the cardinal notes, "not only for their families, but also for the country. He points the finger at some of unnamed Lebanese leaders who "deviate from the general interest, for personal gain or that of (single) communities".

Added to this is the lack of interest in situations "that endanger the very life of the country".

Speaking about this major current issue, the head of the Maronite Church warns that the decree of "naturalisation" of 260 Christians and 115 Muslims "contravenes the preamble to the Constitution".

The latter, the cardinal goes on to say, prohibits any form of forced concession of citizenship to "foreigners" who are not of "Lebanese descent".

"How can one accept this when thousands of requests are pending before the Ministries of the Interior and Foreign Affairs", claims that have greater legitimacy than those that accepted surreptitiously in these troubled times.

The cardinal notes that the benchmark for granting nationality is jus sanguinis (right of blood) and not jus solis (right of the soil).

Ultimately, for Card Al-Rahi what matters is the implementation of a ruling by the Council of State that overturns the decree of naturalisation of 1994, which would have caused "a serious demographic imbalance" in the country.

At present, Lebanons National Assembly is vetting a bill that would modify the naturalisation law, which dates back to 1925 when the country was not yet independent.

Unofficial sources say that behind the harsh attack of the local Church lays a deep concern over the beneficiaries of the decree of naturalisation, who allegedly have close links to the Syrian government and Syrian President Bashar a-Assad.

Getting Lebanese citizenship would allow them to circumvent, according to some, (controversial) international sanctions and the economic and trade embargo against Damascus.

Meanwhile, the Assembly of the Maronite Bishops is currently in retreat, which began yesterday until Saturday, and plans to address Church, social and pastoral issues of primary importance for the life of the country.

Among the main issues are the ordination of the clergy, the reform of the liturgy as a source of unity, and the pastoral orientation.

Bishops will also study the possibility of setting up a special commission to look into the needs of some financially-strapped dioceses.by Christopher Sharma

Mgr Giambattista Diquattro visited areas devastated by the earthquake of 25 April 2015. In Nepal the monsoon rains are coming. The Jesuits have rebuilt 250 schools. Three years later, only half of the houses have been rebuilt.

Kathmandu (AsiaNews)  Mgr Giambattista Diquattro, nuncio to India and Nepal, recently visited the Himalayan nation. During his stay, he called on Caritas to speed up its reconstruction work, as the country is still feeling the effects of a powerful earthquake in 2015.

During his meeting with members of the Catholic charity, the Vatican diplomat encouraged them to continue their work in favour of Nepalis who are still suffering from the tragedy of three years ago.

Ashish Shrestha, a member of Caritas, spoke to AsiaNews. "The nuncio, he said, has not only supervised the work of rehabilitation and reconstruction but has also encouraged us to continue our work, so that people can get relief and safe houses before the arrival of the monsoons."

Shrestha noted that Mgr Diquattro visited the areas affected by the earthquake and asked the Caritas offices to broaden the types of help it provides.

On 25 April 2015, a 7.9 magnitude quake devastated the country, killing about 9,000 people. More than a million buildings, including houses, schools, Hindu temples and prisons, were destroyed.

Nepali authorities have been repeatedly criticised for the slowness of reconstruction operations, despite the financial aid from abroad.

Private donors and foreign countries have pledged about US$ 4 billion, but the government has signed agreements worth only US$ 2.6 billion.

Caritas was first charity to provide assistance to victims. "Our support for needy people and communities continues according to their needs, said Fr Boniface Tigga, former Jesuit superior.

On their own, the Jesuits have helped rebuild more than 250 school buildings and we are now working on rebuilding other damaged infrastructure."

"We follow government guidelines but the procedure still long, he lamented. We also provide direct support to those who ask for it."

Bijaya Rana, a reconstruction official, reports that the previous government had announced the allocation of 500,000 Nepali rupees (US$ 4,600) for each destroyed housing unit, but that the current Communist government reduced the funding to 350,000 rupees (US$ 3,200).

"About 80 per cent of the victims received the first instalment, almost 50 per cent of the total. We asked the government to distribute the money quickly so that victims can complete the reconstruction as soon as possible."Apologies if this topic has been covered before...

I have been married twice - I sponsored both ladies.

Obviously the intention was to live out my life with both partners but it did not happen that way.



It has been five years since my second sponsorship.

My current partner has been here on a tourist visa.



I am of the belief that this girl is my soulmate and am planning on re-marrying. I am of the belief that I am unable to sponsor a third time and that sponsorship limitations do apply; minimum of 5 years between sponsorships and a life time limitation of 2 sponsorships.



Does this mean I bid farewell to my homeland ? Is it worthwhile to consult am Immigration lawyer ?Did you know Highway 99 through Bakersfield once included Union Avenue, 18th Street, Chester Avenue and Roberts Lane? New signs are being instThank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.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.Last Sunday, Australias Channel 7 network broadcast an interview with Jennifer Robinson, an Australian-born, London-based lawyer who represents WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange. She issued a clear demand for the Australian government to carry out its responsibility to secure his freedom, as an Australian citizen.

The interview and 10-minute segment on the nationally-televised Sunrise morning program was a significant break in the general silence within the Australian corporate media on the more than seven-year detention of Assange. It came amid a renewed international campaign to fight for the unconditional freedom of the courageous journalist, who has continued to expose the war crimes, regime-change operations and mass surveillance conducted by the US and its allies around the world.

One of the central demands of this campaign is that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbulls government act immediately to secure Assanges freedom and his right to return to Australia, with guaranteed protection from any US request for his extradition on conspiracy and espionage charges. These charges can carry the death penalty.

Robinsons interview came three days after she accompanied two Australian consular officials to meet with Assange inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he sought political asylum on June 19, 2012. The visit was the first made by Australian officials to the Australian citizen in the six years since he has been effectively imprisoned inside the embassy, denied the right to obtain medical treatment or sunlight and outdoor physical exercise.

In her Sunrise interview, Robinson posed the pressing question: What diplomatic representation is the Australian government willing to provide to protect Julian Assange from the risk of US extradition?

Robinson pointed out that the Trump administration had taken a far more public and aggressive stance against WikiLeaks and Assange than even the Obama administration, under which a Grand Jury indictment was made for Assanges arrest.

Since Trumps election, Robinson explained, key members of his administration had called for WikiLeaks to be taken down, and for ways to be found to prosecute Assange, regardless of the US Constitutions First Amendment guaranteeing free speech.

When will the Australian government, which is uniquely placed to provide a resolution to this case, step forward to provide assistance? she asked.

Robinson said Assange was willing to face British justice, but not the risk of US injustice. He is prepared to face court for breaching his British bail conditions when Ecuador granted him political asylum, but must have a guarantee against extradition to the US.

Such a guarantee was standard procedure, Robinson said. If the Australian government would come to the fore, the case could be resolved quickly.

As Robinson emphasised, both US Attorney General Jeff Sessions and CIA Director Mike Pompeo, now secretary of state, had made clear their intent to imprison Assange and shut down WikiLeaks, which Pompeo last year described as a hostile non-state intelligence service.

US threats against Assange escalated from March 2017, when WikiLeaks began publishing a massive leak of CIA documents, dubbed Vault 7. The documents lay bare a vast system of surveillance, hacking and cyberwarfare directed against the people of the United States and the entire planet.

As the WSWS reported at the time, the documents indicate that the CIA has developed more than a thousand hacking systems, trojans, viruses and other weaponized malware allowing it to seize control of devices, including Apple iPhones, Googles Android operating system and devices running Microsoft Windows. By hacking these devices, the CIA can also intercept information before it is encrypted on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Weibo, Confide and Cloackman.

These revelations came on top of the fury in the US political establishment after WikiLeaks published emails exposing the Democratic Party National Committees sabotage of Bernie Sanders presidential campaign and Hillary Clintons secret speeches promising to protect the interests of Wall Street.

Since March 28 this year, Assange has faced further mistreatment, and is now in imminent danger. Under pressure from Washington, Ecuadors government has deprived him of any form of communication with the outside world, including visitors. It has also threatened to renege on Assanges asylum, and hand him over to waiting British police. Just before he was cut off, Assange had tweeted links to the WSWS series exposing the unprecedented number of former CIA agents running as Democrats in this years US midterm elections.

After Robinsons interview, New Matilda, an Australian media outlet, published a commentary by Kellie Tranter, a lawyer and human rights activist. She detailed documents, obtained by freedom of information requests, showing that Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop had refused to seek to resolve Mr Assanges case. Bishops refusal followed the February 2016 findings of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) that Assange was being arbitrarily detained by Britain and Sweden in violation of international human rights law.

On February 12, 2016 Bishop, a former lawyer, signed a Ministerial Submission stating we are unable to intervene in the due process of another countrys court proceedings or legal matters, and we have full confidence in the UK and Swedish judicial system.

Tranter disclosed two further statements from Bishops department, on June 7 and 8 this year, adhering to the refusal to act on the WGAD verdict, even though in May 2017 Sweden finally dropped its trumped-up investigation into the sexual assault allegations against Assange. Among the exposures made of the politically motivated and dubious character of these allegations was a detailed examination undertaken by the Australian Broadcasting Corporations Four Corners program on July 23, 2012 (see: Sex, Lies and Julian Assange).

Tranter explained that the Swedish decision meant that the only outstanding court proceeding was the relatively minor one of a breach of bail conditions by Assange when he sought asylum in 2012. Tranter stated: [I]t is incumbent upon a civilised nation to protect its citizens from risks posed by other nations to that citizens wellbeing.

As a legal analysis published yesterday by the WSWS explained, both international and Australian law establishes that the Australian government clearly has the discretionthat is, the powerto take action against the United Kingdom in order to protect Assange, including, potentially, legal action in the British courts.

Robinsons Sunrise interview is the second breach in the wall of corporate media silence. On June 2, Fairfax Media newspapers carried an opinion piece by Greg Barns, a barrister who is an adviser to Assange and WikiLeaks.

Barns called on Turnbull and Bishop to assist in ensuring that this Australian citizen is no longer at risk of being subjected to US detention and can therefore leave the Ecuadorean embassy. This is because a key hurdle to Australian involvement in the Assange case has been removed, namely the Swedish warrant.

On May 28, the WSWS and the International Committee of the Fourth International called for international action to defend Assange and endorsed the vigil being prepared by WikiLeaks supporters outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London on June 19, and other vigils being organised around the globe.

In the same statement, the Socialist Equality Party (Australia), with the support of journalist and film-maker John Pilger, announced a demonstration to be held at Sydney Town Hall Square on Sunday, June 17 at 1:00 p.m. The rally will demand that the Turnbull government honour its responsibilities to Assange and intervene to secure his right to return to Australia, with guaranteed protection from any US extradition request.

Every effort must be made to mobilise the full strength of the international working class to win Assanges freedom, as part of the defence of all basic democratic rights. Under the Trump administration, the American state and its allies have ramped up their efforts to destroy WikiLeaks and Assange as part of a broader agenda of censoring, silencing and intimidating every critical and independent media organisation.

Since WikiLeaks was created in 2006, both it and Assange have made an immense contribution to the exposure of great power criminality and abuses. That role will become even more important as the US and its partners, including Britain and Australia, escalate the drive toward trade war and war against China and Russia, and any other country regarded as a threat to Washingtons post-World War II hegemony.

We urge all our readers to join the demonstrations, vigils and other actions that are being organised internationally and to fight for an end to the persecution of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.In yet another anti-democratic 5-4 decision by its right-wing majority, the US Supreme Court ruled Monday that the state of Ohios method of purging its voter rolls does not violate federal law. The decision in Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute is the latest in a series of high court rulings favoring efforts at voter suppression by state governments, most of them Republican-controlled.

Ohio initiates the removal of voters from registration rolls after a single failure to vote in a federal election. All non-voters are sent notices requiring that they return a prepaid postcard indicating that they have not moved. Anyone who does not return the postcard, and who then does not vote for two more federal elections, is automatically removed from the rolls.

A suit against the Ohio policy was brought by Navy veteran Larry Harmon who did not vote in 2009 and 2010, did not return the postcard (which he does not remember receiving) and then did not vote in 2012 and 2014. When he tried to vote in 2015, he found his name had been struck from the list, even though he had lived at his current address for 16 years, paying both income and property taxes to the state of Ohiowhich nonetheless sought to deny him the right to vote.

Harmon sued, with the support of numerous civil rights and voting rights groups, charging that Ohios policy violated both the 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and the 2002 Help America Vote Act. In 2016, a federal appeals court ruled in his favor and barred Ohio from enforcing the procedure, allowing 7,500 state residents to cast ballots after they had been removed from the voter rolls.

The majority opinion overturning the appeals court decision sought to evade the clear mandate of the NVRA, which forbids state governments from using non-voting as the grounds for removing voters from the registration rolls. The language of the NVRA, and its legislative history, clearly recognized that non-voting is itself a positive decision by the voter and, as such, should not be penalized by the state.

The Ohio procedure both begins and ends by using non-voting as its principal criterion for purging voters from the rolls. The process begins with a single act of non-voting, and it ends with two consecutive acts of non-voting. The majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, uses the middle action in the sequence, failure to return a prepaid postcard, as a screen, arguing that Ohio does not strike any registrant solely by reason of the failure to vote  Instead, as expressly permitted by federal law, it removes registrants only when they have failed to vote and have failed to respond to a change-of-residence notice.

As the dissenting opinion by Justice Stephen Breyer pointed out, the failure to return a prepaid postcard proves nothing at all, since the clear majority of those who receive the postcard in the mail do not return it, even though only a small fraction has actually moved.

Breyer wrote that Ohios process for purging voters starts from an unjustified premise. It is unreasonable to infer that a person may have moved (or died or been disenfranchised) simply because the registrant failed to vote in a single federal election cycle.

In 2012, 2.3 million Ohioans chose not to vote despite being registered. In 2010 and 2014, which were midterm elections, this figure shot up to 4.1 million and 4.6 million respectively. As a result of the huge rate of voter abstention in the 2010 midterm, the office of Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted sent 1.5 million prepaid postcards in mailings to non-voters. Only 60,000, about 4 percent, were returned as confirmation that the voter had moved. Nearly six times as many, about 235,000, were returned with the indication that the voter still lived at the address in question. But more than 1.2 million postcards were not returned at allaccounting for some 15 percent of Ohios voting population.

Breyers dissent cites figures demonstrating that many non-voters are expressing a political opinion, and hence that non-voting should not be taken as an indication that the voter has moved or died. A survey of non-voters by the Census Bureau found that the leading reason for failure to vote, cited by nearly 25 percent, was did not like candidates or campaign issues, followed by 15.4 percent not interested. Another 38.6 percent cited schedule conflicts, illness or disability, problems getting to the polls, or were out of town on election day. Only 4.4 percent cited registration problems, such as moving and failing to re-register.

Breyer also noted that in congressional hearings on the NVRA, If there was a single point of agreement among all participants  it was the fact that not only is voting a right, but also, in this country, everyone has an equal right to choose not to vote. However, many States continue to penalize such non-voters by removing their names from the voter registration rolls merely because they have failed to cast a ballot in a recent election.

The proportion of non-voters is a staggering indication of popular alienation from the corporate-controlled two-party system. In 2016, for example, 74 million registered voters did not cast a ballot, refusing to choose between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the two most despised major-party candidates in American history. In 2014, almost 100 million registered voters did not cast a ballot, a clear majority, 57.45 percent of the total.

A separate dissent written by Justice Sonya Sotomayor cited evidence of discriminatory intent on the part of the state of Ohio. She wrote that the majority opinion entirely ignores the history of voter suppression against which the NVRA was enacted and upholds a program that appears to further the very disenfranchisement of minority and low-income voters that Congress set out to eradicate.

Sotomayor cited figures in one friend of the court brief indicating that African-American-majority neighborhoods in downtown Cincinnati had 10% of their voters removed due to inactivity in the last few years, as compared to only 4% of voters in a suburban, majority-white neighborhood.

Five other statesGeorgia, Tennessee, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Pennsylvaniause non-voting as the triggering act for the process of removal from registration rolls, although none of them have a procedure as aggressive and rapid as Ohios. Most states follow the procedure set down in the NVRA, in which the triggering act is either Postal Service notification that someone has moved, or the voter providing the state a new address by seeking a new drivers license.

An array of voting rights organizations opposed the Ohio law, including the League of Women Voters of the United States, the League of Women Voters of Ohio, and the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. The American Civil Liberties Union, and the ACLU of Ohio represented the A. Philip Randolph Institute, an arm of the AFL-CIO, in the lawsuit.

The case was unusual because the federal government switched sides in the course of its passage through the court system. The Democratic administration of Barack Obama supported the lawsuit against the state of Ohio, while the Republican administration of Donald Trump opposed it. Similarly, a dozen Democratic-led state governments filed amicus curiae briefs in support of the plaintiff, while 17 Republican-led state governments filed amicus briefs in support of the state of Ohio.

While Democrat-appointed Supreme Court justices opposed the Husted ruling, and Democratic-controlled state governments filed legal briefs against it, the Democratic Party has done little or nothing to defend voting rights when it has had the opportunity to do so, as in 2009-10, when the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress and the White House. Nor did the Obama administration take any significant action in response to the Supreme Courts 2013 decision in Shelby v. Holder, effectively gutting the enforcement provisions of the Voting Rights Act.Country

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Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of ZimbabweAnthony Bourdain and Asia Argento, April 2018. (Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images)

Rose McGowan spoke out in an impassioned open letter on Monday on behalf of Anthony Bourdains girlfriend, Italian actress and activist Asia Argento, urging people affected by his suicide to not place blame on those left behind. While her letter was primarily directed toward mental health awareness and advocacy, she also revealed details about the couples partnership, which seems to have been on the unconventional side.

Anthony and Asia had a free relationship, they loved without borders of traditional relationships, and they established the parameters of their relationship early on, McGowan noted in her letter. Asia is a free bird, and so was Anthony. Was. Such a terrible word to write. Ive heard from many that the past two years they were together were some of his happiest and that should give us all solace.

What exactly McGowan means by free relationship is unclear, but it seems Bourdain and Argento did not keep or expect ironclad ties on each other. Bourdain, who separated from his second wife Ottavia Busia in 2016, had never finalized his divorce, and was therefore still legally married to her at the time of his death.

Bourdain began dating Argento shortly after his split, and at the time told People magazine that he would never marry again  and that Argento, herself twice divorced, felt the same way. However, he added he was not opposed to living with her.

For her part, Argento seemed to be on board with an open relationship as well. According to TMZ, while Bourdain was shooting for Parts Unknown in France before his death, Argento was spotted holding hands with another man in Rome.

Bourdain met Argento in 2016 while shooting an episode of Parts Unknown in Rome. After she posted a statement on Instagram Friday, calling him my love, my rock, my protector, she was photographed leaving her home over the weekend with one of her two children.





Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:Lee Drutman (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images (2), NewAmerica.org)

Those who are fed up with the dysfunction of American politics have their eye on a little-noticed ballot question in Maine on Tuesday, where voters will decide whether to keep an innovation called ranked-choice voting.

Electoral reform experts believe ranked-choice voting has the potential to shake up the two-party system without destabilizing American politics. It is seen as a way to give voters more choices, reduce polarization, and make room for candidates to run as independents.

In this system, voters rank their preferences in order from a slate of candidates. If no candidate wins a majority of first-choice votes, the one with the least first-choice support is declared eliminated, and those ballots are redistributed according to their respective second choices. The process continues until a candidate emerges with a majority.

Though a handful of cities have used ranked-choice voting in local elections, Maine is the first state to use it in a statewide election. Voters will have the option to rank their choices from favorite to least favorite in Tuesdays primaries. They also have the option to choose just one candidate.

But there has been resistance to the innovation, and to keep ranked-choice voting in future elections Mainers will have to approve it in a referendum on Tuesday as well. Republicans in the state have put up roadblocks to the measure because they see it as a partisan issue that will disadvantage them.

The impact of ranked-choice voting, however, is bigger than one state. It is part of a larger aim by some to rescue national politics from its death spiral of increasing extremism, with little representation for the majority of Americans who dont see politics as zero sum.

Everything is geared toward winning the next election. Its not towards Congress as functioning as an institution. Its towards Republicans or Democrats winning, said Lee Drutman, a senior fellow at the New America think tank in its political reform program.

Story continues

People are really frustrated with the two-party system. You look at polling, two-thirds of people say, we need more. We need more parties, Drutman said in an interview on The Long Game, a Yahoo News podcast.

How would ranked choice change this?

It would reduce the chance that a candidate for office who appeals only to a minority of voters could be elected. This has become a problem in modern politics as changes to campaign finance laws and the weakening of political parties over the last two decades has increased the number of candidates in statewide and presidential campaigns. The list of potential candidates in the Democratic presidential primary in 2020, for example, is at least 20 names long.

What often happens in crowded primaries is that the majority of voters split their vote among a handful of candidates, allowing room for a demagogue or extremist candidate to win with the support of only a third of voters. Thats exactly what happened in the 2016 Republican primary, when Donald Trump won despite only having the support of one-third of Republican primary voters.

Ranked-choice voting could also encourage more independent candidates to run for office. Voters in a three-way election often avoid voting for a third party candidate because they see it as merely helping the candidate they dont like. But if they were able to rank their choices and knew that their vote would go to their preferred alternative if the third-party candidate lost, then they would feel more emboldened to vote for that independent.

Many voters in 2016, faced with what amounted to a binary choice of Trump or Clinton, voted against the candidate they least disliked. Although there were minor-party candidates on the ballot in every state, none of them came close to winning. But ranked-choice voting could create an opportunity for an everyones second choice candidate to prevail, which presumably would lead to less hard feelings among people who supported one of the losers.

Maine Republicans likely oppose ranked-choice voting because they have been able to win statewide elections over the past decade only when a Democrat and an Independent candidate split the support of a majority of voters. Republican Gov. Paul LePage won the governorship twice with less than 50 percent of the vote, benefitting from the presence of an independent candidate both times.

Download or subscribe on iTunes: The Long Game from Yahoo News

Drutman has further proposed changing congressional districts by making them larger and allowing voters in each district to elect more than one representative. This would give minority communities greater representation and imbue the act of voting with more meaning, he believes.

The system would give conservatives in New York City, for instance, a say in who gets chosen for the House: They would be likely to win a seat or two. Likewise, liberals in red Alabama districts might be able to elect a candidate, Drutman wrote in a piece last year for Vox.

What we have in most parts of the country are one-party elections. No wonder voting rates are so low. No wonder people are disenchanted with our system. No wonder participation is minimal, Drutman said on The Long Game.

Drutman said that political parties are essential to democracy and that it is good when parties are strong. The exception, he said, is when you have a nationalized two-party system, because it increases polarization and reduces the ability of the government to solve basic problems.

The solution is to break the chokehold of the two parties on power, Drutman said.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:He may be the president now, but when Donald Trump met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in Singapore, the mogul couldnt resist returning to his real estate roots.

While many Americans at home were still asleep in their beds in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Trump, 71, reflected on the historic summit  and North Koreas real estate potential  in a press conference in Singapore.

North Korea has great beaches, Trump told reporters. You see that whenever theyre exploding cannons into the ocean. I said, Boy, look at that view. Wouldnt that make a great condo? 

Trump said he advised Kim that instead of pursuing his nuclear ambitions, he should build the best hotels in the world on North Koreas coastline to boost the countrys economy.

Think of it from a real estate perspective, Trump said.

Kim Jong Un (left) and Donald Trump

The president added that Kim seemed interested in a video he was shown presenting possible economic projects that could take place in North Korea if it does in fact denuclearize.

Although I tell you what, he looked at that tape, he looked at that iPad, and Im telling you they really enjoyed it I believe, Trump said.

In his solo press conference, which lasted more than an hour, the president also announced that North Korea has agreed to give up its nuclear weapons program and said he believed the very talented Kim would follow through on his promise to denuclearize in exchange for economic assistance. But Trump admitted that he may be wrong about the North Korean dictator.

I mean, I may stand before you in six months and say, Hey I was wrong,  Trump said, before adding, I dont know that Ill ever admit that, but Ill find some kind of an excuse.

As Trump hailed the summit as a success, critics pointed out that his agreement with Kim cites only intentions to denuclearize, without giving any specifics about how that will happen.

Others criticized Trump for praising Kim despite his rule of brutality, torture, dictatorship, suppression and economic ruin.

Story continues

Trump on Kim: "A talented man who loves his country very much. An honor to meet him."



For the record of history, never before has a U.S. President spoken this way of a dictator accused of crimes against his own people.  David Jolly (@DavidJollyFL) June 12, 2018

Now that weve been given their statement it is far less than advertised. No new commitments. No timetable. No definitions. Glad they met but no breakthroughs  Andrea Mitchell (@mitchellreports) June 12, 2018

Trump just said the way Kim has run North Korea tough is proof of how exceptionally talented he has proven to be. This is how our President describes a rule of brutality, torture, dictatorship, suppression & economic ruin. More proof Trump has zero moral compass.  Gene Sperling (@genebsperling) June 12, 2018

The only takeaway is Kim Jong Un moved on the US Presidency like a bitch.  Bess Kalb (@bessbell) June 12, 2018

Trump and Kim just allowed Singapore government TV cameras into their lunch but not WH pool. Trump said to Host TV: Are you getting a nice photo... So we look nice and handsome and beautiful and perfect?"  Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 12, 2018

Huge, long wished for and legitimizing win for the NoKor regime. And we got nothing for it. No concessions to earn a bilateral summit. If Obama had done this, GOP heads would have exploded. Now, well see what we get for this big kiss to a mini-Stalin... https://t.co/SUPTfMtsLy  Mike Murphy (@murphymike) June 12, 2018

Republican strategist Mike Murphy chalked the meeting up to a legitimizing win for the North Korean regime. And we got nothing for it, he said. No concessions to earn a bilateral summit.

And CNNs Jim Acosta, who was covering the summit in Singapore, suggested that Trump seemed more concerned with optics than anything else.

Trump and Kim just allowed Singapore government TV cameras into their lunch but not WH pool, Acosta tweeted. Trump said to Host TV: Are you getting a nice photo So we look nice and handsome and beautiful and perfect? Police discovered the bodies of four children and the man who held them hostage at gunpoint in an Orlando, Florida, apartment late Monday after a 24-hour standoff.

Police had tried to negotiate the safe release of the children  aged 1, 6, 10 and 11  after officers arrived at the apartment at 11.45 p.m. Sunday night following domestic violence call.

Gary Wayne Lindsey Jr., 35, was found dead at the scene.

All died of apparent gunshot wounds.

A spokesperson from the Orlando Police Department tells PEOPLE that the incident began when a woman called police and reported that Lindsey had physically abused her. When officers arrived at the scene, Lindsey opened fire on them, shooting Officer Kevin Valencia, who is currently in critical condition, Orlando police chief John Mina said.

The shooting touched off a 24-hour standoff in which Lindsey barricaded himself in the apartment with the four child hostages and police tried to negotiate with him. Two of the children were his, while the other two were his girlfriends from a previous relationship.

According to Orlando police, SWAT teams and negotiators attempted to resolve the situation without further violence. More than 40 officers were on the scene, and the nearby apartments were evacuated.

Authorities expressed their sadness about the violent end to the standoff.

As you know the Orlando Police Department and the Orange County Sheriffs Department have been working very hard during this long day to bring this situation to a peaceful resolution. Unfortunately, it has a very tragic and sad ending, Mina told reporters.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

The suspect was found dead inside of a closet by police.

On Monday, Mina said Valencia is expected to survive but that he has very significant injuries, according to WESH.

It was the scandal that rocked Americas most storied political family and changed the course of presidential history. PEOPLEs first-ever podcast, Cover-Up, dives into the Chappaquiddick scandal and attempts to piece together what happened in the hours after Ted Kennedys car went over a narrow wooden bridge, killing his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play or wherever podcasts are available.

On its Facebook page, the Fraternal Order of Police Orlando Lodge #25 posted a message with Valencias picture with the caption, Pray for Officer Kevin Valencia.

Speaking about Valencias shooting, Mina said, Its hard, its very traumatic, and added, Were just praying that hes gonna be okay.Los Angeles Times contributor Virginia Heffernan believes Robert De Niro deserve a Pulitzer prize for dropping an F-bomb at the Tony Awards Sunday night, adding that the outburst from the aging Hollywood heavyweight was just what the ceremony needed.

I cant stop thinking about that swift, incisive editorial last night. Two monosyllables. Underscoring the presidencys baseline indececency [sic] with a violation of decency,' she tweeted Monday morning. The satire of norms. Id say Robert De Niro deserved a Pulitzer for if he didnt deserve aTony.

I cant stop thinking about that swift, incisive editorial last night. Two monosyllables. Underscoring the presidencys baseline indececency with a violation of decency. The satire of norms. Id say Robert De Niro deserved a Pulitzer for if he didnt deserve aTony.  Virginia Heffernan (@page88) June 11, 2018

Also Read:BuzzFeed Editor: 'All I Want For Christmas Is Full Communism Now'

Heffernan, who has also been a regular presence in the New York Times, Slate and Wired over the years, has long been critical of Trump in her writing. (She may not be aware that Pulitzers go to mostly print journalists, while a TV performance would be eligible for Emmy Award consideration.)

Her take was only the latest media response to the truly unexpected moment provided by De Niro from the 72d Tony Awards from Sunday evening.

Im gonna say one thing, F Trump!' said the actor, pumping his fists on stage at Radio City Music Hall, just before introducing Bruce Springsteen. Its no longer Down With Trump, its F Trump,'

Story continues

The moment earned De Niro a standing ovation from the left-leaning audience in New York City. CBS censors managed to bleep the moment from the U.S. airwaves, but an uncensored clip from Australian television went viral on Twitter late Sunday night.

You can watch it below.

#tonyawards Robert De Niro swearing at Trump on #TonyAwards Australian feed didn't censor it 11 Jun  2018 pic.twitter.com/74OQsUYr1c  Sir Clyde Of Nob (@nobby15) June 11, 2018

Also Read:Tony Awards 7 Biggest Snubs and Surprises, From 'Once on This Island' to Tina Fey

In a statement after the show, CBS explained the incident.

Mr. De Niros comments were unscripted and unexpected, said the company. The offensive language was deleted from the broadcast.

The line was classic De Niro, who has made no secret of his disdain for the billionaire real estate developer now in the White House.

In recent months the actor has added to his resistance bona fides by taking up the role of Robert Mueller on Saturday Night Life. In the past, De Niro has also referred to Trump as both our baby-in-chief and the jerkoff-in-chief.

Video: Best Moments From Broadway's Big Night

Watch news, TV and more on Yahoo View.



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Austin Beutner Ousted as Los Angeles Times Publisher (Updated)

Film Critic Betsy Sharkey Exits Los Angeles TimesRose McGowan is defending friend Asia Argento against attacks on social media following the sudden death of Argento's boyfriend, Anthony Bourdain.

In a lengthy letter received by ABC News, McGowan implored her "fellow humans" not to lash out at Argento for Bourdain's suicide. The famed chef and longtime television personality, 61, was found unresponsive in a hotel room in France last Friday.

PHOTO: Anthony Bourdain in New York in this Nov. 2, 2016 file photo. (Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, FILE)

"Do NOT do the sexist thing and burn a woman on the pyre of misplaced blame," McGowan wrote. "Anthonys internal war was his war, but now shes been left on the battlefield to take the bullets. It is in no way fair or acceptable to blame [Argento] or anyone else, not even Anthony."

Shortly after the news of Bourdain's death, Argento, an Italian actress and filmmaker, took to Twitter with a statement: "Anthony gave all of himself in everything that he did. His brilliant, fearless spirit touched and inspired so many, and his generosity knew no bounds. He was my love, my rock, my protector. I am beyond devastated. My thoughts are with his family. I would ask that you respect their privacy and mine."

Since then, Argento has been trolled on Twitter with accusations that she hastened the TV travel host's death after she was photographed hugging another man days before.

McGowan took to task the trolls as well as media outlets speculating on what led to his apparent suicide.

"Anthony would never have wanted Asia to be hurt, Id like to think he would want us to have the collective conversation that needs to be had about depression," she wrote. "Blame is NOT a conversation, it is the shutting down of our collective growth."

PHOTO: Rose McGowan attends a private view of Joe Corre's new exhibition 'Ash From Chaos' at Lazinc, April 19, 2018, in London. (Dave Benett/Getty Images)

McGowan recalled how the couple had "instant chemistry" upon meeting.

Story continues

"They laughed, they loved and he was her rock during the hardships of this last year," she said.

Like McGowan, Argento was one of dozens of women who came forward last year to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault or misconduct. Bourdain was a vocal supporter of Argento and the #MeToo movement.

"Anthony was open with his demons, he even wrote a book about them," McGowan said, adding that he had told a mutual friend after he met Argento, "hes never met anyone who wanted to die more than him."

McGowan wrote that Argento "did the work to get help, so she could stay alive and live another day for her and her children."

"Anthonys depression didnt let him, he put down his armor, and that was very much his choice. His decision, not hers. His depression won," McGowan wrote.

She described the couple's relationship as "free."

"They loved without borders of traditional relationships, and they established the parameters of their relationship early on," she said. "Asia is a free bird, and so was Anthony. Was. Such a terrible word to write. Ive heard from many that the past two years they were together were some of his happiest and that should give us all solace."

McGowan signed the letter, "With great sadness and even greater hope," and copied Argento.

PHOTO: Rose McGowan and Asia Argento during amfAR 'Cinema Against AIDS', May 19, 2005. ( J. Vespa/WireImage/Getty Images)

Anyone in crisis, or who knows someone in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.Mike Scott and Terri Givens have been married for 23 years, all thanks to Milfred and Richard Loving. (Photo courtesy of Dwayne Hills)

Terri Givens was born in a time when a black person like herself dating a white person like her husband, Mike Scott, could have landed them both in jail. But 51 years ago today, on Jun. 12, the Supreme Court struck down anti-miscegenation laws, calling them unconstitutional, in the watershed 1967 decision of Loving v. Virginia, named for couple Richard and Mildred Loving. That opened the door to marriage freedom in interracial love (and paved the way for what would much later be the SCOTUS decision allowing same-sex marriage, in 2015).

On Tuesday, In honor of whats been dubbed #LovingDay, thousands of mixed-race couples, including Givens and Scott, have been sharing their love stories on social media.

#LovingDay commemorates the anniversary of the 1967 United States Supreme Court decision Loving vs. Virginia There can be no doubt that restricting the freedom to marry solely because of racial classifications violates the central meaning of the equal protection clause. pic.twitter.com/FzXY9hxBXa  Terri Givens says #Enough! (@TerriGivens) June 12, 2018

The two met at Stanford University as undergrad students in the late 1980s, becoming fast friends, and that led to more about five years after graduation. In 1995, they tied the knot. We married with the full support of our families, Givens says.

She shares with Yahoo Lifestyle the meaning of this special day for them. I have two handsome boys who are a living symbol of our love, and the hope of the future, she says. I am glad that they will not have to worry about who they choose to marry, whether it be someone of a different color, background, or even gender.

Givens adds, The only barriers we have faced have been the occasional awkward looks, or for my husband, people asking if our boys belong to him. We have been lucky that most people we have met have been accepting of our relationship. But shes aware that this same luck is not met by every interracial couple. I know it is often easier when a black woman is with a white man, and also, we are both well-educated professionals.

Story continues

Givens says there is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to true marriage equality. We still have a long way to go in this country when it comes to racial barriers, she says, and I will continue to celebrate this day as a symbol of the need for ongoing change.

So on this day in the US back in 1967 their supreme court struck down any laws forbidding inter racial marriage (Loving v Virginia). Only 51 years ago. #LovingDay pic.twitter.com/IBmV3xK1zE  Cobra Chicken (@m_devries) June 12, 2018

Another couple marking this day are Shealagh Whittle and Michael de Vries, who met via social media four years ago. They officially started dating in 2016, and maintain a long-distance relationship that requires a lot of travel between Seattle and Ontario, Canada. They plan to marry in August.

Loving Day has a special meaning to them both, but what de Vries says he most admires is the strength and determination the Lovings had at the time.

Im very lucky to have @shealaghsays in my life and we, as a couple, are lucky to have had brave couples come before who were willing to fight to make things better. #LovingDay pic.twitter.com/Zh4fcuRX1R  Cobra Chicken (@m_devries) June 12, 2018

Not just because it was the right thing and a just cause  it was very much those things  but also because, at the end of it, they just had to be together, he says. The seed of it all was that they simply needed to be together. And thats what sustained them.

De Vries also stresses that its important to talk about the importance of this day because, in truth, it wasnt all that long ago. Its good and healthy and right to remember that these ideas and attitudes towards interracial couples and racism, in general, are still very much a part of life, even love and marriage, he says.

The couple has been lucky enough to travel around Canada and the United States without incident, he says, although sometimes going through the world as an interracial couple has felt like wearing traffic cones on our head.

As he explains, On our Thanksgiving trip to Atlanta, a very conscientious Uber driver kindly suggested we not leave the city limits for our own safety. Even within Atlanta, there were times when we could feel the eyes on us.

A post shared by Heather & The Wilsons (@mychocolatechipchick) on May 14, 2018 at 1:26am PDT

California residents Heather and Fredrick Wilson, meanwhile, have been married for 12 years. They met in West Hollywood at a gas station. When Fredrick popped the question after some time, he did so at that same pump (No. 2) and Heather, of course, said yes. Theyve since had two kids.

Loving Day is a huge day for us because of the strength and courage of the Lovings, Mildred, and Richard, Heather tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Their fight for the right to be together as an interracial couple laid the foundation for so many of us to live our lives through color lines.

Easter with the Wilsons A post shared by Heather & The Wilsons (@mychocolatechipchick) on Apr 1, 2018 at 12:59pm PDT

She adds, People should feel free to be who they are, love who they are, and love who the hell they choose, despite preconceived notions, judgments, and fear of others.

We couldnt agree more. Heres to the Lovings  and love!

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:



The cool thing about the internet is that you can write anything and quote anyone.  Abraham Lincoln

Obviously, this notion isnt true, especially if youre in the public eye and regularly fact-checked.

As President Trump arrived in Singapore to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, his daughter Ivanka Trump tweeted a wise and timely quote.

Those who say it can not be done, should not interrupt those doing it. -Chinese Proverb  Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) June 11, 2018

Upon further investigation, however, this quote doesnt actually appear to be a Chinese proverb at all. In fact, no one quite knows where it comes from, and it is often attributed to Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, but there is no evidence supporting that either.

Quote Investigator suggests that it first appeared in 1903, in a periodical called The Public, from Chicago, and referred to the innovations taking place during that time.

In 1962, another periodical, Adult Leadership, printed the quote using the familiar and politically incorrect joke setup Confucius say Jokes that began that way would be grammatically incorrect and often vulgar.

The quote that Ivanka Trump used is also raising a few eyebrows in and of itself. No one has said that meeting with the dictator of North Korea couldnt be done, but there have been plenty of questions as to whether it should be done.

Ronny Chieng, a correspondent on The Daily Show, tweeted, This is NOT a Chinese idiom, and hes not the only one to call out Trump on her quote.

Three minutes of googling suggests this is a fake Chinese Proverb. It seems in fact to be American from the turn of the 20th c.which makes sense, since its spirit is can-do Americanism. But why are Trump WH aides giving our proverbs to China, increasing our proverb deficit? https://t.co/bqjbZhXlQr  Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) June 11, 2018

Not a Chinese proverb. Try harder.  John Lusins MD (@DRJOLT) June 11, 2018

Something I just came up with: "Ivanka Trump can't Google."  Ghost of Joad (@Ghost_Of_Joad) June 11, 2018

Maybe next time, she will fact-check herself before she tweets  a lesson we all have to learn at some point.

Story continues

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.



As the host of the long-running PBS series Mister Rogers Neighborhood, Fred Rogers made a point of establishing a direct personal relationship with each and every child who visited his own 'hood via the television screen. Regular viewers of the serieswhich includes pretty much every kid born between 1968 and 2001knew that the Pennsylvania native, who passed away in 2003, liked his sweaters, his trains and his Land of Make Believe. But there are aspects of his life that Mister Rogers never publicly revealed on public television. Some of those details are disclosed for the first time in Morgan Neville's acclaimed documentary, Won't You Be My Neighbor?, a moving portrait of Rogers's life and career that's playing in theaters now.Good morning! Catch up on your pop culture news with our roundup of todays top stories  so far.

1. Trump meets with Kim

President Trump and North Koreas Kim Jong Un met in Singapore on Tuesday. While details of the agreement they signed are vague, much has been made of Trumps urging photographers to make him look handsome and thin and perfect  much to Kims confusion. Read more >

2. Bode Millers 19-month-old daughter has died

Olympic skier Bode Miller and his wife, Morgan, are mourning the loss of their 19-month-old daughter, Emeline, in a drowning accident. Miller told fans that his family is beyond devastated. Read more >

3. Rose McGowan indicted

Actress Rose McGowan has been indicted by a grand jury on a charge of possession of a controlled substance. Her lawyer insists that his client  who has accused producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault  is being targeted because of her activism as a voice for women everywhere. Read more >

4. The Bachelorette gets messy

Two Bachelorette contestants were sent to the hospital in Mondays episode  and one mans injury was so serious that he had to leave the show. Read more >

5. Oprah Winfrey is buds with Meghan Markles mom

Royal wedding guest Oprah Winfrey has all the scoop on Doria Ragland, including details of her yoga skills and love of fruit. Read more >

Doria Ragland at the royal wedding. (Photo: Gareth Fuller  WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Thanks for reading! Come back this evening for your p.m. pop culture roundup.By Michael Nienaber

BERLIN (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France met in Berlin on Monday to discuss the implementation of a fragile ceasefire for Ukraine and the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission in the country's conflict zone.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said after the four-way talks that Russia and Ukraine agreed in principle on a UN peacekeeping mission, but their ideas about how to implement it were still "very much apart."

"Regarding the parameters of a possible UN mission for Eastern Ukraine, we agreed to instruct our political directors to continue negotiations not about if but how such a mission could happen and discuss this in the coming weeks," Maas said.

It was the first meeting of the foreign ministers since February 2017, though lower level officials have met regularly in the past four years in the so-called Normandy format to try to resolve the separatist conflict in Eastern Ukraine, in which more than 10,000 people have been killed.

Relations between Moscow and Kiev have been tense since a popular uprising drove a pro-Russian president from power in 2014. Russia went on to annex Crimea from Ukraine and backed a pro-Russian separatist insurgency in the country's east.

A ceasefire agreement that was signed in February 2015 in Minsk has failed to end the violence, with fighters from both sides violating the peace plan on a nearly daily basis.

"We know that there was a lack of will to implement these commitments in the past," Maas said in a joint news conference with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian.

Maas said all sides agreed that they should stick to the Minsk peace plan from now on, including the removal of heavy weaponry from combat zones and a further exchange of prisoners.

France and German also offered Ukraine and Russia logistical help for the securing of minefields in the combat zones, he added.

"I am firmly convinced that the political negotiations today are also exerting pressure on the ground," Maas said, despite the apparent lack of progress in the negotiations.

(Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Toby Chopra and Leslie Adler)United Nations (United States) (AFP) - US Ambassador Nikki Haley slammed Tuesday a UN draft resolution condemning Israel for Palestinian deaths in Gaza as "fundamentally imbalanced" and instead proposed condemning Hamas for the violence.

The General Assembly is set to vote on the Arab-backed measure on Wednesday after more than 120 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire during protests near the border with Gaza since the end of March.

In a letter sent to fellow ambassadors, Haley said the United States had presented an amendment to the draft resolution that condemns Hamas for firing rockets at Israel and "inciting violence" along the border with Gaza.

The 193-nation assembly will vote on the US-drafted amendment before the vote on the resolution.

"Any resolution focused on the protection of civilians in Gaza must recognize the destabilizing and reckless actions of Hamas, which endanger the lives and livelihoods of innocent civilians," Haley wrote in the letter seen by AFP.

The draft text condemns Israel's use of "excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force" against Palestinian civilians, but also deplores the firing of rockets by Palestinian militants into Israel.

However, it does not specifically mention Hamas.

"This omission should be unacceptable to all member-states, given that Hamas fired over 100 rockets at Israel last month, provoked violent uprisings and obstructed the flow of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people," wrote Haley.

"The proposed resolution is a fundamentally imbalanced text that ignores basic truths about the situation in Gaza."

Diplomats expect the US amendment to fail and the Arab-backed resolution to be adopted, but it remains unclear how many votes it will garner in the face of strong US opposition.

The Palestinians are hoping to win as many votes as those cast in support of a resolution in December rejecting President Donald Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. That vote was 128 to 9, with 35 abstentions.The US has sought to avoid provoking Beijing's ire - AFP

The United States is due to open a new embassy in Taiwan on Tuesday, but plans to send a junior minister to avoid igniting a diplomatic row with China.

Beijing, which does not recognise Taiwan as a state independent from China, has mounted a concerted campaign over the past two years to lure away the few remaining countries that recognise Taipei.

The US, a major backer of Taipei, made a $1.42 billion arms deal with the island state in 2017, and spent $250 million (187 million) on the new de facto embassy.

However, in order to assuage China's anger, the US will not send a top-level official to the opening of its de facto embassy in Taiwan on Tuesday, a signal that Donald Trump does not want to provoke Beijing.

Speculation had mounted earlier this year that national security adviser John Bolton would be sent to the opening of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).

At a glance | The One China policy

Instead, Marie Royce, assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs, will open the AIT, Washington said. Beijing views Taiwan as a breakaway province, which will be reunited with the mainland by force if necessary.

The US gave up official diplomatic ties with Taipei in 1979 when it switched recognition to Beijing, but Washington remains a powerful ally of Taiwan.

The new AIT offices are being unveiled amid heightened concerns in Beijing over increasing US involvement in Taiwan.

Mr Trump in March signed the Taiwan Travel Act, which will allow more official visits between the US and Taipei.

Washington also agreed to help Taipei build its own submarines, a move which Chinese media said made war "more probable" between China and Taiwan.

The US is embroiled in a major trade row with China, but is keen to avoid a diplomatic fallout as it needs Beijing's help to solve the North Korea nuclear issue.

Taiwan, meanwhile, has become increasingly marginalised on the international stage with the loss of diplomatic allies who previously recognised the government of the self-ruled island, but have now switched to Beijing.

The West African state of Burkina Faso said it was severing ties with Taiwan last month, following similar moves from the Dominican Republic, Sao Tome and Principe and Panama.

Additional reporting by Christine WeiOnce the holy month of Ramadan comes to a close, Muslims all over the world will begin celebrating Eid Al-Fitr. During Ramadan, Muslims took part in periods of fasting, devotion to prayer, purification and charitable acts. In order to understand the significance of Eid ul-Fitr, you need to know what and why Ramadan is celebrated.

In case you didnt know, Ramadan falls during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Its an important time for Muslims because they believe that during Ramadan the Quran was revealed to mankind through the Prophet Muhammad. Typically, Ramadan starts in May and continues until the end of June.

Eid ul-Fitr begins the weekend following Ramadan. The exact date Eid is dependent on a combination of the sighting of the new moon and astronomical calculations. Furthermore, the time when Eid starts also depends on where you are in the world, and when the new moon is visible.

When translated, Eid al-Fitr means festival of breaking the fast and marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. English alternative terms and references for Eid are: fast-breaking Eid, sweet festival, Feast of Fasting, Small Eid, Eid feast, Sugar Feast, and Eid of happiness.

Traditionally Eid is celebrated for three days and is an official holiday in Muslim-majority countries. While the United States doesnt observe Edi with any closures or shutdowns, many employers and schools allow time off for Muslim workers and children.

Muslims will gather together at the mosque for a prayer, prior to spending the day with friends and family  and wishing one another Eid Mubarak or Blessed Eid. In fact, the standard greeting on this occasion is Eid Mubarak which means have a blessed Eid. The celebration is the perfect opportunity for the Muslims to thank Allah for helping them get through the month-long fasting during the Ramadan holiday.

The Eid prayer is performed in congregation in open areas like fields, community centers or at mosques. There is no direct call to prayer given for Eid prayer, but it consists of only two units of prayer with an additional six incantations. The Eid prayer is generally followed by the sermon and the attendees ask Allah for forgiveness, mercy, peace and blessings for everyone in the world.

Eid is a time when Muslims pledge their gratitude to Allah by donating money to various charities and philanthropic efforts. Moreover, the celebration is also considered to be the ideal time for Muslims to forgive those who have wronged them. The idea of spiritual fasting is embraced and correlates with the new leaf the individual is essentially turning over. While the idea of helping those less fortunate is a common thread, its also a goal that Muslims aim to keep in check throughout the upcoming season of life.

More than one billion Muslims around the world gather to celebrate Eid. The worship process may seem daunting; however, reviewing it on a step by step process can remove some of the stereotypical connotations and provide a more meaningful explanation on the functionalities of rakat (worship).

The First Raka

Action 1: Perform two Rakats behind the Imam for Eid prayer along with six additional Takbirs.

Action 2: After the Imam has said "Allahu Akbar" the first time, you should raise your hands and follow. This is the first Takbir of the prayer.

Action 3: There will be three Takbirs before the Imam begins reciting from the Quran. Each time the Imam says "Allahu Akbar", you should raise your hands, then place them on your sides. After the third Takbir, the Imam will begin reciting from the Quran. At that point, you should put your hands on your chest, with your right hand on top of the left.

Action 4: Listen to the recitation of the Holy Quran. The Imam will recite Surah Al Fatiha (the first Surah of the Quran) and then another Surah.

Action 5: When the Imam says "Allahu Akbar" go into Ruku  which is the bowing position.

Action 6: Stand up straight when he says Sami Allahu liman Hamidah (translation: Allah hears those who praise Him), and say "Rabbana lakal Hamd" (translation: our Lord praise be to You) in a low voice.

Action 7: When the Imam says "Allahu Akbar" go into Sujud  which is prostration. You will do two prostrations just like a normal prayer.

The Second Raka

Action 8: The Imam will first recite from the Holy Quran.

Action 9: Afterwards, before going into Ruku, there will be three Takbirs. Follow the Imam. Raise your hands after each "Allahu Akbar." After the third Takbir, go into Ruku  remember, this is the bowing position.

Action 10: Stand up straight when the Imam says, Sami Allah huliman Hamidah, and say "Rabbana lakal Hamd" in a low voice.

Action 11: When the Imam says, "Allahu Akbar" go into Sujud. - you will do two prostrations.

Action 12: After this, you sit for the duration of Tashshahud.

Action 13: After the Imam ends the prayer by turning to his face to the right first and saying, "Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullah" and then to his left. You should follow suite and repeat.

Action 14: Do not immediately get up. The Imam will provide a short speech. Its disrespectful not to stay still and listen. Use this time to catch your breath and relax.

In addition, to the charitable donations and mosque gatherings, Muslims rejoice by visiting friends and relatives, hosting food parties and sharing delicious deserts. Usually, children receive new clothes and shoes  some families also gift cash gifts, called eidi, to their elders and relatives. It is forbidden to fast on the Day of Eid.

Eid al Fitr is a rejoiceful day for Muslims. The day is truly a celebration because it signifies the fruits of their labor and sacrifice that took place during the Ramadan observance. Whats wonderful is the sense of community and unity that Eid brings forth.You know that person who seems to have a flair of good luck? The one who, even though isnt drop-dead gorgeous, is always able to get whatever she wants? There is more to the outer beauty of these people. They light up a room when they walk into it. This type of person is able to accomplish much in life because of attitude, charisma, or something as simple as kindness. Their smile exudes confidence, compassion and joy. You may wonder what separates them from others.

Dr. Travis Bradberry, author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0, has researched and studied the emotional connection of people. He has recognized that there are basic characteristics that make some people more friendly and charismatic to others.

When influential people speak, conversations spread like ripples in a pond. And those ripples are multidirectional; influencers inspire everyone around them to explore new ideas and think differently about their work. Likeable people are conscious of how they treat others. They believe that Few things kill likeability as quickly as arrogance. Irresistible people dont act as if they are better than you. They actually believe that you have the ability to succeed, and create the life that you want. But, whats the secret to truly being this type of person?

They treat everyone with dignity and respect.

Irresistible people dont put others down. What makes them so likeable is the ability to treat a homeless person in the same manner that he would treat the CEO to a huge company. To this person, there is no class or status that separates anyone. We are all part of the human race.

They dont gossip.

The charismatic person has no need to utilize gossip as their motive to partake in a conversation. They are always bringing in the best of themselves, and allowing others to shine. This is what makes them so generous in uplifting others. Gossip is a negative trait, and they have little tolerance for it.

They treat others as they expect to be treated.

Dr. Bradberry believes that these type of folks follow a healthy life rule that says you should treat others the way you wish to be treated. But that rule is flawed because it assumes that everyone wants to be treated the same way. In reality, people have different desires and goals.

The irresistible person understands this and follows not the golden rule, but the platinum one: treat others the way THEY want to be treated.

They have healthy boundaries.

Irresistible people dont try to please everyone all the time. They know that there is a time and place for everything. They dont give more of themselves. They have healthy ways of assisting and giving to others. But, they never run themselves ragged. These people take care of themselves. And, in that ability to sustain boundaries, they show a beautiful example of self-love to others.

They are genuine.

These type of people do not pretend to be someone they are not. What you see is what you get. They exude self-confidence. The irresistible person doesnt have to have super-model looks, but she or he will walk into a room with such confidence that they shine. They know their worth, and never allow others to dictate how they should see themselves.

They have integrity.

Albert Einstein said, Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters. The person with integrity stands in their authenticity. They know what matters and this is passed on to others. They make you question your honesty, principles, and goodness. Integrity is one of the best characteristics that they teach others.

They smile at everyone.

The most powerful and attractive quality that an irresistible person has is their ability to always smile, in spite of whatever is going on in their lives. They bring forth laughter with their energy. These likeable people know that a smile is sexier than any outfit, stronger than any pill, and has the ability to break down negativity.

They are compassionate.

The irresistible person is empathetic to others. They show compassion to animals, nature, and people. They know that one minute you might be on top of the world, and in an instant you can find yourself struggling. Being compassionate is not just about showing kindness to those you like, but also leaving the zone of comfort and stepping into places that the heart breaks into pieces. They take chances in loving others and they know its worth it. They help everyone. They wear their hearts in their sleeves.

They love life.

Successful and charming individuals love life. They are not exempt from heart ache, misfortunes, or challenges, but they know that life is priceless and its the only thing that is real. This life is for taking chances, loving, and helping others. They cherish every moment, and when they meet someone new, they make that person feel as if they are the most incredible thing in their day.

They bring people together.

These people are huge human connectors. They bring like-minded people together. They want to help others succeed. If you are among these type of enchanting individuals, you will notice that they immediately display a sense of connection. They may become your own fairy godmother, helping you reach to the next level. They will immediately draw you a map to get to someone who can help you on your journey.

They truly love people.

This is a given. These happy people love people. The irresistible person is the one who coined the term people person. They love to be around others. They get inspired by energy and stories. The likeable individual has an ability to attract those who are ready to fly and conquer their own dreams.

They know you must work hard to get ahead.

The irresistible person may always wear a smile, but they know that nothing comes without hard work and some struggling. They work hard and succeed with an undeniable thirst for accomplishing their desires. They succeed because they dont give up. And, when you are among this type of person, you also feel that ability to overcome anything ahead.

They listen.

Dr. Bradberry says, People like to know youre listening, and something as simple as a clarification question shows not only that you are listening but that you also care about what theyre saying. Youll be surprised how much respect and appreciation you gain just by asking good questions.

The irresistible person has this innate ability to stare into your spirit and truly make you feel as if you are understood, acknowledged and loved.

They have positive attitudes.

In spite of all the challenges in life, these folks continue to have positive attitudes. They dont feed into negativity. They dont entertain the woe-is-me attitude from anyone. They avoid confrontations and always search for an optimistic answer to the heavy questions in life.

They always say please and thank you.

The ability to show gratitude is a magic wand for the irresistible person. They know that compliments go a long way in the journey of life, but what truly makes others like you are the simple manners: saying please and thank you. These magic words are never misused, and they know exactly how powerful they are in making others feel understood, acknowledged, and accepted.

Irresistible people are those individuals who have been through emotional roller coasters and major transitional obstacles, and have learned that they arent alone in this world. You might just be one of these amazing people. You might be so humble that you dont recognize how you are changing the world around you. These people know that we have a connection to each other. They make you feel as if you matter. And, that is one of the most profound effects they leave as their legacy: they truly see you, feel you, and care about you.Rasante Impfstoffentwicklung gegen Covid-19 ist wissenschaftlicher Durchbruch 2020 (dpa) Die rasante Entwicklung effektiver Impfstoffe gegen Covid-19 ist fur die Macher des Science-Magazins der wichtigste Forschungsdurchbruch des Jahres. Niemals zuvor hatten so viele Konkurrenten so offen und regelmaig zusammengearbeitet, ebenso einzigartig sei die gemeinsame Anstrengu ... mehr

Die spannendsten Wissenschaftsnachrichten des Jahres 2017 (dpa) Das Top-Wissenschaftsereignis 2017 fand schon vor 130 Millionen Jahren statt: Die im Sommer von Tausenden Astrophysikern beobachtete Verschmelzung zweier Neutronensterne am Rande einer fernen Galaxie kurte das US-Journal Science zum Durchbruch des Jahres. Aber auch biomedizinische F ... mehrThis week around 2,000 guests from 100 countries will discuss various aspects of Global Inequalities at the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum (GMF) in Bonn, Germany, where AfricanDRONE will premiere its footage showing the coexistence of slums and wealthy districts in major cities around the world, as part of the theme.

Is Western media only covering bad leaders from African countries that the US, the EU,... dont have strategic interests in? Yes, but thats nothing new, says @africasacountrys Sean Jacobs. Thats historically how the West has covered [African countries.] #dw_gmf pic.twitter.com/WQMBAEvR8j  Global Media Forum (@DW_GMF) 12. Juni 2018

Digitisation challenges

DW Freedom of Speech Award

Media Innovation Lab Day

June 13

The exhibition Unequal Scenes by Johnny Miller, a photographer, journalist and founder of the pan-African organisation AfricanDRONE, focuses on the conferences topic Global Inequalities. His drone footage will be screened for the first time in public. Miller, who lives in Cape Town, South Africa, will attend the GMF to present his project.Experts from media, politics, culture and society shape the conference and join the 60 partners participating this year. The GMF has established itself as the largest international media conference in Germany and as "The place made for minds".The conference will feature agenda-setting topics, interdisciplinary panel discussions, internationally renowned experts, multimedia formats and a diverse supporting program. The annual Freedom of Speech Award will also be announced.The program, information about the speakers, the events in the live stream, an overview of the partners and further services can be found on the website European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Mariya Gabriel, will give a keynote address on Monday on how Europe intends to meet the challenges of digitisation. Among the prominent guests are Afghanistan's former President Hamid Karzai and Iranian political scientist Sadegh Zibakalam, this year's laureate of the DW Freedom of Speech Award.Michelle Muntefering, minister of state at the Federal Foreign Office, and North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Armin Laschet, will also speak at this year's DW media conference. WDR Director Tom Buhrow will speak about the benefits of public service broadcasting as a guarantor of comprehensive, balanced reporting in an increasingly fragmented world.The DW Freedom of Speech Award honours a person or initiative taking an outstanding position for human rights and freedom of expression. DW Director General Peter Limbourg will present the award to Iranian political scientist Sadegh Zibakalam on June 12. On International Press Freedom Day on May 3, Limbourg said the award represents both an "encouragement to Iranian civil society and a reminder to the political leaders in Tehran to respect the right to free expression".On, the conferences Media Innovation Lab Day will focus on internet governance, big data and other technical challenges for media and journalism. The day promises insights into innovative projects and will be presented in a variety of interactive formats.DW and partner organisations will offer MindTalks, presentations and workshops. Interested parties can test new tools and have ample opportunity for networking, for example with young companies presenting themselves in a start-up competition.The GMF 2018 is co-hosted by the Foundation for International Dialogue of the Savings Bank in Bonn, with the BMW Group as a premium partner. Other sponsors include the German Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, the State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia and the city on Bonn.#CannesLions2018: "In SA, good creative is everywhere!" - Wayne Bishop

The 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity sees seven SA jurors representing across the various categories of creative work. I add to the excitement with insights from Wayne Bishop, MD of PhD, about his role this year as Cannes Media Lions shortlist juror.

Wayne Bishop, MD of PhD South Africa and Cannes Lions 2018 Media shortlist juror.

The 65th edition of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity kicks off from 18 to 22 June with a more streamlined Festival schedule and simplified award structure.



Cannes Lions 2018 festival programme released

Cannes Lions launches revamped 2018 Festival of Creativity!

Bishop is the ideal industry icon to talk about local creativity on a global scale. Not only is he MD of Omnicom Groups PhD agency and to become a first-time Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity attendee and media shortlist juror, but Bishop has also served as a media juror for Cannes Lions sister festival Dubai Lynx back in 2016, where he described: Going over as a judge will not simply be an additional line that I can add to my CV, I am also going as a student. I am going to see what I can learn and bring back to South Africa. I am going to benchmark my career against the festival and re-build it from the ground up. With Cannes Lions 2018 literally just around the corner, Bishop looks set to repeat the learning process.



Wayne Bishop on Dubai Lynx Media jury

Seven SA judges at Cannes Lions 2018

Here, he shares his views on what SA creatives bring to the global Cannes Lions judging mix, as well as his favourite Cannes Lions-related moments



Where were you when you found out you'd be one of this year's Cannes Lions jurors, and what was your reaction to the news? Where were you when you found out you'd be one of this year's Cannes Lions jurors, and what was your reaction to the news? The 65th edition of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity kicks off from 18 to 22 June with a more streamlined Festival schedule and simplified award structure.Bishop is the ideal industry icon to talk about local creativity on a global scale. Not only is he MD of Omnicom Groups PhD agency and to become a first-time Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity attendee and media shortlist juror, but Bishop has also served as a media juror for Cannes Lions sister festival Dubai Lynx back in 2016, where he described:With Cannes Lions 2018 literally just around the corner, Bishop looks set to repeat the learning process.Here, he shares his views on what SA creatives bring to the global Cannes Lions judging mix, as well as his favourite Cannes Lions-related moments

Share a few of your favourite Cannes Lions-related moments over the years  either from attending personally or agency winning work-related. Share a few of your favourite Cannes Lions-related moments over the years  either from attending personally or agency winning work-related.

There is a great process called creative amputation, which is a technique of cutting away at the idea to understand its core.

What do SA creatives bring to the global Cannes Lions judging mix? What do SA creatives bring to the global Cannes Lions judging mix?

Give us a glimpse of the specific criteria youre looking for in judging this year's entries. Give us a glimpse of the specific criteria youre looking for in judging this year's entries.

The job of an agency is to solve a marketing problem in a way the client has never seen before. This is how I judge. Has it been seen before? And, crucially, did it solve the marketing problem?

With other international award shows With other international award shows D&AD and the One Show having just wrapped up for the year, any predictions of trends that are likely to stand out at Cannes Lions 2018?

Lastly, what are you most looking forward to from Cannes Lions 2018? Lastly, what are you most looking forward to from Cannes Lions 2018?

Leigh Andrews' articles About Leigh Andrews Leigh Andrews AKA the



Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen , is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews

Lets just pretend I was in the middle of a client pitch and excused myself to take the call! My reaction was a mixture of excitement and responsibility.I am so excited for the trip and the experience to see great work from all over the world. But also, the responsibility to ensure enough time and thought has gone into judging the entries.One of my favourites was the first time Cannes awarded the Titanium Award. It went to Nike Fuelband, which was so ahead of its time. Although I have never worked on the brand, we have often studied Nike over the years to apply its principles to the innovation we do.I believe we first used the Nike Fuelband case study to trial this technique and it worked brilliantly.Our market is exceptionally good at raw creative i.e. not the type of creative that relies on technology or new media. This is powerful, as a client often gets a truer creative product rather than something that needs developments in other areas. Its almost like in South Africa, you dont need to wait around for good creative, its everywhere!I love the quote:A lot of social issues are being baked into the awards. Things like gender equality, minority issues, income inequality, and emotions around political leadership.Because these issues are very topical and relevant, a lot of the work tends to use these as thrusts for their campaigns. It looks like this will continue throughout the 2018 Cannes Lions work.It is going to be my first time at the festival, so Im literally just looking forward to touching down on Monday! Im also very keen to meet up with some of the judges in our category  this will be a chance to discuss ideas and reflections on this years work.Weylandts has appointed M&C Saatchi Abel as its lead agency for all marketing and communications activity. The appointment is testimony to the power of a relationship which started more than a decade ago between founder Chris Weylandt and the partners at M&C Saatchi Abel.

After an initial three years with M&C Saatchi Abel, we decided to launch an internal advertising and promotions division, explains Chris Weylandt. However, our growth in recent years allied to our future growth plans, necessitated a rethink. We realised the critical role for a strategic and creative communications partner to help navigate our business to the next level. We have no doubt the team at M&C Saatchi Abel will be the right partners for our journey."I have enjoyed a great relationship with the Weylandts team over many years. Together with the partners at M&C Saatchi Abel, we have developed powerful thinking and work for the brand. It is great to have the opportunity to be involved in the next chapter of the brands journey, says Jacques Burger, Founding Partner and Group Executive at M&C Saatchi Abel.The Weylandts win follows shortly on the back of M&C Saatchi Abel winning both the Lexus and Automark (Toyota Groups Used car brand) accounts earlier this year.With the rise of the connected individual, marketers must re-think the way they build a brand to be future fit for the digital savvy consumers. There are many challenges and opportunities as we chase the ideal way for brands to connect with consumers.

Key takeaways:

Adapt to change Your brand is no longer just a product. You need to augment your product with experiences All your staff, whether head office staff or service staff, should be exposed to technology and empowered to offer better service to customers Dont stick to what you know Go for constant training to get future fit and be comfortable with the new Make budget available for experimentation Be curious and take risks Choose the right partners

I had a candid conversation with a seasoned and award-winning marketing professional, Benjamin Schoderer who leads Digital for Yum! Brands in Africa on the KFC brand and was recently named Marketer of the Year 2018 at the IAB Bookmarks in March.Anna Vaulina, head of the IAB SA Marketing Council adds, "As the IAB SA we are extremely excited to have Benjamin and YUM! recognised for brilliant work in the digital space. As the South African digital advertising industry matures, it is exciting to see individuals like Benjamin championing the way brands use digital to meet their objectives in a way that engages and has a positive impact on their customers."I spoke with Benjamin about some of the challenges and opportunities for todays brands.For me, its a brand that understands the 21st-century consumer and how to engage a connected individual. If you understand the connected consumer you will be a connected brand. You need to understand that behavioural patterns have changed and how this will impact your brand. For example, eating out and movies have evolved into Netflix and Ubereats. In my view, a 21st-century brand is ready for this consumer and their demands, anytime, anywhere, on any device.First and foremost, the fact that digital has become a central part of marketing and business planning when it was just an afterthought only a couple of years ago. When I first started at Vodacom in 2007, I joined a digital team of three which was part of the IT team looking after call centre systems. Today they are one of the most successful digital teams in the country and digital is at the heart of what they do, a really amazing journey. We are on a similar journey here at Yum! Brand and thus incredibly excited to have been named Digital Brand of the Year for the second year in a row at the 2018 IAB Bookmarks.Another big change Ive noticed is the change of the digital media landscape. It has become so sophisticated and advanced and you can measure your objectives and what you want to achieve through audience insights, programmatic media buying and so on.Digital has certainly grown up.When I attended the IAB Summit in California earlier this year, I was amazed by the sheer amount of ad tech companies that exist as part of the digital ecosystem. In line with this, there seems to be a trend of the titles Chief Digital Officer and Chief Marketing Officer collapsing into a Chief (Brand) Experience Officer (or similar) type role. Business adapts to reflect the changes in the digital economy we find ourselves in.First of all, the key experience for us at KFC is our food. We know that if our food is prepared correctly and eaten hot and fresh it really is finger licking good.We then think about how we enhance this experience through technology or the environment we create around it, along with the customer lifecycle. We do a lot of work around the in-store experience and how do we enable a better service experience for instance. Another example of an exciting experience in our restaurants was the SoundBite case study and how we used music as a passion point to attract younger consumers.Another important aspect is customer service and enabling our staff with technology to improve the service they offer to our customers.One of our partner markets created an Employee VR Education Program called the Escape Room. This was particularly created to educate service staff on hygiene, preparation of food, and applying the service levels in the virtual world and exposing them the KFC way of doing things.The whole marketing universe has just become very confusing and overwhelming for a lot of marketers. There are so many new technologies being introduced to the market, new ways of targeting consumers and a lot of marketers tell me that they feel intimidated by this constant change. The risk with that is that marketers tend to stick to what they know instead of exploring new opportunities for their brand or taking any risks.We combat that at KFC by running several training programmes, often with our digital partners, so that our entire marketing team is comfortable navigating the digital advertising space.Our customers are embracing this change, and as marketers, we need to be willing to explore and embrace these changes or we will be left behind. My key advice to marketers would be and stay curious. You really have nothing to lose, but so much to win. Just find the right fit for your brand to get you the results that you need.Make budget available for experimentation. Be brave, test it. If it doesnt work, move on and try again.Surround yourself with experts that are right for your brand and with the skill sets that you need. I am not an expert at all digital disciplines (and there are a lot), but I am trying to surround myself with experts in these areas to help me to achieve my vision.What I have learned is that you acquire your partners based on skills and experience and you retain them based on people and culture.If there is chemistry, you can make magic happen. We have built this amazing culture with our partners like Ogilvy and Mindshare, and we just click. Its also important to be able to have healthy debates and criticise ideas. Trust your partners and ensure you are always aligned.Know what you want, what you going to measure and know what success looks like. Make sure you have strong insight into why people behave the way they do. Ask the question why over and over to match your product to the truth. Its a marketing fundamental.If you want to listen to the full interview with Ben, click by Carmen Murray here#Newsmaker: Sarah Browning-de Villiers joins Publicis Machine

Sarah Browning-de Villiers, former deputy editor at Cosmopolitan SA and the gal behind its #TamponTaxMustFall campaign with feminist journalist Jen Thorpe, recently joined Publicis Machine as chief content officer in the narrative content marketing team.

Publishing has been an incredible first part of my career. Its also where Im most comfortable, which is exactly why I needed to make this change, explains Browning-de Villiers. But the thing Im looking forward to most is perhaps also the thing Im dreading: being out of my comfort zone and pushed to challenge myself in entirely new ways. For me, thats real, authentic living.



This extends to the power of authentic, purposeful content, not just to sell a product or an idea but to bring about genuine change, demonstrated by her campaign against period poverty in South Africa.



Here, Browning-de Villiers goes on to say why storytelling is at the core of what she does and more about her latest achievements



What does the role entail; what do you expect your work day to look like? What does the role entail; what do you expect your work day to look like? Publishing has been an incredible first part of my career. Its also where Im most comfortable, which is exactly why I needed to make this change, explains Browning-de Villiers. But the thing Im looking forward to most is perhaps also the thing Im dreading: being out of my comfort zone and pushed to challenge myself in entirely new ways. For me, thats real, authentic living.This extends to the power of authentic, purposeful content, not just to sell a product or an idea but to bring about genuine change, demonstrated by her campaign against period poverty in South Africa.Here, Browning-de Villiers goes on to say why storytelling is at the core of what she does and more about her latest achievements

This follows shortly after your collaboration with Thorpe to investigate the plight of tampon tax in South Africa. How do you feel about leaving Cosmopolitan on this note? This follows shortly after your collaboration with Thorpe to investigate the plight of tampon tax in South Africa. How do you feel about leaving Cosmopolitan on this note?

What will you miss most at the magazine and what are you most looking forward to at Publicis Machine? What will you miss most at the magazine and what are you most looking forward to at Publicis Machine?

What excites you most about this agency and where its going? What excites you most about this agency and where its going?

What do you love most about your career; proudest achievements? What do you love most about your career; proudest achievements?

Whats at the top of your to-do list? Whats at the top of your to-do list?

What are you currently reading, watching or listening to for work? What are you currently reading, watching or listening to for work?

Tell us something about yourself not generally known. Tell us something about yourself not generally known.

Jessica Tennant's articles About Jessica Tennant Jess is Senior Editor: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com. She is also a contributing writer. Jess is Senior Editor: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com. She is also a contributing writer. moc.ytinummoczib@swengnitekram

Im expecting to be doing everything I can to help spearhead innovative, engaging content across platforms that nourishes deeper and deeper connections between our clients and their consumers. Although the ways in which we present and consume content are continually changing, there is deep power in the art of storytelling  the why that makes an idea, brand, product or service relevant, exciting and accessible to whoever youre trying to reach. Thats the sweet spot I hope to hit daily for our clients: when the story connects with both the consumer and the product, service or brand with perfect synergy.On a personal note, Im looking forward to working in an agency environment surrounded by a wealth of resources, with the opportunity to learn from some industry greats.The #TamponTaxMustFall campaign with Jen Thorpe andhas been incredible to work on. Im sad to leave it before its formal closure: the petition is still open and it is yet to be lodged with Parliament. But Im really excited to watch as the campaign comes to fruition.As I type, there has already been just under 43,000 signatures in less than three weeks  phenomenal! It goes to show the power of authentic, purposeful content, not just to sell a product or an idea, but to bring about genuine change and to raise awareness. Im really proud of the campaign and Im so excited to see how Cosmopolitan expands it in the coming months.The team at and at Associated Media Publishing as a whole  is a really stellar one. Ive learnt a lot from people like Holly Meadows, Cosmos editor-in-chief, and Elrike Lochner, head of digital and GM for AmpDigital. Its a female-first environment, which makes it rich with opportunity for young women in the industry.At Publicis Machine, Im really looking forward to immersing myself with a single, key client and learning the ropes of agency life. Publicis Machine is also home to so many experienced, innovative people and I cant wait to glean as much from them as possible.Publicis has recently moved all of its agencies in Cape Town into one building and this is reflecting in the increased levels of cross-agency collaboration Publicis is trying to drive. I think this makes it a pretty formidable group: you have so much talent, skill sets and specialities to tap into. Publicis Machine and Narrative  the sub-groups I fall into  also have fantastic reputations for their culture, which is key, since work is a big part of who I am.Storytelling  for whatever purpose  is at the heart of what it means to be a person. Stories are at the heart of our identities, our societies  the way we see everything around us and order our world. So, to have that at the core of what you do for a living is pretty phenomenal. Its hard to beat that feeling of a reader, consumer or client really resonating with content and connecting with it.Personally, I think to have worked on two of South Africas biggest female titles in my 20s, under some serious powerhouse women  Pnina Fenster, Kerrie Simon-Lawrence, Holly Meadows  makes me extremely proud. Im also proud to have had my work published in these local titles and with global titles like Harpers Bazaar Art (Arabia). But, if Im honest, my proudest achievements are the relationships Ive cultivated and the teams Ive been part of. To still have people on speed dial who you worked with years ago, I think is the biggest indicator of how good you are at what you do.At the moment, its definitely to figure out my new role, grow new relationships and bring a fresh eye and new perspective to the projects Ill be working on. You only have that objective eye for a short window in a new gig, so you have to harness those insights as quickly as possible!Im a complete nerd and was recently introduced to thepodcast. Its very American, but the concepts are global and super interesting. Ive also finally finished the podcast, similarly geeky, similarly fascinating. Im about to start on the podcast,, and Im busy reading Tina BrownsI love writing about art from the African continent (mostly contemporary and modern), and as part of this, Im a contributor to Harpers Bazaar Art (Arabia). And I originally studied theology (I know!) in the UK, which is where Im from.#NewCampaign: Cosmopolitan SA petitions to end tampon tax

Cosmopolitan South Africa has launched a petition to end tampon tax, calling all women to campaign against period poverty in South Africa.





#Newsmaker: Sarah Browning-de Villiers joins Publicis Machine

"It seems illogical and sexist that women are forced to pay VAT to look after their menstrual hygiene," says editor Holly Meadows. "It begs the question: Why are we being taxed for sanitary care that is a basic biological necessity? Not only has the recent VAT increase made these products even more expensive, it has also highlighted the thousands of girls who cannot afford them and are forced to use old rags and leaves  compromising their health, dignity and school attendance.



"It begs another question: If we can afford to give boys free condoms, why cant we afford to give girls free tampons?



Here, Browning de-Villiers tells us why Cosmo is taking a stand on the global trend to end tampon tax in SA, and why it must fall



How did the idea come about? How did the idea come about? Now ex-deputy editor Sarah Browning de-Villiers together with feminist journalist Jen Thorpe investigated the plight of tampon tax in South Africa. In the report, as published in the magazine's June issue, they argue that sanitary products should not be subject to the same value added tax (VAT) as other luxury, non-essential items, and instead categorised as zero-rated basic items."It seems illogical and sexist that women are forced to pay VAT to look after their menstrual hygiene," says editor Holly Meadows. "It begs the question: Why are we being taxed for sanitary care that is a basic biological necessity? Not only has the recent VAT increase made these products even more expensive, it has also highlighted the thousands of girls who cannot afford them and are forced to use old rags and leaves  compromising their health, dignity and school attendance."It begs another question: If we can afford to give boys free condoms, why cant we afford to give girls free tampons?Here, Browning de-Villiers tells us whyis taking a stand on the global trend to end tampon tax in SA, and why it must fall

You'll likely, as someone who menstruates, spend up to R40,000 in your lifetime on sanitary products.

In Africa, Kenya became the first country to scrap tampon tax in 2004, followed by Nigeria and Mauritius. Why do you think SA is lagging behind in this regard? And why is it time to do something about this? In Africa, Kenya became the first country to scrap tampon tax in 2004, followed by Nigeria and Mauritius. Why do you think SA is lagging behind in this regard? And why is it time to do something about this?

What are some of the most noteworthy findings from your investigation into the plight of tampon tax in SA? What are some of the most noteworthy findings from your investigation into the plight of tampon tax in SA?

Unesco estimated in 2016 that 1 in 10 girls in sub-Saharan Africa misses school during her menstrual cycle, largely due to lack of access to sanitary products that are safe and effective.

The government provides things like free condoms, why not also free sanitary products? The government provides things like free condoms, why not also free sanitary products?

What has the response to the petition been so far, and what is the goal? What has the response to the petition been so far, and what is the goal?

The truth is, this is resonating with people across the country: period poverty is real and dangerous, and it needs to end now.

Whats next? Whats next?

So, where do we sign up and how can we get involved? So, where do we sign up and how can we get involved?

Jessica Tennant's articles About Jessica Tennant Jess is Senior Editor: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com. She is also a contributing writer. Jess is Senior Editor: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com. She is also a contributing writer. moc.ytinummoczib@swengnitekram

As a team,is constantly discussing new ideas, issues and current affairs that we believe are relevant to women in South Africa. It became overwhelmingly clear, the more we discussed it, how expensive sanitary products are for everyone  especially given the involuntary nature of periods.This expense  coupled with limited to no access for many South Africans  was only heightened when VAT increased earlier this year. There is something deeply unjust about being taxed for a bodily function that is unavoidable and so clearly skewed so that women bear the brunt of this penalty. There is something even more troubling and wrong about the reality that millions of people who have periods in South Africa have no access  or cannot afford at all  the sanitary products that they need to do everyday things like go to school or to work, and to live with dignity. This is what period poverty is, and it needs to end.Campaigning against tampon tax isn't new  it's been highlighted recently in the UK and US, and similar campaigns have seen tampon tax scrapped in countries like Kenya, Canada and Mauritius. In other countries like the UK, tampon tax has been reduced to a much smaller portion of the usual VAT percentage amount. South Africa has a long way to go  tampons here are still taxed as a 'luxury item', incurring 15% VAT.In countries like Mauritius, the scrapping of tampon tax only happened after campaigning by activists. Sadly, we all know that most progress in laws and government have to be fought for  they don't tend to happen organically. I think countries like Kenya have recognised how important it is to prioritise the wellbeing of women, especially when it affects their access to education. It is never in a country's interest to allow anything to restrict a girl's access to education  the ongoing effects of this are disastrous, both socially and economically.Pontsho Pilane has done some extraordinary work campaigning against tampon tax locally in 2016 and 2017, but government simply hasn't prioritised this. Change rarely happens quickly, but that doesn't mean it won't happen or that we should stop fighting for it.In your lifetime, a menstruating person will likely spend up to R40,000 on sanitary products  similar to the cost of an undergraduate degree.It's estimated that up to three-million schoolgirls will find sanitary products unaffordable (based on Stats SA's 2017 report on the number of girls in no-fee schools in 2016).There is a plethora of affordable, reusable and even eco-friendly sanitary products available in South Africa. Many, like the MPower or Princess D cups, Subz washable period panties, Mina cup, Bakgat panties, or Dignity Dreams washable pads are spearheaded by women locally in South Africa. In short, there are options for a sustainable future when it comes to sanitary products  the government needs to step up and commit to providing affordable (and for those who need, free) sanitary product options.In 2017, Treasury recommended providing free pads to those in need, funded by national and provincial governments. The Department of Women allocated funds in their 2018 budget to develop a framework for the Sanitary Dignity Policy  but nothing has been actioned or rolled out as yet. It's unclear what the delays are.In the 2016/17 financial year, there was an estimated R45-billion in irregular government expenditure  so any arguments that the government cannot afford to reduce tax on sanitary products and provide free products to those who need are difficult to swallow.The response has been overwhelming  a reflection of how critical an issue this is in South Africa. In about three weeks sincelaunched the campaign, the petition has garnered over 46,000 votes, which is phenomenal!The petition will be open for a week or so longer, after whichwill lodge it with Parliament and with the Department of Women. From there, Cosmo hopes to see government seriously debate how period poverty can be ended before the close of 2018.You can sign our petition here . You can also help women in need now by donating eco-friendly pads. Just R40 provides a pack of pads to someone in need. Donate here So, if you havent yet, sign now and be part of the change!#YouthMonth: Think like these young, creative African females...

Think Creative Hub's cofounders and creative directors Nkgabiseng 'Nkgabi' Motau and Mukondi Ralushayi explain their Cannes Lions links; why they just couldn't ignore feeling the itch of entrepreneurship two years ago, their stellar successes since, and what to do if you're trying to scratch that same itch.

Think Creative Hubs cofounders and creative directors Nkgabiseng Nkgabi Motau and Mukondi Ralushayi.

Think creative hub, think big, think wide, think innovation, think storytelling, think branding, think design, think people, think different, think advertising, think social change. Thats what youre implored to do when you visit the Think Creative Hub website. @Nkgabi_Motau and Mukondi Ralushayi are THE SISTERS THE WORLD DESERVE!!! Founders of ThinkCreative and creators COCA-COLA "Bobby" (The dog looking for his name) These ladies speak Women Power and we should respek their names!!!  pic.twitter.com/JhePa9vugD  The Glitch (@TipiDang) November 8, 2017

The site itself is filled with edgy examples of work thats funny, funky and fresh from the duos Dunkeld-based Our Kitchen, such as the Bobby Share a Coke campaign from their time at FCB, when they also attended the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in 2015...















Work they've done on their own under Think is just as impressive:







Its plain to see why the fiery femmes received the Financial Mail AdFocus New Broom Award last year, presented to groundbreaking individuals or small agencies.



#Loeries2017: Open Chair starts a movement amongst women in advertising

Bursting with talent and enthusiasm, Ralushayi and Motau say, We love working on content that celebrates powerful women doing amazing things.



We love working on content that celebrates powerful women doing amazing things. This is a segment of the content we created for Sta-sof-fros upcoming seminar featuring Chef Nti, Kwena, Sunshine and Mamakashaka. Team: Katli and Yehsh #illustration #creativeagency #animation A post shared by Think Creative Africa (@thinkcreativeafrica) on May 8, 2018 at 2:19am PDT

Theyre also clearly focused on spurring others to grow through creative thinking  as an example of this, both Ralushayi and Motau participated as mentors at last years much applauded Loeries Open Chair female leadership initiative.



Last year, the duo also judged entries into the 48-hour local film challenge from Cinemark as part of the 2017 Cannes Young Lions competition. Theyre clearly all about empowering others and giving them a boost up the career ladder.



This #YouthMonth, we find out just how Think Creative Hub is breaking new ground when it comes to creative thinking



#FMAdFocus2017: Innovation and consistency rewarded

Explain the context behind starting Think Creative Hub. Explain the context behind starting Think Creative Hub. Thats what youre implored to do when you visit the Think Creative Hub website.The site itself is filled with edgy examples of work thats funny, funky and fresh from the duos Dunkeld-based Our Kitchen, such as the Bobby Share a Coke campaign from their time at FCB, when they also attended the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in 2015...Work they've done on their own under Think is just as impressive:Its plain to see why the fiery femmes received theAdFocus New Broom Award last year, presented to groundbreaking individuals or small agencies.Bursting with talent and enthusiasm, Ralushayi and Motau say, We love working on content that celebrates powerful women doing amazing things.Theyre also clearly focused on spurring as an example of this, both Ralushayi and Motau participated as mentors at last years much applauded Loeries Open Chair female leadership initiative.Last year, the duo also judged entries into the 48-hour local film challenge from Cinemark as part of the 2017 Cannes Young Lions competition. Theyre clearly all about empowering others and giving them a boost up the career ladder.This #YouthMonth, we find out just how Think Creative Hub is breaking new ground when it comes to creative thinking

Thanks to @Nkgabi_Motau & Mukondi Ralushayi co-founders of THINK Creative Hub for sharing their entrepreneurial journey. @Radio702 @CapeTalk pic.twitter.com/rI7C8NUWBD  Eusebius McKaiser (@Eusebius) March 29, 2017

Explain the thinking behind calling yourselves Think. Explain the thinking behind calling yourselves Think.

Its spot on. Whats your competitive advantage or core differentiator over the rest of the industry then? Its spot on. Whats your competitive advantage or core differentiator over the rest of the industry then?

Excellent, That doesnt mean its been plain-sailing , though. Share a few of the obstacles you've had to overcome since starting out. Excellent, That doesnt mean its been plain-sailing , though. Share a few of the obstacles you've had to overcome since starting out.

We didnt have an office for the majority of our first year.

We received some skepticism about being a two-person team.

We were told once or twice that we look young, which I have since decoded as a way to say we seem inexperienced.

Ageism at its worst. What advice would you give to other aspiring entrepreneurs looking to make a name for themselves in this field? Ageism at its worst. What advice would you give to other aspiring entrepreneurs looking to make a name for themselves in this field?

Dont be afraid to ask for help or advice.

Dont pay attention to the naysayers.

Always have a great attitude.

Share a few of your proudest achievements thus far. Share a few of your proudest achievements thus far.

Lets end by gazing into the crystal ball. What does the future of entrepreneurship look like to you, especially in South Africa, where its such a strong focus? Lets end by gazing into the crystal ball. What does the future of entrepreneurship look like to you, especially in South Africa, where its such a strong focus?

Leigh Andrews' articles About Leigh Andrews Leigh Andrews AKA the



Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen , is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews

We literally just took the plunge in March 2016. We had been dreaming of starting our own business for a while and it began to feel as though the perfect time would never arrive, so we went for it.We started for many reasons, including feeling the itch of entrepreneurship and wanting to work towards our own legacy. We also wanted room to explore different ideas at our own pace.We wanted a simple name that explained what we do. There are so many new businesses in the creative space and we wanted our clients to know exactly what our offering is, creative thought.As young black women, we have a unique understanding of a target market we are a part of and not externals of, therefore we provide ideas from a perspective thats not foreign to the market.We are most proud of the FM Adfocus New Broom Award, the Mesh Club Entrepreneurs who are transforming the industry award, and for winning most of the businesses weve pitched on!To me, the future of entrepreneurship is micro. People are able to work and trade from anywhere on smaller devices, so it feels like the organic next step is for big international corporations to take up less market share and give way to smaller, smarter, indigenous outfits.Design Indaba is calling for all emerging creatives to enter for its 2019 programme.Design Indaba is looking for 40 finalists to exhibit their work at Design Indaba Festival in Cape Town. A selection of finalists will also be chosen to exhibit in Johannesburg at the Design Indaba Simulcast venue.The entry deadline is 10 September 2018.Click here to submit entries.Cannes Lions: 'Stories in 6' to look into 6-second ads

Great Guns director Jonty Toosey will present a specialist film craft workshop, 'Stories in 6', on six-second ads at the 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Data-analysts indicate that 77% of advertisers will produce six-second ads in the next two years.



He will be uncovering six film themes, six basic human emotions, six deadly sins, and six basic plots in the workshops. Toosey will be assisted by FCB Inferno's creative director Becky McOwen-Banks and Do Epic Sh*t's founder and creative Ramzi Moutran.



The workshop will run twice during the festival and will take place on 20 June 2018 at 3pm and 21 June 2018 at 11pm at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France.Wan-Ifra, six media organisations criticise Facebook's new ad policy

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (Wan-Ifra) has expressed concern regarding Facebook's latest advertising policy. The policy labels news as political advocacy and includes such content in its political ad archive.



According to Wan-Ifra, along with six media organisations and their affiliates, the policy undermines journalism's role as the Fourth Estate and legitimises anti-journalism narratives around the world. The organisations sent have a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg urging the platform to exempt news organisations from the policy and also offer three broad recommendations as part of a process to exempt news content from the ad archive.Got a question or tip? Contact us at bizmojoidaho@gmail.com.PR Newswire

MENLO PARK, Calif., June 12, 2018

MENLO PARK, Calif., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sharon Stufflebeme has joined global consulting firm Protiviti as a managing director in its Technology Consulting practice. Based in the firm's Dallas office, she works with clients to prioritize their business initiatives with a focus on technology strategy, operations and enterprise applications.

Stufflebeme brings more than 25 years of technology consulting experience to the firm, including developing, implementing and integrating enterprise applications and custom systems in the retail, manufacturing, healthcare and energy industries. She has served in several leadership roles throughout her career, including that of partner at Arthur Andersen, vice president at Hitachi Consulting and as a CIO for companies in other industries. Most recently, she served as a vice president at Pariveda Solutions.

"Well-executed digital transformations can have a significant positive impact on an organization's ability to improve efficiency and controls with a greater customer experience," said Kurt Underwood, managing director and global leader of Protiviti's global technology consulting solutions practice. "Sharon's in-depth knowledge and experience in delivering cloud-based enterprise applications as a cornerstone to digital transformations for clients across a wide range of industries is at the forefront of the marketplace."

Stufflebeme holds an MBA from the University of Texas and a bachelor's degree in economics and French from the University of Dallas. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Arthritis Foundation (South Central Region, Texas) and for VolunteerNow, and has previously held board positions at Litex, Board Connections, Network of Executive Women and the SMU Cox Business School.

About Protiviti

Protiviti (www.protiviti.com) is a global consulting firm that delivers deep expertise, objective insights, a tailored approach and unparalleled collaboration to help leaders confidently face the future. Through its network of more than 70 offices in over 20 countries, Protiviti and its independently owned Member Firms provide clients with consulting solutions in finance, technology, operations, data, analytics, governance, risk and internal audit.

Named to the 2018 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, Protiviti has served more than 60 percent of Fortune 1000 and 35 percent of Fortune Global 500 companies. The firm also works with smaller, growing companies, including those looking to go public, as well as with government agencies. Protiviti is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half (NYSE: RHI). Founded in 1948, Robert Half is a member of the S&P 500 index.

Protiviti is not licensed or registered as a public accounting firm and does not issue opinions on financial statements or offer attestation services.

Editor's note: Photos available upon request.

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/enterprise-resource-planning-expert-sharon-stufflebeme-joins-protiviti-300664673.html

SOURCE ProtivitiSIG Roofings Sittingbourne branch hosted a reopening event following an extensive refurbishment project.

At the event, roofing contractors and building professionals were invited to the branch to enjoy one-off special offers from SIG Roofing and discounts on promotional items.

An expert team was on hand to give customers advice and support for projects, as well as refreshments for everyone in attendance.

External suppliers were also invited and had the opportunity to showcase their own offerings to customers.

The Sittingbourne branch is located on the Newington Industrial Estate. It was refurbished as part of a grand scheme from SIG Roofing to modernise their whole network and improve service.

Branch Manager Dean Crayford said: We are extremely pleased with the success of the event and it was brilliant to see such a vast range of customers visiting throughout, both existing and new.

We are thrilled that our customers were just as pleased with the new branch refurbishment as we were, and we look forward to continue welcoming them with our newly improved services going forward.

Pictured: Staff at the Sittingbourne branch.Archive Oct 2021 (77) Sep 2021 (155) Aug 2021 (184) Jul 2021 (170) Jun 2021 (168) May 2021 (168) Apr 2021 (169) Mar 2021 (179) Feb 2021 (153) Jan 2021 (161) Dec 2020 (155) Nov 2020 (152) Oct 2020 (160) Sep 2020 (158) Aug 2020 (169) Jul 2020 (173) Jun 2020 (169) May 2020 (165) Apr 2020 (164) Mar 2020 (144) Feb 2020 (116) Jan 2020 (118) Dec 2019 (113) Nov 2019 (105) Oct 2019 (124) Sep 2019 (122) Aug 2019 (125) Jul 2019 (125) Jun 2019 (116) May 2019 (124) Apr 2019 (117) Mar 2019 (123) Feb 2019 (108) Jan 2019 (125) Dec 2018 (125) Nov 2018 (122) Oct 2018 (124) Sep 2018 (114) Aug 2018 (127) Jul 2018 (124) Jun 2018 (114) May 2018 (130) Apr 2018 (123) Mar 2018 (128) Feb 2018 (114) Jan 2018 (126) Dec 2017 (123) Nov 2017 (121) Oct 2017 (121) Sep 2017 (116) Aug 2017 (119) Jul 2017 (108) Jun 2017 (116) May 2017 (110) Apr 2017 (111) Mar 2017 (119) Feb 2017 (109) Jan 2017 (108) Dec 2016 (113) Nov 2016 (116) Oct 2016 (118) Sep 2016 (120) Aug 2016 (112) Jul 2016 (111) Jun 2016 (125) May 2016 (111) Apr 2016 (112) Mar 2016 (121) Feb 2016 (114) Jan 2016 (114) Dec 2015 (119) Nov 2015 (117) Oct 2015 (125) Sep 2015 (124) Aug 2015 (103) Jul 2015 (125) Jun 2015 (131) May 2015 (123) Apr 2015 (129) Mar 2015 (133) Feb 2015 (125) Jan 2015 (135) Dec 2014 (134) Nov 2014 (129) Oct 2014 (144) Sep 2014 (127) Aug 2014 (130) Jul 2014 (143) Jun 2014 (131) May 2014 (137) Apr 2014 (139) Mar 2014 (134) Feb 2014 (128) Jan 2014 (141) Dec 2013 (140) Nov 2013 (136) Oct 2013 (145) Sep 2013 (146) Aug 2013 (147) Jul 2013 (151) Jun 2013 (141) May 2013 (150) Apr 2013 (149) Mar 2013 (151) Feb 2013 (133) Jan 2013 (160) Dec 2012 (154) Nov 2012 (157) Oct 2012 (165) Sep 2012 (145) Aug 2012 (161) Jul 2012 (170) Jun 2012 (162) May 2012 (169) Apr 2012 (162) Mar 2012 (162) Feb 2012 (156) Jan 2012 (169) Dec 2011 (157) Nov 2011 (178) Oct 2011 (182) Sep 2011 (170) Aug 2011 (178) Jul 2011 (174) Jun 2011 (157) May 2011 (158) Apr 2011 (164) Mar 2011 (172) Feb 2011 (162) Jan 2011 (177) Dec 2010 (171) Nov 2010 (169) Oct 2010 (182) Sep 2010 (179) Aug 2010 (184) Jul 2010 (190) Jun 2010 (189) May 2010 (198) Apr 2010 (185) Mar 2010 (210) Feb 2010 (195) Jan 2010 (212) Dec 2009 (225) Nov 2009 (209) Oct 2009 (215) Sep 2009 (202) Aug 2009 (230) Jul 2009 (269) Jun 2009 (252) May 2009 (241) Apr 2009 (256) Mar 2009 (254) Feb 2009 (255) Jan 2009 (214) Dec 2008 (204) Nov 2008 (252) Oct 2008 (268) Sep 2008 (304) Aug 2008 (210) Jul 2008 (251) Jun 2008 (206) May 2008 (203) Apr 2008 (202) Mar 2008 (204) Feb 2008 (195) Jan 2008 (212) Dec 2007 (179) Nov 2007 (189) Oct 2007 (179) Sep 2007 (176) Aug 2007 (209) Jul 2007 (155) Jun 2007 (135) May 2007 (106) Apr 2007 (120) Mar 2007 (138) Feb 2007 (77) Jan 2007 (70) Dec 2006 (63) Nov 2006 (70) Oct 2006 (67) Sep 2006 (70) Aug 2006 (61) Jul 2006 (56) Jun 2006 (44) May 2006 (60) Apr 2006 (53) Mar 2006 (45) Feb 2006 (38) Jan 2006 (42) Dec 2005 (46) Nov 2005 (54) Oct 2005 (60) Sep 2005 (46) Aug 2005 (86) Jul 2005 (43) Jun 2005 (47) May 2005 (52) Apr 2005 (39) Mar 2005 (29) Feb 2005 (26) Jan 2005 (12)SDF W. Musa

The National Executive Committee, NEC, of the Social Democratic Front party, SDF, has decided to intervene in the ongoing leadership tussle that has taken centre stage within the party in the South West region.

Members of NEC on Saturday resolved to end the brawl by appointing a caretaker committee to run the party in the region before fresh elections are conducted.

The Guardian Post reports that NEC rejected Martin Ndobegang Forcha, former Mayor of Kumba 1 Council and former regional Chairman and Daniel Moukondo, Mayor of Tiko who have been fighting to occupy the post.

Eloundou Joseph, first deputy Mayor of Tiko Council in the South West, was appointed as head of the committee, while Valentine Nganda, former Mayor of Toko will be assisting him. Other members include: John Efokoa, Celine Kembeng, Tambe Agbor among others.

The party used article 18.8 which allows for dissolution of any executive when life of the party is at stake.

Daniel Moukondo was reportedly elected in Kumba on June 2, 2018 to replace Martin Ndobegang but since then; there have been opposition voices to the election.

The crisis deepened when Electoral District chairpersons of Fako and members of the Regional Executive committee held a meeting in Mutengene on June 7 and rejected the alleged election of Moukondo.

The resolutions which were sent to the national Chairman, Ni John FRU NDI, noted that the timing of what they described as political mischief geared at tarnishing the image of the party.

They had called on NEC to take its statutory responsibility by instilling discipline and sanity within the ranks of the party in the region.

This new twist means that the National Organizing Secretary, Ndangle Kumase, former Mayor of Douala IV Council will have to put more efforts to bring the warring factions to one thinking cap in order to pave way for fresh elections.Below is a statement from the Minister of Communication.

ADS



Distinguished Journalists, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I wish you a warm welcome to this press conference during which we shall be taking stock of the development of what is now known as the MIDA Case, MIDA standing for Integration and Development Mission for Africa.

Before getting into the crux of the matter, I would like to acknowledge the presence of the Governor of the Centre Region and the Secretary General of the General Delegation for National Security.

Mr Governor, Mr Secretary General, you are all welcome to the Ministry of Communication.

Permit me to present a brief history of this case.

First of all, with regard to the organization called MIDA, its promoters present it under several spoofed names, including the Africa Commandery of the Military & Hospitaller Order of Saint John, the Integration and Development Mission for Africa  the Apostolic Order of Saint John.

Under the pretext of first aid training and civic education, the promoters had in fact set up a fundraising scheme to collect money as from 12,500 CFA francs, with the promise of paying back the sum of 65,000 CFA francs within a very short period of less than a month. To become a member, each applicant had to pay a miscellaneous fee of about 40,000 CFA francs.

This subterfuge enabled the promoters of MIDA to collect substantial financial resources amounting to billions of CFA francs.

However, along the way, the system set up by this organization turned out to be a large-scale scam wherein the many people who subscribed with amounts that kept increasing as new investments and subscriptions were made, eventually did not receive any payment in return of the invested money.

The Government, mindful of the magnitude of the situation, and in its sovereign duty to protect the populations, undertook to carry out investigations through an administrative investigation prescribed by the Head of State.

Following these investigations jointly conducted by the DGSN, the DGRE and the SED, nine suspects were arrested and have today been presented to the Prosecutor of the Mfoundi High Court. These include:

- FOE AMOUGOU Albert Cedric, Administrator General of MIDA;

- ESSA'ALA NTSAMA Patrick alias PEN, Coordinator of MIDA;

- NTSAMA AMOUGOU Marie Blanche who presented herself as a nun working with a foundation based in Mbalmayo;

- FOE Louis Marie, who also introduced herself as a clergywoman;

- NZOKE Felicia Esmeralda Nicaise, MIDA Communications Officer;

- APONTEU GANMO Christelle, Secretary and Treasurer of MIDA;

- ZOE NDO Samuel, bodyguard of MIDA Coordinator;

- BAYIHA II Eric Arsene, bodyguard of the Treasurer of MIDA;

- MBA LAH Henri, vigilante of MIDA.

Five other suspects are still at large. They are:

- AYENG ZILI Varene;

- NGUILENG NTSOLI AYANGMA;

- FOE NKOU Philomene Estelle;

- FOE AWA Anicet;

- and a so-called Modeste, who is yet to be identified.

In all, with regard to the 7th and 8th batches of subscribers, an amount of 18 billion 807 million 425 thousand CFA francs was collected, corresponding to 17 thousand 301 subscribers for 1 million 504 thousand 594 subscribed shares.

Three billion 850 million 442 thousand 275 CFA francs were seized, leaving a shortfall of 14 billion 956 million 982 thousand 725 francs as compared to the amount collected.

Given that the administrative investigation is over, the Government, which, as it should be recalled, is in no way liable for this situation, has referred the case to the courts to establish the responsibilities each and everyone and to lay down the conditions for restoring the respective rights of the subscribers.

It should also be recalled that the action of the Government in this case is to accomplish its sovereign duty to protect the citizens and their properties.

Thank you for your kind attention.



ISSA TCHIROMA BAKARY

| BY Ricki Green |

Dentsu Aegis Network has announced Jonathan Chadwick (left) as the new CEO of Carat Asia Pacific based in Singapore. Sean OBrien (right) steps into chairman role of Dentsu Aegis Network Media.

With over 22 years media agency experience Chadwick has held a range of senior leadership roles around the world which include managing the Unilever relationship across Asia Pacific, leading the Nike assignment in Europe and then globally, and most recently as CEO Maxus Australia.

During his time in Portland, Oregon he established a global hub for Nike which contributed to the production of breakthrough campaigns Write the Future and Find your Greatness.

OBrien was CEO Carat Asia Pacific for six years before taking on the role of Asia Pacific CEO for the groups lifestyle and experiential marketing agency MKTG and out-of-home specialist Posterscope. He now takes on the role of chairman overseeing these businesses and the media agencies Carat, Vizeum and dentsu X.

Says Nick Waters, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific: Its great to bring Jon into the group. He has an exceptional range of experience in the media business and has a strong focus on client service, product quality and team culture. He is a wonderful fit for Carat which is the worlds leading media agency and consistently recognised by RECMA as the highest quality agency in Asia Pacific.

Seans is a new role and is designed to help us manage the portfolio of agencies in a streamlined and efficient manner. Each of the agency leaders is responsible for managing their business, clients and people but will work to a single collective agenda under Seans direction increasing synergies and effectiveness.| BY Ricki Green |

To celebrate the launch of its new lava-coloured Chargrilled Steak flavoured Colossal corn chips, Doritos is directing a four-day guerrilla campaign via PHD, championing its recent partnership with Universal Studios.

In the lead up to the release of Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom, a pack of 30 Doritos Colossal Dinosaurs will stomp across the Sydney CBD, wrangled by a Chris Pratt look-alike tempting them with Doritos Colossal chips.

In true Doritos Bold & Fun style, Doritos and PHD will commission the social and friendly dinosaurs to disrupt Sydneys busiest areas. The gentle giants will also be popping into media outlets making themselves available for insta-worthy selfies, armed with new Doritos Colossal corn chips for people to try. This display of brand symbiosis will be sure to attract attention to Doritos and the Jurassic World franchise alike for days one and two of the campaign.

As the dinosaurs continue roaming Sydney streets in the following two days, the Doritos and Daily Mails Roar & Score competition will give the public a chance to WIN cold card cash through various on the spot competitions. The Stampede and Roar and Score competition will be promoted on the Daily Mails Facebook page & Snapchat channel throughout the week to drive awareness of, and scale to the activation to ensure Doritos, Jurassic World, and Daily Mail are the trending conversation of the week.

Doritos and Universal studios will also celebrate their partnership on the day of Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdoms release on June 21, by giving away ten inflatable dinosaur suits and limited edition bags of Doritos Colossal Chargrilled flavoured chips through a skill-based competition housed on the Doritos Facebook page.

Says Alison Silver, brand manager, Doritos: We know our consumers are always on the lookout for new flavour sensations, so it made perfect sense for us to pair up with our friends at Universal Studios and create something bold and exciting from both a product and activation perspective.

Says Stephanie Douglas Neal, executive director, PHD: This campaign is another great example of the boldness of Doritos as a brand, its fun and unmissable, we have many PHDers taking to the streets in the costumes and everyone here is extremely excited about the execution.

The campaign will launch today and progress to 15 June.| BY Ricki Green |

Australian dermatological skincare products manufacturer Ego Pharmaceuticals has appointed digital marketing and technology agency Valtech Australia as its technology and transformation partner to its business following a competitive pitch.

Valtech will design and build Adobe platforms, marketing tools and components that will become a central point for global digital marketing activities. The Valtech project will enable Ego Pharmaceuticals to deliver exceptional customer experiences compatible across multiple languages for all its brands internationally, including QV Skincare, Sunsense sunscreen products, the Moov and Elucent skincare ranges and Aqium hand sanitiser.

For Ego, Valtech will leverage both its local and global AEM capabilities, drawing on the experience of more than 130 successful implementations with 120 certified developers based across the companys global offices. As a key part of the implementation, Valtech will roll out sites in the rapidly growing Ego skincare markets of Asia and the Middle East, connecting customers with its brands in new ways.

Says Andrew Davenport (left), new managing director, Valtech Australia: This is an opportunity to create a platform that will transform Ego Pharmaceuticals digital marketing and expand its digital reach globally to meet growing global market demands. Our experience and expertise in the field makes Valtech an ideal fit for Ego and its ambitions. We cant wait to get to work with the Ego team and help them with their ambitious plans.

Says Renee Deguara, digital marketing manager, Ego Pharmaceuticals: Valtech has an exceptional track record in building systems that transform business and how brands connect with their customers. We look forward to working with Andrew Davenport and his team to bring the benefits of their approach to our business as we take the Ego portfolio of brands to customers in new ways and in more places.| BY Ricki Green |

The One Club for Creativity has today announced the latest group of Portfolio Night All-Stars, the top young creative as selected by industry professionals from each of the 19 cities around the world that participated in its recent global Portfolio Night 14. Perth art director Justin Borromei has been selected to represent Perth in New York.

Long recognised as the worlds largest advertising portfolio review program, Portfolio Night is a fast-paced evening of advice, networking and recruitment that takes place in numerous cities all across the globe on the same date to help the next generation of creative talent enter the industry.

A highlight of this one-of-a-kind program is Portfolio Night All-Stars, where industry professionals from each city host select the single most outstanding young creative in their market with the best portfolio. These Portfolio Night All-Stars will be flown to New York in August, courtesy of The One Club, to work as a team on a creative brief for a major global brand.

Portfolio Night 14 All-Stars, as selected by leading professional creatives from their city hosts, are:

Amsterdam (hosted by ADCN)  Jochem van Schip, 24, creative

Atlanta (hosted by Edelman)  Cassandra Cheng, 27, designer

Beijing (hosted by Serviceplan)  Genle Zhu, 23, designer

Boston (hosted by Arnold Worldwide)  Tanvi Tandon, 24, copywriter

Buenos Aires (hosted by El Circulo de Creativos Argentinos)  Mario Penalosa, 24, art director

Chicago (hosted by Chicago Portfolio School)  Gable Mansfield, 26, art director

Cleveland (hosted by Brokaw)  Bradley Kelley, 22, designer

Dubai (hosted by B&W Report)  David Sanchez, 29, copywriter

Hamburg (hosted by Jung von Matt)  Tim Vischer, 24, photographer, videographer, art director

London (hosted by Wieden+Kennedy)  Jay Daniells, 21, art director, designer

Los Angeles (hosted by Sid Lee)  D. Jones, 29, copywriter

Madrid (hosted by ZINK!)  Anxo Lopez Gonzalez, 31, copywriter

Mumbai (hosted by Whyness Worldwide)  Arshi Sayed, 21, designer

New York (hosted by Edelman)  Kushal Birari, 26, art director

Perth (hosted by the Perth Advertising & Design Club)  Justin Borromei, 21, art director

San Francisco (hosted by Edelman)  Caden Wright, 26, art director

Sao Paulo (hosted by CP+B)  Ian Hartz, 29, art director

Shanghai (hosted by Serviceplan)  Wu Qi Jin, 27, art director

Stockholm (hosted by Perfect Fools)  Kevin Krooks, 25, art director

Says Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club for Creativity: By all reports, the quality of portfolios and level of participant enthusiasm was truly impressive this year. As a global nonprofit organization with a focus on professional development, its one of the highlights of our year to see the next generation of creatives show their stuff and provide ad and design professionals with the opportunity to give back to the industry and their local creative community by mentoring this young talent.

Portfolio Night enables the best of the present  hundreds of renowned international creative directors  to meet and mentor the leaders of the future  thousands of aspiring young advertising and design creatives  in industry hubs around the world.| BY Ricki Green |

Instant payments app Beem It has launched its first national brand campaign today via WiTH Collective, ushering in a new way to pay, request and split a bill with friends and family.

Built on the insight that money can get in the way of a good time between mates, Beem Its mission is to help Aussies avoid awkward conversations, and ensure important life moments are never interrupted or complicated by money.

The first joint venture between Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank and Westpac, Beem It unveils the next generation of mobile payments in Australia, enabling free and instant payments for consumers with an Aussie debit Mastercard or Visa, regardless of who they bank with.

Through a combination of digital, social media, OOH, including station domination at Town Hall and Melbourne Central stations, cinema and PR, the new brand campaign, utilising Aria Award Winning Song Chameleon by Australian dance group Pnau, will initially target Millennials and mirrors their social behaviour by highlighting fun moments between mates. The creative pulls in

the apps user experience to bring this to life in a clever and irreverent way.

Brand ambassador, Cameron Robbie, leads the earned media push as well as create made-for-social content to inspire an online audience.

Says Andrew Campbell, head of marketing and communications, Beem It: We all love sharing experiences, and while money enables those moments, settling the bill between mates can get in the way of a good time. Thats where Beem It can help  by taking money out of those moments and making it simpler and easier for people to pay one another, instantly.

The creative campaign captures those uninterrupted life moments and brings to life the essence and experience of the app in a vibrant and fun way. We couldnt do this without the use of a strong memorable track and we are thrilled that we could support local talent.

The campaign has been developed in partnership with creative agency WiTH Collective, media agency Ikon Communications, social agency We Are Social and PR agency One Green Bean.

Beem It, Head of Marketing & Communications  Andrew Campbell

Beem It, CX Marketing Director  Sharon Sterne

Beem It, PR & Social Media Director  Louisa Galligani

Creative Agency  WiTH Collective

Media Agency  Ikon Communications

Social Agency  We Are Social| BY Ricki Green |

Sydney agency Noisy Beast launched a new campaign in New Zealand last week for Swisse Wellness on the cusp of the 2018 international rugby season. The campaign explores a side of Swisse Wellness ambassador, Kieran Read, that only comes out when hes not busy captaining the New Zealand national rugby team.

Swisse Wellness New Zealand marketing manager, Tineke Madgwick, said the brand was excited to have Read sharing his passion for teamwork with people across the country as part of this new campaign.

Says Madgwick: Kieran Read is more than a rugby legend. Hes also a father of three who takes on the same challenges as families all over New Zealand. When he doesnt have his teams support crew on call, or a stadium of fans to cheer him on, he gets the support he needs from Swisse.

Noisy Beast managing director, David Brown, said the new commercial highlights Reads passion to be at his best both on and off the field.

Says Brown: Kieran is a great ambassador and were delighted with the spot and excited about the campaign rolling out over the coming months. The Noisy Beast and Swisse Wellness partnership has a rich and successful history of using Ambassadors. Its great that weve been able to extend that formula to New Zealand.

Adds Madgwick: With the help of Noisy Beast, Swisse continues to grow and today we are the No. 1 selling multivitamin brand in New Zealand Pharmacy, as we work towards achieving our mission of making billions of people around the world healthier and happier.

Production Company: The Producers

Producer: Tanya Spencer

Director: Mitch Kennedy

Colourist: Dan Stonehouse, Crayon

Sound Engineer: Rodney Lowe, Production Alley

Photographer: Paul Hermes

Offline Editor: Chris Brown, The Trace House

Agency: Noisy Beast

Creative Director: Murray Bransgrove

Art Directors: Joan Lim, Sam Cloake

Copywriter: James Blow, Ying Chin, Sally Richmond

Head of Broadcast: Marlese Sloan

Producer: Claire Crawford

Videographer: Thomas Pollard

Account Director: Sophia BellTuesday, June 12, 2018 at 2:03AM

Photo: Warner Bros.

You probably cant remember the last time youve seen a Looney Tunes cartoons, well give you a minute to think about it. But finally, thats about to change. Warner Bros. Animation just announced an upcoming series of animated shorts its calling Looney Tunes Cartoons. Itll focus on the classic, slapstick-driven Looney Tunes stories and characters but will have a bit of a twist.

Looney Tunes Cartoons will have multiple shorts ranging from one to six minutes with each story written and illustrated by different artists, giving each episode a distinct style. There is no specific number of episodes but we can expect 1,000 minutes of animation for the first season that will be broadcasted both on television and on the internet. Eric Bauza, Jeff Bergman, and Bob Bergen will be lending their voices to the series so you can expect the characters to sound familiar. Now, whether this new format will hold up is something we can only tell once the series comes out.

Source: io9The memorial service for Cape Coral Fire Department Engineer Michael Camelo Jr. commenced Thursday morning at St. Andrew Catholic Church among hundreds of loved ones and first responders.

A motorcade procession from Gendron Funeral Home to the church went down Southeast 15th Place, where two CCFD trucks hung a large American flag between the erect ladders high overhead.

His casket, also draped in an American Flag, was carried on the back of Cape Coral Engine 3, the truck he worked on as a firefighter for so many years before his recent promotion to engineer.

Two firefighters stood on top of the engine with Camelo, as four other comrades kept a hand on each corner of the truck as if they were walking with him.

Firefighters and police officers alike stood at attention as the procession, with more than 60 first responder vehicles behind their fallen brother, made its way to the front of the church.

Camelo was lowered from the engine while Guns and Hoses played him in.

All first responders who were there to honor Camelo mustered in formation around the entrance of St. Andrew, where his two fire helmets and another flag followed in tow with the family for the service.

Today was a roller coaster of emotions, CCFD Chief Ryan Lamb said.

A great thank you to our community for the outpouring of support in this tragic losswe felt that pain today.

On the way out of the church, special procedures took place to honor the fallen firefighter.

Taps was slowly played over a chorus of tears, while the pallbearers folded the American Flag that was over his casket.

The pallbearers then each removed one glove, and left in beside Camelos casket, perhaps a sign that he would never be alone, that his brothers would always be with him.

His two helmets were given to his mother, Debbie Camelo, and his father, Michael Camelo Sr., a Cape Coral firefighter himself since 1977.

The American flag that adorned his casket and folded was also given to the family, with both parents showing the agony of just losing a son.

Amazing Grace was performed on bagpipes from Guns and Hoses, with one lone bagpiper slowly making his way away from the group, the sound of his pipes trailing away in the distance in a haunting manner.

Were going to continue to remember Mike through the lives that hes saved. His impact will be far and outlast his life. Our biggest concern right now is that his children are taken care of, Lamb said.

The ringing of the bell is a tradition amongst fire fighters; it symbolizes the start and end of the summoning of brave men and women who put it all on the line to help those in need.

It also symbolizes the passing of a member of the family.

It rang in groups of three, three times, to represent the end of a comrades journey.

A final radio call was also made.

Cape Coral to engineer 0603 Cape Coral to engineer 0603 rang throughout the front steps of the church.

Engineer Michael Camelo Jr. has answered his final call, the dispatcher said across the radio.

The dispatcher also read an old Irish blessing to Camelo Jr. May the sun shine upon your face and the wind at your back, until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Mike was very passionate about what he did. He lived in the Fire Department day in and day out. He was one of 20 recipients nationwide to get a scholarship to the Fire Department Instructors Conference. He was involved in everything we didits big shoes to have to fill, added Lamb.

He remembers sharing many moments with Camelo over the years.

Mike was a goof ball, but we loved him for it. I remember having Thanksgiving dinner at the fire house with him and his father when we all worked together. I had the honor of serving with Mike and went on calls with him.

Lamb says the amount of people who came out today to show support just goes to show the impact he had in our community.

Camelo, before being placed into the hearse, spent one last moment in the Florida sun before being taken to his final resting place.Photo: The Canadian Press - File photo 2014

Update -- June 12

Teachers across British Columbia have served 72 hour strike notice and could be on the picket lines by Tuesday, potentially ending the school year more than two weeks early for thousands of school children.

B.C. Teachers' Federation president Jim Iker has announced the plans after union members voted overwhelmingly earlier this week in favour of a full-scale strike to back demands for higher pay and better classroom conditions.

More than 40,000 teachers will be in a legal strike position by Tuesday, but all schools will be idled one day earlier as the union is calling for a day-long, province-wide study session on June 16.

Iker says the BCTF executive intends to bargain non-stop through this weekend in hopes of averting further job action, and he urges Premier Christy Clark to provide more money to permit a settlement, saying political will and good faith can produce a deal.

Teachers have been without a contract since last June and began withdrawing supervisory and administrative services earlier in the term before moving to the rotating strikes.

The provincial government responded by partially locking out teachers, docking their pay 10 per cent and announcing a lockout for all secondary school teachers on June 25 and 26, with elementary teachers added to the lockout on June 27.

June 11

British Columbia's teachers intend to launch a full-scale strike beginning next Tuesday, potentially keeping students across the province out of the classroom for the remainder of the school year.

The BC Teachers' Federation told its more than 40,000 members in an email Wednesday evening that the union planned to serve 72-hour strike notice.

A day earlier, the union announced teachers had voted overwhelmingly in favour of a full-scale walkout, after several weeks of one-day strikes that rotated between the province's school districts.

"We believe that at this time, the best way to increase the pressure at the bargaining table is with increased job action," the union email said.

"Given growing public support, our high strike vote, our determination and resolve, it is time to act."

The email said bargaining is expected to continue "non-stop" throughout the weekend and it's possible an agreement could be reached before next Tuesday.

However, the email also advised teachers to retrieve any personal items they might require during the summer before they leave at the end of the week.

Union president Jim Iker was not available to comment. He was expected to hold a news conference on Thursday morning detailing the strike plans.

The union has said it would not be able to offer teachers strike pay during a full-scale walkout.

The teachers have been staging a series of escalating measures during the current round of negotiations, first withdrawing some services and then moving to the rotating strikes, which began last month.

The provincial government responded to the rotating strikes by partially locking out teachers and docking 10 per cent pay. It also announced it would lock out for all secondary school teachers on June 25 and 26, with all teachers fully locked out on June 27.

The dispute has focused on wages and issues such as class size and composition, and the two sides still appear far apart on all of those issues.

The B.C. Public School Employers' Association, which negotiates on behalf of the province, has applied to the Labour Relations Board for an essential services order in the event of a full-scale strike. Specifically, the association wants an order to require teachers to administer and mark exams, prepare report cards and submit students' final grades.

A case management meeting was set for Wednesday evening in front of the Labour Relations Board. The meeting was not open to the public and a full hearing has not been scheduled.

Members who cast ballots voted 86 per cent in favour of striking  a vote the union said was designed to increase the pressure on the provincial government.

"I feel the same amount of pressure  as I think our government does  to get a negotiated settlement as we felt a week ago, a month ago and even a year ago," Education Minister Peter Fassbender said in an interview Wednesday, before the union announced its plans to file strike notice.

"We want to get a negotiated settlement. We would like to see the strike action and disruption stop so the students can finish the school year with no disruption."

Fassbender said the government has made significant concessions, such as abandoning its push for a 10-year contract, but he said the union has not been as flexible.

"They keep saying we need to come to the table with more money, in short: 'Give us everything we want and then we'll be happy,'" said Fassbender.

"That's not realistic."

The union has said it it's asking for a 9.75 per cent wage increase over four years, but the government claims the figure is closer to 19 per cent when cost-of-living increases and other benefits are taken into account.

The employers' association has offered 7.3 per cent over six years, along with a $1,200 signing bonus if a deal is reached before the end of the school year.

The province says it's saved $12 million each week in teacher salaries during the job action, plus nearly $5 million more by chopping wages and it could save an additional $82.5 million each week in the event of a full-blown strike.

The education minister declined to speculate whether the savings from the strike could be used to fund improvements to the teachers' contract.

"I would rather see us stay at the table and for the (union) to cancel its strike action so there would be no savings but there would be stability for the rest of the school year," said Fassbender.Photo: Contributed

The State of Local Emergency for Peachland has been lifted due to a reduction in the threat of flooding.

However states of local emergency remain in effect for Kelowna, West Kelowna, and the Regional District of Central Okanagan.

As of this Monday morning, Okanagan Lake is at 342.64 metres, a reduction of 1 centimetre from yesterday. Flood protection measures will stay in place until the lake drops another 16 cm to the full pool level of 342.48 m.

Full pool is a target set by the Province to try to ensure an adequate water supply through the summer.I moved to Kelowna in 1990, and unfortunately the story stays the same. We have city government that reacts rather than plans ahead. One of these areas that this is clearly present is in the housing crisis our city now faces. For as long as I can remember we have faced the need to expand and instead up we went out. One of Kelownas top-rated neighbourhoods has fallen victim to this thinking. Kettle Valley was developed on the out skirts of town, it is also a neighbourhood that requires a daily commute of over an hour in city of less than 200,000 people.

We have a city that favors developers over actual home owners. Recently the city expanding new zonings to allow for more development, but the reality is the only people that can afford this are the developers. Walk down any streets in central Kelowna and you will see lots being redeveloped by local developers to be flipped. The city has failed to make any changes that provide for affordable options for home owners.

In an attempt to help with the current housing crisis, the city approved 3500 condos, but this was a reaction and we will have to wait 3.5 years for any of those homes to be ready. Watch out condo buyers, buying now may not be the right choice. When all of those units hit the market right around the same time, we might see a crash in prices. The developers will make the money up front because of the lack of availability now, while the home owners will pay the cost later when the market is flooded. We saw this same cycle nearly a decade ago, that left multiple condo developments half finished and abandoned across the city.

What the city fails to look at time and time again, is affordable semi-permanent home solutions. Tiny homes and modular units fit this category. Homes that can either be brought with them by potential renters or can be moved if and when an area gets redeveloped. These solutions would cost a home owner a minimal up-front cost of getting an area prepared and services run and has a minimal construction phase impact on a neighbourhood. These homes can be designed to look just like regular homes but do not require the same foundations as regular homes. If a neighbourhood gets rezoned, these homes dont get torn down and thrown in a land fill, making them a safer investment for potential home owners and a greener solution for our city.

Many of the lots that are zoned for multiple dwellings are in the down town area, an area that is quickly being redeveloped. For many home owners building a carriage home on their property is a non-starter. Why go through the process and cost involved in adding more buildings, if they are simply holding out for another big development to come in and buy out another city block.

The city of Kelowna continues to regurgitate the same failing standards that we have seen in regions across Canada. Standards that have created our current climate of housing crisis. The city needs to seriously start considering new and innovative housing solutions. Our mayor touts our city as one of the top cities to live in, and to start a business in, but the reality is while that may be true, finding housing is preventing the required work force from coming to town. The lack of affordability is sending young families to other areas of the country. We are making it impossible or at the very least very difficult for the very people we are trying to attract to our community to come here.

Dan BylPhoto: BC Gov't Finance Minister Carole James

The Greater Westside Board of Trade will host a town hall meeting on the government's proposed speculation tax.

The town hall is scheduled for Wednesday evening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn on Dobbin Road in West Kelowna.

Similar to an event in Kelowna last month, municipal and provincial government officials will speak, along with representatives of the building and tax industry.

Speakers include Kelowna West MLA Ben Stewart, West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater, West Kelowna CAO Jim Zaffino, Tyler Neels from Grant Thornton and Kevin Edgecombe from the Urban Development Institute.

Members of the public will also have a chance to address their feelings about the tax, either pro or con.

The provincial government introduced the speculation tax as part of its February budget.

The tax would affect Kelowna and West Kelowna, as well as other select communities in the province.

Both Central Okanagan communities have come out against the tax.Alanna Kelly

They have one of the most difficult jobs in the world, both physically and mentally.

Firefighters are put through rigorous testing daily to make sure they are trained for the most extreme situations.

West Kelowna assistant fire chief Chad Gartrell says every single drill brought in from the International Association of Fire Fighters has been designed around someone who has lost their lives while on duty.

You are going from resting heart rate to someone trapped in a building or someone in a river.

Firefighting is very demanding and each person needs to be physically fit to do the job.

Someones worst day that you have to get up for and put your skills to, he said. You are going to someones worst day all the time.

The mental toll also impacts firefighters and Gartrell says they work hard to take care of each other.

Besides how difficult it is to run into a burning building, their uniform weighs in at 55 pounds before it is soaked in water or covered in sweat.

Proper training and technique allows the crews to do things efficiently and quickly.

The low profile stuff, where you are going down into those very small spaces decked out in a lot of big gear, is the more difficult, said Gartrell.

When you learn the proper techniques it is amazing how small of a space a firefighter in full gear can get through.

On staff in West Kelowna there are three females, but Gartrell says his main requirement is that each firefighter can get themselves out of a dangerous environment.

I need you to be able to get out, he said. That is what is important to me.Photo: Alanna Kelly City Park in Kelowna on June 11, 2018.

A mother says she was at the park with her 11-week-old baby and three other mothers, when a stranger harassed them and made them feel unsafe.

In just two weeks, numerous people have contacted Castanet about problems in Kelownas City Park.

A woman in a black dress came over because my baby was crying, said Kristi Avery. She came closer and asked to touch the baby, while reaching for him with a crack pipe in her hand.

She says she was unable to move because her child was on her lap, but her friends managed to get the woman away.

She continued to scream at us as she left, said Avery. "It was horrible."

What was most upsetting for the mother was police were nearby, but had their windows up and could not hear the screams.

A possible improvement to the safety issue in the park could be a regular foot or bicycle patrol by police, she said.

The mother added until things improve she wont be visiting the park again.

This comes on the heels of an alleged death threat that was uttered to two children while at the park and another alleged incident where a mother claims a man was inappropriately touching himself while staring at her daughter exit Okanagan Lake.Photo: CHBA Justin O'Connor

Development is suffering in Kelowna and West Kelowna is suffering, and trepidation over the government's proposed speculation tax is to blame.

That's the view of the Okanagan chapter of the Canadian Home Builders Association.

Following a gathering of forces against the tax, scheduled for implementation in the fall, association president Justin O'Connor said the affects are already being felt on both sides of the lake.

"We have kind of lived and breathed it here for a few months, even before anything is written in legislation," said O'Connor.

"We're seeing things slow down. Business owners are concerned and different retail businesses."

The provincial government says the tax will help British Columbians afford to live in their own province, by pushing speculators out and turning vacant or underutilized properties into usable homes.

O'Connor says he agrees with philosophy, not the method.

"We would support a true spec tax of flipping tax if there were proper measures in place," said O'Connor.

Kelowna and West Kelowna are the only communities in the Okanagan which will be affected by the tax. Other communities on the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island are also on the list of those who will be hit.

The impact, he says, is telling.

"You have already seen projects put on hold in Kelowna and West Kelowna and, as a result, there is a massive impact on jobs which is very concerning."

He pointed to 1,000 homes on the Westside which have been put on hold, as well as non-residents who were hoping to move here in the next few years who have put home builds on hold.

"People are concerned what it is going to be doing to our economy.

"It's punishing Canadians for investing tax-made Canadian dollars in Canada."

O'Connor also says several questions need to be answered, such as what does success look like.

"In a balanced economy, you're looking at a two to three per cent vacancy rate (Kelowna is under one per cent).

"If there is a tax, how is success going to be measured. If we reach two or three per cent vacancy rate, are they going to scrap it? We just don't know how success is going to be measured."Photo: Contributed

If you are texting or engaged in a cellphone discussion with someone you know is driving, should you share legal accountability if there is a crash?

In a recent news story, an insurance and legal expert pointed to a New Jersey court ruling from 2013 where that possibility was considered, in the context of texting.

I posted the news story on Facebook. Goodness, the negative responses!

That is ridiculous. How would you know? Where is the intent?

Just plain stupidity

This is bad, bad all around. Why should the onus be on the texter? This is bs

This cant be serious??? What a joke!! If the driver is that much of an idiot, then his license should be taken away. Not make the texter liable.

Isnt it the receiving --------s fault for actioning it at an inappropriate time  I mean REALLY  what the hell is this!

Bullshit and plain old stupid. The blame should be put on the driver, period, as the ones responsible for answering. This is officially the dumbest thing I have seen on the internet.

Most of the responders, I believe, were envisioning scenarios where they would have no way of knowing that the person they were texting was driving. Or that a driver would make the stupid choice to read and / or respond while continuing to drive.

But lets assume that you know.

Twenty-five seconds after you send a text, the driver texts a response. Seventeen seconds later, the driver initiates a 911 call.

Leaving time for the driver to stop the vehicle and observe the injuries he reported to the 911 operator, the crash must have occurred immediately after he hit send.

The driver had crossed the centre line, crashing into an oncoming motorcycle. The driver and passenger of the motorcycle each lose their left legs as a result of the crash.

This is the true story told in the 2013 New Jersey court decision, which you can access through this hyperlink.

The evidence fell short of proving that the girlfriend knew her boyfriend driver would be responding to her text while driving.

But the court made it clear that had the evidence proved that point, the court would have imposed a shared legal accountability on her.

I will do my best to help you understand the reasoning of the court, but please read the decision for yourself because I cannot come close to doing it justice in a few paragraphs.

The court used a passenger as an analogy to a remote texter.

Obviously, a passenger must not actively distract the driver. The court used an example of suddenly holding a piece of paper in front of the drivers face and urging him to read it, or holding a cellphone with a text message or picture on it in front of the drivers eyes.

That, of course, is not what occurs when you send a text message. The cellphone doesnt leap up in front of the drivers eyes, blocking his view of the road.

The court considered whether passenger liability could extend to urging the driver to take his eyes off the road to look at a distracting object.

Careful not to take things too far, the court noted:

It is the primary responsibility of the driver to obey the law and to avoid distractions. Imposing a duty on a passenger to avoid any conduct that might theoretically distract the driver would open too broad a swath of potential liability in ordinary and innocent circumstances.

Extending the drivers primary responsibility to the texting situation, the court noted that the sender of a text message should be able to assume that the recipient will read it only when it is safe and legal to do so, i.e. when not operating a vehicle.

But, noted the court,

if the sender knows that the recipient is both driving and will read the text immediately, then the sender has taken a foreseeable risk in sending a text at that time. The sender has knowingly engaged in distracting conduct, and it is not unfair also to hold the sender responsible for the distraction.

Would a British Columbia court come to a similar conclusion?

Would that conclusion extend beyond texting, to include cellphone discussions? I can usually tell when the person Im talking to is driving. And I terminate the discussion.

Do you?

If a crash occurs while you are engaged in a text or cellphone discussion with the responsible driver, will you feel responsible?

I think you should. And I think you should share legal accountability as well. But you wont be covered by the drivers insurance.

Are you prepared to risk losing your life savings over a cellphone discussion or text exchange?Photo: Contributed

Heavy winds throughout the Okanagan Monday wreaked havoc on at least two boats on Okanagan Lake.

A white sailboat with black trim slipped away from its moorings somewhere on the lake and floated to an area dotted with beach lots on the west side of the lake across from the Delta Grand Hotel.

According to a resident of the beach property, the sailboat slammed into a neighbours speed boat.

Both the sailboat and speed boat suffered significant damage in the collision.

The two were still tangled together Monday evening.Photo: Manas Dichow

UPDATE 7:47 a.m.

Manas Dichow, another faithful Castanet reader sent us this amazing shot of a double rainbow which appeared after a brief rain shower Monday evening.

Certainly makes Kelowna look like a magical place to live!

ORIGINAL 6:47 a.m.

Sue Campbell captured an amazing photograph of an Okanagan rainbow over Gallagher's Canyon Monday evening.

The Rainbow stands out against a black sky in the background, while the sun bathes a peak in the foreground.

Thank-you to all of our many contributors, you make Castanet a better place!Photo: City of Kelowna

Its going to cost Kelowna taxpayers about $32 million over the next 20 years, but mayor Colin Basran says its the right thing to do.

The mayor and Kelowna council threw their support yesterday behind a massive plan to revamp the Capri-Landmark neighbourhood.

The Capri-Landmark Urban Centre Plan aims to transform the area over the next two decades through a combination of road realignments, a host of new parks, utility and infrastructure upgrades, and other measures.

The area has also been a sore point with some in the city for what they see as less-than-ideal planning that has caused congestion and confusion.

As acting city manager Joe Creron pointed out, this area has been developing ad hoc-ly, maybe not  the way it should be," but that the plan is a vision that will help correct that.

To make that vibrant community happen, city staff say Kelowna will have to spend $95,250,000.

Some of that money will be recovered through development cost charges, but $32 million will come from the taxpayers.

For more on the plan, including the road redevelopment that will suck up a lot of that money, as well as why one councillor voted against it, check out the full story on Castanet's sister business news website Okanagan Edge.Photo: Google Maps Fire crews responded to a large house fire on Princeton-Summerland Road late Monday night, about 21 kilometres from Princeton.

A resident of rural Princeton was taken to hospital with minor burns after her home was destroyed by fire on Monday night.

The home on Princeton-Summerland Road, roughly 21 kilometres from Princeton, was gutted by a large fire that broke out at about 10:45 p.m.

Two residents of the home were both out when the Erris Volunteer Fire Department arrived, according to chief David Stringfellow. The female occupant sustained minor burns from re-entering the home before fire crews arrived.

"I heard it second-hand through RCMP on scene... but I think it was a combination of going in to get stuff, as well as to open windows to make sure their cats could get themselves out," Stringfellow said.

He wasn't sure how many cats the residents had, but said it appeared that none were harmed by the fire. He said he saw several cats on the property in the daylight on Tuesday morning.

The structure on the rural, five-acre property was fully involved with flames coming out of the roof when crews showed up, Stringfellow said, noting the fire got to propane tanks which exploded and exacerbated the blaze.

He added the blaze had also spread to surrounding forest.

"Our primary concern was to keep the fire from spreading to other properties and more of the forest," he said, noting they called BC Wildfire Service initially, but called them off once they had the bush extinguished.

Crews had the fire out at around 3:30 a.m., and Stringfellow said they'll be continuing to put out hot spots on Tuesday.

About 24 firefighters were on scene as well as two engines and four tenders  two of which were from Hayes Creek Fire Department, who assisted with the blaze.

It's not clear how the fire started, but fire crews aren't deeming it suspicious.Penticton fire chief Larry Watkinson couldn't be happier with the success of the first ever Penticton Fire Department youth fire academy, which culminated in a graduation ceremony Monday night.

Eight high school students participated in over 100 hours of work-related experience over their spring break in the setting of a fire academy. They also participated in four ride-alongs with firefighters.

"They participated as a recruit firefighter would on a regular day shift so they got exposed to day-to-day operational activities, first responder calls and motor vehicle accidents," Watkinson said.

The graduation ceremony recognized these accomplishments with family, fire department members and the firefighters union head.

Watkinson called the kids "admirable."

"Those that are focused on their careers and looking forward are just extraordinary," he said. "You think about kids taking 100 hours out of their spring break to go to work, essentially."

He hopes some of the kids might end up working at the fire department when they get old enough.

"What I'm hearing from the kids is 'What a great place to work, the camaraderie, the brotherhood,'" Watkinson said. "They're fired up on this and it's great to see, because we need to fill our ranks in the fire service with team players, strong community members."

The school district, which partnered with the department, was pleased with the success as well. It will be returning as an annual program.Photo: File photo A 32-year-old man was sentenced to time served Tuesday for stabbing an alleged rapist in downtown Kelowna.

A man who stabbed an alleged rapist multiple times in downtown Kelowna was sentenced to time served Tuesday.

Ken Butler was arrested in downtown Kelowna in the early hours of Dec. 5, 2016, shortly after police responded to a report of a man suffering from stab wounds at the Chevron on the corner of Harvey Avenue and Pandosy Street.

A 45-year-old man was taken to hospital with five stab wounds to his abdomen and two to his arm. He remained in hospital for four days.

Butler and the stabbing victim were both staying at West Kelowna's Emmanuel Church's homeless shelter at the time, and the two had gotten in an altercation earlier that evening at the Shell station on Main Street.

The 45-year-old man, who was with a 22-year-old woman at the time, pulled a knife on Butler in the gas station, before Butler was able to disarm him and leave the area.

Shortly after, Butler came upon the woman who the other man was previously with. She was bleeding and missing a shoe. She told him the man she was with had hurt her.

Butler took her to the Emmanuel Church, where she told employees she has been sexually assaulted.

The police were called and began looking for the suspect in the alleged sex assault. At 10:50 p.m., an hour before the stabbing occurred, an officer found Butler on the streets of West Kelowna looking for the suspect. The officer told Butler: just leave this to us.

Butler then took a cab into downtown Kelowna, swinging by the Kelowna Gospel Mission where he asked someone where the suspect was, because "he raped a girl.

Shortly after, Butler found the man he was looking for on Leon Avenue near the Vancouver Career College and stabbed him.

While Butler, now 32 years old, was originally charged with attempted murder, he pleaded guilty Tuesday to aggravated assault, and the Crown and defence presented a joint submission on sentencing.

Justice Lisa Wyatt agreed with the Crown and defence on a 16-month sentence, which was credited for time already served, along with three years of probation.

Following the stabbing, police questioned the alleged rapist about the allegations against him, but he denied being with the woman on the night of Dec. 4. His statement was contradicted by surveillance video that showed him with her.

No charges have been laid against the suspect in relation to the alleged sexual assault, but Crown prosecutor David Grabavac told the court he believed an RCMP investigation was ongoing. The RCMP would not confirm or deny if an investigation is still going on.

In a separate case, the alleged rapist currently faces charges of committing an indecent act and causing a disturbance last December in Vancouver. A warrant was issued for his arrest in January after he skipped out on his bail, and he remains on the lam.

Butler, a father of two young boys, plans to move back to Newfoundland to be with his family.

I regret getting involved in this situation at all, it's turned my life upside down and taken me away from my children for a long period of time, Butler told Justice Wyatt before he was sentenced. I just hope I can get back to being a father as soon as possible and I'm just looking forward to raising my children.Photo: Alanna Kelly Shell gas station was without gas on June 12, 2018.

UPDATE: 2:40 p.m.

An internal message to Suncor employees blames fuel shortages at gas stations on seasonal maintenance.

In Western Canada, local refineries including Suncor, Imperial, Shell and Husky refineries in Alberta, Co-Op in Saskatchewan, and Husky and Parkland in B.C., supply fuel from Vancouver to Thunder Bay, the message says.

Many of these facilities have been engaged in turnaround activities recently, reads the message.

It goes on to say a tightening in supply across the industry at this time is what happened this year and unfortunately, this included our own turnaround being extended."

Kris Smith, Suncor senior vice president, was quoted saying the company knows this is an inconvenience to their customers and employees.

In the meantime, the team across the country has been working very hard to minimize the impact by sourcing additional supply and working on the logistics associated with getting it to impacted areas.

Three stations in Kelowna were without fuel and another in Vernon is without as well.

Shell gas station on Highway 97 and Richter Street now has fuel as of Tuesday afternoon after it was out all morning.

Petro-Canada at Highway 97 and Leathead Road, Petro-Canada at Highway 33 and Dougall Road, and Petro-Canada at Highway 97 and Richter Street are all without fuel.

ORIGINAL: 1:50 p.m.

Three gas stations in Kelowna are without fuel Tuesday.

Both Petro-Canada and Shell, located at the corner of Richter Street and Harvey Avenue, have been without fuel since Tuesday morning.

An employee working at the Shell said they were told it was a "terminal issue."

Petro-Canada off Highway 33 and Dougall Road have not had fuel delivered since Monday.

A Petro-Canada station in Vernon is also out of gas.You have permission to edit this article.

Edit CloseThe lawsuits  one filed in federal court in July, and the other since moved to federal court after it was initially filed in Cook County Circuit Court in January  allege that downzoning of the building by the city significantly reduced the value of the property and eventually forced Strauss to sell it.The Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act requires employers with at least 75 workers to notify the state 60 days in advance of a plant closing or mass layoff. A mass layoff is defined as one that affects at least a third of the workforce, or at least 250 workers at a company of any size.Mars makes more than $35 billion in net sales globally, with 90 percent of that coming from pet care, its largest segment, and confectionery, according to the company. That makes it the sixth-largest private company in the U.S., according to Forbes annual rankings. Mars Wrigley Confectionery, a business unit of Mars, is the largest candy company in the U.S. and globally in terms of retail market share, according to Euromonitor data.Darvishs representatives have asked the city of Evanston to allow him to construct a 6-foot-tall fence across the front yard of the property, and also to fence off the adjoining vacant lot. Evanstons city code does not currently permit fences in the front yard. Darvishs application will be considered Tuesday night before Evanstons Preservation Commission.Addressing mental health within the restaurant industry isnt a new topic. Author and food writer Ruby Tandoh and partner Leah Pritchard published Do What You Want, a zine about mental well-being, last year. The one-off magazine addressed stigmas around mental health, with stories from a number of contributors meant to normalize anxiety, depression and others, but also to offer advice on seeking treatment. Another project, Chefs With Issues, was founded by food writer and editor Kat Kinsman. The 2-year-old website shares stories and resources for mental health in the food community  600 more members have joined the Facebook group since last Friday, according to Kinsman.The Stockyard Coffeehouse was the brainchild of her brother-in-law, Fernando Gutierrez, who worked at a pop-up cafe while he attended school at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He was inspired by the people who would get together to share a simple cup of coffee and told himself that facilitating those kinds of connections was something he wanted to do one day.London paraphrased the rapper. He said, In the world of the internet, young artists have to become better researchers. You cant let your art be shaped by what other people know or their opinions. Look into the communities, the spaces, the issues and things you want to talk about and speak for yourself.We can all finally go back to treating Hathaway as we did in the pre-2013 era, when the term "Hathahaters" would have produced few, if any, Google search results. She was America's princess, having slipped into the role for "The Princess Diaries." She was (and still is) an actress with incredible range: A charming then bitter cowgirl in "Brokeback Mountain," a sardonic addict in "Rachel Getting Married." And finally, she was someone who didn't have to put up with strangers' irrational hatred of her, something that she told Jezebel last year she still gets asked about.The man behind that video, and many more, goes by the name Director X, and he directed the new Superfly. No longer a street-level hustler and cocaine user, the 2018-model Youngblood Priest is a clean-living, multifaceted businessman looking for one last score so he can leave the underworld behind for good. He moves his product in ever-more-lucrative amounts with his partner Eddie (Jason Mitchell); he invests in an art gallery run by his lover Georgia; and, in a caring, community-minded way, he keeps tabs on every corner of Atlantas criminal activity, from the mayors office to the dirty cops on the force.U.S.-Panama ties in the Trump era were tested recently after a recent recent New Yorker magazine article quoted a former U.S. ambassador to Panama, John Feeley, saying that President Trump is only interested in the country for what it has to offer him and his administration. Feeley, a career diplomat, quit in protest of Trumps foreign policies.Now Anderson is stepping up to the microphone again, this time with a little more anger and a little more candor. Her new book, to be published in March by Viking Children's Books, is called "Shout," and in it she writes not only about her own experience as a rape victim but also about the pain and heartache readers have shared with her in the two decades since "Speak" appeared.Sometimes its easier to squeeze in a quick summer getaway. Heres one thats short and sweet: The Moab Adventure Center in the red-rock town of Moab, Utah, offers the Southwest Sampler. Over four days and three nights, guests explore Arches National Park and hit the water for a float on the Colorado River. In Arches, named for its more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches, theres a half-day guided tour and hike among the spectacular red-rock formations. Later in the day, guests hop into sturdy four-wheel-drive vehicles for a guided Hummer Safari into more of the rugged back-country. Two days rafting on the river will encounter relatively mild Class I and II rapids. Guests can let the guides handle rowing an oar boat or they can be part of the paddling crew on paddle boats. Inflatable kayaks are also available so guests can take turns paddling on their own. The river trip includes one night of camping alongside the river. The trip is priced at $685, double occupancy, for ages 16 and up and $590 for ages 5-15, with a minimum age of 5. Theres limited air service into Moab, so other options are Grand Junction, Colo., about a two-hour drive, or Salt Lake City, about a three and one-half-hour drive. Info: http://tinyurl.com/y9hblt57But that also would mean that Trump would have succeeded in doing what no U.S. president had been able to do. It would make him a hero. Perhaps it would put him closer to winning something he covets, the Nobel Peace Prize.Its no secret that Bensenville lost many homes and businesses as a result of the 2005 OHare Modernization Plan and expansion, but the promise of western access has always been our light at the end of the tunnel, said DeSimone, in a statement. DeSimone was referring to the airport expansion plan that added runways but also took out hundreds of Bensenville homes and a historic cemetery.I think the biggest indictment of that entire system (of drug interdiction) is that our streets are more awash in black market drugs than ever, and were spending much more effort and time than ever trying to stop it, said Leo Beletsky, associate professor of law and health sciences at Bostons Northeastern University. The idea that you can overpower the laws of supply and demand does not seem to have panned out.The book comes at a time when concerns have been raised across the country about gang databases being out of date, inaccurate and racially biased. The Chicago Police Department has been discussing revamping its system of tracking known gang members.Bucio, 46, was a 15-year veteran of the Fire Department and had been part of its Air Sea Rescue Unit for more than a decade. A father of two sons, he died after jumping into the South Branch of the Chicago River near Ashland Avenue to try to save a man who had fallen from a boat on Memorial Day. Bucio was pulled from the water after he was separated from his partner and later pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital.Today, we sit here, seventh and ninth born of nine siblings, composing a letter we prayed we would never have to write. Public servants ourselves, we recognize the risks we take every day to serve our city, and we want you to know that we firmly believe that it is an honor to serve the city of Chicago, and we will continue to do so, our brother would not have it any other way. At the wake, we were told numerous times, We are praying for you and your family. Please know that we feel your prayers and are immensely thankful for them. Our brother gave his life doing what he loved, as a member of the CFD Air Sea Rescue Unit. No words can express how proud we are of our brother Juan. The last text message that he sent us was a reminder as it read: You have to do what makes you happy. My brother did; he did what made him happy.Wadas testified that he was never given crucial evidence showing the witness had failed to pick Rivera out of a lineup days before his arrest. Wadas also said police records turned over to him did not indicate Lopez had tried to tell investigators before viewing a second lineup that he didnt think Rivera did the shooting."The fact is we don't have enough of our history displayed, talked about, and taught in our schools," said Board President Martha Ross. "Our kids need somebody to look up to and it's not just black kids, all kids will look up to Peoria's first black doctor."The plan to redevelop the county hospital, empty since 2002, is valued at more than $1 billion, and the developer has secured about $135 million in financing, Preckwinkles office said. Developers will first do interior, nonstructural demolition for the project, and begin restoring the buildings facade in July, officials said.Its not the first time Emanuel has turned to online vacation rentals for money. He got aldermen to pass a 4 percent fee on Airbnb in 2016, with the money going toward homeless services at a time he was facing criticism from a homeless advocate who called him Mayor 1 percent, in part for his handling of people living in tent encampments beneath Lake Shore Drive.Still, such a process would halt the growth of the North's nuclear program and prevent it from using its weapons to flex its diplomatic muscle, Nam said. It could take a decade or so for Kim to find his next move in nuclear deterrence if he's eyeing a submarine-launched system. That could be enough time for Washington, Seoul and others to convince Kim he just can't win the nuclear game.Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, had joined Trump last week in Canada for what became a contentious meeting of the Group of Seven world leaders. The meeting was shadowed by the Trump administration's escalation of rhetoric on trade and tariffs and splintered shortly after the president left Quebec and tweeted he was pulling back his approval of a joint statement by the group.While progress on the nuclear question was murky, the leaders spent the public portions of their five hours together expressing optimism and making a show of their new relationship. Trump declared he and Kim had developed "a very special bond." He gave Kim a glimpse of the presidential limousine. Kim, for his part, said the leaders had "decided to leave the past behind" and promised, "The world will see a major change."He was not only a Loyolan through and through, meaning he cared deeply about the university, and he always had a passion for our students, said Wayne Magdziarz, who worked with Walker and is senior vice president at the university. If we (in administration) lost sight of why we were doing this work, Ron would always bring us back to recognize we were making these decisions and doing this work because of our students.Emanuel did apologize to the public when the Tribune stories broke, saying all adults offer apology, and I offer my apology, before pivoting, but the question is what are we going to do now besides words? What are the deeds to fix this up? He then, naturally, dragged his new schools CEO, Janice Jackson, into his uncomfortable spotlight with, I take responsibility like Janice does take responsibility to do this. My point is, if you have a suggestion for how to tighten something up, offer that.To Kim, nuclear weapons offer protection against regime change from without. Ever since the 1950-53 Korean War, through three generations of Kim family leadership, North Korea has existed in a state of perpetual quasi-conflict with the United States and South Korea. Tension levels would rise and fall but never end. As the North pursued a nuclear weapons program, Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush tried cutting deals to coax North Korea out of its dangerous isolation. Those efforts ultimately collapsed because North Korea couldnt be trusted to keep up its end. Even with as many as 2 million North Koreans starving to death in the 1990s, the regime stuck to its nuclear brinkmanship.With the heavy rains over the weekend, Chicago's June rainfall has already reached 3.13 inches  1.79 inches above normal. This follows on the heels of May's record monthly total of 8.21 inches that easily exceeded the previous May record of 7.59 inches set back in 1945. We should pick up a little more rainfall Tuesday ahead of a cold front that will move through our area from the west Tuesday night.Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts tells season ticket holders in an emailed letter that we have the resources necessary to compete in 2022 and beyond, and we will use them. The Cubs finished 71-91 this season, their most losses since 2013.More than 50 residents turned out to a Village Board meeting two weeks ago to talk about the issue. Most were against the chickens and the chicken coop kept in the familys backyard, saying there is nothing in the village code to allow residents to keep chickens, and raising concerns about odor and noise.It is clear from the recording that the failure to post the agenda was not intentional as those present at the committee meeting were under the mistaken belief that an agenda was posted for said meeting, she said. After the meeting, President Russell Walter realized no one had posted the agenda, and he self-reported the violation on behalf of the Yorkville Public Library Board of Trustees.We have customers who come, and they like our food, and one of the things they have mentioned often is they have to leave their cars in our parking lot and go to Madisons to play for a little bit, Marinez said.Russell fired his gun once, fatally striking Saghir before he and Bardlett fled. The shooting was captured on the stores security video and helped lead to the arrest of the two men, along with a third, who drove a getaway van. The driver took an eight-year term in exchange for his testimony against Russell and is now on parole, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records.But the Illinois Second District Appellate Court rejected that argument, ruling in an order filed Monday that even if the original X-rays had been provided at trial, it probably would not have not changed the verdict. A new expert opinion would have merely contradicted that of four other experts, two of whom examined the victims skull and said there was a fracture.The personal injury law firm of Corboy & Demetrio filed suit on behalf of Robert and Joellen Powel and their 19-year-old daughter Claire Powell, the law firm announced Tuesday. According to the release, the three family members were on the second story porch of their rented apartment when a section measuring about 8 feet by 10 feet pancaked to the first floor.If you saw the aerial views last year in July, you saw how much water was held in that corridor, she said of the Des Plaines River, which runs the length of the county. Eighty percent of the frontage on the Des Plaines River is actually forest preserve lands.Weve had good comments. People enjoy the different mediums of art; the variety, she said. Its such a beautiful, pleasant park to have the fair in. We hear comments that people appreciate the childrens area and the music. We have people who come for a particular artist and theyve seen them before and they are coming back to purchase more. And then we have people that are looking for new things so to have new artists there every year is a draw as well.About two months after Ryan turned 6 years old, his mother said she got a call from a Northbrook Park District employee who told her that someone had kicked Ryan in the stomach while he was swimming and the staff was worried his appendix may have ruptured.A stolen Glock pistol was recovered by officers near where Dorsey was found hiding, police said. That pistol was found to have been taken from an auxiliary Forest Park police officers locked car during a Forest Park vehicle burglary the day before on June 9, police said.Lenehan is a familiar face on the OPRF stage, having performed in five productions. He said his family has been supportive of him and is very into musicals and show tunes. Lenehan said he enjoyed being part of Hairspray and figuring out what moments to be funny, when to be a geeky mom, and when to be a real mom for the role of Edna Turnblad.Rapisand, who, if appointed to the library board will be its newest member, has a background in communications and public relations and said the top issue facing the board at this time is having a strong and dedicated board that can communicate with the community through the renovation and transition of new library leadership.In a formal decision dated May 18, Assistant Attorney General Teresa Lim of the offices Public Access Bureau wrote that the Maine Township Board did not follow the proper procedure when three sitting trustees were told last November that they had to abstain from voting on a motion to destroy the recording of a closed-session meeting held in 2016. The board also erred when it allowed Township Clerk Peter Gialamas, who is not a voting member, to cast a vote on the motion for destruction, Lim said.Chicago Communications offered to install the system for $108,000, but the firm would not provide all of the equipment is needed to establish the system envisioned by district officials that would allow faculty and staff in the same building to communicate as well as permit administrators in different buildings to speak, according to the report.Tackling the opioid crisis must come through prevention and education about the dangers of prescription drugs, with the city providing the tools parents need to talk to their children, she said, adding police and city officials should provide a safe harbor for those seeking help, and the city must do what it can to provide access to treatment facilities instead of waiting lists.One thing I get a lot is Hey Colin, theres a lot of turmoil in China right now, so its probably not the best time to do business with them, and to that I point to (Eli Lilly and Co.), which has been in China for 100 years, Colin Renk, executive director of the America China Society of Indiana, said.Our goal is to teach what goes into water quality, said Ann Hesselsweet, another science instructor and former teacher. By separating it out into different pieces, they are able to frame their brains around it a little more.Irak said the new policy will allow officers to detect a violation by looking at the posted weight on a vehicles license plate to determine if it shouldnt be driving on a particular road. Irak said the ordinance is now based on gross weight of the vehicle instead of what a vehicle is licensed to haul.The two got in an argument, and Battle previously claimed he acted in self-defense in shooting Camarillo when Camarillo came at him with a switchblade, the defense said. But prosecutors said Camarillo was shot in the back and no knife was found on him.When are uninformed, educated Trump supporters going to do research prior to writing to Quickly? In 2017, the U.S. exported $673.9 billion dollars to Canada, providing the U.S. $8.4 billion surplus. So far in 2018, $98 billion dollars in goods have been exported to Canada. What a threat to national security! By the way, Indiana claims that Canada is its number one importer.As one of the first witnesses, Spitz, a Niles North grad now a college student, fought back tears as she testified about the shooting, saying that as soon as Hicks and Hughes got into the car with her and Gadau, she feared she was going to be robbed. Almost immediately, she recalled, she heard Gadau scream, Oh my God, no! She realized hed been shot, and moments later, she was too, with a bullet entering her right cheek and exiting behind her left ear.Hes always loved woodworking and woodcarving, and he still has a tool shed in the back of the house, his daughter, Holly Wortell said. It is something that continues to keep him so sharp. We all have chairs that he literally hand crafted. The patience it takes to make one of those chairs  I think that because of that, I always strive to have patience.Board President Greg Robitaille said he wanted to know how the phasing of work dovetailed with recommendations from the districts consultants. He said he felt as if the district was working to improve security, but that administrators needed to spell out larger picture plans."They have 21 days to show up or file an appearance in court and answer the complaint. We will seek to certify a collective action, which means wed like to bring all of the workers who have been affected, who work here now and who have worked here in the last three years, and well seek permission from the judge to do so," Sanchez said.Pueblo's 9 most haunted hangouts

Pueblo is home to a diverse and complex history. It is also home to these 9 haunted houses and hangouts.A family, particularly the parents, needs patience and persistence for its America-born Chinese kids to overcome linguistic and cultural hurdles in learning Mandarin, Ya-Ning Hsu, professor, researcher and scholar at Teachers College Columbia University, told a seminar this weekend at Columbia University.

For ABC, Mandarin learning is a long and enduring mission, where anxiety plays a negative role and rushing to the goal can do nothing good, said Ya-Ning Hsu, presenter of the seminar conducted by Teachers College of the university.

Mandarin may be the first language for Chinese American parents, but not their ABC kids. Therefore, father and mother should participate in children' s learning process and help them maintain and build up objectivity in grasping the language, until they themselves establish an inner drive to get the job done, said Hsu.

Another point Amy insisted on was that it is never too late to start to learn Mandarin.

It is okay to start at any time, but of course the earlier the better, said Hsu, adding that patience and persistence are the decisive factors rather than starting time.

Understanding the Chinese culture will also provide a great impetus for ABC kids to learn Mandarin, while mixing the language into daily life and conversation will enhance their confidence and curiosity, local Chinese media World Journal quoted Hsu as saying.

What's more, it is better to learn Mandarin and English at the same time, which is expected to contribute on dual tracks, said Hsu, who has been a professional bilingual teacher for decades and served the college for nine years.

The U.S.-China Strong Foundation said that in mid-2017 some 400,000 American students learned Mandarin before they entered college, doubling the number in 2015.

Former U.S. President Barrack Obama once set a target to propel the number of Mandarin learners in U.S. kindergartens, primary, middle and high schools to one million before 2020, in order to enhance American kids' global competitivity.The Musee Rodin, a museum that houses collections of work by the master sculptor Auguste Rodinwho is widely regarded as the father of modern sculpturehas authorized the creation of a sister location in China, the first of its kind outside France.

During June, a team from Musee Rodin led by its director, Catherine Chevillot, have toured Shenzhen in Guangdong province, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province and Xiongan New Area in Hebei provincea State-level economic zone set up last year to ease the population pressure of Beijing.

All of the three are candidate locations of the future Musee Rodin China. The final decision will be made after a discussion with France's culture ministry, said Chevillot at a session held on Saturday at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou to discuss the museum's China branch with Chinese museum directors, sculptors and scholars.

The French museum plans to loan more than 100 pieces of Rodin's work from its collection to Musee Rodin China for six years, including many of Rodin's iconic sculptures, such as The Gates of Hell, The Age of Bronze and Balzac.A computer-skills workshop, aimed at engineering students from countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative is set to be held in October.

XuetangX's logo on June 6, 2018. [Photo by Zhang Zixuan / China.org.cn]

The workshop will be held both online and offline. The online section will provide students with four computer science courses including Data Structures and Algorithm Design, Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science, Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python, and Agile Development Using Ruby on Rails from three universities: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of California, Berkeley - both based in the U.S. - as well as China's Tsinghua University. The Tsinghua professors will teach the offline section on the university's Beijing campus.

The workshop was developed by the International Knowledge Centre for Engineering Science and Technology (IKEST), the International Center for Engineering Education (ICEE), and online education provider XuetangX, whose website will host the online section.

Established by the Chinese Academy of Engineering, IKEST and ICEE operate under UNESCO. IKEST offers consulting, scientific research and education to policymakers and engineering professionals. ICEE focuses on cultivating engineering and technology professionals, improving the quality of engineering education globally, and promoting fairness to access to education.

The upcoming computer skills workshop is the second to be offered by IKEST, ICEE and XuetangX. The first was held in November 2017.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of last year's workshop, then-students Ashraful Alam and Taonga Joakim Manda said they appreciated the course for providing them with new ways of thinking.British businessman Gerry Grimstone gave an interview at the Young Icebreaker annual gathering of young U.K.-China business leaders in London, sponsored by the 48 Group, on June 5. Grimstone is the chairman of Standard Life Aberdeen PLC and of Barclays PLC.

Grimstone started by saying that over the last 20 years China has started to play a much more active role in the world. He stated that the biggest achievement in bilateral relations between China and the U.K. of recent decades has been "understanding each other and getting to know each other well."

According to Grimstone, the fact that both countries have long histories enables them to "combine traditional ways of thinking" with modern and entrepreneurial approaches. "Countries become prosperous by doing business with each other and trading with each other and I hope that is always the position between China and the U.K.," he said.

In regards to how Britain can become more involved in China's Belt and Road Initiative, Grimstone said that his asset management company, Standard Life Aberdeen, is interested in investing in the BRI, as is the British government.

"When China builds infrastructure through these countries, it has a very deep impact on them. I think the main infrastructure itself may be financed by China, but the economic development that this infrastructure creates gives huge benefits to outside investors," he said, adding, "I sit on the advisory board that advises the British government on these matters, and they are very keen to do more."

Grimstone was also enthusiastic about Chinese opportunities for investment in the U.K. "Chinese investment is very welcome in Britain. I think we're one of the most welcoming countries in the West for China," he said. He underscored what he called a "level playing field" in Britain: "We don't choose between nationalities. All friends are our friends."

In addition, Grimstone spoke positively about the progress of China's state enterprises and market reform. He was in charge of state enterprise reform under Margaret Thatcher at the time of his first visit to China nearly 30 years ago to work on the reform of Chinese state enterprises.

"I think state enterprises in China have improved a lot, but there is still room for further development and I'm sure that will be a priority of the administration going forward," he said. In relation to market reform, he stated that the steady path that has been followed has facilitated step-by-step developments, and that "when you add all those steps together, it is a very great journey that China has done."China's commercial bullet train will be able to go even faster if the vibration noise it generates is brought under control, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering said.

"China has tested a wheeled bullet train at speeds up to 420 km per hour in operation. ... The safety index is totally fine - including the derailment coefficient, shock absorption, vertical acceleration and horizontal acceleration - leaving the vibration noise (unsolved)," He Huawu said in a China Central Television program on Sunday night.

He, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, is the chief engineer of China Railway Corp, the nation's railway operator.

Like building a sealed viaduct above road to end the noise from passing traffic, the vibration noise needs a special structure to resolve it. China can handle some easy tasks in four or five years, but extra work is needed for a long-term goal, he said.

Long-term goals are more complicated, such as building a low-pressure underground tube, the engineer said.

China's fastest wheeled train in commercial use, the Fuxing, or Rejuvenation, runs daily at 350 km/h between Beijing and Shanghai.

In the test He mentioned, two bullet trains passed in opposite directions, both traveling at 420 km/h in July 2016. It was done to collect data on factors such as energy costs and vibration noise that occur at high speeds.

"The success of the experiment demonstrates that China has mastered comprehensive knowledge of the bullet train's core technologies," Zhou Li, a China Railway Corp official, said in an interview in July 2016.

He, of the academy, also spoke of China's future ultrafast train. "China already has a maglev line. ... By persisting in development, China is expected to build an ultrafast train in 10 years," he said.

The world's fastest commercially operated integral rail vehicle, carried by Germany's Transrapid maglev, travels on the Shanghai Pudong International Airport Maglev Line, with a maximum operating speed of 430 km/h.

He also referred to the announcement by Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, that he was working on building an ultrafast transport system popularly known as hyperloop in California. A hyperloop is a sealed tube through which a vehicle can travel at ultrahigh speeds uninhibited by air resistance.

"Musk is raising money worldwide to turn his concept into a project.... Musk only has a concept, but China already has a maglev line," he said.

China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, one of the nation's major space contractors, began hyperloop research and development, in Wuhan, Hubei province, in July 2017.

The CASIC hyperloop will be a maglev line on which a streamlined, engineless train will travel on partly elevated tubes or tunnels at speeds reaching 1,000 km/h.

"In the future, we will develop technologies that allow a train to travel at 2,000 and even 4,000 km/h," said Mao Kai, chief designer of the system at the company. "Once our development is successful, we plan to construct a short-distance line for trial runs."



Restaurant chain Go Believe has announced plans to allow customers to prepare their own food, as Russian President Vladimir Putin did during a visit to its flagship outlet on Friday.

Chinese baozi made by Russian President Vladimir Putin. [Provided to China Daily]

Putin, who was making a state visit to the country, was shown how to create baozi - a steamed bun - and jianbing guozi, a traditional Tianjin snack that consists of dough sticks wrapped in a pancake.

Putin didn't eat his bun. Instead, it was sent to be scanned so that 3-D replicas could be made and displayed at all Go Believe outlets, said Li Yongshan, the company's deputy general manager.

The baozi Putin made had six folds on its surface and was not closed firmly. Although it didn't look standard, it will be cherished and named "Putin sixfold DIY baozi", Li said.

Putin also made jianbing guozi, a snack consisting of deep-fried dough sticks rolled in a thin pancake. He added some spicy sauce to meet his own taste.

Over the weekend, the restaurant group attracted wide attention, as video clips of Putin making the snacks went viral online. A front desk receptionist at the flagship restaurant on Shandong Road, who didn't give her name, said she has already received calls from people wanting to confirm that the restaurant is the same one Putin visited, and to find out the price and the ingredients of Putin's creations.

According to the restaurant, Putin's baozi had crab roe inside, and his jianbing guozi was not too expensive, at 15 yuan (US$2.30) each.

Some netizens asked online whether the company would launch a "Putin package" that would allow customers to eat the same dishes the Russian president did.

Li said the company plans to let customers make their own baozi in the near future.

Yan Yushan left home after graduating from middle school, carrying nothing but a few books and the dream of making it in the big city.

The year was 1992, when China's urban centers began to get a facelift from the country's renewed efforts of reform and opening up. One of the most drastic transformations was in Guangdong province, where small towns and fishing villages would overnight become metropolises of highways and skyscrapers.

And that was where Yan would flourish, and eventually bring his success back home to Xiaogang.

From successes to aspirations

Yan was born in 1973 to a farming family in Xiaogang, a small village in eastern China's Anhui province. The eldest of five siblings, Yan saw little prospect for his family in the way farming was done in the village, and decided to find out what was out there.

Arriving in Dongguan, Yan was immediately impressed by the newly paved roads. He got work as a security guard at a Hong Kong-invested company producing electronic parts. Like the city itself, the company grew quickly, moving to new office buildings, workshops, and increasing staff.

"I came here to learn, with an aspiration to be a boss in the future and return to Xiaogang," he recalled. "So I must observe carefully, and develop the ability to solve problems that others can't."

There were many problems beyond those related to security, so Yan kept his eyes open for every production procedures and every corner of the factory. His break came when the factory was behind on filling an order of switch transformers, and faced defaulting on loans.

The factory at the time used conventional production methods, going through long procedures and using much manpower to produce meager sums. Yan noticed some imported machinery that supposedly allowed automated production was left collecting dust, and decided it could be the solution to the company's crisis.

In his early twenties, Yan had little training, but he did have plenty of time after work. After finally getting the machine to run properly, he asked his boss to put him in charge of the production line. With little to lose, his boss agreed.

Yan would not waste his chance. As the new workshop director, he installed the machine, simplified the procedures, rearranged the workers, and succeeded in producing 2,000 switch transformers in his first day of promotion.

This breakthrough, along with his can-do attitude, made Yan a rising star. Over the seven years he was with the company, he saw its employees rose a hundred-fold, and his own pay making a similar leap. The youth from a remote village was well on his way to becoming a wealthy businessman on the frontiers of China's economic rise.

But in 1998, on the 20th anniversary of China's reform and opening up, Yan saw his father on TV delivering his inauguration speech as the director of Xiaogang's village committee. At that moment, Yan was reminded of why he left home: To find a path for his family and his village toward better lives  as his father once risked his life to do.Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors -- Confucius

It is six decades since China and Nepal established formal diplomatic tie, yet the people to people exchanges stretch far back. Recorded history shows that the exchanges between two peoples traces back to 5th century.

Cultural and language interactions between two peoples have recently improved. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) seems to be bridging not only physical and digital developments but also the cultural aspirations of both sides.

Some people in Nepal had wondered why China was so late to establish a cultural center in neighboring Nepal, yet it was established in March 2015; it has already made its presence felt within a short time. "There are only 35 Chinese cultural centers across the world, and one is in Nepal, we are not late," says director Yin. Nonetheless Mr. Yin is convinced that the cultural and language gap as a major factor is still compromising the people-to-people acquaintances.

The number of private institutions offering Chinese lessons has sprung up in the past few years in Nepal. There are hundreds of language volunteers from China active in Kathmandu. Mushrooming Chinese language institutes and frequent exhibitions of Chinese art and culture by the culture center are just some cases in point. Nepal's largest language college, Biswa Bhasa Campus, with its limited quota and resources, has to disappoint hundreds of aspirants every year who are keen to learn mandarin.

On the other side, a campaign to establish a "Nepal Center" in Chinese universities is underway. According to Nepali Ambassador to China Leela Mani Paudyal, Nepali universities supply teachers and help to develop courses in such centers. Translation from Nepali to Chinese and vice-versa are increasing with the efforts of an expert team formed by Nepal Academy.

Recent data shows that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Nepal has surpassed other nationalities including Indians. Within three months between January-March 2018, the number has increased by 38 percent in comparison to same period last year. And it is not one sided. The crowds in the visa section of Chinese embassy in Kathmandu speaks volumes about the growing number of Nepalese visiting China.

Considering the increasing number of Chinese tourists, the Nepal Tourism Board has recently launched an interactive website in Chinese. During the inauguration ceremony of the website, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Rabindra Adhikari and Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong echoed optimism for increased people-to-people connectivity.

There are many connecting aspects between China and Nepal in terms of culture and tradition. For instance, in China there are many followers of Buddhism and Nepal is the birth place of Lord Buddha. In Chinese philosophy the phrase "three teachings" refers to Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism which is considered a harmonious collective.

Likewise, when Chinese celebrate Spring Festival, some Nepali communities celebrate "Losar" at a similar time and in a similar spirit. The Nepali embassy has recently launched the "Lumbini" campaign in certain cities to publicize the birth place of Lord Buddha among Buddhists and the number of pilgrim tourists from China to Lumbini has substantially increased lately. Likewise, Lake Manasarovar in China is place of pilgrimage for people from Nepal and India. The place can even become a point to promote trilateral cultural networks.

Nepal missed the opportunity offered by globalization led by America in the post second world war era. Analysts say the BRI is next opportunity that Nepal can't afford to miss. Fortunately, it is initiated by the next-door neighbor with close ties.

Saroj Gautam writes on International Relations and Diplomacy from Kathmandu. He is associated with AP1HD Television in Nepal.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.The Spanish government lost a no-confidence vote in parliament on June 1. As a result, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and his coalition government, led by the rightwing Popular Party (PP), fell. The vote was provoked by a corruption scandal.

A recent court case found that senior officials of the PP took illegal payments from private corporations between 1999 and 2005. The former party treasurer Luis Barcenas was sentenced to a 33-year jail term for bribery, money laundering and tax crimes, and the former PM Rajoy appears to be implicated in the case.

To oust the government, the opposition Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), secured the votes of Podemos, a leftwing party, as well as the Catalan and Basque nationalist parties.

PSOE's leader Pedro Sanchez is the new prime minister of the world's 13th largest and the Eurozone's fourth-largest economy. Sanchez used to work as an economist and "political adviser" in the European parliament. He takes over as the PM of a minority socialist government, which will have to rely on the votes of Podemos and the nationalists. However, the government faces a host of economic challenges that the PP failed to solve.

In the 1990s Spain experienced a real GDP growth rate of 3.5 percent a year, but in the decade before the Great Recession of 2008, Spain's economic growth was derived mainly from investment in property. In the 2000s, growth ceased to be based on productive investment in industry and exports, and the economy was transformed into a housing and real estate credit bubble.

A recent EU country report on Spain said: "The pre-crisis period was characterized by decreasing productivity of capital, measured as output per units of capital stock, both in absolute terms and relative to the euro area average. This is because capital flew to non-tradable sectors, in particular construction and real estate, characterised by higher profitability but lower marginal returns. By contrast, investment in information and communication technologies or intellectual property remained below that of other euro area countries."

After the Great Recession, Spanish capital was more efficiently allocated by suppressing wages and employing cheap labor, rather than by investing in new technology to raise productivity. Today, gross fixed capital formation remains well below pre-crisis levels; and this includes all investment, private and government. Indeed, productive investment has recovered even less. Compared to pre-crisis rates, the Spanish investment to GDP rate has fallen more than its EU rivals.

The Achilles heel of Spanish capitalism is the long-term decline in its profitability. Every measure of the profitability of Spanish capital reveals the same decline. After the Great Recession the recovery of profitability has been slow. The rate of profit is 7 percent below where it was in 2007, despite huge cuts in government spending, and falling unemployment and wages.

The IMF's latest report on Spain says: "Since 2009, unemployment has declined for all age groups, but remains higher than before the crisis, disproportionately affecting low-skilled workers. Those out of jobs more than a year account for roughly half of the unemployed. Involuntary part-time employment remains high, well above the EU average. More than a quarter of workers are under temporary contracts and the share of temporary employment among the youth is above its pre-crisis level."

Spain experienced a zero real wage growth, the lowest of all EU countries in 2017. This year, real wage growth is expected to be negative, although Italian and British workers are predicted to suffer a bigger fall. "Austerity" through the guise of cuts in government spending, higher taxes and running budget surpluses (before interest costs) ceased in 2015, but the state is still burdened with debts acquired from bailing out Spain's reckless and corrupt banking system. According to the IMF, the annual gross financing needs are the highest in the euro areaeven higher than debt-ridden Italy.

This long depression has also exacerbated pressure to break up the Spanish state, as last year's unresolved Catalan separatist crisis revealed. Spain's regional governments are deeply in debt but are being asked to make huge spending cuts. So, richer regional areas with their own nationalist interests, such as Catalonia and the Basque Country, have been making demands for separation or greater autonomy from Madrid. The Sanchez government will now depend on their votes. A period of profound instability has opened up in Spain.

Heiko Khoo is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:http://china.org.cn/opinion/heikokhoo.htm





Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. Flash

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Qingdao, which concluded with "the most fruitful outcomes" in the history of the organization, will be a "new landmark" in the organization's development, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said.

Leaders of the SCO member states signed or witnessed the signing of 23 cooperation documents covering politics, security, economics and culture, Wang told reporters in Qingdao on Sunday.

He said the summit is of historical importance in that it highlighted again the "Shanghai Spirit", which transcends outdated concepts such as the clash of civilizations, the Cold War and a zero-sum mentality.

The summit also endorsed the China-proposed initiative of building a community of a shared future for mankind, which helps promote the common development and prosperity of the region and the world as well, Wang said.

The summit put forward the SCO proposal on global governance of extensive consultations, joint contributions and shared benefit, Wang said.

Wang highlighted the "five perspectives"  development, security, cooperation, civilization and global governance  proposed by President Xi Jinping at the summit.

Xi's proposals conform to "the needs of the SCO development, the common interests of countries throughout the world as well as the trend of times in the world's development and progress", Wang said.

"The summit produced a success in demonstrating the unity among member countries as well as leaders' will and commitment in multilateralism and cooperation," said Luigi Gambardella, president of ChinaEU, a business-led international association based in Brussels.

In a speech delivered at the plenary session, Xi called for joint efforts to build an open world economy and reject "self-centered, shortsighted and closed-door policies".

Jon R. Taylor, professor of political science at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, said, "While Xi projected calm, creative statesmanship at the summit and was able to project a win-win consensus, by contrast Trump looked like a man out of his league."

Trump was "stuck in the failed economic policies of the 1920s, and happy to reject the West's long-term trade consensus", Taylor said.

"I liked that he (Xi) linked China's Confucian heritage to the spirit of promoting a new type of international relations, the common good and harmony  a harmony found in the Shanghai Spirit' that fosters mutual respect, all-around cooperation and common development."

Maria Guleva, a deputy professor of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Saint Petersburg University, said that the theories Xi proposed on innovation, coordination, the environment, openness and shared development show that China is undertaking its international obligation as a global power.

B.R. Deepak, a professor at the Centre for Chinese and South East Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, said institution-building makes the SCO one of the most successful multilateral institutions in the world, a new model for regional economic and security cooperation and an innovation in international theory and practice.

Christopher Bovis, professor of international business law at the University of Hull in England, said that Xi offered a credible solution to the threat of trade wars and protectionism. Flash

U.S. President Donald Trump left his hotel Tuesday for the historic summit with top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un.





A motorcade carrying Trump was seen departing the Shangri-La Hotel for the Capella Hotel on Singapore's Sentosa Island, where Trump and Kim are to hold the monumental first-ever DPRK-U.S. summit.





The two leaders planned to meet one-on-one for up to an hour with only their translators at their sides, before an extended meeting and a working lunch attended by their entourages. Flash

The Chinese embassy in Hanoi warned its citizens of security after protests against a government plan to set up new economic zones for foreign investment.





The embassy posted a notice on its website referring to the protests as "illegal gatherings" that had included some "anti-China content".





"The Chinese embassy in Vietnam is paying close attention to the relevant developments and reminds Chinese citizens in Vietnam to pay attention to security when traveling," the notice said.





Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, chairwoman of the Assembly, said the protesters might have misunderstood the nature of the bill.





"People should stay calm, believe in the decisions of the party and the state, especially in the fact that the National Assembly is always listening to the people's opinions when discussing the bills," Ngan said.





Vietnam's National Assembly, the country's top legislature, agreed on Monday not to adopt the draft Law on Special Administrative and Economic Units of Van Don, Bac Van Phong, and Phu Quoc at its ongoing fifth session.





Xinhua News Agency reported that the Government Office on Saturday released an announcement, saying it had asked the National Assembly to delay the approval of the draft law to have more time for research and completion until the next session, Vietnam News Agency reported.





Special cases, that could lease land up to 99 years for production and business in the three special economic zones of Van Don in northern Quang Ninh province, of Bac Van Phong in central Khanh Hoa province, and of Phu Quoc in southern Kien Giang province, will not be regulated in the bill.





The decision was made after the National Assembly and the government took into account many aspects of the issue which caught interests and gathered a lot of ideas from local legislators, people of all walks of life and voters nationwide.





At the ongoing fifth session, legislators, scientists, economists, experts and constituents actively contributed their opinions to the draft law.





More than 100 protesters were arrested and dozens of police injured at protests against the creation of new special economic zones in central Vietnam on Sunday, Reuters reported. Flash

Family members of Jiang Yue, a Chinese exchange student killed in a road rage incident in Arizona two years ago, Monday urged judges to reject a plea agreement the local attorney's office offered to the murderer.

Gathering at the site where the 19-year-old were gunned down in January 2016, Jiang Yue's cousin Katherine Xu read a statement, saying: "Such a decision and approval of the plea bargain can not be, and is not reasonable and not fair. We, the Jiang family and our 10,000 supporters, do not believe it is acceptable to the legal system."

Jiang Yue's tragedy happened when she drove in the city of Tempe, Arizona, and was rear-ended by Holly Davis, who got off her vehicle, walked over to Jiang's car and opened fire. Jiang lost control when trying to drive away and crashed into another car carrying a family of five. Davis fled the scene and was later taken into custody by police.

Prosecutors initially sought to charge Davis on 14 criminal counts, including first degree murder, aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and endangerment. Davis pleaded not guilty to all the charges at the initial hearing in February 2016, and entered into a plea agreement in February this year.

Under the plea agreement, Davis, in her 30s, would face a 25-year sentence and up to 250,000 U.S. dollars in restitution in exchange for pleading guilty to second degree murder and dismissal of all the other charges, local Phoenix New Times reported.

However, Jiang Yue's family told Xinhua last Friday that the local attorney's office never informed them before the agreement was reached and they have evidence showing before the shooting that Davis had a handwritten note to her boyfriend indicating she would be on the news.

Jiang's family is set to meet with Judge Warrin Grandville Tuesday, who has not approved the plea agreement, to express their concerns. Meanwhile, Davis is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday.

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office issued a statement Monday, saying: "The Maricopa County Attorney's Office has complied with our state constitution's victims' bill of rights...and the pursuit of justice requires prosecutors to take into account the views and concerns of victims as well as the practical realities of the facts and circumstances of any given case." Flash

The 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit is held in Qingdao, Shandong province, on June 9-10, 2018. [Photo by Xu Xun/China Pictorial]

The 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit held in China last weekend was a vote of confidence in peaceful cooperation and globalization among its group members, said foreign relations experts and scholars.

The summit was the first of its kind after the SCO membership expansion last year, when India and Pakistan were added to the Eurasian political, economic and security organization founded in 2001 by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

At the summit, hosted by China's coastal city of Qingdao, leaders of its eight member states signed cooperation agreements in various fields including security, trade facilitation and people-to-people exchanges, in a bid to signal unity and collaboration against global challenges such as unilateralism and trade protectionism.

Ji Zhiye, president of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said, "From the Qingdao event, we can see that all the SCO member states, observers and dialogue partners have demonstrated their willingness to pursue development through globalization and cooperation."

The SCO's eight member states altogether account for almost half of the world's population, over 60 percent of the Eurasia land mass and 20 percent of the world's total GDP.

According to the organization's website, the SCO has pursued its internal policy based on the principles of the Shanghai Spirit, which features mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for cultural diversity and pursuit of common development.

Speaking at the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping attributed the SCO's strength to the Shanghai Spirit and called for open and inclusive cooperation for win-win outcomes.

"We should reject self-centered, short-sighted and closed-door policies," Xi said. "Equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness between cultures should be championed."

Leaders of other SCO states also voiced their expectations of future cooperation in various areas so as to give full play to the organization's role after last year's expansion.

Chen Chenchen, a researcher at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China said the SCO Qingdao Summit stood in contrast with the G7 meeting that ended in disarray earlier last week.

Chen said the SCO's unwavering pursuit of cooperation and openness for solving conflicts and disputes as well as seeking of a peaceful and stable environment for development is aimed, in essence, to foster a new type of international relations and to build a global community with a shared future amid global uncertainties.

Leaders of the SCO member states signed a series of documents, including the Qingdao Declaration, a five-year action plan for implementing the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation of the SCO Member States, and a joint communique on simplifying trade procedures. They also ratified several cooperation agreements on issues ranging from security, the economy, and people-to-people exchanges.

In the landmark Qingdao Declaration, the member states agree to deepen multifaceted cooperation in peace, stability and prosperity, advocate political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict situations in various regions of the world, stand for the improvement of the architecture of global economic governance and the development of trade, economic and investment cooperation, and continue the productive bilateral and multilateral cooperation in areas like culture, education, science, technology, healthcare and tourism.

Wu Dahui, professor of international relations at Tsinghua University, said the declaration manifests that the SCO members stand in objection to any forms of unilateralism and trade protectionism, and that the SCO will continue to carry forward the Shanghai Spirit and pursue its own development path.

Sun Zhuangzhi, secretary-general of the SCO Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the Qingdao Summit has drawn a blueprint for a brighter shared future of the bloc. He said the achievements of this year's summit are multifaceted and specific, signifying that the bloc is becoming more pragmatic and extensive. Flash

China welcomes and supports the achievements of the meeting between the leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement Tuesday.

The statement said the meeting yielded positive achievements, which was important progress in promoting denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the political settlement process.

China highly appreciates the political decisions made by the leaders of the two countries, and applauds the efforts made by relevant partis to make the meeting a success, the statement said.

"To achieve denuclearization, to end the hostility and confrontation lasting for more than 60 years, and to pursue lasting peace and prosperity of the peninsula and the region are in line with the development of the times and are the universal voice of the international community. The meeting and its achievements are an important step toward these goals."

It said that China had made unremitting efforts in pursing denuclearization, maintaining peace and stability of the peninsula, and resolving the problem through dialogue and consultation.

"We wish and support the two sides to implement the consensus reached by the two leaders, promote follow-up consultations, further consolidate and expand the achievements, and make the political settlement of the peninsula issue a sustainable and irreversible process," it said.

"As a neighbor of the peninsula and an important party of the issue, China stands ready to work with other relevant parties toward denuclearization and the establishment of a peace mechanism on the Korean Peninsula."By Pratap John, Gulf Times | Jun. 11, 2018

The world's largest aerospace company Boeing expects to deliver Qatar Airways newer generation 787s from 2019 and 777s from 2020, said Boeing's senior vice-president (International Sales) Marty Bentrott.

"We are looking to start the delivery of 787-9 version to Qatar Airways from 2019. We are very excited about that," Bentrott said in a recent interview with Gulf Times at the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour.

Qatar Airways today operates the largest fleet of 30 787s in the Middle East region, Bentrott pointed out.

"As of April this year, Qatar Airways has ordered 60 787s with us; this means there is a backlog of 30 more," Bentrott said.

In relation to the 777s, the top Boeing executive said, "We have the new 777-9 coming down the line. This will be delivered to the airline, starting 2020."

Including freighters, Qatar Airways has ordered (as of April 2018) 73 777s, data provided by Boeing showed.

As many as 63 have been delivered to Qatar Airways and there is a backlog of 10, of which three are freighters.

Bentrott said he understands that 20 of the 737 MAX Qatar Airways has ordered with Boeing will be used for Air Italy's use.

"Recently, we delivered the first 737 MAX to Qatar Airways, which is going into service with their partner airline, Air Italy. The second 737 MAX will be delivered in the next few weeks. We are excited about that."

In 2017, Qatar Airways acquired 49% of AQA Holding, the new parent company of Air Italy.

On Boeing's business with Qatar Airways Cargo, Bentrott said, "Qatar Airways Cargo has grown rapidly and is already one of the world's top cargo operators. Boeing has a strong presence in its cargo fleet."

"Both the 747-8Fs ordered by Qatar Airways have been delivered. As many as 13 777 freighters have been delivered; three more are to be delivered," Bentrott said.

"They are talking to us about the possibilities of (may be) a few additional ones. Cargo is a big part of the Qatar Airways business. Given the current situation in the region, cargo is ever more important," Bentrott said.

On the possible impact of the expected rise in jet fuel prices, the Seattle-based senior Boeing official said, "Fuel prices are always a double-edged sword ... because; they do impact the economics of our airlines, in terms of increasing operational costs. But then on the other side, they look for more fuel efficient newer airplanes to replace some of the less efficient ones. So yes, I think this could stimulate some additional interest in newer generation, fuel efficient aircraft such as 777-9s and 787-9s."

In its report at the World Air Transport Summit (WATS) recently, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said jet fuel prices are expected to jump nearly 26% this year and average US$84 per barrel as IATA sees Brent Crude averaging US$70 a barrel in 2018.

This is up from US$54.9 in 2017 (+27.5%) and IATA's previous 2018 expectation of US$60 a barrel.

This year IATA forecasts the airlines fuel bill will rise to US$188bn, which will represent 24.2% of average operating costs.

Fuel costs will account for 24.2% of total operating costs (up from a revised 21.4% in 2017), the IATA report showed.

On the fears of a global trade war between the United States and some of its allies including Canada, EU and Mexico, Bentrott said, "Our business is more global than it has ever been. When you have a friction globally, it could have an impact on us because of our huge exports.

"But we remain optimistic that things will get sorted out and that this will pass and things will be okay."By Tiisetso Motsoeneng, Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo, Patricia Aruo, Reuters | Jun. 11, 2018

Six months into the job of running loss-making South African Airways, Vuyani Jarana is mapping out a punishing austerity plan.

Jarana, who faces the daunting task of turning the flag carrier around, said layoffs and other cuts were unavoidable as he contends with a draining cost-to-income ratio of 108 percent.

"SAA cannot carry the same workforce, whether it is pilots, cabin crew or administration," he told Reuters. "We have to make some tough decisions to save the airline. There cannot be sacred cows when it comes to SAA."

He declined to put a number to the job losses, but two sources familiar with his plan said the state-owned carrier was likely to cut between 1,000 and 1,500 people via a combination of layoffs and voluntary redundancies to bring its employee-per-aircraft ratio in line with regional competitors.

The numbers include roughly 300 flight attendants, according to one of the sources. Some of the carrier's 700 pilots, encouraged to look for jobs elsewhere, have drafted their own severance pay offer to SAA, the second source said.

In a dramatic fall from grace over the past decade, SAA has lost its place as Africa's biggest airline and a symbol of patriotic pride to become a source of frustration for taxpayers who have forked out more than 30 billion rand (US$2.3 billion) since 2012 to keep it in the air.

SAA's woes are emblematic of the struggles of traditional flag carriers around the world, such as Malaysia Airlines, Air India and Air France-KLM. These airlines are contending with low-cost rivals and a spike in oil prices, which puts pressure on those with the highest labor and other non-fuel costs.

The problems are also an illustration of the malaise afflicting the airline industry in Africa, whose airlines have the weakest finances and emptiest planes of any region of the world.

Jarana told Reuters he was also setting up other moves to reduce the airline's 33.5 billion rand operating costs. They include squeezing suppliers for better deals and cutting back on its number of flights to London from twice to once a day.

The carrier makes its biggest losses on the London route because it faces fierce competition that expose its inefficiencies.

"My view is that the starting point to getting out of the hole is to stop digging, you stop doing the things that sink you deeper into trouble," Jarana said in his office near O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

African Air Industry Lags

Although the global industry is looking at another profitable year in 2018, much of the money is in the United States where legacy carriers have been through years of restructuring.

Africa is the weakest region of all, with airlines struggling to improve load factors - percentage of seats filled - from the world's lowest level of 61.5 percent in 2018, compared with 81.7 percent globally, according to International Air Transport Association forecasts.

SAA employs just over 10,000 people and has 64 aircraft, putting its employee-per-plane ratio at 160. That compares with just over 130 employees per aircraft for Ethiopian Airlines [ETHA.UL], which has overtaken SAA to be become the biggest airline by revenue and profit in recent years.

However, the ratio is below 190 employees per aircraft at Air India [AIN.UL], a debt-laden and loss-making carrier that last month failed to attract a single bidder for the government's 76 percent stake.

Despite carrying roughly the same number of passengers annually - around 10 million - Ethiopian Airlines makes more than US$200 million annual profit while SAA extended its losing streak to the sixth year in 2017 when it suffered a hefty US$400 million loss.

Ethiopian Airlines has bucked the African trend and has been expanding fast, thanks in part to a geographical position that enables it to serve as a hub in competition with Gulf carriers and to a young, modern fleet.

President's Political Dilemma

While investors are likely to welcome Jarana's blueprint, it could put him on a collision course with politicians a year before the national elections.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa faces a dilemma.

He wants to wean SAA off its state support, which is a major risk to South Africa's credit rating, and burnish his economic reformist credentials. Yet mass layoffs could prove politically unpalatable in a country where a quarter of adults are unemployed.

However BNP Paribas South Africa senior economist Jeff Schultz said the government had little choice but to take the political hit at the polls from turnaround plans at inefficient state firms like SAA and power utility Eskom.

"Large cuts to state-owned companies' workforces are probably unavoidable and necessary at this juncture, even as the ruling African National Congress is going into an election year," he said.

To cushion the blows, however, Jarana said he had been talking to other airlines about offloading some pilots and flight attendants to them, without naming the carriers.

The plan comes at a time when there is a growing shortage of pilots across the airline industry.

"We have got excess pilots and we are signing up contracts for them so that they are not put out on the street," said Jarana, a former executive at telecom company Vodacom. "That is what we have been working on in the past five months."By Ercan Ersoy, Bloomberg News | Jun. 11, 2018

Turkey's flag-carrier airline reversed a nine-day losing streak as it agreed to an e-commerce cargo joint venture with partners from China and Hong Kong.

Turkish Airlines signed the deal with Chinese delivery giant ZTO Express Cayman Inc. and Hong Kong's PAL Air Ltd., a unit of Pacific Air Holdings Ltd. The joint venture, to be based in Hong Kong, will have revenues of at least US$2 billion in the five years to 2023, Turkish Airlines Chairman Ilker Ayci said in a news conference in Istanbul on Monday.

The venture aims to cut worldwide door-to-door delivery times to as little as 72 hours, ZTO founder and Chief Executive Officer Lai Meisong told reporters. The deal comes as Chinese tech company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. buys 10 percent of Shanghai-based ZTO for US$1.4 billion.

Turkish Airlines shares rose as much as 5.4 percent, and were up 4.5 percent at 4:39 pm in Istanbul. Before today, they'd lost almost a quarter of their value since May 28. The airline dropped as much as 11 percent on Friday, the most in almost two years, after May traffic figures pointed to sluggish demand .

"The month of Ramadan is usually a slow month for passenger traffic," said Ayci, whose company flies to 304 destinations, more than than any other airline in the world. "But we are doing everything to prop up the stock."

Turkish Airlines, whose formal name is Turk Hava Yollari AO , will commit all 18 aircraft in its cargo fleet to the joint venture, and the number of planes could expand as the business grows, said Ayci. The cargo business could be "carved out" as a separate company in future as its operations through the JV expand, and will be one of the world's biggest three operators by 2023, he said.CAIRO - Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali vowed on Sunday that Ethiopia will not harm Egypt's share of the Nile River water through the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, or GERD.

His remarks came in a joint news conference in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi following their talks on the giant dam that is currently being built on the Nile River.

"I swear to Allah that Ethiopia will not do any harm to Egypt's water," said the Ethiopian prime minister during his first visit to Cairo since he assumed office in April.Mahathir backs tailored trade agreements

By Cai Hong in Tokyo | China Daily | Updated: 2018-06-12 07:30

Malaysia's 92-year-old Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said in Tokyo on Monday that smaller and younger nations that are just beginning to grow should be given due consideration.

Delivering a speech at Nikkei's annual conference on Asia's Future, the world's oldest prime minister said small countries like Malaysia find it difficult to compete in the free trade world.

"Although we pay lip service to free trade, most countries practice some kind of restriction," Mahathir added.

"We have to recognize ... there are infant industries and infant nations. They need some protection because they are not in a position to compete with the great trading nations," he said.

If the United States, the richest country with the biggest economy in the world, believes in restrictions on trade, it is not justified, Mahathir said. Small countries cannot compete on the same terms with big countries.

"The world is becoming more separated than ever," he warned.

Mahathir said he would revive his "Look East" policy to draw lessons from advanced Asian economies. "When we see the growth in East Asia, we have a lot to learn," he said, adding that Malaysia wants to learn how Japan, the Republic of Korea and China grew.

He is still in favor of the East Asia Economic Caucus, or EAEC, a regional free trade zone proposal that Mahathir came up with in 1997 and encompassed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, China, Japan and the ROK.

The EAEC was considered to be basically an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation without North America and Australia. Nevertheless, it was never put into action officially.

"In the past, we were not able to do this because of the objection from the US," Mahathir said. "Now we should consider the formation of the EAEC seriously, not only with the countries of the Far East but also countries like India and some Central Asian nations."

He continued: "If the US likes to accept the majority opinion, it is fine for the US to join the regional framework. But the US seemed to want to impose its will on all international organizations."

Mahathir added that Malaysia has had relations with China for 2,000 years. "China is a huge market with 1.4 billion people. Obviously it is attractive to all countries in Southeast Asia. We want access to this market."

He said Malaysia welcomes foreign direct investment that involves bringing in capital and technology, setting up plants, and employing and training Malaysians to produce goods for the domestic market and for export.

Mahathir stepped down in 2003 after staying in power for 22 years. He returned to the premiership after the opposition alliance under his leadership defeated Najib Razak's ruling coalition in Malaysia's recent election.

caihong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/12/2018 page12)German minister: G7 'commotion' has brought EU closer together

QUEBEC CITY - The United States and Canada swung sharply toward a diplomatic and trade crisis on Sunday as top White House advisers lashed out at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a day after US President Trump called him "very dishonest and weak".

The spat drew in Germany and France, who sharply criticized Trump's decision to abruptly withdraw his support for a G7 communique hammered out at a Canadian summit on Saturday, accusing him of destroying trust and acting inconsistently.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland responded to the White House comments by saying that Canada will retaliate to US tariffs in a measured and reciprocal way and that Canada will always be willing to talk.

"Canada does not conduct its diplomacy through ad hominem attacks ... and we refrain particularly from ad hominem attacks when it comes from a close ally," Freeland said on Sunday.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow accused Trudeau of betraying Trump with "polarizing" statements on trade policy that risked making the US leader look weak ahead of a historic summit with Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Hours after Trump withdrew his support for the joint statement and attacked Trudeau, Kudlow and trade adviser Peter Navarro drove the message home on Sunday morning news shows in an extraordinary assault on a close US ally and neighbor.

"(Trudeau) really kind of stabbed us in the back," Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council who had accompanied Trump to the summit of wealthy nations on Saturday, said on CNN's State of the Union.

When Trump's tweets withdrawing support from the G7 statement hit on Saturday, Trudeau's office said he had not said anything in his closing news conference he had not said to Trump before.

Having left the G7 summit in Canada early, Trump's announcement on Twitter that he was backing out of the joint communique torpedoed what appeared to be a fragile consensus on a trade dispute between Washington and its top allies.

"The G7 was a forum for friends - democracies with the same value system - to discuss issues of common interest. Now there is a question mark over that. But it did not start with this G7, but with the election of Donald Trump," said a European official.

Trump also said he might double down on import tariffs by hitting the sensitive auto industry, throwing the G7's efforts to show a united front into disarray.

Events at the G7 summit have brought the European Union closer together, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Trump's U-turn. France is also standing by the G7 communique, a French presidency official said.

Reuters - Ap

US President Donald Trump talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a G7 summit on Friday in Charlevoix, Canada.Evan Vucci / Associated Press

(China Daily 06/12/2018 page12)I have been here before. Yes, I can remember that anticipation on the cusp of a moment when an economy is about to transition and take that tectonic shift from planning to market. I saw it in China in the early 1980s, and again in Vietnam and Laos in the 1990s. That feeling of nostalgia returns with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The pattern is likely to be the same.

While the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong-un is held in Singapore, the DPRK is a nation hoping to come in from the cold. Rudi Sirr, a special economic adviser to Pyongyang has said there has been a very distinct shift within the country. Kim has surrounded himself with advisers and key policymakers who have mostly studied and lived abroad. The DPRK is now looking outward, not inward. This is the biggest change.

More specifically, Pyongyang is looking to the models of opening-up and reform adopted by China, and later by Vietnam and Laos. Clearly the need for cheap labor will be a magnate for investment when the DPRK's economy begins to open up. Determination by both the Republic of Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un to proceed in direct economic engagement, regardless of the roller coaster about-face decisions or Twitter feeds of Trump, heralds an era of cross-border investments that is reminiscent of the days when Hong Kong led all global investments on the Chinese mainland focusing on the special economic zones of the southern region.Updated : 2018-06-11

(chinadaily.com.cn)

The intangible cultural heritages of Liaoning province were put on display at an exhibition held at Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Northeast Chinas Liaoning province, on June 9, marking this years Cultural and Natural Heritage Day.

Traditional puppet shows, yangko (a popular folk dance), dough sculptures, and agate carvings were on display at the event.

More than 300 skilled craftspeople and performers will either perform or demonstrate traditional skills during the exhibition, and a series of related lectures will be held.

Performers play traditional musical instruments during the opening ceremony of the intangible cultural heritage exhibition in Shenyang, Liaoning province, June 9. [Photo/people.cn]Was Dorothy Day a 'Dissenting Catholic?' New book explores Day's life and thought as a servant of Christ



Contact: Kevin Wandra,

404-788-1276,



SAN FRANCISCO, June 12, 2018 /



Wright, Ph.D., an associate professor of philosophy and director of the pre-theology program at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, uses many of Day's own writings to reveal her love of the Catholic faith and will to live out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy through her founding of the Catholic Worker Movement.



In DOROTHY DAY, Wright addresses the misconceptions about what many have noted to be dissent from the Catholic Church. In reality, Day, whose cause for possible canonization is sponsored by the Archdiocese of New York, was a faithful servant to the Church's teachings on everything from sexual morality to social justice. Battling a dark period in her life, in which she had an abortion and attempted suicide, Day let the love of Christ penetrate her heart and converted to the Catholic faith.



She went on to become a founder of the Catholic Worker Movement with the help of Peter Maurin, and lived in intentional poverty with her own daughter, Tamar, in their hospitality homes, performing corporal and spiritual works of mercy. DOROTHY DAY explores her life with a brief biography but focuses more on her thinking and commitment to her faith.



"Dorothy Day was a woman passionately committed to the truth about the dignity of the human person and to justice for the cause of the oppressed," said Mother Dolores Hart, O.S.B., author of The Ear of the Heart: An Actress' Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows. "I highly recommend this book about her inspiring life that shows the light of her strong faith in Christ shining in the darkness of human misery."



For more information, to request a review copy or to schedule an interview with Terrence Wright, please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or



Share Tweet Contact: Kevin Wandra,404-788-1276, KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com SAN FRANCISCO, June 12, 2018 / Christian Newswire / -- A woman recognized by name by Pope Francis in 2015 who "shaped fundamental values which will endure forever in the spirit of the American people," Dorothy Day was a force in her time, advocating for the poor and living out the social justice teachings of the Catholic Church. But many people saw her  and still do today  as challenging the Catholic Church on its teachings of social justice. But Day was an obedient servant and demonstrated the Church's love of the poor, which professor Terrence C. Wright details in his new book, DOROTHY DAY: AN INTRODUCTION TO HER LIFE AND THOUGHT.Wright, Ph.D., an associate professor of philosophy and director of the pre-theology program at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, uses many of Day's own writings to reveal her love of the Catholic faith and will to live out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy through her founding of the Catholic Worker Movement.In DOROTHY DAY, Wright addresses the misconceptions about what many have noted to be dissent from the Catholic Church. In reality, Day, whose cause for possible canonization is sponsored by the Archdiocese of New York, was a faithful servant to the Church's teachings on everything from sexual morality to social justice. Battling a dark period in her life, in which she had an abortion and attempted suicide, Day let the love of Christ penetrate her heart and converted to the Catholic faith.She went on to become a founder of the Catholic Worker Movement with the help of Peter Maurin, and lived in intentional poverty with her own daughter, Tamar, in their hospitality homes, performing corporal and spiritual works of mercy. DOROTHY DAY explores her life with a brief biography but focuses more on her thinking and commitment to her faith."Dorothy Day was a woman passionately committed to the truth about the dignity of the human person and to justice for the cause of the oppressed," said Mother Dolores Hart, O.S.B., author of The Ear of the Heart: An Actress' Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows. "I highly recommend this book about her inspiring life that shows the light of her strong faith in Christ shining in the darkness of human misery."For more information, to request a review copy or to schedule an interview with Terrence Wright, please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com ) of Carmel Communications.Judicial Watch Experts Tom Fitton and Chris Farrell Available to Discuss IG Report on DOJ/FBI Contact: Jill Farrell, Judicial Watch, 202-646-5188



WASHINGTON, June 12, 2018 /Christian Newswire/ -- Judicial Watch announced today that its key spokespeople, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton and Director of Investigations and Research Chris Farrell will be available to discuss the long-anticipated report from the Department of Justice Inspector General regarding the investigation of Hillary Clinton's mishandling of classified information through her unsecure, non-state.gov email system.



In a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz said that he planned to release a report on Thursday, June 14.



The report is expected to address many issues concerning the FBI under former Directors James Comey and Andrew McCabe, as well as the Justice Department under former Attorney General Loretta Lynch.



Judicial Watch's investigations and lawsuits are the proximate cause for uncovering Clinton's illicit email system and have been at the forefront of the search for information on the actions of Comey, McCabe and Lynch.



Read more...



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Global mobile health (mHealth) technologies 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 Mobile Health (mHealth) Technologies Market

Mobile health (mHealth) is a branch of eHealth, defined as the use of modern communication and information technologies to meet the needs of patients, citizens, healthcare professionals and providers, and policy makers. mHealth technologies enables improve the healthcare quality, and provide healthcare services to billions of people. mHealth technology collects the clinical health data and transfer the data to practitioners and researchers.

Market Dynamics: Global Mobile Health (mHealth) Technologies Market

Technological advancements in the mHealth technologies drives the global mobile health (mHealth) technologies market. Moreover, shift towards the digitalization in healthcare industry, increase in the clinical trial programs by the pharmaceuticals industries, increase in the usage of mHealth by government organizations such as WHO, advantages with mHealth technology such as reduce complications in chronic conditions, and innovation of advanced devices are anticipated to fuel the mobile health (mHealth) technologies market over the forecast years. However, high cost of technology, security problems in data storage, and poor penetration of mHealth technology in underdeveloped countries are expected to hamper the mobile health (mHealth) technologies market.

Free sample of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/mobile-health-mhealth-technologies-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx

Market Scope: Global Mobile Health (mHealth) Technologies Market

Global mobile health (mHealth) technologies market is segmented based on provider, therapeutic area, and application

Based on the provider, the market is segmented into the following:

 Software

 Hardware

 Services

Based on the therapeutic area, the market is segmented into the following:

 Cardiovascular Disorders

 Metabolic Disorders

 Respiratory Diseases

 Neurological Diseases

 Others

Based on the end user, the market is segmented into the following:

 Hospitals and Clinics

 Government Organizations

 Pharmaceutical Industries and CROs

 Others

Free TOC of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/mobile-health-mhealth-technologies-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu

Regional Analysis: Global Mobile Health (mHealth) Technologies Market

Geographically, global mobile health (mHealth) technologies market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. North America mobile health (mHealth) technologies market is anticipated to expand at significant growth rate owing to technological advancements in the mHealth technology, presence of huge number of healthcare insurance providers, and high disposable income. Europe mobile health (mHealth) technologies market has lucrative growth attributed to adoption of newer technologies in developed countries such as Germany, UK, and France, rise in focus on the public health by government organization, and novel device developments are expected to bolster the market. However, Asia Pacific mobile health (mHealth) technologies market is witnessed to grow due to increase in the prevalence of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in India and China, rise in number of clinical trials programs, and entry of service providers into emerging countries are expected to fuel the market.

Competition Assessment: Global Mobile Health (mHealth) Technologies Market

Some of the players in the global mobile health (mHealth) technologies market include:

 Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (South Korea)

 Verizon Communications (U.S.)

 Companion Medical Inc. (U.S.)

 Bharti Airtel (India)

 Agamatrix (U.S.)

 Emperra GmbH E-Health Technologies (Germany)

 Apple Inc. (U.S.)

 Validic Inc. (U.S.)

 Propeller Health (U.S.)

 ZTE Corporation (China)

Ask Analyst for Full Information about this report @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/mobile-health-mhealth-technologies-market/#ulp-14mlyhjMGhVjZqa3

Notable Market Developments: Mobile Health (mHealth) Technologies Market

 In March 2016, ZTE Corporation launched its mHealth product that utilizes the IoT technology to improve the healthcare and medical services

Get access to full summary @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/mobile-health-mhealth-technologies-market/

About Precision Business Insights

Precision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.

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Global Medical Image Analysis Software Market report offers Market Size, Dynamics, Regional Market Share, Top Key Players, Latest trends, Growth factors, Industry Stats, Historic Market, Business Intelligence, Business Research Reports, Competitive Intelligence 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024

Global medical image analysis software 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 Medical Image Analysis Software Market

Medical image analysis software helps the practitioners and healthcare professionals to analyze and visualize the medical images. The medical image analysis software is a major tool of diagnostic machines and enables enhance the identifying features of image. Moreover, the software is used for the training, storing, sharing, and viewing of medical data. It helps to increase the efficiency of monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment of various diseases.

Market Dynamics: Global Medical Image Analysis Software Market

Technological advancements in medical imaging systems such as 3D/4D platforms and analytical software is a key factor drives the market over the forecast period. Moreover, increase in the usage of imaging equipment due to rise in prevalence of chronic diseases, grow in investments from the public and private sectors in medical imaging techniques, wide range of applications with computer-aided diagnosis, and increase in demand for early stage disease diagnosis are expected to propel the global medical image analysis software market over the forecast years. However, high cost of medical imaging equipment and lack of skilled professionals are expected to hamper the growth of global medical image analysis software market.

Free sample of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/medical-image-analysis-software-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx

Market Scope: Global Medical Image Analysis Software Market

Global medical image analysis software market is segmented based on software type, image type, modality, application, and end user

Based on software type, market is segmented into the following:

 Integrated

 Standalone

Based on image type, market is segmented into the following:

 2D

 3D

 4D

Based on the modality, market is segmented into the following:

 Tomography

 Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

 Computed Tomography (CT)

 Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

 Others

 Ultrasound Imaging

 2D Ultrasound Imaging

 3D/4D Ultrasound Imaging

 Doppler Imaging

 Radiographic Imaging

 Others

Based on the application, market is segmented into the following:

 Neurology

 Cardiology

 Mammography

 Orthopedics

 Oncology

 Nephrology and Urology

 Dental Applications

 Others

Based on the end users, the market is segmented into the following:

 Hospitals

 Diagnostic Centers

 Research Institutes

Free TOC of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/medical-image-analysis-software-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu

Regional Analysis: Global Medical Image Analysis Software Market

Geographically, global medical image analysis software market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. North America medical image analysis software market is poised to grow due to increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases such as cancers, huge number of imaging centers present in the U.S. and Canada, and rise in demand for early stage disease diagnosis are fuel the market. Europe medical image analysis software market is driving by high adoption of technologically advanced imaging equipment and software, rise in preference for non-radiation imaging techniques, and government support for the healthcare sector are spur the market. However, Asia pacific medical image analysis software market recording the fastest growth attributed to large number of patient pool in India and China, rise in medical tourism in Asia Pacific countries, and development in the healthcare infrastructure are surge the market over the forecast timeframe.

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Competition Assessment: Global Medical Image Analysis Software Market

Some of the players in the global medical image analysis software market include:

 GE Healthcare (US)

 Carestream Health, Inc. (US)

 Philips Healthcare (Netherlands)

 Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Japan)

 Esaote S.p.A (Italy)

 INFINITT Healthcare Co, Ltd. (South Korea)

 Siemens Healthineers (Germany)

 Merge Healthcare, Inc. (US)

 ScienceSoft USA Corporation (US)

 Image Analysis (UK)

Notable Market Developments: Global Medical Image Analysis Software Market

 In November 2017, GE Healthcare partnered with DIA Imaging Analysis Ltd. to adopt the companys imaging analysis technology for ultrasound devices.

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Precision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.

Contact to Precision Business Insights,

Kemp House,

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Global Point-of-Care Middleware Market report offers Market Size, Dynamics, Regional Market Share, Top Key Players, Latest trends, Growth factors, Industry Stats, Historic Market, Business Intelligence, Business Research Reports, Competitive Intelligence 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024

Global 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 2024

Market Outline: Global Point-of-Care Middleware Market

Middleware 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 Market

Increase 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.

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https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/point-of-care-middleware-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx

Market Scope: Global Point-of-Care Middleware Market

Global point-of-care middleware market is segmented based on deployment type and end user

Based on deployment type, market is segmented into the following:

 Cloud Based/Web Based

 On-Premise

Based on the end user, market is segmented into the following:

 Hospitals

 Clinics

 Diagnostic Centers

 Others

Free TOC of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/point-of-care-middleware-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu

Regional Analysis: Global Point-of-Care Middleware Market

Geographically, 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.

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Competition Assessment: Global Point-of-Care Middleware Market

Some 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.

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About Precision Business Insights

Precision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.

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Global Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Market report offers Market Size, Dynamics, Regional Market Share, Top Key Players, Latest trends, Growth factors, Industry Stats, Historic Market, Business Intelligence, Business Research Reports, Competitive Intelligence 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024

Global 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 2024

Market Outline: Global Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Market

Histone 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 Market

Rise 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.

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Market Scope: Global Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Market

Histone deacetylase inhibitors market is segmented on the basis of drug class, application, and Distribution Channel

Based on the drug class, the market is segmented into the following:

 Class I

 Class II

 Class III

 Class IV

Based on the application, the market is segmented into the following:

 Neurology

 Oncology

 Others

Based on the distribution channel, the market is segmented into the following:

 Hospital Pharmacies

 Retail Pharmacies

 Online Pharmacies

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https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/histone-deacetylase-inhibitors-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu

Regional Analysis: Global Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Market

Geographically, 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.

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Competition Assessment: Global Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Market

Some 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 disorders

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Website @https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.comAttack on Family Court

Women and children  last

Yet again Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has demonstrated that he is captive to the ultra-right forces of his own party. Bowing to the extremists in the Christian Right, the Turnbull government has announced the first step in the destruction of the Family Court.

Consistent with other Coalition government actions it is the most vulnerable  in this case children from broken homes and battered women  who will be the main victims of this reactionary move.

Last week, Attorney General Christian Porter announced that the Family Court would be merged with the Federal Circuit Court to form a new court known as the Federal Circuit Court and Family Court (FCCFC). The Family Court as it exists now with its highly trained and specialist judges, consultants and other staff would be mainstreamed.

Porter pointed to a huge backlog in cases in the Family Court as the reason why change is required. The backlog is not a result of the system itself but the failure of the government to adequately fund and staff it. The government has not replaced retiring judges.

The first thing to be noted is that shifting the Family Court into the mainstream court system will not solve any problems. There are huge backlogs in all the courts, not just the Family Court, and the government has offered no guarantees of the necessary additional funding.

Chief Justice Diana Bryant, when head of the Family Court, repeatedly called on the federal government to boost funding to the courts to provide money for registrars and family consultants to ease pressure on the system. In April 2017, four Senators took up the call, passing a motion calling for action in the federal courts system.

Bryant, back in 2015, spoke out about family violence and called on the government to adequately fund the family courts which are at the frontline in dealing with parenting disputes involving family violence.

Additional funding would ensure that families that are involved in family law disputes, and have experienced family violence, can have their cases resolved in a timely, non-adversarial way; that issues relating to the safety of children can be quickly identified; and can ensure that there is adequate capacity to hear and determine interim arrangements pending a final hearing.

But the government has deliberately undermined the Family Court system.

If Porters plans are passed, there will no longer be a requirement for new judges to have any experience or training in family law, or understanding of childrens developmental and psychological needs.

It will only be a matter of time before the Family Court disappears completely.

Not surprisingly, there is strong opposition to the dismantling of the Family Court from the judiciary, lawyers, and others involved. They do not want a return to the horrendous pre-Family Court days.

National spokeswoman for Womens Legal Services Australia, Angela Lynch, described the decision as appalling. Lawyers and judges have come out strongly against the changes to the system.

Specialists in the field of family law such as judges, lawyers, and those working with the victims of domestic violence were not consulted.

Women and children

The changes being proposed are a step backwards towards the old divorce laws where women and children often came second in a courts considerations. They were based on an adversarial, at-fault system.

Furthermore, under the governments plans, the judges would not necessarily have any expertise or experience in family law. As a consequence this could undermine the underlying principles of the Family Court system. The judges and magistrates will come from a system that is adversarial and punitive, based on wrong/right, guilty/not guilty.

Judges dealing with family legal cases will not necessarily have any training let alone experience in a childs developmental needs or psychological and social issues  the human factor that is so important.

This can only result in damage to the children affected. Women are less likely if a case goes to court to have the resources to be represented in court and so defend their interests and those of the family.

There is a huge difference in administering family law and criminal law.

At-fault divorce

Before the introduction of the Whitlam governments Family Court Act in 1976, a divorce could be granted if one party could prove that the other was at fault in the breakdown of the marriage. Matrimonial offences such as adultery, cruelty or desertion had to be proven before divorce could be granted.

The alternative was to prove that you had been separated for seven years, and then go on the waiting list for your case to be heard.

The whole process was very public in nature  divorce proceedings were conducted in the Supreme Court with all the profoundly private and personal issues involved in complex family matters being kicked around in a brutal blame-game.

The judge had incredible powers to refuse a divorce with anecdotal evidence of racism, sexism and personal religious beliefs held by the judge colouring his or her decisions.

The process could be extremely traumatising, for women in particular. The financial cost of this fault-based court process was prohibitive to many.

There were other barriers. For example, a woman who left the family home and took the children to escape domestic violence ran the risk of losing her children unless she could prove in court that she deserted on such grounds her safety or her childrens.

No-fault system

The Family Law Act introduced in 1976 is based on a no-fault system, where an individual no longer has to prove their partner guilty of adultery, desertion, etc. The Family Court was established as a dedicated legal forum for resolution of family law matters.

The aim was to provide a less adversarial processes for the resolution of cases concerning family law. As Prime Minister Gough Whitlam said at the time, the at-fault process promoted indignity, bitterness and hostility.

It was structured to foster an informal, supportive atmosphere with proceedings based on the notion that family law matters should be perceived as matters of inter-personal relationships, rather than morality. Emphasis was on mediation and reconciliation where agreement had not been reached.

Once the laws were enacted, a couple had only to show that their marriage had suffered an irretrievable breakdown  a separation of 12 months  in order to be granted a divorce.

The parties could continue to reside at the same address but be defined as separated. The law abolished the requirement that blame be assigned in order to dissolve the marriage.

Since 1976, the Family Court Act has undergone a number of amendments, increasing the emphasis on the importance of decisions in the best interests of the child and where possible ensuring that children have the benefit of both parents having a meaningful involvement in their lives. Specific mention of the need to ensure safety from family violence has also been introduced.

There was vocal opposition to this reform. Self-appointed moral guardians  sprouted in numbers in the Liberal-National Coalition parties  argued that it would increase marriage breakdown and relationship instability and would encourage promiscuity and destroy the institution of marriage.

Wither on the vine

Should the government succeed, the FCCFC would have two divisions. The existing Family Court will become division two with existing judges transferring over. They would handle both family law and general federal law matters. As judges turn 70 years of age they are required to retire.

Over time this will mean a decreasing number of specialist judges, each with a smaller proportion of their time on family law matters.

Angela Lynch, national spokeswoman for Womens Legal Services Australia, warned that the overhaul would have significant consequences for vulnerable women attempting to navigate the legal system. New appointees to the court will not be required to have any expertise or experience in family law, a highly complex field in which a great deal of understanding of domestic violence and the needs of children is required.

Deal with Hanson?

Lynch also raised the concern that the government may have done a backroom deal with the racist, xenophobic Pauline Hanson who has been persistently calling for the destruction of the Family Court since her first speech in the Senate.

Following Porters announcement, Hanson immediately took credit for the overhaul, saying she was proud of the role her party had played in prompting the shift.

Former federal Attorney General George Brandis commenced the process of dismantling the Family Court when he appointed John Pascoe, Chief Judge of the Federal Circuit Court, as head of the Family Court in October 2017, just 14 months out from turning 70, the mandatory age for retirement.

Pascoe is there to do a hatchet job on the Family Court so that the changes can come into force at the beginning of 2019.

The governments decision to dismantle the Family Court pre-empts the findings and recommendations of an 18-month review of the Family Law Act being undertaken by the Australian Law Reform Commission.

There is some room for improvement in the system and this is what the government should be addressing, not throwing it out.

This is yet another move by the Coalition government to win over the extreme right, in particular the forces who might be attracted to Hansons One Nation party. The Family Court system must be defended and adequately funded, resourced and staffed.Editorial

On corporate globalisation

Corporate globalisation is a socio-economic offensive to impose free trade deals and other corporate schemes on all national economies, forcing some to integrate into one imperialist cartel or another, while excluding others to the very margins of the global economy. It is an unprecedented attack on workers rights and living conditions through privatisation, the destruction of public programs and services, legislative attacks, and state repression.

At its spearhead is the military-strategic offensive of US imperialism and its allies to crush resistance and impose its global domination.

The process of globalisation itself intensifies these tendencies of war and aggression. This comes precisely because of the fact that in its efforts towards the economic re-colonisation of the third world, globalisation has led to an intensification of economic exploitation on a world scale.

Inherent in this is the sharp widening of inequalities, both between the developing countries and the developed countries and between the rich and poor in all countries, leading to large-scale depravation and want. The contradiction of the capitalist system seen in this large-scale impoverishment of a majority of the worlds people means the reduction of their capacity to be the consumers of the products that this globalised economy produces.

So, in Australia we have the Turnbull government cherry-picking economic statistics and mouthing of jobs and growth while supporting the corporate push for cutting wages. including the minimum wage and the penalty rates of shift workers.

The US and its allies do not have the capacity to control the world: They can, however, destroy it.

The US doctrine of unending war also has its domestic expression  to take back every gain won by the working class and people over the past century. It entails a massive shift in wealth to the rich and a new concentration of monopoly power, including greater concentration of the corporate mass media.

Australian workers are feeling the effects of these processes, as are the workers of every other capitalist country. Although each country will have its specific experiences and situation, the underlying processes are common to us all.

The global financial network is a constantly changing maze of currency transactions, global securities, euro-yen swaps and an ever-more innovative array of speculative devises for repackaging and reselling money.

This network is much closer to a chain of gambling casinos than to the dull, grey banks of the past. Twenty-four hours a day, trillions of dollars flow through the worlds foreign exchange markets. No more than ten percent of this staggering sum has anything to do with trade in goods and services.

A common development is the rise of working class and community movements against these policies and their effects. There are strikes and demonstrations against the attacks on trade union and workers rights, for wage increases, for shorter hours, for collective bargaining rights, for health and safety on the job, against privatisation, against cuts in services, in defence of democratic rights, for womens rights, for national independence and sovereignty, for preservation of the environment.

Of the utmost importance is the strengthening of cooperation and solidarity among people, workers, communist and progressive forces of the world.

In a world more and more divided by the social, economic, political and military barriers of corporate globalisation it is crucial to develop friendships and forge new alliances based on common cause, and relations of friendship and solidarity.All at sea

Nappies, sanitary products and surgical masks are washing up on NSW beaches after a ship lost at least 86 shipping containers in rough seas off Newcastle.

Waste washed up on a beach around Port Stephens.

A Liberian-registered ship bound for Port Botany, south of Sydney, lost the containers after being struck by high winds and a heavy swell en route from Taiwan. Another 30 containers were reported to be severely damaged.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has issued navigational warnings and asked other vessels to report if they see shipping containers floating just below the surface of the South Pacific Ocean.

Shipping containers have already been reported to be drifting south of Port Stephens, just north of Newcastle, an AMSA spokesperson told The New Daily.

While the containers do not represent a threat to larger vessels, a collision with a thin-hulled yacht can  and often has  lead to disaster. A helicopter scoured the coastline for the 12-metre containers while nappies, surgical masks and plastic containers are among the first debris to wash up on Jimmys Beach and Rocky Point.

Likely many of the shipping containers have sunk, but some float low in the water, with vessels able to see them and report them to the AMSA, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the containers went overboard at midnight on Thursday, but the operator did not report the incident to AMSA until 11 am on the Friday after.

AMSA sent an aircraft past the vessel on Friday to capture vision of the damage and pollution offshore and planned to send inspectors on board once the ship berthed.

The ship, YM Efficiency is a Liberia-registered ship. Operator Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation Australia managing director Steven Ka told The New Daily all parties were working to get the vessel into Port Botany as soon as possible.

As far as we have heard from the master of the vessel, some containers were falling overboard, Mr Ka said.

Mr Ka said fortunately all of the crew on the YM Efficiency were safe, nobody was hurt and there had been no significant damage to the vessel.

So she is still sailing on the way to Port Botany, he said.

Mr Ka could not confirm the contents inside the shipping containers, but said they were full of all kind of items and so far we know there are no dangerous cargoes involved.

The Australian Associated Press reported the company was informing customers and discussing the next steps with its insurer.

At time of writing, it was thought that somewhere between four and 27 shipping containers are lost in oceans around the world each day, according to BBC nature documentary series, Blue Planet II.

UK newspaper The Telegraph reported shipping containers can take up to two months to sink, while refrigerated containers can be buoyed in the water for longer due to internal insulation.

Contents of shipping containers can pollute the ocean and waters with hazardous chemicals or materials, but food, clothing and even toys have also been found on beaches around the world.

In 2006, thousands of bags of Doritos crisps washed up on the sands of the North Carolina Outer Banks and LEGO pieces continue to wash up on the Perran Sands in Cornwall in the United Kingdom after a container ship full of toys was hit by a wave in 1997.

In another incident, 29,000 plastic yellow ducks, known as the Friendly Floatees, red beavers, blue turtles and green fogs lost in the Pacific Ocean in 1992, were sited at beaches in the United States, South America, Europe and Australia.Marx at 200

Standing the test of time

Ten Marxist ideas that define the 21st century

Illustration by Rafael Barboza.

Every time the alarms sound announcing another economic crisis, sales of Karl Marxs books skyrocket. Few understood how capitalism works and its consequences for humanity like this 19th-century German thinker.

No matter how hard the hegemonic propaganda machine has tried to refute his analysis and decree the death of the ideas to which he dedicated his life, Marxism resists the test of time and its validity  not only as a method to understand the world  but as a tool to transform it, is proven.

Two centuries after his birth, Granma International shares ten of Marxs predictions that set the pace of the 21st century.

The concentration and centralisation of capital

In his masterpiece Capital, Marx defined economic reproduction in capitalism and predicted the tendency to concentrate and centralise capital.

While the first aspect refers to the accumulation of surplus value  the value created over and above the labour power of workers (surplus labour), appropriated by the capitalist as profit  the second term consists of the increase in capital as a result of the combination of several individual capitals, almost always as a result of bankruptcies or economic crises.

The implications of this analysis are devastating for the defenders of the ability of the blind hand of the market to distribute wealth.

As Marx predicted, one of the characteristics of capitalism in the 21st century is the growing gap between rich and poor. According to Oxfams latest report, 82 percent of the wealth generated worldwide in 2017 went into the pockets of the richest one percent of the global population, while 3.7 billion people, the poorest half of the world, saw no increase in their wealth.

The instability of capitalism and cyclical crisis

The German philosopher was one of the first to understand that economic crises were not an error of the capitalist system, but one of its intrinsic characteristics.

Even today attempts are made to peddle a different idea.

However, from the Stock Market Crash of 1929, to the crisis of 2007-2008, there is a clear course that follows the patterns as outlined by Marx. Hence, even Wall Street magnates end up turning to the pages of Capital to find some answers.

Class struggle

Perhaps one of the most revolutionary Marxist ideas was the understanding that The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles, as we read in the Communist Manifesto written by Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1848.

That thesis threw liberal thought into crisis. For Marx, the capitalist state is one more tool of the hegemonic class to dominate the rest, while reproducing its values and its own class.

A century and a half later, social struggles are fought between the one percent that dominates and the other 99 percent.

The industrial reserve army

The capitalist, according to Marx, needs to keep wages low in order to maximise profitability. This can be achieved as long as there is another worker waiting to take the place of one who refuses to accept the conditions. Thats who he called the reserve industrial army.

Although the social and trade union struggles from the 19th century to the present day have changed elements of this situation, especially in developed nations, the quest for low wages continues to be a constant in the business sector.

During the 20th century, large manufacturing companies in Europe and the United States relocated to Asia in search of a skilled workforce they could pay less.

Although recent governments point to a loss of jobs through this process, as the Donald Trump administration in the United States has, the fact is that these companies managed to maintain their high growth rates thanks to the exploitation of cheap labour.

Regarding wages, current studies show that workers purchasing power, in terms of what can be bought and not their nominal value, has been decreasing in western countries for nearly 30 years.

And the gap is even greater between executives and low-level employees.

According to an article in The Economist, while in the last two decades workers pay in countries like the United States has stagnated, the salary of top executives has increased significantly: they have gone from earning 40 times the average pay to pocketing 110 times more. (www.economist.com/node/8554819)

The negative role of finance capital

While Marx details the mechanisms of exploitation inherent in the process of capital accumulation, he is especially critical of financial capital, which does not have a direct material role in the economy, but is created in a fictitious way, such as a promissory note or a bond.

In his day, one couldnt imagine the modern development of this sector of the economy, thanks to the use of computers to carry out financial transactions at the speed of light.

Speculation and the elaboration of complex financial mechanisms  such as the so-called subprime, which triggered the crisis of 2007-2008  are currently solid confirmation of Marxs concerns.

The creation of false needs

The 19th century had not yet seen the boom of commercial advertising on radio and television, much less modern mechanisms to personalise advertising messages on the Internet, but Marx already warned of the ability of the capitalist system to generate alienation and false needs among people.

The extension of products and needs becomes a contriving and ever-calculating subservience to inhuman, sophisticated, unnatural, and imaginary appetites, he predicted over 150 years ago.

In todays world, cell phones become outdated in just a few months, and advertising is responsible for convincing users to buy the latest model. Meanwhile, household appliances are built with planned obsolescence to ensure they stop working after a few years, and thus create the need to replace them.

Globalisation

The need of a constantly expanding market for its products chases the bourgeoisie over the whole surface of the globe. It must nestle everywhere, settle everywhere, establish connexions everywhere, Marx and Engels wrote in the Communist Manifesto.

Their portrait of the globalisation of markets, accompanied by the imposition of a culture determined by consumption, could not be more accurate.

The prominence of monopolies

At the same time, this trend is accompanied by the creation of transnational monopolies. While classical liberal economic theory assumed that competition would maintain multiplicity of ownership, Marx went a step further and identified the markets tendency to amalgamate based on the law of the strongest.

Large media, telephone, and oil conglomerates are some of the current examples of the process described by Marx.

The suicidal tendencies of capitalism

All that is solid melts into air, is one of the most enlightened reflections on capitalism in the Communist Manifesto.

Marx and Engels understood the creative and at the same time self-destructive nature of capitalism, in which the pursuit of productivity at any price imposes an inhuman rhythm of production and unsustainable consumption.

It is precisely this trend that currently has our planet on the edge of collapse.

The impact of human beings on the rise in global temperature is scientifically proven, although certain presidents, such as that of the United States, continue to deny it.

The revolutionary potential of the working class

Marxs greatest impact on history was not his profound analysis of the contradictions of capitalism, but his call to build a new kind of society: based on communism.

His message that the proletariat has the potential to free itself from oppression and inequality forever changed the twentieth century and inspired revolutions in Russia, China, Vietnam, and Cuba, among other countries. His call to working class unity remains fully valid in the 21st century.Enter the dragon

Chinas crucial role in winning Syria peace

China is stepping up its involvement in Syria, not with its military, but with cash  and lots of it. For Beijing, war-torn Syria is a golden opportunity for reconstruction business. For Damascus, prosperity means peace.

A Syrian man carries a baby after removing him from the rubble of a destroyed building following an air strike in Aleppo.

Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem have shown through their cordial discussions that Beijing and Damascus are on the same page when it comes to envisaging the rebuilding of Syria through partnership.

Chinese President Xi Jinping also recently backed the Russian-brokered peace talks held in Sochi and Astana. When Russian President Vladimir Putin called for an urgent shift to diplomatic efforts to stabilise Syria and the Middle East region, Beijing appears to have answered that call with ambitious reconstruction plans.

Firms from China are reportedly queuing up to win contracts for rebuilding entire towns and villages, roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, and communication networks devastated by nearly seven years of war.

The United Nations estimates that the war damage to Syrias infrastructure amounts to be at least US$250 billion. China could be the ideal partner to rebuild the country. Russia and Iran certainly were crucial to President Assads forces winning the military war. But now it is China which is becoming crucial to winning the peace.

Western powers are reluctant to help rebuild Syria after its civil war, reported Bloomberg. Because they think the wrong side won.

It seems that the US and European Union are deliberately withholding money as a lever on pressuring political transition in Syria, which is a euphemism for regime change. The Western powers backed a seven-year insurgency to topple Assad, but they lost. Now, it seems, what these powers couldnt achieve militarily, they are trying to do through financial coercion.

Of course, if international law was fairly applied, the US and its allies should be mandated to pay war damages given their responsibility for unleashing much of the violence on Syria.

Unfortunately, that just and reasonable outcome is unlikely, given the inveterate double standards of Western powers.

In any case, as Russian envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, was quoted as saying, Western involvement in the countrys reconstruction is not essential. Because there are alternative sources of capital investment, primarily China.

Perfect fit

Chinas involvement in Syria fits perfectly with its grand global vision of One Belt, One Road (OBOR) economic integration. Historically, Syria was a vital node in the centuries-old Silk Routes that fanned out from China across Asia to Europe and Africa. Today, Syrias position as a strategic crossroads between Asia, Europe and Africa is no less important.

Beijing is keenly aware that its OBOR vision depends on political stability and security in order to become established.

This week, China hosted the security council chiefs from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Beijing. President Xi, as well as Russias top security official Nikolai Patrushev, reportedly emphasised the imperative need for cooperation and security to underpin progressive economic development in the Eurasian space and beyond.

That is why China is viewing Syria as an urgent priority. Without security and stability in the Levant, much of Chinas global plans for reviving the Silk Roads are imperilled. No doubt, Russia is well aware of this essential part of the geopolitical jigsaw puzzle.

Last month, Chinas special envoy to Syria, Xie Xiaoyan, told Russian media that the two countries were working closely on promotion of Syrias political process and post-war recovery. He said that collaboration between Moscow and Beijing on securing Syrias future was part of the sweeping strategic partnership that has consolidated in recent years under the leaderships of Putin and Xi.

Viable peace

One may surmise that Russia and China are working in tandem with regard to pursuing peace in Syria, albeit in a quietly spoken way. Russias military power played an essential role in bringing the violence in Syria to an end. But now China is taking on the task of turning the diminished violence into a viable, lasting peace through reconstruction and economic revival.

Both countries are not doing this solely out of altruism. China and Russia, as well as Iran, India and others, stand to make lucrative gains from rebuilding an entire country.

President Assad has openly stated that Western states and their regional allies like Turkey and Saudi Arabia will not be given any opportunities to profit from Syrias future. Assad is looking eastwards for future prospects.

But, as noted above, its the bigger picture of Eurasian economic integration that provides even more of an incentive for China and Russia. Bringing peace to Syria is a cornerstone in the global economic development plans that China and Russia have, in particular, been advocating, sweeping across continents from Vladivostok to Lisbon, down through the Middle East to Africa.

There are also specific security concerns for China and Russia in Syria from thousands of militants threatening to return to those countries. There is estimated to be some 5,000 Uighur jihadists from China that have fought in Syria as part of the Western-backed regime-change war.

If Syrias security and peace is left in the lurch, the country could become a dangerous breeding ground for terrorism across the entire Eurasian region, again putting ambitious economic plans in jeopardy.

Perhaps that is what Western imperial planners are counting on, by prolonging Syrias conflict and chaos partly for the objective of destabilising the Russian and Chinese vision of Eurasian integration.

Sovereign matter

As well as imposing sanctions on Syria and impeding investment for reconstruction, there are ominous signs that American, French and other NATO allies are trying to extend military pressure to carve up the country into occupied zones. There have been reports of increasing French troop numbers joining US forces in northern Syria.

The other thing in Chinas favour is its long history of friendly relations with Syria. As with Russia during the Cold War decades, China maintained a close alliance with Assads father, Hafez, as part of an international socialist bloc. That relationship prevails today.

China, like Russia and Iran, has no truck with Western demands for political transition in Damascus. Its a sovereign matter for the Syrian people to decide alone and without external interference. And most Syrians support President Assad.

Western machinations over Syria have been a failure. The illegal war that Washington, Britain, France and their regional partners prosecuted has been a miserable waste. Now those same villains are trying to delay Syrias peace by using financial weapons.

But if China steps in with its colossal economic power, the attempted Western isolation of Syria will only turn out to be another huge loss. Ever the shrewd strategists, China can turn Western depredations into an immensely rewarding opportunity.

If Syria gets back on its feet with peace and stability, it will be China, Russia, Iran and the entire Eurasian region that are the big winners. Moreover, that strategic economic integration will also spell further demise for Americas global power.

RT  Russia TodayIndictment of US poverty

The United Nations has released a scathing report on poverty and inequality in the United States. The findings, which will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council on June 21, follow an official visit to the United States by Philip Alston, the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, to investigate whether economic insecurity in the country undermines human rights.

The conclusions are damning. The United States already leads the developed world in income and wealth inequality, and it is now moving full steam ahead to make itself even more unequal, the report concludes. High child and youth poverty rates perpetuate the intergenerational transmission of poverty very effectively, and ensure that the American dream is rapidly becoming the American illusion.

The UN explicitly lays blame with the Trump administration for policies that actively increase poverty and inequality in the country. The US$1.5 trillion in tax cuts in December 2017 overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy and worsened inequality. The consequences of neglecting poverty and promoting inequality are clear, it concludes. The policies pursued over the past year seem deliberately designed to remove basic protections from the poorest, punish those who are not in employment and make even basic health care into a privilege to be earned rather than a right of citizenship.

In December, Alston visited seven locations throughout the country  ranging from Los Angeless Skid Row neighbourhood to rural Alabama, West Virginia, and Puerto Rico  to meet with people experiencing deep poverty, along with experts and civil society groups.

In an interview with TalkPoverty ahead of the release, Alston characterised the United States as an outlier among the developed world.

If you said to most Americans, Look at what country X does to its ethnic minority or to a particular religious minority ... your average American with any knowledge of that situation is going to shake her head and say, This is a disgrace,  Alston said.

But of course, theres a direct parallel in the United States and it affects not just a small ethnic minority but a very large racial group of African Americans in particular, where they just come out worse on every possible indicator and policies are clearly designed to hit them harder.

Alston described meeting people who had lost all of their teeth because adult dental care is not covered by the vast majority of programs available to the very poor, and people in Puerto Rico living next to a mountain of completely unprotected coal ash, which rains down upon them bringing illness, disability, and death.

In Lowndes County, Alabama, the UN found cesspools of sewage that flowed out of dysfunctional (or non-existent) septic systems, which has led to a resurgence in diseases that officials believed were eradicated. A recent study found that more than one-third of people surveyed in Alabama tested positive for hookworm  a parasite that thrives in areas of poor sanitation, which has not been well-documented in the United States since the 1950s.

The Human Rights Council oversees human rights protection around the world. Though the United States is an elected member of the council, it doesnt have the friendliest relationship with the body. President George W Bush boycotted the council at its founding in 2006 (a decision the Obama administration later reversed), and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has been a relentless critic of the council under Trump. Notably, the United States and Cuba are the only countries in North America not to offer standing invitations from the Human Rights Council.

As for the odds that the report will force the administration to change course, Alston was not hopeful. During the visit, The US was visibly debating what to do with US$1.5 trillion [in tax cuts]. And its proposals in relation to those living in poverty was essentially to cut back on existing benefits in order to help fund the tax reforms. That made for a pretty dramatic contrast for the approach that I have found elsewhere.

Information Clearing HouseUS fingerprints all over Nicaragua unrest

The so-called marea rosa, or pink tide, of allied leftist governments which held sway across Latin America in previous years is being rolled back. Brazils Dilma Rousseff was removed from power in a right-wing coup, co-conspirators of which have now managed to imprison the current presidential frontrunner, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Ecuadors Lenin Moreno has stabbed his former leader Rafael Correa in the back by barring him from seeking re-election, while seemingly purging his cabinet of remaining Correa loyalists and beginning the process of allowing the US military back into the country. Alongside other democratic and not-so-democratic removals of leftist governments from power, NATO has nabbed itself a foothold in the region, now that Colombia has joined the obsolete yet aggressively expanding Cold War alliance (see story page 12), in a thinly veiled threat to neighbouring Venezuela.

Under Ortegas Sandinistas, Nicaragua went through a hugely successful literacy campaign and land reform process.

And now its Nicaraguas turn under the boot. Again.

Over 100 people have been killed since unrest broke out in mid-April. Student demonstrations began in the capital Managua as a reaction to the countrys failure to handle forest fires in one of the most protected areas of the Indio Maiz Biological Reserve. The situation was then exacerbated when, two days later, the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front announced it was slashing pensions and social security payments, sparking further anti-government protests. Targeted opposition violence along with police repressions have led to a mounting body count on both sides. Violence persists in the country, despite the fact that President Ortega has now ditched the proposed welfare reforms and has been engaging in talks with the opposition.

The government has adamantly denied it was responsible for snipers killing at least 15 people at a recent demonstration. And, while we may never know what really happened, its fair to say an embattled national leadership in the midst of peace talks has little to gain from people being gunned down in front of the worlds media at an opposition march on Mothers Day. All Ill say on the matter is its not like we didnt have mysterious sharpshooters picking off protesters during US-supported coups in Venezuela and Ukraine.

With his approval ratings recently reaching as high as 80 percent during the 2017 presidential campaign, Nicaraguas President Daniel Ortega is far from a dictator. As a Guerrilla leader, Ortegas leftist Frente Sandinista de Liberacion Nacional (FSLN) overthrew Anastasio Somoza Debayles brutal regime in 1979, thereby ending the Somoza family dynasty which had ruled Nicaragua since the mid-1930s. The US responded by arming, funding and training right-wing death squads, in an insurgency that would ultimately cost the lives of more than 60,000 people over the course of a decade. While all this was going on, Ortega called a free and open presidential election in 1984 and won with 67 percent of the vote. Under Ortegas Sandinistas, Nicaragua went through a hugely successful literacy campaign and land reform process.

Ortega was then defeated in the 1990 presidential elections and remained an opposition figure until 2007, when he was re-elected. He has been back at the helm of the country now for over 10 years. Despite his Marxist past, Ortegas embracing of populist politics has seen him pander to conservative religious attitudes. In a country whose national identity has been so shaped in recent history by iconic revolutionary movements, Ortegas moves to appease the right have alienated some on the left, most noticeably among the nations younger cadres.

It is unsurprising then that the US is apparently capitalising on growing discontent, stoking dissent among the youth in a deliberate attempt to destabilise the Sandinista government. Infamously nefarious US soft power organisations such as the National Endowment for Democracy, also known as the CIAs legal window, have set up extensive networks in Nicaragua.

Among the leading Nicaraguan student activists currently touring Europe to garner support for the anti-government movement is Jessica Cisneros. Cisneros is a member of the Movimiento Civico de Juventudes, which is funded by Madeline Albrights National Democratic Institute (NDI). You remember Albright, right? Shes the former US Secretary of State that said that 500,000 Iraqi Children dying as a result of US sanctions against Saddam Hussein was worth it.

According to the NDIs website, the organisation has partnered with Nicaraguan universities and civic organisations to conduct a youth leadership program, which has helped to prepare over 2,000 current and future young leaders from across the country in order to improve the countrys democratic development.

Joining Cisneros on tour in Europe is Yerling Aguilera. At the time of writing this article Aguileras LinkedIn profile has her listed as a former employee and consultant for Instituto de Estudios Estrategicos y Politicas Publicas (IEEPP) in Nicaragua. IEEPP has received extensive funding from the National Endowment for Democracy.

If the idea of Washington supporting progressive anti-government forces in Latin America confuses you, then youre failing to grasp the nature of US interference. During the Cold War, for example, the US supported both the Mujahideen in Afghanistan as well as eastern European trade unionists against the Soviet Union. Indeed, throughout the Syrian conflict, Washington has been arming leftist groups alongside jihadist organisations. It goes without saying that, despite US politicians getting all dewy-eyed over freedom fighters, the likes of Jihadists or even trade unionists are not welcome in US society. Certainly not if they receive foreign funding to carry out anti-government activities.

Its all well and good saying things like let Nicaraguans decide their future for themselves without foreign interference, but criticism of Nicaraguas young activists, based purely on the grounds of their acceptance of foreign backing, misses the point. Doing so ignores the historic fact that the Sandinistas also received extensive foreign support from the Cuban intelligence service (DGI) during the revolution. The difference between the two, however, are the stringent financial and economic conditions that go hand-in-hand with US support. When it comes to Washington backing your fight, theres no such thing as a free ride.

Ortegas government is far from perfect, but Nicaraguas progressive opposition must be made to recognise the dangerous path down which they are leading their country. Yes, on the surface the organisations funding them may well have liberal-sounding mission statements that stress the need to increase womens political participation and initiatives to decrease discrimination against LGBTI people, but they should know the destructive role that Washington non-profit foundations such as the NED or NDI have played around the world. They literally share the same agenda as the CIA.

Nicaraguans struggled against Washingtons subjugation of the country for most of the 20th century. Revolutionary Augusto C Sandino, whose name Ortegas Sandinistas incorporated, led an iconic guerrilla war against US military occupation of the country between 1927-1933. He was eventually assassinated by the forces of General Anastasio Somoza Garcia (Anastasio Somoza Debayles grandfather), who went on to seize power two years later in a military coup. It was through Somoza that Washington first perfected its soft power form of imperialism, breaking with the European military occupation model. Somoza, armed and funded by Washington, crushed all opposition while making himself and his cohorts fantastically rich on the condition that he kept the country open to any and all US financial interests. Washington began to replicate this model all over Latin America, modernising its tactics from the 80s onwards, all towards fostering corrupt neo-liberal governments.

With the David and Goliath-style struggle for freedom and dignity their nation has waged over the years, the tens of thousands of Nicaraguans turning out into the streets for pro-government rallies undoubtedly want to preserve the security and relative prosperity they have known in recent years. Handing the keys of their country back over to Washington negates both of those things.

RT  Russia TodayColombia

Global partner ... in war and plunder

It was no surprise. Already Colombia had sent personnel to military training schools in Germany and Rome and troops to the Horn of Africa to fight Somali pirates, all under the auspices of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Already, in 2013, Colombia and NATO had agreed to cooperate in intelligence-sharing, military-training exercises, and so-called humanitarian interventions. And in May 2017, Colombia and NATO agreed that the former would become a NATO global partner.

The Colombian government spends 13.1 percent of its total outlay on military spending, which accounts for 3.4 percent of Colombias GDP, the highest such rate in South America.

On May 25, 2018, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos made an announcement to that effect. He mentioned too that Colombia was joining the Organisation for Cooperation and Economic Development, an international club of creditors of deeply indebted poor countries, according to one observer. Within a few days, Santos was conferring in Brussels with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Colombia thus becomes NATOs first global partner in Latin America. Those in other regions include Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, New Zealand, Japan, Mongolia, and South Korea. But planning for Colombias association with NATO apparently preceded that for the seven other nations. As a global partner, Colombia isnt bound by Article 5 of NATOs founding treaty of 1949 which declares that an attack on one member state is an attack on all of them, something applying to the 29 fully-fledged members.

The job description of a global partner, according to the NATO website, is to develop cooperation with NATO in areas of mutual interest, including emerging security challenges, and some [partners] contribute actively to NATO operations either militarily or in some other way. Thus an intimate bond between the country and the structure of NATO involves close collaboration in most military areas.

Colombia boasts two qualifications for associating with NATO. One, its a regional military power. Representative numbers tell that story: Colombias military force includes 550,550 troops (369,100 active duty), 273 helicopters, 1,345 armed fighting vehicles, and US$8.976 billion in budgeted military spending for 2017. Only Brazil, at US$25.75 billion, exceeds Colombia in this regard in Latin America. The Colombian government spends 13.1 percent of its total outlay on military spending, which accounts for 3.4 percent of Colombias GDP, the highest such rate in South America, says a source citing a percentage of 3.1.

Secondly, Colombias relations with a powerful sponsor are tight. The bond between the United States and Colombia has persisted since 1948 when Bogota hosted the conference at which the Organisation of American States took shape, since 1951 when the Colombian Battalion joined US troops in the Korean war (alone among Latin American soldiers), since 1962 when US military advisors in effect turned Colombias counter-insurgency effort over to paramilitaries thereby sowing seeds of murder and chaos, since the 1980s when common purpose in dealing with illicit drugs first emerged, since 2000 when billions of dollars in military aid started to flow under Plan Colombia, and since 2009 when arrangements for seven US bases in Colombia were finalised.

Colombia enters a NATO where its US patron has exerted leadership at the highest level. Partnership between the United States and Colombia, resting on shared commercial and economic interests of the dominant social classes of both countries, now plays out within a militarised, multinational entity that protects such interests.

A dreadful duo thus has the back of Colombias oligarchy. The prospect is good that new grief will be falling upon the underclass not only in Colombia, but also in the region and farther afield.

Criticism centres on facades obscuring possible NATO and US militarised interventions in Colombia and Latin America generally. These include operations like humanitarian assistance, fighting illicit drugs, and countering alleged terrorism. Intelligence sharing and standardisation of military equipment can be expected.

There is speculation that a NATO-US alliance may lead to new impediments to struggles in Colombia for justice and peace. It will fence in possibilities for social transformation, says one analyst. With NATO on the scene, the governments zeal for implementing the recent peace agreement with the FARC, enfeebled already, may weaken even more. And Colombias army and paramilitary forces may soon be acting like a praetorian, imperial guard in the region controlling all the narco-trafficking in the region.

There is worry too that with NATOs intrusion in Latin American affairs, recent advances toward regional unity may be doomed. The presence of NATO, real or imagined, may cancel out or damage regional alliances that deal with social programs, or promote mutually beneficial trade arrangements, or foster military and diplomatic cooperation. The prototype of the latter has been the Latin America and Caribbean Economic Community (CELAC), with its mission of ameliorating conflict among member states. In retrospect, CELACs declaration of January 2014 in favour of a Zone of Peace looks now like wishful thinking.

President Santos has come under serious criticism, for example, that he brings to a peaceful and denuclearised region like Latin America and the Caribbean a weapon [capable] of mass destruction of peoples and states like NATO. And according to Venezuelas foreign ministry, Colombian authorities now lend themselves to introduce, in Latin America and the Caribbean, a foreign military alliance with nuclear capacity, which in every way constitutes a serious threat for peace and regional stability. That has meaning, says another observer, especially along the borders of progressive states like Venezuela and Ecuador.

Lastly, claims are heard that Colombias now close association with NATO represents a fundamental shift in US strategies for global control. Formerly, and especially during the Cold War, NATO leaders targeted Soviet Russia ostensibly because of its communist government. For reasons that are less clear, but having to do generally with control, NATO undertook to encircle post-Soviet Russia. While engaged in the Middle East and Afghanistan, NATO had its eyes on Russia too.

Now, however, NATO has a Western Hemisphere ally with a coastline and ports on the southern reaches of the Pacific Ocean. US machinations may have accounted for Colombia joining NATO, and, if so, with a rationale. At least one analyst there thinks that China seriously threatens the political economic, military, and cultural hegemony of the United States. In fact, he says, the Pacific Ocean is today the most important battlefield of the Second Cold War. And for imperialist plunderers of the 21st Century, Colombia has become the point of their sword.

Peoples WorldPromoting a movie is tricky. On the one hand, you want people talking about it ahead of its release, but on the other, you don't want to give away the whole plot. Of course, we're ignoring the fact that most movie trailers these days run for about 20 minutes and proudly feature all of the best scenes from the film, but we're trying to give Hollywood the benefit of the doubt here. Besides, promotional materials have much better ways to spoil their own movies. Like how ...

5 Movies Are Frequently Spoiled By Their Own Tie-In Toys

You'd think there would be someone in charge of making sure the merchandising doesn't ruin the actual movie, kind of like an inverse Transformers scenario. But it happens surprisingly often. Toy Story 3's Lego set, which hit stores a full month before the movie came out, showed not only the true villain of the movie, but also the pivotal climactic scene wherein he tries to murder the main characters -- and even exactly how they are rescued from it.

LEGO No plot assembly required.

DC debuted an action figure at a toy fair over a month before the theatrical release of Batman v. Superman which showed Lex Luthor in his eventual prison pajamas.

Mattel He's arrested for crimes against acting.

The Captain America: Civil War trailers tried so hard not to spoil the scene in which Ant-Man shifts into Giant-Man. But they really shouldn't have bothered, because this giant-headed screw-up came out months prior:

Funko Giant-Spoiler

From the earliest advertisements for Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Marvel went to great lengths to hide the first appearance of Vision, relegating him only to obscure slivers in the trailers and backgrounds of the posters. If you squint, you can just about see him in the upper-left corner here:TUGVA, Kim Milyoner Olmak Ister'e de el atmsMy mind was in a dither, distracted by events elsewhere. All I could think about was Justin Trudeaus eyebrows.

There is footage of Canadian prime minister Trudeau  a vain young Herbert  at the weekends G7 meeting, and it appears to show one of his gorgeous eyebrows slipping down his face.

Shades of the late Dame Barbara Cartland, one of whose eyelashes fell into her salad while I was lunching beside her at The Dorchester hotel in the 1990s. I mistook it for a creepy-crawly on her lettuce and, with what I hoped was gentlemanly discretion, pointed this out. She loudly told me, Dont be so silly, luvvie, its one of me eyelashes, and shamelessly retrieved the thing, giving it a lick.

Defenders of M Trudeau insist that the lighting in the room created a strange visual effect and his eyebrows were not fake. The case continues.

The Commons day began with Westminsters own Justin Trudeau: Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson. Hes pretty. Hes youthful. He has lovely hair and a set of eyebrows that would not disgrace a flamenco dancer. But is he any good?

At the weekend's G7 meeting Justin Trudeau's eyebrows appear to be slipping down his face

Behind the scenes, Mr Williamson has fans.

We are told (it is never quite clear by whom) that generals like his decisiveness. We are told (again, the sources are obscure) that he has been brilliant at taking on the Treasury and demanding more money for Defence.

Treasury sources have returned fire by nicknaming Mr Williamson the Private Pike of the Cabinet.

On Brexit he has been influential. When the war Cabinet held a big meeting recently about whether or not to accept civil servants mad idea for a customs partnership, Mr Williamson came down firmly on the side of the Brexiteers.

Given that he was David Camerons former parliamentary private secretary, he is to be complimented on accepting the democratic vote for Leave.

In the Commons, however, Mr Williamson has yet to convince.

When he became Defence Secretary he sounded hollow  all swagger, cliche delivered with a pumped lip. Yesterday, taking Defence Questions, the Yorkshireman unveiled a new ploy: a slower vocal delivery, shorter answers and fewer uses of the expression going forward.

But the voice is still a nasal, almost camp, monotone. Fred Trueman with a dash of Frank Spencer. He left much of the work to ministerial colleagues. The best of these was Tobias Ellwood, who might have made a more classically convincing Secretary of State. Of the other two ministers, Mark Lancaster and Guto Bebb, the less said the better.

The Commons day began with Westminsters own Justin Trudeau: Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson

But what of Williamson? Is he a man to impress US allies and to daunt Russian potential foes?

He was asked about the future of the Royal Navy. The Navy, he disclosed with great seriousness, existed to keep our waters safe and it would continue to try to do that. Deep, man.

Someone mentioned the Atlantic. Mr Williamson had an observation and he produced it like Admiral Nelson unrolling a brilliant counter-attack strategy. It is, he quoth, a very large ocean. Eyes in the Commons narrowed. MPs stroked their chins. Was this a brilliant apercu, like Eric Cantonas saw about seagulls and trawlers? Or was it another Russia should go away and shuuut oop remark?

On Syria, disclosed Mr Williamson, Russia had to step up to the plate. You should have seen the theatrical significance with which he delivered this zinger. Thatll show em!

Some will continue to argue that such a figure should be nowhere near Cabinet. I would not entirely disagree. But there is something to be said for the theory of encourager les autres.

At a time when we hear much about the importance of accessibility in public life, Mr Williamson is a grand example of over-promotion setting an example. His existence at top table shows even the most underprivileged clunkers that there is hope yet. One day they, too, may rise to the fore.Kitty Spencer may be one of the most famous young royals around.

But George Blandford has been giving his cousin a run for her money of late by posting photos of his jet-setting, party-loving lifestyle online.

The 25-year-old aristocrat and polo player, who will one day inherit Blenheim Palace and an estimated 100m fortune, is making quite a name for himself on social media by sharing an extraordinary glimpse into his charmed life.

The well-heeled aviation broker - whose full name is George John Godolphin Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford - is the son of James Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife Rebecca Mary Few Brown.

He also works as a model and brand ambassador for polo company La Martina, and has played against Prince Harry on the polo field.

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Charmed life: The future Duke of Marlborough boasts a pilot's license and 'an adorable smile', according to Tatler, and has been entertaining followers with his jet-set lifestyle

The aviation broker - whose full name is George John Godolphin Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford - on a recent trip to Miami, Florida

A vintage Ferrari at a car show at Blenheim. Among George's inner circle are Ella May Sangster, granddaughter of the late horse-racing magnate Robert, and chocolate heiress Jemima Cadbury

Recent gatherings at the 2,000-acre Blenheim Palace estate (pictured) include a Christmas party, not to mention countless overseas jaunts for work and play

George became Marquess of Blandford in 2014, following his grandfather's death and was named last year by Tatler as one of the '10 most eligible people in the land'.

But singletons will be disappointed to learn the Harrow-educated UCL graduate is set to the knot this year with childhood sweetheart Camilla Thorp, an interior designer who he met when he was just 16.

As future marchioness, Camilla will one day preside over 187-room Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire with her husband.

George, who is a distant relative of Winston Churchill (the wartime PM was his great-great-uncle), Diana Princess of Wales, and the Vanderbilt dynasty, can often be seen entertaining friends behind the walls of his family's eighteenth-century pile.

Future wife: The Harrow-educated UCL graduate is set to the knot this year with childhood sweetheart Camilla Thorp (pictured), an interior designer who he met when he was just 16

The future Duke d is building a reputation for being a seriously impressive polo player having played alongside Prince Harry himself at Cirencester (pictured) - and beating him

Royal connections: Kitty Spencer, daughter of Charles, 9th Earl Spencer, is a distant cousin of George and has made a name for herself through high-profile modelling campaigns

Recent gatherings at the 2,000-acre estate include a Christmas party, not to mention countless overseas jaunts for work and play.

There have also been countless foreign trips to Miami, Las Vegas, Istanbul, Verbier, and a private chateau in northern France.

And in January, he walked the runway for Dolce & Gabbana at Milan Fashion Week.

Among his inner circle are Ella May Sangster, granddaughter of the late horse-racing magnate Robert, and chocolate heiress Jemima Cadbury.

George on a recent skiing trip in Verbier. There have also been countless foreign trips to Miami, Las Vegas, Istanbul, Verbier, and a private chateau in northern France.

George and fiancee Camilla (far left) on holiday in Mykonos with friends. The 25-year-old stands to inherit Blenheim Palace along with a 100 million fortune from his father one day

As future marchioness, Camilla (pictured on holiday in Istanbul with George) will one day preside over 187-room Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire with her husband

The aviation broker - whose full name is George John Godolphin Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford (second left) enjoys a trip to Las Vegas last year with friends

George is now a licensed pilot, with this photo from 2013 captioned: 'First flying lesson!' He now works as an aviation broker as well as being a model and ambassador for a polo company

A recent photo on George's Instagram shows him and his friends enjoying a stay at a private chateau in northern France, just one of many overseas trips

The is giving Kitty a run for her money by entertaining thousands of followers with an extraordinary glimpse into his charmed life (pictured fishing at Blenheim Palace's lake)

George, who has a pilot's license, takes to the skies. He is also a talented polo player and has been known to beat Prince Harry on pitch

The future Duke boasts a pilot's license and 'an adorable smile', according to Tatler, and is building a reputation for being a seriously impressive polo player having played alongside Prince Harry himself at Cirencester - and beating him.

In a recent interview he said: 'My family has always been into horses, so from hunting and riding, I sort of progressed to polo.

'I started playing at school, and then when I left school I kept on playing some club polo, in Cirencester where I play today.'

He is currently busy training for an upcoming Transatlantic row challenge for Starlight charity.

The Spencer-Churchill clan was born when Anne Churchill, daughter of the first Duke of Marlborough, married Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland.Australian Kiruna Stamell may be small of stature, but she's a powerhouse on the stage and screen.

The 37-year-old was born with a rare form of dwarfism which means she stands at just over a metre tall.

The actress, one with an impressive list of roles under her belt, has stared in award winning movies including Moulin Rouge and the Ricky Gervais' comedy Life's Too Short.

Not to mention three stage productions at London's prestigious National Theatre.

She says her career, one that's built on grit and determination, has no place for stereotypes - of any kind.

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Australian actress Kiruna Stamell (pictured) has carved out a brilliant career for herself in the performing arts

Born in Sydney to Kerry (pictured) and George Stamell in 1981 it wasn't immediately clear that Kiruna (also pictured) had a rare form of dwarfism that would leave her standing at just over one metre tall

'It's interesting that people think I challenge expectations, from my point of view I am just being truthful,' she said during a recent interview on the Today Show.

The Sydney-born Kiruna said she has never actively campaigned to be recognised in a particular way, more she is trying to be 'honest' in portraying the human experience.

'I am playing the "human being" in different circumstances,' she said.

The Sydney-born Kiruna, who stands just over a metre tall, said she has never actively campaigned to be recognised in a particular way

'Rather than falling back into those old stereotypes of what other people like me should be playing, or doing or talking about.'

She said before she accepts any roles, she first thinks about whether or not it would be something little Kiruna would find helpful to see.

Her attitude towards an industry that often typecasts people based on how they look means she is recognised first and foremost for her ability - skills she has spent years honing.

The actress, who stands just over a metre tall, said she has never actively campaigned to be recognised in a particular way

The classically trained contemporary dancer has been performing since she was three - even if as a toddler this was to her own invented choreography.

She said growing up, her parents instilled a sense she could do anything she wanted but were realistic about the fact people would judge her on her size.

Kiruna credits her dad for helping her develop a more resilient attitude, one that allowed her not to fall prey to an idea she was inadequate in any way.

The established professional said while she grew up with a resilient attitude, damaging media portrayals made her feel she wasn't 'normal'

Kiruna credts her dad George (pictured left) for instilling a resilient attitude, one that didn't allow her to fall prey to the idea she was inadequate in any way

'He said "People are going to judge you based on how you look, so don't do the work for them. They are going to judge you to be yourself",' she recalled.

And although she grew up with a feeling nothing was wrong with her, she said media portrayals at the time were so damaging.

She said remembers thinking she was 'genuinely unlovable, that nobody would want to be with me, that I was weird.'

Kiruna as La Petite Princess in the Moulin Rouge (pictured left and right)

This flew in the face of a deeper belief about herself that she was normal which she said begged the question: Why aren't I seeing women like me represented in a truthful way?

Changing stereotypes, one brilliant role at a time, has been something that has touched the lives of others, especially those who feel their bodies don't fit the norm.

The actress shared how people had made the effort to get in touch with her to thank her and to say how nice it was to see her being human and real.

The actress is classically trained in contemporary dance and has been performing since she was a toddler

Although Kiruna is out to change perceptions she also advocates for those who have disabilities.

She said part of this is to identify as disabled because she believes by having some visibility she can raise awareness about decisions being made to fund accessibility or modify buildings for those who need better access.

'People's bodies naturally deviate (from the norm) and I think it's healthy to accommodate for that because it also bolsters those whose bodies are average to know their bodies are allowed to break down, be vulnerable and deviate.

'I just see it as all part of a healthy society and a truthful one.'

The actress has been married to comedian Gareth Berliner for the past eight years

While the actress has had to overcome her share of struggles, she hasn't had to do this alone.

Her husband Gareth Berliner, who she met at a comedy show, has been by her side for the past eight years and describes her as 'a really clever, beautiful woman who's a very talented actress, and that's bottom line.'

Despite his 'clucky' nature though, motherhood isn't something the actress has ever given serious thought.

She believes her 'quest' in life is important but that being a mum may not be a part of that.There are many different methods of making a humble cheese toastie.

And Australian celebrity chef Justine Schofield has shared her recipe to create the perfect cheese toastie in your kitchen.

Here, the former MasterChef contestant revealed the secret ingredients to perfecting the art of making deliciously grilled buttery bread with gooey, melted cheese.

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Celebrity chef Justine Schofield has shared the recipe to create the perfect cheese toastie

Justine Schofield said the perfect cheese toastie is her delicious 'Croque monsieur'

'I love a Croque Monsieur - the king of all toasted sandwiches,' she told Daily Mail Australia ahead of the Kurrajong Kitchen Cheese Lovers Festival in Sydney.

'My secret ingredients nutmeg and Dijon mustard. They pair beautifully with nutty cheeses.'

When making the cheese toastie, the Everyday Gourmet host starts by preparing the Bechamel sauce.

On medium heat, Justine melts the butter before adding the flour and incorporating well by stirring for one minute to form a roux.

Next, she adds the milk little by little, whisking constantly until there are no lumps. Bring to the boil and then remove from the heat.

The she adds gruyere, mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Once the mixture has cooled, she adds the yolk as she seasons to taste.

The Everyday Gourmet host said the secret ingredients are nutmeg and Dijon mustard

Justine will be hosting cooking workshops and judging competitions at the Kurrajong Kitchen Cheese Lovers Festival on June 16

Placing slices of the sourdough on the bake tray, she spreads the bechamel sauce thickly on one side - and reserving a few tablespoons for later.

Assembling the sandwich, Justine layers the side with ham before adding the remaining grated cheese and the closes the bread.

Heating the extra butter in a large frying pan, she adds the sandwiches and cooks until golden brown on each side.

Place back on the tray, and add the remainder bechamel and cheese. Place the toastie under the grill under the cheese is bubbling and melted.

Justine will be hosting cooking workshops and judging competitions at the Kurrajong Kitchen Cheese Lovers Festival on June 16.

For more details about the annual cheese festival, please visit the website.While there had been a number of ups and downs, Anna* and Tracy* were in a committed relationship for five years.

But it was a stint in rehab for an ongoing substance abuse problem that saw Anna lose her partner to another woman - a woman who has gone on to marry Tracy.

'The first time she had cheated on me while actually in rehab. She told me it was over. I looked in her phone and found all these sexually charged messages,' Anna told FEMAIL.

'Tracy said that it was because she didn't want to hurt the other girl and was trying to let her down gently.

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But it was a stint in rehab for an ongoing substance abuse problem that saw Anna lose her partner to another woman - a woman who has gone on to marry Tracy

'I found messages on her phone saying things like "I hope I dream of you" - things that were clearly not just friendly.'

The other girl moved in before I'd even had a chance to move my stuff out.

Tracy would tell Anna she was being 'controlling' by looking at her phone and that she didn't want her to have any friends.

'She would make me stand outside the bedroom door and I couldn't come in to sleep until she had decided I had been punished enough for checking her phone,' Anna explained.

But then Tracy began staying out late at her outpatient rehab classes, something that Anna found suspicious at the time.

Poll Have you ever cheated on your partner? Yes No Have you ever cheated on your partner? Yes 34 votes

No 86 votes Now share your opinion





'She finished class at four and still wasn't home at one in the morning,' Anna said.

'Tracy would always stay super late to the point that I once ended up calling hospitals just to see if something had happened.

'I tried really hard not to seem controlling. I'd just ask if she could please let me know if she was going to be home late so I didn't have to worry.

'I was very isolated during this time too. She cut me off from any of my friends who questioned her behaviour - or tried to.

Anna explained that Tracy eventually left her for the other woman, who was engaged at the time, and the couple are planning on getting married in the next few weeks

'She would tell me that my friends didn't really care about me. That they just wanted to gossip.'

Anna explained that Tracy eventually left her for the other woman, who was engaged at the time, and the couple are planning on getting married in the next few weeks.

'The other girl moved in before I'd even had a chance to move my stuff out,' she said.

But she does get the occasional messages from Tracy suggesting she was 'the one' and they made a mistake by calling it quits.

Why do men and women cheat? * The most common reason for infidelity cited by women is emotional satisfaction, while men cite sexual satisfaction * Affluent women are 8 per cent more likely to be unfaithful to their husbands than middle class wives, while the prevalence of infidelity for poor and rich men is equal * People who are unfaithful in one relationship are three times more likely to be unfaithful in their next relationship, compared to those who have not been unfaithful in the first one Source: Relationships Australia Advertisement

'I think like any narcissist or abuser, she has no concept of consequences or thinks that everything should go her way, all the time,' Anna explained.

'I'm doing really well these days. It took a long time though. About two years.

'I do really want to speak out where I can. The only person offering help to people in same sex relationships is a lady from the US called Kris Godinez. Everything else is completely heteronormative and just makes you feel invisible.'

* Names have been changedSeani Love was working as a a software engineer when he attended his first sex workshop in an effort to 'spice things up' in the bedroom.

Little did he know his new hobby would ultimately lead him to an entirely different career - as a male escort.

After being offered 130 for his first private session, Seani, now 48, who was born in Australia but is based in London, now charges as much as 1,200 to spend a night with a female client - offering anything from a 'kinky boyfriend' experience to role play.

And while he admits he doesn't fit the 'stereotype of the buff, hairless, Chippendale-type male,' Seani says he's satisfied more than 1,000 clients by ensuring 'they have the best possible sexual experience when they're with me'.

Scroll down to read Seani's story in his own words...

Software engineer turned sex worker Seani Love, 48, established a new career after he began exploring Tantra and bondage to 'spice things up' in the bedroom in his 30s

'As I held the woman in my arms on the bed I asked her how she wanted to be touched. Minutes earlier shed told me shed never had an orgasm before so over the following 45 minutes I helped her climax for the first time ever. It was an amazing moment for the both of us  but it was also my job to make sure she left happy, as I was a male escort.

Eight years ago I was working in London as a software engineer and enjoyed it a lot. As someone whos always been sexually adventurous in the bedroom and keen to try new things when I hit my thirties I began to go to workshops in my spare time, to learn about things such as Tantra and bondage  anything that would add a bit more spice in the bedroom.

But then eight years ago I ended up organising a sex workshop in London for my favourite sex book author. I wrote to him and asked if I could pay him to teach. After that I went to Prague to hold a workshop myself and a woman at the workshop offered to pay me 130 for a private session. I was surprised and delighted.

She admitted to me that shed always felt quite shy when it came to sex and wanted me to give her an erotic massage  Something shed never dared ask a partner for.

I felt very confident that I could give her exactly what she wanted. We did it in back room of the studio. When it was over, I felt so elated that I had managed to satisfy her and make her climax, I knew I could make a living out of it.

After teaching his first workshop a female student offered to pay him 130 for a private session - Seani says he helped her to climax for the first time

I did wonder how I would tell people what I was doing and I decided to keep it from my father. At first I kept working as a software engineer, while organising my own sex workshops in London and in my native Australia and offering my services as an escort.

These could be a hands off experience' which is just chatting, or a kinky boyfriend experience where I combine kink with intimacy such as spanking or role play or just sensual touch, sex and erotic play.

I advertised on Facebook and other websites charging from 90 an hour to 1,200 for a full day or overnight. I strictly never take my pants off in the first session so that my clients feel safe and are reassured it is all about their needs not mine. I just meet and greet them and give a massage.

I never confessed to any of my engineer colleagues about my secret side job, but as my reputation grew over the next four years, I was able to give up my office job in June 2015 and work full time in the sex industry.

It initially started as Seani's 'secret side job', but soon became his full time career. He says his partner, who lives in the Netherlands, is 'encouraging' of his work

By then I had a really strong client base of women in their 30s and 40s. Many had experienced a string of bad relationships and want to explore sex for themselves, while others were pretty high powered women who want to surrender to their sexuality and be more submissive. I even had one famous client who appeared on TV regularly!

Lots of my clients have also never climaxed before theyd been with me, which I felt was just so sad, as its such a natural and wonderful thing. But one of them ended up having really noisy orgasms once she discovered them, which was very funny. I meet clients at home and I remember once she practically screamed my house down while we were having sex.

When she left, my neighbours, who have no idea what I do, gave me some really funny looks.

In 2015 I met my current partner at a Tantric sex workshop. From the start I was very open about my work with her and thankfully shes always been very positive and encouraging. I imagine its because shes also interested in exploring sex and can see that Im helping empower women and their sexuality. She knows I practice safe sex and always use a condom.

The escort met his current partner at a Tantric sex workshop, and says that while she occasionally feels insecure, she is supportive of his work in the sex industry

Seani says his sessions are all about what his client needs and wants to explore

'I make it my job to make sure they have the best possible sexual experience when they're with me,' Seani says of his clients - mostly women in their 30s and 40s

At the moment we live in different cities as she is from the Netherlands and we have a long distance love. So we can't always be together and at times she can feel insecure that I am having sex with other women but she understands about my job and is supportive.

Not everyone is so understanding, though. I am always open in conversation and while some men tell me its their dream job, others have accused me of lying, as I don't fit the stereotype of the buff, hairless, Chippendale type male. And I often get asked why a woman would pay for sex with me when they can just pick someone up at a bar.

I have slept with around 1,000 women since I began and the truth is that if a woman is paying then the whole time it is about them and their needs and what she wants to explore. Some women have no idea what they want, or how to ask for it and some have only had sex that lasted 10 minutes. Thats why I make it my job to make sure they have the best possible sexual experience when theyre with me.'The Chase viewers were left in stitches - and very confused - at the pronunciation of the name of a Welsh village during last night's episode.

Bradley Walsh asked contestant Sarah where in Wales Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch was, with the correct answer being Angelsey.

But the host struggled to pronounce the name, leaving Mark Labbett and Sarah stifling their giggles.

One viewer called Bradley's attempt 'hilariously dismal' while another said he had 'butchered' the word.

Bradley Walsh attempted to pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch on The Chase last night

The village's official website advises to break down the name into several parts while trying to pronounce it.

The correct pronounciation is LLAN - FAIR - PWLL - GWYN - GYLL - GO - GER - YCH - WYRN - DROB - WLL - LLAN - TY - SILIO - GO - GO - GOCH.

However, the name didn't come easily to Bradley, who was asking the question as part of a repeated episode that aired on Monday night.

Bursting into laughter, he said: 'I had a good go. I'm so sorry.'

The moment left viewers in stitches, with many taking to Twitter to mock Bradley's pronounciation.

One tweeted: 'Watching the chase and the chaser just completely BUTCHERED llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, llanfair sweetie i am SO SORRY you had to hear that.'

Another posted: 'Pretty hilarious dismal pronunciation of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch on the chase.'

A third said: 'Still pmsl @ Bradley tryna say Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch on The Chase y'day!'

Another wrote: 'Bradley Walsh was so funny trying to read llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch in The Chase!!!'

Viewers were left in stitches at the moment, with one calling Bradley's pronunciation 'beautifully dreadful'

HOW DOES THE CHASE WORK? A team of four players each takes it in turns to win some money in a quick fire round, but will join together in the final chase to take the money home. In between those rounds they face The Chaser, and if they get more questions wrong than the professional quizzer they're out. If they pass through that round their money is added to the bank with the remaining players' money. In the final chase the team has two minutes to answer as many questions as possible, but if The Chaser gets more points they will go home empty handed. Advertisement

Fortunately Sarah knew a lot more about Welsh geography than Bradley and (almost) knew how to pronounce it.

She revealed that the local shorten the extraordinarily long name to 'Llanfair PG.'

Despite her knowledge of the name, Sarah incorrectly answered that it was in Pembrokeshire when it is actually in Angelsey in north west Wales.

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is the longest place name in Britain and dates back to the 1800s.

The quirky moniker was actually chosen as an attempt to bring tourists to the town.

The full translation of the name is 'St Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of Saint Tysilio of the red cave'.

Contestant Sarah had heard of the town before, and informed Bradley that locals shorten it to Llanfair PGA plus-size model has accused Instagram of 'shadow banning' her posts claiming photos of slimmer women appear higher in searches.

Georgina Horne, 30, from Surrey, a lingerie and fashion model with 194,000 followers on the social media site, said bikini shots she had posted during a holiday to Turkey didn't get as many likes as her posts usually would.

She accused Instagram of giving preference to 'size 10' women, saying 'fat bodies are being muted' because her photos and hashtags were no longer appearing as high up as her previous posts.

Questioning why her photos never made 'top posts' on Instagram, she accused the site of 'shadow banning' - where a user or their content is blocked so that they no longer appear in searches and the visibility of their content is greatly reduced.

Georgina Horne, 30, from Surrey, has accused Instagram of shadow banning her posts after noticing that slim women appeared to come up higher in hashtag searches

Posting a bikini snap to Facebook as she enjoyed her sun-soaked holiday, she shared her frustration with her folllowers.

Georgina wrote: 'Ive defo been shadow banned on Instagram - I can tell because my posts never make "top posts" on hashtags with few posts, and my likes have vastly depleted.'

Accusing the site of giving women with more slender body shapes an unfair advantage, she added: 'If I were a slim woman posting similar content then this wouldnt happen.

'Fat bodies are being muted, and Im not ok with that. I post content that I know for a FACT empowers and emboldens others, and yet because my body isnt "perfect", Im given a disadvantage.'

During a recent holiday in Turkey, the blogger noticed her bikini pictures were no longer getting as many likes and her hashtags weren't appearing as high up as similar posts

She expressed her disappointment at the apparent discovery, arguing that her content was designed to uplift but she was being given an unfair disadvantage

Admitting to feeling as though she was being punished, she added: 'The size 10 women showing how at some angles they have chins and a stomach roll get 468,010k likes - because thats acceptable. Thats temporary. My big fat body isnt. And its punished.'

And her post was quickly flooded with comments from angry followers showering her with support.

One fan admitted to being in a similar situation, writing: 'I think I have been too. Once upon a time I was getting new likes and follows every day - but Ive been stuck at the same number of followers for roughly a year now.

And her post was quickly flooded with comments from angry followers showering her with support

'It makes me sad and I agree with you - fat bodies are being muted. Its discouraging. I dont post nearly as much as I used to.'

Some revealed they had noticed the model's posts coming up less frequently, writing: 'George you are so right I follow a lot of you on Insta but rarely see posts only stories seems if you want to be seen you have to for stories which is so bloody wrong'.

'Ughhhh same and I purposefully try to like every post I see so that it will put your account back on my newsfeed but this is the first post Ive seen since right after you got home from your birthday trip!' another observed.

Some revealed they had noticed the model's posts coming up less frequently

And some pondered whether the social network has an algorithm on body pictures.

A user by the name of 'tasukibeth' questioned: 'The last time I posted a fatkini photo, *none* of the hashtags worked. Then I posted a picture of my face with the exact same hasthags, and *that* one worked. I wonder if IG has some sort of bullshit algorithm that breaks the hashtags on body pictures.'

And many praised her body positive image, with one writing: 'I think you're lovely, a slim figure can get fat but a beautiful heart will always be beautiful.'

One added: 'Its infuriating, its bad enough Im forced to look at those skinny bodies when I dont want to, but when I actively follow someone like you I dont feel like Insta or Twitter should be allowed to keep you off my feed.'

She accused the social media sight of giving women with more slender body shapes an unfair advantage

Georgina is a lingerie and fashion model who boasts 194,000 followers on Instagram , keeping them regularly updated with her body confidence snaps

However, others argued that it could have something to do with social media sites favouring sponsored posts and businesses.

One follower wrote: 'Instagrams algorithm has changed and I no longer get hardly any likes on my business page either.

'It's a lot to do with Facebook as they want you to advertise posts etc like they do on there.'

Shadow banning refers to the act of blocking a user or their content from an online community so that they no longer appear in hashtag searches and the visibility of their content is greatly reduced.

In March Instagram addressed the issue of certain posts not appearing visible in hashtag searches, explaining that they were working on improvements to the system.

MailOnline has contacted Instagram for comment.

Many praised her body positive image, with one writing: 'I think you're lovely ,a slim figure can get fat but a beautiful heart will always be beautiful'.With a vast personal fortune she has her pick of designers to choose from when it comes to dressing her children.

But it seems the Duchess of Cambridge has snubbed pricey labels in favour of a high street bargain for George and Charlotte's summer wardrobe.

Kate dressed her two eldest children in matching blue canvas plimsolls from childrenswear specialists Trotters when she took them to watch their dad compete in the Maserati Royal Charity Polo Trophy over the weekend.

George, four and Charlotte, three could be seen careering around the grounds at the Beaufort Polo Club wearing the Hampton plum canvas shoes which cost just 26 a pair.

Scroll down for video

High street favourite: Kate has snubbed pricey labels in favour of a high street bargain for George and Charlotte's summer wardrobe (pictured over the weekend in Trotters shoes

Thrifty: George, four and Charlotte, three could be seen careering around the grounds at the Beaufort Polo Club wearing the Hampton plum canvas shoes which cost just 26 a pair

And it's not the first time the youngsters have been spotted in the machine-washable shoes; they also wore them at the Houghton Horse trials last month with Charlotte wearing the pink colourway.

This suggests Kate may have snapped them up in a variety of different colours.

Prince George has previously been spotted wearing another style from the Hampton Canvas range at Trotters called the Nantucket.

Sophie Mirman, founder and CEO of Trotters, told MailOnline they were 'immensely proud' to see the young royals wearing their designs.

The Hampton canvas shoes are designed in London and handmade in Spain using cotton canvas from Egypt natural rubber from Malaysia.

Royal favourite: The Hampton canvas shoes (pictured) are designed in London and handmade in Spain using cotton canvas from Egypt natural rubber from Malaysia

Available in sizes EU24  EU39, the retro canvas shoes are elasticated for ease and comfort with three eyelet detailing and a hand-finished natural rubber sole.

However, it wasn't long before Charlotte kicked off her shoes to run around the pitch barefoot.

The little princess was also wearing an adorable 34 'Amelia' floral dress from The Little White Company and a pair of matching pink sunglasses.

Family day out: William's match, which saw the Maserati team take on the Dhamani 1969 side, is part of the two-day Gloucestershire Festival of Polo, hosted by Beaufort Polo Club

Despite her mother dressing her in the 26 shoes on Sunday, it wasn't long before Charlotte kicked off her shoes to run around the pitch barefoot

Sophie Mirman and Richard Ross opened the doors to the first Trotters store on the King's Road in Chelsea in 1990, and have since gone on to open six more, win countless awards and numerous high-profile fans.

William's match, which saw the Maserati team take on the Dhamani 1969 side, is part of the two-day Gloucestershire Festival of Polo, hosted by Beaufort Polo Club from 9th-10th June.

It is held annually, with this year's fixture raising funds and awareness for two charities - the Royal Marsden, which the Duke supports as president, and Centrepoint, of which he is patron.King Felipe VI has come under fire after attending a bullfight amid increasing calls to ban the 'bloodthirsty' sport.

The Spanish monarch was guest of honour in a rare appearance at the San Isidro Fair in Madrid over the weekend, but animal campaigners have denounced the annual event as 'animal abuse'.

Felipe, appearing without his wife Letizia, watched matadors Manuel Escribano, Paco Urena and Emilio de Justo take on bulls at the Corrida de la Prensa, a highlight of the bullfighting calendar, on Sunday.

But many expressed disappointment at his decision to visit the Las Ventas bullring, with one Twitter user calling the sport 'bloody and bloodthirsty'.

Scroll down for video

Controversial: King Felipe VI was guest of honour in a rare appearance at the San Isidro Fair in Madrid over the weekend, but campaigners have denounced the event as 'animal abuse'

One wrote: 'It sickens me that the Spanish King supports this terrible sport'.

Another called the 50-year-old monarch's actions 'lamentable', while one Twitter user called for people to think about 'the suffering of the animal.'

It was his first appearance at the event, which is traditionally attended by the reigning monarch, after royal engagements prevented him from attending in 2016 and 2017, according to Royal Central.

But unlike his father, former King Juan Carlos I, 50-year-old Felipe is not believed to be a fan of the sport.

Felipe and Letizia attended a bullfight in 2008, as is customary before a royal wedding, and the king returned in 2015, a year after taking the throne.

This Twitter user was disappointed in Felipe's appearance, calling the sport 'animal abuse'

'In a few years, we will look back and ask, how did we permit that?' this tweeter said

This Twitter user said they 'couldn't believe' Felipe VI chose to go to the bullfighting event

One social media user called for people to think about 'the suffering of the animal', calling the sport 'bloody and bloodthirsty' and 'anchored in the past'. He said he was 'ashamed'

Felipe's appearance this weekend comes amid increasing calls for bullfighting to be banned in the country that invented it.

His father King Juan Carlos, who abdicated in 2014, once described the blood sport as a 'Spanish asset that we have to support'.

Three years ago, the former monarch was spotted at another festival in San Sebastian where he told reports it was 'thrilling' to share the experience with his daughter and grandchildren 'who have always supported the national fiesta'.

In 2010, the Catalan government voted to ban deadly bullfighting in the northeast region but in 2016 Spain's top court overturned that decision, judging that it was part of Spain's cultural heritage.

Guest of honour: Felipe, appearing without his wife Letizia, watched matadors Manuel Escribano, Paco Urena and Emilio de Justo take on bulls at the Corrida de la Prensa on Sunday

Following the king's appearance on Sunday, many expressed disappointment at his decision to attend, with one Twitter user calling the sport 'bloody and bloodthirsty'

Matador Manuel Escribano toasts the king during the La Beneficiencia bullfight, the last event of the San Isidro Bullfighting Fair held at Las Ventas bullring, on Sunday

Not his first visit: Felipe and Letizia attended a bullfight in 2008, as is customary before a royal wedding, and the king returned in 2015 (pictured), a year after taking the throne

The bullfighting tradition has drawn increasing controversy and protests around Spain in recent years, with demonstrators turning up and taking to Twitter to denounce what they feel is a brutal, anachronistic event.

According to AnimaNaturalis, more than 60 bulls were 'tortured' over the space of a week during the Fallas de Valencia festival earlier this year.

And in March, thousands of protesters gathered in the city to protest the tradition.

Bullfighting also has a long and gruesome history of human casualties; it is estimated that more than 530 professional matadors have died as a result of injuries received in the ring in the past 300 years.

MailOnline has contacted Spain's royal household for comment.Queen Letizia looked typically stylish as she visited a drug addiction charity in Madrid today.

The Spanish royal, 45, opted for a navy floral midi skirt as she attended a meeting with the FAD charity.

She teamed the feminine skirt with a white blouse, along with a pair of tan heels and a coordinating clutch bag.

Letizia finished off the look with a pair of dangly earrings, opting for a rose-tinted gloss on her lips.

Queen Letizia looked stylish as she attended a meeting with a drug addiction charity in Madrid

The Spanish royal, 45, opted for a navy floral midi skirt, which she paired with a white blouse

The mother-of-two appeared in high spirits as she attended the meeting today, held at the headquarters of Iberdrola.

She met with chairman and CEO of the Spanish utility company, Jose Ignacio Sanchez Galan, at the meeting.

Foundation Against Drug Addiction (FAD) works to help people with drug and alcohol addiction across Spain.

Letizia has had a busy month so far, joining Queen Mathilde of Belgium at the opening ceremony of the European Development Days in Brussels last week.

Letizia finished off her chic ensemble with a pair of tan heels and a coordinating clutch bag

The mother-of-two looked in high spirits as she arrived at the meeting in the Spanish capital

She also joined husband King Felipe in welcoming Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and first lady Maryna to Madrid earlier this month.

Her appearance today comes after it was revealed that she and Felipe, 50, will be meeting President Donald Trump at the White House next month.

During their six-day visit to the US, the Spanish royals will also visit New Orleans and San Antonio, which is celebrating its 300th anniversary this year.

Letizia and Felipe previously met Barack Obama and wife Michelle during a visit to the White House in 2015.

Letizia was seen speaking to Chairman and CEO of Iberdrola Jose Ignacio Sanchez GalanA gay man who was sent to a conversion camp by his own family after they threatened to disown him, wrote a memoir about his life that has now been turned into a Hollywood film.

Garrard Conley, 33, from Arkansas, was forced to go to Restoration Path - one of Americas most notorious conversion camps that specialised in praying the gay away, reaffirming gender identity and roles and saving souls.

It pushed him to the brink of suicide and took several years to finally come to terms with his real identity, before meeting his husband and writing his memoir Boy Erased.

He appeared on ITV's This Morning on Tuesday where he said that the camp was like 'talk therapy', where he was treated as a 'sex addict' alongside paedophiles and those guilty of bestiality.

Garrard Conley, from Arkansas, was sent to one of Americas most notorious conversion camps aged 19 after he was outed to his parents

Garrard recalled his experience at the camp which specialised in praying the gay away, reaffirming gender identity and roles and saving souls

Garrard's memoir, Boy Erased, has been made into a film starring Nicole Kidman as his mother. He is pictured with her on the set of the film

The author explained to presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield that his father, a Baptist pastor, had given him an ultimatum - either go to the camp to 'cure' his homosexuality or risk being cut off from his family with no money for his college education.

When a friend - who he said had also raped him as a child - 'outed' him aged 19 in 2004 to his parents, he was was enrolled in the Memphis branch of 'Love In Action', the largest 'ex-gay' therapy organisation in the country.

'My dad took me into his bedroom and told me that there was only two options go to conversion therapy or you wont see your family and we wont pay for your education,' he recalled.

Garrard was sent to Restoration Path, which was known as Love in Action until March 2012, an ex-gay Christian ministry founded in 1973 by Frank Worthen, John Evans, and Kent Philpott.

The activist and speaker spoke of his time during his six-month stay, which he said took him over a decade to write about after he finished the course

Russel Crowe and Nicole Kidman are starring as Garrard's parents in the film version of his book Boy Erased

Garrard spent six months at conversion therapy where he said he was treated like a sex addict

WHAT IS CONVERSION THERAPY? Conversion therapy refers to any form of treatment or psychotherapy which aims to reduce or stop same-sex attraction or to suppress a person's gender identity. It is considered unethical but advocates of the therapy tend to be fundamentalist Christian groups. Techniques used prior to the 1980s in conversion therapy included extreme treatment like lobotomies, chemical castration and hormone therapies. More recently treatment focuses on counselling, visualisation, social skills training, psychotherapy, and spiritual interventions. Currently conversion therapy is legal in the UK but medical and government bodies here, as well as in the US, have expressed concern over conversion therapy. Conversion camps include one-to-one therapy and group work where people are told to change their sexual orientation. Restoration Path, known as Love in Action until March 2012, was an ex-gay Christian ministry founded in 1973 by Frank Worthen, John Evans, and Kent Philpott. Garrard Conley, from Arkansas, who wrote memoir Boy Erased, was sent to this camp in an attempt to 'cure' his homosexuality. Source: Stonewall Advertisement

The activist and speaker spoke of his time during his six-month stay, which he said took him more than a decade to write about after he finished the course.

'I describe it as talk therapy, it's sort of psychotherapy in a group.

'They sat you next to a lot of people dealing with different issues. I was sitting next to a man, I was 19, who was dealing with paedophilia, and I was sitting next to another woman who was dealing with bestiality.

'We were all seen as sexual addicts. They borrowed from Alcoholics Anonymous, they borrowed from everything.'

His mother, right, supported her son after he came out and has since joined him on his book tour and starred in the film as an extra. Garrard pictured with his aunt, left, and mother

After growing up in a deeply religious Arkansas community, Garrard, who now lives in New York with his husband, felt the only option was to attend camp to avoid losing everything he had.

Despite being sent away to camp, he explained that he never had any hate for his father or mother, and still has a relationship with them both.

He told the Ark Times site in an interview: 'It was extremely important to demonstrate the love I share with my family.

'I believe this is a key ingredient in why I was able to successfully recover from my therapy sessions.'

As well as an author, on his site Garrard is listed as an activist and speaker for Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau, travelling across the country lecturing at schools and venues across the country on radical compassion.

Garrard's memoir was released in the US in 2016 and is set for UK release this week, it has also been turned into a film

Garrard's book, Boy Erased which was released in the US in 2016 and is set for UK release this week, tells his story of his childhood growing up in Arkansas and living with his father a former car salesperson who became a Baptist minister and his mother a homemaker.

It has been made into a film which will be out in 2020 starring starring Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe.

Nicole will play the protagonist's mother, Nancy Conley, while Russell is cast as his father, Marshall. Three Billboards actor Lucas Hedges takes on the role of Garrard.

Garrard revealed that he starred as an extra in the picture and also bagged parts for his husband and mother too.

His mother has learned to support him for who he is and Garrard added that his father is dealing with his sexuality in the best way he can.

This Morning airs weekdays on ITV at 10.30amThe Duke of Cambridge is set to embark on a solo tour to the Middle East but it seems his family won't be far from his mind.

Prince William will pay tribute to his wife Kate in Jordan on June 25, when he visits the archaeological site at Jersah.

The site is the exact spot where a young Kate posed for a photo as a child alongside her sister Pippa and father Michael.

The Middletons moved to Jordan's capital Amman for two and a half years from from 1984 to 1986 during Kate's childhood and the photo was shared by the family following Kate's engagement in 2011.

The Duke of Cambridge will visit the Middle East later this month where he will make a trip to the exact site Kate posed alongside sister Pippa and father Michael when living in Amman

Speaking of William's visit to the site the palace told Hello! online: 'It is, by the way, the site where the young Catherine Middleton is pictured standing on a pile of stones with her father and young sister when the Middleton family lived in Jordan.'

The tour is William's first visit to the region and he is said to be very much looking forward to the trip but it comes during a period of tension in the area.

Dozens of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces during recent protests at the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip in the run-up to celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel.

During his visit to Ramallah in the West Bank, William will not only meet Mr Abbas but later attend events focusing on the 'issues facing refugee communities' and providing 'opportunities to celebrate Palestinian culture, music and food', said Kensington Palace.

Prince William will the archaeological site at Jersah where the childhood snap was taken

Kerry Moscogiuri, Amnesty International UK's campaigns director, has said: 'Like everyone in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, people in Ramallah have endured years of discriminatory restrictions on their movement, with roadblocks, militarised checkpoints and off-limits roads.

'This visit offers the Duke of Cambridge a unique opportunity to learn at first-hand how Israel's half-century of military occupation has impacted families right across the Palestinian territories.'

In Israel, William will visit Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre, and will lay a wreath to commemorate the millions of Jews who died during the Second World War.

He will also view Jerusalem's Old City from the Mount of Olives and visit the nearby Church of St Mary Magdalene to pay his respects at the tomb of Princess Alice of Greece, his great-grandmother and the Duke of Edinburgh's mother.

William will be following in the footsteps of Philip, who visited his mother's grave in 1994 when he travelled to Israel for a ceremony honouring her for saving Greek Jews during the Second World War.

The visit, which will take place from Sunday June 24 to Thursday June 28, will see him meet Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas (right)

In Israel, William will visit Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre, and will lay a wreath to commemorate the millions of Jews who died during the Second World War

The visit is a major milestone for William who will have to use all his skills of diplomacy to avoid ruffling political feathers in the region while still engaging with his hosts in Jerusalem or Ramallah.

The Israelis and Palestinians have been locked in a decades long conflict that at its essence is a dispute over land.

The Palestinians believe they have been subject to military occupation and forced to leave their homes while those who remained have endured an uneasy co-existence with the Jewish state.

While with hostile nations around it in the region, Israelis will say they have had to fight for survival but in doing so lasting peace and security has eluded the Jewish people who have settled there from around the globe.

The duke has in his adviser Sir David Manning a man well placed to help during the challenging trip, as he is a former British ambassador to Israel.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said: 'The historic nature of this tour is of course important and the duke considers it a great privilege to be undertaking the first ever official royal tour of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and to be able to help further strengthen the friendship between Jordan and the United Kingdom.

'More importantly, however, the duke is looking forward to building a real and enduring relationship with the people of the region.

'In particular he is pleased that his programme will allow him to meet a number of people from his own generation and young Jordanians, Israelis, and Palestinians. His Royal Highness is looking forward to learning about their unique perspectives, but also their shared ambitions and hopes for the future.'

The Duke of Cambridge will meet Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas during his historic visit to the Middle East.

William will sit down for separate talks with both leaders during his five-day visit to the region - the first official trip to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories by a member of the monarchy on behalf of the Government.Stephanie Shepherd may no longer work as Kim Kardashian's assistant but that doesn't mean she slowing down anytime soon.

The influencer has partnered with J Brand for a jean collaboration and for the launch of the pants, the California based company has released a promotional video along with a series of photos that see Stephanie modeling the jeans while topless.

Updating the California-based retailer's classic Little Black Jean, The Ohio native told W Magazine that the collaboration came about after the company reached out to her on Instagram.

Scroll down for video

Sultry: Stephanie Shepherd modeled the jeans she designed with J Brand while posing topless and her long locks covering her chest

Sensual: Another photo sees the influencer sitting on the floor while modeling the jeans from a different angle

'We connected on Instagram,' Stephanie told the publication. 'I've always been a fan of J Brand and always worn them, so maybe I was on their radar that way. They reached out and started the conversation.'

The brand told her that she would be the perfect person to update its little black jean because that's all she wears.

And that's why she was compelled to make versatility a priority when designing the super-skinny jean with a lace-up front detail, which she said added to give women a little extra support.

Stephanie also wanted to ensure that whatever style she created would appeal to women of many different shapes and sizes, explaining that she felt the skinny leg was the option that suited most body types.

'I didn't want to do anything too trendy,' she added, while noting that any more out-there designs are likely to go out of fashion fairly quickly, whereas: 'The simple black jean is something that you'll have forever, no matter what trend is happening.'

And there's no better person who can attest to the timelessness that is J Brand better than Stephanie who doesn't consider herself to be a fashion expert but admitted that when she first moved to LA at 19, she 'didn't have two pennies to rub together' but saved her money so she could buy a pair of J Brand jeans.

Where it started: Stephanie first rose to fame after Kim Kardashian, 37, hired her to be her assistant

Collaboration: Stephanie partnered with the denim brand to update its classic Little Black Jean

These days, however, things are slightly different in Stephanie's world.

Now, with her one million Instagram followers and various side gigs - including modeling jobs and brand collaborations - she can afford to splurge on a pair of jeans, or ten.

In fact, Stephanie admitted, she recently did a closet purge and discovered she had close to 50 pairs of of denim - a far cry from the days when she had to scrimp and save just to afford the one.

But even with her jean collection, Stephanie admitted that's been in a 'yoga-pant, Spanx-leggings phase of my life' where she prefers comfort over anything else.

'I just prefer comfort over being uncomfortable, having a camel toe, and sitting in jeans for five hours,' she told W Magazine. 'So I wanted to make these jeans really comfortable. The fabric is really soft, but it is still really structured and holds you in like a pair of tights, but it's denim.'

Next: As for what's next for Stephanie, she said that she's working on a number of projects that are currently still on the down low

Promo: J Brand and Stephanie filmed a promotional video to celebrate the collaboration

Hilarious: The video was filmed as a reality TV show satire, which was fitting considering who she used to work for

Making the jeans comfortable was a concern of hers because she hadn't been wearing jeans lately but when she traveled for work, her go-to was a skinny black jean because she could dress it up or down and she wanted to make that happen for shoppers.

As for what's next for Stephanie, she said that she's working on a number of projects that are currently still on the down low.

Right now, Stephanie said it's about building her own brand and working with labels that are true to her, which was part of the reason she was so excited to working with J Brand.

But who knows, the next time you see Stephanie's name on a pair of jeans it might be for her own clothing line because she admitted that she's open to any all possibilities they may arise.

'You never know. I'm definitely not closed off to anything,' she said. 'I'm trying to see where all these things will take me. I love the process and all the little details. I would definitely love to have my own line of some sort. But we'll have to see.'

Split ways: It was rumored that there was bad blood between Stephanie and Kim but as revealed on an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, it was amicable

Pals: Despite no longer working for Kim, Stephanie is good friends with her sister Kourtney Kardashian, 39

The J Brand x Steph Shep Little Black Jean has a limited run of 100 units and will be available to shop only on jbrandjeans.com beginning June 12.

Stephanie was hired by Kim Kardashian, 37, to be her assistant in 2013 and after four years together, she was made COO of Kim's company, KKW, but left the reality star's company shortly after the promotion.

It was rumored that there was bad blood between the two however according to W Magazine (as revealed per an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians) it was an amicable split and Kim let her go simply because Stephanie had 'outgrown' her position.

Despite no longer working for Kim, Stephanie is still good friends with her sister, Kourtney Kardashian, 39, and Stephanie often posts pictures of them together to her Instagram account.The Prince of Wales has kicked off a two-day visit to Northern Ireland by sampling local delicacies including beer and cheese.

The royal was visiting the Carlisle Memorial Methodist Church, which is currently hosting the ABVFest beer festival and has served as a gateway to north Belfast since 1875.

The neo-Gothic building is the subject of a major regeneration project and is at the heart of one of the most troubled parts of Belfast, Charles's host, the Belfast Buildings Trust has said, during a 30-year conflict when there were many sectarian murders.

Charles, 69, began his two-day trip to Northern Ireland on Tuesday with a recital by the Ulster Orchestra in a 19th century Methodist church in Belfast which is undergoing major restoration.

Sampling the local delicacies: The Prince of Wales has kicked off a two-day visit to Northern Ireland by sampling local delicacies including beer and cheer

The Prince of Wales shares a laugh with ABVFest beer festival. Charles will also visit Ulster University in Coleraine, Co Londonderry, today to help celebrate its 50th anniversary

Say cheese! Charles began a two-day trip to Northern Ireland on Tuesday with a recital by the Ulster Orchestra in a 19th century Methodist church in Belfast (pictured)

Sinn Fein's former culture minister Caral Ni Chuilin and Mr Kelly were among those to meet the royal visitor.

In 2015, the prince visited nearby St Patrick's Catholic Church which was at the heart of disputes involving loyalist band parades.

He has often touched on the theme of reconciliation during recent visits to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Charles will also visit Ulster University in Coleraine, Co Londonderry, today to help celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Charles also shook hands with former IRA bomber and Sinn Fein Stormont Assembly member Gerry Kelly on Tuesday.

Charles sampling some beer. The royal has often touched on the theme of reconciliation during recent visits to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland

Following his visit today, at the request of the British Government, Charles will also travel to the south of the Republic for two days later this week

After seeing the church, Charles will visit Ulster University in Coleraine, Co Londonderry, to help celebrate its 50th anniversary

Charles was meeting the organisations involved in the regeneration of the building as a permanent home for the Ulster Orchestra

Mr Kelly escaped from the Maze Prison in 1983 while serving a jail sentence for the 1973 bombing of the Old Bailey.

He was later a senior member of Sinn Fein's negotiating team and embraced the peace process, serving as a minister in the powersharing Executive.

Charles has spoken many times about reconciliation in Ireland and has previously met Gerry Adams, offering condolences on the death of Martin McGuinness.

The Prince of Wales sits alongside Fionnuala Jay-O'Boyle, founder of the Belfast Buildings Trust, at Carlisle Memorial Church in Belfast

The Prince of Wales looked to be in good spirits as he met locals at the Carlisle Memorial Church in Belfast on Tuesday

On Wednesday, he will visit Omagh Hospital in Co Tyrone and later, in the town of Omagh, will be joined by the Duchess of Cornwall to meet those affected by the 1998 Real IRA bomb which killed 29 people.

At the request of the British Government, Charles and Camilla will then travel to the south of the Republic for two days later this week.

Their itinerary includes the English Market in Cork City previously toured by the Queen during her groundbreaking 2011 visit, and Co Kerry, where they will see the ancestral home of 19th century Irish statesman Daniel O'Connell, Derrynane House.Prince Edward was last night slammed for a 'blatant abuse of public money' after taking a private jet costing taxpayers an estimated 6,000 for a 133-mile journey between engagements.

The Queen's youngest son, 54, travelled between Poole in Dorset and Tamworth, Staffordshire, to attend an event yesterday marking the death 1,100 years ago of Anglo-Saxon ruler Aethelflaed.

The normal hire cost of the plane to do the journey between airports in Dorset and Birmingham would be around 6,000 for a one-way trip.

A first-class train ticket would have cost around 250-per-person.

Prince Edward was seen arriving at Birmingham airport in a private jet today ahead of a commemoration service

Prince Edward used a private jet to travel between Poole and Tamworth, a distance of 130miles

Last night Graham Smith from anti-monarchy campaign group Republic blasted The Earl of Wessex's 'extravagance' with public funds.

He told MailOnline: 'This is a blatant abuse of public money. If that were an MP they'd be in serious hot water.

'We need to look more seriously at the extravagance of the royals. He should be taking public transport or cars at a fraction of the cost.'

Edward's exact itinerary was not made clear by Palace officials who did not disclose where he started and ended the day yesterday.

He was in Windsor on Monday and was pictured landing in Birmingham yesterday lunchtime. He has engagements in Poole, Dorset, today.

An anytime first class ticket between Poole and Tamworth would have set the royal back just 254 - 0.7 per cent of the estimated private jet fare between the two destinations.

The company advertising Edward's jet says that the Bournemouth to Birmingham journey takes 31 minutes and costs between 10,000 and 45,000 return depending on how large and luxurious the plane is.

It is believed Prince Edward flew between Bournemouth and Birmingham on the jet at a cost of up to 6,000

Graham Smith from anti-monarchy campaign group Republic blasted The Earl of Wessex, pictured here at the royal wedding, for his 'extravagance' with public funds

Queen continues to lead by example as she UPPED her royal duties at the age of 92 The Queen had carried out 25 per cent more engagements in the first half of this year than she did in the same period of 2017. According to the blog Write Royalty, she has undertaken an impressive 125 official duties since January. Although many are now being held behind palace walls, with official making attempts to curtail strenuous travel, it is still a remarkable achievement for someone of her age. Prince Charles topped the list of the busiest royals of 2018 with 83 engagements in May alone and more than 250 since the start of the year. Princess Anne was hot on his heels with more than 200. By contrast new father William was seventh in the royal league table with just under 100 engagements. Prince Harry, however, failed to even make the top ten. Advertisement

Speaking to MailOnline a palace spokesperson said: 'The Earl of Wessex is undertaking a three-day programme of events, including a national service of commemoration, and engagements in support of the DofE.

'As ever, security, effective use of time, and the need to minimise disruption to others is taken into account when decisions are taken about transport.'

The three-day programme will be focussed on Dorset, with Prince Edward visiting Sunseeker International, a luxury yacht company, this afternoon, before attending dinner at Brownsea Castle.

Tomorrow he will visit Canford School in Wimborne, and on Thursday he will visit the Canford Real Tennis and Squash Club.

Prince Edward completed 285 royal engagements in 2017, meaning he was the fifth busiest royal. The royals undertook 3,609 engagements in total.

Edward missed Trooping the Colour on Saturday after returning from a visit to Hong Kong on the same day.

However, his wife Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, and daughter Lady Louise, 14, both attended the traditional parade marking the Queen's birthday.

Edward's medals could be seen on display as he was driven from the airport to the service yesterday.

He was attending a service at Tamworth's at St Edithas Church to mark the 1,100th anniversary of the death of Aethelflaed, who ruled the ancient kingdom of Mercia for seven years from the year 911 until her death.

She was the eldest daughter of Alfred the Great, who was King of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex.

The Earl of Wessex, 54, was driven away in a Jaguar after touching down in the plane

Edward was in the West Midlands to attend a service to mark the 1,100th anniversary of the death of Aethelflaed, Lady of Mercia

The Earl of Wessex was seen being driven away in a Jaguar with his medals on display

He was being driven to the ceremony at St Edithas Church in nearby Tamworth

A number of events have been held to commemorate Aethelflaed's death, including a funeral procession through Gloucester earlier this week.

Who is Aethelflaed, Lady of Mercia? thelfld, Lady of the Mercians, ruled the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia from 911 until her death in 918. Mercia was centred around what is today known as the Midlands, and had Tamworth as its capital. thelfld was the eldest daughter of Alfred the Great, who was King of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex. Along with her brother, the future King Edward the Elder, she played a big role in fighting off Viking attacks during the 890s. Following her death, she was buried at St Oswald's Priory in Gloucester. Advertisement

Edward has had a busy start to the month, spending four days in China and Hong Kong last week.

He arrived in Beijing last Tuesday, where he conducted a series of engagements, including attending a reception for The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

The Earl went on to Shanghai last Wednesday, where he visited a school, before going on to Hong Kong.

Edward arrived back in London on Saturday morning, which is why he did not attend Trooping the Colour with the rest of the royal family.

However, he was present at Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding at Windsor Castle in May, along with wife Sophie and children Lady Louise and James Viscount Severn, 10.

Edward's wife Sophie has also been busy in the past week, meeting patients at Leeds Children's Hospital yesterday.

The Countess of Wessex later attended a charity reception and dinner at Harewood House.

Edward's wife Sophie, 53, has had a busy week, attending a charity reception at Harewood House in Leeds on Tuesday night

Sophie attended Trooping the Colour on Saturday without Edward, who had just returned from a trip to Hong KongAlicia Silverstone has explained why she ended up with President Donald Trump's number saved into her phone, and it's not for the reason one might expect.

The Clueless actress, 41, appeared on The Late Show with Stephan Colbert to promote her TV series American Woman, but mentioned during the interview how she once was briefly an 'ecoadviser' for Trump.

'I was on one of the other talk shows in the daytime talking about solar panels and silk milk,' Alicia told the talk show host. 'And he (Trump) said he was really interested and we exchanged numbers so that we could continue this conversation about solar panels. So I met with him.'

Taking one for the team: Clueless star Alicia Silverstone revealed she had Donald Trump's number still saved in her phone, but not for the reason you might expect

Tight budget: Alicia recommended for Trump to incorporate solar panels on all of his buildings, but he decided not to because of the cost

The actress is avid about veganism and promoting an eco-friendly lifestyle, so Alicia said she took the meeting in hopes it could make a lasting impact on Trump's buildings.

'It was worth it to take the meeting because if I could get him to have every building to have solar panels on it, wouldnt that be a great accomplishment?' Alicia asked Colbert.

'So Ill take one for the team.'

Although she took the meeting with Trump, he ended up not adding any solar panels to any of his buildings.

Alicia said Trump was too concerned about the cost of incorporating them onto each structure.

This interaction occurred more than 10 years ago according to Alicia, so she doesn't know if the phone number still works.

'I'm very tempted to know if the number still works,' she said laughing. 'I mean mine still works, so he can reach out if he needs to.'

Hilarious: The 41-year-old said she acted as an 'ecoadviser' to the businessman

Hot topic: Alicia made it very clear that she and the president only met once to discuss the environmental issue

Alicia made it clear that the interaction involved just one meeting after some audience laughter insinuated more might have gone on with Trump.

Sultry: Alicia appeared on the talk show to promote her TV show, American Woman

'That's all that happened with Donald and I,' Alicia said firmly.

The actress has been outspoken in the past about environmental concerns when backing certain political candidates.

In September 2016, she posted a chart on Twitter that compared Trump with Hilary Clinton in terms of issues that related to the environment.

The chart pointed out that Trump said he didn't believe in climate change, instead blaming it on the Chinese government, and supported coal mining to continue despite its impact on the environment.

This tweet made it clear that Alicia was putting her support towards Hillary because the candidate was more environmentally friendly.

Once Trump took office, he demonstrated his views on protecting the environment after informing the public that the US intended to pull from the Paris Agreement.

This agreement is a plan between countries to limit their gas admissions in the long-term in order to mitigate climate change. The US will now be the only country not in the agreement after Syria announced it would sign the document.

So it should come as no surprise that Trump ended up not placing solar panels on his buildings after initially meeting with Alicia about the possibility.How much did you spend on your last handbag? If you blew the budget on a designer number, and are still wincing at the dent in your credit card, take heart.

Your splurge will be loose change compared with the eye-watering cost of a Hermes that went to auction yesterday.

The ten-year-old matte white Himalaya Birkin broke the European record for a bag sold at auction when it fetched 162,500 at Christie's  beating the previous record of 155,000.

That's more than the average price of a house in Scotland and Wales. And the bag is not even new.

Encrusted with 450 diamonds and white gold, the distinctively coloured crocodile skin bag is the most coveted version of the iconic Hermes Birkin range: fewer than 50 are believed to exist worldwide.

But can a handbag ever really justify a price tag six times the national average salary? Here's why devotees say yes...

The ten-year-old matte white Himalaya Birkin broke the European record for a bag sold at auction when it fetched 162,500 at Christie's

Will the big secret be let out of the bag?

Every self-respecting star, from Beyonce to Mariah Carey, is in possession of a Birkin.

But given that Hermes don't hand their bags out to celebrities for free in exchange for publicity, it takes a particularly determined  and rich  breed of A-Lister to get her hands on the Himalaya.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Victoria Beckham, 44, who is rumoured to have a collection of 100 Birkin bags worth a total of around 1.5 million, is among the lucky few. Husband David bought her one of the first Himalayas created in 2008 for around 75,000.

She is joined by reality star Kim Kardashian, 37, who was pictured with her Himalaya  minus diamonds  in 2014.

Whether the buyer of yesterday's Himalaya is now the proud owner of a bag that once graced a celebrity arm  or whether they themselves are a celebrity  is a closely guarded secret.

'Christie's takes client confidentiality extremely seriously and does not disclose the providence of these pieces,' says Rachel Koffsky, specialist in handbags and accessories at Christie's.

From a quick sketch to a fashion icon

The original Birkin bag was launched in 1984, after Jean-Louis Dumas, the chief executive of French luxury goods manufacturer Hermes, found himself sitting next to British actress Jane Birkin on a plane and overheard her bemoaning the fact that she couldn't find a decent leather weekend bag.

The result  sketched on the back of an aeroplane sick bag by Dumas  was a 35cm, spacious tote with practical pockets, four studs on the bottom to enable it to 'sit' securely, and handles that can be carried in the hand or over the crook of the arm.

Variations in size and skin have emerged and the bag has grown hugely in popularity, largely because getting hold of one proves so elusive.

A starting price for the most basic leather version is around 6,000. And even with finances in place, you will still be 'interviewed' by Hermes staff to see if you are a suitable candidate, before being invited to join a waiting list  of several years.

Victoria Beckhams diamond-encrusted Himalaya was a 75,000 gift from husband David and one of the first to be created in 2008. Since then, shes become a collector, with 100 Birkins worth around 1.5 million

Inspired by the snowy Himalayas

The matte white Himalaya was developed by Hermes in 2008, its name inspired by the smoky greys and whites of the snow-capped Himalayan mountains.

At 30cm, it is smaller than the original Birkin and made from the hide of farm-raised Nile crocodiles, an African strain of the species that has relatively few bones and is therefore said to have a smoother skin.

The bag's white gold diamond-encrusted detailing adds to the value, of course, as does the fact so few have been made.

Birkin specialist Michael Tonello, author of Bringing Home The Birkin: My Life In Hot Pursuit Of The World's Most Coveted Handbag, explains: 'When the bag first became available, numbers were so limited that a few of the flagship Hermes stores around the world only got one each.'

'Only one or two a year were manufactured in subsequent years, and now Hermes no longer makes them.

'Only three of these bags have become available on the secondary market,' says Tonello. 'It is virtually impossible to buy one today.'

Which is, of course, a stroke of marketing genius, because the harder the bag is to get hold of, the more the rich and famous will spend to get one.

The world record-holding Himalaya bag, sold in Hong Kong last year for 292,992 was 'Grade 1,' meaning it was brand new, whereas the one sold yesterday was in 'Grade 2' condition, which means it has been used.

'A Grade 2 piece could be considered new to someone who isn't a collector, but at this level differences in condition can mean as much as 20 per cent in value,' explains Christie's Rachel Koffsky.

Tamara Ecclestone, the heiress daughter of F1 billionaire Bernie, has a collection of 30 Hermes bags. Still, at least Tamara, 33, has scrimped a little by buying the Himalaya Birkin without diamonds, which sells for around 60,000

Anger of the animal rights activists

The crocodile skin that Hermes uses is thought to come from Africa, Texas and Australia, where the company has its own crocodile farms.

The reptiles are kept apart to protect their precious skin from bites. Each Himalaya Birkin bag is believed to use the belly of two crocodiles for the front and back of the bag, and a third crocodile for the sides and handle.

'The belly is the most sought-after part of the crocodile as the scales are larger and more uniform, and bigger in the centre, getting smaller towards the edge, which is what collectors are looking for,' says Tonello, founder of luxury footwear brand Respoke.

Once the hide is removed, it is reportedly salted for preservation, packed in crates and taken to an exclusive Singapore tannery called Heng Long.

There, the skins are soaked and treated with chemicals to remove the scales and make them softer. After being shaved and bleached to remove the natural pigments, the skin is ready to be dyed.

Unsurprisingly, animal rights activists are angered at crocodiles being bred for their skins.

In 2015, a damning expose by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) revealed that workers in crocodile farms in Texas and Zimbabwe used by Hermes had kept crocodiles in overcrowded concrete pits and had stabbed the animals to death while they were still conscious.

Jane Birkin, concerned by such 'cruel practices', asked the brand to remove her name from the bags, before Hermes convinced her that they had identified an 'isolated irregularity' in the slaughter process and warned the farm implicated it would stop using them should it not follow their recommended procedures.

Touched only by experts

Once the correct colour, the crocodile skin arrives at the Hermes flagship workshop on the outskirts of Paris.

A small team of highly trained artisans take around 48 hours to turn it into a Himalaya Birkin: most are graduates of the Ecole Gregoire-Ferrandi  a Parisian school that specialises in working with luxury leathers such as crocodile and ostrich.

Tonello says: 'In the Nineties, one craftsman would make a Birkin bag from start to finish, but I'm told it is more of an assembly line now to increase production.'

It can take a Hermes apprentice at least two years on the lowly leather benches before they're allowed anywhere near a Birkin, however. 'Prices are so high and one mistake could cost thousands,' explains Tonello.

Celine Dion, 50, has a Himalaya Kelly, a sister of the Birkin, that has just one strap and was made famous by Grace Kelly, who used it to hide her pregnant tummy from the paparazzi

Some very snazzy stitching

The dyed crocodile skin is cut to size by hand, with a knife, by an artisan sitting at a bench. The cut skin is then punched with a tiny metal device similar to an awl, that allows the artisan to insert a linen thread coated in beeswax to make it water resistant.

The bag is held together with a wooden clamp and sewn with a 'saddle stitch', a mark of quality, as Tonello explains:

'The thread criss-crosses to create an X-shape inside the leather so that even if one piece of thread did break, the stitching wouldn't ever unravel.'

The bag's lining is made of goat leather and dyed the same colour as the bag. The handle is made using around five layers of the crocodile skin rolled together and placed over the artisan's thigh to help shape it  a process that takes around four hours.

Blinged up with diamond studs

The lock the Himalaya Birkin comes with is made from 18 carat gold, which, along with the white gold clasps that connect in the middle of the bag, are studded with 450 brilliant round diamonds totalling more than ten carats.

They are closely set together to give the overall effect of one large, glittering jewel.

The keys to the bag come enclosed in a leather lanyard known as a clochette which is looped through the handle of the bag, while the four white metal palladium studs at the bottom of the bag are attached using nails, making them very long-wearing.

Reality television star Kim Kardashian, 37, has a 30cm version of the Himalaya Birkin  for now, anyway. She has previously sold two of her Hermes bags at auction

The fight against fakes

When any Birkin has been completed, a workshop inspector checks every last detail of it before the bag is stamped to identify who made it, at which of the brand's 15 French workshops, and in what year.

This isn't just to reassure high-end customers, but to protect against a burgeoning market in counterfeits.

In 2012, the same year French police dismantled an international crime ring producing Hermes copies, Patrick Thomas, the brand's former chief executive officer, claimed it was an 'absolute disgrace' that some 80 per cent of objects sold on the internet under their brand were fakes.

The bag is then sent to the Hermes logistics department in the town of Bobigny for a final inspection before being dispatched to a boutique or VIP customer.

In the unlikely event that an owner does discover an imperfection, don't expect their unwanted Birkin to pop up in a 'faulty goods' sale  Hermes would sooner bin the bag with a perceived fault than suffer the humiliation of it being seen in public.

'They are famous for destroying bags that don't meet their quality control,' says Tonello. 'I've had clients who have sent back a Birkin after a year for repair and Hermes has chosen to refund the bag rather than repair it.'

Why it's a better bet than gold

While most second-hand handbags depreciate in value, Hermes Birkins are one of the very few designs to sell for more on the secondary market than their original price.

Some generate returns of about 30 per cent a year, and a study by Baghunter  an online marketplace for buying and selling luxury handbags  found Birkin bags have actually outperformed both the American stock market and the price of gold.A good reason not to fear the dentist: a study found they may be able to smell when a patient is anxious or afraid which can make them prone to mistakes.

Researchers asked students to donate a T-shirt they had worn during a stressful exam, and another worn at a calm lecture  these were put on mannequins and a group of dental students were graded as they carried out treatments on each of the mannequins.

Results showed they performed significantly worse when treating mannequins wearing T-shirts from students whod been stressed.

The researchers, from the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy, said the smell of anxiety could trigger the same emotion in those who subconsciously smell it.

Light beam that helps control your asthma

Doctors at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust are trialling a new way to monitor breathing in asthma patients to help them better control their condition.

The technology, known as structured light plethysmography, involves projecting a special light onto patients chests to record movements as they breathe. These movements are then processed by a computer and made into a 3D model.

Researchers say the new technique will allow patients to be monitored without exacerbating their symptoms as they continue to breathe normally. To join the study, contact ps4e13@soton.ac.uk

Wood fires linked to heart disease

Exposure to household air pollution such as wood or coal fumes from heating and cooking could raise your risk of heart attack or stroke, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers from the University of Oxford and other centres studied health records of 271,000 people in China and found that those who regularly cooked over coal or wood had a 20 per cent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who used electricity or gas.

Burning coal or wood releases fine particles called PM2.5 which we inhale and which then penetrate deep into our lung tissue.

The effect of indoor pollution had previously been thought to be limited.A 52-year-old mother who took cannabis oil to battle her terminal cancer has been given the all-clear by doctors.

Joy Smith was told she would only have six weeks to live when she was diagnosed with incurable stomach and bowel cancer in August 2016.

In a desperate attempt to defy expectations, she began taking a cannabis oil that contained THC, which is illegal in the UK. She is believed to have bought it online.

And after a rollercoaster two years, she found out on Monday morning that she was cancer-free and would no longer have to have chemotherapy.

Ms Smith, from Coventry, said: 'I am going to party for the rest of my life. I have got to be the only person in the world who have survive this.

Joy Smith was told she would only have six weeks to live when she was diagnosed with incurable stomach and bowel cancer in August 2016 (pictured before she was diagnosed)

But, after a rollercoaster two years, she found out on Monday morning that she was cancer free and would no longer have to have chemotherapy (pictured receiving treatment)

'I keep pinching myself to see if this is real. I am being monitored every three months, but other than that I have no more treatment planned.'

Ms Smith was told that she would have little longer than a month left to live unless she started chemotherapy to buy her more time.

She started having treatment every two weeks for three days, but had to have the line that delivered her chemotherapy taken out after she developed sepsis.

Ms Smith was unaware her friends had been researching an alternative cancer cure online until she was handed a cannabis-based tablet out of the blue.

She admitted that she didn't want to take it at first because she 'didn't know what it was' - but did so anyway in the hope of a cure.

The effects of THC - the compound that causes the 'high' - left her feeling 'drunk', Ms Smith claimed as she struggled to speak and 'words just slurred out'.

Ms Smith was unaware her friends pictured with her in hospital) had been researching an alternative cancer cure online until she was handed a cannabis-based tablet out of the blue

Ms Smith, from Coventry, said: 'I am going to party for the rest of my life. I have got to be the only person in the world who have survive this' (pictured in hospital)

Ms Smith then started researching cannabis oil online and discovered it had worked for other sufferers - even though scientists are dubious.

After taking regular doses of cannabis oil containing THC, which is currently illegal in the UK, her inoperable tumours almost completely disappeared.

Ms Smith spoke about her battle against the cancer with the oil in March, when scans showed just a small amount of the disease left in her stomach.

She was hopeful then that the cancer would completely disappear with continued cannabis oil use.

And Ms Smith said she hadn't stopped smiling since her appointment with her consultant on Monday, and said the news has yet to sink in.

Ms Smith has received thousands of messages from fellow sufferers desperate to know more about her miracle cure, which has left doctors stunned.

She said: 'I am just so happy. This is all down to the cannabis oil. I shouldn't be here, but I am.

'My daughter is in Australia at the minute and when I told her she thought I was lying.

Ms Smith was told that she would have little longer than a month left to live unless she started chemotherapy to buy her more time.

CAN CANNABIS OIL CURE CANCER? A mother-of-two claimed in February that she has cured her aggressive breast cancer by taking one drop of cannabis oil containing THC every day. Dee Mani, 44, refused chemotherapy when she was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer - deemed the deadliest form - and instead opted to try the oil, which is illegal in the UK. Doctors gave her the all-clear just five months after she opted for the oil. Despite her claims that it has cured her of cancer, there is no proof cannabis, or any of its compounds, can treat cancer in humans as research showing the drug's anti-tumour effects have been in petri dishes and on mice. Dr Kat Arney, formerly from Cancer Research UK, said that while study findings have been promising, cancer patients should not get their hopes up. She previously said: 'We know that cannabinoids can have a range of different effects on cancer cells grown in the lab and animal tumours. 'But at the moment there isn't good evidence from clinical trials to prove that they can safely and effectively treat cancer in patients.' Advertisement

'Everyone around me has been amazing, I have an army behind me and they're all so happy.'

The legal status of cannabis oil in the UK has confused thousands after a landmark ruling that CBD, a compound in the drug, can be sold as a medicine with the correct licence. It is sold over-the-counter in Holland & Barrett. However, cannabis oil, which contains THC, is strictly illegal.

Cannabis oil and CBD oil is usually bottled with a dropper - but can also come in the form of chewing gum, soap or as a vape oil for e-cigarettes.

Both have been reported to help people with epilepsy, rheumatism, migraines, psoriasis, acne, multiple sclerosis and depression.

Cannabis oil is not available legally in the UK but can be sourced online. Ms Smith said the people contacting her are desperate to know how to get hold of it themselves.

Although she can't supply the oil herself, she tries to help in other ways. Ms Smith is writing a book about her journey so far and is determined to get it legalised.

She said: 'I have got to get it legalised. I am so happy, happier than I have ever been. I just keep sharing the petition and hope it will make a difference.

'I believe my reason for being here is to help everyone else. Unless you have been faced with death you don't know.'

Ms Smith is now looking forward to her life going back to normal. She said she will have her hair grow back after the long period of treatment.

She said: 'I haven't had chemo for eight weeks, and four weeks ago was my last cancer treatment.

'I will have hair growing back, my nails will be strong. It just hasn't sunk in yet.

'I have to thank all the nurses and the doctors at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, they've been amazing and especially, Dr Sohgi.

'They have been the best for me, even though I have defied all their science.'

A few days after learning she had nearly beaten the disease in March, Ms Smith discovered she won a competition she entered while 'high'.

After ticking everything off her bucket list after she received the terminal diagnosis, she was unsure how to spend her 84,000 prize money.

Ms Smith has started a petition to make cannabis oil legal in the UK for medical use, which has attracted more than 17,000 signatures.

Ms Smith is now looking forward to her life going back to normal. She said she will have her hair grow back after the long period of treatment (pictured with a friend)Twelve states have seen a rise in parents skipping their children's vaccinations - particularly the mumps, measles and rubella shot.

The main 'hotspots' are in Texas, Arizona, Utah and the Pacific Northwest, according to a new national study published today.

The CDC says at least 90 percent of each community needs to be covered by MMR to prevent measles outbreaks, like the one that hit Disneyland in Anaheim, California in 2014, and the one which struck Minnesota's under-vaccinated Somali community last year.

But an analysis of the rate of vaccines among kindergarten children from 2009 to now shows coverage is falling in pockets of the US that allow families to opt out based on their beliefs, rather than medical reasoning.

Experts warn that trend is a 'public health crisis' fueled by the heavily-funded anti-vaxxer movement, and that if this keeps going these states may have to follow California's suit, banning non-medical exemptions out-right.

'It's a public health crisis': Experts warn the increasing rates of anti-vaxxer sentiment in hotspots around the US are dangerous. This map from the new study shows the percentage of children who skipped vaccines for non-medical reasons in the 18 states that permit such an exemption

STATES THAT ALLOW PARENTS TO OPT OUT OF VACCINES BASED ON PHILOSOPHICAL BELIEFS Arkansas Arizona Colorado Idaho Louisiana ( except no religious exemptions ) Maine Michigan Minnesota ( except no religious exemptions ) Missouri ( only for daycare, not public school ) North Dakota Ohio Oklahoka Oregon Pennsylvania Texas Utah Washington Wisconsin STATES THAT RECENTLY REVOKED THIS ALLOWANCE: Vermont California Missouri West Virginia Advertisement

'This is a real crisis,' lead author Dr Peter Hotez, a tropical disease vaccine researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, told DailyMail.com.

'Here in Texas you have schools where up to 40 percent of children are not vaccinated.

'The federal government has not weighed in because, nationally, the immunization rates haven't changed much. But the thing we need to worry about are these pockets. That's where a movement can grow and outbreaks can start.'

Dr Hotez, who carried out the research with colleagues at Baylor and Texas Children's Hospital, is a pediatrician who has become a target for the anti-vaccination movement.

His daughter Rachel has autism, and this fall he will be publishing a book called Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism - a direct attack on the most commonly-pedaled myth by anti-vaxxers.

Being based in Houston makes him even more contentious: Texas has become a battleground for the anti-vax movement, since it is one of just 18 states that allow parents to opt out for religious or philosophical reasons.

Indeed, disgraced British gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield, who has modeled himself as the face of America's anti-vaxxer movement, has relocated to Austin to fight his fight against immunizations - after having his medical license revoked in the UK for provenly-false claims that the MMR shot causes autism.

The movement has gained ground in recent years, with a swell of funding from political candidates who back vaccine skepticism, and some fierce scare campaigns online.

'I know 52,000 children in Texas are not vaccinated, and there are 320,000 home-schooled children whose vaccine status we do not know. I wanted to know what the situation is like across the country, particularly in the other 17 states that allow non-medical exemptions,' Dr Hotez said.

His team analyzed routine data from the 18 states, and found an increase since 2009 in the number of children enrolling in kindergarten with a non-medical exemption in 12 of the states.

They identified several metropolitan areas across the country that stand out as 'hotspots' of vaccination exemptions, including major metropolitan areas in the Pacific Northwest, Texas, Utah, and Arizona, as well as less populated and rural counties in Idaho.

In a further analysis, the authors found that higher rates of non-medical exemptions in individual states were associated with lower rates of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination coverage.

Dr Hotez said his biggest concern is measles.

'The anti-vaxxers call me "the boy who cried wolf" because I go on about measles, but it is not something to brush off,' he said.

'After small pox was eliminated in the 70s, measles became the number one cause of death for children in the world. And California had a terrible outbreak in 2015. The vaccine prevents that, it protects our children.'

California became a standard for the handling of measles outbreaks after 159 people contracted measles at Disneyland in Anaheim.

While the outbreak was believed to have started with a foreign visitor, officials broadly agree California's low rate of vaccinations allowed it to spread.

At the time, California was one of 19 states that allowed parents to opt out of vaccines based on their beliefs.

After changing the rules, making MMR compulsory for children unless they had a medical reason not to, the state's rate of vaccinated kindergartners went up 30 percent, and there hasn't been a significant measles outbreak since.

The number do not sound like a wild shift. In 2014, California's vaccination rate was 93 percent. However, certain pockets of the state were far lower, and the vaccine is one of the few that rely on 'herd immunity' among the people you interact with.

For decades, the CDC has advised children get two doses of the MMR vaccine - their first at around one year old, and their second between four and six years old - which gives a child about 88 percent protection against mumps, measles and rubella.

'That's high but not 100 percent,' warns Dr Pritish Tosh, MD, an infectious diseases specialist at the Mayo Clinic, told Daily Mail Online.

According to Dr Tosh, the strength of the vaccine partly relies on 'herd immunity', requiring that the vast majority of each community (at least 90 percent) is protected.

'When you have some people who are unvaccinated or under vaccinated in a community then we lose some of that herd immunity meaning the populations can be at-risk of infection, even if they were vaccinated.

'Once you start dropping in that number, you run a risk of re-introducing mumps into a population.

'Certainly, unvaccinated people get sick but also there will likely be vaccinated people who get sick because the vaccine is not 100 percent effective.'

He warns: 'The unvaccinated people are amplifying the outbreak then allowing some who are unvaccinated to become sick. This has been seen more and more including in college campuses.'

'Stricter legislative action to close [non-medical exemptions from vaccination] should become a higher priority', Dr Hotez and his co-authors write in the study.

'Our concern is that the rising [non-medical exemptions] linked to the anti-vaccine movement in the US will stimulate other countries to follow a similar path.'From the moment Kara Dunn stepped off the plane, she had blurry vision and trouble moving her face.

The 20-year-old from Tempe, Arizona, had arrived in Spain for what was meant to be a six-week vacation traveling to various European countries with a friend.

But after just one day in Barcelona, she was struggling to swallow so she went to the hospital, where she was checked but doctors were unsure of what was wrong.

Her symptoms only worsened. Both her hands and feet grew numb, and she was admitted to the hospital - this time rushed into intensive care.

Doctors diagnosed Dunn with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare disorder in which the immune system attacks your peripheral nervous system, paralyzing parts of or - in some cases - your whole body.

Her brother, Ryan, spoke exclusively to Daily Mail Online about how a medical jet to transport Dunn home so she can begin a long journey of physical therapy will cost around $200,000 - something insurance is not willing to cover.

Kara Dunn, 20, from Tempe, Arizona, was left paralyzed last week while on vacation in Spain. Pictured: Kara with her mother in the hospital on Tuesday

From the moment Dunn (left and right) stepped off the plane, she was having blurry vision and trouble moving her face. This soon progressed to having trouble breathing and losing feeling in her hands and her feet

Dunn (pictured) was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, in which the immune system attacks your peripheral nervous system, paralyzing parts of or - in some cases - your whole body

Guillain-Barre syndrome is often preceded by an infectious illness such as a respiratory infection or the stomach flu.

It's a rare syndrome, affecting about one in 100,000 people and fewer than 20,000 cases per year, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

After the first symptoms of Guillain-Barre syndrome, sufferers' conditions usually worsen for about two weeks before plateauing around the four-week mark.

WHAT IS GUILLAIN-BARRE SYNDROME? Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a disorder in which your body's immune system attacks your peripheral nervous system. Weakness and tingling in the extremities are the first symptoms. These sensations can quickly spread, eventually paralyzing your whole body. The exact cause of GBS is unknown. The disorder usually appears days or weeks after a respiratory or digestive tract infection. GBS is rare with between 3,000 and 6,000 developing the disease every year in the US, according to the CDC. Signs and symptoms: Prickling or tingling sensations in your fingers, toes, ankles or wrists

Weakness in your legs that spreads to your upper body

Unsteady walking or inability to walk or climb stairs

Difficulty with eye or facial movements, including speaking, chewing or swallowing

Difficulty breathing

Rapid heart rate

Low or high blood pressure Treatment: There is no cure for GBS but treatment can reduce the disease's severity and speed recovery. 1) Plasma exchange: Plasma, part of your blood, is separated from the red blood cells. The red blood cells are then put back into your body to rid the plasma of harmful antibodies 2) Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy: Immunoglobulin containing healthy antibodies from blood donors is given through a vein and blocks harmful antibodies from contributing to damage Recovery: Recovery can take months or even years but sufferers generally experience this timeline: After the first signs and symptoms, the condition progressively worsens for about two weeks

Symptoms reach a plateau within four weeks

Recovery usually lasts between six to 12 months, though it can take longer Source: Mayo Clinic Advertisement

And that was the case for Dunn, according to her brother, Ryan.

He told Daily Mail Online that within hours she was in the ICU and then intubated for severe pneumonia.

He and their mother, Dawn, both traveled to Spain to support Dunn by her bedside.

The recovery period can last as little as a few weeks and as long as a few years, but about 30 percent of those diagnosed have a residual weakness after three years.

Most who have Guillain-Barre syndrome make full recoveries, but some are left with tingling sensations in the arms and legs

Since Dunn first entered the hospital, Ryan says her condition has slowly been improving.

'After I got there she was under lighter sedation and her pneumonia was mostly resolved,' he told Daily Mail Online.

'She then was able to nod her head "yes" and shake her head "no" to question, which she doesn't remember because she was sedated.'

Dunn's breathing tube has since been removed and she's gradually been able to start talking again, although Ryan says her speech is slurred, she speaks one sentence at a time, and has trouble controlling the volume of her voice.

She's also regained movement in her upper arms and forearms and has feeling in her hands, but her legs are completely numb - she is paralyzed from the waist down.

Dunn's first step in treatment has been to receive Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy (IVIG).

When you have Guillain-Barre syndrome, the immune system produces harmful antibodies that attack the nerves.

IVIG is a treatment made from donated blood that contains healthy antibodies to block the harmful ones from continuing their damage.

Once she returns home, Dunn will receive a combination of physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.

Doctors in Spain are waiting until Dunn is breathing completely on her own before sending her home so she will be stronger and will be less likely to have complications mid-air.

But it's a waiting game. A medical jet to transport her home will cost $200,000 alone - not including the months of therapy she will receive.

Ryan says her primary insurance will not cover the cost and they're currently not sure if her traveler's insurance will help cover the cost.

Dunn's brother Ryan said that she has since regained movement in her arms and can start speaking again but is still paralyzed from the waist down. She faces months of physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy upon arriving home. Pictured: Dunn with her brother, Ryan, left, and with her father, right

A medical jet to transport Dunn (pictured, with her family) home will cost $200,000 alone, which her primary insurance is not willing to pay

Ryan says that Dunn (center, with her brothers) is studying to be a doctor who treats autoimmune diseases - and notes the irony that she is suffering from the very thing she wants to help treat

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help pay for the flight back to the US; medical expenses; physical therapy; and transportation and housing for Dunn's family.

So far more than $40,200 has been raised out of a $50,000 goal.

Ryan says that Dunn is studying to be a doctor - in fact, one who treats people with autoimmune diseases - and notes the irony that she is suffering from the very thing she wants to help treat.

'It's strange that Kara has been affected by this when her dream is to help people with this condition,' he said.

'But I hope people know that by helping her, they will also be helping her future patients.'The Royal Mint has been accused of a massive blunder after a college student found a Paddington Bear 50p coin that has not yet been released in her change  and the organisation demanded it back, This is Money can reveal.

The Mint, based in Llantrisant, South Wales, faces embarrassment after the Paddington Bear coin was found in change by a student via a shop in nearby Caerphilly.

This is Money reported on the coin earlier in the week after a bidding frenzy on eBay saw the price drive up beyond 15,000  and the Mint has as good as admitted it is genuine.

Bidding frenzy: The coin is listed on eBay and with a day to go, has more than 100 bids on it

The seller  Jordan Mcilquham - described it as an 'accidental release' on the listing and its possible leak has made collectors keen on it.

However, shortly after Jordan listed the coin last Wednesday, the Royal Mint is said to have contacted her to ask for the listing to be taken down and the coin to be returned.

Jordan's father Del claims the Royal Mint then attempted to obtain the coin by offering her a free visit and tour.

After seeking legal advice, Jordan decided to keep the coin on eBay. It is then claimed that a private seller offered 1,000 for the coin.

When this was told to Royal Mint, it too offered 1,000 for the coin over the phone Del says, which was accepted.

But Del claims it then changed its mind and put out a cryptic message on Twitter which said: 'It seems a Paddington Bear 50p has been spotted.

'We can't bring you a picture right now however keep a look out for more information coming soon.'

Paddington Bear: This is believed to be the 50p, accidentally leaked ahead of circulation

Queen: The Privy Council released documents showing that the Queen wanted coins designed to honour Paddington Bear

The Royal Mint says at no point was any commitment given to purchase the coin.

Del also claims that the Mint said the likely leak of the coin is believed to be a photographer who accidentally pocketed one and spent it in a corner shop.

This theory could make sense, as if somebody had stolen it from the Mint for personal gain, they wouldn't have spent it in a shop.

Del has sent over screenshots of the Royal Mint contacting Jordan via Facebook Messenger about the coin and wanting to get in touch, sent by Karen in customer services.

The Royal Mint told This is Money: 'It has been reported to us that a commemorative 50p coin featuring Paddington Bear has been spotted.

'We have undertaken our usual review when we are informed by the general public of such matters.

'However we can confirm that at no point was any commitment given to purchase the coin.

'The launch of the new Paddington Coins will proceed as originally planned.'

Facebook: The Royal Mint contacted Jordan on the Messenger service

This is Money has asked for confirmation of how it was leaked and about its attempts to get the coin back. We also asked for a date the coins are likely to hit circulation.

The Mint added: 'At the moment we dont have any more news to share and are not offering a further comment.'

Earlier in the year, Privy Council documents released online show the Queen had ordered new 50p coins to be designed to honour Paddington Bear.

According to the documents, Her Majesty requested a batch of thousands of the coins to celebrate the literary character. The coins mark the 60th anniversary of the British stories.

Paddington: The popular bear has recently been in two blockbuster movies

The documents also detailed what the potential coins would look like and what they would be made out of.

The coins will see the famous brown bear sitting in a suitcase at Paddington Station, or waving a British flag outside Buckingham Palace  and it appears the station version is the one that has been accidentally leaked.

It is unknown exactly how many of the coins will be created. The beloved bear has experienced a revival in popularity recently, with two movies released starring him. Paddington Bear author Michael Bond died last year.They're big, they're orange and they're hungry.

On Tuesday morning Sydney's Martin Place became overrun with 30 huge Doritos dinosaurs, startling commuters as they made their way to work.

In a scene that was described by a witness as 'amazingly brilliant' the bright creatures were spotted running through the city centre at 8.30am in a stampede.

On the run: 30 Doritos dinosaurs were seen running through Sydney's Martin Place on Tuesday morning

Hero of the day: Crisp Pratt was thankfully on hand to help and managed to take control of the animals

The hungry creatures congregated at Martin Place and it was only when hero Crisp Pratt stepped in that the pandemonium subsided.

Thankfully, the dinosaur trainer was on hand to calm the beasts down, and it was only after they were given new Doritos Colossal Chargrilled Steak crisps, that order was restored.

One witness said: 'It was hilarious watching the dinosaurs running around - no-one knew what was happening'.

Making their way: Some Doritos dinosaurs were seen emerging from the station in Martin Place

Pack: The bright orange beasts were spotted all over the city from the early hours of Tuesday morning and they met in Martin Place

What an unusual sight: It's the first time the beasts have been spotted in Sydney

And one youngster who watched the stampede turned to his father and said: 'Look daddy the dinosaurs are hungry!'

Crisp Pratt, 38, holidaying in Sydney after a strenuous couple of weeks in Hollywood, explained: 'Initially I thought that the beasts were coming for me because I had some dinosaur eggs in my pocket.'

'They have a strong sense of smell so I thought it was the eggs that they were after, but I soon realised that they were actually after the new tasty Doritos I was carrying.'

Strength in numbers: After initial sightings early on Tuesday morning, 30 of the beasts were seen taking over Martin Place

Expert: Thankfully Crisp Pratt was in the vicinity and realised that the dinosaurs were after the NEW Doritos Colossal corn chips

Feeding time: The expert dinosaur handler, who is in Sydney on holiday from his home in Jurassic World was seen giving the beasts the Doritos Colossal Chargrilled Steak chips

'Once I'd given them the snacks they calmed down a lot. They're really just big softies at heart - they're pretty harmless.'

After the dinosaurs had fed on the new Doritos Colossal Chargrilled Steak chips they settled down and were even seen interacting with the public.

Bystanders were treated to some cuddles and many of the beasts even posed for pictures.

Photo opportunity: Commuters couldn't help but stop and take pictures of the unusual sight

A bag for everyone: The huge orange beasts were happy once they got their claws on bags of the Doritos chips

In good spirits: The animals proved they weren't a danger to humans

Happy creatures: The dinosaurs calmed down once they were fed the tasty NEW Doritos Colossal corn chips

The dinosaurs were first spotted across the city in the early hours of the morning, with reports coming in to Daily Mail Australia from concerned citizens.

At around 6am this morning there were sightings of the huge creatures at iconic locations across the city including at Bondi Beach, Hyde Park and Circular Quay.

But by 8am the group had congregated in Martin Place and by this stage the animals were ravenous.

Calm: The animals were so comfortable with humans that they even let some of the passers-by enjoy a hug

Do you want to greet a Doritos dinosaur? On Friday some of the beasts will be in Central Park Chippendale where you can win yourself some cold hard cash by sharing a hug with them

Thankfully Crisp's quick thinking saved the day and he was able to usher the beasts away after feeding them some new Doritos flavours.

On Friday Sydneysiders can experience all that Jurassic World has to offer by getting up close and personal with the pre-historic animals.

Did you see a Doritos dinosaur this week? The animals were seen all over Sydney on Tuesday

Aussies can meet and great the dinosaurs, who will be located in Central Park, Chippendale, and have the chance at winning some cold hard cash.

All you need to do is spot one of the orange beasts, give them a hug and you will walk away with $20.Owners of Detroit's vacant, hulking 105-year-old Michigan Central Station announced Monday that they've sold the iconic symbol of Detroit's fall from greatness to Ford Motor Co. for redevelopment.

Matthew Moroun, son of building owner Manuel 'Matty' Moroun, said Dearborn-based Ford's Blue Oval logo 'will adorn the building.'

The announcement came in front of the 500,000-square-foot (46,000-square-meter), 18-story station that closed in 1988.

'The next steward of the building is the right one for its future,' Moroun said. 'The depot will become a shiny symbol of Detroit's progress and its success.'

Matthew Moroun, son of Michigan Central Station owner Manuel 'Matty' Moroun announces the sale of the historic train station to the Ford Motor Co., for redevelopment, Monday, June 11, 2018, in Detroit

Moroun is seen speaking outside the station Monday. Ford says an announcement on the redevelopment is planned next week

Moroun said Ford plans to disclose details of the redevelopment soon.

An announcement is planned next week, Ford said. After years of failed plans, talk has centered on redevelopment spearheaded by Ford.

'These are exciting times for Ford and Detroit,' Ford said in a statement Monday.

It said the June 19 announcement 'will be a historic day for Detroit, the auto industry and the future of Ford.'

This shows the historic Michigan Central Station on Monday, June 11, 2018, in Detroit. The owners of the train station announced on Monday that the building has been sold to the Ford

This shows the historic Michigan Central Station on Monday. Ford recently began moving about 200 members of its electric and autonomous vehicle business teams into a refurbished former factory near the train station

Ford recently began moving about 200 members of its electric and autonomous vehicle business teams into a refurbished former factory near the train station.

The last train left Michigan Central Station 30 years ago and it has stood vacant ever since, a hulking embodiment of Detroit's long decline from America's manufacturing engine to its biggest municipal bankruptcy.

The building that once handled all of Detroit's passenger rail traffic closed due to a decline in ridership and took on a new life in the subsequent years as a destination for urban explorers, the homeless and scavengers, who picked it clean of anything valuable.

Residents are accustomed to seeing plans to repurpose the building come and go, leaving some locals to take a wait-and-see approach about Ford's interest leading up to Monday's announcement.

The building has been pitched as a possible police headquarters or retail space and casino over the years. At one point, the City Council wanted it demolished and forgotten.

Billionaire Manuel 'Matty' Moroun, who bought the building in the 1990s, also owns the nearby Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. The Moroun family wants to build another bridge over the river.

A refurbished and open Michigan Central would anchor Corktown, a neighborhood with trendy bars and restaurants that is on the upswing.Chinese street vendors have been caught on camera butchering and skinning dogs as customers looked on at a popular meat market in northern China.

The shocking footage was released by animal rights organisation Humane Society International less than two weeks before the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, which is set to take place in another province in southern China on the summer solstice.

The dogs were believed to be stolen pets or owned rural dogs, said the organisation.

An animal rights group has released shocking footage of Chinese vendors skinning dogs in broad daylight next to more caged pooches. The market is said to be located in Fushun, China

Humane Society International said the videos are significant as they show the illegal dog meat trade can be found not just in Yulin, but 'all over the country'.

CHINA'S DOG FUR TRADE The dog fur trade is not a major trade in China, and skinning dogs in public is relatively unusual. The animal's fur is usually made into clothing and fashion accessories. Liaoning is one of China's top fur animal farming provinces. The province's Tong'erbao town is the largest production and commercial centre of fur clothing in north-east China, according to Southern Weekly. According to Humane Society International, dog furs are much cheaper than fox and raccoon dog furs among the local traders. Advertisement

The video, along with several other similar ones, was filmed in Liaoning Province in north-east China.

Humane Society International said north-east China is the second largest dog meat market in China, with Jilin Province being the biggest market in the region.

'Jilin's dog meat market is as big as Guangxi,' said a Humane Society International spokesperson.

In addition, the footage has caught the unusual moments of vendors skinning dogs for their fur before selling its meat to market-goers.

The dogs' furs would be made into gloves, hats, vest and boots for the local people, according the organisation.

The clips are said to be taken in Fushun on May 30 by Humane Society International's Chinese volunteers, who had received a tip-off from concerned residents.

According to the volunteers, the street vendors are a part of a rural slaughter market which sees 50 to 60 dogs being killed every day; and on every Wednesday, which is the special market day, as many as 80 dogs are slaughtered in broad daylight.

Chinese volunteers discovered the market after receiving a rip-off from concerned residents

It's said the rural market in Liaoning Province sees up to 80 dogs being cruelly killed every day

As the vendors skinned dogs and hooked them onto metal shelves, more animals were crammed into rusty cages and waiting to be killed next to the stalls.

The interested customers, on the other hand, appeared to be unfazed by the situation as they stood to make their purchases.

The Humane Society International spokesperson said: 'Killing dogs and selling dog meat is not illegal in China, but the likely crime-linked sources of the dogs does constitute a breach of the law by the slaughter operators since the dogs looked like stolen pets and owned rural dogs.'

The spokesperson said when a dog is butchered for its meat, the vendor would first kill it before throwing the corpse into a de-hairing machine to have its hair removed.

Then the vendor would cook the hair-less carcass with a blow torch until its skin becomes brown and crispy.

'So to see dogs being skinned first and then butchered for meat is genuinely quite unusual,' the spokesperson added.

Humane Society International said their Chinese activist partners had reported the market to the local law enforcement.

The organisation is pushing for the slaughter operation to be shut down.

Animal rights groups have urged the Chinese authority to pass relevant animal laws for years

Chinese and international activists are working together to put a stop to illegal dog meat trade

It's estimated that 10 million dogs are slaughtered for their meat in China every year.

But in many cases the lack of relevant law in China means illegal dog meat traders are hard to be punished.

With help from international animal groups, many Chinese animal lovers are trying to bring the public's attention to the topic and urging the Chinese authority to set up relevant animal protection laws.

Humane Society International commented: 'More and more we are seeing Chinese activists take to Weibo to expose egregious animal cruelty, and they do that quite strategically to build momentum amongst the booming animal welfare community in the country for legislative change.'

The organisation added: 'Every time we see a case like this appalling dog slaughter market, clearly supplied by dog theft, the vocal criticism we hear from Chinese people is what will ultimately lead China to develop laws that turn the tide on animal abuse that does such a disservice to China's reputation.'An electrician who was fined $200 for drinking a beer while fishing may have the penalty quashed after the case was referred to the Police Commissioner.

Doug Vickery, 36, labelled police 'un-Australian' when he was handed the infringement notice as he fished for octopus off a rock wall in Perth on Saturday.

'I've just been fined $200 for having an open container in my pocket, a beer  even though it was empty when they arrived,' Mr Vickery said in a video shot at the scene.

Western Australia Police Minister Michelle Robert, who agrees the penalty was excessive, has asked the commissioner to consider reviewing the case.

'At first glance it seemed a pretty interesting case. I'm sure he's not the only person who is fishing off the beach or rocks who has ever had a beer,' Ms Robert said.

Doug Vickery (left) was fined $200 for drinking a beer while fishing off a Perth rock wall

'It's not something I can interfere in, it's something I'll ask the commissioner about and it will be his call whether he wants to review it or not.'

Two Western Australia Police officers breathalised Mr Vickery as he sat on the rocks with an empty beer bottle in his pocket.

'I had nothing on my person, no bag, no esky, just my one beer bottle in my pocket and my occy stick and gaff,' Mr Vickery explained online.

'My only beer had been empty in my pocket for 15 by then... I passed the breathalyser.'

He said police handed him the fine after hearing reports someone had been speeding and drink driving around the marina.

Mr Vickery said the two officers checked his licence before reviewing CCTV footage.

'My only beer had been empty in my pocket for 15 by then ... I passed the breathalyser,' Mr Vickery (pictured) wrote online

'I was furious by then,' he wrote online.

'[The police] said ''you drank in a public place and your $200 infringement will come in the post''.

'They've just given a fisherman a $200 fine for having a beer when he was fishing!'

The 36-year-old said the officers slapped him with the fine because it was 'an offence [to] crack a beer when fishing' in a public place.

The 36-year-old (pictured) said the officers slapped him with the fine because it was 'an offence (to) crack a beer when fishing' in a public place

'I didn't know it was illegal to have a beer while fishing, it's a joke really, it's un-Australian if anything,' he told 9News.

'On a lighter note, I did catch an octopus.'

While technically Mr Vickery committed an offence, defence lawyer Tom Percy QC said he though 'common sense would prevail'.

'You'd think they [the police] would have better things to do,' he told the publication.

Daily Mail Australia does not suggest that Mr Vickery had been drink-driving.The four family members who died when a small plane crashed in southern Wisconsin have been identified.

Colleen Deininger, 81, was flying the plane transporting her daughter Melissa Deininger-Dickman, 53, and her two grandchildren, 17-year-old Emmarose Dickman and 13-year-old Alex Dickman, all of Kenosha.

Authorities say the single-engine Cessna 182T had left the Kenosha Regional Airport and was flying interstate to Monroe when it crashed Sunday about a mile north of the Monroe Municipal Airport.

Colleen Deininger, 81, (left) was flying the plane transporting her daughter Melissa Deininger-Dickman, 53, (right) and her two grandchildren when it crashed on Sunday

Her grandkids Emmarose Dickman (right) and Alex Dickman (left, both pictured as young children in an old, undated photo) were also killed

All four died at the scene.

The 911 call came in just after noon on Sunday.

An eyewitness reported that the plane was losing power, and ended up landing in an open field north of the airport a short time later.

First responders on the scene found a plane completely engulfed in flames after the crash over the weekend

The plane reportedly hit some trees and then burst into flames as it landed just north of the airport

The NTSB and FAA are on the scene and will be investigating the cause of the crash that four members of the same family

Sheriff Mark Rohloff of Monroe, Wisconsin said that the plane hit trees, 'landed hard,' and was completely engulfed in flames.

Firefighters rushed to the scene to battle the flames.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are on the scene investigating the crash.

A plane crash in the same area took two lives in 1988.

Family members say the group planned to celebrate a graduation that afternoon.

Mother-of-two Melissa, who went by Lisa, (pictured) studied marketing at Gateway Tech/Lakeland College and became an independent investment educator at Deininger Inc

17-year-old Emmarose Dickman (left and right) was killed instantly in the fiery crash

So was her younger brother, 13-year-old Alex Dickman, of Kenosha

Colleen Deininger, who is married to Franklyn Deininger, was a former broker and owner of Century 21 Colleen Realty.

Her daughter, mother-of-two Melissa, who went by Lisa, studied marketing at Gateway Tech/Lakeland College and became an independent investment educator at Deininger Inc.

Melissa's niece Michelle Deininger paid tribute to her lost family on Facebook, writing: 'Thank you everyone for the prayers and well wishes sent to me and my family yesterday.

'This is an extremely difficult time for all of us and all condolences have been greatly appreciated. We lost 4 wonderful people far too soon. Rest In Peace Grandma Colleen, Aunt Lisa, Emma and Alex. We love you to the moon and back.'Ashy Bines' best friend has claimed an Instagram troll page filled with insults about the fitness guru has cost her clothing label $630,000 worth of business.

Gretchen Vonlanthen, owner of Gretty Rose The Label, believes the page 'Sh** Ashy Bines Says 3' has caused irreparable damage to her brand, the Federal Court heard this week.

The page is one of several that allegedly defamed Ms Vonlanthen and her company, which Ms Bines owns a share in, between February 23 and mid-March, Gold Coast Bulletin reported.

Ashy Bines' (left) best friend, Gretchen Vonlanthen right) has claimed an Instagram troll page filled with insults about the fitness guru has cost her clothing label $630,000 worth of business

Gretchen Vonlanthen (right), owner of Gretty Rose The Label, believes the page 'Shit Ashy Bines Says 3' has caused irreparable damage to her brand (Ms Bines and Ms Vonlanthen pictured)

In court Monday, Justice Roger Derrington made an order to The Hague Convention for California-based Instagram to pass on documents identifying the SABS3 owner.

The business owner claimed the page wrongly implied that she not only benefited from Ms Bines, but was also dumb, greedy, pretentious, a snob, a liar, and was ripping people off, according to court documents.

Anonymous account, 'Jane Doe', was sued for defamation by Ms Vonlanthen and her company on April 4, as well as four other women allegedly in charge of two Facebook groups and two Instagram accounts.

The business owner (right) claimed in court documents the page wrongly implied she benefited from Ms Bines' (left) celebrity status

Anonymous account, 'Jane Doe', was sued for defamation by Ms Vonlanthen (pictured) and her company on April 4

Four other women allegedly in charge of two Facebook groups and two Instagram accounts have also been sued for defamation by Ms Vonlanthen (Ms Bines pictured)

Under the The Hague Convention order, Instagram will have to hand over the real name, email address, phone number and IP address linked to the SABS3 account.

Justice Derrington agreed the company had 'suffered significantly as a result of the social media attack upon them' based on material presented in court.

He told Ms Vonlanthen's lawyer, Samuel Barber, the comments made on the social media accounts were 'appalling and vulgar'.

'So this is what is called social media is it?' Justice Derrington asked.

'In its poorest form,' Mr Barber said.

Justice Derrington agreed the company had 'suffered significantly as a result of the social media attack upon them' (Ms Vonlanthen and Ms Bines pictured)Most students disapprove of drug-taking and two thirds want universities to get tougher on it, according to a new study which debunks claims of widespread use.

The findings, which defy traditional stereotypes, show almost three quarters of students have not taken drugs while at university and are less hedonistic than people suppose.

It comes just weeks after the hard-left National Union of Students (NUS) urged institutions to go soft on the issue, claiming drug use was widespread and largely accepted.

The union said those caught with Class A drugs should be dealt with informally instead of being reported to the police because such action is archaic and harmful.

No drugs, please - we're students: A majority of young learners surveyed said they wanted a tougher line taken against drug users and takers

However, today these claims are destroyed by a report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), which reveals most students want to carry out their studies without drugs being present.

A total of 71 per cent of the students polled by the think tank have not taken drugs at university and 62 per cent want a tougher line from vice chancellors on both users and dealers.

HEPI director Nick Hillman said: This survey provides an important corrective to some of the wilder ideas about todays students.

They are more hardworking and less hedonistic than is often supposed.

A majority think there are dangers in taking illegal substances.

Our survey shows most students support their institutions taking a tougher, rather than a more relaxed, line on the use of illegal substances by fellow students.

The survey of 1,000 students also found that 88 per cent of respondents believe drug use can cause long-term mental health problems.

Meanwhile, around two thirds stated that it contributes to criminality and health care costs.

Nearly half - 47 per cent - of those who took drugs said peer pressure had been the trigger.

And while the NUS claimed drugs were often used to self-medicate for mental health problems, the HEPI survey found 81 per cent of drug-takers said they did so for recreational purposes.

Only 6 per cent said it was to cope with exam pressure.

Broken down by gender, female students were slightly more likely to have not taken drugs - 74 per cent - compared with 68 per cent of boys.

Most students - 53 per cent - said their university does not do enough to deter illegal drug use.

Sensible folk: The survey of 1,000 students also found that 88 per cent of respondents believe drug use can cause long-term mental health problems

Anthony Seldon, vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham, which co-published the research, said institutions should not shy away of tackling the issue head-on.

With illegal drugs, we have been fiddling while Rome burns, he said.

Illegal drug-taking causes mental health problems, and is a symptom of them.

Even students themselves think there needs to be a stronger lead on drug-dealing, especially as the survey shows many students feel under peer pressure to participate in illegal drugs.

Buckingham currently has a drive to eliminate drugs from its campus through education programmes and targeting peer pressure.

The NUS survey, published in April, suggested 56 per cent of students had taken drugs and two-thirds had showed a relaxed attitude towards student drug use.

Bizarrely, the NUS also claimed punishing drug users might be unfair to poorer students and those from a liberation background - defined by the NUS as people who are black, disabled, transgender, gay, bisexual or female.

The NUS said these groups are disproportionately affected because they are more likely to take drugs to help with a mental or physical health problem.Advertisement

There was no time to eat. Sunday family lunches were interrupted, the food left on the table. Children abandoned toys, and clothes still hung on lines in backyards. Animals died petrified.

Guatemalan authorities reacted slowly to signs of the Fuego volcano's impending eruption on June 3, contributing to one of the most tragic natural disasters in recent Guatemalan history.

The volcano rumbled to life early that Sunday. By midday, it was spewing ash in smoking columns miles high that then fell, dusting a wide swath of the Central American country.

But with the mountain's rumbles and the first ash showers, many villagers made a fatal bet to stay put, gambling that luck that had protected them for decades would hold once again.

A bicycle covered with ash lies outside a house affected by the eruption of the Fuego volcano at San Miguel Los Lotes in Escuintla, Guatemala. Guatemalan authorities reacted slowly to signs of the Fuego volcano's impending eruption on June 3, contributing to one of the most tragic natural disasters in recent Guatemalan history

The volcano rumbled to life early that Sunday. By midday, it was spewing ash in smoking columns miles high that then fell, dusting a wide swath of the Central American country. Pictured: Onions are seen at a house affected by the eruption of the Fuego volcano

With the mountain's rumbles and the first ash showers, many villagers made a fatal bet to stay put, gambling that luck that had protected them for decades would hold once again. In the afternoon things took a turn for the worse. Pictured: A toy covered in ash after the disaster

Tons of ash propelled by scalding, toxic gases poured down Fuego's flanks. These 'pyroclastic flows' hit much faster, more lethal speeds than lava, dragging trees and giant rocks down onto villages in their path. Pictured: A room in a home covered in ash

Kitchen shelves are seen covered with ash after the eruption of the Fuego volcano at San Miguel Los Lotes in Escuintla, Guatemala

At least 110 people have died and close to 200 are thought buried under the rubble in the hamlet on the fertile lower slopes of the volcano. Pictured: A home and garden covered in ash

A radio lies in a pile of dust. By the time most families in the worst-hit hamlets of El Rodeo and San Miguel de Los Lotes knew what was happening, they only had time to run, if that

In one home, the pages of a Bible are singed. Outside, cattle lay dead. A bass drum lay abandoned. In kitchens, there was food in pots ready to be served

In the afternoon things took a turn for the worse. Tons of ash propelled by scalding, toxic gases poured down Fuego's flanks. These 'pyroclastic flows' hit much faster, more lethal speeds than lava, dragging trees and giant rocks down onto villages in their path.

By the time most families in the worst-hit hamlets of El Rodeo and San Miguel de Los Lotes knew what was happening, they only had time to run, if that.

'My family was having lunch, they left the plates of food and stopped eating and fled,' said Pedro Gomez, a 45-year-old welder. 'They took nothing but their clothes on their backs.'

Now, everything in the previously lush, bright green landscape is coated in thick layers of sepia-colored volcanic ash, giving the place the eerie feeling of a ghost ship. Where once there was life, there is heat, dust and a lingering smell of sulfur.

In one home, the pages of a Bible are singed. Outside, cattle lay dead. A bass drum lay abandoned. In kitchens, there was food in pots ready to be served.

At least 110 people have died and close to 200 are thought buried under the rubble in the hamlet on the fertile lower slopes of the volcano. Fuego - Spanish for 'fire' - rises between the regions of Sacatepequez, Escuintla and Chimaltenango about 30 miles from Guatemala City, the nation's capital.

Rescuers searching for bodies walked on the roofs of houses as if they were floors, digging down into buildings where they have found only corpses of those who stayed behind. Only a few dogs, chickens, rabbits and cats survived.

As the burning volcanic matter rushed at them, some escaped on foot, others by car.

Rescuers searching for bodies walked on the roofs of houses as if they were floors, digging down into buildings where they have found only corpses of those who stayed behind. Only a few dogs, chickens, rabbits and cats survived

Many people lost 10 to 50 relatives each, descendents of intertwining generations of a small families who settled in Los Lotes more than 40 years ago. They refuse to give up hope of finding relatives - or at least their remains. Pictured: A roof covered in ash

'My entire family is missing,' said Jose Ascon. The young man argued with police who had temporarily halted rescue efforts after more flows from the eruption.' Pictured: A hammock covered in ash

Some fleeing with little time ran through bushes and leaped across barbed wire and wooden fences to reach the main road of the town of Escuintla, near Los Lotes. Pictured: A dust-covered window near the site of the eruption

Banana leaves covered with ash are seen in the area affected by the eruption of the Fuego volcano at San Miguel Los Lotes in Escuintla, Guatemala

'I took out the pickup truck and escaped with a lot of neighbors when we saw the smoke,' said Alejandro Velasquez, 46, a farmer.

Others with still less time ran through bushes and leaped across barbed wire and wooden fences to reach the main road of the town of Escuintla, near Los Lotes.

Many lost 10 to 50 relatives each, descendents of intertwining generations of a small families who settled in Los Lotes more than 40 years ago. They refuse to give up hope of finding relatives - or at least their remains.

'My entire family is missing,' said Jose Ascon. The young man argued with police who had temporarily halted rescue efforts after more flows from the eruption.

'I would give my life to find my family.'Roseanne Barr apologized to George Soros on Monday  two weeks after she accused the Jewish billionaire of being a Nazi collaborator.

'I apologize sincerely to @georgesoros. His family was persecuted by The Nazis & survived The Holocaust only because of the strength & resourcefulness of his father,' she said, alongside a link to Soros' Open Society Foundation.

Two weeks ago, Barr falsely claimed that Chelsea Clinton was married to Soros' nephew, then called the Democratic megadonor a 'Nazi' who 'turned in his fellow Jews.'

Roseanne Barr apologized to George Soros on Monday  two weeks after she accused the Jewish billionaire of being a Nazi collaborator

On May 29, Barr had falsely claimed that Chelsea Clinton is married to Soros' nephew, then called the Democratic megadonor a 'Nazi' who 'turned in his fellow Jews'

'George Soros is a nazi who turned in his fellow Jews 2 be murdered in German concentration camps & stole their wealth-were you aware of that? But, we all make mistakes, right Chelsea?' Barr wrote in the tweet, which she has not yet deleted.

Later that same day the comic then compared former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett to an ape which led ABC to promptly cancel the revival of her hit sitcom, Roseanne.

Although Barr apologized soon after the tweet, she didn't address her comments about Soros which were even retweeted by President Trump's son Donald Trump Jr.

Her apology to the 87-year-old Holocaust survivor comes two days after he gave a rare interview with the Washington Post calling her comments 'a total fabrication.'

The tweet in question was one in which Barr called billionaire Democratic donor George Soros, who is Jewish, a 'nazi' who 'turned in his fellow Jews'

Soros was 14 when the Nazis occupied his native Hungary. He told how he and other children were ordered by the Jewish Council to deliver deportation notices to local Jewish lawyers.

His father also paid a Christian government minister to allow Soros to pose as his godson  during which time he once watched the official inventory the estate of a Jewish man who had fled the country.

The conspiracy theory that Soros was a 'Nazi collaborator' was spread after he discussed the incident in a 1998 '60 Minutes' interview, saying he didn't feel any guilt over it because he was 'only a spectator,' according to the Independent.

Barr came under fire for a racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett during an unhinged rant last month

Many on Twitter were appalled by Barr's tweet, which was in response to an article from a conspiracy website

ABC cancelled Roseanne's show after the comedian posted a racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett

Soros' son Alexander defended his father in a post on the New York Daily News, saying Barr's lie was so 'odious'.

'When Jews in his native Budapest were being rounded up and killed by the Nazis, my grandfather Tivadar Soros saved many lives including his own family by securing false identity papers and helping put Jews into hiding. Among those he helped was the wife of an official of the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture,' Alexander said.

'In exchange, my grandfather asked the official to hide my father and pretend he was his godson. The official's duties included taking inventory of the estate of a Jewish family that had fled earlier under duress and he took my then 13-year-old father with him.'

Barr's tweets about Soros were among the many last month that lead up to her racist tweet that referred to former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett as a product of the Muslim Brotherhood and the 'Planet of the Apes.'

ABC swiftly canceled Barr's hit show 'Roseanne' and slammed the comedian's comments as 'abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values'.

Barr was also dumped by her talent agency, ICM Partners.Machetes, knives and replica guns have become common in schools in Victoria and Western Australia, putting both students and staff in danger.

In Western Australia alone, schools have seized more than four weapons every week this year, including a machete and a replica handgun.

Last year, schools in Victoria were seizing an average of six weapons a week.

There were 229 incidents involving weapons that were reported in government schools, with knives being the most common.

Machetes, knives and replica guns are being brought into Australian classrooms

In Western Australia between February and May this year almost 60 weapons were found and confiscated, indicating a similar trend to last year when 176 weapons were found in schools across the state.

The numbers were released through parliamentary estimates and have angered parents who say that a 'non-punishment policy' in some schools allows children to bring dangerous weapons without consequences.

Data collected over the last few years shows that weapons are common within classrooms across the country and are often used in confrontations.

It's not just other school children at risk, with many teachers also being threatened by an armed pupil.

In one Victorian case, a girl as young as 12 was found with a knife hidden up her sleeve after teachers received a tip-off.

In Western Australia more than 760 weapons have been confiscated this year

In another incident, a year nine boy armed himself with a knife and hammer before violently threatening a female staff member.

Queensland schools have had an increase in threats of violence over recent years. Last year, more than five weapons were being brought to schools every month.

In one incident, a student had a handgun in his bag, and in another a student was holed up with a knife in a classroom, threatening to stab everyone.

The rates in South Australia were lower with 327 incidents over the last five years.

Police do not disclose the extent of violence in schools in regular crime statistics, meaning rates for some states and territories remain unknown.

Bringing a knife or gun to school can result in a long suspension of more than 20 days but some schools are able to implement their own policies.

Western Australian school John Butler Primary College has implemented a no-suspension policy for bringing weapons onto school grounds.

Stephen Baxter, acting Deputy Director General, Schools for the Department of Education said that he would advice the principal that suspensions were necessary.

Last year Victorian schools were seizing an average of six weapons a week

'The Director General is writing to the principal to set out her very clear expectation that students will face consequences, including suspension, if they lash out and hurt others  and that the school will be managed in a safe and orderly way,' Mr Baxter said.

'The Regional Executive Director is working intensively with the school's leadership team to make sure the required changes are made so that students and staff feel safe and that learning is not interrupted by unacceptable behaviour.'

Correna Haythorpe, the Australian Education Union Federal President, said that the safety of staff and students had to be paramount and that Australia should be wary to follow America's call to arm teachers.

'There is absolutely no place for weapons in our schools,' she said.

'In our view, the safety of teachers, students, principals and other support staff is of primary importance in any discussion about weapons in schools.'

'We do not believe that teachers or educators should be armed to prevent violence, as has been suggested by some people in the United States. Instead action should be taken by Australia's political leaders to prevent harm by greater regulation of guns and weapons.'A globetrotting prison escapee who has been on the run for more than a year has claimed he is living in Australia.

Shaun Davidson, 33, had less than three months left to serve of a one-year sentence for passport fraud when he broke out of Bali's notorious Kerobokan jail in June 2017.

Since then he has taunted authorities via social media, and in a recent comment claimed to be living in Tasmania with plans to travel to Asia later in the year.

A globetrotting prison escapee (pictured) who has been on the run for more than a year has claimed he is living in Australia

Shaun Davidson (pictured, right), 33, had less than three months left to serve of a one-year sentence for passport fraud when he broke out of Bali's notorious Kerobokan jail in June 2017

Since then he has taunted authorities via social media (pictured), and in a recent comment claimed to be living in Tasmania, with plans to travel to Asia

'Tasmania at the moment but should be moving to Tokyo at the end of the year,' Davidson wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

His comment came in reply to speculation surrounding Davidson's whereabouts a year on from the daring jail break.

When another person wrote that they thought Davidson had not escaped at all but was 'eliminated', Davidson simply replied 'lol'.

The Perth-born inmate escaped from the Bali jail through a tiny tunnel along with three other inmates, two of whom have been recaptured.

His comment came in reply to speculation surrounding Davidson's whereabouts a year on from the daring jail break (pictured are the four escapees)

The Perth-born inmate (pictured) escaped from the Bali jail through a tiny tunnel along with three other inmates, two of whom have been recaptured

When another person wrote they thought Davidson had not escaped at all but was 'eliminated', Davidson simply replied 'lol' (pictured)

Since his daring jailbreak Davidson has used social media to 'check in' at locations including Melbourne, Dubai, Barbados, Singapore and Cuba.

At one point he even claimed to be back in Indonesia, telling his followers he was there to watch police hunt for him.

His last check-in was at Crown Casino in Melbourne, where he said he was 'loving life' and 'having a small win'.

Nicknamed 'Rageone', Davidson sent a message to Interpol in Manila in July asking 'how close are you really?

Since his daring jailbreak Davidson (pictured) has used social media to 'check in' at locations including Melbourne, Dubai, Barbados, Singapore and Cuba

In an interview in August Davidson (pictured) claimed he escaped because he did not trust the Australian justice system, and revealed he feared being killed by Indonesian police

Weeks later he created mock wanted posters for himself to mark 50 days on the run following his incredible escape.

In an interview in August Davidson claimed he escaped because he did not trust the Australian justice system, and revealed he feared being killed by Indonesian police.

His comments came a week after Indonesian authorities said Davidson would have been eligible for release if he had not broken out of Kerobokan.Parents have slammed McDonald's for their coded bathrooms after a five-year-old child soiled themselves when they were unable to get into a locked toilet.

Customers can only access the toilets at the Maroochydore store on Queensland's Sunshine Coast through a unique code at the bottom of a receipt after they have placed an order.

A mother said her five-year-old child had an 'accident' because they couldn't get into the toilets.

Parents have slammed McDonald's for their coded bathrooms after a five-year-old child soiled themselves when they were unable to get into a locked toilet

Customers can only access the toilets at the Maroochydore store on Queensland's Sunshine Coast through a unique code at the bottom of a receipt after they have placed an order

A woman said her five-year-old child had an 'accident' because they couldn't get into the toilets

Jo Anne posted a message to the McDonald's Facebook page, saying the locked toilets were 'unacceptable'.

'My child had an accident because you lock the toilets and only put the code on the receipt,' she said.

'They were customers who were using your facility and had decided... to have a play in the playground before ordering their afternoon ice cream treat.

'I appreciate some business [sic] can't afford to have public coming in and out just using facilities, but there is a standard expected at McDonald's and today you failed.

'Very disappointing. Surely you can do better than that.

'I really hope that the practice of locking the toilets is stopped.'

The restaurant chain said they would follow up on the incident - but said it was the decision of the individual store to keep the toilets locked.

'The local licensee has made this decision, however, they are able to be opened for anyone who requires them,' a spokeswoman said.

Another customer, Kim McDonald, complained that even the disabled toilets required a code, which made it more difficult for her 90-year-old grandmother to use the bathroom.

Jo Anne posted a message to the McDonald's Facebook page, saying the locked toilets were 'unacceptable'

'While we were there I had to help two other elderly people just to figure out they needed a code to get in the door,' she told the ABC.

This also means that people would have to wait in line in order to get the code before they can use the toilets.

By implementing this policy, McDonald's ensures that only actual McDonald's customers will use their toilets.

It also allows the fast food chain to ensure that people coming in will have to buy their meals before having access to their facilities.

While Ms McDonald acknowledged the reason behind this policy, she said it was still inconvenient for everyone.

A McDonald's spokesperson told ABC that it is not a practiced policy in their restaurants.

Store owner Gary Binet told the ABC that the policy was implemented due to a 'security issue involving a syringe'.

Having to pay to access public bathrooms is unheard of in Australia, but other countries are known to do so, especially in Europe.Adrian O'Kane, of Shaftmoor Lane, Acocks Green, died after being struck by a car in Magaluf on April 23 last year

A much-loved father who died on a stag weekend in Spain had taken cocaine just before he was killed by a speeding drink-driver, an inquest has heard.

Labourer Adrian O'Kane, of Shaftmoor Lane, Acocks Green, died after being struck by a car in Magaluf in the early hours of April 23 last year.

The 40-year-old was so intoxicated that he was seen in a 'semi-standing position, almost on all fours' as he crossed the road in Carrer Pinada at around 3am.

Post-mortem examination results concluded that Mr O'Kane suffered a severe head injury following a collision involving a motorist in a dark-coloured Ford Focus said to have been 'driving at an excessive speed'.

Witnesses recorded hearing the car 'skidding' along the strip in Carrer Punta Ballena before turning into Carrer Pinada.

The 39-year-old driver, a Spanish man, was arrested on suspicion of involuntary murder and drink-driving, having tested positive for alcohol and drugs.

Mr O'Kane, known to friends as Swanny, had large amounts of alcohol in his bloodstream and had taken cocaine prior to being hit.

Reading out a toxicologist report, senior coroner Louise Hunt said: 'The subject had ingested large amounts of alcohol, 2.86 grams per litre, together with the consumption of cocaine immediately prior to the accident.

'The consumption of toxic substances around the time of his death was therefore very likely to have contributed to the accident.'

It was recorded that 0.22 grams of cocaine was in Mr O'Kane's system.

Mrs Hunt concluded: 'I'm satisfied with the evidence that has been provided to me that I should formally record in relation to how, when and why Mr O'Kane came to his death; that he died at Carrer Pinada del Magaluf during the early hours of April 23, 2017, as a result of being hit while in the carriageway by a Ford Focus, which was travelling at excessive speed.

'The deceased was intoxicated at the timing of the collision with a blood alcohol reading of 2.86 grams per litre and a cocaine level of 0.22 grams per litre.

'I am going to record the conclusion as road traffic collision.'

Mr O'Kane, who was known to friends as Swanny, is pictured abroad with the stag Danny Nicholson before he was hit by a Ford Focus, which was travelling at excessive speed

After the tragedy, Mr O'Kane's relatives said they were 'overwhelmed' by the response to a fundraising campaign to return his body to the UK.

The appeal saw more than 30,000 raised in less than a fortnight.

Fiona O'Riordan said: 'Our family is overwhelmed by the tremendous support both financial, physically and emotionally we are receiving from far and wide.

'Words can't express the magnitude of loss we feel, and know that you are all as heartbroken as us.

'We thank everyone for your kind words and support that just shows how loved Adrian was and will enable us to give him the send-off he would wish for.

'Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.'

Long-time friend Danny Nicholson, the groom at the centre of the stag weekend, said: 'I knew Adrian for 35 years and whoever he met, he made them smile.'President Trump's chief economic advisor Larry Kudlow has been hospitalized following a heart attack, President Trump revealed, as the nation contends with an escalating trade war with key allies.

Trump tweeted out news of Kudlow's heart attack Monday night Eastern Daylight Time as he made his way to his Singapore summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

He said Kudlow, 70, has been 'working so hard' on trade and the economy.

'Our Great Larry Kudlow, who has been working so hard on trade and the economy, has just suffered a heart attack. He is now in Walter Reed Medical Center,' Trump wrote.

President Trump's chief economic advisor Larry Kudlow was hospitalized after a heart attack, Trump tweeted

His wife, Judy, told the Washington Post: 'He's doing fine. Doctors here are fabulous.'

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Kudlow 'experienced what his doctors say, was a very mild heart attack' earlier Monday.

'Larry is currently in good condition at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and his doctors expect he will make a full and speedy recovery,' Sanders said.

Kudlow has spoken openly of his battles with drug and alcohol addiction, including struggles with cocaine.

The matter proved not to be a major issue when he joined the government. He has been sober for more than 20 years.

Kudlow's hospitalization comes in the midst of an escalating trade war with key allies Canada, Mexico, and the European Union.

Kudlow delivered one of the latest blows in the angry war of words when he accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of having 'stabbed us in the back' at the end of the G7 summit.

President Trump tweeted about Kudlow's condition

National Security Advisor John Bolton, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow walk to board Marine One prior to departure with US President Donald Trump from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, April 16, 2018, as Trump travels to Florida

Director of National Economic Council Larry Kudlow smiles as United States President Donald J. Trump speaks with reporters during a meeting with automotive industries executives in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on May 11, 2018 in Washington, DC

The tweet follows a G7 summit in Montreal where Trump blasted host politician Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and withdrew from a joint communique.

Kudlow was one of a pair of administration officials who delivered brutal TV blows to Trudeau following the summit.

He accused Trudeau of making 'polarizing statements' on Trade in advance of the Kim summit.

Trudeau was a target of the administration's complaining on Sunday and into Monday, becoming the fall guy if Trump's talks failed with North Korea this week

Trump instead took aim at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who he's been sparring with from across the International Dateline over steel and aluminum tariffs the U.S. imposed on its allies in the name of national security

'Trudeau really kind of stabbed us in the back,' Kudlow told CNN's 'State of the Union' on Sunday.

His hospitalization followed an angry clash between the White House and foreign leaders following the G7 summit.

Trump headed to the summit suggesting Russia be admitted to negotiate with the block of leading industrial powers, then tangled with Trudeau over Canada's trade barriers  even as he insisted new U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum were done for national security reasons.

'Fair Trade is now to be called Fool Trade if it is not Reciprocal,' Trump Tweeted Monday. 'According to a Canada release, they make almost 100 Billion Dollars in Trade with U.S. (guess they were bragging and got caught!). Minimum is 17B. Tax Dairy from us at 270%. Then Justin acts hurt when called out!'

Trump advisor Peter Navarro went even further, claiming there was a 'special place in hell' for Trudeau.

'He really kind of stabbed us in the back. He really, actually, you know: he did a great disservice to the whole G-7. He betrayed,' Kudlow said.

Donald Trump signaled Monday in his first tweets from Singapore exactly where his focus was heading into a nuclear summit with Kim Jong-un - and it wasn't on the decades-old dispute with North Korea over its threatening behavior

Kudlow trashed Trudeau in the interview for going 'rogue' on trade after the Trump agreed to sign a G7 communique. The U.S. official said that Trudeau has acted 'sophomoric' and was performing a 'political stunt.'

'You just don't behave that way. It's a betrayal. Essentially double-crossing,' Kudlow said in response to Trudeau's needling on tariffs after Trump departed Charlevoix early in order to spend additional time in Singapore.

The top aide to Trump when it comes to the economy said the former businessman 'is not gonna let a Canadian prime minister push him around' and is 'not going to permit any show of weakness on a trip to negotiate with North Korea.'

'He can't put Trump in a position of being weak going into the North Korean talks. He can't do that. And by the way, President Trump is not weak,' Kudlow argued. 'Kim must not see American weakness. It's that short.'

Attacking Trudeau on CBS' 'Face the Nation,' Kudlow barked, 'The president is going to negotiate with Kim of North Korea and Singapore. It is a historic negotiation and there is no way this president is not going to stand strong. Number one he's not going to allow the people to suddenly take pot shots at him. Hours before that summit and number two Trudeau should've known better.'

Director of the White House National Trade Council Peter Navarro charged on 'Fox News Sunday' that 'there's a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door.

Navarro said, 'That's what bad faith Justin Trudeau did with that stunt press conference.'

'To my friends in Canada,' he added, 'that was one of the worst political miscalculations of a Canadian leader in modern Canadian history.'Home Office Minister Ben Wallace (pictured) revealed the worrying figures

Ministers have been urged to 'toughen our terror laws' after it emerged only one in ten British jihadis have been prosecuted upon their return to the UK.

It is estimated that about 400 Britons have returned to the UK from the Middle East since 2012 after leaving to fight for terrorist groups such as Islamic State.

Home Office Minister Ben Wallace, in a Commons debate on new counter-terrorism and security proposals, revealed that of the 400, around 40 had been prosecuted for 'direct action they've carried out in Syria'.

Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock, who had pressed for the figures, said the low prosecution rate 'shows how urgently we need to toughen our terror laws'.

Speaking in the debate, Mr Woodcock added: 'So, only one tenth of people have been successfully prosecuted.

'That does not mean the others are innocent of terrorism charges, if they have been over to Iraq and Syria, if they have been aiding Daesh in whatever form and they are British citizens, they have been aiding enemies of the British state.'

Mr Woodcock called on the Government to introduce a similar system to that in place in Australia, whereby certain areas are deemed illegal to travel to.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said he would be 'looking at just that', adding: 'There's a bit more work to do on it, it's not as straightforward as it might sound.'

Earlier in the debate, shadow home secretary Diane Abbott voiced concerns over threats to freedom of speech by a lack of clarity in the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill.

Ms Abbott said: 'On the question of expressing opinion, the Home Office said in its notes on the Bill that it is not making it an unlawful act to hold a private view in support of a terrorist organisation.

Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock called on the Government to introduce a similar system to that in place in Australia, whereby certain areas are deemed illegal to travel to

'The Home Office also says that operational experience has shown there is a gap around individuals who make statements expressing their own support for terrorist organisations but who stop short of expressly inviting others to do so.

'The Home Secretary will expect we will press this point in committee because we would say the gap between having a personal opinion and inciting other unlawful acts is not an anomaly, it is an important principle in protecting freedom of speech.

'We're in danger in this legislation of confusing bad thoughts with bad deeds, but we hope to clarify this issue as the Bill goes through the House.'

Tory MP John Howell, who sits on the Commons justice committee, later warned ministers that they ran the risk of radicalising more people by extending prison sentences for terror offences.

The Henley MP said: 'On my notes to this debate, I have written 'so they will be more radicalised, by spending more time in prison'.

'I think that that is a risk that we run with extending the prison sentences by ensuring that they are more susceptible to the influences that are going to effect that radicalisation process. What we need to do is to address that in total from the beginning.'

Mr Javid said he was taking a 'long, hard, forensic look' at powers available to the police, security services and the judiciary to ensure they have what they need.

He said the Bill would allow the police and MI5 to 'disrupt threats earlier and to ensure that our laws reflect the modern use of the internet'.

The Bill received an unopposed second reading and will undergo further scrutiny at a later date.A leading privacy campaigner has slammed a shopping mall for requiring customers to provide their personal details so they can park in the disabled spots.

The Oakleigh Centre mall in Melbourne's south-east is defending its new ticketless policy, arguing it's been put in place to stop commuters parking there all day instead of shopping.

Terry O'Gorman, the president of the Australian Council for Civil Liberties, said it appeared the mall wanted to keep data so advertisements could be sent to consumers.

A leading privacy campaigner has slammed a shopping mall for requiring customers to provide their personal details to park in the disabled spots

The Oakleigh Centre mall in Melbourne's south-east is defending its policy, arguing it's in place to stop commuters parking there all day instead of shopping

'Commercial Big Brother, in some respects, is now a bigger threat to privacy than government Big Brother,' he told Daily Mail Australia today.

'To require people to hand their personal details simply so they can shop in a particular shopping centre is an unjustifiable invasion of privacy because for some people, they will feel compelled to do it even if they don't want to do it.'

Mr O'Gorman said shopping malls concerned about people parking their cars for long periods could simply warn customers with signs about the consequences of exceeding the time limits.

'The most logical way of dealing with that is to put a time limit on the car parking and then tow, which is what most entities do,' he said.

Terry O'Gorman, the president of the Australian Council for Civil Liberties, said it appeared the mall wanted to keep data so advertisements could be sent to consumers

Anna Hickling, the centre manager of Oakleigh Central, said that under a new ticketless system, customers using the disabled parking were required to provide their name, email, postcode, mobile number, car details and disability permit number.

'This is to ensure legitimate disability permit holders are accessing free parking and using the spaces allocated,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

While customers are charged for parking longer than two hours, Ms Hickling said the Oakleigh Central car park was being used by people who weren't shoppers.

'Our customers and retailers told us that the Oakleigh Central car park had become congested by commuters and people using the car park for activities outside the centre,' she said.

Oakleigh Central manager Anna Hickling said that under a new ticketless system, customers using the disabled parking were required to provide their personal details

While customers are charged for parking longer than two hours, Ms Hickling said the Oakleigh Central car park was being used by people who weren't shoppers

'We understand that parking availability can be an issue in the broader Oakleigh area, but with just over 650 car spaces at the centre, Oakleigh Central car park is for the specific use of our centre customers and retailers.'

A ticketless parking system on May 28 replaced a system which previously saw Monash Council issue $72 fines for drivers who exceeded the three-hour parking limit.

Ms Hickling said the old system had failed to stop many commuters leaving their cars there without shopping.

'The new ticketless system gives customers more choice about how long they use the car park, without a three-hour stay limit,' she said.

Oakleigh Centre promised to 'respect the privacy of our customers and details of how we handle their privacy when they register for ticketless parking service'.Netflix has banned its workers from looking at each other for more than five seconds as part of new bizarre no-flirting rules.

The companys film crew can also reportedly no longer ask their colleagues for their phone numbers and staff are encouraged to shout: Stop! Dont do that again, if they feel harassed.

It follows the Harvey Weinstein scandal and Me Too movement that has hit Hollywood.

Netflix has banned its workers from looking at each other for more than five seconds as part of new bizarre no-flirting rules

One of the first programmes made to follow these instructions is sci-fi series Black Mirror, filmed in London and on location.

An on-set runner said: Senior staff went to a harassment meeting to learn what is and isnt appropriate. Looking at anyone longer than five seconds is considered creepy.

You mustnt ask for someones number unless they have given permission for it to be distributed. And if you see any unwanted behaviour, report it immediately, the Sun report.

Weinstein, 66, has entered a plea of not guilty

It has sparked jokes, with people looking at each other, counting to five, then diverting their eyes.

Employees of the online streaming service were also urged not to prolong hugs or ask people out more than once and to avoid those who said no.

Weinstein, 66, who has been accused of assault by over 20 women, was arraigned on charges of rape in the first degree, rape in the third degree and criminal sexual act, just six days after a grand jury voted on the case.

Weinstein, who opted not to testify in front of the grand jury, has entered a plea of not guilty to all three counts.Coles has announced big news that will likely transform the way people shop, but it could prove bad news for its struggling rivals.

The supermarket giant announced on Thursday it would open a string of smaller, more convenient stores across the country.

Coles' boss John Durkan said about 1,000 new stores would be created to meet the growing demand from urban shoppers in high-density areas.

Coles has announced big news that will likely transform the way people shop, but it could prove bad news for its struggling rivals

'We are developing flexible store blueprints that will allow us to fill network gaps with smaller formats in inner-city locations,' Mr Durkan said.

'These smaller formats tap into emerging customer trends of healthy eating and increased convenience.'

Queensland University of Technology retail expert Associate Professor Gary Mortimer said Coles was years behind Woolworths.

He said the move was likely an attempt to catch up to Woolworths, which has already rolled out smaller Metro stores in Australia's capital cities.

The retail expert said Coles' decision to enter the convenience store market would hit competitors hard.

Coles boss John Durkan said the supermarket would roll out about 1,000 new stores to meet the demand of urban shoppers in high-density areas

Professor Mortimer said Coles' decision to invest in smaller stores would likely impact IGA the most.

'IGAs are often situated at the bottom of residential towers where most people expect to pay a premium for convenience,' he told News.com.au.

'When Coles and Woolworths venture into this smaller format they can offer the convenience and they can replicate their supermarket prices.'

Professor Mortimer said Coles decision to invest in smaller stores would likely hit IGA the hardest

The announcement comes as Coles vowed to make 40 per cent of its products home brand by 2023.

John Durkan announced the news at Wesfarmers' strategy day on Thursday, saying it would improve customer choice, rather than limit it.

Both supermarket powerhouses - Coles and Woolworths - have increased their private label ranges in recent years due to competition online.

'We need to make sure we have the right products with the right quality and right price  we are never going to take away choice,' Mr Durkan said.A school has been placed on lockdown and parents sent a terrifying text message alert after an alleged threat.

Upper Coomera State College on the Gold Coast sent parents a text message saying the school was in 'voluntary lockdown' about 10.30am on Tuesday.

Police arrived at the school shortly afterwards, and confirmed they were investigating an alleged threat.

Upper Coomera State College on the Gold Coast sent parents a text message saying the school was in 'voluntary lockdown' about 10.30am on Tuesday

'UCSC has gone into voluntary lockdown as a precautionary measure until further notice,' the message said, according to the Gold Coast Bulletin.

'The safety of students and staff is our priority. Thank you.'

A police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia police are 'investigating the authenticity of an alleged threat'.

'Police are working closely with the Department of Education in relation to the management of the situation and the safety of students.'

The sister of a Year 12 student at the school said she raced to the scene after hearing about the lockdown.

'You hear about school shootings and stabbings, you dont want to think about it but it happens. Were not the US but it is scary,' said Carly Kendall.

One parent said they heard the threats had been made by a Year 7 and a Year 9 student, but the reports were unconfirmed.

Another concerned parent, who said he was 'petrified', believed the alleged threat to the school originated online.

'I heard it's just kids mouthing off on social media,' said Warren Priddis.

The alleged threat comes less than a week after another Queensland school was rocked by the threat of a mass shooting.

The incident is the latest in a series of alleged bomb and shooting threats in the region, and three teenage boys have been charged over some of the alleged threatsNew Zealand's Prime Minister has taken a humorous dig at Australia's media in an apparent nod to Barnaby Joyce's privacy woes.

Holding what may be her last press conference in Wellington before she gives birth, Jacinda Ardern on Monday fielded questions about her privacy expectations.

'I certainly understand the curiosity that will exist... So we're trying to find good ways to [share the news] whilst also balancing the fact we hope to have a bit of quiet time together as a family too,' she said.

'Let's just say I hope we don't find ourselves in a situation where New Zealand media follows Australian media.'

New Zealand's Prime Minister has taken a humorous dig at Australia's media in an apparent nod to Barnaby Joyce and Vikki Campion's privacy woes

Jacinda Ardern (pictured last week) on Monday fielded questions about her privacy expectations

Embattled former Nationals leader Mr Joyce ramped up calls for more stringent privacy laws to keep away paparazzi after arguing with a photographer he claims was 'hiding in the bushes' outside a church on Sunday.

The clash came a week after he and Vikki Campion gave a $150,000 television interview.

'We certainly wouldn't have done the interview if we thought it was just going to continue on, obviously it is,' Mr Joyce told the Seven Network on Monday.

Mr Joyce denied the photographer's claims he had shaped up to throw a punch.

Mr Joyce has ramped up calls for more stringent privacy laws to keep away paparazzi after arguing with a photographer he claims was 'hiding in the bushes' outside a church on Sunday

'Let's just say I hope we don't find ourselves in a situation where New Zealand media follows Australian media,' said the New Zealand Prime Minister (right with Ed Sheeran)

The former Nationals leader said he accepted public figures would get media attention, but laws needed to be changed to protect people like his partner and the couple's baby son Sebastian from paparazzi.

'These people have the capacity to destroy someone's life,' Mr Joyce said.

He said Ms Campion, his former media adviser, had been harassed for months.

It was revealed in February that Mr Joyce was having an affair with Ms Campion, who was pregnant with their child.

'Private individuals, kids especially, should have greater protections than what they've got. They haven't got any,' Mr Joyce said.

Government minister Simon Birmingham was quick to show he wouldn't support the move.

'We're trying to find good ways to [share the news] whilst also balancing the fact we hope to have a bit of quiet time together as a family too,' Ms Ardern said

The former deputy prime minsiter and Vikki Campion gave a $150,000 television interview

'I don't see any need for Australia's privacy laws to be changed,' he told Sky News.

Mr Joyce first called for a 'tort of privacy' in his infamous paid interview with Seven's Sunday Night program.

Labor senator Murray Watt said while privacy laws hadn't kept up to date with modern technology, Mr Joyce would get more sympathy if he went away quietly.

'On the one hand he's complaining about people invading his privacy, on the other hand he's taking big money to do interviews on public TV,' Senator Watt told Sky News.

Former National Party leader Barnaby Joyce is pictured with now estranged wife Natalie

Mr Joyce and Ms Campion have answered scores of questions from an expenses watchdog about whether he used taxpayers' money on trips together, with both denying any wrongdoing.

Despite being on two weeks of medical leave, Mr Joyce has been unable to stay out of the headlines.

Last week he insisted he was entitled to lobby NSW Nationals to vote against a bill to provide 'safe zones' around the state's abortion clinics that would make it an offence to film staff and patients without their consent.Patton Oswalt, comedian and close friend of Anthony Bourdain, shared an email on Sunday sent from the chef and tv-host extraordinaire, just ahead of Oswalt's honeymoon.

Full of his straight forward, no-nonsense style, Bourdain responded to an email Oswalt sent of other friends' suggestions for restaurants during his Paris honeymoon with Meredith Salenger last November.

Bourdain responded in perfect travel expert fashion. 'Patton, I'm a fan and an admirer so gotta tell you this is no way to enjoy Paris. F*** them. All of them. They're THERE, everywhere. You will see them from the car window as you go and do important s*** like live your life. In Paris!'

Patton Oswalt shared an email that Anthony Bourdain sent him ahead of Oswalt's Paris honeymoon with Meredith Salenger (together)

In typical, straight forward, though full of experience and advice, Bourdain told Oswalt exactly how to approach the eating scene in Paris

'F*** them all,' but more importantly 'Try to plan as little as possible'- Bourdain's exemplary travel advice to Oswalt

And then, Bourdain splashed the most perfect travel advice- 'try and plan as little as possible.'

Of course, since Oswalt was truly looking for the world class food conessiour to lead him in the right direction, Bourdain did through out his favorite must trys.

'Le Comptoire is great. Amazing food and perfect atmosphere. Show early and squeeze in to L'Avant Comptoire next door,' he advised. 'Le Dome for shellfish tower. Rue Mouffetard for the market. And sandwiche jambon or fresh croissant anywhere at right time.'

Patton who was one of many who knew Bourdain, and those who didn't, was simply gutted by the news of his suicide last week.

'When @MeredthSalenger and I honeymooned in Paris, our friends & family put together lists of places to eat and things to do,' Oswalt prefaced the email. 'Then I sent those lists to Anthony Bourdain for his input. This was his response. I love and miss him.'

Bourdain's funeral plans are in the hands of his estranged second wife Ottavia Busia Bourdain.

The couple, who have an 11-year-old daughter Ariane, remained on good terms after they separated and she is still his legal next of kin.

'Although they are separated, she'll be in charge of whatever happens. I'm sure she's as broken up as I am,' Gladys said.

At the time of his death, Bourdain's girlfriend was Asia Argento, the Italian actress who has accused Harvey Weinstein of rape.

In an essay written after fellow chef Mario Batali was accused of sexual assault, Bourdain wrote that 'one must pick a side ... I stand unhesitatingly and unwaveringly with the women.'

Argento wrote on Twitter on Friday that Bourdain 'was my love, my rock, my protector.'

Bourdain, 61, whose career catapulted him from washing dishes at New York restaurants to dining in Vietnam with President Barack Obama, hanged himself in a hotel room.

He was founded dead by his good friend and chef Eric Ripert on Friday.

He had been in France working on an upcoming episode of his program, CNN said.

A French prosecutor said on Saturday that there's no evidence of foul play or violence in Bourdain's death.

Christian de Rocquigny, the prosecutor of Colmar in France's eastern Alsace region, said there did not appear to be much planning in Bourdain's suicide.

'It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain,' the network said in a statement. 'His love of great adventure, new friends, fine food and drink and the remarkable stories of the world made him a unique storyteller. His talents never ceased to amaze us and we will miss him very much. Our thoughts and prayers are with his daughter and family at this incredibly difficult time.'

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text 'help' to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.He famously delivered a single red rose to her jail cell in Colombia and promised to 'wait for her for 20 years' but it appears Cassandra Sainsbury's fiance has already forgotten his former flame as intimate photos emerge of him with other women.

Scott Broadbridge, 24, from Adelaide, has been pictured enjoying his life as a 'bachelor' just months after his jail-house wedding to 'Cocaine Cassie' was called off.

Sainsbury was sentenced to six years behind bars after she was caught trying to smuggle 5.8kg of cocaine through Bogota airport.

Scott Broadbridge, 24, from Adelaide has been pictured enjoying his life as a 'bachelor' just months after his jail-house wedding to 'Cocaine Cassie' was called off

He famously delivered a single red rose to her jail cell in Colombia and promised to 'wait for her for 20 years'

During these nights out Mr Broadbridge happily poses with friends, and is seen getting up-close with a number of women

She broke up with her former fiance after she was sentenced for the crime - but they continued to pretend they were together until April.

Mr Broadbridge, who still lives in the seaside home they once shared, doesn't appeared to be heartbroken over the break-up.

He is often pictured spending time with friends at Adelaide hotspot Dog and Duck, where his friend works as the resident DJ.

During nights out, Mr Broadbridge happily poses with friends, and is seen getting up-close with a number of women, even grinning as one pecks him on the cheek.

'I don't remember this being taken, at least I look half decent,' he commented on one photo before making a joke that his friend 'should've done more push-ups' to prep for the photo.

The young personal trainer appears to enjoy his time with friends at Adelaide hotspot Dog and Duck, where his friend works as the resident DJ

Mr Broadbridge and Sainsbury 'secretly' broke up in February - after the young woman was found guilty of trying to smuggle the 5.8 kilograms of cocaine out of the country

Since being dumped Mr Broadbridge has been focusing on bodybuilding when he isn't hitting the club scene and is expecting 'huge gains' in the future

Mr Broadbridge and Sainsbury 'secretly' broke up in February. The break-up came just months after the couple revealed they would be having a 'lavish' prison wedding - and that Scott would 'be there til the end'.

Sainsbury told KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O the couple 'kept their break-up very quiet' for months - giving the illusion they were still together.

'For quite some time things just weren't good between us. From the moment I got in here the relationship was doomed,' she said.

'I can't wait to see my before and after shots,' he wrote after making some progress with his 'huge gains'

Sainsbury was sentenced to six years behind bars for drug smuggling, and claims she has not spoken to Mr Broadbridge since the split

Since being dumped, Mr Broadbridge has been focusing on bodybuilding when he isn't hitting the club scene and is expecting 'huge gains' in the future.

'I'm finally making progress,' he wrote.

'I can't wait to see my before and after shots.'

He says hitting the gym has helped with his mental health.

'Not only is my physical strength on the rise, my mental strength is getting back to a good place. Getting myself back to a place where I feel happy,' he said.



He even takes the opportunity to let women know he is available when posting his candid gym selfies.

He even takes the opportunity to let women know he is available when posting his candid gym selfies

'Swipe right (kissy face) What's gym with out a cutla (sic) selfies,' he wrote.

Sainsbury was sentenced to six years behind bars for drug smuggling, and claims she has not spoken to Mr Broadbridge since the split.

She could be back in Australia as early as 2020, with good behaviour and time served, if early release is approved by a Colombian judge.

Daily Mail Australia have contacted Mr Broadbridge for comment.Officers have seized 4.5 million undeclared cigarettes being smuggled into the country and arrested a duel citizen over the bust.

Australian Border Force officers stopped the 43-year-old man for a baggage search at the Melbourne International Airport on Sunday after uncovering a massive haul of smuggled tobacco.

A six day raid in April uncovered three shipping containers at the Melbourne Container Examination Facility and were marked as containing toilet paper, kitchen paper towels and napkins.

After being stopped and checked at the airport the dual national was arrested in connection to the smuggled contraband.

Officers have arrested a duel citizen at an airport as he tried to board a flight to Vietnam and seized 4.5 million undeclared cigarettes.

Each shipment allegedly contained 1,500,000 undeclared cigarettes which represents a $3.2 million loss of taxation for the Australian government.

Assistant Commissioner Enforcement Command, Sharon Huey said ABF is seeing an increase in the amount of illicit tobacco being seized in Victoria.

He attributed this increase in seizures to a focus on detecting contraband and investigating the criminal groups importing it.

Further investigations allegedly linked the man, who is a duel Australian and Vietnamese citizen, to the large-scale importation of illicit tobacco via three separate sea cargo consignments in April

'Detecting and stopping illicit tobacco is one of the ABFs top priorities and those looking to make a profit through these means should know that we will catch up with them she said.

'Weve invested significantly to upgrade our detection capability at the Melbourne Container Examination Facility.

'And, through the Tobacco Strike Team and the recently announced Illicit Tobacco Taskforce, we are increasing our ability to investigate these criminal enterprises.'

The man was charged with three counts of smuggling tobacco under the Customs Act 1901, he was released on bail to re-appear before the Magistrate on Tuesday 12 June 2018

Miss Huey said people needed to be aware of the impacts they have when purchasing undeclared cigarettes and tobacco.

Miss Huey said people needed to be aware of the impacts they have when purchasing undeclared cigarettes and tobacco.

'People should realise that when they buy a packet of illegal cigarettes, they are supporting a market dominated by criminal syndicates who use the profits from illicit tobacco to fund other illegal activities,' she said.

The man was charged with three counts of smuggling tobacco under the Customs Act 1901.

He was released on bail to re-appear before the Magistrate on Tuesday 12 June 2018.Harvey Weinstein accuser Rose McGowan was indicted for cocaine possession by a grand jury Monday.

Prosecutors say cocaine was found among McGowan's belongings that were accidentally left on a January 20, 2017, flight to Washington Dulles International Airport.

McGowan, who has been out on $5,000 bail, insists she was set-up and says she did not put the drugs there.

On Monday, she was indicted on one count of cocaine possession in Loudoun County, Virginia, New York Daily News reported. She faces up to ten years in prison if found guilty. A trial date is yet to be set.

The 44-year-old actress believes her wallet was stolen from her backpack while she was in the bathroom on the flight, and that the drugs were planted in it, and left behind for the authorities to find.

Rose McGowan (above in her mugshot) was indicted for cocaine possession by a grand jury Monday

'Depending on when and where the wallet was lost, individuals other than Ms. McGowan had access to the wallet for somewhere between approximately 5 hours 40 minutes and more than 11 hours,' her lawyer wrote in a memorandum acquired by the New Yorker.

McGowan claims she never took the wallet out of her backpack on the plane and that she left the bag unattended just once.

'I had it in the side pocket of my backpack, and I left it on my seat as I went to the bathroom,' she said.

In an attempt to plead her case, she said cocaine would not have been her drug of choice for the historic march.

'I own stock in a marijuana company, so that's my jam.

'Imagining I'm going into sisterly solidarity, I can think of nothing more opposed to that, energetically, that I would want in my body at that moment,' she said.

McGowan has alleged that the cocaine may have been planted in an attempt to discredit her. It was previously revealed that Harvey Weinstein - who she accuses of raping her in 1997 - hired an army of agents to follow her and others who were plotting to expose his sexual misconduct. The pair are pictured in 2007

McGowan has previously said that she 'will clearly plead not guilty.'

In October, shortly after the news of her arrest warrant was announced, McGowan pointed the finger at Weinstein.

The actress was one of the first to accuse the disgraced former producer of sexual assault.

'Are they trying to silence me? There is a warrant out for my arrest in Virginia,' she tweeted. 'What a load of HORSEST.'

She later tweeted: 'None of the monsters have been cuffed. Guess who has? #ROSEARMY'

Weinstein's lawyer denied her allegations.

'The detectives who investigated the drug charges against McGowan have categorically rejected her ludicrous claim that Mr. Weinstein planted the drugs in her wallet,' Ben Brafman said on Monday.

'Falsely accusing Mr. Weinstein of committing a crime is something McGowan has in our opinion done before and people must take note of her indictment and more importantly, her cavalier habit of falsely accusing Mr. Weinstein of criminal conduct he vigorously denies.'

McGowan's attorneys filed a motion to have the cocaine charge dismissed in March, but a Virginia judge ruled against her.

McGowan is among several actresses who've said movie mogul Harvey Weinstein forced them into unwanted sex.

In 1997, McGowan accepted a $100,000 cash settlement from Weinstein after accusing him of raping her at the Sundance Film Festival that year.

McGowan (above last month) has since told how she felt she was being followed for months before, during and after the women's march

McGowan's rape claim gained new context in October when it was revealed she accepted a $100,000 settlement from Weinstein in 1997 to settle accusations of sexual assault.

She claims he raped her at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997 and that she was unaware their contract did not include a non-disclosure agreement until this year.

Dozens more women have come forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct. Last month he was arrested on rape charges and posted $1 million bail.

Attorney Jessica Carmichael also highlighted in court documents the lengths Weinstein would allegedly go to silence his victims.

In court papers filed in February, Carmichael wrote: 'It is now public knowledge that Weinstein employed underhanded tactics to 'silence' his victims.'

She cited reports that he had hired private investigators to trail some of the women who accused him of mistreatment.

The papers added: 'There is simply no point in time at which the evidence places Ms. McGowan and the cocaine together in the same place.'

In September, Weinstein allegedly met with his investigators to discuss leaking information about the warrant to The New York Post. A Post reporter called McGowan around the same time to ask her about it and she, after receiving the call, revealed details of the arrest warrant for the first time on Twitter.

DailyMail.com previously revealed that Weinstein hired a network of spies in October 2016.

Their mission was named 'Operation Parachute' and involved them snooping on actresses, designers including Kenneth Cole and amfAR to try to prove that he was the victim of a smear campaign.

In July 2017, he signed another contract with Black Cube, the aim of which was to discredit his sexual assault accusers.

In May 2017, one of the Black Cube agents posed as a women's activist to meet with McGowan and her agent and persuaded the actress to give her a copy of her memoirs.A bike-share operation will reportedly withdraw from Melbourne.

The company oBike is set to take its bikes off the street within a month, according to radio station 3AW.

This comes after the Environment Protection Authority announced steep new fines of $3000 per dumped bike, payable by the business.

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The company oBike is set to take its bikes off the street within a month

This comes after the Environment Protection Agency announced steep new fines of $3000 per dumped bike

Port Phillip Mayor Bernadene Voss told the radio station she had been informed the bikes were out.

'We've been told they are going,' she said.

'We do understand though that there is a new operator coming in.'

The radio station reported the bikes had already started to disappear from the city and St Kilda.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted oBike for comment.

There are at least four bike-sharing companies in Melbourne and Sydney including oBike and ReddyGo which were launched last year after being popularly used overseas.

The heavily criticised share bike industry, which also operates in other major cities across the country, often leaves pedestrians frustrated as the bikes are left strewn across footpaths or thrown into trees.

There are at least four bike-sharing companies in Melbourne and Sydney including oBike and ReddyGoA desperate search is under way for a girl who disappeared after getting a bus home from school

A 10-year-old girl has been found after a desperate search was launched when she disappeared after getting a bus home from school.

Rochelle Dinah was been missing since 3pm on Monday when she was reportedly seen getting the school bus in Maddington, Perth.

Police concerned for her welfare appealed to the public for help in finding her.

The youngster was found 'safe and well' on Tuesday - much to the relief of her family.

In their initial appeal, a Western Australia police statement read: 'Police are seeking information regarding the whereabouts of a 10 year old female, Rochelle Dinah, who was last seen at 3pm, Monday 11 June 2018, at an address in Maddington.

'She is described as olive skin, 120 cms in height, slim build, with long brown hair and brown eyes.

'She was last seen wearing a black Bramfield Park Primary School jumper, black tights and bright pink shoes.

'Concerns are held for her welfare. Anyone who sees her or has information about her whereabouts is urged to call Police on 131 444.'A doctor has been charged with sexual assault after he allegedly used secret cameras to film women during intimate examinations which he performed without surgical gloves.

Detectives from the Wangaratta Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team charged the doctor, 68, with sexual assault on Tuesday following a series of alleged incidents at the medical practice in Victoria's northeast.

A woman reported the doctor to the police after she underwent a female health exam on October 10, 2017.

She claimed the doctor did not use surgical gloves, instead conducting the examination bare-handed.

The doctor has been bailed to appear at Wangaratta Magistrate's Court (pictured) in September

She also reported there was camera equipment in the exam room.

When investigators searched the doctor's office and home address on November 30, they found and seized camera and computer equipment.

Detectives announced this week they uncovered 'a number of inappropriate images of female patients' on the doctor's devices.

The police went through the footage and allegedly identified a number of female patients.

Investigators from the Sexual Crimes Squad will now contact the alleged victims and notify them of the sexual abuse.

They vowed to contact every alleged victim before June 15.

Acting Superintendent Joy Arbuthnot said the news would be 'very distressing for the victims'.

'I don't think anyone wants to be in a position where they receive a notification from police that they have been a victim of a sexual assault,' she said.

'I understand this will be incredibly difficult for our victims to hear and we are working with a range of other agencies to ensure the right support services are in place and they are given as much information as possible about the process from here.

The doctor allegedly refused to wear surgical gloves while performing intimate examinations on female patients (stock)

'It is likely that there are other victims who, again, may be unaware the offence has occurred.'

Acting Supt Arbuthnot urged anyone who attended the medical practice and believed there was 'anything unusual' about their interaction with their GP to report to the police.

'We understand how concerning this will be for the broader community of Wangaratta,' she said.

Victoria Police said there was no evidence to suggest more than one doctor at the practice was involved in the alleged abuse.

The doctor at the centre of the police investigation was interviewed by the police in January and suspended from practicing.

He was charged with sexual assault and capturing intimate images on Tuesday.

The 68-year-old was bailed to appear at Wangaratta Magistrates' Court on September 10.A huge surge in the number of paedophiles has overworked police struggling to adequately monitor child sex offenders.

The Police Association of NSW says more officers are urgently needed to keep a close eye on paedophiles who are listed on the state's Child Protection Register.

Association president Tony King said in some country areas, one officer is responsible for monitoring more than 150 offenders, The Daily Telegraph reported.

There are about 4,000 child sex offenders who are currently listed on the NSW Child Protection Register, with police struggling to closely monitor them (stock image)

'We need dedicated officers assigned in each command to keep track of these people who target our children and are known to be repeat offenders,' Mr King said.

He said police who have other duties are struggling to monitor the growing number of 'grubs and deviants', no matter how hard they try.

'Ideally we would like to see one officer dedicated to every 30 known to be on the registry,' Mr King said.

There are currently about 4,000 child sex offenders on the register and annually more than 700 individuals are arrested and charged with offences against children.

NSW Police say those listed on the register are 'persons convicted of a nominated violent or sexual offence against a child' and 'the period of registration is for a minimum of eight years for an adult, four years for a juvenile offender'.

Police must be given personal information which has to be regularly updated, such as travel plans.

President of the Police Association of NSW Tony King (pictured) said police need 'dedicated officers assigned in each command to keep track of these people who target our children'

Newly-released statistics have shown the number of child predators who have breached the conditions of the register have almost doubled since 2013.

The number of breaches has risen from 170 in 2013 to 361 in 2017.

The commander of the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad, Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec, said NSW Police acknowledged the register was increasing and they were working alongside other government authorities.A woman has been caught trying to smuggle drugs into a Perth prison, police claim.

Officers say the 38-year-old attempted to sneak the contraband into the facility inside her child's sock.

The woman visited Acacia Prison on Sunday, one of the two privately-managed jails in the state.

She allegedly used her child to facilitate the transaction of what is believed to be Kronic to her partner, an inmate at the prison.

The drug, believed to be Kronic was attempted to be smuggled into the prison in a child's sock

After visiting the jail on Monday for the investigation, police tweeted brief details regarding the incident with an image of the seized item.

The woman allegedly tucked the drug into the child's sock and the inmate attempted to remove it from the clothing.

He was unsuccessful in doing so, as he was spotted by guards who seized the drug from him, police said.

The South Guildford woman is being charged via summons with conveying an unauthorised article into a prison, WA Today reported.

She is to face Midland Magistrates Court at a later date.

It is expected that her partner is going to be dealt with internally inside the privately-managed prison.Advertisement

Cerro Gordo, a barren but charming 19th century mining town nestled in California's Inyo Mountains, is currently on the market for just under $1million.

The historic hamlet, located in Lone Pine, covers 300 acres and includes nearly 22 buildings on site with numerous residencies, a bunkhouse, saloon, museum and a chapel, the listing posted to ghosttownforsale.com states.

The quiet town, listed for $925,000, was said to be the silver thread of Los Angeles and played a large role in the city's economic evolution.

The barren and historic town of Cerro Gordo, located in Lone Pine, California, is currently up for just under $1million

The 19th century mining town, located in Lone Pine, covers 300 acres and includes nearly 22 buildings on site

The sites include numerous homes, a hotel and a bunkhouse, the listing on ghosttownforsale.com reads

The privately-owned town of Cerro Gordo is recognized as the first major mining camp located south of the Sierra Nevada

The town has been held by the same family for decades, and the family decided it was time to sell this year

According to the town's website, smelters arrived to the site in 1869 and 'ultimately turned it into the largest producer of silver and lead in California.'

The privately-owned town of Cerro Gordo is recognized as the first major mining camp located south of the Sierra Nevada.

'Cerro Gordo provides the rare opportunity to own your own Ghost Town and Mining Operation. For those looking to acquire a piece of American West, Cerro Gordo is for you,' the listing reads.

The new owner will acquire mineral rights and have free range to control the land and air as well as minerals above and below ground.

Cerro Gordo was said to be the silver thread of Los Angeles and played a large role in the city's economic evolution

'Cerro Gordo provides the rare opportunity to own your own Ghost Town and Mining Operation,' the listing reads

The deserted property earned its named Cerro Gordo, which means 'Fat Hill' in the 19th century

The first silver veins were discovered on the land in 1965 by a man named Pablo Flores. In years following, the town's popularity grew

The listing states: 'Restoration has been undertaken on most of the buildings. and the rest are in a state of protected arrested decay'

The new owner will acquire mineral rights and have free range to control the town's land, air and below and minerals

'Held by the same family for decades and only available for purchase now. The site has been extremely well protected from diggers. artifact looters and Mother Nature herself,' the listing states.

'Restoration has been undertaken on most of the buildings. and the rest are in a state of protected arrested decay.'

The deserted property earned its named Cerro Gordo, which means 'Fat Hill,' by a group of Mexicans who swarmed the area in pursuit of silver, according to the town's official website.

The first silver veins were discovered on the land in 1965 by a man named Pablo Flores. In years following, word about the prosperous findings helped and the town's popularity and business grow.

The town's website states 'gross production of the Cerro Gordo camp from its early profitable years up until 1938 was about $17million'

Inside a building located in the ghost town shows a spacious dining room with historic decorations

A bar is shown above inside one of the buildings located in the town of Cerro Gordo in California

Above shows an indoor view of a building located in the town of Cerro Gordo in California

A rustic living room space is seen above in a building located on the history mining site

Adding more peculiarity to the obscure town, Cerro Gordo, at the height of its prominence, saw at least one murder per week, according to a report published in 2006 by the Los Angeles Times.

Cerro Gordo suffered a series of setbacks in the late 1800's, but mining activity jump-started again in the early 1900's.

The website states 'gross production of the Cerro Gordo camp from its early profitable years up until 1938 was about $17million.'

It is currently a tour site open to the public Monday through Sunday for adults with a $10 cover and children for free.

Listing agent Jake Rasmuson said 'one would hope that some of the history would be maintained and that it would still be open to the public' after sold.Genevieve Via Cava (pictured) died aged 89 in 2011, a decade after she retired from her role at Dumont Public Schools

A childless New Jersey special needs teacher has left $1million in her will to her students.

Genevieve Via Cava died aged 89 in 2011, a decade after she retired from her role at Dumont Public Schools.

Now, seven years after the beloved teacher's death, Dumont received a surprise from her estate; a $1 million check.

School superintendent Emanuele Triggiano called it 'a blessing.'

'I wasn't surprised that she was going to be donating something,' Triggiano told the New York Times. 'The surprise was the amount of money she sent to us.'

Friends of Cava, who had no children or immediate family, had grown up in the Depression and spent her life scrimping and saving.

By the time of her death, she had saved $1 million which will be used to create a scholarship for special needs students.

Beginning with next spring's high school graduates, the scholarship fund will be available to special education students planning to continue their education. Students will be able to received up to $25,000 per individual.

'In the event the scholarship fund grows to the extent that two or more scholarships can be made available, we can then give it to additional students,' Triggiano said.

Cava spent 45 years as a special needs teacher at the middle school and high school levels in Bergen County, in northern New Jersey, where she was a beloved and dedicated teacher.

Cava spent 45 years as a special needs teacher at the Dumont Public Schools in Bergen County, in northern New Jersey (pictured)

The school district's business administrator, Kevin Cartotto, said he was stunned by the move, but if anyone was to make such a grand generous gesture, it would be Cava.

Cava's friend Richard Jablonski, 63, who was also executor of her will, said she'd managed to save an incredible amount of money over the years by her resourcefulness.

She refused to buy full price clothes, or even buy the hearing aids she needed and stopped going on vacation after her husband died.

Her generosity didn't end with the check either. Jablonski said she cared about her students both inside and outside the classroom. She even helped several of her former students, by then in their 20s or 30s, find jobs.

'She was an amazing woman who could light up a room just by walking in,' Jablonski told NorthJersey.com. 'She had a smile that was unbelievable. She could talk to anybody just to start conversation with them, and by the time they walked away, they would be hugging.'

He added that he was glad her act of generosity would mean she would not be forgotten.

'Her name will go on forever, and rightfully so.'A student responsible for two lockdowns at a high school has made terrifying threats online, saying 'it ain't over til I say it's over'.

Upper Coomera State College on the Gold Coast was put in a precautionary lockdown at 1.30pm, less than two hours after the previous lockdown was removed.

The student responsible for the lockdowns took to Facebook on Tuesday morning to say: 'I'm shoot the f***ing school tomorrow, got a gun. This will be nothing on Colombians k***s'.

The student accompanied the rambling 3am post with a photo of themselves, and a gun.

The student accompanied the rambling 3am post with a photo of themselves, and a gun

The student responsible for the lockdowns took to Facebook on Tuesday morning to say: 'I'm shoot the f***ing school tomorrow, got a gun. This will be nothing on Colombians k***s'

The gun in the student's post appears to be a stock image readily found online.

The student went on to say he enjoyed seeing his peers and the police fearful.

'Watching you panic omg you're so dumb, watching youse all pigs oink oink,' they said.

Parents were sent a terrifying text message alert after the first alleged threat informing them the school was in 'voluntary lockdown'.

The first lockdown was ruled a hoax by police about midday, but parents were told they could take their children home.

Police arrived at the school on Tuesday and confirmed they were investigating an alleged threat.

Upper Coomera State College on the Gold Coast sent parents a text message saying the school was in 'voluntary lockdown' about 10.30am on Tuesday

'UCSC has gone into voluntary lockdown as a precautionary measure until further notice,' the message said, according to the Gold Coast Bulletin.

'The safety of students and staff is our priority. Thank you.'

A police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia police are 'investigating the authenticity of an alleged threat'.

'Police are working closely with the Department of Education in relation to the management of the situation and the safety of students.'

The school (location pictured) was taken off lockdown about midday only to be locked down again at 1.30pm

The sister of a Year 12 student at the school said she raced to the scene after hearing about the lockdown.

'You hear about school shootings and stabbings, you dont want to think about it but it happens. Were not the US but it is scary,' Carly Kendall said.

One parent said they heard the threats had been made by a Year 7 and a Year 9 student, but the reports were unconfirmed.

Another concerned parent, who said he was 'petrified', believed the alleged threat to the school originated online.

'I heard it's just kids mouthing off on social media,' Warren Priddis said.

The alleged threat comes less than a week after another Queensland school was rocked by the threat of a mass shooting.

The incident is the latest in a series of alleged bomb and shooting threats in the region, and three teenage boys have been charged over some of the alleged threatsAustralia's outgoing Race Discrimination Commissioner has complained that proposed new laws targeting foreign spies are hurting the feelings of Chinese migrants.

Tim Soutphommasane, who earns a $346,000-a-year salary from taxpayers, is worried the Turnbull Government's push to legislate new espionage laws is upsetting Asians.

'It is concerning that some of the antagonism towards the Chinese party state is threatening to spill over into a general suspicion of Chinese-Australians,' the former Labor policy adviser told the National Forum on Racial Tolerance and Community Harmony in Sydney today.

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Australia's outgoing Race Discrimination Commissioner has complained that proposed new laws targeting foreign spies are hurting the feelings of Chinese migrants (Sydney's Chinatown pictured)

Tim Soutphommasane, who earns a $346,000-a-year salary from taxpayers, is worried the Turnbull Government's push to legislate new espionage laws is upsetting people

'Many Chinese-Australian members of the community have expressed this apprehension to me.'

Dr Soutphommasane, who was appointed by Labor as an Australian Human Rights Commission officer in 2013, made the comments six months after former New South Wales Labor premier Kristina Keneally accused the Turnbull Government of being 'Chinaphobic'.

In December, Labor's unsuccessful Bennelong by-election candidate claimed the government had politically exploited former Labor senator Sam Dastyari's link to Chinese Communist Party-linked businessman Huang Xiangmo.

'There is an element of Chinaphobia that is rippling through Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberals' rhetoric,' Ms Keneally, who is now a NSW senator, said.

'It's quite unhelpful.'

She failed to win the former Labor seat off Liberal MP John Alexander, despite people of Chinese descent making up 21 per cent of the electorate in Sydney's north, but went on to replace Mr Dastyari in the Senate in February.

Former NSW Labor premier Kristina Keneally accused Malcolm Turnbull of 'Chinaphobia'

Ms Keneally accused the government of politically exploiting former Labor senator Sam Dastyari's link to Chinese Communist Party-linked businessman Huang Xiangmo

With four by-elections to held on July 28, federal Attorney-General Christian Porter is pressuring the Labor Opposition to support the Turnbull Government's proposed new foreign interference and espionage laws before that time.

'You weaken a democracy by creating a sense of division or dysfunction and you can very easily do that by placing opinions and trying to affect opinions and just causing general chaos in the context of elections,' Mr Porter told the ABC's Insiders program on Sunday.

Dr Soutphommasane, who was born in France to Laotian parents in 1982, conceded new foreign influence laws were needed to stamp out undue Chinese interference on Australian politics.

'We have seen an intensification of debate about foreign influence  in particular, that of the Chinese Communist Party,' he said.

'This is an important issue, and it is vital there is proportionate action taken to eliminate foreign influence aimed at disrupting and undermining our democratic institutions.'

Dr Soutphommasane's tenure ends in August.

With four by-elections to held on July 28, Attorney-General Christian Porter wants Labor to support the Turnbull Government's proposed new foreign interference and espionage lawsA wildlife expert has revealed how psychoactive substances used to make drugs exist in the Australian outback.

Michael Bock told VICE that there are several natural substances which very few people know about that can be processed.

Oils used for making MDMA can be extracted from the Sassafras tree in Victoria's Dandenong Ranges.

Michael Bock (pictured) says there are several natural substances which very few people know about that can be processed

Drug makers extract safrole from the bark and purify it before using a two-stage process to turn the oil into the party drug.

'People with a high school degree in chemistry would be able to do it,' Bock told Vice.

Safrole is a phenylpropene. It is a colorless or slightly yellow oily liquid with a liquorish-type smell.

Another drug found in wild Australia is DMT - or Dimethyltryptamine - which can be extracted from the Phalaris plant.

Austrian scientists discovered the plant was toxic when they saw sheep eat it and stagger away.

DMT was known as the 'businessman's trip' during the 1960s in the USA because a user could access the full depth of a psychedelic experience.

The third substance that Bock discusses on his tour of the bush is the psychedelic alkaloid mescaline.

A wildlife expert has revealed how psychoactive substances used to make drugs exist in the Australian outback

He says it can be extracted from the sawdust of the mountain ash tree which is native to Tasmania and the state of Victoria in southeastern Australia and is the tallest flowering plant and one of the tallest trees in the world, second to the coast redwood.

He said what you see and what you hear is different for every person who takes mescaline.

Brock concludes by saying there are many other psychedelic plants waiting to be discovered.Members of Parliament have been gifted a 2.5 per cent pay rise and a generous new entitlement, despite wage growth slowing to 70-year lows.

The pay rise boost will see the base salary of New South Wales MPs increase from $161,040 to $165,066 a year.

On top of that, MPs will be paid a $1,500 'skills development allowance' and given $500 per staff member.

Those with large electorates can spend much more, with Barwon MP Kevin Humphries (pictured) spending $97,000 a year on travel

The new entitlement will cover social media engagement, public speaking, media skills training and professional development, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The new perks will kick in on July 1, after being ordered by the independent Parliamentary Review Tribunal and announced on Friday.

Politicians in New South Wales already receive an electoral allowance, and travel and communications allowances.

Those who reside outside the state capital are given a 'Sydney allowance' and receive 'electorate to Sydney travel' funding.

Members of Parliament have been gifted a 2.5 per cent pay rise and a generous new entitlement, despite wage growth slowing to 70 year lows (pictured is the New South Wales Parliament House)

The electoral allowance, paid on top of base salaries, can be as high as $169,185 and covers the costs of an MP performing their parliamentary duties.

MPs based in Sydney can claim $6,000 for travel, an amount which rises to $22,000 for regional representatives.

Those with large electorates can spend much more, with Barwon MP Kevin Humphries spending $97,000 a year on travel.

The pay rise will be accompany a new requirement ordered by the Tribunal that MPs publicly report their spending, starting in July 1, 2019.

Pay rises and new perks for politicians come as wage growth languishes at 70 year lows, according to a report by Credit Suisse and The University of Queensland.

Wages Australia-wide are increasing by just two per cent, a lower growth rate than during the last recession, The Australian reported.

The report cited lower rates of unionisation, the aging population, rising female workplace participation and fewer collective wage agreements for the slow growth.A Victorian mother jailed for having sex with a 12-year-old boy who fathered one of her children has lost a bid to reduce her prison sentence.

The woman, who was 24 years older than the boy, was jailed in 2015 for at least three years and six months after pleading guilty to persistent sexual abuse of a child under 16.

She challenged her sentence, and the Court of Appeal on Tuesday ruled the sentencing judge had made an error, but found the mother did not deserve a shorter term for her crime.

A mother jailed for having sex with a boy, 12, lost bid to reduce her six year sentence she was given by a County Court (picture) judge in 2015

'The sentence is high when compared to other sentences for offending of this kind, but the moral culpability here is itself very high,' Justices Stephen McLeish and Simon Whelan said in their decision.

The woman was 36-years-old when she began driving the boy to school in 2011 because his mother had to work early.

The woman started developing feelings for the boy and commenced a sexual relationship with him.

The pair had unprotected sex about once a week over a five-month period.

In May 2014, the woman gave birth to a girl after telling the boy she thought the baby was his.

By then, the woman had separated from her husband, who had expressed concerns about the relationship.

The Victorian woman was 24 years older then the boy who fathered her baby (stock)

The boy's mother also visited the woman in hospital after she gave birth, but was unaware her son was the father.

Shortly afterwards the boy's parents found out about the relationship and they confronted the woman, who denied their son had fathered the baby.

A DNA test confirmed the boy was the baby's father.

In July 2015, a Victoria County Court judge said the woman was remorseful and unlikely to re-offend and sentenced her to a maximum of six years in prison.

The woman appealed on the basis the original judge should not have sentenced her as a 'serious sexual offender'.

The Court of Appeal agreed the woman was not a serious sexual offender but upheld her original sentence.Four members of the same family have been sacked from their positions at a school on the same day after the college board continued a financial review.

Kimberley College principal Paul Thomson his wife Jennifer Thomson, daughter Amy Ferguson and her husband Kevin Ferguson were all sacked by the college board after failing to submit a response to the board's show cause notices.

The four were all suspended last week and told to submit a 'show cause notice'.

After failing to do so all were let go from their positions, The Courier Mail reported.

Paul Thomson's position as Kimberley college principal was terminated after he failed to submit a show cause notice during a financial investigation into the school

The Courier Mail had previously reported on 'frivolous spending' at the Queensland school which launched the investigation into its financial management.

Under investigation are payments for trips totalling $700,000, more than $690,000 in unauthorised bonuses and back pay, $6.3 million in unpaid school fees and a controversial social media account boasting of a lavish lifestyle.

Members of the family also went on the school's $350,000 six-week 'holiday' to the UK and Finland in 2016, the financial report revealed.

Another member of the family, Debbie Thompson, has retained her position after issuing her show cause notice, however she remains on suspension.

Amy Ferguson (pictured), who used to manage the school's finances was also fired amid revelations large amounts of money was involved in unexplained bank transactions

Former Kimberley college principal Paul Thomson's (right) wife Jennifer Thomson (left) was also stood down form her role with the embattled school

The college board sent out an official statement to family and faculty members of Kimberly College outlining the situation.

'We are confident todays decision is a decisive step in dealing with these challenges so that Kimberley College can move forward positively with the support of the community and government, with a sustainable future,' the statement read.

The remaining faculty leaders, school deputy heads Chris McAlpine, Ystyn Francis and Mike Millard have retained their positions and will continue to lead the school.

'These three school leaders have been very active in talking with teachers, students and parents to keep our school focused on normal day-to-day activities,' the statement read.

Kevin Ferguson (pictured) was also let go from the school after failing to produce a show cause notice during the investigation

The remaining faculty leaders, school deputy heads Chris McAlpine, Ystyn Francis and Mike Millard have retained their positions and will continue to lead the school

The board will look to fill the vacant positions as quickly and seamlessly as possible while also taking the opportunity to look into and possibly overhaul the financial dealings of the school.

'The review will also deliver a range of other positive changes that we are confident will give Kimberley College a solid foundation on which to deliver the highest standard of independent education,' the statement read.

The financial review is being handled by the GT Advisory and Consulting after concerns about the financial dealings of the school were first brought up by the ATO, auditors and banks.A gunman killed four children, himself and left a police officer seriously injured after a 24-hour armed standoff with police.

Gary Wayne Lindsey Jr, 35, allegedly attacked his girlfriend on Monday morning, causing her to flee the home she shared with Lindsey and their four children. Soon after he barricaded himself in and opened fire on cops - leaving one officer injured.

Orlando police Chief John Mina said at a press conference just before midnight on Monday that the suspect was found dead in a closet when officers entered the apartment.

Mina said earlier in the evening officers tried to offer one of their phones to Lindsey, whose phone had spotty service, and saw that one of the children had been killed.

Authorities entered the apartment around 9pm hoping to rescue the others, but all the children were found dead from gunshot wounds.

The children with Lindsey were one, six, 10 and 11. Two of them were Lindsey's children and two belonged to his girlfriend, the police chief said.

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Gary Wayne Lindsey Jr, 35, a felon who is now on probation for arson and other crimes, is believed to have shot dead four children before killing himself, ending a long standoff with police in Orlando

Orlando Police Chief John Mina (above) told reporters that law enforcement officials responded to a domestic violence call

'Our hearts go out to all the families involved,' Mina said.

The girlfriend called police late Sunday to report she had been beaten and she managed to get out of the apartment.

Responding officers were fired upon. Officer Kevin Valencia was shot and was in critical condition but is expected to survive, Mina said Monday. One officer was able to return fire.

Officer Kevin Valencia was shot and was in critical condition but is expected to survive

Valencia is in his late 20s and has been with the police department since 2016.

Judy Pepper, who lives in the apartment complex, told the Sentinel that she had fallen asleep on the couch after watching a Sunday night baseball game on television when she heard four loud gunshots.

'It just went, "Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop,"' Pepper said.

She looked out the window and saw three people carrying a police officer onto the grass. She said other officers arrived, cut open his shirt and appeared to be putting bandages on his neck. Then, they put him in a patrol car and sped away.

'Hell, yes, I was absolutely terrified,' she said.

Officers evacuated other residents of the complex in the middle of the night. Some were milling around nearby restaurant parking lots Monday morning, still wearing pajamas. They were later taken to a hotel.

The standoff also disrupted the routines of residents who lived in neighboring apartment communities. About five blocks from the apartment, two police squad cars blocked the entrance to the street. Residents of the neighboring apartment complexes had to show identification and be escorted by the police. Several firetrucks lined the road.

The scene outside the Orlando apartment complex where Lindsey allegedly shot a police officer and held four children hostage. The standoff ended 24 hours later with all four children dead. Lindsey was also found dead from an apparent gunshot wound

Mina (center) said the officer was seriously injured during the Sunday night shootout with the suspect and required surgery, but is expected to live

Photos from outside the Westbrook Apartments following the incident reveal multiple Orlando police cruisers arriving on the scene where a fellow officer was shot at about 11.45pm Sunday

The shooting and hostage situation took place at the Westbrook Apartments in Orlando. A SWAT team was on site attempting to negotiate with Lindsey

Orlando police supporting each other outside the hospital where the police officer was taken for surgery after sustaining serious injury during the shootout with Lindse

Court records show Lindsey, 35, had an extensive criminal history involving arson, battery and theft. He was on probation for several charges including arson.

That conviction stems from a violent 2008 argument Lindsey had with a woman he was dating at the time, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

The woman said that during their argument, Lindsey grabbed a kitchen knife and began stabbing the living room TV. She says he then punched the TV screen with his fist, then went into the bedroom and tore another TV off the wall and threw it on the floor and began jumping on it.

He then told her to take her dogs and 'leave my grave'.

The woman tried to call for help but Lindsey had broken her phone.

She left when he threatened to burn down the house.

As she was leaving she saw him grab gas cans from the side of the home.

Firefighters soon responded to the scene and found the home on fire.

Lindsey was later apprehended by cops, during a traffic stop, who noted that he smelled of gasoline and had burnt hairs on both of his arms.

Public records show Lindsey has violated his probation several times since pleading no contest to arson and other charges in connection to the incident.

He was arrested last May after allegedly stealing form a Wal-Mart store, and he was arrested again in 2012 on domestic violence charges after an incident with another woman (not the one from the 2008 confrontation).

This woman, who said she had been dating Lindsey for two years, said that Lindsey grabbed her by her neck during an argument, held a knife to her face and threatened to kill her, the affidavit viewed by the Sentinel says.

The woman was holding her seven-month-old son at the time, who was not hurt.

Lindsey denied grabbing the woman or threatening her and prosecutors decided not to push forward with the case.

It's unclear if either women from the prior two incidents was the woman who escaped Lindsey on Sunday.Megyn Kelly could be heading to the fourth hour of Today according to a new report.

NBC is looking to make Megyn host the back quarter of the Today line reports Page Six, citing multiple sources.

That move would then allow Hoda to film all three hours of Today she appears on back-to-back, without the hour break in between her shows.

This would likely cause a bit of a problem for Kotb's co-host Savannah Guthrie however, as the two women often tape updates for the west coast and other material when the live broadcast ends at 9am.

NBC is starting to think about reshuffling its morning lineup to limit the damage done by struggling Megyn Kelly Today

Kelly's numbers are also dragging down Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotbs show, which follows straight afterwards at 10am

'It's the smart move,' said an insider of moving Kelly.

'At the very least that limits the damage already done to Hoda and Kathie Lee  maybe with a strong lead-in from 'Today' at 9 a.m., they'll even pick up some of the viewers they lost since Megyn went on the air.'

Kelly first joined NBC in January 2017, on a highly publicized $23 million contract

The 7-to-9 a.m. slot which is currently anchored by Kotb and Savannah Guthrie has been performing well since Matt Lauer was fired in November because of allegations of sexual misconduct.

Kelly's numbers are also up month-over-month, with a 5 percent increase in total viewers, 8 percent uptick in viewers 25 - 54.

She also recently celbrated a year at NBC, having interviewed Vladmir Purin last June, and in May was part of the toyal wedding coverage.

Reps for NBC declined to comment about the schedule plans with one insider telling The New York Post, that is was 'just another 'timeless' rumor about Megyn Kelly.'

Any change in the schedule would be simply the latest shuffle to occur since joining the network.

'Months after Kelly was left behind while the rest of NBC's top talent flew to South Korea to cover the Winter Olympics, the former Fox host had already been told that her Sunday news magazine had been downgraded from weekly to just 'periodically.'

But it kicked off last June to average ratings and mixed reviews and ended after an eight-episode run - the highlight of which was her exclusive sit down with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kelly's morning show has been growing in popularity in recent months, after episodes focused on sexual harassment and gender equality, two major topics in the press recently

Kelly had a rocky start after joining NBC from Fox News last year as her morning talk show, Megyn Kelly Today, suffered from low ratings and she struggled to get celebrity guests.

When Kelly first joined NBC in January 2017, on a highly publicized $23 million contract, Sunday Night (pictured) was announced as a weekly show

Her morning show has been growing in popularity in recent months, after episodes focused on sexual harassment and gender equality, two major topics in the press that helped boost ratings.

But its hasn't all gone smoothly for Kelly who reportedly 'threw an Olympic fit' when she was told Katie Couric had been offered the job of covering the Winter Games opening ceremony for NBC earlier this year.

It was claimed Kelly had insisted that she should not be forced to cover special events as well as her usual responsibilities. But, according to a new report, she was under the impression that the firing of Matt Lauer over sexual misconduct allegations meant she was in line for the big events.Fatima Khan (pictured), 21, is accused of encouraging Raza Khan, 19, to attack 18 year-old Khalid Safi in North Acton last year and filming his death, later posting it on Snapchat

A woman who filmed her boyfriend bleeding to death after urging her friend to stab him, claimed he was harassing her with a gun, a court has heard.

Fatima Khan, 21, is accused of encouraging Raza Khan, 19, to attack 18 year-old Khalid Safi in North Acton, west London, on the evening of December 1 last year.

Khan filmed Mr Safi as he was bleeding out, later posting the clip to Snapchat with the caption: 'That's what happens when you f**k with me', the Old Bailey heard.

As passersby rushed to perform CPR on the fatally wounded teen, someone asked Khan 'are you taking a photo for Facebook?', before she walked away.

But Khan said the video was of Mr Safi not leaving her alone, claiming he had been harassing her outside her work with a gun and threatening suicide before the attack.

She claims she had gone into Costa to fix her headscarf, which Mr Safi messed up and when she came outside, Mr Safi had a knife out and she was instructed to leave the area by Raza Khan.

Khan, from Ilford, denies murder and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.

Khan said the video she took was of Mr Safi (pictured) not leaving her alone, claiming he had been harassing her outside her work with a gun and threatening suicide before the attack

A warrant was issued for Raza Khan's arrest but he has never been found. Their relation is unclear.

On the day of the attack, the couple visited the Costa close to the Tube station shortly after 5pm, with onlookers describing Mr Safi seeming 'happy and smiley'.

But other witnesses later told police there was a 'weird' atmosphere between Khan and Mr Safi, who had argued in the days leading up to the murder, the Old Bailey heard.

'[Mr Safi] was the on-off boyfriend of the defendant, Fatima Khan, and the prosecution case is that he was killed by a rival for her affections,' said prosecutor Kate Bex QC.

'The prosecution case is that she willingly and knowingly entered into a joint enterprise with Raza Khan to cause serious injury to Khalid Safi and that her role was essential to the success of the plan.

'She told Raza Khan where to find Khalid Safi and she ensured that Mr Safi was still there by the time Mr Khan travelled to the scene.

'There is direct evidence of both of these facts and Ms Khan's behaviour after the murder confirms, the prosecution say, that her intention was to enable Raza Khan to seriously injure Khalid Safi.'

When Raza Khan arrived at the cafe shortly after 6pm, he seemed to 'know exactly where he was going' and confronted Mr Safi after a brief exchange with one of them.

When Raza Khan arrived at the cafe shortly after 6pm, he seemed to 'know exactly where he was going' and confronted Mr Safi after a brief exchange with one of them

The pair fought for around 15 seconds after which Mr Safi collapsed with a number of stab wounds to his chest.

Jurors heard his girlfriend made no efforts to help her partner either during or after the attack.

'Instead, she returned to the scene after Raza Khan had inflicted the fatal wound and videoed Khalid Safi as he lay dying in a pool of his blood on the pavement,' said Ms Bex.

'Fatima Khan's reaction to seeing Khalid Safi seriously hurt may be an indication of her knowledge of what Raza Khan was going to do and her intention in that regard.'

A friend of the couple later told police the two men had previously fought a few years earlier and Khan had stabbed Mr Safi in the shoulder.

'Five days before the murder, things between Fatima Khan and Khalid Safi were clearly coming to a head,' said Ms Bex.

'He had bought her a watch as a present but when he visited her at her home address she threw it at him from an upstairs window as he stood outside because she was very angry he had turned up at her house, her family home, because her family did not know she was seeing him and she did not want them to see him outside.'

On the day he died, Mr Safi spent the early evening from about 5pm with Khan sitting on benches outside the Costa Coffee close to North Acton tube station.

'It is clear from the CCTV that they were not getting on very well,' said Ms Bex.

'The images show Ms Khan constantly on her phone with Mr Safi standing a few feet away from her, effectively being ignored.'

At one stage a cafe employee noticed Fatima Khan taking 'an abnormally long time' in the branch's toilet.

She claimed to have been 'tying her headscarf' but was also spotted on her phone.

Records later confirmed she had made a call lasting more than seven minutes.

'The prosecution suggests that Ms Khan took an abnormally long time in the lavatory in order to delay Khalid Safi so as to ensure that Raza Khan had enough time to travel in his minicab from Arnos Grove.'

He arrived at around 6.30pm and 'walked straight over' to the pair with 'a large object seen glinting' from his left hand.

After exchanging a few words with one of them, Ms Bex said he turned to Mr Safi at which point 'the knife on his left-hand side would have been in plain view of Mr Safi'.

'Mr Safi then produced a screwdriver and the two men began to fight,' she continued.

Jurors heard the brawl only lasted for around 15 seconds, during which Raza Khan put his hand on Mr Safi's back to bend him over whilst using his left to plunge the blade into his foe's abdomen.

Raza Khan quickly left the area walking back the way he came, discarding his coat in an alleyway which had been ripped by Mr Safi's screwdriver during the fight.

During the brawl Fatima Khan was seen running back into the coffee shop where she called a friend asking: 'Where the f**k are you? You need to hurry the f**k up. Everything's got f**ked.'

Ms Bex told jurors the call confirms she 'had a prior arrangement' for the pal to come and collect her from the scene and was so urgent because Safi had also been armed.

Police are still trying to trace Raza Khan and a 5,000 reward for information is being offered by the independent charity Crimestoppers.

Khan's trial continues.A 15-year-old girl who died after drinking a cocktail made from alcohol and energy drinks has been remembered as 'the best friend someone could ever hope for'.

The teenager was found unconscious at her family's semi-rural property in Kenthurst, in Sydney's north-west, on Friday night.

The girl, who police said made the cocktail after finding a recipe online, has left behind devastated family and friends.

A 15-year-old girl who died (right) after drinking a cocktail made from alcohol and energy drinks has been remembered as 'the best friend someone could ever hope for'

The teenager, pictured above (right) was found unconscious at her family's semi-rural property in Kenthurst, in Sydney's north-west, on Friday night

'We love you forever,' one loved one wrote in a touching tribute to the girl.

The teenager had a blood-alcohol level of 0.4 when she arrived to hospital - a reading which is eight times the legal driving limit.

Police said it is believed the teenager was drinking alone at her home at the time.

'I cannot state how pointless and tragic and sad and avoidable the death of a 15-year-old child, drinking alcohol on their own, is in a place that should be a place of safety,' Superintendent Rob Critchlow said.

The girl's older sister marked the devastating event by changing her profile picture and cover photo.

'My angel,' the caption under one of the pictures read, while the other one - a picture of the sisters - was simply labelled: 'Snow Bunny'.

The girl was taken to The Children's Hospital at Westmead, in the city's western suburbs, but she died on Monday.

The teenager was one of five children.

A 15-year-old girl has been found dead after mixing alcohol and energy drinks (stock image)

'Send the strongest warrior angels to look after your beautiful sisters,' one friend wrote.

'Send the fierce one to stand strong for your brothers.'

The girl has also been remembered for her love of horses and was 'the best rider of her age' according to friends.

Police have seized a bottle of alcohol and energy drinks containing high levels of caffeine, after paramedics rushed to her family home at 9.30pm last Friday.

The teenager was found unconscious at her home at Kenhurst, in Sydney's north-west, on Friday night (stock image)

Superintendent Critchlow, from her local Hills Police Area Command, also said combining alcohol with popular energy drinks containing the guarana stimulant was a toxic brew.

'This investigation is in its infancy but early inquiries indicate this girl sourced an alcoholic drink recipe from an online site, then put that information to the test,' he said.

'The consequences have been tragic.'

Supt Critchlow said underage drinking was potentially fatal.

She was taken to The Children's Hospital at Westmead (pictured), in the city's western suburbs, where she died the next day on the Queen's Birthday public holiday

'We cannot emphasise more strongly the risk of underage and - more importantly - uninformed alcohol consumption,' he said.

'We have a family devastated by the death of their beloved daughter; they have a lot of questions.'

With police investigating the cause of the tragedy, he had a simple message.

'We will endeavour to find answers, but our message has to be: do not risk your health experimenting with high-risk information sourced online,' he said.

A post-mortem examination is due to be done this week.A teenage student and teacher have been rushed to hospital after an electric current surged through them, endangering their lives.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman said paramedics attended the scene at Cairns State High School and assessed two people.

They were then taken to Cairns hospital where they are being treated for minor injuries.

A Cairns student and teacher taken to hospital after receiving electric shocks while at the Cairns State High School (pictured)

They are both in stable conditions a spokesperson said.

It comes just a few days after Sydney teenager Anna Lambden, 15, almost lost her life when she was walking through the CBD and received a 'industrial strength' shock.

'It sounds like there was some dodgy wiring from the tram construction and it connected with the ground,' her mother said over Facebook, 'which connected with Annas wet socks (she was wearing heels which shed taken off) She was in lots of pain, and thats settled to muscular pain now.

'Its so random and could have been so catastrophic. The current was so strong that the passers by who tried to help her were also shocked by touching her.'

Passers-by who tried to come to her rescue were also zapped as they got close. Eventually the teenager was able to roll away and get her feet into the air.

Paramedics rushed her to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, where she was discharged Sunday night after being monitored for heart damage.A man who violently sexually assaulted a woman twice as she walked home from a pub five years ago has been found guilty.

The jury took just 90 minutes on Tuesday to convict Benjamin Joshua Heldon of the December 2013 attack in Adelaide Parklands in Victoria Park, The Advertiser reported.

Heldon claimed he grabbed his victim initially because he thought she was falsely accusing him of stealing her bag, and only grabbed her pants to help him get up when he accidentally fell on top of her, the court heard.

Benjamin Joshua Heldon (pictured) has been found guilty of violently sexually assaulting a woman twice as she walked home from a pub five years ago

While giving evidence, he claimed his actions were 'not violent' and the incident happened out of 'self-preservation'.

Prosecutor Emily Telfer SC told the jury the woman was on the phone to her boyfriend when she turned to see Heldon standing alarmingly close to her.

She said he then smiled at her under the light of a pathway at Victoria Path. She starting to run away but he grabbed her and threw her to the ground.

Ms Telfer said the woman told Heldon police had been called and she was on the phone to her boyfriend, to which he responded, 'I know, I know'.

'She punched him to the face and she gouged his eyes. As she grappled with him, she realised the man had long, matted dreadlocked hair and her glasses were tangled in that hair.'

Ms Telfer (with covered head) said the woman told Heldon police had been called and she was on the phone to her boyfriend, to which he responded, 'I know, I know'

While pinning her to the ground, Heldon managed to get his hands down the woman's pants and sexually assault her twice.

'The man tried to consistently get her from lying on her back to her front, she decided that an important strategy to stop him...was to remain on her back,' Ms Telfer said.

'To help her to do that, she grabbed on to one of his dreadlocks. He tried to bite her hand, eventually she managed to get her legs up underneath him and she pushed her attacker off. As she pushed him off, the dreadlock came away from her attacker's head and stayed in her hand.

The victim, who gave evidence in closed court, then scrambled backwards and ran away.

While pinning her to the ground, Heldon (pictured) managed to get his hands down the woman's pants and sexually assault her twice

The dreadlock would come to be the securing piece of evidence that led to his arrest, with Ms Telfer saying it was 'one billion times more likely' to come from Heldon than anyone else.

The court heard that DNA was extracted from the dreadlock but it took three years for police to find a match and arrest Heldon.

The court was told police later allegedly found matted hair at the scene and strands entangled in the victim's glasses, which she lost during the sexual assault.

It was also told how forensic tests uncovered a DNA match with the hair along with swabs from the alleged victim's hands and fingernails.

By the time he was arrested, Heldon had moved to the New South Wales mid north coast near Coffs Habour.

The court heard that DNA was extracted from the dreadlock but it took three years for police to find a match and arrest Heldon (pictured)

'Police searched the house and located more than just images  hanging on a hook in the main bedroom was a bundle of long dreadlocks that had been cut,' Ms Telfer told the court.

'Numerous images of the accused were located that showed him wearing his hair in dreadlocks, that were long and hung down his back.'

Heldon has denied the sexual assault allegations and will face sentencing at a later date.

His lawyer told the court his client admitted he came into physical contact with the woman at the park that night but said the 'mechanics of that physical interaction' and the 'state of mind of the accused' will be issues in contention.A father accused of stabbing his son to death confessed to planning the killing during a prison visit, a court has been told.

While giving evidence in the trial of Ernest Fisher on Tuesday, Patricia Kearney told the Supreme Court of Western Australia about a conversation that allegedly transpired when she visited Fisher in Hakea Prison in November 2016.

Sixty-seven-year-old Fisher is accused of murdering his son Matthew Fisher-Turner on the day of the 2016 AFL grand final at the family's home in Parmelia, south Perth.

Mr Fisher-Turner, 23, had at one stage been in a relationship with Ms Kearney's daughter, ABC News reported.

Ernest Fisher confessed to killing his son Matthew Fisher-Turner (pictured) during a prison visit, a court has been told

Matthew Fisher-Turner (pictured) was stabbed to death on the day of the AFL grand final in 2016

Ms Kearney told the court Fisher said he hid sharp knives in his shed 'for the purpose of the right time to dispose of Matt' and told how the murder accused had referred to his son as 'a pest'.

She told the court she said to Fisher 'surely there had to be another way', to which she said he replied 'none that I could think of'.

'I said "what about a violence restraining order", and he said "that wouldn't work. I had to get rid of him'," Ms Kearney told the court.

Ms Kearney also gave evidence Fisher had described how he had killed his son.

'He said "I knew I wouldn't be able to take him on my own". He came by his side and he stabbed him several times,' Ms Kearney told the court.

Fisher's lawyer Mara Barone denied the 67-year-old ever made such comments.

It is believed Mr Fisher-Turner was killed almost four weeks before his body was found buried in the backyard of the house in late October 2016.

Fisher is charged with murder while two of his other children, Joshua Douglas Fisher-Turner, then 26, and Hannah Jayde Fisher-Turner, then 19, are on trial accused of being accessories to murder.

Fisher admits he killed his son but denies it was murder. Fisher claims he was acting in self-defence, according to ABC.

The trial continues.Donald Trump praised his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un following his historic summit meeting in Singapore today.

The US president promised to halt joint military exercises with South Korea citing the huge costs, while Kim said he would destroy a missile engine testing site.

Speaking following the meeting, Trump told reporters, the process of denuclearisation will start 'very, very quickly'.

Trump said Kim accepted an invitation to visit the White House. He suggested a second summit with the dictator might be necessary, although he hailed the success of his negotiations.

He said: 'We're much further along than I would have thought.'

MailOnline brings you the latest updates. To read this in the app please click here.There are fears for the safety of a ten-year-old boy who has been missing since Monday evening after vanishing in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney.

Mario Caruso was last seen leaving at a unit on Cross Street, Balgowlah about 6pm.

In a police press release, it was reported that it was not the first time that Caruso had gone missing.

Mario Caruso (pictured), 10, who has been missing since Monday evening was last seen in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney. Police have urged for public assistance to help locate the young boy

Local officers of The Northern Beaches Police Area Command conducted a search of the area but were unable to find the boy.

It has almost been 24-hours since the boy disappeared.

He was wearing a dark grey jumper, blue tracksuit pants and black sneakers.

Police have urged for public assistance in locating the boy and bringing him to safety.

Anyone who has information or sights the boy should immediately contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.The letters of Australian brands and tourist landmarks are vanishing from buildings to raise awareness for International Missing Type Day.

As, Bs and Os - representing different blood types - have been darkened or removed ahead of the day on Thursday which aims to recruit much-needed blood donors.

Sydney Opera House, Adelaide Oval and Luna Park are among the landmarks taking part.

The letters of Australian brands and tourist landmarks are vanishing from buildings to raise awareness for International Missing Type Day. Pictured; Chicken restaurant Nando's

Sydney Opera House, Adelaide Oval and Luna Park (pictured) are among the landmarks taking part

Business including NAB, Nandos, 13 Cabs, Cancer Council and the RAA are also getting involved.

In Australia one blood donation is needed every 24 seconds.

Almost 40 per cent of Australians do not know their blood type, according to The Australian Red Cross.

This suggests that many have never considered donating at a time when 30 per cent of the population will need needing blood transfusions or by-product in their lifetime.

NAB is among the businesses taking part. Pictured is the NAB building in Sydney

'Blood only has a shelf life of 42 days, and more than 25,000 donations are needed across Australia each week to meet patient needs,' said Blood Service spokeswoman Sally Lauder.

'In Australia, one blood donation is needed every 24 seconds and with one in three people needing blood in their lifetime, you never know who you could be helping,' Ms Launder said.

'Whether your type is O, A, B or AB; with your help we can fill the gaps together.'

International Missing Type Day is a global movement ran simultaneously by 25 blood services.An inquiry has been set up after a 15-year-old girl suffered an electric shock in Sydney's CBD on her way home after a party on the weekend.

Anna Lambden was injured at Haymarket on Sunday near a light rail construction site after she removed her uncomfortable shoes and walked towards the train station in wet socks.

As she waited at the intersection of Ultimo Road and George Street she suddenly felt a sensation like pins and needles through her body causing her to fall to the ground.

Scroll down for video

Anna Lambden, 15, (pictured) was taken to hospital on Sunday after suffering a massive electric shock as she walked along the pavement in the Sydney CBD

Someone walking by came to help Anna but also received a shock when she touched her arm and so called an ambulance (pictured Anna and her mother Viola Morris at the hospital)

Someone walking by came to help Anna but also received a shock when she touched her arm and so called an ambulance.

Anna called her mother, Viola Morris, in hysterics as she sat waiting for the ambulance.

Ms Morris said the phone call was one of the scariest moments she had experienced in her entire parenting life.

'She was distraught. She called me while she was waiting for the ambulance and she thought she was going to die,' Ms Morris said.

Anna called her mother, Viola Morris, in hysterics as she sat waiting for the ambulance (pictured together from a social media post)

The intersection of George St and Ultimo Rd where Anna was electrocuted by an exposed wire

Sydney Transport have confirmed there was a loose connection in relation to construction for light rail in the area (file photo of light rail construction in Sydney CBD from last year)

'She could feel the electricity pulsing through her. She didn't know what it was. No one could touch her ... no one could comfort her.'

Ms Morris said Sydney Transport have confirmed there was a loose connection in relation to construction for light rail in the area.

'I can't believe it  it could have been catastrophic,' she told the Daily Telegraph.

'How can this happen in Sydney  it's not a third world country. The Premier needs to be accountable.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Transport Minister Andrew Constance have launched an inquiry to look into the incident that lead to Ms Lambden's serious injuries.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance has appointed the secretary of the department to investigate the accident, who will be acting independent of any third parties involved.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the incident was unacceptable and described it as 'appalling' and 'absolutely devastating'.

'No pedestrian anywhere around a construction zone, no matter what project or incident it is, should have to face that risk,' she told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian found the incident 'appalling' and 'absolutely devastating'.



Commuters on the way home this evening should expect chaos after a incident at Weastmead station this afternoon.

Several train services on the Western, North Shore and Northern train lines will impacted, with delays expected.

Sydney trains are warning passengers to expect delays and allow for extra travel time.

Sydney commuters should expect chaos on several northern lines this evening (stock image)

'Allow extra travel time on the T1 North Shore and Northern Lines due to a person injured by a train at Westmead earlier. Listen to announcements and check indicator boards,' they said.

Emergency services have confirmed they responded to an incident at the station.

'We were responding to reports a person has jumped onto the tracks and that there was an oncoming train,' the spokesperson said

Emergency crews checked the CCTV footage from the station and saw that the person had landed in a gully before getting up and running away.

They then searched the area for the person but were unable to find them.A top British university has expelled three students over a Facebook group chat in which members shared racist jokes and made sick comments about women.

Screengrabs of messages exchanged by the University of Warwick students showed one saying: 'Sometimes it's fun to just go wild and rape 100 girls.'

Further messages in the chat said 'rape her friends too', 'rape the whole flat to teach them a lesson' and 'What do we do with girls? Raaaaaaaaape.'

The messages included one saying: 'Sometimes it's fun to just go wild and rape 100 girls'

Further messages in the chat included: 'What do we do with girls? Raaaaaaaaape'

Other messages exchanged by the members included some about having sex with freshers

Other messages exchanged by the members included 'rape her in the street while everybody watches,' with another replied that it 'wouldn't even be unfair'.

The group members also used racist slurs, with messages including 'even the p**is?' and 'love Hitler, hate n****s and Jews and Corbyn.'

Another user said: 'Racism is frowned upon at Warwick? F***ing bull.'  while others replied 'EDL!', referring to the English Defence League, and 'racism is class'.

The university has now confirmed three students have either left or been kicked out, with one banned from campus for life and the other two for ten years.

Two further students were suspended from the university for a year and fined, while three others received a range of other disciplinary penalties, including fines.

Another user in the group chat said: 'Racism is frowned upon at Warwick? F***ing bull'

The top British university has expelled three students over the Facebook group chat

The university has confirmed three students have now either left or been kicked out

The case against one student was found to be not proven by the university's disciplinary committee, while another two accused students were exonerated.

A university spokesman said: 'The allegations were extremely serious and concerned matters that have been found to be a significant breach of the university's dignity at Warwick policy.

Sometimes it's fun to just go wild and rape 100 girls One of the sick Facebook messages

'This states that the university is 'committed to ensuring a working and learning environment in which all university members (staff and students) are treated fairly and with dignity and respect, and where bullying and harassment are not tolerated'.

The spokesman continued: 'The complaints were received on April 25. An investigating officer was appointed within 24 hours of receipt those complaints and a formal investigation commenced immediately thereafter.

The university said the allegations were 'extremely serious' and students had been disciplined

'The investigation has now concluded, as have the university's disciplinary processes. This included the convening of a major disciplinary committee made up of both staff and students.

He added: 'The university repeats its previous advice that any students or staff who have been affected by these events can obtain support and advice by contacting the university's wellbeing support services or the students' union advice centre.'

A member of the elite Russell Group, the University of Warwick is ranked 11th in the UK, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018.

It comes a month after Exeter University students were expelled over racist and bigoted comments branding people 'P***s', 'n*****s' and calling for a 'race war'.

WhatsApp messages sent by Bracton law society members also made positive references to slavery and gang rape while also calling for a 'whites-only' society.

On one message they posted a picture of London Mayor Sadiq Khan posing in January this year with the messages 'I'm disgusted' and 'browns don't get it'.A repeat child sex offender who went on the run after cutting off his electronic tag has had his prison sentence reduced.

Darren Albert Jolly successfully appealed his sentence for possessing objectionable material and breaching his supervision order, the New Zealand Herald reported.

Jolly pleaded guilty to eight charges earlier in the year and was sentenced to two-and-a-half years' imprisonment.

It was argued the sentence was excessive but the judge ruled against a lesser sentence despite the guilty plea.

Repeat child sex offender Darren Albert Jolly who went on the run after cutting off his electronic tag has had his prison sentence reduced

Despite being a repeat offender and on the sex offenders list, Jolly was given special release conditions which have been breached 15 times in the past five years

Jolly's offending dates back to the 1990s and his criminal history includes more than 110 convictions for sex with underage girls, indecent acts, fraud, theft, assault and dangerous driving, the publication reported.

Despite being a repeat offender and on the sex offenders list, Jolly was given special release conditions which have been breached 15 times in the past five years.

The most recent breach was when he moved within a kilometre of a children's health camp, a daycare centre, two primary schools and a high school.

He was immediately moved after neighbours identified him through the Sensible Sentencing Trust's online database.

Upon the May 29 appeal hearing, Jolly's lawyer Nigel Cooke argued that his client was lonely and was not integrated into the community, and a lesser sentence would benefit him, NZ Herald reported.

'Even if a couple of months were knocked off it would make a world of difference,' Mr Cooke said.

Justice Patricia Courtney said: 'I don't think you get any credit for not offending against any children while you're in jail,' and eventually shortened his sentence to one year and 11 months.

Jolly's case called for an urgent review of the New Zealand legal system.A wild bear mauled a husband and wife to death and left seven others injured when it rampaged through a village in India before it was beaten to death with sticks.

Baipilli Urvasi, 50 and her husband Tirupathi Rao, 55, were killed in the early hours of Sunday morning in Srikakulam District in the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh.

The bear attacked Ms Urvasi when she went to the outskirts of her village to dump waste between 5.30am and 7am.

On hearing his wife's cries for help, Mr Rao rushed to her aid but was also mauled by the bear.

A bear was beaten to death by villagers in India after it mauled a husband and wife to death

Both were taken to the Palasa Government Hospital.

Mr Rao was declared dead on arrival and his wife later succumbed to her injuries.

The bear also killed six domestic animals and a stray dog.

Later, it attacked Ratti Appanna and when three men confronted the animal to save him, the bear attacked them and left them all severely injured.

The bear is said to have entered the village on Saturday evening and stayed overnight in a cashew orchard.

Baipilli Urvasi and her husband Tirupathi Rao were killed in the early hours of Sunday morning

The bear attacked Ms Urvasi when she went to the outskirts of her village to dump waste. Her husband was attacked when he came to her rescue after hearing her scream

It was spotted by a few children who were playing in the area that day.

The kids captured the bear on a phone, but fled when it began to approach.

After it killed the couple, the bear was located by villagers who beat it to death with sticks and stones.

The bear was pictured lying still on the ground as the villagers repeatedly attacked it with bamboo sticks.

Forest officials have promised the family of the dead 500,000 rupees (5,545) as compensation for the incident.

After it killed the couple, the bear was located by villagers who beat it to death with sticksSajid Javid said the government is 'very seriously' examining Arron Banks and Andy Wigmore's links to Russia

Home Secretary Sajid Javid has said the government is 'very seriously' examining Arron Banks and Andy Wigmore's links to Russia as the Brexit-backing pair face quizzing from MPs today.

Two ministers in two departments are attempting to uncover if there was an attempt to influence the government during the Brexit campaign.

It was revealed earlier this week that Mr Banks, 52, met with Russian ambassador Alexander Yakovenko three times since 2015, and made a trip to Russia shortly before the referendum.

Now he and his business associate Mr Wigmore are set to be questioned over their ties to the Kremlin and the country's influential business leaders.

Mr Javid weighed in on the matter, saying the Cabinet Office and Home Office were working together, 'taking this issue seriously'.

He added: 'I know they are looking at intelligence and other information they are receiving alongside my department. The two departments are working closely on this issue. I would assure him we are taking it very seriously indeed.'

MPs on the digital, culture, media and sport select committee will be questioning the men in a meeting that is scheduled to go on for at least three hours.

Mr Banks and Mr Wigmore are set to be questioned over their ties to the Kremlin and the country's influential business leaders today. Pictured l-r: Banks, Trump, Farage and Wigmore

It was revealed earlier this week that Mr Banks, 52, (pictured) met with Russian ambassador Alexander Yakovenko three times since 2015, and made a trip to Russia shortly before the referendum

Before the discovery, Mr Banks, who bankrolled Leave.EUs campaign and is a close friend of Nigel Farage, previously claimed to have had only a 'boozy lunch' with Yakovenko.

Mr Banks is also said to have given Russian officials telephone numbers for members of Donald Trump's presidential transition team, just days after he and Mr Farage visited Trump Tower in the wake of the shock US election result.

Mr Banks claims to have talked with a senior CIA agent in London on his contacts with the Russian ambassador at 5 Hertford Street, a Mayfair club.

There he and Mr Wigmore briefed the official 'on everything' pertaining to the meeting with the Russian ambassador in November of 2016, reported the Telegraph.

The paper also said the men had kept the agent's business card and are going through their emails to find evidence of their correspondence and meeting.

Mr Banks claims to have talked with a senior CIA agent with Mr Wigmore (pictured) in London on his contacts with the Russian ambassador at 5 Hertford Street, a Mayfair club

Damian Collins, the Tory chairman of the committee, said to the paper: 'I think we have a right to know what the level of that contact [with Russia] was. Particularly when Mr Banks himself has sought to deny that.

'He said he only met the Russian ambassador on one occasion; we now know it was more than that. There were trips to Moscow, supposedly lucrative business deals offered. Did those business deals go through?'

'Did Mr Banks profit from it? Was that money made used in political campaigning?'

Mr Collins added to BBC One's Sunday Politics programme: 'Russia has a track record of trying to interfere in the politics of other countries, and it does it in a variety of ways. And that's why it's important we understand what level of contact and involvement there was here.

Mr Banks had reportedly been in talks with Yakovenko to invest in a Goldmine and invited out to Moscow for talks.

Millionaire Brexiteer Arron Banks claims he briefed CIA agents in London on his contacts with a Russian ambassador, according to a new report. Pictured: Banks with his wife Catya (centre and mother-in-law Olga)

He visited the city in February - but insists this was not for business talks but just on a family holiday with his Russian wife Catya and mother-in-law Olga.

Mr Banks told The Sunday Times they visited the world famous Hermitage museum on the trip - but that is actually in St Petersburg.

While he also claimed the family went on a river boat cruise, but these do not run in either of the cities in February because of the winter ice.

The discrepancies raise further questions about Mr Banks' ties with Russia and exactly what he was doing in the country.Police will commence a large-scale forensic search tomorrow as part of ongoing investigations into the 2014 disappearance of William Tyrrell.

William was just three years old, playing in the yard of his foster grandmothers home on Benaroon Drive in Kendall, New South Wales, when he went missing on the morning of Friday 12 September 2014.

Over the ten days that followed, hundreds of local residents and emergency services workers combined to search the rural township for the young boy: looking in forests, creeks and paddocks.

Police will commence a large-scale forensic search tomorrow as part of ongoing investigations into the 2014 disappearance of William Tyrrell (pictured)

Detectives and analysts from the State Crime Commands Homicide Squad are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Williams disappearance under Strike Force Rosann

As part of ongoing investigations, detectives will commence a four-week forensic search of bushland at Kendall tomorrow (Wednesday 13 June 2018)

That initial search, however, was focused solely on finding William, and did not look at the possibility of deliberate human intervention.

William was not found, and the search did not uncover any evidence relevant to his disappearance.

Detectives and analysts from the State Crime Commands Homicide Squad are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the young boys disappearance under Strike Force Rosann.

Shortly before 10.30am on Friday 12 September 2014, William, then aged three, was playing in the yard of his grandmothers home on Benaroon Drive in Kendall, New South Wales when he disappeared

For the next ten days, hundreds of local residents and emergency services workers combined to search the rural township, looking in forests, creeks and paddocks for the boy

As part of those ongoing investigations, Strike Force Rosann detectives will commence a four-week forensic search of bushland at Kendall tomorrow, Wednesday 13 June.

The operation is being coordinated by search experts from the Public Order and Riot Squad.

Police will address the media at the commencement of the search.

William was not located, and that initial search did not uncover any evidence relevant to his disappearance

Last year it was revealed that William was in the care of a foster family at the time of his disappearance.

Speaking anonymously to Channel Seven's Sunday Night program earlier this year, the foster family recalled the moment three-year-old William went missing: while they were visiting William's foster grandmother in Kendall.

William's foster mother claimed she was out having a cup of tea with the foster grandmother on the balcony when she realised she could no longer hear him playing.

'He was in his Spider Man outfit playing 'Daddy Tiger'' she said.

'It was just two metres, three metres away from where we were sitting. I've just walked out and I just see nothing.'

Last year it was revealed that William was in the care of a foster family at the time of his disappearance

William's biological paternal grandmother also revealed how William's biological parents, Karlie Tyrrell and Brendan Collins, had kept him hidden away for three months when he was a baby.

It was a desperate bid to prevent authorities taking him into care when he was just eight-months-old, Natalie Collins said in an interview with News.com.au.

Both the foster family and William's biological parents, Karlie Tyrrell and Brendan Collins, have been ruled out as suspects in the little boy's disappearance.

Karlie said she believes her son, who would turn seven this month, is still alive.

'Where else could he be? He's not in the bush,' she said.

'I feel like whoever has him needs a bullet.'

Both the foster family and William's biological parents, Karlie Tyrrell and Brendan Collins, have been ruled out as suspects in the little boy's disappearance

In October last year, Campaigners for William submitted a petition demanding a coronial inquest be opened into his case.

The petition called for Coroner Michael Barnes to investigate the disappearance of William 'as a matter of urgency'.

Speaking outside the Coroner's Court on Tuesday, Walking for Warriors advocate Carol Walker said 'we want to have the case looked at with fresh eyes'.

'It needs to be looked at from day one, from the day William went missing. The police may have missed something, some important detail,' she told Nine News.

'Someone has to stand up. A missing child is everybody's business if we don't call for a coronial inquiry, who will? Nobody else seems to be wanting it.'Theresa May will go into battle to save her Brexit legislation today as the EU Withdrawal Bill returns to the House of Commons.

Mrs May is seeking to crush amendments made by the House of Lords, which could delay and potentially derail Britains break from the European Union.

The Cabinet will meet early on Tuesday, before the Parliament decides whether or not MPs should be given a vote on the final deal struck with the EU in the autumn, along with 14 other proposed changes.

Meanwhile, Scotlands parliament has refused to give consent to key Brexit legislation and Ireland's prime minister is seeking to delay Brexit altogether.

The week is billed as the toughest in Theresa Mays premiership.

Will she be able to save Brexit?

MailOnline brings you the latest updates here.

To read this in the app, please click hereIreland's premier has raised the prospect of delaying Brexit to allow more time to negotiate the UK's exit deal.

Leo Varadkar said extending the March 29 departure date was among the 'different scenarios' being considered if there is no breakthrough in talks.

Britain has said an EU summit in October is the target for having a deal in place on exit terms and future trade.

But the negotiations have hit deadlock, with both sides seemingly unwilling to give ground over trade terms and the issue of how to keep a soft Irish border.

The EU yesterday dismissed UK proposals for a 'backstop' position to avoid a hard line between Northern Ireland and the Republic if there is no wider deal.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (pictured) said extending the March 29 departure date was an option

Mr Varadkar said while his government was making contingency plans for a hard Brexit, he insisted that preparatory work did not include for the provision of infrastructure on the 310-mile frontier with Northern Ireland.

When the UK formally notified the EU in March 2017 of its intention to leave the union - by triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty - a two-year deadline for its exit was automatically set.

Stressing that a no-deal scenario is still hypothetical, Mr Varadkar told Irish broadcaster TV3,: 'You'll know that there are a number of different scenarios that could arise if we're in a no-deal situation.

'For example, it is possible to extend Article 50, to allow more time for negotiations to take place. There is the possibility of an interim deal, or a transition period, pending an outcome or final negotiations around the transition period.

'But one of our red lines - and this should be no surprise to anyone - is that we cannot countenance a hard border with physical infrastructure, with customs and checks - all of those things - between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

'That would be an abrogation of the Good Friday Agreement, a solemn agreement we made 20 years ago, and a legal agreement that is registered with the United Nations, signed by the United Kingdom Government.'

Theresa May (pictured in the Commons yesterday) is struggling to break the deadlock with the EU over the shape of a Brexit deal

Mr Varadkar also raised the prospect of scheduling an extra EU Council summit at the end of this year if sufficient progress is not made by October's gathering.

He said there could not be a deal at a 'crunch late-night meeting in Brussels' because all EU nations had to sign off a package.

Mr Varadkar said former Irish PM Enda Kenny had suggested an 'extra meeting - perhaps in September or October, or even after that, in November'.

'I think that was a very helpful suggestion that will have to be considered,' he added.

'(It's) too soon to make a decision on that, but we'll have to consider it in the months ahead.'This is the shocking image of more than 130 wedge-tailed eagles illegally poisoned in a mass-cull on farmland.

The environment department said on Tuesday that 136 of the dead eagles were found hidden throughout property in bushland and scrub in Tubbut in far eastern Victoria.

Charges are yet to be laid, but a person is helping investigators with their inquiries.

More than 130 wedge tailed eagles illegally poisoned in shocking cull on a farm (pictured)

Wedge-tailed eagles are protected under the Wildlife Act 1975 and deliberately killing them carries maximum penalties of $7,928.50, and/or up to six months' jail, and an extra penalty of $792.85 for each bird destroyed.

The dead birds were found by officers from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP).

A Department of Environment Land Water and Planning (DELWP) spokesman told Daily Mail Australia that DELWP Officers were investigating the death of a number of Wedge-tailed Eagles and a further four protected species birds on farmland in east Gippsland.

'DELWP is taking this matter very seriously.'



The wedge-tailed eagle is Australia's largest raptor standing at one metre in height and with a wingspan that can reach up to 2.8m.

The dead birds were found by environment officers from the DELWP in Tubbut (pictured)

They were found throughout bushland and scrub in Victoria's east Gippsland region (file image)

They prey on a range of animals including rabbits, mammals, lizards, possums, foxes and feral cats.

Wedge-tailed eagles Wedge-tailed eagle in Tasmania (pictured) Australia's largest raptor standing at one metre in height

Wingspan that can reach up to 2.8m

Prey on a range of animals including rabbits, mammals, lizards, possums, foxes and feral cats

Known to kill their prey instantly

The Wedge-tailed Eagle is found all around Australia and New Guinea Source: DELWP Advertisement

The birds are known to kill their prey instantly through a fast swooping motion, according to a fact sheet by DELWP.

Wildlife carer Rose Best told Daily Mail Australia: 'I don't understand. Australia doesn't have a lot of eagles. Why poison them?' Ms Best said.

The wildlife carer based in Pilbara in Western Australia said she was shocked by the mass bird killing.

'It's tragic. That's massive. That's deliberate,' she said.

Ms Best said she'd refer to it as a 'localised extinction' due to the sheer number of eagles killed.

She said the impact of more than 100 wedge-tailed eagles being poisoned is huge on the ecosystem because they're one of Australia's largest predators.

'The biggest thing is that it throws the environment out of balance just like we've seen with the cane toads.

'It disturbs the balance of nature because they're one of the biggest predators.'

A local community newspaper by Tubbut Neighbourhood House with a wedge-tailed eagle on its front cover (pictured)

More than 100 carcasses were found in Tubbut (pictured) in far eastern Victoria

When asked whether anyone would have a motive to deliberately kill the protected species, Ms Best said she's not familiar with the East Gippsland environment but she said that sheep farmers don't tend to like wedge-tail eagles because they often prey on their lambs.

Yet she said the eagles more commonly prey on animals like rabbits and foxes.

Ms Best was lost for words and questioned the humanity of the culprit.

'When we lose our ability to care, we lose our humanity and when one intentionally kills and poison animals like that - you need to question that person's humanity,' she said.

Ms Best said wedge-tailed eagles are a protected species and hopes the person responsible is prosecuted.

(File image) A Department of Environment Land Water and Planning (DELWP) spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia 'DELWP Officers are investigating the death of a number of Wedge-tailed Eagles on farmland in east Gippsland'

The dead wedge-tailed eagles were found by officers from the DELWP in Tubbut (pictured)

A farmer in the area is believed to have tipped off a former DELWP employee about the carcasses which were found on farmland in Tubbut.

This is not the first time that the wedge-tailed eagles have been targeted in the area.

East Gippsland wildlife carer Rena Gaborov told the ABC that people have purposefully placed toothed animal trips to hurt the birds in the past.

DELWP is calling on the community to contact Crimestoppers if they have any information to report on 1800 333 000.Shocking footage shows the moment a police officer ran onto a busy highway to rescue a toddler who got away from his mother.

The Dashcam footage shows Sgt. Anthony Mannino patrolling the busy Route 59 in Naperville, just outside of Chicago, Illinois.

Seeing the toddler running up the road as heavy traffic whizzes past him, Mannino can be heard saying in his radio: 'Thirty-one, trying to corral a 1-year-old boy running across 59 just north of North Aurora.'

As the squad car comes to a stop, Mannino is heard shouting at the child darting along the road next to a truck.

The Dashcam footage, which was posted on social media by the police department, shows Sgt. Anthony Mannino patrolling the busy Route 59 in Naperville in Chicago, Illinois

The police sergeant is then seen sprinting towards the little boy to calm him down before asking him his name and reassuring him that he's alright.

He then scoops the child into his arms and returns to the police car.

It is not known how the child became separated from his mother but he has been returned unharmed.

The department congratulated the hero sergeant on social media with the caption 'Well done sergeant.'

They also wrote: 'Luckily, no one was hurt, and we attribute that to Sgt. Mannino's observation while on patrol and quick reaction, placing his squad car and himself between the child and traffic,'A high school assistant had sex with teachers and students and punished them if they complained, according to a shocking lawsuit.

John Binet, 40, allegedly slept with at least four members of the faculty and created a 'sexually charged atmosphere for the female teachers and students' at Hillcrest High School in Queens, New York.

Binet, who earned $113,771 a year, also slept with 'at least one' student, according to the $2 million lawsuit filed on Sunday.

John Binet, 40, was appointed assistant principal at Hillcrest High School in Queens, New York (pictured) in February 2014

The teacher allegedly sustained his arrangement by tormenting female subordinates who complained about him, and punishing them when they sought assistance from union representatives.

Binet was named assistant principal and brought in to lead the school's English department in February 2014 after his long-term friend, David Morrison, was promoted to principal.

But over time he was said to have cultivated a 'sexually charged atmosphere' where he engaged in public displays of affection, including kissing and touching female staff members in classrooms and hallways during school hours - according to the suit.

Two teachers who worked under him, Caroline Shin, 37, and Eleni Giannousis, 34, allege in their suit that Binet's behavior included stalking them and spreading lies to tarnish their professional reputation at the establishment.

After Shin told Binet and Morrison she would be out for approximately a week because of a miscarriage in September 2014, Binet repeatedly texted her for three days demanding lesson plans, she alleges in the suit.

About one month later, Binet called Shin into a meeting and said: 'No one in the school likes you,' and told her she was 'difficult to work with' and had a 'bad reputation at school'.

On several occasions Binet also stood 'around six inches' from Giannousis and peered over her shoulder 'making her very uncomfortable'.

The case also asserts that principal David Morrison  who was investigated for improperly passing students in fake classes in 2016  knew about Binet's behavior but did nothing to stop it because they were friends.

'Everyone deserves to work in an environment where they are treated fairly, despite their race and gender,' Shin told the New York Post.

'Educators and administrators need to practice the kindness and respect we try to instill in our students. I cannot be silent about this anymore.'Stuart Alston, 31, lied about his background as a PE teacher to find employment at Harwich and Dovercourt High School in Essex in 2016

A PE teacher who had a sexual relationship with a young school apprentice has been banned from the profession for life.

Stuart Alston, 31, engaged in a sexual relationship with the girl while teaching at Harwich and Dovercourt High School in Essex, in 2016.

When confronted by staff members, Alston, from Sudbury, Sussex, lied to his colleagues, denying any involvement with the apprentice.

But a professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency held on May 18 found Alston a serial abuser of his position.

In an agreed statement of facts, Alston admitted to the sexual activity with the apprentice, and to exaggerating his qualifications in order to get the job - telling the Essex school he had been a PE teacher previously, when actually he had been support staff.

The panel also heard he had engaged in inappropriate activity with a number of pupils at his previous role at Sudbury Upper School in 2011.

Alston confessed to sexual contact with a pupil at Sudbury, a romantic relationship with a separate former pupil, and to kissing one other ex student of his.

And, in his application for St Paul's Academy in London - his most recent job before Harwich and Dovercourt - he failed to declare he had been subject to a child protection concern.

The hearing outcome, published June 7, went on to state that Alston had 'repeatedly abused' his position of trust in pursuing the relationships with young pupils and former pupils.

Alston, from Sudbury in Suffolk, was found to have exaggerated his experience in his job application, telling the Essex school (pictured) he had been a PE teacher in the past when in actual fact he'd been a teaching assistant

Alston, who did not attend the hearing but did agree a statement of facts beforehand, was banned from teaching for life for unacceptable professional conduct and bringing the profession into disrepute.

The report concluded: 'Having found the facts of the allegations proven, we [the panel] find Mr Alston's conduct amounts to both unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute.

'Mr Alston fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession. The panel found the teacher's actions to be calculated and motivated.'

Therefore: 'Stuart Alston is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England.'Tributes are flowing for the 15-year-old girl who died after drinking a cocktail made from alcohol and energy drinks where she is being remembered as a 'free-spirited' young woman.

Paris Kamper was found unconscious at a semi-rural property in Kenthurst, in Sydney's north-west, on Friday night.

Police seized items from the family home, including a bottle of alcohol and energy drinks, after it was discovered the teenager had used an online recipe.

Paris Kamper (pictured) died after drinking a cocktail made from alcohol and energy drinks where she is being remembered as a 'free-spirited' young woman

A 15-year-old girl (right) was found unconscious at a semi-rural property in Kenthurst, in Sydney's north-west, on Friday night

Police seized items from the family home, including a bottle of alcohol and energy drinks, after it was discovered the teenager (right) had used an online recipe

Devastated loved ones described the 15-year-old as an 'incredibly talented' and 'amazing' young horse rider with 'a heart of gold'.

'She was gorgeous but even more beautiful on the inside ... she had a heart of gold and would constantly offer help to me if I needed it!,' one person shared online.

'We love you forever,' another loved one wrote in a touching tribute to the girl.

The teenager had a blood-alcohol level of 0.4 when she arrived to hospital - a reading which is eight times the legal driving limit.

Police said it is believed the teenager was drinking alone at her home at the time.

'This child was not a user of alcohol, she wasn't known to have a drinking issue,' Superintendent Rob Critchlow said.

'I cannot state how pointless and tragic and sad and avoidable the death of a 15-year-old child, drinking alcohol on their own, is in a place that should be a place of safety.

'The information we have is that she was quite a character, quite a free-spirited young girl, who was well respected and well liked.

'She was deeply engaged in her animals, she had chickens and horses and other livestock on her semi rural property.'

Devastated loved ones described the 15-year-old as an 'incredibly talented' and 'amazing' young horse rider with 'a heart of gold' who was 'deeply engaged in her animals'

'She was gorgeous but even more beautiful on the inside ... she had a heart of gold and would constantly offer help to me if I needed it!,' one person shared online

The girl's older sister marked the devastating event by changing her profile picture and cover photo.

'My angel,' the caption under one of the pictures read, while the other one - a picture of the sisters - was simply labelled: 'Snow Bunny'.

The girl was taken to The Children's Hospital at Westmead, in the city's western suburbs, but she died on Monday.

The teenager was one of five children.

'Send the strongest warrior angels to look after your beautiful sisters,' one friend wrote.

'Send the fierce one to stand strong for your brothers.'

The girl (pictured) has also been remembered for her love of horses and was 'the best rider of her age' according to friends

The teenager had a blood-alcohol level of 0.4 when she arrived to hospital - a reading which is eight times the legal driving limit

The girl has also been remembered for her love of horses and was 'the best rider of her age' according to friends.

Police claimed the young teenager had little experience with alcohol after they seized energy drinks containing high levels of caffeine before paramedics rushed to her family home at 9.30pm last Friday.

Superintendent Critchlow, from her local Hills Police Area Command, also said combining alcohol with popular energy drinks containing the guarana stimulant was a toxic brew.

'This investigation is in its infancy but early inquiries indicate this girl sourced an alcoholic drink recipe from an online site, then put that information to the test,' he said.

She was taken to The Children's Hospital at Westmead (pictured), in the city's western suburbs, where she died the next day on the Queen's Birthday public holiday

'The consequences have been tragic.'

Supt Critchlow said underage drinking was potentially fatal.

'We cannot emphasise more strongly the risk of underage and - more importantly - uninformed alcohol consumption,' he said.

'We have a family devastated by the death of their beloved daughter; they have a lot of questions.'

With police investigating the cause of the tragedy, he had a simple message.

'We will endeavour to find answers, but our message has to be: do not risk your health experimenting with high-risk information sourced online,' he said.

A post-mortem examination is due to be done this week.Phillip Lee compared Brexit to the death penalty today after betraying Theresa May by dramatically quitting the government.

Dr Lee was applauded by Remainers as he said politicians had a duty to defy public opinion over issues that harmed society - such as when parliament banned capital punishment.

The intervention in the Commons came after Dr Lee resigned as justice minister saying he could not 'look his children in the eye' and support the way Brexit is 'currently being delivered'.

He also insisted he wanted to 'speak up for his constituents' - even though Eurosceptics pointed out his Bracknell seat voted 53 per cent to Leave in the referendum and the local party chair criticised his move.

After a Government concession meant Mrs May avoided defeat on a crucial amendment, Mr Lee tonight said his resignation was justified - even though he never voted against the PM's orders.

The resignation, announced live on stage during a speech in London, heaped pressure on Mrs May just hours before a series of knife-edge votes on the EU Withdrawal Bill.

It will have been a particularly stinging betrayal as Dr Lee is one of the premier's few close friends in politics, and she is said to have attended his wedding.

Dr Lee turned the screw by speaking in the Commons debate this afternoon, saying he was 'devastated' to have to quit, but adding: 'I believe that there is growing evidence which shows that the Brexit policy our Government is currently pursuing to deliver on the 2016 referendum is detrimental to the people we were elected to serve.'

Phillip Lee was applauded by Remainers in the Commons (pictured) as he said politicians had a duty to protect the public from doing things that harmed society - such as when parliament banned capital punishment

The intervention in the Commons came after Dr Lee resigned as justice minister

The betrayal will have been a particularly stinging betrayal as Dr Lee is one of Mrs May's few close friends in politics, and she is said to have attended his wedding. They are pictured together in 2012

Dr Lee dramatically announced his decision as the Brexit negotiations reach a critical point

Theresa May (pictured in Downing Street today) is struggling to overturn a slew of amendments passed by peers to the EU Withdrawal Bill

Dr Lee added: 'Sometimes when a majority of people want something that is against the good of society, government and parliament have a responsibility to protect us.

'This was the case for the death penalty, where for decades politicians went against the majority view and refused to restore it.

'Now I believe it has got to be the case for the Brexit process.'

Tory former minister Anna Soubry intervened in the speech to congratulate him, and fellow Conservative Sarah Wollaston said it was a 'courageous decision'.

The resignation is a massive blow for Mrs May, who this morning gathered her Cabinet in No10 ahead of the Commons showdown.

Conservative rebels, Labour, the SNP and the Lib Dems hailed the departure as a 'principled' stand.

But Downing Street tried to play down the impact, saying: 'His resignation is a matter for him and we thank him for his service.'

Dr Lee urged fellow Tory MPs to back a push for a 'meaningful' vote on any final Brexit deal in the Commons - and said there should be a second referendum.

He said: 'If, in the future, I am to look my children in the eye and honestly say that I did my best for them I cannot, in all good conscience, support how our country's exit from the EU looks set to be delivered.'

What has Dr Phillip Lee said on Brexit previously? Phillip Lee dramatically quit as justice minister to speak out against the Government's plans for Brexit. Here is what he has said about Britain's withdrawal form the EU previously: June 2016: Dr Phillip Lee, who voted Remain in the referendum, warns of' challenging times ahead' after Leave wins the vote. October 2017: He warns that young voters find the looming departure as 'toxic' as Donald trump's proposed wall with Mexico. He said: 'It's about the virtual signalling of essentially being closed off to the world, because for most young people the world is just 'Amazon', it's just 'there', and it seems retrograde to being seen to be putting up barriers. It's like Trump's wall. 'So, single market access or not, I don't think is what young people are talking about. I think what this is about is closing off, turning away from Europe, and also having controls on migration.' 31 January 2018: Breaks ranks with his Government colleagues to warn that their Brexit strategy should be driven by 'evidence not dogma' in a series of Twitter posts. He was responding to an article which said that leaked Government analysis shows that Britain will be worse off outside the EU under every scenario modelled. He wrote on Twitter: 'But if these figures turn out to be anywhere near right, there would be a serious question over whether a government could legitimately lead a country along a path that the evidence and rational consideration indicate would be damaging.' He added: 'Its time for evidence, not dogma, to show the way. We must act for our countrys best interests, not ideology & populism, or history will judge us harshly. Our country deserves no less.' He was given a ticking off by Tory whip Julian Smith and 'reminded it is better to express such views in private in future'. Advertisement

Brexiteers complained that Dr Lee was actually defying his own constituents - and the chair of his local party suggested he might face the risk of deselection.

Delivering his bombshell at a Bright Blue event in London today, Dr Lee said: 'I believe that the evidence now shows that the Brexit policy our government is currently pursuing, on the basis of the 2016 referendum, is detrimental to the people we are elected to serve.

'Certainly it now seem inevitable that the people economy and culture of my own constituency will be affected negatively.

'And I cannot ignore that it is to them that I owe my first responsibility as a member of Parliament.'

Dr Lee - who had reportedly not even told his wife what he was planning to do - also called for another national ballot on Brexit.

'When the Government is able to set out an achievable, clearly defined path - one that has been properly considered, whose implications have been foreseen, and that is rooted in reality and evidence, not dreams and dogma - it should go to the people, once again, to seek their confirmation,' he said.

Chris Boutle, chair of the Bracknell Conservative Association, said Dr Lee's move would 'count against him' if an election was called.

'The constituency voted for Leave and although there are a few very enthusiastic Remainers, the majority of his party certainly wants to leave,' he told the Telegraph.

'A number of those who voted for remain are now prepared to accept the democratic decision and leave.'

Tory backbencher Simon Clarke told MailOnline: 'MPs gave the British people the right to make this decision and they voted to leave the EU - including Philip Lee's own constituents in Bracknell by some 53 per cent.

'In my experience, whether people voted to leave or remain, they want us to get on with the job of delivering Brexit and are much more interested in our future after Brexit than they are in trying to refight the referendum or overturn the result.'

Senior Tory Nigel Evans added: 'Bracknell folk voted out by a greater margin than the UK - we all stood on a manifesto only a year ago to deliver brexit and that is what the people now expect.

'We must not weaken the PMs hands in her discussions with Brussels so I hope Philip backs Theresa in the lobbies over the next two days despite any personal reservations he may hold.'

In fresh signs of Tory infighting, former minister Nick Boles took a swipe at David Davis for his threats to resign over the Brexit 'backstop' last week.

Mr Boles insisted he did not agree with Dr Lee on holding a referendum, but admired his 'honesty and integrity'.

'So much classier to resign on principle when nobody is expecting it, than to threaten resignation but never follow through,' he said.

Meanwhile, resident in Dr Lee's constituency of Bracknell, Berkshire residents reacted with fury to his decision to quit.

Martin Lewis, aged 32 years, said: 'I can't understand why he's stepped down. He's there to represent the British people - who voted to leave the EU.'

The charity shop volunteer added: 'We can't trust politicians anymore, they just aren't looking out for normal people.

'I voted for Brexit because this country has lost its identity but the people in Parliament are trying to stop it from happening,' he said.

Derek Ferguson, aged 51 years, said that he thought that the timing of his MPs resignation was damaging for the public.

The former publican said: 'I'm not racist but we need to look out for our own country. The NHS is falling apart and we need to take back control of our own laws.'

However not everyone in Bracknell was as outraged over Dr Lee's resignation as Brexit voters.

The Prime Minister's has spent the day trying to save her flagship Brexit legislation after the Lords imposed a slew of amendments.

The threat of catastrophic defeat for Mrs May seemed to have receded after Tory rebels agreed to put off a showdown over whether Britain should stay in a customs union with the EU.

But ministers had to make more concessions over demands for parliament to be given a so-called 'meaningful vote' on any final Brexit deal.

The Lords had insisted that Parliament be put in charge of negotiations if MPs did not accept the terms sealed with the EU, effectively undermining Mrs May's position.

Phillip Lee announced his resignation live on stage at a think-tank event in London today (pictured) with Theresa May facing a series of knife-edge votes on the EU Withdrawal Bill later

The resignation came as ministers including Boris Johnson (left) and David Davis gathered for a Cabinet meeting in Downing Street

Tory Remainers including Antoinette Sandbach hailed the decision by Dr Lee to resign in protest at the government's Brexit policy

Downing Street insisted this morning that it would not accept a compromise tabled by former Cabinet minister Dominic Grieve, which would force the government to come up with a new strategy in the event of the Brexit deal being rejected, and put that to MPs again for approval.

But this evening solicitor General Robert Buckland promised rebel ringleader Dominic Grieve his plans to effectively rule out a no deal Brexit would be the basis of talks as soon as tomorrow - but only if he called off a revolt in the Commons tonight.

What are the 15 Brexit wrecking amendments passed by peers Here are the 15 Brexit Bill defeats inflicted by peers: Forces minsters to try to seek a customs union with the EU Keeps EU law relating to employment, consumer and environmental protections Keeps the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights Removes right of ministers to challenge EU law kept by the UK Allows Britons to bring legal cases when their rights, enshrined in EU law, are flouted Limits the scope of the Government's so-called Henry VII powers Gives Parliament a meaningful vote at the end of talks Gives parliament a veto on the Government's negotiating position Ministers must report on what they are doing to ensure refugee families reunited within Europe Ministers must abide by 1998 Good Friday Agreement Reaffirms that the UK can keep EU laws and stay in EU agencies Gives parliament a veto on the exit day Ministers must try to keep the UK in the EEA and therefore the EU single market Extends how EU laws will be trawled through by Parliament Enshrines EU environmental protections Advertisement

Mr Buckland appeared to concede to Mr Grieve's central demand for a Commons vote either if the Government decides to walk away from talks without a deal, or if there is no deal by November 30.

The concession will not be finalised until the legislation returns to the House of Lords in the coming days or weeks.

But the offer appeared to have been enough as rebels signalled they were prepared to back down for now.

Passing the amendment would have meant a major shift away from the UK's existing constitutional settlement - which gives the executive powers to negotiate treaties.

Dr Lee was was slapped down by Downing Street in January after breaking ranks to express concern about the economic impact of Brexit on the UK.

The comments came after a leaked government document suggested Britain would be worse off under every Brexit scenario.

Dr Lee said 'evidence, not dogma' should dictate the Government's approach to Brexit.

But No10 said Dr Lee had been spoken to by chief whip Julian Smith and 'reminded it is better to express such views in private in future'.

David Davis this morning stepped up warnings that Britain's negotiating leverage would be seriously damaged if key amendments were not overturned.

Last night Mrs May delivered a direct warning to backbench Tory MPs that any defeats would encourage Brussels to turn the screw.

Former education secretary Nicky Morgan, a leading Remainer, indicated she would support Mrs May in tomorrow's vote on an amendment designed to keep Britain in a customs union with the EU.

Mrs Morgan said she would back a compromise plan  with the words 'customs union' being replaced with 'customs arrangements'  adding that it would help 'buy time' for the Prime Minister ahead of a crunch Brussels summit at the end of this month.

The fudge was put together by another former minister, Oliver Letwin. Asked whether the deal was 'kicking the can down the road, Mr Letwin said: 'That is a very sensible thing to do.'

The big moments will come this afternoon  when MPs debate calls for Parliament to be given a so-called meaningful vote on the final Brexit deal  and tomorrow, when they debate the customs union.

In fresh signs of Tory infighting, former minister Nick Boles took a swipe at David Davis for his threats to resign over the Brexit 'backstop' last week

Chief Whip Julian Smith has been scrambling to put the numbers together to overturn Lords amendments to the Brexit Bill

Dr Lee said he was 'incredibly sad' but was stepping down to voice his opinions on 'how Brexit is currently being delivered'A drunken Russian mobile phone tycoon once worth 1.2 billion punched an Uber driver's bonnet during an evening out with friends in Soho, a court heard yesterday.

Evgeny Chichvarkin, 43, who sold retail chain Yevroset for approximately 280m in September 2008 denies punching the white BMW, which he had booked, and will stand trial on August 17.

He lives in exile at a 6.6m apartment in West Brompton and in August, 2012 he launched new venture, the award-winning Hedonism Wines in Davies Street, Mayfair.

Evgeny Chichvarkin, 43, who sold retail chain Yevroset for approximately 280m in September 2008 denies punching the white BMW, which he had booked, and will stand trial

Chichvarkin pleaded not guilty at Westminster Magistrates Court to causing criminal damage to the three-litre vehicle, belonging to Lefter Petronel-Sebastian in Rupert Street on December 9 last year.

Prosecutor Jonathan Bryan said: 'The complainant is an Uber driver booked to take the defendant. The defendant didn't arrive on time so the Uber driver drove off and stopped at the lights.

'The defendant tried to stop him and when he was told the booking had been cancelled in anger and frustration he bangs his fist down on the bonnet causing the dent.

'Two police officers did not see the incident, but one of them says he did hear a bang. The officers give evidence that he is drunk at the time.

'The complainant can say there is a dent there that was not there before.'

There are no pictures of the alleged damage and Chichvarkin can be heard on the officers' body-worn cameras asking: 'Where is the damage? I haven't damaged the vehicle. Where's the damage?'

He was arrested that evening and held in police custody overnight and questioned by police the next day.

Chichvarkin's lawyer told the court his client runs businesses and 'invests heavily' in the UK and a criminal conviction would be 'very damaging.'

He was bailed to stand trial at City of London Magistrates Court.

Chichvarkin is the founder of Russia's largest mobile phone retailer Yevroset and at one time was the richest man under 35 in his country.

He was the winner of Ernst & Young's 'Entrepreneur of the Year 2005 and also received Russian awards including the 'Order of Glory of Russia' and 'Order of glory of the Fatherland.'

Chichvarkin has lived in exile in London for the past decade, campaigning against Russian corruption and Vladimir Putin as a member of the Right Cause political party.President Trump said on Tuesday that Kim Jong-un had already agreed to dismantle another nuclear test site as he pledged that denuclearisation would go ahead 'very quickly'.

The President said the pair had struck an unofficial understanding that the North Korean leader would dismantle a second testing site after the official signing had taken place at the Singapore summit on Tuesday.

'North Korea is already destroying a major missile engine testing site,' the President told the assembled world's media.

'I got that after we signed the agreement,' Mr. Trump said of the concession.

Kim Jong Un and President Trump shake hands prior to their meeting on Sentosa Island in Singapore on Tuesday

The President holds up a signed agreement between himself and the North Korean leader after the ceremony

'I said, "Do me a favor; we've got this missile-engine testing site. We know where it is because of the heat." It's incredible the equipment we have, to be honest with you.'

After the landmark summit with Kim, the President said North Korea would be progressing with the denuclearisation process 'very quickly' but warned that it might take 'a very long time'.

'We're starting that process very quickly. Very, very quickly. Absolutely,' he said.

'Scientifically, denuclearisation takes a very long time.'

Trump did not give a location for the testing site, but reaffirmed his faith in the North Korean leader, adding: 'I think he's going to do these things.'

But experts have warned that the process of denuclearisation will need to be stringently policed by the US.

'They're not going to eliminate everything, and there're some things that aren't a problem. Some of the risks are manageable,' federal adviser Siegfried S. Hecker said in an interview last month.

Kim Jong-un inspects the deal he co-signed with President Trump at the Singapore summit

The President told the world's media that he and Kim had agreed to the demolition of another test site in North Korea after the official signing

Hecker, who has visited the North Korean sites on a number of occasions, warned that the full-disarmament programme could take up to 15 years.

'We're talking about dozens of sites, hundreds of buildings, and thousands of people,' he added.

Hecker also said the key to assuring full-denuclearisation would go ahead as planned would be to compensate the North for the loss of its nuclear capabilities.

'The key is to establish a different relationship with North Korea where its security rests on something other than nuclear weapons,' Hecker said.

Kim Jong-un has already staged a very public demolition of one of his nuclear test sites, the Punggye-ri test facility, in front of the world's press on May 25.

But other security experts warned that the demonstration may have been nothing more than a red herring.

A photo taken on May 24, 2018 shows the entrance to a nuclear test tunnel at North Korea's Punggye-ri test facility prior to its demolition

Blown up: This satellite image from yesterday shows the Punggye-ri test site in North Korea, which has now reportedly been demolished

The second tunnel and an observatory of Punggye-ri nuclear test ground is blown up during the dismantlement process in Punggye-ri

Preliminary analysis of seismic sensors in the region suggest the blasts were not strong enough to collapse the underground tunnels intended for demolition, a US official told CNN.

Journalists were placed only around 500 meters away from the explosions - another sign, according to experts, that they were not that strong.

A third piece of evidence was the big plume of dust seen in footage of the explosions. It has been suggested that shows the blast was surface level rather than deep in the ground.

CNN also reported that imagery shows technical equipment was removed from the tunnel complex prior to the detonations - raising the possibility it could be used elsewhere or return at a later date.

The President said on Tuesday that US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and North Korean officials will hold follow-up negotiations 'at the earliest possible date' after the Singapore summit.

For now, it remains unclear what how long the denuclearisation programme will take to complete and how it will be carried out.Advertisement

George Martin's AIR recording studio on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, a prolific space for churning out albums by music royalty of the 1980s, is rotting in the shadows of a volatile volcano.

The active crater has 'wreaked havoc' on the island that was hit by Hurricane Hugo in 1989 leaving the building caked in ash and dried mud.

A swimming pool, where Beatles' producer Martin would lounge in the sun, is now filled with murky rainwater.

An active volcano has 'wreaked havoc' on Montserrat island for decades leaving AIR Studio rotting in the shadows

Bits of old recording equipment lie abandoned in the recording space that was once used by pop stars such as Sting, Phil Collins and Michael Jackson

A winding staircase leads through the back of AIR Studio where vegetation climbs the crumbling walls that have suffered from years of neglect and destructive weather

A path leading up to the studio is covered by iron gates with the lettering 'AIR STUDIO' cut into them sitting slightly ajar

Beatles' producer George Martin, pictured in leisurely clothing, enjoys a recording session at AIR Studio in Montserrat

You cant tell by looking at it now, but the grimy complex was once a hot spot for the musical greats of the 1980s.

Famous English record producer Martin, dubbed the 'fifth Beatle' after the band he discovered and recorded until they disbanded, opened AIR Montserrat in 1979.

It was a branch of Associated Independent Recording (AIR), the company he co-founded ten years earlier.

The studio cranked a total of 76 albums including three by Elton John, Dire Straits' 'Brothers in Arms'.

Memorable chart singles to emerge from AIR Montserrat include The Police with 'Every Step You Take' and island hero Arrow who found success with Afro-Latin track 'Hot, Hot, Hot'.

It also hosted Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Black Sabbath, Lou Reed, Eric Clapton and Duran Duran.

The Rolling Stones recorded comeback album 'Steel Wheels' in 1989, thought to be the final record made there.

A category four hurricane swept over Montserrat in 1989 rendering the once glittering recording studio defunct

The studio is now in an advanced state of dereliction and is engulfed by tropical overgrowth of the exotic island

AIR Studio produced famed hits of a bygone era including The Police with 'Every Step You Take' and Arrow's 'Hot, Hot, Hot'

An aerial shot of AIR Montserrat which hosted a range of 80s best-loved musicians including Black Sabbath and Duran Duran

Just a decade after the state-of-the-art studio opened, boasting some of the most advanced recording technology equipment in its hay day, its life came to an abrupt end.

Category four Hurricane Hugo swept across Montserrat in 1989 devastating much of the island and forced the studio to shutter after it tore the roof off.

Then, only six years later, the Soufriere Hills volcano erupted, bombarding the land with lava flows and thick layers of ash.

George Martin (second from right) seen here in 1964 with The Beatles (from left) Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon, who he discovered and recorded until they disbanded

Jimmy Buffetts album 'Volcano' was named for the then-dormant volcano.

Ongoing volcanic eruptions have made nearly half of the island uninhabitable.

The decaying ruins of the studio are too fragile to safely walk within, bearing little resemblance to its original grandeur.

AIR Studio is fenced-off and aggressively marked with no-trespassing signs on the paths leading up to the building

The studio cranked a total of 76 albums including three by Elton John, Dire Straits' 'Brothers in Arms'

Hurricane Hugo destroyed most of the structure when it hit and tore the roof off the ultimate get-away recording spaceAdvertisement

Hungary's anti-immigrant Prime Minister Viktor Orban has praised the decision of the new Italian government to reject a rescue vessel carrying 629 migrants from docking at an Italian port.

The Aquarius, which has more than 130 children and seven pregnant women on board, has been stuck off the coast of Sicily since Saturday, after both Italy and Malta denied them access to their ports.

Orban said his initial reaction to the news was a sigh of 'Finally!', calling Italy's decision to turn away the Aquarius a 'great moment which may truly bring changes in Europe's migration policies.'

Yesterday, Spain offered a safe harbour in Valencia, but the Aquarius has not yet begun the four-day sail there, and the charities on the ship has slammed Italy for putting the health of the migrants at risk by not letting them dock.

Scroll down for video

Heading over: Charity workers appear to show a map to some of the 629 migrants on the Aquarius, which still has not begun its journey towards Valencia in Spain where it has been offered a safe port

Tension on board: Charity workers speak to some of the migrants aboard the Aquarius, where tension has reportedly been running high after the migrants found out that they have not been moving for three days

Praise and critique: Hungary's anti-immigrant Prime Minister Viktor Orban calling Italy's decision to turn away the Aquarius a 'great moment', while French President Emmanuel Macron slammed it as cynical and irresponsible

Italy's move has also been criticised by French President Emmanuel Macron, who branded it cynical and irresponsible to turn away the migrants.

Government spokesman Benjamin Grivaux reported Macron's comments today, saying the President had welcomed Spain's humanitarian gesture and said: 'If any ship was closer to France's shores, it could obviously dock on the French coast'.

More than 16 hours after Spain made its offer, the Aquarius, operated by charities SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders, has not yet set off towards Valencia, and tensions are reportedly high among the passengers.

Charity workers on the Aquarius said the rescued migrants were becoming 'increasingly anxious and desperate', after being told they are still not moving, three days after being rescued.

SOS Mediterranee said Tuesday that some of the some passengers are now being transferred onto Italian navy ships 'for security reasons' because of deteriorating weather conditions on the voyage to Valencia.

The Aquarius has been stuck off the coast of Sicily since Saturday, after both Italy and Malta denied them access to their ports

Waiting game: One day after Spain offered to let the ship dock in Valencia, the Aquarius, which has 629 migrants on board, is still drifting at sea close to Malta, awaiting instructions over how to proceed

Discussion: This photo posted by SOS Mediterranee on it's Twitter account, shows stranded migrants aboard Aquarius

Adrift: The Aquarius was left 'on standby' between the Italian island of Sicily and Malta, in the Mediterranean Sea, before being allowed to dock in Valencia, Spain, but has yet to begin the journey

A spokesperson for the charity said an approaching storm would bring with it waves of over 2 metres (6.5 ft) making any trip to Spain highly uncomfortable.

The local government in Valencia had said the Red Cross is preparing to provide shelter and medical assistance upon arrival, with other Spanish regions and cities offering to provide longer term support.

Doctors Without Borders, which has medical staff on the Aquarius, has slammed the Italian government for forcing the migrants to embark on a four-day journey to Spain, rather than letting them disembark immediately in Italy.

After calling for 'people's safety to come before politics,' they said the migrants are too 'exhausted and stressed' for another four days at sea to go to Spain.

Lunchtime: Stranded migrants receive help from SOS Mediterranee and MSF (Doctors Without Borders) NGOs

Help: A Maltese maritime officer, right, distributing packs of mineral water to a crew member of the Aquarius ship, in the Mediterranean Sea

The aid group said it is particularly concerned about the condition of patients who had to be resuscitated after rescue, saying they could develop 'significant pulmonary issues after swallowing sea water.'

Doctors without Borders said that to continue the sea journey to Valencia, Spain 'would mean already exhausted people rescued at sea would have to endure four more days exposed to the elements on the deck, in an overcrowded boat well over maximum capacity.'

It added: 'The better option would be to disembark the rescued people in the nearest port after which they can be transferred to Spain or other safe countries for further care and legal processing.'

The Aquarius rescued hundreds of migrants, including 134 children and seven pregnant women, trying to cross the Mediterranean from Libya on Saturday, in a mission coordinated by Italy's coast guard - meaning the charities relied on them to find a safe port to dock in.

Stuck at sea: Some of the 629 migrants rescued on Saturday are seen on the Aquarius, a ship run by SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders in the Mediterranean

Another of the multiple rescue operations which were carried out on Saturday shows dozens of migrants crammed onto a boat being transferred onto a smaller rescue vessel for transportation to the Aquarius

People hold life jackets as they protest during an anti-racist demonstration against the decision of Italian Interior Minister, Matteo Salvini, to close the Italian ports to the NGO ship with 629 migrants on board on June 11, 2018 in Rome, Italy

But Italy's new, far-right interior minister, Matteo Salvini, looking to make good on election campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration, closed Italy's ports to the Aquarius.

He argued that Malta, which is closer to Libya, should take on the migrants, but the Maltese government refused, saying that they had no legal responsibility for the people onboard, causing a two-day deadlock.

After both the UN and the EU put pressure on the two nations to solve the situation, Italy appealed for a fellow EU country to receive the asylum-seekers, to which Spain responded and offered a safe port in Valencia.

The standoff came ahead of a European Union summit later this month which is due to consider changes to asylum law to better share the burden of incoming migrants.

More than 1.8 million have entered Europe since 2014, with more than 600,000 arriving in Italy alone.Advertisement

Some of the world's first police mugshots have been revealed showing criminals caught more than 150 years ago, including the earliest joyrider jailed for stealing a horse and cart.

The fascinating custody shots were unearthed in the West Midlands Police archives, and tell the stories of crooks from years gone by.

They were taken at the Moor Street public office in Birmingham between the 1850s and 1870s, and were accompanied with hand-scrawled notes about their crimes.

The process of taking mugshots was first utilised by Belgian officers in 1843, following photography's inception in 1800 by British inventor Thomas Wedgwood. In the UK, the first crook was snapped by Birmingham police in 1853.

One of the earliest recorded joyriders, John Dale, was jailed in July 1862 after being convicted of stealing horse-drawn wagons in the city.

William Smith was one of Britain's earliest murderers who posed for a mugshot after he was charged with killing his wife in August 1866. His charge sheet simply read: 'Murder of wife in Hurst Street'.

William Smith (shown left) was one of Britain's earliest murderers who posed for a mugshot after he was charged with killing his wife in August 1866. His charge sheet simply read: 'Murder of wife in Hurst Street', while he sat with an emotionless expression for his custody snap. Pictured right is another mugshot of an unknown person from between 1850 to 1870

Ann Vickers (who is pictured left) was charged with stealing a pocket watch in 1862, making her one of the first people to ever be photographed by police. Shown right is the mugshot of a young woman, however nothing is known about her name or the crime she committed

Female crook Sarah Ann Cooper (pictured left) was snapped for her mugshot wearing a hooded cloak and clutching her hands together after she was caught stealing bells and door knobs on September 9, 1861. John Williams (right) was charged with warehouse breaking and sentenced to four months of hard labour in 1864

Two well-dressed men who were arrested sometime between 1850 and 1870. Their names and crimes have gone unrecorded in the past 150 years. One of the most common crimes of the time was habitual drunkenness. If people were caught drunk three or more times in a 12 month period their name would be put on a blacklist banning them from ordering an alcoholic drink for two years

Pictured right is the mugshot of Joseph Martin, which was taken on August 5, 1862, but the record of what crime he committed has since been lost. One of the earliest recorded joyriders, John Dale (pictured right), was jailed in July 1862 after being convicted of stealing horse-drawn wagons in the city

Pictured left is the mugshot of Ann Young, however apart from her name there is no longer a record of the crime that she was arrested for or what date the photograph was taken. The same is true of the mugshot on the right, which shows a young man dressed in a hat and coat, but records of the crime he committed

Catherine Legg, who was arrested in May 1858 at a fair in Dudley, West Midlands, is pictured on the left. Shown right is Isaac Ellery, who was arrested on 7 March, 1853 and was sentenced to seven years in prison for an unknown crime

Pictured left is Samuel Crowley, who was charged with 'having skeleton keys' in October 1862, meaning he was more than likely a burglar who was committed of theft offences. Shown right is a young woman, but nothing is now known about her personal details or crime

Another unnamed mugshot is shown on the left, while James Freeth is pictured on the right. He was photographed for an unknown reason on 4 February, 1861.

Police in Birmingham were the first force in the world to take mugshots, with the first crook snapped in 1853. They were taken at the Moor Street public office in Birmingham between the 1850s and 1870s, and were accompanied with scrawled notes about their crimesPresident Donald Trump says Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'learned' from the mistake of criticizing him and it's going to cost Canada 'a lot of money.'

Speaking at a press conference in Singapore on Tuesday, Trump said he decided to back out of the G7 communique after watching Trudeau's closing summit news conference, at which the prime minister warned that Canada would not be pushed around on tariffs - a point Trudeau had made several times before.

'He'll learn that's going to cost a lot of money for the people of Canada. He'll learn, he can't do that,' Trump said.

President Donald Trump spoke to reporters during a press conference after his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Capella Hotel and chastised Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for waiting until he left to say Canada would not be pushed around

The president also said the Canadian leader must not have realized that Trump had televisions on Air Force One, allowing him to monitor Trudeau's news conference.

'I think that Justin probably didn't know that Air Force One has about 20 televisions,' he said.

Trump recalled watching Trudeau's press conference in an interview with ABC News.

'He talked about how they won't be bullied. And I said 'What's this all about? He didn't do that to my face, what's this all about?' But here's what the story is: We have been taken advantage of as a country for decades by friends and enemies both,' Trump said. 'Our trade is a disaster, our trade deals.'

Trump's attack on one of America's oldest allies came as he praised North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un as smart, talented and loved.

'He is very talented. Anybody that takes over a situation like he did, at 26 years of age, and is able to run it,' Trump said at his press conference. 'I don't say he was nice or I don't say anything about it - he ran it. Very few people, at that age - you can take one out of ten thousand, probably, couldn't do it.'

The president told ABC News that Kim will be very happy with the agreement the two men signed in Singapore on Tuesday.

'He's going to be happy. His country does love him. His people, you see the fervor. They have a great fervor,' he said.

And he told Voice of America that Kim is a funny guy.

'He's got a great personality. He's a funny guy, he's very smart, he's a great negotiator,' Trump said. 'He loves his people, not that I'm surprised by that, but he loves his people.'

At his press conference at the end of his summit with Kim, Trump kept up his feud with America's closest allies over trade, saying he could not allow them to continue taking advantage of the United States.

Although he insisted he had a good relationship with Trudeau, Trump took another dig at him, saying the United States had a big trade deficit with Canada and that 'a little balance' was needed.

President Trump and Justin Trudeau talk at the G7 meeting

'We are being taken advantage of by virtually every one of those countries,' Trump told a news conference on Tuesday. 'Look, countries cannot continue to take advantage of us on trade.

The escalating clash with Trudeau cast a shadow over the Trump's nuclear talks with Kim and led critics to question why the president was bashing U.S. partners while appearing to cosy up to one of Washington's bitterest long-time foes.

'I have a good relationship with Justin. And I have a, I think, a very good relationship with Chairman Kim right now,' Trump said.

Trump fired off a volley of tweets on Monday further venting anger at NATO allies, the European Union and Trudeau. Some of Trump's aides also lashed out at the Canadian prime minister.

Trump Takes Trudeau To Task

'When I got out to the plane, I think that Justin probably didn't know that Air Force One has about 20 televisions. And I see the television and he's giving a news conference about how he will not be pushed around by the United States and I say push him around? We just shook hands. It was very friendly. ... No, I have a good relationship with Justin Trudeau. I really did, other than he had a news conference, that he had because he assumed I was in an airplane and I wasn't watching. He learned. That's going to cost a lot of money for the people of Canada. He learned. You can't do that. You can't do that.' Advertisement

Trump's extraordinary outburst in recent days appeared aimed at striking a chord with voters who support his 'America First' agenda. 'Not fair to the people of America! $800 billion trade deficit,' he tweeted on Monday.

In the same set of tweets, Trump said: 'Justin acts hurt when called out!'

On Tuesday, Trump said: 'We have a big trade deficit with Canada ... it's close to $100 billion a year deal loss.'

However, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative has said the United States ran an $8.4 billion trade surplus with Canada in 2017.

Canadian officials have stressed the two countries' extensive trading relationship and pointed out that Canada is the top export destination for 35 U.S. states and that 9 million jobs in the United States depend on trade with its northern neighbour.

The White House escalated the war of words against Trudeau before the summit began with Trump aides taking to the Sunday morning public affair shows to blast the Canadian prime minister.

'He really kind of stabbed us in the back. He really, actually, you know: he did a great disservice to the whole G-7. He betrayed,' White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on CNN's 'State of the Union' Sunday morning.

President Donald Trump meets North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore

President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un shake hands following a signing ceremony during their historic U.S.-North Korea summit

'You just don't behave that way. It's a betrayal. Essentially double-crossing,' Kudlow said of Trudeau's challenge to the president on tariffs at the G7 summit in Canada.

He then said Trudeau was aiming to make Trump look weak ahead of his historic meeting with Kim. The president left the G7 summit early in order to fly to Singapore for that summit.

Trump 'is not gonna let a Canadian prime minister push him around,' Kudlow said. 'He is not going to permit any show of weakness on a trip to negotiate with North Korea.'

'He can't put Trump in a position of being weak going into the North Korean talks. He can't do that. And by the way, President Trump is not weak,' he noted.

'Kim must not see American weakness. It's that short.'

Director of the White House National Trade Council Peter Navarro joined in the bashing.

'There's a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door,' he said on 'Fox News Sunday.' 'That's what bad faith Justin Trudeau did with that stunt press conference.'

Navarro added: 'To my friends in Canada, that was one of the worst political miscalculations of a Canadian leader in modern Canadian history.'

Navarro apologized for his remarks on Tuesday, Bloomberg News reported.

'My job was to send a signal of strength,' he said at a conference in Washington. 'The problem was that in conveying that message I used language that was inappropriate.'

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland defended the prime minister on Sunday, saying that Canada doesn't find attacks 'appropriate or useful.'

'Canada does not believe that ad hominem attacks are a particularly appropriate or useful way to conduct our relations with other countries,' she said at a press conference.

The trade dispute was launched after Trump last week removed exemptions from steel and aluminum tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and the EU.

Canada responded by slapping tariffs on $12.8 billion worth of US exports, including metals, toilet paper, ball point pens and pizza.

'We're like the piggy bank that everybody is robbing,' Trump said at a press conference as he departed the two-day meeting in La Malbaie, Quebec on Saturday.An unknown writer has secured a deal worth at $2m (1.5m) for her debut novel about a CIA operation to smuggle copies of Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago into the Soviet Union.

Pasternak's book was published in the West in 1956 thanks to the efforts of an Italian journalist but remained banned in the Soviet Union until 1988.

Documents released in 2014 revealed that the CIA came up with the idea of smuggling hundreds of copies of book into the Soviet Union with the aim of using its harsh portrayal of communism to undermine the regime.

Lara Prescott was an unknown creative writing student until a few weeks ago but her debut novel has secured her a $2 million publishing deal

The plan was for several hundred books to be handed out to Soviet visitors to an international trade.

Pasternak had long been one of Russia's foremost poets and literary translators and it was assumed some of the visitors would be eager to read his only novel.

Lara Prescott's We Were Never Here is a fictionalised account of operation which she began writing soon after details of the CIA operation became public.

The writer was until last month was preparing to graduate from her three-year creative writing fellowship at the University of Texas.

But publishers on both sides of the Atlantic have been fighting it out to get their hands on her first novel, which will be published in spring 2020.

The novel was banned in the Soviet Union for its unflattering portrait of communism but the CIA printed hundreds of copies that were given to the country's citizens visiting the west

In the United States, Knopf beat 13 other publishers to the debut, reportedly paying a seven-figure sum while in the 12 UK publishers fought for the novel, with Penguin Random House winning the bid with a six figure offer.

Prescott's uses the voices of Pasternak's mistress and muse Olga, as well the women of the CIA typing pool involved in the mission, in her work.

The writer, who worked as a political consultant before securing a scholarship to study creative writing, told The Guardian the story of how 'governments once believed books could change the world' was 'one that needs to be told, perhaps now more than ever'.

'During the cold war, eastern and western governments believed literature could be weaponised to change ideologies,' she said.

'Today, tweets, bots and Facebook posts may be propagandists' weapons of choice, but 60 years ago, the Soviets and Americans used books.

'As the CIA's chief of covert action stated in a 1961 secret report to the Senate, books differ from all other propaganda media.

The novel was made into the an epic film, staring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie, which won an Oscar in 1965

Penguin Random House publisher Selina Walker from the novel's very first sentence', and knew 'we absolutely had to publish it'.

'It's the best type of historical fiction that enlightens the reader while keeping us gripped to the page,' she said.

'It's about hidden heroes, secret passions, heartbreak and suffering, and the power to endure.

'Most of all, it's about an extraordinary book, and how its contents had the power to change readers' lives  something that resonates with us today as much as it did in the 1950s when Doctor Zhivago was first published.'

Doctor Zhivago has sold millions of copies worldwide, and in 1965 an Oscar-winning film version was released.

It tells the partly autobiographical story of a Russian doctor and poet, Yuri Zhivago, during the turbulent decades before, during and after the 1917 revolution.

He is already married when he falls in love with another woman, Lara who is also married, to a committed Bolshevik.

The plot follows the progress of their doomed relationship, as their lives are caught up in the monumental events of the time.

Its depictions of the October revolution and the Russian civil war, as well as its themes emphasising the importance of individual freedom in the face of the USSR's enforced collectivism resulted in the novel being deemed subversive by the state.

Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in October 1958, but forced by the Soviet authorities into renouncing it.An angry brown bear was caught on camera chasing a Russian fisherman into an icy river where he drowned.

Sergey Zhirkov, 31, had climbed onto an embankment by the river on the Kamchatka peninsula in eastern Russia, to call a friend to come fetch him after a successful fishing trip.

As he did so, a bear emerged by the water, and tore his inflatable boat apart before stealing his catch.

Tragic: Fisherman Sergey Zhirkov, 31, drowned after being chased into a river on the Kamchatka peninsula in eastern Russia, by a brown bear that had stolen his catch

Zhirkov, a prominent member of the local Elvel dance ensemble, threw stones at the bear, forcing it to retreat.

However, a few moments later, the predator returned and chased Zhirkov back up onto the embankment.

The incident was caught on camera by other fishermen from across the fast-flowing river, who can be heard shouting warnings to Zhirkov.

Towards the end of the video, the bear can be seen chasing Zhirkov into the river, which was swollen by melting winter snow.

Fatal: Blurry footage shows the moment Zhirkov is chased into the river by the bear

Drowned: The incident took place near this village on the Kamchatka peninsula in east Russia

Local celebrity; Zhirkov was a prominent member of the local Elvel dance ensemble. Pictured is the dance troupe, although it is not known if he is seen in this photo

Panic-stricken, the fisherman made a desperate bid to swim across the rapids to reach a rope thrown in by the onlookers.

'But he was overcome by the current and cold and swept downstream,' reported The Siberian Times.

Irina Kvasova, head of Kovran village administration, said: 'Sergey's body was washed ashore early this morning after it was carried away into the Sea of Okhotsk.

'The bear ran away, we have not managed to trace it.'The world's eyes were fixed on Singapore Tuesday as President Trump met with Kim Jong-un in the first ever summit between a US President and North Korean dictator.

In South Korea commuters stopped in their tracks to watch the leaders shaking hands on television screens inside a train station in Seoul.

President Moon Jae-in, who kick-started the peace process at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics earlier this year, said the 'historic' talks will end 'the last Cold War conflict.'

Commuters in Seoul stopped in their tracks to watch the moment Trump and Kim met for the first time and shook hands as it was broadcast on TV screens around a train station

South Koreans reacted with joy to the news that the summit between Kim and Trump went well, including Trump's suggestion that a peace accord could be signed soon

South Korean media was covered with images of the summit on Tuesday, proclaiming the start of a 'new history' and an end to 'hostilities'

President Moon Jae-in, who kicked off the peace process earlier this year but was not at Tuesday's meeting, hailed the summit as the end of 'the last Cold War conflict'

'The June 12 Sentosa Agreement will be recorded as a historic event that has helped break down the last remaining Cold War legacy on Earth,' he said.

Mr Moon, who did not attend the summit, was shown a live feed of Trump and Kim shaking hands as they met for the first time and smiled.

Marchers in the Philippines expressed their support for the talks and activists gathered outside the White House to celebrate the historic day.

The governments of of South Korea, China, Russia, Japan and Malaysia all welcomed news that talks had gone well.

However, the Iranian regime warned Pyonyang that America cannot be trusted to honor its word after Trump abruptly canceled the nuclear deal signed under Obama last month.

South Korean media was plastered with images from the summit, with a live broadcast being shown to President Moon Jae-in, who smiled as Trump and Kim shook hands.

South Korean newspaper Munhwa Ilbo carried a huge photo of a smiling Kim shaking hands with Trump in front of their national flags on its front page, with the headline: 'Handshake of the century: From hostilities to peace. New history begins.'

South Koreans watching TV screen in Seoul applaud the handshake between Trump and Kim as the leaders meet for the first time

In Hong Kong all eyes were also on the summit, with the Chinese government saying it supports the talks and would like an end to sanctions

Japanese stockbrokers also took a break from trading to watch the historic moment when Trump shook hands with Kim

Earlier, morning newspapers splashed wide front-page headlines about what they call a 'fateful day,' a 'meeting of the century' and a 'first step toward peace.'

Internet sites were also full of stories about the summit.

Ordinary citizens expressed surprise that the unbelievable meeting did really take place.

'I never imagined I would be able to see Chairman Kim and President Trump being in the same place,' a 31-year-old office worker said while watching TV.

Japan's largest newspaper, the Yomiuri, printed a special edition in both Japanese and English that was distributed for free in major cities.

In Tokyo, commuters outside a station snapped up 500 copies in just a few minutes.

An editorial in the state-owned China Daily emphasised China's role in bringing Trump and Kim together while calling on them to maintain the positive momentum.

'This would not only reward all those who have spared no efforts in their attempts to make their meeting a reality, it would also enable both to hail it as a success,' the paper said.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said North Korea as a 'bright future' if it chooses to walk the 'right path' after the summit, while Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said the meeting was creating 'a new history'

In the Philippines, marchers took to the streets to express support for the talks and call for the reunification of Korea

Commuters in major Japanese cities were given free copies of the Yomiuri newspaper announcing the summit, with those in Tokyo (pictured) going quickly

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the meeting was 'creating a new history' as he spoke to reporters after the summit got underway.

'The United States and North Korea have been in a state of antagonism for more than half a century,' Wang said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang later said that U.N. sanctions against North Korea could be suspended or lifted in accordance with the North's actions.

'We believe the Security Council should make efforts to support the diplomatic efforts at the present time,' he said.

'Today, that the two countries' highest leaders can sit together and have equal talks, has important and positive meaning, and is creating a new history.'

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that North Korea has a 'bright future' ahead of itself if it decides to 'tread the right path'.

He is expected to have an extensive de-brief with Trump this afternoon.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad says his country will reopen its embassy in Pyongyang.

The embassy has been empty since Kim Jong Nam, the North Korean leader's half-brother, was murdered at the airport in Kuala Lumpur last year.

A mural in Los Angeles appeared depicting Kim Jong-un 'coming to America' after Trump said he 'absolutely' intends to invite the dictator to the White House

Victoria Kim, a Vietnamese Trump supporter from California, celebrated news of the summit outside the White House on Tuesday

An activist holds up a sign outside the White House expressing his support for the talks

The killing is widely believed to have been carried out on Kim's orders which led to Malaysia, one of North Korea's few allies, to remove its diplomats from the country.

India's foreign ministry said in a statement that it hoped for complete implementation of the agreement signed in Singapore, 'thus paving the way for lasting peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula.'

Meanwhile Russia expressed hopes that the sanctions on North Korea will be lifted while offering to help with dismantling the country's nuclear weapons.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the meeting was a positive step, but the 'devil is in the details'.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hailed the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un as a 'positive' step.

'We have not yet seen the documents (signed at the summit). I don't think they have been published. But the mere fact that this meeting took place is of course positive,' the agency quoted Lavrov as saying.

The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog welcomed Tuesday the statement issued by US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the end of their summit in Singapore.

'I welcome today's Joint Statement of President Trump of the United States and Chairman Kim of the DPRK at the Singapore Summit which includes the DPRK's commitment towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,' Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said.

'The IAEA stands ready to undertake any verification activities in the DPRK that it may be requested to conduct by the countries concerned,' the statement adds.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quizzed by police as part of a corruption probe that allegedly saw him receive favourable media coverage.

Netanyahu was questioned over his alleged dealings with the country's largest telecommunication company in one of three corruption cases weighing on his political future.

He is alleged to have awarded regulatory favours to Bezeq Telecom Israel in return for favourable coverage on a news site the company's owner controls, Israel Radio reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quizzed by police as part of a corruption probe that allegedly saw him receive favourable media coverage

A vehicle carrying police officers pulled up at the entrance of the prime minister's official residence on Tuesday.

There, a clutch of protesters called for Netanyahu to resign over the investigations.

Police declined immediate comment.

Netanyahu, who has been questioned twice before in so-called Case 4000, and Bezeq have denied wrongdoing.

In February, police recommended Netanyahu be charged with bribery in two other cases. Israel's attorney-general is still weighing whether to indict him.

An Israeli police officer moves protesters as police interrogators arrive to the Prime Minister's residence

A clutch of protesters called for Netanyahu to resign over the investigations on Tuesday

In the first investigation, known as Case 1000, he is suspected of bribery over gifts from wealthy businessmen, which police say were worth nearly $300,000.

The other, Case 2000, involves an alleged plot to win positive coverage in Israel's biggest newspaper by offering to take measures to curtail the circulation of a rival daily.

In both those cases, lawyers for Netanyahu said he has committed no crimes.

Despite the probes, the right-wing leader's popularity has risen in the past few weeks.

Israeli police interrogators arrive to the Prime Minister's residence in Jerusalem on Tuesday

Commentators said this is a reflection of his tough security policies, U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal he opposes, and the opening of the American Embassy in contested Jerusalem, a move Netanyahu has long advocated.

The surveys predicted that Netanyahu's Likud party, which heads a coalition largely comprised of right-wing and religious factions, would add up to four seats to the 30 it already holds in the 120-member parliament if an election were held now.

Israel is due to hold its next national ballot no later than November 2019.A drunk man's wild antics were captured on camera phone as he entertained passengers on a train travelling from London to Manchester.

In a series of Snapchat clips, the Irish man appears to be intoxicated and drinks cans of beer and a bottle of white wine as he danced on seats, sang and lightheartedly berated passengers.

The footage was taken by Toby Leibowitz, who was visiting his partner in Stockport, and begins with the Irish man making his way down the aisle and asking people of they're 'okay for drinks.'

Approaching Toby, he asks where he's from and guesses Eastern Europe, Estonia and Egypt before the Toby, 23, explains that he was born and bred in London.

Passenger Toby Leibowitz, left, captured the footage of the unidentified raucous Irish man who was brandishing his cans and a half-drunk bottle of wine, right

Refusing to believe this, the man says 'you are from f***ing Estonia, give me a big hug!'

Amused passengers giggle as his antics continue throughout the 2 hour-long journey.

The passenger can be seen covering himself with a furry coat and shouting 'animals everywhere' before gyrating on the seats boasting that he has massive b***s

He was seen climbing on seats and singing as his fellow passengers laughed

At one point, he downed his entire drink. Toby chronicled the encounter on Snapchat

In a particularly amusing moment the man wraps a furry coat over his head and shouted 'animals are everywhere!' as they pulled in to Stoke-On-Trent.

The video finishes as the unidentified man is on the seats gyrating towards the camera and claiming that he has 'huge b***s' after stopping at Cheadle Hulme station.A disabled pensioner has told of the horrifying moment two men forced their way into his home and savagely beat him with a metal pole.

Father-of-seven Kieth Edwards, 47, was asleep on the couch at his Davoren Park home in north Adelaide when the pair of thugs broke in at about 12:30am on Tuesday.

Mr Edwards recalled waking up to find the two men standing in his house - one of them holding a metal bar.

'He was threatening to use it on me and talking about a motorbike that doesn't exist,' the pensioner told Nine News.

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Father-of-seven Kieth Edwards, 47 (pictured) was asleep on the couch at his Davoren Park home in north Adelaide when a pair of thugs broke in and attacked him in a savage beating

One of the intruders was allegedly armed with a metal pole, which they used to strike Mr Edwards in a brutal onslaught that left blood smeared across the walls of his house

'I tried to tell him there was nothing there and he just pretty well ran amok on me.'

Despite attempts to defend himself - with random objects such as the steps from his bed frame - Mr Edwards was overpowered and violently beaten.

One of his daughters claims the attackers smashed Mr Edwards' guitar over his head and struck him with a cooking pot, as well as physically assaulting him with the pole, in an onslaught that left blood smeared across the walls of the house.

He was treated for major head and facial injuries before being discharged from Lyell McEwin Hospital on Tuesday morning.

Mr Edwards was treated for major head and facial injuries before being discharged from Lyell McEwin Hospital on Tuesday morning

Mr Edwards claimed his attackers made demands relating to a motorcycle that they thought to be located in his backyard.

'I tried to tell that [I didn't know anything about it] and they wouldn't listen to me,' he said, his face covered in bruises and bloody wounds.

Police have since attended the scene and retrieved evidence, including a metal pole that they believe was used as a weapon against Mr Edwards.

Officers currently believe the men are known to Mr Edwards, and are treating the incident as a targeted attack.Claire Mountjoy, 47, was stunned when she received the anonymous letter asking her to take down washing she was drying outside

A rural community has staged a protest in support of a mother criticised for hanging her washing outside  by displaying their own laundry across the town.

The rebellion across Colyton in Devon came in response to an anonymous letter criticising Claire Mountjoy for drying her washing outside her home.

Ms Mountjoy, 47, was stunned by the message last week which implied visitors and tourists would be upset and put off by the sight of her family's laundry.

The author claimed to speak 'on behalf of local businesses and the neighbourhood'.

It suggested that she use a tumble dryer or hang her washing in the house instead.

The letter read: 'We all try hard to keep our lovely town thriving and looking good.

'While we understand you have a small house with no outside room for your boys, would you please consider using a tumble dryer or hanging the washing indoors.

'This letter is not written with malice but we ask you to please help us all keep Colyton a town we can all be proud of.'

A man hangs laundry outside a shop in Colyton, in support of a local mother who did the same

Claire Mountjoy, 47, pictured with her sons, was criticised in the anonymous letter

Washing is hung outside a home in the town of Colyton in support of the criticised mother

Residents are supporting a local mother who was criticised for drying her washing outside

But residents in the town, which has a population of just over 2,000, responded by launching what has been dubbed 'The Laundry Revolution'.

Ms Mountjoy said many homes and shops in the town now proudly sport lines of pants and socks in defiance - her personal favourite being a bra on top of a flagpole.

The mother, who is an education officer for Devon Wildlife Trust, said: 'It shows the fabulous community spirit Colyton has.

'Colyton is known as the most rebellious town in Devon. That kind of streak is still in its people. It is quite strange that someone should be so upset about it.

The rebellion came in response to an anonymous email blasting resident Ms Mountjoy

The author suggested the mother use a tumble dryer or hang her washing in the house instead

Protesters are hanging their washing outside after the mother was criticised in the letter

'They suggest that visitors would be put off but our laundry revolution is actually bringing in more visitors.

'I want to say to whoever wrote the note that they really should be doing their washing in a more environmentally friendly way and putting it outside. It would have been better to have had a nice chat.'

While remaining anonymous, the author of the letter is thought to be responsible for a 'This is not acceptable' sign placed next to 'pant-bunting' created by Ms Mountjoy's children on Thursday.

There was support for the uprising online.

Residents in the town responded by launching what has been dubbed 'The Laundry Revolution'

Colyton is a quiet town in the East Devon countryside, near Seaton and Axminster

Colyton became known as the 'most rebellious town in Devon' after a rebellion in 1685

Paul Arnott said he put up his washing line after reading a message on the Heart of Colyton Facebook group.

He wrote: 'This display of laundry is in support of a lovely family in Dolphin Street.

'Yesterday they received the dreaded anonymous letter "Meant in kindness" asking them not to dry their washing at the front of their house for fear of upsetting tourists. As Bart Simpson used to say, "Eat my shorts".'

In full: The letter sent to mother over washing hanging outside Dear Claire and Chris, I am writing on behalf of local businesses and your neighbourhood to ask you with kindness not to put your washing out at the front of your house. We all try hard to keep our lovely town thriving and looking good. The visitors walk up Dolphin Street from the tram and your terrace is a prime location. While we understand you have a small house with no outside room for your boys, would you please consider using a tumble dryer or hanging the washing indoors. This letter is not written with malice but we ask you to please help us all keep Colyton a town we can all be proud of. Sincere best wishes Advertisement

Alix Renshaw suggested that June 7 each year should become 'Colyton's Underwear Airing Rebellion Day'.

And Alison Stenning added: 'We should have an annual Colyton Hanging Day when everyone hangs their washing in front of their house.'

Colyton became known as the 'most rebellious town in Devon' as more citizens from there joined a Protestant rebellion against James II in 1685 than from any other town.

Ms Mountjoy is a qualified teacher who studied biological sciences at the University of Exeter, and she has previously worked for as a community officer for the RSPB and a people and wildlife manager for the Northumberland Wildlife Trust.

On her LinkedIn profile, she describes herself as a 'positive, enthusiastic individual with over 20 years' experience of community engagement and education'.The landlord who kicked his tenant out on just one day's notice was furious after finding out the renter's girlfriend was also living in the room.

Yousef had been given two weeks' notice to move out of the Perth property the day before, only to return to find he had already been kicked out, A Current Affair reported.

When he questioned Mr Lau his landlord, he is seen laughing maniacally before declaring he had 'changed his mind'.

'It was hard to hold my temper. I just wanted to rage at him, but there was nothing I could do but to go on,' Yousef said.

Yousef filmed the moment he confronted Mr Lau about changing the locks - after he came home to find most of his belongings dumped in the garage in garbage bags.

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Yousef (pictured) had been given two weeks' notice to move out of the property the day before, only to return to find he had already been kicked out after his girlfriend overstayed her welcome

Mr Lau (pictured) the landlord was recorded laughing maniacally before declaring he had 'changed his mind' for kicking Yousef out

'I don't want you to stay here, it is my property. I changed my mind, so what?' Mr Lau said.

In addition to being kicked out within a day, Yousef was denied entry into the home to collect the rest of his belongings.

'This is disrespectful, some of my stuff is sentimental. Can I at least go and get my other stuff from the laundry?' he asked.

Mr Lau refused but paid Yousef back his bond and one week's rent.

However, Yousef claimed he is owed money for the damage to some of his possessions, which included photographs of his late mother.

When Yousef explained he had 'nowhere to stay the night' he was told 'that's not my problem'.

A Current Affair reporter approached Mr Lau questioning whether he kicked Yousef out.

Mr Lau denied kicking Yousef out, saying: 'No I didn't.'

A lawyer told the publication that even though the ad was put up on Gumtree, the landlord did not act accordingly.

'It's a fixed tenancy agreement and even though it wasn't in writing, at least 30 days' notice would've needed to have been given,' Richard Mitry said.

Yousef's belongings were stacked in garbage bags when he returned home the day after he was given two weeks notice

The video was posted online by the renter's brother who asked for advice.

'He has rent paid until the 16th and a two week bond. What can he do about it?' the brother asked.

People were quick to comment.

'Call the cops, it's against the law that he doesn't give you two weeks notice,' one person said.

'He is wrong - there are ways to go about eviction, this is not one of them. I hope he gets in a lot of trouble for what he has done,' another person said.

Others weren't shocked by the events.

'It's a nightmare, someone close to me gave notice because the landlord kept going in house while they were out... so the next day they put all their gear on the verge next to the main road in pouring rain.

'This included new computer etc. Legally the landlord was in the wrong as this one is, but when your belongings are by side of road getting wet and you have nowhere to go being legally right doesn't help.'

The night before the forced eviction took place the man had his girlfriend at the house.

The landlord told them she had to be out by midnight, and when she left he gave the tenant the two weeks notice.Channel Nine has been slammed for its 'cringe-worthy' coverage of one of the most historical moments of the 21st century.

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un created history when they met face to face for the first time at a summit in Singapore.

However, Nine Network's A Current Affair took the opportunity as a chance to run a comedy sketch, including a mock interview with a fake Korean dictator.

Viewers were quick to slam Channel Nine, with hundreds describing the segment as 'pathetic', 'cringeworthy' and 'one of the worst attempts at comedy ever.'

'Officially hit rock bottom A Current Affair,' one person wrote online.

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Channel Nine's A Current Affair (pictured) has been savaged by viewers after airing their 'cringe-worthy' coverage on one of the most historical moments of the 21st century

American President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un (pictured) made history when they met face to face for first time during an internationally significant summit

However, the Channel Nine program took the opportunity to make fun of the occasion with a comedy sketch (pictured)

'Today the world watched history in the making and ACA made a total mockery out of this monumental day. Extremely poor taste,' one social media user said (pictured)

The program mocked reports of Mr Jong-un bringing his own toilet to the summit, as well as comparing the hair styles of two of the world's most powerful men.

'Oh what a day ... he called him a mentally deranged dotard, he called him a short and fat rocket man,' the report explained.

The report mocked the North Korean dictator by claiming 'when mother nature calls ... you want to be sure even the toilet is on your side'.

The program also included a fake interview with a dictator impersonator who claimed he was glad to talk to A Current Affair because 'he (Donald Trump) mostly talks about himself' and needed 'a break'.

The program mocked reports of Mr Jong-un bringing his own toilet to the summit as well as comparing the hair styles of two of the world's most powerful men

Viewers were quick to slam Channel Nine with hundreds claiming the segment on 'one of the most momentous events of the 21st century' was 'pathetic'

Viewers didn't hold back with their criticism of the show, taking to Facebook to slam the program.

'Wow. I haven't had to sit and watch A Current Affair in a few years ... was a dud program back then and worse now. What a joke. Shoot me. I'll never get that time back,' one person explained.

'This was potentially the worst effort at comedy I have ever seen on Australian TV,' another claimed.

'Today the world watched history in the making and ACA (sic) made a total mockery out of this monumental day. Extremely poor taste,' one said.

'What a load of garbage. What a pathetic attempt at comedy. Absolutely disgusting,' another commented.

A fake interview with a dictator impersonator (pictured) claimed he was glad to talk to A Current Affair because 'he mostly talks about himself' and needed 'a break'

Many suggested the program had 'officially hit rock bottom' and mockery was 'embarrassing'

Many viewers criticised the 'pure cringe ... acting' which was simply 'embarrassing comedy' which 'could not have been more disrespectful and offensive'

Many viewers criticised the 'pure cringe ... acting' which was simply 'embarrassing comedy' which 'could not have been more disrespectful and offensive'.

Despite all the harsh comedy critiques, few people appeared to love the segment.

'Brilliant ACA (sic)! Absolutely sums the whole affair up!,' one wrote.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine for comment.A man who consumed mass amounts of calories each day to comfort himself while hiding a secret from his family has lost more than 100kg in just five months.

Thomas Teneti, 43, vowed to change after his nephew put it to him straight and asked if he was giving up on life - the truth is, he was.

Mr Teneti knew that if he continued to keep up his lifestyle of up to four takeaway meals an evening, he would not survive - but the Queensland man was terrified of admitting the truth which was pushing him to eat.

Thomas Teneti (pictured left at 300 kilograms and right at 196kg) was eating himself to death while hiding a secret from his family

'I didn't want to come out to my family or parents, the next best thing was to kill myself. I didn't want to do it with a gun or a rope so I did it with food to slowly make my heart stop beating,' Mr Teneti told Daily Mail Australia.

The Queensland resident confessed to his 22-year-old nephew, who has lived with Mr Teneti since birth, what he had long been suppressing - he was gay and terrified of the judgement his family may cast on him.

'My nephew turned around and said ''that is no reason to give up living, we can't change what people accept'' - from that moment something within clicked.

'The biggest thing was me accepting myself and who I am, and actually telling a family member and coming out. From there it just brighter and brighter.'

Today he has dropped to 196kg from 300 kg with a goal weight of 100kg and, after decades of concealing his true self, opened up to his family.

The 43-year-old was terrified of how his family would react if he came out as gay and would eat high-calorie foods as comfort (before at 300 and today at 196kg)

Five months ago, he confessed his secret to his nephew who inspired him to make a change and take better care of himself

'My fear was the disappointment in my parents, and how they would be disappointed with me. What they thought of me meant everything.

'My mum turned around and said ''I've always known but didn't want to question or ask'' - she was alright.'

His father - a church man - found out on Tuesday morning ahead of Mr Teneti sharing his story to inspire others.

He was taken aback by the confession and very quiet but there was not any outbursts of anger or resentment.

Mr Teneti, who lives in Pimpama, has traded takeaways and loaves of bread he used to gorge on in one sitting for fish, chicken, vegetables and is drinking three litres of water each day.

Thomas uses this photo of himself 'many years ago' as inspiration to return to the man he once was How life use to be ... slowly slowly I am peeling back the layers'

Life now is 'one thousand times easier' he explains and credits his weightloss to the Putting Health At The Top (PHATT) program.

'Before I started five months ago even putting socks and shoes on I would be breathless. After seven or 10 steps I would have to stop and lean up against something - people used to hear me coming before they saw me.

'All the little things that we all take for granted would be a struggle - now I can walk without back pain. When I hop into the shower I don't have to turn sideways - it's great.

'My goal is to get to 100kg, anything after that is a bonus - this a lifestyle for me now - I have to make it lifestyle because of all the food I was shoving down my throat, it abused my body.

Aided with acceptance from his family, he's motivated to change and lead a healthy lifestyle to get the most out of living

'The program is also backed by a nutrition guide and supplements. I believe in PHATT because it works, compared to every other program cost for the products is low and my advice is honestly - check it out.'

He says the program doesn't require exercise but with the extra mobility, Mr Teneti will go for a walk in the morning and occasionally one in the evening also.

With his new found motivation giving him a fresh start, Mr Teneti is most thankful to his nephew for encouraging him in the first instance.

'He is the reason why the sudden change, he told me ''there's no reason for giving up on life'' and every day I say to him that I am grateful. He tells me ''you've done the hard work'' and I say ''it's you that started this''.'A mother who was stopped with cannabis oil at Heathrow Airport says her epileptic son suffered his first seizure in 300 days after his medicine was seized.

Charlotte Caldwell's son Billy, 12, suffers from severe epilepsy and she claims the only way to prevent his seizures is through prescribed medicinal cannabis oil.

The Northern Ireland mother travelled to Canada to obtain the 'life-saving' medicine but the banned oil was seized yesterday at Heathrow.

Ms Caldwell is begging for its return after Billy suffered his first seizure in 18 months due to missing his dose yesterday, she said while appearing on This Morning today.

Charlotte Caldwell whose son is suffering from severe epilepsy tried to 'smuggle' cannabis oil into the UK to keep him alive. She revealed today he suffered his first seizure in 300 days after officials seized the medicine yesterday

Charlotte Caldwell is begging for her 12-year-old son Billy's anti-epilepsy to be returned after it was sized by authorities at Heathrow airport following her flight from Canada

She explained that yesterday was the first time in 18 months Billy missed his medication.

As a result, Ms Caldwell said, it was the first time in 300 days he had a seizure.

She said: 'He missed his last treatment at 3.30pm yesterday. This morning at 1.05 he had his first seizure in 300 days. A small 30-second seizure.

The mother insists that if he had the dose of cannabis oil, Billy wouldn't have had a seizure.

She said: 'They should at least have the decency to try to work with me. They can't just take it away. He needs his medication today.

'They signed his death warrant. It's anti-epilepsy medicine. Nothing else. You can't get high off this medication.'

She added: 'I'm saying, please give me back his medicine today. He needs his medication. You just signed his death warrant.'

Billy became the first patient in Britain to be prescribed cannabis-based medication on the NHS after enduring up to 100 seizures a day and routinely ending up in hospital.

He was originally given the treatment by a doctor in the US, where it is legal in the majority of states. Ms Caldwell said it rapidly stopped Billy's seizures and drastically improved his quality of life.

On Monday, Ms Caldwell returned from Canada with the prescribed cannabis oil and was stopped at Heathrow Airport, where the medicine was seized

Ms Caldwell, pictured at Heathrow with her son, said she will return to Canada for the oil

On Monday, Ms Caldwell returned from Canada with the prescribed cannabis oil and was stopped at Heathrow Airport, where the medicine was seized.

She said: 'Those meds were prescribed by the world's biggest Paediatric hospital - they know what they are doing.

'I was horrified when they were taken from me.

'It may well to turn out to be a death sentence for my son.'

Ms Caldwell added: 'Nothing they could offer me could left me feeling the devastation or the urgency of the situation.

'I need another plan - I would rather have my son illegally alive than legally dead.'

Ms Caldwell has vowed to return to Toronto and keep trying to bring the treatment to the UK.

She said: 'It's a very sad day in 2018 that us parents who have children with this absolutely brutal condition, epilepsy, that we have to flee our own country to get medicine for our children.'

Asked what she would do next, she replied: 'I'll just go back to Canada and I'll get more because my son has a right to have his anti-epileptic medicine in this country.'

She described the customs officers who seized the oil as 'absolute gentlemen', adding: 'They were very conflicted about removing it, one of them had tears in his eyes.'

She was not cautioned by border officials, Sky News reported.

The families of eight other children with epilepsy who are supporting her campaign met her at the airport to show their support.

She had been back and forth to the US trying to ensure her son gets the treatment he needs

Charlotte Caldwell had banned cannabis oil she brought to the UK to treat her son Billy seized today at Heathrow. She later met minister Nick Hurd at the Home Office to discuss the case

Ms Caldwell insisted they would continue campaigning to have the oil made available in Britain.

She said: 'We will not stop, we are not going to stop. We are not going to give up. We have love, hope and faith for our kids. We are going to get the medicine for our children so they might as well give it to us.

'I'm horrified that they have removed it.'

The single mother from Castlederg, County Tyrone, was left distraught last month when the Home Office told her family doctor to stop doling out the drug or face suspension or withdrawal of their licence to practise.

She added: 'It's Billy's anti-epileptic medication that Nick Hurd has taken away, it's not some sort of joint full of recreational cannabis, it is his anti-epileptic medication that he has taken off me at the airport today.'

Ms Caldwell insists the oil dramatically improves her son's condition and wants him to be given the treatment in the UK

She later met Mr Hurd at the Home Office on Monday afternoon to plead to him 'parent to parent' to get the oil back.

After the meeting, she said Mr Hurd had not returned the oil.

Ms Caldwell gave up a career in the tourism industry shortly after Billy was born.

Her relationship with Billy's father fell apart around the time the boy's epilepsy became evident when he was four months old.

Recalling that time to the Mail On Sunday's Ian Birrell, she said: 'I just felt powerless and sick in my heart... he was having hundreds of seizures a day and they could not get them under control.'

After doctors told her they could do no more for the boy, she raised 250,000 in just ten weeks to fund treatment in Chicago.

She spent two years living there as her son was given intensive physiotherapy to boost his development.

When the cash ran out, she borrowed 25,000 from a bank to pay for private treatment and moved to Oxfordshire.

When the epilepsy returned two years ago, Ms Caldwell raised more cash and returned to her US doctor, who had moved to a Los Angeles hospital.

He discussed the concept of medical cannabis, sent her to a specialist and eventually they found the correct dosage to stop the seizures.

After eight months in California, funds dried up again. The pair returned to Northern Ireland.

In April last year, her GP to prescribe cannabis oil, supplied by an American company  until the Government warning last month to stop.A neo-Nazi who plotted to murder a Labour MP in the name of 'White Jihad' was encouraged to attack the then-Home Secretary Amber Rudd, a court has heard.

Jack Renshaw, 23, of Skelmersdale, Lancashire, bought a 19inch long 'Gladius Machete' to kill Labour's Rosie Cooper last summer.

He planned to take hostages after the murder and lure a woman police officer to the scene so he could kill her too, jurors were told.

Alleged National Action leader Christopher Lythgoe encouraged Renshaw to target former Home Secretary Amber Rudd - but Renshaw considered her too well protected, a court heard.

Jack Renshaw (left), 23, of Skelmersdale, Lancashire, bought a 19inch long 'Gladius Machete' to kill Labour's Rosie Cooper (right) last summer

Alleged National Action member Jack Renshaw has admitted plotting to murder a Labour MP

The Old Bailey heard that, during a meeting in a Warrington pub, Lythgoe gave him permission to murder Ms Cooper, but added she was 'a nobody' and that the 23-year-old should instead attack Ms Rudd, jurors were told.

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson QC told the Old Bailey: 'Lythgoe advised Renshaw to destroy all of his electrical equipment before the attack, so the police could not link him to individuals.

'Lythgoe then gave him permission to conduct the attack, warning him "don't f*** it up".

'Lythgoe commented that Rosie Cooper MP was a nobody and Renshaw should attack the Home Secretary instead, Renshaw dismissed this idea saying the Home Secretary would be too well protected.'

The murderous scheme was foiled by a disenchanted former National Action member called Robbie Mullen, who reported the threat to Hope Not Hate, jurors were told.

On the opening day of his trial, Renshaw pleaded guilty to preparing acts of terrorism as well as making a threat to kill Detective Constable Victoria Henderson, who was involved in investigating him over child grooming claims, the court heard.

Renshaw (pictured, left, in a court sketch) saw Labour MP Rosie Cooper (right) as a target because of her perceived support for immigration, the court heard

The 19-inch 'Gladius blade' that was purchased as a murder weapon by alleged National Action member Jack Renshaw

Renshaw denies being a member of National Action, along with Lythgoe and four other men: Garron Helm, 24, of Seaforth, Merseyside, Matthew Hankinson, 24, of Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, Andrew Clarke, 33, and Michal Trubini, 35, both of Warrington.

Lythgoe, 32, from Warrington, also denies being involved in the plot to murder the West Lancashire MP.

Prosecutor Mr Atkinson told jurors: 'It is important to recognise from the outset that these defendants are not being prosecuted for their racist or neo-Nazi beliefs, however repulsive they may be, but for their participation in a banned organisation that sought actively through fear, intimidation and the threat of violence rather than through free speech and democracy to shape society.'

National Action wanted to attack Amber Rudd, the trial was told today

He told jurors the group had engaged in a 'campaign of virulent anti-Semitic and homophobic propaganda' since 2013.

The organisation tried to recruit and radicalise young people through violent images and 'hate-filled language', the prosecutor said.

Its support for the murder of MP Jo Cox in June 2016 led to it being banned, Mr Atkinson said. But the defendants remained active members of the organisation after it was proscribed, he said.

On July 1 last year, Renshaw revealed his murderous plan to National Action members at a meeting in Warrington, the court heard.

He allegedly told members he had already bought a machete marketed as offering '19 inches of unprecedented piercing and slashing power at a bargain price'.

The jury was told that Renshaw had also researched 'cutting the jugular artery' on the internet last May.

Garron Helm, Michal Trubini, Andrew Clarke, Matthew Hankinson and Christopher Lythgoe are also on trial. They deny charges

Mr Atkinson said: 'Renshaw's plan had a more sophisticated dimension in that its objective was not simply to make a political point, as he put it to 'kill for National Action and White Jihad', but to revenge himself on those he considered to be persecuting him and trying to send him to prison for a significant period.

'Renshaw explained that after killing Rosie Cooper MP, he would take some people hostage and would then demand of the police when they attended that DC Henderson come to the scene.

'His plan then would be to kill that officer who was, he said, his real target.'

The court was also told about Renshaw's speech at the Yorkshire Forum for Nationalists, where he talked of 'the importance of the killer instinct', insisted anti-Semitic views are 'natural', that Hitler was 'too merciful' and of a 'holy war against the Jews'.

In a second speech, in Blackpool in 2016, Renshaw argued that Britain fought on the wrong side during World War Two and should have fought the Soviets instead of Nazi Germany.

The court heard the North West area branch of National Action which met at the Friar Penketh pub in Warrington

He was arrested on 11 January 2017 on suspicion of stirring up racial hatred because of his remarks.

National Action organised various marches throughout the country, including an attempted 'White Man March' in Liverpool on 15 August 2015, where supposed founder Alex Davies told members to wear all black and bring a 'heavy-duty belt with heavy buckle' to deal with counter-protesters, Mr Atkinson said.

During another demonstration outside St George's Hall in Liverpool the group clashed with opposing demonstrators, and Lythgoe, Hankinson, Helm and Mullen performed Nazi salutes while dressed in dark clothing, the court heard.

Who are the 'National Action' accused? Christopher Lythgoe, 32, from Warrington, is said by prosecutors to have been the leader of National Action and vowed to continue the group even after it was banned. Jurors heard he had sent out emails about physical training in preparation for the 'race war', demonstrations and the structure of the organisation. He allegedly gave permission for the attack on and murder of Labour MP Rosie Cooper. He denies the charges. Jack Renshaw, 23, of Skelmersdale, Lancashire, is the member who came up with the plan to kill Labour MP Rosie Cooper and a police officer. He hatched the violent plan following his arrest in January last year on suspicion of stirring up racial hatred. He was interviewed by the police he planned to kill about two anti-Semitic speeches in Blackpool and at the Yorkshire Forum for Nationalists in which he claimed 'Hitler was right'. The prosecutor said his online postings 'were dripping with hatred of Jews and other ethnic minorities and those he saw as fostering multiculturalism'. Renshaw pleaded guilty to preparing acts of terrorism as well as making a threat to kill Detective Constable Victoria Henderson. But he denies being a member of National Action. A court sketch produced today shows (left to right) Garron Helm, Michal Trubini, Andrew Clarke, Matthew Hankinson, Christopher Lythgoe and Jack Renshaw Matthew Hankinson, 24, who lived in Newton Le Willows, Merseyside, had a USB stick containing a series of documents showing his commitment to National Action, Mr Atkinson said. One such document was text from a speech in which he said that 'a war is brewing', which he made clear was going to be a race war, the court heard. Also at his address were the text of further speeches, National Action flyers, flags and a National Action card. His iPhone contained anti-Semitic images, the court heard. He denies being part of National Action. Andrew Clarke used encrypted Tutanota email addresses to communicate with fellow alleged National Action members, and had anti-Semitic material in his Instagram account, the court was told. His phone included a post about a news article called 'National Action, Islam and Britain's lamentable terrorism priorities' where Clarke commented: 'Someone on our side finally has the balls to speak out in defence of NA,' the court heard. The 33-year-old, of Warrington, also denies being part of the banned organisation. Michael Trubini, who was born in Slovakia on 6 August 1992, allegedly had a Nazi flag and National Action skull mask and leaflet at his home in Warrington. The 35-year-old was involved in attempting to set up a 'National Action' gym before the group was banned, the court was told. He also denies being part of the organisation. Garron Helm's Samsung phone contained an image of him wearing a National Action skull mask standing in front of a Nazi banner. Helm, 24, of Seaforth, Merseyside, also had a photograph of Hitler above his fireplace, as well as a National Action sticker, card and t-shirt, the court heard. He also denies being part of the organisation. AdvertisementA customer launched into a vile racist tirade at a Chinese takeaway worker before screaming 'you came over here in a boat!'

A video of the shocking incident, which took place at the Wonderful Chinese takeaway in Meltham, West Yorkshire, was posted on social media and viewed thousands of times.

The footage shows a female customer complaining about her takeaway and threatening to post about it online, before pouring the all over the counter and flicking it at staff.

A video of the shocking incident, which took place at the Wonderful Chinese takeaway in Meltham, West Yorkshire, was posted on social media and viewed thousands of times

When staff threaten to call the police she appears to reply: 'What are you going to do? You c****! I'm a Melthamer, I were born here. You came over here on a boat!'

It shows the middle-aged woman threatening to put her complaint online before the row continues as she complains about water and raw food.

As the worker tells the woman to 'get out and don't call us again' the customer appears to make a racist remark.

The video was recorded by Dylan Letremy and has been viewed more than 3,500 times.The photographer at the centre of a sex abuse and financial crimes scandal at the academy that awards the Nobel Prize in literature has been charged with two counts of rape of a woman in 2011.

Swedish prosecutor Christina Voigt said the evidence against Jean-Claude Arnault 'is robust and sufficient for prosecution'.

Arnault, a well-known figure in Sweden who ran a cultural centre, is married to poet and member of the Swedish Academy Katarina Frostenson. He has denied this and other sex abuse allegations.

In April, the Swedish Academy said an internal investigation into sexual misconduct allegations found that 'unacceptable behavior in the form of unwanted intimacy' has taken place within the ranks of the prestigious institution.

Jean-Claude Arnault (pictured) has been charged with two counts of rape of a woman in 2011

The secretive 18-member board has in recent months been embroiled in a sex abuse scandal that investigators concluded was 'not generally known'.

It has led to the departure of at least six of members of the academy and tarnished the prize's reputation.

They include the academy's head Sara Danius and Frostenson, who both stepped down recently.

The academy had commissioned lawyers to investigate sexual misconduct claims from 18 women against Arnault.

In April, it decided to hand over the internal report to judicial authorities.

Violence was used in one case involving Arnault, and in the second incident the victim was asleep, Ms Voight said, adding that seven people back the victim's claim.

Arnault, a well-known figure in Sweden who ran a cultural centre, is married to poet and member of the Swedish Academy Katarina Frostenson (pictured together)

Many in the Scandinavian nation, known for promoting gender equality, have expressed concerns over the case that has exposed bitter divisions within the academy, whose members are appointed for life, and given rise to accusations of patriarchal leanings among some members.

Last month, the academy announced that no prize will be awarded this year.

The protest has grown out of what began as Sweden's own #MeToo moment in November when the country saw thousands of sexual misconduct allegations surfacing from all walks of life.

It hit the academy when 18 women came forward in a Swedish newspaper with accusations against Arnault.

In April, it was reported that he allegedly groped Crown Princess Victoria during a formal dinner in Stockholm in the mid-2000s.

According to a witness, Arnault 'caressed her lower back and going down', forcing one of her aides to 'step in and pull him off her'.

Arnault was banned in December by the academy from attending a Nobel banquet after Dagens Nyheter, one of Sweden's largest newspapers, published the allegations.

The old Stock Exchange Building, home of the Swedish Academy in Stockholm, Sweden

Arnault has also been suspected of violating century-old Nobel rules by leaking names of winners of the prestigious award.

He has allegedly leaked winners' names seven times, starting in 1996. It was not clear who the names were disclosed to.

The academy said that following what it called 'a serious crisis,' it had decided to hand over the report to relevant judicial authorities.

The Swedish Economic Crime Authority said it had received the academy report but declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

Last year after the first allegations surfaced, annual funding of 126,000 kronor ($12,000) to Arnault's center was immediately stopped.

The Academy then stressed it had not been paid to Arnault personally.

The probe found no evidence that Arnault 'had any direct or indirect influence on' the handing out of funds since it first got it in 2010 but 'the decision-making process' was in violation' with its rules because an unnamed person had a share in Arnault's institution.The US will stop holding military exercises on the Korean peninsula, President Donald Trump said after his summit with the North's leader Kim Jong-un.

Washington and Seoul are security allies, with around 30,000 US troops stationed in the South to defend it from its neighbour, which invaded in 1950.

They hold joint military exercises every year that infuriate Pyongyang, which has long demanded an end to the drills and often responds with actions of its own, ratcheting up tensions.

A US Air Force B-1B Lancer, flanked by Republic of Korea Air Force F-15, dropping a 2,000 pound bomb during a joint US - South Korea drill

US Air Force B-1B bombers, F-35B stealth fighter jets and South Korean F-15K fighter jets fly over the Korean Peninsula during a joint drill

'We will be stopping the war games which will save us a tremendous amount of money,' President Trump said.

'The war games are very expensive - we paid for a big majority of them, we fly in bombers from Guam.

'That's a long time for these big massive planes to be flying to South Korea to practice and then drop bombs all over the place and then go back to Guam. I know a lot about airplanes, it's very expensive.

'It is inappropriate to have war games. I think it's very provocative.'

Trump said he hoped to remove US troops from South Korea at some point.

'I want to get our soldiers out. I want to bring our soldiers back home. But that's not part of the equation right now. I hope it will be eventually.

President Trump made the announcement about the cancellation of military drills at a news conference after his meeting with Kim Jong-un

Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump shake hands at the start of the US-North Korea summit at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore

The move, if fulfilled, would appear to be effectively an implementation of the 'freeze for freeze' proposal promoted by China, under which the North would stop nuclear and missile tests in exchange for a halt to the exercises.

Kim has previously declared a moratorium on testing, saying that the development of his nuclear arsenal is complete.

Trump also made the promise to withdraw troops when he was on the campaign trail in 2016, saying: 'I'd like to be able to bring them back home.'

The issue was 'not part of the equation right now', he said, but 'at some point I hope it will be.'

Trump's declarations are likely to alarm conservatives in South Korea, who have appealed to him not to put their country's security at risk.

A spokesman for the South Korean President Moon Jae-in said: 'At this point, we need to find out the precise meaning or intentions of President Trump's remarks.'A man has appeared in court over a brutal home raid where a burglar robbed a wheelchair-bound pensioner and cut off her hand to steal her ring.

Stephen Brisbane, 33, is accused of entering the home of Sandra McGowan, 62, 'uninvited', and viciously assaulting and robbing her on Valentine's Day in Dundee.

Brisbane knocked Miss McGowan out of her wheelchair, grabbing her wrist to 'sever her right hand with a knife' in order to steal her ring, prosecutors claimed.

The suspected burglar stole a number of items from her home, including a mobile phone and a door fob, the High Court in Glasgow heard.

Stephen Brisbane, 33, is accused of entering the home of Sandra McGowan, 62, 'uninvited', and viciously assaulting and robbing her on Valentine's Day in Dundee

Brisbane knocked Miss McGowan out of her wheelchair, grabbing her wrist to 'sever her right hand with a knife' in order to steal her ring, prosecutors claimed. Pictured: Miss McGowan's home in Dundee

Miss McGowan is said to have fallen unconscious during the brutal home raid.

Brisbane allegedly did not get medical help for her.

The charge states he attacked the woman, causing her severe injury, permanent disfigurement and impairment, as well as endangering her life.

Miss McGowan was rushed to Ninewells Hospital after the attack. She had been confined to her wheelchair after a stroke.

Brisbane faces an earlier accusation that he threatened his sister at an address in Dundee and stole a phone.

No plea was entered during the short hearing.

The suspected burglar stole a number of items from her home, including a mobile phone and a door fob, the High Court in Glasgow (pictured) heard

Lord Mulholland continued the case until next month.

After the attack in February, local police were stationed at the home for several hours, reported the Courier.

Brisbane was arrested later on that day, and appeared in court the next day on February 15.

The 33-year-old underwent a psychiatric assessment.

He was subjected to a psychiatric assessment to ensure he was fit to stand trial.

Miss McGowan's family said there had been 'no logic' to the attack.A riverside shopping complex is at the centre of a major police operation after hundreds of people were evacuated when a suspicious package was discovered.

Roads surrounding the Oracle Shopping Centre in Reading, Berkshire, were sealed off as an Army bomb disposal squad was called in just after 9am.

Shops and restaurants were ordered to close their doors and the local council offices, which are within he police cordon were shut down.

Photos from the scene showed bomb disposal units teams setting up near a House of Fraser store in the shopping complex.

Roads surrounding the Oracle Shopping Centre in Reading, Berkshire, were sealed off as an Army bomb disposal squad was called in just after 9am

The shopping centre tweeted that the Oracle had been 'full evacuated' and they are 'supporting police'

Several hours after the discovery was made, a spokesman for Thames Valley Police said that they were continuing to treat the object as suspicious and advised workers in nearby officers to remain inside their buildings.

The River Kennet runs through the centre of the Oracle Centre which is massively popular with shoppers from across the south of England.

The police spokesman said: 'Officers were called to the centre at 9am and have since cordoned off the area from the public as a precaution. Nearby restaurants have also been evacuated as officers work to establish the nature of the item.

'A cordon has been put around the large shopping centre, with the huge multi-storey car-park also being closed.'

Photos from the scene showed bomb disposal units teams setting up near a House of Fraser store in the shopping centre

A spokesman for The Oracle said: 'The safety of our staff and customers is our priority and we are working to support the police with their investigations.'

Minister Street, Castle Street and Gun Street were also closed, with a diversion set up via Inner Distribution Road.

Police are advising nearby residents to say in their buildings while the serious risk is dealt with by bomb disposal experts.

The Oracle complex had 90 shops, a 12 screen cinema and restaurants which line the banks of the River Kennet which flows through the shopping centre.

The retail unit covers two storeys of mall and includes Debenhams and House of Fraser there was multi-storey car park. Restaurants include Jamie's Italian, Wagamama and Pizza Express.Otto Warmbier 'did not die in vain' just days after he was released from North Korean custody in 2017, President Donald Trump said Tuesday, since the American college student's death helped initiate a process that led to a historic summit with North Korea.

'Otto Warmbier is a very special person and he will be for a long time in my life. His parents are good friends of mine,' Trump told reporters and a global TV audience after his nuclear summit with North Korean despot Kim Jong-un.

'I think without Otto this would not have happened. Something happened from that day  it was a terrible thing. It was brutal. A lot of people started to focus on what was going on, including North Korea.'

'Otto did not die in vain. He had a lot to do with us being here today,' Trump added.

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President Donald Trump said Tuesday that American college student Otto Warmbier 'did not die in vain' because the fallout from his case spurred U.S.-North Korea talks that led to Tuesday's nuclear summit

North Korean authorities arrested Warmbier in January 2016 for stealing a propaganda poster and sentenced him to 15 years of hard labor in prison. He was sent home from North Korea in a coma in 2017 and died six days later

'Otto did not die in vain. He had a lot to do with us being here today,' Trump said Tuesday after his history-making meeting with Kim Jong-un

Trump and Kim pledged, in the first ever meeting between leaders of the old foes, to work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula while Washington committed to providing security guarantees.

The U.S. president said he raised the issue of human rights with Kim, and he believed the North Korean leader wanted to 'do the right thing.' He said the negotiations he has initiated should help improve conditions in the isolated country.

Warmbier, a University of Virginia student from Wyoming, Ohio, died at the age of 22, days after he was returned to the United States in a coma.

He had been imprisoned in North Korea beginning in January 2016 after being sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for trying to steal a poster bearing a propaganda slogan from his hotel, North Korea state media said.

An Ohio coroner said the cause of his death was lack of oxygen and blood to the brain.

North Korea blamed botulism and ingestion of a sleeping pill and dismissed torture claims.

Trump left Singapore after marathon meetings that he said kept him awake for more than 25 hours straight

Otto Wambier's mother Cindy and her husband Fred have sued the North Korean government over its treatment of their son

Trump, who has in the past condemned North Korea as one of the world's most brutal regimes, said he had discussed human rights with Kim.

'I believe it's a rough situation over there, there's no question about it, and we did discuss it today pretty strongly ... at pretty good length, and we'll be doing something on it,' he said.

'He wants to do the right thing,' he said of Kim.

Asked by a reporter if he was betraying political prisoners in North Korea by legitimising the government, Trump said:

'No, I think I've helped them, because I think things will change. At a certain point, I really think he's going to do something about it.'

In a landmark 2014 report, U.N. investigators said that 80,000 to 120,000 people were thought to be held in camps in North Korea.

At the Singapore summit, Kim agreed to the goal of destroying his nuclear weapons program and Trump signaled his sillingness to relax sanctions so North Korea can grow economically

A U.N. expert called last week for the United States and other powers to put human rights firmly on the agenda in talks with North Korea, saying it would help make any progress towards denuclearisation 'sustainable'.

Warmbier's mother Cindy told a U.N. symposium on the human rights situation in North Korea last month: 'I can't let Otto die in vain. ... We're not special, but we're Americans and we know what freedom's like, and we have to stand up for this. We have to.'

Cindy and her husband Fred Warmbier have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against North Korea, saying its government tortured and killed their son. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., seeks compensation for the death of their 22-year-old son in June 2017.

'We are trying to build a pathway that leads directly to Kim and his regime to force them to be answerable for their actions,' Mr. Warmbier said.

Cindy Warmbier said Otto was brain dead at four months of captivity, and anyone who had a heart would have said, 'Well, we screwed up, let's get him some medical care.'

But instead, she said, the North Koreans left him in a horrible place with no care to vegetate, and then acted 'like we're doing the world a favor' and released him saying he had botulism - which U.S. doctors never confirmed.

'So we can't be quiet can we?' Cindy said. 'People say why are you doing this? How can I not? How can I not? How can anybody be quiet when this is going on?'

'The only thing we can do is rub their noses in this. It embarrasses them. They don't like the world to think that they aren't trying to be a member of the world, and they like to act like a victim, like they've been treated poorly,' she said.A tourist has died after falling seven metres from a cliff near Sydney's popular Bronte Beach.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene on Tuesday afternoon after reports a person had gone over the rock face at about 2.30pm.

A number of emergency workers desperately fought to save the man's life but a New South Wales Police spokeswoman confirmed he died at the scene.

A tourist has died after falling seven metres from a cliff near Sydney's popular Bronte Beach (pictured)

Emergency crews (pictured) rushed to the scene on Tuesday afternoon after reports a person had gone over the rock face at about 2.30pm

A number of emergency workers desperately fought to save the man's life but a New South Wales Police spokeswoman confirmed he died at the scene

Police are not treating the death as suspicious and family have been informed, the spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia (stock image of Bronte Beach)

Police are not treating the death as suspicious and family have been informed, the spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.

Stephen Leahy, CEO of Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter, said the man had fallen about seven metres and on to a rock ledge above the water.

'Police, ambulance on scene and treating patient for potential severe injuries,' Mr Leahy tweeted earlier.

He said it was not safe to winch the person to safety and that the rescue helicopter had returned to base.

Paramedics continued to treat the patient at the scene until he passed away during the rescue process.

Initially, a New South Wales police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia the patient's condition was stable.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene in the city's east on Tuesday afternoon and are attempting to locate the person

Stephen Leahy, CEO of Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter, said the man had fallen about seven metres and on to a rock ledge above the water

He said it was not safe to winch the person to safety and that the rescue helicopter had returned to base

Paramedics continued to treat the patient at the scene until he passed away during the rescueThe inquest of a young father who was stabbed to death has been dramatically halted after the judge called for a investigation into whether the killer should have been in prison at the time of the murder.

Timothy Deakin, 22, was suspected of carrying weapons, dealing drugs and hanging around with a co-defendant in the weeks before he murdered Michael Hoolickin, 27, outside a pub.

But in the time since his release, he failed 11 of 15 drug tests while on licence, nine of which were positive for both cocaine and cannabis.

Despite being suspected by police of carrying weapons and dealing drugs, along with failing the drugs tests, he was never recalled the prison.

Deakin had just been released from jail eight months earlier after serving half his four year and eight-month sentence for biting off half a man's ear.

A few weeks before Mr Hoolickan's death, Deakin was charged with a driving offence and repeatedly breached a requirement to be at home for scheduled police visits.

However he escaped being sent back to jail, and got away with just a written warning, which included an arrest for possession of cannabis with intent to supply.

Michael Hoolickin (with his son Ellis) who died after he was stabbed outside a pub in Middleton

In October 2016, having been out of jail for eight months, Deakin stabbed Mr Hoolickin five times outside a pub in Middleton, Greater Manchester after he chastised him for hitting a woman.

He was jailed for life, with a minimum of 27 years to serve after being found guilty at Bolton Crown Court last April.

The coroner said it was 'astounding' information regarding Deakin's drug, drink and suspected weapons charges while on licences had only been released on the second day of the inquest into Mr Hoolickin's death, which has now been halted.

The coroner also called for an independent report to investigate Deakin's involvement with probation services.

Ms Kearsley said: 'It seems to me that the issue with regards to the possibility of recall is now central to the heart of this case.

'I find it astounding that this [information] has come to light so late. In fairness to everyone, an independent report is warranted.'

Addressing Mr Hoolickin's family - including his father Garry, a retired footballer with more than 200 appearances for Oldham Athletic - as she adjourned the inquest, Ms Kearsley said: 'I am sorry we have got to this point.

'I am sure you will have wanted to conclude these matters, but if we are going to do this, we do it properly and that's what's important.

'I don't think any of us would have left here feeling like that without taking this step.'

In a statement, Garry and his partner Lesley said: 'This delay is upsetting but our fight for answers won't stop.

'We heard today in court that there may be other cases in which other families have lost their loved ones in circumstances where other offenders were out on licence and being supervised by the same local probation service. Our hearts go out to those families.

'We have always said that we are doing this for our Michael and to make sure that the same thing does not happen to any other family.'

Michael's father Gary Hoolickan told the inquest of his anguish after learning his son's killer was allowed to remain free despite breaching his licence.

'As a family we want a definite change. We don't want this to happen to another family. It's nearly killed myself and my wife. It's absolutely disgraceful, I think, what's going on' Gary Hoolickan told the inquest.

Coroner Joanne Kearsley said it was 'astounding' that information regarding the drug tests only came to light on the second day of an inquest.

Deakin was released from prison on February 23, 2016, having passed a drugs test.

He was subjected to ten conditions, including that he stay at first at a hostel for newly released prisoners and abide by a curfew and agree to further drugs testing.

He later tested positive for cannabis and cocaine, which he dismissed as 'a social thing'.

In October 2016, having been out of jail for eight months, Deakin stabbed Mr Hoolickin five times outside a pub in Middleton, Greater Manchester after he chastised him for hitting a woman

Police intelligence from June 2016, sent to the probation service, suggested he had been carrying weapons and had been seen with a co-defendant, both potential breaches of his licence.

When he was charged with a driving offence, the curfew - which had been lifted - was reinstated, although again he was allowed to remain at large, the court heard.

He was also arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis with intent to supply but the court heard no further action was taken.

The inquest heard a risk assessment on his release had concluded there was 71 per cent chance of him committing another violent offence within a year of his release.

Deakin also failed to complete three courses while in prison.

He refused the offer of drug intervention services and had not completed a 'thinking skills' course despite claiming to probation staff that he had, the inquest heard.

Garry Hoolickin told the inquest he was unhappy when he heard from a police victim support worker that Deakin was a prolific offender who was being supervised by probation workers at the time of his son's death.

He said he asked for the matter to be looked into and about nine months after his son died described how probation staff came to his home - but this was only to discuss what would happen when their son's killer was eventually released from prison.

A week later, he said two different probation workers visited his home, one of them telling him she had seen Deakin the week before he had carried out the murder and that he had failed a drugs test.

He added the officer admitted she should have recalled Deakin to prison immediately and was forced to dismiss one member of staff and suspend another.

Police scene on Cheapside in Middleton after a Mr Hoolickan was stabbed

Mr Hoolickin said the officer agreed with his suggestion that his son was murdered 'through two members of your staff'.

'I asked if they had done their job in the right way my son would still be have been alive today and she replied 'yes'. It was pretty shocking news. I just could not believe it,' Mr Hoolickin told the inquest.

He said he was told by the probation worker they were 'so sorry' and that 'there have been mistakes made'.

Rather than being told formally, Mr Hoolickin told the court he was forced to make his own enquiries about Deakin's history of violence and that he had been taking drugs.

Deakin, he said, had failed drug tests and what happened to his son 'could have been avoided'.

Earlier, he had described his son as a 'cracking lad' who had worked for a window fitting firm and was 'well loved' and missed by his son, who was four at the time.

'He wants to get in a helicopter to visit his dad because he knows he's up there in the sky,' said Mr Hoolickin.

Barrister for the probation service confirmed there had been two other murders or manslaughter in the past three years in Greater Manchester that were committed while the culprit was on licence.

She also announced her intention to contact Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins to request coroners are, in future, always informed if murder or manslaughter offenders have been involved with the probation service.A worker who posted a job advertisement asking for only Korean, Japanese or Taiwanese employees has blamed the mistake on their poor English.

The strawberry farm job opening was posted on Facebook to the Bundaberg Job Vacanices Page, but has since been deleted.

The post read, 'Our farm can work now only Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese.

'If you are Aussie or European, please don't contact to me.'

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A Strawberry farm in Bundaberg, Queensland, does not want Australian or European applicants for their recently posted job opening (stock image)

The post read: 'If you are Aussie or European, please don't contact me.' It has since been deleted

Following backlash over the discriminatory post, the worker has since apologised.

'Sorry for the misleading post,' the post read.

'I like to be clear I am not working for SSS farm and have nothing to do with SSS either work or accommodation. This post is for our farm and sorry my English was not clear.'

There were initial concerns the ad was connected to one of the region's biggest strawberry producers, SSS Strawberries, but the company said it had nothing to do with it, which was clarified in a follow-up post by the original advertiser, news.com.au reported.

SSS Strawberries denied connection to the job advertisement.

The Courier-Mail reported that the SSS Strawberries owner, Toan Nguyen, was proud of his company's multiculturalism and local community support.

SSS Strawberries, a large company of the region, denies connection to the shocking post (stock image)

The post sparked a discrimination debate as the online community reacted in anger.

Tiegan Lyn commented on the advertisement, stating that it was proof that Australians were being left behind.

'I feel passionately about this as it is getting out of hand and it is giving my hometown a bad reputation,' she said.

The Australian Human Rights Commission says: 'Job advertisements should not discourage some people from applying or imply that only certain applicants will be considered.'

'The Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (Cth) protects people from discrimination in employment because of their religion, political opinion, national extraction, nationality, social origin, medical record, criminal record or trade union activity,' the website states.Claire Morgan was jailed for two years and three months after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice

A lying woman who made up bogus sex assault claims against an innocent taxi driver has been jailed for more than two years.

Claire Morgan, 35, of Bridgend, Wales, took a five-minute taxi ride with Samir Uddin, a father of three and treasurer at his local mosque.

But three days later she called police to claim Mr Uddin had taken her to an adventure playground, grabbed her breast and put his hand down her underwear.

Morgan even set up a fake Facebook profile under the name Sarah Jenkins to answer a police appeal claiming she had witnessed the attack in May last year.

The mother-of-one also anonymously called Crimestoppers giving a detailed witness account of the bogus incident.

But the court heard the call handler found it 'odd' because of the amount of detail she gave.

Mr Uddin, who was a treasurer at a mosque in Port Talbot, was later arrested by police and spent six hours in custody.

Prosecutor Rachel Knight said: 'On May 14 she telephoned police alleging she had been victim of a sexual assault by a taxi driver.

'She described how the taxi driver put his hand down her top and trousers.

Morgan (pictured) even set up a fake Facebook profile under the name Sarah Jenkins to answer a police appeal claiming she had witnessed the attack

'She said he opened the door and grabbed her and she said she kneed him in the genitals and ran away.'

Mr Uddin was arrested by police - but Morgan's web of lies began to unravel after she gave different accounts of the attack to friends.

The court heard she told one friend the driver couldn't put his hand in her trousers because she was wearing a belt - and told another that she had kicked out the taxi window.

Police also checked CCTV of her taxi journey and found inconsistencies.

Ms Knight said: 'Police realised that the account the defendant had given was not in line with the CCTV.'

Morgan's clothes were taken for forensic examination but only her DNA were found on the items.

The court heard Morgan had told lies in the past - claiming on social media that her daughter had left the Manchester Arena half an hour before the bomb went off.

She also told people her brother had been killed by a drink driver and that she had suffered a stillborn pregnancy in prison - which were all lies.

In a police interview the taxi driver said: 'I sensed people were judging me and I felt awkward at times.

'It felt good finally being able to tell my wife, family and friends that I was a completely innocent man.'

The court heard the driver had to hand over his badge during the six week investigation - which was the only income for his family.

The police spent 60 hours investigating the offence and 450 was spent on forensics.

Morgan, who suffers a personality disorder, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice. She was jailed for two years and six months at Cardiff Crown court.

Judge Eleri Rees said: 'She went to remarkable lengths to bolster her account.

'Largely due to the diligence of the police officer and the CCTV the driver did not face charge.

'Here was a huge waste of police resources.'

After the hearing, police hit at the 'devastation' to the innocent taxi driver caused by the sex lies told by Claire Morgan.

Detective Constable Steve Gunney said: 'Thankfully, false allegations of this nature are relatively rare but as Judge Eleri Rees rightly pointed out, they do divert vital resources away from genuine cases.

'Claire Morgan went to great lengths to ensure her version of events was believed and her actions will have wasted valuable police time which could have been far better spent seeking justice for genuine victims.

'Her allegations also had a devastating impact on the man she accused. I hope she uses her time in prison to reflect on the harm her lies have caused.

'South Wales Police has a dedicated Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) team which takes all reports of sexual offences seriously.

'We work closely with partners, including the Crown Prosecution Service and Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC), to ensure victims who find the courage to come forward to report crimes committed against them are treated with dignity and respect and are given the specialist support they require.

'I would urge anyone who has been the victim of a sexual offence to report it.'A Kuwaiti game show host has been fired from a state-run TV-channel after viewers allegedly complained about her outfit.

Amal Al-Awadhi, 29, was still live on air when, she claims, she heard controllers being ordered to stop the broadcast with immediate effect.

The reason for taking the show off the air was allegedly that viewers had taken to Twitter to complain that Ms Al-Awadhi's white dress was inappropriate for Ramadan.

'Inappropriate': Viewers had allegedly complained about this dress worn by game show host Amal Al-Awadhi, 29, prompting a government official to order her off the air

The incident took place during a live broadcast of a game show Ms Al-Awadhi was hosting on a Kuwait Television channel, a station run by the Kuwaiti government.

Taking to Snapchat afterwards, Ms Al-Awadhi said: 'I heard someone saying, "take Amal Al Awadhi off air now, or I'll shut down the channel," according to Stepfeed.

The website claims the person making the demands was a government official, and although it has not been confirmed as the cause, it came after a number of viewers complained about Ms Al-Awadhi's outfit.

She wore a cream-coloured knee-length lace dress with trumped sleeves and the presenter herself is baffled as to why anyone took offense.

Claims: Ms Al-Awadhi says she heard the controllers being ordered to take her off air

Fired: According to local media, several viewers deemed the 29-year-old's dress 'inappropriate' for the month of Ramadan

'Because my show was airing during Ramadan, I was extra cautious about not going against any of our traditions, I took care of what I wore and how I spoke,' she added.

The 29-year-old, who also works as an actress, says she had not been told why she was fired from her hosting job.

Several Twitter users have chimed in with her critics, saying the dress should have been more modest, while others defend Ms Al-Awadhi's choice of clothing.

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan takes place on the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar and is currently underway.

It is a time for fasting and prayer, and from dawn until sunset, practicing and healthy adult Muslims refrain from food and drink.A Domino's employee has been fired after he was caught on camera calling a customer the N-word during an argument over a misplaced pizza order.

Marlon Robinson, 36, began filming the encounter after things got heated with the employee at the chain's Pembroke Pines, Florida store.

Robinson told WSVN that the trouble began when he ordered pizza from the Domino's app on May 5 and it was sent to the wrong location.

He called the store and an employee apologized for the mistake and told him she would send the order to his local chain at Pembroke Pines.

A Domino's employee was fired after he was caught on camera calling customer Martin Robinson (pictured) the N-word during an argument over a misplaced pizza order

The employee also offered him a 50 percent discount for the error.

Robinson waited two more hours. When the pizza didn't arrive, he decided to drive to the Domino's with his two daughters and pick up the food himself.

But things took a turn for the worse when the manager refused to honor the discount that had been offered by the other store.

'You're the manager, I'm the customer. Act accordingly,' Robinson can be heard telling the man behind the counter in the video as they start to argue.

Robinson went to his local Domino's in Pembroke Pines, Florida after his order was two hours later. He began arguing with the manager, who refused to honor a promised discount

'I'm not your friend, you don't talk to me like that,' he continues.

'You don't talk to other people like that,' the manager replies.

'Why not? I'm the customer. I'm mad,' Robinson shoots back.

Then Robinson asks how much he owes the employee and, after being charged $12.60, hands over a $20 bill.

'Give me my s**t,' Robinson tells the man.

Robinson's pizza boxes are then thrown on the floor as one employee calls him the N-word.

Robinson's pizza boxes (pictured) are thrown on the floor during the heated exchange as one employee calls him the N-word

Domino's gave Robinson a $100 gift card and said in a statement that it was 'mortified' by the behavior of the employee, who has since been fired

'Here goes my money,' Robinson replies, taking his cash back from the counter.

Robinson said the entire encounter left him 'speechless'.

'I didn't know what to say,' he added.

'In the video I was more upset - not of the two-hour wait, not of the discount - none of any of that. I was upset by how I was treated, as far as me being the customer and them being the business.'

'I don't want to be silent. I've lived in this community over 25 years, and I don't think that the kids after me, who maybe look like me or act like me or talk like me, should have to deal with this whenever they go somewhere and not be heard.'

Domino's gave Robinson a $100 gift card and said in a statement that it was 'mortified' by the behavior of the employee, who has since been fired.

But Robinson said being 'mortified' isn't enough, and has since hired attorney Yechezkel Rodal (pictured together) to make sure a similar experience doesn't happen to someone else

'Behavior such as that has no place in our brand. We are sincerely sorry this occurred,' Domino's said in a statement.

But Robinson said being 'mortified' isn't enough, and has since hired an attorney to make sure a similar experience doesn't happen to someone else.

'We want to bring this to light,' said Robinson's attorney, Yechezkel Rodal.

'To let businesses know it's not okay to treat customers like this. It's never okay to use the N-word.'President Donald Trump says he trusts North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un to keep to their agreement and denuclearize his country.

The president touted the personal relationship between the two - who met for the first time in person Tuesday - and his ability to quickly take the measure of the man.

'I do trust him, yeah,' Trump told ABC News. 'Maybe in a year you'll be interviewing and I'll say I made a mistake. It's possible. We're dealing at a high level, a lot of things can change a lot of things are possible.'

President Trump told ABC News that he and Kim Jong-Un trust one another

Trump told ABC's George Stephanopoulos of Kim: 'I think he trusts me, and I trust him'

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump sign documents after their meetings at the Capella resort

President Donald Trump walks out with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un after taking part in a signing ceremony at the end of their historic US-North Korea summit

He added that trust is returned.

'He trusts me, I believe, I really do,' he said. 'He said no other president could have done this. I think he trusts me, and I trust him.'

The president, who enjoys making deals, said that history of negotiations helped him get a read on Kim.

'You know, over my lifetime I've done a lot of deals with a lot of people, and sometimes the people that you most distrust turn out to be the most honorable ones, and the people that you do trust they are not the honorable ones, so we are starting from a very high plane, we're starting from a very good relationship. This has been a very big day in terms of the world,' he said.

Trump went on to explain that he feels Kim wants to do a good job for his country.

'I'm given what I'm given,' Trump said. 'This is what we have, this is where we are, and I can only tell you from my experience, and I've met him, I've spoken with him. I've met him. And this is, this has started early and it's been very intense. I think that he really wants to do a great job for North Korea. I think he wants to de-nuke, without that, there's nothing to discuss. It was on the table from the beginning, and you see a total denuclearization of North Korea  so important.'

And, he argued, Kim gets a lot out of the bargain struck between the two.

'He's going to be happy. His country does love him. His people, you see the fervor. They have a great fervor.'

The president prides himself on his ability to read people and often breaches diplomatic protocol in favor of one-on-one conversations.

When Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Mar-a-Lago in April 2017, Trump upended weeks of international negotiations by asking for an immediate one-on-one meeting with Xi.

In July of last year, when Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, the meeting between the two men - that was originally scheduled for 30 minutes - went well over the two hour mark. It was running so long that first lady Melania Trump was sent in to try and end it although she failed in her attempt.

In an effort to continue his art of personal relations, Trump told ABC News he'd love to have Kim visit the Whit House.

'Whatever it takes, and I would love to have him at the White House, and I think he'd love to be there,' he said.

The president also said he had to use some tough talk to get the summit, which was scheduled and then canceled and then rescheduled, back on the table.

'Well I think without the rhetoric we wouldn't have been here,' Trump told Fox News. 'I really believe that. You know, we did sanctions and all the things you would do but I think without the rhetoric ... I hated to do it, sometimes I felt foolish doing it, but we had no choice.'

Trump canceled the summit in a May 24 letter to Kim that lamented that 'this missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history.'

President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un after signing documents that acknowledge the progress of the talks and pledge to keep momentum going

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump leave following a signing ceremony during their historic U.S.-North Korea summit

President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un shake hands following a signing ceremony at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore

'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.

And he added, '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.'

A week later, North Korean official Kim Yong Chol delivered a letter from Kim to Trump in the Oval Office and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with a North Korean delegation.

Trump described that letter as 'very nice' and 'very interesting' although he acknowledged a few minutes afterward that he hadn't yet read it.

The letter from Kim was reportedly very friendly in tone and expressed his desire to meet the president.

Shortly thereafter, the Singapore summit was back on.

And, in the time leading up to the historic meeting, which Trump hopes to get a Noble Peace Prize out of, the president told Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials to tone down the rhetoric.

Trump had led the tough talk against Kim earlier in his administration, calling him a 'rocket man' in his September speech to the United Nations.

But as talk of a summit began to take fruit, the president changed his tune, according toThe Wall Street Journal.

National Security Adviser John Bolton and Vice President Mike Pence were told to tone down their comments.

'Mike, you got it?' Trump told the vice president, a person in the room told the Journal. 'No f***ing crazy talk from anybody in the administration.'

President Donald Trump holds up a document signed by him and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un

President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un stop to talk with the media as they walk from their lunch at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump shake hands prior to their meeting on Sentosa Island in Singapore

President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference after the meeting with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un

The president didn't get into the specifics of the ultimate deal he signed with Kim, saying the specifics would be released later.

'They're going to get rid of certain ballistic missile sites and various other things. We're gonna put that out later. But we have the framework of getting ready to denuclearize North Korea,' he told ABC News in an interview conducted after he deal was signed and before Trump left Singapore.

'I mean he's de-nuking the whole place. It's going to start very quickly. I think he's going to start now. They'll be announcing things over the next few days.'

Trump also vowed the United States will be 'monitoring things' to make sure North Korea lived up to its side of the bargain.

As part of the agreement, the U.S. will soon end or scale back longstanding joint military exercises with South Korea.

The two leaders signed a joint statement at the Capella resort in Singapore. The U.S. did not immediately release the document, but news photographers caught sight of the text when Trump flashed a copy to the press.

The agreement reaffirms an earlier declaration signed between North and South Korea, and commits the North to 'work towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.'

Another point commits the U.S. and North Korea 'to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.'

An additional point committed the nations to 'join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.'

A joint statement from Trump and Kim was short on the deal's details, including any timetable or verification measures.An 18-year-old stabbed his 82-year-old neighbor, stole her credit cards and left her for dead because he was hungry, according to Florida police.

Tyler Hyden Owens was charged with attempted murder and home invasion on Monday after he allegedly broke into the Pensacola home of Carrol Lyne Carmichael on Saturday night and attacked her from behind before taking her purse.

Carmichael was found hours later on Sunday morning and is now recovering in the hospital.

She was able to describe her attacker to police, who quickly found Owens at the same apartment complex and arrested him.

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Tyler Hyden Owens, 18, has been accused of stabbing his 82-year-old neighbor Carrol Lyne Carmichael before stealing her credit cards and leaving her for dead in Pensacola, Florida

Carmichael was found in her unlocked apartment, pictured, on Sunday morning, several hours after the attack at around 11pm Saturday. She is currently recovering in the hospital

Carmichael was sitting in a recliner chair in her home at Arbor Club Apartments around 11pm Saturday when Owens opened the unlocked front door and stabbed her in the back, according to a police report.

During the attack he allegedly told Carmichael: 'I'm sorry, but I haven't eaten in four days.'

The 82-year-old was found by a family member the next morning at around 10am.

Along with the stab wound on her back she also suffered a deep cut from below her left ear to below her chin and had defensive wounds on her hand.

She is being treated at Sacred Heart Hospital and is expected to recover from the injuries.

While they were processing the crime scene on Sunday morning police identified Owens, who matched Carmichael's description.

'Our investigators got up there and began canvassing the area and came across an individual that had several cuts on his hands like defensive wounds or fingernail marks,' police spokesman Mike Wood told ABC3.

In Owens' apartment investigators found Carmichael's purse covered in blood, her credit cards, a bloody tank top and a large Bowie knife.

They also found a jar of money that Owens had allegedly promised to donate to Carmichael's church.

Owens claimed that he had no knowledge of the attack and that he wasn't at the complex on Saturday night.

However, the man Owens had been staying with told police that Owens was in fact there, and that he had come home that night with a large knife.

Owens was arrested at the complex on Sunday. Police say he matches Carmichael's description of her attacker and that they found her purse and a large knife in his apartment

Residents at the complex were shocked to hear of the attack.

'It's a quiet place, I had no idea anything like this would happen,' resident Maggie Clark, who moved in back in March, told ABC3.

'Since I've been here I met a few of the neighbors and they're really nice and we go for walks, I see people walking their dogs and it's just a normal community. I don't get it, can't imagine,' said Clark.

Another resident Jade Owen said of Carmichael: 'I hope she does heal properly and feel safe. I just want justice for her.

'I know the guy is in jail now but I want more answers. It makes me just not want to go outside.'

Owens is currently being held without bond at Escambia County Jail.A Long Island man faces a fine of up to $20,000 for chopping a tree down in his own yard.

Pericles Linardos has lived at the same Village of Muttontown, New York, home since he was 12.

During Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the harsh conditions caused dozens of trees on his property to split.

Pericles Linardos has lived at the same Village of Muttontown, New York, home since he was 12

Several have since been replaced with bushes.

One that had fallen managed to damage six others when it fell, prompting Linardos to have all of them removed two months later.

He claims to have consulted tree experts who said that the removal was necessary, according to CBS New York.

During Hurricane Sandy, the harsh conditions caused dozens of trees on his property to split

One that had fallen managed to damage six others when it fell, prompting Linardos to have all of them removed two months later

But in order to remove trees in the neighborhood, especially those with a diameter of seven inches or more, require a permit to remove unless it is an emergency.

Muttontown Village Attorney Steven Leventhal leads the charge trying to enforce a $22,500 fine for removing the trees

'We got a phone call,' said Muttontown Village Attorney Steven Leventhal. 'Our arborist went out saw the trees already down. He said they were healthy.'

The attorney asserted that cutting down the trees was an act that could be tied to active pollution.

Under the law, a $250 fine per tree-inch is issued out and measured across the diameter.

With 90inches, the total comes out to $22,5000.

If the Long Island native does not pay, he could face up to 15 days in jail.

Leventhal claims that Linardos isn't the only to be hit with the heavy fine.

But the man is adamant that he would rather go to jail than pay the fine.This is the nightmarish moment an Indian worker is accidentally knocked backwards over a first floor balcony by a colleague balancing a heavy bundle of clothes on her head.

The unidentified woman, part of a team of saree vendor workers visiting a housing complex in Surat in Gujarat to sell their clothes, was injured in the fall.

She crashed through a clothesline pegged with drying garments to the ground below.

The woman's very large bundle on the left knocks right into the load being carried by the vendor on the right (obscured)

The worker, in red, right, had been trying to make way for a fellow Indian saree vendor

But because the other woman's wide bundle, also being carried on her head, knocks right into her load, it knocks her off balance

The weight of the load tips her over the edge, towards a clothesline pegged with garments below

The woman whose bundle knocked against her load realises what has happened and stops in her tracks, to see if she can help, but it is too late

The woman looks over the edge of the balcony, to where the woman is lying injured below

CCTV footage captured the unidentified woman in red walking along a narrow corridor on the first floor while balancing a bundle of clothes on her head.

She can be seen trying to make way for a colleague carrying a very wide bundle of clothes on her head, who does not appear to see her.

As the woman in red backs on to the balcony edge, to create space, the other womans bundle knocks into her bundle as she pushes past, making the heavy load of clothing tilt, and unbalances the woman.

The weight of the load carries her over the edge as she plummets backwards towards the ground below, with her legs flipping over the side.

Her co-worker, suddenly realising she is about to fall, reaches out to save her. She quickly drops her own bundle, rushes to the edge of the balcony and others come running over.

But it is too late to stop her plummeting from the first floor.

Four women are shown looking over the balcony towards the injured saree vendor below, who by this stage is out of shot of the CCTV footage.President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un have agreed to return the remains of American servicemen who fought in the Korean War to the U.S. as part of their historic Singapore accord.

In a joint statement signed by the two leaders, the countries committed to the recovery of the remains of U.S. military personnel from the Korean War and the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

Trump said he's heard from countless American families who want 'the remains of their sons back.'

'I asked for it today, and we got it,' he said at his press conference in Singapore Tuesday after he and Kim signed their deal. 'That was a very last minute. The remains will be coming back. They're going to start that process immediately.'

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters during a press conference after his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

President Donald Trump holds a press conference after the meeting with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un as part of the U.S.-North Korea summit

President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un shake hands following a signing ceremony during their historic U.S.-North Korea summit

Nearly 7,800 U.S. troops remain unaccounted for from the 1950-53 Korean war. About 5,300 were lost in North Korea.

That line item in the accord between the U.S. and North Korea could produce the most tangible outcome of the agreement, which otherwise had vague vows of peace and nuclear disarmament.

No where in the agreement, however, was a timetable for any of the agreed upon points nor were details provided on how they would be carried out and verified.

And it's debatable how much of a win this is for the president as North Korea has been cooperating on the return of U.S. remains for years.

Between 1996 and 2005, joint U.S.-North Korea military search teams carried out 33 recovery operations and recovered 229 sets of American remains.

However, those recovery efforts have been stalled for the past decade as American leaders grew concerned over North Korea's developing nuclear capabilities.

As tensions grew between the two nations, the safety of American recovery teams couldn't be guaranteed.

North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in 2006.

Trump said Kim was very understanding and cooperative when he asked for the repatriation to be part of their agreement.

'Many people, even during the campaign, they'd say, 'Is there any way you can work with North Korea to get the remains of my son back or my father back?' So many people asked me this question,' Trump said. 'And, you know, I said, 'Look, we don't get along too well with that particular group of people.' But now we do. And he agreed to that so quickly and so nice - it was really a very nice thing, and he understands it. He understands it.'

According to the Pentagon's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, most missing Americans died in major battles or as prisoners of war in North Korea. Others died in small villages or along the wayside. Most aircraft crashes also occurred near the battle zones or roads connecting them.

Washington and Pyongyang agreed to hold follow-up talks at the 'earliest possible date' between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a relevant high North Korean official to work out the details of the agreement.

Trump said human rights in general - Human Rights Watch described North Korea as 'one of the most repressive authoritarian states in the world' - will be discussed more in the future.

He told Voice of America in an interview Kim was doing 'what he's seen done' when it comes to human rights.

'Look, hes doing what hes seen done, if you look at it. But, I really have to go by today and by yesterday and by a couple of weeks ago because thats really when this whole thing started,' Trump said.

A 2017 report by the International Bar Association estimates that North Korea is holding between 80,000130,000 political prisoners.

President Donald Trump greets North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore

Nearly 7,800 U.S. troops remain unaccounted for from the Korean war and about 5,300 were lost in North Korea

President Trump and Kim Jong-Un agreed to return the remains of American servicemen from the Korean War as part of their historic Singapore accord

The report also cites evidence of crimes against humanity committed in North Korea's political prisons, which includes 'systematic murder (including infanticide), torture, persecution of Christians, rape, forced abortions, starvation and overwork leading to countless deaths.'

A 400-page United Nation Commission of Inquiry report from 2014 declared the 'gravity, scale and nature of these violations' in North Korea 'reveal a state that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world.'

North Korea officials called the U.N. report a 'fabrication.'

Trump said North Korea's human rights record 'was discussed relatively briefly compared to denuclearization.'

'They will be doing things, and I think he wants to do things,' Trump added of Kim although he offered no specifics.

'Things will be happening. Okay?'

Pressed again on the issue during his news conference, Trump said: ' I believe it's a rough situation over there. There's no question about it. And we did discuss it today pretty strongly. I mean, knowing what the main purpose of what we were doing is: denuking. But discussed it at pretty good length. We'll be doing something on it.'

He added: 'I think it will change. Yeah. I think it probably has to, but I think it will. Yeah.'After Tory MP Phillip Lees resignation hours before the crucial Brexit vote, four more ministers are predicted to quit over the EU Withdrawal Bill and Theresa Mays detrimental policy for an exit from the European Union.

Phillip Lees resignation was announced live on stage during a speech in London in which he said that he could not possibly support the way in which Brexit was currently being delivered and wanted to be a voice for his constituents.

Conservative minister Philip Lee has quit his job over the way Theresa May is delivering Brexit

However, as Eurosceptics pointed out, the Remainers Bracknell seat had voted 53 per cent to Leave in the EU referendum and this led to the local party chair criticizing his decision.

Dr Lees stepping down from government has put intense pressure on the UK Prime Minister and particularly stinging, as May and Lee are close friends.

In his speech, the Justice Minister urged the Conservatives to vote with reason and said that there should be a second referendum if he is to look my children in the eye and honestly say that I did my best for them. But who is Phillip Lee?

Who is Phillip Lee?

Born Phillip James Lee on September 28, 1970, he is a British Conservative politician who has recently garnered media attention after resigning as the MP occupying the Bracknell seat since 2010 because of Mays Brexit strategy.

Phillip studied at Sir William Borlases Grammar School in Buckinghamshire and went on to study Human Biology and Biological Anthropology at Kings College London and then Keble College at Oxford.

Here, he studied the psychodynamics of anti-Semitism, the influence of the prenatal environment on adult disease and the psychology of the child sex offender. Lee then attended Imperial College and qualified as a doctor in 1999.

After medical school, Phillip was a junior doctor at many hospitals before working as a GP for over 10 years in Berkshire and Buckingham. While he still practices, Dr Lee has also served as Vice Chair of the Parliamentary Space Committee.

Dr Phillip Lee MP, Minister for Human Rights, gave a keynote speech in London in June 2018

Lee then became a member of the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee and also served on the Medical Panel of the Parliamentary Estate as well as the Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology.

He also served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State responsible for Youth Justice, Victims, Female Offenders & Offender Health at the Ministry of Justice.

During his time as a Justice Minister, Phillip Lee revealed that he was interested in increasing the use of chemical castration on sex offenders and paedophiles and was keen to find an evidence-based approach to returning prisoners to normal life.

A source within the MoJ told the Daily Express: 'Dr Lee knows this is controversial but the medication is voluntary although it can be linked to an increased chance of getting parole.

'There is a debate over the effectiveness of the courses but very little doubt that chemical castration works.

'Essentially, libido suppressing medications in tandem with psychological therapies are more effective than what is generally being attempted currently.'

Lee is one of May's few close friends in politics and she is said to have attended his wedding

Phillip Lee Brexit

Phillip Lee quit as Justice Minister after speaking out against the Governments plans for Brexit. The fervent Remainer warned young voters that Brexit would be as toxic as Donald Trumps proposed wall with Mexico, back in October 2017.

He said: 'It's about the virtual signalling of essentially being closed off to the world, because for most young people the world is just Amazon, it's just there, and it seems retrograde to being seen to be putting up barriers. It's like Trump's wall.

'So, single market access or not, I don't think it's what young people are talking about. I think what this is about is closing off, turning away from Europe, and also having controls on migration.'

At the start of 2018, Lee broke ranks with Government and warned that Brexit strategy should be driven by evidence not dogma in a series of Twitter posts.

He wrote on Twitter: 'But if these figures turn out to be anywhere near right, there would be a serious question over whether a government could legitimately lead a country along a path that the evidence and rational consideration indicate would be damaging.'

He added: 'Its time for evidence, not dogma, to show the way. We must act for our countrys best interests, not ideology & populism, or history will judge us harshly. Our country deserves no less.'

On June 12, while May faced knife-edge votes on the flagship EU bill, Phillip Lee dramatically quit and accused the Prime Minister of harming the country. He urged his fellow Tory MPs to back a meaningful vote and encouraged a second referendum.

He said: 'If, in the future, I am to look my children in the eye and honestly say that I did my best for them I cannot, in all good conscience, support how our country's exit from the EU looks set to be delivered.'

When is the Brexit vote?

On June 12, 2018, there will be two sets of votes at 4:15pm and at 7:15pm BST and the vote on the meaningful vote amendment or amendments will come in the first tranche of voting.Blaine Manalle, 20, has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Jeffrey Howell at West Pearl River in Louisiana

A 20-year-old Louisiana woman has been arrested for the murder of a 46-year-old man who was beaten to death while recovering from brain tumor surgery.

Blaine Manalle, of Slidell, has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Jeffrey Howell.

Howell was beaten to death during a brawl on a sandbar at West Pearl River on Saturday.

Manalle, who according to LinkedIn worked as a veterinary assistant at a pet hospital, was arrested on Monday night.

She was booked into the St Tammany Parish Jail and her bond has been set to $250,000.

Two men were also arrested on Sunday in connection to his death.

Cameron Alphonso, 21, was initially charged with one count of manslaughter. It was upgraded to second-degree manslaughter following additional witness interviews.

Manalle was arrested on Monday night and has been booked into the St Tammany Parish Jail

Howell was beaten to death during a brawl on a sand bar at West Pearl River on Saturday. Two men were also arrested on Sunday in connection to his death

Alden Kindergran, 22, has been charged with one count of disturbing the peace. He was released on Sunday after posting a $750 bond.

A brawl broke out between two large groups at the sand bar just after 5.30pm on Saturday, according to the St Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office.

Friends of Howell, who was married but did not have children, say he had been trying to protect the river when the fight broke out.

'From what we heard, they were throwing bottles in the river, and they were told to stop throwing bottles,' neighbor Kathy Maillet told WVUE.

An autopsy on Monday revealed that Howell died from blunt force trauma to the head. His death has been ruled a homicide.

A brawl broke out between two large groups at the sand bar just after 5.30pm on Saturday, according to the St Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office

Cameron Alphonso, 21, was charged with second-degree manslaughter. Alden Kindergran, 22, has been charged with one count of disturbing the peace

It also showed that Howell had been hit near the scar from his surgery, which occurred just three weeks ago. He still had staples in his head.

Howell's friends are especially devastated knowing how much he was looking forward to the future, and how much he cared about being a good man and husband.

'Jeff was always the one to make sure everybody got home safe and all the children were taken care of,' Janice O' Berry told The Advocate.

'He was a protector of sorts, I like to refer to him as that. That was just his persona.'

More than 40 people have already been interviewed in connection to the case and authorities said additional interviews - and arrests - could occur.A handwritten letter, allegedly containing eyewitness details of school teacher Rachael DelTondo's murder, has been discovered, DailyMail.com and Beaver Countian, a local website, have learned exclusively in a joint investigation.

DelTondo, 33, was gunned down on the driveway of her Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, home on May 13. No one has been arrested or named a suspect in her murder.

Days after DelTondo's death, an inmate at Beaver County Jail claimed to have received a letter containing details of the crime, allegedly written and signed by an individual who was interviewed as part of the murder investigation.

The letter, in part, reads: 'I heard the gunshots and seen her fall I don't want to be part of this. They won't send me [to jail] if I tell them what really happened.'

Days after Rachael DelTondo's murder in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, an inmate at Beaver County Jail claimed to have received a letter containing details of the crime.

That individual who supposedly wrote the letter could not be reached for comment by either DailyMail.com or the Beaver Countian, a news website in Beaver County with a focus on uncovering corruption in local government. Nor could the authenticity of the letter be independently verified.

But sources familiar with the investigation told the Beaver Countian that the letter is currently a major focus of the investigation into the death of Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School teacher DelTondo.

DelTondo had been suspended from her job at the time of her murder and had received death threats after a leaked February 2016 police report revealed she had been found in a car, in the earlier hours of the morning in a secluded spot, with a then 17-year-old boy, Sheldon Jeter Jr, reclined in the passenger seat.

DelTondo told the officers that Jeter Jr, who was not her student, needed someone to talk to.

According to the police report, 'the windows were steamed over and the engine was not running'. The police found no wrongdoing.

Her mother, Lisa DelTondo, 64, told the Beaver Countian that she believes possible Aliquippa Police corruption led to the report's leak - and put her daughter in the difficult position of cooperating with state police investigating city corruption.

The mother said: 'Rachael was afraid of the Aliquippa police. We knew it was dirty. That police department has been dirty for 50 years. That night my baby was laying on concrete, I called them all out.'

Since the murder investigation has begun, Aliquippa Sgt Kenneth Watkins has been placed on paid administrative leave after his daughter, aged 17, was interviewed by investigators.

The teen was one of the last people to see DelTondo alive after going for ice-cream with her and Tyrie Jeter, brother of Sheldon Jeter Jr, before she was murdered.

DelTondo, 33, had been seeing Rashawn Bolton (left), 31, for about six months. Her murder came six months after she was suspended from her job when a 2016 police report was leaked, revealing she had been found in a parked car with Bolton's brother, Sheldon Jeter Jr (right)

Watkins was also accused by a ranking officer of making unauthorized entry into the DelTondo crime scene on the night of the murder.

Last week, Aliquippa Police Chief Donald Couch was placed on paid administrative leave by the city council.

According to Councilman Matthew Mottes: 'Council members are fully aware of a criminal investigation [by State Police] being conducted into the City and the police department, including Police Chief Donald Couch.'

Couch was replaced by acting Chief Joseph Perciavalle.

Days later, Perciavalle was arrested by Beaver County Detectives and charged with felony distribution of sexually explicit material to a minor, felony unlawful contact with a minor for sending obscene material, and misdemeanor corruption of minors.

He allegedly distributed a lewd text message to a minor, who law enforcement sources say is the 17-year-old daughter of Sgt Watkins.

The smartphone where the messages were allegedly found was confiscated from Watkins' daughter by law enforcement as part of the DelTondo murder investigation.

The letter claiming to hold details about the murder further complicates an already muddied investigation.

The letter was allegedly sent to Beaver County Jail inmate Wayne Cordes by Kayle Hill, 22, his ex-girlfriend and mother of his son, on behalf of someone else.

Inside the envelope was a letter from Hill and a second letter, handwritten in red ink, and allegedly signed by a friend of the inmate, who claimed to be a witness to DelTondo's murder.

Kayle Hill told the Beaver Countian that a friend of her ex-boyfriend gave her the letter in the days following DelTondo's murder.

DelTondo's mother, Lisa DelTondo, 64, told the Beaver Countian that she believes possible Aliquippa Police corruption led to the report's leak - and put her daughter in the difficult position of cooperating with state police investigating city corruption

DelTondo (pictured left) was standing on her mother's Buchanan Street driveway, in Aliquippa, Beaver County, on Sunday when she was killed in a hail of gunfire. It came six months after she was suspended from her job when a February 2016 police report was leaked, revealing she had been found in a parked car with Jeter Jr (center in right photo)

Ms Hill said: 'I was at working at Circle K The friend came inside and gave me folded up paper and asked me if I could send it to Wayne.'

Ms Hill said she put the friend's letter in an envelope along with a letter she wrote and mailed them together to Wayne Cordes at the Beaver County Jail.

She declined to answer further questions about the letter's authenticity.

Wayne Cordes, 21, who is awaiting trial on felony aggravated assault and burglary at Beaver County Jail, told the Beaver Countian he had received the letter.

On the monitored phone call from the jail on May 26, Cordes told the Beaver Countian that after receiving the letter, he had been interviewed by Beaver County Detectives but is unclear how they learned about the letter's existence.

'I was going to give them this letter when [the Beaver County detectives] came to see me but I didn't trust [them].'

Cordes told Beaver County Detectives he didn't know anything about a letter.

Cordes said on the call: 'I am not worried about myself. I can handle myself,' but added that he was concerned for the safety of others associated with the letter.

The inmate's mother, Beth Cordes, told the Beaver Countian that her son had told her about the letter during a prison visit on May 25.

'The letter detailed some things about the DelTondo murder,' Beth Cordes said.

'My son ripped it [the letter] in half He gave his cell mate half of the letter and he kept half of the letter because he is afraid it is going to go missing.'

Beth Cordes told the Beaver Countian that she informed Pennsylvania State Police about the letter on May 26 because she did not trust Beaver County Detectives or Aliquippa Police Department.

Mrs Cordes said two state police investigators told her they intended to 'tread as carefully as possible as to not put anyone in harm's way'.

On May 30, Wayne Cordes' jail cell was raided.

The letter was allegedly sent to Beaver County Jail inmate Wayne Cordes by Kayle Hill, 22, his ex-girlfriend and mother of his son, on behalf of someone else. On May 30, Cordes' jail cell was raided and half of the letter was taken. Cordes is now represented by defense attorney, Gerald Benyo

When asked about the raid on Cordes' cell and the letter, District Attorney David Lozier told DailyMail.com that the search warrant was sealed

'The [Beaver] County Detectives executed a search warrant on Wayne's cell last night based on information received about the letter,' his former attorney, Steven Valsamidis, said.

Valsamidis has since recused himself from Cordes' case.

When asked about the raid on Cordes' cell and the letter, District Attorney David Lozier told DailyMail.com: 'The search warrant was sealed so I can't talk about it. The court order ordered the warrant to be sealed so I'm not allowed to discuss it.'

Wayne Cordes is now represented by defense attorney, Gerald Benyo.

Beth Cordes told the Beaver Countian that Wayne gave Benyo the bottom half of the letter - including the signature of its alleged author  before his jail cell was raided on May 30.

On June 5, Benyo told the Beaver Countian: 'I can confirm that I was retained by Mr Cordes to represent him in his pending criminal case that is scheduled for trial in July, as well as what I believe to be the subject matter of the District Attorney's Office's search of Mr Cordes' jail cell.'

Benyo also told the Beaver Countian that he believed the raid of his client's cell has violated attorney-client privilege because legal documents were also seized along with the top half of the letter.

On June 8, Benyo's law offices were allegedly raided by Beaver County Detectives, according to a source with knowledge of the District Attorney David Lozier's actions.

DA Lozier told DailyMail.com: 'The search warrants in this case are sealed, I'm not allowed to talk about them.'

Benyo confirmed he was placed under a gag order by a Beaver County Judge on June 8.

Benyo said in a statement: 'As of June 8 2018 I have been instructed by the court not to discuss issues which may relate to the DelTondo homicide investigation.'A father accused of murdering his five-year-old son reportedly acted as though nothing was wrong when the little boy's grandmother carried his bloodied body out of the house.

The 36-year-old man, who cannot be identified, was charged with murdering his son as the boy lay in bed at their Carlingford home in Sydney's north-west last week.

The slain child's devastated grandmother, Joy, broke down in tears as she described the haunting moment she found her grandson covered in stab wounds in his bed.

'As I got the baby, he (the accused) says so casually "I'll open the door for you," like I was carrying a bag of shopping and not his son,' she told 7News.

'I know he needed me but my grandson needed me more. I can't be in two places at once, there's only one me.'

The accused murderer's shattered wife said she wanted her son to be remembered as the blissfully happy boy he was - giving media outlets permission to picture him.

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A father accused of murdering his five-year-old son (pictured) reportedly acted as though nothing was wrong when the little boy's grandmother carried his bloodied body out of the house

The slain child's devastated grandmother, Joy, broke down in tears as she described the haunting moment she found her grandson covered in stab wounds in his bed (pictured are the father and his son)

The heartbroken mother (right) and grandmother (left) have spoken about begging hospitals to give the man a bed only to be turned away from hospital days before alleged attack

In a tearful interview, the accused murderer's wife and mother revealed how his mental health had deteriorated in the weeks leading up to the alleged attack.

The 36-year-old man, who has a long history of mental health issues, spent four weeks through April and May at Hornsby Hospital.

Two days before the alleged stabbing murder, he tried to voluntarily admit himself at Hornsby Community Health Centre but was turned away, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The man's partner, Thatsanee, and his mother claimed the 36-year-old was discharged three weeks ago with stronger medication which made him worse.

Hospital staff reportedly told Joy, who was the one who found her grandson covered in stab wounds in his bed, to take her son to the emergency department to be assessed.

The day after being turned away from Hornsby Hospital, the father was assessed by The Hills community health centre staff and it was agreed they would visit him the following day because he did not appear to be a risk to himself or others, according to the publication.

'As I got the baby, he (the accused) says so casually "I'll open the door for you," like I was carrying a bag of shopping and not his son,' she said through tears

The grieving mother said she 'still loved' the boy's father despite the charges he faces.

'Daddy loved his son,' Thatsanee told 7News.

The distraught mother, who is also a nurse, said she understood 'too well how poorly funded mental health is' and she was paying for it by 'the death of [her] son'.

His wife hit out at the public health care system, questioning why her alleged requests for assistance dealing with his mental stability were rejected.

'There was no bed for my partner ... yet there's money for space in the hospital morgue for a five-year-old's body?' she previously told Daily Telegraph.

A nurse working at Hornsby Hospital claimed the father tried voluntarily checking himself in on the same day four people were stabbed at a birthday party in Asquith.

The hospital was under 'immense stress' as they were reportedly dealing with a separate stabbing incident two days before the fatal attack on the five-year-old boy.

'I can tell you that there were just no beds and no staff to care for him,' a mental health nurse at the hospital told the Hornsby Advocate.

'The whole hospital was a shambles, we had the Asquith stabbing incident with patients admitted, which resulted in an increased security presence and the mental health unit and the Emergency Department running over capacity.'

The 36-year-old father faced Parramatta Bail Court at the weekend via video link and appeared to be unaware of his location.

The man is expected to face court again on July 30.A Queensland Council has been accused of whitewashing a rural city's indigenous culture in its latest tourism advert.

The $6000 ad was launched on Monday by Rockhampton Regional Council, and aimed to promote the region's tourism potential, Nine News reported.

Social media launched an attack on the 'Rockhampton Can' advert, accusing the promoters of whitewashing the city's proud indigenous culture.

Furious residents also claimed the advert 'didn't celebrate the Darumbal people'.

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The $6000 ad was launched on Monday by Rockhampton Regional Council, and aimed to promote the region's liveability and tourism potential (pictured one of the actors in the ad)

Social media launched an attack on the ad, accusing the promoters of whitewashing the city's proud indigenous culture (pictured one of the actors in the ad)

'What a whitewash!!' one post read.

'When 60 000 years of existence means nothing,' another person wrote.

A few hours later, the post was deleted from all social media accounts.

The Rockhampton Regional Council Twitter account apologised for the video.

'We have now taken this video down. You are right and we should not be promoting the Rockhampton Region without celebrating the Darumbal people, the area's long history, and our diverse community. We apologise and we will do better,' they wrote.

Mayor Margaret Strelow takes on full responsibility for the advert, admitting indigenous marketing had been an issue for a few years.

She said, 'If we look at our marketing material for the last two years we'll probably find that it hasn't represented the diversity,' the publication reported.

Ms Sterlow said she initially didn't pick up on the issue until it was brought up on social media saying 'we have to do better.'

The council will work towards a new campaign representing different cultures.Kenny Jacobs, the airlines chief marketing officer, took to social media on Tuesday morning bemoaning his flight to Dublin being delayed for more than two hours

A Ryanair boss got a taste of his own medicine after taking to Twitter to complain about his delayed flight - sparking an instant and inevitable social media backlash.

Kenny Jacobs, the airlines chief marketing officer, took to social media on Tuesday morning bemoaning his flight to Dublin being delayed for more than two hours.

Mr Jacobs hit out at what he described as the EU's failure to deal with air traffic control staff shortages while sitting impatiently in the airport lounge.

But his Twitter timeline was soon filled with disgruntled Ryanair passengers giving him a piece of their minds, with one telling the self-proclaimed 'bad boy' of marketing to 'read the room' - following a difficult year for the low budget airline.

Posting on careers-site LinkedIn at 7.15am, he wrote: 'Sitting on runway in Dublin on flight that should have left at 0650 but will leave after 0830 because of Air Traffic Control staff shortages in Europe.

'The worst summer ever for delays and cancellations across all airlines and more needs to be done by EU. It's bad for tourism, business travel and will mess up the hard earned holidays of many families.'

One Ryanair customer quickly replied on Twitter, writing: 'I have sat on Ryanair flights countless times and experienced delays with no idea of projected departure times.

Mr Jacobs hit out at what he described as the EU's failure to deal with air traffic control staff shortages while sitting impatiently in the airport lounge

But his Twitter timeline was soon filled with disgruntled Ryanair passengers giving him a piece of their minds, with one telling the self-proclaimed 'bad boy' of marketing to 'read the room' - following a difficult year for the low budget airline

'No water (unless I paid Euro 2 for it) and a general feeling of helplessness. Tough s***, now you know how it feels.'

Another customer, Carol Butler, said: 'Really, Kenny? Read the room. Imagine being delayed by nine hours on the FR909 Cork to London flight yesterday without any update or explanation from ground staff or Ryanair.'

Aoife Crowley wrote: 'Nice one Ryanair. You retweet your CMO's 'caring' tweet about delays to holiday goers but left the tweets about being stuck at Gatwick for 11 hrs yesterday unanswered.'

The social media site quickly became swamped with similar messages, offering frustrated customers an outlet for what they consider a let down in service of late

The social media site quickly became swamped with similar messages, offering frustrated customers an outlet for what they consider a let down in service of late.

Neil Wilson accused Mr Jacobs of hypocrisy and said too often Ryanair leaves passengers high and dry.

Another: 'At least you are still flying you f***. And haven't been cancelled after a four hour delay, then been told to rebook everything ourselves and claim it all back.

It's not the first time Mr Jacobs has made headlines for the wrong reasons either. The Irish carrier was plunged into controversy last September when it cancelled around 700,000 flight bookings after 'messing up' its pilots' holiday rostering

It's not the first time Mr Jacobs has made headlines for the wrong reasons either.

The Irish carrier was plunged into controversy last September when it cancelled around 700,000 flight bookings after 'messing up' its pilots' holiday rostering.

Mr Jacobs described the cancelled flights as 'not that big of a deal' because it represented 0.5% of the carrier's annual flights.

Outspoken Mr Jacobs has been one of Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary's most trusted advisors and sits on the board alongside him

While last September, Mr Jacobs prompted further exasperation from Ryanair customers when he toasted himself publicly for a job well done - while 400,000 passengers had their flights cancelled that year so far.

He posted an image of his half-drunk Guinness with the caption 'a pint of plain is your only man' - a reference to the famous Irish poem 'The Workman's Friend' about taking solace in stout when times are hard.

In May this year he told a trade magazine that he is 'a bit of a bad boy in the industry' and believes brands dont need to be loved to be successful

But a MailOnline investigation at the time showed of the ten flights he had taken in that past week - many were for luxury trips such as to the Champions League tie in Barcelona, as well as to London where he stayed in the 259-a-night Laslett Hotel in Notting Hill.

Outspoken Mr Jacobs has been one of Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary's most trusted advisors and sits on the board alongside him.

In May this year he told a trade magazine that he is 'a bit of a bad boy in the industry' and believes brands dont need to be loved to be successful.Designer to the stars Christian Louboutin has received the backing of Europe's top court in a battle to protect the signature red roles of his high-heeled shoes.

The Frenchman is in a legal battle with Dutch high street chain Van Haren who had been selling their own version of red-soled shoes.

Today's development could prove a landmark decision in the luxury fashion world.

Louboutin's signature red sole looks set to be protected under European trademark laws

The French luxury designer Christian Louboutin received the support of the European Court of Justice in the case against Van Haren

Under EU law it was argued companies cannot trademark common shapes such as the soles of shoes.

But the European Court of Justice said Louboutin's red soles do not apply to the shoe shape law, which Van Haren argued.

'The protection of Christian Louboutin's red sole trademark is strengthened by the European Court of Justice,' Louboutin said in a statement reported by Reuters.

'The red colour applied on the sole of a woman's high heel shoe is a position mark, as Maison Christian Louboutin has maintained for many years.'

Louboutin shoes are a celebrity favourite with their distinctive red sole, seen here on tennis plater Serena Williams at the 2011 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles

The Hague Court will deliver the final ruling on the matter based on the decision.

Louboutin's iconic red sole design was first designed in 1993 using an assistant's nail polish.

It is a favourite on celebrity red carpets.

This victory for Louboutin is expected to be welcomed by the luxury fashion industry who 'rely on specific colours, colour combinations or patterns' on products as a badge of origin, a lawyer said.Track Palin will not be getting any special treatment when his criminal trial kicks off next week, with a judge ruling on Monday that members of the media will be allowed inside the court room.

The lawyer, who is representing Sarah Palin's oldest child, filed a motion last month asking that Judge David Wallace ban the media from covering the trial and requesting that no filming be allowed in the courtroom.

Judge Wallace - who was appointed to the bench by the defendant's mother when she served as governor - denied the motion but did agree to ban cameras and recording devices during the trial.

Track, 29, is facing one count of felony burglary and two misdemeanor charges for reckless endangerment and criminal mischief after attacking his father just days before Christmas.

He is expected to enter his plea on Monday.

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Off-track: Track Palin (above on May 31) lost a motion to ban the media from attending his upcoming criminal trial but a judge has ruled that videos and camera phones will be banned

Son of a: Todd was pictured for the first time 10 days after he was alegedly attacked by his son looking battered and bruised on new Year's Eve (above)

Patrick Bergt, who is representing Track, submitted the defense motion in May, writing: 'Mr. Palin seeks to prohibit or limit the scope of the media's access to his Veterans Court proceedings in the hopes that his case does not become a distraction to other veterans in the program.'

Judge Wallace responded on Monday with an order denying the motion in part.

'By allowing media reporters in the courtroom it has satisfied any perceived notions that the court is not open to the public,' wrote Judge Wallace.

'And, the media will be able to fulfill what it perceives is its obligation to the public in covering the hearings involving this defendant.'

He did, however, feel that cameras would be too much for Track and the other defendants that day given the intimacy of the setting.

KTVA was one of the outlets who filed court papers requesting access to the proceedings ahead of the trial.

The case is currently in the Anchorage's Veterans Court, after being transferred out of the Palmer County Court.

Veterans Court gives former service members the option of enrolling in mental health treatment programs instead of receiving a traditional sentence.

There are a few stipulations, however, with defendants agreeing to enter a plea of not guilty or no contest to at least one count.

It is required that defendants attend all hearings as well, and stay not just for their own but every other veteran who is appearing in front of the court that day.

Any violation of the judge's order also results in the defendant reverting back to a traditional jail sentence.

Sarah Palin has alleged that her son was taking both pills and alcohol on the day of his arrest due to his PTSD.

An incident report that was included in the young man's charging documents reveals that he broke into his family home through a window after being told by Todd he was not welcome, and then began to hit the man over the head.

Todd had tried to keep his son out by meeting him at the door and pointing a gun at him, but Track was able to disarm the man and 'put him on the floor' before beating him bloody.

Sarah told police her son, 28, was 'freaking out and was on some type of medication.'

House arrest: Track arrives home after posting bail in December

After Track assaulted his father, a bloody Todd fled the home followed by Sarah, and Track engaged in a brief standoff with police.

'Given the nature of actions addressed last night by law enforcement and the charges involved, the Palins are unable to comment further,' said Sarah and Todd's lawyer John Tiemessen.

'They ask that the familys privacy is respected during this challenging situation just as others dealing with a struggling family member would also request.'

Track was kept in a detention facility for five days after his arrest, before being released on bail.

'Track stood on the porch,' wrote Officer Adam LaPointe of the Wasilla Police Department.

'Communication was attempted which failed due to Track yelling and calling myself and other officers peasants and telling us to lay our guns on the ground before approaching the residence.'

He then went inside the house before reappearing on the roof of the garage so he could get a look around the entire property, according to Office LaPointe.

After that Track again when into the house, where he remained for approximately 15 minutes before reestablishing communication with police.

Track then turned himself over to police, admitting he had a few beers earlier in the night and had gotten into a argument with his father over the use of a car.

'Track said he had been talking to his dad, Todd, about a vehicle,' reads the report.

'Track stated he had a disagreement and that there had been threats made between them. Track stated that he then drove over to Todd's house and when he arrived Todd had a gun in his hand,' reads Officer LaPointe's sworn affidavit.

National stage: He was charged with burglary and assault after allegedly breaking in and beating his father before Christmas, with the assault charge later dropped (l to r: Track, Bristol, Levi Johnston, Bristol, Piper, Trig Todd, Senator John McCain and Sarah at the 2008 Republican National Convention)

Local drama: The case is currently in Anchorage's Veterans Court, after being transferred out of the Palmer County Court, with Judge David Wallace presiding (l to r: Dakota Meyer, Bristol, Trig, Willow, Sarah, Toff, Piper, Jordan Loewe and Track in 2015)

When Track then looked through the window next to the door he saw 'Todd point a gun at him.'

The eldest son of Sarah and Todd then told his father to shoot him several times before deciding to break a window in order to enter the home.

'Track stated that he went through the broken window and disarmed Todd and put him on the ground,' states the affidavit.

'While Track had Todd on the ground he started hitting Todd in the head. Todd was able to get away from Track and out of the residence.'

The Iraq combat veteran was previously taken into custody by police in Wasilla back in January of 2016 after officers arrived at the Palin family home and found his girlfriend cowering under a bed.

Todd has since made a complete recovery and was seen posing for a pic while tucking away his beer with Sarah in April (above)

According to the unidentified woman, an intoxicated Track attacked her and pointed an AR-15 rifle at his own head as they argued over her ex-boyfriend and screamed he was going to shoot himself, shouting, 'do you think I'm a p---y? and 'do you think I won't do it?'

The police report stated that the victim was seen with 'bruising and swelling around her left eye' claiming that Track had thrown her phone away when she tried to call 911.

This all happened at Sarah's Wasilla home as well according to court documents, and Track had a 0.189 blood alcohol level according to police.

'I observed that the male had a visible injury to his right eye and the area around his eye,' wrote Officer Andrew Kappler at the time.

'His eyes were bloodshot and I detected a strong odor of alcohol on his breath and person. Upon contacting Palin, he was uncooperative, belligerent, and evasive with my initial line of questions.'

Officers tried to ask the veteran why 911 was dialled by the woman and where she was.

'Palin stated that he didn't know where she was and denied that there was a firearm involved, but did state that there were several spread throughout the residence,' Kappler wrote in his report.

'Due to Palin's escalating hostility, the unknown whereabouts of the female 911 caller, and Officer safety, Palin was placed into handcuffs.'

It was then that officers went into Sarah Palin's family home and discovered the girl under the bed, crying and hiding.

'She and her boyfriend of one year, Track Palin, left a different residence together and were arguing the whole way home,' Kappler wrote. 'Once they got to his home they argued in the car, then in the driveway. They were screaming and he was calling her names.'

The woman told police that while she had not yet called 911, she had lied to Track and said she had to scare him off.

Apparently this did not work.

'Palin approached (his girlfriend) and struck her on the left side of her head near her eye with a closed fist,' wrote Kappler in the report.

The argument got out of control and Track allegedly reached for his AR-15 rifle and began threatening suicide.

Track's girlfriend ran out of the house after the young man started 'holding onto a gun, yelling 'do you think I'm a p---y?' and 'do you think I won't do it?'

'(She) stated Palin 'cocked the gun' and was holding the rifle out next to him with his right hand near the trigger and his left hand near the barrel, with the barrel just away from his face pointed to the side,' states the detailed police report.

'(She) was concerned that he would shoot himself and ran outside and around the house. She didn't see where Palin went, so she went inside and up the stairs, where she hid under a bed.'

Police reported that (she) had bruising around her left eye and appeared to have an injury on her knee.

Track told police the argument began after he learned she had been speaking with an ex-boyfriend.

The two had been to dinner and then visited his sister Bristol's home earlier in the night before the argument began at his mother Sarah's home.

He also claims that the woman elbowed him during the fight, but she was not arrested or charged with any crime.North Korea expert Dr Robert Winstanley-Chesters, writing for MailOnline, gives his take on the historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and and US President Donald Trump in Singapore.

Dr Winstanley-Chesters is a Lecturer at the University of Leeds and Research Fellow at Australian National University. Previously he was a Post-Doctoral Fellow of Cambridge University (Beyond the Korean War).

It has been a rollercoaster ride to the hotel in Singapore where U.S President Donald Trump met North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un.

From the first moments of rapprochement at the Pyeongchang Olympics, to the emotional meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim at Panmunjom in April, and the unexpected moment when Trump announced he would meet North Koreas leader, the destination has been unclear.

The car crash of last week's G7 summit, during which Trump tussled with European leaders and was left furious at Canadas Justin Trudeaus apparent sleight of hand, did not augur well for events in Singapore.

Baby steps: US President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un shake hands following a signing ceremony during their historic US-North Korea summit

Was it too much to hope that by the time Air Force One touched down in Singapore, Trump's rage would have settled and his mind cleared enough to constructively engage with the North Koreans?

Currently, the most important and challenging conundrum has to be the radically different notions of denuclearisation held by Kim's and Trump's governments.

That the President and Kim Jong Un actually met in Singapore, successfully managed to spend a couple of hours together and developed something in the way of rapport is an achievement

Yes, of course there are a myriad of other difficult issues to be navigated; from economic integration and Japanese abductees to human rights and infrastructures of incarceration - but what both sides actually mean by denuclearisation when it comes to a coherent and verifiable project of peace-making is fundamentally important.

Washington DC of course means the absolute and fundamental deconstruction and abandonment of North Koreas nuclear project. Pyongyang on the other hand considers it the withdrawal of US troops from South Korea and the reconfiguration of their nuclear security umbrella in East Asia (primarily by no longer scheduling patrols by US Submarines carrying first strike and retaliatory nuclear weapons within a certain geographic area).

Singapore was of course the place and the moment for both parties to begin the process of squaring the circle on this.

So this afternoon, with Trump on Air Force One heading across the Pacific and Kim Jong Uns borrowed Air China 747-400 en-route back to Pyongyang after few hours in each others direct company negotiating diplomatic niceties, what can the world take from this fascinating political theatre?

If first steps are what was required to call Singapore a success, then it is one, writes North Korea expert Dr Robert Winstanley-Chesters

Showing off: Trump holds up a document signed by him and Kim Jong Un today at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore

Upper hand: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un became on June 12 the first sitting US and North Korean leaders to meet, shake hands and negotiate to end a decades-old nuclear stand-off

Ultimately, it depends on what you were looking for. Following President Moon's brave moment of connection with the North Koreans at the Pyeongchang opening ceremony, much of the performance this year has been about first steps.

Given the disaster that Donald Trump left behind in Quebec City last week, that the President and Kim Jong Un actually met in Singapore, successfully managed to spend a couple of hours together and developed something in the way of rapport is an achievement. The fact that the Minutemen and Tomahawks of the United States have not at any point rained down on Pyongyang, is thanks in part to the anticipation of this extraordinary moment. If current peace and first steps are what was required then Singapore and its preparation can be nothing other than a success.

If, however, circumstances required a coherent, detailed structure of verification when it comes to Pyongyangs nuclear capabilities, then you must be sorely disappointed. While I am by no means pessimistic on the future potentially provided by Singapore and the process behind it, the four point agreement at the end of it was surprising in its paucity and flexibility.

I expected Trump and the American delegation to attempt in some way to pin North Korea to the wall when it came to future responsibilities - to really nail down what was required at an early stage - but instead there is absolutely nothing of detail.

We got a commitment to denuclearisation of the entire peninsula that moves us no further on from that given by North Korea in April, and no detail on how peace is actually to be built by the United States and North Korea.

Walk the walk: Trump and Kim take a stroll at the hotel during a break in talks today

Further to the agreement itself was the Presidents extraordinary statement in the following press conference that United States and South Korean joint military exercises (characterised by the President as war games) would cease because they were very expensive and provocative. This they certainly are, and for many years they have been a hugely disruptive moment in the year for diplomacy with Pyongyang, which has always considered them essentially an exercise in invasion practice. It is a huge concession for the United States to make at the outset, and one it appears Trump did not run by the authorities in Seoul, nor the joint South Korea-Us military command, beforehand.

On the face of it, it seems as if Donald Trump has been quick to declare diplomatic victory, while conceding a great deal, in terms of practical ground as well as an enormous amount of the pressure on Pyongyang.

If, however, circumstances required a coherent, detailed structure of verification when it comes to Pyongyangs nuclear capabilities, then you must be sorely disappointed

What we still do not have any sense of, is the route from here to the positive future mapped out within the extraordinary video prepared by the White House on the potential of the outcome of the meeting. We do not have any idea of how all of this may be achieved.

This is perhaps not surprising. How could this President, whose focus is notoriously fickle, and who is certainly not one for the nitty-gritty or the detail of geopolitics seriously be expected to have been part of constructing a detailed road map of de-escalation and verification?

Even so, this was what a huge number of experts, diplomats and geopolitical watchers had been hoping for. Their focus now will move on from Singapore, no doubt disappointed and sceptical.

Meanwhile, it appears the President will travel back feeling he has successfully garnished his legacy, and Kim Jong Un will return to Pyongyang with a real story of geopolitical rehabilitation in hand.Brisbane City Council is pushing for new laws to lower the speed limit of motor scooters which are putting lives at risk.

The council is stepping on the brakes to lower the speed limit from 10km/h to 6km/h and is requesting the State Government introduce 'basic licences' for anyone who rides the motorised scooters, news.com.au reported.

According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, a shocking 62 deaths have been caused due to dangerous driving by people on motorised scooters in the last eight years.

Brisbane City Council is pushing for new laws to lower the speed limit of motor scooters which are putting lives at risk (stock image)

According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, a shocking 62 deaths occurred in the last eight years (stock image)

The push for new laws comes as Nationals Senator John Williams launched a federal investigation after his wife had one drive into her, causing her to require a full hip replacement in 2016.

'One of the staff looked out and all she saw was Nancy literally airborne and she landed on her left hip and just smashed her left hip to pieces,' Mr Williams told ABC at the time.

Since the accident, Mr Williams has called for tougher regulations on those who ride the scooters.

Brisbane City Council's Infrastructure Chairman Councillor Amanda Cooper told the publication that the council was proposing the changes to improve safety for all footpath users and a speed limit of 6km/h for pedestrians's safety.

'We support the introduction of a national standard for mobility scooters to improve safety for pedestrians and mobility scooter users,' Ms Cooper said.A man who was hit by a barrage of bullets in a shooting died in a car crash after trying to drive himself to hospital.

59-year-old Errol Blackwood, was shot a number of times at around 3.30am outside a club in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York on Monday.

A spokesperson for the New York Police Department said the married father of four and grandfather had been rushing to hospital in his car as he was losing blood from the shooting.

He was discovered slumped over the wheel by police after managing to make it only a few blocks away from the shooting.

But he tragically never made it to hospital after he crashed into two parked cars on the side of the road.

The driver had been shot several times and crashed his Volvo into two cars parked on the side of the road

Emergency services attended the scene and rushed him to a nearby area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Footage taken by an NBC helicopter at the scene shows a black car with front-end damage and its tail lights illuminated.

Two other damaged cars are seen sitting in the road as well.

'You have no idea what you've done,' Annmari Blackwood, Errol's wife, said in an emotional statement.

'My husband was a good man and he had friends who would get into disputes, and he would get involved trying to help somebody out and straighten everything up. He was that kind of person.'

There have been no arrests so far. The investigation is ongoing.

Footage from the scene showed police and emergency services setting up a cordon around the damaged vehicleA 12-year-old girl has been kidnapped at knifepoint by a man and driven to remote bushland where she was sexually assaulted before being released five hours later.

Police are now searching for the schoolgirl's attacker and appealing to the public for help.

Just after 9.15am on Tuesday the girl was walking through Hudson Park on Terrace Street in the Newcastle suburb of Adamstown Heights, when the man approached her and threatened her with the knife.

A 12-year-old girl has been kidnapped at knife-point by a man in Newcastle and driven to remote bushland where she was sexually assaulted for five hours

Just before 2.15pm, the girl was released at Kotara Railway Station (pictured), and she returned home where police were notified.

The girl was sexually assaulted before being forced into a red car and driven to bushland where she was further sexually assaulted.

Just before 2.15pm, the girl was released at Kotara Railway Station, and she returned home where police were notified.

The girl was taken to John Hunter Hospital for medical examination and a crime scene was established at Hudson Park and forensically examined.

Officers from Newcastle Police District and the State Crime Command's Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad have commenced inquiries into the incident.

The man has been described as being of a solid, large build, and with brown hair.

Police are urging anyone who was in the Adamstown Heights area or anyone with information that may assist to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au/

Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence and the public is reminded they should not report crime information via our social media pages.The CEO of a charity who stole at least $70,000 meant for burns victim survivors to fund her own lavish lifestyle has been jailed for over two years.

Samantha McClymans, 42, was in charge of the Survivor Foundation charity for two years, but was secretly siphoning funds for her own personal use.

The Perth mother used money sent in by generous public donors to wash her dog, and buy designer clothes and everyday items like high-end anti-ageing cream.

Charity CEO Samantha McClymans, 42, stole at least $70,000 meant for burns victim survivors to fund her own lavish lifestyle

She stole $37,000 donated to the charity to support Dana Vulin (pictured), who suffered burns to 60 per cent of her body after being doused in spirits and set alight

Her biggest target was Dana Vulin, who suffered burns to over half of her body after she was doused in methylated spirits and set alight by a jealous woman in 2012.

Ms Vulin was given about $56,000 in donation money for her recovery by the charity, but McClymans stole $37,000 of that.

'I had children donate their pocket money and pensioners saying I don't have much money but this is all I've got to give you,' Ms Vulin said, according to 9 News.

'I try to live my life positively and give back and help others, to have hope in humanity is a really important thing for me - and you're supposed to be able to trust somebody in this position.'

The Perth mother used money sent in by generous public donors to wash her dog, buy designer clothes and everyday items like high-end anti-ageing cream

'I had children donate their pocket money and pensioners saying I don't have much money but this is all I've got to give you,' burns victim Ms Vulin said

The charity was set up by Peter Hughes, a survivor of the Bali bombings. When he stepped away from the foundation in 2014 he handed the reins over to McClymans.

'I think the charity was totally taken advantage of and unfortunately all the good people that were behind Sam at the time wouldn't have known what was going on, and I feel very sorry for them too,' Mr Huges said.

McClymans also stole a $20,000 grant meant to build new household taps for burns victims who had lost their hands. There was no evidence any taps were provided.

The court ordered McClymans to pay back the money owed.

She will be eligible for parole in 12 months.Liberals in Congress went on the offensive Tuesday after President Donald Trump climbed aboard Air Force One and left Singapore, the site of his day-long nuclear disarmament summit with Kim Jong-un.

The North Korean dictator has been geopolitically isolated since he took power in late 2011, largely because of his widely condemned human rights record and his nuclear weapons ambitions.

Trump's decision to meet with Kim as an equal in the hope of persuading him to scrap his weapons of mass destruction stunned Democrats on Capitol Hill  especially after he announced that the U.S. would stop holding military exercises off the hermit kingdom's coastline.

'Kims gulags, public executions, planned starvation, are legitimized on the world stage,' Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy marveled on Twitter.

'U.S. gives up one of our biggest negotiating chips - military exercises. North Korea ends up BACKTRACKING on previous promises on denuclearization. What the hell?' Murphy asked.

Democrats lashed out Tuesday at President Donald Trump's attemps to persuade North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un to abandon his nuclear weapons program, saying the resulting agreement is vague and full of meaningless platitudes, and could weaken the U.S.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, uncharacteristically, was one of the more mild-tongued Democrats, complaining that Trump 'elevated North Korea to the level of the United States while preserving the regimes status quo.'

Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy vented that Trump's meeting meant 'Kims gulags, public executions, planned starvation' have been 'legitimized on the world stage  and exclaimed on Twitter: 'What the hell?'

Tennessee Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen tweeted a response to the president's claim on Tuesday that Kim 'loves his country very much,' writing: 'Loves it so much that he has them impoverished and enslaved except for those he murders. Loves his country?'

In another Twitter post, Cohen wondered aloud: 'Why do I feel this has been one ballyhooed, expensive, bi-lateral con job?'

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio pushed back, saying Democrats hadn't fretted about former president Barack Obama's decision to meet with the Castro regime two years ago.

'I too have concerns about how all this with #NorthKorea will turn out. But I dont recall all the experts criticizing Obama when he met with a brutal dictator in #Cuba who also oversaw a police state & also killed & jailed his opponents. #DoubleStandard,' Rubio, the son of Cuban emigres, tweeted.

'When Obama did these things, he was described as enlightened,' Rubio continued. 'When Trump does it he is reckless & foolish. 1 yr ago they attacked Trump for leading us towards war, now attack for being too quick for peace.'

Tennessee Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen was among the more colorful anti-Trump liberals on Tuesday

Cohen wondered aloud: 'Why do I feel this has been one ballyhooed, expensive, bi-lateral con job?'

Trump and Kim met as equals in Singapore on Tuesday, a state of affairs that was the ultimate ego-stroke for the North Korean dictator

Still, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California protested that Kim is untrustworthy and blamed Trump for ending the longstanding wargames 'with nothing to show in return.'

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi complained the president was so eager to be seen cutting a deal that he 'elevated North Korea to the level of the United States while preserving the regimes status quo. '

She claimed Trump had made concessions to Pyongyang in exchange for 'vague promises,' and failed to guarantee a 'clear and comprehensive pathway to denuclearization and non-proliferation.'

New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez blamed Trump for giving 'a free pass to an international pariah who abuses his own people, kills his own relatives, and routinely threatens our national security.'

The agreement the two heads of state signed Tuesday doesn't include fixed timelines or details about the path forward  or how the West will ensure Kim is keeping his promises.

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio scoffed at Democrats' outrage over Trump's summit with the Asian despot, saying no one got overheated when President Barack Obama met with Cuba's oppressive autocrat Raul Castro

Obama and Castro posed for photographs after greeting one another on March 21, 2016 in advance of formal bilateral talks; the president sat with Castro for an exhibition baseball game and later re-established diplomatic relations with the tyrannical regime

'With no commitments from North Korea, this agreement is less of an accomplishment than anything any previous administration ever negotiated with Pyongyang,' Menendez said.

'In exchange for selfies in Singapore, we have undermined our maximum pressure policy and sanctions.'

Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner said in a statement that 'its clear that Kim Jong-un walked away from Singapore with exactly what he wanted  the pomp, circumstance and prestige of a meeting with the President of the United States  while making no specific commitments in return.'

A disgusted Hawaii Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz tweeted: 'This is an abdication of American leadership. Just embarrassing.'

Delaware Democratic Sen. Chris Coons forecasted that the Trump White House won't be up to the task of putting Kim's feet to the fire.

A disgusted Hawaii Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz tweeted: 'This is an abdication of American leadership. Just embarrassing'

Trump left Singapore en route to Guam and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Tuesday, before arriving back in Washington on Wednesday morning

'For this agreement with North Korea to mean anything, for it to be anything more than a reality TV handshake summit, theres going to need to be a lot of hard work in the months ahead,' Coons said, 'and Im concerned that the Trump Administration isnt prepared to do that hard work.'

Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy cautioned that 'so far all we have seen is a photo op coupled with a few broadly worded commitments.'

On NBC's 'Today' program, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said that 'Kim comes out of this thing bigger,' but also declared Americans 'come out of it stronger too.'

But he insisted  as has Trump  that the final results of negotiations with Pyongyang should be submitted to senators for ratification as a binding treaty.

'Not only do I want to see the details, I want to vote on them,' Graham said.

'Im hopeful,' he added. 'I think he has convinced Kim Jong Un that hes better off giving up his nuclear weapons than he is keeping them.'A Remainer MP had to be guarded by six armed undercover police officers at a pubic meeting because of the threats they received over Brexit, an ex Tory minister today said.

Anna Soubry told how she and her colleagues have received death threats because of their criticisms of Brexit.

She tore into the deep division and animosity which she warned is tearing her party, and the country, apart.

Getting visibly angry as she recounted the abuse which has been thrown at Remainers, she called for compromise.

Ms Soubry, a former business minister, made the comments as she spoke in today's crucial Brexit debate where MPs will be voting on a series of crunch amendments.

Anna Soubry (pictured in Parliament today) told how she and her colleagues have received death threats because of their criticisms of Brexit

Ms Soubry, a former business minister (pictured in Parliament today) made the comments as she spoke in today crucial Brexit debate where MPs will be voting on a series of crunch amendments

The MP for Broxtowe said: 'I am getting a little tired of honourable members and right honourable members on the backbenches, in Government, even in the Cabinet, who come up to me and others in quiet and dark corridors.

'To British businesses who demand private meetings where they lay bare their despair but refuse to go public.

'To the commentators who say to me "You're doing a great job, keep on going" in the face of death threats - which mean that one of our number had to attend a public engagement with six armed undercover police officers.

'That is the country we have created and it's got to stop.'

Ms Phillips , 36, told a festival she is targeted by Twitter trolls - including some who claim to be Corbynistas - who spout vile abuse at her (file pic)

Ms Soubry said previously loyal Tories who have very rarely rebelled against their leadership will vote against them to give Parliament a meningful vote on the negotiations.

She also criticised others who 'for decades have plotted and connived' and 'got rid of leaders'.

She added: : 'Anybody and anything that has stood in their way and they will continue so to do - even if they are supported by Russian bots and their dirty money.

'They will do what they have had a life's ambition to do - which is to take us over the cliff into the hard Brexit that my constituents did not vote for.'

Her words came in the middle of today's impassioned debate on the 15 Brexit amendments tabled by the Lords.

Her words come after many MPs - particularly women - have told of the barrage of abuse they have been subjected to, particularly online.

Labour MP Jess Phillips has told how she was bombarded by 600 online rape threats in a single night as she backed calls to end anonymity on social media.

Ms Phillips , 36, told a festival she is targeted by Twitter trolls - including some who claim to be Corbynistas - who spout vile abuse at her.

And she revealed that her constituency office has been vandalised for the second time in two years.

Labour MP Jess Phillips revealed that her constituency office in Birmingham has been vandalised for the second time in two years

Her remarks come after Security Minister Ben Wallace said digital IDs should be brought in to end online anonymity that permits bullying and grooming.

Ms Philips, a mother-of-two, told the Cheltenham Science Festival, Ms Phillips said, she is inundated with threatening and abusive messages 'every single day'.

She said: 'In one night I received 600 rape threats. It was probably more, but I stopped counting.

'To try and subvert that, I received thousands of comments from people saying 'I wouldn't even rape her'.Stephen Coxen, from Bury, Lancashire, who is being sued in a landmark legal case being heard in Scotland

A woman who is suing a man cleared of raping her wept in court today as she recalled details of the alleged attack.

She is seeking 100,000 in damages from Stephen Coxen, 23, from Bury, Lancashire, in a landmark legal case being heard in Scotland.

Coxen denied raping the woman in St Andrews, Fife in September 2013 and a jury found the case against him not proven in November 2015, which in Scotland is an acquittal.

Now his alleged victim has launched a civil action against him which is being heard at the Personal Injury Court in Edinburgh.

The woman, known only as Miss M and who can't be identified for legal reasons, told the court that during a night out at a student party and a nightclub she drank a four cans of cider, a bottle of rose wine, a bottle of champagne and three glasses of sparkling wine which were mixed with vodka.

She told Sheriff Robert Weir QC that she awoke in her bed to find a man she didn't know having sex with her.

She said that he still continued to have sex with her when she was crying. Miss M also told the court that he forced her to perform a sex act on him and that he only stopped when he noticed blood on the bed.

She said: 'I was lying on my bed when I came around. I sort of was aware what going on from the off in the sense that I didn't have any clothes on. I was upset.

'Within a second I realised there was somebody on top of me. I suppose that person was having sex with me.

Mr Coxen denied raping the woman in St Andrews, Fife in September 2013 and a jury found the case against him not proven, which in Scotland is an acquittal

'I didn't say anything. I couldn't shout out. I couldn't say anything.

'The person was naked as well. I felt sick. I was lying down on my back. I found it difficult to breathe.'

Miss M accuses Coxen of raping her and injuring her tongue and has been granted funding to cover her costs by the Scottish Legal Aid Board.

On Tuesday, Miss M told the court how the attack happened whilst she was studying at St Andrews University.

During Freshers Week 2013, the woman told the court that she attended a party at a friend's flat.

The woman told the court that she left the party and attended the students union at St Andrews University before going onto a nightclub called the Lizard Lounge.

The woman said she had problems recollecting what happened after going to the club. But she said the next thing she could remember was being outside her house.

The woman told the court that she thought she was with a male friend. But she said she realised that she didn't know who the man was.

She added: 'My friends had Scottish accents but the person's accent wasn't Scottish. It was an English accent. It was a Manchester accent but I can't be certain.

'I became quite panicked when I realised I didn't know who the person was.

'The person was tall and dark hair.'

The woman said she repeatedly buzzed the door entry to her home and she said she hoped her flat mates would let her in. But she said her flatmates didn't answer.

The woman told the court that she dropped the keys to her property in the street. Miss M said the person she was with took the keys.

She added: 'My hand was pushed out of the way and the person picked up the keys. I was quite afraid.'

The woman then told the court that the next thing she remembers was that a man was having sex with her.

She said: 'I tried to push on his chest. But I couldn't do anything.'

The woman said that the man then put his hand on her face and started squeezing. She said she felt 'so scared' at this point.

Miss M then said that the man then forced her to perform a sex act on him. She then said the man stopped after seeing blood on the bed and on a nearby window sill.

She added: 'He said 'what the f**k? That's disgusting'. He said 'I thought you were alright.

'He got up straightway after that. I remember he was trying to find his trousers.'

The woman then told the court that she had sustained an injury to her tongue which later required to be operated on.

Mr Coxen contests the action. The hearing, believed to be a first of its kind in Scotland, continues.Horrifying bodycam footage shows the moment a gunman is shot by Chicago cops after he allegedly held a woman hostage in an apartment.

Three videos from the April 11 hostage situation were posted by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability on Monday.

In the first video, officers are seen raiding an apartment building on the Near West Side of Chicago as they look for the gunman who was later identified by police as 19-year-old Marcos Malvais.

Authorities are seen securing an upstairs area before heading downstairs in the apartment.

Horrifying bodycam footage shows the moment suspected gunman, Marcos Malvais, 19, is shot by Chicago cops (pictured, securing the upstairs area of the apartment) after he allegedly held a woman hostage in an apartment

'We've got a hostage downstairs, Sarge!' one of the responding officers shouts in a video. The officers quickly moved downstairs (pictured) where Malvais was allegedly holding the woman hostage

As the officers get closer to a hallway in the home, a woman (pictured on the floor) is seen lying on the floor before she's dragged inside the bathroom by the gunman and held at gunpoint

'We've got a hostage downstairs, Sarge!' one of the responding officers shouts in a video. 'He's got a gun! He's got a hostage!'

As the officers get closer to a hallway in the home, a woman is seen lying on the floor before she's dragged inside the bathroom by the gunman and held at gunpoint.

'Come on! Just let me [see] your hands, man,' an officer says in the second video. 'Come on man, let her go! It's not worth going to jail, man!'

The officer then shouted at the suspect: 'Come on! Just let me (see) your hands, man,' the officer continues. 'Come on man, let her go! It's not worth going to jail, man! Come on!'

'Just drop your weapon and walk out!' another officer yells.

Gunshots are heard and the woman starts to scream. Sgt Joseph Menoni was the officer who saw the woman being dragged into the bathroom.

Sgt Joseph Menoni (bodycam photo) was the officer who saw the woman being dragged into the bathroom. Menoni walked to the bathroom with his gun drawn and saw the victim on the bathroom floor as Malvais crouched in a bathtub

Other officers waited at the door with their guns also drawn as they made sure to secure the weapon from Malvais

Menoni reportedly saw Malvais raise his arm and point a semi-automatic handgun at him. In one of the videos, Menoni's body camera footage shows him appear to fire his weapon at Malvais (left and right)

Malvais was wounded by one of the shots, but it's unclear how many times he was shot. He was then arrested and pulled out of the bathtub by the officers

According to the Chicago Tribune, Menoni walked into the bathroom with his gun drawn and saw the victim on the bathroom floor as Malvais crouched in a bathtub.

Menoni reportedly saw Malvais raise his arm and point a semi-automatic handgun at him.

Malvais (above), who was taken to a hospital, was charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery & aggravated kidnapping

In one of the videos, Menoni's body camera footage shows him appear to fire his weapon at Malvais before the camera shuts off.

Three more gunshots are heard in another officer's video.

'Let me see your hands!' an officer shouts as the woman continues to scream. 'Let me see your hands!'

Malvais was wounded by one of the shots, but it's unclear how many times he was shot.

He was then arrested and pulled out of the bathtub by the officers.

Malvais, who was treated for his injuries at a local hospital, has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery, home invasion, aggravated kidnapping, armed robbery and unlawful use of a weapon.

He is being held without bail in the Cook County Jail.Priyanka Chopra apologised after the US television show Quantico garnered backlash following an episode showing her character Alex Parrish uncovering a terror plot hatched by Indian Hindu nationalists.

The Baywatch actress, who is dating Nick Jonas, offered her sincerest apologies on Twitter for the episode that triggered outrage in India with many fans calling her a traitor.

ABC also defended Priyanka Chopra after the actress had received calls to boycott her work and the brands that she endorses, including Samsung.

Priyanka Chopra pictured here at the Oscars Vanity Fair Party in Beverly Hills, California

Quantico

The ABC thriller Quantico first hit screens in 2015 and saw Priyanka Chopra take the lead role, becoming the first Indian to headline a US network series.

Her character Alex Parrish, an FBI agent, is a prime suspect of a terrorist attack on New York Citys Grand Central Terminal.

Despite receiving positive reviews, the dual timelines of the past and present have been called confusing and, although Quantico was renewed for a third season, the show was cancelled in May 2018.

Quantico will continue airing the remainder of the episodes on Friday nights on ABC.

Alex Parrish, an FBI agent, is a prime suspect of a terrorist attack on Grand Central Terminal

Quantico season 3

An episode in question titled The Blood of Romeo, shows Alex Parrish holding up sacred Hindu prayer beads, otherwise known as rudraksha mala, as evidence that the plotter was an Indian nationalist who had tried to frame Pakistan for a nuclear attack at an international summit on Kashmir.

Kashmir is the northernmost territory on the Indian subcontinent and this area has been fought over by both India and Pakistan since the Partition.

This plot twist that implicated Indians in a terror attack plot, especially over the topic of Kashmir, which is still a very sensitive subject, enraged those from the country and they took to social media to accuse the actress of betraying her native land.

This anger comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working to decrease the recent rise in violence by Hindu nationalists against the minority Hindu population, India is also trying to distance itself from extremist groups.

Activists of ultra right-wing Hindu Sena or Hindu Army hold posters of Priyanka Chopra

The Blood of Romeo social media reactions

Many Indians were disappointed in Chopra because she is perceived as an ambassador for India in Hollywood, while others supported her and said that many Bollywood films have framed Muslims and Pakistanis as terrorists and villains for years.

The fact that Indians are getting mad at Priyanka Chopra for acting in an episode that portrays a Hindu terror plot by Indian nationalists is completely absurd. ITS A FREAKING SHOW! Just because it happens in a fictitious show doesnt mean its necessarily true! #Quantico  Anand (@apzeal) June 10, 2018

If u really want to know how to become anti nationalist nd anti hindu ...don't forget to watch priyanka chopra's latest episode of Quantico..she is more dangerous thn those terrorist who hav weapons in their hands nd killing hindus..#ShameonyouPriyankaChopra   Priyanka Sinha (@Priya_dhrm) June 5, 2018

#Quantico is so cool to watch. #PriyankaChopra did an amazing Job. and i dont understand why Hindu Indian nationalists are sending so much hate towards @priyankachopra ? its just a tv show    (@bilalosiphy) June 6, 2018

Apparently, the latest episode of Priyanka Chopras #Quantico depicts Hindutva terrorists staging an attack in Manhattan to frame #Pakistan.



And Modi Bros are throwing a collective hissy fit.



Absolutely hilarious!  sameera khan (@SameeraKhan) June 4, 2018

This is how Priyanka Chopra repays us for making her top Bollywood star- by not protesting against Hindus being shown as terrorists in serial Quantico starring her in lead role. Shame on you #PriyankaChopra #BoycottSamsung until they remove her from brand ambassador post  Rosy (@rose_k01) June 6, 2018

ABC apology

In a statement, ABC said: ABC Studios and the executive producers of Quantico would like to extend an apology to our audience who were offended by the most recent episode, The Blood of Romeo.

The episode has stirred a lot of emotion, much of which is unfairly aimed at Priyanka Chopra, who didnt create the show, nor does she write or direct it.

The show has featured antagonists of many different ethnicities and backgrounds, but in this case we inadvertently and regrettably stepped into a complex political issue. It was certainly not our intention to offend anyone.

Priyanka Chopra apology

Priyanka Chopra took to Twitter to apologise for the episode, saying she is a proud Indian and that will never change.

Im extremely saddened and sorry that some sentiments have been hurt by a recent episode of Quantico. That was not and would never be my intention. I sincerely apologise.

Im extremely saddened and sorry that some sentiments have been hurt by a recent episode of Quantico. That was not and would never be my intention. I sincerely apologise. I'm a proud Indian and that will never change.  PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) June 9, 2018

Priyanka Chopra controversy

After her attendance at the Royal Wedding, Priyanka Chopra also received backlash from Hindu hardliners for visiting Rohingya Muslims and ignoring persecuted Hindus during her visit to Bangladesh.

The UNICEF goodwill ambassador offered her support to the Rohingya children that were housed in the camps and said that they are in need of desperate help.

UNICEF goodwill ambassador Priyanka Chopra speaks at a news conference in Bangladesh

Almost 60 per cent of the total refugees are children and 60 babies are being born every day in the shelter.

I'm here on behalf of children. I'm too small, I feel, to speak about a political situation like this. I'm not someone who believes in a blame game. I think that creates more hatreds and animosities, the former Miss World said.

Chopra was also accused of being disrespectful by wearing a dress that exposed her legs during a meeting with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Berlin in 2017.

However, in response to the reaction she had received, she posted another picture hours later of herself and her mother in short dresses with the caption: Legs for days, it must be in the genes.Redmond O'Neill, 33, has been charged with attempted murder in Los Angeles

Redmond O'Neal was formally charged with attempted murder on Monday and is now facing up to 22 years in state prison, Los Angeles prosecutors said.

The amended felony complaint was filed three days after police first revealed Friday that the only son of late actress Farrah Fawcett and actor Ryan O'Neal is the alleged culprit behind a violent crime spree that included two stabbings near the Venice Beach Boardwalk.

The new complaint adds two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one felony count each of attempted murder and criminal threats and misdemeanor counts of battery and exhibiting a deadly weapon, DA spokesman Ricardo Santiago said.

O'Neal, 33, was already in custody for allegedly robbing a 7-Eleven at knifepoint on May 8.

For that incident, he was originally charged with second-degree robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and drug counts related to heroin and meth, according to the complaint.

After O'Neal was arrested near the 7-Eleven last month, detectives discovered he matched the description of their suspect in a wave of random, unprovoked attacks on five men starting May 2, police said.

Two of the five men were seriously injured, authorities said. The suspect was described as having the same red hair and 'distinct tattoos' as O'Neal, police said.

The first attack happened around 8 p.m. in the Palms neighborhood of Los Angeles on May 2, when O'Neal allegedly became angry after an unidentified male victim 'appeared to look at him,' police said.

O'Neal allegedly punched the man and tried to bash him with a broken glass bottle before fleeing the scene, cops said.

Around 3:30 a.m. on May 3, O'Neal allegedly slugged a man leaving a convenience store and threw him to the ground after the victim tried to talk with him, according to police.

The next day, O'Neal allegedly stabbed a man with a knife after the victim looked at him while he was walking near the Venice Beach Boardwalk, cops said.

Redmond (left) is the son of the late Farrah Fawcett (middle) and Ryan O'Neal (right)

Initially, the victim thought that the suspect only 'punched' him in the back. Once first responders arrived, paramedics discovered the victim sustained a serious stab wound to the left side of his body, cops said.

Later on May 4, a male victim was found 'laying in a pool of blood with obvious stab wounds to his face and upper body,' police said.

'Initially, the victim thought that the suspect (O'Neal) had merely punched him in the back,' LAPD said in a statement.

'However, once paramedics arrived, the paramedics discovered that the victim had sustained serious stab wounds to the left side of his body,' it read.

The same day witnesses say a man was found in a pool of blood with stab wounds to his face and body and the description of the suspect matched O'Neal.

O'Neal already pleaded not guilty to a May 8 robbery and other charges, including possessing methamphetamine and heroin.

He's been jailed for a month. An email seeking comment from his attorney wasn't immediately returned.A group of drug smugglers who flew cannabis and pills into a prison using a drone have been jailed for a total of 31 years.

Darren Dunn, Daniel White, Steven Roberts, Chrisopher Paul, Anthony Redmond and Michael Madden were all sentenced at Manchester Crown Court this week.

The court heard Roberts took a plane to Barcelona on October 14 2016 to source cannabis and was followed by associates Anthony Redmond and Michael Madden.

The trio maintained regular contact with Darren Dunn, a convicted criminal was was in prison throughout the trip.

From left, Darren Dunn, Daniel White and Christopher Paul were sentenced at Manchester Crown Court this week

The court heard Steven Roberts, far right, took a plane to Barcelona on October 14 2016 to source cannabis and was followed by his associates associates Anthony Redmond, centre, and Michael Madden

A week later, after sourcing the cannabis, Roberts flew back while Redmond and Madden drove the drugs back to Manchester on a ferry.

Meanwhile on 31 October 2016, after being contacted by Dunn from prison, Tierney and White drove to a car park near HMP Forest Bank where they flew a drone into the prison.

Dunn was in constant contact with Tierney so he could coordinate the transfer of cannabis.

Again, on 13 November 2016, Roberts and Redmond travelled to Spain and returned two days later, having replenished their supply of cannabis.

Shortly after, Tierney was seen in the park opposite the prison, attempting to transfer cannabis again.

After a two-night-stay in the city, Redmond and Madden returned to the UK on the ferry and were stopped by Border Force Officers who found bags of cannabis in the boot and around the spare wheel

Officers tried to stop him, but he managed to escape and ring Dunn to let him know the police were onto their operation.

The following day, Tierney was arrested after they found his abandoned bag which contained the drone, socks full of cannabis, mobile phones and two bags of pills.

In December the international operation unravelled after Roberts was seen exchanging 2,500 into Euros before he travelled to Barcelona, followed by Madden and Redmond in their car.

After a two-night-stay in the city, Redmond and Madden returned to the UK on the ferry and were stopped by Border Force Officers who found bags of cannabis in the boot and around the spare wheel.

When questioned about the drugs in the car, Redmond told officers he didn't know they were there.

Tierney was seen in the park opposite the prison, attempting to transfer cannabis again. Pictured: The drone used to fly drugs into the prison

The following day, Tierney was arrested after they found his abandoned bag which contained the drone, socks full of cannabis, mobile phones and two bags of pills

Despite protesting his innocence, Dunn was found guilty at an earlier hearing, while the other five defendants pleaded guilty to the drug offences.

Detective Sergeant Colin Shackleton of GMP's Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said: 'Their well-oiled plan was brought to an abrupt end when the drugs were discovered in their car.

'They thought they could outsmart officers by crossing borders to obtain the drugs, but we've shown we've got the experience and skill to bring organised criminals like this to justice.

'With every conviction we're a step closer to taking dangerous drugs off our street, but ensuring results like today relies on people sharing information about criminal activity in their area.'

A huge suitcase full of cannabis recovered as part of the operation. Gang members were arrested after they were intercepted by Border Force

Dunn was sentenced to 10 years for conspiracy to convey list A articles into prison, conspiracy to convey list B articles into prison, dangerous driving, possession of a bladed article.

White was sentenced to three years and months, Roberts to seven years and four months, Paul to seven years and four months, Redmond to one year and eight months, Madden to 11 months.

Sean Tierney was previously sentenced in 2016 to to two and-a-half years for conspiracy to convey a list A article into prison, conspiracy to convey a list B article into prison.President Donald Trump's trade adviser Peter Navarro apologized for saying 'there's a special place in hell' for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

'In conveying that message I used language that was inappropriate and basically lost the power of that message. I own that, that was my mistake, my words,' he said at a Wall Street Journal CFO Network event on Tuesday in Washington D.C.

When asked if he was apologizing, Navarro said, 'Yes, absolutely,' according to the Wall Street Journal.

Navarro joined in on a round of Trudeau bashing from Trump advisers who appeared on the Sunday morning public affairs shows.

The White House is angry at remarks Trudeau made after meeting with Trump at the G7

Peter Navarro apologized for saying 'there's a special place in hell' for Justin Trudeau

Trump advisers like Larry Kudlow took to the Sunday shows to bash Trudeau

'There's a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door,' he said on 'Fox News Sunday.' 'That's what bad faith Justin Trudeau did with that stunt press conference.'

Navarro added: 'To my friends in Canada, that was one of the worst political miscalculations of a Canadian leader in modern Canadian history.'

Trump and his team were upset with comments Trudeau made at his press conference at the close of the G7 summit, at which the prime minister warned that Canada would not be pushed around on tariffs - a point Trudeau had made several times before.

'He'll learn that's going to cost a lot of money for the people of Canada. He'll learn, he can't do that,' Trump said Tuesday in Singapore.

The president also said the Canadian leader must not have realized that Trump had televisions on Air Force One, allowing him to monitor Trudeau's news conference.

'I think that Justin probably didn't know that Air Force One has about 20 televisions,' he said.

'We are being taken advantage of by virtually every one of those countries,' Trump told a news conference on Tuesday. 'Look, countries cannot continue to take advantage of us on trade.

Trump fired off a volley of tweets on Monday further venting anger at NATO allies, the European Union and Trudeau.

His extraordinary outburst in recent days appeared aimed at striking a chord with voters who support his 'America First' agenda. 'Not fair to the people of America! $800 billion trade deficit,' he tweeted on Monday.

In the same set of tweets, Trump said: 'Justin acts hurt when called out!'

On Tuesday, Trump said: 'We have a big trade deficit with Canada ... it's close to $100 billion a year deal loss.'

However, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative has said the United States ran an $8.4 billion trade surplus with Canada in 2017.

Canadian officials have stressed the two countries' extensive trading relationship and pointed out that Canada is the top export destination for 35 U.S. states and that 9 million jobs in the United States depend on trade with its northern neighbour.

The White House escalated the war of words against Trudeau before the summit began with Trump aides taking to the Sunday morning public affair shows to blast the Canadian prime minister.

'He really kind of stabbed us in the back. He really, actually, you know: he did a great disservice to the whole G-7. He betrayed,' White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on CNN's 'State of the Union' Sunday morning.

Kudlow, 70, was hospitalized on Monday following a heart attack.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Kudlow 'experienced what his doctors say, was a very mild heart attack' earlier Monday.

Trump criticized Trudeau at his press conference in Singapore on Tuesday

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Donald Trump participate in the working session at the G7 Summit in the Charlevoix town of La Malbaie, Quebec

The White House is upset with comments Trudeau made at his post-G7 presser

Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau at the G7 summit

'Larry is currently in good condition at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and his doctors expect he will make a full and speedy recovery,' Sanders said.

The economic adviser blasted Trudeau's behavior at the gathering of world leaders.

'You just don't behave that way. It's a betrayal. Essentially double-crossing,' Kudlow said of Trudeau's challenge to the president on tariffs at the G7 summit in Canada.

He then said Trudeau was aiming to make Trump look weak ahead of his historic meeting with Kim. The president left the G7 summit early in order to fly to Singapore for that summit.

Trump 'is not gonna let a Canadian prime minister push him around,' Kudlow said. 'He is not going to permit any show of weakness on a trip to negotiate with North Korea.'

'He can't put Trump in a position of being weak going into the North Korean talks. He can't do that. And by the way, President Trump is not weak,' he noted.

'Kim must not see American weakness. It's that short.'

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland defended the prime minister on Sunday, saying that Canada doesn't find attacks 'appropriate or useful.'

'Canada does not believe that ad hominem attacks are a particularly appropriate or useful way to conduct our relations with other countries,' she said at a press conference.

The trade dispute was launched after Trump last week removed exemptions from steel and aluminum tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and the EU.

Canada responded by slapping tariffs on $12.8 billion worth of US exports, including metals, toilet paper, ball point pens and pizza.

'We're like the piggy bank that everybody is robbing,' Trump said at a press conference as he departed the two-day meeting in La Malbaie, Quebec on Saturday.Gillian Leeden is accused of sending malicious communications after writing a book about her poisoning of her sister's artichokes

A grandmother who killed her sister's artichokes then wrote a book about the bitter feud within her family has been cleared by a crown court judge.

Gillian Leeden privately published 150 copies of Behind the Artichokes, which led to her being prosecuted under the Malicious Communications Act.

She claimed in the 213-page book that her older sisters Lyndsey Glassett, 72, and 69-year-old Deborah Lemay behaved badly in handling their mother Winifred's affairs.

The 66-year-old sent copies of the book to the two sisters, family members, their neighbours in Hertfordshire and Norfolk, town councillors, members of the University of the Third Age, and a vicar.

Ms Leeden denied two charges of conveying information that was false and which she knew, or believed to be, false under the Malicious Communications Act.

It was alleged she wrote that Ms Lemay stole 21,000 from their late mother, removed furniture and jewellery from her address without consent and abused her.

She allegedly made the same claims about Ms Glassett, and also that she inherited a a lot of money from their aunt Barbara Leeden through 'misdemeanour'.

However, at the end of the prosecution case at St Albans crown court, Judge Stephen Warner ruled she had no case to answer.

He directed the jury of six men and six women to find her not guilty, saying: 'There is evidence (in the book) that the information was false.

'But there has to be evidence she knew or believed it was false. I have come to conclusion there is not enough evidence.'

The trial will likely have cost taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds in legal fees and police numerous hours preparing the case.

At the start of the week-long trial, the jury were sent to a room in the court to read the book - something the jury had to do during the 1960 obscenity trial relating to DH Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's lover.

The book was written after Ms Leeden was convicted of criminally damaging Ms Glassett's artichokes on May, 23, 2014 - a month after their mother died aged 93.

She accused the older sisters of stealing from their mother, but the jury heard a firm of solicitors audited Winifred's financial arrangements and found there was no 'misappropriation of the money'.

Ms Leeden's sisters Lyndsey Glassett and sister Deborah Lemay are the complainants

Ms Leeden continued to accuse the sisters of stealing, but the prosecutor Katrina Charles said they were both exonerated following a legal process.

She lived in the flat above the one Ms Glassett shared with Winifred and claimed the artichokes were weeds that were putting off customers to her laser hair removal business.

In December 2014 Stevenage magistrates gave her a conditional discharge but ordered her to pay Lyndsey 5 compensation and 325 in court costs.

In the witness box, Ms Lemay said: 'When Gillian destroyed Lyndsey's artichokes she was distraught. She loved those artichokes.'

The court heard the relationship between Ms Leeden and Ms Glassett broke down irrevocably in 2010 a year after Ms Glassett had moved back from France to be the carer for their mother.

Ms Lemay, a former town councillor in Buntingford, Hertsfordshire, said her mother gave her, her husband Brian, and Ms Glassett power of attorney for her affairs.

The locks on the mother's flat were changed and Ms Leeden was not given a key and the mother changed her will.

'By this time the relationship between mother and Gillian had started to deteriorate. She did not want Gillian to be an attorney,' Ms Lemay said.

'Gillian was coming down to see Mother from her flat less often. Mother was picking up she and Lyndsey were not getting on.'

In a 2013 blog, Ms Leeden called Ms Lemay 'The Hippopotamus' a reference to the name Reginald Perrin gave to his mother-in-law in the 1970s sitcom.

She added a link to a YouTube clip of the series. The court head Ms Leeden received a police caution for the blog, which was taken down.

The case centres on this book written by Ms Leeden, which the jury have been told to read in full

Ms Lemay, who walks with a stick, said there were a number of occasions when Gillian was rude to them.

'She would lean out of her window upstairs and cat call. She always played same the songs - 'Big, fat woman' (Joe Tex) for me' and 'Who let the dogs out?' for Lyndsey.,' she said.

Deborah, who now lives in Norfolk near Ms Glassett, said: 'It was nasty and vicious. She called my husband an odious little man, said Lyndsey had never done anything in her life and called me a bigot and failed politician and journalist.'

When their mother died in April 2014 about 7am, they rang the solicitor about 9.15am to be told that Ms Leeded had already spoken to them that morning saying Ms Glassett should now be paying 1,000 a month rent, she said.

Ms Lemay said her mother did not want Ms Leeden to receive anything in her will and left everything to her nine grandchildren, two of whom were Ms Leeden's.

She said she was in hospital when her sister's book was sent to her.

'I read it and curled up with embarrassment. I was mortified. There are so many lies,' she said.

Ms Lemay denied the allegations that she stole money, jewellery, or furniture. She said her mother gave her a necklace and she only took her share of the furniture and never mistreated her mother.

When Ms Glassett was asked in the witness box about the book, she said it was a lie that she was absent from her family for 20 years before 2009.

She denied a claim that she took care of her aunt Barbara Leeden when she was dying to inherit her estate.

Ms Glassett said she was bequeathed her Mini Cooper and received 100 in the will. She denies taking Winifred's money, jewellery and furniture.

Asked about living with Winifred she said: 'She wanted me to stay and look after her. She didn't like being on her own.

'I had always been the favourite of the children. I knew I was going to look after my mum.'

'Gillian resented very much that mother had bought me a car even though my parents bought her a car at 18.'

The row over the sisters' mother led to the poisoning of Ms Glassett's Jerusalem artichokes

Ms Glassett, who works as a calligrapher, said she and Ms Lemay had been exonerated after being investigated by the police, social services, and lawyers.

Ms Leeden wrong in the blog: 'Lyndsey has never done anything in her life. A nothing person. She saw a perfect opportunity when she moved in with mum. She is a bossy, self-manipulative liar.'

Asked by Ms Charles about her reaction to the blog, Ms Glassett said: 'We reported her to the police. It was pretty vile. It was a total lie and very distressing.'

She described the book as: 'a pack of lies, exaggerations or half truths.'

'When Gillian gets something in her head, she really believes it. She won't let it go,' she said.

The judge made a restraining order banning Ms Leeden from contacting her two older sisters indefinitely.

The order also stated she must not 'cause any information in the book Behind the Artichokes regarding Deborah Lemay or Lyndsey Glassett to be published or reproduced in print, broadcast or on line media'.Nearly four years since William Tyrrell went missing, police are switching up their search methods.

Authorities announced on Tuesday that they planned to begin a large-scale forensic search for the three-year-old, who disappeared while playing outside with his sister at his foster grandmother's home in September 2014.

According to The Guardian, police released a statement on their initial four-week search for the boy, saying: 'The initial search, while extensive, was focused only on finding William  a little boy who was lost  and not with a view of deliberate human intervention.

William Tyrrell went missing from his foster grandmother's yard when he was three years old

Police in New South Wales have announced plans to launch a large-scale forensic search for William Tyrrell, who has been missing since September 2014

'William was not located, and the search did not uncover any evidence relevant to his disappearance.

'Detectives and analysts from the state crime command's homicide squad are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding William's disappearance under strike force Rosann.'

The statement continued: 'As part of ongoing investigations...detectives will commence a four-week forensic search of bushland at Kendall [on Wednesday].

'The operation is being coordinated by search experts from the public order and riot squad.'

The sad search for William Tyrrell now returns to where it all began, near his foster grandmas home in Kendall. Cops say The initial search, while extensive, was focused only on finding William  a little boy who was lost  and not with a view of deliberate human intervention.  Taylor Auerbach (@tauerbach) June 12, 2018

So what do you need to know a bout the disappearance of William Tyrrell? Here's the scoop.

William Tyrrell missing

William Tyrrell is a young boy from Kendall, New South Wales, Australia. In September 2014, his foster parents brought him and his five-year-old sister from Sydney, Australia to visit their foster grandmother in Kendall, New South Wales.

William and his sister were reportedly playing hide-and-seek in the yard while his foster grandmother and mother looked on from nearby.

His mother told Channel Seven's Sunday Night program she retreated into the house to make a cup of tea and when she returned, was unable to see or hear her foster son.

'He was in his Spider Man outfit playing "Daddy Tiger",' she recalled.

'It was just two meters, three meters away from where we were sitting. I've just walked out and I just see nothing.'

The disappearance occurred at about 10:30am UTC. The boy was wearing a Spider-Man suit at the time.

Has William Tyrrell been found?

More than three years after his 2014 disappearance, William Tyrrell is still missing. Police have announced plans to begin a massive forensic search for the child on Wednesday.

That search will extend to the bushland near the child's foster grandmom's home.

The initial search for William began on September 13, 2014. About 200 volunteers and police searched through the night for the boy.

The searched extended to the area around the home, including rugged terrain surrounding it and waterways and dams nearby.

By September 16, 2014, ABC reported that police were speaking with sex offenders in the area as well.

The search began to scale back nine days after his disappearance. Emergency services told community members they intended to focus more on the information they received during their search.

In the news at 5 were live in Kendall as @nswpolice roll in to town ahead of a fresh search for William Tyrrell #tennews pic.twitter.com/Si8YY6TXnN  Andrew Denney (@Andrew_Denney) June 12, 2018

Superintendent Paul Fehon spoke out in January 6, 2015 denying that investigators believed the case was a targeted abduction.

Two weeks later, forensic teams searched the home of William Harrie Spedding, who had given a quote at William's grandmother's house days before William went missing.

Authorities seized several items and the septic tank from his home. Nothing came of this particular aspect of the investigation.

The Homicide Squad started a new search for the child's body in an area of bush near Bonny Hills in March 2015. Police searched for his body and more evidence nearly 20 kilometers from the sight where William was last seen.

The following month, New South Wales Police revealed that they were looking into an alleged pedophile ring in the area from which William disappeared.

'We have information that we've received in relation to a pedophile ring that may be operating,' Detective Superintendent Michael Willing said.

That June, newspaper reports alleged that a Spider-Man toy was found in a van belonging to a person of interest.

On the 26th of that month an appeal into William's disappearance was renewed. Detective Inspector Gary Jubelin of the Homicide Squad said he was hopeful the boy was still alive.

'As I've said to the family and I've said publicly, until we have evidence that conclusively proves William is deceased we will treat this matter as if William is still alive, and that's the way we're pursuing the investigation,' he said.

In September 2015, police requested information about two cars that were apparently parked outside William's grandmother's home when the boy disappeared.

'You're looking at a semi-rural area, and it was a dead-end street. To attend out there, there would have to be a reason,' Gary said.

Police will begin a fresh, large-scale search of bushland on NSWs mid north coast for missing Sydney boy William Tyrrell. @NatashaSquarey #7News pic.twitter.com/yQCO6Lf6ss  7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) June 12, 2018

That same month Dr. Sarah Tule said the kidnapping was most likely committed by someone who saw an opportunity and took it.

'It does seem that this was an opportunistic crime and when somebody makes that kind of impulsive decision, mistakes are made and it's those kind of mistakes that the investigation is focusing on,' she said.

William's parents pleaded with the public to continue looking for their son in February 2016. Police assured the public they would continue searching and assuming that the child was alive.

'NSW Police maintain the position that until they have conclusive evidence that William Tyrrell is deceased, they will continue to investigate the matter on the basis William could still be alive,' police said in a statement.

On the second anniversary of William Tyrrell's disappearance, the local government announced a $1 million (565,882) reward for information about the boy's whereabouts.

No further developments in the case have been made. The search for William continues.

News tonight reveals that there is major new momentum in the search for missing boy William Tyrrell. @EliseBaker9 is #LIVE with the latest developments. #9News pic.twitter.com/GhmOTogwnJ  9News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) June 12, 2018

William Tyrrell parents

William Tyrrell was in the care of foster parents when he went missing. His biological parents names are Karlie Tyrrell and Brendan Collins.

He was taken from them when he was eight months old and placed into foster care. The arrangement was intended to be permanent, according to the Daily Telegraph.

His biological grandmother, Natalie Collins, told News.com.au Karlie and Brendan kept the boy hidden away from authorities while he was a baby.

'I should have taken him myself and I would still have him,' Natalie said.

At the time, William's birth parents had been threatened with the removal of the child by Family and Community Services welfare officers. In the end, the organization did end up taking the boy into their custody.

They have been ruled out as suspects in the child's disappearance, though.

William is still missing and I ask everyone to retweet to keep everyone aware! We will NEVER GIVE UP!  Never until he is found. Someone knows something.#givehimback #WilliamTyrrell #Australia #MISSINGPERSON #missingchildren #missing pic.twitter.com/Yo1mOFQGRI  Tracey & Parker  (@myJourneyBattle) June 8, 2018

William Tyrrell foster parents

The identity of William Tyrrell's foster parents has not been revealed and will not be. Due to Australian child protection laws, their identities have to remain under wraps.

Why was William Tyrrell in foster care?

William Tyrrell was taken into foster care after his biological parents attempted to hide him away in 2011 after receiving threats from Family and Community Services welfare offices.

News.co.au reported that the couple were spotted in a suburb of Sydney, Australia and the child was taken into foster care.

William Tyrrell mother charged

William Tyrrell's mother Karlie Tyrrell has not been charged with his disappearance. In fact, she and his father, Brendan Collins, have both been ruled out as suspects in their son's disappearance.

Karlie has had her fair share of run-ins with the law, though. In December 2017 she was arrested at a shopping center after police were called 'to assist with a woman acting aggressively toward customers', according to New.com.au.

A NSW Police spokeswoman told the outlet that Karlie 'allegedly repeatedly swore at the officers in the presence of two children' when police arrived.

'Police attempted to speak with the woman when she allegedly spat on the face of one of the officers,' the statement continued.

William Tyrrell is revealed to be nephew of @5SOS guitarist @Michael5SOS https://t.co/wIYZslkkLl  Daily Mail Australia (@DailyMailAU) September 1, 2017

She appeared in court in January 2018 and pleaded guilty.

The boy's father, Brendan Collins, was said to be in Silverwater prison at the time awaiting sentencing for minor charges. His mother, Natalie Collins, told the outlet he 'doesn't even know what day it is'.

She added that he's 'too far gone on drugs'.

Brendan has reportedly struggled to shake an addiction to ice, or crystal meth.An Iranian asylum seeker whose hatred of the police became an 'obsession' has been jailed for 20 years after stockpiling an arsenal of weapons to be used in an 'atrocity'.

Ashkan Ebrahimi, 33, was found in possession of police batons, crossbows, swords, knives, bomb-making ingredients and air rifles at his flat in Halifax, West Yorkshire.

The father-of-one 'stalked' police officers, a judge, a social worker and a solicitor after a 2014 domestic abuse investigation led to him becoming overwhelmed by his hatred for people in authority, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Ashkan Ebrahimi, 33, was found in possession of police batons, crossbows, swords, knives, bomb-making ingredients and air rifles at his flat in Halifax, West Yorkshire

His desire for revenge had been sparked by a domestic incident involving himself and his then-girlfriend, who is also the mother of his young child. Pictured: Ebrahimi in front of a swastika

The court heard during his trial how Ebrahimi, who is understood to have come to the country from Iran in 2009, turned his flat in Oak Lane, Halifax, into "the hub" of his hate campaign against those in authority who he felt had wronged him.

The Halifax Courier reports Ebrahimi had signed up to study GCSE science at Calderdale College a month before anti-terror officers found weapons and chemicals at his home.

The college had tipped police off after he showed an unusual interest in chemicals.

When his home was searched, he also had books and videos on how to produce a bomb, ball-bearings, handcuffs, listening devices and a bullet-proof vest.

Dafydd Enoch QC, prosecuting, said: 'He found out information about his targets, photographed their homes, followed them and made notes about them.

'Things were to escalate in a most serious way when his research began to extend to the subject of making bombs.'

He added: 'When you have heard all the evidence about this ladies and gentlemen, you will be left in no doubt that the defendant in this case is a very dangerous man who was not only thinking about hurting or killing people, but who was making real and focused preparations physically to action those thoughts.

'There are those who fantasise about extreme things in the privacy of their own bedroom, but this is not such a case as you will see. It is lucky that he was stopped before there was an atrocity.'

His desire for revenge had been sparked by a domestic incident involving himself and his then-girlfriend, who is also the mother of his young child.

Police were called and Ebrahimi was ultimately given a non-molestation order by a court.

He had researched 38 people, the court was told, most of them police officers.

Ebrahimi was found guilty of stalking, possession of an offensive weapon and possession of explosives with intent to endanger life

In a Facebook post, he had written: Every single minute the hate is growing more and more...I haaaaaaaate the police thats all I know in my life.

Police also said he had driven to the addresses of some of his targets and photographed their homes.

Among the people he targeted was the solicitor who had represented his ex-girlfriend during the case relating to the domestic incident.

Ebrahimi was found guilty of stalking, possession of an offensive weapon and possession of explosives with intent to endanger life.

He represented himself, but refused to give evidence in his defence.

Last week, the Huddersfield Daily Examiner reported, he told the court: 'I wish I could give you everything I have, all my evidence, so you could see the whole picture. Not possible for me under the circumstances.'

The judge gave him a 20-year extended sentence, with a 15-year jail sentence and a five-year licence period.

Judge David Hatton QC said: The alarm and distress caused to those who gained knowledge of your activities, and whom you were seemingly targeting, will have been immeasurable and their daily lives severely compromised.

Detective Chief Inspector Warren Stevenson, who headed the investigation, said: Ebrahimi is a very dangerous individual who posed a significant and very serious threat to police officers, police staff, solicitors and the judiciary.

He developed a deep seated and consuming hatred and loathing for people in authority, in the main police officers, and set about research and planning his limitless revenge against them.

Ebrahimi was also given restraining orders banning him from contacting 15 people, visiting nine streets and from coming with 25 metres of a West Yorkshire police station.

He was also barred from contacting staff at Bradford Crown Court.Algarve acid attack victim Ellie Chessell confronted the man who allegedly scarred her for life in a tense courtroom stand-off before breaking down in tears as she was comforted by her loved ones.

The British travel rep told a judge she recognised Edmundo Helder Rodrigues Fonseca as the man who doused her in acid after he was hauled into the courtroom in handcuffs.

She stared at the jobless 44-year-old for a split second before nodding her head as judge Patricia Avila asked her if he was the man who attacked her near the hotel she was working at in the resort of Alvor.

Algarve acid attack victim Ellie Chessell (centre) confronted the man who allegedly scarred her for life in a tense courtroom stand-off

Claudio Gouveia is accused of plotting the murder of ex-girlfriend Ellie Chessell in the Algarve by paying a hitman to throw acid over her

Questioned again whether he scarred her in the May 6 2017 attack state prosecutors say Ms Chessell's ex-boyfriend Claudio Gouveia ordered, she told the judge as Rodrigues Fonseca left the courtroom in Portimao less than five miles from the attack scene: 'For sure, I'm positive.'

Ms Chessell, 29, from Newport, Isle of Wight, spoke out at the end of a near-half-hour address ahead of the start of Rodrigues Fonseca's trial.

Three judges were due to deliver their verdict against her ex Gouveia - who has been tried separately - on Tuesday at the same court but the hearing was suspended on a legal technicality at the request of his defence lawyer.

Ms Chessell - supported by relatives including her mum Diana Newman who also gave evidence - looked visibly upset as she learnt she would not find out whether the 35-year-old alleged orchestrator of the acid attack would be found guilty and sentenced to a possible 25 years in prison.

Ms Chessell, 29, from Newport, Isle of Wight, spoke out at the end of a near-half-hour address ahead of the start of Rodrigues Fonseca's trial

Ms Chessell, smartly dressed in grey trousers and a black shirt with a silver bracelet covering her scarred right arm

Brave British holiday rep Brave Ellie Chessell, 29 returned to Court today accompanied by her mother and other supporters

After identifying Rodrigues Fonseca as the man who attacked her, she left the courtroom shaking and in tears and was comforted by relatives for around 10 minutes.

She declined to talk to waiting press, although British consular officials who accompanied her indicated she would provide a written statement once Gouveia's fate is known on a rescheduled court date of June 21.

Rodrigues Fonseca's trial proper - following the statements given by Ms Chessell and her mum - will get underway later this month.

Ms Chessell, smartly dressed in grey trousers and a black shirt with a silver bracelet covering her scarred right arm, told Tuesday's court hearing she knew she had been 'set up' by her ex when she had the acid thrown over her.

She said she was fooled into meeting a man she knew as Diogo on dating website Tinder.

'I'd never seen the man who attacked me before. He was on his mobile and sat on a bench dressed all in black when I first walked past him,' she said.

Ellie was reportedly assaulted repeatedly by Mr Gouveia over the course of their two year relationship

Rodrigues Fonseca (pictured) is accused of throwing acid on Ms Chessell after a plot by her ex

'His legs were shaking and he looked nervous and I thought he was a bit odd. He was walking down the road in the opposite direction as I headed back to my hotel.

'He said 'Sorry' - 'Desculpa' in Portuguese - before throwing something over me which I thought at first was urine because it was warm.

'I knew three seconds later I had been set up and it was acid. A bit went over my face and stomach and it ran down my legs.

'I was on the phone at the time and so some hit my arms. I took my jacket off as soon as it happened and my dress was melting.

'I immediately thought of my ex-boyfriend. He had threatened on several occasions he would hurt me and I realised he had found a way to make it happen.

'He emailed me afterwards making reference to a song we had listened to many times with the lyrics 'I don't give up'.'

Gouveia, 35, from Madeira was in a relationship with Ellie, 29, from Newport, Isle of Wight, for nearly two years

Ellie Chessell is a former TUI travel rep who worked all over the Mediterranean with the company

State prosecutor Carla Neto said in her closing speech at the end of Claudio Gouveia's trial last month he should face the maximum 25 years in jail for his 'macabre and repulsive' crime.

She detailed a series of chilling death threats she said he sent TUI travel worker Ms Chessell after she walked out on him following a string of assaults towards the end of their near-two-year relationship.

Rodrigues Fonseca is accused of throwing acid over Ms Chessell after her ex allegedly lured her out of her hotel by posing as a wealthy businessman called Diogo and setting up a date using a fake Tinder account.

He was arrested last year in Uganda, east Africa, for drug offences and extradited to Portugal in May.

Both men protested their innocence. Gouveia claimed during his evidence that the alleged acid hitman confessed to attacking Ms Chessell but admitted he decided not to tell police despite insisting he had nothing to do with the crime.Over two days MPs will be voting on the EU Withdrawal Bill - commonly known as the Brexit Bill.

The legislation facilitates Britain's withdrawal from the EU and is one of the most important pieces of legislation debated by Parliament.

Over yesterday and today Theresa May faces one of the toughest tests of her premiership so far as she tried to navigate the legislation through a series of knife-edge votes.

Over yesterday and today Theresa May (pictured yesterday in Downing Street) faces one of the toughest tests of her premiership so far as she tried to navigate the legislation through a series of knife-edge votes

What are the Brexit Bill amendments being debated by MPs over the coming two days?

There are 15 Brexit Bill amendments which are being voted on by MPs in a crunch two-day Commons showdown.

The House of Lords drew up the changes when they debated the Bill last month because they want to change the way the Government is negotiating Brexit.

Changes being voted on include proposals to try to keep the UK in the EU single market and customs union in a move which would mean the UK would have to keep free movement.

Brexiteers say the changes are wrecking amendments designed to thwart Brexit and bind the Government's hands in the talks.

Theresa May has scrambled to try to bargain with Tory rebels to ensure they don't revolt against her in the knife-edge votes.

What are the most important amendments ?

There are two crucial amendments which the Government feared it would face defeat on.

The first, debated last night, was to give MPs a 'meaningful vote' on the Brexit deal. This would effectively have allowed MPs to seize of the negotiations if Theresa May failed to reach a deal by December.

The second is an amendment to try to force the UK to seek to stay in a customs union with the EU after Brexit.

Mrs May has explicitly ruled this out as it would effectively stop Britain from being bale to negotiate its own trade deals with other countries.

What happened this evening?

The PM narrowly avoided a humiliating rebellion on the amendment demanding a meaningful vote by making a last-ditch concession to Tory rebels.

No10 promised MPs they will get a vote on the Brexit pans in November, or if the Government walks away from negotiations. It remains unclear at this stage what significance this vote will have

Mrs May also managed to thrash out an eleventh hour agreement with some Tory rebels on the customs union amendment.

Brokered on Monday night, it calls for ministers to seek a customs agreement with the EU - not a union. The change is far more than one of just language as it effectively means the UK can seek to set up different trade deals outside the Brussels bloc.

This amendment is being voted on tomorrow, and it remains to be seen if it has succeeded in peeling enough would-be rebels away from the revolt.

But the issue has just been kicked down the road as Remainers have said they will mount a fresh push to try to keep the UK in a customs union with Brussels when the Trade and Customs Bills come to Parliament next month

The Government won more than a dozen votes on Brexit tonight (including one division pictured) but only navigated a vote on the meaningful vote with a huge concession

What does that means for Theresa May?

The picture is mixed.

After weeks of speculation Mrs May could face two humiliating defeats in the Commons on the Bill - dealing her a heavy blow in the middle of Brexit talks - it looks like she has avoided all out defeat in the Commons.

But it appears she has been forced to make a major concession to Tory rebels by giving MPs a vote on the Brexit deal later this year.

She has another battle on her hands when the issue of the UK's customs arrangements with the EU returns to parliament for debate next month.

What happens next?

If the PM is successful at axing all of the 15 Lords amendments from the Bill and replacing them with her own then the Bill goes back to the House of Lords on Monday.

Peers will then get the chance to agree with them, or reject them and send them back to the Commons for debate. This back and forth, known as 'ping pong' continues until both Chambers agree.

Protesters gathered outside Parliament as the debate about Brexit continued inside this afternoon (pictured opposite the Victoria Tower)

Here are the crucial amendments being voted on:

MEANINGFUL VOTE:

Remainers have been fighting to ensure that they are not left with a choice between accepting whatever package the government thrashes out with the EU, or crashing out without any deal.

The government has already committed that there will be a vote on the terms reached with Brussels.

But the amendment passed by the Lords would effectively give parliament power to dictate subsequent talks if it rejects the deal.

That would be a major break from the existing constitutional position - which gives the executive control over negotiating treaties.

Tory MP Dominic Grieve has put forward a compromise amendment that would force ministers to come up with a new plan, and then put that before parliament for approval.

However, government sources have insisted they will not accept the plan.

CUSTOMS UNION:

The Lords amendment orders ministers to 'outline' to parliament how they will negotiate to 'continue participating in a customs union' after Brexit.

The idea is that it would force Mrs May to change approach and keep the UK lashed to the bloc - although the effect would be largely political is unclear as it would not be binding.

Ministers appear to have delayed a confrontation with Tory rebels by tabling a compromise amendment that would commit the government to seeking a customs 'arrangement'.

Rebel ringleader Dominic Grieve (pictured in the Commons yesterday) gave up his amendment on a meaningful vote in return for Government concessions

EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA:

The Lords inserted this demand for the UK to stay in the EU single market against the wishes of both the Tory and Labour front benches.

It spells out that the government should be seeking a Norway-style deal with the EU - potentially meaning free movement would stay in place.

This amendment has no chance of surviving in the Commons. However, Jeremy Corbyn is facing a major rebellion by his MPs, dozens of whom have called for EEA membership to be retained after Brexit.

BREXIT DATE:

The government has specified the date of Brexit as March 29, 2019 - as laid down by the Article 50 process.

But Remainers would like to see the date taken out of the Bill to make it easier to extend negotiations if a deal is not reached.

Tory rebels are not focused on this change and it would not be mission critical for the government, but ministers are expecting to avoid defeat.Brian Hyde, 22, was convicted on Monday for the murders of his aunt, her pregnant daughter, 17, and the teenager's boyfriend

A Florida man has been sentenced to four concurrent life sentences in prison without parole for using a machete to kill his aunt, her 17-year-old pregnant daughter and the teenager's boyfriend.

Brian Hyde, 22, was convicted on Monday for the murders of 37-year-old Dorla Pitts, Starlette Pitts and 19-year-old Michael Deon Kelly Jr. at their home in Lehigh Acres, Florida, in 2015.

Hyde was found guilty of four second-degree murder charges after the jury deliberated for three hours following a five-day trial. The fourth murder charge was for Starlette Pitts' unborn child.

The victims were found dead after a family friend went to check on them. Hyde was arrested after he was pulled over by law enforcement for driving erratically in Dorla Pitts' car with bloodied pants and shoes.

Dorla Pitt, a certified nursing assistant, is believed to have walked in on the massacre in progress as she was heard by her husband shouting 'Brian! What happened here!' before the line went dead, reported News Press.

Starlette Pitts, 17, was pregnant with her boyfriend 19-year-old Michael Deon Kelly Jr.'s baby. The couple are pictured left. On the right is Dorla Pitts with her husband, Dorrien

A bloodied palm print at the scene linked Hyde to the murder.

Hyde, a native of Belize, told the court he did not remember the circumstances surrounding the killings.

His defense team claimed this was because of the trauma he sustained while watching many of his family members killed in the Central American country.

He was convicted of the four murder charges in April.

Hyde's first appearance before a jury in November 2017 was declared a mistrial after a relative inadvertently revealed that the defendant was in the country illegally.

Starlette Pitts' and Michael Kelly's one-year-old baby survived the attack. The child is now being raised by Starlette Pitts' father, Dorrien.A Mexican politician active in the dismantling of organized crime was shot dead while he posed for selfies with constituents.

Fernando Puron, former mayor of Piedras Negras, had been participating in a congressional debate on Friday when he was gunned down.

The shocking murder of Puron, captured on CCTV, shows a bearded man wearing a cap walking behind the 43-year-old and shooting him in the back of the head.

Puron died on his way to the hospital.

The political candidate had been known for his work fighting against the Los Zetas cartel.

Fernando Puron, former mayor of Piedras Negras, had been participating in a congressional debate on Friday where he was later murdered

During his debate in Piedras Negras, the father of one talked about his work fighting the gang while mayor from 2014 to 2017.

'We closed the businesses of organized crime and demolished the houses belonging to the Zetas,' Puron, said, according to the Austin American-Statesman. 'We took back the city from the Zetas, and we returned it, pacified, to the citizens.'

The Zeta cartel has lost some of its power since the arrest of leader Miguel Trevino Morales, known as Z-40, in 201

Puron's death makes him as the 112th political candidate to be murdered in Mexico since September of last year, according to risk analysis consultant group - Etellekt.

Puron (circled) could be seen taking photos with constituents in Piedras Negras

The shocking murder of Puron, captured on CCTV, shows a bearded man wearing a cap walking behind the 43-year-old and shooting him in the back of the head

More than 1,000 candidates have dropped out of the July 1 local elections out of fear of being murdered by gangs.

During the campaign season, nearly 10 percent of the country - 222 municipalities - have had candidates or current officeholders that have been killed, assaulted or threatened.

Puron - part of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party - had had his life threatened numerous times while mayor.

In 2016, a warning was posted in a cemetery saying: 'Puron, in two years we are going to cut off your head.'

Puron's death makes him as the 112th political candidate to be murdered in Mexico since September of last year

'He was ready for battle until the last moment,' wife Cynthia Villarreal (center) said. 'He was the bravest man on the face of the earth'

On Sunday, his wife remembered her husband as someone whose 'hand did not tremble' when it came to standing up to organized crime.

'He was ready for battle until the last moment,' Cynthia Villarreal said. 'He was the bravest man on the face of the earth.'

On Monday, the attorney general for Coahuila said authorities have found two men they believe are associated with the murder or may know a suspect.

One of the last post the politician made on social media was to upload a picture of his daughter in her car seat.

'Maria Costanza is ready for the debate,' he wrote.The sister of House of Horrors mother Louise Turpin has told how they were both sexually abused as children by their grandfather.

In her new book Sister of Secrets, Elizabeth Flores tells how Louise, who is older than her, protected her from the man they called 'Papaw' by submitting herself to abuse so that she did not have to.

'I would come to know his silky, persuasive voice as a sign of what was to come, later in my years.

'But my sister knew what this dark-haired man standing tall with authority beside us wanted.

'Turning to me, she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, "Ill go,". She was my protector; my shield,' she said.

She continued to allege that the man carried out the abuse as their younger sister Teresa watched. There was one chair. He sat down on the chair and put me on his lap.

Louise Turpin's sister Elizabeth Flores (right in an interview earlier this year after her sister's arrest) said said the pair were both abused as children by their grandfather

'Poor little Teresa was forced to watch. She was about 4 years old because by this time I was about 9.

'I can remember her crying in the dark room while Papaw did stuff to me because she had no choice but to watch. She knew what was coming next,' she wrote.

In April, Teresa said the three sisters had been abused by a male relative as children.

She said their mother was aware and that she had also been abused by him but that she forced them go to because he would give her money to feed them.

Flores said their mother Phyllis (above) knew about the abuse but made them go to her father's house because he gave them money. She was also one of his victims. Phyllis died in 2016

Flores claims in her book that her mother knew about it as did their grandmother. While her grandmother divorced him after walking in on him abusing Louise once, Flores claims their mother forced them to endure the abuse.

'I knew Mommy was letting it happen because we were told that we had to go,' she wrote.

Elsewhere in her book, Flores claimed that Louise, who left home at 16 to marry her husband David, became obsessed with witchcraft.

Louise remains in custody on multiple charges of child abuse along with her David.

She is not facing any sexual abuse charges but David is accused of one.

They were arrested in January after one of their emaciated children escaped their home and asked for help.

At some time between 2008 and 2010, Turpin went to her sister's home in Texas and brought a board with her, Flores said.

She told her sister that it told her she would have another baby.

'She told me she was messing around with witchcraft. It just really freaked me out.

She brought the Ouija board to my home and I wouldn't let her bring it in my door,' Flores told The New York Daily News on Thursday as she promoted her new book, Sisters of Secrets.

Afterwards, she tried to convince her to join a snake handling festival and believed the reptiles would give her 'power'.

'Louise was attracted to that, like women dancing with rattle snakes around their necks.

The 13 children were aged between two and 29 when they were found in January. Some had never been to a dentist and all were severely starved

Turpin stands accused of gross child abuse along with her husband David. They are seen together in a May 4 court appearance

'She was reading that snakes give you power,' Flores said.

Flores believes that it played a role in her sister's treatment of the children who all required hospital care when they were saved because they had been starved and mistreated so severely.

'I do know witchcraft is very serious and demonic.

'If she did get deep into that, I do think it could have led her to do what she did because youre basically selling your soul to the devil.

'Maybe she was the mastermind behind all of this. Maybe it wasn't David,' she said.

Flores, who did several interviews after her sister's arrest in January, said she wrote the book to give their abused children a 'voice'.

'I want them to read the book and know they do have a voice.

'My nieces and nephews didn't know they had a voice,' she said.

She is not the only one of her siblings to speak out since the pair's arrest made national news in January.

Teresa Robinette, their other sister, has told how their own mother allowed a pedophile to rape them when they were children in return for money.

Turpin and her husband both deny the 50 charges of abuse they stand accused of.

This was the home where the children were found chained to their beds after one of the siblings escaped and asked for help

When their children were found in January, some were chained to their beds. Some had never been to a dentist and they were severely malnourished.

Turpin and David remain in custody on $2million bail.

They had moved around for years before the children were found, displacing them from state to state which is how authorities believe they evaded detection.

In a recent court appearance, David Turpin denied perjury for allegedly lying to authorities by claiming the children were enrolled in school.Trherne Williams, pictured outside the High Court in Glasgow, was today jailed for six and-a-half years after hurling three-month-old Sophia onto a couch, causing catastrophic brain damage

A father who killed his three month-old daughter because she would not stop crying has been jailed for six and a half years.

Traherne Williams hurled tiny Sophia Williams onto a couch causing catastrophic brain damage.

A judge heard how Williams had become 'absolutely frustrated' that the baby would not take her feed.

The 23 year-old later lied to a doctor, saying Sophia had fallen at a family centre they had been staying at in Broxburn, West Lothian.

Sophia never recovered and died in hospital in June 2016.

Williams today returned to the High Court in Glasgow having earlier pleaded guilty to a culpable homicide charge.

His QC told how the child killer plans to help 'inexperienced adults' struggling to cope with life when he is freed from jail.

Lord Matthews told Williams parenthood was an 'enormous privilege' and that a 'babe in arms' is a 'delicate creature'.

He went on: 'You became frustrated and threw the defenceless child - your own flesh and blood - onto a sofa.

'This was before she had any chance to engage in the gift of life.'

Williams smiled at his 20 year-old partner Shannon Main as he was lead handcuffed to the cells.

The pair originally faced a murder allegation. Williams instead admitted to the reduced charge while Main's not guilty plea was accepted.

A hearing last month was told she is standing by the man who killed their child.

The court heard today how social workers were involved with the family from when Sophia was just two weeks old.

This was due to 'concerns' about the couple's 'parenting abilities'.

They ended up at the Strathbrock Family Unit in Broxburn, West Lothian.

The centre is a homeless unit - the couple were staying there while waiting for their own tenancy.

On May 28 - two days before the fatal attack - an ill Sophia was taken to hospital.

It was suspected she had a virus, but was deemed well enough to go home.

On May 30, the pair were at the unit with Sophia when Main tried to feed her.

But, she was found to be 'less responsive than usual'.

Her parents were later not able to rouse her. Main then contacted St John's Hospital in Livingston.

Prosecutor Angela Gray said: 'When paramedics arrived, it was immediately apparent the child was extremely sick.'

Sophia was rushed to hospital - it was initially feared she had meningitis.

Miss Gray: 'On asking Williams whether the child had been injured, the doctor was told she had fallen from a couch three or four weeks previously.'

Williams was later described as 'upset', but medics felt he was being 'defensive'.

A consultant believed Sophia's brain injury was 'highly suspicious of non accidental injury'

Williams today returned to the High Court in Glasgow having earlier pleaded guilty to a culpable homicide charge.

On June 4, Williams claimed he had to leave hospital due to 'anxiety issues'.

Sophia never recovered and she was pronounced dead the following day.

She was found to have suffered a 'traumatic head injury'.

A police probe soon began into Sophia's tragic death.

Williams was later quizzed, but denied assaulting his daughter deliberately.

Miss Gray: 'He stated he may have done something accidentally. He did not specify precisely what.'

The prosecutor said the guilty plea was accepted on basis Williams 'became frustrated at his inability' to stop Sophia crying while alone with her on May 30.

He was then said to have 'forcibly threw her onto a couch' in the living room.

Miss Gray: 'The type of force used would be immediately apparent to anyone watching as being significant.'

The court heard today/yesterday there had been a 'bit of indignation' on William's part that Sophia was not kept in hospital when initially taken on May 28.

Describing the fatal attack, his QC Ian Duguid said: 'He was absolutely frustrated at his attempts at feeding her.

'He did not anticipate that by putting her down on the sofa that it would have the consequences which transpired.'

The advocate added Williams had a 'general distrust' of social workers and appeared to 'shun efforts' to assist him.

But, Mr Duguid went on: 'He is actually determined (when he is released) to engage in some kind of work which helps inexperienced adults.

'He is keen to pass on what he has experienced, so others do not make the same terrible mistake he made.'

Lord Matthews said the jail term would have been eight years, but for the guilty plea.A two-year-old girl who fell down a five-metre deep hole in Brazil was rescued by a firefighter who was lowered in with rope tied around his ankles.

In the clip, filmed in Sao Sebastiao, the rescuer plunges into the earth head-first with no safety gear before emerging seconds later with the girl to a round of applause.

The toddler, named locally as Estela Martins, was left covered in dirt from head to toe after her ordeal but suffered only minor scratches.

She fell down the gap while walking with her father on Sunday afternoon on land which has been set aside for housing development.

The firefighter was lowered into the ground with rope tied around his ankles after a toddler fell into a five-metre deep hole

Sergeant Cosme was chosen to go into the hole, which was a little under 50cm wide, because he was slim enough to fit

She was trapped at the bottom of the hole for around 15 minutes, but rescuers took just 20 seconds to free her.

Due to the width of the hole, which was a little under 50cm wide, the slimmest firefighter in the crew was chosen to take on the task.

Major Gildomar Alves said: 'Sergeant Cosme was picked because he weighs 66kilos (10.5 st) and was slim enough to go down into the gap to grab hold of the child and lift her up to safety without both of them getting stuck.'

Dressed in his uniform tee-shirt and trousers the clip shows him plunging headlong into the tiny space with a flashlight strapped to his head and ropes binding his legs together.

As he is lowered into the darkness, those on the surface call for silence so they can listen out for his instructions on when he is ready to be pulled back up.

Dressed in his uniform tee-shirt and trousers the clip shows him plunging headlong into the tiny space with a flashlight strapped to his head and ropes binding his legs together

One rescuer shouted as he went down: 'Tell the child to close her eyes so the sand doesn't get in them.' He goes on to reassure the tot that her relatives are waiting for her.

Seconds later, Sgt Cosme gives the signal and several men put all their energy into hoisting him out.

The toddler was taken to hospital suffering from scratches and bruises but has no major injuries and has shown no adverse effects from her ordeal, doctors said.

The narrow pit was dug by builders to help identify the depth and shape of the foundation for a house.

The area where the pair were walking is apparently littered with over 20 similar holes, none of which are covered or have any warning signs.

The fire service has launched an investigation into the hazardous areas on the site and alerted health and safety inspectors to possible breaches in construction regulations.

She was trapped at the bottom of the hole for around 15 minutes, but rescuers took just 20 seconds to free her. After being pulled out of the hole she was covered from head to toe in dirtPresident Donald Trump labeled North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un a 'worthy negotiator' and a 'very smart negotiator' after their historic meeting  and many Korea experts believe Kim got the better end of the bargain.

Many experts parsing over the joint statement released by the two men following their meeting in Singapore have found the paper they inked lacking in specifics  and lacking explicit language that might lead to verifiable compliance by a regime that has flaunted similar agreements in the past.

Mintaro Oba, a Korea expert who served in the State Department under President Obama, dismissed the joint statement as a 'warm and fuzzy pile of generalities and old news,' the Huffington Post reported.

'The statement contained positions that are already well-established (like North Korean commitment to denuclearization 'of the Korean Peninsula,' and desire to work toward a 'peace regime' on the peninsula),' he said.

A joint statement reached by President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un is being criticized as vague and lacking specifics for enforcement

Korea expert Mintaro Oba

Some scholars were underwhelmed by a provision of the joint statement 'reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, [North Korea] commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.'

The 'work toward' language is a major caveat, it doesn't contain the word 'verifiable' which the administration has been touting, and the North Koreans have already mad a similar commitment.

'Their signed joint statement lists aspirations -- and without a single word of substantive commitment by either side,' wrote Katherine Moon, Chair of Asian Studies at Wellesley College, CNN reported.

'The summit yielded no specific policy or strategy on peacemaking, denuclearization or economic development trajectory in North Korea,' Moon wrote.

What the Trump-Kim signed 'agreement' does  and doesn't  include: The statement commits North Korea to 'to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.' But it doesn't including any language on verifying its actions, or mention a schedule to destroy stockpiles or stop enriching Uranium or Plutonium.

It commits the U.S and North Korea 'to establish new U.S.DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.'

It doesn't bring an end to the Korean War, which is the subject of a 1953 armistice.

It does however, state that the U.S. and North Korea 'will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.'

No language on ICBMs, following advances that U.S. analysts fear allow North Korea to hit North America with a missile.

No provisions on investment by the U.S., China, or South Korea. Trump has touted potential infusions by South Korea and China. However, Trump played Kim a video that highlighted beaches, luxury hotels, and speedboats.

No language on North Korea's provocative missile launches that have threatened Japan and the U.S.

Commits the U.S. and North Korea to recovering POW/MIA remains and immediately repatriating remains already identified. North Korea has already reached such commitments in the past and returned previously identified remains. Thousands of U.S. remains are believed to exist in former POW camp sites, major battle sites, and temporary cemeteries.

No discussion of human rights, despite North Korea's one-family rule, hard labor camps, and suppression of individual rights.

No explicit security guarantee by the U.S. not to attack North Korea, although Trump has indicated that he is willing to provide assurances.

No mention of U.S.-led trade sanctions that have walled off North Korea from goods and services.

No mention of the role China will be play on North Korea's northern border. China was not included in the summit talks despite being North Korea's principal benefactor. Advertisement

The most substantive concession is one President Trump made verbally, and was not included in the agreement.

Trump said after the meeting that the U.S. would stop doing 'very provocative' military exercises, which he termed 'very expensive,' noting the cost of flying bombers from Guam.

The U.S.-South Korean war games have been a major irritant to the North, and the last round of exercises nearly led to the cancellation of the summit.

President Trump praised North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un a 'worthy negotiator'

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L) shakes hands with President Donald Trump (R) after taking part in a signing ceremony at the end of their historic US-North Korea summit

'Their signed joint statement lists aspirations -- and without a single word of substantive commitment by either side,' wrote Katherine Moon, Chair of Asian Studies at Wellesley College

'I think it's important that we don't lose sight of the fact that Kim Jong Un is a butcher and he is a butcher of his own people,' said Louisiana GOP Sen. John Kennedy

Trump is already facing pressure from with Republican ranks to find a way to verify North Korea's claims. North Korea blew up an aging nuclear test site unilaterally in advance of the talks without allowing westerners to examine the site in advance.

'He's trying to be cordial, but I am a Ronald Reagan guy -- 'trust but verify,'' said Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the Senate Republican whip.

Added Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana: 'I think it's important that we don't lose sight of the fact that Kim Jong Un is a butcher and he is a butcher of his own people,' CNN reported. 'Trying to reason with someone like that, is like trying to hand feed a shark. Doesn't mean you can't do it, but you've got to do it very, very carefully.'

Trump dialed Senate Republicans from Air Force One to talk up the summit in an effort to shore up support.

'If current peace and first steps are what was required then Singapore and its preparation can be nothing other than a success,' wrote Dr Winstanley-Chesters, a Lecturer at the University of Leeds and Research Fellow at Australian National University in a piece in DailyMail.com.

'If, however, circumstances required a coherent, detailed structure of verification when it comes to Pyongyangs nuclear capabilities, then you must be sorely disappointed. While I am by no means pessimistic on the future potentially provided by Singapore and the process behind it, the four point agreement at the end of it was surprising in its paucity and flexibility,' he wrote.

The administration says the details will come later in future talks.

On ABC's 'The View,' Meghan McCain, the daughter of Sen. John McCain said she supported Trump meeting with Kim  but said she didn't like how U.S. and North Korean flags were placed side by side with equivalence, and what she described as the 'buddy-buddy' nature of the summit.

'This is a totalitarian communist dictator in the same vein as Hitler  murder, enslavement, imprisonment, sexual violence, starvation, forced abortions, political, racial, religious persecution, McCain said on the program, denouncing the regime.

'We are not the same, she said. North Korea under Kim's rule 'is completely and utterly the closest thing to Hitlers Germany that exists in modern time. My problem was how far it went with the buddy-buddy, and there was no talk whatsoever of the human rights violations going on in that country,' she said.Police are hunting a teenager over an arson that burned a father to death in his home after his door was forced open and fireworks thrown inside.

Ronan Blake, 18, is wanted for questioning seven months after Anthony Nicholls, 56, died in hospital and his girlfriend Marie was badly injured.

Crimestoppers offered a 5,000 reward for information about Blake's location, believed to be in Sheldon, Birmingham, that would lead to his capture.

Ronan Blake, 18, (right) is wanted for questioning seven months after Anthony Nicholls, 56, (left) died in hospital in November

The box of 200 fireworks was set off as the couple enjoyed a Chinese takeaway at his house in Tile Cross, Birmingham, about 11.20pm on November 2.

Neighbours claimed Mr Nicholls desperately tried to smash windows so that he and his partner could escape the flames which left the walls blackened and a TV melted.

The former Land Rover worker was rushed to hospital with 60 per cent burns and placed in an induced coma after the blaze ravaged his property, but didn't survive.

Marie, 50, escaped with fractures to her lower limbs after jumping from a first floor window of the 150,000 house.

The former hardware store worker was rushed to hospital with 60 per cent burns and placed in an induced coma after the blaze ravaged his property

This picture of a blackened staircase inside the property shows the devastation caused by the commercial firework

'This was such a thoughtless, heartless act carried out, and Anthony's family deserve some answers as to why he was taken away from them,' Crimestoppers said.

'This is why I am asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of Ronan Blake, to contact our charity anonymously.'

Four people were arrested soon after the fire, including an 18-year-old woman in Ward End and a 21-year-old man at Shildon Airport after he arrived on a flight.

Two men, aged 29 and 22, were earlier arrested in Lee Hall and Stechford respectively.

A blue forensic tent could be seen outside the 150,000 semi-detached property on Saturday, which has been left badly damaged by the fire

The commercial firework was posted through the letterbox of Mr Nicholl's home in Birmingham

Officers believe the firework, which gutted the home's interior, would have taken two minutes to fully discharge and are asking for help in tracing where it came from.

'The impact would have been terrifying for the occupants and I would urge anyone who sold or is missing a firework of this size to get in touch,' West Midlands Police Detective Inspector Paul Joyce said at the time.

'This would have been a large heavy firework that would have been difficult to carry some distance, so I would ask anyone who saw someone carrying a large box in the area to contact us.'

Mr Nicholls' neighbours described him as a 'fun-loving, funny man' who 'worked hard all his life'.Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev hailed a 'historic solution' today after Skopje and Athens resolved a longstanding row by agreeing to rename his country the Republic of North Macedonia.

The 27-year dispute has led to frequent disagreement and protests, but the two countries agreed on the new title of the former Yugoslav republic after months of intensive diplomacy.

'There is an agreement. We have a historic solution after two and a half decades. Our agreement includes Republic of North Macedonia for overall use,' Zaev told reporters in the capital Skopje.

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zeav addresses the media during a news conference in the Government building in Skopje, Macedonia

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras speaks during a televised address to the nation, in Athens, after Greece and Macedonia reached an agreement Tuesday to end a bitter 27-year name dispute that had kept the smaller and younger country out of international institutions such as NATO

Ancient Macedonia was the cradle of Alexander the Great's empire, a point of pride to Greeks today. Pictured: A statue of Alexander in Thessaloniki, Greece

Greece has long objected to its northern neighbour being called Macedonia because it has its own northern province of the same name.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras also declared a deal had been struck.

'We have reached an accord, a good accord that covers all the conditions set by Greece,' Tsipras said in televised comments after briefing Greece's president Prokopis Pavlopoulos on the accord.

Macedonia hopes that resolving the name dispute will help clear the way for it to join the European Union and NATO.

European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted his support for the agreement: 'Thanks to you the impossible is becoming possible.'

'I am keeping my fingers crossed,' he said.

The deal still needs to be approved by the Macedonian and Greek parliaments.

Greek officials earlier said the list of potential names included 'New Macedonia' and 'Upper Macedonia', but after months of discussions 'North Macedonia' was chosen.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias had prepared a 20-page draft agreement after repeated talks with his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Dimitrov.

Kotzias told Kontra TV on Monday that the agreement would specify that Macedonia's language is of Slavic origin.

'It's clear that (Macedonia) bears no relation to the ancient (Macedonian) culture... and that their language belongs to the Slavic language,' he said.

Both governments have faced criticism ahead of the compromise and on Tuesday Macedonia's President Gjorge Ivanov signalled his concern.

'There is a need for a wider national consensus to find a solution that won't hurt the dignity of the Macedonian people and citizens,' said Ivanov.

He is close to a nationalist party which was defeated by Zaev in elections last year.

This year there have been several protests against an agreement in Skopje, as well as in Athens and Greece's second city of Thessaloniki in the north.

'There is an agreement. We have a historic solution after two and a half decades. Our agreement includes Republic of North Macedonia for overall use,' Zaev (pictured) told reporters in the capital Skopje

Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos, a hardline junior coalition partner in Tsipras's government, earlier dismissed talk of a deal, saying there was 'no chance' Zaev could get it approved.

Greece's parliament will be called to ratify the agreement after Macedonian lawmakers approve it, provided that Skopje fulfils preliminary EU and NATO requirements to begin membership talks, Kotzias said.

Skopje hopes to secure a date to begin accession talks at an EU summit in late June, and an invitation to join NATO in mid-July.

'This historic agreement is testament to many years of patient diplomacy, and to the willingness of these two leaders to solve a dispute which has affected the region for too long,' NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.

'This will set Skopje on its path to NATO membership. And it will help to consolidate peace and stability across the wider Western Balkans,' he added.

The EU's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said the deal 'contributes to the transformation of the entire region of southeast Europe'.

Athens has long objected to its neighbour's constitutional name - the Republic of Macedonia - because it fears it could imply territorial ambitions.

Ancient Macedonia was the cradle of Alexander the Great's empire, a point of pride to Greeks today.

But under the Romans, the province of Macedonia was expanded to include territory in modern-day Greece, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Albania.Former justice minister Phillip Lee faced the threat of de-selection last night after his decision to resign over Brexit sparked fury in his constituency.

The GP said he was quitting to vote against the Government as he could no longer back Theresa Mays EU strategy.

He said he wanted to speak up for his Berkshire constituents  even though a majority voted Leave  and appeared to compare Brexit to the death penalty. Dr Lee, a personal friend of Mrs May, gave her just 15 minutes notice of his decision.

Just 12 hours earlier, he had been seen having dinner in the Commons with Tory rebel leader Dominic Grieve.

Phillip Lee was applauded by Remainers in the Commons (pictured) as he said politicians had a duty to protect the public from doing things that harmed society - such as when parliament banned capital punishment

The intervention in the Commons came after Dr Lee resigned as justice minister

The betrayal will have been a particularly stinging betrayal as Dr Lee is one of Mrs May's few close friends in politics, and she is said to have attended his wedding. They are pictured together in 2012

Dr Lee dramatically announced his decision as the Brexit negotiations reach a critical point

Dr Lee was lauded by Labour, with shadow education secretary Angela Rayner saying she had total respect for him for standing by what he thinks is right.

Last night he tweeted: I am incredibly sad to have had to announce my resignation as a minister... so I can better speak up for my constituents and country over how Brexit is currently being delivered.

But his decision infuriated Tories in his Bracknell constituency. Several constituents warned they would not vote for him again.

Theresa May (pictured in Downing Street today) is struggling to overturn a slew of amendments passed by peers to the EU Withdrawal Bill

What has Dr Phillip Lee said on Brexit previously? Phillip Lee dramatically quit as justice minister to speak out against the Government's plans for Brexit. Here is what he has said about Britain's withdrawal form the EU previously: June 2016: Dr Phillip Lee, who voted Remain in the referendum, warns of' challenging times ahead' after Leave wins the vote. October 2017: He warns that young voters find the looming departure as 'toxic' as Donald trump's proposed wall with Mexico. He said: 'It's about the virtual signalling of essentially being closed off to the world, because for most young people the world is just 'Amazon', it's just 'there', and it seems retrograde to being seen to be putting up barriers. It's like Trump's wall. 'So, single market access or not, I don't think is what young people are talking about. I think what this is about is closing off, turning away from Europe, and also having controls on migration.' 31 January 2018: Breaks ranks with his Government colleagues to warn that their Brexit strategy should be driven by 'evidence not dogma' in a series of Twitter posts. He was responding to an article which said that leaked Government analysis shows that Britain will be worse off outside the EU under every scenario modelled. He wrote on Twitter: 'But if these figures turn out to be anywhere near right, there would be a serious question over whether a government could legitimately lead a country along a path that the evidence and rational consideration indicate would be damaging.' He added: 'Its time for evidence, not dogma, to show the way. We must act for our countrys best interests, not ideology & populism, or history will judge us harshly. Our country deserves no less.' He was given a ticking off by Tory whip Julian Smith and 'reminded it is better to express such views in private in future'. Advertisement

Dr Lee is now set to be hauled in front of an executive meeting this month. Tory association chairman Chris Boutle called the decision regrettable and revealed that he had first read the news on Twitter.

He warned that if an election were to be called it will count against him if he wanted to be reselected.

Philip Lee did speak to me this morning after his resignation, said Mr Boutle.

Phillip Lee announced his resignation live on stage at a think-tank event in London today (pictured) with Theresa May facing a series of knife-edge votes on the EU Withdrawal Bill later

The resignation came as ministers including Boris Johnson (left) and David Davis gathered for a Cabinet meeting in Downing Street

Tory Remainers including Antoinette Sandbach hailed the decision by Dr Lee to resign in protest at the government's Brexit policy

What are the 15 Brexit wrecking amendments passed by peers Here are the 15 Brexit Bill defeats inflicted by peers: Forces minsters to try to seek a customs union with the EU Keeps EU law relating to employment, consumer and environmental protections Keeps the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights Removes right of ministers to challenge EU law kept by the UK Allows Britons to bring legal cases when their rights, enshrined in EU law, are flouted Limits the scope of the Government's so-called Henry VII powers Gives Parliament a meaningful vote at the end of talks Gives parliament a veto on the Government's negotiating position Ministers must report on what they are doing to ensure refugee families reunited within Europe Ministers must abide by 1998 Good Friday Agreement Reaffirms that the UK can keep EU laws and stay in EU agencies Gives parliament a veto on the exit day Ministers must try to keep the UK in the EEA and therefore the EU single market Extends how EU laws will be trawled through by Parliament Enshrines EU environmental protections Advertisement

I said I thought it was a regrettable decision. He said that as hes voting against the Government on the matter of a meaningful vote, this makes his ministerial position untenable.

I think its regrettable that he couldnt support the Government at this time.

During the Referendum campaign, he came out in favour of Remain so his personal views do not chime with those of most of his constituents.

There will be an executive meeting in two weeks. I think many of our members are not going to be very impressed by his decision.

Gill Birch, a Bracknell borough councillor, added: The timing could have been better ... and thats on his conscience. My own view is that the country voted to Leave and we should support Theresa May.

Yesterday, several constituents vowed not to vote for Mr Lee again.

Sylvia Blake, 85, said: He is not supporting what the area voted for.

Gary Hambledon, a retired HGV driver, 67, said: He has definitely betrayed us. At the end of the day we voted him in and we voted to leave, so he should serve us.

Margaret Ayscogh, 74, said his resignation would make her think twice about voting for him again.

Dr Lee yesterday insisted his decision to quit was based on Brexit.

He had urged fellow Tory MPs to push for a meaningful vote on any final Brexit deal in the Commons.

The Government defeated the amendment. He also called for a second referendum and compared Brexit to the death penalty.

In his resignation speech, Dr Lee was applauded as he said politicians had a duty to defy public opinion if it harmed society, pointing to the example of Parliament banning capital punishment.

Despite his comments, he eventually abstained on the key Brexit vote last night.

Downing Street tried to play down the impact, saying: His resignation is a matter for him and we thank him for his service.

Will his treachery cost him a seat?

By Andrew Pierce

When the EU referendum result was declared, Dr Phillip Lee declared it was now the duty of all Parliamentarians to respond in the best interests of the country.

Yesterday, without warning and aiming to cause the maximum political damage over Brexit to Theresa May, the Remainer flounced out of Government.

In a carefully stage-managed piece of political theatre, the justice minister dropped the bombshell halfway through a nondescript speech at a Tory think-tank.

It came the day after he was spotted dining with Dominic Grieve, the former Attorney General  a chief architect of the Tory rebellion.

In his resignation statement, Lee said he had a major responsibility to my constituency of Bracknell. To which the only rational response is: Does Lee know the voters in his Berkshire constituency?

In a carefully stage-managed piece of political theatre, the justice minister dropped the bombshell halfway through a nondescript speech at a Tory think-tank

They voted to Leave  54 per cent of them  on a turnout of 76 per cent.

There is particular anger in Westminster because Lee, 47, neglected to tell the Government of his plans until hours before a series of crucial votes on the EU withdrawal bill.

With breathtaking arrogance, he also failed to inform the foot soldiers in his Bracknell Conservative Association, who helped him secure re-election with a majority of 16,000 at the last election.

Chris Boutle, the local Tory chairman, said someone else told him it was on social media  Lee called him later. He added: Phillip campaigned for Remain, but always indicated to us that he would be supportive of the Government and the Prime Minister.

Lees wife Catherine, who watched his speech yesterday, turned to the person standing next to her as he delivered the bombshell and said: Hes just resigned.

The couple, who met when she was working for David Cameron in Downing Street, were married in the Commons crypt two years ago, with the former PM and his wife Samantha among the guests.

As a qualified GP, he is expected to return to the freelance medical work that paid him around 80 an hour. So what emboldened this obscure figure to rock the Tory boat now?

Lee used to whisper loudly in journalists ears that he would be Health Secretary because he was a doctor.

Last year, friends apparently tried to get polling companies to include him in a survey of future leadership contenders.

Not one was interested. They laughed out loud ... because they know Phillip Lee has never surfaced in any poll theyve ever conducted on anything, a senior Tory MP said last night. Apparently Lee was crushed by their rejection. Poor lads got such a big ego, but not much else.

Brought up in Buckinghamshire the son of a businessman, Lee went to grammar school, studied biology at Kings College, London, and went on to Oxford, where he specialised in the psychodynamics of anti-Semitism and the psychology of the child sex offender. He took his medical degree at Imperial.

After deciding to become an MP, Lee went on the so-called A-list of Tory candidates, broadly designed to fast-track women and minorities. But he made it on because he was a GP who was committed to the NHS.

Elected in 2010, he became increasingly frustrated by his failure to secure the ministerial post he believed should be his.

Not noted as an orator, he felt his chances were over until Mrs May  whom he had backed for the Tory leadership  promoted him in 2016.

So much for loyalty, one May supporter said tartly after yesterdays resignation. It was in January that Lee made his first overt criticism of Brexit, expressing concerns about its economic impact.

He was rebuked by the Tory whips and pledged to make any future comments in private.

Yesterday he tore that pledge to shreds with a calculated and cynical attempt to weaken the Government on the very day it was trying to strengthen its position for the battles ahead with Brussels.

So was it his idea, or was he put up to it? We know he is a member of the Mainstream group of Tory MPs, which includes serial rebel Nicky Morgan, the Remoaner who was sacked as Education Secretary by Theresa May, and has been actively taking revenge ever since.

The consensus among many fellow Tory MPs  even those who voted Remain  is that by quitting in such a public way, Lee is guilty not just of naivete, but rank treachery.

He may yet pay the price for his disloyalty if Bracknell Conservatives decide to deselect him before the next general election. Its fortunate for Lee that hes a doctor, for he appears to have shot himself in the foot.The Party for Freedom, led by Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders, will hold a competition for drawing cartoons depicting Mohammed, it said today.

The party said the plan to hold the contest in the party's secure offices in the Dutch Parliament had been approved by the Dutch Counter-terrorism Agency NCTV.

Cartoons depicting Mohammed have provoked violent responses from fanatics in the past.

Many Muslims believe it is forbidden to draw Mohammed.

The party of Geert Wilders (pictured in London on June 9) said the plan to hold the competition in the party's secure offices in the Dutch Parliament had been approved by the Dutch Counter-terrorism Agency NCTV

In 2015, Islamist zealots murdered 12 people at the Paris offices of the French secularist satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

The magazine had printed cartoons of the Mohammed, who is deemed a prophet by Muslims.

In 2005, the publication in a Danish newspaper of a dozen cartoons depicting Mohammed led to violent protests across the Muslim world.

Wilders' Freedom Party is the leading opposition party in parliament after coming in second place in elections last March.

He has called for the Koran to be banned and says Islam is a totalitarian faith.

'Freedom of speech is threatened, especially for Islam critics,' Wilders said in a statement.

Cartoons depicting Mohammad have provoked violent responses from fanatics in the past (left is a man screaming in the street in Afghanistan about Charlie Hebdo cartoons in January 2015 after the magazine's staff was murdered by Muslim gunmen, shown right)

'We should never accept that.

'Freedom of speech is our most important freedom.'

American cartoonist Bosch Fawstin, winner of a similar contest in Garland, Texas, in May 2015, has been asked to judge the Dutch contest, which will be held later this year.Rudy Giuliani's estranged wife has spoken out to insist he was having an affair with his former assistant's married mother before their divorce was underway after he attempted to deny it.

On Tuesday, Page Six reported that Giuliani, 74, was having a relationship with 53-year-old Maria Rose Ryan, a doctor and hospital CEO.

She is also the mother of Vanessa Ryan, Giuliani's assistant who he defended in court in May as she stood accused of financial fraud.

Giuliani and the older Ryan were seen together at the Mountain View Resort and Spa in Whitefield, New Hampshire, on March 29 and reportedly spent the night together in the $524-a-night Summit Suite after dining on prime rib and watching The Godfather.

Nathan, who married Giuliani in 2003 after he left his second wife for her, filed for contested divorce in New York City on April 4, a week after his trip to New Hampshire where he was also filmed visiting Ryan's hospital by a local news network.

On Tuesday, Giuliani denied infidelity, insisting that he and Ryan, who he called a 'very, very fine woman', were 'friends'. He added there was 'no proof' they had sex.

But in a fresh round of embarrassment for President Trump, who hired the former New York mayor to serve as his personal lawyer earlier this year, Giuliani's estranged wife has branded him a cheating liar.

'My husbands denial of the affair with the married Mrs. Ryan is as false as his claim that we were separated when he took up with her,' she said.

Rudy Giuliani has been accused of having an affair with 53-year-old hospital CEO Dr Maria Ryan (seen left in pink) who he is pictured with above on March 29 at her hospital in New Hampshire. After this visit, which was filmed by local news stations, the pair decamped to a mountain resort where staff say they were seen entering the suite Giuliani had rented together

On March 29, Giuliani visited Cottage Hospital where Ryan is the CEO.Local networks filmed Giuliani's visit at the time.

He said he was there to look at the hospital's cyber security equipment which was of interest to one of his businesses, Giuliani Security and Safety.

Ryan also gave an interview about the importance of looking after patient documents.

Afterwards, they drove an hour to the hotel where staff said Giuliani was treated like a 'VIP'.

He had arranged with staff to have access to the private screening room for him to watch The Godfather and The Godfather II.

On the night in question, he, Ryan and two other men had dinner in the hotel restaurant.

Giuliani's third wife, Judith Nathan, 63, filed for divorce on April 4. She filed a contested divorce, citing their assets as the source of dispute. It was a week after his trip to Ryan's hospital

In May, Giuliani represented Ryan's daughter Vanessa in court. She has been accused of financial fraud and is said to have worked for Giuliani. At the time, he said he was defending her as a favor because her father served as a Marine

Giuliani dined on a $32 Prime Rib.

Afterwards, he and Ryan went back to his room, the $524-a-night Summit Suite.

Giuliani denied having an affair but said he and Ryan, who is 21 years younger than him, is a 'very, very fine woman'

'We were all surprised because he is really getting on in years, and she was quite a bit younger than him.

'We were all like, "Hmmm,"'' the hotel staff member said.

The visit on March 29 came a week before Nathan filed for divorce on April 4.

Giuliani has denied having an affair with Ryan, who is married to a former marine, but said they were friends.

He admitted having dinner with her at the hotel in March but said they dined with others and that there was 'no proof' they had had sex.

'I do know Dr. Ryan. She is a friend of mine, so is her husband Bob.

'Shes a PhD and a very, very fine woman.

'I was in effect separated by then,' he said.

Pushed on whether or not the pair had a romantic relationship, he said: 'I never spent the night with her. Theres no proof. There cant be because we never did anything.'

On March 29, Ryan spoke about the importance of cyber security at hospitals during Giuliani's visit

He did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's questions on Tuesday morning.

Ryan refused to comment when questioned by Page Six. Her husband told its journalist to 'f*** off' when they approached the pair on Tuesday.

Nathan has not commented on the claims either. In April, she filed a contested divorce proceeding.

The pair did not sign a prenup when they married in 2002.

They must now divide up their rumored $30million fortune which includes homes in New York and Florida.

Their romance famously began when Giuliani was still married to his second wife, Donna Hanover.

He met Nathan in a cigar bar in 1999 while he was still mayor.

In 2000, he announced at a press conference that he was leaving Hanover, the mother of his two children.

She was unaware of it beforehand and later participated in her own press conference where she claimed he'd had a previous affair with a different woman.

Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, signed on in April as one of President Trump's personal lawyers to defend him against claims by Stormy Daniels, a porn star who alleges she was paid $130,000 by the president's lawyer to keep quiet about their 2006 alleged affair

Giuliani's first marriage, to Regina Peruggi, was annulled in 1982 because they were second cousins.

The rumored affair and marital mess serves as fresh embarrassment for President Trump who is under siege by pornstar Stormy Daniels and her lawyer, Michael Avenatti.

They say that in 2016, Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen paid Stormy $130,000 to ensure her silence over an alleged affair she had with Trump in 2006.

Giuliani was brought on to Trump's legal team to hep settle the matter but instead, he appears to have hindered it.

Giuliani is pictured on May 30 arriving to a White House event with Republican fundraiser Jennifer LeBlanc. After photographs of them arriving hand-in-hand emerged, LeBlanc spoke out to insist they were not dating

RUDY'S FAILED ROMANCES Giuliani's first wife is his second cousin, Regina Peruggi. They were married from 1968 to 1982 Rudy Giuliani married his second cousin, Regina Peruggi, in 1968. They were together officially until 1982 when they had the marriage annulled. By then, Giuliani had taken a job in the Attorney General's office in Washington DC and had launched his political career. They had been separated for seven years beforehand, parting ways in 1975. In 1982, he met Donna Hanover who would become his second wife. Before they could tie the knot, he and Peruggi had to have their marriage dissolved. It was both dismissed by a court and annulled by the church and the pair claimed that they did not know they were related despite growing up together. He and Hanover married in 1984 and had two children together. They were together, seemingly happily, until the mid nineties when it was reported that Giuliani, by then the mayor of New York City, was having an affair with his press secretary, Cristyne Lategano. The pair denied it fervently. Hanover alleged that Giuliani had been having an affair with his press secretary, Cristyne Lategano-Nicholas, which he denied In 1999, at a stunning press conference, he announced his diagnosis along with the news that he was leaving Hanover for Judith Nathan who he described, like he did Ryan on Tuesday, as a 'very, very fine person'. Hanover gave her own press conference afterwards on the steps of Gracie Mansion where she alluded to his alleged affair with Lategano. 'Today's turn of events brings me great sadness. I had hoped to keep this marriage together. For several years, it was difficult to participate in Rudy's public life because of his relationship with one staff member,' she said. Giuliani later said that his prostate cancer diagnosis meant he wasn't having sex with anybody. 'Psychologically, too, if someone tells you you have cancer, the last thing you think about is sex, and then later on, it comes back,' he told Howard Stern in 2002. He said he regained his strength 'within six months to a year'. Donna refused to leave Gracie mansion and filed a restraining order to keep Nathan out of it. In 2003, Giuliani and Nathan married in 2003 and, despite Donna's attempts, continued to live in Gracie Mansion. Giuliani beat his cancer in 2002. Advertisement

During an interview with Sean Hannity earlier this month, Giuliani confirmed what Trump had been dancing around for months - that the money was paid, that the president knew about it and that he even gave Cohen, who had 'funelled it through his law firm', the amount back.

'The money is going to turn out to be perfectly legal.

'Thethat money was not campaign money, sorry. Im giving you a fact now that you dont know: Its not campaign money. No campaign-finance violation.

'[They] funnelled it through the law firm, and the President repaid it,' he said.

He was also slammed for his recent claim that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un 'got on his hands and knees and begged' for a meeting with Trump.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was forced to speak out after that comment to insist: 'Giuliani does not speak for this administration'.

He was also slapped down by First Lady Melania Trump after asserting that she 'believes' the president did not sleep with Daniels in 2006.

Stephanie Grisham, Melania's spokesman, told The New York Times afterwards: ''I don't believe Mrs. Trump has ever discussed her thoughts on anything with Mr. Giuliani.'A Democratic senator said her campaign was 'hitting the road' in an RV to tour the state, but public flight information indicates her million-dollar private plane followed the same campaign route.

Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri said she was 'very excited to hit the road' for a 'Veterans for Claire' tour.

The RV was unveiled late last month by the senator, who is in a tough re-election contest.

The campaign kept a live blog of its three-day RV trip across the Show-Me State from May 29 to May 31, posting updates of its whereabouts. And McCaskill heavily touted the trip on her personal twitter account with its 457,000 followers.

McCaskill slammed the report that she was on a plane instead of the RV.

'I added some stops with the use of the plane, but I was on the RV so much that the broken door drove me crazy,' she told Politico on Tuesday, adding that 'I even lost an iPad around a corner on the RV.'

Sen. Claire McCaskill and her campaign heavily promoted the RV tour on social media

McCaskill touted all the people she met on the tour

McCaskill's team poses in front of 'Big Blue' as they called the RV

McCaskill owns a single-engine turboprop plane such as the one pictured

She disputed the notion that the use of the plane allowed her to 'pretend' that she was using an RV instead.

'I spent two-plus days on the RV,' McCaskill said, and the plane 'picked me up at the end of one day, after I spent all day on the RV' before being used to add 'some stops.' The RV wasn't used during that added portion of the tour, she said.

'Anybody could have followed me. They could have seen when I got off the RV and when I went and got on the airplane,' she continued, describing the report as 'election-year silliness.'

The Washington Free Beacon newspaper found that the travel records of a private plane belonging McCaskill indicates that it was used to travel between campaign stops.

The aircraft is a single-engine turboprop valued on McCaskill's Senate financial disclosure forms at more than $1 million dollars.

McCaskill has taken steps to hide the use of her plane, the newspaper notes.

In a 2017 email obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, McCaskill asked the Federal Aviation Administration to block radar tracking information on her plane from being publicly broadcast on the internet.

But websites such as ADS-B Exchange use a different type of data transmission to make tracking information available to the public.

The GPS-based data transmitted by McCaskill's plane for the days of her RV tour indicates that it was used to travel between campaign stops.

The Washington Free Beacon offered minute-by-minute tracking of the aircraft for the three days of the senator's tour: On Tuesday, May 29, McCaskill's tour took her from Waynesville in central Missouri, west to Springfield, and then further west to nearby Joplin, according to the campaign's blog.

The plane, according to the tracking data for the day, took the same route.

The small aircraft then left St. Louis where it is based and headed toward Springfield just after 3:00 p.m. and arrived 30 minutes later, right around when McCaskill was done meeting with local student journalists on the RV, according to her blog and social media posts.

The plane then traveled west toward Joplin, and then at 5:22 p.m., seven minutes after McCaskill posted that she was done with her event in Joplin, the plane took off toward Kansas City, the site of McCaskill's first event the next day. The flight landed at 5:51 p.m., about two hours earlier than the RV would have arrived.

On Wednesday, May 30, according to the tracking data, the plane again took the same route as the McCaskill campaign's RV tour, which went north from Kansas City to St. Joseph, and then southeast to Columbia.

Her plane left Kansas City at 11:30 a.m. after her event there had concluded and arrived in St. Joseph, about an hour drive, just 15 minutes later. The plane left St. Joseph at 1:26 p.m. and arrived near Columbia, a three-hour drive, just 30 minutes later.

The plane does not appear to have been used on May 31, the final day of the RV tour, when the campaign went from Hannibal to Arnold, just outside of McCaskill's hometown of St. Louis.

The newspaper noted it could not determine whether McCaskill actually traveled on the plane herself. Her campaign did not respond to inquiries.

All indications from the McCaskill campaign were that she was traveling on the RV.

The campaign noted 'Big Blue' - as they nicknamed it - traveled 700 miles and also made fundraising appeals to fuel it complaining, 'gas is expensive.'

'It costs us $200 just to fill up the RV and with the number of places we plan on goingthat adds up fast,' the campaign wrote. 'Will you pitch in just $5 today to help fund our RV tour and power us to a victory in November?'

McCaskill's campaign also used the RV to make fundraising appeals, saying fuel was expensive

Sen. McCaskill thanked Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey for joining one of her rallies

Sen. Claire McCaskill is in a tough re-election campaign

McCaskill has gotten into trouble in the past for using taxpayer money to fund her private plane travel. This year she has been paying its operating costs out of her own pocket.

Campaign filings from 2017 showed she was spending about $7,000 per month to use it.

In her 2012 race, McCaskill reimbursed the federal government for all of her flights on the plane  close to $90,00.

She and her husband, wealthy St. Louis businessman Joseph Shepard, also had to pay back personal property taxes on the aircraft - forking over roughly $320,000 in back taxes and penalties.

Later the family 'sold the damn plane' as McCaskill called the problem vehicle.

However, in December 2013 her office announced her husband's company had purchased another small aircraft.

'Claire may occasionally use the plane, but will always do so at her own expense. Even if she uses the plane for Senate travel, Claire will never seek reimbursement from the Senate,' the statement said.A New York man accused of waiting outside of model Bella Hadid's home and then screaming her name as she was rushed inside made an appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday.

Brian Perez, 37, was charged with harassment and stalking after he showed up to Hadid's Tribeca home in February.

According to court documents, Perez had posted a disturbing video on Instagram on February 7 asking the 21-year-old model if she wanted him to come over.

Brian Perez was in a Manhattan court on Monday after he was charged with stalking and harassing model Bella Hadid

Hadid had Perez arrested in February after the 37-year-old man was seen outside her Tribeca apartment building shouting her name

'You want me to come? I'm going to come there now,' he reportedly said, according to the New York Daily News.

'Please don't make me come all the way down there and then there's a situation with your security or something.'

Perez, who lives in the Bronx, then showed up to Hadid's building. As security rushed her inside, he shouted her name.

The following day, Perez posted another video saying: 'You know you could have gotten me in trouble yesterday'.

Hadid called the police and had Perez arrested. He has been allegedly staking her since December 2017.

During a court appearance last month, prosecutors suggested Perez accept a plea deal to avoid jail time. If he pleaded guilty to the charges, he would get time-served and an order of protection would be made for Hadid.

Perez refused the deal telling the judge that he believed he had a strong motion to dismiss the charges.Omar Mohamad, 62, attended Speakers Corner in Hyde Park to vent his anger at the former EDL leader during the free speech event

A Muslim protester smashed a police officer in the face with his walking stick during a rally led by Tommy Robinson.

Omar Mohamad, 62, attended Speakers Corner in Hyde Park to vent his anger at the former EDL leader during the free speech event.

He was in a crowd of hundreds chanting and cheering during a speech delivered by Robinson  who was jailed last month for contempt of court.

Mohamad, from Reading, Berkshire, was convicted of causing actual bodily harm.

City of London Magistrate Richard Blake said: The case I have to consider is an allegation of assault causing actual bodily harm.

'This was alleged to have occurred on March 18 2018.

The events leading up to your arrest and the background- is an incident at what is called Speakers Corner, Hyde Park.

That weekend Mr Robinson, who I am informed was a senior member of the English Defence League, who was speaking there.

His reason for being there was a speech written by a right-wing Hungarian who was not there because he had been banned from the United Kingdom.

It was a clash of opposing views. You, Mr Mohamad, accept you are a Muslim man and say that you understood some of the views were threatening to your community.

I have had the advantage of seeing what took place.

Former EDL leader Tommy Robinson at Speaker's Corner in London's Hyde Park on March 18 this year

The court heard Mohamad was in a crowd of hundreds chanting and cheering during a speech delivered by Robinson  who was jailed last month for contempt of court

There is no dispute that Sergeant Guy Rooney did receive this injury and he gave a graphic and moving account of what happened that day and the effect it continues to have on him.

The question is whether you are acting in self-defence.

When you lashed out with that stick it was with the intention to cause harm and injury to the person there. I find you guilty of the offence.

Mohamad was bailed ahead of sentence at Westminster Magistrates Court on Friday June 15.The Mayfair brothel at the heart of the Sir Martin Sorrell scandal is run from a flat owned by a defence ministers family trust, the Daily Mail can reveal.

The seedy apartment  which the shamed City mogul was allegedly spotted visiting  belongs to the trustees of the family trust of Earl Howe, who is also the deputy leader of the House of Lords.

The trust has owned the flat, 50A Shepherd Market, along with more than 50 other Mayfair properties, for centuries.

The seedy apartment  which the shamed City mogul was allegedly spotted visiting  belongs to the trustees of the family trust of Earl Howe (pictured), who is also the deputy leader of the House of Lords

The trust has owned the flat, 50A Shepherd Market (pictured), along with more than 50 other Mayfair properties, for centuries

There is no suggestion that Earl Howe, 67  the Governments defence spokesman in the Lords  had any knowledge about what went on at the London flat.

His family trust, Howe Settled Estates, owns the freehold to the flat, which is understood to have a 999-year lease, and Earl Howe has no control over the leasehold owners use of it.

The 1.3million flat above a bookmaker has a single bedroom festooned with neon red lighting.

Bondage gear and a nurses uniform were hanging over the bedroom door when the Mail visited on Monday, and a call girl wearing lacy black lingerie was offering whatever you want for 160.

Multi-millionaire advertising mogul Sir Martin (pictured with his wife), 73, the former head of advertising giant WPP, allegedly spent 300 in the flat

Multi-millionaire advertising mogul Sir Martin, 73, the former head of advertising giant WPP, allegedly spent 300 there and then claimed it on expenses  an allegation he strenuously denies.

Two of his employees having a drink in Shepherd Market, a piazza full of upmarket bars and restaurants, are said to have spotted him going into 50A on June 6 last year.

It led to an investigation by WPP, which Sir Martin founded, into alleged personal misconduct and possible misuse of company funds, and ultimately resulted in his resignation as chief executive in April. He has consistently denied all the allegations.

A woman working at the brothel yesterday claimed it had operated in the same property for around a century.

This place has probably been open for 100 years. The lady I knew who worked here before me had been here for 35 years and the lady before her was here for 30 years, she said.

The prostitute Sir Martin allegedly paid was English, she claimed. The Eastern European brunette, who has worked at 50A Shepherd Market for more than three years, added: Shes not from my country. Shes English  She uses a lot of different names.

Another prostitute, going by the name of Scarlett, who used to work at the brothel, said a friend of Sir Martins was a client of hers. She said: I have a client who is a friend of his and he sent me the article saying, Look what theyre doing to my friend. The flat  which welcomes visitors with a lurid pink sign inside the front door announcing beautiful model  is one of the smaller Mayfair properties owned by the family trust of Earl Howe.

Sources close to him said neither he nor the estate had any knowledge of the tenants, nor any right to know.

They added that the leaseholder was entirely unconnected to Earl Howe or his estate.

Earl Howe  whose full name is Frederick Richard Penn Curzon and who is the seventh person to hold the title  effectively inherited vast swathes of land and properties via the family trust.

Land Registry documents show the empire in London at one point comprised more than 50 Mayfair properties worth many tens of millions of pounds. Some 20 of them were recently sold off for a whopping 46million.

The property empire also includes Buckinghamshire mansion Penn House, the centrepiece of a 1,550-acre estate situated in one of the prettiest parts of the Chiltern Hills. Some 30 smaller properties on the estate are rented out.

The Penn estate was formerly occupied by society figure Lady Charlotte Curzon  the aunt of Prince Harrys ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas. When her father, the 6th Earl Howe, died in 1984 without a male heir, the title and wealth went to her cousin, then known as Fred Curzon.

The flat  which welcomes visitors with a lurid pink sign inside the front door announcing beautiful model  is one of the smaller Mayfair properties owned by the family trust of Earl Howe

The family motto  Let Curzon holde what Curzon helde  declares the familys commitment to preserving wealth.

Educated at Rugby School and Christ Church college, Oxford, Earl Howe began his career at Barclays Bank and served in a number of managerial and senior managerial posts both overseas and in London.

In the Lords, he has had held several Government posts over three decades. As a junior minister for defence in the mid-1990s, a political row blew up when Princess Diana called for a complete ban on landmines and he labelled her a loose cannon  adding that she was ill-informed on the issue of anti-personnel landmines.

His recent voting records shows he has been in line with the Government on Brexit votes.

Last night a spokesman for Earl Howe declined to comment. The Ministry of Defence said: It is a personal matter.A 12-year-old girl has been abducted and sexually assaulted during a five-hour ordeal in Newcastle, NSW.

The girl was walking through Hudson Park in the Newcastle suburb of Adamstown Heights just after 9.15am on Tuesday when she was threatened with a knife by a man who sexually assaulted her, police said.

She was then forced into a red car and driven to bushland where she was sexually assaulted for several hours before being released at Kotara Railway Station just before 2.15pm.

A 12-year-old girl has been abducted and sexually assaulted during a five-hour ordeal in Newcastle (pictured are investigators at one of the crime scenes)

The girl was walking through Hudson Park in the Newcastle suburb of Adamstown Heights just after 9.15am on Tuesday (pictured is one of the crime scenes)

She was threatened with a knife by a man who sexually assaulted her, police said (pictured is an area under investigation by police)

Police were called when she returned home and the girl was taken to John Hunter Hospital for medical examination.

A crime scene was established at Hudson Park and forensically examined while Newcastle police and the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad have commenced inquiries.

The man has been described to police as being of a solid/large build with brown hair.

Police are urging anyone who was in the Adamstown Heights area or anyone with information that may assist to contact Crime Stoppers.Michael Cohen expects to be behind bars sometime in the very near future.

President Donald Trump's longtime lawyer and go-to is getting acquainted with the idea that he'll be incarcerated 'any day now.'

Cohen has been getting his family and friends ready for his arrest, a source close to the matter told the New York Daily News on Tuesday.

He is currently under federal investigation for bank fraud and campaign finance violations.

Michael Cohen has been getting his family and friends ready for his arrest, a source revealed

The potential charges prompted federal agents to raid Cohen's home in Manhattan on April 9.

Cohen has been working for Trump since 2011 in an assortment of roles, earning himself the nickname 'bulldog.'

An ex-White House official shared with Vanity Fair that Trump should definitely be concerned if Cohen turns on him.

'Trump should be super worried about Michael Cohen,' the official said to Vanity Fair. 'If anyone can blow up Trump, it's him.'

'Trump should be super worried about Michael Cohen,' an official said. 'If anyone can blow up Trump, it's him'

Cohen sent a text message to Vanity Fair, asserting that 'your alleged source is wrong!'

The embattled attorney is also under the radar of special counsel Robert Mueller as he works to find links of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Shortly after Trump's election, a plethora of companies gave millions to Cohen's consulting firm - Essential Consultants.

One such company was Columbus Nova, a Manhattan based investment firm whose primary client is Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg.

The latest in the Cohen courtroom saga is that a federal judge ruled on Friday that Trump would have to publicly object to documents he seeks to have protected from prosecutors' examination, according to the New York Post.

The embattled attorney is also under the radar of special counsel Robert Mueller as he works to find links of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign

Currently, retired judge Barbara Jones is combing through the materials obtained by agents in their search and seizure of items at Mr. Cohen's law office and home on April 9.

Her role is to root out any documents that might be protected under lawyer-client confidentiality between Trump and Mr. Cohen.

Jones' first report, issued on June 4, indicated that only a small portion of the documents she had reviewed up until now are protected by privilege.

Trump's attorney in the matter, Joanna Hendon, had hoped to make her case privately to Judge Kimba Wood as to why at least one designation was inaccurate.

'The submissions at issue will disclose matters pertaining to privilege and the grand jury investigation, exclusively,' Hendon wrote.

Prosecutors opposed the objections being made privately, and Wood sided with the state.

'(The) objections should be filed publicly, except for those portions that divulge the substance of the contested documents,' Wood wrote.

'It looks like once again I'm about to be proven right,' lawyer Michael Avenatti said. 'He's going to be charged with a number of crimes.'

The documents are being reviewed by Jones because Cohen has argued that much of the material seized in connection with the FBI's investigation into wire fraud, bank fraud and campaign finance law violations is protected as privileged work-product.

It's been admitted that Mr. Cohen negotiated a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who says she had a sexual relationship with Trump in 2006.

Daniels' lawyer, Michael Avenatti, took the news of Cohen's soon-to-be arrest as confirmation to his own prediction.

'It looks like once again I'm about to be proven right,' Avenatti said. 'He's going to be charged with a number of crimes.'

In May, Avenatti said that Cohen would be detained in 90 days.Elizabeth Smart has revealed she finds it 'troubling' that one of the kidnappers who held her captive for nine month will be freed in six years.

Smart posted a candid Instagram post about Wanda Barzee, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping her in 2002.

A hearing was held on Tuesday before the state parole board in Salt Lake City that could have helped Barzee, 72, get out of prison earlier - but she refused to attend.

Barzee has also refused to take a psychological evaluation that she must undergo to get out before her scheduled release in January 2024.

'The good news is she was not released,' Smart wrote in her Instagram caption.

Elizabeth Smart posted a candid Instagram post about Wanda Barzee, her former captor who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2002 and was up for parole this week

A hearing was held on Tuesday before the state parole board that could have helped Barzee, 72, get out of prison earlier - but she refused to attend

'However what I find troubling is that, regardless of her threat level, she will be released in 2024, six years from now. It is possible that she could be paroled before then...hopefully not.'

Smart said the reason she wanted Barzee to stay in jail was not out of revenge for taking nine months of her life.

'I do not think I'm a vindictive or vengeful person,' the mother-of-two wrote. 'If change were truly possible in her case then perhaps parole/release could be justified.'

But Smart said she realized Barzee would never change when she found out her former abductor still carried and read from 'The Book of Immanuel David Isaiah'.

'In this manuscript were the "revelations" Mitchell "received" from God to kidnap myself and six other young girls to be his wife,' Smart explained, referring to her captor and rapist Brian David Mitchell.

Barzee (pictured left in 2002 and right in 2016) also refused to take a psychological evaluation she would need to undergo to get out before her scheduled release in January 2024

But Smart (pictured before her kidnapping in 2002) said she knew Barzee would never change after finding out she still read from 'The Book of Immanuel David Isaiah'

'It also "revealed" his other highly disturbing and dangerous ideas.'

'This is proof to me that she hasn't changed, and if the prior 15+ years hasn't changed her I don't see how the future years will.'

'In this manuscript were the "revelations" Mitchell "received" from God to kidnap myself,' Smart explained, referring to her captor and rapist Brian David Mitchell (pictured in 2002)

Smart said she would 'continue to pray' that Barzee is never a threat to herself, her family, 'or any vulnerable person ever again'.

'A lot can happen between now and the years to come, so in the meantime I will continue to make my family my priority, working to advocate and protect victims and children, and live my life the best way I know how.'

Smart's father Ed echoed his daughter's sentiments on Tuesday, saying that she had accepted the fact that Barzee would eventually be released.

Ed also revealed that, although he was not worried for his daughter's safety, he feared that Barzee could be a danger to others.

He found that Barzee's refusal to attend the parole hearing or take the psychological exam seems to indicate that she has the same mindset when she kidnapped his daughter.

'It's Barzee as usual,' Ed said. 'I would hate for her to have the opportunity to do that again to someone else.'

Smart was just 14 years old when Mitchell and Barzee abducted her from her Salt Lake City home on June 5, 2002.

Smart said she would 'continue to pray' that Barzee is never a threat to herself, her family, 'or any vulnerable person ever again'. Mitchell is serving a life sentence for her kidnapping

Smart's father Ed echoed his daughter's sentiments on Tuesday, saying that she had accepted Barzee's eventual release

Mitchell raped Smart on a daily basis in her nine months of captivity, during which the trio traveled from Utah to Southern California and back.

Before the kidnapping, the Smart family had paid Mitchell to do handyman work at the house after thinking he was just a man down on his luck.

Smart was rescued nine months after her abduction on March 12, 2003, when two witnesses recognized Mitchell and Barzee from an America's Most Wanted episode.

The couple were both charged with aggravated burglary, aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated sexual assault.

Barzee testified against her husband in court, as did Smart, in 2009. Mitchell was sentenced to life in prison in 2011.

'I know that you know what you did was wrong,' Smart told Mitchell at his sentencing.

Since her kidnapping, Smart (pictured with her husband and two children) has become an author and an advocate for survivors missing persons and sexual abuse victims

Smart said she has since been able to forgive her captors to move on with her own life

'You took away nine months of my life that can never be returned.'

Barzee was transferred from federal prison to Utah state prison in 2016 to serve her time for the aggravated kidnapping charge.

Scott Williams, her attorney at trial, said after the parole hearing that he believes his former client should be released because she has served the agreed-upon years as established in a plea agreement.

Williams said he hasn't been in touch with Barzee for about a year and doesn't know why she didn't attend the hearing or take the psychological examination.

He said she has been diagnosed with several mental illnesses.

Earlier this year, Smart said she has finally been able to forgive her captors.

'My captors will never care if I forgive them, it will not make a day of difference to them at all, but it will make a huge difference to me,' she said.

'If I stay angry from holding onto this in my life, it would be eating away at me. I love myself too much to do that to myself.'Only 40 of the 400 British jihadis who fought in Syria and Iraq have been prosecuted on their return home.

At least 360 battle-hardened fanatics are being allowed to go free because there is too little evidence to convict them.

The figures, disclosed by security minister Ben Wallace, will raise concerns over whether the authorities can keep track of all the dangerous extremists on our streets.

Police chiefs have repeatedly warned of the severity of the terror threat facing Britain  particularly from those who have been radicalised by fighting abroad.

John Woodcock, the Labour MP who had pressed for the release of the figures, said: Its no wonder the Government tried to keep secret that it has only managed to prosecute one in ten of the British jihadis returning from Syria.

A masked, black-clad militant, who has been identified by the Washington Post newspaper as a Briton named Mohammed Emwazi, in a still image from 2014

Anjem Choudary arriving for a court hearing at the Old Bailey in March 2016

It is an affront to our country that the difficulty of amassing admissible evidence means there is no comeuppance for people who went to aid an evil regime that wanted to slaughter British civilians.

He said it should be made illegal to travel to terror hotspots without good excuse. This would mean evidence would not have to be produced to prosecute suspected fanatics.

Ex-jihadi gets handed job and a flat A jihadi returned from fighting on the frontline in Syria to take up a job as a food delivery driver in London. The only sanction the 34-year-old faced was the cancellation of his British passport, ensuring he can now never leave. Despite once being a right-hand man of hate preacher Anjem Choudary he was not put on trial Despite once being a right-hand man of hate preacher Anjem Choudary he was not put on trial. Instead the man, who can be identified only by his pseudonym Abu Rayah, was given a council flat in east London. He took up a job working as a driver for a restaurant, delivering takeaways to the homes of customers via food app Just Eat. Rayah, who once worked for the NHS, travelled to Turkey in February 2014 under the guise of a two-week family holiday. From there, he entered Syria for up to four months to engage in terrorism-related activity, probably including warfare. Advertisement

The last time the Home Office revealed the number of returning foreign fighters taken to court was in 2016. Then it stood at 14. Speaking in a Commons debate on Monday, Mr Wallace said: Approximately 40 have been prosecuted so far  either because of direct action they have carried out in Syria or, subsequent to coming back, linked to that foreign fighting.

The 40 figure refers to successful prosecutions. More will have faced charges that did not stick.

Mr Woodcock, a member of the Home Affairs select committee, said the low prosecution rate showed how urgently we need to toughen our terror laws.

He cited Australias declared areas offence, under which its citizens risk ten years in jail for travelling to Iraq or Syria.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said he would be looking at just that, adding: Theres a bit more work to do on it, its not as straightforward as it might sound.

The honourable gentleman mentions the Australian extraterritorial offence that has been created, and I am looking at just that. If it is to become a legislative proposal, I obviously want to make sure that we have considered it properly.

Around 850 Britons are believed to have travelled to Syria or Iraq and at least 15 per cent of them are thought to be dead.

Security service chiefs and counter-terrorism officers fear those still there might try to return to the UK as the so-called caliphate is wiped out.

Several have also been detained in the region and their fate remains uncertain. They include Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, suspected members of the group nicknamed The Beatles, which murdered British and American hostages as well as Syrian soldiers.

Ministers are yet to agree on what to do with captured foreign fighters. If they are brought back to face trial there is a risk that there will not be enough evidence to convict them.

The low figure of those prosecuted when they return demonstrates the scale of the challenge facing the Government.

Police officers have been preparing for battle-hardened foreign fighters to return to the streets of Britain by carrying out mock exercises with soldiers.

British troops armed with AK-47s, knives and fake bombs posed as extremists carrying out a mass casualty attack during a pretend play at a theatre near Bishop Auckland in County Durham.

300 members of Durham and Cleveland police, the fire brigade and ambulance service, as well as 120 volunteers, took part in Exercise Root last September.

The eight soldiers from 1st Infantry Training Battalion, based at Catterick, North Yorkshire, were mainly Iraq and Afghanistan veterans took on the role of a military-trained enemy.

They were drafted in to take part in the exercise because they had experienced combat and could pretend to be returnees who have been to terror training camps in the Middle East and Africa or fought on the frontline with Islamic State.

They were drafted in to take part in the exercise because they had experienced combat and could pretend to be returnees who have been to terror training camps in the Middle East and Africa or fought on the frontline with Islamic State

Major Andy Witherell, the battalions second in command, told the Mail earlier this year: Our partners in Northumbria were planning a counter terrorist exercise.

Normally they use their own people as a terrorist enemy force.

But he said they wanted a demanding enemy, not just someone who would roll over and die.

Major Witherell said: One of the concerns police and security services seem to have is people who have combat experience in Iraq and Syria returning to the UK.

They therefore pose a more complex threat to the security services and the police.

It was suggested who better to play that role than soldiers with combat experience.

Police want to test their teams to train against the threat.

He went on: We have soldiers who can replicate those returning fighters but also those who can replicate attacks we have seen in the UK.

Ben Wallace told the Mail last night: 'This new Counter Terrorism legislation is vital for us to be able to deal with foreign fighters.

We are determined to deal with the threat.'Police will commence a large-scale forensic search today as part of ongoing investigations into the 2014 disappearance of William Tyrrell.

It comes less than seven months after his grandmother made bombshell claims about the events leading to his disappearance.

Natalie Collins said William and one of his siblings were removed from childcare early as a 'surprise' on the morning of September 12, 2014 - the day he was abducted.

'They were taken out of preschool early for a surprise visit,' she told news.com.au in January.

William was taken to a home in Kendall on the NSW Mid North Coast from where he would later vanish, sparking one of the biggest manhunts in Australian history.

Bombshell revelations about the events leading to William Tyrrell's disappearance have been uncovered by the missing boy's grandmother, Natalie Collins (pictured right)

Ms Collins (pictured) said William and another sibling were removed from childcare as a 'surprise' on the morning of September 12, 2014 - the day he was abducted

The then three-year-old was last seen wearing his Spiderman costume - an outfit which later became a symbol of his disappearance.

On Friday, Ms Collins revealed she 'hated' the costume because William had been 'bought better outfits' by her son Brendan Collins, who is William's biological father.

She went on to reveal Brendan and William shared a close bond, despite the child being removed from the father's care.

She said: 'The last time they saw him, William yelled ''daddy, daddy, daddy'' and jumped out of the pram like a kangaroo. William loved his dad. There was a real bond.'

William vanished from a home in Kendall on the NSW Mid North Coast, sparking one of the biggest manhunts in Australian history

Ms Collins said her son Brendan Collins (pictured) and William, his biological son, shared a close bond

Brendan, who Ms Collins said had developed a chronic drug addiction following William's disappearance, was the subject of an arrest warrant on Tuesday after he failed to show up to court on theft charges.

But it can be revealed a different court had remanded him in custody for separate theft charges on the exact same day. Collins was using a different last name.

He pleaded guilty to larceny of less than $2,000 and possessing stolen goods and will soon be sentenced.

Collins had been living with his grandmother Moira in Sydney's south-west.

'Look at all the bikes around, I think some are stolen,' she said.

Brendan Collins is pictured left. He had only recently been released from jail on drugs charges last year when he was revealed to be the missing toddler's biological father. William's biological mother Karlie (left and right) was also named for the first time last year as the toddler's parents

She said police recently visited the family home recently to see Brendan.

The police investigation into William's disappearance has ruled out the involvement of his biological parents, Brendan and Karlie Tyrrell.

His foster parents have asked not to be named to protect the identity of William's siblings.

There is a $1 million reward for information leading to William's discovery.

Despite one of Australia's biggest ever manhunts (pictured) William has never been found and a $1 million reward for information leading to his discovery remains in placeA 13-year-old Sydney girl missing for nearly a week has been found in Brisbane, possibly trying to meet up with her estranged father, police say.

Emily-Rose King was last seen at a northern Sydney medical centre last Thursday with her family raising alarm bells when she didn't' return home.

She was found safely at midday on Wednesday, with police saying earlier that she may have been headed towards Queensland or Newcastle to meet up with her estranged father.President Donald Trump has taken credit after congressman Mark Sanford lost his bid for re-election in a stunning primary defeat hours after the president injected himself into the bitter Republican race by stoking memories of the incumbent's extramarital affair several years ago.

In the most dramatic result in primaries across five states Tuesday, Sanford, a lawmaker from South Carolina, was the second incumbent House Republican to lose a primary this year - the latest victim of intense divisions among the GOP in the Trump era.

Though he has a generally conservative voting record, his criticism of Trump as unworthy and culturally intolerant made him a target of the president's most dedicated supporters, who often elevate loyalty over policy.

Sanford was defeated in his first congressional district contest by state Katie Arrington, who spent her campaign blasting Sanford as a 'Never Trumper.'

And hours before polls closed, Trump posted a startlingly personal attack on Twitter, calling Sanford 'very unhelpful.'

'He's MIA and nothing but trouble,' Trump continued. 'He is better off in Argentina.'

The swipe was a reference to Sanford's unexplained disappearance from the state in 2009, which he later said was part of an affair he was carrying on with a woman in Argentina.

President Trump endorsed Katie Arrington in her primary challenge to Rep. Mark Sanford, a vocal Trump critic

Mark Sanford faced a tough primary contest Tuesday in part because of his criticism of Trump

Trump gave his thoughts on the race just about three hours before polls closed

After Katie Arrington's victory in South Carolina, Trump again took to Twitter to gloat

With 98 percent of the votes counted prognosticators declared Sanford's opponent, state Rep. Katie Arrington, the congressional race's primary victor.

Arrington, who had characterized Sanford as a disloyal Never-Trumper, was ahead by four percent with 50.5 percent of the vote to Sanford's 46.5 percent.

After the results, Trump again took to Twitter to gloat.

'My political representatives didn't want me to get involved in the Mark Sanford primary thinking that Sanford would easily win - but with a few hours left I felt that Katie was such a good candidate, and Sanford was so bad, I had to give it a shot. Congrats to Katie Arrington!' he wrote.

Trump had endorsed Arrington in at Tuesday tweet on the race as he flew from Singapore after his Kim Jong-Un summit to a refueling stop in Guam.

'She is tough on crime and will continue our fight to lower taxes. VOTE Katie!,' he wrote.

Trump also shamed Sanford for the extramarital affair that led to his fall from grace with national Republicans.

When Sanford was governor of South Carolina, he was revealed to be having an extramarital affair.

He initially claimed he was hiking the Appalachian Trail but was actually in Argentina with his lover, Maria Belen Chapur.

But Trump has also been accused of having extra martial affairs.

An alleged affair with porn actress Stormy Daniels and hush-money payoff just before the 2016 election have been a distraction during his presidency.

He divorced his first wife, Ivanka Trump, and married his mistress Marla Maples.

There were three candidates, including Sanford, in the Republican primary. If no one received a majority of votes, a runoff would have taken place in two weeks.

Arrington was projected early Wednesday morning to win outright.

The president has been picking and choosing winners and commenting on the Republican Party's showing in primaries all through the midterms.

'How could Jeff Flake, who is setting record low polling numbers in Arizona and was therefore humiliatingly forced out of his own Senate seat without even a fight (and who doesn't have a clue), think about running for office, even a lower one, again? Let's face it, he's a Flake!' ' the president said last week of a Trump critic and incumbent GOP senator.

Katie Arrington celebrates after casting her vote on Tuesday

Sanford became a national name when his extra martial affair was revealed when he said he was hiking Appalachian Trail but was actually in Argentina

President Trump took credit last week when a Republican candidate made it through California's top-two primary system to get a spot on the gubernatorial ballot

Sanford is a house hold name in South Carolina and had never lost a political race, until now. He carefully rebuilt his reputation after his affair, and won a seat in the House of Representatives.

During the 2016 campaign he famously said Trump should 'shut up' and stop lashing out at his critics. He also criticized Trump's actions while in office such as when he called the president's new tariffs on steel and aluminum 'an experiment with stupidity.'

'I'm not looking for disagreement with the administration,' Sanford told Politico. 'But it comes to, you cannot walk away from it if you're really listening to the people I spend so much time with here at home.'

Arrington aired several TV commercials pointing out Sanford's criticism of the president. She has focused her campaign on her support for Trump.

Primary voters tend to be the red-meat party loyalists - the kind of voter that put Trump into office.

'We need a seat at the table. Our president is going to be the president until 2020 at a minimum, or 2024, and Mark has ostracized him to the point where there will never be a seat at the table for him,' she said at a campaign event.

Arrington endorsed Senator Marco Rubio in the 2016 presidential contest and said she was following the lead of the state's governor at the time, Nikki Haley.

She said she fully supported Trump once he had the nomination.

Arrington has also referred to Sanford's affair.

'Bless his heart, but it's time for Mark Sanford to take a hike  for real this time,' Arrington said in one TV ad.An elite school which has been allowed to favour female enrolments for more than two decades has been granted another exemption from anti-discrimination laws.

Carey Baptist Grammar, in the Melbourne suburb of Kew, has been co-educational since 1979 but can discriminate against male applicants via exemptions granted by the Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal.

The independent Christian school recently applied to have its anti-discrimination exemption extended, arguing it must favour boys to ensure a gender balance.

Principal Philip Grutzner told the tribunal the school required immunity from the laws because there are more males than females on its waiting list - and because females accept enrolment offers at a lower rate than males.

Carey Baptist Grammar, which has been allowed to favour female enrolments for more than two decades, has been granted another exemption from anti-discrimination laws

Principal Philip Grutzner told the tribunal the school required immunity from the laws because there are more males than females on its waiting list

The application was opposed by nearby girls' schools, including MLC, Camberwell Girls Grammar and Ruyton - which are all within 2km of Carey's Kew campus.

But Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal senior member Bernadette Steele ruled in favour of Carey and extended the exemption to June 2023.

'I accept the principal's evidence that the exemptions remain essential for Carey to achieve and maintain an equal gender ratio. Further I am satisfied that without an exemption the proportion of male students would increase rapidly,' she said.

Ms Steele added that the school should not expect the exemption to be granted again - and urged the principle to consider scrapping the controversial policy.

The application was opposed by nearby girls' schools, including MLC, Camberwell Girls Grammar and Ruyton (stock image)

Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal senior member Bernadette Steele ruled in favour of Carey (street view pictured) and extended the exemption to June 2023

'When seeking renewal of an exemption of this kind, the school or college must think carefully and realistically about whether co-education will ever be ultimately possible without the underpinning of an exemption,' she said.

'And if this is the case, whether the co-educational model should be changed or even discontinued, or whether some new set of initiatives should be tried.

'The longer an exemption lasts, the more renewals that have been given, the more likely it may be that what was once a reasonable limit on human rights will become an unreasonable limit.

'In this case, I am not satisfied that this time has yet come, and I am also satisfied that the College actively monitors ratios and its exempt conduct.'Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan said the Harvey Weinstein scandal happened because his victims defied Jewish power which allows him to treat gentile women as if theyre partly animals.

The couch where you have to sit is called the casting couch, Farrakhan said in a three-hour a sermon from the Mosque Maryam in Chicago.

See? Thats Jewish power, he said.

Farrakhan was talking about Weinsteins recent arrest and indictment on charges of rape by prosecutors in New York City.

[Did] you see Mr. Weinstein? On his way to jail? he said.

Farrakhan, on May 28, gave a sermon at his mosque in Chicago

Farrakhan said the Harvey Weinstein scandal happened because his victims defied Jewish power which allows him to treat gentile women as if theyre partly animals. Weinstein is seen left walking into court last week in Manhattan

Last Wednesday, Farrakhan tweeted a link to his sermon, with this headline

Its hard to tell a Jew that hes wrong when the Talmud in which he believes has taught him that gentile women - and black women in particular - you can do anything to them you want because theyre partly animals.

Weinstein has been accused of a litany of sex crimes against scores of women in Hollywood.

He has pleaded not guilty to raping two women, as has been alleged by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

Farrakhan's history of anti-Semitic remarks appears to have cost him the 'blue check' on Twitter, which revoked his verification status.

In the lengthy sermon from last month he addressed President Trump, Weinstein, antisemitism and the #MeToo movement.

Last week he tweeted a link to video of the May 28th sermon with the headline, 'Thoroughly and completely unmasking the Satanic Jew and the Synagogue of Satan.'

The tweet may have triggered Twitter to act on their guidelines that dictate they will unverify people for 'promoting hate and/or violence against, or directly attacking or threatening other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or disease' among other reasons.

A twitter spokesperson told The Daily Caller that the company is 'unable to comment on individual accounts, for privacy and security reasons.'

He was still verified on Friday, but seems to have had that blue check removed overnight.

Farrakhan's Twitter page accessed through the internet archive shows he was still verified on Friday.

Farrakhan's Twitter page on Saturday, he no long has the blue 'verified' check on his account

Farrakhan has lead the Nation of Islam since 1981. He has been called anti-semetic, anti-white and homophobic.

He once said that 'the Jews don't like Farrakhan, so they call me Hitler. Well, that's a good name. Hitler was a very great man.''

When speaking about Hezbollah, he said, 'They call them terrorists, I call them freedom fighters.'

After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, he spread his theory that the levees the broke, wiping out predominantly black neighborhoods in New Orleans were destroyed on purpose.A man will appear in court on Wednesday charged with the murder of a baby boy in New Zealand.

Emergency services were called to an Upper Hutt home in the Wellington region on Monday, where a five-month-old baby boy wasfound with serious head injuries.

He was rushed to Wellington Regional Hospital, where he underwent surgery but sadly lost his fight for life on Tuesday.

A five-month-old baby found with head injuries lost his fight for life at Wellington Hospital (pictured) on Tuesday

A man, 31, has been charged with murder and is due to appear in Wellington Local Court on Wednesday.

Police said the man was known to the baby.

'A scene examination at the address where the baby was found is ongoing,' a New Zealand Police statement said.

'As the matter is before the courts we are unable to comment further.'

Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy said the baby's death was a shock to the community.

'They will be saying, "why, why, why?"' he told Stuff.

'It's a blight on our country that these events continually happen.'

Oranga Tamariki - Ministry for Children would not comment on whether it had been notified of the incident and referred all queries to police, Stuff reported.The president took time out after his summit with Kim Jong Un to watch Robert DeNiro's expletive laden Tony's speech against the president, and today- he took to Twitter to say the actor has a low IQ.

DeNiro took to the Tony Awards show stage to say 'F*** Trump,' on Sunday. He repeated 'F*** Trump' a second time and received a standing ovation from the crowd at the awards show for excellence in Broadway theater, held in New York.

The hyper-image aware president took aim at the actor tweeting on Tuesday afternoon to say 'Robert De Niro, a very Low IQ individual, has received to (sic) many shots to the head by real boxers in movies. I watched him last night and truly believe he may be 'punch-drunk.'

The president who departed his summit with Kim in Singapore, likely spent some time after his meeting with Kim catching up on the news about him back in the United States.

After the pesident wrapped up his historical summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, he watched actor Robert De Niro's Tony Awards speech, and took issue with it

As soon as the president had a chance to catch up on news back in the United States on Monday, just after his summit with Kim Jong Un, he was upset by it, and made fun of De Niro over Twitter Tuesday afternoon, saying he has a 'low IQ' and must have taken too many punches to the head

What did De Niro say exactly that would take away from the attention the president's historic summit received? 'It's no longer down with Trump. It's f*** Trump,' on stage at the Tony Awards

The president's diatribe against De Niro did not end there either, he continued in a second tweet that the actor must not 'realize the economy is the best it's ever been with employment being at an all time high, and many companies pouring back into our country.'

Trump added a little name calling to the end of his missive, telling De Niro: 'Wake up Punchy!'

In fairness De Niro was pretty aggressive on the Tony stage, taking time away from the biggest awards show for Broadway with his curt, but pointed attack on the president. However his message still received a standing ovation.

The veteran actor went onstage at the Tony Awards 2018 and said: 'I'm just going to say one thing. F*** Trump.'

The New York audience immediately started applauding, and as it rose to its feet, De Niro added: 'It's no longer down with Trump. It's f*** Trump.'

The awards were broadcast live on CBS but the network had enough time to bleep out the Godfather actor's f-bombs.

This is not the first time that De Niro has made his thoughts on Trump known.

He famously said he wanted to punch Trump 'in the face' during the 2016 US Election, called him a 'f***ing fool' and the 'baby-in-chief' in January 2018, and the following month said the US was currently suffering from a 'case of temporary insanity'.

De Niro continued the streak for a third month in a row when he said in a speech in LA: 'A college education is important, but education without humanity is ignorance.

'Look at our president. He made it through University of Pennsylvania, so he was exposed to a quality education, but he's still an idiot.'

Robert De Niro said 'F*** Trump' twice at the Tony Awards 2018 ceremony. (Pictured at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival).

The actor went on to say that as long as America's 'leadership is so appalling and so corrupt' he'll be 'speaking out at every turn'.

And, after the f-bombs at the Tonys on Sunday night, it looks like De Niro is staying true to his word about speaking out.

A few hours prior to Trump's tweets Tuesday, De Niro made a public apology  but not to Trump. While in Toronto Tuesday morning, De Niro told Canadians he was sorry for Trump's behavior.

'I just want to make a note of apology for the idiotic behavior of my president,' he said. 'It's a disgrace. And I apologize to [Canadian Prime Minister] Justin Trudeau and the other people at the G-7. It's disgusting.'Advertisement

An intense four-week search by forensic crews has begun in bushland on the NSW mid-north coast for missing boy William Tyrrell, who disappeared from his foster grandmother's yard nearly four years ago.

For the next four weeks, teams of experts, along with hundreds of emergency services workers, will conduct a sweep around the Kendall property near Port Macquarie, where William was last seen on September 12, 2014.

Lead investigator Detective Chief Inspector Gary Jubelin said at Kendall on Wednesday authorities hold 'grave fears' over finding William alive.

'It has been a very long time,' he said.

An intense four-week search by forensic crews has begun in bushland on the NSW mid-north coast for missing boy William Tyrrell

For the next four weeks, teams of experts, along with hundreds of emergency services workers, will conduct a sweep of the area from which William vanished

Officers are pictured as they start the new large- scale forensic search for the missing boy, who would soon turn seven

William (pictured) was playing in the yard of his foster grandmother's home when he vanished. He was three years old at the time

The initial search focused only on finding 'a little boy lost', Det Insp Jubelin said.

'The purpose of this is that so if we present evidence to a court, we can show beyond reasonable doubt that Williams disappearance was a result of human intervention and not through misadventure.'

Det Insp Jubelin believes people do know what happened to the boy and reiterated the $1 million reward for information leading to William's recovery.

Lead investigator Detective Chief Inspector Gary Jubelin said at Kendall on Wednesday authorities hold 'grave fears' over finding William alive

The then three-year-old boy disappeared from hid foster grandmother's home (pictured) in 2014. He hasn't been seen since

Det Insp Jubelin believes people do know what happened to the boy and reiterated the $1 million reward for information leading to William's recovery. Police are pictured at the scene on Wednesday

Police have confirmed there were still persons of interest over the disappearance, but would not detail how many or who they were

Police believe there are people who have information over Williams disappearance who are yet to come forward

Lead investigator Detective Chief Inspector Gary Jubelin is pictured at the scene beside a police bus on Wednesday

'I strongly believe that there are people out there who have information on this and I want to make a point to those people that if you do have information concerning what happened to William, you are committing an offence if you do not come forward.'

He confirmed there were still persons of interest, but would not detail how many or who they were.

William was playing in the yard of his foster grandmother's home when he vanished.

Hundreds of locals and emergency services workers spent 10 days looking for him in the rural township, forests, creeks and paddocks to no avail.

On the two-year anniversary of William's disappearance, New South Wales Police announced a $1million reward for information leading to his return

Dozens of police are seen combing the thick bushland during the new forensic search on Wednesday morning

The boy was playing in the yard of his foster grandmother's home when he vanished. Above, police at the search site

Dozens of police officers are pictured at the search site near Kendall on Wednesday morning

The new search will coincide with William's seventh birthday in two weeks' time.

His foster family have never given up hope of finding William, and on Wednesday posted a message to social media.

'Today marks 1370 heartbreaking days since William disappeared,' the post read.

'William's loved ones are, and will forever be indebted to the tremendous ongoing commitment of NSW Police; in particular, Strike Force Rosann who have been absolutely relentless in their ongoing investigation in the search.

'Today marks 1370 heartbreaking days since William disappeared,' a social media post (pictured) read on Wednesday morning

'William's loved ones are, and will forever be indebted to the tremendous ongoing commitment of NSW Police,' the post read

The initial search was focused only on finding William  a little boy who was lost  and not with a view of deliberate human intervention, police said on Wednesday

New South Wales Police commenced the new four-week forensic search of bushland in Kendall on Wednesday morning

Chief Inspector Gary Jubelin fronts the media scrum at the scene as police start the new large-scale forensic search

Shortly before 10.30am on Friday 12 September 2014, William, then aged three, was playing in the yard of his grandmother's home when he disappeared

TIMELINE OF THE DISAPPEARANCE OF WILLIAM TYRRELL William Tyrrell went missing from the front yard of his foster grandmother's home in Kendall, 40km south of Port Macquarie, on September 12, 2014 2014 SEPTEMBER 12 - Dressed in a Spiderman outfit, three-year-old William Tyrrell goes missing from the front yard of his foster grandmother's home in Kendall, 40km south of Port Macquarie. SEPTEMBER 21 - Police stop searching for the missing boy after scouring surrounding bushland and neighbouring houses. 2015 JANUARY 20 - Police search the home and business of washing machine repairman William Spedding, who had been due to carry out repairs at the Kendall house at the time the boy disappeared. JANUARY 23 - Spedding publicly denies any involvement in William's disappearance and no charges have been laid against him. FEBRUARY 19 - Homicide detectives take over the case and say it's likely William was abducted. MARCH 2 - Police search bushland near Bonny Hills for three days after a tip-off. APRIL 17 - William's foster parents speak publicly for the first time in an emotional video released through police which does not identify them. APRIL 17 - Police say the boy may have been a victim of a paedophile ring. SEPTEMBER 12 - 'Where's William' week is launched one year after he disappeared. 2016 SEPTEMBER 12 - A $1 million reward is offered for information leading to William's return. 2017 AUGUST 24 - William's foster child status is revealed after a court ruling. 2018 JUNE 13 - NSW Police commence a new four-week forensic search of bushland in Kendall. Advertisement

William was last seen at his foster grandmother's home on Benaroon Drive in Kendall (map pictured) in September 2014

The boy's foster family have never given up hope of finding William, and on Wednesday posted a message to social media as police (above) commenced their search

The new search will coincide with William's seventh birthday in two weeks' time

Carrying mattocks, picks and shovels, dozens of officers were pictured entering the dense search site on Wednesday morning

'Since that tragic day on Friday 12 September 2014, hearts across Australia have been broken, but we have and will continue to maintain unwavering faith in NSW Police and carry hope in our hearts that William will be found. He is in our hearts always... Always.'

Last year, on the third anniversary of his disappearance, his foster family maintained hope of finding him alive.

'William, we will never stop loving you,' they said in a statement in September 2017.

'We will never stop looking for you.'

The new large-scale search is being co-ordinated by experts from the NSW Police public order and riot squad.

The new large-scale search is being co-ordinated by search experts from the NSW Police public order and riot squad

Lead investigator Detective Chief Inspector Gary Jubelin (pictured at the search site) addressed media at the site at 11amUnited States President Donald Trump's daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump on Monday tweeted a 'Chinese proverb' to mark the historic meeting between her father and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un.

The only problem is, no one knew where the 'proverb' came from.

Chinese net users are left scratching their heads over the so-called proverb which read: 'Those who say it can not be done, should not interrupt those doing it.'

Ivanka Trump's family has a lot of fans in China. But her mysterious 'Chinese proverb' published on her Twitter account was panned by Chinese net users on Weibo (file photo)

Ivanka Trump on Monday tweeted a 'Chinese proverb' to mark the historic meeting between Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un. But no one seemed to know where it came from

Ms Trump, whose daughter is learning Mandarin, attributed the quote to 'Chinese Proverb' along with her post on Twitter, published hours before her father came together with Mr Kim to seek an end to a tense decades-old nuclear stand-off.

China's Internet quickly lit up, puzzled rather than flattered by the reference.

'Our editor really can't think of exactly which proverb this is. Please help!' the news channel for Sina - the company behind Weibo, China's largest Twitter-like platform - wrote on its official account.

In thousands of comments on Weibo, users proffered scores of different suggestions without arriving at a consensus.

Some suggested the proverb 'the foolish old man removed mountains' - a common phrase used to signify perseverance.

It refers to a fable about a man who persisted in his attempt to level a mountain he found inconvenient by dogged digging.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un (left) and US President Donald Trump (right) shake hands following a signing ceremony during their historic summit on Tuesday in Singapore

One website suggested it originated in the United States itself at the turn of the 20th century. A pseudo-Confucian version was fabricated in 1962 - perhaps explaining why Ms Trump believed it was a Chinese proverb.

Ivanka Trump's family has a lot of fans in China. Her six-year-old daughter, Arabella Kushner, became an online sensation by singing ballads in Mandarin and reciting Chinese poetry in a video that was shown to President Xi Jinping during Mr Trump's visit to Beijing last year.

But her mysterious proverb was panned on Weibo.

'She saw it in a fortune cookie at Panda Express,' one user wrote.

Another said: 'It makes sense, but I still don't know which proverb it is.'

'One proverb from Ivanka has exhausted the brain cells of all Chinese internet users,' a commenter admitted.

Bill Kristol, editor of the US political magazine the Weekly Standard, tweeted a guess that the phrase 'seems in fact to be American from the turn of the 20th c.- which makes sense, since its spirit is can-do Americanism'.

'But why are Trump WH (White House) aides giving our proverbs to China, increasing our proverb deficit?' he quipped.A full-size replica of the Great Sphinx of Giza has reappeared in a theme park in north China, reigniting fury from Egypt.

Egypt had reportedly called the replica an insult to its cultural heritage and demanded it be torn down when it was first erected in Hebei province in 2014.

Dismantling work did not take place until April 2016, but only the head was separated from the 20 by 60-metre (65 by 196-feet) statue.

However, the head of the fake Sphinx has been re-attached to its body last month, sparking an uproar from Cairo, according to Chinese news website Guancha.cn.

The replica of Great Sphinx of Giza is under reconstruction at a theme park in Shijiazhuang city, north China's Hebei province on May 15. It was previously dismantled in April 2016

The news of the reconstruction of the copycat Sphinx in north China has angered Cairo

Dismantling work took place in April 2016 in response to the Egyptian government, but workers at the site only removed the head from the 20 by 60-metre (65 by 196-feet) statue

The Egyptian government has reportedly filed a complaint to Unesco, the world heritage agency, saying that the structure violated international conventions as it was being used as a film and TV filming location, according to the Telegraph.

The replica Sphinx measures almost the same size as the original, with its appearance resembling closely to the world-famous limestone statue currently standing on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile.

The model belongs to Hebei Great Wall Film Studios and is located in Shijiazhuang. Chinese media previously reported that the statue had been built as a film set in the theme park.

The Egyptian government has reportedly filed a complaint to Unesco, the world heritage agency, saying that the structure violated international conventions

Egyptian government claimed that the sculpture harmed the cultural heritage of its country

The real Sphinx and the Great Pyramid in Giza, currently standing on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile. Egyptian officials believed that the copycat differed greatly to its original

The company also constructed replicas of the Temple of Heaven and the Louvre Pyramid.

At the time, a manger from the park said the fake Spinx was a prop built for a film production and would be demolished once filming had been completed, according to the Chinese report.

But it unlike the original - which was carved from limestone - the Chinese version appears to have been built using reinforced concrete.

In its May 2014 complaint to Unesco, Egyptian authorities asked to have the replica torn down, saying that they should have been notified of its creation was to shoot film and TV, in line with international conventions.

The life-size replica of the Sphinx belongs to the Hebei Great Wall Film Studios in north China

The original model is located on Egypt's Giza Plateau on the west bank of the river Nile

In addition, Egyptian officials believed that the copycat differed greatly to its original and may give people a false interpretation of its country's antiquities, according to previous reports.

There were also concerns that it could affect the tourism, film and shooting industries in Egypt.

Two years later, workers at the site started demolition work on the copycat Sphinx - but only removed the creature's head from its body.

The remains of the structure sat untouched at the theme part until last month when sightings of the re-construction works started to emerge, with visitors saying that they saw workers re-attaching the Sphinx's head with its body, according to the report.

East meets West: The film company also constructed a structure in the theme park that is half Temple of Heaven in Beijing, half Capitol Building in Washington

A replica of the Louvre Pyramid in Paris has also been built by the film company in the park

Video footage of the construction work filmed by witnesses shows the fake Sphinx covered in scaffolding and its head re-attached to its body.

The news has angered Egyptian officials and they reportedly returned to Unesco for a second complaint.

However, this is not the only Sphinx replica that China has built in theme parks - one is erected in the western city of Lanzhou and the other in the eastern province of Anhui, according to Guancha.cn.A bizarre-looking fish has made waves on the internet in China because of its unusual 'bird' head.

Some said the fish's head looks like a pigeon's or a parrot's head; while others argued it bears more resemblance to that of a dolphin.

A local fishery expert said the strange creature is a deformed carp.

A group of fishing enthusiasts caught an unusual fish with a bird-shaped head in south-west China last week (left). Web users suggested the fish is a cross breed with dolphins (right)

The creature, called 'bird fish' by web users, was reeled in by a number of anglers in Guizhou, south-west China, reported Guizhou Urban Newspaper.

Video footage shows the odd fish gasping on the ground. While its body looks like a normal fish's body, its head has a distinctive, mismatched shape.

The video has been circulating on Chinese online forums as well as on Facebook in the past week, leaving web users debating over what the creature really is.

People have compared the shaped of the fish's head to that of a pigeon, parrot or dolphin.

The fish can be seen gasping as the anglers study it closely (left). People also commented that the fish's head is similar to that of a parrot (right)

Chinese fishery expert explained it is a deformed carp, a common freshwater fish (left); although it's been compared to a pigeon due to its small eyes and rounded head (right)

One Facebook user, called 'Hong Fang', questioned: 'Is this a cross-breed of carp and dolphin?'

While another Facebook user 'Duan Yiching' said: 'It looks like a radioactive fish to me.'

Fish expert at Natural History Museum told MailOnline that they cannot identify the exact species of the fish but concluded that it is under the group, Cyprinidae, as a carp family.

The fish in the video could be showing a deformity known as 'pug-head', which is often seen in fishes, stated the expert.

International Union for Conservation of Nature explained that water pollution, genetic mutations and injury early in life could be the possible causes to the abnormal appearance of the fish.

Yang Xing, an expert from the Guizhou Fisheries Research Institute, told Guizhou Urban Daily that the bird-headed fish is actually a carp and it's deformed.

The expert said deformation is commonly seen among the freshwater fish species.

He carried on explaining the possible causes of the deformation.

'One possibly is that the embryo was damaged when it was growing; another possibility is that the lack of oxygen in water - due to over-crowded fishing farming - caused the fish's head to be deformed.'

According to the report, the fish was set free by the anglers after being caught.If an intelligent alien race does exist in a faraway solar system, it could one day make itself known through the imprints of its technology, experts say.

Just as Earth is circled by an ever-growing network of satellites, a planet inhabited by an extraterrestrial civilization may, too, be surrounded by spacecraft emitting their own signals.

In the so-called Clarke Belt, named in honor of science writer Arthur C. Clarke, satellites sit in a geostationary orbit more than 22,000 miles above the surface.

As a planet transits its star, the researchers say objects in this region may cause disturbances in the light to reveal their presence.

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Just as Earth is circled by an ever-growing network of satellites, a planet inhabited by an extraterrestrial civilization may, too, be surrounded by spacecraft emitting their own signals. Artist's impression

Earths own Clarke Belt is currently too sparsely populated to be spotted from great distances; roughly two-thirds of our satellites sit much closer to the surface, in low orbit.

Given the rate by which satellite density is growing, however, researchers estimate it could be detectable from other stars by the year 2200.

According to the new study, this should also be considered in the search for alien life.

Current missions designed to find exoplanets and their moons and rings might be able to find this type of evidence while they scour the skies.

We have to keep our eyes open, just in case we detect these traces in the data, says IAC researcher Hector Socas.

The researcher also notes that the presence of our Clarke belt could give away humanitys existence as well.

Scientists study the atmosphere of distant exoplanets using enormous space satellites like Hubble Distant stars and their orbiting planets often have conditions unlike anything we see in our atmosphere. To understand these new world's, and what they are made of, scientists need to be able to detect what their atmospheres consist of. They often do this by using a telescope similar to Nasa's Hubble Telescope. These enormous satellites scan the sky and lock on to exoplanets that Nasa think may be of interest. Here, the sensors on board perform different forms of analysis. One of the most important and useful is called absorption spectroscopy. This form of analysis measures the light that is coming out of a planet's atmosphere. Every gas absorbs a slightly different wavelength of light, and when this happens a black line appears on a complete spectrum. These lines correspond to a very specific molecule, which indicates it's presence on the planet. They are often called Fraunhofer lines after the German astronomer and physicist that first discovered them in 1814. By combining all the different wavelengths of lights, scientists can determine all the chemicals that make up the atmosphere of a planet. The key is that what is missing, provides the clues to find out what is present. It is vitally important that this is done by space telescopes, as the atmosphere of Earth would then interfere. Absorption from chemicals in our atmosphere would skew the sample, which is why it is important to study the light before it has had chance to reach Earth. This is often used to look for helium, sodium and even oxygen in alien atmospheres. This diagram shows how light passing from a star and through the atmosphere of an exoplanet produces Fraunhofer lines indicating the presence of key compounds such as sodium or helium Advertisement

In this contest, the exponential increase in our population of satellites could end up by becoming a signal which gives us away, whether we like it or not, says Socas.

This is a point which should be taken into account in this debate.

The idea of an alien Clarke exobelt might seem far-fetched, but the researcher says it simply cant hurt to look, since spacecraft are already investigating exoplanets.

It seems unlikely, but it costs nothing to take a look, Socas says.

It is as if someone gave you a lottery ticket. You know that it is very unlikely that you will win, but as you have it you check up on the result, just in case.Russia is building a laser cannon death ray capable of targeting and destroying objects in space.

The enormous weapon will be the size of a telescope, and will zero-in on orbital debris that poses a threat to nearby ships, Russia has confirmed.

But despite assurances the cannon will only be used to blast space debris, experts fear the cannon could become a vital part of the Vladimir Putin's arsenal.

The latest revelation comes weeks after a US Air Force chief warned that space wars could break out between superpower nations 'within years'.

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Russia has revealed plans to convert a telescope into a laser cannon. Pictured: Ground-based laser developed by the Soviet Strategic Defence Program which conducted extensive research on advanced technologies in the 1980s to try to interfer with US satellites.

Researchers working for a subsidiary of Roscosmos, the Russian equivalent of Nasa, have already started work on the laser cannon.

The Scientific and Industrial Corporation 'Precision Instrument Systems' (NPK SPP) team want to convert a telescope at the Altay Optical-Laser Centre (AOLTs) near Savvushka, some 45-miles (70 km) from the Kazak border.

'The scientists intend to use the massive soon-to-be-built telescope at the Altay Optical-Laser Centre and convert it into a laser cannon,' a report submitted to the Russian Academy of Sciences has revealed.

'The device is expected to be powered by a solid-state generator, though the project team has yet to choose which model to use.'

According to the report, the scientists hope to fit the cannon with an 'optic detection system which includes a solid-state laser.'

The weapon is expected to be able to gradually vaporise space debris using laser ablation.

The latter works by focusing a beam onto a surface to strip it of a material, like water.

Laser ablation does generate much excess heat and can be used to cause objects to evaporate or, when using a more powerful beam, transform into a plasma.

According to United States Space Surveillance Network, there are more than 21,000 space debris objects larger than 10cm (3.9 inches) orbiting the Earth at any given time.

These include abandoned launch vehicle stages and other debris from past missions, as well as nonfunctional spacecrafts and fragmented scraps.

Researchers working for a subsidiary of Roscosmos, the Russian equivalent of Nasa, have already started work on the laser cannon, which is expected to be able to gradually vaporise space debris using laser ablation

Roscosmos scientists say that if the issue of space debris is not addressed soon, it could clog up Earth's orbit and make launches almost impossible in one or two centuries time.

Russia is not only looking to ground-mounted cannons to fire lasers into space.

Earlier this year, it was revealed the country had created plane-mounted lasers to form part of an anti-satellite system.

According to an anonymous source quoted by Russian news agency Interfax, weapons maker Almaz-Antey has 'completed work on an anti-satellite complex'.

The system includes a laser mounted onto an aircraft as well as relevant ground control gear and radar that will help the device to find targets.

It will utilise a brand-new, as-yet-unnamed type of aircraft, the source said.

The system will include a laser mounted onto an aircraft as well as relevant ground control gear and radar that will help the device to find targets. The US Navy is also developing laser weapons, including this anti-drone 'active laser' that will be mounted onto warships

The claim has not been verified by independent sources, but the Moscow-based weapons firm is known to be developing anti-satellite weaponry for Russia's military.

Last April, Almaz-Antey general designer Pavel Sozinov told Russian news agency Ria Novosti that it was developing weapons that could interfere electronically with or achieve 'direct functional destruction of those elements deployed in orbit'.

He said the project was commissioned by Russian leaders.

Experts said that anti-satellite weaponry is a priority for Russian officials.

Samuel Bendett, a research analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses, told DefenseOne: 'Russia considers American satellites a significant threat when it comes to potential confrontation.

'It is actively working to counter US technologies in space, such as possible electronic warfare technologies that can target hundreds of kilometres up.

'The developments in laser technologies are in step with US and Chinese advancements in this area.'

The United States is also focused on the challenge presented by space warfare.

US Air Force Chief Of Staff General David Goldfein believes the US will need new tools, specialist training, and billions of dollars in funding to prepare for combat in orbit.

Speaking at the Air Force Association's 34th annual Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition in Orlando earlier this year, General Goldfein said: '[It's] time for us as a service, regardless of speciality badge, to embrace space superiority with the same passion and sense of ownership as we apply to air superiority today.'

General Goldfein argues that the US Air Force is best placed to protect American interests in space.

He said: 'I believe we're going to be fighting from space in a matter of years.

'We are the service that must lead joint war fighting in this new contested domain. This is what the nation demands.'Humanity's next gold rush could take place aboard small probes jetting between asteroids in outer space.

Several private and publically funded companies are vying to be the first to mine space rocks for precious resources, including Nasa.

The celestial objects are thought to be loaded with tonnes of precious metals and minerals, including pricey platinum, worth quadrillions on Earth.

Nasa estimates the total value of resources locked in asteroids is equivalent to $100 billion (75 billion) for each person on Earth.

One private company looking to tap into these orbiting minerals is the US firm Deep Space Industries, which plans to power its spacecraft with steam-powered thrusters.

The firm says it will launch its first mining probe in the early 2020s, and antitipates that, by 2030, the market for asteroidal minerals will top 1.1 billion ($1.5 billion).

In a new interview, a technology expert at Deep Space Industries said he envisions swarms of small mining craft flying out to draw resources from near-Earth asteroids.

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Humanity's next gold rush could take place aboard tiny probes jetting between asteroids. One private company looking to tap into these orbiting minerals is the US firm Deep Space Industries, which envisions using probes to mine asteroids (artist's impression)

Grant Bonin, chief technology officer at the company, which is based in San Jose, California, said the probes would operate from a central depot in space.

'It is like honey bees going out to a lot of different flowers and flying that back to the hive,' he told the Guardian.

The depot, positioned somewhere between the moon and Earth, would allow spacecraft to fly out to asteroids as they quickly pass by our planet.

It would act as a spot to store resources which could then be sold to governments or private companies.

This could be platinum, iron, nickel, gold or even water-derived hydrogen or oxygen fuel.

'To some extent we are agnostic about what the first market will be,' Mr Bonin said.

Nasa estimates the total value of resources locked in space rocks is 522 quintillion - equivalent to 75 billion ($100 billion) for each person on Earth. the space agency plans to send a probe to the mineral-rich asteroid 16 Psyche in 2022 (artist's impression)

'We think it will be propellant for gas stations in space, but we wouldn't want to bet.'

Deep Space Industries (DSI) intends to launch a fleet of unmanned ships to intercept small asteroids as they speed past our planet.

The firm's propulsion system uses water vapour heated to 1,000C (1,832F) to produce thrust. It has already sold 40 of these boosters to other space companies.

'Deep Space Industries is an asteroid mining company, developing the technologies to find, harvest, and supply the asteroid resources that will transform the space economy,' the firm's website reads.

WHY DO SCIENTISTS WANT TO MINE ASTEROIDS? Several start-ups have begun to explore the idea of mining near-Earth asteroids for precious resources. The celestial objects are made of carbon, silicon or metal, but it is metallic asteroids that mining companies are most interested in. These rogue blocks of minerals are teeming with precious metals, including pricey platinum, which could be worth quadrillions on Earth. Nickel, iron and gold are also found in abundance within metallic asteroids. Nasa estimates the total value of resources locked in space rocks is 522 quintillion - equivalent to 75 billion ($100 billion) for each person on Earth. A company could send a small space probe to intersect with asteroids as they pass near Earth, and mine them for these resources. Experts have warned that doing so may destroy commodity prices and cause the world's economy to collapse. Advertisement

Chief executive David Gump, who produced the first ever TV commercial shot on the International Space Station, said: 'Using resources harvested in space is the only way to afford permanent space development.

'More than 900 new asteroids that pass near Earth are discovered every year.

'They can be like the Iron Range of Minnesota was for the Detroit car industry last century  a key resource located near where it was needed.

Deep Space Industries intends to begin mining asteroids that fly over Earth. Pictured is an artist's impression of an asteroid-grabbing spacecraft

'In this case, metals and fuel from asteroids can expand the in-space industries of this century. That is our strategy.'

DSI is one of a number of companies with visions of a mining industry beyond Earth's orbit.

Bankers from Goldman Sachs hope to build an 'asteroid-grabbing spacecraft' to make billions from mining space metals.

A 98-page report from the banking investment company claimed last year that mining asteroids for precious metals in the near future is a 'realistic' goal.

'Prospecting probes can likely be built for tens of millions of dollars each and Caltech has suggested an asteroid-grabbing spacecraft could cost $2.6bn,' the report said.

Even the UK has entered the race with the Preston-based Asteroid Mining Corporation, run by 23-year-old space entrepeneur Mitch Hunter-Scullion.

The graduate plans to build a satellite that can land on asteroids and extract minerals, eventually expanding the operation to include a mining space station.

Asteroids are made of carbon, silicon or metal, but it is the metallic asteroids that mining companies are most interested in.

The compositions of these asteroids are still poorly understood as most research into space rocks is focussed on threats to our planet posed by collisions.

Nasa plans to sample the asteroid Psyche 16. If the asteroid could be transported back to Earth, the iron alone would be worth $10,000 quadrillion (8,072 quadrillion). Pictured is an artist's impression of the Psyche 16 mission

No asteroid has yet been directly sampled, but Nasa aims to change that with its plans to send a probe to the mineral-rich asteroid 16 Psyche.

16 Psyche is located in the large asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and is one of the most mysterious objects in the solar system.

It may have started as a planet before it was partially destroyed during the formation of our star system.

Now, it is a 130 mile (200km) wide chunk of metal, made up of iron, nickel and a number of other rare metals, including gold, platinum and copper.

Nasa announced in January 2017 that it intended to send a probe to the asteroid to sample its chemical make-up in 2022.

Lindy Elkins-Tanton the lead scientist on the Nasa mission and the director of Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration, said: '16 Psyche is the only known object of its kind in the solar system, and this is the only way humans will ever visit a core.

'We learn about inner space by visiting outer space.'

If the asteroid could be transported back to Earth, the iron alone would be worth $10,000 quadrillion (8,072 quadrillion).

In comparison, all the money on Earth is thought to be worth $60 to $75 trillion.

Experts have warned that its value would be large enough to destroy commodity prices and cause the world's economy to collapse.A weather camera has captured a mystery object streaking across the sky over Washington's Whidbey Island.

The peculiar light, spotted at 3:56 am PDT (6: 56 am ET/ 11:56 am BST) yesterday, has left locals baffled.

Whidbey Island has a naval air station and some claim the streak may be a secret missile launch.

However, the military has denied any such activity.

Experts have told MailOnline that the light may come from an air ambulance helicopter operating in the region.

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A mystery object has been spotted over Washington state island, with locals speculating the streak in the sky is a secret missile launch. The peculiar light (pictured) was spotted at 3:56 am PDT (6: 56 am ET/ 11:56 am BST) over Widbey Island

Greg Johnson of Shunk Bay Weather on the northern Kitsap Peninsula spotted the vertical streak with his night camera.

'My night camera picked up what clearly looks like a very large missile launch from Whidbey Island', he wrote on his Facebook page.

'I really wanted more information before I shared this with the public.'

Mr Johnson said he contacted a number of experts about the strange sighting, including Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society who said it was definitely not a meteor.

'It looked like a missile launch to him as well', wrote Mr Johnson.

'To me, this looks like a launch of some kind', Professor David Schultz, Professor of Synoptic Meteorology from the University of Manchester's Centre for Atmospheric Science told MailOnline.

'I am pretty sure it's not a meteorological event', he said.

Mr Johnson, who tweets under the user name Skunkbayweather, said he did not think the object was an plane.

Experts have told MailOnline that the light may come from an air ambulance helicopter operating in the region

Professor Cliff Mass, professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington also said the object looked just like a missile launch.

'This feature does not look like a meteor, nor are there any meteor reports for the area that I could find online', Professor Mass wrote on his blog.

'The lightning networks did not show a strike in that area', he said.

'I have never heard of rocket launches from Whidbey Island Air station in Oak Harbor. And checking online, I can not find any discussion of this feature', he wrote.

However, according to automotive website The Drive, there was an air ambulance helicopter flying in the vicinity of Skunk Bay when the image was taken.

Mr Johnson said he contacted a number of experts about the strange sighting, including Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society who said it was definitely not a meteor. Pictured is a serviceman walking past anti-aircraft defence mobile missile systems in Russia

A spokesperson for the Naval Air Station at Whidbey Island says there are no missile launch facilities in the area and others have claimed the light comes from an air ambulance helicopter

Greg Johnson of Shunk Bay Weather on the northern Kitsap Peninsula spotted the vertical streak with his night camera

The helicopter was an EC-135T2+ registered as N952AL belonging to Air Methods, according to the publication and was in exactly the right spot when the picture was taken.

'The thing that looks like a rocket at atop a flame would have been a 'ghost image' of the part of the helicopter that was exposed from spill-over from its running lights and the low available light in the environment', the publication wrote.

'This can look nothing like the actual object as the long exposure and how the light plays on the object can result in strange and often elongated shapesin this case, something like a ghostly image of a rocket.'

Dr Grant Allen at Manchester University's Centre for Atmospheric Science also isn't convinced that this is a missile.

'There are a few things I can tell from the photo  the light streak appears to pass between two cloud decks  a low-level and a mid-to-higher-level deck  you can see this as the streak appears and disappears behind the low level cloud deck but always appears in the foreground of the higher cloud deck,' he said.

'This is not consistent with a vertically ascending missile as such an ascent might be expected to penetrate both cloud decks (very quickly).

'Also, given the upward-tilted angle of the camera (seen by the leaves on the trees to the left), this all adds up, in my opinion, to be something moving horizontally but toward the camera giving the illusion of an ascending object in this image.'

'This must be a long exposure photograph/capture as you see a light streak (not an object) and some smearing out of the clouds too.

'To my mind, this is just a brightly lit conventional aircraft of helicopter moving overhead at an altitude above the height of the lower cloud deck but below that of the higher cloud deck.'The Google Doodle for June 12, 2018, celebrates Fureya Koral, the influential 20th century Turkish ceramic artist, on what would have been her 108th birthday.

Born at the start of the 20th century, Koral embarked upon the artistic work that would come to define her during her late 30sby which point she had already been married twice and had contracted tuberculosis.

Here is all you need to know about Fureya Koral including her life, artistic work and exhibitions.

Who was Fureya Koral?

Fureya Koral was born in Istanbul in 1910 and became an adult as the modern version of her country was just taking shape.

The Google Doodle for June 12 celebrates Fureya Koral, the 20th century Turkish ceramic artist

As a child and teenager, Koral was close to her two artistic aunts, the engraver Aliye Berger and modernist artist Fahrelnissa Zeid.

She was educated at colleges set up by the French and Jewish communities in Istanbul and had plans to become a doctor.

However, she instead ended up pursuing a French education that ultimately took her to Western Europe at Zeids, newly married into Jordanian royalty, invitation.

The pair worked creatively and Koral helped Zeid launch her first exhibition in the mid 1940s.

It is at this point that Korals life truly changed. While helping her aunt, Koral contracted tuberculosis, which manifested its symptoms in 1947, forcing Koral to recuperate in a Swiss sanatorium.

While there, Koral passed the time by taking up painting and later ceramics, at the behest of her aunts, marking the beginning of her lifes work.

In 1949, Koral attended a ceramic workshop in Lausanne and the following year met the influential ceramicist Georges Serre in Paris.

She was encouraged to open her own exhibition and in 1951, the Galerie MAI was home to her first solo exhibit. Half a year later another gallery in Istanbul followed suit.

Koral became one of the most influential ceramicists of the 1950s, with her studio becoming a creative hub for Turkish artists.

By the 1970s, Korals art expanded far beyond the borders of Turkey.

Koral passed away in 1997.

What is a Google Doodle?

Google Doodles are the search engine's way of commemorating significant cultural events and people throughout history.

The search engine giant incorporates the tributes into its logo on the homepage.

The very first Google Doodle was simply a stick man standing behind the second 'O' in 'Google', and commemorated the Google co-founders trip to the 1998 Burning Man Festival.

After the frequent changes to the homepage were well-received, a team of Google Doodlers was created to design the illustrations and animations each day.

Recent Google Doodles include Heinz Sielmann, Eugenie Brazier, Sam Selvon and James Wong Howe.The creepy ways Facebook spies on its users have been detailed in a bumper document presented to Congress.

They include tracking mouse movements, logging battery levels and monitoring devices close to a user that are on the same network.

The 454-page report was created in response to questions Mark Zuckerberg was asked during his appearance before Congress in April.

Lawmakers gave Zuckerberg a public grilling over the Cambridge Analytica scandal, but he failed to answer many of their queries.

The new report is Facebook's attempt to address their questions, although it sheds little new light on the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

However, it does contain multiple disclosures about the way Facebook collects data.

Some are unsurprising, such as the time people spend on Facebook, while others may come as a shock to the majority of users.

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Creepy methods used by Facebook to track its users have been revealed in a bumper document presented to Congress by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, pictured during testimony to the US legislature in April

Device information

Facebook tracks what device you are using to access the network.

To do this, it will log the hardware manufacturer of your smartphone, connected television, tablet, computer, or other internet-connected devices.

Facebook also tracks the operating system, software versions and web browser.

If you're using a smartphone, it will keep a record of the mobile carrier, while internet service providers (ISPs) will be stored for users using a Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection to access Facebook.

In some cases, it will monitor devices that are using the same network as you.

'Facebooks services inherently operate on a cross-device basis: understanding when people use our services across multiple devices helps us provide the same personalized experience wherever people use Facebook,' the firm wrote in the lengthy document.

According to Facebook, this is done, for example, 'to ensure that a persons News Feed or profile contains the same content whether they access our services on their mobile phone or in a desktop computers web browser.'

Facebook also says this information is used to curate more personalized ads.

Mouse movements

Facebook watches the movements of your computer mouse on-screen when you are interacting with the social network.

According to the company, this type of information 'can help distinguish humans from bots.'

App and file names

Tracking the app you use to interact with Facebook helps the company learn the types of devices you favour.

Facebook keeps a note of the file names in your system for the same reason.

This data is synced with your profile, and will influence the types of advertisements you see when you launch Facebook.

Device operations

Facebook wants to learn about how you use its social network.

To do so, it records whether you keep your Facebook browser window at the foreground of your computer screen  or whether you tend to leave it in the background, hidden behind other windows.

Facebook also watches the 'operations and behaviours performed on the device' while you're active on the social network.

'We collect information about how you use our Products, such as the types of content you view or engage with; the features you use; the actions you take; the people or accounts you interact with; and the time, frequency and duration of your activities,' Facebook says.

'For example, we log when youre using and have last used our Products, and what posts, videos, and other content you view on our Products.

'We also collect information about how you use features like our camera.'

Device connections

The social network monitors a slew of different connections from your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or smart TV.

It monitors the signal strength of your mobile data connection (if you're using one), Bluetooth signals, and information about the nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers.

This data can be used to establish whether you typically use Facebook in one particular location, or when you're on-the-move.

Nearby access points, beacons and cell towers can also be used to work out a rough location for the users, which Facebook can use to tailor search results and adverts.

Devices that are nearby

Facebook admits that it gathers information about other devices that are nearby or on the same Wi-Fi network when you login or open the app.

The Menlo Park-based company says it tracks this data to help users perform tasks that require multiple devices, like streaming a video from their phone to their TV.

'We collect information from and about the computers, phones, connected TVs and other web-connected devices our users use that integrate with our Products, and we combine this information across a users different devices,' Facebook said.

This is yet another part of the company's effort to create a more personalized Facebook experience, according to the firm.

'To create personalized Products that are unique and relevant to them, we use their connections, preferences, interests and activities based on the data we collect and learn from them and others (including any data with special protections they choose to provide)' Facebook says.

This means they also log 'how they use and interact with our Products; and the people, places, or things theyre connected to and interested in on and off our Products,' the firm says.

Battery level

Battery level of your device is being monitored by Facebook.

The company says it tracks 'hardware changes' on any devices running its service.

This data could be used to track the impact the Facebook app is having on battery life of the device, however, previous research from Princeton University claimed battery life data alone could be used to track individuals across the web.

WHAT ARE THE 18 METHODS USED BY FACEBOOK TO TRACK USERS REVEALED IN LETTERS TO CONGRESS? 1. 'Device information' from 'computers, phones, connected TVs, and other web-connected devices,' as well as your 'internet service provider or mobile operator' 2. 'Mouse movements', which can help distinguish humans from bots 3. 'App and file names', including the types of files on your devices 4. 'Device operations' such as whether a window running Facebook is 'foregrounded or backgrounded' 5. 'Device signals', including 'nearby Wi-Fi access points, beacons, and cell towers' and 'signal strength' as well as Bluetooth signals 6. 'Other devices that are nearby or on their network' 7. 'Battery level' 8. 'Available storage space' 9. 'Plugins' installed 10. 'Connection speed' 11. 'Purchases' Facebook users make on third-party websites 12. Contact information 'such as an address book' and 'call log or SMS log history' for Android users with these settings synced 13. Information 'about how users use features like our camera' 14. The 'location of a photo or the date a file was created' through the file's metadata 15. 'GPS location, camera, or photo' information found through your device's settings 16. Purchases from third-party data providers as well as other information about your 'online and offline actions' 17. 'Device IDs, and other identifiers, such as from games, apps or accounts users use' 18. 'When others share or comment on a photo of them, send a message to them, or upload, sync or import their contact information' text Advertisement

Available storage space

Facebook keeps track of the available storage space on any device running its app.

The app needs this information to work-out whether it can perform certain functions, like saving an album of photos to the desktop.

Plugins installed

As well as tracking the brand of web browser you're using to access the site, Facebook also keeps tabs on whether you have any plugins installed.

Software plugins, like Ad Blockers, can impede some of the social network's functionality, something it is likely to be monitoring.

Connection speed

The document revealed that your device's connection speed is also recorded.

Facebook already has information your mobile carrier and your internet service provider, so it makes sense that it wants to know what speeds you're getting too.

This data is used by Facebook to tailor its targeted advertising.

So, if you experience some frustratingly slow 3G speeds one week, don't be surprised if your News Feed starts to surface adverts for new 4G mobile plans.

Purchases made on third-party websites

Facebook also gathers data from its Facebook Business Tools on third-party websites and mobile apps.

Business Tools include the 'Login with Facebook' and 'Like' buttons seen on other services around the web.

When these are present on a website or app, data about your activities is being recorded and sent back to the social network.

This includes any purchases on third-party sites.

So, if you buy tickets for a band from a site with a Like button on its website, don't be surprised when advertisements for official tour merch starts to show up on Facebook.

As well as purchases, Facebook says it gathers 'information about their device, websites they visit, the ads they see, and how they use their services.'

Contact information

Facebook tracks information about the people, accounts, groups, hashtags and pages you connect with on the social network.

This allows the company to work out the contacts you interact with most frequently, so that it can prioritise their content on the News Feed.

Facebook also records additional contact information when you choose to upload, sync or import contacts from a device.

According to the company, this could include 'an address book or call log or SMS log history'.

Facebook says it uses the information to helps users connect with other people they might know on the network.

How users use features like the camera

In the 454-page document, Facebook admits: 'We log when users are using and have last used our Products, and what posts, videos and other content users view on our Products. We also collect information about how users use features like our camera.'

Data on how the camera is being used allows Facebook to suggest new features  like filters, or masks  that it knows you're not currently using.

But, Facebook insists it does not 'activate, monitor, or capture' microphone or camera data without the users knowledge and permission.

Facebook does not engage in these practices or capture data from a microphone or camera without consent, the firm says

Of course, we do allow people to take videos on their devices and share those on our platform.

The location of a photo or the date a file was created

Facebook uses location data to tailor the adverts in the News Feed to you.

It sources this data from statuses where you have checked-in, the location on your device when you login to Facebook, and from meta-data stored with photos.

Digital photographs keep a record of the date and time the photo was taken, and more often than not, the location of the camera when the file was created.

This metadata allows Facebook to display the image on a map on the social network.

It also enables Facebook to show them ads from an advertiser that is paying to promote its services in a similar geographical area.

GPS location, camera, or photo' information

When you install Facebook on a mobile device for the first time, the social network will request access to your location data.

This data is tacked and used for its targeted advertising.

On iOS, the tracking can be disabled by heading to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Facebook and then toggling the option to Never.

On Android, launch the Facebook app, then Help and Settings > App Settings > Messenger Location Services then uncheck the box marked Location is On.

Purchases from third-party providers in the real-world

As well as tracking purchases made from third-party websites made online, Facebook keeps an eye on your buying habits in the real-world, too.

In the document, Facebook admits: 'We also receive information about a persons online and offline actions and purchases from third-party data providers who have the rights to provide us with that persons information.'

For example, a business could tell Facebook about a purchase you made in its store.

This data is used to track whether you took action based on an advert that Facebook surfaced for you.

It's also used to try to hone the adverts on Facebook so that they are relevant to you.

Device IDs and other identifiers

To help track your activity across different devices, Facebook keeps tabs on a number of different identifiers.

Some of these are unique to you  like the serial number of your device.

However, other identifiers watched by the social network are more general, including games, apps or accounts users use.

These can help build a better picture of its users, which can in turn by used for targeted adverts.

'We provide advertisers with reports about the kinds of people seeing their ads and how their ads are performing, but we dont share information that personally identifies someone (information such as a persons name or email address that by itself can be used to contact them or identifies who they are) unless they give us permission,' the firm notes.

Photo shares, messages sent, uploads, and imports

Facebook also tracks your general usage of its service to not only improve advertising but the design and features on its website in an effort to keep you coming back.

This includes the date and time of your visits to Facebook, the features you used on the social network, what posts, videos and other content you viewed.

Facebook does the same thing for your friends, and friends of friends, to help create a more complete picture of how you interact with the service.

'This can include information about users, such as when others share or comment on a photo of them, send a message to them, or upload, sync or import their contact information,' Facebook states in the 454-page document.

It is also explained in the Terms and Data Policy, which you will have consented to before signing up to the service.

Facebook also took the opportunity to defend some of the more controversial practices employed by the company.

In answering whether the Menlo Park firm ever captures microphone or camera data without a user's knowledge, a spokesman said: 'No, Facebook does not engage in these practices or capture data from a microphone or camera without consent.'

Responding to a question about whether Facebook targets its advertising along racial or religions lines, a spokesman added: 'We offer what we call the multicultural affinity segments, which are groups of people whose activities on Facebook suggest they may be interested in content related to the African American, Asian American, or Hispanic American communities.

'As we explain to advertisers in our tools, these segments are based on people's activities on Facebook, not on race or ethnicity.'

When asked about 'shadow profiles', alleged data tracking of non-Facebook users, a spokesman said: 'Facebook does not create profiles or track website visits for people without a Facebook account.

The firm also confirmed that it automatically logs IP addresses where a user has logged into their Facebook account.

Last week, US lawmakers slammed Zuckerberg, claiming the billionaire lied in his testimony to Congress.

It was revealed that Facebook handed over user data to 60 smartphone manufacturers - including a Chinese company flagged by US intelligence.

It was revealed this week that Facebook handed over user data to 60 smartphone manufacturers - including Chinese company Huawei, which has been flagged by US intelligence. Pictured is the latest flagship smartphone from Huawei, the P20 Pro

The news came just two months after Zuckerberg testified at Capitol Hill following the revelation his company had passed on the data of 87 million users to political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica, many without their consent.

Senators criticised the 34-year-old for not disclosing Facebook's secret deals with smartphone companies during the recent testimony.

One lawmaker said Zuckerberg's withholding of key information during the hearing meant it was 'hard to know what's true anymore'.

A huge number of techniques employed by the social network to keep tabs on its more than two billion users are detailed in the more than 229 page dossier. That includes a list of 18 approaches that are likely to come as a surprise to most people who use the site.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg pictured testifying to a US House Committee about how the company handles users' private data. The company has since confirmed it shared data with Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei

WHY DID FACEBOOK HAVE DATA DEALS WITH PHONE MAKERS? Facebook has shared user data with phone manufacturers since 2007. The social network had deals with 60 companies, including a number of household names, like Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Blackberry, and Amazon, which allowed them to access users' social network data with permission. Facebook says it cut data-sharing deals with hardware manufacturers because it couldn't keep up with demand for its mobile app. Since almost every handset maker had its own proprietary operating system, Facebook would have needed to build a specific version of the app for each firm. To solve this problem, Facebook allowed device manufacturers themselves access to user data so they could build the Facebook 'experiences' for their individual platform. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (pictured) and his team signed deals with 60 companies, including Microsoft, Samsung, Blackberry, and Amazon, because it was unable to keep up with demand for its mobile app 'In the early days of mobile, the demand for Facebook outpaced our ability to build versions of the product that worked on every phone or operating system,' said Ime Archibong, Facebook VP of Product Partnerships. To bridge this gap, we built a set of device-integrated APIs that allowed companies to recreate Facebook-like experiences for their individual devices or operating systems.' Facebook says it tightly controlled how companies could use the data available via these APIs. Given that these APIs enabled other companies to recreate the Facebook experience, we controlled them tightly from the get-go,' Archibong said. These partners signed agreements that prevented peoples Facebook information from being used for any other purpose than to recreate Facebook-like experiences.' Since most modern smartphones run on either iOS or Android, Facebook is able to keep up with the demand. As such, it recently announcement to developers that it would be winding down access to device-integrated APIs. According to Archibong, 22 of the partnerships have already ended. Advertisement

Facebook maintains the deals it cut with smartphone manufacturers, like Huawei, were 'very different' from the type of public interfaces that allowed Cambridge Analytica to harvest data on millions of usersA former Facebook executive is spearheading a new Silicon Valley startup that hopes to build a digital wall at the US-Mexico border.

Palmer Luckey, the 25-year-old who led Facebook's virtual reality unit Oculus, has now launched a firm focused on merging defense and consumer tech.

Called Anduril Industries, the company is now working with Customs and Border Protection in California to test out its virtual wall, which has already found some success, according to Wired.

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A former Facebook executive is spearheading a new Silicon Valley startup that hopes to build a digital wall at the US-Mexico border, replacing the need for a physical one

Anduril has also set up several towers, equipped with antennas and other sensors, at a ranch in Texas to test out out the technology.

There, the firm has constructed three, portable 32ft towers with radar, antenna and laser-enhanced cameras, as part of a system its calling Lattice, Wired noted.

Lattice can pick up on and identify motion that's as far as two miles away.

Then, a user puts a mixed reality headset on, which displays information recorded by the towers.

For example, they can look at the border and see a virtual square that says whether the object is a human or an animal.

It can also display information on a smartphone app, with notifications such as 'person spotted near tower d6.'

Palmer Luckey, the 25-year-old who led Facebook's virtual reality unit Oculus, (pictured) has now launched a firm focused on merging defense and consumer tech

Called Anduril Industries, the company is now working with Customs and Border Protection in California to test out its virtual wall, which has already found some success

Anduril constructed the virtual wall in just over a year and have since deployed the prototypes in Texas and San Diego.

The hope is that the Lattice system can help the US detect people who are illegally crossing the border.

US Customs and Border Protection told Wired that over a 10 week period, Lattice was able to identify 55 people crossing the border illegally, as well as 982lbs of marijuana, in Texas.

Most of the people caught by Lattice were not transporting drugs.

The tests in San Francisco led to 10 interceptions in its first 12 days, Wired said.

Given the system's success, Anduril hopes that Homeland Security will want to purchase the technology to either go with or replace a physical border wall.

'They said they could provide broader border security for a lower cost, says Melissa Ho, managing director of Silicon Valleys DHS office, told Wired. 'We were intrigued by that.'

Anduril has pitched Lattice as being cheaper than a physical wall, as well as digital walls built by its rivals.

The company is able to cut down on costs by avoiding pricey zoom lenses and thermal sensors, Wired said.

The move comes as the US has been testing out other technologies at the border, including a new facial recognition tech aimed at keeping track of people as they enter and exit the country

HOW DOES HOMELAND SECURITY'S FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY WORK? The US Department of Homeland Security is testing facial recognition cameras at the Anzalduas Border Crossing, located at the southern tip of Texas. It's being developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee in partnership with Homeland Security. The cameras will take photos of people arriving and departing the US and then officials will match the photos with visas and passports. Few details about the cameras have been released, but they reportedly draw on light sensors to reduce the glass barrier. This is possible because the cameras work in multiple focal lengths, which could allows it to discern between people and reflections in a car's windshield. Hector Santos-Villalobos, a scientist who leads the work in ORNL's Electrical and Electronics Systems Research division, helped develop the plenoptic camera Scientists at ORNL developed a 'plenoptic camera' that can capture photos of someone in motion, thanks to sophisticated lenses that show several elements in focus at once, unlike traditional cameras that typically show one object in focus. The camera is also fitted with a ray-tracing algorithm that can capture the iris of subjects, an extremely accurate biometric identifier, even under challenging conditions. Officials hope that the facial recognition system can take photos of people inside cars, even if they're wearing hats or a driver wasn't looking at the camera. Cameras are also fitted with ambient light sensors, range finders and remote speedometers. Advertisement

However, it can still perform many sophisticated functions and can identify pattrens of a person moving.

The firm has also brought on several veterans from controversial data-mining company Palantir.

Additionally, Anduril's lead investor is Founders Fund, which is headed by Peter Thiel.

The move comes as Homeland Security has been testing out other advanced technologies at the border, including a new facial recognition technology aimed at keeping track of people as the enter and exit the country.

Sophisticated cameras will take photos of people arriving and departing the US and match them with government documents like visas and passports.Antwerp's most wanted man has come home. Artist Peter Paul Rubens is back where he belongs. After a year's restoration, his world-famous self-portrait of 1630 is on display at his former palazzo, the Rubens House, in time for a celebration of his life starting this month.

Rubens Inspires will be a baroque around-the-clock extravaganza as the Flemish city honours its most illustrious son over the next six months. Also in time for this arts festival are direct flights from London Southend, making Antwerp an easy weekend getaway.

So what's the baroque all about? Art historians will intone about excess after the austerity of the Reformation.

Historic centre: The attractive Grote Markt (Main Square) and cathedral in Antwerp

For most of us, it's bling. In Antwerp, it means getting to know the bravura style of Rubens, who spent his life in Antwerp and London amassing fame and fortune.

But you don't have to love art to love this city.

And its historic heart of Gothic spires is ideal for ambling in the summer sunshine. I sat in the main square, Grote Markt, enjoying the melodies of the cathedral bells.

Weekend wonder: Direct flights from London Southend make Antwerp an easy short getaway

Self-portrait: Artist Peter Paul Rubens' famous 1630 work is back at Rubens House

As you wander old alleyways, it's easy to forget this medieval city is also a modern metropolis: Europe's second-largest port and an important fashion capital.

We stayed at the four-star Hotel Rubens, just off the main square, within walking distance of all the main sights. For the best (and free) view of the city, we scrambled up the escalators to the rooftop of MAS, the museum of Antwerp, in the popular Eilandje area.

If you have the stamina, call in at the newly-refurbished Snijders & Rockox House, to see how fat-cat merchants from the Golden Age lived. Double back along the banks of the Scheldt, and you'll be hungry enough to appreciate dinner at Mr. Hulot (Grote Pieter Potstraat).

Remember that Belgium is a land of chocolate, chips and craft beer - so pack elasticated waistbands.

We were directed to the master chocolatier G. Bastin (Blauwmoezelstraat) next to the cathedral, for top quality pralines. From there it was a few steps to the restaurant, Elfde Gebod, (11th Commandment) on Torfbrug, where the waiter instructed: 'Eat, drink and be merry.' You'll be thankful for that forgiving waistband.A rogue New York taxi gang forced a British couple visiting the city to hand over $470 for a ten-minute journey - after knocking the price down from $900.

Craig Nickels, 30, and his fiancee Ellie Austin, 24, were scared into handing over the cash to the two men who picked them up outside JFK airport.

And now police are hunting for the men who conned the pair into handing over passport details and their address before falsely claiming the massive sum was due to new city-wide tolls.

Craig Nickels, 30, and his fiancee Ellie Austin, 24, who were forced into handing over $470 for a taxi ride in New York that took jut ten minutes

Shaken Mr Nickels, a Tesco worker, handed over the money for fear of being attacked or robbed of the engagement ring he had in his suitcase to propose with during the holiday.

The dad-of-two has now spoken out to warn other British tourists of the dangers of rogue taxi gangs and encourage holidaymakers to stick to yellow cabs.

Mr Nickel, from Derby, said: 'I knew it was supposed to be 50 or 60 dollars but I started to get scared. There was two guys and I had no idea what they were going to do.

The couple say the taxi gang left them shaken and handed over the cash over fears they would be attacked or robbed

'He got my Mrs out of the cab but kept me in there.

'I was worried they'd drive off with the bags, or they had a weapon. I just thought that our health and safety was worth more than any money.

'He was going on and on about how his boss would get involved, and while he wasn't physically forceful, he was trying to scare me.

'In the end he said he'd drop it to $470 and in the end I gave him it. I was shaken up and upset and scared.'

The pair had saved up for months to afford the trip from Manchester Airport and were 'exhausted' when they landed in New York earlier this month.

They claimed that a man stood in the airport entrance offered them a cab to their hotel and Mr Nickel assumed it would go on the meter and cost $50.

The pair later realised they should have been suspicious when he led them away to a private car park away from the taxi rank and into a minibus driven by a second man.

He asked them for the $20 for the parking fee - which they presumed would be taken off the bill - and told them they'd sort the fare 'when we get there'.

During the holiday Mr Nickels proposed to Miss Austin. At the time of the scam he was worried the engagement ring packed in his case would be stolen

The driver asked for Mr Nickel's passport details, address and date of birth - and in hindsight he thinks this was to lull him into thinking he'd be tracked down.

He recalled: 'He started explaining to us that there were new toll fees for going between borough and over bridges.

'He then told me to take me to Manhattan it was going to be $900.

'Me and the Mrs couldn't believe what we were hearing. I told him to pull over.

'We only had $900 total. I panicked. I had an engagement ring in the back in the bags.'

The copper was honest with us and said we weren't going to get our money back

It was at that point they realised they had only travelled four miles and, when they explained the situation to subway staff, they were given a ticket to Manhattan for free.

The couple called police who took statements when they returned to the airport five days later.

Mr Nickels added: 'The cops said they had heard of these people and they had heard of people losing their luggage when they drive off. They absolutely hustled us.'

His parents sent the couple 400 to get them through their holiday and he went on to propose to Miss Austin during the break, at the top of the Rockefeller Center.

He said: 'Obviously it was a brilliant holiday, but the scam did take the shine off it.

'The copper was honest with us and said we weren't going to get our money back.

'They said you need to stick to the yellow cabs. Now we know that and just want to warn other people who might not know.'The cheapest all-inclusive holidays for Brits this summer have been revealed - and it's the Costa Brava that ranks No1.

According to research by TravelSupermarket, which has seen a 13.5 per cent increase in all-inclusive bookings, it's possible to snag a seven-night stay there for just 323 per person.

Bank managers will also be pleased if you book a similar type of holiday to Turkey, Malta or Majorca. Here TravelSupermarket's Emma Coulthhurst ranks the top seven places for all-in deals.

No1 - Costa Brava, Spain

All-inclusive holidays to Costa Brava resorts have dropped seven per cent in price this summer

Seven night package holiday for Brits to the Costa Brava have dropped by around seven per cent in price this summer compared with last.

TravelSupermarket reports that resorts including Lloret de Mar, Malgrat de Mar, Pineda de Mar and Calella offer good all-inclusive deals for families during the summer holidays.

A week during the July/August school holiday for a family of four with school-age children starts from under 400 per person for seven nights.

Holidaymakers could travel from Birmingham on August 25 for seven nights from 323 per person at the three-star Samba hotel in Lloret de Mar.

Or fly August 23 from Gatwick from 356 per person, staying at the same hotel.

Holidaymakers could go four star from Bristol on August 23 and stay at the H TOP Royal Star & SPA in Lloret de Mar (based on a family of four with two school-age children aged five and 10) from 403 per person.

Or fly from Manchester on August 22 to stay at the same hotel from 426 per person.

Ms Coulthurst explained: 'The Costa Brava is in the process of challenging peoples pre-conceptions and is becoming cool again. Some of the big tour operators stopped selling holidays there back in 2009, but have reintroduced it for this summer. The region offers wonderful sandy coves, pine woods and quaint towns to explore.

'The region is also the birthplace of Dali and you can visit his museum in Figueres. Because it hasnt been on tour operators' books for a while, there are some really good prices to entice people there this year. The area is also somewhere that the Spanish like to holiday, which is always a good sign.'

No2 - Antalya, Side and Kusadasi, Turkey

According to TravelSupermarket, some of the best prices on all-inclusive holidays in Turkey are in Antalya, pictured

TravelSupermarket says there are some good deals from the UK this summer for all-inclusive holidays to Turkey and some of the best prices are currently available to Antalya, Side and Kusadasi.

Turkey was the sixth-most-searched-for country for a package holiday for last summer via TravelSupermarket. For this summer, it is the fourth most popular and Antalya is the most-searched-for Turkish resort.

Deals include flying from Newcastle on August 1, staying at the three-star Selge Hotel in Side for seven nights from 345 per person.

Or from 409 per person from Manchester departing the same day.

Passengers could pay 425 per person from Birmingham on July 30.

For Kudasi, deals from start from 447 per person from Manchester or from 451 per person from Liverpool for seven nights, departing July 31 at the three star Club Scala Nuova.

Ms Colthurst adds: 'Turkish holiday resorts as a whole are bracing themselves for a busier summer than last year. There has been a resurgence in interest from UK holidaymakers to take a summer holiday in Turkey.

'Both the holiday itself and resort costs are low. Also, the Turkish lira is currently down, year-on-year, against sterling so you get a lot for your money.'

No3 - Malta

The bay around the capital of Malta, Valletta. It is another destination for cheap all-inclusive deals

Malta is another Mediterranean island where all-inclusive holidays are cheap.

Three-star, seven-night all-inclusive deals to Malta for families during the school holidays start from under 400 per person.

Flying from East Midlands airport on August 22 to the San Pawl in Bugibba costs from 354 per person.

Or depart August 24 for seven nights at the Coral Hotel in Bugibba from 370 per person from Leeds airport.

No4 - Majorca

Currently, some of the lowest-priced deals to Majorca are from the North East and North West

Currently in the limelight as the home of the Love Island villa, TravelSupermarket says Majorca is a good choice, price-wise, for a family holiday with the children this summer.

Currently, some of the lowest-priced deals are from the North East and North West.

Head on August 23 from Newcastle and stay at the three-star HSM Club Torre Blanca Apartamentos in S'Illot from 390 per person.

Or from 421 per person from Gatwick at the same hotel.

Prices are from 431 per person from Leeds or from 439 per person from Liverpool or from 466 per person from Manchester on August 21.

Families could also fly from Bristol on August 22 and stay at the three-star Hotel Elegance Vista Blava in Cala Millor from 427 per person.

Or travel from 433 per person from East Midlands airport on August 23 staying at the same hotel.

No5 - Corfu, Greece

The Greek island of Corfu, which is always popular with holidaymakers. The island was recently showcased on ITV drama The Durrells

The Greek island of Corfu has both a craggy coastline as well as a historic centre.

Travellers can depart August 23 from East Midlands and can stay at the four-star Alexandros Hotel in Kanoni from 376 per person for seven nights.

Or travel to the same hotel from Leeds on August 22 from 430 per person.

From the South East that day, expect to pay from 471 per person from Stansted.

Ms Colthurst said: 'This summer for families, when it comes to good value in Greece, it is all about Corfu.

'The island has been showcased recently again on the popular ITV drama The Durrells. It is the North East corner where the Durrells is filmed and the four miles from Agios Stephanos to Avlaki is a recommended, lovely walk along this undeveloped coastline.

'Also, Corfu Town is regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in Greece. Its historic centre is Venetian and a Unesco World Heritage site.

'Dont be surprised to meet people on the island called Philip or Philippina. Prince Philip was born in Mon Repos, an elegant mansion on the southern edge of the city, which is now an archaeological museum.'

No6 - Sunny Beach, Bulgaria

The popular Sunny Beach in Bulgaria. TravelSupermarket says that resort costs are low there too

All-inclusive package holiday prices to Sunny Beach for a family of four start from around 400 per person for seven nights during the school holidays.

TravelSupermarket adds that if holidaymakers venture out of the hotel, they will find that resort costs are low, too.

For example, depart July 30 and stay at the four-star Komplex Aquamarine Hotel in Sunny Beach from 402 per person from Luton.

Prices are from 431 per person from Birmingham airport on the same day.

Holidaymakers will pay from 415 per person from Cardiff.

Or fly July 29 from Newcastle from 438 per person.

On August 3, holidaymakers could stay at the four star Sun Palace from 428 per person from Manchester.

No7 - Costa Dorada, Spain

The best place for all-inclusive holidays to the Costa Dorada are to the Salou area

TravelSupermaket says the best-priced all-inclusive holidays from the UK to the Costa Dorada for families this summer are to the Salou area.

Holidays to Salou are now the fourth-most popular overseas holiday search for seven nights this summer via TravelSupermarket, going from 30th most popular in 2017, a 164 per cent increase.

Prices include heading out on August 23 to the three-star HTOP Molinos Park in La Pineda from Stansted departing from 459 per person. Or from 491 per person from Liverpool.

Note - the data for this story came from TravelSupermarket. Other price comparison sites are available.Anna Heinrich reportedly took Tim Robards 'breath away' when she walked down the aisle during their lavish nuptials in Italy, last week.

A guest at the wedding told NW magazine that the Bachelor star's reaction to seeing his bride-to-be walk down the aisle with her father Les, was absolutely priceless.

According to the insider, the sunset ceremony took place at 6:30pm and 'Anna looked beautiful and totally at ease' as she walked towards her husband-to-be.

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'They wrote their own romantic wedding vows!' Tim Robards and Anna Heinrich 'personalised wedding vows' revealed as blushing bride 'took his breath away' during their lavish ceremony in Italy

'She took Tim's breath away - he froze the moment he laid eyes on her!' the insider told the publication.

Tim managed to regain his composure before the 'couple exchanged vows they'd written themselves'.

Buff hunk Tim recently revealed he mapped out what he was looking for in a partner before he made his debut on The Bachelor in 2013.

'(I wrote) 50 things I wanted out of the ideal woman. And pretty much all of those things came true (with Anna). Except I wrote brunette,' he explained.

Mr and Mrs Robards! According to an insider, the sunset ceremony took place at 6:30pm and 'Anna looked beautiful and totally at ease' as she walked towards her husband-to-be

'She took his breath away': The wedding guest has revealed the heartwarming moment Tim Robards saw his bride Anna Heinrich walking down the aisle

The newlyweds met in 2013 during the first season of The Bachelor Australia.

Anna beat out 24 other single ladies, including new Bachelorette Ali Oetjen, to capture Tim's heart.

The couple moved in together in mid-2014, and are currently based in the Sydney beachside suburb of Bondi.

Fairytale ending: The newlyweds met in 2013 during the first season of The Bachelor Australia

Tim had proposed with a diamond ring rumoured to cost $173,000 while the couple were on holiday in Kimberley, WA in May 2017.

Anna told NW that she and Tim plan to have children 'within a year or two'.

She even hinted at a rather unusual name for the firstborn son, saying they had picked out Rocky Robards.Last month Married At First Sight's Nasser Sultan sensationally claimed he wasn't invited to the Logie Awards after being blacklisted by Channel Nine.

And now the award show's host Dave Hughes has thrown his support behind the kooky fitness trainer - saying he should be allowed to go.

Speaking on the Hit105's Stav, Abby & Matt Show on Tuesday, the 47-year-old comedian offered endorsement said he needed all the reality crop in attendance.

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'We need them there so I can hang sh*t on them': Logies host Dave Hughes has thrown his support behind Nasser Sultan after he claimed he wasn't invited to the Logie Awards

'We need those people to be at The Logies because I want to hang sh*t on them,' the 47-year-old said on the radio show.

The comment prompted laughter from the three hosts - Stav Davidson, Abby Coleman and Matt Acton.

The Hughesy: We Have A Problem host, said he'd be using his star power to change Channel Nine's mind.

Having a word! the The Hughesy: We Have A Problem host said he was going to petition Channel Nine to let the kooky fitness trainer attend the awards

'I'm going to talk to Channel Nine and say get all of your Married At First Sight people there.'

He then added: 'I want all of those reality people there.'

Last month, Nasser, 51, unleashed his fury at Channel Nine, after he wasn't invited to the awards show.

Angry! Married At First Sight groom Nasser has claimed he wasn't invited to the awards show

In an interview with The Kyle & Jackie O Show, he claimed Channel Nine had selected its 'favourites' to attend Australian TV's night of nights.

'We [all] made the show, correct? We made the show. So what does Channel Nine do? Invite Dean, Ryan and Ashley. Hang on, what about all of us?' he told the network.

Nasser also sensationally claimed that he had been 'blacklisted' by Channel Nine.

Going! The 51-year-old fitness trainer hit out at co-stars Ryan Gallagher and Dean Wells, who were both invited along with co-star Ashley Irwin

The personal trainer explained that he had received a text message from somebody at Nine's publicity department, telling him he was persona non grata.

'After the last radio interview here, I had a text from the publicity of Channel Nine saying, "Just for your information, Channel Nine doesn't want to have anything to do with you,"' he said.

He added: 'What it says to me, when you [get] a text like that, it means your out of contract.'

This year, Married At First Sight was nominated for Most Popular Reality Program.

The show pulled in record ratings with the show pulling in 1.75 million viewers.Last time that viewers of the BBC's extraordinary documentary Robbie's War: The Rise And Fall Of A Playboy Billionaire saw socialite Heather Bird, she was shown living in a small, dark bedroom, where she allegedly had to cook on a camping stove.

At the weekend, however, the American was happy to pose with her estranged husband, the flamboyant property tycoon Robert Tchenguiz, at the Bat Mitzvah of their teenage daughter, Violet  despite the presence of his Polish model girlfriend Julia Dybowska. In keeping with the dress code, Heather, 48, and Robbie, 57, both wore white, with his jacket emblazoned with flowers, changing outfits later.

'It was the most lavish party,' reports one the guests at the Bat Mitzvah, a Jewish celebration of a girl's coming of age.

Unconventional: Robert Tchenguiz with Julia Dybowska and right, Heather Bird

Guests included gold bullion dealer James Stunt, the ex-husband of Formula One heiress Petra Ecclestone, restaurant tycoon Richard Caring and colourful property developer Bruce Ritchie.

The party was held at Tchenguiz's 20 million Kensington mansion overlooking the Royal Albert Hall, which has a ballroom, swimming pool and roof terrace.

According to the BBC programme, Heather, who is separated, although not divorced, from Tchenguiz, lived on the first floor and tried to avoid Robbie and his 27-year-old girlfriend who occupy the fourth.

Regarding his wife's living arrangements, Tchenguiz later told this newspaper: 'There is no [camping] stove. It would be a fire hazard.

'This house has two kitchens. Heather has a fully equipped one on the third floor as well as the use of the main kitchen in the basement.

'The children have a cook to prepare their meals.'

The Iranian-born businessman and his brother, Vincent, came to prominence in the Eighties as two of the West End's biggest landlords, with a portfolio of more than 600 buildings said to have been worth 4.5 billion.

But Robbie lost 1.6billion in the Icelandic banking crisis.

He was then wrongly arrested for fraud after the 2008 financial crash, and the Serious Fraud Office has since paid him 1.5 million in damages.

Emilia Fox (pictured) enjoyed a dirty weekend

Muddy Fox's fun with the Fogles

Silent Witness star Emilia Fox enjoyed a dirty weekend with her chums, TV adventurer Ben Fogle and his wife Marina.

Emilia, 44 next month, was having an early birthday celebration at the Little Welly children's obstacle course in Henley. 'Mud, mud glorious mud,' she wrote beside this photograph.

Clearly being a mother to seven-year-old daughter Rose, combined with her regular therapy sessions, have helped her get in touch with her inner child.

Pooch and a pint for Guinness heir tying the knot

Brewing heir Arthur Guinness didn't miss a trick when he married the founder of fashion label, Shrimps, at the weekend.

Tying the knot with 28-year-old Hannah Weiland, whose father is Mr Bean director, Paul Weiland, Arthur, 27, turned the Grade I-listed Belcombe Court in Bradford-on-Avon into a makeshift pub by erecting a sign reading 'The Arthur's Arms' above the door.

Hannah Weiland, 28, wed Arthur Guinness, 27, on the weekend

They also had their own 'wedding coat of arms' designed by Anna Chancellor's daughter, Poppy, featuring a shrimp and a pint of Guinness.

Guests included former Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman, model Laura Bailey and Love Actually director Richard Curtis accompanied by his partner, Emma Freud.

Also in attendance was one of the Duchess of Cambridge's favourite designers, Penelope Chilvers, who noted that it was 'a first to see dogs in the congregation'. That dog was the couple's poodle, Lionel McGruff, whose curly locks inspired Hannah's brightly coloured faux-fur creations championed by Kate Moss.

After the nuptials, for which the bride designed her own high-neck dress, guests drank Black Velvets  a cocktail of stout and champagne  before playing petanque.Cardi B's fiance Offset got his bling back.

The 26-year-old Migos rapper, according to TMZ, had the expensive piece of jewelry in his possession in a recent clip officials with the New York Police Department saw, leading them to end their grand larceny probe.

The theft reportedly took place around the time of the Met Gala in New York City May 7 at a penthouse suite of the SIXTY LES Hotel where he was staying. Offset's manager Danny Zook searched the room but found nothing, Page Six reported.

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All good: Cardi B's fiance Offset, 26, got back a $150K diamond chain, as NYPD officials saw a clip of him with the chain in his possession recently

In the online clip, Offset wore the pricey item and boasted, 'Still got my s**t - come on, ya'll know better than that.'

Authorities concluded that the chain was given back to the rapper, whose real name is Kiari Kendrell Cephus, the outlet reported.

The Georgia native was initially missing the chain from his hotel room after the May event, which he attended with his famous fiancee.

The possible theft took place just hours after one of Cardi B's crew beat up an aggressive fan who wanted an autograph.

Luxe life: Offset (center) attended the Met Gala dripping in diamonds alongside his fellow Migos men Takeoff (L) and Quavo (R)

Loved up: Cardi B and Offset embraced at a Versace Met Gala after party

'If you check my tag pics I take a lot of pics with fans,' she said when referencing the incident in a recently deleted tweet. 'Some people are not fans and sometimes I don't want no pics and I simply don't want people too close cause of [my pregnancy].'

Police did not identify any suspects in the case, according to TMZ, and it was not immediately clear how the chain made its way back to the rapper.

Met mess: The possible theft took place just hours after one of Cardi B's crew beat up an aggressive fan who wanted an autograph after the Met Gala

It was a tumultuous May for the rapper, who crashed his Dodge Challenger May 17 in his native Atlanta, Georgia, leading to him being hospitalized with injuries to his neck and arm.

The Bodak Yellow songstress, 25, got engaged to the rapper last October onstage at at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center during a concert, and is expecting his child this summer.

She first announced her pregnancy during an episode of Saturday Night Live in April after months of speculation.John Schneider was ordered to serve jail time on Monday for failure to pay spousal support to his estranged wife.

The 58-year-old actor was sentenced to three days in Los Angeles County Jail for failure to pay delinquent alimony to his ex Elly Castle, according to an article by TMZ.

The Dukes Of Hazzard star could be jailed as early as Tuesday and also was ordered to perform 240 hours of community service.

Jail sentence: John Schneider, shown in March 2016 in Las Vegas, was sentenced to jail on Monday by a Los Angeles judge for failure to pay spousal support

Schneider previously was given a March deadline by the court to pay more than $150,000 in delinquent spousal support.

He was ordered by a judge at the time to transfer his property to Elly to pay his spousal support debt and to resolve tax liens against the property.

Schneider earlier this year was accused in court documents of missing monthly support payments of $18,911 from September 2016 through May 2017.

Castle, also known as Elvira, filed for divorce in December 2014 after 21 years of marriage.

Former couple: The 58-year-old actor, shown with Elly Castle in July 2006 in Los Angeles, also was sentenced to three days in jail and ordered to perform 240 hours of community service

She cited irreconcilable differences in the divorce filing.

The couple married in 1993 and share three adult children, including Leah and Chasen from Castle's first marriage and their daughter Kris.

Castle in her divorce petition seeking spousal report stated that she was a stay at home mother throughout their marriage and did not have the skills to compete in the modern workforce.

Popular show: Tom Wopat and John are shown in a promo still circa 1980 for The Dukes Of Hazzard

Schneider at age 17 won the role of Bo Duke on The Dukes Of Hazzard and starred on the CBS show from 1979 to 1985 opposite Tom Wopat as his older cousin Luke Duke.

He has worked regularly in TV and film since and was a series regular on Smallville and The Mummy before landing a main role in 2013 on The Haves And The Have Nots on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Schneider also had recurring roles on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and the reboot of 90210.He plays Mateo Fernando Aquino Liwanag, a gay Filipino Cloud 9 associate in the NBC series Superstore.

And it appears as though Nico Santos is no longer looking for love.

Taking to Instagram in celebration of Pride Month, the 25-year-old confirmed he was dating transgender Survivor contestant Zeke Smith, 30.

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Love is in the air! Superstore's Nico Santos has confirmed his relationship with Survivor's transgender star Zeke Smith

'We're here! We're queer! We're brunching!' he captioned the sweet selfie.

'Getting some after parade nomnoms with my love. Happy Pride Los Angeles!!! #Pride,' captioned the Crazy Rich Asians star.

But it's not the first time the pair have appeared together.

New couple: Taking to Instagram in celebration of Pride Month, the 25-year-old confirmed he was dating transgender Survivor contestant Zeke Smith, 30

Neither star have been shy over the past few weeks when it comes to sharing selfies during their dates.

It is however unclear how long Nico and Zeke have been dating.

Zeke initially made headlines one year ago when he he was outed as transgender on Survivor by another contestant.

Date night: Neither star have been shy over the past few weeks when it comes to sharing selfies during their dates

Following his elimination, he wrote an article for The Hollywood Reporter where he said he felt 'optimistic about his future'.

His essay also saw him praise the ABC network for their ongoing commitment in letting him tell his own story on his terms.

He also hopes that the way he has been treated marks a turning point in how the transgender community will be treated by the media especially going forward.

'To the trans person who enters the spotlight next, I hope you get it as good as I did. To the person after, I hope you are met with utter indifference,' he said.Natalie Roser established herself on the modelling scene at the youthful age of 13.

And on Tuesday, the blonde beauty, 28, proved her natural talent when she stripped down to a lacy G-string and flaunted her pert derriere during a photo shoot.

Posing for a cheeky behind-the-scenes snap, the stunner donned a see-through white matching lingerie set.

Sun's out, buns out! Natalie Roser strips down into a lacy G-string as she flaunts her pert derriere during a behind-the-scenes photo shoot

With her blonde locks pulled back into a half-up ponytail, she looked flawless.

'Last week's golden hour,' the bombshell captioned the snap.

Noting the makeshift changing room tent in the backdrop of the picture, she added: 'Featuring the photo shoot change tent.'

She has plenty of experience! Natalie established herself on the modelling scene at the youthful age of 13

While Natalie oozes an enviable amount of self confidence, she recently admitted that she has 'always had doubts' about her physique.

Gracing the cover of Women's Health magazine in January, she revealed she's learnt to love her figure, despite facing challenges over the years.

'My body confidence is good now, but there have always been doubts  if you don't get a job, you think, 'Is it because my measurements are bigger than the girl who did?' Natalie told the publication.

'Little things play on your mind. But I learnt pretty quickly that it's not necessarily me; it's about what the client is looking for to represent their brand.

'Once I realised that perhaps I just didn't fit the bikinis or clothes the way they wanted, I relaxed and started to take care of myself for me.'The American Film Institute conferred an honorary degree on her this Monday.

And Jodie Foster beamed as she accepted the bauble, rising to the lectern to give a speech at the AFI's Conservatory Commencement Ceremony.

The 55-year-old Oscar-winner was decked out in graduation robes for the occasion, which was held at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Garlanded: The American Film Institute conferred an honorary degree on Jodie Foster in Los Angeles this Monday

Jodie, who rose to fame as a child star and whom the deranged John Hinckley Jr. shot Ronald Reagan to try to impress, glowed as the cameras snapped her.

She posed in front of a red curtain at the ceremony, both solo and with the robes-clad movie editor Matt Chesse, her old collaborator.

Matt was the editor of Money Monster, a Wall Street thriller directed by Jodie and starring a formidable cast including George Clooney and Julia Roberts.

Taking the mic: She beamed as she accepted the bauble, rising to the lectern to give a speech at the AFI's Conservatory Commencement Ceremony

Swank: The 55-year-old Oscar-winner was decked out in graduation robes for the occasion, which was held at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood

Icon: Jodie, who rose to fame as a child star and whom the deranged John Hinckley Jr. shot Ronald Reagan to try to impress, glowed as the cameras snapped her

Jodie, who married photographer and filmmaker Alexandra Hedison in 2014, planted a kiss on the grinning Matt's cheek as they posed in front of the red curtain.

Matt earned his one Oscar nomination for editing the J.M. Barrie biopic Finding Neverland, whilst Jodie has been nominated four times, winning twice.

One of her wins was for The Silence Of The Lambs, which is among only three films to have won the top five Oscars - for directing, writing, its two lead performances and the most prestigious award, Best Picture.

So affectionate: She posed in front of a red curtain at the ceremony, both solo and with the robes-clad movie editor Matt Chesse, her old collaborator

Pedigree: Matt earned his one Oscar nomination for editing the J.M. Barrie biopic Finding Neverland, whilst Jodie has been nominated four times, winning twice

Throwback: One of her wins was for The Silence Of The Lambs, which is among only three films to have won the top five Oscars

The other was for the 1988 film The Accused, in which she plays a gang-rape victim who works with a district attorney to try and get justice.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jodie was not the only recipient of an AFI honorary degree Monday - one also went to production designer Dean Tavoularis.

Dean has been nominated for five Oscars - four of which were for films directed by Francis Ford Coppola - and won in 1975 for his work on The Godfather Part II.She recently admitted having kids had made her more confident after examining what was really important in life.

And Mila Kunis was oozing with assertiveness when she stepped out in sweats for a trip to Walgreens in Los Angeles on Monday.

The 34-year-old kept a low profile with shades on and appeared to be solo.

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Stunner: Mila Kunis was oozing with confidence when she headed to Walgreens in sweats on Monday

Mila opted for a black top underneath the cropped sweater.

She paired her look with matching tracksuit pants and kept comfortable with a pair of white Converse sneakers.

The Bad Mom's actress appeared to be makeup free for the errands run.

Street style: She paired her look with matching tracksuit pants and kept comfortable with a pair of white Converse sneakers

Multi-tasking mamma! At one point she was seen multitasking while on the phone as she walked back to her car

Mila's dark locks were styled back into a high pony-tail.

At one point she was seen multitasking while on the phone as she walked back to her car.

Speaking at the Variety Path to Parity Women's Summit last week, the wife of Ashton Kutcher, 40, revealed that she struggled with insecurities prior to having kids.

kids changed her: Speaking at the Variety Path to Parity Women's Summit last week, the wife of Ashton Kutcher, 40, revealed that she struggled with insecurities prior to having kids

New perspective: The mom to daughter Wyatt, three, and Dimitri, 16-months, admitted that having kids gave her perspective and confidence to advocate for herself and other women after she re-examined what really mattered in life

The mom to daughter Wyatt, three, and Dimitri, 16-months, admitted that having kids gave her perspective and confidence to advocate for herself and other women after she re-examined what really mattered in life.

'When I became a mom, so many things that I used to be insecure about and concerned myself with, no longer mattered. The ability to say no, had a purpose,' she detailed to Jenelle Riley.

'I had better things to concern myself with than some stranger's opinion of whether or not I was a bitch.'

After dating for a few years, Mila married her former That 70's Show costar Ashton Kutcher on July 4, 2015.Today show host Karl Stefanovic got doused in thick green slime on Monday in the name of charity.

The 43-year-old TV star volunteered to be dunked in stinky green goo to help raise funds for the Sydney Childrens Hospital Foundation.

During the ninth Gold Telethon LIVE show, Karl received a good-old fashioned sliming by the ambassador of the annual appeal, nine-year-old Ollie Lynch.

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'That reeks!' Today host Karl Stefanovic gets covered in slime in the name of charity

At the start of the segment, Karl was seen standing under a slime machine dressed in a white onsie.

'I do believe that it is slime time!' he announced to a crowd of Telethon supporters.

Seconds later the crowd started chanting: 'Slime, slime, slime, slime!'

'I do believe that it is slime time!' At the start of the segment, Karl was seen standing under a slime machine dressed in a white onsie

At this point Karl gave the flame-haired nine-year-old permission to pull the lever to release the sludge.

Karl was then covered in thick, green slim in front of a cheering crowd.

'That is reeko rancho Ollie!' Karl exclaimed.

'That is reeko rancho Ollie!' Karl was then covered in thick, green slim in front of a cheering crowd

'Karl Stefanovic went the extra mile to help raise money for the Gold Telethon!' Dripping in green sludge, Karl was pictured enjoying a big belly laugh as he pulled a Frankenstein pose

Ambassador Ollie suffers from a heart defect and has 'endured 28 operations,' according to The Daily Telegraph.

The official Today show Instagram account gave fans a closer look at the aftermath of Karl's slimefest.

Dripping in bright green gloop, Karl was pictured enjoying a big belly laugh as he pulled a Frankenstein pose.

'Karl Stefanovic went the extra mile to help raise money for the Gold Telethon!' Today show wrote alongside the image.Picnic At Hanging Rock actress Madeleine Madden has revealed the stars of the reboot were hit with gastro while filming the series.

The 21-year-old said things got messy on the drama when a number of the actresses were hit with the stomach bug during a picnic scene.

Speaking to Woman's Day magazine, the indigenous actress called it one of the 'worst moments' on set.

'A bunch of girls in white dresses with gastro wasn't funny': Picnic At Hanging Rock star Madeleine Madden reveals gastro outbreak on set of the reboot TV series

'We all got gastro when we were shooting our picnic scene,' she said.

The actress added she learnt to see the lighter side of the not-so-pretty experience.

'A bunch of girls in white dresses with gastro wasn't funny at the time - but now it's hilarious,' she added.

Not pretty! Speaking to Woman's Day, the indigenous actress called it one of the 'worst moments' on set

The reboot stars Game Of Throne favourite Natalie Dormer, former Home and Away star Samara Weaving and Orange Is The New Black star, Yael Stone.

The actress, who plays bright mathematician Marion Quade in the reboot, also told the publication she is selective of the roles she chooses as an indigenous actress, because she wants to help celebrate indigenous stories.

Based on the 1975 Australian mystery drama by Peter Weir, the series follows the disappearance of several schoolgirls during a picnic on Valentine's Day in 1900.

Trailblazer! Madeleine, who plays Marion Quade, said her character was a role model for for future generations of women

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph in April, Madeleine said her mixed-race character was a 'trailblazer'.

'She is a character that is just way before her time, but also a trailblazer for future generations of women,' she revealed.

The Foxtel drama series has been met with universal acclaim after its international premiere at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year.She's weeks away from giving birth.

But Cardi B made sure to update fans about her pregnancy on Instagram Monday, sharing a snapshot of her seven-months-along bump wrapped in a tight white outfit.

The Invasion Of Privacy rapper, 25, covered her ever-growing belly in a clingy tank and matching leggings in the photo captioned: 'Bomfy.'

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Almost time! Cardi B put her growing baby bump on display in a skintight white look Monday on Instagram

While her look was simple, the star sported colorful tresses in blue, pink, and blonde hues.

She also added a manicure of sharp, pink stilettos nails, geometric shades and a chunky chain necklace.

Earlier in the day, she gave her some 25million Instagram followers a professional update, telling fans about how both her song I Like It and her Maroon 5 collab Girls Like You made the Billboard Hot 100.

Clearly elated, the Bronx-born beauty told fans: 'I'm so happy, I'm so grateful.'

Chart topper! Earlier in the day Cardi told fans about how both her song I Like It and her Maroon 5 collab Girls Like You made the Billboard Hot 100

#Blessed: 'I swear, if I was to see Jesus Christ in my dreams today, I would kiss his feet,' she told fans in the video

'I swear, if I was to see Jesus Christ in my dreams today, I would kiss his feet. I... wish I could give God a hug, bro, so I'm just gonna hug myself and make pretend... because this man does so much for me.'

The Dinero songstress continued her message of gratitude in the caption, writing: 'Thank you sooo much, I cant believe it Im soooo happy.

'I love my fans i love my supporters i love God. He sooo amazing to me he really is real. THE DEVIL BE WORKING BUT GOD WORKS HARDERS ALWAYS !!!!!!'

Cardi B was blessed with another bit of good fortune Monday, as TMZ reported that fiance Offset had recovered a $150k diamond chain that went missing at the Met Gala in May.

Bling ring: Cardi's fiance Offset was recently reunited with a $150k chain necklace that went missing after the Met Gala in May (seen with the chain, at the event above)

The 26-year-old Migos rapper had the expensive piece of jewelry in his possession in a recent clip officials with the New York Police Department saw, leading them to end their grand larceny probe.

The theft reportedly took place around the time of the Met Gala in New York City May 7 at a penthouse suite of the SIXTY LES Hotel where he was staying.

Offset's manager Danny Zook searched the room but found nothing, Page Six reported at the time.

Authorities concluded that the chain was given back to the rapper, whose real name is Kiari Kendrell Cephus, the outlet reported.She's made Beverly Hills her own thanks to her role on Bravo's Real Housewives reality series.

And on Monday, Kyle Richards did some shopping in her own backyard keeping cool in the summer heat in a floral dress and Panama hat.

The 49-year-old flashed a little cleavage in her floaty frock that she wore with a blue denim jacket.

Her own backyard: Kyle Richards stepped out in Beverly Hills on Monday keeping cool in the summer heat in a floral dress and Panama hat

She went bare-legged in flip flops and carried a cream tote over one shoulder.

Kyle completed her ensemble with a pair of drop pendant earrings and oversized sunglasses.

The reality star was joined on her outing by her daughter Sophia, 18, who is heading to college in Washington, D.C., in the fall after graduating high school.

Sophia is the middle of her three daughters with second husband Mauricio Umansky, whom she wed in 1996. She also has a daughter Farrah Aldjufrie, 29, from her first marriage.

Cool: The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star went bare-legged in flip flops and carried a cream tote. She completed her ensemble with a pair of drop pendant earrings and sunglasses

Mother-daughter time: Kyle was joined on her outing by her daughter Sophia, 18, the middle of her three daughters with second husband Mauricio Umansky, whom she wed in 1996

Summer style: The teen wore an ensemble of cropped white blouse tied at the bust and matching shorts with frilly hems. She stepped out in white trainers and carried a blue handbag

Starting out: Sophia is heading to college in Washington, D.C., in the fall after graduating high school

Sophia wore an ensemble of cropped white blouse tied at the bust and matching shorts with frilly hems.

She stepped out in white trainers and carried a blue handbag.

Her loose dark hair was tucked behind he rears and she wore round sunglasses.

Meanwhile, Sophia's younger sister Portia, 10, is focused on following in her mom's footsteps as an actress.

Kyle Richards recently revealed to Page Six about how she feels when her 10-year-old goes out for auditions.

'Portia is the only one who wants to act and its very weird for me to take her to auditions,' Kyle recently revealed to Page Six.

'It takes me back in time, all [of] the sudden, Im my mom and shes me,' she explained.

Wants to be a star: Meanwhile, Sophia's younger sister Portia, 10, is focused on following in her mom's footsteps as an actress. Kyle and Portia are pictured in 2016

Kyle launched her Hollywood journey in earnest back in 1975, when she landed the role of Alicia Sanderson Edwards in the long-running television series Little House on the Prairie.

She would go on to star in numerous other shows, including the hit medical drama ER.

She's currently serving as a producer on the new Paramount Network show American Woman which is based on her unconventional childhood growing up in the 1970s.

The TV series stars Jennifer Bartels, Mena Suvari and Alicia Silverstone.

Iconic: Kyle launched her Hollywood journey in earnest back in 1975, when she landed the role of Alicia Sanderson Edwards in the long-running television series Little House on the Prairie

She has range! She would go on to star in numerous other shows, including the hit NBC medical drama ERShe's Love Island's sizzling new intruder who has established herself as a threat to the other female contestants after making her debut on Sunday night.

And it's not hard to see why, with Edyn 'Mac' Mackney's plastering a number of raunchy snaps across her social media.

From posing topless, flaunting her derriere in tiny G-string bikinis to reclining on luxury cars in PVC leather, the 22-year-old leaves little to the imagination.

From posing topless, flaunting her derriere in tiny G-string bikinis to reclining on luxury cars in PVC leather: some of Love Island's sizzling new intruder Edyn 'Mac' Mackney's most raunchiest snaps

In one saucy snap, the first-time reality star is seen stretching out on a luxury white car and posing in a racy PVC leather ensemble.

Propped up on the front of the automobile, the confident blonde wears a pair of mesh biker shorts and busty black bra.

In another racy picture, Edyn is seen flaunting her pert derriere in a skimpy G-string as she poses topless poolside.

Get the shot? It's not hard to see why with Edyn 'Mac' Mackney's plastering a number of raunchy snaps across her social media

Motor chic: In one snap taken to her Instagram page, the first-time reality star is seen laying on a luxury white car and posing in a racy PVC leather ensemble

Missing something? In another snap, Edyn is seen flaunting her pert derriere in a skimpy G-strong as she goes topless, poolside

Proving her flirtatious nature, the beauty is captured in yet another image wearing a fiery red two-piece set and offering fans a sneak peek of her assets.

Popping her peachy bottom out, Edyn is seen smiling while offering her 40.5 thousand (and growing) Instagram followers with a cheeky smile.

While the star's social media platforms ooze confidence, Eydn previously revealed her battle with an eating disorder in her teenage years.

Sneak peek: Proving her flirtatious nature, the beauty is snapped in yet another picture wearing a fiery red two-piece set and offering fans a sneak peek of her assets

Peachy! Perking her peach out, Edyn smiles as she offers her 40.5 thousand (and growing) Instagram following a cheeky visual

In a YouTube video dated back to 2015, Edyn described how she became anorexic after a modelling agent urged her to lose weight off her already-tiny size 6 frame.

In the clip, Edyn revealed she would eat one carrot for dinner during her anorexia battle after being told she had to 'slim down her hips and legs'.

'The advice I was getting from the modelling industry led me to eating disorders,' Edyn said at the time.

However, despite describing modelling as a 'corrupt industry', Edyn claimed she didn't have any 'regrets' about her past.

'I'm healthy and happy with my life now. We're our own harshest critics - we're all so hard on ourselves but I'm in a better head space than I was. I feel great.'

Onward and upward: However, despite describing modelling as a 'corrupt industry', Edyn claimed she didn't have any 'regrets' about her past

Feeling great: 'I'm healthy and happy with my life now. We're our own harshest critics - we're all so hard on ourselves but I'm in a better head space than I was. I feel great'



Kevin Hart and wife Eniko Parrish on Monday were snapped visiting Kanye West's office in Calabasas, California, as the rapper was giving away pairs of his new Yeezy 500 Boost shoes to three people in the reality TV empire.

Hart, 38, sported a goatee as he wore a white T-shirt with ripped sweatpants and blue trainers with a black ball-cap worn backwards.

Enikko, 22, wore an orange tank top with black leggings and sandals, walking arm-in-arm with her husband on the sunny day.

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Starting the week right: Kevin Hart, 38, and wife Eniko Parrish, 33, on Monday were snapped visiting Kanye West's office in Calabasas, California

She had her dark locks pulled back and wore sunglasses and earrings on the daytime trek to the luxe Southern California suburb that plays home-base to the Kardashians.

The Philadelphia-born funnyman and his lovely spouse were not the first celebs to stop by, as Kanye received visits from Kourtney Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Kris Jenner's boyfriend Corey Gamble, all of them leaving with new shoes in hand.

The comic actor has had a busy few days, as he performed two shows in Canada and one in Idaho while on his Irresponsible tour.

On Thursday, he played at the Hollywood Bowl in what he called 'one of the biggest nights of [his] stand up comedy career' in an Instagram post.

Caffeinated: The A-list comedian sipped from a cup of Starbucks on the sunny Southern California morning

Cute couple: Kevin and Eniko dressed in activewear as they headed to see Kanye

And despite his enduring success in comedy and cinema - in which he's involved in two tent-pole franchises with Jumani and Ride Along - the ambitious entertainer made clear he's working harder than ever when it comes to his career.

'[I'm] nowhere near done damn it,' he wrote on Instagram, adding that he still has 'tons of goals that still need to be checked off of [his] list!!!'

Hart's schedule for June remains jam-packed, with multiple shows in Seattle, Portland, Denver and Salt Lake City, as well as a slated appearance at the BET Awards June 24.She's enjoyed an incredible career resurgence thanks to her role as Joyce Byers on Netflix hit series Stranger Things.

And on Monday, Winona Ryder was spotted filming scenes for the upcoming third season in Atlanta, Georgia.

The actress, 46, was dressed in character in a purple striped shirt over a red top paired with blue jeans along with a floppy hat.

It's happening: Winona Ryder was spotted back in character as Joyce Byers filming scenes for the upcoming third season of Netflix's Stranger Things in Atlanta, Georgia

Ryder's character of Joyce is pivotal to the show and she's reportedly being paid $350,000 an episode for the next season of the streaming series.

She's the single mother of sons Will and Jonathan Byers in the small Indiana town of Hawkins which has been terrorized by a monster from the Upside Down.

She went to school with the local police chief Jim Hopper, played by David Harbour, who helped to rescue Will following his mysterious disappearance in season 1.

In the second season, the pair, along with Will's friends and brother, worked to free him from the grip of the Mind Slayer.

Back in action: The actress, 46, was dressed in character in a purple striped shirt over a red top paired with blue jeans on the location set

He's back: Ryder's co-star David Harbour, 43, who plays Hawkins police chief Jim Hopper, also filmed Monday, made-up to appear to have a bloody gash on his forehead above his left eye

Harbour was also seen shooting scenes Monday.

He wore a pink and green patterned shirt and blue jeans for the show that's set in the 1980s.

The bearded actor, 43, was also made-up to appear to have a bloody gash on his forehead just above his left eye.

Also spotted was new cast member Cary Elwes who has been cast as the slick mayor of Hawkins.

Newbie: Also spotted was new cast member Cary Elwes who has been cast as the slick mayor of Hawkins

Joining Elwes in the third season will be Jake Busey who will play a reporter for the local newspaper The Hawkins Post.

Meanwhile, the back story to the show will be explored in a new book set to be released in spring 2019 through Penguin Random House in partnerhsip with Netflix.

The Stranger Things prequel novel, written by author Gwenda Bond, will tell the story of Elevens mother and the MKUltra program, Deadline.com reported June 8.

Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown, is a girl who was raised in the top secret lab in Hawkins and possesses kinetic powers.

Before the novel is published, fans of the series will have the chance to purchase two other titles set for release this fall: a behind-the-scenes companion book and a hardcover gift book for young readers offering offer 'advice, wisdom, and warnings from the Stranger Things world,'

Blockbuster: Ryder and Barbour are reported to be earning $350,000 to reprise their roles on the hit series that's enjoyed phenomenal success since its launch in July 2016She was left furious when her Married At First Sight ex-husband Troy Delmege sparked up a romance with their co-star Carly Bowyer.

But Ashley Irvin certainly showed the 35-year-old goofball what he was missing on Tuesday, as she flaunted her incredible bikini body in a sizzling Instagram post.

Giving her fans a shameless dose of holiday envy, she captioned the snap: 'Another day in paradise #bali #bikinis #buckethat.'

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Showing Troy what he's missing? Married At First Sight star Ashley Irvin flaunted her sizzling figure in a skimpy pink bikini during her idyllic Bali holiday

The 29-year-old flight attendant certainly turned heads in her baby pink swimwear, which perfectly offset her glowing tan.

Adding a Nineties edge to the look, she accessorised with a straw bucket hat with a pink band in a similar hue to her bikini.

The reality star styled her golden tresses in a sleek middle-parting and framed her features with a sweep of mascara and eyeliner.

Pink to make the boys wink: Giving her fans a shameless dose of holiday envy, she captioned the snap: 'Another day in paradise #bali #bikinis #buckethat'

Troy and Ashley broke up on Married At First Sight after agreeing that they weren't a 'perfect match' for each other.

Troy shocked fans when he struck up a new romance with his MAFS co-star Carly Bowyer, 32, with the pair now living together in Melbourne.

Carly recently confirmed the couple are still going strong amid rumours that they had split - and even confirmed to fans that Troy is 'no longer a virgin'.

The reality star wrote: 'Sure, we can drive each other crazy and we do fight but were totally in love (and Troy is no longer a virgin).'

Explosive relationship: Troy and Ashley endured several turbulent rows during their time on the controversial dating show and broke up after agreeing they weren't a 'perfect match'

The subject of Troy's virginity has come under much scrutiny since he made his television debut in January. The star's sister, Tanya Delmege, told NW magazine her brother had never been sexually intimate.

Tanya claimed her brother is 'very churchy' and added: 'As far as I know, hes on the V-plates.'

She commented that he might be waiting until he is really married, as opposed to the commitment ceremony featured on MAFS.

However, the kooky IT manager hit back, claiming he hadn't spoken to his estranged sister since he was 20-years-old - at which time, he may have still been a virgin.Her beau popped the question with an eye-watering $2million engagement ring while on the slopes of Colarado.

And Paris Hilton has hinted she will televise her wedding to her fiance Chris Zylka, 33, after being inundated with offers from networks.

The hotel heiress, 37, who starred in The Simple Life with Nicole Richie 10 years ago, could make her return to reality TV and let fans into her big day.

The big day: Paris Hilton has hinted she will televise her wedding to her fiance Chris Zylka, 33, after being inundated with offers from networks

She told E! News: 'We've been getting a lot of calls and a lot of offers from different networks, pitching that show so maybe', before the reality star coyly said 'yes' when asked if she would ever take up one of their offers.

The socialite then gushed about her husband-to-be, as she said: 'It's the best feeling in the world just to find the one person who is your best friend, I trust him so much.

'He's so supportive and loving and like an angel, I feel like he saved me and I can't imagine my life with anyone else.'

Comeback: The hotel heiress, 37, who starred in The Simple Life with Nicole Richie 10 years ago, could make her return to reality TV by letting fans into her big day

The star also revealed the couple's next step in life was to have babies, so her children could play with her sister Nicky's two daughters.

Of her television offers, she previously told DailyMailTV: 'We'll see what happens. Every day, we're getting different calls, because everyone is obviously really excited about the wedding, so I've been looking at a lot of different offers of networks and producers who want to do a show on Chris and I and the wedding and everything.'

Paris and Zylka first met eight years ago at an Oscars party at Chateau Marmont but didn't start dating until 2016, finally making it official on social media in February 2017.

Paris and Zylka first met eight years ago at an Oscars party at Chateau Marmont but didn't start dating until 2016, finally making it official on social media in February 2017

Family insiders told DailyMail they will wed in the same church that her parents were married in nearly 40 years ago.

While Paris has remained quiet over the details of her upcoming wedding, the source revealed the couple, will say 'I Do' at the historic Roman Catholic 'Church of the Good Shepherd' in Beverly Hills, on November 11.

Paris previously told DailyMailTV that she had picked her 'Disney inspired', custom made wedding gown, calling it 'iconic' and adding: 'I can't wait for everyone to see!'

She also revealed that she will wear a different dress for the reception by Moschino creative director and designer Jeremy Scott.

Paris has insisted that having Zylka by her side 'every night' for globe-trotting work events has drastically changed her life in the limelight.

She admitted her fame has been a living nightmare at times, often being surrounded by strangers in foreign cities.

'I started filming this movie almost two years ago, so it was before Chris  before and during,' she said. 'But before I was with him, it is lonely when you're alone traveling the world over 250 days a year.

'I am never in one country at once. I don't really know anyone where I go, so that is lonely.'She's best know for her starring on Big Brother and for sharing racy snaps on social media.

But Skye Wheatley is moonlighting as a legal eagle, defending herself in court as she fights a license suspension.

First reported by The Gold Coast Bulletin, the 24-year-old appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday as she attempted to regain her license.

Legally blonde: Skye Wheatley is moonlighting as a legal eagle, defending herself in court as she fights a license suspension

The blonde appealed to the judge for a 'special hardship order' that would allow her to drive despite the suspension.

Special consideration can be granted to those who must drive for reasons such as the need to get to work or undergo schooling.

However despite her best efforts the magistrate denied the petition and the reality star remains without the right to operate a car, the paper reports.

Studied up: The blonde appealed to the judge for a 'special hardship order' that would allow her to drive despite the suspension

Skye had her license suspected back in 2013 after being caught driving under the influence of alcohol, however it's unclear why the suspension is still in place.

The former Big Brother star recently fought a different battle, against accusations that she was suffering from bulimia.

The bombshell uploaded an image of a slab of chocolate to her Instagram Story, insisting she eats more than her beau, Lachlan Waugh.

Didn't work out: However despite her best efforts the magistrate denied the petition and the reality star remains without the right to operate a car, the paper reports

Woes? Skye had her license suspected back in 2013 after being caught driving under the influence of alcohol, however it's unclear why the suspension is still in place

'I'm not bulimic for people saying I am. Ask my boyfriend - I eat more than him,' Skye penned.

'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.'

Fine: The former Big Brother star recently fought a different battle, against accusations that she was suffering from bulimia

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.'

Last year, Skye revealed to her fans that she was 'losing weight like crazy' thanks to her new weight-loss plan.

Eats him under the table: The bombshell uploaded an image of a slab of chocolate to her Instagram Story, insisting she eats more than her beau, Lachlan Waugh



He confirmed his new relationship in November, shortly after splitting from fiance Lauren Shippey after 15 years together.

And now Jack P. Shepherd has fuelled speculation that he has got down on bended knee during his romantic Mykonos breakaway with girlfriend Hanni Treweek on Monday night.

The Corrie star, who has been dating the beauty for nine months, set tongues-wagging after he took to Insta Stories and shared a short clip of him and Hanni with the caption 'She said yes.'

Speculation: Jack P. Shepherd has fuelled speculation that he has got down on bended knee during his romantic Mykonos breakaway with girlfriend Hanni Treweek on Monday night

Looking incredibly loved-up, the ITV soap actor had his arm wrapped around his other half as she enjoyed their romantic meal and breath-taking setting.

Commentating the clip, a beaming Jack began: 'What? Chewing? Ready? Say cheese' while Hanni close off the 15 second clip with an amorous kiss on his cheek.

Continuing to tease fans over their relationship statue, Jack's previous shot on the photosharing platform was of them passionately packing on the PDA.

MailOnline have contacted Jack P. Shepherd's rep for comment.

White hot: Jack gushed over Hanni as she posed in a white bikini, which highlighted her incredible figure, and matching knee-length kimono while they enjoyed a day at sea

PDA: Continuing to tease fans over their relationship statue, Jack's previous shot on the photosharing platform was of them passionately packing on the PDA

The couple have been making the most of their sun-drenched trip to the beautiful Cyclades Island and have been sharing a plethora of cosy snaps of themselves on his social media.

In one shot, Jack gushed over Hanni as she posed in a white bikini, which highlighted her incredible figure, and matching knee-length kimono while they enjoyed a day at sea.

While smiling animatedly towards the camera, he wrote alongside the post: 'Look at her @ladyhanni89' with a heart emoji.

Love: Looking incredibly loved-up, the ITV soap actor had his arm wrapped around his other half as she enjoyed their romantic meal and breath-taking setting

Happy: The couple have been making the most of their sun-drenched trip to the beautiful Cyclades Island and have been sharing a plethora of cosy snaps of themselves on his social media

The Coronation Street star shared another loved-up photo of the pair posing infront of a captivating sunset with a glass of bubbles in hand.

The stylish couple proved they only had eyes for each other as they touched noses and wrapped their arms around one another, in the photo which was simply captioned: 'I love her.'

The television star has mended his heartache since his 15-year relationship with his childhood sweetheart and mother to two of his kids Lauren Shippey ended in October.

Celebrations? The Coronation Street star shared another loved-up photo of the pair posing infront of a captivating sunset with a glass of bubbles in hand

Cheers: Earlier in the week, the duo enjoyed a beverage alongside the deep blue sea

Former flames Jack and Lauren raised their two young children Nyla, aged eight, and Reuben, aged five, at their home.

Jack fathered a child Greyson with sales executive Sammy Milewski during a one-night stand in 2010.

Meanwhile, the actor is taking a well-deserved holiday from the hit ITV soap as his character, David Platt, continues to recover from his hard-hitting male rape storyline.

Only recently, the actor scooped his first ever award, after being on the cobbles for 18 years, and picked up a Best Actor gong for the harrowing plot at the 2018 British Soap Awards.

Yellow there! They both matched in their yellow ensembles during one beach outing

Holidaying: The loved-up couples have been on several mini-breaks and holidays recently

During the emotional episodes back in March, Jack's character David had his drink spiked and he was later raped by Josh Tucker.

Since the scenes aired, Coronation Street boss, Kate Oates, quit the ITV soap amid backlash over the controversial plot choice, following several other gritty storylines and a number of Ofcom complaints.

Jack appeared to reference the backlash as he gave his acceptance speech and thanked Kate.

He said: '[Thanks to] Kate Oates for giving me this storyline. Thank you, she has been a great producer. We will miss her dearly. The research department of Corrie, they've been brilliant, they've been great.'They've proved age is nothing but a number despite their 38-year age gap and have been happily married since 2013.

And Sir Patrick Stewart, 77, looked in jovial spirits as he arrived on the red carpet alongside his wife Sunny Ozell, 39, and an adorable puppy for a special screening of Boundaries at The Roxy Cinema in New York on Monday.

The acclaimed actor looked incredibly dapper in his black and emerald green boating blazer over a grey shirt.

You've got a friend: Sir Patrick Stewart, 77, looked in jovial spirits as he arrived on the red carpet alongside his wife Sunny Ozell, 39, and an adorable puppy for a special screening of Boundaries at The Roxy Cinema in New York on Monday

The Star trek actor teamed his stylish garments with a pair of dark wash denims and black leather brogues while he cuddled up to his pet pooch, which appeared to be a border collie cross.

Completely enthralled by the tiny canine, Patrick's other half lovingly petted the dog while she wrapped her arm around her husband and posed for photos.

Sunny looked stunning in a floral knee-length number which accentuated her svelte frame with aplomb.

The brunette beauty teamed her red carpet look with a grey suede jacket and a pair of nude pointed stilettos while her curly 'do cascaded down her shoulders.

Far from ruff! The acclaimed actor looked incredibly dapper in his black and emerald green boating blazer over a grey shirt

Sup' dog: The Star trek actor teamed his stylish garments with a pair of dark wash denims and black leather brogues while he cuddled up to his pet pooch, which appeared to be a border collie cross

Although it is not known whether they own the dog, the duo, who are proud ambassadors for the ASPCA, have previously been foster parents to an American Pitbull called Ginger, who they helped rehome late last year.

The couple had previously hoped to adopt the canine themselves but in Patrick's words: 'Once we learned about the draconian breed specific legislation in the UK, we decided her quality of life would be better served by her remaining in America.'

Patrick and Sunny first began dating in 2008, after meeting during the actor's run in Macbeth at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

The pair then moved in together four years later and cast aside their 38-year age gap to marry in 2013 - with Sir Ian McKellan performing the wedding ceremony.

Doggy day care: Although it is not known whether they own the dog, the duo, who are proud ambassadors for the ASPCA, have previously been foster parents to an American Pitbull called Ginger, who they helped rehome late last year

Then: The couple had previously hoped to adopt the canine themselves but in Patrick's words: 'Once we learned about the draconian breed specific legislation in the UK, we decided her quality of life would be better served by her remaining in America'

The legendary thespian was born in West Yorkshire, but now lives in Brooklyn with his spouse - who is the stepmother to his two children Daniel and Sophie Alexandra Stewart.

He was previously married twice before - first to Sheila Falconer [19661990], then to Wendy Neuss [20002003].

Meanwhile, the pair showed support for Shana Feste's new dramedy Boundaries which stars Christopher Plummer and Vera Farmiga.

The flick follows Laura, a well-meaning single mother who is forced to drive her estranged pot-dealing father, Jack, from Texas to California, with her troubled son Henry after he gets kicked out of his nursing home.They have been enjoying a romantic holiday in Venice in recent days.

And Kate Winslet and her husband Ned Rocknroll continued their envy-inducing breakaway on Tuesday as they enjoyed an idyllic boat ride through the Italian city's canals.

The Revolutionary Road actress, 42, looked utterly smitten alongside the businessman, as they soaked up the sights and sounds of The Floating City and took in Venice's monuments while peering out the top of their private boat.

Soaking it up: Kate Winslet and her husband Ned Rocknroll continued their envy-inducing breakaway on Tuesday as they enjoyed an idyllic boat ride through the Italian city's canals

Clad in matching white looks, the pair, who are parents to Bear, four, looked relaxed in each other's company before they were later spotted taking selfies along the City of Water's cobbled streets.

The couple, who married in 2012, appeared in jovial spirits as they attempted to take the perfect snap together which left Oscar-winner Kate in a fit of giggles.

The British beauty looked effortlessly chic for her outing as she donned a pair of high-waisted black shorts which accentuated her hourglass curves and drew attention to her black ankle boots.

Kate offset her tailored shorts with a cropped white blazer while she styled her blonde tresses off her face into a half up, half down style and sported a pair of oversized Jackie-O inspired shades.

All smiles: Clad in matching white looks, the pair looked relaxed in each other's company before they were later spotted taking selfies along the City of Water's cobbled streets

Complementing Kate's monochrome appearance, Ned donned a white linen shirt and grey jeans as they made the most of their trip.

The Titanic star has been happily married to Ned since 2012, after getting to know each other on the holiday where she saved his 90-year-old grandmother from a fire.

Kate had fallen for the nephew of Sir Richard Branson during a trip to Necker in August 2011 despite arriving on the island with her on-off boyfriend model Louis Dowler.

It was during this trip that Kate saved the business magnate's mother from a fire.

Snap happy: The British beauty looked effortlessly chic for her outing as she donned a pair of high-waisted black shorts which accentuated her hourglass curves and drew attention to her black ankle boots

Love: The Titanic star has been happily married to Ned since 2012, after getting to know each other on the holiday where she saved his 90-year-old grandmother from a fire (Pictured in 2017)

As well as starring in Hollywood's chart-topping films, the blonde beauty is also mother to Mia, 17 and Joe, 14, from her previous relationship with director Sam Mendes.

Her getaway comes after it was reported that Kate is set to team up with director James Cameron once again as the pair film the second movie in his epic science fiction tetralogy, Avatar 2.

The duo's first time working together was more than two decades ago when Winslet starred as Rose Dewitt Bukater alongside Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson in the film Titanic.

The blockbuster nearly swept the 1998 Academy Awards with 13 nominations and 10 wins, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Music Score and Best Cinematography.There's no better pick-me-up than updating a tired old hairstyle.

And Kate Ritchie has treated herself to a slick new do, showing off the results in a photo posted to Instagram on Wednesday.

'Debuting a new #do on set today,' the 39-year-old captioned the image, in which she is sporting light blonde locks.

Update: Kate Ritchie has treated herself to a slick new do, showing off the results in a photo posted to Instagram on Wednesday

The former Home and Away star's new tresses are lighter than they had been previously, the earlier caramel tone of her long, wavy locks now a dirty blonde.

A slight ombre effect was present in the look, with platinum blonde ends emerging from a gradient of darker shades of blonde.

The radio star also appeared to have had a trim, taking her tresses up a few inches.

In the image, Kate looks radiant with a face of glowing makeup including pale pink lip gloss and highlighted cheeks.

Nice change: The former Home and Away star's new tresses are lighter than they had been previously (seen here with brunette hair)

Blonder and blonder: The earlier caramel tone of her long, wavy locks is now a dirty blonde

A rosy pink blush and matching soft pink eye shadow with lined eyes and big, fanned lashes completed the romantic palette on the beauty's visage.

The cut comes after the star and her husband Stuart Webb shared an awkward public display of affection in a Sydney park last week.

Sportsman Stuart, 37, appeared to comfort his wife, who appeared downcast and deep in thought.

Awkward PDA: The cut comes after the star and her husband Stuart Webb shared an awkward public display of affection in a Sydney park

The pair have been battling persistent rumours that their seven-year marriage is in trouble.

Last December, Kate dismissed the chatter, telling Stellar magazine, 'There's no point in getting bogged down about what other people think is happening in my life.'

Kate and Stuart married in an intimate country-style wedding in 2010, a year after getting engaged while on holiday in Europe.

In August 2014, they welcomed their daughter Mae, 3, into the world.He was hospitalized in January after suffering a painful back injury on board his son's yacht in the Caribbean.

But Rupert Murdoch continued to make a remarkable recovery, enjoying a date night with his wife Jerry Hall, 61, at Scott's in Mayfair on Monday.

The media mogul, 87, seemed sprightly as he left the upmarket restaurant alongside his statuesque partner.

Stepping out: Jerry Hall, 61, was spotted enjoying a date night with her husband Rupert Murdoch, 87, at Scott's in Mayfair on Monday

Jerry was smartly dressed for their night out, donning a tweed suit and a clashing snakeskin print top.

She toted an electric blue handbag over one arm and wore a coordinating pair of sandals.

The glamorous former model styled her voluminous blonde hair in loose waves and kept her make-up natural.

Bouncing back: The media mogul, seemed sprightly as he left the upmarket restaurant, just five months after suffering a back injury

Suits you! Jerry was smartly dressed for their night out, donning a tweed suit and a clashing snakeskin print top

Rupert was looking dapper in a bright blue suit as he emerged from the swanky venue.

He had revealed the accident in an email to his senior management team in January, in which he explained why he would be working from home.

Vanity Fair said at the time that Murdoch had to be airlifted off his son Lachlan's $30million boat to be taken to hospital. Jerry was with him at the time.

Her model daughter Georgia May was sharing social media photographs from a tropical destination around the time of the accident, as was Murdoch's second-oldest daughter Grace.

Smart: Rupert was looking dapper in a bright blue suit as he emerged from the swanky venue.

The family is known to decamp to St Barths every year in late December to ring in the New Year.

Jerry and media mogul Rupert tied the knot at St Bride's Church, on Fleet Street in 2016, later heading to Spencer House.

Murdoch has six children from his three previous marriages; Prudence, 60, Elisabeth, 49, Lachlan, 46, James, 45, Grace, 16, and Chloe 14.

Jerry has children Lizzie, 34, James, 32, Georgia May, 26, and Gabriel, 22, from her relationship with Mick Jagger.A solid business spiel on Channel Ten's Shark Tank can make or break an entrepreneur's success in securing an investment from the panel.

And on Tuesday, viewers mocked aspiring actress Laura Meldon's 'disaster' pitch, claiming it was the 'hardest audition of her life.'

Despite having acted 'off-Broadway', the contestant's performance wasn't well-received by fans watching from home, who wrote: 'Oh, this is making me cringe!'

'This is making me cringe!' Twitter slams aspiring actor for 'disaster' pitch on Shark Tank as the entrepreneur is told to step down as CEO of her business to secure $300k investment

Laura, the creator of Academic Transcription, entered the show asking for $300,000 in exchange for a 20 per cent stake in her business.

During the pitch, Laura's accent filtered between sounding American, Canadian and Australian, with the Sharks even asking: 'Where's that accent from?'

'This person is bloody annoying,' one Twitter user wrote, as another stated: 'She sure had bad acting skills, if that was her best pitch!'

Laura, the creator of Academic Transcription, entered the show asking for $300,000 in exchange for a 20 per cent stake in her business

'Laura, that sounds like the biggest bunch of fluff I've ever heard in my life': Steve Baxter was not impressed by Laura spending more hours on acting than her business

'your pitch was awful. I wish you luck': Andrew Banks (L) wasn't willing to invest in Laura's business, with Boost Juice bar founder Janine Allis(R) also opting out of a potential deal

The Sharks were quick to also weigh in on the pitch, with Steve Baxter saying: 'Laura, that sounds like the biggest bunch of fluff I've ever heard in my life.'

'I think you do have a real business there, but your pitch was awful. I wish you luck. I'm out,' Andrew Banks echoed, as Janine Allis also opted out.

Naomi Simson, the founder of RedBaloon, also chimed in: 'If there's one piece of advice - I think you need to create some level of emotional connection, 'cause you're an actor, with your audience, and you really missed there. I just want to give you that feedback.'

'I think you need to create some level of emotional connection, 'cause you're an actor': Naomi Simson, the founder of RedBaloon, also gave some sound advice on delivering a better pitch

'How do you feel about sacking the CFO (Laura's mother), and sacking the CEO(Laura)?' Shark Tank's Dr Glen Richards (above) offered Laura $300,000 for a 40 per cent stake in her business, with one major condition of his deal

However, Shark Dr Glen Richards later offered Laura $300,000 for a 40 per cent stake in her business, with one major condition.

'How do you feel about sacking the CFO (her mother), and sacking the CEO(herself)? And we go and find two people that are going to be focused on this business 50 hours a week each? Then, I'd be open to putting an offer at you,' he said.

Laura, appearing hesitant, left the panel briefly to discuss the deal with her CFO mother via a phone call, returning soon after to accept the deal.

Mum knows best? Laura, appearing hesitant, left the panel briefly to discuss the deal with her CFO mother via a phone call, returning soon after to accept the deal

Confused: Many viewers were left puzzled by how the actual service worked, after others claimed the pitch was a 'disaster'

She joked Dr Richards was the right choice for her, as he also liked puppies, hinting she might secure an office dog for the business.

One Twitter user reacted to her comment: ''We're going to get an office puppy' Love, he just invested $300k to get you OUT of the office!'

Dr Richards Tweeted after the show: 'Even more impressed after our first meeting. Good actress but Laura really does know her business and has big plans to expand.'

Shark Tank airs on Channel Ten from 7.30pm on Tuesday nightsOn Tuesday night's episode of The Project, Waleed Aly viciously attacked Robert De Niro for his foul-mouthed rant about US President Donald Trump at the Tony Awards on Sunday.

The 39-year-old Monash academic criticised The Godfather star's expletive-laden rant about the American Commander-in-Chief.

Waleed also slammed the audience for giving the Meet The Parents star a standing ovation for his outspoken comments.

'I'm sick of it!' Waleed Aly SLAMS Hollywood's elite after actor Robert De Niro's expletive-laden rant against US President Donald Trump

'What is going on here?' he asked. 'De Niro gets up, says, 'eff Trump' and gets a standing ovation?'

Waleed sensationally claimed he was 'sick' of Hollywood's elite ranting about President Trump as he insisted it is what the businessman wants.

He further elaborated: 'Celebrities saying stuff like that about Trump is exactly what Trump talks about to his base.

Anti-Trump: On Sunday, Robert (L) got a standing ovation for his expletive-laden rant against the 45th US president (R)

'And they go, 'yeah, I'm sick of these Hollywood elites being like that'  do they not put that together?'

On Sunday, Robert got a standing ovation for his expletive-laden rant against the 45th US president.

He said: 'I'm going to say one thing: F**k Trump! It's no longer down with Trump, it's f**k Trump.'

Broadcaster CBS, who aired the awards show on Sunday, told the Sydney Morning Herald the actor's tirade had been spontaneous.

'What is going on here?' Waleed sensationally claimed he was 'sick' of the Hollywood elite swearing about Trump as he insisted it was what the businessman wants

The statement read: 'Mr De Niro's comments were unscripted and unexpected. The offensive language was deleted from the broadcast.'

Following the controversy around his comments, Robert apologised not to Trump but for the president's behaviour on CNN.

He said: 'I just want to make a note of apology for the idiotic behavior of my president. It's a disgrace. And I apologize to [Canadian Prime Minister] Justin Trudeau and the other people at the G7. It's disgusting.'

MailOnline has approached Robert De Niro and CBS for further comment.

The Project is next on Network 10 at 6.40pm from Sunday to Friday.She enjoyed a brief taste of fame as a glamour model years before her Love Island stint.

And a resurfaced interview from 2009 shows that Laura Anderson, 29, was never the shy and retiring type, as she previously boasted about her figure, sex life and discussed her raunchy fantasies.

Speaking to Sunday Sport at the age of 19, the air hostess - who went by the glamour name Missy - confessed: 'I dreamed about Lindsay Lohan, although there are other women I'd prefer to dream about doing naughty things to.'

Steamy: A resurfaced interview from 2009 shows that Laura Anderson, 29, was never the shy and retiring type, as she previously boasted about her figure and her sex life

Listing off her celebrity crushes she continued: 'I love Cheryl Cole, Carmen Electra and Megan Fox.'

She added that she wanted to sleep with fellow glamour model Gemma Hiles, and after admitting she wants to try a threesome, she reasoned: 'It's natural for women to fantasise about other women. We are the more attractive sex.'

Laura went on to praise her own figure, claiming: 'I can barely walk down the street without someone saying how great my t**s are.'

Clearly pleased with her decision to surgically enhance her bust to a 32E, she added: 'The sex gets better the bigger your puppies are because you to try naughtier things.'

And in an extremely raunchy confession, Star magazine, who reprinted the interview, claimed she found her boobs were the 'perfect size' for performing a sex act.

Celeb crushes: Laura discussed fantasising about being with other women, whilst she listed the women of her dreams as being Cheryl (pictured) Carmen Electra and Megan Fox

Whilst Laura certainly didn't hold back in her interview, she told her Love Island partner Wes Nelson, 20, that she 'isn't' the sexy type, and feels more comfortable dressed down in baggy clothing.

After the couple were voted to be the first pair allowed in the Hideaway, the Scottish star mocked herself for her casual bedroom attire as she donned a slouchy shirt and shorts and joked: 'I feel like I'm supposed to wear something a bit more.... sorry this is just me. I'm really not that sexy'.

But her engineer hunk didn't seem to mind the lack of scanty lingerie and proceeded to pop open a bottle of fizz to toast their first night of privacy together.

Not holding back: Clearly pleased with her decision to surgically enhance her bust to a 32E, she added: 'The sex gets better the bigger your puppies are'

Confident: Laura enjoyed a brief taste of fame as a glamour model years before her Love Island stint (pictured on a shoot in 2009)

'It's our one week anniversary and it feels like a couple of months.' joked Wes.

Laura poked fun at their whirlwind romance, adding: 'It feels like a year, you're so annoying, I'm so bored of you already.'

But Wes had the blonde beauty blushing again as he cheered to their relationship and said: 'On a serious note, it feels like it's going to be something amazing, it's the best week that I've had with a girl in my life and that's no exaggeration, honestly.'Her time in the Love Island villa was cut short when Adam picked newcomer Rosie over her.

But Kendall Rae-Knight's love-life seems to have changed fortune after she was spotted sharing a kiss with last year's winner Kem Cetinay during a romantic first date in London.

In pictures obtained by The Sun, the 26-year-old dumped Islander and the Romford barber seemed to hit it off as they dined at a swanky hotel bar before sharing a passionate smooch at the end of the date.

Blossoming romance: Kendall Rae-Knight's love-life seems to have changed fortune after she was spotted sharing a kiss with last year's winner Kem Cetinay during a romantic first date

A source told the publication: 'They went on a date and they did kiss, but they didn't spend the night together.

'They both left at the end of the night, but they are keen to see each other again.'

Kem has remained single since his split with his ex-girlfriend Amber Davies but appeared smitten with the shoe shop manager during her appearance on Aftersun on Sunday night.

New love interest: Kem has remained single since his split with his ex-girlfriend Amber Davies (above) but appeared smitten with the shoe shop manager during her appearance on Aftersun

Kendall revealed she's swapped number with the Dancing On Ice star after catching his eye on This Morning on Monday.

The Northern beauty, who bears a striking resemblance to his ex Amber, and Kem set tongues wagging after they shared a number of cosy snaps together following their appearance on ITV2 spin-off show Aftersun.

Kendall fuelled speculation that she could date the Essex TV personality after she admitted he was her 'type'.

Candid: Kendall revealed she's swapped number with the Dancing On Ice star after catching his eye on This Morning on Monday

The former Love Island hopeful shared much to host Holly Willoughby's joy: 'We had a little chat. He's lovely, he's so nice. He is my type ... yeah.'

When asked if she exchanged numbers with Kem, Kendall nervously giggled as she sat beside his ex Amber Davies' best friend Olivia Attwood and replied: 'No ... he sent me a couple of pictures we had together.'

The potential romantic interest comes after Kendall was cruelly dumped by Adam Collard on last week's Love Island only for him to share a smooch with Welsh beauty Rosie Williams just minutes later.

Awkward: When asked if she exchanged numbers with Kem, Kendall nervously giggled as she sat beside his ex Amber Davies' best friend Olivia Attwood and replied: 'No ... he sent me a couple of pictures we had together'

Olivia Attwood, who starred in last year's Love Island, blasted Adam as 'tasteless' for the way he ditched Kendall only to hook up with Rosie minutes later.

The blonde beauty said: 'It was a bit tasteless how he did it. You made the choice to stick by your morals and in there that is quite admirable.'

Kendall admitted she would be up for returning to Love Island, but wouldn't do so 'for the sake of it' because she wouldn't want to take someone else's place if she didn't have a potential suitor in the villa.

She said: 'I'd have to go in for the right reasons. If there was somebody in there that I was interested in then I would go back in for that reason. I wouldn't just go back in just for the sake of it, because I was going in it to find somebody.

'I wouldn't just go back in for the sake of it and take somebody's place.'

100 per cent his type on paper: Kem was singing Kendall's praises throughout ITV2 spin-off show Aftersun on Sunday

Her appearance comes after Kem was singing Kendall's praises throughout ITV2 spin-off show Aftersun on Sunday, where he was joined by host Caroline Flack and fellow guests Joel Dommett and Vick Hope.

A source told MailOnline the pair got on well backstage and that fans should 'watch this space' about a potential romance.

Coming over all coy, Kem described her as 'beautiful' and revealed he was disappointed she had been booted from the villa so soon.

Things became a little awkward when Kendall joined the trio on the sofa at the end of the show.

During a Q&A with the audience, Kem was forced to confess he would have stepped forward for Kendall if he had taken part in the show this year.

Smitten: During a Q&A with the audience, Kem was forced to confessed that he would have stepped forward for Kendall if he had taken part in the show this year

Seizing the opportunity to tease his pal, comedian Joel joked that the pair should get married and asked, 'Can I be your best man?'.

Fans were fully on board with the idea of Kem and Kendall becoming an item, taking to Twitter in their droves to enthuse about what a cute couple they would make.

The pair added further fuel to the fire by sharing several cosy snaps on their social media accounts.

Kendall also uploaded two videos of herself teasing Kem about his dancing and his former Love Island promotional picture, as they hung out backstage after the show.

Keeping the party going after the show: The pair added further fuel to the fire by sharing several cosy snaps on their social media accounts

Flirty: Kendall also uploaded two videos teasing Kem about his dancing and his former Love Island promotional picture as they hung out backstage after the show

MailOnline has contacted Kem's representative for comment.

Kem - who is currently hosting the Love Island podcast - split from his former partner Amber Davies last winter and recently shed some more light on their split.

He told The Dan Wootton Interview podcast: 'I couldnt carry on going on the way we were. We were arguing over silly things and it just didnt feel right."

'We slowly realised we were different in some ways and started to clash more. I think we grew apart a bit.'

Moving on: Kem - who is currently hosting the Love Island podcast - split from his former partner Amber Davies last winterShe showed she's still got it after winning Miss World Australia five years ago.

So naturally, Erin Holland ensured all eyes were on her when she hosted The Bridal Bazaar with Donny Galella at Waterview in Bicentennial Park Sydney on Tuesday.

The model, 29, paraded her long limbs in the daring split dress, which was slashed to her inner thigh, with a dramatic ruffle bringing more attention to her stems.

Thigh's the limit! Erin Holland flaunts her legs in daring black frock complete with a split as she hosts bridal event in Sydney

Erin added to her height with killer heels, polishing off her look with a single diamond bracelet and smokey eye makeup.

Working every angle, the host rested her right hand on her hip as she drew eyes to the cinched waistline of her floor-length dress.

The Cairns born beauty flirtatiously toyed with her brunette crimped tresses which bounced off her shoulders.

So flirty: The Cairns born beauty flirtatiously toyed with her brunette crimped tresses which bounced off her shoulders

Check her out! The model, 29, polished off her look with a single diamond bracelet and smokey eye make-up as she made her attention grabbing arrival

The Bridal Bazaar attracts a whole host of industry leaders to the lavish wedding-themed extravaganza, with special guest Elle Ferguson also in attendance.

Elle pulled off a dramatically different yet equally leggy look in an ivory crocheted mini dress which grazed her thighs.

The Aussie fashion blogger brought the garment in at her enviable waist with a huge trendy belt in a black fabric for a striking effect.

Bridal beauty! Working every angle, the host rested her right hand on her hip as she drew eyes to the cinched waistline of her floor-length dress

Give us a twirl! Elle pulled off a dramatically different yet equally leggy look in an ivory crocheted mini dress which grazed her thighs

Check her out! The Aussie fashion blogger brought the garment in at her enviable waist with a huge trendy belt in a black fabric for a striking effect

Sexy cutaway details around the hem and the neckline of the dress teased a glimpse at Elle's bare skin beneath.

On Instagram, Erin revealed she had an amazing time at the bridal-themed bash when she shared her ravishing look with her followers.

She penned: ' What a night.Hosted @weddedwonderland 's #TheBridalBazaar - Absolute Bride-to-be heaven! #weddedwonderland #styledbydonny.' (sic)

She made the cut! Sexy cutaway details around the hem and the neckline of the dress teased a glimpse at Elle's bare skin beneathHe was reported to have moved in with his solicitor Katie McCreath following his stint in jail last year.

And Jeremy McConnell has appeared to finally confirm his romance after he shared a cosy Instagram snap of the pair cuddling on Tuesday.

The Celebrity Big Brother star, 28, has reportedly stepped his relationship up a notch by inviting his girlfriend to meet his family- but friends have accused him of using her for money.

Loved-up? Jeremy McConnell has appeared to finally confirm his romance with his solicitor Katie McCreath after he shared a cosy Instagram snap of the pair cuddling on Tuesday

A source told The Mirror: 'Everyone says Jeremy is just using Katie for her money and her house - he has nothing, no job offers or any cash coming in.

'They have been sleeping together for a few months now but all of his mates say Katie really isn't his type at all - but as she is picking up the bill he doesn't mind.

'A few weeks ago they went over to Ireland and formally announced their relationship - Jeremy's mates were shocked - Katie is really pretty but she isn't the usual model type Jeremy goes for.'

Romance? The Celebrity Big Brother star, 28, was reported to have moved in with his solicitor after she supported him through his court appearances over assaulting ex Stephanie Davis (pictured above)

Loved-up: The reality star comes after he took to his Instagram stories to share a cosy snap of Katie nuzzling into his shoulder

MailOnline contacted Jeremy McConnell's representatives for comment.

His reported trip to meet the family comes after he took to his Instagram stories to share a cosy snap of Katie nuzzling into his shoulder.

He covered their faces with blocks of writing, that read 'Qpp1' and 'Qpp0'.

In August last year, McConnell was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison at Cardiff Magistrates via a video-link after being convicted of assaulting Stephanie Davis, who is the mother of his 16-month-old son Caben Albi, and found fame starring as Sinead O'Connor in Hollyoaks.

Ms McCreath represented him during his time in prison trial last year and is based in Wolverhampton. He served only 34 days behind bars and was released in December.

Hard times: Stephanie was pictured heading to court on 7 August last year to take the witness stand

'Jeremy moved in with Katie shortly after leaving prison. Hes even got a dog with her and knows her family and friends well. She became his manager but everyone thinks its weird hes been staying there for so long' sources told The Sun at the time.

Earlier this year, the former model and Beauty School Cop Outs star appeared on Jeremy Kyle, where he candidly discussed his battle with addiction and his tumultuous relationship with ex Stephanie.

During the emotional interview, he said: 'There was a lot of domestic violence in that relationship.

'I take full responsibility. People know its not in my nature. Im not a scumbag. Im trying to be as a genuine as I can. I have a massive heart and Id help anyone out.'

When Kyle asked him if he was violent to women, he said: 'I have been.' Jeremy, who wasn't paid for the interview, admitted that his relationship with Stephanie was always doomed to fail.

While he battled with drugs and infidelity, Stephanie recently admitted to having problems with alcohol and completed a stint in rehab.He's known for his trademark corkscrew curly tresses and perfectly groomed facial hair.

Yet, Love Island hopeful Eyal Brooker, 22, looks worlds away from the hunk viewers know him as today in newly-resurfaced modelling shots from 2017.

The model, who prides himself on having 'good vibes', has made waves since he landed on the ITV2 reality series and now fans are set to see Eyal like never before while he posed for British swimwear brand Maru's AW17 campaign.

Model behaviour: Love Island hopeful Eyal Brooker, 22, looks worlds away from the hunk viewers know him as today in newly-resurfaced modelling shots from 2017

Looking youthful as ever, the yogi appeared clean shaven as he modelled an array of skintight swimwear, which left little to the imagination.

Known for his eye-catching locks, Eyal's trademark curls were significantly slicked down for the campaign shots as he showcased his interesting modelling moves.

The ITV2 star wasn't shy as he displayed his muscular physique for the camera while clad in a pair of tiny mixed print swim trunks which highlighted his slender legs and gym-honed derriere.

Showcasing the collection's versatility, the reality star, who is currently coupled with Hayley Hughes despite their dislike of each other, posed in vibrant camouflage printed aquashorts.

Leaving little to the imagination: The model, who prides himself on having 'good vibes', has made waves since he landed on the ITV2 reality series and now fans are set to see Eyal like never before while he posed for British swimwear brand Maru's AW17 campaign

What a difference a year makes: Eyal pictured in 2017 (L) and the reality star on this year's instalment of Love Island (R)

Interesting: Eyal showcased his yoga prowess while performing a backbend in the tight-fitting jammers

In another shot, Eyal modelled a pair of jammers, synonymous with Olympic swimmers, that accentuated his six pack as he peered over his shoulder into the distance.

At one point, the Londoner covered his signature locks with a black swim cap and pair of goggles.

Eyal happily display his model moves throughout the shoot as he went from staring into the abyss, flexing his biceps and showcasing his yoga prowess with a backbend.

Cheeky: Looking youthful as ever, the yogi appeared clean shaven as he modelled an array of skintight swimwear, which left little to the imagination

Stretch it out: Eyal decided to stretch his arms in another action shot from the shoot

Over here: In another shot, Eyal modelled a pair of jammers, synonymous with Olympic swimmers, that accentuated his six pack as he peered over his shoulder into the distance

And while Eyal modelled the men's collection, the British swimwear brand also caters to women and children, which promises to create pieces in vibrant dynamic prints from high quality performance fabrics.

His appearance from yesteryear comes after the three new islanders - Charlie, Josh and Megan proved to cause quite a stir as they started to settle into the Love Island villa on Monday night.

And despite Dr Alex finally seeing some action with Essex model Megan, their intimate chat was abruptly cut short by Eyal, who swooped in to talk to the blonde beauty too.

Work it: Eyal slipped into a vibrant pair of jammers which hugged his legs

Changed: At one point, the Londoner covered his signature locks with a black swim cap and pair of goggles

Two-toned: Showcasing the collection's versatility, the reality star, who is currently coupled with Hayley Hughes despite their dislike of each other, posed in a pair of two-toned aquashorts

Viewers at home vented their frustration for Alex after he failed to find any connection with the original girls, and blasted Eyal for interrupting their sweet moment - before kissing the sexy newbie during a saucy dare challenge.

The usually shy-tempered Dr Alex finally plucked up the courage to whisk Megan off for some alone time after she arrived, which definitely caught the attention to the fellow islanders.

Feeling comfortable with the soft-spoken hunk, Megan bravely opened up about her past as a dancer, and how she gave up her 9-5 job as a legal PA.

Flaunt it: The ITV2 star slipped into another pair of hip-hugging trunks

Flex: Eyal happily display his model moves throughout the shoot as he went from staring into the abyss and flexing his biceps

Quality: And while Eyal modelled the men's collection, the British swimwear brand also caters to women and children, which promises to create pieces in vibrant dynamic prints from high quality performance fabrics

But their intimate moment didn't last long as Eyal quickly dived in and left Alex feeling deflated by the situation. 'I could really do with a break' the A&E doctor admitted.

Eyal wasn't going to let the forlorn doc persuade him to leave Megan alone, and confessed in the Beach hut: 'All is fair in love and war, there'll be some c*** blocking. If Megan is into him then I'll hold my hands up, but I'm going to try, I'm a tryer.'

Feeling completely blindsided, Alex divulged: 'I'm surprised that Eyal approached in that situation, it wasn't as if we'd been there for 20 minutes, half an hour, I'd literally been with her for a few moments and he just came on over. That didn't sit so well with me.'

Struggling: Love Island fans were left furious on Monday night after Eyal interrupted an intimate chat between lovelorn Dr Alex and newbie Megan

Eyal got cosy with the busty model not once, but twice over the course of the episode, after she shared a steamy smooch with the spiritual hunk during their romantic date - and then again during the risque dare challenge.

Viewers at home weren't pleased with Eyal's attempts to steal Megan away from Alex, who's had an unlucky run since entering the villa last week, with original match Samira quickly laying down that she wanted to just be friends.

'Eyal back off Megan!!! It's a no from me' tweeted one agitated viewer. Another wrote: 'Eyal is more slippery than a greased up eel.'

Others were more sympathetic to the plight of the sweet doctor, with their hopes pinned on the muscular stud finding someone - even comparing him to 2017 hopeful Camilla Thurlow, who struggled to find love until Jamie Jewitt entered the villa.

Loved up? Eyal packed on the PDA in a group dare challenge with Megan, pulling her in for a steamy smooch in front of the whole group

Getting close: Eyal got cosy with the busty model not once, but twice over the course of the episode after she chose him for one of three dates

Cosy: The couple shared a steamy smooch with the spiritual hunk during their romantic date - and then again during the risque dare challenge

'Can we just redesign love island so the house is just Alex and a load of girls keep coming in till he finds love whilst Jack and Dani are just chilling in the corner doing impressions of Eyal'.

Another said: 'Alex we are all rooting for you!! You save lives for a living man, come one...let this man find love'.

While a concerned fan shared:'Alex is this year's Camilla and I don't think I can take it all over again'.

'Alex putting on fresh socks and giving himself a little pep talk before his date with Megan actually makes me want to cry,' another wrote. 'He must be protected at all costs'.She's known for her over-the-top approach to life, love and fashion.

And Kim Kardashian was certainly vibrating on a high wavelength as she stepped out wearing an electric orange ensemble in Calabasas, California on Monday afternoon.

The 37-year-old reality television mogul shined bright while leaving the family offices as husband Kanye West took to Twitter to thank his beaming bride for throwing the 'most beautiful' birthday party over the weekend.

Kim Kardashian was certainly vibrating on a high wavelength as she stepped out wearing an electric orange ensemble in Calabasas, California on Monday afternoon

Electric: The 37-year-old reality television mogul shined bright while leaving the family offices

Kim covered up wearing a slouchy sweatshirt paired with a matching neon orange turtleneck as she left a meeting.

Adding even more citrus tones to her ensemble, the mother-of-three donned a pair of drooping cargo pants.

She kept a pair of over-sized, mirrored sunglasses across her eyes with her long, chocolate brown hair cascading down past her shoulders.

CEO: The Keeping Up With The Kardashians power player made sure to keep up with her busy schedule in fashionable form

Fashion: Kim covered up wearing a slouchy sweatshirt paired with a matching neon orange turtleneck as she left a meeting

Vision: She kept a pair of over-sized, mirrored sunglasses across her eyes with her long, chocolate brown hair cascading down past her shoulders

Never too far from her social media fans, the makeup maven showed off some of her favorite lipstick tricks to her followers on Instagram.

Kim seemed to be at ease on the heels of a busy weekend hosting her husband's 41st birthday celebrations with a star-studded affair at their home in Los Angeles.

Kanye was certainly still reeling in the positive energy from the bash as he took to Twitter to praise his leading lady.

Organized: Kim seemed to be at ease on the heels of a busy weekend hosting her husband's 41st birthday celebrations with a star-studded affair at their home in Los Angeles

Ready to ride: Kim drove off wearing a pair of large sunglasses, with her curly brunette mane cascading down her back

Standing tall: The mother-of-three added inches to her petite frame with a pair of pointy rust-colored booties

Pucker up: Never too far from her social media fans, the makeup maven showed off some of her favorite lipstick tricks to her followers on Instagram

Grateful: The 37-year-old reality television mogul shined bright while leaving the family offices as husband Kanye West took to Twitter to thank his beaming bride for throwing the 'most beautiful' birthday party over the weekend

'Thank you to my wife for throwing me the most beautiful fun and intimate birthday party,' he captioned a photo of the couple.

While Kim showed off her toned tummy in a matching crop top and trousers set, Kanye sported a colorful long-sleeved sweater as he draped his arm around her shoulder.

She made sure to wear a platinum wig for the occasion, after confirming on Twitter earlier this year that her husband prefers blondes.

Kendall Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian made sure to not miss out on the festivities, which included a magician and sugar cookies decorated to look like the rapper.

And Kanye appeared to be in great spirits throughout the event, even showing off a toothy smile as he posed for pictures with Pusha T and Kid Cudi.

Family: Kendall Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian made sure to not miss out on the festivities, which included a magician and sugar cookies decorated to look like the rapperJonathan Cheban was seen in Los Angeles on Monday to help spread the news about how IHOp is re-branding to IHOb as they also sell burgers.

The reality TV star - who often appears on Keeping Up With The Kardashians - was spotted walking with a friend in LA that same day.

The Big Brother vet was not seen with his longtime best friend Kim Kardashian, 37, who he has not been pictured with in at least four months.

Back to Cali! Jonathan Cheban was seen in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon as he strolled with a woman in a black outfit

Casual man: The star had on a black FoodGod shirt with ripped jeans with pain on them

The star had on a black FoodGod shirt with ripped jeans with pain on them and white sneakers that had mismatched laces.

The TV king also wore aviator sunglasses and several pieces of diamond jewelry.

He was seen walking on Rodeo Drive and then earlier he plugged IHOb, posing with a fake burger.

Standing out from the crowd: The TV king also wore aviator sunglasses and several pieces of diamond jewelry

The restaurant chain announced Monday it is officially changing its.

The new moniker will be IHOb for International House of Burgers.

While IHOb will continue to serve pancakes, the re-brand is meant to draw attention to the line of seven new Ultimate Steakburgers the newly-branded restaurant now has for sale.

Change of menu: Cheban earlier he plugged IHOb, posing with a fake burger

Jonathan has not been seen with Kim since he taped Family Feud with her and her family in February.

The show finally aired this weekend.

This comes after new Kim agreed to be the keynote speaker at the Beautycon event in Los Angeles.

The star is the headline booking for the two-day networking extravaganza for the cosmetic industry which is expected to attract over 22,000 guests to the Los Angeles Convention Center on July 14 and July 15.

A post on the official Beautycon Instagram announced Kim's involvement, saying: 'Hey dolls, @kimkardashian is literally coming to #BeautyconLA. Bible? Bible.'

On the carpet again: Jonathan also hammed it up on the red carpet for the IHOb event

After establishing herself as reality TV icon on 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians', Kim has become one of the world's leading social media influencers and also has her own cosmetics brand, KKW Beauty.

This year's convention will also feature a talk with Kim's makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic - who has worked with her for 10 years - and her hairstylist Chris Appleton.

Other guests booked to speak at Beautycon include Salma Hayek, Emma Roberts, 'Riverdale' star Madelaine Petsch, Lady Gaga's makeup artist Sarah Nicole Tanno and Tokyo Stylez, who is best known for making wigs for the likes Cardi B, Nicki Minaj and Kylie Jenner.

Game on: Jonathan has not been seen with Kim since he taped Family Feud with her and her family in February. The show finally aired this weekend. He was on team Kardashian/Jenner

Her side: Kim was on team West as she joined her husband Kanye and his family

Beautycon will showcase 100 beauty brands, including Kim's sister Kylie Jenner's makeup line Kylie Cosmetics and newcomer Charlotte Tilbury.

Beautycon CEO Moj Mahdara told The Hollywood Reporter: 'It's also our first year to offer 'B-well,' which is an area of 20 to 30 brands showcasing supplements and nutritional items focused on well-being, and K-town, because Korean beauty is a billion-dollar industry globally, with $996 million funneled into the US and our market is super-duper interested in international products.

'Our other goal is to build the ultimate retail experiential pop-up in the beauty market. The numbers we're seeing on the consumer spend are mind-blowing. People come to Beautycon to shop!'It's packed plenty of drama into the first two series.

And ITV's smash hit period drama Victoria pulled out all the stops on Tuesday while filming a shock scene for the upcoming third series, featuring a dead horse.

A stuffed horse stood in as Laurence Fox filmed scenes in Liverpool, with the very realistic prop seen lying on the cobbled streets.

Realistic: TV's smash hit period drama Victoria pulled out all the stops on Tuesday while filming a shock scene for the upcoming third series. A stuffed horse stood in for the scenes shot in Liverpool, with the very realistic prop seen lying on the cobbled streets

Actress Lily Travers appeared transfixed by the set design, which included the fake dead house positioned carefully on the street.

Meanwhile Laurence Fox was seen on set on Friday, for his role as the charismatic and wayward Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston, which was confirmed last week.

The actor wasted no time stepping into the famous politician's shoes as he donned the traditional garb while filming scenes with Lily Travers in Liverpool on Tuesday.

The esteemed actor, 40, looked just the part in a sharply tailored black jacket over a fitted grey waistcoat - but blurred the lines between past and present with stylish black sunglasses.

Dramatic scenes: Actress Lily Travers appeared transfixed by the set design, which included the fake dead house positioned on the street

Working it: Laurence Fox got into character as Lord Palmerston as he filmed scenes for season three

Lawrence rocked a suave emerald velvet cravat - which Lord Palmerston frequently wore - and polished off the dapper period look with black trousers and patent dress shoes.

With a Victorian walking stick in hand, the Lewis actor's mopped blond locks were expertly quaffed with his sideburns sharply shaven in the 19th century style along his cheek.

Once filming commenced, Laurence donned a classic black top hat alongside a fellow cast member, before joining co-star Lily for a scene.

Modern take: The esteemed actor looked just the part in a tailored black jacket over a fitted grey waistcoat - but blurred the lines between past and present with stylish black sunglasses

Once filming commenced, Laurence donned a classic black top hat alongside a fellow sharply-dressed cast member, before joining co-star Lily for a scene

Taking on the role of Duchess of Monmouth, the Me Before You star looked sensational in her Victorian garb, with a traditional white lace jacket over a billowing floral gown.

Laurence didn't seem to mind the somewhat upsetting display, and larked around on the period set while clutching a modern-day tote bag.

Traditional: With a Victorian walking stick in hand, the Lewis actor styled his mopped blond locks were expertly quaffed with his sideburns sharply shaven in the 19th century style

New role: Laurence was confirmed to be playing charismatic and wayward Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston (R) in ITV's period drama Victoria on Friday

Wonder in white: Taking on the role of Duchess of Monmouth, the Me Before You star looked sensational in her Victorian garb, with a traditional white lace jacket over a floral gown

Joining Lawrence and lead actress Jenna Coleman as the titular royal, Tony and Olivier Award nominee Kate Fleetwood will play Victoria's mysterious sister Feodora, who makes an unexpected return into the Queen's life.

In addition, actor and comedian John Sessions will also star as Prime Minister John Russell, whilst Lily Travers, who played Lady Sophie in Kingsman, will play the Duchess of Monmouth.

Nicholas Audsley and David Burnett are also confirmed to be joining the cast as new characters.

Laurence didn't seem to mind the somewhat upsetting display, and larked around on the period set while clutching a modern-day tote bag

Traditional chic: Lily swept her blonde tresses underneath her stylish bonnet, as she patiently waited for the scene to start

Starting in 1848, the third installment of the lavish drama will depict a turbulent and uncertain time for both Europe and the monarchy.

With revolutions on the continent and the Chartist movement reaching its peak in London, Victoria is under pressure from the government to leave London for her own safety.

Creator Daisy Goodwin said: 'Victoria and Albert are the most famous couple of the nineteenth century, but underneath the united facade, their relationship is at breaking point and it is a struggle for mastery that neither side can win.'

Praised for its opulent production values, Victoria is one of ITV's most successful dramas, with the first series being the highest rating drama of 2016 on the channel.

The second series continued to prove immensely popular, attracting a consolidated average of 6.4 million viewers and a 25% share.Former Formula One driver Jenson Button is engaged to his former Playboy model partner Brittny Ward.

Brittny, 27, revealed the happy news by sharing a romantic snap of the pair looking deep into one another's eyes along with the caption 'soon to be Mrs Button' and a ring emoji.

The couple have been dating since March 2016, three months after his split from model wife Jessica Michibata was confirmed.

Smitten: Former Formula One driver Jenson Button,38, is engaged to his former Playboy model partner Brittny Ward, 27

Ex wife: Jenson was previously wed to model Jessica Michibata, but the pair split just one year after their marriage in December 2015

In the photo the newly-engaged couple posed up barefoot on a beach in matching navy outfits, with Jenson,38, donning a suit and tie, and Brittny flashing her toned legs in a silk gown.

The brunette beauty lovingly held her new fiance's face, while flashing her new diamond engagement ring.

In January, on her beau's 38th birthday, Brittny posted a sweet tribute to her beau, writing: 'Happy birthday to my favorite human being! Youve shown me the type of love that I thought only existed in silly fairly tales.

'I cant believe Ive captured my very own unicorn. Never letting go.'

Jenson and ex-wife Jessica - who tied the knot in a lavish Hawaiian ceremony in December 2014 - called time on their relationship just one year later but remain on good terms.

Happy couple: The couple have been dating since March 2016, three months after his split from Jessica was confirmed

Strength to strength: The pair haven't been shy about sharing their love for one another on Instagram

A spokesperson for Jenson told MailOnline at the time: 'Jenson and Jessica have decided to go their separate ways and it is very amicable. There is no one else involved.'

Jenson and Jessica first met in 2008 in a hotel bar in Tokyo and began dating eight months later.

Their relationship experienced ups and downs and they split for a short time in 2011 before he proposed in 2014, with a ring worth 250,000.

Unlike conventional married couples, Jenson revealed the pair did not live together throughout their marriage due to their busy careers.

Happy together: The pair looked truly loved up eight months into their romance in November 2016

Cheeky: Brittny is a former Miss January for Playboy and often flaunts her eye-popping figure on social media

Happy: Brittny called Jenson her 'unicorn' in a gushing Instagram post shared in January in honour of his 38th birthday

'We don't see each other any more than before we were married,' he admitted in an interview with Mail On Sunday in 2015.

The TAG Heuer model shared a modest flat with her mother in Tokyo, while the sportsman's home is in tax haven Monaco.

'Jessie still works a lot in Japan,' he went on to explain. 'She enjoys her job, she models, she had a television show and has done a Japanese film.

'She enjoys working, which is great, but it obviously means that we dont see each other very often.'

Former flame: Jenson and ex-wife Jessica - who tied the knot in a lavish Hawaiian ceremony in December 2014 - called time on their relationship just one year later but remain on good terms

Jessica - born to an Argentine father and a Japanese mother - had often been seen supporting her husband from the sidelines as he took part in the world's biggest races.

Jessica has also moved on from her romance with Jenson and gave birth to her first baby, a girl named Joy, in October 2017.

She has not revealed the identity of her baby's father.

She took to Instagram to announce the arrival of her daughter, sharing a cute snap.

She first added a caption in English reading: 'Words cannot describe how happy I feel and how much love I have for this beautiful soul...

'Welcome to the world Joy Thank you for choosing me as your mother, I will love you forever and ever and ever.'Dance Moms launched her into stardom.

But Maddie Ziegler no longer speaks to her former tutor Abby Lee Miller even though the woman has been in jail and now faces terrible health issues.

The 15-year-old told Us Weekly on Monday evening, 'We dont keep in contact.'

Rift: Maddie Ziegler has confirmed she is no longer in contact with former Dance Moms tutor Abby Lee Miller

However she added: 'But I wish her the best.'

Miller is currently battling cancer, with which she was diagnosed while approaching the end of a prison sentence for fraud.

The 51-year-old opened up about her strained relationship with Maddie in a 2017 interview special titled Dance Moms: Abby Lee Tells All.

'I talk to the media, I might not pick up the phone and call her, but I tell everybody else!' Miller said of Ziegler. 'I tell my friends, "Shes adorable, shes wonderful!" she said.

Rough time: Miller is currently battling cancer, with which she was diagnosed while approaching the end of a prison sentence for fraud

'I look at what she has done, and the other jobs and the other opportunities besides Dance Moms, they all involve dancing, theyre all about dance, theyre all judging dance, dancing, performing, something!'

She added: 'I dont think had she not been in my studio, she would be where she is today. And I can confidently say that. Im not gonna say that I "made" anybody, I didnt make her, her mom and dad created her, but I certainly added my two cents in.'

After six seasons on Lifetime's Dance Moms led by Miller, Zieglar told Seventeen Mag azine last year she 'just didn't want to deal with the drama anymore.'

'The show was a really stressful time,' she said.

Enough: After six seasons on Lifetime's Dance Moms led by Miller, Zieglar told Seventeen Mag last year she 'just didn't want to deal with the drama anymore.'

'I'm happy I've moved on. I get to step out and do my own thing and be myself. But I am thankful for the experience, and I miss dancing with the girls.'

Since her time on the reality show, Maddie has toured with Sia, danced in six of her videos including the monumental Chandelier and Elastic Heart, became a judge on So You Think You Can Dance, and wrote a New York Times bestselling memoir.

Abby meanwhile was sentenced to a year in prison for bankruptcy fraud, and diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

While in hospital, Abby was visited by another protegee-turned-superstar, Jojo Siwa, who brought her a bag of movie popcorn, candy and a $10,000 check from Dancers Against Cancer.Actor Stanley Tucci and wife Felicity Blunt have welcomed a baby girl.

Emilia Giovanna Tucci was born on April 19, weighing in at 6 lbs., 6 oz. and is the couple's second child.

'Hopefully she will have the looks and brains of her mother and one of my better personalities,' The 57-year-old Devil Wears Prada star joked to PEOPLE.

Happy news! Stanley Tucci and wife Felicity Blunt have welcomed their second child together, a daughter names Emilia Giovanna. They are pictured in March together

The couple are already parents to three-year-old son Mateo.

Literary agent Felicity, 36, is the sister of British actress Emily Blunt who Tucci starred alongside in the 2006 hit The Devil Wears Prada.

In April Tucci told UsWeekly that he was doing his best to spoil his expectant wife and 'being very attentive' amid her second pregnancy.

The happy news was first revealed in March when the couple stepped out at a New York screening with Felicity showing off her baby bump in a vibrant multicolored V-neck dress.

Love story: The couple who married in 2012 already have three-year-old son Mateo. The duo are seen in a snap from the A Quiet Place premiere in April

Emilia is the fifth child for the Oscar-nominated actor, who had three kids with his wife of 14 years Kate prior to her 2009 death after a brave battle against breast cancer.

He is father to Camilla, 16, and twins Nicolo and Isabel, 18.

Tucci first met Felicity at Emily and husband John Krasinski's wedding in 2010, became engaged in 2011 and wed in August of 2012, later celebrating their union the following month with celebrity friends such as Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore and Steve Buscemi, who was Tucci's best man.

Speaking with the publication when Mateo was born in 2015, he joked, 'I believe he is mine. We are all thrilled to welcome him to this cold, cruel world.'

He later added: 'We are all thrilled that he is here and healthy.'

Family: Stanley and Felicity met at her sister Emily Blunt's wedding to John Krasinski in 2010. Emily and John are picture in AprilKelly Preston and John Travolta were having some fun with pizza on Tuesday at New York City pizzeria made famous in Saturday Night Fever.

The couple indulged in the Italian favorite as they celebrated Brooklyn Celebrates John Travolta at Lenny's Pizza in New York.

The Saturday Night Fever actor wore a white blazer over a black shirt as she coordinated in a black dress.

Hungry: Kelly Preston and John Travolta were having some fun with pizza on Tuesday. The couple indulged in the Italian favorite as they celebrated Brooklyn Celebrates John Travolta at Lenny's Pizza in New York

Thumb's up: The Saturday Night Fever actor wore a white blazer over a black shirt as she coordinated in a black dress

John also posed with John Gotti Jr.

Lenny's Pizza is on 86th street and has been open since 1953. They serve crispy pies, sandwiches and Italian entrees.

Hundreds of fans gathered outside the pizzeria in the Bensonhurst area that John made famous in the 1977 disco film Saturday Night Fever.

He played Tony Manero in the movie and in the opening scene orders two slices of pizza at Lenny's that he stacks together to eat.

Going back to his roots: John wore a similar outfit in his big 1970s hit SNF

Kelly showed her versatility as a fashionista on Monday in New York City.

In separate outings, the 55-year-old actress showed off her day and night style as she ventured out to appear on Good Morning America to promote her new film Gotti, then stepped out in Manhattan.

During her outing in the daytime, she wore an off white, long-sleeved floral dress with a V-neck, with beige sandals and a pink purse. For her nighttime outing, Kelly was clad in a black skirt with a plunging neck and black pointy-toe heels.

A lot of friends: Here they posed with John Gotti Jr and other friends

He sure knew how to liven up the crowd: John made jokes and talked pizza while at the podium

On both outings, Kelly had her blonde locks down and parted.

The 5ft6 beauty chat with Good Morning America's Michael Strahan on Monday, where she said that she and husband John Travolta recently joined Instagram at the urging of their daughter Ella.

'We're on now; it's fun, it's really fun,' said Preston, who admitted keeping up appearances on the social media site can be like 'a job.'

Good NY eats: Lenny's Pizza is on 86th street and has been open since 1953. They serve crispy pies, sandwiches and Italian entrees

'And it's like, if you don't look good that day, "I'm gonna post some fruit!"'

Preston, who's been married to Travolta, 64, since 1991, was asked by Strahan, 'What is the secret?' in regards to their longtime union, which has weathered nearly three decades in Hollywood, amid scandal and tragedy (their son Jett Travolta died at 16 at the family's Bahamas vacation home in January of 2009).

'I think it's communication,' Preston said. 'Keeping it fresh ... checking in with each other and evolving - you change so you want to change together.'

The Jerry Maguire star said that 'keeping it fun' has been a crucial ingredient to her longtime marriage with the Tinseltown icon.

Confident: The actress looked beautiful as she made her way to GMA in a floral dress

Beaming: Preston looked very happy as she made her way out of a hotel

Natural casting: The real-life husband and wife play Victoria and John Gotti in the new film

'It doesn't just happen, you gotta work at it,' she said.

Kelly, who plays Victoria Gotti in the mob biopic, said that it was 'amazing' spending time with Victoria in research for the role.

'First of all, it's daunting to play someone who is alive, her husband was so iconic. She was amazing. She is smart, funny, kind, she was open and warm, she cooked us lunch - a beautiful Italian lunch,' Preston said. 'And we became friends by email, so I could ask her anything I wanted about how she was feeling, what she would say.

'This movie is so real, there's not one word that's in it that wasn't said, it's a real behind-the-scenes look at this family.'

Gotti opens in theaters Friday.Wednesday night's episode of Shark Tank promises to be a 'cheeky' affair.

A preview clip for the entrepreneurial reality TV series shows underwear-clad models assisting with a business pitch.

And the program's racy antics certainly get the judges attention, with Janine Allis later declaring of a fitness invention: 'It's nearly better than sex!'

Scroll down for video

'It's nearly better than sex!' The Shark Tank judges will be left gobsmacked by a series of quirky business pitches on Wednesday night's episode. Pictured: Janine Allis

The beginning of the clip sees models parading around in Brazilian-cut briefs that leave little to the imagination.

Glen Richards teases fellow judge Andrew Banks, saying: 'Andrew, I'm pretty sure this will work on you!'

But it's a fitness-related pitch that has Janine Allis awestruck and declaring: 'It's nearly better than sex!'

Racy! The beginning of the preview clip shows models parading around in Brazilian-cut briefs that leave little to the imagination

Showing off her incredible core strength, the Boost Juice founder performs a headstand on a yoga mat.

And it's not just Janine that's won over, with judge Steve Baxter shaking his head in a dramatic fashion and stating: 'Okay, yeah, I'm impressed!'

However it's not always that the Shark Tank judges are bowled over with clever inventions.

Cheeky! Glen Richards teases fellow judge Andrew Banks, saying: 'Andrew, I'm pretty sure this will work on you!'

On Monday's episode of Have You Been Paying Attention? Janine, 53, revealed she was once pitched a business plan involving macabre 'death masks'.

'The worst [Shark Tank audition] was, it actually didn't go to air, but it was death masks,' she explained.

'So basically when you die, they put a mask on your face and then the loved ones have it on a mantelpiece.'Grant Denyer rushed his seven-year-old daughter Sailor to hospital on Tuesday after she took a shocking tumble.

The Family Feud presenter revealed that the youngster had a suspected concussion after falling while trying to do her first cartwheel.

The 40-year-old shared a selfie with Sailor from the emergency room on Instagram, prompting fans to flood the comments section with their concerned messages.

Scroll down for video

Oh dear: Grant Denyer rushed his daughter Sailor, seven, to the emergency room with concussion after she took a shocking tumble during her first cartwheel on Tuesday

'Uh oh. Hospital Emergency room. Someone did their first cartwheel into a backflip. Unsuccessfully. Suspected concussion,' he wrote in the caption.

One worried fan wrote: 'Aw Sailor. Are you okay now? Silly cartwheel. Hope you feel better, concussion is not to be messed with.'

Another added: 'Hope you dont have a very long wait. Let us know what happens, Im really worried. Shes just like her father.'

The presenter, who also shares two-year-old daughter Scout with his wife Chezzi, recently revealed the couple's plans to expand their family.

Ordeal: 'Uh oh. Hospital Emergency room. Someone did their first cartwheel into a backflip. Unsuccessfully. Suspected concussion,' he wrote in the caption

'Look, we already have two little terrors so we're not desperate to have another straight away, but we'd be open to having more,' he told New Idea on Monday.

'We're not expecting at the moment, but never say never!' Grant told the publication.

The star went on to explain that while the couple would love more children, nothing angers him more than trolls claiming he's 'disappointed' with two daughters.

'We're open to having more': Grant, who also shares two-year-old daughter Scout with his wife Chezzi, recently revealed the couple's plans to expand their family

'We don't feel like there's anything missing,' he said.

Earlier this year, Chezzi, 38, spoke candidly about her diagnosis with post-natal anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder back in 2012.

Also speaking with New Idea in April, she revealed her PTSD was caused in part by the horrific monster truck smash her TV star husband Grant was involved in.

In 2008, Grant broke his back and was rushed to the hospital after he crashed a 7.5-tonne truck he was driving at the showground.

Will the family-of-four become more? 'Look, we already have two little terrors so we're not desperate to have another straight away, but we'd be open to having more,' he told New Idea

Chezzi revealed she suffered a 'mini-breakdown' when their baby girl was eight-months-old, leading to her surprise diagnosis that lay dormant for more than three years.

'I feared that if I didn't get help, they were going to send me away and lock me up - because that's how crazy I felt at the time,' she told the magazine at the time.

Six years following the diagnosis, Chezzi and Grant have added another daughter to their picture-perfect family of four.US President Donald Trump has arrived at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island for his historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Trump says his historic summit with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could "work out very nicely" as officials from both countries sought to narrow differences on how to end a nuclear stand-off on the Korean peninsula.

Shortly before leaving his hotel for the summit, President Trump said the "haters & losers" were complaining that his meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un was a "major loss," but noted the US had its three captives returned and the North's nuclear missile launches had stopped.

Trump tweeted early on Tuesday from Singapore, just hours before his face-to-face with Kim.

He said:"The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the U.S., say the haters & losers." But he said "our hostages" were back home and testing, research and launches had stopped.

He said: "These pundits, who have called me wrong from the beginning, have nothing else they can say!"

Critics have argued that Kim has notched a win by getting a sit-down with the US president.

President Trump will sit down with Fox News host Sean Hannity after his summit with the North Korean leader.

Fox News says the interview will take place at the Capella Hotel, the venure for the summit.

Trump and Kim are set to meet on Sentosa Island on Tuesday morning for roughly 45 minutes while their entourages wait nearby.

Hannity is a friend and confidant of the president and speaks out in support of Trump on his show.Sydney motorists will be slugged with more tolls - this time on the F6 motorway in the city's south, the state government has confirmed.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Tuesday released plans for the four-kilometre tunnel from the M5 motorway at Arncliffe to President Avenue in Kogarah, which is set to cost up to $2.6 billion.

Roads Minister Melinda Pavey said the tunnel will be tolled, estimating a cost of $1.77 each way for cars.

"We want to be up-front with the community now and say this is one of those roads which will be tolled, but as always there will be a free alternative," Ms Pavey said in a statement.More than 130 dead wedge-tailed eagles and four other protected bird species have been found dead on properties in Victoria's east Gippsland region.

The environment department said on Tuesday 136 of the dead eagles were found hidden throughout property in bushland and scrub, during extensive searches.

Charges are yet to be laid, but a person is helping investigators with their inquiries. Wedge-tailed eagles are protected under the Wildlife Act 1975 and deliberately killing them carries maximum penalties of $7,928.50, and/or up to six months' jail, and an extra penalty of $792.85 for each bird destroyed.Maverick Queensland Labor MP Jo-Ann Miller has apologised in parliament for "incorrect statements" accusing Deputy Premier Jackie Trad of ignoring allegations of local council corruption.

Ms Miller last month accused Ms Trad of ignoring "hundreds of complaints" about corruption at Ipswich City Council, when the deputy premier was the local government minister between 2015 and 2017.

Ms Trad formally had requested Ms Miller be referred to the parliamentary ethics committee for misleading parliament, but following Tuesday's apology Speaker Curtis Pitt said he would not refer the matter.The location of Australia's new space agency will be decided during a six-month bidding war between states and territories.

Western Australia and Victoria have already publicly made their case for the new agency, which will start on July 1.

The agency will create hundreds of jobs, but will not be a NASA-style organisation, and will instead co-ordinate funding and policy to drive private sector growth.

"In its first six months of operation the space agency will engage and collaborate with the states, territories, academia and industry, and advise government of the most suitable strategic arrangements for its long-term location," an Industry department spokeswoman told AAP on Tuesday.

Dr Megan Clark will lead the agency for the first year and she will talk with each state and territory to "properly identify what they can bring to the table".

South Australia, the Northern Territory and the ACT last year committed to jointly work on growing Australia's space capabilities.

The decision on where the agency will eventually have its headquarters will be made closer to the end of the year.

WA Science Minister Dave Kelly on Monday released an ACIL Allen report outlining the state's geographic advantages and its already thriving space industry.

Victorian Industry Minister Ben Carroll has requested a meeting with his federal counterpart by the end of June to press the state's case.

Victoria is home to some of the world's biggest names in aerospace, including Lockheed Martin, Thales, Boeing and BAE Systems.

"No other state or territory can boast having one in five space industry headquarters right here in Victoria, ready to go," Mr Carroll said on Monday.

But Australian Strategic Policy Institute space lead Dr Malcolm Davis says fighting between the states is "counter-productive" to the national goals of the agency.

It should not be considered as a "NASA Down Under" which built and launched space vehicles and ran space missions.South Sydney's Maddison Studdon will captain NSW in the inaugural Women's State of Origin after star Ruan Sims ruled herself out because of injury.

Young halfback Studdon will create history as the Blues' first skipper when the women's match against Queensland gets the NRL's representative weekend underway on June 22.

Sims has long been a shining light for the sport but she broke her nose playing last weekend, adding to her injury woes after undergoing hand surgery on Thursday.

NSW squad: Sam Bremner, Taleena Simon, Corban McGregor, Isabelle Kelly, Nakia Davis-Welsh, Lavina O'Mealey, Maddison Studdon (capt), Elianna Walton, Rebecca Riley, Simaima Taufa, Talesha Quinn, Kezie Apps, Vanessa Foliaki, Nita Maynard, Rebecca Young, Holli Wheeler, Hannah Southwell, Quincy Dodd.A full investigation into the mental health system will be carried out after a Sydney father accused of stabbing his son to death was denied care just weeks before the incident.

The 36-year-old man allegedly stabbed his five-year-old son in his bed at their Carlingford home in the city's northwest on Friday morning.

The boy's mother, a nurse, has now told The Daily Telegraph she had previously begged health authorities for help for her "sick" husband, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

"The death of my son is the price I'm having to pay for this," she said.

"He loved our son more than words can express. He was the apple of his eye and he couldn't wait for the day he was born."

The Northern and Western Sydney Local Health Districts said on Tuesday there would be a full investigation into the ongoing care and treatment of the man.

"The loss of the little boy last week is a tragedy and we extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends," a spokeswoman said in a statement.

The investigation to be carried out by NSW Health chief psychiatrist Dr Murray Wright will examine the man's ongoing care, including the period leading up to the boy's death.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said "no stone will be left unturned" in the investigation.

"We don't want to leave a stone unturned, we want to get to the details," she told reporters in Sydney.

"Our hearts and condolences go to the family. We want to know what happened and if there's anything more we need to do to support people with mental health (issues) moving forward, we'll do that."

The father has been charged with murder.The mother of a missing 28-year-old woman has arrived in Sydney from China as homicide police investigate her daughter's disappearance.

Qi Yu was last seen by friends at a Campsie share house in the city's southwest in on Friday evening, about the time she last spoke with her family in China, NSW police said in a statement.

Police on Tuesday said the woman was still missing.

Ms Yu's friends reported her missing on Saturday morning after finding her room empty, saying it was out of character for the Chinese national.

Police found her car, a white Toyota Corolla, parked about four kilometres away on Lindsay Street in the neighbouring suburb of Burwood on Saturday afternoon.

Ms Yu's neighbour Vincent Chen said the missing woman's mother visited the Campsie house on Sunday.

"She cried and cried," he told The Daily Telegraph.

Mr Chen described the 28-year-old as "a very honest and quiet girl, a very nice girl".

There's been no sign of Ms Yu and homicide detectives have now been assigned to the case.

Investigators are asking anyone who saw Ms Yu or her car - numberplate DLK 13P - over the weekend to contact them.Distinctive yellow rental bicycles are set to disappear from Melbourne streets as the Singapore-based oBike company shuts up shop.

Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp on Tuesday asked people to stop using the rental scheme after the company confirmed it was pulling out of Melbourne, following controversy and hefty fines over bikes dumped on streets, up trees and in waterways.

"oBikes have decided to withdraw from our market here in Melbourne and we are working very closely with them to remove oBikes from the city streets," she told reporters.House prices in Queensland will jump when the first home owners grant expires this month and a new land tax is introduced, industry experts say.

The state government is pulling the plug on the $20,000 payment two years after it was increased from $15,000, Tuesday's budget shows.

Housing Industry Association (Queensland) executive director Warwick Temby said there was nothing in the budget promoting affordability when the industry is turning down and migration into the state is petering out.

"We need supportive policies to help people into housing, not policies that are going to put up prices, and that's what this is going to do," he said.

Mr Temby said regional Queenslanders will be hit hardest by the loss of the grant because it meant more in areas where houses cost less.

"This is probably the worst time to be taking that little bit of incentive away," he added.

Paul Bidwell, Master Builders Association Queensland's deputy chief executive, said the number of first-time buyers entering the market had spiked after the payment was brought in.

"First home owners are now a big part of the housing market and the boost will make or break some, so it will be the difference between whether a first home owner gets to buy a new home or not," he said.

The land tax applies to about 850 holdings, not including farms, and is one of five new tariffs the state government will introduce to help pay down a ballooning debt.A complaint has been lodged with the Australian Human Rights Commissioner about the case of a 22-year-old Aboriginal woman who was treated inhumanely in the lead-up to her death in West Australian custody.

Ms Dhu, whose first name is not used for cultural reasons, died in a Pilbara hospital in 2014, two days after being locked up at the local police station for unpaid fines.

She succumbed to staphylococcal septicaemia and pneumonia after an infection in her fractured ribs, caused by domestic violence, spread to her lungs.

But some officers thought she was faking illness and coming down from drugs, and some medical staff also thought she was exaggerating.

Coroner Ros Fogliani said in her 2016 inquest findings that Ms Dhu's death could have been prevented if her illness had been diagnosed days earlier, and her treatment was unprofessional and inhumane.

On Tuesday, Sydney-based solicitors Levitt Robinson lodged a submission with the Australian Human Rights Commissioner on behalf of Ms Dhu's family.

The lawyers argue that based on the coroner's findings, actions for malpractice should have been brought against medical staff and police should have been investigated for possible criminal charges.TIMELINE OF THE DISAPPEARANCE OF WILLIAM TYRRELL

2014

* SEPTEMBER 12 - Dressed in a Spiderman outfit, three-year-old William Tyrrell goes missing from the front yard of his foster grandmother's home in Kendall, 40km south of Port Macquarie.

* SEPTEMBER 21 - Police stop searching for the missing boy after scouring surrounding bushland and neighbouring houses.

--

2015

*JANUARY 20 - Police search the home and business of washing machine repairman William Spedding, who had been due to carry out repairs at the Kendall house at the time the boy disappeared.

*JANUARY 23 - Spedding publicly denies any involvement in William's disappearance and no charges have been laid against him.

* FEBRUARY 19 - Homicide detectives take over the case and say it's likely William was abducted.

* MARCH 2 - Police search bushland near Bonny Hills for three days after a tip-off.

* APRIL 17 - William's foster parents speak publicly for the first time in an emotional video released through police which does not identify them.

* APRIL17 - Police say the boy may have been a victim of a pedophile ring.

* SEPTEMBER 12 - "Where's William" week is launched one year after he disappeared.

--

2016

* SEPTEMBER 12 - A $1 million reward is offered for information leading to William's return.

--

2017

* AUGUST 24 - William's foster child status is revealed after a court ruling.

2018

* JUNE 12 - NSW Police announce the start of a four-week forensic search of bushland in Kendall.Fewer people will visit Sydney's Powerhouse Museum if it's moved from the CBD to Parramatta unless ticket prices are slashed, a report shows.

While there will be an expected boost in the first two years of the museum opening, the final business case for the controversial NSW government plan forecasts a dip in visitor numbers if the existing $15 entry fee remains.

Modelling shows more people will visit the venue in western Sydney if admission is cut to $5.

"A lowering of entry price had a positive effect on participant preference to visit the new museum," the documents say.

The business case, part of which was made public on Tuesday following pressure from parliament, revealed the estimated cost for the government's preferred project option to be $1.18 billion.

NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge says it's "utterly remarkable" the government is persisting with the move from Ultimo.

"All modelling shows moving the Powerhouse to Parramatta will significantly reduce the number of visitors," he told AAP.

The opposition, meanwhile, claims ticket prices will jump to $34 for an adult and $26 per child if the museum is relocated, based on assumptions used in the report.

"The Powerhouse Museum decision is enormously unpopular and it is a project that lurches from thought bubble to thought bubble and from crisis to crisis," Labor's arts spokesman Walt Secord said in a statement.

The NSW Arts Minister has been contacted for comment.Chinese-Australian billionaire Chau Chak Wing says he fears he will suffer a heart attack after his reputation was seriously damaged by a Fairfax Media article which "is saying I was a criminal".

"I never expected in Australia, being a country with such a strong legal system, that this kind of thing could happen," Dr Chau testified on Tuesday in the Federal Court in Sydney.

The businessman, philanthropist and political donor was giving evidence through an interpreter in his defamation case against Fairfax and journalist John Garnaut over the October 16, 2015 online article.

His barrister Bruce McClintock said the article conveys four defamatory meanings including that Dr Chau bribed former UN president John Ashe and was part of a plot to bribe him.

He also alleged it suggested that Dr Chau acted in so seriously wrong a manner as to deserve extradition to the United States on criminal charges and that he created his Australian business empire by making illicit payments to government officials.

The article was published after US prosecutors accused businesswoman Sheri Yan and her finance chief Heidi Park of arranging a bribe to be paid to Mr Ashe in 2013.

Mr McClintock referred to the "extraordinary haste" in which the Fairfax article was put together after Garnaut appeared to feel he had been "gazumped" by a Daily Telegraph story published on October 15.

But James Hmelnitsky SC, for Fairfax and Garnaut, described the article as good journalism.

"We make no bones about the fact that this is a hard-hitting article directed to Mr Chau and would be understood to damage his reputation because it contains a serious allegation that he is a suspect in a bribery scandal," he said.

But he denied it insinuated "actual guilt", saying it suggested he was "suspected" of being involved in the scandal.

They were not running the defence of truth, but were submitting that the publication was reasonable in the circumstances, Mr Hmelnitsky said.

Dr Chau testified he was born in poverty in 1949 in China, became an Australian citizen about 20 years ago and lives in a Vaucluse property in Sydney which he bought from Jamie Packer in 2016.

His company Kingold employed about 10,000 people and he had donated millions of dollars to institutions including Sydney's University of Technology, which had named its business school building after him.

When the Fairfax article was first translated to him he became "very upset", believing it made him out to be a criminal while he had never done anything illegal in China or Australia.

"This was a big strike, a big hit on me and it caused big harm to me," he said.

He had to see doctors because of irregular heart beats and he was concerned that if the reputation damage continues "I may be subject to a heart attack".

Under cross-examination, he denied being more familiar with Garnault than he had admitted in his evidence saying "I could not communicate directly with him because he spoke English and I spoke Mandarin".

The hearing continues before Justice Michael Wigney.A man who stabbed a French tourist in the neck at a national park in Adelaide was in a psychotic state at the time of the attack, a court has heard.

Antoni James Barresi, 25, appeared in the South Australian Supreme Court on Tuesday after earlier pleading guilty to charges of aggravated causing serious harm with intent and aggravated assault.

Barresi stabbed Maxime Michel during an altercation in the Belair National Park in January last year and was arrested at a nearby railway station.

Mr Michel suffered stab wounds to his neck and hand and was taken to hospital.

Barresi had originally been charged with attempted murder but prosecutors accepted his guilty plea to the lesser charge.

In a victim impact statement translated from French and read in court on Tuesday, Mr Michel said he had suffered physically, psychologically and professionally in the aftermath of the attack.

He said the attack had made him fearful and ruined his hope of becoming a professional firefighter.

"I truly believe I have been the victim of attempted murder, even if the charges against Mr Barresi do not correspond to the reality I experienced," the statement read.

Mr Michel and a friend had met Barresi at a backpacker's hostel the night before the stabbing, and the trio travelled to the park together in the morning.

The court heard Barresi's mental health was "significantly poor" and he was psychotic at the time of the attack.

He had been homeless and, for that reason, always carried a knife.

Justice Martin Hinton remanded Barresi in custody for sentencing next week.Today's Birthday, June 13: Australian musician, television personality and radio broadcaster Red Symons (1949 - ).

The multi-talented Red Symons recently hung up the headphones after being pushed out of his long-time radio presenter role.

The former Skyhooks band member and Red Faces judge announced he would not return as ABC Radio Melbourne Breakfast host in 2018 after 15 years behind the microphone for the national broadcaster.

"Why am I going? They haven't said, and I haven't asked," the 69-year-old told his ABC 774 listeners in late November.

He broke his five-month radio silence in late May, suggesting on 3AW that ABC cost-cutting was likely a factor in his departure.

Born Redmond Symons in the English seaside town of Brighton in 1949, he immigrated to Australia with his family in 1958 at age nine and mostly grew up in Melbourne's Yarra Valley.

The youngster earned a University of Melbourne science degree in pure mathematics and computer programming before setting his sights on a music career.

He was in the audience and part of another act, Scumbag, when The Skyhooks played their first gig at Carlton's St Jude's Hall in 1973 and joined the fledgling band as a guitarist and vocalist the following year.

The uniquely Australian rock outfit burst onto the scene with watershed LP Living in the 70's in 1974, which sold an unprecedented 250,000 copies.

The guitarist's quirky riffs on hit singles Living in the 70's and Horror Movies paired well with his cross-dressing, makeup-clad stage costumes.

After another two albums, Symons abruptly quit the band in 1977, citing a loss of passion, and the group disbanded altogether in 1980.

Symons' ploughed on as a television personality, though, and his dry wit was on show as the harsh and sarcastic judge on Hey Hey It's Saturday's weekly Red Faces talent segment in the 1980s and 90s.

Over the past three decades, the part-time newspaper columnist has also appeared on Neighbours, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Australia's Got Talent.

Symons endured a difficult 2017.

He apologised after asking fellow ABC broadcaster Beverley Wang "what's the deal with Asians?" on a podcast, spent two months recovering off-air after a fall and divorced from his wife of 17 years Elly, the mother of his three sons.Queensland mines and businesses whose workers have suffered the ill effects of silica dust could be subjected to large-scale legal action.

The state's resources industry has come under fire for repeated breaches of lawful silica dust levels, with reportedly more than 70 silica dust breaches recorded in Queensland mines in the past 15 months.

The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) claims the number of cases of deadly lung disease silicosis among mine workers is rising, arguing silica dust can be more dangerous than coal dust, which has caused dozens of cases of black lung disease in recent years.

Cases of workers presenting with autoimmune diseases such as scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis as a result of silica dust are also increasing, according to Shine Lawyers.

"We are now seeing silica dust causing havoc beyond lung-related conditions," Shine's national special counsel Roger Singh told AAP.

"We have miners who not only have their lungs packing up, but they have aching joints and pain and suffering with their internal organs being affected.

"There are alarm bells ringing."

Mr Singh has called for a parliamentary inquiry into the issue and is concerned workers from stonemasonry and sandblasting industries could also be affected by silica dust.

A group action is being explored, he said, calling for businesses to face paying "exemplary damages".

"There can be no excuse in the industrial world not doing more to stamp this thing out. These are diseases from decades ago which should not be seen in modern society," he said.

"The cases of silicosis, scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis I've come across are just the tip of the iceberg.

"We don't want another asbestos legacy where the industry and manufacturers turned a blind eye and after a latency period of decades, these diseases began to emerge, but then it was too little, too late."

In response to reports of silica dust breaches, the Queensland Resources Council last week said it had accepted recommendations of a state government-commissioned report by Monash University to improve respiratory health and dust monitoring.

Workers who contracted silicosis also have access to a first-class compensation scheme, the QRC said.

The council said coal mines were required to regularly monitor dust levels and ensure they stay within prescribed limits.An undersea high-speed communications cable is expected to dominate Malcolm Turnbull's talks with his Solomon Islands counterpart.

Rick Houenipwela will sit down with the prime minister in Canberra on Wednesday.

Canberra is set to chip in two-thirds of the cost of the project to connect the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea to Australia via fibre-optic cables to improve internet affordability and reliability

Money will come from the aid budget, but no dollar figure has been publicly released.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is weighing up whether Sydney, Townsville or the Sunshine Coast will be the best Australian link point.

Mr Turnbull said Mr Houenipwela's visit was an opportunity to discuss shared challenges and strengthen bilateral ties.

"We value our strong and enduring friendship with Solomon Islands, and work as partners to ensure stability, security and prosperity in the Pacific region," he said in a statement.

Australia's aid budget to the Pacific island nation is $146.1 million in the next financial year.

Mr Houenipwela's wife Rachel is accompanying him on the trip which includes visits to Brisbane, Bundaberg, Sydney and Canberra.

He is also expected to deliver a speech at the Australian National University.

The visit comes almost a year after the lengthy Australian-led peacekeeping mission to the Solomon Islands wrapped up.

The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands began in 2003, involved 15 countries, and concluded at the end of June last year.

Rampaging violence and lawlessness was tearing apart the Solomon Islands at the turn of the century when then-prime minister John Howard committed to a rescue operation.

Mr Howard was keen to avoid a "failed state" on Australia's doorstep, fearing the tiny nation could become a terrorist safe haven and trans-national crime hub.

More than 1700 federal police officers and 7200 Australian military personnel were deployed at an estimated cost of $2.8 billion.The tragic death of a Sydney teenager who was found with a lethal amount of alcohol in her system has prompted police and academics to remind people of the lethal dangers of alcohol.

Paris Kamper, 15, was found unconscious at a semi-rural property in Kenthurst, in Sydney's northwest, on Friday night and died on Monday in hospital after clinging to life for nearly three days.

Early investigations show the young girl had consumed large amounts of alcohol and some other items which "led directly or indirectly to her death," Superintendent Rob Critchlow said.

Energy drinks were also found at the home, police said.

The hospital says her blood-alcohol reading was at 0.4 - well in the lethal range for alcohol.

Police are investigating the use of online material which may have influenced the excessive amount of alcohol consumed with Supt Critchlow saying the "tragic" incident was an "ill-informed experimentation".

"Drinking large amounts of alcohol no matter how much you dress it up is very dangerous, especially if you have no experience," he said.

He cautioned people to "show some maturity" when looking at online platforms that show drinking to be fun and not dangerous.

Ms Kamper, who had been drinking alone, was found in a "terrible state" by her sibling and friend in a yard at the property and then transferred to The Children's Hospital at Westmead.

Australian National University Senior Clinical Lecturer in Medicine, David Caldicott, says the combination of alcohol and caffeine can be dangerous.

He says such deaths are preventable but better information needs to be shared about the general harms of alcohol and the increased danger if it is mixed with energy drinks.

Tributes have been flowing for the teenager on social media, with her sister describing Paris on Facebook as a "beautiful" person.

Another friend posted on Facebook saying she was "the best friend a girl could ever hope for".

A post-mortem examination is due later this week.Nearly four years after William Tyrrell disappeared from his grandmother's yard, police will carry out a fresh search for the missing boy in bushland on the mid-north coast of NSW.

Detectives on Wednesday will begin a four-week forensic sweep around the property where he was last seen in Kendall, near Port Macquarie on September 12, 2014.

The initial search focused only on finding William and was not carried out with a view of deliberate human intervention, NSW Police said in a statement.

William was playing in the yard of his grandmother's home, aged three, when he vanished.

Hundreds of locals and emergency services workers spent 10 days looking for him in the rural township, forests, creeks and paddocks.

But they found no trace of William.

Detectives have been investigating the circumstances of his disappearance for the past four years, launching a special strike force led by the homicide squad.

The new large-scale search will be co-ordinated by search experts from NSW Police's public order and riot squad.

In 2016, the NSW government announced an unprecedented $1 million for information leading to William's recovery.A move to give women in Tasmania access to abortions in public hospitals is likely to be decided by the vote of rogue Speaker Sue Hickey.

The state's Labor opposition plans on Wednesday to move a motion calling on the Liberal government to provide access to public-system abortions by July 1.

They've been backed by the Greens, meaning the casting vote will in all likelihood fall to Ms Hickey.

Last month Ms Hickey blindsided her Liberal colleagues when she voted with Labor and the Greens to make herself Speaker of the state's lower house.

The Liberals were re-elected in March with 13 House of Assembly seats, to Labor's 10 and the Greens two.

If Labor and the Greens vote together, Ms Hickey's vote is crucial in passing legislation.

She's promised confidence in the government but has also said she plans to consider bills on their merits.

Abortion was a key election issue after Tasmania's only dedicated surgical abortion clinic in Hobart closed several months ago.

The Liberals ruled out funding surgical abortions through the state's health system during the campaign and have offered assistance for women to travel to the mainland for abortions.

"We have an opportunity as a parliament to provide better access for Tasmanian women and that's why we'll be moving this motion for debate," Opposition Leader Rebecca White said on Tuesday in parliament.A fierce woman named Svetlana is telling us all to stick out our tongues and pant as we lean forward. Without a single exchange of questioning glances, we're all doing it.

Svetlana is small, but the force of her will is enormous and she has us all enthusiastically panting, our bodies bent at 90-degree angles, tongues hanging out like labradors in the middle of a heatwave.

The bizarre scene, which is bathed in an eerie blue light, is made even more strange as sharks, stingrays and schools of fish glide by behind Svetlana.

Welcome to underwater yoga - and if you're just coming for the photo you're in for a rude shock.

On mats rolled out on the stone floor of the Lost Chambers Aquarium at Dubai's underwater hotel Atlantis The Palm, our group of 20 or so holidaymakers are put through our paces.

On three sides soaring glass windows offer unspoiled views into one of the largest aquariums in the world, home to more than 65,000 marine animals.

To get here we walked through a labyrinth of stone tunnels filled with tanks showing tiny clownfish, bobbing jellyfish and an albino alligator who is busily warming himself on a large rock. Above our heads, in a menacingly lit clear glass tank, a pod of pregnant lobsters were busy protecting their eggs.

For anyone with a level of fitness above rationalising that running for the bus counts as exercise, the session probably isn't that hard. For me, it's a challenge, but an oddly relaxing experience; the graceful sea animals and haunting music make it hard to pay attention to my screaming muscles.

In fact, the aquarium, which stretches along one side of the Dubai luxury resort, makes it hard to pay attention to much at all.

In the hotel's ritzy restaurant Ossiano, my eyes are torn between the bartender in front of me and the floor-to-ceiling windows into an aquarium that I've spent the better part of a day looking into.

I've ordered a Pearl Diver cocktail, which I immediately regret when I see how much work the bartenders have to do to create it.

Two of them are working in tandem, straining the mixture, shaping shaved ice into semi-circles, and placing a hard ball - that they warn you is filled with liquid - into oyster shaped glass dishes placed next to your glass.

When one of our party gets a shock from the liquid ball shooting down her throat, the bartender profusely apologises and gives her another.

Ossiano is the kind of place that thrives on the creation of extravagance, and the ridiculously attentive staff won't stand for any kind of sub-par experience. You're here for your taste buds to be pampered after all.

Unsurprisingly, the underwater restaurant specialises in seafood, holding the impressive moniker of serving Dubai's best for four years running. Every week its French chef serves up 40kg of seafood to guests who dine while gazing into a tank of marine life - which is superb, as long as you don't think about it too much.

It's a uniquely romantic experience and the restaurant has spurred more marriage proposals than any other spot at the hotel - one suitor splashing out over $A20,000 on dinner before getting down on one knee.

Across the tank from the underwater diners sit the resort's two famed underwater suites, whose bedrooms and master bathrooms also look into the 11-million litre aquarium.

Atlantis teems with people from every walk of life outside the doors of these suites, but inside it's remote and you feel like you're the only person on earth. Sitting in the deep bath and gazing into the tank is mesmerising until a 350-kilogram stingray glides past just centimetres from your face and your shriek spoils the serenity.

Relaxing, rich, romantic, remote - a few days spent living next to the ocean floor is a unique experience and a world away from the everyday.

In the classic Disney film The Little Mermaid, a red Jamaican crab named Sebastian sings that life is better under the sea and emerging out from under Atlantis into Dubai's searing heat, you begin to see his point.

IF YOU GO

GETTING THERE: Dubai is a 14-hour flight from Sydney and Brisbane and about 13 hours from Melbourne.

Emirates flies from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne to Dubai. Go to emirates.com.

STAYING THERE: Atlantis The Palm is a five-star hotel with great access to the beach, luxurious pool facilities and an action-packed water park. The resort is also home to world-class restaurants and bars. Prices start at approximately AUD$320 per night. For more, visit atlantisthepalm.com

PLAYING THERE: The hotel offers underwater yoga, an underwater restaurant and for the very brave an aqua trek where you can walk amongst the sharks and stingrays as you breathe through a bubble on your head.

The writer travelled as a guest of Atlantis The Palm, Dubai.The NSW premier is heading to the dusty paddocks in the state's central west to unveil significant drought-relief funding for communities as part of next week's budget.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian along with her deputy John Barilaro and Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair will be in Dubbo on Wednesday.

Farmers will be able to access a $284 million package and get access to one-off $50,000 loans that will be interest-free for seven years, according to the ABC.

A $4 million mental-health package will also be announced, Mr Barilaro told ABC on Wednesday.

It comes as the Country Women's Association heads to Broken Hill for a forum on Wednesday to discuss the impacts of the worsening drought conditions across the state.

"It's time for action and the kind of support that will make a real difference to the state's producers, and by convening this forum we hope some great initiatives will be put on the table," said CWA NSW president Annette Turner in a statement.

"Drought doesn't just affect our farmers and landholders, it affects everyone who relies on our agricultural industries and the communities in which they live," she said.Three new forensic vehicles will be unveiled in Victoria, capable of providing quick and accurate information to investigators during major crimes such as terrorist attacks.

The state-of-the-art vehicles, unveiled by police on Wednesday, can be deployed around the clock to test chemical and biological substances.

They will be deployed to major crime scenes of state significance or large-scale natural disasters with multiple fatalities.

"These vehicles will allow us to test potentially harmful substances at the scene of the crime rather than transporting samples to our forensic headquarters in Macleod, saving precious hours in a critical investigation," counter terrorism Assistant Commissioner Ross Guenther said.An image has been released of a man wanted over the sexual assault of a woman in inner Melbourne earlier this year.

The woman aged in her 20s was walking along Gatehouse Street in Parkville about 2.35am on March 28, when she was bear-hugged from behind by a man near the intersection with Bayles Crescent, police say.

The pair fell to the ground and the man sexually assaulted the woman who screamed, alerting neighbours as the attacker tried to cover her mouth.

The woman escaped and ran to a nearby property where residents called police, but a subsequent search, including the air wing, couldn't find the man and several people of interest have since been ruled out.

The man is described as aged between 25 and 35, with olive skin, muscular build and of "average height", and wearing a blue or grey hooded jumper, grey jeans and runners with white soles.

Detectives will set up an information caravan in Gatehouse Street from 10am until 2pm on Wednesday and have urged anyone with information to attend or contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, left, has navigated the pitfalls of Washington politics to become the longest serving Republican Senate leader ever

Mitch McConnell, the perpetually unruffled US Senate majority leader, stood before a gathering of Christian conservatives recently and compared himself to a cemetery groundskeeper: "Everybody's under you but nobody's listening."

The quip earned guffaws from the crowd. But while leading the senators in President Donald Trump's party has been likened to herding cats, McConnell's impact is no joke.

On Tuesday, the 76-year-old Kentuckian becomes the longest serving Republican Senate leader ever, surpassing Bob Dole's 11-plus years in charge.

It is a remarkable run for a lawmaker with one of the lowest approval ratings in the United States, and all the more impressive given the tumult in the GOP since Trump took the reins.

But McConnell's power -- especially behind the scenes -- has been undeniable.

"He's good at it," Republican Senator Johnny Isakson tells AFP about his friend's role as leader.

"He's got an even temper, doesn't shoot from the hip, he's thoughtful and very smart."

McConnell lacks Trump's telegenic charisma and bravado. But rivals who misunderstand McConnell's soft-spoken manner for weakness do so at their peril.

While House Republicans will soon be electing their third leader in as many years, McConnell is on his third US president as Senate GOP leader.

"I'm proud of the fact that I've enjoyed the confidence of my members," McConnell told Politico recently, adding he hopes to run for re-election in 2020.

He is a top tactician, a quality sealed in his 2016 masterstroke, when he denied Trump's Democratic predecessor Barack Obama the chance to fill the Supreme Court seat held by Antonin Scalia, the conservative justice who died in February 2016.

Holding that seat open was key in galvanizing Trump's base and helping him win the election.

It was "the single most consequential decision that I've made in my entire political career," McConnell told the conservative gathering Friday.

McConnell, who first came to Congress in 1985, has spent a long career navigating and changing the system from within.

"He understands the modern game of politics," said veteran Senator Richard Shelby.

"He keeps things close to his vest. That's why he's survived this long."

- 'Our champion' -

Through his 11-plus years as leader, from 2007 to 2015 as minority leader and the last three and a half in the majority, McConnell has not faced a serious challenge from within.

It is a tough daily grind in the Senate, where McConnell's party holds a slim 51-49 majority.

Sometimes, he has fallen short, as with Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare last year, and he has bristled at some of Trump's provocative moves.

But when it came time to be a loyal footsoldier, he led the charge, pushing massive tax cuts across the finish line.

Where the leader is cementing Trump's legacy most clearly is in the judiciary, with the Senate confirming large numbers of conservative federal judges.

"He has been our champion in getting judges confirmed," White House legislative affairs director Marc Short told AFP.

McConnell's savviest political move this year may have been to scrap most of the Senate's August recess, citing Democrats' "historic obstruction" of Trump nominees.

But the extra workdays in Washington will also keep Democrats who face tough re-election bids this year off the trail during a crucial campaign month.Govt soldiers patrol in the streets of Buea, in Cameroon's Southwest Region, on April 26, 2018

A government crackdown in two regions of Cameroon where English-speaking separatists are campaigning for an independent state has inflamed the crisis, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.

In a 37-page report, the human-rights watchdog said it had catalogued "unlawful killings, destruction of private property, arbitrary arrests and torture" committed by the security forces since late 2017.

"Far from resolving the crisis, the clampdown on any form of dissent and the heavy-handed response by the Cameroonian authorities and security forces appear to have empowered and created space for more radical and violent movements to emerge, with a focus on secession and armed struggle," it said.

"The human rights violations committed by the Cameroonian security forces and authorities have also contributed to creating a pervasive climate of fear, which some observers say has led to a growing sense of alienation among communities in the anglophone regions."

The unrest is unfolding in the Northwest and Southwest Regions -- English-speaking regions once governed by colonial Britain that joined French-speaking Cameroon after it gained independence from France in 1960.

Years of resentment at perceived discrimination sparked protests in October and November 2016.

The government responded with a clampdown, and in late 2017, the violence escalated further after radicals declared an independent state -- an entity that has not been recognised internationally -- and launched an armed campaign.

Amnesty said it had conducted interviews with more than 150 victims of, or eyewitnesses to, violence committed by the security forces or separatists.

Among the incidents, it said, was "the complete destruction" of the village of Kwakwa in the Southwest Region in December last year.

It was burned to the ground by the security forces after suspected separatists killed two gendarmes, it said.

In the village of Dadi, at least 23 people, including minors and two men with mental disabilities, were detained for three days last December and were tortured, using sticks, electric shocks, guns or ropes, it said. At least one died after being transferred to Buea central prison, it said.

"As a result of these security operations and the consequent violence, over 150,000 people became internally displaced and more than 20,000 fled to Nigeria where they are living in remote locations, requiring humanitarian support," it said.

The Cameroon authorities characterise the separatists as "terrorists" and accuse them in turn of attacks on police and troops and carrying out abductions and acts of intimidation.

Amnesty, addressing this question, said separatists had killed "at least" 44 members of the security forces, and also targeted ordinary people, including traditional chiefs, whom they suspected to be informants.

At least 42 schools have been attacked, two of which were seriously burned by arson, it said.

According to the International Crisis Group think-tank, at least 120 civilians and 43 security forces have been killed since the end of 2016.

The UN says 160,000 people have been internally displaced and 20,000 sought refuge in neighbouring Nigeria.The handshake represents a potential turning point after decades of war and antagonism

Steadily, almost warily, the two leaders approached each other on a colonnaded verandah, their hands outstretched as a gaggle of media watched from a platform and the rest of the world looked on.

Weeks in the making after decades of war, antagonism and venom, the first encounter between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump was a crucial moment.

Within the first minute in Singapore, the US president had proclaimed, he would know whether a deal over the North's nuclear arsenal was possible.

The drive to the venue took both men through the tourist enclave of Sentosa island and past the towers of Shrek's castle at a Universal Studios theme park.

Commuters in Seoul gather around a screen at a railway station to watch live footage of the historic handshake

But they emerged from their limousines grim and unsmiling, and the first few moments of their meeting appeared uneasy.

As the two shook hands for around 13 seconds, Trump reached out to touch Kim's shoulder, looking down at the shorter man as he spoke.

The two turned to face the cameras in front of a dozen American and North Korean flags, upright and unsmiling.

But as Trump ushered the North Korean towards their meeting room, Kim's lips creased into the beginnings of a smile, and the two men visibly relaxed the moment they turned off the stage at the Capella Hotel.

The historic handshake between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump lasted some 13 seconds

They chatted and smiled as they went into the first-ever one-on-one encounter between a leader of the North and a sitting US president.

The first minute of the meeting, Trump said, had felt "really great".

"I think it's going to be really successful and I think we will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt."

- 'Not easy' -

Held on a former British military base, the summit came 65 years after Pyongyang's Chinese-backed forces fought the US-led UN coalition to a standstill in the Korean War, and followed years of increasing tensions over the North's banned nuclear and ballistic weapons programmes.

The two leaders approached each other on a colonnaded verandah at a historic Singapore hotel

According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, it was the first time the US and North Korean emblems had been officially displayed side-by-side since the New York Philharmonic played a concert in Pyongyang in 2008.

In Seoul, South Korean President Moon Jae-in -- whose country remains technically at war with the North -- watched live ahead of a cabinet meeting.

"I, too, could hardly sleep last night," he told his ministers, hoping for a "new era among the two Koreas and the United States".

US President Donald Trump lightened the mood with a thumbs up as he sat down with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un

Sitting across from Trump at a small side table, Kim told the US president through a translator: "It was not easy to get here.

"The past worked as fetters on our limbs and the old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward," he went on, his listener looking him in the eye and nodding. "But we overcame all of them and we are here today."

Trump responded "That's true," before another handshake -- smiling this time -- and a thumbs-up from the US president.

The clasps represented an agreement to overcome decades of hostile relations, said Koh Yu-hwan, professor at Dongguk University.

It was more formal than Kim's encounters with his neighbours -- the North Korean leader used both hands when he met Chinese President Xi Jinping, and embraced the South's President Moon Jae-in at their second summit in the Demilitarized Zone last month.

But Koh told AFP: "Right now, it's the first meeting between the heads of two enemy states so they can't exchange friendly hugs.

"Technically, we are still in a state of war," he added. "But if the talks go well, they could end it with a hug."

burs-sh-slb/mtpThe village on Panmunjom, in the heart of the DMZ, was where the Korean War fighting ended with an armistice

On the world's last Cold War frontier, where troops have long faced off at the truce village that divides the two Koreas, propaganda broadcasts have fallen silent and soldiers from the North are hopeful a historic summit will herald a new era for their country.

The blue huts of Panmunjom are emblematic of the truce that stopped the fighting in the Korean War, and a favoured destination for visiting US leaders looking to demonstrate their resolve to face down the North.

But now the North Korean soldiers stationed there express enthusiasm for Tuesday's unprecedented meeting between their commander-in-chief Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump.

"In the past, we've held negative feelings against the troops on the other side," Lieutenant Colonel Hwang Myong Jin told AFP.

"But for those who treat us with goodwill and want to improve relations, we can become friends and walk the same path holding hands despite our history."

Korean People's Army soldier Lieutenant Colonel Hwang Myong Jin is upbeat about the Singapore summit as an opportunity to showcase the nation before the world

Hwang said he had a "positive stance" towards the talks in Singapore, where Kim clasped hands with Trump in a momentous encounter.

"Our republic has been squeezed in between the great powers in the past... But today, we are showing our dignity as an independent nation in front of the whole world."

He keenly pointed out the pine tree planted by his leader and the South's President Moon Jae-in during their first summit in April, when the pair swapped briefing papers for shovels to toss soil -- from mountains in both countries -- over its roots in one of several memorable moments.

"At first I was very nervous," about the summit, he said. "Our Supreme Leader was crossing over to the dangerous South side."

But when Kim held hands with Moon to lead him to the northern side and back again, he added, "I thought the day of reunification was coming near."

- 'Sign their surrender' -

But such sentiments are a recent phenomenon.

North Korea proclaims itself to have won the 1950-53 conflict, which it calls the Great Fatherland Liberation War.

A large stone plaque on its side of the DMZ commemorates a 2012 visit by Kim, who "gave us a valuable lesson that this is a historic place where the US invaders kneeled before our people to sign their surrender".

Tourists from China pose for photos with a replica of the Korean War Armistice Agreement on the North Korean side of the Demilitarised Zone

"Our future generations will live in a reunified motherland," it cites him as declaring.

The North constantly reiterates the importance of reuniting the peninsula, divided by the US and Soviet Union in the closing days of the Second World War, and its 1950 invasion was an attempt to do so by force.

Since then the democratic, capitalist South has accelerated into the economic distance, rising to become the world's 11th-largest economy.

In contrast the North was hammered by the collapse of the Soviet Union and has been subjected to multiple UN Security Council sanctions over its weapons ambitions.

On a previous visit to the DMZ, AFP's then escort said that the "true nature" of the US was that it "gets in the way of peace".

North Korean officer Hwang Myong Jin says he could envisage his country one day being friends with the United States

"As a soldier," that officer added, "I only think about pushing the US out of the south as soon as possible and unifying our nation."

In Pyongyang, a display board outside the main train station which has long featured images of military exercises and missile launches, showed photos of infrastructure and agricultural projects.

But in the lobby bookshop of the main Yanggakdo tourist hotel, postcards showing anti-US propaganda were still displayed in a window, with images of missiles aimed at North America.The severed shark head was stuffed with cigarette butts and ocean debris

A severed shark head, stuffed with cigarette butts and ocean debris, was found impaled on a fence at an Australian marine rescue organisation's office, with the gruesome discovery drawing criticism on social media.

Marine Rescue NSW volunteers at Shellharbour, some 100 kilometres (62 miles) south of Sydney, arrived for duty Sunday morning to find the head of the mako shark.

Regional operations manager Bruce Mitchell told AFP it was the "first time I've ever heard of it anywhere", adding that it appeared the shark was fairly fresh and likely to have been caught on Saturday.

"Whoever caught the shark brought it back to the (boat) ramp and cleaned it, and cut the head off," Mitchell said, adding that the whole creature would have weighed about 70 kilogrammes (154 pounds).

"Maybe someone (else) came there during the night, found it and thought they'll have a bit of fun. That's one possibility."

Mitchell said the volunteer organisation -- which helps boaters during emergencies and other situations -- had not received any threats and did not refer the incident to the police.

Marine Rescue posted photos of the head on Facebook and Twitter and said the incident was a "kick in the guts for our committed volunteers who give up their time to save lives on the water".

"Takes one messed up human to do something like that," one Twitter user wrote, while a Facebook commenter said: "Someone with a macabre sense of humour."No fewer than 14 images of Kim Jong Un's visit to the Marina Bay Sands hotel, casino and convention centre and other sights were printed on the front page of the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper

North Korea's state media provided extensive coverage Tuesday of a late night stroll taken by Kim Jong Un around staunchly capitalist Singapore, with a barrage of photos accompanying the young leader's effusive praise for the island state's economic model.

Fulsome applause for another country is unusual for the media in the impoverished North, which generally do not show detailed images of affluent foreign countries.

A few hours ahead of his historic summit with Donald Trump -- the first encounter between a leader of the isolated, nuclear-armed North and a sitting US president -- Kim took a break from preparations for a waterfront stroll.

He was accompanied by Singapore's foreign and education ministers -- with whom he posed for selfies -- and surrounded by officials as police held back pursuing reporters.

But images of Kim are carefully controlled and managed in the isolated North, and travelling media from Pyongyang enjoyed close access.

No fewer than 14 images of his visit to the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) hotel, casino and convention centre and other sights were printed on the front page of the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper.

Fulsome praise for another country is unusual for North Korea's media

It showed him smiling on the MBS' rooftop Sky Park observation platform, adding he "learned about the social and economic development" of Singapore.

Other pictures showed onlookers taking pictures of Kim, who has made only two previous trips beyond the Korean peninsula as leader, both of them to China.

In Pyongyang, commuters gathered around a news stand at a subway station where the front page had been posted.

Praising Singapore's "clean and beautiful" environment, Kim vowed to "learn a lot from the good knowledge and experience of Singapore in various fields in the future," the newspaper added.

The bright lights of the Singaporean cityscape are a notable contrast to Pyongyang, much of which remains dimly lit at night despite Kim overseeing a number of prestige development projects during his rule.Lawyers for former Congolese vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba will call for his release Tuesday after he was acquitted of war crimes at the ICC in The Hague

Jean-Pierre Bemba's lawyers are set to argue Tuesday for his immediate release after international judges acquitted him of war crimes, as the former Congolese vice president edged closer towards freedom following a decade behind bars.

Bemba was acquitted on appeal Friday by the International Criminal Court, who said he could not be held criminally liable for crimes committed by his troops in the Central African Republic in 2002-2003.

Bemba's lawyer Peter Haynes told journalists after his acquittal that his client "should be released without delay".

"He should be gone. Having acquitted him the court has a duty to release him or act with expeditiousness," said Haynes.

The stocky former rebel leader however for now remains behind bars.

Bemba is currently awaiting another sentence in a separate case in which he was handed one year in jail and fined 300,000 euros ($350,000) for bribing witnesses during his main war crimes trial.

He lost an appeal against that sentence and the ICC is yet to decide on a new jail term, which carries a maximum of five-years.

- Immediate release? -

Haynes however argued his client had already spent a decade at the Hague-based ICC following his arrest in 2008 in Belgium, thus negating any possible change in sentence handed down by the court.

"The position is that he has spent... 10 years in custody. I can't imagine any circumstances in which there will be a change from 12 months to five years," said Haynes.

Tuesday's hearing before judge Bertram Schmitt is in the form of a so-called status conference "to discuss the matter of the continued detention of Mr Bemba in this case," the judge said in a court document.

Although it is highly unlikely that Schmitt will order Bemba's immediate release, a second hearing or written order to that effect may soon follow, legal experts say.

The ICC in a statement said "a decision on this matter will be made subsequently in due course."

"I would be very surprised if he was not immediately released," former US ambassador for war crimes issues Stephen Rapp told AFP.

"The most obvious would be to release him tomorrow (Tuesday)," added Thijs Bouwknegt of the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

"It's a simple mathematical equation," Bouwknegt told AFP.

- Surprise acquittal -

Friday's surprise decision came after Bemba, 55, was sentenced unanimously to 18 years in 2016 by ICC trial judges in the longest sentence ever to be handed to a suspect before the Hague-based court.

Then, judges found Bemba -- nicknamed "Miniature Mobutu" -- guilty on five counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by his private army during a five-month rampage in the neighbouring CAR.

Bemba had sent his militia, the Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC) -- a rebel force that he later transformed into a political organisation -- into the DRCongo's northern neighbour in October 2002 to quash a coup against the then president, Ange-Felix Patasse.

Bemba was likely to join his family in Belgium as soon as he is freed, Haynes told journalists last week.

It is not yet known whether or when the former Congolese leader planned to return to the vast central African country following his release.

Bemba had unsuccessfully opposed President Joseph Kabila in elections in 2006. After his militia clashed violently with government forces in 2007, he was forced out of the DRC but retains a groundswell of support.

His acquittal came amid mounting tensions in the run-up to scheduled presidential elections on December 23.The French navy's assault ship Dixmude late last month sailed around the South China Sea to push back against Beijing's claim to own most of the resource-rich waters

France is increasing its military presence in the Indo-Pacific region, sending warships through the South China Sea and planning air exercises to help counter China's military build-up in disputed waters.

In late May, the French assault ship Dixmude and a frigate sailed through the disputed Spratly Islands and around a group of reefs that China has turned into islets to push back against Beijing's claim to own most of the resource-rich South China Sea.

"Our patrol involved passing close to these islets to obtain intelligence with all the sensors it is possible to use in international waters," the Dixmude's commanding officer, Jean Porcher, told reporters in a video interview.

Writing in The Wall Street Journal, a researcher from the Hudson Institute think-tank who was onboard, said that "several Chinese frigates and corvettes" tailed the French vessels.

Porcher said the ship maintained "cordial" radio contact with Chinese military vessels, "which were present in the area until we left".

So far the United States has taken the lead in confronting China over its territorial claims in the South China Sea, which are contested by several neighbours, particularly Vietnam.

But France, which along with Britain is the only European nation to regularly send its navy into the region, has also waded into the dispute, sending its ships into the South China Sea three to five times a year.

In August, the airforce will stage its biggest-ever exercises in southeast Asia as part of a strategy to mark France's presence in a region that is home to 1.5 million French citizens in the country's overseas territories.

Three Rafale fighter jets, one A400M troop transporter and a C135 refuelling tanker will fly from Australia to India, with several stop-offs along the way.

The sea and air operations follow a visit by President Emmanuel Macron last month to Australia, where he spoke of the need to protect the Indo-Pacific region from "hegemony" -- a veiled reference to Beijing's growing might.

He stressed that France, which will be the last country in the EU after Britain leaves the bloc to have territories in the Pacific, did not want to antagonise China.

But a "strong Indo-Pacific axis" was needed to ensure respect for freedom of navigation and aviation in the region, he told Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

- Supporting arms customers -

Macron appears to be "realistically assessing the growing Chinese challenge", said Jonas Parello-Plesner, a researcher from the US-based Hudson Institute who was an observer on the recent French navy voyage.

"This is a welcome change from his predecessors, who were enthralled by the business and investment opportunities in China," he wrote in The Wall Street Journal.

But France had already began to push back against China's expansionism before Macron took power.

Since 2014, the navy has sailed regularly through the South China Sea as part of its stated bid to uphold a rules-based maritime order.

In 2016, then French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (now the foreign minister) called on other European navies to develop a regular and visible presence in the South China Sea.

Besides protecting navigation, France has cited the need to defend the interests of its citizens scattered across five French territories in the Pacific, including New Caledonia and French Polynesia.

"This region is also our home," current Defence Minister Florence Parly said during a visit to Singapore in early June.

Valerie Niquet, an expert on the Asia-Pacific region at the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris, said France's growing assertiveness showed the US was no longer the only Western power "getting involved in the area".

"Faced with China the US obviously plays the main deterrent role, but it's not pointless or trivial for a power like France, a permanent member of the (UN) Security Council, to take a firm, principled position and carry out concrete actions," she said, predicting that it would "marginalise China's position a little bit more".

Analysts point to another factor underpinning France's growing activism in the Indo-Pacific region: the need to show buyers of French arms that Paris has their back.

In 2016, India agreed buy 36 Rafale fighter jets and Australia signed a deal worth 50 billion Australian dollars ($37 billion, 31 billion euros) for 12 next-generation French submarines.

"That is also doubtlessly pushing France to be a lot firmer on subjects that, up until recently, were broached with great care," Niquet said.The new law will require internet firms such as Facebook and Google to store user data in Vietnam

Vietnamese lawmakers on Tuesday approved a sweeping cyber security law which could compel Facebook and Google to take down critical posts within 24 hours, as space for debate is crushed inside the Communist country.

Activists and dissenters are routinely harassed, jailed or tied up in legal cases in Vietnam, a one-party state which is hyper-sensitive to critical public opinion.

Social media and Internet forums have provided a rare platform to share and debate views against authorities.

But the bill, waved through by an overwhelming majority of MPs in the National Assembly, is poised to end that relative freedom.

The law's far-reaching provisions mean internet companies will have to remove posts deemed to be a "national security" threat within a day and store personal information and data of their users inside Vietnam.

"Currently, Google and Facebook store personal data of Vietnamese users in Hong Kong and Singapore," Vo Trong Viet, chairman of National Assembly's defence and security committee told lawmakers.

Personal data on Vietnamese Facebook and Google users is currently stored in Hong Kong and Singapore

"Putting data centres in Vietnam will increase expenses for the service providers... but it is necessary to meet the requirements of the country's cyber security."

The new law outlaws material encouraging public gatherings or that "offends" everything from the national flag to the country's leaders and "heroes".

There was no immediate detail of the punishment for violating the new rules.

Only 15 out of the 466 MPs present in the rubber-stamp assembly voted against the bill, which the government says will become law from January 1, 2019.

Rights advocates said it further shrinks the small space for debate.

"In the country's deeply repressive climate, the online space was a relative refuge where people could go to share ideas and opinions with less fear of censure by the authorities," said Clare Algar of Amnesty International.

"With the sweeping powers it grants the government to monitor online activity, this vote means there is now no safe place left."

The Asia Internet Coalition, an advocacy group for behalf of Facebook, Google, Twitter and other tech firms in the region, said it was "disappointed" by the assembly's vote.

Only 15 out of the 466 MPs present voted against the bill

"Unfortunately, these provisions, will result in severe limitations on Vietnam's digital economy, dampening the foreign investment climate and hurting opportunities for local businesses and SMEs to flourish inside and beyond Vietnam," said Jeff Paine, managing director of the internet coalition.

The country's conservative leadership, which has been in charge since 2016, is waging a crackdown on activists and dissidents.

At least 26 dissidents and actives have been prosecuted during the first five months this year, according to Human Rights Watch.

The government has also unveiled a 10,000-strong brigade to fight cybercrimes and "wrongful views" on the internet, according to state media reports.

The unit, dubbed Force 47, is also tasked with fighting anti-state propaganda on the web.Aid agencies have been warning of the potential for a humanitarian catastrophe over the coming months as heavy rains lash an area home to the world's largest refugee camp

Landslides triggered by monsoon rains killed at least 12 people Tuesday in Bangladesh near camps housing one million Rohingya refugees, officials said.

Aid agencies have been warning of the potential for a humanitarian catastrophe over the coming months as heavy rains lash an area home to the world's largest refugee camp.

Most of Tuesday's victims were buried under mud when surrounding hills gave way after a deluge.

Eleven people died in Naniarchar including a family of four, while several people remained missing, district administrator Mamunur Rashid told AFP.

Another person was killed in neighbouring Cox's Bazar district, police said.

Landslides have so far killed at least 13 people this week, after a Rohingya boy was crushed to death by a collapsing mud wall at the Kutupalong refugee camp on Monday.

Some 200,000 Rohingya who live on hills around the refugee camps are at risk of death or injury from monsoon rains, officials and relief agencies have said.

Many of the hills around the settlements have been cleared of trees to build shelters, making the land highly unstable.

Nearly 29,000 people have been moved to new locations ahead of the monsoon but the risk of a tragedy remains high.

"Relocation is continuing but the problem is where (to) find land to move people," UN refugee agency spokesperson Caroline Gluck told AFP.

At least 300 shelters were damaged by rains that began late Saturday, Bangladesh officials said.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said waterborne disease was on the rise as floodwaters mingled with latrines.

"Were already seeing increases in acute water diarrhoea, and the risk of an outbreak of waterborne diseases is now a serious likelihood," Sanjeev Kafley, IFRC's local chief, said in a statement.

The region is forecast to receive 2.5 metres (8.2 feet) of rainfall during the monsoon season -- roughly triple what Britain gets in a year.

Last year, monsoon rains triggered landslides in Cox's Bazar and the nearby Chittagong hill tracts, killing at least 170 people.

There are also fears flooding could spread disease in the refugee camps.

About 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled neighbouring Myanmar since last August after an army crackdown which the UN says amounted to "ethnic cleansing".

They join around 300,000 refugees from earlier violence in mainly Buddhist Myanmar, where the Rohingya are a persecuted and stateless minority.The new de facto US embassy in Taipei reaffirms Washington's commitment to Taiwan as China steps up diplomatic and military pressure on the self-ruled island

The United States on Tuesday unveiled a new $255 million de facto embassy in Taiwan in what was hailed as a "milestone" in relations, drawing the ire of China which considers the self-ruled island as part of its territory.

Donald Trump's administration is moving to strengthen ties with Taiwan in the face of China's diplomatic moves and military threats.

In March, after Trump approved new rules allowing top US officials to travel to the island, Beijing called on Washington to "correct its mistake".

But the US sent an assistant secretary of state for the unveiling.

Beijing said it lodged an official diplomatic protest with Washington.

The US switched diplomatic recognition to China in 1979 but maintains close economic, political and security ties with Taiwan. It manages its relations through the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).

Marie Royce, assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs, attended the dedication ceremony with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen.

"AIT's new home is both a tangible symbol that reflects the strength of our ties and a state-of-the-art facility that will make possible even greater cooperation for years to come," said Royce, the wife of pro-Taiwan congressman and House foreign affairs committee chairman Ed Royce.

AIT chairman James Moriarty called the new complex a "milestone" in the US-Taiwan relationship and a "testament to the strong US commitment to Taiwan".

Tsai hailed the complex as a new chapter in the "great story of US-Taiwan relations".

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Beijing was "gravely concerned" and launched "solemn representations" with Washington -- diplomatic speak for an official protest.

"If any US official attends this activity, whatever their excuse may be, it violates the one China principle," Geng told a regular press briefing.

"We urge the US to honour its words on the Taiwan issue and redress it's wrongdoings so as to avoid doing harm to China-US ties and peace and stability in cross-straits relations."

China and Taiwan have been ruled separately since 1949 but Beijing views the island as a renegade province awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

China bars Taiwan from membership in the United Nations and many other international organisations and has been luring away the island's remaining diplomatic allies

It bars Taiwan from membership in the United Nations and many other international organisations and has been luring away the island's remaining diplomatic allies.

Since Tsai came to power two years ago, Beijing has cut contact with her government because Taipei refuses to acknowledge that Taiwan is part of "one China".

Beijing officials have described intensified Chinese military drills near the island as a warning against any moves to assert its sovereignty.

While Taiwan's relationship with the US is essential to its security, it must also guard against provoking China, its biggest military threat but also the dominant market for the island's export-driven economy.The new measures come after senior finance ministry official Junichi Fukuda was forced to resign following allegations he sexually harassed female reporters

Japan's prime minister on Tuesday pledged zero tolerance on sexual harassment, ordering senior officials to undergo training to prevent abuse after a scandal involving a top government bureaucrat.

"Sexual harassment is a clear violation of human rights. It must never be tolerated," Shinzo Abe told a panel of ministers.

"We ask each one of the ministers to implement this emergency measure in a swift manner," he said, referring to a new policy that will require senior bureaucrats to undergo anti-sexual harassment training.

The training will be tied to promotion for bureaucrats in a bid to ensure the success of the effort.

The initiative comes after a senior finance ministry official was forced to resign following allegations he sexually harassed female reporters.

He denied the allegations, but a ministry probe found them credible and docked his retirement pay.

The finance ministry came under fire for its handling of the allegations, with Finance Minister Taro Aso initially appearing to dismiss them, and the ministry then asking women to come forward publicly with details of their experiences.

The scandal proved an additional headache for Abe, whose government was already under fire over two cronyism scandals -- one of which involves the scrubbing of documents by the finance ministry.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and women's empowerment minister Seiko Noda (left) meet with cabinet members on the anti-harassment initiative

Abe has made increasing female participation in the workforce a key plank of his economic policies as Japan struggles with a labour shortage.

But he has failed to make significant headway, with men still dominating public offices, boardrooms and academia in Japan.

Japan ranked bottom among G7 countries in the World Economic Forum's latest "Global Gender Gap Report", coming 114th worldwide.

The global #MeToo movement has also not gained much traction in the country, though some observers said the outcry over the finance ministry case suggested a reckoning was coming.

Internal Affairs Minister Seiko Noda, who also serves as women's empowerment minister, pushed for the new policy, which calls for ministries to improve their handling of allegations of wrongdoing, whether from staff or outsiders.

"This does not require new laws. We already have programmes in place, but they are not being properly administered," she told reporters.

"Young people are going through these trainings, but senior people in positions of power, who might potentially carry out abusive actions, must realise that sexual harassment is a violation of human rights," she said.Exiled Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi (L) meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Red Sea city of Jeddah on May 30 for talks on the war against Huthi Shiite rebels

Yemen's president is to hold talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday as he attempts to repair relations with the United Arab Emirates, which has increasingly sidelined him in its three-year military intervention.

President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi is making the rare visit on the advice of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, where he lives in exile, Yemen's government-run Saba news agency reported.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE sent troops to Yemen in 2015 with the stated goal of restoring Hadi to power after he fled the country as Huthi Shiite rebels overran most of the country.

But Hadi's close relations with the Muslim Brotherood-dominated Islah party have infuriated Abu Dhabi, which has swung its support behind secessionists who want to restore the pre-1990 independence of south Yemen.

With UAE backing, in January the secessionists overran the main southern city of Aden where Hadi's government has its headquarters.

UAE forces and their allies have also occupied several other key ports and islands, including the strategic Arabian Sea archipelago of Socotra, where Saudi Arabia too deployed troops last month as part of a deal to appease Hadi's government.

The rift between Hadi and Abu Dhabi had largely overshadowed the war gainst the Huthi rebels who still control the capital Sanaa and much of the north.

But last month UAE troops launched a joint offensive with Hadi's forces and their Saudi allies against the rebel-held Red Sea port of Hodeida.

The city, which has a population of some 600,000, is the entry point for 70 percent of Yemen's imports, the vast of majority of them desperately needed food, and there has been mounting UN and Western pressure for a halt to the potentially bloody assault.

bur-mou-mah-aph/kirDR Congo's Supreme Court, seen here sitting in 2014, has now been disbanded and divided into three separate entities

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will establish a top appeals court and a Council of State after Joseph Kabila signed an executive order paving the way for their creation, state television said Tuesday.

The move completes a judicial reform first outlined in 2006 in the constitution which envisaged the former Supreme Court being split into three separate branches.

But it was only in 2013 that Kabila began the process, ordering the creation of the Constitutional Court.

To complete the restructuring, Kabila has now issued several executive orders naming those tasked with establishing the Court of Cassation and the Council of State as well as the prosecutors who will be attached to them, the state-run RTNC reported.

Justice Jerome Kitoko, who was president of the now-defunct Supreme Court, will take over as head of the Court of Cassation which deals with cases involving political figures and has the final say in legal challenges, whether civil, criminal or commercial.

Flory Kabange Numbi, who has until now served as attorney general, will become the court's chief prosecutor.

Felix Vunduawe, one of the Constitutional Court judges and a former chief of staff under the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko (1965-1997), has been named first president of the Council of State, which is the top authority for administrative justice.

Retired former attorney general Mushangalusha Ndoyodeza has been recalled to serve as the Council of State's chief prosecutor.

The DRC, rich in minerals but mired in poverty, is one of the most volatile countries in the world.

The country is in the grip of an escalating political crisis. Presidential elections, twice postponed, are scheduled to be held in December, but Kabila, in power since 2001, has so far refrained from saying whether he will run again.

Under the constitution, he is barred from seeking a third term. His second term expired at the end of December 2016, but he stayed on under a constitutional clause enabling the president to remain in office until his successor is elected.Hideko Hakamada, sister of former boxer Iwao Hakamada, shows a picture of him during an interview in 2013

A Japanese court has overturned a lower court ruling that freed a man described as the world's longest-serving death row inmate, raising the prospect that the 82-year-old could eventually be imprisoned again.

The Tokyo High Court on Monday reversed the ruling dating from 2014 that granted Iwao Hakamada a fresh trial and saw him released from prison.

He was detained for 48 years, most of them in solitary confinement, and spent 45 of those years on death row following his conviction in the 1966 murder of his boss and the man's wife and two children.

"It's regrettable... we'll move to the next step," Hakamada's sister Hideko told supporters on Monday. Hakamada's defence team told local media they would appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.

Hakamada will not be jailed again pending the appeal and his death sentence continues to be suspended, given his age and his frail health which makes it unlikely he would flee.

Hakamada was believed to be the world's longest-serving death row inmate and his case attracted international attention.

He was freed in March 2014 when the Shizuoka District Court ordered a fresh trial on concerns that investigators could have planted evidence in order to clear up a crime that had shocked the country.

Prosecutors appealed that decision, resulting in Monday's ruling.

After his arrest in 1966, Hakamada initially denied accusations that he had robbed and killed his boss and his family before setting their house ablaze.

But the former professional boxer later confessed, following what he subsequently claimed was a brutal police interrogation that included beatings.

He retracted his confession to no avail and the supreme court confirmed his death sentence in 1980.

Prosecutors and courts used bloodstained clothes, which only emerged a year after the crime and his arrest, as key evidence in convicting Hakamada.

But his supporters said the clothes did not fit him and the bloodstains appeared too vivid for evidence that was discovered so long after the crime.

Later DNA tests found no link between Hakamada, the clothes and the bloodstains, his supporters and lawyers said.

His sister Hideko campaigned tirelessly for his release and has told AFP previously that Hakamada appeared to have developed mental illness after years of solitary confinement.

On Monday the high court questioned the DNA test submitted by Hakamada's lawyers. This had prompted the ruling for a new trial by showing no link between his DNA and the bloodstained clothes.

The court said Monday that the DNA analysis method was unorthodox and there was "serious doubt" about it, according to local media.

Japan is the only major industrialised democracy other than the United States to carry out capital punishment.The meeting in Singapore offered a dramatic image makeover for Kim Jong Un

Kim Jong Un's charm offensive and his historic summit with US President Donald Trump have overshadowed a more sinister side of his regime -- widespread human rights abuses, activists say.

The meeting in Singapore offered a dramatic image makeover for Kim, previously known for his apocalyptic threats of nuclear war and accused of ordering the killings of his own uncle and half-brother.

During his three-day visit, a smiling Kim shared a historic handshake with Trump, took selfies with top Singaporean officials and toured the city-state's scenic waterfront, drawing throngs of onlookers.

Trump praised Kim as a "very talented man" who "loves his country very much," after ignoring a reporter's question on whether he raised the issue of Otto Warmbier -- a US student who died after being detained in the North for more than a year.

"Some say Kim is 'cute' or 'friendlier than expected,' but they should not be deceived by Kim's smiling face at this political show," Choi Jung-Hun, a North Korean defector living in Seoul, told AFP.

The Kim family has ruled the impoverished, nuclear-armed nation with a pervasive personality cult and little tolerance for dissent.

North Korea stands accused of a litany of state-sanctioned rights abuses including torture, rape, execution and brutal crackdowns on dissent.

The regime is estimated to have up to 120,000 political prisoners in its sprawling gulag system.

Kim also had his own powerful uncle, Jang Song-Thaek, executed in 2013 for treason, and is accused of ordering the assassination of his half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, at a Malaysian airport in 2017.

- 'Diplomatic reality show' -

Days before Tuesday's summit, more than 300 rights groups including Human Rights Watch urged Pyongyang to improve its dire rights records.

"Kim Jong Un is trying to become an international statesman, but this effort will fail if he continues to preside over a country that has been referred to as the 'world's biggest open prison'," said Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW.

Trump repeatedly suggested lifting sanctions on the North as ties improved, and praised Tuesday's summit as a "tremendous success".

But while many sanctions were imposed over the North's missile and nuclear weapons tests, some were imposed over rights abuses, John Sifton, HRW Asia advocacy director, said.

That means human rights would be "staying on the agenda of subsequent negotiations, whether they (Kim and Trump) want it or not" Sifton warned on Monday.

Amnesty International also urged efforts to shed light on the "near total denial of human rights" in the North at the summit.

"It would be deeply disappointing if the catastrophic human rights situation in North Korea is completely overlooked as diplomatic relations continue to thaw," it said last week.

The US State Department's latest rights report on the North, released earlier this year, describes "egregious human rights violations" in the authoritarian state, from public executions to widespread surveillance of citizens.

Trump acknowledged earlier this month that he had not raised the issue of human rights during the preparation stage for the summit but on Tuesday said it had been discussed.

Choi urged the international community to see the "dark side behind the diplomatic reality show".

"I really hoped that Trump raised the issue of human rights during the meeting with Kim... so that this dialogue would mean something even for poor North Koreans rotting in prison camps," he said.A member of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces removes an Islamic State group flag in the town of Tabqa on April 30, 2017

The Islamic State group may have lost most of its territory in Syria but recent deadly attacks against pro-regime fighters are a foretaste of more to come, analysts say.

Despite pro-government forces ousting IS from urban centres in eastern Syria last year, surprise raids there in past weeks have killed dozens of regime and allied fighters.

On Friday, the jihadist group rammed into Albu Kamal on the Iraqi border in its first major incursion inside the town in more than half a year.

Despite being expelled from most towns of the proto-state it declared in 2014 in Syria and neighbouring Iraq, analysts say IS has retained the ability to pounce from the desert.

"When the (Syrian) regime or the Iraqi government declared that they were able to vanquish IS, this is a very inaccurate statement," military analyst Nawar Oliver at the Turkey-based Omran Institute said.

"You were able to vanquish IS in the city -- such as Deir Ezzor, Albu Kamal, Mayadeen, Palmyra -- but you were not able to get rid of IS in the desert, which is your main problem right now," he said.

Syria's army backed by Russia retook these urban areas last year, the first three in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor and the last in the central province of Homs.

The jihadists consider raids like those on Albu Kamal to be victories, Oliver said, but there will be many more hit-and-run raids to come.

"The attacks will continue launched from the desert, targeting pipelines, main roads, border crossings -- which will give any government a huge headache," he said.

The border post near Albu Kamal is for now controlled by Syrian and Iraqi forces, but activist Omar Abu Leila said there was undoubtedly coordination between IS fighters on both sides of the frontier.

This came through "their hidden movement through the deserts and through disguise -- perhaps with the uniforms of local drivers", the Deir Ezzor native said.

- 'Soft underbelly' -

Analyst Hassan Hassan, a senior fellow at the Tahrir Institute, warned the jihadists would continue to rely on their deep knowledge of Syria's vast desert and adjacent Iraqi areas in coming years.

"Eastern Syria and northeastern Iraq will continue to be the soft underbelly of both countries, and where IS will operate for many years to come," he said.

"The group knows the area very well, has established an insurgency infrastructure in the deserts, river valleys and rural areas stretching from Kirkuk and Diyala in Iraq to the Qalamun region near Damascus in Syria."

Its enemies are unable "to police and secure these areas in a sustainable way", Hassan said.

In Deir Ezzor, a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance -- the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) -- is also battling the extremists in a small slither of land east of the Euphrates River that cuts across the province.

But in past weeks, the jihadists have focused their raids on the river's western banks as they are the gateway to their sandy stronghold in Homs province, military analyst Oliver said.

These have spiked since the jihadists were evacuated from their last bastion outside Damascus last month, many heading to Syria's vast Badiya desert, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says.

Government posts there are easy targets, as they are few and far from each other so reinforcements are slow to arrive, the Britain-based monitor says.

The victims of these raids on regime forces have included Russian, Iranian and Lebanese fighters, even as the jihadists retain a presence in other parts of Syria.

The SDF backed by the US-led coalition has been battling IS in a pocket in the northeastern Hasakeh province, where Oliver says high-profile commanders are present.

Last week, one of its sleeper cells executed rival jihadists in the northwestern province of Idlib, and a surprise attack revealed IS's presence in the southern province of Sweida.The two leaders struck a friendly tone at the historic summit in Singapore

A historic handshake in front of US and North Korean flags, a solemn signing ceremony and back-slapping compliments: critics charge that US President Donald Trump has legitimised Kim Jong Un on the world stage.

The photo opportunity the world was waiting to see -- the two leaders clasping hands -- has also been a goal of the Kim dynasty for decades.

And analysts noted that Trump was treating as an equal a man who only a few months ago seemed to be tipping the world towards nuclear war and whose regime has been accused of horrendous human rights abuses.

"The optics of this summit -- from the handshakes, to the flag arrangements, to the seating arrangements -- are indistinguishable from a meeting between two sovereign states with normal diplomatic relations," said security commentator Ankit Panda

It was not necessarily an "unbearable cost", he tweeted, but added: "The legitimising effect on North Korea's regime is undeniable."

No caption

Only months ago, Kim and Trump were hurling personal insults at each other -- "dotard", "rocket man" -- and boasting about their nuclear buttons.

But in the luxurious surrounds of a hotel in neutral Singapore, the pair appeared almost playful at times, going for a stroll in the grounds and Trump allowing Kim a peak inside "The Beast", his armoured car.

At times Trump seemed to be falling over himself to shower the younger man with compliments.

"I learned that he's a very talented man. I also learned that he loves his country very much," said Trump, adding that Kim had a "great personality" and was "very smart."

The contrast with the G7 meeting only days earlier, where Trump found himself isolated over trade policy among traditional allies, was stark.

"Something important happened here that can never be taken back," said Adam Mount, a nuclear policy expert at the Federation of American Scientists.

- Better to talk -

Amid the cynicism, supporters of the talks process argued that Kim's acceptance on the world stage had positive aspects, and was better than leaving him an isolated threat to world peace.

In a first, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un posed for a selfie with Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan during an evening stroll through the city

And so soon after North Korea frazzled global nerves with nuclear and missile tests, many commentators said that talks and an agreement, however weak, were clearly better than the two sides lobbing insults -- or worse.

"We are beginning to think about North Korea and Kim Jong Un in terms of 'opportunity', rather than threat, and that itself is a historic transformation," said John Delury, a professor at the Seoul-based Yonsei University, who has long backed engagement with Pyongyang.

"What this does is encourages KJU in his readiness to come out into the world for dialogue and making peace."

The two leaders chatted and smiled during a break in their historic talks

On his fifth outing on the world stage, Kim continued his efforts to soften his image, going for an extraordinary night-time stroll to view Singapore's sights and even providing the world with the first-ever Kim selfie.

In North Korea, the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper printed no fewer than 14 images on its front page of his visit to the Marina Bay Sands hotel complex and other sights.

Kim also earned himself headlines around the world, and arms control specialist Jeffrey Lewis tweeted: "I maybe got a little annoyed at the enthusiastic coverage of what is, at its base, a reality television episode."An Israeli police officer scuffles with activists as colleagues begin evicting 15 families from the Netiv Haavot settlement outpost in the occupied West Bank on June 12, 2018 in accordance with a Supreme Court order

Israeli police evicted settlers from homes in a West Bank outpost on Tuesday ahead of a court deadline to leave structures built on Palestinian territory, an AFP correspondent reported.

Boys in tears were followed by a young woman holding a baby, as they were escorted out of their home in the Netiv Haavot neighbourhood of Elazar settlement, south of Jerusalem.

Later in the day, dozens of young men barricaded themselves in a final house, with police dragging each one out individually over several hours, while those on the roof threw stones and plastic bottles of water.

Four people were lightly injured, police said.

In February, Israel's Supreme Court gave the settlers until June 15 to vacate 15 homes found to have been built without the relevant permits in the wake of a petition by rights groups that claimed they were built on private Palestinian land.

The state failed to prove the land was Israeli.

Israel draws a distinction between those settlements it sanctions and those it does not, while they are all considered illegal under international law.

An estimated 2,000 people, most of them young activists, had travelled to the outpost to support the settlers and protest against their eviction.

Large Israeli flags were flying on some of the rooftops, as well as signs pledging to return to the site.

After morning prayers, men sang and danced in a show of faith outside the homes to be razed.

Police entered house after house, escorting residents and supporters or in some cases carrying them out without objection.

- 'Peaceful protest' -

Resident Aviad Amitai said that Tuesday marked the start of a three-day process, with police clearing people from the houses subject to the court order before demolishing them.

"We have a peaceful protest, we are law-abiding people, we are not going to show any violence here," Amitai told AFP.

Israeli activists scuffle with police at the Netiv Haavot settlement outpost in the occupied West Bank on June 12, 2018 in protest at the eviction of 15 families in accordance with a Supreme Court order

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that while residents did not want the event to be violent, "we've seen in previous evacuations police officers being injured as a result of stones or violent incidents."

He said that to keep away those intent on violence, police had set up roadblocks and denied access to 10 people.

Police deployed 500 officers to secure the location and "continue to evacuate the area, step by step".

Hananel Dorni, chairman of settler group the Yesha council, said the court's decision to demolish the homes was "unwarranted".

Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel, himself a settler, said the discussions leading up to the court's decision were like those in Sodom and Gomorrah, ancient cities that according to the Bible were demolished by God for their sinfulness.

Ariel tweeted from Netiv Haavot that he would "not relent" before settling "all of the land of Israel."

The right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu draws support from the settlement movement and has settlers in top cabinet posts.

It has approved a plan to build 350 homes at new plots in Netiv Haavot.

The plan also reportedly includes some 60 million shekels ($17 million, 14 million euros) in compensation for the settlers leaving the homes to be demolished and provision for temporary housing for them until construction is complete.

All Israeli settlements are viewed as illegal under international law, but Israel differentiates between those it has approved and those it has not.

Peace Now, an Israeli NGO, said the Palestinian owners of the land to be vacated have been seeking to have their property restored since the settlers arrived there in 2001.

Israel occupied the West Bank in the Six-Day War of 1967. Settlements there are seen as major stumbling blocks to a peace deal since they are built on land the Palestinian wants for their future state.Cameroon launched a crackdown after separatists declared an independent state in its two anglophone regions -- Amnesty says the brutality of the operation is making matters worse

The government's military response in two regions of Cameroon where English-speaking separatists are campaigning for an independent state has inflamed the crisis, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.

In a 37-page report, the human-rights watchdog said it had catalogued "unlawful killings, destruction of private property, arbitrary arrests and torture" carried out by the security forces since late 2017.

"Far from resolving the crisis, the clampdown on any form of dissent and the heavy-handed response by the Cameroonian authorities and security forces appear to have empowered and created space for more radical and violent movements to emerge, with a focus on secession and armed struggle," it said.

"The human rights violations committed by the Cameroonian security forces and authorities have also contributed to creating a pervasive climate of fear, which some observers say has led to a growing sense of alienation among communities in the anglophone regions."

The unrest is unfolding in the Northwest and Southwest Regions -- English-speaking territory once governed by colonial Britain that joined French-speaking Cameroon after it gained independence from France in 1960.

Anglophones today account for about a fifth of Cameroon's population of 22 million.

But years of resentment at perceived discrimination, especially in education and the judiciary, have built up, sparking protests in October and November 2016.

The government's reaction was harsh, then in late 2017, the violence escalated further after radicals declared an independent state -- an entity that has not been recognised internationally -- and launched an armed campaign.

- Village 'destroyed' -

Amnesty said it had conducted interviews with more than 150 victims of, or eyewitnesses to, violence committed either by the security forces or by separatists.

Among the incidents, it said, was "the complete destruction" of the village of Kwakwa in the Southwest Region in December last year.

It was burned to the ground by the security forces after suspected separatists killed two gendarmes, it said.

In the village of Dadi, at least 23 people, including minors and two men with mental disabilities, were detained for three days last December and were tortured, using sticks, electric shocks, guns or ropes, it said. At least one died after being transferred to Buea central prison, it said.

"As a result of these security operations and the consequent violence, over 150,000 people became internally displaced and more than 20,000 fled to Nigeria where they are living in remote locations, requiring humanitarian support," it said.

Cameroonian authorities characterise the separatists as "terrorists" and accuse them in turn of attacks on police and troops and carrying out abductions and acts of intimidation.

Amnesty, addressing this question, said separatists had killed "at least" 44 members of the security forces, and also targeted ordinary people, including traditional chiefs, whom they suspected to be informants.

At least 42 schools have been attacked, two of which were seriously damaged by arson, it said.

At a press conference in the Senegalese capital Dakar on Monday to launch the report, Amnesty researcher Ilaria Allegrozzi said civilians were trapped in the middle.

"The population is caught... between the hammer and the anvil, between the violations of human rights and crimes committed by the security forces, and by the violence of the armed separatists, who are also attacking ordinary civilians."

Last month, the US ambassador in Yaounde, Peter Barlerin, sparked a diplomatic furore by saying the armed forces had carried out "targeted killings." He also said the separatists had carried out murders of gendarmes and other acts of violence.

According to the International Crisis Group think-tank, at least 120 civilians and 43 members of the security forces have been killed since the end of 2016.

The UN says 160,000 people have been internally displaced and 20,000 sought refuge in neighbouring Nigeria.Rahul Gandhi (C) says he will fight defamation charges lodged by a member of the Hindu nationalist RSS group

India's opposition leader Rahul Gandhi pleaded not guilty Tuesday to defaming a powerful Hindu supremacist group closely linked to the ruling party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Gandhi will fight charges in court that he defamed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) organisation when he accused the Hindu movement of assassinating Indian independence icon Mahatma Gandhi.

A member of the RSS -- a Hindu umbrella group which is the ideological inspiration for Modi's rightwing Bharatiya Janata Party -- sued Gandhi for the remarks made in 2014.

Gandhi is unrelated to freedom legend Mahatma Gandhi but both hail from Congress, India's oldest political party.

Gandhi, who will square off against Modi in a general election within a year, vowed to battle not only the charges but the Hindu nationalist movement behind the defamation case.

"My battle is ideological, and I will fight and win," Gandhi told reporters outside the courtroom in Maharashtra state, the heartland of the RSS.

If found guilty Gandhi could face up to two years in prison, but a verdict is not likely in India's creaking court system for many years.

Gandhi had tried to have the case thrown out in the Supreme Court in 2016 before agreeing to stand and defend himself against allegations he smeared the RSS.

A former member of the organisation, Nathuram Godse, shot dead Mahatma Gandhi in 1948 just months after India gained independence from British rule.

The Hindu radical was tried in a court and hanged in 1949.

But the RSS -- which was briefly banned after Gandhi's assassination -- has always distanced itself from the killing.

Founded in 1925, the RSS today boasts six million active members. Most of the BJP's leaders, including Modi, have a long history as members of the volunteer movement.

The group threw its weight behind Modi ahead of his crushing 2014 election victory over Congress.

Ahead of his court appearance Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, said India "has become a slave" to three men -- Modi, his right-hand man and party chief Amit Shah and RSS boss Mohan Bhagwat.The US and North Korean leaders signed an agreement with a flourish, but critics say it is short on details

Two key words were conspicuous by their absence from the joint statement signed by US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after their high-profile, soundbite-rich summit in Singapore.

Washington has long said it wants to see the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation" (CVID) of the nuclear-armed, ballistic-missile-equipped North.

Each of the words is significant, with the US wanting to ensure Pyongyang allows in inspectors to ensure that it fulfils its promises, and that it does not rebuild any weapons it gives up.

Only on Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US had been "fooled before", with presidents signing agreements only to find "the North Koreans did not promise what they said".

"The 'V' matters," he told reporters less than 24 hours before the two leaders put pen to paper. "We will set up a system to verify. It is only that we pursued. That is what has been missed before."

No caption

But the V-word did not appear anywhere in the joint statement signed by the two men, and nor did another of Washington's key demands, for "irreversible" denuclearisation.

Instead, the North committed "to work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula".

The phrase is a diplomatic euphemism that is open to wide interpretation on both sides -- Pyongyang has in the past demanded the withdrawal of US troops from the South, and said it will give up its weapons when all other nuclear powers do the same.

Koo Kab-woo, professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP: "I think they couldn't reach an agreement on CVID in the end, namely 'V' and 'I'.

For verification, the US probably demanded to have access to anywhere at any time and the North declined."

Irreversibility was even more complicated, he said, as it related to data Pyongyang has accumulated over its decades of weapons development, and reassigning its nuclear scientists.

Key denuclearisation issues were glossed over in the document that the two leaders signed in Singapore

"That's the core of the 'I' and it seems they failed to reach an agreement on that," he said.

In the event, he pointed out, the topics highlighted in the agreement had similarities to a recent editorial in the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling Workers' Party.

"I think there will be a huge backlash in the US," he added.

Trump told reporters that there had not been time to discuss the details of denuclearisation.

"I'm here one day," he said. "It wasn't a big point today because really this had been taken care of," adding: "It will be verified. We will be verifying."

- 'Baby steps' -

The summit was a marked contrast from the tensions of last year, when the two men traded personal insults and threats of war, and proponents of engagement argue that as long as negotiations continue, the risk of a devastating conflict are reduced.

"There's a danger of myopia in looking at this purely through the lens of details and definition of denuclearisation," said Yonsei University professor John Delury, adding it was "important to take a big step back" and look at the big picture.

And Vienna university Korea expert Ruediger Frank said: "Trump saved the process by taking it slow and one baby step at a time, rather than killing it before it starts -- like his predecessors did despite the best intentions."

But others pointed out the North had made similar promises in the past, and in some cases had gone much further.

Supporters of engagement with North Korea said the details of the agreement were less important than the big picture of starting the denuclearisation process

In 1993, after talks in New York, the US and North Korea agreed to the principles of "peace and security in a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula".

In that statement, Pyongyang agreed to suspend its withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

"North Korea committed to nothing that it hasn't done so for 25 years," MIT associate professor of political science Vipin Narang told AFP.

"So far, there is no reason to believe this summit produced anything more concrete than that on the disarmament front."

And in 2005 -- just a year before its first nuclear test -- the North went much further, agreeing "to abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes".

A year later it carried out its first nuclear test. It has since detonated five more, each of them more powerful than the last, and developed missiles capable of reached anywhere in the mainland US.

Nonproliferation expert Jeffrey Lewis tweeted: "North Korea is still not offering to disarm."The march comes after a collective of women launched a #Metoo-style campaign that takes aim at Duterte's attitude towards women

More than 1,000 women marched in Manila on Tuesday to tell President Rodrigo Duterte they have had enough of what they termed his repeated misogynistic words and deeds.

The columns of protesters, carrying umbrellas against steady rain and some wearing the colours of the Philippine flag, chanted "Duterte is afraid of women" as they wound through city streets.

During two years in office, Duterte has repeatedly and unapologetically joked about rape, defended womanising and ordered soldiers to shoot women rebels in the vagina.

Last week he sparked outrage after coaxing a married Filipina into kissing him on the lips onstage during an appearance in Seoul, which he defended by saying "We enjoyed it".

"We are saying we have had enough," activist Jean Enriquez told AFP as she marched. "All the acts of the Duterte administration and he himself contributed to us, the women, coming out."

Enriquez is part of a collective of women who launched last month a #Metoo-style social media campaign that takes aim at Duterte's attitude towards women.

Their #BabaeAko (I am a woman) hashtag caught on quickly in the social media-obsessed nation, and the thousands of posts since were the catalyst for Tuesday's independence day rally.

Organisers and an AFP journalist estimated that about 1,500 people, including men, took part in the march.

- 'Mayor should have been first' -

The #BabaeAko co-founders launched the campaign in outrage after Duterte said the nation's next chief justice would be someone with "integrity", "especially not a woman".

The independence day protest march was spurred by the president's repeated misogynistic words and deeds

"A woman is not an object... Grow up and start treating women how they deserve to be treated #BabaeAko", said broadcast journalist Kara David in a tweet that had been shared a thousand times.

Twitter user @piecesofchi posted, "I am a single mother, struggling to support my family while quietly but steadfastly pursuing my dream. #BabaeAko and nobody is allowed to diminish my worth."

A former mayor who cultivates a man-of-the-people image, the 73-year-old Duterte has regularly fought with women in powerful posts who dared to oppose him.

His top critic, Senator Leila de Lima, is being held on drug charges she insists are politically motivated.

While the first female head of the nation's top court, Maria Lourdes Sereno, was ousted last month by her Supreme Court colleagues after questioning Duterte's deadly crackdown on narcotics.

During his 2016 campaign for president Duterte set the tone by telling a crowd about a 1989 prison riot in the southern city of Davao where he was mayor.

"There was this Australian lay minister... They raped her, they all lined up. I was mad she was raped but she was so beautiful. I thought, the mayor should have been first.'"Lawyers for former Congolese vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba will call for his release Tuesday after he was acquitted of war crimes at the ICC in The Hague

International judges Tuesday ordered an interim conditional release of former Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba who was acquitted last week of war crimes after a decade behind bars.

"Today... the International Criminal Court ordered the interim release under specific conditions for Mr Jean-Pierre Bemba," The Hague-based tribunal said in a statement.

"Taking into account all relevant factors and the circumstances of the case as a whole, the Trial Chamber considers that the legal requirements for continued detention are not met," the court said.

The heavy-set Congolese politician was acquitted on appeal Friday by the ICC, which said he could not be held criminally liable for crimes committed by his troops in the Central African Republic in 2002-2003.

The surprise decision came after Bemba, 55, had been sentenced unanimously to 18 years in 2016 by ICC trial judges after a decade behind bars following his arrest in Belgium.

Bemba's interim release relates to a separate case in which he was handed one-year jail sentence and fined 300,000 euros ($350,000) in 2017 for bribing witnesses during his main war crimes trial.

He lost an appeal against that sentence and the ICC is yet to decide on a new jail term, which carries a maximum of five years. Sentencing is due on July 4.

Bemba's lawyer Peter Haynes said his client planned to return to Brussels to be united with his wife and five children.

But the ICC's judges allowed the former rebel commander-turned-politician to leave the court's detention unit at a Dutch prison in The Hague only if he adhered to strict requirements.

These included "surrendering himself immediately to relevant authorities" if asked by the court, refraining from making public statements on the case, not changing his address without prior notice and not contacting any witnesses.

The ICC's judges added the Congolese politician retroactively served "80 percent of the maximum possible sentence" therefore it was "disproportionate to further detain Mr Bemba merely to ensure his appearance for sentencing."

- 'Miniature Mobutu' -

The 18-year sentence in Bemba's main case was the longest ever to be handed down by The Hague-based court.

Then, judges found Bemba -- nicknamed "Miniature Mobutu" -- guilty on five counts of warcrimes and crimes against humanity committed by his private army during a five-month rampage in the neighbouring CAR.

Bemba had sent his militia, the Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC) -- a rebel force that he later transformed into a political organisation -- into the DRCongo's northern neighbour in October 2002 to quash a coup against then president Ange-Felix Patasse.

The trial was the first before the ICC to focus on sexual violence as a weapon of war.

It was also the first to determine whether a military commander bore responsibility for the conduct of troops under his control.

Bemba's lawyers argued their client should be provisionally freed as he was not a flight risk.

- Political ambitions -

Lawyer Haynes said his client was bound to travel to the Belgian capital "within the next 24 hours but it wouldn't be a case of him walking straight out the detention unit into a taxi and being in Brussels in a couple of hours".

MLC national secretary Jean-Jacques Mbungani told AFP that Bemba "is in the coming hours expected in Rhode-Saint-Genese, a Brussels suburb, with his family."

"He will not make a public statement before July 4," the date of Bemba's sentencing, Mbungani added.

It was not yet known if the former Congolese leader planned to return to the vast central African country following his release.

His acquittal came amid mounting tensions in the run-up to scheduled presidential elections on December 23 in the DRC.

Bemba had unsuccessfully opposed President Joseph Kabila in elections in 2006. After his militia clashed violently with government forces in 2007, he was forced out of the DRC but retains a groundswell of support.

Asked whether Bemba had future political plans, Haynes said: "He's never given up on his political ambitions."

"His attitude to his current (situation) is very much to take it one step at a time."Detained Myanmar journalist Kyaw Soe Oo (C) carrying his daughter is escorted by police for his ongoing trial at a court in Yangon

Two Reuters journalists marked six months in custody Tuesday for allegedly breaching a secrecy law while investigating atrocities against Rohingya Muslims, as calls grow for the "spurious" case to be dropped.

Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, could face up to 14 years in prison under the Official Secrets Act for possessing material linked to security operations in crisis-hit Rakhine state.

The case has dragged on for months of preliminary hearings and is widely seen as punishment for reporting on the military's violent crackdown against the Rohingya minority.

Most of the listed witnesses have testified, after which the court is expected to rule on whether the case will go to trial.

The pair say police in December lured them to dinner at a Yangon restaurant and handed over documents. They were arrested shortly afterwards.

Their description of events is backed up by a whistleblowing cop who testified that officers were ordered to entrap the journalists.

The case has received global attention, with prominent human rights attorney Amal Clooney signing on to the legal team.

Kristian Schmidt, the European Union's ambassador to Myanmar, echoed international condemnation on Tuesday.

"6 months in jail for reporting the truth," he tweeted from his official account. "Today, I reiterate the EU's appeal for their immediate release."

Sean Bain, a legal adviser to the International Commission of Jurists, told AFP that prosecutors have the duty and authority to drop "spurious" charges.

"Doing so doesn't compromise judicial independence," he said.

Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi insisted in a rare interview last week with Japan's NHK that the case was being carried out "in accordance with due process".

The reporters had been investigating the September massacre of 10 Rohingya men in the village of Inn Din in the north of Rakhine state.

A military campaign launched last August forced some 700,000 Rohingya over the border to Bangladesh, in violence which the UN and US have described as "ethnic cleansing".

The military says its campaign was justified to root out Rohingya militants and denies nearly all allegations of atrocities.

It did concede that security force members had taken part in the Inn Din killings and a court convicted seven of them.

The defence team argues that the supposedly secret documents were already in the public domain.

"We reported about Rakhine state, we worked hard on it and that's why we are in this condition now," Wa Lone said outside court on Tuesday.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Trump told him he brought the issue of abductees up with North Korea's Kim Jong Un

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday welcomed a document signed by North Korea's leader at an unprecedented summit with US President Donald Trump as a "first step" towards denuclearisation.

Speaking briefly after Kim Jong Un and Trump held historic talks in Singapore, Abe also said he was pleased that the US leader said he had raised the emotive issue of Japanese abducted by Pyongyang.

"Through this US-North Korea summit, Chairman Kim Jong Un's intent for complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula was confirmed in writing," Abe told reporters.

"I support this as a first step to the comprehensive resolution of issues concerning North Korea."

Kim and Trump signed a document after their talks in which the North Korean leader reaffirmed his commitment to "work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula", without giving further details.

It made no reference to other weapons capabilities, including the missiles that North Korea has fired over Japan.

The document also refers to the repatriation of the remains of prisoners of war and those killed in conflict.

But it makes no specific reference to people abducted by North Korea -- something Japan has long lobbied for.

The issue of Japanese citizens who were abducted in the 1970s and 1980s to help Pyongyang train its spies has long soured already strained relations between Tokyo and Pyongyang.

The Japanese government has officially listed 17 people as abductees, but there are strong suspicions that dozens more citizens were snatched to train Pyongyang's spies in the Japanese language and culture.

Japan has repeatedly called for the issue to be raised in discussions with Pyongyang, and Trump said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon that he had discussed the issue with Kim.

"I highly appreciate the fact that President Trump firmly touched upon what I told him recently about the abduction issue which is very important to us, to Japan," Abe said.

Later in the day, Abe said he spoke to Trump by phone and confirmed the US leader "clearly" delivered a message to Kim over the abduction issue. Abe declined to comment further on the details on the call.

Japan has maintained a hardline position on North Korea despite a whirlwind of diplomacy towards Pyongyang in recent months, and has been left largely on the sidelines as South Korea and the United States have held talks with Kim.

Abe has suggested recently he could talk with Kim directly in an attempt to resolve the abduction issue, though there has been no substantive movement thus far on potential talks.

A high-ranking Japanese government official said Tokyo has no plan to provide financial assistance to Pyongyang "unless the abduction issue moves forward", according to public broadcaster NHK.

"From now on, there will be various kinds of bargaining toward a Japan-North Korea summit," the unnamed official said.A US Air Force F-22 Raptor lands at Gwangju Air Base in South Korea during the Max Thunder drills in May

The US will stop holding joint military exercises on the Korean peninsula, President Donald Trump said Tuesday, making a major concession to North Korea after his summit with Kim Jong Un.

Washington and Seoul are security allies, with 28,500 US troops stationed in the South to defend it from its neighbour which invaded in 1950.

They hold joint military exercises every year that infuriate Pyongyang, which has long demanded an end to the drills and often responds with actions of its own, ratcheting up tensions.

North Korea in May cancelled talks with Seoul over "Max Thunder" joint military air exercises between the US and the South. They were a "rude and wicked provocation", it complained.

"We will be stopping the war games which will save us a tremendous amount of money," Trump told reporters.

"I think it's very provocative," he said -- echoing Pyongyang's traditional line.

"Under the circumstances we are negotiating a complete deal," he added. "It is inappropriate to have war games. Number one, we save money. A lot. Number two, it is really something they very much appreciated."

Trump did not indicate whether the North would make any concessions in return for stopping the exercises.

The move, if fulfilled, would appear to be effectively an implementation of the "freeze for freeze" proposal promoted by China, under which the North would stop nuclear and missile tests in exchange for a halt to the exercises.

Kim has previously declared a moratorium on testing, saying the development of his nuclear arsenal is complete.

Trump also said he wanted to withdraw the US troops stationed in the South, something he promised on the campaign trail, saying: "I'd like to be able to bring them back home."

The issue was "not part of the equation right now", he said, but "at some point I hope it will be."

Trump's declarations are likely to alarm conservatives in South Korea, who have appealed to him not to put its security at risk.

A presidential spokesman, in a cautious response, said Seoul needed to understand "the exact meaning and intention" of Trump's remarks.

But various ways to encourage dialogue on denuclearisation should be seriously considered, the spokesman said.

US Forces Korea said it had received no new instructions about its scheduled training exercises, including this summer's Ulchi Freedom Guardian.

The other major joint exercise is known as Key Resolve/Foal Eagle exercise, usually conducted in the spring.

"In coordination with our ROK (South Korean) partners, we will continue with our current military posture until we receive updated guidance from the Department of Defense and/or Indo-Pacific Command," it added.

Any suspension of the joint exercises would be a "substantial concession" to the North's security concerns, said Alison Evans, deputy head of Asia Pacific Country Risk at IHS Markit.

There is a precedent for cancelling joint exercises to encourage talks. A major drill known as Team Spirit was cancelled several times in the 1990s as Washington held its first major negotiations over the North's nuclear programmes.Buhari has been praised by some for honouring the ill-starred 1993 elections and former opposition leader Moshood Abiola -- others see it as a pre-election ploy

Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday offered a symbolic apology to the deceased winner of the 1993 democratic election that was annulled by the military.

The apology comes as Buhari is campaigning for a second term in office after making history in 2015 as the first opposition candidate in the country to unseat a sitting president.

Nigeria, which ended military rule in 1999, has suffered from a series of military coups since winning independence from Britain, including one led by Buhari in 1983.

Buhari ruled as military head of state until 1985, when he was toppled by General Ibrahim Babangida.

While in office, Buhari, a 75-year-old former general, has worked to assure Nigerians he is committed to democracy.

Wealthy businessman Moshood "MKO" Abiola was coasting home to victory when the results of the election were voided by military dictator Babangida.

Moshood Abiola casting his vote in the historic 1993 elections

"I tender the nation's apologies to Chief MKO Abiola," for the cancellation of the June 12, 1993 election, Buhari said during an event in honor of the politician who died in July 1998.

While observing a minute's silence in memory of Abiola and other pro-democracy heros who died during the struggle, Buhari said "Nigeria will no longer tolerate such perversion of justice."

The government said that from next year, June 12 would be a public holiday and commemorated as "Democracy Day" instead of May 29, the date marking Nigeria's return to civil rule in May 1999.

Abiola, a Muslim businessman from the Yoruba-dominated southwest, was arrested in 1994 for declaring himself president.

He died mysteriously on July 7, 1998 as talks got under way for his release.The UN refugee agency has about 600 staff working in Lebanon, most of whom are Lebanese

The UN refugee agency on Tuesday urged Lebanon to reverse a decision to block residency permits for its international staffers following a spat over Syrians displaced by the war.

The decision was announced on Friday by the office of Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil who has accused UNHCR of intimidating refugees to prevent their return to Syria.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic said the agency was "very concerned" by the move.

"We hope the decision of the foreign ministry will be reversed without delay," he said.

Bassil had on Thursday pointed the finger at the agency in a posting on Twitter.

"We sent a mission that verified that the UNHCR is intimidating the displaced who wish to return voluntarily," he tweeted.

UNHCR has denied the allegations but made clear it does not believe the conditions in Syria are "conducive for an assisted return" -- although a spokesman said the situation was changing and that the agency was following developments.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri had immediately moved to disassociate himself from the move, with his office describing it as "unilateral" and "not representative of the Lebanese government's position".

There are an estimated 1.5 million people displaced by the war in neighbouring Syria in Lebanon -- a figure representing more than a quarter of its population before the conflict.Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, pictured at the UN General Assembly last September

Equatorial Guinea's authoritarian president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, has called for "national dialogue," a move that comes on the heels of a thwarted coup and a crackdown on the opposition.

In a speech broadcast nationally on state television on Tuesday, the 76-year-old leader said "dialogue and political interaction" would take place in July.

"(They) constitute the ways to preserve peace and development," he said in the speech which he delivered on Monday.

He called on Guineans living abroad "to come home, to the country of our birth, to look for all-embracing, inclusive strategies."

The offer also applies to those who are in exile, he indicated -- "to all Equatorial Guineans who are dispersed in the diaspora for political reasons, for certain political crimes."

A former Spanish colony of 1.2 million people, awash with oil but mired in poverty and a reputation for corruption, Equatorial Guinea has been ruled with an iron fist by Obiang since August 1979.

He seized power by ousting his own uncle, first post-independence president Francisco Macias Nguema, who was shot by firing squad.

Obiang has since seen off at least half a dozen assassination or coup attempts. He won a fifth seven-year term in 2016 with nearly 94 percent of votes.

The most recent attempted coup, in December, involved a group of men from Chad, the Central African Republic (CAR) and Sudan, according to the authorities.

The operation was followed by the arrests of scores of opposition activists and the banning of their party, the Citizens for Innovation (CI), purportedly over scuffles that took place before legislative elections last November.

Dozens were tortured, according to the CI, which says two died in custody. In February, 21 CI members including the party's only MP, were sentenced to 30 years in prison for "sedition, public disorder, attacks on authority and serious bodily harm."

Obiang's proposed "dialogue" is the sixth in his 38 years in office.

The preceding exercise, in 2014, saw the legalisation of five political parties, including the CI. The main opposition party at the time, the Convergence for Social Democracy (CPDS) boycotted the forum.

The country currently has 17 officially recognised political parties.Mugabe has not been seen in public since he was ousted in November

Former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, who twice failed to turn up in parliament to give evidence on corruption in the diamond mining industry, is off the hook until parliament reconstitutes after general elections in July.

A committee of lawmakers want the 94-year-old former ruler to explain his 2016 claim that Zimbabwe lost US $15 billion in revenue due to corruption and foreign exploitation in the diamond sector.

"As a committee we recommended that the former president needs to clear the air on the 15 billion dollars worth of diamond revenue that he said went missing. But parliament will not be sitting as members are busy with elections," Simbaneuta Mudarikwa, a lawmaker and member of the mines and energy committee, told AFP.

"A new committee will be set up after the elections and it will be up to the new committee to call him or not,"

The committee rescheduled its sessions twice after Mugabe, who is in frail health, failed to turn up without explanation.

Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe from 1980 until he was ousted from office in November last year following a brief military takeover.

He denounced his ouster as a coup and has not been seen in public since.

His authoritarian regime has been accused of syphoning off diamond profits.

Emmerson Mnangagwa, his former deputy and a veteran loyalist in the ruling ZANU-PF party, has replaced Mugabe with backing from senior military officers.

Zimbabwe discovered alluvial diamonds in Chiadzwa, the east of the country, over a decade ago.

Rights groups have accused security forces of using brutal methods to control the scattered deposits.Libyan Strongman Khalifa Haftar salutes during a military parade in the eastern city of Benghazi on May 7, 2018

Forces loyal to Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar said Tuesday they are advancing rapidly on the eastern city of Derna, despite troops being hit by suicide attacks.

Haftar has vowed to "liberate" Derna, an Islamist stronghold that is home to more than 120,000 people and the only eastern city outside of his control.

But as his self-styled Libyan National Army continued its offensive on Tuesday, two explosions were heard as suicide bombers hit forces in the southern Shiha district.

Without giving a toll for the attack, LNA spokesman Khalifa al-Abidi said civilians were among the casualties as the roof of a family home collapsed.

On Monday night, he said, another suicide attack killed two LNA fighters and wounded three.

The LNA was "advancing steadily to liberate a very small remaining pocket before liberating the whole of Derna," he added.

Abidi said "terrorists" were "resorting to suicide attacks after they failed to tackle" the LNA conventionally.

Derna is held by a ragtag alliance of Islamist and jihadist militias, including groups close to Al-Qaeda, hostile to both Haftar and the Islamic State group.

The city is located more than 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) east of the capital Tripoli and around 300 kilometres east of second city Benghazi.

- Brink of 'humanitarian catastrophe' -

Soldiers from the self-styled army of Khalifa Haftar take part in a military parade in the eastern city of Benghazi on May 7, 2018

Haftar has struggled to succeed in the fight against insurgents, according to Federica Saini Fasanotti from the Brookings Institution in Washington.

"I am not sure that this operation will bring a quick victory for him in military terms. In social terms it is already a disaster," she said.

Since the start of the offensive on May 7, residents have faced food and medicine shortages, as well as cuts to electricity, water and phone lines.

Abdessalam al-Hassi, leading operations in Derna, said supplies were being dispatched to "liberated zones".

An LNA victory in the city was "only a question of time", Hassi said.

The Red Cross said it has sent aid to 6,000 people in the neighbourhood of Bab Tobruk, as well as to thousands of others who have fled the city to seek refuge in the surrounding areas.

Amnesty International has called on all sides to let relief into the city and allow civilians to leave "without fear of arbitrary detention, harassment, intimidation and unlawful killings".

"We are receiving horrifying reports from Derna, where a prolonged siege and heavy fighting have left the city on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe," said Heba Morayef, the organisation's Middle East and North Africa director.

Haftar joined rival Libyan leaders last month in Paris, where they agreed to prepare for polls in December.

For Saini Fasanotti, the LNA chief would do better to sideline his military ambitions.

"I think that he should start to focus on a political campaign for the elections," she said.

Haftar supports an administration based in the east, which opposes the internationally recognised government in Tripoli.

The strongman's critics accuse him of wanting to establish a military dictatorship and say he is supported by foreign forces from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and France.South Korean Marines storm a beach in the southeastern port of Pohang during joint drills with the US military last year

Pentagon officials were surprised Tuesday after President Donald Trump vowed at his summit with the North's leader Kim Jong Un to cancel "provocative" joint military drills with South Korea.

Following the unprecedented meeting in Singapore, Trump stunned observers when he said continuing the exercises routinely held between the US and South Korea would be "inappropriate" while Washington fleshes out a comprehensive deal with Pyongyang.

"We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should," Trump said.

"Plus, I think it's very provocative," he noted, adding that "at some point" he wanted to withdraw US troops from the South.

Hours after Trump's declaration, the Pentagon on Tuesday afternoon insisted that US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had not been blindsided by Trump.

"He was not surprised, he was consulted," Mattis's spokeswoman Dana White told reporters.

"Conversations have been robust, there were no surprises."

In a statement, White later said the Pentagon "welcomes the positive news coming out of the summit and fully supports the ongoing, diplomatically led efforts with" North Korea.

But US officials told AFP they were taken aback by the news, and Pentagon personnel spent the morning in meetings discussing what could amount to an epic shift in the US military's posture in South Korea.

The drills, which date back decades, are an integral component of the Pentagon's boast that its troops are always ready to "fight tonight" on the Korean peninsula.

The exercises allow US and South Korean forces to practice mobilizing soldiers in the event of conflict, and to run computer simulations to improve coordination between the two militaries.

US Forces Korea (USFK), which comprises about 28,500 troops permanently based in South Korea, received no fresh guidance on upcoming joint training exercises, including so-called Ulchi Freedom Guardian scheduled for later this year.

Colonel Rob Manning, another spokesman, said: "We are going to be aligned with the president," while noting that the readiness of US forces would remain "paramount."

- 'Troubling' concession -

Trump said he wanted to remove the US military presence from South Korea, though he provided no timeline.

"I want to bring our soldiers back home," he said. "That's not part of the equation right now. At some point, I hope it will be, but not right now."

Mattis has repeatedly stressed that any reduction in troops would be a decision that only Washington and Seoul could address.

Only hours before the summit, Mattis told Pentagon reporters that, as far as he knew, the issue of US troops in South Korea would not be part of any discussion in Singapore.

Stephen Pomper, US program director at the Crisis Group, said Trump had sown confusion by announcing the end of drills without first checking with the South Koreans.

"Creating friction with a key ally with an issue like that may have been a mistake, frankly," he told AFP.

And what "exactly was the president committing to?" he added. "Was he committing to end all military exercises or was he committing to end just the most provocative ones?"

Exercises with South Korea cover a range of eventualities, including drills with nuclear capable bombers.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio said he was "uncomfortable" with the suspension of military drills, especially "if this becomes permanent in exchange for nothing."

But Daniel Davis, a retired army lieutenant colonel and fellow at the Defense Priorities military think tank, said suspending the drills would have no short term impact on US and South Korean military readiness.

"The US armed forces will in no way stop individual and collective training, the South Korean military will continue to train and prepare as they always have," he told AFP, adding that institutional knowledge from years of drills would be retained.

Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, said it was "troubling" that Trump had agreed to suspend joint drills without making any reference to North Korea dialing back its conventional military threat.

"The Singapore summit statement is essentially aspirational: no definitions of denuclearization, no timelines, no details as to verification," Haass said on Twitter.

"What is most troubling about all this is that the US gave up something tangible, namely, US-RoK military exercises, in exchange," he added, using the abbreviation for South Korea's official name.

Still, he credited the summit for starting a diplomatic process between North Korea and the United States.A street near the city hall was renamed Nakba Lane to commemorate the Nakba, or "catastrophe", when more than 760,000 Palestinians were expelled by Israeli forces or fled 70 years ago

French Jewish groups and Israeli officials protested Tuesday after the mayor of a Paris suburb renamed a street to honour the thousands of Palestinians forced from their homes during Israel's creation in 1948.

Dominique Lesparre, the Communist mayor of Bezons, on Monday officially renamed a street near city hall "Allee de la Nakba" (Nakba Lane) to commemorate the Nakba, or "catastrophe", when more than 760,000 Palestinians were expelled by Israeli forces or fled 70 years ago.

Plaques in French and Arabic read: "In memory of the expulsion of 800,000 Palestinians and the destruction of 532 villages in 1948 by the war criminal David Ben Gurion for the creation of the state of Israel," referring to the country's first prime minister.

Police sources told AFP the plaques had been covered with graffiti by Tuesday morning.

The city later removed the plaques after a request by the top central government official for the Val-d'Oise region, who said they could "seriously disrupt public order".

The CRIF umbrella group of French Jewish associations had also demanded the plaques be taken down, saying they "encourage the current acts of anti-Semitic violence by trying to give them historic justification."

"The first Hamas city hall in France," Emmanuel Nahshon, spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry, posted in French on Twitter, in reference to the Islamist party governing Gaza.

It was not the first time Bezons has courted controversy with its support of the Palestinian cause.

In 2014 the town was ordered to remove a commemorative plaque for Majdi al-Rimawi, a Palestinian sentenced to 80 years in prison for the 2001 killing of an Israeli government minister at a Jerusalem hotel.

In a statement, Israel's ambassador to France Aliza Bin-Noun accused the mayor of supporting "Palestinian terrorism and inciting hate".

"These provocations are unacceptable given that Israel and France share a strong and sincere friendship, cemented by shared democratic values," the embassy said.

France has been rocked by a number of attacks on Jews in recent years, pointing to the emergence of a virulent strain of anti-Semitism in some neighbourhoods with predominantly Muslim immigrants.US President Donald Trump (R) and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore

Donald Trump's warm embrace of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un after a spectacular bust-up with G7 allies is the latest example of what critics say is a worrying penchant for autocrats.

The backslapping, smiles and handshakes in Singapore on Tuesday stood in conspicuous contrast to the furrowed brows and piercing looks of a summit just days before in Canada.

Whereas Trump looked tired and annoyed in Quebec, where he was surrounded by leaders of democracies, he could barely have been more relaxed around the lunch table with Kim -- a man who oversees industrial scale human rights abuses and is suspected of ordering the assassination of his own brother last year.

"Getting a good picture everybody?" he joked with photographers before sitting down to ice cream with Kim, "so we look nice and handsome and thin."

At a post-summit press conference, Trump praised Kim as "very smart" and a "very good negotiator," in the same breath as warning critical statements by Canada's prime minister would cost the country "a lot of money."

Trump's embrace of strongmen and autocrats has long been a point of contention at home.

He has repeatedly praised Russian leader Vladimir Putin and has voiced admiration for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, whose drug policies have resulted in thousands of deaths.

But the juxtaposition of Trump's treatment of Kim and his disdain for G7 friends has pushed criticism to new levels.

"The president disrespects our closest allies and gives a pass to dictators," said Democratic congresswoman Nanette Barragan. "I never thought I would see the day."

For Trump's fiercest critics, it is just more evidence of a dangerous predilection for authoritarian figures.

"How long will you remain silent as President Trump lays ruin to our alliances and tears apart the very fabric of our democracy?" Democrat Adam Schiff asked his Republican colleagues.

"Patriots do not stand mute when our country is in jeopardy, no matter what party occupies the White House."

Trump's joint stroll and bonhomie with Kim was too much even for some of the party faithful.

"If Obama had had the last 24 hours that Trump has had, the GOP would be demanding his impeachment," said prominent Republican commentator Erick Erickson.

The White House has balked at the notion that Trump is more comfortable around strongmen than fellow democrats.

When a CNN reporter put the point to Trump in Canada, Trump denounced him as "fake news" and his national security advisor John Bolton laughed derisively.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump's historic summit

But some observers say there are more personal, less ideological, reasons for Trump's behaviour -- he likes people who praise him.

The Putins, Kims and Dutertes of the world have been more than willing to lavish praise when needed.

Putin has variously called Trump "brave" for meeting Kim and heralded his business acumen.

"Donald isn't just president of the United States, he's also a good and strong entrepreneur," Putin said recently.

In contrast, fellow G7 leaders -- many of whom have electorates that distrust the businessman-turned-president -- are not given to massaging his ego.

"The G7 made clear that for Trump it's all about whether people respect him and see him as successful," said Kelly Magsamen a former top Pentagon Asia specialist.

"He also appears to be easily manipulated by dictators who have figured this out."Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pictured in May 2018, is not under suspicion in the submarine affair, known as Case 3000

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on Tuesday questioned as a police witness in a probe of alleged corruption over the state purchase of three German submarines, his office said.

Netanyahu is the subject of several corruption investigations, but he is not under suspicion in the submarine affair, known as Case 3000.

"The prime minister gave his testimony in Case 3000. He has given all the details that led to his professional decisions on the matter of the submarines, while explaining their importance for state security," his office said in a statement.

The statement said Netanyahu was delighted to "put an end once and for all to false claims spread by politicians" that he acted improperly in the affair.

It is the first time Netanyahu has given oral evidence on the matter, and he reportedly spent several hours answering questions.

The case centres on alleged corruption surrounding Germany's sale to Israel of three submarines manufactured by industrial giant ThyssenKrupp.

Two associates of the prime minister have been questioned several times in the past few months by police heading the investigation.

The German submarines ordered by Israel could be equipped with nuclear missiles and deployed for spying missions off the coast of Iran, where they could be used in the event of a war between the two countries, according to foreign military experts.

Separately, Netanyahu is the subject of two investigations in which the police on February 13 recommended he be indicted.

In one case, he and family members are suspected of receiving one million shekels ($285,000, 240,000 euros) worth of luxury cigars, champagne and jewellery from wealthy personalities in exchange for financial or personal favours.

In the other case, investigators suspect the premier of trying to reach an agreement with the owner of Yediot Aharonot, a top Israeli newspaper, for more favourable coverage.

Netanyahu has protested his innocence and vowed to remain in power, saying he is the victim of a "witch-hunt".

He also faces suspicions of government favours that allegedly saw regulatory breaks go to Israel's largest telecom firm Bezeq, in return for favourable coverage of him and his wife by a news website.

Despite his troubles, opinion polls indicate Netanyahu and his right-wing Likud party would still be the largest party if elections scheduled for November 2019 were held now.Former governor of Plateau State Joshua Dariye, pictured in 2004, was found guilty of misappropriating millions of dollars earmarked for an ecological fund by the Abuja High Court

A Nigerian former state governor and serving senator was on Tuesday found guilty of corruption, the second high-ranking official to be sentenced to jail the past two weeks.

Former governor of Plateau State Joshua Dariye was found guilty of misappropriating millions of dollars earmarked for an ecological fund by the Abuja High Court, marking the end of a case that had been running for over a decade.

"I can't imagine such a brazen act of systematic looting and stealing," said Justice Adebukola Banjoko in her judgement.

She sentenced Dariye to 14 years behind bars for criminal misappropriation and two years for criminal breach of trust, with the sentences running concurrently.

Dariye, who represented the opposition People's Democratic Party before crossing the floor to serve as a senator for the ruling All Progressives Congress, was in 2007 accused of diverting over 1.1 billion naira (more than $8.5 million at the time) from the state treasury.

The sentence comes as Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is seeking to burnish his credentials as an anti-corruption crusader ahead of presential elections next year.

Buhari, a 75-year-old former general, is seeking a second term in Nigeria, Africa's largest economy and biggest oil producer that is on a wobbly recovery after the 2014 crash in commodity prices.

His so-called war against corruption was initially lauded at the beginning of his term but has since been criticised for being politicised.

Dariye's sentence is the conclusion of a case running since 2007, highlighting the glacial pace of justice in Nigeria, where judges are often accused of taking bribes.

Former Taraba governor Jolly Nyame was convicted of fraud on May 30 and sentenced to 14 years jail time, in a case that also began over 10 years ago.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses a press conference at the conclusion of the G7 summit in La Malbaie, Quebec, June 9, 2018.

Canada moved to tamp down spiking tensions with the United States Tuesday, brushing aside a warning by US President Donald Trump that it will pay for Justin Trudeau's G7 summit remarks.

Trudeau struck a steady-as-he-goes pose after Trump's latest dig, telling reporters, "I'm going to stay focused on defending jobs for Canadians and supporting Canadian interests."

And Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is traveling to Washington on Wednesday to try to salvage the North American Free Trade Agreement, also emphasized the need for calm.

"From day one, we have said that we expected moments of drama and that we would keep calm and carry on throughout this drama," she said.

But a source close to Trudeau told AFP Canada was "prepared for all eventualities."

"If the US decides to apply new tariffs, Canada will be ready," the official said.

Bitter differences over trade dominated the summit Trudeau hosted over the weekend, with leaders of the world's largest economies lining up against Trump's threats to impose stiff tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.

An angry Trump refused to sign a joint statement issued at the end of the summit, and he and his top aides assailed Trudeau, accusing him of dishonesty and betrayal.

Trudeau had said using national security as a justification for tariffs was "kind of insulting" to Canadian veterans who had stood by their US allies in conflicts dating back to World War I.

"Canadians are polite and reasonable but we will also not be pushed around," he said.

And he confirmed that Canada would press ahead with dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs on July 1 as previously announced.

Trudeau, Trump told ABC News, "shouldn't have done that. That was a mistake."

The bust-up has sent relations between the US and Canada, historically the closest of allies and trading partners, to a new low.

On Tuesday, Trump barely let up, telling reporters in Singapore, after his summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, that while the G7 summit was "good" Trudeau's critical comments would cost Canada "a lot of money."

The only hint of a softening came when Peter Navarro, the White House economic advisor, apologized for saying there was a "special place in hell" for Trudeau.

"I used language that was inappropriate," Navarro was quoted as saying at a Washington event organized by The Wall Street Journal.

- 'Focus on facts' -

Trump, meanwhile, renewed his criticisms of Canada's protection of its dairy sector, saying: "It's very unfair to our farmers, and it's very unfair to the people of our country."

"We need to focus on the facts," and recall that Washington protects its industries too, a senior Canadian official said, pointing to US agricultural subsidies.

"The important thing for the Americans to understand is that our economies and industries are highly integrated" and that tariffs would be very bad for both sides, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Canadian politicians of all stripes have rallied around Trudeau, unanimously passing a motion Monday supporting the prime minister and denouncing Trump's personal attacks on him.

It is unfortunate that there is now "so little trust" in this most important relationship, commented University of Montreal professor Frederic Merand.

"Donald Trump can, quite unpredictably, decide to blow up one aspect of the relationship or another," he told AFP, explaining that Canada had long worked to deepen ties with the occupant of the White House, but also with lawmakers in Washington and in key states, and with business leaders.

Canada's economy is heavily reliant on free trade with the United States, with some 75 percent of its exports going to its southern neighbor. Significant foreign investment in Canada is also linked to its access to the US market.

Although Trump has repeatedly insisted that US workers have lost out under the North American Free Trade Agreement, the US Trade Representative's office confirmed the trade surplus falls more than $8 billion in Washington's favor.

Freeland said she had a "good conversation" Sunday with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, and that the pair would try to meet in Washington this week.

Canada, she said, is still seeking a "win-win-win" NAFTA deal, while adding that Ottawa will remain "absolutely resolute in defense of the national interest."

"From the beginning we have said that our approach would be to work for the best possible outcome but to always be prepared for the worst, to have backup plans," she said.Demonstrators protest US immigration policies that separate undocumented children from their parents at the Otay Mesa Detention facility in California, just north of the US-Mexico border

US Senate Democrats on Tuesday demanded an end to forced separation of undocumented immigrant children from their parents, introducing legislation that would ban the controversial practice undertaken by the Trump administration.

Thirty-two Democrats in the Republican controlled Senate are sponsoring the Keep Families Together Act, which imposes a "prohibition on separation" of such immigrant families.

The bill is a long shot. No Republicans are sponsoring the legislation, and congressional leaders have given no indication they will hold votes on the bill.

But it puts President Donald Trump on notice that there is deep opposition to his "zero tolerance" policy, instituted last month, aimed at detering the thousands of families crossing the border monthly and asking for asylum.

The move has sparked domestic and international criticism, including from the United Nations which demanded a halt to what it called a serious violation of children's rights.

"The Statue of Liberty under the Trump policy is not carrying a torch, it's carrying a pair of handcuffs," Senator Jeff Merkley told reporters.

According to Senator Dianne Feinstein, US Customs and Border Protection informed her that 658 children were taken from 638 parents during a 14-day period in May -- an average of 47 children each day.

"This is not the United States that we know and we're here to try to put a stop to it," said Feinstein, the bill's chief sponsor.

Trump has blamed Democrats for passing "bad legislation" and then failing to change the border security laws.

Democrats have countered that no law requires the government to separate children from their parents.

"Let's call this what it is. This is a human rights abuse that is being committed by the United States," Senator Kamala Harris said in a stinging rebuke.

The bill states that a US agency may not remove a child from a parent "solely for the policy goal of deterring individuals from migrating to the United States or for the policy goal of promoting compliance with civil immigration laws."

Trump has made his opposition to immigration a focal point of his presidency.

His demand for building a border wall was a constant campaign theme, and he has referred to some immigrants, particularly gang members, as "animals."

He scrapped an Obama-era program that gives legal protections to hundreds of thousands of immigrants who were illegally brought in as children, although courts have blocked their deportation.

In recent weeks Trump has hardened his message, with Attorney General Jeff Sessions insisting that illegal immigrants will be prosecuted.

"If people do not want to be separated from their children, then they should not bring them with them," Sessions said early this month.Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump walk together during a break in talks at their historic summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018

If Donald Trump's high-stakes, long-odds bet on building peace with North Korea pays off, it will be because he confidently dismissed all expert advice, moral qualms and diplomatic norms.

Only a president like Trump could celebrate a ruthless autocrat like Kim Jong Un as a man who "loves his country", but then maybe only a Trump could kickstart such a peace process.

Less than a year ago, Kim's accelerating pursuit of a nuclear-armed long-range missile provoked the US president into a blood-curdling threat to unleash "fire and fury."

Now, Trump has handed Kim an extraordinary propaganda coup, meeting him on an equal footing and shaking his hand in front of an overlapping array of US and North Korean flags.

According to Trump's own State Department, Kim's regime holds between 80,000 and 120,000 political prisoners in forced labor camps, facing torture and forced starvation.

The autocrat is accused of killing his own brother with a dose of nerve agent in a Malaysian airport, and his regime recently sent a detained US student home in coma from which he never recovered.

Pyongyang has signed agreements vowing to halt its nuclear program in the past, only to renege on them and then race to build a thermonuclear arsenal and a ballistic missile program.

So Kim's own gamble has already paid off. The economic sanctions campaign targeted against him is fraying and his rule has been publicly legitimized by Trump's warm embrace.

But has Trump's leap in the dark succeeded? Trump says he trusts that Kim's commitment to "work toward" the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is genuine -- with a big caveat.

"I may be wrong. I mean I may stand before you in six months and say, 'Hey I was wrong'," he said. "I don't know that I'll ever admit that, but I'll find some kind of an excuse."

There is no shortage of voices in Washington to denounce Trump's apparently naive effort to nudge Kim onto the path towards disarmament without extracting concrete concessions.

The Brookings Institution published reactions from 13 of the most respected US-based experts on the crisis, and all but one was critical of the "underwhelming" outcome of the summit.

Even the lone optimist among them, senior fellow Michael O'Hanlon, said the process must now pass from Trump to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to plan the North's verifiable disarmament in detail.

- Talented and tough -

"Only when we see if North Korea will go along with this kind of plan, and begin its verifiable implementation, will we really know how to evaluate what just happened in Singapore," he said.

The overwhelming majority of US-based experts on the North Korean crisis have been critical of the outcome of the Singapore summit

Supporters and critics of Trump alike, in fact, noted that now the ice-breaking summit is over it is vital to move quickly to a more traditional negotiation of concrete steps.

But, as some of Trump's fans insist, did it need a buccaneering figure like Trump to cast diplomatic niceties and squeamishness about human rights aside to break the diplomatic logjam?

There may be something to that.

Perhaps only a figure like Trump could pivot so swiftly from "maximum pressure" and "fire and fury" to praising a "talented" Kim's "tough" rule.

And maybe Trump could only do so because he had run out of other options after the North had essentially proved the efficacy of its nuclear program.

Kim's regime has tested what informed observers believe was a hydrogen bomb and a multi-stage missile capable of reaching US cities, and his next goal is international recognition.

Trump's administration initially reacted with bluster and threats and then worked through the United Nations and with cautious rival China to impose tough sanctions.

US officials remain very proud of the sanctions regime, even if Trump says he doesn't want to use the term "maximum pressure" any more, but it has shown its limits.

- Pivot to diplomacy -

The only option left to Trump was to perform a 180 degree turn and accept an invitation -- passed to him via a nervous South Korea -- to the one-on-one summit that Kim was seeking.

For Stephen Pomper, a former member of former president Barack Obama's National Security Council now working at the International Crisis Group, Trump was the man for the moment.

"It's a win in a sense because he backed himself out of a corner, a dangerous corner, and put the United States back on the track where now there's a process, we're now talking to the North Koreans," he said.

"Nobody inside the United States government wanted to take responsibility for pivoting to diplomacy, because if the diplomacy doesn't work out then that person ends up with egg on their face.

"The president absorbed that political risk himself by saying that he was going to commit to this meeting, and that's really where he deserves credit," Pomper told AFP.

So Trump got America out of the corner he himself had trapped it in without triggering a nuclear war. Now diplomats and technical experts must step in to set up an inspection and verification program.

If Kim allows monitors onto his soil, if they confirm that he has frozen his nuclear program, if he declares the full extent of his capabilities, if he agrees that "denuclearization" means disarmament -- then maybe the parties can talk about his surrendering the bombs he already has.In this photo from 2000, honor guards carry the remains of a US service member being repatriated from North Korea

When President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a statement Tuesday committing to establishing new, peaceful relations, they also agreed to resolve an issue as old as the Korean conflict itself.

Trump and Kim said they "commit to recovering" the remains of US service members killed in the war of 1950-1953, "including the immediate repatriation of those already identified."

The issue's inclusion at the summit reflects the efforts of fierce lobbying by veterans groups in America, including Veterans of Foreign Wars, which wrote to Trump last week asking him to discuss the matter with Kim.

"As the leader of the free world, we urge you to do everything in your power to ensure that those who paid the ultimate price for freedom during the Korean War are finally returned home," VFW head Keith Harman wrote.

More than 35,000 Americans were killed on the Korean peninsula during the war, with 7,700 of these US troops still listed as missing in action -- most of them in North Korea.

According to VFW, an agreement between the US and North Korea spanning 1990 to 2005 saw the return of 229 sets of remains, with many more identified.

But the program was suspended as political conditions deteriorated between the two countries.

After the summit, Trump said the process of repatriating remains would begin immediately.

"So many people have talked to me about it," Trump told reporters.

"I brought it up at the very end. And (Kim) was really very gracious. Instead of saying, 'Well, let's talk about it the next time,' he said, 'It makes sense. We will do it.'"

In a statement, Harman said he "salutes" Trump for bringing the issue to the table, and thanked Kim.

"We must have hope that this agreement will finally bring peace to the peninsula and help bring closure to thousands of families of missing American servicemen from the Korean War," Harman said.

"Now the hard work to bring the initiative to fruition begins."US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley wants a UN draft resolution to condemn Hamas, instead of Israel, for Palestinian deaths

US Ambassador Nikki Haley slammed Tuesday a UN draft resolution condemning Israel for Palestinian deaths in Gaza as "fundamentally imbalanced" and instead proposed condemning Hamas for the violence.

The General Assembly is set to vote on the Arab-backed measure on Wednesday after more than 120 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire during protests near the border with Gaza since the end of March.

In a letter sent to fellow ambassadors, Haley said the United States had presented an amendment to the draft resolution that condemns Hamas for firing rockets at Israel and "inciting violence" along the border with Gaza.

The 193-nation assembly will vote on the US-drafted amendment before the vote on the resolution.

"Any resolution focused on the protection of civilians in Gaza must recognize the destabilizing and reckless actions of Hamas, which endanger the lives and livelihoods of innocent civilians," Haley wrote in the letter seen by AFP.

The draft text condemns Israel's use of "excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force" against Palestinian civilians, but also deplores the firing of rockets by Palestinian militants into Israel.

However, it does not specifically mention Hamas.

"This omission should be unacceptable to all member-states, given that Hamas fired over 100 rockets at Israel last month, provoked violent uprisings and obstructed the flow of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people," wrote Haley.

"The proposed resolution is a fundamentally imbalanced text that ignores basic truths about the situation in Gaza."

Diplomats expect the US amendment to fail and the Arab-backed resolution to be adopted, but it remains unclear how many votes it will garner in the face of strong US opposition.

The Palestinians are hoping to win as many votes as those cast in support of a resolution in December rejecting President Donald Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. That vote was 128 to 9, with 35 abstentions.A container is transferred at a port in Qingdao in China's eastern Shandong province on June 8, 2018 as the Trump administration takes up a series of trade disputes against Beijing

US President Donald Trump's Commerce Department on Tuesday announced another trade action involving Chinese imports, with producers of steel propane tanks accused of dumping and unfair subsidies.

It is the latest in a series of disputes the Trump administration has taken up against Beijing, the largest of which are the looming 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods amid complaints the country is stealing US technology.

The frictions with the Asian giant, as well as the latest conflict will allies like Canada and the European Union have threatened to spill over into a global trade war.

The latest complaint, lodged by US manufacturers in Ohio and Tennessee, argues that China is dumping and unfairly subsidizing the steel cylinders, which allegedly land on the US market at below cost, creating unfair competition for US companies, including two that filed a complaint with the Commerce Department.

The complaint says China subsidizes production by 55 to 109 percent through a variety of programs including taxes, grants and export credits for nearly $90 million in exports.

If Commerce determines the China provides the industry with unfair subsidies and is dumping the products, it will impose antidumping and countervailing duties to make the prices similar to US competitors.

The case also alleges dumping of the steel tanks by Taiwan and Thailand at lower rates.

Last year, the United States imported a little over $100 million in the propane cylinders from the three countries combined, according to the Commerce Department.SINGAPORE (AP) - Much attention will be on Kim Jong Un at his historic summit Tuesday with President Donald Trump. But the 34-year-old North Korean leader also brought a group of trusted lieutenants to Singapore, with at least four high-powered women including his own sister.

A brief look at Kim's entourage:

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President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sentosa Island, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

KIM YONG CHOL

Kim, 72, has been Kim Jong Un's most trusted policy adviser since the North Korean leader began a peace offensive with the U.S. and South Korea in January.

He accompanied the young leader at all four of his recent summits, twice with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and twice with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Recently, Kim Jong Un sent him to the United States to hand-deliver a letter to Trump, making him North Korea's most senior official to visit its wartime foe in 18 years.

Kim Yong Chol's rise has baffled many North Korea watchers because he is the ruling Workers' Party official in charge of South Korea ties, not international or U.S. relations. Previously, he served as intelligence chief and is believed to have been behind two attacks in 2010 that killed 50 South Koreans.

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KIM YO JONG

She is Kim Jong Un's younger sister and is thought to be in her late 20s or early 30s. Her official post is the Workers' Party official responsible for propaganda affairs. Many outside experts believe she has already become the No. 2 official in a country that has been ruled by the Kim family for seven decades.

She reportedly traveled to Singapore separately from her brother amid media speculation that the North's top two officials intentionally take different planes in case of an accident.

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CHOE SON HUI

Choe, a vice foreign minister, is the highest-level female diplomat in North Korea. She previously worked as an English-language interpreter for a North Korean delegation attending now-stalled six-nation nuclear disarmament talks.

Last month, her threat to scuttle the summit and description of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence as a "political dummy" prompted Trump to pull out of his meeting with Kim, although he quickly reversed his decision. Some observers speculated Kim would sack Choe but she retained her position. On Monday, she met senior U.S. diplomat Sung Kim at the Ritz-Carlton hotel to make final preparations for the summit.

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HYON SONG WOL

Hyon is head of North Korea's hugely popular Moranbong girl band, whose members were hand-picked by Kim Jong Un. She also led a large North Korean art troupe sent to South Korea during the February Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Her earlier trip to South Korea in January triggered a media frenzy.

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KIM SUNG HAE

Kim is a departmental director at North Korea's United Front Department, the Workers' Party organization that handles inter-Korean relations. She also attended Monday's meeting at the Ritz-Carlton hotel.

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NO KWANG CHOL

No is North Korea's minister of the People's Armed Forces. His appointment to one of the top military jobs was officially confirmed by a state media dispatch on Monday that included him in a list of officials traveling with Kim.

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RI SU YONG

Ri, 78, is the top Workers' Party official for international affairs. The former foreign minister was North Korea's ambassador to Switzerland when Kim Jong Un studied there as a teenager.

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RI YONG HO

Foreign Minister Ri, 61, is a career diplomat who served as the chief North Korean delegate to the six-party nuclear talks.

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The Singapore Summit news hub on the AP News site and mobile app showcasing AP's overall coverage of the event can be found here: https://apnews.com/tag/Singaporesummit

FILE - In this Feb. 9, 2018 file photo, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, arrives for the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Many outside experts believe she has already become the No. 2 official in a country that has been ruled by the Kim family for seven decades. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool, File)

FILE - In this June 10, 2018 file photo, North Korean Kim Yong Chol, center, arrives at the Istana or presidential palace in Singapore. Kim Yong Chol, 72, has been Kim Jong Un's most trusted policy adviser since the North Korean leader began a peace offensive with the U.S. and South Korea in January. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)

FILE - In this June 11, 2018 file photo, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, center, arrives for a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim at the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Hotel in Singapore ahead of the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Choe is the highest-level female diplomat in North Korea. (AP Photo/Yong Teck Lim, File)

FILE - In this June 10, 2018 file photo, North Korean Ri Su Yong, second from right, arrives at the Istana or presidential palace in Singapore. Ri, 78, is the top Workers' Party official for international affairs. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 21, 2018 file photo, North Korean Hyon Song Wol, head of North Korea's art troupe, arrives at the Seoul Train Station in Seoul, South Korea. Hyon is head of North Korea's hugely popular Moranbong girl band, whose members were hand-picked by Kim Jong Un. She also led a large North Korean art troupe sent to South Korea during the February Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. (Korea Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - In this April 10, 2018, file photo, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho speaks to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, during their meeting in Moscow, Russia. Ri, 61, is a career diplomat who served as the chief North Korean delegate to the six-party nuclear talks. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)NEW YORK (AP) - Larry Kudlow, President Donald Trump's top economic adviser, suffered a "very mild" heart attack and was being treated at a military hospital, the White House said Monday.

Kudlow was in good condition at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. She said Kudlow was doing well and that doctors expect him to make a "full and speedy recovery."

News of Kudlow's illness was broken by Trump himself just minutes before he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore. "Our Great Larry Kudlow, who has been working so hard on trade and the economy, has just suffered a heart attack," Trump tweeted.

Inn this June 6, 2018, photo, Senior White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, had joined Trump last week in Canada for what became a contentious meeting of the Group of Seven world leaders. The meeting was shadowed by the Trump administration's escalation of rhetoric on trade and tariffs and splintered shortly after the president left Quebec and tweeted he was pulling back his approval of a joint statement by the group.

Kudlow appeared Sunday on CNN to back up Trump's complaint that he had been blindsided by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's criticism of his tariff threats at a summit-ending news conference.

Trump's choice of Kudlow to be his top economic aide elevated the influence of a longtime fixture on the business news network CNBC. He previously served in the Reagan administration and emerged as a leading evangelist for tax cuts and smaller government.

The famously pinstripe-suited Kudlow succeeded Gary Cohn, a former Goldman Sachs executive who left the post in a dispute over Trump's decision to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.

With Trump's tax cuts already being implemented, Kudlow has been advising a president who pushed to tax foreign imports - a policy Kudlow personally opposes. Kudlow said he is "in accord" with Trump's agenda and his team at the White House would help implement the policies set by the president.

After working in President Ronald Reagan's administration, Kudlow moved to Wall Street and, though he never completed a master's program in economics and policy at Princeton University, served as chief economist at Bear Stearns. He left that position in the early 1990s to treat an addiction to alcohol and drugs.

Kudlow soon settled comfortably into the world of political and economic commentary, working at the conservative magazine National Review and becoming a host of CNBC shows beginning in 2001. He was a CNBC contributor before returning to the White House this year.

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Associated Press writers Zeke Miller in Singapore and Jill Colvin in Washington contributed reporting.

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Follow Lemire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire and Colvin at http://twitter.com/@colvinjMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Unbeaten heavyweight champions Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua appear poised for a title unification bout in the division's most anticipated matchup.

The two camps have agreed to terms on a fight in the United Kingdom sometime this fall for less money than Wilder's initial offer, his trainer Jay Deas said Monday night.

"They offered and we accepted," he said, adding that they would push for a signed contract as early as Tuesday.

Deas said the fight could be anywhere from September to November to avoid conflict with a potential Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin rematch in September.

Deas said he's not authorized to discuss details of the potential purse and that the venue and date are up to Joshua's camp.

A huge draw in the UK, Joshua's last two fights have been at 74,500-seat Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

"We offered $50 million, which is what he said he wanted," Deas said in a phone interview. "And he then turned it down. Then they came back with a much, much, much smaller offer for Deontay, which would have been even less than Deontay would have made in the United States, and wanted him to still travel to the UK for the fight. And we said yes.

"The reason we did was because Deontay is investing in himself. He wants this for the fans and he wants this for his legacy and he knows that being the undisputed heavyweight champ of the world will give him the financial gain as he proceeds. Even though we would have liked a better deal, Deontay said yes."

Wilder, who lives in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is the WBC champion at 40-0 with 39 knockouts. Joshua holds the other heavyweight belts and is 21-0 with 20 knockouts.

Wilder posted on his Twitter account Monday that the $50 million offer to fight in America is still on the table.

"Today I even agreed to their offer to fight Joshua next in the UK," he said in the tweet. "If he prefers the fight in the UK, the ball is in their court. It's up to them to choose."

Both fought in March. Wilder had a 10th-round stoppage of Luis Ortiz. Joshua won a unanimous decision over Joseph Parker in his first fight to go the distance.

Now, the two biggest heavyweight names could be poised to meet next.

"If they keep their word, then we've got a fight," Deas said. "So we're fully expecting to go to the UK and we're ready. We're ready to do it tomorrow. All they have to do is tell us where to be and when to be there, and we'll be there."DARIEN, Ill. (AP) - Authorities say three family members whose bodies were found in a home in west suburban Chicago all died from gunshot wounds.

The Darien Police Department says officers responding to a call about shots fired found the bodies about 1 a.m. Sunday.

Police and the DuPage County Coroner's Office identified the victims as 33-year-old Bourk Esho and 7-year-old Olivia Esho, both of Darien, and 42-year-old Olasunkanmi Esho of Chicago.

Police Cmdr. Gerald Piccoli says there's no threat to the community about 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of Chicago. Additional details were not released.SINGAPORE (AP) - Donald Trump approached from the right, striding down the long portico at the colonial-era Singapore resort. Kim Jong Un, dressed in his familiar Mao suit, emerged from the left. They met in the middle, on a red carpet, dozens of cameras recording their every move as the world watched.

And counted.

Thirteen seconds. That's how long the American and North Korean leaders shook hands at the start of their summit Tuesday. The length of the contact, their facial expressions and body language, the stunning backdrop of interlocked national flags - all of it was instantly analyzed, criticized and marveled at in tweets and commentary in South Korea, the United States and beyond.

U.S. President Donald Trump, right, reaches to shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Kim may have best summed up the surreal quality of what was happening when he said that many of those watching will think it's a scene from a "science fiction movie."

South Koreans applauded in a train station as they watched; the South Korean president grinned broadly; one official compared the summit, favorably, to the birth of his daughter. On the flipside, critics said the welcome Trump was giving Kim in Singapore would legitimize one of the world's worst human rights offenders.

It was a single, quintessentially human moment - a greeting, a welcome, a start of a relationship - but the reaction to the handshake was as complicated as the standoff that the two countries these men represent have been locked in for seven decades now.

There was shock, relief, worry, sometimes simultaneously, as the world watched Trump and Kim - who were insulting each other's mental and physical prowess and threatening nuclear war just a few months ago - shaking hands and smiling.

Trump put his hand out first, followed by Kim as they strode toward each other. Trump grasped Kim's right arm as they shook, and then, later, took ahold of Kim's left arm as they turned to face the cameras and the world, both their expressions momentarily deadening before they turned to face each other again, and smiled.

The backdrop was almost as shocking as the warmth of the handshake - a row of the two nations' flags displayed side-by-side at the entrance to the Singapore resort that's hosting their summit.

Both Koreas have long demonized the other's national flag. It's illegal to show the North Korean flag in the South. North Korea's anti-U.S. propaganda dates to the war and regularly shows North Korean soldiers bayonetting the U.S. flag.

However, many South Koreans rushed to express their awe of Tuesday's events.

The liberal Hankook Ilbo newspaper marveled that the U.S. president didn't shake hands in the usual "Trump way" of domineering his counterpart. It also noted that Trump softly tapped Kim on the shoulder and seemed to engage in small talk with him.

Jung Chung-rae, a former lawmaker of the liberal Minjoo Party, tweeted that the handshake "shined with courtesy and respect" and that history will remember their "handshakes and smiles." Media photos showed South Korean President Moon Jae-in smiling broadly during a Cabinet meeting at the Blue House while watching a television screen that showed Trump and Kim shaking hands in front of American and North Korean flags. "All the attention of our people is on Singapore," Moon said. "I, too, could hardly sleep last night."

Shortly before the leaders met, Moon's chief of staff wrote on Facebook that the summit reminded him of his child's birth.

"I remember hovering around the delivery room the day my daughter was born. I didn't care whether you were a boy or a girl. Just come out to the world healthy with a big cry," Im Jong-seok wrote, apparently wishing for a successful outcome from the meeting between Trump and Kim.

Critics, however, saw the handshake and Kim's earlier moonlight stroll as evidence Trump was helping to legitimize Kim as his equal on the world stage even though the North Korean regime has been accused of horrific rights abuses. During his stroll Monday along the glittering Singapore waterfront, crowds yelled Kim's name and jostled to take pictures, and the North Korean leader posed for a selfie with Singapore officials.

Last year Kim was "Little Rocket Man," according to Trump, and U.S. officials regularly mentioned his likely role in the assassination of his half-brother with nerve agent in a Malaysian airport, as well as his uncle's execution. Kim's image would now be bolstered, critics said.

Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA analyst, told MSNBC, "Kim Jong Un is prepared. He knows what he wants, which is to gain an ... international acceptance of North Korea as a nuclear weapons power. He thinks he's coming into this meeting from a position of strength because he has reached certain capability in his nuclear missile program. And he thinks he's going to now see what he can get out of the United States."

Adam Mount, a U.S. defense analyst, expressed anger about seeing the U.S. and North Korean flags side by side.

"We should be working diligently to transform North Korea and our relationship with it," he tweeted. "But until that day, it's abhorrent to see a flag that stands for so much suffering and cruelty standing with ours."

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Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea contributed to this report from Seoul.

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Foster Klug is AP bureau chief in South Korea and has covered the Koreas since 2005. Follow at www.twitter.com/apklug

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The Singapore Summit news hub on the AP News site and mobile app showcasing AP's overall coverage of the event can be found here: https://apnews.com/tag/Singaporesummit

U.S. President Donald Trump, right, reaches to shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump shakes hands as he meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sentosa Island, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U. S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U.S. President Donald Trump reaches to shake hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)BERLIN (AP) - While South Koreans cheered with hope and China saw an opening to discuss lifting sanctions on North Korea, some countries in Europe and the Mideast cautioned Tuesday that it was premature to judge U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's summit a success.

Many have applauded the recent months of denuclearization diplomacy between North Korea and the U.S. after a year of mounting tension, threats and name-calling. Hopes for peace on the long-divided Korean Peninsula, however, remained tempered by the many failed attempts in the past.

"The United States and North Korea have been in a state of antagonism for more than half a century," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said. "Today, that the two countries' highest leaders can sit together and have equal talks, has important and positive meaning, and is creating a new history."

People look at the extra edition of Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun reporting the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, at Shimbashi Station in Tokyo, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. The headline reads: North Korea promises to denuclearize. (Suo Takekuma/Kyodo News via AP)

At a train station in Seoul, the South Korean capital, people cheered and applauded as televisions screens broadcast the Trump-Kim handshake live.

"I really, really hope for a good outcome," Yoon Ji, a professor at Sungshin University in Seoul, said. "I am hoping for denuclearization and a peace agreement and also for North Korea's economy to open up."

Leaders in Europe also responded positively to seeing Trump and Kim sit down together, but welcomed the development with wait-and-see skepticism.

"We know that crisis management and international policy are a marathon," Andrea Nahles, the leader of Germany's Social Democrats, said. "To be honest, I can't judge how far what was agreed today will translate into reality."

Trump's unilateral decision last month to pull out of the landmark deal to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons has left the other nations involved scrambling to preserve the pact.

With that as a backdrop, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, France that the U.S.-North Korea summit proved that diplomacy was the right path to follow.

"The diplomatic track is often challenging, is often the most difficult one to be followed, but it is the rewarding one, and needs to be sustained over time," Mogherini said. "It was the same track that the international community and the European Union followed for over a decade with Iran."

In a printed statement, she mentioned neither Trump nor Kim by name, but thanked South Korean President Moon Jae-in for his leadership in creating the "positive developments in inter-Korean relations" for the summit to build upon.

For his part, Moon said he "could hardly sleep" in anticipation of the meeting and expressed hope for "complete denuclearization and peace."

Iran, on the other hand, noted that not only had Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, but irritated Group of Seven leaders by agreeing to sign their closing summit declaration, then tweeting while on his way to Singapore that he had changed his mind.

"We are facing a man who revokes his signature while abroad," Iranian government spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

Russia, another backer of the Iran nuclear deal, also was skeptical.

"Trump's words that the process of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula will start 'very, very soon' is more of a wish than a fact," Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the upper house of Russia's parliament, wrote on his Facebook page.

"The role of the international community is important here. We must take the two leaders at their word and push them further," Kosachev wrote.

Still, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz tweeted that the meeting was "grounds for hope" for disarmament and peace on the Korean Peninsula "even if there's a long path ahead."

Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen called the summit "historic," though added that Pyongyang has failed to live up to previous disarmament deals.

In China, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that United Nations sanctions against North Korea could be suspended or lifted in accordance with the North's actions.

"We believe the Security Council should make efforts to support the diplomatic efforts at the present time," he said.

Trump said at a post-summit news conference that he has held off from imposing additional sanctions, but that the United States would life existing ones when the North's nuclear weapons "are no longer a factor."

Japan's largest newspaper, the Yomiuri, printed a one-page "extra" edition in both Japanese and English that was distributed free in major cities 90 minutes after the meeting began.

Passers-by outside a Tokyo train station snapped up 500 copies. They generally welcomed the meeting as a good first step, but wondered if progress would be made on the fate of Japanese abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.

"After the handshake and political show will be the real action," student Momoko Shimada, 20, said. "I believe that won't be easy."

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe thanked Trump for raising the abduction issue with Kim and said "Japan will deal firmly with North Korea face-to-face" to resolve it.

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Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.

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Follow AP's summit coverage here: http://apne.ws/MPbJ5Tv

TV screens shows U.S. President Donald Trump, right, meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, during a news program at Yongsan Electronic store in Seoul, South Korea, South Korea, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A staff of a Japanese news paper Yomiuri distributes an extra edition of the newspaper reporting about the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, at Shimbashi Station in Tokyo, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. President Trump and North Korea's Kim came together for a momentous summit Tuesday that could determine historic peace or raise the specter of a growing nuclear threat, with Trump pledging that "working together we will get it taken care of." (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

People watch coverage of U.S. President Donald Trump's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Monday, June 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A man walks past a mural depicting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Monday, June 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. President Donald Trump and Kim came together for a momentous summit Tuesday that could determine historic peace or raise the specter of a growing nuclear threat, with Trump pledging that "working together we will get it taken care of." (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

People celebrate as they watch a TV showing U.S. President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. (Kyodo News via AP)

A man watches a TV screen showing U.S. President Donald Trump, right, meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore during a news program In Hong Kong, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks about the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, during a joint briefing with Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing Tuesday, June 12, 2018. (Greg Baker/Pool Photo via AP)

An activist holds up a banner showing photos of U.S. President Donald Trump, second from left, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, during a rally wishing for peace on the Korea peninsular in front of Singapore Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. The signs read: "Peace treaty." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, left, is shown the way by his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, prior to their talks at Abe's official residence in Tokyo Tuesday, June 12, 2018. (Toshifumi Kitamura/Pool Photo via AP)

Women walk by a huge screen showing U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un in a news program, in Tokyo, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. President Trump and North Korea's Kim came together for a momentous summit Tuesday that could chart a course for historic peace or raise the specter of a growing nuclear threat, with Kim saying the sit-down was a "good prelude for peace" and Trump pledging that "working together we will get it taken care of."(AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

A man looks at a TV screen showing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump shaking hands before their meeting in Singapore, in Tokyo, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Japanese letters read: "Happy to come here." (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

U.S. President Donald Trump, right, reaches to shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans in Congress are often hesitant to publicly criticize President Donald Trump, even when they have strong disagreements. And the reaction after his outbursts over the Group of Seven summit was not much different.

Trump badmouthed the prime minister of Canada. Abandoned a joint statement with longtime trading partners. And soured relations with top U.S. allies in one of the most startling outbursts ever at the typically diplomatic G-7 summit.

Yet Republican leadership in Congress said little. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declined public comment, as did House Speaker Paul Ryan. In fact, only a few Republicans said anything at all.

U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the G7 Leaders Summit in La Malbaie, Que., on Saturday, June 9, 2018., with White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, left, and National Security Adviser John Bolton. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

"There's just some movies you don't want to see again," said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan. "It was what it was."

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said he wanted to know what provoked Trump, saying the president doesn't usually attack first, but is more of a counter-puncher. Still, he doesn't like "that kind of language any time."

"It's better if we keep those kinds of comments and those arguments with friends, in private," said Rounds.

That left the heavy mop-up mostly to others. The ailing Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., rarely one to shy away from a fight, tweeted criticism directly aimed at Trump: "To our allies: bipartisan majorities of Americans remain pro-free trade, pro-globalization & supportive of alliances based on 70 years of shared values. Americans stand with you, even if our president doesn't."

Retiring Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake took issue with Trump's trade adviser's remark that there is a "special place in hell" for world leaders who cross the president. Flake tweeted: "Fellow Republicans, this is not who we are. This cannot be our party."

Some Republicans say it is protocol not to criticize the commander in chief while he's traveling abroad - especially now, as Trump begins the historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

Others remain fearful of provoking Trump, worried they will become the subject of his presidential tweets. Many have said their overall strategy in dealing with the White House is to steer the administration toward shared goals.

But they are also coming to realize that on the trade issues that set Trump off at the G-7 - and led to his specific attack against Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over his country's steep dairy tariffs - they might have irreconcilable differences with the Republican Party leader.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Trump won the presidency by tapping into a protectionist strain that's increasingly popular in America, and around the globe, and it's calling into question the GOP's longstanding preference for free trade and open markets.

"I'm not sure a majority of Americans believe that globalization and free trade is in our interests," Graham said on ABC. Graham said he and McCain still believe in trade, "but I'm not sure most Americans agree with John McCain and Lindsey Graham."

Still, some senators are trying to push back. A group of Republicans is struggling this week with legislation from Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., to prevent Trump from imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports in the name of national security.

Trump called Toomey overnight Sunday from Singapore for a 20-minute conversation on trade.

Toomey said Monday that if the president intended to use the tariffs as leverage in trade talks - say, to reduce the Canadian tariffs on U.S. dairy imports - he'd be willing to consider them. But he told a local radio station that the president is using the tariffs "for the wrong ends." They agreed to disagree.

But that doesn't mean the legislation to halt the tariffs has much chance of passage in Congress. Republican leaders are reluctant to tack the tariff measure onto a must-pass defense bill, which includes pay raises for the troops, worried it would get bogged down.

"If you gave truth serum to the caucus, I would say it would be near unanimous that the substance of this amendment is something they would support," Corker said of his proposal. "There are a number of people that obviously don't want to counter the president. To me, we are a separate but equal branch."

"I'm intellectually with him," Graham said of Corker's amendment. "I'm just not so sure we should cut the president's legs out from under him right now."

Many senators from both parties want Trump to focus on the trade imbalance with China rather than key U.S. allies. Legislation that would reverse Trump's decision to lift sanctions on the Chinese firm ZTE gained momentum Monday when it was added to the defense bill.

Democrats are eager to fill the void in pushing back against Trump.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticized Trump's call for Russia to rejoin the G-7.

And even though Schumer shares Trump's concerns about the dairy tariffs that hit his upstate industry, he tweeted of the summit: "Are we executing Putin's diplomatic and national security strategy or AMERICA's diplomatic and national security strategy? After the last few days, it's hard to tell."

Julian E. Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, said lawmakers should not shy from exerting their views, even while the president is abroad.

"If the president decides to abandon norms and protocol in such a dramatic fashion, it is legitimate - and some would say an obligation - for members of Congress to say why they feel this is wrong or to disagree with the position," Zelizer said. "These are serious alliances and this is a very serious moment in international relations."

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Follow Mascaro on Twitter at https://Twitter.com/LisaMascaroRep. Mark Sanford, a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, lost his South Carolina congressional seat Tuesday hours after the president injected himself into the bitter Republican primary by stoking memories of the incumbent's public extramarital affair seven years ago.

In the most dramatic result in primaries across five states, Sanford was the second incumbent House Republican to lose a primary this year - the latest victim of intense divisions among the GOP in the Trump era. Though he has a generally conservative voting record, his criticism of Trump as unworthy and culturally intolerant made him a target of the president's most dedicated supporters, who often elevate loyalty over policy.

Sanford was defeated by state Rep. Katie Arrington , who spent her campaign blasting Sanford as a "Never Trumper." And hours before polls closed, Trump posted a startlingly personal attack on Twitter, calling Sanford "very unhelpful."

U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford hugged his sons after addressing his supporters at Liberty Tap Room in Mount Pleasant, S.C., Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Sanford lost his first election ever Tuesday, beaten for the Republican nomination for another term in the coastal 1st District around Charleston by state Rep. Katie Arrington. (Wade Spees/The Post And Courier via AP)

"He's MIA and nothing but trouble," Trump continued. "He is better off in Argentina."

The swipe was a reference to Sanford's unexplained disappearance from the state in 2009, which he later said was part of an affair he was carrying on with a woman in Argentina.

Even for a political figure with no shortage of confidence wading into his own party's decision-making, Trump's attack on Sanford was a bold case of going after a sitting member of Congress. It's almost certain to make other Republicans even more reluctant to take him on, even as Trump has stirs division on trade, foreign policy and the Russia investigation.

In his remarks Tuesday night, Sanford was unbowed, saying, "I stand by every one of those decisions to disagree with the president."

Sanford had never lost a political race in South Carolina and his defeat Tuesday was an abrupt end to a roller-coaster political career that included a resignation as South Carolina's governor following his admission of the affair.

After declaring victory Tuesday, Arrington asked Republicans to come together. And she reminded them who she thinks leads them: "We are the party of President Donald J. Trump."

Four other states voted Tuesday, including several races that will be key to determining which party controls the House of Representatives next year.

In other races:

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IN SOUTH CAROLINA, INCUMBENT GOVERNOR FACES RUN-OFF

Sanford was not the only establishment Republican to face a challenge Tuesday. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a close ally of Trump, was forced into a runoff after failing to muster the required 50 percent vote to win outright.

McMaster, an early supporter of the president's 2016 campaign, had Trump's full endorsement, marked by a weekend tweet.

But while Trump remains very popular in the state, McMaster has been shadowed by a corruption probe involving a longtime political consultant. McMaster received the most votes of the four Republicans running, but will face Greenville businessman John Warren in a second contest June 26.

McMaster, the former lieutenant governor, assumed the governorship last year after Nikki Haley resigned to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

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GOP'S 'VICIOUS' VIRGINIA VICTOR

In a big Virginia race , Republican Corey Stewart - known for his ardent defense of Confederate symbolism - won the Republican primary to face Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine.

Stewart surprised many by nearly winning last year's Republican nomination for governor.

He was the top aide to Trump's presidential campaign in Virginia in 2016, but was fired for staging an unauthorized protest of the Republican National Committee. Stewart had accused the party of inadequately defending the candidate after the release of a tape where Trump bragged about groping women.

As a candidate for governor in 2017, Stewart spoke out against removing Confederate monuments, including the Robert E. Lee statue that prompted a deadly protest in Charlottesville last year. Stewart called efforts to remove the monuments "an attempt to destroy traditional America."

He said Tuesday he planned to wage a "vicious" campaign against Kaine.

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A HOUSE BELLWETHER IN VIRGINIA

Democratic State Sen. Jennifer Wexton was the clear winner in a six-way primary in a northern Virginia district considered key to the House battleground map this fall, and will challenge Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock.

Democrats in two other districts they hope to retake nominated women: Abigail Spanberger in central Virginia and Elaine Luria in the district that includes Virginia Beach.

In Comstock's district, Wexton was the best-known in the field, and was viewed as the Democratic Party's establishment choice. She had the endorsement of Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam.

Comstock, a moderate Republican who easily beat back a challenge from conservative Shak Hill, is one of the Democrats' top targets in November. The second-term House member's district leans Republican, though Democrat Hillary Clinton received more votes there than Trump did in 2016.

Though Wexton favors a ban on the sale of assault weapons, she defied what has been the tendency in some swing districts to nominate Democrats with liberal profiles on other key issues. She has not called for a single-payer, government-run health insurance system, as some Democratic House primary winners in California, Nebraska and Pennsylvania have.

Democrats need to gain 23 seats to win the majority in the House.

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TURNING THE LePAGE

Maine voters are deciding on a successor to term-limited, conservative Republican Gov. Paul LePage. But first they had to wrestle with a new balloting system. Maine on Tuesday debuted its statewide ranked-choice voting , which allows voters to rank candidates first to last on their ballot.

The system ensured that counting was slow and winners difficult to call. But businessman Shawn Moody won the GOP nomination after midnight. He maintained a wide lead through the night, but risked not winning the race outright under the new rules.

The Associated Press did not call the Democratic primary as none of the seven candidates was close to the majority needed to be declared the outright winner, so more tabulations are required next week under ranked-choice voting. Last-place candidates will be eliminated and votes reallocated until there is a winner, a process that may take more than a week.

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NEVADA, NORTH DAKOTA: SEE YOU IN NOVEMBER

Nevada and North Dakota are home to two of the most pivotal Senate races this year. What they didn't have were competitive Senate primaries.

Nevada Sen. Dean Heller, the only Republican seeking re-election in a state that Hillary Clinton carried in 2016, and Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen sailed through their primaries, and already have begun focusing their criticism on each other in what is expected to be among the most competitive Senate races this year.

There was also the return of Sharron Angle , the conservative who once ominously threatened to "take out" then-Sen. Harry Reid. Angle, who lost to Reid in her 2010 bid for Senate, lost her primary challenge to Rep. Mark Amodei on Tuesday.

Centrist Steve Sisolak won a bruising battle between Clark County commissioners vying to be Nevada's first Democratic governor in two decades. Fellow board member Chris Giunchigliani ran as a progressive, knocking Sisolak for his positive rating from the National Rifle Association in light of the mass shooting in Las Vegas in October. Republican Attorney General Adam Laxalt easily cleared the GOP field.

In North Dakota, GOP Rep. Kevin Cramer will face moderate Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp . She is seeking re-election in a state Trump carried by 36 percentage points in 2016.

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Associated Press writers Meg Kinnard and Christina Myers in Columbia, S.C.; Marine Villeneuve in Augusta, Maine; Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine; Alan Suderman in Richmond, Va.; Matthew Barakat in McLean, Va.; Scott Sonner in Reno, Nev.; Michelle Price in Las Vegas; and James MacPherson in Bismarck, N.D., contributed to this report.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster enters his election night party at Vista Union Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Columbia, S.C. McMaster was forced into a runoff for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. He was the top vote-getter in primary voting but failed to win the 50 percent necessary to avoid a runoff. He and Greenville businessman John Warren will face off in a second contest on June 26. (Jeff Blake/The State via AP)

Corey Stewart, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate and Chairman of Prince William County Board, addresses his supporters at the Electric Palm restaurant on election night in Woodbridge, Va., Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Republicans chose Stewart, an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump and defender of Confederate monuments, as their nominee for the state's U.S. Senate race on Tuesday, while Democrats picked an establishment favorite to run in Virginia's marquee U.S. house race. (Calla Kessler/The Washington Post via AP)

Clark County Commission member and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Sisolak chants with supporters while touring the site of the future Raiders football stadium Monday, June 11, 2018, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2017, file photo, Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev, speaks during a media briefing at Metro Police headquarters in Las Vegas. Heller is considered the vulnerable Republican senator seeking re-election, but he has an easy primary battle Tuesday, June 12, 2018, thanks to President Donald Trump. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP, File)

FILE - In this May 26, 2016, file photo, North Dakota state Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D, speaks in Bismarck, N.D. Cramer, a candidate for U.S. Senate, faces Thomas O'Neill, an Air Force veteran who didn't mount a serious campaign, in the Tuesday, June 12, 2018, Republican primary. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast File)AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Republican businessman Shawn Moody won Tuesday's ranked-choice voting primary in the race to succeed Maine's firebrand Gov. Paul LePage, while no clear majority winner had emerged in the Democratic primary.

The founder of a string of auto repair shops won a majority of the Republican vote, meaning there's no need for additional rounds of voting under the voting system used in a statewide primary for the first time in U.S. history.

"I think Mainers have spoken," Moody said. "They want a businessperson, an outsider. And they're not ready to turn Augusta back over to the politicians."

In this May 5, 2018 file photo, gubernatorial candidate Shawn Moody speaks at the Republican Convention in Augusta, Maine. Mainers go to the ballot box, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, to rank candidates for the first time. It's the biggest test yet of ranked-choice voting. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

The Associated Press did not call the Democratic primary as no candidate was close to the majority needed to be declared the outright winner, so more tabulations are required next week under ranked-choice voting. Last-place candidates will be eliminated and votes reallocated until there is a winner, a process that may take more than a week.

According to returns tabulated by The Associated Press, Moody was leading state Sen. Garrett Mason by about 30 percentage points as midnight arrived and more than 60 percent of the expected vote was counted.

A field of 11 Democrats and Republicans sought their party's nomination for the opportunity to succeed LePage, who streamlined government, lowered taxes and trimmed welfare but also angered some with his harsh tone and policy decisions.

Moody, who as a high school senior founded a successful chain of auto collision centers, has cast himself as the "outsider businessman" in the style of LePage and Republican President Trump.

Moody, 58, has served as a trustee at the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System. He unsuccessfully ran for governor against LePage as an independent in 2010, and enrolled in the Republican Party last year.

"I don't have maybe baggage so to speak politically," Moody said. "I think Maine people want a fresh start."

In the Democratic primary, Attorney General Janet Mills and attorney Adam Cote both had more than 25 percent of the vote with more than 60 percent of the expected vote counted.

LePage on Tuesday, a long-time opponent of ranked voting, called the election overhaul the "most horrific thing in the world." He threatened not to certify Tuesday's election results, but Maine's top election official quickly said that the governor can't stop primary election results from moving forward.

Democratic Secretary of State Matt Dunlap said the governor could refuse to sign a proclamation of the results but that still wouldn't stop the nominations from taking effect.

"He can bluster," Dunlap said.

LePage, a fiscal conservative who has compared his style to President Donald Trump's, was elected in 2010 in a multicandidate race amid a Tea Party wave of conservatism.

He declined to endorse a candidate, but his family has ties to Moody. LePage's daughter, Lauren, worked for Moody's campaign, and his wife, Ann, endorsed Moody in campaign ads.

A resident arrives to cast her vote at a polling station at the Kennebunk Town Hall in Kennebunk, Maine, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Finn, a golden retriever puppy, decides to take a rest in the middle of auditorium after owner Korey Pow cast her vote at a polling station in the Kennebunk Town Hall in Kennebunk, Maine, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

FILE - In this May 19, 2018 file photo, gubernatorial candidate Janet Mills acknowledges supporters at the Democratic convention in Lewiston, Maine. Mainers go to the ballot box, Tuesday, June 12 to rank candidates for the first time. It's the biggest test yet of ranked-choice voting. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

FILE - In this May 19, 2018 file photo, gubernatorial candidate Adam Cote speaks at the Democratic convention in Lewiston, Maine. Mainers go to the ballot box, Tuesday, June 12 to rank candidates for the first time. It's the biggest test yet of ranked-choice voting. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

FILE - In this May 19, 2018 file photo, gubernatorial candidate Betsy Sweet speaks at the Democratic convention in Lewiston, Maine. Mainers go to the ballot box, Tuesday, June 12, to rank candidates for the first time. It's the biggest test yet of ranked-choice voting. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

FILE - In this May 19, 2018 file photo, gubernatorial candidate Mark Eves speaks at the Democratic convention in Lewiston, Maine. Mainers go to the ballot box, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, to rank candidates for the first time. It's the biggest test yet of ranked-choice voting. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

In this May 5, 2018 file photo, gubernatorial candidate Shawn Moody speaks at the Republican Convention in Augusta, Maine. Mainers go to the ballot box, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, to rank candidates for the first time. It's the biggest test yet of ranked-choice voting. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

FILE - In this May 5, 2018 file photo, gubernatorial candidate Mary Mayhew speaks at the Republican Convention in Augusta, Maine. Mainers go to the ballot box, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, to rank candidates for the first time. It's the biggest test yet of ranked-choice voting. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

FILE - In this May 5, 2018 file photo, gubernatorial candidate State Sen. Garrett Mason, R-Lisbon, speaks at the Republican Convention in Augusta, Maine. Mainers go to the ballot box, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, to rank candidates for the first time. It's the biggest test yet of ranked-choice voting. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

FILE - In this May 5, 2018 file photo, gubernatorial candidate State Rep. Ken Fredette, R-Newport, speaks at the Republican Convention, in Augusta, Maine. Mainers go to the ballot box, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, to rank candidates for the first time. It's the biggest test yet of ranked-choice voting. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Maine residents rejected a delay legislators had sought to implement ranked-choice voting, allowing the system used for the first time in Tuesday's primaries to also be used in federal elections in November.

The election overhaul allows voters to rank their candidates from first to last on the ballot. If there's no majority winner, then there are additional voting rounds.

Republican businessman Shawn Moody won Tuesday's Republican primary, gaining a majority of vote to eliminate the need for additional rounds of voting. No clear majority winner had emerged in the Democratic primary.

If the Democratic result holds when all of the votes are counted, there would be additional rounds of vote tabulations next week, as election officials eliminate last-place candidates and reallocate votes. The winner of that race may not be known for at least a week.

Supporters say the system ensures a majority winner, eliminates the impact of spoilers and encourages civility in campaigns. Opponents have said it's confusing and doesn't square with the Maine Constitution. It is already used in 11 local jurisdictions.

Voters used it to sort through a crowded gubernatorial field that includes 11 Democratic and Republican candidates, as well as a Democratic congressional primary and a Republican legislative primary.

"I'm interested in people working together. I think it'll move us in the direction of people working together," said voter Linda Misener, who cast a "yes" ballot in Portland.

Many voters on Tuesday had a firm grasp of the ballot.

"It's pretty easy to do, despite the negative publicity. I can count to seven, and they can do the math on the other end," said David Kuchta, of Portland, referring to the number of candidate he ranked in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.

The system has faced legal challenges, in addition to legislative hurdles. But Maine's highest court in April cleared the way for voters to use the ranking system.

Critics included Republican Gov. Paul LePage, who announced Tuesday that he probably wouldn't certify primary elections results under the system. His announcement was largely symbolic. Democratic Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said such an act wouldn't change anything.

The system works like this: A candidate who scores a majority of votes wins. If there is no majority, then the last-place candidate's votes are reallocated and the votes are tabulated again.

State lawmakers last fall decided to delay ranked-choice voting until 2021, when it would be repealed unless allowed by a constitutional amendment. But that was nullified by a second statewide vote on Tuesday.

The decision means Mainers will be able to use ranked-choice voting for future primary elections and U.S. House and U.S. Senate elections in November. It won't be used for legislative and gubernatorial general elections because of state constitutional concerns.

The voting system survived a legal challenge by the Maine Senate on constitutional grounds.

Maine Republicans wanted to be exempted from ranked-choice voting in their primary, but a federal judge rejected the request for an injunction last month.

On Tuesday, several Democratic voters pointed to the election of LePage in 2010 for supporting the voting system. LePage won without a majority in a multi-candidate race in which Democrats torn between two other candidates split their votes.

A few were surprised to learn that new voting system won't apply to that governor's race in November, even if residents agree to carry it forward.

"Things take time, unfortunately. It'd be nice if thing went faster," said Carmine Terracciano of Portland. "You gotta start somewhere."

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Associated Press writers David Sharp and Marina Villeneuve in Portland contributed to this report.

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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DALLAS (AP) - The Southern Baptist Convention opened its annual national meeting Tuesday in an anxious mood as the denomination's all-male leadership grappled with the fallout of multiple sexual misconduct cases.

With virtually no opposition, delegates at the meeting adopted resolutions condemning any sexual misconduct by SBC ministers, urging more action to prevent "all forms of abuse," and encouraging abuse victims to contact civil authorities to seek protection and support.

In a late addition to the program, the SBC announced that Vice President Mike Pence would address the meeting Wednesday. In Tuesday's opening session, a delegate from Virginia, Garrett Kell, sought to cancel Pence's address and replace it with a time of prayer, but the motion was defeated.

FILE - In this Oct. 12, 2010, file photo, former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson poses for a photo in Fort Worth, Texas. The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., heads into its annual meeting next week facing what one senior leader calls a "horrifying #MeToo moment." A series of sexual misconduct cases within the SBC has prompted its socially conservative, all-male leadership to seek forgiveness for the ill-treatment of women. Illustrating the SBC's predicament, the featured sermon at next week's meeting is scheduled to be delivered by Patterson, the central figure in the most prominent of the troubling #MeToo cases. (Paul Moseley/Star-Telegram via AP, File)

"Many of our minority brothers and sisters will be especially hurt by this invitation," said Kell, who warned the SBC against associating with any particular administration holding power in Washington.

The agenda in Dallas did not include any reconsideration of the SBC's doctrine of "complementarianism," which espouses male leadership in the home and in the church and says a wife "is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband."

However, the pastor elected Tuesday as the SBC's new president - J.D. Greear - is among numerous SBC leaders saying the doctrine needs to be observed in a way that's respectful of women and encourages them to play an active role in church affairs.

In a recent video posted on Facebook, Greear said the church has hurt itself by excluding women from top leadership posts.

Complementarianism "is biblical and we need to honor that ... but at the same time recognize that God has gifted women with spiritual gifts," he said. "We need to be as committed to raising them up in leadership and ministries as we are to our sons."

Greear, 45, a megachurch pastor from North Carolina who sometimes preaches in jeans and shirts with no sport coat, won about 69 percent of the votes in his election victory over former seminary president Ken Hemphill, 70.

Greear narrowly lost the election for president in 2016 and has been viewed by many Southern Baptists as the inevitable winner this time. Hemphill was nominated by some veteran SBC leaders who view him as less likely to propose potentially divisive changes.

As the two-day meeting began, about two dozen protesters gathered across the street from the convention center, drawing attention to abuse against women.

The protesters called for the creation of a database identifying pastors accused of sexual abuse and misconduct. They also want pastors and seminarians to receive training on how to respond to sexual abuse and domestic violence.

"We are not against the Southern Baptist Convention, but we believe it can be better," said Ashley Easter, a writer and speaker from Raleigh, North Carolina, who is an advocate for victims of abuse and an organizer of the protest.

Paige Patterson, the central figure in the most prominent of the SBC's #MeToo cases, had been scheduled to deliver the featured sermon at the national meeting. However, he withdrew from that role Friday, heeding a request from other SBC leaders.

Patterson was recently dismissed as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas because of his response to two rape allegations made years apart by students. He also was accused of making improper remarks about a teenage girl's body and contending that women who are in abusive relationships should almost always stay with their husbands.

SBC leaders say there are many more cases - adding up to a humiliating debacle for the 15.2 million-member denomination.

"The avalanche of sexual misconduct that has come to light in recent weeks is almost too much to bear," the Rev. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote in a recent blog post.

In addition to its debates over gender roles, the SBC has struggled to overcome its history as a denomination formed in defense of slaveholders.

On Monday, SBC leaders announced they would expel the Raleigh White Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, because of racial discrimination.

According to Baptist Press, the SBC's official news service, the Raleigh White congregation agreed three years ago to share its space with a predominantly black congregation, but conflicts arose. In March, when some of the black worshippers arrived at the church unexpectedly, a black female was told to use the restroom at a nearby convenience store, rather than the restroom in the church.

SBC spokesman Sing Oldham said he believed it was the first time the SBC had expelled a church on racism-related grounds.

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Crary reported from New York.LEESBURG, Va. (AP) - Actress and activist Rose McGowan will stand trial in January on a charge of felony cocaine possession in Virginia.

News outlets report McGowan's trial was set on Tuesday, a day after she was indicted. She'll be tried on Jan. 15.

Charging documents say cocaine was found in a wallet McGowan left on a plane last year. McGowan has maintained she's innocent, suggesting in court papers that the drugs were planted at the behest of producer Harvey Weinstein.

FILE- In this Oct. 27, 2017, file photo, actress Rose McGowan speaks at the inaugural Women's Convention in Detroit. A grand jury in Virginia has indicted the actress on one felony count of cocaine possession. McGowan's trial date will be set Tuesday. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

Weinstein attorney Ben Brafman called that allegation a "ludicrous claim."

McGowan was among the first to accuse Weinstein of sexual assault. She and others say he's aggressively sought to discredit his accusers. Weinstein has denied all accusations.

Her attorney Jose Baez said McGowan's charge is a result of "her activism as a voice for women everywhere."SEATTLE (AP) - Seattle leaders on Tuesday repealed a tax on large companies such as Amazon and Starbucks after a backlash from businesses, a stark reversal from a month ago when the City Council unanimously approved the effort to combat a growing homelessness crisis.

A divided crowd chanted, jeered and booed at the council meeting, drowning out the leaders as they cast a 7-2 vote. People shouted, "Stop the repeal," as others unfurled a large red banner that read, "Tax Amazon." An opposing group held "No tax on jobs" signs.

The vote showed Amazon's ability to aggressively push back on government taxes, especially in its affluent hometown where it's the largest employer with more than 45,000 workers and where some have criticized it for helping cultivate a widening income gap that is pricing lower-income employees out of housing.

People attending a Seattle City Council meeting hold signs that read "Tax Amazon, Housing for All," and "No Tax on Jobs" listen to public comment on the debate over a possible council vote whether or not to repeal of a tax on large companies such as Amazon and Starbucks that was intended to combat a growing homelessness crisis, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, at City Hall in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

The tax was proposed as a progressive revenue source aimed at tackling one of the nation's highest homelessness numbers, a problem that hasn't eased even as city spending grew.

Businesses and residents demanded more accountability on how Seattle funds homelessness and housing and said the city should take a regional approach to the problem. Many worried that Amazon and others would leave the city as the companies sharply criticized the tax.

The online retailer even temporarily halted construction planning on a new high-rise building near its Seattle headquarters in protest. Amazon called the vote "the right decision for the region's economic prosperity."

The company is "deeply committed to being part of the solution to end homelessness in Seattle," Drew Herdener, an Amazon vice president, said in a statement.

City leaders underestimated the frustration and anger from residents, businesses and others over not just a tax increase but also a growing sense that homelessness appears to have gotten worse, not better, despite Seattle spending millions to fight it.

It poured $68 million into the effort last year and plans to spend more this year. The tax would have raised roughly $48 million annually.

But a one-night count in January found more than 12,000 homeless people in Seattle and the surrounding region, a 4 percent increase from the previous year. The region saw 169 homeless deaths in 2017.

Many supporters called the repeal a betrayal and said the tax was a step toward building badly needed affordable housing. They booed council members, imploring them to keep it and fight a coalition of businesses trying to get a referendum overturning the tax on the November ballot.

Several leaders, including three who sponsored the legislation but voted to repeal it, lamented the reversal and conceded they didn't have the resources to fight the referendum.

Councilwoman Lisa Herbold said it "was truly our best option" and that she repealed it with a heavy heart. She lashed out at business interests for blaming the problems on government inefficiencies.

"Gutless!" someone shouted as she explained her rationale. She and others said they didn't want to spend the next several months in a political fight that would do nothing to address urgent needs.

Councilwoman Teresa Mosqueda voted against the repeal, saying the lack of a replacement strategy would mean more months of inaction.

"It was not a tax on jobs," she said, calling it "a much needed down payment to our housing crisis."

Denise Moriguchi, chief financial officer at Asian grocery store chain Uwajimaya, told the council that she doesn't like seeing people living in tents but that the tax was not the answer. She said it would hurt small businesses with thinner profit margins than Amazon.

Seattle's so-called head tax would have charged companies about $275 per full-time worker each year to fund affordable housing and homeless services. It targeted nearly 600 businesses making at least $20 million in gross revenue and would have taken effect next year.

Days after it passed, the business-backed No Tax On Jobs campaign began gathering signatures for the ballot and raised more than $280,000 in cash contributions in just weeks.

It remains to be seen whether Seattle's retreat will have a chilling effect on other cities considering taxes on big tech companies to help mitigate the effects of growth.

The City Council in Mountain View, California, where Google is based, will vote June 26 on whether to put a similar measure before voters in November. The "Google tax" aims to alleviate transportation woes and high housing costs in the Silicon Valley city south of San Francisco.

Mountain View Mayor Lenny Siegel said Seattle's about-face hasn't changed his support for the tax.

"It appears that we have a better relationship with our business than Seattle does," Siegel said.

He said Google hasn't taken a position on the proposal and that no "groundswell" of opposition has materialized from the Internet search giant and other companies.

Amazon has been aggressive about fighting taxes. It recently said it would block Australians from purchases on its international websites after the nation planned to impose a 10 percent consumption tax on online retailers for goods shipped to Australia.

___

Associated Press journalist Paul Elias in San Francisco contributed to this report.

Supporters at left of a tax on large companies such as Amazon and Starbucks that was intended to combat a growing homelessness crisis stand in Seattle City Council Chambers and face off against people at right supporting the repeal of the tax, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, at City Hall in Seattle. Seattle leaders on Tuesday repealed the tax after a backlash from businesses. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Demonstrators opposing the repeal of a tax on large companies such as Amazon and Starbucks that was intended to combat a growing homelessness crisis hold a sign that reads "Tax Amazon" as they wait for the start of a Seattle City Council meeting, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, at City Hall in Seattle. Members of the Council were expected to vote Tuesday on whether or not to repeal the tax. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

A demonstrator in favor of the repeal of a tax on large companies such as Amazon and Starbucks that was intended to combat a growing homelessness crisis holds a sign that reads "No Tax on Jobs" as he waits for the start of a Seattle City Council meeting, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, at City Hall in Seattle. Members of the Council were expected to vote Tuesday on whether or not to repeal the tax. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Supporters and opponents of a tax on large companies such as Amazon and Starbucks that was intended to combat a growing homelessness crisis hold signs as they sit in Seattle City Council Chambers, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, at City Hall in Seattle. Seattle leaders on Tuesday repealed the tax after a backlash from businesses. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Annette Klapstein listens as Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant speaks, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, at City Hall in Seattle. Sawant and other members of the Council were expected to vote Tuesday on whether or not to repeal a tax on large companies such as Amazon and Starbucks that was intended to combat a growing homelessness crisis. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

People in favor of the repeal of a tax on large companies such as Amazon and Starbucks that was intended to combat a growing homelessness crisis hold signs that read "No Tax on Jobs" as they wait for the start of a Seattle City Council meeting, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, at City Hall in Seattle. Members of the Council were expected to vote Tuesday on whether or not to repeal the tax. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)SINGAPORE (AP) - President Donald Trump wrapped up his five-hour nuclear summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with surprisingly warm words and hope for "a bright new future" for Kim's isolated and impoverished nation. Yet he immediately faced pointed questions at home about whether he got little and gave away much in his push to make a deal with the young autocrat - including an agreement to halt U.S. military exercises with South Korea.

Meeting with staged ceremony on a Singapore island, Trump and Kim signed a joint statement Tuesday agreeing to work toward a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, although the timeline and tactics were left unclear. Trump later promised to end "war games," with ally South Korea, a concession to Kim that appeared to catch the Pentagon and Seoul government off guard and sowed confusion among Trump's Republican supporters in Washington.

The head-scratching was a fitting end for a meeting marked by unpredictability. The face to face was unthinkable just months earlier as the two leaders traded insults and nuclear threats. In agreeing to the summit, Trump risked granting Kim his long-sought recognition on the world stage in hopes of ending the North's nuclear program.

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he leaves a press conference at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

While progress on the nuclear question was murky, the leaders spent the public portions of their five hours together expressing optimism and making a show of their new relationship. Trump declared he and Kim had developed "a very special bond." He gave Kim a glimpse of the presidential limousine. Kim, for his part, said the leaders had "decided to leave the past behind" and promised, "The world will see a major change."

Soon, Kim departed the venue, while a clearly ebullient Trump held forth for more than an hour before the press on what he styled as a historic achievement to avert the prospect of nuclear war. Before leaving himself, Trump tossed out pronouncements on U.S. alliances, human rights and the nature of the accord that he and Kim had signed.

The details of how and when the North would denuclearize appear yet to be determined, as are the nature of the unspecified "protections" Trump is pledging to Kim and his government.

As Trump acknowledged that denuclearization would not be accomplished overnight, the North suggested Wednesday that Trump had moved away from his demand for complete denuclearization before U.S. sanctions on the long-isolated country are removed.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency said the two leaders "shared recognition to the effect that it is important to abide by the principle of step-by-step and simultaneous action in achieving peace, stability and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." KCNA also reported that Trump had expressed his intention to lift sanctions "over a period of good-will dialogue" between the two countries.

The White House did not immediately respond to the North Korean characterization of the deal.

The Singapore accord largely amounts to an agreement to continue discussions, echoing previous public statements and commitments. It does not, for instance, include an agreement to take steps toward ending the technical state of warfare between the U.S. and North Korea.

Nor does it detail plans for North Korea to demolish a missile engine testing site, a concession Trump said he'd won, or Trump's promise to end military exercises in the South while negotiations between the U.S. and the North continue. Trump cast that decision as a cost-saving measure, but also called the exercises "inappropriate" while talks continue. North Korea has long objected to the drills as a security threat.

It was unclear whether South Korea was aware of Trump's decision before he announced it publicly. U.S. Forces Korea said it was unaware of any policy change. Trump phoned South Korean President Moon Jae-in after leaving Singapore to brief him on the discussions. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo flew to Seoul Wednesday for follow-up meetings.

The U.S. has stationed combat troops in South Korea since the end of the Korean War in the 1950s and has used them in a variety of drills. The next scheduled major exercise, involving tens of thousands of troops, normally is held in August.

The Pentagon said Tuesday it was consulting with the White House and others, but was silent on whether the August exercise would proceed. Mattis' chief spokeswoman, Dana W. White, told reporters he was "in full alignment" with Trump.

Lawmakers, too, were looking for details. Republicans emerged from a meeting with Vice President Mike Pence wanting more information on which exercises were on hold. Colorado Sen. Corey Gardner said Pence told them that small-scale exercises would continue, but "war games will not." Pence's spokeswoman later denied that comment.

"There will be certain exercises that will continue." Gardner told AP, adding he hoped "there's further clarification what that means."

North Korea is believed to possess more than 50 nuclear warheads, with its atomic program spread across more than 100 sites constructed over decades to evade international inspections. Trump insisted that strong verification of denuclearization would be included in a final agreement, saying it was a detail his team would begin sorting out with the North Koreans next week.

The agreement's language on North Korea's nuclear program was similar to what the leaders of North and South Korea came up with at their own summit in April. Trump and Kim referred back to the so-called Panmunjom Declaration, which contained a weak commitment to denuclearization but no specifics on how to achieve it.

The document also included an agreement to work to repatriate remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action from the Korean War.

But Tuesday's summit was as much about theatrics as the details of a deal.

The U.S. president brushed off questions about his public embrace of the autocrat whose people have been oppressed for decades. He did say that Otto Warmbier, an American university student who died last year just days after his release from imprisonment in North Korea, "did not die in vain" because his death helped bring about the nuclear talks.

In the run-up to his face-to-face with Kim, Trump had appeared unconcerned about the implications of feting an authoritarian leader accused by the U.S. of ordering the public assassination of his half brother with a nerve agent, executing his uncle by firing squad and presiding over a notorious gulag estimated to hold 80,000 to 120,000 political prisoners.

In their joint statement, the two leaders promised to "build a lasting and stable peace regime" on the Korean Peninsula. Trump has dangled the prospect of economic investment in the North as a sweetener for giving up its nuclear weapons. The longtime property developer-turned-politician later mused about the potential value of condos on the country's beachfront real estate.

Ahead of the summit, Trump had predicted the two men might strike a nuclear deal or forge a formal end to the Korean War in the course of a single meeting or over several days. But in the hours before they met, the White House unexpectedly announced Trump would depart earlier than expected.

Aware that the eyes of the world were on a moment many people never expected to see, Kim said many of those watching would think it was a scene from a "science fiction movie."

Critics of the summit leapt at the leaders' handshake and Kim's moonlight stroll along the glittering Singapore waterfront as further evidence that Trump was helping legitimize Kim on the world stage.

"It's a huge win for Kim Jong Un, who now - if nothing else - has the prestige and propaganda coup of meeting one on one with the president, while armed with a nuclear deterrent," said Michael Kovrig, a northeast Asia specialist at the International Crisis Group in Washington.

Trump responded that he was embracing diplomacy with Kim in hopes of saving as many as 30 million lives.

The North has faced crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions for years as it has advanced development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Pompeo held firm to Trump's position that sanctions will remain in place until North Korea denuclearizes - and said they would even increase if diplomatic discussions did not progress positively.

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This story has been corrected to show Pompeo flight to Seoul was scheduled Wednesday not Tuesday and to show Kim leaving venue and then later leaving Singapore.

AP writers Darlene Superville, Ken Thomas, and Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report.

Follow AP's summit coverage here: http://apne.ws/MPbJ5Tv

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un smiles while walking with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sentosa Island in Singapore Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Kim has a sweptback hairstyle with the sides and back shaved neatly, and experts say it's part of his efforts to model his appearance on his grandfather Kim Il Sung who founded North Korea in 1948. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during their meeting at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Singapore. (Kevin Lim/The Straits Times via AP)

U.S. President Donald Trump, right, reaches to shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un smiles as he meets with President Donald Trump on Sentosa Island, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sentosa Island, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sentosa Island, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U. S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (Kevin Lim/The Straits Times via AP)

U.S. President Donald Trump reaches to shake hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U. S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

In this photo released by the Ministry of Communications and Information, Singapore, U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One following a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (Ministry of Communications and Information, Singapore via AP)

People look at the extra edition of Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun reporting the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, at Shimbashi Station in Tokyo, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. The headline reads: North Korea promises to denuclearize. (Suo Takekuma/Kyodo News via AP)

A man watches TV screens showing U.S. President Donald Trump, right, meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, during a news program In Hong Kong, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un stop to talk with the media as they walk from their lunch at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U.S. President Donald Trump holds up the document that he and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un just signed at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. The most tangible outcome of the summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un seems to be a commitment to recover the remains of U.S. military personnel missing in action and presumed dead from the Korean War. In a joint statement signed by the leaders Tuesday, the countries committed to the recovery of the remains and the immediate repatriation of those already identified. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

In this image made from video provided by Host Broadcaster Mediacorp Pte Ltd,, U.S. President Donald Trump, right, signs an agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after their meeting at Capella Hotel in Singapore, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. (Host Broadcaster Mediacorp Pte Ltd via AP)

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump walk with the documents they just signed at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (Pool Photo by Anthony Wallace via AP)

U.S. President Donald Trump, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un leave after a signing ceremony at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Singapore. (Kevin Lim/The Straits Times via AP)

The limousine of North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un is seen on the road at Singapore's Changi Airport on Tuesday, June 12, 2018, after today's summit between U.S. leader Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim. (AP Photo/Joseph Nair)

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sentosa Island, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

North Korean journalists film the motorcade of North Korea leader Kim Jong Un as they leave the St. Regis Hotel on the way to the Capella Hotel in Singapore, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, where the summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump will take place. (AP Photo/Yong Teck Lim)

People watch a TV screen showing U.S. President Donald Trump meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

U.S. President Donald Trump answers questions about the summit with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un during a press conference at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

John Miller, of Manchester, N.H., a former U.S. Army sergeant who served as a forward radio relay operator in Vietnam, watches as President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, while having a beer at the American Legion Post #2 in Manchester on Monday, June 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

U. S. President Donald Trump stands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un for a photograph at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli police on Tuesday evicted Jewish settlers from 15 homes built illegally on private Palestinian land in the West Bank.

Police said some 500 protesters demonstrated against the eviction, with some throwing stones and bottles at police and several dozen barricading themselves in one house. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said six officers were wounded in the scuffles and that police arrested three protesters.

Protesters opposed to the move also blocked the entrance to Jerusalem, snarling traffic.

Israeli police evict Jewish settlers at the West Bank settlement of Netiv Avot, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Police say they have started the evacuation Tuesday of the Netiv Avot unauthorized outpost in Gush Etzion. Israel's Supreme Court ordered the eviction because the homes were built on private Palestinian land. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Rosenfeld said the evacuation of most of the houses proceeded smoothly, with families leaving their homes without resisting.

After the eviction, Israeli forces are expected to demolish the structures in the Netiv HaAvot unauthorized outpost. The government says it will compensate the residents and rebuild their homes on nearby lands that are not privately owned.

Israel's Supreme Court ordered the eviction in 2016, saying the homes were illegally built on private Palestinian land while not determining the precise ownership of the land. A law passed last year legalizing dozens of settler outposts in the West Bank is currently being challenged at the High Court.

Israel captured the West Bank along with east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war and today about 600,000 settlers live in those areas. Most of the international community considers settlements to be either illegal or illegitimate.

The Palestinians seek the territories along with the Gaza Strip for their hoped-for state.

Israeli police evict Jewish settlers at the West Bank settlement of Netiv Avot, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Police say they have started the evacuation Tuesday of the Netiv Avot unauthorized outpost in Gush Etzion. Israel's Supreme Court ordered the eviction because the homes were built on private Palestinian land. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israeli police evict Jewish settlers at the West Bank settlement of Netiv Avot, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Police say they have started the evacuation Tuesday of the Netiv Avot unauthorized outpost in Gush Etzion. Israel's Supreme Court ordered the eviction because the homes were built on private Palestinian land. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)MALMO, Sweden (AP) - Top Swedish club Malmo FF has terminated the contract of Ghana international Kingsley Sarfo after he was found guilty of two cases of rape of an under-aged girl.

Malmo FF said Tuesday on its website the 23-year-old midfielder's actions "are incompatible with the club's values."

A Swedish court last week sentenced Sarfo, who joined Malmo FF in 2016, to 32 months in prison for having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl in an apartment and in a public toilet. The court also ordered him to pay 150,000 kronor ($17,260) in compensation to the girl, adding he should be deported after jail and banned from returning to Sweden for a 10-year periodMADRID (AP) - Spain's Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a lower court's conviction of the husband of Princess Cristina for fraud and tax evasion, though it acquitted him of forgery and reduced his prison sentence by five months.

The court ruled on an appeal that Inaki Urdangarin, King Felipe VI's brother-in-law, was also guilty of misuse of public funds, abuse of power and influence peddling and should serve a sentence of five years and 10 months.

The lower court, in Palma de Mallorca, convicted Urdangarin in a 2016 trial that captivated Spain as Princess Cristina testified in court. It was the first time a member of Spain's royal family was put on trial since the monarchy was restored in 1975.

FILE - In this Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017 file photo, Inaki Urdangarin, husband to Spain's Princess Cristina, leaves a courthouse in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Spain's Supreme Court on Tuesday June 12, 2018 has upheld a lower court's verdict sentencing Urdangarin to almost six years behind bars, though it reduced his sentence by five months. The court ruled on an appeal that Inaki Urdangarin is guilty of fraud and tax evasion, among other crimes, but it acquitted him of a crime of forging documents. (AP Photo/Joan Llado, File)

The case centered on accusations that Urdangarin embezzled about 6 million euros ($7 million) in public funds. The court found that Urdangarin and his business partner Diego Torres exploited the duke's "privileged status" to obtain public contracts related to sports events.

The Supreme Court also upheld the verdict that Princess Cristina benefitted from her husband's crimes. She was ordered to pay a fine of 136,950 euros ($161,500).

Sources at the Zarzuela royal palace commented after the ruling that the monarchy has "total respect for judicial independence," the Europa Press news agency reported.

The lower court will now rule on when Urdangarin must enter prison to serve his sentence, though he can still appeal to the Constitutional Court.

Princess Cristina and her husband were stripped of their titles of the Duke and Duchess of Palma after the initial court verdict. The couple moved from Barcelona to Geneva with their four children when the first allegations of wrongdoing emerged in 2012.SINGAPORE (AP) - After all the hype, all the vows to tackle what's perhaps the world's most urgent crisis, President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un fell short of the kind of deal the U.S. president himself has long said is needed to settle the North's decadeslong pursuit of nuclear weapons.

For months, Trump has been railing against presidents past, accusing them of an inexcusable failure to solve the nuclear threat emanating from the North. On Tuesday, he patted himself on the back for signing a "comprehensive" pact with Kim paving a path toward denuclearization, but the contours appeared far weaker than even his predecessors' failed deals.

Rather than a detailed statement filled with concrete restraints on the North, the document seemed to amount mostly to a restatement of long-assumed principles and an agreement to keep talking. And Trump made dramatic on-the-spot concessions to Kim that his own advisers had urged him against, including a halt on "provocative" U.S.-South Korea military exercises and an admission he could be willing to withdraw U.S. troops from South Korea in the future.

U. S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (Kevin Lim/The Straits Times via AP)

"These are all things that Trump is putting on the table as concessions, all in exchange for some vague promises by the North Koreans," said Paul Haenle, a former China director at the White House National Security Council in the Obama and George W. Bush administrations. He called the language in the joint statement "weak, vague and worrisome."

In the document, signed with great fanfare by Trump and Kim in Singapore, Kim committed to "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." Trump said that process would be starting very soon, adding that once it starts, "it's pretty much over."

Not so simple. Kim has made the denuclearization pledge before. In his April agreement with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the language was similar, with the two vowing to achieve "a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula through complete denuclearization."

To be sure, the fact the U.S. and North Korea are now on speaking terms, with a prominent display of nascent rapport among their leaders, augurs a lowering of tensions that likely reduces the chances of a nuclear confrontation in the short term. There will be many in Seoul and Tokyo who are relieved that Washington and Pyongyang are talking up friendship, not potential war.

To that end, there could be something to the notion that if two warring enemies can truly start dealing with each other in fundamentally different ways, then there could be future movement on the nuke issue. North Korea is a top-down nation, and Kim's word is law. The North Koreans and Americans also decided to hold more talks and likely another leader-to-leader summit, Trump said, an acknowledgement that the issue won't be resolved in a single day.

Yet line up all the bold claims Trump and his lieutenants made ahead of Tuesday's summit, and it's clear that the end result, at least where nukes are concerned, don't hit the mark. That's especially striking after last year's exchange of threats and insults between Trump and Kim, just as North Korea's torrid weapons testing had many fearing a renewal of the Korean War.

There was irony in the fact that Trump and Kim made direct reference in their agreement to the so-called Panmunjom Declaration between Moon and Kim, with its weak, reheated commitment to denuclearization that lacked specifics at how the rivals would get there. Similarly, there was nothing specific on nukes in Tuesday's declaration - and no joint affirmation of the goal of "complete, verifiable and irreversible" dismantlement that Trump's aides had previously made the litmus test for success.

Since taking office, Trump has repeatedly indicted his predecessors for their handling of North Korea, which launched its atomic program in the 1960s and began producing bomb fuel in the early 1990s. Past administrations have also used a combination of sanctions and diplomacy to seek denuclearization, and have yielded some results that failed to endure.

President Bill Clinton reached an aid-for-disarmament deal in 1994 that halted North Korea's plutonium production for eight years, halting growth in what was then a very small atomic arsenal. In his final months in office, he also contemplated a summit with then-North Korean leader Kim Jong Il - Kim Jong Un's father - as the two sides negotiated on also limiting the North's missile program but ran out of time in office.

George W. Bush took a tougher stance toward North Korea, and the 1994 nuclear deal collapsed amid suspicions that the North was running a secret uranium program. But Bush, too, ultimately pursued negotiations. That led to a temporary disabling of some nuclear facilities, but talks collapsed because of differences over verification.

President Barack Obama made tentative efforts to resume those talks but made little headway. Independent experts estimate North Korea now has enough fissile material for 20 to 60 bombs, and it has tested missiles that could potentially deliver a nuclear weapon to the U.S. mainland.

Trump and Kim? Their document reads like this: "Reaffirming the April 27, 2018, Panumunjom Declaration, the DPRK (North Korea) commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

Also missing from the document was something Trump signaled ahead of the summit that could be a major "get": language committing to end the Korean War, which was stopped by an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula still technically in a state of war. The closest Trump and Kim got was a vow to "join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula."

All this leaves Trump open to criticism that he has given Kim what he has long wanted - recognition, respect and legitimacy on the world stage as an equal - without getting anything substantive on nukes in return.

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Associated Press writer Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report.

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Foster Klug, the AP's bureau chief in South Korea, has covered the Koreas since 2005. Follow him at www.twitter.com/apklug

Josh Lederman has covered foreign policy and the White House for the AP in Washington since 2012. Follow him at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAPBRUSSELS (AP) - The United Nations' human rights envoy in Europe is warning that Hungary and Poland's clampdown on the judiciary, media and human rights risks spreading throughout the European Union.

Regional Representative for Europe Birgit Van Hout expressed concern Tuesday that backsliding on rights and rule of law is also happening in Austria, Italy, Malta, Romania and Slovakia.

She told reporters that "this is about the erosion of democracy in Europe" and warned of "a domino effect" that could undermine European values.

Van Hout said human rights defenders are under increasing pressure.

She welcomed the EU's rule of law action against Poland - which could limit its voting rights - as "better than nothing," and called on business leaders to make their voices heard about abuses.ATLANTA (AP) - The Chainsmokers duo is looking to mesh its EDM-style with some of the most popular songs from music icons such as Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and Beyonce during a one-night only performance in July.

The Grammy Award-winning duo told The Associated Press about its plans for the Pepsi Generations Summer Music Campaign at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on July 24. The campaign was created to honor decades of music icons by placing their images on Pepsi cans.

Alex Pall and Drew Taggart also will perform some of their own greatest hits as The Chainsmokers, including "Roses," ''Closer" and "Don't Let Me Down." But the challenge of reimagining songs from music's biggest stars is something else.

FILE - In this May 20, 2018, file photo, Andrew Taggart, left, and Alex Pall of "The Chainsmokers" pose in the press room with the awards for top dance/electronic artist, top dance/electronic song for "Something Just Like This" and top dance/electronic album "Memories...Do Not Open" at the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The Chainsmokers is looking to mesh their EDM-style with some of the most popular songs from Michael Jackson to Beyonce during one-night only performance in July. Tickets for the event go on sale on Wednesday, June 13. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

"We're kind of nervous," Pall said. "But lucky for us, they have endless amount of songs that are extremely popular that people love to hear. We just have to figure out how to mix everything in. I think it'll be a cool experience for us. We don't get to play a lot of Ray Charles at our shows."

One song The Chainsmokers won't have a problem with is Jackson's 1980s-hit "Thriller," which they perform every Halloween.

Taggart said they'll probably cover Beyonce's "Single Ladies" and "Run the World (Girls)." He's looking forward to seeing the crowd's response.

"We're doing something we really never had a chance to do, which makes performing and making music exciting," Taggart said. "This is a really great opportunity for us to do that. It's a long list of people we get to choose from that has made some of the most important music of our generation - two generations."

Tickets go on sale on Wednesday for the event, which is expected to have several surprise guest performances.

The concert will be livestreamed through Pepsi's Twitter page .

___

Online:

http://www.pepsi.com

https://www.livenation.com

https://twitter.com/pepsi

___

Follow Jonathan Landrum Jr. on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MrLandrum31. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/jonathan-landrum-jr.ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Greece and Macedonia reached an historic agreement Tuesday to end a bitter 27-year name dispute that had kept the smaller and younger country out of international institutions such as NATO, the two countries' prime ministers announced.

Greece's Alexis Tsipras and Macedonia's Zoran Zaev said the former Yugoslav republic's new name for both domestic and international purposes would be Republic of North Macedonia. Macedonia will also amend its constitution to reflect the change as part of the deal.

The nationality of the country's citizens will be listed on official documents in English as "Macedonian/citizen of the Republic of North Macedonia," Greek officials said.

In this photo released by Greek Prime Minister's office, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras speaks during a televised address to the nation, in Athens, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Greece and Macedonia reached an agreement Tuesday to end a bitter 27-year name dispute that had kept the smaller and younger country out of international institutions such as NATO, the two countries' prime ministers announced. Tsipras and Macedonia's Zoran Zaev said the former Yugoslav republic's new name for both domestic and international purposes would be Republic of Northern Macedonia. Macedonia will also amend its constitution to reflect the change as part of the deal. (Andrea Bonetti /Greek Prime Minister's Office via AP)

NATO and European Union officials welcomed the breakthrough, which NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said would help consolidate regional peace and stability.

Greece had long demanded that its northern neighbor change or modify its name to avoid any claim to the territory and ancient heritage of the region in northern Greece named Macedonia - birthplace of ancient warrior king Alexander the Great.

The current prime ministers' attempts to end the dispute have faced dissent in both countries, leading to large protests by opponents of a compromise, threatening to split Greece's governing coalition and provoking a rift between Macedonia's prime minister and president.

And main opposition parties in both countries rejected the agreement.

Zaev said the deal would be signed this weekend, and a voter referendum would be held in the fall.

In a televised address, Tsipras said the 140 countries which had recognized the Balkan state simply as Macedonia would now recognize it as Republic of North Macedonia.

"This achieves a clear distinction between Greek Macedonia and our northern neighbors and puts an end to the irredentism which their current constitutional name implies," he said. He added that Macedonia "cannot and will not be able in the future to claim any connection with the ancient Greek civilization of Macedonia."

Speaking at a news conference in the Macedonian capital, Skopje, Zaev described the deal as a "historic agreement of the century."

"We have been solving a two-and-a-half decade dispute ... that has been drowning the country," he said, adding that the deal "will strengthen the Macedonian identity."

On the timeline of the deal, Tsipras said that it would be first signed by the two countries' foreign ministers and then ratified by Macedonia's parliament.

Greece will then back invitations for Macedonia to join NATO and start negotiations on joining the EU. However, Tsipras said, this will be contingent on Macedonia completing the constitutional changes.

"In other words, if the constitutional amendment is not successfully completed, then the invitation to join NATO will be automatically rescinded and the accession talks with the European Union will not start," he said.

The deal was welcomed by EU officials.

European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted his "sincere congratulations" to Tsipras and Zaev. "I am keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks to you, the impossible is becoming possible," he said.

EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and commissioner Johannes Hahn issued a joint statement congratulating the two prime ministers "in reaching this historic agreement between their countries, which contributes to the transformation of the entire region of South-East Europe."

They said they looked forward to accession negotiations beginning with Skopje in June.

The United Nations envoy who mediated the dispute for two decades congratulated Tsipras and Zaev for resolving their differences.

Matthew Nimetz said in a statement he had "no doubt this agreement will lead to a period of enhanced relations between the two neighboring countries and especially between their people."

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised the agreement as "a demonstration of leadership to the wider region and beyond" and hopes it will inspire others involved in drawn-out conflicts "to work towards negotiated settlements without further delay," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

However, both prime ministers faced dissent at home.

Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, whose right-wing Independent Greeks party is Tsipras' governing coalition partner, said he would oppose an agreement in a parliamentary vote, meaning the left-wing prime minister will need to seek support from political opponents.

In Skopje, meanwhile, Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov said earlier in the day that he remained opposed to writing the new name into the constitution, a move intended to show the change is permanent and binding for domestic and international use.

The main opposition party in Macedonia, the conservative VMRO-DPMNE, accused Zaev of "capitulating" to Greece.

"In essence, the (deal) is acceptance of all Greek positions," VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski said.

In Athens, conservative main opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged Tsipras not to go ahead with the agreement.

"This is a bad agreement that is in conflict with the majority of the Greek people," he said.

Organizers of past rallies in Greece's main cities against a compromise with Macedonia also expressed outrage at the deal, with one accusing Tsipras of "high treason."

"He was Skopje's best negotiator," Michael Patsikas told The Associated Press.

____

This version has been corrected to show that the English translation of the country's official name, which was announced in Greek and Macedonian, will be Republic of North Macedonia, not Republic of Northern Macedonia.

____

Mironski contributed from Skopje, Macedonia. Nicholas Paphitis and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Greece, and Costas Kantouris in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, contributed.

In this photo released by Greek Prime Minister's office, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras speaks during a televised address to the nation, in Athens, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Greece and Macedonia reached an agreement Tuesday to end a bitter 27-year name dispute that had kept the smaller and younger country out of international institutions such as NATO, the two countries' prime ministers announced. Tsipras and Macedonia's Zoran Zaev said the former Yugoslav republic's new name for both domestic and international purposes would be Republic of Northern Macedonia. Macedonia will also amend its constitution to reflect the change as part of the deal. (Andrea Bonetti /Greek Prime Minister's Office via AP)

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zeav, center, accompanied by the members of his cabinet, addresses the media during a news conference in the Government building in Skopje, Macedonia, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. The prime ministers of Greece and Macedonia say they have agreed on "Republic of Northern Macedonia" as the new name for the Balkan country, ending a bitter 27-year dispute that had prevented the former Yugoslav republic from joining international institutions such as NATO. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct, 8, 2014 file photo, a modern bronze statue of Alexander the Great is flanked by copies of round shields and the Macedonian infantry's Sarissa pikes, in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, Greece. Officials in Greece and Macedonia say Tuesday, June 12, 2018, they are close to reaching a landmark deal on a long-standing name dispute, to protect Greece's region of Macedonia, birthplace of ancient warrior king Alexander the Great, but the Greek coalition partner has vowed to vote against the proposed agreement. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)

FILE- In this Wednesday, Oct, 8, 2014 file photo, a modern bronze statue of Alexander the Great stands under the cloudy sky of the northern port city of Thessaloniki, Greece. Officials in Greece and Macedonia say Tuesday, June 12, 2018, they are close to reaching a landmark deal on a long-standing name dispute, to protect Greece's region of Macedonia, birthplace of ancient warrior king Alexander the Great, but the Greek coalition partner has vowed to vote against the proposed agreement. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zeav addresses the media during a news conference in the Government building in Skopje, Macedonia, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. The prime ministers of Greece and Macedonia say they have agreed on "Republic of Northern Macedonia" as the new name for the Balkan country, ending a bitter 27-year dispute that had prevented the former Yugoslav republic from joining international institutions such as NATO. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras leaves the Presidential Palace after his meeting with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos in Athens, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Tsipras says his country has reached an agreement with northern neighbor Macedonia on a decades-old dispute over the latter's name that had poisoned relations between the two since the 1990s. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zeav talks to the media during a news conference in the Government building in Skopje, Macedonia, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. The prime ministers of Greece and Macedonia say they have agreed on "Republic of Northern Macedonia" as the new name for the Balkan country, ending a bitter 27-year dispute that had prevented the former Yugoslav republic from joining international institutions such as NATO. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)DAVIE, Fla. (AP) - Florida wildlife officials say the lake where a 47-year-old woman was found dead from an apparent alligator attack has been the subject of multiple reports of gator activity.

Florida Fish and Wildlife spokesman Robert Klepper told the Palm Beach Post the agency has received 11 calls about alligator activity in the Silver Lake Rotary Nature Park area since 2005. Eight permits had been issued for alligator removals since 2005, but none were removed before Friday.

The most recent complaint came from a park ranger on March 26. It was about a 7-foot (2-meter) gator that was a threat to pets and people.

Shizuka Matsuki's body was found Friday, hours after authorities believe she was bitten by a 12-foot (3 meter) alligator while she walked her dogs at a park in Davie.SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Plans to shutter 265 public schools across Puerto Rico have been temporarily derailed with a judge's order to stop the closure of at least nine institutions and his recommendation that other judges do the same in lawsuits still pending on other school closures.

The decision was celebrated on Tuesday by the Puerto Rico Teachers Association, which has sued over the closures with support from parents who say they worry about a lack of transportation to new schools and the disappearance of programs for special-needs students.

"Justice was served," Aida Diaz, the association's president, told The Associated Press. "This ruling demonstrates that ... nobody has absolute authority to make arbitrary decisions over the rights of our people."

She said three other lawsuits that involve some 60 public schools across the U.S. territory are pending.

The judge said Monday that the island's Department of Education did not prove the need to close six schools in the north coast city of Arecibo and another three in the central mountain town of Morovis. He also noted that a recently approved law to overhaul Puerto Rico's education system does not give officials blanket permission to close schools.

The Department of Education said it would appeal the decision, and spokeswoman Yolanda Rosaly told the AP that it expects an enrollment drop of some 70,000 students by August. Puerto Rico currently has more than 1,100 public schools that serve 319,000 students, but that number keeps shrinking as families keep moving to the U.S. mainland due to an 11-year recession and the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria last year. If all planned closures take place, 835 schools will remain operational.

Officials announced in early April that they would close 283 schools, which they later scaled back to 265 after additional reviews and meetings with parents and teachers. The government has noted that enrollment already has dropped by more than 38,700 students since just last May and that nearly half of the schools are using only 60 percent of their capacity.PARKVILLE, Mo. (AP) - Authorities say a suburban Kansas City man opened fire during a weekend family gathering, killing his newlywed mother, her husband and the gunman's ex-wife, before turning the gun on himself.

Platte County Sheriff Mark Owen has identified the man who opened fire Sunday at the home in Parkville, Missouri, as 50-year-old Douglas Pauling.

The Kansas City Star reports that Pauling's 14-year-old daughter escaped the shooting unhurt and called 911.

Killed in the shooting was: Pauling's mother, 73-year-old Sharmalee Pauling; her new husband, 66-year-old Carl Deruyscher; and the teen's mother, 49-year-old Margaret "Maggie" Girard.

Pauling and Deruyscher's page on the wedding planning website The Knot says they married last month in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Parkville lies about 10 (16 kilometers) miles northwest of Kansas City.PALMERDALE, Ala. (AP) - A former deputy accused of choking one woman and sexually assaulting another is jailed in Alabama.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office told news outlets Monday that 27-year-old James William Parsons is charged with escape as well as domestic violence by strangulation and sodomy.

One woman said she and Parsons were living together when he choked her until she couldn't breathe. A second victim said Parsons sexually assaulted her after they met online.

Chief Deputy Randy Christian said Parsons resigned two weeks before the first woman came forward.

Authorities say Parsons tried to escape after being arrested and taken to sheriff's headquarters on June 7. He was captured after a brief foot chase and is being held without bond at the Jefferson County Jail.LAS VEGAS (AP) - The Latest on Nevada's primary election (all times local):

9:50 a.m.

Nevada Democrats are struggling to choose between two strong gubernatorial candidates who want to succeed outgoing Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval in November.

FILE - In this May 8, 2018, file photo, Clark County Commission member Steve Sisolak meets with people during a forum for Nevada gubernatorial candidates organized by Nevada faith groups. The fiercest primary election battle in Nevada this year is a race between two Democrats vying to become the swing state's first Democratic governor in almost two decades. The fight between Sisolak and Christina Giunchigliani has seen them spar over their response to the October mass shooting in Las Vegas while pledging to resist President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association.(AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Two 67-year-old Sparks women - Pamela Jones and Debora Lee - say they've been Democrats all their lives.

Jones, a medical technician, says she voted for Steve Sisolak because he seemed more honest than his opponent.

Lee, a retired AT&T worker and former union representative, says she voted for his opponent Chris Giunchigliani because she liked her record in the state legislature.

James Mapp, a 71-year-old retired computer communications worker in Sparks, says he voted for Giunchigliani because she has a long history of supporting education and fair pay for teachers.

A two-term limit is forcing Sandoval out. Attorney General Adam Laxalt is favored to win the GOP nomination.

___

7:30 a.m.

Polls are now open in Nevada's primary election as voters choose candidates in several races, including a closely watched Democratic primary for governor.

Two members of the Clark County Commission are vying to become Nevada's first Democratic governor in two decades.

Steve Sisolak (SIHS'-oh-lahk) and Christina Giunchigliani (joon-kihl-ee-AHN'-ee) both say they will stand up to President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association.

The winner is expected to face Republican state Attorney General Adam Laxalt in the general election in November.

Meanwhile, Republican U.S. Sen. Dean Heller will likely breeze through his primary. He avoided a potentially tough GOP challenge when Trump asked his main opponent to run for Congress instead.

Heller is expected to face Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen in the general election.

___

1 a.m.

The most closely-watched race in Nevada's primary election Tuesday is the battle for governor.

Clark County Commission colleagues Steve Sisolak (SIHS'-oh-lahk) and Christina Giunchigliani (joon-kihl-ee-AHN'-ee) are vying to be Nevada's first Democratic governor in two decades. Both candidates have pledged to stand up to President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association.

Republican state Attorney General Adam Laxalt is expected to win the GOP primary for the governor's race.

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller is the only GOP senator seeking re-election in a state won by Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016. He is expected to breeze through his primary after Trump asked his main opponent, Republican Danny Tarkanian, to run for Congress instead.

FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2017, file photo, Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev, speaks during a media briefing at Metro Police headquarters in Las Vegas. Heller is considered the vulnerable Republican senator seeking re-election, but he has an easy primary battle Tuesday, June 12, 2018, thanks to President Donald Trump. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP, File)

In this June 6, 2018, photo, Clark County Commission member Chris Giunchigliani, right, speaks with Susan Garcia, center, and Aileen Vides while campaigning in Las Vegas. The fiercest primary election battle in Nevada this year is a race between two Democrats vying to become the swing state's first Democratic governor in almost two decades. The fight between longtime Clark County Commissioners Steve Sisolak and Giunchigliani has seen them spar over their response to the October mass shooting in Las Vegas while pledging to resist President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association. (AP Photo/John Locher)

In this June 6, 2018, photo, Clark County Commission member Chris Giunchigliani, right, hugs Anthony Gonzalez while campaigning in Las Vegas. The fiercest primary election battle in Nevada this year is a race between two Democrats vying to become the swing state's first Democratic governor in almost two decades. The fight between longtime Clark County Commissioners Steve Sisolak and Giunchigliani has seen them spar over their response to the October mass shooting in Las Vegas while pledging to resist President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association. (AP Photo/John Locher)

FILE - In this May 8, 2018, file photo, Clark County Commission member Steve Sisolak speaks during a forum for Nevada gubernatorial candidates organized by Nevada faith groups. The fiercest primary election battle in Nevada this year is a race between two Democrats vying to become the swing state's first Democratic governor in almost two decades. The fight between Sisolak and Christina Giunchigliani has seen them spar over their response to the October mass shooting in Las Vegas while pledging to resist President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

In this April 27, 2018, photo, owner Dennis Hof sits in front of the Love Ranch brothel in Crystal, Nev. A coalition of religious groups and anti-sex trafficking activists have launched referendums to ban brothels in two of Nevada's seven counties where they legally operate. Hof, who has half a dozen brothels operating in the two counties and starred in the HBO adult reality series "Cathouse," is challenging incumbent Assembly member James Oscarson of Pahrump in a Republican primary Tuesday, June 12. (AP Photo/John Locher)

FILE - In this April 26, 2016 file photo, Danny Tarkanian participates in a Republican debate for Nevada's 3rd Congressional District in Henderson, Nev. All eyes are on Nevada Republican Sen. Dean Heller's re-election bid, but two U.S. House seats could be key to the Democrats' effort to cut into GOP majorities in Congress. Tarkanian is expected to face wealthy Democratic philanthropist Susie Lee in Nevada's most expensive House race in November. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

FILE - In this March 21, 2011 file photo, then-Nevada congressional candidate Sharron Angle answers questions from the media in Reno. All eyes are on Nevada Republican Sen. Dean Heller's re-election bid, but two U.S. House seats could be key to the Democrats' effort to cut into GOP majorities in Congress. Angle, a tea party favorite who lost to Sen. Harry Reid in 2010, has railed against fourth-term Republican Rep. Mark Amodei's willingness to consider amnesty for immigrants living in the country illegally. (AP Photo/Cathleen Allison, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 24, 2015 file photo, Rep. Mark Amodei, R-NV., speaks at the 19th Annual Lake Tahoe Summit at Zephyr Cove in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada. All eyes are on Nevada Republican Sen. Dean Heller's re-election bid, but two U.S. House seats could be key to the Democrats' effort to cut into GOP majorities in Congress. The only incumbent who was believed to face a potentially serious primary challenge is fourth-term Republican Amodei in northern Nevada's 2nd District, where no Democrat has won since its creation in 1980. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 8, 2016 file photo, Nevada 4th Congressional District candidate Rep. Cresent Hardy, R-Nev., delivers his concession speech at the Nevada GOP election night watch party at South Point hotel-casino in Las Vegas. All eyes are on Nevada Republican Sen. Dean Heller's re-election bid, but two U.S. House seats could be key to the Democrats' effort to cut into GOP majorities in Congress. The road to victory begins in next week's primaries where two ex-congressmen - Democrat Steven Horsford and Republican Hardy - are expected to emerge victorious and set up a rematch of their 2014 contest when Hardy unseated Horsford in the 4th District stretching north of Las Vegas through four rural counties. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill, File)A Wisconsin has been charged in the death of her 13-year-old disabled daughter who was found alone, rotting in a filthy diaper last Memorial Day Weekend.

Nicole Gussert, 37, is accused of child neglect. Her daughter Brianna was found lying on her bed in their home in Appleton last year having not been fed or cleaned in days.

A police officer had been called to the home to perform a welfare check. When he got inside, he said there was rotting food and flies everywhere.

Nicole Gussert, 37, has been charged for the death of her 13-year-old daughter Brianna (right). Brianna, who was born with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, was found dead and alone in their Wisconsin home last May but her case has only just come to light

Brianna had a heavy diaper and part of her skin had started to decompose.

It is not clear why it took police so long to charge the girl's mother.

On Monday, she appeared in court to face one count of child neglect which, if convicted, could put her away for 25 years.

Gussert also faces three counts of possession with intent to deliver amphetamine.

Brianna had been alone for several days when she was discovered on May 29. A medical examiner estimated that she had been dead since May 24 and gave her official cause of death as sepsis.

After her arrest, Brianna's mother said she could not remember the last time she fed or cleaned her.

'This poor child struggled and suffered immensely because her mom did not check on her at all,' Outagamie County District Attorney Melinda Tempelis said on Monday.

He said she had suffered a 'slow and painful' death.

The police officer who discovered Brianna's body during a welfare check May 29, 2017, said her bedroom smelled like 'rotten food, human waste and death,' according to a criminal complaint.

Brianna is pictured with her father Greg. She could not feed herself or walk or talk. When police found her, there was nothing in her feeding tube and her diaper was heavy from days of waste. They estimated she had been dead for four days

Prosecutors said Brianna died a 'slow and painful' death, alone in the home where her mother lived

Nicole Gussert is pictured in court on Monday. She is charged with child neglect

She is being held on $300,000 cash bond. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 19.

Public defender Robert Welygan said criminal behavior has not been proven by the state.

Brianna was born with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, according to her father, Greg Gussert. The condition causes delayed growth and development, intellectual disability and seizures, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health.

Greg Gussert said Brianna lived with her mother because she had more space.

Her father was hoping to buy a bigger house where she would be able to live with him and his other daughters.

He is now raising money through a GoFundMe page to plant a memorial tree at a local baseball park which his daughter liked to go to.WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - A former employee of a chemical company spun off from the DuPont Co. has pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal trade secrets and sell them to Chinese investors.

Former Chemours Co. worker Jerry Jindong Xu, a Canadian citizen, was arrested in New York last August and entered the guilty plea Friday. He faces up to 10 years in prison at his sentencing on June 27.

Prosecutors say the conspiracy involved the theft of trade secrets related to sodium cyanide, a chemical most often used to mine gold, silver, and other precious metals. Chemours is the world's largest producer of sodium cyanide.

Authorities have said Xu was aided by an unnamed co-conspirator, a longtime DuPont employee who left the company in 2014 to open a mining consulting business.JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee prosecutor says a police officer was justified in a fatal shooting earlier this year in which a man charged at him with a large knife.

District Attorney General Ken Baldwin said in a letter Monday to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation that an investigation showed no inappropriate actions by Jonesborough Officer Chad Reece. The Johnson City Press reports that Reece shot 26-year-old Mark Clinton Harrell Jr. of Church Hill three times in March.

Police had been dispatched to a motel on a report of suspicious activity involving another man, who they found in a car. When officers approached the vehicle, Harrell exited with the knife.

Baldwin said Harrell was given multiple opportunities to drop the machete-like weapon and Reece only fired when Harrell charged at him swinging the knife.ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - The Turkish and Azerbaijani presidents on Tuesday inaugurated a key pipeline carrying natural gas from Azerbaijan's gas fields to Turkish markets and eventually to Europe, part of a wider Southern Gas Corridor project that aims to diversify gas supplies and reduce countries' dependence on Russia.

The Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline, or TANAP, is also part of Turkey's ambition of becoming a major energy hub.

"We are taking a historic step," Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a ceremony in central Eskisehir province with Azerbaijan's Ilham Aliyev marking the delivery of the first gas. "We are inaugurating a project that is the 'Silk Road' of energy."

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic also attended.

Erdogan said the pipeline would not only ensure energy security but also increase the "welfare of the people on its route." It will deliver 6 billion cubic meters of gas per year to Turkey and 10 billion cubic meters to Europe.

Although it has no financial involvement, the United States has strongly supported TANAP, said Sandra Oudkirk, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Energy, who also attended the ceremony.

"We take energy security for ourselves and allies and partners really seriously and we see this as an important component of the bigger energy diversification and energy security picture," she told a group of journalists in Ankara earlier.

The pipeline will eventually be connected to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, or TAP, at the Turkey-Greece border. Erdogan said that could take place in June 2019.PANAMA CITY (AP) - Panamanian ex-President Ricardo Martinelli is being treated at a hospital a day after he was extradited from the United States to face political espionage and embezzlement charges.

Panama's Santo Tomas hospital reports that Martinelli is in intensive care and in "stable" condition Tuesday.

The previous day, a judge ordered that medical experts examine him to determine the severity of his health problems.

Former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli gestures the victory sign to the press as he is escorted in handcuffs after his hearing at the Supreme Court in Panama City, Monday, June 11, 2018. Martinelli returned to Panama to face political espionage and embezzlement charges after being extradited from the United States on Monday. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)

They determined he was suffering from a crisis of hypertension, coronary artery disease and anxiety.

How long he remains at the hospital will depend on how he responds to treatment.

The 66-year-old Martinelli was president from 2009 to 2014. He has denied accusations of embezzlement and illegally monitoring phone calls and other communications.

He was extradited Monday after spending a year in federal prison in Miami.LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) - The International Olympic Committee has cut all financial payments to biathlon's governing body following a bribery and doping scandal.

The IOC says it won't pay the International Biathlon Union until it elects a new president, reforms its anti-doping procedures and reports on how it's investigating past Russian doping cases.

The IBU's longtime leader Anders Besseberg stepped down in April after Austrian police raided the organization's headquarters, alleging IBU officials had taken $300,000 in bribes from Russia to cover up doping cases between 2012 and 2017.

Besseberg was the only president in the IBU's 25-year history. A new election is due in September.

A lawyer for Russian doping whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov said he provided information which led to the Austrian police raid.Rapper Meek Mill has lost the latest round in his legal battle over his conviction on drugs and weapons charges that saw him put behind bars on a probation violation.

Pennsylvania's highest court won't remove a judge from the long-running criminal case.

Mill's attorneys have filed multiple motions objecting to Philadelphia Judge Genece Brinkley and seeking to have her replaced.

Rapper Meek Mill has lost the latest round in his legal battle over his conviction on drugs and weapons charges that saw him put behind bars on a probation violation

Three justices ruled against removing Brinkley and three ruled in favor of Mill's lawyers motion. One of those who denied the motion said that the lawyers may revisit the issue after a hearing next week.

In November, Brinkley ordered Mill to spend two to four years in prison for violating probation from an old conviction on drug and weapons charges.

He spent five months behind bars before the state Supreme Court ordered Brinkley to release him on bail.

Mill's lawyers have been arguing that Brinkley has made inappropriate comments about the recording artist in and out of court, acting more like a prosecutor than an impartial jurist.

Brinkley's attorney A. Charles Peruto Jr. has said the judge continues to believe she has been fair toward Mill.

He said he wasn't surprised by the ruling, since Mill's attorneys 'haven't provided a scintilla of good evidence' that the judge is favoring either side.

Mill's attorneys have filed multiple motions objecting to Philadelphia Judge Genece Brinkley, saying she isn't impartial, and seeking to have her replaced.

In a dissenting opinion, Justice Max Baer wrote that Brinkley should have disqualified herself 'in the interest of justice' as her continued involvement in the case 'has created an appearance of impropriety that tends to undermine public confidence in the judiciary.'

One of Mill's lawyers, Joe Tacopina, said Tuesday's split decision and allowance for the issue to be addressed again was a positive sign.

'We remain hopeful that the overwhelming amount of evidence in this case will prompt Judge Brinkley to grant Meek a new trial,' he said.

Mills has been fighting to get his 2008 convictions on drug and gun charges thrown out because of questions about the credibility of the arresting officer.

The rapper has attracted support from a string of high-powered figures and celebrities, and he was a fixture at Philadelphia 76ers playoff games this spring.THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - The Latest on case of former Congolese Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba (all times local):

6:25 p.m.

International Criminal Court judges have ordered the interim release of former Congolese Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba, days after he was acquitted on appeal of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

FILE - In this June 21, 2016 file photo, former Congolese Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba enters the courtroom of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. International Criminal Court appeals judges overturned Friday, June 8, 2018 the convictions of former Congolese Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba for atrocities committed by his forces in Central African Republic. The reversal delivered a serious blow to ICC prosecutors by scrapping all the convictions in the court's first trial to focus largely on sexual violence and on command responsibility - the legal principle that a commanding officer can be held responsible for crimes committed by his or her troops or for failing to prevent or punish the crimes. (Michael Kooren, Pool via AP, File)

Bemba was acquitted last week and his 18-year sentence was overturned, but he remained in custody because he is awaiting sentencing in another case in which he was convicted of interfering with witnesses.

Noting that Bemba already has served more than 80 percent of the maximum five-year sentence he faces in the witness tampering case, judges ruled Tuesday that it was "disproportionate to further detain Mr. Bemba merely to ensure his appearance for sentencing."

___

12:55 p.m.

A lawyer for former Congolese Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba has urged International Criminal Court judges to release him immediately following his acquittal last week on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes and the overturning of his 18-year sentence.

Tuesday's hearing focused on another case in which Bemba was convicted of interfering with witnesses during his trial. He remains jailed pending a decision on his sentence in that case, in which he faces a maximum of five years and a hefty fine.

Lawyer Melinda Taylor told judges that Bemba has already served nine-tenths of the maximum sentence possible in this conviction and should be freed to rejoin his wife and children in Belgium while he awaits a final ruling on the sentence.

Judges will issue a decision by Wednesday.PHOENIX (AP) - A U.S. Border Patrol agent was wounded in a shooting on an Arizona ranch near the U.S.-Mexico border before dawn Tuesday in a remote area known for drug and migrant smuggling, the agency and the cattleman who owns the property said.

The agent was taken to a hospital after the 4:30 a.m. shooting near the community of Arivaca and several people were detained, a Border Patrol Statement said, providing no information on the agent's injuries or the circumstances of the shooting.

Jim Chilton, a fifth-generation Arizona cattleman who runs the 50,000-acre (20,230-hectare) ranch, told The Associated Press in an interview that the Border Patrol sent him an email saying the agent was alone when he was wounded on the ranch and was struck in the leg and the hand.

FILE--In this April 10, 2018, file photo, a Customs and Border Patrol agent patrols the international border near Nogales, Ariz. The U.S. Border Patrol says an agent has been wounded in a shooting in southern Arizona near the U.S.-Mexico border. (AP Photo/Matt York, file)

Several bullets also struck the agent's protective vest, which probably saved his life, Chilton said.

"Without it, he probably would not be with us today," said the rancher, who is a well-known Arizona backer of President Donald Trump's efforts to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Border Patrol official who the rancher said wrote the email, Lisa A. Reed, did not immediately respond to an email seeking confirmation of the details Chilton provided. Border Patrol spokesman Chris Sullivan declined to comment.

Arivaca is southwest of Tucson and about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the border.

About 200 trails meander over Chilton's ranch and he said the area where the shooting happened is along the most traveled trail. One 14- mile (22-kilometer) side of his ranch is separated from Mexico by a four-strand wire fence.

"We have drug runners coming through our ranch and this has become a very dangerous situation," Chilton said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees the Border Patrol, reports hundreds of assaults on its law enforcement personnel across the United State each year, but they rarely involve agents getting hit by bullets.

During the U.S. fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2017, there were 786 assaults on the Border Patrol agents nationwide and 93 in the Tucson Sector that includes Arivaca area, the agency has said.

Some cases involved people on the Mexican side of the border throwing rocks at agents on the U.S. side, or would-be smugglers firing at agents and missing as the smugglers try to get away from the agents.

Agents with the Tucson Sector Border Patrol arrested a 21-year-old U.S. citizen near Amado, Arizona last Christmas eve after he fired at them during a high speed chase that ended when he lost control of the vehicle and rolled over. He was transporting two migrants in the U.S. without authorization.

Two teen boys were arrested last year in the shooting of a Border Patrol vehicle south of Sierra Vista, Arizona. The agent inside was not hurt.

In December, 2010, agent Brian A. Terry was shot and killed near Rio Rico, Arizona, while trying to arrest a group of armed people who had been preying on migrants.

Agent Robert Rosas was shot and killed in an ambush on patrol along the Mexico border near Campo, California in July 2009, and Agent Alexander S. Kirpnick was shot and killed as he and his partner tried to arrest a group of drug smugglers just north of the Mexican border in Arizona in June 1998.

___

This story has been corrected to say that agent Brian A. Terry was shot and killed in December 2010.

File - In this Sunday, April 2, 2017 file photo, rancher Jim Chilton poses for a photo on his ranch in Arivaca, about 80 miles southwest of Tucson, Ariz. A U.S. Border Patrol agent was wounded in a shooting on a southern Arizona ranch near the U.S.-Mexico border before dawn Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in a remote area known for drug and migrant smuggling, the agency and the cattleman who owns the property said. Chilton, a fifth-generation Arizona cattleman who runs a 50,000-acre (about 20,230-hectare) ranch outside Arivaca, told The Associated Press in an interview that the Border Patrol sent him an email saying the agent was alone when he was wounded on the ranch and was struck in the leg and the hand. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File)ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) - More than 11,000 tadpoles born in the Detroit Zoo have been released in Puerto Rico in an effort to restore an endangered toad to the Caribbean island.

The Detroit Zoological Society says the Puerto Rican crested tadpoles left the Detroit area Wednesday and were released 24 hours later in a forest pond.

The zoological society says more than 52,000 other Detroit zoo-born tadpoles have been shipped to Puerto Rico over the past decade. They are monitored to determine if the toads are surviving and breeding.

The toads thrived on Puerto Rico until sugar growers introduced a foreign toad they hoped would eat pests that feed on sugar cane. The introduced toad ate the native toad's young and took over its habitat. Human development eliminated much of the native toad's range.PARIS (AP) - A four-hour hostage standoff in central Paris ended with police moving in, arresting the armed suspect and freeing the people held in a ground-floor office, France's interior minister announced late Tuesday.

"All the hostages are safe and sound," Gerard Collomb said in a brief statement. At least two people had been held.

There was no indication of an extremist motive, police said.

In this UGC image made from a mobile phone, police in riot gear surrounded the entrance of a building in central Paris where a man is believed to be holding two people hostage, in Paris, Tuesday June 12, 2018. There was no indication of a terrorist motive, a police official said Tuesday. (AP Photo)

The Paris prosecutor's office detained the suspect, a 26-year-old man born in Morocco, a judicial official said. It was not immediately clear if he had French nationality.

The man is being investigated on multiple counts, including kidnapping and sequestration, attempted homicide and violence with a weapon, the official said. The official was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and asked not to be named.

Two hostages were freed, one who reportedly had been doused with gasoline and threatened by the hostage-taker with being set on fire, French TV news stations BFM-TV and CNews reported.

Authorities provided no details of the raid by specially trained intervention police officers four hours after the hostage-taking began at about 4 p.m.

Before the arrest, police and firefighters sent a water-spraying robot into the building, Le Parisien newspaper reported.

Dozens of officers in riot gear, firefighters and rescue workers had evacuated and blocked off the Rue des Petites Ecuries while negotiations took place. The hostages were held in a ground-floor office in a crowded neighborhood. Their captor apparently was armed with knives.

As negotiations progressed, the hostage-taker reportedly asked to speak to the Iranian ambassador, a police union official, Yves Lefebvre, said. However, a motive for the demand was not established.

Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency reported that a spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, Bahram Ghasemi, said the Iranian Embassy in Paris stood ready to help "considering the importance of people's lives and human aspects of the issue."

During the negotiations, the hostage-taker reportedly evoked a strange mix of events, from the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center to the kidnapping and death last year of a young girl in an Alpine town.

The hostage-taker also claimed he had an accomplice outside the building with a bomb, according to union official Lefebvre. Police swept vehicles in the area with a device but found nothing, he said.

Before officers moved in, Lefebvre said a third hostage had been freed. That hostage was also reportedly doused with gasoline and hit in the face, he said.

Paris police have not revealed how many people were taken hostage.

___

Amir Vahdat in Tehran contributed to this report.

In this UGC image made from a mobile phone, police in riot gear surrounded the entrance of a building in central Paris where a man is believed to be holding two people hostage, in Paris, Tuesday June 12, 2018. There was no indication of a terrorist motive, a police official said Tuesday. (AP Photo)

This handout picture taken Tuesday, June 12, 2018 and provided by Jean-Baptiste Chaumie shows police officers at the scene of an hostage-taking in Paris, France. Police in riot gear on Tuesday surrounded the entrance of a building in central Paris where a man was holding two people hostage, police headquarters said. (AP Photo)

An armed police man gestures to people passing by, near the scene of a hostage situation, in central Paris, France, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Police in riot gear on Tuesday surrounded the entrance of a building in central Paris where a man was holding two people hostage, police headquarters said. (AP Photo Francois Mori)

In this image from TV, Emergency services attend the scene after a man took hostages in Paris, Tuesday June 12, 2018. Several people are believed to be held hostage in Paris after an armed man stormed a building in the capital's 10th district. (AP Photo)

Police cordon off the area, near the scene of a hostage situation, in central Paris, France, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Police in riot gear on Tuesday surrounded the entrance of a building in central Paris where a man was holding two people hostage, police headquarters said. (AP Photo Francois Mori)

A police man patrols near a cordoned off area, the scene of a hostage situation, in central Paris, France, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Police in riot gear on Tuesday surrounded the entrance of a building in central Paris where a man was holding two people hostage, police headquarters said. (AP Photo Francois Mori)

In this image from TV, Emergency services attend the scene after a man took hostages in Paris, Tuesday June 12, 2018. Several people are being held hostage in Paris after an armed man stormed a building in the capital's 10th district. (AP Photo)

This handout picture taken Tuesday, June 12, 2018 and provided by Jean-Baptiste Chaumie shows police officers at the scene of an hostage-taking in Paris, France. Police in riot gear on Tuesday surrounded the entrance of a building in central Paris where a man was holding two people hostage, police headquarters said. (AP Photo)

Police control a cordoned off area near the scene of a hostage situation, in central Paris, France, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Police in riot gear on Tuesday surrounded the entrance of a building in central Paris where a man was holding two people hostage, police headquarters said. (AP Photo Francois Mori)

This handout picture taken Tuesday, June 12, 2018 and provided by Jean-Baptiste Chaumie shows police officers at the scene of an hostage-taking in Paris, France. Police in riot gear on Tuesday surrounded the entrance of a building in central Paris where a man was holding two people hostage, police headquarters said. (AP Photo)

In this UGC image made from a mobile phone, police in riot gear surrounded the entrance of a building in central Paris where a man is believed to be holding two people hostage, in Paris, Tuesday June 12, 2018. There was no indication of a terrorist motive, a police official said Tuesday. (AP Photo)

In this UGC image made from a mobile phone, police in riot gear surrounded the entrance of a building in central Paris where a man is believed to be holding two people hostage, in Paris, Tuesday June 12, 2018. There was no indication of a terrorist motive, a police official said Tuesday. (AP Photo)SINGAPORE (AP) - President Donald Trump said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "learned" from the mistake of criticizing him and it's going to cost Canada "a lot of money."

Trump adviser Peter Navarro, meanwhile, said Tuesday he made a mistake when he said "there's a special place in hell" for Trudeau.

At a news conference Tuesday after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump recounted his recent tough exchanges with Trudeau. He said the Canadian leader must not have realized that Trump had televisions on Air Force One, allowing him to monitor Trudeau's news conference at the end of the G-7 summit.

U.S. President Donald Trump answers questions about the summit with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un during a press conference at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

"That's going to cost a lot of money for the people of Canada. He learned," Trump said wagging his finger. "You can't do that. You can't do that."

The president said he was annoyed by Trudeau's comments about not letting Canada get pushed around.

"He's giving a news conference about how he will not be pushed around by the United States. And I say, push him around? We just shook hands. It was very friendly," Trump said.

Trump called Trudeau "dishonest" and "weak" in tweets following the summit on Saturday.

Trump advisers also took up the attack in appearances on Sunday's news shows, leveling more withering and unprecedented criticism against Trudeau, branding him a back-stabber unworthy of Trump's time. "There's a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door," Navarro said on "Fox News Sunday."

Navarro seemed to apologize for the remarks on Tuesday.

"Let me correct a mistake I made," Navarro said at a Wall Street Journal conference Tuesday, according to video provided by the newspaper's CFO Network. "In conveying that message I used language that was inappropriate."

When asked about Trump's remarks in Parliament on Tuesday, Trudeau said he supports Trump's efforts on North Korea and looks forward to the details of that agreement.

"On his comments, I'm going to stay focused on defending jobs for Canadians and supporting Canadian interests," Trudeau said before walking away from reporters.

A Trump adviser had suggested Sunday that Trump saw Trudeau as trying to weaken his hand before the meeting with Kim.

The president also discussed in Singapore the viral photo taken of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and others standing before him. Trump said it was snapped as they waited for changes he'd requested to the communique, which he ended up pulling out of.

Trump said it "didn't look friendly" but it was "very friendly."

___

Gillies contributed from Toronto.HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania highway department worker won her job back Tuesday after being fired for ranting on Facebook about local school bus drivers, including a warning that she would happily crash into a school bus.

Commonwealth Court on Tuesday ordered the reinstatement of Rachel L. Carr as a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation roadway programs technician, ruling free speech protections outweighed concerns about comments the judges described as "reprehensible" and "abhorrent."

Carr was off duty and at home when she posted to the "Creeps of Peeps" site in May 2016 that school bus drivers in northwestern Pennsylvania, near the New York border, are "horrible" and "hella scary." She posted that earlier in the day "one asked me to t-bone it."

She used an expletive to emphasize how little she cared "about those babies and I will gladly smash into a school bus." In response to others' response on the Facebook group, she wrote that she cared about her own safety more than that of the children. Members of Creeps of Peeps reported her to PennDOT, and she was fired after an investigation.

Judge Kevin Brobson, writing for the three-judge panel , said Carr's comments merit special protection because they address an issue of public concern.

"Despite the incendiary verbiage Carr used, the main thrust of her remarks centered on the fact that a bus driver consistently engaged in dangerous driving habits, thus necessitating Carr to take evasive maneuvers in response," Brobson wrote. "Carr's comments served as a verbal manifestation of her frustrations in having to do so."

Carr's post referred to school bus drivers as a group, saying they that if a vehicle pulls out in front of her or crosses a yellow line, "that's their problem. A sedan, school bus or water truck. (Your) kids, your problem. Not mine."

A PennDOT supervisor said the agency was concerned that if she "acted on her threat of crashing into a school bus, the department could be exposed to liability for her actions," Brobson recounted.

"We conclude that the department's generalized interest in the safety of the traveling public does not outweigh Carr's specific interest in commenting on the safety of a particular bus driver," the judge wrote. "While Carr's comments are undoubtedly inappropriate, such comments still receive protection under the First Amendment."

Carr's lawyer did not immediate return a phone message seeking comment. A PennDOT spokesman declined comment on what he called a personnel matter. Asked if there were plans to appeal, he said the opinion was under legal evaluation.

Carr was on probation at the time, having been promoted from temporary clerk to the $31,000-a-year roadway programs technician job two months earlier. Roadway programs technicians monitor and report data to help agency operations. She was fired in June 2016.

The case was sent to the Civil Service Commission with direction to reinstate her and "exercise its discretion" regarding payment of salary or lost wages. A section of her lawsuit that alleged violation of her free speech rights remains pending before Commonwealth Court.ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) - The Anderson Police Department is recommending no criminal charges in the death of a 3-year-old who was left in a hot car for more than two hours.

Maj. Joel Sandefur said Tuesday the case file on the June 3 death of Hannah Grace Miller has been forwarded to Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings.

Cummings told The Herald Bulletin he'll review the paperwork promptly. He says "the recommendation of the police department usually carries a lot of persuasive value" with his office.

Madison County Coroner Marian Dunnichay has said the family went to church, ate breakfast and bought groceries, and when they returned home, the parents carried the groceries inside. They believed Hannah had gone inside with her two brothers and that the three siblings were sleeping.BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - The Latest on North Dakota's primary election (all times local):

9 p.m.

Republican state Sen. Kelly Armstrong says he's not celebrating even though he breezed past two little-known opponents in North Dakota's U.S. House primary.

FILE - In this May 26, 2016, file photo, North Dakota state Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D, speaks in Bismarck, N.D. Cramer, a candidate for U.S. Senate, faces Thomas O'Neill, an Air Force veteran who didn't mount a serious campaign, in the Tuesday, June 12, 2018, Republican primary. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast File)

The attorney from Dickinson and former head of the state GOP is vying to replace Rep. Kevin Cramer, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Heidi Heitkamp.

Armstrong easily defeated ex-Marine Tiffany Abentroth and former North Dakota State football player Paul Schaffner. State Sen. Tom Campbell also appeared on the ballot despite dropping out of the race.

Armstrong says he is preparing for a November contest against Democrat Mac Schneider, a Grand Forks attorney who had no opposition in the primary.

Armstrong says he and his campaign aren't taking anything for granted.

___

8:40 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer says he's ready for a tough fight to unseat Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp in a race seen as critical for control of the closely divided Senate.

Cramer easily defeated little-known Air Force veteran Thomas O'Neill on Tuesday.

Cramer says primary elections are an "important step in process" and he hopes "voters will get in the habit of voting" for him in November.

Cramer initially passed up the Senate race this year but said he changed his mind at the urging of President Donald Trump and others who saw him as the GOP's best hope to defeat Heitkamp.

Cramer says he's focused on the race this fall, but he adds his "top priority" is his work as a congressman in Washington.

___

8:30 p.m.

Republican state Sen. Kelly Armstrong has won North Dakota's U.S. House primary.

Armstrong is vying to replace Rep. Kevin Cramer, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Heidi Heitkamp.

Armstrong easily defeated ex-Marine Tiffany Abentroth and former North Dakota State football player Paul Schaffner. State Sen. Tom Campbell also appeared on the ballot despite dropping out of the race.

Armstrong, an attorney from Dickinson, has strong ties to the state's oil industry.

He'll face Democrat Mac Schneider, a Grand Forks attorney who had no opposition in the primary. Schneider served two terms in the North Dakota Senate before being unseated in 2016.

___

8:12 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer has defeated a little-known opponent to win North Dakota's Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

Cramer easily beat Air Force veteran Thomas O'Neill on Tuesday.

Cramer now faces a tougher campaign to unseat Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp in a race seen as critical for control of the closely divided Senate.

Cramer is a former state Republican Party chairman. He was first elected to the House in 2012 and has easily won re-election twice since then.

Cramer initially passed up the Senate race this year but said he changed his mind at the urging of President Donald Trump and others who saw him as the GOP's best hope to defeat Heitkamp.

___

3:25 p.m.

North Dakota Secretary of State Al Jaeger says he doesn't expect any long lines at the polls during this primary election.

Realistically, there are no statewide races at stake during the Tuesday election. Jaeger says it will be local races pushing turnout, such as mayoral races in Bismarck and Minot.

Burleigh County Auditor Kevin Glatt says turnout is still "light" in Bismarck. Cass County Auditor Michael Montplaisir (mahnt-PLAY'-zur) describes turnout as "slow" in the state's most populous county.

Jaeger says there's likely to be a lot more excitement in November's general election. Republican U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer is facing a little-known opponent in the Tuesday primary, but his campaign is focused on trying to unseat incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp.

That race is seen as pivotal for control of the Senate, and Jaeger says "the nation's looking in on us."

Heitkamp doesn't have a Democratic primary opponent.

___

2 p.m.

Local races are drawing voters in North Dakota's primary election, but a big statewide race is on the minds of many.

Republican U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer faces little-known opponent Thomas O'Neill in the primary as he looks ahead to a fall Senate race. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp doesn't face any primary opponent.

The two are likely to square off in a race seen as pivotal for control of the Senate.

Retired grain farm manager Faye Krumwiede (KRUHM'-wee-dee) of Bismarck favors Cramer. She says Cramer is "speaking directly to the people of North Dakota."

Retired Mandan surveyor Wayne Kurle (KUR'-lee) says President Donald Trump influences Cramer too much. Kurle says he favors Heitkamp because "she votes both sides of the aisle."

___

12 a.m.

North Dakota Rep. Kevin Cramer faces a little-known opponent in the primary election as he looks forward to what's expected to be one of the nation's top Senate races in the fall.

Cramer and Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp have been stockpiling millions for a race that Republicans see as one of their top chances to gain ground in the chamber.

Cramer's opponent Tuesday is Thomas O'Neill, an Air Force veteran who didn't mount a major campaign.

The other notable statewide race is for Cramer's U.S. House seat. State Sen. Kelly Armstrong was seen as a heavy favorite over a pair of lesser-known and lightly funded opponents.CHICAGO (AP) - With frustration mounting over lawmakers' inaction on gun control, the American Medical Association on Tuesday pressed for a ban on assault weapons and came out against arming teachers as a way to fight what it calls a public health crisis.

At its annual policymaking meeting, the nation's largest physicians group bowed to unprecedented demands from doctor-members to take a stronger stand on gun violence - a problem the organizations says is as menacing as a lethal infectious disease.

The action comes against a backdrop of recurrent school shootings, everyday street violence in the nation's inner cities, and rising U.S. suicide rates.

FILE - In this Thursday, April 19, 2018 file photo, crosses representing victims of gun violence stand outside Collins Academy High School in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood. With frustration mounting over lawmakers' inaction on gun control, the American Medical Association on Tuesday, June 12, 2018, pressed for a ban on assault weapons and came out against arming teachers as way to fight what it calls a public health crisis. (AP Photo/Martha Irvine)

"We as physicians are the witnesses to the human toll of this disease," Dr. Megan Ranney, an emergency-medicine specialist at Brown University, said at the meeting.

AMA delegates voted to adopt several of nearly a dozen gun-related proposals presented by doctor groups that are part of the AMA's membership. They agreed to:

- Support any bans on the purchase or possession of guns and ammunition by people under 21.

- Back laws that would require licensing and safety courses for gun owners and registration of all firearms.

- Press for legislation that would allow relatives of suicidal people or those who have threatened imminent violence to seek court-ordered removal of guns from the home.

- Encourage better training for physicians in how to recognize patients at risk for suicide.

- Push to eliminate loopholes in laws preventing the purchase or possession of guns by people found guilty of domestic violence, including expanding such measures to cover convicted stalkers.

Many AMA members are gun owners or supporters, including a doctor from Montana who told delegates of learning to shoot at a firing range in the basement of her middle school as part of gym class. But support for banning assault weapons was overwhelming, with the measure adopted in a 446-99 vote.

"There's a place to start and this should be it," Dr. Jim Hinsdale, a San Jose, California, trauma surgeon, said before the vote.

Gun violence is not a new issue for the AMA; it has supported past efforts to ban assault weapons; declared gun violence a public health crisis; backed background checks, waiting periods and better funding for mental health services; and pressed for more research on gun violence prevention.

But Dr. David Barbe, whose one-year term as AMA president ended Tuesday, called the number of related measures on this year's agenda extraordinary and said recent violence, including the Parkland, Florida, school shooting and the Las Vegas massacre, "spurred a new sense of urgency ... while Congress fails to act."

"It has been frustrating that we have seen so little action from either state or federal legislators," he said. "The most important audience for our message right now is our legislators, and second most important is the public, because sometimes it requires public pressure on the legislators."

While it is no longer viewed as the unified voice of American medicine, the AMA has more clout with politicians and the public than other doctor groups. It counted more than 243,000 members in 2017, up slightly for the seventh straight year. But it represents less than one-quarter of the nation's million-plus physicians.

The National Rifle Association didn't immediately respond to email and phone requests for comment on the doctors' votes.

AMA members cited U.S. government data showing almost 40,000 deaths by gun in 2016, including suicides, and nearly 111,000 gun injuries. Both have been rising in recent years.

By comparison, U.S. deaths from diabetes in 2016 totaled almost 80,000; Alzheimer's, 111,000; and lung disease, 155,000. The leaders are heart disease, with 634,000 deaths in 2016, and cancer, about 600,000.House Republicans are preparing to vote next week on two competing immigration proposals after a group of moderates fell short in their effort to force their own DACA bill to the floor.

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin announced the move on Tuesday. It could result in both immigration bills being voted down.

He was facing pressure from a group of moderates lining votes for a discharge petition that could have forced a vote on a bill restoring protections to so-called DREAMers who were brought here illegally as children.

But that effort fell two signatures short of the needed 2018, USA Today reported. Ryan intervened to try to talk rebellious members out of signing the measure  which essentially strips control of the floor away from the congressional leadership.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is setting up votes on a conservative GOP immigration bill and a separate compromise being negotiated

What he offered is a vote on a hard-line conservative measure that boosts border protections but does not provide a path to citizenship for the DREAMers, and a compromise alternative that is still being negotiated.

Both could fail, although the fate of the second measure in particular rests on how it is crafted.

That was a prediction that GOP leaders, conservatives, and moderates were making on Tuesday, Politico reported.

Since the compromise bill is expected to include many of President Trump's conservative immigration changes, it would run into strong resistance from Democrats.

'Members across the Republican Conference have negotiated directly and in good faith with each other for several weeks, and as a result, the House will consider two bills next week that will avert the discharge petition and resolve the border security and immigration issues,' said Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong.

GOP leaders persuaded moderate Republicans to drop their renegade effort to force votes on legislation that would have protected young 'Dreamer' immigrants with a path to citizenship.

The votes could occur as soon as next week.

Moderates were promised a vote on a compromise immigration plan, which remains a work in progress but will likely include a citizenship pathway for the young immigrants who have been living in the country illegally since they were children.

With a truce between the GOP's factions, House Republicans were set to meet behind closed doors Wednesday to assess the process forward on an issue that has divided the party for years - and that leaders worried would damage the GOP ahead of the election season.

House Speaker Paul Ryan's office announced the vote on legislation dealing with the status of immigrants brought here illegally as children

'If Republicans plan to use Dreamers as a way to advance @realDonaldTrump's xenophobic, anti-immigrant agenda, they will get a fight from House Democrats,' Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a tweet.

Ryan's office announced the decision late Tuesday after a bargaining session with the lawmakers from the GOP's conservative and moderate factions ended without agreement on a single package all sides could support.

Moderates had been collecting signatures on a petition drive to would force a vote. Strong said the decision to consider two bills would avert the petition drive 'and resolve the border security and immigration issues.'

Leaders feared if the moderates had been able to collect the 218 votes needed, mostly from Democrats, it would embarrass Republicans by passing a bill that conservatives decried as amnesty for the young immigrants.

Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., a leader of the moderates' petition drive, credited his group for forcing the issue to the fore.

'Our goal has always been to force the House to debate and consider meaningful immigration reform, and today we're one step closer,' Curbelo said.

Conservatives were also pleased, certain that neither bill would necessarily win enough votes to pass, but confident the outcome would show the political strength of their preferred approach, a bill from Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., a leader of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said even if the bill fails, voting would show 'we can just amend the Goodlatte bill' and try again.

Strong said votes on the two bills would happen next week. But Meadows said a vote on the compromise plan may slip to the end of the month as talks continue crafting the legislation.

For weeks, the party's two wings have hunted for ways to provide a compromise that would provide the citizenship pathway and also bolster border security, but have failed to find middle ground.

The House ended Tuesday's session as moderates fell short of their stated goal of having 218 signatures - a majority of the chamber - on a petition that would force votes on other immigration bills that GOP leaders oppose. They had promised to do that by Tuesday in order to trigger those votes later this month.

Instead, the centrists accumulated the names of all 193 Democrats but just 23 Republicans - two short of the number required.

GOP leaders have strongly opposed the rarely used petition tactic, asserting those votes would probably produce a liberal-leaning bill backed by Democrats and just a smattering of Republicans. They've actively lobbied other moderates to not sign the petition, and in talks bargainers have sought legislation both sides could back or alternatively a way for each faction to get a vote on legislation they could support.

The alternative measure is still under discussion. But a Republican familiar with the discussions said it would likely be based on a proposal by moderates that would grant the Dreamers a chance for citizenship but also provide the $25 billion President Donald Trump wants for his border wall with Mexico.

It would also hew close Trump's ideas for ending the diversity visa and impose curbs on legal immigration for some immigrant family members, changes that conservatives want. That Republican spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private talks.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., criticized the GOP approach.

'If Republicans plan to use Dreamers as a way to advance @realDonaldTrump's xenophobic, anti-immigrant agenda, they will get a fight from House Democrats,' Pelosi said in a tweet.

Any compromise bill would probably also include provisions changing how immigrant children are separated from their families at the border, aides said.

Trump's recent clampdown on people entering the U.S. illegally has resulted in hundreds of children being separated from their families and a public relations black eye for the administration. No law requires those children to be taken from their parents. A 2-decade-old court settlement requires those who are separated to be released quickly to relatives or qualified programs. But the White House has sought to change that and Republicans are seeking language to make it easier to keep the families together longer, said several Republicans. Advocates for immigrants have said the Goodlatte bill would allow minors to be detained longer than is now currently allowed.

As talks between the House GOP's factions continued, leaders worked to derail the moderates' petition. As part of the effort, party leaders promised votes to later this year on a bill dealing with migrant agricultural workers and requirements that employers use a government online system to verify workers' citizenship, according to three aides familiar with the negotiations. The Republicans spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private talks.

Congress has been forced to deal with the immigration after Trump last year terminated the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.

Hundreds of thousands of young immigrants have benefited from DACA or could qualify for it, but risked of deportation as the program ended, though federal court orders have kept the program functioning for now.

Senate efforts to pass immigration legislation failed earlier this year.Who doesnt want to look fit and perfect, right? I mean, almost all of us have been running in this...NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee man accused of killing his former employer with a hatchet had tried to purchase a gun days before the attack but failed a background check, officials said Tuesday.

Domenic Micheli, 36, has been charged with criminal homicide in the June 4 slaying of his former boss, 46-year-old Joel Paavola, at a gym in Nashville. Police say Micheli killed Paavola with a hatchet and another bladed instrument.

Acting Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director Jason Locke told The Tennessean that "there could have been a whole lot more casualties" if Micheli had been able to purchase a gun.

Micheli attempted to buy a firearm on May 30 in Williamson County but was denied, TBI spokesman Josh DeVine said.

Locke said TBI "saw some things" in the background check and turned down the purchase but wasn't specific about why it was denied.

Paavola, who was killed as he led a workout at his gym in the Nashville suburb of Belle Meade, had fired Micheli more than a year before the attack.

State, federal and local authorities worked for a day and a half to find Micheli after the attack.

A concerned motorist in Kentucky who had heard about the case in the news called police after seeing Micheli's car on Interstate 65 near the Tennessee border, Kentucky State Police Lt. Jeremy Smith said.

The Metro Nashville Police Department said Micheli "admitted in detail" to killing Paavola. He is charged with criminal homicide and being held without bond.

Micheli was found competent last month to stand trial in a separate case after the U.S. Secret Service arrested him near the White House in April, according to a Washington federal court document.

Police have said he drove to a checkpoint near the White House and refused directions to move, a misdemeanor charge.WASHINGTON (AP) - Special counsel Robert Mueller's team is worried that Russian intelligence services will use a criminal case in Washington to gather information about its investigation and U.S. intelligence-gathering methods.

In court papers filed Tuesday, prosecutors are asking a federal judge to impose limits on the information that can be shared by attorneys in the first criminal case directly related to Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

So far, only one defendant, Concord Management and Consulting LLC, has appeared in the case, and prosecutors say they're worried information they provide to the company's attorneys could end up in the hands of other defendants or Russian spy agencies.

FILE - In this Aug. 9, 2016 file photo, businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, left, attends a summit meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Konstantin palace outside St. Petersburg, Russia. In court papers filed Tuesday, June 12, 2018, prosecutors are asking a federal judge to impose limits on the information that can be shared by attorneys in the first criminal case prosecutors filed that directly attaches charges to Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Prosecutors also want to bar other defendants from accessing the materials turned over in the case until they appear in a U.S. court. That includes Prigozhin, who controls Concord Management and Consulting LLC. He has ties to Putin. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

The government "has particularized concerns about discovery in this case being disclosed to Russian intelligence services," prosecutors write, noting that disclosure of information they plan to share with the company's attorneys could compromise ongoing and future national security investigations.

Prosecutors also want to bar other defendants from accessing the materials turned over in the case until they appear in a U.S. court. That includes Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy businessman who controls the company. He has ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The information at issue includes large amounts of data related to social media accounts, email, internet providers, banks and the identities of Americans who prosecutors say unwittingly engaged with the foreign influence operation. It also includes "unclassified but sensitive" information "relevant to ongoing national security investigations and efforts to protect the integrity of future U.S. elections," according to prosecutors.

Eric Dubelier, an attorney for Concord Management and Consulting, did not immediately respond to an email and phone message seeking comment. The company will have a chance to respond to the prosecutors' allegations in a later filing.

The company, through Dubelier, has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, and Dubelier has dismissed the case as a "make-believe crime" invented by prosecutors.

In the government's filing, prosecutors opposed a proposal by Concords' attorneys that they be allowed to share information the government provides with officers or employees of Concord, a category of people that would include Prigozhin.

"As long as Prigozhin chooses not to appear personally in front of this Court, he is not entitled to review any discovery in this case," prosecutors wrote.

Prigozhin has been referred to as "Putin's chef" because his restaurants and catering businesses have hosted Putin. He and 12 other Russians are personally charged with participating in a broad conspiracy to sow discord in the U.S. political system from 2014 through 2017. According to the indictment, the primary vehicle for the effort was the Internet Research Agency, a Russian social media troll farm.

Concord is accused of overseeing and providing millions of dollars in funding to the troll farm.

___

Read the filing: http://apne.ws/6iyM63PNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Dozens of Tennessee farmers have urged the state's U.S. House delegation to oppose President Donald Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs, saying they worry the fallout will cripple the rural state's agriculture.

In their open letter Monday, 42 farmers wrote that the tariffs would raise prices for farmers to update equipment, expand production or renovate farm buildings and storage. They say anticipated retaliatory tariffs would make it harder to export Tennessee crops and hurt farmers' ability to make ends meet.

Additionally, market instability and volatility caused by the almost-daily changes in tariffs and retaliations will hurt farming families and reduce their income, the letter says.

"From farm manufacturers to the mother buying fresh vegetables at the grocery store, the negative impact of these political games will be felt far and wide," the letter says.

The tariffs have become a volatile election-year issue with open seats for governor and U.S. Senate on the ballot in Tennessee.

The letter specifically calls for opposition to the tariffs from Republican U.S. Reps. Marsha Blackburn, a U.S. Senate candidate; and Diane Black, who is running for governor. The two have clung closest to the president in their respective races.

Blackburn has said she is growing more concerned about tariffs every day, but also has said she understands where Trump "is trying to get" with the policy decision meant to punish "bad actors" and not hurt American consumers or workers.

She said she's staying in contact with the administration about 18,000 applications for tariff exemptions, and is also talking to companies about how they will be impacted.

In November, she's expected to face former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen, who has opposed the tariffs outright, likening them to a new tax on Tennesseans.

"We're very concerned. We continue to watch," Blackburn told WATN-TV on Monday. "We continue to advocate for giving those exemptions to some of our companies because we do not want any adverse impact on employees or the products that they manufacture."

Last month, before Trump's tariffs on Europe, Mexico and Canada were imposed, Black said at a candidates' forum she thinks fairer trade deals will eventually come from Trump's tariff negotiations. In a crowded primary in a Trump-supportive state, the other three Republicans Black faces expressed concerns about tariffs during last month's forum, while also praising Trump's decision-making skills.

The farmers who signed onto the letter specialize in soybeans, livestock, fish, hay and cotton, tobacco, corn, wheat and other items. Ex-state agriculture commissioners Terry Oliver, Cotton Ivy and Ken Givens joined the letter.

The letter echoes some tariff concerns raised by the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation and Tennessee Soybean Association.

Farm Bureau spokesman Lee Maddox said the bureau is definitely concerned about how the tariffs will affect farmers' bottom line.

"We have assurances that agriculture will not be left out of the negotiations, and we are hopeful trade officials will resolve the situation and even more export markets will open for our farmers," Maddox said.

Parks Wells, executive director of the council that manages the Tennessee Soybean Association, said the market for soybeans, which the state exports to China, has already been negatively affected.

"It's not just retaliation," Wells said. "It's the threat of retaliation that moves the market. We're already into that point."ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) - Samuel Tom Holiday, one of the last surviving Navajo Code Talkers, died in southern Utah Monday surrounded by family members who raised money through a crowdfunding campaign to be by his side.

He was 94.

Holiday was among hundreds of Navajos who used a code based on their native language to transmit messages in World War II. The Japanese never broke it.

He was 19 when he joined the Marine Corps and became a part of operations in several locations across the Pacific during the war, according to The Spectrum. A mortar explosion left him with hearing loss, but he would later tell family that he always felt safe during battle because of a pouch around his neck holding sacred stones and yellow corn pollen.

He received a Congressional Silver Medal, a Purple Heart and other recognition for his action during the conflict.

After the war, Holiday returned to the Navajo reservation and worked as a police officer, a ranger and later started his own equipment company. He married Lupita Mae Isaac and had eight children.

In 2013, Holiday co-wrote a book about his experience as a Code Talker called "Under the Eagle."

Fewer than 10 Code Talkers are believed to be alive today. The exact number is unknown because the program remained classified for several years following the war.

Holiday spent his later days living at the Southern Utah Veterans Home in Ivins, Utah.

Shortly before his death, family members turned to the crowdfunding site GoFundMe to raise $4,000 to be able to visit him in hospice care. The Navajo Nation said he was surrounded by friends and family when he died.

There will be a viewing at the Hughes Mortuary in St. George, Utah, on Thursday and funeral services in Monument Valley on Friday, according to the Navajo Nation Council.

Holiday will be buried at a veterans' cemetery in the Navajo community of Kayenta, Arizona, next to his wife.

The library at the Kayenta Middle School is named for Holiday.

He is survived by six children, 35 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

___

This story has been corrected to say Holiday is survived by six children, not five.PEORIA, Ill. (AP) - School officials in central Illinois have decided to remove Woodrow Wilson's name from an elementary school and instead honor the area's first black female doctor.

The Peoria Public Schools board voted Monday to rename Woodrow Wilson Primary School after Peoria-native Dr. Maude Sanders.

"The fact is we don't have enough of our history displayed, talked about, and taught in our schools," said Board President Martha Ross. "Our kids need somebody to look up to and it's not just black kids, all kids will look up to Peoria's first black doctor."

District officials have been considering a name change since a former district teacher, Linda Watson, raised concerns last year about the district's lack of minority representation. The school's name came under scrutiny due to Wilson's ties with racism and segregation.

The move will expose more people to Sanders' accomplishments, said board member Gregory Wilson.

Board member Robert Davison Aviles said he was concerned about the precedent being set by changing the name. He voted to support the move but said changing the school's name could spur moves to change the names of other schools or buildings that are connected with public figures with less than perfect histories.

He noted that Thomas Jefferson and Charles Lindbergh have local schools named after them and also have problematic pasts.

Board member Dan Walther was the lone vote against the change. He said he supports naming a school after Sanders but doesn't believe the name of the local school should be changed.

The name change will go into effect for the 2018-19 school year.PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - A Maine man has pleaded not guilty to murder in the slaying of a sheriff's deputy.

John Williams is charged with killing 61-year-old Somerset County Cpl. Eugene Cole on April 25 in Norridgewock. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday afternoon in a Portland courtroom.

Prosecutors are seeking a life prison sentence.

An affidavit says after killing Cole, Williams stole the deputy's pickup and robbed a convenience store before abandoning the truck.

Williams then fled into the woods and sparked a four-day manhunt.

No motive has been released for Cole's killing. It's unclear how Williams and Cole came into contact.

Cole was scheduled to appear in Massachusetts on gun charges on April 25.

His trial was tentatively scheduled for May 2019. Williams is undergoing mental and behavioral health evaluations.UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. humanitarian chief warned Tuesday that nearly 6 million people are struggling to get food in West Africa's Sahel region and severe malnutrition is threatening the lives of 1.6 million children.

Mark Lowcock said in a statement that these levels haven't been seen since a crisis in 2012 "and the most critical months are still ahead."

He said the rapid deterioration in recent months in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal "reveals an urgent need for more donor support." He said U.N. plans to respond to the crisis in the six countries are only 26 percent funded and he urged donors for additional support.

"We can still avert the worst," he said.

Lowcock said the crisis was triggered by scarce and erratic rainfall in 2017, "resulting in water, crop and pasture shortages and livestock losses."

In early May, three U.N. agencies warned that drought, conflict and high food prices would drive millions of people in the Sahel into malnutrition and further insecurity without immediate aid. The World Food Program, the U.N. children's agency UNICEF and the Food and Agriculture Organization said this could be one of the worst crop seasons in several years.

Fighters affiliated with the Islamic State extremist group and al-Qaida are active in the Sahel, and the three agencies said insecurity in the region has forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes, led schools to close and disrupted basic social services.

Lowcock, the undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said food has already run out for millions.

"Families are cutting down on meals, withdrawing children from school and going without essential health treatment to save money for food," he said.

"Severe acute malnutrition rates in the six countries have increased by 50 percent since last year," he added. "One child in six under the age of five now needs urgent life-saving treatment to survive."

Lowcock said he is most concerned about Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Mauritania.

In Burkina Faso, the number of people facing "food insecurity" has tripled since last year, he said. There has been a 120 percent increase in the number of people in "emergency" conditions in Mali and "severe acute malnutrition rates are at their highest since 2008" in Mauritania.

Lowcock said the U.N. is scaling up operations to reach 3.6 million people and provide "critical nutrition" in areas where emergency thresholds have been surpassed, but more money is desperately needed.The Latest on primaries in five states (all times EDT):

2:40 a.m.

The owner of half a dozen legal brothels in Nevada has ousted a Republican state lawmaker running for re-election.

FILE - In this June 13, 2016, file photo, Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlite BunnyRanch, a legal brothel near Carson City, Nevada, is pictured during an interview in Oklahoma City. The most closely-watched race in Nevada's primary election Tuesday, June 12, 2018, is the battle for governor. One of those races in Nye County pits incumbent Assembly member James Oscarson of Pahrump against Hof, Nevada's most famous pimp. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

Dennis Hof defeated incumbent Assembly member James Oscarson and a third candidate in a GOP primary race Tuesday.

Hof starred in the HBO adult reality series "Cathouse." He was in the limelight in 2015, when former NBA player Lamar Odom was found unconscious at Hof's Love Ranch brothel in Crystal, Nevada, after a four-day, $75,000 stay.

He challenged Oscarson as a Libertarian in 2016 but lost the race.

___

12:32 a.m.

Republican businessman Shawn Moody has won Tuesday's ranked-choice voting primary in the race to succeed Maine's firebrand Gov. Paul LePage, while no clear majority winner has emerged in the Democratic primary.

The founder of a string of auto repair shops won a majority of the Republican vote, meaning there's no need for additional rounds of voting under the system used in a statewide primary for the first time in U.S. history.

If the Democratic result holds when all of the votes are counted, there would be additional rounds of vote tabulations next week.

__

12:17 a.m.

Democrats have settled a bruising primary for Nevada governor, nominating Clark County Commission Chair Steve Sisolak to take on the state's Republican attorney general in November.

Sisolak, who had the backing of former Sen. Harry Reid and chairs the powerful commission overseeing the Las Vegas Strip and surrounding communities, defeated his commission colleague Christina Giunchigliani.

His general election opponent, Adam Laxalt, easily won the backing of Nevada Republicans.

__

12:09 a.m.

South Carolina Rep. Mark Sanford has lost the Republican nomination for his congressional seat to an opponent who attacked his criticism of President Donald Trump.

Voters on Tuesday decided state Rep. Katie Arrington would be the Republican candidate in the coastal 1st District.

Arrington spent her campaign calling Sanford a "Never Trumper." And hours before polls closed, Trump posted on Twitter supporting her.

Sanford is a former governor who has never lost an election in eight races in South Carolina, even after he admitted to an affair with a woman in Argentina.

In defense of his stance on Trump, Sanford has said he criticizes anyone regardless of party if they deserve it.

__

11:35 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei (AM'-uh-day) has defeated conservative activist Sharron Angle and won the Republican Party's nomination as he seeks re-election to Nevada's 2nd Congressional District.

Amodei defeated Angle on Tuesday in the race for the district covering Nevada's northern half.

Amodei is expected to win re-election in November to the Republican-heavy district.

He was first elected in 2011 to replace Dean Heller, who had been appointed to the U.S. Senate.

Angle is a former legislator who gained national attention in 2010 when she unsuccessfully challenged ex-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. She also lost a 2016 bid to become the GOP's nominee to replace Reid.

___

11:20 p.m.

Three Democrats have locked up nominations for congressional seats in Nevada.

U.S. Rep. Dina Titus defeated challenger Reuben D'Silva on Tuesday in her bid for re-election in the 1st Congressional District.

Susie Lee cruised to an easy primary victory in a key congressional race in Nevada, setting up a battle in November for the seat left open when U.S. Rep. Jacky Rosen decided to run for Senate.

Lee captured the nomination against largely unknown rivals in the 3rd District covering much of suburban Las Vegas.

And Steven Horsford won the primary for the 4th District seat he held in southern Nevada for one term before Republican Cresent Hardy defeated him in 2014.

He'll face a rematch in November against Hardy, who captured the GOP nomination Tuesday night.

___

11:05 p.m.

Republican state Attorney General Adam Laxalt has defeated more than half a dozen opponents to become the GOP nominee for Nevada governor.

The 39-year-old faced state Treasurer Dan Schwartz and six other lesser-known candidates in Tuesday's election.

Laxalt is a former lieutenant in the U.S. Navy who has served as the state's chief prosecutor since 2015. He's the grandson of former U.S. Sen. and Nevada Gov. Paul Laxalt and son of former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico.

He supported Donald Trump for president in 2016.

He's backed in his bid for governor by billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson and Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group funded by the wealthy Koch brothers.

Moderate Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval is leaving the office because he is term-limited.

___

11 p.m.

Nevada Republican Dean Heller has secured his party's nomination as he seeks re-election to the U.S. Senate.

Heller defeated four others in the Republican primary on Tuesday. He was able to cruise through his primary race after President Donald Trump earlier this year persuaded Heller's main challenger, Danny Tarkanian, to drop out. Tarkanian sought a U.S. House seat instead.

Heller is considered the most vulnerable Republican U.S. senator seeking re-election this year because he's the only one running in a state that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in 2016.

Heller was a past critic of the president but has become closer to him in recent months and helped deliver the overhaul of the U.S. tax codes to Trump's desk in December.

Heller is expected to have a close race in November against Democrat Jacky Rosen.

___

10:55 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford is trailing in the Republican congressional primary in South Carolina to an opponent supported in last-minute tweets by President Donald Trump.

As results came in Tuesday, Sanford told a crowd in suburban Charleston: "I've always been a realist and at this point, based on the numbers I see, I'm going to lose this race."

With much of the vote counted, state Rep. Katie Arrington was on the cusp of winning outright. But as Sanford spoke to the crowd, the race was still too close to call.

Arrington says Sanford criticized Trump too much, calling him a "Never Trumper." One ad said "it's time for Mark Sanford to take a hike - for real this time."

That refers to 2009, when Sanford's aides said he was hiking the Appalachian Trail while he actually visited a woman with whom he was having an affair in Argentina.

___

10:25 p.m.

Archie Parnell has won the Democratic nomination in a South Carolina congressional district despite revelations from a divorce filing last month that he beat his wife more than 40 years ago.

Parnell garnered the nomination Tuesday even after Democratic officials including the party's chairman ask for him to leave the race.

Parnell's divorce records say in 1973 he broke a glass door with a tire iron, then beat his wife. Parnell didn't deny the allegations, but said he was a changed man.

Parnell defeated Mark Ali of Rock Hill, Sidney Moore of Rock Hill and professional clown Steven Lough of Camden.

Parnell's win sets up a rematch with U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman. Parnell lost by just 3 percentage points in a special election last year.

___

10 p.m.

Results are upcoming in dozens of legislative and primary races in Nevada now that polls have closed.

The most closely watched race Tuesday is the gubernatorial primary race in which Clark County Commission colleagues Steve Sisolak (SIHS'-oh-lahk) and Christina Giunchigliani (joon-kihl-ee-AHN'-ee) are vying to be the state's first Democratic governor in two decades.

Nevada Deputy Secretary of State for Elections Wayne Thorley has said voters were turning out in higher rates than past primary elections because of the close primary race to succeed outgoing Gov. Brian Sandoval.

Republican U.S. Sen. Dean Heller is expected to breeze through the primary race after President Donald Trump earlier persuaded his strongest GOP opponent to drop out.

Election officials in two counties said there were a small number of display problems in which some voters didn't initially see a complete list of candidates. Fewer than 30 voters were affected.

___

9:25 p.m.

Republican state Sen. Kelly Armstrong has won North Dakota's U.S. House primary.

Armstrong is vying to replace Rep. Kevin Cramer, who running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Heidi Heitkamp. Cramer won his primary Tuesday.

Armstrong easily defeated former Marine Tiffany Abentroth and former North Dakota State football player Paul Schaffner. State Sen. Tom Campbell also appeared on the ballot despite dropping out of the race.

Armstrong, an attorney from Dickinson, has strong ties to the state's oil industry.

He'll face Democrat Mac Schneider, a Grand Forks attorney who had no opposition in the primary. Schneider served two terms in the North Dakota Senate before being unseated in 2016.

___

9:25 p.m.

Joe Cunningham has won the Democratic nomination in South Carolina's coastal 1st Congressional District.

The construction lawyer and yoga studio owner defeated Toby Smith on Tuesday and will go on to face a Republican in November's general election.

The district, which includes Charleston and the southern coast, has not elected a Democrat since 1978.

___

9:20 p.m.

Incumbent Henry McMaster has been forced into a runoff for the Republican nomination in South Carolina's gubernatorial primary.

McMaster was an early supporter of President Donald Trump, and he was the top vote-getter in Tuesday's primary. But he failed to win the 50 percent necessary to avoid a runoff. Now, he and Greenville businessman John Warren are headed for a second contest June 26.

The vote tested the heft of Trump's endorsement in South Carolina, where McMaster became governor last year following Nikki Haley's departure to serve as U.N. ambassador. As lieutenant governor, McMaster was the nation's first statewide elected official to back Trump ahead of South Carolina's early presidential primary.

McMaster was unsuccessful in his 2010 gubernatorial bid, losing a four-way primary to Haley. The GOP nominee faces Democratic state Rep. James Smith in November.

___

9:10 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer has defeated a little-known opponent to win North Dakota's Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

Cramer easily beat Air Force veteran Thomas O'Neill on Tuesday.

Cramer now faces a tougher campaign to unseat Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp in a race seen as critical for control of the closely divided Senate.

Cramer is a former state Republican Party chairman. He was first elected to the House in 2012 and has easily won re-election twice since then.

Cramer initially passed up the Senate race this year but said he changed his mind at the urging of President Donald Trump and others who saw him as the GOP's best hope to defeat Heitkamp.

___

9:05 p.m.

History is being made, in slow motion, in Maine where ranked-choice voting is being used for the first time in a statewide primary election.

Democrats and Republicans ranked candidates for governor from first to last in Tuesday's primaries in a system that's sometimes called instant runoff voting in 11 local jurisdictions where it's currently in use.

But there's nothing instant about Maine's process.

If there's no majority winner, then the ballots will be shipped to the state capital for additional tabulations. Under the system, last-place candidates are eliminated and votes reallocated until there's a winner.

If it comes down to that, then Secretary of State Matt Dunlap said winners won't be announced until sometime next week.

Mainers who approved the system in 2016 also voted Tuesday on whether to use the system in November for federal races.

___

8:55 p.m.

Longtime state Rep. James Smith has won the Democratic nomination in South Carolina's gubernatorial race.

Smith defeated Charleston consultant Phil Noble and Florence attorney Marguerite Willis in Tuesday's primary.

Smith has led the pack in fundraising, but recent polling in the race showed many voters had yet to make up their minds.

The incumbent, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, is seeking his first full term in office.

Smith has served in the state Legislature for 22 years. He was a JAG officer in the U.S. Army Reserve and South Carolina Army National Guard but resigned his commission after the Sept. 11 attacks to enlist in the infantry.

Smith has selected fellow state Rep. Mandy Powers Norrell as his running mate.

___

8:50 p.m.

Corey Stewart has won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Virginia and will face incumbent Tim Kaine in the November general election.

Stewart beat state lawmaker Nick Freitas and Chesapeake minister E.W. Jackson in Tuesday's race.

Stewart is a conservative provocateur who often feuds with members of his party. He's a one-time state chairman of President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and nearly won the 2017 Republican nomination for governor.

He has pledged to run a "vicious" campaign against Kaine.

Former governor and 2016 vice-presidential candidate Kaine didn't face primary opposition.

The Democrat is the early favorite to win the general election. Virginia Republicans haven't won a statewide race in nearly a decade, and Kaine has a massive fundraising advantage over Stewart.

___

8:10 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock has won the GOP nomination as she seeks re-election in her northern Virginia congressional district that is a prime target of Democrats trying to gain control of the House.

In the Tuesday primary, Comstock fought off a challenge from Shak Hill, who attacked the two-term incumbent as insufficiently conservative and weak in her support of President Donald Trump.

Comstock represents Virginia's 10th Congressional District. It stretches from the wealthy suburbs of McLean, inside the Capital Beltway, west to Winchester. Comstock won re-election in 2016 with 53 percent of the vote, but Democrats have high hopes of claiming the seat. Voters there supported Hillary Clinton in 2016 by a 10-point margin over Trump.

Six Democrats ran in that party's primary Tuesday for the opportunity to unseat Comstock.

___

8:05 p.m.

Democrats have elected state Sen. Jennifer Wexton as their nominee in a northern Virginia congressional district key to the party's hopes of gaining control of the U.S. House.

The 10th District stretches from the wealthy suburbs of McLean inside the Capital Beltway west to Winchester. It is considered the most likely seat in Virginia to flip from Republican to Democratic - Hillary Clinton carried the district by 10 points in 2016, though Republican incumbent Barbara Comstock won re-election with 53 percent of the vote.

The race attracted six Democrats, including four who raised $980,000 or more. Wexton was the only elected official and the favorite after receiving the endorsement of Gov. Ralph Northam.

But several other candidates outraised or matched Wexton in fundraising. One competitor, Alison Friedman, committed $1 million of her money.

___

7 p.m.

Polls have closed in Virginia and South Carolina's primary elections.

A bellwether Virginia congressional district promises to be among the most watched races nationally Tuesday as five states hold primaries.

President Donald Trump also will be a factor, notably in two Republican primaries in South Carolina.

Trump is weighing in for South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, an early supporter of the president's 2016 campaign, and against Republican Rep. Mark Sanford, an outspoken critic of the president who is facing a Trump devotee.

Elections are also scheduled in Maine, Nevada and North Dakota. Together, they raise to 21 the number of states having held their 2018 primary elections so far.

___

5 p.m.

President Donald Trump is urging South Carolina Republican voters to dump frequent critic Rep. Mark Sanford.

Trump says Sanford "has been very unhelpful to me" and is poking fun at his infamous disappearance in 2009, when he was found to have been carrying on an extramarital affair with a woman in Argentina.

Trump tweets "he's better off in Argentina."

Sanford was elected during a 2013 special election to the U.S. House seat he had held previously despite the controversy which led to his divorce from his wife, Jenny.

He has called Trump untrustworthy and culturally intolerant, prompting Republican state Rep. Katie Arrington to challenge Sanford.

Trump tweeted his endorsement of Arrington along with the swipe at Sanford.

__

4:40 p.m.

A bellwether Virginia congressional district promises to be among the most watched races nationally in primary elections in nearly every region of the country Tuesday.

President Donald Trump also will be a factor, notably in two Republican primaries in South Carolina.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has the president's backing but faces challenges from four other candidates. Republican Rep. Mark Sanford faces a challenge from a state lawmaker painting the outspoken former governor as insufficiently loyal to the president.

Elections are also scheduled in Maine, Nevada and North Dakota. Together, they raise to 21 the number of states having held their 2018 primary elections so far.

___

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FILE - In this Aug. 24, 2015 file photo, Rep. Mark Amodei, R-NV., speaks at the 19th Annual Lake Tahoe Summit at Zephyr Cove in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The most closely-watched race in Nevada's primary election Tuesday, June 12, 2018, is the battle for governor. Amodei is favored in their battle for the Republican nomination. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Susie Lee, left, shakes hands with Cathy Bostic while canvassing a neighborhood on the day of the primary election, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Henderson, Nev. Lee is a Democratic candidate for Nevada's 3rd Congressional District. (AP Photo/John Locher)

FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2014 file photo, Adam Laxalt speaks during a debate at the Nevada Press Association annual convention in Las Vegas. The most closely-watched race in Nevada's primary election Tuesday, June 12, 2018, is the battle for governor. Clark County Commission member Steve Sisolak, who has held more moderate positions in the past, says he's best-positioned to take on Republican state Attorney General Laxalt in November. Laxalt is expected to win the GOP primary for the governor's race. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 28, 2017 file photo, Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., speaks at a news conference in Las Vegas. The most closely-watched race in Nevada's primary election Tuesday, June 12, 2018, is not GOP Sen. Heller's re-election battle - thanks to President Donald Trump - but instead is a contentious Democratic race for governor. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Poll volunteer Tom Spain hands out stickers to former Gov, Mark Sanford after he cast his own ballot at Alhambra Hall polling station Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. (Grace Beahm Alford/The Post And Courier via AP)

Clark County Commission member and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Sisolak, center, votes in a primary election Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Las Vegas. Sisolak and Christina Giunchigliani, each hoping to be Nevada's first Democratic governor in two decades. Both candidates have pledged to stand up to Trump and the National Rifle Association. (AP Photo/John Locher)

FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2018, file photo, North Dakota Republican Party Chairman and state Sen. Kelly Armstrong, left, kicks off his campaign to seek the GOP nomination for the U.S. House in Bismarck, N.D. He is running to fill the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer. Looking on are his wife Kjersti, son Eli, and daughter Anna. The Republican primary is Tuesday, June 12, 2018. (Tom Stromme/The Bismarck Tribune via AP, File)

Supporters of the ranked-choice voting system embrace outside their primary night rally shortly after polls closed in Portland, Maine, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Maine voters didn't just select their favorite candidates, they ranked the candidates from first to last using the system for the first time in statewide primaries. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Democratic candidate for South Carolina governor James Smith kissed his wife, Kit Smith after voting in the South Carolina Primary at AC Moore Elementary School, in Columbia, S.C., Tuesday, June 12, 2018. (Tracy Glantz /The State via AP)

Corey Stewart, left, running in the Virginia primary for the Republican candidate slot for U.S. Senate takes a selfie with voter Dan Jones at the First Baptist Church voting precinct on election night in Woodbridge, Va., Tuesday, June 12, 2018. (Calla Kessler/The Washington Post via AP)

Hardin "Dit" Rutland prepares to vote at Hillsboro Old Stone School Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Purcelville, Va. The 10th congressional district is a key race this year where GOP incumbent Barbara Comstock is facing Republican challenger Shak Hill. Six Democrats are also on the ballot. (Katherine Frey /The Washington Post via AP)

Poll volunteer Tom Spain hands out stickers to former Gov, Mark Sanford after he cast his own ballot at Alhambra Hall polling station Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. (Grace Beahm Alford/The Post And Courier via AP)LOS ANGELES (AP) - Barbra Streisand's "A Star Is Born" is being reborn online with scenes she'd cut from the 1976 movie.

Long known as a perfectionist, Streisand tinkered with the film to restore an exchange between the star-crossed lovers played by her and Kris Kristofferson and an instrumental take on the Oscar-winning tune "Evergreen."

The romantic drama, coming to Netflix along with other Streisand projects, isn't the only "Star" on the horizon: A new version with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper will be in theaters this fall.

FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2017 file photo, Barbra Streisand attends the Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Harvey Relief in Universal City, Calif. Streisand is giving an early thumbs-up to the remake of "A Star Is Born" with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Streisand and Kris Kristofferson topped the 1976 version of the romantic drama about a rising performer and a fading star. (Photo by John Salangsang/Invision/AP, File)

Streisand is giving an early thumbs-up to the fourth version of the romance between a rising young performer and a fading one, which Cooper directed.

"What I saw of it was very good," Streisand said. "It's just it feels reminiscent of mine, but they added some new things which I liked, too. ... I'm sure it'll work."

She compared "A Star Is Born" to other classic tales that remain compelling.

"The story works. It worked in 1937. It worked in 1954, it worked in 1976 and it's going to work in 2018. ... It's Romeo and Juliet - everyone knows the ending, but they like watching how we get there."

The original 1930s film starred Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, with Judy Garland and James Mason in the '50s remake.

Streisand's revised "Star" will be available on Netflix as part of a deal that includes her 1960s TV specials "My Name Is Barbra," ''Color Me Barbra" and "Barbra Streisand: A Happening in Central Park," among other projects. Release dates were not announced.

The singer, filmmaker and Oscar-winning actress took the opportunity with "A Star Is Born" to right an error of omission for the film that was directed by Frank Pierson but on which she had the final edit.

"It's a scene that never should have been cut out in the first place and I cut it out, so I have only myself to blame. I was trying to move the picture along," Streisand told The Associated Press.

In the restored sequence, Streisand's aspiring actress-singer Esther takes guitar in hand to play "Evergreen" for Kristofferson's character. Streisand wrote the music, with lyrics by Paul Williams.

Streisand said she realized the moment helped illuminate the pair and their relationship. She also added footage to the movie's finale that features a medley of the "With One More Look At You" and "Watch Closely Now."

The movie and some of its songs are part of a concert film, "Barbra: The Music. The Mem'ries. The Magic!" that's on Netflix and has been submitted for consideration for this year's Emmy nominations, coming in July.

Streisand, who has made no secret of her reluctance to perform onstage, paused only briefly when asked why she agreed to the 2016-17 concert tour.

"My motivation was that I wanted a painting by Modigliani, and so I worked for it. I don't enjoy live performing. I love recording, I love making movies, but I don't enjoy being on the stage."

Did she purchase the Italian artist's work?

"I did," Streisand said, happily.

___

Lynn Elber can be reached at lelber@ap.org and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lynnelber.

FILE - In this Dec. 23, 1976 file photo, producer Jon Peters, from left, Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson appear at a preview of the film, "A Star is Born," in New York. Streisand is giving an early thumbs-up to the remake of "A Star Is Born" with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Streisand and Kristofferson topped the 1976 version of the romantic drama about a rising performer and a fading star. (AP Photo/Suzanne Vlamis, File)

This image released by Warner Bros. shows Bradley Cooper, left, and Lady Gaga in a scene from the latest reboot of the film, "A Star is Born." Barbra Streisand is giving an early thumbs-up to the remake of "A Star Is Born" with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Streisand and Kris Kristofferson topped the 1976 version of the romantic drama about a rising performer and a fading star. (Neal Preston/Warner Bros. via AP)RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Blankets of black flies spawned by a nearby industrial hog farm's uncovered cesspools can be so thick, Elvis Williams told jurors Tuesday, he built a screened front porch for his mobile home so that he could continue grilling dinners as he's loved doing for decades.

The 60-year-old former textile worker testified in one of numerous federal lawsuits that have rattled agribusiness in the country's No. 2 hog-growing state. Farm interests have turned to state legislators to erect new protections for the politically influential pork industry.

Of about two dozen lawsuits filed years ago by more than 500 eastern North Carolina neighbors against Virginia-based Smithfield Foods, Williams' is the second to reach jurors.

FILE- In this July 21, 2017, file a hog house is reflected in an adjacent waste pond at a farm that has hogs owned by Smithfield Foods in Farmville, N.C. Jury selection began Tuesday, May 29, 2018, in a Raleigh federal courthouse for the second trial over claims the method in which Hong Kong-owned, Virginia-based Smithfield Foods raises hogs caused a number of problems for neighbors after the operations moved in. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)

The lawsuits contend that Smithfield, which dictates the conditions under which farmers must raise its hogs, has resisted changing its concentrated animal husbandry methods because they cost less than less-smelly methods the company already uses in other states.

Smithfield Foods is owned by Hong Kong-headquartered WH Group, which generated $22 billion in revenues last year.

Four blocks away from the federal courthouse where Williams testified, a state House committee on Tuesday approved legislation sharply limiting neighbors from punishing farm operations for causing severe nuisances. The proposed law would all but block other neighbors from suing industrial-scale livestock operations in the future.

Lawmakers said their action was spurred by the $51 million in penalties a jury in the first trial ordered Smithfield Foods to pay to neighbors who spent decades tolerating horrible smells and other nuisances. The fine was cut to about $3 million because North Carolina law limits punitive damages meant to punish misdeeds. Smithfield, its related lobbying groups and rural advocates described the jury's decision as a threat to agribusiness in North Carolina.

Landowners in the state's eastern farm belt turned to raising hogs or turkeys after the decline of previously profitable tobacco farms. The lawsuits now place those enterprises in doubt, said Joseph Scott, mayor of Mount Olive, a town of 3,600 people located in the three-county region that makes up the United States' heaviest concentration of industrialized hog lots.

"We are talking about the livelihoods of men and women," said Scott, whose town has one-third of its residents living in poverty. "We have nowhere to go."

Williams and other neighbors say they don't want to put livestock operations out of business, but they shouldn't have to put up with the nuisances. They say Smithfield could and should eliminate those nuisances, even if it costs them more to do so.

Williams said he bought the land for his home nearly 30 years ago, when the nearby landowner already raised hogs but before it expanded to its current size of up to 4,700 animals.

The worst thing about the operation, he said, is the speeding trucks that slam on their air brakes at 5 a.m. as they arrive to empty a steel container containing hogs that died in their pens the day before. Then it's the boom of steel on steel as the crate slams against the truck's hopper, followed by another boom when the empty container hits the ground again, Williams said.

"It's very annoying. I can't go back to sleep."

___

Follow Emery P. Dalesio on Twitter at http://twitter.com/emerydalesio . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/emery%20dalesio

FILE - In this July 21, 2017, file photo an irrigation system is seen in front of a home across the road from a farm that has hogs owned by Smithfield Foods in Farmville, N.C. Jury selection began Tuesday, May 29, 2018, in a Raleigh federal courthouse for the second trial over claims the method in which Hong Kong-owned, Virginia-based Smithfield Foods raises hogs caused a number of problems for neighbors after the operations moved in (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)

FILE- In this July 21, 2017, file photo, young hogs owned by Smithfield Foods gather around a water source at a farm in Farmville, N.C. Jury selection began Tuesday, May 29, 2018, in a Raleigh federal courthouse for the second trial over claims the method in which Hong Kong-owned, Virginia-based Smithfield Foods raises hogs caused a number of problems for neighbors after the operations moved in. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)

FILE- In this July 21, 2017, hog waste flows into the waste pond at a farm that has hogs owned by Smithfield Foods in Farmville, N.C. Jury selection began Tuesday, May 29, 2018, in a Raleigh federal courthouse for the second trial over claims the method in which Hong Kong-owned, Virginia-based Smithfield Foods raises hogs caused a number of problems for neighbors after the operations moved in. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

FILE- In this July 21, 2017, file photo a hog waste pond is seen at a farm that has hogs owned by Smithfield Foods in Farmville, N.C. Jury selection began Tuesday, May 29, 2018, in a Raleigh federal courthouse for the second trial over claims the method in which Hong Kong-owned, Virginia-based Smithfield Foods raises hogs caused a number of problems for neighbors after the operations moved in. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)

FILE - In this July 21, 2017 file photo, a hog waste pond is seen at a farm that has hogs owned by Smithfield Foods in Farmville, N.C. Jury selection began Tuesday, May 29, 2018, in a Raleigh federal courthouse for the second trial over claims the method in which Hong Kong-owned, Virginia-based Smithfield Foods raises hogs caused a number of problems for neighbors after the operations moved in. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, FIle)Las cooperativas deben seguir trabajando, pero bajo supervision de la @SBS_PERU. Si queremos luchar contra la informalidad y lavado de activos tenemos que dar pasos firmes. El Congreso debe aprobar esta ley, antes del fin de esta legislatura. https://t.co/R0awoOd6T4TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - A Florida man has been sentenced to eight months in federal prison for threatening to burn down a Muslim family's new home.

A U.S. Department of Justice news release on Tuesday says a judge sentenced David Howard in Tampa federal court for threatening, intimidating and interfering with housing rights. He also received two years of supervised release and is required to pay $30,000 in restitution. He pled guilty in February.

Officials say a Muslim man and his wife were conducting the final walk-through of a home they had placed under contract in 2016 when Howard approached the couple, the seller and their real estate agents. Howard told the couple they weren't welcome and threatened to burn down the house.

The Muslim couple canceled the scheduled closing of the home purchase.LAGRANGE, Ind. (AP) - A northern Indiana man has been charged with drunken driving after his car struck a horse-drawn buggy, killing a woman and her 15-year-old daughter.

The LaGrange County Prosecutor's Office filed charges Monday against 21-year-old Jazieel DeLeon-Galvan of Ligonier. He was being held Tuesday in the LaGrange County Jail.

Authorities say 44-year-old Velda C. Miller of Ligonier and her daughter, Melissa Jo, died in Saturday's crash in the town of Topeka, about 40 miles northwest of Fort Wayne. Miller's 46-year-old husband was driving the buggy and was taken to a hospital with neck pain.

The sheriff's office has said DeLeon-Galvan told authorities he had just passed another vehicle when he hit the buggy, a vehicle common in an area with many Amish. He also went to a hospital.WASHINGTON (AP) - Beaming in the moments after his summit with Kim Jong Un, President Donald Trump was asked about North Korea's history of human rights horrors. "It's rough," he allowed. Then he added, "It's rough in a lot of places, by the way. Not just there."

Trump's verbal shrug in Singapore represented a striking change from the way U.S. presidents have viewed their job, a shift from the nation's asserted stance as the globe's moral leader in favor of an approach based more on trade-offs with adversaries and allies alike.

Trump, who quickly left for the long journey home after his whirlwind summit with Kim, made clear that his main interest - almost his sole interest - was taking a first step toward denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. There was no lecturing of Kim over how to treat his own people in a nation that is estimated to have between 80,000 and 120,000 political prisoners and remains one of the world's most closed and oppressive societies.

U. S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (Kevin Lim/The Straits Times via AP)

Though Trump is far from the first U.S. president to work with an unsavory counterpart to achieve a strategic goal, his decision to broadcast that he tacitly accepts Kim's history of atrocities was a sharp break from the position of presidents from both parties to set America as the exemplar shining city on a hill for other nations to emulate.

It has been much the same at home.

He pointedly refused to exclusively blame neo-Nazis and white supremacists for last summer's deadly clash with anti-racist demonstrators in Charlottesville, Virginia, suggesting there was blame "on both sides." And when he asked to condemn the murders carried out under the rule of Vladimir Putin in Russia, Trump retorted "There are a lot of killers. You think our country's so innocent?"

But Trump did draw graphic attention to North Korea's human rights record in his State of the Union address in January, and championed the plight of U.S. citizens who had been imprisoned in Pyongyang. So he was all but bound to address the issue in some form in his unprecedented meeting with Kim Jong Un. He told reporters that he did raise the cases of Japanese abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s and the plight of persecuted Christians in North Korea.

However, he acknowledged that human rights was a small part of his talks with Kim. And it was not mentioned at all in their joint statement.

"I think he liked me and I like him. And I understand the past and, you know, nobody has to tell me, he's a rough guy," Trump said of Kim to Voice of America at the conclusion of the summit. "He has to be a rough guy or he has been a rough person. But we got along very well. He's smart, loves his people, he loves his country."

Adding to his praise, Trump tweeted on his way back to the U.S.: "Got along great with Kim Jong Un who wants to see wonderful things for his country. ... Anyone can make war, but only the most courageous can make peace!"

As the world hung on his every word at the conclusion of the historic summit, Trump said he had mentioned human rights concerns with Kim, but he stressed that the "main purpose of what we were doing is denuking."

Instead of using the summit spotlight to demand that Kim protect basic liberties, Trump offered a moral equivocation that evoked the kid-gloves approach he has also taken in meetings with other authoritarians for whom he has expressed admiration. Like Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, for example, and Xi Jinping of China. And King Salman of Saudi Arabia.

The template was established a year ago in Riyadh on Trump's first international trip.

"We are not here to lecture," he said then. "We are not here to tell other people how to live, what to do, who to be or how to worship. Instead, we are here to offer partnership, based on shared interests and values."

Past administrations have also often skirted human rights in their dealings with Pyongyang, which views the issue as an implicit threat to the legitimacy of its totalitarian regime. But Trump's relative silence on the issue in Singapore drew some sharp rebukes.

"While we should never refuse to speak with our adversaries, neither can we ignore the horrendous human rights abuses North Korea's leaders perpetrate against their own people," said former Vice President Joe Biden. "Talking to dictators is one thing; embracing them is another."

Heather Conley, vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the impact of Trump's upbeat meeting with Kim and his effusive description of the potential of the relationship with North Korea - which has often threatened the U.S. with pre-emptive nuclear attack - was all the more jarring as it came days after his bruising encounter with America's closest Western allies at the G-7 in Canada. She said it would have repercussions for how the United States was viewed around the world.

"When the president gives a thumbs-up with the leader of a regime that has killed thousands, that's a strong and discouraging message to those who are trying to support human rights around the world," she said. "It places a question before all Americans as they witness two very different summits with two very different kinds of leaders: Who are we? What are the values that we stand for? Are we exceptional or are we no better than any other nation?"

The United States has been in the forefront of an international effort in recent years to highlight North Korean abuses. Washington backed a landmark 2014 U.N. commission of inquiry that found that North Korea's government had committed crimes against humanity, and Kim Jong Un himself is under U.S. sanctions for alleged involvement in serious human rights abuses.

Human Rights Watch said Trump had pushed the issue aside at the summit, and lambasted him for suggesting that the tens of thousands of prisoners in the North Korean gulag were "great winners" because his diplomacy with Kim would lead to change.

"North Koreans being brutalized daily in labor camps are not 'great winners' today, and they won't be winners tomorrow -- or anytime soon. Nor are the millions of other North Koreans who are routinely subjected to forced labor and deprivations of their basic rights, not just to freedom of speech but to adequate food, housing, education, and health care," said John Sifton, the rights group's Asia advocacy director in Washington.

But Trump, in an interview with ABC at the summit's end, defended his cold-eyed pragmatism as part of the hand he was dealt with Kim while on a quest for a greater good.

"I'm given what I'm given, OK?" Trump said. "I mean, this is what we have, and this is where we are."

___

EDITOR'S NOTE: Jonathan Lemire covers the White House for the AP. Matthew Pennington covers U.S.-Asian affairs. Lemire reported from New York.

___

Follow Lemire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire and Pennington at http://twitter.com/@mattpenn_99TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) - A Cherokee Nation hospital in Oklahoma is testing more than 180 patients for HIV and hepatitis after allegations that a nurse reused syringes to administer medications.

The nurse violated protocols by using the same vial of medication and syringe to inject multiple intravenous bags at W.W. Hastings Hospital in Tahlequah, according to Cherokee officials. The nurse no longer works for the tribe, the Tulsa World reported .

"We're a big government, and we have to do our due diligence to make sure things are handled properly," said Joe Byrd, speaker of the Cherokee Tribal Council. "You can be sure that I'll have my pulse on the situation."

Researchers strongly recommend against reusing syringes with IV bags but say the risk of transmitting a disease by doing so is low, according to a 2010 study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

The risk of transmitting hepatitis B was less than 53 in 1 million, while the risk of transmitting hepatitis C was less than 4.3 in 1 million, according to the study. The risk of transmitting HIV was about 0.15 in 1 million.

"Patients were never directly in contact with any needle," said Brian Hail, the hospital's CEO. "The likelihood of blood-borne pathogens traveling up the lines into an IV bag or IV tubing to cause cross-contamination from using the same syringe is extremely remote."

Still, hospital officials said patients who were treated at the hospital between January and April should return for blood tests as a precaution.

About 64 patients had been screened as of Monday, and none tested positive. Officials are also still working to notify eight patients who should be tested, Hail said.

___

Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.comCHICAGO (AP) - Eddie Vedder's support of the Chicago Cubs remains strong.

The Pearl Jam frontman's new 7-inch vinyl single will be given out to those who buy special tickets to the July 6 game between the Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field.

Pressed on blue and red vinyl, the record features Vedder's 2007 Cubs song "All the Way." The flip side features fan Steve Goodman's 1984 tribute "Go Cubs, Go."

The Cubs say a limited number of the tickets are available online . One record will be given out with the purchase of each special ticket purchased.

___

This story has been corrected to state that one record will be given out with the purchase of each special ticket, not each ticket.Prominent Brexiteer Arron Banks has insisted there is no evidence the anti-EU campaign took Russian money as he faces a grilling form MPs.

Millionaire Leave.UK founder Mr Banks and the organisations communications chief Andy Wigmore have promised fireworks when they appear before the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committees fake news inquiry on Tuesday.

Mr Banks agreed to give evidence to the committee after previously pulling out as he accused MPs of conducting a witch hunt.

His appearance comes after Prime Minister Theresa May said calls for an inquiry into alleged links between Russia and the campaign to leave the European Union are a matter for the police.

Russian ambassador Alexander Yakovenko

Reports in the Sunday Times claimed Mr Banks held a series of undisclosed meetings with Russian embassy officials around the time of the 2016 referendum campaign.

The paper said it had seen emails showing he also discussed a potential business deal involving six Russian gold mines with ambassador Alexander Yakovenko after being introduced to him by a suspected Russian spy.

Responding to calls for a police inquiry on Nigel Farages LBC radio show, Mr Banks said: Whats the crime? I would like to know what the police are going to investigate  lunch with the Russian ambassador?

Wheres the evidence we took Russian money? Theres no evidence.

Mr Banks said he first met the Russian ambassador over a boozy lunch.

We had about four shots of Stalin vodka, brandy, wine. We were pretty trolleyed. The ambassador was probably in a worse state than we were, he said.

He told Mr Farage there was another lunch meeting and a cup of tea, where he was introduced to a businessman involved in the Russian gold mines, but denied using the Brexit campaign to further his business interests.

Asked about allegations he was reporting back to the Russians three days after meeting newly elected Donald Trump, he said: Its complete nonsense.

Asked if there was any Russian money given to Leave.EU, Mr Wigmore insisted: No, not one penny or one rouble.Women who decide not to breastfeed their child must be respected for their choice, midwives are being told.

Updated advice from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) stresses that new mothers should be given appropriate support if they make an informed decision to bottle feed.

The new guidance still says babies should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of their life, in line with advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

But the RCM has acknowledged that some mothers struggle to start or carry on breastfeeding, and says the decision is a womans right.

Gill Walton, RCM chief executive

Chief executive Gill Walton said: Evidence clearly shows that breastfeeding in line with WHO guidance brings optimum benefits for the health of both mother and baby. However the reality is that often some women for a variety of reasons struggle to start or sustain breastfeeding.

The RCM believes that women should be at the centre of their own care and as with other areas of maternity care, midwives and maternity support workers should promote informed choice.

If, after being given appropriate information, advice and support on breastfeeding, a woman chooses not to do so, or to give formula as well as breastfeeding, her choice must be respected.

The National Childbirth Trust has previously warned that women can face judgment or feel guilty about the decisions they make when it comes to feeding their baby.

But the RCM says it recognises that some women cannot or do not wish to breastfeed.

They must be given all the advice and support they need on safe preparation of bottles and responsive feeding to develop a close and loving bond with their baby, Ms Walton added.

We know that every woman wants the best for her baby and we want to be able to empower our members to support women to be the best they can be and enable them to make decisions that are right for themselves and their babies.

The organisation also says those who choose to breastfeed need more support and should not feel guilty of embarrassed about breastfeeding in public.

Research has found breastfeeding can have long-term health advantages, with children less likely to develop diabetes or become obese later in life.

But the UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world. A recent report found just over a third (34%) of babies are receiving any breast milk at six months, compared with 62.5% in Sweden.US President Donald Trump has praised North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a very worthy, very smart negotiator after their historic summit ended.

They concluded the extraordinary summit with lofty promises by the US president to take care of a very dangerous problem and Mr Kim forecasting major change for the world.

They also signed a document that Mr Trump described as pretty comprehensive, but he declined to describe it, saying the details would be revealed later.

The document signing followed a series of meetings at a luxury Singapore resort.

The US president said the meetings went better than anybody could imagine.

Mr Trump was asked by reporters during his final appearance with Mr Kim what surprised him most during their meetings.

He said Mr Kim has a great personality and is very smart, which he described as a good combination.

The president said the pair had a terrific day and learned a lot about each other and about our countries. He added that he expects they will meet again many times.

Mr Trump also said he absolutely would invite Mr Kim to the White House.

Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump

Meeting with staged ceremony on a Singapore island, Mr Trump and Mr Kim came together for a summit that seemed unthinkable just months ago, clasping hands in front of a row of alternating US and North Korean flags, holding a one-on-one meeting, additional talks with advisers and a working lunch.

Throughout the summit that could chart the course for historic peace or raise the spectre of a growing nuclear threat, both leaders expressed optimism.

Mr Kim called the sit-down a good prelude for peace and Mr Trump pledged that working together we will get it taken care of.

In advance of their private session, Mr Trump predicted tremendous success while Mr Kim said through an interpreter that we have come here after overcoming obstacles.

Trump Kim Summit

Aware that the eyes of the world were on a moment many people never expected to see, Mr Kim said many of those watching would think it was a scene from a science fiction movie.

In the run-up to the meeting, Mr Trump had predicted the two men might strike a nuclear deal or forge a formal end to the Korean War in the course of a single meeting or over several days.

But in the hours before the summit, the White House unexpectedly announced Mr Trump would depart Singapore earlier than expected  raising questions about whether his aspirations for an ambitious outcome had been scaled back.

Giving voice to the anticipation felt around the world, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said he hardly slept before the summit.

Mr Moon and other officials watched the live broadcast of the summit before a South Korean cabinet meeting in his presidential office

The meeting was the first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.

After meeting privately and with aides, Mr Trump and Mr Kim moved into the lunch at a long table covered with flowers. As they entered, Mr Trump injected some levity to the days extraordinary events, saying: Getting a good picture everybody? So we look nice and handsome and thin? Perfect.

Then they dined on beef short rib confit along with sweet and sour crispy pork.

And as they emerged from the meal for a brief stroll together, Mr Trump appeared to delight in showing his North Korean counterpart the interior of The Beast, the famed US presidential limousine known for its high-tech fortifications.

Critics of the summit leapt at the leaders handshake and the moonlight stroll mr Kim took on Monday night along the glittering Singapore waterfront, saying it was further evidence that Mr Trump was helping legitimise Mr Kim on the world stage as an equal of the US president.

Mr Kim has been accused of horrific rights abuses against his people.

Trump Kim Summit

Mr Trump responded to such commentary on Twitter, saying: The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the U.S., say the haters & losers. But he added our hostages are back home and testing, research and launches have stopped.

Mr Trump also tweeted: Meetings between staffs and representatives are going well and quickly  but in the end, that doesnt matter. We will all know soon whether or not a real deal, unlike those of the past, can happen!

The summit capped a dizzying few days of foreign policy activity for Mr Trump, who shocked US allies over the weekend by using a meeting in Canada of the G7 economies to alienate Americas closest friends in the West.

Lashing out over trade practices, Mr Trump lobbed insults at his G7 host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Mr Trump left that summit early and, as he flew to Singapore, tweeted that he was pulling the US out of the groups traditional closing statement.

The optimistic summit was a remarkable change in dynamics from less than a year ago, when Mr Trump was threatening fire and fury against Mr Kim, who in turn scorned the American president as a mentally deranged US dotard.

Beyond the impact on both leaders political fortunes, the summit could shape the fate of countless people  the citizens of impoverished North Korea, the tens of millions living in the shadow of the Norths nuclear threat, and millions more worldwide.

Alluding to the Norths concerns that giving up its nuclear weapons could surrender its primary deterrent to forced regime change, secretary of state Mike Pompeo told reporters that the US was prepared to take action to provide North Korea with sufficient certainty that denuclearisation is not something that ends badly for them.

He would not say whether that included the possibility of withdrawing US troops from the Korean Peninsula, but said the US was prepared to take what will be security assurances that are different, unique, than Americas been willing to provide previously.

The North has faced crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions as it has advanced development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.Theresa May is facing one of the toughest weeks of her premiership as the EU (Withdrawal) Bill returns to the House of Commons.

Here are some of the questions being asked about this weeks votes:

 What is the purpose of this Bill?

The EU (Withdrawal) Bill revokes the 1972 Act which took the UK into the European Economic Area, but also transposes all relevant EU law into British statute so there are no holes in the law book at the point of Brexit.

Theresa May is facing one of the toughest weeks of her premiership (Steve Parsons/PA)

 What happened to the Bill in the House of Lords?

Peers defeated the Government on 15 issues, introducing amendments on issues ranging from future UK membership of the customs union and European Economic Area (EEA) to ministers use of Henry VIII powers to force through changes without parliamentary scrutiny and the questions of whether MPs should get a meaningful vote on the final Brexit deal.

 What was the Governments response?

The Government has accepted one of the Lords amendments, allowing the UK to continue to co-operate with EU agencies, which it says is already its policy.

It opposes the other 14 and will be seeking to overturn them, though in some cases it is offering a compromise solution.

 What are the crunch votes and when will they happen?

Issues most likely to provoke rebellions include themeaningful vote and the question of whether the date of Brexit should be written into law  both due for votes on Tuesday afternoon  as well as whether the UK should stay in the customs union or EEA, which should come early on Wednesday evening.

POLITICS Brexit

 Is the Government guaranteed to get what it wants?

Far from it. Even with the support of 10 Democratic Unionist Party MPs, Mrs May has a working majority of just 13 in the Commons, which means she can be defeated by a rebellion of as few as seven Tory backbenchers.

Some 13 Tories have signed a soft Brexit amendment to the separate Trade Bill, and it is thought that a few others may be considering breaking ranks.

On the other side, a handful of Labour Leavers are likely to back the Government in breach of their own party whip, making it difficult to predict outcomes.

Syria crisis

 What is the meaningful vote about?

The Government has promised MPs a vote on the final Brexit deal, but initially said it would be a simple take it or leave it choice.

The House of Lords amended the Bill so that if MPs reject the deal, they can direct ministers to go back and renegotiate.

This vote is on a knife-edge, with the Opposition and Tory rebels hopeful of victory.

The Governments compromise is that a minister would come to the House within 28 days of a deal being rejected to tell MPs what will happen next.

An alternative compromise tabled at the 11th hour by former attorney general Dominic Grieve would require ministers to get Parliaments approval for their next steps if no political agreement has been reached with the EU by the end of November.

If there is still no deal by February, MPs would decide what happens next.

Brexit

 How about the customs union?

The Lords passed an amendment stating that Brexit cannot go ahead until a minister has presented a report setting out what the UK has done to try to negotiate continued customs union membership.

Although these terms would not necessarily keep the UK in the customs union, defeat in the Commons would be politically explosive, as it would show Mrs May has no majority for one of her key red lines.

A threatened rebellion may have been seen off by a last-minute compromise amendment reached between Remain and Leave supporting MPs calling for a customs arrangement.

 And the EEA vote?

The Lords amendment would require ministers to prioritise Norway-style membership of the EEA, which would again breach Mrs Mays red lines and be seen by Leave backers as Brexit in name only.

There is little chance of Government defeat on this issue, as Jeremy Corbyn has ordered his MPs to abstain and back an alternative Labour amendment requiring access to a European internal market.

 What happens next?

The Bill will return to the Lords on June 18, kicking off a process of Parliamentary ping-pong which sees it bounce from House to House until agreement is reached.

The Governments ultimate weapon of invoking the Parliament Act to ensure the Commons gets its way is less potent than usual because of the tight deadline for completing legislation ahead of Brexit Day on March 29 next year.

 Is Theresa Mays position in danger?

Few at Westminster expect a challenge to the Prime Ministers position this week.

Some Europhile Tories may hold back from rebelling to avoid destabilising her and risking handing the leadership to a hardline Brexiteer.

Conversely, committed Eurosceptics seem to be keeping their powder dry, unsure that the PM would be replaced by one of their champions even if they were able to unseat her.

 Is it all over once this Bill has passed?

No. There will be plenty more chances for upsets as separate Bills on customs and trade come before MPs next month, followed by legislation on future immigration rules later in the year and a Withdrawal Agreement and Implementation Bill once the final Brexit deal is struck.Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un have concluded an extraordinary nuclear summit with the US president pledging unspecified security guarantees to the North and Mr Kim recommitting to the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

Meeting with staged ceremony on a Singapore island, the pair came together for a summit that seemed unthinkable months ago, clasping hands in front of a row of alternating US and North Korean flags, holding a one-on-one meeting, additional talks with advisers and a working lunch.

Both leaders expressed optimism throughout roughly five hours of talks and, speaking at a news conference after the meeting, Mr Trump thanked Mr Kim for taking the first bold step toward a bright new future for his people.

The president said real change is indeed possible and he is prepared to start a new history and write a new chapter between the two nations, adding: The past does not have to define the future.

Mr Trump added during a free-flowing news conference that Mr Kim has an opportunity like no other to bring his country back into the community of nations if he agrees to give up his nuclear programme.

The president announced he will freeze US military war games with ally South Korea while negotiations between the two countries continue. He cast the decision as a cost-saving measure, but Pyongyang has long objected to the drills as a security threat.

Donald Trump answers questions about the summit

Mr Trump acknowledged that the timetable for denuclearisation is long, but said: Once you start the process it means its pretty much over.

The president acknowledged that US intelligence on the North Korean nuclear stockpile is limited, probably less there than any other country, but added: We have enough intelligence to know that what they have is very substantial.

SINGAPORE Summit

Mr Trump sidestepped his public praise for an autocrat whose people have been oppressed for decades. He added that Otto Warmbier, an American once detained in North Korea, did not die in vain because his death brought about the nuclear talks.

Mr Trump said Mr Kim accepted his invitation to visit the White House at the appropriate time.

Light on specifics, the document signed by the leaders largely amounted to an agreement to continue discussions as it echoed previous public statements and past commitments.

It did not include an agreement to take steps towards ending the technical state of warfare between the US and North Korea.

Kim Jong Un listens to Mr Trump

The pair promised in the document to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean peninsula and to repatriate the remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action during the Korean War.

Language on North Koreas bombs was similar to what the leaders of North and South Korea came up with at their own summit in April.

At the time, the Koreans faced criticism for essentially kicking the issue of North Koreas nuclear arsenal down the road to the Singapore summit.

Mr Trump and Mr Kim even directly referenced the so-called Panmunjom Declaration, which contained a weak commitment to denuclearisation and no specifics on how to achieve it.Theresa May has suffered a ministerial resignation ahead of crunch Commons votes on Brexit, with Phillip Lee hitting out at the Governments irresponsible approach.

Remain-supporting Dr Lee quit as justice minister, saying he could not support how our countrys exit from the EU looks set to be delivered.

He said his main objection to Government policy was over the wish to limit Parliaments role in contributing to the final outcome and signalled he would rebel on the issue in the Commons later.

Phillip Lee quit as a justice minister in order to rebel over Brexit (Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament/(Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)/PA)

Dr Lee also called for the Governments final proposals to be put to the public in a second referendum.

When the Government is able to set out an achievable, clearly defined path, one that has been properly considered, whose implications have been foreseen, and that is rooted in reality and evidence, not dreams and dogma, it should go to the people, once again, to seek their confirmation, he wrote.

The issue of a meaningful vote is set to be a flashpoint in the Commons, with ministers seeking to overturn a Lords amendment which would give Parliament extensive powers to direct ministers how to proceed if a deal with Brussels is rejected by MPs or no deal is reached.

The Governments compromise is that a minister would come to the House within 28 days of a deal being rejected to tell MPs what will happen next, but an amendment tabled by former attorney general Dominic Grieve would insist on a binding Commons motion.

Dr Lee, who represents the Leave-voting Bracknell seat, said in a lengthy resignation statement: Our Parliament should be able to direct our Government to change course in our interests.

In all conscience, I cannot support the Governments decision to oppose this amendment because doing so breaches such fundamental principles of human rights and Parliamentary sovereignty.

A vote between bad and worse is not a meaningful vote. And I cannot bring myself to vote for it in the bastion of liberty, freedom and human rights that is our Parliament.

When MPs vote on the House of Lords amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill I will support the amendment which will empower Parliament to reject a bad deal and direct the Government to re-enter discussions. For me, this is about the important principle of Parliamentary sovereignty  Dr Phillip Lee  (@DrPhillipLee) June 12, 2018

Dr Lee added: If Brexit is worth doing, then it is certainly worth doing well; regardless of how long that takes. It is, however, irresponsible to proceed as we are.

A Downing Street source said: We will get a good Brexit deal that works for everybody in the UK.

The Governments amendment today provides for a meaningful vote.

Dr Lees shock departure came as David Davis warned potential Tory rebels that they cannot undo the EU referendum, ahead of a tricky 48 hours in which the Government will try to get its Brexit programme back on track.

A meaningful vote is not the ability to reverse the decision of the referendum, he told BBC Radio 4s Today.

We will put in front of Parliament the decision for them to vote  after that there will be a process of primary legislation to put the actual details of it in Parliament, so Parliament will actually decide on the application of the detail.

The UK will leave the EU even if a deal is not reached. The government is not going to reverse #Brexit, whatever happens, @DavidDavisMP tells #r4today pic.twitter.com/WaBsdl8Sdn  BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) June 12, 2018

Asked what would happen if they voted against the deal, he said: If they throw it out, well, they throw it out. We will have to go away, think about it and come back and make a statement, which is what I am saying to the House this afternoon.

Without a #MeaningfulVote at the end of this process Parliament may be left with the grim choice between a poor deal & exit with no deal at all. As walk-away; no-deal is the preferred route for the hard Brexiteers it would also allow them to scupper a good deal.  Sarah Wollaston (@sarahwollaston) June 12, 2018

However, Devon Tory Sarah Wollaston signalled on Tuesday morning that she would back Mr Grieves amendment.

Dismissing the Governments compromise, she tweeted: Merely issuing a statement in response would make it a meaningless final vote.

Grieves amendment puts that right and in a way Govt could and should accept it.

She said unless there was a meaningful vote Parliament would be left with the grim choice between a poor deal and exit with no deal at all.

It would also give hard Brexiteers the chance to scupper a good deal, she claimed.

POLITICS Brexit

The Prime Minister appeared to have defused a potentially explosive row over the EU customs union on Monday night as Tory pro-Europe rebels Sir Oliver Letwin and Nicky Morgan and Brexiteers Jacob Rees-Mogg and Sir Bill Cash came together to table a separate compromise amendment backing a customs arrangement with the EU.

Government sources signalled to the Press Association that ministers were set to back the move.

However, the compromise is only likely to delay a full-blown showdown on the customs union until trade legislation returns to the Commons in July.The Prince of Wales has begun a two-day visit to Northern Ireland.

He will tour the Carlisle Memorial Methodist Church, which has served as a gateway to north Belfast since 1875.

The neo-Gothic building is the subject of a major regeneration project.

Royal visit to Northern Ireland

It is at the heart of one of the most troubled parts of Belfast, Charless host, the Belfast Buildings Trust, has said, during a 30-year conflict when there were many sectarian murders.

In 2015, the prince visited nearby St Patricks Catholic Church which was at the heart of disputes involving loyalist band parades.

He has often touched on the theme of reconciliation during recent visits to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Charles will also visit Ulster University in Coleraine, Co Londonderry, to help celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Royal visit to Northern Ireland

On Wednesday, he will visit Omagh Hospital in Co Tyrone and later, in the town of Omagh, will be joined by the Duchess of Cornwall to meet those affected by the 1998 Real IRA bomb which killed 29 people.

At the request of the British Government, Charles and Camilla will travel to the south of the Republic for two days later this week.

Their itinerary includes the English Market in Cork City previously toured by the Queen during her groundbreaking 2011 visit, and Co Kerry, where they will see the ancestral home of 19th century Irish statesman Daniel OConnell, Derrynane House.The international expert who authored a report to transform Northern Irelands health care system has said he is not concerned about the lack of devolved government to drive it.

Almost two years ago, Professor Rafael Bengoa made a number of radical recommendations to make the health and social care system fit for the 21st century.

During a visit to Belfast on Tuesday, Professor Bengoa said change has already started, and that a health minister in post would only help if they were a good minister.

There was cross-community support for the resulting report, Delivering Together, which was launched by the then Stormont Health Minister Michelle ONeill, First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness in October 2016.

Rafael Bengoa

But just a few months later, the Northern Ireland Assembly collapsed.

Professor Bengoa insisted he is not disappointed by the current political situation.

Things are moving forward, and some projects are taking shape, he said.

There is no study anywhere that says had we had a government, things would have been done one way or another.

Things have moved on even without government.

When asked whether having a health minister in post would be better, Professor Bengoa said that would probably help, but only if it was a good minister.

If that minister has the right vision and is moving in the right direction, he said.

Delivering Together had that.

But there are only five or six countries in Europe where you have a minister that knows where they are going. So if you have ministers who dont know where they are going, where they are just saying: I am going to survive for four/five years, then they are not going to be on a transformative agenda.

Whats really good here (in Northern Ireland) is that you are on a transformative agenda even without a government.

The 10-year plan for improvement included tackling waiting lists and boosting GP practices.

Millions of pounds have since been allocated for addressing waiting lists.

An 8.8 million investment in GP services was announced on Monday.

As part of Prof Rafael Bengoa's visit to Belfast today he will deliver a keynote lecture at @QUBelfast at 1.30pm. Watch the live stream here https://t.co/M9KXYyIiLC

Lecture will examine how health and social transformation

will build solid foundations for years ahead #NHS70 pic.twitter.com/a8ZIgLwXxt  Department of Health (@healthdpt) June 12, 2018

Professor Bengoa said it is vital that health stakeholders work together to succeed in transforming the system.

So, you have around the table the pharmacists, the nurses and doctors, and the local politicians deciding that for this local community of 100,000, what is it that we need to do with our kids becoming more obese, more mental health issues? he said.

That conversation is going to be had if we move forward with this model. If you dont move forward with this model, you dont have that conversation, you dont extract all the know-how of the different disciplines.

For the moment, they still dont have a common vision. They are going to have as we move forward.

What is the pattern of disease in this population and can we do something about it together? Versus: Lets continue defending wee pharmacies, wee doctors, wee nurses etc.

You have to get the needs of the population on the table.

Professor Bengoa is in Belfast to deliver a lecture at Queens University marking the 70th anniversary of the health service and themed around reshaping care for the next 70 years.Britain has welcomed the constructive tone of the summit between President Donald Trump and North Koreas Kim Jong Un, but cautioned that much work remains to be done to resolve tensions over Pyongyangs nuclear programme.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said that Mr Kims commitment to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula amounted to a reaffirmation of promises in the Panmunjon Declaration agreed with South Korea in April.

Mr Johnson said the UK would continue to support the US in its efforts to achieve complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation in an area which has been the scene of one of the worlds most tense military stand-offs.

Following his historic meeting with Mr Kim in Singapore, Mr Trump offered unspecified security guarantees to North Korea and said the US would cease war-game exercises with the South.

The US leader said he was prepared to start a new history and write a new chapter between the two nations, declaring: Real change is indeed possible.

Trump Kim Summit Day in Photos

In a statement released by the Foreign Office, Mr Johnson said: We welcome that President Trump and Kim Jong Un have held a constructive summit.

This is an important step towards the stability of a region vital to global economic growth and home to thousands of British nationals and important UK interests.

The reaffirmation of North Koreas commitment in the Panmunjom Declaration to work towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula is a signal that Kim Jong Un may finally have heeded the message that only a change of course can bring a secure and prosperous future to the people of North Korea.

There is much work still to be done and we hope Kim continues to negotiate in good faith towards complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation.

The UK will continue to support the United States in its efforts to achieve denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.Seven people have been arrested in dawn raids as part of a crackdown on an alleged county line drug dealing network that sent heroin and crack from east London to Suffolk.

More than 80 police officers swooped in Newham, Essex and Suffolk in the early hours of Tuesday and held five men and two women aged between 19 and 39.

Gangs operate so-called county lines by receiving calls from customers in far flung places and using teenage couriers to take them the drugs.

Seven arrested in dawn raids across London, Suffolk and Essex https://t.co/AxCoBMFJ2D pic.twitter.com/DAcqum5YUK  Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) June 12, 2018

Often a vulnerable person in the area will have their home taken over by the dealers to store and sell drugs.

It is claimed that a gang based in Newham, which had been monitored by police since March, sent heroin and crack cocaine to the Ipswich area.

During the raids three men were arrested, two aged 19 from Newham and one aged 25 from Tottenham, and searches were carried out at five addresses in Newham, plus one in Haringey.

In Suffolk police searched properties in Bond Street and Main Road, Ipswich, and arrested a 39-year-old man and two women, aged 33 and 37, all from the town.

The final suspect, a man aged 25, was arrested by Essex Police in Falcon Avenue, Grays.

Investigators also seized a 10-inch hunting knife, a stolen moped, cannabis and the mobile phone believed to have been used for running the county line.

Det Sgt Pete Boyce with a knife found inside one of the addresses

Detective Inspector Jim McKee from Scotland Yards Trident gangs unit said: Those who run county line drug dealing networks are responsible for exporting violence to towns outside of London and we are committed to relentlessly pursuing and disrupting them.

We believe the disruption of the drug dealing gangs could have a direct impact on reducing the level of violence in London.

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Detective Superintendent Richard Turner said the Trident command has worked with police in Newham since July to try to reduce violence in the area, where he said warring gangs were the main cause of bloodshed.

He said: Weve been looking at different groups that we believe are responsible for the violence there, and weve been looking for opportunities to reduce that violence by arresting people for whatever criminal activity we find that they have committed, be that firearms offences, violence offences, or as in this case drugs supply offences, in order to try and reduce the violence that we see on London streets.

And equally in this case reduce the suffering and the misery that goes hand in hand with Class A drug dealing and the exploitation of those involved in that as well.

Police launched a series of dawn raids (Met Police/PA)

The operation comes amid a surge in violent crime.

Nationally, the number of homicides went up by 9% in 2017 compared with the previous year, up by 54 to a total of 653, when cases linked to the Hillsborough disaster and last years terror attacks were excluded.

Violence against the person and crimes involving a knife were both up by around a fifth, and gun offences went up by 11%.

In London Scotland Yard has launched more than 70 murder investigations so far this year, compared with a total of 131 last year.The Prince of Wales has shaken hands with former IRA bomber and Sinn Fein Stormont Assembly member Gerry Kelly during a visit to Belfast.

Mr Kelly escaped from the Maze Prison in 1983 while serving a jail sentence for the 1973 bombing of the Old Bailey.

He was later a senior member of Sinn Feins negotiating team and embraced the peace process, serving as a minister in the powersharing Executive.

Royal visit to Northern Ireland

Charles has spoken many times about reconciliation in Ireland and has previously met Gerry Adams, offering condolences on the death of Martin McGuinness.

He began a two-day trip to Northern Ireland on Tuesday with a recital by the Ulster Orchestra in a 19th century Methodist church in Belfast which is undergoing major restoration.

Sinn Feins former culture minister Caral Ni Chuilin and Mr Kelly were among those to meet the royal visitor.

Royal visit to Northern Ireland

The prince toured the Carlisle Memorial Church, which has served as a gateway to north Belfast since 1875.

The neo-Gothic building was at the heart of one of the most troubled parts of Belfast, Charless host, the Belfast Buildings Trust, said, during a 30-year conflict when there were many sectarian murders.

Royal visit to Northern Ireland

In 2015, the prince visited nearby St Patricks Catholic Church, which was at the heart of disputes involving loyalist band parades.

He has often touched on the theme of reconciliation during recent visits to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Charles will also visit Ulster University in Coleraine, Co Londonderry, to help celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Royal visit to Northern Ireland

On Wednesday, he will visit Omagh Hospital in Co Tyrone and later, in the town of Omagh, will be joined by the Duchess of Cornwall to meet those affected by the 1998 Real IRA bomb which killed 29 people, one of the worst blasts of the Troubles.

At the request of the British Government, Charles and Camilla will travel to the south of the Republic for two days later this week.

Their itinerary includes the English Market in Cork City previously toured by the Queen during her groundbreaking 2011 visit, and Co Kerry, where they will see the ancestral home of 19th century Irish statesman Daniel OConnell, Derrynane House.Theresa May has suffered a ministerial resignation ahead of crunch Commons votes on Brexit, with Phillip Lee hitting out at the Governments irresponsible approach.

Remain-supporting Dr Lee quit as justice minister live on stage during a speech in London, saying he could not support how our countrys exit from the EU looks set to be delivered.

The shock move came as the Prime Minister warned senior ministers in her Cabinet that defeat on a series of Lords amendments over the next two days would undermine the Government and make negotiations with Brussels harder.

Dr Lee said his main objection to Government policy was over the wish to limit Parliaments role in contributing to the final outcome and signalled he would rebel on the issue in the Commons later.

He also called for the Governments final proposals to be put to the public in a second referendum.

When the Government is able to set out an achievable, clearly defined path, one that has been properly considered, whose implications have been foreseen, and that is rooted in reality and evidence, not dreams and dogma, it should go to the people, once again, to seek their confirmation, he wrote.

The issue of a meaningful vote is set to be a flashpoint in the Commons, with ministers seeking to overturn a Lords amendment which would give Parliament extensive powers to direct ministers how to proceed if a deal with Brussels is rejected by MPs or no deal is reached.

The Governments compromise is that a minister would come to the House within 28 days of a deal being rejected to tell MPs what will happen next, but an amendment tabled by former attorney general Dominic Grieve would insist on a binding Commons motion.

Phillip Lee quit as a justice minister in order to rebel over Brexit (Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament/(Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)/PA)

Dr Lee, who represents the Leave-voting Bracknell seat, said in a lengthy resignation statement: Our Parliament should be able to direct our Government to change course in our interests.

In all conscience, I cannot support the Governments decision to oppose this amendment because doing so breaches such fundamental principles of human rights and Parliamentary sovereignty.

A vote between bad and worse is not a meaningful vote. And I cannot bring myself to vote for it in the bastion of liberty, freedom and human rights that is our Parliament.

When MPs vote on the House of Lords amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill I will support the amendment which will empower Parliament to reject a bad deal and direct the Government to re-enter discussions. For me, this is about the important principle of Parliamentary sovereignty  Dr Phillip Lee  (@DrPhillipLee) June 12, 2018

Dr Lee added: If Brexit is worth doing, then it is certainly worth doing well; regardless of how long that takes. It is, however, irresponsible to proceed as we are.

A Downing Street source said: We will get a good Brexit deal that works for everybody in the UK.

The Governments amendment today provides for a meaningful vote.

But pro-EU Tory MP Heidi Allen warned that other members of the Government may follow Dr Lee out of the door.

She told BBC Radio 4s World At One that at least half a dozen junior ministers had been very uncomfortable for some time at the Governments direction on Brexit.

Dr Lees shock departure came as Brexit Secretary David Davis warned potential Tory rebels that they cannot undo the EU referendum, ahead of a tricky 48 hours in which the Government will try to get its Brexit programme back on track.

Davis Davis addressed MPs in the House of Commons (parliamentlive.tv)

Opening debate on the flagship EU Withdrawal Bill in the House of Commons, Mr Davis warned that the cumulative effect of a series of Lords amendments would make it impossible to deliver the smooth and orderly exit we want.

He confirmed that ministers will seek to overturn 14 amendments which he said would undermine the purpose of the Bill and fail to respect the result of the 2016 referendum.

Asked on BBC Radio 4s Today programme what would happen under Government plans if MPs voted against the deal eventually secured by Mrs May, Mr Davis said: If they throw it out, well, they throw it out. We will have to go away, think about it and come back and make a statement.

Without a #MeaningfulVote at the end of this process Parliament may be left with the grim choice between a poor deal & exit with no deal at all. As walk-away; no-deal is the preferred route for the hard Brexiteers it would also allow them to scupper a good deal.  Sarah Wollaston (@sarahwollaston) June 12, 2018

However, Devon Tory Sarah Wollaston signalled that she would back Mr Grieves amendment.

Dismissing the Governments compromise, she tweeted: Merely issuing a statement in response would make it a meaningless final vote.

Grieves amendment puts that right and in a way Govt could and should accept it.

She said unless there was a meaningful vote Parliament would be left with the grim choice between a poor deal and exit with no deal at all.

It would also give hard Brexiteers the chance to scupper a good deal, she claimed.

POLITICS Brexit

The Prime Minister appeared to have defused a potentially explosive row over the EU customs union on Monday night as Tory pro-Europe rebels Sir Oliver Letwin and Nicky Morgan and Brexiteers Jacob Rees-Mogg and Sir Bill Cash came together to table a separate compromise amendment backing a customs arrangement with the EU.

Government sources signalled to the Press Association that ministers were set to back the move.

However, the compromise is only likely to delay a full-blown showdown on the customs union until trade legislation returns to the Commons in July.Israeli police have started evacuating Jewish settlers from 15 homes built illegally on private Palestinian land in the West Bank.

Dozens of settlers protested against the evacuation, with some throwing stones and bottles at police.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said three officers were lightly wounded in the scuffles and that police arrested two people.

Protesters opposed to the move also blocked the entrance to Jerusalem, jamming traffic.

Israeli police evict Jewish settlers at the West Bank settlement

Mr Rosenfeld said the evacuation proceeded mostly smoothly, with families leaving their homes without resisting.

After the eviction, Israeli forces are expected to demolish the structures in the Netiv Haavot outpost. The government said it will compensate the residents and rebuild their homes on nearby lands that are not privately owned.

Israels Supreme Court ordered the eviction because the homes were built on private Palestinian land.

A law passed last year legalising dozens of settler outposts in the West Bank is being challenged at the High Court.

Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war and today about 600,000 settlers live in those areas.

Most of the international community considers settlements to be either illegal or illegitimate. The Palestinians seek the territories along with the Gaza Strip for their hoped-for state.A High Court judge has been told Deliveroo riders had no say in setting the terms of their contracts in the latest case concerning the gig economy.

The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) wants the court to overturn a ruling which confirmed the self-employed status of those working for the delivery firm.

Deliveroo claimed a victory following the ruling by the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC).

The High Court

The CAC, which considers union recognition and collective bargaining cases, rejected an application by the IWGB to represent drivers in parts of north London.

The committee concluded that because riders are able to pass on a job to a substitute, or to abandon a job, they were not obliged to provide a personal service and therefore could not be classified as workers.

.@Deliveroo denies its couriers basic rights such as a minimum wage and holiday pay. We are fighting back in the courts, but to win we need YOUR HELP. Please donate and share this crowdfund and help us #deliverjustice. https://t.co/zXQkjsQlph  IWGB (@IWGBunion) May 16, 2018

John Hendy QC, representing the IGWB, told Mrs Justice Simler on Tuesday that the fact riders were not involved in setting their terms and conditions was a highly material factor which the CAC did not consider.

He also said the CAC didnt look at the reality of the situation regarding substitute riders, or examine the conditions imposed on riders to ensure any substitute meets certain criteria.

The union says that, as independent contractors, the riders are denied basic employment rights including a guaranteed minimum wage, holiday pay and collective bargaining rights.

Christopher Jeans QC, for Deliveroo, urged the judge to reject the unions case and said the CAC reached the correct decision.

Speaking after the CAC ruling last November, Deliveroos managing director for the UK and Ireland Dan Warne said: This is a victory for all riders who have continuously told us that flexibility is what they value most about working with Deliveroo.

We welcome the decision of the committee. As we have consistently argued, our riders value the flexibility that self-employment provides.

Mr Warne said at the time that the firm wants a change in employment law so it could offer benefits such as sick pay to its riders, whilst maintaining that flexibility.

The status of those working in the gig economy has been at the centre of a number of cases to have reached the courts in recent months.

Taxi firm Uber lost an appeal in November against an employment tribunal ruling on the status of employees, after two drivers argued they were workers and entitled to the minimum wage, sick pay and paid leave.

Uber announced it will appeal, saying almost all taxi and private hire drivers have been self-employed for decades, long before its app existed.

The Supreme Court is due to deliver a judgment on Wednesday in a landmark case brought by firm Pimlico Plumbers, which it is said could have huge ramifications for employment law.

The firm appealed against a number of court rulings which determined plumber Gary Smith could claim worker status  even though he was described as self-employed operator in his contract.

IWGB general secretary Dr Jason Moyer-Lee said: Out of all the recent high-profile workers rights cases in the so-called gig economy, Deliveroo is the only company which has successfully deployed legal shenanigans to deny its workers their rights.

But a business model based on overzealous lawyers and legal loopholes is not sustainable.

The IWGB will continue to take action until it successfully secures basic employment rights for Deliveroo riders.

Crowdfunding for the legal costs of the case has reached 23,000 so far.

Mrs Justice Simler will decide whether the IWGB can bring a judicial review against the CACs decision on Wednesday.A Tory MP has said medicinal cannabis could become legal in the UK in a year after border officials seized a British mothers supply to treat her sons severe epilepsy.

Dr Dan Poulter is calling for a change in the law to allow medicines derived from the banned drug to be prescribed to patients.

The Central Suffolk and North Ipswich MP, who is setting up an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) to bring about the change, said a realistic goal was between a year and 18 months.

He was speaking at a press conference in central London after 50-year-old Charlotte Caldwells supply of cannabis oil was seized at Heathrow Airport on her return from Canada.

Medical marijuana

She made the trip to Toronto and back with 12-year-old Billy to get a six-month supply to treat up to 100 seizures a day.

He started the treatment in 2016 in the US, and became the first person in the UK to receive a prescription after his local GP, Brendan OHare, began writing scripts before he was told to desist by the Home Office.

Ms Caldwell, from Castlederg in Co Tyrone, said Billy suffered a seizure at 1am on Tuesday after missing his first treatment in 19 months.

She said Home Office Minister Nick Hurd offered her nothing in a meeting after the oil was seized on Monday and is calling for the medication to be returned.

Im hopeful Nick Hurd is going to show my little boy some compassion, she said.

Speaking at a Families 4 Access Campaign press conference alongside other parents fighting for medicinal cannabis for their children, she added: This is an urgent situation we are in.

These children need access to medicinal cannabis, which for us is and anti-epileptic medication, and we need it today.

Dr Poulter, who is backing the Caldwells and other families seeking access to medicinal cannabis, said: We have got Charlotte and Billy, who have brought what is a very human and very real issue for many families to life.

When there is a growing evidence of the benefits of doctors and medical health professionals being able to prescribe medicinal cannabis then it seems extraordinary that we cant do so.

He said a small change in the law could be achieved within a year to 18 months, but said the Home Office could act very quickly to help families on an individual basis by relaxing its ridiculous licensing restrictions.

Robin Emerson, 30, whose two-year-old daughter Jorja suffers from severe epilepsy as a result of a rare chromosome condition, said: 18 months is far too long. We need it tomorrow.

So, until that happens Ill be doing the same thing as Charlotte did.

Ill be going to Canada and bringing it back.

MP portraits

Im happy to go to jail for my daughter.

The father, from Belfast, added: This isnt about one or two children, its about hundreds of children.

Our children are dying. Each day, they are dying.

The UK Government is standing there while its happening. It cant go on like this.

Karen Gray, from Edinburgh, whose five-year-old son Murray suffers from a form of epilepsy, said she and other parents should be caring for their children rather than having to campaign for a law change.

There are families who are having to go to other sources, she said.

We should be able to get it properly prescribed by doctors.

Conservative MP Crispin Blunt, the co-chair of the APPG on drug policy reform, was applauded by families in the room when he said: There is a much bigger longer-term debate about drugs in our society.

But the fact that as a country we dont have the benefit of medicine derived from cannabis is crazy."GDP is expected to have grown close to 7% in April . We can see a great dynamism," he underlined.The Irish Government is to appeal against a European court decision that found the UK did not torture 14 men interned without trial during the Troubles.

The so-called Hooded Men claim they were subjected to a number of torture methods when they were detained without trial at a British military camp in Northern Ireland in 1971.

These included five techniques  hooding, stress positions, white noise, sleep deprivation and deprivation of food and water  along with beatings and death threats.

Earlier this year, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) dismissed Irelands request to find the men suffered torture and said there was no justification for revising an original judgment in 1978 that held that while the men suffered inhumane and degrading treatment, they were not tortured.

Liam Shannon, one of the so-called Hooded Men

The Irish authorities took the case to Europe after highlighting what it said was fresh evidence.

In March, the court said new material had not demonstrated the existence of facts that were not known to the court at the time or which could have had a decisive influence on the original judgment.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin has confirmed it will appeal against that ruling to the Grand Chamber of the ECHR.

Kevin Hannaway, one of the Hooded Men, hailed the move.

Todays ruling is not only a mammoth step for us, but for many other torture survivors all around the world, he said.

We always knew the judgment was flawed, and that we had strong grounds of appeal, we are delighted the Irish Government has accepted our submissions and an appeal will now be lodged.

We all intend on fighting this case to the very end on behalf of ourselves and those who have passed away since the treatment we underwent.

Mr Hannaways solicitor Darragh Mackin added: We warmly welcome the position adopted by the Irish Government in todays decision.

From the day on which the judgment was handed down, we have engaged with the Irish Government in calling for an urgent appeal to be lodged.

The international significance of this case is duly reflected by the fact that this case will now be referred to the highest court in Europe. The grounds were self-evident. We now look forward to an expeditious hearing in the Grand Chamber.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said: The March 20 ruling of the European Court of Human Rights on the Governments application for a revision of the 1978 Ireland v UK case has been fully considered by the Government, taking account of advice from the Attorney General.

The Government has decided to request a referral of the matter to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights.

The request for a referral will be submitted to the court in Strasbourg before the deadline of June 20.

The men were hooded and flown by helicopter to a secret location, later revealed to be a British Army camp at Ballykelly, outside Londonderry.

The ECHR judges rejected the Irish case by a majority of six to one. The Grand Chamber of the court is made up of 17 judges.

Solicitor Michael Halleron, who represents Mary McKenna  a daughter of another of the hooded men, Sean McKenna  said: This is a significant decision.

A referral to the Grand Chamber allows Ms McKenna on behalf of her father, as well as the other applicants, another opportunity for the judgment made in 1978 to be revised, insofar as the five techniques on persons interned in Northern Ireland in 1971 constituted inhuman and degrading treatment but not torture.

Sinn Fein senator Niall O Donnghaile, who had tabled a motion in the Irish Seanad calling for an appeal, welcomed the move.

The judgment in the Hooded Men case has live, global implications and it is only right that those who have committed, are committing or would seek to commit the kind of torture inflicted on these 14 Irishmen are exposed and held to account on the international stage, he said.

Government have made the right decision with this appeal and I encourage them, as this appeal process moves ahead, to ensure they remain fully engaged with the men themselves as well as their legal representatives.

The Hooded Men have been campaigning for truth and justice for almost 50 years now, their steadfast courage and dignity is renowned the world over; we know that what these men endured was systematic and calculated torture, it is long past time that that reality was held firm on the international stage.Donald Trump says Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has learned a lesson after criticising him, and it will cost Canada a lot of money.

At a news conference on Tuesday after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the US president recounted his recent exchanges with Mr Trudeau.

He said the Canadian leader must not have realised Mr Trump had televisions on Air Force One, allowing him to monitor Mr Trudeaus news conference at the end of the G7 summit.

He learned. Thats going to cost a lot of money for the people of Canada. He learned, Mr Trump said, wagging his finger. You cant do that. You cant do that.

The president said he was annoyed by Mr Trudeaus comments about not letting Canada get pushed around.

I see (on) the television that hes giving a news conference about how he will not be pushed around by the United States. And I say, push him around? We just shook hands. It was very friendly, Mr Trump said.

The president said he had a good relationship with Justin. I really did.

But he called Mr Trudeau dishonest and weak in tweets following the summit on Saturday.

Trump advisers also took up the attack in appearances on Sundays news shows, levelling more withering and unprecedented criticism against Mr Trudeau, branding him a backstabber unworthy of Mr Trumps time.

Theres a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door, trade adviser Peter Navarro said.

Asked about Mr Trumps remarks in the Canadian parliament on Tuesday, Mr Trudeau said he supports his efforts on North Korea and looks forward to the details of the agreement.

On his comments, Im going to stay focused on defending jobs for Canadians and supporting Canadian industries, Mr Trudeau said before walking away from reporters.

Mr Trump also commented at the news conference on the viral photo taken of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and others standing before him.

Angela Merkel speaks with Donald Trump at the G7 meeting

Mr Trump said it was snapped as they waited for changes he had requested to the communique he ended up pulling out of.

He said it didnt look friendly but it was very friendly.An influential committee of MPs has launched an inquiry into protecting British war veterans from prosecution following all conflicts.

The Defence committee called for former soldiers facing investigations into Troubles-related fatalities in Northern Ireland to be safeguarded using an official statute of limitations.

The Government is consulting on measures addressing the countrys violent past, including an Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) to search for opportunities for prosecution.

Julian Lewis

Committee chair Julian Lewis said: Our concerns are such that we intend to return to the subject of statute of limitations and, once again, to explore how former service personnel can be protected from the spectre of investigation and re-investigation for events that happened many years, and often decades, earlier.

His committees report last year called for the enactment of the legal statute covering all incidents during the Northern Ireland conflict up to the signing of the 1998 Belfast Agreement which involved former members of the Armed Forces.

Committee members said they were disappointed and surprised the Northern Ireland Offices consultation on addressing the legacy of decades of violence did not reflect their recommendations.

Backbench MPs have led a vociferous campaign for a statute of limitations to end what they claim is a witch hunt against members of the armed forces.

Prime Minister Theresa May has said the treatment of Northern Ireland veterans was unfair while Northern Irelands former Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Barra McGrory said soldiers were not treated unfairly.

Paramilitaries were responsible for most of the killings in Northern Ireland.

Official statistics for prosecutions show a minority involved the Army.

Mr Lewis added: The Government has a moral duty to defend those who served in the defence of our country, whether that was in Northern Ireland, Iraq or Afghanistan.

Even veterans of the Falklands campaign in 1982 have told me that they, too, could be targeted.

It simply cannot be right that veterans, who were the subject of investigations at the time of the events in question and subsequently cleared, are now living in fear of re-investigations and the threat of prosecutions.Theresa May has seen off a potential defeat over her flagship Brexit bill, after last-minute concessions which could give MPs a bigger say on the final withdrawal agreement and make a no-deal exit much less likely.

MPs voted by 324 to 298 to reject a House of Lords amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill which would have given MPs the power to tell the Prime Minister to go back and renegotiate the Brexit deal.

And former attorney general Dominic Grieve withdrew his own proposals spelling out precise terms under which MPs should be given a meaningful vote on the eventual deal  including the power to dictate what the Government should do if no acceptable agreement is reached by February 2019.

Davis Davis addressed MPs in the House of Commons (parliamentlive.tv)

Pro-EU Tories held back from rebellion after ministers indicated they were ready to discuss changes requiring the Government to seek parliamentary approval for its approach if the Commons rejects a deal this autumn.

Mr Grieve confirmed he voted with the Government after receiving assurances, telling Sky News: I am quite satisfied we are going to get a meaningful vote.

If confirmed, the move represents a dramatic climbdown from Mrs Mays original plan to offer MPs a take it or leave it vote to accept the withdrawal agreement or leave the EU without a deal.

House of Commons votes 324 to 298 to reject Lords amendment 19 to the #EUWithdrawalBill, which relates to a 'meaninfgul vote'.



Find out more about Parliaments right to a meaningful vote:https://t.co/XophiSiMgI  UK House of Commons (@HouseofCommons) June 12, 2018

The concession came after intensive horse-trading on the floor of the House of Commons, with chief whip Julian Smith shuttling between Tory backbenchers during debate on Lords amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill.

And around 15-20 pro-EU Tories are understood to have received assurances in a face-to-face discussion with the Prime Minister in her Commons office ahead of the vote.

Remainer Stephen Hammond told BBC Radio 4s PM programme: We have spoken in a room with the Prime Minister this afternoon, 10 minutes before the first round of voting.

I absolutely trust what the Prime Minister says to us.

Potential rebels fell into line after Solicitor General Robert Buckland said ministers were ready to engage positively with their concerns before the Bill returns to the Upper House next Monday.

Leading pro-EU Conservative Sarah Wollaston announced she would vote with the Government so long as a promised further amendment in the Lords closely reflects the Grieve proposals.

Commons accepts Gov. amendments (a) & (b) in lieu of Lords amendment 19 without a division.

Parliament will get a vote on the exit deal. If it's rejected, a minister will have 28 days to say what the Government will do next. These amendments don't give a timetable for this vote. pic.twitter.com/0lCJxNuU9Z  UK House of Commons (@HouseofCommons) June 12, 2018

The Prime Minister is now expected to get through the latest round of crunch Brexit votes unscathed, with a potentially explosive clash over the customs union on Wednesday already defused by a compromise amendment.

But she faces a gruelling bout of parliamentary ping-pong with the Lords, as the Bill bounces back and forth between the two Houses over the coming weeks.

Earlier, Mrs May was hit by the resignation of justice minister Phillip Lee, who quit the Government live on stage during a speech in London in order to be able to back Mr Grieves amendment.

The Bracknell MP, who called for a second referendum on whatever deal Mrs May secures from the EU, later told the Commons there was growing evidence that the Governments Brexit policy is detrimental to the people we were elected to serve.

If, in the future, I am to look my children in the eye and honestly say that I did my best for them I cannot, in all good conscience, support how our countrys current exit from the EU looks set to be delivered, said Dr Lee.

House of Commons votes 326 to 301 to reject Lords amendment 52 to the #EUWithdrawalBill, which relates to the validity of EU law.

This amendment would have removed power from ministers to decide when retained EU law can be challenged in court.  UK House of Commons (@HouseofCommons) June 12, 2018

In the event, Dr Lee abstained on the crucial vote, saying he was delighted that the Government had agreed to introduce an amendment giving Parliament the voice I always wanted it to have in the Brexit process.

This justifies my decision to resign and makes it a lot less painful, said Dr Lee. The Prime Minister has given her word. I trust her and so I will abstain.

Ahead of the crucial votes on the EU Withdrawal Bill, Brexit Secretary David Davis warned MPs that defeat would undermine the UKs negotiating stance in Brussels.

The cumulative effect of 14 Lords amendments which the Government is seeking to overturn could be to make it impossible to deliver the smooth and orderly exit we want, he warned.

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said: Facing the prospect of a humiliating defeat, Theresa May has been forced to enter negotiations with her backbenchers and offer a so-called concession.

We will wait and see the details of this concession and will hold ministers to account to ensure it lives up to the promises they have made to Parliament.

Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman Tom Brake said: At the 59th minute of the 11th hour, as has become a tradition in Brexit negotiations, the Tories have been forced to cobble together a compromise.

Time will tell as to whether this is just another attempt to buy off the rebels or a real attempt at consensus. But if we face the prospect of a meaningless process rather than a meaningful vote, Parliament will be enraged.Theresa May has seen off a threatened rebellion on Brexit with last-minute concessions which could give MPs a bigger say on the final withdrawal agreement and make a no-deal EU exit all but impossible.

The Prime Minister met pro-EU Tories in her private room in the Commons moments before the crucial vote to hear their demands for a truly meaningful vote on the final deal.

Senior Remainer Dominic Grieve said Mrs May promised to table amendments in the House of Lords which will address their concerns.

Moments later, MPs voted by 324 to 298 to reject a House of Lords amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill which would have given Parliament the power to tell the PM to go back and renegotiate the Brexit deal she secures from Brussels.

Mr Grieve withdrew his own amendment, which would have given MPs powers to dictate what the Government should do if no acceptable agreement is reached by February 2019.

The former attorney general told Press Association: The Prime Minister agreed that the amendments we had tabled, and the issue that we had raised about Parliaments role in the event of no deal was an important one, and undertook to work with us to put together amendments to present in the Lords which would address those concerns.

The parts of his amendment which he expects to be taken forward by ministers provide a mechanism by which Parliament has to be consulted by the end of November in the event of no deal or if a proposed agreement is rejected, he said.

Government sources confirmed ministers will now discuss the possible incorporation of these elements of Mr Grieves proposals into the legislation.

The move represents a dramatic climbdown from Mrs Mays original plan to offer MPs a take it or leave it vote to accept the withdrawal agreement or leave the EU without a deal.

The Prime Minister is now expected to get through the latest round of crunch Brexit votes unscathed, with a potentially explosive clash over the customs union on Wednesday already defused by a compromise amendment.

She won a succession of votes on Tuesday overturning Lords amendments, including one which would have removed the date of Brexit on March 29 2019 from the text of the Bill.

But she faces a gruelling bout of parliamentary ping-pong with the Lords, as the Bill bounces back and forth between the two Houses over the coming weeks.

Davis Davis addressed MPs in the House of Commons (parliamentlive.tv)

The concession on a meaningful vote came after intensive horse-trading on the floor of the House of Commons, with chief whip Julian Smith shuttling between Tory backbenchers during debate on Lords amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill.

Potential rebels fell into line after Solicitor General Robert Buckland said ministers were ready to engage positively with their concerns before the Bill returns to the Upper House next Monday.

Remainer Stephen Hammond said a group of potential rebels  believed to number 15-20  received assurances from the PM moments before the key vote.

I absolutely trust what the Prime Minister says to us, he told BBC Radio 4s PM programme.

Leading pro-EU Conservative Sarah Wollaston announced she would vote with the Government so long as a promised further amendment in the Lords closely reflects the Grieve proposals.

Earlier, Mrs May was hit by the resignation of justice minister Phillip Lee, who quit the Government live on stage during a speech in London in order to be able to back Mr Grieves amendment.

The Bracknell MP, who called for a second referendum on whatever deal Mrs May secures from the EU, later told the Commons there was growing evidence that the Governments Brexit policy is detrimental to the people we were elected to serve.

For avoidance of any doubt the promised further amendment in the Lords must closely reflect Dominic Grieves amendment (or Lords likely to bring that forward themselves & for that to be passed)  Sarah Wollaston (@sarahwollaston) June 12, 2018

If, in the future, I am to look my children in the eye and honestly say that I did my best for them I cannot, in all good conscience, support how our countrys current exit from the EU looks set to be delivered, he said.

In the event, Dr Lee abstained on the crucial vote, saying he was delighted the Government had agreed to introduce an amendment giving Parliament the voice I always wanted it to have in the Brexit process.

Ahead of the crucial votes, Brexit Secretary David Davis warned MPs that defeat would undermine the UKs negotiating stance in Brussels.

The cumulative effect of 14 Lords amendments which the Government is seeking to overturn could be to make it impossible to deliver the smooth and orderly exit we want, he warned.

Brexit

Following the vote, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said: Facing the prospect of a humiliating defeat Theresa May has been forced to enter negotiations with her backbenchers and offer a so-called concession.

We will wait and see the details of this concession and will hold ministers to account to ensure it lives up to the promises they have made to Parliament.

Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman Tom Brake said: As has become a tradition in Brexit negotiations, the Tories have been forced to cobble together a compromise.

Time will tell as to whether this is just another attempt to buy off the rebels or a real attempt at consensus. But if we face the prospect of a meaningless process rather than a meaningful vote, Parliament will be enraged.

Ukip leader Gerard Batten said: The only meaningful vote was the verdict of the people in referendum of 23rd June 2016.Actress Rose McGowan, who was among the first to accused film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, has been indicted on one felony count of cocaine possession.

Activist McGowan has maintained the cocaine is not hers, and suggested in court papers that the drugs were planted at the behest of Weinstein.

Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein

Weinsteins attorney Ben Brafman called the allegation a ludicrous claim that police had categorically rejected.

The activist and others say he has aggressively sought to discredit his accusers. Weinstein has denied all the accusations.

Cocaine was found in a wallet McGowan left behind on a plane last year, according to charging documents.

McGowans attorney Jim Hundley declined to comment.George HW Bush has become the first former US president to turn 94.

The nations 41st president received calls and relaxed at his seaside home eight days after being released from hospital where he was treated for low blood pressure, said Chief of Staff Jean Becker.

Mr Bushs office shared a letter from the president in which he said: My heart is full on the first day of my 95th year.

President George HW Bush in 1989

As many of you know, for years I have said the three most important things in life are faith, family and friends. My faith has never been stronger.

Several of his children were in town, including former president George W Bush who posted a smiling photo of the two of them on Instagram.

Im a lucky man to be named for George Bush and to be with 41 on his 94th birthday, wrote Bush Jnr, the nations 43rd president.

Another son, Neil Bush, called on people in a newspaper opinion piece to volunteer and to become a point of light.

As president, Mr Bush encouraged others to be points of light, reflecting his belief that people need to help out in their communities.

He became the oldest US president months ago and is the first to celebrate a 94th birthday, said spokesman Jim McGrath.

Former Democratic president Jimmy Carter is close behind, at 93, and he will celebrate his 94th on October 1. Two other former US presidents made it to 93: deceased Republicans Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford.

The CIA marked Mr Bushs birthday by releasing declassified material related to his time as the agencys director from January 1976 to January 1977.

The items include a video about his path to becoming CIA director and another about his farewell visit to the agency employees in January 1993, the final month of his presidency.

Related to that visit is a copy of a schedule for a briefing over lunch to discuss Iraq, Bosnia, Somalia, counter-intelligence, counter-narcotics and CIS Ops, an apparent reference to former Soviet states.

After dessert, the briefs included presentations on Russia, North Korea and Clansig Operations, an agency acronym for clandestine signals intelligence.By Lin Taylor

LONDON, June 11 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Paraguay is officially free of malaria, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday, making it the first country in the Americas in 45 years to have wiped out the deadly disease which is back on the rise globally.

Nearly half a million people - most of them babies and children in Africa - died in 2016 from mosquito-borne malaria, while at least 216 million were infected, an increase of five percent over 2015, WHO said.

With no recorded cases of malaria in five years, Paraguay became the first country in the region to have eliminated malaria since Cuba in 1973, the WHO said. It was the first country to be declared malaria free since Sri Lanka in 2016.

"It gives me great pleasure today to certify that Paraguay is officially free of malaria," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of WHO, said in a statement.

"Success stories like Paraguay's show what is possible. If malaria can be eliminated in one country, it can be eliminated in all countries."

While significant progress has been made over the past 20 years in reducing malaria cases and deaths, in 2016, for the first time in a decade, the number of malaria cases rose and in some areas there was a resurgence, the WHO said.

Health experts say this was partly to blame on a growing resistance to the sprays and drugs used to attack the mosquito that transmits the disease and the parasite that causes it.

They also say it is partly due to stagnant global funding for malaria since 2010. Climate change and conflict can also exacerbate malaria outbreaks.

"This is a powerful reminder for the region of what can be achieved when countries are focused on an important goal," said Carissa Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the WHO's regional office.

"We are hopeful that other countries will soon join Paraguay in eliminating malaria," she said in a statement.

In 2016 the WHO identified Paraguay as one of 21 countries with the potential to eliminate malaria by 2020.

The WHO said Algeria, Argentina and Uzbekistan are on track to be declared free from malaria later this year. (Reporting by Lin Taylor @linnytayls, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters that covers humanitarian issues, conflicts, land and property rights, modern slavery and human trafficking, gender equality, climate change and resilience. Visit http://news.trust.org to see more stories)BERLIN, June 11 (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France met in Berlin on Monday to discuss the implementation of the peace plan for Ukraine and the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission in the country's conflict zone.

Monday's meeting was the first between the four ministers since February 2017, though lower level officials have met regularly in the past four years in the so-called Normandy format to try to resolve a separatist conflict in Ukraine, in which more than 10,000 people have been killed.

Relations between Moscow and Kiev have been tense since 2014 when a popular uprising drove a pro-Russian president from power. Russia went on to annex Crimea from Ukraine and backed a pro-Russian separatist insurgency in the country's east.

A ceasefire agreement was signed in February 2015 in Minsk but has failed to end the violence.

Speaking at the beginning of the talks, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the ceasefire agreed in the peace plan was still violated on nearly daily basis.

"This year alone, there were thousands of ceasefire violations," Maas said. He added that the talks would also focus on the removal of heavy weaponry and securing of minefields.

"A new issue about which we want to talk today is a UN peacekeeping mission for Eastern Ukraine," Maas said. "From our point of view, it could help to revive the peace process."

Maas said Russia and Ukraine had already agreed in principle on such a peacekeeping mission, but their ideas about how to implement it were still far apart.

Maas was expected to address reporters later on Monday after the end of the four-way talks. (Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Toby Chopra)By Marianna Parraga

HOUSTON, June 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. unit of Venezuela's state-run oil producer PDVSA is increasing purchases of crude on the open market because it cannot get sufficient deliveries from its struggling parent company, traders said on Monday.

Citgo Petroleum has been buying crude from multiple countries worldwide as PDVSA has been unable to comply with the contractual volume of heavy crude due to falling output and port congestion slowing deliveries, according to the traders.

Declining oil production, lawsuits by creditors, shortages of spare parts for terminals and executive braindrain have all reduced PDVSA's ability to export oil. Most recently, U.S.-based ConocoPhillips' actions to seize PDVSA assets to cash in on a $2 billion arbitration award have added to the firm's export issues.

Crude exports are Venezuela's main source of revenue, but the OPEC member has seen deliveries fall sharply in the last few months, dropping to 1.17 million barrels per day (bpd) in May from 1.24 million bpd in April, according to Thomson Reuters trade flows data.

Citgo in recent weeks has been buying Colombian and Ecuadorean heavy crude on the spot market, as well as Azeri Light from the Black Sea region and Arab heavy and medium crudes, according to the Reuters data and traders.

From January through April, Citgo was the customer most affected by PDVSA's inability to fulfill its contracts, according to the Venezuelan company's internal data. PDVSA's oil output this year has fallen to 1.62 million bpd, a 33-year low.

Citgo has a 273,000-bpd contract to import Venezuelan Merey crude from PDVSA, but PDVSA has not sent a single cargo of that grade in over a month, forcing Citgo to buy spot cargoes of diluted crude oil (DCO) from joint ventures, according to the traders and Reuters data.

PDVSA has sent other grades, including Corocoro and Pedernales, but only in small volumes.

"They are mainly looking for Latin American heavy grades," said a trader who sold two spot crude cargoes to Citgo for June delivery.

Citgo can process up to 749,000 bpd of crude in three U.S. refineries. In the past, PDVSA supplied as much as 40 percent of Citgo's crude requirements, but volumes have been slowly declining for years.

The subsidiary has a "contingency plan" for diversifying imports if Venezuelan supply declines further, according to a Citgo employee, who declined to be identified as the information was private. The plan has not yet been activated, the person added.

As of June 11, PDVSA had 23 million barrels worth of crude to be shipped from the port of Jose and through new ship-to-ship (STS) transfers off its Paraguana Refining Center (CRP), according to Reuters vessel tracking and trade flows data.

Since early June, PDVSA has been notifying customers about its need to employ STS operations. The backlog has decreased to 72 vessels this week from over 80 tankers last week, according to Reuters data, as PDVSA has focused on loading the largest vessels first and rejected nominations for receiving new tankers in June until it finishes loading those already in line.

"Each STS operation is taking almost a week," said a shipping source. "Costs are higher, special vessels are needed and PDVSA operators have to be moved from other ports. It's a lot of work."

Large tankers chartered by Valero Energy, Vitol, Nayara Energy and Reliance Energy of India, and China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) were waiting on Monday near Jose port for crude.

ConocoPhillips' bid to claim $2 billion from arbitration led to a tanker backlog representing nearly a month's worth of shipments at its main terminal.

ALTERNATIVES

Citgo was expecting to receive about 6 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey crude in June, one of the traders said.

Instead, it imported a 516,000-barrel cargo of DCO that discharged last week and several other cargoes of the same grade have set sail to its refineries, according to the Reuters data.

The pressure for Venezuelan oil eased up slightly in early June as Citgo's 157,500-bpd Corpus Christi refinery halted its fluid catalytic cracker (FCC) due to a fire.

But declining production of upgraded crude at PDVSA's joint ventures in the Orinoco Belt, the country's largest producing region, has limited the barrels Citgo normally could access in place of Merey.

Of four crude ventures that process up to 620,000 bpd of oil for exports, two are undergoing maintenance and a third is expected to start major maintenance later this month, according to two sources close to the projects.

(Reporting by Marianna Parraga in Houston; additional information by Mircely Guanipa in Punto Fijo, Venezuela; editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Marguerita Choy and G Crosse)At Momo, Fast Casual Seafood Fusion

Plus sushi burritos and a poke analog

by Sabine Bickford

From the June, 2018 issue

You won't find any momo, the newly popular Himalayan dumplings, at the Momo Sushi restaurant in the Colonnade shopping center on Eisenhower. "We get a lot of people that come in here looking for momo," says managing partner Ethan Ketner. He says he tells them "we don't carry momo, but while you're here check out what we do have!"



According to the restaurant's literature, the owners picked the name because it's "[a]n Asiatic word that is colloquial and easy to memorize." And what they do have is trendy, "fast-casual" seafood fusion.



Fellow managing partner Sang Chul "Sam" Han and owner Jung Ho "Scott" Kim are trained sushi chefs who moved here from South Korea in the 2000s. According to Ketner, they decided to "step up with the times" by adding sushi burritos and cupbop. Cupbop, he explains, is the Korean version of the customizable bowl of rice, raw fish, or tofu, with toppings called poke in Hawaii and donburi in Japan.



The rest of the menu offers surprising variety for a fast-casual spot. There is a make-your-own sushi roll menu similar to the cupbop one, plus a large selection of specialty rolls, hot stone bibimbap, spicy seafood ramen, udon, bulgogi, and a prix fixe kids' menu. Ketner says orders are typically ready in five to fifteen minutes. They already offer takeout and are working on delivery.



The restaurant itself, located in the former Bella Italia, is cozy but cool inside: mid-modern chairs at wooden tables and a few stools at a bar overlooking where the chefs do their work.



Momo is the latest iteration in a series of sushi restaurants across Michigan run by Han and Kim, whose official parent business is called "Sam & Scott Co." Their last restaurant was in East Lansing, but Kim had enjoyed living in Ann Arbor years ago, and when Han's son decided to attend college at U-M they decided to move the business here, too (Ketner cites the city's diverse culture

...continued below...

/momosushiA2

and continued growth as factors in the decision). While developing the new restaurant, the two chefs met Ketner, who has worked at several Zingerman's businesses, and brought him on as a partner.For now, Han and Kim are doing all the cooking, while Ketner and two more employees attend to the front of house, but Ketner is also working on the dessert menu, which currently includes mochi ice cream: a popular dessert ball of ice cream wrapped in a sticky-rice pastry shell. Continuing with the Asian fusion theme, bubble tea will be on the menu shortly.[Originally published in June, 2018.]Cabinet approval had been granted to reduce the selling price of one litre of kerosene by midnight today, Fisheries Minister Wijith Wijayamuni Zoysa said.

He also said that a decision had been taken to grant more relief on other fishery facilities.

Sources said that the fishing kerosene would be of different colour.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror the Minister said at the Cabinet meeting held today headed by President Maithripala Sirisena was the proposal was approved.

The Cabinet approval was granted to change the dye of the kerosene intended for fishing boats, he said.

The normal kerosene is dyed with red.

So, those fishermen could easily identify where to get their subsidised fuel, he said.

Discussions were also held to minimise the misuse of kerosene subsidies, a relief is given by the President and to take stern legal actions against those who misused such subsidies, he said.

Petroleum Resources Minister Arjuna Ranatunga also confirmed the Cabinet decision. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)

Video by SanjeewaThe voter at cross roads; It is a choice between existence and extinction now

Findings were extremely injurious to the Yahapalanaya concept

Ranils ambition now seems almost dead

The current administration does not have anything to brag about

It is a choice between existence and extinction

Findings were extremely injurious to the Yahapalanaya concept

Ignore the noise and follow your own choice. ~ Anonymous



When one looks back on the pros and cons of the decision taken by the people in the 2015 Presidential Election and the mandate it carried, after two-and-half-years in power, the current administration does not have anything to brag about except one outstanding accomplishment of theirs.



With all the alleged corruption and ineffective management of the countrys ailing economy, the very introduction of transparency aspect of governance where the government partys own members were taken to task when found in want of proper and accountable conduct.



Dismissal of Ravi Karunanayake from the Ministry of Finance in the wake of the conclusion of the Presidential Commission on the so-called Bond-Scam issue is one conspicuous example of such transparency and accountability in governance.



However, the optics of such a finding and what followed the findings were extremely injurious to the Yahapalanaya concept the Government boasted about.

In politics, its all optics, especially in the short run.



The failure on the part of the Prime Minister to realise this fundamental aspect of politics is astonishing given the length of years he has been playing this game of politics.



That is why most Governments, especially the Rajapaksa regime, during their tenure, swept such numerous cases, found to be manifestly authentic, under the proverbial carpet.



The following ready-reckoner would indicate in a nutshell the various atrocities brought upon the nation by the Rajapaksa clan:



Ready-reckoner of corruption, murders and intimidation by Rajapaksa and Company

November 9 and 10, 2012 Prison attack - 27 killed

On 13 January 2013Impeachment of Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake

On 8 February 2010 by Military Police arrested General Sarath Fonseka

Disappearance of Prageeth Ekneligoda since 24 January 2010

August 1, 2013 three persons were killed including two students in Rathupaswela Katunayake

Unanswered heinous crimes against journalists and media institutions

May 2008: Keith Noyahr, Associate Editor and defence columnist of The Nation newspaper was abducted and beaten up.

January 6, 2009: The Sirasa Depanama Studio Complex was bombed by a gang of assailants.

January 8, 2009: Not even 48 hours after the attack on the Depanama Complex, Senior Journalist Lasantha Wickrematunga was assassinated in Attidiya.

January 23, 2009: Chief Editor of the Rivira newspaper Upali Tennakoon was assaulted by a group that arrived on two motorcycles.

March 25, 2009: The office of the Udayan newspaper in Jaffna was attacked with a hand grenade.

June 1, 2009: Journalist Poddala Jayantha was abducted in Ambuldeniya, Nugegoda.

March 22, 2010: Attack launched on the head office of the Sirasa Media Network, leaving several of its employees injured.

July 30, 2010: Attack lanced on the Voice of Asia Media group which ran Siyatha TV and radio stations.

April 13, 2013: Head office of the Udayan newspaper attacked once again, making it the 33rd such attack on its office and journalists.

While no exceptional defence should or would be made for the so-called Bond-Scam issue, a significant black mark against the current administration remains the Bond-Scam.



Furthermore, even before any judicial findings were concluded, the Minister who was allegedly responsible for the scam was removed by the Prime Minister and those who were alleged to have committed this horrendous white-collar crime were behind bars.



None of that sort happened during the regime of the Rajapaksa and Company.



During that time all the alleged perpetrators were free to roam the street corners crowded by political and financial thuggery and allowed to indulge in their favourite pastime of newly defined governance.



Galloping down the road to glory and self-enlargement with their masters, the leeches of the past regime played their own despicable game of power-politics to a sinister end.



In their game, the people were pawns and other insignificant pieces of trash. The deal makers and commission agents were the only VVIPs who could meet the Ministers and the King at their own behest.

Sajith is nursing his own ambition to be the leader of the UNP, yet a pathetic show of vacillation is no trait of sound leadership



While the voting public, who faithfully voted these caricatures of political trash into office successively in 2005 and 2009, unrelentingly supported the Rajapaksa and Company to an intolerable limit, the then Opposition led by the current Prime Minister was in their own messy circumstance.



Ranils leadership was challenged by a motivated group of second-tier leaders of the United National Party (UNP), led by Karu Jayasuriya and Sajith Premadasa.



As per reports obtained by the writer, while Karu Jayasuriya was willing to go and did go all the way, Sajith decided to go so far and no further.



This is an unbecoming conduct on the part of Sajith Premadasa.



Sajith is nursing his own ambition to be the leader of the UNP, yet a pathetic show of vacillation is no trait of sound leadership. On the other hand, Navin Dissanayake, albeit the fact that he left the UNP and joined the Rajapaksa regime during the time of the war, (Navins father, Gamini Dissanayake, was brutally bombed down by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam) after joining the UNP, is enjoying the support of a clear majority of UNP Parliamentarians.



When Parliamentarians ponder about their future leaders, there are three characteristics which stand out as crucial in determining that quality.



1. The leader should be a winner



2. He must possess decision-making capabilities, not vacillating



3. Inspire others. In all three categories, Navin Dissanayake is ahead of Sajith and the UNP Parliamentarians seem to have realised that.



Well, that is all events yet to come. There may well be, as the saying goes, many a slip between the cup and the lip. In whichever case, either Sajith or Navin is infinitely better than any member of the Rajapaksa clan.



For that matter, there is no second-tier leadership in either the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) or Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).



The UNP can boast about a wealth of talent and experience in its second-tier: Sajith, Navin, Ruwan Wijewardene or Mangala Samaraweera could be miles ahead of any leader the SLFP or SLPP can field.

The UNP can boast about a wealth of talent and experience in its second-tier: Sajith, Navin, Ruwan Wijewardene or Mangala Samaraweera could be miles ahead of any leader the SLFP or SLPP can field



Looking back on the list of atrocities committed by the Rajapaksa clan- as illustrated in the above list- any one single member of the Rajapaksa family or its associates has disqualified himself or herself.



That is clear as crystal, one would say. That is the realistic picture that the current political landscape displays. Enveloped in a culture of corruption that has been taken hostage by politicians of all parties, enmeshed in dire straits of economic hardships and having come to terms with a degenerate lifestyle of being subservient to money and power, our people, in 2020, will again face a choice between realistic, decent and honest politics and perverted and debased practice of governance of the likes of the Rajapaksa-rule.



In whatever circumstances, Ranil Wickremesinghe, the incumbent Prime Minister and leader of the UNP cannot be just discounted as a non-entity.



His strengths purely lies in his experience as the leader of his party. However, the present coalition setup has managed to ruin Ranils image as a good manager of the countrys economy. On top of that, the infamous Bond-Scam and his close affinity towards Ravi Karunanayake also has helped in this downward path of Ranil Wickremesinghe.



But he does not seem to have given up on his ambition to be Sri Lankas next President. What seemed a few years ago a distant reality, Ranils ambition, as evidenced in the recently held Local Government elections, now seems



almost dead. In the clear context of a suitable candidate from the UNP to contest the next Presidential Election, Ranil, in fact, is behind Sajith Premadasa and Navin Dissanayake. The UNP, although it had a great history of bouncing back from near extinction, is now facing another frontier. In the international arena, populist politics is gaining grounds. Sri Lanka simply cannot escape from that political geography. In spite of history, the United National Party is now grappling with the geography of political thinking. A leader who can give the right expression to that prevailing current of politics would certainly have a better chance than any man or woman who is sinking in traditional politics.DPA, 11th JUNE, 2018 - Ukraine and Russia are set to pave the way for a relaunch of conflict resolution talks in the German capital on Monday, with Germany and France serving as mediators.

Pro-Russian rebels wanting to split from Kiev in the Russian-speaking majority east of the country have been in conflict with Ukrainian government forces since 2014.



In an interview with Bild newspaper on Monday ahead of the meeting, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he didnt expect the revival of talks to be easy: Ukraine and Russias interests and views lie far apart in many areas. The talks are intended to be conducted among the foreign ministers of these four countries, Maas said on a recent visit to Ukraine.



We will not leave you alone when it comes to resolving the conflict here in the east, Maas told his Ukrainian counterpart, Pavlo Klimkin, during his visit to Ukraine at the start of the month, which included a visit to the front line in the conflict.



Maas said he hoped to negotiate a date for the start of peace talks by early July, including whether to send a UN-backed peacekeeping mission to Ukraine. Maas said he would like to organize talks in the so-called Normandy format - including Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France - aimed at implementing a peace accord agreed in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, before the German parliaments summer break, which begins July 6.Pradeep Edward  President, SLIM

The Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM)s 2018 edition of the National Sales Congress (NASCO), has recorded the highest-ever participation in the history of NASCO. This year, entries over 750 have been registered for the categories from frontline staff, Executive to Territory Managers representing 116 companies across 22 industries of which 42 of them are first time participants.

The mission of SLIM NASCO is to uplift the sales profession in Sri Lanka and thereby the fraternity for the future sustainability of businesses and industries which contribute to the Sri Lankan economy.

The highest participation in the competition this year has been from FMCG, Banking and Finance and Industrial / Manufacturing sectors. In terms of entries, 300 were from frontline employees, 200 were from Executives and remarkably, 250 entries were from the managerial categories. .

Roshan Fernando - Vice President, SLIM

As this premier event which is dedicated to recognizing the efforts and performances of sales personnel, it is eagerly awaited by the Sri Lankas sales professionals who rush to enter the keenly contested awards in a bid to revel in the spotlight of national attention., being the only national level event which constructs a platform to showcase the prowess of the sales force of this country. .

Judging rounds of SLIM NASCO will commence towards end June and all applicants will be notified two weeks prior to the date of the judging. . The eminent panel of judges consists of 36 members who are the most experienced and respected marketing and sales professionals from across diverse industries.



In order to be thoroughly prepared and be ready for judging, the contestants are recommended to go through the official sources provided by NASCO such as the NASCO YouTube video by the Head of Judging, Mr, Stephan Paul Raj, and Judging criteria are available in the Entry Kit, which can be downloaded at www.nasco.lk.

More importantly, adopting an inclusive approach, SLIM NASCO has deemed that English is not mandatory and contestants could communicate freely in Sinhala and Tamil languages, as they prefer. SLIM will also allow a management representative to observe the presentations of his / her colleagues. .

Manthika Ranasinghe - Project Chairman, NASCO 2018

SLIM NASCO with the participation from different industries over the years has improved the standard of the sales profession. As the National Body for Marketing, SLIM has been in the forefront in permeating and fostering marketing knowledge and best practices in the country.Samsung Electronics topped the Asia 's Top 1000 Brands leader board for the seventh year in a row, in a survey by Hong Kong-based communication marketing company, 'Campaign Asia Pacific' and Nielsen. Samsung's brand strategy that pursues "social goodness" has played a major role in the company's product competitiveness. Samsung Electronics ranked 17th in the survey in 2004, but has steadily climbed to the top for three consecutive years since 2009. The survey was conducted from 16th March to 11th April 2018 amongst consumers from 14 countries including Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, who were asked to name their most trusted brands across 15 industries. In order to ensure an accurate representation through this study, the survey targets age, gender and monthly household income to establish a balanced survey landscape.



Addressing evolving consumers needs and wants is essential in helping Samsung pave the way as a forerunner of the industry, with community engagement being an integral part of maintaining the rapport Samsung has with the communities it is involved in.

Every year, Samsung invests around US$14 billion in Research & Development to ensure that they are at the cutting edge of innovation. More than a fifth of their staff works in R&D and this dedication allows Samsung to remain at the top of their game, with their recent launches (listed below) reflecting the unwavering pursuit of excellence Samsung pursues.

Samsung Sri Lanka was awarded the Peoples Youth Choice brand of the year award at the recently-concluded SLIM Nielsen Peoples Awards. This accolade is a reflection of the electronics giants ability to lead the industry in Sri Lanka as well. Its recent introduction of Infinity Display to the local market has taken the brand to an aspirational level, since it understands consumer needs better than any other brand. This year, Samsung was focused on mobile digital advertising with products targeting and meeting the needs of the youth of Sri Lanka. Samsung mobiles offer diverse features for youth who are continuously craving better camera quality and advanced options when it comes to taking images or selfies to highlight their lifestyle and multitasking. Samsung is the only brand to cater to a wider audience with not only mobile devices but Gear VR which creates a virtual reality of experience for the audience.But during the last Presidential Elections the people took a stance to say no to corruption. The People took a stand. These are challenges that we have to face

By saying there will be a revival of the LTTE, the SLPP is being disrespectful of the security forces who have done so much to this country

We have to start building bridges and start winning hearts

We are aware of our threats, shortcomings and areas that have gone wrong

People expected that those who are corrupt to be taken to task immediately. It was not only from the previous government but even from this government

Out of all political parties UNP has a very good future lineup

I think the backbenchers have to be patient

We want to take up these cases as soon

In order to pay off these debts and correct the economy we had to take tough and unpopular decisions

There is absolutely no threat to the countrys defence

If the allegations are proved the perpetrators will have to be taken to task

We are formulating our strategies and tactics

At the recently held United National Partys (UNP) Working Committee meeting it had been agreed upon that the future of the grand old party should look to the future with the recommendation proposed by the Ruwan Wijewardene Committee. Headed by Gamapaha District MP and State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene the committee has come up with certain novel, innovative and a progressive set of proposals. The Dailymirror spoke to Minister Wijewardene as to how the proposals would be implemented, challenges faced by the UNP as a party and how it is going to face a series of elections lined up for 2020.



Q There is a demand by the UNP backbenchers to implement the Ruwan Wijewardene Committee recommendations. That itself shows that its a fairly balanced and independent report. What is your response?

In fact when we were making this report we took in a lot of views. In fact the committee consisted of a good number of backbenchers. The Prime Minister appointed me to head the committee. There were about 12 other backbenchers. Apart from that we spoke to the other backbenchers and senior politicians in the UNP and obtained their views and how the party should be reformed. So we took all that into consideration and made this report. So I think its a fair and balanced report which resonates what party members are demanding. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe also saw the report and observed these changes. Reforms will take place. I think making the changes is in the process. I think members would be able to see that these reforms are done pretty fast.



I think the demand is to make the reforms immediately, but this is not an easy task. It is a process and the process is now taking place.



Q What is the response of the committee with regard to the delay in implementing the reforms?

Like I said it is a process. Now the main thrust is towards constitution change within the party. These changes are needed to make it more democratic and introduce other changes into its structure. Its a long process and cant be done within one night. You cannot simply change everything. You have to see what the consequences are and I think the process has now begun. We have been speaking with the Prime Minister during the past few weeks. We have been going through the process. It is going to be implemented and I think the backbenchers have to be patient. I think they will soon see the changes that they wish to see within the party.



Q Dont you think that time is running out and within the next one and a half years you have to get ready for elections?

Absolutely yes. We are keeping that in mind and we are doing the needed changes. As you said we dont have time on our hands at the moment. When the next two years are up we have to face the Presidential Elections, the General Elections and before that the Provincial elections. We have to face these elections and we have to finish off the reforms as fastest as possible. I think the Prime Minister is aware of that matter and the process is taking place.



Q During the history of the UNP it has proved itself as one of the smartest political parties in the country. Do you think the UNP is ready for the 2020 elections and meet all challenges?

The Security forces present in some areas in the North have paved the way for a peaceful environment. Specially the crime rate has dropped



If you really look at all the political parties that exist, I think the UNP has an impressive line-up. Apart from the seniors we have a very good younger generation of politicians which is to come forward. If you take into account Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa, Navin Dissanayake, Harin Fernando, Dr. Harsha de Silva, Ajith Perera and Eran Wickremeratne there is an impressive line-up. There is a good future for the party when it comes to 2020 Elections. We are formulating our strategies and tactics to help us face those challenges. In fact the Prime Minister has a political committee now and we will sit at least once or twice a week and form our strategies with the Premier and plan how to meet these challenges. With regard to the future political environment of the country, I think the UNP has a better line-up of politicians when compared to other political parties. We are aware of our threats and shortcomings. We are aware of the things that have gone wrong while being in power and the things that we have done right. So these are the things that we have been assessing and evaluating and I think we will definitely hang in there and make amends so that we would be able to face the challenges when 2020 comes.



Q As a party that is in governance, do you ever think that not taking quick and proper measures to punish those corrupt is one of the reasons that this government has become unpopular?

Yes definitely. People expected those who are corrupt to be taken to task immediately. These expectations are there not only during this Government, but they were there during the past regime too. If the allegations are proved then these people will have to be taken to task. Thats the stance we have always taken. But unfortunately the investigation process including the court process and the handling of cases at the Attorney Generals Department takes a long time. This not only frustrates the public, but frustrates us politicians as well. We have fought to establish good governance and showed that we want to fight against corruption. This is one reason that we fought to get this special courts established. I think Justice Minister Thalatha Athukorala and Minister Ajith P. Perera have provided the leadership and really pushed through. We want to take up these cases as soon as possible and if certain people are proved to have engaged in corrupt deals during their times -whether they were in the former Government or this Government -they should be taken to task.



And I think that because of this process the public would have obviously thought that this Government was not taking issues seriously. Of course with other cases like the Central Bank Bond Issue coming up people thought this Government was doing the same thing as the previous Government and just fooling the public.



It is not the case. We have always stood up for good governance and that is exactly what we are driving for and hopefully with these new courts that are coming up we will be able to see quicker results.



Q Anyway as a result of what had happened and what this Government failed to do, it has paved the way for the Rajapaksas to return to power. The Rajapaksas showed their strength at the last Local Council elections. Dont you think these developments are a challenge?

Definitely it is a challenge. I think former President Rajapaksa has always been a formidable politician and is loved by the people. But during the last Presidential Elections the people took a stance to say no to corruption. The People took a stand. These are challenges that we have to face. When looking back at the last Local Government Elections it was a protest vote against the Government. This result came about not because of the former Presidents policies nor the Rajapaksa family or the policies of the SLPP that they follow. I think it was definitely a protest vote by the people against the rising of cost of living, increased taxation and the issues faced by the farming community with regard to the fertiliser issue.

People showed their disapproval against the Government considering all these things. We should assess what we did wrong and remember that when this Government assumed power we took a country that was burdened with huge debts. In order to pay off these debts and correct the economy we had to take tough and unpopular decisions. And when those decisions were taken the public did not like it. But I think that we have done considerably well with regard to the economy and we are at least paying off our debts, so I think we have to really concentrate on giving what the people want and what they expect and take the country forward.



Q As specifically mentioned in your report, the party has failed to take the message to the masses and as a result you have proposed to have 50 members who are experts in social media and take various other measures to ensure the proper use of social media. Your comments?

This has been the biggest problem with this Government. We have not been able to communicate what this government has done for the people. There hasnt been proper communication at all. Even with state media the Government hasnt been able to put their message forward and tell the people that this is what we have done.

This is why we suggested in our committee report that the party itself has to have a proper media committee; which is now headed by Minister Harin Fernando. He was appointed by the Prime Minister to take the partys communication effective. Fernando being a dynamic politician would do a great job in communicating our policies. I think Minister Mangala Samaraweera has shuffled some of the heads of state media. I think both he and Harin would come up with a proper media plan and execute it as soon as possible.



Q You mentioned about Minister Samaraweera who also recently fired a salvo accusing former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is expected to contest in the next Presidential Elections. Do you think Gotabaya Rajapaksha would be a challenge for the UNP?

Well anyone is a challenge. I think we should not take anyone lightly. Whether its going to be Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Basil Rajapaksa or Chamal Rajapaksa its going to be one of the Rajapaksas who would be coming forward. Its a family concern there. So whoever who comes forward it would always be a challenge. We should not have a laid-back attitude and think that we are in the Government, are in power and can always win elections. It is not the case. So whoever who comes forward will have to face those challenges and be ready. I think that is part of our strategy against whoever who comes forward and that is what we are doing right now.



Q As part of the propaganda of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)- of which Mahinda Rajapaksa is the de-facto leader- some party leaders in it are creating a fear-psychosis in the South claiming that there is a revival of the LTTE and other armed groups in the North. How do you respond to this as the State Defence Minister?

There is no way that the LTTE can be revived as a terrorist organisation. It is a banned organisation. But from the time of 2015 Presidential Elections up to now that has always been one of the slogans that the SLPP and its supporters are using in their propaganda. They have been saying that we are going to divide the country and that the LTTE will rise again and that they are already active. By creating this fear psychosis they think that they can obtain the votes of the Sinhala majority. But it is not the case.

I think by saying that they are being disrespectful of the security forces and the police who have done so much to bring peace and prosperity to this country. The security forces have continued to do a tremendous job and when they say that the LTTE is being revived in the North they are sending a message that our forces are not doing a proper job. But this is not the case. There is absolutely no threat to the countrys defence nor the security of the country. We are always monitoring the situation. There is no need for anyone to panic.

There is a political game being played in the North. From what I see there is a political tug-of-war among the Tamil political parties in the North and each one is trying to claim more Tamil nationalists than the other person or the party and that is why these kinds of rhetoric and incidents. But as far as a LTTE revival is concerned there is no way for that to happen.



Q In this backdrop how do you view the Government giving back the private lands held by the military and the Government to the original owners?

That is a promise we made during the last Presidential Elections. Private land that was taken by the security forces during the conflict will be handed back to their owners. We will be doing that and we will be resettling the people. We will be giving back the lands and that is a very positive move that this Government has made specially with regard to the reconciliation process. We have to start building bridges there and we have to start winning hearts. The communities still have deep wounds caused as a result of the conflict that ended. Without making bridges and uniting the country we will never be able to heal those wounds. We are working towards a united Sri Lanka.



Q Dont you think that just as we won the war it is necessary that the security forces now win the hearts of the people in the north?

Absolutely yes. I think they have done it. If you really look at it I know that some of the international propaganda claims that the military is still keeping the population in the North under their thumb. They are fabricating all kinds of stories. But some areas in the North having security forces has paved the way for a peaceful environment. Specially the crime rate has dropped. But now we are releasing more lands and there have been more and more positive interaction between the forces and the people. This is especially true when it comes to medical aid and during every other situation when the military has tried to help the people.



Q As the Defence Minister and the military do you have a strategy to counter allegations made by certain diaspora groups?

I think we have done quite a considerable amount of negating all these negative propaganda that is surfacing. When Minister Mangala Samaraweera was the Foreign Minister he did a tremendous job meeting the diaspora and having a dialogue with them. I think that has helped sort out a lot of issues. Of course we still have extremist elements who want to create certain problems. I think that will always be there. But I think now that the international community to a large degree knows that this Government is going forward with the reconciliation process. I think the only criticism they have is that the process is not taking place at the speed they expect. But that like I said is not an easy path to take. It is a process like anything else. But I think during the last three years we have done a tremendous amount of work with regard to the reconciliation process. I think the international community has some faith in us and this Government that the right thing will be done.



Q We have one of the most experienced military with us. Do you have any plans to use this military more on international engagements like UN Peace keeping missions?

We do. We have actually sent some of our battalion to Mali on Peace keeping missions. And we are hoping that we will get similar opportunities. The United Nations has looked favourably upon us and has given the green light. Depending on how we are working in Mali, we will get more opportunities to send troupes to other areas as well. That is something that we are concentrating on. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe himself did a lot to get the opportunities to send our troupes abroad. Now we are training our forces in Peace Keeping missions. The only issue is that we should get proper equipment. We are at the moment purchasing all those equipment and we would be able to send more troupes out in the future.



Q After the conclusion of the war the last regime used military personnel on various activities like cleaning and farming. We have a large military and now that the war has concluded shouldnt we use them to serve people specially in professional areas?

When it comes to professionalism our forces have reached a very high degree. We can definitely use their expertise in areas like engineering and etc. But we have drawn the line to ensure that the military would not be used to clean roads and sell vegetables like the former regime did. We put a stop to that. When you come to Colombo now you can hear certain people criticizing that during the past regime Colombo was cleaner.

But can you use military to clean the roads? They are a professional unit. Personally I dont think that using soldiers to clean the roads is the right thing to do and the Government took a decision to put a stop to that. These are people who fought for the country and to turn around and tell them to clean the road is somewhat demeaning. But in other areas, the professionalism showcased by our forces is very high.

Many foreign countries are interested in sending representatives to Sri Lanka and learning from our militarys experiences in how to deal with a terrorist orgnaisation and win a war. Many Asian countries and the West have shown an interest to come to Sri Lanka. We are using them and their professionalism in areas of nation building.Martin Wickramasinghe was the most popular and the best writer during the previous century.



He depicted some actual points in his novels by using characters from his village, Koggala, who were real.



The outstanding feature about his writing is his urge to stick with reality. His stories actually unfolded during the early 20th century in the southern part of Sri Lanka. They are extremely interesting and have the potential to teach a moral to the reader. Wickramasinghe possessed a wide range of knowledge on social science, history, Buddhism, philosophy, literature (bothSinhala and English) politics, arts, and even science to some extent.



When comparing him with contemporary writers, no one can take the place of Wickramasinghe in terms of his realistic philosophical style of creating novels and short stories.



Imaginary stories do not lead the reader on to the correct path. The reader becomes bored when reading imaginary stories. Such stories have the tendency to make the readers be confined to a dream world.



Further, Wickramasinghe produced artistic creations to dispel misbelief from the minds of the people. In that case Wickramasinghe wrote against the practice of witchcraft.



In the novel Leela he criticized witchcraft and explained to the reader that it was a great delusion to believe in witchcraft without opting for medical treatment.



Wickramasinghe was a genius in Sinhala literature and he laid the foundation stone to a more suitable and unwavering way of producing Sinhala literature in place of an unrealistic and imaginary way of writing.



Soviet Russia honoured his work. Novels by Wickramasinghe

have been translated into several languages . He brought great pride to his motherland.



The literary world honoured him like they honoured Tolstoy.



As Sri Lankans we must be proud of being bred in a country in which he was born.



(Senaka Hettigoda Registered Pharmacist, Galle)Guns in Schools

Ulysses Wong targets the district's "overreach."

by James Leonard

From the June, 2018 issue

"This is about Ann Arbor Public Schools and other 'local units' of government taking power that was not granted to them by the people," district parent Ulysses Wong emails. "I felt a civic duty to step in on this government overreach."



So Wong, who works at Washtenaw Community College, joined the Michigan Gun Owners in suing to overturn the Ann Arbor Public Schools' "no guns" policies. After a student's relative showed up at a concert while openly carrying a pistol, the school board adopted new rules that effectively ban guns from schools and school activities.



Two lower courts dismissed the suit, but it's now before the Michigan Supreme Court. The justices heard oral arguments in April and are expected to issue a decision in June or July.



School board president Christine Stead says that Ann Arbor parents were supportive of the gun ban, but when the policies were being debated "hundreds of people who don't live here came to our board meetings. In one meeting a gentleman arrived late for public commentary. He'd driven three hours, and he wanted to talk. He was yelling at me--and he was carrying" a gun.



Circuit Court judge Carol Kuhnke granted the schools' motion for summary dismissal with prejudice in 2015. The Michigan Court of Appeals upheld her decision in 2016, noting there are "26 different laws specifically referencing 'weapon free school zones.' These four words telegraph an unmistakable objective regarding guns and schools; indeed, we find it hard to imagine a more straightforward expression of legislative will."



But Wong believes that Michigan law permits anyone with a concealed weapon permit to openly carry on school property. And even if the Supreme Court rules in the district's favor, it may not be the end of the fight.



Stead says that the pro-gun Republicans who control the state legislature have three bills targeting school gun bans ready. "They're just sitting tight now," Stead says. "If the Supreme Court rules in our favor, they may advance [legislation] as a retaliatory move."



[Originally published in June, 2018.]







Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has sent greetings to Armenia President Armen Sarkissian as the countries mark the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations, BelTA reported, citing the press service of the Belarusian leader.

June 12, 2018, 14:58 Belarus interested in bolstering all-round partnership with Armenia

STEPANAKERT, JUNE 12, ARTSAKHPRESS: Over a quarter of a century the Belarusian-Armenian relations have acquired a sustainable development dynamic, the countries maintain constructive dialogue. The productive cooperation between the two countries has always relied on solid traditions of friendship and mutual understanding between our nations, the message of greetings reads.



Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that Belarus is eager to continue and enhance all-round partnership with Armenia, including within the framework of integration initiatives and new joint projects in various fields. In his message of greetings to the Belarusian president Armen Sarkissian expressed confidence that the intensive political dialogue, practical steps to unleash the potential of the Armenian-Belarusian interaction, enhancement of the mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation and further expansion of humanitarian ties fully meet the long-term interests of the two countries.Deputy minister of foreign affairs of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan insists Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans approach that Armenia cannot negotiate instead of Artsakh in the negotiations for settling the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

June 12, 2018, 17:13 Artsakhs participation in NK talks is necessity, says Armenia

STEPANAKERT, JUNE 12, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: Speaking to reporters in the parliament today, the deputy FM emphasized that the overwhelming majority of issues which are on the negotiations table relate to Artsakh itself. At least in two issues Armenia cannot negotiate instead of Artsakh. The first relates to the status of Artsakh, the second to the territorial integrity issue of Artsakh. This is at least, however there are other issues also, he said.

Asked in what case and over what issues can Armenia negotiate, Kocharyan stressed that the necessity for negotiations for prevention of military operations shouldnt be forgotten.

If there are no negotiations then the likelihood of resumption of military operations increases. Thats why always remember the platform which relates to the prevention of resumption of military operations, of course Armenia must negotiate, but Armenia cannot negotiate over the issues which are in the dimension of the government of Artsakh, he said.

According to Kocharyan, if Azerbaijan truly wants to have progress in the talks, it should directly negotiate with Stepanakert, instead of pretending that there is no such entity.

A bright example of this is the 1994 trilateral agreement on cessation of military operations. Baku directly began to negotiate with Stepanakert, the treaty was basically ready, Baku suggested Yerevan to join, Yerevan did join, but couldve not, he said.

According to him, Bakus policy is at fault for there not being a possibility for progress in talks today.

When Baku will accept Karabakh as a full negotiations party, we can expect that progress will take place in the negotiations, he said.The annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation took place in Qingdao, on Chinas coast. For the Chinese president, the agreement signed in 2015 represents an important result of multilateralism. India refuses to sign on the Belt and Road Initiative project.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Chinese President Xi Jinping has reassured Iranian President Hassan Rouhani that China will defend the 2015 Iranian nuclear agreement.

The two leaders met yesterday in the Chinese coastal city of Qingdao on the side-lines of the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

The latter was founded in 2001 and now includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Iran is an observer.

On the last day of the meeting, President Xi also called for the "pursuit of cooperation for mutual benefit". This comes just a few hours after US President Donald Trump caused havoc at the G7 summit in Canada and refused to sign the final joint statement.

Talks between Xi and Rouhani centred first and foremost on the controversial decision of the US president to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and impose toughest sanctions in history against the Islamic Republic.

Unlike his US counterpart, the Chinese president said that nuclear deal was a great achievement of multilateralism and must be applied to maintain peace and stability in the Middle East and the non-proliferation regime. Rouhani also urged the big powers to play a positive role in the matter.

For their part, SCO members have established greater collaboration in the fight against Islamic terrorism and in the development of the world economy.

Xi rejected the Cold War mentality and came to the defence of multilateralism in a world where "unilateralism, trade protectionism and a backlash against globalisation are taking new forms".

He also announced that China was providing 30 billion yuan (US.7 billion) to the SCOs banking consortium, emphasising the potential for development through infrastructure projects under Chinas vast Belt and Road Initiative, which includes the construction of ports, roads, and railways in Asia to allow the transit of Chinese goods to Europe.

Among SCO members, only India was the odd man out. For the second time in a few months, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi rejected the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship Belt and Road project that runs through Kashmir, a territory disputed by India and Pakistan.

For Modi, connectivity projects are welcome but they should be inclusive and transparent and respect the sovereignty and priorities of nations.While the Chinese government apparently is not bent upon world conquest or the pursuit of lebensraum, at least at the moment, its true ambitions in the Pacific remain opaque.

They stem from the fact that China is ruled by an authoritarian government that has no democratic legitimacy. The Communist Party of China achieved power through the barrel of a gun and remains in power because of that fact to this day.

ADELAIDE - I do not think that the current concern about the expansion of Chinese influence in the Pacific arises because of fears of a possible invasion of Australia or anywhere else for that matter.

History suggests that nations spending a great deal of money upon their penurious neighbours are not doing so based purely on altruism. There is always a quid pro quo eventually.

Also, we can very certain that China does not intend to be bound by any rules based notion of international relations and that is a major concern.

That said, at least China is a more or less rational actor upon the world stage, which is more than can be said for a Trump led USA.

As for the ongoing invasion of Australia which commenced in 1788, it continues apace. Last year, the net inflow of migrants hit 182,165 or about 123 times as many people who turned up on the first fleet.

Phil Fitzpatrick may be delighted to know that 2,087,800 Australians (10.4% of the population) self-describe as being of Irish descent. No wonder St Patrick's Day is so popular!

In the context of concerns about any possible Chinese invasion, it is noteworthy that 5.6% of the population or 1,213,903 people are of Chinese origin. They are well represented in all facets of Australian life and many are fifth and sixth generation Australians, not recent arrivals.

People of Indian origin now number around 500,000 of the population and this number looks certain to grow rapidly over the next few years. I guess this explains why shops specialising in curries and Chicken tikka masala (strangely, invented in Glasgow and much beloved of white Anglo-Saxons in the UK) are appearing in growing numbers.

So, in a sense, the much feared (by Pauline Hanson et al) Asian invasion has already occurred. Amazingly, the civilised world as we know it has not ended, so Pauline has decided that demonising all Muslims on the basis of the actions of Islamic fascists is the way to go.

So, all in all, we should be welcoming the middle class diaspora from PNG with open arms. What a splendid addition to the mix they will be.

The irony is that, as our nearest neighbours and with many historic links to Australia, Papua New Guineans have been amongst the last to join the invaders.

They have perhaps been too polite for their own good and, as their own country falls into apparently terminal decline, maybe now is the best possible time to bang on our door and ask to join us.

We can just chuck another snag on the barbie and welcome them to their new home, just like we have been doing for the last 200 years or so.Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Gasgoo summarizes part of Chinese automakers' sales in May as below. Apart from Changan Auto, GAC Group and JAC Motors, other automakers achieved year-on-year growth last month. SAIC Motor remained to be the champion title-holder by monthly sales. It the noteworthy that Geely Auto sported both year-on-year and month-on-month sales surge of over 40%.

SAIC Motor

SAIC Motor delivered 574,430 vehicles in May with a year-on-year sales increase of 14.8%. Over the first five months, its cumulative sales rose 11.6% from a year ago to 2,965,960 units.

The top 3 subsidiaries by May sales were SAIC Volkswagen, SAIC-GM-Wuling, and SAIC-GM with 492,329 units handed over in total, accounting for around 86% of the group's total monthly sales. Apart from Naveco and Sunwin Bus, the other subsidiaries all achieved year-on-year sales growth last month. Especially, SAIC-CP sported a year-on-year leap up to 111.5% to 2,155 units.

Dongfeng Motor

Dongfeng Motor Corporation (Dongfeng Motor) announced on June 8 that its year-to-date sales reached 1,606,700 units by the end of May, up by 4.36% from the previous year and achieving year-on-year growth for 3 months in a row. The cumulative deliveries of passenger vehicles (PV) and commercial vehicles (CV) grew 3.99% and 6.32% over a year ago to 1,347,600 units and 259,100 units. Besides, a total of 6,500 electric vehicles (EV) were delivered through May.

Dongfeng Motor sported a year-on-year sales growth of 5.49% with 311,400 vehicles delivered in May. Its monthly PV sales totaled 257,500 units, increasing 5.39% over the year-ago period. Around 53,900 CVs were handed over to customers last month, rising 5.95% from the previous year.

Changan Auto

Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Ltd (Changan Auto) delivered 174,190 vehicles in May, suffering a year-on-year drop of 11.3% and a month-on-month decline of 6.7%. For the first five months, the automaker saw its cumulative sales reaching 1,019,208 units. Besides, the automaker delivered a total of 7,050 EVs last month, according to the data the company released on June 9.

Changan Ford suffered a year-on-year slump of 49.2% with 30,366 vehicles delivered in May. From January to May, the company witnessed its aggregate deliveries reaching 198,617 units. Changan Mazda's May sales reached 15,812 units, rising 12.5% year on year, while edging down 2.6% month on month. Moreover, Jiangling Motors Holding sported a year-on-year jump of 23.2% in May with a sales volume up to 33,462 units and boasted a month-on-month growth of 18.4% as well.

GAC Group

GAC Group delivered a total of 837,817 vehicles for the first five months, achieving a year-on-year growth of 5.72% and its monthly sales were 165,070 units in May.

GAC Group posted a passenger vehicle (PV) sales volume of 164,565 units last month. By the end of May, the group has achieved a sales volume of 835,865 PVs in 2018 with a year-on-year increase of 5.55%. With regard to segments, the deliveries of sedans and SUVs reached 73,677 units and 84,019 units in May. From January to May, 359,527 units of sedans were delivered with a year-on-year jump of 12.3%. Meanwhile, the year-to-date SUV deliveries were up to 447,299 units, accounting for 53% of the company's total cumulative deliveries.

Geely Auto

Geely Auto's monthly sales reached 123,068 vehicles in May, zooming 61% year on year. Over the first five months, its cumulative deliveries leaped 44% from a year ago to 638,181 units, which has completed 40% of its 2018 sales target of 1.58 million units, the company reported on June 6.

Through May, the sales of the Borui and the Boyue totaled 132,099 units. The Jan-May sales of the Emgrand family reached 240,094 units. Besides, 219,890 units of the Vision family were delivered for the first five months. Moreover, the May sales of the Lynk & Co 01 set a new high of 9,234 units.

Great Wall Motor

Great Wall Motor (GWM) posted May sales of 70,900 units with a slight year-on-year decrease of 2.85%. To be specific, sales of SUVs reached 58,700 units, representing a slight growth of 0.51% over the previous year. During the past five months, GWM's cumulative sales totaled 409,300 units with a year-on-year increase of 3.29%.

In May, Haval's SUVs except the H9 all suffered sales decline to different degrees. The total sales of Haval SUVs reached 47,610 units, slumping 18.46% year on year. Meanwhile, GWM's high-end brand WEY suffered substantial sales drop for both the VV5 and the VV7. The total sales of both models only reached 10,576 units in May. Specifically, deliveries of the VV5 and the VV7 reached 5,562 units and 5,014 units respectively in May.

Chery Auto

Chery Automobile sold 65,593 vehicles in May, seeing a year-on-year jump of 26.6%. Last month, its vehicle export volume reached 15,020 units, surging 48.6% from a year ago, according to the company's sales report.

As to brands, Chery brand delivered 38,758 units with an increase of 17.5% on an annual basis. Chery Jaguar Land Rover handed over 7,037 units in May, achieving a slight growth of 3.4% from the same period last year. Sales of commercial vehicles reached 11,243 units, soaring 100.7% year on year. Qoros' monthly deliveries in May reached a new high of 7,028 units, skyrocketing 538.7% over the same period last year.

BYD Auto

BYD reported its sales of 37,780 units in May, seeing a slight growth compared to last month. The cumulative sales through May reached 186,920 units. Specifically, fuel-powered vehicles' May sales and YTD sales reached 23,539 units and 129,124 units respectively. Deliveries of new energy vehicles (NEV) totaled 14,241 units in May, and NEV's cumulative sales reached 57,796 units till the end of May.

As to fuel-powered vehicles, sales of sedan, SUV and MPV reached 4,634 units, 4,620 units and 14,285 units respectively in May. Generally speaking, BYD's fuel-powered vehicles suffered unstable sales performance during the past five months. In January, its sales reached 35,008 units, but declined to 17,916 units in February. In March, BYD saw sales revival of fuel-powered vehicles to nearly 30,000 units. During March and May, BYD posted stable sales performance. Particularly, sales gap between April and May was less than 100 units.

JAC Motors

JAC Motors delivered a total of 35,096 vehicles and chassis in May with a year-on-year drop of 2.82%. From January to May, the cumulative sales of the automaker's vehicles and chassis reached 223,782 units, declining 6.68% from a year ago.

In addition, JAC Motors exported 5,843 vehicles in total, achieving a year-on-year jump of 22.86%. By the end of May, the automaker's year-to-date export volume grew 5.8% from the previous year to 33,364 units.Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely) and China Aerospace Science & Industry Corp. (CASIC) had a discussion on June 8 about industrial cooperation and the commercialization of aerospace research achievements.

CASIC is willing to make full use of its merits in aeronautic defense, intelligent manufacturing and industrial connectivity and integrate them with Geely's mature marketing capability and commercialized operation so as to industrialize the research achievements and generate economy benefits, according to Gao Hongwei, chairman of CASIC.

At the meeting, both parties decided to start cooperation as soon as possible in such areas as industrial connectivity and hyperloop train, a new, futuristic type of transport which would operate via supersonic "near ground flight". Besides, they discussed the potential to extend collaboration in developing self-driving system, vehicle-mounted chip, automotive blockchain application, IoV (Internet of Vehicles) etc.

Geely recently had frequent moves in high-speed rail field. On June 7, the Hangzhou-based company and Chinese Internet giant Tencent won the joint bidding to obtain 49% equity in Bullet Train Network Technology Co.,Ltd (Bullet Train Network), which offers Wi-Fi service to high-speed rail passengers across China.

In addition to provide railway passengers with Wi-Fi access, Geely and Tencent will join force with China Railway Corporation (China Railway) and its affiliated companies to build a one-stop platform offering various value-added services throughout China's high-speed rail network, such as ticket, shopping, tourism and catering, etc., according to Geely's announcement.The release of the Mister Rogers documentary, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" calls to mind the essential message of Rogers' long-running children's program, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." Fred McFeely Rogers , who died in 2003, was also an ordained Presbyterian minister. Over the course of three decades on public broadcasting, he brought to millions of children what his faith's General Assembly referred to as "unconditional love."

In preaching love, Rogers wasn't just attending to the moral character of his youthful audience. He believed that he was also promoting their health. As he said in 1979 , "My whole approach in broadcasting has always been, 'You are an important person just the way you are. You can make healthy decisions.' Maybe I'm going on too long, but I just feel that anything that allows a person to be more active in the control of his or her life, in a healthy way, is important."

Since Rogers' death, evidence has mounted that he was on to something  namely, that love and kindness truly are healthful, and that people who express them regularly really do lead healthier lives. Simply put, people who are generous and volunteer their time for the benefit of others seem to be happier than those who don't, and happy people tend to have fewer health complaints and live longer than those who are unhappy.

Love gave rise to a calling

Born in Pennsylvania in 1928, as a young minister Rogers regretted the messages television was conveying to children in the 1960s. He said , "I went into television because I hated it so, and I thought there's some way of using this fabulous instrument to nurture those who would watch and listen." "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" debuted nationally in 1968 and won its creator and host many accolades , including a Presidential Medal of Freedom, two Peabody Awards, and over 40 honorary degrees.

Rogers believed that the need to love and be loved was universal, and he sought to cultivate these capacities through every program, saying in a 2004 documentary hosted by actor Michael Keaton, one of his former stagehands, "You know, I think everybody longs to be loved, and longs to know that he or she is lovable. And consequently, the greatest thing we can do is to help somebody know they're loved and capable of loving."

Love and health

As it turns out, there are many ways in which love and kindness are good for health. For one thing, they tend to reduce factors that undermine it. Doing something nice for someone causes the release of endorphins, which help to relieve pain. People who make kindness a habit have lower levels of stress hormones such as cortisol. Intentionally helping others can even lower levels of anxiety in individuals who normally avoid social situations.

Carrying out acts of kindness, or even merely witnessing them, also increases levels of oxytocin , a hormone with health benefits as diverse as lowering blood pressure, promoting good sleep and reducing cravings for drugs such as cocaine and alcohol. That oxytocin should have so many health benefits is not so surprising when we recall its central role in stimulating uterine contractions during birth, the letdown of milk during lactation, the pleasure associated with orgasm and pair bonding.

Acts of generosity and compassion also appear to be good for mood. A 2010 study showed that while people with money tend to be somewhat happier than those without it, people who spend money on others report even greater levels of happiness, an effect that can be detected even in toddlers. When people give money to others, areas of the brain associated with pleasure are activated, and this response is greater when the transfer is voluntary rather than mandatory.

Such happiness can have big benefits in longevity. For example, a review of 160 published studies concluded that there is compelling evidence that life satisfaction and optimism are associated with better health and enhanced longevity. Another study of older people showed that, even after correcting for other factors such as age, disease and health habits, those who rated their happiness highest were 35 percent less likely to die in five years than those who were least content.

What would Mister Rogers say?

Of course, Rogers would remind us that there are reasons to be committed to love and kindness that extend far beyond their health benefits. Rogers was, after all, not a physician but a minister, and ultimately he was ministering to an aspect of human wholeness that cannot be analyzed by blood tests or visualized with CT scans. In a commencement address at Dartmouth College in 2002, he focused less on the body than what he might have called the spirit:

"When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed."

When Rogers encouraged children to be kinder and more loving, he believed that he was not only promoting public health but also nurturing the most important part of a human being  the part that exhibits a divine spark. As Rogers indicated in another commencement speech the year before at Middlebury College, "I believe that appreciation is a holy thing, that when we look for what's best in the person we happen to be with at the moment, we're doing what God does; so in appreciating our neighbor, we're participating in something truly sacred."

In expressing such deeply religious sentiments, Rogers was not trying to undermine a concern with bodily health. In fact, he regularly encouraged his viewers to adopt healthy life habits, and Rogers himself was a committed vegetarian and lifelong swimmer who maintained a low body weight his entire life. Yet he also believed that health alone does not a full life make, and he regarded the soundness of the body as but part of the wellness of whole persons and communities, which may explain why he was able to face his own mortality with such equanimity.

Just a few months before he died, Rogers recorded a message for the many adult fans who had grown up watching "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." In it, he practiced what he preached, saying:

"I would like to tell you what I often told you when you were much younger. I like you just the way you are. And what's more, I'm so grateful to you for helping the children in your life to know that you'll do everything you can to keep them safe. And to help them express their feelings in ways that will bring healing in many different neighborhoods. It's such a good feeling to know that we're lifelong friends."

This article originally published at The Conversation hereShanghai (Gasgoo)- In May, China SUV market experienced YoY sales increase of 6.8% to 768,100 units. During the first five months, the cumulative SUV sales reached 4,250,200 units with a YoY growth of 11.8%.

Thanks to high cost-efficiency, China's self-owned SUV models have taken up large market shares in the SUV market. However, as more and more stylish SUV products were introduced into the Chinese market, and prices of JV SUVs were reduced, self-owned SUVs such as the Haval H6, the Baojun 510, the Trumpchi GS4 and the Roewe RX5 suffered YoY sales slide to different degrees.

Although the Haval H6 was the best-seller in May, it saw continued sales skid for four consecutive months. The sales skid was mainly caused by the competition from its rivals as well as the Haval H4. Due to the shaft malfunctioning last year, the Trumpchi GS4, which were once the second best-selling SUV model in the Chinese market, underwent sales slide from then on. The facelift of the Trumpchi GS4, which will hit the market on June 16, is expected to drive sales momentum in the future.

In SUV segment, the outstanding German-branded SUV models are relatively rare. Volkswagen introduced a relatively small quantity of SUV models into the Chinese market. With the market competition growing increasingly intense, the Volkswagen Tiguan suffered YoY sales decrease of 15.9% to 26,385 units in May. To hit the market in July, the Volkswagen T-ROC is probably another extremely popular model of Volkswagen. In the near future, Volkswagen will introduce more models at a quicker pace.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.China Touts Capabilities of New ICBM



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A year ago, special education parents protested to the San Dieguito Union High School District board, handing over a petition demanding an overhaul of the districts special education program and advocating for inclusion and fair and equal facilities. As a result of their continued efforts, the district listened and respondedthe Adult Transition Program was moved out of the portables at Earl Warren and into a permanent home at La Costa Canyon High School and the Special Education Task Force was formed last fall, parents working together with district teachers and administrators to determine a better path forward.

Nearly a year to the date when protesters filled the board room, jeers turned to cheers with the passing of the task force developed special education strategic plan on June 7.

The year hasnt always been a smooth roadsome parents questioned the survey data used by the task force and others spoke out about the use of substitutes with the unexplained absence of a teacher in the ATP classroom.But as parent task force members Sophy Chaffee and Karen Rusnak said, they are hoping to put the dark days of special education behind them and look ahead with a plan that that emphasizes that all special education students are general education students first.

Inclusion will elevate each and every students ability, performance and character to a higher standard for a possible new norm, Rusnak said. Clinging to the past often allows for blame. When we talk about the past it is not about change, its about trying to understand what happened. Forgiveness means letting go of the hope for a better past.

Associate Superintendent of Administrative Services Mark Miller said the open and honest feedback from district parents has resulted in a truly transformative plan.

The task force made up of parents, teachers and administrators, transition specialists and staff met for 10 sessions over eight months, led by facilitator Maureen OLeary Burness. Those parents involved donated over 40 hours of time.

It was a pleasure to work with a range of passionate and caring people, OLeary Burness said.

Task forcer member Cara Dolnik, outgoing principal at Carmel Valley Middle School and new principal at Diegueno Middle School, said there were some lively discussions and debates but everyone listened to each other and came together around the common goal of doing what is best for the students.

The plan focuses on goals of improving transitions to college and career, communication, curriculum and programs, professional development and staffing, inclusion and meaningful student involvement, and accountability and oversight. It calls for standards-aligned content and high quality learning environments, support and participation through mainstreaming and reverse mainstreaming as well as elective and extracurricular opportunities for all students.

Besides the formal goals, Dolnik said the task force also imbedded goals around social and emotional well-being, consistent data collection to inform individual education program (IEP) teams on progress, goals and services, parent communication, and involvement and ability awareness training for all.

Our work this year has been a phenomenal example of the power of collaboration, communication and teamwork and ensuring that all voices were heard, Dolnik said. We hope that the board and district will fully commit to our vision so that the special education department can move forward and improve the delivery and services to all students with IEPs.

Parent Lucile Lynch thanked the task force members for their work and the district and board for listening when they came out to protest and advocate for their children. She called out trustees John Salazar and Mo Muir for being true advocates for the special education community.

Lynch was most excited about the new home for ATP planned as part of the reconstruction of Sunset High School set to begin next year. After being in portables for two decades, Lynch said the ATP program will finally have the space it deserves with its own classrooms, access to a kitchen classroom, access to an outdoor area for fitness and access to an auditorium.

Diversity is being asked to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance, Lynch said, quoting author and activist Verna Myers. I hope that as this program moves forward that measures are put in place to make that happen.

Melanie Landers, a parent of a student with special needs, said she was glad that the district listened and but she remained cautiously optimistic as many of the reforms have been parent priorities for the last several years.

If this plan ultimately culminates in things being implemented I think it will be incredibly positive but some of my concerns are that I didnt see a lot of real quantifiable measures or commitment to implementation dates, Landers said.

Miller said the plan does include specific action steps with identifiable timelines and measureable objectives for assessment, as recommended by the task force. He said the plan ensures each goal is implemented in a specific, methodical, and consistent manner.

It is my hope that our community honors the work of this task force and allows district staff and site leaders the time to implement the plan, Miller said.

Some of the task forces recommendations have already been put into actionfor the ATP program, the James Standfield curriculum has been purchased and is being implemented, supplemental materials have been purchased and staff is working with local businesses to identify ways to expand vocational opportunities. Miller is working with feeder districts to address the sometimes challenging transition into the district from sixth grade and some task force recommendations have been incorporated into the 2018-19 budget, including the additions of a speech therapist, functional life teacher and occupational therapist.

To help improve communication, the first special education parent newsletter has been produced and the district will promote a special education parent handbook that will provide information about the continuum of services available in the district.

In voting to support the plan, trustee Amy Herman said she was encouraged by the districts progress.

Im really hopeful that we can move forward together and serve our special education students better, that this really begins a new chapter for our district, Herman said.Subscriber content preview

It seems more Americans are working in gig jobs, but a new government report suggests that it hasn't changed much.



By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON  Look around, and it seems more Americans are working outside traditional full-time jobs  whether as freelance graphic designers or independent contractors or Uber drivers.

Or maybe not. A government report last week suggested that the proportion of such jobs hasn't budged in the past decade. Yet the data carries limitations that indicate there's still plenty we don't know about the evolving U.S. job market.





. . .Subscriber content preview

Ford says it will offer details soon. The station will anchor Corktown, a neighborhood with trendy bars and restaurants.



DETROIT (AP)  Owners of Detroit's vacant, hulking 105-year-old Michigan Central Station announced Monday that they've sold the iconic symbol of Detroit's fall from greatness to Ford Motor Co. for redevelopment.

Matthew Moroun, son of building owner Manuel Matty Moroun, said Dearborn-based Ford's Blue Oval logo will adorn the building. The announcement came in front of the 500,000-square-foot, 18-story station that closed in 1988.





. . .Subscriber content preview

Image by Port of Seattle [enlarge] The port plans to add a 60,000-square-foot industrial building on the property.





As planned, the Port of Seattle has paid almost $15.7 million for Salmon Bay Marina, at 2100 W. Commodore Way. King County recorded the sale on Friday.





. . .Subscriber content preview

SEATTLE  A small apartment building at 4711 Ravenna Ave. N.E. has sold for $2.2 million, according to King County records. The seller was Rustic Properties LLC, which acquired the property in 2009 for almost $1.4 million.

The buyer was The Donellen Apartments LLC, which is associated with ADCO Properties and the Loeb family.





. . .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.

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By National Review , June 11 , 2018





Lets take some of the best public high schools in the United States and tweak their admissions policies, argues New York City mayor Bill de Blasio. Instead of admitting students solely by merit, de Blasio says, they should accept the top 7 percent of students from every middle school in New York City.

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Dear @IlhanMN,



I hear you plan to go on a fact-finding tour of Israel. In fact, Israel is doing pretty well. Its, Somalia, your native country, that could truly use your formidable skills. Maybe you could use your frequent flyer miles and swing by.

By National Review , June 07 , 2018





President Trump said on Thursday that it will not be acceptable for North Korea to avoid giving up its nuclear weapons.





They have to denuke. If they dont denuclearize that will not be acceptable, Trump told reporters at a White House meeting with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.





The president left the door open to levying more sanctions against North Korea, and promised that the current, extraordinarily powerful sanctions would remain in place.

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Duke Energy has been powering South Carolina for more than a century, and continues to empower the minds of its students and the workforce of the future by investing in innovative education programs and initiatives.

Emphasizing the importance of workforce development, literacy and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Duke Energy recently awarded more than $660,000 in grants to 16 programs across the Palmetto State.

The grants are administered through the Duke Energy Foundation, which provides philanthropic support to communities served by Duke Energy, with a focus on "K to Career" educational and workforce development initiatives, the environment and community impact.

"Our 'K to Career' grants go to a diverse group of organizations across our state that are dedicated to training the workforce of the future and giving our young people the skills they will need to lead our state in the years to come," said Kodwo Ghartey-Tagoe, South Carolina state president for Duke Energy.

Recipients this year include:

AIM : To support workforce training programs that help equip individuals with the necessary skills to earn a livable wage and develop self-sufficiency.

: To support workforce training programs that help equip individuals with the necessary skills to earn a livable wage and develop self-sufficiency. Anderson Districts 1 & 2 Career and Technology Center : To support programs designed to educate students in robotics design, programming and use in industry.

: To support programs designed to educate students in robotics design, programming and use in industry. Clemson University Women in Science/Programs for Educational Enrichment and Retention (PEER) : To provide continued support to programs that provide camps for minority engineering majors, and to provide camps, encouragement and support to women pursuing careers in science and math.

: To provide continued support to programs that provide camps for minority engineering majors, and to provide camps, encouragement and support to women pursuing careers in science and math. Francis Marion University : To support the expansion of the university's engineering program to include mechanical engineering.



"Duke Energy continues to be one of our strongest industry partners, and we're delighted that they've chosen to support the development of our mechanical engineering program," said Francis Marion University President Fred Carter. "This type of donation enhances the opportunity for students throughout this region to receive an incomparable education in a dynamic field, at a reasonable cost."

: To support the expansion of the university's engineering program to include mechanical engineering. "Duke Energy continues to be one of our strongest industry partners, and we're delighted that they've chosen to support the development of our mechanical engineering program," said Francis Marion University President Fred Carter. "This type of donation enhances the opportunity for students throughout this region to receive an incomparable education in a dynamic field, at a reasonable cost." Northeastern Technical College : To help ramp up the college's electrical technician program to help meet the need for electrical technicians in Chesterfield, Marlboro and Dillon counties.

: To help ramp up the college's electrical technician program to help meet the need for electrical technicians in Chesterfield, Marlboro and Dillon counties. Public Education Partners : To continue and expand an innovative program that provides a pathway into the teaching profession for people with bachelor's degrees in math and science.

: To continue and expand an innovative program that provides a pathway into the teaching profession for people with bachelor's degrees in math and science. Roper Mountain Science Center : To expand STEM-based learning labs to students in Anderson, Pickens and Spartanburg counties.

: To expand STEM-based learning labs to students in Anderson, Pickens and Spartanburg counties. South Carolina Robotics Education Foundation : To help students develop STEM skills by expanding FIRST Tech Challenge robotics teams to Title 1 schools throughout Duke Energy's service territory.

: To help students develop STEM skills by expanding Tech Challenge robotics teams to Title 1 schools throughout Duke Energy's service territory. South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities : To provide scholarships for STEM majors at independent colleges and universities in Duke Energy service areas.

: To provide scholarships for STEM majors at independent colleges and universities in Duke Energy service areas. South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind : To support the Really Cool for My School Book Club, a literacy initiative that helps to foster the love of reading for students by supplying large print and braille books to take home.



"The Duke Energy Foundation's support of our Really Cool for My School Book Club enables us to continue to provide a critical component of our literacy initiative here at the school," said Ann Akerman, the CEO for the S.C. School for the Deaf and the Blind Foundation. "Ensuring that children have accessible reading materials including large print and braille is imperative to a child's ability to learn to read. Together we are providing important resources to ensure a solid foundation for tomorrow's leaders."

: To support the Really Cool for My School Book Club, a literacy initiative that helps to foster the love of reading for students by supplying large print and braille books to take home. "The Duke Energy Foundation's support of our Really Cool for My School Book Club enables us to continue to provide a critical component of our literacy initiative here at the school," said Ann Akerman, the CEO for the S.C. School for the Deaf and the Blind Foundation. "Ensuring that children have accessible reading materials including large print and braille is imperative to a child's ability to learn to read. Together we are providing important resources to ensure a solid foundation for tomorrow's leaders." Spartanburg Community College : To address regional workforce development issues in Cherokee County for individuals who have barriers to employment.

: To address regional workforce development issues in Cherokee County for individuals who have barriers to employment. Tri-County Technical College : To support hands-on training in partnership with School District of Oconee County for students in engineering and mechatronics.

: To support hands-on training in partnership with School District of Oconee County for students in engineering and mechatronics. United Way of Pickens County : To continue and expand the successful "Camp iRock" summer literacy program.

: To continue and expand the successful "Camp iRock" summer literacy program. Upcountry History Museum : To support hands-on literacy adventures that will take visitors on a journey around the world as they explore faraway places and cultures through beloved classic stories.

: To support hands-on literacy adventures that will take visitors on a journey around the world as they explore faraway places and cultures through beloved classic stories. Upstate Warrior Solution : To support workforce development for Upstate veterans by teaching them skills that will allow them to enter the civilian workforce at a livable wage.

: To support workforce development for Upstate veterans by teaching them skills that will allow them to enter the civilian workforce at a livable wage. Youthlink: To support afterschool programs with an explicit goal to provide students with project-based STEM experiences for economically disadvantaged and underrepresented elementary and middle school students.

The Foundation annually funds more than $33 million to communities throughout Duke Energy's seven-state service area. In 2017, the company donated more than $2 million to nonprofit organizations in South Carolina.

About Duke Energy Foundation

The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to address the needs of communities where its customers live and work. The Foundation contributes more than $33 million annually in charitable gifts.

The Foundation's education focus spans kindergarten to career - particularly science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) - as well as early childhood literacy and workforce development. The Foundation also supports environmental projects and community impact initiatives, including arts and culture.

Duke Energy employees and retirees actively contribute to their communities as volunteers and leaders with a wide variety of nonprofit organizations. Duke Energy is committed to building on its legacy of community service. For more information, visit duke-energy.com/foundation.

The Duke Energy Foundation is part of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK).

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S., with approximately 29,000 employees and a generating capacity of 49,500 megawatts. The company is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing its energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding its natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves.

A Fortune 125 company, Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2018 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' 2018 "America's Best Employers" list.

Contact:

Ryan Mosier

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June 12, 2018

Wheres the Coverage? Hezbollah Helps Hamas Build Terror Camps, Israel Calls for U.N. Help



Hezbollah, the Lebanese-based, Iranian-backed terrorist group is helping Hamas build rocket factories and terror training camps in southern Lebanon, according to a Jerusalem Post report. Hezbollahs assistance violates several United Nations Security Council Resolutions. But it does not, apparently, merit news coverage.

A June 10, 2018 dispatch by Jerusalem Post military correspondent Anne Ahronheim noted that Israel has called for the U.N. to intervene. Israels Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said:

Hamas is strengthening its ties with Hezbollah. With the approval and support of Iran, Hamas is working to establish its capabilities in Lebanese territory as well. The cooperation between Hezbollah and Hamas crosses borders. Israel does not intend to sit idly when facing new and old threats and will do whatever is necessary to protect its citizens.?

Like Hezbollah, Hamas is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. Both groups call for Israels destruction and are fiercely antisemitic and anti-American.

Israel noted that Hezbollahs decision to aid the Gaza Strip-based Hamas violates UNSCR 1701 which, among other things, calls for the full implementation of the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, and of resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006), that require the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon, so that, pursuant to the Lebanese cabinet decision of 27 July 2006, there will be no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than that of the Lebanese State.?

That is, Hezbollahs decisionindeed the existence of Hezbollah itself in Lebanon, where it exerts de facto control of the governmentis a violation of the Taif Accords, and other United Nations resolutions.

As CAMERA noted in a March 28, 2018 Washington Examiner Op-Ed entitled Israel may be facing a five-front war,? Iran and its terror proxies, including Hezbollah and Hamas, may be preparing to attack the Jewish state from several different fronts. Yet, the media has largely ignored this growing security challenge. Many major U.S. news outlets, including The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, Politico, and others, failed to report Israels request for U.N. intervention.

Hezbollah has a long history of working with and training Palestinian terrorist groups. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) trained Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as CAMERA documented in a May 16, 2018 Jerusalem Post Op-Ed (How the PLO Helped Create Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards?). The IRGC itself trainedindeed, largely createdHezbollah, which later worked with the Guards to train operatives from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and al-Qaeda in Lebanons Bekka Valley. As Ronen Bergman recounted in his 2018 book Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israels Targeted Assassinations, Hezbollah passed its knowledge of suicide and car bombingsemployed in Lebanon in the 1980sto the other terrorist groups.

The head of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, declared on May 22, 2018 that his group had excellent? relations with Hezbollah. The presswhich at the time was busy omitting Hamass role in orchestrating violent demonstrations at the Israel-Gaza borderlargely failed to report Sinwars comments and also downplayed Irans support for the violent protests? which themselves mimicked a tactic employed by Hezbollah on Israels northern border on May 15, 2011 (The Palestinian Return March: A Futile Publicity Stunt,? Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, March 28, 2018).

Posted by SD at June 12, 2018 03:54 PM

Complaining to the UN is useless. What direct action, if any, should Israel take?

Posted by: Guahan at July 3, 2018 11:05 AM

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This is a moderated blog. We will not post comments that include racism, bigotry, threats, or factually inaccurate material.

Post a commentDetails of Turkeys Canal Istanbul

Turkey continues its landmark projects, including an artificial sea-level waterway, Canal Istanbul, which will be parallel to the Bosphorus and will connect the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara.

President Erdogan frequently speaks of the Canal Istanbul project and during a television interview on June 8 he described the project as a strategic one. It is a strategic project. One who does not understand Canal Istanbul project can neither understand Istanbul nor Turkey Erdogan said. Similarly, Prime Minister Binali Yldrm also recently stressed that the Canal Istanbul project is indeed a strategic project rather than a recreation project.

TRAFFIC RELIEF BETWEEN BLACK SEA AND SEA OF MARMARA

Canal Istanbul is strategic as it will not only provide relief to shipping traffic at the Bosphorus but also provide safe passage for the ships. The project is going to be the citys largest project and the construction of the mega project would begin in his new term after election.

The 45-kilometer (nearly 28 miles) canal, which will be built in Istanbul's Kucukcekmece-Sazlidere-Durusu corridor, is to boast a capacity of 160 vessels a day and is scheduled to be completed by 2023 at a cost of approximately $15 billion. The project is going to be built through build-operate-transfer finance model.

MORE MANEUVER SPACE FOR SHIPS

According to the information obtained by Anadolu Agency from Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning, the depth of the canal will be nearly 25 kilometers (16 miles) and the width will change from 250 meters to 1,000 meters allowing maneuver space for the ships.

The measurements of ships that would pass through the new Canal Istanbul have also been determined. In this context, a shuttle tanker with 275-meter length and 48-meter width would be allowed to carry maximum 145,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT), while A 340-meter long and 48.2-meter width container ship would carry maximum 120,000 DWT.Turkish Chief of Staff follows Turkeys Qandil operation closely

Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar visited to the Turkish-Iraqi border to get acquainted with the course of military operations in northern Iraq.

Turkey launched an operation in the Qandil mountains in northern Iraq on Monday to clear PKK terrorists in the area and to evict PKK leadership. Qandil mountains in Iraq's Irbil province are being used as the headquarters of PKK. President Erdogan had announced the operation during his rally, saying the main aim was to drain the terrorist group's swamps in the area.

Accompanied by force commanders, Turkish Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar inspected the operation. Akar noted that, the beginning of Turkey's military operation against the PKK is the beginning of the end of the PKK terrorists.

According to the statement made by General Staff of Turkey, Turkish Air Force, using 20 aircraft, destroyed 12 bases of the PKK terrorists in northern Iraq within the scope of the operation.This item is available in full to subscribers.

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Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.Written by ACM



*Strasbourg/EU-Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- One among the most Experienced and Long-Time EU Parliament's vice-Presidents, from the Governing Party in the Biggest EU Member Country : that of ChristianDemocrats/EPP in Germany (CDU), MEP Rained Wieland, speaking to "Eurofora", Welcomed the forthcoming, Crucial USA - North Korea Summit on Nuclear Peace+.



New USA President Don Trump and Northern Korea's President Kim Jong-un have notoriously scheduled to Hold an UnPrecedented Summit in Singapore, on Early Morning of Tuesday, 12 of June 2018, for the preparation of which they have already arrived at an Archipelago's island.



Curiously, the EU Parliament's Plenary Session, which just Starts this Week in Strasbourg, has not yet scheduled any forseeable Debate on that Crucial Summit for Nuclear Peace+, (even if the G7 Summit in Canada is due to be Debated as Part of MEPs' Discussions and Votes on the forthcoming, EU Brussels' Summit, at the End of June in Brussels).



However, Wieland, who holds a Record for being Constantly re-Elected by EU Parliament as vice-President, 4 Times in a Row, during almost a Decade now, (since 2009), was Brief and Concise, but Clearly Positive, in Hailing that Exceptional Event :



- "I think that it's certainly a Good thing that they Meet !", already stressed the EU Parliament's vice-President, in Reply to a relevant "Eurofora"s Question on the Trump - Kim forthcoming crucial encounter at Singapore, later this Same Week. - Modestly, However, vice-President Wieland, (who has been also Dealing with "Development" and "ACP" Issues during Recent Years), told "Eurofora" that he "has no special proficiency on Foreign Policy issues", in general, speaking on that Singapore Summit just because of the Nuclear Peace prospects' interest also for European Citizens.



----------------



+ Meanwhile, concerning specifically the Korean Issue, one of his German-Speaking Collegues and Friends, ChristianDemocrat/EPP Collegues from Neighbouring Austria, Paul Rubig, has Recently been much More Explicit in Strasbourg about the still Evolving Diplomatic Peace Efforts :



- Rubig, another Experienced, Long-Time, mainstream MEP, who is also vice-President of EU's Delegation to the Korean Peninsula in general, and had Organized, as Early as, Already since the Autumn of 2017 an Intyeresting and Pioneer PanEuropean Debate in Strasbourg with South Korea's Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the EU, (See "Eurofora"s Interview of the South Korean Ambassador in EU Parliament, on this occasion, at : ...), even if that Meeting had occured at a particularly Harsh and Tense Moment, full of Adverse Tension and Wide Concerns for an eventual Dangerous Clash, Nevertheless, he was apparently the First Top European/International Politician to Dare Express a Voluntaristic Hope, Foreseeing the Possibility of a largely Positive Outcome at the Horizon :



- "Don't be Surprized if you might, eventually, See, sooner or later, even some Spectacular Moves for Peace and even towards ReUnification in the Korean Peninsula" :



- "We, also, in Europe, could Not even Dream to See what happened, Back from 1989, about the Peaceful ReUnification of Germany, and with the rest of Central-Eastern European Countries, Rubig had Astonishingly Prognosticated at a numerous but Surprized Audience, which was Facing, then, on the Contrary, various Rumours about alleged Threats for one or another Destructive and Dangerous Miiltary and/or even Nuclear Clash, there...



+ And, Later-on, when News about South and North Korean Countries' Deal to Desescalate Tensions at least during the International Olympic Games scheduled for Februrary 2018, MEP Rubig, who is also Regularly Organizing the Symbolic venue of Christmas' Light from Bethleem to EU Parliament in Strasbourg each December (this time with the Participation of New EU Parliament's President Antonio Tajani from Italy), speaking to "Eurofora" as early as, already since that December 2017, had clearly Expressed his Hope and Belief that this was Not going to remain just a Short-Lived Move, but was due, according to him, to become rather the Beginning of a whole Series of various such Moves towards Peace during 2018.



Experienced Top MEP Rubig's point, Later Proved to be quite Premonitory, despite several Problems, at least during this 1st Part of the Year 2018, whose 2nd Part will see the rotating Chairmanship of the EU taken over, from July to December 2018, by his Country, Austria, whose new Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz, is notoriously considered to be close to US Presdident Don Trump, (Comp. various Kurz's Statements to "Eurofora", during EU Summits in Brussels, as, f.ex., at ... + ..., etc).



Meanwhile, in addition to South Korea's new President Moon Jae-in, and various Others, it's, UnExpectedly, even the "Socialist" former US President Jimmy Carter who is on record for reportedly proposing to Nominate Trump, in case of a Succesful Singapore US - N.Korea Summit, to be Awarded the NOBEL Peace Prize...





(../..)This Page Is Under Construction - Coming Soon!

Why am I seeing this 'Under Construction' page?The bill commits up to $20 million to help farmers reduce phosphorous runoff

By Diego Flammini

Staff Writer

Farms.com

Lawmakers voted to pass a bill that would provide Ohios ag industry with financial support to reduce phosphorus runoff into Lake Erie.

Ohio senators unanimously approved Senate Bill 299, also known as Clean Lake 2020 on June 6. The bill outlines funding measures to help reduce nutrient runoff by 40 percent by 2025.

Clean Lake 2020 allocates up to $36 million in government investments, including a total of up to $20 million to support state departments that create programs to help limit phosphorus runoff.

Local farmers are pleased with the bills progress.

The governments decision to support the legislation provides both environmental and financial benefits, one producer said.

Farmers are the worlds first environmentalists. We depend on having clean water and its our role to make sure the land we have is available for the next generation, Karl Wedemeyer, a dairy producer from Marion County, Ohio, told Farms.com today.

From an economic standpoint, if we can keep the nutrients in the ground where we need them, it reduces our input costs.

Ohio grain organizations also applauded the Senates decision.

The health of Lake Erie has been a priority for Ohio grain farmers for many years, and they have invested their own dollars in research and education programs in an effort to be part of the solution, said Allen Armstrong, president of the Ohio Soybean Association, the Norwalk Reflector reports . Clean Lake 2020 will help farmers implement even more best management practices and achieve our goals faster.

The Ohio House of Representatives will now consider Clean Lake 2020.PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- A Pascagoula native is calling it a career after amassing 32 years as a school teacher in the Jackson County School District and 46 years in education total.

Wanda B. Hanshaw graduated from Carver High School in 1968 and from Jackson State University in 1972.

She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education (Educable Mentally Retardation). Her first teaching assignment was at the Jackson County School for Exceptional Children.

Hanshaw said she was interested in education because it was a career that ran in the family lineage.

"My sisters and brothers were educators and I was inspired by them to enter the profession, along with a special needs child in my neighborhood at the time," Hanshaw said.

She would later move to Newport News, VA where she received her master's degree in Education from the college of William and Mary, Williamsburg. Her career continued to grow as she became the Child Development Specialist for the Isle of Wight County School System in Smithfield.

Hanshaw would return to Pascagoula where she was employed by the Jackson County School System at Vancleave High School.

She taught resource classes and was the department chairperson. After retiring from Vancleave in May 2008, she worked at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College as a General Education Development tester.

Hanshaw moved to Oxford, Miss. with her husband Larry in June 2010. Once settled, she began to work at the University of Mississippi's School of Education, Department of Teacher Education and as a University Supervisor for Student Teachers. She recently retired from the university in May 2018.

Hanshaw has hung up the pens, pencils, paper, and laptop, and is beginning to enjoy retirement. While she doesn't have any immediate or elaborate retirement plans, she says she enjoys cooking, reading, and making sure her skills remain sharp.

"After teaching at all scholastic levels, I will enjoy retirement, but I will continue to remain strong and learn daily," she said.Assuming OFAC someday lifts the trade sanctions, and business between American companies and North Korea becomes legally possible, what does the initial due diligence look like?

No country in the world raises more red flags.

On the Corruption Perceptions Index, North Korea ranks near the bottom at 171.

To do business in North Korea, regardless of legality, requires paying off officials with bribes and a cut of the profits in order to ensure political protection, according to Justin Hastings, an associate professor at the University of Sydney.

Those officials, who have to exploit their positions and engage in side businesses to survive themselves, in turn pay off their own superiors, and so on up the chain to Kim and his associates, Hastings wrote in Foreign Policy magazine in 2017.

On the 2018 Index of Economic Freedom from the Heritage Foundation, North Korea ranks last (180).

Bribery is pervasive and corruption is endemic at every level of the state and economy, Heritage said.

As for the rule of law: A functioning, modern, and independent judiciary does not exist.

No effective tax system is in place. The government commands almost every part of the economy and directs all significant economic activity.

The latest assessment from Amnesty International is bleak. Up to 120,000 people continued to be arbitrarily detained in political prison camps, where conditions fell far short of international standards.

Workers sent abroad suffered harsh working conditions, Amnesty International said.

About those workers sent abroad. Its more accurate to call it slavery, child labor, and sex trafficking.

According to the CIA World Factbook,

North Korea is a source country for men, women, and children who are subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; many North Korean workers recruited to work abroad under bilateral contracts with foreign governments, most often Russia and China, are subjected to forced labor and do not have a choice in the work the government assigns them, are not free to change jobs, and face government reprisals if they try to escape or complain to outsiders. . .

What to expect on a business trip to North Korea?

Online access is rare, according to Freedom House.

Global internet access is still limited to a handful of high-level officials who have received state approval, though increasing numbers of academic scientists and students are also permitted controlled internet access, Freedom House said.

Whats in your pocket or on your wrist? Heres a warning from the UK Foreign Office:

Any technology incorporating Global Positioning Systems must be left with North Korean customs on entry into the country and collected on departure. Foreign mobile phones can be brought into the country but must be registered at the airport. They can only be used in North Korea by purchasing a North Korean SIM card.

More advice for travellers, again from the UK Foreign Office:

Insults or jokes about the North Korean political system and its leadership are severely frowned upon. Foreigners have sometimes found themselves in trouble for not paying what was deemed to be a sufficient level of respect  including not treating images of the leader with care.

___

Countries can change. They can clean up and go straight. Singapore did it in the 1960s, and the benefits are still flowing. Kim Jong-un saw that for himself this week.

For the sake of its 25 million people, lets hope North Korea is ready to leave its broken past behind.

____

Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog.Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release

SubCategory Select Sub-CategoryHON. PM BAINIMARAMA AT THE OPENING OF NASEYANI PRIMARY SCHOOL DINING HALL





Distinguished guests,Ladies and Gentlemen,Less than a year ago today, I sat in this very village, speaking face-to-face with many of the same faces which I have the pleasure of seeing here this afternoon.When I came here last July, my purpose was to commission the Naseyani Primary School, which was rebuilt under my Governments school rehabilitation programme. It was a commitment that your villages new primary school, one of many damaged or destroyed by Tropical Cyclone Winston, was completed to a better, more climate-resilient standard than before we were hit by the strongest storm ever recorded in Fiji. And when I came here to commission the new Naseyani School, I came with the spirit of talanoa, of open and constructive dialogue, on how we could expand on that success to build even further upon the progress that we had already made.Because while my Government is able to provide the vision, the funding, the right materials, and the blueprints to build a stronger school, we are not the teachers, the parents, and the students who the building will serve day in and day out. Each community in Fiji is unique, and each faces a unique set of challenges. Only you are able to speak to those challenges in a way that leads to change. And it was during that days talanoa session when you spoke of the needs of the students of Naseyani village, which led to where we are today.Ladies and gentlemen, Im glad to say that, as a result of this direct and open line of communication that was opened last July, the idea for the building we stand before today was born, and the promise was made to set the construction of this dining hall into motion. Just a few short months after breaking ground, you can be proud of the very real results of your words that day. Thanks to my Governments innovative Small Grant Scheme, we were able to deliver on this promise, ahead of its scheduled completion, at a benefit of over 224 thousand dollars to your village.My fellow Fijians, this dining hall isnt just about the accomplishment we gather here to celebrate this afternoon. It is about much more than just a new facility, more than the new furniture and gas burners, and even more than the students who will use it. It is about those students future. This is why I am so passionate about making long-term investments in Fijis future generations, whether its fighting to combat climate change on the global stage or providing free primary education to all Fijian students for the first time in our history. It is why, through new scholarships and our TELS programme, that my Government is opening doors to tertiary education to new generations who would once find it out of reach. It is this vision, this forward-focus, that drives us to invest so heavily in infrastructure, and it is why we are dedicated to nurturing innovative and exciting industries. Because whether we are preparing for a changing economy or a changing climate, the new Fiji is built not only to last, but to flourish. Together, united like never before, we are building the Fiji of tomorrow, today.Youve seen the progress that has been achieved, the record prosperity that we are committed to sharing with each and every Fijian man, woman, and child throughout our great nation. In fact, to those outside of this community, this dining hall may seem small. But this is part of a much bigger story that we are taking part inbecause when we say that were building back bigger and better than ever, we arent just talking about our schools or our dining halls. Step by step, we are creating a brighter future for all Fijians.Let today stand as proof: my Governments talanoa sessions lead to action. When I head back home to Suva, or on to my next stop, the conversations that I have with ordinary Fijians like you stay with me long after Ive left. Under my Government, a promise made is a promise delivered.As we soon enter into an election season, your communities will be filled with candidates hoping to win your favour over kava while making all sorts of claims and guarantees. My advice to you is to pay attention to those who can give you inclusive development. My advice to you is to pay attention to those who genuinely care for you. My advice to you is to pay attention to those who can focus on a positive future for you and our country.Ladies and gentlemen, the record of achievement Fiji has accomplished under my leadership stands on its own. As we enter into our ninth straight year of economic growth, the signs of that growth are all around us. My Government has proven the ability to steer the Fijian economy through unchartered waters to accomplish unprecedented success.And as I have spoken at length today about delivered promises, I can offer you one more before I leave: by continuing under my leadership, the best days for Fiji are yet to come.It is with great pleasure that I now officially open the Naseyani School dining hall.Vinaka vakalevu. Thank you.YugaByte, Inc., the Sunnyvale, CA-based creator of YugaByte DB, a cloud native transactional database for globally distributed applications, secured $16m in funding.

The round was co-led by Dell Technologies Capital and previous investor Lightspeed Venture Partners.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate investments in engineering, sales and customer success to scale support for enterprises.

Co-founded in 2016 by Kannan Muthukkaruppan, Karthik Ranganathan and Mikhail Bautin, YugaByte is the company behind YugaByte DB, a cloud native, transactional, high-performance database for planet-scale cloud applications.

Unlike many SQL databases, YugaByte DB offers the ability to horizontally scale nodes globally, across regions, while remaining fully ACID compliant and also delivers linear write/read scalability, plus auto-rebalancing, sharding and failover.

The multi-model database offers support for Apache Cassandra and Redis APIs, along with beta support for PostgreSQL API, all three powered by a common underlying database storage and replication engine.

FinSMEs

12/06/2018MOSS POINT, Miss. -- The embattled phlebotomist teaching students in Moss Point has released a statement regarding accusations from students accusing her of fraud.

Keisha Adams owned Magic Touch Phlebotomy Services located in Gautier but taught her classes at the Eastside Community Center in Moss Point.

Students who have taken classes under Adams say when they attempt to seek employment, they are told their certifications are invalid.

Adams attorney Lauren Kelley said after doing research, she found that Ocean Springs Hospital does accept American Phlebotomy Association (APA) certifications.

Kelley released the following statement from her client:

"I was initially shocked by the allegations of some of my former students. I never mislead them about the Magic Touch Phlebotomy workshop. Any allegations referring to "invalid licenses" are entirely false. I never claimed to issue a license, because Mississippi, as with most other states, do not require a license to practice phlebotomy. Students who successfully complete the workshop and pass the examination are issued a certification by the American Phlebotomy Association, and any questions regarding those certifications should be addressed to them directly.

I am sincerely saddened by these claims. I have always prided myself on being as honest and transparent as possible in everything I do, and I have never intentionally deceived anyone regarding my phlebotomy workshop."

Students who accused Adams of misleading them say they have not heard from her and according to Kelley, Adams wishes them the best.

"As for the students that have successfully completed the workshop, passed the examination, and received their certifications, Ms. Adams wishes them the best of luck with everything they endeavor to do, and if they have any further questions or concerns, we ask that those be directed to me," Kelley said.

Students who paid for the course and are currently enrolled in Adams class however will be refunded their money.

"Ms. Adams will be issuing refunds to current students, but just to be clear, the refunds will be the registration fee less the cost of the equipment and study materials those students have already received."Strangeworks, an Austin, Texas-based quantum computing software company, closed a $4m in seed funding.

The round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from Ecliptic Capital, GreatPoint Ventures, Lux Capital, BoxGroup and Amplify Partners, Bob Beauchamp, Charles Stonehill, and Jon Soberg.

Led by William Hurley, Justin Youens, David Cardona, Strangeworks focuses on providing quantum tools to four industry verticals: aerospace, energy, finance and pharmaceuticals.

The company has already signed partnerships with leaders in the quantum computing industry, including a role in the IBM Q Network, a worldwide community dedicated to advancing quantum computing. The team has also partnered with Stack Overflow to build a quantum community and, together, they launched Quantum Computing Stack Exchange, a question and answer site for engineers, scientists, programmers, and computing professionals interested in quantum.

Strangeworks has also partnered with the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) to create the CERN Entrepreneurship Student Programme (CESP).

FinSMEs

12/06/2018The Mastersonville Volunteer Fire Company and Swashbuckler Brewing Company are teaming up to host the release of a specialty craft beer while Mount Hope Estate Winery also shows off its renovated building and courtyard at 2775 Lebanon Road in Manheim.

This release of Strongarm Saison, a specialty craft beer being released by Swashbuckler Brewing Company, and fundraiser for the fire company will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The family-friendly event is free.

Tours of the new Mount Hope Winery production facility and Swashbuckler Brewing Company are being offered at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m., and will finish with samples of their hand-crafted beverages.

Tours, which will meet 10 minutes before the ticket time in the Barn & Barrel Courtyard at the side entrance to the winery, are free but reservations are required. Space is limited. Your name will be placed on a Will Call list available at check in. Obviously, you must be 21 or over to sample during the tour, but chaildren are permitted to accompany their parents without a ticket.

Click here to reserve your space.

READ MORE: Mount Hope Winery project to 'far exceed the expectation of the original drawing'

Strongarm Saison is a golden-hued farmhouse ale that features spicy notes and a fruity character, attributed to the Belgian yeast and a warmer temperature during fermentation. Noble hop additions and a touch of orange blossom honey give this beer a deeper level of complexity, the producer says. 7.5% ABV. 28 IBU.

A cash bar will be serving Strongarm Saison, a variety of other Swashbuckler Beers, Lancaster County Ciders, Mount Hope Wines and select cocktails. In addition, an a la cart menu in the The Faithful Fowl, the new restaurant, will feature authentic southern BBQ. Click here for more details.

The winery has been working on the plans and renovations since 2016, as it expands both the ability to make more wine and more varieties of wines. Part of that growth includes the planting of a vineyard. Since Scott Bowser purchased the business on 2005, the wine has been made exclusively by Mazza Vineyards near Lake Erie.

A tasting room was constructed and the outdoor courtyard will tie the area between the brewery and winery together with outside seating and space to host events. In the tasting room, large doors can be opened to the courtyard, providing access to the outdoors during warmer months and closed for protection from the weather when necessary.. ,          ,    .     The Daily Telegraph ,   ...Anthony Michael Bourdain

Claire J De Boer

@ClaireJDeBoer

)



Above got my attention to something beyond "

Craftsmen in writing: Enigma ? in conversation with the birds"In the wake of two well publicized suicides (, Kate Spade) last week one thing stands out for me: the idea our society has that fame and money mean "having it all." It doesn't matter how much money you have, joy is not out there in money or things, it is within us and between us. #Mentalhealth" (fame and money" - passion to literature scholarship -Below, self-directed scholar, John Kidd, the greatest James Joyce scholar, couldn't communicate with other human beings. So, he was in conversation with the birds, a way that James Watson discovered the double helix structure of DNA, while observing birds in the field of Cambridge, England, 1953.______________________He's a professor at Boston University. He quit. He lingered on campus for a while, haunting Marsh Plaza, and then he disappeared.John Kidd, talking to the squirrels deal. A sad ending.In an interview for the release of the book, Mihaies explained: John Kidd died under sordid circumstances in 2010, buried in debt, detested, insulted, alone, abandoned by everyone, communicating only with pigeons on a Boston campus.

That sounded like a complete story, except for one thing. I couldnt find an obituary.

Image Kidd, who often kept company with pigeons, at Boston University in 2002. Credit Justine Ellement/The Boston Globe, via Getty Images



His work style: "By nature, he was a scattershot writer, scribbling on scraps of paper, composing in notebooks and revising excerpts after they appeared in magazines  and in 1922, when Ulysses first appeared, all that chaos was botched into print by French typesetters, most of whom spoke no English. "



His motif: "Kidds compulsion to understand any cultures big book is still what gets him out of bed in the morning."

__________________________



On one hand, they're talented in doing something unique an ordinary person couldn't do. on the other hand, they're categorized as mental illness madness?.



Perhaps, it's not a mental problem/sickness - Medicine treats like disease - it's a unique way to deal with the world. Schizophrenia/bipolar made Vivian Leigh do exceptional performances in her acting, and John Nash, Nobel laureate work. Yes, it's some thin lines between superb work and pathologic behavior - Scientists need to figure that out.



"For a few minutes, I thought I was onto something brilliant, until another yawning fan in the bookstore mentioned a set of connections she had found and I realized, Oh, right, were all doing this." So called "mental health" is something that spontaneously connected synapses firing signals in your brain - some lucky ones catches it up and make history - some others, sadly, being treated as "crazy" madness? - where can you draw a line? Who got the say? Lack of medical standard, Lack of mechanisms to justify an act of someone so far ahead of the crowd - that's a problem, which departed this grid of current understanding of human talent versus mental illness.



In summary conclusion:



Calling attention to mental health shouldn't been the product of passing years of fine-tooth-combing through fact-collecting manuscripts and copy-sheets of patient's charts, one letter at a time, all done according to a dense old textual theory that almost no one could understand. You gotta come up with some totally new theory to define "mental healthiness" - not old say Mo, say Mo concepts - never work. Some revolutionary concepts must be invented and desperately needed.



My hunch is that mental health is positive spin in multiple ways - not just like the old timer, one way of thinking black and white. Someone's brilliance, beyond our current "normal" standard, likely divine-sent to us, ought to be much appreciated. For example, someone like John Kidd, talking to the squirrels - our society should have police protection, watching him and keep him safe ...



If medicine called 21st century "personalized medicine" - we need "personalized attention" to mental health like John Kidd.



My own note: passion to literature scholarship may drive you nuts as you're buried inside of language to language. I guess doing laboratory work, use your own hands, walk around, chat with your colleagues and collaborators, keep your sanity.



**



John Kidd, very much alive, in his apartment in Rio de Janeiro. Credit Lalo de Almeida for The New York Times



"in conversation with the birds was John Kidd, once celebrated as the greatest James Joyce scholar alive.

Kidd had been the director of the James Joyce Research Center, a suite of offices on the campus of Boston University dedicated to the study of Ulysses, arguably the greatest and definitely the most-obsessed-over novel of the 20th century. Armed with generous endowments and cutting-edge technology, he led a team dedicated to a single goal: producing a perfect edition of the text. I saved the Boston Globe story on my computer and would occasionally open it and just stare. Long ago, I contacted Kidd about working on an article together, because I was fascinated by one of his other projects  he had produced a digital edition, one that used embedded hyperlinks to make the novels vast thicket of references and allusions, patterns and connections all available to the reader at a click.

Joyce once said about Ulysses  and its practically a requirement of any article about the novel to use this quote  Ive put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant. And that has always been part of how the novel works. For most of the book, what you are reading are the fractured bits of memory and observation kicking around in the head of a single schlub named Leopold Bloom as he wanders about Dublin on a single day, June 16, 1904. Its the sensation of putting these bits together and the pleasure, when it happens, of suddenly getting it  the joke, the story, the book  that compels you throughout."



https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/12/magazine/the-strange-case-of-the-missing-joyce-scholar.html

Author:

Jack Hitt is the creator and a co-host of the 2018 Peabody Award-winning podcast Uncivil. His last feature for the magazine was about the battle over the Sea-Monkey fortune.Android Messages seems to have picked up a new version over the weekend and like before, there arent any noticeable visual changes, but there are things going on behind hinting the preparation of new features. Some of the Gif search and Sticker related features of Allo might be coming to Android Messages.

Apart from these, we might also be getting helpful search filters that bring attachments into view. It also features some new text that suggests Google is working on an active role in fighting text spam. Android Messages might soon get a native GIF search, ensuring that users may have a way to share Gifs even if theyre not using a keyboard with built-in GIF support. It might look and behave just like the GIF search previously found in Gboard.

The latest Android Messages update suggest that the sticker interface is going to gain a dedicated space for your favorite stickers or sticker packs. It will let you mark stickers that you want to readily use while texting. It is unclear if the Favorites section is reserved for individual stickers or entire sticker packs. It looks like a double-tap will be used to mark and unmark favorites.

Finally, Android Messages might be getting search functionality where you can search for messages with attachment filters. However, it is limited to a simple keyword match, so it might be hard to pick a message or image from months ago. Google may be adding a new filter that should make it a lot easier to dig up attachments. Notably, the biggest addition of all will be the Spam prevention; but it is unclear how Google will be fighting the spam unless it officially brings things to the table. Regardless, Google has added a new line that suggests that the company will be contributing toward tracking down spammy senders.

You can update the app from PlayStore or download the APK from here and side-load it to replace the already existing app.

SourceSamsung is not stopping its fight against Apple, the company has asked the court last Thursday to either dismiss the judgment in its phone patent fight with Apple or retry the case in which the damages were decided. Samsung has filed a 34-page post-trial motion filed with the US District Court in San Jose, California suggesting that the jurys $539 million verdict is excessive and not supported by the evidence.

This move doesnt come as a surprise by any means, to remind you, the verdict was given against Samsung last month and the jury has ordered Samsung to pay $539 million to Apple over patent infringement with Android phones it sold in 2010 and 2011. Samsung in a response to the verdict: We will consider all options to obtain an outcome that does not hinder creativity and fair competition for all companies and consumers.

The overall verdict was a whopping $140 million steeper than the amount earlier trials had determined it owed, so it was a big step backward for the company. In a separate motion, Samsung said that it wants to be reimbursed for the $146 million, plus interest, that it already paid over an invalidated touchscreen patent.

SourceIf you follow technology, you must have definitely heard of CE China a.k.a Consumer Electronics China that happens every year.For the uninitiated, CE China is a premier trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances products for the Chinese and Pan-Asian market.This time, the third edition of CE China, a global event, successfully Shenzhen,from May 3-5.

In this years CE China event,146 companies from 12 countries presented their brands, showcasing consumer electronics and home appliances products.

Furthermore, 25 prominent speakers from countries shared their market knowledge with retailers, trade visitors and prosumers. At this event, I got to see and experience some of the coolest home appliances and executives from leading Chinese brands. The companies like Midea and Huawei provided us the insights in cutting edge technologies and most recent trends.

Chinese brand Haier displayed the one-stop smart home solutions under Haier U+ Smart Life in an attempt to make a better life for consumers.It is designed in a way to connect an entire household be it smart living room, smart kitchen, smart bathroom and smart bedroom into one system. The company explained its Smart Home Architecture, covering air, water as well as kitchen appliances. In addition to it the company also showcased several door lock models with Fingerprints sensor under the U-home product line for quick access and secure protection.The company has implemented the solutions across 10 categories that cover important appliances in our day-to-day usage. These appliances have been designed on Haiers upgraded 3D cloud design platforms.

Guangdong-based Midea showcased its latest products and also provided more details in cutting-edge technologies, most recent trends and other insights as part of the IFA Retail University.

European brands like Fakir also showcased some products under consumer electronics as well as home appliances. To be specific, the German manufacturer of household appliances presented the new Air Wave Technology that contains the combination of HEPA and ULPA filters, which is an allergy sufferer friendly.In addition to that, the company also showcased a cyclone technology model with a new LED alert system which indicates the condition of the filter.

Bosch on the other hand, embraced this opportunity and showcased a variety of home appliances including a refrigerator.The refrigerator comes with a Vita Fresh Pro technology that helps the eatable to remain fresh.It also has an air filter, transparent interior design, remote control and other features.

Apart from product showcasing, various expert speakers and analysts also shared interesting thoughts during E-Commerce Export Forum on how to develop the cross-border business by making efficient use of online distribution channels, hosted by Shenzhen E-Commerce Service Center. On our last day in Shenzhen, we got a chance to visit one of the Chinese most leading retailers Suning for an hour.

Stay tuned to FoneArena, as we will be covering more products from Ground Zero in the upcoming IFA 2018 event.Qualcomm had announced the Snapdragon 710 platform built on the 10nm process last month in China. FoneArena got a chance to speak to Kedar Kondap, Vice President, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies about the announcement. The Snapdragon 710 platform is positioned between the flagship 800 series and the budget 600 series. We are curious to hear about Qualcomms idea behind the 710.

The Snapdragon 710 boasts of a 3rd gen Kyro CPU with up to 20% performance improvement, 2nd gen Spectra ISP for improved camera capabilities, 4K HDR playback support, X15 LTE modem for faster downloads with 44 MIMO. Qualcomm has always brought down features from higher premium tier chips to mid-tier and lower-tier chips. The 710 is no exception and shows Qualcomms commitment to democratizing premium features over the course of time.

The 710 offers a full AI ( Artificial Intelligence) experience with the combined hardware of the Kyro CPU, Adreno GPU and Hexagon DSP. There is also support for frameworks such as Google TensorFlow and Caffe 2 from Facebook. The AI Engine will enable features like object detection, food tagging, Animoji, improved photography, face unlock and more.

Although we drive AI type use cases with the 710, we also care about end consumer experience. Consumers care about battery life and we are proud to say that we have achieved 40% lower power drain on 4K video playback on the 710 platform compared to the Snapdragon 660 remarked Kedar when asked about the improvements in the 710 series. There is up to 40% lower power consumption for gaming and up to 20% lower power drain for video streaming as well.

The x15 modem on the Snapdragon 710 will offer 2.5 times faster download speeds compared to Cat7 LTE modems on other chips and will fare better in areas with poor signal which is a major issue in India.

The 710 platform aims to deliver premium tier experience at an affordable price segment. Features and technologies previously available only on premier tier smartphones will now be available in a wider range of smartphones. We expect to see some exciting mid-range smartphones powered by this platform in the coming months.

Kedar also reiterated Qualcomms commitment to the 600 platform and that they are not giving up on it. The 710 series is aimed at bringing premium features which consumers are interested in to a new tier of smartphones. Xiaomi has already launched the first Snapdragon 710 powered product  Xiaomi Mi 8 SE and the Vivo NEX that was introduced today is the second product, we can expect to see more new products from OEMS in Q2 of this year.Vivo just introduced its flagship NEX series smartphones as it had promised. The main highlight of the smartphone is its 6.59-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED screen with ultra narrow 1.71 mm bezels on the sides, 2.16mm on the top and an 91.24% screen-to-body ratio. It doesnt have an earpiece, instead it vibrates the screen using Screen SoundCasting Technology that promise better bass and softer treble. It uses ray data compensation algorithm that hides the light sensor at the bottom of the screen, thanks to an innovative design. The micro-slit infrared sensor is also hidden at the top of the screen. It has an 8-megapixel pop-up front camera that automatically rises and hides when you open and close the camera app.

This uses extremely precise micro-stepping motors, with independent drive ICs and precision control algorithms to precisely control this process, says Vivo. It has a 12-megapixel rear camera with Sony IMX363 sensor, 4-axis OIS, along with 5-megapixel secondary rear camera for AI portrait shots with auto scene detection.

The Vivo X20 Plus UD was the first smartphone with an in-display fingerprint sensor, and this was adopted by the Vivo X21, which was launched in India recently. The NEX also uses an in-display fingerprint sensor, and the company says that the third-generation screen fingerprint technology, is smaller, and more powerful offering 50% better accuracy and the unlocking speed is increased by 10% compared to the predecessor. The phone runs on Android 8.1 (Oreo) with Ai-powered Energy UI and Jovi AI with dedicated hardware button to launch it.

The company has partnered with Tencent, NetEase and Unreal for system-level SDK optimization for the best gaming experience with Game Mode 4.0. The phone comes in Star Diamond Black color that uses holographic technology, and the Ruby Red color uses micro crystal technology on the back. It also comes in standard Snapdragon 710 version or NEX A with 6GB of RAM and rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, but other specifications are similar.

Vivo NEX A / NEX S (Ultimate) specifications

6.59-inch (23161080 pixels) Full HD+ Super AMOLED 19.3:9 aspect ratio display, DCI-P3 color gamut

2.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 845 64-bit 10nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 630 GPU (NEX S) / Octa-Core Snapdragon 710 10nm Mobile Platform (Dual 2.2GHz Kryo 360 + Hexa 1.7GHz Kryo 360 CPUs) with Adreno 616 GPU (NEX A)

8GB RAM with 256GB / 128GB storage (NEX S), 6GB RAM with 128GB internal storage (NEX A)

Dual SIM

Funtouch OS 4.0 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo)

12MP Dual PD rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, Sony IMX363 sensor, 4-axis OIS, f/1.8 aperture, secondary 5MP camera with f/2.4 aperture

8MP front-facing camera, f/2.0 aperture

In-display fingerprint sensor (NEX S) / rear-mounted fingerprint sensor (NEX A)

Dimensions: 162777.98m; Weight: 199g

3.5mm audio jack, CS43199 + SSM6322 Amplifier (NEX S) / AK4376A DAC (NEX A)

Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz / 5GHz) 22 MIMO , Bluetooth 5 LE, GPS + GLONASS, USB Type-C

4000mAh battery with 22.5W fast charging

The Vivo NEX smartphones come in Diamond Black and Red colors. The NEX S with Snapdragon 845, 8GB RAM and in-display fingerprint scanner is priced at 4498 yuan (US$ 702 / Rs. 47,375 approx.), 256GB version of it costs 4998 yuan (US$ 780 / Rs. 52,640 approx.) and the Snapdragon 710-powered NEX A with 6GB RAM costs 3898 yuan (US$ 608 / Rs. 41,055 approx.). It will be available in China from June 23rd.

SourceFor more than a century, cacao products have been associated with indulgent chocolate products, but now Barry Callebaut is forging an entirely new category with Elix... Read MoreLast week, the House of Representatives voted to approve a package revoking about $7 billion in funding reserved for the Childrens Health Insurance Program . The decision hasnt gone over well in the childrens advocacy community. But whats next for this controversial proposal?

First, some background: The House vote last week dealt with a $15 billion rescissions package proposed earlier this year by President Donald Trump. The Trump team is seeking to slash the governments bottom lineeven though Trump signed a big spending increase into law for fiscal 2018. Most of the cuts would come from unspent federal funds.

Nearly half of that rescissions package, part of a bill that the House passed 210-206, comes from CHIP, which provides health care to kids from low-income families. As we reported earlier this year, $5.1 billion of the rescission would come out of a part of CHIP that reimburses states for certain expenses. Roughly $2 billion would be cut from CHIP reserves, which help states deal with higher-than-expected enrollment in the program. The Trump team has argued this unspent money is no longer needed. The rescissions would not impact current payments to states.

But when the Republican-controlled House moved to approve the rescission package, including the CHIP cut, opponents of the Trump administrations move re-upped their previous criticisms of the proposal.

After House passage of the rescissions bill, Child Health USA, an initiative started by the child advocacy group First Focus, published a series of tweets blasting the vote :

The rescission package included a $1.9 billion, or 80 percent, raid on the CHIP Child Enrollment Contingency Fund, while in the middle of the fiscal year. Again, the CHIP contingency fund is part of a fragile financing mechanism that protects the health coverage of children. (16)  Child Health USA (@ChildHealthUSA) June 9, 2018

And right before the vote, Bruce Lesley, the president of First Focus, a childrens advocacy organization, argued to lawmakers that the proposal undermines the very reason for the fund, which is to protect the health coverage of children against unanticipated or unforeseen circumstances, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, or even Hawaiis currently unanticipated erupting volcano.

Federal lawmakers let authorization for CHIP expire last year, and it was in limbo for some time before Congress approved a six-year reauthorization of the law in January . In May, after Trump released his rescissions package, a coalition of groups opposed to the move referenced lawmakers inaction concerning CHIP in a letter to Congress: The nine million children and families who depend on CHIP have already faced months of uncertainty, when its funding expired before Congress took long-overdue action to extend CHIP funding for ten years. After breathing a short sigh of relief, however, the long-term stability and protection these families fought to ensure is once again in jeopardy.

Groups signing onto the letter include AASA, the School Superintendents Association, and the National Education Association.

However, Senate approval of these rescissions could be tough. Even though the move would require only 51 votes and not a filibuster-proof 60 votes, its not clear that moderate Republican senators in particular want to support Trumps spending cuts after months of difficult work crafting a fiscal 2018 spending agreement. The Senate also has a deadline for voting on the packageCongress has 45 days of continuous session to pass or reject the legislation. Joan Alker, the executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, highlighted the environment for CHIP in the Senate last week.

The House just passed the CHIP rescissions bill by a close vote of 210-206. Tougher sledding in the Senate I would guess.  Joan Alker (@JoanAlker1) June 8, 2018

It remains to be seen if the Trump administrations push to cut CHIP reserves impacts lawmakers funding decisions about the program for fiscal 2019, which is due to start Oct. 1.

Image: Getty Images

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .Lawyers for actress Rose McGowan say a drug possession charge against her in Virginia should be tossed out of court, in part because she has been a victim of "the Harvey Weinstein machine."

McGowan faces a preliminary hearing next month in Leesburg after authorities say cocaine was found in a wallet she left behind on a United flight at Dulles International Airport in January 2017.

In court papers filed Tuesday, lawyer Jessica Carmichael says five hours passed between the time McGowan got off the plane and her wallet was found by a cleaning crew.

"There is simply no point in time at which the evidence places Ms. McGowan and the cocaine together in the same place," Carmichael wrote.

Carmichael argued the drugs may well have been planted, citing "the underhanded targeting of Ms. McGowan" by Weinstein.

"It is now public knowledge that Weinstein employed underhanded tactics to 'silence' his victims," she wrote, citing reports that Weinstein hired private investigators to trail women who had accused him of mistreatment.

McGowan was one of the first actresses to accuse the now-disgraced producer of sexual abuse.

A spokeswoman for Weinstein did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment Tuesday.

The motion also seeks dismissal on the technical grounds that drug crimes taking place on an airplane in interstate commerce should be handled in federal court, not state court.Former Dukes of Hazzard and Smallville star John Schneider is facing some jail time over unpaid spousal support.

According to TMZ, Schneider has been ordered by a judge to serve some light jail time for at least a few days after not paying his estranged wife, Elvira Castle. The outlet reports hell spend three days in Los Angeles County jail for not paying up for delinquent alimony that he owed.

As previously reported, Schneider was taken to court over the spousal support in February of 2018. At the time, he claimed that he was unable to pay because his income isnt sufficient to make the payments. He claimed that he has hit hard financial times and spent most of his money repairing his movie studio in Louisiana after it was destroyed in a March 2016 flood.

Mondays ruling came after the 57-year-old actor missed a March deadline to pay more than $150,000. TMZ notes that he was told by a judge at the time to transfer his property to Elvira if he couldnt make the payments. He reportedly did not, meaning 240 hours of community service was also added to his sentence in addition to the days in jail.

Reps for Schneider did not immediately return Fox News request for comment, but reports indicate that he could be in jail as early as Tuesday.

Schneider played Bo Duke on the hit series from 1979 - 1985 as well as a handful of revivals in the early 2000s.Rose McGowan was reportedly indicted by a grand jury on Monday for a January 2017 cocaine possession charge. However, the star thinks that Harvey Weinstein may have been responsible for a frame job.

According to TMZ, the actress could face up to a year if shes convicted.

McGowans lawyer, Jose Baez, told Fox News in a statement: Rose steadfastly maintains her innocence. These charges would have never been brought if it werent for her activism as a voice for women everywhere. I assure you, this selective prosecution will be met with a strong defense.

Last January, the 44-year-old was accused of possessing cocaine, which was allegedly found in a wallet by airline staff, according to the NY Post.

McGowan, who had flown to the Womens March on January 20, said she reported the wallet as missing after she arrived at the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, the outlet previously reported.

At the time, the actress told the New Yorker that she will clearly plead not guilty.

In February, lawyers for the star said the charge against her should be tossed out of court, in part because she has been a victim of "the Harvey Weinstein machine." McGowan previously accused the producer of rape in 1997.

In court papers filed in February, lawyer Jessica Carmichael said five hours passed between the time McGowan got off the plane and her wallet was found by a cleaning crew.

"There is simply no point in time at which the evidence places Ms. McGowan and the cocaine together in the same place, stated Carmichael, who argued the drugs may well have been planted, citing "the underhanded targeting of Ms. McGowan" by Weinstein.

"It is now public knowledge that Weinstein employed underhanded tactics to 'silence' his victims," she wrote, citing reports that Weinstein hired private investigators to trail women who had accused him of mistreatment.

The Associated Press contributed to this reportRoseanne Barr has issued yet another apology. This time, shes walking back comments she made about George Soros, most notably calling him a Nazi.

Barr, who has been embattled on Twitter after some racist comments about former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett, which she apologized for, got her ABC revival of Roseanne canceled. At that time, she also caught backlash for incorrectly reporting to her followers that Chelsea Clinton was married to one of Soros nephews. When Clinton corrected the comedian, she responded by doubling down on her criticism of him.

Sorry to have tweeted incorrect info about you! Please forgive me! By the way, George Soros is a nazi who turned his fellow Jews 2 be murdered in German concentration camps & stole their wealth-were you aware of that? she wrote. But, we all make mistakes, right Chelsea?

On Monday, Barr took those comments back.

I apologize sincerely to @georgesoros. His family was persecuted by The Nazis & survived The Holocaust only because of the strength & resourcefulness of his father. Learn more of the truth about this, she wrote, linking to an article about Soros family from OpenSocietyFoundations.org.

While the Soros comments didnt help her case following ABCs decision to cancel Roseanne despite planning a second season and it being one of the highest rated sitcoms on TV, they didnt help. Despite issuing multiple apologies for her tweets, Barr has continued to be active on the social networking site, which has gotten her in some more trouble. Although she withdrew her comments about Jarrett, she retweeted some negative things about her amid declarations that shell be making amends for her part in getting Roseanne canceled.Emmy-winning actor Alec Baldwin said Monday he would easily win against President Donald Trump if hed run in the 2020 presidential election.

If I ran, I would win, Baldwin told Howard Stern during a discussion on his Sirius XM radio show about the potential candidates in the next presidential election, the Daily Beast reported.

I would absolutely win. One thousand percent, the actor added, though joking that his wife and being a host of a game show is stopping him from actually launching a bid to become the leader of the free world.

Stern then suggested Baldwin to run for president as Donald Trump  to which Baldwin repeated himself saying that he would have no problem wining against the current president.

If I ran for president, I would win. Hands down, I would win, he said. It would be the funniest, most exciting, craziest campaign.

This isnt the first time Baldwin joked about his ability to take on Trump or his suitability to be the president.

Would I think I'd be a good president? Yeah, I think I'd be a good president, he told an audience at George Washington University last year, The Hill reported. To run for office is something that I want to do, he added, but noted that running doesn't seem to be practical with my lifestyle and my children."

Before that, he also tweeted a cryptic message, saying: If I run for a President, think of how entertaining the debates would be.

The Emmy-winning actor, who won the prestigious award for his portrayal of Trump on Saturday Night Live, insisted on Sterns show that hes joking about his run only because people dont really have a sense yet of whos going to take on Trump in the next election.

Somebody great is going to come up, I hope, he said. Id love to run for that kind of position to just have things be very common sense. There are so many things that this country needs to do that are so obvious.

Baldwin went on to claim in the interview that, according to his multiple sources, First Lady Melania Trump likes his impression of her husband and watches the clips of the show online. She must know what a maniac he is, Baldwin said.Angelina Jolie is being reprimanded by the courts for not allowing Brad Pitt to foster a relationship with their children, according to multiple media reports. She needs to abide by a new summer schedule the exes worked out for their six kids or else she risks losing custody.



According to Us Weekly and The Blast, the LA County Superior Court determined that not having a relationship with their father would be harmful to Pax, 14, Zahara, 13, Shiloh, 12, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 9.

The recent ruling made it a point to mention that the kids are safe with their father, and that it is critical that each of them have a healthy and strong relationship with both of their parents. The court ordered Jolie give Pitt each of the minor childrens personal cellphone numbers so that [he] may text them."

Reports also say that the Maleficent actress, 53, and Pitt, 54 were ordered to meet with their children and two psychologists to explain the summer schedule, while granting Pitt physical custody of their children for four hours a day from June 8 to July 17 in London where Jolie rents a home.

However, the ex-couples eldest son Maddox is permitted to spend as much time with either parent as he wants. Since he is 16, the court deemed him old enough to decide for himself.

Jolie's team fired back after news of the new arrangement made headlines.

This misleading leak is not in the best interests of the children," said a spokesperson for Angelina Jolie. "From the start, Angelina has been focused only on their health and needs, which is why it was so important that this last court hearing be conducted privately. Its deplorable that someone, for their own selfish reasons, leaked selective portions of the confidential and sealed court record to create an inaccurate and unfair picture of what is really happening.

Jolie and Pitt now have an agreement in place that seems fair to the Moneyball actor, a source told Fox News.

Brad has always stayed the course and respected the court when it came to the children," a source close to the actor told Fox News. Although he isnt seen with the kids, he spends ample time with them.

And, while Jolie has never been shy about the public time she has spent with their children, Pitt opted to fly under the radar, the source added.

Brad is really mindful of the privacy the kids need to have and never saw it beneficial to parade them around everywhere, the source continued. He is a father first, and hopes the courts decision will allow him to be on more amicable terms with Angie. Brad loves that he can see his children without many restrictions, and only wants to make sure theyre taken care of and live a life where both parents are readily available.Though some things about Anthony Bourdain's sudden death remain a mystery, one thing that is certain was the food connoisseur's love for Italian actress, Asia Argento. But his passionate love for Argento reportedly had some of Bourdain's friends a little concerned.

The "Parts Unknown" host and Argento met in 2016 during a taping for Bourdain's show and officially began dating a year later.

According to People, a friend of Argento's recently revealed to the publication that Bourdain was "madly in love" with the Italian actress, describing him as "a teenage boy just absolutely lovestruck."

"He would have done anything for her, and that was a little red flag for some of his friends," the source told People. "Like, he was crazy in love with her, crazy being the keyword."

The insider added, That being said, none in our circle of friends knew he was struggling in any life-or-death way. Honestly, I dont think anyone knew. I dont think Eric [Ripert] knew the depths of his pain."

The friend then admitted that chef's sudden death was just as surprising to them as it was to the rest of the world.

"The shock of Tonys death is almost as profound as the pain," the source explained. "Even his closest friends are still waiting for some mystery to be uncovered," they added. "We knew his nerves were shattered a little; his marriage had fallen apart, he was way, way overworked and overdriven, but unstable. No one had a clue."

Bourdain got together with Argento a year after splitting up from his wife, Ottavia Busia, who he shared an 11-year-old daughter with. And though the chef told people that he didn't think he would marry again, he hadn't dismissed the idea of a future with Argento saying he was open to eventually living with the actress.

In February, the TV host also revealed in an interview with People that he had contemplated suicide before but said he would "at least try to live" for his daughter.

"There have been times, honestly, in my life that I figured, Ive had a good run  why not just do this stupid thing, this selfish thing jump off a cliff into water of indeterminate depth,'" he said. "In retrospect, I dont know that I would do that today  now that Im a dad or reasonably happy."

Bourdain was found dead in his hotel room in France on June 8.

Argento said in a statement on Twitter hours after his death was announced, "Anthony gave all of himself in everything that he did. His brilliant, fearless spirit touched and inspired so many, and his generosity knew no bounds. He was my love, my rock, my protector. I am beyond devastated. My thoughts are with his family. I would ask that you respect their privacy and mine."

According to People, Argento worked with Bourdain on his CNN series and is said to have directed an upcoming episode of the show which is set in Hong Kong.CNN host Anthony Bourdain and MMA fighter Ottavia Busia-Bourdain separated in 2016, but their divorce was not officially finalized before his sudden death, and the funeral arrangements for the star are being held up in the process.

Sources told People magazine Tuesday the 61-year-olds remains will be transported to the United States from France for his funeral as soon as Ottavia makes her wishes known to authorities.

We are only awaiting the wishes of the family, Pascal Lohr, Mayor of Kayserberg-Vignobles, told People. Everything then will be done as quickly as possible.

The late celebrity chefs mother, Gladys Bourdain, told the New York Post Sunday funeral plans for her son are in the hands of Ottavia because she is legally still his next of kin.

Although theyre separated, shell be in charge of whatever happens, said the 83-year-old. We havent talked for a couple days. Im sure shes as broken up as I am.

Supreme Court Records showed there was a 2006 divorce filing for Bourdain and his first wife, high school sweetheart Nancy Putkowski, in New York. The couple married in 1985. However, a divorce filing for his second marriage wasnt found.

Ottavia is the mother of Bourdain's only child, 11-year-old Ariane.

A rep for Bourdain did not immediately respond to Fox News request for comment. His brother Christopher had no comment.

According to reports, Bourdain and the MMA fighter, who married in 2007, remained on good terms after they made their split public in September 2016.



My wife and I live, have lived, very separate lives for years, Bourdain told People magazine at the time. Theres no drama here. We get along really, really well and its not a big lifestyle change happening here.

Ottavia added, Because of professional decisions we both have made, my husband and I have been for years in an unconventional relationship. Nothing has changed. We love each other. We respect the decisions the other has made. And well always consider ourselves a family.

Bourdain began dating 42-year-old Italian actress Asia Argento shortly after the announcement. He told the celebrity publication although hed never marry again, he would be open to moving in with Argento.

Look, I like being around her as much as possible, he insisted. Shes like me, in a lot of ways. Weve both been married twice. So thats not something thats ever, ever going to happen. Thats the death of everything.

"I think we both respect each others work. Nobodys ever going to say, Oh, but you promised we were going to go to the beach. No, you know, you get a gig, thats it. Thats it. Nothing else matters. Work first.

The Parts Unknown star was found dead in France on June 8. His cause of death was revealed to be suicide by hanging.

CNN confirmed the news of Bourdains passing and shared he was found unresponsive by his friend and fellow chef Eric Ripert.

On that Friday, Argento mourned her boyfriend on Instagram.

Anthony gave all of himself in everything that he did, she wrote. His brilliant, fearless spirit touched and inspired so many, and his generosity knew no bounds. He was my love, my rock, my protector. I am beyond devastated. My thoughts are with his family. I would ask that you respect their privacy and mine.

Ottavia spoke out on social media for the first time Monday since Bourdain committed suicide. She shared a photo of their daughter, along with a message to her ex-husband.

The image showed Ariana performing a song on stage.

Our little girl had her concert today, wrote Ottavia. She was amazing. So strong and brave. She wore the boots you bought her. I hope you are having a good trip, wherever you are.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.UPDATED

How can a federal commission, charged with figuring out how to prevent the next school shooting, ignore the issue of guns?

Thats the question Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the Senate education committee, put to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos in a letter sent Monday . In particular, Murray is trying to understand why DeVos recently told Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., that assessing the role of guns in school violence is not part of the [commissions] charge, per se.

DeVos deputy, Mick Zais, later clarified that the commission would be looking at narrow aspects of gun ownership, including age restrictions to purchase certain firearms.

None of that adds up for Murray, who thinks the commission should consider meaningful efforts to address gun violence, such as universal background checks and a ban on high capacity magazines.

While the Commission continues to delay meaningful efforts to address gun violence, our nations children are paying the price, Murray wrote. Shifting the focus away from guns only shines a spotlight on the tight grip the [National Rifle Association] has on this Administration and the Administrations inability to listen to the voices of the people you claim to serve.

Murray also has concerns about the way the commission has, in her view, diminished opportunities for public input. She noted that the panels first listening session was held during the day, in Washington, D.C., with little advanced notice for students, community members, educators, health care providers, and others to make travel arrangements.

And Murray is really concerned that DeVos herself choose to skip that meeting because she was traveling to Europe to explore school choice and career education in three countries . Murray said DeVos absence was a telling demonstration of your disinterest in public input and dialogue. She also noted that the rest of the as did the rest of the official commission members, who include Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen. Each sent a representative instead.

Murray asked DeVos a host of questions about how the commission solicits public input. She wanted to know, for instance, whether the secretary plans to attend future listening session in person, and how shell make sure the public has enough has enough advance notice to participate. She also asked if the NRA was involved in setting the scope of the commissions work.

So what does DeVos team think of the letter?

Senator Murrays grandstanding does nothing to keep our nations students safe at school, while the federal commission on school safety is hard at work on behalf of our nations students and educators, said Elizabeth Hil, DeVos spokeswoman, in an email. And, she added, The NRA will have absolutely no say and no sway in the commissions work.

She said the commission has set an aggressive schedule of meetings, field visits, and listening sessions to gather public input. It will produce a resource guide by the end of the year to help schools implement proven [school safety] practices.

Hill added that there was no criteria for participating in the listening session, held June 6. Participants signed up on a first come, first served basis. Both the morning and the afternoon slot filled up fully, with parents, educators and major stakeholder groups alike well represented, Hill said. She added that anyone who is unable to participate one of the commissions four listening sessions can email ideas to safety@ed.gov

And on the limited role of guns in the commissions research, Hill said: The secretary and the commission continue to look at all issues the President asked the committee to study and are focused on making recommendations that the agencies, states and local communities can implement. ... If Senator Murray wants to change gun laws in this country, she should look to her own body, since Congress makes laws, not the commission.

Cant get enough of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos? Check out some of our best coverage:President Trumps historic summit with Kim Jong Un could be the first step to the Hermit Kingdom dismantling its countrys nuclear program  but Bitter Bettys throughout the mainstream media found ways to slam the event.

CNN global affairs analyst Max Boot chalked up the meeting as something that any previous president could have done, while MSNBC regular Jon Meacham claimed just because something hasn't happened before, doesn't mean it's historic.

Trump left Singapore after the two leaders signed a document stating Pyongyang would work toward "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." But CNN and MSNBC decided to harp on things like the food that was served and flag placement.

CNN took a break from its usual habit of criticizing the president for consuming too much soda and fast food to allege that the summits menu was too upscale. Samantha Vinograd, the networks national security analyst, proclaimed that the United States legitimized Kim by releasing the details of the food served during a working lunch. Vinograd said the menu puts Kim on equal footing with other world leaders, which is what he wants, before downplaying the working lunch as perfunctory.

If [White House Press Secretary] Sarah Sanders is in the room they are not diving into the kind of classified details that are going to lead to the substance, Vinograd said.

CNN Tonight host Don Lemon made sure to add that the meal served to Kim and Trump sounded very expensive.

Political analyst Jonathan Wachtel, who was in-studio to cover the summit for CNN, then essentially stated that Trump and Kim should not have been served a decent meal.

The poor North Korean people. If they knew what is being dished out there they cant even imagine the types of foods, said Wachtel, a former Fox News journalist.

Wachtels comment is ironic, as he also used to work at the United Nations, where the fancy dining room regularly serves representatives from hostile nations and is considered one of the swankiest restaurants in New York City.

When MSNBC wasnt focused on the atrocities Kim has committed, it spent a lot of the evening criticizing the fact that the American flag was placed side-by-side with the North Korean flag.

Obama adviser-turned-MSNBC correspondent Ben Rhodes called the summit a spectacle while bragging about how much more prepared the Obama administration was for the Iranian nuclear deal than the Trump administration was for the summit. At one point, Brian Williams corrected himself for saying that Kim and Trump were equivalent, while Rhodes interrupted, They are now, though.

MSNBCs Nicolle Wallace repeatedly called Trump a liar, making it a point to say that being dishonest is something he has in common with Kim.

While nobody will argue that Kim isn't a ruthless dictator, its unclear how peace could be achieved without leaders attempting to negotiate  but MSNBCs biggest star didnt seem to care.

"I don't think we should sugar coat what the president has done here by agreeing to this meeting. North Korea is the most repressive dictatorship on Earth, arguably, Rachel Maddow said during the coverage.

ABC News George Stephanopoulos referred to Trump as President Chump before correcting himself during the networks summit coverage, while NBCs Andrea Mitchell said that Trump agreeing to meet has made Kim look like a rock star.

Hes now accepted in the international community in a way that he never could have been if Donald Trump has not conferred this summit on him, Mitchell said.

Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci told Fox News that the mainstream media is being dishonest, and Media Research Center vice president Dan Gainor echoed his analysis.

The No. 1 way Trump scares the media and the left isn't with the possibility he will fail to get peace with North Korea. They fear he will succeed and deserve the Nobel Peace Prize."  Media Research Center vice president Dan Gainor

The media are more desperate than usual with their North Korea narrative. Trump hasn't just defied their expectations. He has defied the caricature they drew of him by trying something very difficult  peace, Gainor told Fox News. It doesn't mean he will succeed, even Trump admits this. But media outlets that were thrilled Obama opened the door to Cuba are angry Trump is trying to denuclearize North Korea.

Numerous liberal pundits and politicians have painted the meeting as a victory for Kim, regardless of what transpired, simply because he was able to meet with Trump. Clinton administration UN ambassador Bill Richardson told the Washington Post that it was a win for North Korea because it illustrates the stature of Kim as a world figure and helps him domestically, although Richardson added that it would be worth it if a deal is achieved.

The No. 1 way Trump scares the media and the left isn't with the possibility he will fail to get peace with North Korea. They fear he will succeed and deserve the Nobel Peace Prize, Gainor said.Jim Carrey shared his newest drawing early Tuesday, this one seemingly taking aim at President Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un amid their historic summit in Singapore.

In the caricature from the actor, Trump, sporting a blue suit and red tie, appears to be holding a microphone for a speaking Kim, who seems to be dressed up as a missile. The North Koreans outfit reads, I STARVED MY PEOPLE TO MAKE THIS MISSILE. Kim also appears to be giving the hand symbol for peace while raising up a sign saying, LITTLE ROCKET MAN.

JIM CARREY IS GETTING POLITICAL WITH ARTWORK BUT ITS FAR FROM THE FIRST TIME HES REINVENTED HIMSELF

Accompanying the tweet, Carrey also wrote this caption: Lets Make A Deal: Youll be a real world leader. Ill sway the midterm elections. And together we will save the world from the bloodthirsty Canadians.

In the past, Trump has referred to Kim as Little Rocket Man, one of the nicknames levied at the rogue regimes ruler over the course of their at times tumultuous relationship.

The illustration comes on the heels of a highly-anticipated summit between the world leaders, who before departing from Singapore on Tuesday, signed a document promising to work for complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

TRUMP, KIM JONG UN MEET IN SINGAPORE: WHAT HAPPENED AT THE HISTORIC SUMMIT?

During the summit, Trump promised to end the yearly military drills between the U.S. and South Korea. He and Kim also signed an agreement for the recovery of the remains of U.S. soldiers who died during the Korean War, as well as the immediate repatriation of those who have already been identified.

Carreys image Tuesday is not the first time hes visually gone after the president. In March, the actor posted a drawing depicting Trump as the Wicked Witch of the West. First lady Melania Trump, as well as White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, have also been targeted in Carreys images.

Fox News Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Nicole Darrah and Tyler McCarthy contributed to this report.John Schneider was released from jail on Tuesday after just serving five hours of his three day sentence.

The actor's rep confirmed to Fox News that he was released "due to overcrowding."

According to TMZ, he checked in at 10:29 AM, and was out at 3:46 PM.

Minutes before turning himself in to jail, Schneider spoke to Fox News on the phone about how he plans to spend his upcoming three days behind bars for unpaid alimony.

The "Dukes of Hazzard" star was sentenced to three days in jail for failing to pay his estranged wife, Elvira Castle, alimony. He says he cannot afford the payments. The actor claims that he has hit hard financial times and spent most of his money repairing his movie studio in Louisiana after it was destroyed in a March 2016 flood.

"I'm disheartened with the system but my head's up, and I'm going to go do what I have to do and make it through the next couple of days," the actor told Fox News exclusively.

The 57-year-old "Smallville" star, who represented himself in court on Monday, told us he has worked "for everything I have and had and lost and continue to do so."

"It's common sense versus entitlement. I've worked seven days a week, 80 hours a week, at least since 1978," he said as he prepared to turn himself in. "I have, as every working person has, a mountain of debt that was attached to my dream. And there's a group now that somehow feels they're entitled to life or even luxury without work and the judicial system apparently agrees with that."

Schneider and Castle have been estranged since she filed for divorce in 2014. They married in 1993 and have three children together, two of which were Castle's children from a previous marriage.

"If I had it [money], I would've given it to her just to let this go away but I don't have it," he said. "Hopefully this is evidence of that."

As for how Schneider plans during his few days in jail?

"I'm going to write songs and I'm going to finish my book," he told us.

The proud supporter of "the boys in blue," said he's also "anxious to see the inner workings of the jail system."

The actor said he received a call from friend Tyler Perry earlier this morning that boosted his spirits.

"[Tyler and I] agree on this very important thing: They can take your stuff but they cannot have your dream," Schneider said recalling his earlier conversation with "The Haves And The Have Nots" creator. "He is a dreamer and a liver of his dreams, and I am the same and we are of one spirit. So these next three days are going to fuel my dream, not damage it in anyway."

Schneider played Bo Duke on the hit series from 1979 - 1985 as well as a handful of revivals in the early 2000s.While the 2020 election for the Oval Office is still more than two years away, comedian Kathy Griffin reportedly shared her thoughts regarding who might make a good candidate for the White House, and among them was Kim Kardashian West.

Griffin said that on the ballot with Kardashian West could be adult film star Stormy Daniels, according to People Magazine on Tuesday. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, is in the midst of an ongoing legal battle with the president and his personal attorney, Michael Cohen.

"I'm just floating this idea: Kardashian-Daniels 2020," Griffin said to the outlet. "I'm not saying it's perfect, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

KATHY GRIFFIN SUPPORTS SAMANTHA BEES FECKLESS C---T COMMENT, SLAMS SARAH SANDERS FOR WEIGHING IN

Kardashian West has received attention in the political sphere as of late, following her clemency campaign for Alice Marie Johnson and her visit to the White House late last month. President Trump last week commuted the life sentence for Johnson, 63, who was convicted of a first-time nonviolent drug offense.

Another thought from Griffin was a possible President Maddow, she told People, adding that she was full of ideas. Griffin was reportedly referring to Rachel Maddow, who anchors her namesake political MSNBC show.

KATHY GRIFFIN LASHES OUT AGAINST TRUMPS ABUSE OF POWER AFTER BLOODY PHOTO SCANDAL IN TWITTER ESSAY

The comments from the comedian, whos been a critic of President Trump, come as she embarks later this week on a stretch of her Laugh Your Head Off tour, according to People, which she said has a lefty, progressive slant because of what Ive been through.

More than a year ago, in a controversial May 2017 photo, Griffin was seen holding a bloodied mask that resembled the president.

Fox News Stephanie Nolasco and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.Kim Jong Un got a taste of President Trumps pain when CNN star Jim Acosta peppered the world leaders with grandstanding questions following their historic summit in Singapore early Tuesday.

Mr. President, how is the meeting going so far, sir? the Trump-bashing newsman hollered as Trump and Kim exited their conference room at the Capella Hotel following a 35-minute meeting. Any progress, Mr. President?

Chairman Kim, will you denuclearize? he pressed. Mr. President, hows it going so far, sir?

'BACHELORETTE' FANS GO NUCLEAR OVER HISTORIC HANDSHAKE INTERRUPTUS

When Trump finally responded by saying it was going Very, very good, Acosta, who was the designated pool reporter assigned to represent U.S. media organizations, seemed encouraged to demand answers from Kim, who is used to a more compliant media.

Will you give up your nuclear weapons, sir? Acosta shouted, either unaware that Kim had just pledged to do exactly that or thinking that his probing interrogation technique might elicit a more fulsome answer than the recently concluded diplomatic session.

On social media, the attacks on Acosta were swift and snarky.

Acosta also interrupted Kim and Trump when they signed the agreement for the recovery of the remains of American soldiers as well as the immediate repatriation of those who have already been identified.

The CNN star first asked, Mr. President, did he agree to denuclearize?

Trump responded that the process will start very quickly, but that wasnt enough for Acosta, who shouted another question, Did you talk about Otto Warmbier?

Trump ignored the question about Warmbier as he signed the agreement amid sounds of camera shutters.

Acosta, who regularly tangles with Trump, has built a reputation for casting aside manners and protocol in order to get his often-rhetorical questions on tape for the evening newscasts. Perhaps more than any other reporter, Trump has singled out the cable networks White House correspondent for scorn and ridicule.

Fox News Brian Flood contributed to this report.Britains Princess Eugenie, who launched her own independent Instagram in March, is giving followers a sneak peek of life inside Buckingham Palace.

The 28-year-old royal recently shared a behind-the-scenes photo of her father, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, celebrating his first Trooping the Colour as Colonel in Chief of the Grenadier Guards. The honor was bestowed on him by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in March.

A wonderful and proud day celebrating Her Majestys birthday and @hrhthedukeofyork for his first Trooping the Colour as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards #troopingthecolour, she captioned.

The 58-year-old proud patriarch posed in his regal uniform against majestic busts and paintings.

This years festivities was a significant one for the royal family. American actress Meghan Markle, who married Eugenies cousin Prince Harry in May, appeared in her second event as the Duchess of Sussex Saturday and made her Buckingham Palace balcony debut.

Thousands lined up the streets to gaze upon Markle and Harrys ride through London for the Trooping the Colour ceremony.

The celebration, which honors the queens birthday, is a long-standing British tradition where military troops show off their flags (or colours) and march throughout the Buckingham Palace square.

While the traditional ceremony is meant to honor the queen, who rode solo in a carriage without Prince Phillip who has retired from public events, all eyes were on the 36-year-old former Suits star.

Unlike her cousins Harry and Prince William, as well as their wives, Eugenie, who is eighth in line to the throne, is allowed to maintain her own social media account.

People Magazine reported it is likely because Eugenie doesnt have a formal working role within the royal family. She does accompany her father on official duties and engagements.

Eugenie currently works as an associate director at London art gallery Hauser & Wirth.

Eugenie has used her Instagram to share photos of her fiance Jack Brooksbank, as well as childhood snaps featuring her sister Princess Beatrice.

Still, Eugenie has used her royal status to raise awareness on scoliosis, a medical condition that causes a persons spine to curve. Back in March, she credited Beatrice for encouraging her to live fearlessly, despite a painful diagnosis.

As my big sister, you inspire me, Eugenie shared at the 2018 We Day U.K. Charity Concert. I love that, as a team, we work hard to support each other  no matter what. When I was 12, I was diagnosed with, and treated for, scoliosis and I have lived with two 12-inch metal rods in my back. It could have impacted my life and stopped me from doing the things I love.

You encouraged me not to get disheartened. Not to give up. To live fearlessly. Today, I am so lucky to get to work with and support other young women who are going through the same thing. To encourage them not to let their diagnosis win. To live fearlessly too.

Buckingham Palace announced in January Eugenie will marry Brooksbank in the fall. He proposed with a padparadscha sapphire ring surrounded by diamonds.Photoshoot images of Meghan Markle stripping down could be used in a French court case appealing the compensation paid to Kate Middleton over topless photos that were taken without her permission.

French lawyers for Closer magazine claim the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were overly compensated in a payout they received when Kate Middleton sued the publication for printing topless images of her in September 2012. The images were shot with a long-lens and show Middleton sunbathing on the terrace of a private residence while vacationing with her husband Prince William in the south of France.

The chateau was owned by the Queens nephew Viscount Linley.

Paul-Albert Iweins, a lawyer for Closer said the initial payout the magazine made to the royal family was exaggerated, according to the Daily Mail, and the magazine is challenging the amount awarded to Kate, saying the payout should be revised especially considering the fact Kates sister-in-law Meghan Markle isnt a stranger to racy pictures herself.

Lawyers for the publication will likely reference photos and a video of the 36-year-old Duchess of Sussex posing provocatively, stripping her clothes off and grilling meat during a Mens Health photoshoot in an attempt to prove that women in the royal family have routinely utilized racy photos to promote themselves.

Council for Closer will appear in the Versailles Appeal Court, west of Paris, on Wednesday.Princess Madeleine of Sweden and her husband Christopher O'Neill recently gathered to celebrate the christening of their baby daughter, Princess Adrienne, but it was her older sister, Princess Leonore, who received most of the attention.

On Friday, the Swedish royals turned out for the traditional christening ceremony for Princess Adrienne. The guests were elegantly dressed from head-to-toe, except for little Leonore who seemed to have left her shoes behind.

The princess' mother stunned in a sheer, floral Giambattista Valli cocktail dress, accessorized with a traditional floral crown and beige heels, while her four-year-old daughter sported a white, frilly dress with no shoes.

And as the family posed for photos in front of Drottningholm Palace Chapel, a curious Leonore preoccupied herself and played with rocks on the ground. In some of the images, the little princess can be seen scooping up rocks with her hands and kicking the dirt with her bare feet. And in the royal family group photo on the chapel steps, the four-year-old squats down behind her older brother, Prince Nicolas, and appears to still be exploring the rocks on the ground.

But playtime ended inside the chapel when Leonore's little sister was baptized in front of her royal family. The princess was said to be blessed with water from a spring on the Swedish island of Oland, a traditional custom originally started by the present king, Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, Adrienne's grandparents, according to the Daily Mail.

And while Lenore kept it simple in her white sundress and no shoes, Adrienne wore the traditional royal christening gown which dates back to the 1900s.

Adrienne's grandfather, the king, later revealed his granddaughter's full name and title: Adrienne Josephine Alice, the Duchess of Blekinge.President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un feasted on a nine-course meal complete with beef short ribs and soy-braised codfish Tuesday at a working lunch during the historic summit.

The menu, released by the White House ahead of the lunch, seemed to combine Eastern and Western influences. Trump, Kim and 13 other U.S. and North Korean aides began the lunch at Singapore's Capella Hotel with traditional prawn cocktail served with avocado salad, a dish of Korean-stuffed cucumber called oiseon, and green mango kerabu salad with honey lime dressing and fresh octopus.

KIM JONG UN STEPS OUT IN SINGAPORE FOR NIGHT OUT AFTER MYSTERIOUS TRAVEL PLANS REVEALED

The main course consisted of beef short rib confit served with potato dauphinois (a creamy milk-infused potato dish originating in France) and steamed broccolini with red wine sauce on the side. There was also a dish of sweet and sour crispy pork, along with Yangzhou fried rice topped homemade XO chili sauce, and Daegu jorim  a soy-braised codfish with radish and Asian vegetables.

Dark chocolate tartlet ganache, Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream with cherry coulis and tropezienne  a brioche-based French dessert  topped off the meal.

Singaporean chef-owner Pang Kok Keong told Singapore Straits Times the menu seemed to include French, Chinese and Korean flavors in dishes.

Willin Low, chef at Wild Rocket, added: "[The meal was] quite a diplomatic choice of courses, with Western and Korean dishes in the first two courses so that no one would be embarrassed with food they are not comfortable with.

SINGAPORE RESTAURANTS DEBUTING TRUMP- AND KIM-THEMED FOODS AHEAD OF HISTORIC SUMMIT

Trump was joined by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Advisor John Bolton and White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Kims delegation included his sister Kim Yo Jong and North Koreas Vice Chairman Kim Yong Chol. Photographers captured them sitting down at a long table decorated with flower bouquets.

"Getting a good picture, everybody? So we look nice and handsome and thin? Perfect, Trump said before taking his seat for the working lunch Tuesday.

The lunch was the last official event between Trump and Kim before parting ways. The U.S. president said the summit went better than anybody could imagine."

Fox News' Serafin Gomez and The Associated Press contributed to this report.High school history teachers are fighting back against changes to Advanced Placement World History that would eliminate content on pre-colonial Africa, Asia, Americas, and the Middle East. The dispute between teachers and the College Board, the group that oversees the AP program, was first reported in Politico .

This spring, the College Board announced changes to the test in response to teachers who complained of having to cram too much content into a short amount of time.

The current AP World History course and exam cover 10,000 years of history across all seven continents, reads the explanation on the College Board website. No other AP course requires such an expanse of content to be covered over a single school year. AP World History teachers have told us over the years that the scope of content is simply too broad, and that they often need to sacrifice depth to cover it all.

So beginning in the 2019-2020 school year, AP World History will test content from 1450, the expansion of European power, through the present time. Earlier history will be covered in an untested pre-AP course.

At an open forum in Salt Lake City, Utah, AP history teacher Amanda DoAmaral argued in a videotaped exchange with Trevor Packer, senior vice president of advanced placement and instruction at the College Board, that if the content is not tested, teachers wont teach it. That will hurt her black and brown students.

Their histories dont start at slavery, she said to applause. Their histories dont start at colonization. I just feel like youre another person of authority telling my students that they dont matter and you need to take responsibility for that.

Packer can be heard off-screen saying: And you need to take responsibility for assigning me a position that is not accurate. [The content] is so important that it should not be rushed over. (A similar debate arose recently in Bridgeport, Conn., over a high school textbook for a new African-American history course . The textbook did not cover the era before slavery.)

When Packer asked DoAmaral why she didnt just teach the new pre-AP course covering the early history, she argued that schools couldnt afford it. They dont have money for pencils, dude, she said. They will not pay for a pre-AP class.

Starting in fall 2019, schools will pay between $1,200 and $6,500 for each pre-AP course , depending on the number of students and courses taught. Discounts are available to schools that teach three or more AP courses.

A high school students petition to stop the revision of AP World History has garnered more than 5,000 signatures. The class is demanding on students, but is also one of the most rewarding, life changing classes Ive ever had the privilege to take, wrote the petitions author, Dylan Black of Tinton Falls, N.J.

The pushback appears to have worked to some extent. Packer announced on Twitter that the College Board will consider reinstating some of the early history content that was cut from the AP course, but still shrink the amount of material that will be tested. He said the College Board will first seek input from teachers and professors on the World History development committee and then announce a decision by mid-July.

I have received constructive feedback regarding the changes to the AP World History exam for the 2019-20 academic year. Such dialogue has suggested a path forward that will enable us to achieve several priorities that I believe we share and can agree on. pic.twitter.com/0SfjDh0VOx  Trevor Packer (@AP_Trevor) June 7, 2018

Packers change of heart came after he received particularly balanced, thoughtful, and productive suggestions from teachers who either sent emails or talked with him at the end of the open forum.

This isnt the first time changes to an AP course have caused a stir. In 2015, a rewrite of the framework for AP U.S. History gave rise to critics who said it emphasized negative aspects of the nations history and downplayed American exceptionalism. The College Board responded with a revised framework that didnt please all critics, though historians called the changes evenhanded.

Related stories:On Sunday afternoon, Kate Middleton wore a $69.90 blue summer dress from budget retailer Zara. By Sunday evening, the dress was sold out.

Several fans lamented on Twitter about not being able to buy the highly-coveted garment.

KATE MIDDLETON LOVES TO COOK THIS ONE DISH

Though true fans should not be surprised that an outfit Middleton wore instantly sold out. The Kate effect," as it has been called, is not uncommon to the Duchess of Cambridge  for whom the phenomenon is named.

The mom of three wore the blue and white striped mid-length dress while she was on an outing with her two older children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, to watch Prince William compete for the Maserati Royal Charity Polo Trophy at the Beaufort Polo Club.

The Duchess paired the belted frock with neutral-toned wedges.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

Though Middleton was praised for her fashion sense  the mom was ridiculed on Twitter for allowing her son, Prince George, to play with a toy gun during the outing.

Her sister-in-law Meghan Markle also experienced some Twitter backlash over the weekend for wearing an off-the-shoulder blush dress to the Queens birthday parade.On Monday at London Fashion Week, all eyes were on the "pregnant" male models who strutted down the runway in Chinese designer Xander Zhous clothing.

The male models at Zhou's show sported prosthetic baby bumps under their looks, though some of their bellies saw the spotlight more than others. Those whose "pregnant" stomachs were covered by shirts, however, clutched their bumps in order to highlight the theme of the show, while another wore a white t-shirt reading, "New World Baby."

Zhou later explained his odd choice, of having the male models appear pregnant, on Instagram.

At Supernatural, Extraterrestrial & Co., were prepared to welcome a future of male pregnancy, the post read.

MELANIA TRUMP ATTENDS FORDS THEATER GALA IN FLOOR-LENGTH ESCADA GOWN

Aside from the pregnant models, Zhou's show also featured a man wearing a trenchcoat with six arms, giving it the appearance of an arm-supported umbrella.NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

With his historic summit Tuesday with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, President Trump has once again done something astounding and unpredictable.

Yet, the surprise over the sudden summit should not have come as a surprise at all. By now we should be used to President Trump surprising us. Consider his record over the last four years.

Four years ago, in June 2014, almost no one would have dreamed Donald J. Trump would be a serious candidate for president. Then, nearly three years ago, when he announced his candidacy on June 16, 2015, almost no one thought he could be a dominant candidate.

In fact, my own conversion to Trump as a very real contender only occurred after his July 11, 2015 rally in Phoenix, which led my former colleague, Vince Haley, to come in the office and say: You had better watch what Trump is doing because his Phoenix rally was emotionally powerful when he turned the microphone over to the father whose child had been killed by an illegal immigrant.

Then, on August 6, 2015, I watched Trump gain the support of nearly a quarter of registered Republican voters (24 percent) in a CNN/ORC poll after the first Republican presidential debate. This was a huge lead in a field of 16 other candidates  especially given that 58 percent of those asked had a favorable view of Trump.

Still, all the elites fervently believed Trump had lost the debate. The gap between the American people and the elites had never been clearer.

Two years ago, in June 2016, all the elite pundits were certain Trump would lose the presidential election to Hillary Clinton. Once again, they were wrong.

Last year, in July 2017, all the elites were sure the collapse of the ObamaCare repeal plan meant the end of the Trump-Republican legislative achievement. Virtually no one predicted President Trump would pivot and five months later win a huge tax, which is now propelling the economy into what would have been unthinkable growth under President Obama.

Now our elites are in utter turmoil.

President Trump was very tough with our oldest allies at the G-7 summit in Canada over the weekend, while he is being apparently cordial to Kim Jong Un. The elites are whirling in confusion at this kind of swirling maneuvering in a three- or four-day period.

Yet, there is a deep consistency in what President Trump is doing. He correctly understands that our allies have been happy because we have carried the allied military burden for 73 years (since the end of World War II), and we have accepted bad trade deals and one-sided protectionist regulations on their part.

Of course, our allies are offended that America now has a president who actually wants them to pay their fair share for defense. Of course, they do not want to change their tariffs and regulations to have honest, open trading that isnt biased against America.

At the same time, President Trump is being tough with our allies, he has acted on a deep reflection about the failure of Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama with the North Korean dictatorship. From 1994 to the present, the United States has wrung its hands and complained ineffectively as the North Koreans marched resolutely toward having nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

President Trump spent more than a year talking with the leaders of Japan, China, and South Korea. He consulted regularly with his senior foreign policy and national security advisers. He implemented a maximum-pressure campaign of much tougher sanctions  and even tougher language.

Trump administration Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis communicated that a war with North Korea would be catastrophic. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave a strong speech outlining how much tougher sanctions could get if North Korea did not agree to denuclearization. National Security Adviser John Bolton has a long track record of being tough on North Korea.

With firmness set  and an American willingness to get even tougher evident  Kim Jong Un indicated to the South Koreans that he was willing to meet with President Trump.

The impressive thing about President Trumps reaction was his speed and decisiveness. He saw an opening that might (repeat might) be historic, and he took it.

This decisiveness and willingness to take risks repudiates a deep elite diplomatic tradition of slow, cautious work by subordinates to gradually develop an agenda.

In my new book, Trumps America: The Truth About Our Nations Great Comeback, I emphasize over and over that President Trump has consistently been a dealmaker and a very patient, tough negotiator, who sets big goals and then works relentlessly to achieve them. In fact, I first wrote about these traits last year in my book Understanding Trump.

My dad fought in the Korean War in 1953. I have been studying the North Koreans for most of my life. I do not know what will happen. It is possible that this one more effort to lie to an American president. However, I doubt it.

President Trump has clearly communicated the U.S. position through sanctions, his own words, key statements by very competent subordinates, and in actions elsewhere.

Consider how the North Koreans might be studying the U.S. military strikes retaliating against the Syrian chemical weapon attack, the moving of the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and the tearing up of the Iran nuclear deal. President Trump has also consistently insisted on a substantial military build-up. Its clear he is a tough guy willing to play a tough role.

Now, I do not believe everything is done. We are not entering a Pollyanna world of being close friends with North Korea.

I do believe, however, that  through a combination of toughness and boldness, aggressiveness and flexibility, and resolution and an amazingly fast grasping of tactical opportunities  President Trump may have begun the process of opening up North Korea and changing history.

President Trump has already accomplished more with North Korea than Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama combined. And this is just the beginning.NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

I hear it from my constituents in Northwest Georgia. I hear it from other members of Congress when Im in Washington. I read about it in the newspapers and see it on TV.

The American people are sick and tired of the broken government funding process that contributes each year to the out-of-control national debt.

As chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Appropriations, I oversee a piece of the fiscal pie. Im in charge of writing the annual funding bill for our nations financial infrastructure and several other areas of the federal government, such as the Treasury Department, the White House, the Federal Communications Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

While I always fight to save taxpayer money and spend each dollar wisely, in writing my bill this year I wanted to do something bold, something different  because if we dont try something new, were destined for the same results.

After a lot of thought and effort, and with some creativity, my subcommittee found a way: the Fund for Americas Kids and Grandkids.

Our broken government funding process doesnt make saving money easy, and here is why: if I dont use all the money allotted to me to fund the departments and agencies for which I write the funding bill, another subcommittee simply scoops it up and spends those dollars somewhere else.

This may sound like a riddle, but this is how legislating works in Washington: we had to find a way to spend money, in order to protect it from being spent.

This may sound like a riddle, but this is how legislating works in Washington: we had to find a way to spend money, in order to protect it from being spent.

Crazy, right? But I think weve found a way to do it.

The Fund for America's Kids and Grandkids safeguards funds for future generations, as money in the account is not accessible until the Treasury Secretary certifies that the budget deficit is erased.

We cut $585 million from across my bill to make an initial deposit, which represents 2.5 percent of the funds I was given. In other words, we deposit two and a half pennies into the Fund for Americas Kids and Grandkids for every dollar the bill spends.

I believe this could set a new tone for government funding 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 current national debt stands at a whopping $21 trillion  or more than $64,000 per citizen, including children.

Now critics might claim the Fund for Americas Kids and Grandkids is a gimmick because it doesnt immediately pay down the deficit. But that misses the point. The fund functions as more of a savings account.

Think about how you spend your paycheck each month. You probably use a portion of each check to pay your mortgage, car payment or other types of debt, while still contributing to your future through a 401(k), IRA or some other type of retirement account.

Thats exactly how you should think about the Fund for Americas Kids and Grandkids. Were putting aside money for their future.

Once you get past the legislative obstacle course, its a simple concept that asks a simple question: if Congress cant save two and a half pennies for every dollar it spends in the name of our children and grandchildren, then what are we doing here?

A key milestone comes on Wednesday, when the House Appropriations Committee considers my bill. Lets try something new.Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen met with her Israeli counterpart Monday in the first meeting hosted by an American Cabinet member at the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.

The meeting between Nielsen and Israeli Minister of Public Security and Strategic Affairs Gilad Erdan took place one day before the opening of the International Homeland and Public Security Ministerial Forum, where Nielsen is expected to deliver a major speech.

Twenty ministers and vice ministers from 17 different countries are expected to participate in the forum, which will focus on counterterrorism and radicalization.

Nielsen tweeted that it was a distinct honor to host the first Cabinet-level meeting at the new embassy, which was opened formally last month.

Nielsen also praised the strong and enduring relationship between the U.S. and Israel. She was expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later this week.

Fox News Caleb Parke contributed to this report.President Trump's critics have made it clear they probably won't be happy regardless of what happens at his historic, imminent one-on-one meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, former national security official Michael Anton said on Fox News' "Special Report."

Anton, the former Deputy Assistant to the President for Strategic Communications on the United States National Security Council under Trump, agreed with the president that he "can't win either way."

Earlier Monday, Trump tweeted his frustration at the "haters & losers" who claimed that sitting down to meet with Kim was bad for the U.S., and touted his own successes so far on the Korean Peninsula.

"We have our hostages, testing, research and all missle launches have stoped, and these pundits, who have called me wrong from the beginning, have nothing else they can say! We will be fine!" Trump wrote.

In May, the Trump administration secured the dramatic release of three American detainees it called "hostages" in North Korea, after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Kim.

WATCH: FREED HOSTAGES THANK TRUMP FOR RELEASE FROM NORTH KOREA

Trump's anger is understandable, Anton said, given that "the same people who are criticizing him for being too harsh in one breath, turn around and criticize him for being too soft and giving too much away.

"I think that criticism is inconsistent," he continued. "And I also agree with the president that I don't really see the downside to talking."

Late Monday, just hours before the historic summit, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and ranking Democrats released a statement saying they are "deeply concerned" that the White House has not confirmed an ambassador to South Korea, or assistant secretary for Asian affairs.

The Democrats insisted on "congressional oversight" of any deal with North Korea, and took the opportunity to decry Trump's "behavior at the G7 summit" that "alienated our closest friends."

The only way that Trump could hand his critics a genuine win and foul-up the critical summit, Anton said, would be if he went too easy on the autocratic regime.

"The downside to talking only occurs if the United States ... gives away too much," Anton said. "The administration appears to me to be completely aware of that danger and determined to avoid it."

The priority in the summit is to denuclearize North Korea, but critics shouldn't pounce even if Trump cannot immediately secure that outcome during the summit, Anton said.

"This is something that I am confident the administration will keep pressing for even as it keeps its eye on the priority, which is denuclearization -- the immediate priority," he added.President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday emerged from their "working lunch" and indicated that they were about to sign something, but did not give any further details.

"We had a really fantastic meeting, a lot of progress, really very positive," Trump said "I think better than anybody could have expected. Top of the line, really good. Were going right now to a signing.

Trump did not go into details about the comment.

Trump shook hands with North Korean leader Kim in Singapore shortly after 9 a.m. local time Tuesday, kicking off a historic summit meeting and marking a new era in relations between the U.S. and the totalitarian state known as the Hermit Kingdom.

Moments later, as Trump and Kim sat side-by-side, the American president told a group of reporters: "We will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt." Kim said through an interpreter that it "was not easy to get here" and that there "were obstacles, but we overcame them to be here."

About 40 minutes later, the two leaders emerged from one-on-one talks accompanied by their interpreters and made a brief appearance on a balcony. When asked how talks were progressing, Trump said: "Very good. Very, very good. Excellent relationship, thank you."

Moments later, Trump and Kim were joined by their aides for expanded discussions and a working lunch. On the U.S. side, Trump was accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and National Security Adviser John Bolton.

"Mr. Chairman, its a great honor to be with you," Trump told Kim as their aides faced each other across a rectangular table, "and well have tremendous success together and well solve a big problem, a big dilemma that until this point has been unable to be solved. I know that working together, we will get it taken care of." He then shook hands with Kim for at least the fourth time in under an hour.

Trump arrived first at the summit site on Singapore's Sentosa Island. Kim's black armored limousine pulled in a short time later at the luxury resort for the world's first meeting between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader. The two clasped hands as they posed for photos in front of a row of U.S. and North Korean flags. Trump then directed Kim to walk down a hallway, where they briefly spoke.

Despite the anticipation and early promise surrounding the talks, it was unclear how much could be accomplished after the White House unexpectedly announced Trump would depart Singapore by Tuesday evening. The White House said Trump was leaving early because negotiations had moved "more quickly than expected," but gave no details about any possible progress in preliminary talks.

However, an administration official told Fox News that Kim Jong Uns aides informed White House officials that the North Korean delegation planned to leave Singapore on Tuesday afternoon. That led Trump to move his scheduled departure forward 24 hours, though the official told Fox News that the official time of departure remained fluid.

In the run-up to the talks, Trump had hopefully predicted the two men might strike a nuclear deal or forge a formal end to the Korean War in the course of a single meeting or over several days. But in a briefing with reporters Monday, Pompeo sought to keep expectations for the summit in check.

"We are hopeful this summit will help set the conditions for future productive talks," the secretary of state said.

Hours before the summit, Trump tweeted with cautious optimism: "Meetings between staffs and representatives are going well and quickly ... but in the end, that doesn't matter. We will all know soon whether or not a real deal, unlike those of the past, can happen!"

In a second tweet, Trump defended his decision to meet with Kim from critics  whom he referred to as "haters and losers."

"We have our hostages, testing, research and all missle [sic] launches have stoped [sic], and these pundits, who have called me wrong from the beginning, have nothing else they can say! We will be fine!

It was a striking about-face from less than a year ago, when Trump was threatening "fire and fury" against Kim, who in turn scorned the American president as a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard."

Trump arrived in Singapore fresh from a contentious G7 summit in Quebec, which saw him clash with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over trade and tariffs. Trump advisers cast his actions as a show of strength before the Kim meeting.

Alluding to the North's concerns that giving up its nuclear weapons could surrender its primary deterrent to forced regime change, Pompeo told reporters that the U.S. was prepared to take action to provide North Korea with "sufficient certainty" that denuclearization "is not something that ends badly for them."

He would not say whether that included the possibility of withdrawing U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula, but said the context of the discussions was "radically different than ever before."

"I can only say this," Pompeo said. "We are prepared to take what will be security assurances that are different, unique, than America's been willing to provide previously."

The North has faced crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions as it has advanced development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Pompeo held firm to Trump's position that sanctions will remain in place until North Korea denuclearizes -- and said they would even increase if diplomatic discussions did not progress positively.

Experts believe the North is close to being able to target the entire U.S. mainland with its nuclear-armed missiles, and while there's deep skepticism that Kim will quickly give up those hard-won nukes, there's also some hope that diplomacy can replace the animosity between the U.S. and the North.

Fox News Serafin Gomez, Kristin Brown, Edmund DeMarche and The Associated Press contributed to this report.Its the toughest race in Nevada  two Clark County commissioners, both Democrats, seek to rally the base in a year when the party truly believes it can win the governorship for the first time this century.

Im the best candidate because I have the experience, said Steve Sisolak, Clark County Commission chair.

But his opponent, Chris Giunchigliani, insists shes the partys best hope.

Ive been a progressive since before it was a word, she said.

Hillary Clinton has weighed in to boost Giunchiglianis liberal credentials, telling voters in a taped robocall, Ive known Chris for many years, and Ive seen how shes been an extraordinary progressive leader for Nevada.

MIDTERM ELECTION HQ

Nevada has not had a Democratic governor in two decades, and both are vying to replace Gov. Brian Sandoval, who cannot run again because of term limits. The winner of Tuesday's primary will likely take on Republican state Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who is expected to breeze through the primary, brushing aside the challenge of State Treasurer Dan Schwartz, in November.

The Democratic candidates have pledged to stand up to Trump and the National Rifle Association.

Sisolak is chair of the powerful governing body for Clark County, which includes the Las Vegas Strip and about two-thirds of the state's residents. The 64-year-old became a prominent figure in the wake of an October mass shooting outside a hotel-casino on the Strip and he's been outraising his opponents in the primary.

But Giunchigliani paints Sisolak as being too moderate and has knocked him for receiving an "A-" minus rating from the NRA in 2012.

Giunchigliani, who goes by "Chris G," is a 63-year-old former state legislator and teacher.

The Democratic race has a bizarre election subplot tinged with allegations that Giunchigliani, a Clark County commissioner known as Chris G, was soft on sexual predators while she was an assemblywoman.

Chris G single handedly protected perverts, said an ad by a group supporting Sisolak.

Giunchigliani responded with her own ad telling the story of an 8-year-old sexually abused girl before surprisingly revealing: That 8 year old girl was me.

Giunchigliani has courted the womens vote, though she insists women shouldnt only vote for her because of her gender.

I dont want people voting for me just because Im a woman, she said, but I do believe thats an added value.

But she doesnt argue with Sisolaks contention that Nevadans are more focused on each candidates policies rather than gender.

They dont vote for someone in Nevada based on their gender anymore, Sislak said, than they do based on their height or their weight.

Laxalt, a retired lieutenant in the U.S. Navy who has been the states chief prosecutor since 2015, is already focusing on November and a so-called blue wave for Democrats. He told Fox News the idea that Democrats will sweep the elections in Nevada during the general election is a farce.

There is no blue wave here. It doesnt exist, he said. In fact, were looking for a red wave.

Includes reporting by The Associated Press.Richard Downes was only three years old when his father left home to fight in the Korean War.

It was the last time he would ever see him.

On January 13, 1952, shortly after finishing a nighttime bombing mission over North Korea, Air Force Lt. Hal Downes B-26 Marauder went down after the planes twin engines stopped working. While the pilot and another crew member were able to bail out  they were captured behind enemy lines before eventually being released  the fate of Downes and another airman remains a mystery.

To this day, Downes is one of the more than 5,000 United States military men who are still declared MIA in North Korea. But after President Trump and North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un agreed on Tuesday, during a historic summit in Singapore, to recover the remains of the U.S. military personnel missing in action and presumed dead from the war, Downes and other families whose husbands and fathers are still MIA are hopeful that almost 68 years later, their remains will soon be returned to U.S. soil.

I did not know this was even going to be discussed at the summit, Downes, who is the executive director of the Coalition of Families of Korean & Cold War POW/MIAs, told Fox News. This is the first step, but now we have to find out what the plan is for recovering the remains.

Nearly 7,800 U.S. troops remain unaccounted for from the 1950-53 war. About 5,300 were lost in North Korea.

In a statement signed on Tuesday by both Trump and Kim, the two countries agreed to the immediate repatriation of those American dead already identified and to the continuation of recovery efforts that ended in 2006.

Between 1996 and 2005, joint U.S.-North Korea military search teams conducted over 30 recovery missions and recovered 229 sets of American remains. But these searches ended when Washington officially broke off the program because it claimed the safety of its searchers was not guaranteed - though the North's first nuclear test, in 2006, was likely a bigger reason.

We must have hope that this agreement will finally bring peace to the peninsula and help bring closure to thousands of families of missing American servicemen from the Korean War, said Keith Harman, the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, in a statement sent to Fox News. Now the hard work to bring the initiative to fruition begins.

While most of the missing Americans died during major engagements or as prisoners of war in North Korea, others  like Downes father  are believed to be scattered around the hermit kingdom after their aircraft went down on missions. Downes said that while he hopes his father will be one of the 229 Americans already recovered, he understands that it will be difficult to find the remains of those missing.

It's unclear whether North Korea's commitment to recovering U.S. war remains could count as a major win for Washington when Pyongyang would be simply returning to what it had been doing for years. Critics of the program argue that the North was using the deal to squeeze cash out of Washington, calling it "bones for bucks."

During a trip organized by former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson in 2016 to North Korea to search for remains, Downes said that the group flew over the area where his fathers bomber is believed to have crashed.

Our approach to the airport took us over the rice paddies where my father's plane is believed to have gone down, Downes said. Thats probably the closest Ive felt to my father since I was three years old.

Ray Bogan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.School lockdowns and drills are familiar for teachers and students across the country. Many teachers follow a similar procedure: Shut and lock the classroom doors, hide with students, and wait for the all clear.

Practicing for the worst case scenarioa real threat to students and staffs safetyis routine in most places. During the 2015-16 school year, 95 percent of public schools conducted lockdown drills, according to federal education data .

But some teachers have said that lockdowns and drills alike take on new significance in the aftermath of school shootings.

I think theres something very sobering about the lockdown drill, Paul Hankins, an 11th grade English teacher in Floyds Knobs, Ind., told Education Weeks Madeline Will a few months ago, after the shooting in Parkland, Fla. , in which 17 students and educators were killed. If you do a fire drill or a tornado drill, they seem like theyre so implausible. ... We dont come back from the fire drill and talk about how it went.

Lockdown drills can highlight the threat of real danger, even for the youngest students.

On Twitter, one Boston-area mother recently shared a photo of lockdown directions written on a poster in her childs kindergarten class. The instructions were written in verse, to the phrasing of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

This should not be hanging in my soon-to-be-kindergarteners classroom. pic.twitter.com/mWiJVdddpH  Georgy Cohen (@radiofreegeorgy) June 6, 2018

Not all lockdowns end in tragedy. But the experience can still be frightening and traumatic for students and teachers.

In an essay for Education Week, Illinois teacher Ashley Lauren Samsa recounted her experience of a lockdown during the 2012-13 school year . A student had brought a gun onto campus during an after-school activities period, causing the building to lock down:

One student, Elizabeth, is among those hiding behind my desk. She rapidly scrolls through her cellphone as we wait. I whisper to her not to post anything or text anyone that could give away our location. She shakes her head that she wont.

I just want to see if anyone is posting about whats going on, she types into her phone. She doesnt want anyone to hear us and know where we are.

Smart kid. Smarter than she has to be.

I try to keep my facial expression measured so as not to show the students I am terrified. The lockdown is the longest 25 minutes of my life. But we emerge unharmed.

A bullet went through one of the schools windows, but no in in the building was hurt. Still, the incident left a lasting impression.

The emotional scars run deep, wrote Samsa, and our situation does not even come close to the trauma and anguish in Santa Fe and Parkland and Sandy Hook and Columbine and so many other places.

If your school has been through a real lockdown or a lockdown drill recently, Education Week wants to hear from you.

How do lockdowns and drills feel different in the weeks and months after much-publicized school shootings? What are you feeling and thinking about when your school goes on lockdown?

Tell us how lockdowns have affected you and your students. Share your experiences, photos, or videos on Twitter with the hashtag #MyLockdownStory. You can also put them in the comments section below, or send them via email to sschwartz@epe.org.

Photo: Fifth grade students, from left, Nishal Suchuri, Ricardo Whacley, and Victorine Ndume, position themselves against a row of lockers at Forest Hills Community Learning Center in Akron, Ohio, as part of a recent drill designed to train them on how to respond if a gunman comes onto their K-5 campus. Angelo Merendino for Education WeekWhen Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced he was running for Senate, the incumbent, Sen. Bill Nelson, confidently assured his supporters that he would emerge victorious again in November.



Privately though, Democrats are worried Nelson is getting out-muscled early-on by the governor. The Democrat, who has held the seat since 2000, will face the toughest political campaign of his life leading up to the Nov. 8 election.

Scott announced his candidacy April 9 to much fanfare, telling hundreds of supporters that packed into an Orlando warehouse that the concept of sending career politicians to Washington has got to stop.

That announcement kicked off what is expected to be the most high-stake and expensive Senate race in history. Nelson has comfortably held the seat for almost two decades, and political analysts say that could work against him  because many younger voters dont know much about him.

Without a doubt, Nelson has got to reintroduce himself to a lot of Floridians who arent as familiar with him as people who have lived here a long while, said political analyst Susan MacManus.  He does have to campaign harder than hes done in a very long time for the reason of a lot of people dont know him well.

MIDTERM ELECTION HQ

Nelson is the only statewide elected Democrat left in the nations largest swing state. The senator hasn't had a competitive race since 2000, as he won the open seat in 2000 with 51 percent, was re-elected in 2006 with 60 percent and in 2012 with 55 percent of the vote.

With Floridas 10 media markets and 27 congressional districts, any candidate with statewide aspirations needs two things to be competitive: name identification and money.

Scott's entrance put Democrats, who are trying to flip control of the Senate, on defense.

There is a name ID lag that he has currently, so hes got to come out and tell people again who he is...and why hes been in state-elected office all these years, said Jessica Ehrlich, a Democratic strategist and former congressional candidate.

One of Scotts biggest campaign strengths is his personal money and his willingness to spend it. The governors personal net worth of more than $150 million leaves little doubt that he will spend heavily on the Senate race.

So far, Scott has released 10 television ads, compared to one online and social media ad released by Nelson on May 29. The Scott campaign has reportedly spent over $13 million on ads since his Senate run announcement eight weeks ago.

Im going to do everything I can to raise money to run ads all summer long, Scott said at a campaign event on Monday. Im going to work my tail off to make sure Im the next U.S. Senator from Florida.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee recently made a $2.2 million ad buy in support of Nelson and the Senate Majority PAC has spent more than $2 million to run a statewide TV ad portraying Nelson as a senator protecting Florida's interests on health care and Social Security.

Nelson ended the first quarter of the campaign with $10.6 million, while Scott hasnt had to file a fundraising report yet. The next candidate filling deadline is July 15.

Experts say Nelson is following what is considered a traditional campaign approach  laying low during the summer, when political interest is low, and then launching an all-out campaign blitz after the August primary.

But with every ad released by Scott, Nelson's absence from the airwaves becomes more noticeable.

Do you go the traditional route and assume its OK to wait until after the August primary? Versus the sort of new approach  youve got to brand your opponent quickly before you get branded to the point of no return, MacManus said. Theres a struggle within the Nelson campaign about that, and also with Florida Democrats themselves.

Nelson, who famously went through NASA training and spent six days orbiting Earth, is also thought to be factoring in the swing state's hefty campaign costs to prepare for the race thats estimated to reach up to $200 million.

Florida is an enormous state, our statewide races are expensive to begin with, Ehrlich said. I think they realize its going to be a long and drawn out campaign thats going to require a lot of messaging. So to be strategic and use your money wisely is always a good idea.

In a statement to Fox News, a Nelson campaign spokesperson said Florida voters are well aware of Scotts controversial history.

"Rick Scott spends tens of millions of dollars of his own money every election, the spokesperson said, but Floridians know his record of putting himself ahead of the future of Florida.

Numerous outside groups are expected to invest heavily in Nelson as Nov. 8 nears, but its unclear whether Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell's decision to cancel most of August recess, a traditional time when candidates return to their districts to campaign ahead of the primary election, will hurt him.

The latest Real Clear Politics poll averages has Nelson leading by almost two points over Scott.

The stakes in the race are high, particularly in a swing state like Florida. Experts say the results will have national repercussions.

Every Democrat knows that if Democrats cannot hold on to the Senate seat currently held by Nelson, MacManus said, their chances of winning back control of the U.S. Senate are very slim.A key lawmaker is seeing red over all the black ink being spilled by the FBI redacting text messages between two FBI officials involved in the bureaus probe of Hillary Clintons email server.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who chairs the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, fired off a pointed letter last week to FBI Director Christopher Wray objecting to what he called "excessive redaction of documents that he claimed were hindering his committees oversight role.

In the June 8 letter, Johnson repeated a familiar GOP charge that the bureau and the Department of Justice were withholding and redacting critical information to protect their agencies from embarrassment.

"These reviews showed highly questionable redactions without apparent legitimate reasons," Johnson wrote.

The text messages are part of a trove of thousands sent between FBI agent Peter Strzok and his lover, former bureau attorney Lisa Page. GOP investigators believe the texts shed light on efforts by some within the bureau to exonerate Clinton of mishandling classified material and possibly to mount a dubious probe of President Trump.

Johnsons letter followed an in camera, or supervised review by committee staff of unreleased, more complete documents and emails which were still partially redacted.

Prior to his demotion to the FBIs Human Resource department, Strzok was a key member of the bureaus counter-intelligence team investigating Clintons use of a private server for government business conducted while she served as secretary of state. After former FBI Director James Comeys controversial July 5, 2016 press conference -- at which he declared Clintons actions exceedingly reckless but recommended against criminal charges -- Strzok was assigned to Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into alleged Russian collusion with the Trump campaign.

DOJ REFUSING TO GIVE GRASSLEY ACCESS TO AGENT WHO INTERVIEWED FLYNN

Page, who was a close adviser to fired Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, resigned from the FBI in May.

The texting lovers relationship was exposed by DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who is concluding a sweeping review of the departments handling of the Clinton probe. The pairs relationship and motivation are expected to factor into Horowitzs report, slated for release Thursday.

Johnson detailed several concerns about FBI redactions in his letter.

These redactions included the names and what appears to be initials of Justice Department or FBI employees, Johnson wrote. Redacting the identities of these employees prevents the Committee from assessing the need to request additional documents relating to these employees or requesting interviews with these employees.

Johnson faulted the FBI and DOJ for not providing a reasonable basis for making the redactions. He referred in particular to a redacted, Aug. 5, 2016 text from Strzok that states "the White House is running this." According to Johnsons committee, the "unredacted version appears to attribute the quote to an individual with the initials L.C." It is unclear who "LC" is.

In an Oct. 11, 2016 email, Strzok wrote that he is "currently fighting with [redacted] over a FISA issue. The unredacted version revealed by Johnson's letter to the Wray fills in the redaction to reveal the redacted name as Stu" It is unclear who Stu is.

Days before the 2016 presidential election, in a newly unredacted exchange, Strzok also writes that I am still angry at them over this stupid BO DOD thing. Fifteen minutes later, Strzok texts Page again stressing that he is Just cranky at them for bad choice about BO.

It is unclear who BO is, though DOD may refer to the Department of Defense.

"My whole point of my investigation -- we've been doing this for three years now -- is to make the public aware full disclosure so that the FBI and the DOJ can regain their integrity, the credibility which it needs to serve the American public, Johnson said in an interview with Fox News.

Fox News Catherine Herridge contributed to this report.Eleven years, five months and 10 days into his tenure as Senate Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell has now had the partys top spot longer than anyone.

He understands the Senate better than anybody else here, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Tuesday.

Up until today, Former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., was the longest serving Senate Republican leader.

Former Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., had the job for five years, and believes it comes with challenges others in Washington never face.

I think its the toughest leadership job, political job, in this city, Lott said in an interview. When the president makes a decision the government moves, in the House when the Speaker makes a decision the rules committee takes care of it, in the Senateyou lead and govern by the strength of your personality and respect for the rules.

Lott believes McConnells longevity sprouted from a style that stands out from previous party leaders.

He plays his cards very close to his chest, he is an interminable listener, Lott said. He may not say much but hell just sit there and listen and listen and listen.

McConnells majorities have successfully passed tax reform, but failed to achieve another top legislative goal: full repeal of Obamacare. And in 2010, he took heat for outlining a different priority.

The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president, McConnell told the National Journal.

Obama was re-elected, but stymied by McConnell six years later when the outgoing president nominated Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, and the GOP-lead Senate refused to consider it on the floor until after the 2016 election.

We think the most important principle in the middle of this presidential election, which is raging, is that the American people need to weigh and decide who is going to make this decision  not this lame duck president on the way out the door, but the next president next year, McConnell said in 2016.

At the time, the Obama administration complained McConnell was breaking longstanding Senate tradition.

Were setting an incredibly dangerous precedent in the institution that I love, former Vice President Joe Biden said.

But waiting worked in McConnells favor, as Garlands nomination expired and the Senate later confirmed President Trumps Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch.

Tensions with Democrats seem to have cooled after the long-running high court conflict, and some are even offering kind words about McConnells milestone.

Hes reasonably able to control his people, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said. That in and of itself is something to be credited with.

But sometimes Republicans break ranks, like Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who once called McConnell out about the Export-Import Bank, from the floor of the Senate.

I cannot believe he would tell a flat-out lie, Cruz said in 2015.

Then, there are the GOP candidates who try to capitalize on anti-McConnell sentiment in their home states.

One of my goals as U.S. senator will be to ditch Cocaine Mitch, Don Blankenship, third-place finisher in West Virginias recent Republican Senate primary, said in a campaign advertisement.

Ultimately in D.C., theres not much of an appetite to remove the Republican leader.

Hes been right so many times, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said. It builds confidence among his colleagues.President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a document on Tuesday stating that Pyongyang would work toward "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" a historic concession, which was one of the requirements the U.S. sought at the summit in Singapore.

The historic agreement came after the two leaders held several meetings throughout the day. Trump was asked by a reporter if Kim agreed to denuclearize and he said, We are starting that process very quickly.

Trump did not refer to the document as a treaty or agreement.

Trump said at a press conference that he will be ending joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea.

He also said Kim agreed to destroy a 'major' missile testing site, but did not offer specific details.

The joint declaration states that the U.S. has committed to providing "security guarantees" to Pyongyang.

It's unclear exactly what Trump has promised Kim in terms of security. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declined to say Monday whether guarantees might include withdrawing U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula.

Col. Chad G. Carroll, U.S. Forces Korea spokesman, said there has been no updated guidance on execution or cessation of training exercises.

We will continue with our current military posture until we receive updated guidance from the Department of Defense and/or Indo-Pacific Command, Carroll said.

Trump appeared optimistic at a press conference after Kim had left the island.

Trump told reporters that the remains of U.S. prisoners of war and those missing in action during the Korean War will also be returned.

Trump said he asked Kim to commit to returning the remains "and we got it."

The president said he has received "countless calls" and letters from family members asking him to help them receive the remains of their loved ones.

A reporter asked Trump if he would be willing to invite Kim to the White House and he responded, Absolutely I would.

Trump was asked by reporters in Singapore during his final appearance with Kim on Tuesday what surprised him most during their meetings.

Trump said Kim has a "great personality" and is "very smart. Good combination."

Trump raised some eyebrows when he said he learned Kim is "a very talented man" and "loves his country very much."

Kim, who was sitting alongside Trump at an earlier conference, said through a translator, We had a historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind and we are about to sign a historic document.

Trump said future talks will include Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton. The joint agreement said North Korea will hold follow-up negotiations, led by Pompeo and "a relevant high-level DPRK official" at the "earliest possible date."

Reporters pressed Trump about human rights issues in the Hermit Kingdom, and the president acknowledged that the situation must improve.

Trump and Kim did not respond to a reporter who asked if they discussed Otto Warmbier.

Warmbier was an American student arrested in North Korean in January 2016 for stealing a propaganda poster and sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor. He was was sent home from North Korea in a coma and died soon after.

Trump later said that the meeting between the two leaders may not have happened if not for the death of Warmbier.

Trump said he thinks "we'll probably need another summit"-- or at least a second meeting. Trump said he is willing to meet with Kim "many times" in the process.

In the run-up to the talks, Trump had hopefully predicted the two men might strike a nuclear deal or forge a formal end to the Korean War in the course of a single meeting or over several days. But in a briefing with reporters Monday, Pompeo sought to keep expectations for the summit in check.

"We are hopeful this summit will help set the conditions for future productive talks," the secretary of state said.

Fox News' Samuel Chamberlain and The Associated Press contributed to this reportPresident Trump, as part of the historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, reversed longstanding U.S. policy by calling for an end to military drills on the Korean Peninsula and saying he wants to bring U.S. troops home from the region  the presidents latest convention-defying move on the international stage in less than a week.

"We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should," Trump said after his meeting with Kim. "But we'll be saving a tremendous amount of money. Plus, I think it's very provocative."

He also said he wants to bring our soldiers back home from the region, though added this is not part of the equation right now.

TRUMP, KIM AGREE TO RECOVERING AND RETURNING US MILITARY REMAINS FROM KOREAN WAR

While both moves would align with Trumps general principles of cutting costs and pulling soldiers back from conflicts where possible, they are sure to cause concern in Seoul, which views the presence of U.S. troops and the military exercises as important to regional security.

The South Korean government seemed to express nervousness about Trumps remarks.

"At this current point, there is a need to discern the exact meaning and intent of President Trump's comments," Seoul's Defense Ministry said, according to the Associated Press, adding that there have been no discussions yet with Washington on modifying military drills set for August.

A spokesman for U.S. Forces Korea, which has approximately 30,000 troops in the peninsula, said theyve received no updated guidance in regards to military exercises.

"The USFK has received no updated guidance on execution or cessation of training exercises -- to include this fall's scheduled Ulchi Freedom Guardian," the spokesman said in a statement.

U.S. officials told Fox News that the military will continue drills in Japan, where it has twice as many troops. Long-range bombers will continue training flights from Guam.

The upcoming joint exercise in August is more computer-based training. More controversial are the annual spring drills -- such drills were cancelled in the mid-1990's when other agreements were made with North Korea.

Thailand also hosts annual joint training with Asian allies including South Korea and the United States each year. Such exercises are larger than what the U.S. military does with South Korea.

Despite its apparent reservations about Trump's statement, the South Korean government has been encouraging of the summit and played a key role in it, with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha delivering a congratulatory message for the success of the event to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, according to Yonhap news agency.

Trump also spoke with South Korean President Moon Jae-in after the summit, while Pompeo is set to visit South Korea Wednesday.

The presidents comments about military exercises represent the latest example of his willingness to tear up the usual script for presidential pronouncements on the world stage.

Specifically, Trump labeling the drills as provocative is a contradiction of past U.S. statements that have declared the drills to be both routine and defensive.

At the summit itself, Trump adopted an unorthodox approach by showing Kim a video on an iPad about "two men, two leaders, one destiny." Similar to a movie trailer, the film shows images of warplanes while a narrator suggests "a new world can begin today, one of friendship, respect and goodwill."

The summit came just days after Trump took his wrecking-ball style of negotiation to the G-7 summit in Canada. There, he called for Russias re-admittance to the group, publicly sparred with leaders over his tariffs on aluminum and steel, and refused to sign a communique after attacking meek and mild Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for making false statements on tariffs.

An image of Trump in the negotiation with the group, arms folded and appearing nonplussed as an exasperated German Chancellor Angela Merkel made her point, did the rounds on social media from both Trump critics and supporters as a symbol of how Trump was upending the international order -- for better or for worse.

Critics accused Trump of needlessly alienating allies. His remarks Tuesday drew similar scrutiny from Democrats.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Tuesday, accused Trump of handing Kim concessions in exchange for vague promises of denuclearization.

In his haste to reach an agreement, President Trump elevated North Korea to the level of the United States while preserving the regimes status quo, Pelosi said in a statement. The millions of families currently living in fear of nuclear weapons in the region deserve strong and smart leadership built on diplomacy and engagement with our regional partners and allies.

She also criticized his approach to diplomatic norms, particularly in the wake of the G-7 summit.

The Presidents marginalization of the vast expertise of the State Department and his habitual disparaging of our allies as demonstrated at the G7 Forum hinders a lasting, stable pathway to peace, she said.

Trump has said explicitly, both on the campaign trail and in office, that he wants to get away from business-as-usual. Trump was elected on such an approach and certain aspects of his foreign agenda appear to be popular. A recent Fox News poll found 66 percent of Americans approve of his decision to meet Kim.

In Canada, Trump criticized past U.S. leaders for the status quo on North Korea and trade.

I don't blame them, I blame our leaders, he said. In fact, I congratulate leaders of other leaders for so crazily being able to make those trade deals that were so good for their country and bad for the United States.

On North Korea, he has repeatedly blasted prior administrations for allowing the situation in the peninsula to deteriorate. He told Fox News Sean Hannity that prior approaches had failed.

TRUMP TO 'HANNITY': KIM JONG UN TO START DENUCLEARIZATION 'VIRTUALLY IMMEDIATELY'

You know, we did sanctions and all the things you would do but I think without the rhetoric, you know, other administrations, I dont want to get specific on that, but you know they had a policy of silence, he said.

Fox News Lucas Tomlinson, Greg Palkot, Serafin Gomez and The Associated Press contributed to this report.The parents of Otto Warmbier, the American student who died after a 15-month imprisonment in North Korea, said Tuesday they are hopeful something positive can come from President Trumps historic summit with dictator Kim Jong Un.

We appreciate President Trump's recent comments about our family, Fred and Cindy Warmbier said in a statement. We are proud of Otto and miss him. Hopefully something positive can come from this.

Earlier Tuesday, after his historic summit with Kim, Trump said the meeting between the two leaders may not have happened if not for the death of Otto Warmbier.

Warmbier, 22, was a student at the University of Virginia when he was arrested in North Korea in January 2016 for allegedly stealing a propaganda poster. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fell into a coma while incarcerated. He was brought back to the U.S. in June 2017 only to die a few days later.

TRUMP-KIM SUMMIT PREDICATED ON DEATH OF AMERICAN OTTO WARMBIER, PRESIDENT SAYS

Otto did not die in vain, Trump said as he discussed North Koreas human rights record.

Trumps comments on Warmbier came after Vice President Mike Pence reassured the Ohio mans father when he spoke to him ahead of the Singapore summit.

Today I assured his dad, as the president said two days ago, their beloved son, Otto Warmbier, will not have died in vain, Pence said.

The vice president commended Trump on his success thus far with North Korea, speaking of that countrys participation in the Winter Olympics, the suspension of all ballistic missile testing and, recently, the release of three American hostages.

Trump said during the post-summit news conference that the remains of Americans who died during the Korean War will also be brought home. He said it was a last minute deal and expected more than 6,000 Americans remains to be brought back to the U.S.

Fox News Jenny Buchholz, Ryan Gaydos, Paulina Dedaj and the Associated Press contributed to this report.Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein threatened to subpoena emails, phone records and other documents from lawmakers and staff on a Republican-led House committee during a tense meeting earlier this year, according to emails reviewed by Fox News documenting the encounter and reflecting what aides described as a "personal attack."

The emails memorialized a January 2018 closed-door meeting involving senior FBI and Justice Department officials as well as members of the House Intelligence Committee. The account claimed Rosenstein threatened to turn the tables on the committee's inquiries regarding the Russia probe.

The DAG [Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein] criticized the Committee for sending our requests in writing and was further critical of the Committees request to have DOJ/FBI do the same when responding, the committee's then-senior counsel for counterterrorism Kash Patel wrote to the House Office of General Counsel. Going so far as to say that if the Committee likes being litigators, then we [DOJ] too [are] litigators, and we will subpoena your records and your emails, referring to HPSCI [House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence] and Congress overall.

A second House committee staffer at the meeting backed up Patels account, writing: Let me just add that watching the Deputy Attorney General launch a sustained personal attack against a congressional staffer in retaliation for vigorous oversight was astonishing and disheartening. ... Also, having the nations #1 (for these matters) law enforcement officer threaten to 'subpoena your calls and emails' was downright chilling.

The committee staffer noted that Rosensteins comment could be interpreted as meaning the department would vigorously defend a contempt action" -- which might be expected. But the staffer continued, "I also read it as a not-so-veiled threat to unleash the full prosecutorial power of the state against us.

Representatives with both the DOJ and FBI disputed the account in the emails.

The FBI disagrees with a number of characterizations of the meeting as described in the excerpts of a staffers emails provided to us by Fox News, the FBI said in a statement.

A DOJ official told Fox News that Rosenstein never threatened anyone in the room with a criminal investigation. The official said the department and bureau officials in the room are all quite clear that the characterization of events laid out here is false, adding that Rosenstein was responding to a threat of contempt.

'[H]aving the nations #1 ... law enforcement officer threaten to 'subpoena your calls and emails' was downright chilling.'  House Intelligence Committee staffer, describing clash with Rod Rosenstein

The Deputy Attorney General was making the pointafter being threatened with contempt  that as an American citizen charged with the offense of contempt of Congress, he would have the right to defend himself, including requesting production of relevant emails and text messages and calling them as witnesses to demonstrate that their allegations are false, the official said. That is why he put them on notice to retain relevant emails and text messages, and he hopes they did so. (We have no process to obtain such records without congressional approval.)

Further, the official said that when Rosenstein returns to the United States from a work trip, he will request that the House General counsel conduct an internal investigation of these Congressional staffers conduct.

Details of the January 2018 meeting first trickled out in the immediate aftermath. Fox News' Gregg Jarrett tweeted in February on the purported subpoena threat.

But the emails, reviewed by Fox News, provide additional details about that encounter. A former Justice Department official said the account may help explain how the relationship between the DOJ and the Republican-led House committee has broken down in the months since.

This is much worse than a deteriorating relationship  this is a massive breakdown in the system. A deputy attorney general does not make subpoena threats lightly. This is not the norm to say the least, Tom Dupree, the former principal deputy assistant attorney general under the George W. Bush administration, told Fox News. Its hard to tell whether [Rosenstein] was sending a message to back off, or whether he was just trying to illustrate how invasive he considered the demands from Congress. But either way, it is a clear signal that the relationship is fractured, and its not clear how things will get repaired.

The tense session over the boundaries of congressional oversight  and the Justice Department's concern for protecting sources and methods  appears to have set the tone for a sustained records dispute as well as the latest confrontation over Chairman Devin Nunes request for information related to an alleged FBI confidential human source who was in contact with the Trump campaign.

A senior Justice Department official said Rosenstein and others have offered to meet Thursday with a group of House leaders known as the Gang of Eight. In a letter, Nunes, R-Calif.  whose staffers documented the Jan. 10 meeting  made clear he wants the records made available to all intelligence committee members and select staff two days earlier.

The Jan. 10 meeting came amid government surveillance abuse allegations, outstanding House subpoenas for Russia probe records and the looming threat of contempt. The Capitol Hill session pertained to a request for a sensitive document, according to the emails  and included Rosenstein, Associate Deputy Attorney General Scott Schools, Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs Stephen Boyd, then-FBI Assistant Director Greg Brower and FBI Director Christopher Wray, as well as Nunes and three committee staffers.

The emails reviewed by Fox News show at least two committee staffers memorialized their concerns about the deputy attorney generals alleged statements, at the request of the Office of General Counsel.

I know Ive relayed the following to you over the phone, and per your suggestion reducing it to writing so there is at least some record of the event, wrote Patel, who is now the committee's national security adviser.

The two staffers were pressed on whether Rosenstein could justify the comments as "merely referring to how DOJ would vigorously defend any litigation that the committee might initiate? -- an apparent reference to Nunes' threat to hold Rosenstein and Wray in contempt for not providing records.

I took ... it as the DAGs clearly articulated course of action should the committee continue its investigation in the current manner, which he found unacceptable and improper. It was not in response to how they would defend litigation (ie contempt or the like), Patel responded. "It was about leaks, source contact, and other alleged disclosures by the committee."

Asked about the January meeting, Nunes provided a statement to Fox News noting they referred the incident to House Speaker Paul Ryans office: The Intelligence Committee considers staff concerns at the most serious level, especially those involving interactions with the executive branch. Based on the justified concerns expressed by our lead staff investigators, we referred this matter to the Speakers Office.

Fox News provided extensive quotes from the emails and offered an opportunity to respond to all parties. The House Office of General Counsel declined to comment. A source close to the speaker said they encouraged the Committee to work through the non-partisan DOJ Inspector Generals Office.

A committee source said going to DOJ IG is one of several steps under consideration.

The DOJ official later said in an email that "no formal complaint was ever filed [with] the GC or IG." The official also said that Rosenstein and Nunes "went to dinner with a mutual friend the night of this meeting and the chairman didn't raise any concerns about the conversation at that dinner."

Dupree, though, said the tensions between Congress and the Justice Department go well beyond the traditional oversight negotiations.

"Rarely, if ever, has it deterioriated to this point where you have what appears to be threats going back and forth between the two sides," he said.

Fox News' Pamela K. Browne and Cyd Upson contributed to this report.One of my "Media Buzz" guests said the other day that the press blows past the complexities of covering President Trump's economic battle with American allies by focusing on "personality-based" coverage.

And there's some truth in that.

But how do journalists resist that when the president, after the contentious G-7 meeting, tweets from Air Force One that Justin Trudeau, having acted "meek and mild," is "very dishonest & weak"?

And, citing Canada's 270 percent dairy tariff, "then Justin acts hurt when called out!"

Donald Trump personalizes all disputes, whether they're with foreign leaders, domestic opponents or so-called fake news journalists. That's what he does. You can't expect the press not to point out that he was in a war of words with Canada as he was flying to sit down with North Koreas brutal dictator.

But the overwhelmingly negative coverage of the G-7 drama in Quebec is revealing as well. Despite sophisticated reporting in some quarters, many in the media are covering the controversy with all the subtlety of Robert DeNiro proclaiming "F--- Trump" at the Tony Awards. (That, despite the ovation by the liberal Hollywood crowd, was a big middle finger to the 45 percent of the country that supports the president.)

Now of course the harsh comments about the United States from the leaders of Britain, France and Germany, as well as Trudeau saying Canada was insulted by the tariff hikes, are big news and fair game for criticism. But some have gone beyond that in challenging the presidents motivation.

"Trump Tries to Destroy the West," says the headline on a New York Times column by David Leonhardt.

CNBCs John Harwood tweeted: "Trump resumes baseless rant against friendly democracy next door ... Trump reacted irrationally and then advisers made stuff up to make it sound like there was a rational basis for his irrationality."

The indictment among Trump critics is that the president enjoys blowing things up and alienating alliesand that in the process he's doing Vladimir Putin's bidding (hence his pitch for Russia to rejoin the G-7). There is little recognition that Trump may be using tough tactics to negotiate a better deal for U.S. workers, and will eventually strike a compromise.

Of course, Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro didn't exactly calm the waters by saying on "Fox News Sunday" that "there's a special place in hell" for Trudeau because he engaged in "bad faith diplomacy" with Trump "and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door." Canada -- which has an overall trade deficit with the U.S. -- has been a steadfast American ally whose troops have fought alongside ours in World War II and Afghanistan.

The Washington Post brought a more even-handed approach:

"Nearly a year-and-a-half into his presidency, Trump is hitting his stride on the part of the job that he seems to love the most: going it alone. That he is often doing so in defiance of his own advisers, longtime U.S. allies and Congress  including members of his own party  seems to only heighten his pleasure.

"From tariffs to pardons to immigration roundups, the president is increasingly charting his own strategy on unilateral actions  and there is evidence the approach may be working for him."

The evidence: His polls are rising.

This is a president who likes to break china, and sometimes goes too far. But he can also bring out the worst in critics who respond by going all DeNiro on him.President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed Tuesday at a historic summit in Singapore to recover the remains of the U.S. military personnel missing in action and presumed dead from the Korean War.

In a statement signed by both leaders, the countries agreed to the recovery of the remains and the immediate repatriation of those already identified. The statement also assures North Korea would work toward "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Nearly 7,800 American troops remain unaccounted for from the 1950-53 war in the Korean Peninsula. About 5,300 were lost in North Korea.

According to the Pentagons Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, most missing Americans died in major battles or as prisoners of war in North Korea. Others died in small villages or along the wayside. Most aircraft crashes also occurred near the battle zones or roads connecting them.

The effort will be the continuation of past missions that abruptly ended over a decade ago amid North Koreas increasing hostility and development of nuclear weapons.

Between 1996 and 2005 joint U.S.-North Korea military search teams conducted over 30 recovery missions and recovered 229 sets of American remains.

The recovery missions ended as the safety of American recovery teams couldnt be guaranteed and North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in 2006.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Posted Tuesday, June 12, 2018 5:45 am

Citizens Memorial Hospital has announced the appointment of infectious disease specialist Eric J. Fulnecky, M.D., to the CMH medical staff. Fulnecky will begin his practice with CMH Infectious Disease Clinic, Bolivar, June 4.

Fulnecky is board certified by the American Board of Infectious Disease. He attended medical school at Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, D.C. Fulnecky completed a residency in internal medicine at St. Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana, and a fellowship in infectious disease at Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D.C. He is a member of the Infectious Disease Society of America.

Fulneckys practice includes general infectious diseases, IV antibiotic management, long-term care/nursing home consultation, HIV management, infection control and hospital epidemiology, outpatient consultation, antimicrobial stewardship, wound care management, preventative care services and hepatitis C.

Fulnecky is accepting new patients at CMH Infectious Disease Clinic in the Douglas Medical Center, 1155 W. Parkview St., Suite 1G, Bolivar. To make an appointment or for more information about infectious disease services at CMH, call 328-7985.President Trump said Tuesday after his historic summit with North Korea dictator Kim Jong Un that the meeting between the two leaders may not have happened if not for the death of Otto Warmbier.

Warmbier, 22, was a student at the University of Virginia when he was arrested in North Korea in January 2016 for allegedly stealing a propaganda poster. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fell into a coma while incarcerated. He was brought back to the U.S. in June 2017 only to die a few days later.

Otto did not die in vain, Trump said as he discussed North Koreas human rights record.

Trumps comments on Warmbier came after Vice President Mike Pence reassured the Ohio mans father when he spoke to him ahead of the Singapore summit.

Today I assured his dad, as the president said two days ago, their beloved son, Otto Warmbier, will not have died in vain, Pence said.

The vice president commended Trump on his success thus far with North Korea, speaking of that countrys participation in the Winter Olympics, the suspension of all ballistic missile testing and, recently, the release of three American hostages.

Warmbier's parents, Fred and Cindy, said on Trump's comments, "We appreciate President Trump's recent comments about our family. We are proud of Otto and miss him. Hopefully something positive can come from this.

Trump said during the news conference that the remains of Americans who died during the Korean War will also be brought home. He said it was a last minute deal and expected more than 6,000 Americans remains to be brought back to the U.S.

Fox News Paulina Dedaj and Serafin Gomez and the Associated Press contributed to this report.President Trump urged South Carolina Republicans to vote U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford out of office Tuesday, tweeting that the three-term congressman was "better off in Argentina" -- a reference to a sex scandal from Sanford's tenure as governor.

Sanford, an outspoken Trump critic, is facing a tight race against State Rep. Katie Arrington, a relative newcomer to politics.

"I fully endorse Katie Arrington for Congress in SC, a state I love," tweeted Trump, who was traveling aboard Air Force One after his summit meeting with North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un. "She is tough on crime and will continue our fight to lower taxes. VOTE Katie!"

TRUMP-BASHING SOUTH CAROLINA REP. SANFORD IN TOUGH PRIMARY FIGHT AGAINST GOP NEWCOMER

By contrast, Trump said that Sanford "has been very unhelpful to me in my campaign to [Make America Great Again]. He is MIA and nothing but trouble. He is better off in Argentina."

In June 2009, Sanford disappeared from public view for six days and later claimed that he had been hiking on the Appalachian Trail. He later admitted that he had in fact traveled to Argentina to meet a woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair.

Sanford was censured by the South Carolina House of Representatives, but served out the remainder of his second term. In 2013, he won a special U.S. House election in South Carolina's 1st District, which he previously represented for six years.

Sanford endorsed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz during the 2016 election campaign. He has repeatedly called on Trump to release his income tax returns and stated that he does not have "the "stomach for [Trump's] personal style and his penchant for regularly demeaning others."

Michigan Rep. Justin Amash came to Sanford's defense on Twitter, saying that Sanford's "job is to support and defend the Constitution."

"And unlike you, Mark has shown humility in his role and desire to be a better man than he was the day before," Amash added.

Arrington is accusing Sanford of seeking the spotlight and impeding Trump's agenda. Her campaign is airing a television advertisement that refers to Sanford as a "Never Trumper" and features video clips of Sanford's Trump criticisms.

"It is time to turn the page on the Sanford era," Arrington told Fox News earlier this week. "We have had it with career politicians. Thats why we elected Trump."

Fox News' Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.President Trump on Tuesday slammed Robert De Niro as a "very Low IQ individual" who has "received to many shots to the head," after the actor's profanity-laced tirade during Sunday's politically charged Tony Awards.

"Robert De Niro, a very Low IQ individual, has received to many shots to the head by real boxers in movies," Trump wrote. "I watched him last night and truly believe he may be 'punch-drunk.' I guess he doesnt realize the economy is the best its ever been with employment being at an all time high, and many companies pouring back into our country. Wake up Punchy!"



During the Tony Awards, De Niro, 74, who has frequently sparred with Trump, drew a standing ovation with an anti-Trump rant.

I'm gonna say one thing: F--- Trump!" he stated, as he clenched his two fists in the air, leaving panic-stricken broadcast censors trying bleep out the remarks. "It's no longer down with Trump, it's f--- Trump!"

WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS EXPLETIVE

The U.S. viewers at home heard dead silence, though in other regions the f-bombs reportedly werent censored. The expletives sparked a roaring reaction from the audience, with many of the celebrities standing up.

On Monday, the day after his Tony Awards rant, De Niro apologized to Canadians and other attendees at the G7 summit, saying Trump's criticism of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau amounted to "idiotic behavior" and calling the president's actions a "disgrace."

The comments are nothing new for De Niro, the "Raging Bull" and "Meet the Fockers" star who in March accused Trump of lacking "any sense of humanity or compassion" and in April called him a "madman."

Fox News' Lukas Mikelionis and Tyler McCarthy contributed to this report.President Trump, on the heels of his historic summit with Kim Jong Un, told Fox News Sean Hannity that he believes the North Korean leader will begin to work toward dismantling his countrys nuclear program virtually immediately.

The president left Singapore after the two leaders signed a document stating Pyongyang would work toward "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said the process is really moving rapidly.

I just think that we are now we are going to start the process of denuclearization of North Korea, and I believe that hes going back and will start it virtually immediately  and hes already indicated that and you look at what hes done, Trump said.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH TRUMP ON FOX NEWS HANNITY AT 9 PM ET ON TUESDAY

The historic agreement came after the two leaders held several meetings throughout the day. Trump was asked by a reporter if Kim agreed to denuclearize and he said, We are starting that process very quickly.

Trump said at a press conference that he will be ending joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea.

He also said Kim agreed to destroy a major missile testing site, but did not offer specific details.

The joint declaration states that the U.S. has committed to providing "security guarantees" to Pyongyang.

Whether the unpredictable North Korean leader will follow through remains unclear, but Trump sounded optimistic as he left the summit. He told Hannity the two of them got along from the beginning and Kim understood the need to dismantle his nuclear program.

His country has to be de-nuked and he understood that, he fully understood that, he didnt fight it, Trump said.

The summit, which almost didnt happen, represented a remarkable turnaround from the tension between Washington and Pyongyang last summer when Trump and Kim exchanged a war of words, with the American president warning the dictator of fire and fury.

Trump told Fox News, though, that without the rhetoric we wouldnt have been here.

So I think the rhetoric, I hated to do it, sometimes I felt foolish doing it, but we had no choice, he said.

As for what happens next, Trump insisted, I think hes gone back to get this done. He wants to get it done.

During a gaggle later in the day with reporters on Air Force One, Trump said he trusts Kim but the U.S. would have to "check" to ensure denuclearization occurs.

"We're going to have to check him. And we will check him, we'll check him very strongly. But he has a plan total and complete," Trump said. "He's got a total plan. It will get done."

When asked whether he had any concerns about Kim, the president insisted Kim "wants to get it done."

He added: "And we should all want that to happen."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.The U.S. Education Department on Monday launched a probe into the University of Southern California over its handling of sexual harassment complaints against a student health center gynecologist.

The university has been rocked by allegations that their now-former doctor, George Tyndall, had abused students since the 1990s by performing improper pelvic exams and making sexually inappropriate comments to patients during exams, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The scandal forced the university president C.L. Max Nikias to resign last month. Just days before the announcement of the resignation, hundreds of USC professors signed a letter urging Nikias to leave his position.

The university reportedly received over 400 complaints against the doctor, and at least a dozen women filed lawsuits against him and the school. It prompted the Los Angeles Police Department to launch a criminal investigation into Tyndall, but he hasnt been charged with a crime.

USC has also launched an internal investigation into the reporting failures that happened at the student health center.

The Education Department decided to pursue its own investigation as well, claiming the university didnt reveal any complaints against the doctor during an earlier federal probe that looked at allegations against staff and faculty members between 2010 and 2013.

Attempts to obfuscate or hide Title IX violations from the Department will not be tolerated, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said in a press release. I am calling on USC to cooperate fully and completely with this investigation.

We welcome the U.S. Department of Educations investigation and the university will fully cooperate with their inquiry, USCs board of trustees chairman Rick Caruso said.White House Director of Trade Policy Peter Navarro apologized Tuesday for saying there was a special place in hell for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau -- calling his language inappropriate.

Navarro made the fiery remarks on Fox News Sunday after Trudeau held a post-G7 press conference in which he said that Canada will not be pushed around by the United States, and called Trumps tariffs on steel and aluminum unjust.

"There's a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door," Navarro said.

"And that's what bad faith Justin Trudeau did with that stunt press conference. That's what weak, dishonest Justin Trudeau did. And that comes right from Air Force One."

THERE'S A 'SPECIAL PLACE IN HELL' FOR TRUDEAU, NAVARRO SAYS

But Navarro apologized for the remarks Tuesday, according to The Wall Street Journal, saying that he had tried to send a signal of strength.



"In conveying that message I used language that was inappropriate and basically lost the power of that message. I own that, that was my mistake, my words," he said at a Journal conference.



Trump had made similar remarks late Saturday, accusing the Canadian leader of acting meek and mild during talks, before ther press conference.

Very dishonest and weak, he said.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow on Sunday also accused Trudeau of having stabbed us in the back and engaging in a sophomoric, political stunt for domestic consumption.

Fox News' Gregg Re contributed to this report.

A Virginia Institute of Marine Science research expedition ended up discovering more about great white shark behavior than the researchers may have anticipated: great whites are cannibals.

The researchers, situated three and a half miles off the coast of Sandbridge, a Virginia Beach community, were conducting a longline fishing survey and had hooked 41 sharks. As the crew began to reel in the sharks, a 12- to 13-foot great white appeared.

According to the Virginian-Pilot, once the giant great white was near, it snatched a 4-foot black tip shark off the line.

The crew quickly scrambled to save the 40 other sharks they had caught.

The great white swam off after its meal and before researchers could bring it on board, but left behind quite a mess.

"We weren't expecting that one," said researcher Kaitlyn O'Brien, who shot pictures. "It made a real mess of our lines."

Though great whites have been caught in that area before, the size of the shark shocked researchers.

The Virginian Institute of Marine Science began studying mid-Atlantic sharks in 1973 with the VIMS Shark Survey. As stated on its website, the VIMS survey is the longest-running fishery-independent study of shark populations in the world.

The study prompted the U.S. to create fishing regulations for sharks in 1993 after it discovered a significant decline in shark populations because of overfishing.

Since then, shark populations have been climbing steadily  but are still nowhere near as common as they once were in 1974.

According to data from VIMS research, as of 2014 large coastal sharks were still only about a quarter as abundant as they were in 1974.

Not everyone is happy about the return of the shark population.

Some commercial fishermen in Florida have complained about the abundance of sharks taking a bite out of their profits.Lava from the Kilauea eruption has boiled away Hawaiis largest freshwater lake in just a matter of hours.

In a statement released on June 2, the U.S. Geological Survey explained that lava from the eruptions fissure 8 entered Green Lake and boiled its water away, sending a white plume high into the sky.

USGS tweeted the following day that lava entered Green Lake at 10 AM local time. By 3PM, Hawaii County Fire Department confirmed that the lake had filled and that its water had evaporated.

HAWAII VOLCANO ERUPTION: HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE KILLED BY VOLCANOES?

Located about 25 miles from Kilauea, Green Lake, known locally as Ka Wai a Pele, is the largest of only two freshwater lakes on the Big Island, according to the Only in Hawaii website. Prior to becoming the latest victim of the eruption, the 400-year-old lake was an idyllic spot.

Kilauea began spewing lava on May 3. The volcano, one of the most active in the world, has already destroyed more than 600 homes. President Trump declared a major disaster area in Hawaii on May 11.

At Kilauea's summit, there continues to be explosions that shoot plumes of ash into the sky. There were two small blasts Monday, including one after a magnitude-5.4 earthquake, scientists said.

DRAMATIC VOLCANO DEATH: HUGE FLYING STONE CRUSHED MAN IN POMPEII, ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVER

On Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey posted remarkable footage of molten lava from Kilaueas lower East Rift Zone entering the ocean. The video, captured from a helicopter, shows lava exploding in a cloud of steam, hot water, and tephra, or molten splatter, called a tephra jet.

Scientists warn against venturing too close to where the lava is entering the ocean, saying it could expose people to dangers from flying debris.

Lava from the volcano has also been spewing a deadly plume containing tiny particles of volcanic glass.

HAWAII VOLCANO: WHY KILAUEA'S LAVA IS CAUSING EERIE BLUE FLAMES

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.

Created by chemical reactions as hot lava boils seawater to dryness, the plume is described as an irritating mixture of hydrochloric acid gas (HCl), steam, and tiny volcanic glass particles.

Underscoring the eruption's dangers, a Hawaii man was hit by a flying piece of lava last month and said the molten rock nearly sheared his leg in half.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogersImages of a strange bird fish have gone viral, prompting questions about what the bizarre creature is.

Citing the Guizhou Urban Daily newspaper, Metro reports that the fish was reeled in by anglers in Guizhou, South-West China.

MYSTERIOUS SOUTH CAROLINA FISH WITH HUMANLIKE TEETH STUMPS THE INTERNET

The fish, which appears to more than a foot long, can be seen gasping for air in video footage. It was released back into the water, according to Metro.

Although dubbed bird fish, the creature is actually a deformed carp, Metro reports.

GRUESOME, FANGED 'DEMON FISH' WASHES UP ON TEXAS BEACH, SPARKING MYSTERY

A Guizhou Fisheries Research Institute expert told Guizhou Urban Daily that the fishs deformity is not an uncommon occurrence. The deformity may be the result of embryonic damage when the fish was growing or from a lack of oxygen in the water caused by overcrowded fish farming.

The deformed carp is the latest unusual fish to generate buzz. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, for example, recently asked its social media followers to identify a fish with humanlike incisors.

'DEMON' SHARK WITH SNAKE'S HEAD CAUGHT

Last year, a strange fanged sea creature that washed up on a Texas beach in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey quickly went viral after images were posted on Twitter. Experts said that the fish was most likely a fangtooth snake-eel, or tusky eel.

Also in 2017, a rare frilled shark, which has a body shaped like a snake and a head like a shark, was captured off Portugals Algarve. The images caused a sensation on social media.

Fox News Madeline Farber contributed to this article.120618TWINING STEERING COMMITTEE VISIT BOUGAINVILLE

New Dawn FM News

A five member twining steering Committee from the New South Wales Parliament arrived in Buka this morning for a one-week visit to Bougainville.

The twinning arrangement was made between the ABG Parliament and the New South Wales Parliament ten years ago and allows the two parliaments to share ideas and resources as two independent parliaments.

The delegation arrived to a traditional welcome by the Metara Bamboo band of Lemanmanu on Buka island.

They were officially welcomed by the ABG Member for Teua, CHARLES KAKAPETAI who is the Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Information and Public awareness.

MR. KAKAPETAI mentioned the twinning arrangement which has made it possible for more collaboration of the two parliaments in the last ten years.

He said that Bougainville was privileged to have the Parliament members from the New South Wales Parliament visiting Bougainville to see how the Bougainville Parliament was doing.

Meanwhile, Member for New South Wales Parliament, JOHN AJAKA said that the team was happy to visit Bougainville.

He said since the twinning agreement was made ten years ago members have been trying to visit Bougainville until this week.

He said its a learning process for the two parliaments and they are very happy to visit Bougainville this week.

The team will also visit Arawa in Central before returning on Friday this week.



Ends





Facebook released more than 500 pages of answers to U.S. lawmakers questions amid continuing fallout from its handling of the recent data breach and other issues plaguing the tech giant. Though its responses can rightly be described as voluminous, the social network still evaded answering certain questions and provided vague answers to others.

In recent months, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has faced withering scrutiny from regulators on both sides of the Atlantic. During his 10 hours of testimony in April before two Senate committees, he frequently sidestepped questions and said he would get back to lawmakers with detailed answers.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D.-Calif.) asked Zuckerberg about questions she had from a previous hearing on election integrity and Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

FACEBOOK SLAMMED AHEAD OF SHERYL SANDBERG'S MIT COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS

When asked by Harris how much revenue Facebook has earned from fake news, foreign propaganda and so-called hyper-partisan content, the company responded that such revenue is immaterial.

Zuckerbergs firm also said it does not have a definition of what is hyper-partisan because to define that would be difficult and controversial.

In response to a question from Sen. John Thune (R.-SD) about when Zuckerberg became aware of the fact that Cambridge Analytica may have held onto Facebook data much longer than previously known, the company said he didnt become aware of the problem until March of 2018, when these issues were raised in the media.

The company also seemed to dodge questions from Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who repeatedly asked whether Facebook discriminates against usershow their content is shown or policed and so forthbased on political views.

AMAZON, APPLE SHOULD AVOID NORTH CAROLINA OVER 'RACIST' VOTER ID PLAN, ADVOCATE GROUP SAYS

Discussing controversial topics or espousing a debated point of view is not at odds with our Community Standards, the policies that outline what is and isnt allowed on Facebook. We believe that such discussion is important in helping bridge division and promote greater understanding, the company said. We are committed to designing our products to give all people a voice and foster the free flow of ideas and culture.

However, Facebook also noted that it anything crosses the line into hate speech, it will be removed from the platform.

The tech giant's woes are ongoing.

Recently, Facebook acknowledged that 14 million of its users may have been impacted by a glitch that set all their new posts to be public, even if users had indicated that they wanted their updates to be private.

Last week, Freedom from Facebook, placed an ad in the commencement edition of The Tech, MITs student newspaper, slamming the social network, just before Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg was set to give a commencement address.A North Carolina worker at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport has been accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old female passenger in one of the airports gift shops.

Sam Nedawi, 56, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor sexual battery on Sunday, after the woman reported his alleged behavior to police, WSOC reports. The woman claims the incident took place on the afternoon of June 6, per a police report obtained by the station.

SPIRIT FLIGHT DELAYED DUE TO ALLIGATOR CROSSING RUNWAY

According to WCNC, the police report also stated that the incident lasted nearly 20 minutes, and that the victim may have been under the influence of prescription medication at the time.

Airport officials have confirmed Nedawi, a contract worker, was employed at the Paradies shop inside the airport, and also served as an employee of Lufthansa, working at their check-in counter, WCNC reported.

VIRAL VIDEO SHOWS TSA SEARCHES WOMAN IN WHEELCHAIR, SPARKING OUTRAGE

Lufthansa has since issued a statement in response to news of Nedawis arrest, writing that they would no longer he utilizing his services.

As we follow a strict zero-tolerance policy for harassment and violence of any kind, we have informed his employer that Lufthansa will not accept his services in the future, wrote Lufthansa.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

A representative for Charlotte Douglas International Airport was not immediately available for comment.Which fictional character would have a museum on top of a snow-covered mountain in Austria? Bond. James Bond.

And so an immersive museum dedicated to Britains most famous spy will open in Solden, Austria, this summer. Designed to resemble a Bond villain lair, 007 Elements will give fans an unprecedented glimpse into the world of the suave spy.

Its an authentic James Bond location, Neal Callow, creative director of the museum and several Bond films, told the Telegraph. We wanted people to feel like theyre walking through the world of James Bond while learning about how the films are made in a new and modern way. Its more a cinematic installation than your archetypal museum.

The building  in typical over-the-top Bond world fashion  is actually built inside the summit of Gaislachkogl mountain, in the Austrian Alps. The museum is located next to ice Q, the futuristic-looking restaurant that stood in for a dystopian clinic in the recent Spectre Bond film.

The whole experience is designed so visitors feel like theyre helping fight a Bond villain. The visit starts in the circular lair where Spectre director Sam Mendes welcomes visitors to the world of MI6. From there, its a winding maze through the history of Bond films, complete with clips and props from the sets.

Visitors learn about the gadgets, the locations and the action-packed sequences the franchise has become known for. Diehard fans will geek out over memorabilia like Bonds golden gun and the remains of the plane crash from Spectre.

007 Elements will open to the public in July.Connie Jones, the ex-wife of suspected mass murderer Dwight Jones, said Tuesday afternoon that because of her ex, she's been scared for the past nine years of her life.

"We know we were the primary targets of Dwight Jones and we are grateful to be alive," Connie told reporters in Flagstaff, Arizona, according to AZFamily.com.

ARIZONA KILLER IDENTIFIED, MAY HAVE MURDERED UP TO 6 PEOPLE, POLICE SAY

Her ex-husband, Dwight, is linked to six different murders in the Phoenix, Scottsdale and Fountain Hills areas over the course of five days. Police said he killed himself on June 4 in a hotel room as officers closed in on him.

Connie, who was married to Dwight for over 20 years and filed for divorce in 2009, said she's lived "on high alert for nine years" and felt she had her own "personal terrorist."

Following news of Dwight's alleged killing spree, Connie said in a statement she was "deeply saddened by the tragedy caused by my ex-husband," who she described as a "very emotionally disturbed person."

Connie's current husband Richard Anglin, a former police detective, was the one who contacted police in the aftermath of the murders. At the news conference Tuesday, Anglin said the family took elaborate security measures to protect Connie and her son from her ex-husband.

"We had three safe houses, countless rental cars. We had attack-trained dogs that we had to bring in, 24-hour security," Anglin said. "Dwight Jones repeatedly tried to get through our security, but he was never able to gain access to the family. But it wasn't because he didn't try."

Dwight Jones's victims included a forensic psychiatrist who had testified against him in court, two paralegals who worked at a law firm that practices divorce, and a divorce counselor. Two other victims were a man and a woman in Fountain Hills.A border patrol agent was shot and wounded Tuesday on a southern Arizona ranch near the U.S.-Mexico border, the U.S. Border Patrol said.

The shooting unfolded south of the community of Arivaca at around 4:30 a.m. Arivaca is several miles north of the border.

The agent, who has not been identified, was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment with a non-life-threatening injury. Sources told Fox News the agent was going to be fine.

Federal officials would not elaborate on where or how the agent was shot and said several people, described as subjects, were taken into custody.

The FBI and the Office of Professional Responsibility of U.S. Customs and Border Protection were investigating.

Jim Chilton, a fifth-generation Arizona cattleman who runs a 50,000-acre ranch outside Arivaca, told The Associated Press that the Border Patrol sent him an email saying the agent was alone when he was wounded on the ranch and was struck in the leg and the hand.

Several bullets also struck the agents protective vest, which probably saved his life, Chilton said.

Without it, he probably would not be with us today, said the rancher, a well-known Arizona backer of President Donald Trumps efforts to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.

We have drug runners coming through our ranch and this has become a very dangerous situation, Chilton said.

The Border Patrol official who the rancher said wrote the email, Lisa A. Reed, did not immediately respond to an AP email seeking confirmation of the details Chilton provided. Border Patrol spokesman Chris Sullivan declined to comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Charges were dropped against a man accused of hurting two women in a horrific road-rage attack after Oregon prosecutors found too many holes in the victims stories  and that they had a history of apparently faking injuries in other vehicular incidents.

Jay Allen Barbeau, 49, was arrested June 1 after Megan Stackhouse, 34, and her fiancee, Lucinda Mann, 26, told officers in Bend that he attacked them after their Kia Soul cut him off in traffic. Stackhouse had claimed that she pulled over to let Barbeau pass them, but the imposing, 5-foot-8, 245-pound man instead smashed their rear window before breaking Stackhouses arm and knocking Mann unconscious.

But Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said most of the allegations could not be proved  and that Barbeaus 11-day stint in jail and the national ridicule he endured for the road-rage attack was a just punishment.

ROAD RAGE VICTIM WAS SUSPECT IN SEPARATE ROAD RAGE CASE, AUTHORITIES SAY

I have no confidence in the credibility of Mann and Stackhouse, Hummel said in a statement. Manns claimed injuries in the Barbeau case were debunked by the medical records. While Stackhouse did suffer a broken bone in her wrist, there are competing claims as to how her injury occurred and based on her lack of credibility, I cannot stand by her version of events.

Heres what is clear, according to Hummel: Stackhouse, who was leaving a carnival with Mann, pulled her car in front of Barbeaus in a dangerous manner, he said. Barbeau then started aggressively following Stackhouse for more than a mile, eventually exiting his car and punching Stackhouses rear window, shattering it, Hummel said.

Read more at the New York Post.A former police chief in Florida and two officers were charged Monday with framing a teenager with four burglaries in order to boost the departments arrest statistics, federal officials said.

Former Biscayne Park Police Chief Raimundo Atesiano and former officers, Charlie Dayoub and Raul Fernandez, were charged with conspiracy to violate civil rights under color of law and deprivation of the 16-year-olds civil rights. They could face up to 11 years in prison, if convicted.

In 2013, when Atesiano was the chief, the department had a 100 percent clearance rate of reported burglaries, but it was "fictitious the Miami Herald reported.

MAN EJECTED FROM VEHICLE, SURVIVES VIOLENT CRASH AT FLORIDA TOLL PLAZA

"The existence of this fictitious 100% clearance rate of reported burglaries was used by Atesiano to gain favor with elected officials and concerned citizens," an indictment stated.

Atesiano, 53, was accused of urging officers to arrest the 16-year-old, who was only identified as T.D., in June 2013 "knowing that there was no evidence and no lawful basis to support such charges," prosecutors said.

Dayoub and Fernandez took evidence from four burglaries that occurred in April and May 2013, which were not solved, and made up false narratives to insinuate the teen committed the robberies, officials said. A month after the teen was arrested, Atesiano said the department had a 100 percent clearance rate of reported burglaries.

GUNMAN KILLS SELF, 4 CHILD HOSTAGES AFTER FLORIDA STANDOFF

The former chief surrendered himself to federal authorities on Monday and his arraignment was scheduled for June 25. He was released on a $50,000 bond. Dayoub and Fernandez were slated to make their first appearances in federal court later in the month.

Atesiano resigned in 2014 and a month later an investigation was launched to see if he used public funds to pay back a personal loan. Investigators shut down the probe after discovering insufficient evidence that the loan was ever given, the Washington Post reported.An off-duty FBI agent whose firearm discharged while he was dancing at a Denver nightclub, striking another patron in the leg, was formally charged with second-degree assault Tuesday.

Prosecutors said that 29-year-old Chase Bishop could face additional charges depending on the results of a blood alcohol analysis.

"We are filing this charge now rather than waiting until the BAC report is received, which we understand could take another week, because sufficient evidence has been presented to file it," Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said in a statement obtained by KDVR. "If an additional charge needs to be filed after further evidence is received, we can file those charges then."

Police have said Bishop was dancing at the downtown Mile High Spirits Distillery and Tasting Bar on June 2 when the gun fell out of his waistband holster onto the floor. The firearm went off when the agent picked it up, striking patron Tom Reddington in the leg.

"We sat down at one of those picnic tables -- I heard a loud bang and I thought some idiot set off a firecracker," Reddington told ABC News' "Good Morning America" last week.

"Then I looked down at my leg and see some brown residue ... I'm still thinking it's a firework ... all of a sudden from the knee down my leg became completely red. And that's when it clicked in my head, 'Oh, I've been shot.'"

The owners of the distillery released a statement on Facebook saying that the agent had violated the facility's rules by carrying a loaded firearm into the tasting room.

"We are deeply saddened by the events that occurred and look forward to speaking with representatives of the FBI, so we can come to understand his presence and his need to be armed in our establishment," it said.

The distillery also offered Reddington "complimentary drinks forever."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from KDVR.com.A Florida man suspected of shooting a police officer killed four young children he held hostage in an apartment complex before committing suicide Monday evening -- a tragic ending to a nearly 24-hour-long standoff, police said.

Suspect Gary Lindsey killed the four children who range in age from one to 11  two of them were Lindseys while two belonged to his girlfriend before taking his own life around 9 p.m., police said.

Authorities entered the west Orlando residence after becoming aware one of the children had been killed when officers tried to offer one of their phones to Lindsey, Orlando police Chief John Mina said at a press conference just before midnight.

Officers found the suspect dead in a closet, Mina said. The children died of apparent gunshot wounds, according to FOX 35 Orlando.

Authorities were responding to a domestic abuse call at a west Orlando apartment complex when Lindsey fired at them around midnight on Sunday, police said. Officer Kevin Valencia was shot and suffered very significant injuries," but was expected to survive, Mina said.

Lindsey, 35, was on probation and had a criminal history involving arson, battery and theft, court records show.

A neighbor who lives in the apartment complex told the Orlando Sentinel she was woken up to the sounds of four loud gunshots after falling asleep on the couch.

"It just went, 'Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop,'" Judy Pepper said.

Pepper said she looked out her window to see several people carrying a police officer and performing first aid before putting him into a patrol car and speeding away.

Mina urged residents to be patient as authorities were hoping the standoff would come to a peaceful resolution.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.120618UPE COVERED BY LAW

New Dawn FM News

The issue that was raised by owners of the UPE recently is now addressed by the Bougainville Parliament.

This afternoon the ABG President Chief DR.JOHN MOMIS presented to parliament a proposed bill that will be enacted as a Bougainville law to safeguard indigenous properties such as the Bougainville emblem and other traditional properties.

The law once enacted will make any individual who destroys the UPE can be fined TEN THOUSAND KINA and for Corporate entities to be fined ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINA.

Destroying means printing like what business houses have done to print these emblems on thongs and under-wears in the past.

The bill went through the first reading this afternoon and is yet to pass through the second and third readings before it becomes a Bougainville law.



Ends

The man accused of going on a killing spree terrorizing a Florida neighborhood visited porn websites on his cellphone after three of the four killings, according to records released Friday in the case.

Howell Donaldsons iPhone data revealed a significant amount of internet activity close to the deaths in fall 2017, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Police noted 269 internet activities between Oct. 5 and Nov. 4 of last year. The websites name was redacted, per Donaldsons attorneys request.

A Tampa police sergeant said the site was a place where customers could view others in sexually themed situations and interact with certain models privately, according to a warrant.

In summary, Howell Donaldson showed a pattern of visiting this adult-themed website after committing three homicides, the warrant said.

Police records also showed that Donaldsons changing behavior troubled his ex-girlfriend Nicole Minnis, who had a relationship with him up until 2013.

Minnis told investigators that Donaldson showed up unexpectedly in Tampa in August 2017 and by Nov. 11 of that year he asked her for a place to stay. Donaldson stayed with Minnis and her both and were shocked when he showed up at their house with items in trash bags and sporting a McDonalds uniform, according to police. Minnus said he kept telling her he was trying to get back on his feet.

Donaldson refused to talk to his friends and family and told Minnus he had been cut off from everyone close to him, according to FOX13 Tampa Bay.

I can't see your parents kicking you out. Did they kick you out? What happened? Minnus said, according to police, adding that she said he told her that he couldnt be in that environment.

Donaldson was arrested Nov. 28 after police said he handed a bag containing a handgun to a co-worker at McDonalds near the neighborhood where four people had been shot.

The details about Donaldson were part of 1,500 pages of investigative reports and audio recordings that were released in the case. The records also described behavioral changes that troubled Donaldson's on-again, off-again girlfriend.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.This is the second of a three-part series on insular enclaves of ultra-Orthodox Jews, the struggles they face and the controversies that follow them.

The father of five was summoned to a meeting with leaders of his ultra-orthodox Hasidic Jewish sect in Kiryas Joel, N.Y., a village of some 22,000 about 50 miles north of New York City.

The Satmar Hasidic leaders, a council known as the Vaad -- wanted him to understand they knew he was on the internet, even though he was posting messages under a fictitious name.

The point: No matter what he did, the Vaad was on top of it. The father got a warning familiar to many in Hasidic communities: If you do not abide by the rules governing nearly every facet of your life, your children will be denied enrollment in our private Jewish schools (yeshivas).

Within this deeply religious community, families send children to yeshivas, where they are taught traditional religious texts. Yeshiva expulsion  virtual excommunication - would bring intense shame to a Hasidic family.

Its the Vaad. They don't let you have smartphones, computers, laptops, DVD players," said the man, a Kiryas Joel resident who spoke to Fox News on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. "I wasn't even saying anything bad on social media. I was asking a question. But you are not to question anything" concerning Hasidism.

PART 1: INSULAR HASIDIC JEWS STRUGGLE TO PRESERVE CUSTOMS AS LEGAL AND SOCIAL PRESSURES BUILD

Many Hasidic communities, though not all, are highly insular, determined to shut out as much of the outside world and its perceived deviancy as possible. Education at yeshivas emphasizes the Torah and other religious teachings, particularly for boys, who are being prepared for possible futures as rabbis. This faith-centric instruction doesn't leave vast amounts of time for math and English.

For the rabbis, who can wield enormous influence over the smallest details of followers' lives -- including such intimate matters as the use of contraceptives, which is nearly always prohibited -- technology is a threat: It enables personal connections and access to views and information from non-Hasidic sources.

Five years ago, a rabbinical group, Ichud Hakehillos Letohar Hamachane, sponsored a seminal event for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men at Citi Field stadium in New York that drew tens of thousands of people. Speakers emphasized the filth and evil of the internet.

The spokesman for the event, Rabbi Eytan Kobre, told reporters at the time that the internet and smartphones posed the most difficult spiritual challenge for Orthodox Jews, not just those who are Hasidic.

Watch: Community in Conflict: Hasidic Jews & Education

Kobre, who is not Hasidic, told Fox News in a recent interview that quite simply, to Orthodox Jews, there is no need to surf the Internet or explore a marketplace of ideas, because the truth is right there in the Torah.

Kobre said that technology is doing damage to relationships, privacy, human dignity, the ability to succeed in school and at work.

The environment of the digital age is far more conducive to addiction than anything humans have experienced in their history, said Kobre, who writes about the issue for Mishpacha magazine, a leading publications for Orthodox Jews worldwide.

As a result, many Hasidic communities have developed rules specifically banning the possession of electronic devices, making exceptions only under special circumstances  like, say, needing these tools in order to run a business. Even then, use is tightly restricted and closely monitored.

Take smartphones, for instance: These handhelds are allowed for men as long as they are inspected by rabbis and registered by what some call, with sarcasm that is considered a major act of insubordination, the "technology police" or "thought police."

Women are allowed to have basic or flip phones, but not smartphones.

The Vaad deactivates web browsers and installs filters on phones to inhibit access to such things as Google, YouTube, many Wikipedia pages and porn websites, among other content.

"It's like we're in North Korea or China," said the Kiryas Joel resident, who has a second phone that Vaad enforcers do not know about.

On at least one occasion, in 2015, rabbis from Kiryas Joel sent parents a contract to sign, declaring that their phones are in accordance to the rules of the community and yeshiva, and adding, We also confirm that we do not possess in our home another cellphone/smartphone, except for the ones mentioned above.

Another nearly-all Hasidic town, New Square, N.Y., makes parents vow to obey bans on technology in writing when they register their children for school.

Hasidic communities' tech limitations are not just in small towns like Kiryas Joel and New Square that are situated far from big cities, though.

In Brooklyn, for instance, posters blamed "mothers with smartphones" for teens who have strayed from Hasidic life.

Of the more than a dozen Hasidic rabbis and yeshiva officials Fox News reached out to for comment, none responded. One man, working at a front booth at a small building in Kiryas Joel where smartphones and other gadgets are checked for compliance with the restrictions, took a message from a Fox News team that made a personal visit. But there was no subsequent call or email message.

Orthodox leaders outside the Hasidic enclaves have defended the consequences that schools impose.

They consider technology to be an area of danger which requires limits and standards, Kobre, the rabbi, said of the school leaders. If we just limit the availability of technology for students, and say, You cant have a smartphone but your folks can have them, what are we really saying? Do as we say, not as we do? It would be educationally inappropriate. It would backfire.

"We have to have the appropriate home environment, otherwise were setting ourselves up for failure and hypocrisy.

He rejected any suggestion that enforcing standards --whether they be about dress codes or having a television set or the internet -- are oppressive. Critics, he said, seem to want "educational anarchy."

Another rabbi who is Orthodox but not Hasidic said avoiding temptations that lurk on the internet is best accomplished by not wading into the technology pool at all.

Its not easy for us, its a sacrifice, said the rabbi, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Were holding on tight; we have to have the moral courage" to steer clear of tech.

Whatever I dont want to do, Im going to leave out of my arms reach, Im going to remove the temptation, he said. As far as our community leaders, they feel an enormous responsibility to use the wisdom that they have, and which guided Orthodox Jews for thousands of years, to see through this infatuation with this untested medium.

Nuftuli Moster, who grew up as one of 17 children in a Hasidic home in Brooklyn and now advocates for more secular studies in Hasidic schools, said the perceived overreach by community leaders stuns even him.

"I myself am taken aback," Moster said, adding that he gets calls from parents who have received letters, delivered to them by their children, informing them that having internet access on their computer, or a telephone without the filter, puts the youngsters' yeshiva enrollment at risk.

"They force you to use their filtering system. They make it challenging for parents, they have a grip on them when it comes to the children and schools. Parents say the [leaders] sent them a letter that said they don't have a filter on their phone.

"Parents ask me: 'How do they know? What do I do?'"

Moster, who founded Young Advocates for Fair Education (YAFFED) six years ago to push for more secular studies in yeshivas, said: "It's ridiculous how far they go with it. They know how to manipulate people and force them to do what they want."

Technologys numerous and alternative sources of information threaten the nearly absolute power that rabbis and the Vaad are accustomed to having, experts say.

The internet poses an unprecedented challenge, said Samuel Heilman, chairman of Jewish studies at Queens College in New York and author of "Who Will Lead Us? The Story of Five Hasidic Dynasties in America.

But this is violated all the time," he added. "Its like the three staircases in the Jewish play Fiddler on the Roof, where one staircase was just for show but went nowhere.

Heilman said that many Hasidic people have a rabbi-approved phone "for show," but also an unfiltered one they regularly use. He also said he has often seen Hasidic men in public libraries going on the internet or reading books that are forbidden by their religious leaders.

When I walked in, they quickly look at me to make sure I am not someone spying on them.

For Kobre, an ordinary ride a few days ago on a New York City train summed up the perils of technology.

The rabbi stood in the crush of humanity on the packed train and looked around him.

Every single person, without exception, whether they were sitting down or standing, was looking down at their devices, Kobre recalled. For me it was a scene out of a horror movie, a zombie movie. What could they possibly be looking at that is more important than their own thoughts, about their families, their life goals?An Illinois police sergeant is being hailed a hero after rescuing a young child who escaped his mother's watchful eye.

The Naperville Police Department said Monday that Sgt. Anthony Mannino was recently given the department's Life Saving Award for bringing the child to safety last month on the side of Route 59 outside of Chicago.

Luckily, no one was hurt, and we attribute that to Sgt. Mannino's observation while on patrol and quick reaction, placing his squad car and himself between the child and traffic, the department wrote on its Facebook page.

Police said the child had left his mothers home before taking a run on the busy road. In dashcam footage of the rescue, Mannino is seen running after the child before carrying it back to his cruiser.

An Indiana school district officially accepted a teachers resignation after the educator claimed he was forced to resign for violating the transgender student policy.

The Brownsburg Community School Corporation announced it had accepted the resignation of John Kluge, a former Brownsburg High School orchestra teacher, during a school board meeting on Monday.

Kluge, 28, said he submitted a tentative resignation letter last month because officials threatened to fire him. Kluge attempted to rescind his resignation on May 25, but it was already being processed.

The district said Kluge voluntarily submitted his resignation.

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER CLAIMS HE WAS FORCED TO RESIGN BECAUSE OF TRANSGENDER POLICY

Kluge said the districts transgender name policy goes against his religious beliefs and violates his constitutional rights.

The new school policy, which will be implemented next school year, states that students must have written consent from a parent and doctor to request a name change. The schools policy allowed for teachers to call students by their last names this year, but starting next year, teachers will be required to call students by their preferred name and pronouns listed in the schools system.

Im being compelled to encourage students in what I believe is something thats a dangerous lifestyle, Kluge told the Indianapolis Star. Im fine to teach students with other beliefs, but the fact that teachers are being compelled to speak a certain way is the scary thing.

LGBTQ community advocates said the practice was a sign of respect and wasnt about religion or politics.

Kluge was in attendance at the Monday night school board meeting, where he addressed his situation, FOX 59 reported.

ACCOMPLICE SENTENCED IN KIDNAPPING, SLAYINGS OF 2 BROTHERS

"I wanted to be able to teach my subject matter with a clean conscience," Kluge said. Youve approved my resignation without me being able to appeal my resignation.

About 45 members of the community were also in attendance to state their opinion, including transgender student, Aidyn Sucec, who told FOX 59 he was in Kluges orchestra class.

"Everybody advocating in support for Kluge needs to think about what is like to be a transgender person and what it is like to live your life knowing that there are people that would say that you are not an actual human being and actively disrespect you," Sucec said.

Fox News Caleb Parke and the Associated Press contributed to this report.A video that captured a jogger in California throwing a homeless mans belongings into a lake and into the garbage last week has caused outrage in the community.

J.J. Harris posted the video to social media on Friday and it had garnered thousands of retweets and shares, according to FOX2. Harris said he found the jogger throwing the mans things into Lake Merritt.

The man, who was not identified, was confronted and bystanders asked him what he was doing.

Picking up the trash. What do want me to do? It was spilling everywhere, the man responded.

The video sparked outrage and debate on social media, according to the station. One Twitter user called out the jogger calling his actions cruel, while another said throwing the garbage into the lake was doing more harm than good for the environment. Another said that people shouldnt have to go through trash while they jog or walk.

The jogger left the area before police arrived on the scene, Harris said.

When I came around the lake and I got closer to the situation, I saw he was throwing away the homeless man's stuff who sleeps there every day and I see him every day. I give him a nod and he smiles back, Harris told the station. I was thinking of the Childish Gambino song is in my blood now, thinking This is America. We can use our phones for good. Its one of our most powerful tools for social justice.

A GoFundMe was started to help the man, who was identified as Drew.

Like the thousands of other people in the Bay Area without homes, Drew is one of our neighbors. We're disgusted that someone thought it was ok to treat Drew this way and want to show him through our care that what happened to him is unacceptable, Kenzie Smith wrote on the GoFundMe page.

Oakland officials urge residents to call 311 to report debris or hazardous material.A 73-year-old man who recently won a $10,000 lottery was stabbed to death in the neck Monday inside his New York City apartment, family and police said.

Police are hunting for the suspected killer Tuesday after Owen Dillard was found dead in his third-floor apartment in Bronxs Mott Haven neighborhood. Dillards fiancee found the 73-year-old dead with multiple stab wounds to his neck just after 8:30 p.m. Monday, ABC7NY reported.

"For him to die like this shouldn't stay in vain, because D was a sweet old man and everybody knows that, so I just pray to God that whoever did this they find them ASAP," Dillards relative, Edna Baez, told the news station.

Police have not released details of a possible suspect or a motive in the deadly stabbing.

Family members said Dillard recently won $10,000 playing the lottery. Neighbor Kayla Pagan recalled Dillard as a well-known resident in the community.

"They were all heartbroken, crying, it was a traumatic experience for them; everyone loved him," Pagan said.A South Carolina man was arrested after a game of beer pong led to a shooting early Saturday morning, police said.

Summerville police said the incident began after Timothy Gainey, 23, of Moncks Corner, dared a woman to kiss him and expose her breasts during a beer pong game.

Its unclear if the unidentified woman went through the dare, however, Live 5 News reported an unidentified 21-year-old man was seen consoling the woman when Gainey confronted him.

BAPTIST CHURCHS CATHOLIC JESUS STATUE TO FIND NEW HOME

The argument between Gainey and the man appeared to head outside the South Carolina home when Gainey reportedly pounded on his car window, the police report said. The man tried to drive off, but a car attempted to block his exit.

Shots were fired and a vehicle chase ensued, police said.

The unidentified man reportedly returned fire at the car chasing him before driving into the ditch. He reportedly fled the vehicle and he told police somebody took his wallet and phone from his car.

Gainey was identified as one of the people in the other car that opened fire. He was charged with attempted murder, CBS 17 reported. Nobody was injured in the incident.A man who was headed to his father's funeral died Thursday after falling off a bridge in southern Tennessee, according to officials.

The Giles County Sheriff's Office told FOX17 that James Johnson, 30, died after falling off a bridge along Highway 64 near Pulaski, located about 70 miles south of Nashville.

Johnson was on the way to his father's funeral at the time, blew out a tire and stopped on the bridge, according to police.

While waiting for his tire to be replaced by someone, police told FOX17 that Johnson was on the "edge of the bridge looking over and lost his balance."

Authorities received a call around 11:30 p.m. that someone had fallen off the bridge, and found Johnson below the structure.

TWO TEENS, MOTHER, GRANDMOTHER KILLED IN WISCONSIN PLANE CRASH

The 30-year-old was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police.

The incident remains under investigation, as the state medical examiner's office is conducting an autopsy and toxicology report.A Florida man has been sentenced to life in prison for using a machete to kill his aunt, her pregnant daughter and the daughter's boyfriend.

Court records show that 22-year-old Brian Hyde was sentenced Monday. He was convicted in April of four counts of second-degree murder.

Prosecutors say Hyde used a machete to kill 37-year-old Dorla Pitts, 17-year-old Starlette Pitts and 19-year-old Michael Deon Kelly Jr. at their Lehigh Acres home in 2015. Prosecutors added the additional murder charge for Starlette Pitts' unborn child.

The victims were found dead after a family friend went to check on them. Hyde was arrested after he was pulled over by law enforcement for driving erratically in his aunt's car.

Hyde, a native of Belize, has testified he didn't remember circumstances surrounding the killings.A MS-13 gang member with a warrant by Interpol was among 91 people, including some with violent criminal records, arrested over a five-day period in New Jersey by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency announced Monday.

The roundup last week included people from the age of 19 to 78 years old, with convictions for sexual assault on a minor, child abuse, domestic violence, aggravated assault, aggravated assault on law enforcement, endangering the welfare of a child, kidnapping, among other crimes.

"The remarkable results of our officers and law enforcement partners highlight ICE's ongoing commitment to public safety," John Tsoukaris, Field Office Director of ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations in Newark, said in a statement. "This operation focuses on the arrest of individuals convicted of serious crimes and are a threat to public safety. Because of the targeted efforts of these professional officers, there are 91 fewer criminals in our communities."

Of those arrested during the operation, 77 percent were convicted criminals, and 70 percent had prior felony convictions, according to ICE.

Arrests were made in the New Jersey counties of Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Passaic, Union, and Warren, in addition to in New Castle County in Delaware and New York City.

ICE RIPS CALIFORNIA COUNTY FOR SCRAPPING CONTRACT TO HOUSE DETAINEES, SAYS MOVE COULD BACKFIRE

Among those arrested include a Salvadoran national in the country illegally, who has an Interpol warrant for being a member of MS-13 and trafficking in firearms and narcotics.

Several other MS-13 gang members were arrested in the towns of Plainfield, Lindenwold, and South Brunswick, according to ICE.

The agency said that those arrested in the sweep will go through removal proceedings before an immigration judge, while those already under a final order of removal will be deported from the U.S.Living Gospel Equality Now: Loving in the Heart of God: Association of Roman Catholic Women PriestsA weather camera on an island in Washington state on Sunday captured a mystery object that appears to some to be a missile in ascent, Q13Fox.com reported.

The object was spotted at 3:56 a.m. over Whidbey Island, where there is a naval air station. But a spokesman from NAS Whidbey Island said there are no missile capabilities at the base.

"There's a lot of speculation around here, Tom Mills, the spokesman, said. "But it's definitely not a missile launch."

A professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington speculated that the object looks like a missile.

Ive seen a lot of stuff, Cliff Mass, the professor, said. But nothing like this.

There was reportedly an air ambulance helicopter in the vicinity of the northern Kitsap Peninsula that was flying at the same time the shot was taken.Samuel Tom Holiday, one of the last surviving Navajo Code Talkers, died at the age of 94 on Monday in Utah.

Holiday, who used his native language to create an uncrackable code to help win World War II, spent his later days living at the Southern Utah Veterans Home in Ivins, his granddaughter told The Spectrum.

Tya Redhouse told the newspaper that Holiday will be buried on the Navajo Reservation, in Kayenta, Arizona, next to his wife.

The 93-year-old passed away surrounded by friends and family who traveled to be with him, she told the Spectrum.

Holiday went through Marine Corps boot camp at the age of 19 in 1943 and joined a group of Native Americans who used their native language to develop the communication code for the U.S. military in World War 2 that proved to be uncrackable.

The Marines shared news of his passing on Tuesday, writing on Twitter:

"Yesterday, Navajo Code Talker Samuel Tom Holiday passed away at 94 years old. Holiday, one of the last surviving Code Talkers from WWII, joined the Corps at 19 and became part of a legendary group of Native Americans who encoded messages in the Navajo language.

Semper Fi."

Holiday later shared his experiences in Under the Eagle: Samuel Holiday, Navajo Code Talker, a book he co-wrote with Robert S. McPherson. It was published in 2013 by the University of Oklahoma Press, and is the "only book-length oral history of a Navajo code talker in which the narrator relates his experiences in his own voice and words."

During the war, Holiday served with the 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, and was involved in operations in Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima, which he wrote about in his book.

MICHIGAN WWII VETERAN WHO WISHED FOR 100 CARDS ON 100TH BIRTHDAY RECEIVES MORE THAN 50,000

He was injured by an exploding mortar in one of his ears, which he said left him with some hearing loss, according to The Spectrum. He later received a Purple Heart, in addition to a Congressional Silver Medal.

In an interview last year with The Spectrum, Holiday said he was mistaken for a Japanese solider by his fellow Americans on two occasions and was defended by those who knew him. Even with those incidents, the Marine said his dedication to the cause never wavered.

Navajo leaders believe fewer than 10 Code Talkers are still alive today. The exact number is unknown because the program remained classified for several years following the war.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.A Mississippi prosecutor said Tuesday that a man charged with killing two nuns in 2016 will plead guilty as part of an agreement that removes the possibility of the death penalty.

District Attorney Akillie Malone-Oliver told The Associated Press she spoke with the victims' families before agreeing that Rodney Earl Sanders of Kosciusko, Mississippi, could plead guilty to capital murder. She said the agreement calls for him to be sentenced to life without parole.

Malone-Oliver said the decision takes into consideration that the two women who were killed, Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill, opposed the death penalty.

"Life without parole is the highest punishment, other than death," Malone-Oliver said.

The nuns, both 68, worked as nurse practitioners in one of the poorest parts of the U.S. They were found stabbed to death Aug. 25, 2016, in their home in the small town of Durant after failing to show up for work at a health clinic in nearby Lexington, where they often treated poor and uninsured patients with diabetes and other chronic conditions. The clinic and the nuns' home are in Holmes County, population 18,000. With 44 percent of its residents living in poverty, Holmes was the seventh-poorest county in America in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sanders, 46 at the time, was arrested the day after the nuns' bodies were found, and he has remained jailed.

A court administrator confirmed Sanders' hearing is set for June 21 before Circuit Judge Jannie Lewis in Belzoni.

A public defender did not immediately return a call Tuesday.

___

An earlier version of this report incorrectly said the suspect's first name was Robert, instead of Rodney.A New Jersey transgender woman was arrested after trying to light a pro-police flag on fire at the Philadelphia Pride Parade on Sunday, police said.

Ryan Segin, 18, of Woodbine, was charged with attempted arson, causing a catastrophe and reckless endangerment of another person among other offenses, according to NJ.com.

While flag burning isnt illegal, police said Segin tried to light the Thin Blue Line Flag in a crowd of people, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Police said officers stopped her before the flag was lit.

Amber Hikes, Philadelphias LGBT affairs director, said in a Facebook post Monday that she helped Segin make bail. Hikes also said that Segin had been sent to a mens prison before being released.

Some rallied in support of Segin and contributed donations to help her with her legal defense, according to Philly Socialists.

The police have no place at Pride, Philly Socialists said in a Facebook post. Police represent an affront to LGBTQ people and people of color, many of whom have who have died at the hands of police.

Nearly $2,000 had been raised in support of Segin, according to the Inquirer.Virginia police arrested two males, 18 and 17, on Monday for allegedly attempting to commit an act of terror during a high school prom over the weekend. The supposed attack was thwarted when authorities were tipped off.

Virginia Beach police announced Monday that 18-year-old Michael Coleman and the unidentified 17-year-old were arrested in connection with the apparent threat to Bayside High Schools prom on Saturday at Virginia Beach Town Center, WTKR reported.

Police Chief James Cervera said security was increased last month after a tip that people unaffiliated with the school had tried to buy tickets to the event.

Police said that they spotted someone trying to enter the prom Saturday, but he fled when approached, discarding a 9 mm handgun, The Virginian-Pilot reported.

An investigation led police to a hotel, where they found one of the suspects -- the unnamed younger male -- and a semi-automatic rifle with a loaded magazine and a box of ammunition, The Pilot reported, citing Cervera.

Coleman was also arrested. He has been charged with conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, WTKR reported. The unidentified suspect was also charged with conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, as well as possession of a weapon as a juvenile.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.A Louisiana woman was charged Monday for allegedly beating to death a man who was recovering from brain surgery.

Blaine Manalle, 20, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the beating death of Jeffery Howell. She is one of three people arrested after a fight broke out on a sandbar along the West Pearl River in Louisiana on Saturday, St. Tammany Parish Sheriffs Office said.

Howell was at the river just after 5:30 p.m. when a brawl broke out between two large groups. Police did not release the motive of the fatal beating, but friends and family of Howell told FOX8 the 46-year-old was trying to prevent a group of people from throwing bottles in the river.

"He was sitting in our living room Friday night, and the next minute he's gone," Howells neighbor, Kathy Maillet, told FOX8. "From what we heard they were throwing bottles in the river, and they were told to stop throwing bottles. This is a hazard.

Howell died from blunt force trauma to the head after he was struck near the scar where he had surgery to remove a brain tumor three weeks prior. Friends said Howell still had staples in his head at the time of the incident.

"If you cup your hand behind your left ear, that's where the incision was, and that's where the bone had been removed," St. Tammany Coroner Dr. Charles Preston told FOX8.

Police also arrested Cameron Alphonso, 21, and Alden Kindergran, 22, on Sunday. Alphonso was initially charged with manslaughter, but his charges were upgraded to second-degree murder after officials spoke to witnesses.

Kindergran was charged with disturbing the peace and released Sunday on $750 bond.

Police said detectives are still interviewing witnesses in the incident that could lead to more information and potential arrests. More than 40 people have been interviewed as of Monday.next Image 1 of 2

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Donald Trump approached from the right, striding down the long portico at the colonial-era Singapore resort. Kim Jong Un, dressed in his familiar Mao suit, emerged from the left. They met in the middle, on a red carpet, dozens of cameras recording their every move, as the world watched.

And counted.

Thirteen seconds. That's how long the American and North Korean leaders shook hands at the start of their summit Tuesday. The length of the contact, their facial expressions and body language, the stunning backdrop of interlocked national flags  all of it was instantly analyzed, criticized and marveled at in tweets and commentary in South Korea, the United States and beyond.

South Koreans applauded in a train station as they watched; the South Korean president grinned broadly; one official compared the summit, favorably, to the birth of his daughter. On the flipside, critics said the welcome Trump was giving Kim in Singapore would legitimize one of the world's worst human rights offenders.

It was a single, quintessentially human movement  a greeting, a welcome, a start of a relationship  but the reaction to the handshake was as complicated as the standoff that the two countries these men represent have been locked in for seven decades now.

There was shock, relief, worry, sometimes simultaneously, as the world watched Trump and Kim  who were insulting each other's mental and physical prowess and threatening nuclear war just a few months ago  shaking hands and smiling.

Trump put his hand out first, followed by Kim as they strode toward each other. Trump grasped Kim's right arm as they shook, and then, later, took ahold of Kim's left arm as they turned to face the cameras and the world, both their expressions momentarily deadening before they turned to face each other again, and smiled.

The backdrop was almost as shocking as the warmth of the handshake  a row of the two nations' flags displayed side-by-side at the entrance to the Singapore resort that's hosting their summit.

Both Koreas have long demonized the other's national flag. It's illegal to show the North Korean flag in the South, and even during the recent inter-Korean summit in the Demilitarized Zone there was no sign of the North's flag. North Korea's anti-U.S. iconography dates to the war and regularly shows North Korean soldiers bayonetting the U.S. flag.

However, many South Koreans rushed to express their awe of Tuesday's events.

The liberal Hankook Ilbo newspaper marveled that the U.S. president didn't shake hands in the usual "Trump way" of domineering his counterpart. It also noted that Trump softly tapped Kim on the shoulder and seemed to engage in small talk with him.

Jung Chung-rae, a former lawmaker of the liberal Minjoo Party, tweeted that the handshake "shined with courtesy and respect" and that history will remember their "handshakes and smiles." South Koreans watching television screens in a train station applauded the moment Trump and Kim met. Media photos showed South Korean President Moon Jae-in smiling broadly during a Cabinet meeting at the Blue House while watching a television screen that showed Trump and Kim shaking hands in front of American and North Korean flags. "All the attention of our people is on Singapore," Moon said. "I, too, could hardly sleep last night."

Shortly before the leaders met, Moon's chief of staff wrote on Facebook that the summit reminded him of his child's birth.

"I remember hovering around the delivery room the day my daughter was born. I didn't care whether you were a boy or a girl. Just come out to the world healthy with a big cry," Im Jong-seok wrote, apparently wishing for a successful outcome from the meeting between Trump and Kim.

Critics, however, saw the handshake and Kim's earlier moonlight stroll as evidence Trump was helping to legitimize Kim as his equal on the world stage even though the North Korean regime has been accused of horrific rights abuses. During his stroll Monday along the glittering Singapore waterfront, crowds yelled his name and jostled to take pictures, and the North Korean leader posed for a selfie with Singapore officials.

Last year Kim was "Little Rocket Man," according to Trump, and U.S. officials regularly mentioned his likely role in the assassination of his half-brother with nerve agent in a Malaysian airport, as well as his uncle's execution. Kim's image would now be bolstered, critics said.

Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA analyst, told MSNBC, "Kim Jong Un is prepared. He knows what he wants, which is to gain an ... international acceptance of North Korea as a nuclear weapons power. He thinks he's coming into this meeting from a position of strength because he has reached certain capability in his nuclear missile program. And he thinks he's going to now see what he can get out of the United States."

Adam Mount, a U.S. defense analyst, expressed anger about seeing the U.S. and North Korean flags side by side. ?

"We should be working diligently to transform North Korea and our relationship with it," he tweeted. "But until that day, it's abhorrent to see a flag that stands for so much suffering and cruelty standing with ours."

___

AP writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report from Seoul.

Foster Klug is AP bureau chief in South Korea and has covered the Koreas since 2005. Follow at www.twitter.com/apklug

___

The Singapore Summit news hub on the AP News site and mobile app showcasing AP's overall coverage of the event can be found here: https://apnews.com/tag/SingaporesummitA British model who was kidnapped and held for ransom in Italy said justice had been served on Monday after her kidnapper was sentenced to nearly 17 years in prison.

Chloe Ayling thanked those who believed in me from the beginning in a nude Instagram post hours after Lukasz Herba was convicted of kidnapping charges by an Italian court.

Shame on all of the ignorant people who doubted what had happened to me and think they know more than the Italian authorities, Ayling wrote.

Herba, 30, was accused of drugged and kidnapped Ayling when she showed up at a Milan address for a modeling job. He held her for six days at a Piedmont farmhouse before she was released at the British consulate in Milan, according to prosecutors.

Herba testified that Ayling agreed to stage the kidnapping to further her career and that he invented a group used for deep web auctions of women. Herba said he made up the Black Death group, which he claimed was behind the kidnapping and deep-web auctions of women, and a series of Romanian co-conspirators.

Adrian Sington, Aylings agent, told Sky News that his client was over the moon by the verdict.

Her career has been hugely affected by this, we've turned down paid modelling deals since her kidnap and she feels she can no longer work in the industry as she has lost all trust in that world, he said.At least two people were freed Monday after they were held hostage for more than four hours in a building in Paris, French interior minister said.

The hostage-taker, who has not been identified, was also arrested. No further details were released.

The hostage situation unfolded around 4 p.m. when a man took at least three people hostage in the office of a startup on Petites Ecuries street in central Paris, police union official Yves Lefebvre told The Associated Press.

One of the hostages was freed shortly after and was reportedly doused with gasoline and hit in the face.

The two other hostages, including a pregnant woman at a building, were being held as more than a dozen heavily-armed police officers, firefighters and rescue workers were stationed outside the entrance of the building where the hostages were being held, Le Parisien reported.

The area was evacuated and the street was cordoned off.

The man reportedly asked for the Iranian embassy to be contacted but the police did not confirm the report. Police also did not confirm reports that one of the hostages was injured.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.German authorities say they have arrested an 18-year-old Iraqi man on suspicion of being a member of the international extremist organization, the Islamic State group.

Federal prosecutors say Aqram A., whose full name was withheld on privacy grounds, was preliminary detained Wednesday in the southwestern Rhine-Neckar district.

Prosecutors said Thursday the man is suspected of joining the Islamic State group in 2014 in Mosul where he completed military training for approximately four weeks. During the ensuing period, he worked as a guard and prepared fighting positions for the Islamic State group. In the summer of 2015, the suspect took part in fighting near the Iraqi town Beiji.

He allegedly left Iraq in late 2015 and entered Germany in February 2016.next Image 1 of 2

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The Latest on the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump in Singapore (all times local):

3:50 p.m.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has spoken with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts after President Donald Trump's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Pompeo tweeted shortly after the summit ended Tuesday that he'd telephoned South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono. The State Department released a photograph of Pompeo on the phone.

Pompeo says on Twitter he provided the diplomats with "a brief readout of today's meeting" between Trump and Kim. The two leaders concluded their summit by signing a document in which Trump pledged "security guarantees" to the North and Kim reiterated his commitment to "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

The State Department is declining to release any additional information about the calls.

___

3:30 p.m.

President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un have concluded an extraordinary nuclear summit by signing a document in which Trump pledged "security guarantees" to the North and Kim reiterated his commitment to "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

Light on specifics, the document largely amounted to an agreement to continue discussions as it reiterated previous public statements and past commitments. It did not include an agreement to take steps toward ending the technical state of warfare between the U.S. and North Korea.

The pair promised in the document to "build a lasting and stable peace regime" on the Korean Peninsula and to repatriate remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action during the Korean War.

___

Follow AP's summit coverage here: http://apne.ws/MPbJ5Tvnext Image 1 of 2

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A lawyer for former Congolese Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba has urged International Criminal Court judges to release him immediately following his acquittal last week on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes and the overturning of his 18-year sentence.

Tuesday's hearing focused on another case in which Bemba was convicted of interfering with witnesses during his trial. He remains jailed pending a decision on his sentence in that case, in which he faces a maximum of five years and a hefty fine.

Lawyer Melinda Taylor told judges that Bemba has already served nine-tenths of the maximum sentence possible in this conviction and should be freed to rejoin his wife and children in Belgium while he awaits a final ruling on the sentence.

Judges will issue a decision by Wednesday.Hundreds of migrants were being split between three ships Tuesday for a trip to Spain in bad weather, after Italy's new government used their plight to pressure Europe to revisit its migration policy.

The 629 migrants  including 123 unaccompanied minors and several pregnant women  were onboard the Aquarius, operated by the charity SOS Mediterranee. The migrants, stuck at sea since Saturday after Italy and Malta refused them permission to dock in their ports, are now heading for Spain, where the prime minister has offered them safe harbor.

The migrants were being transferred to two Italian ships, one Coast Guard and one Navy, because of forecasts of deteriorating weather conditions along the route to Valencia, Spain, according to SOS Mediterranee spokeswoman Mathilde Auvillain. Officials in Valencia said they expected the ship to arrive in three to four days, depending on when they depart and weather conditions.

Italy's new anti-migrant, right-wing interior minister has made good on a campaign pledge to close Italian ports to non-governmental organizations that pick up migrants at sea, which he has likened to taxi services for migrant smugglers.

Matteo Salvini, whose League is part of the populist coalition that took office this month, promised voters that other European countries would be made to share the burden of caring for asylum-seekers arriving in Italy on unseaworthy boats mostly from lawless Libya, also taking particular aim at the aid vessels.

The new Spanish foreign minister said that Spain's decision in accepting the migrant ship is also meant to push European Union leaders to address the bloc's migration policies later this month at an EU summit.

"Spain has made a gesture that aims to trigger a European dynamic to stop looking away, allowing one (EU member) to cope with the problem while the rest of us pass the buck," Borrell told Ser radio late on Monday.

The decision to offer a docking port in the eastern city of Valencia had been a personal and direct move by the country's new prime minister, the Socialist Pedro Sanchez.

Many Spanish regions and cities have offered to provide long-term support to the migrants, said Valencia's regional vice president, Monica Oltra. The Red Cross was preparing shelter and medical assistance to meet immediate needs on their arrival.next Image 1 of 2

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Panamanian ex-President Ricardo Martinelli is being treated at a hospital a day after he was extradited from the United States to face political espionage and embezzlement charges.

Panama's Santo Tomas hospital reports that Martinelli is in intensive care and in "stable" condition Tuesday.

The previous day, a judge ordered that medical experts examine him to determine the severity of his health problems.

They determined he was suffering from a crisis of hypertension, coronary artery disease and anxiety.

How long he remains at the hospital will depend on how he responds to treatment.

The 66-year-old Martinelli was president from 2009 to 2014. He has denied accusations of embezzlement and illegally monitoring phone calls and other communications.

He was extradited Monday after spending a year in federal prison in Miami.Volunteers arriving for duty at an Australian marine rescue office on Saturday where shocked to discover the severed head of a shark stuffed with cigarette butts impaled on a fence out front.

The grim discovery was made outside the Marine Rescue New South Whales Shellharbour facility in Sydney.

"Marine Rescue Shellharbour crews arrived for duty Saturday to find a sharks head impaled on the base fence," the group posted on Facebook. "Its a kick in the guts for our committed volunteers who give up their time to save lives on the water."

The mako shark was "fresh" and recently caught, Marine Rescue NSW's Bruce Mitchell told Sky News.

"Whoever caught the shark brought it back to the boat ramp and cleaned it, and cut the head off," Mitchell said.

CANNIBALISTIC GREAT WHITE SHARK EATS RELATIVE AS VIRGINIA RESEARCHERS WATCH

The shark weighed about 154 pounds, according to Mitchell, who added it was the "first time I've ever heard of it anywhere."

"Maybe someone else came there during the night, found it and thought they'll have a bit of fun," he told Sky News. "That's one possibility."

The volunteer organization, which helps boaters during emergencies and other situations, had not received any threats and did not report the incident to the police.The Taliban in Afghanistan once dug underground tunnels and staged suicide bombings to spring their members from jail, all to get their forces back in action against U.S. and the Afghan government.

But these days, the group can simply exploit loopholes reserved for the old and sick: bribing and intimidating health officials for early release.

We screen sick prisoners being treated inside prison hospitals or who have needed to get their treatment in national hospitals outside the prison, Mohammad Nowroz Haqmal, 41, a prominent representative for the Ministry of Public Health to the International Security Assistance Forces and regular on Afghan television news, told Fox News. And ones that are categorized as having untreatable conditions like cancer, are released regardless of their level of crime.

But Haqmal said internal corruption has more and more led to staff accepting bribes from prisoners and Taliban associates  particularly from those involved in Afghanistans widespread drug trade  for select inmates to be transferred to hospitals outside the prison where they can more easily escape. Others secure their outright release, under the false pretense of being terminally ill.

But in refusing to comply himself, Haqmal paid a heavy price.

I started to receive requests that I assign many of the Taliban prisoners as untreatable, and state that they need to be released, he recalled. But when I checked those patients names, they were not in this category. And then in late April, I started to receive threats to my home in Kabul saying that I would be killed.

Haqmal said he requested increased security from his superiors, and was simply told not to worry.

But in the early afternoon of May 5, he was with a brother visiting their familys property in the Char Asib district of Kabul province, when four armed men on motorbikes seized him less than 70 feet from a government-manned checkpoint. Blindfolded, handcuffed and driven to the basement of a house some 30 minutes away, Haqmal was told he would be killed for both refusing to acquiesce with Taliban corruption orders and for being someone linked with the United States.

EXILED AFGHAN LEADER, AND ONE-TIME U.S. ALLY, WARNS AGAINST "PEACE" WITH TALIBAN FROM POSITION OF WEAKNESS

I was mentally and physically tortured, he said. They beat me in the basement, and there were so many mock executions  more than twenty times the Taliban put a knife to my neck. I never thought I would make it out alive.

The day after his abduction, in the early hours of the morning, Haqmal remembered the sound of vehicles in the remote area outside sent his Taliban captors scrambling, in the fear Afghan police had tracked them down.

For a while, I was alone. After about thirty minutes using my teeth, I was able to untie and open my hands, he said. Then I broke a small window and escaped from there. After about thirty minutes of running, I made it to the main road and found a taxi.

According to Haqmal, this all points to a much larger issue of how Taliban insurgents are returning to the battlefield. He argues that since 2014, when he first became manager of prison health screenings, hundreds of Taliban members were released under the terminally ill or old and ailing guise. And he anticipates more than 80 percent of those soldiers returned to the battlefield.

One U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they don't have any clear way of identifying the number of Taliban released under false medical pretenses.

Afghan security officials confirmed Haqmals abduction, and while the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) did not respond to requests for comment, in their most recent statement addressing corruption  dated April 2015  it vowed to implement a zero-tolerance policy regarding one of its main acknowledged abuse practices: extortion, or under the table payments.

But corruption remains a rampant problem, not only within the health sector, but within the Afghan government.

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) in its latest audit, released last week, stated the government has made some progress in combating corruption within the government, but that it continues not to take action against public officials who violate internal codes of ethics.

SIGAR also contended the government is failing to protect reformers and whistleblowers from reprisal.

Taliban insurgents are known to have infiltrated other facets of government, where they have positioned themselves as a direct threat to U.S. interests. Insider attacks against foreign troops have been commonplace since 2011, and over the past decade have resulted in the deaths of more than 150 NATO troops.

Monique Chouraeshkenazi, U.S. Air force veteran, associate professor of Homeland and National Security at American Public University and founder/CEO of security firm The Chouraeshkenazi Group, characterized the infiltration of Taliban insurgents within the government as exponential, and said schemes such as the early prison release further endanger U.S. and allied troops on the ground.

The goal has always been to remove all American and coalition forces. They see American forces as a foreign threat to their land, resources, religion and culture and will do anything necessary to remove that threat, Chouraeshkenazi said. With the largest Taliban presence the country has seen, it is safe to say the Taliban has more influence over the Afghan government.

The Afghan Taliban is for the most part an insurgency which occupies prominent swaths of territory and strives to govern the country.

While the offshoot of the group stationed on the Pakistan side of the border, formally called the Tehrik-I Taliban, is named on the State Departments list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) the Afghan flagship is not.

The Taliban qualifies to be on the list, but it isnt due to political implications, Chouraeshkenazi explained. Putting the group on the terrorist list would significantly impact the U.S. ability to have lines of communication with diplomatic officials and leadership within the group, hindering any possible future negotiations and peace talks with the Afghan government.

A State Department spokesperson affirmed to Fox News the Afghan Taliban is a terrorist organization for immigration purposes, and they are marked as the more downgraded terrorist entity, which imposes sanctions and penalties on terrorists and those providing support.

And even though Afghanistans President Ashraf Ghani has made repeated offers for unconditional peace talks with the brutal outfit, they have so far refused to come to the table  insisting only that all foreign troops must leave  and bypassing the Afghan leadership altogether and instead reaching out directly to the Trump administration.

INSIDE AFGHANISTAN'S WAR HOSPITALS: CHILDREN LEFT FOR DEAD AMID ESCALATING VIOLENCE

Over the past year, the Afghan Taliban has orchestrated an increasingly destructive insurgency across the war-tattered nation, affronting Afghan Security Forces and U.S troops with almost daily attacks.

And for Haqmal, who said he remains in his government position but is now in London for medical treatment stemming from his ordeal, its these seemingly small instances of bribery and extortion like the false ill classification that demonstrate how and why the Taliban has managed to stay dominant in the USs longest-running conflict  and its the sincere who end up suffering.

I have been suffering depression and anxiety, and no one can really help me. I dont want to see this happen to the honest and committed staff who are there. I dont want anyone to be handed over to the Taliban or for the Taliban to be free to continue to kill, he added. Even after all the warnings, my own government could not protect me from abduction.next Image 1 of 2

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday rocked a region and suggested the upending of decades of U.S. defense posture on the Korean Peninsula when he announced that he was stopping annual U.S.-South Korean military drills and wants to remove the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in the South as a deterrent against North Korean attack.

The stunning, almost offhand comments, made during a news conference hours after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, contradicted countless previous declarations by U.S. political and military officials over the years that the drills are routine, defensive and absolutely crucial.

Trump has now essentially adopted the standard North Korean line, calling the military exercises a "provocative" drain of money and announcing they would stop while he continues talks with Kim, whom he repeatedly praised as a solid negotiating partner.

His statement was quickly portrayed by critics as a major, unreciprocated concession to a country that only last year was threatening Seoul and Washington with nuclear war.

It also seemed to leave officials in South Korea, where the presence of U.S. troops has long been described as necessary to maintaining peace on the peninsula, and possibly even the U.S. military in Seoul, completely off guard.

Seoul's presidential office told The Associated Press that it was trying to parse Trump's comments. The South Korean military seemed similarly surprised.

"At this current point, there is a need to discern the exact meaning and intent of President Trump's comments," Seoul's Defense Ministry said, adding that there have been no discussions yet with Washington on modifying drills set for August.

U.S. forces in South Korea said it has "received no updated guidance on the execution or cessation of training exercises" and will continue to coordinate with South Korean partners and maintain the current posture until it receives an updated guidance from the Department of Defense or the Indo-Pacific Command.

Trump's comments will be questioned by many in South Korea and beyond, with some seeing in them an effort by North Korea to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington.

North Korea regularly calls the military exercises provocative preparations for a northward invasion, and many of the scariest standoffs in recent years on the Korean Peninsula have happened when the drills were being staged. Outside analysts believe the North objects to the drills because it must spend precious resources on its own war games and troop movements. North Korea also insists that the U.S. troop presence in the South, as well as its nuclear "umbrella" over allies Seoul and Tokyo, are part of America's "hostile" policy toward the North.

"I want to bring our solders back home," Trump said, although he added that it's "not part of the equation right now." Then he said: "We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should. But we'll be saving a tremendous amount of money. Plus, I think it's very provocative."

The comments could fundamentally change the way the United States, whose alliance with Seoul was forged after a 1950 surprise attack by the North started the Korean War, operates in South Korea.

Trump's announcement that the U.S. would stop military exercises, his description of those drills as "provocative" and his suggestion that he wants to pull U.S. troops out at some point are "all things that Trump is putting on the table as concessions, all in exchange for some vague promises by the North Koreans," said Paul Haenle, a former China director at the White House National Security Council in the Barack Obama and George W. Bush administrations.

Annual military drills between Washington and Seoul have been a major source of contention between the Koreas for years, and analysts have wondered whether their continuation would hurt the inter-Korean detente that, since an outreach by Kim in January, has replaced last year's insults and threats of war. North Korea last month broke off a high-level meeting with Seoul over South Korea's participation in a two-week military exercise with the United States.

North Korea's state media, referring to the drills, recently demanded that Washington "stop the acts of threatening its dialogue partner by force."

Since the 1970s, the United States and South Korea have held a major summertime exercise called Ulchi Freedom Guardian that involves tens of thousands of troops. There are also annual springtime drills. Drills called Team Spirit, one of the largest annual military maneuvers in the world at the time, were held from 1976 until 1993, when, after North Korea agreed to dismantle its existing nuclear facilities, the exercises were canceled and have not been held since.

Moon Seong Mook, a former South Korean military official, said Trump's comments on the drills confirmed what many in South Korea had feared all along  that North Korea would attempt to drive a wedge between Washington and Seoul and gain substantial concessions from an unconventional U.S. president who thinks much less of the traditional alliance than his predecessors.

"The core of the U.S.-South Korea alliance is the U.S. troops stationed in South Korea and the joint U.S.-South Korea military drills, but the American military presence in South Korea wouldn't mean much if the militaries don't practice through joint drills," said Moon, now a senior analyst for the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy. "I am concerned that the summit between Trump and Kim will prove to be a setback in the global efforts to denuclearize North Korea and also introduce instability in the alliance between Seoul and Washington."

___

Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul and Gillian Wong in Beijing contributed to this report.

___

Foster Klug is AP's bureau chief in South Korea and has covered the Koreas since 2005. Follow him at www.twitter.com/apklugTurkey's military says its warplanes have struck 12 Kurdish rebel targets in cross-border raids in northern Iraq, where it is broadening its operations and vowing to destroy a stronghold of the fighters.

The military says Tuesday that jets overnight hit shelters, weapon positions and ammunition depots used by the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq's Hakurk, Avasin-Basyan and Qandil regions.

The Qandil mountain region is where senior PKK leadership is believed to maintain headquarters.

Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli says Ankara has reinforced its military bases in northern Iraq and will remain in the region until the PKK ceases to be threat to Turkey.

Canikli denied that Turkey's operations against Qandil were aimed at stoking nationalist sentiment ahead of the country's June 24 elections.The United Nations' human rights envoy in Europe is warning that Hungary and Poland's clampdown on the judiciary, media and human rights risks spreading throughout the European Union.

Regional Representative for Europe Birgit Van Hout expressed concern Tuesday that backsliding on rights and rule of law is also happening in Austria, Italy, Malta, Romania and Slovakia.

She told reporters that "this is about the erosion of democracy in Europe" and warned of "a domino effect" that could undermine European values.

Van Hout said human rights defenders are under increasing pressure.

She welcomed the EU's rule of law action against Poland  which could limit its voting rights  as "better than nothing," and called on business leaders to make their voices heard about abuses.Students in Georgia Northwestern Technical Colleges (GNTC) Automotive Technology program will have a once in a lifetime experience when they compete in The Great Race, a rally-style race with vintage vehicles that begins in Buffalo, N.Y., and ends in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

The cross-country race will take place from June 23 to July 1 and will run approximately 2400 miles. Each day GNTCs team will stop at different checkpoints in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

Two students, Adam Grogan and Nicholas Barber, will alternate as drivers and two students, Zayne Waits and John Valle, will alternate as navigators. All four students are residents of Cedartown.

The Great Race is an endurance race with classic cars and all participants drive vintage vehicles. Each vehicle must be model year 1972 or older. GNTCs Team DeSoto will drive a 1955 DeSoto Fireflite that was restored by the Automotive Technology program.

The 1955 DeSoto is the first generation HEMI engine, said Mr. Grogan. Its a pretty rare vehicle.

Teams are given instructions each day to get to the next check point and they are not allowed to use GPS, cellphones, or computers. The race is not a speed race and the routes between checkpoints are scenic back roads.

Its not a race where you are trying to get to the finish line first, said Rodney Parris, director of GNTCs Automotive Technology program and leader of Team DeSoto. You are trying to get to the finish line at a prescribed time.

The only devices that teams are allowed to have in the car is a calibrated speedometer and a calibrated clock. The navigators will have to use math skills to figure out how to get to the next checkpoint as close as possible to the prescribed time they are given.

It really takes you back to the ages of the 30s, 40s, and 50s when there wasnt GPS, said Mr. Barber. You are following instructions based on latitude and longitude and reading a map.

Team DeSoto will compete in the X-Cup division of the Great Race, a special class that was created to encourage younger generations to take an interest in vintage vehicles.

When it comes to these new cars that dont have anything on the old ones, said Mr. Waits. There are no computers, all manual, and it has been awesome because there is a lot of history you learn working on these cars.

GNTCs participation in The Great Race was made possible by Patricia and Wayne Vick, who donated the DeSoto to GNTCs Foundation and also donated all the parts that were needed for the restoration. The Vicks also are covering all hotel expenses for GNTC students and personnel involved in the Race.

Additional sponsors of Team DeSoto include: BullSnot! Tire Mounting and Rubber Lubricant; Heritage First Bank; OTR Wheel Engineering, Inc.; and Snap-On Incorporated.

Ultimately, The Great Race will teach the students unity and teamwork, which is needed in the field of Automotive Technology.

This school is really awesome and I love my teachers, said Mr. Valle. They are kind of like a family to me.

Georgia Northwestern Technical College provides quality workforce education to the citizens of Northwest Georgia. Students have the opportunity to earn an associate degree, diploma, or a certificate in business, health, industrial, or public service career paths. This past year, 16,402 people benefited from GNTCs credit and noncredit programs. With an annual credit enrollment of 7,750 students, GNTC is the largest college in Northwest Georgia. GNTC has an additional enrollment of 8,652 people through adult education, continuing education, business and industry training, and Georgia Quick Start. For more information about GNTC, visit us at www.GNTC.edu. The Student Help Center is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 844 348-7659 or via online chat at https://helpcenter.gntc.edu. GNTC is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia and an Equal Opportunity Institution.Associated General Contractors of East Tennessee says they are committed to building the next generation of construction professionals. To that end, the organization is offering scholarships for college students who are pursuing a career in a construction-related education program at a non-proprietary, technical, community or four-year college or university.

Scholarships range from $500-$3,000 per academic year, depending on course schedule, grades and other factors. The final determination of the award amount is at the sole discretion of the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, Inc. with input and recommendations provided by the AGCs Education Committee.



Workforce development and construction-industry education is a core focus of the AGC, said Bo Bentley, chairman of AGCs Education Committee and vice president at T.T. Wilson Company. Were proud that our members established a scholarship program that has awarded support to nearly 140 students in excess of $550,000 since its launch in 2006.



Most scholarship recipients have attended regional colleges and universities, graduating with degrees such as associates of applied science, bachelors of science, and masters in construction management.



Basic Scholarship Qualifications:

 Attend a non-proprietary, technical, community or four-year college or university

 Carry/complete at least nine (9) hours pursuing a degree in a construction related field and/or declared major in architecture, construction or engineering (must carry at least three (3) credit hours of construction or construction related classes per semester)

 2.6 minimum grade point average

 Current college-level status; transitional/remedial coursework does not qualify for scholarship

 U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen



Applications are due by Friday, June 29 at 4 p.m. For more details and to download the application, visit AGCETN.org.Indeed, two potentially groundbreaking clinical research trials are underway or soon to be. One, which opened in late April, could change the way breast cancer in sub-Saharan Africa is diagnosed and treated. It could lead also to a better understanding of why the disease tends to strike younger women and to be more aggressive in both sub-Saharan Africa and among African-Americans.

The study is being led by Fred Hutch oncologist-researcher Dr. Manoj Menon along with Orem. Dr. Nixon Niyonzima, a Ugandan physician who in 2016 received his doctorate in molecular and cellular biology from Fred Hutch and the University of Washington, will be involved in running the trial in Kampala.

Still in the planning stages with the goal of opening by early next year, a second clinical trial will study the use of rituximab, a monoclonal antibody treatment commonly used in the United States for patients with aggressive B-cell lymphomas. The medication will be given subcutaneously, or under the skin, which would be easier to deliver in low-resource settings than an intravenous infusion. That study will be led by Global Oncology Deputy Director Dr. Thomas Uldrick with Orem and UCI physician-researcher Dr. Henry Ddungu, who trained in Seattle in 2011.

With a treatment that is more intensive will come the need for better supportive care, including management of infections. That will be the focus of another Seattle trainee, Dr. Margaret Maggie Lubwama.

The rituximab study is designed to test the treatment in adults first and then in adolescents and children. Researchers hope it may improve survival for Burkitt lymphoma, a leading cancer killer of children in sub-Saharan Africa. Intensive case management and nutritional supplementation  practices originally provided by the alliances Burkitt Lymphoma Project and now taken over by the UCI  boosted survival rates some, but nowhere near as high as in patients treated in the United States. One difference: In Uganda, chemotherapy used to treat the cancer has not changed in 50 years.

Were hoping rituximab will be a game-changer, Warren said.

Training the next generation of leaders

Its 10-year investment in capacity-building  meaning the new building but especially the people trained  has helped the alliance reach this point, according to Dr. Warren Phipps, alliance medical director and director of faculty development in Kampala.

Early on, youre building critical mass, he said. It just takes time to do that. But once you hit that, things really take off. Were at that inflection point now.

That doesnt mean the alliance has slowed its training efforts. In May, Fred Hutch Global Oncology, in partnership with the UW School of Medicine, the UCI, the government of Uganda, Makerere University, and Mulago Hospital in Kampala, announced the launch of the East Africa Adult Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Program. After a decade of bringing Ugandan physicians to Seattle for training, this new program will send Fred Hutch and UW Medicine oncologists to the UCI.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.Individuals of any age desiring a great job with competitive wages should plan to attend Open House on Thursday, July 12, from 4-6:30 p.m. at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) at Chattanooga State. During the Open House, faculty members will be available to discuss programs and showcase program labs.

The TCAT at Chattanooga State offers 26 high-demand programs for discerning students. Each of these diploma programs can be completed in one years time or less. Once completed, graduates can look forward to exciting job opportunities in their future.

Funds are currently available to help students become career-ready in just one-year. 2018 Tennessee high school graduates who applied for the TN Promise Scholarship by November 1, 2017 and completed the required community service component are eligible for this last-dollar scholarship that will cover mandatory tuition and fees not covered by the Pell Grant, the HOPE scholarship, TSAA, SEOG, or other outside scholarship funds.

In addition, adults of any age and recent high school grads can qualify for the Wilder-Naifeh Technical Skills Grant that pays $2,000 per year toward any TCAT program.

The TN Reconnect Grant for TCAT programs is also a last dollar funding opportunity for adult students 24 years of age and older who have been TN residents for at least one year prior to enrolling, have completed a FAFSA, and have not already earned a TCAT certificate or diploma.

Student services will assist students with applying for the Tennessee Reconnect Grant, applying to Chattanooga State, filing the FAFSA, and registering for a TCAT program.

TCAT Fall classes begin Monday, Aug. 27. For more information, call 423 697-4433 or visit https://www.chattanoogastate.edu/tcat.Because I cant not be.

This was my friends memorable response to the seemingly harmless question of why are you a Christian?



Its brilliant. Its succinct. Its true. And it resonates far more in me than the elated superstar responses of rich and famous Christians for whom Jesus has apparently made all aspects of their life more sparkling.



Most folks who have had anything more than a passing acquaintanceship with Jesus realize rather quickly that Shane Claiborne wasnt overstating things when he said, Jesus wrecked my life. I doubt there is a middle or upper-middle class person who has actually been invaded by Jesus outlandish affection and stubborn insistence on the totality of their allegiance who hasnt felt the fault-line tremors of his comprehensive call and demand right down the center of their heart.



One of our partners in actively bringing the glad tidings of Christs reconciling mercies to the nations (aka missionaries our church supports) were being clobbered with maladies. In a correspondence to our church they helped us see how they endure when they seem hemmed in with frustration and actual spiritual attack.



When Meddlesome Hindrances Present Themselves



Theyve figured out a way to reframe their existence by faith so they dont sink when a storm of meddlesome hindrances present themselves in their bodies, the lives of those they are trying to serve, and even in the children they adore.

Their antidote to despair came from the misspoken exuberance of a new believer in Northeast Kenya where they were laboring among a tribe of Muslims. This young man had been happily captured by the pursuant Jesus. In the joy of his capture, but hindered by the limitation of his broken English, he made a valiant effort to broadcast his astonishment to fellow believers, We are disciples of Jesus Christ. What came out though was probably closer to reality, although not nearly as marketable, especially to Westerners, We are disabled for Jesus! A divine handicap became his unwitting claim.



Disciple becomes disabled through bad English or through the tampering affection of the once mangled but now resurrected Jesus who knows how to accomplish the impossible. C.S. Lewis once remarked, All sorts of things are possible with God. In fact, a camel might even make it through the eye of a needle, but it will be very rough on the camel.



I suspect we have no clear notion of just how much needs to be disabled in us. We are strangers to ourselves in myriad ways. Who can tell how much insistence on having our own way, how much of our own strong immuno-defense against the allergen of God, how much grudge-holding, and resistance to love simply needs to be dismantled in us before we could possibly live as intended as radiant reflections of the One who has sought and captured us?



Our missionary friends, realizing this, decide now to take a deep breath of refreshing grace-heavy air in the midst of crumbling health for themselves and their children, in the middle of Jesus-resistance from those they try to reach, and in each confrontation with downright, adversarial evil...with a somewhat lightened heart by rehearsing the truest things about themselves, Oh, well, were just the DISABLED for Jesus. And thank the Lord for getting us through another days worth of troubles.



The Weird and Unwanted Gift



The Apostle Paul could only be elated in prison because he knew the suffering was a gift. A weird and unwanted one surely, but a gift nonetheless. And one with a surprising purpose. It has been given to you not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for him. So all of life is intertwined and comprehended in Jesus life. Knowing the exhilaration of his resurrection requires first chafing under the deprivation of his disabilities.

We become disabled for Jesus so one-day we can become the leaping lamemini-theaters of divine reversal, of captivating renovation. And we let ourselves be disabled as we adopt his reclaiming and restoring mission in the world.



Some dear readers are literally physically disabled right now. Youre leg doesnt work as it ought. Your back isnt correctly supported as it should be. And others are entrusted with less apparent, but nevertheless soul-aggravating disabilities, the sort that come from following the Savior from the suburbs of heaven into the housing projects we call the world, and letting the abrasive complication of broken down lives get inside your life like a pebble in your shoe.



And still others, are contemplating, am I willing to re-consider my life entirely as belonging to Jesus? We contemplate, because we know that such a consideration will mean suffering. But it will also mean glory. Sorry, thats an impotent, worn-out word for us. How about take-your-breath-away gladness? How about a sense of security so deep that youre never threatened? How about graduation day joy mixed with wedding day delight, topped off with birth of a child exuberance---a cocktail of unrepeatable warm and undeniably wondrous happiness with Him who is its Author.



If we are to know such festive mirth one day, and even the approximations of it we are regularly treated to now, we must keep after Jesus who has always kept after us.



Our Kenyan friends keep after Him and His call, because they noticed something else at work. While they have their lives wrecked, and therefore feel unable to evangelize as they are called to do, their prized friend and recent convert to Christ, has, himself, been visiting new, formerly closed villages and being used to reclaim many who are now strangely hungry for God to Jesus for whom they were created to hunger. In one meeting for prayer, he recalled, We gathered, prayed, and chased Satan!



These missionaries, like many of you, see their well-intended efforts blocked by disablement. But then, like the Apostle Paul who rejoiced in the irony that his imprisonment had merely served to start a jail-break of Gods grace gallivanting all over the place, they notice their disablement become an enablement of a rescued man theyd come to love and the advance of the replenishing gospel in the hand of the transforming Christ to win more of the world to himself.



For all the impairments and burdens that come from following Jesus, he is still the giver of the easy yoke and the restful burden. To be disabled for Jesus is to be a strange and happy creature who doesnt live in fear of what will happen to you because, since youve nothing any longer to protect, whether you live or die, all of it means more of Him. And once youve been disabled by him, who else do you really want? Where else are you going to go?



------

Contact Eric Youngblood, pastor of Rock Creek Fellowship on Lookout Mountain, at eric@rockcreekfellowship.org



Union Hill Missionary Baptist Church, 1800 North Chamberlain Ave. in Chattanooga, invites the public to the 13th Pastoral Anniversary Service honoring Pastor Samuel R. and Lady Vivian Jackson on Wednesday, June 20, at 6:30 p.m. Dr. Rev. Andrew Bullard III of New Enon Baptist Church will be speaking.

Other events will include:

Sunday, June 24  11 a.m., Pastor Mike Lacey, of Bethlehem Baptist Church will be speaking

Sunday, June 24 - 4:30 p.m, Pastor Dr. Ronald D. Dunnigan, of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Lawrenceville, Ga. will be speaking.



For more information, email uhmbc_secretary@yahoo.com.

Bio of Pastor Jackson:

Union Hill Missionary Baptist Church will celebrate Pastor Samuel Jacksons 25th year as a pastor. He moved to the Chattanooga area from Atlanta, serving as the pastor of the Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Atlanta and the Hopewell Baptist Church in Dalton. He matriculated at University of Alabama, Georgia State University and Georgetown University. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with BA in history as well as MA in history. He also has seminary training through Dallas Theological Seminary and Carver Bible College. He is also a James Madison Fellow with concentration in political science and constitutional law. Pastor Jackson teaches history and government at Ridgeland High School and has for last 10 years, after beginning teaching at Southwest Dekalb High School in Decatur, Ga. In addition, he was awarded the E. Franklin Fraiser Community Service Award in Atlanta and was the organizer of the Freedom Jubilee Event at Memorial Auditorium honoring local civil rights legends featuring national civil rights Icon the Rev. Dr. C. T. Vivian in 2013. He has also been involved with local educational issues in Hamilton County. Additionally, he has coached basketball at the high school level, as well as AAU, coached recreational baseball, basketball and assisted with soccer, with more than 25 years coaching experience. Recently he played in Preachers versus Policemen Charity basketball game at McCallie school in which preachers won for the second consecutive year, also beating local high school coaches and organized Preachers versus Deacons. He has been married to the former Vivian Marie Evans, a Brainerd High, UTC and Capella University graduate, for 32 years this June, 14. They have four children, Nicholas, 27, Hamilton, 20, Samantha, 18 and Sarah-Nicole, 13. They also have one grandchild, Sophia, who is one year old. At Union Hill these 13 years, we have made several improvements to the church, including remodeling the fellowship hall, adding a new roof, enhancing the PA and Media Ministry, including enhancing technology, purchasing new van, and adding Children's and Teen Church, along with several new ministries, while revamping others, to name a few.Orange Grove Center announces the appointment of Dr. Rick Rader in the consultant role of senior global advisor for Inclusive Health Innovations. In his role, Dr. Rader supports the Inclusive Health strategy by assisting with the development and utilization of inclusive health resources for health care professionals, which complements the work already done in the prevention area. In addition, he provides support to the staff to operationalize and optimize the current health strategy to advocate for policy changes and create alliances and partnerships in an effort to improve education and training for health professionals and access to care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.Dr.Rader is cross-trained in internal medicine and medical anthropology and appreciates and understands the bio-cultural determinants of health and disease, officials said. He is the director of the Morton J. Kent Habilitation Center at the Orange Grove Center, where he is responsible for the identification, implementation and evaluation of innovative health programs designed for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the lifespan.He was the first appointed special liaison for Family Healthcare Concerns at the Presidents Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities and has been a consultant to five U.S. Surgeon Generals in the area of health and disability. He serves on the board of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry, as well as the American Association of Health and Disability. Dr. Rader is the editor in chief for Exceptional Parent Magazine and has published over 400 articles on intellectual disabilities. He is an emeritus advisor to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality at the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. In addition, he was elected to the National Academies of Practice in Medicine.Dr. Rader won numerous awards including the Exceptional Physician of the Year Award. He serves on the board of the National Task Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Practice and as medical advisor to the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals. Dr. Rader is passionate about Special Olympics and has been involved for 25 years at the local level in Tennessee, National Games, and World Games and as a member of the Global Medical Advisory Committee.The Scenic City Womens Networks June Marketplace Luncheon will be held on June 28 and the featured speaker will be April Taylor of Sound Living Counseling.

Mrs. Taylor has a Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Science from Albany State University; and Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy specializing in Spirituality in Counseling from Richmont Graduate University. She is a licensed professional counselor, mental health service provider and LPC Ssupervisor in Tennessee. She and her husband are the owners and founders of Sound Living Counseling Center. She is also the executive director of Sound Living Foundation. Mrs. Taylor is also an adjunct professor in teaching Social Service and Psychology at Belhaven University.

The luncheon will be held from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Mountain City Club, 729 Chestnut St.

For more information and to register online go to www.scwn.org or call 698-6262 by Tuesday, June 26, at noon. The cost is $20.

Parking may not be available in the MCC parking lot if full. Other parking options include Republic parking (approx. $4) and/or street metered parking on Pine, Chestnut, Broad, and 8th.Godesberger Strae : Car dealership in Bad Godesberg robbed at gunpoint

BONN Two men armed with guns robbed a car dealership on Godesberger Strae on Friday afternoon. Police detained the two alleged perpetrators a short time later.

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Two armed men robbed a car dealership on Godesberger Strae on Friday afternoon. Police said the two masked men entered the salesroom at around 4pm and, according to eye witnesses, were armed with guns and demanded cash be handed over. One of the men opened the cash register and took more than 100 Euros in cash according to current information. He then fled on foot with the other perpetrator.

However, the mens escape ended quickly after a search was immediately launched. The police were able to detain the two suspects, aged 17 and 34, close to the scene of the crime. They not only had the masks with them, but also the money. Officers took the men into custody.

At the request of the Bonn public prosecutors office, they appeared before a judge on Saturday, who issued arrest warrants for aggravated robbery. The arrest warrant for the 17-year-old was suspended and conditions imposed. Police investigations are continuing.IBIS musical : Superstan rescues the city

Cast members of Superstan at the Independent Bonn International School. Foto: Akin Kaya

Heiderhof Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, its Superstan, on stage at the Independent Bonn International School in a childrens musical this week.

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The Independent Bonn International School (IBIS) is known for its commitment beyond the classroom. In a colourful musical on Tuesday morning, pupils were able to prove this once again. The 54 pupils only needed four weeks to confidently perform the childrens musical The Amazing Adventures of Superstan word-perfectly. The musical, in the schools auditorium, was well-attended by the childrens parents and delighted both the audience and teaching staff.

The start of the play is action-packed. Superstan takes on a bully, but the scene in fact only takes place in a dream Stanley, a clumsy, young sweet seller from Megaville, has. Shortly afterwards, the mayor invites the residents to an awards ceremony in which Stanleys rival, the Candy King, will be honoured as a hero of the city. Stanleys dream seems to come to an abrupt end, he loses his job and enrols in the armed forces. A short time later it transpires that his rival is in fact a villain, who wants to rule the entire world by using hypnotic sweets and a remote control to control time.

Stanleys grandmother therefore decides to give her grandson the secret Formula 44 and elastic anti-gravity underpants, which give him superhuman powers. His arch rival is already planning the removal of the mayor and ruthlessly oppresses the minions in his factory. Fully convinced he has to ensure truth, freedom and justice prevail, he fights his way past a clown duo that can stop time and a team of scientists forced to carry out research for the Candy King. In an epic final fight, Superstan manages to shrink his rival to miniature size and so saves the world from a tyrant.

There will be a special 90 minute performance in the auditorium this Wednesday, 13 June at 6.30pm. Those interested in attending should contact the school.Brasilestes stardusti is the name given to the oldest known mammal found in Brazil. It lived in what is now the northwest of Sao Paulo State at the end of the Mesozoic Era between 87 million and 70 million years ago. It is the only Brazilian mammal known to have coexisted with the dinosaurs.

The discovery of Brasilestes was announced on May 30, 2018, by a team led by Max Langer, a professor at the University of Sao Paulos Ribeirao Preto School of Philosophy, Science & Letters (FFCLRP-USP). Langers team included colleagues at the Federal University of Goias and the University of Campinas in Brazil, La Plata Museum in Argentina, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US.

Physically speaking, Brasilestes consists of a fossilized premolar tooth with a maximum crown length of 3.5 mm. The tooth is small and incomplete: the roots are missing, said paleontologist Mariela Cordeiro de Castro, first author of the paper recently published in Royal Society Open Science.

Small but not tiny, Castro continued. Although its only 3.5 mm, the Brasilestes tooth is three times bigger than all known Mesozoic mammal teeth. In the age of the dinosaurs, most mammals were the size of mice. Brasilestes was far larger, about the size of an opossum.

The name of the new species pays tribute to British rock star David Bowie, who died in January 2016, a month after the fossil was found. Brasilestes stardusti alludes to Ziggy Stardust, an extraterrestrial character created by Bowie for a 1972 album.

The research was supported by the Sao Paulo Research FoundationFAPESP as part of the thematic project The origin and rise of dinosaurs in Gondwana (late Triassic-early Jurassic), for which Langer is principal investigator.

The fossilized tooth was found in a rocky outcrop of the Adamantina Formation in General Salgado, Sao Paulo State. The rocks are in a field on a ranch called Fazenda Buriti.

We were visiting Mesozoic outcrops when Julio Marsola [another member of the team], keen-sighted as a lynx, spotted a small tooth sticking up out of a rock, said Castro, a professor at the Federal University of Goias (UFG).

The General Salgado deposits are well-known. Several Mesozoic crocodiles have come from them. The particular outcrop where I found Brasilestes is interesting, with dozens of fragments of Mesozoic crocodile eggshells. I bent down to look more closely at a small part of the outcrop to see if there were any eggshells and spotted the tooth. If it had stayed out in the open like that for a few more days, the rain would have swept it away.

When I noticed what appeared to resemble the base of the tooths two roots [the roots themselves have broken off], I thought it must be a mammal. Laboratory analysis gave us the certainty that it is indeed from a mammal.

A placental mammal in the Botucatu Desert

While a mere 3.5 mm tooth, especially an incomplete one, may seem insufficient to describe a new species of mammal, in actual, fact extinct mammals are frequently described on the basis of a single fossilized tooth.

This is because teeth are the most durable part of the mammalian skeleton. After all, they have to withstand the wear and tear of chewing for an entire lifetime. In contrast, many fish species and reptiles, for example, grow new teeth continually throughout their lives. Indeed, mammalian teeth are often the only skeletal remains that stay intact long enough to become fossilized.

The fact that a single premolar is all that is left of Brasilestes and that it is incomplete prevented the researchers from distinguishing with absolute confidence the group of mammals to which the species belonged. They know the tooth belonged to a therian, a member of a large subclass of Mammalia that includes marsupials and placentals.

Although there is not enough evidence to support the inclusion of Brasilestes in either infraclass, the researchers believe (but cannot categorically conclude) it was a placental mammal. If so, the fossil is unique.

Today, there are three major groups of mammals, namely, placentals, marsupials and monotremes. All three evolved during the Mesozoic Era. At that time, however, they were by no means the only groups of mammals. There were also multituberculates, which were common in the northern hemisphere, as well as groups typical of the southern hemisphere such as meridiolestids and gondwanatheriansnamed for Gondwana, the ancient southern supercontinent that gave rise to Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, and India.

The first Mesozoic mammal fossils were found in Argentinian Patagonia in the early 1980s, and some 30 species are now known. Until the Brasilestes announcement, these were the only ones found in South America. None remotely resembles the little tooth found in Brazil.

When I showed the Brasilestes fossil to Edgardo Ortiz-Jaureguizar, a paleontologist at La Plata Museum, he was very surprised. He said hed never seen anything like it, and at once showed it to another specialist at the same institution, Francisco Goin, who had the same reaction. Goin said Brasilestes resembled no other Mesozoic mammal found in Argentina, hence in South America, Castro recalled.

Among the 30-odd Argentinian species of Mesozoic mammals, there are meridiolestids, gondwanatherians, and even a few suspected multituberculates. There are no marsupials or placentals. The only fossils in these two groups found in South America date from after the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago in an event that marks the end of the Mesozoic and the onset of the current geological era, the Cenozoic.

Until the discovery of Brasilestes, the only traces of Mesozoic mammals in Brazil were hundreds of tracks and footprints left by unknown creatures 130 million years ago as they traversed the dunes of the Botucatu Desert in what is now Sao Paulo State. The solidified surface of those dunes has been preserved as sandstone slabs on which the footprints can be seen.

In 1993, Reinaldo Jose Bertini , a professor at Sao Paulo State University (UNESP) in Rio Claro, announced the discovery of a mammalian jawbone fragment with a single tooth far smaller than the Brasilestes premolar. However, Bertini did not publish a detailed study of the fossil and therefore could not name a new species.

Brasilestes is not just the first Brazilian Mesozoic mammal to be described but also one of the few Mesozoic mammals found in more central regions of South America. The Argentinian fossils were found in geological formations in Patagonia, the southern tip of the continent, Langer said.

Furthermore, Brasilestes is different from everything found before, suggesting that possibly placental mammals inhabited South America between 87.8 million and 70 million years ago, said the FAPESP thematic project coordinator.

New species possibly related to a mammal from India

Even more surprisingly, the Mesozoic mammal with premolars that most resemble the Brasilestes tooth lived on the other side of the world, in India, between 70 million and 66 million years ago. Its name is Deccanolestes. No other creature in the global fossil record is so similar to Brasilestes.

How could two members of the same lineage have lived so far apart in unconnected regions? Approximately 100 million years ago, when South America and Africa had only just been separated by the opening of the South Atlantic, India was breaking away from Gondwana and starting to wander through the Indian Ocean.

This implies that at least 100 million years ago, the ancestors of Brasilestes and Deccanolestes populated the Gondwana supercontinent. In other words, the lineage to which Brasilestes and Deccanolestes belong is far older than the ages of their fossilsbetween 87 million and 70 million years ago for Brasilestes, and between 70 million and 66 million for Deccanolestes.

The discovery of Brasilestes raises many more questions than answers about the biogeography of South American Mesozoic mammals, Langer said. Thanks to Brasilestes, weve realized that the history of Gondwanas mammals is more complex than we thought.

Finding triggers speculation on xenarthrans origins

This could give rise to new hypotheses and new lines of investigation. Who knows, for example, whether future research inspired by the discovery of Brasilestes will reveal the origin of a typical South American group, the xenarthrans, the order of armadillos, anteaters and sloths? Castros main research interest, in fact, is the evolutionary history of the xenarthrans.

An interesting feature of the Brasilestes premolar is its superthin enamel, which is only 20 micrometers thick. The Brasilestes enamel is the thinnest of any Cretaceous mammal in the fossil record. Most Mesozoic mammals have enamel in the range of 100 to 300 micrometers, Castro said.

Tens of known species of xenarthrans are alive now. Hundreds are extinct. Only three have enamel. The microstructure of Brasilestes premolar enamel is very similar to that of the nine-banded armadillo, said the FAPESP-supported researcher.

According to Castro, molecular clock evidence suggests the xenarthran lineage started at least 85 million years ago. However, the oldest armadillo fossils, found in Rio de Janeiro, are about 50 million years old.

While it is intriguing to imagine Brasilestes as an ancient xenarthran, it is far too soon for any such affirmation.

The age and provenance of Brasilestes do match molecular hypotheses for the origin of the xenarthrans, but it would be premature to infer taxonomic affinity in light of the morphological differences between the Brasilestes tooth and armadillo teeth, Castro said.

Langer agreed. We have only one Brasilestes fossil. Thats nowhere near enough to extract conclusions from the fossil record, he said.

The fact that no Mesozoic mammal fossils were found in Brazil before Brasilestes could mean such fossils are rare or too fragile to be preserved. Who knows, one day we may find new Brasilestes fossils that help us understand its history better. It could take decades, Langer said.

Reference:

Mariela C. Castro et al, A Late Cretaceous mammal from Brazil and the first radioisotopic age for the Bauru Group, Royal Society Open Science (2018). DOI: 10.1098/rsos.180482

Note: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by FAPESP.Yes, that's right! Auckland is getting their very own FRIED CHICKEN FESTIVAL!!!

The absolute dreamboat of an event is happening on the 12th of July at Parnell's La Cigale French Market.

This is the first ever event of its kind for us here in NZ, and is sure to have a massive turnout. As quoted by its event page, "for just one night, Aucklands cluckiest food trucks are coming together and bringing you their most delicious chicken inspired dish".

The chicken conoisseurs involved in the event are:

Peach's Hot Chicken

Temaki Truck NZ

Double Dutch Fries

Judge Bao

Bacon Bros

Wise Boys Burgers



For more info click here.

Mark the occasion in your calendar because we have a feeling it's going to be an absolute banger!!!!!Community volunteers will host the first VICtory 5K/10K/Mile Fun Run on Saturday, Sept. 8, at Enterprise South Nature Park. All proceeds will benefit care for financially challenged patients with critical limb disease in Hamilton and Bradley County patients, as well as North Georgia.

We plan to make this an annual event for the Tennessee Valley, said Dr. Chris LeSar, founding physician of the Vascular Institute of Chattanooga, the VICtory Runs event host. This will help patients that need financial assistance with treatment dealing with critical limbs and bring awareness to the regions growing amputation problem.

The southeastern area of the United States has the highest amputation rates in the country, according to date from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Many of these surgeries could have been prevented with proper education and alternative treatment plans, which result in patients having better health, more active lifestyles, and longer life spans.

Critical Limb Ischemia, a severe obstruction of the arteries which drastically reduces blood flow to the bodys extremities, is one of the leading causes of amputation. Patients with a history of smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol are most at risk for CLI. Common treatments for CLI are amputation of the leg or reestablish of blood flow in the affected limb with endovascular techniques.

The event tagline Using Our Legs to Save Yours serves as a reminder that there are alternatives to amputation and patients have options in their treatment plans, Dr. LeSar said. We treat many patients who have leg problems. We hope the public will come to the run, support them with their two strong legs, and show there can be victory over amputation.

All proceeds collected will be deposited into an Access for Care fund, managed by the Medical Foundation of Chattanooga.

The VICtory Run will be timed and monitored by event partner, Scenic City Multisport. The races begin at 8 a.m. Registration fees are $25 for the mile and 5K, and $30 for the 10K. Registration is now open at http://victory10k5k.itsyourrace.com

Gene Lovin and Brenda Trammel are serving as honorary emcees.

The Vascular Institute of Chattanooga is the areas only comprehensive endovascular/vascular specialty center dedicated to amputation prevention with a full staff of experts providing complete medical assessment, therapies and procedures with onsite surgical interventions if needed.

For more information, visit www.vascularinstituteofchattanooga.com or call 602-2750.damyti at 12-06-2018 06:22 AM (3 years ago) (m)

US president Donald J. Trump is currently having a historic meeting with North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un in Singapore. They are meeting in Capella resort, an isolated hotel on Sentosa Island in Singapore.

US president Donald J. Trump is currently having a historic meeting with North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un in Singapore. They are meeting in Capella resort, an isolated hotel on Sentosa Island in Singapore.



The two leaders shared a historic handshake as they met for the first time at 9am Singaporean time.





The meeting is supposed to last for 45 mins. The two leaders will kick things off by meeting with only their translators present, a U.S. official said. Trump and Kim and their translators will meet first in a session first, before they allow their respective advisers to join them.









Update: The initial meeting with the two leaders and their translators is over. They both came out together, with Kim Jong Un smiling from ear to ear. They both waved to journalists, then moved to a different room for an expanded bilateral meeting with their respective advisers.



President Trump's advisers at the meeting are his Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, his Chief of Staff, John Kelly and Ambassador John Bolton, his National Security adviser.









The two leaders shared a historic handshake as they met for the first time at 9am Singaporean time.The meeting is supposed to last for 45 mins. The two leaders will kick things off by meeting with only their translators present, a U.S. official said. Trump and Kim and their translators will meet first in a session first, before they allow their respective advisers to join them.Update: The initial meeting with the two leaders and their translators is over. They both came out together, with Kim Jong Un smiling from ear to ear. They both waved to journalists, then moved to a different room for an expanded bilateral meeting with their respective advisers.President Trump's advisers at the meeting are his Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, his Chief of Staff, John Kelly and Ambassador John Bolton, his National Security adviser.

Post Reply Posted: at 12-06-2018 06:22 AM (3 years ago) | Upcomingdamyti at 12-06-2018 07:44 AM (3 years ago) (m)

President Buhari has described Nigerian youths as intellectually aggressive and economically ambitious people that always seeks self-improvement and self-actualization in any part of the world.

President Buhari has described Nigerian youths aspeople that always seeks self-improvement and self-actualization in any part of the world.

President Buhari said this on Monday during one of his meetings with the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Morocco, Saadeddine Othmani, at the Royal Guest Palace in Rabat, Morocco.



According to President Buhari, Nigerias visionary and resilient population works hard to always position the country for more growth, fuelled by a largely youthful group that continually wants to contribute to development.



Nigerians are intellectually aggressive and economically ambitious. I received some of our students here yesterday and I am really impressed with the zeal and fearlessness they exuded. In Nigeria we have a very young and aggressive population and we are working very hard to create the enabling and inclusive environment for their contributions to be better appreciated, the President told the Prime Minister.



President Buhari said his government is harnessing the human and material resources available in the country, especially in the educational and agricultural sectors, while seeking partnerships with countries that can explore the huge potentials in Nigeria.



The President noted that Nigeria was already on the verge of an agricultural revolution as the importation of rice had been cut down by 90 per cent in 18 months.



We need to do more to improve our statistics on food production and graciously, the weather has been auspicious in the last couple of years for agricultural growth. We are happy that through partnership with you and hard work the price of fertilizer is already down by 50 per cent, he said.



On the three agreements signed during his visit, namely, Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project, vocational training in agriculture and building of a chemical plant in Nigeria, the President assured the Prime Minister that they will receive appropriate attention.



We have a huge gas reserve in Nigeria, and we should be known more for gas exploration than for crude oil. So, we are happy with the new partnership with Morocco, he added.



In his remarks, the Prime Minister said his country had always been impressed by Nigerias intellectual zeal and strength, noting that many Moroccans appreciate the intellectual contribution of Nigerians, especially in literary works.



Your visit to our country is historic and we are looking forward to more partnerships, especially among our universities, which would further consolidate our relationship, Othman said.



President Buhari also met with the head of the Moroccan legislature, Habib El Malki and the President of the Advisers on Commerce, Ben Chemmas.



The Nigerian leader ended his two-day visit to the Kingdom of Morocco with a visit to the mausoleum where he laid wreaths on the tombs of past kings. President Buhari said this on Monday during one of his meetings with the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Morocco, Saadeddine Othmani, at the Royal Guest Palace in Rabat, Morocco.According to President Buhari, Nigeriasworks hard to always position the country for more growth, fuelled by a largely youthful group that continually wants to contribute to development.the President told the Prime Minister.President Buhari said his government is harnessing the human and material resources available in the country, especially in the educational and agricultural sectors, while seeking partnerships with countries that can explore the huge potentials in Nigeria.The President noted that Nigeria was already on the verge of an agricultural revolution as the importation of rice had been cut down by 90 per cent in 18 months.he said.On the three agreements signed during his visit, namely, Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project, vocational training in agriculture and building of a chemical plant in Nigeria, the President assured the Prime Minister that they will receive appropriate attention.he added.In his remarks, the Prime Minister said his country had always been impressed by Nigerias intellectual zeal and strength, noting thatOthman said.President Buhari also met with the head of the Moroccan legislature, Habib El Malki and the President of the Advisers on Commerce, Ben Chemmas.The Nigerian leader ended his two-day visit to the Kingdom of Morocco with a visit to the mausoleum where he laid wreaths on the tombs of past kings.

Post Reply Posted: at 12-06-2018 07:44 AM (3 years ago) | UpcomingThe content you are looking for has either been removed or requires you to login to view

Please login below or register for an account With Naijapals.comkacylee at 12-06-2018 07:37 PM (3 years ago) (f)

The Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum has said that President Muhammadu Buhari has been more democratic than the three previous presidents before him, including Olusegun Obasanjo. Mr. Akin Malaolu, the Secretary-General of the forum said this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja. The Forum was reacting to recent alarm by Obasanjo that plans were being plotted to frame him by the Buhari-led APC government.

The Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum has said that President Muhammadu Buhari has been more democratic than the three previous presidents before him, including Olusegun Obasanjo. Mr. Akin Malaolu, the Secretary-General of the forum said this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja. The Forum was reacting to recent alarm by Obasanjo that plans were being plotted to frame him by the Buhari-led APC government. Malaolu, who described Obasanjos alarm as strange, said: if anything at all was tormenting him, it must be karma that knows his face and has his addresses. If Civil Society Organisations call for Nigerias anti corruption agencies to urgently revisit the 16 billion dollars Obasanjo Electricity and Power Development Contracts, will that now be deemed that Buhari is plotting to kill Obasanjo. When Obasanjo was calling on Nigerians not to re-elect Buhari come 2019, there was nothing seen as wrong with his inciting and national destabilisation acts and declarations, Malaolu said.



He recalled that when Obasanjo was in power, nobody could have tried to do to him what he had been doing to bring down successive governments. According to him, it is now obvious that the posthumous national recognition and honour given Chief M.K.O. Abiola by Buhari and the declaration of June 12, as Democracy Day have become the rudest shock for Obasanjo to bear. He added that Obasanjo had forgotten that he and many officers were unwilling guests at the countrys diverse detention facilities because of their unbecoming and national destabilization acts during late Gen. Sani Abachas military regime. The forums scribe, however, said that it was time to let the likes of Obasanjo to understand that without them, Nigeria would be a better country to live in.

We must caution Nigerians not to allow themselves get hoodwinked by liars in the country, who know how to turn things around and make it seem like they loved the truth for the sake of the truth. Nigerians must not be quick to believe what Obasanjo said, because lies spread quicker than the truth, he said. Malaolu, who described Obasanjos alarm as strange, said:Malaolu said.He recalled that when Obasanjo was in power, nobody could have tried to do to him what he had been doing to bring down successive governments. According to him, it is now obvious that the posthumous national recognition and honour given Chief M.K.O. Abiola by Buhari and the declaration of June 12, as Democracy Day have become the rudest shock for Obasanjo to bear. He added that Obasanjo had forgotten that he and many officers were unwilling guests at the countrys diverse detention facilities because of their unbecoming and national destabilization acts during late Gen. Sani Abachas military regime. The forums scribe, however, said that it was time to let the likes of Obasanjo to understand that without them, Nigeria would be a better country to live in.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 12-06-2018 07:37 PM (3 years ago) | Addicted HeroThe Sewanee School of Theology announced that it has appointed Dr. Sheri D. Kling as the new executive director of its Beecken Center and associate dean of the School of Theology. Dr. Kling was previously serving in the University of the Souths office of the University registrar. Her appointment will take effect on July 1.

Dr. Kling holds a Ph.D. from Claremont School of Theology, an M.A.T.S. from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and a B.A. from Purdue University. She is a theologian who works in the interdisciplinary space where worldviews, beliefs, and practices can create either dis-ease and suffering or psycho-spiritual wholeness and common flourishing. Drawing from process philosophy/theology, Jungian psychology, and mystical spirituality, Dr. Kling said she focuses on communicating theological ideas and practices that positively impact humans relationships with God, self, and world, especially the use of dream work as a spiritual practice for divine encounter, personal integration, and widening our relationship to creation.

In addition to her position in Sewanee, Dr. Kling is a cooperating visiting lecturer in social and spiritual determinants of health with Palacky University in the Czech Republic and a faculty member of the Haden Institute in Asheville, N.C. Last fall, Dr. Kling presented at the International Transpersonal Conference in Prague and Palacky University; most recently, she delivered a well-received keynote presentation at the Haden Summer Dream and Spirituality Conference at Kanuga on Healing our Collective Pain: Worldviews, Dreams, and Transformation.

My appointment is living proof that God can weave all the disparate pieces of our lives into a surprising tapestry," said Dr. Kling. "It seems to me that everything Ive done along what has been quite a circuitous pathfrom marketing and communications, to strategic planning, to public speaking, performing, and program development, and especially my theological educationhas all come together in an astonishing way in this position to which I feel very called. I am eager to be part of the Beecken Centers mission and program development so that we can connect more people to the love of God and the transforming power of Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual formation has been a part of Dr. Klings work for several years, even while she toured the southeastern U.S. as a performing songwriter, recording artist, and workshop leader. Throughout her career, Dr. Kling notes that she has considered herself a voice for transformation. Having previously resided in both Marietta and Demorest, Ga., she moved to Sewanee, in June of 2017.

Dr. Kling will take over for Karen Meridith, executive director of the Education for Ministry program at the Beecken Center, who has been serving as the interim executive director of the Center for the past year and will remain the associate director. She looks forward to working with the new director. Sheri Kling brings skills and experience that will benefit the work and mission of the Beecken Center," said Ms. Meridith. "I welcome her as a new colleague and look forward to working with her as she implements her vision for transformative programming for all the baptized.





SOESTERBERG, THE NETHERLANDS, June 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via OTC PR WIRE -- Rainmaker Worldwide (OTC:RAKR), working with its partner, Bredenoord, has delivered its innovative MD Water Power unit to Fieldlab Smartbase 1.0 for the Dutch Ministry of Defense.

The smart base was officially opened by his Majesty King Willem-Alexander, the King of the Netherlands.

The Dutch military participates in multiple UN missions and has served in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is currently active in a UN peacekeeping mission in Mali to fight local terrorist insurgents. In these missions, it is essential to minimize supply lines and reduce local dependencies to increase troop safety and maximize operational efficiency.

The MD Water Power Unit  a purpose-built solution to military specifications

Rainmakers core Water-to-Water technology has been successfully combined with Bredenoords state-of-the-art military-grade generators in a containerized plug-and-play solution that delivers both clean drinking water and reliable electricity.

The unit reduces the cost of fresh drinking water, is highly efficient, mobile and ideally suited for areas where there is little or no infrastructure.

Replacing current reverse osmosis systems

The ultimate objective is to replace the current reverse osmosis systems with Rainmaker-Bredenoord units. Each unit can provide up to 25,000 liters of pure drinking water and 35 kW of electricity daily under all conditions without any power grid connection.

This self-contained, low-maintenance solution is designed to be suitable for global military deployments, NGOs and disaster relief situations.

A military context puts high demands on product functionality, said Joost Oosterling, Managing Director, Europe for Rainmaker. "Your innovation must work in the desert at over 40 degrees, or in the freezing cold at minus ten.

Army commander Luitenant-Kolonel Erwin Leidelmeijer said, "We offer a robust experimental environment: the innovations must be soldier-proof, so we practice and test them in a static environment at the barracks in Soesterberg. At Smart Base, civil products are tested for military applications, while the military specifications are maintained.

Michiel Pols of the Netherlands InnovationQuarter said, "The Dutch armed forces have a good reputation abroad. You can count on NATO watching what is happening here. If the Dutch armed forces purchase the innovations, then the gate will open to the rest of the world.

Michael OConnor, President and CEO of Rainmaker Worldwide, said, We are exceptionally pleased to have delivered this innovative application of Rainmakers Water-to-Water technology to the Smartbase Project in Amersfoort, Netherlands. We look forward to collaborating closely with the teams at Bredenoord and the Dutch military during the comprehensive testing period.

We are very encouraged by the early results and confident that new opportunities will follow in the short term to work with both military and relief organizations where fast deployment is necessary in dealing with the effects of catastrophes such as hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters.

Further information on this project

For more details on the Dutch Ministry of Defence project, please see our news release of November 2, 2017 at http://rainmakerww.com/2017/11/02/dutch-military-chooses-rainmaker-worldwide-mission-critical-military-base-water-supply/

About Rainmaker Worldwide Inc.

Rainmaker Worldwide Inc. (OTC:RAKR) is headquartered in Peterborough, Canada, with an innovation and manufacturing center in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Our patented water technology provides economical drinking water at scale wherever its needed. Rainmaker builds two types of energy-efficient, fresh water-producing technologies:

Air-to-Water, which harvests fresh water from the air

Water-to-Water, which transforms seawater or polluted water into drinking water

Our technology is both wind and solar powered, is deployable anywhere, and leaves no carbon traces. We also offer options for hybrid, grid and diesel-powered models.

Air-to-Water units are available in three standard sizes, producing 5,000, 10,000 or 20,000 liters of drinking water per day. Water-to-Water units are also available in three standard sizes producing 37,500, 75,000 or 150,000 liters per day. This makes our units suitable for communities of 200 to 30,000 people, depending on number of units deployed.

Our goal is to become a global leader in solving the worldwide water crisis. Simply put, we are creating safe, drinking water where little or none exists.

Interested parties can access additional information about Rainmaker on the Companys website located at http://www.rainmakerww.com.

About Bredenoord

Bredenoord is a family-owned business based in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, with 80 years experience in the engineering, production, sale and rental of smart energy solutions. Nowadays, the company focuses on the development of more efficient and environmentally friendly power generators. Based on its Clear Concept philosophy, solutions are brought forward based on new fuels, new conversion technologies, increased efficiency and emissions reduction. In addition to the market in the Netherlands, Bredenoord operates in markets throughout Europe via offices in Germany, Denmark and Belgium. Bredenoord originally developed the Water Power Unit in 2015. This knowledge together with our focus to bring reliable power in its most efficient way was the basis for this joint development with Rainmaker Worldwide. For more information, please visit www.bredenoord.com.

Forward-looking Statements

Certain matters discussed in this announcement contain statements, estimates and projections about the growth of Rainmakers business, potential distribution partnerships and/or clients, and related business strategy. Such statements, estimates and projections may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time. Rainmaker undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The recipient of this information is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

For more information please contact:

Rainmaker Worldwide Inc.

Michael O'Connor

info@rainmakerww.com

+1-877-334-3820



Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander Tuesday said that the Trump Administrations comprehensive drug pricing blueprint will bring help to the one in eight Americans who say it is difficult to afford their prescriptions.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar testified at Tuesdays hearing, which was the committees fourth hearing this Congress on the price Americans pay for their prescription drugs.

The Administration is taking action for the same reason we held our hearings: we all know many Americans struggle to afford their prescriptions, Senator Alexander said. But, when we talk about the cost of prescription drugs, we have to keep in mind that we are living in a time of remarkable biomedical research that is leading to new and lifesaving drugs.

Senator Alexander continued: Included in the blueprint are some steps the Administration has started to take or are planning to take. For example, the Food and Drug Administration is going to start going after bad actors gaming the system to delay generics from going to market. This is also a place where Secretary Azar can use the bully pulpit to enact change. FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb has already released a list of companies blocking access to their drugs and delaying generics coming to market, shining light on the questionable behavior of these companies.

Another action FDA is considering is requiring drug manufacturers to include the list price of a drug in television commercials or other advertising materials. The blueprint also proposes ending the so-called gag-rule that prevents a pharmacist from telling a patient a drug would be cheaper if they paid out of pocket instead of with their insurance.

Senator Alexander concluded: I also would like to hear how Congress can help. At our previous hearings, I questioned the need for rebates, because they make it difficult to track where the money goes, and I understand that the Administration may need some additional authorities to modify or end the use of rebates to increase transparency.

This was 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.

Senator Alexanders full prepared remarks are here.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.Fraternity members at Louisiana State University adhere to age-old rituals, shrouded in secrecy, that dictate how they gather, greet each other and initiate their young pledges.But when they return to campus in the fall, one ritual will be drastically different: They will face much more severe consequences for dangerous hazing incidents.In May, eight months after the death of Maxwell Gruver, a freshman pledge at the universitys now banished Phi Delta Theta fraternity chapter, Gov. John Bel Edwards of Louisiana signed into law an anti-hazing bill that would make it a felony for those involved in hazing that resulted in death, serious bodily harm, or life-threatening levels of alcohol. And students found guilty could land in a Louisiana jail for up to five years.The U.S. Department of Justice went on the attack against the University of Michigan's free speech code Monday, saying universities and colleges haven't done a good job of creating true freedom of speech on their campuses."In recent years, many institutions of higher education have failed to uphold these freedoms, and free speech has come under attack on campuses across the country," the Justice Department said in a statement of interest filed in federal court. The statement was filed in a suit brought by a group looking to bring down U-M's speech code."Freedom of speech and expression on the American campus are under attack," Acting Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio said in a statement. "This Justice Department, under the leadership of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, is committed to promoting and defending Americans' first freedom at public universities."The statement came in a suit filed in May by a group called Speech First.Students claim in the suit that their members enrolled at U-M "have abstained from speaking on topics including immigration, identity politics and abortion because they fear their speech will be anonymously reported as offensive, biased, and/or hateful to university authorities through the bias response system," the group said in its news release. "The complaint alleges that these hopelessly vague policies chill student speech and expression -- a clear First Amendment violation."This is the fourth statement of interest filed by the Justice Department under Sessions in a similar caseThe suit and the department's court filing take aim at how the university handles what students claim are remarks or actions showing bias against someone."Unfortunately, the portions of the (U-M's student conduct) Statement and the Bias Response Policy that Plaintiff challenges stretch far beyond the objective, well-established legal definitions of 'harassment' or 'bias,' and prohibit broad swaths of speech protected by the First Amendment," the Justice Department wrote. "In particular, the Statement and the Bias Response Policy proscribe and punish core protected speech based upon nothing more than the listener's subjective 'reaction ...'Under university policy, the bias response team can respond to a complaint of bias, let students know about resources on campus and help students file reports of violations of the university's statement of student rights with the university's investigative office.The Justice Department argues that U-M is robbing students of their First Amendment rights to discuss all sorts of topics in a free manner.Not so, the university said."The Department of Justice, like the plaintiff (Speech First), has seriously misstated University of Michigan policy and painted a false portrait of speech on our campus," U-M spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said. "Contrary to the department's statement, the university's Bias Response Team does not "ha[ve] the authority to subject students to discipline and sanction." Rather, it provides support to students on a voluntary basis -- it does not investigate claims of bias or discipline students in any way."U-M prohibits "harassing" and "bullying," but the definitions of those terms have just been streamlined and are based on provisions of Michigan law that have been upheld by the courts."Speech First President Nicole Neily said "speech codes like Michigan's flagrantly violate the First Amendment.""Moreover, a bias response system has no place in America, much less on a modern-day college campus," Neily said. "Because it's impossible to know what comments might be 'perceived' by others as offensive, students don't contribute to conversations and debates, ask questions, write papers, or invite speakers they might otherwise. This is not a real educational experience, and Michigan students deserve better."Last school year, U-M hosted controversial speaker Charles Murray, a conservative-libertarian author, scholar and lecturer. He was shouted at and drowned out for much of his presentation, until university administrators warned protesters they would be arrested if they didn't let Murray speak.The speech was seen as a test of political free speech on U-M's campus."The university talks about their Expect Respect campaign a lot. We certainly don't get much respect, especially from students," former U-M student Grant Strobl, who graduated this year, one of the most prominent conservative student leaders in the country, told the Free Press then. Strobl is the national chairman of Young Americans for Freedom. "The Michigan student body is a lot better behaved than lots of other campuses, but it is full of students with solutions looking for problems."Strobl said the policy targets conservative students."Conservative students are often afraid that their commonly held views could be misconstrued as 'bias,' " he told the Free Press Monday. "The bias incident report system and response team is a speech-chilling tool used to coddle the left and silence the right."Public libraries have become a vital treatment site for overdoses.Last year, Denvers Central Library trained 350 staff members, more than half its personnel, to administer naloxone, the powerful drug that can reverse an opioid overdose.The death that we had in the central library was the moment when people in the library system said this is needed, this is serious, says Denver libraries' spokesman Chris Henning.Last year alone, Denver library staff successfully reversed 13 overdoses using naloxone. They are being trained to spot the symptoms of an overdose, including loss of consciousness, a choking sound, and fingernails and lips that turn blue or purple. Fortunately, if naloxone is administered to someone who is not experiencing an opioid overdose, the drug doesn't harm the person.Health experts say it was inevitable that librarians would become involved in the nation's opioid crisis.One of the great things about libraries, if you are homeless or transitionally housed, is you dont have to purchase anything to use the library -- and the bathroom is unlocked. So its a place where people can and will inject themselves, says Lisa Raville, executive director for the Harm Reduction Action Center in Denver.Libraries in New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Salt Lake County, Utah, among others, are also stocking the overdose reversal drug. When overdoses in libraries became a regular occurrence in New York state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill authorizing them to carry naloxone; libraries in Suffolk County and Middletown have since started.U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York introduced a bill last year that would award federal grants to libraries that want to administer naloxone. The bill hasnt moved past the House Energy and Commerce Committee.For some cities, those federal grants are needed. Last year, Baltimore stopped giving naloxone to all police officers, who are often the first to respond to overdoses. In October, the city asked the White House to help maintain its naloxone supply. The White House didn't commit to assisting the city.Denver Public Library spent $1,800 on naloxone kits in 2017. Each kit typically comes with two applications, costs between $75 and $125, and is administered through a nasal spray. The injectable version costs about one-third of the nasal application but requires additional training, says Raville.Naloxone works quickly, but it's often only a temporary fix. Without additional medical attention, a person can slip back into an overdose. So library staff are trained to call paramedics once they suspect an overdose.Treating overdoses is just the latest way in which librarians have seen their role transform in recent years.In 2016, a branch of the Philadelphia Free Library added a pediatric and primary care clinic on its top floors. Branches across the city offer seniors help enrolling in Medicare and offer nutritional guidance to immigrants and low-income families. Libraries in Denver, San Francisco and New Orleans have all hired or created partnerships with social workers to help the homeless and people with mental health or addiction problems connect to services.Libraries have always been a community gathering place," says Paul Guequierre, director of communications for the Urban Libraries Council. "What we are seeing is that in the past 15 to 20 years, we have a shift away from the 'Quiet, Please!' signs to a true gathering place."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 Monday, in the morning, at Government House, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey received the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands the Honourable Rick Houenipwela and Madam Rachel Houenipwela, High Commissioner of Solomon Islands to Australia, His Excellency Mr Collin Beck, Secretary to the Prime Minister, Dr Jimmie Rodgers, and Permanent Secretary, Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Mr Peter Kenilorea Jnr.

In the afternoon, at Government House, His Excellency and Mrs de Jersey hosted a reception in honour of the Official Birthday of Her Majesty The Queen, and the Governor addressed guests.Description

GIS  12 June 2018: Winners of the InnovED (Innovation for the Education Sector) 2018 competition which focused on multiple intelligences and new innovative concepts were rewarded yesterday at an award ceremony held at the Octave Wiehe Auditorium in Reduit in presence of the Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance, Mr Dharmendar Sesungkur and the Executive Director of the National Productivity and Competitiveness Council (NPCC), Mr Deepak Balgobin.

The competition, launched in February this year, is a joint initiative of the NPCC and the Ministry of Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research. The aim is to promote critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity and innovation among students in addition to fostering a culture of innovation which is in line with the NPCCs 2016-2019 Strategic Plan.

Over 400 participants coming from some 70 secondary institutions and the Mauritius Institute of Training and Development (MITD) centres both in Mauritius and Rodrigues, took part in the contest. There were some 119 students and 48 facilitators who registered on the platform and were involved in different innovative projects.

In his address, Minister Sesungkur lauded the participants for their great skills and innovative ideas. According to him, the skills they have gained through the competition will further nurture their creative and innovative skills, prepare them for the labour market and turn them into productive employers working towards the countrys economic progress.

He further called on parents to encourage their children to develop their creativity as the world will be guided by innovation and the youth should unleash their potential and come forward with innovative ideas. According to him, youth should be given the appropriate platform to unleash their talents. He commended the participants by stating that they stand as inspiration to their peers with InnovED 2018 being the right engine to help them achieve greater success in the future.

For his part, the Executive Director of the NPCC laid strong emphasis on the importance of innovation to trigger higher economic growth while reiterating the NPCCs commitment to fuel creativity and innovation. He further dwelt on the rapid changing world which necessitates the adoption of the right techniques and innovation to adapt to future job and labour market which he said is bound to change with time.

InnovED 2018 showcased an array of online learning materials on creativity as well as innovation that included puzzles, games, quizzes, lesson plans and self-assessments targeting both students and teachers. Another innovation brought to this edition allowed students to access the learning materials through mobile devices.

The winners for InnovED 2018 are as follows:

Interactive media category: Mobile application project

Winner: Sharma Jugdambi SSS

Cultural Heritage category: Okri Mousar project

Winner: College Ideal

Performing Arts category: Sketch based on Drug addicts

Winner: Phoenix SSS

Visual Arts category: Prototype: Recycled Art

Winner: Mahatma Gandhi Institute

Design category: Prototype: Table Lamp

Winner: Sharma Jugdambi SSS

Language and Publishing category: Poem on Bullying- Titled Reponse a Jeanne

Winner: Queen Elizabeth CollegeDescription

GIS  13 June 2018: A workshop on the theme Inventing Your FutureThe next Steps? at the initiative of the National Productivity and Competitiveness Council (NPCC) for students of tertiary institutions was held yesterday at the Octave Wiehe Auditorium in Reduit. It aimed to guide students on how to think out of the box, to innovate and be successful in life.

Over 100 participants attended the workshop conducted by Mr. Jake Mendelssohn from the Connecticut Invention Convention, USA. The focus was on the prospects of future careers which, he stated, will be guided by machine learning and artificial intelligence. However, he added that although machines will dominate the labour market, the creative ability is something that computers will not be able to do in the foreseeable future.

Mr. Mendelssohn encouraged the youth to be more innovative and creative in their path of learning while highlighting that future careers will highly depend on the creative competencies of upcoming employees as companies will start hiring and retaining the most competent people in creativity on the market to maintain their competitive edge.

The workshop is in line with the NPCCs vision to promote productivity movement in Mauritius with artificial intelligence and innovation as the key elements that will drive future businesses hence helping Mauritius in its endeavor to attain the status of a high income economy.Description

GIS - 12 June, 2018: A workshop focusing on the theme Safeguarding and promoting the documentary heritage of Mauritius kicked off this morning at the Gold Crest Hotel in Quatre-Bornes. The workshop, a joint initiative of the Ministry of Arts and Culture and the National Archives Department, is organised in the context of the International Archives Day. A workshop focusing on the theme Safeguarding and promoting the documentary heritage of Mauritius kicked off this morning at the Gold Crest Hotel in Quatre-Bornes. The workshop, a joint initiative of the Ministry of Arts and Culture and the National Archives Department, is organised in the context of the International Archives Day.

The objective of the workshop is to provide all the participants with a forum to discuss, share experience and provide guidance in archiving and to come up with new suggestions which will be used to draft an action plan for the National Archives Department.

In her address, the Deputy Director of the National Archives Department, Mrs H. Ramkalawan, highlighted that the International Archives Day, observed on 09 June, is an opportune moment to raise awareness among the public of the importance of records and archives as well as the profession. She emphasised that the National Archives since its setting up in 1815, has played a crucial role in the preservation of the documentary heritage of the country.

She underscored the mission of the National Archives which is to fulfil its historical and cultural roles by collecting, preserving and making accessible historical documents. She added that it has served as the nations repository of public records for many years and now consists of around 200 000 volumes of documents.

The Deputy Director pointed out that the invaluable documents is a collective memory of the nation and are consulted by citizens and foreigners for different purposes such as historical, genealogical, cultural, legal and administrative. The Archives Department ensures that an efficient and economical management of the public records is properly carried out throughout their life cycle, she added.

The wide array of documents that the National Archives Department houses, consists of records of the French Administration( 1721- 1810), records of the British Administration (1810  onwards), notarial deeds as from 1724, copies of maps and plans from 1502 onwards, specimen of every issue of postage stamps and currencies, minutes of proceedings from Municipalities and District Councils, special collection materials including lithographs, photographs and seals, and a collection of rare books and private papers.

The workshop

Representatives of Ministries, the private sector, academics, researchers, and historians are attending the workshop. The five major themes discussed are: the importance of a national archive for a country; the national archive holdings and its contribution in promoting cultural heritage sites; the conservation and preservation of archival documents; e-archiving, online access and on spot communication and; new challenges and future perspective for a modern archive.(TNS)  HIGH POINT, N.C.  Could going back to the future with voting help allay the concerns about whether all ballots are counted properly?An overriding issue with election officials locally, statewide and across the nation is how to make sure no bad actors tamper with electronic-based voting machines on election day or during early voting. The issue has been heightened in the wake of the 2016 presidential election in which Russian hackers attempted to gain entry into state and local board of elections databases.So could one path to securing the sanctity of the vote involve returning to mechanical voting machines used a generation ago that didnt have electronic components or software? One of the most common ways to vote used to mean pulling a small lever to pick a candidate and having your votes recorded when you pulled the handle to open the curtain and leave the voting booth.Local and state election officials say that not only would a return to old-fashioned voting machines not be viable, but it wouldnt resolve the issue of tampering with ballots.I dont think its feasible, said Davidson County Board of Elections Director Ruth Huneycutt about returning to mechanical voting machines.Huneycutts career as a voting official spans more than 40 years, meaning shes witnessed first-hand the evolution of voting machines into the electronic era.Huneycutt, along with other state and local election officials interviewed by, emphasize that electronic voting machines arent connected to the Internet. So theres no way for someone with ill intent to hack into the machines remotely.They are individually set up. If a machine is set up correctly, theres no way theres going to be anything wrong with it, Huneycutt said.Randolph County Elections Director Melissa Johnson said modern, electronic voting machines are more accurate than old-fashioned mechanical ones. And mechanical voting machines still could be tampered with by someone looking to hijack election results.Machines back then had their own challenges, and thats why they were decertified by federal elections officials, she said. Our machines now have several safeguards, like security tabs and tags so we know no one has tampered with it.Guilford County Board of Elections Director Charlie Collicutt said the thought of returning to old-fashioned voting machines may have some lure as a romantic notion about the past, but theres solid reasons why electronic machines are used now.Ballots where you punch a hole or punch a card have their own issues. There is no perfect system, he said, adding that modern electronic machines offer the best chance to preserve the accuracy of a vote tally.In North Carolina, electronic voting machines have a series of safeguards, including a paper audit of voting results in the rare case where theres an issue with the machines tabulation of votes.One irony of the current concerns over the security of electronic voting machines is that they were encouraged to be used more than 15 years ago after a debacle with an old-fashioned form of voting.In the 2000 presidential election between Republican President George W. Bush and Democratic Vice President Al Gore, the fate of the outcome hinged on disputed ballots in Florida and how punches to paper ballot forms by voters were interpreted. The dispute only ended when the U.S. Supreme Court intervened a month after the election and issued a ruling that prompted Gore to concede.In the wake of the 2000 presidential race, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act to encourage states and communities to start using electronic-based voting machines that were seen as more reliable. At the time, the practice of hacking wasnt as pervasive; so there wasnt as much attention to the possible threats to electronic machines.Now election officials in North Carolina and across the United States are trying to ensure that electronic voting machines and voter databases in electronic records are guarded from those who mean mischief.We do not wish to go back to the days of hanging chads, said Patrick Gannon, public information officer for the Bipartisan State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement in Raleigh.Gannons reference to hanging chads stems from the slivers of paper that were attached to punched ballots in Florida during the 2000 presidential election. The hanging chads confounded Sunshine State election officials as they reviewed whether to count paper-based ballots 18 years ago.The state of North Carolina is updating its voting machines, with new standards set to be implemented by the fall of next year.The state board is in the middle of the process to potentially certify several new voting systems, and each system used in North Carolina counties would have to meet the certification requirements, Gannon told The Enterprise.Earlier this year, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission notified the state elections board that it would receive nearly $10.4 million in Help America Vote Act funds to enhance election technology and make election security improvements, Gannon said.(TNS)  As the November election approaches, York County, Pa.'s voting machines reportedly are outdated, vulnerable to hacking and lacking a commonly used safety feature that might reveal meddling or mistakes.In fact, most Pennsylvania counties are in the same boat, according to the Department of State, which is giving them until 2020 to upgrade their machines.The switch won't be cheap, and no one is sure who's going end up footing the bill, estimated to be about $125 million statewide.York County's machines are 12 years old and replaced lever-operated voting booths that had been in use for more than half a century.Why the switch in the first place  and why is another needed so soon?Following the disputed 2000 presidential election, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act in 2002, which mandated states modernize their election systems and created a nearly $4 billion fund to help them make the changes.York County put its share of Pennsylvania's portion toward a $2.1 million purchase of 700 Sequoia AVC Edge voting machines in 2006.Compared to the booths, the new devices were high-tech, but they also were criticized from the start for lack of a low-tech feature: a paper trail.Experts say a "voter-verifiable paper audit trail" is crucial to protecting elections from tampering or errors. It allows voters to check that the machine recorded their choices as intended and gives election officials a second record to refer to if there's a dispute.Pennsylvania is one of just 15 states where machines with no paper trails are in use.In February, Gov. Tom Wolf ordered that any county planning to replace its voting machines must buy devices that leave a paper trail. He followed up in April by ordering all counties to have such machines by 2020.The Department of State can force the change by decertifying all makes and models of older, paperless machines  and will eventually do so, a spokeswoman said.If the 2020 deadline holds, York County could be using allegedly flawed machines for three more elections.A missing paper trail is just one of the problems with the make and model found in the county's 159 polling places.The Sequoia AVS Edge voting machine has "significant security weaknesses," according to Verified Voting, a nonprofit organization that advocates for accurate, transparent elections."Every software mechanism for transmitting election results and every software mechanism for updating software lacks reliable measures to detect or prevent tampering," according to a study conducted by researchers at the behest of California Secretary of State Debra Bowen.Yet the county hasn't had any issues with the voting machines, other than normal wear and tear, according Nikki Suchanic, director of York County's Elections and Voter Registration Office.There was one issue with the machines last year, but that was a result of a programming error, not tampering, according to county officials.During the November 2017 municipal elections, the error allowed a single voter to cast multiple votes for a candidate in races where more than one candidate is elected.An independent auditing firm determined the problem didn't affect the outcome of any race, Suchanic said at the time."I'm confident in the machines we're using now, but with newer technology it's time for us to look at new voting systems," she said recently. "Hopefully, the federal government and the state find some additional help for us, but we'll find a way."Despite Suchanic's confidence, experts have little trust in the Sequoia AVS Edge.The risks associated with York County's machines range in severity  from simple programming errors like the county saw last year, to hacking that can change vote counts, according to Marian Schneider, president of Verified Voting and former deputy secretary for Elections and Voting under the Wolf administration.For instance, in any precinct voting machines are partnered with a computer that runs the voting software and stores data. If that computer is connected to any network whatsoever, Schneider said, the situation is problematic."If it's connected to anything, it's prone to cyber attacks," she said.York County's machines are self-contained and aren't connected to any network, Suchanic confirmed.However, even if the computer is not connected, the risk of being hacked is "never zero," Schneider added. With access to machine software, a skilled hacker can still manipulate data.Preventing such attacks is difficult, even with countermeasures, she said. This is why counties should "shift from prevention to detection and recovery.""It's not going to be easy," Schneider said. "But nothing worthwhile is ever easy. And taking these precautions will build up voter confidence."That confidence might have been eroded after the 2016 elections, which U.S. intelligence agencies agree were marred by Russian interference.Wolf's order to upgrade voting machines "followed September's disclosure by the federal government that election systems in at least 21 states, including Pennsylvania, were targeted by hackers before the 2016 presidential election," the Associated Press reported."It's important because everybody needs to have confidence in the voting process and given what is alleged to have happened in 2016, I think there's some concern that maybe people aren't as confident as they should be," Wolf said.Though AP noted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had found no evidence that votes or databases were altered, former Director of National Security James Clapper told PBS Newshour host Judy Woodruff he personally believes Russia swayed the election in Donald Trump's favor.That opinion is based in part, he said on the show last month, on the fact the election turned on 80,000 votes in three states  including Pennsylvania."It just exceeds logic and credulity that they didnt affect the election, and its my belief they actually turned it," Clapper said.Schneider, the president of Verified Voting, emphasized that the first step in protecting elections is acknowledging that there are serious risks each cycle."It's naive to think this isn't a risk," she said. "It's not a certainty, but what risk managers do is manage it (to) an acceptable level. Risk can never get down to zero."If the reasons for an upgrade are clear, the funding source is not.A single voting machine per the requirement of Wolf's mandate would cost roughly $3,000, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures If York County were to replace all of its machines  624 in use, 45 in storage  it would cost roughly $2 million. Cost estimates don't include licensing, support and maintenance, transportation and printing.The federal government reimbursed the county $1.85 million of the $2.1 million it spent on the Sequoia voting machines in 2006.But that type of help doesn't appear to be on the table this time.The state received $13.5 million from a federal appropriations bill in March that included $380 million for states to use to enhance election security.This is just a small fraction of the overall costs, and will be distributed to counties based on the number of registered voters in the respective countries, said Wanda Murren, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of State.The amount of money that York County will receive is unknown.There are ongoing talks for another round of federal funding  an additional $380 million  said Jacklin Rhoads, spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., though she noted it's not yet included in any legislation.Murren said the upcoming state budget doesn't have any money set aside to help counties make the upgrades, and the legislature hasn't indicated if it ever will provide aid.However, the administration is considering "grant opportunities; creative financing options; state, federal and local appropriations; opportunities for partnerships bonds; and more," she said.Rep. Kristin Phillips-Hill, R-York Township, confirmed there has been no discussion of state funding for voting machines."We don't have much of an idea how much money will be required for the machines, so the appropriations committee hasn't begun talking about the costs," she said. "The talks will occur when we get a better idea of how much money will be needed in each county."Still, Phillips-Hill said she supported the replacement of the machines because "technology has come a long way and the public wants to be assured that they vote in the most reliable and safe way."The bottom line is York County expects to pony up cash for new voting machines regardless of whether more financial aid might be offered, said Commissioner Chris Reilly."We're going to have to fund it out of a general fund," he said. "However, we're in limbo right now because the state has only certified one machine; we're waiting until more equipment is certified."The company with the certified machine is Unisyn Voting Systems, based in California. The company didn't respond to phone calls for comment about the specific model certified by the DOS.According to the Department of State, however, four more vendors are in the process of certification. The time estimate for their approval is unknown.Once more machines are certified, vendors will gather and the county will have the public, including poll workers, survey the machines and give their input, Reilly said, adding financing options would be discussed at that point.The commissioners, although unenthusiastic about new voting machines, acknowledge the importance of security."I think there's an argument to be made that a paper trail makes sense with all the questions and concerns with questions concerning election security," said Commissioner Doug Hoke. "I just hope there will be more money from the federal and state government, because taxes aren't something we want to dip into."Playing with the 2019 budget to generate more money for the anticipated costs will soon be discussed, he added.The county has three options: making room in the budget; taking money from the contingency fund, a fund for unexpected expenses that usually hovers around $1 million; or shift funds from leftover money from the general fund to the capital reserve fund, said Tom Hoover, who manages the budget for the county.While the general fund consists of the main operating costs for the county, the capital reserve fund is dedicated to long-term capital investment projects and other large anticipated expenses.With $16 million leftover in the general fund and more than $500,000 in the capitol reserve fund as of 2017, Hoover said it'd be "easy" to cover the costs and the payment wouldn't negatively affect the county.Still, there's always a chance that things won't be so easy and counties will come up short, right?Not quite, said Murren."If a county doesn't have the resources to purchase machines, the vendors are very willing to work with the county," she said. "Vendors are very flexible, and we're looking at these flexible options as well as possible additional funding."Meanwhile, the clock is ticking.The State Department is "strongly considering" decertifying the current voting systems before the 2020 primary elections, Murren said.Chattanooga attorney Bob E. Lype will be honored with the Justice Joseph W. Henry Memorial Award for Outstanding Legal Writing at the Tennessee Bar Association's annual Convention, held at The Peabody in Memphis this week.The Joe W. Henry Award is given each year to a member of the Tennessee Bar Association who contributes the most outstanding article to the TBA's monthly magazine, the Tennessee Bar Journal. Mr. Lype was chosen this year by a panel of judges for "How to Deal with Bullying, Threats and Physical Violence in the Workplace," which was published in the April 2017 edition.This is Mr. Lype's second time to receive the award - a rare feat in Bar Journal history, officials said.Mr. Lype is the principal of the Law Office of Bob E. Lype & Associates, where his practice includes representation of employers of all sizes in labor and employment law matters, including compliance counseling and advice, as well as handling litigation and disputes. His practice also involves business litigation and insurance defense work. He is a 1990 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, with high honors, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif.The Joe Henry award is named for Justice Joseph W. Henry, a former chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court, practicing lawyer, scholar and writer with a rare talent for clear, forceful and often dramatic prose. The award was established in 1981 to encourage scholarly yet practical writing to benefit members of the bar. The winner was chosen this year by a panel that included Judge Brandon Gibson of the Western Section Court of Appeals, former University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law Dean Peter Letsou and TBA President Lucian Pera.(TNS) - Sonoma Countys Board of Supervisors approved plans Monday for a restructuring of emergency operations after an internal report concluded that emergency workers were unprepared for the October fires, which burned 5,143 homes and killed 23 people in and around Santa Rosa.The restructuring includes a new, improved wireless alert system that will cause residents cell phones to vibrate or sound an alarm in an emergency.County officials drew criticism after they decided last year not to send out potentially life-saving alerts as devastating wildfires rolled through local neighborhoods. The lack of warning meant numerous residents awoke to flames licking up against their homes, forcing them to flee for their lives with no time to spare.It was frustrating. It was over-frustrating, said Supervisor Shirlee Zane, who urged the county to pay special attention to seniors and people with disabilities and include Spanish-language alerts in developing the new communications system. The people who died in this fire were seniors and disabled.The report, prepared by county staff, analyzed everything from the operations center to training. It said county emergency workers were overwhelmed, understaffed and not adequately trained to handle logistics in such an emergency. It largely mirrors a California Office of Emergency Services report issued in February.The wind-whipped Tubbs Fire was the worst of several fires that raged through Sonoma. It raced 12 miles into Santa Rosa, destroyed the Fountaingrove neighborhood, jumped Highway 101 and burned down the neighborhood of Coffey Park.The number of fires and the inability to communicate effectively and consistently with public safety agencies on the ground created confusion and uncertainty as to how large the fires were and how quickly they were spreading, said the report, which focused only on the civilian divisions of county government. The inability to fully understand current conditions negatively impacted response efforts.As the fires continued, workers became overworked, power struggles erupted between county workers, and no liaison officer was assigned among the 200 workers in the county Emergency Operations Center to communicate with elected officials, according to the report.We were orphaned in the process, said Supervisor Susan Gorin, who was especially upset by the lack of communication with cities, community organizations and special districts. Every request for information we sent to the EOC was met with silence. We couldnt get any information.The overhaul will put in place a countywide emergency warning system, including sirens and wireless emergency alerts, or WEAs. Sonoma County officials said they did not send such an alert as the fires raged late on the night of Oct. 8 because it would have hit phones across the entire county, possibly causing panic and traffic jams that would have blocked people from getting in and out of the area.After The Chronicle reported on Sonomas decision not to send a wireless alert, Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris wrote to the Federal Communications Commission to complain. The federal government now requires wireless carriers to more specifically target areas with wireless alerts.Christopher Godley, the interim emergency manager for Sonoma County, said the report should not be taken as an indictment of emergency workers. He said an analysis like this is, by its very nature, critical.The county did relatively well in responding to this event, Godley said. The county did not roll over, fall apart. ... I cannot think of another county in California that would have been prepared.The supervisors also approved recommendations to strengthen county training requirements, clarify roles and hire more emergency staff.Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite2018 the San Francisco ChronicleVisit the San Francisco Chronicle at www.sfgate.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.When you think about all the things that need to be knitted back together following a disaster, from telecommunications, transportation, utilities, housing, schools, etc. the tasks and projects can be daunting. In the end we need to remember this, It has become imperative we are able to look at solutions systemically and holistically to avoid unintended consequences and make sure we dont just rebuild  but also we preserve the well-being of people.Here is a link to this report, Changes in Human Well-being and Rural Livelihoods Under Natural Disasters about a China disaster and the mistakes made there that had consequences for people and organizations that ended up being negative and not considerate of the impacts to individuals, families and communities. It is not enough to give people a house and a place to work. The social impacts of dislocation and relocation from the familiar to the different and sometimes strange can be huge. The Great Japan Earthquake also had older people who were displaced for years, and their only desire was to die and be buried with their families back in their communities of origin.You can't call that a success for this element of the community.Lastly, I'll add this. Don't discount the lessons from foreign disasters. Yes, the cultures are different and the government response mechanisms are different, but people are people. Maslow's hierarchy of needs applies quite broadly.Claire Rubin shared the primary link above.(TNS)  The Boulder, Colo., City Council will look at bringing dockless bikes and public broadband to the city in two separate public hearings Tuesday night.First up will be a discussion on how to fund the first steps of what will eventually become a citywide broadband network. Before the council is a choice: Ask voters for the money , or figure out another way for the city to pay.City staffers have laid out four options for funding the construction of a fiber backbone, the basic infrastructure that can be used to connect homes and businesses to a municipal broadband network. Building a backbone will cost roughly $15 million, according to Assistant City Manger Chris Meschuk.Without a ballot measure, Boulder could finance the build with some combination of cash from the general fund and revenue from certificates of participation. With a $4 million budget shortfall looming, money likely would have to be reallocated.If the council chooses to put the funding to voters, two other options exist: bonds or a short-term sales tax. If the council goes this route, a measure would be placed on the November ballot.To be determined is who would complete the buildout and provide Internet to residents. At a May 8 study session, the council honed in on two possible routes to completion: partnering with a private company, or having the city finish and operate the network itself, a la Longmont and Fort Collins.The cost of a total broadband rollout previously has been estimated at $140 million.Exactly what the citizens of Boulder think is still unclear. The public will get its first look at results of a community survey at Tuesday night's meeting.Following the broadband discussion will be a second reading of proposed regulations for dockless bike sharing. Several operators of the free-roaming cycles have expressed interest in establishing business here, but because of negative experiences in other cities  Seattle, Denver and Washington, D.C., among others  Boulder is contemplating a two-year pilot program.The suggested rules limit companies to 100-bike fleets and require that all bicycles be equipped with a mechanism that allows them to be locked to a rack or other structure.That latter provision "runs counter to the premise of a dockless bike sharing program," wrote Beijing-based ofo in a letter to Senior Transportation Planner David Kemp. California's LimeBike, one of the country's largest dockless bike companies, took issue with the lock-to and two other requirements being floated.Fleet-size limits reduce profitability, and the proposed fees  $3,300 annually for a license the first two years and $1,800 per year after that, plus $100 per bike  are "far above generally prevailing fees," wrote Sam Sadle, director of strategic development for LimeBike in Colorado.The suggested regulations, as they stand, will leave LimeBike "unable to operate" in Boulder.Several entities expressed support of the program guidelines, including New York-based Jump Bikes and the Downtown Boulder Partnership."Many of our members have witnessed the negative impacts of unregulated dockless bike sharing in other cities," the Downtown Boulder Partnership wrote in its letter to Kemp. "The most common issue is the sheer number of bikes that can overwhelm public spaces and obstruct pedestrians from using sidewalks and plazas."The proposed rules "will help ensure that Boulder avoids the worst impacts while enjoying the benefits of dockless bike sharing."The public hearings will begin just after 8 p.m., following a 6 p.m. joint study session of City Council and the Open Space Board of Trustees to discuss and confirm the five focus areas of the Open Space and Mountain Parks master plan.(TNS)  Grand Rapids, Mich., city commissioners want to take a closer look at a proposed $20 million LED streetlight project before moving forward with the financing.Commissioners decided June 5 to postpone a vote on bonding for the project until their July 10 meeting to give them time to dig in to the project further.The project would need $8 million to replace all of the city's 17,800 streetlights with LED fixtures, and $12 million to update conduits, wires and duct work that are a part of the city's primary electric circuit.June 5 city staff asked the commission to approve a notice of intent to bond for the project  which only would have started a 90-day legal clock required if the commission ultimately would want to go forward with the project."We own these streetlights and we haven't invested in them in a really long time," Mayor Rosalynn Bliss said.Some of the commissioners, including Third Ward Commissioner Senita Lenear, weren't ready to take the first step. There were also questions about the new streetlights' potential surveillance capabilities."When I think about this level of investment, I think about things like lead and how the community is suffering," Lenear said. "If I was going to do something community-wide, I would address lead, not street lights."Rates of lead poisoning in children in the 49507 Grand Rapids zip code were the highest in the state in 2015, according to Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services. First Ward Commissioner Kurt Reppart said the magnitude of investment was worth a second look to make sure it was "equitable.""I am not in opposition of street lighting, but I think the timing is not right," Lenear said.The commission has still not decided how to respond to the police chief's annual request for more officers as the department is under a microscope for its relations with the community.City staff have been pushing for the investment in the electric utility that has been long overdue. Environmental Services Director Mike Lunn said some of the upgrades have been integrated into street projects that are slated for this summer."I'm very concerned about postponing this much longer," Second Ward Commissioner Ruth Kelly said. "We have had so many complaints about burned-out lights and circuits failing."Outgoing Third Ward Commissioner Dave Allen said the commission has been working "pedal to the metal" on affordable housing proposals and a failed first attempt to hire a new city manager. With that in mind, Allen said he was worried about the public's perception should the commission approve a "notice of intent to bond" if the commission was not committed to the project."I'm very uncomfortable with putting out a notice of intent if this body is not resolute," Allen said.The type of streetlights the city is considering would be able to be remotely controlled and monitored through radio waves. That technology means the lights themselves would be capable of hosting additional sensors  including ones that could read water meters. In the future sensors could also be added to the lights to monitor pedestrian counts and open parking spaces  a capability some commissioners found alarming."We need to be a smart city  our residents need to be very comfortable that we're not watching over them from streetlamps," Allen said. "Once you put the infrastructure in, folks aren't going to trust that you're not just going to go up there and plug something in."The city commission has a policy that requires any new surveillance technology to go through a specific public vetting process."In the future we'll be able to add just about any kind of sensor depending on what it is," Lunn said. "As we add those sensors that's when we'll have to be conscious of these kinds of things. Is that sensor a camera; is that sensor a motion detector to count pedestrians; is that sensor counting an empty parking space."Managing Director of Public Services Tom Almonte said any additional sensors would be vetted through that policy.Five years ago, nobody would have mistaken Detroits stoplights for being smart. They were so obsolete, in fact, that city transportation officials couldnt even tell whether most of the lights were working without visiting the intersections in person.But in solving that very basic problem, the city has taken significant steps toward creating some of the smartest intersections in the country. It is experimenting with five smart intersections along a nearly two-mile stretch of Larned Street near the riverfront, including some downtown sites.The new networked traffic lights, which are connected to video cameras, can respond quickly to changing conditions. They do that by analyzing the video on the spot to determine different types of road users, how theyre moving and how to respond.The video, its talking to you, says Mark de la Vergne, Detroits chief of mobility innovation. Before, you would just get numbers. Now, we know where they are crossing. We know when they are crossing. We know how many people are driving through a red light. Thats going to help us inform a lot of our work in the next few years.Like many cities signals, Detroits newest intersection lights can prioritize signals for emergency vehicles such as ambulances and police cars. But they can also help make crossings safer for cyclists and pedestrians. The lights can extend green signals for cyclists who wouldnt otherwise be able to clear the intersection in time, and the system can alert Waze users or connected vehicles that jaywalkers are ahead.The city, along with its vendor, Miovision, is also working on ways to prioritize signals for buses and freight-hauling trucks. The lights may even be able to change with the weather  for example, displaying longer yellow lights when its raining.Detroit may one day even be able to use the data collected by its smart intersections to improve the design of the intersections themselves.To get to this point, Detroit spent four years connecting traffic lights to a central network. Now, 40 percent of the citys intersections are linked and have the equipment installed that helps them analyze and respond to changing circumstances. The signals are all designed so that they can be regularly updated to add more features, akin to downloading new apps or updating old ones on a smartphone.And they all use open data systems, rather than proprietary ones, which makes it easier to interact with other connected infrastructure. So, for example, Miovision was able to connect the citys police cars with the traffic signals using existing transponders on the police vehicles, rather than requiring new equipment. That easy connection meant that the city could start using signal prioritization in just a matter of weeks. Preliminary tests show that the new technology cut emergency response times by 20 percent.The networked system also makes it easy to upgrade. Detroits mayor said in January that he wanted the city to show off its technological prowess for the Intelligent Transportation Society of Americas annual conference, which took place last week. Miovision made a flurry of upgrades that added several new features, all within 90 days and without having to add more hardware, says Dave Bullock, Miovisions vice president of market strategy.Its part of a mind shift in how cities think about infrastructure, he says. The old way was, when you have a problem, you add a piece of hardware to your cabinet. The new way is, you put this piece of hardware at the roadside. When you have a problem, instead of adding more hardware, we add more software.Other cities are working on similar improvements, even if theyre using slightly different approaches.Denver, for example, is spending $1 million to improve the intersection of Federal Boulevard and 29th Avenue. Those improvements will help detect pedestrians and add more time for slower walkers to cross, automatically give cyclists a green signal without the need to push a button, prioritize buses along the corridor, and provide better communication with emergency vehicles.These case studies will also help directly inform how we deliver connected freight, connected fleet, and more connected citizens quickly. All of this data will feed directly into the traffic management center so the city of Denver can monitor real-time events and make informed decisions based on historical trends, says Heather Burke, a spokeswoman for Denver Public Works.But as this type of technology is deployed more widely, one of the big challenges facing Detroit and other cities will be to manage and analyze the new data from the connected intersections.The standard approach to making safety improvements, says Bullock from Miovision, is for cities to analyze crash data. But even when transportation planners find dangerous intersections, they sometimes must wait years in order to gather enough data to see whether the changes they made to the intersection actually made it safer.The cameras on smart intersections, though, gather a lot more information than just crash data. For every crash, there are 100 near-misses. For every near-miss, there are 100 or more dangerous actions or safety hazards. They can tell you almost as much about a road hazard as crash data, Bullock says.We can tell a city where the most dangerous intersections are, and at what times of day. We can tell them a ton about what causes [those dangers]. And when they make a change  literally, within days  we can tell them if they changed behavior, he says.(TNS)  Despite a price tag reaching into the thousands of dollars, local shops in Idaho are having trouble keeping electric assist bicycles, or e-bikes, in stock.Even the Moscow, Idaho, Police Department has purchased its own e-bike, which differs from other motorized bicycles in that the engine only adds to the power of the person peddling rather than propelling the bike on its own.MPD Officer Casey Green said the bikes are useful in certain environments where a vehicle may be an impediment."Part of the reason that we're so bike heavy is that we get out there on bikes and they're quiet, and you can roam neighborhoods and be pretty autonomous," Green said. "You can cover a lot of ground at your own pace so that you can get out there and see things."Although Pullman has more hills than Moscow, Pullman Police Department Cmdr. Chris Tennant said the city does not have pedal-assist bikes and there are no plans to purchase one.That is not to say PPD officers are not interested in the bikes."I have several officers, especially riding bikes up and down the hill, that think electronically-assisted bikes would definitely be an aid," Tennant said. "I'm certainly not opposed to it, but is it really necessary? That's kind of where we are right now in our budget process is if it's not necessary, it probably doesn't happen."Sean Ellis, an employee of B&L Bicycles in Pullman, said one advantage of e-bikes is that they make bicycles a more viable option for those commuters worried about steep grades but still want the health benefits of biking to work."Here in Pullman, the No. 1 reason people don't ride bikes is probably the hills," Ellis said. "Around here, most of the people are buying them for commute reasons  so if you're a professional at WSU, it's nice to show up at your job and not be all hot and sweaty."Ellis said e-bikes can reach prices as high as $9,000, but those carried by B&L range from about $2,300 to $3,700. Ellis said the shop has sold 30 e-bikes so far in 2018. E-bikes are in the middle of a boom, Ellis said. The industry is attracting a broad field of manufacturers, new and old, some producing high quality bikes  others, not so much. Some of the cheaper models can actually be dangerous, Ellis said, noting at least a couple of bike shops in the United States have burned down due to batteries that exploded while charging.A Lewiston resident, Ellis said he has purchased a few of the bikes for himself and his wife and they have changed the landscape of his commute. Ellis said he occasionally likes to bike the 30 or more miles to his job at B&L and having a pedal-assist makes the route much more viable.(TNS)  For the Marin police agencies that have adopted body-worn cameras, citizen complaints have either decreased or remained level, according to the Marin County Civil Grand Jury.The grand jury included the findings in a new report, Body-worn Cameras and Marin Law Enforcement, released on June 1. It is a followup to a report on the same subject in February 2014.When the 2014 report came out, only three Marin police departments used the cameras  Belvedere, Novato and Tiburon  while the San Rafael Police Department was on the brink of launching a program. The report urged the other departments to adopt the technology.All have except one, the Sausalito Police Department. The new grand jury report renews the call for Sausalito to get on board.Despite its potential downside, new technology is helping to raise public safety standards, the report said. Marin County has the responsibility, as well as the wherewithal, to keep our law enforcement agencies up to date.Sausalito police Chief John Rohrbacher said he talked to a grand juror about the issue in April, when the government oversight panel was preparing its report. Rohrbacher said the prices for the cameras had leveled off, but the department would still face onerous expenses for video storage and lost staff time for redactions.Since then we have obtained a cost estimate to purchase a body worn camera system, Rohrbacher said Thursday. It is expensive and it is not likely to be funded by our city council this coming year but remains on our wish list for the next two-year budget cycle. This month is the close of our current two-year budget cycle for the city of Sausalito and we are preparing for the next two years.Advocates say the cameras provide clearer documentation of police incidents for court. Moreover, they can promote better behavior by both officers and citizens, and the footage can be used for training purposes.I think these things are a great investigating tool, said Tiburon police Chief Michael Cronin. They help us preserve the most accurate record of an investigation.The potential downsides, the grand jury noted, include the costs of up to $500 per camera plus much more in video storage expenses. The jury said the annual expense can be as high as $1,927 per unit for more advanced equipment.Another downside, the report said, was camera perspective bias  the idea that the footage, being shot from the officers viewpoint, might unduly bias a viewer toward the police.The grand jury urged Marins police departments to publish their body-worn camera policies online for maximum transparency about usage, retention and privacy issues. The report said three departments  the Central Marin Police Authority, the Novato Police Department and the Fairfax Police Department  have posted their policies, but other departments have not.The grand jury also recommended that departments use cameras built to activate automatically, rather than by the officers manual initiation. Cronin called that recommendation somewhat impractical because fully automatic cameras capture hours of incidental conversation, scanner noise and other sounds that need to be weeded through.Its really hard to find a system to activate when you were contacting somebody while handling a call for service or an arrest, he said. I dont think the technologys quite there yet.The grand jury report is available online at bit.ly/2kYiBgSLayers of Security

What Will be Checked

(TNS)  Russians were unsuccessful in attempts to hack Pennsylvania's election systems during the 2016 presidential election, but the state will conduct an audit to assure voter confidence is intact."We all know there has been a lot of discussion about interference in the 2016 presidential election," Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said Monday. "I was astounded to learn that it was nearly a year after the election that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security informed us that Pennsylvania was one of 21 states targeted by Russians who tried to hack our election system."DePasquale, Pennsylvania's elected fiscal watchdog, spoke during a press conference in the capitol newsroom with Acting Secretary of State Robert Torres, state Sen. Mike Folmer, a Lebanon County Republican, and state Sen. Kim Ward, a Westmoreland County Republican."According to the Department of Homeland Security, hackers targeted voter registration systems," DePasquale said.The hackers targeted Pennsylvania's Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors, or SURE, system."To the best of our knowledge, they were not successful," DePasquale said Monday.The auditor general said his goal is to complete the audit in time to make any changes it might recommend in time for the 2020 presidential election.Torres explained how the attempt was detected and how the hackers worked."The Department of Homeland Security identified IP addresses," he said. "That is how we were able to tell they were trying to scan our databases," Torres said. "Scanning is like a burglar going into your neighborhood looking for a door lock that was not secure, or an open window."Like DePasquale, Torres said Pennsylvania appears to have resisted those efforts in 2016."There is no evidence that ever occurred in Pennsylvania," he said, adding that the state has layers of security to prevent such a breach.The Department of Homeland Security reported during congressional hearings last year that 21 states were targeted by hackers during the 2016 presidential election."Initially we did not realize we were one of those states," Torres said.The would-be hackers were looking for vulnerable, public-facing websites.Torres said the Department of State has layers of security including encryption technology and the DHS scans Pennsylvania's system daily.The Pennsylvania Department of State just completed its second two-week vulnerability assessment with DHS and its results are not yet in, he said. Still, Torres said he welcomes DePasquale's audit."If there are observations that can help us strengthen our security posture, we'll all be better off for it," Torres said.DePasquale's audit team will go back to the start of 2016, and its review also could include an evaluation of the state's voting machines. Auditors will see if the voter registration data meets the requirements of federal and state law, review how the records are entered into the system and maintained, and examine other issues about the existing system's operability and efficiency.The audit will review the security protocols of the SURE system, check to see if the records maintained by SURE are accurate and in agreement with election laws, and evaluate the process for input and maintenance of voter registration records. The audit will also review the ways voters register in Pennsylvania, including online, on paper, voter registration drives and through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, DePasquale said.A bill calling for an audit, proposed by Ward, passed the Senate in April, but has not moved out of the House. DePasquale said time is of the essence and his department could not wait for the bill to pass because he wants the audit completed before the next presidential election.A memorandum of understanding between the office of Gov. Tom Wolf, the Pennsylvania Department of State and DePasquale's office allows the audit to move forward without the bill."It's just so important that we put some integrity back in the system so that the voters have confidence when they go to the polls that what they do, matters," Ward said."If you look at social media, you see all the conspiracies and theories out there. This will put that to rest. People will be assured that things are going properly. It is important that this is completed before the 2020 election."(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)Cities Hear Mea Culpa, but Also Benefits

Facebooks Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg offered an apology to attendees at the United States Conference of Mayors over the social media giants handling of privacy issues and allowing outsiders to interfere in U.S. elections by leveraging the companys massive platform.The big question people have is did we know we were too slow? Too slow on election interference, fake news and data protection?, Sandberg rhetorically asked, according to video of her remarks June 8. We do. But its not enough to be sorry. What matters is the action we are taking.Those actions now include a big philosophical shift from where the company was when Sandberg joined it 10 years ago. Back then, the company was focused on the benefits that social connections could bring by connecting people; but it is now acutely aware of the harm that can occur from high-profile debacles such as Cambridge Analyticas Facebook targeting model and lax privacy controls that tended to favor the company and its desire to share user information with its advertisers.The companys goal is to protect user information and ensure the tools on its platform are used for good, Sandberg says.Facebook is taking such steps as severing ties with data brokers, adjusting its privacy settings so users have more control over their personal information and expanding their bug bounty program to reward users who report data misuse by a third-party application developer.The COO also offered attendees a bit of good news, noting an expansion of services to benefit cities across the nation.The companys in-person digital training system, Facebook Community Boost, will now be expanded from 30 cities nationwide to 50 cities by the end of 2018 . Community Boost, initially launched in late 2017, aims to help cities create jobs by offering its citizens access to digital skills training.Additionally, Facebook is growing its local partnerships from 60 organizations to also include 20 new community colleges by the end of the year. And by 2020, Facebook plans to train an additional 250,000 small- to mid-sized business (SMBs) owners how to effectively advertise on its platform under its free eLearning program Blueprint.Sandberg also noted the company this fall will launch Learn with Facebook, a free online training course that covers new digital skills beyond digital advertising.And digital skills can turn into job growth. According to Sandberg, 60 percent of SMBs on Facebooks platform say digital skills are more important than the school or college an individual attended when they are hiring.Three years ago, Facebook commissioned a study and found the 80 million SMBs on its platform worldwide generated 4.5 million jobs in one year, says Sandberg, who added that figure is likely even higher.Worldwide, 57 percent of SMBs on Facebook say there are hiring because of the social media giant, she added.When people get the opportunity to get the training they need, they can get great jobs, Sandberg says. And it is up to us to provide that training.Zak Brown has played down rumours Fernando Alonso will switch full-time to Indycar in 2019.

Recently, the McLaren executive headed a delegation to the Indycar race in Detroit, and one notable travel companion was Luis Garcia Abad.

He is Alonso's manager.

"I would like to clarify that Luis Garcia Abad was not with me there regarding Fernando's future. That was not the purpose of the trip," Brown told AS newspaper.

"It was to make some contacts, and I also had a good visit, talking to people and doing good business," he added.

Brown did not deny that amid speculation about Alonso's next move, one option for the Spaniard could be a McLaren entry in Indycar.

"Fernando still wants to race, but it's true that the F1 calendar is quite hard. He's been doing it for a long time," he said.

"Fernando has not yet decided his future, although I think whatever he decides, he will continue in a McLaren."

Brown also acknowledged Alonso's obvious frustration with modern F1.

"We are talking to Fernando," he said. "He's having fun and driving like never before, but he is also somewhat frustrated because formula one is more of a team sport than drivers.

"He likes endurance racing a lot, we saw him at Daytona and now at Le Mans, so I hope we can continue with him one way or another."

(GMM)China should speed up economic upgrade and push industrial transfers in a reasonable and orderly manner, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has stressed.

Good business environment, rather than favorable policies, should be the key to win businesses in industrial transfers, Li said during a two-day inspection trip to central China's Hunan Province, which ended Tuesday.

He was accompanied by Hunan's Party chief Du Jiahao and governor Xu Dazhe during the trip.

"China will further open up its market, we open our arms to embrace foreign businesses that will invest in China," Li said while visiting a wholly owned subsidiary of Germany's Bosch Group in Changsha, capital of Hunan Province.

Products made by foreign companies in China are also made-in-China products and will be treated equally, Li said.

Li also visited a paddy field in a village in Hengyang city, where he talked with local farmers. He called for more investment in and support for agriculture, and improvement of water conservancy, road and other infrastructure facilities.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visits Hengyang Baishazhou Industrial Park in Hengyang, central China's Hunan Province, June 11, 2018. The visit is part of his two-day inspection trip to the cities of Hengyang and Changsha, which ended Tuesday. [Photo: Xinhua]

While visiting the Baishazhou industrial park in Hengyang, Li pointed out that transfer of industries from east regions to central and western regions was in line with economics rules and would contribute to balanced and coordinated development of different regions.

Li urged local governments to further streamline administration and improve the business environment to boost the market.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visits a start-up incubator of Sany Group in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, June 12, 2018. The visit is part of his two-day inspection trip to the cities of Hengyang and Changsha, which ended Tuesday. [Photo: Xinhua]

During his visit to a smart manufacturing workshop of machinery giant Sany Group, Li encouraged Chinese enterprises to roll out more highly competitive products to meet individual client demands and gain a forefront position in global high-end manufacturing.

At 58.com, which has the country's largest online recruitment platform, Li stressed that employment is critical to people's livelihood and the nation's development.

He called for support for the development of emerging business forms like the sharing economy and gig economy, which offer jobs and meet diverse consumer demands as Chinese people seek a better life.China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will expand cooperation in various fields and forge a closer community with a shared future, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi in Beijing, capital of China, June 12, 2018. [Photo: Xinhua]

He made the remarks while holding talks with Secretary-General of ASEAN Lim Jock Hoi in Beijing.

China and ASEAN would work together to promote the formulation of the China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership Vision 2030, hold the 2018 ASEAN-China Year of Innovation, and synergize the Belt and Road Initiative with the Master Plan for ASEAN Connectivity 2025, Wang said.

Lim said the ASEAN Secretariat is willing to play a constructive role in deepening political, economic, trade and cultural cooperation with China.

Wang and Lim also agreed that the situation of the South China Sea had notably stabilized through the efforts of China and ASEAN.Slicing the pie at the new Di Fara. Photo: Noah Fecks

These are boom times for pizza lovers in New York, and perhaps no development is more earth-shaking than the expansion of Dom DeMarcos Di Fara, arguably the most famous pizzeria in the entire city. While the original location wears its 54 years proudly (and is defined by its own set of quirky house traditions), the new Di Fara is tucked inside North 3rd Street Market, a pristine food hall in Williamsburg. But the two settings are more similar than they might seem at first, and the (round, cheese) pizzas at each location are, if not identical, still surprisingly difficult to tell apart.

Last Thursday, I started in Midwood, at the source, which, given the recent expansion, Scott Wiener of Scotts Pizza Tours now terms Di Fara Prime. DeMarco, the venerated octogenarian owner who famously controls all the parameters of the pizza, was at the oven as usual. The backs of his hands were characteristically flecked with 00 flour, and there was a patch of duct tape wrapped around one of the ovens handles. Customers stared in awe at Dom and also that oven, which is now so ancient that it seems improbable that actual pizza will emerge from it. Whenever a blistered pie does come out, though, its magical.

Anyone who has been to the original Di Fara knows that the cash-only pizzas are finished in ceremonious fashion, though things have changed over the years: DeMarco has a helper who now snips the whole-stalk basil on the fresh-baked pies and roughly throws a handful of cheese across their surfaces. Theres no post-oven drizzle of oil from a pitcher, which for a time was part of DeMarcos elaborate pre- and post-bake ritual. The crust still has a bronzed veneer, though, and a nicely bitter undercurrent of olive oil suffused the slightly juicy crushed tomato sauce as it mixed with the cooling, molten cheese. In short, the large cheese pizza was, undeniably, a Di Fara pizza.

A few days later, at the North 3rd Street Market, it was immediately clear that the proudly crusty appearance of the original has been evoked with a surprising degree of charm. Theres white marble, a nod to Doms work bench, and an imposing, impossibly ancient-looking oven, along with hand-painted signage that beautifully echoes the original. Crucial differences include a ceiling speaker that pipes the best of Patti Smith and George Michael directly into any waiting customers brain, and loudly, plus a positively 21st-century tablet-based register that takes credit cards. Merch is available; Notable Figures of Pizza are paying visits. Bizarro Di Fara manages to be both instantly familiar and a little unsettling.

Margaret Mieles, one of DeMarcos daughters whos long been a fixture of the Avenue J location, answered questions patiently  Yes, for more than 50 years; Yes, well, hes 81, and no one can be in two places  and with heart, while a team of workers doled out slices. The wait at Di Fara 2.0 was shorter, and the cashless checkout faster. And the pizza at least looked like it came straight from Midwood.

Both had tangy, almost fermented tomato working counter to the melted cheese. Both had a bitter undercurrent from the basil and olive oil, with an almost floral heat from the optional peppers. The crust on both pizzas was cooked a little longer than one might expect, too  a Di Fara hallmark.

A slice at the original Di Fara. Photo: Dominic Perri

In truth, there is no standard Di Fara pie. For as famous as DeMarcos pizzas are, consistency is not among their considerable virtues. Over the years, the recipe hasnt necessarily changed outright, but it has drifted a bit. If ingredients themselves and the ratios have changed, the overall effect, alchemically, is the same. Its been like this for 12 years, the length of time Ive been a regular. Others who have been going longer note something of the same.

Dom seems to have been making subtle tweaks over the years that are overshadowed by the myth at this point, says Adam Kuban, the noted pizza scholar and proprietor of Margots. Granted, hes always done variations, within a certain script  Ive seen him use different cheese blends, sometimes dropping the fresh mozz one visit, and using it the next.

Longtime customers have noted fresh cows-milk mozzarella in and out of rotation with the firmer, low-moisture variety. Grana Padano, once a fixture of Di Fara, stopped making appearances after the countertop-mounted rotary grater broke. Parmigiano and Pecorino replaced it for a while. There was even a short-lived era where the crusts were enigmatically burnt, seemingly by design, and thats where things turn philosophical. Doms pizza is a flowing river in that the only thing you can really count on is perpetual change, says Scott Wiener, and thats part of whats interesting about it. He hasnt stuck to the same method for 50 years.

This, according to Wiener, is the shops true legacy: When people go there just for one moment of eating that slice, and immediately judge whether or not all the people who praised it were wrong, those people are completely missing the point, he explains. Di Fara is not a pizza; its the realization of a classic slice shop that never sold out.

Eating at the new Di Fara reminded me of watching the newest Star Wars movies and thinking about how they compare to the original trilogy. Someone is bound to make a fuss about a cherished product thats been ruined by updates, but the universe that the entities inhabit is ultimately the same. The setup is welcoming and familiar, the ingredients are instantly recognizable. And, probably most important, the new versions retain enough of the original DNA to keep fans happy.Former Employees Of Nilepet In Wau Appealing To Be Reinstated After Being Laid Off

At least 21 employees of South Sudans owned Nile Petroleum Company in Wau State are appealing to the State-owned oil firm management in Juba to reinstate them following their dismissal last week.

12 June 2018Riek Machar Commits To On-going Peace Process

South Sudans rebel leader, Riek Machar has committed to the ongoing peace process that seeks to organise a face-to-face meeting with his nemesis, president Salva Kiir.

Riek Machar [Getty images]

By Daniel Mumbere

SOURCE: Africa New

JUBA, 12 June 2018 [Gurtong]-Following a meeting with veteran Kenyan politician, Raila Odinga, Machar tweeted saying something will change and emphasising that he has been advocating for this peaceful resolution of the conflict.



I have had a fruitful discussion with Hon Raila Odinga in the quest for peace in our country. IO and myself have been advocating for this peaceful resolution of the conflict. The status quo shouldnt stand. Something will change, Machar tweeted.

IGAD wants face-to-face meeting before July 1



The regional Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has proposed that the meeting happens before the African Union Summit on July 1 in Mauritania.



Sudans president, Omar al Bashir has offered to host the meeting.



The South Sudanese government, which had earlier indicated Kiirs willingness to participate in the meeting also reaffirmed its position through information minister and government spokesman Michael Makuei.



The position of President Kiir is that yes, he will meet Riek Machar but this should be with the involvement of Igad because he does not want it to be seen as something done outside Igad, Makuei told the media in Juba.



Odinga, who recently made peace with Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta has emerged as a likely mediator for the South Sudan conflict, following several failed attempts to strike a deal between the government and the rebels by IGAD. Another round of talks has been called for June 16 to be held in Addis Ababa.



This is part of the effort to reconcile the warring parties with the view of ending years of civil war that has crippled the worlds newest country, said Odinga of his Friday visit.

Machar and Kiir fight to rule South Sudan



Dr Machar leads the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement/ Army in Opposition (SPLM/A-IO), the main armed opposition group fighting to topple President Kiir.



South Sudan descended into civil war in late 2013, and the conflict has created one of the fastest growing refugee crises in the world. The UN estimates that about 4 million South Sudanese have been displaced internally and externally, the conflict has also left around 10,000 dead.



President Kiir and rebel leader Machar last meet in July 2016 when the violence erupted at the presidential palace, forcing Machar to flee the country.US Urges Regional Governments To Block South Sudan War Money

A U.S. Treasury official is urging East African governments to tighten the loopholes that allow illicit money from war-torn South Sudan to cross into regional capitals.

By Rodney Muhumuza | AP June 11



UGANDA, 12 June 2018 [Gurtong]-Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Sigal Mandelker said in Uganda Monday that authorities in neighboring countries like Uganda must make it clear that corrupt money is not wanted here.



It is widely believed that many South Sudanese government officials have invested heavily in real estate in cities such as Kampala, the Ugandan capital, where it is still possible to pay cash in real estate transactions.



When it comes to South Sudan, for obvious reasons Uganda is of particular importance to us, she told reporters at the U.S. Embassy. We also know that much of the open source reporting indicates that South Sudanese elites are hiding assets and buying property right here in Uganda.



The U.S. is committed to collaborating with local authorities to really put the kind of financial pressure on those South Sudanese individuals that we think is necessary to ultimately get us to a peaceful result, she said, adding that Washington is going to continue to pressure them to take the actions that we think that they must take.



South Sudan has been in civil war since December 2013. Advocacy groups say the international community should play a stronger role in fighting the corruption in the oil sector corruption that fuels the conflict.



Watchdog groups The Enough Project and The Sentry praised the U.S. officials visit to sub-Saharan Africa, saying it will increase pressure on regional enablers of South Sudans conflict.



Actions in Uganda to seize the proceeds of corruption and stop the flow of ill-gotten gains are necessary to push South Sudans leaders toward peace, the groups said in a joint statement. Laundering the proceeds of corruption is also in direct violation of Ugandan law, which raises significant concerns about Ugandas implementation of international standards for combatting anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing, and presents an ongoing impediment to Ugandas efforts to develop as a commercial center in the region.



Mandelker will also visit Kenya and Congo, which is experiencing renewed violence in the east.

The U.S., the largest donor of humanitarian aid to South Sudan, has imposed sanctions on some individuals such as Benjamin Bol Mel, an official who once served as a financial adviser to President Salva Kiir. At least three South Sudanese military figures are subject to U.S.

sanctions.

The worlds youngest country is also under a U.S. arms embargo.



South Sudans war, often waged along ethnic lines, has persisted despite multiple cease-fire agreements.





Haiti - FLASH : Violent fire at mache Bwa





Monday a little before 11:00 pm a violent fire broke out at the "Mache Bwa", at Croix-des Bossales at the bottom of the city.



The firefighters of Port-au-Prince, Carrefour and Delmas have been mobilized, more than 6 trucks were on site to try to contain the disaster and prevent it spreads, while almost the entire market was under flames, the National Police of Haiti, civil protection agents were also on site.



Some traders were trying at the risk of their lives to save of the flames all that was still possible. The material damage is considerable; merchants' goods in the warehouses inside the market have been reduced to ashes.



In the middle of the night, the market was still burning as firefighters increased their efforts to extinguish the flames.



Recall that since the beginning of the year it is the third public market victim of a fire after that of the iron market last February https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23556-haiti-flash-the-iron-market-ravaged-by-a-fire.html that of the market "nan gerit" (Port Market) near the customs also in February https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23596-haiti-flash-the-public-market-nan-gerit-ravaged-by-a-fire.html



It is unknown until now if the origin of this fire is of accidental or criminal origin and if there are victims.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23819-haiti-politic-2nd-aid-of-government-to-the-victims-of-the-fires-of-markets.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23596-haiti-flash-the-public-market-nan-gerit-ravaged-by-a-fire.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23556-haiti-flash-the-iron-market-ravaged-by-a-fire.html



S/ HaitiLibre



























Haiti - Social : Demonstration for the minimum wage, maximum repression





Nearly a thousand workers took to the streets on Monday to demand a daily minimum wage of 1,000 gourdes and the social benefits promised by the government, including transport, health insurance cards and social housing, which are still without follow up...



A demonstration that was brutally repressed by agents of the Intervention and Maintenance Corps (CIMO) a special unit of the National Police of Haiti. Dozens of workers, men and women, were beaten severely with truncheons and had to be rushed to the hospital Accident Insurance Office of Labor, Sickness and Maternity (OFATMA) on the airport road.





The organizers condemned this extreme repression against workers peacefully demanding the right to a better life in a demonstration authorized by the Departmental Directorate of the West of the PNH.



They point to Bernard Schettini, the Director of the National Society of Industrial Parks (SONAPI), whom they accuse of having programmed this intervention to intimidate the protesters and prevent the workers from leaving the factories to take the streets.



Despite this violent repression, workers intend to continue Tuesday the mobilization and claim a minimum wage of 1,000 gourdes and promised social benefits.



"Another day of lost for 6 factories of SONAPI park and surroundings. Two companies was the target of thrown stones "informs the Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH) recalls that the Korean company Wilbes the Haitian SA is about to dismiss 800 employees because they could not fulfill their commitments to their American client because of the protests organized by the workers on May 21 and 22, 2018 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24608-haiti-news-zapping.html



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24608-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24471-haiti-politic-minister-delva-condemns-the-violence-against-the-workers.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-24460-icihaiti-strike-workers-attacked-in-textile-factories.html



PI/ HaitiLibre





















Haiti - Technology : Augmented reality and virtual tours of tourist sites





On June 8, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ecole Superieure d'Infotronique signed a memorandum of understanding for the launch of an augmented reality program and virtual tour of tourist sites. The objective is to develop new strategies to highlight and promote our tourism potential through new information and communication technologies.



This project with an envelope of 3 million gourdes will begin during the first 6 months by the enhancement of the Citadelle Henri Christophe, before starting two other phases aimed at enhancing the tourist heritage of the territories, thge creation of young jobs.



The steps of using this program are simple, just download an application (free) on your mobile phone and carry focus its camera on the photo of the site that you would like to visit. The application then provides you with information in different languages to present the history and geography of the site, as well as a virtual tour in 3D with the ability to take pictures simultaneously to the visit, all from the phone, without having to physically move.



The steps of using this program are simple, just download an application (free) on your mobile phone and carry his camera on the photo of the site that you would like to visit. The application then provides you with information in different languages to present the history and geography of the site, as well as a virtual tour in 3D with the ability to take pictures simultaneously to the visit, all from his phone , without having to physically move.



This new technology will enable Haiti to put itself in the forefront of the Caribbean tourism market, facilitate the lives of more than one and promote the country's tourist sites on an international scale.



Note that in the context of augmented reality and the virtual visit, the Citadelle will be the first element of Haitian built heritage to be part of this vast program to which the Ministry of Tourism of Haiti and the School Superior Infotronique of Haiti (ESIH) have subscribed.



Example of augmented reality in Haiti :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-24250-icihaiti-technology-esih-publishes-first-augmented-reality-app.html



HL/ HaitiLibre

























Haiti - FLASH : Spoliation operations in an ecological reserve in Kenscoff





The Lorquet Foundation for a New Haiti (FOLONHA), condemns the spoliation operations that have been carried out for some time at the farm "Wynne Farm" an ecological reserve in Kenscoff.



The Foundation calls on the authorities to take steps as soon as possible to restore order in order to avoid the transformation of this reserve into a new and vast slum, which will have a negative impact on the ecology of the area and catastrophic consequences for the Port-au-Prince watershed and surrounding areas, especially during the rainy season.



Recall that the "Wynne Farm" an important ecological reserve created in Morne Tranchant, Obleon, in the Kenscoff area has been doing a positive work against deforestation for more than 50 years and is an experimental center for students and researchers working in the field of agronomy and the environment https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-17287-haiti-environment-total-haiti-will-plant-20-000-trees.html



Today "Wynne Farm" is once again threatened by new "affairistes" who want to destroy this rare ecological farm in Haiti to build their homes. The farm is therefore the subject of illegal land sale, grabbing by armed men, invasion and destruction...



FOLONHA encourages the state to intervene to protect this space before it is too late.



HL/ HaitiLibre

















The leader of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump shook hands in front of cameras at the Capella Hotel on Singapores Sentosa Island, as the historic meeting officially gets underway on Tuesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. [Photo: AP]

It is the first-ever meeting between a DPRK leader and a sitting US president.



The leaders are expected to discuss the denuclearization of the DPRK and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula among other issues of mutual concern.

The two sides seemed optimistic about the meeting, as the world waits with bated breaths for the outcome of the high-stakes summit.

Trump earlier said he has a "good feeling" about the summit. Pyongyang also expressed willingness to establish "new DPRK-US relations", KCNA news agency has reported.ARC launches wine research centre in Adelaide

By Lisa Riley

The Australian Research Council (ARC) has launched a wine research centre in Adelaide.

The ARC Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production, which has been launched in collaboration with other wine organisations, will undertake research aimed at building the sustainability and competitive edge of Australias wine industry through increased productivity and profitability.

Key goals of the centre, which is backed by an A$4.46 million government grant, include defining Australian wines unique flavours, making vines more robust, defeating disease and introducing more innovation to winemaking, said Vladimir Jiranek, centre director and professor of oenology at the University of Adelaide.

Our projects will help the industry respond to the challenges of climate extremes, diseases and spoilage, water limitations and quality losses while we will also be helping industry increase profitability through the production of sought-after, distinct wines that fetch higher prices, and more efficient wine-making processes, he said.

For example, one project would aim to characterise the distinctive flavours of Australias Cabernet Sauvignon wines, focusing initially on the Coonawarra region, he added.

We want to determine how pragmatic and cost-effective vineyard practices can change grape composition to meet consumer preferences, whether in traditional Western or booming Asian markets, said Jiranek.

In establishing the ARC Training Centre, which operates from the University of Adelaides Waite campus and the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre at Charles Sturt University, researchers had consulted widely with producers, suppliers, industry bodies and other researcher agencies to identify research priorities, he added.

The centre further cemented Adelaide as Australias wine capital, said federal education and training minister Simon Birmingham, who launched the project.

Spanning the entire product chain - from grape-growing to the consumer - this training centre will continue to be critical to improving the competitiveness and viability of Australian wine production in the long-term, he said.

Partner organisations include: NSW Department of Primary Industries, VA Filtration, CSIRO, Pernod Ricard Winemakers, Coonawarra Grape and Wine Inc., Australian Genome Research Facility, Australian Wine Research Institute, E&J Gallo, Chalmers Wines, Charles Sturt University, Wine Australia, Availer and Lallemand Australia.Norway on Tuesday filed a complaint at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to fight back against U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Ine Marie Eriksen Soreide [File photo: AP/Carolyn Kaster]

Norway requested WTO dispute settlement consultations with the United States as the first stage of the international organization's settlement process, the Norwegian ministry said in a statement.

"In Norway's view, the additional tariffs imposed by the United States on steel and aluminum imports are a violation of the WTO rules," Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Soreide was quoted as saying.

"The WTO and its dispute settlement system is the established forum for handling disagreements about trade policy," she said.

The Norwegian minister said that Washington's "disregard for WTO rules weakens the credibility of the United States in international trade, and risks undermining the rules based multilateral trading system".

So far, the European Union (EU), Canada, Mexico, China, India and some other economies have also requested dispute settlement consultations with the United States in response to the additional tariffs.

Amid waves of criticism, the United States had decided to impose tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum, for the EU, Canada and Mexico, starting on June 1.

The imposition of the new tariffs has been viewed as "pure protectionism" by the EU.Neittaanmaki and Kaasalainen are the authors of a newly published report examining the savings possibilities created by information technology, reports Talouselama.

Artificial intelligence and new technologies could make it possible to generate savings of 2.55.5 billion euros in the social and health care sector in 20192028, according to Pekka Neittaanmaki and Karoliina Kaasalainen from the Faculty of Information Technology at the University of Jyvaskyla.

The duo estimate, for example, that the use of artificial intelligence-supported information technology systems would boost staff efficiency in the social and health care sector by 1020 per cent and create savings of 24 billion euros by 2028. The use of artificial intelligence would also enhance the efficiency of medical procedures and create additional savings of up to four billion euros over the next ten years.

The savings potential arises from a number of sub-areas, such as knowledge management, the utilisation of breakthrough technologies and the development of national data management practices.

Current IT systems do not provide a comprehensive picture of service processes or the functioning of co-operation between basic health care, special health care and social care. Monitoring and optimising the effectiveness of the care chain would create considerable cost savings, reads a press release from the Faculty of Information Technology.

Neittaanmaki and Kaasalainen also gauge that roughly 200 million euros would have to be invested annually in modernising the information technology systems and another 150 million euros in developing research and education.

The investments would amount to roughly 3.5 billion euros over the next ten years, making the net savings potential roughly 2.55.5 billion euros.

Martti Hetemaki, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Finance, recently came under criticism for estimating that digitalisation could help create cost savings of four billion euros in the social and health care sector.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Martti Kainulainen  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi SuomiThus, the discovery is puzzling the scientists because it suggests that the first land vertebrates emerged from the oceans of Antarctica, a fact that might force researchers rewrite the early history of life on land.

Although Waterloo Farm wasn't frozen back in the ancient Devonian period-which stretched from 420 to 360 million years ago-it still faced nights that lasted for weeks in the dead of winter.

The earliest tetrapods discovered outside of tropical and sub-tropical zones, the fossils were unearthed at a site called Waterloo Farm in South Africa.

The tetrapods were discovered after a roadcut in 2016, during controlled rock-cutting explosions by the South African National Roads Agency along the N2 highway between Grahamstown and the Fish River, in the Eastern Cape, at the Waterloo Farm.

Both the amphibians reportedly were classified in the category of early tetrapods, which is a group that encompasses all the terrestrial vertebrates. As first scientifically established, their evolution takes place in warm tropical places. It is noted that the area in which were found the fossils was at the Antarctic polar circle.

The paleontologists identified Tutusius from a piece of its shoulder girdle bone. The species was estimated to be about 3 feet long.

These Umzantsia usually measured around the twenty-eight inches in length, and it has featured a narrow lower jawline which has tiny pointed teeth.

The much larger southern supercontinent, Gondwana, which incorporated present-day Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, and India, has hitherto yielded nearly no Devonian tetrapods, with only an isolated jaw (named Metaxygnathus) and footprints, being found in eastern Australia.

"Work on South African paleosciences is of crucial national and global importance, because it provides proof of our shared human origins, which are the mutual roots that bind all people within a common humanity", she said.

Although the fossils are incomplete, alive these creatures would have resembled a cross between a crocodile and a fish, sporting a crocodile like head, stubby legs and a tail with a fish-like fin.

This supercontinent has never yielded a tetrapod fossil before, except for an isolated jaw and some footprints found in eastern Australia, or the northernmost part of Gondwana. Umzantsia fossil, on the other hand, was a bit smaller and represented by many bones.

'So it's possible that they originated anywhere and that they could have moved onto land anywhere. Hence, subsequent studies about their evolution to become land species have only factored in the influence of tropical conditions.

The real importance of Tutusius and Umzantsia lies in where they were found.

"Whereas all previously found Devonian tetrapods came from localities which were in tropical regions during the Devonian these specimens lived within the Antarctic circle" explains lead author Dr Robert Gess of the Albany Museum in Grahamstown and co-author Professor Per Ahlberg of Uppsala University in Sweden.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12)  Google Philippines is one with the country in celebrating its 120th Independence Day  with another Doodle.

Google's ninth Independence Day Doodle  an image alteration of the famous Google logo on top of their search engine  pays homage to the Philippine sea's marine biodiversity.

"On June 12, visitors clicking on the Doodle on Google Philippines' homepage will discover more about this part of Filipino heritage, and the life and abundance of the Philippine seas," Google Philippines said in a statement.

The new Doodle captures a sea bed with Moorish idols, blue spotted stingrays, a sperm whale, and coral reefs enveloped in a ribbon frame donning the Philippine flag's colours.

"Home to at least 2,000 aquatic species and long clusters of corals, the Philippines is regarded as world's 'center of marine biodiversity'," Google Philippines explained.

Previous Independence Day Doodles include the Filipino jeepney, the tradition of bayanihan, and the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite where Independence Day was first declared in June 1989.

This year, Google also featured esteemed Filipino talents  musician Levi Celerio and poet Francisco Balagtas  in their Doodle.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12)  The Philippines lauded the historic meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday, with the country's top diplomat expressing hopes that the dialogue will lead to lasting peace and stability in the region.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said while there are many challenges that remain, the first ever face-to-face meeting between the two leaders undescores the value of dialogue and diplomacy in seeking resolution to outstanding issues.

"We strongly commend all parties for their unremitting efforts and commitment that led to the realization of this historic meeting," he said.

He added, "The Philippines hopes that the precedent set today will provide impetus to further concrete actions towards the goals of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the establishment of lasting peace, stability and security in the region."

Trump and Kim met in Singapore Tuesday, where the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) committed to work to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, among other agreements.<<TO LINK: http://cnnphilippines.com/world/2018/06/12/Full-text-Doanld-Trump-Kim-Jong-Un-signed-statement-Singapore-summit-denuclearization.html>>

The 48-minute meeting between Trump and Kim was closely watched. A CNN report called it an "extraordinary display of diplomacy."<<TO LINK: http://cnnphilippines.com/world/2018/06/12/U.S.-Donald-Trump-North-Korea-Kim-Jong-Un-Singapore-summit.html>>

In his statement, Cayetano recognized there were still may hurdles to be overcome in order to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula, but the summit "underscores the importance and value of dialogue and diplomacy in seeking resolution to outstanding issues among all concerned parties."

He said the Philippines is ready to do its part to attain the goals.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12)  President Rodrigo Duterte's verbal attacks against the Catholic Church must stop, the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan said Tuesday as it condemned the killing of a priest in Nueva Ecija.

"Let us implore the grace of God to touch the heart of the President of the Philippines to stop the verbal persecution of the Catholic Church because such attacks can unwittingly embolden more crimes against priests," Archbishop Socrates Villegas and other members of the clergy said in a statement.

"They are killing our flock. They are killing us the shepherds. They are killing our faith," the statement added.

Duterte had repeatedly lashed out at the Catholic Church as some of its leaders' criticized his controversial statements and policies, including the bloody war on drugs.

The archdiocese declared a "Day of Reparation" for June 18, nine days after Father Richmond Nilo was shot to death while preparing for a mass in Nueva Ecija.

Those who will lead the mass will wear violet as a symbol of penitence, while priests and the faithful will engage in fasting and abstinence, according to the statement.

"All the parish church bells should ring for fifteen minutes at six o' clock in the evening on June 18th to commemorate the time when Father Richmond Nilo was killed," the statement added.

Nilo is the third Catholic priest killed by gunmen in the past six months, following that of Father Mark Ventura last April 29 and Father Marcelito Paez on December 4 last year.

Stressing that killing is a sin, Church leaders issued strong words against the government.

"Are you still saying our people feel safer now? Are you still saying this is the best government we ever had? Is this the change you want?" the archdiocese's statement read. "Today, the murderers are commended and the king is undisturbed."

Two persons of interest

According to the police, Nilo was about to celebrate mass at 6 p.m. when two unidentified gunmen shot him through the window of the Nuestra Senora dela Nieve Chapel in Barangay Mayamot, Zaragoza on Sunday.

Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde said investigators saw at least two persons of interest in a CCTV footage of the incident.

If they are not found in two days, Albayalde said the artist's sketch of the persons of interest will be released to the public.

Central Luzon Police Director Chief Supt. Amador Corpus said Nilo received death threats after helping some people with problems on land disputes.

CNN Philippines' Ina Andolong, Janine Peralta, and Eimor Santos contributed to this report.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12)  Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua assured Tuesday that members of his country's coast guard who take some of the catch of Filipino fishermen around the disputed Scarborough Shoal would be punished.

"We will check if there's any misconduct conducted by the Chinese Coast Guard. Those individuals will be punished, and the rules will be there," he told reporters in Kawit, Cavite.

President Rodrigo Duterte talked to Zhao about the matter minutes before the flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the country's 120th Independence Day.

In an interview with reporters after the exchange, the Chinese envoy said Beijing's coast guard are disciplined and behave in accordance with their laws.

"We do not allow Chinese coast guards to do anything that is harmful to Filipino fishermen," Zhao said.

He stressed that Filipinos may fish in the area freely. A video released last week showed alleged members of the Chinese Coast Guard taking away over P4,000 worth of fish caught by Filipino fishermen around Scarborough Shoal, a traditional fishing ground for people in the area.

"The friendly arrangement (which) allowed fishermen to fish in the waters around Huangyan Dao or Scarborough is not going to be changed. It will not be changed. That means they can go back and fish there freely," Zhao said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said the concerned departments would handle the issue.

"(The) Chinese side is now conducting an investigation seriously. If what the Philippine side claimed is true, I believe relevant Chinese departments will handle that in a serious manner," Geng said in a press briefing Monday.

Beijing's Foreign Ministry clarified that "appropriate arrangement(s)" had been made allowing Filipinos to fish in relevant waters "out of goodwill".

For decades, Manila and Beijing have been engaged in a diplomatic row over the Scarborough Shoal and other contested islands and features in the South China Sea. China has refused to acknowledge a 2016 ruling of an international tribunal favoring the Philippines' claims over features within its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone, including Scarborough.

Despite this, Geng noted improved ties between the two countries.

"At this point, the China-Philippines friendly relations have taken on a positive trend, and China has a clear and firm determination to commit itself to consolidating and strengthening China-Philippines relations," he said.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Monday said the Philippines would leave it up to China to address the issue, but kept mum on whether the government would file a diplomatic protest against the East Asian country.

Vice President Leni Robredo, on the other hand, expressed support for local fishermen.

"Gusto sana nating ipaabot na marami pa naman kaming handang ipaglaban iyong karapatan ninyo. At gaano man kahirap, ipapakipaglaban namin iyon," she said in an ambush interview in Cavite.

[Translation: I just want to tell them that we are all ready to fight for your rights, no matter how difficult.]

But Senate President Tito Sotto said the Philippines must employ friendlier strategies with all nations.

"No country wants to go to war. That is why we are exhausting all possible means to avoid it from happening," he said in a Monday statement. "I appeal to the media and our countrymen not to swallow everything the doomsayers say."Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12)  Heavy downpours and a protest met President Rodrigo Duterte's first Independence Day speech at the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite.

When Duterte began his speech for the country's 120th Independence Day, less than 10 demonstrators started chanting, "Hunyo 12, huwad na kalayaan! Duterte patalsikin, pasista biguin!"

The President remained calm, acknowledging the protesters' right to express their thoughts and feelings.

"Mahal ko kayong lahat, pati mga nagprotesta," he said.

He asked the police to deal with the demonstrators "peacefully with maximum tolerance."

"Indeed the story of how our fathers fought for our sovereignty and established a Filipino nation shall forever inspire us to cherish the freedom that we enjoy today," he said in his Independence Day speech.

The President also talked about his administration's unrelenting war against illegal drugs.

"I am talking about this because this is also independence. We cannot move kapag may pamilya kang isa na may tama, your family becomes dysfunctional. Then contaminate another," he said.

He also talked about his willingness to talk to the communist rebels.

Minutes before the flag-raising ceremony, Duterte shared a few words with Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jinhua. The Philippines and China are currently dealing with the issue of members of the Chinese Coast Guard taking the catch of local fishermen in Scarborough Shoal.

Related: China to punish Coast Guard members in spat with PH fishermen  envoy

Meanwhile, Vice President Leni Robredo led similar rites at the Luneta Park in Manila.

Robredo was not slated to deliver a speech, which was why she sent her message through a statement.

Robredo said despite our declaration of independence 120 years ago, Filipinos are still facing threats to our democracy, including the rising prices of basic goods and the territorial dispute with China over the South China Sea.

"Sa harap ng lahat ng ito, hindi magpapatalo ang Pilipinong kilala ko. Sa halip, ang Pilipinong kilala ko ay maninindigan nang buong giting para ipaglaban ang ating kalayaan," she said on Tuesday.

Amid the Independence Day celebration, several protests are also scheduled today.

For some members of militant groups, today is a "Hindi-pendence Day" because they said we are not truly free from U.S. imperialism and China's rule. The group Anakbayan held a protest in front of the Chinese consulate in Makati.

CNN Philippines' correspondents AC Nicholls, Gerg Cahiles contributed to this report.Trailside is produced in partnership with Civil War Trails Inc., which connects visitors to lesser-known sites and allows them to follow in the footsteps of the great campaigns. Civil War Trails has to date 1,552 sites across five states and produces more than a dozen maps. Visit civilwartrails.org and check in at your favorite sign #civilwartrails.

Control of coastal North Carolina was critical in the Civil War. The inlets and sounds behind the Outer Banks sheltered ships running the Union blockade. Elizabeth City, N.C., on the Pasquotank River, was at the southern terminus of the Dismal Swamp Canal, which offered ocean access at Norfolk, Va.

Although the city was not the target of a sustained campaign, it was frequently witness to military and guerrilla activity from early in the war to the end. On February 10, 1862, 14 Union gunboats steamed up Albemarle Sound to capture the town and block the Dismal Swamp Canal. In a brief confrontation, four of six defending gunboats in the Confederate Mosquito Fleet were sunk or captured.

The city was left all but deserted, and Virginia troops had burned the courthouse and several homes to deny their use to the Yankees. Lawlessness soon became rampant. Bushwhackers waylaid Federal patrols, and Union troops armed freed slaves and stripped Confederate sympathizers of livestock. On January 5, 1863, guerrillas ambushed a party of Union soldiers and civilians on Main Street, killing a Union lieutenant and a Northern sympathizer. One bushwhacker would be hanged in reprisal.

In August 1863, the 1st United States Colored Troops were briefly stationed in the town. That December, Union Brig. Gen. Edward A. Wild led a raid of eastern North Carolina with a force that included African-American detachments. And in March 1864, the Confederate ironclad Albemarle menaced Union strongholds in the region until sunk. For the rest of the war, Federal authority in eastern North Carolina remained essentially unchallenged. Not only did President Lincoln allow trade between Norfolk and the Albemarle region, but the U.S. Internal Revenue Service collected taxes.

Today, Elizabeth City is a charming destination along the Intracoastal Waterway that also offers boaters superb harbor facilities. Several wildlife refuges feature hiking, kayaking, and bird-watching. The Albemarle Sound resounds with the history of the Underground Railroad. Nancy Tappan

Special thanks to Bruce Long and A.Christopher Meekins for their help with this guide.

Christ Episcopal Church

200 S. McMorrine St.

Rector Edward M. Forbes stayed behind during the Battle of Elizabeth City on February 10, 1862. Dressed in his clerical vestments, the Rev. Forbes met the Union commander at the waterfront and negotiated a peaceful surrender of the town to save it from destruction. christchurchecity.org

Pasquotank County Courthouse

206 E. Main St.

The courthouse was built in 1882 to replace the 1799 wood-frame courthouse Virginia troops burned during the Battle of Elizabeth City to prevent its use by Federals. A historical marker at the site recalls the heroics of livery stable owner Arthur Jones, who hid the courthouse records in a barn in the countryside. Jones died penniless and blind.

Oak Grove Cemetery

Peartree Road

A Grand Army of the Republic post was formed by former United States Colored Troops in the last quarter of 1885. Their post, the Fletcher GAR Post No. 20, purchased plots in Oak Grove Cemetery for the burials of former USCT soldiers and African-American sailors who served in the Union Navy.

Martin House

405 E. Church St.

The Martin family lived in the house currently occupied by Twifords Funeral Home. William Martin was the first doctor in Elizabeth City. His sons, Brig. Gen. James G. Martin and Colonel William F. Martin, served as officers in the Confederate Army. James Martin was adjutant general for the state of North Carolina at the outbreak of the war. The Martin family had a shipyard on Poindexter Creek where shipbuilder Gilbert Elliott was building a wooden gunboat for the Confederate Mosquito Fleet prior to the Battle of Elizabeth City. The ship was burned on the stocks to prevent its capture.

Grice-Fearing House

Bed & Breakfast

200 S. Road Street

The 1798 Grice-Fearing House is the oldest house in Elizabeth City and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The two-story front part of the house retains its Federal design. In 1861, homeowner John Bartlett Fearing, captain of Company I, 17th North Carolina Infantry, was captured at Hatteras Inlet and held as a prisoner of war. In 1863, he resigned his Confederate commission, took the Union Oath of Allegiance and paid Federal taxes. He died in 1888. gricefearinghouse.com

Civil War History captured here The Museum of the Albemarle tells the story of Elizabeth Citys unique relationship with the sea, land, and rivers. Civil War artifacts on exhibit include the uniform frock coat and epaulets worn by Confederate Brig. Gen. James G. Martin; a Confederate First National Flag (one of three flags captured at the 1862 Battle of New Bern by the 21st and 25th Massachusetts), and the damaged smokestack from the ironclad CSS Albemarle. 501 S. Water St., across from Waterfront Park museumofthealbemarle.com

Muddy Waters

This coffeehouse overlooks the intersection where, on January 5, 1863, a party including Union Lieutenant Nathaniel Sanders and local Unionist Joseph T. McCabe were ambushed when guerrillas hidden in the ruins of the Nichols Hotelcurrent site of the Southern Hotelfired on them. McCabe was killed instantly. Sanders managed to get back to Union headquarters on Shepard Street before dying from his wounds. The attack spurred Yankee reprisals, including the hanging of a captured guerrilla. 100 W. Main St. muddyscoffee.comMeet nine audacious military impersonators who demonstrated everything from monumental buffoonery to medal-worthy bravery.

Out on a Limb

Douglas Stringfellow, an infantryman in the U.S. Army Air Forces who enlisted in 1942, took shrapnel to the spine during his first two weeks of overseas deployment in December 1945 and, in January, was on his way home to Utahan abbreviated battlefield career that gave the private a Purple Heart medal and a cane to help him walk. But by 1952, when Stringfellow announced his candidacy for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, he had recast his fortnight of mine-clearing detail in France to include an impressive list of battlefield heroics, including the top-secret capture of a fabled Nazi nuclear physicist from behind enemy lines and his subsequent escape from the BergenBelsen concentration camp, where the torture he endured left him a paraplegic. Utah voters were so enamored of Stringfellows storyhe sometimes gave his stem-winding campaign speeches from a wheelchairthat he was elected to Congress in a landslide. He was exposed by Army Times the following election cycle, however, and bowed out just weeks before the vote. In a never-published autobiography, he partly attributed his fabrications to an imagination run amok while recuperating in bed from the explosion that felled him. I roamed the battlefields of the world, he wrote, conquering the enemy and restoring peace.

Private Enterprise

New York City resident Walter Wolfrath hoped that enlisting in the armed forces would help straighten out his foundering life, but in the spring of 1953 U.S. Army recruiters sabotaged his coveted tour of duty after seeing his rap sheet: attempted burglary, grand larceny, parole violations. Undaunted, the ex-con hatched a novel end run: After a chance meeting with Private Richard Werner, whod been AWOL for a year from his infantry regiment at Fort Dix, in nearby New Jersey, Wolfrath suggested that the two men exchange identitieshed get his desired hitch in Korea, and Werner, posing as Wolfrath, could return to civilian life. After two weeks of studying Werners mannerisms, 23-year-old Wolfrath borrowed the deserters dog tags and turned himself in to military police. But the scheme unraveled when a Fort Dix prison guard, familiar with the real Werner, reported the impostor to superiors. After just four hours of military service, Wolfrath was charged with impersonating a soldier and, unable to make bail, was headed back to jail. Lacking the military discipline he so badly craved, Wolfrath later committed a series of crimes that earned him lifelong accommodations in New Yorks Attica Prison. Werners fate remains a mystery.

Ruskie Business

The gargantuan U.S. Navy-Marine maneuvers carried out at Oceanside, California, in early October 1948 were designed to give visiting army officers some up-close insight into the U.S. militarys amphibious firepowerfrom underwater demolition tactics to how an aircraft carrier softens up a beach for incoming landing vessels. The public was invited to witness the impressive five-day show of force, but one visitor in particular stood out in the crowd: a young man in the uniform of a Russian army officer, who upon being questioned by an MP identified himself as Colonel Petrim Nadski of the Red Army field artillery. In truth, the 30-year-old with the purple pants and hokey Russian accent was San Diego Journal reporter John DAlfonso, whod rented his costume in hopes of covertly testing the operations security. Unamused officials at Camp Pendleton, the host of the exercises, escorted DAlfonso to the FBI office in San Diego for questioning, but no charges were filed, and the following spring, no Pulitzer Prize was awarded.

Aye, Aye, Cyr

Among the jobs on Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr.s mind-boggling resumemany of them secured by appropriating the names and credentials of otherswere lawyer, cancer researcher, prison warden, hospital orderly, deputy sheriff, zoologist, and dean of philosophy at a small Pennsylvania college. But Demaras most impressive feat of impersonation came in March 1951, when the peripatetic Massachusetts native, whod twice gone AWOL as an American GI in World War II, was commissioned as a surgeonlieutenant in the Royal Canadian Navy after assuming the identity of Dr. Joseph Cyr, a New Brunswick physician. Following a stint in the Halifax area, the burly Demara headed for the Korean theater of war aboard the Tribal-class destroyer HMCS Cayuga, where he earned his pay by pulling the captains infected tooth, amputating a foot, and even performing major chest surgery. His improbable medical career finally hit the skids when the wife of the real Dr. Cyr read about the charlatans exploits in a Canadian periodical, although the story spurred such interest that, in 1960, Demaras story was immortalized by Tony Curtis in The Great Impostor.

Prussian Dressing

Friedrich Wilhelm Voigt, who was born in Tilsit, Prussia, on February 13, 1849, was freed from prison on the eve of his 57th birthday after serving a quarter-century for burglary, forgery, and the like. Eight months later, after having briefly worked as a shoemaker in Berlin, Voigt launched a true tour-de-force caper: After donning an army captains uniform hed methodically assembled from items purchased in shops and flea markets, he rounded up a small detachment of soldiers near their barracks and ordered them to accompany him to the nearby suburb of Kopenick. Upon Voigts orders, the soldiers dutifully stormed the town hall and arrested the mayor and treasurer for supposed financial misdeeds. As these events were unfolding, Voigt confiscated more than 4,000 marks from the town treasury, and then fled with the stolen loot. He was arrested 10 days later and sentenced to four years for impersonating an officer, but the Captain of Kopenick became such a beloved folk hero that Kaiser Wilhelm II pardoned him after hed served 20 months.

Cross Purposes

There is a long and distinguished list of womenJoan of Arc, among themwho disguised themselves as men to fight in military campaigns, while American Civil War brigadier general Nathaniel Lyon is part of the elite fraternity whose members successfully practiced their wartime spycraft in drag. And then there was Sarah Emma Edmonds (nee Edmondson), a Canadian-born runaway who assumed the name Franklin Thompson, emigrated to the United States, and on May 25, 1861, at age 19, enlisted in the 2nd Michigan Infantry. Edmonds served primarily as a courier and battlefield nurse, and by all accounts she was a capable soldier. In her autobiography, published in 1864, Edmonds claimed to have also conducted a number of dangerous espionage missions in Confederate territory outfitted in elaborate disguises. Perhaps the most intricate of these was her impersonation of an Irish peddler dubbed Bridget OSheaa ruse that required the woman masquerading as a man to then convincingly cross-dress as a female.

Its an incredible tale; indeed, historians maintain there isnt any credible evidence to validate that Edmonds ever played that shifty double-crosser.

A September to Remember

On May 9, 1945the day after Germany surrendered to the Allies in World War IIa man identifying himself as William Walker appeared before American military officers at Templehof Airport in Berlin. Walker announced that after he had landed with U.S. forces in Normandy a year earlier, he had been held as a German POW and had subsequently fought alongside the Russian troops who had liberated him. Private Walker could identify New York City as his place of residence but claimed to otherwise have amnesia about his former lifea condition that U.S. Army doctors treating him in Paris attributed to shell shock. Upon his return to the States, however, the FBI discovered that the 20-year-old Walker was in fact Karl Horst Max Wacker, who along with his parents had been detained as enemy aliens in a U.S. internment camp before being repatriated to their native Germany in February 1944. As it turned out, Wacker had been recruited by the Nazis for espionage school, but the would-be mole, nicknamed Dumbo, evidently couldnt make the grade. He was arrested and pleaded guilty to impersonating a soldier, his exact motives uncertain. On September 20, 1945, he was sentenced to two years in prison.

The Girl Who Rocked the Boat

In November 1958, 17-year-old Susan Johnson clandestinely outfitted herself in the familiar white uniform of a U.S. Naval Academy midshipman, then stood in preevening meal formation before marching into the Bancroft Hall dining room to chow down with the brigade. Although the high school senior intended her masquerade to be a harmless prankher mother insisted there was no moral issue involved with the shenanigans inside the storied mens dormitorythe unprecedented breach of protocol and tradition so unmoored academy brass that they disciplined two cadets involved in the hoax and demoted three midshipmen officers with knowledge of it who didnt rat out their brethren. Among that trio was company commander Douglas Volgenau, wholesson learnedwould go on to serve as an admiral on four submarines and a destroyer. For her part, Johnson earned both prominent global newspaper coverage and stern orders from her bemused father (her parental commander, as he joked to a reporter) to forever steer clear of the service academy blocks from their home.

Stanley Schemer

No list of military impersonators would be complete without Stephen Jacob Weinberg, a.k.a. Dr. Sterling Wyman, Commander Stanley Wigman, and untold other aliases. Born in Brooklyn in 1890, Weinberg was known to impersonate the likes of medical doctors and psychiatrists, a diplomat for a fictional country and military officers of varying ranks, his uniforms inevitably pieced together with incorrectly placed chevrons or festooned with showy accouterments. In 1915 the ever-scheming Ethan Allen Weinberg toured the USS Wyomingearning a 21-gun salute in the processafter convincing the U.S. Navy that he was a consul general of Romania acting on behalf of the queen. But Weinbergs most memorable ruse was pulled off in July 1921, when Stanley Clifford Weymanhis most-favored nameposed as the State Departments naval liaison officer and escorted Princess Fatima of Afghanistan to the White House to meet President Warren G. Harding. The following March Weinberg was convicted of impersonating a naval officer. His lawyer argued that the verdict should be set aside because a doctor at Bellevue Hospital had deemed Weinberg insane. MHQ

ALAN GREEN is not a retired four-star general in the U.S. Army.

This article appears in the Summer 2018 issue (Vol. 30, No. 4) of MHQThe Quarterly Journal of Military History with the headline: Great PretendersMetro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12)  Critics of the Duterte administration slammed the President on Independence Day for endangering the country's democratic freedoms and for his offensive remarks against women.

Cause-oriented group Tindig Pilipinas, in a gathering in Quezon City on Tuesday, asserted that the public should be educated about the war on drugs, the territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea, corruption, impunity, poverty and judicial independence.

Magdalo Party-list Representative Gary Alejano said the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity are under threat and foreign policy is being sacrificed. Filipinos must not be fooled by China and must continue to fight for the country's natural resources, he added.

Alejano also said the Philippines should not be lured by trade and investments from China at the expense of Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea.

China has lifted restrictions on Philippine bananas and pineapples and has offered to open its market to other products from the country amid warming ties with the Duterte administration. Beijing has also extended aid and huge loans to bankroll the government's infrastructure projects.

Lawyer Barry Gutierrez of Akbayan said the people need to continue challenging the courts and even look for other venues to bring up concerns such as taking them to the streets.

He said judicial independence has been compromised, citing the cases of the extension of Martial Law in Mindanao, and the quo warranto proceedings against ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who was a guest of honor at the event.

Sereno is still mum on whether or not she will run for next year's election amid reports she will be included in the Liberal Party's senatorial line-up.

In Manila, hundreds of members and supporters of #BabaeAko Movement gathered at the Liwasang Bonifacio.

They challenged Duterte to make good on his promise to resign should women protest his controversial kiss with a married Filipina at a public gathering during his official visit to South Korea. Protesters said they want freedom from sexism and misogyny.

During a briefing after he arrived from South Korea last week, the President initially said if there were enough women who would sign a petition for him to resign, he will do so. But as he went on, he rephrased his statement saying if all women would sign the petition, he will resign.

Women's group Gabriela Secretary General Joms Salvador said the President is using his authority to take advantage of women - kissing them in public, catcalling, and throwing anti-women jokes.

She said Duterte should do the nation a favor by resigning from his post.Actor Rupert Everett made the comment last night while in Dublin when speaking about his love for the legendary Irish writer.

I love him as a writer, I love him as a character, I love him as a patron saint of gay people. I particularly like the story of his exile, he said last night at the Irish premier of his latest movie, 'The Happy Prince'.

Speaking to the press outside the cinema, Rupert Everett also revealed that Hollywood has discriminated against him in the past because of his sexuality.

There were three or four big films, when I was successful, that the director and the other actors wanted me to be in and that I was absolutely blocked from by a studio, just for the fact of being gay, he told the Irish Independent.

That does absolutely happen. But at the same time it has been the making of me as well.As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content.

When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to.

After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS!

OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK

The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12)  President Rodrigo Duterte said he wanted to visit Kuwait to thank the government there for granting measures regarding the well-being of Filipino workers in the Gulf state.

Speaking at the oath-taking ceremony of newly-elected barangay captains in Pampanga Tuesday, the President said, "I am going to travel to Kuwait to thank them kasi [because] they practically gave in to my demands."

Duterte said his demands were to give workers one day off a week, no confiscation of passports and cellphones by employers, no body contact, and for workers to be allowed to cook their own food.

"I got all that I wanted," Duterte said.

He added that he was quite harsh during the early part of discussions with the Gulf state, but said, "pinalagpas lang nila yung mga mura ko [they let my cursing pass]."

The President did not mention, however, when the visit would take place.

The President made the same announcement during a meting with the Filipino community during an official visit to South Korea.

A deal between the Philippines and Kuwait regarding OFWs signed in May.

It includes placing a system where local Kuwaiti authorities regularly inspect or monitor the situation of domestic Filipino workers.

The agreement named Kuwait's Department of Domestic Labor as the unit to settle disputes between the employers and Filipino domestic workers.

Kuwait will also provide legal assistance to workers and will not charge them for judicial fees at all levels of proceedings.

CNN Philippines' Gerg Cahiles contributed to this report.Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print.

Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition.

If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create.The Humane Society of the United States and a coalition of 22 organizations have spayed or neutered 5,608 dogs and cats during the first week of Spayathon for Puerto Rico. The project took place from June 3 to June 9 in Carolina, Ceiba, Culebra, Manati, Moca, Ponce and Vieques. Each animal client left with a bag of food provided by Rescue Bank, which is a program of GreaterGood.org, and PetSmart Charities, as well as a new leash and collar provided by Lupine Pet and Chewy.com.

Spayathon for Puerto Rico is a groundbreaking initiative to provide essential vaccinations and spay/neuter procedures of the highest quality for 20,000 cats and dogs at no cost to pet owners across the Commonwealth by May 2019.

The extraordinary collaboration of so many organizations is dramatically improving lives for animals in Puerto Rico, says Kitty Block, acting president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States and president of Humane Society International. From our work over the past few years there, we know how much the citizens of Puerto Rico care about their animals, and it was gratifying to be able to provide easy access to high-level veterinary care and services.

The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International have been working in the Commonwealth since 2015, working closely with coalition partners including Gov. Ricardo Rossello and First Lady Beatriz Rossello, the Puerto Rico Veterinary Medical Association and the Puerto Rico Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, to advance the initiative, which will include three additional weeklong clinics in 2018 and 2019. Upon completion, the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida will analyze all data collected to better understand the status of pet healthcare and the roots of pet overpopulation on the island.

Beatriz and I are thrilled at the outcome of Round 1 of Spayathon for Puerto Rico. Over 5,500 animals safely and successfully being spayed/neutered is just the start of this wonderful collaboration to make Puerto Rico an example of animal welfare and initiative. We are also deeply moved by the community involvement and commitment with citizens bringing their pets in and taking the time to ensure they received quality care. We are thankful to our partners in this and applaud the Humane Society of the United States in leading this effort. Our goal is that this novel initiative will serve as an example to other jurisdictions in the United States and internationally as a way to ethically address overpopulation of dogs and cats while ensuring the highest standards of veterinary care, said Gov. Rossello.

In addition to altering thousands of animals, the Spayathon for Puerto Rico campaign has provided dozens of veterinary professionals with high quality, high volume spay and neuter training through the ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance. At the projects conclusion, the surgical equipment, supplies and other assets will be donated locally, part of a long-term plan to establish a lasting high quality, high volume spay/neuter infrastructure on the island.

The interorganizational collaboration undertaken for Spayathon Puerto Rico is unprecedented. Local and national NGOs, veterinary organizations and corporate sponsors came together to bring the best in practices, procedures and care to the cats and dogs of Puerto Rico, and the impact of this will be felt for years to come, said Tara Loller, senior director of Strategic Campaigns and Initiatives for the Humane Society of the United States.

Maddies Fund, PetSmart Charities, Petco Foundation, GreaterGood.org and The 20/22 Act Society are providing the financial support necessary to carry out this initiative. Banfield Foundation, Best Friends Animal Society and Rescue Bank are providing critical supplies, such as vaccines, pet food and crates.

Veterinary teams from Emancipet, ViDAS, Veterinarians for Puerto Rico, Maddies Shelter Medicine Program at Cornell University and Helping Paws Across Borders are providing high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter services in locations across the island.

Ground support is being provided by Puerto Rico-based groups, including The Humane Society of Puerto Rico, The Sato Project, The Government of Puerto Rico, Junta Examinadora de Medicos Veterinarios de Puerto Rico, Colegio de Medicos Veterinarios de Puerto Rico, The Puerto Rico Dog Fund, Friends of Culebra Animals, Wild at Heart Foundation and Our Big Fat Caribbean Rescue.

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The additional no-cost spay/neuter clinics will take place on Nov. 39, 2018; Feb. 39, 2019 and May 39, 2019.The annual town meeting drew some 125 voters on Monday night.

Cheshire Town Meeting Votes Down New Plow Truck



Town Moderator Edmund St. John IV leads town meeting on Monday night. Voters approved all articles except one that would have authorized borrowing for a new town highway truck. CHESHIRE, Mass.  Town meeting approved the bulk of the warrant including the fiscal 2019 budget and the new marijuana bylaw but rejected the purchase of a new plow truck.

Most of the 17 town meeting articles flew by Monday night, however, the more than 100 voters pushed back on the proposal to buy a new highway truck that would require the town to borrow $230,000.

"I am asking that the town vote to approve this article certainly realizing it is a significant amount of money," Selectman and Moderator Edmund St. John IV said before the 65-66 vote was taken. "This is about necessity and efficiency we have two vehicles that are not road worthy right now."

The article would have needed a two-thirds majority vote to pass and would be contingent on a future debt exclusion ballot vote.

St. John added that the town recently paid off a plow truck so there would be virtually no change to the tax rate but surprisingly the bulk of the debate was whether to purchase a six-wheeled truck or 10-wheeled truck.

Town meeting voter Mickey Biagini said he thought the 10-wheeled truck the highway superintendent recommended just wasn't a good fit and would be difficult to turn on Route 116.

"We need a truck I agree with you, but we do not need a 10-wheeler," he said. "It takes longer to load, it's heavier so you have to go slower."

Town meeting member Fred Jayko bluntly agreed.

"Yeah basically the town of Cheshire does not need a 10-wheeler," he said.

Superintendent Blair Crane said he felt the 10-wheeled truck would be a good change for the department.

"I think just because we have always done something doesn't mean it is the way we always have to do it," he said. "Technology changes, things change ... I don't see any reason why we couldn't turn around where we have always turned around."

Crane was also asked what the price difference was, and he responded that the 10-wheel truck is roughly $10,000 more

There was less discussion on article 6, which will allocate $40,000 from free cash to purchase a new highway department truck for the superintendent though one resident felt a new truck may be unnecessary.

Selectman Robert Ciskowski said currently the superintendent uses his own vehicle, which is a habit the town does not want to continue.

"Currently he is using his own vehicle to respond to emergency calls in the middle of the night, check the roads, unclog culverts and we are not really happy with that situation and the liability," he said. "We think a small pickup truck with a plow could be very handy."

Before opening up Article 2, which represents the fiscal 2019 budget of $6,090,255, Selectwoman Carol Francesconi went over some changes in the spending plan and noted that the town administrator salary has been bumped up from $21,433 to $40,000.

She said current Town Administrator Mark Webber is to retire sometime next fiscal year and the town plans to hire another part-time administrator but instead of just working one day a week, the new administrator would hopefully work three days a week.

"We need to establish a salary that will attract qualified candidates and support more hours on the job," she said.

Voters only held two sections within the budget and no significant debate took place. One resident asked an operational question about the transfer station and although the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District budget was held, no one actually commented on it.

The other larger item on the warrant was Article 13  the new marijuana establishment bylaw that passed with 96 yes votes and 23 no votes.

Before the article was voted on, resident Bill Craig made a successful amendment from the floor that increased the number of establishments allowed in town from one to six.

"My feeling is to limit this to one we are missing an opportunity that other towns will take," he said. "It is going to put buildings up which will give us tax revenue."

The rest of the articles sailed through with little resistance if any and the meeting was over in just over an hour.



iciHaiti - Weather : Passage of the 5th tropical wave in the south of Haiti





The National Meteorological Center informs that "the passage of the 5th tropical wave to the south of Haiti planned for the next 36 hours, may increase instability and the possibility of rain and thunderstorms on the country, especially on the departments located in the peninsula of the South.



Daytime and local effects may favor some showers and isolated thunderstorms, especially in the departments of Grande'Anse, South, of West, Central, North Artibonite and Northwest.



For Tuesday and Wednesday, the atmosphere remains more or less wet and unstable after the passage of the Tropical Wave. Rainy activities will be reduced, but will continue to be possible in some parts of the country in the late afternoon or evening."



IH/ iciHaiti





















iciHaiti - Security : Margareth Fortune of the LEH threatened with death, will not give up





Monday, Margareth Fortune, the Director General National Lottery of Haiti (LEH) has denounced in a press conference death threats which she is the object pointing to those who want her to be removed from office and some personalities who have debts to the LEH, citing, in particular, the "National Association of Borlette Tenants". Fearing for her life, she calls on the authorities to guarantee her safety as well as that of her employees.



According to Margareth Fortune these are the kind of threats that led to the resignation of his brother, the Mayor of Les Cayes, Gabriel Fortune https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24570-haiti-flash-gabriel-fortune-the-mayor-of-les-cayes-resigns.html . However, unlike her brother, she says she will not give up to the pressure or threats "I will continue to do my job, until the President appoints someone else, if he is not satisfied with my performance. I will come and install this person myself."



S/ iciHaiti

















Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12)  The Chinese plane that refuelled in Davao City was here to probe the Philippines, a military historian warned on Tuesday.

Security expert Jose Custodio told CNN Philippines' The Source that it was a way for the eastern giant to "see how our reactions would be."

"They could have refuelled in those artificial islands they constructed in the seas they stole from us... But they chose to do it in Davao," he said. "Basically, they're probing us."

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced on Sunday that a Chinese aircraft made a technical stop in Davao on June 8. He maintained that the plane, bound for Cairns, Australia, followed "established procedures."

However, Armed Forces Public (AFP) Affairs Office Chief Col. Edgar Arevalo said he did not have sufficient information about the aircraft except that it had stopped for refuelling.

Nonetheless, he said that it was a "perfectly legal reason to land... with appropriate permissions, of course, from appropriate government agencies."

Custodio believes that China did not obtain the necessary permissions. He pointed out that the plane bore Chinese military insignia.

"So that has to pass through an even higher level  [the Department of Defense], AFP," he said.

Custodio's concern comes amid criticism of the Philippine government's response to fishermen's catch being taken by the Chinese Coast Guard in disputed waters.

Both governments stopped short of calling the incident harassment, although Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jinhua has since promised that the men involved would be disciplined.

Administration critics and maritime experts have been urging President Rodrigo Duterte's government to take a firmer stance, possibly through diplomatic protests, against China's occupation and militarization of disputed islands in the South China Sea.

However, Duterte has maintained that the country "cannot afford to go to war" with the eastern giant. He has kept warm relations with Beijing, which has pledged billions in investments to the Philippines.

In line with Independence Day, Custodio quipped that Philippine independence was "[at] a crossroads."

"It can choose the path to defend its interests, defend the sacrifice of our forefathers who fought for freedom, or it can go this path and become a vassal state of China," said Custodio.

"The thing with China is it knows it has its foot in... so it's going to bring its entire body in already," he added. "That's something we have to watch out [for]."Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12)  North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un broke new ground by meeting U.S. President Donald Trump, but he might still have his own interests at heart, a military historian said.

Moments before the summit, Jose Custodio told CNN Philippines' The Source on Tuesday that Kim was probably after an image boost.

"Kim might look at this as a way to boost his domestic image in North Korea... In these situations, a totalitarian leader has to reinforce his image as a man who is respected around the world," Custodio said.

He said the meeting with Trump came after another meeting Kim had with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which could show that "two powers are now talking with [Kim]."

"For him, it's his grip on power. Economic development, meetings with world leaders, boost that image of his," said Custodio.

Kim is also likely to push for relaxed sanctions for his country, he added, which were imposed after continuous testing of missiles with nuclear capability.

The historical summit came after another landmark summit between Kim and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in in April, where both leaders vowed to end the war between them.

The young dictator, who last year had a sharp back-and-forth with Trump that fueled fears of a possible nuclear confrontation, managed to turn around his image in a matter of months. Kim seemed warm during his meeting with Moon, even cracking jokes and giving him a hug. He was even given a rock star welcome in Singapore, where onlookers cheered him on ahead of his meet with Trump.

However, Custodio was wary given Kim's history of human rights violations - an issue which he noted the United States seemed to have "dropped" under Trump.

"[Kim] may look like a nice round guy who's very huggable, but... the moment you turn your back, he's going to shoot you," he said.

Custodio also responded to President Rodrigo Duterte's comments about Kim last April. The President said Kim is an "amiable, jolly, good fellow, and very accommodating."

"Alam mo si, naging idol ko tuloy siya, si Kim Jong Un (He became my idol). For all of the time, he was pictured to be the bad boy of the community," Duterte said. "But with one master stroke, he is now the hero of everybody."

Custodio disagreed.

"I'm not exactly going to say that... Kim Jong Un is actually that type of jolly good fellow, because [he] actually killed members of his own family," he said. "He's a jolly good fellow and a bloodthirsty fellow at the same time."

In 2013, Kim was reported to have his uncle Jang Song Thaek executed for allegedly trying to overthrow the regime. Kim's exiled half-brother Kim Jong Nam was mysteriously assassinated in Malaysia last year.

The Institute for National Security Strategy, a South Korean think tank, estimated in 2016 that Kim had ordered about 340 deaths since he rose to power in 2011.

However, the Trump-Kim summit still marks "the start for more comprehensive talks," and is one step "toward better relations," Custodio said.

"Two things can actually happen here: one is the formal end of the Korean War... and the second thing also is the nuclear disarmament of North Korea," he said. "But these are things that will still be worked for."Congress and JD(S) legislators after the trust vote in Karnataka Assembly, in Bengaluru on May 25, 2018. The Karnataka government led by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy won the confidence motion with a voice vote in the new Assembly after opposition BJP members walked out ahead of the floor test. (IANS photo)Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said earlier that many Indian Americans live in mixed status households, in which certain family members may be citizens whereas others are undocumented. Such households would be reluctant to respond to the Census survey, she said. (Twitter photo)Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here.President Ram Nath Kovind speaks during the inauguration of the National Highway from Matabari to Sabroom in Udaipur in the Gomati district of Tripura June 7. Kovind will embark on an eight-day tour, during which he will visit Greece, Suriname and Cuba. (IANS 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.Europe is importing titanium dioxide at an unprecedented pace, with huge volumes coming from China and the United States in particular, according to recent customs data.

The EU imported 124,335 tonnes of titanium dioxide pigment (under HS code 32061100) in the first quarter of 2018, according to the data....A federal Capital Territory, Gudu, Abuja, High Court on Tuesday convicted a former Governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye, on corruption charges.

Justice Adebukola Banjoko who listened to defence lawyer, Paul Erokor (SAN)s, plea for mercy made on behalf of his client convicted the ex-governor on 15 out the 23 counts preferred against him.

The judge, in a six-and-a-half-hour judgment convicted the ex-governor also a serving senator on charges of criminal breach of trust and criminal misappropriation punishable under sections 315 and 309 of the Penal Code Act, respectively.

The judge threw out eight of the 23 charges on the grounds of either duplicity or lack of sufficient evidence.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), is opposing the defence lawyers plea for mercy and asked the court to impose the maximum sentence.

PunchThe trial of the Senator representing Kogi West in the National Assembly, Senator Dino Melaye, and two others in the case of alleged illegal possession of firearms began yesterday at a Senior Magistrate Court in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.

Senator Melaye, as well as the two prime suspects, Kabiru Seidu and Nuhu Salihu, have all pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were arraigned.

The suspects, who had claimed to be political thugs of the Senator, had also implicated him in the allegations of criminal conspiracy, illegal possession of firearms and illegal arms dealing levelled against them by the police.

During their arraignment in court yesterday, the suspects and Senator Melaye declared that the allegations against them were false and that they were not guilty when their pleas were taken.

Earlier, the prosecution, led by Dr Alex Izinyon, told the court that the offences were contrary to section 97(1) of the Penalty Code and section 27(1)(a) (1) of the firearms Act CAP P28, laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004.

He also reminded the court that the pleas of the defendants were not taken on arraignment, noting that the court has the jurisdiction to try the case and should, therefore, go ahead to take their pleas.

When the charges were read afresh to the defendants, Melaye, Seidu and Salihu, pleaded not guilty as they said the seven charges were all false.

Mr Yemi Mohammed, who held brief for Mr Mike Ozekhome  counsel for Melaye, objected to the application, saying that the case was a criminal one in which witnesses must give their testimonies in the open court.

He stressed that the front-loading system which the prosecution was urging the court to adopt amounted to a shortcut that would be prejudicial to his client and reduce the chances of the public getting to know the truth.

In his ruling, the Senior Magistrate, Mr Sulyman Abdullah held that while he would wholeheartedly want trials in his court to be concluded speedily, he would have to look at the rules of the court.

He consequently adjourned till July 26 for the commencement of hearing of the case.

Channels TVA woman on Sunday, plunged into the lagoon on 3rd Mainland, in Lagos. As at 8.45pm, efforts were still on to recover her body, without luck.

Thereafter, she reportedly alighted from the vehicle, crossed the road and plunged into the lagoon. Another version had that the deceased was a man, who parked his Ford Explorer car on top of the 3rd Mainland bridge and plunged into the lagoon.

Now According to reports and sources close to her family the woman is a Texas based Businesswoman, and her Husband is a Bank staff But trouble started after she got involved with another guy, who threatened to release her nudes if she doesnt pay him N10m, Which he has already done.

According to reports, the lady later got him arrested, only for him to release the nude pictures of them together in order to prove his innocence to the police that whatever happened between both of them was consensual and that hes not a fraudster as claimed by the deceased.

The blackmail from the man allegedly got to the ladys husband and this compelled him to conduct a DNA test on all their 3 children which later turned out that they are not his children. The series of events allegedly pushed the deceased into committing suicide.

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commentsA cross-section of Nigerians in Europe on Tuesday commended President Muhammadu Buhari for recognising June 12 as Nigerias Democracy Day and for honouring the late Chief MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the 1993 Presidential Election.

NAN reports that on June 6, Buhari directed that the nations Democracy Day will, henceforth, hold on June 12 of every year as against the current arrangement where the ceremony holds on May 29.

Mr Buhari also resolved to honour the winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief Moshood Abiola, with the highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic.

Apart from Abiola, Buhari said he would also honour his running mate, Alhaji Babagana Kingibe, and the late human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, with the second highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Niger.

Reacting to the development, Mr Rowland Ikpi, a member of the Central Association of Nigerians in the UK (CANUK) said that the declaration by Buhari was  a long-awaited recognition

President Buhari has again proved to be a true democrat who believes in deepening democracy and its values in the country 

He has done what previous administrations considered irrelevant 

We must give him some accolades, Ikpi told the NAN in a telephone interview.

He also said that the recognition would heal the injuries of the past which left many people aggrieved and unenthusiastic about politics 

Similarly, Dr Sachmicit Bancir , a researcher in Geneva said that the declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day was a bold statement to the world that Nigeria recognises its past mistakes 

This is a bold statement which says it all, firstly as a nation, we made mistakes in the past but today we are on the right course to nation building 

This move will further place us high in the comity of nations who regard us as a regional giant Bancir stressed.

NAN reports that until Buharis declaration, the day is a public holiday in Ekiti, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Oyo and Lagos.

-GistreelThe Economic and Financial Crimes Commission revealed to the Federal High Court in Abuja how it uncovered about 19 houses allegedly bought by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Maduke, in Nigeria, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

The EFCC explained also that an Executive Director in First Bank Nigeria Limited, Mr. Dauda Lawal, helped Diezani to transfer to the UK for the purchase of some real estate properties in London.

EFCC also said Benedict Peters whom it described as a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporations contractor during Diezanis reign as the petroleum minister, contributed $60m to the $115m allegedly provided by the ex-minister to bribe electoral officers for the 2015 general elections.

The Nigerian properties were said to be in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.

The anti-graft agency also said Peters was a suspect under investigation for Petroleum subsidy fraud from whom $400m had been recovered.

EFCC says Peters is the alter ego or owner of two companies registered abroad  Collinwood Limited  Rosewood Investment Limited -, and a Nigerian company, Aiteo Energy Resources.

The anti-graft agencys explanation gave these details in the papers which it filed in objection to some applications urging Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja to lift the interim forfeiture order hanging on some of the 19 properties in the UK and US.

Upon an ex parte application titled, In the matter of 19 real properties purchased by Mrs. Diezani Alison-Maduke, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja had on June 29, 2016 granted an order of interim forfeiture in respect of the properties.

But the trio of Peters and two of the companies said to be his, Collinwood Limited and Rosewood Investment Limited, filed a motion dated January 10, 2017, challenging the interim forfeiture order in respect of some of the properties in the UK and the US.

The applicants denied that some of the properties which the court ordered their interim forfeiture were theirs and not Diezanis as alleged by the EFCC.

The properties interested in by the applicants included the ones at 5 Park View; 83  86 Prince Albert Road; St. John Wood, all in London NW8 7RU, UK; as well as 270-17 Street, Unit 4204, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

PunchA Nigerian lady who recently celebrated her birthday with a bold photo showing off her stump, has shared her story on her Instagram page.

At the age of 13, Doris was hit and knocked down by a commercial motorcyclist in Bayelsa State. As a result of her severe injuries, she had her leg amputated.

The Theatre Arts graduate of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, also spoke about her journey in the movie industry, challenges and how a chance meeting with an actor and producer changed her career. Read below

I grew up in Bayelsa state and I wasnt born with disability.

At age 13, I got knocked down by a motorcyclist while trying to cross the road. The accident led to the amputation of my right leg, and that moment changed the way I started seeing life. I didnt take life seriously because I thought I was useless to my family and to the world, but my parents didnt see me that way especially my mum. I never took my education seriously because I had no sense of belonging to the environment.

My mum was very supportive, she taught me how to fight for what I want and not to give up and that has helped me a lot in my career so the word impossibility is not in my dictionary.

I started accepting and appreciating God for my life when I found out about Nicholas James Vujicic, the motivational speaker without legs and arms. His videos were the inspiration that got me back on my foot, that was when I started fighting for what I wanted but the challenges were serious. I got an admission to study theatre arts at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, So many people discouraged me from studying the course, most of my course mates were like what is she doing in this department, wasnt she aware of what this course is all about, can she dance or act with this her one leg? I usually felt bad but constantly encouraged myself because I knew want I wanted and I was ready to fight for it. I learnt how to dance on my own, in my room. Today I can act and dance with or without my support aid.

But the challenges continues.

I got into the movie industry 3 years ago through PRINCE OWELLE UGORJI who is an actor and also a movie producer. I met him on facebook and told him my passion for acting and dancing. He was touched by my story and promised to help me achieve my dreams. Few years later, he chatted me up and sent me a script. I was so happy that day, I went through the script and he gave me the lead role in the movie called Susanna. The movie Susanna brought us closer, he took me like a sister and promised to make my dreams come true. He didnt ask for money or sex from me unlike one producer who only wants.

Im not married yet. People always ask why I chose Dorisstillsmiling as my Instagram handle, I just cant stop smiling and being happy, I love myself so much. Loosing one of my legs is destiny, the plan God has for me is bigger than my imagination, God has been using me to encourage so many people not to give up, no matter the condition, I might not be where I wish to be but Im heading somewhere. The world is going to celebrate me someday, that I am sure of, as a society I dont think we are doing enough to help people like myself. I hate that word disabled, we are not disabled we are just differently abled. We have abilities and the society should see us this way not picturing us beggars.

For people thinking they are disabled, sweeties; here is the word for you differently Abled. We are special people, we do things differently that only makes us special, you can achieve your dreams if only you believe in yourself and dont give up, dont be discouraged, dont stop fighting, fight for what you want, love yourself first before others can love you, dont look down on yourself. I know its not easy but dont forget life itself is not easy, good things comes to people that dont give up, from today tell your friends and family that Dorisstillsmiling said you are not disabled but differently abled. God loves you!President Muhammadu Buhari on June 12th tendered unreserved apology on behalf of the federal government to the family of Moshood Abiola, over the annulment of June 12 1993 poll, presumably won by late Abiola.

The president apologised at the Special National Honours Investiture and award presentation to heroes of June 12, 1993 poll which was annulled by the defunct Ibrahim Babangida regime.

Here are 3 salients points to note from Buharis apology

1.Bury the negative sides

I honestly invite all Nigerians across all our national divides to accept it in good faith. Our action today is to bury the negative sides of June 12, the side of ill feelings, hates, frustration and agony. What we are doing is celebrating and appreciating the positive sides of June 12.

2.A new June 12th

The June 12 which reinstates democracy and freedom, the June 12 that overcome our various divides and the June that produces unity and national cohesion. This is the June 12 we are celebrating today and we will nurture it to our next generation Accordingly, on behalf of the Federal Government, I tender the nation apology to the family of late MKO Abiola who got the highest votes and to those that lost their loved ones in the course of June 12 struggle.

3.Recognition of a wrong donePresident Muhammadu Buhari has apologized on behalf of the administration of former President Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida for annulling the June 12, 1993 presidential elections presumably won by the late MKO Abiola and his party the Social Democratic Party.

This comes following the presidents declaration as that June 12th, no longer May 29th would be celebrated as Democracy Day in Nigeria in honour of the late Abiola, who was robbed off his mandate.

Here is what Buhari wrote via Twitter

On behalf of the Federal Government, I tender the nations apology to the family of the Late MKO Abiola, who got the highest votes in the June 12, 1993 election; and to all those who lost their loved ones in the cause of the June 12 struggle.  Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) June 12, 2018

President Buhari also formally conferred late MKO Abiola with the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR), the highest honor of the land today.Daily Trust

Former Abia State Governor, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu said on Monday that President Muhammadu Buhari has addressed the injustices associated with the annulment of June 12, 1993 Presidential Election, with the posthumous honour being conferred on Chief MKO Abiola as the winner of the freest and fairest election in the country.

Tribune

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has declared Tuesday, June 12, 2018, a public holiday in honour of the winner of June 12, 1993, presidential election, the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola.

The Nation

A Lagos High Court yesterday sentenced a 28-year-old man, Kingsley Inyang, to life imprisonment for defiling his church members 12-year-old daughter.

Punch

The House of Representatives said on Monday that it had no plan to step down a proposed bill to criminalise estimated billing by electricity distribution companies in the country.

Vanguard

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has explained that the recently conducted police recruitment examination questions were set by its workers who are Christians.

Thisday

President Muhammadu Buhari and King Mohammed VI of Morocco Monday in Rabat, lamented the persistent threat posed to security in Africa by violent extremism and terrorism and resolved to cooperate with each other in the fight against the scourge.

The Sun

Amidst a surging sell off on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has called on investors to remain calm and continue playing in the Nigerian Stock Market as the fundamentals of the economy remain strong.

Daily Times

No fewer than three people are feared dead as a result of bomb blast that occurred yesterday, around noon opposite AA Duhu filling station, close to Kabang junction, in Mubi town, Adamawa.

GuardianIn May 2018, the body of 22-year-old Lorraine Onye was found in her Naval officer boyfriends official quarters in Borikiri, Port Harcourt, Rivers state, and the boyfriend LT.Abubakar Yahaya Yusuf was no where to be found.

At the time, it was suspected that LT. Yusuf had stabbed Lorraine, a 300 level student of Rivers state university, because she refused to accept a breakup from him, and he was on the run after killing her. But investigation has uncovered the truth behind Lorraines death. Investigation also revealed that LT. Yusuf was not on the run, but had also been killed and burnt.

Operatives of the IGP-Intelligence Response Team arrested LT. Yusufs houseboy, Taddues Jaja, 28, following the death of Lorraine and the disappearance of Yusuf. During interrogation, Jaja confessed that he murdered Lorraine during an argument. Afterwards, in a bid to cover up his crime, he also murdered the unsuspecting officer by poisoning his drink with an overdose of a drug named Talen.

Jaja went on to send a text message with the late officers phone to a friend of Lorraine named Joy. In the message, Jaja wrote that the Navy Officer had murdered his girlfriend over a dispute. Jaja then proceeded to dispose of his boss body by driving it to a forest in Ubima where he burnt it.

After his confession, Jaja took operatives to the forest where he burnt LT Yusuf and the officers carcass was found burnt beyond recognition. With the aid of a pathologist, the remains were recovered and deposited at UPTH mortuary.

A car and a phone belonging to the naval officer were recovered. The car had already been sold by Jaja to a buyer in Benin city and the phone had already been sold to a different buyer in Port-Harcourt.

Leave a Comment

commentsThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation,UNESCO has granted the University of Zambia $340,000 to develop a degree Programme to train students in witchcraft.

The Zambian Observer reported that the training in what is referred to as Intangible Cultural Heritage will commence with the first intake comprising of 20 students, reports Lusaka Times.

The Zambia National Commission for UNESCO has explained that Intangible Heritage comprises practices such as witchcraft, and social practices such as expression through music, knowledge, skills as well as the instruments, objects, artifacts and rituals.

Dr. Charles Ndakala, the Zambia National Commission for UNESCO Secretary General, who spoke to Hot FM News on the sidelines of a five days workshop for the orientation of UNZA Lecturers on Intangible Culture Heritage, said that despite efforts in safeguarding cultural heritage, there are cases of destruction of priceless culture heritage in certain countries which threatens traditions and customs.

In November last year, Higher Education Minister Professor Nkandu Luo announced that Zambia should consider research and the study of witchcraft as a science that can be used productively for the benefit of the country.

Professor Luo said Zambian scientists can learn from the South African counterparts who have commenced studies in witchcraft in some universities.

I could not help but think of witchcraft when I saw a mobile phone put into a box and it turned into a ladys pant! she said during the commemoration of the World Science Day for Peace and Development dubbed: Recreating interest in science, technology and innovation.

But then Government Spokesperson Kampamba Mulenga said Government was disappointed with media reports suggesting that it will consider research on witchcraft as a science that can be used productively for the benefit of the country.

Ms. Mulenga said the allegations are blatant falsehoods coming from people who have nothing good to offer to the nation.

She said the government is aware that there is a group of people that is spreading malicious statements through various media platforms, bent on destroying governments image.

She added that contrary to the allegations, President Lungus administration has and will always uphold Zambias status as a Christian nation as enshrined in the preamble of the constitution.New electrochemical method developed at UTSA to test the presence of a bacterial infection is faster and more accurate than methods currently on the market. Photo courtesy of The University of Texas at San Antonio

A new study by Waldemar Gorski, professor and chair of the UTSA Department of Chemistry, and Stanton McHardy, associate professor of research in chemistry and director of the UTSA Center for Innovative Drug Discovery, describes a method that could show quickly and accurately whether a person has been infected with harmful bacteria or other pathogens. Additionally, this new method shows the exact severity of infection in a person.

The most common method of testing for infection in medical facilities is currently a strip that turns a certain color when infected fluids come into contact with it.

The problem with this method is that it's imprecise, Gorski said. The human eye is forced to judge the level of infection based on the hue and deepness of a color. It's difficult to make an accurate call based on that. Furthermore, roughly a third of samples cannot be tested because the fluids contain blood or are too opaque.

Other methods include microbiology or examining body fluid samples under a microscope and counting white blood cells, also known as leukocytes, which are an indicator of an infection. However, these can be slow processes and require more highly trained personnel.

Gorski, seeing a need for an easier and more rapid method of testing for infection, resolved to test an electrochemical approach, and sought out McHardy, a medicinal chemist. Together, they created molecules that bind to leukocyte enzymes and produce an electrical current to signal the presence of an infection.

Their new molecules are housed on a testing strip. After being contacted with infected bodily fluids, the strip is connected to a computer monitor that displays a clear range of electrochemical responses demonstrating the severity of an infection.

The signs and symptoms people demonstrate aren't always reflective of the level of the infection they have, McHardy said. This device could very easily show just how serious an infection is and make diagnosis a much quicker process, possibly preventing a more serious illness.

Gorski believes the method could be especially useful to people who have just undergone surgery, as it could determine definitively whether they have an infection from the procedure before it worsens.

To date, Gorski and McHardy have filed a patent for their invention, published two papers and plan to work with an engineer in the future to streamline its design.

###

Read Waldemar Gorski and Stanton McHardy's study, Synthesis and Characterization of Pyridine Compounds for Amperometric Measurements of Leukocyte Esterase.

Learn more about the UTSA Department of Chemistry.

Learn more about the UTSA Center for Innovative Drug Discovery.Jeremy D. Morley concentrates on International Family Law. The firm works with clients around the world from its New York office, with a global network of local counsel. Mr Morley is the author of "International Family Law Practice", the leading treatise on international family law in the U.S., and "The Hague Abduction Convention", published by the American Bar Association. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers and a former law professor.Top News - Investor Idea - Trade this idea on our list of top stock trading apps

Breaking AI Stock News: GBT (OTCPK: $GTCH) Develops an iOS Mobile Application For its qTerm Device, Synchronized With its Website

San Diego, CA - October 12, 2021 (Investorideas.com Newswire) GBT Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) ("GBT" or the "Company") is developing an iOS (iPhone version) mobile application for its qTerm device. The iOS application will be synchronized with qTerm's website and Widget.

Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea - Trade this idea on our list of top stock trading apps

Breaking AI Stock News: GBT (OTCPK: $GTCH) Concludes its Long-Range Radio System Project

San Diego, CA - October 14, 2021 (Investorideas.com Newswire) GBT Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) ("GBT" or the "Company") concluded its Infinia radio system successful testing phases, the testing phases included short and nationwide long distance voice and digital data communications.

Top Tech Stock News - Investor Idea - Trade this idea on our list of top stock trading apps

Breaking Proptech Stock News - Shokworks Acquires Significant Minority Equity Position in Metrospaces (OTC: $MSPC)

NEW YORK, NY - October 13, 2021 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Proptech stock news from Investorideas.com Newswire - Metrospaces, Inc. (OTC: MSPC) has announced that Shokworks, the technology company owned by Metrospaces CTO Alejandro Laplana, has acquired a significant equity stake in the company.

Top Oil and Gas Stock News - Investor Idea - Trade this idea on our list of top stock trading apps

Oil and Gas Stock News: Foothills Exploration Inc. (OTC: $FTXP) Commences Geochemical Survey of Its Wind River Basin Properties

LOS ANGELES - October 7, 2021 (Investorideas.com newswire and Oilandgasstocknews.com) Breaking oil and gas stock news - Foothills Exploration, Inc. (OTC: FTXP), an oil and gas exploration and development company focused on delivering the energy needs of today and tomorrow, announced today that it has engaged Geochemical Insight to execute a geochemical survey on a portion of the Company's acreage in the Beaver Creek East ("BCE") project located in Fremont County, Wyoming.

Top Mining News - Investor Idea - Trade this idea on our list of top stock trading apps

Mining Stock News: Aurcana Silver (TSXV: AUN) (OTC: AUNFF) Provides Update on Mill Commissioning and Mine Ore Sampling

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - October 5, 2021 (Investorideas.com Newswire) AURCANA SILVER CORPORATION ("Aurcana" or the "Company") (TSXV: AUN, OTCQX: AUNFF) is pleased to provide an update on development progress for the 1800 level stopes and mill operations.

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Subscribe to Investor Ideas NewswireVancouver, British Columbia - June 12, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) SilverCrest Metals Inc. (TSXV: SIL.V; OTCQX: SVCMF) ("SilverCrest" or the "Company") is pleased to announce new drill results for the Granaditas Vein and initial delineation of its high-grade footprint on the Las Chispas Property (the "Property") located in Sonora, Mexico. The Company first drilled two holes in the Granaditas Vein in 2017 (see news release dated October 19, 2017) and re-commenced drilling of this vein in early 2018. The compilation of these new drill holes outlines the high-grade footprint (see attached Figures). This vein is parallel to the Babicanora and Babicanora Norte veins and is approximately 400 metres southeast of Area 51, which is the highest-grade mineralized area of the Babicanora Vein having average resource grades greater than 1,000 grams per tonne ("gpt") silver equivalent ("AgEq", defined below). There are 23 known epithermal veins on the Property, including 11 which have drill-intersected high-grade mineralization and consist of the Babicanora, Babicanora Footwall, Babicanora Norte, Las Chispas, Giovanni including La Blanquita, William Tell, Varela, Granaditas, Luigi and Amethyst veins. Five of the 23 veins have been included in the maiden resource (refer to "Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Las Chispas Property, Sonora, Mexico", effective February 12, 2018 and amended May 9, 2018).

N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng and CEO, remarked, "With this confirmed discovery of continuous high-grade mineralization in the Granaditas Vein, we continue to increase our near-surface high-grade footprint in the district. In early 2017, the Company received from a local rancher a historic map showing the location of the Granaditas Mine that was operated by the Spanish in the early 1800's. Up until receipt of the map, the location of the mine was unknown and documented as a lost Spanish mine. Historic reports show that approximately 3 million ounces of silver were mined from the Granaditas Vein to a depth of 90 feet where water was encountered. SilverCrest drilled below this depth and intercepted high-grade mineralization using the same geologic controls as other high-grade veins in the district. It is our intention to further drill test the Granaditas, Babicanora Norte, Babicanora, Babi Sur, Luigi and other veins during the next couple of months and include the results in the proposed updated resource planned for Q3 2018."

The most significant result for this release was returned from Hole GR18-04, which intersected 1.8 metres (true width) grading 12.14 grams per tonne ("gpt") gold and 1,440.3 gpt silver, or 2,350 gpt silver equivalent ("AgEq", based on 75 (Ag):1 (Au) calculated using long-term silver and gold prices of US$18.50 per ounce silver and US$1,225 per ounce gold, with average metallurgical recoveries of 86.6% silver and 98.9% gold), including 0.4 metres grading 9,183 gpt AgEq. The following table summarizes the most significant drill intercepts (uncut, undiluted) for the Granaditas Vein:

Note: all numbers are rounded.

*AgEq based on 75 (Ag):1 (Au) calculated using long-term silver and gold prices of US$18.50 per ounce silver and US$1,225 per ounce gold, with average metallurgical recoveries of 86.6% silver and 98.9% gold.

previously announced intercept (refer to news release dated October 19, 2017).

All assays were completed by ALS Chemex in Hermosillo, Mexico, and North Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Results for drill holes GR18-05, 07, 08, and 10 are below the Company's cutoff of 150 gpt AgEq and outside the Granaditas Vein high-grade footprint. Hole GR17-01 intercepted 0.5 metres (true width) grading 0.95 gpt gold and 103.0 gpt silver, or 174 gpt AgEq. Hole GR18-03 intercepted 0.5 metres grading 0.92 gpt gold and 56.6 gpt silver, or 126 gpt AgEq. Hole GR18-06 intercepted 1.5 metres grading 0.48 gpt gold and 86.7 gpt silver, or 145 gpt AgEq.

The Granaditas Vein consists of southeastward plunging high-grade mineralization similar to the adjacent Babicanora and Babicanora Norte veins. Mineralization consists of a 0.5 to 1.8 metre wide banded quartz-argentite-pyrite vein, dipping at an estimated 75 southeast. Conceptually, since the vein is near the southeast extension of the highest-grade footprint of the Babicanora Vein (Area 51), shared future underground infrastructure is conceivable and convenient.

A hanging wall vein (unnamed), approximately 40 to 80 metres southeast of the Granaditas Vein, was also drill intercepted with the following initial results:

GR18-03 intersecting 0.5 metres grading 0.5 gpt Au and 97 gpt Ag, or 134 gpt AgEq; GR18-04 intersecting 0.5 metres grading 1.81 gpt Au and 149 gpt Ag, or 284 gpt AgEq; GR18-07 intersecting 0.5 metres grading 2.39 gpt Au and 421 gpt Ag, or 600 gpt AgEq; and GR18-09 intersecting 0.5 metres grading 2.94 gpt Au and 294 gpt Ag, or 514 AgEq.

The Company plans to further drill test this hanging wall vein in Q3, 2018.

The high-grade footprint in the Granaditas Vein currently measures approximately 150 metres long by 100 metres high by 1.5 metres in average true width, grading an estimated 5.69 gpt gold and 595.7 gpt silver, or 1,022 gpt AgEq (see attached Figures) and is open in most directions. Further drilling for potential expansion of the high-grade footprint at the Granaditas Vein is ongoing and additional assays will be reported once compilation is complete.

The Company continues with its Phase III drill program of expansion drilling on several new and partially-drilled high-grade mineralized veins. A remaining 4,000 to 5,000 metres of drilling are planned up to the end of July cutoff for updated resource inclusion. Other ongoing site work includes continued underground mapping and sampling on the Las Chispas Vein, drilling test wells for site water, permitting for various additional work, and review of the maiden resource model for optimization and update.

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, and CEO for SilverCrest, who has reviewed and approved its contents.

ABOUT SILVERCREST METALS INC.

SilverCrest is a Canadian precious metals exploration company headquartered in Vancouver, BC, that is focused on new discoveries, value-added acquisitions and targeting production in Mexico's historic precious metal districts. The Company's current focus is on the high-grade, historic Las Chispas mining district in Sonora, Mexico. SilverCrest is the first company to successfully drill-test the historic Las Chispas Project resulting in numerous discoveries. The Company is led by a proven management team in all aspects of the precious metal mining sector, including taking projects through discovery, finance, on time and on budget construction, and production.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. These include, without limitation, statements with respect to: the strategic plans, timing and expectations for the Company's exploration, rehabilitation and drilling programs of the Las Chispas Property, including drilling test water wells, permitting for various work, and optimizing and updating the Company's resource model; information with respect to high grade areas and size of veins projected from underground sampling results and drilling results; and the accessibility of future mining at the Las Chispas Property. 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: the conditions in general economic and financial markets; availability of skilled labour; timing and amount of expenditures related to rehabilitation and drilling programs; and effects of regulation by governmental agencies. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of risk factors including: the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities; the interpretation of drilling results and other geological data; receipt, maintenance and security of permits and mineral property titles; environmental and other regulatory risks; project cost 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.

Figure 1: Long Section (Inclined) of Granaditas Vein Las Chispas Property, Looking Southwest

Figure 2: Las Chispas District with Babicanora Plan Map, June 2018

N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng

Chief Executive Officer

SilverCrest Metals Inc.

For Further Information:

SilverCrest Metals Inc.

Contact: Michael Rapsch, VP Corp. Comm.

Telephone: +1 (604) 694-1730

Fax: +1 (604) 357-1313

Toll Free: 1-866-691-1730 (Canada & USA)

Email: info@silvercrestmetals.com

Website: www.silvercrestmetals.com

570 Granville Street, Suite 501

Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3P1

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investment involves risk and possible loss of investment. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Contact each company directly regarding content and press release questions. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. More disclaimer info: http://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp. Disclosure: Investorideas.com is compensated by SilverCrest Metals Inc for annual news publishing effective January 2017.

Additional info regarding BC Residents and global Investors: Effective September 15 2008 - all BC investors should review all OTC and Pink sheet listed companies for adherence in new disclosure filings and filing appropriate documents with Sedar. Read for more info: http://www.bcsc.bc.ca/release.aspx?id=6894. Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country.

Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: http://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.aspMetro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12)  Eight in 10 Filipinos are satisfied with how democracy works in the country, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.

According to the survey released as the country celebrated its 120th Independence Day on Tuesday, the majority of Filipinos (60 percent) prefer democracy over any other form of government. A scant 19 percent said "under some circumstances, an authoritarian government can be preferable to a democratic one," while 21 percent said it does not matter whether the country has a democratic or non-democratic regime.

A democracy is characterized by free elections, where "sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them," according to the Constitution.

The 78% satisfaction rating from the survey, held on March 23 to 27 with 1,200 respondents, was two points below the 80 percent scored in June 2017. Satisfaction with the country's democracy was highest at 86 percent in September 2016, shortly after President Rodrigo Duterte's election victory.

Meanwhile, the percentage of Filipinos saying "democracy is always preferable to any other kind of government" hardly moved from 61 percent last year.

Duterte delivered his Independence Day speech for the first time at the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite Tuesday. This was where Emilio Aguinaldo, the first President of the Philippines, declared the country's independence from Spain in 1898.

Duterte, however, was met with about 10 protesters calling for his ouster. He asked the police to deal with the demonstrators with maximum tolerance and called on Filipinos to "defend our cherished democratic ideals now and in the years to come."Pt. Roberts, WA; Delta, BC - June 12, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) www.Investorideas.com, a global news source covering leading sectors including marijuana and hemp stocks and its "potcast" site, www.potcasts.ca release today's edition of its series, Investorideas.com potcastsCM - cannabis news and stocks to watch plus insight from thought leaders and experts.

Listen to the podcast: Investor Ideas #Potcasts; #Cannabis News and Stocks on the Move; TSXV:XLY, CSE: SNN, OTCQB: KSHB, Senate approves legislation in Canada

http://www.investorideas.com/http://www.investorideas.com/Audio/Podcasts/2018/061218-StocksToWatch.mp3

Investor Ideas #Potcasts; #Cannabis News and Stocks on the Move; Canopy Growth, CannTrust Holdings, CannaRoyalty, iAnthus

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 Canopy Growth Corporation (TSX: WEED and NYSE: CGC), CannTrust Holdings Inc. (TSX: TRST), CannaRoyalty Corp. (CSE: CRZ and OTCQX: CNNRF) and iAnthus Capital Holdings, Inc. (CSE: IAN and OTCQB: ITHUF).

Canopy Growth Corporation provided updates on its medical cannabis program and re-affirmed its strong commitment to medical cannabis, the patients who depend on it, and the Healthcare Professionals who prescribe it.

Marking a major milestone for medical cannabis in Canada, a Phase IIb "in-human" clinical trial application was submitted by Canopy Health Innovations Inc. to evaluate the use of medical cannabis in the treatment of insomnia. Having received approval to proceed with these clinical trials in the form of a No Objection Letter (NOL) from Health Canada, Canopy Health will now proceed with these robust clinical trials, in collaboration with a leading Canadian research institution.

Also, as previously announced, starting in July 2018, Dr. Mark Ware will commence his role as the Company's Chief Medical Officer. Under his leadership the Company will continue to lead the global medical cannabis industry forward with a focus on research, product innovation, and stakeholder education in the numerous regions where Spectrum Cannabis operates, including Latin America, Australia, Europe and North America.

Finally, in order to honor the company's commitment to affordable medical cannabis and pricing predictability for patients, Canopy Growth announced that upon the passing of the Cannabis Act, the Company will absorb the proposed excise tax on all Spectrum Cannabis products sold in Canada. Affordability is a key consideration for patients. It is important today to show leadership and reduce the price burden placed on our customers,while we work towards insurance eligibility for medical cannabis.

On top of this, all Spectrum Cannabis dried flower products will be priced at $8.50 per gram or less. If a registered customer is currently paying more for a Spectrum flower product this means new savings, and if they are paying less that price will remain the same. As always, Spectrum Cannabis products available online through TweedMainStreet.com are eligible for our industry-first Compassionate Pricing Program that assists those on limited incomes afford their medicine.

CannTrust Holdings Inc., one of Canada's leading licensed producers of medical cannabis, announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Niagara College to collaborate in the development of the College's Commercial Cannabis Production (CCP) Graduate Certificate program. The program will strengthen CannTrust's workforce production capabilities and help fill the growing demand for knowledgeable employees in the booming cannabis industry.

With the launch of this new program, Niagara College will become the first Canadian post-secondary institution to offer credits in Commercial Cannabis Production. CannTrust will be awarding six students with scholarships as part of the program's inauguration. The College and CannTrust are excited to be participating in shaping the future of Canada's cannabis industry and look forward to welcoming the program's first student intake in September 2018.

CannaRoyalty Corp., a leading North American cannabis products and brands company, announced today that its investee company Anandia Laboratories Inc. has signed a binding term sheet to be acquired by Aurora Cannabis Inc. for approximately $115 million. CannaRoyalty owns 16.5% of Anandia, and its equity stake is valued at approximately $19 million based on the acquisition valuation, representing an almost 400% return on investment.

This acquisition advances CannaRoyalty's stated strategy of partnering or rationalizing select assets that the Company has deemed non-core to its go-forward strategy and more valuable to other parties. The proceeds will be used to fund expansion and further acquisitions without dilution for shareholders and the acquisition by one of Canada's largest LPs validates the significant long-term potential that CannaRoyalty identified in the analytics, testing and genetics verticals.

iAnthus Capital Holdings, Inc., which owns, operates, and partners with licensed cannabis operations throughout the United States, announced today that Mayflower Medicinals, Inc. has signed a Host Community Agreement with the City of Lowell, Massachusetts, to operate a Medical Marijuana Treatment Center located at 450 Chelmsford Street. Lowell, Massachusetts.

Mayflower intends to diligently pursue a Special Permit at the site. If granted, the dispensary is expected to be one of only two operating dispensaries within the Lowell city limits.

"The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the City of Lowell have abided by high program standards that are firmly focused on patient care and regulatory compliance," said John Henderson, Chief Development Officer of iAnthus. "Mayflower is honored to have successfully completed its host community agreement with Lowell, which adds significant value to the project by documenting a supportive relationship between the City and the development of the Registered Marijuana Dispensary site."

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800-665-0411June 12, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Howard Klein of RK Equities and the "Lithium-ion Bull" newsletter expresses his thoughts on several different segments of the lithium market.

Lithium equities these past two or three years have often been the land of the Deaf, Dumb and Blind: Most Institutional Investors, Certain Sell-side Analysts, and Mass Affluent Retail are playing bitcoin, cannabis and Tesla, but not yet playing battery materials.

Despite bouts of over-exuberance in selected issuers, the "Lucky Country," Australia, has been a welcoming home to more than a handful of #Lithium Pinball Wizards of and in Oz. Hard rock names in Western Australia in particular, but more broadly, an ASX listing has generally resulted in a lower cost of equity capital than a TSX or AIM listing for lithium developers. Orocobre, Pilbara, Galaxyto name threehave all managed to raise equity capital when they needed it at relatively high valuations. The KiDs R Alright is one of many The Who metaphors I have used to describe Kidman Resources Ltd. (KDR:ASX) over the past year. Lithium Mr. Market is ripe for some Kidman history rhymes. To enable more Mass Affluent Retail to experience "Life in the Fast Lane."

Eight months after I penned a Seeking Alpha Blog as an open letter to Global X Management with a roadmap to improve its lithium index, Amplify Advanced Battery Metals and Materials ETF (BATT) has emerged as a competitor to that which I called DIM LIT, but have had a bit of change of heart in H1 lithium volatility. Global X Lithium and Battery Tech ETF (LIT) grew assets under management (AUM) from $150 million to $1 billion from September to January. BATT currently has $2 million AUM. I will be keeping close watch to the absolute and relative AUMs of these two each quarter.

I don't believe Mr. Market thinks of Neometals Ltd. (NMT:ASX) as a 10K hydroxide producer by 2021, but that seems the plan for ~$200 million capex, a quite manageable number for a lithium producer, which should be accretive to that which I called Cash Machine NMT last September.

Silver Coast Research does a good job for Neometals referencing Matt Bohlsen's Seeking Alpha article.

I consider much about Silver Coast's commentary on Piedmont Lithium Ltd. (PLL:ASX) (and AVZ) to be on point and would encourage you to read my extensive comments within this Seeking Alpha post. My main quibble is that he seems to present the false choice of picking only one lithium stock and seems to have a short-term trader mentality (buying Piedmont Lithium last fall near a top only to sell at a loss while a recovery seems to be in its early stages). Neometals and Piedmont Lithium are largely different kettles of fish. I believe it prudent to have more than two lithium stocks and Piedmont's uniqueness qualified it for my Screaming Buy album in April. Neometals was among the runners up. Peter Epstein did some constructive Q&A with Piedmont CEO Keith Phillips, published on May 28.

Australian Superthe largest institutional investor in Australiadid some talking with further on-market buying in May. "AustralianSuper Pty. Ltd. is a superannuation manager with more than 2.2 million members and more than $120 billion in assets under management." AustralianSuper increased its stake in Piedmont Lithium from 6.66% to 7.77%.

I expect the ChinAustraliaAsia supply chain from Lithium Rock-to-Chemicals-to-Cathodes-to-Batteries to be mirrored within a few years in this 15-20-year Lithium Supercycle by Hard Rock mines close to traditional auto manufacturing hubs in North America, Europe and Brazil.

Savannah Resources Plc (SAV:LON), a Piedmont lookalike in Portugal could be well placed to feed German, French and British EV makers one day. I expand a bit on this one below.

Sigma Lithium Resources Inc. The good Life Australia exists too in iron ore and lithium-rich Minas Gerais, Brazil. Brazil has a big auto manufacturing industry and BYD is present there. I'll comment on this one in the future.

Savannah controls the largest spodumene deposit in Western Europe. A Scoping Study is to be published in next few weeks.

Market Cap = GBP56M = USD 75M for 75% of project = USD 100M implied market cap for the project

I had the opportunity to meet Savannah CEO David Archer at the Benchmark Minerals New York World Tour and took some notes in a follow up 60-minute call.

Company presentation.

Background: Portugal already produces lithium. Along with the U.S., Zimbabwe and Brazil, Portugal makes up that 510% afterthought of lithium supply after we rattle off Chile, Argentina and Australia/China as main countries producing this magical white powder.

Savannah is 29.9% controlled by the Sultan's family in Oman. This family came into Savannah for its copper project in Oman (and mineral sands in Mozambique) but is very supportive and can/will follow their money. GBP 15 million has been invested in the company to date. GBP 6.6 million by founders/management including GBP 1 million from the CEO.

Lithium in Portugal is now Savannah's main focus. It bought the property in May 2017just one year agofrom an Austrian family who retains 25% free-carried project level interest.

In December, Savannah published a resource of 3 million tons. By February it was 9 million and in April it is at 14.1 million tons, with only 12.5K tons of drilling (150 very shallow holes, all the mineralization is shallow, near surface).

Savannah has an exploration target to grow this by another 8-12 millin tons in the near future, i.e., it hopes to be in the mid-20s this year and over 30 million tons next year.

Within the tenement boundaries are three main mineralized areas so far, but it is Grandeo area (9 million tons) that will be the main focus of scoping study and initial mine plan.

Intercepts/thicknesses have been attractive at 11.2%.

Savannah has Request for Proposal out for full feasibility study with brand-name engineering consultants with experience in the space. Feasibility study will focus on mine development in 2019 and commissioning in 2020 around 1.31.5M tons for 10-year mine life at 150-180Kt 6% spod con.

Met work is strong: using NAGROM in W. Australia (same as Altura uses), getting 6% Li2O grades.

Mine development will have Dense Media Separation and a flotation circuit. 83% recoveries expected.

Savannah is 138km from Porto: second largest port after Lisbon, which is accessible by brand new highway. The company is currently getting quotes for shipping spodumene to China and Hamburg.

There is electricity on site and a lot of hydro and renewable energy nearby at competitive cost/kwh.

Savannah is permitted for 7 million tons of product; it has 30-year mining permit (from 2006).

Savannah's ore is quite comparable to Piedmont with similar feldspar and quartz alongside its plain vanilla lithium pegmatites. Savannah suggests these other minerals will benefit the project in the following ways:

1. reducing tailings volumeit also can do dry stacking so it won't have to de-water

2. byproducts/co-productssell to ceramics industry in Portugal and Spain likely.

Ore has no mica and low iron content.

Savannah suggests Altura as an analogue from deposit type, production profile and re-rating potential as a spodumene producer. It talks about plain vanilla deposit in Europe, for Europe, but has done no real work/thinking in terms of converter possibilities except to say there is potential for it.

Financial Information:

Company Ticker: SAV.L

Stock Price (6/5/18): 8.00

Market Cap: 55 million

Shares Outstanding: 793 million (95 million of which are Options/Warrants)

Average Volume: 1.2 million Shares

Consideration paid to date: AU$2.5 million cash + 40 million shares. Potential milestone payment: AU$1.5 million cash + 20 million shares on a 15 million ton mineral resource

Feasibility study will focus on mine development in 2019 and commissioning in 2020 around 1.31.5 million tons for 10-year mine life at 150-180Kt (Target: 6% spodumene concentrate)

Howard Klein founded New York-based boutique capital markets advisory firm RK Equity in 2002 and has over 25 years of experience raising capital for and investing across multiple investment themes in natural resources, with a particular focus on lithium and other commodities relevant to batteries used in electric vehicles and utility storage. Klein authors and distributes the "Lithium-ion Bull" newsletter, which is widely read by institutional investors and accredited investors in North America, Australia and Europe. www.libull.com. Klein also speaks regularly at investment conferences about the disruptive battery metals thematic.

Disclosure:

1) Howard Klein and Lithium-ion Bull disclosures are below.

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4) This article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.

5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article, until one week after the publication of the interview or article.

Disclaimer

Lithium-ion Bull (Forest Hills) is a periodic publication, written through my advisory firm RK Equity Advisors, LLC. I may act, or may have acted in the past, as a financial advisor, or capital raiser for certain of the companies mentioned herein and may receive, or may have received, remuneration for services from those companies. I, RK Equity as well as their respective partners, directors, shareholders, and employees may hold stock, options or warrants in issuers mentioned herein and may make purchases and/or sales from time to time, subject, of course, to restricted periods in which we may possess material, non-public information. As of the date of this publication RK Equity or I own stock and options in Piedmont Lithium, stock in Kidman Resources, Altura Mining and Orocobre. RK Equity is also a retained advisor to Piedmont Lithium from which it expects to receive between $100,000-180,000 in cash compensation in 2018. The information contained herein is not financial advice and whether in part or in its entirety, neither constitutes an offer nor makes any recommendation to buy or sell any securities.

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Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.(CNN)  Nearly five hours of unprecedented and surreal talks between US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un culminated on Tuesday with fulsome declarations of a new friendship but just vague pledges of nuclear disarmament.

"We both want to do something. We both are going to do something. And we have developed a very special bond. So, people are going to be very impressed. People are going to be very happy," Trump said at the conclusion of the landmark summit during a formal ceremony.

The document he and Kim signed said the North Korean leader "reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." In exchange, Trump agreed to "provide security guarantees" to North Korea.

Related: Full text of Trump-Kim signed statement

But there was no mentioning the previous US aim of "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization." And Kim's commitments did not appear to go beyond what he already pledged to do in April when he met South Korean President Moon Jae-in along their countries' border.

Tuesday's summit was the result of an extraordinary gamble for both Trump and Kim, the rogue kingdom's despotic leader. Trump hailed the talks as a historic, and personal, achievement.

"We learned a lot about each other and our countries," Trump said after sitting next to Kim and signing the document, which was bound in a leather binder. "I learned he's a very talented man."

He said he would "absolutely" extend an invitation to the White House to Kim, who also heralded a new era.

"Today, we had a historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind," Kim said through a translator. "The world will see a major change."

READ: Road to Singapore: How we got here

The two men  both intent on making history  greeted each other earlier in the day with extended hands in front of a row of US and North Korean flags, a previously unthinkable sight that reflects a new chapter in the two countries' acrimonious relationship.

Trump's threats to politely walk out of the meeting if his expectations were unmet did not materialize. Instead he predicted he could "solve a big problem, a big dilemma" alongside his new partner.

"Working together, we'll get it taken care of," Trump said.

The remarks came amid an improbable series of events that few could have anticipated even three months ago. The unlikely images of US and North Korean counterparts engaging in friendly dialogue lent the day an air of unreality. In a detailed menu, the White House said the men were served Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Other developments also fueled that impression. Minutes before the historic handshake, Trump tweeted that his top economic adviser Larry Kudlow had suffered a heart attack. Immediately after the encounter, Dennis Rodman -- one of the only Americans to have met Kim -- was openly weeping while being interviewed by CNN's Chris Cuomo.

Even Kim seemed to acknowledge the surreality of the day.

"Many people in the world will think of this as a (inaudible) form of fantasy ... from a science fiction movie," his translator was overheard saying as the two leaders walked down a white-columned colonnade.

The day began with Trump patting Kim on the back and placing his hand on the North Korean's shoulder as they walked into their first meeting. Their body language was openly friendly, a striking warmth given Kim's iron grip on power and dismal record on human rights. Trump's move to meet him attracted fierce criticism for normalizing a regime routinely called out for its human rights abuses, that over years has built an image of fearsome renegade regime, throwing around threats of nuclear war.

It was not clear whether Trump raised those issues during the meetings. When asked if he confronted Kim over the death of Otto Warmbier -- the American who died days after his release from North Korean captivity -- Trump did not respond.

Speaking through an interpreter, Kim alluded to the longstanding enmity between his country and the United States.

"It has not been easy to come to this point," Kim said, according to a CNN translation of his remarks. "For us, the past has been holding us back and old practices and prejudices have been covering our eyes and ears, but we have been able to overcome everything to arrive here today."

Trump nodded in agreement.

The meeting comes only months after the two men traded nuclear taunts, ratcheting up tensions and leading to fears of war.

Whether nuclear disarmament is indeed the outcome of Tuesday's summit won't be known for years, if not decades. But the dramatic act of extending his hand to one of America's longtime adversaries will forever illustrate Trump's gut-driven, norm-shattering tenure.

After the men shook hands, they repaired inside for one-on-one talks. In that first meeting they were joined only by translators, a break from standard practice of having at least one aide present for high-stakes huddles.

Later in the day, advisers joined the talks for a larger bilateral session and a working lunch. Trump was joined by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, chief of staff John Kelly, national security adviser John Bolton and the US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, who has lent his Korea expertise to the talks.

In the lead-up to the summit, US and North Korean officials were convening contentious final-hour negotiations in a Ritz Carlton hotel here in a bid to narrow gaps on key aspects of the meeting.

It's not clear what the US side has been able to extract from the North Koreans in terms of their willingness to get rid of their nuclear weapons or allow inspectors into the country to catalog the scale of their program.

Trump took keen interest in the pageantry of the day, insisting the pictures beamed around the world reflect a commanding leader making a decisive, world-altering move. At the same time, he'd admitted he doesn't believe he requires extensive preparation to take stock of Kim.

Instead, he told reporters last weekend he would rely on "my touch, my feel" to assess the young and mercurial leader.

On Monday, the White House announced that Trump would depart earlier than expected for Washington. But before he leaves, he'll sit for an interview with his friend, the Fox host Sean Hannity, and convene a media availability for other reporters.

A US official confirmed to CNN Trump's departure was moved up by more than 12 hours because Kim set his own departure for shortly after the summit.

Tuesday's meeting, convened at a luxury hotel on the island of Sentosa, comes just three months after Trump accepted North Korea's invitation for talks on the spot. It was an extraordinarily compressed timeline for the landmark summit, one that left aides scrambling to initiate communication with the hermit nation.

The sides first spoke through intelligence channels, with US analysts working to determine Kim's true willingness to abandon a nuclear program started by his grandfather and viewed by Pyongyang as a security blanket from outside aggressors.

Pompeo, who led the outreach as CIA director, traveled twice to North Korea for preliminary talks. His sessions with Kim amounted to the most robust contact ever between the United States and the North Korean leader, providing critical information about a man about whom little is known.

But a major advancement came in late April when South Korea's Moon met with Kim at the Korean Demilitarized Zone, a diplomatic opening that laid the basis for the future engagement with Trump. Moon has pressed for a diplomatic path to east tensions on the peninsula, fearing a more violent alternative.

Talks proceeded at multiple levels, including logistical discussions to allay Kim's fears of being deposed while traveling further afield than he ever has before as the country's leader. The site of the historic talks was a matter of intense speculation before the US President announced on Twitter it would occur here in Singapore, the flashy Southeast Asian city-state that has eagerly accommodated the spectacle.

More than 2,500 journalists have convened here, with each leader's every movement tracked carefully. A day before the summit, Trump mostly remained inside his Shangri-la hotel, emerging only to meet with his Singaporean counterpart at the presidential palace. Later in the day, he met with senior advisers and phoned the leaders of Japan and South Korea.

Kim, meanwhile, was spotted taking a moonlit stroll around the high-end Marina Bay Sands hotel and casino, which is owned by GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson. Kim was cheered by onlookers who caught sight of the dictator, who until earlier this spring was not believed to have ever left North Korea as supreme leader.(CNN)  China has lodged a protest with the U.S. following the official opening of Washington's new de facto embassy in Taiwan, a self-ruled island off China's southeastern coast that Beijing considers a renegade province.

"The United States sending officials to Taiwan under any excuses is in serious violation of the 'one China' principle," said Geng Shuang, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said Tuesday. "It interferes with China's internal affairs and negatively impacts China-U.S. relations."

"We urge the U.S. to abide by its pledge to China and correct its mistake to avoid harming China-U.S. relations and peace in the Taiwan Strait."

The American Institute in Taiwan, as the de facto U.S. embassy in Taipei is called, was officially declared open Tuesday morning, in a ceremony attended by senior U.S. diplomats and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.

In an opening address, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce, described the sprawling five-story complex, which cost $255 million to build, as much more than mere bricks and mortar.

"AIT's new home is both a tangible symbol that reflects the strength of our ties, and a state-of-the-art facility that will make possible even greater cooperation for years to come," said Royce,.

Like most governments of the world, Washington officially sticks to a "one China" policy, acknowledging Taiwan being part of China and maintaining formal diplomatic relations only with Beijing.

The island remains an important American ally in the region, however. Under President Donald Trump, close unofficial ties between the U.S. and Taiwan have grown stronger.

Speaking at ceremony Tuesday, Taiwanese President Tsai underscored those ties. "As free and open democracies, we have an obligation to work with one another to defend our values and protect our joint interests," said Tsai. "As long as we stand together, nothing can come between us."

Despite condemnations from China, the U.S. continues to sell advanced weapons to the island under the Taiwan Relations Act for its self-defense against a much bigger Chinese military.

In the past few months, the Trump administration also angered Beijing by authorizing U.S. manufacturers to sell submarine technology to Taiwan, as well as enacting the Taiwan Travel Act to encourage official visits between the U.S. and the island.

Complicated history

China and Taiwan  officially the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China, respectively  split in 1949 following the Communist victory on the mainland after a civil war.

The two sides have been governed separately since, though a shared cultural and linguistic heritage largely endures  with Mandarin spoken as the official language in both places.

Although both Beijing and Taipei view the island as part of China, neither government recognizes the legitimacy of the opposing side.

There is a strong pro-independence sentiment within Taiwan's current ruling party led by Tsai, prompting Beijing to harden its stance and stress its long-standing promise to retake the island by force if necessary.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, the country's most powerful leader in decades who recently vowed to safeguard "every inch of our great motherland's territory," ordered ramped-up military exercises around the island in recent months.

These included live-fire drills, sailing China's only aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait, and dispatching its fighters and bombers for "encirclement patrols."

With its rapidly rising economic and political might, China has also seen greater success in poaching Taiwan's fewer than 20 remaining diplomatic allies  mostly small and poor countries in the Pacific and the Caribbean.

Both Burkina Faso and the Dominican Republic switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing last month, infuriating Tsai who accused China of "dollar diplomacy." Burkina Faso's switch was particularly hard-hitting, leaving Swaziland as Taiwan's sole African ally.

"China's suppression will only make Taiwan's partnerships in the international community even closer," she said last month. "We will never give in."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Washington opens de facto embassy in Taiwan, angering China."



1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand.

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.Former Panamanian president Ricardo Martinelli was extradited [press release] to Panama Monday to face four charges of illegally monitoring private communications, and for embezzling over $10 million in public funds.

The extradition honored a 1905 treaty [text, PDF].

Martinelli fled Panama in January 2015. The Supreme Court of Justice of the Republic of Panama issued an arrest warrant [JURIST report] in December of that year.

Martinelli was then arrested [JURIST report] in Florida in June 2017. In August 2017 a US magistrate judge ruled that Martinelli would be sent back to Panama. Martinellis petition for a writ of habeas corpus was denied by the federal district court in the Southern District of Florida in January.

Martinelli served as Panamas president from 2009 to 2014. According to the extradition request from Panamas government, Martinelli monitored more than 150 people, ranging from political allies, opponents, and their families to union leaders between 2012 and 2014. He is believed to have conducted most of the alleged illegal activity through an extensive surveillance system called the National Security Council, which carried out confidential activities at the direction of Martinelli. The surveillance reportedly cost Panama two million dollars, but the surveillance equipments whereabouts are still unknown.

The case will proceed in Panama.Qatar filed an Application Instituting Proceedings [text, PDF] against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) [official website] on Monday, accusing the UAE of discriminating against Qataris in violation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) [text].

Qatar accuses the UAE of, among other things, prohibit[ing] by law any speech deemed to be in support of Qatar or opposed to the actions taken against Qatar, clos[ing] UAE airspace and seaports to Qatar and Qataris and prohibit[ing] all inter-state transport, which together with coordinated measures enacted simultaneously by other nearby states, rendered Qatar inaccessible by air, by land, and by sea, and expell[ing] all Qataris within its borders, without exception, giving them just two weeks to leave.

Qatar is calling on the court to order the UAE to cease and revoke discriminatory measures, condemn and criminalize inciting discrimination, restore rights to Qataris, and make reparations for the harms that were caused by the UAEs actions.

The UAE, Egypt, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia had stated in July 2017 that they were willing to talk [JURIST report] with Qatar regarding the actions taken against Qatar. The four nations had imposed the actions against Qatar after accusing it of condoning and funding terrorism.Women's Softball | 06/11/2018

*The CSB softball team is in Europe June 3-12 for some sightseeing and a few games. Various members of the team have volunteered to write guest blog posts throughout the trip to share their experiences with csbblazers.com. The second guest blogger is junior third basemanand sophomoreBrno with Amanda:Today was another big travel day for the CSB softball team! From Vienna, we traveled about two hours to Brno, which is in the Czech Republic. Unlike most of the states in the European Union which use euros, the Czech Republic has its own currency called the Czech koruna. 1 US dollar = 0.85 euros = 21.87 koruna.We stopped in Brno for a few hours to explore, shop, and grab lunch. Some of the places we visited were the beautiful Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul (where there was a wedding in session, how cool!) and the Capuchin Monastery and Vault, where some Capuchin friars and other prominent individuals are buried. The Mikolich family, Olson family, and I also climbed a crazy amount of stairs to get to the top of the Old Town Hall to take in a great view of the city  well worth it! Of course, the food was great, as usual. I got gelato for the 100th time on this trip, and Maya got a delicious-looking, sugar-coated puff pastry filled with ice cream and chocolate sauce.Then, we got back on the bus and traversed the scenic rolling hills until we arrived at our hotel in Prague. Our hotel rooms here have AC and excellent food! 10/10 recommend.Castle tours with Maddie:

Day 2 in Prague, Czech Republic! We started our day off with a continental breakfast at the hotel. Shortly after, the guide for our walking tour of Prague's famous castle arrived and began informing us about all its fine history. One interesting fact is that it's the official residence of the President here in Czech! As we walked through the streets of Prague's Castle, we enjoyed viewing the colorful buildings, courtyards, and scenery.

Then we made our way over to the Karlstejn Castle, which is a 14th century gothic-style castle. We were escorted by foot, horse-drawn carriage, or van. Most of us chose the horse-drawn carriage to avoid the 20 minute up hill walk. About half way to the entrance of the castle, we stopped for some refreshing slushies and waited for our tour to begin. The castle held many royal treasures, wall paintings, and portraits. Overall, it was a great day to learn more about the castles of the Czech Republic.For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browserVideos

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.Teouma Greenhill Primary School Council is requesting the contribution of everyone in Port Vila to help raise funds for new school facilities in a fundraising this coming Friday at Sea FrontUPDATE: Power has now been restored to the affected areas of west Medford, according to Pacific Power.

(Updated as of 1:00 p.m. on Monday, June 11)

Pacific Power has confirmed that the power outage in west Medford was caused by a car crashing into a power pole. There is no word yet on whether anyone was injured in the crash.

Power crews expect to have the pole repaired and power restored by 2 p.m. today.

(Updated as of 12:20 p.m. on Monday, June 11)

MEDFORD, Ore.  Pacific Power is currently reporting an outage of 270 customers in west Medford, near the intersection of W McAndrews Road and W Jackson Street.

NewsWatch 12 is working to confirm the cause of the outage and how long it will be in effect. This is a developing story.EAGLE POINT, Ore.  Dennis C.W. Smith died overnight after a long battle with Alzheimers.

A native Oregonian, C.W. was born in Medford and raised in Central Point. He graduated from Crater High School in 1966, where he was elected as the student body vice-president.

Following high school, he served in the United States Air Force and is a Vietnam veteran.

From 1983 to 1995 C.W. was the Jackson County Sheriff, where he was involved with new and innovated programs, including Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) which he brought to the kids of Jackson county. He was elected president of Southern Oregon Drug Awareness and is responsible for revitalizing Jackson county's Search and Rescue program and reinvigorating the Jackson county Marine Patrol program. C.W. was voted Oregon Sheriff of the Year from 1989 to 1990. From 2003 to 2004 C.W. served as the Jackson County Sheriff's Administrative Services Division Captain.

In addition to Jackson county law enforcement C.W. served as police chief for the city of Talent, the interim city manager for Lakeview, a radio talk show host, a private insurance business owner, a farmer, and an artist.

In 2005 he was elected as a Jackson County Board Commissioner and was re-elected in 2008. In the past, he served as chair 2007, 2008, and 2011, and vice chair 2010.

According to his website biography, during the 2012 calendar year, Commissioner Smith was the board liaison to the following county departments and/or committees: Animal Control Program under Health and Human Services, Community Justice, District Attorney, Justice Court, Urban Renewal and Economic Development, Natural Resources Advisory Committee (NRAC), Veterans' Advisory Committee, and Watermaster, as well as the Urban Renewal Agency, White City Enhanced Law Enforcement District, and White City Lighting District.

Commissioner Smith also serves as liaison to the following: Association of Oregon Counties (AOC), Job Council, Regional Advisory Committee (RAC), Rural Community Development (RC&D), Soil and Water Conservation District, Vector Control, and Watershed Council.

On his website biography he says "I was born and raised in Jackson county and have served in the public and private sectors all my adult life. I am pro-people and pro-business and have devoted myself to issues related to our environment. My goals include enhancing education, promoting family wage jobs, and supporting a robust economy while preserving our unique quality of life."

He leaves behind his wife Gina, and three adult children.

This is a developing story, and we will be updating it with more information and remembrances of C.W. If you have any thoughts, memories, or well-wishes regarding C.W., please share them in the comments belowor visit our Facebook page to post photos.YREKA, Calif.  The California Water Boards are in the early stages of considering the decommission and removal of four dams along the Klamath River in Siskiyou and Klamath counties.

The move comes after a nonprofit organization called the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) applied with federal authorities to decommission the entire Lower Klamath Projecta shorthand for the series of dams that regulate water flow along the lower Klamath River.

If the application goes forward, the J.C. Boyle dam in Klamath County, and the Copco No. 1, Copco No. 2, and Iron Gate dams in Siskiyou County would all be decommissioned and removed.

Currently, the Water Boards are only considering a water quality certification submitted by the KRRC, and opening the issue up for public comment in regards to the potential impacts on water quality should the dams be removed.

KRRC is currently reviewing the Water Boards draft conditions of certification, said KRRC Executive Director Mark Bransom. Along with the proposed certification from the State of Oregon, the issuance of this draft certification from California is another positive and important step forward in implementing Klamath River Renewal Project.

This latest announcement is part of a legacy that stretches back years. In 2010, a long list of interested partiesbut primarily PacificCorp and a coalition of Klamath River tribesreached the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement, providing a roadmap for the removal of those four dams by 2020. That agreement was amended in 2016.

The settlement sought to eventually return the Klamath River to "free-flowing" conditions, allowing fish to pass along the river unhindered by man-made dams.

With their application to move ahead with the decomissioning of those dams, and the request for water quality certification, the KRRC seeks to move ahead with the agreement and accelerate the process.

The Water Boards will be taking public comment until July 23, 2018. Comments can be emailed to them at WR401Program@waterboards.ca.gov.

The draft certification from California Water Boards may be viewed below:ROGUE RIVER, Ore.- The Jackson County Sheriffs Office is hosting the Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB) Drift Boat Operations Course.

The 2018 class is held June 11th through June 15th. More than 40 students and instructors from law enforcement agencies around the state will attend the week-long course.

Jackson County has hosted the annual training event for several years. They say the Rogue River provides an ideal environment for personnel to learn to operate non-motorized boats in patrol and rescue scenarios.

Students will learn a variety of techniques for river rescue and personal safety/survival, all while learning to navigate through rapids and obstacles. Students will also learn about updates to state boating laws and safety resources.

For more information about boating rules and regulations, click here.Leftists are collectively morons. They cannot even get their basic platform straight and this is why they are a laughing stock and nobody w/ even a hint of cognitive thinking skills takes any of their silly trumpertantrums masquerading as protests seriously.



Leftists:



"they are kneeling during the anthem to protest against the police because they keep shooting black people!!!!"



Normal people:



Do you know that white people are killed by police far more than black people and statistically natives are killed far more often than both?



Leftists:



Yes, but black lives matter!! We must bring attention to this issue



Normal people:



Ok, this is an understandable argument and we agree that this is a problem that should be addressed. It is unfortunate that you feel the need to compartmentalize this into some sort of race issue when the real problem is that our police force has become militarized and seemingly has little to no accountability but i digress. So what do you propose that we do about this very, very serious issue?





Leftists:



Oh, that is easy. Take all of the guns away from the people and concentrate them in the hands of the state!!!A marijuana plant is shown at a commercial grow in Springfield, Ore., May 24, 2018. Mayors from six U.S. cities where marijuana is legal have formed a coalition with the aim of preparing other states and the federal government for marijuana legalization. Mayors from Denver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and West Sacramento announced Monday, June 11, 2018, on Twitter that they had sponsored the resolution. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)Two people hold a modified design of the Canadian flag with a marijuana leaf in in place of the maple leaf during the "420 Toronto" rally in Toronto, April 20, 2016. Many Canadian workplaces aren't nearly ready for the fast-approaching legalization of marijuana, the World Cannabis Congress has been told. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark BlinchIn this May 17, 2018 photo, a sewing kit once belonging to author Louisa May Alcott rests on a table in the room where she slept and wrote "Little Women" at Orchard House, in Concord, Mass. A century and a half before the #MeToo movement gave women a bold, new collective voice, Louisa May Alcott was lending them her own. Alcott's "Little Women" has inspired major motion pictures - and millions of girls - since it was published in 1868. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)Assessment notices now being received by Central Okanagan homeowners are said to reflect their property's likely selling point had it been on the market last July 1st. But market prices have risen since then.Housing starts have plunged in Kelowna because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but city officials believe there will be a 'quick rebound' in the development industry.RNG said: That same agreement or in fact stronger versions of that type of agreement have been reached muliple times before. Did they work? Hell no.



And you are naive enough to think this time will be different? Click to expand...

Every U.S. president has had a different set of circumstances/relationships with NoKo so as usual the RWingDings feel obliged to compare apples and pineapples....but Trump wasn't so anxious to play footsy with NoKo a year ago. Remember the "fire and fury" exchange? So Kimmy tried a different tact and Trump slurped it up, especially when the chit-chat commenced about a Nobel prize. Vlad probably called Kimmy and advised him to use the "nicey nicey" approach....a few compliments and Trump will melt like buttah!! LOLWhen Obama was in office the. Throughout his presidency, Obama warned and criticized North Korea for testing nuclear bombs and implored the Chinese government to help alleviate the aggression.In his 2014 visit to South Korea, Obama said the U.S. would not hesitate to use our military might to defend allies, especially against a pariah state that would rather starve its people than feed their hopes and dreams.When Bush was in office he dubbed NoKo the "axis of evil". North Korea is a regime arming with missiles and weapons of mass destruction while starving its citizens, Bush said. During Bushs presidency, North Korea admitted that it had developed a nuclear weapons program, the New York Times reported in 2002.During Bill Clinton's presidency, Bill tried to play nice with NK. Bill Clinton approved a plan which would provide more than $4 billion in energy aid to North Korea over 10 years. In return, North Korea was expected to disband and dismantle its nuclear weapons program. Guess what? NoKo broke the agreement. Clinton didn't use the words "fire and fury" but he made himself pretty clear about what would happen if NK attacked.AND now here we are--20 years of war games, as Trump likes to call them, and HE THINKS this go-around will be different. WE'll see.Cal Little, 52, was found guilty of robbery with a prohibited firearm, three counts of possession of a firearm without a licence, occupying a vehicle knowing a firearm was present, possession of a loaded prohibited shotgun and possession of a prohibited shotgun with readily accessible ammunition.This handout picture taken Tuesday, June 12, 2018 and provided by Jean-Baptiste Chaumie shows police officers at the scene of an hostage-taking in Paris, France. Police in riot gear on Tuesday surrounded the entrance of a building in central Paris where a man was holding two people hostage, police headquarters said. (AP Photo)This handout photo released on Tuesday, June 12, 2018 by French NGO "SOS Mediterranee" and posted on it's Twitter account shows an Italian maritime officer, left, distributing food to a crew member of the Aquarius ship, in the Mediterranean Sea. Italy's new "Italians first" government claimed victory Monday when the Spanish prime minister offered safe harbor to a private rescue ship after Italy and Malta refused to allow it permission to disembark its 629 migrant passengers in their ports. (Kenny Karpov/SOS Mediterranee via AP)FILE - In this June 10, 2018 file photo, rapper Meek Mill performs at HOT 97 Summer Jam 2018 in East Rutherford, N.J. Pennsylvania's highest court won't remove a judge from Meek Mill's long-running criminal case, but one justice says the rapper can raise the issue again after a hearing next week. Three judges denied Mill's request Tuesday to replace Philadelphia Judge Genece Brinkley, and three supported it. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)FILE- In this Oct. 27, 2017, file photo, actress Rose McGowan speaks at the inaugural Women's Convention in Detroit. A grand jury in Virginia has indicted the actress on one felony count of cocaine possession. McGowan's trial date will be set Tuesday. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)Sabcat said: Translation





Once again i cannot back up my absurd statements so i will just throw insults and obscenities like a child.







So predictable tris, so predictable. Click to expand...

You guys need to chill the fuck out. Step back...pour yourselves a glass of wine. Smoke some medical marijuana.Personal anecdote: There was this guy I used to know. Worked at the factory I worked at before I joined the Army. Anyway he worked as a packer at the factory, at the time I was a janitor. Don't laugh, I was 19 making pretty good money. Anyway he flipped his lid, blew his parents away and shot a couple deputy sheriffs. They had extra security at the plant because they thought he'd attack. He ended up getting cornered at a decrepit Pepsi Bottling plant in the area. They had National Guard choppers, National guard infantry, trackers, you name it, after this guy. Full on fucking Rambo-style. Bob, that was his name, Bob Raymond....Bob would've loved being remembered like Rambo. At the factory everybody called him "Crazy Bob", behind his back and to his face. I was a janitor and I said nothing to anybody and listened to everything. I was happy to put in my shift, go home and have a couple beers, and maybe carouse a little with my friends. Pretty low stress.Anyway, ended up with his job and a big raise.EUGENE, Ore. -- The 4J school district said five staff members at Churchill High School were given a letter of directive after they kneeled during the National Anthem at a student assembly.

Kerry Delf with 4J said the letters were handed out just after that assembly on June 1.

Delf said the letters are simply a reminder to staff members that making political statements during school hours is not allowed.

She said no disciplinary action was taken.

"There's no discipline, nobody has been disciplined," said Delf. "But, we want all of our staff to understand that our students come from all backgrounds, our students have all different views, and our role is to help them become productive, engaged citizens, rather than engaging in political demonstration ourselves."

Delf said if employees don't wish to take part in the National Anthem, they can talk about that with an administrator and arrangements will be made.OAKRIDGE, Ore. -- Oakridge Mayor Jim Coey resigned from office late last week amid a recall effort.

In an interview with KEZI 9 News, Coey said he was being harassed by community members because he was trying to make a difference.

Two Oakridge residents who sit on the city's planning commission began gathering signatures earlier this year to recall Coey. They said he had held a private meeting with two other councilors to ask City Administrator Louis Gomez to resign, potentially in violation of Oregon's public meetings law for elected officials.

Coey said the recall effort that was underway against him when he stepped down would not have been successful. His term would have expired at the end of the year.SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- A Springfield student said he found the passion to learn through CTE programs.

Employers throughout Western Oregon are losing qualified employees to retirement. That's why KEZI is partnering with industry leaders in the "Skilled to Work" campaign.

Alec Mitchell was supposed to attend Sheldon High School, but his mother said he wasn't particularly motivated. She said he struggled through middle school and was dreading the next four years. She said she looked around for options to help him and found an outstanding shop and auto program at Springfield High School.

"I get to do something else than sit in a chair," Alec said. "I get to work and tinker on stuff like this. I get to figure out what's wrong with the car. It's kind of like math. You have to diagnose the problem and fix it."

Math is something Mitchell said he feels more confident about thanks to his CTE classes. He said he can sit through his daily classes because he knows, at some point during the day, he gets to work with his hands. He said he's even thinking of making a career out of these skills.MANTORVILLE, Minn. - For the fourth year in a row dairy farmers are experiencing devastatingly low prices for their milk. The downward trend has forced some people to lose their livelihoods.

Local farmers tell KIMT it is a problem of supply and demand. As farmers have became more efficient over the years with milk production there is now a surplus across America.

Karen and Willie Naatz own a dairy farm north of Mantorville.

"You don't dairy farm because you want to get rich, you dairy farm because you love it.This is our passion, this is something we love. We grew up with it, it's in our blood," said Karen Naatz.

More than 200 cows call Naatz Dairy Farm home.

"I'm out here by 2:30a.m. every morning and we are kicking on milkers at 3:00a.m.. We are usually done with milking by 7:30 quarter to 8 and then it's clean up," explained Naatz.

Up until last October Naatz's milked three times a day but with a shortage in labor and the low milk prices they opted to milk just twice a day.

"We've got as low as close to the $12-$13 dollars, most people probably need $18 and that is just breaking even that is not putting a lot of extra money in the pocketbook."

They are just one of hundreds of families that are feeling the pinch on the pocketbook.

"It's some stressful times right now it's hard to make ends meet and make things cash flow on the farm," said Paul Daley, owner of Daley Farms.

Daley and some of his siblings share the business together, milking about 1,000 cows. It's a family operation that milks around the clock, with a lot of hired help.

"80-thousand pounds a day with the 1,000 cows which equates to about 9,000 gallons per day," said Daley while explaining how much milk the cows produced daily.

As the years have progressed farmers have became more efficient.

"The reality is that we are out-producing demand in the U.S. and to make that profitable for our dairy farmers we need to export that milk out of the U.S," said Matt Dodd a Veterinarian with Anderson Veterinary Services.

Dodd said he has seen the decline of the family farm and it has hit hard within the last six months.

"With our practice we have lost six clients since the first of the year we normally lose one maybe two a year over the last ten years that I've been here," said Dodd.

He added that we live in a global economy and we need to think globally.

"Around 15-percent right now is exported and if we can move that up to 20-25 percent that would be huge for the dairy industry in the United States," explained Dodd.

"Oh gosh, this one is more expensive and it says Select may this one is better for me versus this 2-percent down at the bottom of the shelf that isn't Select. What's the difference? Technically there is no difference that milk is the same across the board it's a good wholesome product there's no antibiotics in any of your milk, there's no hormones in your milk other than what the cow naturally produces just like any female," said Naatz.

There might be some hope on the future horizon for dairy farmers, as producers tell KIMT prices look to increase towards the end of the year. In the meantime they will be forced to live on borrowed money.SIOUX CENTER, Iowa (AP) - A former Sioux Center private school teacher has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a child and agreed to a 15-year prison sentence.

The Sioux City Journal reports Curtis Van Dam pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court to one count of sexual exploitation of a child as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. He agreed to a 15-year term, which is the mandatory minimum required by federal sentencing rules.

Police arrested Van Dam on Oct. 23 after the parents of an 11-year-old boy reported the teacher had sexual contact with their son. He initially faced 146 Iowa counts.

Police say the charges stem from incidents involving numerous children over four years and that the crimes occurred at various locations, including Sioux Center Christian School, where Van Dam worked.ROCHESTER, Minn. - A portion of 16th Ave. NW in Rochester was closed off to traffic due to a gas leak Monday night.

It happened near the intersection of 16th Ave. NW & 1st St. NW when a construction crew was working in the area and hit the gas line with their mini excavator.

Rochester Fire Department was called in to temporarily clamp the line until Minnesota Energy was able to arrive on scene.

The road was closed to through traffic until they arrived.DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) - A Dubuque man and his wife have been accused of stealing more than $200,000 from his 90-year-old mother.

Dubuque County Court records say 64-year-old Howard Derby and 50-year-old Patti Derby are charged with felony dependent adult abuse-exploitation. Her attorney didn't immediately return a call Monday from The Associated Press.

The records don't list the name of an attorney who could comment for Howard Derby.

Court documents say his disabled mother moved in with the couple and that he has been given power of attorney for her finances and medical needs.

The documents say the Derbys took money from her accounts and used it to buy cars and pay for vacations, among other things.MASON CITY, Iowa - South Washington Avenue and its connecting streets perhaps got some of the worst flooding over the weekend.

Residents living in the neighborhood said most of it is because of a pond at Elmwood Cemetery, which sits uphill from the area.

"For us the pond is a very big problem. As pretty as it is, it causes damage and hurts the people down here. So for me the pond isn't worth it," Jennifer Hansen, who lives in the neighborhood, said.

Other residents in the area said the cemetery's pond has grates which are often covered with debri. They said this causes water to overflow, run down the cemetery's road, right into their neighborhood.

"You can even see this morning there's flowers still from the graves down over here, so you know it's all coming from there," she said.

Neighbors have even taken matters into their own hands by removing debri off the grate so more water can flow.

But Randy Opheim, the manager at Elmwood Cemetery, said the pond isn't the one to blame. He said the retention pond has had debri blocking the grate in the past, but that wasn't the cause of the extreme flooding the neighborhood saw. He told KIMT there simply was such a high volume of water, nothing could've stopped the overflow.

No matter the cause, one neighbor said 'something needs to be done.' Hansen agrees.

"A lot of frustration and when it happens we get a little hot headed, you know, about the cemetery or whatever, thinking they can do something to help," she said.NEW HAMPTON, Iowa  Trials are being pushed back for the northeast Iowa parents whose 4-month-old was found dead in an infant swing on August 30.

The delays come in the trials of Cheyanne Harris and Zachary Koehn as a new venue is determined in each of their cases.

Harris and Koehn pleaded not guilty to charges of child endangerment and 1st degree murder in the death of their son, Sterling Koehn.Gold is one of the rarest elements in the world, making up roughly 0.003 parts per million of the earths crust. But how much gold is the world digging up each year and what countries produce the most?

In 2017, global gold mine production was a reported 3,247 tonnes. This figure is down 5 tonnes from the previous year and marks the first annual drop since 2008, according to theGFMS Gold Survey 2018. The driving forces behind the drop in output were environmental concerns, crackdowns on illegal mining operations and rising costs.

This raises the question Ive explored recently  have we reached peak gold? The idea is that all the easy gold has already been discovered and explorers have to dig deeper to find economically viable deposits. For example, South Africa was once the top gold-producing country by far, digging up over 1,000 tonnes in 1970, but annual output has fallen steadily since. On the other hand, several nations have emerged in the last few years as growing gold producers. China and Russia have both seen production in an overall upward trend.

As seen in the chart below, China takes the number one spot of global gold producers by a wide margin, extracting 131 tonnes more than second place Australia. The top 10 rankings remained unchanged from 2016 to 2017, with the exception of Canada and Indonesia switching between fifth and seventh place, respectively. Of the top producers, Russia posted the largest annual gain, boosting output by 17 tonnes.

Below are more details on the top 10 countries with the largest gold production in 2017, beginning with the top producer and top consumer of bullion, China.

1. China  426 tonnes

For many years China has been the top producing nation, accounting for 13 percent of global mine production. Production fell by 6 percent last year due to escalated efforts by the government to fight pollution and raise environmental awareness. However, production is expected to pick back up this year due to several mine upgrades at existing projects.

2. Australia  295.1 tonnes

Although gold production increased 5 tonnes from the previous year in Australia, MinEx Consulting released a report detailing an expected drop between 2017 and 2057 unless the amount spent on exploration is doubled. The minerals industry produces over half of Australias total exports and generates about 8 percent of GDP.

3. Russia  270.7 tonnes

A massive 83 percent of European gold comes from Russia, which has been increasing its production every year since 2010. The nation increased output by 17 tonnes last year, even as the ruble appreciated 13 percent, which hurts producers with weaker revenue growth relative to the cost of production. Who is the largest buyer of Russian gold? The Russian government, of course, which purchases around two-thirds of all gold produced locally.

4. United States  230.0 tonnes

Gold output rose by 8 tonnes in the U.S. last year, marking the fourth consecutive year of annual increases. Production was supported by project ramp-ups at the Long Canyon project in Nevada and the Haile project in South Carolina. Around 78 percent of American gold comes from Nevada alone.

5. Canada  175.8 tonnes

Canada inched up two spots on the list in 2017, producing 10 more tonnes of gold than the previous year. Toronto-based Seabridge Gold stumbled upon a significant goldfield in northern British Colombia after a glacier retreated and is estimated to contain a whopping 780 metrics tonnes. This could be a source of increased output in the coming years.

6. Peru  162.3 tonnes

Gold output fell for the second consecutive year in Peru, by 6 tonnes, largely due to crackdowns on illegal mining operations in the La Pampa region. Mining is a significant portion of Perus economy and the nation is also number three in the world for copper production.

7. Indonesia  154.3 tonnes

Production in the archipelago nation fell by 11.7 percent, dropping to number seven on the list of top global producers. The Indonesian government introduced a tax amnesty program that hoped to repatriate money from overseas, which led to production falling at new main sites as traders were reluctant to remain in the mining industry.

8. South Africa - 139.9 tonnes

Once the top gold-producer in the world by a wide margin, South Africas gold mines have been slowing every year since 2008, with the exception of 2013 when production rose by a few tonnes. The nation is still home to the worlds deepest gold mine, the Mponeng mine, extending 2.5 miles underground.

9. Mexico  130.5 tonnes

Although production fell three tonnes from 2016 to 2017, Mexico remains a competitive gold source. Output has risen from just 50.8 tonnes in 2008 to over 130 tonnes last year, one of the largest increases in a nine year span. Mexico is an attractive place for mining due to a relatively low cost of regulation.

10. Ghana  101.7 tonnes

Ghana is Africas second largest producer of gold and is also known for its reserves of various industrial minerals. Bullion production rose 7 tonnes over the previous year and accounts for over 20 percent of the nations total exports.Old Mout launches 3.5m campaign to save the kiwi

Old Mout Cider has launched its biggest campaign to date as it continues on its mission to save the endangered kiwi.

The activity, which forms part of the brands wider sustainability agenda, means the company is now investing all of its marketing budget into a campaign to save its national icon, the kiwi bird.

The campaign will run across the summer in the UK, with activity designed to make UK consumers fall in love with the kiwi, which is on the brink of extinction. The kiwi population has declined by more than 99% over the past 50 years, and its best chance of survival lies in the hands of New Zealand based charity Kiwis for kiwi, which is working to create predator-free islands for the kiwi to grow and thrive.

For the second year running Old Mout has teamed up with TV conversationalist, Michaela Strachan, to show the steps New Zealand is taking to save its national icon.

Old Mout is also embarking on its first cinema campaign, with an ad highlighting that the kiwi could soon go the way of the dinosaur if we dont take action now.

In the UK the brand will also launch Kiwi Camp activation at two of the UKs largest festivals, Isle of Wight and Bestival. Old Mout will provide festival-goers with an immersive experience and a line-up of fun activities, where fans can enjoy an Old Mout while also going good. There will also be activations in the convenience and multiple retailer channels, while Old Mout will also be giving away thousands of exclusive collectible tote bags to encourage shoppers to move away from plastic bags.

Old Mouts Emma Sherwood-Smith said: No one wants to see a species go extinct so we hope that we can make people fall in love with the unique and charming kiwi. By focusing all our efforts on helping save the kiwi, our new campaign doesnt only establish our brands purpose but hopefully its halo effect will be to get everyone who enjoys our cider in Britain to think a little more about the impact they have on their environment too. We would be delighted if our customers can help spread this message by signing up to our sustainability partnership too.

Last years campaign created a significant uplift in donations to Kiwis for kiwi from the UK and more than doubled their website and social media following.

Related articles:ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece and Macedonia have reached a historic accord to resolve a decades-old dispute over the name of the tiny Balkan nation, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Tuesday.

I have good news .. a while ago we reached an agreement with the Prime Minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on an issue which has been on our minds for many years, Tsipras told Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos during a televised meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

We have a deal, Im happy because we have a good deal which covers all the preconditions set by the Greek side, he said. Tsipras had earlier spoken to his Macedonian counterpart, Zoran Zaev.

The dispute between the two neighbors had been an obstacle to Macedonia joining either the NATO military alliance or the European Union.(Reuters) - Bank of America Corps (BAC.N) co-head of consumer and business banking said on Tuesday he expects the consumer banking units efficiency ratio to remain flat or improve further as it cuts more costs tied to moving physical checks and cash.

Speaking at a conference, Dean Athanasia said the closely watched figure measuring expenses per dollar of revenue would remain below 50 percent for the unit but did not provide a specific time frame for the outlook.

The units efficiency ratio fell to 49.6 percent in the first quarter of this year, compared to 51.5 percent for full-year 2017 and 61.1 percent in full-year 2014.

The company earlier this year launched an artificial intelligence-based virtual assistant and plans to renovate 1,500 of its branches to include more automation. Athanasia said higher volume through the Zelle digital payment system launched in July 2017 would also help continue to improve costs.

Athanasia also noted that consumers have been spending more and levering up following the U.S. tax code overhaul in December, and that Bank of America has been monitoring the borrowing of its clients across other banks but so far has not seen any issues in terms of credit quality.

Right now theyre at a pretty good level, he said. We just watch diligently.

(This story corrects fourth paragraph to show Bank of America launched a artificial-intelligence based virtual assistant capability earlier this year, not a standalone app)LONDON (Reuters) - Britains Brexit minister told parliament on Tuesday to back down in a showdown over Prime Minister Theresa Mays plans for leaving the European Union, warning lawmakers they could undermine negotiations with Brussels.

Lawmakers began two days of debate on Tuesday on changes to Mays Brexit blueprint, or EU withdrawal bill, after the upper house of parliament, the House of Lords, introduced 15 changes. The strained parliamentary session underlined deep divisions over Britains EU exit.

The main point of contention between those who want to keep the closest possible ties with the EU and those who aim for a clean break is a demand to give parliament a meaningful vote on any agreement that May negotiates with Brussels.

Hours before the debate began, a justice minister resigned in protest at what he called its wish to limit the role of parliament in shaping Brexit. He said he would vote against the prime minister.

But the government moved quickly to bring onside one of the leaders of a group of Conservative lawmakers who are threatening to vote against May. The governments solicitor general, Robert Buckland, offered lawmaker Dominic Grieve a concession to discuss further improvements to the meaningful vote amendment.

Brexit minister David Davis issued a warning to parliament over the possibility of rejecting the governments compromise on the meaningful vote and backing the House of Lords amendment.

What it actually amounts to is an unconstitutional shift which risks undermining our negotiation with the European Union, he said. The government cannot demonstrate the flexibility necessary for a successful deal if its hands are tied midway through that process.

Parliament is due to vote at around 1500 GMT in the first of two days of debate that will test Mays authority.

In a highly charged atmosphere in parliament, lawmakers who oppose the government said they had received death threats and brandished a copy of the Daily Express newspaper, which ran a headline saying: Ignore the will of the people at your peril.

Britons voted 52 percent to 48 percent in favor of leaving the EU in a June 2016 referendum.

UNITY, PLEASE

Following days of frantic lobbying by Conservative officials, May renewed appeals for unity over the meaningful vote, after the government appeared to have secured a compromise to stop a similar rebellion on Wednesday over Britains trading ties with the EU.

Parliament must decide whether to support an amendment approved by the House of Lords that could mean sending May back into negotiations with the EU if lawmakers reject a Brexit deal.

Davis told lawmakers the government would never allow them to reverse Brexit and called on them to back its own amendment, which proposes a 28-day breathing space if parliament rejects a Brexit deal, during which the government would have to make a statement on its plans.

Grieve had offered his own competing amendment, which rebels in the Conservative Party had shown support for. His amendment could force ministers to hand over control of Brexit strategy to parliament if there is no deal by mid-February. The government earlier had said it would not support that amendment.

But around an hour before the vote was due, Buckland offered Grieve a compromise to discuss parts of his amendment that the government could adopt - a move aimed at winning the lawmakers and other rebels over.

CATASTROPHIC BLOW

Conservative Brexit campaigners have accused those in the party who indicated they would vote against the government of not respecting the referendum result.

The resignation by Phillip Lee, who has long been critical of the governments Brexit strategy, underlined the deep rifts in the party makes such votes anything but easy.

The meaningful vote will be the first major test after the House of Lords introduced changes to the bill, trying to reshape the governments approach to Brexit by encouraging lawmakers to press for the closest possible ties.

On Tuesday, parliament may vote on other amendments, including a challenge to the governments plan to put March 29, 2019, or Brexit Day, into law and an attempt to toughen a pledge to ensure a frictionless border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, which will remain in the EU.

On Wednesday, parliament will consider a challenge to Mays commitment to leave the EUs single market and customs union, which will transform Britains future trading relationships for many years to come.

If May is defeated in the House of Commons it will be yet another blow to a prime minister whose authority has been challenged several times since last years election. She now relies on the support of a small Northern Irish party.

What would be the result to our government if we lost this vote today? asked Conservative lawmaker Edward Leigh. It would be a catastrophic blow.Editor's Note: Updating earlier story with more details from report.

(Kitco News) - Gold prices were unfazed, remaining modestly softer after a Labor Department report Tuesday showing that U.S. consumer prices rose by a seasonally adjusted 0.2% in May.

The core index for CPI, excluding the volatile food and energy sectors, was also up 0.2%.

Going into the report, consensus expectations compiled by news organizations had been for a rise 0.2% in both the headline figure and the core rate.

As of 8:31 a.m. EST, Comex August gold was last down $4 to $1,299.10 an ounce. The metal had been at $1,297.50 one minute ahead of the CPI report.

The Labor Department blamed the CPI increase largely on higher energy costs. The index for gasoline prices climbed 1.7%, more than offsetting declines in some of the other energy component indexes and led to a 0.9% rise in the energy index. The medical-care index rose 0.2%, the food index was unchanged and the shelter index was up 0.3%.

Compared to the softer print seen in April, May's somewhat stronger core gain was aided by medical care commodities and new car prices, said Andrew Grantham of CIBC Economics.

However, airline fares continued to decline (minus 1.9% on the month and minus 6.6% year-over-year) to weigh slightly on the core figure. Overall these figures are in line with expectations and as such shouldn't move markets much today or change the debate for policymakers ahead of the FOMC [Federal Open Market Committee] meeting tomorrow.

On a 12-month basis, the overall index rose 2.8%, continuing its upward trend since the beginning of the year, the government said. The core index for all items less food and energy rose 2.2% for the 12 months ending May. The food index increased 1.2%, and the energy index rose 11.7%.MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Canadas Goldcorp said on Monday an ongoing protest blocking entry to its Penasquito mine, one of Mexicos biggest gold producers, could force the company to halt output.

The mine, in northern Zacatecas state, produced 476,000 ounces of gold last year, comprising 18 percent of Goldcorps total production and generating more than 33 percent of its revenue.

The demonstration began on June 1, led by local truck-drivers who say the company reneged on promises to hire locally.

Local residents also blocked access at the mine last year, protesting for more than a week over a water dispute. The company later said it was able to resume normal operations without a hit to production.

Michael Harvey, Goldcorps director of corporate affairs, said the current blockade was illegal and had prevented the flow of workers and supplies.

We are still working, but if we cant let supplies in, at some point we will stop producing, he said.

Ascension Carrillo, one of the protest leaders, said the goal was to get Goldcorp to fulfill its hiring promises.

The only thing we want is the work that was promised to us ... were fighting to feed our families, Carrillo said.SINGAPORE (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump made a stunning concession to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday about halting military exercises, pulling a surprise at a summit that baffled allies, military officials and lawmakers from his own Republican Party.

At a news conference after the historic meeting with Kim in Singapore, Trump announced he would halt what he called very provocative and expensive regular military exercises that the United States holds with South Korea.

That was sure to rattle close allies South Korea and Japan. North Korea has long sought an end to the war games.

The two leaders promised in a joint statement after their meeting to work toward the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and the United States promised its Cold War foe security guarantees, but they offered few specifics.

The summit, the first between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader, was in stark contrast to a flurry of North Korean nuclear and missile tests and angry exchanges of insults between Trump and Kim last year that fueled worries about war.

Noting past North Korean promises to denuclearize, many analysts cast doubt on how effective Trump had been at obtaining Washingtons pre-summit goal of getting North Korea to undertake complete, verifiable and irreversible steps to scrap a nuclear arsenal that is advanced enough to threaten the United States.

Critics at home said the U.S. president had given away too much at a meeting that gave international standing to Kim. The North Korean leader is deeply isolated, his country accused by rights groups of widespread human rights abuses and under U.N. sanctions for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

If implemented, the halting of the joint military exercises would be one of the most controversial moves to come from the summit. The drills help keep U.S. forces at a state of readiness in one of the worlds most tense flashpoints.

We will be stopping the war games which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should. But well be saving a tremendous amount of money, plus I think its very provocative, Trump said.

His announcement was a surprise even to President Moon Jae-ins government in Seoul, which worked in recent months to help bring about the Trump-Kim summit.

The presidential Blue House said it needed to find out the precise meaning or intentions of Trumps statement, while adding that it was willing to explore various measures to help the talks move forward more smoothly.

Pentagon officials were not immediately able to provide any details about Trumps remarks about suspending drills, something that the U.S. military has long resisted.

A spokeswoman for U.S. military forces in Korea said it had not received any direction to cease joint military drills.

USFK has received no updated guidance on execution or cessation of training exercises - to include this falls scheduled Ulchi Freedom Guardian, U.S. Forces in Korea spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Jennifer Lovett said in a statement.

One South Korean official said he initially thought Trump had misspoken.

I was shocked when he called the exercises provocative, a very unlikely word to be used by a U.S. president, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because it was a politically sensitive issue.

Current and former U.S. defense officials expressed concern at the possibility that the United States would unilaterally halt military exercises without an explicit concession from North Korea that lowers the threat from Pyongyang.

The U.S.-South Korean exercise calendar hits a high point every year with the Foal Eagle and Max Thunder drills, which both wrapped up last month.

DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE

The Republican chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Corker, said it was difficult to assess what had happened at the summit.

While I am glad the president and Kim Jong Un were able to meet, it is difficult to determine what of concrete nature has occurred, Corker said in a statement.

Speaking about the military exercises, Corker told Reuters: I dont know if thats an agreement or an ad hoc statement that was made. It wasnt in the agreement and sometimes things are said and walked back after talking to people at the Pentagon and other places.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, called North Korea a brutal regime and urged Trump to continue maximum economic pressure as negotiations advance.

U.S. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer faulted Trumps agreement with Kim as short on details, saying the United States gave up substantial leverage.

World stock markets were little changed on Tuesday while the U.S. dollar fell slightly against an index of major currencies, as investors brushed aside the summit.

The two leaders smiled and shook hands at their meeting at the Capella hotel on Singapores resort island of Sentosa, and Trump spoke in warm terms of Kim at his news conference afterward.

Just a few months ago, Kim was an international pariah accused of ordering the killing of his uncle, a half-brother and hundreds of officials suspected of disloyalty. Tens of thousands of North Koreans are imprisoned in labor camps.

The leaders joint statement did not refer to human rights, although Trump said he had raised the issue with Kim, and he believed the North Korean leader wanted to do the right thing.

Trump said he expected the denuclearisation process to start very, very quickly and it would be verified by having a lot of people in North Korea.

He said Kim had announced that North Korea was destroying a major missile engine-testing site, but sanctions on North Korea would stay in place for now.

It was unclear if negotiations would lead to denuclearisation, or end with broken promises, as happened in the past, said Anthony Ruggiero, senior fellow at Washingtons Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank.

This looks like a restatement of where we left negotiations more than 10 years ago and not a major step forward, he said.

Graphic: tmsnrt.rs/2l2UwW7

DENUCLEARISATION

The joint statement said Trump committed to provide security guarantees to North Korea and Kim reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea has long rejected unilateral nuclear disarmament, instead referring to the denuclearisation of the peninsula. That has always been interpreted as a call for the United States to remove its nuclear umbrella protecting South Korea and Japan.

Kim said after the summit he and Trump had decided to leave the past behind. The world will see a major change.

Trumps meeting with Kim followed days of him berating traditional U.S. allies such as Canada and Germany in trade disputes. He left a Group of Seven summit in Canada early last weekend, and described host Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as very dishonest and weak.

Trump and Kims joint statement made no mention of the sanctions on North Korea and nor was there any reference to formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War, which killed millions of people and ended in a truce.

But it did say the two sides had agreed to recover the remains of prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action, so they could be repatriated.

Daniel Russel, formerly the State Departments top Asia diplomat under the Obama administration, said the absence of any reference to the Norths ballistic missiles was glaring.

Trading our defense of South Korea for a promise is a lopsided deal that past presidents could have made but passed on, he said.

Trump said China, North Koreas main ally, would welcome the progress he and Kim had made.

Li Nan, senior researcher at Pangoal, a Beijing-based Chinese public policy think tank, said the meeting had only symbolic significance.

There is no concrete detail on the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and the provision of security guarantees by the United States, Li said. It is too early to call it a turning point in North Korea-U.S. relations.

Trump said he had formed a very special bond with Kim and relations with North Korea would be very different in future. He called Kim very smart and a very worthy, very hard negotiator.Parks and wildlife officials are encouraging people to fish at Carson Lake on the Grand Mesa before it gets drained later this summer for a dam upgrade project.

The City of Grand Junction will drain the lake this summer to upgrade the dam there thats more than 70 years old. As of early June, Colorado Parks and Wildlife lifted the bag and possession limit for all fish in Carson Lake to try to remove as many as possible before the lake is drained.

All fish must still be caught legally within CPW regulations and with a valid Colorado fishing license, the City of Grand Junction said in a press release.

The upgrade to the dam is a proactive measure and is scheduled to take three years, with different phases spaced out over each year, according to the city. Its not damaged or dangerous.UCOM has officially launched the sale of IPHONE 13

Six servicemen were wounded by the attack of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Artsakh, two of them in critical condition

S&P Improved the Outlook on Ameriabank to Positive

Ararat Mirzoyan to visit to Minsk

Foreign Minister of India visits the Memorial of Armenian Genocide

1217 new cases

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group

At UCOM only: Tv sets at 10% discount + 1 month free UMIX package + 4k tv channel

Ameriabanks Special Offer for New Clients of Hrazdan Branch

"Fall forward": Gurgen Khachatryan, the Co-Founder of the Galaxy Group of Companies, addressed a message to young people in Armenia

UCOM hosted interns of Russian CBOSS corporation for a month

The 20-episode Bloody bet thriller to be broadcast on Ucom's Armenia Premium TV channel

Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group

UCOM offers affordable gadgets at bigger discount

Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will pay a working visit to New York

Google Ad

Governments preventing publication of Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper during state of emergency

UCOM prolongs the unlimited internet offer for the level up 4700 and level up 5500 subscribers

Ucom employees received recognition for their services to the homeland

Karen Vardanyan has allocated 105 million AMD to rescue the Yerevan Botanical Garden.

"The Power of One Dram" to overcome childhood cancer

Generation A 13  your chance to be the change

President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan met with Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Khovayev

"uDays" special offer at Ucom: discounts for all smartphones and accessories for 2 days only

For more than 3 hours, 50 or more Azerbaijani servicemen have blocked the interstate road

Call on the international community for an adequate response against azerbaijani aggresssion

Transformation and trust are important for success in modern banking. Artak Hanesyan

UCOMS LEVEL UP 1700 REGIONAL TARIFF PLAN USERS TO RECEIVE MORE THAN THOSE IN YEREVAN

Joint statementUCOM has officially launched the sale of IPHONE 13

Six servicemen were wounded by the attack of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Artsakh, two of them in critical condition

S&P Improved the Outlook on Ameriabank to Positive

Ararat Mirzoyan to visit to Minsk

Google Ad

Foreign Minister of India visits the Memorial of Armenian Genocide

1217 new cases

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group

At UCOM only: Tv sets at 10% discount + 1 month free UMIX package + 4k tv channel

Ameriabanks Special Offer for New Clients of Hrazdan Branch

"Fall forward": Gurgen Khachatryan, the Co-Founder of the Galaxy Group of Companies, addressed a message to young people in Armenia

UCOM hosted interns of Russian CBOSS corporation for a month

The 20-episode Bloody bet thriller to be broadcast on Ucom's Armenia Premium TV channel

Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group

UCOM offers affordable gadgets at bigger discount

Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will pay a working visit to New York

Google Ad

Governments preventing publication of Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper during state of emergency

UCOM prolongs the unlimited internet offer for the level up 4700 and level up 5500 subscribers

Ucom employees received recognition for their services to the homeland

Karen Vardanyan has allocated 105 million AMD to rescue the Yerevan Botanical Garden.

"The Power of One Dram" to overcome childhood cancer

Generation A 13  your chance to be the change

President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan met with Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Khovayev

"uDays" special offer at Ucom: discounts for all smartphones and accessories for 2 days only

For more than 3 hours, 50 or more Azerbaijani servicemen have blocked the interstate road

Call on the international community for an adequate response against azerbaijani aggresssion

Transformation and trust are important for success in modern banking. Artak Hanesyan

UCOMS LEVEL UP 1700 REGIONAL TARIFF PLAN USERS TO RECEIVE MORE THAN THOSE IN YEREVAN

Joint statementTBI reports 77,846 domestic violence cases in Tennessee for 2017



NASHVILLE  The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released a new study today, detailing the volume and nature of crime identified as being domestic violence in nature. The annual report compiles crime data submitted to TBI by the states law enforcement agencies through the Tennessee Incident Based Reporting System (TIBRS).



Among the findings of Domestic Violence 2017:

 A total of 77,846 domestic violence offenses were reported in 2017, representing a decrease of 1.8% since 2016.

 Simple Assault accounted for the largest number of domestic violence offenses.

 Females were three times as likely to be victimized as males, and accounted for 71.5% of reported victims.

 Juveniles accounted for approximately 9.8% of reported domestic violence victims, with Fondling being the most reported offense made against juveniles.

 Domestic violence resulted in 81 Murder victims in 2017.

 35,773 domestic violence cases were flagged as Boyfriend/Girlfriend.

 The most common weapon reported with domestic violence offenses was Personal (hands, feet, teeth, etc.) at 50,727.

2017 Domestic Violence Offenses by Gender









According to the report, "An analysis of race breakdown revealed that White victims, the race majority for all offenses, accounted for as much as 57.6% of victims for the following offenses: Simple Assault, Aggravated Assault, and Intimidation. White victims made up 59.3% of Murders that were domestic related in 2017.



I would like to thank all participating law enforcement agencies for their hard work and contributions to making this report a thorough and accurate picture of crime in Tennessee, said Acting TBI Director Jason Locke. It is only with their support the state continues to maintain such a successful program.



As with all of its crime publications, the TBI cautions against using the data provided in this report to compare one jurisdiction to another. The factors impacting crime vary from community to community and accordingly, comparisons are considered neither fair nor accurate.



The report is currently available for review on the TBIs website: www.tn.gov/tbi.

Historic meeting of Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un (video)

President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a first, historic summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018, BBC reports. President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new U.S.-DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. Tramp said that he hopes the talks will succeed and he does not doubt that US relations with Pyongyang will be "shocking." Kim Jong Un added that they had to overcome many obstacles to meet. For about 50 minutes, the US and North Korean leaders talked separately (only translators were with them), after which parliamentarians and high-ranking delegates joined them. After the end of the summit, Tramp and Kim Jong Un came out with smiles and shake each others' hands. Later, answering journalists' questions, the US President noted that "tremendous progress" had been achieved from the very beginning of the talks.By Jhoo Dong-chan



Expectations are growing among investors that the summit between the U.S. and North Korea might not only bring peace to the Korean peninsula but also end the undervaluing of Korean stocks.



Dubbed the "Korea Discount," North Korean factors have been a geopolitical risk in the nation's stock market as it often fluctuates on the totalitarian state's military threats against South Korea.



However, experts say the historic June 12 summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might reduce such geopolitical uncertainty.



Thanks to the peaceful mood between the countries, the benchmark KOSPI opened at 2474.78 points Tuesday, up 0.19 percent from the previous day's close. Compared to the 2411.41 on March 6 when the government announced the April 27 summit between President Moon Jae-in and Kim at Panmumjeom, the KOSPI has jumped 2.43 percent, or 58.74 points.



Likewise, the tech-heavy Kosdaq also opened at 879.57 points Tuesday, up 0.34 percent from the previous day's close.



"The Korean market has historically suffered a discount due to perceived poor corporate governance but also because of political risk," Baring Asset Management emerging market equities co-head William Palmer said. "There's the possibility for valuations to rise if political risk falls."



Shinyoung Asset Management CEO Huh Nam Kwon agrees.



"The KOSPI could surge if North Korea gives up its nuclear weapons, as Korean equities trade at a discount of about 30 percent compared with their peers in Asia."



But a number of experts said the impact won't be as huge as expected in the short term.



"The stock market could enjoy a rally following the U.S.-North Korea summit in the short run," said Mirae Asset Management research center head Koo Yong-wook.



"However, it will take time to realize tangible outcomes. It will take a while to reach complete, verifiable, irreversible dismantlement. There are still a number of uncertainties about the geopolitical future of the countries at stake."



Samsung Securities analyst Yoo Seung-min said the Seoul bourse was moving on vague expectations about possible economic cooperation between North and South Korea.



"The rally won't last long if there are no follow-up measures," said Yoo.



"If we see the next moves, such as North Korea shipping their nuclear material to the U.S. for disposal, the KOSPI will be able to close its discount gap."

By Yoon Ja-young



With the historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump adding to expectation that the inter-Korean economic cooperation will gain momentum, government ministries are preparing for further progress.



Ministries that will be involved in diverse inter-Korean cooperation projects have either set up or are planning to form taskforces. They are assigning the task to competent officials whose capabilities have been confirmed.



Such preparations follow the determination that the government should make pre-emptive preparations, although inter-Korean economic cooperation will only see progress after the lifting of international sanctions.



The finance ministry, for instance, has its Inter-Korean Economic Relations Division under the International Economic Affairs Bureau, whose tasks include bilateral economic cooperation. The team was out of the spotlight during the former conservative administrations which were at odds with North Korea, but it is likely to be expanded in a government reshuffle that is expected to come following the local elections.



The ministry recently appointed a budget expert to lead the team. He will be in charge of allocating budgets to diverse joint economic projects. If the international community agrees, the government can inject part of the budget located for official development assistance (ODA) into North Korea, on top of the near 1 trillion won fund for inter-Korean economic cooperation.



The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is examining joint projects that late former President Roh Moo-hyun and former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il agreed to back in 2007. President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed during their historic summit in April to execute projects agreed upon back then. This includes setting up a special economic zone and developing natural resources in North Korea. The ministry set up a taskforce team in charge of inter-Korean cooperation within its Overseas Investment Division, and charged an elite official with the task.



The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has much expectation as it will be in charge of linking railways and roads with North Korea. A joint project to build a highway between North Korea's Gaeseong and Munsan in the South came to a halt due to souring relations back in 2016. The agriculture ministry is also considering setting up a taskforce, and the Korea Forest Service is also expecting a role as deforestation is a serious problem in North Korea.



State-run economic think tanks are also preparing for the big picture. Korea Development Institute (KDI) expanded the Department of Economic Policy Strategy in a recent reshuffle, to include the Office of North Korean Economic Studies and strengthen research on North Korea.



The Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) recently launched the KIEP Korean Peninsula New Economy Forum, which will analyze rapidly changing inter-Korean economic relations and assist the Moon administration's plans for economic cooperation with North Korea as well as China and Russia. Experts in trade and inter-Korean issues will be meeting every quarter in the forum.

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shake hands ahead of their meeting at Capella Hotel in Singapore, Tuesday. / AP



#Joint Statement [Full text]



Joint Statement of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jon Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the Singapore Summit.

President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jon Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a first, historic summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018.

President Trump and Chairman Kim Jon Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of a new US-DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peach regime on the Korean Peninsula. President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclarization of the Korean peninsula.

Convinced that the establishment of new US-DPRK relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world, and recognizing that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclarization of the Korean Peninsula, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un state the following:

1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new US-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.

2. The Unite States and the DPRK will join the efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

3. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panumunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclerarization of the Korean Peninsula.

4. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

Having acknowledged that the US-DRPK summit - the first in history - was a epochal event of great significance in overcoming decades of tensions and hostilities between the two countries and for the opening up of a new future, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un commit to implement the stipulations in this joint agreement fully and expeditiously. The United States and the DPRK commit to hold follow-on negotiations, led by the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and a relevant high-level DPRK official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the US-DPRK summit.

President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have committed to cooperate for the development of new US-DPRK relations and for the promotion of peace, prosperity, and the security of the Korean Peninsula and of the world.

=============================================



2:21 p.m. Kim returns to the St Regis hotel



Kim is due to depart Singapore soon. The exact details of the document are still not known. Trump is scheduled to give a press conference at 5 p.m. (KST). He will then leave Singapore via Paya Lebar Airbase.



(Post-summit) Trump: "We will meet again"



Trump and Kim will meet again, the U.S. President said Tuesday at the conclusion of their unprecedented summit in Singapore. "We'll meet again," Trump said after a signing ceremony, standing with Kim on the verandah where they first met. "We will meet many times."



(Post-summit) Trump invites Kim to White House



Trump said he would be "absolutely" willing to invite North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un to the White House after a historic meeting in Singapore. Asked by reporters if he would invite him to Washington, Trump said: "Absolutely, I would."









U.S. President Donald Trump holds up a document signed by him and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un at the Capella Hotel. / AFP



2:38 p.m. Kim, Trump sign an agreement after a longer-than-expected waiting.



"We're signing a very important document, pretty comprehensive document, and we've had a really great time together, a great relationship... More will be discussed at a press conference soon," said Trump.



"We have developed a special bond," he said. The meeting was far better than anybody ever predicted, he added. When asked about denuclearization, Trump said, "We are starting the process very very quickly."



"Today we had a very historic meeting, overcoming our past history and embarking on a new beginning. We're about to sign a historic agreement, and the world will see a major change. I'd like to express my gratitude to Mr. Trump to make this happen," said Kim.



Trump asked: "Mr. Kim would you like to come to Washington?" before both men walked out of the room after the signing.



(Trump to hold a press conference at 5 p.m.)





U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un sign documents that acknowledge the progress of the talks and pledge to keep momentum going, after their summit at the Capella Hotel, Tuesday. / Reuters





U.S. President Donald Trump, right, speaks while seated with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un at a signing ceremony during their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore. / AFP



1:36 p.m. Kim, Trump return to Capella Hotel to sign an agreement.



Trump: "A lot of progress. Really, very positive, I think better than anybody could have expected, top of the line, really good." (before showing Kim the interior of "The Beast," his armor-plated limousine.



"We're going right now for a signing," Trump said, referring to an unspecified document. "We'll announce that in a couple of minutes."



Kim said nothing.





U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un walk in the Capella Hotel after their working lunch, on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018. / Reuters





U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un stop to talk with the media as they walk from their lunch at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday. / AP



1:25 p.m. Kim, Trump take a stroll around Capella Hotel after lunch.



12:33 a.m. The extended meeting ends. A joint working lunch begins.



Trump: "Getting a good picture everybody? So we look nice and handsome and thin? Perfect." (After entering the lunch venue)





Captured from Dan Scavino Jr., the White House social media director





Captured from The Straight Times' website







10:50 a.m. The one-on-one meeting ends. An extended meeting attended by their staffs begins.



"Working together we will get it taken care of," Trump told Kim at the start of the extended meeting. "We will solve it."



Trump: The one-on-one meeting with Kim was "very, very good," says they have an "excellent relationship."



Trump: He and Kim "will solve a big problem, a big dilemma."



10:48 a.m. Trump, Kim walk together along balcony after a 41-minute one-on-one meeting.



10:03 a.m. Kim, Trump begin a historic one-on-one meeting with a handshake.



Kim: "The way to come to here was not easy." (sitting at a table with Trump) "The old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward but we overcame all of them and we are here today."



Trump: "We're going to have a great discussion." (shortly after the handshake) "It's my honor, and we're going to have a terrific relationship."



Trump: "I feel really great, we're going to have a great discussion  tremendous success  It's my honor, and we're going to have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt"



09:58 a.m. Trump arrives at Capella Hotel.



09:52 a.m. Kim arrives at Capella Hotel for his historic meeting with Trump.



09:13 a.m. Kim leaves for the summit venue from his hotel.



09:01 a.m. Trump departs for the summit venue from his hotel.





U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un before their expanded bilateral meeting at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018. / Reuters





U.S. President Donald Trump talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018. / Reuters





U.S. President Donald Trump, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un walk together during their official meetings at the Capella Hotel in Singapore, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. / AP





U.S. President Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un as they sit down for their historic U.S.-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12. / AFP





U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018. / Reuters





U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pose together ahead of their meeting at Capella Hotel in Singapore, Tuesday. / AP





A worker vacuums the stage at the spot where U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un are expected to meet and shake hands for the first time at the start of their summit at the Capella Hotel on Singapore's resort island of Sentosa in Singapore June 12, 2018. / ReutersMuch attention will be on Kim Jong Un at his historic summit Tuesday with President Donald Trump. But the 34-year-old North Korean leader also brought a group of trusted lieutenants to Singapore, with at least four high-powered women including his own sister.



A brief look at Kim's entourage:





KIM YONG-CHOL



Kim, 72, has been Kim Jong Un's most trusted policy adviser since the North Korean leader began a peace offensive with the U.S. and South Korea in January.



He accompanied the young leader at all four of his recent summits, twice with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and twice with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Recently, Kim Jong Un sent him to the United States to hand-deliver a letter to Trump, making him North Korea's most senior official to visit its wartime foe in 18 years.



Kim Yong Chol's rise has baffled many North Korea watchers because he is the ruling Workers' Party official in charge of South Korea ties, not international or U.S. relations. Previously, he served as intelligence chief and is believed to have been behind two attacks in 2010 that killed 50 South Koreans.



KIM YO-JONG



She is Kim Jong Un's younger sister and is thought to be in her late 20s or early 30s. Her official post is the Workers' Party official responsible for propaganda affairs. Many outside experts believe she has already become the No. 2 official in a country that has been ruled by the Kim family for seven decades.



She reportedly traveled to Singapore separately from her brother amid media speculation that the North's top two officials intentionally take different planes in case of an accident.



CHOE SON-HUI



Choe, a vice foreign minister, is the highest-level female diplomat in North Korea. She previously worked as an English-language interpreter for a North Korean delegation attending now-stalled six-nation nuclear disarmament talks.



Last month, her threat to scuttle the summit and description of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence as a ''political dummy'' prompted Trump to pull out of his meeting with Kim, although he quickly reversed his decision. Some observers speculated Kim would sack Choe but she retained her position. On Monday, she met senior U.S. diplomat Sung Kim at the Ritz-Carlton hotel to make final preparations for the summit.



HYON SONG-WOL



Hyon is head of North Korea's hugely popular Moranbong girl band, whose members were hand-picked by Kim Jong Un. She also led a large North Korean art troupe sent to South Korea during the February Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Her earlier trip to South Korea in January triggered a media frenzy.



KIM SUNG-HAE



Kim is a departmental director at North Korea's United Front Department, the Workers' Party organization that handles inter-Korean relations. She also attended Monday's meeting at the Ritz-Carlton hotel.



NO KWANG-CHOL



No is North Korea's minister of the People's Armed Forces. His appointment to one of the top military jobs was officially confirmed by a state media dispatch on Monday that included him in a list of officials traveling with Kim.



RI SU-YONG



Ri, 78, is the top Workers' Party official for international affairs. The former foreign minister was North Korea's ambassador to Switzerland when Kim Jong Un studied there as a teenager.



RI YONG-HO



Foreign Minister Ri, 61, is a career diplomat who served as the chief North Korean delegate to the six-party nuclear talks. (AP)



South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on June 12 as the U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore is underway. Yonhap



South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed hope for the success of the historic U.S.-North Korea summit Tuesday, which he said would open a new era of a peaceful, nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.



"The North Korea-U.S. summit has now started," President Moon told a Cabinet meeting held at his office Cheong Wa Dae.



"I guess the attention of all our people must currently be directed toward Singapore," he added, after watching the live broadcast of the opening of the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the Southeast Asian nation.



Moon and other Cabinet members delayed their weekly meeting for more than 10 minutes to watch the opening of the unprecedented U.S.-North Korea summit.



"I too spent a sleepless night. I, along with all our people, sincerely hope that it will be a successful summit that will open a new era of complete denuclearization, peace and a new relationship between South Korea, North Korea and the United States," Moon said, according to Cheong Wa Dae pool reports.



At the start of his historic meeting with Kim, the U.S. president said the meeting will be a "tremendous" success.



Moon, however, has said the success of the U.S.-North Korea summit will only be the start of what he called a "long process" to completely denuclearize the North and establish lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.



"The deep-rooted hostile relationship and the North Korean nuclear issue cannot be resolved in one single action in a meeting between leaders," Moon said Monday while meeting with his top aides. "Even after the two leaders open the dialogue, we will need a long process that may take one year, two years or even longer to completely resolve the issues."



A Cheong Wa Dae official earlier said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit South Korea on Wednesday to personally explain the outcome of the U.S.-North Korea summit.



Moon has expressed his hope of holding a three-way summit with Trump and Kim in the near future to formally end the Korean War.



Seoul and Pyongyang technically remain at war as the 1950-53 war ended only with an armistice, not a peace treaty.



Moon has held two bilateral summits with the North Korean leader, and the two are again expected to meet in Pyongyang before the end of the year. (Yonhap)

The following is a chronology of major developments in the relations between the United States and North Korea in 2018 leading up to the first-ever summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un on Singapore's resort island of Sentosa on Tuesday.





South Korean President Moon Jae-in's top security advisor Chung Eui-yong, left, meets North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the ruling Workers' Party headquarters in Pyongyang, March 6. Korea Times file



2018

March 8  Chung Eui-yong, South Korean President Moon Jae-in's top security advisor, and Suh Hoon, chief of the National Intelligence Service, meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington and convey North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's intention to invite him to Pyongyang. Trump accepts the invitation and announces that he will meet Kim in May.



March 31-April 1  Mike Pompeo, director of the Central Intelligence Agency and nominee for U.S. secretary of state, meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang to prepare for the summit.



April 9  U.S. President Donald Trump expresses his hope of meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un either in May or June during a Cabinet meeting.





North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in hug after signing Panmunjeom Declaration for Peace at inter-Korean border village Panmunjeom on April 27, where both countries held a historical summit. Korea Times file



April 27  South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hold their first inter-Korean summit at the truce village of Panmunjom.





An undated handout photo made available by the U.S. White House on April 26 shows then-CIA director Mike Pompeo, left, meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang. It was a surprise visit by Pompeo to North Korea intended to prepare the historic summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump. EPA-Yonhap



May 9  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo makes a second trip to North Korea and meets leader Kim Jong-un.





U.S. President Donald Trump, center, and First Lady Melania Trump, left, walk with three U.S. detainees that were released by North Korea after greeting them upon their arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, the U.S., on May 10. EPA-Yonhap



May 10  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo returns to the U.S. with three Americans detained in North Korea. On the same day, U.S. President Donald Trump tweets that his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will take place in Singapore on June 12.



May 12  North Korea announces its plan to dismantle its only known nuclear test site in Punggye-ri.



May 16  North Korea unilaterally cancels high-level inter-Korean talks, taking issue with ongoing joint military drills between South Korea and the U.S. Kim Kye-gwan, North Korea's vice foreign minister, issues a statement threatening to pull out of the planned summit with the U.S., citing hostile remarks by U.S. officials.





Smoke and debris rise in the air as barracks buildings for guards and tunneling workers at North Korea's nuclear test site are blown up at Punggye-ri, North Hamgyong Province, North Korea, May 24. AP-Yonhap



May 24  Choe Son-hui, the North's vice foreign minister, issues a statement threatening again to withdraw from the planned summit with the U.S. The North dismantles its Punggye-ri nuclear test site in front of a group of invited international media people. Later the same day, U.S. President Donald Trump says in an open letter to North Korean leader Kim that he is cancelling the summit with him, citing "tremendous anger and open hostility" from the North.





North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, second from left, arrives for a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim at the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Hotel in Singapore on June 11, ahead of the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. AP-Yonhap



May 25  North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan issues a statement expressing a desire to have talks with the U.S.



May 26  South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hold their second summit at the truce village of Panmunjom in an apparent bid to salvage the U.S.-North Korea summit.





North Korean leader Kim Jong-un looks visibly tired and nervous during his second meeting with President Moon Jae-in at the truce village of Panmunjeom on May 26, in comparison with their first encounter on April 27. Korea Times file



May 27  The U.S. and North Korea hold working-level consultations at the truce village of Panmunjom for a summit between their leaders.



May 31  U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the central committee of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, meet in New York.





From left, former North Korean military intelligence chief Kim Yong-chol, the U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo walk from the Oval Office in Washington, June 1. AP-Yonhap



By Jung Min-ho







U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would "absolutely" invite North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the White House.





After the two leaders signed a "comprehensive" document about their agreements during an historic summit in Singapore, Trump said, "Absolutely, I would" invite Kim.





Before their meeting, Trump had dangled the prospect of a White House visit for Kim.





The two characterized the document they signed as "historic."





"We're signing a very important document, pretty comprehensive document, and we've had a really great time together, a great relationship," Trump said.





"We have developed a special bond. The meeting was far better than anybody ever predicted."





Asked about denuclearization, Trump said, "We are starting the process very, very quickly."





Kim said he had a "very historic meeting" with Trump.





"We're about to sign an historic agreement, and the world will see a major change," he added.





When Trump was asked if he and Kim would meet again, Trump said, "We'll meet again, we'll meet many times."





He said they had learned "a lot about each other."

Citizens watch a live broadcast of the North Korea-U.S. summit in Singapore, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul



By Lee Suh-yoon, Jung Da-min

South Koreans of different age groups expressed mixed feelings about the prospect of peace on the Korean peninsula following the summit between the United States and North Korea.



Many said they welcomed the U.S. and North Korea moving to narrow their differences, but remained cautious and skeptical.



"I was not entirely optimistic about the summit because it almost got canceled once," said Yoon Yong-jin, 20, a university student.



The summit between the U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had been canceled once. On May 24, North Korea began demolishing its Punggye-ri nuclear test site. Trump, however, said on June 2 that the U.S.-North Korea summit would be back on track following the two Koreas' surprise summit on May 26.



Young men watched the Trump-Kim summit with heightened anticipation.



"I feel safer amid the recent progress towards peace with North Korea," said a man, 21, who just started his military service this year and was out on vacation, at Seoul Station.





U.S. President Donald Trump, right, reaches for North Korea leader Kim Jong-un after they signed documents at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, in Singapore. AP-Yonhap



U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledged on Tuesday to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula while Washington committed to provide security guarantees for its old enemy.



"President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK and Chairman Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," said a joint statement issued after their historic summit in Singapore. DPRK is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the formal name of North Korea.



Trump said he expected the denuclearization process to start "very, very quickly."



U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean officials would hold follow-up negotiations "at the earliest possible date," the statement said.



It, however, did not give any details on how denuclearization would be achieved. The document also made no mention of the international sanctions that have crippled North Korea's economy, for pursuing its nuclear weapons program. Nor was there any reference to finally signing a peace treaty.





North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, and American President Donald Trump shake hands at Capella Hotel in Singapore, Tuesday. / Yonhap



By Choi Ha-young



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made another impressive appearance before the world, this time with his greeting message in English, at the momentous summit with American President Donald Trump held on Sentosa Island, Singapore, Tuesday.

Both leaders shook hands and officially began the first summit between the leaders of the United States and North Korea, decades-long mortal enemies.

Kim reportedly greeted Trump in English, saying "Nice to meet you, Mr. President," as they sat down after the historic handshake. Kim, who spent his childhood in Switzerland, can speak and understand English, but this was the first time for outsiders to see him use the language.

Through the series of summits, aimed at the exchange of the North's denuclearization and security guarantee, Kim has renewed perceptions about himself  obviously to be recognized as a leader of a normal state rather than a "dictator." When he met South Korean President Moon Jae-in, April 27, South Koreans burst into laughter over Kim's jokes.

The first-ever summit between the American president and North Korean leader came only months after their fierce exchanges. When the tension peaked over the Pacific Ocean last year, they lashed out at each other with sharply worded verbal attacks. Shaking hands against a backdrop of the national flags of the two countries, the two leaders talked briefly. But the exact wording was not recorded clearly, making it difficult to figure out what they said to each other.

Along with the historic handshake, they shared some welcoming gestures. Trump tapped Kim on the shoulder and they smiled. Afterward, they posed for a photograph. Trump then directed Kim to walk down a hallway.

Kim arrived at the summit venue at 8:12 a.m. (local time) a few minutes earlier than President Trump. Stony-faced Kim, wearing his iconic Mao suit, got out of his car, holding his glasses and a briefcase.

Trump also showed up with a fixed expression on his face.

At 9:10 a.m., they moved to a room for the one-on-one summit. Walking together, they shared a few words and the two translators followed them apparently to interpret what they were saying.

The first round of the meeting lasted for about 45 minutes and was only joined by the two translators. Speaking with reporters beforehand, Trump revealed his positive prospects of the summit.

"I feel really great. We are going to have a great discussion and I think tremendous success. We will be tremendously successful. And it's my honor and we will have a terrific relationship. I have no doubt," said Trump.

Kim spoke in Korean. "It was not easy to get here. The past worked as fetters on our limbs, and the old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward. But we overcame all of them, and we are here today." Trump replied, saying "That's true." The American leader reached out his hand to Kim for a handshake. Before the talks turned closed-door, Kim and Trump said "Thank you" to reporters.President Moon Jae-in watches a live broadcast of a meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore, along with his top aides and ministers during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. / Yonhap



By Kim Rahn



"The world will see a major change."



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's remark after his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, Tuesday, has raised expectations of a permanent peace in the region as the two leaders agreed on complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.



The joint statement that they signed is an important step to resume the process to resolve the issue with the North's nuclear programs, which has been a major security threat to the peninsula and Northeast Asia for decades, and to end 70 years of hostility between North Korea and the U.S.



The detente is expected not only to relieve tension surrounding the peninsula but also change the political and economic dynamics of Northeast Asia.



President Moon Jae-in said the Trump-Kim agreement would be recorded as a historic event that has helped break down the world's last remaining Cold War legacy.



"It is a great victory achieved by both the United States and the two Koreas, and a huge step forward for people across the world who long for peace," Moon was quoted as saying by presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom.



Moon expressed gratitude to Trump and Kim for their determination toward making changes.



"Leaving the dark days of war and conflict behind, we will write a new chapter for peace and cooperation. We'll be there together with North Korea along the way," Moon said. "There may be many difficulties ahead, but we'll never again go back to the past, and never give up on this bold journey."



Moon again expressed his gratitude to Trump when the latter called the South Korean leader after the summit to tell him about the outcome.



At the first meeting of incumbent leaders of the U.S. and North Korea, Trump and Kim emphasized that the summit was the beginning of a new era for the nuclear issue and a new relationship between the two nations.



Kim said it was not easy for the two nations to get the summit take place because they had to overcome decades of conflict and prejudice against each other.



"It is the prelude to peace that we sat together by overcoming past mistakes, which have dragged us, and overcoming all critical eyes from outsiders," Kim said at the beginning of the meeting with Trump and officials from the two nations. "I'm determined to launch big projects that others could not do, by having a great start today."



Trump said, "Today we had a very historic meeting, overcoming our past history and embarking on a new beginning."



In the statement, Kim reaffirmed his commitment to denuclearization, saying the North would comply with the April 27 Panmunjeom Declaration signed by the two Koreas.



Trump said the process of denuclearization would start "very soon."



But the leaders did not use the term of "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization (CVID)," which has been an ongoing demand in negotiations with the North.



Mindful of this, the two nations decided to hold follow-up negotiations as soon as possible to set the details of the process, with the working-level talks being planned for next week.



Trump also said he and Kim would meet "many times."



In a press conference after the summit, he said that he invited Kim to the White House, an offer which Kim accepted, and he would visit Pyongyang as well at an appropriate time.



In return for Pyongyang's denuclearization, Trump promised to provide a security guarantee to the North Korean regime. The North has claimed it would have no reason to have nuclear weapons if U.S. military threats were removed and the regime's security was guaranteed.



As part of such a guarantee, the leaders agreed on a new relationship. But Trump said it is premature to talk about forming diplomatic ties.



Regarding the security guarantee, Trump said there would be no reduction of the size of the U.S. forces in South Korea for now, but said he would stop "war games," meaning the joint military exercise with the South.



Trump and Kim agreed on joint efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the peninsula. The agreement did not meet earlier expectations that the two nations might declare an end to the Korean War (1950-53), but opened the possibility for a declaration later that could involve South Korea and even China.



Trump said in a press conference after the summit that the war "will soon end."



Apart from regime security, the statement did not include what the North could get in return for removing its nuclear weapons, such as the lifting of economic sanctions. These issues may be discussed in later talks because Kim has set economic development as a top policy goal.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump sign a joint statement following their talks at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa in Singapore, Tuesday. / Reuters-Yonhap



By Yi Whan-woo



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore, Tuesday, apparently helped him change his reputation from a "madman" to a "normal leader," analysts says.

The agreement the two leaders signed also benefited Kim in his efforts to transform his image from a "rocket man" into a global leader who strives for peace and denuclearization.

Trump had called Kim a "madman" and "rocket man" in a derogatory manner for carrying out a series of nuclear and ballistic missiles tests, assassinating his elder half-brother Kim Jong-nam, executing his aides for petty reasons, starving his people to death and torturing and killing political prisoners.

But Trump was courteous and respectful toward Kim as they shook hands during live coverage at the Capella Hotel before the summit.

The leaders also had a three-course meal at their working lunch and walked side-by-side as they went for a stroll afterwards.

The occasion was unthinkable only months ago and it apparently gave the impression that Trump was treating Kim as equally as he does other heads of states, according to Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong Global University.

"Kim has wanted to be become a normal leader and the summit will definitely boost him in achieving such a goal," Park said.

The professor also referred to the "special bond" that Trump mentioned referring to his relationship with Kim.

The U.S. president said he would meet the North Korean leader many times and that he would be "absolutely" willing to invite Kim to the White House.

In their joint statement released after the summit, Trump promised a "security guarantee" to North Korea, which Kim has strongly demanded in his plan to shift away from the country's nuclear program to focus on rebuilding the economy.

Michael Kovrig, senior adviser at the Crisp Group, a Belgium-based non-profit organization aimed at preventing war, said the summit was a "huge win" for Kim, adding that Kim had the "the prestige and propaganda coup of meeting one-on-one with the (U.S.) President, while armed with a nuclear deterrent."

Several diplomatic sources echoed a similar view, claiming warm words and positive optics seemed to be a long way from when Trump was threatening to rain down "fire and fury" on Pyongyang and Kim attacked Trump as a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard."

The agreement with Trump is likely to pave the way for Kim to open dialogue with other world leaders, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the sources.

Kim has only met the leaders of South Korea, China and the U.S., all this year, after taking power in December 2011.

The sources speculated that the Trump-Kim deal would especially benefit North Korea in opening talks with U.S. allies.

Kim reaffirmed "unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

"This may serve as a ticket to establishing diplomatic relations with the Western countries," a source said.

But some critics remained cautious about Kim becoming a "normal leader."

They pointed out that complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement (CVID) of North Korea's nuclear weapons was not mentioned in the joint statement.

CVID is seen a critical element to prevent North Korea from going back to its nuclear program and to achieve a normal Korea.U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media about his historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the the Capella Hotel in Singapore, June 12. EPA-Yonhap



U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will stop "provocative and expensive" war games with South Korea in a surprise reference to the joint military exercises Pyongyang has criticized as a rehearsal of invasion.



Trump made the remarks during a press conference that followed his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the Singaporean resort island of Sentosa.



"War games are very expensive," he said, raising the issue of their cost.



"I think it is very provocative...You have a country that is right next door," he added, referring to the communist state.



His remarks underscored his apparent transactional approach to diplomacy.



Amid the growing mood for reconciliation, the possibility has emerged that Seoul and Washington could consider scaling back the regular annual drills, including the summertime Ulchi Freedom Guardian.



But conservatives in the South argued that any change to the exercises plans could lead to a weakening of the security alliance, the centerpiece of deterrence against the North's possible aggression.



In the face of the North's constant protest, the allies' militaries have defended the exercises as purely defensive in nature.



During the press conference, Trump also said that North Korean leader Kim is destroying a key missile engine testing site, without specifying its location.



The destruction appears aimed at easing Washington's concerns about Pyongyang's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of targeting the U.S. mainland.



The ICBM has been a grave concern for the U.S., as the North was seen using the missile capability to keep American forces at bay and undercut the credibility of the U.S.' security commitment to its Asian allies.



Regarding the issue of 28,500 American forces stationed in the South, Trump said he wants to "bring them back home," but the issue was "not part of the equation right now."



Ahead of the summit with Kim, speculation persisted that the two sides might discuss withdrawing the U.S. troops from the South, as Pyongyang has called for the pullout as a key signal to the end of Washington's "hostile" policy to it.



Following the unprecedented summit, Trump and Kim signed a joint statement in which they agreed to craft "new" bilateral relations and make joint efforts to build a "lasting and stable" peace regime on the peninsula.



Trump and Kim arrived in Singapore on Sunday and are set to leave later on Tuesday. (Yonhap)

By Jon Dunbar







As the U.S. military relocation from Seoul to Pyeongtaek is well underway, the area surrounding Seoul's Yongsan Garrison is becoming unrecognizable. Not just soldiers have moved on, but also businesses that serve them, including real estate agents, health services, restaurants and now musicians, even if for one weekend.







This Saturday, Seoul's Hae Bang Chon (HBC) Festival moves south to Anjeong-ri, the area outside Camp Humphreys, for a full day of music at six participating venues in the "Ville." The area is full of businesses catering to soldiers, similar to what Itaewon once was when the main garrison was next door.







"I think the character and vibe in each participating venue will be reminiscent of Old Itaewon at times, and the current HBC Fest vibe, which I hope to transfer and infuse in the HBC South event," festival organizer Lance Reegan-Diehl told The Korea Times.







The event starts around 2 p.m., with music going into the night. Many of the acts are HBC Festival regulars, such as John Patrick Starling, Christian Whelan and Tracy Scott.







"There has been quite a lot of interest in the HBC South event," Reegan-Diehl said. "Being the first of its kind in the Anjeong-ri area I have some really cool bands and HBC Fest regulars wanting to jump on this event and see what is going on in Pyeongtaek.







A live music scene will be cultivated from these initial pioneering efforts and can give rise to regular interaction between Seoul acts and Pyeongtaek. These events take time to grow, and hopefully there are soldier musicians joining in and more Korea acts as well."







People coming from Seoul for the event will see some familiar venues, such as Maloney's South Boston Pub, owned by Brendan Maloney who also runs Maloney's Pub and Grill in Gyeongnidan next to Yongsan Garrison, as well as Bear Paw owned by Tyler Deuling and his wife, formerly of Rocky Mountain Tavern in Itaewon.







The other venues are Tailgate, Pete's Parking Lot, Revolucion and Louis' Bar and Grill.







But Reegan-Diehl isn't giving up on HBC; the festival will be back in Seoul for a fall edition, as well as another expected HBC South. "Each area I believe can continue to hold their own charm," he said. "There is something new to discover in each of the places."









Visit

or

for more information.



By Kim Bo-eun



It appears follow-up talks to the North Korea-US summit will be essential, as the agreement reached on Tuesday on North Korea's denuclearization was made at a broad level without details.



At the summit at the Capella Hotel in Singapore, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed on complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and for the two states to establish "new relations." The leaders also agreed for the U.S. to provide North Korea regime security.



While Washington has maintained that Pyongyang should achieve complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization (CVID) this was not included in the joint agreement between leaders at the summit.



In follow-up talks on the establishment of new relations, the U.S. and North Korea will likely hold discussions on ending hostilities. This could be part of U.S. efforts to ensure regime security for North Korea.



Trump stated in a solo press conference following the summit he wants diplomatic ties to be established, but that for now it is too early for those steps to be taken.



Terminating the 1950-1953 Korean War that ended in an armistice had been discussed another part of means to guarantee North Korea regime security, but this was not included in the agreement.



"Now we can have hope it will soon end," Trump said.



Earlier, discussions took place on the possibility of President Moon Jae-in joining Kim and Trump in Singapore for follow-up talks on ending the war, but Moon was not invited.



As discussions follow after the summit, they could arrange meetings among the Koreas, the U.S. and possibly China to discuss the matter.



Meanwhile, agreements are yet to be reached on the timeframe of North Korea's denuclearization and how this will be achieved in a way that is complete and verifiable.



The U.S. has reportedly been calling for the regime to ship its nuclear weapons out of the country. In order to verify North Korea's dismantling of its nuclear program, inspectors will have to dispatched to the state, which Trump stated he will have happen.



At the same time, he said complete denuclearization would take time.



Discussions are also left on economic rewards North Korea will receive such as sanctions relief and investment in the regime. Trump said sanctions will remain in place for now, but looks forward to lifting them, and added that he has refrained from imposing new sanctions amid the progress being made with North Korea.



The joint agreement states the U.S. and North Korea will commit to hold follow-up negotiations at the earliest possible date to carry out the agreement reached at the summit.



Trump said Kim accepted his invitation to visit the White House at an "appropriate time." and stated he is open to visiting Pyongyang.

By Park Ji-won



South and North Korea are likely to speed up the process of restoring their economic exchanges amid signs of thaws in relations between the North and United States.



South Korea will cooperate closely with the U.S. for inter-Korean rapprochement programs because these could violate international sanctions against North Korea, according to South Korean officials.



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S President Donald Trump signed a joint document that includes complete denuclearization of the North during a historic summit held in Singapore Tuesday. The two countries vowed to commit to "establish new US-DPRK relations." Based on the agreement, the U.S. may ease its sanctions against the North _ previously a major hurdle for inter-Korean economic cooperation.



South Korean ministries are also set to promptly start cooperation with North Korea following the results of the summit, according to ministry officials and reports.



"If the Kim-Trump talks produce good results, we can see a new opportunity for the economy," said Kim Dong-yeon, finance minister and deputy prime minister, during a keynote speech at the 24th International Conference on the Future of Asia in Tokyo, Monday.



The finance minister also mentioned a multilateral "rehabilitation" fund to financially support North Korea led by South Korea, China and Japan.



Recently, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance reportedly reshuffled key positions that deal with budgets in inter-Korean economic exchanges. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy also established a special team for the exchanges.



In April, the leaders of South and North Korea initiated the exchanges based on the Panmunjeom agreement, holding high-ranking talks agreeing to take steps to modernize inter-Korean railways and roads that penetrate the Korean Peninsula. Since the April summit, South Korean ministries launched taskforces, mainly in the field of infrastructure and transportation, to speed up the materialization for the agreements.



Linking its rail network to Russia's Siberian rail system via North Korea, a project that would cut shipping times and costs for South Korea's Europe-bound exports.



The discussions of connecting the railways have been carried out for more than a decade, although no major progress has been made recently due to international sanctions against the North's nuclear and missile programs.



Also, the Gaeseong Industrial Complex (GIC), the symbolic inter-Korean economic cooperation, will likely be operated sooner. Gaeseong is the border city in North Korea where the two Koreas had been running a joint industrial complex beginning in 2004. South Korea, however, closed its operations in February 2016 and brought its officials and workers back to the South in protest of the North's missile and nuclear provocations.



Meanwhile, in the private sector, firms are also gearing up for the cooperation with the expectations of resuming relations with the North.



Hyundai Group began preparing for the possible beginning of projects such as a joint tour program at Mount Kumgang, a mountain resort on North Korea's east coast. Hyundai Group launched a taskforce for the inter-Korean exchanges last month.



The Mount Kumgang tour project, which attracted more than 1 million tourists since its operation began in 1998, was suspended in 2004 after a female South Korean tourist was shot dead by a North Korean guard in the North.

By Ngovi Kitau





To many Africans who have visited the Republic of Korea, three scenarios come to mind when thinking of this country: breathtaking scenery, hallyu, cultural heritage and unique cuisine; the absence of poverty and hunger; remarkable economic growth; and Koreans willingness to share their development experience.



Two unrelated announcements last month reveal that Korea is emerging as a dependable partner of the African continent, and is ready to chart a new path that leads to the above scenarios.



During the African Development Bank's 53rd Annual Meetings held in Busan from May 21 to 25, the Korean government announced a $ 5-billion financial assistance package for Africa. This will be delivered over two years through partnerships with various development agencies.



In another event held at Safari Park hotel in Nairobi on May 30, Kim Wan-gyu, president and CEO of Daewoo Trucks, launched Daewoo trucks and buses, and announced that the vehicles will be assembled in Kenya.



Despite these encouraging developments, Africans need to pose one fundamental question: Can Korea become a reliable and indispensable partner in realizing the African dream? This question is pertinent for two reasons.



One, Korea is a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Development Assistance Committee (OECD DAC) which accounts for 80 percent of total Official Development Aid (ODA). But unlike China and the richer OECD members, Korea does not have deep pockets. As reported by the OECD on April 9, 2018, bilateral and multilateral ODA from OECD countries in 2017 was $146.6 billion which represent 0.31 percent as a share of gross national income (GNI). The U.S. was the largest donor at $35.3 billion; followed by Germany, $24.7 billion; the U.K., $17.9 billion; Japan, $11.5 billion; and France, $11.4 billion. Korea came in at $2.2 billion, representing 0.14 percent of its GNI.



Secondly, the commitment to the development index (CDI) 2017, from the Center for Global Development, which ranks 27 of the world's richest countries on their dedication to policies that benefit people living in poorer nations, places Korea at the bottom. The CDI uses seven components namely aid, finance, technology, the environment, trade, security and migration. Except for technology and finance, Korea scores very poorly on all the other components.



Despite these constraints, the Republic of Korea is best suited to deepen a win-win partnership with Africa. There are three reasons why.



One, Korea is the only recipient-turned-donor country in the world, and having gone through the full spectrum, Koreans can conceptualize and anticipate problems and challenges facing developing countries. For example, during the second oil shock and deterioration of terms of trade in 1979, which caused a large increase in the balance of external debt, Korea was able to move away from project-based loans to sector loans. This is an experience Africa will need pretty soon.



Secondly, Korea has a rich experience in technical assistance going back to 1963 when they were still aid recipients. The Knowledge Sharing Program-policy consultations, joint consultation with international organizations, and modularization of the Korean development experience will be very useful to Africa. In addition, the Development Experience Exchange Program _ a sharing program that integrates and broadens technical cooperation activities such as conducting feasibility studies and master plan development can fast track industrialization and urbanization.



Finally, being a member of DAC, which is the venue and voice of the world's major donors, Korea can be the voice of developing countries.



In conclusion, Korea can become an integral part of the African dream, and help to fast track Africa's economic development through its development experience and make poverty and hunger history.





Ngovi Kitau (ngovikitau@yahoo.com) was the first Kenyan ambassador to the Republic of Korea (2009-2014).



By Andrew Hammond





U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un emerged from the much-anticipated summit Tuesday to sign an agreement establishing a new era in bilateral relations.



Key among the measures agreed is a commitment to Pyongyang "working toward the complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula, offering the clear potential for Trump's first major foreign policy win.



Much ambiguity remains in the text signed in Singapore, and any final, comprehensive deal between Washington and Pyongyang is months if not possibly several years away.



Yet, it is already clear that it would be a remarkable achievement if Trump were to help preside during his presidency over such a verifiable and irreversible "denuclearization," whilst also "building a stable and lasting peace regime on the Korean Peninsula" which would involve sealing a treaty between North and South to supplement the armistice ending the 1950-53 Korea War; and in the process de-escalate tensions in the world's last Cold War-era frontier.



Should Kim ultimately decide to stick to the spirit of Tuesday's agreement and abandon North Korea's nuclear program in exchange for U.S. economic aid and security guarantees, the reason why this would -- potentially -- be so central to Trump's eventual foreign policy legacy is that almost a year-and-a-half into office, the president's international actions have been much more defined by the dismantling of policies of previous presidents, especially Barack Obama, rather than building something new.



He has, for instance, recently withdrawn U.S. participation from the nuclear agreement between Iran and the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and Germany.



Prior to that decision he scrapped U.S. involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal with key allies in Asia-Pacific and the Americas; withdrew Washington from the Paris climate change deal agreed by over 170 nations; and launched a review of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which may yet collapse in 2018.



The first three of these initiatives (Iran, TPP and Paris) were Obama-era signature policies, and Trump has also partially rolled back other key measures from the previous administration, including the Cuba liberalization policy.



Yet, for all this diplomatic action, thus far the new administration has failed to forge any clear, coherent and comprehensive new Trump doctrine, centered around his "America first" vision.



When Trump moved into the White House, he promised a radical platform that could have reshaped U.S. foreign and trade policy more radically than at any point since the beginning of the Cold War -- the time that Harry Truman helped build a consensus around U.S. global leadership.



To be sure, Trump has made some moves to shift away from this postwar orthodoxy -- pursued by both Democratic and Republican presidents -- such as building U.S.-led alliances to expand the liberal democratic order.



But in practice, much of the last year-and-a-half has also been characterized by policy incoherence and U-turns on issues such as military action in 2017 and 2018 in Syria -- a departure from Trump's 2016 campaign rhetoric; and whether key international alliances like NATO are "obsolete" or "not obsolete."



These flip-flops reflect not just the ad-hoc nature of the new president's style of governing, and his contrarian character, but also the divisions within his team on key foreign policy issues.



Take the example of the Paris climate deal, Iran nuclear agreement, and TPP, where then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was just one of the senior members of his team urging Trump to remain in the accords rather than leaving them.



Yet, as the president enters mid-2018, he now appears to have in place a foreign policy personnel much more aligned to his political instincts. Former CIA Director Pompeo has replaced Tillerson as secretary of state, and the conservative hawk John Bolton has taken over as national security adviser from more pragmatic General H.R McMaster.



This changing of the guard could be very important to Trump, almost 18 months into office, in the context of the fact that his political window of opportunity to put an enduring stamp on U.S. foreign policy may soon narrow rapidly _ unless he wins a second term in 2020.



With this in mind, he and his new team will now seek to double down on other foreign policy priorities, including the ambition to do the "deal of the century" in the Middle East with Israel and the Palestinians (which will become more complicated by the U.S. president's decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem); and forge renegotiated economic relationships with key countries like Japan and China which are seen by the president as less one-sided and detrimental to the United States.



It is also to be hoped that Trump's new team will prove better foils than Tillerson and McMaster were for the president's ad hoc style of governing, which regularly exposes lack of experience and knowledge of international issues. If so, this will help serve as a compass for the White House in helping navigate the significant uncertainties of international affairs in 2018 and beyond.



Taken overall, the historic potential opportunity offered by the Singapore summit could become a central part of Trump's foreign policy legacy.



However, in this high-stakes gamble for glory, the president could still during the remainder of his presidency emulate many others who have failed to bring a sustained, peaceful diplomatic outcome to one of the key international challenges facing the United States.



Andrew Hammond (andrewkorea@outlook.com) is an associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.





By Sandip Kumar Mishra





In the joint statement signed by U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after their Singapore summit Tuesday, a few broad points were made regarding the issue of the denuclearization of North Korea.







In the statement, neither the expression, "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization" (CVID), was mentioned, nor a detailed process or timeline of how this goal would be achieved was given.







The document does talk about "complete denuclearization" as well as the April 27 Panmunjeom Declaration framework, but it might be considered less than satisfactory to many who were expecting more from this historic summit.







The dissatisfaction also emanates from the fact that there were many dramatic events and flurries of visits and negotiations at various places by multiple high-level officials from both sides.







All of these officials and the two top leaders were in touch with each other whole day on June 11 in Singapore and it was expected that a more detailed statement would come out of the summit.







Since both leaders have showmanship in their personalities and they would like to have a heavy upfront loading in their respective strategies, the outcome of the summit might disappoint many experts.







However, it would be inappropriate to judge the summit in hurry. Actually from the very beginning it was expected that if President Trump got a "weak deal," his detractors would have said "we were saying so" and if he had got a "strong deal," they would have said that "it would be difficult to implement."







Now by looking just at the joint statement and being disappointed with the "weak deal" would be premature. There is a strong possibility that both parties have discussed details of their future course and interactions in which the denuclearization of North Korea and a security guarantee for Pyongyang would have been discussed and even a course decided on.







It is encouraging to underline that both countries have committed to the "establishment of new U.S.-DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula." Both leaders have also expressed their commitment to "security guarantees to the DPRK and complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."







The four points made in the statement are meant to build trust because "mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." Both leaders have also expressed their willingness to implement "this joint agreement fully and expeditiously" and "hold follow-on negotiations."







In his press conference Donald Trump even said that the U.S. could stop its "war games" with South Korea.







As has been repeatedly said, the very meeting of both leaders was an important development along with the multiple levels of frequent and detailed interactions with each side.







It was a mistake to expect a perfect final outcome at the very beginning given the huge perception gaps between the leaderships of the U.S. and North Korea. A small success which is sustainable is better than a big success at the beginning which might be a result of pressure and entails the possibility of cheating.







When the details about the different levels of talks between the U.S. and North Korea are made public and more importantly when the actualization of the commitments by both parties unfolds, trust and mutual understanding would be the most important variable.







It's going to be a testing time for both parties and for that it's important to take smaller but firm steps one at a time. It is also important to remember the role of the main architect of this summit, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who was smiling while watching at his office in Seoul.







The South Korean leadership has contributed substantially to bring Trump and Kim to negotiations. Moon would further like to keep emphasizing the importance of mutual trust and incremental steps in the process.







The technicalities of CVID, one-time or incremental denuclearization, and lifting of sanctions on North Korea and so on are important. Any future progress will be made only when all the parties are able to bridge their differences on these details.







However, the level of trust makes a huge difference in interpreting and overcoming these technicalities. The Singapore summit has proven that the U.S. is ready to be tactful and patient in building trust with North Korea without compromising its goal of denuclearization.







Trump has agreed to talk more frequently to the North Korean leader and even invited him to the White House. Trump also mentioned South Korea, Japan and China for their positive contributions to the Singapore summit.







He mentioned about history of the complex U.S. relationship with Korea and said that history must be transformed. By looking at all this in context, the Singapore summit must be evaluated positively and hope for more progress in the same direction must be pushed for.









The author is associate professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India and a distinguished visiting fellow at the Sejong Institute, South Korea. He can be reached at







By Andrew Hammond





Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed the success of the latest Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit held in Qingdao, Sunday.







While the session saw multiple leaders in attendance, it was Beijing's relationship with Moscow that was center stage with Xi asserting that bilateral relations are at an "all-time high" with Russian President Vladimir Putin.







Coming in the shadow of the U.S.-driven disarray of the latest session of the G7 (the western club that Russia has been excluded from after its annexation of Crimea), the SCO summit had a more unified tone and featured presidents and prime ministers from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan, and the group's observer states of Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia too.







While the SCO was originally founded in 2001 as a body to resolve border issues, fighting terrorism and countering U.S. influence across the region, it has assumed a significant economic role too and Xi announced at the summit that China will offer around $4.7 billion in loans through the bloc.







Xi called the presence of new SCO full members India and Pakistan "of great historical significance," but singled out Putin for special praise. Xi said that bilateral relations are "the highest-level, most profound and strategically most significant relationship between major countries in the world" and also praised Putin by stating that he "is my best, most intimate friend".







Putin arrived in Beijing, Friday, before the SCO started, Saturday, underlining the growing bilateral dialogue between Beijing and Moscow, including on key regional and global issues such as Korea. And reflecting this, the two countries signed a series of deals, including for nuclear cooperation projects of around $3 billion and a $1 billion industrial investment fund.







China and Russia already enjoy a relatively extensive economic dialogue, in particular, which has warmed in several areas since Moscow's annexation of Crimea.







In the period following escalation of those tensions, Russia has for instance announced plans for numerous cooperation projects with China including a new method of inter-bank transfers, and a joint credit agency that seeks to create a shared financial and economic infrastructure that will allow them to function independently of Western-dominated financial institutions.







China and Russia are also among the states involved in creating alternative fora to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, including the New Development Bank. This will finance infrastructure and other projects in the BRICs states, and a related $100-billion special currency reserve fund.







Moreover, in the energy sector, the two states have signed a $400-billion natural gas supply deal which will see an approximately 2,000-mile gas pipeline from eastern Siberia to northeast China. And they have agreed to construct a second major gas pipeline from western Siberia to China's Xinjiang Province.







Moscow has also opened parts of its upstream oil and gas sector to direct investment from Beijing. Moreover, Chinese firms have also stepped in to provide Russian counterparts with technology, and Chinese banks have become an important source of loans for Russian businesses, in the wake of Western sanctions.







While little substantial progress has so far been made on a number of these economic and financial projects, the boost to the bilateral cooperation agenda has helped enable work toward stronger, common positions on key regional and global issues too. And both parties are looking to enhance this strategic coordination from the Middle East to Asia-Pacific and the Americas.







In the context of Tuesday's Singapore summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, North Korea was a significant theme of Putin's dialogue with Xi at the weekend. On Friday, Putin said that both nations "are interested in establishing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula".







Both China and Russia grappled in 2017 with how best to respond to not just the regular missile launches by Pyongyang, but also its nuclear tests.







And Trump's rhetoric in 2017 gave Beijing, in particular, heightened concerns that Washington might be thinking, much more seriously, about a pre-emptive strike on North Korea's nuclear capabilities.







This U.S. rhetoric was one reason why Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Li asserted that "China's priority now is to flash the red light and apply the brakes to both [the U.S. and North Korean] trains" to avoid a collision.







Given that both Beijing and Moscow last year had been so concerned that the tensions on the peninsular could spiral out of control, they have cautiously welcomed the Singapore summit.







However, both are concerned that they don't become passive bystanders in unfolding events, and want to instead reinforce their roles as key players in the grand geopolitical game that is now being played out on the peninsula.







Hence that's why Xi has seen Kim twice in Beijing in the last few months. And also why Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov traveled to Pyongyang at the end of last month to see the North Korean leader.







Taken overall, Putin's visit highlights the growing willingness of both sides to develop a significant cooperation agenda.







Despite limited progress so far on an array of bilateral projects in recent years, this latest trip has emphasized the very positive mood between the Russian and Chinese presidents which is underpinning the wider warming of ties.









Andrew Hammond (





andrewkorea@outlook.com ) is an associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.Taxpayers have right to know reasons for defeat



The Korean government has lost a legal dispute with an Iranian company over the latter's abortive takeover of Daewoo Electronics in 2011, officials said last week.



Iran's Dayyani group, a major shareholder of Enterkhab Industrial Group, sought an investor-state dispute (ISD) settlement after the Korea Asset Management Corp. (KAMCO) nullified a contract to sell a major stake in Daewoo Electronics due to funding ambiguities at the time.



Dayyani took the case to the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), blaming the Korean government for violating a bilateral investment treaty and demanding the respondent pay 93.5 billion won ($86.9 million). The ICSID recently ordered Seoul to pay 73 billion won, according to the Financial Services Commission.



This is the first time for government has lost an ISD case filed by a foreign business.



The problem is government officials here are refusing to explain why. Not just the financial regulator but all other related agencies, including the foreign ministry, have remained silent about the reasons for the legal defeat. They reiterate KAMCO's move was legitimate and the government is preparing an action to nullify the decision, claiming the disclosure of reasons for the loss would do more harm than good for the future.



We beg to differ. The government needs to make public what happened throughout the suit for no other reason than not to repeat such a defeat in the future. Similar suits are sure to occur in years to come as international investments and business transactions will increase. To avoid defeats, government and business officials have to study and prepare more thoroughly. Equally urgent is the need to check legal loopholes in the domestic systems and regulations.



The government should in this regard reveal not just the reasons for the defeat but all essential details, ranging from the selloff process seven years ago to significant bones of contention raised by the Iranian side and its plans to minimize the damage. That is the least taxpayers can demand of a government run using their money.





Trump, Kim agree on complete denuclearization



The first U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore Tuesday raised expectations for new relations between the foes of the 1950-53 Korean War and the peace process for the Korean Peninsula. U.S. President Donald Trump said his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "went better than anybody could have expected."



The two leaders signed a comprehensive agreement on bilateral issues. With regard to North Korea's denuclearization, the core issue in long-running bilateral negotiations, Trump said "we are starting that process," and it would begin "very, very quickly." The two countries have been at odds over the U.S. demand for "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization (CVID)." In the agreement, the U.S. agreed to provide a "security guarantee" to North Korea, while Kim reaffirmed his "firm and unwavering" commitment to the "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."



The two leaders deserve equal credit for realizing the historic U.S.-North Korea summit, which is something their predecessors failed to do. With their first meeting, the two leaders have laid the foundation for a new era of bilateral relations. There were some shaky moments leading up to the meeting, with Trump declaring to cancel it just weeks before the scheduled date. The realization of the unprecedented summit is the result of the strong wish of the two leaders to really make a substantial progress on the Korean Peninsula.



It remains to be seen how much impact their agreement will have on actually bringing results on North Korea's denuclearization. It will require commitment and sacrifice from both parties to realize permanent peace on peninsula, which is the shared goal of both countries as well as South Korea. But regardless of the implementation of the agreement, the meeting has left an extremely important legacy in that it marked the start of direct communication between the leaders of the Cold War foes.



The Trump-Kim meeting was unthinkable just a few months ago. In his New Year speech, Kim highlighted that a "nuclear button" was always on his table, which prompted Trump to tweet "I too have a nuclear button, but it is a much bigger and more powerful one than his." The usual hostility between the two countries was nowhere to be seen as the two leaders shook hands at the start of the historic meeting in the Capella Hotel.



After talks and a working lunch, followed by the signing of the agreement, Trump said they had formed a "special bond." It was noteworthy that Trump, who had previously mocked Kim as "Little Rocket Man," treated Kim like any other leader, saying it was an honor to meet him. He also paid some unusual compliments to Kim, calling him a "talented man" and "smart negotiator."



Trump also said he was willing to invite Kim to the White House. The Singapore meeting should be the first of more to come for further progress in U.S.-North Korea relations, while promoting mutual understanding and communication on the security of the Korean Peninsula.



After shaking hands with Trump, the first thing Kim said was that the two countries had overcome "all of the old prejudices and practices" to get to the meeting Tuesday. North Korea and the U.S. should leave the past behind and look only forward for consistently building a path to peace, no matter how long it takes.







By Lee Seong-hyon





This week marks 25 years since former U.S. President Jimmy Carter negotiated a deal with North Korea in which Pyongyang committed to freezing its burgeoning nuclear weapons program and engage in high-level negotiations with Washington. The deal didn't last because then North Korean leader Kim Il-sung met an abrupt death only a month later.



Twenty-five years later, Kim Jong-un, the grandson of the North's leader, met with a U.S. president in Singapore this week. This time, with a sitting U.S. president, Donald Trump  the first time in history. A few things are also different now than then. North Korea now has a doable nuclear arsenal. There is also a formidable third-party stakeholder  China.



Among the critical post-summit tasks for Trump would be to decide on how much of a role, if any, he would want to give to Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the ongoing North Korean nuclear issue. In other words, can the U.S. solve the North Korean problem without enlisting China's help?



Xi already met Kim twice in the weeks leading up to the Singapore summit. If the nature of the first Xi-Kim meeting was about "restoration of relations" between North Korea and China, their second meeting in the Chinese port city of Dalian was an occasion in which Xi reportedly gave Kim protective "insurance." Namely, if the Trump-Kim meetup falls apart, thou shalt not worry, because Xi will stand by Kim. After all, the couple recently reaffirmed their relationship as being special, "the one and only in the world."



Against this backdrop, Trump publicly thought out loud whether Xi may be behind Kim's defiant attitude in the negotiation process in the prelude to the summit. Trump pointed out that North Korea's change of attitude surfaced right after the Xi-Kim meeting in Dalian.



From a bigger scheme, Trump's declaration in March that he would meet with Kim proved to be the starting point of so-called "China passing"  the idea that China might be sidelined or "passed over" on issues related to North Korea. Trump in the past repeatedly said North Korea is China's problem to fix. As if all the roads lead to Rome, the logic went, the North Korean nuclear issue has to be solved through China.



Now, however, Trump is tantamount to signaling publicly that he no longer needs China to solve the North Korean issue and he, as a self-styled dealmaker, can make direct deals with Kim. In that case, China's stake, which was historically the largest foreign variable in geopolitics surrounding the Korean Peninsula, will weaken.



There's something psychological about Trump's maneuvers too. Namely, it conjures up the deep-seated insecurity in the Chinese strategic community that Trump might "seduce" Kim away from Xi's socialist harem and bring Kim closer to Washington's turf, showering Kim with capitalist elements and possibly even erecting a Trump Tower in Pyongyang too.



That's why there is fear in Beijing that Trump and Kim might hit it off too well, even if China also publicly welcomed the meeting. There is suspicion in China that Trump's hidden strategic goal is to normalize relations with North Korea, so as to check China.



In this time of uncertainty, the focus of Chinese strategy also displays a subtle shift from North Korea's denuclearization to securing China's geopolitical influence over North Korea. This temporary nuanced tactical adjustment cannot be ruled out to be transformed into a strategic shift in the process of intensifying competition and rivalry between Washington and Beijing.



There will be signs to watch. For instance, China may decouple from its commitment to economic sanctions currently put in place on North Korea. China, which has just reclaimed its long estranged relationship with North Korea, is unlikely to sacrifice its relationship with North Korea again.



In another case, if the United States returns to the "maximum pressure" campaign or even mounts military attacks on North Korea in the future, China believes the Trump administration cannot afford to attack North Korea if China adamantly opposes it.



In the heyday of Washington's "bloody nose" debate last year, China was remarkably reticent about its "options" regarding what it would do in case there is contingency in North Korea. Yet, that shouldn't automatically constitute a singular interpretation that China would "acquiesce" to the U.S. kinetic moves against North Korea. China, after all, sent in the one-million strong People's Liberation Army to the Korean War, going against American expectations.





Lee Seong-hyon (sunnybbsfs@gmail.com), Ph.D., is director of Department of Unification Strategy at the Sejong Institute.

By David Tizzard





In the last few years Singapore has positioned itself as a new Switzerland. A place of neutrality in which nations may converge and seek diplomacy and dialogue rather than posturing and provocations. The 2015 summit between China and Taiwan at which Ma Ying-jeou shook hands with Xi Jinping was the first time that the political leaders of the two nations had met since the Chinese Civil War ended in 1950.

Today, three years later, US President Donald Trump and DPRK Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un repeated the feat as they engaged in high level talks  the first time a sitting US President has met with a North Korean leader.

On the agenda, a whole host of things including, but not limited to, denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, removal of American troops from South Korea, the establishment of diplomatic relations between the states, and the formal ending of the Korean War. The main agenda is that of foreign policy  it does not, and perhaps at this stage should not, include the domestic affairs of each nation if they are to truly view each other as sovereign states with all the rights that they entail from a Westphalian perspective.

The journey to the Capella hotel has been a long and arduous one and many of those steps have been taken by important people here in the ROK: Roh Tae-woo's Nordpolitik, Kim Dae-jung's Sunshine Policy, Roh Moo-hyun's Peace and Prosperity Policy, and the clear and palpable efforts of the current President, Moon Jae-in.

And yet, for all the talk of history unfolding today, to which there is some truth, there is no shortage of precedents on which we might attempt to draw lessons. The 2000 and 2007 Inter-Korean Summits provided wonderful words and yet nearly 20 years later, the DPRK has succeed in not only boosting its economy but also its nuclear weapons program.

With slightly more relevance is the US-DPRK Joint Communique of 2000. This was released as Vice Marshall Jo Myong-rok visited President Clinton in the White House and Secretary of State Madeline Albright made the return trip to Pyongyang to visit Kim Jong-il. Released by the State Department, it spoke of building mutual confidence, a cessation of long-range missiles, a Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons, humanitarian improvements, and possible new bilateral diplomatic relations.

These words gave everyone involved a great deal of hope and there was much fanfare and support for the thaw that had warmed previously-held Cold War mentalities. The world was seemingly changing, and for the better. The fear of conflict and the tensions of the early 90's had finally been replaced by words and pictures of peace.

And yet, 18 years later, the situation has reappeared. One of the biggest changes is undoubtedly the greater focus on images in media and reporting. Many looked at the contrasting pictures that came out of Kim Jong-un's Panmunjom meeting with President Moon and President Trump's more recent appearance at the G7 summit and based their opinions solely on what they saw presented to them online in a bitesize photo.

Such analysis and commentary I believe is troubling.

Analysis and perspective, based on study of the facts, on what has unfolded and the relevant and analogous precedents, will provide us some insight. Not infallibility, but at least a more accurate perspective than one spoken with confidence from merely having seen either a smile or a frown online.

But all this is not meant to be pessimistic. Good historians are said to have the future in their bones. And it is a collection of human beings in Singapore and South Korea that have thus far shown a degree of bold readiness. A fundamental challenge to the way in which things are supposedly meant to be done has been laid done. Whether the events of today provide turmoil, a continuation of the status quo, or the progress in human and international affairs that many of us hope for will only be demonstrated by the passage of time and a study of the facts, not a photo.

David Tizzard (datizzard@swu.ac.kr) is an assistant professor at Seoul Women's University and host of TBS eFM's cultural radio show "A Little of a Lot." The show can be heard every Sunday from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. on 101.3 FM or downloaded via online platforms such as iTunes and Podbang.Seen is Korea's last remaining polar bear Tongki who lives in a zoo at Everland Resort theme park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Everland said Monday it has decided to relocate the polar bear to Yorkshire Wildlife Park in the U.K. in November, after reaching an agreement with the British facility. The resort added the decision was to provide an environment similar to the actual habitat of polar bears. / Courtesy of Everland ResortArmenias Minister of Labor and Social Affairs resigns (video)

Armenias Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Mane Tandilyan has tendered resignation application today. Mane Tandilyan explains her decision by her disagreement with the government that decided to make the funded pension system mandatory for all citizens born after 1973 from July 1, 2018. After long discussions it became clear that the government does not support my proposal. Instead, a different offer was presented and approved at the government sitting, Tandilyan wrote on her Facebook page. When assuming the Ministers duties she spoke for postponing the full implementation of the compulsory component for a year to find better solutions through public discussions. "The compulsory component did not enjoy and does not enjoy public support and the reasons are different and multi-layer. It has social, legal, political and structural problems and I see no way for implementation of the compulsory component without discussing it with the public, revealing problems and seeking acceptable solutions, she added. Mane Tandilyan wished success and farsightedness to the new government for the benefit of democratic Armenia. Tandilyan, who was also a member of the Bright Armenia party said she is also terminating her membership in the political force. She added that in the period of her short-term tenure, she pursued the goal of serving only: the Armenian citizen.This computer-generated image shows a Lotte World themepark in Shenyang, China, which is currently under construction. / Courtesy of Lotte



By Nam Hyun-woo



Following the historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore, companies in South Korea are readying themselves to navigate new business opportunities expected to come from economic cooperation between the two Koreas.



According to Choi Nam-suk, a professor at Chonbuk National University, Korea can expect 0.81 percentage points of additional economic growth in the next five years if denuclearization and economic integration on the Korean Peninsula are completed. Also, 128,000 new jobs are expected to be created.



The construction industry is expected to benefit the most as infrastructure, such as roads and railroads, was considered of vital importance by Kim during the inter-Korean summit earlier this year.



Following the move, large construction firms such as Daewoo E&C, Samsung C&T and GS E&C are gearing up for potential projects in the North.



Daewoo E&C has already established a team for supporting North Korean businesses and Samsung C&T also set up a taskforce for businesses in the North.



GS E&C said its affiliate plans to apply pre-emptive measures to stake out more business opportunities from the improving South-North economic cooperation. GS E&C readied itself to bid on projects in North Korea.



"With the situation over the inter-Korean economic cooperation continuing to develop, builders are currently looking into what business opportunities they can find," a construction firm official said. "Perhaps, the first opportunities will come from railroads."



Industry officials say restoring the severed Gyeongwon Line, linking Seoul and Wonsan in North Korea, seems likely, because the quickest economic cooperation project that can take off will be tourism and the North is developing Wonsan and the Mount Geumgang area as special zones for tourism.



Along with the railroad, developing Samjiyon Airport in the area is on builders' radar.



In terms of infrastructure, telecom company KT is also gearing itself up, setting up an inter-Korean cooperation taskforce. The taskforce is looking at building a telecom network in economic cooperation zones and info-tech infrastructure in the North. Its affiliate KT Sat also plans to use its satellite to provide broadcasting services to the North.



KT provided telecom service to the Gaeseong Industrial Complex from 2005 until the complex closed in 2016.



POSCO Chemtech, steelmaker POSCO's coal chemistry and carbon materials affiliate, is looking for opportunities in developing untapped minerals in North Korea, such as magnesite and graphite. Those are core materials for reusable batteries and other tech devices. Korea Resources Corp. estimates the value of minerals in North Korea is standing at $3.9 trillion.



Hyundai Group, which has exclusive rights authorized by the North to handle and manage seven social overhead capital projects, has also initiated a taskforce for the new chapter of the inter-Korean relations. It is currently looking into resuming tour programs to Mount Geumgang and Gaeseong.



Conglomerate Lotte is a step ahead regarding inter-Korean economic cooperation, increasing its investments near the border area of North Korea and Russia.



Hotel Lotte purchased a five-star hotel in Vladivostok, Russia, in December, while Lotte International has acquired the rights to cultivate 99 million square kilometers of land in Primorsky Krai, Russia. Lotte is also building a Lotte World theme park in Shenyang, China, which is expected to bask in the increased tourist influx if railroads in North Korea are tapped.



"Through our experience and infrastructure, we look forward to enhancing cooperation with the northern region," a Lotte official said. "First, we will utilize our food and tourism affiliates in the region to raise awareness and enhance ties. With the government pushing forward inter-Korean economic cooperation, we will also play our role so the government's drive can hit its stride."



Cushion compacts of AmorePacific and the company-owned brands / Courtesy of AmorePacific



By Park Jae-hyuk



Concerns have grown over Korea's status as a leader in the global cushion compact market, since the Supreme Court recently nullified AmorePacific's patent on the special sponge inside its cushion compact.



Cushion compact is a makeup product combining a compact with a special sponge soaked with base makeup, such as sunblock or foundation.



After AmorePacific developed the world's first cushion compact named IOPE Air Cushion in 2008, it has been regarded as a symbol of K-beauty. AmorePacific has sold more than 100 million cushion compacts worldwide.



However, the Supreme Court dismissed AmorePacific's request to recognize the conglomerate's patent on the special sponge inside its cushion compact, May 31, according to industry officials, Tuesday.



The ruling came after AmorePacific's first lawsuit against Cosmax in May 2016 over the original design manufacturer's alleged infringement of the cosmetics giant's patent. In October 2015, Cosmax and five local cosmetics firms  Nature Republic, Tony Moly, Able C&C, Too Cool For School and F&Co  urged the Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board to nullify AmorePacific's patent.



A lower court ruled in favor of AmorePacific in October 2016, but the appellate court sided with Cosmax in February, citing AmorePacific's cushion compact lacks "creativity."



Cosmax is reportedly considering filing lawsuits against AmorePacific in other countries, although the medium-sized company vowed to make efforts for the win-win growth of Korean cosmetics makers.



On its technologies for cushion compacts, AmorePacific holds 225 overseas patents and 149 domestic patents.



"If courts in other countries rule in favor of Cosmax, cosmetics makers in China and Southeast Asia will threaten the credibility of K-beauty with poor-quality imitations produced at lower costs," a cosmetics industry official said.



A growing number of consumers have complained about poor-quality imitations, because some of their sponges are easily worn out and could not soak up base makeup. Consumers complained the poorer quality caused makeup to fade after a few hours.



Given that Cosmax has manufactured cushion compacts for Lancome, Yves Saint Laurent and L'Oreal, global brands, which have already imitated AmorePacific's products, will also be able to produce their cushion compacts without paying royalties, threatening Korea's supremacy in the cushion compact market.



Lancome, Yves Saint Laurent and L'Oreal have used different sponges in their cushion compacts.



AmorePacific has received royalties from LVMH, Dior, Kolmar Korea and Cosmecca Korea on their use of AmorePacific's special sponge, so the cosmetics makers may cancel their contracts with AmorePacific and urge the conglomerate to return their royalties.



By Minnie Chan, Robert Delaney, Lee Jeong-ho





While negotiations on how to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula are likely to continue well beyond this week's historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a more immediate goal could be a peace treaty to end the Korean War, which technically continues 65 years after an armistice suspended the bloodshed in 1953.



Following Trump's meeting at the White House earlier this month with North Korean special envoy Kim Yong-chol, the U.S. president said a treaty was "something that could come out of the meeting".



Observers, meanwhile, said Kim Jong-un was likely to be motivated by the desire to preserve his family's dynasty, have sanctions lifted and become more open to international investment.



But perhaps those most keenly watching for signs of a treaty are the men from the two Koreas, the United States and China who were directly involved in the three years of bloodshed.





Zhang Zeshi, 89, said he was considered a traitor when he returned home to China after fighting in the Korean War. Photo by Simon Song



Zhang Zeshi, 89, Chinese, fought on the North Korean side



His experience of the war



Zhang left his home in China to fight in the Korean War in March 1951. Just a month later he was injured in the Fifth Battle of Seoul and, along with about 3,000 of his comrades, was captured by American troops.



"The Fifth Battle was the most fierce, most difficult one (for the volunteer Chinese army), with the biggest losses. We were besieged by the Americans, and basically finished. A third of us died, another third fled (to North Korea), and the rest, nearly 3,000 people, were captured. I was one of those captured."



After being taken to a prisoner of war camp he continued to play his part in the conflict by causing as much disruption as he could. His captors' patience finally ran out when Zhang and 17 other soldiers  two Chinese and 15 North Koreans  staged an uprising and were transferred to a high-security facility, where he stayed until the end of the conflict in 1953 and was sent back to China.



Home was not how he had left it, however. The fact he had been a prisoner of war was regarded as shameful and people were also suspicious about whether his allegiances might have changed during the war. As a result, he was expelled from the Communist Party and it was not until the early 1980s, long after the Cultural Revolution had ended, that he was readmitted.



Before the Korean War, Zhang had studied at Tsinghua University, so after he regained his "rights" he took a job as a teacher. Since then he has also written two memoirs and has been active in raising public awareness of the war.



"There were more than 20,000 (Chinese) prisoners taken during the war. Two-thirds of them were sent to Taiwan and only about a third, or about 7,000, returned to the mainland. These people risked their lives to get back.



"It didn't occur to me that after I returned to China, I would be classed as a traitor. I was expelled from the party and the army, and got beaten up during every (political) campaign, until the end of the Cultural Revolution."



On the possibility of a formal peace treaty



"I think both North Korea and South Korea want China to help bring about a joint declaration to finally end of the war.



"They are trying to persuade Kim Jong-un to declare where he stands, but Kim wants the Americans to do the same, to say that they will end the war. But everyone knows that Trump can change his mind. He could take it all back and say he knew North Korea was conducting nuclear tests again. So a declaration without the participation of China would be incomplete and lack a guarantee.



"(A peace treaty) must include China, because China lost the biggest number of soldiers in the war and it signed the ceasefire agreement. A declaration of the end of the war would be better than a ceasefire, but it would be valueless if a permanent peace agreement didn't follow."





Hwang Song-do, left, was a veteran of the Korean War. He died in 2017. Photo by Tiffany Song



Tiffany Hwang, 29, whose late grandfather, Hwang Song-do, fought on the North Korean side



His experience of the war



"My grandfather, who was born in 1927, fought on the North Korean side. After being captured by the South Koreans he ended up living in the South. He passed away last year so did not get to see the recent changes on the Korean Peninsula.



On the possibility of a formal peace treaty



If my grandfather had heard that the two Koreas were discussing an official end to the war, he would have been so happy. He always used to say that there should never be another war on the Korean Peninsula. If they can agree a peace treaty it would be the realization of my grandfather's wish.





Park Myeong-ho, left, pictured with some of his fellow South Korean veterans, was involved in the battle for Baengma Hill during the Korean war. Photo by Felix Wong



Park Myung-ho, South Korean, fought on the South Korean side



His experience of the war



I served in the 28th Regiment of the 9th Infantry Division during the war.



"I remember we were sent to try and take a mountain in Chinese army territory on the far side of Baengma Hill. We met a huge Chinese resistance and there was a great fight. After a while we were given the order to retreat, which we did. But as we were retreating, the Chinese launched a massive offensive. The fighting was unprecedented, and the advantage went back and to. Baengma Hill changed hands numerous times  we took it 12 times from them, and they took it back 12 times from us. It was a historic battle."



On the possibility of a formal peace treaty



"The South and North should stop bickering and distrusting one another. We all greatly desire unification. The thought that North Korea can only be our enemy is outdated now. We must move on, and I hope the whole population of 70 million come together as one."





John Joseph Herring worked for US Army security agency intercepting Korean messages.Butler, IN (46721)

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Rain. Low 48F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.Seattle leaders on Tuesday repealed a tax on large companies such as Amazon.com and Starbucks after a backlash from businesses. It was a stark reversal from a month ago, when the City Council unanimously approved the effort to combat a growing homelessness crisis.

The council voted 7-2 after supporters and opponents packed a meeting with signs saying, Tax Amazon, housing for all, and, No tax on jobs, with some shouting for more time to discuss the issue.

The vote showed Amazons ability to aggressively push back on tax levies, especially in its affluent hometown, where its the largest employer and where some have criticized it for helping cultivate a widening income gap that is pricing lower-income workers out of housing.

The tax was proposed as a progressive revenue source aimed at tackling one of the nations biggest homelessness crises, a problem that hasnt eased even as city spending on the issue grew.

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Businesses and residents demanded more accountability in how Seattle funds homelessness solutions and housing and said the city should take a regional approach to the problem. Many worried that Amazon and others would move out of the city, with construction workers in hard hats packing City Hall to object to the tax.

Amazon, Starbucks and others sharply criticized the tax, calling it misguided. The online retailer even temporarily halted construction planning on a new high-rise building near its Seattle headquarters in protest.

Supporters praised the tax as a step toward building badly needed affordable housing. They said too many people were suffering on the streets and that the problem was deepening, despite city-funded programs that found homes for 3,400 people last year.

Seattle spent $68 million on homelessness last year and plans to spend even more this year, not counting the tax that would have raised roughly $48 million annually.

But a one-night count in January found more than 12,000 homeless people in Seattle and the surrounding region, a 4% increase from the previous year. The region saw 169 homeless deaths last year.

In the end, city leaders underestimated the frustration and anger from residents, businesses and others over not just a tax increase, but also a growing sense that the problem appears to have gotten worse, not better, despite the city having already spent millions to combat homelessness.

Several council members, including three who sponsored the tax measure, lamented the about-face even as they supported repealing it.

I am deeply troubled and disappointed by the political tactics utilized by a powerful faction of corporations that seem to prioritize corporations over people, Councilwoman Lorena Gonzalez said Monday.

She added that the consequences will be felt profoundly by the thousands of people without shelter or stable housing.

Jeff Shulman, an associate professor in the University of Washingtons Foster School of Business, said the way the tax got pushed through is the antithesis of the collaborative spirit Seattle is known for.

It kind of set up larger businesses as the enemy, and in reality, the city is going to need them as allies and partners, he said.

Seattles tax would have charged companies about $275 per full-time worker each year for affordable housing and homeless services. It targeted nearly 600 businesses making at least $20 million in gross revenue and would have taken effect next year.

Days after the measure passed, a coalition of businesses called the No Tax on Jobs campaign began gathering signatures to get a referendum overturning the tax on the November ballot.

Tax supporters faced the prospect of having to fight a campaign that easily raised more than $280,000 in contributions in just weeks.

Theyve made clear they have the resources to bankroll many more months of nastiness, the group Working Washington said in a statement.

Mayor Jenny Durkan and a majority of the City Council acknowledged facing a prolonged, expensive political fight over the next five months that will do nothing to tackle our urgent housing and homelessness crisis.

John Kelly, senior vice president of public affairs for Starbucks, said repealing the tax makes sense.

The best path forward is to implement the reforms recommended two years ago by the citys own homelessness expert, he said in a statement Monday.

It marks the latest Amazon effort against taxes at all levels of government.

The company recently said it would block Australians from purchases on its international websites after the nation planned to impose a 10% consumption tax on online retailers for goods shipped to Australia.

The tax debate comes as 20 cities vie to attract the companys second headquarters and as it expands its workforce in Boston and Vancouver, Canada.

Cities have offered lavish tax breaks and incentives to attract the company and its promise of adding tens of thousands of high-paying jobs. Critics have said it is wrong for a profitable company to push for public money, especially considering the added costs to infrastructure and services the new headquarters would bring.

UPDATES:

2:45 p.m.: This article was updated after the City Council vote.

This article was originally published at 6:55 a.m.One year ago this week, Amazon.com loudly declared its intention to become a grocery industry heavyweight by agreeing to buy Whole Foods Market.

The $13.7-billion deal practically guaranteed sweeping change in a segment of the retail world that hadnt yet felt the sting of e-commerce. By marrying Amazons digital prowess and appetite for price-cutting with Whole Foods well-established perishables supply chain and network of stores, it seemed a trip to Whole Foods or a tap of the Amazon app was about to become ground zero of food-shopping innovation  and a top choice for customers.

Clear evidence of how this deal has transformed the industry is hard to find today at either company, though Amazon remains a formidable force in online groceries. Rather, its in the flurry of counter-actions taken by their spooked rivals.

Whole Foods is basically the same chain it was when Amazon bought it. It has cut prices on some key products and given additional discounts on sale items for Prime members. But the kiosks displaying Amazon gadgets and deals on Mothers Day tulips? Those things are more cosmetic. Whatever Amazons grand vision is for Whole Foods and digital grocery, it seems, for now, largely unrealized  or at least unseen from the outside. And Amazon investors appear to be content to give the company time to keep plotting and tinkering.

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Not so the old guard of the grocery world. It doesnt have that luxury, which was made plainly obvious when investors sent their shares tumbling after the deal was announced. Industry leaders Walmart and Kroger the parent of Ralphs  seem to have gotten the message and are dramatically increasing the reach of their online grocery offerings. Although nothing can completely inoculate them from the threat, they are now better equipped to compete and might even gain early-mover advantage in markets that Amazon and Whole Foods havent blanketed yet.

Walmart, with help from partners such as Doordash, says its grocery delivery program will cover more than 40% of U.S. households by years end. It is also set to nearly double the number of stores that offer online grocery pickup services. Kroger, meanwhile, now offers its ClickList pickup program from more than 1,000 stores and is expanding its delivery partnership with Instacart. It also agreed to take a stake in British online grocer Ocado Group and is working with that company to identify sites for automated warehouse facilities that make use of its technology.

The grocery business has also dabbled in some mergers and acquisitions of its own that would seem to be a pretty direct defense against the Amazon-Whole Foods threat. Targets $550-million acquisition of grocery-delivery start-up Shipt fits the bill, as does Albertsons agreement to acquire Rite Aid. And there are other ways that legacy grocers are trying to give digital-first dining ideas a home in their bricks-and-mortar stores. Costco Wholesale is now selling Blue Apron meal kits, while hundreds of Giant and Stop & Shop stores have just begun selling meal kits from HelloFresh.

Investors should be heartened by this burst of activity from supermarkets and big-box stores even if, on one level, one could argue it hasnt made much of a difference yet. Many grocers saw their market values get whacked last June when this deal was announced. Several of them werent quick to recover  and some have a lower market capitalization now than before the deal. And none of them are truly outgunning Amazon in the digital realm. More people have bought groceries online from Amazon recently than from any of its competitors, according to a survey conducted in March by Coresight Research.

But online grocery has only just reached its tipping point for widespread adoption. There will be millions more dollars up for grabs in this channel in the next several years, and habits arent yet ingrained for who gets them. Old-school retailers came a long way this year toward positioning themselves to get a piece of the action.

And although those players were hustling to get better at what Amazon does best, Amazon appears to be taking its time learning how to do what the traditional stores do best. Maybe thats why there hasnt been a dramatic change in consumers willingness to consider shopping at Whole Foods.

Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos probably has plenty of big ideas for Whole Foods. But each day that passes with minimal change at the chain is an opportunity for the legacy bricks-and-mortar chains to shore up their defenses. And they appear to be taking advantage.

Halzack is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering the consumer and retail industries.President Trumps weekend rant against Canadas dairy policies has deep roots in electoral politics  namely, those of Wisconsin, a state that responded to Trumps America First trade rhetoric and helped him win the White House.

It was there, in April 2017, at a Snap-on tools factory, that Trump chose to unveil his Buy American, Hire American executive order aimed at giving domestic manufacturers preference in government contracts. And that was when Trump first blasted some very unfair things in Canadas dairy trade regime.

Trump, who has been prone to a bit of magnification, in this case actually understated the Canadian tariff during last weeks Group of 7 summit in Quebec  its as high as 313.5% for butterfat, compared with the 270% on dairy the president cited.

From there, though, the situation gets a lot more complicated.

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Despite any tariffs, Canada remains the second-biggest foreign market for U.S. dairy products  it bought $792 million in U.S. cheese, milk protein isolates, butter, whey and other milk derivatives last year, according to the U.S. Dairy Export Council.

Canada exported much less  $149 million  to the U.S., according to the Canadian government. (There is ample dispute over how much of that southward traffic consists of dairy products made from U.S. ingredients.)

For those keeping score  and that would certainly include Canadian dairy farmers  thats roughly a 5:1 trade imbalance in favor of the U.S.

The escalating statistical war may have consumers heads spinning fast enough to churn butter. Nearly everyone knows Canada is a partner in the North American Free Trade Agreement. So, why isnt dairy trade free?

It turns out some exports are freer than others.

Lets not pretend were in a global free market when it comes to agriculture, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Bloomberg shortly after Trumps Wisconsin remarks.

For instance, Canada has complained regularly that U.S. subsidies on corn and other crops give U.S. growers an unfair advantage.

NAFTAs free trade elements have rolled out slowly over decades, and the pact never fully opened Canadas dairy market. Ottawa was allowed to keep its tight control of dairy supplies and prices, a program it calls supply management. Canada can dun U.S. imports severely once they exceed about 10% of the market.

U.S. farmers have gained a lot more from trade with Mexico, whose imports of U.S. dairy products skyrocketed under the agreement, to $1.3 billion.

Canadian dairy farmers on Monday goaded their U.S. counterparts for producing vastly more than the market demands. That has swelled U.S. cheese and butter reserves to hundreds of millions of pounds. Wisconsin alone produces more dairy products than all of Canada, noted Pierre Lampron, president of Dairy Farmers of Canada.

Clearly, the Canadian market is too small to make a dent in U.S. overproduction, Lampron said.

California exported $1.4 billion in dairy products in 2016, about 12% of which went to Canada, according to the state Department of Food and Agriculture.

U.S. dairy exports, however, have largely plateaued at about 15% of production. The industry has launched an ambitious plan to increase exports to 20% by 2020.

The effort is being pushed by the export council, headed by President Obamas former agricultural secretary, Tom Vilsack, an Iowa native. While Vilsack glowingly referred to Mexicans as our brethren in dairy trade, he said the U.S.-Canadian relationship can best be described as heavily strained, during congressional testimony last year.

Canadas dairy lobby spends an estimated $80 million to $120 million to keep the relationship just so, making it a political third rail, according to the CanadaWest Foundation, a policy think tank.

Last year, Canada extended its supply management rules to cover an ultra-filtered milk powder used in cheese production, limiting U.S. imports in hopes of boosting domestic production. That move lopped millions from U.S. trade, predominantly from neighboring Wisconsin and New York, and tripled Canadian exports of the milk classification, according to the National Milk Producers Federation.

That change fueled dairy support for renegotiating NAFTA, which already had been a core tenet of Trumps trade policy. Another was abandonment of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation accord that would have given the U.S. an additional, albeit thin, slice of the Canadian dairy market.

Both NAFTA 2.0 and a revamped TPP, without the U.S., have drawn the ire of Canadas dairy industry, which is centered in the eastern portion of the country where its political support is highest.

Asked about retaliating to U.S. tariffs on aluminum and steel, Trudeau said in a news conference at the end of the G-7 meeting that while Canadians are known to be polite, we will not be pushed around. Trump responded with tweets characterizing Trudeau as dishonest and weak, and followed later with a tweetstorm from Singapore, where he was preparing for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Sorry, we cannot let our friends, or enemies, take advantage of us on Trade anymore. We must put the American worker first! Trump wrote. Fair Trade is now to be called Fool Trade if it is not Reciprocal.

geoffrey.mohan@latimes.com

Follow me: @LATgeoffmohanCalifornias nonprofit hospitals are providing sharply less free and reduced-cost medical care than they did a few years ago, raising questions about the role and obligations of those institutions in the age of Obamacare.

About 170 nonprofit general acute-care hospitals provided $651 million of charity care in 2016, down from $985 million in 2011, according to a report due out this week by the California Nurses Assn. Those hospitals reported net income of more than $3 billion in both 2011 and 2016, the report shows.

Hospital industry leaders say charity care has declined because the Affordable Care Act  which became law in 2010 but took full effect in 2014  has provided millions of Californians with free and reduced-cost coverage through Medicaid expansion and the Covered California marketplace. Indeed, one of the goals of the ACA was to cut down on sick patients showing up at emergency rooms because they didnt have coverage for doctor or urgent-care visits.

Hospitals continue to provide an assortment of community benefits, including farmers markets, free nutrition and STD-prevention classes, and mobile clinics, industry officials say.

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Hospitals can provide as much charity care as a community requires, and hospitals dont turn off charity care, said Anne McLeod, senior vice president of health policy and innovation at the California Hospital Assn. We absolutely celebrate the fact that less charity care is required in the community. That means that California has demonstrated itself as a leader in implementing healthcare coverage under the Affordable Care Act using all of the tools available to it.

But union leaders argue that millions of Californians remain under-insured  unable to afford medical care because of high-deductible plans and premium costs. They say community benefits are no replacement for free and reduced-cost care.

These are people facing calamity every day because of high healthcare costs, said union spokesman Chuck Idelson. If these are not people who need charity care, who does?

The unions report comes after California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra in April rejected three California hospitals requests to be exempted from charity-care obligations. Becerra ordered them to pay out millions to local nonprofits.

Charity care, as defined by the IRS, is when patients cant afford to pay for their care, or their share of care, and they meet income guidelines in law. To receive charity care, patients must allow a hospital to means test them, using a paycheck stub or tax return. If a patient is not eligible for free care, they might still be eligible for discounted care. Hospitals are required by law to have policies for free or discounted care for patients making up to 350% of the federal poverty level.

The nurses union  the biggest supporter of California moving to a single-payer healthcare system  has long advocated for the state Legislature to more clearly define what constitutes charity care. It wants the state to establish mandatory minimum levels of charity care that all nonprofit hospitals must provide to keep their tax-exempt statuses.

Current law doesnt specify the amount of charity care hospitals must provide, although the state attorney general can require that a nonprofit hospital continue providing a certain level of charity care when it is sold or transferred to another healthcare organization.

To compile the report, the nurses union examined the most recent publicly available data that hospitals report to state regulators and bond investors, analyzing declines in charity care at some of the largest nonprofit hospitals and healthcare systems in California. (The unions total numbers exclude Kaiser Permanente hospitals because state law doesnt require them to report the same level of financial data, as Kaiser gets much of its revenue from its members premiums.)

At Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, charity care declined 76%, from $17 million in 2011 to $4 million in 2016, according to the report. The centers total net income  the amount of money a hospital has left over from operations, investments and other revenue sources after costs are taken out  during that six-year time span was $1.8 billion.

Cedars-Sinai spokeswoman Sally Stewart said in a statement that the union paints too narrow a picture of Cedars-Sinais community impact, ignoring millions of dollars that Cedars-Sinai provides in medical research funding, educational opportunities for healthcare professionals, free medical screenings and immunizations, and health education classes.

The report is not reflective of the true picture of our charitable mission at Cedars-Sinai, where our nurses, physicians and staff members remain deeply committed to providing the highest quality of accessible and affordable healthcare to everyone in our community, especially those in need, Stewart said.

Dignity Healths charity care declined about 35% from 2011 to 2016, from $146 million in 2011 to almost $96 million in 2016. Its net income during that time was $3.2 billion.

Dignity Health, the fifth-largest health system in the nation, said in a statement that it advocated for Medicaid expansion and that the decline in charity highlights the success of people gaining access to quality care through the Affordable Care Act.

Today we treat half a million more Medi-Cal patients annually than we did before the passage of the Affordable Care Act, and we remain the largest private provider of healthcare services to Medi-Cal patients in the state, Dignity Health said in a statement. Reimbursement from Medi-Cal, which is among the lowest in the nations Medicaid system, does not cover our costs to provide care for these patients, and for us this shortfall is much larger than the drop in charity care. Our overall community benefit now exceeds $2 billion a year.

For Kaiser Permanente, there was a 47% drop in charity care provided from 2011 to 2016, according to the union. Kaiser Foundation Hospitals net income during that time period was $12.8 billion.

A spokesman at the HMO giant said that assessment was wrong, arguing that the union cherry-picked the data included in the report.

Overall, the amounts we are devoting to charity care across our integrated system are increasing: In 2011 we spent $249 million, spokesman John Nelson said in a statement. Last year, we spent $379 million, a 52% increase. Our spending on charity care is increasing despite the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Although there are fewer uninsured people, there are more low-income patients that face real challenges when confronted with the high out-of-pocket costs associated with their healthcare.

Other declines included Scripps Health, with a 31% drop, and Sutter Health, at 47%. Both health systems challenged the unions findings.

Before the Affordable Care Act was implemented, California had the largest number of uninsured people of any other state  almost 6 million Californians ages 19 to 64 were uninsured in 2013, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

With the expansion of Medicaid and creation of the Covered California marketplace, the state saw millions of previously uninsured adults gaining coverage. About 93% of Californians are now insured. However, an estimated 3 million residents remain uninsured, including 1.8 million who are ineligible because of immigration status. Many, although not all, of the latter group would otherwise qualify for Medi-Cal based on their income, according to a recent analysis.

Additionally, a Commonwealth Fund report found an estimated 21% of working-age California adults who had health insurance in 2016 were under-insured, facing high deductibles and high out-of-pocket expenses relative to their income. For lower-income families, this means spending 5% or more of income on healthcare, while for higher-income families it means spending 10% or more.

Although millions more are insured as a result of the Affordable Care Act, the report notes, healthcare costs and premiums continue to rise faster than wages. As a result, employers have required workers to pay a larger proportion of those costs, especially in the form of higher plan deductibles.

jaclyn.cosgrove@latimes.com

@jaclyncosgroveIn a rare apology by a Trump administration official, top White House trade advisor Peter Navarro on Tuesday walked back his inflammatory statement that there was a special place in hell reserved for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Navarro offered the apology at a conference sponsored by the Wall Street Journal, saying that my job was to send a signal of strength after an economic summit in Quebec marked by tensions over Trumps recently imposed steel tariffs on Canada and other allies. The problem was that in conveying that message, I used language that was inappropriate, he said.

Asked whether he was apologizing, Navarro replied, Yes, absolutely.

Navarros apology was unusual in that President Trump and his aides have seldom walked back harsh and even incorrect statements. There was no immediate response to the apology from Trudeau. While the apology could help ease tensions, analysts said Navarros outburst had made it harder for the parties to reach an agreement on updating the North American Free Trade Agreement among the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

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The latest from Washington 

The economic summit, attended by Trump, Trudeau and other leaders of the Group of Seven advanced nations, concluded Saturday with Trump leaving early en route to Singapore. On board Air Force One, Trump tweeted that he was pulling out of the leaders joint statement, and derided Trudeau for being dishonest and weak at his closing G-7 news conference.

On Sunday morning Navarro and Trumps director of the National Economic Council, Larry Kudlow, piled on the criticisms. Appearing on separate news shows, Kudlow accused Trudeau of betrayal and Navarro called the news conference a stunt and went on to assail the prime minister in unusually harsh terms.

Theres a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door, Navarro said on Fox News Sunday.

Trudeaus office responded with a statement that the prime minister had said nothing new. At the news conference, Trudeau called the U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs insulting and stated that Canada would go ahead with retaliatory tariffs on July 1 unless the American duties were dropped.

I have made it very clear to the president that it is not something we relish doing, but it is something that we absolutely will do, because Canadians, were polite, were reasonable, but we also will not be pushed around, Trudeau said.

Other leaders of the G-7, including the United Kingdom, France and Germany  which were also hit by Trumps steel tariffs -- came to Trudeaus defense. And in Washington, GOP lawmakers criticized Navarro for crossing the line.

Navarro should have kept his big mouth shut because I dont think that helps us in foreign policy, said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch of Utah.

Navarro, a former UC Irvine economics professor, has made caustic remarks before in advocating hard-hitting actions on trade, particularly against China. Trumps steel tariffs and threats to tax auto imports, among other protectionist policies, have strained relations with Americas closest allies, including Canada, with whom the administration has been struggling to renegotiate NAFTA.

More stories from Don Lee 

don.lee@latimes.com

Follow me at @dleelatimesThe nations top bank regulator has found evidence that institutions other than Wells Fargo & Co. may have created accounts without customers authorization  and a prominent Democrat wants the regulator to name names.

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, the ranking Democrat on the Senate banking committee, said Tuesday he wants the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to release more details of a review, spurred by Wells Fargos accounts scandal, of sales practices at more than 40 large and mid-size banks.

Comptroller Joseph Otting will likely face questions about the matter from Brown and other lawmakers this week. Otting will testify before the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday and before Browns panel on Thursday.

The OCCs review found that some banks had opened accounts without proof of customers consent, but the agency has declined to name those banks saying the results of regulatory exams are private. The results of the review, completed at the end of last year, were first reported last week by the publication American Banker.

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The public deserves more information on the prevalence of fake account abuses and other sales misconduct at the big banks the OCC reviewed, Brown said. After the scandal at Wells Fargo revealed just how deep and pervasive fake account abuses and other sales misconduct can be, it is critical the OCC shares publicly the names of the banks reviewed.

The San Francisco bank in 2016 agreed to pay the OCC and other regulators $185 million and acknowledged its employees, motivated by strict quotas and sales incentives, may have opened millions of accounts without customers authorization.

Soon after, the OCC said it would review sales practices at the nations largest banks. The agency regulates more than 900 nationally chartered banks, including Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Citi.

Browns comments came after Otting sent a letter to him and other members of the Senate and House banking committees, detailing some of the findings of the OCCs sales-practices review. A spokesman for Sen. Mike Crapo, chairman of the banking committee, declined to comment.

That review, according to the OCCs letter to Brown, found problems with sales practices and incentive policies at some banks, though such problems did not result in widespread unauthorized account openings by bank employees.

Other than saying the practice was not widespread, though, the letter offers no clues about how many unauthorized accounts may have been created or how many banks may have created them.

Brown said the OCC should disclose how many such accounts were created and what banks are doing to address any consumer harm.

Byan Hubbard, an OCC spokesman, said the agency does not comment on correspondence with members of Congress.

The letter reports that many banks have changed their practices in the wake of the scandal and the OCC review, with some banks taking steps to eliminate practices that led to problems at Wells Fargo.

For instance, before the review, some banks were giving employees credit for opening accounts even if those accounts were never fully activated or used by the customer, and even if accounts were funded with money transferred from another account at the same bank rather than with new money, according to the letter.

Thats how the incentive system worked at Wells Fargo, allowing workers to get credit for creating unauthorized accounts that were never used and funding those accounts by transferring money from a customers real account.

The report notes that some banks are now contacting customers after a new account is opened to make sure they know about the account  something Wells Fargo started doing only after its 2016 settlement with regulators.

Margaret Kane, a bank sales-practices consultant, said the letter to Brown suggests the OCCs review was thorough and that banks have taken the matter seriously. She also cautioned that the fact banks have changed some practices does not mean their practices were ever as problematic as Wells Fargos.

Just because they made changes doesnt mean they were seeing bad behavior, and I think the letter bears that out, she said. I think banks are being extra careful to say, We dont want to create an environment where there is any unintended consequence. 

james.koren@latimes.com

Follow me: @jrkorenAn Italian court has ruled that one of the J. Paul Getty Museums most prized antiquities, the Greek bronze known as Statue of a Victorious Youth, should be repatriated to Italy  but the Getty isnt giving up the fight.

The ruling, issued Friday in Pesaro, is the latest in Italian court rulings that date to 2007 regarding the provenance of the statue, also known as the Getty Bronze. The museum purchased the work from a German art dealer in 1977 for $3.95 million and has long said that the sale was legitimate, maintaining that Italy has no archaeological claim on the work.

The statue was found in international waters in 1964, Getty spokesman Ron Hartwig said in a statement following the recent ruling. The museum purchased it, he said, years after Italian courts concluded there was no evidence that the statue belonged to Italy.

Italy requested that Getty return the statue on ethical grounds in 1989, the museum said. The Italian government has asserted that the artwork, discovered in 1964 by Italian fishermen who then hid and sold it, had been illegally exported from Italy years before the Gettys purchase. The Italian government said that as soon as the statue touched the fishermens net, the statue became Italian property and therefore couldnt have been acquired legally by the Getty.

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But we simply dispute that, Hartwig said in a phone interview, adding that the court ruling Friday is not the final ruling.

He added in the Getty statement: The statue is not part of Italys extraordinary cultural heritage. Accidental discovery by Italian citizens does not make the statue an Italian object. Found outside the territory of any modern state, and immersed in the sea for two millennia, the Bronze has only a fleeting and incidental connection with Italy.

The Times reached out to the Institute of Italian Culture in L.A. for a response but did not hear back.

The June 8 ruling came from Italys Court for the Preliminary Investigations of Pesaro. Judge Giacomo Gasparini upheld the original forfeiture order issued on Feb. 10, 2010, by another Preliminary Investigations judge. The Getty appealed that forfeiture order in 2010 and did so again in 2012, leading to yet more legal actions. The museum said it now plans to appeal to the Court of Cassation, Italys version of the Supreme Court.

Were hopeful that the Court of Cassation will find in our behalf and well prevail, Hartwig said in an interview. Because we believe, strongly, that the Getty Bronze belongs to the Getty and the people of Los Angeles.

The provenance of artworks can be a tricky and heated issue. Since 2007 the Getty has returned more than 40 works in its collection to Greece and Italy often after questions about the circumstances under which the works were acquired. Some of these returns were voluntary and in response to provenance research by Getty Museum staff.

In 2005, the Italian government accused former Getty antiquities curator Marion True of knowingly purchasing looted pieces. She denied the charges, which were dismissed in 2010 after a judicial panel ruled that the statute of limitations had expired.

Partly as a result, the Getty has put strict acquisition policies into place that have become a model for other art institutions. On an even broader scale, the Getty Research Institutes Provenance Index, a collection of databases, is considered a leader in the field.

Victorious Youth, which dates to 300 to 100 BC and first went on display at the Getty in 1978, is incredibly significant to the museums collection. The piece is believed to have been possibly created by Lysippus, Alexander the Greats personal sculptor. In his review earlier this year of the reinstalled antiquities collection at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, Times art critic Christopher Knight called the Getty Bronze one of the greatest classical sculptures in the United States.

We are disappointed in the ruling, but we will continue to defend our legal right to the statue, Hartwig said. The facts in this case do not warrant restitution of the object to Italy.

Victorious Youth remains on view while the epic legal battle continues.

deborah.vankin@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter: @debvankin

UPDATES:

6:10 p.m.: This article has been expanded throughout, with history and context for the case.

This article was originally published at 2:30 p.m.There are two main reasons to once again undergo Eugene ONeills Long Days Journey Into Night, which opened Sunday at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.

The first is Lesley Manvilles breathtaking performance as Mary Tyrone, who is played not as an excuse for flamboyant virtuosity but as a credible wife and mother imprisoned in addiction. The second is Jeremy Irons suave and subtle portrayal of James Tyrone  one consummate actor stepping into the raffish skin of another.

This Bristol Old Vic production, which was recently at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, is directed by Richard Eyre with a crisp grasp of the family psychodynamics that are the plays engine. The semi-autobiographical drama of old sorrow, written in tears and blood, according to ONeill, and so painful to him that it was only published posthumously, unfolds as a series of confessions provoked by confrontations that all the talking in the world will never resolve.

But talk these characters must, and they do so with the right combination of desperate need, raw anguish and murderous resentment. The verbal drama is presented here almost along Chekhovian lines, with characters reaching out momentarily from their isolation to voice their dreams and despair without any real hope that they will be able to change their situations.

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The set by Rob Howell doesnt create a realistic facsimile of the Connecticut summerhouse in which ONeill spent his boyhood summers. A tall wall of books, high ceilings and furniture that might not be amiss in the lobby of a boutique hotel thats been downgraded a star or two create an effect thats more modern than the period clothes Howell also designed.

Rob Howells modern shell of a set, contrasted with the period clothes he also designed. (Lawrence K. Ho )

Eyre wants to preserve the plays theatrical architecture. Though rooted in personal memory, Long Days Journey Into Night is first and foremost a play. People dont sit for hours on end reviewing their lives and firing off (then walking back) recriminations. The past is mediated by art.

Eyre conducts the dialogue at a rapid clip. Conversations crisscross and dart  and not always comprehensibly. Even tart Cathleen (Jessica Regan), one of the servants at the house, speaks and listens with unusual velocity. Patterns take precedence over precise content. Characters thrust and parry, attack and apologize, admit love, then punish the loved one for it.

In keeping with the productions theatricalized realism, Rory Keenans Jamie and Matthew Beards Edmund are flamboyant filial figures as much as they are grown sons with troubled minds. A bit more attention to the cultural milieu, however, is needed so that we dont distract ourselves trying to locate accents that sound as if they were picked up by watching the Bowery Boys movies and hanging out in South Boston pubs.

The lads performances are daring, but the bold strokes sometimes call attention to themselves. Keenan and Beard dont make it easy for us to suspend disbelief and accept them as brothers. Yet the play ensnares us all the same.

Rory Keenan as son James and Lesley Manville as Mary at the Wallis. (Lawrence K. Ho )

Long Days Journey shows the rippling effect of addiction in a family. As Mary succumbs once again to her morphine habit, which began with a cheap quack treating the arthritic pain in her hands, the men around her try to protect themselves and her from what theyre helpless to stop. Irons James vents his frustration at his wife only to shield her from the criticism he knows shell turn into an excuse for another pharmacy trip with Cathleen.

In playing a thespian, Irons (who won an Oscar for his performance in Reversal of Fortune) is free to indulge in histrionic flourishes, but his reactions are grounded in psychological truth. He plays a man of unrestrained impulses whose mind is flooded by second thoughts.

Mary describes him best when she says, He doesnt understand a home. He doesnt feel at home in it. And yet, he wants a home. These lines, uttered by Manville in her combustible mix of indictment and pardon, lead us to the heart of ONeills tragic vision.

Manvilles Mary, with Matthew Beard as her son Edmund. (Lawrence K. Ho )

Her Mary is a completely believable creation. This is not a gauzy figure of memory, but a flesh-and-blood woman who affects weakness while asserting an iron will. She wanders around the stage in a white dress, but its herself that shes haunting as she reflects on the choices that have led her so far astray from the life she imagined as a convent school girl.

As sad as she is savage, Manvilles Mary keeps reality nervously at bay only to hurl hurtful truths at those she feels are about to call her bluff. She tells herself that Edmunds disturbing cough is just a bad summer cold, but she knows the sound of TB from her father who died of it, his death accelerated by drinking much in the same way that Edmunds taste for his fathers whiskey is threatening to put him into an early grave.

Long Days Journey transcends the subject matter of addiction, but Marys dependence on her pain medication is front and center in a way that resonates with todays spiraling opioid epidemic. This is the face of a junkie, the proud, pretty wife of a successful actor-manager who has become a prominent landowner in the small town they ambivalently retreat to every summer.

Manville (working with the precision she demonstrated in her Oscar-nominated performance in Phantom Thread) permits us to sympathize with her character over her lonely marriage to a touring ham who would rather be gabbing away with his pals in a barroom than making a real home with her. But she doesnt let Mary off the hook by diminishing her flaws or excusing her delusions. She is a Tyrone through and through, which is to say shes as much an accomplice as a victim.

Jeremy Irons in a suave portrayal of James Tyrone in Long Days Journey Into Night. (Lawrence K. Ho )

THE INTERVIEW: Jeremy Irons on Long Days Journey Into Night 

In a production with actors as adroit as Manville and Irons, its only natural that Keenan and Beard would do their most supple work when acting opposite one of them. Alone together, they have less success. The intense scene late in the play, in which Jamie lovingly warns Edmund not to trust him if he wants to survive, exhausts more than it devastates.

But without sentimentalizing in the least, Irons James allows us to sympathize with a husband and father whos helpless to undo the damage everyone blames him for. And Manvilles last scene closes the circle of the plays meaning. Released into a morphine haze, Mary becomes a phantom doomed to roam in a purgatory of regret.

ONeills tragedy wounds without providing the salve of catharsis. But the acting artistry of Manville and Irons redeems this grueling journey into the heart of a familys darkness.

         

Long Days Journey Into Night

Where: Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Bram Goldsmith Theater, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills

When: 7:30 Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays; ends July 1

Tickets: $35-$105 (subject to change)

Information: (310) 746-4000 or thewallis.org/longdays

Running time: 3 hours, 25 minutes

charles.mcnulty@latimes.com

Follow me @charlesmcnultyKim Kardashian West appears to be winning right now. Following her late May visit to the Oval Office, President Trump granted clemency last week to Alice Marie Johnson, a nonviolent drug offender for whom Kardashian West has been advocating during the last seven months.

The reality TV star-turned-philanthropist also celebrated husband Kanye Wests new album releases as well as his 41st birthday on Friday. And to top it all off, Kardashian West told The Times that shes opening her first KKW Beauty pop-up shop on June 20 at Westfield Century City shopping center in Los Angeles.

Im so excited, she said during a phone interview Friday afternoon on her way home to see her children.

So hows the social media mogul celebrating? Im cooking dinner, Kardashian West, 37, said, adding: Me and the kids are cooking dinner. So Im on my way there now to get started. She also said she had plans for a Saturday dinner party with Wests friends at their house in honor of his birthday.

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Sounds like a low-key event for someone who appears to live a larger-than-life existence. However, things arent what they once were for the TV personality. Having recently shared that shopping doesnt satisfy her the way it once did, Kardashian West said her perspective changed when I got robbed, honestly.

A look at the Atrium at Westfield Century City where Kim Kardashian West will open her first KKW Beauty pop-up store at 10 a.m. June 20. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times )

After being held up at gunpoint at a Paris hotel in 2016, Kardashian West said she began to re-evaluate her lifestyle and desire for material things. You realize, in those moments, that what theyre there for means nothing, she said. You would trade it all for your life. So I think after that.  When you get home and you come back to your life and you see all this stuff, you realize that it just doesnt really mean anything, and it doesnt really matter. I almost felt uncomfortable wearing things that were super-expensive. I think thats what really changed in me, honestly.

As part of her personal growth and evolution, Kardashian West has turned her attention to being an advocate for criminal justice reform. Its just an amazing feeling to know that you can do something that can really change someones life, Kardashian West said, while admitting her path to activism was a bit of a fluke.

I really wasnt thinking about politics, she said. I was on Twitter and I saw something that touched my heart and I felt like I wanted to do what I could and do the right thing to try to save someones life.

She surprised fans and Washington insiders when she turned up at the White House last month advocating on behalf of Johnson, who spent 21 years behind bars in Alabama. In 1996, Johnson was convicted on eight criminal counts related to a Memphis, Tenn.-based multimillion-dollar cocaine trafficking operation and sentenced in 1997 to life in prison. Kardashian West said she learned about Johnsons story and was impressed by how Johnson had turned her life around. Then she decided to get involved.

Kardashian West received flak in the media, but her meeting with Trump led to Johnsons release from prison Wednesday.

President Trump and Kim Kardashian West met at the White House recently to discuss prison reform and Alice Marie Johnson, a nonviolent drug offender who spent 21 years behind bars in Alabama. She was sentenced to life in prison, but Trump granted her clemency last week. (Evan Agostini / Invision / Associated Press )

Kardashian West said Johnsons case has inspired her to become more philanthropic. This was such a success, and it made me feel so good to know that we did this, she said. It was such a great thing for her, and its changed her life. I really do want to stay in this place of continuing this type of advocacy.

I spoke to the White House today, Kardashian West continued. Its my understanding that the president is very compassionate about this and is learning more about it and wants to continue to do this. So if I can help in that way, were continuing the conversation.

Kardashian West said she spoke with Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner as recently as Friday about her mission. Hes really passionate about prison reform and bringing this subject to the attention of the president, Kardashian West said. I saw a clip where [Trump] mentioned that he wanted to pardon more people and would be seeking advice from different people for that. And so we connected because we, obviously, had just been through that this week. Were going to continue to work with organizations that have been fighting this way longer than I have and have really amazing, deserving people that have been in the same situation as Alice. Were continuing. Were not stopping. Its going to be an ongoing conversation.

An assortment of KKW Beauty products will be available at the beauty brands upcoming pop-up store at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles. (KKW Beauty )

Kardashian West has also had a busy month on the home front. Her husband recently released a new album, Ye, in which he revealed he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was 39. Im proud of him, Kardashian West said. I know that hes been through a lot and, you know, he feels his best when hes creating. So Im happy that it has been so well-received and has been No. 1 everywhere. That must be such a good feeling.

The couple also celebrated Wests collaboration with Kid Cudi on the joint album, Kids See Ghosts, during a listening party Thursday night in Santa Clarita. They were surrounded by friends including Courtney Love, Ariana Grande and artist Takashi Murakami. Its so exciting to see him set a goal to release five albums, Kardashian West said. One every week produced by other artists and then two for himself.  [Its nice] to see that goal come to life.

As for her own ventures, Kardashian West and sisters Kourtney and Khloe recently decided to close their DASH clothing stores after nearly 12 years. I really do want to focus on beauty and fragrance for right now, Kardashian West said of the decision. We love the stores. Thats our history. Thats where we started. Its amazing, but we cant be there every day like we used to be. We love to be involved 100% in the projects that were attached to. And we just couldnt do that. So we thought it was best to close the stores, and I think that was a really good decision.

Shes now completely focused on her successful and often sold-out cosmetic and fragrance line, KKW Beauty, which will celebrate its first anniversary this month. I love working with different makeup artists and I love transforming, Kardashian West said of focusing on building a beauty brand as opposed to one in fashion. Ive always loved makeup. So I thought it was a natural space.

She said shed previously dabbled in the beauty business before, but never really on my own terms and never by myself.

KKW Creme lipsticks will be some of the offerings available at Kim Kardashian Wests first KKW Beauty pop-up. (KKW Beauty )

The upcoming KKW Beauty pop-up shop in the Atrium of Westfield Century City shopping center will be all her own. KKW Beauty fanatics will be able to shop for the brands concealer kits, creme contour and highlight kits, creme contour sticks, highlighter palettes, ultra light beams, the KKW X Mario collection, various fragrances and new creme lipsticks and lip liners. (Shoppers who make a purchase during the pop-ups first week will be entered into a raffle to win an invitation to a private opening party with Kardashian West and makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic on June 30.)

Kardashian West said she also plans to have some fun products available for summer, including a new eye shadow palette with more browns and bronzy tones in addition to a new fragrance launching in July. It will be exclusive to the pop-up shop and available later online. It is a Kimoji fragrance, she said. Its three different fragrances. One is a peach bottle with the dripping cream on it. One is a cherry with the cream dripping on it. And one is a bottle that says Vibes. Theyre really cute and fun.

Our Kimoji Hearts did really well, she continued. Every launch can have a different personality and can be so different. I think there are two sides of me. One is the crystal and the body and really sculptural bottles that look really cool on your counter, and then theres that fun side, which is the hearts and these fruits.

The pop-up will stay open through July 27. Kardashian West said she selected the L.A. location based on nostalgia. I grew up right near there, she said. Id always gone to the Century City mall. That was the spot. I remember I got my ears pierced there. They had Judys and Contempo [Casuals, which were trendy clothing stores for teens]. It was the coolest mall ever. Its a place that reminds me of my teenage years. I thought it would [be nice to have it] come full circle and be a really beautiful place thats fun and safe to have my first pop-up.

Kardashian West said a pop-up boutique seemed like a natural next step for her brand. I think when you have a direct-to-consumer business, it is really difficult to sell products that people have never felt, tried [or] tested color-wise [or] formula-wise, she said. We do a really good job at explaining our product through our campaigns and our tutorials, but itll be really exciting for people to touch it and feel it for the first time in person and test it before they buy it.

KKW Beautys Creme Countour and Highlight sticks. (KKW Beauty )

She said she hasnt ruled out a permanent location in Los Angeles or, potentially, elsewhere. I would love to be in stores as well and have my own beauty stores  either/or, she said. I think the first step is starting with the pop-up and seeing the reaction [from consumers]. Its going on for a month, so thats a really good time for people to check it out and to see the response.

As for what she hopes to teach her own young daughters, Chicago and North, about beauty, Kardashian West said, I think they [will learn] naturally  like how I naturally learned from my mom and my grandma tricks and things. She said North already has a fascination with the family business. She loves to experiment with makeup, Kardashian West said. She has a little vanity in her room. A fun thing for her and her friends to do is give makeovers.

Kardashian West said beauty has always been a staple of family bonding. My Dad gave me makeup lessons by a professional when I was 14, she said. He was like, OK, youre wearing makeup now, and I want you to know how to do it appropriately. So I had to take these makeup lessons, and it was helpful. I definitely have those resources. So I can help my kids out and teach them. I guess theres YouTube now. So you dont really need that, but it would be fun to share that with them.

image@latimes.com

For fashion news, follow us at @latimesimage on Twitter.From the return of L.A.s biggest restaurateur to a new pizzeria in Dana Point, heres whats happening in our food and drink world.

Hes back

Bill Chait has arguably made more of a mark on the Los Angeles dining scene in the last 10 years than any other restaurateur. Exhibit A: Bestia, chef Ori Menashes Arts District restaurant that helped turn the area into an actual destination. When Chait was part of the Sprout Restaurant Group (he left the company he founded in 2015), he helped create Walter Manzkes La Brea Boulevard French restaurant Republique, the Rose in Venice, Ray Garcias downtown L.A. restaurant Broken Spanish and Timothy Hollingsworths Otium, next to the Broad. And now hes set to open Tesse, his first L.A. restaurant in more than two years, next to the Fred Segal store on Sunset Boulevard at La Cienega Boulevard, on June 19. Chait said the restaurants origin story was twofold: a request from Creative Artists Agency to create a concept that merged food and fashion, and a meeting with chef Raphael Francois, who previously cooked at Le Cirque in New York City and at Le DeSales in Washington, D.C. Tesse will be loosely tied to fashion, in that its next to Fred Segal, but Chait says that based on a suggestion from Decades vintage store founder Cameron Silver, you can expect to see more of a through-line once it opens, with a possible adjacent salon that will host talks on fashion.

The restaurant, named for the French word for delicatesse, the French term used for charcuterie, is based on Francois idea to create a bar that serves charcuterie. While his house-made pates and sausages will be at the core of the menu, expect to see dishes inspired by our local farmers markets and pastries from chef Sally Camacho Mueller. Managing partner Jordan Ogron is also behind Boutellier, a wine store adjacent to the restaurant, opening later this year.

Like with all my restaurants, I try to say is this something that could live for 30 years, said Chait, who believes the restaurant represents a new wave for this stretch of Sunset Boulevard. Were doing what I think is the most serious restaurant on Sunset Boulevard. I think Night + Market is a great restaurant down the street and Kris [Yenbamroong] is a spectacular young chef. Its the beginning of another new leg of what Sunset could be. 8500 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (310) 360-3866 www.tesserestaurant.com.

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After dark

The KTOWN Night Market music and food festival is happening on Saturday and Sunday at the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools in Koreatown. In addition to performances by Ted Park, the Feels, FYKE and Justin Park, there will be plenty of tteokbokki (rice cakes), fish cakes and kimbap (Korean rice rolls). Belly Bombz, Okamoto Kitchen, Kogi BBQ, Rice Balls of Fire and Keep it Casian are some of the participating restaurants and food trucks. The festival takes place from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, and from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are available for pre-sale online ($5 for a 2-day pass) and also at the door ($5 for 1-day pass). 701 S. Catalina St., Los Angeles, (626) 280-8588, ktownnightmarket.com.

OC pizza

Parallel Pizza, a new pizzeria off Pacific Coast Highway in Dana Point, is now open. Co-owners and chefs Ryan Adams and James Nunn are touting New Haven, Conn.-inspired, oblong-shaped pizzas with thin, crispy crust. Theres a clam pie, a mashed potato pie and a pizza called Killer Dana topped with sweet cherry peppers, cilantro pesto, Italian chicken sausage and Parmesan. And because this is SoCal, theres the option to order a gluten-free cauliflower crust as well. Alongside the pies, meatball and hoagie sandwiches and salads. Parallel Pizza also has 14 beers and four wines on tap. 34255 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 101-102, Dana Point, (949) 441-7406, www.parallelpizzeria.com.

Palm Springs pastrami

Chef Micah Wexler and partner Michael Kassar are bringing their Wexlers Deli restaurant (theyve got locations at Grand Central Market, in Santa Monica and Century City) to Palm Springs. The duo plan to open a Wexlers Deli at the Arrive hotel in Palm Springs in October. The deli will replace the Reservoir restaurant at the hotel. The deli, known for its house-smoked meat, fish and bagels, plans to bring all of its signature sandwiches to the desert, including the MacArthur Park (a pastrami sandwich on rye inspired by the #19 at Langers Deli) and the double-smoked pastrami lox and cream cheese. Wexler also plans to introduce items specific to the Palm Springs location, such as a pastrami burger and pancakes. 1551 N. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, (760) 507-1650, arrivehotels.com .

Whats for dinner

If youve been down Hillhurst Avenue in Los Feliz over the past decade and a half, youve noticed Alcove. The tree-lined bungalows are home to one of the most impressive bakery cases in the city, a great bar, and some well-dressed diners. Its mostly a daytime, counter-service hangout for coffee, tea and a pastry. But owner Tom Trellis has just introduced a new dinner menu, and a new chef. You can still order the cafes sandwiches and salads at the counter, or opt for full table service during dinner Thursday through Sunday evenings and all day on the weekends. Matt Sieger, who has previously cooked at Bon Marche in San Francisco and the Village Pub in Woodside, has taken over as executive chef, revamping the breakfast and lunch menus and creating a new dinner menu. Dinner highlights include a roasted Jidori half-chicken with barley porridge; local halibut with carrot Vadouvan; and a grilled flat-iron steak with potatoes and green garlic chimichurri.1929 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 644-0100, www.alcovecafe.com.

jenn.harris@latimes.com

Instagram: @Jenn_Harris_Governors race: In the June 6 Section A, an article about the California governors race said gubernatorial candidate John Cox ran for the U.S. House and Senate twice in Illinois, failing to reach the primary in all three. He failed to move past all three.

If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times journalistic standards and practices, you may contact the readers representative by email at readers.representative@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep.Someone using a weed wacker to clear brush in preparation for another brutal fire season ignited a dangerous blaze Tuesday afternoon in an upscale hillside neighborhood on the citys Westside, offering a stark reminder of the regions fire-prone landscape.

Residents of about 86 homes were ordered to pack their important belongings and find shelter elsewhere as hundreds of firefighters swarmed the narrow, winding streets in the Beverly Crest and Benedict Canyon areas and mounted an aggressive attack.

By nightfall, the blaze was 25% contained and displaced residents were allowed to return home. Crews were expected to stay on the scene stamping out hot spots through the night.

We hit it pretty hard, Art Marrujo, a dispatch supervisor with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said of the blaze that ripped through about 40 acres of brush. We usually dont start burning till July, August. Here we are in June, burning  just typical of whats going on.

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The blaze, dubbed the Portola fire, comes after a dry winter and after one of the most destructive fire seasons on record in California history, prompting firm warnings from Los Angeles fire officials.

They urged residents to use licensed contractors who follow safety rules  avoiding metal blades and carrying an extinguisher  for brush clearance. The weed wackers exhaust manifolds probably overheated, officials said, and set off the blaze. Others pushed for vigilance with campfires and cigarette butts.

Were truly never out of fire season, Marrujo said. Because of the drought and no rain and everything else, all the vegetation out there is dried up and easier to catch fire and spread more rapidly than normal.

Firefighters hit hot spots of a fire at the end of Portola Drive in the Benedict Canyon area. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times )

Beverly Crest Fire is in steep terrain and heavy brush. Homes at top and bottom of canyon @FOXLA pic.twitter.com/2hgcqOcMsz  Kevin Takumi (@KevinTakumi) June 12, 2018

On Tuesday, firefighters from multiple agencies cut down trees with chainsaws, sprayed water and used shovels to create a firebreak to keep the fire from reaching multimillion-dollar homes. Two firefighters were injured, one with a burn and the other with heat exhaustion.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles police officers knocked on doors, telling residents they had to leave.

Natasha Super, 23, spent an hour and a half with her family, gathering up photos, computers and important documents from her childhood home near Summitridge and San Ysidro drives.

She placed a green backpack inside the trunk of her gray Honda Civic as smoke rose into the sky in the distance. Helicopters made water drops and cars sped past her.

Its very scary, she said.

Super said this is the first time shes had to evacuate because of a brush fire. This is my childhood home. I hope nothing happens to it, she said.

A helicopter drops water on a fire at the end of Portola Drive in the Benedict Canyon area. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times )

(Paul Duginski )

Shortly before 4:30 p.m., Homa Hakimi, 66, walked out of her ranch-style home in the Beverly Crest neighborhood. She had heard a helicopter hovering nearby and sirens from firetrucks. Standing in her driveway, she saw neighbors stacking boxes and clothes into their luxury cars and SUVs.

Do I have to evacuate? she asked a reporter. Im nervous.

Soon afterward, she ran back inside her home.

I have to go, she said.

Despite the fires proximity to homes, firefighters were aided by decent weather conditions.

Winds clocked in at only 4 mph to 7 mph, with 14 mph wind gusts over the ridge tops  conditions that allowed firefighters to set up defensive positions on the surrounding ridge tops to make a stand.

The winds are not going to drive the fire, which is a good thing, said Kathy Hoxsie, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Firefighters can dig in where they are.

Though temperatures were in the upper 80s on Tuesday, they were expected to dip to 60 in the evening before rising again Wednesday, Hoxsie said.

The blaze is the latest of several brush fires to break out in recent weeks. Over the weekend, a fire burned along the 5 Freeway in the Santa Clarita Valley. And the week before that, a fast-moving fire burned in a wilderness area between Laguna Beach and Aliso Viejo.

As firefighters were battling the Portola fire, three small fires broke out above Chatsworth Park, the citys Fire Department said. The blazes burned only about two acres, but access was limited, requiring crews to hike in.

And in Riverside County, a car fire on the 71 Freeway in Chino ignited nearby brush, eventually burning 120 acres and shutting down all northbound lanes for several hours.

About 120 firefighters were battling the blaze from the air and on the ground.

UPDATES:

9 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with additional details and other fires.

6:55 p.m.: This article was updated with the cause of the fire and that evacuations will be lifted.

5:55 p.m.: This article was updated with new acreage and containment figures.

5:20 p.m.: This article was updated with an interview with a resident.

4:50 p.m.: This article was updated with information from the National Weather Service.

4:20 p.m.: This article was updated with new evacuation orders.

3:55 p.m.: This article was updated with mandatory evacuation orders.

3:30 p.m.: This article was updated with information from LAFD and LAPD.

This article was originally published at 3 p.m.Federal prosecutors have filed new charges against a Glendale narcotics detective suspected of maintaining ties with the Mexican Mafia and Armenian organized crime in a move that signals the two sides are negotiating a plea deal.

John Saro Balian, 45, now faces one count each of soliciting a bribe, obstructing justice by helping a gangster avoid arrest and making false statements to federal investigators about his relationships with criminals, according to a criminal information filing last week. He was arrested last month on just the latter charge.

The criminal information, a charging document that in a felony case typically indicates that a defendant has waived indictment and has agreed instead to plead guilty, comes after Balian requested time to negotiate a plea agreement, according to court records.

Its unclear if Balian is cooperating with prosecutors to build cases against others.

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Anythings possible, said Tracy Webb, a spokeswoman with the U.S. attorneys office.

Reached by phone Sunday, Balians attorney Marc Nurik declined to comment.

A federal judge ordered that Balian be permanently detained, calling him a flight risk and a danger because of his alleged ties to criminals, participation in extortion schemes and witness intimidation, according to court records. The judge also noted that Balian, who lives in Seal Beach, has the means to flee and relatives in France. He is being held in protective custody.

Balian, a veteran officer and a former spokesman for the Glendale Police Department, was identified as a person of interest by the FBIs Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force, which was probing ties between the Mexican Mafia and Armenian organized crime.

During the investigation, three confidential informants told authorities about troubling interactions with the detective. They are detailed in a 47-page affidavit by Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Michael Hyland.

One of the informants is a St. Andrews (STA) gang member and an associate of the Mexican Mafia who in October spoke with the Los Angeles Police Departments elite Robbery-Homicide Division from jail, where he was awaiting trial on an extortion charge. In the affidavit, Hyland said the informant probably provided information in the hopes that it would help him with pending state and federal criminal cases.

In one case the informant described, Balian allegedly offered a tip about a gang sweep, allowing a top target  a Frogtown gang member  in a federal racketeering case to flee before agents arrived.

Tell your boy Bouncer that hes the No. 1 on the list for tomorrow, Balian allegedly warned, according to the affidavit. It took agents another month to arrest the target.

The informant also alleged that Balian gave him locations of marijuana grow and drug stash houses  information he was privy to as an officer  and told him to hit them before law enforcement could execute their search warrants, according to the affidavit.

Balian also allegedly gave the informant names of people to extort and instructed him to slap around people to persuade them to pay money. He allegedly told the informant, who is Latino, that Armenians would not respect or pay him if they didnt fear him, the affidavit said.

The informant said he and Balian communicated using burners, cellphones they used only with each other for no more than a month at a time. On one of the informants phones, according to the filing, Balians burner number was saved in the contacts as Bro.

In another incident, Balian allegedly offered the informant and a second man $100,000 to scare someone in Commerce, a request that led to a July 2016 shooting of an Armenian businessmans bodyguard.

The informant said he was unable to participate but loaned the second man his car. After the encounter, when the man returned the car, they spoke.

I think I hit him, the second man said, according to the filing. Later, he added, I think I killed him.

The alleged shooter gave the gun to the informant, who said he gave the gun to Balian, according to the filing. Its unclear whether the bodyguard lived.

A second informant who said he had known Balian since middle school told authorities that someone broke into his office in February 2017 and stole a significant amount of property. The informant alleged that Balian agreed to track down the person responsible in exchange for $10,000, partly paid up front, according to the affidavit.

The first informant, the gangster who spoke to authorities from jail, told authorities that Balian told him to rob the man the second informant paid him to hunt down.

Go hit him. He has all the [expletive], he recalled Balian saying, according to the affidavit.

When confronted by federal agents in four interviews over the last year, Balian lied about his ties to the Mexican Mafia and Armenian organized crime in Southern California, authorities said.

Im not [expletive] on anybodys payroll, he told the LAPD and FBI in one interview when they asked about the second informant.

Balian was one of five Armenian American officers who sued Glendale in 2010, alleging discrimination, retaliation and harassment. The city eventually settled the case, paying $7,500 of Balians attorneys fees, and depositing 250 hours of sick time and 50 hours of vacation time into his leave bank.

He joined the Glendale police force in 2004 after more than eight years with the Montebello Police Department. Sgt. Daniel Suttles, a Glendale police spokesman, said Balian already was on leave without pay before his May 15 arrest, but would not elaborate except to cite privacy laws for medical information.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchekA mother of four used a street taco to distract a gun-wielding man posing as a police officer in the San Gabriel Valley while she sought help, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department said in a statement in which they praised the womans taco-tactics.

The family was heading home from a day at a water park Saturday evening when they stopped at a food truck in the 13400 block of Valley Boulevard in unincorporated Bassett. They were eating carne asada tacos in their minivan when a man on a bike approached them, authorities said.

The man threatened the woman, her husband and the four children and flashed a gun hidden in his waistband. He showed them a badge and told them he was an undercover police officer, the Sheriffs Department said.

The woman, whose name has not been released, did not believe him and decided to try to distract him, authorities said.

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This is an incredible story that reminds us at #LASD that if We Work Together We can put the bad guys in Jail and have Safer Communities. One Brave Momma Bear + Alerted Community + #LASD = Bad Guy goes to Jail @INDLASD https://t.co/rwxbzKsSKw pic.twitter.com/CkDBvxtQCL  LA County Sheriff's (@LASDHQ) June 11, 2018

She offered the man a taco and told him she was going to get napkins from the food truck. As she walked away, the man continued to show his gun and dig through her purse, authorities said.

The woman told people working in the truck and customers standing in line to not look at her van but to call 911. Customers and a man working in the truck called authorities, and deputies with the Sheriffs Departments Industry station found the man standing next to the familys van.

When the man saw patrol cars, he tossed his handgun into the familys vehicle and tried to get in, according to the Sheriffs Department. Deputies recovered the gun and arrested him.

Juan Rodriguez, 38, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of child endangerment and impersonating a peace officer after threatening a family near a taco truck, authorities said. (Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department )

Authorities have identified the suspect as 38-year-old Juan Rodriguez. He was being held at the sheriffs Industry Patrol Station in lieu of $201,000 bail, according to sheriffs inmate records.

Rodriguez was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment and impersonating a peace officer, and he had multiple outstanding warrants, authorities said. Deputies are trying to determine if he was connected to other crimes reported in the area.

We want to give a shout out to the brave mother whose momma bear instincts kicked in and she was able to deescalate the situation, plan a distraction and found a way to get deputies to her location immediately, the Sheriffs Department said in a statement.

A Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy talks to a family after the arrest of a man who threatened the family while pretending to be a police officer. (Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department )

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybransonAn investigation is underway after a West Covina police officer on Monday night shot and injured a man he mistakenly believed was a suspect in a robbery, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.

Just before 11:30 p.m., the patrol officer heard a radio call about a robbery that had just happened in a neighboring jurisdiction. While trying to find a suspect, the officer noticed an older-model Honda driving at a high rate of speed and thought the driver could have been involved in the robbery, the Sheriffs Department said in a statement.

The officer tried to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver did not stop. The officer began chasing the vehicle.

After a roughly one-minute chase, the car crashed into the center median on Hacienda Boulevard, east of Maplegrove Street, in La Puente, authorities said.

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The driver ran from the Honda, and the officer followed him in his patrol vehicle and attempted to detain the suspect in the 1300 block of Sandy Hook Avenue, the Sheriffs Department said in its statement.

During the attempted detention, the officer shot the man, authorities said.

The man, who was Latino, was struck once in the torso and transported to a hospital, according to the Sheriffs Department. His injuries appeared to be non-life threatening, authorities said.

The man was not involved in the robbery call but was driving a stolen vehicle, according to the Sheriffs Department. His name was not released.

The shooting is being investigated by the Sheriffs Department and the West Covina Police Department.

Anyone with information about the shooting has been asked to contact the sheriffs homicide bureau at (323) 890-5500 or, to provide an anonymous tip, to call (800) 222-8477.

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybransonWhittier police fatally shot a man as he held his 4-year-old daughter at knifepoint Monday night, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.

The man and his estranged wife, parents of the girl and a 7-year-old boy, were doing a child custody exchange in the lobby of the Whittier police station at about 6 p.m. when he pulled out a knife and forced her into a vehicle with the two children, authorities said.

The couple drove to the 13800 block of Philadelphia Street in Whittier, where the mother exited the vehicle and walked away.

Neighbors told KNBC-TV that they saw the couple arguing in the car with the children in the backseat.

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They stopped in the middle of the street, and she just fled out of the car and ran into the neighbors house. She just said that he was going to kill her, a woman told the station.

The man drove away with the children still in the vehicle, according to the Sheriffs Department.

A short time later, the man returned to Philadelphia Street, took the girl out of the vehicle and held her at knifepoint, authorities said.

Whittier police officers arrived on the scene and shot the man, authorities said. He was struck at least once in the upper torso and taken to a hospital, where he died.

A weapon was recovered from the scene, the Sheriffs Department said.

The shooting is being investigated by Whittier police and the Sheriffs Department.

Anyone with information about the shooting has been asked to contact the sheriffs homicide bureau at (323) 890-5500 or, to report an anonymous tip, to call (800) 222-8477.

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybransonThe diplomatic history of U.S.-North Korean relations is littered with broken promises to denuclearize and deals gone sour.

At their meeting in Singapore on Tuesday, President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a document with scant details and more vague wording than those that have failed in the past to bring peace to the Korean peninsula and rid it of nuclear arms.

The summit, for all the anticipatory hype, was never expected to produce much in the way of new policies or strategy. But it actually produced less than many analysts expected. And within hours of the two leaders departures from Singapore, North Korea issued a notably different account of what had been agreed to than Trump had offered.

The meeting did succeed in turning down the heated rhetoric, shifting the relationship to one of diplomacy instead of threatened war and suggesting a new, tentative rapprochement between two longtime foes.

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If the bar for success in this summit is war or peace, its a pretty low bar, said Victor Cha, an Asia specialist in the George W. Bush White House. We got peace.

But the absence of specifics hands a gargantuan task to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other American negotiators who must translate what Trump described as a congenial spirit of cooperation into concrete steps.

In the months, even years, to come, Pompeo and his team  and perhaps their successors  will have to try to set out ways to begin dismantling Kims arsenal and the timing and verification of those actions.

RELATED: Trump-Kim Jong Un summit fails to produce disarmament plan 

The United States and North Korea have still not agreed on the very definition of denuclearization; as far as is known, Kim did not even offer a declaration of the components of his nuclear, chemical and biological arsenal, a step many experts considered to be fundamental.

Weve bought time, we averted confrontation, but you needed a much more robust denuclearization process, said Scott Snyder, director of the U.S.-Korea policy program at the Council on Foreign Relations.

President Trump was in full salesman mode and didnt have that much to sell, Snyder added.

Buying time is a talent the North Koreans have perfected, one that takes advantage of the fact that U.S. officials have many other priorities to occupy their attention.

For the U.S. now, what is important is not to declare victory and go home, but to maintain the momentum, said Joel S. Wit, a veteran negotiator on a nuclear deal with North Korea in 1994 that later collapsed. Senior Americans have to stay involved and focused.

Trump, after first boasting he would strike a deal swiftly, now concedes time will be needed, saying talks with North Korea are a process even as he omitted from his agreement with Kim the standard, long-held U.S. demand for complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization.

In the summit, Trump and Kim treated each other with great respect. Kim addressed Trump with honorifics in Korean, and Trump called Kim warm and talented, unusual praise for a despot with such a brutal human rights record.

Cha, the former Bush advisor, said the personal chemistry was important but not sufficient.

How will this be reciprocated? Cha said. When Donald Trump goes to Pyongyang, Kim Jong Un will treat him really nicely  but hell still keep his nuclear weapons.

Nevertheless, Kim has a lot of incentive to keep the bromance going and to behave for a while, said Michael Green, senior vice president for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Thats largely because the relationship has been so good to Kim, Green said. He will want to cooperate, at least symbolically, for a time.

American skepticism about North Korea is born of history. In addition to the 1994 deal that broke down, the North Koreans also pledged in 2005 to denuclearize. In 2012, shortly after ascending to the leadership of his country, Kim agreed to a moratorium on long-range missile launches, nuclear tests and production of fissile material. Only six weeks elapsed before North Korea tried to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile.

And despite the warmth between Trump and Kim on display in Singapore, the distrust between the United States and North Korea runs long and deep. Anti-Americanism is entrenched in almost every aspect of North Korean culture from childrens songs to school textbooks that call for bayoneting U.S. soldiers.

RELATED: Trump may not bring it up, but Kims human rights record is among the worlds worst 

Beyond the issue of trust, the physical process of denuclearization could take 10 to 15 years, meaning that implementing any deal  assuming that one is eventually negotiated  would require more than one administration.

Verifying that North Korea was living up to an agreement would likely require experienced nuclear inspectors and Korean-speaking scientists who can go through North Korean records to account for the fissile material the country has produced.

North Korea has produced enough plutonium to build 30 to 60 nuclear warheads, which are most likely hidden deep in its mountainous terrain. Although North Koreas nuclear reactor at Yongbyon is well known and clearly monitored by satellites, the U.S. does not know the location of some of the centrifuges used to produce highly enriched uranium.

Everything has to be done in phases so that we can watch each other over a period of years, Wit said.

Snyder, of the Council on Foreign Relations, said he doubted the Trump administration would ultimately have the tenacity and focus to hash out a durable deal with North Korea.

America suffers from attention deficit disorder; we have so many issues around the world we have to take care of [and] North Korea requires resolve and persistence, Snyder said.

Trumps critics complain that the president has been looking for a quick political victory, not a lasting solution to the dilemma that is North Korea.

He is so vested in success. Trump wants everything to be fast. Hell say: This is great. Wheres my Nobel Prize?  said Daniel Russel, an assistant secretary of State for Asian affairs in the Obama administration.

Trump touted as a concession from Kim an agreement by North Korea to help recover remains of U.S. servicemen lost in the Korean War. That, too, was a repeat of past deals.

A joint U.S.-North Korean program, funded by the United States, to recover remains took place between 1996 and 2005. Teams conducted 33 search missions, recovering 229 sets of remains.

Washington broke off the missions amid criticism that North Korea was exploiting them to raise cash. The program earned the unflattering nickname of bones for bucks.

Reviving it now would violate the administrations sanctions policies because of the payments that would be made to Pyongyang.

Although Trump portrayed the agreement he signed with Kim as comprehensive, Russel said, it was little more than a cut and paste version of past declarations  if that. And Trumps plan to end joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises was ill-advised and a lopsided concession, Russel said.

Not only did Trump buy the same horse again, he paid retail, he said.

For the time being, the summits biggest winner appears to be Kim Jong Un, who only months ago was shunned as an international pariah, presiding over a dysfunctional, rogue regime. The North Korean leader, in his early 30s, got a rock star reception in Singapore on Monday, where crowds came out to applaud him and Singaporean officials posed with him for selfies.

Although Trump and Pompeo both said the tough economic sanctions that the United States and the United Nations have imposed on North Korea would remain in place for now, some are already being quietly eased by China, Russia and South Korea.

As the sanctions fade, and Kims self-confidence balloons, it will be more difficult to compel North Korea to live up to any agreement, those who have watched the country predicted.

Kim Jong Un has had an amazing few months, Russel said. He ought to get the Houdini prize the way he wriggled out of sanctions.

Wilkinson reported from Washington and Demick from New York.

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter

UPDATES:

6:10 p.m.: This article was updated to reflect a North Korean statement about the talks.

12:15 p.m.: This article was updated with additional reaction and analysis.

This article was originally published at 6:30 a.m.Red mountains rise from the desert stillness. As a paved road breaks off, tribal government buildings emerge. Inside one, Angela Willeford works on voter guides, registration drives and I voted! stickers.

Were being honest with our voters, saying, We need you to vote, said Willeford, special assistant to the president of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, just east of Scottsdale. Our ancestors couldnt vote, but we can.

Arizona is a battleground in this years midterm election, with lots of money flowing into the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races. The state is home to the nations third-largest Native American population  a group that grew by 11%, to 371,605 people, from 2010 to 2016, according to census figures on those who claim only Native American ancestry.

It is not immediately clear who would benefit the most from an uptick in Native American voting.

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About 30% of American Indians nationwide say they are Democrats and 23% Republicans, according to a 2017 poll conducted by National Public Radio, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. But 30% identify as independents, throwing a wild card into the mix.

Attaining influence at the ballot box has not come easily. In 1948, a legal battle made Arizona one of the last states with a large Native population to allow American Indians to vote. More recently, some say a lack of polling places in Indian Country and restrictive voter registration forms that do not accommodate rural or remote addresses have suppressed the Native vote in the state.

In 2014, the last midterm election, the average voter turnout at polling locations on or near reservations was around 37%, while about 48% of all registered Arizonans voted, according to a report by the Indian Legal Clinic at Arizona State University. Many polling locations serving large Native American populations had turnout below 20%, the report found.

But increasingly, advocates and Native rights groups are working to boost voter turnout. They believe the stakes are high in states like Arizona, where the Native population continues to grow, and fights over land rights and sacred sites are pressing. The issue of voter participation has pitted the skeptical, wary of broken promises and mistreatment, against those eager to find a voice beyond the reservation.

This is a population that is becoming energized and ... seeing nontribal elections as increasingly important, said Jean Schroedel, an advisor to the Native American Voting Rights Coalition and professor of political science at Claremont Graduate University. Theres something going on at the base that I think is pretty unprecedented.

Schroedel is coauthor of a coalition report, published in January, about barriers facing Native voters in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and South Dakota. Though 65% of Native voters surveyed in Arizona said they voted in 2016, Schroedel said respondents are often reluctant to acknowledge that they didnt vote, raising doubts about the accuracy of the turnout figure.

Among the findings was a legacy of mistrust that has made many Native Americans reluctant to participate in nontribal elections. For instance, just 16% of Native people surveyed in Arizona had trust in local government, which affected their faith in the election process. Other common problems noted in the report included a lack of information about how or where to register to vote, ill-informed poll workers, difficulty for reservation residents describing nontraditional addresses on registration forms, and for many in rural areas, the distance to travel to vote, which most Native voters prefer to do in person.

I think we need to be doing more education about why people should be participating in state and federal elections, said Patty Ferguson-Bohnee, director of Arizona State Universitys Indian Legal Clinic. You might elect people who actually represent your interests.

Additionally, some tribal groups, like the Salt River Pima-Maricopa, are investing in nonpartisan voter education efforts.

The community includes what were historically two tribes: the Pima and Maricopa, longtime allies that occupied large stretches of land along the Gila and Salt rivers. They became federally recognized as one tribe in 1879. Their land spans 54,000 acres. There are about 10,000 enrolled members, about half of whom live here.

Angela Willeford, Salt River Pima-Maricopas intergovernmental relations project manager, organizes voter registration drives and creates election guides for residents. (Marisa Agha / For The Times )

I want our youth to understand how important it is to be engaged and exercise their power to vote, said Willeford, noting that healthcare ranks high among residents concerns.

Among those inspired by participating in Willefords canvassing efforts in 2016 was Dione Dallas, 19, who grew up in the community.

After that, I got more engaged in what was going on in the world, Dallas said. It was an eye-opener.

Dallas decided to major in government at Grand Canyon University and works as an intern for a congressional representative. Shes developed a strong interest in water rights and veterans issues, and is thinking about becoming an attorney and advocate for Native Americans.

Its letting people know they have this right, so Native Americans have a voice in the country, she said.

Experts believe that the number of Native American voters in states like Arizona could prove consequential in some midterm congressional races.

This is a population where, if they turn out, could make a huge difference. This is a young population, Schroedel said. The two political parties better start paying attention, because they are growing and they are going to be a very important part of the electorate in a number of these states.

Eve Reyes-Aguirre is running for U.S. Senate in Arizona. (Marisa Agha / For The Times )

Several Native American candidates are running nationwide this year, including Eve Reyes-Aguirre of Phoenix, who is seeking the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, a Republican. She is running as a Green Party candidate in the states Aug. 28 primary.

Reyes-Aguirre, an Izkaloteka Pueblo member, said her identity as an indigenous woman informed her decision to run for office for the first time.

I realized our voices have been falling on deaf ears, she said. Every decision we make, we think about how its going to affect our children, our families, our people. We need to step forward.

Agha is a special correspondent.President Trump announced a halt to joint military exercises with South Korea on Tuesday, raising alarm at the Pentagon, in Congress and among allies that the U.S. might back away from longstanding defense commitments in the region without concrete concessions from long belligerent North Korea.

Trump unveiled the move at a news conference with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un after their summit in Singapore. He said he also wants to eventually withdraw the more than 28,000 U.S. troops permanently stationed in the South as a deterrent against North Korea, which only months ago was threatening Seoul and Washington with nuclear war.

Administration officials said halting the joint exercises is a relatively modest concession that has great symbolic importance to Pyongyang. By helping to build trust between two longtime adversaries, the officials argued, the U.S. action could make it more likely that Kim will move forward on talks aimed at eliminating his nuclear arsenal.

But Trumps seemingly off-hand remarks, without warning to allies South Korea and Japan, marked a potentially sharp shift in U.S. defense posture in East Asia and contradicted decades of statements by American officials that the exercises are defensive only and critical for deterring North Korea.

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Further unsettling foreign allies and even Republicans in Congress, the president echoed North Koreas own pejorative phrases in announcing suspension of the joint exercises with South Korea. Trump said he had agreed to stop the war games because they are very provocative, terms used by North Korea in denouncing the drills, adding that it would save the United States a tremendous amount of money.

He said the exercises would be suspended unless and until we see the future negotiation on eliminating Pyongyangs nuclear arsenal is not going along like it should.

The decision was quickly portrayed by critics as a one-sided giveaway to a country that maintains one of the largest standing military forces in the world.

These exercises for years have served as an important signal that the United States supports our allies in the region, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said in a statement. It concerns me that the president is making concessions to North Korea with nothing to show in return.

Former Vice President Joe Biden said Trump had reduced our leverage and signaled a weakening of our alliance in return for vague promises to begin nuclear negotiations from an adversary that repeatedly has broken promises.

Sen. David Perdue of Georgia, a Republican member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters he was very troubled and surprised.

The annual exercises, which include warplanes and naval maneuvers, have been held since at least 1976 to help the allied forces prepare for a possible North Korean attack.

In response to Republican senators worries, Vice President Mike Pence reassured them that smaller, routine training exercises will continue, according to Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.).

Pentagon officials have long believed that the much larger, yearly exercises deter North Korea and improve the readiness of U.S. and South Korean troops. Former military commanders who worked in South Korea say the drills are essential in a foreign theater with an annual turnover of rank-and-file service members, their officers and the civilian analysts who support them.

This year, four separate exercises were conducted from early April to late May. One, called Foal Eagle, involved 11,500 U.S. and 290,000 South Korean troops. It was followed by Key Resolve, which used computer simulation of a possible attack by North Korea to improve headquarters command and control.

Those were followed by Warrior Strike and Max Thunder, the latter an Air Force exercise that originally included sending U.S. bombers from Guam to South Korean airspace. Commanders abandoned that scenario to avoid angering Pyongyang ahead of the summit.

Suspending all such drills without parallel concessions from Pyongyang could make reaching a larger deal on restricting North Koreas nuclear arsenal even tougher, said Michael Green, senior vice president for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

It takes away leverage from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is expected to lead continuing talks with North Korea, Green said, and is heartwarming for Moscow and Beijing. Russia and China have long joined North Korea in denouncing the U.S. maneuvers in South Korea as a rehearsal for invasion.

The move could also impose a de facto timeline for making progress in the forthcoming nuclear talks because, with another round of military exercises scheduled for late August, Pompeo may want to see concrete actions out of Pyongyang by then, said Victor Cha, formerly a national security advisor to the George W. Bush administration.

Trumps announcement apparently caught U.S. military commanders and officials in South Korea and Japan by surprise. Both countries have longstanding defense treaties with the United States.

There is concern for both allies, Cha said, that Trump does not really value alliances and commitments. They are seeing their issues become bargaining chips with Kim.

The U.S. military command in South Korea has received no official updated guidance on execution or cessation on any upcoming training exercises, said Army Col. Chad Carroll, a spokesman for the command. We will continue with our current military posture until we receive updated guidance.

Defense Secretary James N. Mattis, however, was not surprised by the decision to cancel the drills, said spokeswoman Dana White. They had spoken on all of these issues well in advance.

Green, the Asia scholar at CSIS, said it was astonishing and unprecedented for an American president to tell an adversary like Kim of his military plans before informing affected allies.

For Trump to show that he is a leader willing to cut out allies  on the heels of his break with allies at the weekend Group of 7 summit in Canada  there will be ripple effects as far as Canberra [Australia] and maybe London, Green said.

Officials in Japan especially fear that in Trumps eagerness for a deal, he might bargain away key elements of U.S. security strategy in Northeast Asia, leaving Japans territory vulnerable to Kims short- and medium-range missiles.

South Korea has been more supportive of Trumps outreach to Kim, and its president, Moon Jae-in, did not mention the decision to suspend military exercises in a statement praising the summit outcome.

But conservative South Korean politicians are likely to seize on the move as evidence that Trump may be willing to sacrifice longstanding pillars of the U.S.-South Korean alliance in his pursuit of a deal with Kim.

The entire process can only succeed if South Korea and the U.S. stand in close coordination, said Thomas Countryman, former assistant secretary of State for nonproliferation. Trumps announcement was not a positive sign but also not a fatal flaw...because it can be reversed.

It is not the first time that the United States has halted military maneuvers with South Korea to entice Pyongyang to reach a deal.

In 1992, the George H.W. Bush administration canceled exercises involving hundreds of thousands of U.S. and South Korean troops to encourage North Korea to cooperate with nuclear inspections. The Clinton administration did so again from 1994 to 1996, but resumed maneuvers in 1997 amid growing tensions with the North.

The U.S. has stationed troops in South Korea since the Korean War. Together with major U.S. air and Navy bases in Japan, the Pentagon keeps a massive military presence in Northeast Asia to support a defense treaty that requires the United States to come to South Koreas aid if it is attacked.

Its unclear how much money the Pentagon would save by suspending the exercises. Trump provided no estimate.

For decades, Washington has gradually shifted the cost of keeping troops there onto the government in Seoul. South Korea now pays more than $890 million a year, about half the annual cost for the deployment, not including personnel expenses that the Defense Department would incur no matter where the troops were located.

Trump has insisted repeatedly, and inaccurately, that Japan and other U.S. allies contribute little or nothing to the United States for their own defense. He rarely acknowledges that the United States has long considered its presence in Northeast Asia to be in its own national interest, not least as a regional bulwark against China.

Abraham Denmark, a Pentagon official responsible for Asia during the Obama administration, said in a tweet that Kim had emerged from the summit meeting in Singapore with a huge propaganda win and a metric ton of legitimacy. The United States, he added, gave up joint exercises, for little new and nothing in return.

Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson contributed to this report.

david.cloud@latimes.com

Twitter: @davidcloudLAT

UPDATES:

1:10 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from former Vice President Biden.

This article was originally published at 12:55 p.m.President Trump has called him a very honorable man. In meeting with North Koreas Kim Jong Un in Singapore, however, the president comes face to face with an autocrat who has perhaps the worlds most egregious human rights record, with tens of thousands of political prisoners, systemic torture and assassinations.

Yet Trump refused to commit ahead of the summit to raising the issue. Hes not the only one willing to overlook Kims bloody record: The young leader is getting celebrity treatment from locals and leaders alike, with even Singapores Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan tweeting a selfie of the two on Monday.

Although opinion is divided, numerous activists, officials and diplomats said that Trumps avoidance of the human rights topic would not only be a mistake, it could possibly be illegal. In any case, the reception accorded the long-isolated Kim, who to date has ruled as a virtual international pariah, reflects how much Kim has gained already from Trumps impulsive decision to give him an audience, the first ever between an American president and a leader of North Korea.

Under Trump, the State Department and Americas envoys around the world have often had to downplay human rights and other basic democratic values in dealings with authoritarian leaders.

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RELATED: Trump-Kim Jong Un summit fails to produce disarmament plan 

Even so, the president has on occasion shown some knowledge of the situation inside North Korea, speaking last fall about the horror of life there and meeting in February at the White House with eight North Korean defectors. Last week, he promised Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that he would raise the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea and held for decades.

It was not clear, however, that Trump would actually raise such issues once face-to-face with Kim.

Trump has said all the right things about North Korea human rights. On the other hand, he has such a fondness for dictators, I dont know which side is going to come out in Singapore, said David Hawk, the author of several reports on the North Korean prison gulags, ahead of the meeting.

Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, said the issue has too often been sacrificed on the altar of higher-priority nuclear and missile negotiations.

For almost 30 years, human rights have been excluded from talks with North Korea that didnt work. So how about giving it a try this time? Scarlatoiu said. Kim Jong Un seems to want security guarantees  but how can the U.S. or any other liberal democracy guarantee the survival of a regime that treats its people the way Kim Jong Un does?

The victims include his own family members: Kim has been accused of executing his uncle and other top aides with antiaircraft artillery and of assassinating his half-brother by a nerve agent in a Malaysia airport.

More broadly, an estimated 100,000 political prisoners are held in fetid gulag-style prisons, re-education camps and forced-labor centers. Many are killed through torture or starved to death, according to defectors who have fled North Korea.

In this years human rights report by the State Department, North Korea stands out for the deplorable conditions described.

Mothers were in some cases reportedly forced to watch the infanticide of their newborn infants, the report states. Rape and other forms of torture, beatings and brutal interrogations were also common for people whose alleged crimes might have been nothing more than falling asleep at a political event or playing foreign music.

The North Korean people, the report said, also face rigid controls over many aspects of [their] lives, including arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, and correspondence, and denial of the freedoms of speech, press, assembly, association, religion, and movement; denial of the ability to choose their government.

Some experts, as well as the government of neighboring South Korea, have counseled against raising human rights or any other issue not directly related to the nuclear arms that threaten South Koreas very existence. They said overloading the agenda would be a distraction and slow down any progress.

Especially under President Moon Jae-in, South Korea values rapprochement with North Korea and reducing the nuclear threat as primary goals. Japan, on the other hand, is intent that North Korea be forced to account for its kidnapped citizens.

Trump and many Republicans railed against the multinational Iran nuclear agreement that President Obama brokered in 2015 because it failed to deal with human rights abuses and other behavior by Tehran. Some Republican lawmakers say there is no need to tackle human rights now with North Korea, though there are dissenters.

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), writing for Fox News, said failing to link the issues of rights and nuclear disarmament would be a moral and political mistake.

We also show a lack of seriousness about ourselves and our history, Hatch added, having faced but remained silent amid such crimes against humanity in the past.

John Sifton, Asia advocacy director for the New York-based Human Rights Watch, argued that a 2016 law obliges Trump to discuss human rights in his meeting with Kim. The law imposes sanctions and blacklisting of any North Korean involved in weapons proliferation or who knowingly engages in, is responsible for, or facilitates serious human rights abuses.

Sifton also argued that, under the law, sanctions cannot be eased on Kims government until it changes its longstanding repression and draconian control of its people.

That raises the question, how can the Trump administration offer North Korea private investment in return for nuclear disarmament moves  as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has hinted at  if its illegal for U.S. companies to do business with North Koreans so long as the nation continues to violate human rights?

Past Republican administrations were able to address human rights while also negotiating tricky treaties. Abraham Cooper of the Simon Weisenthal Center, which advocates for human rights, noted that during Reagan-era talks about strategic arms reduction with the former Soviet Union, U.S. negotiators always brought up the subject of Jewish refuseniks.

It is not like we cant walk and chew gum at the same time, Cooper said. You can leverage human rights as a litmus test to determine their seriousness about disarmament.

Kim Jong Un inherited the gulag system in 2011 when he took over after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, but he has done little to nothing to dismantle the abuses of the system.

Although the current Kim has given his people greater economic freedom, he hasnt loosened the restrictions on speech or civil liberties. North Koreans are still imprisoned for watching movies, making phone calls outside the country or trying to cross the border into China. They are not allowed to use the internet.

I think Kim Jong Uns formula is economic reform without political opening, said Hawk, the expert on the gulags. Maybe in five to 10 years, if Kim Jong Un feels secure, he will allow more freedom, but I dont think he is going to extend the rights to his people to have passports, to leave and return, like you saw with China and Vietnam.

The biggest single issue is an extensive North Korean gulag believed to hold 80,000 to 120,000 men, women and children, some of whom were imprisoned only because of political offenses of family members. The gulags population has fallen somewhat in the past decade because Kim Jong Il eased up on a system in which three generations of a family were punished for political crimes.

The remaining gulags are so large that they are clearly visible on satellite photographs.

If we have a human rights dialogue, we have to ask them what is the explanation for those facilities and to ask them to provide access, Hawk said.

Following a harshly critical 2014 report by the United Nations, North Korea has been more cooperative on issues such as the rights of women, children and the disabled, showing at least keen awareness of international opinion. They have stonewalled queries about their political prison system, however.

Robert Gallucci, a professor of foreign relations at Georgetown University who led 1994 denuclearization talks with North Korea for the Clinton administration, said in retrospect that it was a mistake not to put human rights on the table then.

Improving human rights, he said, is the only way to get the North Koreans to move in the direction of a normal state that can have a normal relationship with the United States.

Staff writers Demick and Wilkinson reported from New York and Washington, respectively.

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on TwitterFour young children were discovered dead at a west Orlando, Fla., apartment complex late Monday, nearly 24 hours after a standoff that began when a police officer was shot responding to a domestic violence call.

The gunman was also found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a closet when SWAT officers entered the apartment about 9 p.m., Orlando Police Chief John Mina said at a news conference just before midnight.

A short time ago we made entry into the apartment and found that all four children have been killed by the suspect by apparent gunshot wounds, Mina said.

Our hearts go out to the families involved.

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The children were ages 1, 6, 10 and 11. We have no idea when those children lost their lives, Mina said.

Police earlier Monday had identified the suspect as 35-year-old Gary Wayne Lindsey Jr., a felon who was on probation for arson and other charges.

The standoff began after officers responded about 11:45 p.m. Sunday to a woman who reported being battered by Lindsey at the Westbrook Apartments, police said. The woman had fled the second-story apartment to a nearby restaurant on Kirkman Road to call police. Officers tried to arrest Lindsey at the apartment when a shootout began.

Police Officer Kevin Valencia was shot and suffered a significant injury, Mina said. Valencia is recovering after surgery at Orlando Regional Medical Center and was expected to live. He was still in critical condition early Tuesday, Mina said. He asked for prayers for Valencia, who is in his 20s.

Two of the children found dead are believed to be Lindseys, and the others are believed to belong to the domestic violence victim.

Mina said his officers had been in direct and indirect contact with Lindsey throughout the day, with the last indirect contact between 8:30 and 9 p.m. The gunmans phone had spotty service, and police tried to offer him one of their phones. Thats when they saw the body of one child and decided to try to rescue the other children.

A big boom was heard at the complex about 9 p.m.

(Volusia County Branch Jail )

The standoff forced residents from their homes in the middle of the night as SWAT officers descended on the complex.

Judy Pepper, 44, said she lives at the apartment complex, in the unit just below the suspects apartment. She had fallen asleep on her couch after watching the Yankees-Mets game. She said she was startled awake when she heard four loud gunshots. It just went, Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop, Pepper said.

She then heard someone screaming and then a loud commotion near the stairwell.

Pepper said she looked out her window and saw three people carrying a police officer onto the grass. Other officers arrived and started working on the injured officer, Pepper said.

They cut open his shirt and appeared to put bandages on his neck, Pepper said. Officers put him in a patrol car and sped away, she said.

Hell, yes, I was absolutely terrified, Pepper said. It just startled me awake, and I had no idea what was going on.

Pepper and other residents were told to vacate the complex, and they were moved to a nearby McDonalds, then to a Holiday Inn.

Hostage negotiators had spent the day trying to coax Lindsey from the apartment.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said at the news conference that about 60 deputies were involved in the effort to rescue the children.

Records show Lindsey was on probation stemming from a 2008 arrest in Volusia County, in which he was accused of trying to burn down a house in Orange City during a domestic argument. He was accused of threatening a woman with a knife as she held her 7-month-old son in Orange County, Fla., in 2012, but prosecutors opted not to file charges in that case.

Orlando Sentinel staff writers Bianca Padro Ocasio, Jeff Weiner and Stephen Ruiz contributed to this report.The last couple of times the Los Angeles Unified School District has had one of its 100% ideas  that every single student would get an iPad, for instance, or that every high school student would have to take the full suite of college-prep courses and get at least a C in all of them in order to graduate  it failed spectacularly.

The iPad program ran into one completely foreseeable problem after another until it imploded. As for the college-requirements mandate, the school board was forced to lower the requirement from a C grade to a D when it realized that only half of its students were on track to graduate. And even then, the district had to soften its standards and introduce easier online makeup courses to avoid a non-graduation catastrophe.

Now, a new resolution by school board President Monica Garcia goes back to that troubled kind of thinking by listing a long set of blue-sky goals to be achieved within five years.

Garcias resolution, which will be introduced at Tuesdays board meeting, calls for many 100-percents. Among them are: a commitment that all third-graders will meet the standards on the states annual standardized tests; that all eighth-graders will earn at least a C grade in English and math; and that all high school graduates will meet that abandoned requirement of getting a C or better in all the courses required for entry to the University of California and California State University.

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Garcias desire to set high standards and bring a sense of urgency to L.A. Unified is praiseworthy. And her resolution is an improvement on the old graduation requirement because students wont be denied diplomas if they to meet it; they will still graduate even if they dont get a C in every class. Schools wont be closed or punished if all their third-graders arent proficient in reading and math on the state tests.

Adopting goals that are based on fantasy only sets the district and its teachers up for failure.

Also in the resolutions favor: It makes a few attempts to address some of the underlying issues that might keep low-performing schools from improving. That includes allowing schools in the bottom quartile to hire the teachers they want instead of whomever is available in the district pool, and providing more support to teachers in those schools.

Still, theres more wrong with the resolution than right. It is  lets be honest here  disconnected from reality. Consider that the district had 12 years to bring high-school students to a D in all the college-prep courses and still had to finagle like crazy to avoid disastrously low graduation rates. This resolution similarly threatens to weaken standards even more because middle and high schools will feel pressured to hand out C grades to students who havent earned them. It demands too many stellar achievements without enough planning and incremental steps toward getting close.

Then theres the 100% problem. Its an extremely rare high school  if one exists  where every student is proficient in third-grade standards and so forth. This is the like the No Child Left Behind Act, which also set unreasonable goals but had a much longer timeline. And even that unrealistic federal law demanded that 95% of students be proficient, not 100%. They came nowhere close.

Having high ambitions is a great idea. But adopting goals that are based on fantasy only sets the district and its teachers up for failure.

Consider this: In 2017, only 37% of the districts third-graders passed the states English test, while 38% werent even close to passing.

L.A. Unified should be mindful of the recent scandal in Washington. D.C., where the public schools boasted about high graduation rates and said that 100% of the graduates of one particular school were going to college. The rosy claim shattered under revelations that not only werent all those students going to college, but teachers districtwide had been ordered to pass failing students, including some who had missed more than half the school year.

Lets make goals practical. How much did third-grade scores improve during the districts best five years? Can the district double or triple that improvement in the next five years? How many students got a C or better in their college-prep courses, without online makeup courses? Can that be doubled?

The board should work with Garcia on revamping her proposal so that it is ambitious but smart  more about the substance of better education and less about shiny-looking numbers that end up meaning too little.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and FacebookABC/Image Group LAAfter buying a home in Studio City, California just over a year ago, Selena Gomez has decided to ditch the property.

According to Variety, shes putting the barely-used bungalow on the market for $2.8 million after purchasing it for $2.5 million.

The home has three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms, as well as a detached guest house with another bathroom. Theres also a fitness room/yoga studio, an outside kitchen and laundry room, and a swimming pool and spa.

Selena previously sold her Calabasas, California compound to rapper French Montana for $3.3 million in 2016.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.The Supreme Court on Monday made it easier for states to remove perfectly eligible voters from the registration rolls. The 5-4 decision is the latest in a series of lamentable rulings undermining the right to vote and disproportionately disadvantaging the poor and racial minorities.

In Ohio, registered voters who havent voted for two years are sent a card asking them to verify that they still live at their listed address. Voters who dont return the card and fail to vote in any election for four more years are presumed to have moved  even if they havent  and are removed from the rolls. As a result, some voters have shown up at the polls only to be told that they are no longer registered.

Ohios practice would seem to violate a 1993 federal law, the National Voter Registration Act, which prohibits states from removing anyone from the federal rolls by reason of the persons failure to vote. But the courts conservative majority found a way to justify the practice.

Writing for the court, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said that, while failure to vote couldnt be the sole reason for purging a voter from the rolls, it could be one factor in that decision  the other being failing to respond to a change-of-address notice. Therefore, Alito concluded, Ohios purging policy was legal.

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That is tortured reasoning. Clearly its the failure to vote that triggers the process of sending out the change-of-address notice, which can lead to a voters disqualification if it isnt returned, or if its lost in the mail.

Skipping an election or even several elections shouldnt be grounds for being purged from the rolls.

Justice Stephen G. Breyer, in a dissent joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, made the point well: When a state relies upon a registrants failure to vote to initiate the confirmation procedure, it violates the failure- to-vote clause, and a states subsequent use of the confirmation procedure cannot save the states program from that defect.

Ideally every citizen will participate in every election. But skipping an election or even several elections shouldnt be grounds for being purged from the rolls. Congress wanted to make it possible for voters to remain registered even if they decided not to participate in one or more contests. The objective was to encourage participation over the long haul.

And while its desirable to keep election rolls current  a goal also enunciated in the National Voter Registration Act  that can be done without presuming that those who havent voted recently or bothered to return a postcard no longer live in the area. For example, election officials can compare names on election rolls to those on the National Change of Address database (as Ohio election officials in fact do).

Finally, its important to realize that, as with requirements for photo ID, the burdens imposed by Ohios policy arent borne equally. In a separate dissenting opinion, Sotomayor cited friend-of-the-court briefs claiming that Ohios policy had disproportionately affected minority, low-income, disabled and veteran voters. Sotomayor further noted that predominantly black neighborhoods in downtown Cincinnati had 10% of their voters removed from the rolls since 2012, compared with 4% of voters in a suburban, majority-white neighborhood.

Because Mondays decision is based on the interpretation of a federal statute, not the Constitution, Congress could overrule it, by making it clear that Breyers interpretation of the National Voter Registration Act is the correct one. Sadly, the current Republican-controlled Congress is even less likely to take an expansive view of voting rights than the current Supreme Court.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand FacebookIn Dantes Inferno, the first circle of hell is for the virtuous unbelievers  non-Christians like Aristotle, Socrates and Julius Caesar. The second is for those who give in to their carnal desires, your Cleopatra and Achilles types. So it goes, through the various vices  gluttony, greed, wrath, etc.  that send you to your own designated place of eternal torment.

The odd thing is I cant seem to find the specific locale in the Stygian depths for Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister. And yet, White House trade advisor and apparent theologian Peter Navarro said on Fox News on Sunday that, Theres a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door.

Navarro was talking about Trudeaus decision to give a press conference in which he calmly, quietly and politely  which is to say, Canadianly  explained that our neighbors to the north would be responding to the White Houses imposition of aluminum and steel tariffs with tariffs of their own, something the Canadian government had said they would do all along.

This infuriated Trump, who was on his way to Singapore for a meeting with North Koreas Kim Jong Un. On Twitter, Trump announced that he would withdraw from the official G-7 communique and taunted Trudeau as weak and pathetic for good measure.

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Over on CNN, White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow repeated that Trudeau stabbed us in the back and insisted he apologize for his betrayal. Kudlow, a friend of mine who unfortunately mangles his talking points sometimes, went on to claim that the real reason Trump attacked our ally was to offer a show of strength before the Singapore summit.

POTUS is not going to let a Canadian prime minister push him around, Kudlow told CNNs Jake Tapper. He is not going to permit any show of weakness on the trip to negotiate with North Korea. Kudlow added: Kim must not see American weakness.

This is barmy. Traditionally, the president of the United States is considered the leader of the free world. Well, being the leader of a coalition of powerful and rich countries is a stronger position than leader of America alone.

Sucking up to Russian President Vladimir Putin while hippie-punching Trudeau doesnt make Trump look stronger.

By throwing Canada under the bus  with language we rarely use about our actual adversaries  Trump and his subalterns were sending a message of American weakness, not strength. Sucking up to Russian President Vladimir Putin while hippie-punching Trudeau doesnt make Trump himself look stronger, either.

When you go into a negotiation with a barbaric rogue state, you want to be able to convince your adversary that you can deliver your allies when it comes to the final deal. Giving Justin Trudeau a rhetorical wedgie has the opposite effect and sends the exact opposite message.

It also creates problems far beyond whatever comes out of Singapore. Part of Kudlows complaint was that Trudeaus betrayal was a sophomoric political stunt for domestic consumption.

Whether you think thats true or not, theres an important lesson here. One senior Trump advisor told the Atlantics Jeffrey Goldberg that the Trump Doctrine could be summarized as Were America, Bitch. That may not be an official policy statement, but that is the impression our allies are getting.

The standard response from the Trump administrations defenders is, thats what his base wants or thats what he campaigned on. True enough. But if running a foreign policy based on fan service to your base is good for the goose, its good for the gander as well.

Trump is profoundly unpopular and distrusted among the electorates of many of our allies. When Pew asked about public confidence in Trumps ability to handle world affairs, 22% of Canadians expressed confidence in the president (compared with 83% with Obama). In Germany, only 11% trust Trump.

Thats not a problem if you think we dont need allies, because theyre all going to hell anyway. But dont be surprised if other world leaders decide its in their interest to behave antagonistically toward America now that Trump has decided its in his interest to do so to them.

jgoldberg@latimescolumnists.com

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or FacebookThe outcome of the Donald Trump-Kim Jong Un summit in Singapore brings to mind the old Army quip: Hurry up and wait.

The urgency of holding a meeting between the top leaders of North Korea and the United States, rather than diplomatic professionals, is perhaps best explained by the personality and mind set of our first reality TV star president. The freshly signed joint statement of this epochal event  not merely historic, mind you, but epochal  is roughly what could be expected to emerge from the preceding two weeks or so of working-level talks. Vague and broad, it endorses a set of mutual confidence building steps, ending with a promise to continue working out the details. It marks a return to diplomatic engagement, but its not any sort of breakthrough.

Set aside whether a presidential meeting was needed to reach this point. What exactly does the joint statement say? How does it stack up against the two countries on-again, off-again diplomatic commitments over the past quarter-century, and what does it really mean?

After the throat-clearing section at the top, the statement boils down to four points. The first is a commitment to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.

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This is a vow that Washington and Pyongyang renew about every five to six years. The October 1994 Agreed Framework pledged to move toward full normalization of political and economic relations. The Joint Communique signed at the White House in October 2000 promised to make every effort in the future to build a new relationship free from past enmity. The September 2005 Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks concluded in Beijing contained an undertaking for the two states to respect each others sovereignty, exist peacefully together, and take steps to normalize their relations. The February 2012 Leap Day Deal contained an American undertaking to take steps to improve our bilateral relationship in the spirit of mutual respect for sovereignty and equality.

The second point is a commitment to join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

The term peace regime is a familiar bit of Korea-specific diplomatese, meaning the replacement of the Korean War Armistice with something more permanent, probably in the form of an agreement between the two Koreas, the United States and China, to be endorsed in a United Nations Security Council Resolution.

The October 2000 Joint Communique discussed how to formally end the Korean War by replacing the 1953 Armistice Agreement with permanent peace arrangements. The September 2005 Joint Statement and a subsequent February 2007 agreement proposed the separate negotiation of a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. The same sentiment appeared in the declaration of the second summit meeting of the two Koreas, held in October 2007, which recognized the need to end the current armistice regime and build a permanent peace regime. The Panmunjom Declaration issued in April after Kim met with Moon Jae-in in the third such summit called for turning the armistice into a peace treaty, and establishing a permanent and solid peace regime.

Even if a theatrical summit meeting wasnt really needed, diplomacy is now back on track.

The third point in the Trump-Kim statement finally gets to the heart of things from the U.S. perspective. It is almost a direct quote from the April meeting: [T]he DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The phrase denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula goes all the way back to a declaration by the two Koreas signed in January 1992 and periodically reaffirmed. The September 2005 Joint Statement introduced a new twist, calling for the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner. The Panmunjom Declaration doesnt include verifiable, but cites the common goal of realizing, through complete denuclearization, a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. (Italics added.)

The current repetition of complete denuclearization seems to fall somewhat short of the variation lately demanded by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: the complete and verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The fourth point is a commitment to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified. Joint U.S.-North Korean searches for the remains of the Korean War dead took place between 1996 and 2005. The resumption of this practice is overdue and will certainly contribute to goodwill.

The Trump-Kim Joint Statement contains little that can be called new. It marks what statisticians like to call regression toward the mean the tendency for extreme conditions to give way to the familiar over time. And thats good. Even if a theatrical summit meeting wasnt really needed, diplomacy is now back on track. With patience and modest expectations, progress is possible.

Joshua Pollack is a senior research associate at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and editor of the Nonproliferation Review.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand FacebookThe world, as we all know, is filled with violence. But since the end of World War II, the international community has come to recognize that people subject to certain types of violence or persecution in specific circumstances deserve special protections  in the form of asylum from countries willing to take them in.

People persecuted for their religious or political beliefs, or for their ethnicity or race, for example, are entitled to refugee status. And in recent years, women facing genital mutilation, or persistent domestic violence in patriarchal societies in which authorities are unable or unwilling to help them, have been added to the list by many countries.

And while its true, as Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions wrote Monday, that the asylum statute does not provide redress for all misfortune, it should provide protections for women facing dangerous violence from their intimate partners in societies in which law enforcement cannot protect them or sides with the abuser. These women are targeted because of their gender. Thats worthy of receiving sanctuary, but Sessions on Monday stripped that protection from the U.S. immigration courts.

Sessions decision is cruel and unnecessary and a retreat from good policy.

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It was a cruel and inhumane decision that seems more based on his  and the administrations  antipathy toward immigrants in general and Central Americans in particular than an attempt to restore sound principles of asylum and long-standing principles of immigration law, as he claimed.

Sessions also said Monday that the risk of gang violence cannot be grounds for granting asylum, but thats a bit of a red herring. Immigration judges have granted some immigrants the ability to remain in the U.S. rather than deporting them to places where they faced specific gang-related threats, but have not held that such immigrants are part of a special class, as they did for abused women in certain societies. The fact that Sessions lumped people fearing gang violence in with the case at hand  a Salvadoran woman who fled her abusive ex-husband  makes it clear that Sessions is looking south and not primarily at legal definitions.

Sessions has the ability to overrule the immigration court decisions, but that doesnt make it right. Congress bestowed broad powers to the attorney generals office to implement immigration laws, but that doesnt mean the attorney general should blow up immigration court decisions just because he doesnt agree with them. The immigration courts have over the decades established their own history of decisions and case law interpreting the acts Congress passed. Sessions assigned this case to himself  cherry-picked it, really  for the singular purpose of overturning an immigration court precedent simply because he doesnt like it. Policy positions, of course, should inform the crafting of laws, but to mix politics with quasi-judicial decisions is a dangerous undermining of independence that ultimately erodes public faith in the institution.

Recognizing the narrow class of domestic violence victims as a special class, as the U.S. began doing four years ago, did not open the floodgates for women fleeing dangerous circumstances. Although the 2014 decision Sessions overturned recognized the class, each applicant was still required to make a case-by-case argument that she fit those circumstances and thus deserved asylum. Thats not an easy hurdle to clear. And the applicant had to get to the U.S. first to even apply for asylum, also a difficult path  especially for women fleeing violence far from U.S. borders. And granting asylum was discretionary; it was not automatic if someone could simply check all the boxes. If an immigration judge believed the person did not deserve asylum for unrelated reasons, asylum could be denied. In fact, most asylum requests get rejected. The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University, which collects and analyzes federal immigration data, reports that 62% of requests were rejected in 2017; the year before, 56.5% were.

Sessions decision is cruel and unnecessary and a retreat from good policy, both in setting the threshold for when the U.S. grants sanctuary and in respecting the work of the immigration courts system. In that regard, its part and parcel of the Trump administrations nativist drive to reduce immigration to the U.S. overall, from work visas to travel visas to refugees. The flow has slowed to such a trickle that resettlement agencies are closing offices.

Proper immigration levels are a subject for debate  how much is too much, and how few is too few. But it is in Americas best interests culturally and economically to maintain reasonable levels of immigration. And it is in the worlds best interests that nations like the U.S. provide sanctuary to those who really need it. Under this administration, we are moving in the opposite direction.

Scott.Martelle@LATimes.com

Follow my posts and re-tweets at @smartelle on TwitterTo the editor: After watching President Trump make a mess of the Group of Seven meeting, I am convinced that our best option for success at the summit in Singapore with Kim Jong Un is Dennis Rodman!

Alan Abajian, Alta Loma

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To the editor: I immigrated to the U.S. 62 years ago and became a citizen five years later. I voted in every election and considered it a privilege and duty as a citizen. While I consider my adopted country as a pillar to the world, I am extremely alarmed at the downward spiral that our democracy has taken in the last two years. This country has had as its main adversary the Soviet Union and since its demise, Russia. It is a fact that Vladimir Putin wishes to undermine our and the rest of the worlds democracies. Putin has some kind of a headlock on Trump, whether it is financial or salacious.

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Trump is isolating our country from the rest of the world by getting out of international agreements to our countrys detriment, thus weakening our position globally. By imposing uncalled for tariffs he weakens our country both internally and globally, to Russias and Chinas advantage.

We have a president who is racist, paranoid, full of demagoguery and who has no concept of the truth or scientific facts. And the Republican Party that doggedly follows him has lost any semblance of credibility.

Adam Mekler, Pasadena

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To the editor: A significant reason President Trump wanted Russia at the G7 meeting is that he wanted a nation there that would be simpatico with him. Not having Russia there puts the president in the awkward position of not having his cheering section with him. We know how he loves having his cheering section with him.

Dan Herscher, Los Angeles

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To the editor: The invasion and annexation of Crimea should be enough to keep Russia out of the G7, but coupled with Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election, its unconscionable for a president of the United States to make such a statement.

He couched this in terms of Were trying to run the world, as if the G7 is a cabal of leaders attempting to do just that. This is an economic summit where the member countries meet to discuss trade as well as other issues affecting the economies of the member states, not govern the world.

Then Trump blamed President Obama for the Crimea invasion. This odious condemnation of President Obama comes from the man whose campaign manager was indicted for acting as a foreign agent in support of Russian actions.

Michael Solomon, Canoga Park

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Is there anything that top Putin puppet Donald Trump wont do for the thuggish dictator? Apparently not. And all Putin had to do was hijack our election to install Mr. Trump.

That seems to be the sticking explanation for Trumps sickening and outrageous obsequiousness to Putin. Of course Putin should have a seat at the table with the G-7 countries who promote and work to strengthen democracies.

Putin is the happiest man on the planet! Hes has his own mole working for him in the United States, who couldnt be doing a better job in alienating us from our allies.

Before long, Trump will demand that we sing the Russian national anthem. And its not hard to believe he will threaten to deport anyone who takes the knee to Mexico.

Wendy Blais, North Hills

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To the editor: The president of America puts down our allies in the G7 and stands up for an adversary that meddled in our 2016 elections. To many of us, he is repulsive.

Not only is Trump a divisive figure on the world stage, he is dividing America. All over the world where democracies looked for guidance from Americas leadership, they are waiting for a correction in America.

Trump refuses to act decisively to counter Russias attack on our 2016 elections, and he shared the same stage with Vladimir Putin and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who both are autocrats and killers.

Worst of all, most Republican leaders in Congress are totally lacking of any courage to stand up to a president who is dangerous to the country, our values, our allies and democracy itself.

Alfred Waddell, Marstons Mills, Mass.

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To the editor: I suspect Trump arrived late and departed the G7 summit early for one reason: In the face of world leaders who are vastly more knowledgeable, intelligent and experienced than he is, he knew he was too ill-informed to defend his ignorant stance.

Yet when it comes to the true nature of our trade agreements with these six countries, I am ignorant too, and ask the L.A. Times to provide an article clarifying the realities. Is the U.S. really being robbed? Trump keeps saying it, and the Times keeps repeating it. Please illuminate.

Julie Atherton, Tustin

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and FacebookTo the editor: Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchins decision to do nothing to save Social Security is consistent with Republican doctrine.

The excuse that the tax cuts will stimulate the economy and we will grow ourselves out of debt was used by Ronald Reagan as he said, dont worry, the benefits will trickle down to you in the middle class. That didnt happen then and it wont happen now.

Republicans want to end this government program and stalling with Reagan-era fake promises is fine. Why not? Mnuchin, who loves to fly free on government planes, is a billionaire. He will never need that Social Security check.

Norwood Price, Burbank

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To the editor: Social Security and Medicare funding will be saved by President Trumps new healthcare policies that will offer reduced coverage, resulting in the deaths of millions of Americans with chronic diseases before they reach Medicare age.

Sidney Rubinstein, Rosemead

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To the editor: Demographic trends do not support government entitlement programs for society as a whole. Recipients are increasing in number while contributors are decreasing, and this is not sustainable.

Going forward, appropriate adjustments appear to include: enhanced tax incentives for IRA accounts, reinforcing the Affordable Care Act to ensure broader participation, and slowly scaling back Social Security and Medicare to only cover low-income individuals.

Government entitlement programs are important as part of our social safety net; beyond that, they are an increasing burden on both taxpayers and the economy.

Ed Salisbury, Santa Monica

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To the editor: Mnuchins retirement fantasy correctly identifies the fallacy of magical thinking that giving more money to the wealthy will cure all the ills of society, including Social Security and Medicare.

The only way to preserve these essential benefits is to pay for them with our taxes. Our elected officials, of both parties, are scared of touching the third rail of taxation. Politicians who propose raising taxes are seldom elected, and if elected are subject to recall.

The simple and obvious truth is that if we want to have a civil society we must be willing to pay for it.

Michael Telerant, Los Angeles

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and FacebookNewsoms budget proposes $3 million for Alzheimers research, brain task force By Melody Gutierrez Amyloid plaques, shown here in human brains, are a hallmark of Alzheimers disease. (UCLA School of Medicine) Gov. Gavin Newsom will call for the creation of a brain health task force and dedicate $3 million annually from the states general fund to Alzheimers disease research in the budget proposal he will release Thursday, a source close to the administration said. The money for Alzheimers research would target the new grants at understanding why the disease is more prevalent in women and people of color. Former California first lady and Alzheimers activist Maria Shriver pushed for the funding to be included in the state budget. Shriver said in a statement Wednesday that the funding would make California the first state to make understanding our brains a priority. The states former first lady, whose late father Sargent Shriver was diagnosed with Alzheimers, founded the Womens Alzheimers Movement, an advocacy group raising awareness about womens increased risk for developing the disease. In 2011, she wrote a comprehensive assessment on the disease, to which Newsom  then mayor of San Francisco  contributed a portion called What one city is doing. This is personal to me, just like it is to millions of California families, Shriver said. Alzheimers is one of the largest medical, social and economic crises in our state, and of our time. I am so proud that, once again, California is leading the way. Wiping out Alzheimers is going to require bold thinking, and there is no doubt in my mind that California is home to bold thinkers who can make this happen. Facebook

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Gov. Gavin Newsom orders reinvention of troubled California DMV By Patrick McGreevy A line of people stretches around the South L.A. location of a California Department of Motor Vehicles Office on Aug. 7. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday ordered an overhaul of the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which has been plagued by hours-long wait times at field offices, computer crashes and voter registration errors involving tens of thousands of customers. Just a few days after taking office, Newsom appointed a top advisor to a new DMV Reinvention Strike Team to revamp the beleaguered agency over the next six months. By any metric, California DMV has been chronically mismanaged and failed in its fundamental mission to the state customers it serves and the state workers it employs, Newsom said in a statement, adding Its time for a reinvention. The governor appointed state Government Operations Agency Secretary Marybel Batjer to lead the strike team with a goal of modernizing the agency and enacting changes that improve customer satisfaction, employee performance and transparency. Newsom also ordered an accelerated review of initial findings of an ongoing audit ordered last year by Gov. Jerry Brown. The action was welcomed by lawmakers who have been critical of the DMV, including Assemblyman Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield). The egregious management failures of the DMV have been self-evident, which is why I have been calling for new leadership and a comprehensive independent audit of this troubled state agency over and over again as the problems grew significantly worse, Fong said. Last summer, Californians seeking new driver licenses complained of wait times of four to six hours at DMV offices, which the agency blamed partly on snafus caused by a rush of people trying to get Real IDs, a new identification card design required for airline passengers starting in late 2020. Delays were also blamed on computer crashes at DMV offices as the agency struggled to update its aging automation systems. The DMV also admitted that there were an estimated 23,000 errors as people either were unknowingly registered to vote or mistakes were made in their registration status as part of the states new motor voter program. The agency registered to vote as many as 1,500 people with legal U.S. residency but no citizenship. Last month, DMV Director Jean Shiomoto retired from the agency. Legislators were angered earlier this week when the DMV said it needed an additional $40 million to prevent the return of long lines at its field offices. In addition, the agency has been under fire for issuing driver licenses in the last year that do not comply with the federal Real ID standards requiring two forms of identification by applicants. Facebook

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California police unions are preparing to battle new transparency law in the courtroom By Maya Lau Just as a landmark police transparency law is going into effect, some California police agencies are shredding internal affairs documents and law enforcement unions are rushing to block the information from being released. The new law, which begins to unwind Californias strictest-in-the-nation protections over the secrecy of law enforcement records, opens to the public internal investigations of officer shootings and other major uses of force, along with confirmed cases of sexual assault and lying while on duty. But the lawsuits and records destruction, which began even before the law took effect Jan. 1, could tie up the release of information for months or years, and in some instances, prevent it from ever being disclosed. The fact that police unions are challenging this law is on some level not surprising, said Peter Bibring, director of police practices at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, one of the principal supporters of the new law. They have a long history of fighting tooth and nail against transparency. Read More Facebook

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Secretary of State Alex Padilla begins second term with challenge to ensure every Californian is counted By Jazmine Ulloa Secretary of State Alex Padilla takes the oath of office as his family stands by his side on Monday in Sacramento. (Jazmine Ulloa / Los Angeles Times) Secretary of State Alex Padilla was sworn in for a second term on Monday, saying he would continue the battle to protect the right to vote at a time when voter suppression efforts, online disinformation campaigns and interference from foreign adversaries have polarized the public and threatened to undermine trust in U.S. elections. I am doubling down on our fight here in Sacramento and in Washington, D.C., to defend our democracy, he said. Working on the front lines with so many of you, I know that our collective resolve has never been stronger. But the loudest applause came when Padilla promised to fight back against the Trump administrations changes to the U.S. census, saying he will ensure every Californian gets counted. Padilla, a former state senator and Los Angeles City Council member from the San Fernando Valley, led the cause for a new motor voter registration law in 2015, and a new system for online business registrations. But the programs have had experienced problems: More than 23,000 Californians were registered to vote incorrectly by the state DMV, the agency reported last year. On Monday, Padilla said he would continue to push back against false claims of voter fraud in California and pointed to the states voter turnout as proof that his office was involving more people in the democratic process, a promise he made when he was first sworn in four years ago. More than 12.7 million voters cast ballots in the Nov. 6 midterm election, representing roughly 65% of the states registered voters, the highest number of any midterm election since 1982, according to state certified results. I made that promise based on a shared belief that we are a stronger democracy and a better California when we hear all voices from all corners of California, and when those voices are not just heard but counted, Padilla said. Facebook

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Ricardo Lara, Californias first statewide officeholder to come out as gay, sworn in as insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara on the floor of the state Senate in 2016. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Ricardo Lara took the oath of office as California insurance commissioner on Monday, pledging action to boost healthcare coverage and combat climate change. Lara, a Democrat from Bell Gardens, is the first elected statewide officeholder in California who has come out as gay. He began his speech in downtown Sacramento by thanking LGBTQ leaders who came before him and celebrated the occasion. Today, because of you, weve shattered the pink ceiling, Lara said. In his inaugural speech, Lara announced the creation of an executive position in his office to address climate change. There is no other industry that has the necessary expertise to ensure that California is prepared to mitigate and reduce risk to our communities and our environment, Lara said. Our planet cant wait. Im ready, and I hope you are too. Lara served as a state legislator and in 2017 introduced a bill to create a single-payer healthcare system in the state. He promised to work with new Gov. Gavin Newsom to expand coverage across California. Lara was sworn in by retired U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, who declared unconstitutional Californias Proposition 8 gay marriage ban. State Sen. President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) was on hand for the ceremony along with multiple other state lawmakers. Facebook

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New California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis says she will help expand access to universities in the state New Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, center, is shown in June talking with attendees at the Power to the Polls rally in Sacramento. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) More Californians should be given access to public universities, Eleni Kounalakis said as she took the oath of office Monday to become the states first woman elected lieutenant governor. Kounalakis was given the oath of office by Gov. Gavin Newsom, her predecessor in the job, who pledged they would work together. As lieutenant governor, Kounalakis serves on the University of California Board of Regents and the California State University Board of Trustees, she noted in a speech at her swearing-in ceremony at the main Sacramento Library. In that role, she said, she will be committed to expanding access to affordable public higher education here in our state. Its wise, its smart and it is the best way to address our rapidly changing digital economy. Kounalakis is former president of a development company founded by her father, Angelo Tsakopoulos, and served during the Obama administration as the U.S. ambassador to Hungary. In November, she won her first run for statewide office. Also attending the ceremony were House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Facebook

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California meets Dutch Newsom, who steals the show at his fathers inauguration By Taryn Luna Gov. Gavin Newsom gives his inaugural address while holding his youngest son, Dutch. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) In the California political world, all eyes were on Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday until his 2-year-old son stole the show. Dutch, the youngest of four children in the Newsom brood, climbed onstage in the middle of his fathers inaugural address in a tent outside the Capitol on Monday. The unplanned moment saw the 51-year-old governors big day interrupted by the toddler, bringing levity to the ceremony. Newsom was recounting Gov. Jerry Browns last inaugural speech and reference to the Sermon on the Mount, a biblical story about two men who built separate homes on sand and rock, when Dutch approached his father, a pacifier in his mouth and blanket in hand. Now more than ever we Californians know how much a house matters and children matter, Newsom said, improvising as he scooped the boy into his arms. The governor kissed Dutch on the cheek and held him for several minutes as he continued with the speech. This is exactly how it was scripted, Newsom joked. Newsom eventually put his child down and Dutch walked to the edge of the stage before retreating behind the podium to hide from his mother, First Lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom. The crowd roared. Siebel Newsom was able to briefly divert her son only for him to return to the stage minutes later. She grabbed him again and this time, the crying toddler did not reemerge. When fires strikes, when kids cry and the earth shakes, well be there for each other, Newsom said. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who said the moment humanized Newsom, threw cold water on any theories that Dutchs cameo was planned. No, I know it was not, Garcetti said with a laugh after Newsoms speech concluded. I could see that look of absolute abject terror [on Newsoms face]. Weve all been there. Kids always think its about themselves and theyve proved it. California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) agreed. I worked in early childhood education for 20 years and theres no way you can ever get a child to do anything when you want them to do it, Rendon said. Facebook

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Fiona Ma takes oath as Californias new treasurer By Liam Dillon State Treasurer Fiona Ma. Fiona Ma took the oath of office in Sacramento on Monday as the states 34th treasurer, promising to boost Californias economy. Ma previously served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, in the state Assembly and on the California Board of Equalization. I want to thank everyone for entrusting me with this important job. I understand my role here as your state treasurer is to build that financial wall around California so that we will remain the fifth-largest economy, Ma said in brief remarks. That is my promise to you. California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye administered the oath to Ma. Following the ceremony, Ma held an ice cream social for guests. On Wednesday, she will host a public event in San Francisco to celebrate her swearing-in. State Treasurer Fiona Ma takes the oath of office. (Liam Dillon / Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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Expectations are high for newly sworn-in state schools chief Tony Thurmond Tony Thurmond shakes hands with retired Alameda County Superior Court Judge Gordon Baranco after taking the oath of office. (Melody Gutierrez / Los Angeles Times) Tony Thurmond took the oath of office as Californias state superintendent of public schools on Monday, promising a labor-friendly agenda before the teachers, students and Democratic officials who filled an auditorium at McClatchy High School in Sacramento to watch him being sworn in. We cant close the achievement gap without a great teacher at the head of every class, Thurmond said Monday to applause. We have to make sure we provide quality compensation and support to our teachers and our classified staff and all the educators who support our kids. Thurmond, a Bay Area Democrat who served in the state Assembly, won a hotly contested and expensive race with the help of labor leaders against charter school executive Marshall Tuck. The race took several days to sort out after Tuck held an initial lead in early returns on election night before falling behind thereafter. Thurmond was sworn in Monday by retired Alameda County Superior Court Judge Gordon Baranco. He was joined on stage by labor rights leader Dolores Huerta and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount). Thurmonds former colleagues in the state Assembly took turns praising him and promising to be an ally in improving schools. Many said they expected Thurmond would be a strong leader focused on improving student outcomes. We know we are going to work hard to give you the money you need and the budget you need to fully fund education and our schools so we can put our money where our mouth is and make sure our children have everything they need, Assemblywoman Connie Leyva (D-Chino Hills) said. As state superintendent, Thurmond will oversee the education of 6.2 million students at 10,000 schools. Thurmond was a member of the West Contra Costa County School Board and a Richmond city councilman before he was elected to the state Assembly. Tony is the right man at the right time to fight the federal, Donald Trump, Betsy DeVos anti-child, anti-education, anti-civil and -human rights agenda, U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said. Tony is going to do that for us. Facebook

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State Controller Betty Yee takes oath of office with call for more affordable housing and healthcare State Controller Betty Yee California Controller Betty Yee took the oath of office Monday for a second term, saying she still has work to do addressing problems that include a lack of affordability in housing, healthcare and higher education. A San Francisco native, Yee is the chief financial officer of California  the fifth-largest economy in the world  having first won election to the post in 2014 before winning reelection in November. No region is spared from the widening inequality and increased poverty that plague our state, fueled by the lack of affordable, stable housing, the cost of healthcare and transportation, limited educational opportunities, student loan debt, displacement caused by disasters and more, she said. Yee was administered the oath of office by California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento before an overflow crowd that included state Senate leader Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra and San Francisco Mayor London Breed. As a public official it is about governance that delivers results and stays accountable while upholding the underlying value of dignity for all, Yee said. Facebook

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California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra begins new term promising to fight Trump policies California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra ( (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)) California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra on Monday took the oath of office for a new term, saying he would continue his role as a leading challenger to Trump administration actions that he believes are counter to the states interests. Becerra, a former 12-term congressman, has become a national opposition figure to Trump, having sued the federal government 45 times since he was appointed as the states first Latino attorney general in 2017. Weve been a little busy stopping the dysfunction and insanity in Washington, D.C., from infecting California, Becerra told an audience during a swearing-in ceremony at the California Museum in Sacramento. Whether its the criminals on our streets or the conman in the boardrooms or highest office of the land, Becerra said, the California Department of Justice, well, weve got your back. Becerra won his first statewide election as the states top cop in November, two years after he filled the post vacated when predecessor Kamala Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate. He has peppered the Trump administration with lawsuits challenging federal policies on healthcare, the U.S. census, the environment and immigration. Our state builds dreams, not walls, he said in a direct criticism of Trumps proposal to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. Just last week, Becerra led a coalition of 17 Democratic attorneys general in announcing an appeal of a federal judge in Texas that ruled the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. The ACA has been the law for nearly a decade and is the backbone of our healthcare system, Becerra said last week. This case impacts nearly every American  workers covered by employers, families, women, children, young adults and seniors  so we will lead the ACAs defense as long and far as it takes. Facebook

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California Democratic Party Vice Chairman Daraka Larimore-Hall announces bid to lead group By Christine Mai-Duc Daraka Larimore-Hall. (Dominic Parisi / Courtesy of Daraka Larimore-Hall) Daraka Larimore-Hall, a top official at the California Democratic Party, said Monday hes running to replace former chairman Eric Bauman, who resigned abruptly in November after being confronted with allegations of sexual misconduct. Larimore-Hall, a longtime state party activist and former chairman of the Democratic Party of Santa Barbara County, was one of the party leaders who urged Bauman to resign following the allegations. In an email to supporters announcing his bid, he urged both structural and cultural change at every level of our Party. He also repeated his call for a top-to-bottom investigation of the allegations, the party and its culture. In a Times investigation, 10 party activists and staff members said Bauman made crude sexual comments and engaged in unwanted touching and physical intimidation in professional settings. In order to be where we need to be for 2020, we have to confront the culture of abuse and fear that allowed someone to behave in such a vile way for so long, Larimore-Hall said in an interview. We cant brush it aside or think that our activists or our candidates or our donors are going to forget about this overnight. Larimore-Hall said his first priority would be to fully investigate the allegations and restore rank-and-file confidence in the partys leadership. The second would be to refocus the party on political priorities as the 2020 presidential election nears. The Bauman episode, Larimore-Hall said, threatens to derail the Democrats plans to help defeat President Trump and keep the seven congressional seats gained in the midterm elections. Its definitely a crisis, Larimore-Hall said. But the component parts  the energy, the enthusiasm, the volunteers, the infrastructure  its still there. We just need to direct it toward something. Larimore-Hall was elected vice chairman of the state party in February following Baumans razor-thin victory over Bay Area activist Kimberly Ellis. Ellis has announced another bid for the chairmanship and former state Senate leader Kevin de Leon is also mulling a run. The vote will take place at the partys May convention in San Francisco. Facebook

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Newsom will vow to seize this moment, and swipe at Trump in Monday inaugural address By Melanie Mason Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom and his family attend an Inauguration Family Event at the California Railroad Museum in Sacramento on Jan. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Building on the theme of California exceptionalism that defined his campaign, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will depict the state as a guardian of progressive values and a counterweight to President Trump in his inaugural address Monday, according to excerpts of his prepared remarks. What we do today is even more consequential, because of whats happening in our country, read the excerpts obtained by The Times. Peoples lives, freedom, security, the water we drink, the air we breathe  they all hang in the balance. The country is watching us. The world is waiting on us. The future depends on us. And we will seize this moment. The speech casts Californias political stakes in a decidedly national scope, promising an agenda that will unify and be an example to the rest of the country. It contrasts the governing goals of Newsom, a Democrat, with that of Trump, the incoming governors perennial foil. We will offer an alternative to the corruption and incompetence in the White House, the excerpts say. Our government will be progressive, principled, and always on the side of the people. Newsom campaigned on an ambitious and wide-ranging platform, promising sweeping solutions on housing, healthcare, education and other issues that rank among Californians top concerns. In the weeks after his election, he struck a more muted tone, taking pains to emphasize his fiscal caution and need for patience in achieving those goals. The inaugural excerpts indicate a return to lofty pledges. While Newsom will vow to prepare for uncertain times ahead by building budgetary reserves and paying down debt, the prepared remarks quickly turn to a vow to be bold. Newsom has already floated several proposals for his first budget that carry significant price tags, including a nearly $2-billion plan to boost early childhood development for low-income families and a dramatic expansion of paid family leave from six weeks to six months. When asked for a preview of his inauguration speech during a news conference Sunday evening, Newsom predicted pundits would criticize his address as short on specifics. Well, of course, Im at an inaugural, Newsom said. But Ill be very detailed in the budget, a few days later. And then we will architect, in much more nuance and detail, in state of the state. I really see this as three opportunities  to communicate over the next few weeks our agenda, our vision for the state. Times staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report. Read More Facebook

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Newsom-hosted benefit concert raises nearly $5 million for wildfire victims By Taryn Luna Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom speaks at a concert to benefit wildfire victims at the Golden 1 Arena in Sacramento on Jan. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) On the eve of the gubernatorial inauguration, Californias political class rubbed elbows in Sacramento for a benefit concert hosted by Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom and headlined by the rapper Pitbull. Newsom told the crowd gathered at the Golden 1 Center on Sunday evening that the fundraiser brought in nearly $5 million for the California Wildfire Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that supports the families of fallen firefighters and communities affected by wildfires. You know, a lot of folks feel anxious about not just politics, but government, Newsom said on stage before introducing the rapper and activist Common. But those firefighters, they are the antidote to the fear and cynicism; they are the manifestation of why government matters and why you should care. Top sponsors, including Salesforce, Kaiser Permanente and other interest groups, paid up to $1 million each to support the cause and curry favor with the new administration. Nathan Click, a spokesman for Newsom, said organizers sold more than 7,000 tickets. Several state lawmakers attended the concert alongside Capitol staff, lobbyists and business types, who mingled on the floor of the arena and offstage in private VIP areas. The rock band X Ambassadors and a duo called the Cold Weather Sons from the town of Paradise, which was destroyed by fire in November, were among several performers who entertained the crowd during the four-hour event. The California Rises concert is the final in a series of festivities held Sunday to celebrate the inauguration of Californias 40th governor. Earlier in the day, Newsom attended a private brunch at Sacramentos Crocker Art Museum and his inaugural committee hosted a free party for families at the California State Railroad Museum at the Old Sacramento Waterfront. Newsoms inauguration is set to begin at 11 a.m. Monday on the steps of the Capitol. Facebook

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Inauguration fever hits Sacramento as Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom prepares to take office By Phil Willon Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom holds his son, Dutch, as he and his family attend an inaugural event at the at the state Railroad Museum Sunday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Incoming Gov. Gavin Newsom doesnt officially take the oath of office until Monday, but the parties celebrating his inauguration were in full swing all day Sunday. Newsom and his family were mobbed by well-wishers at the California State Railroad Museum at the Old Sacramento Waterfront in the afternoon, where his inaugural committee hosted a free party for families. He just has charisma. Hes able to really connect with people, said Rosielyn Pulmano, an attorney from Elk Grove who came to see Newsom with her husband, two sons and her niece. I think he cares about working Californians and a lot of their issues. Newsom arrived with his wife, documentary filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and their four young children, and the governor-elect spent a good deal of his time wading through crowds, taking selfies with supporters and signing autographs as music boomed in the background. As the family toured the inside of the museums locomotives and the bevy of exhibits, Newsoms two-year-old son, Dutch, was wide-eyed, impressed by all the train cars and seemingly a little overwhelmed by the crowd. Newsom said that for his son, all that was missing from the museum was Thomas the Train, popular fictional locomotive in childrens books and cartoons . If theres one thing I can contribute to Sacramento maybe its getting a Thomas the Train exhibit for the two years olds, Newsom joked when talking with reporters afterward. Newsom said he wanted to include such an event in his inaugural festivities to highlight families and children, whose wellbeing will be among the top priorities of his administration. Youll see that not only as a preamble to the inaugural and the budget that well be submitting next week, but I think itll be a big part of the administration, Newsom said. The museum event followed a private, high-dollar brunch at Sacramentos Crocker Art Museum. A steady rain failed to dissuade as many as 200 guests who sipped wine and dined on chicken and salmon while waiting for a photo with Californias new first couple. Seen at the event were representatives of some of the states most powerful political interests, among them organized labor, healthcare companies and tribal gaming interests. A few other high-profile guests attended, too, including Larry Baer, CEO of the San Francisco Giants, and Erika Jayne, a singer and cast member of the reality TV show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Im excited to see someone like Gavin  young, vibrant  taking over the state and leading us into the future, Jayne said after attending the brunch with her husband, attorney Tom Girardi. Hes got a lot of great plans. Attendees said the event, which was closed to reporters and held under a tent in the museums outdoor atrium, did not include prepared remarks by Newsom. Among those seen leaving the event were representatives of AT&T, the California Medical Assn., Uber, Kaiser Permanente and the State Building and Construction Trades Council. A fundraising invitation obtained by The Times offered bundled tickets to all of the inauguration events, including those on Sunday and the Monday ceremony, ranging in price from $25,000 to $200,000. The money will be collected by a committee specifically organized to pay for Newsoms inaugural weekend. Sundays festivities are scheduled to end with a benefit concert headlined by Pitbull at the Golden 1 Center, home of the NBAs Sacramento Kings, to raise money for the victims of Californias recent deadly wildfires. Among the attendees at @GavinNewsoms pre-inaugural leadership brunch: Real Housewife of

Bev Hills @erikajayne. Im excited to see someone like Gavinyoung, vibranttaking over the state and leading us into the future. Hes got a lot of great plans. pic.twitter.com/561NHiy2XQ  Melanie Mason (@melmason) January 6, 2019 Facebook

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As Newsom inaugural events begin, he unveils more state budget promises on education and paid family leave Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, seen here last April, will propose new state budget efforts on paid family leave and education subsidies. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Californias incoming governor, who must send his first state budget plan to the Legislature this week, has already signaled a significant new focus on programs to help families and children from infancy to college. Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom campaigned on a platform that included a number of child-focused efforts specifically aimed at helping lower-income families. The price tag for the initial efforts is expected to approach $2 billion  a cost paid out of an unrestricted tax revenue windfall that could be one of the largest in state history. Newsom may also seek help for families through new subsidies paid by California employers. The governor-elect is expected to propose a dramatic expansion of paid parental leave  from six weeks to six months  according to an internal document provided by a source close to the Newsom transition team, first reported on Sunday by the New York Times. The document doesnt offer a full explanation for how the program will be funded, saying instead that the budget will set a goal of ensuring that all newborns and newly adopted babies can be cared for by a parent or a close family member for the first six months. Employers across the state are currently assessed a payroll tax that helps offer a subsidy to parents who temporarily leave their job to care for a newborn. Newsoms plan, according to the document, would pay for some of the new costs by shrinking the mandated cash reserve of the state fund that administers the program, allowing more of the money to be paid in benefits. The increase in paid leave would not all happen at once but instead be phased in over a multi-year period. A task force to help implement the expanded care plan is also envisioned, according to the document. It would determine whether two parents could split the six months of paid leave and whether an extended family member could be enlisted to help care for the child of a single parent over the six-month period. The incoming administrations focus on young children will also include $1.8 billion in new spending on early childhood education programs, with a particular focus on training childcare workers and pushing for more California schools to offer full-day kindergarten. Those costs, according to an overview memo obtained by the Los Angeles Times, are considered to be a one-time expense while leaving the long-term costs of the effort to be determined later. More community college students would get free tuition under a third initiative expected in the new governors budget plan. Newsom will propose spending $40 million to offer a second year of tuition-free college to California students, according to an outline provided by a transition official, first reported by Politico. Students are already eligible for a single year of paid tuition under a plan agreed to by Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers in 2017. The incoming governor embraced the idea of free community college during the 2018 campaign as part of a broader focus on additional investments in higher education. Education is an economic development strategy, Newsom said at a higher education forum last spring. We need to significantly increase the investment from the general fund of this state on higher education. Theres no greater higher return on investment. Whether the proposal would be targeted to students based on a familys financial need is unclear. Many low-income students are already eligible for fee waivers at community colleges. The new governor must submit his full state budget plan to lawmakers no later than Thursday. Facebook

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Gavin Newsom and his family decide Sacramento is the place to be The Old Governors Mansion State Historic Park in Sacramento. Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will move his family into the mansion. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom and his family will give up the Marin County life and move to the Victorian-style governors mansion in Sacramento after he takes the oath of office Monday. Newsom and his wife, documentary filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom, had debated whether or when to relocate to the state capital since his election in November. The couple have four young children and expressed reservations about moving in the middle of a school year. To best serve the people of California while also maximizing family time together, the Newsoms have therefore decided to move to Sacramento, said Newsoms spokesman, Nathan Click. On Monday, they will move into the Governors Mansion  along with their four children, their two family dogs, and their family bunny rabbit  and reside there for the immediate future. The Newsoms currently live in Marin County. Gov. Jerry Brown and his wife, Ann Gust Brown, moved into the grand house in 2015 after it underwent $4.1 million in renovations to update electrical and plumbing systems, as well as to remove lead-based paint and install a fire sprinkler system and other security features. The mansion was built in 1877 and has been home to 14 governors, but before Brown it had not housed a California governor for nearly half a century. The state bought the mansion from a wealthy Sacramento hardware merchant, Albert Gallatin, in 1903 for $32,500. It was one of the few California homes at that time to have indoor plumbing. Facebook

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Newsom announces top labor, business liaisons as he prepares to take office Julie Su will be secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency for Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom on Friday named two advisors on issues related to the California economy, each recognized for their expertise on business and labor. The incoming governor will appoint Julie Su as secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency and Lenny Mendonca as chief economic and business advisor and director of the Governors Office of Business and Economic Development. Su, 49, has served as state labor commissioner under Gov. Jerry Brown since 2011 and has led an office tasked with the enforcement of Californias labor laws. She won a MacArthur Foundation genius grant in 2001 and previously worked as a civil rights attorney representing low-wage workers. In her new position, Su will be tasked with coordinating the work of several workforce departments in state government, including those that administer unemployment benefits and oversee the relationship between agriculture workers and employers. Mendonca, 57, has been a longtime advocate for rethinking government operations as co-chairman of the nonprofit organization California Forward. Previously, he was partner at McKinsey & Co., a global management consulting firm. While he will be a key advisor to Newsom on the states economy, Mendonca will also lead the office often referred to as Go-Biz, designated as a high-level way to encourage job growth and economic development. In his new role, Mendonca will help ensure that California is rolling out the welcome mat to current and future California businesses and growing a sustainable economy for every Californian, said a statement from the Newsom transition team. Newsom will take the oath of office as governor Monday. He has previously selected key advisors on the state budget, legislative affairs and the executive branchs wide array of agencies and departments. Facebook

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Joshua Groban, aide to Gov. Jerry Brown, sworn in to California Supreme Court By Taryn Luna California Supreme Court Justice Joshua Groban gives remarks after he is sworn into the court by Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday. (Taryn Luna) California Supreme Court Justice Joshua Groban, a lawyer and longtime aide to Gov. Jerry Brown, was sworn into the states highest court Thursday in Sacramento. The ceremony marked Browns fourth appointment to the state Supreme Court and gave the seven-member bench a Democratic majority. We live in a highly chaotic, ever-changing and ever-confusing world, Groban said in prepared remarks at the Stanley Mosk Library and Courts Building. But Im happy to report that Im joining an institution whose fundamental purpose, at core, is to provide stability and consistency amidst this chaotic place we live. I look forward to doing that with a sense of reflection, respect, fidelity to the law and compassion. None of Browns appointees, Groban included, have judicial experience. Groban served as legal counsel to Browns 2010 gubernatorial campaign and joined the administration as a senior advisor to the governor, overseeing the appointments of some 600 judges over the last eight years. Prior to working with Brown, Groban, 45, practiced law for more than a decade. In perhaps his final public appearance before his successor, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, takes office next week, Brown pushed back on notions that he stacked the court. I dont want this to be known as a Brown court, the governor said before administering the judicial oath of office. First of all, the so-called Brown appointments do not agree with themselves and nor should they. They are individuals. They will differ. Its not anybodys court. The governor called the court a high calling and said Groban possesses the values for the job. Probably, next to my wife, Ive talked to no person as much as Ive talked to Josh Groban, Brown said. I think youve talked to him more, Californias First Lady Anne Gust Brown interjected. I cant tell you what the hell hes going to do, Brown later quipped. I warned him, dont screw up, at least not at first. Facebook

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California campaign watchdog agency seeks law barring use of campaign funds to fight harassment claims Former state Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia). ( (Steve Yeater / Associated Press)) Elected officials accused of harassment or discrimination would be barred from using political contributions to cover their legal defense costs under legislation proposed by Californias campaign watchdog agency. The state Fair Political Practices Commission has agreed to pursue a law change to clear up confusion after an attorney for one former state lawmaker argued political funds could be used in such legal defenses. Commission Chairwoman Alice Germond said putting a prohibition into the law would provide some much needed clarity. As chair, I would like to show the public their lawmakers are held to a standard that is above reproach, Germond said in a statement. People dont give money to campaigns for lawmakers to use it to defend their own bad behavior, so lawmakers shouldnt be able to use it in that manner. The issue came up a year ago when an attorney for former Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) sought a formal opinion from the FPPC after the Senate launched an investigation that later concluded Mendoza likely engaged in a pattern of harassment against female aides. Mendoza resigned in February under threat of expulsion by the Senate. In a Jan. 10, 2018, letter, Cassandra Ferrannini, an attorney for Mendoza, wrote to the FPPC that she believed Mendoza should be allowed to establish a legal defense fund able to defray his legal expenses in defending himself against the allegations. The use of campaign funds for attorneys fees under these circumstances would fall squarely within the scope of legislative matters, since it involves the alleged conduct of a legislator with regard to legislative staff that he supervised, Ferrannini wrote. The commission staff originally issued an advice letter that said Mendoza may use campaign and legal defense funds to defend himself from claims of sexual harassment that arose directly out of his activities or status as a candidate or elected officer. But the panel later rescinded the letter after some members questioned using campaign funds to fight sexual harassment claims. That left uncertainty about what was allowed, which Germond said could be cleared up by a new law. The FPPC is still looking for a legislator to carry the bill, a spokesman said. Facebook

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Californias landmark police transparency law takes effect after court denies police union effort to block it California Supreme Court building (Eric Risberg / Associated Press) A new state law allowing the public disclosure of internal police shooting investigations has gone into effect after the California Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a bid by a police union to block it. The law opens to the public for the first time internal investigations of officer shootings and other major uses of force, along with confirmed cases of sexual assault and lying while on duty. The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Employees Benefit Assn. challenged the law last month, asking state Supreme Court justices to decide that the law only apply to incidents that occur in 2019 or later. The court rejected that request Wednesday, allowing members of the public to seek all applicable records held by police departments. Union president Grant Ward said in a statement that his organization was disappointed with the decision and is now seeking other legal options. We feel this is a statewide issue and should be considered accordingly, Ward said. Last month, the city of Inglewood authorized the destruction of more than 100 police shooting investigations and other records in advance of Jan. 1, when the disclosure law was scheduled to take effect. California law requires police departments to keep such records for five years, and Inglewood City Council voted to destroy records older than that. Mayor James T. Butts has said the decision had nothing to do with the new law. In Los Angeles, Police Chief Michel Moore has said that complying with the new disclosure rules could take hundreds of thousands of hours of work. State Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), the author of the transparency law, has said she has no immediate plans to propose changes to it. Facebook

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Few complaints of racial profiling are sustained by police agencies in California, state panel finds CHP Officer J. Nelson stands outside the office of Gov. Jerry Brown as activists in 2015 support requiring the tracking of police stops. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Law enforcement agencies in California sustain few citizen complaints of racial or identity profiling, according to a report Wednesday by a state panel set up to help reduce bias in policing. The states Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board recommended in its annual report that law enforcement agencies improve training and adopt clear guidelines for tracking and reporting data on who is stopped by officers. The panel said that 453 law enforcement agencies in the state received 9,459 civilian complaints in 2017, including 865 complaints alleging racial or identity profiling. Of the racial and identity complaints that reached a disposition that year, 1.5% were sustained, 14.6% resulted in officers being exonerated and 83.9% of complaints were not sustained or were determined to be unfounded, the report said. A clearer picture of the issue is expected from a 2015 law that requires police agencies to report demographic data on all detentions and searches. The first reports by the eight largest agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, are due to be submitted in April. California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, whose office oversees the board, said tracking of all detentions and searches will be helpful to understand the scope of the issue. The Boards recommendations will help make our law enforcement agencies more transparent and promote critical steps to enhance, and in some cases, repair the public trust, Becerra said in a statement Wednesday. Facebook

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California housing crisis podcast: What Minneapolis decision to end single-family zoning might mean for California A view of downtown Minneapolis in 2014 (Stephen Maturen / Getty Images) Theres a national movement brewing to roll back zoning rules in cities that only allow one house on a plot of land. The epicenter of that movement is Minneapolis, which passed a plan last month to eliminate single-family zoning citywide and let landowners build duplexes and triplexes on residential property. On this episode of Gimme Shelter: The California Housing Crisis Podcast, we talk about the reasons why Minneapolis leaders took this action, including their desire to combat a history of racial exclusion and spur more housing density to fight climate change. We also debate how Minneapolis decision might affect housing politics in California. Our guest is Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender, who helped shepherd the new zoning rules to passage and a former San Francisco city planner. The episode also crowns 2018s Avocado of the Year  the most ridiculous story exemplifying Californias housing woes  and includes our predictions for the most under-the-radar important themes in housing politics in 2019. Gimme Shelter, a biweekly podcast that looks at why its so expensive to live in California and what the state can do about it, features Liam Dillon, who covers housing affordability issues for the Los Angeles Times Sacramento bureau, and Matt Levin, data and housing reporter for CALmatters. You can subscribe to Gimme Shelter on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play and Overcast. Facebook

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How young immigrant Dreamers made flipping control of the House a personal quest By Jazmine Ulloa Gabriela Cruz, who was brought to the U.S. illegally when she was 1, couldnt vote, but in the final hours before the Nov. 6 election, she was making one last run to get people to the polls. The sun was setting in Modesto when she found Ronald Silva, 41, smoking a cigarette on a tattered old couch behind a group home. He politely tried to wave her off until she reminded him he had a right that she as an immigrant without citizenship didnt have. It could really make a change for us, said Cruz, 29. Read More Facebook

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Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will propose almost $2 billion for early childhood programs (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Seeking to frame his new administration as one with a firm focus on closing the gap between children from affluent and poor families, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will propose spending some $1.8 billion on an array of programs designed to boost Californias enrollment in early education and child-care programs. Newsoms plan, which he hinted at in a Fresno event last month, will be a key element in the state budget proposal he will submit to the Legislature shortly after taking office Monday, a source close to the governor-elects transition team said. The spending would boost programs designed to ensure children enter kindergarten prepared to learn, closing what some researchers have called the readiness gap that exists based on a familys income. It would also phase in an expansion of prekindergarten and offer money to help school districts that dont have facilities for full-day kindergarten. The fact that hes making significant investments with his opening budget is really exciting, Ted Lempert, president of the Bay Area-based nonprofit Children Now, said Tuesday. Whats exciting is the comprehensiveness of it, because its saying were going to focus on prenatal through age 5. A broad overview document reviewed by The Times on Tuesday shows that most of the outlay under the plan  $1.5 billion  would be a one-time expense in the budget year that begins July 1. Those dollars would be a single infusion of cash, an approach favored by Gov. Jerry Brown in recent years. Most of the money would be spent on efforts to expand child-care services and kindergarten classes. By law, a governor must submit a full budget to the Legislature no later than Jan. 10. Lawmakers will spend the winter and spring reviewing the proposal and must send a final budget plan to Newsom by June 15. Though legislative Democrats have pushed for additional early childhood funding in recent years  a key demand of the Legislative Womens Caucus  those actions have typically come late in the budget-writing season in Sacramento. Quite frankly, to start out with a January proposal that includes that investment in Californias children reflects a new day, state Sen. Holly J. Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) said. The governor-elect will propose a $750-million boost to kindergarten funding, aimed at expanding facilities to allow full-day programs. A number of school districts offer only partial-day programs, leaving many low-income families to skip enrolling their children because kindergarten classes end in the middle of the workday. Because the money would not count toward meeting Californias three-decades-old education spending guarantee under Proposition 98, which sets a minimum annual funding level for K-12 schools and community colleges, it will not reduce planned spending on other education services. Close behind in total cost is a budget proposal by Newsom to help train child-care workers and expand local facilities already subsidized by the state, as well as those serving parents who attend state colleges and universities. Together, those efforts could cost $747 million, according to the budget overview document. An expansion of prekindergarten programs would be phased in over three years at a cost of $125 million in the first year. The multiyear rollout would, according to the budget overview, ensure the system can plan for the increase in capacity. Lempert said the Newsom proposal is notable for trying to avoid the kinds of battles that in recent years pitted prekindergarten and expanded child care against each other for additional taxpayer dollars. The reality is we need to expand both simultaneously, he said. Another $200 million of the proposal would be earmarked for programs that provide home visits to expectant parents from limited-income families and programs that provide healthcare screenings for young children. Some of the money would come from the states Medi-Cal program, and other money from federal matching dollars. Funding for the home visits program was provided in the budget Brown signed last summer; the Newsom effort would build on that. Emphasizing a policy area with broad appeal in his first state budget could reflect Newsoms political sensibility about the challenges ahead. Democratic lawmakers and interest groups will be especially eager to see how Newsom addresses the demand for an overhaul of healthcare coverage in California  especially after a 2017 effort to create a single-payer, universal system fizzled. The path forward on healthcare is complex and costly, making early childhood education a more achievable goal in the governor-elects early tenure. Newsom is likely to face considerable demands for other additional spending. In November, the Legislatures independent analysts projected that continued strength in tax revenues could produce a cash reserve of some $29 billion over the next 18 months. Almost $15 billion of that could be in unrestricted reserves, the kind that can be spent on any number of government programs. Kim Belshe, executive director of the child advocacy organization First 5 LA and a former state health and human services secretary, said the initial Newsom budget proposal suggests the next governor will focus on a comprehensive approach to improving outcomes for children from low-income families. School-ready kids deserve quality early learning, strong and well-supported families, and access to early screening services, Belshe said. Newsom understands the whole child, multifaceted needs of our kids and is clearly ready to lead. Mitchell, the chair of the Senate budget committee, said shes eager to see the details of the governor-elects proposal to determine whether it might signal the beginning of an even broader expansion of early education efforts. Similar efforts have been hindered by a lack of money and ongoing debate over which services to help children 5 and younger need state funding the most. Universal preschool, in particular, has been debated for more than a decade. California voters rejected a ballot measure to fund a full prekindergarten system in 2006. Its clear theres a new movement afoot trying to engage on investment for universal preschool, Mitchell said. How we invest, and how we prioritize that investment, is going to be a great conversation for the coming months. Facebook

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California Politics Podcast: A final conversation with Gov. Jerry Brown No Californian has served longer as governor, signed more laws, granted clemency to more felons or waged more high-profile campaigns than Gov. Jerry Brown. Brown will leave behind a unique legacy when he packs his last belongings for the trip from the governors mansion in Sacramento to his Northern California ranch. His final two terms in office could be his most consequential. The governor reviewed some of the more notable moments from the past eight years in a far-reaching interview with The Times on Dec. 22. This weeks podcast episode includes extended portions of that conversation. Facebook

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A sagging economy could doom a 2020 ballot measure to raise commercial property taxes, Gov. Jerry Brown says Gov. Jerry Brown, at his Colusa County home on Saturday, said a ballot measure to raise commercial property taxes could struggle in 2020. (Randall Benton/For The Times) An effort to remove commercial property in California from the tax limits imposed by the landmark Proposition 13 could be felled by an economic slowdown, Gov. Jerry Brown said. In a Saturday interview with The Times at his Northern California ranch, Brown said liberal activist groups that have successfully placed the proposal on the November 2020 statewide ballot shouldnt read too much into early poll numbers showing support for the plan. That isnt as easy as you think, Brown said. Because youre going to be in a downturn of the business cycle. And youre talking many kinds of business. And the cost of doing business in California is already high. The ballot measure would allow counties to more frequently assess the market value of commercial property in California than allowed under Proposition 13, a 1978 ballot initiative that amended the state constitution to place strict limits on assessing property values and taxation for both homeowners and businesses. An analysis of the new measure, which qualified in October for the 2020 ballot, estimates it could bring in some $10.5 billion a year in new tax revenue. The business community will fight it, Brown said. And the minimum wage, the family leave, the environmental rules  business[es] have left California, thats going to be the big argument. And I think thats something you really have to think a lot about. The governor, who leaves office early next month due to term limits, declined to either endorse or oppose the ballot measure. He said Californias economic health in two years time could be a key factor in how voters weigh the proposal. Well be in a recession by then, Brown said. So its anybodys guess. Facebook

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Inglewood to destroy more than 100 police shooting records that could otherwise become public under new California law By Jack Dolan Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts (Maria Alejandra Cardona / Los Angeles Times) The city of Inglewood has authorized the shredding of more than 100 police shooting and other internal investigation records weeks before a new state law could allow the public to access them for the first time. The decision, made at a City Council meeting earlier this month, has troubled civil liberties advocates who were behind the state legislation, Senate Bill 1421, which takes effect Jan. 1. The law opens to the public internal investigations of officer shootings and other major uses of force, along with confirmed cases of sexual assault and lying while on duty. The legislature passed SB 1421 because communities demanded an end to the secrecy cloaking police misconduct and use of force, Marcus Benigno, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, said in a statement. Inglewood PDs decision to purge records undermines police accountability and transparency against the will of Californians. California law says police departments must retain records of officer shootings and internal misconduct investigations for five years. The city of Inglewood, however, had kept records longer than that, including case files of police shootings dating to 1991. State Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), the author of SB 1421, intended for her bill to allow public access to all qualifying records held by a department, no matter the date of the incident. Inglewood City Council approved the destruction of records that have been in the police departments possession  more than 100 cases  longer than required by law. The city staff report and council resolution describing the action makes no mention of the new police transparency law. Instead it says the affected records are obsolete, occupy valuable space, and are of no further use to the police department. It added the traditional method of destroying such records is to shred them. It is unclear whether the records have since been destroyed. A spokesman for the Inglewood Police Department along with Inglewoods city manager, attorney, clerk, four council members and Mayor James T. Butts, a former Santa Monica police chief, did not respond to requests for comment. Inglewoods City Hall is closed the last two weeks of December. The Inglewood Police Department has a reputation for secrecy and using excessive force. In 2008, the departments officers fatally shot four men in as many months, three of whom turned out to be unarmed. The U.S. Department of Justice launched a civil rights probe and found significant flaws in the way the department oversaw use-of-force cases and investigated complaints against officers. Civil rights advocates still question why Inglewood police opened fire on a couple found sleeping in a car in 2016, killing them both. California police have a long history of shredding records to avoid scrutiny of their actions. In the 1970s, the LAPD famously destroyed more than four tons of personnel records after defense attorneys began requesting them as part of criminal cases against their clients. The move resulted in the dismissal of more than a hundred criminal complaints. In response, the Legislature demanded that records be preserved but then took other measures, supported by police unions, to ensure the public had very little access to them, making California the most secretive state in the nation when it comes to police misconduct. Skinners legislation begins to unwind those laws, which have been on the books since 1978. No video or audio of the Dec. 11 council action is available on the citys website and neither are meeting minutes or any record of the decision. A city spokeswoman, Courtney Torres, confirmed that the council had voted in favor of the police records purge, and said all the relevant reasons for the decision were included in the city staff report. The Jan. 1 implementation for SB 1421 has prompted other police officials to act. A police union in San Bernardino is asking the state Supreme Court to determine that Skinners bill only applies to incidents that occur in 2019 or later. Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore sent a letter to Skinner earlier this month warning that complying with the law in regard to older records in the departments possession could take hundreds of thousands of work hours. Facebook

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Federal officials question California DMVs process for issuing Real IDs (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has notified the California Department of Motor Vehicles that its process for providing residents with federally recognized identification cards is not adequate. DMV spokesman Armando Botello said Friday that 2.3 million residents who received Real IDs under the current process will have to submit additional documentation when their cards are renewed in five years but will be able to use them in the meantime. The DMV is developing a way for residents to submit more documentation online or via email to comply with the stricter federal requirement, he said. But some state legislators are upset about delays in notifying them of the problem and say Homeland Security could eventually require additional documentation provided by current holders. The DMV has known for a month that millions of Real IDs theyve been dolling out are potentially invalid, Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno) said. The DMVs only hope is that the Department of Homeland Security takes pity on California and gives the DMV more time to fix this mess. Real IDs are a new kind of driver license and identification card that federal law will require legal residents to present when boarding domestic flights or visiting military bases and other federal facilities starting Oct. 1, 2020. The DMV has only been requiring one form of documentation, including a current lease or utility bill, to verify the residence of a card applicant. But the federal government said in a Nov. 21 letter to the agency that two such documents are needed. On Friday, DMV Director Jean Shiomoto released a letter defending the current process but said her agency will start requiring a second document to prove residency in April. In order to minimize confusion among our customers, the CADMV will work to inform individuals who have been issued a Real ID under the current process that their card will be accepted for official federal purposes, even if their renewal occurs after the October 1, 2020, final enforcement date for Real ID, Shiomoto wrote to the federal agency. Legislative officials worry there is still a possibility that those issued Real IDs in the past might be required to present a second document to have their cards designated as compliant. The more complex process for obtaining Real IDs has led to hours-long waits for customers at DMV field offices this year, although wait times have been reduced recently by an increase in staffing. Shiomoto last month announced that she is retiring amid problems with the motor voter registration system and after the governor ordered an audit of her agency in response to the long wait times. On Friday, Assembly Republican Leader Marie Waldron of Escondido blasted the DMV for waiting a month to tell legislators of the problem. This is unacceptable and flies in the face of security for our citizens, which is what Real ID was created for in the first place, she said in a statement. Facebook

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Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom taps Keely Bosler to be his finance director Keely Bosler, the director of the California Department of Finance, will continue in that role under Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom. (California Department of Finance) Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom on Friday appointed Keely Martin Bosler as director of the California Department of Finance, continuing the role she has served under Gov. Jerry Brown since August. Bosler will become Newsoms chief fiscal advisor, and will play a pivotal role in shaping Newsoms spending plan for the state that will lay the foundation for his top policy priorities. Newsom must roll out his first budget plan within days of taking office on Jan. 7. Californias brighter future depends on a strong, stable fiscal foundation, Newsom said in a statement released Friday afternoon. Keely is an accomplished public servant of sound fiscal judgment. She understands that state budgets are more than numbers on a page  they are value statements affecting the fate and future of millions of families reaching for the California Dream. We are fortunate to have her on our team. Prior to being appointed finance director, Bosler served as Browns cabinet secretary for two years and, before that, as the chief deputy director for budget in the Finance Department for three years. Earlier this year, Brown picked Bosler to lead an audit of the Department of Motor Vehicles, which had come under fire for long wait times at DMV field offices and numerous computer problems, including errors in the new motor voter program that registered Californians to vote. As we have discussed, long wait times at the Department of Motor Vehicles do not reflect the high standards of service that Californians expect from their state government, Bosler wrote in a letter in September to DMV Director Jean Shiomoto. The audit is still ongoing, but Shiomoto has since announced she will retire at the end of the year. Facebook

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Californias legislative analyst, after decades of nonpartisan research for lawmakers, calls it a career Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor, who has led the state research unit since 2008, will retire on Dec. 31. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Only five people have led the independent research office of the California Legislature since its creation in 1941. And each of them has had a pretty simple mantra to live by in reviewing public policy proposals and government programs: Call it like you see it. The job of any analyst, to me, is you maintain that nonpartisanship, Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor said. Taylor, 65, will retire from the post at the end of December after a four-decade career with the research team that began, as he likes to tell it, just after the passage of the landmark property tax rollback, Proposition 13, in 1978. He became the leader of the office, with the title of legislative analyst, in October 2008. Two months later, state government found itself in arguably the worst fiscal crisis in its history  a projected shortfall that ultimately grew to $42 billion by the following winter. There were forces beyond our control, Taylor said of that time. But dont underestimate the policy changes that were made afterward. Those changes, most notably a boost in taxes paid by high-income earners and a robust state budget cash reserve fund, have helped lead to successive years of fully funded government services. The state is projected to have some $24 billion in reserves by the end of the current fiscal year. Taylor announced his intention earlier to step down this year. Leaders from both houses of the Legislature select the analyst, who leads a staff of almost five dozen researchers. The office provides in-depth reports on pending legislation, as well as on broader policy topics like education and healthcare, and produces an independent analysis for every proposed ballot measure. A succession of lawmakers and governors alike have praised or panned the work of the Legislative Analysts Office based on their own political worldview. Taylor said his staff is mindful that they work for legislators, but try to ignore the rhetoric that follows the release of a major report. People are going to do what theyre going to do with our information, he said. They dont always like it, but they appreciate that we give them our best advice. Taylor oversaw a transformation in the way the Legislative Analysts Office distributes its information, embracing the release of research reports through social media instead of relying on traditional printed copies and journalist roundtable events. But he said the work of the researchers has remained largely unchanged through the decades. Having an independent take on things, I think, is good for the Legislature, he said. No replacement for Taylor has been announced, which means a short transition for his eventual successor before Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom sends his first budget proposal to lawmakers in early January. Taylor, who lives in the Sacramento suburbs, said he will honor the tradition of his predecessors in stepping away from public policy debates in order to give the new analyst space to lead the team as he or she sees fit. He said he hopes to travel in the coming years and spend time with his children who have moved to the East Coast. Forty years in state government, Taylor said in why he was stepping aside now. Isnt that enough? Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown sues to save California sentencing laws By Don Thompson, Associated Press (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown sued Thursday to protect one of his signature actions in office, a voter-approved measure that allows most prison inmates to seek earlier release and participate in rehabilitation programs. His administration filed a lawsuit challenging a pending 2020 initiative that seeks to toughen criminal penalties as part of an effort to roll back reforms adopted by voters within the last decade. Browns lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court contends the measure lacked enough valid signatures to overturn a previously approved constitutional amendment. County officials and California Secretary of State Alex Padilla certified the signatures in July but said they were submitted too late to qualify for last months election. The lawsuit names Padilla and the ballot measures official proponent, Nina Salarno Besselman, president of the advocacy group Crime Victims United. Padilla said the measure exceeded the required roughly 366,000 valid signatures, equal to 5% of votes cast for governor in 2014. Browns lawsuit says he used the wrong threshold. It says changing the state Constitution requires 8%, or more than 585,400 signatures. That makes the pending initiative more than 150,000 signatures short, the lawsuit says. Hes wrong, said Jeff Flint, a spokesman for the campaign backing the measure. He predicted a judge will be reluctant to reject a measure that already has qualified for the ballot. The secretary of state told us how many signatures are required, and thats how many we collected, Flint said. Padillas office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The measure would reverse reforms adopted by voters through Proposition 47 in 2014 and Proposition 57 in 2016. Proposition 57 allows most inmates to seek earlier paroles, and Proposition 47 reduced some drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. The combination has helped keep Californias inmate population below a population cap set by federal judges. Corrections department spokeswoman Vicky Waters said the measure gives corrections and parole officials broad discretion to protect our communities and fashion a rational system of rehabilitation and punishment. This new initiative unlawfully seeks to supplant the departments constitutional authority to implement these critical reforms to our criminal justice system. The pending initiative would shorten the list of crimes that qualify for earlier parole and change some theft crimes from misdemeanors back to felonies. It would also increase the number of crimes for which DNA is collected, a list that was limited when some crimes went from felonies to misdemeanors. Those supporting the tougher penalties say easing criminal penalties has increased the number of dangerous criminals on the streets, but those backing the changes say they have helped reduce mass incarceration and rehabilitate convicted criminals. Facebook

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California Supreme Court orders records unsealed in pardon of ex-state Sen. Roderick Wright Former state Sen. Roderick Wright (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times) The California Supreme Court has granted a request to unseal court records involving Gov. Jerry Browns decision last month to pardon former state Sen. Roderick Wright for felony convictions involving lying about living in his legislative district, officials said Thursday. The court order was in response to a request by the nonpartisan First Amendment Coalition, which argued that the public has a right to know what information went into the governors decision to grant clemency to Wright. This is an important victory for public access to court files involving the exercise of executive clemency, said coalition spokesman Glen A. Smith. We are gratified the court has recognized that these decisions should be subject to the same public access rules that apply to other judicial records under California law. The court gave Browns office until Jan. 2 to redact confidential material before giving the court documents that can be released to the public. The court files submitted by the governors office include letters of support for a pardon and an internal review of Wrights case. The court denied a motion to unseal the records of all clemency cases but left open consideration of requests on other individual cases. Browns office is currently evaluating the courts decision, said spokesman Brian Ferguson. The governor argued against unsealing records in a recent court filing that said confidentiality is consistent with historical practice and is supported by state law. In pardoning Wright on Nov. 22, the governor wrote: He has shown that since his release from custody, he has lived an honest and upright life, exhibited good moral character, and conducted himself as a law abiding citizen. Facebook

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California political watchdog agency fines BART, urges prosecution over using public funds for campaign A Bay Area Rapid Transit train leaves the station in Oakland in this 2013 file photo. (Ben Margot / AP) Californias state political watchdog agency on Thursday imposed a $7,500 fine against the Bay Area Rapid Transit District and called for a possible criminal or civil prosecution over allegations the district used public resources to campaign for a 2016 bond measure. The state Fair Political Practices Commission levied an administrative fine against BART for its failure to disclose spending on YouTube videos, social media posts and text messages to promote Measure RR, which authorized $3.5 billion in general obligation bonds. Though the panel lacks authority to seek criminal charges over the misuse of public funds, it also urged county district attorneys in the BART service area and the state attorney general to pursue possible criminal or civil charges over the spending of taxpayer dollars for campaign purposes, Commission Chairwoman Alice Germond said. It is the concept of misusing public funds that I think we all here are very disturbed about, and we want to send a warning and not create a precedent that is a minor, little slap on the wrist, Germond said, adding that the referral to criminal prosecutors would further send a message that this is wrong. Commissioner Brian Hatch also called for the state Legislature to consider granting the FPPC power to go after public agencies that spend taxpayer money on campaigns. Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda) called on the agency to increase the fine to the maximum level of $33,375. The proposed $7,500 fine represents a slap on the wrist for a very serious violation of the law and the publics trust, Glazer said in a letter to the panel. In supporting the fine recommended by the staff, Germond said BART has agreed to pay the penalty. Somebody did something wrong and they have admitted it, she said. A staff report said there were factors in favor of a fine below the maximum. Although the Commission considers BARTs violations to be serious, the absence of any evidence of an intention to conceal, deceive, or mislead; the voluntary filing of the delinquent campaign statement; and the absence of a prior record are mitigating, the report said. Facebook

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California police union seeks state Supreme Court review of new law disclosing internal investigation records Los Angeles Police Department officers. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) A police union is asking the California Supreme Court to block the release of internal officer investigations before a new state law takes effect next year. The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Employees Benefit Assn. filed a petition Tuesday asking justices to rule that only investigations of incidents that occur after Jan. 1 would be available under the law  and not those the department has on file from years prior. The litigation comes after this years passage of Senate Bill 1421, which opens to the public for the first time internal investigations of officer shootings and other major uses of force, along with confirmed cases of sexual assault and lying while on duty. The law goes into effect Jan. 1, and the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department has told the union it intends to make available in response to public records requests all the information it has. The union is very concerned about any plans to retroactively apply Senate Bill 1421, Grant Ward, the unions president, said in a statement. We believe retroactive application violates our members rights and we hope the California Supreme Court will consider the serious issues raised by our legal challenge. The bills author, Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), does not agree with the unions interpretation. She has said her legislation should apply to all the records in a police departments possession because the law simply declared that affected records were no longer confidential. If the record exists, its disclosable, Skinner said. A decision on what records will be available under the law is key to how far-reaching it will be. If the court restricts access to incidents that occurred prior to 2019, those cases will not be subject to public scrutiny. The police union in San Bernardino County is not the only one raising concerns about the law. Earlier this month, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore sent a letter to Skinner expressing concern that his agency would be overwhelmed if the law required the department to disclose older incidents. Even if the law only applied to the previous five years, Moore wrote, it could take nearly 300,000 hours of work to comply with its provisions. The LAPD operates with a guiding principle of Reverence for the Law; as such, we will diligently comply with SB 1421, Moore wrote. We maintain, however, that a retroactive implementation of SB 1421 will be exceptionally burdensome and would require significant reallocation of front-line investigative personnel. Skinner said if complying with the law becomes untenable for law enforcement agencies that maintain records for a long time, she would consider modifications. But she said agencies did not raise this concern during discussion over the bill. SB 1421 went through multiple committee hearings, multiple floor debates, extensive opportunity for all parties to weigh in on concerns with its structure, she said. That was not an issue that was raised by law enforcement at the time. Facebook

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Gov. Brown warns of backlash for Republicans in 2020 if Obamacare repeal is upheld Gov. Jerry Brown at the National Press Club in April. (Alex Wong / Getty Images) Gov. Jerry Brown warned Republicans on Tuesday that repeal of the Affordable Care Act would devastate the partys political chances in the 2020 election. Brown, speaking at a Sacramento Press Club event moderated by Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton and Brown family historian Miriam Pawel, said a federal judges ruling last week to strike down the 2010 law  if upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court  will build such a backlash that the Democrats will not only take over the Senate, theyll win the presidency and will win with the kind of momentum, particularly on the issue of healthcare, that [the law] will be replaced probably with something even better. The governor, who leaves office in less than three weeks, said he did not believe the ruling by a Texas judge would ultimately prevail. I think the decision will probably be overturned, Brown said. Few states have embraced the law championed by former President Obama more than California, both through its healthcare exchange, Covered California, and by expanding access to government-funded services under Medi-Cal. Some 12 million Californians now receive healthcare through Medi-Cal, and Brown said a final ruling affecting the federal dollars that subsidize that care would be a serious blow. California would not be able to afford it without the subsidy, the governor said. Facebook

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Bars in Los Angeles, San Francisco could stay open until 4 a.m. under new bill A bar in Sherman Oaks (acuna-hansen) For the third year in a row, a California lawmaker is trying to keep bars open until 4 a.m. State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) is reintroducing legislation that would allow Los Angeles, San Francisco and seven other cities to extend the sales of alcohol in bars, clubs and restaurants by an additional two hours. Nightlife brings people together, fosters creativity and innovation, supports small businesses, and creates middle-class jobs, Wiener said in a statement. Its time to embrace our nighttime economy and give our cities the tools they need to foster the best nightlife possible. Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a similar bill by Wiener, writing: I believe we have enough mischief from midnight to 2 without adding two more hours of mayhem. Should this years measure, Senate Bill 58, advance through the Legislature, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom would decide whether to sign it into law. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has endorsed SB 58, saying the city should have more flexibility than it does now. Every community has its own needs, and cities should be able to make informed decisions about what nightlife hours make sense for residents, visitors, and neighborhoods, Garcetti said in a statement. The bill would create a five-year pilot program where Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, West Hollywood, Long Beach, Coachella, Cathedral City and Palm Springs could decide to allow restaurants and bars within their cities to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. with the approval of the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Facebook

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Bars in Los Angeles and San Francisco could stay open until 4 a.m. under new bill A bar in Sherman Oaks. (Acuna-Hansen) For the third year in a row, a California lawmaker is trying to keep bars open until 4 a.m. State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) is reintroducing legislation that would allow Los Angeles, San Francisco and seven other cities to extend the sales of alcohol in bars, clubs and restaurants by an additional two hours. Nightlife brings people together, fosters creativity and innovation, supports small businesses and creates middle-class jobs, Wiener said in a statement. Its time to embrace our nighttime economy and give our cities the tools they need to foster the best nightlife possible. Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a similar bill by Wiener, writing: I believe we have enough mischief from midnight to 2 without adding two more hours of mayhem. Should this years measure, Senate Bill 58, advance through the Legislature, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom would decide whether to sign it into law. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has endorsed SB 58, saying the city should have more flexibility than it does now. Every community has its own needs, and cities should be able to make informed decisions about what nightlife hours make sense for residents, visitors and neighborhoods, Garcetti said in a statement. The bill would create a five-year pilot program where Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, West Hollywood, Long Beach, Coachella, Cathedral City and Palm Springs could decide to allow restaurants and bars within their cities to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. with the approval of the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Facebook

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Californias DMV director announces retirement amid problems with motor voter program (Kent Nishamura/Los Angeles Times) The director of the California Department of Motor Vehicles will retire at years end with a number of questions unanswered about the implementation of a major voter registration system and long wait times experienced by customers for much of the past summer. Jean Shiomoto will not continue in her current role as Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom takes office, and announced to staff several weeks ago her intent to retire at the end of the year after 38 years in state service, spokesman Armando Botello said in an email to The Times on Friday. Newsoms transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on who might lead the department in 2019. Shiomoto was appointed DMV director by Gov. Jerry Brown in the fall of 2013, having served in prior leadership roles with the department. DMV officials have been sharply criticized by lawmakers in recent months for delays in serving customers at its field offices across the state. Last week, DMV officials revealed errors in registering California voters for the November election  mistakes that followed a series of problems in the rollout of the states new motor voter registration system. Secretary of State Alex Padilla last week said he had lost confidence in Shiomotos leadership as a result of the voting registration problems. Facebook

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New law could break the stalemate over housing on the site of a near-vacant Cupertino mall By Liam Dillon For more than a decade, developers have tried to build new housing on the site of an all-but-empty mall in Cupertino, a city in the heart of Silicon Valley and home to Apple headquarters. A well-organized group of neighbors, upset about traffic, building heights and the potential loss of the communitys suburban lifestyle, turned away every plan. Now, for the first time, the stalemate might be broken  thanks to a decision made in the state Capitol. In an effort to address Californias housing affordability problem, legislators passed a law last year that requires cities and counties to approve housing projects if they comply with local zoning rules and other standards, forcing some resistant communities to agree to new homebuilding. In September, the city of Cupertino, citing the state law, approved developer Sand Hill Property Co.s proposal to build an office park and more than 2,400 homes where the Vallco Shopping Mall sits. Read More Facebook

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Local government was a last bastion for struggling California Republicans. Not anymore By Mark Z. Barabak Theres no shortage of watery metaphors to describe the disaster that befell California Republicans this midterm election. A blue wave. A Democratic tsunami. But the most apt may be a flood, with the casualties steadily rising as the vote count climbed in the days and weeks following Nov. 6. Eventually half the GOP congressional delegation was washed away, along with the entire slate of statewide Republican candidates. In Sacramento, Democrats claimed 29 of 40 state Senate seats and seized three-quarters of the 80-member Assembly  the largest number since 1883, when Chester A. Arthur was serving in the White House. Read More Facebook

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For the Republicans left in Californias Legislature, fewer lawmakers will have to do more work By John Myers From January to late summer every year, the California Legislature is a perpetual motion machine. And in the new year, the people most likely to struggle in keeping up will be Republicans, vastly outnumbered but still responsible for representing millions of the states residents. There are 22 standing committees in the state Senate, plus at least a dozen more subcommittees or special committees. And after Novembers election, only 11 Republican senators will be left to divvy up the work. To the victors go the spoils. To the vanquished go the extra assignments. Read More Facebook

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Californias DMV failed to finish registering 329 new voters before November election (Los Angeles Times) Officials at the California Department of Motor Vehicles said Friday that the agency failed to send information for 329 new voters to state elections officers in time for the November election, the latest revelation in a string of mishaps regarding voter registration. Secretary of State Alex Padilla responded with a blistering letter, calling on Gov. Jerry Brown or Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom to replace Jean Shiomoto, the DMV director. The Director of DMV has lost my confidence and trust, Padilla wrote. In all, the agency revealed that 589 mailed voter registration records that should have been processed under election deadlines werent sent to Californias secretary of state until late November, including forms from 260 drivers who had intended to update their address on existing voter registration records. The DMV had been instructed to not send registration forms that came in after Oct. 22, but the voters in question had forms that were postmarked before the deadline. In some cases, when the postmark wasnt legible, the agency said, documents inside indicated the voter had intended to finish their registration in time for the Nov. 6 election. The DMV recognizes the pause in transmittals was an error and affected the timing of the registration of the 589 individuals referenced above relative to the November election, Shiomoto wrote in a letter to Padilla on Friday. The pause was due to a misunderstanding on the part of the department, for which we take responsibility. Those who were trying to update their address for voter registration would not have been blocked from casting ballots. But officials said its unclear whether any of the 329 new voters were able to participate in the election. Shiomoto said in her letter that DMV will work with elections officials. The errors were not related to previous DMV mistakes about registering voters, problems associated with the rollout of the states new motor voter law. In those cases, multiple registration forms were sent to local elections offices for some voters, some people were assigned the wrong political party preference and others who are noncitizens were incorrectly placed on the list of registered voters. DMV officials have yet to respond to questions posed by The Times over the last several weeks about who knew of those mistakes and when. Facebook

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Newsom appoints a labor advocate and a former staffer as his chief deputy Cabinet secretaries By Taryn Luna A labor advocate and a San Francisco political operative have accepted positions in Gov.-elect Gavin Newsoms new administration. Angie Wei, a Capitol insider with deep ties to organized labor in California, will serve as a chief deputy Cabinet secretary with a focus on policy development. As a legislative director and chief of staff at the California Labor Federation, Wei has represented more than 1,200 unions and 2.1 million workers in Capitol fights over a host of policy issues, including drug-pricing transparency and paid family leave. The governor-elect also tapped Jason Elliott, a policy advisor to Newsom during his time as mayor of San Francisco and a chief of staff to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, as another chief deputy Cabinet secretary overseeing executive branch operations. Elliott and Wei will serve under Ana Matosantos, Newsoms previouslyAn effort by moderate Republicans to force votes on a bipartisan immigration bill failed in the House on Tuesday, with members agreeing instead to vote on legislation that would guarantee funds for President Trumps proposed border wall.

The agreement meant defeat, at least for now, for an effort led by Rep. Jeff Denham of Turlock and other GOP moderates to use a rare parliamentary maneuver known as a discharge petition to force the House to vote on the bipartisan immigration plan, and three other bills, over the objections of party leaders.

The dissident Republicans, frustrated by Congress failure to resolve the legal status of Dreamers  people brought to the U.S. illegally as children  had combined with the chambers Democrats to try to force a vote on a plan that would offer the young immigrants a pathway to citizenship.

Defeat of the effort greatly reduces the chances  already slim  that Congress could pass any form of Dreamer legislation before this years midterm election.

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The moderate group had claimed to have the 218 supporters  a majority of the House  needed to force a vote. But as they neared the goal, GOP leaders increased pressure on party members who had said they were willing to sign the petition.

Tuesday evening, with the petition stuck at 216 signatures, the moderates backed down, accepting a proposal by Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) to put aside their effort and instead have the House debate two bills next week  both of which have only Republican support.

Members across the Republican Conference have negotiated directly and in good faith with each other for several weeks, and as a result, the House will consider two bills next week that will avert the discharge petition and resolve the border security and immigration issues, Ryans spokeswoman, AshLee Strong, said in a statement.

One bill would be a hard-line immigration enforcement proposal backed by conservatives that even its supporters acknowledge doesnt have enough support to pass the House.

The other, touted by Ryan as a compromise, was still being cobbled together by GOP leaders late Tuesday, and key provisions were uncertain. Earlier versions of that bill would have given an opportunity for citizenship to some Dreamers, providing visas to them by eliminating the current diversity lottery visa program.

While the exact provisions remain unclear, what does seem all but certain is that neither proposal would receive the backing of Democrats or be able to pass the Senate. Both measures would include new immigration restrictions and money for Trumps border wall, which Democrats oppose.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) quickly indicated that Democrats will oppose the bills.

If Republicans plan to use Dreamers as a way to advance [Trumps] xenophobic, anti-immigrant agenda, they will get a fight from House Democrats, she said on Twitter.

On the House floor, those who pushed the discharge petition lamented the lost chance for bipartisan debate on immigration legislation.

In my 3 short years in Washington, D.C., Ive learned a very simple thing. If you want to get big things done, youve got to do actually do it together, and the only way that this body gets things done is if we work across the aisle to get things done, said Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), one of the leaders of the moderate group.

Denham did not respond to requests for comment.

Moderate and conservative Republicans have struggled for years to come together on immigration, and had been trying in recent weeks for a compromise that would avoid dividing GOP ranks in an election year.

House leaders warned that forcing votes on an immigration measure that could be portrayed as amnesty for illegal immigrants would risk alienating conservative voters and depressing Republican turnout in the midterm, potentially handing control of the House to Democrats.

Many of the moderates, however, like Denham, represent districts with large numbers of Latino voters and have felt political pressure to resolve the legislative stalemate over the Dreamers.

Last fall Trump ended President Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protected young immigrants who met certain requirements from deportation. The Senate made several unsuccessful attempts to pass a bill to resolve their status; the House hasnt brought up any for consideration. Court orders have kept the program alive for the time being, while litigation continues.

House GOP leaders late last week asked the moderate group for more time to reach a compromise. The moderates agreed, and talks among Republicans continued throughout the day Tuesday. After a closed-door meeting in Ryans office, both sides emerged saying they were nearing an agreement.

Were still working to finalize, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) said. We are close. We are very close.

The House calendar limits when a discharge petition can be considered on the House floor, and because the petition didnt reach 218 votes Tuesday night, the only two other dates a discharge petition could be considered this year are July 23 or Dec. 10, when Congress probably will be rushing to finish its work before the congressional session ends.

The latest from Washington 

All of Californias 39 Democratic House members signed the petition, as have three of the states 14 Republican representatives  Denham and Reps. David Valadao of Hanford and Steve Knight of Palmdale.

Prospects for a legislative solution to the issue remain dim. Even if one of the bills under consideration next week passes the House, a party-line measure on immigration would not have the support to get through the Senate.

The Senate earlier this year voted on four immigration bills; none received enough support to pass.

sarah.wire@latimes.com

Follow @sarahdwire on Twitter

Read more about the 55 members of Californias delegation

UPDATES:

8:05 p.m.: This article was updated to reflect the defeat of the discharge petition effort.

This article was originally published at 3 a.m.Republicans in Congress expressed uncharacteristic skepticism on Tuesday about President Trumps claim that his summit with Kim Jong Un opened a new history, noting that the first-ever meeting between U.S. and North Korean leaders yielded few tangible commitments toward denuclearization, and a significant American concession.

Should be skeptical of any deal with #KJU, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said on Twitter, sounding a common note about Kim Jong Un.

While Trump sought to portray the meeting in Singapore as a personal victory, typically deferential Republican allies declined to second that narrative. Skeptics, on social media and cable television, said Kim was the bigger winner simply by getting a U.S. president to share the world stage with him, something prior North Korea leaders  his father and grandfather  had not been able to extract because of their repressive records and broken promises.

A number of congressional Republicans suggested Kims promises shouldnt be trusted either. They also objected that the president had agreed, as a concession to Kim, to suspend the long-standing joint military exercises of U.S. and South Korean forces.

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Republicans quick criticisms on the outcome with Kim, a dictator with a familiar record of ruthlessness and duplicity, stood in contrast to their general silence since Trumps startling break with major allied powers at the Group of 7 summit last weekend, in particular Canada and its prime minister, Justin Trudeau.

Even so, Republicans generally avoided direct criticism of Trump.

Sen. David Perdue of Georgia, typically an ardent supporter of the president, said he was surprised and troubled by Trumps decision to end military exercises. Coordination with the South Korean military is absolutely critical, he told reporters at the Capitol.

Republicans also took issue with Trumps effusive praise for Kim. Among other compliments, the president called Kim very talented in running his country  a nation that the United Nations, human rights groups and past American administrations have characterized as a prison state.

Rubio, in another tweet, countered that Kim is NOT a talented guy. He inherited the family business from his dad & grandfather. He is a total weirdo who would not be elected assistant dog catcher in any democracy.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who has forged a working relationship with the president, was more positive. He voiced optimism that Kim would follow through on his promise to end his countrys nuclear weapons program, though Graham acknowledged that the details yet to be negotiated will be more telling than the photo ops and brief communique in Singapore.

Heres what I would tell President Trump: I stand with you  but anything you negotiate with North Korea will have to come to the Congress for our approval, Graham said on NBCs Today show.

Details matter, Graham added.

Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who is close to the president, offered a similarly muted response. Obviously, its the first step in what will be a long process in the coming months, he told conservative Hugh Hewitt on his radio show.

As the president himself said at his news conference, Cotton added, we may look back on this in a few months and say it didnt work.

Influential conservatives outside of Congress generally were more pessimistic, and blunt about it.

Pre-emptive celebration of a Great Victory by the president is sheer partisan hackery, tweeted author Ben Shapiro. Nothing has been accomplished  yet. Perhaps it will be. Celebrate then.

Bruce Klingner, the longtime CIA lead on North Korea and now a senior fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, tweeted: This is very disappointing.

He wrote that the four main points in the Trump-Kim communique were the same as in agreements that past U.S. administrations brokered in a stronger, more encompassing way than Trump had. The provision on North Koreas denuclearization is weaker, Klingner wrote, and the two leaders made no mention of verification procedures or North Koreas human rights abuses.

Unlike on the Kim summit, Republicans issued few statements after Trump broke with Trudeau and reneged on signing the G-7 allies final communique after their meeting in Quebec.

The presidents actions there, a reaction to the allies objections to his tariffs on steel and aluminum, caused a remarkable fracturing of the nearly 45-year-old democratic alliance  an outcome that many analysts considered more consequential than the Singapore summit.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a frequent Trump critic, was all but alone among Republicans in condemning the president after the annual G-7 summit concluded.

To our allies: bipartisan majorities of Americans remain pro-free trade, pro-globalization & supportive of alliances based on 70 years of shared values, McCain tweeted. Americans stand with you, even if our president doesnt.

A few Republicans offered less direct criticism of Trump.

Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a TV interview on Monday, I was a critic of Obama because I didnt think he was treating our friends as friends and our enemies as enemies. I think you can make a comparison here.

Some Republicans criticized not Trump but his aides, in particular trade advisor Peter Navarro  for saying in a television interview Sunday that Trudeau deserves a special place in hell.

I am pretty sure that circles of hell are not reserved for Canadians imposing retaliatory tariffs, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas told reporters. Sen. Orrin G. Hatch told Politico that Navarro should have kept his big mouth shut. Under pressure, Navarro apologized at a public event Tuesday.

Rep. Adam B. Schiff of Burbank, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said that Republicans unwillingness to speak up about it against Trump will be something they will have to answer for.

Donald Trump has remade the Republican Party in his flawed image with breakneck speed, and he has coerced his party members in Congress into complete silence and abdication of their responsibilities, Schiff said.

As the intelligence committee investigated Russias election interference and possible Trump campaign ties, Schiff said, some Republicans privately would say, Keep doing what youre doing.

They know someone needs to stand up to this president, he added, but their continued unwillingness to do so themselves is putting this country in real jeopardy.

The latest from Washington 

Stokols is a special correspondent in Washington.

estokols@gmail.com

@EliStokols

UPDATES:

3:25 p.m.: This article was updated with additional reactions and analysis.

This article was originally published at 8:35 a.m.The incidence of depression has been rising in the U.S. for more than a decade. So has Americans reliance on prescription medications that list depression as a possible side effect.

Coincidence?

Perhaps not, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.

Using 10 years of data collected from more than 26,000 Americans, researchers reported a significant link between the use of medications with the potential to cause depression and the chances of becoming depressed.

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For example, among the 4,394 people who took one prescription drug that had depression as a possible side effect, 6.9% experienced depression. Of the 1,418 who took two such drugs, 9.5% became depressed, as did 15.3% of the 710 people who took three or more of the medications.

Meanwhile, the prevalence of depression among the 17,039 who didnt take any of these medications was 4.7%.

All of these figures were adjusted for age, sex, race and ethnicity, education and job status, family income, body mass index and other health factors, according to the study.

The researchers, led by Dr. Dima Mazen Qato of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, conducted the same analysis with medications that did not list depression as a possible side effect. In this case, the prevalence of depression among those who didnt take any such drugs (5.5%) was not significantly different statistically from the prevalence for those who took one or more medications not linked to depression. The rates of depression among this group were 6.6% for those taking one drug, 5.1% for those taking two, and 6% for those taking three or more.

The data in the study came from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a project of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Qato and her team focused on five consecutive survey cycles, starting with the one taken in 2005 and 2006 and ending with the most recent, done in 2013 and 2014. Participants received home visits from interviewers who asked to see all prescription medications they had taken in the previous 30 days.

Researchers then used the Micromedex database to look up side effects for each of the drugs. Of particular interest were depression, depressive disorder, suicide, suicidal thoughts, suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior, the study said.

The researchers tallied more than 200 medications that listed at least one of these side effects. Altogether, 37%  representing more than 1 in 3 Americans  took at least one of the drugs on the list.

Among the most common medications with such side effects were antidepressants (taken by 15.1% of participants in the studys most recent years), gastrointestinal agents to treat conditions like acid reflux (taken by 9.5% of study participants), beta blockers for high blood pressure (taken by 7.9% of participants), hormones used to prevent pregnancy or treat symptoms of menopause (taken by 7.8% of participants), anticonvulsant drugs (taken by 7.7% of participants) and prescription pain relievers (taken by 7.4% of participants).

In the earliest years of the study, 6.9% of people used at least three drugs that listed depression as a possible side effect. By the end of the study period, that figure had risen to 9.5%  a difference that was large enough to be statistically significant.

In addition, the proportion of people who took at least one drug that listed suicidal symptoms as a possible side effect rose from 17.3% to 23.5% over the course of the study. That increase was also statistically significant.

The researchers conducted a separate analysis that excluded people taking antidepressants. Even then, depression was found in 8.5% of those taking three or more drugs with the potential to cause it, compared with 4.5% of those who took no such drugs, according to the study.

The survey data did not include information on participants mental health histories, so the studys authors could not take that into account. Nor could they tell whether people had used over-the-counter medications that could have depression as a side effect, among other limitations.

Still, the findings fit with other recent studies that have linked the use of proton pump inhibitors or oral contraceptives with increased odds of depression. They do not show that prescription medications are responsible for an increase in depression  only that there is a correlation between the two.

That should prompt doctors and patients to be mindful of the potential side effects of common prescription drugs, especially if they are taking more than one, the study authors concluded.

Physicians should consider discussing these associations with their patients who are prescribed medications that have depression as a potential adverse effect, they wrote.

The study was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

karen.kaplan@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @LATkarenkaplan and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

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Africas baobab trees can live for more than 1,000 years, but many of the oldest and largest are dyingThe power of art can warm the heart and inject a disturbing chill into the soul. Few things other than art, in all its genres and manifestations, can heat emotions to feverish levels and cool the mind to relax in peace and tranquility.

It was with the embrace of that knowledge that the edict went forth to artists of Women Painters West, to create a painting, drawing or collage for a juried exhibition predicated on the subject of Hot & Cold.

The results of that call to artistic arms is now on display at the art gallery of Burbanks Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center.

The 50-piece exhibit, showcasing the diverse artistic talents of local women, officially opened this past week following a Friday evening reception in which awards were presented to the creators of the top works.

Independently selected by the exhibits juror, Marie Thibeault, who serves as a professor of art at California State University Long Beach, the shows top honor was given to Brenda Stone for her acrylic-on-canvas creation titled Between Birth & Death.

Patricia Ogdons oil-on-paper presentation of Ocean Chromology took second place, while the acrylic-on-canvas creation of Suzanne Budd dubbed Mysterious Presence came in third.

The evening also saw honorable mention awards presented to Debra Hintz, Lynn Gadal and Eva Andry.

With works of various styles that capture a broad range of subjects, from people and places, to objects and representational abstracts, Hot & Cold will be on exhibit through June 28.

With one show just beginning, the gallerys curator, Virginia Causton-Keene, was already looking ahead to next months exhibit with excitement.

Our July exhibit will showcase one artist, Lynda Reyes, Causton-Keen said during Fridays opening reception. She is a phenomenal Filipino American painter who has battled cancer and says her art has given her the reason to live.

Reyes, an art historian, author and educator, paints representational subjects in oil and watercolor and is a highly skilled portrait artist.

She has taught art history at Glendale Community College as well as Santa Monica, East L.A., Rio Hondo and Pasadena City colleges, and has also been involved with visual-arts programs for the Glendale Unified School District.

The opening reception for Reyes show will be held at 7 p.m.on July 6 at the Lueke Center, which is located in George Izay Park.

For more information about the current exhibit and future shows, call (818) 238-5397.

DAVID LAURELL may be reached by email at dlaurell@aol.com or (818) 563-1007.A brush fire that scorched 175 acres and temporarily displaced thousands of Laguna Beach and Aliso Viejo residents early this month was started accidentally by a boy, according to Orange County Fire Authority officials.

Capt. Steve Concialdi said Tuesday that laws protecting the privacy of minors prevented him from releasing information about the child. He also did not say how the fire was ignited.

Our fire investigators did an excellent job of investigating the cause and through their work, they uncovered this information, Concialdi said. The juvenile did admit what happened.

The Aliso fire, which was fully contained Friday, broke out shortly after 1 p.m. June 2 below Laguna Beachs Top of the World neighborhood and behind Soka University in Aliso Viejo.

All Laguna residents who were evacuated because of the fire, which was initially exacerbated by strong winds, were permitted to return to their homes the following day. Initially, 1,500 residents were evacuated from the Top of the World and Old Top of the World neighborhoods.

The blaze also forced the evacuation of more than 2,000 homes in Aliso Viejo. That order was lifted at 9 p.m. June 2 after authorities determined the fire was no longer a threat to those homes.

Hundreds of firefighters from cities across Southern California, including Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, helped battle the blaze. Eleven air tankers and eight helicopters were on the scene over the weekend at the height of the fire, officials said.

Five firefighters suffered non-life-threatening injuries. No structures were damaged, officials said.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCNWith a unanimous vote by the Planning Commission on Monday night, Leaf Concepts LLC became the 10th marijuana-related business to obtain a conditional use permit to operate in Costa Mesa.

The medical marijuana manufacturing facility still needs a medical marijuana business permit and a business license from the city before it can open.

The Planning Commissions decision is final unless appealed to the City Council within seven days.

Leaf Concepts plans to use an existing 7,783-square-foot industrial space in Building E at 3505 Cadillac Ave. to extract and refine oils from cannabis plants for a variety of medicinal products, such as vape pen cartridges and edibles.

Costa Mesas Measure X allows certain marijuana manufacturing, research, testing and distribution businesses in a specified area north of South Coast Drive and west of Harbor Boulevard. Retail sales of marijuana and marijuana products remain banned in the city.

Though Leaf Concepts was far from the first cannabis-related business proposed in the Measure X zone, it was the first to draw significant public opposition  mainly from St. Barnabas Orthodox Church in Building G-3 at 3505 Cadillac.

Several parishioners addressed the commission Monday and urged denial of the proposal, saying the business doesnt belong so close to where families and young children gather.

Among their concerns were the possibility of noxious fumes seeping out of the facility and into the surroundings, the use of potentially dangerous and volatile chemicals in the manufacturing process and the chance that a marijuana business might attract more crime to the area.

Leaf Concepts representatives, however, told of the ways they would secure the property  with features such as cameras and onsite guards  and said additional monitoring and air purifying measures would be installed to prevent fumes and odors from escaping.

In a nod to the church, they also agreed to close on Sundays. The initial hours of operation will be 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, according to city planning documents. Those could be expanded if demand warrants.

Some commissioners seemed taken aback at the resistance to the application. Though St. Barnabas parishioners said Leaf Concepts would be only about 60 to 70 feet outside the church door, several other cannabis businesses previously received permits to operate not much farther away in the same business park.

I havent heard any evidence that would lead me to that conclusion to say that 60 feet is too close, said commission Chairman Stephan Andranian.

Vice Chairman Byron de Arakal agreed and pointed out that Measure X doesnt restrict how close marijuana businesses can be to churches.

The people of Costa Mesa spoke. They said, Were going to have it, were going to have it here,  he said. They didnt put any distance restrictions in place and they didnt put any use restrictions in place with respect to compatibility.

Commissioner Carla Navarro Woods said she didnt share the security concerns that members of the public raised and that she thinks the surveillance and monitoring measures used by cannabis operations throughout the Measure X zone will create a secure area.

I have faith that this is just a medical processing facility and its not going to have the same sort of people that you would normally see around an unlicensed dispensary or any sort of unlicensed facility, she said.

Here is a list of other marijuana businesses with an approved conditional use permit in Costa Mesa:

Shepard Investments Inc. (Oil Haus), 3590 Cadillac Ave., Unit B

CMX Distribution Inc., 3505 Cadillac Ave., Unit N3

Mellow Extracts LLC, 3505 Cadillac Ave., Unit J5

Fluid South (Sol Distro), 3560 Cadillac Ave.

JDFCM1 (Josh D. Farms), 3505 Cadillac Ave., Unit F9

Natures Market (EH Tech Inc.), 1675 Toronto Way

Se7enLeaf LLC, 3505 Cadillac Ave., Units M-101 and L-3

Yummi Karma LLC, 3505 Cadillac Ave., Unit O-101

Toronto Way Partners Inc. (Healing Plant), 1685 Toronto Way

luke.money@latimes.com

Twitter @LukeMMoneyAuthorities are searching for two armed men who tied up a Laguna Beach woman in her home and stole money and firearms Monday night, police said.

Laguna Beach police received a 911 call from a resident in the 20000 block of Laguna Canyon Road at 11:06 p.m. who said she had been the victim of a home invasion robbery.

The woman, who was still partially bound, told dispatchers that two men dressed in black entered her home, brandished handguns and said they were looking for drugs and money, police said.

The men ransacked the house and fled with several stolen firearms and an unknown amount of money, police said.

It isnt clear how the men entered the home.

Detectives are seeking the publics help in identifying the men. Police circulated a photo of one of the suspects taken by a security camera in the house.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Laguna Beach Police Department at (949) 497-0701 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477).

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCNThe month of May was just winding down when more than 50 Las Candelas members gathered at Oakmont Country Club to celebrate 65 years of the philanthropic groups work and to welcome its new board of officers.

Organized in 1953 and incorporated in 1955, the mission of Las Candelas is to give volunteer service and financial assistance to help improve the lives of children and youth in vulnerable situations and to support awareness of their mental health needs.

Oakmonts main dining room was looking festive, with lavender tablecloths adorned with purple napkins that were held by delightful sterling silver napkins rings featuring children doing activities like playing ball, riding bicycles, playing with their dogs and other vignettes. The napkin rings are part of a collection of late 19th-century pieces owned by a Las Candelas member. Each one was so unique that it was fun to travel from table to table to see what these sterling silver children were doing.

Diane Johnson, a longtime member of Las Candelas, presented a detailed history of the organizations early days and how the members would drive to the state mental health facility in Camarillo to support the children who resided there. Las Candelas was a partner in the founding of the Verdugo Mental Health Facility on Glendales Colorado Boulevard (now Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services), when they saw a need for pediatric mental health services in the area. The group continues to offer financial and hands-on support to the Didi Hirsch center.

Other club philanthropies include Ascencia, the Glendale YWCA, Hillsides Education Center in Pasadena and Hathaway-Sycamores in Altadena. In addition to financial support, the group provides monthly programs and year-end parties for Hillsides and Hathaway-Sycamores and serves meals to the homeless at Ascencia.

Funds to support the Las Candelas are raised at the clubs biennial luncheon-fashion-show event. Next year the fashion show will be held Monday, March 4, at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel.

Associate members Judy Heyes, Mary Barber, Esther Bowen, and Bette Ryan joined the active members to celebrate this milestone luncheon and to witness the installation of next years officers and committee chairwomen.

The installation was conducted by member Anna Brewer. Foothill resident Nancy Stone is taking on the role of president. Other club members installed that day were Joan Campbell, Karen Swan, Rosina Maize, Ann Jones, Lynne Naeve, Monica Sierra, Suzonne Slaughter, Jeri Clark, Teresa Nall, JC Byer, Pattie McCormick, Teresa Nall, Diane Russell, Ginny Simpson, Patti Baker and Ellyn Semler. Before the afternoon ended, a beautifully decorated cake was served and champagne toasts were made to celebrate the clubs anniversary.

***

It was Three Vignettes, an evening of music and theater on May 17 when Pasadenas A Noise Within, the classical repertory theater company, joined Pasadena Conservatory of Music for an exciting event.

Guests were transported to Parisian-like venues within the theater for music, wine and scenes from famous French plays where actors, musicians and vocalists merged their talents for a one-night-only fundraiser that showcased French classics.

Greeting guests were A Noise Within co-producing artistic directors Julia Rodriguez- Elliott and Geoff Elliott with Stephen McCurry, executive director of Pasadena Conservatory of Music. They combined their artistic visions and planned a night that took guests to signature venues in Paris, from Le Chat Noir to Theatre-Francais. Also saying hello to guests were La Canada Flintridge resident Jeanie Kay, chairman of the board of directors for A Noise Within, and Alison Lifland, chairman of Pasadena Conservatory of Musics board.

The John and Barbara Lawrence Rehearsal Hall became Le Conservatoire, where pianist Alexander Chou played An American in Paris by George Gershwin. A scene from Georges Feydeaus A Flea in Her Ear, was the theatrical focus.

The Chuck and Bette Redmond main stage became the Theatre-Francais where pianist Esther Yune showcased La Valse by Maurice Ravel while actors played a scene from Tartuffe by Moliere.

The main lobby became the famed bohemian Montmartre district cabaret Le Chat Noir. Pianist Stephen Cook set the tone playing songs by French composer Erik Satie. The charming chanteuse that evening was Jennifer Weiss. A light French comedy accompanied the lively atmosphere of this space.

Later, guests gathered to share their experiences of the evening in a recreation of the famed Saint-Germain-des-Pres cafe, Le Deux Magots. It was quite fitting, as Le Deux Magots was in its heyday the rendezvous of the literary and intellectual elite of the city.

Three Vignettes was a delightful dip into the culture and art of Paris.

JANE NAPIER NEELY covers the La Canada Flintridge social scene. Email her at jnvalleysun@aol.com with news of your special event.An interesting person serendipitously landed in La Canada recently. Let me tell you about her.

A week ago Monday, I was minding my own beeswax, sipping on a cup of Earl Grey and engrossed in writing the scene where Penelope Anne OGrady and Juliana Lu Bravo plot to steal an artifact from the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi.

Over the din typical of an early morning Starbucks, I hear my friend Palma Vincenti exclaim, Dr. Joe, when youre in Italy, you must go to Assisi.

Across the table, a young woman whose head was deeply buried in a laptop proclaims, Vengo da Assisi (Im from Assisi).

I wondered what the odds of that reaction were. On hearing someone mention Assisi, the sparkle in Angelica Tarpanellis eyes intrigued me. Vincenti, sensing a good opportunity to press her case, said See, Dr. Joe? Assisi is a special place.

Tarpanelli is a visiting scientist from the Institute of Geo-Hydrological Protection of the National Research Council in Perugia, Italy. With a masters degree in civil engineering and a Ph.D. in hydraulic engineering from the University of Perugia, she is an esteemed scientist. She has come to our town on the request of NASA/JPL to develop an algorithm to measure the flow and depth of rivers, and to implement and launch satellite technology to determine such variables.

Her work is humanitarian, as it allows underdeveloped countries to anticipate the blight of monsoons and take appropriate flood control measures. Also, her analysis of rivers is essential in bridge design and building, managing drought, irrigating and flood forecasting.

I feel I am using my knowledge to better mankind, she said. By using rational thought and scientific data, I can control certain outcomes.

Tarpanelli has the credentials of a laureate. She has published 22 scientific papers, received numerous professional awards, presented throughout Europe, and reviewed and contributed to many scientific publications.

Im not a subject-verb-object kind of guy. Instead, I look for the Zen of story. Thats worth writing about. Subsequently, I was convinced there was more to Tarpanelli than science. The magic that defines her is her sense of place, Assisi, a cittadina (small town) perched among the hills of ancient Umbria. Surrounded by mountains, Assisi maintains it idyllic charm and has given Tarpanelli a base from which she could expand her horizons of rationale conscientiousness, worldly experiences and metaphysical wonder.

I am on a journey, she said. The most common questions I attempt to answer are: Why am I here? Who put me here? After my life, what is there?

We agreed the scientific method would not provide rational outcomes to such questions. Regardless, even the most rational and scientific minds such as hers realize the world is metaphysical.

What is the best part of Assisi? I asked.

The Church of Santa Chiara (Saint Clare), she immediately responded. The church is plain and austere, but when I walk from the church and into the courtyard, Im overcome by the magic of Assisi, which rests in front of me.

I walk along the streets and breathe the silence and the peace, a magical sense, which leaves me in wonder.

The Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Assisi enshrines a small 9th-century church called the Porziuncola, the most sacred place of the Franciscan order. There, Francis of Assisi renounced the world and started the Franciscan movement.

In 1781, Spanish settlers founded the city of Los Angeles. They took the name from the Basilica in Assisi, El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles del Rio Porciuncula and gave it to us. Our original name is Town of Our Lady Queen of Angels of the River Porciuncula.

As you read this, Ill be backpacking throughout Italy, searching for the magic of Assisi that Tarpanelli expressed. I want to breathe it, just as she does.

JOE PUGLIA is a practicing counselor, a retired professor of education and a former officer in the Marines. Reach him at doctorjoe@ymail.com. Visit his website at doctorjoe.us.Forget stars homes. These tours visit pot growers and bong makers By Hugo Martin In Napa and Sonoma, tour bus operators ferry oenophiles between tasting rooms and vineyards. In Hollywood and environs, they shepherd the starstruck past the homes of the rich and famous. Now theyre giving customers a mind-expanding look at one of Los Angeles burgeoning industries: pot. Since recreational use of marijuana became legal a year ago, a pot tourism business has emerged, taking visitors behind the scenes of Californias estimated $7-billion cannabis industry. Read More Facebook

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Plans for a state-backed pot bank arent feasible, a study says By Sam Dean Hopes that California might create a public bank to serve the states legal marijuana industry are nothing but a pipe dream, the authors of a new feasibility study told state officials Thursday. In the end we were not able to find any approach to doing this that makes any sense whatsoever, said William Roetzheim, founder and chief executive of Level 4 Ventures, the consulting firm hired to carry out the study for the State Treasurers Cannabis Banking Working Group. California voters approved Proposition 64 in 2016 to legalize growing, possessing and selling marijuana for recreational use. But since cannabis remains illegal under federal law, most banks which are federally chartered and insured by the FDIC  refuse to hold weed money. Read More Facebook

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Santa Cruz marijuana company fined $50,000 for explosion that badly burned employee By Hannah Fry A Santa Cruz-based marijuana manufacturing company is being fined more than $50,000 by state regulators for safety violations after an employee was severely burned in a propane explosion, officials have announced. An employee at Future2 Labs Health Services was working alone inside a 128-square-foot portable storage container in Watsonville on June 19, extracting oil from cannabis leaves with propane, when a spark ignited the tank and it exploded. The worker was hospitalized with severe burns, according to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health. The process of using a highly flammable gas to extract oil from cannabis leaves is dangerous, Cal/OSHA Chief Juliann Sum said Thursday in a prepared statement. Read More Facebook

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FDA casts shadow on hemp win, calling CBD products illegal By Associated Press The hemp industry still has work ahead to win legal status for hemp-derived cannabidiol, or CBD oil, as an ingredient in food or dietary supplements despite the big farm bill President Trump signed this week designating hemp as an agricultural crop. CBD oils have become increasingly popular in lotions, tinctures and foods, but their legal status has been murky and the Food and Drug Administration has sent warning letters to some companies making health claims for CBD. In a statement following Thursdays bill signing in Washington, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb restated his agencys stance that CBD is a drug ingredient and therefore illegal to add to food or health products without approval from his agency. Read More Facebook

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One year of legal pot sales and California doesnt have the bustling industry it expected. Heres why By Patrick McGreevy When Californians voted in 2016 to allow the sale of recreational marijuana, advocates of the move envisioned thousands of pot shops and cannabis farms obtaining state licenses, making the drug easily available to all adults within a short drive. But as the first year of licensed sales comes to a close, Californias legal market hasnt performed as state officials and the cannabis industry had hoped. Retailers and growers say theyve been stunted by complex regulations, high taxes and decisions by most cities to ban cannabis shops. At the same time, many residents are going to city halls and courts to fight pot businesses they see as nuisances, and police chiefs are raising concerns about crime triggered by the marijuana trade. Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, who played a large role in the legalization of cannabis, will inherit the numerous challenges when he takes office in January as legislators hope to send him a raft of bills next year to provide banking for the pot industry, ease the tax burden on retailers and crack down on sales to minors. Read More Facebook

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Hemp is about to be legal under the 2018 farm bill. You cant get high from it  but you can wear it By Kurtis Lee Hemp  a close relative of marijuana that can be used to make textiles and other products  has long been classified as a Schedule I drug by the federal government. Thats set to change. President Trump is soon expected to sign a farm bill that includes a section that legalizes the commercial cultivation of hemp nationwide. The bill, years in the making, comes as public support for cannabis legalization has increased over the years, offering a cover of sorts to politicians who see the potential for boosting state tax revenue. Read More Facebook

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Students sent home after Marysville middle schooler brings pot brownies for class to eat By Alejandra Reyes-Velarde Several students at a middle school in Marysville, Calif., were sent home this week after eating marijuana-laced brownies, officials said. Staff at Anna McKenney Intermediate School called police Wednesday morning after learning that a 13-year-old girl had passed out the brownies to her classmates, said Marysville Police Sgt. Jason Garringer. Nine students were sent home, Garringer said, but no one who ate the brownies showed obvious signs of being under the influence. Read More Facebook

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Mistletoke, luxe vape cases and other gift suggestions for the cannabis enthusiast on your nice list By Adam Tschorn Now that some form of cannabis use is legal in 33 U.S. states and the District of Columbia and Californias era of legal adult-use weed is almost a year old (though it remains illegal under federal law), its easier than ever to find a little something special for the cannabis consumer on your nice list. Below are a few items that  with the exception of the first item which is available in L.A. only  are legal, widely available and, if ordered soon, can still be under the tree in the U.S. by Christmas Day. For those who want to do good while feeling good  and score a little holiday decor at the same time  L.A.-based Zoma Cannabis is prepared to send some lucky L.A. residents a limited-edition floral-meets-cannabis Mistletoke arrangement that intertwines sprigs of mistletoe with three trimmed buds (roughly five grams total) of its Santa Cruz-grown True OG and/or Gelato strain cannabis flower all tied up in a big red Santa-worthy bow. No purchase is necessary, but recipients are highly encouraged to make a donation to the charity reforestation group One Tree Planted to aid in the recovery efforts from the 2017 and 2018 California fires. Zoma will match donations dollar for dollar. Each dollar donated means one tree gets planted, and that means the green you donate for its green means a greener Golden State moving forward. Zoma is set to deliver the decor right to your door if you live in L.A., are over the age of 21 and are one of the first 50 folks to fire off an email to info@zomacannabis.com with the word Mistletoke in the subject line. Supplies willing, orders placed as late as Dec. 20 will arrive in time to make your Christmas very merry indeed. Read More Facebook

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3 marijuana businesses win OK in Costa Mesa as another is put on hold By Bradley Zint The Costa Mesa Planning Commission this week approved three new marijuana facilities but postponed a decision on a fourth due to the absence of one commissioner, whose vote likely will decide the fate of the business. After two commissioners expressed support and two expressed opposition for Triiads proposal for a marijuana distribution facility, the panel voted 3-1 on Monday night, with Commissioner Jeffrey Harlan absent, to hold a special meeting Monday to reexamine the matter. Commissioner Carla Navarro Woods dissented. The proposed location at 3525 Hyland Ave., Suite 265, is in Hyland Plaza, north of South Coast Collection in an area identified under city law as permissible for marijuana uses. Read More Facebook

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Marlboro cigarette maker places a $2.4-billion bet on marijuana By Associated Press Altria Group Inc., one of the worlds biggest tobacco companies, is diving into the cannabis market with a $2.4 billion buy-in. The Marlboro cigarette maker is taking a 45% stake in Cronos Group Inc., the Canadian medical and recreational marijuana provider said Friday. Altria will pay an additional $1.4 billion for warrants that, if exercised, would give Altria a 55% ownership stake in the Toronto company. Read More Facebook

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Utah voters approved medical marijuana in November. State lawmakers just passed big changes to the ballot measure By Associated Press Lawmakers in Utah passed sweeping changes Monday to a voter-approved medical marijuana ballot measure under a planned compromise that secured the support of the influential Mormon Church but sparked a backlash from pot advocates. Supporters of the compromise cheered the vote, saying it would help suffering patients while creating safeguards against broader recreational use. I believe this agreement was a landmark day for our state, and we are helping people, said outgoing Republican House Speaker Greg Hughes, who sponsored the legislation and helped bring together the players for talks. Read More Facebook

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Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy, two others arrested on drug charges after heist at pot warehouse By Maya Lau The Los Angeles sheriffs deputy pulled up to the pot-filled warehouse just after three in the morning. He held up an official-looking document to a guard, who promptly unlocked a gate. The deputy and two other men, each of them armed and dressed in sheriffs jackets, got out. After locking the guard and two other employees in the back of the deputys SUV, the men went to work lugging bags of marijuana from the warehouse. Read More Facebook

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Cannary West dispensary to host Higher Standards pop-up shop Saturday through Feb. 28 By Adam Tschorn The Higher Standards X Cannary West pop-up is slated to run from Saturday through Feb. 28. (Higher Standards) Following its successful (and still running) pop-up space inside the Pottery dispensary in L.A.s Mid-City, purveyor of luxury-level cannabis accoutrements Higher Standards has announced plans to take up temporary residence inside the Cannary West dispensary in the Rancho Park neighborhood just in time for the holidays. On track to pop-up on Saturday (with a 20% opening day discount) and run through the end of February, itll serve up a similar curated mix of high-end smoking tools and accessories from brands like Marley Naturals, Grav Labs, Dr. Dabber and Puffco (makers of the futuristic-looking Peak dab rig) as well as home goods for the discerning head by Jonathan Adler, Malin+Goetz and Forestry Wool. Higher Standards X Cannary West Where: 2435 Military Ave., Los Angeles. Entry is restricted to those 21 and older. Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays from Saturday through Feb. 28. Info: cannarywest.com, higherstandards.com Facebook

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I fell off the way. A charismatic pastor-turned-marijuana smuggler heads to prison By Kristina Davis On Easter Sunday 2007, Pastor John Lee Bishop drew about 15,000 worshipers to a sports arena in Portland, Ore. With a flair for showmanship, Bishop  a jeans-clad minister sporting a youthful, moppish haircut  relished building buzz around his Living Hope Church, based in Vancouver, Wash., on the north bank of the Columbia River. One time, it was bringing a Bengal tiger onstage. Another, according to an account in the Columbian newspaper, it was advertising a sermon series with the word sex prominently facing a busy street. Read More Facebook

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For all your weed needs, theres now a pot superstore in Las Vegas By David Montero The employee in the red shirt counseled the two men on what  or what not  to buy. Now, if you start thinking dolphins are talking to you, that might be too much, she explained. The two young men nodded slowly. One stroked his beard. Neither had ever talked to dolphins before. Or even yelled at them on Sundays when they play against the New England Patriots. Above them, the continuous light show on the ceiling was like an electric lava lamp  orbs expanding and dividing in an endless trip. Then it was gone and replaced by flowers and a Saturn-like planet floating in the sky. Read More Facebook

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4 more marijuana permit applications await Costa Mesa Planning Commission review By Luke Money The recent parade of permit applications from marijuana manufacturing and distribution businesses looking to open in Costa Mesa will continue next week, when the city Planning Commission is scheduled to review four more. All the requests on Mondays agenda are for conditional use permits, which are among several approvals required to open a cannabis company in the city. Here is the latest lineup of applicants: Read More Facebook

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With Jeff Sessions out at the Justice Dept., the marijuana movement exhales By Kurtis Lee He described marijuana as a very real danger and has said its effects are only slightly less awful than those of heroin. Once, during a drug hearing when he was a Senator, he said he wanted to send a clear message: Good people dont smoke marijuana. So when Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions was ousted recently, a collective sigh of relief rose up from proponents of legalized pot  activists, politicians, investors  who felt targeted by the nations top law enforcement officer. Sessionss departure has translated into spiking stocks for cannabis companies and a reset of sorts for the legalization movement which, since 2012, has seen nearly a dozen states pass recreational pot measures. Read More Facebook

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This is what a cannabis executives party pad looks like By Kavita Daswani Dont expect to find bongs, water pipes and empty packets of Funyuns at the Los Angeles-area home of Will Htun. When we asked to look inside the home of the CEO of cannabis brand Sherbinskis, we found a sleek and minimal space where he could host chef-catered, cannabis-paired dinners on the rooftop and take meetings in a high-ceilinged front room. Htun, 34, moved into the 2,700-square-foot townhouse in July 2016, after he and brand founder Mario Sherbinski, who is based in San Francisco, decided it would make an ideal live/work space. With its three en-suite bedrooms, Htun opens up the home to associates in town for business instead of housing them in a serviced apartment. Read More Facebook

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First recreational pot shops in Eastern U.S. to open in Massachusetts By Associated Press Two marijuana stores in Massachusetts have been given the green light to begin selling to recreational customers, making them the first commercial pot shops in the eastern United States. Both stores, one located in Northampton and the other in Leicester, said they would open Tuesday morning after the Cannabis Control Commission, the states marijuana regulatory agency, on Friday authorized them to begin operations. The announcement ended a long wait for commercial sales to begin in Massachusetts. The states voters legalized the use of recreational marijuana by adults 21 and older in 2016, but its taken more than two years for state legislators and regulators to reach the point where the first stores can finally open. Read More Facebook

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Heres whats behind Mexicos radical move toward legalizing marijuana during its war on drugs By Kate Linthicum Mexico may soon legalize marijuana, a radical shift for a country whose prohibition on narcotics has been at the heart of its long and violent war against drug traffickers. Legislation submitted to Congress last week by the party of leftist President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador would regulate cannabis, allowing it to be grown, sold and consumed for recreational use. Proponents of legalization say it would reduce bloodshed in Mexico by weakening drug cartels and freeing up police officers and prosecutors to focus on more serious crimes. But the proposal has critics, including the Catholic Church, which holds significant sway in Mexican politics. A poll in Mexico last year showed a majority of respondents opposed legalizing marijuana. Read More Facebook

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Curious about all the CBD-infused products you see? By Kavita Daswani Some chew it, or place a few drops under the tongue or let it soak in through the skin. There are numerous ways to consume cannabidiol  better known as CBD. Its touted for its therapeutic effects, but, unlike its better-known cousin THC, does not get you high. Hemp-derived CBD is increasingly in the limelight these days, at natural products stores and even fashion boutiques, catering to widening demand from consumers who find it helps them with pain, anxiety and insomnia. Despite Californias marijuana-friendly laws, however, the state announced earlier this year it is waiting for the federal government to rule on the use of CBD oils and products before giving the green light to sales. Critics, meanwhile, have been asking for clarity, to help consumers who want options. Read More Facebook

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6 cannabis cookbooks with recipes from basic to gourmet By Amy Scattergood As cannabis is legalized  although it remains illegal under federal law and goes mainstream in California and other states, the cookbook industry has churned into high gear with books on what ways to use jazz cabbage beyond the bong. What to look for? A lot depends on your level of expertise  not just in the kitchen but with cannabis itself. If youve been making batches of pot brownies and want to expand your repertoire to, say, French macarons, there are cookbooks to help you out. Many books have lengthy introductions that outline the specifics of cooking with cannabis, so find one that fits with what you know  or dont know. Bong Appetit: Mastering the Art of Cooking With Weed by the editors of Munchies (Ten Speed Press, $30) This book, based on the Munchies and Viceland television series Bong Appetit, was published in October by Ten Speed Press. (This is in itself notable, as Ten Speed is one of the best cookbook publishers around, and continues the legitimate trajectory of the cannabis cooking genre.) The book has a comprehensive introduction that includes topics such as dosing, techniques, methods of decarboxylation and infusion, cannabis pairing tips, questions to ask your dispensary, tips on equipment and more. The recipes are sourced from the Munchies test kitchen and from many well-known chefs, whose recipes are recalibrated to add cannabis. Thus: Korean fried chicken from Deuki Hong of San Franciscos Sunday Bird; fried soft-shell crab with shishito pepper mole from Daniela Soto-Innes of Cosme and Atla; and (my favorite) Joan Nathans preserved lemons. The Munchies test kitchen also has some fun ones, including herb focaccia with, well, herb; and confit octopus, in which a whole octopus is poached in cannabis-infused olive oil. If that sounds too aspirational, there are instructions for making an apple bong  a hollowed-out apple filled with weed-infused mezcal  at the end of the drinks chapter. Read More Facebook

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Sativa or indica? CBD or THC? What to know before cooking with cannabis By Brette Warshaw Dont know the difference between MSG and THC? Heres a guide to the terminology youll encounter. Cannabis sativa and cannabis indica are two of the three species of cannabis. (The third species, cannabis ruderalis, is less attractive due to its smaller stature and low concentration of THC.) Sativa is a warm-weather species characterized by tall plants and thin leaves. The plant takes 10 to 15 weeks to mature and is known for a cerebral, energetic and invigorating high thats particularly suited for daytime use. Medically, it can be used to help people with depression and chronic pain. Read More Facebook

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California pot tax revenue improves but is still short of projections (Mathew Sumner / Associated Press) The amount of money collected by the state from taxes on cannabis grown and sold legally in California continues to increase but is still falling short of budget estimates, according to figures released Wednesday. Tax revenue reported from the cannabis industry totaled $93.1 million for the three months ending Sept. 30, according to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. That is an increase from the $80.2 million collected during the second quarter of the year. If revenue continues to grow by the same 16% per quarter, pot taxes will bring in $471 million during the fiscal year that began July 1, while the budget approved by the governor and Legislature estimates the taxes would bring in $630 million during the fiscal year. Read More Facebook

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Eaze launches (nearly) nationwide delivery of hemp-derived CBD products By Adam Tschorn Eaze Wellness offers non-psychoactive CBD products derived from hemp. (Eaze) Eaze, the San Francisco-based technology platform thats been coordinating dispensary-to-consumer home deliveries of cannabis in Los Angeles since April, has expanded its reach  for CBD-containing products, that is  to most of the United States. (CBD, a.k.a cannabidiol, is a cannabis compound said to have anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety properties but none of the high associated with THC. These claims have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.) Through the just-launched Eaze Wellness website, consumers over the age of 21 in 41 states and the District of Columbia can order a range of hemp-derived CBD tinctures, tablets, balms, bath bombs, patches, vape pens and pet products for delivery within four to six days. (Shipping is free for orders $50 and up; otherwise, itll cost you $5.) Much like its in-state marijuana-delivery service, which coordinates deliveries with local dispensaries, Eaze isnt doing the shipping itself, but rather working with a third-party partner to get goods from brands such as Plant People, Cannuka, BeTru Wellness and Vital Leaf from point A to point B. Although the laws surrounding the legality of CBD are murky at best (a loophole in federal law has been widely interpreted as making CBD derived from hemp grown for research purposes legal), one point B that Eaze Wellness wont be coordinating shipping to is its home state of California. (The company cites state regulations as the reason.) Yes, California, where cannabis  even the kind that gets you high  has been legal under state law since the beginning of the year. Additional information is available at www.eazewellness.com. Facebook

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What THC-infused edibles are most popular? Fruit-flavored gummies and chocolate-covered coffee beans for starters By Adam Tschorn Nearly a year in to the state-legal cannabis scene, theres no shortage of THC-infused items on the market for 21-and-older consumers, from sachets of herbal tea and cans of citrus-flavored soda to honey mustard pretzels, with analysts and dispensary owners seeing it as a growing side of the business. Since recreational use was legalized in January, edibles have seen a 20%-30% hike in sales, said Nick Danias, managing partner of the Pottery and Cannary West dispensaries in Los Angeles, who added that edibles have proved particularly popular with new cannabis users who might be reluctant to start experimenting by smoking cannabis flower. Edibles companies have been able to offer consumers micro dosing that allows for a controlled amount of THC to be ingested, he said. (State law requires that edibles be portioned or scored into servings that contain no more than 10 milligrams of THC per piece and no more than 100 milligrams of THC per package.) Read More Facebook

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5 more marijuana permit applications await Costa Mesa Planning Commission By Luke Money The torrent of applications from marijuana manufacturing and distribution facilities looking to open in Costa Mesa continues Thursday, when city planning commissioners will review five more during a special meeting. Should the commission grant all the requested conditional use permits, it would bring the total number of marijuana facilities with such approvals to 22  including nine in the past month. The applications up for review this time are: Read More Facebook

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Two shot and killed in Koreatown marijuana dispensary By James Queally Two people were shot and killed early Monday morning after gunfire erupted inside a Koreatown marijuana dispensary, authorities said. Officers responded to reports of a shooting in the 400 block of Western Avenue in Koreatown around 4:20 a.m. Monday, according to a statement issued by the Los Angeles Police Department. There, they found a locked and sealed marijuana dispensary, according to the statement. A female employee told police she and several customers were inside the dispensary when they heard gunshots in the waiting room. They fled through the back of the building, and when officers gained entry, they found two people who were pronounced dead at the scene. Read More Facebook

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Party of Mexicos president-elect wants to legalize marijuana By Associated Press The party of Mexicos president-elect submitted legislation Thursday that would legalize marijuana possession, public use, growing and sales. Sen. Olga Sanchez Cordero presented the measure, saying that everyone should have the right to carry up to 30 grams [1 ounce] of cannabis. People could carry more than an ounce if they obtained a permit to do so under the proposal. From the point of view of negative effects, there is no reason why marijuana should not be legal, if alcohol and tobacco are, according to the bill. Read More Facebook

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Want to grow your own marijuana? This class will show you how By Jeanette Marantos California law lets anyone over 21 grow up to six marijuana plants in their yard or home, as long as the plants are not accessible to the public. (Check your City Hall for any additional local rules.) Unsure how to start? Check out Fig Earth Supplys two-hour workshops, Cannabis Cultivation for the Home Grower, on Nov. 10 or Nov. 17, taught by professional cannabis growers. Attendees must be at least 21. No plants or seeds will be sold. Workshops cost $95 and start at 5 p.m. at 3577 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles. More info: figearthsupply.com Read More Facebook

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Whats that smell? Survey asks Venice Beach denizens if theyre vexed by odor of marijuana By Joseph Serna They descended on free-wheeling Venice Beach with clipboards and questions in hand. Their goal: to gauge humanitys tolerance for the smell and sight of public pot smoking. Akbar Karriem considered them ridiculous. Everybody be smoking, Karriem said as he sat on the boardwalk and lit a marijuana pipe. Its part of the culture here. Its like a religion. Read More Facebook

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Las Vegas newest and biggest pot shop aims to entertain By Jay Jones Prepare to be entertained at Las Vegas newest and biggest cannabis store a mile west of the Strip. Planet 13 combines light shows and fog-making fountains to wow visitors at the shop, which sells recreational pot, cannabis extracts and cannabis-infused products. The idea is to meld a cannabis shop with an entertainment complex. Visitors, who must be at least 21, can change the colors of 13 giant LED-lighted lotus flowers blooming on the roof of the building. Read More Facebook

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CBD-infused products are being sold everywhere in California  but are they legal? By Laura Newberry Greg and Gary Avetisyan make no secret of it: They proudly sell all manner of products infused with CBD, from essential oils to bath bombs to fruity tea-like beverages that promise calming relief in a frantic world. CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a molecule derived from cannabis. But unlike its chemical cousin THC, it wont get you high. What it might do, according to some research, is alleviate anxiety, seizures, chronic pain and dozens of other ailments. The Avetisyan brothers belief in the alleged benefits of the extract is so steadfast that they opened Californias first CBD-only store, Topikal, in Tarzana last year and opened a second along the Venice Beach boardwalk in April. Read More Facebook

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Review: Documentary Weed the People looks at cannabis and pediatric cancer By Kimber Myers An urgent cry for help, Weed the People explores the effects of cannabis on pediatric cancer, as well as the establishments disinterest in researching its efficacy. With the lack of scientific studies available, Abby Epsteins moving documentary primarily devotes its time to five children and their families who are trying to survive using the alternative treatment. Weed the People doesnt ease into its multi-story narrative, wasting no time in sharing the stories of these kids with cancer. With parents desperate for their children to feel better, they turn to medical marijuana to ease the pain, as well as directly addressing the cancer cells. Without studies and lack of nationwide legalization, there is little regulation in the industry. Enter Mara Gordon, a former process engineer who brings precision and rigor to her medical cannabis company, offering the families hope for healing. Read More Facebook

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Denver verdict on pot odor and property values could discourage homeowners from filing RICO lawsuits By Associated Press A Colorado jury likely threw cold water on future legal challenges against cannabis companies by homeowners who consider filing racketeering lawsuits alleging that proximity to pot operations hurts their property values, analysts and industry lawyers said Thursday. A federal jury in Denver on Wednesday rejected claims involving the odor from a pot farm made in a case that was closely watched by the marijuana industry. It was the first such lawsuit to reach a jury. Three others are pending in California, Massachusetts and Oregon. Read More Facebook

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Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Office makes its largest seizure of illegal marijuana plants By Joseph Serna An estimated 400,000 marijuana plants were destroyed by Santa Barbara County sheriffs investigators this week in what authorities are calling the countys largest seizure of pot plants at one site. The plants were hidden among farmland in Santa Maria and discovered by sheriffs investigators on Monday, the sheriffs office said in a statement. The crop belonged to a resident who, authorities said, had applied for a temporary state cannabis license using false information and did not have a valid cannabis license. Investigators found the 400,000 plants in various levels of maturity and tapped state Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel to help in the case. Read More Facebook

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Is Rohrabacher trying to lose Republican voters by caving on marijuana policy? To the editor: I was disappointed to read in a column on voters trying to flip an Orange County congressional district that Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) wants to weaken federal laws against marijuana. Recently-approved state laws legalizing marijuana have not been beneficial. In Colorado, following the legalization of recreational marijuana, the number of traffic fatalities involving marijuana-impaired drivers more than doubled. Surveys have found a majority of marijuana users in Colorado do not believe driving high is dangerous, leading some to get behind the wheel impaired. As a retired law enforcement officer who has had the opportunity to work with people impacted by drug addiction, and as a lifelong Republican, I feel Rohrabacher is making a mistake. Read More Facebook

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Berners Melrose birthday bash celebrates a new dispensary  and a collaboration with the G Pen Gio By Adam Tschorn The Cookies dispensary at 8360 Melrose Ave. celebrated its grand opening on Saturday. (Grenco Science) On Saturday morning, the lines were stretching around the corner and down the block outside the bright blue Beverly Grove storefront with the word Cookies above the door. The enthusiastic members of the crowd werent queued up for baked goods, though. They were waiting to get into a new cannabis dispensary  and to help celebrate the birthday of its founding partner, Bay Area rapper and entrepreneur Berner (born Gilbert Millam Jr.). Minimalist, awash in natural light and appointed in the brands blue and white color scheme and emblazoned with the cookie-with-a-bite-missing logo, it marks the second Cookies dispensary in Los Angeles County; the first, Cookies Los Angeles, is located in Maywood. Like that one, its stocked with a wide variety of cannabis flower, oils, edibles and the like, with a particular emphasis on the proprietary strains from the Cookie Family collective (the growers who originated the strain formerly known as Girl Scout Cookies as well as other dessert-named strains such as Gelato and Sunset Sherbet). It also stocks three different Cookies-logoed colors (blue, white and black) of the new G Pen Gio ($29.95), a vaporizer pen that uses cannabis concentrate cartridges for a super-simple, draw-activated plug-and-puff experience. The Cookies G Pen Gio from Grenco Science x Berner collaboration officially launched at the Saturday Berner bash, and includes Gio cannabis-oil cartridges filled with Gelato, London Poundcake, Sunset Sherbet or Snowman strains ($60 for 500 mg, which Tim Patenaude, Grencos vice president of marketing, says marks the first time those Cookie strains have been commercially available as concentrates. (Gio pod cartridges are now available at 500 dispensaries across 12 states, according to Patenaude, including MedMen, BARC and the Pottery locally, as well as through the Eaze delivery service.) Shown are Berners blue-and-white birthday cake, left, and vape pens and cartridges from his Cookies G Pen Gio collaboration. (Grenco Science) Patenaude says the partnership with Berner has its roots in Grencos 2014 partnership with another rapper  Wiz Khalifa (Wiz Khalifas weed guy was Berner, Patenaude said, and thats how we first met him.). He calls Berner the most important person in cannabis today, citing not only Berner and his partners wildly successful strains, but the rapper/entrepreneurs brand-building abilities outside of the cannabis space. His Cookies clothing label is sold in every Zumiez in every mall in America, Patenaude said. In a chat with the Los Angeles Times Rolling Paper, Berner said that the Cookies SF streetwear label he launched out of his garage less than a decade ago saw $12.8 million in revenue in 2017 and that hes aiming to open a store next door to the dispensary  hopefully in time for the Black Friday shopping season. (Theres currently a single flagship store in San Francisco.) He also said the dispensary opening bash was a good way to usher in his 35th year on the planet. Man, I couldnt be happier, he said. Were turning [over] customers left and right, theres no holdup anywhere, everyone is super-juiced and there was a line down the block and wrapped around [the corner] at 6 a.m. You cant ask for anything else. Cookies Melrose, 8360 Melrose Ave. (at North Kings Road), Los Angeles. Additional information on the G Pen Gio (including local availability) is at gpen.com. Facebook

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2 Chainz wants to put a THC tiger in your tank with his new cannabis brand Gas By Adam Tschorn Rapper 2 Chainz attends the launch party for Gas, his fuel-themed cannabis line now available in flower and pre-rolled joints. (Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times) Rolling into the Friday launch party for his new cannabis brand Gas, the first thing Grammy-winning rapper 2 Chainz did was brandish a joint in one hand and a smartphone in the other to record the rows of boldly packaged cannabis flower and pre-rolled joints in a video to share with his 5.7 million Instagram followers. The second thing he did was stand back and take in the moment. I cant believe it, thats why I was over here just trying to take it all in, 2 Chainz said about seeing all the green, yellow and black plastic pouches filled with marijuana, and a jerrycan converted into a display tray overflowing with green buds. Ive been told for over a year that we were doing this line, so now Im just trying to live in the moment. I dont do that a lot. The launch party took place at the Mid-Wilshire offices of Green Street Agency, a cannabis-focused branding and licensing company that is one of the rappers two Southern California partners in the venture. The other is L.A.-based Mazel Management Group (owners of the Westside Station dispensary in Van Nuys). Before joining the throng of well-wishers, industry friends and employees dressed in logo-emblazoned overalls, 2 Chainz (born Tauheed Epps), chatted with the Los Angeles Times Rolling Paper about his new project, how cannabis branding is like music and what took so long for the project to come to fruition. (Hint: There was lots of taste-testing). The Rolling Paper: Where does the name of your line  Gas  come from and what does it mean? 2 Chainz: Its Atlanta lingo that we use that basically signifies that this is a stronger type of flower  a stronger cannabis. Ive been saying it since I came into the rap game and Ive used it in a few verses of a few songs. At first people were like: What do you mean by [the line] gas in the ashtray? After it caught on and basically went mainstream, I figured why veer off from what got me here? So we started a legal line of cannabis called Gas. TRP: Ive heard that you were pretty picky in the development process. 2C: It took months and months and about 30 different kinds of [cannabis] flower. I think I was looking for that first impression  that first pull  how it made me feel. Were there fireworks or no fireworks? What kind of memory did it create? Thats what I was looking for. TRP: The three different types of flower youre launching with dont have names but numbers  87, 89 and 93  are those supposed to be kind of like octane ratings but for marijuana? 2C: Thats a great way of describing it. The 87, for example [a Petrol OG hybrid, with a THC content of 14%] is for functioning throughout the day, [and for] people who are on the go [or] at work and cant get that whole indica sleepy feeling during the middle of the day. I think 87 will be sufficient. The 89 [a Sour Gas hybrid, 17% THC] is for when people go out for cocktails after work, when they want to get ready for the wind-down  it signifies the medium [strength]. And the 93 [an indica called Gods Fuel No. 2 with a THC level of 20%] Id definitely say is the strongest. Thats for night-night. TRP: How did the fuel theme and octane ratings and all that evolve from the name? 2C: I approached this the way I do in my music  which was come up with the concept and follow all the way through with it. So, when you have Gas, you have to have the gas cans and the imagery that actually represents the gas pumps and things that tie in to the brand itself. I think that gives it legs  gives it a little more substance and sustainability. And I used these colors because I knew they would be very catching and appealing to the eye and I know that I will kind of have to muscle my way in as far as getting where I need to be on [dispensary] shelves these days. I figure I could be on the back of the shelf and you could still see this green, this yellow and this black packaging. Gas prices range from $12 to $14 (for 1-gram pre-rolled joints) and $36 to $48 for 3.5 gram packages of flower. Currently available at Westside Station, 7022 Valjean Ave., Van Nuys. Facebook

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A chemical found in liverwort has surprising similarities to the THC in marijuana By Noga Tarnopolsky Its an amazing plant that produces hypnotic effects, according to online testimonials. Some people who have ingested it or inhaled its smoke say it gave them a mild, marijuana-like high. Now scientists have weighed in. In experiments with more than 100 mice, they found that chemicals in the liverwort plant produced four of the same key effects as THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. An hour after being injected with the experimental chemicals, the mice entered a trance-like state, lost some of their ability to move, became less responsive to pain and experienced a drop in body temperature, according to a study published this week in the journal Science Advances. Read More Facebook

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Hours-long standoff at Tarzana weed dispensary ends after police learn building is empty By Hailey Branson-Potts The police standoff lasted more than six hours, shutting down a busy six-lane stretch of Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana for most of the evening. An armed robbery suspect, authorities said, had barricaded himself inside an illegal marijuana dispensary in a strip mall in the 18300 block of Ventura Boulevard. He was believed to be one of four suspects and was thought to have a female hostage. But when officers searched the building after 8:20 p.m., there was no one inside, said Officer Mike Lopez, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department. Read More Facebook

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State officials decline to drop plan to allow home deliveries of pot in California cities that ban marijuana stores Cities and law enforcement leaders say a state proposal to allow pot delivery to homes would increase crime. (Mathew Sumner / Associated Press) Despite objections from cities and police chiefs, state officials on Friday declined to drop a proposal allowing marijuana firms to deliver to homes everywhere in California, including in areas that have banned pot shops. The proposed rule, which was made public in July, was opposed by the League of California Cities, which represents the states 482 municipalities, and the California Police Chiefs Assn., which said it would jeopardize public safety. But the state Bureau of Cannabis Control announced Friday that it is moving forward with the proposed rule after a series of public hearings and after weighing hundreds of comments from residents and interested parties. Read More Facebook

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San Diego plans to crack down on marijuana ads, especially billboards By David Garrick San Diego officials say they plan to crack down on marijuana advertising, particularly the billboard ads that have become increasingly common with recreational use of the drug now legal in California. Legislation proposed by City Councilman Chris Cate aims to keep marijuana billboard ads out of areas where young people congregate and to prevent illegal marijuana businesses from advertising anywhere. The proposal, which would go beyond relatively new state laws that govern marijuana advertising, will be included in a series of city code updates that Mayor Kevin Faulconers staff plans to present to the City Council next year. Read More Facebook

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Drinking before a flight is common. Now some fliers are turning to pot before takeoff By Hugo Martin Commercial flights can be so stressful  cramped seats, delays, turbulence, loud seatmates  that more than 60% of travelers in a recent survey said they down a drink or two before heading to the airport. But the survey by a drug treatment organization found that nearly as many fliers are now turning to marijuana to relax before getting on a plane. The online survey of 1,137 people who have flown in the past year was taken by Florida-based Delphi Behavioral Health Group. It found that nearly 30% of respondents said they had smoked marijuana and another 25% had consumed pot-infused snacks before arriving at an airport. Read More Facebook

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Marijuana issues dominate Costa Mesa Planning Commission agenda By Luke Money Cannabis-related companies will be front and center in Costa Mesa again Monday, when city planning commissioners will consider four applications for proposed marijuana manufacturing and distribution facilities. Should the Planning Commission OK all the requests, it would bring the number of marijuana businesses with city-approved conditional use permits to 17. First up will be Aureus LLC, which is looking to open in a 5,556-square-foot industrial space at 3505 Cadillac Ave., Building A. The company proposes to manufacture cannabis concentrates, particularly oils intended for use in vaporizer cartridges, according to city planning documents. Read More Facebook

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Canada is now the worlds largest legal marijuana marketplace By Associated Press Ian Power was among the first to buy legal recreational marijuana in Canada but he has no plans to smoke it. He plans to frame it. Canada became the largest country with a legal national marijuana marketplace as sales began early Wednesday in Newfoundland. Power was first in line at a store in St. Johns, Newfoundland. I am going to frame it and hang it on my wall. Im not even going to smoke it. Im just going to save it forever, Power said. Read More Facebook

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Bloom Farms doubles its meal donations on Oct. 16 in observance of World Food Day By Adam Tschorn Bloom Farms Pineapple Single Origin vape cartridge is a World Food Day exclusive that will be available only in October. (Bloom Farms) In recognition of the United Nations designation of Oct. 16 as World Food Day 2018, Oakland-based cannabis company Bloom Farms is doubling its usual meal-donation-per-sale for purchase made through the Eaze delivery service (which is doing its part by offering a day-long 20% discount on all Bloom Farms products) as well as participating dispensaries statewide (including Buds & Roses, Urban Treez and Green Dot locally). The company says that since 2014 it has donated about 1.4 million meals to food banks statewide through its one-for-one program, with a goal of donating 5 million meals. World Harvest Food Bank in Los Angeles and the San Diego Food Bank are among the SoCal beneficiaries of the Bloom Farm donations. Although the double-down on meal donations lasts only one day, Bloom Farms has a couple of slightly less time-sensitive promotions to raise awareness and drive donations in furtherance of the U.N.s mission of a zero-hunger world by 2030. One is a partnership with vaporizer maker Pax  which has pledged $10,000 to fund meal donations  that includes a free Pax Era vape pen (custom-engraved on-site) with the purchase of two Bloom Farms Pax pods at special dispensary events throughout the month, the second is an exclusive, October-only Pineapple Single Origin vape cartridge that, after the purchase of any two Bloom Farms products  can be purchased for just a penny. Additional information  and a calendar of dispensary events and demonstrations  can be found at getbloomfarms.com/events. Facebook

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Screened at U.S. border, Canadians who are honest about using marijuana could be banned from the U.S. By Kurtis Lee Bill Powers flipped through the sworn statement he gave to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the printed pages taking him back to that August afternoon  back to the border checkpoint into Washington state where agents asked if he had ever smoked marijuana. Yes, he answered, not initially thinking much of the question. The 57-year-old Canadian has a license for medical marijuana, and pot had been legal in Washington for six years. Like that, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents turned him away with an extreme decree: He had been banned from the United States. Its absolutely out of control. Here I am being honest with the United States and I get the boot, Powers said on a recent afternoon as he stood in his driveway in this farming town an hour east of Vancouver. I have a license  yet theyre turning people away for pot? It makes not a single bit of sense. Read More Facebook

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Newport mayor says he wants to sell his boat factory site, not grow marijuana on it By Hillary Davis Despite having local and state approvals to cultivate or distribute medical marijuana on the site of his boat factory in San Bernardino County, Newport Beach Mayor Marshall Duffy Duffield says he isnt a pot farmer. Rather, he says, he sought the entitlements to make the property more attractive to buyers so he can move his factory to Utah. Duffield said in a statement emailed to the Daily Pilot on Sunday that he split his 4.7-acre property in Adelanto into thirds and sought a cannabis distribution permit from the California Bureau of Cannabis Control to take advantage of increased property values that followed Adelantos passage of a medicinal cultivation ordinance in 2015 and creation of a cultivation zone in 2016 that later expanded to include the factory site. As a property owner, I am trying to maximize the value to sell the land, not grow pot, Duffield said. I am actively manufacturing electric boats at the plant and there is no room to be growing pot. Read More Facebook

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NHL: Legal pot in Canada wont affect league policy By Associated Press Now a handful of years into retirement from more than a decade of junior and pro hockey, former enforcer Riley Cote is a proponent of cannabis and its oils as an alternative to more addictive drugs commonly used by athletes to play through pain. Marijuana can be detected in a persons system for more than 30 days, is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency without a specific therapeutic use exemption and is illegal in much of the United States. Canada on Wednesday will become the largest country in the world to legalize recreational marijuana. That means it will be available under the law in seven more NHL cities (its been legal to adults in Denver since 2012). The move is a step forward for those who, like Cote, believe marijuana has been stigmatized and should be accepted as a form of treatment. It was so tainted for a long time, Ottawa Senators forward Matt Duchene said. And now people are starting to learn a little bit more about it and there is definitely some positive uses to different elements of it. Read More Facebook

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Costa Mesa council to review marijuana permit decision By Luke Money Costa Mesas review process for marijuana-related businesses will enter uncharted territory Tuesday when the City Council takes a second look at an earlier decision to award a required permit. So far, whats separated this particular application by Pivot Naturals LLC from the dozen other marijuana manufacturing and distribution facilities that previously sailed through City Hall isnt so much the question of whether the business should be allowed to open, but when. City planning commissioners decided last month to grant the business a conditional use permit to operate within a 5,283-square-foot industrial space in Suite 101 at 3595 Cadillac Ave. However, they added a new wrinkle by restricting hours to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Read More Facebook

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Business linked to Newport mayor paid councilman to help create marijuana facility in Inland Empire, records show By Hillary Davis A business linked to Newport Beach Mayor Marshall Duffy Duffield paid his City Council colleague Scott Peotter to help convert part of Duffields boat manufacturing facility in San Bernardino County to a medical marijuana cultivation or distribution hub, records show. Peotter made at least $10,000 from DC Developments, a Duffield-associated company, according to Peotters state-required statement of economic interest forms. A string of corporations that financially tie the two together appears to answer a question  has Peotter ever worked for Duffield?  that has dogged them for weeks as they seek reelection in November. Read More Facebook

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Following California, pot legalization campaigns across the U.S. aim to throw out old convictions By Kurtis Lee Rob Jenkins tried for four years to find a job, scouring the internet for anything that seemed at all appealing  a maintenance position at a Chevron refinery, a counselor for foster kids, a clerk at Hertz. Some employers seemed interested, until they found out about his 2008 misdemeanor conviction for growing marijuana. I was stuck, recalled the 37-year-old college graduate. No job opportunities were coming in. Read More Facebook

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Canada is about to legalize marijuana. How did that happen? Justin Trudeau, for starters By Kurtis Lee Politicians herald it as transformative. Residents offer resounding support in the polls. Investors see billions of dollars on the horizon. When Canada legalizes marijuana on Oct. 17, it will join Uruguay as the only countries to allow recreational cannabis nationwide. The South American country became the first in 2013. The effort, years in the making, is unlike the piecemeal approaches to marijuana legalization that have been passed in the United States and the Netherlands. For pot proponents around the world, Canadas implementation of legal marijuana is being closely watched. Read More Facebook

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Can you carry marijuana in LAX? Yes, but its more complicated than that By Chris Erskine LAX wants you to know this about the marijuana you may be taking with you on your trip: Whats legal on the street is also legal in the terminals. Up to a point. Travelers can carry the legal amount of marijuana in California  up to 28.5 grams through the airport areas that are under city supervision, that is up to pre-security checkpoints. Read More Facebook

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Dont you dare light up at Las Vegas new cannabis museum By Jay Jones Inhale  we mean through your nose  in the new marijuana museum in Las Vegas. You wont smell a thing, even though recreational pot is legal in Nevada. Signs in the elevators at Neonopolis, the downtown entertainment, dining and retail center thats home to the immersive Cannabition museum, make it clear that consumption in public is still against the law. Just steps away, a colorful mural covering the museums exterior depicts the changing attitudes toward marijuana, from the scare tactics of the 1930s to strict law enforcement in the 80s to growing tolerance today. That history is depicted in greater detail once youre inside. Read More Facebook

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Costa Mesa Planning Commission awards permit to 13th marijuana business By Luke Money A 13th marijuana manufacturing and distribution facility took a step closer to opening in Costa Mesa after the city Planning Commission decided Monday to grant it a required permit. The 3-2 vote, with Chairman Stephan Andranian and Vice Chairman Byron de Arakal opposed, awards a conditional use permit to Pivot Naturals LLC to operate in an existing 5,283-square-foot industrial space in Suite 101 at 3595 Cadillac Ave. Pivot Naturals intends to process cannabis oils into a powder for use in a variety of products, including tablets, food and beverages. Read More Facebook

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Kindergartner can take cannabis drug to school, judge says By Associated Press A kindergartner can keep bringing a cannabis-based drug used for emergency treatment of a rare form of epilepsy to her public school, a judge ruled Friday. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported that a judge sided with the family of 5-year-old Brooke Adams. The Rincon Valley Union School District in Santa Rosa sought to ban the ointment from school grounds because it contains the active ingredient in marijuana. Read More Facebook

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Glendale police seize hundreds of marijuana plants after reportedly discovering elaborate grow operation By Andy Nguyen What started as a routine wellness check by Glendale police officers on Monday led to the alleged discovery of an illegal marijuana grow operation and the seizure of more than 600 plants. Officers with the Glendale Police Department were in the 100 block of Wonderview Drive at around 12:40 a.m. after receiving a call about a person yelling for help from one of the homes in the neighborhood. After speaking with the homes occupant, 38-year-old Rui Yun Guan, officers entered the residence and discovered it had been converted into an elaborate marijuana grow operation, according to Tahnee Lightfoot, a spokeswoman for the department. Read More Facebook

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Tilrays wild ride shows how hyped pot stocks are catching up to the crypto craze By Craig Giammona Tilray Inc. investors could probably use a bit of the companys products right now. The Canadian maker of medicinal cannabis extracts finished a whipsaw session Wednesday with its share price 38% higher. But Tilray was up as much as 94% earlier in the day, peaking at $300. Fifty-three minutes and four trading halts later, it was in negative territory. The closing flourish that added $63 to the share price  it finished up $59.08 to $214.06  took just six minutes. It left a sea of bodies, both longs and shorts, behind in its wake, said Dave Lutz, managing director at JonesTrading. Read More Facebook

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Marijuana industry fights stoner, pot and other words that stigmatizes people By Gary Robbins Theres a badge on her uniform, possibly a gun on her hip, and her arms are spread a little, suggesting shes ready for anything. You might think that youre looking at a police officer walking a beat. But what youve seen on billboards and, more recently, the internet is an effort by MedMen Enterprises of Culver City to remind you that marijuana users come from all walks of life. They can be cops, nurses, teachers, scientists, construction foremen and grandmothers. Read More Facebook

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Police arrest eight people after searching illegal cannabis store in San Fernando Valley By Alejandra Reyes-Velarde Los Angeles police arrested eight people at an illegal cannabis store in the San Fernando Valley after serving a search warrant, officials said Wednesday. About 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Los Angeles Police Departments Mission Area Narcotics Unit searched a cannabis retail shop in the 15400 block of Devonshire Street and confiscated several items of evidence and contraband, police said in a news release. The store was operating without proper permits and was considered a nuisance location, authorities said. Read More Facebook

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More than 2 million U.S. middle and high school students have vaped marijuana, study finds By Karen Kaplan Electronic cigarettes are the most popular tobacco product among U.S. teens, but tobacco isnt the only thing theyre vaping. A new report from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that more than 2 million middle and high school students have used an e-cigarette to vape marijuana. That figure is based on survey results from the 2016 National Youth Tobacco Survey, which polls a representative sample of American students in grades 6 through 12. Among the questions the 20,675 participants were asked in 2016 was, Have you ever used an e-cigarette device with a substance besides nicotine? One of the possible answers was this: Yes, I have used an e-cigarette device with marijuana, THC or hash oil, or THC wax. (THC, short for tetrahydrocannabinol, is the mind-altering chemical that produces marijuanas high.) Read More Facebook

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Police chiefs warn of increased crime if California allows pot deliveries statewide By Patrick McGreevy The prospect of vans loaded with pot delivering to homes in quiet Morgan Hill makes Police Chief David Swing uneasy. Like most cities in the state, the upscale San Jose suburb has banned pot shops. But now, as California considers a proposal to allow marijuana businesses to send home-delivery vans into communities where retail stores are prohibited, Swing and others in law enforcement say they are preparing for the worst. This will make it easier and more lucrative to rob a delivery person than a liquor store, said Swing, who is president of the California Police Chiefs Assn. He notes drivers would be allowed to carry up to $10,000 in cash. Robberies are the tip of the iceberg. They can lead to other crimes, including aggravated assaults and homicides. Read More Facebook

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Tesla erupts in chaos after senior executives leave and Elon Musk tokes up By Dana Hull The turmoil at Tesla Inc. reached a fever pitch Friday, as news emerged that two senior executives will leave Elon Musks electric-car maker a matter of hours after he smoked marijuana during an hours-long interview with a comedian. Chief Accounting Officer Dave Morton gave notice Tuesday that he was resigning less than a month into the job, according to a filing. Teslas stock plunged, then extended declines after Gabrielle Toledano, the head of human resources whos been on a leave of absence, told Bloomberg News that she wont rejoin the company. Morton, a former chief financial officer for computer-drive maker Seagate Technology Plc, joined Tesla the day before Chief Executive Musk tweeted that he was considering buying out some investors at $420 a share and taking the company private. Musk abandoned that take-private effort 17 days later, and in the process drew a subpoena from the Securities and Exchange Commission and a series of lawsuits alleging market manipulation. Read More Facebook

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Elon Musk smokes a blunt live on YouTube with podcaster Joe Rogan By Russ Mitchell Elon Musk apparently smoked dope with comedian and podcaster Joe Rogan live on YouTube late Thursday night, then giggled about turning Mars into a big Jamaica. I mean, its legal, right? Musk said, accepting a lit blunt from Rogan in the Los Angeles studio, where The Joe Rogan Experience is webcast live. Rogan told Musk hed rolled marijuana in tobacco leaves. Musk took a single deep toke. If the pair were joking about what they were smoking, they didnt say so. Read More Facebook

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L.A. launches crackdown on unlicensed marijuana businesses; more than 500 people are charged By Joseph Serna A police crackdown on local unlicensed marijuana businesses has ended with misdemeanor charges against more than 500 people in Los Angeles, the city attorneys office said. In 120 criminal cases filed since May, City Atty. Mike Feuer has charged 515 people in connection with 105 illegal marijuana businesses, grow sites, extraction labs and delivery companies located throughout the city, his office announced Friday. All of the defendants were charged with unlicensed commercial cannabis activity within the city, which carries a potential sentence of six months in jail and $1,000 in fines. Local judges have been hearing the cases since May with arraignments scheduled through the end of October, Feuers office said. Read More Facebook

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12th marijuana business wins permit approval in Costa Mesa By Luke Money Costa Mesa planning commissioners Monday evening gave their blessing to another local marijuana manufacturing and distribution facility, bringing the total number of approvals to 12. On a 4-0 vote  with Chairman Stephan Andranian absent  the commission awarded a conditional use permit to Pure Labs Inc., which is looking to open in a 2,025-square-foot space in Unit M-103 at 3505 Cadillac Ave. The decision is final unless appealed to the City Council within seven days. Read More Facebook

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Former L.A. mayor Villaraigosa joins board of local cannabis firm MedMen By James Rufus Koren Former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is joining the board of publicly traded cannabis company MedMen, marking his return to the business world following a resounding defeat in Junes Democratic gubernatorial primary. MedMen, a Culver City company that operates high-end cannabis shops in California, Nevada and New York and has aggressive expansion plans, announced Villaraigosas appointment Wednesday morning. Villaraigosa adds political and governmental experience to a board made up of branding, entertainment and accounting executives. Other recent additions to the companys board include Stacey Hallerman, a former executive at the conglomerate that owns luxury brands Montblanc and Cartier, and Jay Brown, the chief executive of of RocNation, the entertainment company co-founded by Shawn Jay Z Carter. Read More Facebook

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Newport man accused of operating illegal marijuana dispensary in Costa Mesa By Luke Money A Newport Beach man is accused of operating an illegal marijuana dispensary in Costa Mesa, according to authorities. Omid Delkash, 47, was charged Monday with four misdemeanor counts of unlawful transportation, sale and furnishing of marijuana. He pleaded not guilty and is in custody at Orange County Jail, records show. He is scheduled to appear in court Friday for a pretrial hearing. Costa Mesa law prohibits the retail sale of marijuana or marijuana products anywhere in the city. Read More Facebook

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California lawmakers want the state to collect data on drivers under the influence of pot By Patrick McGreevy After she was injured in a car accident allegedly caused by a driver impaired by pot, state Controller Betty Yee is backing a bill approved Monday by the Legislature that aims to begin addressing the problem of drugged driving on California roads. The measure sent to Gov. Jerry Brown would require the California Highway Patrol to report on how many motorists stopped for impaired driving are allegedly under the influence of marijuana. Its what other states have done  like Colorado and Washington  to at least start collecting state-level data, Yee said. They just want to understand the extent of cannabis-impaired driving. Read More Facebook

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Marijuana use is rising among pregnant patients. Not so fast, doctors warn By Jenny Gold Marijuana may be losing its image as a dangerous drug, but mounting research suggests women should steer clear of it if they are pregnant or breastfeeding, according to new recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The advice comes as more than half of the states, including California, have legalized marijuana for medical or recreational use. Growing acceptance of the drug has made it seem harmless, or even beneficial. As a result, doctors fret that more and more babies are being exposed to the drug. The march toward legalization has outpaced scientific research about marijuanas health effects. Because it is a Schedule 1 drug  one with potential for abuse and no approved medical use  studies have been limited by federal law. Read More Facebook

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Mormon Church ramps up opposition to medical marijuana effort in Utah, speaking out publicly By Kurtis Lee The Mormon Church has played a quiet role in the fight against an effort to legalize medical marijuana in Utah, releasing measured statements and helping to bankroll lawsuits. But on Thursday, leaders of the powerful Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came out from behind the scenes. We are deeply concerned by the history of other states that have allowed medical and recreational use of this drug  and have experienced serious consequences to the health of its citizens, Elder Jack N. Gerard, flanked by politicians, medical professionals and other church leaders, said at a news conference at the state Capitol. Read More Facebook

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California lawmakers move to help expunge pot-related convictions California lawmakers voted Wednesday to ease the process for clearing the records of those convicted in the past of marijuana offenses. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) With recreational marijuana legalized by the states voters, Californians with past convictions for cannabis-related offenses would get state help in expunging their records under a bill sent by lawmakers to the governor on Wednesday. Proposition 64, which state voters approved in 2016, legalized the sale and use of marijuana for recreational use and permitted those with past convictions for the activity to petition the courts to clear their records. But state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) told his colleagues Wednesday that the process is complicated, and many with pot convictions do not know about the opportunity. Read More Facebook

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By next year, you can buy medical marijuana in Hawaii, but youll still have to jump through some hoops By Jay Jones Out-of-state medical marijuana users next year will be able to buy cannabis products at dispensaries in Hawaii. The only hitches: Visitors will need to apply online and pay $45 (plus a $4.50 processing fee) for a temporary Hawaii medical marijuana card thats valid for 60 days. Weve been fielding a lot of calls daily about reciprocity, said George Bullock, director of the Cure Oahu marijuana dispensary in Waikiki. We really look forward to being able to serve them in the future. The Hawaii Department of Health plans to allow medical marijuana cardholders from other states to make purchases at dispensaries on Oahu, Maui and Kauai. But state officials are not using the word reciprocity because those out-of-state cards wont work. Read More Facebook

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Teen sold weed from her bedroom, with her parents as suppliers, Merced County officials say By Joseph Serna A teenage girl who sold marijuana out of her bedroom was using her gun-toting parents as her suppliers, the Merced County Sheriffs Office said. On Friday, deputies served a search warrant on the home of Jose Reyes Martinez, 44, and his wife in Delhi, Calif., where they found 80 pounds of packaged marijuana and a dozen large plants along with two firearms, officials said on Facebook. The packaged weed was found in the master bedroom closet alongside a loaded AK-47, deputies said. A makeshift greenhouse in the backyard held a dozen large plants, authorities said. Read More Facebook

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Newport Beach sues to halt what city calls a marijuana dispensary at Church of the Holy Grail By Hannah Fry Newport Beach officials are asking an Orange County Superior Court judge to block an operation that identifies itself as a church but the city says is a marijuana dispensary violating local law. Brick-and-mortar marijuana dispensaries are prohibited in Newport Beach under municipal code. Cultivation, processing, distribution and delivery of cannabis have been banned in the city since 2016. A civil lawsuit Newport filed June 25 seeks an injunction to forbid the organization known as Church of the Holy Grail from operating at 2072 Bristol St. It isnt clear how long it has been operating, though the lawsuit states the location has been running without a business license since at least Jan. 24. Read More Facebook

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Proposal to create state-chartered banks for California marijuana industry fails to advance Virgil Grant arranges containers of various strains of medical marijuana in a display case at a dispensary he runs in Los Angeles. (Frederic J. Brown / AFP/Getty Images) California lawmakers on Thursday shelved a proposal to allow the state to license private banks to handle the billions of dollars expected to be generated by the states legal marijuana industry amid questions about the plans feasibility. Voters approved Proposition 64 in 2016 to legalize growing, possessing and selling marijuana for recreational use, but newly licensed pot shops and farms say they cannot put their money in federally chartered banks because cannabis remains illegal under federal law. Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Los Angeles) proposed that the state could license special privately financed banks that would issue checks to the businesses to pay rent and state and local taxes and fees, and to compensate vendors for goods and services provided to their businesses. Read More Facebook

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Parent of Corona beer bets $3.8 billion on U.S. love of marijuana By Bloomberg Constellation Brands Inc., which for seven decades has made its money off beer, wine and whiskey, sees its future in a marijuana leaf. In the biggest (legal) marijuana deal, the Victor, N.Y., beverage company will spend about $3.8 billion to boost its stake in Canadian grower Canopy Growth Corp., betting legalization will gain traction around the world and especially in the United States. This is rocket fuel, Canopy Chief Executive Bruce Linton said on the companys earnings call Wednesday. Were going to be way more global. Read More Facebook

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Marijuana is not really legal in California if residents dont have a reasonable way to buy it By The Times Editorial Board California law allows adults to buy marijuana. It allows licensed businesses to deliver marijuana to customers, and it says specifically that cities and counties cannot prevent delivery services from traveling on public roads. Yet even though cities cant stop deliveries traveling through their jurisdiction, many cities currently ban deliveries to their jurisdiction. That means that unlike deliveries of virtually every other legal, adult-use product  including alcohol and cigarettes, which can be ordered over the internet in California  marijuana deliveries are barred. The practical effect is that residents in some places have little to no access to legal medical or recreational cannabis products because of local regulations  which seems contrary to the intent of Proposition 64. Roughly half of Californians live in cities or counties that prohibit marijuana stores and delivery services form opening in their jurisdictions. An analysis by the Sacramento Bee earlier this year found residents in 40% of the state had to drive 60 miles or more to find a licensed dispensary to buy legal marijuana  medical or recreational. Read More Facebook

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California cities oppose plan to allow pot delivery in areas where sales are banned California cities are objecting to changes in the states rules on marijuana that they say undermine local control. (Mathew Sumner / Associated Press) California cities on Monday objected to a state proposal that would allow marijuana delivery to homes in areas where storefront pot sales have been banned locally. The changes, which are being considered by the state Bureau of Cannabis Control, will undermine a citys ability to effectively regulate cannabis at the local level, Charles Harvey, a legislative representative for the League of California Cities, said in a letter to the bureau. The cities group, which represents the states 482 municipalities, supports other changes to clarify the rules of Proposition 64, which was approved by voters in 2016 and allows the growing and sale of marijuana for recreational use. Read More Facebook

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Cypress Hills B-Real set to open a Sylmar dispensary, as Cannary West takes flight Saturday By Adam Tschorn B-Real, from left, Kenji Fujishima and Rojo Desantis in front of the soon-to-open Dr. Greenthumbs dispensary in Sylmar. (Dr. Greenthumbs) Rapper and marijuana entrepreneur Louis Freese, better known as Cypress Hill frontman B-Real, plans to celebrate the grand opening of his flagship dispensary in Sylmar with a day-long bash next Wednesday. Called Dr. Greenthumbs  a name music fans will recognize as the title of a 1998 Cypress Hill song  the Foothill Boulevard dispensary will be heavy on strains from B-Reals Insane brand of cannabis as well his Phuncky Feel Tips product line (glass tips designed to fit the business end of a hand-rolled joint). It will also serve as the home base for the rappers online BReal.TV network. According to todays announcement, the Wednesday event will be open to the public (though youll need to be at least 21  or 18 with a medical marijuana card) and feature a line-up of BRealTVs DJs as well as a slew of surprise guests [making] appearances throughout the day. A second Dr. Greenthumbs is expected to open in Cathedral City later this year. Dr. Greenthumbs grand-opening party, Aug. 15 from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., 12751 Foothill Blvd., Sylmar (just west of the 210 freeway between Arroyo and Vaughn streets). Cannary West In other dispensary-opening news, a rebooted and relocated Cannary West (this version by the folks behind the stylish, upscale Venice Blvd. dispensary the Pottery), officially opens its doors Saturday. Although parts of the space in the Rancho Park neighborhood are still under construction, its only because plans include adding sustainable on-site cultivation (a process also underway at the Pottery), it does already have one of Los Angeles real estates most enviable features  a dedicated off-street parking lot for customers around back. To mark the grand opening, the first 200 customers who spend $30 or more after the dispensary opens for business at 10 a.m. will receive a little something special for their efforts. Cannary West, grand opening, Aug. 11 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., 2435 Military Avenue, Los Angeles (just south of Pico and two blocks east of Sepulveda). Facebook

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As budget remedies, Huntington Beach may explore marijuana-related revenue and boosting fines for illegal short-term rentals By Priscella Vega With general-fund revenue increases projected to taper off in coming years, the Huntington Beach Finance Commission this week recommended several potential budget-tightening and revenue-generating solutions. Among them are increasing fines for illegal short-term rentals, reducing city staff and exploring opportunities for marijuana-related revenue. Some recommendations will be unpopular with employees, but at the same time we hope they realize implementing some recommendations may make funding available for salary increases, Finance Commission Chairman Nouha Hreish told the City Council during a study session Monday. Read More Facebook

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High Times rolls out new online video network By Adam Tschorn High Times, which launched as a print magazine in 1974, has added a streaming video service to its offerings. (High Times TV) Los Angeles-based cannabis media brand High Times, which launched as a print magazine in 1974, has added a streaming video service to its offerings. Announced Thursday, the ad-supported web channel High Times TV is both a showcase for the brands own content (behind-the-scenes videos from its Cannabis Cup events, for example, and how-to videos for ganja guacamole) as well as a platform for an assortment of independent cannabis-content creators like the Stoner Mom (a Colorado mother with a family of six who focuses on living a responsible cannabis lifestyle), StrainCentral (a strain review site founded by Joshua Young) and That High Couple (Hollywood-based couple Alice and Clark who chronicle their THC-infused life via social media). While High Times newest venture is hardly a unique move- there isnt a legacy media brand out there that isnt trying to capitalize on streaming video  it could end up being a lifeline for the independents in the stoner space who have seen their traditional social media channels (particularly YouTube) threatened, restricted or suspended in a cannabis-content crackdown that began earlier this year. High Times TV is now available as an app on Android, Roku and Apple TV as well as online at tv.hightimes.com. Facebook

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Newport Beach lawsuit seeks to ban marijuana business that operated in residential neighborhoods By Hannah Fry Newport Beach officials are asking an Orange County Superior Court judge to block a marijuana business from operating in two homes in violation of city law. A civil lawsuit filed May 4 seeks an injunction to forbid the business  known as OC Healing House, Bud Man OC and Bud Man Newport Beach  from operating at a home on Drakes Bay Drive in Corona del Mar and a home on Promontory Drive in Newports Promontory Point community. The city attorneys office says the business was using the homes for marijuana delivery and distribution. The lawsuit calls the business a public nuisance. Read More Facebook

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Marijuana is a gift from God. A battle over pot pits the Mormon Church against an unlikely group: other Mormons By Kurtis Lee Brian Stoll faced a dilemma as his wedding day approached. For more than a year, he had been smoking marijuana to treat severe back pain, but to remain in good standing with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and get married in the temple, he had to stop using pot. Since marijuana was illegal under Utah law, church leaders told him, it was forbidden. Stoll turned to an opioid painkiller and has continued using it since his marriage three years ago, despite unpleasant side effects and its inability to match the soothing qualities of marijuana. This was devastating ... I had to choose between my health and my fiancee, Stoll said recently. It seemed asinine that if I lived in another state, I wouldnt have to make such a difficult decision. Read More Facebook

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Roommates were unaware of drug lab operation in Glendale home, police say By Andy Nguyen Authorities arrested a man on Friday suspected of operating an illegal butane honey-oil lab out of a Glendale home. John Kelly, 52, was taken into custody after the Glendale Police Department received a tip about the suspected manufacturing operation in the 1400 block of Randall Street. The information was derived from an ongoing narcotics investigation, according to Sgt. Dan Suttles, a spokesman for the department. Butane honey oil is a type of concentrated cannabis product made when marijuana is soaked in butane in order to extract the plants essential oils. The process can lead to explosions if the butane gas builds up in an enclosed area and ignites from a spark. Read More Facebook

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Rams guard Jamon Brown says marijuana is reason for suspension By Gary Klein Rams starting right guard Jamon Brown, suspended for the first two games of the season for violating the NFLs substance-abuse policy, said Thursday that the suspension stemmed from a 2017 incident in Kentucky that involved marijuana. Brown still worked with the first-team offense Thursday as the Rams held their first training camp practice at UC Irvine. Brown, a fourth-year pro from Louisville, said that before last season he was pulled over for speeding and that police found marijuana in the car. Read More Facebook

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Democrats still havent figured out that legal weed is a winning issue By Tom Angell Every Democratic U.S. senator rumored to be considering a 2020 presidential run supports marijuana legalization. So do 77% of Democratic voters. The partys 2016 national platform backs states rights on cannabis and calls for a reasoned pathway for future legalization. So why is the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee  the entity charged with winning back control of the U.S. House  attacking a Republican congressman over his support for marijuana reform? And why is it citing a right-wing magazine to make the case? Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) has a cult-like fixation on marijuana, said a National Review article excerpt the Democratic committee highlighted in a tweet posted Monday. The party organ said the GOP congressmans cannabis advocacy is one reason why [Democratic nominee] @HarleyRouda needs your help flipping this seat...from #RedToBlue. Read More Facebook

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They worked at Apple, Amazon and Lyft. Now theyre working to get you stoned By Tracey Lien For much of her career, Natasha Pecor followed a path well-worn by tech workers. She built her reputation with her first employer in the industry, earning the title head of platform at Yelp. Then she jumped to one of the giants, Amazon, where she worked as a product manager. Most recently she parlayed that experience into a leadership role at a smaller start-up  a common move among techies willing to take a risk for a new challenge and perhaps a big payday. But this start-up wasnt exactly a tech company. Read More Facebook

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Fountain Valley man sentenced to life in prison in kidnapping and torture of marijuana dispensary owner By Hannah Fry A Fountain Valley man was sentenced Friday to spend the rest of his life behind bars for kidnapping a medical marijuana dispensary owner and his roommate in 2012 and torturing the dispensary owner as part of a plot to extort money. Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregg Prickett gave Kyle Shirakawa Handley, 39, the maximum sentence of life in state prison. A Superior Court jury in January swiftly found Handley guilty of of kidnapping, aggravated mayhem and torture, all felonies. Prosecutors contended that Handley, a marijuana grower who supplied the victims dispensary, and three other defendants kidnapped the man and his female roommate from their 25th Street home on the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach on Oct. 2, 2012. Read More Facebook

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More California kids are having pot-related health scares, poison control officials warn By Patrick McGreevy State and local officials say they are alarmed by a spike in calls they have received to report children and teenagers ingesting marijuana products since California legalized cannabis for recreational use by adults in 2016. The number of calls to poison control centers involving people 19 and younger who were exposed to marijuana has steadily risen from 347 three years ago to 588 last year. In the first six months of this year, there have been 386 calls to poison control centers involving marijuana exposure by underage people. If that trend continues, there could be more than double the reports in 2018 as there were 2015. Nearly half of the calls received last year  256  involved children 5 and younger, including 38 children under 12 months old, and 64 toddlers who were a year old, according to Stuart E. Heard, executive director of the California Poison Control System. Read More Facebook

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With marijuana legal, California flooded with dubious health claims about the drug By Gary Robbins Spend a few minutes surfing Twitter and youre likely to encounter a startling claim that comes without proof: Cannabis cures cancer. The online world is awash with such posts, startling scientists and physicians who are urging weeds proselytizers to tap the brakes. Read More Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown appoints members to new cannabis permit appeals panel Marijuana on display at the Harborside dispensary in Oakland. (Mathew Sumner / Associated Press) Six months after California began licensing growing and selling marijuana, Gov. Jerry Brown on July 3 appointed the first members of a new Cannabis Control Appeals Panel to consider objections from those denied permits or those facing penalties for violating regulations. The governor gets to name three of the five members of the panel and appointed county prosecutor Sabrina D. Ashjian of Fresno, college lecturer Diandra Bremond of Los Angeles, and a staff attorney for the governor, Adrian Carpenter of Plumas Lake. The other two appointments will be made by the Senate Rules Committee and the speaker of the Assembly. Read More Facebook

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Federal law? State law? Which takes precedence when you want to travel with cannabis? By Catharine Hamm You cant take it with you. Actually, you can. But its not a good idea when youre traveling, especially for the risk-averse. We speak, of course, of cannabis; its use was approved by 57% of California voters in November 2016. Proposition 64, known as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, allows the recreational use of marijuana in the Golden State; medical marijuana had been legal for about a decade before that. Legal, it should be noted, in California. Not legal according to federal law, although President Trump has signaled his willingness to support legislation that, according to an L.A. Times article, would end the federal ban on marijuana. Read More Facebook

TwitArt lovers and royal-watchers can catch a double dose of their favorite pastimes in San Antonio next week.

The king and queen of Spain are scheduled to visit June 16 to 18 as part of a year-long celebration of the citys tricentennial celebration, SA300. Their packed itinerary includes opening two major art exhibits and getting acquainted with the city and its historic sites.

One of the exhibits, Spain: 500 Years of Spanish Painting From the Museums of Madrid, includes art never before seen in the United States. The exhibit will run through Sept. 16 at the San Antonio Museum of Art and feature artists such as El Greco, Velazquez and Goya.

The art ranges from devotional works that demonstrate the dominance of the Catholic Church at the end of the Middle Ages to cosmopolitan paintings from the dawn of the twentieth century, said William Keyse Rudolph, chief curator, on the museums website.

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The exhibit is a coup for the city, because the paintings will be seen only in San Antonio before returning to Madrid.

This will be the first visit to the city for King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Before heading to San Antonio, they are scheduled to visit New Orleans, which also is celebrating its 300th anniversary this year.

While in San Antonio, the royals will tour sites that reflect the regions shared history with Spain, which dates back to the citys founding by families from Spains Canary Islands.

Included in the tour will be the Spanish Governors Palace and Mission San Jose, a UNESCO World Site that includes San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, which is made up of five missions, including the famous 1836 battleground, the Alamo.

In addition to opening the art exhibit, the king and queen will inaugurate Designing America: Spains Imprint in the U.S., an interactive exhibition that explores Spains architectural and cultural legacy in the U.S. It will open to the public June 18.

Info: San Antonio 300

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@latimestravelSpago Las Vegas has moved to the Bellagio, where diners now overlook the hotels famed dancing fountains. The new location fulfills a longtime dream for L.A.-based chef Wolfgang Puck, who always wanted a Vegas site with a view.

Spago reopened at the beginning of June, about four months after Puck closed the Forum Shops location at Caesars Palace, which he had operated for 26 years.

Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck chats with lunchtime guests at his new location at Bellagio. (Jay Jones )

The new site had been occupied by Todd English Olives until it was closed early this year. It overlooks what are formally known as the Fountains of Bellagio.

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The location is one Puck envied even before Bellagio opened in 1998. His negotiations with then-owner Steve Wynn fell apart over who would have ultimate control.

I think this [site] is as good as it gets, Puck said. With the fountains coming up every 15 or 20 minutes at night when its lit up, its amazing. You feel like youre in the heart of Las Vegas. I think its the perfect location.

Long popular with Spago guests, Weiner schnitzel remains on the menu at the new Las Vegas location. (Jay Jones )

The menu retains some of what Puck called traditional dishes, those which have been longtime favorites in Vegas and at the flagship Spago Beverly Hills, which opened in 1982.

Familiar menu offerings include smoked salmon pizza with caviar ($33) and Weiner schnitzel ($42), a dish Puck said his mother regularly prepared for Sunday dinner when he was growing up in Austria.

The baby beet salad at Spago Las Vegas is finished with colorful flowers. (Jay Jones )

Given that not much grows in the Southern Nevada desert, the celebrity chef relies on the Santa Monica Farmers Market for produce used to create plates worthy of being called works of art. A prime example is the baby beets appetizer ($20), crafted with marinated feta cheese, citrus yogurt and edible flowers.

We are very adaptive to what mood youre in, Puck said. If we have good hospitality and really good food, I think well be very successful in the long run.

Info: Spago Las Vegas

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@latimestravelNorth Korea made clear Wednesday it viewed the commitments that President Trump and ruler Kim Jong Un made about denuclearization and sanctions during their summit in strikingly different terms than the White House, suggesting trouble going forward.

After the two leaders signed a joint statement Tuesday that said North Korea would work toward denuclearization, the countrys official media said that Trump and Kim had the shared recognition that the process would be step-by-step and simultaneous action, language not in the leaders statement.



For the record: An early version of this story incorrectly said President Trump turns 74 on Thursday. He will be 72.

The Korean Central News Agency report repeated North Koreas position that denuclearization must involve the entire Korean peninsula, and not just the northern half. It also emphasized that the U.S. would lift sanctions as part of the process, although the official statement does not mention sanctions.

Trump and Kim met for nearly 40 minutes in private, with only interpreters in the room, at the start of their summit on Singapores Sentosa Island. Other aides and official note-takers were kept out, so its impossible to know if the difference in interpretation or emphasis emerged from that discussion.

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Adding to the confusion, the leaders vaguely worded joint statement contained no concrete plan or timeline for nuclear disarmament, or even a definition of what denuclearization would entail.

After the summit had concluded, Trump told reporters in a 65-minute news conference that he had agreed to North Koreas longtime demands to stop military exercises with South Korea. The war games have been a mainstay of the U.S. alliance with Seoul for decades.

Trump said halting the drills  which also was not mentioned in the official statement  would save a lot of money, and he called them provocative, the complaint North Korea has often made. He also said he hopes eventually to withdraw about 32,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, although not as part of the current agreement with Kim.

In only the second full solo news conference of his presidency, Trump said that he had been awake for 25 hours  he turns 72 on Thursday  and that he was bullish about his day of diplomacy with the young autocrat from Pyongyang.

He lavished praise on Kim as a great talent, denied concerns about treating him as an equal and painted a rosy picture of North Koreas potential future  one laid out in a bizarre, propaganda-style video that the White House had prepared for the North Korean leader.

Asked why he trusted a ruler who had murdered family members and jailed thousands of political prisoners, Trump lauded Kim for taking over the regime at age 26, when his father died in 2011, and being able to run it, and run it tough.

While Trump repeatedly portrayed his two-page agreement with Kim as comprehensive, it contained little new except a commitment by both sides to continue diplomatic engagement, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo leading the U.S. side in future talks.

That is no small achievement considering that the two leaders were threatening each other with nuclear war last summer. But it was far less than the ambitious arms control deal Trump hoped to gain when he agreed to the summit in March.

The document instead reiterated the same vague North Korean commitment to denuclearize that Kim made after he met South Koreas president in April, but it offered no specifics of how or when any disarmament might take place.

We will do it as fast as it can mechanically and physically be done, Trump said, adding it would take a long time to wind down the nuclear weapons program. Until recently, Trump had demanded Pyongyang quickly dismantle its vast nuclear infrastructure.

A person familiar with the working-level talks that set the final stage for Tuesdays summit said the U.S. team had pushed for a commitment from Kim to denuclearize by 2020, when the next U.S. presidential election will be underway.

North Koreas representatives balked at the demand for a deadline, the person said.

The signed agreement, which was released by the White House, says North Korea will work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. It does not offer the pledge of complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization that Pompeo had insisted was the U.S. objective.

A verifiable and permanent disarmament agreement would require North Korea to let international inspectors in to collect records, monitor sites and ensure it does not cheat. Pyongyang expelled United Nations nuclear inspectors nearly a decade ago and Tuesdays agreement does not mention bringing them back.

The agreement was weaker than the pledge North Korea made in 2005, during an ultimately unsuccessful bout of nuclear diplomacy, when it committed itself to abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs.

The regime instead tested its first nuclear device the following year. It has conducted five underground tests since then, most recently in September. It is believed to have assembled at least two dozen warheads.

In a largely symbolic U.S. gain, North Korea committed itself to the immediate repatriation of any remains it had identified of U.S. soldiers and prisoners of war from the Korean War, which ended 65 years ago. Trump said families had implored him for help on that painful issue.

Tuesdays agreement does not mention North Koreas gruesome record of human rights abuses, including a vast internal gulag of prison camps. Asked if he had raised the problem with Kim, Trump said they had discussed it relatively briefly because their talks chiefly focused on nuclear weapons.

He suggested that human rights in North Korea, which the U.N. has accused of systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations, did not differ greatly from other nations.

I believe its a rough situation over there, theres no question about it, he said. Its rough in a lot of places by the way.

But Trump suggested that negative publicity about the death last year of Otto Warmbier, a college student from Ohio who was returned home in a coma from a North Korean prison, had helped pave the way for the diplomatic thaw.

Otto did not die in vain, Trump said. He had a lot to do with us being here today.

Trump denied that he was lending legitimacy to the oppressive leader of a long-marginalized regime by standing shoulder to shoulder with him. He said sitting at the table with Kim wasnt a concession.

Ill do whatever it takes to make the world a safer place, he said. All I can say is they want to make a deal. Thats what I do. My whole life has been deals Im great at it.

In Seoul, South Korean President Moon Jae-in heralded the agreement, saying, It will be recorded as a historic event that has helped break down the last remaining Cold War legacy on Earth.

Moons statement did not address Trumps decision to cancel joint military exercises, a crucial part of the close military alliance that emerged from the 1950-53 Korean War. The exercises involve live-fire drills, bomber flyovers, computer simulations and other operations.

It was not clear if Trump had told Moon of his decision. A defense ministry spokesman said officials were still seeking the exact meaning and intention about the exercises, South Korean media reported.

Independent analysts praised the continued diplomacy with North Korea but most found little to like in the agreement and Trumps concession on military exercises.

It doesnt say anything, Joseph Yun, a former senior U.S. diplomat and special representative for North Korea policy, said on CNN.

Olivia Enos, a policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think tank, said the decision to suspend military exercises was concerning because they help project U.S. strength in the region.

The joint military exercises  is about more than just countering the North Korean threat, she said.

Ellen Tauscher, a former member of Congress from California who served as undersecretary of State for arms control in the Obama administration, tweeted that Trump was conned by Kim.

China has to be thrilled with Kims haul in Singapore, Tauscher said. She said Trump had agreed to end valuable military exercises in exchange for promises by a lying despot of denuclearization in [a] bilateral, unverifiable agreement.

Abraham M. Denmark, former deputy assistant secretary of Defense for East Asia, said Trump gave up the exercises for little new and nothing in return.

Kim got a huge propaganda win and a metric ton of legitimacy, he said on Twitter. The silver lining is that dialogue will continue, and where there is diplomacy there is hope.

Others also expressed hope. Nuclear disarmament can and will come, if we focus on transforming a relationship that has been deeply hostile, unremittingly hostile, said John Delury, an associate professor at Yonsei University in Seoul and an expert on the Koreas and China.

To convince Kim to eventually give up his nuclear weapons, Trump said he played for him on an iPad a U.S. government-produced video that looked like a Hollywood movie trailer about an action hero.

When a man is presented with a chance that may never be repeated, what will he choose? a narrator said in the video, which was played at the press conference. The world will be watching, listening, anticipating, hoping. Will this leader choose to advance his country ... be the hero of his people?

victoria.kim@latimes.com | Twitter: @vicjkim

UPDATES:

5:45 p.m.: This article was updated with details from North Korean statement.

7:15 a.m.: This article was updated with quotes from analysts.

3:50 a.m.: This article was updated with additional details from the news conference.

3:34 a.m.: This article was updated with additional details from the news conference.

This article was originally published at 2:02 a.m.In the two years since the British electorate voted to leave the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May has faced challenge after challenge as Britain struggles to determine what its future will look like.

But this week is likely to rank as one of the most pivotal as she faces the very real possibility of a rebellion within her party as lawmakers vote on a key piece of legislation on Britains EU exit, known as Brexit. Speaking to her Conservative Party colleagues on Monday, May pleaded with them to think deeply before breaking ranks.

Think about the message Parliament will send to the European Union if the government is essentially defeated, she said.

I am trying to negotiate the best deal for Britain. I am confident I can get a deal that allows us to strike our own trade deals while having a border with the EU which is as frictionless as possible, she told lawmakers. But if the Lords amendments are allowed to stand, that negotiating position will be undermined.

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May is referring to more than a dozen amendments that Parliaments upper chamber, the House of Lords, has made to the EU withdrawal bill, which will be debated Tuesday and Wednesday.

The bill would convert most EU laws into United Kingdom laws once Britain formally leaves the bloc, a guarantee the government sees as vital to a successful, smooth Brexit.

The House of Lords, which is overwhelmingly anti Brexit, has inserted 15 amendments that it believes are necessary to make the government adopt a softer negotiating stance that does not see Britain sever all ties with the EU.

For one, it asks May to negotiate a customs union with the EU, something that the prime minister has categorically said she will not do because  in her mind  leaving the EU means leaving the customs union as well.

Another sticking point is whether Parliament would be granted the power to demand that the government resume negotiations with Brussels if the final Brexit deal isnt satisfactory.

The government vehemently opposes such a condition and has repeatedly said it would be willing to leave the EU without any deal at all if the one offered isnt good enough. May is hopeful she can secure enough votes to reverse or at least significantly alter the House of Lords amendments, but her position is weak.

Last years elections unexpectedly wiped out her governments majority and she is dependent on Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist Party to stay in power. Her party is also seemingly intractably divided by Brexit and a number of pro-EU lawmakers have implied they have enough votes to make Mays life very difficult this week, as they push for her to make more concessions in her Brexit strategy or risk a revolt.

Its a bit of a canary in a coal mine, it will serve as a warning, said Anand Menon, professor of European politics and foreign affairs at Kings College London, explaining that how the next few days unfold will be critical to helping the government understand exactly how many rebels it may be facing on future Brexit votes.

So-called Brexiteers are also unhappy with May and reportedly already plotting a leadership challenge. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is widely believed to be one of the first in line, simply waiting for the right moment to try and secure the top job, with some surmising he may even try to make his move before Britain formally leaves the EU in March.

And there is always the risk that the more divided the Conservative Party becomes, the greater chance opposition Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has of becoming prime minister.

Analysts and political pundits will be watching this weeks developments closely  as will Brussels, which has become increasingly frustrated at the infighting and indecision over what Brexit actually means and what it should look like. Just last week, there was a period of a few hours where it appeared as though the U.K.s Brexit secretary, David Davis, was on the verge of resigning.

And over the weekend, it emerged that millionaire businessman Arron Banks, who funded former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farages campaign to leave the European Union, had several meetings with Russian Embassy officials before the June 2016 referendum.

The scale and scope of these meetings are unclear, but a parliamentary committee is seeking to question him.

The clock is also now ticking down to a crucial EU summit at the end of the month where May is hoping to put forward a coherent set of proposals for her governments Brexit policy and present a united front.

Everything is critical now, said Menon, adding that even if lawmakers fall in line over the next few days, the deep fissures that have been exposed are only likely to get worse.

The real implications of this week are going to be visible later on, he added.

Boyle is a special correspondent.Trump says he sees a familiar opportunity in North Korea: real estate

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects the construction site of the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist area. (Korea Central News Agency)

In an hourlong news conference after his summit Tuesday with North Koreas Kim Jong Un, President Trump went off on a tangent near and dear to his heart: beachfront real estate.

Trump said he laid out for Kim a potential prosperous future for the communist nation when foreign investment starts pouring in  but only if it relinquishes nuclear weapons.

Watching U.S. videos of North Koreas recent ballistic missile tests, Trump said, he saw the countrys beautiful coastline and its development potential.

You see that whenever theyre exploding their cannons into the ocean, right? I said, Boy, look at the view. Wouldnt that make a great condo behind? Trump told reporters.

Think of it from a real estate perspective, Trump said he told Kim, who runs an impoverished country where the government owns all the real estate.

North Korea already has in the works a coastal tourist area on its east coast in Wonsan, which is also a missile testing site. The Wonsan-Kalma tourst area is slated for completion in April.

Trump said he tried to get Kim to see that real estate development, not nuclear weapons, offered the path to a promising future.

You know, instead of doing that, you could have the best hotels in the world right there, Trump said he told Kim.

Trump may get the chance to show Kim what he has in mind.

He said he hopes to invite Kim to America at the appropriate time, and he has invited many foreign dignitaries to his Florida golf club and beach resort, Mar-a-Lago.UPDATE: Woman pronounced dead after fire is identified

A woman made it out of an Allentown house struck by fire Tuesday afternoon, but was pronounced dead after she went back inside to try to save a cat, a city fire official said.

The victim was one of three people home when the fire started about 1 p.m. at 101 S. Bradford St. in the city, fire Capt. John Christopher said.

One resident was able to escape without assistance, and firefighters rescued an adult male "rather quickly," Christopher said. The resident who was rescued was taken by Allentown EMS to Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salisbury Township, with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.

It took firefighters about nine minutes to knock down flames enough so that they could access stairs in the rear of the home to the second floor, where the woman was found unresponsive, Christopher said.

Firefighters turned the victim over to EMS, but the Lehigh County Coroner's Office was soon called to respond, according to the fire department.

Her identity, age and cause and manner of death were not immediately available.

"The woman at one point was out of house and evidently went back in for a cat," Christopher said.

Fire officials had arrived to find heavy flames from the rear of the semi-attached home and called in a second alarm to draw additional manpower and equipment, according to Christopher.

"Once we got everyone out, the fire itself was knocked down about 10 minutes after that," he said.

A fourth resident was not home at the time. The fire department did not immediately have information to release on the cat or any other pets affected by the fire.

The heaviest fire was in the rear of the home in the kitchen area, but the point of origin and cause remained under investigation Tuesday afternoon.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.This is a story of the circle of life, fast-casual style.

First, the news you may have been wondering about: What is going on at the old Taco Bell at 3020 Easton Ave. in Bethlehem Township?

It's becoming an Arby's, the property's leasing agent and general contractor said Tuesday.

James Balliet, from Keller Williams Realty, said the owner is shooting to open by the end of July. Construction should be done around the start of the month, said Dean Thomas, superintendent for the contractor, Virginia-based Itek Construction.

Here's where it gets a little weird.

That location used to be a Taco Bell, before the franchise moved in 2016 to a new building at 2585 Easton Ave. in Bethlehem.

The new Taco Bell replaced a building that had been a Checkers and before that, until fall 2012, an Arby's.

So long-story short: The Bethlehem area now has a new Taco Bell and will soon have a new Arby's.

Itek has gutted the place and redone the exterior, raising the height of the building's parapets, Thomas said.

"Very little of it is actually remaining," he said of the original Taco Bell building.

A drive-through is in the works, as is outdoor patio seating.

Construction continues June 12, 2018, on the former Taco Bell at 3020 Easton Ave. in Bethlehem, which is being replaced by an Arby's expected to open in July. (Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com)

The building had been eyed as a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, according to Balliet, but the owners went with Arby's based on area demographics.

Neither the owner nor Arby's parent Inspire Brands could be reached immediately for comment Tuesday.

Arby's has 3,415 locations around the world, in seven countries, including 3,283 domestically across 48 states. There are 138 Arby's locations in Pennsylvania, not counting the new one in Bethlehem Township.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.The Moravian Book Shop is being readied to change hands in coming days, and the newly owned store will be up and running in time for the next school year, according to the shop's board president.

Rick Santee said patrons currently will find a little discombobulation as shelves are moved and things are being changed around. Moravian College in April announced it was buying the nation's longest continuously operating bookstore from the Moravian Church Northern Province.

The shop at 428 Main St. will become the college's primary bookstore and be managed by Barnes & Noble, which currently handles the day-to-day operations of the existing college bookstore in the Haupert Union Building on the north campus.

Historical fixtures, such as five pieces the book shop were loaned from the original Simon Rau Drugstore in the 1950s, were being moved Tuesday afternoon from the bookstore.

The artifacts include four counter-tops and a mahogany bookcase previously used as display counters at the Moravian Book Shop. The drugstore was housed in what is now Musselman Jewelers.

"We are so happy to have these pieces from the Simon Rau Drugstore, which was the oldest continuous drugstore in operation in the U.S. having been founded by the Moravians in 1743, back in our care," said Charlene Donchez-Mowers, president of Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites.

"They were used and appreciated in the Moravian Book Shop for over 50 years and will continue to be used now at several of our historic buildings at Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites," she added.

Donchez-Mowers said two of the counters will be relocated to the historic Single Sisters' House and the mahogany cabinet will be moved to the 1741 Gemeinhaus, also known as the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem, both on West Church Street.

A third counter will go to the 1810 Goundie House and the fourth counter will be placed in the Historic Bethlehem Visitor Center, both in the 500 block of Main Street.

All the artifacts will be used for display at each location, she said.

'Seamless transition'

Santee said things might appear "confusing," but promised the community a seamless transition.

Employees of the store's gift shop said they were told the change of ownership would occur June 18, but Santee said there is no "drop dead" deadline for the transition.

"The transfer of ownership between the Moravian Church Northern Province and Moravian College is underway now," he said. "It's not going to be on one date it's the Moravian Book Shop owned by the Moravian Church Northern Province and the next day owned by Moravian College."

However, he did expect everything in good shape by Musikfest in August and running smoothly in time for the next school year, he said.

Santee said if folks think the new store will resemble a typical Barnes & Noble big box store, they are misinformed. Moravian instead is taking its inspiration from the College of William and Mary's campus bookstore in downtown Williamsburg, Va., in which both are managed by Barnes & Noble, he described.

Asked if a Starbucks or similar coffee chain would be constructed inside Moravian Book Shop, Santee said, "I would be stunned if they put the Starbucks in."

There will be some construction work going on outside the building and renovating in neighboring stores once vacant, Santee said.

What's leaving are both the Colony Meadery and Bone Appetit, a dog bakery and pet shop, next to the Moravian Book Shop. In fact, Bone Appetit already shut its doors earlier this month when its lease expired and had prior plans before the sale to do so, Santee said.

Colony Meadery CEO Greg Heller-LaBelle decided to change the business' location to South Side Bethlehem and not renew his lease, expiring July 31, Santee said. The meadery, however, does plan to sell goods at Musikfest and during the Celtic Classic beyond the lease expiration, he said.

As many of you know, we've been engaged over the last several weeks in conversations with Moravian College, the new... Posted by The Colony Meadery at the Book Shop on Thursday, June 7, 2018

What's staying is Musselman Jewelers, which is continuing its lease and owned by Bethlehem Area Moravians. All three businesses, Santee said, were always independent of the book store.

Asked what might be filling the vacancies left by Colony Meadery and Bone Appetit, Santee expects the college will be looking at a food service. College President Bryon Grigsby previously said the college is working with Barnes & Noble and its food service provider Sodexo to evaluate all current operations.

Moravian culture

Despite sales of 50 to 65 percent off on all chocolates, small gift items and gourmet snacks at Moravian Book Shop on Tuesday, Santee expects some gifts, especially items reflecting Moravian culture, to remain on shelves.

A book shop employee who answered the phone Tuesday no books or Christmas items are on sale.

"Moravian College does not have that (big box retailer) vision," Santee stressed. "They want to be part of the community on the north side. I think people will be pleasantly surprised."

All employees, which include seven full-time and several part-time staffers, of the Moravian Book Shop have been given an opportunity to apply for a position within Barnes & Noble.

Santee said the sale was a way to keep the shop in the family, reflecting the principles of the church. The bookstore is owned by the Ministers' Pension Fund of the Northern Province of the Moravian Church and overseen by the volunteer-appointed board that Santee leads. All shares of the company are held by the church and it exists to financially support the pension fund, Santee said.

"The staff is very loyal and most of the staff understands the realities of the situation," he said. "We are very committed to the ambiance, atmosphere. The alternative was not keeping our little book store and that just wasn't viable. We thought this was the next best thing."

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.A U.S. Supreme Court ruling has cleared the way for states to take a tougher approach to maintaining their voter rolls, but will they?

Ohio plans to resume its process for removing inactive voters after that practice was affirmed in Monday's 5-4 ruling. Ohio takes a particularly aggressive approach that appears to be an outlier among states.

Few appear eager to follow.

"Our law has been on the books. It hasn't changed, and it isn't changing," said Oklahoma Election Board spokesman Bryan Dean.

At issue is when a state begins the process to notify and ultimately remove people from the rolls after a period of non-voting. In most states with similar laws, that process begins after voters miss two or more federal elections.

In Ohio, under the current Republican secretary of state, removing voters starts if voters sit out just one election. They are removed from the rolls if they miss three federal elections over six years and fail to return an address-confirmation card.

In Pennsylvania, the process isn't triggered unless people have failed to vote for five years. The Keystone State has no plans to change that, Department of State spokeswoman Wanda Murren said.

Oklahoma is among the states that send confirmation notices to voters who have failed to cast ballots in two elections. As in most other states, voters who fail to respond are made inactive or taken off the rolls altogether if they don't cast a ballot in subsequent elections.

Opponents of the laws say their intent is to purge people from the rolls, particularly minorities and the poor who tend to vote Democratic. Supporters say voters are given plenty of chances to keep their active status and that the rules adhere to federal law requiring states to maintain accurate voter rolls.

Democrats and voting rights groups have expressed concern that other states will be emboldened by the ruling and adopt more aggressive tactics to kick voters off the rolls. In addition to Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, Georgia, Montana, Oregon and West Virginia have laws similar to Ohio's.

But even Republican-led states where officials are concerned about voter fraud may be wary when it comes to following the Ohio model.

One hurdle is likely to come from local governments, where election administrators would have to deal with disgruntled voters and manage an increase in the number of people placed on inactive voter lists, said Myrna Perez, who has studied voter list practices in her role as deputy director of the Brennan Center's Democracy Program.

"Using one election as an indicator is going to lead to a whole lot of false positives," she said. "There are plenty of states that clean their voter rolls successfully without being as aggressive as Ohio."

West Virginia is more lenient in targeting inactive voters than Ohio. Among other things, it requires counties in the year following a presidential election to mail an address confirmation to people who have not voted in any election during the previous four years.

Julie Archer of the watchdog West Virginia Citizen Action Group said the process appears to be working as it should.

"There is not a need to do something more aggressive," she said.

The controversy over Ohio's law arose from apparently conflicting mandates in the National Voter Registration Act, which became law in 1993. It requires states to maintain accurate voter registration lists but also says they should protect against inadvertently removing properly registered voters.

Ohio has used voters' inactivity to trigger the removal process since 1994. Yet groups representing voters did not sue over the policy until 2016, after Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted tightened the approach of his predecessor, Democrat Jennifer Brunner.

Brunner's policy was to wait for two missed federal elections -- not just one -- before sending the address notification to voters.

The existing system hasn't been drawing complaints, said Ray Murphy, a spokesman for Keystone Votes, a liberal coalition that advocates for changes to Pennsylvania election law. But he said the group will watch the Legislature closely for any signs that lawmakers will want to follow Ohio's more stringent method.

Ballot access is a frequent battleground for Democrats and Republicans, but it's not always a neatly partisan issue.

In Oregon, for example, Republican Secretary of State Dennis Richardson last year expanded the period for removing people from the rolls from five years of non-voting to 10 years.

"A registered voter should not lose their voting rights solely because they haven't participated recently," he said in a written statement following Monday's Supreme Court ruling.A renewed push for legislation to abolish Pennsylvania's statute of limitations in sex abuse cases will follow the publication of a sweeping grand jury report on allegations of child sexual abuse within six Roman Catholic dioceses around the state, a lawmaker said Tuesday.

Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, said he will be prepared to seek a vote in the state House of Representatives on legislation that carries provisions sought by victims.

The House two years ago overwhelmingly approved Rozzi's legislation to lift time limits for authorities to pursue charges of child sexual abuse and for those onetime child victims to sue their attackers and institutions that covered it up. Rozzi's bill also would have created a two-year window for victims to sue for damages if they are now older than the current legal age limit.

Currently, state law bars onetime-child victims from suing for damages if they have turned 30 and it bars authorities from filing criminal charges if the person making the claim of child sexual abuse has turned 50.

The Senate, however, rejected key provisions, including the two-year window. Rozzi, who has told of his own rape as a 13-year-old boy by a Roman Catholic priest, said he is hoping the grand jury's report changes enough minds for his bill to pass the Senate this time around.

"My instinct was if we really want to get what we need here, the public policy that we believe is best for victims, we have to wait for this report to come out and that's going to give us that leverage to not only move his bill through the House, but to put enough pressure" on Senate leaders, Rozzi said.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro could release results of the two-year investigation later this month. Victim advocates say it will be the biggest and most exhaustive ever by a state.

A grand jury judge, in an 11-page opinion last week in which he rejected a challenge to releasing the grand jury report, said it will carry recommendations to change state laws.

The investigation involves the Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Scranton dioceses.

Previously released grand jury reports from investigations into the other two Pennsylvania dioceses -- Philadelphia and Altoona-Johnstown -- have advocated lifting the statutes of limitations and allowing a two-year window.

The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference and the Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania, which represents for-profit insurers, have opposed allowing a two-year window.

Other states have taken such a step, although some state senators say they believe it to be unconstitutional in Pennsylvania. Advocates say they believe it is constitutional and that courts should be the final judge.

The Senate most recently voted last year to eliminate the statute of limitations in criminal prosecutions. The bill also would remove any time limit for a future victim or a victim who is not yet 30 years old to sue the perpetrator, a co-conspirator or someone who knew of the abuse but failed to report it to authorities.

The Senate bill, however, would not entirely do away with time limits for a victim to sue an institution, such as a church or a school. It caps the victim's age at 50.

Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.About 18 months from now, the St. Luke's University Health Network campus in Bethlehem Township will be bigger.

A lot bigger.

The health system's leaders and employees joined local leaders Tuesday at the hospital, known as St. Luke's Anderson Campus, to break ground on an expansion that will double the size of the current hospital there.

The planned 180,000-square-foot extension, called the Women and Babies Pavilion, will include a labor and delivery unit and a medical/surgical unit. The facility will also have 32 post-partum rooms, a bassinet nursery for 16 little ones and a total of 27 neonatal intensive care rooms.

"This was designed with the patient's whole experience in mind," said Edward Nawrocki, president of St. Luke's Anderson Campus.

The $80 million expansion will be connected to the existing hospital via an underground tunnel.

At the event, St. Luke's OB/GYN Program Director Elizabeth Dierking told the crowd that she delivered her youngest daughter at a hospital in the network, marking the third generation of babies born in her husband's family at St. Luke's.

Emily McAtee, now 4 years old, was born at St. Luke's University Hospital in Fountain Hill, her mother said. Two people Dierking worked with were took care of her, including one resident who's now with St. Luke's full-time.

"It was amazing, to have that kind of a connection already. To entrust that process to someone you know, it's really special," Dierking said.

Emily's father and paternal grandmother were also born at St. Luke's hospitals.

The groundbreaking where Dierking shared her story comes a month after St. Luke's broke ground on a $100 million hospital in the Quakertown, Bucks County, area.

St. Luke's leaders break ground on the expansion of its Bethlehem Township hospital on June 12, 2018.

Both facilities are being built with American steel. That's the way Rick Anderson, the health network's CEO and president, wanted it.

"It costs more, but it's better," Anderson said Tuesday.

"It's the patriotic thing to do," added Vice President Lee Levicoff. "We get the most value for our dollar by keeping the money in the United States."

When completed, the expansion will have a staff of about 1,000, and 200 new permanent jobs will be created. About 350 construction workers will build the expansion.

Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

After the high-profile suicides last week of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade, the Northampton County executive wants local residents to know there are places to go for help if you or a loved one is grappling with mental illness.

Fifty-three Northampton County residents committed suicide in 2017, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure said in a news release Tuesday.

In the first three months of this year, 21 county residents took their own lives, the release says.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a 34 percent increase in suicides in Pennsylvania from 1999 to 2016.

The Northampton County Human Services Department and Coroner's Office, with a private-practice psychiatrist, are forming a task force to study suicide and come up with an action plan to address pre- and post-suicide care, the release says.

Factors often linked to suicide are relationship problems or loss, substance abuse, physical health problems and stress related to work, money, legal trouble or housing, the release says.

Spade, a handbag designer, died June 5 in New York. Bourdain, a celebrity chef and TV host, died June 8 in France.

GET HELP

Local suicide prevention resources include:

The Northampton County Emergency Services Crisis Line, 610-252-9060, which is available 24/7.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's

The National Alliance on Mental Illness

Other resources include

The

The Crisis Text Line, a confidential text message service for people in crisis. It is free and available 24/7. Text HOME to 741741 in the United States.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Ohio's system of checking up on absent voters and purging them from registration rolls after three inactive federal elections is permissible, and doesn't vote federal voting laws.

The issue has sharply divided those who believe such laws are a good way to uphold election integrity, and those who view them as deliberate attempts to disenfranchise people, especially poor and minority voters.

Here's how the Ohio system works, as reported by The Atlantic: If a voter misses a federal election, the voter is flagged as possibly having moved. The state then sends a postcard asking the voter to return it if he or she is still eligible at the old address. If the voter returns the card, that's it. But if not, the name stays flagged -- and if the voter then does not vote in either of the next two federal elections, the voter's name is purged.

Specifically, the high court looked at whether the Ohio law clashed with two federal statutes, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and the Help America Vote Act of 2002.

Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito said, "We have no authority to second-guess Congress or to decide whether Ohio's supplemental process is the ideal method for keeping its voting rolls up to date."

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, arguing for the minority, said the court's conservatives ignored Congress' intent to combat voter suppression in the National Voter Registration Act. She said the Ohio law punishes voters who may have reasons for missing elections.

A handful of other states, including Pennsylvania, have similar laws.

What do you think? Are laws such as Ohio's a reasonable way to maintain voter registration records? Do they unfairly target those who don't vote in every federal election? Have a say in our informal poll, and feel free to join the discussion in the comment section.After two years, we don't officially know what caused a house to explode in Phillipsburg.

But we do know now that the matter is still the subject of an open criminal investigation.

We know that because the Warren County Prosecutor's Office has refused a request by lehighvalleylive.com for records pertaining to the case.

The request, filed ahead of this month's two-year anniversary, sought police reports from the scene, any documentation of a confirmed or suspected cause of the blast and interview transcripts, particularly with the tenant of the apartment where the explosion originated.

In its response, the prosecutor's office cited exceptions to New Jersey's open records law, saying "the criminal investigation is still ongoing, which ... would preclude disclosure at this time."

The building at 74-76 Filmore St. in Phillipsburg exploded on June 4, 2016, sending debris -- and the tenant of the apartment identified as the source of the blast -- flying across the street. The tenant, Clay Metzger, suffered burns over half his body but later recovered.

In the months following the explosion, investigators said that an interview with Metzger, who was hospitalized and couldn't speak for a time, was key to solving the mystery. He spoke with lehighvalleylive.com for the first anniversary of the explosion, marking his first public comments on the incident. It was not clear Tuesday if law enforcement also interviewed him.

Both Metzger and Phillipsburg's mayor have blamed a faulty gas connection inside the home -- though, again, no cause has officially been confirmed. Metzger last year said he recalled through fuzzy memories a gas stove with broken knobs -- he cooked by switching the wall valve on and off. Neighbors said he often complained about the stove.

Elizabethtown Gas has affirmed over the last two years that its service line and meter outside the house were functioning properly.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.Stock Market News

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FTSE 250 movers: IMI lifted by broker note; Domino's not so tasty as CFO departs 12-06-2018 15:07



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IMI offers 'best entry point in eight years', says Morgan Stanley 12-06-2018 11:20



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Massawa feasibility study nearing finalisation, says Randgold 12-06-2018 08:37



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Ted Baker sales rise despite unseasonal weather, challenging conditions 12-06-2018 07:39



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Trump and Kim sign historic statement at Singapore summit 12-06-2018 08:47



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Tuesday broker round-up 12-06-2018 14:11



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Tuesday newspaper round-up: Singapore, Brexit dealing, NHS, WPP 12-06-2018 06:57



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US small business sentiment at second-highest level on record 12-06-2018 11:16



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Workspace granted planning permission at two London sites 12-06-2018 08:43



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WPP faces potential class action suit following Sorrell's hushed-up exit 12-06-2018 08:49



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Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales said she would be unable to investigate and file charges against those involved in the third batch of pork barrel scam suspects before she retires in July because of her heavy caseload. Unfortunately, given the volume of cases that the office is handling, I am afraid we may not be able to finish all PDAF cases, she said, referring to allegations of the misuse of pork barrel, official known as Priority Development Assistance Fund. Morales said there are over 6,000 docketed cases as of Dec. 31 last year, and said the heavy workload was overpowering. The next Ombudsman must immediately act on the pending cases and prioritize those involving the PDAF, the Disbursement Acceleration Program, and the P900-million Malampaya fund scams. She maintained there was no selective justice when the Ombudsman found probable cause to indict former opposition senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon Revilla Jr., and Jinggoy Estrada and charge them for their involvement in the P10-billion PDAF scam allegedly orchestrated by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles. Why were these cases prioritized? First, they are high-profile cases. Second and more importantly, youd recall that Napoles executed an affidavit naming them, detailing the circumstances that gave rise to these cases, she said. It was easier for us to pass upon these cases because there was this confession of Napoles and of course, independently of that, we have the testimony of Benhur Luy and we have documentary evidence sourced from Luy and sourced elsewhere. In an interview with CNN Philippines, Carpio also admitted she was hurt by President Rodrigo Dutertes tirades. She angered the President when she said his war on drugs was goading people to kill. She also apologized to Duterte if he thought he was the one whom she was referring to when she recently spoke before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and said that great countries do not need strong men but strong institutions.If it happened to be a jab against him or about him, Im sorry. But thats a universal principle, she said. She said it does not really matter if the President doesnt consult her on who would be the next Ombudsman. The President is entitled to his own opinion, she said. Morales, who is about to retire on July 26, said she believes she has performed her job well. I can look at anyone straight in the face [to say] I have integrity. I have not done anything below the standard that I want and the standard that I want is you must have independence and you must have integrity. Those are the traits that I want the succeeding Ombudsman to have, she said. Morales also hit former Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II for placing Napoles under the witness protection program. Aguirres move was out of tune, she said, adding that it was the Ombudsman that should determine if an accused could turn into a state witness or not. As far as the criminal complaint against former Davao City vice mayor Paolo Duterte is concerned, Morales said the case involved his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth is still pending before the Deputy Ombudsman for Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices. What I know is that it has not been terminated yet. I think it has to do with his SALN. I think they segued to the preliminary investigation, she told the interviewer.The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines on Tuesday opposed the idea of arming priests as a protective measure in the wake of the series attacks on clergymen. CBCP President Romulo Valles said it is part of the clergymans life to face danger and be killed as a result of his mission. I would strongly oppose arming the priest, Valles said in a radio interview over Church-owned Radyo Veritas. We are men of God, men of the Church and it is part of our ministry to face danger, to face death. We would do it just as Jesus did, The idea came from several Church members to take advantage of a 2014 law allowing journalists, priests, lawyers, doctors, nurses, accountants and engineers to carry firearms outside their homes. In other developments:  Representatives Carlos Zarate and Ariel Casilao on Tuesday assailed the Philippine National Police for downplaying the killing of priests. National Police Chief Oscar Albayalde was earlier quoted as saying that the killing of priests was isolated and that it should not be a cause for concern. This is really inexcusable, even revolting, coming no less from the PNP chief who, in the same breath, also said that there are around 1,000 rogue cops who are armed and dangerous, Zarate said.  The Philippine National Police on Tuesday denied it was downplaying the recent spate of killings of priests, saying the police force was working doubly hard to solve it. We are not downplaying the killings of priests, though isolated, but we are in fact working doubly hard to solve it, PNP spokesman Benigno Durana Jr. said in a statement. But this and other crime incidents do not reflect the actual crime situation in the entire country. Military Ordinariate Administrator Bishop Oscar Jaime Florencio seconded Valles, saying arming clergymen would only create chaos.It will create more chaos, it will not solve anything, Florencio said. CBCP executive secretary Jerome Secillano said the proposal would not solve anything. Arming priests is not a solution to the crimes against them, Secillano said. He said there was no need for priests to arm themselves because, like ordinary citizens, they were entitled to protection from the government. If [priests] antagonize other people, killing them is unnecessarily excessive and brutal, said Secillano, adding that priests should never be considered as enemies. On Sunday, gunmen killed a Catholic priest in Nueva Ecija less than a week after another priest was hurt in a shooting attack in Laguna province. The unidentified suspects shot dead Father Nilo of the Diocese of Cabanatuan around 5 pm while he was about to celebrate Mass in the chapel of Mayamot village in Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija. Initial reports revealed the suspects fled to an unknown direction using a car. Nilo was the third priest killed in the country in six months following the killing of Mark Ventura in Gattaran, Cagayan, on April 29 and Marcelito Paez in Jaen, Nueva Ecija, on Dec. 4. On June 6, Rey Urmeneta of the St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Calamba was wounded after being shot by unidentified suspects. Urmeneta, a former police chaplain, suffered wounds to his left upper back and left arm and was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.China's Ambassador Zhao Jianhua admitted Tuesday there were bad apples in the Chinese Coast Guard and said he would throw them into the South China Sea to feed the fish, but a foreign ministry spokesman in Beijing said Filipinos could fish in Scarborough Shoalwhich is within the Philippines exclusive economic zoneonly out of goodwill. Both statements were issued after Filipino fishermen complained that members of the Chinese Coast Guard were in the habit of boarding their boats and taking their catch. Even in the best-regulated families, accidents happen. So we always have bad apples but if we have bad apples, you know what Im going to do, Im going to throw them into the South China Sea and feed the fish, the Chinese envoy said in an interview. Zhao, who had a brief talk with President Rodrigo Duterte, discussed the countrys concern over the action of the Chinese coast guards. President Duterte shared his concern about the Filipino fishermen, Zhao said. The Chinese ambassador also assured the Philippine government that they will conduct a serious investigation into the incidents, but said initial indications seemed to show there was no harassment of the fishermen but some sort of barter trade in which the Filipinos received cigarets, noodles, and water. A statement by Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang was less conciliatory, however. China has made appropriate arrangements for the Philippine fishermen to fish in relevant waters out of goodwill, Geng said. This policy remains unchanged. Gengs statement contradicted Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetanos claim on Sunday that the Philippines and China have forged a provisional fisheries agreement as equal parties in the Scarborough Shoal, which the Philippines calls Panatag. Geng said the Chinese Coast Guard was merely safeguarding peace, order and tranquility in the area and had offered humanitarian aid to Filipino fishermen many times. He also said China was acting in accordance with the law. Earlier several fishermen alleged that the Chinese Coast Guard made it a habit of taking their catch in a report on GMA News. They dont ask for permission. They just go through our catch and take what they want, one fisherman said in Filipino on camera. Another remarked that the Philippines may have won the arbitration against China, but said the victory was useless because nothing has changed in Scarborough Shoal. Asked if the media reports were true, Geng said the Chinese government is conducting an investigation seriously. If the Philippine side claimed is true, I believe relevant Chinese departments will handle that in a serious manner, he added. Geng noted that relations between China and the Philippines have taken on a positive turn. China has a clear and firm determination to commit itself to consolidating and strengthening China-Philippines relations, Geng said. In a Malacanang press conference on Monday, Panatag Shoal fisherman Rommel Sihuela confirmed that China has control over Panatag Shoal, as China allows them to fish there.He also added that there is no Philippine Coast Guard patrolling the area. Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque presented Sihuela and two other fishermen on Monday to describe to reporters the real state of Panatag Shoal. Cayetano, in his 120th Independence Day message, he reiterated the countrys independent foreign policy that it is a friend to all and enemy to none. Amidst Chinas continuous militarization in the West Philippine Sea, Cayetano said the Philippines must push on and fight for its national interest. Over the past years, China has claimed some of the features of the South China Sea. particularly the Philippine-owned-reefs-turned-islands in the Kalayaan Group of Islands (Spratlys) where Beijing has installed weapons systems. The reclamation in the South China Sea started when a standoff developed between the Philippines and China after Manila caught Chinese fishermen for catching live turtles and other resources within the countrys territory. The Philippines filed a case before the Arbitral Tribunal which ruled in favor of Manila three years later, declaring Beijings 9-dash line claims as excessive and illegal. China has refused to recognize the courts jurisdiction. Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio, meanwhile, said the Philippines cannot invoke sovereignty over Panatag because the Permanent Court of Arbitration has not settled the territorial dispute between the Philippines and China over the area. Carpio made the statement amid mounting calls for the Philippine government to file a diplomatic protest and seek damages against China for preventing Filipinos from fishing in Panatag Shoal. But Carpio, an expert of South China Sea issues who was part of the Philippine team that won the arbitration case against China, suggested that the Philippines should talk to China to establish a protocol that would allow Filipino fishermen to fish in Panatag Shoal, without fear of being harassed by the Chinese coast guards. We have to talk to them because we have a traditional fishing right there together with Chinese fishermen, he said, in a recent interview. The most senior magistrate of the Supreme Court said the decision of the PCA in July 2016 did not settle the territorial dispute between the two nations over the shoal due to a lack of jurisdiction on the matter. This means that the Philippines cannot invoke territorial rights over the shoal because it has not been declared part of the nations territory, contrary to claims by several politicians. However, Carpio emphasized that the ruling clearly stated that Filipinos have the right to fish in the said waters alongside Chinese fishermen. The ruling says that Scarborough Shoal is a traditional fishing ground of Filipino and Chinese fishermen. So both can fish there, Carpio said in a recent interview. Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros called the Duterte administrations foreign policy a complete disaster and a threat to Philippine independence and sovereignty.After four years in the nail industry, I Do Nails is opening its second and biggest branch at Tuscany at McKinley Hill in Fort Bonifacio. The multi-level nail salon is meant to be a sanctuary for clients who want to squeeze in a pamper session after a busy day at the office or just want to get creative with their digits. I wanted my clients who are based in the South to have a closer branch thats more convenient for them to visit, says Monica Maceda, president of I Do Nails. With the McKinley branch, my goal this time around was to make it more like a nail havena place where they can relax, enjoy their me time, and simply unwind.

As a constant innovator, I Do Nails strives to stay up-to-date with the latest machines and manicure trends. Nail stamp addicts will love the latest addition to their service roster, which is the Peel-Off Guardperfect for those who want an ultra clean mani since it ensures easy clean-up around the cuticle. For those who are fans of gel manicures, only the best and the newest machines from OPI are being used to guarantee that their manis stay chip-free and shiny for up to two weeks. Want to add more oomph to classic, clean tips? I Do Nails only uses the cult-favorite Seche Vite top coat for a super glossy, gel-like finish that allows your polish to dry ASAP. Check out some of the trend-setting ways I Do Nails can embellish and personalize your digits:Stamp on pretty patterns perfectly with this Korean-style stamping method by Konad. Its our most popular nail art service because we have over 100 stencils designs to choose from, says Maceda.Decorate your tips with over 10 re-usable, glue-on charms with designs such as skulls, flamingos, horseshoes, and crosses. Use it as an accent or indulge by placing one charm on each tip for a cool, three-dimensional effect.Create holographic, multi-colored nails with foils that are individually pressed onto your polish.

These uber shiny acrylics come in gold, pink, and blue and are perfect for adding bling to any outfit. You can even have nail stamping on top of them!Love bright, neon colors? Youll have fun with this luminescent lacquer that glows when exposed to UV light.These eye-catching sparklers and tiny beads spice up a normal mani. Get creative by designing different shapes like hearts, stars, a moon, and diamonds.A rich variety of trendy and classic colors are available from chic brands like Chanel, Deborah Lippmann, Zoya, Orly, Ruby Wing and OPI.

I Do Nails is also a full-service nail and waxing salon that specializes in quickie mani-pedis for on-the-go gals. For those who love to get relaxing foot spas, theres a delicious choice of organic foot scrubs that are exclusive from the I Do Nails spa line. Choose from relaxing and refreshing pomegranate or strawberry scrubs that are guaranteed to leave your hands and feet smooth and soft. No matter which branch you visit, you can expect primo pampering be the same quality of service from our nail technicians, shares Maceda. And because I always want the hottest nail trends to be available to my customers, well also be offering the same nail art services and continue to have a wide array of polish options across all branches.Expectations for the G7 were not high, but the outcome was even worse than expected. For the first time ever, the G7 ended without a joint statement, and with Trump lashing out at Canada and the EU. The summit in North Korea, on the other hand, ended with all smiles and a joint statement promising peace, denuclearisation and security.

Who is robbing the US?

Trump had threatened not to attend the summit, and perhaps, in the end, the other participants may have wished he hadnt. The summit was described as cordial, as opposed to the friendly atmosphere one might have expected from such a gathering of allies. Trump decided it was a good time to accuse his allies of robbing America. Most likely this was part of Trumps usual posturing: playing the hard man, and then hoping for a better deal when the dust settles  but such posturing has consequences.

One might ask, who is robbing whom? According to Trumps logic, the US is actually robbing the Netherlands, Belgium and Australia, because the US has a trade surplus with those countries. A flow of goods, capital and services in one direction, inevitably mean a flow of money in the other direction. So, money is flowing into the US in the form of investment and loans, which is then used to pay for the goods and services that the US economy consumes from abroad. This way of describing trade relations is nonsense.

Trump wants to completely reorganise world trade to the benefit of America, and the detriment of his 'allies' / Image: AP SusanWalsh

Trump also doesnt bother too much with the facts when making statements. The US has a trade deficit with Canada when it comes to goods, but not when it comes to services, and combined, the US actually has a trade surplus with Canada. Figures for tariffs also show that the EU and Canada have pretty much the same tariffs as the US, on average, whatever might be the case on individual products.

This all goes to show that what is at stake here is not the US being hard-done-by, nor used by its allies, but that Trump is attempting to redefine trade relations to his allies detriment. Hes attempting to increase manufacturing production and employment in the US at the expense of the USs main trading partners. In other words, hes exporting unemployment and attempting to offload the social problems of the crisis onto his trading partners.

This is a more blatant and radical expression of what all the major powers have been doing for the past few years. The EU raised tariffs on some Chinese steel products to 73.7 percent. The Chinese in turn have a number of policies that basically subsidise their companies, something most Western countries have been doing for decades with agriculture. The list goes on. In reality, free trade was always limited. Yet the past 70 years has seen a steady move towards liberalising trade, which is now being reversed.

Free trade imperialism

This January marked the 70th anniversary of the GATT coming into effect. The GATT was the predecessor to the WTO and was aimed at getting rid of the trade barriers that had been set up during the 1930s and 1940s. At that time, the US position was that trade surpluses werent a problem. The British (led by Maynard Keynes) were insisting that trade between countries ought to be balanced in the long run. Back then, of course, the US was running a large surplus (of around 10 percent of trade).

For the whole of the second half of the 20th century, the US played the role of pushing free trade, which was to the great benefit of US industry. The US emerged from the Second World War with the most efficient and competitive industries, and their industries had the most to gain from the opening up of world trade. It was a key, contributing factor to the post-war boom. The US in this instance played the role that Britain had played in the 19th century: opening up new markets for world capitalism. At the time, of course, Britain was known as the workshop of the world, and out-produced any other country on the planet.

A post shared by Angela Merkel (@bundeskanzlerin) on Jun 9, 2018 at 8:53am PDT

In order to be able to play this role, the US had to spend huge amounts of money on its military, defending what they called the free world against the Stalinist states, and anti-imperialist movements in the former colonial countries. From the point of view of the development of industry in the US, this expenditure was a big burden, and something that other countries, in particular Germany and Japan, didnt have to cope with. Instead they could spend that money on productive investments, making their industries more competitive than the US. The same goes for Trumps criticism of US intervention in Iraq, where he thinks the oil contracts ought to be awarded to US companies since the US paid the bulk of the costs of the intervention.

In that sense, Germany and Japan have been piggy-backing on US imperialism, and Trumps admonishments to its allies for increased military expenditure are not plucked out of thin air. On this point, Merkel and others have agreed to increase military expenditure even if unpopular at home, as the Wall Street Journal puts it. There is a clear recognition that the US in this period cannot manage the joint affairs of Western Imperialism on its own, or alternatively, that the US cannot be relied upon to do so in the way that the German, French and British would like.

New tariffs

When it comes to trade, however, there is no agreement. Trump is attempting to strong-arm other countries into accepting less favourable terms of trade. In this, he is provoking the ire of his supposed allies. The US has for a long time relied on the EU to back it up in major international disputes, but now Trump has created a dispute with all his most important allies at the same time as hes trying to force China to accept new terms. No wonder a large section of the US bourgeoisie are clutching their foreheads.

Now, Trump is threatening further tariffs on cars. This would be a whole different ball game. German exports of cars to the US are worth $22.8bn, $38.6bn for Japan (6 percent of total exports), $45.9bn for Canada (13 percent of total exports). This is in contrast to aluminium and steel, where the US imports are a fraction of the value. It remains to be seen whether Trump will actually carry this out.

Trump's bully-boy tactics are wreaking havoc with world relations / Image: Flickr, Gage Skidmore

In the US Congress, the bourgeois are attempting to pressurise Trump. A new bill being introduced to Congress would force the president to seek Congressional approval before implementing new tariffs. Most likely, Trump will veto the bill, but a section of the ruling class is attempting to clip the presidents wings in the expectation, as the FT puts it, of sanity returning to the White House. So far, they havent had much success.

Trumps supporters (and himself) defend his high-stakes negotiations by arguing that it gets results. Other than in Korea (both South and North), it is doubtful whether he has actually gotten any results. The Wall Street Journal diplomatically puts it like this: The results so far havent been better trade deals, as Mr. Trump asserts. Theyve been rancor and the biggest threat to world commerce since World War II.

The former colonial countries have often borne the brunt of the advanced countries tariffs, which has particularly affected products that they export. South Korea, Argentina and Brazil have already been forced to accept Trumps trade terms. So, particularly for the smaller nations, Trump's bully-boy tactics are having an effect.

Rules based international order

One of the sticking points during the G7 was a particular formulation on international trade based on rules and, by implication, multinational institutions. Although there was an agreement about the principle of free trade in general (whatever that means), Trumps team opposed a formulation proposed by the Europeans supporting the rules-based international order. Instead the US wanted a [!] rules-based international order. So, effectively the US delegation was declaring their lack of confidence in the existing international institutions.

In reality, Trump is opposed to multilateralism, and sees the US as having had a rough time in the UN, the WTO and NATO, as well as other multilateral trade deals, like NAFTA and TPP. As a result, he is basically attempting to force renegotiation of all the major trade deals of the last 70 years, to the benefit of the US. Trump is at the moment paralysing the WTOs dispute resolution procedures for next year by continuing to block the appointment of new judges and he has already abandoned NAFTA and TPP.

By exploiting a clause in the WTO agreement that allows for tariffs for the purposes of national security  for something that has little to do with national security  Trump is undermining the whole agreement. What is to stop the Europeans deciding that their cinema industry is a matter of national security and therefore put a tariff on Hollywood films? The way that Trump conducts diplomacy completely undermines the whole basis on which these agreements are signed. Furthermore, it is done by the power that is meant to take the lead in enforcing the agreements.

The New York Times, being staunchly Democrat, carried headlines like Trump Upends Trade Order Built by U.S. and Trump Tries to Destroy the West, and, of course, they have a point. Trump is attempting to upend the whole system that is known as globalisation. The ruling class internationally is attempting to salvage what it can of the institutions of international cooperation, particularly in regards to world trade.

In Britain the Financial Times declared that America has abdicated its responsibilities and argued that the G6 (G7 without the US) must attempt to bypass Mr Trump by signing trade deals that exclude the US and keep the apparatus of global co-operation as functional as they can for when sanity hopefully returns to the White House.

As an aside, this attitude of the White House towards its western allies is not doing the British any good. May and her Conservative Party were hoping for an easy trade deal with the US as a way to counteract Brexit. Trump has made clear that any such deal will have to be on US terms. This puts May and her government in an even more difficult position precisely when she is facing a Tory rebellion on Brexit.

A new period of turbulence

The crisis of 2008 has brought to the fore a number of contradictions in world relations that have been brewing for some time. The US, although it remains the predominant world power, has become relatively weaker, and the same is true of the whole of the G7. In 1960, the US made up 40 percent of the world economy, while today it is only 23 percent. The EU has seen a similar development, where in 1980 the countries that presently make up the EU represented 34 percent of the world economy, whereas now theyre only 22 percent . This relative weakening of the west is also reflected in international relations, which have been thrown into turbulence.

Embed from Getty Images

The social conditions in the US that led to the rise of Trump are a result of the crisis and the inability of the US ruling class to impose its will on society. Instead its crudest representatives have been brought to the fore. Trumps negotiating tactics might be suited to the gangsterism of real estate but are wreaking havoc in international relations. This is a serious problem for the world bourgeois. Trump is threatening to send the world into a trade war unless his allies play to his tune.

The director of the Carnegie Europe think tank put it like this:

The trouble with trade wars is that they sometimes happen even if no one quite starts wishing for one. If Trump responds to what will inevitably be a European counter response by doubling downimposing more tariffs on Europewhat happens next?

It is most likely that Trump and the rest of the G7 will patch up a deal for now, but how much damage will be done to the world economy first is a more interesting question, and it sets a dangerous precedent. Trump has, in a sense, opened a Pandoras box. The European ruling class will no longer be able to trust the Americans, and vice versa.

Free trade is a policy that the most competitive countries espouse as it facilitates them by providing a more open market. But those same countries who were free traders yesterday can very easily become protectionist today as they enter into decline and lose their competitive edge. That is what we are witnessing, and the worldwide economic slowdown is exacerbating the process. In a strongly expanding world market there is room for everyone, but when that markert ceases to expand it becomes clear that where one country wins, another loses. The loser will then seek other means, be they political, diplomatic or military, by which to protect or expand their share of the market.

The problem of course lies in the fact that when one power starts to impose protectionist measures, then it will merely spark tit-for-tat retaliation and the end result will be a strangling of the world market as a whole. That is what the serious bourgeois commentators fear. For the working class, however, neither policy will serve to defend its interests, for neither can stop the inexorable crisis of the capitalist system. What we are witnessing is the breakdown of the old order. In this context, the emergence of a Trump has a logic to it. It reflects the inability of the ruling class everywhere to manage its own system.The meeting in Singapore between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un went off without any major bust-ups. In fact, it was all smiles. They even managed to agree to a joint statement, which was more than one could say of the G7. In reality, of course, they agreed hardly anything.

It was slightly-less than a year ago that Trump referred to the Little Rocket Man and compared button sizes with the North Korean leader (mines bigger than yours). Now, the tone is very different. As we pointed out repeatedly (see this article for example), there was never going to be a war between the two countries, and moreover, no one is interested in continuing the conflict.

A lot was at stake for Trump and his unorthodox method of diplomacy. Over the last few days he has been downplaying expectations, but he needed to get something back from Kim to save face after getting a lot of criticism for agreeing to the meeting. The agreement was not by any stretch of imagination, comprehensive, as Trump put it. Its about a page long. Yet, neither was it a disaster.

Embed from Getty Images

Kim promised to work towards a nuclear-free Korean peninsula but made no promises as to when. He agreed to stop tests but he already agreed to that before, and it is doubtful whether they would have continued anyway. He also agreed to close a missile-testing site but thats hardly earth-shattering news.

The US in turn agreed to stop military exercises with South Korea, which can of course be resumed at relatively short notice anyway. The US also gave security guarantees, whatever that means, and in reality none of the imperialist powers are interested in overthrowing the regime regardless.

The question is only what terms the two sides can agree on. The deal that was agreed today says very little about the most crucial point: denuclearisation. The significance of the agreement is that it lays the basis for future negotiations. As Trump puts it, they will meet again...many times.

The main obstacle is of course the question of nuclear weapons, but it appears as though Kim is willing to make some kind of deal on that from his present position of strength. Another major obstacle is the fact that the imperialist powers are now jockeying for positions. They all want a piece of the pie.

The Chinese were probably the reason behind the latest bust-up that almost got the summit cancelled a couple of weeks ago. The Chinese were making the point that the US had to play nice with them in order to get agreement with North Korea. The South Koreans quickly rushed to North Korea to resolve the tensions, and succeeded in getting this Singapore summit back on track. In the end, the North Korean delegation symbolically flew to Singapore on a Chinese government jet.

A deal on the Korean peninsula would be a step forward for imperialism. It would set the North of Korea firmly on the path towards capitalism and prepare the way for foreign investment to exploit the North Korean working class. The pace, and details of this remain to be worked out.Details Steve Jones 15 October 2021

The decision of the Metropolitan Police in Britain to take no action over allegations raised in the US courts that Prince Andrew was involved in the abuse of a minor, will come as a surprise to absolutely no-one.The censorship of social media accounts of left-wing groups has continued, with Facebook recently removing and restricting US anarchist and antifascist pages. This is part of a pattern, which has seen similar moves by other social media platforms. These purges demonstrate whose side these huge corporations stand on, and why we must fight for public control and ownership of social media.The coronavirus has led to shutdowns, movement restrictions, and shortages of medical supplies and food around the world. However, for one place in the world, this was the norm before the pandemic.The Gaza Strip, already under heavy restrictions and shortages since the beginning of the blockade 13 years ago, now must also contend with the threat of COVID-19.Nestled in a valley between Yellowstone and Big Sky, the 9 Quarter Circle Ranch has remained relatively unchanged for 70 years. Kameron Kelsey is a third-generation steward of the ranch and prides himself on their adherence to tradition. One example is the annual "Round Up," when the family joins with a group of wranglers to herd their horses to lower elevations for the winter. This exhaustive three-day ritual could be simplified with modern technology, but the practice endures as a testimony to their way of life. In this short film by Kristopher Rey-Talley, join the Kelsey family in Montana as they embark on their yearly trip with the horses through the land they cherish.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/video/shorts/wrangling-wild-horses-in-the-mountains-of-montana/Candidates for Wyoming governor disagreed Monday on whether the state is doing enough to boost internet speeds and other technology to help businesses compete and thrive.

Businesses large and small struggle with slow internet, Democrat Mary Throne said at a Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce candidate forum. Wyoming could do more to boost internet broadband like it has with small-business grants that she supported during 10 years as a state representative, she said.

https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/wyoming-governor-candidates-debate-technology-development/article_a91e4a07-542f-56aa-b841-07bda39a31ba.htmlPassengers flying to Bangkok. (Photo: VNA)

The flight is operated by Thai Vietjet Air using Airbus 320 with the flight duration of 1 hour and 25 minutes.

Worldtrans will operate 28 chartered flights within three months from June to August 2018, serving about 5,000 passengers. The flight from Can Tho will depart 09h05 and arrive in Bangkok at 10h30, while the return will start at 7h00 and land at 8h25.

So far, the company has sold 5,000 tickets for all 28 flights.

Vu Duc Bien, Worldtrans General Director said that after the air route is operating stably, his company will consider the operation by the end of 2018 and have a new plan for 2019.

Together with the Can Tho - Bangkok route, this year, the 4-year services provider plans to exploit chartered direct flights from Can Tho to other localities nationwide and other direct flights to Japan, the Republic of Korea, China and more./.Chinese Charge d'Affaires in Libya Wang Qimin (R) and the Libyan UN-backed government's Health Minister Omar al-Tahir Bashir are interviewed by Xinhua in Tripoli, Libya, on June 11, 2018. The Chinese Embassy to Libya on Monday signed documents to provide medical aid to Libya. (Xinhua)

TRIPOLI, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy to Libya on Monday signed documents to provide medical aid to Libya worth up to 6 million U.S. dollars.

The signing of the documents took place at the headquarters of the Libyan Ministry of Health in the capital Tripoli, after a meeting between the Chinese Charge d'Affaires in Libya Wang Qimin and the Libyan UN-backed government's Health Minister Omar al-Tahir Bashir.

"The meeting is an enhancement of the strong relationship between Libya and China, a historic relationship of mutual friendship and cooperation. This meeting came as confirmation of Beijing's cooperation with Libya, particularly in the medical field. Beijing has provided various medical aid to contribute in easing the suffering of the medical sector over the past several years," Bashir told Xinhua.

The Libyan minister hailed the assistance provided by China, pledging to distribute the aid in a transparent manner, especially to the cities and groups affected by displacement and those who have returned to their cities recently, mainly the people of the city of Tawergha.

Bashir also confirmed that all aid has arrived at Libyan ports and was transferred to the medical supply stores of the ministry, pending distribution.

"The aid is an important commitment from China to Libya, as special assistance is provided every year to support the health sector," said Wang.

"The value of the aid is up to 6 million U.S. dollars, a package of Beijing's support to the health sector in Libya. This also includes training of Libyan technical personnel in specialized medical fields in China," Wang told Xinhua, adding that "all these efforts seek to ease the suffering of the Libyans."

The charge d'affaires pointed out that frequent visits to Libya and meetings with Libyan officials are mainly aimed at stabilizing the country and strengthening the mutual relations between the two countries.

Wang is on a working visit to Libya until Tuesday, during which he is expected to meet with the Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Serraj.

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]WASHINGTON, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A study published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that warmer temperatures by the end of this century may increase the likelihood of simultaneous low yields across multiple high-producing regions, which could lead to price hikes and global shortages.

The research led by the University of Washington (UW) showed dramatic increases in the variability of corn yields from one year to the next.

Corn, the most widely grown crop in the world, is used in food, cooking oil, industrialized foods, livestock feed and even automobile fuel.

While most rice is used domestically, corn is traded on international markets. Four countries, the United States, Brazil, Argentina and Ukraine account for 87 percent of global corn exports, with China mostly producing for domestic use.

According to the study, today the probability that all four exporters would have a bad year together, with yields at least 10 percent below normal, is virtually zero.

But results showed that under two degrees Celsius warming, which is projected if people succeed in curbing greenhouse gas emissions, this risk increases to 7 percent.

Under four degrees Celsius warming, which the world is on track to reach by the end of the century if current greenhouse gas emissions rates continue, there's an 86-percent chance that all four corn-exporting countries would simultaneously suffer a bad year.

It suggested that cases like the 2003 heat wave in Western Europe, which devastated crops there, would be more likely to coincide with bad years in other regions.

"Yield variability is important for determining food prices in international markets, which in turn has big implications for food security and the ability of poor consumers to buy food," said the paper's lead author Michelle Tigchelaar, a UW postdoctoral researcher in atmospheric sciences.

According to the study, warmer temperatures will severely decrease average corn yields in the U.S. southeast, Eastern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, and will increase the variability in the United States and other exporting nations.

"Even with optimistic scenarios for reduced emissions of greenhouse gases, results show that the volatility in year-to-year maize production in the U.S. will double by the middle of this century, due to increasing average growing season temperature," said co-author David Battisti, a UW professor of atmospheric sciences.

"The same will be true in the other major maize-exporting countries. Climate change will cause unprecedented volatility in the price of maize, domestically and internationally," said Battisti.

The study did not take into account precipitation changes, since those are harder to predict, and projections show that changes will be small compared to the natural changes in rainfall from one year to the next.

It also assumed that temperature swings will stay the same as today, though some models project temperatures will become more variable under climate change.

"We took a conservative approach and assumed the weather will be the same, only acting on top of an overall warmer climate," Battisti said.

[ Editor: WPY ]Rescuers search for survivors at a natural gas pipeline explosion site in Qinglong County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 11, 2018. Twenty-four people were seriously injured in the natural gas pipeline explosion in Guizhou Province Sunday night, local authorities said Monday. No deaths have been found. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

GUIYANG, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-four people were seriously injured in a natural gas pipeline explosion in southwest China's Guizhou Province Sunday night, local authorities said Monday.

Gas leaked from a section of the gas pipeline operated by PetroChina in Shazi town of Qinglong county and then caused an explosion and fire at about 11:20 p.m. Sunday, the county government said.

The pipeline was automatically shut down after the explosion and the fire was put out at 2:30 a.m. Monday.

No deaths have been found. Of the 24 hospitalized, eight were in critical condition and 16 in serious condition, but the injuries were no life threatening.

Local rescuers were still searching to see if there are more casualties.

An investigation into the gas leak is under way.

4

1

[ Editor: WPY ]LANZHOU, June 12 (Xinhua) -- An infrared camera has captured rare images of two snow leopards mating in northwest China's Gansu Province.

The camera, which recorded the process in late March, was one of more than 200 cameras set up in Gansu Qilianshan National Nature Reserve in January, said Ma Duifang, head of a research team at the reserve.

The footage was retrieved on Thursday. Several other cameras captured images of the male cat stalking the female in February and March.

Male snow leopards stalk females that are in heat, which usually occurs from January to March, Ma said. "The images are very valuable for researching snow leopards' behavior."

The snow leopard is a Class-A protected animal in China and the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies it as endangered-to-vulnerable. They live in the mountain ranges of central and south Asia at altitudes of 2,500 to 4,500 meters, with 60 percent of their habitat in China. Specifically, these animals are found in Qilianshan, origin of the Yellow River.

The species has been increasingly sighted in the region, Ma said. "It proves that the environment here has remarkably improved."

[ Editor: WPY ]SUMPTER TWP., MI - Two police officers suffered minor injuries Monday night in a crash while chasing an armed motorist who they say fired several shots at them during the pursuit.

Officers from the Sumpter Township Police Department, located in Wayne County near Belleville, responded to a report of an intoxicated motorist at 9:45 p.m., Monday June 11, in the area of Sumpter Road near Willow Road. When they spotted the vehicle it fled southbound, according to a statement by the Sumpter Police Department.

The fleeing motorist, a 44-year-old Allen Park man, crossed into Washtenaw County, where he fired at the pursuing officers at least five times, police said.

The pursuit continued until it reached the city of Milan border, south of Ann Arbor, where the driver "doubled back" and crashed into a patrol car, police said.

The man was arrested and taken to the Wayne County Jail to await charges. Five firearms and several thousands of rounds of ammunition were recovered from the man's vehicle, police said.ANN ARBOR, MI - Technology enthusiasts and job seekers from all over the world are set to visit Ann Arbor this week to check out 80 local tech companies at Ann Arbor SPARK's a2Tech360.

The three-day program runs June 13-15 and will feature key technology-based events like Tech Trek and Tech Talk, which drew thousands of people from 30 states and three countries in 2017.

Bill Mayer, vice president of entrepreneurial services at Ann Arbor SPARK, said more than 2,500 people are already registered for events that make up a2Tech360.

The program is designed to inspire curious residents, job seekers, students and parents to explore opportunities and get a sense of what Ann Arbor's tech community is all about, Mayer said.

"It's much more fun than putting on a suit and tie, practicing your firm handshake and passing out resumes to possible employers," Mayer said. "You can show up in shorts and a t-shirt, talk to some business leaders, see how they work and get a sense of what new innovations they're working on."

A2Tech360 kicks off at 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 13 with an event presented by SPARK and the University of Michigan known as "2028: What the Future Holds."

The program continues June 14 with a "Meeting of the Minds" Mobility Summit that Mayer said is attracting mobility experts from all over the U.S.

Mayer said the real fun begins Friday, with the second annual Tech Talk that brought about 800 people to Michigan Theater last year, followed immediately afterward by two new events: Live at Tech Trek and Mobility Row. Both events will go from noon to 7 p.m. on Washington Street between Fifth and Division Streets.

Mayer said engineers from NAVYA -- manufacturers of the driverless shuttles now available for use on the University of Michigan's north campus -- will be there to talk about the shuttles and how they were built.

Tech Talk will feature 13 speakers highlighting topics including innovation, artificial intelligence and neurology. The TED-styled event starts at 10 a.m. and will go until noon Friday, June 15 at Michigan Theater.

More than 80 companies will open their doors for Tech Trek, which will start at 3 p.m. Friday, June 15. Companies will have tours to show off their innovations, workplaces and open jobs.

The best part about Tech Trek, which can also be the event's Achilles heel, according to Mayer, is the large number of tech company involved, packed into short time frame.

There's no way you can see them all, so it's best to come with a plan, Mayer said.

"You can't make a bad choice," Vice President of Marketing and Communications Jenn Cornell said. "The companies go above and beyond to create a really fun and welcoming atmosphere. They bring everything from live DJ's to food and even bars. It's everything you want in a festival in downtown Ann Arbor with a focus on technology and opportunities."

Mayer said more than 4,200 people attended Tech Trek in 2017, and he expects more this year.

"Showing job-seekers and aspiring tech kids these work environments and new innovations is what makes (a2Tech360) so great," Mayer said. "If it inspires a kid who likes math, or robots or computers to pursue that, and then end up working for a great company years down the road, I think we did our part."

Registration for Tech Trek is available here. For more information on Ann Arbor SPARK or its a2Tech360 events, visit their website.BERLIN, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The world's largest trade exhibition for computer technology CeBIT opened on Monday in Hannover.

It's the first time for the annual event to be held in summer since its inception.

Speaking to press on Monday, CeBIT director Oliver Frese said that this year's revamped CeBIT was hereby intended to function as a "trade fair, conference and networking event all in one."

CeBIT 2018 placed a topical focus on artificial intelligence (AI), humanoid robots and self-driving vehicles.

The organizers expect between 2,500 and 2,800 exhibitors from 70 countries and regions to present their innovations in Hannover from June 11 to June 15.

Peter Altmaier (CDU), the German minister for the economy, is scheduled to visit the computer expo on Tuesday.

Starting back in 1986, CeBIT has been attracting visitors from across the world for nearly 30 years.

CeBIT director Frese emphasized at the opening of the 2018 event that digitalization "never stands still" and that the trade fair will most likely draw global industry representatives for many decades to come.

[ Editor: WPY ]ANN ARBOR, MI - An Ann Arbor music teacher and a Detroit performing arts teacher have been named the 2018 DTE Energy Foundation Educators of the Year.

Ann Arbor Thurston Elementary School's Yael Rothfeld and Detroit Martin Luther King Jr. High School's Denise Allen received the awards from the University Musical Society and the DTE Energy Foundation on Tuesday, May 29.

The award recognizes and celebrates excellence in arts education as a way of teaching 21st century knowledge and skills by boosting creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and familiarity with local and global cultures, UMS says.

Rothfeld has been a vocal music educator at Thurston Elementary School in Ann Arbor for 15 years. She works with students in preschool through fifth grade, organizing performances and giving her students opportunities to use music as a tool to communicate around ideas and issues that are relevant to their everyday lives, she says.

In 2015, Rothfeld launched a successful fundraiser to purchase ukuleles for her classroom.

Allen, a dance educator at Martin Luther King Jr. High School, runs one of the few performing arts programs that survived Detroit Public Schools years of emergency management. The program is one of just a few dance programs offered for credit at high schools throughout Southeast Michigan.

Allen is recognized for her commitment to inclusivity in her program, UMS says. She has invited autistic students to her dance performances at no cost, as well as encouraging male students to explore their interest in dance without fear or shame from their peers.

"We believe that exposure to artistic experiences in education helps young people become innovative, collaborative and creative thinkers, as well as compassionate and open-minded individuals," UMS President Matthew VanBesien said. "We are thrilled to honor Denise Allen and Yael Rothfeld for their remarkable ability to leverage the power of the arts to make a positive difference in the lives of our community's young people."

The DTE Energy Foundation sponsored the awards as part of its annual grant support for UMS Youth Education programs. The two recipients were nominated through a public nomination process.

"The DTE Energy Foundation is proud to partner with UMS Youth Education Programs, particularly when we honor outstanding educators in the community," DTE Energy Foundation President Lynette Dowler said. "Great teachers like Denise Allen and Yael Rothfeld provide their students with the opportunity to experience arts in a way that will affect them for a lifetime."Daniel J. Olar (left) and Christopher R. Grinnell

TAWAS, MI -- A 21-year-old Pontiac man is spending up to the next six decades of his life behind bars for stabbing and bludgeoning a man to death and burying him beneath a dog house in an isolated, wooded spot in northern Michigan.

Iosco County Circuit Judge David C. Riffel on Monday, June 11, sentenced Daniel J. Olar to 41 to 60 years in prison. Riffel gave Olar credit for 306 days already served and ordered he pay $1,808 in court fines and costs.

Olar in April 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.

Olar is the second of three people involved in the killing to be sentenced to prison.

The killing

In a December preliminary examination, 25-year-old Bay City resident Christopher R. 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 get cold feet.

"I said I didn't want to do it no more," he testified. "We left and went back to my brother's house."

Roger L. Knickerbocker II

There, Olar asked 21-year-old Kaylee M. Willett -- who was in a romantic relationship with Grinnell's stepbrother -- 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.

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 then 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.

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.

Kaylee M. Willett

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.

Grinnell in December pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. 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. His earliest possible release date is Feb. 9, 2040.

Willett in May pleaded guilty to attempted accessory after the fact to a felony, punishable by up to two and a half years' incarceration. Riffel is to sentence her on June 18.

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.Possible truck being used by Miguel A. Ibarra Cerda. Wixom police photo

Wixom police are searching for a 21-year-old Commerce Township man suspected in a hit-and-run crash that killed a 14-year-old as he rode his bike Monday, June 11.

Police believe Miguel A. Ibarra Cerda was driving a blue Honda Odyssey minivan when he struck Justin Lee, who was riding his bike with a friend on Potter near Flamingo Road in Wixom. Police say Cerda fled the scene and Justin later died of his injuries.

Police on Tuesday released photos of Cerda and a Chevrolet Silverado or GMC Sierra that Cerda may be traveling in with another man.

Anyone with information is asked to call 800-SPEAK-UP. There is a $2,500 reward for information that leads to an arrest and tipsters may remain anonymous.(This story has been updated to correct the spelling of a name.)

FLINT, MI -- Sixty Flint pastors say Gov. Rick Snyder has turned his back on the city, and claim his office has "disrespected (and) disregarded" Mayor Karen Weaver.

The pastors made the charges in a May 29 letter to Snyder, and in the same missive, demanded the governor resume regular meetings with Weaver, restart supplies of bottled water to the city and repair or replace hot water heaters and other home appliances damaged during the Flint water crisis.

Although the governor did not reply to the letter, senior adviser Rich Baird responded Monday, June 11, and said state officials have been and will meet with Weaver in the future to discuss her concerns -- provided several members of the Concerned Pastors For Social Action are present.

"This is a necessary requirement because there have been too many meetings, including the one held with Governor Snyder on April 6, where Mayor Weaver leaves the meeting and issues statements or hold press conferences and describes conversations and statements made by me or others that have no resemblance to what was actually said," Baird's letter says. "It is out of respect for her office that we have chosen not to contradict her publicly."

Weaver has claimed the governor told her in that meeting that the city needs to "get over it" in reference to his decision to end state payments for bottled water for Flint -- a claim he has denied having said.

MLive-The Flint Journal could not immediately reach a spokeswoman for the mayor regarding Baird's comments on Tuesday, June 12.

The latest exchange between Baird and the pastors is the most recent indication that disagreement and hard feeling between the city, some residents and the state haven't gone away.

In April, Weaver threatened to sue the state over the water crisis, which unfolded while the city was being run by emergency financial managers appointed by Snyder.

On May 31, the state Department of Environmental Quality raised what it called a "significant concern" about payments to service line contractors in Flint, and on June 4, the state Department of Environmental Quality asked Weaver to sign an administrative consent order, which says the city is out of compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Just this week, Weaver told the state she would not sign the consent order and accused the DEQ of acting in a "retaliatory and punitive" way.

In addition to bottled water, replacement of hot water heaters and resumption of regular meetings with the mayor, the pastors' list of demands include funding for studies to identify contaminants in addition to lead, providing medical care and testing for all citizens affected by Flint water, and and providing "an avenue of debt forgiveness to eliminate delinquent water bills ... "

Among the pastors who signed the letter were the Rev. Reggie Flynn of Foss Avenue Baptist Church, the Rev. Phil Schmitter of Christ the King Catholic Church, and the Rev. Alfred Harris, president of the Concerned Pastors.

Baird told the pastors that Snyder has advised Weaver that the decision to end bottled water distribution in Flint "will not be revisited."

"I know she is angry and disagrees with the state's decision to end bottled water," his letter says. "That decision, which was not easy, was reached only after extended analysis by exceptionally dedicated professionals at various levels of government, supported by independent scientists and monitors with impeccable credentials ..."HAMMOND, IND. -- An East Chicago city councilman who prosecutors claim has ties to a Flint cocaine trafficking operation has taken a plea deal in connection to the shooting death of his partner.

Former Councilman Robert Battle pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime causing death, according to an agreement filed Monday, June 11, in Northern Indiana U.S. District Court.

Battle said he fired a gun at 31-year-old Reimundo "Rey" Camarillo Jr. at Battle's residence on Oct. 12, 2015, in East Chicago, according to the plea agreement.

The shooting took place during a discussion over a drug debt and was a part of the pair's conspiracy to distribute cocaine, according to the plea.

Camarillo's death came less than three weeks after federal agents say they found Battle with marijuana and a large amount of cash following a visit to a Flint residence tied to a cocaine trafficking investigation.

A criminal complaint filed Oct. 14, 2015, in Northern Indiana U.S. District Court claims agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration tracked Battle to a home on Winona Street in Flint that investigators say was part of a drug trafficking investigation.

DEA agents used Battle's cellphone in September 2015 to track him to Flint, according to the complaint. FBI agents were able to place him at the home on the 2700 block of Winona Street, on the city's north side, the complaint alleges.

Agents continued to conduct surveillance on Battle as he left Flint and began to return to his home in Indiana, according to the complaint.

Shortly after 2 p.m., an Indiana State Police trooper conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle Battle was driving on Interstate 94 and allegedly smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. A K-9 officer alerted to possible drugs in the vehicle's trunk, according to the complaint.

Troopers searched the trunk and prosecutors claimed they discovered a Crown Royal box that contained more than 70 grams of marijuana. They also discovered a backpack hidden in the trunk that contained more than $100,000.

Battle was taken into custody but bonded out of jail after he was charged with a misdemeanor for the marijuana.

Federal agents in Flint were contacted about the arrest and obtained a search warrant for the Winona Street home.

Agents discovered six ounces of cocaine in the home, two ounces of cocaine in the resident's vehicle, a pound of marijuana, a vacuum-sealed wrapper believed to have previously contained a kilogram of cocaine, items to break the cocaine down into smaller quantities and multiple stolen guns, according to federal court records.

He faces up to life in prison when sentenced. He is scheduled to return to court on June 18.

Battle, a Democrat, was re-elected and sworn into office in January 2016 while in jail on the charges, according to the Chicago Tribune. He was removed from office in May 2016.FLINT, MI -- Mayor Karen Weaver says she won't cooperate with new "unnecessary and unwarranted" state oversight of the Flint water system.

In a defiant letter to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Weaver told the state she will not sign a consent order that would impose new deadlines for water system improvements, said she will request a hearing if the state attempts to impose the order and called the move "retaliatory and punitive."

"During two years of collaborative remediation efforts, an (administrative consent order) has not been necessary," Weaver wrote in a Monday, June 11, letter to the state. "Now, after the state and MDEQ have been publicly castigated for their abrupt and unilateral termination of bottled water funding, MDEQ proposes an ACO that raises no issues not previously agreed upon.

"I thus see this ACO as a deliberate and willful misuse of the DEQ's authority for political purposes and not a good faith effort to address the issues faced by the city of Flint."

DEQ spokeswoman Tiffany Brown said the agency stands by the consent agreement it asked the city to sign in a June 4 letter but is reviewing Weaver's response.

No decisions have been made about potential next steps, she said.

"What's most important is working together with the city to reach solutions in the interest of public health, and we are committed to that," Brown said in an email statement to MLive-The Flint Journal.

The proposed consent order points out 13 deficiencies to resolve, deadlines for meeting them, and penalties of up to $500 a day for each that are not fixed on time.

Eric Oswald, director of the DEQ Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance Division, asked Weaver to sign the 14-page proposed consent agreement, which includes an acknowledgment that the city is in violation of the state Safe Drinking Water Act.

Among the problem spots for the state: Flint not having a manager dedicated to preventing sewage from contaminating drinking water, not having a plan to implement a sufficient rate structure that reflects the cost of adequate staffing and laboratory facilities, and not having hired a full-time operator in charge of the water plant on a permanent or contractual basis to oversee treatment system operations.

Weaver's letter says DEQ has been updated in every area of concern and been informed "of the city's action plans and implementation timeframes, and (had) already agreed to those timeframes and plans."

"This man-made crisis occurred because the state, over the stringent objections of the city and its people, imposed its misguided policies on the people of the city of Flint," Weaver's letter says. "The city is committed to remediating and recovering from this crisis ... However, this proposed (order) does nothing to substantively further the city's recovery and instead appears to be retaliatory and punitive."WYOMING, MI -- Axles for the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks are now rolling off the line at the GM Components Holdings plant in Wyoming after a $119 million expansion.

After announcing its investment in the Wyoming plant in 2015, General Motors revealed Tuesday what the new assembly line would be producing: front and rear axles for its full-sized trucks.

The plant has the "latest and greatest technology," said Troy Comiskey, director of the plant at 2100 Burlingame Ave. SW.

"A lot of processes are highly automated," Comiskey said.

Throughout the past two years, GM has renovated a 520,000-square-foot-long vacant space in its 1.8 million-square-foot Wyoming plant that now holds high-tech equipment capable of turning out 400 axles a day. Once finished, the axles are shipped to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where they are then painted and the trucks are assembled.

The line started assembling axles at the beginning of June, said Joe Frisch, launch manager for the new production line. The plant is currently producing about 200 axles a day on one shift of operations, Comiskey said.

About 250 workers have been hired to staff the new operation, with 50 additional jobs available as a second shift is added in the future, Comiskey said. Training for the jobs is intensive, Comiskey said, as one worker typically will operate three to five machines at once.

GM is getting back into the business of assembling axles after previously purchasing them from a competitor, Frisch said. The axles are made with aluminum and high-strength steel.

Among the new technology: self-guided forklifts. There are 10 roaming the floor of the plant 24 hours a day, bringing parts to workers in different areas of the assembly line as they request them. Part of the plant where gears are assembled for the axles is fully automated.

The Wyoming plant is one of three GM plants with the self-guided forklifts, Frisch said.

"We were fortunate enough in the 2015 contract year to win substantial investment in this plant, said Chris Newman, UAW Local 167 chairman. "This is great for the community."

Engine components are manufactured in the other side of the plant. Newman said there's about 100,000 square feet still available for use, which he would like to see used to produce parts for autonomous vehicles.GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Four candidates are in the running to become the next CEO of The Rapid.

Current CEO Peter Varga is preparing to depart at the end of his contract September 30. Since Varga publicly announced his intentions last April, The Rapid has been searching for a replacement.

The four candidates are: Kimberly Dunham, executive director for the Greater New Haven Transit District in Connecticut; Andrew Johnson, chief operating officer for the Champaign-Urbana Transit District in Illinois; Brian Pouget, deputy chief executive officer at The Rapid; and Gary Rosenfeld, chief executive officer for the Memphis Area Transit Authority in Tennessee.

All four candidates will be interviewed publicly at 5:30 p.m. June 13 and 8 a.m. June 14 at The Rapid's conference room at 300 Ellsworth Ave. SW.

June 13, the candidates will each give a 20 minute presentation that includes their plans for The Rapid.

June 14 will be a question and answer session with each candidate.GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- City commissioners are moving the more restrictive of two proposals governing medical marijuana facilities onto the public-discussion phase.

On a split vote Tuesday morning, they decided to seek public input based on the framework in a proposal from Grand Rapids planning department that would allow up to 43 medical marijuana facilities, at least 100 less than a proposal recommended by the planning commission.

Grand Rapids residents will have an opportunity to provide input on a proposed medical marijuana ordinance next month as the city considers permitting facilities in the future. The proposal could be changed before a final vote is taken by city commissioners.

Determining where dispensaries and other marijuana facilities would be permitted is at the heart of the issue, and commissioners heard two different proposals Tuesday, June 12, before voting to push the more conservative ordinance forward for a public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 10.

The vote was 6-1 in favor of the planning department's initial proposal, which would allow for up to 43 total medical marijuana facilities in the city based on separation distances.

In doing so, the city commission chose not to advance the planning commission's proposal, which would have allowed for up to 145 dispensaries and up to 377 additional facilities (growers, processors, secure transporters and safety compliance).

"There's the suggestion of 43 sites and the planning commission has 377," said Second Ward Commissioner Joe Jones. "The answer is clearly somewhere in between.

"I'm all for being proactive instead of reactive and I think we're doing that but I don't think there are any easy answers to this and I'm all for taking it as slow as we have to but also being smart and wise in doing what's in the best interest of our residents."

The lone vote in opposition of the more restrictive ordinance was First Ward Commissioner Jon O'Connor, who voiced his frustrations regarding the city commission "wasting the planning commission's time and energy" by not using its proposed ordinance.

"We have recommendations from a group of individuals that we've entrusted with their perspective, with their time, their diligence, their training, their knowledge to give us their recommendation," O'Connor said.

"I feel like we're doing them a disservice and we're doing the community a disservice if we don't give them an opportunity to be heard. We're going to get feedback from the community either way -- they're going to tell us it's too aggressive or its not aggressive enough."

Last month, the planning commission unanimously approved a recommended ordinance that would permit medical marijuana grow, processing, transport and safety compliance facilities by special land use permit and with the proper state licensing.

Their focus was solely on medical marijuana, despite a statewide November 2018 ballot proposal that would legalize recreational marijuana.

Rather than setting a cap on the number of facilities allowed in the city, the planning commission established separation distances between specific land uses, zoning districts and other marijuana facilities.

The base proposal from the planning department staff -- which included input from Grand Rapids police, the city attorney's office and the city clerk -- included:

1,000-foot buffer from schools, child care centers, parks, churches/places of worship and rehabilitation centers

600-foot buffer from another marijuana facility

250-foot buffer from residential zone district

Planning commissioners said that was unnecessarily restrictive for medical marijuana. So they did away with the buffer from churches, rehab facilities and residential zone districts.

Additionally, they increased the buffer between dispensaries from 600 feet to 1,000 feet to keep from over-saturation. They also eliminated separation distances between jurisdictional boundaries, a requirement for businesses to create a "Voluntary Equitable Development Agreement," and a $5,000 annual fee for each license.

Of the 12 people who spoke during public comment at the planning commission's meeting, all were in favor of medical marijuana facilities in Grand Rapids. Most of them asked for more lax regulation that allowed the market to dictate saturation.

On Tuesday, the majority of the city commissioners said they had some concerns with the planning commission's recommendation. Instead of making changes to it ahead the public hearing, they voted to put the planning department's original proposal in front of the public on July 10.

"I'd like a start with a more conservative approach and I want to hear from the community and I think it's an opportunity, through a public hearing, to learn from people and also to educate at that time," said Second Ward Commissioner Ruth Kelly.

Most city commissioners said they wanted more information from other cities like Ann Arbor, Detroit and Lansing, which have already permitted marijuana dispensaries. Many cities have started without a cap on dispensaries, only to go back to limit the opportunities later.

Commissioners Senita Lenear and Kelly said they'd like the public to have a side-by-side view of the proposed ordinance and the planning commission's recommendations in order to have a more thorough understanding of the issue.

Commissioners Jones and Reppart said they agreed with some aspects of the recommendations, but were concerned about other details. Reppart reminded the commission that the "clock is ticking" to come to an agreement before the November election.

Mayor Rosalynn Bliss responded to O'Connor's frustrations over the under-utilization of the planning commission.

"We don't always agree with the planing commission, and that's OK," Bliss said. "Their input is helpful but we have to listen to other people's input too ... We need to take into consideration the pros and cons and come up with a very thoughtful recommendation."

After the July 10 public hearing, the city commission will consider amendments and then vote on how to go about permitting medical marijuana in Grand Rapids.

The city's discussion around allowing medical marijuana facilities came in response to a local ballot proposal to have Grand Rapids opt into the Medical Marijuana Facilities Licensing Act to authorize marijuana dispensaries.

The proposal earned enough signatures to be on the ballot in November 2018 in Grand Rapids.HOLLAND, MI -- The former executive director of the public bus system in Holland appeared in court Tuesday, June 12, as she was arraigned on charges of embezzlement.

Linda LeFebre. (File photo | MLive.com)

Linda LeFebre is accused of embezzling more than $20,000 from Macatawa Area Express (MAX).

58th District Court Judge Susan Jonas set LeFebre's bond at $5,000. LeFebre will next appear in court July 3.

LeFebre was placed on paid leave in March; she later resigned in April.

LeFebre had been the executive director of MAX Transit since its inception as a transit authority in 2006. Previously, she worked with the bus system in its prior iteration as a dial-a-ride service as a city of Holland employee.

The transit authority's finances had just undergone an audit by Rehman Robson in February, but the audit did not turn up any signs of LeFebre's alleged embezzlement, said Russell TeSlaa, chairman of the board that oversees the authority.

The alleged impropriety was discovered by a staffer in the city of Holland's finance office, said Tim Vagle, finance director for the city of Holland and for MAX Transit.

Vagle notified TeSlaa of a possible issue with the authority's finances, TeSlaa said.

"His staff had questions about some items," TeSlaa said.

Vagle said he was not concerned that the audit didn't catch the embezzlement, as auditors typically conduct a series of random tests.

"It's not possible for them to audit every single transaction," Vagle said.

The board hired a lawyer to conduct a private investigation. That is not yet complete; TeSlaa said the board is waiting for the detective work to be completed by the courts. The investigation only concerns LeFebre, TeSlaa said.

The transit authority has a $5.7 million annual budget. MAX Transit receives federal, state and local revenue, including about $1 million from a local tax levied on residents in Holland Township and the city of Holland.

Vagle said LeFebre has done "excellent work" for MAX Transit as it grew as an authority and switched from a dial-a-ride system to a fixed route system.

"She was successful in obtaining grants for its buildings and for its buses," Vagle said of LeFebre.

In LeFebre's absence, the board appointed Beth Higgs and Derek Broadbent to serve as co-directors of the authority. Each received a raise for their additional work.

The authority will be posting the executive director job opening the week of June 11, TeSlaa said.

He praised the authority's employees for keeping things on track during the transition.

"Our staff has done a phenomenal job to continue to keep the buses out there running on time," TeSlaa said.The central banks deputy governor, Nguyen Thi Hong, said on June 11 that the average lending rates remained stable while credit for certain priority sectors saw positive progress.

She elaborated that the rate for loans at a number of commercial banks has been lowered by 0.5 percentage point for well-performing customers.

The current rate ranges from 6-9% for short-term loans and 9-11% for medium and long-term loans while the lending rate for customers with healthy finances is lower, at around 4-5%.

The central bank also reported that efforts to restructure credit institutions continued to be stepped up with difficulties in tackling bad debt having been gradually resolved and commercial banks basically having finalised their restructuring plans.

As of the end of March, bad debt accounted for 2.18% of total outstanding credit, the SBV said.

It added that more than VND100 trillion (US$4.4 billion) of bad debt had been resolved during the period from August 15, 2018 to the end of March 2018.GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A 49-year-old Canadian man is in the Kent County Jail, accused in an investment scheme involving solar powered generators that allegedly left investors out $2 million.

Officials with the state Attorney General's office on Tuesday, June 12 said John Von Stach is facing charges of conducting a criminal enterprise and 20 counts of false pretenses.

His company, VSP North America of Walker, faces the same charges. The company is based on Alpine Avenue NW near Four Mile Road.

Von Stach was arrested Friday, June 8 after entering Michigan from Canada. He was arraigned Monday, June 11 in Walker District Court and a judge set a $1.5 million bond.

Von Stach is accused of using VSP North America -- touted as a renewable energy company -- to lure investors into buying "invoices" for solar powered generators he sold to dealers across the United States.

The investors purchased invoices at a 20 percent discount, then were supposed to make money when the dealers reimbursed the full invoice amount once a generator was sold. The transaction was supposed to happen within 90 days.

But multiple investors never received payments from dealers and, according to Attorney General's office staff, VSP sold the generators to the dealers on consignment. They could not be returned if the dealer failed to sell them.

Authorities allege investors lost more than $2 million.

Von Stach is due back in court June 19.UPDATE: Police about 5:40 p.m. Tuesday said Logan Thompson was located by his grandfather on M-37 near Eight Mile Road and is in good health.

NEWAYGO COUNTY, MI - State police on Tuesday, June 12, asked the public's help to find an endangered, missing teen.

Logan Michael Thompson, 16, was last seen Tuesday morning near 64th Street and Centerline Road in Newaygo County's Garfield Township.

He has autism but is high-functioning and will communicate with others, police said.

He is 6-feet, 150 pounds with light brown hair. He was wearing black-and-red Nike sneakers and a Miami Dolphins cap. He may be wearing a teal T-shirt.

Police asked anyone with information to call Newaygo County Central Dispatch at 231-689-7022 or the state police Hart post at 231-873-2171.Boxes of last year's set of Michigan-themed cans that were part of the "Great State of Mine" series.

Courtesy Photo | Labatt USA

"Loving Michigan"

By Brandon Champion

Labatt USA has released more Michigan-themed beer cans in conjunction with a partnership that will benefit the states fresh water.

The Loving Michigan limited-edition Labatt Blue and Labatt Blue Light cans will feature Mackinac Island, Grand Haven State Park, Turnip Rock and the Ambassador Bridge. The New York-based company revealed the cans on the same day it announced a $10,000 investment to support Grand Traverse Baykeeper and its efforts to protect and sustain water quality in Michigan.

A closer look at beer cans adorned with Mackinac Bridge, other Michigan landmarks

Grand Traverse Baykeeper is part of a larger investment of more than $100,000 with waterkeepers throughout the Great Lakes region.

Not only is clean water required to make great beer, but it also means recreation on the water. By working to improve our water footprint, were also able to impact our communities to help ensure everyone can swim, boat and enjoy our local waterways throughout the summer, said Lisa Texido, brand manager for the Labatt Family in a statement.

"Loving Michigan" cans will be available in all locations that sell 24-pack and 15-packs of 12-ounce cans of Labatt Blue or Labatt Blue Light.

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Mackinac Island and Round Island Lighthouse

The popular tourist destination in the Straits of Mackinac is without a doubt one of Michigan's must-visit locations. The island is home to history stretching back to the 17th Century, charming shops, a fort, a thriving fudge industry, bike trails and hiking. There are no motorized vehicles, outside of emergency vehicles, so a trip to Mackinac Island really is a trip back in time. The Labatt Blue can specifically depicts the Round Island Lighthouse.

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Joel Bissell | MLive.com

Grand Haven State Park

Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, Grand Haven State Park and its historic catwalk is one of Michigan's most-popular state parks. The park also features a world-class beach, campsites and lighthouses. The Labatt Blue can features the pier and catwalk.

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Turnip Rock

Lake Huron's Turnip Rock is one of Michigan's more unique natural features. Located on the extreme tip of Pointe Aux Barques, a small peninsula in Pointe Aux Barques Township, the formation been severely undercut by wave action so its top has a significantly larger cross-section than its base.

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MLive File Photo

Ambassador Bridge

The Ambassador Bridge connects Detroit to Windsor and serves as the busiest international border in North America. The 2,300-meter suspension bridge opened in 1929 and has undergone several updates through the years. The bridge remains a symbol of U.S.-Canada cooperation in Michigan.

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Courtesy Photo | Labatt USACHICAGO - A yacht carrying 49 people had to be escorted back to safety after the Coast Guard discovered it was operating on Lake Michigan without a working navigation system.

According to a news release, the United States Coast Guard located the 56-foot motor vessel Serenity with the help of a passenger who was concerned the operator had become disoriented in heavy fog off Navy Pier near the Chicago Harbor breakwall on Saturday, June 9.

Visibility was less than one-quarter of a mile around 11 p.m. when the call came in, but the Coast Guard launched a rescue crew aboard a 45-foot response boat from the Chicago Maritime Safety Station near Navy Pier.

The passenger, communicating with the Coast Guard on a cell phone, helped guide the rescue crew toward the vessel by listening for the horn on the Coast Guard rescue boat.

Once on scene, the Coast Guard found the vessel transiting slowly with no operating navigation system. After escorting the Serenity into Monroe Harbor, the Coast Guard discovered that in addition to inoperable navigation and radio systems, the vessel did not have enough life jackets on board, a federal violation.

The master of the vessel was issued a Coast Guard violation for negligent operations and for operating without the required navigation lights.

"The Coast Guard takes safety on the water very seriously," said Chief Warrant Officer Matt James, commanding officer of Coast Guard Station Calumet Harbor, in a statement.

"This voyage could well have had a much different and tragic ending for these passengers, given the vessel had no way to communicate, was lost in fog in an area that typically sees an increase in boat traffic on a Saturday night after fireworks, and did not have enough life jackets for everyone aboard."LAKEVIEW, MI -- Jay and Kateri Schwandt have way too much to do in their daily lives to worry about the criticism of people online who think having 14 children -- all of whom are boys -- hinders their ability to care for each of their kids.

"There are some really mean people in the world. And it doesn't matter," Jay Schwandt told the Associated Press. "We happen to be this great big family with 14 boys that has so much fun every second that we're together. And we still get horrible comments."

Among the criticisms are claims that the parents are unable to properly give enough attention to each child because there are so many to care for.

But their fourth child, 19-year-old Brandon, says that isn't the case at all.

"It's just what we grew up with. I don't know how to explain it. It's just life. It's our life," said Brandon Schwandt.

Jay and Kateri welcomed their 14th boy in April and say having so many children is many things, but something they cherish.

"Crazy. Chaotic. Noisy. Messy. But, we enjoy it. If we didn't, we wouldn't have continued to have this many children," Jay said.

And while the couple has achieved the extremely rare feat of having 14 boys and no girls, the trend doesn't appear to have been passed down. Their third oldest son, Drew, is expecting his first child later this week with his girlfriend Anelene Mellin.

And it's a girl.

"I'm really excited about it," said Mellin, a student at Central Michigan University. "She'll be extremely loved and probably spoiled."MARQUETTE COUNTY, MI -A Michigan man involved in a domestic dispute was arrested after he fled the scene on an off-road vehicle.

According to the Michigan State Police Negaunee Post, the incident occurred at 3:51 a.m. on Tuesday, June 12 when troopers were dispatched to Marquette County's Humboldt Township on a domestic violence call.

Before they arrived, the male fled the scene. Troopers located him north of the Upper Peninsula town of Republic driving a Yamaha side by side down M-95.

Troopers arrested the 45-year-old male subject for operating while intoxicated and resisting and obstructing.

He was lodged at the Marquette County Jail. Names are not being released at this time. The incident remains under investigation.LANSING, MI - The House and Senate on Tuesday voted to approve a $56.8 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2019, putting more money toward things like roads and regulating medical marijuana facilities while saving $19.2 million by closing a prison.

The budget lawmakers passed covers from Oct. 1, 2018 through Sept. 30, 2019.

After approval by a conference committee Tuesday morning, it headed to the chambers, which both approved it by mid-afternoon.

Overall, the new budget spends slightly less general fund than the current year's. The combined budget bills for Fiscal Year 2019 spend $56.8 billion gross and $10.02 billion out of the state's general fund, with the remainder coming from mostly federal sources. The current Fiscal Year 2018 budget spends $56.5 billion gross but slightly more general fund at $10.05 billion.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Dave Hildenbrand, R-Lowell, said the budget spent less money than the previous fiscal year, largely because fewer people depended on social safety net programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services.

"It's a reduction in spending over the current year because of the strengthening of our economy," Hildenbrand said.

In the Senate the omnibus budget bill, Senate Bill 848, passed 33-2, with Sen. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor, and Sen. Hoon-Young Hopgood, D-Taylor, voting against it. Sen. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, was excused and Sen. Morris Hood III, D-Detroit, did not vote. The House passed it 66-43.

The omnibus education bill passed 63-46 in the House and 25-11 in the Senate.

Rep. Fred Durhall III, D-Detroit, Minority Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said he could not vote for the omnibus budget.

"I'm going to vote no today on this budget. I do think there are some good things within this budget, but I also know that we missed an opportunity to make this budget the best that it could be," Durhal said.

He said the budget doesn't do enough to address deteriorating roads and compensate Michiganders for being incorrectly flagged by computer system and accused of committing unemployment insurance fraud.

Roads get a funding boost

The state passed a road funding plan in 2015 and has consistently dedicated more money to roads, in some cases to the frustration of citizens who are paying more but haven't seen results.

This Fiscal Year 2019 budget is no exception, sending an additional $300 million in one-time funding to roads. Of that, $117.3 million will go toward state trunkline and bridge construction, $117.3 million will go toward county road commissions and $65.4 million will go toward cities and villages.

The bill pops another $30 million into the Fiscal Year 2018 budget for specific projects, including $1 million for Dixie Highway, $2.4 million for Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation trails and $297,200 for Mound Road.

That's on top of a road funding supplemental to the Fiscal Year 2018 budget Gov. Rick Snyder already signed.

The additional funding was lauded by Hildenbrand, who said with this funding the legislature in the past three years was investing $1 billion more in the state's roads and bridges.

Medical marijuana implementation comes with cash

The budget also spent money out of relatively new funds to help regulate newly-authorized medical marijuana businesses. Lawmakers passed a plan to regulate medical marijuana businesses and bring them out of a legal grey area in 2016 but it's in the early stages of being implemented as the state moves toward licensing medical marijuana facilities.

Under the 2016 law, application fees and annual assessments for medical marijuana businesses are routed to the Medical Marihuana Regulatory Fund and a special income tax on medical marijuana provisioning centers is routed into the Medical Marijuana Excise Fund.

Some of the restricted funds give the Department of Attorney General $501,700 to enforce the new facilities act, a boost of $126,700 over the current budget year. The Department of Treasury gets some of the restricted money in this budget, too - a $7.1 million increase accounts for administrative personnel and grants to local municipalities, counties and county sheriffs to offset the costs of regulating medical marijuana. The total funding for this line item is now $11.8 million.

In the new budget the Department of State Police gets $2.9 million out of the regulatory fund to support 51 medical marihuana regulation positions, while the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards gets $2.5 million from the fund to support administrative costs. Another $900,000 will go to the state police for the implementation and administration of a standardized field sobriety test.

Also, from the restricted funds, $500,000 will go to the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs for substance use disorder programs and $3 million to local medical marijuana grants.

One prison closes, food service goes back to state employees

The Fiscal Year 2019 budget saves saving $19.2 million by closing a yet-to-be-named prison.

The state has a tumultuous time and a lot of bad looks since the Department of Corrections privatized its food service and contracted with Aramark in 2013.

In 2014, it came to light that an Aramark worker had ordered a rodent-nibbled cake served to prisoners. Also in 2014, the state fined the company for at least 12 instances of its employees having improper relationships with prisoners.

The state terminated its contract with Aramark early and went with a different company, Trinity, but the problems with workers didn't end. In 2016 a worker was let go over a drug allegation. Last year a prison food service worker was fired for having sex with an inmate in the cooler.

In his budget proposal earlier this year, Snyder moved to get rid of the contractor altogether and go back to state workers.

The legislature followed suit, putting an extra $13.2 million into food services and authorized 352 new full-time equivalent employee positions.

Overall the Department of Corrections gets $2 billion in the budget.

More Money for schools

The budget has long supported state priorities like education, but this year's sends more than ever to K-12 schools, said House Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Laura Cox, R-Livonia.

"Really it is not about the numbers, it's about the people. It's about the people back home," Cox said.

Some House Democrats expressed opposition to the education budget. Rep. Donna Lasinski, D-Scio Township, urged her colleagues to "stop accepting crumbs" for education funding, citing a study that recommended higher funding levels for Michigan students.

Others, including Hildenbrand, lauded the increase. It boosts per-pupil funding schools get in their foundation allowance by between $120 and $240 per pupil. The range for the per-pupil funding schools get would be from $7,871 to $8,409 per pupil. The increase cost the state $312 million, bringing the total spend for per-pupil foundation allowances to $9.53 billion.

Overall, the school aid budget is $14.8 billion.

Efforts to combat sexual assault

The Michigan Department of Education will have to submit a report from a task force on recommendations for reducing child sexual abuse. The department will also collect information on any local policies schools, intermediate school districts and charter schools have adopted and submit that report to the legislature.

It also includes a monetary penalty for universities that fail to comply with laws around Title IX and sexual assault. They would need to send an annual Title IX report to the state. Universities are also encouraged to enter into a memorandum of understanding with a local law enforcement agency to coordinate response to incidents of sexual assault.

Community colleges will have to submit reports on sexual assault to the legislature.

Governor's environmental cleanup plan scaled back

Gov. Rick Snyder had proposed raising tipping fees charged for trash disposal to generate money to offset the loss of the Clean Michigan Initiative. The initiative was a set of bond funds the state depleted.

His proposal would have generated $79 million, but the legislature scaled it back by more than two-thirds. The legislature did not agree to increase tipping fees and put in $25 million in one-time funding and 11 full-time equivalent state employee positions to be used for environmental remediation and redevelopment.

The budget has been approved by both chambers but must be signed into law by Snyder.GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Paul Clements requested the U.S. District Court issue an injunction Monday to prevent August primary ballots in Michigan's 6th Congressional District from being printed until his name is added to them.

An injunction filed June 11 asks the court to order Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson to temporarily prevent ballots from being printed without Clements' name on them. It also asks the court to order his name be added to ballots provided to voters in the state's Aug. 7 primary election.

Clements and four petition signers are challenging a Board of State Canvassers decision to remove him from the August primary for not having enough valid signatures. The legal complaint states their First Amendment rights were violated.

The state concluded that Clements was short nine signatures because too many signers checked the wrong box indicating where they are registered to vote.

If signers checked both boxes or left the section blank, their signature would have been counted. In Clement's case, many signers who checked the wrong box lived in cities or townships that share a name, like Kalamazoo and Kalamazoo Township.

Clements is represented by Melvin Hollowell, Angela Baldwin and Martha Olijnyk of The Miller Law Firm P.C.

In court documents, Clements' attorneys say the case arises from a "fatal defect" in Michigan law that adversely impacted his access to the ballot and the right to vote of district voters.

The complaint argues there is an undue burden on voters to "correctly answer an unnecessary geography test question" when their home address is already required.

In a Monday statement, Clements said there are there are 66 cities, townships, and villages that share a name in Michigan's 6th District. It's comprised of Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties, and a portion of Allegan County.

There are 14 pairs of cities and townships sharing the same name within the district. There is no separate box on the petitions for residents of villages.

Of the 1,346 signatures filed by Clements, the Secretary of State originally found 1,148 were valid. A challenge to petitions resulted in another 157 being invalidated.

Of those, 102 signers incorrectly checked a box indicating their city or township. Clements had 991 of the required 1,000 valid signatures from registered voters.

Randall Abbot, Annie Benton, Rosa Kelly and Joy Morris are registered voters in the 6th District whose signatures were invalidated. They join Clements as plaintiffs in the complaint.

The Western Michigan University professor was the Democratic challenger to U.S. Rep. Fred Upton for the 6th District congressional seat in 2014 and 2016.

Democrat Eponine Garrod was also removed from the ballot.

Without Clements and Garrod, there are four candidates remain in the Democratic primary -- George Franklin, David Benec, Rich Eichholz and Matt Longjohn.

Upton is unopposed in the GOP primary.

The challenge to petitions turned in by Clements was filed by Andrew Davis, a failed challenger to Upton in 1992. Davis also serves on the executive committee for the Democratic Party in the 6th District.LUDINGTON, MI - A 15-year-old girl from Scottville, Michigan died Sunday in a rollover crash near Riverton Township in Mason County, according to Michigan State Police.

State troopers have identified the girl as Chrysta Lynn Carrier.

Carrier was a passenger in a pickup truck that veered off Washington Road east of Stiles Road and rolled over, said Sgt. Dan Thomas of the Michigan State Police Hart post. She was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene, Thomas added.

A 16-year-old driving the truck is currently receiving treatment at Devos Hospital in Grand Rapids and is listed in stable condition, Thomas said. The investigation is ongoing, but alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the crash.

Troopers from the Hart post were dispatched at around 7:45 p.m. Sunday to Washington Road in Riverton Township on a report of a traffic crash. Troopers believe the 16-year-old driver of the truck and Carrier were traveling eastbound on Washington and lost control of the vehicle, Thomas said.

The vehicle then left the roadway, rolled over and both the driver, from Pentwater, and Carrier were ejected from the truck, Thomas added.

Carrier was pronounced dead on the scene, investigators said.

The Mason County Sheriff's office, Oceana County Sheriff's office, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Riverton fire, Pentwater fire, Hart fire, AeroMed, Oceana EMS, Life EMS all assisted troopers on scene.MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - A citizen board has decided that improvements to a drainage district east of Muskegon are not necessary - a decision welcomed by residents in the Holland Drain district who thought they would be have their taxes raised if the project was approved.

The decision was made at a recent public hearing commissioned by Muskegon County Drain Commissioner Brenda Moore. The meeting was contentious, as Moore is facing a recall effort led by a Fruitport Township resident who claims Moore overstepped her bounds when she approved tax assessments for more than $2 million in improvements to the Kuis Drain district.

As drain commissioner, Moore can set drain improvement and maintenance projects into motion, and can levy tax assessments to help pay for those projects.

READ MORE: Recall effort revived against Muskegon County Drain Commissioner

Moore said she received a request for work on the Holland Drain in early May that was filed by a group of eight Muskegon Township residents.

The petition states that eight residents were concerned about a large willow tree that had fallen in a neighbor's back yard, which spread debris and was blocking parts of the drain.

The Holland Drain district includes parts of Muskegon, Muskegon Township and Egelston Township. It was established in 1890 and received two major extensions in 1909 and 1960. The district starts west of U.S. 31 near Holmes Street in Muskegon and ends east near Carr Road in Egelston Township.

The Holland Drain district, outlined in red, comprises parts of Muskegon, Muskegon Township and Egelston Township.

Each drain area acts as its own corporation, with individual boards and corporate counsels assigned to each district, Moore said.

The hearing helped the Board of Determination gauge opinions on potential fixes. Board members included four Muskegon County residents with backgrounds in city planning and zoning.

Board members cannot live in the district under review to preserve impartiality, but they are handpicked by Moore.

The body can only approve or deny a project, Moore said. They do not, however, have the power to determine the cost and scope of the project - powers that lie solely with Moore and her office.

At the meeting on May 23, Moore and engineer Dan Fredericks presented an engineering study to show the full extent of clogs in the system, according to minutes from the May 23 public hearing.

The study detailed several problem areas blocking flow, and tree debris was only a small part of the problem.

It concluded that:

Several culverts were impaired by corrosion or deterioration.

Some of those culverts were half-filled with sediments, causing substantial blockages.

Trash was building up along significant portions of the drain.

Another set of culverts were either set two feet below or two feet above grade, slowing the flow of water.

The board members ultimately decided that work was not necessary, and that Moore could likely take care of the issues using money budgeted for preventative maintenance.

While the meeting included some productive comments, Moore said the hearing was all but "railroaded" by angry residents from other drainage districts. A few of them were residents championing Moore's recall.

Muskegon Township Supervisor Jennifer Hernandez and Egelston Township Supervisor John Holter also spoke on behalf of their residents at the meeting.

Hernandez said she wondered what the board qualified to determine if a project should go through.

Stacy Hissong, the Holland Drain district attorney, said there is no formal training process required for appointment to a Board of Determination. That includes no prior education in city planning or zoning, although Moore said each member at the Holland Drain meeting had extensive backgrounds in both.

Hissong also alluded to a training course on board leadership supplied by Moore.

In response, Hernandez questioned if residents who weren't affected by drain issues would be assessed for work. It was her understanding, Hernandez said, that those who do not benefit from drain work don't have to pay.

"There were eight signatures, five households, and four miles worth of residents and parcels affected by this," Hernandez said. "How do you justify this based on eight signatures?"

Board Chair Steve Van Hoven said they couldn't answer her questions because the board's charge was to either approve or reject a project. The board does not decide which residents be assessed and how.

Hernandez also asked why they couldn't just take care of the trees, or place that responsibility on the property owners.

The board didn't have an answer for that either.

John Holter also asked why residents in his township should pay for work affecting only a few people in Muskegon Township.

"There is no way that residents of Egelston Township (are) going to benefit (from) something three miles away, period," Holter said. "I don't see where any of that property goes to the Holland drain, period.

"So to say that our water is going all the way down Apple Avenue, out of Egelston Township to Sheridan, Quarterline and to where these residents live in this subdivision are is not right."The event was jointly held by the Vietnamese Embassy in the Republic of Mozambique and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security of the Republic of Mozambique and attracted the participation of a number of local concerning agencies and international organisations such as IMF, FAO, UNCDF, JICA, USAID, and others.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Mozambique, Le Huy Hoang, spoke at the conference that Vietnam wished to continue coordinating with Mozambique and African countries in the area of agriculture while expecting more financial support from international organisations to help ensure food security and enhance the quality of life for locals.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of the Republic of Mozambique, Higino Francisco de Marrule, said that Mozambique boasts many favourable natural conditions for agricultural production and aquatic exports and the country is developing new policies to attract foreign investment in the cultivation and processing of farm produce.

The minister encouraged Vietnamese firms to invest in the production of rice and industrial plants with high export values including cashew nuts, coconuts, cassava, and coffee.

Director General of Mozambique's Institute of Agricultural Research, Olga Faftine, appreciated the effectiveness of the US$2.2 million joint project between Vietnam and Mozambique on the research and development of food plants in Zambezia province.

She also wished for further support from Vietnam to implement the second phase of the project and promote the outcomes of the first phase of the project.More than 11,000 Puerto Rican crested tadpoles are on the way from the Detroit Zoo to Puerto Rico with the goal of restoring the "critically endangered amphibian."

The zoo reports in a news release that 11,226 tadpoles left Detroit on Wednesday, June 6, and will join more than 52,000 Detroit-born tadpoles released in Puerto Rico in the past decade. Fifteen of the Puerto Rican crested toad tadpoles will stay behind at the Detroit Zoo "for future breeding."

"With nearly half of the world's known 7,878 amphibian species threatened with extinction due to habitat loss, climate change, pollution, infectious diseases and other factors, bolstering the population of these toads in their natural environment is extremely gratifying and a real win for conservation," Dr. Ruth Marcec, director of the National Amphibian Conservation Center, said in the release.

"As the tadpoles develop and grow, they will add to the wild population and, one day, hopefully, produce many more thousands of tadpoles."

--

--

The zoo says staff members spent more than 12 hours counting and packing each tadpole into its "Styrofoam-protected shipping boxes" for the trip from Detroit to a pond located in a "well-protected" forest in Puerto Rico.

The Puerto Rican crested toad is described as having greenish-brown pebbled skin, golden eyes and can typically grow to be 3 to 4 inches long.

While they have been featured at the Detroit Zoo, they are tough to spot in their habitat. From time to time, the zoo says visitors can spot them by their "large eyeballs and pointy, hooked noses peering out from under their naturalistic limestone structures."Kroger reports it is removing pre-cut cantaloupe, watermelon and melon mixes from stores in Michigan and Indiana due to the risk the products are contaminated with a strain on salmonella adelaide.

The company reports it was informed by both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration "that multiple illnesses had been reported in connection with this outbreak." This outbreak was connected to Kroger, Jay C. Owen's and Pay Less stores located in Michigan and Indiana.

"Although the reported illness onset ended on May 28 and the shelf life on these products is very limited, out of an abundance of caution Kroger immediately removed these products from its stores and has temporarily suspended shipment of any new products from this supplier," the company reports in a news release.

"This withdrawal does not affect other pre-cut fruit available in stores."

The CDC reports that fresh-cut melon produced and packaged by Indiana-based Caito Foods has been linked to a multistate salmonella adelaide outbreak. Affected states include Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio.

Affected fresh-cut melon was sent to Costco, Sprouts, Trader Joe's, Walgreens, Walmart, Whole Foods, and the aforementioned Kroger stores. The CDC reports that 60 people have fallen ill, 31 have been hospitalized and that no deaths have been reported.

According to a U.S. case count map, Michigan has been the hardest-hit state by the outbreak with 32 known reports of salmonella infection. Missouri is the next closest state with 10 reported infections.

--

--

See below for a full rundown on products and UPC codes recalled at Kroger stores. Customers who have purchased any of the listed items are urged to not consume them and to return them to the point of purchase for a refund. All affected products have a sell-by date of June 11, 2018 and before:

MELON SPEARS TRIO 82676613959

FRUIT SPEARS MIXED 82676613960

WATERMELON SPEARS 82676613962

MELON MEDLEY - SMALL 82676613980

WATERMELON CHUNKS - SMALL 82676613985

CANTALOUPE CHUNKS - SMALL 82676614000

HONEYDEW CHUNKS - SMALL 82676614001

CANTALOUPE CHUNKS 82676614006

MELON MIX 82676614007

WATERMELON CHUNKS 82676614008

WATERMELON CHUNKS 82676614014

FRUIT SNACK TRAY 82676614015

FRUIT MEDLEY 82676614017

FRUIT MEDLEY 82676614024

FRUIT MEDLEY 82676614030

SMALL FRUIT TRAY W/ DIP 82676614538

LARGE FRUIT TRAY W/ DIP 82676614539

FRUIT TRAY W/WATERMELON 82676618549

FRUIT FIESTA SALAD 82676618564

Salmonella is a bacterium that can cause cramps, fever, diarrhea and other symptoms. While most recover without treatment, according to the release, the elderly and young children are most likely to suffer severe illness.DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers recalled catcher Grayson Greiner from Triple-A Toledo before Tuesday's game.

Greiner takes the roster spot of right-handed reliever Zac Reininger, who was optioned back to Toledo after Sunday's game.

Greiner's arrival indicates that starting catcher James McCann is still feeling under the weather after missing Sunday's game due to illness.

John Hicks is the Tigers' other catcher.

Greiner spent a month with with the Tigers while Miguel Cabrera was on the disabled list, going 7-for-30 in eight games.

The Tigers open a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night at Comerica Park.The decision was made by the Indonesian Anti-Dumping Committee (KADI) after it concluded the anti-dumping investigation into colour-coated steel sheets imported from Vietnam and China.

The Indonesian side said that it investigated colour-coated steel sheets imported from Vietnam dumped into Indonesia between 12.01 - 28.49% which caused considerable losses to the domestic industry.

The KADI launched the investigation into steel sheets imported from Vietnam and China on December 23, 2016.

The committee said that the total amount of colour-coated steel sheets imported to Indonesia during the investigation period from July 2015 to June 2016 was 224,119 tonnes including 196,190 tonnes from Vietnam and China, accounting for 87.5% of its total imports.

The steel sheets were subject to investigation coded 7210.70.10.00, 7212.40.10.00, and 7212.40.20.00.

Pamela Beltran-Mayan, 17

Detroit Poet Laureate Imani Nichele reads a work

A performance by the Mosaic Youth Theater

People applaud for the Mosaic Youth Theater

Organizer Julia Cuneo speaks during the "Adult Allies Caucus"

The "Adult Allies Caucus"

Siblings Jonathan and Bailee Williams

Mutahhara Jannat, 15

Summit-goers take a group photo

Attendees of the Michigan Youth Summit

Maya Solomon, 17

A sign on the wall at the at the Michigan Youth Summit

The Michigan Youth Summit on Guns and Violence brought together more than 100 local youth and adult activists on May 26 for a day of intersectional workshops on subjects ranging from gun violence to LGBT issues to revolutionary art. Anthony Lanzilote captured the spirit of the event in pictures and words.Pamela Beltran-Mayen didnt want the moment to die out. The 17-year-old was one of the thousand or so students who walked out of Cass Technical High School as part of the National School Walkout on April 20 this year. After helping to organize the Walkout and the Detroit March for Our Lives event, the diminutive Detroiter and other members of the newly-formed Detroit Area Youth Uniting Michigan (DAYUM), set their sights on a creating a symposium focusing on the myriad issues confronting youth today.The one-day event took place at the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University on an overcast Saturday. Besides the workshops, the day featured performances by Detroit Poet Laureate Imani Nichele and actors at the Mosaic Youth Theater, and lunchtime "caucasus" where the summit-goers were divided into groups based on demographic characteristics.Julia Cuneo believes that young people are the leaders of the present not just the future. "A lot of adults think of youth as the 'future leaders of tomorrow," she says. "We think of them as leaders of today."The Detroit based youth organizer holds the young people she works with in very high regard. According to Cuneo, when the future members of DAYUM learned that adults were suggesting a March for Our Lives event in Detroit, they bristled at the idea of the grown-ups leading it and decided to take charge. "These kids were really intentional about pushing back against that," Cuneo says. "If we're going to have a Detroit march it needs to be Detroit youth, it needs to be youth of color, we need to have young people running it."Cuneo credits the young people for bringing out what she estimates was a crowd of 10,000 for the Detroit march.Siblings Jonathan Williams, 14, and Bailee Williams, 13, are learning about a certain kind of prejudice for the first time. They were one of only three black families attending Clippert Multicultural Magnet Honors Academy, a mostly latino middle school in southwest Detroit. Bailee still attends Clippert. Every day students at the school pass through metal detectors and are required to use transparent book bags. "I didn't know that suburban schools don't have that," says Jonathan. "We pretty much have no choice."15-year-old Hamtramck resident Mutahhara Jannat sat in on the National Lawyers Guild talk, one of the most popular of the day. The "Know Your Rights" workshop taught summit goers the basics of asserting their First and Fourth Amendment Rights when protesting or being stopped by the police. Jannat learned the basics of dealing with law enforcement. "A lot of times, police use intimidation tactics so I learned what to do and what not to do."A daughter of immigrants, Jannat plans to use the skills she learned at the workshop to engage more with the foreign-born population in Hamtramck and looks forward to continuing to protest in and out of school."Once the whole conversation about gun violence started, I kind of realized how much it affected me and my communities in Detroit," says Pamela Beltran-Mayen.The student from Detroit doesn't want the movement to lose momentum. "[Protest] is a useful skill, especially for the youth because these are issues that affect us on a daily basis, and were kind of the voice of the generation that is going to continue on  It brings leadership to these students and that can be used anywhere."Still, she realized that the youth movement has limitations. "We dont want it to be just identifying issues. We actually want to bring the solutions. So we're going to contact adult allies and see who can help us out."Maya Soloman from Cass Tech was inspired by her sister to take to political action. When she heard about the school walkout she jumped at the opportunity. "Gun control and racism are intertwined," she says while speaking about the "Black Lives Matter" workshop, which she found most impactful.She referred to the Mulford Act, a 1967 California law barring the open carry of firearms. The National Rifle Association supported the legislation after members of the Black Panthers walked into the California capital openly bearing rifles. "Guns have been used as tools of oppression for years  the NRA tries to protect people who are abusing their rights."For one student, who wanted to remain anonymous because of the threats he's received, the conference was uniquely personal. He was one of three students from Arts Academy in the Woods personally threatened with gun violence. The 18-year-old senior still gets panic attacks from the incident last year, but that has only increased his desire for gun control. "At the [March for Our Lives], my friend was literally forcing me to drink water because I was screaming through the bullhorn so much my voice was going horse."The next day his voice was completely gone. He found the "Self Care" workshop at the May summit particularly poignant. "I'm the person who is like, 'I'm gonna take everything on at once,' but then realizes I've made a mistake. So it helped me realize I can say 'no' and not feel guilty about saying that."Photos and words by Anthony LanziloteBy By:

Dr. Francis R. Souder, 85, formerly of Telford, died Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007 in the skilled nursing unit of Peter Becker Community, Franconia Township. He and his wife Marion R. (Parker) Souder celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary in July.

Born in Souderton, he was a son of the late Elvin B. and Mary (Rittenhouse) Souder.

A 1938 graduate of Souderton High School, he received his undergraduate degree in 1941 from the University of Pennsylvania where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa. Dr. Souder went on to receive his medical degree from Hahnemann Medical College in 1944 and completed his internship at Hahnemann Hospital from Oct. 1944  July, 1945.

He served with the U.S. Navy Medical Corps for 30 months in San Diego and Long Beach, Calif. during WW II and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant prior to his discharge. He entered his second tour of duty during the Korean War where he served in Panama City, Fla. as the medical officer for the Panama City Naval Air Station and the Tyndal Air Force Base.

Dr. Souder owned and operated his family practice on Main Street in Telford from 1947-1989. He served on the staff of Grand View Hospital, and as its president, and taught at the Grand View Hospital Nursing School. He was a member of the Pa. Medical Society, the Bucks County Medical Society, Diplomat American Academy of Family Practices, and served on the board of trustees at Grand View Hospital, Sellersville.

He was a member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Telford, where he sang in the church choir. He was also a member of the MacCalla Lodge #596 in Souderton, the Raja Shrine, and Lehigh Consistory.

In addition to his widow, he is survived by a son, Dr. Ronald L. Souder, and his wife Susan L. of Green Lane; a daughter, Susan J. Souder, and her husband Stephan Russo of New York, N.Y.; five grandchildren: Jennifer A. Souder of Philadelphia; Emily E. Souder of Philadelphia; Kathryn A. Souder of Washington, D.C.; Noah Russo of New York, N.Y., and Rebekah Russo of New York, N.Y., and two brothers: Attorney Elvin B. Souder of Souderton and Dr. Lawrence Souder of Souderton.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 12 p.m. in Trinity United Church of Christ, 101 S. Main St., Telford, with calling hours following the service.

Interment will be private in Trinity UCC Cemetery Telford.

Memorial contributions may be made to Grand View Hospital, 700 Lawn Ave., Sellersville, Pa. 18960.

Arrangements are by Sadler-Suess Funeral Home, Telford.June 12, 2018

First Thoughts On The Kim Trump Photo-Op Summit

The photo-op summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea went well. The visuals show North Korea and the United States as equal partners.

The atmosphere was cordial.

Both sides won.

The signed document is short. The core part:

Convinced that the establishment of new U.S.-DPRK relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world, and recognizing that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un state the following: The United States and the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] commit to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity. The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work towards the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

Both sides commit to implement the above "fully and expeditiously". Further talks will be held at the Foreign Minister/Secretary of State level.

This is not a deal, just a declaration. The 'denuclearization' commitment by the DPRK is aspirational. There is no equal commitment from the U.S. side. There is no time frame. As predicted the DPRK will not give up its nukes. It had good reasons to build them and the same reasons will let it keep them.

As long as talks are ongoing the DPRK will likely hold off on further nuclear and long range missile tests. The U.S. will likely stop large scale maneuvers in and around Korea. This is the 'freeze for freeze' which North Korea long wanted and which China and Russia actively supported.

Further talks between the U.S. and North Korea will be slow walked and may not lead to significant progress in nuclear disarmament. Their main purpose is to hold off the U.S. while the real talks that between North and South Korea continue. This is what the "efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula" are really about.

It is disappointing that the terrible human rights record of the United States was not mentioned during the talks.

The North Korean side played its cards exceptionally well. It built its capabilities under enormous pressure and used it to elevate the country to a real player on the international stage. The "maximum pressure" sanction campaign against it is now defused. China, Russia and South Korea will again trade with North Korea.

In pressing for an early summit Trump defused a conflict that otherwise might have ruined his presidency.

The losers, for now, are the hawks in Japan, South Korea and Washington who tried their best to prevent this to happen. The winners are the people of Korea, Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump. Special prizes go to President Moon Jae-in of South Korea and to Dennis Rodman who did their best to make this happen.

Posted by b on June 12, 2018 at 8:58 UTC | Permalink

Comments

next page In a meeting with Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, both sides attached the importance of the Vietnam-Laos special friendship and affirmed to deepen bilateral cooperation in the future.

They agreed to accelerate economic cooperation in an effective and practical manner, with focus on key transportation, economic and infrastructure projects.

The Lao leader affirmed to create favourable conditions for and encourage cooperation between businesses of both sides. The Lao government will work to remove bottlenecks for cooperative projects, particularly significant ones which bring substantial benefits for people of the two countries.

The two leaders said that Vietnam and Laos will continue to share information and coordinate at multilateral forums to maintain peace, stability, and sustainable development in each nation.

Congratulating Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on his election, Deputy PM Binh said that Vietnam always treasures and wants to elevate the strategic partnership with Malaysia to a new height.

The Malaysian PM suggested both countries consolidate political trust, boost economic cooperation with new approaches, focusing on sectors which apply high tech and have highly-added value to adapt to the globes rapid changes and impacts of the industry 4.0.

Deputy PM Binh and Mahathir reached consensus on expanding marine cooperation, promoting the signing of fishery cooperation deals, addressing fishermen-related issues, and accelerating negotiations on overlapping waters.

They also talked regional and international issues of mutual interests, stressing the need to strengthen solidarity to build a peaceful, stable and resilient ASEAN bloc.

Meanwhile, Deputy PM Binh and his Singaporean counterpart Teo Chee Hean achieved consensus on maintaining political trust, fortifying the implementation high-level agreements, especially those reached during PM Nguyen Xuan Phucs visit to Singapore in April, as well as promoting defence-security cooperation.

Teo committed to helping Vietnam enhance management capacity, share experience in training young leaders, and collaborate to foster regional economic integration through the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).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.>>> PM vows support for international cooperation on ocean economy, ecology



>>> Deputy FM: G7 member states appreciate ties with Vietnam



>>> Vietnamese, Canadian PMs agree on measures to boost ties



>>> PM meets world leaders in Canada



>>> PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc addresses G7 Outreach Summit

The trip has affirmed Vietnams proactive efforts and high sense of responsibility for addressing global challenges and created more impetus for the Vietnam-Canada bilateral comprehensive partnership.

It was the second time the Vietnamese PM has attended an expanded G7 summit, with the first time in 2006.

With topics of sustainable development, gender equality, womens role, and seas and oceans, the summit delivered a message of enhancing regional and global cooperation in protecting sea and ocean ecological environment.

Along with supporting Canadas initiatives, Vietnam proposed its own ideas to strengthen global collaboration in the fight against plastic waste discharge into oceans and gender equality promotion amidst climate change response.

In his speech to the summit, PM Phuc suggested establishing an expanded cooperation mechanism between G7 member states and coastal nations to respond to climate change, rising seawater and protect marine ecological system.

He also urged G7 countries to launch a global cooperation mechanism to reduce plastic wastes.

As Vietnam is one of the countries hardest hit by climate change and rising sea water, the PM affirmed Vietnams commitment to joining global efforts to soon realise the Paris Agreement reached at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21).

On the sidelines of the event, PM Phuc held bilateral meetings with leaders of many countries and international organisations such as the PMs of Japan, Norway, Bangladesh, Italy; the Presidents of France, Argentina, Haiti, Senegal, South Africa; the World Bank President, the General Director of the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations Secretary General.

During the meetings, the Vietnamese Government leader discussed measures to enhance trust, extend cooperation between Vietnam and those countries, especially in economy, trade and investment.

Along with the success of his participation in the G7 Outreach Summit, the visit to Canada by PM Phuc took place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 45th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties and have signed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Less than one year since the official visit to Vietnam by PM Trudeau in November 2017, the two PMs have had the second talks on ways to reinforce and strengthen the bilateral relations in all fields.

At the talks, Trudeau affirmed that Vietnam is an important partner of Canada in the region.

He appreciated Vietnams contributions to the success of the G7 Outreach Summit, especially the countrys initiatives on cooperation to enhance response capability of coastal communities, support sustainable development of fishery, and protect ocean environment.

The two PMs agreed to boost ties in politics-diplomacy, trade, investment and development, defence security, education, training, labour, science-technology, culture, sports, people-to-people exchanges, and cooperation among localities.

They also exchanged viewpoints on regional and international issues of mutual concerns, including the maintenance of security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea.

They advocated the settlement of any disputes in the East Sea via peaceful means with full respect for diplomatic and legal procedures without use or threat to use force, and with respect for international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the East Sea, towards the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), while promoting the use of the ocean for peaceful purposes and marine environmental protection.

During his trip to Canada, PM Phuc attended a business forum to talk to businesses of the two countries about Vietnams policies to attract foreign investment, train workers, and boost bilateral trade.

PM Phuc also received Premier of Quebec Philippe Couillard and joined a working lunch with former Prime Minister Jeans Chretien, Governor General Julie Payette, and some leading groups of Vietnam and Canada.

The PM visited Laval University where many Vietnamese students are pursuing education, met with Vietnamese community in Canada and laid wreath at the Nguyen Trai statue in Esplanade Park, which is a symbol of long-standing friendship and sound relations between the two peoples.According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Tran Dai Quang and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc sent separate messages of congratulations to President of the Republic of the Philippines, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, on Tuesday.

On the occasion, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh cabled a congratulatory message to his Philippine counterpart, Alan Peter Cayetano.Maintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investors point of view. We also respect individual opinionsthey represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive.

To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research.

Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.The two sides voiced their satisfaction at the active developments in the traditional friendly relations between Vietnam and Latvia over the past few years, especially the official visit to Latvia made by Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh in October 2017.

They applauded the close coordination between Vietnam and Latvia at international and regional forums, particularly the United Nations (UN) and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).

Son extended his gratitude for Latvias commitment to support Vietnams candidacy for a non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure. Meanwhile, Pildegovics affirmed that Latvia strongly backs the prompt signing and ratification of the Vietnam-European Union Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

At the event. (Photo: MOFA)

Both sides spoke highly of the progress in Vietnam-Latvia economic and trade cooperation over recent years. Vietnam is the largest trade partner of Latvia in Southeast Asia, and Latvia is also Vietnams largest trade partner among the Baltic countries, with two-way trade reaching US$166 million last year, a ten-fold increase compared to 2010.

They welcomed the signing of a double taxation avoidance agreement, while agreeing to soon launch negotiations on an economic cooperation deal and an educational cooperation agreement between the two countries, aiming to finalise the legal framework and create favourable conditions to facilitate bilateral cooperation in various fields.

The two sides highly appreciated the cooperation outcomes between the two Foreign Ministries, including the maintenance of the political consultation mechanism and the close coordination in standpoints on important international issues.

They agreed to support the peaceful settlement of disputes, including the East Sea disputes, in accordance with international laws, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and maintain their efforts to ensure maritime and aviation security and safety in the region.At a ceremony on June 12 to receive the credentials from Ambassador Ta Van Thong, the Governor General welcomed the strong development of bilateral ties throughout the past 43 years since the two countries set up diplomatic ties.

She recalled the successful visit to New Zealand by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc last March, and affirmed her support for lifting the two countries relationship to a strategic partnership in the time ahead, as well as of raising bilateral trade value to 1.7 billion USD next year.

She said Vietnam is playing an important role in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as in such free trade agreements as the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA and the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Ambassador Thong said he was honoured when being appointed to the position and pledged to do his best to bolster the friendly and cooperative ties between Vietnam and New Zealand.Vous etes confrontes a une infestation par la puce, la punaise de lit ? Voici plusieurs actions qui sont a mettre en uvre pour faire []He made the statement at his reception in Hanoi on June 12 for State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Latvia Andrejs Pildegovics who is in Vietnam for the foreign deputy ministerial-level political consultation.

Deputy PM Minh said he was glad to see developments in bilateral ties with Latvia, especially the official visit to the country by Vice State President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh in October 2017, and hailed the two countries effective coordination at multilateral forums.

He lauded positive developments in bilateral economic-trade cooperation while welcoming the countries agreement to soon negotiating the signing of important cooperation documents like those on economics, education, visa exemption for diplomatic passport holders, and mutual legal support, in an effort to perfect a legal foundation to facilitate their cooperation across various realms.

Andrejs Pildegovics affirmed that Latvia prioritizes boosting the traditional friendship with Vietnam. He also confirmed his countrys commitment to supporting Vietnam to step up its cooperation with the European Union, including the early signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and working closely with Vietnam in regional and international forums.

Earlier on the day, Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Latvia Andrejs Pildegovics conducted the political consultation under an agreement between the two foreign ministries.

Vietnam is the biggest trade partner of Latvia in Southeast Asia, while Latvia is the biggest trade partner of Vietnam in the Baltic region. Their two-way trade turnover hit US$166 million in 2017, ten times higher than that of 2010.ORLANDO, Fla. -- A gunman who shot an Orlando police officer is holding four children hostage in a standoff with law enforcement at an apartment complex near Universal Studios.

Orlando Police officer shot overnight, hospitalized

Man holding 4 children in standoff near Universal

Police ID man as convicted felon Gary Lindsey Jr.

Officer Kevin Valencia shot, in critical condition at ORMC

RELATED: Domestic violence expert: For victims, knowledge is power

At a news conference Monday afternoon -- some 15 hours after the standoff began -- Police Chief John Mina confirmed the identity of the man inside the home as Gary Lindsey Jr., 35, a convicted felon.

Mina said that Lindsey exchanged gunfire with officers overnight.

Officer Kevin Valencia was struck and rushed to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he remained in critical condition Monday afternoon.

Mina wouldn't discuss specifically where Valencia was struck but said his injuries are "very severe. He's in critical condition." Valencia is in his 20s and has been with the force for about two years.

A post on Pulse Miami Church's Facebook page asked for prayers for Valencia.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp;

The incident started at about 11:45 p.m. Sunday at the Westbrook Apartments off Kirkman Road and Florida's Turnpike.

Earlier Monday, police said a woman made a domestic violence call to police. When officers arrived at the scene, she met them away from the apartment and told them that her boyfriend had battered her.

When officers approached the apartment, the man inside, who Mina said was Lindsey, opened fire.

"(The officer) has a very serious and significant injury," Mina said. "He is expected to survive."



Gary Wayne Lindsey Jr. (Volusia County Sheriff's Office)

The children who are being held hostage are 1, 6, 10 and 11 years old, Mina said. Two are thought to be Lindsey's and two are of the woman's, police said. Mina said the children are still thought to be alive.



Orlando Police Chief John Mina on Monday afternoon provides an update on the man barricaded in a Universal Orlando-area apartment for more than 15 hours. (Tony Rojek, staff)

"We implore (him) to release the children unharmed," Mina said.

The hostages are children, aged 1, 7, 10 and 12. The suspect is believed to be armed. SWAT is working on negotiating with him at this very moment @MyNews13  Deborah Souverain (@DebSouverainTV) June 11, 2018

SWAT officers are at the scene and have made contact with the man several times via phone, though he's hung up a few times, Mina said.

Orlando Police Officer shot during a domestic violence call at apartments off Kirkman Road. Latest live @MyNews13. pic.twitter.com/l0fcJP1zfa  Jerry Hume (@JerryHume) June 11, 2018

A neighbor who lives on the third floor said she knows the man inside. She said what's going on is out of character of him.

"We've had dinners with this guy and his kids, and it's just like we would never have thought. Whenever you see (him), he's so respectful, says 'hi.' It's hard to believe," Nicole Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez is among those living in the apartment who were forced to evacuate. Some of them are being held at a nearby hotel.

Mina said officers are shaken up by their colleagues' injury. "It's very emotional. We went through this last year with Debra (Clayton). ... But we're receiving so much support from the community."

Domestic violence calls dangerous

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, domestic violence calls are the most dangerous calls for police officers.

In 2017, more officers were shot after domestic disturbance calls than any other deadly incident involving guns, the fund says.

FBI data show that from 1988 to 2016, 136 officers died responding to these types of calls.

The next most deadly from that same time period drug were deal arrests gone wrong.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

Spectrum News' Anthony Leone, Greg Angel and Audrea Huff contributed to this story.Staff writer Mary Ellen Godin joins the Morning Record to talk about a Meriden resident's retaliation lawsuit against the city's police. A federal judge last week denied the city's request to reject the lawsuit.

Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or on Stitcher

Music: thegoodlawdz.bandcamp.com/

msavino@record-journal.com

203-317-2266

Twitter: @reporter_savinoMERIDEN  A local man faces charges after police said he threatened to kill an officers family and burn down his home.

Melvin Soto, 46, of 100 Village Lane, was charged Tuesday with first-degree threatening, disorderly conduct and second-degree breach of peace.

On May 4 around 10:40 p.m. police responded to the area of 221 New Hanover Ave. for a report that Soto was walking in the middle of the road. Officers observed Soto, who said he was on his way to a relatives house, was stumbling in the middle of the road and requested an ambulance, according to a police report

Soto became uncooperative when medical personnel arrived and threatened to assault the officer, the report said. At the hospital Soto began screaming threats at the officer about the officers family and his home. He was held on an emergency committal, the report said.

Soto was arraigned in Meriden Superior Court on Tuesday. According to statements in court, Soto has criminal convictions for charges including threatening, harassment, and interfering with police. The judge set bond at $1,000 and continued the case to July 3.

 Lauren SellewDeputy PM Dung made the statement while receiving Sebastian Rose, sales director of Germanys INTEC company, which has 30-year experience in industrial waste treatment, in Hanoi on June 11.

After being introduced to the German companys technology to turn solid waste into gas and energy, the Deputy PM lauded the INTECs idea of investing in a waste-to-energy plant in Vietnam, saying the country is in need of modern and suitable waste treatment technologies to protect the environment.

However, he held that modern technology is normally expensive and not suitable to the condition of Vietnam as most of the technologies require waste classification.

Currently, waste in Vietnam is basically treated by burying, which is harmful to the environment. Meanwhile, the pilot of other technologies following the models applied in many countries was not successful due to failure in waste classification, he noted, adding that high price is another concern of Vietnam.

He asked the Ministry of Science and Technology to coordinate with other ministries and sectors to verify and assess economic-technical indications of the waste-to-energy technology of INTEC company.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade was assigned to work with relevant ministries and agencies to calculate the price of power provided by solid waste-to-energy plants.

Deputy PM Dung also underscored the need to design specific projects for pilot implementation, while reminding enterprises to consider the possibility of producing lines and equipment domestically to reduce costs.The event, the second of its kind organised by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), aimed to strengthen health care at the grassroots level, and reduce workload at central hospitals.

According to Deputy Minister of Health Pham Le Tuan, statistics in 2015 showed that

in Vietnam, only 43.1 percent of high blood pressure patients were diagnosed and 13.6 percent were treated in medical stations. Meanwhile, 31.1 percent of diabetes patients and 28.9 percent were diagnosed and treated, respectively.

The Health Ministry issued Decision No.2559/QD-BYT dated April 20, 2018 on the management of hypertension and diabetes in line with the family medicine principle at communal health stations for 2018-2020. Accordingly, the organisaiton of training courses for regional lectures in the field is put at the first line of the plan.

However, Deputy Minister Tuan said that local authorities and health departments must involve in the model so that it can be carried out in 11,000 communal infirmaries nationwide.

WHO chief representative in Vietnam Kidong Park said that better management of non-communicable diseases must be accompanied with enhancing capacity of hospitals at grassroots level.

High blood pressure and diabetes could be easily diagnosed and treated at grassroots medical stations, which helps prevent the risks of cardiovascular in the country, he added.

Under Resolution No.20-NQ/TW dated October 25, 2017 by the Party Central Committee on the protection, care and improvement of public health in the new situation, 95 percent of medical stations in wards, communes and townships will prevent, manage and treat several non-communicable diseases by 2025 and the rate will reach 100 percent by 2030.Sign up to receive the First Reading newsletter, your guide to the world of Canadian politics.

First Reading is your guide to the world of Canadian politics.

Sign up now>Addressing the event, VPFA Vice President Vu Xuan Truong congratulated the Philippine people on their achievements in national construction and development, particularly on their successful role as ASEAN Chair in 2017.

He noted with pleasure that since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1976, Vietnam and the Philippines have seen encouraging development in bilateral ties.

He also briefed the participants on activities hosted by the VPFA to boost economic and cultural links and mutual understanding between the two countries.

For his part, Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam Noel Servigon expressed his thanks to the VPFA for hosting the celebration, affirming his belief that the two countries have huge potential to further develop cooperation activities.German chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) has sent a warning to U.S. President Donald Trump that the European Union (EU) stands ready to retaliate in an escalating trade war between the two transatlantic powers.

"We will not allow ourselves to be bamboozled repeatedly," Merkel said on German public television "ARD" on Sunday night. The chancellor's comments were made shortly after the U.S. president surprisingly withdrew support for a hard-won joint declaration on free trade signed at the recent Group of Seven (G7) meeting in La Malbaie, Canada.

Merkel described the circumstance that Trump announced his last-minute change of heart via Twitter, an unconventional channel for high-level diplomatic exchanges, as both "sobering" and "disheartening." While the federal government considered the final summit document to still be legally-binding, Germany and the European Union (EU) would not sit and watch idly as the U.S. increasingly resorted to protectionist policies.

According to Merkel, Germany had little choice but to react firmly to the erratic and unilateral approach adopted by Trump if did not want to appear "open to blackmail." The ongoing deterioration of transatlantic relations showcased that Europe had "relied too easily" on Washington in the past and would now have to work towards a more unified and stronger EU to preserve its autonomy on the global stage.

Reacting to the chaotic end of the G7 conference, the Free Democratic Party (FDP) urged Merkel to appear before the federal parliament and explain to delegates how Berlin intended to move forward. FDP parliamentary secretary Marco Buschmann told the German press agency DPA that it was "absolutely necessary" for delegates to be thoroughly de-briefed following the "unprecedented scandal" at the summit.

Speaking to the newspaper "Rheinische Post" on Monday, Peter Beyer (CDU), the federal government's official commissioner for transatlantic relations, admitted that the U.S. withdrawal from the G7 joint statement was a "diplomatic disaster." At the same time, however, Beyer noted that Trump was already known to be "volatile and unreliable" and that may hence change his mind once again on whether to support the conference resolution on free trade.

In the meanwhile, Beyer said, the remaining six members of the group were best-advised to maintain a united front. The EU and other countries affected by new U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium imports have already brought a legal challenge against the measures before the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva and are currently developing a catalogue of sensitive U.S. exports, including Bourbon whisky and Harley-Davidson motorcycles, to be hit with retaliatory duties.

Speaking to Xinhua on Monday, Juergen Matthes of German Economic Institute (IW), said that Trump had "transformed the G7 into a de-facto G6." While the U.S. could not be formally excluded from the group, Washington had hereby strengthened the desire of the remaining members who were dedicated to multilateralism to cooperate more closely.

Matthes argued that the Trump's "undiplomatic style and threats" made a response on behalf of U.S. trading partners inevitable. Nevertheless, the global community would ultimately just have to "sit out the era of the Twitter-president" and attempt to ward off "irreparable damage to the global trading system" as best as possible.By PTI

MUMBAI: Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for allegedly disrespecting their "gurus", Congress president Rahul Gandhi today said he was the first one to visit ailing former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in hospital.

The Congress leader's statement, at a rally here this evening, came even as the condition of Vajpayee, 93, admitted to the AIIMS in Delhi with urinary tract infection, lower respiratory tract infection and kidney issues, was reported stable.

Lauding Vajpayee, Gandhi told a gathering of Congress booth-level workers that the opposition party respected the BJP stalwart since it believes "he had contributed towards the country".

Ekalavya cut off his right thumb because his Guru demanded it.



In the BJP, they cut down their own Gurus. Humiliating Vajpayeeji, Advaniji, Jaswant Singhji and their families is the Prime Ministers way of protecting Indian culture. pic.twitter.com/lqUtBtj0t8  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 12, 2018

Attacking Modi, Gandhi said the Congress fought and defeated the BJP, led by Vajpayee and Advani, in 2004 and 2009 general elections.

"But the Congress party's culture is to respect others. The prime minister talks about Hindu religion but forgets the important teaching of our religion about respecting the guru (mentor)," Gandhi said.

"The prime minister doesn't even respect his guru at official functions. It's me, the Congress party and its ideology which accords him due respect. Even when Vajpayee is ill in hospital, I was the first to visit him as Congress believes he has contributed to the country," Gandhi said.By Associated Press

KENNEBUNKPORT: George H.W. Bush enjoyed a relaxing birthday on Tuesday as he became the first former U.S. president to turn 94.

The nation's 41st president was receiving calls and taking it easy at his seaside home eight days after being released from a hospital where he was treated for low blood pressure, said Chief of Staff Jean Becker.

Several of his children were in town, including former President George W. Bush. Another son, Neil Bush, called on people in a newspaper opinion piece to volunteer and "to become a point of light."

As president, Bush encouraged others to be "points of light," reflecting his belief that people need to help out in their communities.

Bush became the oldest U.S. president months ago and is the first to celebrate a 94th birthday, said spokesman Jim McGrath.

Former Democratic President Jimmy Carter isn't far behind, at age 93, and he'll celebrate his 94th on Oct. 1. Two other former U.S. presidents made it to 93: deceased Republicans Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford.

The Central Intelligence Agency marked Bush's birthday by releasing declassified material related to his tenure as the agency's director from January 1976 to January 1977.

The items include a video about his path to becoming CIA director and another about his farewell visit to the agency employees in January 1993, the final month of his presidency.

Related to that visit is a copy of a schedule for a briefing over lunch to discuss Iraq, Bosnia, Somalia, counter-intelligence, counter-narcotics and "CIS Ops," an apparent reference to former Soviet states.

After dessert, the briefs included presentations on Russia, North Korea and "Clansig Operations," an agency acronym for clandestine signals intelligence.Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has stressed efforts to implement a central management system to ensure basic pension fund payments.

Vice Premier Han Zheng (C) attends and addresses at a meeting about implementation of a central management system to ensure basic pension fund payments in Beijing on June 11, 2018. [Photo: Xinhua]

A central system for basic pension funds of enterprise employees will be established to strengthen sustainability of the basic pension scheme and balance the pension payment burden in different regions, according to instructions made by Li.

The instructions were conveyed Monday at a conference on the implementation of the system.

Coordinated efforts should be made to ensure fund raising, allocation, and management under the system, Li said.

Local authorities should strive to ensure that basic pension payments are met in time and in full via means including transferring some state assets to the country's social security funds, he said.

Vice Premier Han Zheng attended Monday's meeting, which was chaired by Vice Premier Hu Chunhua.

Speaking at the meeting, Han said the establishment of the central system was an important part of the national coordination of pension funds.

Han stressed collection and management of the basic pension funds to maintain the sustainability of the central management system, and that fiscal support should be enhanced to ensure that retirees receive the full pension on time.Construction of a hydrogen station started Monday in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, as the city plans to operate 100 hydrogen-powered buses this year.

Construction of a hydrogen station started Monday in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, as the city plans to operate 100 hydrogen-powered buses this year.[File Photo: cnhubei.com]

Located in the Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone, the station, the first in the province, has a daily supply capacity of 1,000 kg hydrogen, according to the Wuhan Xiongzhong Hydrogen Energy Co., the investor and builder of the station.

The hydrogen storage volume of the station will reach 1,000 kg, making it the country's largest in both storage and supply capacity, the company said.

The project is expected to be completed by November.

The company plans to build two to three such hydrogen stations in Wuhan this year, and the number will reach 20 by 2020. According to the plan, 2,000 to 3,000 hydro-powered vehicles will operate in the city over the next five years.Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Clearing skies after some evening rain. Low 43F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Clearing skies after some evening rain. Low 43F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.Three people convicted of rioting and attacking police officers in Mong Kok, China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in February 2016 were given jail sentences on Monday at Hong Kong's High Court.

Photo taken on June 11, 2018, shows Leung Tin-kei,Lo Kin-man and Wong Ka-kui ahead of their trial in Hong Kong. [Photo: haiwainet.cn]

Defendant Leung Tin-kei was sentenced to six years in jail, while two others in the case, Lo Kin-man and Wong Ka-kui, received sentences of seven years, and three years and six months respectively.

The three defendants participated in the violent clashes that took place during the Lunar New Year holidays in February in 2016. They were accused of rioting and attacking police officers. The high court of Hong Kong found all of them guilty on May 18.

The clashes in Mong Kok erupted after a dispute over the clearance of food vendors. Pitched street battles saw mobs attack police officers with bricks and sticks. Since March 2017, about 20 rioters were found guilty by Hong Kong courts at all levels.Doctor gets 2.5 years in jail for infecting 5 women with HIV, triggering online uproar

Doctor gets 2.5 years in jail for causing 5 HIV cases

A Chinese doctor in East China's Zhejiang Province was sentenced to two and a half years in jail for infecting five patients with HIV from faulty medical procedures, sparking an online uproar.

A verdict released on China Judgment Online run by China's Supreme People's Court said Zhao Jinfang, a doctor at the Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Hangzhou, reused one suction tube in extracting lymphocyte on December 30, 2016, which resulted in five women getting HIV. Two of the women were pregnant, news site Caixin reported Monday.

One hospital patient informed the hospital on January 24, 2017 that her husband had been infected with HIV before getting his blood drawn. Her husband was discovered to be HIV positive in December 2016 after having sex with a "friend," the verdict said.

Zhao then informed the hospital of his violations that same day, before surrendering to the police days later.

The Shangcheng district people's court in Hangzhou said Zhao, who confessed and pleaded guilty, should be given a light sentence. Zhao was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for medical malpractice on December 12, 2017.

Many Chinese netizens said that the sentence was too light, and called for harsher punishment for Zhao for "ruining the lives of five people."

Ruan Qilin, a professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, said the sentence was reasonable.

"Zhao was a doctor, which is a legitimate occupation. And what Zhao did was not intentional," Ruan told the Global Times. He said that the punishment would be much harsher if Zhao intentionally violated procedures.

China's Criminal Law states that medical staff who cause death or injury to patients due to carelessness face up to three years in prison.HARBIN - Archaeologists have confirmed that a rock painting discovered in the Lesser Khingan Mountains in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province dates back 12,000 years.

Zhao Pingchun, researcher with the provincial institute of archeology, said that several images painted with ochre were discovered on a rock in the city Heihe. Preliminary studies showed that it is a scene of humans hunting.

Zhao said that archaeologists confirmed the images of three mammoths, which means the rock paintings were made before the extinction of the mammoth, or at least 12,000 years ago.

Meanwhile, archaeologists believe that the paintings were made by using fingers, not brushes, and with paints such as ochre.

"Ochre alone cannot be preserved on rock for such a long time. The paint is a mixture of ochre and animal glue, which has helped the artwork survive thousands of years," he added.

Liu Xiaodong, deputy head of the institute, said the discovery is important in the studies on life in the Lesser Khingan Mountains during the Palaeolithic period, and can provide information about human civilization in Heilongjiang and other parts of China.

Researchers are trying to identify more images in the rock painting.- Updated at 14:32 BJT

Kim left Sentosa island and arrived at the hotel where he stayed in Singapore after his summit with Trump ended.

- Updated at 14:04 BJT

Kim said "the world will see a major change" as he signed what he called a historic joint document with Trump.

The US president said the agreement was "pretty comprehensive," though details of the document were not immediately released. Trump did say the DPRKs denuclearization process will be starting very quickly, in response to a question from a journalist.

Trump also said he absolutely would invite Kim to the White House, when asked by a reporter, and added that he expected to see the DPRK leader many times in the future.

- Update at 13:46 BJT

Trump and Kim signed a joint document following their historic meeting in Singapore.

The US president called the document "important" and "comprehensive", while the DPRK leader described it as "historic."

- Update at 12:41 BJT

Trump, Kim walked around the Capella Hotel together after taking a working lunch.

- Updated at 11:44 BJT

US President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, joined by senior officials from both sides, have begun their working lunch.

Here's the menu:

- Updated at 10:10 BJT

An expanded bilateral meeting between the US and the DPRK began after one-on-one talks between Trump and Kim Jong Un ended.

Trump told Kim at the beginning of the meeting: "We will solve this, we will be successful, and I look forward to working on it with you. It will be done."

- Updated at 9:53 BJT

Trump and Kim left together after a one-on-one meeting to start talks with senior officials.

- Updated at 9:42 BJT

"I feel really great. We are going to have a great discussion, and I think tremendous success. It will be tremendously successful and it's my honor, and we will have a terrific relationship," said Trump.

"Well, it was not easy to get here The old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward, but we overcame all of them and we are here today," said Kim.

- Updated at 9:22 BJT

Seated side-by-side ahead of their one-on-one meeting, the leaders spoke briefly to the press.

Trump described the meeting as an "honor" and said he was confident of a "terrific relationship" with Kim. The DPRK leader added that significant obstacles had been overcome to reach this point.

- Updated at 9:09 BJT

Leader of the DPRK Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump shook hands in front of cameras at the Capella Hotel on Singapores Sentosa Island, as the historic meeting officially got underway.

Trump, Kim shake hands ahead of historic summit. /CGTN Photo

8:45 am

Democratic People's Republic of Korea leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump reached the venue of their historic summit in Singapore on Tuesday, after both sides sought to narrow differences over how to end a nuclear standoff.

8:00 am

US President Donald Trump left the Shangri-La Hotel at 8 am Tuesday morning for the Capella hotel in Sentosa, an island resort off the south coast of Singapore, for a historic summit with Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea leader Kim Jong-un.

Trump sent two tweets in the morning saying meetings between staffs and representatives are going well and quickly but in the end that doesnt matter. We will all know soon whether or not a real deal, unlike those of the past, can happen!

In another tweet, he blasted domestic critics in the US who called his meeting a major loss for the US. Trump called them haters and losers, saying we have our hostages, testing, research, and all missile launches have stopped, and these pundits, who have called me wrong from the beginning, have nothing else they can say? We will be fine.

Analysts believe the success of the Trump-Kim summit will help boost Republican lawmakers in their midterm elections. Democrats have already threatened to impeach Trump if they win majority in the Congress.Tessa Majors'

Parents: It's 'Hard

for Friends to Be

Around Us'(Newser)  A father of two was killed by lightning last week as storms blew through central Arkansas, KARK reports. Tyler Grisham was working at a construction site Friday when a tree nearby him was struck. Grisham was also hit and rushed to a hospital, but it was too late. Grisham's father-in-law, Wade Boughner, told reporters the lightning "had wreaked too much havoc" for his son-in-law to be saved. The 27-year-old was the father of two young daughters. The tragedy came along with major storms in the region, where some areas saw as much as three inches of rain. According to KFSM, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration says Grisham's was the fifth lightning fatality in the US this year. (Read more freak accidents stories.)(Newser)  Angela Merkel has called President Trump's decision to to disavow the only just agreed upon G-7 statement "a little depressing." Per the AP, the German chancellor found the contentious Group of Seven summit with the US president a "sobering" experience but said European leaders won't be "taken advantage of" on trade. She conceded in an interview on German public television that the meeting's outcome "wasn't a great thing." Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, and the other leaders clashed with Trump over steel and aluminum tariffs as well as his decision to abandon a deal with Iran to limit its nuclear program. The group managed a common statement in which they agreed to disagree on some issues, only to have Trump disavow the document. "Taking it back by tweet was of course sobering and also a little depressing," she said.

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According to Politico, Merkel's frustration appears to stem from what she sees as Trump's unwillingness to compromise. Sometimes I get the impression that the US president believes that only one side wins and the other loses, Merkel reportedly said. Merkel's comments come on the heels of similar sentiments from French leaders. Trump's decision to walk back his previous support of the statement of shared goals and priorities came after he complained that host country Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blindsided him with criticism of his tariff threats at a summit-ending news conference. Following the president's tweets Sunday, he tweeted anew Monday morning from Singapore, repeating his criticism of US trade policies with Canada and, this time, also calling out Germany. (Read more Donald Trump stories.)(Newser)  Three editors at the Boston Review are resigning over the political and literary magazine's decision to retain author Junot Diaz despite allegations of sexual misconduct. Poetry editors Timothy Donnelly, Barbara Fischer and Stefania Heim said on Twitter last week they're "dismayed" at the logic behind keeping Diaz as fiction editor and felt compelled to step down, effective July 1. "It was painful to leave but we couldn't possibly stay," Donnelly said by email Monday. "Their position, especially as expressed in their statement, was deeply at odds with our own and with the work we do." Editors-in-chief Deborah Chasman and Joshua Cohen announced on the magazine's website last week that they had concluded the accusations against Diaz didn't suggest a pattern of abuse that would merit letting him go.

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Author Zinzi Clemmons and other female writers have recently shared stories of Diaz's behavior. Clemmons said Diaz forcibly kissed her several years ago; others cited instances when they felt he had verbally attacked them. Diaz, who didn't immediately comment on the Boston Review controversy, has said he takes responsibility for his past actions. Chasman and Cohen said Monday they listened carefully to the concerns of the three poetry editors and others before arriving at their decision. They said their departure was saddening but wouldn't impact the magazine's operations as no other editors have resigned. "We had to make a practical decision about a relationship with an editor," they said via email. "We think we made the right decision and stand fully by the reasons we presented in support of it." In their statement last week, the two editors said there had been no complaints about Diaz's conduct in his 15 years at the magazine (Read more Junot Diaz stories.)(Newser)  The big moment arrived: President Trump and Kim Jong Untwo leaders who were exchanging military threats and personal insults not too long agomet face-to-face and shook hands, then had a private meeting of about 40 minutes in Singapore that left Trump predicting big progress on the nuclear issue. "By working together, we will get it taken care of," he said. The initial greeting was a friendly one, with Trump grasping the arm of his fellow world leader during the handshake. (See the video.) "We will have a terrific relationship," Trump told reporters shortly after the greeting, reports USA Today. Kim, for his part, said "it has not been easy to get here," adding that "the old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles, but we have overcome them and we are here today," per the Guardian.

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After the ceremonial introduction, the two men met with only their interpreters in tow, then walked together along a balcony as they headed to a larger meeting with aides. Trump told reporters from the balcony that the meeting was "very, very good" and predicted he and Kim "will solve a big problem, a big dilemma," reports the AP. It was difficult to hear the two men, but the AP adds that Kim appeared to agree with the optimism. White House officials have been downplaying the idea that a major breakthrough will result from the historic meeting on Sentosa Island. Instead, the big hope is that the summit will lead to a blueprint for negotiators from both countries to follow that would lead to denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. In return, North Korea wants a guarantee from the US that it won't try to overthrow the regime. (Read more Kim Jong Un stories.)(Newser)  "What has this town come to?" So writes JJ Harris alongside a two-minute video posted to Twitter that shows a shirtless jogger on Friday steamrolling through a homeless man's belongings in Oakland, Calif., throwing some items out and allegedly hurling others into Lake Merritt. Harris' video shows various people confront the man and ask why he is tossing stuff into the lake. "That was an accident," he responds, while continuing to rifle through the possessions of the man, who has been identified as Drew and is not present during the incident. "I'm not taking any of it," the jogger is heard saying. "He can pick it up. I'm cleaning up the trash." Harris, who lives near the Bay Area park and is familiar with Drew, said the items were always relegated to the corner, "not blocking the walkway."

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He tells the Guardian he started filming once he saw the "huge amounts of blankets" being foisted into the lake. Harris tells NBC Bay Area that police, who arrived after the jogger left, said the only thing they could fine the jogger for is littering, as Drew's items are technically debris. The San Francisco Chronicle reports locals have provided Drew with blankets, clothing, and food, and a GoFundMe campaign has raised $5,500 as of this writing. In an odd twist, another Facebook livestream video taken Saturday shows a jogger, who the Chronicle notes appears to be the same man, knee-deep in the lake fishing items out. He's asked if he had been the one to throw them in but denies it. A couple of minutes into the livestream, he seemingly grabs for the phone. The subsequent video captures the man taking the video yelling "help me!" and "I'm being attacked!" (Read more homeless stories.)As enough grief concentrated in this June, many Chinese students in the United States found they are facing more challenges on campus.

(Photo/Xinhua)

A Chinese father last Friday appealed for justice at a press conference in Los Angeles for his murdered 19-year-old daughter in opposition to a prosecutor's arrangement with the perpetrator to mitigate criminal punishment.

His daughter Jiang Yue, a Chinese exchange student and sophomore at the Arizona State University in Phoenix, was murdered in January 2016 by Holly Davis after a traffic accident. Davis had a handwritten note to her boyfriend before the shooting, indicating she would be on the news.

Prosecutors initially sought to charge Davis on 14 criminal counts, including first degree murder, aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and endangerment. However, a new arrangement offered by the local attorney's office showed the criminal would only face a 25-year sentence and up to 250,000 U.S. dollars in restitution in exchange for pleading guilty to second degree murder and dismissal of all the other charges.

On Saturday, a memorial for Zhang Yingying on the first anniversary of her kidnapping was held near the bus stop at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). This 26-year-old Chinese visiting scholar was kidnapped on her way to sign a house lease last year and has not been seen or heard since then.

Police arrested 28-year-old Brendt Christensen on June 30, 2017, who was a former UIUC doctoral student and charged with the kidnapping, torturing and killing of Zhang. The trial for him is set for April 2, 2019.

On the same Saturday, a group of demonstrators, including many Chinese students, broke the summer silence at University of Southern California (USC), where the school gynecologist George Tyndall's sexual misconduct scandal was reported last month. With simmering anger, the protesters and their supporters marched demanding more voices from students to be heard.

More than 400 USC students or former students have reportedly contacted the university via a hotline or dedicated website to address concerns about the gynecologist. His sexual misconduct dated back to the early 1990s, including improperly photographing students' genitals, touching women inappropriately during pelvic exams and making sexually suggestive remarks about their bodies.

According to the Los Angeles Times, some colleagues of Tyndall feared that the gynecologist was targeting the university's growing population of Chinese students. His office even decorated with some Chinese elements including a map of China and bamboo plant, as a way to approach more Chinese students. Those Chinese students often had a limited knowledge of the English language and American medical norms.

The prestigious institutions in the United States have been attracting Chinese students far from their home. According to the most updated data from the Ministry of Education of China, the total number of Chinese students studying overseas exceeded 600,000 in 2017, an increase of 11.74 percent over that in 2016.

In USC, a leading private research university located in Los Angeles downtown, 45,500 students were enrolled in the 2017-2018 academic year, including around 5,400 from the Chinese mainland. Most of them had read a tragic news in 2014, when Chinese student Ji Xinran was beaten to death by four local young men who attempted to rob him as Ji was walking home from a study session.

Two of the murderers were convicted of first-degree murder, another one pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and the fourth defendant is awaiting his trial.

"Without students, there is no USC. We are the promise of tomorrow. We are the future leaders of USC," said Viva Symanski, one of the Justice for Saturday's Trojans March organizers. A transparent and independent investigation was called for in the rally.

Amid accusations against the gynecologist, C.L. Max Nikias, president of USC, announced his plan to step down on May 25.

USC Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Michael Quick said last month that there was no evidence that any one group of students was affected more than others when he was asked about the gynecologist's targeting of Chinese and other international students.

But Ariel Sobel, another organizer of Saturday's rally, said: "I know Chinese culture makes it very difficult to talk about sexual abuse, sexuality in general. We hold this event in a visible, meaningful and authoritative way to help out many of the women who are dealing with a mass trauma."

Wade MacAdam, who works with UC Berkeley Police Department's Safety Programs, told Xinhua in an interview last year after Zhang Yingying's tragedy that safety has always been a real issue for international students to take into consideration seriously in the country, especially for those from China, as they are more likely to be "easy target."

MacAdam said that they find students from China are very affectionate and warm to people around them, which might make them vulnerable when it comes to safety.

"We just want to remind them that some people might want to trick them, or to prey on them," he explained.

The famed American attorney Gloria Allred, who has spent almost her entire career fighting sexual misconduct, showed up to support the students' campaign.

"We have students of all races, not just in the United States. We are looking for justice for all of them," she said. "You do not have to be a citizen of this country in order to have rights."

"You are somebody's daughter, you are somebody's sister, you may even be somebody's mother. We want to help you, because you matter, your life matters, what happens to you matters," Allred said.

The 76-year-old lawyer also empowered more women to speak up, and Chinese students should not be intimidated because of language and cultural barriers.

"Reach out to us or reach out to other attorneys who want to help. And we will assist, we will have translators, we will do everything we can to support you, to assist you, to protect you, and to help you," she said.

MacAdam also advised that, once in emergency, international students should call police with no hesitation. "We are accessible and approachable, please don't be afraid of us. We are your friend. Call us if there's anything you need."

However, without more actions putting in place, there is never going to be a payoff for students in the United States.

"We hold this event for the community to show solidarity, for the many women who were abused or harassed and made uncomfortable, by not only George Tyndall, but the university that protected him," Sobel said.

After the recent lawsuit filed against Tyndall and USC on behalf of one of the students, Allred said more and more USC and former USC students have joined them.

"We will be amending our lawsuit either on Monday or Tuesday, and we are going to be adding more than 20 young women who are going to have the courage to stand up and say USC has to be accountable," she said.

The USC has been sued by some former students over the scandal in separate lawsuits.

The Consulate General of China in Los Angeles expressed its concern over the scandal on May 16, requesting the university to take serious action to investigate the issue and protect Chinese students from illegal acts.

Serving as a bridge for Chinese students and scholars, the Chinese Students and Scholars Association on May 30 met with John Thomas, chief of the USC Department of Public Safety (DPS), encouraging students to bravely speak up against any violation of their rights.(Newser)  President Trump and Kim Jong Un signed a document after a historic day of meetings in Singapore on Tuesday and while the contents weren't immediately disclosed, it was clear that the two men had clicked. "We had a terrific day and we learned a lot about each other and our countries," Trump said, per the Guardian, describing the North Korean leader as a "very talented man" who "loves his country very much." Trump said he and "Chairman Kim" had both been "very honored" to sign a "very important" and "pretty comprehensive" agreement, the BBC reports. Trump shook the North Korean leader's hand and predicted: "We'll meet many times." Kim said that they had "decided to leave the past behind" and thanked Trump for "making this meeting happen."

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Asked whether he would invite Kim to the White House, Trump said, "Absolutely, I will." He said details of the agreement they had signed would be disclosed later on. After they spoke to the press, the two leaders departed in separate motorcades. Kim is expected to leave Singapore within hours, while Trump is expected to speak to the press again. Trump spoke privately with Kim for around 40 minutes Tuesday before a meeting that included aides and a working lunch that included beef short ribs, sweet and sour crispy pork, and braised codfish, the AP reports. They were joined at the lunch by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, White House chief of staff John Kelly, and national security adviser John Bolton, among others. (Read more Kim Jong Un stories.)(Newser)  Larry Kudlow is in good condition after a heart attack and "his doctors expect he will make a full and speedy recovery," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said late Monday. President Trump disclosed that Kudlow had suffered a heart attack in a tweet minutes before his summit with Kim Jong Un, NPR reports. Kudlow, the president's chief economic adviser, "experienced what his doctors say was a very mild heart attack" and is being treated at Walter Reed Medical Center, Sanders said in a statement. The 70-year-old Kudlow traveled with Trump to the G7 summit in Quebec on Friday and Saturday.

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Kudlow's wife, Judith Kudlow, tells the Washington Post that he is recovering well. "He's doing fine. The doctors here are fabulous," she says. On Sunday, Kudlow appeared on TV defending Trump's trade policies and his attacks on Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, saying Trudeau had "stabbed us in the back" by criticizing Trump after the president had left the summit. Associates tell the Post that they worried that working in the Trump White House could be too much strain for Kudlow, who served in the Reagan White House but has been out of government service for many years. (Read more Larry Kudlow stories.)(Newser)  After nearly 24 hours, a standoff in Orlando ended with the outcome police were dreading. Police say all four children who'd been held hostage in a west Orlando apartment complex were found dead after SWAT officers entered the unit, the Orlando Sentinel reports. "A short time ago we made entry into the apartment and found that all four children have been killed by the suspect by apparent gunshot wounds," Orlando Police Chief John Mina told reporters. "Our hearts go out to the families involved." Mina said it wasn't clear when the childrenages 1, 6, 10, and 11had been killed. Gunman Gary Lindsey Jr., a 35-year-old convicted felon, was found dead in a closet from what police believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

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The standoff began Sunday night when Lindsey's girlfriend fled the apartment and told police she'd been assaulted, the New York Daily News reports. Lindsey fired on police when they arrived at the apartment, critically wounding Officer Kevin Valencia. Two of the slain children are believed to be Lindsey's and the other two are the girlfriend's. Mina said that after being in "direct and indirect" contact with Lindsey throughout the day, police decided to storm the apartment after offering the suspect a phone with more reliable service and spotting the body of one of the children. WKMG reports that records show Lindsey had an extensive arrest history, including a 2008 arrest for arson and domestic violence battery. He was sentenced to 30 years of supervision in 2009 and was arrested at least four times for violating probation. (Read more Orlando stories.)(Newser)  If Kellyanne Conway has to go on TV to defend her boss' argument that the Robert Mueller appointment is unconstitutional, she might well be presented with a detailed argument to the contrary from her husband. George Conway, who the Washington Post notes is a respected conservative attorney, has written a 3,500-word piece in the Lawfare blog whose headline pretty much sums things up: "The Terrible Arguments Against the Constitutionality of the Mueller Investigation." Conway gives the president a bit of a pass for his June 4 tweet complaining that the Mueller appointment "is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL!" Yes, it's a "meritless legal position," writes Conway, but Trump is not a lawyer and thus "wouldnt know the difference between a good one and a bad one." He's less forgiving of attorneys who make that case.

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"The constitutional arguments made against the special counsel  have little more rigor than the tweet that promoted them, Conway writes. Such a lack of rigor, sadly, has been a disturbing trend in much of the politically charged public discourse about the law lately, and one that lawyersregardless of their politicsowe a duty to abjure." Conway suspects Trump's opinion is based on an essay by legal scholar Steven Calabresi in the Wall Street Journal, and Conway picks apart Calabresi's rationale that Mueller has exceeded his authority. Unfortunately for the president, Conway writes, these writings are no more correct than the spelling in his original tweet. (Trump initially spelled "counsel" as "councel.") Read the full essay here. CNN has more background on Conway and how he has "slyly" promoted this position for weeks on Twitter. (Read more Kellyanne Conway stories.)(Newser)  She's 54, the widow of Steve Jobs, one of the richest women on the planet, and the founder and driving force behind what might be "the most influential product of Silicon Valley that you've never heard of," according to a lengthy profile in the Washington Post. The "she" is Laurene Powell Jobs, and the venture is her philanthropic venture called the Emerson Collective. For a sense of her philosophy, consider this quote: "If you want to just be a check writer, you'd run out of money and not solve anything," Powell Jobs tells the newspaper's David Montgomery. That's why the collective isn't set up as a nonprofit that doles out grants but as a limited liability corporation, giving it more flexibility to invest in programs in areas such as education, immigration, gun violence, and the environment.

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At the same time, Powell Jobs has assembled a "kind of Justice League of practical progressives" on various issues, including former Obama education chief Arne Duncan on gun violence in Chicago. The model doesn't "conform to traditional models of philanthropy," writes Montgomery. "The engine Powell Jobs had designed was equal parts think tank, foundation, venture capital fund, media baron, arts patron, and activist hive." The piece digs into the particulars, as well as Powell Jobs' background as the daughter of a hardworking widowed mom. And, of course, it touches on her relationship with Steve Jobs, including how they first met when she attended a guest lecture he gave at Stanford. "Steve and I were together for 22 years starting from the day we met and never apart, she says. And it's the greatest blessing of my life. Read the full story. (Read more Laurene Powell Jobs stories.)(Newser)  Before the event took place, President Trump said his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un showed Otto Warmbier "has not died in vain." He upped that rhetoric Tuesday. "Without Otto Warmbier, this summit wouldn't have happened," Trump said, per Time. "It was a terrible thing," the president added of the US college student's death almost exactly a year ago after he returned unresponsive from a stint in a North Korean prison camp. But "something happened from that day," Trump said. "A lot of people started to focus on what was going onincluding North Korea."

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After referencing North Korea's human rights record, Trump repeated, "Otto did not die in vain," per Fox News. Cincinnati Enquirer columnist Byron McCauley suggests it was more than a passing reference. Writing Monday, McCauley noted "Warmbier's blood covers the hands of Kim and his regime," so "if President Trump comes away with a positive narrative from the summit  the Warmbiers need to be part of the story." (Warmbier's parents claim their son was "brutally tortured and murdered" by North Korea.)(Newser)  White House trade adviser Peter Navarro got a little heated on Fox News Sunday while discussing Justin Trudeau, and he's now apologized. After a rocky G-7 summit, the Canadian prime minister said his country would enact retaliatory tariffs against the US. Navarro's response: "There's a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door. That was one of the worst political miscalculations of a Canadian leader in modern Canadian history." On Tuesday, Navarro backtracked, per Bloomberg: "My job was to send a signal of strength. The problem was that in conveying that message I used language that was inappropriate. I own that, that was my mistake, those were my words." Trudeau has not addressed Navarro's remarks, per the Hill. (Read more Peter Navarro stories.)(Newser)  As Fernando Puron, a Mexican congressional candidate, left an election debate Friday, a woman asked him to stop for a selfie. As the pair posed, a man walked up behind them and shot Puron in the head in a horrifying scene caught on surveillance video, the Guardian reports. His murder highlights the risks to lawmakers as violence in the country increases; since Sept. 2017, 111 other politicians have been murdered in Mexico, and more violence is expected in the run-up to the country's July elections. It's not clear why Puron was targeted, but drug cartels are suspected in many political murders and he was said to have been on the wrong side of the Zetas crime group when he was mayor of Piedras Negras. During the debate Friday, he had promised to fight back against organized crime. (Read more Mexico stories.)(Newser)  Greece and Macedonia reached an historic agreement Tuesday to end a bitter 27-year name dispute that had kept the smaller and younger country out of international institutions such as NATO, the two countries' prime ministers announced. Greece's Alexis Tsipras and Macedonia's Zoran Zaev said the former Yugoslav republic's new name for both domestic and international purposes would be Republic of North Macedonia. Macedonia will also amend its constitution to reflect the change as part of the deal, the AP reports. The nationality of the country's citizens will be listed on official documents in English as "Macedonian/citizen of the Republic of North Macedonia," Greek officials said. NATO and European Union officials welcomed the breakthrough, which NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said would help consolidate regional peace and stability.

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Greece had long demanded that its northern neighbor change or modify its name to avoid any claim to the territory and ancient heritage of the region in northern Greece named Macedoniabirthplace of ancient warrior king Alexander the Great. The current prime ministers' attempts to end the dispute have faced dissent in both countries, leading to large protests by opponents of a compromise, threatening to split Greece's governing coalition and provoking a rift between Macedonia's prime minister and president. And main opposition parties in both countries rejected the agreement. Zaev said the deal would be signed this weekend, and a voter referendum would be held in the fall. After the deal is signed by the two countries' foreign ministers and ratified by Macedonia's parliament, Greece will back invitations for Macedonia to join NATO and start negotiations on joining the EU. However, Tsipras said, this will be contingent on Macedonia completing the constitutional changes.

(Read more Macedonia stories.)(Newser)  A federal judge approved the $85 billion mega-merger of AT&T and Time Warner on Tuesday, a move that could usher in a wave of media consolidation while shaping how much consumers pay for streaming TV and movies. US District Judge Richard Leon green-lit the merger without adding major conditions to the deal. The Trump Justice Department had sued to block the merger, arguing that it would hurt competition in cable and satellite TV and jack up costs to consumers for streaming TV and movies, the AP reports. Now, the phone and pay-TV giant will be allowed to absorb the owner of CNN, HBO, the Warner Bros. movie studio, Game of Thrones, coveted sports programming and other "must-see" shows; AT&T says it plans to complete the purchase by June 20. A government lawyer says the Justice Department may appeal the ruling.

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The ruling could shape the government's future competition policy, as well as open the floodgates to deal making in the fast-changing entertainment and video-content worlds. Major cable, satellite and phone companies are bulking up with purchases of entertainment conglomerates to compete against rivals born on the internet, like Amazon and Google. Waiting in the wings are potential big-billions deals involving 21st Century Fox and Disney, Verizon and CBS, T-Mobile and Sprint. Comcast and Verizon are also jockeying for position in the new landscape. Investors welcomed the ruling in after-market trading following the announcement. A "rush to consolidate" by other companies is now expected; the AP takes a look at a number of "mega deals" here. (Read more Time Warner stories.)Audi's flagship Q8 SUV makes its global premiere in Shenzhen, Guangdong province on June 5. [Photo provided to China Daily]

German premium automaker puts greater emphasis on Chinese customers in wake of market shift

China is becoming increasingly important for Audi AG, which has just held the global premiere of its flagship model in the countrya rare move so far for international premium marques.

The Q8, which combines the elegance of a four-door luxury coupe with the practical versatility of a large SUV, wowed the audience at the Audi Brand Summit held in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on Tuesday.

Debuting the model"a masterpiece of design and a bold statement of our brand"shows Audi's confidence in China, said Audi CEO Rupert Stadler.

Audi has been the sales champion in China, its largest market for decades. Last year it sold about 600,000 cars, and in the first four months this year its sales surged almost 34 percent to 207,000.

"I believe China's premium market will continue to grow and become the largest in the world."

"We expect our sales in China to double in five to seven years," said Stadler.

To realize the goal, the German carmaker has been enriching its lineup in the country.

Together with its partner FAW, Audi will more than double its local product portfolio at FAW-Volkswagen by 2022, said Audi China President Joachim Wedler.

By that time the carmaker will also introduce 10 SUVs, seven of which will be locally produced, and produce five new energy vehicles, including four electric cars, he said.

China is also expected to have an important position in Audi's digiltalization and electrification efforts.

Stadler said Audi would invest 40 billion euros ($47 billion) in these areas in the next five to 10 years, and the majority of the funding will be made in China.

"We are very aware of the fact that more than half of Chinese customers are ready to give up a car brand if that brand doesn't offer the right digital services. At Audi, we define the digital user experience of tomorrow," Stadler said.

Rupert Stadler, CEO of Audi. [Photo/IC]

The carmaker is planning to build a full-fledged research and development center in China, as well as facilities for developing autonomous driving and connectivity for the country. Stadler said Audi is working on a project in connectivity and autonomous driving in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, in partnership with Chinese tech giants including Huawei and Tencent.

"We would like to share what we have and we have learnt," Stadler added.

In terms of electrification, Audi is exploring working with battery makers including CATL and BYD to get better established in China, which has been the world's biggest new energy car market since 2015.

Jing Qingchun, executive vice-general manager of FAW-Volkswagen's Audi sales division, expects sales of such cars in China to hit 2 million by 2020. They stood at 777,000 last year.

He said China will be one of the first countries where Audi will offer its e-tron, the carmaker's first-ever electric car, when it hits the market in 2019. The model, which will be localized in China starting from 2020, boasts "revolutionary breakthroughs", Jing said. Among other features, it can get fully charged in less than 30 minutes and run for up to 500 km on one charge.

"FAW-Volkswagen Audi will further implement our strategy and by 2022, we will have 10 electric models in different segments so as to meet demand from Chinese customers for premium electromobility," said Jing.

Jing said FAW-Volkswagen Audi has set up a division dedicated to new energy solutions.

It is also helping to build charging infrastructure in the country. All Audi dealers in China are expected to be authorized to sell new energy models by July 2019, he said.New Delhi:

Bank employees are likely to intensify their protest in July and August against the 'meagre' salary hike, according to the United Forum of Bank Unions.

Agitating against the 'meagre' two per cent salary hike, the bank employees had observed a two-day strike on May 30 and 31.

"It has been decided to further continue the struggle with more strikes. Having regard to the need for an amicable solution, it was decided to meet the higher authorities in the government and the banks," general secretary of the federation CH Venkatachalam told PTI.

The United Federation of Bank Unions, the umbrella organisation of nine bank unions, met in Chennai on Tuesday.

Also Read | Banks on two-day nationwide strike

"However, if no solution is forthcoming in thesemeetings, the United Forum of Bank Unions will proceed andannounce more agitations," Venkatachalam said.

Meanwhile, a report from Tirupathi quoted seniorvice-president of the National Confederation of Bank Employees, VVSR Sarma as saying that the bankstaff would intensify the strike in a phased manner in July and August to press for their demands.

"Prior to intensifying our agitation, the United Forum of Bank Unions decided to submit a memorandum on the wage hike issue and other banking developmental issues to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley by this month-end," he added.

For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Heqiao sparked a celebration of its long cultural heritage when it kicked off its very first folk art festival last weekend in the ancient town.

Heqiao, in west Hangzhous Linan District, has developed a deep, rich folk culture since the town developed over 1,300 years ago. There are over 80 art troupes in the area that perform in times of festivity and the performances are always closely linked to local farming, transport and cultural activities.

One such celebration, the Heqiao fish lantern dance, originated from the towns fishermen and their worshipping rituals to the river god over 100 years ago. Prayers were always said before they set sail in dangerous waters in the hope they would return home safely to their families from fishing trips.

Quiet old street of Heqiao

The Maxiao rolling lantern dance is even older than the fish lantern dance, with a history of 500 years. This ritual sees performers dress up in local costumes, each holding a drum-shaped lantern painted with patterns of the 12 zodiac animals. The lantern is between 1.2 and 2.7 meters tall and fixed with an external ring so performers may roll it via a handle.

Both dances are included on county and provincial level cultural heritage lists. Academics believe the dances have been highly valuable to their researching of west Zhejiang folk traditions.

Another interesting fact is that the Tangchang County government, currently known as Changhua, was once located in Heqiao in the mid-16th century, and a stone plaque inscribed with the first town in Tangchang still hangs on the town gate.

The festival also serves local Heqiao food, including maci, a traditional snack made of glutinous rice, coated with crushed peanuts and sugar, and a special all-fish banquet with fish caught from the Liuxi River.

Shanghai Daily had a wander down to the festival last weekend and highlights several places of interest to both history and culture buffs.

Local folklore performances are staged in Heqiao ancient town every Saturday through June 16.

Heqiao Old Street

The Heqiao Old Street, flanked by traditional resident houses, extends over 1,500 meters along Liuxi River. It is paved with slate bricks and divided into upper, middle and lower parts.

Over 100 Hui-style wooden structure buildings, from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), still stand there. Words on the buildings walls illustrate their functions in the past: Zhenfeng was a cigarette shop, Huiyuan Hall sold traditional Chinese medicine, while Xu Yilong was a grocery store.

Experienced boatmen from Wenzhou and Lishui cities, who had been running the business for generations, once monopolized the several bustling docks along the river and water transportation.

They also owned a clubhouse in the street where guild members met to discuss important issues, while enjoying free meals and lodgings.

Liuxi River and buildings with mottled walls along the river

Liuxi River

Locals name the towns Liuxi River as a womans river, thanks to legendary stories about a forthright woman who refused to be married to a man she did not love.

Three flowing bodies of water, the Lan Stream, Jia Stream and Changhua Stream, meet at its upper stream, while the river bends on the downstream to form the famous three gorges of west Zhejiang, namely the Jiulong, Xianggong and Yutan.

Visitors can enjoy kayaking along the 3-kilometer course of the river, while witnessing the breathtaking misty mountains that surround it. A speedboat cruise is also available.

Xiangu Island is said to be the place where He Xiangu, a mythical figure of the Eight Immortals revered in Taoist traditions, rose to the ranks of genie.

Hui-style tiles at Heqiao

War memorials

The town was among the last places seized by Japanese troops in the World War II. The Japanese held it until announcing a formal surrender on September 9, 1945.

In the war museum, you can recover a lost history still unknown to many today.

During the war, Dai Li, head of the Kuomingtang governments military intelligence service, set up a secretive Sino-US collaborative institution, to train women agents in the field of combat against the Japanese.

Other memorial sites include a monument for the oath-taking ceremony of the war, a historical site of the former Sino-US collaborative hospital and the mausoleum of Qian Xiangjun, who died in the war.New Delhi:

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Deputy Manish Sisodia along with other cabinet colleagues on Tuesday continued their sit-in protest at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijals residence since last evening.

Kejriwal, Sisodia, and two other ministers - Gopal Rai and Satyendra Jain - met Lt Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal at 5.30 pm on Monday with two key demands  action against IAS officers, who have struck work for last four months and approve doorstep delivery of rations.

Kejriwal and his team refused to leave till the time L-G accept their demands. They spent entire night sleeping on the couch in the waiting area of Raj Niwas.

The office of Baijal, however, said that there was no strike by IAS officers but there was atmosphere of mistrust and fear among the bureaucrats since the alleged attack on Delhis chief secretary in February.

Baijal also accused the Kejriwal of threatening him.

Reacting to Baijals press release, the Delhi CM claimed that the officers were being threatened by Raj Niwas and accused the Lieutenant Governor of promoting rebellion against his government on the direction of Prime Ministers office.

Many officers have told us that they have been threatened by Raj Niwas of dire consequences if they withdrew their strike. L-G promoting active rebellion against the elected government at PMOs instance. People of Delhi will not tolerate this, he said in a tweet.

This is probably the first in the history when a sitting chief minister has to spend the whole night in L-G office to press for their demands.

As their leader and colleagues were protesting inside, a number of AAP MLAs, partys leaders, and workers camped near the L-G office overnight while the police barricaded the area.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

BJP stalwart and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, for a routine check-up on Monday, is fine now and on injectable antibiotics, according to the latest medical bulletin, released by the doctors.

"He is fine, there is nothing to worry," Union Minister Harsh Vardhan told reporters after paying a visit to the BJP veteran on Monday.

Meanwhile, an official statement, released by the hospital authority stated, the former prime minister "has been diagnosed with a urinary tract infection for which appropriate treatment has been closely monitored and treated by a team of doctor".

Therefore, Vajpayee would be going through a series of medical tests and will remain in hospital until the "infection is controlled", doctors said on Tuesday.

Also Read | Atal Bihari Vajpayee turns 93; VP Naidu, PM Modi wish him

Following his admission to Delhi AIIMS, high profile politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, and senior BJP leader LK Advani rushed to the hospital on Monday. The Prime Minister was at AIIMS for about 50 minutes and also met Vajpayee's family members to inquire about his well-being.

On Tuesday, former prime minister Manmohan Singh also visited AIIMS, Delhi and asked about his current state of health.

Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh arrives at All India Institute of Medical Sciences to visit former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. pic.twitter.com/wih6iKu8NC  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

According to sources, the 93-year-old politician is currently in the VIP coronary care unit. Randeep Guleria, who was Vajpayee's personal physician for decades, is closely monitoring his treatment.

Also Read | Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's name removed from voter list of Lucknow civic body: Here's why

Vajpayee, who was the first non-Congress prime minister to complete a five-year tenure, stepped away from politics in 2009. As his health deteriorated, he slowly withdrew himself from public life and has been confined to his Delhi residence. The BJP leader ruled the country for 13 days in 1996, 13 months in 1998 and for almost six years from 1999.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to keep up to his promise of providing jobs to two crore youth in a year.

While addressing a Congress workers' rally in Mumbai, Gandhi also targeted the Modi government on various issues, as he tried to enthuse the party's booth-level workers ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP-led government failed to provide jobs to two crore youth in a year as was promised by Modi during the election campaigns ahead of the 2014 general elections, Gandhi said.

The Congress leader pointed out that China has been providing jobs to 50,000 youth per day.

"However, the BJP-led government gives jobs to 450 youth in the same span," he said.

"(Modi had said) the prime minister will give jobs to 2 crore youth in a year. And in the Lok Sabha, his minister said unemployment is the highest in last eight years in India, the BJP-led government wrote off Rs 2.5 lakh crore loans of India's richest 15-20 people but a similar demand by farmers to waive off their debt was ignored," he added.

"(Union finance minister Arun) Jaitley ji says it is not their policy to waive of loans taken by farmers," Gandhi said.

On the government's 'Make in India' scheme, the Congress president said it is the farmers who work hard to ensure 'Make in India' happens through their blood and sweat.

"Farmers will compete with China if you strengthen them a little bit," Gandhi said.

Earlier on Tuesday morning, the Congress leader lashed out at Modi for "not talking" about employment for youth and farmers and said that his fight was against the government's policies.

Rahul Gandhi, who appeared before a court in Bhiwandi town in a connection to a defamation case filed against him by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker, also dared the BJP to file as many cases against him as they wanted to.

(With inputs from agencies)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday appeared before a trial court in Maharashtras Bhiwandi in connection with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) defamation case.

During the hearing, the Congress president pleaded not guilty soon after the court ordered framing of charges against him in the criminal defamation case filed by an RSS activist, according to ANI.

After the hearing, Gandhi slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not talking about employment for youth and farmers and said that his fight was against the government's policies.

"Our fight is against the policies of the prime minister. Farmers are frustrated and the prime minister does not talk about employment for youth. This government is only for the rich," Gandhi told reporters outside the Bhiwandi court.

The trial court framed charges against Gandhi under the sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The case against the Gandhi scion was filed for his speech at an election rally where he had claimed that the RSS was behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

Earlier on May 2, the court had asked Gandhi to appear before it on June 6 (Today) to record his plea in the defamation case filed by RSS worker Rajesh Kunte in 2014.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Cyprus:

Straws suck! The message is now loud and clear  the plastic straw has a limited future.



Politicians are beginning to embrace the message that environmentalists and scientists have been preaching for the past few years: straws, because they are small, lightweight and easily escape litter cleanups, are contributing disproportionately to the tsunami of plastic now engulfing the planet.



Litterati, which monitors garbage, says plastic straws are the sixth most common type of litter, while advocacy group Ocean Conservancy puts them among the top 10 marine debris items.



Australian researchers Denise Hardesty and Chris Wilcox estimate that US beaches alone are littered with around 7.5 million plastic straws. Worldwide, the total could range anywhere from 437 million to 8.3 million.



Because they are so small, they are almost never recycled and contribute to the estimated eight million tons of plastic being dumped into the oceans each year.



Also targeted by activists are other single-use items such as coffee stirrers, cotton swabs, water bottles and bottle caps, and of course plastic bags. Indian Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan boldly declared in a message to an international forum in New Delhi on  the UN World Environment Day  that on a personal front he would give up single-use plastic in his daily life.



Vardhan went further: Prime Minister Narendra Modis government, he announced, has pledged to ban all single-use plastics by 2022  within just four years!



A bold statement indeed, which was hailed by the UN as unprecedented.



British Prime Minister Theresa May has been less optimistic  pledging only that UK would eliminate avoidable plastic waste  where it is economically practical to do so  by 2042!



Essentially, May is kicking the can down the road for the next generation to confront.



But India, in fact, is well-placed to revert to more traditional non-plastic alternatives  it was not that long ago that earthenware pots and small palm-leaf bowls were replaced at modern dhabas by plastic plates and bowls. It will not be that difficult to go back to those more environmentally-friendly ways.



But for Britain and other major western countries, plastic has become such an integral part of daily living that it will, as May predicts, take decades to reverse the trend.



Perhaps the dire warnings of environmentalists and natural scientists, and now more and more the policy decisions by governments, will hasten the process.



Activists aim to make the use of plastic straws and single-use plastic items as socially unacceptable as smoking in confined spaces has now become. They say there are alternatives  paper straws, bamboo straws and even straws made from pasta.



Or, they say, go back to the method we all used before the arrival of the straw  simply sipping our drinks from a glass.



Global environmental movement For a Strawless Ocean has a simple message: stop sucking!



The #stopsucking campaign was launched by non-profit group Lonely Whale, and is spearheaded by actor Adrian Grenier, who has produced a video which shows a giant octopus tentacle slapping the faces of famous people, including physicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson and model Brooklyn Decker, as they suck their drinks through straws.



Grenier says that plastic straws may appear to be a minor problem, but they can help tackle the much greater problem of plastic pollution.



"A straw may be small, but it's the DNA of carelessness and it just might be a gateway into solving the much larger issue of plastic pollution, Grenier says.



They connect all of us, no matter where we live or how much money we make, and they're an opportunity to start a conversation.



In other words, consumers will become more aware of the dangers that plastic is posing to the environment if they are deprived of straws.



It doesnt take much to launch a campaign against straws. For a Strawless Ocean offers a toolkit that individuals can download to start crusades in their own neighbourhoods.



Be Straw Free was launched in 2011 by nine-year-old Milo Cress, who started asking restaurants in his hometown, Burlington, Vermont, to stop providing straws automatically to customers and make them optional instead. The trend is now spreading across the US.



In New Delhi, 13-year-old Aditya Mukarji, working as a volunteer for environmental NGO Chintan, is credited with phasing out nearly five lakh straws from restaurants and eateries across the National Capital Region in a month.



As campaigns such as this one and hundreds of others spread, India may well find itself leading the way in limiting the use of single-use plastics.



If such a large population of people can be persuaded to abandon wasteful polluting plastic ways, there is hope that the rest of the world will eventually follow.



Perhaps one day we can indeed declare: That was the last straw.New Delhi:

US President Donald Trumps media conference after his much-anticipated summit with North Korean dictator Kim jong-un in Singapore was an exercise in hyperboles. He hailed it as a very important event in world history and declared that Kim had given his unwavering commitment to denuclearisation.

But the world has learnt to take Trumps claims with a pinch of salt. He is known to praise profusely and criticise scathingly, depending on what suits him when.

The proof of the pudding would lie in its eating and that Kim left soon after the meeting with Trump for his country leaves only the documents they signed to testify to Trumps claim of undiluted success.

Indeed, he claimed denuclearisation of North Koreas very substantial nuclear arsenal could be achieved very quickly but gave few details or a specific timeframe.

When asked whether Kim would allow international inspections of his nuclear facilities, Trump said yes but there was apparently no reference to this aspect in the joint statement. He qualified his statement by saying that denuclearisation takes a long time scientifically.

The US president said he looked forward to lifting sanctions once nukes are no longer a factor. But in the absence of a time commitment, the claim of denuclearisation itself could well be hollow.

Also Read | Donald Trump-Kim Jong-un Summit in Singapore: As it happened

He agreed to stop US-South Korea war games adding that they were provocative, inappropriate and very expensive. There again there was no time frame committed.

Both South Korea and the US forces there were surprised by Trumps abrupt agreement to stop joint military exercises.

The maverick president defended Kim by saying that North Korea had already demonstrated its commitment to denuclearisation by destroying a missile engine site. He also repeatedly praised North Koreas participation in the Winter Olympics in South Korea. But with no parallel hyperboles from Kim, one is left wondering what to believe and what to surmise.

In an effusive mood, Trump praised Kim for ushering in a glorious new era of prosperity for his people. In a complete turnaround of his earlier denunciation of Kim, he said he trusted Kim and got on with him. The worlds most powerful head of State said he believed that Kim was a very talented negotiator.

It was all one big show of patting himself on the back in true Trump style.

The US President said he would invite Kim to the White House at an appropriate time. The president also agreed to travel to Pyongyang at a suitable time.

Also Read | From war threats to handshake of peace: Chronology of historic Trump-Kim Summit

Trump was asked by a journalist whether North Koreas human rights record was discussed at length during the talks to which he answered in the affirmative. He said the 100,000 people in North Korean gulags would be among the big winners from the summit.

But that is difficult to believe with the world having known how ruthless Kim has been as his countrys dictator, executing people at will without adequate grounds.

The Guardian summed it up succinctly when it said: Any president of the last 30 odd years could have met the dictator of North Korea, they didnt because they did not want to legitimise them without concrete commitments to something beneficial. Trump has legitimised Kim, getting nothing in return, apart from a promise to work toward denuclearisation.

One of Trumps failings as President has been his failure in managing the media. Consequently, such an assessment should not surprise anyone.

Iran, which saw its nuclear deal with the US being rescinded, said it has warned Kim that Trump could nullify the deal with North Korea. "We are facing a man who revokes his signature while abroad," a government spokesman was quoted as saying.

Also Read | Meet Dennis Rodman, the man who brought Donald Trump, Kim Jong-un together

It is now time to see how the future unfoldswhether North Korea actually denuclearises and how much of the mutual promises are honoured.New Delhi:

On January 02, 2018, when the world was still to come out of the hangover of New Year eve bash, US President Donald Trump issued a nuclear war threat against food-starved North Korea in response to its leader Kim Jong-uns nuclear button statement.

In response to Kims Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times remark a day before, Trump said, that he too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his (Kim), and my Button works!

At that time, it seemed that 2018 would turn out to be one of the disastrous years in the history as North Korea and US were locked in a bitter contest and were spewing nuclear threats against each other from their mouth.

However, after months of rhetoric and nuclear threats, the world on Tuesday took a sigh of relief as the two leaders shook hands and appreciated each other during the historic US-North Korea summit.

But the summit between Trump and Kim was full of twists and turns. Few days before the summit, Trump announced his shocking decision that he will not meet the North Korean leader in Singapore.

In a letter to Kim, Trump said that it would be "inappropriate" to have the long-planned meeting amid "the tremendous anger and open hostility" by North Korea.

However, the talks between the US and North Korea reignited and the summit finally took place on scheduled time and place.

Here is the chronology of key events leading to a historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un:

March 7, 2017: President Trump says the nuclear threat from North Korea has entered a new phase, a day after Pyongyang test-launched four ballistic missiles towards Japan.

April 26, 2017: The Trump administration briefs US Congress on its North Korea policy and releases a statement that calls for increasing sanctions pressure on North Korea and working with allies and regional partners on diplomacy.

April 27, 2017: Trump warns that a major major conflict with North Korea, and said that he is seeking a diplomatic solution to the issue.

May 24, 2017: Trump refers to Kim as a madman with nuclear weapons who could not be let to run loose.

June 1, 2017: The US imposes sanctions on individuals and entities linked to North Koreas nuclear and missile programmes.

July 4, 2017: Pyongyang test fires a long-range missile into the Sea of Japan, with some experts stating the missile could potentially reach Alaska, a US state located in the northwest extremity of North America.

August 9, 2017: Tension rises as North Korean threatens to fire ballistic missiles near US Pacific territory of Guam.

September 19, 2017: In his first address to the UN General Assembly, President Trump threatens to totally destroy North Korea.

September 21, 2017: President Trump issues an executive order imposing additional sanctions on entities that facilitate financial transactions and trade with North Korea.

September 21, 2017: Kim responds to Trumps UN speech with an unprecedented statement under his own name, calling Trumps behaviour mentally deranged and asserting that a frightened dog barks louder.

November 20, 2017: President Trump officially designates North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism.

December 22, 2017: The UN Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 2397, imposing additional sanctions on North Korea, including cutting refined petroleum imports by nearly 90 per cent.

January 1, 2018: Kim announces in his annual New Year address that North Koreas nuclear forces are capable of thwarting and countering any nuclear threats from the United States.

February 23, 2018: President Trump announces new sanctions against North Korea, targeting the countrys shipping, trading companies and vessels.

March 8, 2018: The United States and North Korea announce that their leaders plan to meet before June to discuss nuclear disarmament on the Korean peninsula.

March 25, 2018: Kim makes first visit to China to meet President Xi Jinping.

May 8, 2018: Kim makes second visit to China to meet President Xi.

May 8, 2018: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo travels to North Korea to meet Kim in preparation for the US-North Korean summit.

May 9, 2018: North Korea releases three American detainees as a goodwill gesture ahead of a possible summit between Trump and Kim.

May 10, 2018: President Trump announces he will meet Kim Jong-un on June 12 in Singapore to discuss the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

May 15, 2018: North Korea cancels talks with South Korea scheduled for the next day and threatened to cancel the Trump-Kim summit, citing discontent with US-South Korean joint military drills.

May 24, 2018: North Korea reports that it destroyed its nuclear testing site at Punggye-ri.

May 24, 2018: In a letter to Kim, Trump cancels the US-North Korean summit scheduled for June 12, citing tremendous anger and hostility displayed by Pyongyang.

May 25, 2018: In response to Trumps letter, Kim Kye Gwan, North Korean first minister of foreign affairs, states that North Korea has the intent to sit with the US side regardless of ways at any time.

June 1, 2018: President Trump takes a U-turn and confirms that he would meet Kim for a historic summit in Singapore on June 12 and that it will be the beginning of a process.

June 10, 2018: Trump and Kim arrive in Singapore for the first meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.

June 11, 2018: Mike Pompeo says US is offering unique security guarantees to North Korea in return for a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation.

June 12, 2018: President Trump and North Korean leader Kim meets for a historic face-to-face summit.

(With PTI inputs)

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Described as the biggest diplomatic breakthrough of the 21st century, US President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un on Tuesday signed a very comprehensive document during their historic summit in Singapore and pledged to work towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

"We're signing a very comprehensive document, and we've had a really great time together, a great relationship," Trump said while signing the document along with Kim in the presence of media at the end of the historic summit.

Trump and Kim had an over 40-minute-long face-to-face meeting, with just a pair of translators only, which was followed by a delegation-level talks between the leaders.

When asked about the process of North Koreas denuclearisation, the US president said that it will start very quickly.

However, Trump said that the sanctions on North Korea will not be taken off immediately but assured that they will be removed as soon as the US gets an assurance that the nukes are no longer a threat to the country.

"The sanctions will come off when we are sure that nuclear missiles are no longer a factor. I am looking forward to taking them off," Trump said after the meeting.

Terming the North Korean leader "smart", Trump said that those who chose peace are the most courageous people.

"Kim Jong Un has the chance to seize a better future for his country. Anyone can make war but only the most courageous can make peace," Trump said.

The 71-year-old US president also announced that America will stop holding military exercises on the Korean peninsula as Kim thought they were the provocation.

"The United States will stop holding military exercises on the Korean peninsula, after today's meeting," he added.



For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday held historic talks in Singapore's Sentosa Island after months of twists and turns.

The unprecedented summit between Trump and Kim, which was aimed at complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, was first between a sitting US President and a North Korean leader.

After a year of exchanging rhetoric and war threats, Trump and Kim shook hands at a luxury hotel in Singapore's Sentosa Island, a popular tourist spot. The US President expressed hope that the historic summit would be atremendously successful.a

Sitting next to the North Korean leader, Trump said, aWe will have a terrific relationship ahead. (I) Feel really great, weare gonna have a great discussion and a terrific relationship, I have no doubt,a he added.

The North Korean dictator Kim sitting beside Trump acknowledged that there were many aobstaclesa to the summit but they could overcome all.

"We overcame all kinds of skepticism and speculations about this summit & I believe that this is good for the peace,"A Kim told reporters through a translator.

As it happened

#02:40 PM:A The United States will stop holding military exercises on the Korean peninsula, after today's meeting: Trump

#02:30 PM:A I think this meeting was good for the United States as it was for North Korea. Only a person who hates Donald Trump would say that I have agreed to make a big commitment. Yes, it was a big commitment to meet Kim. But, it was good for us: US President Donald Trump

The sanctions will come off when we are sure that nuclear missiles are no longer a factor. I am looking forward to take them off: US President Donald Trump in Singapore. #SingaporeSummit pic.twitter.com/9vZ4qaprSJ a ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

#02:15 PM:A Kim Jong Un has the chance to seize a better future for his country. Anyone can make war but only the most courageous can make peace: Trump

#02:10 PM:A I will be inviting Kim Jong Un at the appropriate time & he has accepted: US President Donald Trump

#02:05 PM:A Kim told me that we have never gone so far. He said that he never had the confidence in any of the previous Presidents in getting things done. He wanted to do this, even more than me: Trump

#02:02 PM:A We signed a very comprehensive document today and I think when he (Kim Jong Un) lands in North Korea he will start the process soon:A Trump

#02:00 PM:A It is a great day & one of the greatest moments in the history of the world: US President Donald Trump

#01:55 PM:A We are prepared for the new history. We are ready to write new chapters. The past does not have to define future: US President Donald Trump after meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

#11:55 AM:A Kim declares "world will see a major change" and he and Trump "decided to leave the past behind" as they sign documentA commits the US to 'security guarantees'.A

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un commits to 'complete denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula' in joint text, reports AFP. #TrumpKimSummit pic.twitter.com/rOKMnCDGLq a ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

#11:25 AM:A 'We'll meet again & we'll met many times', says US President Donald Trump, when asked if he & North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will meet again in the future.

'We'll meet again & we'll met many times', says US President Donald Trump, when asked if he & North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will meet again in the future. #SingaporeSummit pic.twitter.com/CLEewpmyIr a ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

#10:30 AM:A Trump describes his first-ever meeting with Kim as 'really fantastic':A US President Donald Trump today described his first-ever historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as "really fantastic" and said they have agreed to "sign" an unspecified document after their "very positive" summit, aimed at normalising ties and complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

#10:10 AM: BREAKING:A US President Donald Trump expects 'signing' with Kim Jong Un after Singapore SummitA reports Reuters.

#09:45 AM:A Better than anyone would have ever expected: US President Donald Trump after his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong UnA

Better than anyone would have ever expected: US President Donald Trump after his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un #SingaporeSummit pic.twitter.com/N12pHUfUOI a ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

#09:30 AM:A I think the entire world is watching this moment. Many people in the world will think of this as a scene from a fantasy, science-fiction movie: Kim Jong Un, North Korean Leader

#08:10 AM: Watch: Trump and Kim during the historic summit.

#WATCH: US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at #SingaporeSummit at Sentosa Island. pic.twitter.com/R1m745mpIE a ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

#08:05 AM:A Donald Trump holds delegation-level talks with Kim Jong Un. This is the second meeting between the two leaders after the near 48-minute one-on-one meet.

#07:58 AM:A Trump says one-on-one meeting with Kim Jong Un was avery, very good,a says they have an aexcellent relationshipa and will solve a problem,A a big problem, a big dilemmaa.

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walk together along balcony after one-on-one meeting. pic.twitter.com/X50iX7VUWu a ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

#07:20 AM: Closed door meeting for peace begins: The historic meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un behind the closed doors started.

#07:12 AM: VIDEO: Watch the historic handshake between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

VIDEO: Watch the historic handshake between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, and see AP's latest coverage of the summit here: https://t.co/YHO5cCtD2D pic.twitter.com/RRbQBVofEc a The Associated Press (@AP) June 12, 2018

#06:50 AM: To be here, we overcame many obstacles: Kim Jong Un says awe came here after overcominga all the obstacles. aThe way to come to here was not easy,a Kim says, sitting at a table with Trump. aThe old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward but we overcame all of them and we are here today.a

#06:42 AM: And Trump's reply to Kim:A awe will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt,a the US president said when he met Kim.

aI feel really great. Itas gonna be a great discussion and I think tremendous success. I think itas gonna be really successful and I think we will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt,a says Trump when asked how he felt in the first minute.

#06:40 AM: The world hears the voice of Kim Jong-un:A aNice to meet you Mr President,a says Kim Jong Un as he shakes hand with Trump.

#06:35 AM: And the wait is finally over: Trump and Kim shake hands as the historic summit begins. They become the first sitting leaders of their respective countries to meet each other.

US President Donald Trump meets North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at Sentosa Island ahead of their summit #Singapore pic.twitter.com/4fzTvW3Ggd a ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

#06:30 AM: The world is waiting for the handshakeA of peace:A Trump and Kim are expected to share a handshake before they meet alone with their interpreters. The meeting may last as long as 45 minutes to an hour.

#06:15 AM: Here comes the North Korean dictator:A Kim Jong Un has just arrived at summit venue. Kim is sitting inside his black armored limousine, surrounded by police vehicles and other black cars.

Singapore: Kim Jong Un's convoy arrives on Sentosa island where the North Korean leader will hold a summit with US President Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/mrVZ61d2lg a ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

#06:10 AM: Trump has arrived at the venue of the summit:A US President Donald Trump at Sentosa island where he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in a summit

Singapore: US President Donald Trump at Sentosa island where he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in a summit pic.twitter.com/x4hmjECZMK a ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

#06:00 AM: Hello and welcome to the News Nation special LIVE coverage of Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un Summit in Singapore. After a year of exchanging rhetorics and war threats, the leaders of the United States and Noth Korea will hold a historic summit here atA Sentosa Island. Stay with us for all the live updates as we keep a close eye on the summit.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.SINGAPORE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will sign a document with top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un, after a working lunch between the two sides.

Trump told reporters that his meeting with Kim, the first between a sitting U.S. president and a DPRK leader, was "better than anybody could have expected."The Cabinet, chaired by His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, yesterday hailed the call by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to hold a quartet summit in Makkah in support of Jordan.

The Cabinet observed that the initiative reflects Saudi Arabias constant endeavours to support Arab countries stability and development, in line with its responsibility towards the Arab Nation.

The session also praised the swift and positive response to King Salmans call, given its importance in strengthening Arab solidarityExperts at the recently held 2nd China International Tea Expo called on Chinese tea enterprises to build world-class tea brands, to broaden their global influence.

China, as the worlds largest producer and consumer of tea, has a huge variety of quality tea. However, the profit margin of over 10,000 Chinese tea enterprises is behind that of the British tea brand Lipton.

Although China has beaten the rest of the world when it comes to both planting area and production of tea for 13 consecutive years, it does not have a world-class tea brand, Tang Ke, director of the market and economic information department of the Ministry of Agriculture pointed out.

A report released by the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences also shows that among a sample group of 10,000 tea consumers from 10 Chinese cities, only 11 percent bought tea from the same company. Such a result reflects the lack of brand influence when it comes to Chinese tea.

Jiang Aiqin, an expert in the tea industry disclosed that this is due to many factors. As Chinas tea industry is dominated by smallholders, they cannot obtain financial support to create brands.

In addition, despite the high standard of tea products in China, they aren't well-received among consumers. It's difficult to create a commercial tea brand with consumer trust, said Jiang.

Experts therefore suggest Chinese tea enterprises make efforts to build world-known tea brands by introducing capital, creating standards which will instigate consumer trust and combining Chinese tea culture with product promotion.Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP) in its full occupancy will create more than 10000 jobs and investment exceeding US$2 billion, said Zayed bin Rashid Alzayani, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism.

Both Bahraini and foreign industrial companies, the minister said, are expected to play a key role in bringing investors to the park, which now houses 118 companies spanning various manufacturing sectors from 29 countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United States, Canada, Germany, South Korea and India.

As of the end of 2017, total investment in BIIP had reached US$1.89 billion, with 82 per cent of its land capacity occupied.

BIIP is the most recent industrial zone to be developed in the Kingdom, providing three million square metres of land with easy access to both Bahrain International Airport and Khalifa bin Salman Port in Al Hidd.

Bahrains large-scale infrastructure development is currently valued at over US$32 billion and covers a wide range of sectors, including housing and transport.

This includes US $10bn of investments undertaken by government-related entities (holding companies, funds), US$7.5bn under the auspices of the GCC Development Fund, and the US$15bn worth of investment by private sector.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is the first step toward resolving various issues concerning the North.

Abe told reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday that he wants to express his deep respect for Trump's leadership and efforts to make the summit happen.

He said the statement signed at the summit confirms Kim's commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The prime minister said he highly appreciates that Trump raised the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese citizens in the summit talks.

He added he wants to speak with Trump by phone to hear the details of the abductions issue.

Abe also said that Japan and the United States will work with the rest of the international community to resolve North Korean issues. - NHKUS President Donald Trump says he raised the issue of abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korea in the summit meeting with the country's leader, Kim Jong Un.

He disclosed this at a news conference in Singapore on Tuesday. Trump said the abductions issue is important to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He added that the issue was not mentioned in the joint statement, but that it will be worked on. - NHK

Japan dissolves lower house ahead of election

WION - Oct 14

Japan has dissolved its parliament, this sets the stage for the general election at the end of the month. This will pit the newly elected prime minister Fumio Kishida against the unpopular opposition. Japan has dissolved its parliament, this sets the stage for the general election at the end of the month. This will pit the newly elected prime minister Fumio Kishida against the unpopular opposition.

Japan to set up $4.4 billion 'vaccine fund' under economic package

Japan Times - Oct 14

Japan plans to set up a Y500 billion ($4.4 billion) fund aimed at supporting firms developing vaccines for infectious diseases and new drugs, under the first economic package to be drawn up since Prime Minister Fumio Kishida took office last week, government sources said Wednesday. Japan plans to set up a Y500 billion ($4.4 billion) fund aimed at supporting firms developing vaccines for infectious diseases and new drugs, under the first economic package to be drawn up since Prime Minister Fumio Kishida took office last week, government sources said Wednesday.

PM Kishida says Japan to start 3rd COVID vaccine shots in December

Kyodo - Oct 12

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday the government is planning to start administering third doses of COVID-19 vaccine in Japan in December and that it will shoulder the costs. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday the government is planning to start administering third doses of COVID-19 vaccine in Japan in December and that it will shoulder the costs.

Japan's new PM Kishida questioned over scandals related to predecessors in parliament

CNA - Oct 12

Past political scandals are haunting Japan's new prime minister Fumio Kishida. Facing parliament for the first time, he was bombarded by questions from the opposition. Past political scandals are haunting Japan's new prime minister Fumio Kishida. Facing parliament for the first time, he was bombarded by questions from the opposition.

Taiwan issue should be handled "appropriately", China's Xi tells Japan's Kishida

CNA - Oct 09

China has told Japan that they should handle sensitive issues such as Taiwan "appropriately". President Xi Jinping made the remarks during his first phone call with Japan's new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. China has told Japan that they should handle sensitive issues such as Taiwan "appropriately". President Xi Jinping made the remarks during his first phone call with Japan's new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Tomoko Yoshino becomes first female chief of Japan's largest labor body

Japan Times - Oct 07

Tomoko Yoshino on Wednesday became the first female chief of Rengo, Japans largest labor organization, after her promotion from vice president was approved at a regular convention. Tomoko Yoshino on Wednesday became the first female chief of Rengo, Japans largest labor organization, after her promotion from vice president was approved at a regular convention.

N.Korea ship with missile spotted off Japan coast

NHK - Oct 07

NHK has learned that in late June a North Korean ship armed with a man-portable surface-to-air missile was sighted in Japanese fishing grounds in the Sea of Japan. NHK has learned that in late June a North Korean ship armed with a man-portable surface-to-air missile was sighted in Japanese fishing grounds in the Sea of Japan.

Japan's new prime minister faces low approval ratings

Reuters - Oct 06

Japan's new Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, is struggling to find his footing with voters just two days after he took the top job and launched his new government, multiple polls by local media showed. Japan's new Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, is struggling to find his footing with voters just two days after he took the top job and launched his new government, multiple polls by local media showed.

Japan's new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida appoints new cabinet; announces election date

ABC News - Oct 05

Japan's newly elected Prime Minister has formed his new cabinet, set a date for a general election, and in his first phone call with a foreign leader, Fumio Kishida committed to strengthening bilateral ties with the United States. Japan's newly elected Prime Minister has formed his new cabinet, set a date for a general election, and in his first phone call with a foreign leader, Fumio Kishida committed to strengthening bilateral ties with the United States.

Japan's new ministers vow bold action for pandemic-hit economy

Reuters - Oct 05

Japan's new finance and economy ministers vowed on Tuesday to take bold policy action to revitalise the pandemic-hit economy, a sign that fiscal and monetary stimulus will remain intact under a government led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Japan's new finance and economy ministers vowed on Tuesday to take bold policy action to revitalise the pandemic-hit economy, a sign that fiscal and monetary stimulus will remain intact under a government led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Japan's new prime minister forms cabinet

NHK - Oct 04

Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is launching his Cabinet after being chosen to lead the country by the Diet. Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is launching his Cabinet after being chosen to lead the country by the Diet.

Kishida elected as Japans PM, set to call election on October 31

aljazeera.com - Oct 04

Fumio Kishida has been elected prime minister by both houses of Japan's parliament. Fumio Kishida has been elected prime minister by both houses of Japan's parliament.

Kishida announces LDP executives

NHK - Oct 02

The new leader for Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party has officially announced his party executives. LDP President Kishida Fumio is virtually assured of becoming Prime Minister next week. The new leader for Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party has officially announced his party executives. LDP President Kishida Fumio is virtually assured of becoming Prime Minister next week.

Japan's next PM Fumio Kishida is a 'safe choice'

Sky News Australia - Oct 01

ANU Australia-Japan Research Centre Director Shiro Armstrong says Japans next prime minister, Fumio Kishida, is seen as a consensus builder within the party, which is why he was elected over the more popular candidates. ANU Australia-Japan Research Centre Director Shiro Armstrong says Japans next prime minister, Fumio Kishida, is seen as a consensus builder within the party, which is why he was elected over the more popular candidates.

Who is Japans next Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida?

South China Morning Post - Sep 30

Former foreign minister Fumio Kishida was elected to lead Japans ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in a run-off vote on September 29, 2021. Former foreign minister Fumio Kishida was elected to lead Japans ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in a run-off vote on September 29, 2021.A committee of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of Japan's parliament, passed on Tuesday a bill to lower the country's adult age to 18 from the current 20.

At the Judicial Affairs Committee, the bill to amend the Civil Code was approved by a majority vote with support from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito.

The bill, which cleared the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, in late May, is expected to be enacted at a plenary meeting of the Upper House on Wednesday.

The government aims to have the revised Civil Code enforced in April 2022. The adult age will be changed for the first time since it was set at 20 in 1876.

After the revision, people aged 18 and 19 will be allowed to have credit cards without consent from their parents.China may embrace another boom in cross-border e-commerce, after issuing a series of policies set to expand imports into the country.

A merchat shows bread from Estonia at the 4th China- Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Investment and Trade Expo

The faster pace of opening up not only offers new choices for domestic consumers, but also attracts the attention of global merchants.

The 4th China- Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Investment and Trade Expo kicked off in Ningbo, eastern Chinas Zhejiang province on June 8.

The event attracted 257 exhibitors from the CEEC, introducing nearly 1,000 different products in 15 major categories. In the 8,400-square meter exhibition hall, drinks, cakes, and chocolate from Latvia, as well as wine and olive oil from Hungary were all favored by Chinese buyers.

Agricultural products such as red wine, dairy products, oats and canned fish are very popular in China, a CEEC exhibitor told Economic Information Daily. He said Chinas growing consumption has led to larger domestic demand for quality, pollution-free food. The 4th China- CEEC Investment and Trade Expo is just one example of Chinas expansion in openness and global merchants are running to China in search of opportunities.

Chinas State Council announced a decision to lower most-favored-nation (MFN) tariffs for 1,449 taxable daily consumer goods starting July 1, said Li Mingtao, director of the Academy of China International Electronic Commerce Center. It's an important measure to expand import and promote trade balance, the director added.

Thanks to such favorable policies, CEEC countries have seen an increase in export volume to China. China-Europe freight trains have largely improved the freight load factor for return trips and reduced transportation costs, thus further strengthening trade cooperation between China and the CEEC, said an organizer of the 4th China- CEEC Investment and Trade Expo. The organizer added that this tariff cut will benefit both foreign suppliers and their Chinese agents.

In addition, the continuously deepening international cooperation in e-commerce will also contribute to the next expansion of e-commerce in China.

At the Third Ministerial Conference of China-CEEC on Promoting Trade and Economic Cooperation on Jun. 7, China proposed working together to optimize the e-commerce development environment. 16 CEECs have already responded to the proposal expressing support.

The move will definitely push forward the development of cross-border e-commerce, said Cui Junjie, general manager of the Tianjin district of Kaola.com, an international e-commerce platform in China. He said with more imported goods flooding in, their general price level will go down, thus offering more choice to consumers. He added that cross-border e-commerce, as a new form of industry in the import business, will also benefit from it.The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has appealed to the Federal Government to address the issue of inequality and poverty in the country in order to abolish child labour.Mr Ayuba Wabba, NLC President, made the appeal in an interview with Newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja.The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has declared June 12 of every year World Day against Child Labour Day.The ILO has also estimated worldwide that 218 million children between 5 and 17 years are in employment, while 152 million are victims of child labour and 73 million, work in hazardous child labour.The ILO also estimated that in absolute terms, almost half of child labours (72.1 million) were to be found in Africa.According to Wabba, we have about 218 million of these children working under very precarious condition. They ought to be in school and not actually working.Therefore, there are two conventions that actually try to address these issues of which Nigeria is trying to domesticate the conventions.One of them is convention 138, which deals with the minimum age for anybody to be employed to work, that is 18 and above and therefore from five to 17 years old anybody that is between that age group is hacking on child labour.We also have convention 182, which deals with the worse form of child labour where we have children working in very dangerous working environment.We have most of these occurrences in sub-Sahara Africa and some part of Asia where there is issue if inequality and poverty, he said.The NLC president said it was necessary for the government, worker groups, among others to collaborate in ensuring that these children were not out in the streets working in precarious situation.He said that the government must ensure that the youths are developed and engaged in order to become responsibly citizens of the country.Wabba added that the issue of child labour is something that we have given a lot of attention and it is something that the ILO is very passionate about.That is why these two conventions is very important and strategic because we cannot address the issue of inequality without quality education to the youths which is a very important instrument.Therefore, we have to use a lot of platform to actually do policy engagement, and if you remember, we have the child right act, though not too many states have domesticated the act.If the act is domesticated, it will go a long way, that is if all the states are able to domestic it. We must also make the domestication a central policy in our development, Wabba said.He, however, called on government at all levels to embrace free education from primary to tertiary level and other benefits such as scholarships and bursary as it would encourage the children of the poor to continue to access education.He also noted that the best way to address the issue of inequality and poverty was to give the children of the poor quality education.Because by the time they are educated, they would find their level in the society but if we denied them education and make them to work under precarious conditions then their situation becomes worse in the society.Like in the Nigeria context, children are seen hawking not because that is what they want to do but because there is extreme poverty and these children are used to augment the family income,  he said.He also called on the government to address the issue of social justice, inequality, social security as this was the only way to ensure abolition of Child Labour in the country.Wabba said that labour would do a lot of advocacy and policy engagement to ensure that the abolition of Child Labour was achieved.He also noted that part of the labour law being reviewed by the National Assembly was also to address the age bracket that ILO has raised in its Committee of Expert report since 2012, saying that Nigeria should review its laws.According to him, the review will also crimainalised all employers that employed children between the ages five and 17 except possible farming.The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Gudu, Abuja, on Tuesday sentenced a former Governor of Plateau State and serving senator, Joshua Dariye, to 14 years imprisonment on charges of criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of overN1.16bn belonging to the state.Justice Adebukola Banjoko in a judgment which took her six and a half hours to read convicted the ex-governor on 15 out the 23 counts preferred against him.The judge barely a fortnight ago, imposed 14 years jail term on ex-Governor of Taraba State, Jolly Nyame, on similar charges.On Tuesday she sentenced Dariye to two years imprisonment on each of the five counts bordering on criminal misappropriation and 14 years jail term on each of the 11 counts of criminal breach of trust.The judge, however, ruled that all the sentences would run concurrently, implying that the convict would have to spend 14 years in jail.The punishments imposed on the ex-governor for the two categories of offences of criminal breach of trust and criminal misappropriation are the maximum as provided under sections 315 and 309 of the Penal Code Act, respectively.The judge threw out eight of the 23 charges on the grounds of either duplicity or lack of sufficient evidence.Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), had in opposing the defence lawyers plea for mercy, urged the court to impose the maximum sentence to serve as deterrence to others.Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says civil servants now lose their jobs for criticising politicians in position of power.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says civil servants now lose their jobs for criticising politicians in position of power.





Abubakar said this in a statement to mark the 25th anniversary of June 12.





He was apparently citing the case of Bolouere Opukiri, an official of the media unit of the Presidential amnesty office who lost her job after criticising Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and the wife of the president.





She had described then acting president as a novice for travelling out of the country at a time President Muhammadu Buhari was receiving medical treatment in London, and criticised Aisha Buhari for saying hyenas and jackals had taken over her husbands government.





She was fired seven days later.





Abubakar said the foundation of a democratic society is the guarantee of fundamental human rights that gives the citizenry the freedom of speech.





He noted that it is the exclusive responsibility of the state through the various security organisations to see to the protection of these fundamental rights of the people.





He added that there is a growing culture of arbitrariness in some of the institutions of government at all levels that is contradictory to the notion of inclusiveness and fairness that a democratic society guarantees.





Today, across our major cities and even in the hinterlands, citizens, especially the youth, can hardly walk freely in open avenues without the police stopping them to search through the content of their mobile handsets, he said.





Civil servants now lose their jobs just because they choose to criticize politicians in government positions; there are even suggestions in some quarters that civil servants should be barred from signing to social media networks.





Opposition politicians are regularly being hounded on wanton criminal and civil prosecutions.





All of these narratives have become a consistent pattern of behavior that is antithetical to an open and democratic society.





In many of the states across the country, there is a reign of fascism with governors who have suddenly become overlords dealing ruthlessly with anyone who dares to challenge their ruthless foothold of intimidation and oppression.





Perhaps at this point, we need to remind ourselves that the democracy which we enjoy today did not come cheap price; It came at the cost of supreme price paid by persons that included Chief MKO Abiola, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, Maj-Gen Shehu YarAdua, Chief Alfred Rewane and Bagauda Kaltho, among thousands of other patriots.





Abubakar reminded the people that democracy is not merely a mechanism of appointing a government, saying its beauty is in the inherent safeguard to the citizenry to live and prosper as free people under the law.



The Chinese military will stop all of its commercial activities before the end of the year, under a new guideline unveiled on Monday.

The guideline, released by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, State Council and Central Military Commission, said that stopping all of the military's commercial activities is a strategically important decision made by the Party, the Central Military Commission and Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and is a significant part of the ongoing reform of national defense and the military.

It said the work has entered a crucial stage that requires determination, planning and cooperation between the military, local governments and Party committees.

Units of the People's Liberation Army and the Armed Police Force must ensure that their commercial activities are halted before year's end and their assets be maintained at their current value during the process, the document said.

Contracts between the military and civilian entities that will not conclude by year's end should be terminated by that time through negotiation or legal procedures, it said, adding that compensation will be given for economic losses.

Under the guideline, commercial activities with "sophisticated situations" should be dealt with in a flexible manner such as entrusting civilian entities to manage them.

It urged government and military departments to make policies to regulate nonmilitary programs assigned by the central government in the future.

The document said all properties, land and reception facilities owned by the military and used for commercial purposes will be administered and allocated by the Central Military Commission.

The Chinese military started running its own businesses in the mid-1980s to offset a defense budget decrease.

In 1992, the Central Military Commission approved commercial activities by the PLA and the Armed Police Force. In February 2016, the Central Military Commission ordered the PLA and Armed Police Force to halt commercial activities within three years.

Many corruption cases involving senior officers were closely connected to the military's commercial activities, and the military's involvement in commercial sectors aroused public concerns, said Senior Colonel Gong Fangbin, a political education researcher at PLA National Defense University.A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has asked the Nigeria police force to produce Michael Adikwu, one of the arrested suspec...

A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has asked the Nigeria police force to produce Michael Adikwu, one of the arrested suspects in the Offa robbery incident.

Adikwu, who reportedly led the gang in the incident which occurred on April 5, 2018, is said to be missing.





Thirty-three people, including pregnant women and 12 police officers, were killed in the attack.





Recall that we had reported that the fate of Adikwu  who confessed to have killed several policemen as a revenge for his unfair dismissal from the force  has become a subject of speculation.





At some point, he was not paraded alongside the other arrested suspects, and his name was also removed from the list of suspects in a statement from the police.





Rumours have it that he was shot dead while in custody in order to coerce confessions from other suspects.





In a petition on Monday, the CSOs asked the police to immediately produce Adikwu, or be dragged to the International Criminal Court.





If he (Adikwu) has been killed, the police should come clean and name his executors, this is in keeping with the Freedom of Information Act (FOI), the petition signed by Collins Abu on behalf of the coalition read.





We demand an immediate investigation into the disappearance of this suspect, and we ask respected international human rights organisations to call on the Nigerian government and the police to produce him.





The CSOs also demanded an independent probe of the Offa robbery because the police appear compromised.





Failure to produce him, we will petition the International Criminal Court and also petition all embassies with evidence so as to revoke visas of the IGP and other human rights violators, they said.





Jimoh Moshood, police spokesman, had denied that the suspect was killed in custody.



The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday said there was an alleged plot by a businessman, Abdulhamid Mahmud Zari, to fr...

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday said there was an alleged plot by a businessman, Abdulhamid Mahmud Zari, to frame up one of its key investigators, Abubakar Madaki.





The EFCC raised the alarm in a statement in Abuja by its Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren.





The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC has been drawn to a report entitled, Businessman accuses Magus aide of N4m extortion, which appeared in a newspaper of June 9, 2018 and syndicated in various online platforms, he said.





The report purports that Madaki, an operative of the commission whom they referred to as personal assistant to the acting chairman, obtained N4 million from a certain Abdulhamid Mahmud Zari, a suspect under investigation for alleged money laundering by the commission, to grant him bail.





The commission wishes to state that there is no truth to this allegation, which is contrived to malign and impugn the reputation of Madaki, an operative who has handled several high profile investigations without blemish.





What is currently playing out in select media outlets is the unraveling of a vengeful script by Zari and his cohorts to impugn the integrity of Madaki and bring him to public ridicule.





It will interest members of the public, who may have been misled by the mischievous story, to know that Zari has been crossed with Madaki over suspicion that he instigated the investigation leading to his arrest and detention by the commission.





Soon after he was released on bail, Zari launched a media offensive against Madaki, accusing him of buying half of the land in his home town, Keffi for N10 billion. He also claimed that the officer owns two palatial mansions in choice areas of Abuja worth N250million.





In line with the commissions stance on professional responsibility by officers and men, the phantom allegations were duly investigated by the commission and found to be baseless.





That the ludicrous charge failed to hurt the career of Madaki has not deterred Zari. He engineered the arrest of the officer after he wrote a petition to the Police at Nasarawa Command, alleging that Madaki and his brother had conspired to kill him during the Ramadan of 2017. Madaki was detained for a day in Lafia.





The case was eventually transferred to the Nigeria Force Headquarters for proper investigation. The police have already concluded investigation and the case file sent to the Office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice.





Once Zari discovered that Force Headquarters had stepped into the matter, he proceeded to Lafia and again got four members of Madakis family arrested, including a 76-year-old man Hashimu Sale, who later died in prison while on remand.





He also got his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, to sue the commission and Madaki for continuously inviting him. Other relief he sought was an order of court stopping the commission from further investigating him. This was rejected by the court. He proceeded on appeal to the appellate court.





Zari has now changed gear by bringing up fresh allegations against the officer. Now, he would have the world believe that he was extorted N4m to be granted bail in an agency that is not known for collecting money to admit suspects on bail.





What makes the allegation more ridiculous is the fact that Madaki is not the officer handling Zaris investigation. He is not even a member of the team. It, therefore, beats the imagination how an officer that is not involved in a case would be the one demanding money for the bail of a suspect.





If Zari is persuaded that he paid bribes to secure bail from the EFCC, he is obliged to take the additional step of stating the time, place and circumstances in which the money was collected from him and by who, together with witnesses to the transaction.





The EFCC implicated a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who is currently being investigated by Madaki, as one of those behind the smear campaign against the commission.





Zari, unfortunately is not acting alone. Intelligence available to the commission indicates that the invidious publications are sponsored and promoted by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who is currently being investigated by the same officer.



The Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, on Tuesday, called for increase in women participation in governance at all levels, saying it would enhance the countrys rapid development.Ekweremadu made the call at a workshop on 2019 Elections and Policymaking: Making Women Issues Matter organised by Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) in Abuja.He said that women had the capacity and integrity to build a better nation and that Nigeria would only take rightfully place in the comity of nations when women occupied their place in governance.He said when a man is educated, an individual has been educated, but when a women is educated, an entire nation has been educated.The deputy senate president said that he believed that when women were politically empowered, the entire generation had been empowered.He pointed out that women had done well in nearly all spheres of life, including sports, business, academics locally and internationally.The lawmaker said that women had proven themselves in vocations which were reserved for men such as automobile mechanic and commercial driving.He said that women had shown high level of integrity and were very passionate, which had made them respond to the call of service across the globe.According to him, World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) are headed by women.Ekwremadu, however, lamented that some factors had prevented women from taking their rightfully place in the politics of Nigeria.He described the situation as a case of a step forward and two backward, recalling that the last administration had 35 per cent of women in Federal Executive cabinet, but that the story was different now.Ekweremadu noted that women had been held down by factors ranging from cultural to religious, economic and socio-political with the wrong belief that the role of women was in the kitchen.He said that women who were courageous enough to aspire for political offices were deemed as over-ambitious, a situation he referred to as cultural terrorism.He described as cheap blackmail to refer to women aspiring for political offices as prostitutes, adding that such assumption was untrue.The legislator urged women not to be deterred by such limitations saying that he who must be in the kitchen should not be afraid of the smoke.He stated that Nigeria was placed at 168 in women representation in national parliament across the world.He said that Rwanda was first in the world and South Africa, Mozambique and Senegal among the top 20 countries in the rating.The deputy president of the president said that by the provision of section 42 of the Constitution, discrimination against sex, origin, community or political opinion was prohibited.He advocated amendment of the section to create special quota for women in line with the 35 per cent affirmative action on women representation.He suggested that Nigeria should take after Rwanda which amended its constitution to create special quota for women across political bodies.On June 12, Ekweremadu said it reminded the nation of the great roles played by compatriots to bring the country to democratic rule, adding that there was no better day to discuss issues affecting women representation in politics.Earlier, Executive Director of PLAC, Mr Clement Nwankwo, had said that it was not helping the nations politics that more than 50 per cent of the population had less than 10 per cent representation in politics.Nwankwo said that based on integrity, intelligence and creativity of the women population, PLAC had decided to expand its scope to include women participation in politics.He said that PLAC, in collaboration with Ford Foundation, had produced a report to help address the issue, and expressed hope that by the 9th National Assembly, there would be more women lawmakers.Reviewing the report, Dr Nwachukwu Orji, Resident Electoral Commissioner, Anambra, said that it was surprising that women under-representation in politics was an issue giving the potential in the country.He said there was a potential of full representation in Nigeria and that the country should not be left behind.Orji said at the global level, women representation in parliament had doubled over the years and that Nigeria should not be left behind.He said that 12 countries in Africa had elected more than 30 per cent of women into parliament and that five countries had elected more than 40 per cent.Orji said that though some measures had been put in place to increase women participation in Nigerias politics, there was need to switch from incremental track to fast-track.The highpoint of the event was the unveiling of the report by the deputy president of the senate.Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose has placed curses on any politician, including himself, who is planning to bring violence into the state and manipulate the July 14 governorship poll with the aim of robbing Ekiti people of not only their peace but also a free will to chose their next governor.The Governor said: This state deserves peace, people of Ekiti deserves peace. anybody that brings violence to this state would come under the judgement of God. Anybody that attempts to manipulate this state would come under the judgement of God. We hand Ekiti over to God and we pray that anybody, including myself and any other politician that bring violence to this state would face the judgement of God, he said.Governor Fayose made the remarks while presenting the candidates of his party, Prof. Olusola Kolapo Eleka, governorship flagbearer, and 39-year-old Kazeem Ayodeji Ogunsakin, deputy governorship candidate to the Ewi of Ado, Oba Rufus Aladesanmi Adejugbe, monarch of Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State capital and most populous town in the state.Fayose , on Monday night, handed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)s candidates to the Ewi-in-Council, body of traditional chiefs assisting the monarch, who in turn, presented them to the Ewi as tradition requires.Governor Fayose also explained reasons why he threw his weight behind the Deputy Governorship candidacy 39-year old Ogunsakin, stating that the fact that he came from Ado Ekiti which gave him the largest votes in 2014, and also a Muslim representing the Muslim community and most importantly, that he is a young man who would represent the Not-too-Young to run ambition are considerations that informed the support.Ordinarily, we wouldnt have supported Ogunsakin but for the fact that he has performed admirably well as Chairman of Ado Local Government Area and hails from the town, which gave me highest votes to re-elect me in 2014, and also the fact that he served well as Head of Due Process in my cabinet, and also that he is a Muslim who represents the interest of the hitherto neglected Muslim community in Ekiti and most importantly, I want to actualize the dream of our youths who have clamoured for concrete and active representation in government. I am not a kind of person who makes promise and not fulfill it. With 39-year old Ogunsakin, we have shown to the world that really want the youth to participate in government in support of the not too young to run law.Fayose who expressed confidence that the PDP candidates would get overwhelming support of the people of Ado Ekiti where Ogunsakin hails from and Ikere-Ekiti, being the second largest in population to Ado Ekiti in the state and where the governorship candidate, Prof. Olusola hails from, said: I am a chief of the Ewis palace. Beyond that I am also the governor of the state. We have to do things properly and bring our deputy governorship candidate, 39-year old Kazeem Ayodeji Ogunsakin, who is an indigene of Ado Ekiti, and a Muslim from this community, to the Kabiyesi.If you look at the impact we have made in this palace you would know that they would forever remember us for our giants strides.Continuity is good for the state and for a professor who has made great impact for the state in education and also for Ogunsakin, they are a perfect combination to continue our good works and even do it better.Responding, The Ewi of Ado, thanked Governor Fayose profusely for the many capital projects he has put in place to beautify the capital city and prayed for him fervently.The monarch who described Fayose as an uncommon man said he always pray to God to make his children have the kind of fortune that the heavens have bestowed on the governor.Recalling that Olusola had worked assiduously to achieve success in the state education sector, the Ewi identified both Olusola and Ogunsakin as men of good nature, sound mind and well behaved.His words: Politics apart, if we examine our city, Ado Ekiti four years ago, we would all agree that Governor Fayose has performed very well. I have always pray to God that just as he has blessed Fayose with good fortunes, he should bless my children also. I also, pray for the well being of Fayose, his family and loved ones. He is God sent and has been delivering divine agenda in Ekiti. He has said God chose Olusola to suceed him and we accept it from him. We will continue to pray for Governor Fayoses success. He will continue to excel and triumph over his enemies of his progress. You have done Ado Ekiti very well, Ado Ekiti will not forget you, the monarch said.Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has condemned the recent declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day by President Muhammadu Buhari in honor of late MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of 1993 presidential election.It described the pronouncement as a Greek gift targeted at pacifying the Yoruba after its failure to checkmate its (IPOB) activities, which remains the authentic voice of the people of the East.In a statement issued through its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB maintained that the posthumous award was a clever but desperate attempt by Arewa agents of neo-colonialism to drive a wedge between the burgeoning understanding between the East and West.It wondered why the same people that detained and killed Abiola would turn around to reward him with a posthumous award, if not for next years general elections.The statement read in part: It appears there is no length the present Buhari administration will not go in its futile quest to counter IPOB agitation for a sovereign independent nation of Biafra. After another resoundingly successful 30th of May sit-at-home order from IPOB, it came to us as no surprise when Arewa north moved to pacify the Yorubas by declaring June 12 as the new Democracy Day.Since it has clearly dawned on them that IPOB is the authentic voice of the people of the East, thereby rendering their slaves in Ohanaeze Ndigbo and governors lodges in the South East impotent, their next best move is to gain the confidence of the West in order to checkmate the rising influence of those that have come to forge an alliance strong enough to rattle the status quo.Our successful sit at home order in 2017 prompted Arewa Consultative Forum to direct their youths to issue Igbos residing in the North with a quit notice. This culminated in a brutal military invasion of the home of our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu sanctioned by Nnia Nwodos Ohanaeze and South East governors in what they termed Operation Python Dance. They came to kill, maim and crush IPOB for good.An equally devastatingly successful May 30th, sit-at-home called by IPOB in 2018 have sent shockwaves to the ruling cabals in the north that IPOB not Ohanaeze Ndigbo or Igbo governors, are the true representatives of the people of the East.As with the clamour for restructuring, it can now also be confidently stated without fear of contradiction that this overriding need to checkmate IPOB is the sole reason behind the June 12 Democracy Day announcement by Aso Rock. A cynical move designed to truncate any East/West alliance or understanding with regards to a renegotiated Nigeria before 2019.We view this announcement of a posthumous award for demised leading sons of Yorubaland in Chief MKO Abiola and Chief Gani Fawehinmi as another clever but desperate attempt by Arewa agents of neo-colonialism to drive a wedge between the burgeoning understanding between the East and West. We prefer to call this belated move by the north, medicine after death- too little too late.Isnt it odd the same people that detained and killed Abiola are now cosmetically rewarding him with a posthumous presidency so close to an election year? The north are desperately hoping that Yorubas will once again accept this Greek gift and in turn reward them with their votes in 2019 as they did in 2015.In the process renewing for another four years the tenure of the most mediocre, barbaric, brutal, despotic, genocidal and undemocratic regime in living memory. Yorubas must spare a thought for the people in Middle Belt and what they are experiencing in the hands of the same Fulani terrorists, before deciding to embrace Buhari with open arms.The question most people are asking is, when will Yorubas bring to an end their one sided relationship with the north? Similar overtures were made to the West in the run up to the BiafraNigeria War when Chief Obafemi Awolowo was offered vice president to Gen. Yakubu Gowon which he accepted thereby abandoning his earlier agreement with Ojukwu. Thankfully, eminent statesmen like Pa Ayo Adebanjo has come out to condemn the whole posthumous charade.It will be unfortunate if other leading lights in the West were to allow themselves to be easily deceived by the June 12 pronouncement from Aso Rock. Yorubas have a golden opportunity now to rewrite African history before 2019 elections by insisting on their Ibadan declaration that there wont be any elections in Nigeria unless the basis of the union is ascertained and renegotiated.This principled stance must be maintained because that is the only language Arewa north will understand, respect and respond to. Failure to hold rigidly to this stance will condemn Nigeria to a violent disintegration because full Islamisation, which the North are bound to unleash after their victory next year, will be resisted by force if need be by those of us in the East.We must not forget that it was the same core Arewa North that imprisoned Chief Awolowo. It was an Igbo man and later Biafran soldier Chukwuma Nzeogwu that led a coup that its sole aim was to release Awolowo from prison and install him as the Prime Minister of Nigeria.It was another Igbo man, Ojukwu, that eventually released Awolowo from prison but upon his release went back to north and superintended the second worst genocide in human history.The same thing happened with Obasanjos civilian presidency, which again was another move by the Fulani caliphate to assuage grieving Yoruba people after the annulment of June 12 and killing of Abiola by the same north. Today, even Obasanjo who was once their darling is now in their firing line.This big brother small relationship have always been at play between the core north and Yorubas for centuries. Look at what Fulanis did to Yorubas in Ilorin where Afonja, a Yoruba prince was temporarily made the political head of the invading Fulani Islamic army to get him to turn against his fellow Yorubas. At the end of that campaign Afonja was killed by the Fulanis and his land converted to Fulani emirate.A Yoruba Oba will never in this life sit on the royal throne in Ilorin. Ilorin emirate has become the exclusive prerogative of the Fulanis.This unfortunate outcome and Yoruba national disgrace was made possible because a Yoruba man accepted what appeared on the face of it an exalted political position not knowing it was a Trojan horse. These mistakes of the past must not be repeated by this present Yoruba generation.Yorubas are learned, cosmopolitan and urbane. They possess enough intelligent people in their ranks to understand the damaging effect these periodic politically motivated inducements from the north can portend in the long run.That mere posthumous elevation of Abiola to a GCFR is sufficient to erase the horrors of this Buhari regime in the minds of Yorubas is an insult and if entertained will speak volumes about their political priorities of the Yoruba race.The Yoruba enlightened political class must maintain a principled commitment to a change that will be of benefit to all, even where that change may include total disintegration of Nigeria as advocated by IPOB.The family of late MKO Abiola and some Civil Society Organisations have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to end poverty in the nation, as that was what Abiola stood for.They made the call at the MKO Abiolas family house at Oke-Ido, Gbagura in Abeokuta on Tuesday after a democracy walk that started from June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta and terminated at the family house.The walk was led by the Ogun state Deputy Governor, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga and the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Taiwo Adeoluwa.In his submission, Alhaji Muritala Abiola, Head of Abiola family, thanked and appreciated Buharis decision to finally recognise their son as the winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.The head of the family stated that late MKO Abiola was loved by all Nigerians before, during and after the annulled election, adding that one of the programmes of late MKO was not to allow any Nigerian to suffer.He stated that late Abiola wanted to end poverty by all means and that was why he contested and won the 1993 presidential election, adding that the Federal Government should follow the steps of MKO Abiola.He said the Abiola family sympathises with families of the Nigerian students and other Nigerians who lost their lives in the June 12 struggle.Mrs. Joe Okei-Odumakin, President, Women Arise for Change, commended the President for immortalising MKO Abiola, saying the decision was long overdue.Okei-Odumakin, a human right activist, called on the Federal Government to ensure that those who killed MKO Abiola were brought to book, saying it would be one of the befitting memorials for him.We lost the man and the mandate, although belated, we salute President Buhari for declaring June 12 Democracy Day.We want to say that we want MKO to be recognised with the GCFR award, which is only given to past President, past Head of State. We want a posthumous declaration of MKO as a past President in Nigeria.I want us to realise that MKO Abiola, Kudirat Abiola, Alfred Ruwane and several others paid the supreme price, which we cant forget.Gov. Ibikunle Amosun, represented by his Deputy, Onanuga, said the state government appreciated Buhari for the honor done to MKO and the people of Nigeria by recognising the acclaimed winner of June 12 election.We are grateful for actualising June 12 as Democracy Day. We have always observed June 12 since the beginning of this administration, that is to tell you the passion this government has for MKO, he said.The spokesperson, Yoruba Socio-Political group, Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, commended Buhari for the declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day, saying that the President should end herdsmen killings across the country.Ahead of next years first-ever nationwide commemoration of Democracy Day on June 12, all six states in the South-West geopolitical zone are today jointly commemorating the day as a public holiday for the first time since 2007.Besides the activities in the South-West, the posthumous investiture of Abiola with the nations highest award of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, GCFR, is to hold today in Abuja.This will mark the first time the June 12 commemoration will hold outside the South-West.Besides Abiola, the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi is also to receive a posthumous award of Grand Commander of the Niger, GCON, while Abiolas running mate in the June 12, 1993 election, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, will receive the award of GCON.Ondo State became the latest state to rejoin the celebration with the declaration of a public holiday to mark the election of Chief Moshood Abiola as president in 1993.Ondo State, which returned as All Progressives Congress, APC, government in 2017 is commemorating June 12 as a public holiday for the first time since the days Adebayo Adefarati left office in 2003.In Lagos, activities marking the day are expected to centre at the Ikeja, Lagos, residence of Abiola where civil rights activists are expected to congregate.Following prayers at his residence, a remodelled statue of the late politician is to be commissioned at the old Toll Gate leading into Lagos. The event is being put together by Lagos State government.A lecture to mark the event, jointly organised by Lagos State chapter of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, and Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, will also hold today.It was learned, yesterday, that politicians, including those who were active and not active in the crusade for June 12, are warming up to take advantage of the popularity of the late Abiola by identifying with the celebration.Senator Shehu Sani, Tuesday, accused leaders of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in 1993 of betraying acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, late Chief Moshood Abiola describing them as Judas.He said this at 25 anniversary of June 12 presidential election organised by the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, in collaboration with the Nigeria Union of Journalist, Lagos State Council with the theme: Nigerian politics and democratic progress: MKO Abiola and June 12, w993, cries and beyond, held at Excellence hotel, Ogba, Lagos.Crowds flock to the beach the Friday of Memorial Day weekend and after Ocean City's Unlocking of the Ocean ceremony and Business Persons Plunge, Friday, May 25, 2018.

Tim Hawk | For NJ.com

By Chris Franklin | For NJ.com

People in the Garden State do not have to travel across the country to enjoy one of the best, happiest beaches out there.

The magazine Coastal Living named Ocean City the 2018 Happiest Seaside Town. The shore town beat out other towns in states like Florida, California and New York.

The dry Cape May County beach town (they don't serve or sell booze) is pure Americana, the magazine said. They highlighted Ocean Citys beach, boardwalk, historic district, snacks such as saltwater taffy, and amusement options as some of the factors that placed the town at the top of the list.

It also cites the citys unique traditions, such as the Baby Parade, which will be held again this year Aug. 18 along the Boardwalk.

These are the other 9 coastal towns that Ocean City tops, according to the magazine.

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It's time to meet Coastal Living's America's Happiest Seaside Town... Ocean City NJ!!! Thank you to everyone who voted for Ocean City! #AmericasHappiestSeasideTown #OCNJVacation https://t.co/q6JHdaupcv pic.twitter.com/ZlGNCCV9X3  Ocean City, NJ (@OCNJVacation) June 6, 2018

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Hampton/Hampton Beach, New Hampshire

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Traverse City, Michigan

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Cambria, California

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Bellport, New York

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Cape Charles, Virginia

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Cannon Beach, Oregon

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Bluffton, South Carolina

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Vero Beach, Florida

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Anna Maria, Florida

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Chris Franklin can be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfranklinnews. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tipsVictoria Gatopoulos is half Italian. Her great grandparents immigrated from Italy. Her mother grew up in an Italian-American family in Brooklyn.

Though Gatopoulos grew up in East Rutherford, in one of New Jersey's most-Italian areas, the 17 year old said she didn't really feel that connected to her ethnicity.

Her great grandparents and the stories of their home country were gone. Her family no longer spoke Italian. Her heritage was fading.

So, Gatopoulos took three years of Italian in high school. She liked it so much she fought successfully last year to get enough names on a sign-up sheet to convince her school to become one of the few high schools in the state to add a fourth year of the language class for seniors.

"I was like running around the high school saying, 'You should take Italian IV!'," said Gatopoulos, a senior at Becton Regional High School in Bergen County. "It was a little hard to get 10 people ... There's not really as many Italians in the area as there used to be."

Gatopoulos, who plans to attend Georgetown University, is one of seven winners of this year's Garibaldi Award, an honor designed to encourage young New Jerseyans to remember the state's Italian-American roots.

The award, started by a retired Stevens Institute of Technology humanities professor last year, is named after Giuseppe Garibaldi, a popular Italian general and nationalist who helped unite Italy in the 1800s and lived briefly in Staten Island.

Reviving the 'spirit of ethnicity'

Silvio Laccetti, the grandson of Italian immigrants and a professor who taught for 40 years, said he was inspired to start the award by his feeling that the New Jerseyans are losing touch with the Italian-American culture that once permeated the state.

"There are some heavily Italian communities that don't offer Italian language in their schools," Laccetti said. "I thought we should revive the spirit of ethnicity -- of our roots."

The award is given to high school seniors who have "excelled in promoting the Italian-American legacy" and familiarized themselves with the life of Garibaldi. Winners do not need to be of Italian descent.

"You can't just be the top student. You have to have actually done something," Laccetti said.

In addition to a plaque, winners also get a membership to the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, located in a house in Staten Island where Garibaldi once lived now owned by the Sons of Italy Foundation. Though there is no money attached to the award this year, Laccetti said he plans to turn it into a scholarship in the future.

Giuseppe Garibaldi, an Italian general and war hero from the 1800s, who inspired an award for New Jersey high school students. (File photo)

New Jersey's largest ethnicity

New Jersey, one of the most diverse states in the nation, ranks as one of the most Italian.

About 1.4 million New Jerseyans describe themselves as having Italian ancestry, according to the latest U.S. Census estimates. That is 16 percent of the state.

Italian is the largest ethnicity in the New Jersey, followed by Irish, German and Polish, according to the Census survey.

Washington Township in Gloucester County, Middletown, Toms River, Brick and Jackson rank as some of the most Italian municipalities in New Jersey, with more than 30 percent of residents describing themselves as Italian-American, according to the Census figures.

The Laccetti Foundation partnered with high schools in largely-Italian-American towns to look for applicants for its award. The foundation has not released a full list of the names of this year's winners because some of the recipients will not find out they have won until their school's senior awards ceremonies later this month.

Charles Dardis, one of this year's winners, said he had never heard of Garibaldi when his Italian teacher suggested he apply for the award.

The Warren resident researched the Italian war hero, whose long history took him from Europe to New York to South America and back to Italy.

"We're kind of ignorant to other cultures," said Dardis, 18, whose ancestors are from Sicily. "We're not taught about history in other cultures."

Dardis, who is headed to the University of Scranton as a nursing major, was one of two Garibaldi award winners from Watchung Hills Regional High School this year.

Victoria Gatopoulos, a high school senior from East Rutherford, receives the Garibaldi Award for promoting Italian culture from Silvio Laccetti, a retired college professor who founded the honor. (Photo courtesy of Silvio Laccetti)

Back to Italy

Fellow winner Adam Fogarty, a senior at Watchung Hills, is headed to Rutgers University in the fall as a political science major.

Three generations after his Italian great grandparents arrived in the U.S. as immigrants, Fogarty said he wants to take the Italian he learned in school and use it in a career in international law.

"One day, I want to hopefully work in Italy," said Fogarty, 18.

Laccetti, the founder of the award, said he hopes each year's Garibaldi Award winners will take advantage of their membership to the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, learn more about Italian-American history and return to their high schools next year to hand out the award to a new recipient.

"This is kind of like creating a family here. We don't just give an award and walk away," Laccetti said.

Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook.Chinas two-line hybrid wheat, a major domestic scientific and technological achievement, is moving rapidly into massive commercial production, Science and Technology Daily reported on Monday.

Jingmai 9 hybrid wheat

The current supply of hybrid wheat seeds is falling short of demand and the majority of franchisers expect to buy more of the praised hybrid seeds this year, said Wang Xinchao, an agricultural sales manager, on June 8 at a Tianjin demonstration planting base.

Wang said he sold 25,000 kilograms of Jingmai 9 seeds last year. It's estimated that his sales record this year will be eight to 10 times that figure.

Since the 1950s, governments around the world have attached high importance to studies on hybrid wheat, but it had remained a challenging scientific problem until Chinese researchers took the lead and successfully cultivated the two-line hybrid wheat, said experts.

The hybrid wheat has been proven to outperform the common wheat in terms of yield, water use, drought and disease resistance, said Professor Zhao Changping, director of the Beijing Hybrid Wheat Research Center.

The expert added that the hybrid variety can increase production by 20 percent, save between one third and a half of the water used from farming common wheat, and reduce sowing quantity by more than 30 percent.

Now hybrid wheat plantations cover about 133 square kilometers of land across the country, said Chen Zhaobo, general manager of Sinoseeds Hybrid Wheat, the first professional hybrid wheat seed company in China, adding that the area is anticipated to reach 667 square kilometers by 2020.A notorious Newark gang leader who dodged a federal death penalty prosecution prior to trial was sentenced Tuesday to 45 years in prison after eventually admitting his role in an almost decade-long wave of violent crime that included five homicides.

U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, who imposed the sentence Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Newark, in January had ruled Farad Roland, 33, ineligible to face the death penalty because of an intellectual disability.

Just over a month later, however, the onetime leader of the South Side Cartel appeared in front of Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to plead guilty to seven of the 27 charges against him in exchange for the 45-year sentence.

"After seeking the death penalty for Farad Roland, the United States Attorney agreed to a 45 year sentence as appropriate in a case where the defense would have shown the effects of widespread failure to protect children from dysfunction families, and city agencies whose mission is to protect," defense attorney Richard Jasper said in email Wednesday. "This is not an excuse, or justification to commit crimes. These are reasons not to sentence a person to death."

From 2003 to 2011, federal authorities said, members of what became the South Side Cartel were responsible for what prosecutors later called a "reign of terror" that encompassed crimes ranging from carjackings and kidnappings to street killings.

Investigators said the South Side Cartel had its roots in the Carter Boyz, a neighborhood gang in the South Ward that later became part of the 93 Bloods set.

Operating out of buildings in the 500 block of Hawthorne Avenue known as the "Twin Towers," the gang had about 20 members at its peak, many of whom had tattoos of the buildings or the gang's initials, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

By the late 2008, the gang's members had gained a stark notoriety among Essex County law enforcement. Describing for The Star-Ledger how a single group of criminals could drive the city's violence, then Newark Police Deputy Chief Samuel DeMaio pointed to the South Side Cartel as a "perfect example."

Amin Roland (Essex County Correctional Facility)

Amin Roland, Farad Roland's older brother and a co-founder of the gang, has since also wound up in federal prison, where he's serving a 10-year sentence for weapons possession. He's scheduled to be released in 2020, according to the Bureau of Prisons.



Other members of the gang weren't so lucky. In court filings, prosecutors said two of the five people in whose killings Roland was involved associates who ended up on his bad side.

Investigators believe Roland shot and killed Fuquan "Fu" Billings for fear he would cooperate with police and implicate Roland in a Feb. 20, 2005, robbery during which Newark resident Jamar Stewart was fatally shot.

An indictment obtained by prosecutors said Roland later fatally shot Abdul "Dubird" Billups after South Side Cartel members came to believe Billups had been involved in the killing of a fellow member of the gang.

The final two victims, Kasan Prince and Maurice Silas, were shot dead in front of Oasis Liquor & Bar on Lyons Avenue on March 27, 2008 in what prosecutors said was an attempt at retaliation for Roland's shooting by rival Bloods gang members, who often congregated at the bar.

At least one of Roland's accomplices in those killings, a 15-year-old boy was himself gunned down in an apparent retaliatory shooting, according to court filings. Prosecutors said many other South Side Cartel members have since been slain in various gang-related killings.

Roland was first charged in the killings in December 2013 under a 24-count indictment, which also levied criminal charges against gang members Mark Williams and Malik Lowery. Lowery was sentenced in August to more than 26 years in prison after pleading guilty to racketeering, conspiracy, carjacking and other charges.

Records show Williams, who took a similar plea deal in 2016, is scheduled to be sentenced in September.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said Roland, Lowery and Williams were the South Side Cartel's last remaining active members.

Roland's case had been only the second federal death penalty prosecution ever pursued in New Jersey, a choice that required then U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman to obtain authorization from the Justice Department.

The last capital case in the District of New Jersey, the prosecution of a drug dealer who ordered the killing of an FBI informant, ended with a sentence of life in prison after the jury could not agree on whether the man deserved to die.

In his comments to NJ Advance Media, Roland's attorney argued a possible death sentence is no deterrent to would-be gang members.

"The death penalty does not stop crime, or gang membership," Jasper said Wednesday. "Address the social conditions that cause young people to join gangs in the first place. This is the only rational answer."

In addition to the prison term, Salas sentenced Roland to five years of supervised release.

NOTE: This story has been updated with comments from Roland's defense attorney.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty.

Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips.JERSEY CITY -- The attorney representing a man accused of sexually assaulting an 80-year-old hospital patient has asked a judge to consider releasing him on home detention.

But the judge listening to arguments for Jackie Burgess' pretrial release on Wednesday morning adjourned his detention hearing because the 45-year-old man is homeless and his attorney could not immediately provide an address as to where he would stay.

Burgess is accused of breaking into the woman's room at Jersey City Medical Center on June 6 and sexually assaulting her. He's also been charged with unlawfully entering another patient's bathroom and committing a lewd act while waiting in a holding cell.

Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Karen Kazanchy told Superior Court Judge Paul DePascale the charges have a presumption of detention and argued the severity of the charges posed a risk Burgess would not show for his hearings.

Also, there are witnesses in the case who would testify Burgess committed the sexual assault, she said.

"If the witnesses were called to testify they would in fact testify that Mr. Burgess was not licensed or privileged to enter the Jersey City Medical Center, specifically the hospital as a whole and the room of the victim and in the course of committing that burglary he did in fact inflict or attempt to inflict bodily injury upon the victim," Kazanchy said.

Defense attorney Lynda Benzenhoefer said Burgess has been living in a homeless shelter and his prior felony convictions are more than a decade old. She requested he be placed on the highest level of home monitoring.

When she could not immediately provide the address or information about a relative Burgess could stay with, DePascale postponed the hearing until Monday where he will consider the defense's arguments.

Officials have not said how Burgess gained entrance to the hospital rooms. A spokeswoman for Jersey City Medical Center would not comment directly on incident, saying it was under investigation by police.

Asked about what security measures are in place at the hospital, the spokeswoman released the following statement:

"Jersey City Medical Center employs a multi-level approach to safety and security, that includes highly trained personnel, cameras throughout the facility, call buttons in all patient rooms and security desks," she said. "Our staff participates in ongoing training drills to reinforce best practices and ensure the safety of our patients, our visitors, our employees and our physicians."

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.JERSEY CITY  Critics are attacking Mayor Steve Fulop for his decision to yank newspaper boxes from the sidewalks of Jersey City.

John Tarleton, editor-in-chief of the monthly, Brooklyn-based newspaper The Indypendent, declared the action an attack on the free press and an "injustice" to readers and publishers.

"If Donald Trump arbitrarily ordered the removal of hundreds of news boxes from the streets of an American city, there would be a huge outcry," Tarleton told The Jersey Journal. "If Steven Fulop does this in Jersey City we should be just as outraged."

Fulop announced the move via Twitter in May, posting a picture of dozens of news boxes that held copies of Spanish-language El Especialito, amNewYork and others and saying "many of them aren't used but they end up being trash receptacles." He posted another picture of them on June 4, saying they "clutter the sidewalks."

"If you rely on this for distribution + have the necessary approvals we will return it to the location," the mayor wrote. "Just call DPW."

The Indypendent only had one box in Jersey City, placed at Five Corners. Tarleton said the newspaper's staff reached out to the city but heard "a lot of buck passing."

Some of the publications Fulop targeted serve working-class, immigrant populations, often in their own language, Tarleton said.

The U.S. Supreme Court has sided with newspaper publishers over cities that try to heavily regulate or ban newspaper boxes.

In 1984, the Ohio city of Lakewood passed ordinances giving its mayor the authority to grant or deny applications for newsrack permits, a law found unconstitutional by a federal appellate court and upheld by the nation's highest court. In 1994, the court sided with Discovery Network over Cincinnati after the city removed newsrack permits from publications it called "commercial handbills." The Supreme Court said the city's move "seriously underestimates the value of commercial speech."

City spokeswoman Hannah Peterson said the mayor's office was not aware of Tarleton's request to have the box returned. Peterson said there is no permitting process for such boxes  Fulop said on Twitter there is  but that an ordinance regulating them would go before the City Council soon.

"We felt that some were a security risk and some were abandoned," she said. "If someone wants to pick up their boxes, they can of course. However, we ask that they wait to return them to the street until there is some clear permits and standards for the boxes."

Fulop critic Councilman Michael Yun called the mayor's action "overkill, erratic and unnecessary." Yun compared this episode to Fulop's decision to move the Katyn monument from Exchange Place and his March executive order banning all home demolitions.

"It's as if every time the city develops a hangnail, his response is to amputate an arm," Yun said in an email.

Tarleton is planning a rally outside City Hall on Wednesday at 4:45 p.m. to protest Fulop's action.

"We will continue pressing our demands until they are met," he said. "And regardless of whatever the mayor and council decide to do, he never should have indiscriminately removed all boxes before having a new set of regulations in place. He put the cart before the horse."

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.Hudson County local graduates from military training

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class William S. Gebhardt graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas. The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

Airmen who complete basic training also earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force. Gebhardt is the son of Gail M. and Joseph Gebhardt of Bayonne, brother of Joseph R. Gebhardt of Bayonne, nephew of Kim and Thomas Gebhardt of Jersey City, and brother-in-law of Karina Gebhardt of Bayonne. He is a 2013 graduate of Anclote High School, Holiday, Fla. He earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 from New Jersey City University.

Jersey City resident acknowledged at St Mary College

Mount Saint Mary College seniors were recently recognized for their dedication to academics and the campus community. More than two dozen deserving senior students received awards earlier this month. Among them was Angelique Suarez of Jersey City, who was the recipient of the Thomas J. Conlon Memorial Award.

Kearny local makes president's list

Kearny resident Kyla Rose Gualtieri has been named to the president's list at James Madison University for the spring 2018 semester. Students who earn president's list honors must carry at least 12 graded credit hours and earn a GPA of 3.900 or above. Gualtieri is majoring in Comm Sciences & Disorders.

Hudson County residents graduate, receive degrees

Ryan Lillis of Jersey City received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemisty from Marist College the weekend of May 18. Located on the banks of the historic Hudson River and at its Florence, Italy campus, Marist College is an independent institution grounded in the liberal arts.

Peta-Gaye Ricketts, of Jersey City, received a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from American International College in Springfield, MA. AIC awarded 600 undergraduate and graduate degrees to students representing 14 states and six countries the 2018 Commencement ceremony this May.

Louis Peter Soscia, of Bayonne, received a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from the College of the Holy Cross at its 172nd commencement on May 25. A total of 739 students received degrees this year at Holy Cross.

The following students graduated from the University of New Hampshire in May 2018: Alexandria Hidrovo of Harrison - BSENVE in EnvEngr: MunicipalProc Cum Laude, Christian Rodriguez of North Bergen - BSENVE in EnvEngr:MunicipalProc, and Tatiana Hernandez of Guttenberg - BA in Sociology.

On June 2, Shamiyah Williams of Jersey City graduated as part of the Class of 2018 at Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School in Waltham, MA.

Ketrah Mugambe of Jersey City earned a BA degree in Neuroscience & Behavior and Psychology from Wesleyan University at the Commencement ceremony on May 27.

The following members of Colgate University's Class of 2018 received their diplomas on May 20 at the University's 197th Commencement.: Noah Epstein of Hoboken majored in History and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Mark Ma of Harrison majored in Computer Science and Asian Studies and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Fundraiser supports diabetes programs

Over 300 attendees raised an event record $206,000 to support ongoing programs and provide direct assistance to individuals living with diabetes at the "Visions of Hope" gala hosted by the Diabetes Foundation Inc. (DFI) on May 8 at The Venetian in Garfield.

Honored as Physicians of the Year were Joseph Giangola, M.D., medical director of the Diabetes Team at Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack University Medical Center; and Steven N. Ghanny, M.D., pediatric endocrinologist at the Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital at Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack University Medical Center.JERSEY CITY -- Two students were arrested following a fire inside a bathroom at Ferris High School Monday morning, officials said.

Students were forced out of the building on Colgate Street for more than an hour while fire officials extinguished and investigated the fire, city spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said.

The fire was reported about 10 a.m. in a bathroom trash can. It was quickly extinguished, Wallace-Scalcione said, but there was "moderate damage" to the bathroom area, including water damage.

Two juvenile students from the school were arrested "in connection with starting the fire," but information about charges brought against them was not immediately available.

A spokeswoman for the school district did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on the incident.

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.JERSEY CITY  The nine-member school board voted Monday to move its employees to a new health care plan that district officials say will save $15 million, angering teachers who say they worry about abrupt changes to their medical coverage.

The action, which occurred during the board's Monday caucus in a conference room at the district's central headquarters, led to an angry outburst by Ron Greco, president of local teachers union the Jersey City Education Association. Greco was trying to speak to board members from his seat in the audience when Board of Education President Sudhan Thomas tapped his gavel to signal Greco was out of order.

"You want to bang stuff? I'll bang stuff," Greco said as he started striking and kicking nearby chairs and tables.

Thomas started addressing him and Greco yelled, "You're a liar. You're a liar."

Union and district officials tried to calm Greco down. As Greco prepared to leave the room, he said, "I apologize. I apologize," adding again with a shout, "You're a liar."

"Thank you very much," Thomas responded.

The caucus resumed almost immediately, with board members acting as if a union official hadn't just exploded in rage.

"What are the teachers scheduled to do on Friday, I know students don't have school," board member Amy DeGise asked Schools Superintendent Marcia V. Lyles.

"The teachers are off," Lyles said.

"Oh the teachers are off as well, OK," DeGise said.

Greco later addressed the board and apologized.

The health care switch came over the objections of Greco and some members of the board who said it was happening too quickly for employees to be confident that they wouldn't see abrupt changes in their health benefits.

Board members in favor of the switch, which moves district employees from the State Health Benefits Plan and into a Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield self-insurance plan, said workers will see no change in benefits other than an increase in co-pays from $10 to $15. These board members also warned that rising premiums in the State Health Benefits Plan could lead to as many as 300 layoffs if no change is made.

The board voted 5-4 to approve the plan, which takes effect July 1. Thomas, Vice President Lorenzo Richardson, Mussab Ali, Marilyn Roman and Angel Valentin voted in favor. Amy DeGise, Luis Fernandez, Vidya Gangadin and Matt Schapiro voted against.

"I've spent countless hours prior to make sure that we did right by the employees," Richardson said. "We've done our due diligence in getting a plan in place."

Schapiro sided with teachers, saying he does not have enough information to support changing health plans now.

"Even the board's questions are still not answered," he said.

District and board officials and the district's teachers have been at odds for months, initially over the terms of a new contract that was ratified in April, giving teachers raises and some relief from rising health care costs. When the district first proposed a switch in health care carriers, teachers cried foul, saying district officials should have broached the subject during the months of contract negotiations instead of waiting until the contract was finalized.

Greco told The Jersey Journal the union's objections to the plan stem from a lack of communication from the district, which did not provide any written details about it until delivering union officials a 100-page document on Friday.

"It sounds great, it could be the greatest thing in the world," he said. "It's a trust issue with this administration. We can't go on their word."

About two hours before his outburst at Monday's caucus, Greco addressed the board more calmly. He called himself "exhausted" after attending the 18 meetings the board has held in the last three months.

"I don't have the energy to yell, to put on my theatrical show," he said.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.JERSEY CITY -- Three of the four Jersey City men charged with gunning down the son of a Hudson County corrections officer were sentenced on Friday for the 2016 Jersey City homicide.

Hatim Bryant, 21, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the aggravated manslaughter of 19-year-old Javonte Galbreath, who was shot on Winfield and Ocean avenues on Nov. 12, 2016.

Hudson County Superior Court Judge Nesle Rodriguez sentenced Jonathan Mallard, 20, to 13 years for the aggravated manslaughter; and 25-year-old Eric N. Chapman to five years for conspiracy to commit murder.

Raekwon Small, 21, of Skyline Drive, was sentenced in November 2017 to 13 years in prison for the aggravated manslaughter. He pleaded guilty on May 5, 2017. Bryant, Mallard and Chapman pleaded guilty in August.

A Winfield Avenue woman told The Jersey Journal at the time that she heard gunshots and then what sounded like someone returning fire before three young men ran past her, heading toward Garfield Avenue.

She said Galbreath, the son of Hudson County Corrections Officer Harriet Wilson, "didn't even know he was hit. He was walking back toward Ocean and he fell. One of his friends put pressure on the wound on his back."

"About eight or 10 minutes later police arrived and they moved everybody back and started CPR," she said.JERSEY CITY -- A 69-year-old registered sex offender has been charged with fondling a 35-year-old woman after apparently giving her a glass of lemonade spiked with drugs, officials said.

The woman told police that she became "disoriented and dazed" after Fredy N. Valcarcel, of 56th Street in West New York, gave her the glass of lemonade on May 21, the criminal complaint says.

She said he then put his hands down her shirt and forcibly kissed her on the neck and lips before she could push him away and lock herself in the bathroom. She told police she woke up two hours later, the complaint says.

The complaint says Valcarcel and the woman were acquaintances and that drugs were involved. According to the Florida sex offender database, Valcarcel was convicted in Florida of sexual battery in 2011 and is currently serving a court-ordered term of community monitoring by the Department of Corrections and/or the Florida Parole Commission.

Valcarcel made his first court appearance on the charge of aggravated criminal sexual contact on Thursday in Criminal Justice Reform Court in Jersey City via video link from Hudson County jail in Kearny.

At the hearing, the state moved to detain him through the course of his prosecution. A court official said there is a warrant for Valcarcel's arrest out of Hudson County Superior Court for a violation of probation.SECAUCUS -- A wild scene played out in the Meadowlands Saturday night when a man stole a cab, crashed the vehicle on train tracks, and was later found walking up the NJ Turnpike in efforts to flee police, authorities said.

Milton Lanza, of the Bronx, is facing charges of burglary, theft, criminal mischief, trespassing and resisting arrest.

At about 7:30 p.m., a cab driver said Lanza approached his car on Meadowlands Parkway asking for money. The driver thought Lanza was attempting to rob him, so he got out of his car, Secaucus Police Capt. Dennis Miller said.

Lanza allegedly jumped into the car and tried fleeing from the area, but only made it to the adjacent parking lot before he crashed into a fence and the vehicle became disabled on the railroad tracks, Miller said.

The 41-year-old then fled through the Meadowlands on foot until he reached the NJ Turnpike and was found walking on the busy highway by a K9 unit from the Hudson County Sheriff's Department, officials said.

Miller credited the NJ Transit Police Department, the Sheriff's Department and New Jersey State Police -- which had a helicopter overhead searching for Lanza -- with helping bringing Lanza into custody.

NJ Transit police had issued Lanza a ticket at the Secaucus train station for jumping the turnstile less than an hour before he stole the cab, Miller said.

Lanza was expected to make his first court appearance yesterday afternoon.

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota.A man walked into a Jersey City hospital after being shot early Saturday morning, officials said.

The incident occurred near New Street and Ocean Avenue at about 1:30 a.m., city spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said.

Police were called to the neighborhood on reports of shots fired. While they were investigating, officers were notified a 36-year-old man had arrived at Jersey City Medical Center with a gunshot wound to his left arm, she said.

His injuries are not considered life-threatening and no arrests were reported in connection with the shooting.June 7 and 8 were big days for many Chinese families. Chen Jingjings parents were no exception, even though they currently work in Brazil. Like many overseas Chinese students, Chen was sent to Qingtian High School to sit the annual college entrance exam, or Gaokao as it's known in Chinese.

Students at Qingtian High School prepare for the Gaokao. Photo from Qingtian High School

Qingtian High School in Zhejiang province, a well-known hometown of overseas Chinese, saw 112 children from overseas Chinese families take the Gaokao this year, up by one third when compared with 2016.

According to the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Guangdong province, nearly 800 children from overseas Chinese and returning overseas Chinese families sat the exam over 2016 and 2017, the number reaching 522 in 2018.

Huaqiao University in Guangdong, a state-run Chinese university for overseas Chinese students, already had 1,178 full-time overseas Chinese students enrolled in undergraduate programs by June of this year.

Lin Yingcai is a junior at Jinan University, a famous college in China. Lin says that he was born in an overseas Chinese family and has been surrounded by Chinese culture and language since childhood. He was told to never forget his roots in China, and it's clear he hasn't.

In recent years, second and third generations of overseas Chinese have shown their own initiative in returning to China, according to Zhang Jie, a Chinese teacher sent abroad by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council of China.

Zhang noted that with the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative, China has greatly enhanced its overseas image. Overseas Chinese now believe that China is full of opportunity, and many hope to study and seek future development in China.

Feng Ronghui, another overseas Chinese student studying at Jinan University, says that Chinas assortment of rich educational resources is one of the important reasons that he has returned to China for higher education.

While many overseas Chinese hope to send their children back to China for higher education, they are faced with difficulties including choosing a school, proficiency in Chinese language and different textbook content.

To solve these problems, Huaqiao University and Jinan University have been working together to hold a joint college entrance examination for overseas Chinese, formulating targeted content for the exam according to overseas educational systems.

Hong Xuehui, director of the admissions office of Huaqiao University, told Peoples Daily Overseas Edition that the joint entrance examination has proven effective over the last 30 years, and that they prepare undergraduate courses for students according to their entrance exam scores.

With the deepening educational system reform, Chinas universities have been developing continuously towards an international level and have gradually gained worldwide recognition, says Hong.

There will be more opportunity and a better environment for overseas Chinese students," says Hong, who estimated that the number of overseas Chinese students in Malaysia admitted to Huaqiao University this year will increase by about three times that of 2017.The family of a school bus driver killed in a fiery head-on crash in Middletown in 2016 settled their negligence lawsuit for $1.55 million.

Lorraine Filozof, 62, of Woodbridge, was operating a 10-passenger bus when it was struck head-on by an SUV whose driver lost control while speeding around a curve on Phalanx Road in Middletown. The SUV struck the bus between the left front wheel and the driver's side door.

Driver of school bus involved in crash in #ColtsNeck has died according to @MonCoProsecutor head on collision, no kids on board @FiOS1NewsNJ pic.twitter.com/NyQmBslgeV  Natalie Paterson (@IamNPaterson) November 16, 2016

News of the settlement was first reported by the New Jersey Law Journal. The Middletown attorney for Filozof's estate, Michael J. Hanus, confirmed the settlement to NJ Advance Media.

The bus aide and a witness pulled Filozof from the bus as it caught fire following the collision. Filozof was conscious and in severe pain before she died, the suit alleged.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office declined to charge the SUV driver, who was injured in the Nov. 14, 2016 crash. A 61-year-old school bus aide and a student aboard the bus also were injured.

The bus was owned by R. Helfrich & Son of Hazlet.

The suit, filed in Middlesex County, was settled April 26. Filozof's estate was paid June 4. Of the $1.55 million, $1.25 million will be covered from policies issued to the SUV driver by the American Automobile Association. The estate also received $250,000 from a separate auto policy issued to the driver by American Bankers Insurance Co. of Florida. The final $50,000 came from a USAA policy issued to the driver's daughter, the owner of the Durango.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.LaShanda Anderson was trying to run down a cop with her SUV when the officer fired three rounds into the vehicle, killing her, authorities said.

Anderson's friends and neighbors in Philadelphia aren't buying that story, though.

They say she had turned her life around recently and was a great mother to her three kids.

LaShanda Anderson, 36, of Philadelphia, was shot to death after she allegedly tried to run down a police officer with her vehicle. (Facebook)

Anderson and two others allegedly shoplifted more than $3,400 in merchandise from a Marshalls store in Deptford Township on Saturday afternoon. As they tried to leave, loss prevention officers intervened.

While Raoul Gadson, 43, of Philadelphia, allegedly fought with a store employee, Anderson and Chanel Barnes, 38, ran for their vehicle.

As they tore out of the parking lot, with Anderson at the wheel, her open door struck one responding Deptford police officer and she headed straight for another, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office. The 17-year police veteran fired on the vehicle, hitting the driver twice.

Those who knew Anderson told NJ Advance Media the law enforcement narrative didn't sound like something she would do, and that they didn't know why she would have been shoplifting.

"She was a beautiful person," said Juanita Tucker, a 62-year-old neighbor.

Tucker said she had watched Anderson grow up on the same block in northwest Philadelphia with her daughter and another close friend.

Anderson has an extensive criminal record going back decades and was sought by Delaware police last year for a series of shoplifting incidents at Marshalls stores in that state.

While Tucker knew about Anderson's past criminal history, she denied it had anything to do with Saturday's incident.

"She had changed. She's turned her whole life around," Tucker said. "I want to know: Why did it happen?"

Tucker said she had not heard of or met Gadson or Barnes.

Others gathered Monday at the home where Anderson lived in Philadelphia expressed outrage at the shooting. They strung balloons to the porch and brought food, sitting in the sun to comfort one another.

"Since when do you get gunned down for shoplifting?" said a woman who did not give her name.

Another woman, who said she was one of Anderson's life-long close friends, described the deceased as a wonderful, caring person who took care of three daughters as well as nieces and nephews, or the children of neighbors when they needed help.

Anderson had organized a community toy drive to benefit a local day care, the woman said.

In addition to her daughters, friends said Anderson left behind a large family with several brothers and sisters.

Barnes was arrested at the scene of Saturday's incident and charged with shoplifting. Gadson remains at large.

A dispatcher told responding officers that one of the shoplifting suspects was wanted in connection with an earlier homicide, but details have not been released.

The prosecutor's office is investigating the shooting per Attorney General's Office guidelines.

While Deptford police don't have body cameras or cameras in their patrol cars, investigators are hoping exterior security cameras in the area may have captured the incident.

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tipsBy Ryan P. Haygood

Sixty-four years after the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education, I stood with a team of advocates to announce the filing of a historic case to finally address the unfinished business of Brown right here in New Jersey.

I serve on the board of the New Jersey Coalition for Diverse and Inclusive Schools, which coordinated the filing of this lawsuit.

The case, Latino Action Network v. State of New Jersey, was filed because New Jersey's public schools are as segregated by race, ethnicity, and poverty today as they were in 1954.

Indeed, New Jersey's racial diversity and racial isolation, in combination with its extreme wealth and punishing poverty, has created in New Jersey's public school classrooms some of the fiercest segregation in the country.

As the complaint in this case explains, New Jersey has been complicit in the creation and persistence of school segregation because it requires that students attend public schools in the municipalities where they live. New Jersey currently operates one of the most segregated public school systems in the nation--a school system that knowingly separates black and Latino children by race and ethnicity and segregates white students in predominantly white districts.

Of the approximately 585,000 black and Latino public school students in New Jersey, 63 percent of them attend schools that are more than 75 percent non-white.

Nearly half of all black and Latino public school students attend schools that are more than 90 percent non-white.

Importantly, school segregation is also harmful to New Jersey's white students, more than 40 percent of whom attend schools that are at least 75 percent white, which is why the plaintiffs in this case represent black, white, Latino, and multi-racial families.

Segregation deprives New Jersey's white students of the opportunity to learn from and alongside black and Latino children in an integrated classroom, which has been shown to provide all children with the best public education because the top students of all races and ethnicities compete with and learn from one another. This segregation stymies their development as Americans as part of a broader, racially diverse state and nation.

And this racial segregation in our schools exacerbates economic inequalities.

The median net worth for New Jersey's white families is $271,402 -- the highest in America.

The median net worth for New Jersey's Latino and black families is just $7,020 and $5,900, respectively, together totaling less than 5 percent of the net worth of white families in the state.

Integrating our schools would, thus help eliminate the entrenched housing segregation by race, ethnicity, and income that has become a hallmark of our state.

This reality of our segregated school system is confirmed by my wife's experience as an educator in the Newark Public School system for more than 20 years. In that time, in more than two decades at three different schools, my wife has never had a white student.

And though my wife and her superb colleagues have empowered their young scholars to overcome the odds with a top-flight education that has produced stunning results, they have done so in spite of staggering structural racism, hyper-segregation, and concentrated poverty.

This is not the promise that was envisioned by Brown.

And it is because of this unacceptable reality that New Jersey needs this lawsuit. No amount of good will, well wishes, or optimism will accomplish the systemic relief and fundamental transformation that is required without this lawsuit.

The task before us will require all of us -- the community, the courts, the legislature, and the governor -- to enact courageous policies and build a system that finally brings racial integration to New Jersey's public classrooms.

School integration is possible, necessary, and long overdue.

Sixty-four years after Brown, we have important promises to keep and still others to make to New Jersey's students. This case is about finally making good on our promises.

Ryan P. Haygood is president and CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.A sociology professor at William Paterson University is under fire for comments he apparently made about the Holocaust, the moon landing, Native Americans and slavery during a spring course.

was recorded by freshman student Benny Koval, 18, of Fair Lawn, giving lectures during the spring semester that Koval later posted on

. The controversy was first reported by

.

In them, he denies the moon landing took place, says he was a former U.S. spy while working on campus and argues that the Irish were the first slaves in the United States, among other things, as reported by northjersey.com.

Magarelli also told students that the Gestapo were not a terrorist force for most of its existence. His claims on these subjects mirror those made by a few others, and have been repeatedly debunked by historians and experts.

Koval did not file a formal complaint with the university because, she said in a letter posted to Twitter, that the complaint paperwork would require her to agree to a "quasi-gag order."

The university is reviewing the matter, Mary Beth Zeman, spokesperson for William Paterson, said Tuesday.

"Our commitment to academic excellence is addressed in one of the University's five core values: 'As individuals and as an institution, we seek to model and to impart to our students the highest standards of knowledge, inquiry, preparation, academic freedom and integrity, as well as an expanded sense of what an individual can accomplish,'" she said in an emailed statement.

Magarelli was under investigation by the university in February 1994, according to an article in The Beacon, the William Paterson University student newspaper, shared on Koval's Twitter page, after a student complained and dropped Magarelli's class because he felt belittled by statements the professor made.

Koval has also been known to be outspoken. Last year she shared on social media a statement made by school administrators who publicly shamed students who owed money.

She also was reprimanded by school administrators two years ago for a pro-Palestine Tweet that was deemed as bullying.

Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AllisonPries. Find NJ.com on Facebook.New Jersey hospital CEOs just received a worrisome statement from state Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal alerting them that money they count on to pay the tab for uninsured patients and educating new doctors will be late, NJ Advance Media has learned.

On Tuesday, Elnahal told hospital executives in a conference call not to expect their mid-June payments from the charity care fund, which are shared among all 70 acute care hospitals in New Jersey based on how much care they provide to uninsured, low-income patients.

And the 43 hospitals won't receive their monthly share of the graduate medical education fund to support teaching programs, either, Elnahal said.

Gov. Phil Murphy recently announced he was freezing spending in the current state budget or face ending the fiscal year in the red.

Elnahal blamed former Gov. Chris Christie's administration, which cut taxes, with "creating a structural imbalance" that has starved the part of the budget not paid for by income taxes, which can only be used for property tax relief.

The charity care fund contains $252 million, the same amount proposed in the budget year that begins July 1.

"The Treasurer and the Office of Management and Budget have informed the Department of Health the state will have to delay charity care and GME (graduate medical education) payments normally scheduled for distribution in mid-June," Elnahal said.

"It is our hope to make these payments in a timely manner. But the timing of distribution will dependent on the ongoing budget process," he said. "This is not the news the department wants to deliver, but we have no choice at this time."

He did not take questions.

Gary S. Horan, President and CEO of Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth, called the delay "especially worrisome...as these dollars are literally our lifeblood."

The delay means Trinitas won't receive this month $2.5 million in charity care reimbursements and $250,000 to teach future doctors, Horan said.

"As one of the state's largest recipients of charity care (funding), we serve one of the most vulnerable populations in the state," Horan said.

Rick Remington, a spokesman for University Hospital in Newark, the largest charity care provider in the state, said hospital officials "are monitoring the situation closely, as the result could impact the hospital, our patients, and the Newark community we serve."

Unspoken in Elnahal's statement is the fact that Murphy and the fellow Democrats who control both houses of the New Jersey Legislature, are having a tough time agreeing on next year's budget.

Murphy released a budget in March that calls for more than $1.5 billion in tax hikes to help pay for more funding for education, transportation, and more. The proposal includes raising taxes on millionaires, and spends money on making community college tuition-free.

But leaders of the Democrat-controlled state Legislature have pushed back against the new Democratic governor's proposals, saying they come at a bad time for an already overtaxed population.

The Democrats' counter-proposal includes a 3 percentage point increase in the Corporation Business Tax and a tax amnesty program to bring in cash from delinquent taxpayers.

Cathy Bennett, president and CEO for the New Jersey Hospital Association, a lobbying group, said in a statement she was "of course concerned and disappointed by Commissioner Elnahal's decision to delay charity care and graduate medical education payments."

"Our members depend on charity care funding, which only covers an average of 42 percent of the cost of care, to maintain their ability to stabilize and treat all who walk through their doors," according to Bennett's statement.

The graduate medical education fund is also critical, Bennett said.

"New Jersey's hospitals and residents also depend on graduate medical education funding to train the next generation of providers and mitigate the impending physician shortage. At a time when we are working to strengthen New Jersey's position as a leader in equitable care, this seems like a step backwards," she said.

Suzanne Ianni, president and CEO of the Hospital Alliance of New Jersey, which represents 16 urban hospitals, said the delay may jeopardize federal matching funds if it extends passed June 30, under Medicaid rules.

"A delay in making these vital payments could cause our state to lose over $23 million in federal healthcare dollars," Ianni said. "We hope that Trenton policymakers will be able to arrive at a resolution quickly."

State Treasury spokeswoman Jennifer Sciortino disagreed with Ianni's statement. "The timing of the payment is not expected to affect the federal claim," she said.

The decision to delay payments is likely to be seen as a hardball tactic against state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, and state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex.

Increasing the sales tax or the Corporate Business Tax would provide more money to the depleted pot of cash used for things like hospital charity care.

Last month, New Direction New Jersey, a group aligned with Murphy announced it would be sponsoring ads this month promoting the governor's agenda. The lawmakers said they saw the ads as a way to negotiate the budget through television spots.

A spokesman for Sweeney declined to comment.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Samantha Marcus contributed to this report.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.New Jersey's attorney general on Tuesday sent warning letters to manufacturers of unregistered "ghost guns" as state lawmakers pursue a formal ban on the sale of firearm parts used to make untraceable homemade guns.

"These weapons are illegal in our state," Attorney General Gurbir Grewal wrote in the letter. "Your actions violate the laws of New Jersey and, if you do not stop these activities within 15 days, I will bring legal action against your company."

The letter targeted companies advertising online for the sale of "unregistered and unserialized firearms -- including assault weapons -- constructed, at least in part, by the purchaser."

It is unclear which companies were sent the warning. Grewal's office declined to disclose the names of the letter's recipients and would not say how many letters were sent.

"We are not releasing any additional information at this time, as we hope these companies will comply with our cease and desist letter," said Lee Moore, a spokesman for the attorney general. "Should they fail to do so, we will be initiating public legal action against them."

Supporters of the state crackdown say people who would otherwise be prohibited from legally buying a gun can purchase parts one piece at time and assemble them using kits that can be ordered online.

The letters were sent a day before Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat and vocal gun control advocate who appointed Grewal as the state's top law enforcement official, is expected to sign a package of gun control measures into law.

In a statement Tuesday, Murphy praised the move and called on federal lawmakers to step in as well.

"Time and again, Congress has failed to deliver real gun safety legislation for the people of this country," the governor said. "New Jersey refuses to stand idly by and will take aggressive actions on its own.

Another bill still awaiting legislative approval would criminalize the ownership of any gun that doesn't have a serial number. The "ghost gun" measure (S2465) was passed with support from Republicans and Democrats in the state Senate and awaits a vote in the Assembly.

The attorney general's spokesman said while that measure could provide "an additional tool" to crack down on unregistered firearms his office is "able to pursue ghost gun retailers under the state's existing ban on assault firearms, given that the law prohibits the sale of component parts of an assault firearm and other assault firearm assembly kits."

Grewal's letter claims the advertisement of certain kits or component parts that could be used to create "assault weapons" violates the state's current gun laws as well as the state Consumer Fraud Act.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.A framework for a possible legislative counterproposal to Gov. Phil Murphy's state budget obtained by NJ Advance Media shows just how far apart New Jersey's top elected officials are with just 19 days to the deadline for a spending plan.

The one-page outline includes more than $1.6 billion in tax hikes on corporations, revenue from a tax amnesty program, plus hundreds of millions of dollars in spending cuts and projected savings the lawmakers may want in place of Murphy's proposed new tax on millionaires and his proposed bump in the sales tax.

Leaders of the Democrat-controlled state Legislature have pushed back against the new Democratic governor's tax hike plans, saying they come at a bad time for an already overtaxed population.

It's unclear if the document represents an opening volley or a final offer, or even if it represents the unanimous voice of the state Senate and state Assembly Democrats.

Neither state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, nor Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, made claim to the proposal on Monday.

"I don't know what the document is. I can't comment on it. I don't know how accurate it is," Sweeney said.

"Until a final budget is introduced, anything else floating out in the ether is just idle speculation," Coughlin said. "I expect that there will be many proposals and changes to those proposals as we go through this process in the coming days."

But in addition to providing new, detailed insight into how Democrats might counter Murphy, the document -- obtained by NJ Advance Media on Sunday -- reflects what Democratic leaders have expressed publicly, including their disinterest in funding free community college and their preference for a corporation business tax.

Murphy in March introduced his $37.4 billion spending plan that relied on those new taxes to boost spending for schools, NJ Transit, government worker pensions and other progressive promises.

Now that it's in the Legislature's hands, lawmakers can either negotiate a budget deal with Murphy, a process that is already underway in Trenton, or introduce their own spending blueprint. But that would leave Murphy the option to veto the budget in part or in full.

This outline lays out significant alterations Democrats would like to make to Murphy's budget proposal, both in spending and revenues.

In it, lawmakers ask for more than $350 million in new spending, including $143 million to restore the Homestead property tax credits that Murphy underfunded, and they want $150 million to revive some $123 million in Democratic legislative spending priorities Murphy killed out his budget, plus some new items.

Finally, they want nearly $61.6 million more for school funding.

On the other side of the ledger, the proposal includes offerings from both Senate and Assembly leadership, including Sweeney's call for a 3 percentage point increase in the Corporation Business Tax and Coughlin's suggested tax amnesty program to bring in cash from delinquent taxpayers.

Sweeney first raised the Corporation Business Tax surcharge as an alternative to Murphy's tax proposals in March, saying corporations fared better under federal tax reforms than did wealthy individuals.

Corporations were the big winners in that GOP-backed tax reform, which cut the federal tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent.

Sweeney has estimated the increase in the tax rate from 9 percent to 12 percent on the 2,375 New Jersey corporations with more than $1 million in income would raise roughly $700 million a year.

The surcharge would expire after two years, whereas Murphy's tax proposals had no sunset.

"This is a temporary move, and that concerns me because we are funding long term," Murphy said Friday.

Where Sweeney has challenged Murphy on raising the millionaires tax, which he warned could drive away the state's mobile and well-to-do, Murphy questioned whether the same might be true of the corporate tax hike.

"If someone employs a thousand, two thousand people, that impacts a huge number of people's lives," Murphy said Friday. "That's homes that won't get bought. Restaurants that won't get the business. That's a tax we've got to be very careful with."

The budget alternative also estimates $150 million from a tax amnesty program that gives taxpayers with past-due bills a chance to settle-up with New Jersey.

This is just one of several types of income called "one shots," which means they can't be counted on for more than one fiscal year.

The Wall Street agencies that rate New Jersey's creditworthiness criticized former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, for patching his budgets with these one-time revenues, such as proceeds from court settlements and property sales. Murphy's administration, too, has criticized those past moves, saying more sustainable funding streams are needed.

Under the proposal, the state would recover $100 million through an audit of the prescription drug plan for public workers and $50 million from an audit of Medicare payments.

Asked about the proposal on Monday, a Murphy spokesman, Dan Bryan, blasted a budget plan relying on one shot revenues.

"Governor Murphy has been clear about the need for responsible, sustainable revenue sources in the FY19 budget," Bryan said.

"Trenton must finally end the days of one-shots and revenue gimmicks and commit itself to an honest budget that meets its obligations, is taken seriously by ratings agencies, and makes a historic investment in the middle class. New Jersey cannot afford to kick the can down the road any further," he continued.

The proposal also projects $75 million in savings from reducing the Medicaid reimbursement for emergency room visits to $140, and anticipates the state won't need to make a debt service payment on the $300 million it financed for a massive Statehouse renovation that it plans to refinance this year.

Taking a page from Christie, their plan also assumes $43 million through savings lawmakers hope to find in employee health care.

Lawmakers also want to reduce the appropriation for long-term support services that help elderly and disabled residents stay in their homes, assuming the state has overestimated the cost for this program, according to the document.

They would also shift another $75 million from the New Jersey Turnpike to New Jersey Transit, among other changes.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.

Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus.WASHINGTON -- Voter turnout in last Tuesday's New Jersey Democratic primary races rose dramatically over the last midterm election, outpacing corresponding increases in Republicans going to the polls.

In three of the four Republican-held congressional districts where the Democrats have their best chances of winning on Nov. 6, the party's candidates last week received more than twice as many votes as those running in 2014, according to an analysis of state Division of Elections figures by NJ Advance Media.

The Democratic surge comes during a midterm election seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump, whose job approval rating was 35 percent in the Monmouth University poll.

While Republicans turned out in greater numbers as well, their percentage increases far trailed the Democrats.

"This appears to be a year in which Democrats are very enthusiastic," said Krista Jenkins, a political science professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University. "We're seeing that in those numbers."

The numbers break down this way:

2nd District. The number of Democrats going to polls in the open-seat district being vacated by Republican Rep. Frank LoBiondo doubled as the party chose state Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, as their standardbearer. Republican turnout rose 49 percent as the GOP chose someone other than LoBiondo for the first time in 13 primary elections. The party nominated lawyer Seth Grossman.

3rd District. Neither Democrat Andy Kim nor Republican Rep. Tom MacArthur faced primary opposition. Kim received 28,102 votes, 89 percent more than the two Democrats combined who vied for the party's nomination 2014. Republican votes fell by 5 percent from 2014, when MacArthur beat Lonegan in the primary.

5th District. John McCann, general counsel to the New Jersey Sheriffs Association, defeated former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan in a hotly contested Republican primary in which GOP turnout rose 92 percent over four years ago. Still, freshman Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer's vote total was 151 percent higher than the number attracted by the party's candidates in the 2014 primary.

7th District. Democratic turnout soared 342 percent over four years ago as voters chose former Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Tom Malinowski to take on Republican Rep. Leonard Lance, the state's most endangered congressional incumbent. The increase GOP voters was 3 percent.

11th District. In the state's second open-seat race, caused by the retirement of Republican Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, Democratic nominee Mikie Sherrill along received more than three times the number of votes cast in the 2014 primary. Democratic turnout rose 383 percent. Republicans also saw an uptick, a 77 percent increase, as they chose Assemblyman Jay Webber, R-Morris, as their choice to succeed Frelinghuysen.

"The energy in New Jersey among Democrats is palpable," said Anne Feldman, a spokeswoman for End Citizens United, a political action committee that supports stronger campaign finance laws and has endorsed Kim, Malinowski and Sherrill.

"You've got the perfect storm of a strong roster of Democratic candidates who are running to reform Washington in an environment where voters are fed up with the rigged system," she said.

Democratic turnout was up sharply in the Senate primary as well, where community newspaper publisher Lisa McCormick received 38 percent of the vote against U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., despite not reporting spending any money on her campaign.

The number of Democratic votes more than doubled from the last Senate election in the state four years ago, when U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., was running for his first full term. Menendez alone received 256,164 votes, 54,000 more while facing a primary opponent than Booker did in 2014.

On the Republican side, turnout rose 52 percent as former Celgene Corp. executive Bob Hugin was nominated with 90,000 fewer votes than Menendez.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.WASHINGTON -- The Republican candidate who won the nomination to succeed retiring New Jersey Rep. Frank LoBiondo described diversity as a "bunch of crap and un-American" and suggested the GOP nominated Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno for governor solely because she is a woman.

Lawyer Seth Grossman, who emerged victorious from a three-way primary June 5, made the comments during the just-concluded primary campaign. Grossman won the GOP nomination to take on state Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, for the seat LoBiondo is giving up after 24 years.

"The best way to bring diversity to the Republican Party is for Republicans to openly say that the whole idea of diversity is a bunch of crap and un-American," Grossman said at an April 21 Republican debate at the Centerton Country Club in Pittsgrove.

"Diversity has become is an excuse by Democrats -- communists and socialists basically -- to say that we're not all created equal, that if somebody is lesser qualified, they will get a job anyway or they'll get into college anyway because of the tribe that they're with, what group, what box they fit into," he said.

Grossman's comments were caught on tape by American Bridge 21st Century, a pro-Democratic research group, and provided to NJ Advance Media. The comments first were reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

"Someone should do Seth Grossman a favor and let him know what century this is," said Andrew Bates, a spokesman for American Bridge. "South Jersey deserves far better than the divisive and insulting values he wants to force on it."

Grossman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NJ Advance Media, though told the Inquirer that he stood by his remarks.

"I believe in America that each individual should be judged on nothing but his or her talent, character and hard work," he said. "I'm rejecting the whole premise of diversity as a virtue."

Grossman said the desire for diversity led the party to nominate Guadagno over state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, R-Somerset, in the 2017 Republican primary

"Republicans make a big mistake when we nominate lesser-qualified candidates because they fit into that box," he said. "I believe that's why Republicans nominated Kim Guadagno."

Guadagno, who spent eight years as the state's No. 2 elected official, lost the general election to Democratic nominee Phil Murphy.

In his talk, Grossman said that enforcing immigration laws would provide more opportunities for Americans, and objected to efforts to make special arrangements to provide day care for women in the workforce, suggesting they should stay home with their children.

"When America was great, one parent alone earned more than enough money to comfortable support a family," Grossman said. "That's what happened before we chopped Americans into these different boxes."

The head of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio, who in April described the 2nd District as a "recruiting hole," endorsed Grossman after the primary.

Still, both Washington-based publications that track congressional races, the Cook Political Report and Inside Elections, rate Van Drew as favored to win.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.More than 500 students, or more than 90 percent of the senior class, along with approximately 65 staff members from Washington Township High School, teamed in the spirit of community outreach and service on Friday, June 1, 2018, during the school's 18th annual Senior Service Day.

Washington Township High School's Senior Service Day, first held in 2001, was originally proposed by then-Student Council President McKenzie McNaughton, now a graduate of Brigham Young University, who wanted to enhance the relationship between the high school students and the community at-large.

After an assembly to kick off the day starting at 7:35 a.m., the participants were dispatched to municipal parks, senior centers, every elementary and middle school, as well as throughout the high school grounds, starting at 8 a.m. Among the myriad activities, seniors:

Assisted elementary and middle school teachers in various classrooms with reading and tutoring

Worked outside the District's school buildings, cleaning up litter and mulching flowerbeds, planting flowers and laying playground mulch;

Assisted with the middle school physical education Challenge Day at WTHS's Tom Brown Field;

Cleaned up at Washington Lake Park, the Veterans Monument near the Washington Township Police Department; the area around the WTPD offices; the fire house on East Holly Avenue; and at the WT Municipal Building.

Performed dance and enjoyed social interaction with residents at the Washington Township Senior Living Center; and

Helped District elementary school students in grades 1-5 create blankets through "The Blanket Project," which is the District's third annual "Spring in Service Project."

The day culminated back at the high school with a celebration for all participants. They were treated to pizza, drinks and water ice, played games, and earned prizes and giveaways. The Washington Township Education Association Pride committee was a big sponsor, providing every senior with a Senior Service Day T-shirt, as well as donating funds to help pay for the pizza and water ice. The WTHS Senior Class Council and Student Council also serve as Senior Service Day sponsors.On Friday, 8 June, 2018, on the eve of the 80th edition of the Bol dOr Mirabaud, marking the sixth year in which Hublot has been the partner and official timekeeper of the event, the brand officially inaugurated its new boutique in Geneva. At the junction with Place Longemalle, just a stone's throw from the lake, the boutique now boasts one of the finest locations in Geneva, surrounded by the most prestigious of neighbours.

Just 25 km from its manufacture, the boutique, which occupies one of the most coveted addresses in the city, also reflects the path taken by the brand since the Big Bang was created in 2005. The love affair between Hublot and Geneva runs deep. It was here, in 1980, that the brand established its headquarters  before relocating to Nyon in 1986  and opened its first boutique in late 2008 at 3 Rue Robert-Ceard, just a few metres from its new home. Almost 40 years on from its creation and its beginnings in Geneva, Hublot's evolution and success have been breathtaking. Its assets include two manufacture buildings in Nyon and 600 staff around the world.

The new boutique showcases the Art of Fusion across 80 m2. Like its boutique on New York's Fifth Avenue, the decor has a distinctly urban feel. Mirrors, glass, marble and metal are brought together in a fusion of materials that reflects the incredible energy of Geneva  the very energy that gave birth to the watchmaking industry 500 years ago.The Near-Space Team from Lincoln School in Garwood successfully launched a high altitude balloon on June 5.

The team, which is composed of fifth, sixth and seventh grade students, has been working together over the past few months with the team's advisor, Denise Cafiero to research, plan, design, construct, launch and track the HAB.

The entire student body gathered for the countdown which launched a 1200g weather balloon into the upper stratosphere. A chase team was able to track the balloon as it traveled upwards to near-space and then 105 miles east of the launch site. The balloon reappeared on the GPS tracker after a 3 hour flight when it landed 2 miles off the shore of the Long Island Sound in Calverton, New York.

The Dive and Rescue Team at the Riverhead Police Department stepped in and retrieved the payload 27 hours after landing and Cafiero brought the payload, Mustang 1, back home to Lincoln School on June 8.

Mustang 1 carried a GoPro camera, Spot GPS tracker, science experiments and a flight computer. Lincoln School's Near-Space Team captured some of the most amazing photos of the curvature of the Earth and video footage of the flight.

To complete the project, Cafiero applied and received a grant through the Education Foundation of Garwood, a tax-free volunteer run organization that seeks to partner with the schools and the community in pursuit of educational excellence.

In addition, the Near-Space Team received funding through DonorsChoose.org, a nonprofit website that allows individuals to donate directly to public school classroom projects. Both sources allowed Cafiero to expose the students of Lincoln School to a high quality STEM education.

Cafiero credits the amazing educators she met during Honeywell Educators at Space Academy program at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center last June with the inspiration for the project.

Submitted by Lincoln School in GarwoodEven when all lanes of Route 495 are open, it can be a hellish commute to the Lincoln Tunnel on most weekday mornings.

More than 9,200 cars an hour travel during the peak period on four lanes and all it takes is one blip to back traffic up for miles.

So imagine how bad it may get this summer as one lane is shut down for a long-awaited and much-needed construction projection.

The $90.3 million project to replace the viaduct that carries Route 495 over Routes 1&9 already started last September. But that work took place underneath the spans, affecting drivers on certain nights and weekends.

The main event requires closing one lane in each direction and will last until 2021. A ramp from Route 3 east and the New Jersey Turnpike also will be reduced from two to one lane.



How bad will it be?



Department of Transportation officials aren't sugar-coating the potential delays.

"It is challenging to predict exactly how traffic will be affected once the project begins," said Stephen Schapiro, a DOT spokesman. "One lane of Route 495 in each direction will be closed, limiting the roadway capacity and causing severe congestion."

The average daily traffic on Route 495 over the viaduct is 152,000 vehicles. During the morning peak period more than 9,200 vehicles an hour use it. During the evening commuting peak, traffic exceeds 10,100 vehicles a hour, Schapiro said. That includes 1,800 buses using the Xclusive Bus Lane from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., he said.

Estimated travel times during the construction could increase by seven or eight minutes on Route 3 east or from the New Jersey Turnpike, Schapiro said. Drivers on Route 495 west could spend three to four minutes more in travel time, depending on the work, he said.

When does it start?

Drivers want this question answered, but so far, DOT officials are only hinting at a date.

"I don't have a date for when the lane closures will begin, but (we are) currently looking at mid-summer," Schaprio said. "We will inform the public once we know.

After that, motorists face a two-and-one-half year ordeal until the project is finished in summer 2021. Contractors face penalties if the project is late, he said.

What is it?

Officially, this is the Route 495, Route 1&9, Paterson Plank Road Bridge project, although commuters may have shorter, saltier names for it.

Like it's bigger sister the Pulaski Skyway, this viaduct is really made up of nine bridges that were built in 1938. The big span hits its 80th birthday this year and is near the end of its useful life, Schapiro said.

How bad will it get?

Commuters sticking with Route 495 should consider bringing an audio book and a second breakfast on the ride. Three of the four lanes of Route 495 will remain open each way. While the construction lanes will be closed 24/7, DOT officials admit that the worst impact will be on morning traffic.

One of two lanes on the Route 3 east/Turnpike ramp to Route 495 east will be closed. The XBL will remain open. The 31st Street ramp to Route 495 west will be closed and traffic will be detoured to Paterson Plank Road. That could take 1,200 to 1,500 vehicles an hour off Route 495, Schapiro said.

What are your options?

There are not many.

"The biggest challenge on this project is the fact that it's a critical commuter artery into New York City and there are no alternate routes nearby that traffic may shift to during construction," Schapiro said.



Options include using mass transit, but many commuter buses that use the Lincoln Tunnel will be affected by construction, even though the bus lane remains open. Commuters should also consider carpooling or sharing rides with co-workers, said Shani Jarvis, a AAA Northeast spokeswoman.

Commuters also can adjust when they travel to stay out of the morning and evening commuting rush, Jarvis said. The Holland Tunnel or the George Washington Bridge are potental options, Schapiro said. Those lucky people who can work from home should do that, he said

What are they doing to the bridge?

The first two stages of this extreme bridge makeover have been underway since last fall. The next 10 steps are the big ones, to repair and reconstruct the bridge deck, replace and strengthen deteriorated structural steel, and repair and paint the bridge substructure. Ramps to and from Route 1&9 to Route 495 west will also be reconstructed.

How can you keep up on it?

Got a preferred format that you want to be reached on? The DOT has a project website, a project hotline at 201-408-8495 and an email for questions at DOTOutreachRT495@dot.nj.gov. The DOT will also will email updates to people who sign up at on the website.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.Her story went viral in April. Cassidy Warner, a 10-year-old from Duryea, Pa., shared her troubling tale of being bullied at school by producing a selfie video that she put on Facebook without her parents' knowledge.

The Yankees responded with a video of their own, to let Cassidy know they have her back.

The video produced by the Yankees included an invite for Cassidy to come to a game and meet some of the players.

That meeting is happening Tuesday, beginning with a game of kickball with several players, including Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

The day culminates with Cassidy throwing out the first pitch before Tuesday's game against the Washington Nationals.

Here are more details of the visit, per Yankees PR:

Names can be just as harmful as sticks and stones. Just ask Cassidy Warner.

The 10-year-old Scranton, Pennsylvania, fourth-grader exhibited bravery beyond her years this March, posting a video on Facebook without her parents' knowledge, detailing her struggles with being bullied. She does not speak in her video, instead holding up white sheets of paper with handwritten descriptions of bullying she has endured at school. She writes that classmates have spit on her, pulled her hair and spilled milk on her jacket. They've pushed and kicked her and threatened her life, and whenever she sits at a lunch table, other kids leave.

Her sadness was not limited to her own experiences. She also hoped her video could affect change in the world, ending her post with a message that read, "This is my story... Stop bullying! Not just for me for other kids too. Please share my story!"

Buoyed by the power of social media, her video began to be noticed around the world. Actor Hugh Jackman posted a heartfelt message back to her, saying, "Hi Cassidy .... I'm Hugh. I want you to know you're loved, special & smart. You're strong, funny & beautiful both inside and out. BULLYING IS NOT OK. Please never stop asking for help. You will find it from people and places you never thought possible. I'm your friend."

When her story came to the attention of the Yankees, the team offered her their support and let the world know that they are against bullying by filming a video of their own featuring virtually the entire roster and manager Aaron Boone. The team let her know that the Yankees were her friends, and that they'd love to have her at their lunch table in the clubhouse.

"It meant so much to her and our family to see the Yankees get behind her," said her father, James Warner. "What makes me so proud of Cassidy was that it wasn't just about her. She wanted to make things better for other kids.

"Things are improving for her now, but it's still hard. The school has addressed the bullying, but the kids aren't so fast to change. As tough as it's been, she has made a difference in how people look at bullying. Because of all the support she has received, she has hope when she didn't before."

(NJ Advance Media's Randy Miller and John Munson contributed to this report.)

Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rosenstein73. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Since 2016, a dozen or so major watch brands have joined forces with Bucherer to pay tribute to the retailers signature colour  blue  through exclusive watches available only through Bucherer stores. Chopard, Audemars Piguet, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines, Panerai and Piaget, amongst others, have developed wristwatches with certain specific features for Bucherers Blue Editions collection, which today numbers around 20 pieces. Just under one month ago, another exceptional fine mechanical watch  the Harley-Davidson Blue Edition  was added to the collection. Designed in collaboration with the watchmakers of Carl F. Bucherer and the jewellers of Bucherer, this stunning machine is the first motorbike to come equipped with its own high jewellery watch and precious stones (l).

But lets get back to the new Piaget Polo S chronograph, the Bucherer Blue Edition. This is Piagets second watch in the collection, coming after the 40 mm Altiplano in 18K rose gold with silvered dial, baton markers and blue hands, with a matching blue leather strap. The Piaget Polo S Bucherer Blue Edition chronograph is an exclusive variation of the Polo S chronograph launched in 2016 (to celebrate the reissue of this collection which dates back to 1979) with a steel case and silvered or blue dial, designed in collaboration with Bucherer. The exclusive Bucherer Blue Edition is distinguished by a darker blue dial and the addition of numerous rose gold accents on the minutes track, the hands for the hours, minutes, seconds and chronograph functions, the surrounds of the chronograph registers and date window, and the markers. The Piaget logo and the legend Automatic are also picked out in rose gold.

Polo S Bucherer Blue Editions  Bucherer / Piaget

Inside the steel case beats the manufacture calibre 1160P, an automatic movement developed specifically for the 2016 Polo S chronograph. A column wheel ensures optimum precision for the various phases of the chronograph movement, and a vertical clutch system saves power, guaranteeing a 50-hour power reserve. The sapphire caseback provides an unimpeded view of the exclusive blue rotor decorated with the Piaget emblem and Geneva striping, as well as the circular-grained mainplate, chamfered bridges and sunbrushed wheels.

Calibre Piaget 1160P  Bucherer / Piaget

The Piaget Polo S Bucherer Blue Edition comes with a dark blue leather strap with folding buckle. This limited edition of 100 pieces is priced at CHF 13,500, and is available exclusively in Bucherer boutiques and from Bucherers online shop.Egypt's education ministry said on Tuesday that the electronic bar code printed on each thanaweya amma exam booklet has helped identify the individual who leaked the English language exam on Tuesday, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported.

The student used a smart phone to post the exam on social media one half-hour after the test began.

An unnamed source at the education ministry told Al-Ahram Arabic news website that the student is from Egypt's delta governorate of Kafr El-Sheikh.

The source also said that the student was apprehended with the smart phone inside the examination room.



In recent years, thanaweya amma exams have been repeatedly leaked and shared via Facebook and WhatsApp.



The ministry has been working to stop this phenomenon by introducing digital bar codes on exam papers and by increasing penalties, which can include fines of EGP 100,000-200,000 and jail terms between two and seven years.



In 2017, Egypt also introduced a new national high school exam system named Booklet to reduce the likelihood of errors in the correction process and to eliminate the risk of leaks.



The new system requires students to submit their answers on the question sheet itself, in contrast to the previous system in which answers were written on a separate sheet.



More than 650,000 students are taking this year's tests.

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Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi told the UNs special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura on Tuesday that Egypt will spare no efforts to halt the current Syrian crisis and suffering, El-Sisis spokesman said.

The UN special envoy, who is visiting Cairo, and the president discussed the latest developments in Syria as well as the UN's latest efforts to reach a political settlement.

They also discussed the repercussions of the deteriorating situation leading to the death of tens of thousands of Syrians, which represents a serious threat to regional and international security, presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said.

The president affirmed Egypt's continued efforts to reach a comprehensive political settlement that preserves the unity of the Syrian territories, the state entity and its institutions.

El-Sisi also affirmed Egypt's readiness to intensify its contacts to reach a lasting solution to the crisis in Syria, said Rady.

In addition El-Sisi highlighted the importance of the will and choices of the Syrian people in shaping their future. He also stressed the need to combat terrorism.

The UN special envoy hailed Egypt's role in the Middle East as one of the pillars of stability in the region, pointing out his aspiration to increase coordination and consultation with Egypt in the coming period to work to break the deadlock in the crisis.

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Egypt has hailed the US-North Korean summit in Singapore as a step in the right direction, saying its positive results would contribute to achieving peace on the Korean peninsula.

"This summit and what it reflects from positive vibes contribute without doubt in building confidence in the Korean peninsula and enforcing the people's wishes in the region to achieve security, stability and development," reads a statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry on Tuesday.

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a "comprehensive" document on Tuesday following a historic summit in Singapore aimed at the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

"This is an important and essential step in disarming nuclear weapons worldwide," the Egyptian foreign ministry statement added.

The foreign ministry asserted that Egypt's position on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was still the same, hoping that more international efforts would achieve the aim of that treaty, which is a world free of nuclear weapons.

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President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Tuesday called on Egyptians to endure a raft of tough economic reforms introduced by the government, speaking the same day the government increased electricity prices.

"All challenges and difficulties can be easy if Egyptians endure the conditions the Egyptian state is passing through," El-Sisi was quoted as saying by state news agency MENA.

"We have to pay the price together," he added, speaking during an iftar gathering.

El-Sisi's remarks came hours after the government introduced new cuts to electricity subsidies, pushing up prices by an average of around 26 percent from July.

The price hikes are the latest in a series of painful economic reforms aimed at stabilising an economy that has struggled since the 2011 uprising, which include fuel and electricity subsidy cuts, imposing a value-added tax, and a currency flotation.

While Egyptians have been hit hard by the austerity measures, El-Sisi said he was adamant about not deferring necessary reforms in order to improve the country's battered economy, calling on Egyptians to understand.

El-Sisi said that the government spends a total subsidy bill of EGP 332 billion, which covers fuel, food and energy subsidies. He added that every family is offered an average of EGP 1,000 in subsidies every month.

El-Sisi, who was sworn in for a second term earlier this month after a landslide victory in a March election, said his first term offered job opportunities to 3 million people.

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Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr urged Iraqis on Monday to unite rather than squabble over a possible rerun of the election his bloc won last month, a message apparently meant to defuse political tension after a ballot box storage depot caught fire.

Certain parties are trying to drag Iraq into civil war, Sadr said, adding that he would not participate in one.

Parliament has mandated a manual recount of the election in which a number of parties alleged fraud. A storage site holding half of Baghdad's ballot boxes went up in flames on Sunday in what Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi denounced as a "plot to harm the nation and its democracy".

An Iraqi court ordered the arrest of four people accused of setting fire to the storage site, state television reported. Three of them were policemen and one an employee of the Independent High Elections Commission.

Iraqi authorities said the ballot boxes were saved but the fire has added to fears of violence.

"What Moqtada said about (Iraq) being close to some sort of armed conflict is concerning. The situation is tense and it seems to be on the brink of conflict," said Renad Mansour, research fellow at Chatham House in London.

Sadr, a Shia cleric who once led violent campaigns against the US occupation that ended in 2011, has emerged as a nationalist opponent of powerful Shi'ite Muslim parties allied with neighbouring Iran.

"Stop fighting for seats, posts, gains, influence, power, and rulership," he wrote in an article published by his office.

"Is it not time to stand as one for building and reconstruction, instead of burning ballot boxes or repeating elections just for one seat or two?"

Sadr has in the past mobilised tens of thousands of followers to protest government policies he opposed.

The election, which was the first since the defeat of Islamic State militants who seized a third of Iraq in 2014, raised hopes that Iraqis could put aside sectarian divisions to rebuild.

One of Sadr's top aides said on Sunday the fire was intended either to force a rerun of the election or to conceal fraud.

Election Repeat Unlikely

But a repeat of the election is unlikely, analysts say, as none of the top parties have endorsed this step, and many incumbent lawmakers have lost their seats and thus lack legitimacy in the eyes of the public.

The Supreme Federal Court is the only entity that has the right to decide on a repeat, not the government or parliament, Abadi's spokesman said on Monday.

A spokesman for Hadi al-Amiri, whose Fatih alliance of groups linked to pro-Iran Shi'ite militias came second in the election behind Sadr's bloc, said he did not favour a repeat.

"The middle of the road solution is a manual recount," said Karim al-Nuri, referring to the fraud allegations.

Some of Iran's other supporters, such as former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, whose bloc performed below expectations in the election, would benefit.

At the same time, a recount might harm Iran in other ways. Tehran is accused by some parties in two provinces of helping a Kurdish party allied with it commit election fraud.

"Iran would have preferred if Fatih and (Maliki's) State of Law (list) had done better than Sadr so any kind of redo where a different scenario comes out is better for Iran," said Mansour.

"It is not an ideal situation for Iran and they might support a redo, but actually a recount might implicate them if the allegations in the north are correct."

Voting Equipment

In the election, Iraq used an electronic vote-counting system for the first time. Some Iraqi politicians had argued that the manual recount was necessary to make sure that the electronic system did not hide fraud.

Miru Systems, the Korean company that provided the electronic equipment, said there was nothing wrong with it.

"We have checked our election device provided to Iraq after the fraud allegation erupted, and found out that there have been no malfunction in the device nor its system," said a spokesman.

Abadi has blamed the Independent High Elections Commission, which introduced the electronic system, for what he said were dangerous violations, and parliament voted to suspend the board of commissioners and replace them with judges.

The commission opposes the recount decision and has appealed against it but the judiciary has already started implementing parliament's measures, naming a new head for the commission from within its ranks on Monday.

"There is a lack of clarity as to who is in charge, what procedure is the legal procedure. Everyone is doing their own thing. The government institutions meant to monitor this process are neither independent nor powerful," said Mansour.

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Palestinian radical movement Hamas will continue protests on the Israeli border until the organization achieves all its goals, Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the political bureau of Hamas, told Sputnik.

"Some goals have been achieved thanks to these protests, and they will continue until we reach all our goals," leader of the political bureau of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh said, adding that the residents of Gaza drew attention to the Palestinian problem over the protests.

Haniyeh added that the protests also helped the Palestinians to "confirm their right for the return to the abandoned territories."

The situation on the Israeli-Gaza border has significantly worsened over the past several months.

Since March 30, the Palestinians have been holding mass rallies, known as the Great March of Return, near the border, which have already claimed the lives of 135 Palestinians as Israel responded with riot dispersal means, according to media reports.

For decades, Israel has been in conflict with the Palestinians, who have been seeking diplomatic recognition for their independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which is partially occupied by Israel, and the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli government, along with a number of other countries, refuses to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity and continues to build settlements in the occupied areas despite objections from the United Nations.

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The Turkish military destroyed 12 targets in northern Iraq belonging to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in overnight air strikes, it said on Tuesday, as the army steps up operations against militant targets in the Qandil region.

The targets, in northern Iraq's Qandil, Hakurk and Avasin-Basyan regions, included shelters and ammunition depots, it said. Turkey's army has recently ramped up strikes against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, which has bases in the Qandil mountains.

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For over two centuries, treasure hunters, computer scientists and even the US military have been trying to crack a set of three ciphers and reveal the location of a legendary treasure worth tens of millions of dollars. All have failed, but maybe you can do better?

Thomas J. Beales fabled treasure  thousands of pounds of silver gold and precious jewels worth an estimated $60 million  is supposedly buried somewhere in Virginia. Over the last hundred years, many have tried and failed to pinpoint its exact location. Beale, a 19th century adventurer, is said to have discovered his coveted treasure on a hunting trip near the modern New Mexico-Colorado border, and brought it back to his home state of Virginia, where he buried it for safe keeping. He then created three separate ciphers to conceal the exact location, heirs and details of his treasure. So far, only one of the three codes has been solved.

Photo: Virginia Hill/Flickr

Beales codes are basic substitution ciphers, where each number represents a letter of the alphabet, which can be found by counting the words in the key text that the cipher is based on. As long as the key is known, deciphering this sort of code is fairly straightforward. The thing is no one knows the keys to two of the three Beale treasure ciphers, and thats a huge problem.

For the past 200 years, trying to find a solution to Thomas J. Beales codes without their respective keys has largely been a guessing game. Cryptanalysts, both professional and amateur, consulted all kinds of important texts, from the United States Constitution and the Magna Carta, to the Monroe Doctrine and several of Shakespeares plays. None of it worked, and everyone would have probably given up on the treasure a long time ago, if not for an unexpected lucky break which just added fuel to the fire.

In the 19th century, an anonymous amateur cryptanalyst accidentally found the key to Beales no.2 cipher  the Declaration of Independence  and revealed a very intriguing part of Beales encoded message:

Photo: Historicair/Wikimedia Commons

I have deposited in the county of Bedford, about four miles from Bufords, in an excavation or vault, six feet below the surface of the ground  The adventurer proceeds to describe the treasure and ends his message with Paper number one describes the exact locality of the vault so that no difficulty will be had in finding it.

Unfortunately, no one has been able to decipher paper no.1 or paper no. 3, for that matter. Not for lack of trying, thats for sure. The lucky discovery of the no.2 cipher key and the desire to become a millionaire, inspired a lot of people to try their luck at solving the two remaining ciphers, but they all failed. Cryptologists claim that provided with the keys, even a second-grader could solve Beales ciphers, but without those keys, they are virtually unsolvable.

But just because the ciphers remain a mystery doesnt mean that the treasure cant be discovered. Technology works too, so its not uncommon to see treasure hunters armed with metal detectors, magnetometers or Geiger counters scouring the Virginia countryside in search of Beales legendary loot. Some take the spiritual route, relying on the advice of psychic mediums or good ol fashioned dowsing rods.

Photo: Historicair/Wikimedia Commons

A Virginia law states that treasure hunters get to keep whatever they find, even if its buried on private property  basically finders-keepers  and while that emboldens treasure seekers, it can also cause trouble. Many of these people trespass under the cover of night, dig up holes all over peoples property and just leave them like this. One person, who was convinced that the treasure was buried in an old cemetery, dug up human remains and was arrested for it.

Another concerning pattern observed among Beales treasure seekers is that many of those seem to eventually go broke. Thats actually what happened to the anonymous cryptanalist who accidentally broke the no. 2 cipher. According to a 19th century author, inspired by his success, the man proceeded to neglect family, friends, and all legitimate pursuits for what has proved, so far, the veriest illusion. And hes definitely not the only example.

According to Mental Floss, which recently published a detailed article on Beales elusive treasure, a man named Stan Czanowski spent $70,000 over seven years on dynamite and bulldozers, and in the 1980s, another man wound up bankrupt after blasting rocks across Virginia for six months.

Photo: Historicair/Wikimedia Commons

Once you get the Beale treasure in your system, it is hard to get it out. You could get possessed by it. Like drugs or gambling, it can lead a vulnerable person to stake everything on a dream, said Peter Viemeister, author of The Beale Treasure: A History of a Mystery.

Thats definitely worth considering before you decide to devote your time and money to the pursuit of an elusive buried treasure, no matter how attractive $60 million sounds. Not to mention, that there is no actual guarantee that Beales treasure still exists, or ever has, for that matter. All we have to go by is a partial message and two undecipherable codes.

Stacy Moskowitz

Hurricanes, earthquakes, volcano eruptions and more. Words we never want to hear, but know all too well, its not if but rather when because natural disasters are inevitable.

The U.S. has had its fair share of late  Hurricanes Harvey and Maria, the California wildfires, and just recently Kilauea erupting  and it seems that mother nature doesnt plan to let up any time soon. In fact, some climate experts predict we are going to experience these events more often.

When natural disasters strike, the ripple effects can be endless. And anything that happens to the tourism industry impacts the entire country. In 2017, the travel industry generated $2.4 trillion in economic output and supported 15.6 million American jobs directly and indirectly. Thats 2.7 percent of the GDP that can be attributed to travel and tourism.

If youre a tourism industry communicator like me, you know the need for weather-related crisis preparedness is more important than ever. With events like earthquakes and tornadoes that dont provide advance warning, a plan to navigate a crisis effectively should be a critical element of your organizations overall communication playbook.

Here are a few best practices to successfully manage communication surrounding events of such enormity.

Learn from the past

While numerous natural disasters have occurred since Hurricane Katrina, the images of New Orleans are still raw and vivid in our minds to this day. Its the one that so many others are compared to.

Having worked with Visit Houston for several years, Padilla supported the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureaus communication efforts surrounding Hurricane Harvey last summer.

Given the proximity to NOLA, and the magnitude of impact that was expected, we knew H-Towns response would be compared to that of Katrina. Not knowing how the storm would unfold, we identified clear roles and responsibilities for the GHCVB team. We anticipated loss of power, employees working remotely, and interrupted internet and cell service.

We also had to hope the Federal Emergency Management Agencys response would be swift and organized, unlike that of Katrina.

We were ready, to communicate to stakeholders early and often about Houstons resilience, big hearts and determination. With planning and careful thought, aided by the communitys incredible support of neighbors, we set out to instill confidence and maintain long-term affinity for the city now known as #HoustonStrong.

Show compassion

We are humans first, communicators second. Human suffering and loss takes precedence above all else.

Once your team is accounted for and out of harms way, the tourism body should get to work serving the business community with resources for those affected and keep the media informed. This is particularly important for a civic organization trying to aid its constituents.

Most crises are a 24/7 job for communicators. A natural disaster will veer from this norm. Its very likely youll want to do your part by volunteering to support the relief efforts. After all, its your hometown, and there is no greater way to show your love for it than with actions that mean so much more than words.

You can and should contribute. Your perspective and tone from firsthand involvement could be vital to communication messaging that stakeholders need and want to hear. It can also help set the record straight if media are not reporting accurately.

While you or your team is walking the talk, your agency partners should be drafting messaging and statements, fielding media requests and monitoring news coverage and social discussions.

Stages of social media

Social media has changed the way we do just about everything. During a natural disaster, it can be a lifeline. For tourism businesses, there are often three key stages.

First, serving as a source of information. The Hawaii Tourism Authority is currently using its social channels to provide continuous updates on the status of the Kilauea volcanic eruption, as did Sonoma County Tourism in the wake of the wildfires last fall.

Social media can then move to serving as a conduit to inform people about how they can help. You know the citys businesses better than most, so theres no organization more knowledgeable to gather and share relief information. It could be the difference between whether or not someone has a place to sleep and a meal to eat.

When disaster strikes, the location is put in the spotlight. Often the perception of how the destination weathers the figurative storm can dictate how quickly it will recover and what the future of tourism might look like.

By sharing accounts of heroism and strength, the human stories arent forgotten in the barrage of one destruction photo after another. Social media allows the good that comes from the bad to take center stage in a way that wouldnt have been possible before.

Its a marathon, not a sprint

The immediate relief effort might be days or weeks and the action is sure to be fast-paced, but the recovery phase often takes years. And there is no doubt tourism will fall off in the immediate short term.

Go in with eyes wide open and let the idea of revitalization fuel your passion to bring your town or state back to better than its former glory. Learn from the communitys experience, then celebrate the rebuilding process with enthusiasm.

Get back to bread and butter communication. Your contact list is a goldmine waiting to tell the world you are ready to welcome visitors once again. And make sure travelers and clients understand the important role they can play simply by visiting and contributing to the local economy.

Communication over the long haul will be a determining factor in the success of a destinations resurgence.

Even though you can never fully prepare for any type of natural disaster, having a strategic guide map in place can help minimize the effects from events of incredible magnitude, and be a catalyst to get back to business quickly.

***

Stacy Moskowitz is a senior director in Padillas Consumer Practice.Vanita Gowda has joined Columbia Universitys Mailman School of Public Health as chief communications officer. For the last few years, Gowda has provided strategic counsel and tactical execution services to public and private sector clients including the World Health Organization, Pathfinder and EngenderHealth. Previously, she served as director, advocacy and communications at Global Health Strategies; manager, corporate responsibility and strategic philanthropy at APCO Worldwide; and policy advocacy specialist at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. Vanita has the background and expertise to amplify global recognition of the School, broaden our impact, help ensure recruitment of a strong student body and other school-wide needs, said Dean Linda P. Fried, MD.



Dominic Leung

London-based Cognito has appointed four new directors to deepen its brand, content strategy and digital marketing capabilities. Dominic Leung joins the firms New York office as group strategy officer and will focus on developing positioning strategies for Cognitos global client base. He joins Cognito from Interbrand where he was senior director, strategy. Rebecca Cooper joins the New York office as director of digital strategy. She was previously a vice president of digital strategy at Ketchum and has worked with global brands including JPMorgan Chase, eBay, H&R Block and Hewlett-Packard Enterprises. James Hannaford will join the London office as director of digital, advising on all aspects of digital marketing. Prior to joining Cognito, he founded his own boutique digital and web agency. Emma Martin has been appointed director of content strategy for Cognito in EMEA. She has joined Cognitos London office from UK content marketing agency SevenC3.



Dawn Kimball

TransMedia Group has appointed Dawn Kimball executive vice president to head up the firm's new Dallas office. Former chairman of the board of the American Cancer Society in Boca Raton, FL, Kimball has been working West Palm Beach-based The Romano Group since 2016. "Because Texas is such fertile ground for innovation, we decided to have a bigger presence here to serve our growing crop of clients whose products are about to disrupt many industries," said TransMedia Group founder and CEO Tom Madden. To head up our PR operations here and throughout the Southwest, we're fortunate to have a PR pro as hard-driving and experienced as Dawn Kimball.How Immigrants Contribute to the Dominican Republic's Economy

A better understanding of the way immigrants affect the economy in the Dominican Republic can help policy makers make the most of immigration. This report finds that the immigration in the Dominican Republic has a varying but limited economic impact. Immigrants seem to displace native-born workers in the labour market by increasing competition, but no effects were found on the labour income of the native-born population. The estimated share of value added generated by immigrants is close to their share of the population. At the same time, immigrants make a positive contribution to the government budget as they pay more in direct taxes and benefit less from public expenditure than the native-born population. Policies aiming to facilitate the integration of immigrants and a better inclusion of immigration into different sectoral policies would further enhance the economic contribution of immigrants in the Dominican Republic. How Immigrants Contribute to the Dominican Republic's Economy is the result of a project carried out by the OECD Development Centre and the International Labour Organization, with support from the European Union. The project aimed to analyse several economic impacts  on the labour market, economic growth, and public finance  of immigration in ten partner countries: Argentina, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Rwanda, South Africa and Thailand. The empirical evidence stems from a combination of quantitative and qualitative analyses of secondary and in some cases primary data sources.

Also available in: SpanishA senior United Arab Emirates official said an ultimatum for the United Nations to convince the Iran-aligned Houthi movement to evacuate Yemen's main port of Hodeidah expired on Tuesday night.

The Saudi-led coalition, which the UAE is part of, is gearing up for an assault on Hodeidah, preparing to launch by far the biggest battle of a three-year-old war between an alliance of Arab states and the Houthi movement that controls Yemen's capital Sanaa.

Hodeidah, the only Yemeni port controlled by the Houthis, serves as a lifeline channeling food, medicines and other vital imports to the majority of Yemenis who live in Houthi-ruled territory.

"We gave UN special envoy Martin Griffiths 48 hours to convince the Houthis to withdraw from the port and city of Hodeidah," UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash told France's Le Figaro newspaper.

"We are awaiting his response. These 48 hours expire during the night of Tuesday and Wednesday."

The United Nations said it was engaged in "intense" shuttle diplomacy between the Houthis and coalition leaders Saudi Arabia and the UAE to avert an all-out attack.

"If the Houthis don't get out of Hodeidah city and the port, the UAE will start a military operation against the rebels in Hodeidah," Gargash was quoted as saying by the French daily.

"Thanks to them controlling the port of Hodeidah, they are getting financing, which allows them to get weapons, weapons such as missiles that are then fired on Saudi Arabia."

Amid the diplomatic efforts to avert a worsening of an already desperate humanitarian crisis in Yemen, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, Macron's office said.

"(He) called for restraint from all the belligerents and to protect civilians," his office said.

France is trying to arrange a humanitarian conference on June 27 co-presided with Saudi Arabia, although it has come under pressure from non-governmental organisations to reconsider given the possible offensive on Hodeidah.

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov approved of U.S. President Donald Trump's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Interfax reported on Tuesday.

"The mere fact of the meeting between the leaders of the United States and North Korea is positive ... We are following the comments that both sides are making but we have not seen the document yet, we'll see," Lavrov was quoted as saying.

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The summit in Singapore between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is an important step toward stability and peace on the Korean peninsula, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement.

"We welcome the dialogue between the leaders of the United States and North Korea that took place today in Singapore. This meeting was an important step toward advancing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," Chrystia Freeland said.

Freeland said Canada supports continued dialogue that leads to the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea.

The sanctions imposed by the global community against Pyongyang must remain in place until North Korea changes its action, Freeland added.

The Canadian top diplomat also said she looks forward to seeing Kim following through on the commitments he made during the historic summit.

Earlier on June 12, Trump and Kim held a historic summit in Singapore and committed the United States and North Korea to establishing new bilateral relations and building a lasting peace on the Korean peninsula.

Moreover, Pyongyang affirmed its commitment to denuclearize in exchange for security guarantees from Washington.

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Greece and Macedonia have reached an historic accord to resolve a dispute over the former Yugoslav republic's name that has troubled relations between the two neighbours for decades.

Under the deal, Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said his country would officially be called the "Republic of Northern Macedonia". It is currently known formally at the United Nations under the interim name "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia".

Zaev said the deal would open the way for the tiny Balkan nation's eventual membership of the European Union and NATO, currently blocked by Greece's objections to its use of the name Macedonia. Athens say that name implies territorial claims on a northern Greek province of the same name.

"There is no way back," Zaev told a news conference after speaking with his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras by telephone. A meeting of the two soon may seal the deal, he said.

"Our bid in the compromise is a defined and precise name, the name that is honourable and geographically precise - Republic of Northern Macedonia."

"By solving the name question, we are becoming a member of NATO," Zaev added.

The accord still requires ratification by the two national parliaments and a referendum in Macedonia, a tough test for the leaders in both countries.

"Today is a hard day for the Republic of Macedonia. We just saw a press conference where the defeat is shown as a fake victory," Hristijan Mickoski, president of opposition party VMRO-DPMNE said.

Skopje also needs to revise its constitution, Tsipras said, before Greece ratifies the deal.

The name dispute has soured relations between the two neighbours at least since 1991, when Macedonia broke away from former Yugoslavia, declaring its independence under the name Republic of Macedonia.

"Historic Gravity"

Many Greeks felt their northern neighbour was trying to hijack Greece's ancient cultural heritage. Macedonia is the birthplace of Alexander the Great.

"Maybe what has the most historic gravity and value for Greece (is that) according to this accord... our northern neighbours don't have, and cannot assert, any link to the ancient Greek culture of Macedonia," Tsipras said in a televised address on Tuesday evening.

But Greeks seem cool to any deal involving the continued use of the name "Macedonia" by their northern neighbour. Most opposition parties have criticised Tsipras's tactics, and even his coalition partner, the right-wing Independent Greeks, have said they will not back an accord that allows the continued use of "Macedonia".

However, Greece's leftist leader is still likely to win support from centre-left parties. "We want to be part of a solution," said an official at the opposition Socialist Party.

Athens and Skopje have been racing to agree the outline of a settlement before an EU summit in late June. A NATO summit is scheduled for mid-July.

"This historic agreement is testament to many years of patient diplomacy and to the willingness of these two leaders to solve a dispute which has affected the region for too long," said Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary-General of NATO.

Bulgaria, holder of the EU's rotating six-month presidency said the deal paved the way for accession talks.

Bulgaria, which also shares a border with Greece and Macedonia, said the new name should not be used for territorial or claims concerning language, culture, history or identity.

Veteran United Nations diplomat Matthew Nimetz, who has been a mediator in the name dispute since 1994, hailed the "leadership, vision and determination" of the foreign ministers of Greece and Macedonia, who have negotiated for months.

"I am encouraged by the dedication of both governments to deliver mutual benefits for all their citizens through the establishment of a strategic partnership as a basis for intensified cooperation across all sectors," he said in a statement.

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Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates pledged $2.5 billion of aid to Jordan on Monday, a joint statement from the Gulf states said, following austerity measures that have sparked massive protests in the country.

Price hikes and subsidy cuts pushed thousands of Jordanians to the streets last week against the government's economic policies.

The rare, peaceful protests prompted King Abdullah to sack the government and appoint a new prime minister, whose first pledge was to shelve steep tax hikes.

Other monarchies are worried that unrest in the US ally could spill over across the region where other countries such as Bahrain and Egypt have been facing similar challenges.

The three wealthy Gulf states said Jordan would receive as much as $2.5 billion of aid to help it weather the economic and political crisis.

The package includes a deposit in Jordan's central bank, guarantees to the World Bank, annual budget support for five years, and development projects, the statement carried by the Saudi state news agency, SPA, added.

The decision was taken in the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia where King Salman hosted a summit with Jordanian King Abdullah, Kuwait's emir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber al-Sabah, and UAE Vice President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed.

Jordan is pushing fiscal consolidation measures required under an IMF financing program including tax increases and subsidy cuts that have weighed on poorer and middle-lass families.

Jordan's newly designated prime minister, Omar al-Razzaz, said on Thursday he would drop a proposed income tax bill, conceding to a key demand of protesters who had already brought down the previous government.

Jordans biggest protests in years began eight days ago over tax increases and subsidy cuts pushed by the International Monetary Fund to reduce the country's big public debt.

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The Egyptian Black Sand Company, which belongs to the Egyptian military, has signed a deal with a Chinese firm to set up a joint Chinese-Egyptian company to extract minerals from black sands in Egypt, the military said in a statement on Tuesday.

The new company that will be established in partnership with China's Welyuan Minerals aims to bolster Egypt's mining industry, meet local needs for minerals, and export the surplus, the statement said.

Egypt's black sand deposits, found in the Nile Delta, mainly between the cities of Alexandria and Rosetta, contain substantial reserves of heavy minerals.

The partnership with China will help equip high-calibre technical personnel in the industry while working together with international experts and maintaining international safety standards, the Egyptian Black Sand Companys chairman Ezz El-Din Saleh was quoted as saying in the statement.

He said the new venture will help make use of extracted minerals to set up national projects that help bolster the economy and offer thousands of job opportunities.

The Egyptian Black Sand Company was established in 2016. The armed forces hold the majority of the company's shares, while the rest are owned by Kafr El-Sheikh governorate, the state-owned National Investment Bank, the Nuclear Materials Authority and the Egyptian Company for Mineral Resources.

Last month, the company signed a cooperation deal with an Australian company for mineral extraction from black sands in El-Borolos area in Kafr El-Sheikh governorate.

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Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. Learn moreOregon added 4,800 jobs last month, rebounding strongly from an unexpected decline in April. The construction industry led the way with torrid growth.

The state's jobless rate remained unchanged at 4.1 percent, according to Tuesday's data, the lowest point on record and essentially unchanged since February 2017.

The state lost 700 jobs in April according to revised figures out Tuesday, improving on previous estimates that suggested Oregon shed as many as 2,900 jobs. Economists say April's decline may have been an anomaly, though they generally agree Oregon's long expansion is slowing down.

Not the case in construction or housing, though. Oregon's construction industry added 1,600 jobs in May and now employs 106,400. That's a record, surpassing the prior peak in 2007.

Construction remains Oregon's fastest-growing sector, expanding by nearly 10 percent in the past year. That growth rate is more than double the next fastest category: transportation, warehousing and utilities (collectively up 4.3 percent in the prior 12 months).

Residential construction is growing most strongly and is now 19 percent above its 2007 level. The state's housing crisis spans many of its urban areas, from Portland to Bend. Builders are racing to catch up with years of pent-up demand following the massive slowdown the that followed the Great Recession.

Oregon is adding jobs at one of the nation's fastest rates but unemployment remains slightly above the national average, which was 3.8 percent in May  the lowest point since the dot-come era.

A broader measure of joblessness, the U-6 or "underemployment" rate, was 8.1 percent in May. That's also near the lowest point on record and down from 8.4 percent a year ago.

-- Mike Rogoway | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699The Seattle City Council's apparent reversal of the $275-per-employee head tax would deliver a major victory to businesses whose political influence has waned in recent years, while blind-siding homelessness services providers by wiping away their biggest achievement.

Leaders from both groups cautioned that while the homelessness response cannot slow down amid an ongoing emergency, the way forward was unclear and glimpses of common ground were fleeting.

In statements and interviews Monday, businesses treaded carefully, expressing satisfaction at the expected outcome -- driven in large part by the repeal initiative campaign they financed, which tapped into vocal dissatisfaction. But they also signaled a desire to re-engage with regional government leaders in search of solutions to the worsening homelessness crisis.

The announcement of the proposed repeal comes two weeks after King County's annual homeless count revealed a 4 percent increase, with a steep rise in people living in their vehicles.

Some service providers, who were anticipating a surge in city homelessness funding from the head tax, lamented the aggressive campaign against the tax.

"The onus is very much on those who fought so hard against this solution to identify a better one, or admit they're OK with the city having shanty towns and favelas in our public spaces indefinitely," said Lisa Daugaard, a member of a city task force whose recommendations formed the basis for the head-tax proposal.

Others decried the council's lack of political will.

"If this is not the solution, then what? We do need to do more than just talk about it. It does need to be addressed," said Patricia Hayden, co-chair of the Seattle Human Services Coalition and chief program officer for the YWCA of Seattle.

Marilyn Strickland, president and chief executive of the Metropolitan Seattle Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber is "ready to work on solutions -- from employment, to technological innovation, to housing." However, the chamber declined to participate in the revenue task force whose findings led to the head tax.

Denise Moriguchi, chief executive of longtime Seattle grocery company Uwajimaya, has emphasized that the tax would affect not just technology giants like Amazon -- the rhetorical target of head tax supporters -- but also family-owned grocers and other businesses.

Her company, which contributed to the repeal initiative campaign, would be subject to the tax, which would apply in 2019 to businesses with $20 million in annual revenue in the city of Seattle.

She said Monday she appreciates the council's responsiveness to concerns of businesses and Seattleites who spoke out against what she called "reckless spending" and an "ill-conceived proposal to tax the very businesses which provide jobs, generate tax revenue and provide support to organizations that help address homelessness.

"I strongly believe that there is a better way forward, one that improves current spending efficiency and effectiveness all while encouraging economic growth and job creation," she added.

Amazon, also a contributor to the initiative campaign, did not respond to a request for comment.

The head tax negotiated by Mayor Jenny Durkan and passed unanimously by the council last month was lowered to an amount that Durkan hoped would appease Amazon. The company never expressed public support, but it restarted a building project it had paused after the head tax passed.

Even without a head tax, Seattle's business taxes are substantially higher than those of most other Washington cities. The trade-off includes the amenities of a major city and the talented workforce available here.

But for low-margin grocery and retail businesses in Seattle, which employ many entry-level workers and have competitors in lower-tax jurisdictions nearby, the accumulation of taxes and regulations in recent years is becoming a significant burden. They cite the $15-an-hour minimum wage and soda tax, among others.

"You can't just pass every cost that the city creates on to your consumer when your consumer has other options," said Terry Halverson, chairman of Metropolitan Market, which has four of its seven locations in Seattle and would be subject to the head tax. His concerns about previous taxes and regulations fell on deaf ears at City Hall, he said.

Halverson said he's hopeful that the head tax turnabout is a sign that the council is becoming more responsive to businesses. He likewise hopes businesses will become more engaged in the homelessness issue. Metropolitan Market, he said, wants to join the mayor's One Table task force, a joint effort between cities and King County that was partly created to find an alternative to taxing Seattle's businesses.

The One Table effort stalled during the head-tax debate and another meeting of the group isn't even scheduled. But it stands as the only regional approach to homelessness in play.

In any case, homeless advocates say more funding is needed to address the crisis.

Daugaard, with the revenue task force, was less hopeful because the head tax was crushed without an alternative plan in place.

"In the fury over the employee hours tax, opponents have cast everything into the fire," Daugaard said. "Anyone who wants to see public homelessness reduced or ended is going to pay for that -- and that includes them."

-- By Vianna Davila and Benjamin Romano, The Seattle TimesA pedestrian died after being hit by a driver while trying to cross State Route 14 late Monday in Clark County, troopers say.

The crash happened on the eastbound highway east of Southeast 192nd Avenue in the Vancouver area, according to the Washington State Patrol. The pedestrian, who was identified only as a 53-year-old Camas man, died at the scene.

Troopers said David A. Treece of Washougal, 54, was driving east in the left lane when he hit the pedestrian, who was trying to cross the eastbound highway from westbound State Route 14.

The crash happened shortly before midnight, according to the state patrol. The agency said in a brief news release Tuesday that the cause of the crash was "pending investigation" and that there were no charges.

Treece wasn't injured, according to the agency. The Toyota Prius he was driving was totaled and impounded, the agency said.

-- Jim RyanBY ANDY RICKER

I remember when "Kitchen Confidential" came out. I was on a hiatus from working at restaurants, swinging a paintbrush and playing in rock bands. But when I read Anthony Bourdain's stories of long hours, impossible workloads, camaraderie and (in retrospect) the brutal nature of kitchen work and the hedonistic after-hours behavior I, along with countless others of my generation immediately recognized ourselves and the truth and accuracy of his storytelling. Whether or not the anecdotes themselves were 100 percent true.

He was one of us! He was telling our story, unvarnished and raw. We knew nothing of "celebrity chefs" coming up in the '70s and '80s -- or that that was even a vague possibility. All we knew was this refuge for misfits, marginal characters and screw-ups called "the kitchen." He made us incredibly proud. He made it; made it out of the kitchen, lived a life most of us -- cooks or not -- can only dream of. And he brought us all along with him.

We met a long time ago in Portland, while he was on a book tour doing a dinner and talk. Tony was not yet totally gray on top. He still had the earring, the cigarette in his mouth and was probably a bit high -- not yet truly TV famous. During the after-dinner talk at the Heathman, I asked him a question - I cannot remember what - and he looked at me from across the room and said "You're a cook, aren't you? How are you, brother?" He saw me as I saw myself in his stories. And that is why cooks loved him. He saw us, knew us. He always did no matter how big his celebrity became or how tired he got of young bucks coming up to him and wanting a piece of him, wanting to party or talk about kitchens, show him their tattoos or whatever.

Tony and I met again later on, and I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with him on a few occasions. Most notably, a week-long romp through Chiang Mai and environs for an episode of "Parts Unknown," loosely based on what would become a book: The Drinking Food of Thailand. At that time, he was grateful for his life. He told me he woke up every day and thanked the cosmos for being alive, to have a family, a daughter who meant everything to him and a career that can only be described as The Best Job in the World. He knew how good he had it.

From what I witnessed, Tony was remarkably consistent on and off camera. What you saw was what you got. A consummate pro at being himself. Generous with his celebrity and power as a media figure, he lifted those around him, gave exposure and voice to those less fortunate than him, always loyal to his friends, equally at ease at a black-tie function or on a plastic stool in the streets of the world. A true mensch.

I myself owe a debt of gratitude for his benevolence. Two appearances on his shows. Blurbs on two books. Advice, both personal and professional, when asked. Public support of the restaurants. But I was only one of literally hundreds he did this for, some of whom might read this someday. You know who you are. The financial impact on the Thai food vendors we visited on "Parts Unknown" was huge and lasting, as it has been everywhere he has visited, I am sure. And they all still ask me about him, are proud of his visit to their carts or tables, proud that he ate and loved their food. His willingness to eat what the locals eat, not dismiss it offhand as weird or scary but to shine a light on it, opened a window for his viewers to the food of Thailand that will be felt for a long time.

His presence on this earth will be missed dearly by so many, but no one as much as his daughter and family. My heart goes out to them. I lost a champion, an itinerant friend and a role model. They lost a father, a partner, a family member. The two cannot compare, but it does not make it easier to countenance.

Safe travels, Uncle Tony.

Andy Ricker is a Portland chef, restaurant owner and author.By Cal Thomas

The unprecedented, historic and weird summit (Dennis Rodman might be there) between President Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, scheduled to begin Tuesday, if there are no surprises, could produce the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, or just more of the same lies and dissembling from North Korea we have seen before.

These days, world events do not occur in a vacuum.

Former Israeli diplomat Yoram Ettinger advises President Trump to see an interconnection between a potential deal with North Korea and the flawed nuclear deal with Iran made by the Obama administration.

On his blog "The Ettinger Report," he writes: "the overall conduct of both rogue regimes -- as far as abandoning or advancing nuclearization, ending or expanding terrorism, subversion and ballistic capabilities -- has been immensely impacted by the U.S. negotiation posture. Thus, the less assertive and more eager is the U.S., and the more reluctant it is to use the military option, the less deterred and the more radicalized are Iran and North Korea."

He goes on to make a point that should be obvious from even a cursory study of history, which is that dictators look for weaknesses in their adversaries and exploit what they find. That President Trump demonstrated strength and resolve when he wrote Kim a letter, initially canceling the summit after some of Kim's associates threatened the United States, is likely what led to a quick re-scheduling of the event. Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani demonstrated his gift for overstatement when he said Kim got "back on his hands and knees" begging for the get-together, but with some hubris modification he has a point.

What has perceived weakness in both the Clinton and Obama administrations produced? Ettinger, who remembers more than these administrations would like us to forget, writes: "Since the July 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the Iran Nuclear Agreement), the Ayatollahs have radicalized and intensified their military involvement in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, as well as their subversive and terrorist operations, aiming to topple all pro-U.S. Arab regimes in the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Peninsula (primarily Saudi Arabia and Bahrain), Jordan and Egypt, as well as multitude of pro-Western regimes in Asia and Africa, and entrenching their anti-U.S. presence in Latin America."

Furthermore, he notes, "Since July 2015, The Shia' Ayatollahs have escalated their subversive efforts to annex the Saudi-supported island of Bahrain, which they consider an Iranian province, where a 70 percent Shia' majority is ruled by the Sunni House of Khalifa. In the process, Teheran has smuggled military systems to its terrorist network in Bahrain."

It is why Ronald Reagan's slogan (and more than a slogan) "peace through strength" worked and why peace through appeasement never does.

Iran behaves as if the nuclear agreement with the U.S. gave it a green light to step up their support of terrorism. They are already tops in that category.

Ettinger concludes his analysis with this: "Since July 2015, the Ayatollahs have bolstered their military assistance to the anti-Saudi Houthi (mostly Shia') rebels in Yemen. They consider Yemen - Saudi Arabia's southern neighbor - a platform to launch missiles into Saudi Arabia, in an attempt to destabilize and topple the House of Saud. Simultaneously, the Ayatollahs have expanded their incitement of - and subversive initiatives in - the oil-rich, Shia'-dominated regions of Al Hassa' and Qatif in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia."

One hopes President Trump has done at least a quick study of history - past and more recent - and is learning that only strength deters dictators from their ambitious goals. Any agreement with North Korea should be treated with the same skepticism one would have when dealing with Satan himself.

-- Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com.Blaine Cooper, one of the first to plead guilty to federal conspiracy in the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge but the last to be sentenced, told a judge Tuesday that he was sorry he ever got involved because it destroyed his life.

Cooper's extensive cooperation with the government and his testimony during a second Oregon trial against fellow occupiers has caused him more pain than the crime itself, defense lawyer Krista Shipsey told the court.

Cooper received death threats, his marriage fell apart and he's unable to care for his children because he's in financial ruin -- unlike his co-defendants who supported one another through crowd funding, Shipsey said.

"His life has been turned upside down,'' she said.

U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown sentenced Cooper to the time he's already served in jail and three years of supervised release. She also ordered him to pay $7,000 in restitution.

He served about 20 months in jail since his February 2016 arrest on charges in Oregon and his indictment in Nevada in the April 2014 standoff with federal agents outside the ranch of cattleman Cliven Bundy.

Cooper, 38, of Humboldt, Arizona, has acknowledged that he agreed to cooperate with the government in the hope of reducing an earlier recommended sentence of six years in prison. He also pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy in Nevada and still awaits sentencing there.

Cooper was the last to be sentenced of 18 people who either pleaded guilty or were convicted by a jury in the 41-day refuge occupation in 2016. Prosecutors originally indicted 26 people. Leader Ammon Bundy, his brother Ryan Bundy and five others were acquitted of all charges during a trial. The government dropped a conspiracy case against independent broadcaster Pete Santilli.

Of the 18, 11 pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy and three pleaded guilty to trespass, a misdemeanor. Four were convicted of felonies and misdemeanors at a second trial.

Ryan Payne faced the longest sentence, three years and one month, while those who pleaded guilty to trespass faced the lowest penalty of a year of probation.

"It's the end of a chapter,'' Oregon's U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams said after attending Cooper's sentencing that came two and a half years after the refuge takeover began.

"I firmly believe that our communities and state are stronger because of our shared experience responding to and litigating the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge," Williams added in a prepared statement released a short time later. "Our message is clear: taking up arms because you don't like how things are done will never be accepted as a lawful way to protest here in Oregon or elsewhere."

Cooper, who was in the first wave of occupiers to take over the refuge, was also described as a recruiter, calling men to come to the eastern Oregon refuge with guns and to Bunkerville, Nevada, in April 2014.

Cooper pleaded guilty in the Oregon case in July 2016 and became a government witness at a trial against refuge occupiers Jason Patrick, Darryl Thorn and two other defendants in 2017. He has been on pretrial release since October 2017.

Cooper was "absolutely terrified'' to testify in front of a packed courtroom against people he had supported in the occupation who "gave him a sense of purpose,'' Shipsey said. Cooper, who was born Stanley Hicks Jr., changed his name in 2006, at age 27, taking his stepfather's last name.

Shipsey said Cooper cooperated extensively with the government, meeting with prosecutors "many, many times,'' including two sessions that each lasted more than eight hours.

Cooper stood before the judge and in a soft-spoken voice said, "I wish I could go back'' and "never have gone into the refuge.''

It cost a friend his life, he said, referring to occupation spokesman Robert "LaVoy" Finicum. State police fatally shot Finicum after he drove off from a police roadblock, got out of his truck and was seen trying to reach into his jacket. FBI agents and police had moved in to arrest the occupation leaders on U.S. 395 on Jan. 26, 2016.

Cooper said he's recognized "there are better ways'' to make their voices heard.

Cooper's lawyer tried to argue for only two years of supervised release without a condition that Cooper undergo a mental health evaluation. He underwent an evaluation four months ago and it was determined he didn't need treatment, Shipsey said.

But the judge didn't budge. A package of material about Cooper that his lawyer submitted to the court under seal "warrants concern,'' Brown said.

The judge noted that she had received an email that morning with audio attached that purportedly contained "death threats'' Cooper made while in custody in Nevada. Brown said she didn't listen to the audio, was advised not to open it and considered it hearsay.

The judge said she was aware that during the case there was a "lot of bluster coming out of Mr. Cooper, making outlandish statements.''

Shipsey said she didn't listen to the audio either, but didn't receive any complaints during Cooper's custody in Nevada and listened to his recorded jail calls.

After the sentencing, former Bundy supporter Melissa Laughter, who has been an outspoken critic of the defendants, said she sent the email to the judge, suggesting Cooper receive more time behind bars. She provided a copy of the audio and email to The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Laughter said she got the audio from a 2016 Facebook post from a Bundy supporter.

The recorded jail call starts out with Cooper issuing a disclaimer that nothing he says should be considered a threat but that he's simply "venting animosity and discontent'' after learning that Mark McConnell was a government informant. McConnell was driving the Jeep with Ammon Bundy inside when Bundy was arrested.

Cooper blamed McConnell for Finicum's shooting death, for selling out "your own countrymen,'' and suggested McConnell get into a witness protection program.

"At least I will die with honor,'' Cooper said on the recording, "This is Blaine Cooper. I'm out. Make this viral.''

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonianAUBURN, Wash.  Friday's dramatic crash into a Washington state doughnut shop, allegedly by a drunken driver, was at least the fourth time the shop was struck in recent years.

Dramatic security video showed a pickup truck barrel out of control and slam into a traffic barrier outside the Donut Star, in Auburn, barely missing two customers.

The accident Friday happened as a man and woman headed to the store entrance.

The widely distributed video shows them seeing the pickup just before it hit the barrier, feet away from them.

The man got inside the store but the woman didn't make it as debris from the impact shattered the glass door of the Donut Star in the city of Auburn, south of Seattle.

May Poy, who co-manages the shop, told the Auburn Reporter that her shop has been struck before, at least three times  each time at night  in her three years working there. In one of those incidents, a vehicle grazed the outside of the store and took out a light post, she said.

She was standing behind the counter in the cashier area when the truck made impact with the concrete barriers, she told the Reporter. The force, she said, was so great that it knocked over a table.

"I just froze," Poy said to the Auburn Reporter. "I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know there were customers outside. ... I can't imagine what it was like being in that spot."

KOMO reported the driver was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence.

Authorities say concrete barriers had been installed around the building because of the previous crashes in the same spot.

-- The Associated PressWASHINGTON - Attorney General Jeff Sessions signaled Monday that victims of domestic abuse and gang violence generally will not qualify for asylum under federal law, a decision that advocates say will endanger tens of thousands of foreign nationals seeking safe harbor in the United States.

Sessions' ruling overturned a 2016 decision by the Justice Department's Board of Immigration Appeals that said an abused woman from El Salvador was eligible for asylum. The appeals board is typically the highest government authority on immigration law, but the attorney general has the power to assign cases to himself and set precedents.

Such cases can be appealed to the circuit courts, which are part of the judicial branch of government.

Sessions told immigration judges, whose courts are part of the Justice Department, that his decision "restores sound principles of asylum and long standing principles of immigration law." He said it will help reduce the growing backlog of 700,000 court cases, more than triple the number in 2009.

"We have not acted hastily, but carefully," Sessions said in the statement to the judges. "In my judgment, this is a correct interpretation of the law."

To qualify for asylum, foreign nationals must establish that they have a fear of persecution in their homeland based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or "membership in a particular social group," a catch-all category that has in the past included victims of domestic violence and other abuse.

But in the ruling, Sessions said such cases would be less common going forward.

"Generally, claims by aliens pertaining to domestic violence or gang violence perpetrated by non-governmental actors will not qualify for asylum," he wrote. "The mere fact that a country may have problems effectively policing certain crimes-such as domestic violence or gang violence-or that certain populations are more likely to be victims of crime, cannot itself establish an asylum claim."

Critics called Monday's ruling the latest effort by the Trump administration to erode asylum protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, particularly those fleeing rampant gang violence and high homicide rates in Central America.

They said Sessions' decision overturns decades of legal efforts to protect abused women.

Michelle Brane, director of the Women's Refugee Commission's Migrant Rights and Justice program, said in a statement: "Women and children will die as a result of these policies."

The American Immigration Council, a nonprofit immigrant advocacy group, said Sessions is "taking away a vital lifeline" for victims of severe domestic and gang violence.

"Today's decision by the Attorney General is yet another attempt to close our doors," Beth Werlin, executive director of the American Immigration Council. "Turning our backs on victims of violence and deporting them to grave danger should not be the legacy sought by any administration."

The Trump administration has accused migrants of exploiting the asylum system to gain entry to the United States, aware that the immigration courts are so backlogged that their cases could take years to complete.

To discourage people from coming to the United States, federal officials recently adopted a "zero tolerance" policy for illegal border crossings, criminally prosecuting people even if they are seeking asylum or have crossed the border with their children. Such criminal prosecutions mean separating parents from their children.

Monday's ruling by Sessions centers on an asylum case filed by a Salvadoran woman who entered the United States illegally in 2014. She said she was escaping from an ex-husband who had physically and emotionally abused her for years, even after she moved elsewhere in El Salvador. The woman said her ex-husband had raped her, and his brother, a police officer, had also threatened her.

A Charlotte, North Carolina-based immigration judge denied the woman asylum. She appealed and, in 2016, the board ruled in her favor, saying it was clear that the Salvadoran government was unable to protect her even after she moved to another part of the country. The board based its ruling partly on a 2014 precedent, known as the Matter of A-R-C-G, which Sessions also vacated Monday, saying it was "wrongly decided."

The attorney general's ruling said it is still possible that crime victims could win asylum in the United States, but they would have to pass a tougher test in the courts, including showing that their home government is unable or unwilling to protect them, and that they cannot safely relocate to another part of their own country.

The case is one of severalSessions has assigned to himself since becoming attorney general. In March, Sessions ended a requirement that asylum seekers get a full hearing before an immigration judge, making it easier for judges to close cases they deem frivolous or unlikely to succeed.

Hours before he issued Monday's decision, Sessions told immigration judges that it will be their "duty to carry out this ruling." He has also ordered them to complete 700 cases a year, imposing a quota system for the first time.

-- The Washington PostWell-known Egyptian director and MP Khaled Youssef announced on Tuesday that his latest film Karma will be screened in cinemas during Eid Al-Ftir holiday as previously scheduled, a day after the censorship authority cancelled the permit for its screening.

In a video posted on Tuesday on his Facebook page, Youssef said that the film will screen on schedule and without censorship after the intervention of "high level authorities" in Egypt, which he did not name.

He added that preview screenings, which were scheduled for Tuesday, will also be held on time.

On Monday, the Censorship Authority at the Ministry of Culture announced that it has rescinded the screening permit of the film, which was initially granted a permit on 30 April, citing the violation of the terms and conditions under which the licence was given," without providing specifics.

The film stars Amr Saad, Khaled El-Sawy, Ghada Abdel-Razek, and Maged El-Masry.

According to a synopsis on elcinema.com, "the film tells the story of a young Muslim man who falls in love with a Christian, who wed despite their families disapproval. Concurrently the film explores the narrative of a businessman entangled in corruption, with two stories intersecting to explore social relationships between members of different religions."

Karma is a production of Misr International Films.

The decision by the censorship authority immediately created an uproar among filmmakers and actors in Egypt.

On Monday night, the members of the cinema committee of the Supreme Council of Culture, including veteran director Omar Abdel Aziz, producer Mohamed El-Adl and Boutros Daniel of the Egyptian Catholic Centre for Cinema, signed a mass letter of resignation addressed to the culture minister, to protest the cancellation of the permit amid what they described as "unprecedented ruining of the climate of freedom of opinion and creativity, as well as clear disregarding of artists and intellectuals."

The three-day Islamic holiday of Eid Al-Fitr begins on Friday.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

Search Keywords:

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WASHINGTON -- Conservatives on the Supreme Court on Monday upheld Ohio's strict method of removing infrequent voters from the rolls, a process that challengers of the law say disproportionately affects poor and minority voters.

Justice Samuel Alito Jr., writing for the majority in the 5-to-4 decision, said Ohio's disputed process of purging voters who may have moved met the requirements of the National Voter Registration Act.

The decision came under immediate criticism, beyond the dissenters on the court. Liberal groups and minority advocates said it gave states a green light to impose procedures that studies have shown tend to impact urban areas.

The ruling prompted Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson to reiterate the state's commitment to voter access. "In Oregon, we believe that a registered voter should not lose their voting rights solely because they haven't participated recently," he said Monday in a news release. Last year, Richardson extended the state's inactive voter deadline from five years to 10, a move that kept more than 60,000 residents from being classified as inactive.

The subtext of Monday's ruling decision was a continuing battle between Republicans and Democrats over laws that regulate who gets to vote and when, including voter-ID requirements and restrictions on early voting. Republicans say the integrity of the process demands ensuring that only the eligible vote, while Democrats say that voter fraud is practically nonexistent and that the goal should be to enfranchise all who are eligible.

It is no surprise the case comes from Ohio, which has the nation's strictest law on removing voters and is a closely divided state almost always seen as a battleground in national politics.

In the past, the Justice Department has opposed Ohio's process as inconsistent with federal law. But the department switched its position after President Donald Trump was elected.

Unlike many voting cases that come before the court, Monday's case centered not on grand constitutional principles but on interpreting seemingly contradictory directives of federal law.

Federal law prohibits removing voters simply because they failed to vote. But it also calls on states to keep accurate rolls and allows them to come up with their own systems for removing voters believed to have moved or died.

Ohio sends a notice after a voter skips a single federal election cycle. If the voter fails to respond and does not vote in the next two elections, that person is presumed to have moved and removed from the rolls.

"We have no authority to second-guess Congress or to decide whether Ohio's [law] is the ideal method for keeping its voting rolls up to date," Alito wrote. "The only question before us is whether it violates federal law. It does not."

The court's dissenters said Ohio violates a prohibition in federal law against removing voters simply because they are exercising their right not to vote. And Justice Sonia Sotomayor, writing only for herself, warned that those who support voting rights should be vigilant in the wake of the court's decision.

"Communities that are disproportionately affected by unnecessarily harsh registration laws should not tolerate efforts to marginalize their influence in the political process, nor should allies who recognize blatant unfairness stand idly by," Sotomayor wrote.

Alito responded: "Justice Sotomayor's dissent says nothing about what is relevant in this case -- namely, the language of the NVRA," adding that she "has not pointed to any evidence in the record that Ohio instituted or has carried out its program with discriminatory intent."

One of the plaintiffs in the case was Larry Harmon, whose experience was indicative of others who were surprised to find themselves removed from voter rolls, lawyers said.

After voting in the 2008 presidential election, Harmon opted not to vote in 2009 or 2010. Ohio sent him a notice, but Harmon said he does not remember receiving it. According to briefs in the case, Harmon "expressed his dissatisfaction with the candidates by exercising his right not to vote." When he showed up to vote in 2015, he was told he was no longer allowed, even though he had not changed his residence or otherwise become ineligible.

A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit ruled for challengers, and more than 7,500 voters who otherwise would have been declared ineligible were allowed to vote in the 2016 election.

But the Supreme Court majority said the appeals court was wrong because Ohio's process does not conflict with federal directives.

"It does not strike any registrant solely by reason of the failure to vote," Alito wrote. "Instead, as expressly permitted by federal law, it removes registrants only when they have failed to vote and have failed to respond to a change-of-residence notice."

Alito was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch.

Justice Stephen Breyer dissented, joined by Justices Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan.

Breyer said the federal law's protections of infrequent voters "are most naturally read to prohibit a State from considering a registrant's failure to vote as part of any process" that results in a purge.

He said that because voters are unlikely to return a card from the government asking them to re-up their voting status -- it is just as likely to be mistaken for junk mail, he said -- Ohio's reliance on unreturned cards is misplaced.

He noted that about 1 million people did not return cards sent from the state, representing about 13 percent of Ohio's voting population. Studies, he said, showed that only about 4 percent of Americans moved outside their counties.

"The streets of Ohio's cities are not filled with moving vans," he said.

Sotomayor in her dissent said that whether Ohio intended to discriminate or not, friend-of-the-court briefs in the case showed that "low voter turnout rates, language-access problems, mail delivery issues, inflexible work schedules, and transportation issues, among other obstacles, make it more difficult for many minority, low-income, disabled, homeless, and veteran voters to cast a ballot or return a notice."

She noted a study that showed African-American-majority neighborhoods in downtown Cincinnati had 10 percent of their voters removed since 2012, "as 'compared to only 4 percent of voters in a suburban, majority-white neighborhood.' "

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, a Republican, praised the court's decision.

"I am pleased that the United States Supreme Court agreed that Ohio was following federal law in maintaining accurate voter rolls," he said in a statement. "I congratulate our attorneys throughout this case for their exceptional work in documenting how this process, used by Democrat and Republican secretaries of state, is indeed lawful."

Liberal groups described the ruling as dire.

"Our worry is that other states will take this decision as a green light to implement more aggressive voter purges as the 2018 elections loom," Myrna Perez, director of the Voting Rights and Elections Project at the Brennan Center for Justice, said in a statement.

The case is Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute.

-- The Washington PostCorrection appended

The family of a 36-year-old Portland man found dead a year ago is offering a $20,000 reward for information about his death.

Brian Spaulding was found dead with gunshot wounds in his home in the 3500 block of Northeast 10th Avenue on June 12, 2017, in what was later ruled a homicide.

As of Tuesday morning  which marks one year since Spaulding was found dead  there is no suspect information or motivation behind the killing, police said.

Spaulding's family privately raised the $20,000 reward.

Police are asking for the public's help in the investigation and encourage anyone with information about a suspect to contact Detective Todd Gradwahl at 503-823-0991 or todd.gradwahl@portlandoregon.gov.

Those who wish to make tips anonymously can submit them online or call 503-823-HELP (4357). If information reported anonymously leads to an arrest, Crime Stoppers may offer an award up to $2,500.

--Anna Spoerre

@annaspoerre





This story has been amended to reflect that the $20,000 reward was raised by the family. An earlier version misidentified who was offering the money.SINGAPORE -- Clasping hands and forecasting future peace, President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un committed Tuesday to "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula during the first meeting in history between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader. Yet as Trump toasted the summit's results, he faced mounting questions about whether he got too little and gave away too much -- including an agreement to halt U.S. military exercises with treaty ally South Korea.

Meeting with staged ceremony on a Singapore island, Trump and Kim came together for a summit that seemed unthinkable months ago when the two nations traded nuclear threats. The gathering of the two unpredictable leaders marked a striking gamble by the American president to grant Kim long-sought recognition on the world stage in hopes of ending the North's nuclear program.

Both leaders expressed optimism throughout roughly five hours of talks, with Trump thanking Kim afterward "for taking the first bold step toward a bright new future for his people." Kim, for his part, said the leaders had "decided to leave the past behind" and promised: "The world will see a major change."

Soon, Kim was on a plane headed home, while a clearly ebullient Trump held forth for more than an hour before the press on what he styled as a historic achievement to avert the prospect of nuclear war. Along the way, Trump tossed out pronouncements on U.S. alliances, human rights, and the nature of the accord that he and Kim had signed.

Light on specifics, the agreement largely amounted to an agreement to continue discussions, as it echoed previous public statements and past commitments. It did not, for instance, include an agreement to take steps toward ending the technical state of warfare between the U.S. and North Korea.

Nor did it include a striking concession by Trump, who told reporters he would freeze U.S. military "war games" with ally South Korea while negotiations between the U.S. and the North continue. Trump cast the decision as a cost-saving measure, but also called the exercises "inappropriate" while talks continue. North Korea has long objected to the drills as a security threat.

It was unclear whether South Korea was aware of Trump's decision before he announced it publicly. U.S. Forces Korea said in a statement Tuesday it was unaware of any policy change. Trump phoned South Korean President Moon Jae-in after leaving Singapore to brief him on the discussions.

Trump also said he'd obtained a separate concession from Kim to demolish a missile engine testing site, though it was just one site of many connected to the nuclear program.

As Trump took a victory lap on the world stage, experts and allies struggled to account for what Trump and Kim had agreed to -- and whether this agreement could actually be the first of its kind not to be broken by the North Koreans.

The details of how and when the North would denuclearize appear yet to be determined, as are the nature of the unspecified "protections" Trump is pledging to Kim and his government.

During his press conference, Trump acknowledged that denuclearization won't happen overnight, but said, "once you start the process it means it's pretty much over."

North Korea is believed to possess more than 50 nuclear warheads, with its atomic program spread across more than 100 sites constructed over decades to evade international inspections. Trump insisted that strong verification of denuclearization would be included in a final agreement, saying it was a detail his team would begin sorting out with the North Koreans next week.

The agreement's language on North Korea's nuclear program was similar to what the leaders of North and South Korea came up with at their own summit in April. At the time, the Koreans faced criticism for essentially kicking the issue of North Korea's nuclear arsenal down the road to the Singapore summit. Trump and Kim even directly referred back to the so-called Panmunjom Declaration, which contained a weak commitment to denuclearization and no specifics on how to achieve it.

Between handshakes, a White House invitation, and even an impromptu tour of "The Beast," the famed U.S. presidential limousine known for its high-tech fortifications, Trump sought to build a personal connection with Kim and said they have a "very good" relationship.

The U.S. president brushed off questions about his public embrace of the autocrat whose people have been oppressed for decades. He added that Otto Warmbier, an American who died last year just days after his release from imprisonment in North Korea, "did not die in vain" because his death brought about the nuclear talks.

In the run-up to Tuesday's historic face-to-face with Kim, Trump has appeared unconcerned about the implications of feting an authoritarian leader accused by the U.S. of ordering the public assassination of his half brother with a nerve agent, executing his uncle by firing squad and presiding over a notorious gulag estimated to hold 80,000 to 120,000 political prisoners.

In their joint statement, the two leaders promised to "build a lasting and stable peace regime" on the Korean Peninsula. Trump has dangled the prospect of economic investment in the North as a sweetener for giving up its nuclear weapons. The longtime property developer-turned-politician later mused about the potential value of condos on the country's beachfront real estate.

The formal document-signing, which also included an agreement to work to repatriate remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action from the Korean War, followed a series of meetings at a luxury Singapore resort.

Ahead of the meeting Trump had predicted the two men might strike a nuclear deal or forge a formal end to the Korean War in the course of a single meeting or over several days. But in the hours before the summit, the White House unexpectedly announced Trump would depart Singapore earlier than expected -- Tuesday evening -- raising questions about whether his aspirations for an ambitious outcome had been scaled back.

Aware that the eyes of the world were on a moment many people never expected to see, Kim said many of those watching would think it was a scene from a "science fiction movie."

Critics of the summit leapt at the leaders' handshake and the moonlight stroll Kim took Monday night along the glittering Singapore waterfront, saying it was further evidence that Trump was helping legitimize Kim on the world stage.

"It's a huge win for Kim Jong Un, who now -- if nothing else -- has the prestige and propaganda coup of meeting one on one with the president, while armed with a nuclear deterrent," said Michael Kovrig, a northeast Asia specialist at the International Crisis Group in Washington.

Trump responded that he embracing diplomacy with Kim in hopes of saving as many as 30 million lives.

The Trump administration has repeatedly said it would not tolerate a North Korea capable of hitting the continental U.S. with a nuclear weapon -- and has threatened to use military force if necessary. Trump repeatedly declined to state what the consequences would be for Kim if he, as his nation has in the past, backed out on his commitment to denuclearize. But he repeated statistics warning of massive casualties.

The optimistic summit was a remarkable change in dynamics from less than a year ago, when Trump was threatening "fire and fury" against Kim, who in turn scorned the American president as a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard." Beyond the impact on both leaders' political fortunes, the summit could shape the fate of countless people -- the citizens of impoverished North Korea, the tens of millions living in the shadow of the North's nuclear threat, and millions more worldwide.

The North has faced crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions as it has advanced development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Pompeo held firm to Trump's position that sanctions will remain in place until North Korea denuclearizes -- and said they would even increase if diplomatic discussions did not progress positively.

-- The Associated PressFor the fourth year running, the embassy of India in Cairo is celebrating the International Day of Yoga on 21 June.

The event marking the day will be held in El-Horreya Public Park, near Cairo Opera House, in Zamalek.

Events will also be organised in two other cities of Egypt, in Alexandria at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina on 22 June, and in Ismailia at Nadi El-Mawani (the Ports Club) on 23 June.

The events are expected to draw yoga enthusiasts as well as some well-known personalities.

The UN General Assembly approved a resolution to celebrate 21 June as International Day of Yoga with a record 177 co-sponsoring countries.

The assembly stated in its resolution that yoga provides an integrated style for health and happiness and it stressed the importance of increasing the awareness of the benefits of practicing yoga around the world.

In this spirit, the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture conducts a number of promotional programmes in the run up to 21 June.

This year the centre is organising a "yoga photography contest"; winners will be selected with input from Facebook "likes", as well as by votes from an independent jury.

The three best entries will be honoured at the event in Cairo on 21 June.

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After approving a draft law on press and media regulation in principle on Sunday, Egypts parliament endorsed two complementary laws aiming to establish the activity of the National Press Authority and the National Media Authority.

Parliamentary Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said "as the two laws are subject to revision by the State Council in legal and constitutional terms, a final vote will be postponed to a later date."

According to Osama Heikal, head of Parliament's Media, Culture and Antiquities committee, the two additional laws regulate the performance of the two authorities, whose mandate is to supervise national press organizations and the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU).

Heikal said the 55-article law states that the National Press Authority is to be tasked with upgrading the performance of national press organizations by supervising their financial and administrative activities.

"The authority will make a periodical review and evaluation of press organizations performance, name chief-editors and chairpeople of boards, and decide whether journalists retirement age should be extended from 60 to 65," said Heikal.

Article 7 states that the head of the National Press Authority (NPA) will be selected by the president. "NPA's board will include representatives from the State Council, Ministry of Finance, national press organizations, and two public figures with proven experience in journalism," reads the article.

Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal stressed that the law does not aim to privatise national press organizations.

"When we were drafting the Constitution in 2014, we had two options: either to privatise state-owned press and media organizations, or to place them under the supervision of the upper parliamentary Shura Council," said Abdel-Aal.

Instead, he continued "we came up with the idea of setting up the National Press Authority, to be independently responsible for supervising these organizations."

Abdel-Aal's words came in response to concerns raised by independent MP Mostafa Bakri, who said that article 35 of the law stipulates that the board of a national press organization should include 7 journalists and 10 public figures, fearing that this article paves the way for privatization.

Bakri also stated his opinion with regards to the question of journalists retirement age, asserting that it "should be extended to be 65 as is the case for judges and other professions."

In response, Heikal indicated that the decision on retirement age belonged to the National Press Authority. "Upon a request from the board of the national press organization, the Authority will decide if a journalist is highly qualified or not, and so whether they deserve to continue working until 65," said Heikal.

Abdel-Aal said the law in general will be referred to the State Council to be revised in legal and constitutional terms. "This will also include revising article 5 which deals with the retirement age of journalists at national press organizations," said Abdel-Aal.

Meanwhile, Parliament also approved a law on the National Media Authority. Abdel-Aal said the 37-article law will be referred to the state council to be revised. "The final approval on the above two laws will be postponed to later date," said Abdel-Aal.

The law will regulate the activities and performance of the state-owned ERTU. "It will also include online websites affiliated with ERTU," said Heikal.

The National Media Authority will be responsible for supervising ERTU to upgrade the performance of its affiliated television channels and radio stations.

Parliament approved a new law regulating the press and media on Sunday. The law, comprising 108 articles, regulates the performance of all forms of press and media outlets in Egypt, and also governs the activities of the Higher Council of Media Regulation.

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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.Donald Trump Got Played by North Korea's Kim Jong Un

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | June 12, 2018 |

Im going to try and be cool about this, and look beyond my loathing of Donald Trump, and look at this summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in the most positive light, and heres my assessment of the situation: Donald Trump did something no other President has done in meeting face to face with a North Korean leader.

Thats great!

But theres also a reason no other President has done that, and its because it elevates a country immensely to have them seen on an even playing field on the world stage with the United States. Last night, Donald Trump shook hands with a brutal dictator and called him an honorable man. Our flags were next to his flags.

Which is more disrespectful to the flag, kneeling or displaying it next to the flag of a brutal dictator who oppresses his people and maintains power through murder? Asking for a friend who plays football. pic.twitter.com/NwxMG9Ks0G  Bill Prady (@billprady) June 12, 2018

If you want to look at it another way, you can look at it like this: No North Korean leader has ever sat down with the President of the United States. This makes Kim Jong Un a hero to his people. A man who runs a police state, has forced labor camps where he starves his own citizens, and has brutally assassinated members of his own family has secured a one-on-one meeting with the leader of the free world, one in which he convinced our POTUS to discontinue certain military exercises in South Korea, which were specifically designed to remind North Korea that we are committed to South Korea.

Thats a huge victory for Kim Jong Un, and what did we get in return?

We signed a document.

If you knew nothing else about the history of the relationship between North Korea and the United States, that would look impressive, wouldnt it?

But the truth is, Trump extracted no specific commitments from North Korea, while North Korea extracted at least one specific commitment from the United States: To cease those military exercises and pull our troops out of South Korea, and in a closed state like North Korea  where Western media does not get through  Kim Jong Un can spin that as a huge victory. When his people no longer see those tests taking place, they will see it as a victory.

Its a huge concession for the United States, and Donald Trump is already justifying that concession by saying that he wanted to stop those military exercises anyway, because they were too expensive, as he told George Stephanoupolous:

Im doing something that Ive wanted to do from the beginning. We stopped playing those war games that cost us a fortune. You know, were spending a fortune, every couple of months were doing war games with South Korea, and I said, Whats this costing? Were flying planes in from Guam, were bombing empty mountains for practice. I said I want to stop that and I will stop that, and I think its very provocative.

And what did we get in return? Ask the former CIAs Deputy Division Chief for Korea:

This is very disappointing. Each of the four main points was in previous documents with NK, some in a stronger, more encompassing way. The denuke bullet is weaker than the Six Party Talks language. And no mention of CVID, verification, human rights.  Bruce Klingner (@BruceKlingner) June 12, 2018

Basically, Kim Jong Un gave Trump his word that hed denuclearize, and this is the word of a man who has over 100,000 people in gulag-style prisons, who he tortures and starves to death, so  you know? The word of Kim Jong Un is worth even less than the word of Donald Trump. And its not like past North Korean leaders havent made promises, either, none of which they have kept.

And Trump seems to love this guy, saying that he has a great personality. Hes a funny guy, hes very smart, hes a great negotiator. He loves his people I know people where there is no chemistry no matter what you do you just dont have it. We had it right from the beginning . His country does love him. His people, you see the fervor. They have a great fervor.

Of course, they have great fervor  the alternative is being sent to a labor camp and tortured.

This is the most complimentary Trump has been about any foreign leader, and its not even close.  Daniel Dale (@ddale8) June 12, 2018

This is probably the most telling statement from the President:

Trump says he trusts Kim Jong Un. And if he's wrong? "I may be wrong, I mean I may stand before you in six months and say, 'Hey I was wrong,'" said Trump, before adding, "I don't know that I'll ever admit that, but I'll find some kind of an excuse." https://t.co/J2k6ehVhW1 pic.twitter.com/onKaUHP2f3  CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) June 12, 2018

At least hes honest, for once.

But look: Its a start. The odds of it leading to total denuclearization are not high. The odds of it reducing human rights violations in North Korea are nil. The odds of it leading South Korea to believe that we no longer prioritize their interests, on the other hand, are high.

But again, its a start  its something  and its much better than threatening nuclear war with Little Rocket Man on Twitter. However, it is worth noting that the Iran Nuclear deal  which actually produced detailed commitments from Iran  was much, much tougher than that namby-pamby joint agreement that Trump signed.

 IHOP Got Trolled by Every Other Brand Over their Decision to Change their Name to IHOb | 'We're America, Bitch' 

Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba.Bootleg red bottom shoemakers, beware. Christian Louboutin, the luxury shoemaker famous for its red-soled heels, won a court battle over its European Union trademark for its signature scarlet color, the BBC reports.

While knockoffs of the iconic look have been around forever, the brand specifically targeted rival shoe company Van Haren in a 2012 lawsuit for copying the design. Van Haren argued that under EU law, companies can't trademark something as common as the color of a shoe sole, but the EU's highest court decided Louboutin was deserving of a trademark in this case.

Related | Christian Louboutin Weighs In On Cardi B's Love of His 'Bloody Shoes'



in a statement, the company said, "For 26 years, the red sole has enabled the public to attribute the origin of the shoe to its creator, Christian Louboutin." (The designer created the first red-soled shoe in 1993, using his assistant's nail polish.) Now when you see Cardi's favorite bloody shoes on someone's feet, you'll know they're real (and expensive).

Image via Getty

I came across the shirt below, and felt I had to blog about it:

Im not sure whether the shirt is based on a lack of awareness of the Bibles contents, familiarity only with childrens Bible versions of stories, wishful thinking, or some combination of the two. But explicit content seems more apt than E for Everyone, wouldnt you agree?

I first blogged about what movie-type rating would be given to the Bible, or to works within the Bible, back in the very earliest days of my blog, when it was called Exploring Our Matrix and hosted on my own university web space, well before it moved to Blogger, never mind to Patheos. Just over 11 years ago to the day, if anyone is interested. Here is an excerpt from that post:

When discussing the books of Joshua, Judges and 1-2 Samuel in class, I have on occasion asked my students who they would get to direct the stories. My own suggestion is to have Mel Gibson direct Joshua, which has a Braveheart epic sort of feel to it, while Judges is definitely more up Quentin Tarantinos alley. Both books would clearly deserve an R rating. My assignment for that part of the semester is to have students reflect on the difference between reading these stories as adults and their exposure to them as children. Many details they dont remember from their childhood are mentioned, without fail including that they were not told as children that Goliath was decapitated by David. Should Bibles have parental advisory labels affixed to the cover? Would we really want out children to put what they learn from these parts of the Bible into practice?

Perhaps my directing recommendations need to be updated, after a significant passage of time? If so, who would you recommend as replacements for my examples?

I never got around to tackling other examples of biblical literature. Song of Songs would be porn, if the things that are described through metaphors were to be shown on screen in literal fashion.

Presumably the most mature audience rating of any individual book in the Bible would apply to the whole. And so there is violence, sexually explicit material, probably foul language, and more, in specific places. And so perhaps the question that it would be interesting to ask is which books within the Bible, if any, you would be comfortable placing an E for Everyone rating on, even if the entire compilation needs to be for more mature audiences. I look forward to reading your thoughts on this in the comments!The Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) has officially taken over the alleged corruption scandal at the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA).



It has consequently extended invitation to the sacked Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Authority, Gifty Klenam, to appear before it today.



EOCO has also asked Ms Klenams sacked deputy, Eric Twum Amoako, to report before it for questioning.



A source at EOCO says the two individuals, who allegedly misappropriated $132,000 or GH580,800 during their tenure at GEPA, are to appear before the Executive Director of EOCO, K.K. Amoah, by 11am today, June 12.



Ms. Klenam and Mr. Amoako, it would be recalled, reportedly collected $132,000 or GH580,800 for rent covering a period of two years in gross violation of state procurement laws.



A statement was issued later by the Public Relations Department of GEPA, denying the allegations.



The statement indicated at the time that the Ghana Export Promotion Authority by this release denies the allegations as put in the media.



Its not clear if per her dismissal, she would be made to refund the rent advance paid to her and Eric Amoako.



Even though the ex-CEO and the authority denied the allegations, checks by DAILY GUIDE indicated that she and her sacked deputy actually collected the said amount for their accommodation when GEPA is in desperate need of funds to boost its export promotion activities.



President Akufo-Addo was virtually forced to sack them to apparently save GEPA from sinking financially.



According to sources, workers at GEPA were seething with anger over the alleged reckless spending by Ms. Klenam, who was, on one hand, seen advocating for the promotion of non-traditional export commodities by introducing what she termed as One District, One Exportable commodity, and on another hand blowing cash needed for the realization of such project, on her luxurious lifestyle.



The amount was said to have actually been cashed from First Atlantic Bank, Ghana and used for the rent.



The authority, in its response, failed to address the substantive issues that were raised against Ms Klenam and her deputy.



Reports have it that the CEO and her deputy, in a letter dated 23rd May, 2017, which was jointly signed by the two, ordered the Manager of First Atlantic Bank, Ghana Limited, to effect the transfer of the cedi equivalent of $132,000 from account number 0360571101014 and credit same to account number 0360571101025.



The letter said Mr. Twum was to receive the money on behalf of the authority, and that the money was subsequently withdrawn in two tranches, with $100,000 withdrawn on May 23, 2017 and $32,000 withdrawn on May 26, 2017.



Ms Klenam had reportedly parted with $72,000 as rent allowance at $3,000 a month for 24 months while her deputy Mr. Twum collected $60,000 at $2,500 a month for 24 months.



Again, Ms. Klenam has been accused of paying herself GH93,000 as clothing allowance, and has also been accused of paying $19,500 for a training programme at Harvard University in the United States of America.



Furthermore, its alleged that she also authorized the purchase of two new Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles and two new Saloon cars for herself and her deputy and a new Nissan Teana car for her assistant.









Source: Daily Guide









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Featured VideoMember of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Francis Annor Dompreh has called on the Minister of Health Kwaku Agyemang Manu to address the challenges confronting the health sector with urgency.



Commenting on the recent happening where a 70-year-old man lost his life after seven hospitals refused to attend to him; Mr. Annor Dompreh expressed disgust that the hospitals failed to accommodate the patient just because of claims of having no beds.



The deceaseds family began their search for a hospital at 11:00 pm on Saturday, June 2, travelling for about 46 kilometres in total, across the seven hospitals, till he eventually died at around 3:30 am; a Citi FM publication on Tuesday, June 12 read.



The first hospital the late Anthony Opoku-Acheampong and his family went to before his untimely death was a private facility called C&J Medicare Hospital.



Mr. Opoku-Acheampong reportedly died in his car at the LEKMA Hospital at Teshie, after the hospital also turned him away over claims there were no beds.



Speaking on Peace FMs 'Kokrokoo', Mr. Annor Dompreh wondered why the health workers failed to perform their duties but however believed the situation would have been different if the government had equipped the health facilities in the country.



To him, the health sector is gradually becoming an eyesore; behooving the sector Minister and the President of the Republic, Nana Akufo-Addo as well as the Ghana Health Services to find lasting solutions to the health problems.



Its a disgrace to the country . . . for once, lets demonstrate a certain urgency in public services that when we give you a ministerial authority, lets come and take responsibility, he said.

















Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoGhanaian students on government scholarships in Algeria have commended the Akufo-Addo government for paying attention to their welfare. For the first time, a registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat has visited the country to check on the students.



Kingsley Agyemang described his visit to the students as a very important exercise. He used the opportunity to meet with officials of the Algerian Ministry of Education and took a second look at the various scholarship programmes in operation, to ensure that they fit in to Ghanas development agenda.



During the visit, it was reported that ten months worth of student payment arrears had been cleared, including books and health allowances.



Effective leaders



David Tetteh, president of the Association of Ghanaian Students in Algeria, told the media that he and his peers were pleasantly surprised at how much the Secretariat has changed for the better under new leadership.



He said the keen interest shown by the registrar of the Secretariat had strengthened his desire to see that President Akufo-Addos vision of making education accessible to Ghanaian children is realised.



We, the students in Algeria, were amazed at how things have been restructured at the Scholarship Secretariat under the leadership of Mr Kingsley Agyeman, affirming the keen interest of the President of the Republic, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in the future of Ghanaian children and youth in the area of education and with initiatives such as free high school education and many others, Tetteh said.



He mentioned that it was the first time that the Secretariat had expressed a profound interest in understanding the Algerian educational system and integrating it with that of Ghana.



With this input and effective new phase of the scholarship system, we express our gratitude and thanks to the President for his vision for the future of Ghanaian education. We would also like to thank the current registrar for how devoted he has been so far and for the energy he is putting in to see to it that the purpose of the scholarship is fully attained, Tetteh said.



Massive response



The commendation by the students in Algeria follows a recent intervention by the Secretariat in Cuba, where it paid arrears of students which had accumulated over a number of years.



The president of the National Union of Ghana Students in Cuba on Ghana government scholarships, Nyarko Quansah, applauded the Secretariat for the swift action taken to settle arrears for students undertaking studies in various fields outside the country.



He said that although delays in paying stipends had been a recurring challenge, We cannot overlook the fact that, in recent times, there has been a massive response from your office. This has led to the payment of all accumulated arrears, both maintenance and book allowances, of the previous year.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Featured VideoRev Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, President of the Trinity Theological Seminary in Accra has said that the behavior of some self-acclaimed pastors in the country is making Christianity becoming abusive in recent times.



He said such pastors are only exploiting the belief of the public under the guise of miracles and spiritual intervention and therefore cautioned the public to be on the lookout in other not to fall victims of such scrupulous men and women of God.



Rev Prof. Mante expressed the concern in a sermon he preached at the Commissioning of 24 Ministerial Probationers of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana at the Covenant Congregation at La-Nkwantanang in Accra on Sunday.



The new ministers comprising 22 males and 2 females pursued different degree programmes in Theology at the Trinity Theological Seminary in Accra based on which the General Assembly Council of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana expressed satisfaction at their work and approved their commissioning.



Rev Prof. Mante said it was unfortunate that some of these pastors also take advantage of the unsuspecting victims by taking them through unwarranted healing and deliverance processes.



He warned the newly commissioned ministers not to associate themselves with such charlatans who claim to be practicing the biblical teachings of Christ.



Rev Prof. Mante said there is no doubt about prophecies and miracles in the lives of Christians and the Church. The issue of concern is how these few charlatans manipulate their congregations for their selfish interests.



He maintained that such so called ministers of the Gospel need to be exposed and condemned in no uncertain terms because their irreconcilable with the Bible, which is the standard for evaluating prophecies.



Rev Prof. Mante expressed worry about how these charlatans have taken over the airwaves and deceiving people with all kinds of strange doctrines in the name of religious freedom.



He said the time has come as a people; we take a cue from the Bible in evaluating prophecies and teachings from questionable men of God, in order not to fall prey to their machinations.



In a brief address before the commissioning, Rev Asa Ntow, who represented the probationers, expressed his appreciation to the hierarchy of the church for their ministerial training and promised that they would do their best in their ministerial journey to lift the banner of Jesus high.



He therefore pledge on behalf of his colleagues to adhere to the commands of God and the doctrines of the Church in order to remain faithful to God and His Church. Rev Asa Ntow asked the church members to pray for them to ensure the success of their ministries.

















Source: Rev George Larbi /Public Relations Officer of PCG









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoThe death of a 70-year-old patient after being refused admission by seven hospitals betrays how cheap life is in Ghana, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, founder of policy think tank Danquah Institute, has said.



Mr Anthony Achemapon died on 3 June 2018 at the LEKMA hospital after he was refused admission at six hospitals he had earlier been taken to by his family.



Mr Acheampons case has sparked national outrage on social media, resulting in the Ghana Health Service instituting a probe to tackle the problem once and for all.



What happened to the late Obiri Yeboah is so so sad that it calls for a complete national outrage. It shows the systemic deficiencies in our service delivery system. Let us exert all the positive pressure we can muster to let this Government use this case of yet another avoidable death as the wake-up call to significantly tackle the systemic lack of care in our emergency response system, namely availability of ambulances, beds, etc. Life is sadly too cheap in Ghana and this must change! Mr Otchere-Darko wrote on Facebook on Monday, 11 June.









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Featured VideoDisclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.Following former President John Dramani Mahamas pledge at the last Unity walk in the Volta region that the next National Democratic Congress (NDC) government will prioritise development in that region, some party executives have aptly replied him.



Former President Mahama must remember that we are not forgetful that he gave similar promises during the previous campaigns in 2012 and 2016, which never materialised.



Wisdom Kukubor, a Communication Officer in the Ketu South Constituency wing of the NDC who was speaking in a news conference in Denu said the former President must explain what led to their failure to fulfil earlier promises before making fresh ones.



Flanked by other executives, including Christopher Mensah, a branch Chairman, Mr. Kukubor said the promise was just a ploy by the former President to win the support of Voltarians ahead of his declaration to run for the flagbearership again.



The people of this great region, who are a proud backbone of the NDC largely boycotted the 2016 election because of the betrayals suffered under the previous administration. Among the many painful memories, we remember how Mr Mahama had in 2012 promised to fix our roads and secured our votes for it, and yet did nothing after he became President.



We remember how in 2016, when he realised that he could lose the election, he sent his brother, Ibrahim Mahama to heap gravel on the Toshiba-Dafienu road at the last hour to fool us.



As he would find out later however, the people of the Volta region were not fooled at all, which is why they largely refused to turn up to vote at the polls, Mr. Kukubor said.



He added that the people of Volta had not lost hope in the NDC, but in the former president and his promise to prioritise Volta in his next term was an admission that he failed Volta when he had the opportunity to rule the country.

If you admit that you failed us when you had the opportunity, then why dont you make way for someone else to come? Wisdom Kukubor asked.



He said the promise by President Mahama was quite an affront to the intelligence of Voltarians and urged members of the NDC in the region to rethink before selecting the next Presidential candidate.



According to the Communications officer other candidates like the Second Deputy Speaker, Mr Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, who has made it plain that he would make the party the pivot to his administration if elected could be the best alternative.



On his part, Mr Christopher Mensah said it was regrettable that the NDC lost power in the 2016 general election, but blamed it on the Former President who alienated true party members.



We remember how President Mahama, after ignoring our calls for development in Volta, later came around to show us videos of other places, especially the Ashanti and Greater Accra regions where he had built a lot of infrastructure for the people.



We are shocked, that he admited today that Voltarians are also Ghanaians who deserve development; but isnt it interesting that he came to that grand realisation only after he led us into opposition?

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoMr Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament has described former President John Dramani Mahamas administration as an Animal farm government.



He said in his Animal Farm, administration, monkeys were working, while baboons chopped.



That is why you had unknown people appearing from nowhere and getting top appointments. While people like you and other Executives who had toiled for the party had been ignored.



Mr Bagbin a leading contender for the 2020 flagbearership of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), stated this in a meeting with communicators of the party at his Job 600 office complex at Parliament House.



Mr Bagbin, who had already promised a paradigm shift from that of former President Mahamas style of governance, explained that former President Mahama appointed outsiders into his government because he was not familiar with true party people.



According to him, the former Presidents unfamiliarity with true party faithful was due to the fact that unlike everyone else, President Mahama had not really worked his way through the ranks of the party.



He said in 2004, while, he was Minority Leader, he had to make time to campaign for Mahama in his constituency where the NDC Presidential votes in the Parliamentary elections had been diminishing because he was not in touch with the grassroots.



He said he knew all party true-bloods who continued to sacrifice for the party and therefore, deserved to be rewarded appropriately.



It is not for nothing that I have said I will make the party the fulcrum of my administration, if I am elected flagbearer and eventually win to become the President, I know our people and respect their efforts, Mr Bagbin said.



The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament took the opportunity to remind the communicators that he had nothing against former President Mahama and pointed out that following the untimely death of late President Mills in office in 2012, he Bagbin was one of the people who lobbied to ensure that the former President, who was then Vice to President Mills, was allowed to go unopposed as Flagbearer.



He also pointed out that former President Mahamas sudden elevation to the Vice Presidency had resulted from efforts from people within the party, including himself and the time had come for a paradigm shift in the party.



He said former President Mahamas administration neglected party faithful, leading to pain amongst members and even the founders and leaders



Mr Bagbin said he was rich experience, having served as Minority and Majority Leader, through which he also served as member of the NDCs Functional Executive Committee, National Executive Committee and Council of Elders.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoMillworks is entertaining a move west to Camp Hill.

The owner of the popular Harrisburg restaurant and brewery, Josh Kesler, told the Central Penn Business Journal he has a property - the former Creative Elegance Boutique on Market Street - under contract, with plans to finalize a deal this summer.

He said he wants to open a tasting room at 2129 Market St. next to Cornerstone Coffeehouse. Under Pennsylvania law, existing breweries are permitted to open satellite locations.

Earlier this year, Creative Elegance owner Kathryn "Kathy" McCauslin-Cadieux announced she was closing the shop after 32 years in business.

According to the Business Journal, the building was constructed in 1830 and was a private residence and Civil War-era tavern. It includes a carriage house and is listed for sale by RSR for $849,900.

Kesler opened the Millworks in Midtown in 2015, and along with the restaurant, the facility houses a gallery and about two dozen leased artist studios. He opened the brewery and 165-seat rooftop biergarten in 2016."In his stay with us of less than two years George Ell had endeared himself to all who knew him - ever faithful, kind and true.

"All was done for the dear boy as he lay on his bed of sickness that human agency could contrive but in spite of every effort and skill and patience, although at times there was a shadow of hope, the flow of lifeblood continued until he peaceably passed away."

The same publication that reported George Ell's death - "Indian Helper" - also stated that his friends paid for his tombstone out of love for the boy.

That was in 1891, and this week, George Ell and three other students of the former Carlisle Indian Industrial School will be returned to their families in Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.

On Thursday, the Army National Military Cemeteries group will begin the solemn task of disinterring the remains of George Ell, also known as George Eli, of the Blackfeet Piegan Nation; Little Plume, also known as Hayes Vanderbilt Friday, of the Northern Arapaho; Herbert Little Hawk, also known as both Herbert J. Littlehawk and Good Boy, of the Oglala Sioux; and Her Pipe Woman, also known as Dora Brave Bull, of the Standing Rock Sioux.

Little Plume was part of the first disinterment last year along with two other Northern Arapaho children. While archaeologists were successful in finding the remains of Little Chief and Horse, the remains in the grave marked for Little Plume actually contained the bones of two other unidentified students.

The Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center at Dickinson College has been digitizing photographs, records and publications about the school for the last five years. With 250,000 documents scanned so far, they still have a lot of work to do to help fill in the blanks about the school and the children who attended.

Some of the estimated 10,000 children who attended in the late 19th and early 20th centuries are prominently featured in photographs and documents. Very little has been written about others beyond their attendance records.

Carlisle Indian School students to be disinterred this week 12 Gallery: Carlisle Indian School students to be disinterred this week

Here's what the records show about the four who will be disinterred this week:

Little Plume:

Perhaps the least is known about Little Plume. He is pictured in a group photo of Northern Arapaho students arriving at the school in 1881.

Records show he was just 9 years old when he arrived. His father's name is listed as Bill Friday, and he worked as a butcher.

Little Plume died about a year after his arrival on April 15, 1882.

Dora Brave Bull:

Like Little Plume, she appeared in one group photo, but there were a few more documents in the archives at Dickinson College about her.

Dora was the daughter of Brave Bull, and she arrived at the school at the age of 16. According to a letter in her file from a physician, Dora entered the hospital with "a condition of the lung."

She began improve, and was soon to return to her duties at the school when she contracted the measles. The disease ran its course but left her open to bronchitis, which was "more than she could endure."

George Ell:

George Ell was mentioned in a few articles from publications at the Indian School's on-site printing press. It doesn't reveal much about how the 17-year-old of the Blackfeet Piegans lived, but it does detail how he died.

And the impact he left on his friends.

One mention of Ell states that, while jumping, a blood-vessel in his lungs burst. He died three weeks later.

At his funeral service, his casket was covered "with the choicest of flowers," and the friends who followed his remains to his grave were in "deep and sincere mourning."

It was those friends who purchased a tombstone "in memory of the love in which he was held."

Herbert Littlehawk:

Herbert Littlehawk attended the school for 10 years, arriving when he was 16. He died at the age of 26 of pneumonia, but not before he left quite an impact on his fellow students, teachers and the community.

His death and his memorial service were the subject of a lengthy article in another school-based publication, "The Red Man."

According to the archives, Littlehawk died of pneumonia in October 1895. His memorial service was held in the school's chapel, and "just as the chill twilight of an October day was gathering, all that was mortal of Herbert Littlehawk was returned to the earth."

In his death, the school "lost a trusted companion, a most promising young man."

The article went on to describe Littlehawk:

"His fine carriage, straight-forward manner and clear, courageous eye bespoke him a man of honor, and one whose influence would be felt by those about him."

He arrived at the school with the Sioux name Hok-si-ia wash-te, which means "Good Boy." He hardly spoke a word of English when he first arrived, but he was studious, curious and diligent in his work.

He picked up the trade of harness making, according to the archives, and was part of the school's Invincible Debating Society and was active in the local YMCA.

"He loved knowledge for its own sake; that it was a potent means to help others, made it precious to him," the publication reported.

The speakers included the Carlisle Indian School's founder, Richard Pratt.

"The most prominent traits of Herbert's character were excellence, strength and growth," Pratt said at the service. "To those of us who knew him during the whole ten years of his Carlisle school life, these qualities were especially plain."

Littlehawk, Pratt said, lived by the guiding principle, "I will be a gentleman."

You can find all of this information, and much more, online the Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center.

This week

In preparation for the disinterment, the Carlisle Barracks cemetery along Claremont Road will be closed to visitors and blocked off with privacy fencing.

And officials hope this will be part of the healing process for the families.

"The Army anticipates brining closure to four Native American families whose sacrifice is known to only a few," said Karen Durham-Aguilera, executive director of the Army National Military Cemeteries. "Our objective is to reunite the families with their children in a manner of utmost dignity and respect."

And it is a complicated history. Some students were captured and forced to attend. Others were sent to the school by their tribes following negotiations between the chiefs and the U.S. government. Still others, whose parents had attended, went voluntarily to learn how to read, write and speak English.

It was often a difficult and traumatic transition from tribal life to the military-style regimen of the Carlisle Indian School. The children's traditional clothing was replaced with uniforms. Their hair was cut, they were forbidden to speak their language or practice their customs and they took on new names.

According to records, Pratt believed the American Indians could be equal to the whites, but in order for this to happen, Pratt felt the school had to eradicate everything about the children that was Indian.ERIE, Pa. (AP) -- Two Pennsylvania corrections officers who oversaw a work-release inmate that died after suffering from an asthma attack have been disciplined.

The Erie Times-News reports 48-year-old Felix Manus died at a hospital Monday morning after suffering from an asthma attack May 30 in Edinboro.

His family's lawyer John Mizner says the Erie County corrections officer failed to quickly call for medical care for the man.

County Director of Administration Gary Lee says the county did not know of Manus' medical condition until after the asthma attack. Lee declined to share the identity of the officers involved, or say what kind of discipline they received.

Court records show Manus had been ordered to serve three months of work release for failing to pay $750 in child support.A crash is blocking all traffic on southbound lanes of Route 61 in Schuylkill County this morning.

A tractor trailer is overturned in the crash in Blythe Township, which closed Route 61 south, the Frackville-Saint Clair grade, around 3:56 a.m., state police say. The road is closed between Schuylkill Mall Road and Ann Street.

For more traffic information, follow live traffic updates, accident reports and road closures below from PennDOT, Total Traffic Network and other Twitter sources.

Get a look at conditions on local roads -- via PennDOT traffic cameras -- anytime here on PennLive. For Pennsylvania Turnpike updates and possible travel delays visit the Turnpike website here.

Tweet us at @pennlive with any incidents you see on your commute or send a submission to submissions@pennlive.com.A group of state lawmakers are pushing to fast-track a bill designed to strengthen the hand of "perpetuity" when it comes to land conservation.

Specifically, House Bill 2468 would force create school districts and other governmental agencies eyeing land subject to private conservation easements to win prior court approval before starting condemnation proceedings.

Easements are a relatively common land preservation tool, imposed to protect specific tracts from development that would erase or threaten a variety of open space benefits.

Some worry that strength of that tool is now being threatened statewide by recent actions of two Pennsylvania school districts that have moved on protected estates for school construction or expansion projects.

"I'm concerned that these permanently preserved lands are now being viewed as targets by school boards," said Rep. Kate Harper, R-Montgomery County an one of the new bill's champions.

"They're big spaces... and the boards are going to look first at these lands in the hopes they can get them cheap."

She's also concerned that the takings could have a chilling effect on future preservation efforts.

"Why would anybody give their land (to a conservancy) if the government could right away override their deepest desires?" Harper asked.

The projects that are driving the debate include, locally, Cumberland Valley School District's condemnation of the old McCormick Farm property off Carlisle Pike in Silver Spring Township.

Cumberland Valley has said it would like to develop a new and larger middle school on the site, to help keep up with surging student enrollments.

That taking is currently being challenged in Cumberland County courts by Natural Lands, the holder of the no-development easement, though the district insists language in the property's deed gives its eminent domain powers primacy over the easement.

An evidentiary hearing in the Cumberland Valley case is set for Aug. 6.

Meanwhile, in Montgomery County, Lower Merion School District has raised public concerns over its consideration of taking a portion of Stoneleigh, a 42-acre estate in Villanova that is owned outright by Natural Lands.

Lower Merion, facing the same kind of growth pressures as Cumberland Valley, is considering taking at least a 6.9-acre portion of that estate, which the suburban Philly district is eyeing for playing field space, and maybe more.

As of Monday, the school board there had not filed a formal declaration of taking to date.

The bill drafted by Rep. Warren Kampf, a Republican representing parts of Chester and Montgomery counties, would require any public entity to seek court approval for any move on land subject to such no-development agreements.

As part of that process, Kampf's bill states, the judge must find "there is no reasonable and prudent alternative... for the project" besides the targeted tract.

That's a marked changed from the status quo, in which public takings generally go forward, and then the burden is on the holder of the easements to fight a rear-guard action to block it.

It is, Kampf said, "one additional standard that is not there at the present... and that reflects the value that our communities place on open space."

The bill would apply to lands subject to conservation easements only; not to farms that are in the state's farmland preservation program. Those tracts already enjoy a more stringent set of protections against public agency condemnation.

PennLive efforts to reach the Pennsylvania School Boards Association for comment on the bill late Monday were not immediately successful.

Harper's House Local Government Committee is scheduled to consider the Kampf bill this week, and possibly as early as Tuesday, as part of an effort to see if supporters can get full House and Senate passage before the summer break.

That's a tall order for a newly-drafted piece of legislation.

But supporters are banking on building a coalition of southeastern lawmakers who prize land preservation efforts in the Philadelphia suburbs, where development pressures are unrelenting, and private property rights champions who traditionally like to place limits on the use of eminent domain.

Harper said she has also begun rounding up champions in the Senate Republican caucus who could lead the drive in that chamber, but the first test will be in the House over the next week.By Anne Applebaum

A series of U.S. and North Korean flags, side by side, lined up across a stage. The two men approach the stage from opposite sides, and then shake hands. They pose for photographs. They walk off again. This is the image, the picture, that both men wanted to project around the world. But why?

For Kim Jong Un, this moment is vindication. The wisdom of his nuclear policy has been confirmed: His tiny, poor, often hungry country, where hundreds of thousands have perished in concentration camps that differ little from those built by Stalin, has been treated as the equal of the United States of America. If Kim hadn't continued the missile program, if he hadn't enhanced his missile delivery capability, President Donald Trump would not be there.

The photographs will also help Kim solve an important problem. All dictators are insecure, and absolute dictators are absolutely more insecure than the rest. Several years ago, Kim staged the elaborate murder of his uncle, forcing the rest of the elite to watch as his rival was ripped apart by antiaircraft machine guns. Fear and terror are one way to transmit messages of power; the inspiration of admiration and awe are another. The flags and the handshake will reinforce Kim's legitimacy and make him harder to depose.

For Trump, this image addresses the somewhat different problem of his personal feelings of insecurity. Legally, his legitimacy is not in doubt. Yet Trump often seems to worry that it is. Elected without a majority, Trump repeatedly claims he has one. With no political, educational or any other qualifications, Trump ascribes to himself almost mystical, intuitive qualities instead. So far, these have failed him. In the complicated, nuanced worlds of economics and security, he has achieved nothing except destruction: of previous agreements, of institutions, even of an anodyne G-7 statement just days ago. But in Singapore, he could achieve something without discussion of complex issues, without any intellectual effort at all: a photograph, a "breakthrough," the image of the intuitive dealmaker who wants "peace."

The images coming out of Singapore are also important to Trump because he has created them. When meeting with allies, Trump does not control the narrative, nor does he decide what people will see.

Indeed, the image that came to symbolize that disastrous, angry G-7 meeting was not his own creation: It was taken by a German photographer, and it showed Chancellor Angela Merkel leaning over a table and talking down to the American president, like a parent to a child. In Singapore, by contrast, Trump controlled the optics, even deliberately giving priority to a Singaporean television station rather than the White House pool. He reveled in that ability. "Are you getting a nice photo," he actually asked the camera operator, "So we look nice and handsome and beautiful and perfect?"

As for the substance of the meeting, there wasn't any. The paper signed reiterates previous vague agreements. It promises "denuclearization," just as in the past, but without any substance, as in the past.

It implies that there will now be further talks about talks, but there have been U.S.-North Korean talks before. Had any previous American president, Republican or Democrat, emerged from an event like this, in which so much was given away with so little to show for it, he would have been embarrassed and probably vilified.

But Trump and Kim are two men who survive, in politics, by insisting on their own versions of reality. Both have propaganda machines which will trumpet a great success. Both will be loudly applauded by their respective supporters. Both will gain personally, even if their countries don't. In that sense, this was indeed, as Trump said, "a really fantastic meeting."A state Senate committee could act as soon as Wednesday on a bill banning Down syndrome abortions after state House's top Republican forced the issue by threatening to hold up legislation helping childhood victims of human trafficking.

Yes, you read that right.

House Speaker Mike Turzai's abortionban-bill is the only item on the agenda for the 9:30 a.m. session of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The meeting comes just two days after Turzai, R-Allegheny, filed his abortion-ban bill as an amendment to a trafficking bill sponsored by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Stewart J. Greenleaf, R-Montgomery.

PennLive was the first to report the hardball play by Turzai's office, which set up a cross-Capitol staring contest between the two, Republican-controlled chambers.

Greenleaf's office confirmed Turzai's tactic, claiming it was bewildered because the committee had been planning a vote on the bill all along. Those close to the matter, however, said Greenleaf's committee, along with the Senate at-large, was lukewarm on the ban bill.

News of the meeting outraged reproductive rights advocates, who accused Turzai of holding trafficking victims hostage as he tried to force a vote on his bill.

As it's currently written, Greenleaf's bill requires law enforcement to report any encounter with a minor who has been subject to sexual exploitation. The legislation also calls for the provision of safe, long-term housing, education, life-skills training, and counseling to the children who have been exploited.

Turzai's bill would have added the ban language, which would likely have flown in the face of the constitution's single-subject rule, banning the passage of legislation jammed with non-germane proposals.

"I'm not sure you could get a better example of the dirty underbelly of politics than using the plight of exploited children to advance an unconstitutional abortion ban that will never become law," Sari Stevens, executive director of Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates, the reproductive rights' group's political wing, said in a statement.

Turzai's abortion-ban bill cleared the House on a 139-56 vote in April, over the objections of abortion-rights advocates, who complained that it had never received a public hearing. Nor had disability rights advocates, whom the bill was intended to protect, had the chance to weigh in either.

Gov. Tom Wolf has said he'll veto the bill, versions of which have passed in other states, only to run into constitutional challenges.

In March, a federal judge blocked Ohio's version of the bill, citing U.S. Supreme Court opinions that say a state can't prohibit a woman from making the decision to end a pregnancy before the fetus is viable. A federal judge in Indiana found the same.When President Donald Trump shocked the world by rescinding America's commitment to the Paris Agreement, a bipartisan group of governors created the US Climate Alliance to collectively cut their state's carbon emissions enough to meet America's pledge to the agreement.

So far, there are seventeen states and counting. There is also the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (REGGI) comprised of nine northeastern states with a similar mission. Gov. Tom Wolf belongs to neither.

Wolf's reprehensible excuse for not joining was, "joining was only a symbolic gesture." W

hat's symbolic about reducing carbon emissions to save humanity?

He also said, "Pennsylvania is already on track to meet the Paris Agreement." Exactly how, considering Pennsylvania lets the fossil industry run roughshod throughout the state profiting at the expense of the state's budget?

Humanity has the daunting challenge of limiting global carbon emissions to ~30 billion tons to prevent the temperature from exceeding 1.5deg C (2.7deg F) above pre-industrial levels. Scientists say we have around 15 years to do that. There's around 3000 billion tons of carbon in inventory ready for consumption. That's enough to incinerate us. We can't burn that, and we need to leave the rest in the ground.

In 2017, natural disasters exacerbated by climate change cost the U.S. over $306 billion dollars. Scientists predict climate change will bring intense storms to Pennsylvania on a scale never experienced before causing unprecedented property, infrastructure, agricultural and economic damage.

The partisan divide over climate change is insane; climate destruction doesn't recognize party affiliation. Wolf rightly points out that the current legislative structure in Harrisburg will not support climate protection. But that does not excuse him from having a backbone.

There is one solution that "We the People" have, to fix this problem; any politician who isn't willing to do everything to cut carbon emissions to insure our survival should be voted out of office. November is coming.

Richard Whiteford writes from Downingtown, Pa.By Shannon Brownlee and Vikas Saini

One hundred and twenty-five years ago, Louise Wotring Lyle, a doctor and widow of a Presbyterian minister, opened the six-bed hospital that would ultimately become the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).

UPMC has since evolved from this modest, charitable hospital to a $16 billion global health enterprise. Somewhere along the way, the institution seems to have lost track of its stated mission to serve the surrounding community.

As a public charity, UPMC receives about $200 million in tax breaks annually. By law, non-profit hospitals are required to provide medical services or other support, such as donations to community groups, that improve the health of the community they serve.

However, unlike many other hospitals of similar size, UPMC is not putting resources into services that are needed most by Pittsburgh. Rather, it is prioritizing activities with the greatest opportunity for profit. The proposed $2 billion UPMC expansion, involving three new specialty hospitals, will not make Pittsburgh any healthier. But it will make UPMC richer.

If UPMC is allowed to continue down this path - while it continues to acquire other hospitals in the state - more Pennsylvania communities will see their health needs play second fiddle to UPMC's cash reserves.

Allegheny County's health problems have been widely documented. They include obesity, asthma, binge drinking, and tragic health disparities among those with low to middle incomes and people of color.

In 2016, 15 percent of residents of the county said they didn't have a primary care provider, an increase from previous years. Pittsburgh needs more community clinics, more access to primary care for its residents, and more investment in nutrition and fitness programs. UPMC's own community needs assessment calls for more preventive care, like smoking cessation programs, and better care for people with chronic diseases like diabetes.

That's not what UPMC is investing in.

The high-tech vision center it wants to build is not intended to primarily serve the people of Allegheny County. In fact, UPMC will cater its marketing and outreach to rich patients from abroad. The other two hospitals UPMC wants to build are located in suburbs.

Why?

Because, as bank robber Willie Sutton once said about banks, that's where the money is. People who live in the suburbs have better insurance policies. The people who most need help improving their health generally do not.

UPMC officials argue that the new hospital centers will boost Pittsburgh's economy, by bringing paying patients into the city and creating jobs.

But UPMC makes no similar promises regarding jobs at their new facilities. Most of the statements UPMC has made in the press, at hearings and in materials submitted to the City of Pittsburgh have been curiously free of any discussion of jobs. Even worse, UPMC's service and administrative workers regularly report they are paid unlivable wages and are subject rampant union-busting, which makes the community poorer.

Pennsylvania is fooling itself if it believes in "trickle down health." Real health is created by direct investment in jobs with real wages, education, safe and affordable housing, and healthy food. The experiences of Cleveland and Boston show what happens when this best practice is ignored.

Cleveland Clinic has faced criticism for expanding its services to attract international patients while investing little in the impoverished and unhealthy neighborhoods around it. The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission recently called out the Boston Children's Hospital for its expansion plan that will make Children's a near monopoly and increase health costs by millions.

There's a better way.

One that's focused on the needs of communities. Hospitals in Maryland are rejecting investments in high tech, hospital-based care and are instead moving out into the community to prevent unnecessary hospitalization. That approach can create many more jobs for more communities.

This year, Maryland switched to a global budget system where hospitals are paid a set amount each year and then get to keep more funds if they keep more local residents healthier and out of the emergency rooms.

With consent decrees and other recent regulatory actions, Pennsylvania officials aren't unfamiliar with what it takes to hold UPMC at least somewhat accountable to the mission of its founding.

Now that UPMC plans to spend $200 million of taxpayers' money, it's time for regulators to take action.

UPMC should either be stripped of its tax-exempt status or face restrictions on this proposed expansion and be required to make a more meaningful investment in community health.

Imagine what $2 billion could do for addiction recovery programs, for care at home and in community clinics, for programs for fitness and nutrition for the elderly, and anyone else who needs them, for school clinics and more. Imagine what that could do for the health and jobs in the region.

That could be part of the new approach Pennsylvanians need to solve their most pressing health problems.

It's the strategy we need in communities across the country. UPMC has the power and wealth to become a leader of that kind of investment, and serve as a model for hospitals nationwide.

Shannon Brownlee is senior vice president of the Lown Institute, a healthcare advocacy group in Brookline, Mass. Vikas Saini is its president.B.C. Children's Representative Bernard Richard speaks to media from the Grand Pacific Hotel in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday, October 4, 2017. British Columbia's representative for children and youth says the province's Ministry of Children and Family Development is failing to adequately screen or oversee contractors who house children in care. Bernard Richard has released a letter addressed to Minister Katrine Conroy in which he describes his "grave concerns" about contracted residential resources.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad HipolitoFile - In this April 2, 2017 file photo, rancher Jim Chilton drives his pick-up truck on his property which includes a 5 A-mile stretch of border that's marked only by a four-strand barbed wire fence, in Arivaca, Ariz. A U.S. Border Patrol agent was wounded in a shooting on a southern Arizona ranch near the U.S.-Mexico border before dawn Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in a remote area known for drug and migrant smuggling, the agency and the cattleman who owns the property said. Chilton, a fifth-generation Arizona cattleman who runs a 50,000-acre (about 20,230-hectare) ranch outside Arivaca, told The Associated Press in an interview that the Border Patrol sent him an email saying the agent was alone when he was wounded on the ranch and was struck in the leg and the hand. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File)People look at the extra edition of Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun reporting the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, at Shimbashi Station in Tokyo, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. The headline reads: North Korea promises to denuclearize. (Suo Takekuma/Kyodo News via AP)FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2011 file photo, photographer Jean Claude Arnault attends the Kings Nobel dinner at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. The man at the center of a sex-abuse and financial crimes scandal that is tarnishing the academy which awards the Nobel Prize in Literature, was Tuesday June 12, 2018 charged with two counts of rape of a woman in 2011. (Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency via AP, File)Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Judiciary Committee, responds to reporters asking about President Donald Trump's diplomatic travels at the G-7 in Canada and the summit with the leader of North Korea in Singapore, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)FILE - In this April 21, 2017 file photo, with razor wire across the top of the secondary border fence behind him, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions attends a news conference at the U.S.-Mexico border next to the Brown Field Border Patrol Station in San Diego. Immigration judges generally cannot consider domestic and gang violence as grounds for asylum, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Monday, June 11, 2018 in a ruling that could affect large numbers of Central Americans who have increasingly turned to the United States for protection. (Hayne Palmour IV/The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP, File)FILE - In this Oct. 12, 2010, file photo, former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson poses for a photo in Fort Worth, Texas. The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., heads into its annual meeting next week facing what one senior leader calls a Auhorrifying #MeToo moment." A series of sexual misconduct cases within the SBC has prompted its socially conservative, all-male leadership to seek forgiveness for the ill-treatment of women. Illustrating the SBC's predicament, the featured sermon at next week's meeting is scheduled to be delivered by Patterson, the central figure in the most prominent of the troubling #MeToo cases. (Paul Moseley/Star-Telegram via AP, File)Smoke haze from forest fires burning in Alberta and British Columbia hangs over Banff, Alta., in Banff National Park, Friday, July 21, 2017. The Town of Banff has banned smoking or vaping cannabis in public places once it becomes legal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntoshPerryville takes down Saxony in possible district preview It was a game that Saxony Lutheran boys soccer coach Chris Crawford said had a postseason feel to it.If that was how a possible district tournament matchup between Perryville and Saxony 

Lancers goal line stand downs Indians Two yards or six feet. Either way you look at it, that was all that was standing between St. Vincent and certain victory.However, St. Pius had other plans. The Lancers held off the Indians on the Nandlall files appeal to overturn CJ's ruling on Guyana's GECOM Chairman appointment

By Kaieter News

GEORGETOWN

Petroleumworld 06 12 2018

Concerned that among other things, Chief Justice (CJ) Roxane George-Wiltshire S.C. misconstrued and misinterpreted the role of the Leader of the Opposition in Article 161 (2) of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. Attorney-at-law Anil Nandlall is now asking the Court of Appeal to overturn a recent ruling by her concerning the appointment of a Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).



The appeal was filed yesterday by Attorneys-at-law Anil Nandlall, Manoj Narayan, Sasha Mahadeo-Narayan, Rajendra Jaigobin and Anuradha Deodatsingh and Devindra Kissoon on behalf of People's Progressive Party (PPP) executive member Zulfikar Mustapha.



Mustapha had moved to the Courts to challenge President David Granger's unilateral appointment of 84-year-old Justice (Rtd) James Patterson as Chairman of GECOM. The appointment was made on October 19, last year.

The challenge, which had engaged the Courts for some time was on Friday, last, dismissed by the CJ, although she found that the President should have given reasons for his rejection of the nominees submitted by

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo.



She ruled that the President enjoys the right to reject the list of names provided by Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo, and unilaterally appoint someone from the judicial category as Chairman of GECOM, as outlined in Article 161 (2) of the Constitution of Guyana.



The appeal concentrated on 14 grounds. Lawyers for Mustapha argued that the decision of the acting Chief Justice is wrong, misconceived and erroneous in law as it allows the President to reject a list of names submitted to him by the Leader of the Opposition pursuant to Article 161 (2) of the Constitution and make a unilateral appointment of a person of his own choosing.



They have argued, too, that the CJ erred and misdirected herself in law in construing Article 161 (2) of the Constitution of Guyana by failing to give effect to the intentions of the framers of the said Article.



They have also argued that the Chief Justice erred and misdirected herself in law when she failed to apply or failed to properly apply the purposive canon of interpretation in construing Article 161 (2) of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

The Learned Hearing Judge erred and misdirected Herself in law when Her Honour misconstrued and misinterpreted the role of the Leader of the Opposition in Article 161 (2) of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana in so far as Her Honour's interpretation or misinterpretation has reduced the role of the Leader of the Opposition to being merely perfunctory, the appeal stated.



According to the appeal, the CJ also erred and misdirected herself in law by omitting to review or properly review the exercise of the power and discretion, which Article 161 (2) resides with the President. The President rejected three sets of names submitted to him by the Leader of the Opposition pursuant to the said Article. Nandlall wants the appellate court to determine whether the President exercised that power and discretion lawfully and reasonably and not irrationally, capriciously, whimsically and influenced by irrelevant and extraneous considerations and not guided by relevant considerations.



Further, the lawyers are contesting that the Chief Justice erred and misdirected herself in law by ruling that the President has the power to reject a list of six names submitted to him by the Leader of the Opposition in accordance to Article 161 (2) of the Constitution of Guyana.

In their petition to the Court of Appeal, the lawyers further argued that the Chief Justice erred and misdirected herself in law when she failed to pronounce on whether the President has the power to request more than one list of six names from the Leader of the Opposition pursuant to Article 161 (2) of the Constitution.



Another ground for the appeal states that the Chief Justice erred and misdirected herself in law when she failed to take into account the first and the second list of names submitted by the Leader of the Opposition upon the request of the President pursuant to Article 161 (2) of the Constitution.



The appeal further argues that, The Learned Hearing Judge erred and misdirected Herself in law by finding that the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana is empowered to reject the list as unacceptable although one or more persons on that list is or are acceptable to the President;



The decision of the Learned Hearing Judge is wrong, misconceived and erroneous in law as it has destroyed a delicate but fundamental balance in the composition of the Guyana Elections Commission, which the framers of the Constitution intended to repose in a Chairman appointed by a formula captured in Article 161 (2) of the Constitution which ensures that such a Chairman enjoys the confidence and acceptance of both the Leader of the Opposition and the President.



In the legal document seen by this publication, lawyers for Mustapha have contested that the Chief Justice erred and misdirected herself in law by ruling that the President lawfully and properly invoked the proviso to Article 161 (2) of the Constitution.



The lawyers' petition outlined that the CJ erred and misdirected herself in law by failing to correctly and properly construe and interpret the circumstances when the proviso to Article 161 (2) of the Constitution can be activated.



It continues, The Learned Hearing Judge erred and misdirected Herself in law by failing to impugn the appointment of Mr. Justice James Patterson as Chairman of GECOM after Her Honour ruled that reasons are required to be provided by the President for the rejection of the list submitted by the Leader of the Opposition pursuant to Article 161 (2) of the Constitution and after having ruled that the President provided no such reasons.

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LNG-Asian prices continue climb towards double digits

By Jessica Jaganathan

SINGAPORE

Petroleumworld 06 11 2018

Spot prices for Asian liquefied natural gas (LNG) climbed towards $10 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) this week, spurred firm demand from China and gas plant maintenance denting supply.

Spot prices for July LNG-AS delivery in Asia were at $9.80 per million British thermal units (Btu) this week, up 20 cents from the previous week. Prices for August delivery will likely trade closer to $10 per mmBtu, two traders said.

But the continued spike in prices - currently at a four-year seasonal high - could attract more arbitrage supply from Europe to enter Asia, which could cap gains, they added.

It's not a frenzy like it was earlier this week but (prices) are still quite high, a Singapore-based trader said.

Higher-than-normal temperatures across Asia are also expected to boost LNG prices, data on Thomson Reuters Eikon shows.

Maintenance and lower exports from several plants are also supporting spot prices, traders said.

Malaysia's Bintulu LNG export plant is experiencing a sharp drop in shipments amid a logjam of vessels stuck outside port, potentially due to technical issues affecting the plant or fields. Feedgas volumes into Sabine Pass fell by a third to 2 billion cubic feet/day on May 15 and have remained there ever since, reflecting an outage at the plant's liquefaction train, traders said.

The APLNG plant on Curtis Island off the east coast of Australia will also undergo a partial maintenance over July, August and September, affecting half of a train.

TENDERS AND TRADES

Oil major Chevron may have sold an additional spot cargo to a portfolio player at close to $10 per mmBtu, while Russia's Sakhalin Energy likely sold a late-July loading LNG cargo at about $9.80 to $9.90 per mmBtu, traders said.

The Papua New Guinea export plant sold a July loading cargo this week, but price details were not immediately available. Indian Oil Corp also issued a tender seeking a cargo for August delivery into Dahej terminal, the traders added.

Still, with Chevron completing planned modifications on Gorgon Train 2 in the Gorgon LNG plant off Western Australia, which had been idled since May, more spot supply could cap prices, traders said.

Production from the second train of Chevron's second Australian LNG mega-project at Wheatstone in Australia is expected to start this month, which could also add to the spot market, they added.

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Baghdad ballot box fire stokes tensions, Iraqi cleric Sadr warns of civil war

By Ahmed Aboulenein

BAGHDAD

Petroleumworld 06 11 2018

Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr urged Iraqis on Monday to unite rather than squabble over a possible rerun of the election his bloc won last month, a message apparently meant to defuse political tension after a ballot box storage depot caught fire.

Certain parties are trying to drag Iraq into civil war, Sadr said, adding that he would not participate in one.

Parliament has mandated a manual recount of the election in which a number of parties alleged fraud. A storage site holding half of Baghdad's ballot boxes went up in flames on Sunday in what Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi denounced as a plot to harm the nation and its democracy.

An Iraqi court ordered the arrest of four people accused of setting fire to the storage site, state television reported. Three of them were policemen and one an employee of the Independent High Elections Commission.

Iraqi authorities said the ballot boxes were saved but the fire has added to fears of violence.

What Moqtada said about (Iraq) being close to some sort of armed conflict is concerning. The situation is tense and it seems to be on the brink of conflict, said Renad Mansour, research fellow at Chatham House in London.

Sadr, a Shi'ite cleric who once led violent campaigns against the U.S. occupation that ended in 2011, has emerged as a nationalist opponent of powerful Shi'ite Muslim parties allied with neighbouring Iran.

Stop fighting for seats, posts, gains, influence, power, and rulership, he wrote in an article published by his office.

Is it not time to stand as one for building and reconstruction, instead of burning ballot boxes or repeating elections just for one seat or two?

Sadr has in the past mobilised tens of thousands of followers to protest government policies he opposed.

The election, which was the first since the defeat of Islamic State militants who seized a third of Iraq in 2014, raised hopes that Iraqis could put aside sectarian divisions to rebuild.

One of Sadr's top aides said on Sunday the fire was intended either to force a rerun of the election or to conceal fraud.

ELECTION REPEAT UNLIKELY

But a repeat of the election is unlikely, analysts say, as none of the top parties have endorsed this step, and many incumbent lawmakers have lost their seats and thus lack legitimacy in the eyes of the public.

The Supreme Federal Court is the only entity that has the right to decide on a repeat, not the government or parliament, Abadi's spokesman said on Monday.

A spokesman for Hadi al-Amiri, whose Fatih alliance of groups linked to pro-Iran Shi'ite militias came second in the election behind Sadr's bloc, said he did not favour a repeat.

The middle of the road solution is a manual recount, said Karim al-Nuri, referring to the fraud allegations.

Some of Iran's other supporters, such as former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, whose bloc performed below expectations in the election, would benefit.

At the same time, a recount might harm Iran in other ways. Tehran is accused by some parties in two provinces of helping a Kurdish party allied with it commit election fraud.

Iran would have preferred if Fatih and (Maliki's) State of Law (list) had done better than Sadr so any kind of redo where a different scenario comes out is better for Iran, said Mansour.

It is not an ideal situation for Iran and they might support a redo, but actually a recount might implicate them if the allegations in the north are correct.

VOTING EQUIPMENT

In the election, Iraq used an electronic vote-counting system for the first time. Some Iraqi politicians had argued that the manual recount was necessary to make sure that the electronic system did not hide fraud.

Miru Systems, the Korean company that provided the electronic equipment, said there was nothing wrong with it.

We have checked our election device provided to Iraq after the fraud allegation erupted, and found out that there have been no malfunction in the device nor its system, said a spokesman.

Abadi has blamed the Independent High Elections Commission, which introduced the electronic system, for what he said were dangerous violations, and parliament voted to suspend the board of commissioners and replace them with judges.

The commission opposes the recount decision and has appealed against it but the judiciary has already started implementing parliament's measures, naming a new head for the commission from within its ranks on Monday.

There is a lack of clarity as to who is in charge, what procedure is the legal procedure. Everyone is doing their own thing. The government institutions meant to monitor this process are neither independent nor powerful, said Mansour.

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Pemex says fire under control at Lazaro Cardenas refinery in Minatitlan

By Reuters

MEXICO CITY

Petroleumworld 06 11 2018

Mexico's Pemex said on Monday that a fire at its Minatitlan refinery was under control and the plants were operating normally.

The state-run oil company said the fire at its facilities in the southern state of Veracruz had been put out by 7 a.m. There were no injuries, the company added.

Pemex said it would investigate the cause of the incident.

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N.Korea to denuclearize: How Kim Jong Un and Trump differ on Denuclearization

PTI





U.S. President Donald Trump, right, reaches to shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. - Play Video - Trump Says Denuclearization Process To Start 'Quickly'

By David Tweed and Kanga Kong

HONG KONG / SEOUL

Petroleumworld 06 12 2018

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's meeting in Singapore today seemed an unthinkable prospect just a year ago when the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea were exchanging insults and threats. The main topic will be denuclearization, but they appear to have different ideas of what that means and how long it might take. Overcoming those differences will be key to reaching a historic outcome.

1. What is the U.S. stance on denuclearization?

The U.S. wants to see complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Known in the arms-control world as CVID, this would involve dismantling North Korea's nuclear program and stripping Kim of the ability to make nuclear bombs in the future.

2. What does denuclearization mean for North Korea?

North Korea in April committed to work toward complete denuclearization, without elaborating on what that meant. In 2016, a government spokesman called for the denuclearization of the whole Korean peninsula and this includes the dismantlement of nukes in South Korea and its vicinity. More recently, North Korea has framed its willingness to get rid of nuclear weapons in more of a global context, implying that it will do so in concert with established nuclear powers like the U.S., China and Russia.

3. Does the U.S. have nuclear weapons on the peninsula?

The U.S. hasn't stationed them in South Korea since 1992, but it does provide a so-called nuclear umbrella that guarantees the safety of allies South Korea and Japan. Kim may ask the U.S. to remove the nuclear bombers it has stationed in Guam and cease patrols by its nuclear-armed submarines. The U.S. would be unlikely to agree to any measures that would leave its allies vulnerable.

4. What about the time frame for removing nuclear weapons?

Speed is crucial for the U.S. to avoid a lengthy process that provides sanctions relief for North Korea as well as time to advance its nuclear program even further. Even so, North Korea has made it clear it will not accept the so-called Libya model proposed by U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton under which the regime ships its nuclear arsenal out of the country in return for security guarantees and sanctions relief. Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi, who gave up his weapons of mass destruction in exchange for an easing of sanctions in 2003, was subsequently killed at the hands of U.S.-backed rebels.

5. Has any progress been made in this area?

A spat over the sequencing for denuclearization underpinned Trump's decision last month to cancel the summit. North Korea then softened its tone by pushing for a phased approach to giving up its nuclear program. Trump has indicated flexibility, saying on June 1 that denuclearization is going to be a process. U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis said afterward that North Korea would receive relief when it demonstrates verifiable and irreversible steps to denuclearization.

6. What might those steps look like?

They could include extending a moratorium on missile and nuclear testing, limiting and eventually eliminating North Korea's stockpiles of fissile material, and closing its main nuclear facility, the Yongbyon nuclear plant. North Korea may also cap production and eventually eliminate its two classes of intercontinental ballistic missiles -- the Hwasong-14 and the larger and more developed Hwasong-15 -- as well as shorter-range missiles that would be used in an attack on Japan or South Korea. In addition, it could agree to allow independent inspectors into the country to verify all of is commitments.

7. What will North Korea seek in the negotiations?

Kim's regime is looking for a reduction in U.S. troops, the curtailment of the U.S.-South Korean military drills, a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War, U.S. diplomatic recognition and the easing of sanctions that are starting to hit its economy. Most importantly, Kim's regime wants its security guaranteed. After meeting Kim for the second time last month, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the North Korean leader was uncertain if he could trust the U.S. saying that it'll end hostile relations and guarantee the security of his regime after his denuclearization.

8. Why does North Korea worry about its security?

The 1950s conflict between North Korea -- backed by China and the Soviet Union -- and U.S.-led forces supporting South Korea ended without a peace treaty. As such, the U.S. and North Korea are technically still at war . Kim, like his father and grandfather, views the U.S. -- which stations some 28,500 troops in South Korea and conducts drills with its military -- as an existential threat. Recent American military campaigns in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya have only reinforced his view that nuclear weapons are necessary to deter a U.S. invasion.

9. Why does the U.S. worry about North Korea?

The U.S. has long been concerned that North Korea was developing a nuclear program that would threaten its allies in the region and eventually America itself. That worry turned into reality after Kim accelerated North Korea's missile testing program and detonated a nuclear device 17 times more powerful than the bomb the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima. Late last year, Kim announced North Korea had completed its nuclear deterrent -- in other words, it had an intercontinental ballistic missile that was capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the continental U.S.

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PDVSA Citgo seeks crude as supplies from Venezuela dry up

Eddie Seal



A tanker sails out of the Port of Corpus Christi in Texas. PDVSA supplied as much as 40 percent of Citgo's crude requirements, but is now unable to comply with the contractual volume of heavy crude due to falling output and port congestion slowing deliveries.

By Marianna Parraga

HOUSTON

Petroleumworld 06 12 2018

The U.S. unit of Venezuela's state-run oil producer PDVSA [PDVSA.UL] is increasing purchases of crude on the open market because it cannot get sufficient deliveries from its struggling parent company, traders said on Monday.

Citgo Petroleum has been buying crude from multiple countries worldwide as PDVSA has been unable to comply with the contractual volume of heavy crude due to falling output and port congestion slowing deliveries, according to the traders.

Declining oil production, lawsuits by creditors, shortages of spare parts for terminals and executive braindrain have all reduced PDVSA's ability to export oil. Most recently, U.S.-based ConocoPhillips' actions to seize PDVSA assets to cash in on a $2 billion arbitration award have added to the firm's export issues.

Crude exports are Venezuela's main source of revenue, but the OPEC member has seen deliveries fall sharply in the last few months, dropping to 1.17 million barrels per day (bpd) in May from 1.24 million bpd in April, according to Thomson Reuters trade flows data.

Citgo in recent weeks has been buying Colombian and Ecuadorean heavy crude on the spot market, as well as Azeri Light from the Black Sea region and Arab heavy and medium crudes, according to the Reuters data and traders.

From January through April, Citgo was the customer most affected by PDVSA's inability to fulfill its contracts, according to the Venezuelan company's internal data. PDVSA's oil output this year has fallen to 1.62 million bpd, a 33-year low.

Citgo has a 273,000-bpd contract to import Venezuelan Merey crude from PDVSA, but PDVSA has not sent a single cargo of that grade in over a month, forcing Citgo to buy spot cargoes of diluted crude oil (DCO) from joint ventures, according to the traders and Reuters data.

PDVSA has sent other grades, including Corocoro and Pedernales, but only in small volumes.

They are mainly looking for Latin American heavy grades, said a trader who sold two spot crude cargoes to Citgo for June delivery.

Citgo can process up to 749,000 bpd of crude in three U.S. refineries. In the past, PDVSA supplied as much as 40 percent of Citgo's crude requirements, but volumes have been slowly declining for years.

The subsidiary has a contingency plan for diversifying imports if Venezuelan supply declines further, according to a Citgo employee, who declined to be identified as the information was private. The plan has not yet been activated, the person added.

(For a graphic on PDVSA's noncompliance with its supply contracts, click on tmsnrt.rs/2JqWNoI)

As of June 11, PDVSA had 23 million barrels worth of crude to be shipped from the port of Jose and through new ship-to-ship (STS) transfers off its Paraguana Refining Center (CRP), according to Reuters vessel tracking and trade flows data.

Since early June, PDVSA has been notifying customers about its need to employ STS operations. The backlog has decreased to 72 vessels this week from over 80 tankers last week, according to Reuters data, as PDVSA has focused on loading the largest vessels first and rejected nominations for receiving new tankers in June until it finishes loading those already in line. Each STS operation is taking almost a week, said a shipping source. Costs are higher, special vessels are needed and PDVSA operators have to be moved from other ports. It's a lot of work.

Large tankers chartered by Valero Energy, Vitol, Nayara Energy and Reliance Energy of India, and China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) were waiting on Monday near Jose port for crude.

ConocoPhillips' bid to claim $2 billion from arbitration led to a tanker backlog representing nearly a month's worth of shipments at its main terminal.

ALTERNATIVES

Citgo was expecting to receive about 6 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey crude in June, one of the traders said.

Instead, it imported a 516,000-barrel cargo of DCO that discharged last week and several other cargoes of the same grade have set sail to its refineries, according to the Reuters data.

The pressure for Venezuelan oil eased up slightly in early June as Citgo's 157,500-bpd Corpus Christi refinery halted its fluid catalytic cracker (FCC) due to a fire.

But declining production of upgraded crude at PDVSA's joint ventures in the Orinoco Belt, the country's largest producing region, has limited the barrels Citgo normally could access in place of Merey.

Of four crude ventures that process up to 620,000 bpd of oil for exports, two are undergoing maintenance and a third is expected to start major maintenance later this month, according to two sources close to the projects.

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"Can you tell me about the day you died?" is a question that few people can answer.

But let's flash back to March 5, when chef Georges Perrier, 74  who put Philadelphia on the culinary map decades ago with Le Bec-Fin  collapsed outside his Center City apartment building. A neighbor, Nancy Petersmeyer, who is a physician, said she found Perrier unresponsive, his skin gray, his eyes glassy. There was no pulse. She administered CPR. His heart started beating again as medics arrived and whisked him to the hospital.

We chatted the other day at Parc, at a table looking across at Rittenhouse Square. Perrier, frequently interrupted for hugs and handshakes, looked none the worse for his experience. He was drinking cranberry and club soda, explaining with a sigh and a shrug that he misses wine.

What are you up to these days?

Nothing. I want to teach, maybe do another cookbook. Now it's vacation time. I cook sometimes. I did a dinner at Le Cheri with Charlotte and Pierre Calmels [a former Le Bec-Fin chef]. It was very successful. They said, 'You have to do it again.' And now they're closed. My life is quiet. I read. I watch television, the French news. I go out. I'm never bored, to tell the truth.

Tell me about the restaurant business today.

Very funny, because I just saw Neil Stein today, and he said, 'You remember, Georges, we were the kings of Walnut Street.' Neil was a gentleman, a true restaurateur. He loved the business. I don't think the business has changed. I think maybe we see more bistros and more casual food than we are seeing fancy restaurants. The fancy restaurants are not popular now. But the restaurant business is always a cycle. The cycle turns and I think that maybe in five years, in six years, the cycle will turn and we will see very chic and very elegant restaurants where the people want to wear a tie and the women want to get dressed. I think it will come back.

Are there too many restaurants now?

That doesn't matter, if there are too many restaurants, because the good ones do business and the bad ones go out of business in six months. So it's always been that way  even when I was in business. Now I think the competition is very ferocious because there are so many BYOBs. That didn't exist in my time. BYOBs take a lot of customers away from the restaurants that serve alcohol. And it's much cheaper, so people go where it's cheaper. They always look for a bargain. I'm glad I'm out of the restaurant business. When I was in the restaurant business, the pressure was so much. It's crazy. I was number one and I wanted to stay number one. And then, you know, the restaurant caused me to divorce. I was married three times.

Whos doing the most exciting food in Philadelphia now, from your perspective?

I like Vernick. I like Nick Elmi [at Laurel and Royal Boucherie], too. I think he does great food. I like also Lee Styer at Fond. But don't you know? They all worked for me, so they do Georges Perrier food a little bit and they do what they like to do and that's why they're successful. They're very smart.

Can you tell me about the day you died?

I've got to tell you something. I was walking down the street and I felt this pain. I went down on the ground, and this woman came and she gave me CPR. She saved my life. If this woman didn't come give me CPR, I'd be dead. Then the ambulance came to take me to the hospital. And it's funny, because I never had any symptoms. No symptoms whatsoever. It just came like this.

Any white light?

No! I mean, I saw death. For a second, I was dead. You know, now I look at everything different. Now I say, 'This is not a rehearsal.' God gave me another chance. So I'm going to live it and be a good person. I always was a good person. I consider myself very lucky. Very, very lucky.

I have to ask: How was the hospital food?

You know, I didn't give a [whit] about the food. Who cares? Stephen Starr was so nice. He sent me food every day. He's a class act.

Tell me about your family.

I got two granddaughters, who are beautiful. My daughter [Genevieve] is wonderful, and she's so good to me. I'm lucky to have a beautiful daughter. It's nice when you have children and your children love you and take care of you. It's really special.

Did you ever worry that your daughter would go into the restaurant business?

She hated it. So I had nothing to worry about. She always said to me, 'I hate that business.' I never saw her. She didn't have a father. I was working all the time. That's why she hated it. And you know, I understand. Because when you're in the restaurant business, you don't have a normal life like normal people. Not me. My life was not normal. I used to get up at 3 o'clock in the morning, go to the market, buy my food and load the food by 7 o'clock in the morning at the restaurant. Go home, take a shower, and go back to work. And work till 2 o'clock in the morning. It's crazy. Who wants to do this?

But did you like it?

I loved it.

What did you love about it?

I loved the action. I loved to see the people. I loved when the people came and they said to me, 'Oh, my God, this is so beautiful. The food is so good.' I loved it. It was like a drug.

What dish would you like to be remembered for?

The galette de crabe.

The famous French chef and crab cakes? How did you come up with them?

I have to tell you a story. One day years ago, I went to Maryland, and I had galette de crabe. I think, 'This is missing something.' So the next day, I was in my kitchen and I said, 'What am I going to do?' If I do a mousse  You know, I did a mousse with lobster. But it was too expensive. I said, 'I've got to change that.' I did a mousse of shrimp, and I mixed it up with the crab meat, and I put Dijon mustard, and I put Worcestershire sauce, and I put Tabasco. I sold so many of them, you couldn't believe it.

Any regrets?

No. I have no regrets whatsoever. If I do it again, I hope I would do the same mistakes and do it the same way. I have a beautiful life. I don't regret nothing. I got a lot of friends who love me, a lot of nice people. I consider myself a very lucky guy.

>> Click here for Georges Perrier's galette de crab recipe.BalletX holding an open rehearsal in the FringeArts building at the 2015 Feastival. Read more

For its ninth year, Feastival  the splashy fundraiser at which dozens of top restaurants offer samples amid performance artists  will tweak its concept.

In a bid to create a truly Philadelphia-themed event, FringeArts organizers plan to pair off about 60 participating chefs to create one-night-only dishes representing five areas of the city. The event will be 7 to 10 p.m. Sept. 27 at FringeArts, on Columbus Boulevard at Race Street.

"As we approach the 10th anniversary, we know we have to keep it fresh," said chef Nicholas Elmi of Laurel, ITV, and Royal Boucherie, who is chairing for a second year with Michael Solomonov (Zahav, Abe Fisher, Federal Donuts, Dizengoff, Goldie). Restaurateurs Stephen Starr and Audrey Taichman are also listed as hosts.

Last year's participating chefs were invited to La Peg, at FringeArts, on Monday night to hear from Elmi and Solomonov about the new format.

This year, chefs will be given a stipend to help with expenses. Chefs are constantly asked to contribute staff, time, and food to a growing slate of charity events, said Elmi and Solomonov. Chefs this year will be asked to prepare more substantial dishes than the bite-size samples typically offered, Solomonov said.

The 2018 Festival will spotlight Philadelphia's neighborhoods and the cuisines largely associated with them, including West Philadelphia (Caribbean, Indian, and African cuisines); South Philadelphia (Italian, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Mexican), Chinatown for a range of Asian dishes; Kensington and Fishtown (Polish and Irish), and Northeast Philadelphia (Russian, Jewish, and German fare).

The idea here, said Solomonov, will be for the chef teams to create a one-off dish that is representative of that area and its cuisines. The teams have not been announced, but the idea is to pair strangers in an unfamiliar style. Solomonov said he, for example, would not be part of the Northeast Philadelphia "neighborhood" because of his work in Jewish cooking.

Tickets, which will be $300 for general admission and $450 for earlier VIP access, are not yet on sale.From cannabis to quinoa, ruby to low-sugar: This is not your grandmother's chocolate.

With the market for traditional candy bars in developed countries flagging as consumers shun sugary items for healthier treats, food companies are trying to make chocolate more appealing. Their tactics include gimmicks such as Ritter Sport's hemp-infused Chocolate and Grass bars (they don't get you high), new flavors and colors, as well as formulas that cut down on sugar.

Some chocolatiers are even diversifying away from candy. Pennsylvania-based Hershey Co., which began selling its classic bar 120 years ago, is moving into popcorn and potato chips, while Mars said in November that it will buy a stake in health-snack firm Kind. Just two months later, Nestle agreed to sell its U.S. confectionery unit amid falling revenue and a focus on such products as coffee and water.

"Sugar is portrayed as the new tobacco," said Eric Bergman, a commodities broker at Jenkins Sugar Group. "Consumers are now shifting away from the iconic, sugar-filled chocolate brands that we know and into healthier foods. The largest chocolate companies have followed suit and they are transitioning from chocolate companies into snack companies."

Although lower cocoa prices helped improve demand more recently, there's a growing push to discourage consumption of sugar, which makes up almost half of an average chocolate bar. Advocacy groups are urging people to cut back and governments, such as Philadelphia, are taxing sugary drinks.

To counter health concerns, Nestle is selling slimmed-down Milkybars in the U.K. and Ireland as part of a program to use 30 percent less sugar. The bars include a type of sugar that dissolves quicker in the mouth, but produces a similar taste to before.

Hershey's almost $1 billion purchase of Amplify Snack Brands, which also sells protein bars, shows how the industry is branching out as it contends with falling demand for sugary products. The moves come as Euromonitor International sees 2018 chocolate sales growth in western Europe and North America below levels of several years ago.

There are some bright spots for chocolate consumption. Sales of premium brands such as Lindt & Spruengli are on the rise, demand in developing countries is growing, and consumers are increasingly willing to pay more for dark chocolate, which contains more cocoa and less sugar, Bergman said. Millennials are also keen to try new varieties, prompting more flavors and artisan brands.

Ruby chocolate is one example. Nestle has been quick to adopt the first new color in eight decades, which was introduced by No. 1 cocoa processor Barry Callebaut last year and is shaded pink using only natural ingredients. Germany's Ritter Sport, which sold out of its limited cannabis bars in just two days, has also offered quinoa bars in the country. Cargill Inc. markets caramel-flavored white chocolate and also makes lactose-free dark chocolate.

"People are beginning to look at different tastes, different flavors," Gerry Manley, head of cocoa at Olam International, said in an interview in Berlin. "They are beginning to want ingredients to mix together themselves. You are getting a lot more artisan type of chocolate."

Consumers also want to understand how the cocoa in their products was produced and whether it meets ethical standards, said John George, an analyst at Euromonitor. Mars said this month that it will spend $1 billion on sustainability, including making operations more energy and water efficient as well as making an effort to buy directly from farmers.

Some customers even want more say over what they buy, according to Andreas Ronken, chief executive officer of Ritter Sport, which lets consumers vote on future limited editions.

"Consumers are increasingly asking themselves 'where does my food come from?'" Wyatt Elder, director of research and development at Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate, and Ilco Kwast, marketing director at the company, said by email. "There is a change going on in the marketplace, not just among millennials but across age groups and geographies, which will impact on us and other manufacturers. Standing still is not an option."Amazon is bringing free grocery deliveries from Whole Foods Market to Philadelphia customers in an expansion of its Prime Now express service that also includes Boston, Baltimore and Richmond, Va.

Area Amazon.com Inc. customers who pay for the Seattle company's Prime subscription service will be able to have grocery orders of more than $35 delivered within two hours for free, with one-hour delivery available for $7.99, starting Tuesday.

Included in the Philadelphia expansion is a swath of the region stretching as far west as West Chester, in Chester County; as far north as Hatfield, in Montgomery County; and as far east as Mount Holly, in Burlington County, Allon Katz, director of Amazon's Prime Now division, said in an interview Monday.

Grocery orders will be packaged by "shoppers" employed at Whole Foods stores and delivered by drivers with the Amazon Flex courier service, Katz said. The service is available from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The Prime Now division also has a permit to operate a grocery business at a warehouse at 41st and Chestnut Streets in West Philadelphia, but Katz declined to comment on "the role of that building or any other buildings that Amazon has leased in the city."

With the expansion, Whole Foods deliveries through Prime Now are available in 14 cities nationwide. The service began in February in Austin, Dallas, Cincinnati and Virginia Beach, Va. Amazon has owned Austin-based Whole Foods since August 2017.

Amazon's older grocery business, AmazonFresh, will continue to serve customers in Philadelphia, Katz said. Users of that service generally have to place orders a day or two in advance and to await delivery within a two-hour window that they reserve.Less than a month after unanimously passing a per-worker tax on such large employers as Amazon, the Seattle City Council voted 7-2 to repeal the new tax, which was set to provide almost $50 million for homeless services and affordable housing.

The reversal caps a tense few weeks in the city, where signature-gatherers  some volunteer, some paid by the business community  stood at parks, grocery stores, and transit stops to sign up enough people to put a repeal on the November ballot. The council's move Tuesday means the employer tax issue won't face the city's voters.

The council initially approved the tax of $275 an employee  called a head tax  in response to the region's growing homeless population, which has swelled to more than 12,000 people. Local lawmakers had passed the bill last month despite a rare public rebuke from e-commerce giant Amazon, the city's dominant private employer, which paused its expansion plans in the city pending the outcome of the vote. The debate unleashed tense local divisions, exposing the anxieties of being the fastest-growing big city in the United States.

In a matter of weeks after the tax passed, the business community raised more than $280,000 for the repeal campaign, dubbed No Tax on Jobs, including a $25,000 donation from Amazon. Most of the campaign's funding went to hire an Arizona-based signature-gathering firm called Morning in America. A counter effort, sponsored by the Service Employees International Union, raised about $70,000 to convince voters not to sign the petition.

Amazon didn't respond immediately to a request for comment on the council's action.

Although a report by McKinsey & Co. said the region needed to double its funding for homelessness, in particular to build more affordable housing, Amazon and the business community said new city resources weren't necessary. "The city does not have a revenue problem  it has a spending efficiency problem," Amazon vice president Drew Herdener said after the initial head-tax vote. The message gained traction with some homeowners, frustrated by the city's response to homelessness, in particular tents and RVs moving into residential neighborhoods.

Ultimately, the repeal campaign got more than 45,000 signatures. About 15,000 came from volunteer signature-gatherers, according to Jon Scholes, president of the Downtown Seattle Association, which was involved in the effort. Referendums need about 16,500 verified signatures to reach the ballot. Scholes said the city's response to homelessness has been "inconsistent, sometimes incoherent," and "the politics of this jobs tax sucked a lot of energy" from other regional efforts to address the problem.

The council saw the writing on the wall. Councilmember Mike O'Brien, who first proposed a head tax last fall, said in an interview that he came to the conclusion that a costly, months-long battle ahead of the election wouldn't help the city. "I look at what the campaign looks like, with the business community spending millions on a message that Seattle is wasting our money, and good folks fighting on the other side that I agree with, that this is needed, but with heated rhetoric all around that this is an existential battle for the city," he said. "I worry we'd get to the end and are beat up and don't have a solution."

The about-face follows the same pattern as in 2014, when the council tried to strictly regulate Uber and other ride-sharing providers, which raised more than $400,000 to repeal legislation. The council backpedaled and repealed its own ordinance. "With enough money, you can send anything to a vote," O'Brien said.

Seattle is also home to coffee-shop chain Starbucks Corp., which has also criticized the head tax and the council's approach to combating homelessness. "Repeal makes sense," Starbucks senior vice president John Kelly said in a statement Tuesday. "The best path forward is to implement the reforms recommended two years ago by the city's own homelessness expert."

Mayor Jenny Durkan has signaled she'd sign the repeal, though the margin is veto-proof.

The council meeting before the repeal vote was raucous, with some public speakers decrying what they called a rushed capitulation without public hearings, and others in support of the repeal saying their uprising against the council was just beginning.

Several San Francisco Bay Area cities exploring similar taxes on big tech to pay for growing pains, such as transit and affordable housing, are likely watching Seattle's turnaround on the issue. "Cities across the country are looking to replicate this funding measure to alleviate human suffering in their own high-cost cities," Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, a cosponsor of the head tax said in Tuesday's meeting.

Herbold, who voted for the repeal, said, "it's completely heartbreaking to me that thousands of people sleeping outside in Seattle" will continue to do so as the council bowed to the political pressure and repealed the tax. "We don't have the time and resources necessary to change enough minds."U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross speaks at the National Press Club Headliners Luncheon in Washington, D.C., on Monday, May 14, 2018. (Cheriss May/Sipa USA/TNS) Read more

A single tariff benefiting one paper factory in Washington state could prompt the loss of thousands of U.S. newspaper jobs, industry executives say.

The ripple effect started with One Rock Capital Partners, a New York private equity firm that bought a paper mill in Longview, Wash., and then petitioned the Trump commerce department for tariffs against Canadian paper. That one mill employs about 250 people.

The result? The equity firm won punishing newsprint tariffs that have pushed up newsprint prices by about 30 percent. Already newspapers around the U.S. have begun making thousands of layoffs, according to the News Media Alliance, a trade group.

Nearly 50 newspaper executives will meet in Washington D.C. on June 13 and 14 with policymakers regarding the paper mill's tariff request. Those lawmakers will then testify at an International Trade Commission hearing on July 17. The Commerce Department is scheduled later this summer to decide whether to make the tariff permanent or to scrap it.

"Like every newsroom in America, we're deeply concerned about the soaring cost of newsprint. The fact that we publish two daily newspapers makes it even more urgent for us," said Stan Wischnowski, executive editor of Philadelphia Media Network, which publishes the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Daily News and Philly.com, and is a member of the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association board of directors, which represents 76 dailies and over 150 non-daily papers across the state. "Our hope is that this issue gets resolved at the federal level this summer so we can minimize the harm to our readers."

The Trump administration imposed levies on newsprint from Canada, which produces about 60 percent of all newsprint. Most Canadian imports of paper go to the Midwest and northeastern regions of the U.S., said Paul Boyle, senior vice president of public policy at the News Media Alliance.

"The one mill and the private equity firm are not supported in their efforts by any other U.S. paper mills or the American Forest and Paper Association," he added.

Their request for a tariff hasn't been joined by any other U.S. paper producers. Canadian mills are the primary source of what's called uncoated groundwood paper  newsprint's formal name  for U.S. newspapers and commercial printers.

"The effect of those tariffs has already been to raise the cost of newsprint significantly," the Boston Globe wrote in a recent editorial. "That affects newspapers across the country; after labor costs, newsprint is generally their second highest expense. U.S. Sen. Angus King, independent of Maine, says the work his office has done suggests the Trump tariffs will increase production costs for newspapers between 20 and 30 percent."

Already, newspapers such as the Tampa Bay Times have had to lay off staff to make up for higher newsprint costs. The Times announced April 18 that it will lay off about 50 employees, responding to what it says is a potential $3 million annual cost increase.

The tariffs resulted from a complaint by a single U.S. paper manufacturer, North Pacific Paper Co. (Norpac) of Longview, Wash. It alleged that government subsidies given to Canadian producers gave them an unfair price advantage over U.S. domestic mills. Canada has about 25 producers while only five operate in the U.S., according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

In response to the mill's petition, the U.S. Commerce Department in January imposed a tariff of 6.2 percent on Canadian newsprint and raised it by 22 percent more in March.

Commerce's "preliminary decision allows U.S. producers to receive relief from the market-distorting effects of potential government subsidies while taking into account the need to keep groundwood paper prices affordable for domestic consumers," Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said in a statement. "The Department of Commerce will continue to evaluate and verify the accuracy of this preliminary determination while standing up for the American business and worker."

The plant's owner, One Rock Capital, "may be using the petitions as a means of increasing the short-term value of this one mill, without any regard for the dramatic negative implications for U.S. newspapers in thousands of small cities and towns," the News Media Alliance wrote in a letter to Ross.

One Rock Capital did not respond to requests for comment. In a press release, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) wrote to Ross, asking that the tariffs be suspended, his office said in a statement.

"Local newspapers and a free press are a bedrock of our democracy and they must have the resources available to faithfully report and transmit the news," Casey wrote. "I have heard from numerous newspapers in Pennsylvania expressing concern about the impacts of Commerce's preliminary findings and I spoke directly with Secretary Ross to share those concerns. I have asked that he use his authorities under the Tariff Act of 1930 to initiate a suspension agreement to reach a swift resolution to this matter."

Pennsylvania's U.S. Senators Casey and Pat Toomey have differing ideas about resolving the tariff: Toomey endorses a Senate-backed bill that would need to be passed by the house and signed by the president, while Casey supports an action coming directly from the Commerce Department.

The Washington state mill was bought out by One Rock Capital in 2016. One Rock then petitioned the Commerce Department to deploy federal trade and tariff laws to make newsprint as much as 32 percent more expensive per metric ton.

For the Inquirer and Daily News, the tariff represents an extra $2 million in costs on an annual basis, publisher Terrance C.Z. Egger said.

"For an industry already severely challenged, this is very painful, unfair, and totally unnecessary," Egger said.

The News Media Alliance, whose members represent more than 1,350 U.S. newspapers including The New York Times and The Washington Post, has sought unsuccessfully to have the U.S. International Trade Commission dismiss the paper mill's case. The commission issued a preliminary ruling in September that the U.S. groundwood industry is being injured by Canadian shipments, clearing the way for the Commerce Department to continue its investigation.

The one mill in Longview, Wash., employs about 250 people, compared with more than 600,000 newspaper publishing and commercial printing jobs at various locations across the United States, according to The Globe and Mail.Hundreds #FillTheSteps Against Violence on the Art Museum step organized by Inquirer and Daily News columnist Helen Ubinas Monday June 11, 2018. DAVID SWANSON / Staff Photographer Read more

Philly, you showed up.

You showed up by the hundreds at the Art Museum steps Monday afternoon to stand against gun violence.

And why that mattered, why it mattered so much, was right there, etched on the faces of the Parkway Center City Middle College students.

These weren't the same kids that I met in March.

They stood taller, more confidently  you could see that in their eyes. And it had everything to do with stepping into the power of their own voices, a power these ninth graders were just starting to discover when I first met them.

Back then, they were struggling with whether they would participate in the national school walkout in support of the survivors of the Parkland school massacre. They struggled to understand why their daily experiences with gun violence never got the public's attention in the same way.

Why their lives didn't seem to matter as much.

But a lot had happened between the day they gathered inside their high school auditorium to read essays about all that and Monday afternoon, the third annual #FillTheSteps Against Gun Violence gathering.

They connected with Parkland students, thanks to ambassadors of the Love Button Global Movement, an organization that fosters acts of kindness  and that showed enormous kindness by coming to Philly for the day to support the students. They reveled in the camaraderie of marching alongside thousands of people their ages in Washington in support of tighter gun control. They spoke to people from all over the country at the Pulitzer Center about the violence that barely made headlines back home.

And now here they were, taking the lead before hundreds of people standing on the Art Museum steps to protest gun violence, hundreds of people who showed up in the middle of a weekday to listen, much like people had shown up for the Parkland students who harnessed their loss to push for change.

There, on the iconic steps, just a few feet from where tourists lined up to have their picture taken with the Rocky statue, it was their turn to be heard.

I held my breath as 15-year-old Kareema Chisolm walked to the microphone.

"Good afternoon, Philadelphia," she said, her voice wavering a bit. "I stand before you to represent all of the students of Philadelphia who must endure the gun violence that pervades this city. "

Chisolm had not spoken before a crowd like this one. She was nervous, she later confided, until she had that feeling again, that people were listening to what she had to say, and that what she had to say really mattered.

"Things feel different," said her classmate Dena Hill. Hill recited a poem at the gathering.

"For all these people to actually come out to support not only us, but the mothers who lost their kids, it was amazing, empowering," Hill said. "I believe we understand that we have a place in all of this now."

This must be what parents feel like when they realize their kids are growing into their own.

In the last few months, as I watched the students become more comfortable in their own skin, more comfortable using their voices, I had been thinking that it was nearing the time to turn #FillTheSteps over to them. Time for them to lead, and us to follow.

But were they ready, I wondered, and would they want the responsibility of forcing people to not just acknowledge the gun violence in Philadelphia, but to join them to combat it?

"Of course," Hill said. "If we have real purpose, a real reason to keep fighting, then why would we stop?"

They just needed one thing, she said: support.

"The more numbers you have, the more likely it is that something can change," she said, sounding every bit the leader she already is. "Think about it. Politics is a numbers game  the person with the most numbers wins. So the more numbers we have behind us, the more likely we can change things."

"We are ready," she said. "We'll still need some help . . . but we are ready."

Staff writer Anya van Wagtendonk contributed to this column.U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un walk from their lunch at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. Read more

President Trump got played.

After all the hoopla and pageantry and Trump braggadocio at the Singapore summit, with Kim Jong Un standing alongside the U.S. president in front of thousands of journalists, the North Korean leader came out the winner.

Kim had already racked up points just by standing alongside the U.S. president as an equal, showered with Trump's praise and transformed from pariah to international rock star. In recent weeks he was welcomed to Beijing and Seoul, and invited to Moscow. China and Russia have already started to loosen sanctions.

All this might have been an acceptable cost for achieving the U.S. goal: to get Kim to commit specifically to shedding his nuclear weapons within a reasonable time frame, in a verifiable fashion. But, on this, Trump failed big time: The joint statement that emerged from the summit included no such firm commitments, using vague language on denuclearization that is interpreted very differently by the two sides. "It does not meet the minimum requirements in terms of what we expected them to do," Ambassador Joseph Y. Yun, the former special U.S. representative to North Korea, told CNN.

>>READ MORE: Analysis: By Trump's own yardstick, North Korea pact falls flat

Instead, Trump made a huge concession up front  stopping joint U.S. military exercises with South Korea, a key tool for keeping pressure on the North. And he didn't even inform the Seoul government beforehand, leaving it publicly grasping for information on U.S. intentions.

"I gave up nothing," the president insisted in a news conference. He was clearly oblivious to the fact that he was playing into North Korea's longtime game plan: to emerge as an internationally recognized state, recognized by America and the world  without surrendering all of its nukes.

Let's look at what the president did give up.

In the run-up to the summit, U.S. and Korean negotiators were wrestling over whether North Korea would make a substantial pledge of denuclearization up front, including details of its nuclear program and a timeline for dismantling it.

But, going into the summit, the two sides could not even agree on a common definition of the term denuclearization.

"Our definition of denuclearization is they give up all their fissile material, facilities, nuclear material taken out, irrevocably and verifiably," says Jung Pak, top Korea expert at the Brookings Institution and a former senior CIA Korea analyst.

>> READ MORE: Trump, Kim say denuclearization will begin, U.S. to cancel military exercises with South Korea

The joint statement, however, contained only a vague commitment to "complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula"  terminology favored by Pyongyang and Beijing. In North Korea's interpretation, say North Korea experts, this means an end to the U.S. troop presence in South Korea and nuclear umbrella over that country and Japan  without any corresponding specifics on eliminating its own nuclear program.

By using this language  and ending joint exercises  Trump acceded to Kim's game plan. He went even further, repeating his desire to pull U.S. troops out of Korea (although not immediately) and emphasizing his desire to save money by so doing. All this before North Korea makes any firm commitment to giving up its nuclear weapons and missile programs.

True, Kim has frozen his nuclear tests and missile tests  for now. And he has destroyed an already collapsing nuclear test site and promised Trump more on other sites. But none of this speaks to the onetime American demand that North Korean completely, irrevocably, and verifiably destroy its weapons.

Negotiations will now commence, but if the past is prologue, they could drag on for a very long time and never reach a firm conclusion. Meanwhile, U.S. leverage on North Korea is declining, as China and Russia start to loosen sanctions. A push for a formal peace between North and South Korea will weaken any future pressure. And Trump's eagerness to halt joint military exercises  and remove U.S. troops  undermines U.S. leverage further.

>> READ MORE: Recap of summit and reaction as it happened

This gives North Korea little reason to swiftly negotiate an end to its weapons program. After all, the U.S. president has told the world that Kim is "very smart" and "honorable" and "wants to do the right thing." Trump even sloughed off questions at the news conference about North Korean forced labor camps where thousands are tortured and murdered, saying such things happen elsewhere.

How embarrassing it would be for Trump to resume insulting the great Korean leader. Much easier to insult a democratic prime minister like Justin Trudeau.

The irony here is that, contrary to Trump's exaggerated claims, Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush got much more specific commitments from Pyongyang. In 1992, 1994, and 2005, the North Koreans pledged to eliminate all their nuclear weapons. They reneged.

When asked why he'd do better, Trump bragged: "This is a much different president." Clearly this president believes his smarts will get results from North Korea, where previous presidents met failure.

The good news is that war on the Korean peninsula looks far less likely than a few months ago. But judging from the Singapore summit, it is Kim Jong Un who has mastered the art of dealing with Trump.Christopher Flanagan, chief of Narberth Ambulance Company, designed trauma bags for LMSD and other schools and provided training for staff on how to use the items inside like tourniquets, medicated gauze, and other emergency supplies needed to stop external bleeding in the event of an emergency. (Emily Cohen/for The Inquirer) Read more

The future of school safety in the post-Parkland era increasingly looks like the large duffel bags that the Central Bucks School District is deploying in every school this fall  a medical kit aimed at keeping gunshot victims from bleeding to death.

The new trauma kits bring to American classrooms lifesaving methods tested on Afghanistan's battlefields. They include tourniquets to stop bleeding from arms or legs, hyfin vents that can be applied to a chest wound, and medicated gauze pads treated with a coagulant to stop blood oozing from a bullet hole.

"It's very sad that we have to think about this, but we have to be prepared," said Mary Anne Canales, nursing coordinator for Central Bucks, which is placing 33 of the rolling duffel bags in all 23 district schools to provide "a safety net for our kids and staff"  echoing a conversation that's grown louder with each mass killing in U.S. schools.

Similar bleeding-prevention kits are coming to dozens of schools across the Philadelphia region this fall, including those in Lower Merion Township and across Bucks and Chester Counties, as well as private schools such as Shipley and Haverford.

In New Jersey, Roxbury, Morris County, touted itself in 2016 as the first town in the country to put such kits in all its schools.

It's not clear that having such a trauma kit on hand would have saved lives in any of the recent mass killings. But the stockpiling of supplies is the mark of a grim admission that  with most gun-control proposals on hold and no consensus on how to stop the spike in mass killings  educators need to focus on how best to keep child gunshot victims alive.

>> READ MORE: In Pa., a flurry of school safety bills, but little action

"This is one thing that people can do," said Matthew Levy, chairman of a nationwide coalition of public-health officials and medical professionals called Stop the Bleed. "Most mass shootings are over in a matter of minutes, but it may take responders a substantial amount of time to secure that scene and get resources to the injured."

Even students are being trained. Levy, director of emergency medical services in Howard County, Md., said bleeding control was taught at one county high school this year and may become part of the curriculum.

Kits range from $45 to $100. Some schools put one in a nurse's offices, while others stock every classroom or place them in hallway cabinets. The idea is that after a shooting, those trained to stop bleeding would be able to get to the wounded and help them before medics arrive.

I think about it every day

The push for medical supplies and for training hundreds of teachers and other potential bystanders in how to use them shows how school officials on the ground are increasingly scrambling for practical safety solutions.

St. Cornelius Catholic School in Chadds Ford made headlines last week by announcing that every eighth grade graduate will get an advanced protective shield that fits inside a backpack and stops bullets from a handgun, or a knife attack.

"I think about it every day," said Robert Vito, CEO of Glen Mills-based Unequal Technologies  which manufactures the SafeShields implant  and a parent of two kids at the school. "We are in the protection business, and I want to give students and faculty a defensive option that they don't have right now."

Both Unequal Technologies' quarter-inch thick bullet-resistant shield and the new emphasis on bleeding-control measures such as tourniquets emerged from lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan, where officials say that combat-tested trauma kits reduced preventable deaths for U.S. and British troops by as much as 25 percent.

Trauma is the leading cause of death for Americans 45 and younger, killing nearly 148,000 people in 2014, according to experts. About half of those deaths occurred at the scene of the injury or en route to the hospital.

A National Institute of Health study of civilian tourniquet application found a six-fold reduction in death for injuries to arteries and veins in limbs.

Some doctors worry that bleeding-prevention training might provide a false sense of security, noting that tourniquets help only wounds to the extremities and that improvised tourniquets  such as one fashioned from a shirt  often don't work well. Other experts question whether enough is being done to prevent gun violence in the first place.

>> READ MORE: Yo, Philly: Is there a David Hogg or Emma Gonzalez our there? | Jenice Armstrong

"This kind of seems like one of those reactionary things when we need to deal with how are people getting the guns, are there warning signs among students that people should be concerned about," said Shira Goodman, executive director of CeaseFirePA.

Lars Ola Sjoholm, chief of trauma and surgical critical care at Temple University Hospital, thinks the training is a good idea.

"If they're shot in the limbs, it can be a lifesaving measure," he said, adding that Temple teaches the same technique to people in its North Philadelphia neighborhood. If they're shot in the chest or abdomen, "obviously these measures are not going to work," he said.

Karen Borrelli-Luke, a health and phys ed teacher in Camden, works at Dr. Charles Brimm Medical Arts High School, where kids are taught first aid and CPR. She thinks they could also learn how to stop bleeding.

"I find more times than not people don't know what to do, but they want to help. The more that we train them, the better," she said, though she noted that she had also seen staff freeze up during a crisis.

It's not clear if Philadelphia schools have explored the idea; district officials didn't respond to requests for comment.

Ohio-based citizenAID, which adapted a British model for trauma kits and stresses teacher training as well as a free app for responding to a mass casualty, opened its doors just eight days before February's Parkland, Fla., shooting and has trained more than 6,000 educators, according to CEO Bob Otter.

Said Otter, "Someone can die from a femoral wound in under five minutes  and a paramedic is not going to get to a person in under five minutes."

Stirred to action by Newtown shooting

Levy, the Stop the Bleed chair, said the coalition was spearheaded by the American College of Surgeons after the 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Conn., that killed 26. The Stop the Bleed campaign was launched by the White House after an October 2015 conference focused on training bystanders in bleeding prevention during a crisis.

While all schools have first-aid supplies, many do not stock advanced wound care equipment such as tourniquets, which require specialized training to use properly.

In Bucks County, officials at St. Mary's Medical Center, the county's highest-rated trauma center, offered free training sessions to nearby school districts in the aftermath of Parkland.

"This is a piece of the puzzle," said Kim Everett, the hospital's trauma prevention coordinator, who acknowledged that teachers are already overburdened but nonetheless wants to see them trained in first aid, including CPR and applying tourniquets. "Do I think it's asking too much of them? No."

At Central Bucks  hailed by Everett as "a model for the county"  officials are spending $19,800 to $26,400 on the new kits and planning to train some 150 educators over the summer. For now, Canales said, the plan is to deploy one of the rolling bags  which contain from five to eight individual kits  in each grade school and two in middle and high schools.

>> READ MORE: Philly students protest for tougher gun laws on Columbine massacre's anniversary

Stop the Bleed kits also will be placed in every Chester County school. An initial $17,000 grant from the Southeast Pennsylvania Regional Task Force will pay for 84 kits and staff training, followed by another grant for 84 more kits this fall.

"We're not just focusing on shooting in schools  it's bigger than that," said Chrissy DePaolantonio, Safe Schools planning coordinator for the county's emergency services department. "Even if they fall down the bleachers and get a big gash, it's really controlling a bleed so they don't bleed out."

In Lower Merion, officials recently bought trauma kits for the nurses' offices at each of its 10 schools as well as 30 others that will be placed near existing automated external defibrillators (AEDs). The program, spearheaded by Narberth Ambulance, includes staff training and will cost about $5,000. Paramedics are also training and supplying the private Shipley and Haverford Schools.

Dennis Witt, Lower Merion's supervisor of safety, security and custodians, said the equipment could help school staff respond to a range of emergencies. But like most others he acknowledged that school shootings have been the main motivator. Said Witt: "The world is changing and we need to be prepared and do the best we can."Philly native G. Love of '90s jam band G. Love & Special Sauce may like a cold beverage, as the song goes, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to get a chilled can of his new beer here easily.

G. Love, real name Garrett Dutton, recently partnered with Bend, Ore.'s GoodLife Brewing for "G. Love's Special Sauce: Danky Dankster IPA," a new brew made with six types of hops to make it "the dankest special sauce known to mankind," according to a release. Currently, quantities of the beer are available in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California, Vermont, and Chicago.

As Philly beer fans might notice, Pennsylvania isn't anywhere on that list. A rep from GoodLife, however, says fans can request to have it on tap at their favorite bar. Beer-drinkers can also look for Special Sauce on online beer retailer Tavour's app, but it is not yet listed because the company does not yet have the beer, a rep said. Members can sign up to receive a notification via the service once it arrives.

That all stings a little, considering G. Love is a Philly boy, and Philly is officially America's best beer-drinking city. On top of that, last week even marked this year's Philly Beer Week, prompting a flood of more rare and interesting beers than we're typically used to. Now we just feel betrayed.

OK, maybe's that's an exaggeration. But the beer does sound pretty good  especially if you're a hophead.

Described as a "danky hop bomb," GoodLife's Special Sauce aims to pack plenty of hop flavor into each sip without being overly bitter. To accomplish the task, brewers used a mix of Mosaic, Idaho 7, Mandarina Bavaria, Centennial, Columbus, and El Dorado hops at a rate of about five pounds total per barrel of beer. The final brew weighs in at 7 percent alcohol and 70 IBUs, which puts it on the stronger side of IPA spectrum while keeping its bitterness in check. Users of the beer-rating app Untappd have so far scored the brew at 3.72 stars out of 5.

>> READ MORE: Summer Concerts: U2, Beyonce, Taylor Swift & more coming to Philly

As G. Love said in a release, the idea for Special Sauce came about after he performed at the brewery and "drank into the wee hours" of the morning after playing. He spent a trip "from Philly to Bend" talking "craft beers and good vibes," and Special Sauce was born. Previously, he collaborated with New Belgium in 2012 for Peach Porch Lounger, a saison that was part of the company's "Lips of Faith" series.

"When I tasted their brews, met the team at GoodLife Brewing and heard how Curt Plants had been a passionate supporter of my music, I knew I had found a home for my dream," G. Love said of the brew. "I'm beyond thrilled to bring our delicious concoction to the world and can't wait for y'all to try this danky dankster of a beer."

To add insult to injury, G. Love and GoodLife will tour Special Sauce around the Pacific Northwest this month, hitting stops in Portland, Ore., Seattle, and Sun Valley. The local cross section of G. Love fans and beer lovers, meanwhile, will have to work to get a proper taste.

Until the brew gets to town, that is. As G. Love said via Twitter, he's working on it:Death Row inmate Darlie Routier was a Rowlett, Texas, homemaker in 1996 when she was charged with killing her two young sons. Her story is the first told in ABC's new docu-series "The Last Defense," whose producers include "How to Get Away with Murder" star Viola Davis and her husband Julius Tennon Read more

How to Get Away with Murder's Annalise Keating might have seen to it that Darlie Routier and Julius Jones never landed on death row.

Real life doesn't work the way it does in the often-bananas world of the Philadelphia-set ABC legal drama, but that doesn't mean Viola Davis, the show's Oscar- and Emmy-winning star, can't be part of the fight to save two people who say they were wrongly convicted.

On Tuesday, ABC mounts The Last Defense, a seven-part documentary series produced by Davis and her actor and producer husband, Julius Tennon, with ABC News' Lincoln Square Productions (Let It Fall: 1982-1992) that will reexamine the cases of the two death row inmates and highlight efforts to have their convictions overturned.

>>READ MORE: Philly filmmaker explores 'Black Love'

In the introduction to every episode, it's Davis who notes that in the United States today, there are nearly 3,000 people on death row, and that "every year, on average, five of them are found innocent and set free. We know the system can get it wrong. But for some who maintain their innocence, there may be a chance to get it right. This is The Last Defense."

The first four episodes will focus on Routier, who was a Rowlett, Texas, homemaker on June 6, 1996, when, she claimed, an intruder broke into her home and stabbed her young sons to death in an attack that also left her critically wounded. It had been less than a year since South Carolina mother Susan Smith was convicted of drowning her two young sons. In Rowlett, police and prosecutors, influenced by an expert who said the break-in had been staged and by what they saw as Routier's inappropriate behavior afterward, quickly came to believe that Routier, too, had killed her children.

Darin Routier, who was sleeping upstairs at the time with the couple's third child, an 8-month-old son, is among those who insists that can't be true, and that a grave injustice was done and should be corrected.

"It's not too late, because Darlie's not dead," he says.

Guilty or not, Routier's case isn't typical. Women represent less than 2 percent of death row inmates. Was she chosen to go first because more viewers might relate to her? It's not until the fifth episode that we get to Jones, an African American who was a 19-year-old freshman at the University of Oklahoma when he was arrested in the killing of white insurance executive Paul Scott Howell. Jones was 21 when he was sentenced to die for a crime he says he didn't commit. (According to the Death Penalty Information Center, African Americans make up 41 percent of death row inmates. More than 75 percent of executions involve homicides in which the victims were white, says the center, even though "nationally, only 50 percent of murder victims generally are white.")

True-crime TV, big enough to have its own cable networks and to dominate some network news magazines, doesn't seem aimed at making viewers feel safer. Here's how Investigation Discovery describes a series it's launching at 9 p.m. Wednesday: "Broken Trust tells chilling real tales of when trust is betrayed with deadly consequences and how in the blink of an eye, the world we thought was safe can become unrecognizable and terrifying."

Yes, that's what a lot of my email looks like these days.

>>READ MORE: What the new wave of true-crime TV could teach us

More frightening to me, though, are shows like The Last Defense and Netflix's Making a Murderer, The Central Park Five, and The Staircase  now on Netflix, with new episodes  that bring home what it could be like to be accused of a murder you might not have committed, particularly one notorious enough to inspire a possibly fatal rush to judgment.

>>READ MORE: Summer TV dragon-free, but still plenty to see

The first five episodes of The Last Defense left me with what I'd consider reasonable doubt about its two subjects' guilt, but I'd counsel anyone watching Tuesday's premiere to watch subsequent episodes before forming unshakable opinions about what may have happened in Routier's case, if only because The Last Defense is good enough television not to show all its cards in the first hour.

That's also its power. Because one takeaway from all these shows about the flaws in our justice system is that too many cases are over long before they get to a jury, as what starts out as an investigation becomes instead an all-out effort to confirm one particular theory. And I've been as guilty as anyone of drawing conclusions about a suspect's character from reports that may lack context.

The real possibility that Routier, a young mother with breast implants and a taste for luxury, was judged for things that had little to do with the evidence makes her case the stuff of scripted drama.

But with the death penalty on the table, the stakes are much higher.

Watch it

The Last Defense. 10 p.m. Tuesday, ABC.The American Dialect Society voted "fake news" its Word of the Year for 2017, saluting the phrase for its double meanings as "disinformation or falsehoods presented as real news" and "actual news that is claimed to be untrue."

Fake news of either kind is a problem in politics, to be sure. But misleading or erroneous medical news is potentially even worse. It is scary, can lead to poor decisions, and may even hurt the credibility of all health-care providers by making it look as if medicine is not trustworthy.

Fake health news can be divided into at least three categories.

Junk news that wastes your time, but doesn't necessarily harm your health. For example, a recent study in BMJ Heart looked at chocolate and suggested that eating it up to three times a month might decrease your risk of developing atrial fibrillation, compared with not eating it at all. This does not mean that chocolate is good for you, just that the researchers found a possible association between some consumption and an irregular heart rhythm. The headline that followed in the New York Times was "Why chocolate may be good for the heart." News like this is probably harmless, although it offers no real benefit (except for news organizations that might get an increase in readership or viewership). Misleading information with real potential to be harmful. A recent study that got some press (including a small item in the Inquirer) suggested that women taking a kind of blood pressure medication called a calcium channel blocker might increase their risk of getting pancreatic cancer by a shocking-sounding 66 percent. I had more than a dozen calls about this from worried patients who understandably wanted to stop their medication  and I had to quickly reassure them, because if they had discontinued the medication, the danger to their health would have been very real. Here is why this was fake news. First, the study looked at only a short-acting type of medication which isn't even used anymore to treat hypertension. Second, this report was not published in a peer-reviewed journal, only reported at a scientific meeting, meaning it had a far lower bar to clear. Third, an association between a drug and cancer does not mean the drug caused the cancer. Fourth, statistics are easily manipulated. Pancreatic cancer is very uncommon, so even if the risk is doubled, chances of getting it are still very small. Also, other studies have shown that calcium channel blockers may actually prevent pancreatic cancer. Fake news that is so clearly dangerous, it's hard to believe that the people repeating it don't know what they are doing. An example is the claim that vaccines we give to children are tied to autism. But there never has been any proof of this "link." Yes, children are diagnosed with autism after getting vaccines. But that does not prove cause. The clear medical/scientific truth is that vaccines prevent many infectious diseases, and not receiving a vaccine because of misinformation is dangerous to both a child and society.

What can you do to avoid falling for fake health news? Look out for these potential red flags:

The "news" sounds like a press release aimed at selling something. Almost weekly, a patient will bring me an ad or article, or (and this happens a lot) tell me they heard about something on the Dr. Oz show. It's almost always dubious  at best. An article makes sweeping conclusions that are not supported by the actual information. An example of this is the article about chocolate's beneficial effects on the heart. The "news" pops up on Facebook and gets a lot of "likes." This is not an indicator of truth, just something people want to believe. See: chocolate and your heart. The suggestion that this is a cure or treatment that "your doctor will not tell you about" because the medical establishment is keeping it a secret. Please believe me as a physician: I want to help my patients. So do my colleagues. We are terrible secret-keepers if we know of anything that works. The remedy has been studied only on mice. This doesn't mean it helps humans, only that it needs more research. The information appears in a publication you have never heard of. When an article is in a peer-reviewed journal, such as JAMA or the New England Journal of Medicine, other experts in the field have reviewed the information and found it valuable. The type of study matters, too: Is it double-blinded to eliminate bias? Is it a study of hundreds or, better yet, thousands of people? Purchasing the product would financially benefit the author or subject of the article. If the study was sponsored by the pharmaceutical, supplement, or device industry that is peddling the product under review, the information may be slanted. Your main source of information is Dr. Google. The internet can be a wonderful source of information. It also can lead you down a rabbit hole of misinformation. Again, don't trust websites you have never heard of. Look for information from the National Institutes of Health and reputable universities and hospitals. If you have questions, check with your doctor. It sounds too good to be true. Many "fast and easy" weight-loss claims fit this category. I has been my experience that such claims are never true.

David Becker, M.D., is a frequent Inquirer contributor and a board-certified cardiologist with Chestnut Hill Temple Cardiology in Flourtown, Pa. He has been in practice for 25 years.Alec Bohm, the Phillies third-overall pick in last week's draft, was introduced in Philly on Tuesday after he and the team agreed to terms. Read more

Wichita State third baseman Alec Bohm will officially join the Phillies, the team announced Tuesday.

The Phillies and the third overall pick in the MLB draft agreed to terms, but details of them were not released.

Bohm played for the Shockers after he went undrafted in 2015. He finished his college career as one of Division I's premier power hitters. In his final season, he hit .339 with 16 home runs and a .625 slugging percentage.

"He's got a lot of leverage in that swing. He can drive the ball out to all parts of the field," director of amateur scouting Johnny Almaraz said after the draft. "He's got what I call wide-field power, meaning that he can hit home runs from gap to gap. We loved the bat. We loved the offensive capabilities."

It's not clear where Bohm will start in the Phillies system. They could send him to low-A Lakewood or push him to high-A Clearwater. Either way, they expect him to move through the system quickly (and here's why that's a good thing).

In addition to signing Bohm, the Phillies agreed to terms with three other picks from the first 10 rounds: center fielder Matt Vierling out of Notre Dame (fifth round), Georgia high school shortstop Logan Simmons (sixth round) and Seth Lancaster, a shortstop from Coastal Carolina (eighth round).

Like Bohm, Vierling is expected to move through the minors reasonably quickly. Vierling struggled against wooden-bat competition in last summer's Cape Cod League, but that doesn't concern Almaraz.

"He had a tremendous workout," Almaraz said after Vierling was drafted. "He checked all the boxes as far as us liking him in that spot and believing that he's a prospect for us."

The Phillies reached agreements with 16 other players, including six college pitchers. This is part of a team strategy to pile up arms since the Phillies didn't have a second- or third-round pick (which they had to give away to sign free agents Carlos Santana and Jake Arrieta). They're hoping a few of the college arms pan out.

Here are the 16 others who came to terms: James McArthur (RHP, 12th round), Jose Mercado (SS, 13th round) Matt Kroon (3B, 18th round), Mark Potter (RHP, 19th round), Connor Litton (3B, 20th round), Luke Miller (OF, 22nd round). Logan O'Hoppe (C, 23rd round), Corbin Williams (OF, 24th round), Adam Cox (RHP, 25th round), Eric White (RHP, 26th round), Jaylen Smith (LHP, 29th round), Tyler Carr (RHP, 31st round), Ben Aklinski (OF, 32nd round), Nick Matera (C, 34th round), Austin Ross (RHP, 35th round), and Trent Bowles (OF, 36th round).

See all the Phillies draft picks and get to know some of them here.From fasting to festive Muslims from all over Philadelphia gather in FDR Park in South Philadelphia in 2014 as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr, breaking the fast that adherents observe during Ramadan. Read more

Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-dusk fasting of Ramadan, is one of two major Muslim holidays observed each year. Here are the celebrations and educational events taking place in Philadelphia to mark the holiday, which begins Thursday evening and lasts through Friday, depending on the moon.

United Muslim Masjid

United Muslim Masjid is hosting its annual family cookout at FDR Park in South Philly, where kids can enjoy moon bounces and face-painting. Families are welcome to bring their own grills and blankets, and the organization asks that everyone contribute something to the community table.

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, FDR Park, 1500 Pattison Ave. and South Broad Street, free, 215-546-6555, ummonline.org

Please Touch Museum

The Please Touch Museum will hold a daylong celebration of Eid for little ones, including a meet-and-greet with local artist Ameerah Khabir, food demonstrations, book readings, and Ramadan-themed story times.

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Please Touch Museum, 4231 Avenue of the Republic, $19 admission for adults and children over 1, 215-581-3181, pleasetouchmuseum.org

>> READ MORE: Museum CEO: 'At no time did we consider canceling' Pride events, even after backlash

Peco Multicultural Series: Islamic Heritage Festival

The Islamic Heritage Festival begins at Fifth and Market Streets with a parade celebrating unity and diversity that ends at Penn's Landing. Afterward, attendees can enjoy everything from family-friendly games to a global open-market bazaar to free giveaways.

2 to 8 p.m. Saturday, the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing, 101 Columbus Blvd., pay-as-you-go, 215-922-2386, delawareriverwaterfront.com

Unified Eid of Philadelphia

The Eid Committee of the Majlis al-Shura of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley plans an Eid celebration at the Gambrel Playground. Festivities include moon bounces, toys and gifts for teenagers, Islamic trivia, and a petting zoo. Families are welcome to bring their grills, and there will also be food vendors.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Gambrel Playground, 4700 to 4900 Ditman St., free, 215-478-4730

>> READ MORE: Your guide to summer's best fests  4th of July fireworks, Bastille Day, and more

Fifth annual IQRA Eid Festival

Enjoy bites from more than 10 halal food vendors at this Eid festival, which also has plenty of rides, ice cream, inflatables, and face painting for kids.

3 to 8 p.m. June 30, Candlebrook School, 310 Prince Frederick St., King of Prussia, $5 general admission, $15 admission with unlimited rides, free for kids 2 and under, 484-928-0475, iqrainstitute.org

Eid pottery painting and pasta

For married couples looking for a low-key way to celebrate Eid, there's pottery and pasta night in Ardmore, where they can paint ceramic pieces in the Mud Room. Don't forget your spouse and prayer rugs!

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, the Mud Room, 11 Station Rd., Ardmore, $30 to $75, eventbrite.comWASHINGTON  The U.S. government's net neutrality protections may have been wiped from federal rule books on Monday, but the battle is only just beginning. The architect of that repeal, Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai, must still contend with a challenge to his efforts in federal court, a campaign on Capitol Hill to roll back his changes, and a slew of states that are looking to regulate in the FCC's place.

In an interview Friday at the chairman's eighth-floor FCC office, Pai stressed that much of the blowback he's received is due to "misinformation." He said consumers would be just fine under the new regime, which hands off enforcement of net neutrality violations to the U.S. government's competition regulator. And he signaled potential legal action to come against states enacting their own net neutrality laws.

Here's our edited conversation.

What does the end of net neutrality rules mean for consumers today?

In the short term, I don't think consumers are going to see any change at all from the internet experience they've come to cherish. And in the medium- to long-term, I think we're going to see more investment in high-speed networks particularly in rural areas that are difficult to serve.  We were hopeful that that type of the light regulatory approach we're taking will lead to  better, faster, cheaper internet access for consumers and more competition particularly.

Even in the months after the order, consumers have expressed more and more opposition to your repeal. Why?

I'm not sure if it's gotten angrier or less, but I do think that there is a fair amount of misinformation out there that has led some consumers to think that this is indeed, as some mistakenly pronounced on Dec. 14, the end of the internet as we know it. The misinformation, for example, the sort of stuff like we're going to have to pay five dollars to be able to put a tweet on Twitter, or it's going to be impossible to access Instagram.  Starting on June 11 and going forward, people are going to recognize that they have been misinformed about what exactly the effect our decision is.

Whats the source of that misinformation?

I'm not sure who was putting that out, but it was false.  The other thing is that some of the politicians who've been grandstanding on this issue have been misinforming the public. For example, the Senate Democrats from their official accounts, said in tweets, one word per line: This is how your internet experience is going to be. The Washington Post  the fact checker put out an analysis of that claim and found that it was false. He rated it three Pinocchio.

We all agree on the core values of a free and open internet. We simply may disagree on the appropriate regulatory framework for securing those values. And I would much rather have an open and honest debate about the appropriate regulatory framework as opposed to throwing misinformation out there to achieve political ends.

The FTC is now the lead enforcer for net neutrality. Some critics say the agency lacks the staff and experience for the job. Why are you confident that they can do it?

I think that concern is misplaced. I think that chairman [Joseph] Simons, the new chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, has said on the record that the FTC is going to be a vigorous cop on the beat. They are determined to exercise their authority  to police any unfair or deceptive trade practices or any unfair methods of competition that might exist in the internet economy.  They've taken numerous actions over the years to protect consumers when it came to privacy, and probably in other cases, and under his leadership they are going to do that going forward.

Are you fearful telecom companies may sue and try to chip away at the FTCs authority?

I don't believe so. I think the FTC's authority here is very broad in terms of unfair and deceptive trade practices.  And given the resources they have both in the Bureau of Competition and Bureau of Consumer Protection, I think consumers can rest assured that they will have a much more competitive marketplace.

Many states are looking to pass their own net neutrality regulations in reaction to the federal repeal, though the FCCs repeal order attempts to prohibit this. How do you respond to that reaction?

Broadband internet access service is inherently an interstate service, and that is not a determination that just the FCC has made.  It sort of follows from that the federal government is responsible for determining what regulatory approach to apply. We made the determination in December 2017 that a light-touch market-based approach was the right one. And it follows from that then that any state that is adopting or issuing rules that are in conflict with the deregulatory approach would be preempted, because we don't want to have a patchwork of state laws and federal laws that are in conflict. Now, I can't opine about any particular state's approach, whether it will be consistent or inconsistent with the preemption framework I just described. It's a case-by-case analysis that has to happen.

But there are a lot of them, including California. Are you encouraging lawsuits or working with telecom providers on them?

We're keeping all options on the table, and we will certainly see how the issues progress, whether through litigation or otherwise.

But there is a world in which the FCC is an intervening party in these cases?

Right.

From a public opinion standpoint, why do you think there are so many states that are rushing to regulate  and in some cases even Republicans have supported new rules?

I understand the political salience of the issue in some quarters, but I think at the end of the day we have to keep our eyes focused on what is genuinely in the public interest. And again, what is in the public interest is a free and open internet that is improving over time for everybody, especially in parts of the country where the digital divide is most keenly felt. I'm confident that our decision is the one that best vindicates consumers' concerns going forward, and protects them in the internet economy that we have, and promotes a stronger economy for them going forward.

In speaking with lawmakers in states like Washington, they think they should have the final say because theyre elected and the commission is not. How do you respond?

I mean the reason why Congress created us in 1934 was to regulate radio and wire communications across state lines. And the 21st century analogue to that is the internet.

Theres been renewed interest recently in two incidents, in 2014 and 2017, in which the agencys system for accepting public comments went down  incidents that the FCCs top tech officer initially attributed to a cyber attack. But agency emails unearthed by Gizmodo have cast significant doubt on those explanations. It seems the FCC in 2014 never experienced such an attack, and the agency in 2017 has furnished no evidence suggesting another had occurred. Walk us through what happened.

This seems to be a disagreement between some of the staffers of the Wheeler administration, including former chairman [Tom] Wheeler himself. For my part, I have consciously deferred to the career IT experts here on this issue.

But theres been no evidence furnished. Does it exist?

I defer to the career experts at the agency. I'm not a I.T. expert myself.

The other big thing happening next week is the AT&T decision. But I do wonder if you are sensing a growing opposition in the public toward bigness particularly in the telecom and the tech space. Do you feel that way? Do you hear these concerns about consolidation?

I think I read about it at least in some of the press coverage that I've seen but I think it's dangerous to try to come up with impressionistic views of things and then apply that policy. For our part, we are simply focused on the facts and the law. [We] take a look at the papers that are presented to us in the context of any transaction, and figure out whether the consummation of that transaction will be in the public interest. We try to make it as sober an analysis as possible because, at the end of the day, our test is not putting a finger in the wind but putting a finger on the need for a competitive marketplace.

So you dont feel this pressure from the public to take a harder edge against something like Sprint T-Mobile merging?

I think it's dangerous to make a decision based on where one thinks the public may or may not be. Aside from the fact that that's not what the law prescribes, it's also, I think, not what reasoned decision making is all about.  You always try to look at the facts and apply the law faithfully.Jonathan Pitts and Nakeisha Finks were fatally shot in his West Philadelphia home Aug. 29, 2009. Although James Barrow confessed to the slayings, he has not been charged. Read more

When James Barrow walked into a Delaware State Police station more than two years ago and said he'd killed a Philadelphia man in 2009, he did so "knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily," and therefore his video-recorded confession can be used against him during his September trial, Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Sandy L.V. Byrd ruled Monday.

The confession is noteworthy because another man had been exonerated in the slayings of a West Philadelphia couple to which Barrow also confessed, but prosecutors haven't charged Barrow in their deaths and appear in no hurry to do so.

Although Barrow's chilling words will be evidence for the prosecution in the Aug. 24, 2009, home-invasion slaying of Kamara Joseph, 30  whom Barrow told detectives he shot in the head when he made too much noise while he was trying to strangle him with a sneaker shoestring  nothing he said about killing the couple in their West Philadelphia home on Aug. 29 of that year will make it to court.

Barrow, 32, has not been charged in the home invasion slayings of Jonathan Pitts, 21, and Nakeisha Finks, 20. Barrow, a career criminal with a relatively low IQ of 75, confessed to killing the couple during the same interrogation sessions in February 2016 in Delaware and Philadelphia.

Barrow, speaking in a low monotone, told detectives that he had targeted Joseph and Pitts because he heard that they were drug dealers who may have had cash. He said he turned himself in 6 years after the slayings because he feared he was being stalked.

At Joseph's home in the 2500 block of Shields Street in Elmwood, and at Pitts' home in the 5500 block of Delancey Street in West Philadelphia, Barrow said, he entered the same way  by pushing an air-conditioning unit through a first-floor window and crawling in. Barrow knew details about the slayings that only the killer would know, according to Philadelphia homicide detectives who testified during three days of hearings in April over whether his confession would be admitted as evidence.

In Joseph's slaying, among the details Barrow told investigators were that one of the victim's sneakers would be missing a string and that ligature marks were on the victim's throat. In the couple's slaying, Barrow said that Finks was wearing a man's T-shirt when he shot her and Pitts in the back of their heads.

"I never wanted to kill that girl, I never did," Barrow said on the video, played in open court for the first time during the April hearings. Barrow told the detectives that he did not know that anyone other than Pitts was in the house when he broke in.

Homicide Detective Joseph Bamberski testified in April that Barrow said he used the same gun to kill Joseph, Pitts, and Finks, and that a Police Department ballistics report completed eight days after his confession confirmed that the same gun had been used at both murder scenes.

Bamberski also testified that the same brand of duct tape was used to bind the wrists and ankles of all three victims.

Philadelphia defense lawyer Gregory Pagano said that with so much evidence linking Barrow to all three murders, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office should have charged him with killing Pitts and Finks.

Pagano's former client Nafis Pinkney was charged with killing Pitts and Finks after he allegedly confessed following a rough-handed, 24-hour interrogation. But the confession statement didn't match the trial evidence and the jury acquitted Pinkney, who last year received a $750,000 settlement from the city.

Pagano believes that if the district attorney were to charge Barrow with the double murder, it would be another acknowledgement that Pinkney was wrongly accused and that no one but Barrow was involved.

"This is why you can't force people to confess falsely to crimes they didn't commit, because it leads to absurd results like this," Pagano said. "The District Attorney's Office, the Philadelphia Police Department, have painted themselves into a corner by improperly, incorrectly, and falsely charging Nafis Pinkney."

Ben Waxman, spokesman for District Attorney Larry Krasner, said the investigation into the killings of Pitts and Finks is ongoing. He noted that there is no statute of limitations on homicide and added: "We are committed to fighting for justice in this case."

Michael Coard, Barrow's attorney, argued that his client's confession statement should be suppressed because he suffers from schizophrenia, psychosis, intellectual disabilities, and memory impairment.

"The question the jury is going to wonder is: Why in the world would somebody walk into a police station and confess to three murders, none of which he was being sought for, and two of which the commonwealth already prosecuted somebody else for?" Coard said after Monday's hearing.The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday split 3-3 on whether Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Genece Brinkley should remain on Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill's gun-and-drug case, leaving Brinkley to preside over his post-conviction appeal. She is scheduled to hear an evidentiary hearing in the case Monday.

In their order, the justices wrote that with "the court being equally divided," Mill's attorneys' emergency petition to remove Brinkley was denied.

In a telephone interview after the ruling, Mill, 31, said his decade-old case is highly unusual because prosecutors and his attorneys agree that he should get a new trial.

In 2,000 cases involving Philadelphia police scandals in recent years, when both the defense and prosecution agreed to a new trial or to seek the dismissal of charges, judges have expeditiously granted the requests.

"I just want to be treated the same," Mill said. "I still don't feel free."

But Brinkley has required that despite the agreement by the two sides, the evidentiary hearing must take place Monday.

In Tuesday's order, Chief Justice Thomas G. Saylor, Justice Sallie Updyke Mundy, and Justice David N. Wecht denied the change of judge sought by Mill, who was born in Philadelphia as Robert Rihmeek Williams. Wecht, in the order, noted that Mill could renew his request for a different judge after Monday's hearing.

Justice Kevin M. Dougherty did not participate in the matter.

Justice Max Baer wrote a dissenting statement, saying he would grant the request of Mill's attorneys to have Common Pleas Court President Judge Sheila Woods-Skipper preside over Mill's case. "I believe Judge Genece Brinkley should have disqualified herself  as her continued involvement has created an appearance of impropriety that tends to undermine public confidence in the judiciary," Baer wrote.

Justices Debra Todd and Christine Donohue joined the dissenting statement.

Joe Tacopina, a New York lawyer representing Mill, said in an email Tuesday that "we remain hopeful that the overwhelming amount of evidence in this case  and the Philadelphia District Attorney's backing of Meek's PCRA [Post Conviction Relief Act] filing  will prompt Judge Brinkley to grant Meek a new trial, failing which we will promptly pursue all appellate remedies available to Meek in order to right this terrible injustice."

Brian McMonagle, a Philadelphia lawyer representing Mill, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The latest battles between Brinkley and Mill's lawyers and backers began Nov. 6, when the judge found that Mill again had violated his probation stemming from a 2007 drug-and-gun arrest after he tested positive for opiate use and incurred two new arrests last year. He had been charged with assaulting an employee at a St. Louis airport and with reckless endangerment for riding a dirt bike on New York City streets. Brinkley ordered Mill taken into custody to serve a two-to-four-year state prison sentence.

During his time behind bars, Mill became a cause celebre, with supporters seeking his release and pushing for a new judge to preside over his case. But Brinkley, in a March 29 opinion, wrote that she would not recuse herself from his case, contending that defense allegations about her lacked merit, and saying that she had "committed no error."

The state Supreme Court on April 24 granted Mill "extraordinary relief"  securing his release from prison that day  because the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office had agreed that he should obtain a new trial and did not oppose Mill's release on bail. Mill departed a state prison in Chester around 6:30 p.m., quickly getting into a helicopter and heading to a 76ers playoff game with team co-owner Michael Rubin.

Although Mill's attorneys continued to seek Brinkley's ouster, at a hearing May 30, Common Pleas Court Judge Leon W. Tucker denied the request, saying he lacked the jurisdiction to remove from the case a fellow judge who sits on the same bench. Tucker, the supervising judge of the court's criminal division, said that Brinkley could be disqualified only by the state Supreme Court.

At Monday's scheduled hearing, the rapper's attorneys are expected to argue that Mill should get a new trial. They contend that he was framed by former Philadelphia Police Officer Reginald Graham, who had arrested him and who testified against him at his 2008 nonjury trial before Brinkley.

Graham  who retired from the force last year and has not been charged with a crime  was identified in February by the Inquirer and Daily News as one of two dozen officers on a secret list compiled by the District Attorney's Office of cops whom the office would not call to testify. He was accused of stealing drug bust money, lying to the FBI about it, and failing an FBI polygraph test.

Brinkley, in her March 29 opinion, wrote that at the Nov. 6 hearing Mill "admitted that he was a gun-carrying drug dealer." She also noted that Mill had said at the November hearing: " 'Even when two officers came in here and said that I pointed a firearm at them, your judgment was, you found me guilty of pointing a firearm at these two officers, which you should.' "

Mill's lawyers have said the statement was taken out of context. They said the two officers were lying about the firearm and presented statements from two other officers saying Mill was not pointing a gun at the officers.

In April, Woods-Skipper threw out the convictions of three other defendants who had been arrested by Graham, saying the former narcotics officer had "credibility issues." She also set a June 29 hearing date for 103 pending petitions for new trials for other suspects whom Graham arrested between 2002 to 2014.

Tacopina's statement Tuesday also contended that Mill's case  like the others involving Graham  "should be heard by the same judge, in this case Judge Woods-Skipper, so that he is treated the same as all similarly situated defendants."Thomas Woewiyu returns from lunch during jury selection Monday in his immigration fraud trial at the federal courthouse in Philadelphia. Read more

A jury of eight men and four women was selected Monday to decide the fate of a Delaware County man who federal prosecutors say oversaw brutal atrocities committed during Liberia's first civil war and later lied about it while seeking U.S. citizenship.

Thomas Woewiyu  a 72-year-old grandfather in Collingdale and a leader in the region's Liberian diaspora community  served in the early '90s as chief spokesman and defense minister to Liberian strongman Charles Taylor, who later became president and in 2012 was convicted of crimes against humanity.

During his association with Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), prosecutors say, Woewiyu delivered arms and gave orders to forces who conscripted child soldiers and committed acts of ethnic cleansing, torture, rape, and dismemberment.

Woewiyu's lawyers maintain that their client never purposefully hid his past from American authorities and served during the war as a constant advocate for a peaceful resolution to what has since become known as one of the bloodiest conflicts in modern African history.

Both sides are expected to deliver opening statements Tuesday. They spent Monday quizzing potential panel members on topics including whether any had served in combat, knew Liberia's history, or could handle the potentially gut-wrenching testimony about the horrific violence there.

More than 200,000 Liberians were killed and millions more displaced in the multifactioned war that ravaged their country between 1989 and 1997. But before last year, no one had been held criminally responsible for the documented atrocities committed by all sides in the conflict.

Taylor's war crimes conviction stemmed from his conduct during another civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone.

Federal authorities arrested Woewiyu at Newark Liberty International Airport in 2014 as he returned from a trip to Monrovia, Liberia's capital, to announce his intention to run for that nation's Senate.

Despite the allegations of wartime atrocities prosecutors have lodged against him, Woewiyu is charged only with perjury and immigration violations stemming from lies they say he told on his 2006 application for U.S. citizenship.

But to prove his alleged deceptions, prosecutors are expected to call as witnesses former U.S. diplomats, war correspondents, and about a dozen victims of war crimes committed by forces under the command of Taylor and Woewiyu.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Linwood C. Wright Jr. and Nelson S.T. Thayer Jr. used the same tactics last fall to convict Mohammed Jabateh  a Liberian warlord who adopted the nom de guerre "Jungle Jabbah"  on similar immigration charges. Jabateh, 51, of East Lansdowne, fought against Taylor's NPFL and was accused of committing or overseeing horrific acts of murder, rape, enslavement, and cannibalism. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison  one of the longest terms imposed in a case of its kind.

Unlike Jabateh, who moved to the Philadelphia suburbs in 1998, Woewiyu has lived in the United States since before the war began.

It was in this country in the '80s that he, Taylor, and others began discussions that would lead to the founding of the NPFL to oppose Liberia's then-leader, the American-backed Samuel Doe.

Since the war's end, Woewiyu has served multiple roles in the Liberian government  including stints as labor minister and president pro tempore of its Senate  while living here as a legal permanent resident of the United States. It was on a citizenship application he filed in 2006 that prosecutors say he tried to hide his past associations to Taylor's movement.

If convicted, Woewiyu could face more than a decade in prison. He may also face deportation proceedings no matter the result of his trial.Arnold Mulholland, left, led to a hearing in City Hall in 1989 after he had been arrested and accused of killing three gay men during a weeklong killing spree. Mulholland was found dead in prison on June 8, 2018, according to state officials. Read more

A Philadelphia man who in 1989 murdered three gay men during a weeklong Center City killing spree died last week in a Pennsylvania prison, state officials said.

Arnold V. Mulholland, 50, was found unresponsive in his cell at State Correctional Institution-Mahanoy in Frackville, Schuylkill County, at 6:17 a.m. on Friday, according to a statement from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.

Mulholland was declared dead about an hour later, the agency said. The statement did not provide a cause of death, and the Schuylkill County Coroner's Office declined to release additional information without a right-to-know request.

In June 1989, he had been working as a gay prostitute in Center City when he killed three men in seven days, stabbing the men in their apartments after they invited him inside. Alexander Munchweiler, Tracy Griffin, and David Johnson, all were found dead or killed in early June, the news accounts said.

Alexander Munchweiler, a 61-year-old hairdresser, was found on the living room floor of his Walnut Street apartment with stab wounds to the chest, stomach, and arm. Days later, Mulholland stabbed David Johnson, a 58-year-old retired bank executive, more than 40 times inside an apartment on Spruce Street, a crime he confessed to his then-girlfriend. She also said she witnessed Mulholland stab Tracy Griffin in his Bainbridge Street apartment after stealing his bank card and forcing him to write a $100 check.

Mulholland was arrested later that month, after a fourth man, John Rowley, had managed to escape an encounter with Mulholland by jumping out a second-story window at 1900 Spruce St., breaking his back in the process. Following his arrest, Mulholland told police that gay men were "sick," but he broke down as he pleaded guilty in May 1990, choking back tears and slumping in his chair as his family members behind him sobbed.

He was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences.

The killings came during a months-long stretch in the region in which at least five other gay men were murdered, according to the Philadelphia Gay News.

Barbara L. Christie, the assistant district attorney on Mulholland's case, described him at the time as a "cool, cruel, calculating extinguisher of people." His own attorney, Perry de Marco Sr., said, "These were brutal, heinous killings," and added that Mulholland  who pleaded guilty to avoid execution  was sorry for "the havoc he created."

In an interview with the Inquirer published in 1993, Mulholland said: "I feel for the people. I regret it." But he did not remember the names or faces of his victims, and said he did not realize they had families  even though their relatives had shown up in court.Lyric Dunbar, a former Philadelphia deputy sheriff who was fired last year after being caught on video twice punching a woman inside the Family Court building, was sentenced Tuesday to attend anger-management class  and her victim, who says she has suffered brain damage from the assault, expressed outrage.

Dunbar, 34, had been scheduled for a preliminary hearing Tuesday on charges of simple assault and harassment, but instead pleaded guilty to the assault charge. She also was sentenced to six months of nonreporting probation, which will end upon completion of the class. The District Attorney's Office dropped the harassment charge as part of the plea deal approved by Municipal Court Judge Jacqueline Frazier-Lyde.

Dunbar's victim, Melanie Greenstein, who had been sitting in the back row of the courtroom on the ninth floor of the Criminal Justice Center, said she considered the sentence a slap on the wrist for a crime that should have landed Dunbar in jail.

"I think it's disgraceful, it's insulting," said Greenstein, 28, of Bensalem, after leaving the courtroom. "She's a cop. I have brain damage. I had a traumatic brain injury, a severe concussion, vision loss. I'm still suffering from the injuries. She beat me up."

Greenstein was not asked to speak during the hearing.

The assault took place last July 30 after Greenstein arrived at the Family Court building at 15th and Arch Streets to pick up her daughter from the child's father as part of a court-supervised weekly custody exchange, she said after Tuesday's hearing. After she went through the metal detectors at the entrance, Dunbar followed her and attacked her for reasons she did not know, Greenstein said, adding that they did not exchange words before the assault.

"She punched me in my face twice and knocked my glasses off. My glasses stabbed me in my eye," Greenstein said. "She started spitting her potato chips on me. Then the next thing I knew, she sucker-punched me in the back of the head."

Ben Waxman, spokesman for District Attorney Larry Krasner, said the police report of the incident shows that Dunbar attacked the victim after Greenstein, who is white, used the N-word and said that Dunbar, who is black, was acting like a monkey.

"To be clear, if someone used a racial epithet, you still can't punch them in the face, you can't clock them," Waxman said. "You have to be able to control your temper if you're in law enforcement. And if you can't, there are consequences."

Dunbar said nothing during the hearing other than stating her age and affirming that she understood that a guilty plea could negatively affect future employment opportunities and plans to travel abroad. When she left the courthouse, she looked downward and covered her face to avoid being photographed.

Her attorney, Brian McLaughlin, said the plea deal was in his client's best interest. "The facts of the case are what they are. We engaged in negotiations, and this was the [deal] presented by the district attorney after reviewing the facts. It worked out well for my client."

Dunbar was hired by the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office in August 2013. She was arrested Dec. 22, five months after the assault, following an investigation conducted under Krasner's predecessor, Kelley B. Hodge.

This was not Dunbar's first brush with the law. In September 2016, she was arrested for allegedly using her service weapon to shoot at her ex-boyfriend outside her home. Dunbar, of the 1500 block of Orland Street in West Oak Lane, was charged with aggravated and simple assault, but the man who authorities say was her intended target failed to show up three times for preliminary hearings, and charges were dropped on Oct. 26, 2016, according to court records.During his first six months in office, Philadelphia Larry Krasner has appeared on a panel with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (top), spoken an MSNBC town hall (bottom left) and been trailed at times by a documentary crew (bottom right). His bold actions have earned him praise from some liberal reform advocates across the country. Read more

In promoting Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner's speaking engagement at Harvard Law School in March, several advocacy groups described him as "the most progressive DA in the country."

A candidate for district attorney in Durham, N.C., said Krasner inspired her run for office, and admitted to nearly plagiarizing language from his campaign website.

And last month, supporters in states including Ohio, Texas, and California  many aligned with a super PAC that holds Krasner as a role model  dropped off copies of his signature policy document to their local prosecutors' offices.

Six months into his first term, Krasner has made waves locally by dismissing and shaking up staff, enacting bold new policies, and making headline-grabbing decisions in several high-profile cases.

But Krasner's actions  which have not passed without controversy  also have resonated beyond city lines, winning admiration from far-flung criminal justice reform advocates, some of whom cite Philadelphia as an example for how to scale back, or even reverse, the tough-on-crime policies of recent decades.

"What Philadelphia has done is [start] to make the country aware of what solutions might look like in practice," said Becky Bond, cofounder of the Real Justice PAC, which backs change-oriented prosecutorial candidates.

Krasner is not the only participant in Philadelphia's reform efforts. A MacArthur Foundation grant awarded to the city two years ago to decrease its jail population has led to a 36 percent reduction since July 2015, according to city statistics. Julie Wertheimer, senior director of the city's criminal justice reform efforts, credited "all the system actors working together" for those results, including the court system, the Defender Association, and the Police Department, which have participated in implementing programs aimed at diverting people from jail or the criminal justice system.

Krasner is also just one of several prosecutors across the country promising reform. Some peers, including those in Houston, Chicago, and Orlando, Fla., also received a campaign boost from political organizations tied to billionaire George Soros, whose super PAC contributed $1.5 million to Krasner's candidacy in 2017.

Miriam Krinsky, executive director of Fair and Just Prosecution, a nationwide advocacy group, said: "What's happening in Philadelphia is reflective of a broader national change."

And Krasner rejects the notion that he is a poster child for such a shift.

"I see this as a movement that is fundamentally grassroots," he said in an interview Tuesday. "I don't really consider myself a role model for much of anything."

But the former career defense attorney holds a special place in the eyes of many left-leaning admirers. Last month he recorded a podcast with former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who said Philadelphia was part of a nationwide push "to bring about significant reform of our system." Krasner later appeared on an MSNBC town hall, the publication Slate described him as "the real deal," and the Intercept characterized him as a "transformational" leader.

"He stands out because he's just doing more than the other folks have so far," said Rebecca Bernhardt, a policy analyst in Austin, Texas, who delivered Krasner's main policy memo to her local prosecutor's office last month.

"Everybody's just like, 'Wow.' Every week it's just like, 'Wow,' " said Bond, of the Real Justice PAC. "The country is really watching."

A Krasner-inspired candidate  in N.C.

One of those watching was Satana Deberry.

A North Carolina lawyer with only brief experience in criminal law, Deberry was executive director of an affordable-housing organization when she decided last year to run for district attorney in Durham County.

In an interview last week, she said that although she had not met Krasner beforehand, he was "a big part of inspiring my decision to run," due in part to his campaign habit of criticizing the very office he was seeking to lead.

"It showed to me that you didn't have to have a history of a prosecutor to run," Deberry said. "In fact, that you could kind of be critical of prosecutorial practices and win."

Krasner has maintained some of his critical nature while in office, saying previous administrations had turned the office into "a Grade-B District Attorney's Office" and seemed to live in the "land before time." A legal motion filed by his office also included extraordinary language critical of previous prosecutors.

Richard Sax, one of those former prosecutors, has been among Krasner's most vocal critics, and he said last week that his impression from former colleagues is that office morale has "never been worse." Two anonymous Twitter users  whose account names are a spoof of office spokesman Ben Waxman  have frequently criticized Krasner's rhetoric and actions, seeming to channel the frustration of some staffers who privately question the office's direction.

Since January, 65 prosecutors have resigned, retired, or been dismissed, according to Waxman  about 20 percent of the office's lawyers. But Waxman said 29 new prosecutors have been hired and an additional 33 have accepted offers to begin in the next several months.

Krasner said he believes office morale is good and "about to get better" due to "an adjustment in compensation" to be announced to prosecutors next week. He also said that he accepts some criticism "as being the honest opinions of good people," but that other critiques have come from "certain individuals whose fingerprints are all over outrageous misconduct while they were in a position to carry it out."

"There are times when people know that their actions and their conduct is going to come under scrutiny  and they figure the best way to defend that is by attacking the source of what's about to come out," Krasner said.

Sax said his criticisms predated Krasner's primary victory last year  well before Sax might have tried to kick up dust to preemptively defend his reputation. Krasner, he said, appeared to prefer maligning his critics instead of honestly grappling with their critiques.

In North Carolina, Deberry's candidacy hit a speed bump in March, when she was accused of plagiarizing pieces of Krasner's campaign website. She has since added language to the site crediting Krasner for inspiration, and said last week that she regularly credits Krasner in speeches with influencing some of her core positions.

"I'm a bit of a policy nerd, and so for me, somebody like him who has good policy and stuff that looks operational, that's going to be the kind of stuff I'm really attracted to," Deberry said.

Last month, Deberry won the Democratic primary in a race with no Republican candidate, all but ensuring that she will become Durham County's district attorney in January. She has since met Krasner in person, and said he advised her to "hit the ground running."

Memo delivery

Few of Krasner's initiatives this year seemed to generate as much excitement in criminal justice circles as his unveiling of a policy instructing prosecutors to seek shorter sentences and take into account the cost of keeping someone incarcerated, among other guidelines.

Last month, reform advocates in 33 counties spanning 21 states delivered the memo to local prosecutors' offices as part of an effort led by Real Justice PAC, said Bond, the group's executive director.

Clark Slagle, 53, a psychologist in Chapel Hill, N.C., was one of them. He said it was hard to believe that other prosecutors had not previously spelled out similar goals in writing.

"If you think about the justice system as being just, these guidelines are just kind of the basics of how to have justice within our system," said Slagle.

Bernhardt, the Texas policy analyst, said the memo "really looked like it would make a difference in terms of how many people are going to prison and jail."

Slagle said his local district attorney, Jim Woodall, has agreed to meet with activists to discuss the issues in the memo, something Slagle hopes may be the start of helping Krasner's impact spread even more.

"Change happens with relationships and, if [Woodall] doesn't know anything about Larry Krasner and the memo, he's going to learn about that," Slagle said.

Krasner said other prosecutors around the country have told him that the first year is often the most difficult, in part because other participants in the criminal justice system pushed back against attempted reforms. But Krasner said he intends to keep up the fight.

"It really is a movement that got sworn in in Philadelphia," Krasner said. "And it really is a movement around the country that is doing what it can to change America's approach to criminal justice."President Trump sits with Attorney General Jeff Sessions during the FBI National Academy graduation ceremony in Quantico, Va., in 2017. Read more

This week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions told immigration judges they could no longer grant asylum to most migrants who come here trying to escape domestic abuse or gang violence.

How can that be? How can the attorney general, an appointed Republican cabinet member at war with cities like Philadelphia over immigration policy, simply declare that judges must follow his decisions?

Simple. It's immigration court. And immigration court is not like other courts.

In immigration court, young children can be forced to serve as their own lawyers. Defendants generally don't have the right to court-appointed attorneys. Judges have little discretion, and in some situations cannot terminate proceedings in a case without approval from ranking government attorneys, immigration attorneys say.

One judge famously described immigration hearings as death penalty cases heard in traffic court settings.

"There's no mercy in immigration proceedings," said John Vandenberg of Hogan & Vandenberg LLC, former head of the Philadelphia chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. "You're either a citizen or you qualify for some sort of relief  that's it."

Immigration court is a civil system, not a criminal one. In the vast flow chart of the federal government, these courts come under the Justice Department, not under the judiciary. At the top of the department stands the attorney general, who has the power to issue binding decisions on how immigration judges operate.

That causes the courts to be "vulnerable to the political whims of the executive," wrote the National Immigrant Justice Center, a Chicago-based advocate.

On Monday, Sessions reversed the ruling of an immigration appeals court that had granted asylum to a Salvadoran woman who said she was physically and emotionally abused by her ex-husband. Sessions wrote that an alien could suffer violence in a foreign country for any number of reasons, but "the asylum statute does not provide redress for all misfortune."

Sessions said that the mere fact that a foreign nation may struggle to police certain crimes, such as domestic violence or gang violence, or that certain populations are more likely to be victims, cannot by itself establish an asylum claim. There are other proper, legal ways to seek admission to the United States, he wrote, rather than entering illegally and applying for asylum.

Some groups that want tighter controls, like the Washington-based Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, insist that the asylum system is being gamed by migrants who see a way to avoid deportation. FAIR wants a faster, tougher approach toward people who claim they're being persecuted in their homelands

Asylum is a legal means of entering the U.S., a protection granted to people who can demonstrate persecution or a well-founded founded fear of persecution in their homeland. Migrants granted asylum can apply to stay in the United States permanently.

In fiscal year 2015, 84,182 people applied for asylum, 40,062 cases were completed, and 15,999 were granted, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Sessions' decision makes it much harder for victims of domestic abuse and gang violence to find refuge here. And it does so at a time when rampant domestic violence, poverty and murder are forcing thousands of women and children to flee El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, the "Northern Triangle" of Central America that is one of the world's most dangerous regions, according to the United Nations.

"It's a civil proceeding, even though the consequences for the people subject to those proceedings can be dire," said Elizabeth Yaeger, supervising attorney for the Immigrant Youth Advocacy Project of HIAS Pennsylvania. "It [can be] a death sentence, if a person gets sent back."

Yet in court, she said, a person seeking asylum, who might not have a firm grasp of English, can be pitted against a government attorney. Another issue, she said, is the sheer volume of cases imposed on judges.

The Justice Department told judges in April that they must clear at least 700 cases a year and have less than 15 percent of their decisions overturned to receive a satisfactory rating on their job reviews.

"It really puts a burden on judges, who should be thinking about making the right decision, rather than, 'Am I going to reach my quota?'" said Jon Landau, an immigration attorney at Landau, Hess, Simon & Choi.

Vandenberg has seen proceedings where small children tried to represent themselves in hearings before a judge.

"It's corrosive to the soul," he said. "They're here because they need help, they need safety, they need refuge.  At this point, it's an open battle for the soul of America.President Trump reaches for North Korea leader Kim Jong Un after they signed documents at the end of their summit on Tuesday. Read more

SINGAPORE  Clasping hands and forecasting future peace, President Trump and Kim Jong Un committed Tuesday to "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula during the first meeting in history between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader. Yet as Trump toasted the summit's results, he faced mounting questions about whether he got too little and gave away too much  including an agreement to halt U.S. military exercises with treaty ally South Korea.

Meeting with staged ceremony on a Singapore island, Trump and Kim came together for a summit that seemed unthinkable months ago when the two nations traded nuclear threats. The gathering of the two unpredictable leaders marked a striking gamble by the American president to grant Kim long-sought recognition on the world stage in hopes of ending the North's nuclear program.

Both leaders expressed optimism throughout roughly five hours of talks, with Trump thanking Kim afterward "for taking the first bold step toward a bright new future for his people." Kim, for his part, said the leaders had "decided to leave the past behind" and promised: "The world will see a major change."

Light on specifics, the document signed by the two leaders largely amounted to an agreement to continue discussions, as it echoed previous public statements and past commitments. It did not include an agreement to take steps toward ending the technical state of warfare between the U.S. and North Korea.

>>READ MORE: By Trump's own yardstick, North Korea pact falls flat | Analysis

Trump, holding forth at a free-flowing news conference after Kim departed, said the North Korean leader had before him "an opportunity like no other" to bring his country back into the community of nations if he follows through on pledges to give up his nuclear program.

Trump announced that he would be freezing U.S. military "war games" with its ally South Korea while negotiations between the two countries continue. He cast the decision as a cost-saving measure, but North Korea has long objected to the drills as a security threat.

Trump acknowledged that the timetable for denuclearization is long, but said, "once you start the process it means it's pretty much over."

The president acknowledged that U.S. intelligence on the North Korean nuclear stockpile is limited, "probably less there than any other country," he said. "But we have enough intelligence to know that what they have is very substantial."

Trump brushed off questions about his public praise for an autocrat whose people have been oppressed for decades. He added that Otto Warmbier, an American once detained in North Korea, "did not die in vain" because his death brought about the nuclear talks.

And he said Kim has accepted an invitation to visit the White House  at the "appropriate" time.

The two leaders promised in their joint document to "build a lasting and stable peace regime" on the Korean Peninsula and to repatriate remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action from the Korean War.

Language on North Korea's bombs was similar to what the leaders of North and South Korea came up with at their own summit in April. At the time, the Koreans faced criticism for essentially kicking the issue of North Korea's nuclear arsenal down the road to Tuesday's Trump-Kim summit. Trump and Kim even directly referenced the so-called Panmunjom Declaration, which contained a weak commitment to denuclearization and no specifics on how to achieve it.

The formal document-signing followed a series of meetings at a luxury Singapore resort.

After the signing, Trump said he expected to "meet many times" in the future with Kim and, in response to questions, said he "absolutely" would invite Kim to the White House. For his part, Kim hailed the "historic meeting" and said they "decided to leave the past behind."

In a moment that would never happen in North Korea, reporters began yelling questions to Trump and Kim after they signed the document, including whether they had discussed the case of Warmbier, the American college student who suffered brain damage while in North Korean custody and died in June 2017, days after he was returned home to Ohio.

In the run-up to the meeting, Trump had predicted the two men might strike a nuclear deal or forge a formal end to the Korean War in the course of a single meeting or over several days. But in the hours before the summit, the White House unexpectedly announced Trump would depart Singapore earlier than expected  Tuesday evening  raising questions about whether his aspirations for an ambitious outcome had been scaled back.

Aware that the eyes of the world were on a moment many people never expected to see, Kim said many of those watching would think it was a scene from a "science fiction movie."

After meeting privately and then with aides, Trump and Kim moved into a luncheon at a long flower-bedecked table. As they entered, Trump injected some levity to the day's extraordinary events, saying: "Getting a good picture everybody? So we look nice and handsome and thin? Perfect."

Then they dined on beef short rib confit along with sweet and sour crispy pork.

And as they emerged from the meal for a brief stroll together, Trump appeared to delight in showing his North Korean counterpart the interior of "The Beast," the famed U.S. presidential limousine known for its high-tech fortifications.

Critics of the summit leapt at the leaders' handshake and the moonlight stroll Kim took Monday night along the glittering Singapore waterfront, saying it was further evidence that Trump was helping legitimize Kim on the world stage. Kim has been accused of horrific rights abuses against his people.

"It's a huge win for Kim Jong Un, who now  if nothing else  has the prestige and propaganda coup of meeting one on one with the president, while armed with a nuclear deterrent," said Michael Kovrig, a northeast Asia specialist at the International Crisis Group in Washington.

Trump responded to such commentary on Twitter, saying: "The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the U.S., say the haters & losers." But he added "our hostages" are back home and testing, research and launches have stopped.

>>READ MORE: Recap of summit and reaction as it happened

Giving voice to the anticipation felt around the world as the meeting opened, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday he "hardly slept" before the summit. Moon and other officials watched the live broadcast of the summit before a South Korean Cabinet meeting in his presidential office

The summit capped a dizzying few days of foreign policy activity for Trump, who shocked U.S. allies over the weekend by using a meeting in Canada of the Group of Seven industrialized economies to alienate America's closest friends in the West. Lashing out over trade practices, Trump lobbed insults at his G-7 host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trump left that summit early and, as he flew to Singapore, tweeted that he was yanking the U.S. out of the group's traditional closing statement.

The optimistic summit was a remarkable change in dynamics from less than a year ago, when Trump was threatening "fire and fury" against Kim, who in turn scorned the American president as a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard." Beyond the impact on both leaders' political fortunes, the summit could shape the fate of countless people  the citizens of impoverished North Korea, the tens of millions living in the shadow of the North's nuclear threat, and millions more worldwide.

Alluding to the North's concerns that giving up its nuclear weapons could surrender its primary deterrent to forced regime change, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters that the U.S. was prepared to take action to provide North Korea with "sufficient certainty" that denuclearization "is not something that ends badly for them."

He would not say whether that included the possibility of withdrawing U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula, but said the U.S. was "prepared to take what will be security assurances that are different, unique, than America's been willing to provide previously."

The North has faced crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions as it has advanced development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Pompeo held firm to Trump's position that sanctions will remain in place until North Korea denuclearizes  and said they would even increase if diplomatic discussions did not progress positively.Tyhan Brown is on trial on murder charges after eight-year-old Gabrielle "Gabby" Hill-Carter was shot in the crossfire of an alleged gang war in 2016. Brown is pictured in the courtroom in the Camden County Hall of Justice in Camden, NJ on June 12, 2018 with his attorney, Adam Brent. Read more

The man charged with killing an 8-year-old girl while she rode her bike in Camden managed to use Facebook Live from the county jail to identify a key witness against him and call the man a "snitch."

The extraordinary social media post that Tyhan "Butt Butt" Brown, 20, secretly made with help from his girlfriend was played for a Superior Court jury on Tuesday during his murder trial. On a cellphone call from jail, he asked his girlfriend to use her phone to sign in to Facebook and record a live message that he told her to caption "Words from Butt."

"I know who it is," he said in the recording. "Tell everyone in the gang to stay away from Mr. John Burgos. Word up!"

Burgos, 24, testified for the prosecution last week and said Brown told him he was involved in the gun battle that led to the death of Gabrielle Hill-Carter. She was shot in the head during the crossfire of a gun battle as she played outside her house on South Eighth Street in August 2016.

Authorities said the gunfight was gang-related and that Brown was a member of the Centerville Bloods, who were feuding with the Hoover Crips.

Burgos said Brown told him he tried to shoot Amir Dixon, who ran in the direction of the child, but his gun jammed.

Dixon was not injured, but Hill-Carter died in the hospital two days later.

Brown told his former girlfriend, Natasha Gerald of Sicklerville, that Burgos was cooperating with police and that he learned this after reviewing 2,000 pages of statements from people who had spoken to police about the shooting.

"What made him say my name?" he asked in the Facebook Live post.

The courtroom was packed Tuesday with family and friends of the defendant and the victim.

The jury of eight men and six women also heard part of the videotaped statement Brown gave to police after he was arrested at a relative's home in Tennessee a few weeks after the shooting. Brown did not admit to being at the scene despite Detective Sherman Hopkins Jr.'s repeated questions about what happened and a request to give "the little girl's family peace."

When Hopkins showed Brown a video of a police officer carrying the dead child from the scene and asked Brown what he would say to the family, Brown sniffed. "I'm sorry for your loss," he replied. But later, when Hopkins asked if he was sorry, Brown said, "Sorry for what?"

In court, Brown was unemotional. After the video was played, he stretched his arms and rocked in his chair. He remains in Camden County Jail on $1.5 million bail.

Five months ago, Assistant Camden County Prosecutor Christine Shah offered Brown a plea arrangement that called for him to admit guilt in return for a recommendation that he receive a 40-year sentence. He rejected the deal. If convicted at trial, he could face life in prison.

Adam Brent, Brown's Vineland-based defense attorney, argued that there is no evidence placing his client at the scene and said the state's witnesses are mostly criminals whose stories are full of inconsistencies.

Burgos failed to show up on the day he was scheduled to testify and was brought to court the next day by a police officer.

Shah said the shooting was the result of an ongoing conflict between Brown and Dixon. Four days earlier, Brown had gone on Facebook Live and called Dixon a "rat" and a "fake Crip" who had called the police when the two men feuded. That post was also shown to the jury.

The trial, before Superior Court Judge John Kelley, is expected to continue at least through the week.Rancocas Valley Regional High School District Superintendent Chris Heilig stands inside of an entrance vestibule at Rancocas Valley Regional High School that he hopes a grant from the county will enable to be updated with more security. Read more

Responding to a recent string of shootings across the country, Burlington County is dedicating half of its annual capital budget  $20 million  to enhance security in 21 of its public high schools.

The money will go toward creating entrance vestibules, metal detectors, panic alarms, scan-card systems, and other measures.

Freeholder Kate Gibbs touted the voluntary initiative as the first of its kind in New Jersey, saying the county was filling in the budget gaps of financially strained towns and school districts.

"Our school buildings should be safe places where students can learn, educators can teach, and parents can feel comfortable sending their children every morning," said Gibbs, joined by law enforcement and school officials outside Rancocas Regional High School in Mount Holly on Tuesday afternoon.

Each participating school will first sign up for site evaluations, to be completed by an architectural firm by the end of August. The consultant will analyze what security measures each school needs, and the county will then accept applications for grant money until October. The funds will not be used to dictate staffing guidelines or safety procedures.

"There is no cookie-cutter approach to school safety," Gibbs said.

Gibbs said the county hopes to eventually open the grant money up to middle and elementary schools.

The initiative comes months after a shooting in Parkland, Fla., sparked a national debate about gun violence, and weeks after 10 people were killed and 13 others wounded in a school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas. The suspect in the Texas shooting, 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, is charged with capital murder and aggravated assault.

In the fall, New Jersey voters will decide whether to approve a $1 billion bond issue for security upgrades at community colleges, high schools, and vocational high schools.

"Sometimes what happens nationally dictates what we need to make a priority," Gibbs said. "I believe after what I've seen at Parkland and Santa Fe that this needs to be a priority."

At Rancocas Valley, where 2,100 students walk the halls of the 300,000-square-foot property, facility updates are imminent.

The school has three buildings, with four entrances for students monitored by security guards and 200 cameras throughout, said Superintendent Chris Heilig. There is a main entrance vestibule for guests at the front of the school. The school does not have metal detectors.

He said the district will apply for a $1 million grant from the county by Sept. 1 with a goal of expanding the entrance vestibule and adding a security check-in window, among other projects. Under a tight budget passed in May, Heilig said, the anticipated security measures would be difficult to fund without the county's help.

"We want to better monitor and screen people before they actually get into the building," Heilig said.

The county initiative is expected to be approved during a freeholders meeting Wednesday night.

Threats of school shootings occurred in South Jersey following the incident in Parkland, including one by a 10-year-old in the Franklin Township School District in Gloucester County who was subsequently arrested and charged.Michael West (left) works with Joe Robinson of the Pennsylvania society to put together West's first real resume. West spent 14 years in prison. He was released on May 3. Read more

A dog-eared piece of paper held one of the keys to the rest of Michael West's life.

It was a sample resume, and West's goal that recent day was to build his own, his first, filling it top to bottom with enough skills and accomplishments to persuade a prospective employer to hire him.

For a 39-year-old man who walked out of prison on May 3 after doing 14 years for third-degree murder, it would be a challenge  but not one he'd have to face alone.

West sat across a table from Joe Robinson, his lifeline, in a rundown church office framed by tarnished stained-glass windows. Over the last three years, as head of the Pennsylvania Prison Society's mentoring program, Robinson has met with hundreds of ex-offenders whose crimes skewed sharply to the violent, and helped usher them into a job marketplace with ever more to offer, though not so readily to them.

"Most of the time, if the guy can stay busy," Robinson said, "he won't be a problem."

And a big "if" that is.

Nationally, unemployment stands at 3.8 percent; for African Americans, it is 5.9 percent, the lowest since the government started keeping track of that data in 1972. But across the country, between 60 percent and 75 percent of former convicts remain jobless a year after their release, according to the National Employment Law Project.

Recently, though, as the economy has picked up steam, Robinson has noticed small, encouraging changes.

"I think more and more people are giving them a chance," he said. "There are more jobs that other people don't want to do, and it creates opportunities."

For West, opportunity began with a blank page on which Robinson wrote his name top and center, followed by contact information. He had moved in with his mother in West Philadelphia. And his phone number?

West rubbed his forehead. "Jeez," he said. "267, uh "

Robinson chuckled. "Still got to get used to it, huh?"

"All this stuff is new to me," West said.

The mentors resume

The Mayor's Office of Reintegration Services, known as RISE, is tasked with supporting the 25,000 people released from Philadelphia prisons each year. It provides help with jobs and housing primarily for ex-offenders whose crimes are not of the highest order.

For the worst, there is Joe Robinson.

In 2015, he joined the Pennsylvania Prison Society, a nonprofit that advocates for prisoners, the formerly incarcerated and their families, with roots going back to 1787 and the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons. In smoothing the transition from cell to free society, it often teams with such groups as the Broad Street Ministry, which maintains a "style pile" of clothing suitable for job-seekers.

At 52, Robinson is a mentor with quite a resume of his own  an ex-offender who bettered himself by earning a degree at Community College of Philadelphia, and who is two semesters away from a bachelor's in social work from Temple University.

He sees a couple of clients a week, but on two nights, he also visits the State Correctional Institutions at Graterford and Chester, where he tries to point inmates toward their new lives before they reenter the community. No sooner are they released than the process of finding housing and employment begins. They must pass a drug test, and provide an original Social Security card and a state ID.

Robinson estimates that about 60 percent of those he counsels find full-time jobs, usually in small businesses.

"Most of the guys we're trying to help do pretty good," he said. "They just need that one chance."

Objective

Next up on Michael West's resume: a blank space for 'Objective."

Reaching into a dark blue folder, Robinson told him, "I have something to go under 'Objective' already. Let's see if you want to use it." He pulled out a resume from a previous mentee. "Here we go. It says, 'To obtain employment in a positive work environment, and to be a team member with other members of my place of employment  Willing to learn any and all skills necessary to bring success to my employer.' "

"Do you like that?" Robinson asked. "If not, we can go with something else."

"Yeah, yeah," West said. "I like that."

And what about those skills?

"So, you're talking about, um, everything that I did? As far as in prison?"

"No," Robinson responded. He wanted both, prison jobs and those on the outside.

West pondered a moment.

"I worked in a supermarket" sweeping and mopping floors, he said. "And I'd put the returns back on the shelf when people used to leave them at the cash register. And then I got promoted to produce."

He also worked at Philadelphia International Airport handling luggage, and even took a flying lesson.

In prison, "I sewed sleeves on T-shirts," he said, and "I did basic plumbing."

"See, you got skills here," Robinson said. "OK, instead of using 'Department of Corrections' [as a previous employer], we're going to use the 'Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.' Makes it sound a little better."

Oh, and the prison commissary  West had worked there, too, for a year. "I learned customer service skills, how to do inventory, how to load and unload the trucks."

Robinson surprised himself. "Dang, you actually have a full page. You have a lot of work history."

The crime

On Nov. 11, 2004, the Inquirer reported the arrest of a Philadelphia man who allegedly played a key role in the murder of a 20-year-old drug dealer in Darby Borough.

Michael West and a friend had met the dealer for a sale, only to kidnap him and stuff him into a Ford Taurus. After stopping at a stash house to steal the dealer's supply, they turned down a dark street, pulled him out of the car, and threw him to the ground. As he lay on the sidewalk begging for his life, he was shot five times with a 9mm handgun.

West and his friend accused each other of pulling the trigger. But before he could be tried, West pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, among other charges, and spent his prime years incarcerated, for the most part at SCI Dallas in Luzerne County.

Fourteen years later, Robinson was sizing up West for a button-up shirt, khaki pants, and a pair of shoes from the Broad Street Ministry's style pile.

West would soon meet with another counselor who'd pick out some possible jobs and send him out, armed with his new resume.

"I'd work at a fast food place, shipping, overnight stop, janitorial. Really, anything," he said. "I'm trying to get to the labor union, and maybe one day get into real estate. But right now, I just want to be in my daughter's life. She's 17, man."

A wide smile crossed his face. "College and that coming up. She's graduating next year. She's going to her prom."

Asked if he had paid his debt to society, he replied he didn't think he had. Not yet.

"At one time, I took from the community, so I'd like to give back," he said. "Yeah, I think that's officially when my debt is paid."Update: On July 27, the Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death a suicide.

Earlier story

Police are investigating the death of a woman who was found naked and shot in the head outside a Catholic church in West Philadelphia early Tuesday.

Investigators are looking for surveillance video that might show what happened around midnight on the corner of 47th and Springfield Streets, outside St. Francis de Sales Church. Authorities are investigating whether the death was due to foul play or a suicide.

The woman, said to be in her mid-20s, was wearing only socks when police found her, Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters at the scene. A pistol was found about five feet away from the body.

Medics pronounced her dead at the scene about 12:15 a.m. Tuesday. Her name has not been released.Thomas Woewiyu returns from lunch during jury selection Monday in his immigration fraud trial at the federal courthouse in Philadelphia. Read more

As his federal trial opened Tuesday, a prominent member of Delaware County's Liberian community was cast by prosecutors as a war criminal who operated in the "highest echelons" of a murderous regime and then lied about it decades later when he applied for U.S. citizenship.

But lawyers for Thomas Woewiyu of Collingdale described their client as the victim of another deception  one by a Justice Department intent on righting the wrongs of a decades-old conflict by hiding behind a misguided immigration case.

"This isn't history class. This isn't debate club," Woewiyu's lawyer, Catherine Henry, said in her opening remarks. "This is federal court, and Tom is charged with federal immigration crimes, not war crimes."

Those salvos opened an unusual court proceeding set to play out in Philadelphia over the next three weeks  one that has captured the attention of Liberians here and in Africa.

Prosecutors allege that Woewiyu  a 72-year-old grandfather who has legally resided in the United States for a half-century  oversaw rebel forces that committed atrocities during the civil war that ravaged the West African nation in the early 1990s. Soldiers under his command, they said, systematically raped, tortured, and executed civilians, and turned enslaved children into weapons of war.

But despite those gut-wrenching claims, the charges Woewiyu faces revolve around a simple immigration question: Did he lie on his U.S. citizenship application about his role in the conflict?

The government contends that Woewiyu hid his past as chief spokesman and defense minister for the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), helmed by strongman Charles Taylor, who later became president of the country.

"You can't commit human rights abuses in your own country and come here and expect to obtain citizenship," Assistant U.S. Attorney Nelson S. T. Thayer Jr. said in his opening remarks.

More than 200,000 people died in the multifaction conflict that erupted in Liberia's jungles and bush between 1989 and 1997. But no one has been convicted of any of the documented war crimes committed during the conflict.

In his role as spokesman, Woewiyu served as an "acceptable public face" for Taylor's murderous regime, whether as a voice emanating from tinny speakers during radio interviews or as a front-line commander of troops, setting policies on how the war would be waged, according to the prosecutor.

"The NPFL desperately needed that acceptable face because what the NPFL was doing on the ground  was far from acceptable," Thayer said.

He warned jurors that testimony they will hear in the days to come would contain graphic descriptions of torture, dismemberment, and child abuse  much of it from the nearly two dozen witnesses flown in from Liberia.

Among the first to testify Tuesday, Liberian journalist James Faseukoi teared up as he described his own certainty that he would be killed as Taylor's forces invaded Monrovia, Liberia's capital, during the summer of 1990.

Then a boy, Faseukoi said he and his foster brother hid under their bed as rebels dressed in filthy women's wigs and toting AK-47s opened fire in civilian-packed streets.

"We thought we were going to die," he said. "We were fighting over the one little Bible we had as if that were going to save us."

Jurors are also expected to hear from several ex-NPFL fighters who, according to court filings, will say that they served as members of Woewiyu's private security force.

"These were children, some as young as 10 years old," Thayer told the panel. "Their AK-47s in some cases were taller than they were and were dragging on the ground behind them. Tom Woewiyu expected those children to put their lives on the line for him."

But his lawyer, Henry, dismissed such testimony as a distraction, laying out a strategy that cut to the heart of one of the unique aspects of the case  the use by U.S. authorities of criminal immigration law to hold what defense lawyers have described as a "back-door war crimes tribunal" for acts committed abroad.

"Perhaps they genuinely want to hold someone accountable for the trauma the Liberian citizens experienced in Africa three decades ago," Henry told the jury. "But the United States doesn't have the jurisdiction to prosecute war crimes that happened in Africa. There's nothing they can do in this courtroom to change that."

Thayer and fellow prosecutor Linwood C. Wright Jr. used a similar tactic last year to convict Mohammed Jabateh, a former warlord who fought under the nom de guerre "Jungle Jabbah" in opposition to Taylor's forces during the '90s.

Jabateh also stood accused of lying to immigration authorities  for him, it was on an application for political asylum  and is now serving a 30-year prison sentence, one of the longest imposed in a case of its kind.

But while Jabateh lived in relative anonymity after arriving in the U.S., Woewiyu's lawyer argued that he had never tried to hide who he was or even the violent excesses committed by soldiers fighting on his side.

After arriving in the U.S. on a student visa in 1969, Woewiyu helped form the NPFL in the late '80s with others opposed to the oppressive regime of then-Liberian President Samuel Doe.

During the war, Woewiyu met frequently with U.S. diplomats and later with federal investigators as they mounted a bid to deport another of his countrymen, George Boley, for his own wartime conduct in 2012.

Woewiyu, dressed in a dark suit and red tie, looked relaxed during much of Tuesday's proceedings, leaning back in his chair, chewing gum, and occasionally pausing to whisper to Henry and co-counsel Mark Wilson. His supporters could be heard chortling in the back row during testimony from one Liberian war victim.

"Convicting Tom isn't going to rewrite history," Henry said. "It's not going to undo any of what happened during the Liberian civil war."Rebecca Rhynhart released Tuesday the annual audit of the city's internal controls. She found that sloppy bookkeeping led to $930 million in accounting errors, an account with a $33 million difference from what the city says it should have and more. Read more

Philadelphia's government has the worst accounting practices among the nation's 10 largest cities, with $924 million in bookkeeping errors alone last year, according to an audit released Tuesday by City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart.

That's on top of the now-infamous missing $33 million, the discrepancy between what the city's records say it has and what is in the bank  the result of a failure to reconcile the city's cash account over several years, Rhynhart said at a news conference.

In total, the controller's auditors found two "material weaknesses" and eight "significant deficiencies" in the fiscal 2017 books. The accounting terms refer to serious issues with the city's internal financial controls.

"This is a major problem and needs to be treated that way by the mayor and the finance director on down," Rhynhart told the Inquirer and Daily News. "If the City of Philadelphia is talking about tax increases, let's get our house in order."

By comparison, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston did not have any problems in their 2017 audits. Phoenix had one deficiency and San Jose, Calif., had one material weakness and five significant deficiencies.

The news conference to release the audit findings was Rhynhart's first since she became the city's independently elected fiscal watchdog this year. A longtime aide to both Mayor Michael Nutter and Mayor Kenney, she won the office over three-term incumbent Alan Butkovitz.

But on Tuesday, she had harsh words for her former bosses  specifically Kenney and city finance director Rob Dubow.

"There is no concrete action plan. There's no plan to give any confidence that this won't be happening again next year," Rhynhart said, referring to the $924 million in accounting errors.

Rhynhart said the finance department had a history of sloppy record-keeping, noting her predecessor found similarly high number of errors in the books.

"What's been happening is they are depending on auditors from the controller's office to fix all these errors," Rhynhart said. "Finance's response has been and continues to be, 'Well, we will learn from that.' The issue is that they should be preparing an accurate financial statement without the auditor doing it for them."

Dubow argued that catching and fixing errors is part of the controller's role.

"It's part of the normal review process," Dubow said. "It's part of the back and forth of the audit process."

Regardless, Dubow said that the city is taking the findings seriously, especially the $28 million that remains unaccounted for.

"We are putting a lot of resources into dealing with the issue  we hired an outside consultant, we hired additional staff," Dubow said. "We have a plan to correct the issue and to make sure it never happens again. It's going to take a little time because it's a big issue. But it is a high priority for us."

Dubow said the initial discrepancy was $40 million but city officials have been able to reconcile about $12 million so far. That amount had been entered incorrectly in the books or deposited into the wrong account.

Rhynhart faults the finance department's reduced staff and lack of technology. The department had 64 full-time employees in 2000 and now has 47. As for technology, the city prepares its financial statements with a combination of Excel spreadsheets, Word, and the discontinued Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet program.

On Monday, Kenney sent a letter to Rhynhart asking her to be part of a newly created Reconciliation Task Force, which the mayor said will make sure "taxpayer funds are used efficiently, and this matter is resolved." Kenney also said that the Office of Inspector General is looking into the unreconciled accounts.

Rhynhart said her office has also opened an investigation into the missing funds.

"The money should be found unless there is fraud going on," Rhynhart said. "There's no indication of whether it was just put into a wrong account, for example, and it was an innocent mistake or whether there has actually been any theft or fraud."

Another concern that Rhynhart highlighted was the practice of allowing Revenue Department staff to make changes to what is paid or owed in taxpayer accounts. Rank-and-file employees are authorized to adjust accounts worth up to $1 million; supervisors can change accounts worth up to $100 million.

Rhynhart said her office sampled 30 tax-account adjustments totaling nearly $140 million and found no wrongdoing. "Point is, this is ripe for abuse," she said.

In its written response to Rhynhart, the city said it will have an individual with no control over the tax account adjustment process regularly monitor daily adjustments.

Rhynhart said she hoped that the city starts taking internal controls more seriously.

"It's up to the mayor to say 'This is very urgent.' I haven't heard that yet," she said.With time running out to alter how Pennsylvania's political maps will be drawn in 2021, Republicans in the state Senate made a dramatic change to a redistricting bill Tuesday that prompted key activists to pull their support and begin lobbying against it.

One day before the bill came up for a final vote in the chamber, State Sen. Ryan Aument (R., Lancaster) introduced an amendment that would allow voters to decide whether appellate judges  including state Supreme Court justices  should be elected from regional districts rather than statewide.

Democrats described it as a "poison pill" and an attempt to retaliate against Democratic state Supreme Court justices who just five months earlier voted to overturn the state's congressional lines on the ground that they had been gerrymandered to favor Republicans.

"Every one of you in this room knows that the reason we are doing this today and forcing it into Senate Bill 22 is because [Republicans] want to retaliate against the Supreme Court," Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D., Allegheny) said in a speech on the Senate floor Tuesday.

>> UPDATE: Pa. Senate passes anti-gerrymandering bill with 'poison pill' judicial districting amendment

Activists also decried the move.

"We think it's an inappropriate betrayal of the public trust," said Carol Kuniholm, head of Fair Districts PA, the umbrella coalition leading the redistricting reform efforts in the state. She promised to make the amendment a campaign issue in the November election.

Republicans leaders rejected any notions of retaliation. They noted that many appellate judges hail from Allegheny County and Philadelphia and described the amendment as an effort to ensure that people from other parts of the state are represented in the Commonwealth, Superior, and Supreme Courts.

Under the bill, a commission would be set up to draw congressional and legislative boundaries.

"It's the obvious time," said Majority Leader Jake Corman (R., Centre). "I'm not sure when else you would do it."

It was unclear whether the changes, and the loss of support from key activists, would tank the bill. Senators voted by 31-18 to add the amendment. All Democrats voted against it, as did State Sens. Mike Folmer (R., Lebanon) and John Rafferty (R., Montgomery).

The Senate is expected to vote Wednesday on whether to send the full bill, with the Aument amendment and other smaller changes, to the Republican-controlled House.

Even if the bill passes the Senate, some of the proposals would require changes to the state Constitution, meaning the bill must pass both the House and Senate in the exact same form during two consecutive legislative sessions. Voters then could decide whether to approve or reject the ideas.

Although the measures are contained in one bill, Senate officials say they would appear as separate questions on the ballot  one asking whether a commission should be established to draw election boundaries, and another asking whether districts should be set up for judicial elections. Voters would hypothetically be able to vote to create a commission but vote against forming judicial districts, or vice versa. If both pass, the independent commission would also draw the lines for judicial districts from which judges would be selected.

Should changes occur in time to affect the next redrawing of election lines  in 2021  a bill would need to pass both chambers by early next month.

Aument said he thinks his amendment will increase the bill's chances of passing in both chambers, but Democrats were skeptical.

"It does not help one bit as far as Democrats are concerned," said Bill Patton, a spokesman for House Democrats. House Republicans have publicly said only that they will evaluate the bill if it passes to their chamber and that they are working to learn how their caucus feels about various redistricting proposals.

Activists, meanwhile, are turning their attention to other plans. Several other redistricting reform proposals are sitting in the House Rules Committee, chaired by Majority Leader Dave Reed, who has introduced his own proposal.

Groups that have dropped their support of the Senate bill and refocused on House legislation include the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, Common Cause PA, and the Committee of Seventy, a Philadelphia-based good government group.

"What happens next? We'll see what happens tomorrow. We'll see what the House does. We've got three weeks left on the clock," said David Thornburgh, head of the Committee of Seventy.

And if time runs out?

"There are other plays that are still possible," he said.ReeAnna Segin is arrested by Philadelphia police (left) after allegedly trying to light a flag on fire in a crowd during Sunday's Pride parade. Segin (right) is pictured in a booking photo after the arrest. Read more

A transgender woman accused of trying to light a flag on fire in a crowd at Philadelphia's Pride parade Sunday was sent to a men's prison before activists and others  including the city's LGBT affairs director  helped bail her out.

The District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday it had dropped some of the charges against the suspect, ReeAnna Segin, but the incident has still sparked concerns about where authorities house transgender suspects.

Here is what we know:

How do Philadelphia police decide what gender to classify a person?

Police use the gender listed on the suspect's government-issued identification card, unless the person has had gender-reassignment surgery.

Surgery, however, isn't required to identify as transgender, which means identifying with a gender different from the one with which a person was born. As the national LGBT organization GLAAD notes, not all transgender people can afford surgery.

The police department does require officers to refer to transgender suspects by their preferred name and pronoun. (Police publicly identified Segin as female but used her birth name, Ryan Segin, because that was the only name she provided, the department said Tuesday.)

What happened after police arrested Segin?

Segin was placed in a single-occupancy cell at Philadelphia police headquarters  the department's policy is to hold transgender arrestees in single-cell occupancy "whenever practical"  before officers transported her to the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility. The facility houses men and is run by the Philadelphia Department of Prisons.

The prisons, a spokeswoman said, follow similar guidelines to the police: Inmates are generally housed in a facility matching the gender listed on their ID, unless they have had gender-reassignment surgery. The spokeswoman, Shawn Hawes, said the prisons also work with medical and behavioral health service providers to determine the best placement.

Segin's bail was set at $5,000, and 10 percent  or $500  had to be posted for her to be released, Hawes said.

Amber Hikes, the city's LGBT affairs director, said Monday afternoon on Facebook she had helped post Segin's bail.

Why is it important for transgender inmates to be housed in the right space?

Transgender individuals face a high risk of assault while incarcerated. Nearly 30 percent of transgender individuals  or 166 of 554  held in jails, prisons or juvenile detention centers reported that staff or other inmates had physically or sexually assaulted them in the past year in a 2015 survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality.

Just this week, the American Medical Association urged that transgender prisoners be placed in correctional facilities that reflect their affirmed gender status. The association cited the violence that transgender inmates face when they are housed in facilities according to their biological sex.

Is anything being done to change how transgender inmates are housed in Philadelphia?

Hikes said on Facebook her office was trying to make changes.

But Hikes also said the issue is complicated: Transgender men don't always feel comfortable or safe being housed with cisgender men (cisgender means people who identify with the same gender they were born with), and not all transgender women feel safe with cisgender women.

What else do we know about the incident that led to Segins arrest?

Segin, who is from Woodbine, N.J., was arrested around 12:10 p.m. Sunday at 12th and Locust Streets, where crowds had assembled for the annual Pride parade, authorities said.

While flag burning is not illegal, police said Segin tried to set the blaze amid a crowd. She was charged with attempt to commit arson, risking a catastrophe, recklessly endangering another person, and possessing an instrument of crime.

The District Attorney's Office on Wednesday dropped the arson and catastrophe charges  both felonies  but said Segin still faces the remaining charges, which are misdemeanors. Officers found road flares protruding from Segin's backpack, which also contained a can of paint thinner and a blue lighter stick, authorities said.

Police described the flag she allegedly tried to burn as "a thin blue line American flag." It had black and white stripes along with a blue stripe. Some people on social media referred to it as a Blue Lives Matter flag, though it's unclear whether that was the case.

Blue Lives Matter, a movement to honor police officers, was created in response to Black Lives Matter, a movement that has called out police killings of people of color.Has it really been nearly four weeks since the Phillies won back-to-back games? They have played 22 games since winning three straight from May 13-17. And none of those 22 games have featured back-to-back wins. It's been a while. The Phils can finally change that tonight with their best pitcher on the mound.

You're signed up to get this newsletter in your inbox every weekday during the Phillies season. If you like what you're reading, tell your friends it's free to sign up here. I want to know what you think, what we should add, and what you want to read, so send me feedback by email or on Twitter @matt_breen. Thank you for reading.

 Matt Breen (extrainnings@philly.com)

Aaron Nola is pitching like an all-star

Aaron Nola's start Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park will be exactly five weeks from the All-Star Game, and it is becoming difficult to imagine the midsummer classic without the Phillies righthander. Just take a look how he stacks up among National League starters:

ERA: 2.35, sixth best

FIP: 2.80, third best

WAR: 2.4, third best

HR/9: 2.35, 10th best

BB/9: 0.53, third best

His all-star numbers stem from an increased ability this season to induce weak contact. He has the third-best groundball rate among National League starters, and he has allowed the NL's fifth-lowest rate of hard contact. His change-up, which he has started to throw more this season, is nearly unhittable, which has made his fastball even better.

Batters are swinging at more of Nola's pitches this season, but that's fine because the contact, if there is any, tends to be weak. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is the eighth best in the NL. Nola's .251 mark is 58 points lower than it was last season and 83 points lower than it was in 2016. The contact has been so weak that a number that low might be sustainable.

It is difficult to know now how many representatives the Phillies will get next month in Washington, but if the Phillies get just one  which they have for the past four seasons  then Nola is making a strong case to be the lone Phil.

The rundown

Odubel Herrera enters Tuesday batting just .163 in his last 20 games. Gabe Kapler said Herrera is going through a rough time as he tries to find his timing and rhythm at the plate.

Need a good sign for the Phillies lineup? Wait for Kapler to bat J.P. Crawford ninth again. If Crawford can consistently get on base, then Kapler will move him back to ninth, where he planned to bat Crawford this season as a way to get someone on base for the top of the order.

There were a lot of rumblings around Zach Eflin, who looked to be in jeopardy of losing his rotation spot after two rough outings. But the righthander responded by taking down two of the National League's best teams. His spot now looks secure.

Important dates

Tonight: The Rockies visit to start three-game series, 7:05 p.m.

Tomorrow: Nick Pivetta faces Tyler Anderson, 7:05 p.m.

Thursday: Vince Velasquez vs. German Marquez in the series finale, 1:05 p.m.

Friday: Phils head to Milwaukee to play the Brew Crew, 8:10 p.m.

Stat of the day

Remember how comfortable Ryan Braun looked this past weekend at Citizens Bank Park? You might want to get ready for Colorado's Charlie Blackmon, who seems to love South Philly. Blackmon has seven homers in 65 plate appearances at CBP. His OPS (1.190) and homer rate (one per every 9.28 trips to the plate) at Citizens Bank are higher than they are at any other ballpark. You've been warned.

From the mailbag

Send questions by email or on Twitter @matt_breen.

Question: Are you able to explain why Kapler has a natural SS who plays excellent defense at third base instead and a natural second baseman who plays inferior defense at SS? Why not J.P. at SS and Kingery at third? James L., email

Answer: Crawford is at third because he has a stronger arm than Kingery and showed last year the ability to play third. Kingery was starting to look comfortable at shortstop around the time Crawford returned from the DL, so it wouldn't have made sense then to move him to third. All of this is a result of the Phillies' practically shifting Maikel Franco to a platoon role.

Here's what Gabe Kapler said when asked that question last week: "A natural shortstop becomes natural because they play shortstop. I guess that's the fairest and most direct way to answer it. Scotty is getting more and more natural at shortstop every day. At what point is he a natural shortstop? We don't know. We know he has the capability to play second base because he's played a lot of second base. The reason we know that is because he has played a lot of second base. So we want to get Scotty as many reps as possible to see what we have in him as a shortstop as well. It's kind of cool to have two natural shortstops."Joseph John Gerngross Sr., 93, of Ambler, the former president of a family-owned mechanical contracting business and a respected leader in the Catholic community, died Saturday, June 9, of heart failure at his home.

In 1950, Mr. Gerngross and a partner, George Thomas, founded Gerngross & Thomas Corp. in the Frankford section of Philadelphia. Five years later, Mr. Gerngross bought out his partner and with his father, Fred, founded Gerngross Corp.

The company became a major force in the area, designing and installing heating and cooling systems, refrigeration, piping, and plumbing for building projects. It also did electrical contracting work.

By the late 1960s, the firm had landed major contracts worth millions of dollars, including the plumbing in Veterans Stadium, and the heating and air-conditioning systems for the University of Pennsylvania's Radvin Institute, Philco's Blue Bell research lab, RCA's Moorestown plant, and the Sears plant in Levittown.

When his father died in 1969, Mr. Gerngross assumed control of the company as president and chairman of the board, and ran it until retiring in 1992. Under his tenure, the firm expanded its reach to Atlantic City.

Born in Philadelphia, he graduated as valedictorian from La Salle College High School in 1943. He earned a degree in mechanical engineering at Villanova University in two years under the Navy V-5 program, which trained cadets, and served aboard the Midway at the end of World War II.

"He ran the auxiliary engine room," said his son, Fred, a lawyer.

In 1949, he married Mary H. "Jeanne" Gerngross. The couple had nine children and lived in Cheltenham. The family enjoyed spending time in Ocean City, N.J.

In the Catholic community, Mr. Gerngross served as a trustee of Immaculata University in Malvern, a member of the board of managers of Catholic Charities, and past president of the Holy Name Society of St. Joseph Parish in Cheltenham.

In the 1970s, he was a member and president of the Serra Club of Philadelphia, a Catholic lay organization devoted to the promotion and support of vocations such as the priesthood and other roles in religious life.

He served as treasurer and a founding board member of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Literacy and GED Center of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The sisters maintain three local literacy centers, one in Coatesville that helps non-English speaking children prepare for kindergarten by taking English lessons, and two in Philadelphia that are geared toward adult immigrants who want the lessons so they can become U.S. citizens.

Mr. Gerngross was instrumental to the success of the centers, said Sister Rita Lenihan, secretary of the local Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He obtained grants from the City of Philadelphia and the state. He also acted as a benefactor.

"He put the IHM Literacy Centers on solid footing, and they remain so today," Sister Rita said.

Sister Marian Anne Smith, an Immaculate Heart of Mary member, knew Mr. Gerngross when they served together on the literacy centers' board of directors from 1995 to 2004. The first center opened in 1989.

"He was very inspirational," she said. "He consulted with other people and respected their differences. He was thoughtful and considerate. He was willing to share his talents with other people, it didn't matter who you were, and that included the people who came to our center for English classes."

The Catholic Church recognized his service in 1985 when he was named a Knight of St. Gregory the Great by Pope John Paul II. The award typically requires recommendations from bishops or papal nuncios.

He was granted Letters of Affiliation in 1986 with the De La Salle Christian Brothers. In 1999, he was inducted into the La Salle College High School Hall of Fame.

He also was a past president of the Citizens for Educational Freedom chapter in Pennsylvania.

His wife died in 2008. He is survived by children Mary Jean McCorry, Anne Marie Palilonis, Maggie McHale, Joseph J. Jr., Robert J., Marianne Quinn, Frederick J., John J., and Rosemary Grimm; 25 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.

A viewing from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, June 13, at St. Alphonsus Church, 33 Conwell Dr., Maple Glen, will be followed by a second viewing from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Thursday, June 14, and a Funeral Mass at 11 a.m. at the church. Interment will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

Donations may be made to the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Development Office, Box 238, Lincroft, N.J. 07738. Checks should be marked "in memory of Joseph Gerngross, AFSC."As longtime leaders in criminal justice, we have seen a deeply unsettling trend in the way probation and parole  sometimes called "community corrections"  have become overused and too often serve as a gateway to reincarceration based on the smallest of missteps. That's why we recently joined with 45 fellow prosecutors nationwide who believe that community corrections needs to be downsized and made rehabilitative, not only because that will make us safer, but because it will fortify trust in our justice system for millions of Americans.

When community corrections was founded in the 1800s, it was viewed as a highly individualized way to curb the purely punitive sentence of imprisonment with an alternative to incarceration (probation) or a release valve for those who did well during incarceration (parole).

But since 1980, it has grown far beyond what its founders ever could have imagined. The number of people on probation and parole has increased four-fold, peaking at 5 million individuals  or one out of every 53 adults  before declining slightly of late. That is twice as many people as are incarcerated in America, and more people than live in half of all U.S. states.

Often thought of as a grant of mercy or slap on the wrist, parole and probation are a deprivation of liberty and can serve as an unnecessary trip wire back into incarceration. Four out of 10 people entering our prisons and jails were on parole or probation at the time of their reincarceration. Often that stay behind bars is not for a new arrest, but simply for violating a technical condition of release like missing appointments or drug use.

A pair of studies by the Columbia University Justice Lab vividly lays out how this is contributing to incarceration, but not enhancing public safety, around the nation.

In New York, although both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo agree that the notorious Rikers Island jail should close, and the jail population has declined to lows not seen since the 1980s, the only population rising in Rikers is people accused of technical parole violations. New York's parole failure rate of 47% is substantially higher than the national average of 28%. Not surprisingly, 29.5% of those entering New York's prisons are incarcerated for technical violations.

Pennsylvania has the highest incarceration rate in the Northeast, and the third-highest community corrections rate in the country. The number and rate of people supervised by parole in Pennsylvania is the highest in the nation  three times the national average. An astonishing one out of 22 Philadelphians is being supervised by probation or parole.

This hefty contribution to the state's incarceration rate comes at a great cost and has no apparent public safety benefit. One-third of Pennsylvanians in prison are there for a parole or probation violation at an annual cost of $420 million. Half of those in Philadelphia's jails are in on parole or probation detainers. Yet research by the Council of State Governments shows that placing people on probation following release from prison or jail has no impact on their rearrest rates.

Several states have tried to reduce both the footprint and harmful outcomes of these practices. When Arizona gave people "earned discharge" time off their probation terms, the state not only reduced probation violations by 29 percent, but achieved a 21 percent decline in arrests of people on probation, realizing $392 million in averted costs. When Louisiana capped the amount of time someone could receive for technical violations at between 15 and 45 days, there was a 22 percent decline in returns to incarceration for new arrests, saving over 2,000 beds and $17 million.

Pennsylvania State Sen. Anthony Williams and New York Assembly Member Walter Mosely have filed legislation in their respective states to address this issue. These proposed reforms would shorten probation and parole terms, grant people 30 days of earned discharge time for every 30 days of success under supervision, and cap the amount of time someone could receive for a technical violation.

These are the kinds of sensible policy changes needed to restore faith in our justice system, reduce the overly expansive scope of community corrections, focus assistance on those people most in need, reward people for good performance, and overall, increase public safety and rehabilitation. We hope that prosecutors around the nation will rally around the need for reform and use their influence to help chart a more positive pathway for all members of our community.

Larry Krasner is the District Attorney of Philadelphia.

Miriam Krinsky is a former federal prosecutor and Executive Director of Fair and Just Prosecution, a national network of elected prosecutors working towards common-sense, compassionate criminal justice reforms.

Illegal weapons confiscated by police are displayed at Chicago police headquarters on May 10, 2018. An expert from Northwestern University noted that confiscated firearms are only a fraction of the illegal gun market. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/TNS) Read more

More than 500 shootings in Philadelphia so far this year  with another four just this weekend represents an increase of nearly 8 percent compared with the same period in 2017. Many of the shootings go largely unnoticed by the public, but each incident takes a devastating toll on families, friends and neighborhoods as the murder last fall of two South Philadelphia teens illustrates.

At a court hearing last week for the alleged killer, Brandon Olivieri, 17, more than a dozen police officers and sheriff's deputies were called to stop the pushing, cursing, and yelling among friends and relatives of the accused and the victims, Salvatore DiNubile and Caleer Miller, both 16.

The judge had to limit access to the courtroom after the scuffle erupted. Olivieri's relatives said they were forced to move out of the city after receiving threats. DiNubile's father was arrested in March and charged with threatening a friend of Olivieri's, as the raw emotions continue to reverberate.

In a victim impact statement, DiNubile's sister described dark days and silent meals at home. Similar sadness and torment plays out in homes across the city and beyond directly impacted by shootings.

Another shooting victim, Lariq Byrd, 17, needed the help of a wheelchair accessible van provided by Magee Rehabilitation Hospital to attend the senior prom at Simon Gratz High School.

Byrd was shot and paralyzed the day after Christmas in 2015. He has been largely confined to his bed for months underscoring the lifetime of health challenges stemming from the shooting three years ago. Byrd is just one example of the untold emotional and financial burdens that shootings victims and their families must confront daily.

Sadly, the daily shootings in Philadelphia and elsewhere are largely taken in stride. Even mass shootings in schools and elsewhere come and go with just a brief flurry of attention. Elected officials at the city, state and local level pay lip service but do very little to try to curb the daily gun violence.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told a Senate committee last week that the federal commission on school safety that was established after massacre at a high school in Parkland, Fla., will not focus on the role guns play in school violence. That's akin to creating a commission to examine lung cancer but not looking considering the role cigarettes play.

Since the 1999 massacre at Columbine High, more than 150,000 children have experienced a shooting at at least 170 primary or secondary schools, according to an analysis by the Washington Post that does not include suicides, accidents, or after-school assaults.

A majority of American teens and parents say they are worried about a shooting happening at their school, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center.

Such fears prompted one parent at St. Cornelius School in Chadds Ford to give away a unique graduation gift to the eighth graders: a bulletproof shield for their backpacks.

Good luck in high school next year, kids. Sending thoughts, prayers and bulletproof shields. Meanwhile, elected officials remain absent from any effort to curb the gun epidemic that is destroying families.Was President Trump's summit in Singapore little more than the superficial equivalent of a ribbon-cutting? Was it just a cosmetic event, like turning over the first shovel of dirt at a decorated construction site? Maybe.

It is a little ironic that Tuesday is President George H.W. Bush's 94th birthday, as I am reminded of the criticism he received for saying at the outset of his trip to Eastern Europe in July 1989 that "90 percent of life is just showing up." Much uncertainty lay ahead for the former Soviet Union, and Bush received a lot of flak for lacking specifics as to how he would solidify the freedom of newly independent Eastern European states. Yet Bush was confident, and he understood the role he could play by making the trip and setting a new course.

>> READ MORE: At the Singapore summit, President Trump got played | Trudy Rubin

While Trump is no George H.W. Bush, I think it is fair to say he has done some good by showing up in Singapore. Yes, of course, there is much to be done, and nothing is certain. The unreliability of North Korea is legendary. It is easy to recite all the things that didn't happen in Singapore, and it is at the top of everyone's mind that North Korea is a murderous, savage regime that has never been truthful about anything. But diplomacy is engaged, tension is down, and Americans are being greeted with the news that there is progress. If six months ago Trump was pushing us toward war with North Korea, he is, at least for the time being, leading us the other way, even if all he really did was just show up.

But Trumpian diplomacy can cause whiplash. He gratuitously insulted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over the weekend, and rather than walk any of it back, the White House doubled down with fresh insults. Yet the president embraces the murderous, treacherous Kim. To say the least, the inconsistency of his approach is on full display. Is Trump holding his friends not so close and his enemies closer? I wish I could say that the wild swings were part of a plan. Anyway, it is going to be much easier for Republican elected officials and candidates to defend Trump's push toward peace than it would be to defend more taunts, insults and the public reminders to Kim and the rest of the world that the U.S. nuclear arsenal is at Trump's fingertips.

>> READ MORE: Trump, Kim say denuclearization will begin, U.S. to cancel military exercises with South Korea

While just showing up might not be the 90 percent of what matters in life, it counts for a lot. Even though there's a lot of uncertainty and a lot left to be done, Trump deserves some credit for doing his part so far.

Ed Rogers is a contributor to the PostPartisan blog, a political consultant and a veteran of the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush White Houses and several national campaigns. @EdRogersDCSouth Korea's defense ministry on Monday informed the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) of its delegation list for the inter-Korean military talks to be held later this week.

Maj. Gen. Kim Do-gyun, an official of the Ministry of National Defense in charge of inter-Korean affairs, would lead the five-member delegation, composed of officials from the defense and unification ministries, according to Yonhap news agency report.

The list was sent to the DPRK via the western military hotline of the two Koreas and the inter-Korean communications channel at the border village of Panmunjom.

Defense Ministry spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo told a press briefing that preparations were well underway for the general-level inter-Korean talks over military affairs.

After the high-level dialogue held earlier this month, the two Koreas agreed to hold the general-grade military talks to ease military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

If held as scheduled, it would be the first inter-Korean military talks between general-grade officers since December 2007.MOSCOW, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A military alliance grouping six former Soviet republics adopted a statement Monday supporting the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between the United States and Russia.

The joint statement by the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) was adopted after foreign ministers of the member countries held a meeting in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

The document expressed support for a constructive dialogue to resolve existing problems around the INF Treaty, it said.

The document also voiced "concerns about the recent emergence of certain situations that suggest the treaty is under threat," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after the meeting.

"(Undermining the INF Treaty) does not benefit any party, neither Russia nor the United States, as the main parties to the treaty, nor the world community, including the CSTO member states," he said.

The INF Treaty was signed in 1987 by the United States and the Soviet Union. It prohibits both sides from developing, deploying or testing medium-range and short-range ballistic missiles and ground-launched missiles. The two sides also agreed to eliminate all launchers and ground-based missiles with a range of 500-5,500 km.

Moscow and Washington have repeatedly accused each other of violating the treaty.

Formed in 1992, the CSTO comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. Serbia and Afghanistan are two observer countries.KAMPALA  The central bank has cautioned the public against dealing with unregistered financial institutions saying they risk losing their hard earned money.

Mr Andrew Kawere, the assistant director of non banking at Bank of Uganda says the public must first check the credibility of the financial institutions by asking for registration certificates before conducting business with them.

Many Ugandans rely on unregistered financial institutions for quick easy to get loans, but the Central Bank says many are not registered consumers susceptible to losing their money. Such institutions do not offer a customer record mechanism in case of service dysfunction, the public is strongly advised to deal with institutions that are under the supervision of Bank of Uganda because in those institutions they always have a record in case of dysfunction, Kawere said.

Kawere said nearly a quarter of the Shs29 trillion turnover in the industry is outside regulation and is mainly in SACCOs and among money lenders.

Mr Kawere urged the public to select from the broad range of registered financial institutions to meet their various needs.

This comes as more banks extend their operations in the countryside with intention to widen financial inclusion.

He further asked the public to be vigilant and report such institutions to the Central Bank.

Central Bank is closely monitoring all [financial] institutions and we urge the public to be vigilant on which institution to deal with. Kindly report to us in any case of suspicion, Kawere added.

RelatedKAMPALA  The new Cobalt 60 Radiotherapy machine at the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) is back in service after first periodic servicing authorities announced on Monday.

In a statement issued by Dr Jackson Orem, the UCI Executive director, the normal full capacity of the operation radiotherapy service has resumed at the cancer institute this week.

Dr Orem called on the public to seek the service, and again dismissed media reports that the machine, a lifeline to hundreds of cancer patients had broken-down.

The cancer machine was designated to undergo a normal routine check by specialist to ensure full operation, he said, trashing allegations that the breakdown affected normal treatment programmes for patients arguing that the servicing was scheduled on off-peak day.

It should be noted that the servicing of the machine has not interrupted the treatment schedule because the service ensued to be done over weekend, Dr. Orem said.

Media reports on Thursday last week indicated that patients at the Cancer Institute were in tears for lack of medical care due to the breakdown of the radiotherapy machine hardly six months after its installation last December.

But Dr Orem said these are falsehoods and advised the media to always crosscheck their information regarding this sensitive service given the potential to contribute to further hurt and damage to our patients.

Ugandas only radiotherapy machine was replaced in December 2017, nearly two years after the previous one broke down, giving hope to cancer patients who had been denied a crucial tool against the disease.

The failure of the old machine in March 2016 caused a public outcry and was seen as symbolising the deterioration of Ugandas medical services.

According to Dr. Henry Mwebesa, the Acting Director General Health Services, the new machine is a high-level and ultra-modern machine and was accepted by both the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Institute for Clinical Use in October 2017 and cannot break down that fast.

Dr Mwebesa explained that since the installation of the machine in November 2017, it has treated over 1000 patients and hence needed servicing.

RelatedKAMPALA  The Internal Security Organisation (ISO) has arrested the proprietor of Movit products, Mr Simpson Birungi, in connection with the murder of his former employee Stephen Asaba in 2010 and the torching of Buddo Junior School in 2008 after receiving information that police officers previously handling the case files were compromised, PML Daily has learnt.

ISO boss Frank Bagyenda on Monday confirmed Birungis arrest, saying it came after receiving an intelligence tip but declined to divulge more details. Sources close to the investigation said Birungi was last week quizzed by police over allegations that he could have valuable information about the fire that ravaged the dormitory at Buddo Junior School in 2008, which killed 20 pupils.

He was reportedly quizzed by detectives at the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) and later released on police bond. However, while on his way to Nairobi for a business trip, he was intercepted by ISO bosses, re-arrested and is currently detained at an unknown location.

CID boss Vincent Sekate confirmed that Birungi had been quizzed and granted bond but could not divulge details. Birungis wife Sheila also confirmed her husbands arrest by ISO on what she called trumped up charges and demanded his immediate release.

Whereas Sekate and Bagyenda were unwilling to divulge more information, highly placed security sources told this website that ISO was forced to resurrect the case after receiving information that police officers previously investigating the case were compromised and paid millions of shillings to kill the case.

According to available information, Birungis connection to the Buddo inferno stemmed from his own misunderstanding with the then head master of Buddo Junior School, Mr William Kayongo, over a piece of land.

Mr Kayongo also owned Berkeley College School that was neighboring Movit Factory in Zzana, a city suburb.

Mr Birungi reportedly wanted to expand his business empire by buying off the school while Kayongo wanted to keep it. Other directors of the school were willing to sell their interests in the school but the majority shareholder was Kayongo who opposed the move.

Movit Products was setup in 1997 by Mr Birungi to produce cosmetic products and its initial factory was located in Zana -Bunamwaya off Entebbe Road. However, when the company grew, Mr Birungi bought off his neighbors except Kayongo, who allegedly refused to sell the land on which the school sat to him.

Berkeley College had three owners; Kayongo, George William Ssemivule, and Edith Namusisi Nabugo. Nabugo and Ssemivule were willing to sell the school but Kayongo refused.

This is said to have infuriated Birungi, who then resolved to dump waste close to the school, causing a very bad smell. The motive was to get teachers and students run away from the school but this only caused a war of words between the two.

Meanwhile, in a bid to boost his school, Kayondo and his partners borrowed huge sums of money from Barclays Bank in the rage of Shs1.2 billion. The school had around 800 students at the time and their target was 1,500. They borrowed another loan from Bank of Baroda of Shs192 million and Shs60 million from Hauder Gaundong, a Chinese company.

It is alleged that Birungi then hired three people; one Julius, one Byamukama and another Lumu to torch Buddo School Dormitories and then implicate Kayondo, who had just left the school a few months earlier.

Kayongo was jailed over negligence that led to the fire. In the process, he was unable to repay the bank loans and the banks attached his school Berkeley and his home.

Barclays is said to have auctioned the school, which was coincidentally bought by Birungi, who emerged as the highest bidder.

Last year, Lumu, who is said to have torched the Buddo Junior School dormitory, is said to have approached police, seeking to confess his crime.

However, the police officers he confessed to are said to have again approached Birungi, who gave them money and they also allegedly planned to finish off Lumu.

However, this mission failed because some of the officers were later arrested over other charges and are currently in prison.

Ashabas murder

The linking of Birungi to the alleged murder of his former manager Ashaba is that Birungi received credible information that his manager was sharing sensitive company information to another rival company called Chemical Formula.

He allegedly hired a criminal gang headed by Robert Sempebwa, aka, Kazahura to kill Ashaba at the cost of Shs50 million.

Ashaba is said to have disappeared May 21, 2010 and his body was later found found at Kasanja  Nakawuka. Kazahura was said to be a close friend of Ashaba and the latters wife did not even suspect him to be involved in the murder plot.

However, later police forensic investigations allegedly revealed that before his disappearance, Ashaba last spoke to Kazahura. Kazahura and his accomplice Asiimwe Ronald aka Kanyankole were then arrested by former police commander Nickson Agasirwe, who is now in custody over the kidnap of the former body guard to Rwanda president Paul Kagame.

During interrogation, Kazahura is said to have confessed to have been hired by Birungi to commit the crime.

Agasirwe is then said to have arrested Birungi but the latter allegedly paid a bribe of Shs200m for his freedom.

RelatedChina and New Zealand's air forces will conduct a bilateral joint exercise from Monday to June 21 in New Zealand, the People's Liberation Army Air Force announced on Monday.

A Chinese Ilyushin IL-76 military transport aircraft, stopping over in the Philippines and Australia during the flight, landed in Auckland days before to take part in Exercise Skytrain18 with the New Zealand Defense Force.

The stopovers followed international conventions and regulations of the Philippines and Australia, and also got support from these two countries.

The training, for humanitarian aid, disaster relief and maritime rescue, is the first bilateral joint exercise between China and New Zealand's air forces.A dramatic police pursuit began in San Francisco on Sunday and ended in a fiery fatal crash in the East Bay city of Emeryville, according to CBS News.

San Francisco Police Department spokesperson Carl Fabbri said that a man and a woman assaulted and attempted to kidnap another woman, trying to force her into the trunk of a car. The victim was able to force the trunk open and escape.

The offenders then led police on a dramatic pursuit across the Bay Bridge and onto surface streets near the border of Emeryville and Oakland, where the car crashed into a utility pole and burst into flames.

Bystanders pulled the driver to safety, but the passenger died in the fire.

No details regarding pending charges have been released.The Powder Springs (GA) Police Department arrested a man who made terroristic threats toward police officers, according to Fox 5 News.

Joshua James Bolieiro, 37, shared a video titled Police Department Bloodbath Continues, and posted a comment, which read, The next police officer that speaks to me will die. You cops better resign, because if you speak to me, I will consider that a threat, and I will defend myself, in the manner that you guys defend yourselves. I will shoot first, and I will have no guilt.

A subsequent post read, If you are a police officer in Georgia, I suggest you pray to your god Satan that you don't accidentally speak to me," he continued in a second comment. "You will just have to roll the dice with every single traffic stop. Im (sic) aiming to kill ANY police officer that dares speak to me, with absolutely zero questions for you. You speak, you. Its (sic) that simple. Go ahead and test me. See how far you get.

Powder Springs PD spokesman Dwayne Prosser said that the investigation began over the weekend when police from Manchester, New Hampshire, alerted Powder Springs police to threatening Facebook posts.

Prosser said that while investigating, Powder Springs police alerted all metro Atlanta law enforcement agencies of the threats Bolieiro had made to kill the next cop who talked to him, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.Sheriff Mike Reese (Photo: Multnomah County Sheriff's Office)

Multnomah County (OR) Sheriff Mike Reese is defending how his office handled the case of an immigrant who has been deported on multiple occasions and was allegedly involved in several recent violent crimes, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese places the responsibility for Sergio Jose Martinezs release squarely on ICE officials.

Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency officials have said Sergio Jose Martinez had been deported 20 times prior to his latest arrest.

Sheriff Reese issued a statement Monday saying, This terrible incident is concerning for everyone. We held the defendant until he could not be legally held any longer.

Under Oregons sanctuary law, local law enforcement agencies cannot use their resources to enforce federal immigration law if a persons only crime is being in the country illegally.

Prior to his release, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials had not sent a criminal warrant, signed by a judge, allowing MCSO to hold the defendant in jail, Reese said in a written statement. Instead, they processed a civil detainer, which they know cannot be legally used in Oregon.Ryan Segin was charged with attempted arson. Photo: Philadelphia PD

A transgender woman was arrested in New Jersey after trying to set fire to a pro-police flag at the Philadelphia Pride Parade, according to Fox News.

An 18-year-old named Ryan Segin tried to pour lighter fluid on a Thin Blue Line Flag but police stopped her before she could light it.

Segin was charged with attempted arson, causing a catastrophe and reckless endangerment of another person among other offenses.

According to a report from NJ.com, a Philadelphia police spokesman said, Its not an issue with the flag. The issue is being in a crowd of people and trying to pour lighter fluid on it. It has nothing to do with the flag. It could have been paper.Four children  ages 1, 6, 10, and 11  are dead after a 20-hour standoff in Orlando, according to multiple media reports. The hostage-taker  Gary Lindsey Jr.  is also dead.

Orlando Police Chief John Mina said during a press conference that officers entered the apartment around 2100 hours on Monday and discovered that all the children held hostage were dead. Mina said two children are believed to be Lindsey's and two are his girlfriends.

We have no idea when those poor children lost their lives, that will all be part of the investigation, Mina said.

Mina said officers were in contact with Lindsey intermittently throughout the standoff, seeking to bring a peaceful resolution to the situation. Lindsey reportedly had a poor phone connection, and when officers tried to get Lindsey another phone to continue negotiations, they saw at least one child had been shot. Thats when the decision was made to enter the apartment.

The standoff began Sunday night, when Lindsey's girlfriend contacted police to report a domestic violence incident.

Shortly after officers arrived to the Westbrook apartment complex, Lindsey opened fire, critically wounding Officer Kevin Valencia.

Valencia suffered a very serious and significant injury. Following surgery, Valencia is listed in critical condition but is expected to survive.The suspect in the shooting of an Orlando officer has been identified as Gary Wayne Lindsey Jr. Lindsey is currently on probation stemming from a 2008 arrest in Volusia County on charges of arson of a dwelling and willful fleeing or eluding law enforcement. (Photo: Volusia County SO)

Orlando police have identified the man suspected of shooting an officer before taking several children hostage inside an apartment near Universal Orlando as 35-year-old Gary Wayne Lindsey Jr. The wounded officer has also been identified.

Officer Kevin Valencia was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center where he underwent surgery. Police Chief John Mina told reporters the officer,who is in his late 20s, was in critical condition but was expected to live. There are reports Valencia was shot in the temple.

Mina said the shooting happened after officers responded at about 11:45 p.m. Sunday to a woman who reported being battered by Lindsey at the Westbrook Apartments.

Mina gave an update on the case at 3 p.m. as the standoff stretched beyond 14 hours. Mina said hostage negotiators had been in contact with Lindsey about five times since the early hours of Monday morning, but hadnt been able to convince him to surrender.

We are urging him to release those children and help this situation come to a peaceful resolution, Mina said.

The Orlando Police Department said the suspect currently has four children as hostages, ages 1, 6, 10 and 11, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Initial information was that two of the children are Lindseys, while two are the victims, the police chief said.Thai army chief Gen. Chalermchai Sitthisad in China. Photo: Matichon

BANGKOK  Army chief and junta secretary-general Gen. Chalermchai Sitthisad is on a five-day official visit to China starting Monday.

Chalermchai, whos mission is aimed at strengthening relations between the two militaries, met yesterday with his Chinese counterpart Gen. Han Weiguo, commander of the Peoples Liberation Army Ground Force.

They discussed a joint military exercise, the defense industry, more possible arms deals and the possibility of setting up a weapons manufacturing and service center in Thailand.The Supreme Court issued a decision today in Husted v. A. Phillip Randolph Institute, a case involving Ohios voter list maintenance policies. By a 5-4 vote, the Court upheld Ohios policy of removing ineligible and outdated voters from it rolls. The majority concluded that the practice under challenge  which cancels the registration of voters who do not go to the polls and who dont respond to a notice  does not violate the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) and the Help America Vote Act.

This is a major victory for election integrity. As the majority (per Justice Alito) noted, it is estimated that roughly one in eight voter registrations is either invalid or significantly inaccurate and that 2.75 million people are registered to vote in more than one state.

The Courts decision is clearly correct. The NVRA specifically allows states to remove, on change of residence grounds, a registered would-be voter who does not vote, who then fails to respond to a notice, and who then fails to vote in any election during the period covering the next two general federal elections. As Justice Alito explained, the Ohio practice at issue follows the [NVRA] to the letter, it being undisputed that Ohio does not remove a registrant on change-of-residence grounds unless the registrant is sent, and fails to mail back a return card, and then fails to vote for an additional four years.

The majority rejected the silly argument that because Ohio uses the absence of voter activity to trigger the removal process, it violates the requirement that a state purge shall not result in the removal of the name of any person . . . by reason of the persons failure to vote. Ohio does not run afoul of this prohibition because using non-voting to trigger the process is not the same thing as removing voters by reason of not voting. Ohio requires more than mere non-voting, so a person can not vote and still remain registered.

Justice Breyer wrote a dissent that, as Justice Alito points out, has lots to do with his disagreement with Congress about the wisdom of reliance on the returning a card, and little to do with the law Congress passed. As Alito explained, the Court has no authority to second-guess Congress or to decide whether Ohios practice is the best way to keep its voter rolls current. The only question before us, he concluded, is whether the practice violates federal law. Plainly, it does not.

Justice Sotomayor wrote a separate dissent to complain that the Courts decision will have a disproportionate effect on the poor, the elderly, and minorities. Thats possible, but only if they fail to return their card and fail to vote for six years.

Absent evidence that Ohios rules are based on discriminatory intent  and none was presented  Ohio shouldnt be estopped from attempts, in compliance with federal statutes, to maintain the integrity of its registrations rolls merely because members of certain groups may be unwilling, disproportionately, to take the simple measures needed to stay eligible.

Justice Thomas wrote a concurrence. He argued that the attack on Ohios procedure should be rejected for the additional reason that it is based on an interpretation of the NVRA that would raise significant constitutional concerns, namely concerns that states authority over federal elections is being usurped.

These concerns would stem from the Constitutions Qualifications Clause, Article 1, Section 2, clause 1, along with the Seventeenth Amendment.

No other Justice joined Thomas opinion, perhaps because the question it raised was not necessary to uphold Ohios rule.

In any event, todays ruling empowers local officials to ensure the most accurate and reliable voter rolls possible. Its a good win.Last weekend I made a quick trip to Denver to participate in the Western Conservative Summit on a panel with Charles Copeland, president of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), on the subject of The Suicide of the University. Sorry folksI wasnt able to score an interview with Saturday nights headliners Diamond and Silk for our podcast, so instead youll have to settle for an edited version of the panel with me and Charlie. I did get to meet several Power Line readers, including frequent commenter Janna Blanter of Colorado Springs (pictured at left).

I wasnt able to include the very interesting question and answer session at the end of our formal conversation because we didnt have a microphone for the audience, so you cant hear the questions. Perhaps Ill go back and do a custom edit of the Q & A session and post it here later as a standalone MP3 file.

As always, you can listen or download the episode at the window below, or from our hosts at Ricochet. And as we like to remind people, please subscribe to Power Line in iTunes, and leave a 5-star review! And lastly, dont forget to check out our sponsor, Mancrates. Still time to order ahead of Fathers Day Sunday.President Trump and the psycho formerly known as Little Rocket Man have concluded their summit conference in Singapore. Their time together included a working lunch resulting in a signed an anorexically skinny agreement with a provision committing North Korea to complete denuclearization (text here). President Trump followed up with a press conference (text here). My daughter Eliana followed the proceedings as the pool reporter on the scene. Elianas account for Politico (with Nahal Toosi and Nancy Cook) is here.

In the trade, reporters mark the gaps in a story in process with the initials TK (to come). The substantive details of the agreement are entirely TK.

Listening to President Trump pay tribute to the psycho formerly known as Little Rocket Man, I thought back to William F. Buckleys disgust over President Nixons toast to the Great Helmsman of Mass Murder on Nixons historic trip to China in 1972. Looking around online, I see that National Review has posted Buckleys contemporaneous comments here. Consider this strain of Buckleys eloquent condemnation:

We have lost  irretrievably  any remaining sense. of moral mission in the world. Mr. Nixons appetite for a summit conference in Peking transformed the affair from a meeting of diplomatic technicians concerned to examine and illuminate areas of common interest, into a pageant of moral togetherness at which Mr. Nixon managed to give the impression that he was consorting with Marian Anderson, Billy Graham, and Albert Schweitzer.

In retrospect, I think Buckley was wrong and Nixon right in his diplomacy. Buckleys over the top despair provides useful context to the tributes to Kim with which President Trump festooned his remarks during the summit. In this case, our judgment of Trumps diplomacy is necessarily TK.

UPDATE: Politico has now posted Elianas report on the atmospherics here.As the lazy hazy days of summer approach, Yoga Shala and Wellness Center in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights have designed a yoga program to inspire new interests. They also provide opportunities for community outreach.

With June celebrating Fathers Day, Jamie Garrison, founder of Yoga Shala, and partner Kevin Honke want to emphasize that yoga is a practice for both gals and guys. Honke speaks from experience as a yogi (one who practices yoga) and an instructor.

The benefits of a regular yoga practice are many and are not limited to women, he said. Yoga improves flexibility, strength and balance; physically and mentally. As boys we were conditioned to compete, with yoga we can suspend self-judgement and be present and aware in our bodies and mind, just as we are. 

Yoga in my life has improved my ability to handle stress, feel connected in relationships and nail that arm balance. Yoga isnt just what happens on my yoga mat.

Both Garrison and Honke believe in the importance of outreach in the community and love to introduce the ancient practice of yoga where ever they can. They will have a presence at Dearborn Farmers & Artisans Market held at its new location at West Village Commons on Fridays from 2  7 p.m. Free yoga classes will be offered at the Market again this year from 2:30 to 3 p.m. Bring your own mat or towel and water.

On July 20th, Yoga Shala will be hosting a fund-raising Yin and Massage Workshop. The Yin experience features poses that stretch the fascia, muscle and connective tissues and are held through several minutes for maximum effect. During the pose, massage is provided to help further relax into the pose.

Proceeds will benefit local refugee families through the Building Blocks for New Americans Fund at the Center for Arab American Philanthropy. To date, the BBNA Fund has assisted more than 50 families to obtain housing, clothing, transportation, and education.

Source: Yoga Shala and Wellness CenterPresident Rodrigo Duterte shakes hands with Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua (KING RODRIGUEZ/PPD/FILE PHOTO)

Source: globalnation.inquirer.net

KAWIT, Cavite  Its nonsense.

This was how Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua dismissed fears and concerns over the landing of a Chinese military airplane in Davao City last week.

Zhao said the military plane was in Davao only for refueling.

The landing is very simple, its for refueling, Zhao told reporters after the Independence Day program here, adding that the plane was on its way to New Zealand for a bilateral military exercise.

He also maintained that China followed Philippine protocols regarding the aircrafts landing in Davao City.

Im really puzzled and even surprised that some of the people here [are] taking the landing of Chinese military jets as a kind of military threat to the Philippines. And even they indicated that this might be the beginning of our invasion, he said.

Please allow me to be blunt, its nonsense. We have never thought of going to war with our good neighbor, our good friend that is the Philippines, he added.

Malacanang confirmed on Sunday the landing of the Chinese military aircraft, saying the request for landing was received, processed and cleared by relevant Philippine government agencies.Source: nato.int

NATO and Chinas military dialogue has been constant since 2010, with yearly meetings. This dialogue was interrupted in 2016, due to several circumstances, amongst them the reforms in the Chinese armed forces and the terror attacks in Brussels in March, which led to the cancellation of the planned talks that month. After a three hiatus, staff to staff talks resumed this month with a series of meetings between NATO and Chinese military officials.

Although NATO does not seek a role in Asia, the security situation in the Asia Pacific region cannot be separated from that of the Euro-Atlantic and NATO has an interest in understanding how these linkages work. China is an essential part of this 360 engagement as are our other established partners in the region. China is not part of NATOs official network of partners but both parties value the dialogue set up.

NATOs military interaction with China in the form of staff talks, follows a clear political guidance that has developed over the last 10-15 years. As recent as last weekend (2 June) NATOs Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller and Deputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Lieutenant General Steven Shepro met with a Chinese delegation in the margins of the Shangri-La Dialog in Singapore. Additionally, both NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg and Deputy Secretary General Gottemoeller have met, on separate occasions, with the Chinese Ambassador to EU, earlier this spring.

Dialogue is one of NATOs most effective tools and cannot be neglected. There was a clear and strong agreement between the staff talks participants that the best way forward was to strengthen the military dialogue between NATO and China. The tone of the talks was open and candid, both parties seeking to establish a concrete way forward and focusing on practical cooperation within the established political framework. Topics in the discussions included: North Korea, the South China Sea, Maritime Security and Counter Piracy, the security perspective on Central Asia - in particular in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the European security landscape, Chinas defense and military reforms, NATOs partnership policy and finally, possible areas for more practical cooperation between NATO and China.

During a breakaway meeting, Lieutenant General Broeks, Director General of the NATO International Military Staff, met with Major General Ci Guowei, Deputy Chief of the Office for International Military Cooperation. Lieutenant General Broeks highlighted the importance of such meetings, it is clear that in todays interconnected world, dialogue is one of the founding blocks of cooperation. Global challenges demand global solutions and global cooperation.

One of the concrete outcomes from the staff talks is an action list of possible areas for practical cooperation to be developed jointly between NATOs and Chinese Military Staffs, and which will set the pace for further engagements. Areas under consideration could include participation in conferences, like the Xingshan Conference in Beijing, participation in courses at NATO Defense College and the NATO School in Oberammergau, NATO participation in courses at Chinas Defense University, better and quicker information exchange related to possible interaction between navy forces (the Navy call them Passing Exercises, PASSEX), etc.

As with all good dialogues, the military staff talk acted as a vehicle for both parties to talk and explain their security challenges and views, which in turn increases transparency and helps minimize uncertainty. This 5th edition of the talks was a resounding success, allowing NATO to restart its a dialogue with a key global player and setting up a methodology for further, deeper and more meaningful engagement, in line with individual political guidance.

The talks concluded with an agreement to hold follow-on meetings to keep the action plan active and alive. The 6th edition of the staff talks should be held in Beijing next year (2019).The Prince William Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike.

We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve.NEW DELHI, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The competition witnessed participation from 30,000 higher secondary students representing 2,800 schools across India

After months of efforts and a tough culinary battle comprising 5 rigorous rounds, the hunt for the best school student chef of India has finally come to an end. Amritsar born Guneev Sachdeva from Dehradun's Welham Girls' School has emerged as the winner of the 8th season of the Young Chef India (YCI) Schools, the country's biggest culinary competition for school students. Guneev has won the competition amongst 30,000 higher secondary students from over 2,800 schools across the country. In the Mega Final of the competition, held on 9th June in Delhi, Guneev successfully managed to outclass her 7 opponents, all of whom were the top contestants from North, East, South and West zones. Young Chef India Schools (YCI) is a platform that gives an unique opportunity to higher-secondary students to get a glimpse of workings of the culinary industry and gain global recognition. Conceptualized and executed by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) since 2011, thousands of students have so far participated in this competition and realized their dream of displaying their culinary skills. This year, the competition was aired as a 5-episode special series on popular food lifestyle channel 'Food Food', giving the contestants recognition and appreciation across the country.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/703970/Guneev_With_Dr_Bose_And_Judges.jpg )



At the Mega Final, Guneev's fabulous performance impressed the judges and opponents alike. Expressing her elation, Guneev said, "I can't believe that I've actually won YCI Schools 2018! I've seen my seniors do exceptionally well in the earlier editions of the competition and I wanted to perform like them and make my school proud. Winning it is a different feeling altogether." She further added, "The immense support from my friends, family and school, kept me motivated till the end. I'm especially thankful to all those who voted for me."

Prior to the Mega Final, the competition was held in four zones - North, East, West and South - wherein the first three cook-off sessions were held in the home cities of the participants or at the nearest IIHM campus. The fourth round was held in Delhi in April, where 10 finalists from each zone competed for a place in the Mega Final. The top 2 contestants from each zone represented their zone in the Mega Final.

Apart from Guneev, the student chefs who made it to the Mega Final included Gurugram's Tanya Yadav from the North Zone, Mrunal Khedekar and Siddhi M Rashivadekar from Pune representing the West Zone, Pratiksha and Zahan Gafoor from Bengaluru representing the South Zone, and Suvankhi Roy and Sarthak Soni from Kolkata representing the East Zone.

The Mega Final consisted of a 'Basket and Dessert Test' wherein a pre-decided basket of ingredients was provided. The contents of the basket were disclosed to the contestants 48 hours before the competition. The student chefs were given 120 minutes to prepare two identical plated main course dishes with accompaniments as well as two portions of a pre-decided identical dessert for which the recipe was provided in advance.

At the Mega Final cook-off, Guneev made a tomato fish dish, accompanied by Fried Arbi, Honey Chilli Lotus Stem and Jeera Rice. Describing her dish, Guneev said, "I tried to keep my fish as Indian as possible and prepared it in thin tomato gravy. I accompanied it with Fried Arbi because Arbi was a part of the basket ingredients and you get extra points if you aptly utilize the basket ingredients. With an idea to add some fusion element on my plate, I used Lotus Stem for an oriental honey chilli preparation. I think I was able to execute all my dishes well. Overall, it was a good day and everything went in my favour."

The dishes were presented for tasting to the panel of judges that included Chef Sanjay Kak (Culinary Director, IIHM), Chef Shaun Kenworthy (Culinary Director, Indismart Group) and Surya Sekhar Roy Choudhury (First Runner-Up, International Young Chef Olympiad 2018). The contestants were judged on metrics such as accomplishment of given tasks in time, culinary skills and techniques, adherence to good health and safety and hygiene practice, minimal waste and best use of ingredients, professional appearance, attitude, dish presentation, taste and flavor. In the Mega Final, the judges' scores accounted for 80% of the total scores while votes of the Food Food channel audience had 20% weightage in the overall judgment. Guneev was declared a winner on the basis of highest number of votes as well as excellent reviews from the judges.

Speaking about her family's response to her YCI stint, Guneev says, "The happiest part was my family seeing my final plating and saying, "Okay Guneev, we didn't know that you could do it so well!" They've always been extremely supportive towards my endeavors. Their happiness brings a certain sense of achievement. I'm hopeful that in future too I'll continue to make my family proud."

Guneev is determined to make it big in the culinary world. She says, "My ultimate aim is to become a Pastry Chef. However, initially I want to explore and excel at all kinds of cuisines, be it main course, desserts or starters. In this regard, Young Chef India Schools has helped me have clarity on my career path. Earlier I used to get influenced by people telling me that I should first get a conventional degree and then venture into culinary arts. Now, I know what I want to achieve in life and how I'm going to do that. Also, competing in so many rounds at YCI has taught me to cook in a competitive, time-bound and demanding atmosphere."

Apart from the winner's trophy, a few subsidiary awards were also declared. Guneev Sachdeva bagged the 'Best Main Course Dish' Award, Tanya Yadav from Gurugram was presented with the 'Best Dessert' Award and Zahan Gafoor from Bengaluru was presented with 'The Best Organized Chef' Award.

According to Dr. Suborno Bose (Founder & Chief Mentor of IndiSmart Group & IIHM), "We started 7 years ago with an aim to unearth future chefs of the nation and bring these budding chefs on a single platform. Today, with over 30,000 participants from all across the country, we see ourselves inching closer towards that goal. I would like to congratulate the winners, as well as all those who made it to the Mega Final of Young Chefs India Schools 2018. Looking at the proficiency of these next-gen chefs, I'm fully convinced that the future of India's culinary industry is in safe and capable hands."

The Episode for the Grand Finale can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBqb6IFsKQk.

About IIHM

IIHM (International Institute of Hotel Management) is the largest chain of premier hospitality and hotel management schools across India that started its journey in 1994 at Kolkata. IIHM is a part of Indismart Group, the conglomerate that operates the Indismart Hotels. IIHM campuses are located across eight national and international cities with the associate institute IAM-IHM located in Kolkata, Goa and Guwahati. Students passing out of IIHM are armed with an international degree from the University of West London and equipped with global hospitality skills that enable easy placements in any hospitality brand across the world. IIHM is dedicated to its pursuit of excellence in teaching and placements. Real time experience is the key to success in hospitality and that makes the institute popular. In recent years, IIHM has been instrumental in organizing the Young Chef Olympiad, a unique idea and initiative inviting young culinary talents across the world to participate in the biggest cookery reality shows of all times.

The institute has bagged several prestigious awards in the past 24 years. The list includes the Best Education Brand Award from Economic Times in 2017. IIHM was also awarded as one among the World's Greatest Brands & Leaders 2015-16 by URS International (IMEA - Process Reviewer PriceWaterhouseCoopers PL) and also received the Best Institute in Hospitality Education 2017 Award by Assocham from Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Hon'ble Minister of State for HRD (Higher Education), Govt. of India.

For more information, please visit: http://www.iihm.ac.in



Media Contact:

Abdullah Ahmed

[email protected]

+91-11-43204700

Director

International Institute of Hotel Management



SOURCE International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM)CHENNAI, India, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared an auricular neurostimulation device manufactured by a Chennai company to treat the symptoms of opioid withdrawal without narcotics. The device, Drug Relief, is made by DyAnsys India for its U.S. affiliate, DyAnsys Inc.

Drug Relief, is available by prescription for use during opioid detoxification. This wearable device sends electrical pulses through tiny needles inserted in the ear to alleviate symptoms such as anxiety, agitation, depression, nausea, opiate cravings and more.

"This device offers hope to those who are suffering from opioid addiction," said DyAnsys Chief Executive Officer Srini Nageshwar, a graduate of the Institute of Technology Madras. "We are in a full-blown crisis and we need non-narcotic options and alternatives like this that can make a significant difference for individual patients and their families."

Nearly 30 million people, or 0.6 percent of the adult population worldwide, were engaged in problematic drug use and suffered from disorders in 2015, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Opioids accounted for 70 percent of the negative health impact associated with drug use disorders UNDOC reported in last year's World Drug Report.

Drug Relief is a percutaneous electrical nerve field stimulator designed to administer auricular neurostimulation treatment over 120 hours. The non-addictive treatment allows for continuous nerve stimulation for five days while offering the patient a high degree of comfort and mobility. According to providers, patients may see a reduction in symptoms within 30 to 60 minutes of beginning treatment.

The device eases detoxification, the first step in a comprehensive rehabilitation program. The objective is to relieve symptoms while opioids are cleared from a patient's system. It can be used to stabilize a patient during the early stages of withdrawal without side effects. Stabilization necessary before treating the patient with medication-assisted therapies.

Information is available at mydrugrelief.com.

DyAnsys provides innovative medical solutions that combine exclusive research on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and insights regarding its involvement in chronic pain treatment. The company develops, manufactures and distributes the ANSiscope, which provide the highest fidelity representations of the ANS available, and Primary Relief, a percutaneous nerve stimulator, to treat chronic pain without narcotics.

Related Links

https://www.dyansys.com



SOURCE DyAnsysSINGAPORE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), agreed Tuesday with U.S. President Donald Trump to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees.

Kim and Trump signed a joint statement after their meeting -- the first between a sitting U.S. president and a DPRK leader -- at the Capella Hotel on Singapore's resort island of Sentosa.

In the joint statement, Trump committed to providing security guarantees to the DPRK, while Kim reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The two leaders conducted a "comprehensive, in-depth and sincere exchange of opinions" on issues related to the establishment of a new DPRK-U.S. relationship and building a lasting and robust peace regime on the peninsula, the joint statement said.

They agreed to commit to establishing new DPRK-U.S. relations "in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity."

The statement said the two leaders are convinced that the establishment of new DPRK-U.S. relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and the world, and recognize that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearization of the peninsula.

Pyongyang and Washington will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the peninsula, according to the joint statement.

Reaffirming the Panmunjom Declaration, which South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim signed after the third inter-Korean summit on April 27 at the border village of Panmunjom, the DPRK agreed to commit to working toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, it added.

Pyongyang and Washington also agreed to commit to recovering the remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action during the 1950-53 Korean War, including an immediate repatriation of those already identified.QED is a consulting firm that offers a unique 'Executive-as-a-service' offering that seconds its pool of Chief Marketing Officers into organizations to provide strategic counsel and advisory on digital transformation, strategic marketing and communications issues. Helmed by its Founder Ryan Lim, a veteran of the digital marketing sector in Singapore with more than 15-years' experience; he counsels and advises senior management teams of leading global brands and government agencies. Lim is supported at the management level by Natasha Zhao, who leads the digital transformation and performance audit practices.

DATAVLT has taken a stake in QED Consulting, in what is sure to be one of Singapore's first powerhouse partnerships between a management consultancy and a front runner for blockchain application.

As a disruptive technology company, DATAVLT predicts that business success in the future will be dictated by the demands of consumers. The understanding of customers' needs, preferences, behaviours and desires, will be at the centre of all business decisions. DATAVLT sees this partnership as a vital step towards true digital transformation. It is an opportunity to move from merely having digital information and data, and to implement correlated analytics at a mass scale.

Michelle Yeo, one of the Co-Founders of DATAVLT will join the QED senior management team. "This partnership between DATAVLT and QED Consulting offers a really unique value proposition where we combine the best of both data analytics with strategic counsel to create new opportunities to understand customers at a much deeper level than ever before. Conversely, this explosion of data has seen some high-profile data breaches, and with that, the impending burdens of data privacy that hints at the prospect of a dystopian future. The partnering up of DATAVLT's proprietary blockchain technology together with QED is a move towards a true digital economy." Says Yeo.

"We're extremely excited to expand our strategic counsel to offer future solutions with capabilities of DATAVLT," Says Lim.

From governments to multi-national enterprises, the ability to not only analyse but correlate data efficiently and accurately is an important asset for all organisations. In this digital economy, firms that do not transform to understand their customers through data are bound to fail.

About DATAVLT

DATAVLT is an agile, innovative, on-demand, data analytics platform, secured by Blockchain technology, that has been designed to provide users with integrated and correlated insights. Backed by artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities, this platform empowers enterprises to make meaningful sense of big data and scale cost efficiently. Essentially, DATAVLT is an end-to-end data/information management platform. Contact us at datavlt.com

Logo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20180607/2154400-1LOGO

Logo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20180607/2154400-1LOGO-a

SOURCE DATAVLTNEW DELHI, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

After the phenomenal success of the f irst two flash sales with devices being Sold Out, Honor 7A is back

Available in Three Colors Black, Gold and Blue at an attractive price point of Rs. 8,999/- (Honor 7A Black Sale link | Honor 7A Gold Sale link | Honor 7A Blue link)

Honor, the e-brand of Huawei, today announced that one of its most affordable dual-lens smartphone - the Honor 7A - will be available once again on Flipkart starting June 12, 2018, 12 noon onwards. Honor 7A received an outstanding response on Flipkart with all the devices being sold out in both its first two flash sales. The recently launched smartphone will be available in three colors - black, gold and blue at an attractive price point of Rs. 8,999/-. Customers can save extra with SBI Credit Cards which offers extra savings on EMI transactions. Honor 7A can also be availed at Rs. 2,200 cashback (with 44 months validity) and 50 GB Additional 4G Data with an exclusive Jio offer.

Packed with a 13 MP + 2 MP dual rear camera system and an 8 MP front camera with soft selfie lighting flash, the Honor 7A ensures to give a perfect picture in all light conditions. The impressive 14.48cm FullView display and loudspeakers ensure to offer a next level audio-visual experience. The feature loaded Honor 7A, comes with Smart Face Unlock feature to keep all private data - be it photos, music files, videos or documents - safe from prying eyes. This phone also lets one keep their private network separate from their professional network with its dual SIM slots. In addition, the customer also gets a dedicated microSD card slot to conveniently expand the phone's internal memory to up to 256 GB. With a superfast octa-core Snapdragon processor, 3 GB RAM, and 32 GB ROM - there's more to the Honor 7A than meets the eye.

Revolutionizing the technology with its innovative and smart devices, Honor 7A, is arguably one of the finest performing smartphones in the price range. The FullView display screen offers a pixel density of 282ppi, 75.4% screen-to-body ratio, and 16M colors. The beautiful looking device comes with Blue, Black and Gold colors for consumers to choose from. The smart face unlock and fast fingerprint scanner combine with the sleek and stylish look of Honor 7A making it the perfect phone for young Indian consumers.

Catering to the young and the millennial generation of today's era, Honor recently emerged as one of the fastest growing smartphone brands in India in Q1 2018, entering the top 5 bracket. With a deep focus on simplifying the lives and needs of the consumers by bringing together seamless smartphone experiences at affordable price points, Honor continues to surge ahead by exploring possibilities for consumers to offer the best of hardware and software. Engineered to deliver top-notch smartphone experience, the new smartphones in the Dual camera range bring a disruptive amalgamation of smartphone design, camera, and performance at attractive price points.

For more information about Honor 7A, please check Flipkart.com

Both devices will also be available on HiHonor.in.

For more information, please visit: http://www.hihonor.com/in

Huawei- Hotline number: 1800-209-6555 | 9 am - 9 pm | All days open, except public holidays

Huawei website: http://consumer.huawei.com/in

Huawei service website: [email protected]

About Honor:

Honor is a leading smartphone e-brand under the Huawei Group. In line with its slogan, 'For the Brave', the brand was created to meet the needs of digital natives through internet-optimized products that offer superior user experiences, inspire action, foster creativity and empower the young to achieve their dreams. In doing this, Honor has set itself apart by showcasing its own bravery to do things differently and to take the steps needed to usher in the latest technologies and innovations for its customers. Honor led the online smartphone market with a global shipment value of 2.5 billion USD to become the number 1 online smartphone brand, as per International Data Corporation (IDC) in Q1 2017. Huawei's Consumer Business Group, comprising of its dual brands Huawei and Honor, shipped 139 million smartphones globally in 2016 and reported an increase of 44% in its annual revenue.

Media Contact:

Kinshuk Sindhwani

[email protected]

+91-9899143414

Genesis Burson Marsteller

SOURCE Huawei IndiaThe new American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) compound is slated for opening on June 12. There was speculation within Taiwan that American President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton, or officials of the same level, may attend the unveiling ceremony, but the US State Department announced on Sunday that an assistant secretary of state will be dispatched to visit Taipei and attend the ceremony.

Assistant secretary of state is the highest level American official to visit Taiwan since the US severed diplomatic ties with the island.

Earlier reports that the US Marine Corps would be posted at the new AIT facility and oversee its security have since been disproven. Many US embassies and consulates are guarded by the marine corps. Although the AIT fulfills certain state functions of embassies and consulates such as issuing US visas, nominally, it is a non-profit private organization.

A larger AIT compound indicates Washington will increase the number of personnel stationed in Taiwan and the Taiwan card will carry more weight in US strategy toward China. Washington will become more active in provoking China over the Taiwan question.

The Congress has passed the Taiwan Travel Act and the National Defense Authorization Act is getting more aggressive regarding the Taiwan question. Will higher level American officials visit AIT at its official launch? This could be used as a bargaining chip of Washington against China.

Beijing must stop Washington's salami-slicing tactic toward Taiwan but this cannot be achieved through trading interests. As friction over the Taiwan question may escalate, we must make corresponding contingency plans and strive for taking the initiative.

First, we can't be led by the nose by the US. We must build leverage to deal with the US and Taiwan, let both parties know they will pay the price no matter what provocations they make.

We must draw a red line for the US and Taiwan. Once crossed, a serious Taiwan Straits crisis will be triggered. For instance, visits by US warships to Taiwan or direct participation of American troops in Taiwan defense will disrupt the entire cross-Straits situation.

The US State Department viewed the AIT building dedication in Taipei as "a milestone" in US-Taiwan relations. Similarly, Taiwanese authorities have attached unprecedented importance to the matter. The reason why Washington is further activating Taiwan as a chess piece and Taiwan is desperately clinging to the US is because they found it more difficult to deal with the mainland. The mainland must continue to build up its deterrence against Taiwanese authorities, making them know that the US cannot be their savior.

A closer relationship with the US is not better for Taiwan. There are also risks for the US to play the Taiwan card. The US and Taiwan need to realize this.Rinehart Motion Systems leveraged LHP's Functional Safety Expressway to open the doors to new business and safety certification.

COLUMBUS, Indiana, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Last November, LHP introduced the Functional Safety Expressway as a response to the new safety-critical regulations (ISO 26262) that are impacting the design and development of all on-highway vehicles, including trucks, buses, trailers, semitrailers, and motorcycles this year.

The FSXpressway focuses on getting small companies and startups positioned to execute functional safety projects and refine their compliance process. LHP is striving to provide a comprehensive solution and pathway towards product compliance that not only addresses the technical and process hurdles, but also business limitations. Through LHP's exclusive North American partnership with TUV Nord, the world's largest certifying body, LHP can help companies become ISO 26262 ready in as little as six months.

Rinehart Motion Systems (RMS), a provider of propulsion inverters and ancillary power electronics for new and emerging applications of electric and hybrid electric ground vehicles, was an early adopter of the FSXpressway and has since opened the doors to new vehicle markets. After adopting the FSXpressway model, RMS has transformed its business model  and captured multiple safety critical product development opportunities.

Steve Neemeh, LHP's President of LHP's Software Solutions group expresses "By working as partners and combining our respective domain expertise, we were able to transform the RMS business model to include safety critical applications. We have created a model through which small companies can compete in a stringent regulatory environment, which is key for engineering innovation."

In less than a year from adoption, the RMS/LHP team developed the internal processes, upgraded the design consideration in hardware and software, itemized the production process, and set a structure which allows for compliance to safety standards. Validation of those steps was performed by TUV Nord, a globally recognized certification body.

In addition, by leveraging decades of aerospace design experience, LHP also supported RMS in the expansion of the process into aerospace safety standards, which has resulted in sales in a market new to the company.

Larry Rinehart, president of RMS, says "We are in the midst of a major change in our industry. Two years ago, none of our customers needed or were concerned about functional safety compliant products. Today, however, nearly every customer is looking for a solution that can comply  maybe not this quarter, or this year, but very soon. Thanks to our collaboration with LHP, we are now the first small supplier of propulsion system electronics that can credibly tell new customers that we are fully qualified to take on the challenge of developing a compliant product for their needs. I cannot overstate the competitive advantage this gives us, and the access to new market segments it opens for us."

To learn more about LHP's FSXpressway, and to get your organization ready to meet the stringent safety regulations, visit LHP's website www.LHPES.com/Functional-Safety or email LHP at [email protected].

To contact RMS, please visit http://www.rinehartmotion.com/contact.html, call at 503-344-5085, or email to [email protected]

LHP Engineering Solutions

Since 2001, LHP Engineering Solutions (LHP) has provided engineering services and technology integration for embedded controls, telematics, data analytics, and model-based design. LHP specializes in creating custom, flexible, and comprehensive technology solutions in the automotive, aerospace, and medical fields. LHP works to provide state of the art testing technologies, model-based design concepts, standardized embedded software architecture, customized training, and complete workflow solutions for functional safety.

Rinehart Motion Systems

Founded in 2002, Rinehart Motion Systems (RMS) has developed a unique packaging approach (with 6 issued patents to date) and has established a TS16949-compliant new product realization process and manufacturing relationships with TS-certified automotive production facilities in the US, Asia, and Europe. RMS drives are typically half the size and weight, are more rugged, and are generally easier to use than competitive products. The company also provides unique customization services  offering new software features, communications protocols, custom housings and specialized functionality for different applications.

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SOURCE LHP Engineering SolutionsPrivate equity firm Berkeley Assets has acquired global investment and advisory service Cryptech, a Blockchain organisation which provides investment opportunities to individuals and institutions who want to explore the technology.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/704610/Berkeley_Assets_Cryptech.jpg )



The acquisition comes at a time when Cryptech has expanded its reach globally, attracting interest from investors across the world who are eager to explore the opportunities to achieve substantial short term growth in the technology, trading in cryptocurrencies as well as investing in innovative start-up companies that are creating Blockchain technology solutions to revolutionise businesses globally.

With offices in Dubai, UAE and London, UK, Cryptech invests in ideas and start-ups that are utilising Blockchain as well as actively trades the top four cryptocurrencies in the world, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple and Litecoin, utilising a two-pronged strategy to deliver consistent gains across cryptocurrencies and blockchain.

Cryptech experts offer in-depth knowledge of Blockchain technology and its uses, allowing them to identify leaders and opportunities in the market, and provide intuitive due diligence for cryptocurrencies by recognising trends and spikes in demand.

Mike Clark, Partner at Berkeley Assets, said: "Our acquisition of Cryptech makes perfect sense because Berkeley Assets has a history of investing in firms which lead from the front, show innovation and are forward thinking.

"While technology makes up the smallest sector of our business model, because it represents a higher risk compared to our core focus of tangible assets, we made the decision to invest because it is essential to establish the right opportunities in order to provide the maximum benefit to our clients."

Berkeley Assets has appointed Omar Jackson as a new Partner to head up the Cryptech business, who brings a wealth of experience in the world of Blockchain. He said: "Blockchain has become a new buzzword in business and for good reason. We believe the true long term value lies in the technology that is underpinning cryptocurrencies.

"We have seen Blockchain being used in myriad applications across all industries, serving to radically transform the way businesses interact with customers and suppliers, and offering unseen levels of efficiency and security for all concerned."

Berkeley Assets is an off-shore multi-asset company with investments in real estate, hospitality, logistics and technology. Investing in both property development projects and bridging and development finance projects, the company develops a diversified portfolio of existing and new to market concepts and businesses as part of a low-risk, yield-based strategy.

Justin Quan, Senior Associate at Berkeley Assets, said: "We have built a reputation of successful returns and smart investments, by consistently offering clients reliability and credibility. As a low risk organisation, we were initially not in favour of cryptocurrencies as an area for investment, however, with Omar's experience combined with our due diligence into the sector, we have seen its true value and understand the short to medium-term gains that are possible.

"Even when it comes to advising on long-term gains, we are committed to ongoing research and investment into the technology behind Blockchain."

The adoption of Blockchain has been a sweeping global trend for governments and leading organisations alike. Given the added benefits to security and transparent access to information, international organisations as UPS, FedEx, Mastercard, Microsoft and Dell have all been quick to implement the technology.

Now, as investment banks implement ways to capitalise on cryptocurrencies, they too are investing in the technology behind the coins, valuing its power to transform traditional systems in which business is done. Cryptech believes that global financial and innovation hubs such as Dubai and London are primed to cement their lead as international centres for the technology, and they want to galvanise government agencies and their projects, ensuring their success.

Jackson added: "Blockchain technology offers investors the potential to be involved in huge growth businesses where billions of dollars of wealth can be generated. In the last 12 months we have watched as Blockchain start-ups have raised billions in capital and the world's biggest banks and venture capitalists are heavily focused on investing in Blockchain-based business models at early stages, believing that these companies will achieve huge valuations in the short to medium term."

"We believe that Blockchain offers the biggest opportunity in technology since the internet boom of the 1990s and like the internet, the technology is difficult to explain in simple terms but the potential applications are so wide and far reaching that they cannot be ignored."

Cryptech offers clients a minimum investment option of USD$1,000/GBP1,000 which can be completed digitally in multiple currencies, allowing funds to be traded within and invested from the company's corporate account. This paves the way for investors with a range of understanding on Blockchain to gain a foothold and benefit from early stages of cryptocurrencies and the underlying technology, a right that has previously been mainly accessible to financial institutions and HNWIs only.

After 12 months, clients can request to redeem their capital back with the maximum returns the team generated.

SOURCE Berkeley AssetsMikalauskas first joined JCI in 2006 as a consultant and served as associate director of JCI's European Office for a period of time. She has more than 25 years of health care, international management and executive leadership experience. Mikalauskas was formerly the director of nursing at the American Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. She also served as the chief clinical/chief nursing officer at Johns Hopkins Medicine International in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and as the senior director for Licensing and Accreditation for Al Noor Hospitals Group in Abu Dhabi.

Mikalauskas has led health care organizations in their first JCI accreditation and subsequent reaccreditations. She has expertise in directing clinical, allied health and organizational support teams to resolve long-standing problems and identify new protocols. Her experience as a nurse and administrator helps her guide organizations through baseline assessments, creating a culture of organizational safety, and conducting mock surveys.

"I am excited to return to the Middle East and Africa Region," Mikalauskas said. "As a former health care provider from the area and JCI representative, I can share my personal experience to help organizations reach their goals. I am passionate about bringing organizations a greater level of patient safety, efficiency and positive patient outcomes as they work to minimize risk and prevent harm."

Dr. Ismail said he is excited to welcome Mikalauskas to the team.

"Miki is a real asset and understands the dynamics of the region," Dr. Ismail said. "She has worked directly with patient care groups and can recommend the best JCI resources to help organizations improve their clinical and financial outcomes."

With 365 accredited organizations in 16 countries across the Middle East and Africa, Mikalauskas' commitment to performance improvement and patient safety will assist this growing community with advancement opportunities.

Educational Opportunities

As part of JCI's ongoing education and training, the region will host monthly webinars about how to improve patient safety and outcomes. Organizations also can attend events in the Middle East, including an upcoming JCI practicum in Dubai.

Dubai International Practicum on Accreditation and Quality Improvement: 11-15 November 2018

For more information and to register, visit www.jointcommissioninternational.org/dubai-international-practicum2018/.

About Joint Commission International

Joint Commission International (JCI) was established in 1994 as a division of Joint Commission Resources, Inc. (JCR), a wholly controlled, nonprofit affiliate of The Joint Commission. Through international accreditation and certification, advisory services, publications and education programs, JCI extends The Joint Commission's mission worldwide by helping improve the quality of patient care. JCI works with international health care organizations, public health agencies, health ministries and others in more than 100 countries. Visit www.jointcommissioninternational.org for more details.

Media contact:

Katie Looze Bronk

Corporate Communications

(630) 792-5175

kbronk@jointcommission.org

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SOURCE The Joint Commission"Publication of this work demonstrates that Merck is a true ethical innovator," said Udit Batra, member of the Merck Executive Board, and CEO, Life Science. "Merck established a Bioethics Advisory Panel  a diverse group of global biomedical experts  to provide guidance for research in which its businesses are involved, including research on or using genome editing. We take this work very seriously."

Co-authored by colleagues from the company's Bioethics Advisory Panel and colleagues from the Life Science and Healthcare business sectors of Merck and the company's Corporate Affairs function, the publication discusses critical ethical issues involved with the practical processes of discovery, development, manufacture, sale and distribution of genome-editing technology products such as Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR).

"Our publication incorporates the critical responsibilities of suppliers such as Merck," said Dr. Jochen Taupitz, a renowned ethics expert and professor at the University of Mannheim, and co-author of the publication. Taupitz is also a member of the Bioethics Advisory Panel of Merck.

"As a company that is leading the way in genome-editing innovation, Merck recognizes a need to develop and implement science-based bioethics," said Steven Hildemann, global chief medical officer at the Healthcare business sector of Merck, and senior author of the publication. "This publication describes our novel approach to ensure our genome-editing products are developed and distributed adhering to the highest standards of rapidly evolving bioethical guidance."

Merck's Bioethics Advisory Panel has defined a clear operational position taking into account scientific and societal issues to inform promising therapeutic approaches for use in research and applications.

A popular method of editing genes, CRISPR acts as genetic scissors which can be used to remove or replace an existing gene, switch a gene on or off or insert a new gene with unprecedented accuracy.The publication leverages the experience of the company's Life Science business in developing and selling CRISPR genome-editing technology over the past 13 years.

The Life Science business of Merck has secured patents in Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Israel, Singapore and South Korea covering foundational CRISPR technology. Its CRISPR patents are directed to chromosomal integration, or cutting of the sequence of eukaryotic cells and insertion of a synthetic exogenous DNA sequence to make a desired genomic change. Scientists can replace a disease-associated mutation with a beneficial or functional sequence  important for creating disease models and allowing new gene therapy solutions.

Merck has made significant contributions to the genome-editing field. It was the first company to offer custom biomolecules for genome editing globally (TargeTron RNA-guided group II introns and CompoZr zinc finger nucleases), driving adoption of these techniques by researchers all over the world. Merck was also the first company to manufacture arrayed CRISPR libraries covering the entire human genome, accelerating cures for diseases by allowing scientists to explore more questions about root causes.

An online preview of the genome-editing bioethics publication in The American Journal of Bioethics can be found at:

http://www.bioethics.net/2018/05/ethical-considerations-in-the-manufacture-sale-and-distribution-of-genome-editing-technologies/

For more information on Merck's work in the genome-editing field, visit https://www.merckgroup.com/en/stories/350-anniversary-its-all-in-the-genes.html and

http://ar.merckgroup.com/2017/magazine/new-ways-of-identifying-disease.

Follow Merck on Twitter @Merckgroup, on Facebook @merckgroup and on LinkedIn.

All Merck press releases are distributed by email at the same time they become available on the Merck Website. Please go to www.merckgroup.com/subscribe to register online, change your selection or discontinue this service.

About Merck

Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Almost 53,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life  from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2017, Merck generated sales of 15.3 billion in 66 countries.

Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck holds the global rights to the "Merck" name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.

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Related Links

https://www.merckgroup.com



SOURCE MerckPALM BEACH, Florida, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Marketnewsupdates.com Market Commentary

Three South American countries are responsible for the majority of the world's lithium, whose demand is projected to double by 2025. With each country striving for the perfect winning formula between exploiting, sourcing, and exporting, the battle for supremacy in the lithium triangle is more dramatic than ever. But, recent developments in one region might finally have investors ready to cast in their votes for a new king. Companies such as Lithium Chile (TSX-V: LITH) (OTC: LTMCF), Nemaska Lithium Inc. (TSX: NMX) (OTC: NMKEF), Global X Lithium (NYSE: LIT), FMC Corp. (NYSE: FMC) and Millennial Lithium Corp. (TSX-V: ML) (OTC: MLNLF) are poised to take advantage of the most intense mining industry-race of 2018.

Location, Location, Location

When it comes to generating profits, it is imperative that junior mining firms know where they should go to get the most lithium for their money. In terms of sheer lithium output, it is a head-to-head battle between Argentina and Chile, and things are heating up.

Both Chile and Argentina are environmentally ideal for mining. They both contain an abundance of salars - or salt-flats - in which lithium can be found. Sensing the potential, firms are quickly purchasing huge masses of land in the two countries. Yet Chile is pushing ahead in terms of lithium production, and miners are noticing.

Lithium Chile (TSX-V:LITH) (OTCQB:LTMCF) is one little-known firm in particular which has yet to garner much attention despite the vast land package possession. In fact, it is second only to huge mining firms Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile and Albemarle in terms of land acquisition.

Yet Lithium Chile share prices remain low trading at under a dollar per share for most of 2018. Soon enough though, this could be set to change as the company now owns 140,100 hectares of property over thirteen salars. The property includes 56 square kilometers of the Atacama Salar, the highest grade salar in the world with the lowest cost of production.

There's good reason to acquire all this land in Chile; According to Investing News, Chile produced 14,100 metric tonnes (MT) of lithium in 2017, second only to Australia which produced 18,700 MT. Considering Australia has more than ten times the landmass of Chile, this points to Chile's exceptional lithium density. Argentina, meanwhile, produced 5,500 MT in the same year, which actually marked a decrease of 300 MT.

Argentina is out of the running. According to a Reuters report, industry officials predict that Argentina's lithium carbonate production will triple by 2019, with the industry looking to employ over 1,500 people.

Of course, there are other factors than who can simply mine the most. The main one is which country is about which country makes it easiest for companies to do so.

Policies For Growth

Chile's regulation is changing. The election of center-right Sebastian Pinera's National Renewal Party last month will see mining regulations slashed to make way for greater investment in the industry. Days after Pinera took the seat, the Chilean government granted joint-venture mining firm MSB a lithium production and export license.

Lithium Chile (TSX-V: LITH) (OTCQB: LTMCF) noted the importance of the license grant at the time, stating that it "indicates a major change in Chilean policy with strong, potential benefits for Lithium Chile and other lithium exploration and development companies in Chile." Indeed, by making it easier for firms to acquire land, the Chilean government is welcoming investors into the lithium market, who are sure to notice Lithium Chile's low share price and large land ownership.

Chile's recent liberal approach to mining has given junior firms the incentive to come forward, which is something that Argentina needs. This highlights the importance of firms such as Lithium Chile, which is bringing what it describes as a "top-tier" team to Chile to further its development there.

Meanwhile, in Argentina, the center-right government has seen President Mauricio Macri push for more lithium production since his election in 2015. In fact, according to the Financial Post, Macri has ambitions for Argentina to produce as much as 45% of the lithium market. Despite president Macri's efforts, the biggest barrier to growth in Argentina "is a dearth of skilled workers."

Juniors Over Majors

Currently, Chile is quite simply ahead of Argentina in terms of productivity, and the firms that operate there are seeing the benefits. In fact, SQM's stocks have been in the green for a month, having risen around 10% from mid-March to mid-April.

However, the junior companies are quietly building potential. Current low stock prices coupled with high growth potential suggest that junior lithium miners aren't to be underestimated. Investor focus is often on big-name mining firms such as SQM, meaning that junior firms with lots of lithium-rich lands are overlooked despite potentially undervalued stock.

Lithium Chile's market cap is relatively small at around $90 million USDl, yet its stocks bumped up recently on the news that the company has identified multiple high-priority target areas at Chile's Salar de Atacama and Salar Ollague properties. Drilling on both is due to commence this month.

In Argentina however, comparable junior firm Millennial Lithium Corp.is seeing a less stimulated stock performance in the short term, but the company has seen share prices rise a promising around 87% since April 2017 to April this year.

Clearly, Lithium Chile's simple tactic of acquiring as much land as possible demonstrates Chile's capacity to support junior firms due to its ever-productive salars, which may prove a match made in lithium heaven.

Other Active Firms In the Lithium Battle Include:

FMC Corp. (NYSE: FMC) has served the global agricultural, industrial and consumer markets since 1883. FMC is a market leader in using advanced technologies and customer-focused research and development. In 2017, FMC acquired a significant portion of DuPont's Crop Protection business. FMC employs approximately 7,000 people throughout the world and operates its businesses in two segments: FMC Agricultural Solutions and FMC Lithium.

Nemaska Lithium Inc. (TSX: NMX) (OTCQX: NMKEF) is engaged in the exploration and development of hard-rock lithium properties. The company owns over two mining properties consisting of approximately 60 claims (Whabouchi and Sirmac) in the Eeyou Istchee/James Bay territory in Quebec. The Whabouchi mine is one of the richest lithium spodumene deposits in the world, both in volume and grade.

Global X Lithium (NYSE: LIT) invests in the full lithium cycle, from mining and refining the metal, through to battery production. Founded in 2008, Global X Lithium is distinguished by smart core, income, alpha, risk management and access suites of ETFs, with more than 50 funds available across the U.S. and foreign exchanges.

Millennial Lithium Corp. (TSXV: ML) (OTCQX: MLNLF) - This junior Argentinian firm has two major projects in the country; its Pastos Grandes project, which covers 8,664 hectares, and its Cauchari project. The company claims that 'no environmental obstacles exist to slow down the Company's aggressive timeline.' With director Graham Harris' 30-plus years of finance industry experience and president Farhad Abasov's 15-plus years of natural resource management, the firm is hardly lacking in experience. It recently began trading on the OTCQX market under the symbol MLNLF. Its Toronto market price has sat around $2.50 for a week as of April 17th, bringing the firm's market cap to around $208 million.

Overall, Chile Comes Out Stronger

On balance, Chile is the hotspot for lithium mining right now. Argentina's Mauricio Macri has held his seat for longer that Chile's Pinera has, and his ambitions are high. But Chile simply has the workers, the company interest, the output, and the single most productive salar in the world. This is evident from the growth of the firms which operate there.

Of course, Argentina is still third in the world in terms of lithium production, and this is hardly a bad thing. But Chile, in particular, has proven its lithium potential, and shares in junior mining firms such as Lithium Chile (TSX-V:LITH) (OTCQB:LTMCF) warrants some strong investors eyeballs.

For more information on Lithium Chile (TSX-V: LITH) (OTCQB: LTMCF), please visit Microsmallcap.com for a free research report.

Microsmallcap.com (MSC) is the source of the Article and content set forth above. References to any issuer other than the profiled issuer are intended solely to identify industry participants and do not constitute an endorsement of any issuer and do not constitute a comparison to the profiled issuer. FN Media Group (FNM) is a third-party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated with MSC or any company mentioned herein. The commentary, views and opinions expressed in this release by MSC are solely those of MSC and are not shared by and do not reflect in any manner the views or opinions of FNM. Readers of this Article and content agree that they cannot and will not seek to hold liable MSC and FNM for any investment decisions by their readers or subscribers. MSC and FNM and their respective affiliated companies are a news dissemination and financial marketing solutions provider and are NOT registered broker-dealers/analysts/investment advisers, hold no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security.

The Article and content related to the profiled company represent the personal and subjective views of the Author (MSC), and are subject to change at any time without notice. The information provided in the Article and the content has been obtained from sources which the Author believes to be reliable. However, the Author (MSC) has not independently verified or otherwise investigated all such information. None of the Author, MSC, FNM, or any of their respective affiliates, guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any such information. This Article and content are not, and should not be regarded as investment advice or as a recommendation regarding any particular security or course of action; readers are strongly urged to speak with their own investment advisor and review all of the profiled issuer's filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission before making any investment decisions and should understand the risks associated with an investment in the profiled issuer's securities, including, but not limited to, the complete loss of your investment. FNM was not compensated by any public company mentioned herein to disseminate this press release but was compensated forty four hundred dollars by MSC, a non-affiliated third party to distribute this release on behalf of Lithium Chile.

FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

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SOURCE MarketNewsUpdates.com28th Chinese naval escort taskforce visits Cameroon

EditorLi Jiayao Time2018-06-12

Local overseas Chinese in Cameroon visit the guided-missile frigate Weifang (Hull 550) of the 28th Chinese naval escort taskforce at the Douala Port, Cameroon, on June 11, 2018. The 28th Chinese naval escort taskforce is in Cameroon for a three-day friendly visit. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/ Liu Yawei)

By Zhu Linlin

DOUALA, June 12 (ChinaMil) -- The 28th escort taskforce of the Chinese PLA Navy arrived at Douala Port, Cameroon on Monday, local time, for a three-day friendly visit. This is the second leg of its outgoing visit voyages.

The Chinese naval vessels docked at approximately 16:00. Chinese Ambassador to Cameroon Wang Yingwu, Chinese military attache to Cameroon Chai Xiaojiang, Cameroon naval officers, representatives from China-funded organizations and local overseas Chinese welcomed the taskforce at the port.

The main leaders of Cameroon side and the Chinese Embassy to Cameroon visited the guided-missile frigate Yancheng (Hull 546) while the representatives from China-funded organizations and local overseas Chinese visited the guided-missile frigate Weifang (Hull 550) of the 28th Chinese naval escort taskforce.

During the visit, the commanding officers of the taskforce will call on the military and government officials of Cameroon. They will also visit Cameroons naval shipyard constructed with Chinese aid. The naval officers and soldiers of China and Cameroon will also hold professional exchanges and sport competitions.

The 28th Chinese naval escort taskforce left for Cameroon after wrapping up its visit to Ghana. Prior to that, the Chinese naval taskforce and the Ghana Navy carried out joint maritime drills in formation movement, ship-to-ship communications and other subjects, deepening cooperation and exchanges and enhancing mutual trust and friendship.

Located at the southwest coastal plain of Cameroon and 25 kilometers away from the Atlantic Ocean, Douala is the largest port city of Cameroon. Since the establishment of the diplomatic ties between China and Cameroon in 1971, the bilateral relations have been developing steadily. The two countries and two militaries have conducted sincere cooperation in various fields.

Local overseas Chinese in Cameroon pose for a group photo with the visiting guided-missile frigate Weifang (Hull 550) of the 28th Chinese naval escort taskforce at the Douala Port, Cameroon, on June 11, 2018. The 28th Chinese naval escort taskforce is in Cameroon for a three-day friendly visit. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/ Liu Yawei)President Donald Trump will leave Singapore Tuesday night after his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un the White House said Monday, adding that talks between U.S. and North Korean officials "are ongoing and have moved more quickly than expected."

A White House statement said Trump will hold a one-on-one meeting with Kim Tuesday morning, with only translators present, followed by a working lunch and an expanded bilateral meeting that will include Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Chief of Staff John Kelly, and National Security Adviser John Bolton.

The U.S. president will then address the media before flying out late Tuesday Singapore time. Previous reports had suggested Trump would leave on Wednesday.

On the eve of the first encounter between a sitting U.S. president and a leader of North Korea, American officials are maintaining any resulting agreement must lead to an end of North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile threats.

There will not be a repeat of "flimsy agreements" made between previous U.S. administrations and North Korea, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters in Singapore on Monday.

"The ultimate objective we seek from diplomacy with North Korea has not changed -- the complete, verifiable and irreversible de-nuclearization of the Korea peninsula is only outcome that the United States will accept," declared Pompeo.

Sanctions will remain until North Korea completely and verifiably eliminates its weapons of mass destruction programs, added Pompeo. "If diplomacy does not move in the right direction, those measures will increase," he said.

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In the fall of 2017, a New York Times best-selling book, "Pussy: A Reclamation," fell into the hands of nine diverse women. Inspired by the #MeToo Movement, they decided to bring a light hearted approach to the taboo subjects of sex, shame, and what it really takes to bridge men and women in a harmonious way, from the bedroom to the boardroom.

What started out as a life changing book club quickly turned into a sex edutainment, pleasure positive podcast, with heart. The tagline the sex ed you wish you got...and then some is an appropriate one. From Nebraskan to Iranian to Afro Panamanian, this diverse group of powerhouse women ranges from 24-51 years old. They discuss everything from the nine types of orgasms to the health benefits of masturbation to gender harmony.

It was refreshing to hear women in the midst of #MeToo championing men in their discussions, rather than bashing us. And on top of it, the show is hilarious. Ive shared it with a dozen of my guy friends and weve all learned a lot from it, says audio engineer, Ethan Roberts. The first season even dedicated two of the twenty-six episodes, to Cock Talk, where the hosts of the show interview men about their own sexual experiences growing up, toxic masculinity and what they really want in bed.

With the #MeToo Movement in full swing, this raw podcast could not be more timely. The Cl*t Talk cast is guided by a common purpose to reclaim the power of pleasure, to shed the veil of shame that society places on sex for women, and to awaken their own sensuality. Cl*t Talk has completely transformed me and my husbands sex life, says newlywed and cast member, Sugar. And they are dedicated to bringing their audience along with them in that awakening process--no matter whos listening.

We have received so much encouraging support from women, men and the LGBTQ community. Weve been especially blown away by the response from gay men! They were the last group we thought would be interested in a show called Cl*t Talk, but they love it! says, Tamiko Schwolsky, Director of Strategic Initiatives.

The first season of Cl*t Talk includes a slew of thoughtful celebrity guests including, Julie Lake of 'Orange is the New Black,' Rachelle Lefevre of 'Empire,' Marguerite Moreau from 'Wet Hot American Summer, and the wonderful actor and health advocate, Fran Drescher," says Business Development Director, Madison Holland.

The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.

http://bit.ly/cl_ttalkpodcast

http://bit.ly/cl_ttalkstitcher

Explore more about Cl*t Talk on Instagram.

https://bit.ly/2sAX3LA

For Additional Episodes: Please visit the official website: https://bit.ly/2kRH8UL

Based in Los Angeles, Cl*t Talk is a pleasure positive podcast trailblazing the way for those seeking freedom of self-expression. Hosted by nine wildly eclectic women, Cl*t Talk is released weekly and is available for subscription on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.

Media Inquiries: Please contact Madison Holland at (818) 401-5800 / media(at)cl*ttalkshow(at)comThe Smart Service Kiosk (SSK) is an industry-first outdoor digital solution that streamlines service appointment check-in and payment, allowing customers to securely drop or retrieve their vehicle key Consumers are used to self service technology across many other retailing environments and expect the same from the automotive industry.

Meridian, an industry leading kiosk manufacturer and software developer, has expanded their self-service solutions to include a lineup of automotive specific kiosks. Automotive manufacturers and dealers are looking to improve the consumer journey and deliver the dealership experience of the future, said Todd Marcelle, Director of Automotive Solutions. Consumers are used to self service technology across many other retailing environments and expect the same from the automotive industry.

The new automotive solutions are designed to improve and enhance the automotive customer experience by providing an end to end fully integrated DMS and CRM solution comprised of software, hardware and analytics. Our automotive kiosks help dealerships interact with retail and service customers in a way that leaves them more satisfied and more likely to return, said Meridian founder and CEO, Chris Gilder. Our kiosks have proven to reduce transactions times, improve CSI and increase revenue producing a demonstrable ROI for dealerships. Meridians kiosk solutions are currently deployed with major brands at select dealerships including Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Ford, KIA, VW, Porsche and Nissan.

Meridians automotive solutions are comprised of the Showroom Digital HUB, Virtual Service Advisor and Smart Service Kiosk. The Digital HUB provides a digital shopping experience for customers within a showroom. Mike Nyguen, GM of Jack Taylor Toyota stated: With the digital HUB, we are now capturing 99% of customers correct contact information into our CRM system and our CSI scores are well over 96%. Our customers recover an average of 1.5 to 2 hours from the car buying process.

The Virtual Service Advisor (VSA) and Smart Service Kiosk (SSK) streamline automotive service for customers and businesses. Our goal was to create a complimentary experience for those consumers that prefer selfservice similar to the banking, travel and restaurant experiences. The solution mirrors a service advisors workflow providing recall, trade appraisals, upsells and electronic signatures, said Marcelle. The most compelling result is that over 95% consumers have said they would use the kiosks again and it made the experience easier.

Meridians automotive solutions are designed and manufactured from their headquarters in North Carolina. All of our products are built from start to finish by our own team of experts, ensuring the combination of engaging design and reliability, said Gilder.

To learn more about Meridians automotive solutions, visit meridiankiosks.com.The U.S. sanctioned five Russian entities and three individuals Monday, accusing them of malicious cyber activities to provide material and technological support to Moscow's intelligence service.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the sanctioned entities and individuals "have directly contributed to improving Russia's cyber and underwater capabilities through their work with "the Russian Federal Security Service "and therefore jeopardize the safety and security of the United States and our allies."

He said the U.S. "is committed to aggressively targeting any entity or individual working at the direction" of the Russian intelligence service "whose work threatens the United States and will continue to utilize our sanctions authorities ...to counter the constantly evolving threats emanating from Russia."

The sanctions continue what appear to be conflicted messages from Washington about Moscow.

Monarx announced today the close of a $3.4 M seed funding round, led by Pelion Ventures, with heavy participation by Kickstart Seed Fund. Pelion Partner Carl Ledbetter joined the Monarx Board. The company raised the money in May of 2017 and has been quietly working on a new Cyber Security solution that was released in mid Q2 2018.

Monarx prevents the execution of malicious scripts that are inserted into vulnerable websites. These files, often referred to as web shells or backdoors, create a command and control platform inside a server. Hackers can use backdoors to gain full control of a server, steal valuable data, host phishing pages, attack other sites, send SPAM, participate in botnets, and even mine cryptocurrency by stealing the resources of infected hosts.

The company is using a new approach to stop these web-born intrusions. We are using the application stack to protect itself, said Matt Hoffman, CEO at Monarx. Its our opinion that traditional network security strategies have not been effective, especially when it comes to web-based attacks. Malicious code is still inserted into systems every day. We assume that hackers will eventually break in. Instead of trying to prevent all attacks, we stop them from doing anything useful once inside by using the application stack itself.

Unlike most of the Cybersecurity industry, this means Monarx is not focused on preventing the exploit itself, but on disabling the hacker once inside a target system. Thats the really interesting part, said Jon Gay, the inventor of the technology. It is a true prevention solution. We can see the intruder deposit the malicious code, we can see the hacker try and activate it, and we can tell the System Administrator exactly how the file entered the system, without ever allowing the hacker to damage anything.

The company intends to target the Open Source market with its first products. Co-Founder Brian Karney adds, Open Source has traditionally been underserved by the security market. WordPress, Magento and other content management applications have an especially difficult time with these intrusions because of their diverse community of plugins and other third-party add-ons. Its where we have seen a lot of early interest and its a huge global community.

Gavin Christensen, managing partner at Kickstart Seed Fund, sees the same opportunity. This is an important security gap that effects the majority of servers providing the internet. We are very excited to partner with Matt, whom I have known and worked with for 13 years, and his technical cofounders, Jon and Tom Gay. We are especially interested in this new approach to Application Security.

About Monarx, Inc.

Monarx is a seed-stage cyber security company based in Salt Lake City, UT. Monarxs mission is to protect web environments against attacks. For more information, visit http://www.monarx.com

Media Contact

media(at)monarx.comCeterus, a technology company that provides done-for-you accounting and benchmarked reporting to small business and franchise entrepreneurs, recently announced that Liam McElhone will be taking over operations as their new Chief Operations Officer.

McElhone has successfully led operations teams at several venture-backed companies, including Vocalocity, a cloud based unified communications provider (acquired by Vonage) and MindShift, one of the largest providers of managed services for small businesses (acquired by Best Buy).

Liam knows how to grow and scale operations teams to bring a world-class customer experience to the entrepreneurs we empower every day, said Levi Morehouse, Ceterus Founder and CEO, He has the skills and experience to bring our solution to more entrepreneurs, while making our customer experience better every day.

I was drawn to Ceterus mission of empowering entrepreneurs since Ive helped build two other technology companies that serve the SMB market, and I loved the idea of a done-for-you technology solution for these entrepreneurs, said McElhone. Im excited to lead and scale an operations team at Ceterus that is passionate about our mission and the customers we serve.

Former Chief Operating Officer, Derek Carter, is moving into the newly created role of Chief Solutions Officer. In this role, Carter will oversee automation and process enhancements within Ceterus done-for-you accounting solution. In an operations role Derek developed the foundation for our automated platform. A dedicated focus on automated, continual, accounting is exciting for both Ceterus and the accounting industry at large, said Morehouse.

These changes comes on the heels of Ceterus $10 million Series B funding round and explosive growth over the past two years.

Ceterus Quick Links:



Check out Ceterus' ongoing podcast series for small business entrepreneurs: Small Business Edge

Browse the Ceterus Entrepreneur Center for useful articles and tips for success in franchising and small business

About Ceterus

Ceterus empowers small business entrepreneurs with done-for-you accounting and benchmarked reporting. Ceterus Edge Automation system automates entries into QuickBooks Online and aggregates financial data to provide peer benchmarked reporting. Ceterus pairs technology with people to deliver a one-stop solution for entrepreneurs. Headquartered in Charleston, SC, Ceterus has been named to the Inc. 5000 and South Carolinas Best Places to Work for the past two years. For more information, visit http://www.ceterus.com.Effective at the end of June 2018, the Auction of Washington Wines welcomes Stein Kruse as its newest board member.

The Auction of Washington Wines (AWW) announced today that Stein Kruse, Group Chief Executive Officer of Holland America Group and Carnival UK, divisions of Carnival Corporation & plc. is joining its Board of Directors. As Group CEO, Kruse oversees a robust portfolio of cruise brands and travel operations including Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, Holland America-Princess Alaska land operations, P&O Cruises Australia and the UK-based brands of Cunard Line and P&O Cruises. Kruse officially joins AWW at the end of June 2018 and brings with him strong international industry experience that will bring another layer of expertise to the AWW Board.

Kruse, a native of Norway, holds a Bachelor of Science from Purdue University and is a graduate of Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program. In addition to joining AWWs Board of Directors, he also serves on the boards of the U.S. Coast Guard Foundation, World Trade Center Seattle, Saltchuk Resources, Inc. and the University of Washington Foster School of Business Deans Advisory Board.

Kruse joined Holland America Line in Seattle, Wash., in 1999 as senior vice president, Fleet Operations, with overall responsibility for operations and newbuilds. In 2003 he was named president and chief operating officer and became chief executive officer on Dec. 1, 2004. In January 2011 he was appointed chairman of Seabourn when the companys corporate headquarters transitioned from Miami, Fla., to Seattle. He was appointed CEO of the newly formed Holland America Group on Dec. 1, 2013 and became Group CEO for Holland America Group and Carnival UK on March 27, 2017.

We cant wait to welcome Stein to our group of passionate, smart and dynamic Board of Directors, said Shelley Tomberg, Executive Director, Auction of Washington Wines. Steins professional experience and deep community roots will be an invaluable addition to AWW and will surely help steer the team toward another record-breaking year!

My involvement with AWW over the years  including co-chairing their largest annual fundraising event twice  has been a very rewarding experience for me as it raises much needed funding for uncompensated care at Seattle Childrens Hospital, said Kruse. Im looking forward to becoming more involved as a board member in June to support this very important mission while also elevating the awareness of Washington State wines and associated programs for our states growing industry.

This years AWW events will take place August 16 to 18, 2018. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.AuctionofWaWines.org.

About the Auction of Washington Wines

Since its inception in 1988, AWW has raised more than $41 million, benefitting Seattle Childrens Hospital and Washington State University Wine Science Research. Events hosted by AWW give wine lovers the chance to support the Washington wine industry and families in our communities around the region. The 2018 Auction of Washington Wines will take place August 16 to 18, 2018. Major sponsors include Wells Fargo, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Ferrari of Seattle, The John L. Scott Foundation, The Seattle Times, King 5 TV and Wine Spectator Magazine. For more information, visit AWW online at http://www.AuctionofWaWines.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Aaron Blank and Madalyn Chau

The Fearey Group for the Auction of Washington Wines

aww(at)feareygroup.com, (206) 343-1543I could never teach online lessons before VoiceLessons.com; says Independent Voice Teacher Allen R. of Philadelphia, PA, but once I experienced how they creatively solved the audio lag, I am now able to teach beginning and returning students online with confidence!"

VoiceLessons.com, an online voice lessons platform, announces the release of their patent pending Vocaloop technology. This platform solves audio lag issues and enables teachers and students the ability to communicate (singing with teachers feedback) simultaneously through Full Duplex Audio. Online voice lessons conducted via traditional online platforms like Skype, Zoom, Facetime or Hangouts produce frustrating results due to audio lag and the inability to hear more than one person at a time. VoiceLessons.coms proprietary patent pending Vocaloop technology has solved the problems that have prevented voice teachers in the past from conducting online teaching effectively, particularly with new students and beginners.

I could never teach online lessons before VoiceLessons.com; says Independent Voice Teacher Allen R. of Philadelphia, PA, but once I experienced how they creatively solved the audio lag, I am now able to teach beginning and returning students online with confidence that they are getting a good vocal muscle workout!

The patent pending Vocaloop Technology, developed by Mike Elson, a USC graduate with dual degrees in vocal performance and computer science, has solved many of the problems and reasons most voice teachers are skeptical of teaching online. According to Founder/CEO Mike Elson, We realize online teaching will never replace face to face instruction, however our hope is that it can be a more productive and effective option going forward for both teachers and students. We are thrilled to receive praise and affirmation that our solution has solved a large barrier which has prevented the voice teaching industry from embracing and expanding to online lessons.

The VoiceLessons.com platform is available for use anytime, anywhere via desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile device and contains features like HD quality video, CD audio clarity, remote network keyboard, cloud video recording, and a mobile practice app. For more details on Vocaloop technology or to schedule your free demonstration, contact us today at 844.5.LESSON or visit our website at http://www.VoiceLessons.com

About VoiceLessons.com

VoiceLessons.com is an online singing platform that delivers the most effective, high quality online singing lessons available on the Web. The Patented Vocaloop Technology was developed by Mike Elson, a USC graduate with dual degrees in vocal performance and computer science. With keyboard instrument technology and full duplex audio, this online vocal tool provides accompaniment just like in a face to face lesson but without the audio lag. Vocal exercises, accompaniments, excerpts and songs can be recorded and saved in the cloud under lesson history making it available for practice, study, and review by students online, anytime, anywhere. For more information or to schedule your Free, No Obligation Demo Call us at 844.5.LESSON or visit us at http://www.VoiceLessons.com. Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.

Press and Media Inquiries:

Valerie Church

Director of Marketing

P: 844.5.LESSON

E: valerie(at)voicelessons.com

VoiceLessons.comPartnering with Akademos will allow us to offer the students a wider variety of course materials, flexible purchasing options... and lower prices that will help to ease the financial commitments associated with earning their degrees. - Sherri Hansen, Budget Director, Snow College

Snow College has selected Akademos as its online bookstore provider to help students obtain significant savings on course materials. Consistently ranked as one of the top educational institutions in the country, Snow is ideal for students looking to achieve academic success in a fun, safe, residential campus environment. The Institution has two campuses in Utah as well as an online degree option and plans to launch its online bookstore to support the Fall Semester 2018.

Seamless integration between the Colleges student information system and the Akademos Course Materials Platform (CMP)TM will allow students to see a personalized listing of the textbooks required for each of their courses and to order materials for an entire term, in less than five minutes.

A wide selection of options including new, used, rental, and eBook formats, plus Akademos' proprietary peer-to-peer Marketplace, offers students access to over 100 million unique titles. Additionally, students will have the freedom to use financial aid vouchers on all textbook purchases, including marketplace items, which offers savings on average of 60% off publisher list prices.

Supporting our students academic success is the foundation of our mission at Snow College, said Sherri Hansen, Budget Director, Snow College. Partnering with Akademos will allow us to offer the students a wider variety of course materials, flexible purchasing options, an easy-to-use platform, and lower prices that will help to ease the financial commitments associated with earning their degrees.

The online bookstore will also support the Colleges faculty and administrators, who will benefit from an easy-to-use and powerful Adoption & Analytics Portal. This platform offers a step-by-step guide for course material adoptions, recommendations, and adoption history, and the ability to compare real-time prices for course materials. Real-time reporting and analytics will enable faculty, academic leadership and administration to view critical bookstore utilization data and key trends.

Were pleased to be working with Snow College and congratulate them on taking an innovative step to address textbook affordability, said John Squires, CEO, Akademos. By leveraging our unique platform, Snow will be able to best support the academic success of its students. We look forward to partnering with the college to help them meet their key priorities.

About Akademos

Akademos offers customized, online bookstore services and solutions that support what's most important to institutions - from full-service virtual bookstores to unique partnerships and products supporting on-campus shops. Akademos delivers cost savings on course materials for students while providing administrators and faculty with critical control over the textbook delivery process.

Akademos offers an innovative textbook marketplace, best-in-class eCommerce platform, eLearning solutions, and a unique adoption and analytics portal. The companys comprehensive supply-chain solution and commitment to responsive personal service makes it the choice of leading institutions throughout the country.

Akademos helps institutions deliver the right course materials, at affordable prices, on time. Learn more at akademos.com.

About Snow College

Snow College, founded in 1888 by Utah pioneers, is a two-year college with campuses located in Ephraim and Richfield, Utah. Serving more than 5,000 students, the college has been nationally recognized for its student success rates, affordable cost-for-value, involvement opportunities, and exceptional teaching. Learn more about all Snow College has to offer online at https://www.snow.edu.Browse 183FLEA Market June 29 30 July 1 "If 183FLEA Market is free for sellers and on busy Highway 183, Count me in!" John Cline Eddyville, Nebraska

Earthjunk has free spaces for anyone wanting to earn cash at 183Flea Market. This event celebrates Earthjunk's 20th Anniversary. 183Flea Market is a Thank You to all Nebraskans and out of state Earthjunk customers who traveled to the scenic Sandhills the past two decades.

The first ever 183Flea Market needs vendors to join Eddyville John and the Sargent Antique Stores, better known as The Antique Capital of Nebraska. Antique Dealers, Artists, Crafters, Farmers, Food Trucks, Home - Based Businesses, Organizations needing a fund raiser and all others are welcome to sell at no cost in a space as large or small as they want. Come to Sargent and make money starting June 29th. Sign up here. Sargent is home to more than ten Antique and Speciality shops loaded full of used furniture, home decor, primitives, glassware, cookie jars, and more collectibles. As always, the Sargent Antique Stores have the fabulous selection which both collectors and dealers have discovered exists at Nebraska's Antique Capital.

Everyone will enjoy free admission, browsing and parking. Another opportunity presented is for all single buyers and sellers. Finding someone special is often difficult. 183Flea has a simple solution; wear a white T shirt or blouse and meet someone else wearing white in a safe small town informal setting. At 183Flea Market, buyers do not know whom or what they will fall in love with! Expect the unexpected at 183Flea Market such as: 100% free, custom sized spaces; a major highway, nice singles wearing white, great prices, and an enormous variety!

Earthjunk is an online business in Sargent, Nebraska owned by John and Cindee Haddix. Earthjunk specializes in like new used Ethan Allen, Tell City Chair Co. and other American Made Investment Grade furniture brands. Earthjunk has over 2000 pieces of furniture in stock, one-third of which are online. With Earthjunk's Anniversary sale in progress, picking up furniture in Sargent has never been cheaper.

For more information, please contact Cindee or John at 402-350-6740 or email earthjunk@earthjunk.com. To learn more about 183Flea visit 183Flea.com Please like us on facebook.

Thanks for spreading the word about the free 183Flea Market!Blue Angel Vodka, created by Maurice Kanbar At my age, I dont need any more money, but a lot of great causes do, says Maurice Kanbar. This idea of selling a whole lot of great vodka and giving away money might not get me into heaven, but it will be fun trying. And, Im sure well be able to do a lot of good.

Blue Angel vodka, a new spirits brand, is being launched today by its founder Maurice Kanbar, who will donate its proceeds to benefit charitable causes. Maurice Kanbar, a spirits-industry legend, created one of worlds best-selling premium vodka brands and sold it in 2002. Since then, hes given away tens of millions of dollars to charitable causes. Now, at 89 years old, he wants to do it one more time.

Kanbar, a lifelong martini lover and serial inventor, is launching his most refined, best-tasting vodka yet with a singular goal of funding more philanthropic generosity. Blue Angel vodka has already won a 2017 Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Most of us at his age would be happy to simply sit outside and enjoy the sunshine. But, not Maurice. Even at 89, he wants to keep giving back in a meaningful way that benefits mankind, says Tsach Gilboa, COO of Blue Angel Spirits. Its amazing that he has the energy and vision to create a new brand when most people nearing 90 are kicking back. Maurices sole purpose is to grow Blue Angel fast and donate the proceeds to charity. Im humbled to be a part of it.

Blue Angel vodka, made from all-American corn and gluten free, goes through a 6X distillation process to filter out impurities (congeners). The water used from Fairfield, California is further filtrated through deionization and reverse osmosis to remove more impurities at a molecular level.

Ive got a nice place to live here in San Francisco, a ten-year-old Lexus and I get to have lunch with friends nearly every day. At my age, I dont need any more money, but a lot of great causes do, says Kanbar. This idea of selling a whole lot of great vodka and giving away money might not get me into heaven, but it will be fun trying. And, Im sure well be able to do a lot of good.

Kanbars past philanthropic donations have centered on education, healthcare and the arts including $21 million donated to Philadelphia University, his alma mater, where he earned a chemistry degree, $5 million to NYUs Tisch School of the Arts, and $1 million to the Osher Center endowment campaign to help conduct research and train the next generation of doctors, nurses and pharmacists at UCSFs world-class medical school. Hes also donated money to create the Kanbar Cardiac Center at the California Pacific Medical Center and has provided financial backing for KQEDs ImageMakers series of independent films.

Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits, the nations largest wine and spirits distributor, is rolling out Blue Angel vodka in the San Francisco Bay Area first. The ultra-premium vodka will be aggressively priced at $19.99 MSRP for a 750ML bottle to encourage faster trial and adoption.

About Blue Angel Vodka

Maurice Kanbar, a legend in the spirits industry, sold his first vodka company in 2002 which allowed him to give away tens of millions of dollars to charity. Now, at 89, hes doing it again with the launch of Blue Angel vodka. Distilled and bottled in the San Francisco Bay Area, Blue Angel is an ultra-premium vodka made from all-American corn, distilled six times, and uses reverse osmosis and deionization to ensure that its pure and clean tasting. For more information, visit: http://www.blueangelvodka.com

Blue Angel vodkas social media channels include:

Specialty Technical Publishers Leading companies around the world use IAPC EHS audit protocols to understand the scope of their EHS regulatory obligations and rapidly collect, share, archive, and export audit findings in a cost effective manner.

Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) and Specialty Technical Consultants (STC) announce the availability of the newly updated International Audit Protocol Consortium (IAPC) EHS audit protocol for Mexico. Leading companies around the world use IAPC EHS audit protocols to understand the scope of their EHS regulatory obligations and rapidly collect, share, archive, and export audit findings in a cost effective manner. IAPC EHS audit protocols are now prepared by STC in partnership with STP and continue to focus on those national (plus, in some cases, regional or provincial) EHS requirements that have site-specific application for manufacturing operations. As a leading EHS management consulting firm with a global network of experienced EHS teaming partners, STC has indepth knowledge and technical expertise of local/regional EHS requirements.

STP and STC maintain leading-edge EHS audit protocols for more than 30 jurisdictions. The protocol documents are written in English and are available in MS Word, Adobe Acrobat and Excel formats, as well as through STPs web-based portal or can be integrated into an existing company platform. Using the protocols custom templates and advanced functionality features, auditors can easily track audit findings and manage data over time to improve compliance, risk management and safety performance. In addition, STPs formatting is compatible with leading risk management and sustainability platform providers.

Highlights of selected legislation covered in the newly updated protocol include:



"NOM-133-SEMARNAT-2015, Environmental Protection, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)-Handling Specifications" repealed and replaced "NOM-133-SEMARNAT-2000, Environmental Protection, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)- Handling Specifications" regarding the appropriate handling and disposal of hazardous wastes that contain or are contaminated with PCBs.

"NOM-125-SSA1-2016, Establishing Sanitary Requirements for Processing and Use of Asbestos" repealed and replaced "NOM-125-SSA1-1994," effective October 1, 2018. The provisions relate to the sanitary requirements for industrial establishments that process asbestos.

"Agreement that Creates the Workplace Accident Notification System (SIAAT) and Makes Public the Formats for Reporting Accidents and Deaths of Workers" was newly added to establish the Workplace Accident Notification System (SIAAT). It repeals "NOM-021-STPS-1994."

"NOM-022-STPS-2015, Safety Conditions in Workplaces Where Static Electricity Presents a Hazard" repealed and replaced "NOM-022-STPS-2008." This NOM establishes safety conditions to prevent risks from static electricity and atmospheric electrical discharges.

"NOM-002-SEDE/ENER-2014, Requirements for Safety and Energy Efficiency for Transformers" repealed and replaced "NOM-002-SEDE-2010." This NOM establishes requirements for the safe operation of certain types of transformers.

"NOM-114-SCFI-2016, Hydraulic Bottle Jacks - Safety Specifications and Test Methods" repealed and replaced "NOM-114-SCFI-2006." This NOM provides safety labeling, marking and instructions requirements for hydraulic bottle jacks.

"NOM-007-SCT2-2010, Marking of Containers and Packaging Intended for the Transport of Hazardous Substances and Waste" repealed and replaced "NOM-007-SCT2-2002." This NOM establishes requirements regarding marking on containers and packaging intended for transporting hazardous substances, materials, and waste.

"NOM-019-SCT2-2015, Technical Specifications and General Provisions for Cleaning and Control of Remnants of Hazardous Substances and Waste in Units that Transport Hazardous Materials and Waste" repealed and replaced "NOM-019-SCT2-2004." This NOM provides requirements relating to cleaning and other control measures for vehicular units that transport hazardous substances, materials, and/or waste.

"Hydrocarbons Law" repealed and replaced the "Regulatory Law on Constitutional Article 27 in the Petroleum Industry." This Law regulates the hydrocarbons industry in Mexico.

"NOM-002-SESH-2009, Distribution Warehouses for LP Gas. Design, Construction, Operation and Safety Conditions" repealed and replaced "NOM-002-SEDG-1999." This NOM establishes the requirements for the design, construction, and operation of distribution warehouses of LPG.

"NOM-018-STPS-2015, Harmonized System for the Identification and Communication of Hazards and Risks of Hazardous Chemical Substances in Workplaces" repealed and replaced "NOM-018-STPS-2000." This NOM establishes provisions relating to the harmonized system for hazardous chemical substances.

"NOM-003-SECRE-2011, Distribution of Natural Gas and Liquefied Petroleum Gas by Pipelines" was newly added to the protocol to flush out requirements relating to the design, construction, testing, inspection, operation, maintenance and safety of natural gas and LP gas distribution systems by pipelines.

"2017 Supervision Program for the Inspection of Permitted Facilities, Vehicles, Equipment and Activities Related to the Transportation, Storage and/or Distribution of LPG" was added to the protocol to update requirements regarding mandatory inspection and reporting requirement for facilities with permits for certain types of LPG-related activities. It is updated on an annual basis.

For more information on all International EHS audit protocols offered by STP and STC click here.

About Specialty Technical Publishers

Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) produces technical resource guides covering environmental, health & safety, transportation, accounting, business practices, standards and law, offering comprehensive guidance on key compliance and regulatory issues. STP is a division of Glacier Media Inc., a Canadian information communications company that provides primary and essential information in print, electronic and online media. Glaciers Business and Professional Information Group publishes directories, technical manuals, research and development materials, medical education, electronic databases, investment information and specialty websites.

About Specialty Technical Consultants

Specialty Technical Consultants, Inc.(STC) is a specialized management consulting firm working to enhance environmental health and safety (EHS) performance. Through its consulting services, STC partners with clients to strengthen management systems' design and implementation, and identifies needs and implements solutions to meet business objectives. Services provided include: EHS compliance support; risk assessment; EHS auditing; corporate responsibility and sustainability; EHS management systems development and implementation; EHS regulatory information tools; and EHS training.

STC is certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Womens Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and the Supplier Clearinghouse for the California Public Utilities Commission, and as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program.OLC is incredibly fortunate to have two outstanding education leaders of Devons and Jennifers caliber on our leadership team.

The Online Learning Consortium (OLC), the leading professional organization devoted to advancing the quality of digital learning worldwide, today announced two key appointments to its executive leadership team. Devon Cancilla, Ph.D., joins OLC as its new Chief Knowledge Officer, effective Aug. 1. In addition, Jennifer Mathes, Ph.D., who has served as OLCs interim CKO since January, has been promoted to Chief Strategy Officer, effective immediately.

These executive appointments come as OLC continues to build on its position of self-sustained financial strength, guided by a newly elected Board President, Vice President and four new Board Members.

Cancilla and Mathes each report directly to OLCs Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Kathleen Ives, D.M., who commented, OLC is incredibly fortunate to have two outstanding education leaders of Devons and Jennifers caliber on our leadership team. I look forward to working with them as we move OLCs strategic agenda forward.

Cancilla will gather, curate and leverage OLCs intellectual capital to create and enhance services and resources provided to OLC members and the broader digital education community. He will lead work in a number of key areas, including product development, learning innovation, professional and leadership development, quality enhancement, external affairs, community engagement and development, grant strategy, publications, research and policy.

Devon brings a depth of experience that I am confident will help us in advancing OLCs mission, said Ives. I am looking forward to his guidance and contributions to our organization and our community.

I am honored to have the opportunity to be part of the executive team driving the priorities of the Online Learning Consortium, one of the most respected organizations serving the digital learning community, said Cancilla.

As Chief Strategy Officer, Jennifer Mathes will oversee and provide strategic input for OLCs high-level strategic partnerships, consulting and speakers bureau, leadership development, grant strategy, policy efforts, quality benchmarking agenda, community engagement and conference programming.

Jennifer has been instrumental in researching and planning strategic initiatives, special projects and partnerships that align with OLC's mission, vision and goals, said Ives. She is a highly effective leader and strategist, whose skills and experience will ensure OLC continues to be the leading professional organization for the digital learning community.

I am excited about this new role and for the opportunity to help shape OLCs next chapter, said Mathes. And I am delighted to be able to continue to work with so many outstanding individuals and organizations across the OLC community that share a passion for advancing access to quality digital learning.

EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE

Devon Cancilla currently serves as Vice Provost for Academic Innovation at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). He and his team provide instructional design support for the development of online and traditional courses and coordinate UMKCs activities toward state authorization, student authentication and learning analytics within its online programs. Prior to UMKC, Cancilla served as Dean, then Associate Provost for Learning at American Sentinel University, a fully online institution. He was also an Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Director of Scientific Technical Services (SciTech) at Western Washington University (WWU) where he led the development of the Integrated Laboratory Network (ILN), an online laboratory initiative funded by the National Science Foundation. Cancilla has received both the Sloan-C (now OLC) Outstanding Achievement Award for Online Education and an Effective Practice Award for his research into the development and use of online laboratories. He attended the University of Iowa, where he earned his bachelors and masters degrees, and UCLA, where he received his doctorate in Environmental Health Science. Cancillas current research interests relate to the use of analytics in the design and development of online courses.

Jennifer Mathes has nearly 20 years of experience in both public and private for-profit higher education where she has supported online learning initiatives since she taught her first online course in 1997. She has been instrumental in working with start-up online initiatives as well as leading growth in institutions with an existing online program. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she wrote her dissertation on Predictors for Student Success in Online Education. She also has earned a Master of Science degree in Business Education and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications from Illinois State University.

ABOUT ONLINE LEARNING CONSORTIUM

The Online Learning Consortium (OLC) is a collaborative community of higher education leaders and innovators, dedicated to advancing quality digital teaching and learning experiences designed to reach and engage the modern learner  anyone, anywhere, anytime. OLC inspires innovation and quality through an extensive set of resources, including, best-practice publications, quality benchmarking, leading-edge instruction, community-driven conferences, practitioner-based and empirical research and expert guidance. The growing OLC community includes faculty members, administrators, trainers, instructional designers, and other learning professionals, as well as educational institutions, professional societies and corporate enterprises. Visit http://onlinelearningconsortium.org for more information.Attorney James A. Payonk, Jr. Orland Park, Illinois, attorney James Payonk has more than 30 years of experience in personal injury and criminal law cases. He has personally tried more than 200 cases to verdict.

Attorney James A. Payonk Jr., of James A. Payonk, Jr., P.C., has been honored with a 2018 Elite Lawyer Award for the area of personal injury. The Elite Lawyer rating service recognizes attorneys who display a high level of competence in their practice and receive acknowledgment from their peers, community, bar and committees.

Orland Park, Illinois, attorney James Payonk has more than 30 years of experience in personal injury and criminal law cases. He has personally tried more than 200 cases to verdict.

Payonk is a member of the Federal trial bar of the United States District Court and has argued cases in front of the Court of Appeals for the United States and the state of Illinois. He is an ongoing member of the American Association for Justice and the Illinois State Bar Association.

As a personal injury attorney, Payonk has earned million-dollar settlements and six-figure verdicts for his clients. The cases he handles often involve car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, slip and fall accidents, and pedestrian accidents.

Designed to assist potential clients in finding an experienced legal professional to address specific legal needs, the Elite Lawyer tools and resources provide information on distinguished attorneys throughout the United States.

The Elite Lawyer Award assures that each attorney selected to the directory has received a nomination from their peers for displaying excellence and a high level of skill with the law. Awarded only to those who have met or exceeded the criteria of a rigorous, multi-phased selection process, the Award recognizes top-rated attorneys for their excellence and outstanding service in their specific area or areas of practice.

Only the most outstanding and experienced attorneys receive the Elite Lawyer Award. A prestigious nomination and presented only to legal professionals who are able to meet or exceed its demanding criteria, it sets these exceptional attorneys apart from their peers when consumers use the directory to search for a top-notch attorney in their area.

The Elite Lawyer Award speaks highly of how well each nominated attorney is perceived by their legal community. For more information about Elite Lawyer, or to become a member of the esteemed directory, https://www.elitelawyer.com.

About James A. Payonk, Jr., P.C.:

Attorney James A. Payonk, Jr. opened his practice more than 20 years ago in Orland Park, Illinois, with a focus on personal injury and criminal defense law. He represents personal injury clients in filing lawsuits for injury compensation, including cases of catastrophic injury and wrongful death. He also regularly defends clients against serious criminal charges, including marijuana and drug charges, battery, gun charges, theft and robbery, and DUI. To schedule a free consultation with James A. Payonk, Jr., P.C., call (708) 633-6005, or contact him by e-mail.China is patting itself on the back for its ancillary role in the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The state-run Global Times daily on Monday crowed, "China has played an important role in setting stage for the Trump-Kim summit" -- by providing a charter plane that took Kim to Singapore.

It claimed Kim's journey to Singapore aboard the Air China plane carries huge symbolic meaning and demonstrates Beijing's "wholehearted support" for the North as well as its intention to continue playing a role on the Korean Peninsula.

Virginia Barnum, a retired teacher and writer from Mount Vernon, Washington with a masters degree in reading and literacy, has completed her new book Mrs. Duck: an endearing story of a little girl looking through a mother ducks nesting to raising its little offsprings. The little girl even sat by the nest and sang to Mrs. Duck, rain or shine.

Along with this charming tale are beautifully illustrated drawings of the young mother duck and the little girl provided by Campbell Walden, a new artist, who perfected her art through her mothers face painting business.

Author Barnum shows the charm and innocence of a childs curiosity for things: Every day that she visited the grey-haired lady, the little girl brought Mrs. Duck something like bread crumbs and seeds and she made sure Mrs. Duck had fresh water outside her bush. The little girl even sat by the nest and sang to Mrs. Duck, rain or shine.

Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, Virginia Barnums wondrous tale conveys thoughts of familiarity and awareness of nature that inspires a healthy relationship between the two.

Readers who wish to experience this illustrated work can purchase Mrs. Duck at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional New York based full-service publishing house that handles all of the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not bogged down with complicated business issues like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes and the like. Its roster of authors can leave behind these tedious, complex and time-consuming issues, and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.BridgeWave Flex4G-LITE shown deployed by Blackfoot We considered a number of options to upgrade our backhaul network  including extending our fiber or wireless systems from other manufacturers. But the BridgeWave systems outshined all other options in performance, capabilities, and cost-to-value.

BridgeWave Communications, a market leader in next-generation wireless backhaul systems, today announced that Blackfoot, a leading Internet service provider (ISP) in the northwest United States, has extended its fiber backbone using BridgeWave Flex4G-LITE multi-gigabit radio systems to provide high-capacity Internet connectivity to new and existing business customers. The BridgeWave systems were installed and passing traffic within eight hours, and at a fraction of the estimated $100,000-$200,000 it would have cost Blackfoot to extend its existing fiber.

We have used BridgeWave systems for almost two decades, and their resiliency has been unmatched, rivaling even our own fiber, with little to no downtime. In todays technological age many of our customers require 100% uptime. Using Bridgewave in conjunction with our fiber we can provide technological redundancy to meet that need, said Brian Flikkema, wireless engineer with Blackfoot. Because our business is growing rapidly and our market requires more capacity, we considered a number of options to upgrade our backhaul network  including extending our fiber or wireless systems from other manufacturers. But the BridgeWave systems outshined all other options in performance, capabilities, and cost-to-value.

Flikkema continued, BridgeWaves excellent customer support was also a factor in our decision. In the past, whenever we needed some assistance from BridgeWave, whether link planning and analysis, installation, or ongoing maintenance, the BridgeWave team handled all our requests quickly, did whatever it would take to answer our questions and address any issues we may have been facing.

Long-time BridgeWave customers like Blackfoot trust us not only with their networks, but with their businesses, and we do not take that confidence lightly, said Sanjay Nagpal, senior vice president of global sales and marketing, REMEC Broadband Wireless Networks, BridgeWave Communications, and SAGE Satcom. Blackfoots due diligence in evaluating products for inclusion in their network is exhaustive, and we are privileged to be among the vendors they select as business partners. Their decades of deep technical experience and expertise providing communications solutions to highly demanding customers has led to their accelerated growth in a highly competitive market, and we are pleased to be helping Blackfoot meet those market challenges.

BridgeWave systems provide a fast, easy, and inexpensive way to extend backhaul networks without the cost, time, and complexity of new or leased fiber. BridgeWave multi-Gigabit millimeter wave (80GHz) radio systems deliver fiber capacity, 256-bit AES encryption for highest data security, and the highest system gain to ensure maximum uptime and throughput at the longest distances. In addition to the Flex4G-LITE system, delivering up to 3Gbps, BridgeWave offers the Flex4G-10000, providing true fiber capacity and up to 20Gbps in a 2+0 configuration, and the entry-level Flex4G-1000, offering capacity up to 1Gbps.

About Blackfoot

Blackfoot offers advanced communications solutions to customers throughout the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West regions. Based in Missoula, Montana, Blackfoot delivers voice, data, cloud and IT services to homes and businesses. For more information, visit http://www.Blackfoot.com.

About BridgeWave

BridgeWave Communications provides high-capacity microwave and millimeter wave backhaul and wireless connectivity solutions to operators, carriers, service providers, governments, and private enterprises. With over 35,000 systems deployed in more than 60 countries, the companys innovative solutions have been entrusted by customers to enable highly reliable and secure, high-capacity, gigabit connectivity while reducing operating costs relative to fiber. Founded in 1999, BridgeWave is headquartered in San Diego, California. For more information, visit https://bridgewave.com/.Our new web chat payment feature allows your consumer to quickly and easily make a payment without leaving the conversation with your representative."

PDCflow announces another step forward for payment technology with its new web chat payment feature. With this product, businesses can send a payment form directly to their customers through the online chats used by their customer service departments.

The web chat payment tool seizes on the growing trend of web payments. Now when an employee is assisting consumers through a companys chat feature, they can provide a secure payment input screen, called a payment flow during their conversation. This prompts consumers to make their payment while they are still in direct contact with customer service, increasing the number of successful payments received.

Our new web chat payment feature allows your consumer to quickly and easily make a payment without leaving the conversation with your representative, says PDCflow National Sales Executive, Heather Harris. No more directing them to a website or referencing them to a statement. They can now make a payment more directly through the chat conversation.

Businesses that charge for online helpdesk services can use the web chat payment option to charge consumers within the chat conversation. The feature can also be used to resolve overdue balances when chatting, providing a fast, frictionless option for consumers to make their payments.

The feature also adds convenience for consumers, boosting their satisfaction with customer service. The web chat payment link brings consumers to the exact screen required to begin their transaction. This cuts out the unnecessary steps of creating a login and password.

While the product is referred to as a web chat payment solution, the feature offers more to businesses than quick, secure payments. The product offers all the functions available through PDCflows traditional flows: document delivery for review and signature (such as contracts and authorizations), PDF forms for filling (to sign up for service or provide payment authorization), photo upload (to collect ID or insurance card information) as well as ACH (eCheck) and PCI certified credit card payments.

Mix and match the services to create your own optimized workflow around your business and make your clients payment experience as simple as possible.

About PDCflow:

PDCflows Payment Hub offers a single platform for Accounts Receivable teams to quickly send an invoice, collect a credit, debit or ACH payment and obtain a signature in one simple and secure workflow. The software offers text, email, chat and IVR payment channels, a customizable online payment portal and robust reporting ideal for debt collection agencies, medical billing companies, hospitals and healthcare organizations. Programming and customer operations for PDCflows national client base have been completed in-house in Ogden, Utah, since the companys founding in 2003. Find out more about PDCflow on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+, or visit https://www.pdcflow.com/.We provide high quality coordinated services to meet womens needs conveniently and at lower cost. We look forward to bringing this unique model to Virginia in partnership with these new partner practices.

Advantia Health, a fast-growing innovative healthcare company, earlier this year, partnered with Womens Health and Surgery Center (WHSC) practice and its offices in Stafford, VA, and Fredericksburg, VA. The partnership cements Advantias dominant position as the market leader in Mid-Atlantic Region.

The management team at Advantia is particularly pleased to engage with Dr. Kurian Thott M.D., FACOG, one of WHSCs leading practitioners. Dr. Thotts surgical expertise and superior skills have been lauded by top physician associations on multiple occasions, and he is the highest-volume minimally-invasive gynecologic surgeon in the region. Advantias decision to acquire the practice hinged on Dr. Thotts forward-thinking leadership and expansive understanding of todays cutting-edge health technologies, reinforcing Advantias leadership position today and for years to come.

Dr. Thotts specialties include Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery as well as Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery and he has been recognized for outstanding laparoscopic skill and minimally invasive surgery by both the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL) and Society of Laparo-endoscopic Surgeons (SLS). Dr. Thott has also worked on a number of boards and panels such as the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), American Academy of Gynecological Laparoscopists (AAGL), Society of Laparoscopic Surgeons (SLS), and American Urogynecology Society (AUGS).

Dr. Thott completed his Obstetrics and Gynecology training at The Reading Hospital and Medical Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. Dr. Thott has been the Chief of OB/GYN at Stafford Hospital since 2009 and is the founder of the not-for-profit Womens Surgical Institute. He travels nationally and internationally to train surgeons in minimally invasive surgeries such as laparoscopic hysterectomy and laparoscopic tubal reversals.

The acquisition of the two WHSC practices adds five physicians and two mid-level providers to the Advantia team in Virginia and strengthens Advantias leadership in womens health across the Mid-Atlantic Region. With these expansions, Advantia Health now comprises 98 total providers serving more than 150,000 women and their families across Maryland and Virginia.

Healthcare is evolving and a physicians ability to engage in larger regional and national partnerships allows us to leverage our ability to care for women. A strategic partnership with Advantia Health gives practices like ours the platform to scale in a way that was not previously able to be done. We look forward to this new journey in caring for the women of our community. Kurian Thott MD, Founder, Womens Health and Surgery Center.

Our Womans Health Hub Model physically and clinically integrates primary care, behavioral health and other commonly utilized services into our OB-GYN practices, explains Sean Glass, CEO and Co-founder of Advantia Health. We provide high quality coordinated services to meet womens needs conveniently and at lower cost. We look forward to bringing this unique model to Virginia in partnership with these new partner practices.

With our unique Womans Health Hub approach, we build on the trusted relationship that a woman shares with her OB/GYN, says Dr. Peter Glass, Chief Medical Officer and Co-founder of Advantia Health. Technology and an innovative care model enable physicians and allied health professionals that join Advantia to thrive in a fast-changing healthcare environment while retaining the culture and benefits of an independent private practice. We are glad this was recognized by our new partners in Virginia and we look forward to expanding through other relationships in the near future.

About Advantia Health

Advantia Health is a fast-growing innovative healthcare company focused on womens health and the role women play as chief medical officer of their families. Advantias Womans Health Hub model, which physically and clinically integrates primary care, behavioral health and other commonly utilized services into its OB/GYN practices, provides high quality coordinated services to meet womens needs conveniently and at lower cost. Technology and an innovative care model enable Advantia physicians and allied health professionals to thrive in a fast-changing healthcare environment while retaining the culture and benefits of independent private practice. Learn more at http://www.advantiahealth.com.Kevin Morgan, president and CEO of ProLiteracy said, While ProLiteracy has been developing effective adult literacy resources for over 50 years, we are constantly looking for innovative ways to be the leading resource and champion for adult education and literacy worldwide."

ProLiteracy is pleased to announce the launch of Adult Literacy Education: The International Journal of Literacy, Language, and Numeracy. This online, peer reviewed, themed research journal will be published by ProLiteracy twice a year in partnership with Rutgers University, and in collaboration with journal editors Alisa Belzer, Amy D. Rose, and Heather Brown.

The journals mission is to publish research on adult basic and secondary education and transitions to college and career programs. It will inform practitioners, researchers, policy makers, and funders about best practices in adult literacy, numeracy, and English language education in publicly funded, community- and volunteer-based programs in a wide range of contexts. Each issue will consist of research articles plus other content of interest to readers in the adult education field (e.g., resource reviews, opinion pieces, and debates and discussions on timely topics).

Kevin Morgan, president and CEO of ProLiteracy said, While ProLiteracy has been developing effective adult literacy resources for over 50 years, we are constantly looking for innovative ways to be the leading resource and champion for adult education and literacy worldwide. The new research journal will be a tremendous asset as we create new initiatives that support our organizations mission of increasing adult literacy rates.

Alisa Belzer, Associate Professor and Program Coordinator for the EdM in Adult and Continuing Education at Rutgers University said, "We're very excited to launch a brand new, peer-reviewed research journal for the field. Each issue will focus on a timely topic of practice. We believe that it will be a great source of information for practitioners, policy makers, and researchers."

The International Journal of Literacy, Language, and Numeracy invites authors to submit research papers for peer review. Upcoming themes include improving instructional outcomes and integrating technology. For information about submission, please contact the journal editors at ALEJournal@proliteracy.org.

About ProLiteracy

ProLiteracy believes every adult has the right to literacy. ProLiteracy, the largest adult literacy and basic education membership organization in the nation, is committed to creating a world in which all adults are literate. ProLiteracy has 1,000 member programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and works with 52 nongovernmental organizations in 34 developing countries. ProLiteracy develops educational programs that help adults acquire the literacy practices and skills they need to function more effectively in their daily lives with reading, writing, and basic math skills, as well as financial, digital, and health literacy. For more information about ProLiteracy, please visit http://www.proliteracy.org.Juneteenth NYC 2018 We wanted to do something that uplifts the community and shows that we are even better when many nations and cultures come together to celebrate each other as a community -- that is what will truly make America great!

The 9th annual Juneteenth NYC celebration is set to draw over 3,200 people to celebrate the 153rd anniversary of Freedom Day, with a vendor marketplace featuring craft goods and food, community talent show, local small business exhibitors, health and wellness screeners, raffle prizes, plus a full day roster of live performances. Confirmed musical and dance performances will include New Wave Dance Youth and Community Development, Afrobeats Dance NYC, reggae artist Damion Anthony, soul vocalist Monique Brown, On Your Toes Dance Company, rapper Little Deuces, violinist Mikayla Tripp, a West African dance by Purelements: An Evolution in Dances COAR program ensemble, a Bollywood workshop by Ajna Dance Studio and more. Fun senior activities like aerobics by the Betsy Head Cardio Dance Aerobics group and child-friendly activations, games like African Mancala, Chinese jump rope, Indian Chor-Sipahi (American Tag) and music trivia for all ages.

While Juneteenth is known as an African-American holiday that celebrates freedom, over 150 years later, festival presenter Umoja Events will focus this years theme on the part of the celebration that promotes unity. The Unifying Culture theme aims to celebrate diverse traditions, art and foods while highlighting what connects people of African-American backgrounds, the Pan-African diaspora and beyond. Recognizing that in 2018, many people are still subject to polarizing prejudices, discrimination, and acts of hate, the full day agenda sets out to connect people to others in their communities by showing a united front, showcasing how many nations represented in NYC live as one.

Umoja Events began presenting the festival celebration in NYC in an effort to build economic opportunity and cultural arts platforms in underserved communities, that support local talent, small businesses, cultural education and community achievements. My team and I decided on the theme "Cultural Unity" given all the levels of division we see daily since the recent presidential administration took office. We wanted to do something that uplifts the community and shows that we are even better when many nations and cultures come together to celebrate each other as a community -- that is what will truly make America great! - Athenia Rodney, CEO and Executive Director, Umoja Events.

The celebration, known as Juneteenth Independence Day, is a holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865 announcement of the abolition of slavery in Galveston, Texas, and more generally the emancipation of African-American slaves throughout the Confederate South. The state official celebration is generally celebrated on June 19th and is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in forty-five states. Juneteenth symbolically serves as a reference point from which to measure and appreciate the progress and contributions made by African-Americans to society. Today, more than 150 years since, African Americans have elevated this celebration, publicly and privately to one of the most important of the year.

The 2018 Juneteenth NYC will be held (rain or shine) at Linden Park, located at Linden Blvd. & Vermont Street, Brooklyn, NY 11207. Activities begin at 11am until 7pm. Admission is FREE and open to the public. To RSVP, visit JuneteenthNY.com and on Facebook at Juneteenth NYC 2018. Attendees are invited to wear a culturally identifying to encourage cultural learning, sharing and community connections.

Sponsors include New York State Health, Home Depot, East New York Restoration, Brookdale Hospital, Metroplus, DJ Basiq and Umoja Events and partner NYC Parks Department. Small businesses interested in exhibiting can submit for vendor opportunities until June 15th, 2018, with fees starting at $50.

To learn more about Umoja Events, visit umojaevents.com. To connect with Umoja Events, visit the Umoja Events and Juneteenth Family Day Facebook pages, follow Umoja Events and the Juneteenth NYC pages on Twitter and on Instagram @UmojaEvents1 and @JuneteenthNYC. Follow the online conversation on the track with the hashtag #JuneteenthNYC.

For event flyers, still photos from past Juneteenth NYC celebrations and other Juneteenth NYC press assets, visit the bit.ly/JuneteenthNYC. For all Umoja Events booking and business inquiries, please e-mail info@umojaevents.com.

ABOUT UMOJA EVENTS

Umoja Events is a full service balloon decorating and event planning business. Umoja specializes in customized packages and unique planning resources, including licensed and fully insured DJ's, photographers, video, ministers, clowns, party rentals and more. CEO and Executive Director of Umoja Events LLC, Athenia Rodney, is a corporate and community event planner. Athenia leads a trained event logistics and planning team in organizing and navigates events to educate, entertain, and be a resource for families. The Umoja Events team produces several annual events including Juneteenth NYC, Halloween Fest, Back to School Rally and Christmas Brunch. The team also manages community events such as the Martin Luther King Concert Series, Movie Nights at the Park, galas and vacant lot beautification installments. Rodneys vision is to expand on creating and supporting events in communities of NYC and Georgia that will unite and empower families. To learn more about Umoja Events, visit umojaevents.com.Jillian Niesley and Romana Rolniak, New Community Health Charities National Board Members Jillian and Romana will help us continue to evolve and accomplish our mission to improve health and wellbeing.

Community Health Charities proudly welcomed two new Board Members: Jillian Niesley, Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships, Community Impact at Comcast Corporation; and Romana Rolniak, Communication Manager II at Walmart U.S. These two leaders will join an impressive national Board of corporate professionals and nonprofit executives working to build stronger, healthier communities.

Jillian and Romana will be invaluable assets to the Board, said Tom Bognanno, Community Health Charities President and CEO. Their depth of experience in corporate social responsibility, employee engagement, digital communications, and new fundraising strategies, will help us continue to evolve and accomplish our mission to improve health and wellbeing.

Jillian Niesley manages Comcast NBCUniversals philanthropic partnership efforts, as part of the Comcast Community Impact team. She brings nearly 15 years of experience in nonprofit communications, corporate social responsibility, and cause marketing to her current position. Previously, she served in national nonprofit organizations and public television.

Romana Rolniak is a 10-year associate of Walmart, Inc. where she is currently responsible for communicating with 1.4 million U.S. store associates. Previously, Romana held several roles with the Walmart Foundation, where she supported volunteerism, workplace giving, and communications. Romana has led teams to plan and execute giving campaigns, as well as develop comprehensive stakeholder recognition strategies and multi-year fundraising strategies.

Jillian and Romanas official terms on the Community Health Charities National Board of Directors will begin at the fall 2018 board meeting.

About Community Health Charities

Community Health Charities has been empowering people to take action to improve health and wellbeing for over 60 years, by raising awareness and resources for health and wellness. Community Health Charities supports education, treatment, and prevention for those with health challenges; brings organizations together to improve community health; provides individuals with opportunities to get involved; and increases the capacity of nonprofit organizations. Visit http://healthcharities.org/We believe that dog owners should be held responsible for the actions of their pets, particularly when people are seriously injured.

Zagoria Law, an Atlanta-based law firm specializing in personal injury cases, today announced the settlement of Mao v. Garcia (Civil Action File No.: 18C02521-5), a dog bite case, for policy limits of $300,000. The case was pending in the State Court of Gwinnett County, Georgia.

Per court documents, Zhongkai Mao was walking on the sidewalk in his neighborhood, near the intersection of Five Forks Trickum Road and Emerald Forest Circle, when he was attacked by two unrestrained dogs. As a result, Mao incurred severe wounds on his left arm and leg requiring immediate surgery.

We believe that dog owners should be held responsible for the actions of their pets, particularly when people are seriously injured, said David Zagoria, Founder and Principal of Zagoria Law. Doctors say that the injuries sustained by our client, Mr. Mao, could require years of rehabilitation. We are satisfied that he will now have the money needed to pay for his medical care.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs each year, however only about 17 percent of those bites are reported to authorities. Nearly 800,000 dog bites require medical attention every year.

About Zagoria Law

Zagoria Law is an Atlanta-based personal injury law firm dedicated to providing unyielding representation to its clients. Founder David Zagoria has more than 20 years of experience as a prosecutor and trial attorney litigating injury cases in State and Federal Courts throughout Georgia. Honored as a Georgia Super Lawyer, Zagorias focus on personal injury cases, specifically dog bites and serious injury-premises liability cases, ensures unparalleled service and dedication from the very beginning of clients cases until the end. For more information, please visit http://www.lawzagoria.com.We saw the need to offer a software solution dedicated to salespeople, says Chris Kipgen, Technical Communications Manager. Its our mission to be able to offer value across all aspects of sales and marketing.

Sales and marketing solutions provider, Lead Liaison, announces they now offer their most recent add-on solution for sales enablement as a standalone license.

Lead Liaisons sales enablement solution was launched in December 2017 as an add-on to their marketing automation suite. While its popularity has grown exponentially over the last 6 months, the solution was never offered independently until now.

We saw the need to offer a software solution dedicated to salespeople, says Chris Kipgen, Technical Communications Manager. Its our mission to be able to offer value across all aspects of sales and marketing. Sales Enablement is a core strategy that complements our existing offerings but also benefits companies as a standalone solution.

Companies continue to seek to improve their sales teams productivity. In 2017, there was an increase of 81% in organizations that reported sales enablement functions, programs, and titles over 2016 (registration required). And its not just about sales teams - sales managers seek empowerment as well. Lead Liaisons sales enablement solution offers the tools needed to build repeatable processes and gauge performance of team members, thus enabling sales managers as well as their teams.

Lead Liaison knew they had a winner on their hands after surveying the competitive landscape. Companies offering similar standalone solutions lack the additional pieces required for a complete solution. They dont offer an ideal integration with a CRM or marketing automation system. All the cornerstone pieces of a sales and marketing stack are still very disparate solutions. Now, Lead Liaison is able to offer companies a standalone solution for sales teams with the option to upgrade their marketing stack with one partner.

Lead Liaisons Sales Enablement solution is powered by Rhythms, which can be succinctly described as sales automation. Reps can build out prospecting plans that help book more meetings and create more conversations.

Additional features of Lead Liaisons Sales Enablement solution include task management, email automation and two-way email sync. Two-way email sync allows reps to see all of their emails sent from any device in the timeline of a contacts record. It supports all major email providers including Exchange, Gmail, Office 365, and more. Lead Liaison hosts the industrys only unique combination of online and offline sales capabilities, like postcards and handwritten letters, which can be included in prospecting plans alongside scheduled tasks, SMS communication, and more.

To learn more about Lead Liaisons Sales Enablement solution, visit this webpage.

About Lead Liaison

Lead Liaison provides cloud-based sales and marketing automation solutions that helps businesses accelerate revenue by attracting, converting, closing and retaining more prospects. Filling a void in the small pool of marketing automation providers that focus on marketing-centric functionality, Lead Liaison gives equal focus to sales providing sophisticated visitor tracking and additional website engagement tools to boost sales effectiveness. Lead Liaison blends ease-of-use, a flexible business model, deep external integration, marketing across social, web, mobile, email and offline channels and powerful functionality, all specifically tailored for mid-sized businesses, into a single platform, called Revenue Generation Software. Lead Liaison is headquartered in Allen, Texas, near Dallas. For more information, visit http://www.leadliaison.com or call 1-800-89-LEADS (895-3237).BackOffice Associates Logo We believe that Gartners inclusion of BackOffice Associates in this report again demonstrates our success and innovation in helping todays leading businesses set, enforce and execute data policies that lead to successful business outcomes, said Rex Ahlstrom, BackOffice Associates.

Meeting all capabilities outlined within Gartners Market Guide for Information Stewardship Applications this year, BackOffice Associates, the worldwide leader in information governance and data stewardship solutions, today announced that it has been identified as a Representative Vendor in the report (1). The company was assessed among a list of vendors in the information stewardship application market for the third year in a row. This year, the company met all of the capabilities listed in the Market Guide, including: Information Model, Business Glossary, Data Quality Monitoring and Profiling, Analytics, Workflow/Exception and Task Management, Business Rules and Policy Management, Audit Trail/Corporate Memory, Playbooks or Preloaded Templates, and Integration.

Gartner defines information stewardship applications as business solutions used by business users acting in the role of information steward. For the most part, these developing solutions represent a combination of a number of disparate, previously IT-centric tools that are already on the market. They are, however, organized and presented in such a way that information stewards can support the work of information policy enforcement  as part of their normal, business-centric day-to-day work  in a range of use cases.

Todays global organizations must harness the collective data knowledge of their business users by establishing best-practice information stewardship and governance initiatives across departments and systems worldwide, said Rex Ahlstrom, Chief Strategy and Technology Officer, BackOffice Associates. We believe that Gartners inclusion of BackOffice Associates in this report again demonstrates our market success and innovation in helping todays leading businesses collaboratively set, enforce and execute data policies that lead to successful business outcomes.

The report states that, the information steward is a critical role that establishes and enforces guidelines for data collection, integration and processes. Information stewards work with data engineers to understand the characteristics of data, find correlations, catalog the data and apply semantic dimensions. The steward is responsible for monitoring information assets and people against those policies. When deviations from policy are detected and not resolved through automated means, the steward is the focal point for issue resolution.

Additionally, according to the report, In the long term, we expect to see information stewardship applications mature and become more distinct for business rather than IT users. They are also likely to be deployed to drive more-effective MDM, ADM and analytic governance (e.g., governing data in a data lake, data warehouse or logical data warehouse).

BackOffice Associates information governance solutions enable global organizations to comprehensively manage data as a business asset by overseeing and orchestrating all governance and stewardship business processes. Designed with the business user in mind, the companys award-winning Data Stewardship Platform and Information Governance Cloud seamlessly pair with BackOffice Associates highly skilled professional services for all major industries to establish best practice data policies that yield business-ready data across complex landscapes and a direct link to the overall business strategy.

A complimentary copy of the full report, courtesy of BackOffice Associates, may be downloaded at https://bit.ly/2kTCi9y.

(1) Gartner, Inc. Market Guide for Information Stewardship Applications by Guido De Simoni, Andrew White, Ankush Jain, Alan Dayley, May 22, 2018.

Gartner Disclaimer:

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About BackOffice Associates

BackOffice Associates is a worldwide leader in information governance and data stewardship solutions, focusing on helping customers manage one of their most critical assets  data. Our range of award-winning products, built on a revolutionary platform, address the needs of business users seeking to unlock the value of their data assets. Our products and services enable organizations to accelerate growth, gain actionable visibility and reduce risks. Founded in 1996, we have an unparalleled record of success in the most complex data environments across a variety of industries. Customers include many Fortune 1000 companies including Eli Lilly, Kraft and Graybar. BackOffice Associates is a global corporation headquartered in Massachusetts with additional offices in the U.S., Australia, Canada, Dubai, India, Singapore, Switzerland and the U.K. To learn more, please visit http://www.boaweb.comPresident Moon Jae-in on Monday acknowledged that solving the North Korean nuclear problem could take a couple of years.

The problem "cannot be resolved through one summit," he told senior secretaries. "It could take one or two more years to reach a complete resolution after the two leaders [of the U.S. and North Korea] initiate talks."

The comments came on the eve of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's historic summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

"To complete the process, the sincere efforts of South Korea, North Korea and the U.S. as well as continuous cooperation by neighboring countries are necessary," Moon added. "We need to take a long-term approach."

In the afternoon, Moon spoke with Trump on the telephone for about 40 minutes, telling him he hopes for "miraculous results" from the summit.

Trump said he will send his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Seoul after the summit to explain the results and discuss cooperation between South Korea and the U.S.Property of Shutters on the Beach

Acclaimed luxury seaside resort Shutters on the Beach debuts a new line of ultra-luxury facials at its celebrated ONE Spa in partnership with premier skincare brand, Biologique Recherche. The new facial treatment program will pair the French skincare companys highly personalized approach with ONE Spas sought-after estheticians and seaside setting.

The Biologique Recherche methodology holds a reputation for astounding effectiveness based on a clinical approach to beauty care using intentionally pure, concentrated and raw ingredients as well as innovative and meticulous protocols and procedures. The French biological skincare line has over 40 years of experience in developing the most powerful skincare products in the beauty industry. The products, specifically the celebrated hero product, Lotion P50, are beloved by famed French women and the fashion industry alike and contain high concentrations of active ingredients, are fragrance-free. The extensive line is cold formulated in small batches at the Biologique Recherche laboratories on Champs Elysees 32 in Paris, France.

Introducing four specialized treatments tailored to target the unique needs of each guest, the facials gently improve the skins balance and hydration while revealing a supple, radiant complexion:



Soin Restructurant et Lissant: Recommended for sensitive or stressed skin, this treatment employs hydrating, renewing and protecting properties as well as calming qualities.

Lift CVS: Recommended for normal skin, this treatment delivers a comprehensive anti-aging sequence that incorporates exfoliating, lifting, restructuring, firming, hydrating and protecting.

VIP O2 Oxygenating Treatment: Recommended for devitalized or stressed skin, this luxurious oxygenating and balancing ritual features a combination of micro-exfoliation and bio-energy massages that oxygenates the epidermis for a healthy glow.

Triple Lift Facial: Recommended for mature or maturing skin, this treatment redefines structure and facial volume with a revolutionary sequence that boosts cellular metabolism, gently exfoliates, rehydrates and tones the face, neck and decollete, and dramatically reduces signs of aging.

Add-Ons: Guests can enhance any of the above treatments with a revitalizing collagen mask, energizing algae mask, toning and hydrating mask or regenerating and lifting treatment.

Our goal is to provide guests with a customized facial experience with instantly visible results, says Rachel Stacy, Director of ONE Spa at Shutters on the Beach. This exciting partnership will exceed our clients expectations with superior treatments that offer the best of all worlds  relaxation, a results-oriented experience, and dewy, summer-ready skin.

Were thrilled to bring Biologique Recherches state-of-the-art treatments and procedures to ONE Spa at Shutters on the Beach, says Dr. Philippe Allouche Co-Owner, Head of Creation of Biologique Recherche. The affinity between the talented estheticians and our premier services will make for a truly incomparable spa experience in Santa Monica.

This partnership between the coastal spas intimately indulgent facilities and highly skilled therapists with Biologique Recherches remarkable skincare line provides the ideal venue for spa guests to receive a truly customized and results-oriented facial experience.

ONE Spa is a rejuvenating oasis set just steps from the surf of the Pacific Ocean. Featuring six treatment rooms, including two wet rooms with Shutters exclusive tropical rain showers, ONE offers guests a uniquely luxurious hideaway to relax and unwind for facials, massages, body scrubs, treatments, manicures, pedicures and waxing. The space was conceptualized by celebrated interior designer Michael S. Smith to embody the elements of the enviable Santa Monica seashore location with subtle tones of sand and sea, paying homage to the healing powers of the Pacific.

For further information, or to book a spa experience at ONE Spa at Shutters on the Beach, visit http://www.shuttersonthebeach.com, or call 310.587.1712.

About Biologique Recherche

Biologique Recherche is a premiere French brand that offers an extensive range of hyper-customized skincare products and treatments that are suited for both men and womens needs. Containing high concentrations of active

ingredients and free of fragrance, products are cold-formulated in small batches at the Biologique Recherche laboratories in Paris. For over 40 years, Biologique Recherche's unique methodology has built a strong reputation for astounding effectiveness based on a clinical approach to skincare, delivering immediate and long-lasting results. Biologique Recherche is the partner of choice in over 77 countries for exclusive medical spas and day spas in addition to the worlds premiere hotel spas. For more information, please visit http://www.Biologique-Recherche.us.

About Shutters on the Beach

Both comfortable and luxurious, the acclaimed Santa Monica Beach hotel recalls the quintessential cottages of Cape Cod, with shuttered doors opening onto breezy balconies and a sun-drenched pool deck replete with chaise lounges. 186 gracious guestrooms and 12 suites showcase the residential-style designs of Michael S. Smith. On site, Shutters on the Beach offers market-fresh fare at 1 Pico restaurant and Coast Beach Cafe. Indulge in organic wellness rituals at ONE Spa and breathtaking panoramas of the Pacific from every vantage. For more information visit https://www.shuttersonthebeach.com.

About Edward Thomas Collection

The Edward Thomas Collection of Hotels was founded in 1982 by third-generation hotel and real estate investors Edward and Thomas Slatkin, whose family previously owned the legendary Beverly Hills Hotel. In 1994, Beverly Hills-based ETC opened exclusive Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica. In 1999, after a $50+ million renovation, ETC opened a hotel with a history as Santa Monicas Grande Dame, Hotel Casa Del Mar. Both members of The Leading Hotels of the World, the adjacent, sister and luxury properties are the only hotels in the Los Angeles area located right on the sand. ETCs management team includes Partners and Co-Founders Edward and Thomas Slatkin and President/Chief Operating Officer Timothy S. Dubois. For more information visit https://www.edwardthomasco.com.

ETC Press Contact:

Rachel Farnham  310.453.2539 | rfarnham(at)murphyobrien.com

Michelle Noski  310.717.6252 | mnoski(at)murhyobrien.comMark Kantrowitz, Publisher and VP of Research, Savingforcollege.com Im proud to join Savingforcollege.com at such an exciting time as the company continues to grow."

Savingforcollege.com, the leading source of unbiased information on 529 plans, is pleased to announce that industry expert, Mark Kantrowitz, has officially joined as Publisher and VP of Research for the company. Mark has decades of financial aid and college planning industry experience, having served as publisher of Cappex, Edvisors, Fastweb and FinAid. He is also president of Cerebly Inc., a consulting firm focused on computer science, artificial intelligence and statistical and policy analysis.

As Publisher and VP of Research, Mark will utilize his expertise to develop exclusive analytics and 529 plan investment strategies to help families and financial professionals save and pay for college. He will also lead the expansion of Savingforcollege.coms content offerings and continue to develop relationships with leading news media outlets.

"Were excited to welcome Mark to the Savingforcollege.com team," said Marcos Cordero, CEO of Savingforcollege.com. "He is a seasoned industry professional with a proven track record of success, and I am confident he will play a critical role in growing our business. Mark Kantrowitz added, Im proud to join Savingforcollege.com at such an exciting time as the company continues to grow. I look forward to contributing to the overall success and expansion of the firm, while helping families make informed decisions about college financing.

Mark writes extensively about student financial aid policy and has testified before Congress and federal/state agencies about student aid on several occasions. He has been quoted in more than 10,000 newspaper and magazine articles, and has written for leading publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Reuters, Huffington Post, U.S. News and World Report and Money Magazine.

About Savingforcollege.com: Savingforcollege.com has been a leading independent authority on 529 savings plans since 1999. The site compiles and analyzes data, and creates content and tools to provide parents, financial professionals and state agencies with resources to help them understand how to meet the challenge of increasing education costs.River City Bank welcomes seasoned banking professional Doug Cook as the new Senior Vice President, Business Development Officer in its Walnut Creek office. Doug is a rock star when it comes to developing commercial banking opportunities, said Dan Franklin, Bay Area Commercial Banking Director. He brings many years of valuable experience to our team, acts quickly and decisively, and his clients love working with him."

River City Bank announces Doug Cook as the newest member of its Walnut Creek office as Senior Vice President, Business Development Officer. Cook brings more than 25 years of experience in the banking industry, including positions with First Republic Bank, Fremont Bank and Mechanics Bank. Immediately prior to joining River City Bank, Cook focused on developing client relationships and new business as a Senior Private Banker for Wells Fargo Private Bank in Walnut Creek. In his new role with River City Bank, Cook will be responsible for developing cash management and lending opportunities with real estate investors, high-net worth individuals, and mid-size businesses with borrowing needs ranging from $1 million to $25 million, or deposit relationships of $500,000 or more.

Doug is a rock star when it comes to developing commercial banking opportunities,  said Dan Franklin, Bay Area Commercial Banking Director. He brings many years of valuable experience to our team, acts quickly and decisively, and his clients love working with him. These attributes coupled with River City Banks highly competitive pricing will bode well for the banks goal of expanding its market share in the Bay Area.

TWEET THIS: @RiverCityBank welcomes experienced banking professional Doug Cook as the new Senior Vice President, Business Development Officer in Walnut Creek. #SacramentoBusiness

Cook will present new loan opportunities to River City Banks senior management, including the CEO, Chief Credit Officer and Bay Area Commercial Banking Director while also serving as the point person for both new clients and internal colleagues throughout the new business onboarding process. His core product and service offerings include Commercial Real Estate (CRE) loans for both owner-occupied and investor clients, commercial and industrial (C&I) loans and lines of credit, deposit accounts, and cash management tools.

Cook earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was also a member of the mens water polo team. He then went on to receive a Master of Business Administration degree from Golden Gate University, San Francisco.

About River City Bank

Named one of Sacramento Business Journals 50 Fastest Growing Companies, River City Bank is the Sacramento regions premier business bank with assets over $2.0 billion. River City Bank offers a comprehensive suite of banking services, including loans, deposits and cash management tools to the business, consumer and commercial real estate sectors. With tailored, executive-level service and a Five Star Superior financial rating from the nations leading independent bank-rating firm, Bauer Financial, River City Bank redefines the banking experience and every touch point that surrounds it. River City Bank is the largest, independent, locally-owned bank in the Sacramento region with an office in the San Francisco Bay Area and a presence in Southern California. For additional information, please visit http://www.rivercitybank.com or call (916) 567-2600. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.Were pleased to name Passport Visas Express as the top choice for Travel Visas in 2018

TopConsumerReviews.com recently gave their highest 5 star rating to Passport Visas Express, a leader among online resources for getting a Travel Visa.

From visiting Kenya on safari to venturing to Brazil for Carnaval, world travelers must be sure to have all the necessary Travel Visas in order to enter certain countries. Getting all of the documentation properly in place is of the utmost importance; stories abound of eager vacationers finding themselves denied boarding at the airport or even refused entry at the destination and forced to return home immediately. Using a reputable Travel Visa service is the ideal way that travelers can prepare to enter their vacation or business destination legally and with no surprises.

With a history spanning nearly two decades, Passport Visas Express has made sure that travelers have their paperwork accurate, on time, and ready to go, commented Brian Dolezal of TopConsumerReviews.com, LLC. Getting a Travel Visa can be a notoriously challenging process, but Passport Visas Express gets it done as a registered service with the US Passport Agency. Their services include visas for destinations such as China, India, and Russia, and they also offer passport services of all types. Customers have very positive things to say about the entire process, and they appreciate only having to pay for what they need, especially with respect to turnaround times  theres no need to pay extra for rush services if your travel is still months away. Were pleased to name Passport Visas Express as the top choice for Travel Visas in 2018.

To find out more about Passport Visas Express and other services for obtaining Travel Visas, including reviews and comparison rankings, please visit the Travel Visas category of TopConsumerReviews.com at http://www.topconsumerreviews.com/travel-visas/.

About Passport Visas Express

Passport Visas Express specializes in assisting applicants with obtaining and expediting visas for international travel. They work on your behalf directly with each embassy, assisting you in expediting your visa application  even as fast as the same day! Their experts have many years of visa processing experience and their network of contacts within the embassies and consulates helps them to achieve what others cannot: a true express visa service.

About TopConsumerReviews.com

TopConsumerReviews.com, LLC is a leading provider of reviews and rankings for thousands of consumer products and services. From Travel Visas to Passports and Travel Insurance, TopConsumerReviews.com delivers in-depth product evaluations in order to make purchasing decisions easier.By Jill Gregory, Mount Sinai Health System, licensed under CC-BY-ND

Mount Sinai researchers have identified a genetic biomarker of asthma that can be tested for using a simple nasal brush and basic follow-up data analysis. This inexpensive diagnostic test can accurately identify mild to moderate asthma and differentiate it from other respiratory conditions such as allergic rhinitis, smoking, upper respiratory infection, and cystic fibrosis. The research team, led by a collaboration of clinical and computational scientists in the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, the Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, and the Department of Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, published their results in June 2018 in Scientific Reports.

Mild to moderate asthma can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms change over time and can be complicated by other respiratory conditions, said Supinda Bunyavanich, MD, physician and researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine. Our nasal brush test takes seconds to collect. For time-strapped clinicians, particularly primary care providers at the front lines of asthma diagnosis, this could greatly improve patient outcomes through early and accurate diagnosis.

Currently, pulmonary function testing (PFT) is the most reliable diagnostic tool for asthma. However, the equipment and expertise needed to perform these tests are not always available in primary care settings where asthma is frequently diagnosed and treated. It is also difficult to differentiate between asthma and other respiratory diseases using PFT alone, while the nasal brush and subsequent analysis for this asthma biomarker provides a binary result of asthma or not asthma.

Data scientists leading the study applied machine learning algorithms to the genetic (RNA) data acquired from nasal brushes of patients with and without asthma. This robust data collection, and machine learning analysis, identified a 90-gene biomarker indicative of asthma status. One of the most exciting components of this study is demonstrating the power of machine learning when applied to biomedical data, said Gaurav Pandey, PhD, who led data science efforts to develop the biomarker. Collaborations between computational scientists and biomedical researchers and clinicians are advancing medicine at an inspiring pace. We have the power of many insights we didnt have in the past, and that opens a window to an entirely new world of diagnostic tools and treatments

Similar genetic biomarker tests are currently being used in other disease areas, including MammaPrint and Oncotype DX, both used for certain types of breast cancer prognosis. In fact, the Oncotype DX tool was used in the largest clinical trial of personalized breast cancer prognosis ever conducted, demonstrating that mammography testing is unnecessary to diagnose breast cancer in a large fraction of breast cancer patients. The positive clinical impact that biomarker tests such as this have shown indicates great potential for further diagnostic tools based on biomarkers.

Dr. Bunyavanich says the next step to bringing this test into clinical practice is a study in a larger population of patients. With prospective validation in large cohorts, our asthma biomarker could lead to the development of a minimally invasive test to aid asthma diagnosis at clinical frontlines where time and resources often preclude pulmonary function testing.

Asthma affects 10 percent of children and adults in the United States. When undiagnosed, it can lead to restricted activity, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. Were hopeful that further studies can help bring this test into primary care settings, transforming the ease and accuracy of diagnosing asthma and our ability as doctors to appropriately treat our patients, said Dr. Bunyavanich.

About the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is an international leader in medical and scientific training, biomedical research, and patient care. It is the medical school for the Mount Sinai Health System, which includes seven hospital campuses, and has more than 5,000 faculty and nearly 2,000 students, residents and fellows. The School is made up of 36 multidisciplinary research, educational, and clinical institutes and 33 academic departments. It ranks 13th among U.S. medical schools for NIH funding and 2nd in research dollars per principal investigator among U.S. medical schools by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The School was named 4th among "World's Most Innovative Companies in Data Science" by Fast Company magazine in 2016. For more information, visit http://icahn.mssm.edu

About the Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Health System is New York Citys largest integrated delivery system encompassing seven hospital campuses, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinais vision is to produce the safest care, the highest quality, the highest satisfaction, the best access and the best value of any health system in the nation. The System includes approximately 7,100 primary and specialty care physicians; 10 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. The Icahn School of Medicine is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Reports Best Medical Schools, aligned with a U.S. News & World Reports Honor Roll Hospital, No. 13 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding, and among the top 10 most innovative research institutions as ranked by the journal Nature in its Nature Innovation Index. This reflects a special level of excellence in education, clinical practice, and research. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 18 on U.S. News & World Reports Honor Roll of top U.S. hospitals; it is one of the nations top 20 hospitals in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Nephrology, and Neurology/Neurosurgery, and in the top 50 in four other specialties in the 2017-2018 Best Hospitals issue. Mount Sinais Kravis Childrens Hospital also is ranked in six out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 12th nationally for Ophthalmology and 50th for Ear, Nose, and Throat, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Lukes and Mount Sinai West are ranked regionally. For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/, or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.Today UNCF (the United Negro College Fund) announced a first-of-its-kind $15,000 grant award to Oakwood University in Huntsville, AL, provided through UNCFs partnership with the Charles Koch Foundation and Koch Industries. The grant enables Oakwood Universitys newly established Entrepreneurial Center to provide students from across all disciplines with training in business entrepreneurship. The center will encourage students to become entrepreneurial-minded, act with integrity and provide value for society through workshops and other training methods.

This grant is part of our UNCF/Koch Scholars Program (UKSP), a scholarship program with learning requirements embedded for each of student who is selected, said Dr. Shawna Acker-Ball, director, UKSP. We not only have the ability to help students learn to be more entrepreneurial-minded and act throughout their lives with internal motivation, but we are able to support faculty members through these grants and encourage their students to build on their passion and knowledge by launching a program or service that supports their communities.

The UKSP is a four-year $25 million scholarship program supported by the Charles Koch Foundation and Koch Industries, designed to teach scholarship recipients about creating real value in society for oneself and others through cooperation. The program has awarded over 300 students since its inception and engages them through an online community, mentorship and an annual summit, helping them develop and use skills needed to become the next generation of leaders in the United States. Students are selected from among the 37 UNCF-member historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other eligible institutions.

This grant is a win-win-win for us, Acker-Ball explained. A faculty member at one of our UNCF-member HBCUs is able to expand his or her ability to teach; students are able to learn more about how to better themselves through entrepreneurial ventures; and UNCF is able to improve its ability to empower the schools and students we support to keep Americas business culture strong and vibrant, creating better futures for us all.

The award made today will be used during the upcoming 2018-19 academic year.

We look forward to awarding more money like this to provide further opportunities for growth and development of UNCF-member college faculty and students, Acker-Ball concluded.

About UNCF

UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nations largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding nearly 20 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF awards more than $100 million in scholarships annually and administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at more than 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Learn more at UNCF.org, or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF.

About Koch Industries

Based in Wichita, KS, Koch Industries, Inc., is one of the largest private companies in America according to Forbes. Koch companies have a presence in about 60 countries and employ more than 100,000 people worldwide, with about 60,000 of those in the United States. In 2013, Koch companies paid compensation and benefits totaling nearly $4.8 billion to U.S.-based employees and supported a total of more than 200,000 jobs and earnings of about $11.8 billion. From January 2009 to present, Koch companies earned more than 800 awards for safety, environmental excellence, community stewardship, innovation, and customer service. Koch focuses on philanthropic programs that enable individuals to improve their lives, find fulfillment and realize their full potential.

About the Charles Koch Foundation

For more than 50 years, Charles G. Koch has supported research and educational programs focused on improving peoples lives. Since 1980, the Charles Koch Foundations giving has supported universities and other non-profit organizations to improve understanding of the institutions that foster societal well-being.Sensei has distinguished itself as a top partner, exemplifying the remarkable expertise and innovation we see in our Microsoft partner community to deliver transformative solutions.

Sensei Project Solutions today announced it has been named a finalist in the 2018 Microsoft Project and Portfolio Management Award. The company was honored among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology.

At Sensei we help Microsofts clients achieve their strategic goals through work and project management best practices with Microsoft technology, said Kenneth Steiness, CEO of Sensei Project Solutions. Its an honor to be recognized as a world leader in this space, and we appreciate the close partnership we have with Microsoft around the world.

Awards were presented in several categories, with winners chosen from a set of more than 2,600 entrants from 115 countries worldwide. Sensei was recognized for providing outstanding solutions and services in Project and Portfolio Management.

We are honored to recognize Sensei Project Solutions as a Finalist of the 2018 Microsoft Project and Portfolio Management Partner of the Year, said Gavriella Schuster, corporate vice president, One Commercial Partner, Microsoft Corp. Sensei has distinguished itself as a top partner, exemplifying the remarkable expertise and innovation we see in our Microsoft partner community to deliver transformative solutions.

Sensei was recognized for its innovative work with global clients such as Alaska Federal Credit Union and Melbourne Water. Our client testimonials were key to winning the Finalist spot, and we value the partnership we have with all of our clients and the great feedback they provide us to help grow, said Steiness.

The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered exceptional Microsoft-based solutions during the past year.

This is the fourth time in five years that Sensei has been recognized for the award.

About Sensei Project Solutions:

Sensei Project Solutions, a Finalist for the 2018 Microsoft Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) Partner of the Year, is dedicated to helping our clients achieve strategic goals through productivity solutions. We are passionate experts who care about your success. As a Gold certified Microsoft Partner and Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.) with the Project Management Institute (PMI), we offer a complete set of services and products for a successful Microsoft PPM deployment. Our guiding principles for Proactive PPM follow best practices and industry standards aligned with the Project Management Institute (PMI) and Gartner. We enable you to manage resource demand, obtain business intelligence that facilitates better decision making, increase business effectiveness by easily connecting people, and become self-sufficient with PPM processes and solutions.NAF is thrilled to announce the line-up of plenary speakers for NAF Next 2018. NAF Next is a dynamic professional development conference that brings together education, business, and community leaders to address some of the biggest challenges facing education. This years conference theme is Imagine Our Future. All plenaries and sessions will center on the topic of the future of education and workforce development, with speakers providing insight into strategies for elevating the student voice and engaging key stakeholders in playing an active role in shaping our future. Speakers for the annual conference include:



Clarence B. Jones served as speechwriter and legal counsel to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for eight years. He assisted King with his letter to President John F. Kennedy and partly drafted the famous I Have a Dream speech.

Ursula Burns was the first African American female CEO of a major fortune 500 company (Xerox), having worked her way up from an internship. She continues to make waves in the business world as the Executive Chairman of VEON Ltd. Burns sits on NAFs Board of Directors.

John King Jr. is the president and CEO of The Education Trust, a national nonprofit organization who mission is to promote identify and close opportunity and achievement gaps. Prior to holding this position, King served as the 10th U.S. Secretary of Education, during the Obama presidency, and the first the first African American and Puerto Rican New York State Education Commissioner.

Dr. Victor Rios is an award-winning Sociology professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research includes closing the opportunity/achievement gap and teacher well-being. Rios is also an author of five books.

Thomas Penny is President of Donohoe Hospitality Services (DHS). He has been with Donohoe Hospitality Services for over 21 years; his previous roles include Courtyard by Marriott Convention Center General Manager and Assistant General Manager at DHS Holiday Inn Capitol. Penny sits on NAFs Board of Directors.

Antoinette S. Mitchell Ph.D. has been the Assistant Superintendent of Postsecondary and Career Education for Washington, DC, since 2011. Before working in the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Mitchell was Trinitys Dean of the School of Education.

Joe Plumeri was the Chairman and CEO of Willis from 2000 to 2013. Since stepping down from his position at Willis, Plumeri serves as the Senior Advisor to KKR and Vice Chairman of the First Data Board of Directors. Plumeri sits on NAFs Board of Directors.

Rob Cato is the Executive Director, North America Channel Chief for Lenovo. Lenovo is an active NAF corporate partner.

NAF President, JD Hoye said, The NAF Next 2018 speaker line up is jam packed with important and powerful voices supporting our future leaders. I am confident that our network members will benefit from hearing these individuals share their thoughts and knowledge and bring ideas back to elevate the NAF experience for the students in their communities.

NAF Next 2018 takes place in Washington, DC from July 8 to July 11. Over 1,300 attendees will participate in learning sessions and plenaries to learn key strategies to improve NAF academy quality, work-based learning opportunities, and corporate engagement efforts. Participants will leave the conference with practical and proven strategies to ensure all NAF students, teachers, and partners can be future ready.

About NAF:

NAF is a national network of education, business, and community leaders who work together to ensure that high school students are college, career, and future ready.

NAF works with high need communities to transform the high school experience through an educational design that includes industry-specific curricula, work-based learning experiences, and relationships with business professionals, culminating in a paid internship. NAF academies fit within and enhance school systems, allowing NAF to become an integral part of a plan for higher achievement at a low cost. NAF academies focus on one of five career themes: finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences. During the 2017-18 school year, more than 100,000 students attended 644 NAF academies across 36 states, including DC and the US Virgin Islands. In 2017, NAF academies reported 97% of seniors graduated with 90% of graduates with post-secondary intentions. For more information, please visit: https://naf.org.Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, and Tennessee State University have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create an HBCU Consortium on Transformative Teaching Practices for 21st Century Career Pathways. This groundbreaking and purposeful inter-institutional consortium will be centered on faculty development.

These three state institutions, known as the C3 Cluster, serve approximately 20,000 students and are uniquely positioned to collaborate on work that will have a direct impact on over 1,000 faculty members among the three campuses.

"This collaboration is designed to tease out best practices across three very large public HBCUs to enable our students to be even more successful in their chosen careers," stated Dr. David Wilson, President of Morgan State University Collectively, we represent over 20,000 students, so the methods that we pilot on our campuses, and the resulting lessons learned, should prove quite helpful to other institutions. HBCUs rarely collaborate on innovative initiatives. I think partnerships like this one could be the beginning of our working more closely across a number of other areas as well."

The UNCF Career Pathways Initiative, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. through a $50 million grant, will enable selected Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominately White Institutions (PBIs) to address social and economic issues of minority graduation, unemployment and underemployment. Over the next four years, the Consortium will engage in structured activities that foster community, identifies and validates new innovations, amplifies and scales best practices, and disseminates learnings.

For more than 80 years, Norfolk State University (NSU) has served as a pathway to prosperity and upward mobility for thousands of graduates. We are also excited to join our cluster partners in forming the HBCU Consortium on Transformative Teaching Practices for 21st Century Career Pathways because we firmly believe that best teaching practices should be standard teaching practices, states Dr. Melvin T. Stith, Interim President of Norfolk State University. NSU is proud to be a UNCF C3 cluster grant recipient. We see the future in our students and provide ground-breaking academic programs and a supportive learning community to help champion student success.

The C3 institutions have similar academic profiles of their students, are geographically located in urban areas, and have strong alumni bases. It is projected that the outcome of the Consortium will be a model for other schools of how to grow and learn in public.

One goal of the C3 Cluster initiative is to serve as a model for collaboration among universities committed to student success. Historically, Tennessee State University faculty and staff have always assisted students in developing career pathways to success. The collaboration with Morgan State and Norfolk State is the perfect synergy, given the missions of the partners and the tradition of excellence that we all value, says Dr. Glenda B. Glover, President of Tennessee State University. We are happy to serve as an equitable partner in the C3 Cluster initiative and sincerely appreciate our UNCF funder in granting the funds to continue our efforts to help students succeed through innovative pedagogy.

While primarily focused on faculty, the C3 Cluster will extend their collaborative efforts to include additional members of their university communities. Key to its work will be creating opportunities for alumni and employer partners to provide valuable input on preparing undergraduate students for post-graduate success.

With African Americans disproportionately unemployed or underemployed, it is imperative that colleges and universities unite in support of better employment outcomes for all graduates, not just the privileged. This grant will further help faculty provide the preparation necessary to help African American college students and graduates acquire the skills and mindset necessary for 21st Century work, said Dr. Brian Bridges, UNCF vice president for research and member engagement.

This collaborative effort will be highlighted during the 3rd Annual CPI Convening and Data Institute, themed Purposeful Disruption. The convening will be held July 23-25, 2018 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. During this years convening CPI Partner institutions will have an opportunity to share promising practices and ideas on how they have been able to purposefully leverage disruptions within the higher education space to improve student outcomes. Please visit uncf.org/CPI to learn more about how UNCF is promoting progress, creating change and providing value tools to HBCU faculty.

For more information, please contact the C3 Cluster at c3cluster(at)gmail.com.

Morgan State University

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Marylands Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit http://www.morgan.edu.

Norfolk State University

Norfolk State University (NSU) is a public, urban, four-year, coeducational, comprehensive university located in Norfolk, Virginia. Norfolk State University was founded in 1935. The University, brought to life in the midst of the Great Depression, provided a setting in which the youth of the region could give expression to their hopes and aspirations. The University has eight academic colleges/schools and 49 degree programs that operate on one campus and today enrolls 5,421students. Norfolk State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the associate, baccalaureate, masters and doctoral degrees. Visit http://www.nsu.edu to learn more information about Norfolk State University.

Tennessee State University

With more than 8,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashvilles only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelors degree programs, 25 masters degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

About UNCF

UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nations largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding nearly 20 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF awards more than $100 million in scholarships annually and administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at more than 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark: A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Learn more at UNCF.org, or for continuous news and updates, follow UNCF on Twitter, @UNCF and #UNCFCPI.Wayback Burgers, Americas Favorite Hometown Burger Joint and one of the nations fastest-growing burger franchises, is celebrating the first day of summer with a cool treat for our guests. For the 10th straight year, were proclaiming the first day of summer (June 21) as #FreeShakeDay. All participating restaurants will give away one FREE 12 ounce Black & White Milkshake per guest all day Thursday, June 21, 2018, while supplies last.

While any day is a good day for a hand-dipped-to-order milkshake, theres something about the words first day of summer that gets the blood flowing. The Black & White Milkshake, crafted with Blue Bunny ice cream, Hersheys chocolate syrup, and milk, is the perfect delight to combat mother natures oppressive heat.

Wayback Burgers President John Eucalitto is eager to help shake things up for the first day of summer with the refreshing promotion.

Summer has the ability to conjure up remembrance of the good old days and we proudly welcome its arrival by celebrating Free Shake Day with our loyal guests, says Eucalitto. Wayback Burgers is all about promoting moments of nostalgia for families and friends over great burgers, fries and milkshakes. Free Shake Day is designed to start summer on a good note. As children of all ages prepare to enjoy a season full of beaches, camps and road trips, Wayback Burgers will be there to create lasting memories for years to come.

All participating Wayback Burgers restaurants are gearing up for Free Shake Day by loading up on supplies. 3,400 gallons of ice cream, 300 gallons of Hersheys chocolate syrup, 300 gallons of Monin French Vanilla Syrup and 30,000 cups, lids and straws, to be exact  30 times the required supply for an average day of milkshake sales. This ramp up is necessary as the average restaurant will give out more than 280 free milkshakes on Free Shake Day.

Patrick Conlin, Wayback Burgers Senior Vice President, is anticipating large crowds and an abundance of smiles when Free Shake Day rolls around.

Free Shake Day has always been a day Wayback Burgers looks forward to because its a day filled with nothing but good vibrations, says Conlin. We expect a 2025 percent sales jump at all of our restaurants as hundreds of guests fill our restaurants to pair their free Black & White Milkshake with our fresh, cooked-to-order burgers and fries

All Wayback Burgers milkshakes are made the old-fashioned way, hand-dipped to order. Its classic Black & White Milkshake is made with premium vanilla ice cream, milk and a blend of vanilla and Hersheys chocolate syrup.

Guests are encouraged to share their free shakes using the hashtag #FreeShakeDay on Twitter or Instagram, and leave a comment on Wayback Burgers Facebook page.

For more information on Wayback Burgers and Free Shake Day, please visit http://www.WaybackBurgers.com, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For more information about the Wayback Burgers franchise opportunity visit https://franchise.waybackburgers.com/.

About Wayback Burgers

Founded in 1991 in Newark, DE, Wayback Burgers is a Connecticut-based fast-casual franchise with a reputation for fresh, never frozen, cooked to order burgers and thick, hand-dipped milkshakes, served in an environment that hearkens back to a simpler place and timewhen customer service meant something, and everyone felt the warmth of the community.

Wayback Burgers currently operates in 29 states with over 152 restaurants nationally and internationally in Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Pakistan. Through its executed master franchise agreements, Wayback Burgers plans to open in 37 provinces/countries in the Middle East, South Africa, Argentina, Bangladesh, Ireland, Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada, and the Netherlands.

For more information about Wayback Burgers, please visit https://waybackburgers.com/.

For franchising information about Wayback Burgers, please visit https://franchise.waybackburgers.com/.In a rare encounter with the international press, three North Koreans mingled briefly with a Chosun Ilbo reporter in an elevator at the St. Regis Hotel in Singapore.

The hotel was North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's temporary home as he prepared for his historic summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, remaining cooped up in his suite form most of the day.

Standing behind a woman in a black skirt and jacket were two tall men. The woman wore a photo ID on a necklace, while all three had lapel pins with the faces of North Korea's nation founder Kim Il-sung and former leader Kim Jong-il.

When the reporter asked, "Are you going down," the woman replied in fluent English, "What floor are you going to?" When the reported said, "First floor," the woman said, "The first floor button has already been pressed."

A Western couple who got on the elevator on the fifth floor recognized the North Koreans and wished them a successful trip. The woman smiled and said "thank you." That was the extent of their interaction with the general public apart from Kim waving at some excited onlookers from his car.

I think there is a danger with young people of being dependent in the sense that they don't acquire any identity or self-image of themselves as thinkers. -Edward Debono

When the odds are stacked against you; poverty, crime, poor schools, drug infested neighborhood, socio-economic disadvantages, or family instability and dysfunction, being able to critically think to solve problems and make good decisions could be the difference between life and death. No one understands this better than Charles Savage, Executive Director of Fifth Ward Enrichment Program (FWEP). Savage has been involved in changing the lives of todays youth for over 25 years. One of the biggest gaps we see in todays youth is their inability to discern. Not being able to determine risk vs reward or distinguish between right and wrong is a big issue, stated Savage.

To address this gap, FWEP has decided to pilot a critical thinking program called Crossroads Decisions to enhance the thinking skills of young males. Our mission is to empower boys to become responsible men and productive members of their families and communities. We feel Crossroads Decision has the potential to help our mission become reality, says Savage.

The pilot is aimed at developing problem solving and decision-making skills that will allow the young men to:



Uncover hidden opportunities in problems

Thoroughly judge a situation

Quickly and accurately weigh risks against rewards

Be a visionary

Remove obstacles with simple solutions

Use what-if thinking to avoid costly mistakes

Assess all angles of the big picture before deciding

Reach optimal solutions more quickly than ever before

Consistently make the right decisions

Be a strong and confident decision-maker

Crossroads Decision was developed by Julyan Lee, Founder/President of the Leeward Team. It uses the power of the Six Thinking Hats as the means for youth to be able to improve their critical thinking. Each hat represents a different mode of thinking which allows for the right kind of thinking to occur at the right time.

Although the value was obvious, there were challenges in getting funding for the Crossroads Decision Pilot. That challenge was eliminated when Lee was introduced to Noel Pinnock, Bureau Chief and Executive Director for the MBK Houston Movement. President Obama launched the My Brother's Keeper initiative to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and to ensure that all people can reach their full potential. Crossroads Decision aligns with MBK milestones and will make a positive impact on these young men, says Pinnock. MBK Houston Movement is supported by the Houston Health Foundation.

Every day, youth are forced to make split second decisions that can alter their lives drastically. Sadly, underprivileged youth may not be thoroughly equipped to think critically during these situations. Our goal is to inspire at-risk youth of the FWEP to believe in their ability to think and behave in a manner that transforms their current situation and eliminates predictable outcomes, says Lee.

If you would like to see firsthand how this powerful program could benefit at-risk youth in your community, please send an email to http://info@crossroadsdecision.com. In the Subject Line type Crossroads Decision Information Request. You will get an immediate response.

Website References:

Fifth Ward Enrichment Program  http://www.fwepinc.org/

My Brothers Keeper MBK Houston - http://www.mbkhouston.org/MBK2017/MBKindex.html

Crossroads Decision - http://crossroadsdecision.com/

The Six Thinking Hats - http://crossroadsdecision.com/our-programs/six-thinking-hats/

Houston Health Foundation - http://www.houstonhealthfoundation.orgGartner Names Elastic Path a Visionary, Third Year in a Row We believe this validates Elastic Path Commerce as the most advanced, headless API-commerce platform. We feel that were exhibiting inexorable progress toward the Leaders quadrant which demonstrates we are lock-step executing on our innovative technology vision.

Elastic Path, the world leader in headless API-commerce solutions announced today they have improved their position in the Visionaries quadrant in Gartners 2018 Magic Quadrant for Digital Commerce. For the third year in a row, Gartner recognized Elastic Path as a Visionary. This is the second year in a row that the company was positioned furthest to the right for completeness in vision and highest in ability to execute in the Visionaries quadrant.

From our view, Gartner recognizes that in the evolution of commerce platforms, an API-oriented approach allows businesses to innovate faster, said Elastic Paths SVP Products, Peter Lukomskyj. We believe this validates Elastic Path Commerce as the most advanced, headless API-commerce platform. We feel that were exhibiting inexorable progress toward the Leaders quadrant which demonstrates we are lock-step executing on our innovative technology vision.

Monetize Any Experience or Touchpoint, Now and in the Future

Elastic Path Commerce is especially suited to monetize experiences created by advanced digital experience platforms like Adobe Experience Cloud and BloomReach DXP, as well as any custom front-end. Elastic Path Commerce choreographs consistent commerce transactions across any existing web, mobile or social touchpoints as well as any emerging touchpoints, including connected vehicles and appliances, Internet of Things, wearables, chatbots and virtual assistants.

Freedom to Innovate with Remarkable Agility

Elastic Paths advanced hypermedia API, Cortex, sets companies free to forge new commerce innovations with remarkable agility. Because business logic resides in the API layer and is decoupled from the core engine, companies can quickly react to customers' needs by adding new touchpoints to the experience, experimenting with new emerging technologies or changing promotions on-the-fly. Cortex was purpose built from the ground-up to support multiple user interfaces, requiring minimal development in client apps. Cortex also allows companies to extend beyond their boundaries to take advantage of third-party services for entirely new offerings.

Flexible Deployment Offers Choice and Scalability

Customers can deploy Elastic Path Commerce in a variety of ways including on-premise, private cloud, or public cloud. No matter how companies choose to deploy, all commerce features remain fully functional, and the platforms flexibility is maintained. The AWS cloud deployment includes tools that combine public cloud scalability with DevOps best practices.

Commerce provider incumbents are falling behind API-oriented solutions. Most of their core technology is over twenty years old, said Peter Lukomskyj, SVP Products at Elastic Path. Recent customer wins where Elastic Path unseated the Big 3 ecommerce players include two telecommunications companies, Shaw Communications and Swisscom, as well as French electronics giant, Boulanger. These companies are seeking a nimbler approach - one that can easily leverage emerging customer touchpoints from a single, unified commerce platform.

Roadmap to 2019

Elastic Paths product roadmap includes a new edition tailored to take advantage of the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, advanced B2B capabilities including improved B2B workflows and account structures, as well as helping companies in the early stages of their digital transformation with a new starter store.

2018 heralds a step-change in the way that companies approach digital commerce. API-commerce significantly reduces implementation time, allows developers to create new features faster, and provides far greater scalability and business agility than the old SOAP-based technologies. said Lukomskyj.

For a complimentary copy of the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Commerce, please visit: http://bit.ly/2JwDi1f

Source: Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Commerce, June 5, 2018, Penny Gillespie, Jason Daigler, et al

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Elastic Path

Defining the future of commerce, Elastic Path pioneered the worlds leading headless commerce solution for enterprises. The companys flagship product, Elastic Path Commerce, has helped the worlds top brands generate over $60 billion in over 170 countries. Customers from industries as diverse as travel, telecoms, publishing, software, and retail enjoy the benefits of a flexible, open architecture that monetizes brand-defining customer experiences, facilitates business agility and eliminates commerce system silos. Elastic Path is a private company based in Vancouver, Canada with offices in the UK and US.

For more information about API-oriented commerce solutions, visit http://www.elasticpath.com. Follow Elastic Path on Twitter @elasticpath and @getelasticWind River Financial, a payment processing company based in Madison, WI, recently partnered with Chicago-based information security company, Trustwave, to launch the Advanced Security Package (ASP). This new product is designed to help companies improve their overall security posture by adding additional layers to data security defenses while also streamlining Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance processes.

We see too many companies with a finish line approach when it comes to data security and PCI compliance, but compliance is too small of a goal, said Wind River President and CEO Mike Carow. We created ASP to help our clients take a security first mindset which is about keeping data safe.

The Identity Theft Resource Centers 2017 Annual Data Breach Year-End Review indicates data breaches were up 45 percent in 2017 with a total of 1,579 breaches. Of those incidents, the business sector topped the list with 55 percent of total breaches, followed by the healthcare sector at 24 percent. Statistics show that no matter what size a business is, it is at risk for a security breach. Thats why ASP is designed specifically for organizations with limited IT resources, so they can focus on their mission.

Healthcare providers mission is to care for patients and the systems are geared toward patient care. Due to the extensive personal and financial information health systems hold, they especially benefit from implementing an extra layer of security to keep patient data safe. ASP helps provide a greater breadth of security capabilities than a single security vendor by packaging multiple tools into one solution to keep data protected across both payment and non-payment related environments.

According to a recent survey by Trustwave of over 1,000 IT professionals, there are four key areas that keep them up at night: identifying vulnerabilities, preventing malware and malicious activity, strengthening access security, and improving reporting. ASP addresses those four areas by providing 13 different tools to enhance data security capabilities. These tools include external vulnerability scans, remote access and mobile device security, credit card data scanner, web malware monitoring, antivirus, security policy generator and more to keep organizations safe and secure on multiple devices.

ASP can easily be downloaded to any workstation to help simplify compliance and provide a unified dashboard for monitoring. Packaging the tools into one convenient program makes it easy for clients to use and saves money compared to going out and buying the tools individually. To learn more about this new product, visit http://www.windriverfinancial.com/solutions/advanced-security-package/.

About Wind River Financial

Wind River Financial is a payment processing company based in Madison, WI. Its team of experts works to make payment processing safer and easier for thousands of merchant clients throughout Wisconsin and around the country. In addition to healthcare, Wind River partners with software providers, banks, credit unions and trade associations to design and customize processing solutions for their clients and stakeholders. Madison Magazine named Wind River a Best Place to Work in 2014. To learn more, visit http://www.windriverfinancial.com.

###Best Web Design & Development Bachelor's Degrees The list [of top web design & development bachelor's degrees] is largely made of schools which have been humbly providing this all-to-rare concentration.

Many tens thousands of people around the world search for things like "How To Become a Web Developer" every month. The truth is that there are a number of ways to achieve that end-goal. Some teach themselves to code, other use online training programs, but very few find themselves getting a Bachelors Degree for web-based programming. That is because it is actually rather difficult to discover which colleges even have such a degree, let alone, which ones are good. For that reason, 10 Best Design  an online publication which has been researching and writing about the web design industry for the greater part of a decade  put its staff to the task of create a list of the 10 Best Web Design & Development Programs with a full-Bachelors Degree in that specification.

Including likely candidates such as Santa Clara Universitys Web Design and Engineering Major in the heart of Silicon Valley, the list is largely made up of schools which have been humbly providing this all-to-rare concentration to prepare students for jobs in an ever-growing field.

Simmons College offers a Bachelor of Science in Web Design. Though the school is located in the Boston Area, another of Americas technology hubs, the program is especially signficant as this #2 ranked college on the list is a womens-only school. Simmons is not afraid to take on the stereotype of the male-lead industry of web development, and the achievement of this program is a testament to their commitment to STEM in general.

Schools like Tulane, Purdue, CUNY, SUNY, and Arizona State also made this years feature, but a goal of the sites newest section is to show that these types of undergrad programs, focusing specifically on web design and development are worthwhile to the community. The hope is that perhaps as schools like Harding University, BYU Idaho & University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (also on the list) expand these efforts in their own way, it might inspire other universities and colleges to begin providing Bachelors Degrees in this specialty too.

As one of the most well-established online industry magazines for the web design and development segment, 10 Best Designs team was particularly excited to research and produce this new featured segment for their publication which will soon cover additional program-types, including online degrees, self-taught programs, and even coding bootcamps.Buildgroup Logo Venture Capital works for some but not for all. Five-year horizons are designed for growth at-all-costs and quick exits. We provide permanent capital from aligned investors that really get it, which means no forced exits, said Lanham Napier, co-founder and chief executive officer, BuildGroup.

BuildGroup, a company that selectively invests in leadership teams with staying power, today announced it has raised $330 million. BuildGroups investors are successful entrepreneurs and business leaders from Texas and the Rocky Mountains, with the founders contributing a significant portion of the overall funds. The capital will be used to invest in software companies with ambitiously humble leadership teams who are aiming for long-term success. BuildGroup plans to deploy the funds over the next five years to back approximately 10 emerging software companies.

BuildGroup was founded in 2015 by Rackspace alumni Lanham Napier, Jim Curry and Klee Kleber, and Pete Freeland from General Catalyst. BuildGroup was designed as a holding company instead of a venture capital fund to free entrepreneurs from the expectations of quick exits, allowing their companies to pursue long-term greatness. BuildGroup invests as a permanent source of capital and has developed unique intellectual property to support emerging growth companies.

Building a great company requires a talented and committed core leadership team to be in place from the early days. BuildGroup believes companies deserve to have the same in their investor base, so the company invests permanent capital for the long haul. BuildGroups Builders work side-by-side with executive teams to amplify the impact of invested capital by employing proven strategic models and operational playbooks. BuildGroup exists so gritty leadership teams have a core group of investors that go the distance and help them achieve their full potential.

Venture Capital works for some but not for all. Five-year horizons are designed for growth at-all-costs and quick exits. We provide permanent capital from aligned investors that really get it, which means no forced exits, said Lanham Napier, co-founder and chief executive officer, BuildGroup. We want to serve the teams that build great companies, and we believe that greatness resides at the intersection of a companys people, product, customers, culture, and business model. The magic happens when these elements are designed to reinforce each other.

BuildGroup has already deployed $57 million of its $330 million capital base across four investments. Currently, portfolio companies include CDSC, Anaconda, Fiix, and Valkyrie Labs. All of them are tackling large, complicated problems for Fortune 1000 organizations and government agencies, spanning everything from new approaches to sustainability to navigating heavily regulated industries.

The best companies in the world are built, not bought. To learn more about BuildGroup please visit http://www.BuildGroup.com/.

About BuildGroup:

BuildGroup is a company that selectively invests in leadership teams with staying power. We back founders who are ambitious enough to want to make a dent in the universe and humble enough to realize they cant do it alone.

By providing permanent capital from aligned investors and avoiding forced exits, BuildGroup frees entrepreneurs to focus on serving customers instead of raising the next round. We believe that great businesses are built, not bought, and thats why our team works side-by-side with founders to create conditions for long-term growth.

BuildGroup was founded in Austin, Texas by a team of proven builders who love nothing more than helping build and grow extraordinary companies.

Always under construction at http://www.BuildGroup.com/.ASL is a course that has been highly sought after by schools and districts, and we are thrilled to make it available this fall.

Edgenuity, a leading provider of online curriculum and instructional services for the K-12 market, has announced it will release new American Sign Language (ASL) courses this fall. The courses, created by eDynamic Learning, will comprise a full year of ASL over two one-semester offerings, and will count toward a foreign language credit in at least 30 states.

American Sign Language is the third most commonly used language in North America, as well as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities. The courses will explore the complexities of communicating in ASL, including signs made with the hands, facial expressions and body postures. The courses will also introduce students to the language, grammar and phonology of ASL, and will explore the social beliefs, traditions, history, values and communities of Deaf culture.

ASL is a course that has been highly sought after by schools and districts, and we are thrilled to make it available this fall, said Sari Factor, CEO of Edgenuity. Learning languages such as ASL can boost cognition, hone communication skills and encourage abstract thinking. Through our partnership with eDynamic Learning, Edgenuity has been able to connect students with more of these opportunities to excel than ever before.

In February 2018, Edgenuity announced a partnership with eDynamic Learning to add more than 50 career and general elective courses to the Edgenuity platform. Middle and high school students using Edgenuity can engage in a range of interests and skillsfrom Journalism to Forensic Sciencethrough courses provided by eDynamic Learning, North Americas largest provider of career and elective courses.

About Edgenuity

Edgenuity is a leading provider of online curriculum and instructional services for the K-12 market. Nationwide, Edgenuity is in use by more than 20,000 schools, including 20 of the 25 largest school districts, to meet academic goals and improve student outcomes. We offer initial credit courses, honors and Advanced Placement courses, credit recovery, intervention and test readiness. These solutions, in addition to Edgenuity's instructional services and professional development offerings, help students, educators and districts achieve success in their online and blended learning programs. For more information, visit Edgenuity.com.I am honored to be recognized by the community in which I serve. As a 10 of 10 Top Young Professionals to Watch, I am further motivated to provide top-ranked legal services to my clients and pursue excellence in my career, says Garon Muller of Burnside Law Firm.

Earlier this month, the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce and Augusta Magazine recognized Attorney Garon Muller of Burnside Law Firm as one of its 10 of 10 Top Young Professionals to Watch. The award was presented to Mr. Muller at the Chambers June 2018 Economic Luncheon.

The 10 of 10 Top Young Professionals to Watch is an award based on a competitive nomination process. Each year, the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce partners with Augusta Magazine to present 10 rising business professionals that have emerged as the years most promising young talent to watch over the next 10 years. Young professionals between the ages of 25 and 35 who serve the Augusta community were invited to enter the nomination process in March. The Top 10 winners are featured in the June issue of Augusta Magazine, and the Chamber will nominate these top young professionals for Georgia Trend magazines 40 under 40. This year marks the 10th anniversary for the Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch award.

Garon Muller is proud to receive the Chambers award. Mr. Muller is an experienced trial lawyer and associate at Burnside Law Firm in Augusta. Burnside Law Firm specializes in personal injury cases, helping clients recover devastating losses incurred from a wide range of accidents, ranging from catastrophic injuries and wrongful death to medical malpractice and work-related accidents. Mr. Muller has focused his specific practice on helping individuals that were injured due to negligence or recklessness of others, including automobile collisions, workplace injuries, premises injuries and defective products. One-hundred percent of his practice is devoted to litigation.

I am honored to be recognized by the community in which I serve. As a 10 of 10 Top Young Professionals to Watch, I am further motivated to provide top-ranked legal services to my clients and pursue excellence in my career, says Garon Muller of Burnside Law Firm.

More About Attorney Garon Muller:

Garon Muller received his education at Mercer University in Macon. He became a member of the Georgia Bar Association in 2011. Prior to his current role as a personal injury trial lawyer at Burnside Law Firm, Mr. Muller served as Assistant District Attorney for the Augusta Judicial Circuit.

Mr. Muller is dedicated to his profession. He has served on the Executive Council of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia as the Director of Affiliate Outreach and has served as a Southern District Representative for the Young Lawyers Division. Locally, Mr. Muller has served as the President of the Young Lawyers of Augusta and currently serves on the Executive Committee for the Augusta Bar and as the Communications Director for the Augusta Bar Associations Law Day Celebration.

Mr. Muller is also dedicated to the community and serves as the Vice President of Turn Back the Block, a faith-based non-profit dedicated to the revitalization of the Historic Harrisburg neighborhood.

His legal services at Burnside Law Firm are focused on personal injury and wrongful death cases involving automobile accidents, defective products, workplace accidents and more.

For more information about Burnside Law Firm or Garon Muller, visit http://www.burnsidefirm.com or contact the toll-free number (800) 569-1937.According to Metalheaddate.com, the majority of metalhead singles are situated in Europe. For now, single metalheads in their late 30s and early 40s living in Budapest have the highest chance of meeting a cute partner with a similar taste in music.

Metal head dating is an underground dating niche popular all across the globe with the strongest member base in Europe. Budapest, Hungary, leads the pack with 29.26 percent of the site users calling it home. London, UK, has come in as a strong second with 26.71 percent, while Warsaw, Poland, took the number 3 spot with 23.96 percent. Paris, France, and Madrid, Spain, came in fourth and fifth with 10.67 percent and 8.19 percent of users residing in these cities, respectively.

The most interesting aspect of these data lies in the fact that not a single US city made the cut. At the same time, England is considered the birthplace of metal music so its no surprise that London is close to the top of the list. Of all the US cities where the users of MetalheadDate.com reside, New York City came in sixth with a total of 1.21 percent.

Another very interesting user trait is age. The youngest metal heads meeting on said platform live in Paris, with most individuals falling in the 18 to 24 group. The oldest ones live in Madrid and are aged between 55 and 64. In Budapest, London and Warsaw they are between 35 and 54 years old. Such varied demographics show that MetalheadDate.com is used by a wide range of metal fans making it a suitable place to find a compatible match for many different users. It would be interesting to follow up on these statistics in a few years and see whether these trends change, but for now, single metalheads in their late 30s and early 40s living in Budapest have the highest chance of meeting a cute partner with a similar taste in music.

MetalheadDate.com is available globally 24/7, and it can be found at https://www.metalheaddate.com.Olon, Ecuador

Lagos, Portugal

Lagos is a town in southern Portugals Algarve region. Just an hour from Faro, beautiful, pristine beaches can be found all along the coast, as well as amazing fresh seafood, and beguiling, centuries-old buildings packed along winding cobblestoned streets. There are still fishermen going out to sea as their fathers and grandfathers did before them.

Praia da Batata (Potato Beach) is a 15-minute stroll along the citys main street, Avenida dos Descobrimentos. The 17th-century fortress gives this beach a stunning backdrop.

The local kids and dogs jump off the ancient pier into the ocean, then climb back up to do it again. The beach snack of choice is a bola de Berlim (a cream-filled donut). A man with a cooler walks around selling them, and the Portuguese chow down.

Soliman Bay, Mexico

Blink and you might miss the turn off to Soliman Bay along the ramrod straight coastal highway between Playa del Carmen and Tulum, on the Riviera Maya. And youd be missing a gem.

This long, gracefully arcing bay is accessed down a narrow dirt road. Hang a right and keep going past a strip of large beach villas to find public access at the end of the road.

Park and hit the water or order some beers and food at Chamicos, a simple outdoor restaurant right on the sand. That entitles you to a table and/or beach lounger.

The Caribbean water is blue and clear and there are rocks and reef just a few dozen yards off the sand, where tropical fish, rays, and other sea creatures are abundant.

Montezuma, Costa Rica

On the far tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, the fishing village of Montezuma is great for those looking for a laidback destination. Theres no major development. And the town center has just a few restaurants, hotels, and shops.

The roads on the way to this part of Costa Rica can be rough, especially in rainy season from May to November, but its well worth visiting this area on the Pacific.

Here you can get a sunrise instead of sunset because its on the east side of the peninsula. The beach is an easy walk from town, where youll find a unique freshwater waterfall right on the sand, with pools for soaking and swimming.

Olon, Ecuador

In many ways, the quiet fishing village of Olon is the best of two worlds. Located on the southern shores of the Pacific Ocean in Ecuador, this is a place where youll find wide, sandy beaches on one side of the main road through town, and lush, green hills on the other.

Most tourists stop at the flashy, party town of Montanita, and never realize that beautiful Olon is just on the other side of a bluff.

The east side of Olon is a place where bamboo forest and fruit trees grow on the rolling hills. It is not unusual to see horses or cattle slowly grazing their way across fields where tropical flowers like Bird of Paradise grow wild.

On the west side, there is an incredible seven-mile stretch of beach where you can swim, surf, or just relax in a beachfront restaurant with your toes in the sand, enjoying a fresh seafood meal, favorite beverage, and incredibly colorful sunsets.

Penang, Malaysia

Penang is a special place. Its historically significant, architecturally jaw dropping and there is always an inviting pool or deserted beach nearby to recharge the batteries before setting out to explore a little more.

Tanjung Bungah Beach is one of the longest on the island and is popular with expats and locals alike but there are many hidden coves and beaches.

Head to the south of the island and you will find deserted beaches, where life runs much slower. Its like entering a different time. The south of the island is much less developed than the north but its only a leisurely 35-minute drive from the capital, George Town. Its the perfect place to go to get some quiet time. This area is largely Malay and there are traditional kampongs (villages) scattered everywhere.

Many of the hidden coves here dont have a name, which may be why they are such a well-kept secret. When youre done relaxing on the white-sand beach while listening to the waves lap the sand, you can check out one of the many local restaurants along this coast.

Learn more about the best beaches, here: Avoid the Crowds and Explore the Worlds 5 Best Secret Beaches

Editor's Note: Members of the media have permission to republish the article linked above once credit is given to Internationalliving.com

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About International Living

Since 1979, Internationaliving.com has been the leading authority for anyone looking for global retirement or relocation opportunities. Through its monthly magazine and related e-letters, extensive website, podcasts, online bookstore, and events held around the world, InternationalLiving.com provides information and services to help its readers live better, travel farther, have more fun, save more money, and find better business opportunities when they expand their world beyond their own shores. InternationalLiving.com has more than 200 correspondents traveling the globe, investigating the best opportunities for travel, retirement, real estate, and investment.FarmerDates.com Continues Gathering More Farmer Singles on an International Level. FarmerDates managed to surpass all expectations when it comes to the variety of users and quality of service. For example, this farmers dating platform has localized sites for countries such as Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand and France.

People whose lives revolve around manual labor, such as farmers, dont really have much time to go on countless dates or spend time trying to pick up guys or girls in a bar or at a party. Still, this doesnt mean that these folk shouldnt get a chance at finding love or friendship online  which is why theres a need for a good farmer dating site.

Luckily for all farmer singles, there are more than one decent farmers dating service out there that may help them find what theyre looking for while requiring them to spend very little time on the computer. A good example of such a site is FarmerDates, which just recently passed the 50,000 member milestone.

FarmerDates managed to surpass all expectations when it comes to the variety of users and quality of service. For example, this farmers dating platform has localized sites for countries such as Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand and France, while also ensuring that the user interface and registration and search processes are as simple as they can get. This way, FarmerDates became one of the top dating sites for farmers on a global level without doing anything drastic or much different than others who have tried it. It appears that sometimes the answer lies in simplicity, and FarmerDates is a rather perfect example of that.

FarmerDates can be found at https://www.farmerdates.com and is reachable 24/7 from 100+ countries worldwide.The interpreter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump had a daunting task to perform as he translated Trump's notoriously free-associating verbal style for his boss.

The previous day he had an easier task during Kim's meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who speaks simple English as a second language.

But the interpreter has some experience of Trump already, having served in talks between Kim's right-hand man Kim Yong-chol and Trump at the White House recently.

The White House identified him as Kim Ju-song from the North Korean Foreign Ministry.SingleExpats.com Ranks Top 3 Worldwide Cities with Single Expats Dating Online. There is no doubt that the future is bright for both SingleExpats.com and its users getting the most out of this platform in these three cities.

Zagreb, Croatia has been ranked by SingleExpats.com as the city where the most single expats from all over the world use the internet to find romantic partners. Makati in the Philippines has come in second, and Canadas Hamilton snatched the no. 3 spot.

According to Croatias Ministry of the Interior, there are 30,000 expats calling Croatia home either with a temporary or a permanent residence, not including temporary visitors on a 90-day visa. Most of them come from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Germany, Italy and Serbia and although there are no data on how many of them live in Zagreb, its safe to assume the answer is lots and they love their dating platform!

As far as Makati goes, its been bursting with expats for years thanks to several factors. Makati is the richest city in the Philippines, and its got a vibrant IT community. Along with a warm climate and a welcoming atmosphere, Makati prides itself on its rich arts and culture scene, plus its home to 47 embassies and 40 consulates, making starting a new life as an expat incredibly easy. Its vibrant nightlife and the option to live a truly cosmopolitan lifestyle without breaking the bank make Makati an obvious choice not just to live there, but also to meet other expats whove decided to call it home, and what better way to do that than on the web.

Last but not least, the fact that Hamilton, ON, Canada cracked the top 3 shouldnt come as a surprise given all the comforts the city has to offer from jobs and housing to a booming cultural scene and artistic activities. It beats living in a big Western city because there is hardly any traffic in comparison, but it offers plenty of conveniences that single expats seem to be eating up.

As surprising as this short list may seem to some, there is no denying the fact that expats all over the globe are not just living in all sorts of interesting places that are still under the radar, but are using the internet to connect and meet foreign romantic interests. There is no doubt that the future is bright for both SingleExpats.com and its users getting the most out of this platform in these three cities.

SingleExpats.com is available 24/7 all over the globe and it can be found at https://www.singleexpats.com.A professional like Maria joining the company reinforces Pandas strategy and its definitive commitment to firmly establishing itself in the large companies segment. Her main contribution will be to coordinate KA sales worldwide, consolidating and strengthening our strategy in that segment,

Maria Campos has been appointed as Panda Securitys new VP of Sales Worldwide, Key Account, Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) and Telecommunications. Campos will take on the responsibility of leading the key account segment business unit at a global level, after over 18 years in the IT sector where she has achieved considerable success.

Before joining Panda Security, Maria Campos was part of the Intel Security team in 2014, after its acquisition of Stonesoft, the company where she had been country manager since 2004. At Stonesoft, her achievements included overseeing Stonesoft Spain and Portugal becoming one of the companys top three subsidiaries at an international level. From the beginning of her time on the Intel Security team, she was in charge of running the middle market in Spain and Portugal, along with the rest of southern Europe.

Campos joins Panda Security after having occupied the position of Regional Director Iberia of McAfee for the last three years. She will take on the key account (KA) sales department in over 50 countries, and report directly to Juan Santamaria, the companys CEO.

One of her main responsibilities will be to reinforce the sales team for this segment at a global level, and boost Pandas new advanced cybersecurity solutions on the corporate market.

A professional like Maria joining the company reinforces Pandas strategy and its definitive commitment to firmly establishing itself in the large companies segment. Her main contribution will be to coordinate KA sales worldwide, consolidating and strengthening our strategy in that segment, commented Juan Santamaria.

In fact, the corporate business line already represents 75% of the companys total billings, and boats disruptive, cutting edge technology. It includes services like 100% Attestation and Threat Hunting as part of its Panda Adaptive Defense platform. These services eliminate the risk of incidents from any kind of malware, and discover new malwareless attacks carried out by hackers, and internal and external attackers.

The chance to be a part of this project, right at the moment when Panda is demonstrating such disruptive, advanced, and distinctive technology, means that this is an attractive challenge with global scope, states Campos.

About Panda Security

Panda Security is the leading Spanish multinational in advanced cybersecurity solutions and in systems management and monitoring tools.

Since its inception in 1990, it has consistently maintained a spirit of innovation and marked some of the most important advances in the world of cybersecurity. Currently, the development of advanced cybersecurity strategies is the core of its business model.

Panda Security has a presence in more than 80 countries and products translated into 23 languages, with over 30 million clients worldwide.Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP had two winners and was a finalist for 21 other honors at the Euromoney Legal Media Groups annual Americans Women in Business Law Awards ceremony held June 7, at Essex House in New York.

The Greenberg Traurig winners were:



G. Michelle Ferreira, managing shareholder of the San Francisco office and co-managing shareholder of the Silicon Valley office, won the Best in Tax Dispute Resolution. Ferreira, a former tax litigator for the IRS, has unique insight to guide clients in their controversies with state and federal tax agencies. She counsels individuals, partnerships, estates, and corporations in tax disputes with the IRS and state and local tax agencies, including the California Franchise Tax Board, the State Board of Equalization, the Employment Development Department, and county assessment appeals boards.

Linda B. Hirschson, chair of Greenberg Traurigs New York Estate Planning Group, won the Best in Wealth Management Award. Hirschson also won this award in 2017. Hirschson is a leader in the national Private Wealth Services Practice, developing estate plans for high net worth individuals. She has written and spoken extensively about matters pertaining to Trusts & Estates.

According to the Euromoney website, firm, country, and regional winners are chosen based on their ability to support the development of women in the legal profession and provide a work/life program that empowers women to pursue legal careers. In addition to Ferreira and Hirschson, the following Greenberg Traurig women attorneys were shortlisted in the categories noted below:



Mergers & acquisitions  Patricia Menendez-Cambo

Life sciences  Lori G. Cohen

Structured finance (incl. securitization & derivatives)  Sylvie A. Durham

Technology  Francoise Gilbert

Trademark  Susan L. Heller

Tax dispute resolution  Barbara T. Kaplan

Private equity  Stacey T. Kern

Patent  Mary-Olga Lovett

Insolvency & restructuring  Nancy A. Mitchell

Wealth management  Diana S. C. Zeydel

Rising Star  IP  Julie P. Bookbinder

Rising Star  Litigation  Elizabeth J. Sullivan

In addition, for 2018 the firm was shortlisted in the following categories:

Best International Firm for Diversity

Since its founding, Greenberg Traurig has made a commitment to cultivating a work environment emphasizing diversity and inclusion. For decades, the firm has fostered this commitment through its Diversity Initiative. The responsibility and success of this initiative relies on Greenberg Traurigs attorneys commitment and dedication to nurture diversity and continue to create an environment where differences are embraced and utilized creatively.

Best International Mentoring Program

Greenberg Traurigs Associate Development Program provides a comprehensive support system to enhance an associates career at the firm. Although offered to all associates, Greenberg Traurigs Womens Initiative(GTWI) benefits from this program as it helps ensure women associates, specifically, receive the guidance, support, and in-depth business development training they need to succeed in an increasingly competitive legal market.

Best International Firm for Pro Bono Work

Firmwide, Greenberg Traurig regularly advises on matters as wide-reaching as human rights and economic development to as personal as domestic violence, childrens issues, and immigration. A signature part of the firms pro bono programs focus is on issues impacting women. These efforts are supported by dedicated Greenberg Traurig attorneys in partnership with numerous organizations. Significant partnerships include Equal Justice Works, Her Justice, Incarcerated Mothers Law Project, Girls in Tech, and Legal Services of Northern Virginia.

Best International Firm for Women in Business Law

GTWI fosters the success of women attorneys, strengthens the firms culture, contributes to the firms financial health, and better serves firm clients. GTWI focuses its efforts on leading by example. This includes hiring, retaining, advancing, and integrating women attorneys. By making this a priority of utmost importance, the firm has created opportunities for these women to be role models for others aspiring to be in the legal industry.

Best Law Firm

Greenberg Traurig was shortlisted in five different regions as a Best Law Firm based on the ratio of male to women attorneys in each office at every level: associate, of counsel, and shareholder. In addition, according to Euromoney, this selection is also based on Greenberg Traurigs overall firm submissions. The firm was recognized in the following locations:

Best Firm, Latin America  Mexico

Best Firm, North America  Midwest

Best Firm, North America  Northeast

Best Firm, North America  US South

Best Firm, North America  US West

About Greenberg Traurigs Womens Initiative: Greenberg Traurig is committed to its women lawyers success, which includes a firmwide womens affinity group encompassing recruiting, retention, and business development. The firm regularly collaborates with like-minded organizations to address these issues on a broader scale in a variety of industries and communities. Greenberg Traurig also takes thoughtful action to address issues such as maintaining a healthy work-life balance, breaking the glass ceiling, mentoring, creating and maintaining healthy lifestyles, and giving back to the community.

About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, was named the largest firm in the U.S. by Law360 in 2017, and is among the Top 20 on the 2017 Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.Data denotes 15 years in email marketing and billions of messages sent. "Since reading this guide, my open rates have dramatically improved, and even if I dont have time to brainstorm for the perfect subject line, I can modify one of the guides examples and feel confident in its performance! Monica R, Smashing Goods

After billions of delivered emails and 15 years in the making, iContact unveils the results of their first grand-scale email marketing data research report, The Ultimate Subject Line Guide, featuring 501 examples of the best- and worst-performing email subject lines.

iContacts email experts poured over the data, primarily from emails sent to more than 10,000 recipients from past three years, to demystify which words, characters, phrases, and punctuation drove up open rates, regardless of email list size.

This 43-page guide is free to download whether marketers use iContact or another product. But The Ultimate Subject Line Guide isn't just for marketers  it's for anyone who has, or ever will, send an email. Each page teaches business owners and nonprofit professionals how to craft better-performing subject lines. Contained within each table is the number of message recipients, as well as the real open rate achieved by that particular mass email send. (To protect sender privacy, some company and product names were changed or removed.)

When 69 percent of recipients report email as spam based solely on the subject line, crafting the perfect subject line is a "make it or break it" situation. Lauren Harold, Manager of iContact Strategic Services, one of the guides contributing authors addressing emoji, says, Our Premier customers are always looking for fresh subject line ideas from their Strategic Advisors  this guide answers that all-call for help.

Email message types covered in this comprehensive guide, include:



Broadcast messages (e.g. newsletters, invitations, announcements)

Welcome messages

Workflow messages

Industry-specific messages

Holiday-themed messages

Opt-in messages

Autoresponders

Email Service Providers (ESPs) talking about subject lines is nothing new, so what makes this guide special? Seeing is believing when comparing your subject lines to examples of what others have sent in your industry. But viewing the top- and worst- performers in different sectors can offer new perspective. What can a B2C subject line teach nonprofits and vice versa? iContact claims: a lot.

Got a great subject line? Tweet it to @iContact.

About iContact

Since 2003, small and medium businesses worldwide have achieved significant results by turning to iContact's best-in-class digital marketing solutions and knowledgeable team members. Made scalable to serve the needs of high-volume senders, modern marketers, and businesses new to email, iContact's easy-to-use technology, available in both English and Spanish versions, ensures that every customer has what they need  whenever they need it  to succeed. Located in Morrisville, N.C., iContact is an award-winning company in the Cision family of brands, receiving recognition from TopTenReviews, Salesforce AppExchange and G2 Crowd. Visit them online at http://www.icontact.com.Welcome Guest! You Are Here:Sorry for inconvenience!

You have been redirected to this page due to the following reasons:--

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You have closed the browser, without logging out.

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For IE - 1. Click on tools from the task bar of browser.

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2. Click on "Clear recent history."This also points out that majority of Ghanaian workers receive less than 2 dollars a day, and have no form of pension contributions.

Labour Expert Austin Gamey believes the situation is a smudge on Ghanas economy.

According to him, a middle income country like Ghana should have better conditions for its working population.

If someone is paid less than the minimum wage then it is problematic. And if they do not earn enough income to pay their rent, utilities and have to save to pay voluntary pension, then it is a serious issue, Mr. Gamey keened.

Report statistics

An estimated population of the nation is 29 million currently, a result shows that, the employed population stands at 11.21 million representing 88% of the total population while 1.53 million representing 12% are the unemployed population.

TUC, AGI on standard of living

Also, the Association of Ghana Industries,( AGI) together with the Trades Union Congress, (TUC), describes the number of low standard jobs as a national threat.U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday ended their historic summit in Singapore with a vaguely worded agreement that disappointed many who had hoped for a firmer commitment to denuclearization. The two leaders met with plenty of photo ops and little time for talk at the Capella Hotel on the resort island of Sentosa. Kim committed himself only to working "towards" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, a broad church that leaves open the possibility of mutual disarmament talks rather than unilateral scrapping of his nuclear program.

U.S. President Donald Trump answers questions during a press conference at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island on Tuesday. /AP-Yonhap

The joint agreement contained four bullet points and little substance other than a commitment "to hold follow-on negotiations... at the earliest possible date," but fell short of acknowledging the oft-repeated U.S. demand for "complete, verifiable and irreversible" dismantlement. The two sides also committed themselves to establishing "new" bilateral relations and making joint efforts to build "lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula," referencing Kim's agreement with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in April. Kim also promised to let the U.S. recover the remains of soldiers taken prisoner or missing during the Korean War including the immediate repatriation of those already identified. Trump declared himself delighted with the meeting, having previously warned he could walk out if things did not go his way. "We had a really fantastic meeting, a lot of progress, very positive. I think better than anybody could have expected," he told reporters.

U.S. President Donald Trump shows an agreement signed by him and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after their summit at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island in Singapore on Tuesday. /Reuters-Yonhap

In a solo press conference that wrapped up the summit, Trump said he "didn't have time" to include the concrete details of denuclearization in the agreement but claimed Kim had fully committed himself to the process. He admitted that the meeting was just the start of a long road. "Because there's no time. I'm here one day, we're together for many hours intensively, but the process is now going to take place," he added. Lavishing praise on Moon -- "a very, very fine gentleman" -- and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe while downplaying the role of China, Trump then managed to alarm South Koreans with a throwaway promise to end "war games" with South Korea, which he called "very expensive" and "very provocative." The two leaders were wreathed in smiles. Signing the agreement, Kim said, "Today we have had a historic meeting, we decided to leave the past behind. The world will see a major change. I would like to express my gratitude to President Trump for making this meeting happen." Trump also had high praise for Kim, describing him as "very talented" and a man who "loves his country very much." Trump left Singapore in the late afternoon and Kim returns to Pyongyang at around 10 p.m. via Beijing.Every revenue Ghana is getting from imports from Africa is going to be eroded, because importers could bring in anything to Ghana. Even if they are made in Europe, you just take them to any African country and bring them to Ghana to avoid the payment of duties, it declared.

Reduced revenues

Last Thursday, Trades Union Congress (TUC) organized a breakfast meeting in Accra. Dr Yaw Adu-Gyamfi, the president of the AGI, said, We know the white people are smart in bringing goods through other African nations, and that is what is going to happen to Ghana.

Even the small revenue the government is making is going to reduce as soon as the 22 African countries ratify the CFTA, he appended.

This meeting empowered representatives from the TUC, Ghana Employers Associations (GEA), AGI and the Ghana Chamber of Mines to analyse ways labour and the private sector can form bipartite relations to address unemployment and the poor quality of existing jobs in Ghana.

Nigerian lessons

Dr Adu-Gyamfi says Nigeria, a country with a population of more than 180 million, refused to ratify the agreement and rather blocked its market to imports of foreign goods such as rice and fruit juices, a measure that had led to the closure of nine rice factories in Thailand.

This situation he believes Ghana could take a cue from.

The Nigerian government insists that those who want to import rice must find their own dollars to bring in rice to Nigeria and as a result, 95 per cent of rice eaten in Nigeria is home-grown.

Cut dependence on IMF

TUC Secretary-General, Dr Yaw Baah, mentioned the unions call for Ghana to end its dependence on the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which he blamed for contributing to the economic woes of the country.Here's how the events are unfolding live:

9:56 a.m.: Trump delivers remarks before the two men shared a handshake.

On issues that remain unsolved between the leaders, Trump said: "working together, we will get it taken care of."

A working lunch is expected to follow the talks.

9:55 a.m.: Bilateral talks between the leaders have begun with both delegations present.

Small delegations from both countries were present:

US:

Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State

John Bolton, National Security Adviser

John Kelly, White House Chief of Staff

North Korea:

Kim Yong Chol, Four Star General, Vice-Chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea

Ri Su Yong, Party Vice Chairman, Director of International Affairs

Ri Yong Ho, Foreign Minister

9:51 a.m.: The two leaders emerged briefly from their meeting.

The two leaders appeared pleased as they briefly exited their talks and walked into another area of the hotel. They met for about 45 minutes before beginning their expanded bilateral talks with officials from both countries.

A reporter asked Trump how talks were going, to which he responded: "very, very well."

9:13 a.m.: Trump gives Kim a thumbs up following the North Korean leader's statements.

9:12 a.m. Kim is seen smiling as Trump briefly discusses the future of their relationship.

In his opening remarks, Kim said: "The old prejudices were obstacles on the way forward, but we overcame them and are here today."

9:10 a.m.: The two leaders pose for brief statements before beginning a private one-on-one meeting, accompanied only by translators.

In his opening remarks, Trump said: "We will have a terrific relationship, no doubt."

9:07 a.m.: Trump leads Kim Jong Un into the library, and the two leaders are all smiles as they stop for an impromptu talk

9:05 a.m.: Trump and Kim pose for photos together for a small press pool.

9:03 a.m.: Trump and Kim shake hands for the first time.

As Kim walked across the stage, he was heard saying: "Nice to meet you, Mr. President" in English.

8:58 a.m.: President Donald Trump arrives and walks into the Capella Hotel alone.

His delegation follows behind him.

8:56 a.m.: The outside of the hotel where the two leaders will be meeting for a photo op.

The backdrop where the two leaders will pose for photos features North Korean and US flags hanging side-by-side.

8:52 a.m.: Kim Jong Un has arrived first for the meeting with President Trump.

Kim and his delegation are awaiting Trump's arrival inside the hotel, and it's reportedly a show of respect for Kim, the younger of the two leaders, to arrive first.

8:39 a.m.: The entrance of the Capella Hotel where Kim Jong Un and President Trump will be arriving shortly.

8:32 a.m.: The view from the Capella Hotel in Sentosa Island, the secluded island off Singapore's southern coast where the leaders will be meeting.

The island usually serves as a popular tourist destination, but has been cordoned off for the summit.

8:20 a.m.: Kim Jong Un and his motorcade has left the St. Regis Hotel for the Capella Hotel to meet with President Trump.

Singapore footed the bill for Kim's stay at the lavish hotel, the country's foreign minister said.

8:15 a.m.: President Donald Trump leaves the Shangri-La Hotel for Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island where he will meet Kim Jong Un.On his last visit to the school, the pupils requested for a computer and more creative arts materials to enable them develop more interest in the subject.

His management team at Moshes Musik, on Monday (June 11), donated the items and also encouraged both teachers and pupils to give good attention to the subject because of the socio-economic benefits it comes with both for the individual me and country at large.The report further revealed that the employed population of the country is 11.21 million. Meanwhile, 64.3 % of self-employed employees do not contribute to any pensions fund, leaving their retirement period uncertain.

READ ALSO: Prices of vehicle spare parts to be reduced

It added that majority of Ghanaian workers receive less than 2 dollars a day.

Reacting to these statistics, Labour Expert, Austin Gamey told Accra-based Citi FM, that this situation is a dent in Ghanas economy.

He said that with Ghanas middle-income status the country must have better conditions for its working population.

If someone is paid less than the minimum wage then it is problematic. And if they do not earn enough income to pay their rent, utilities and have to save to pay voluntary pension, then it is a serious issue.

READ ALSO: Major OMCs reduce fuel prices

He called on Labour unions, employers and government to come together to address the problem.

Meanwhile, the Association of Ghana Industries,( AGI) and the Trades Union Congress, (TUC), have said that the low standard jobs as a national threat.His dedication, he said, drove him to render service to the hospital without seeking for any gratification or reward of any sort; he calls it 'service to God and the nation.

Speaking at a handing-over ceremony Monday, June 11, the dismissed CEO explained that he took nothing, not even something as common as water from the hospital for all the service he rendered, at some points from his very own pocket.

"I have neither used the resources of this hospital for my personal comfort nor caused my vehicles to draw fuel on the Hospitals account. I paid my driver, arranged for my security and lived in private house because I saw this as my contribution to the development of our Hospital for Mother Ghana, I dont even drink water for Korle-Bu," he added.

His comments come on the back of his dismissal by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Dr. Felix Anyah was dismissed along with some other Heads of State agencies without specific reasons.

In 2017, Dr Anyah has been accused of masterminding the removal of deputy Chiefs of Staff, Francis Asenso-Boakye and Samuel Abu Jinapor.

According to outspoken New Patriotic Party (NPP) Brong Ahafo Regional Youth Organizer, Kwame Baffoe, the Korle-Bu CEO, Dr Felix Anyah is using his "errand boy" controversial musician Kwame Asare Obeng popularly known as A-Plus to execute that agenda.

The two deputy Chiefs of Staff have an albatross around their necks after A-Plus accused them of being corrupt.These comments sought to disparage a section of the Ghanaian society, a conduct which is unacceptable to this office

The letter dated June 12, 2018, directed Mr Owusu to suspend Dr Donkor for 30 days beginning June 13, 2018.

Further, she is required to render, in writing, an unconditional apology and commit to good behaviour."

Some Ghanaians on social media have been calling for the dismissal of Dr Donkor who is a presidential staffer.

Dr Donkor in a Facebook comment said that it is difficult to reason with party footsoldiers and she will, therefore, do her best not to encounter them.

Even though she did not refer to any particular political party, the supporters of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) took offense at her comment and demanded that she is removed from office.

Some argued that they are foot soldiers who suffered for the NPP to win power but have not been given any political appointment instead Dr Donkor who is not one of them is a presidential staffer.

However, those defending her argue that what she said is an open-secret which must be addressed for the current government and successive ones to succeed.We in the minority have indicated that we are prepared to use constitutional and legal means, and if possible, we will go on the streets, the Minority Spokesperson for Communications, Alhaji A. B. A. Fuseini said to Citi News.

READ ALSO: MPs fail to show up for Ghana card registration

ABA Fuseini further said, "We are talking about a population of about 30 million Ghanaians today. But you are doing an exercise in which only 7 million people, at best, in the widest possible participation [will be included].

Twenty-Three million people will be excluded. They will be deliberate, as a matter of conscious policy, be left out of the exercise. How can you call that a national exercise?, he added.According to the group, Nana Addo only seems to be favouring people from his tribe, the 'Akyems'.

Leader of the group, Maame Ama Nyankopa in an interview on Accra-based Okay FM said Alfred Obeng sponsored Nana Addo in the 2016 general elections.

She said they are appalled by the actions of the President for firing the BOST MD.

"Alfred Obeng is one of only two Western Region indigenes who are CEOs in this government, only he and Boahen Aidoo, and they have removed him. Look at the many Akyems Akufo-Addo has appointed, plenty, and I am not being tribalistic here," she added.

She stated that Alfred Obeng has done nothing wrong in office for the President to call for his head.

"Alfred Obeng has done nothing wrong...They have disgraced the entire Western Region," the leader noted.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for the Assin Central Constituency, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong has said that he warned the Alfred Obeng, against accepting the job.

He said he told the discredited Alfred Obeng not to accept the job when Nana Addo offered him the job.

Alfred Obeng, alongside other three (3) CEOs of state institutions were fired by the President last week.Twenty-nine Nigerians were among 74 persons arrested by the United States authorities in a global crackdown on email fraud scams.

The United States government on Monday, June 11, 2018, said the alleged criminals were arrested over attempt to steal billions of dollars from businesses and individuals.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation said the cases involve a growing type of fraud known as business email compromise that targets employees with access to corporate finances. The fraudsters send emails that appear to be from trusted corporate executives or vendors, which instruct targeted employees to wire funds to accounts controlled by criminals.

The same groups also ran similar scams targeting individuals, including real-estate buyers and the elderly, the bureau said.

Christopher Wray, FBI director said; Todays announcement highlighting this recent surge in law enforcement resources targeting BEC schemes demonstrates the FBI's commitment to disrupt and dismantle criminal enterprises that target American citizens and their businesses.

We will continue to work together with our law enforcement partners around the world to end these fraud schemes and protect the hard-earned assets of our citizens. The public we serve deserves nothing less, he added.

Operation Wire Wire

Operation WireWire is a six-month sweep that culminated in over two weeks of intensified law enforcement activity resulting in 74 arrests in the U.S. and overseas, including 42 in the U.S., 29 in Nigeria, and three in Canada, Mauritius, and Poland.

It was conducted in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of the Treasury, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.Starr County Sheriff's Office(GRANJENO, Texas) -- Texas officials are investigating the death of a Honduran man last month in an apparent suicide  after he was separated from his family following his arrest for crossing illegally into the United States.



Marco Antonio Munoz, 39, was apprehended in Texas by U.S. Border Patrol agents on May 11, and transferred to a Rio Grande Valley processing center.



While being processed "he became disruptive and combative so for his safety and the safety of others, he was transferred to Starr County, Texas jail," said a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson.



He was brought to the jail on the night of May 12 and the next morning he was found unresponsive in a padded cell. The Starr County Sheriff incident report called his death a suicide in custody."



On the morning before he died, county jail staff said they made contact with Munoz "at least three times" and had observed him in the corner of the cell "praying mostly," according to the report.



The Washington Post reported over the weekend that Munoz crossed the Rio Grande with his wife and 3-year-old son on May 12 near the town of Granjeno, Texas. A government official confirmed he was apprehended with his family.



A Border Patrol agent told The Washington Post that Munoz "lost it" when he was told that he would be separated from his family.



At the beginning of May, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) would prosecute every border crosser that entered the U.S. illegally - a shift from previous practice that allowed for discretion on prosecutions.



During the announcement, Sessions warned parents who attempt to bring children with them across the border.



If you are smuggling a child, then we will prosecute you and that child will be separated from you as required by law. If you dont like that, then dont smuggle children over our border, he said.



At least 700 families have been separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border since October, the Trump administration has confirmed.



As of last week, just under 11,200 minors were in the care of the federal government with 600 open beds and 855 open reserve beds.



"For the past 12 to 18 months, we're seeing something we have never seen before," Ruben Garcia, who runs an immigration shelter El Paso, Texas, told ABC News. "As I like to say, it's like enforcement on steroids with the things that are being done here on the border."



Last week, Sessions defended the policy in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.



"We believe every person that enters the country illegally like that should be prosecuted." Attorney General Sessions said. "If people dont want to be separated from their children, they should not bring them with them. Weve got to get this message out. Youre not given immunity.



Ur Jaddou, Director of DHS Watch, a project of the immigration group Americas Voice, said that in addition to the reckless disregard for the devastating consequences of its policy to children and parents, the death of Mr. Munoz and the lack of disclosure shows a stunning disregard for transparency and accountability.



Congress requires that CBP report the death of any individual in CBP custody within 24 hours, including relevant details regarding the circumstances of the fatality.



Transparency is essential so that the public, Congress, and the federal government can make informed decisions on policy, especially those that strike at the family and result in loss of human life, added Jaddou in a statement.



The Texas Rangers  state criminal investigators  are currently the lead investigative agency into Mr. Munozs death, which is still under investigation.



Treatment of those in the care of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is governed by the Standards on Transport, Escort, Detention, and Search (TEDS), which was implemented by the agency in October 2015.



A spokesperson for CBP said that "takes every loss of life very seriously and has initiated an internal review to ensure these policies were followed."



CBP declined to provide additional comment on the death or the lag in reporting to Congress - citing an ongoing investigation.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.



Broadsheet daily newspapers published from Kathmandu on Tuesday, both English and Nepali, have prioritised different issues on their front pages. The arrest of a notorious gangster Ashok Lama, the market monitoring by Agricultural Development Minister Chakrapani Khanal and a gathering of Nepali Congress leaders have received key priorities today.

Reports about few other sociocultural and economic issues have been published on the front pages.

Important

Anti-Deuba leaders united against Nepali Congress leadership

Leaders of Nepali Congress who have been criticising the leadership style of party President Sher Bahadur Deuba have come closer in a bid to put more pressure on the leadership for internal reforms, according to newspaper reports.

Republica lead story says Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Arjun Narsingh KC and Gagan Thapa have now joined the rival faction led by Ram Chandra Paudel.

Meanwhile, the leaders have also said that they would unify the entire party by maintaining justice, fairness and transparency, according to Gorkhapatra.

Nagarik, however, says the recent polarisation may worsen the problem further as leaders will apparently be divided between two sides in the upcoming meeting of partys district presidents too. In particular, the two sides have been blaming each other for the partys humiliating performance in the elections held last year.

Former Maoist partys trade union owes Rs 45 million to govt

The trade union affiliated to dissolved CPN-Maoist Centre, which now has been merged into the Nepal Communist Party, owes Rs 45 million to the government as its leaders and members had borrowed from the state coffers for self elopement, Annapurna Post reports in its lead story. The trade union is planning to sell the land in Parisdanda of Koteshwor so as to pay back the loan, the report informs.

Ignored

Govt tightens rules on local officials foreign trips

The Kathmandu Post reports in its four-column box story on the front page that the federal government has made it mandatory for officials and staff of local governments planning foreign visits to obtain the approval of the central governments Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration.

The report says, the officials travelling without such approval will not get recommendation for visas from the Department of Consular Service.

Poultry farming banned in Godawari for three months

The local administration in Godawari area of Lalitpur district has banned poultry farming and related activities in the area after H5N1 virus spreading bird flu was found during an examination here, according to Rajdhani lead story.

Earlier, the virus was found in four poultry farms of Godawari and Badikhel areas.

Food adulteration excessive in Nepali market

Recent market monitoring by various government authorities have found that adulteration in food products is too much in the Nepali market these days, according to Nagarik lead story.

Recently, oil, rice, lentils, turmeric, ice cream, drinking water, milk and milk products, sweets, fruits, noodles and biscuits of various brands have found to be adulterated and they are likely to cause serious diseases in human body, according to the report.

TIA expansion: Chinese contractor runs away

A Chinese company which had won the contract to work on the expansion plan of Tribhuvan International Airport has gone incommunicado, according to Karobar daily. The Sanghai Construction Company, which was responsible for extension of a 300-metre section of the runway within next 18 months, is out of contact since it signed the agreement in September-October last year, the report informs.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal is preparing to issue a new notice for tenders after cancelling the contract with the company.

Menstruating girl dies of snakebite

Yet in another incident of death in chhaugoth, a special under-facility shed where menstruating girls and women are forced to stay in far-western Nepal, an 18-year-old girl died of snakebite in Turmakhand Rural Municipality-4 of Achham district, according to Kantipur.

Quoting the victims peer, the report mentions that a snake came to the shed from the roof while the duo were sleeping and it bit her finger. She lost the life as other family members knew about the incident late and she could not be given proper treatment on time.

Interesting

New criteria to be set for ambassadors appointment

Naya Patrika says the government is amending existing Diplomatic Code of Conduct that it issues seven years ago in a bid to introduce new criteria for the appointment of ambassadors and other diplomatic officials. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is preparing to amend the code issued by then Baburam Bhattarais government.World Religion News reports that dozens of members of the religious group have been imprisoned for private worship since the Russian Supreme Court banned Jehovah's Witnesses in 2017.

On June 8, 2018, 10 of the wives of the imprisoned men issued an open letter to Mikhail Fedotov, an adviser to President Putin and chairman of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights.

Referring to their statement as a "cry of desperation," the wives wrote: "People who are very dear to us, our husbands, those who feed us, the fathers of our children, peaceable, honest people, who are always ready to help others, are being thrown behind bars for being suspected of reading Bible commandments and praying together with us and our children to the God whose name, as recorded in the Bible, is Jehovah.

"The law-enforcement agencies that are persecuting our husbands for their faith in God explain that it is because of the April 20, 2017 decision of the Russian Federation Supreme Court to liquidate all legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. However, both the Russian Federation Ministry of Justice, during the hearing at the Supreme Court, and the Russian Federation Government, after the decision was handed down, officially stated that the court's decision would not result in any violations of the rights of citizens to freedom of worship. The aforementioned decision of the Supreme Court did not ban the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. It only involved legal entities. So why are the law-enforcement agents acting in contravention of the will of the government of our country?

"We are not asking for any special privileges. We are asking for just one thing - please, defend our rights. Honorable members of the Council!"

Religious Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses

Meanwhile, members of this religious group are also suffering in other countries like Eritrea, a country in East Africa.

According to Newsweek, about 53 Jehovah's Witnesses are currently in prison while others have even died as a result of poor treatment in prison.

"In February several NGOs [non-government organizations] reported Tsehaye Tesfamariam, a Jehovah's Witness arrested in 2009 and imprisoned at the Me'eter Prison Camp until 2015, died in November 2016 from an illness contracted in prison that authorities reportedly refused to treat," the State Department report said.Beginning your home ownership journey today with Green Park Estate gives you a life-time opportunity to invest in the fast-growing Lekki-Epe corridor  an area that has been yielding a year-on-year over 100% appreciation in the recent past.

In addition, investing in Green Park Estate today is investing in your dream neighbourhood. When others offer you great Return on Investment, 'quality' infrastructure and genuine C of O; Green Park Estate offers you all, including an unrivalled payment plan as low as N500,000 monthly and a neighborhood deliberately designed for your comfort, safety and security.

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Green Park Estate is a collaboration between IBILE Holdings  the investment arm of Lagos State Government - and Alpha Mead Development Company (AMDC) - Nigeria's first Real Estate Company certified to international standards (ISO 9001:2015) by the United Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS) and a Strategic Business Unit of leading Real Estate Solutions Company, Alpha Mead Group. Therefore, from the land documentation, to the C of O; quality of infrastructure and estate layout; you can be sure of your safety, security and comfort.

Green Park Estate is a 50-hectare functional estate, comprising 600 residential plots of between 400 and 1,000 square meters. Strategically located within five minutes drive from Novare Lekki Mall, Green Park Estate has a genuine, government-approved CofO; and upon completion, it will come with top-of-the-range infrastructure such as a central drainage system, good road network, a green area, children play area and 24 hours power supply.

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Terms & Conditions ApplyAccording to him, he needed to be free from the devil's possession at the time which was his reason for slaughtering his daughter.

Times of India reports that the 26-year-old meat seller earlier blamed Rizwana's death on a family cat but finally confessed to the crime on Friday, June 8, 2018.

He reportedly said, "I had to offer my most prized possession to Allah".

The reports revealed that Qureshi recited passages from the Koran before killing his daughter in Jodhpur, India.

He is reported to have confessed after his wife, Shabana reported the case to the police after she discovered Rizwana dead at about 3 am that morning.

He said: "I am a devout Muslim and love my daughter more than my life. For several days she was at her grandmothers place and returned on Thursday.

"I took her to the marketplace and bought sweetmeats and fruits. In the night I took her to the courtyard downstairs, recited a kalima, killed her, and then went back to sleep upstairs."

May the soul of the deceased rest in peace.

Man kills his 6-month-old daughter in Abeokuta

Andrew Koku a resident of Ayedere, Abeokuta, has been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly killing of his own six-month-old daughter, Precious koku.

According to the Police report, Omowunmi Teleda, the mother of the child was said to have filed a complaint at the Adigbe Police Division that she quickly went out to see her first child that she had with her ex-husband, leaving the six-month-old baby behind with Andrew the suspect.

She told the police that when she returned to the house, she met Precious dead.

Abimbola Oyeyemi, the Police Public Relations Officer, said Omowinmi explained that the baby was healthy when she left home.

The PPRO said, The development made her to suspect her husband, who happened to be the only person with the baby.

Consequent upon her complaint, the Divisional Police Officer, Adigbe division, Sunday Oladipo, detailed detectives to the scene and the suspect was arrested on December 24.

ALSO READ: Father stabs daughter in the stomach and runs away

During interrogation, the suspect confessed that to the crime, he then claimed that he killed the baby because he feared that his wife would leave him.This happened in Kitale, Kenya where the philanderer got hooked while having sex with the landlady on Friday, June 8, 2018.

The pair reportedly called for help from a Baraka Hotel room where they engaged themselves in sexual intercourse.

According to more reports, the management of the hospitality home contacted the police after learning about the condition of their guests who were carried away to a new location where they hope to be separated.

It was gathered that the landlady often disappears from home anytime the husband announces an intention to go on a business trip.

ALSO READ: Journalist falls for trap which caught him in bed with married woman

Woman denies husband sex but freely gives it to others

Hammed Akinleye, a sex-deprived husband has supported a divorce request made by his wife, Olabisi.

A Grade C Customary Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, which heard their case was told that Olabisi engages in sexual intercourse with other men while leaving Akinleye hanging.

The wife who initiated the suit to ensure their separation can have her desire fulfilled as it was a shared interest according to a statement captured by Punch News.

I want the court to go ahead and grant my wifes request to dissolve the marriage. I am glad that she is seeking the dissolution of the marriage because I cant tolerate her promiscuity any longer.

"She has also been denying me sex. Anytime I want to exercise my conjugal rights, she would claim to have a headache or was hypertensive, whereas, she has been having indiscriminate affairs with other men, says Hammed Akinleye while addressing the court.

ALSO READ: Woman deprived of good sex by husband feels in bondage

Olabisi countered husband's statement with a comment alleging that he had her mother locked up in jail based on an accusation of theft.Of the 74 suspects arrested by the American government, 30 of them are reportedly Nigerians.

According to the reports, the suspects consist of people who have convinced 'clients to wire them money for fraudulent activities.

ALSO READ: Nigerian student defrauds US companies of millions of Dollars

BBC reports that the US revealed that such scams are common in the country while pledging to pursue perpetrators "regardless of where they are located".

LIB reports that FBI investigation aided by the IRS led to the arrest of one Gloria Okolie and Paul Aisosa, two Nigerians residing in Dallas, Texas.

According to the reports, they were charged in an indictment filed on June 6, 2018.

In the indictment, they are alleged to have defrauded a real estate closing attorney by sending the lawyer a spoofing email in which they posed as the seller and requested that the proceeds of a real estate sale, which amounts to $246,000, be wired to Okolies account.

According to the reports, the lawyer lost $130,000 after the bank was notified of the fraud and froze $116,000.

They were charged with laundering approximately $665,000 in illicit funds.

BBC reports that other Nigerians arrested include; Adeyemi Odufuye aka Micky, Micky Bricks, Yemi, GMB, Bawz and Jefe, 32, and Stanley Hugochukwu Nwoke, aka Stanley Banks, Banks, Hugo Banks, Banky, and Jose Calderon.

Their victims reportedly lost a joint approximate sum of $2.6 million, including at least $440,000 in actual losses to one victim in Connecticut.

The suspects were reportedly charged with a seven-count charge in the District of Connecticut.

Also, other co-conspirators, Olumuyiwa Yahtrip Adejumo, aka Ade, Slimwaco, Waco, Waco Jamon, Hade, and Hadey, 32, of Toledo, Ohio, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud on April 20, 2018.

According to the US Department of Justice, Odufuye pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft after being extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States and on January 3, 2018.

Meanwhile, Nwoke was extradited to the United States from Mauritius on May 25, 2018.

Although his case is currently pending, Nwoke's extradition is the first in over 15 years from Mauritius.

ALSO READ: Why are more young Nigerians turning to Internet fraud?

Another suspect, one Richard Emem Jackson, aka Auwire, aged 23, of Lagos, Nigeria, was charged in an indictment filed on May 17, 2018, in the District of Massachusetts, with two counts of unlawful possession of a means of identification as an accomplice in a fraud scheme.

The Indictment revealed that in 2017, Jackson, on two occasions, was alleged to have possessed the identifications of two victims with intent to commit wire fraud.

Authorities say they have seized, recovered or disrupted over $16m (12m) since January 2018.The Zambia National Commission for UNESCO revealed that the Intangible Heritage will include practices such as Witchcraft, Social Practices such as expression through music, Knowledge, skills as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and rituals.

Lusaka Times reports that the Zambia National Commission for UNESCO Secretary-General, Dr Charles Ndakala, stated that despite efforts to safeguard the cultural heritage, there have been cases of destruction of priceless artefacts in certain countries which threaten traditions and customs.

The news comes on the heels of the announcement made by the Higher Education Minister, Professor Nkandu Luo in November 2017.

He stated that Zambia should consider carrying out research and study of witchcraft as a science which can be used to combat crime amongst other negative elements in the country.

SA Minister to introduce BSc in Witchcraft into education system

While Nigerians spend time and energy condemning witchcraft and its agents, binding and casting them and attributing any misfortune on the activities of witches and wizards, the South African Minister of Higher Education and Training, Blade Nzimande, has announced plans to have witchcraft included in the curriculum from 2018, aimed at awarding a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Witchcraft.

Nzimande made this known while speaking to representatives from student unions around the country, announcing the move and urging future university applicants to consider taking Witchcraft as a course of study.

There is a lot like how they fly in that winnowing basket. Imagine if we learn that skill; it will eradicate traffic jams and everyone will just get in their basket and fly. It also means we will not be importing fuel anymore.

The Minister further invited renowned witches to make an appointment with his office so they can have their skills tested and those outstanding would then be hired as lecturers.

He also invited witches from across the continent to take advantage of the new course, promising them permanent residents permits.

I spoke to the Minister of Home Affairs, , and he agreed to issue witches from outside South Africa with permanent residence permits.

I heard Malawi and Zimbabwe have an impressive collection of witches. We are hoping they will heed the call.Roads in Nigeria are very hard to navigate, but never mind that, some routes might need a car that can handle off-road terrain but we're going to be looking at the easy to reach ones.

So, arm yourself with a camera, good music and fun friends as you take these journeys of a lifetime.

1. Lagos to Ado Ekiti

This is one of the best routes. After crossing Ekiti and its scary winding roads, you can stop over and soak in all the views of the mountainous Ado-Ekiti and valleys. This route is very beautiful because of the greenery and mountain ranges. You get to experience mountains covered by clouds that mimic soft silk with every soft breeze. Nothing beats this view over sunsets and sunrise.

2. Everywhere in Taraba

Taraba is such a beautiful place, and it is a favourite for many because of the beautiful tea farms in Gembu and the rolling plateau of Mambila. The plateau is considered as the highest point in Nigeria and probably in Africa.

Endowed with diverse and rich topography, Taraba truly deserves to be called Natures gift to the Nation.

The road network here is favorable, and people can drive to the farms in the north or south.

ALSO READ: 5 Nigeria travel destinations for millennials

3. Adamawa to Mandara

On this route, you get to see the majestic Mandara Mountains which are a volcanic range extending about 190 km lie in the northeastern part of Adamawa state along the Cameroon border.

There is also a hot spring in Lamurde and the popular Sukur Cuktural Landscape. In Sukur, people can visit the area which consists of a palace, villages, and the remains of an iron industry.

The place was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999 and has since become a go-to tourist destination in Adamawa State.

4. Obudu Cattle ranchA video circulating on social media at the time of this story, June 12 2018, shows the boyfriend get down on a bent knee with what looks like an obvious intent to propose to his girlfriend. There's a guitarist on standby, ready to set the tone for the romantic scene about to unfold. At this point, onlookers have already gathered, looking on.

Understandably, the girlfriend gets a look of pleasant surprise on her face and holds out her hand for the ring.

The boyfriend however gets a sudden look of confusion on his face as he begins to tap his pockets and look around in agitation for something - the engagement ring!

It turns out that there'd be no proposal as the boyfriend could produce no ring because it was... a stunt.

The girlfriend slaps him in annoyance, picks up her bag and walks away, embarrassed at being played like that.

Reactions to the well-shared clip have partly been outrage over the girlfriend's decision to slap the man before storming away from the scene of the proposal.Mkpuruka stated this in Abakaliki on Tuesday at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) executive committees elected in the recent congresses of the party in Ebonyi.

The event witnessed the inauguration of the State Working Committee (SWC), State Executive Committee and local government chairmen and secretaries of the party.

The envoy commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his courage in recognising June 12 and declaring Democracy Day, saying the nations political history would be incomplete without reference to the annulled June 12, 1993 Presidential election.

He said that the pronouncement of June 12 as Democracy Day and conferment of Abiola with the highest honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) was an indication that Buhari was a true democrat.

Validation of June 12 is one of the greatest democracy dividends that the President has given to the nation and to all Nigerians irrespective of ethnic, religious or political inclination.

June 12 is very symbolic in our political process and evolution because it was a day that Nigerians across social, economic, cultural and religious divide came out and spoke in one voice through their votes.

I participated in that election, including most of us here; its annulment was a shattered dream though it unleashed a flurry of anti-dictatorship struggle that culminated in the democracy we all enjoy today.

Twenty-five years after that annulment, Buhari has come to put history in its right perspective by doing what past military and civilian presidents could not do.

He deserves commendation for mustering the political will and courage to validate June 12 and for honouring the presumed winner, Abiola, Mkpuruka said.

He said that Nigerias image abroad had greatly improved due to the unrelenting war against financial graft and other forms of corruption by Buhari administration.

Nigeria has once again become a destination for foreign investors willing to invest in the economy and this is made possible by current improved positive rating of Nigeria at the international level.

Mkpuruka enjoined the elected party officials to emulate the leadership and democratic principles of Buhari and abide by the oaths of office and allegiance which they had sworn to.

He urged them to use their respective positions to ensure that APC won in the 2019 general elections in the state and in the presidential election.

Earlier, Chairman of APC in the state, Chief Eze Nwachukwu, charged the party officials to shun acts capable of bringing the party to ridicule.

He said that the responsibility of ensuring victory for the party in the state had been laid on their shoulders.

The chairman further urged the officials to discharge their duties in accordance with the Constitution of Nigeria and of the party.

Our mandate is to ensure that we win elections from the presidential down to all others in 2019.

For us to achieve this, we have to go down to the grassroots and mobilize voters by selling the ideals and principles of the party to the grassroots electorate.

You have to go down to the local communities and mobilise support for our great party and we will not tolerate officials who will operate from the capital city.Home  Just In  Madhav Kumar Nepal: International community is happy with Nepali communists unification

Kathmandu, June 12

Nepal Communist Party senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal said that the international community, mainly the communists all over the world, was happy with the unification of the two biggest communist parties in Nepal.

Speaking at the Tribhuvan International Airport after returning home from a programme on Marxism in Brazil, Nepal and NCP Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha said that the achievements made by the unified party were also discussed in the event.

Both the leaders had gone to Brazil for a study visit of Florescent Fernandez National School in Brazil.

The NCP leaders also participated in a training workshop in the School.

Likewise, informing the media, the leaders said that the party would soon establish a school to teach Marxism on a regular basis in Kathmandu. The school would be named Madan Bhandari Asian School.

They informed media that a study was carried out on establishment of the school.

Meanwhile, a meeting was also held with the lawmakers of Brazil where both parties discussed bilateral relations and mutual interest.The president said this after he officially conferred the post-humous title of Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on the late Chief MKO Abiola on Tuesday, June 12, 2018.

He also awarded Abiola's 1993 running mate Baba Gana Kingibe with a Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) title, an award he also bestowed on the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) for his human rights agitation for the actualisation of the June 12th elections.

At the investiture ceremony which took place at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday, Buhari urged Nigerians to accept the recognition in good faith.

The president said the recognition of the events of June 12 is not to reopen old wounds but to correct a wrong that was done to the free will of the Nigerian people.

He said, "Today, I'm very happy to be present and to preside over the commemoration and investiture marking the formal federal government recognition of June 12 as national democracy day.

"The decision and this event is not meant to be and is not an attempt to open old wounds but to put right a national wrong. Nigerians, of their own free will, voted for late Chief MKO Abiola and Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, the presidential flag bearer and running mate of the Social Democratic Party in the 1993 elections.

"The government of the day inexplicably cancelled the elections when it was clear who were winning. We cannot rewind the past, but we can at least assuage our feelings, recognise that a wrong has been committed and resort to stand firm now and in the future for the sanctity of free elections. Nigerians will no longer tolerate such perversions of justice.

"This retrospective and post-humous recognition is only a symbolic token of redress and amd recompence for the grievous injury done to the peace and unity of our country.

"Our decision to recognise and honour June 12 and its actors is in the national interest. It is aimed at starting a national healing process and reconciliation of the 25-year festering wound caused by the annulment of the June 12 elections. I earnestly invite all Nigerians across all our national divide to accept it in good faith.

"Our action today is to bury the negative side of June 12; the side of ill-feelings, hate, frustation and agony. What we're doing is celebrating and appreciating the positive side of June 12.

"It's a June 12 which reinstates democracy and freedom. It's a June 12 that overcomes our various divides and the June 12 that producess unity and national cohesion. This is the June 12 we're celebrating today and we'll nuture it to our next generations."

Buhari apologises to MKO Abiola's family for his death

The president further apologised to the family of the late Abiola, on behalf of the federal government, for his death in the struggle to hold on to his mandate.

Buhari said, "Accordingly, on behalf of the federal government, I tender the nation's apology to the family of late MKO Abiola who got the highest votes and to those that lost their loved ones in the course of June 12 struggle."The suspect, a former policeman, led the armed robbers that killed 33 people, including pregnant women and 12 police officers, on April 5, 2018, in Kwara state.

Adikwe had confessed to have killed several policemen as a revenge for his "unfair" dismissal from the force.

The gang leader's case became suspicious when he was not paraded alongside the other arrested suspects, and his name was also removed from the list of suspects in a statement from the police.

Suspect 'killed'

It was alleged that he had been shot dead in custody in order to coerce confessions from other suspects.

On Monday, June 11, the CSOs, in a petition signed by Collins Abu on behalf of the coalition read, threatened to drag the police to the International Criminal Court if it does not produce Adikwu.

"If he (Adikwu) has been killed, the police should come clean and name his executors, this is in keeping with the Freedom of Information Act (FOI)," the petition said.

"We demand an immediate investigation into the disappearance of this suspect, and we ask respected international human rights organisations to call on the Nigerian government and the police to produce him."

The coalition also accused the police of being compromised, thereby demanded an independent probe of the Offa robbery.

"Failure to produce him, we will petition the International Criminal Court and also petition all embassies with evidence so as to revoke visas of the IGP and other human rights violators," the group said.

The police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, however, denied that the suspect was killed in custody.

"...We will parade him soon, once they recover all the weapons", Moshood told the Cable.

ALSO READ: Watch footage of bank robbery that claimed over 30 lives

Some of the suspects have also alleged that they were working for the Senate President Bukola Saraki, who has been summoned by the police for questioning.Abiola was the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election in what is described as Nigeria's freest and fairest election. After then-military Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, annulled the election, Abiola refused to concede his mandate and was imprisoned in 1994 by Abacha who had taken over government. Abiola died in custody under suspicious circumstances on July 7, 1998, a month after Abacha himself died mysteriously.

President Buhari recently announced his decision to confer the post-humous award of Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on the late Abiola, and formally did so during an investiture ceremony at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday, June 12, 2018.

During his speech, President Buhari condemned the annulment of the election as a perversion of the free will of the electorate and urged Nigerians to accept the recognition of the events trailing June 12 in good faith.

When he took to the podium, Soyinka praised the president for his recognition of the June 12 struggle but also advised him to drop his professional loyalty to Abacha.

The president has made recent public statements that have appeared to praise Abacha's regime despite that he was noted for overseeing widespread violation of human rights as well as looting of the national treasury.

Referring to Abacha as Nigeria's worst dictator, Soyinka told Buhari that it's impossible to hold Abacha and Abiola in the same high regard.

He said, "I'll like to make a request, Mr President, that you manage to stop creating confusion in the minds of Nigerians. It is not possible to honour MKO Abiola in one breath and then admire his tormentor in another breath.

"Loyalty is all very well, but it can become perverse if that loyalty is retained to an individual if he were alive today would be before the international court of crimes against humanity; one who broke the laws of Nigeria and international law, pauperised this nation, and committed crimes against humanity.

"It is confusing if professional loyalty is carried so far as to be accorded to such an individual."

Buhari apologises to MKO Abiola's family for his death

While the president was speaking on Tuesday, he apologised to the family of the late Abiola, on behalf of the federal government, for his death in the struggle to hold on to his mandate.

Buhari said, "On behalf of the federal government, I tender the nation's apology to the family of late MKO Abiola who got the highest votes and to those that lost their loved ones in the course of June 12 struggle."Abiola was the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election which was annulled by then-military Head of State, GeneralIbrahim Babangida. After Abiola refused to give up his mandate, he was imprisoned in 1994 and died in custody under suspicious circumstances on July 7, 1998, four years after his arrest.

While speaking during the investiture ceremony of the award at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday, June 12, 2018, Mustapha said it was Buhari's determination that made the occasion a possibility. According to him, the president has brought closure to an issue that has been problematic for 25 years.

He said, "Thank you Mr President for this great sacrifice, resolve and determination that you've exhibited in bringing closure to the issues that have contended with out nationahood in the last 25 years. Mr President deserves a round of applause for bringing a closure to this matter."

President Buhari later took to the podium to award the GCFR title to the late Abiola, an award that was received on his behalf by his son, Kola.

He also awarded Abiola's 1993 running mate Baba Gana Kingibe with a Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) title, an award he also bestowed on the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) for his human rights agitation for the actualisation of the June 12th elections.

Buhari apologises to MKO Abiola's family for his death

While speaking during the ceremony, President Buhari apologised to the family of the late Abiola, on behalf of the federal government, for his death in the struggle to hold on to his mandate.

He said, "On behalf of the federal government, I tender the nation's apology to the family of late MKO Abiola who got the highest votes and to those that lost their loved ones in the course of June 12 struggle."Abubakar made the call in a statement he issued on Monday, June 11, in Abuja to mark the 25th anniversary of June 12.

He said there is need to remind Nigerians that the democracy which the country enjoy today did not come at a cheap price.

It came at the cost of supreme price paid by persons that included Chief MKO Abiola, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, Maj-Gen. Shehu YarAdua, Chief Alfred Rewane and Bagauda Kaltho, among thousands of other patriots.

Democracy isnt merely a mechanism of appointing a government; its beauty is in the inherent safeguard to the citizenry to live and prosper as free people under the law, he said.

Abubakar warned against what he called a consistent pattern of departure from constitutional due process to tendencies of authoritarianism.

He said that there is a growing culture of arbitrariness in some of the institutions of government at all levels, contradictory to the notion of inclusiveness and fairness that a democratic society guarantees.

The former vice president stated that foundation of a democratic society was the guarantee of fundamental human rights that gave the citizenry freedom of speech and freedom of movement.

He said it is the exclusive responsibility of the state through the various security organizations to see to the protection of the fundamental rights of the people.

Abubakar added that it would, however, become an anathema in a democracy if institutions of government began to act in negation of the noble objectives.

Recalling the recent campaign by youths across the country against the brutality of the anti-robbery unit of the Police, he noted that up till now there had yet to be a fundamental reform in the operations of that unit.

Today, across our major cities and even in the hinterlands, citizens  especially the youth  can hardly walk freely in open avenues without the police stopping them to search through the content of their mobile handsets.

Civil servants now lose their jobs just because they choose to criticize politicians in government positions.

There are even suggestions in some quarters that civil servants should be barred from signing to social media networks.

Opposition politicians are regularly being hounded on wanton criminal and civil prosecutions.

All of these narratives have become a consistent pattern of behaviour that is antithetical to an open and democratic society,the former vice-president added.On Thursday, June 7, a chopper conveying Osinbajo to Aso Rock from the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, Abuja, began emitting thick smoke shortly after take-off, and it was forced to make an emergency landing.

The Vice-President had attended the graduation ceremony of Senior Division Course 1/2018 participants at the school. He was flown to the venue by the same chopper.

A chaplain of Aso Villa, Seyi Malomo, on Monday hosted senior pastors of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, leaders from the Christian Association of Nigeria(CAN) and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria(PFN) to thank God for sparing Osinbajo's life.

"Last week we received the news with shock that the vice-presidents helicopter engine failed," Malomo said.

"We thank God that preserved him. The preservation of the leaders is the preservation of the nation and as a result we want to thank God, so this programme was organised to thank God for his watchful eyes over our leaders, over our nation and more particularly over the deliverance for the vice- president.

"We will be spending 120 hours praising God, teaching about Thanksgiving, praying to God to bless Nigeria more, establish peace in Nigeria more, preserve our nation more, give us the victory that is needed.

"As we all know we are a nation that deeply loves God and a love for God that is also born out of deep appreciation because we know that God loves us too and his love for us manifest in his good works towards us."

ALSO READ: Nigeria to create technology, innovation advisory council

Shortly after the air mishap occurred, Osinbajo's spokesman, Laolu Akande had given "technical reasons" as to why the Vice-President did not fly the chopper back.He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for honouring Abiola by declaring June 12, in place of May 29, as Nigeria's Democracy Day.

Nwosu said the honour for "the winner (Abiola) will rekindle the national consciousness of all Nigerians for a better nation".

He stated this in a letter to the Federal Government in response to his invitation to attend the June 12, 2018, ceremony where the late Abiola, the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) and Ambassador Babagana Kingibe will be decorated with national honours.

The June 12, 1993 election is believed to be Nigeria's freest and fairest poll ever.

Absence at Investiture

In Nwosu's letter which he addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, he regretted that he will not be able to attend the investiture ceremony as he is currently out of the country.

"I thank His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Government of Nigeria for recognizing June 12 as Democracy Day and also honouring the winner of June 12, 1993, presidential election, Chief M.K.O. Abiola", the letter reads.

"Indeed, June 12, 1993 marked a turning point in Nigerias tortuous journey towards a democratic polity. It is an honour to the very hard-working men and women of the defunct National Electoral Commission under my leadership at this long-awaited recognition. I humbly commend this action by the President.

"Undoubtedly, the democratic system of governance is the best, especially for the multiethnic nation like ours. I thank you for building on the foundation which my team and I labored strenuously to establish and actualise on June 12, 1993. It is our hope that expanding the frontiers of democracy of which all the people of Nigeria, regardless of ethnic group, will provide economic, social and developmental benefits that will certainly make Nigeria a great nation not only in Africa but across the world.

"Certainly, the scheduled event on Tuesday, June 12, 2018 will rekindle the national consciousness of all Nigerians for a better Nation. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control I will not be present at the investiture ceremony as I am outside the country."In a 37-page report, the human-rights watchdog said it had catalogued "unlawful killings, destruction of private property, arbitrary arrests and torture" committed by the security forces since late 2017.

"Far from resolving the crisis, the clampdown on any form of dissent and the heavy-handed response by the Cameroonian authorities and security forces appear to have empowered and created space for more radical and violent movements to emerge, with a focus on secession and armed struggle," it said.

"The human rights violations committed by the Cameroonian security forces and authorities have also contributed to creating a pervasive climate of fear, which some observers say has led to a growing sense of alienation among communities in the anglophone regions."

The unrest is unfolding in the Northwest and Southwest Regions -- English-speaking regions once governed by colonial Britain that joined French-speaking Cameroon after it gained independence from France in 1960.

Years of resentment at perceived discrimination sparked protests in October and November 2016.

The government responded with a clampdown, and in late 2017, the violence escalated further after radicals declared an independent state -- an entity that has not been recognised internationally -- and launched an armed campaign.

Amnesty said it had conducted interviews with more than 150 victims of, or eyewitnesses to, violence committed by the security forces or separatists.

Among the incidents, it said, was "the complete destruction" of the village of Kwakwa in the Southwest Region in December last year.

It was burned to the ground by the security forces after suspected separatists killed two gendarmes, it said.

In the village of Dadi, at least 23 people, including minors and two men with mental disabilities, were detained for three days last December and were tortured, using sticks, electric shocks, guns or ropes, it said. At least one died after being transferred to Buea central prison, it said.

"As a result of these security operations and the consequent violence, over 150,000 people became internally displaced and more than 20,000 fled to Nigeria where they are living in remote locations, requiring humanitarian support," it said.

The Cameroon authorities characterise the separatists as "terrorists" and accuse them in turn of attacks on police and troops and carrying out abductions and acts of intimidation.

Amnesty, addressing this question, said separatists had killed "at least" 44 members of the security forces, and also targeted ordinary people, including traditional chiefs, whom they suspected to be informants.

At least 42 schools have been attacked, two of which were seriously burned by arson, it said.

According to the International Crisis Group think-tank, at least 120 civilians and 43 security forces have been killed since the end of 2016.Bemba was not in court, but his defence lawyers argued that the former rebel leader-turned-politician should be let go "without delay", telling journalists after Tuesday's hearing at the ICC that "the message has to be that the case is over."

The stocky Congolese politician was acquitted on appeal Friday by the Hague-based court, who said he could not be held criminally liable for crimes committed by his troops in the Central African Republic in 2002-2003.

The surprise decision came after Bemba, 55, had been sentenced unanimously to 18 years in 2016 by ICC trial judges.

It was the longest sentence ever to be handed down by the Hague-based court.

Then, judges found Bemba -- nicknamed "Miniature Mobutu" -- guilty on five counts of warcrimes and crimes against humanity committed by his private army during a five-month rampage in the neighbouring CAR.

Bemba had sent his militia, the Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC) -- a rebel force that he later transformed into a political organisation -- into the DRCongo's northern neighbour in October 2002 to quash a coup against the then president, Ange-Felix Patasse.

The trial was the first before the ICC to focus on sexual violence as a weapon of war.

It was also the first to determine whether a military commander bore responsibility for the conduct of troops under his control.

'No flight risk'

Bemba has been held for the past decade at the ICC's detention centre, based in a seaside suburb of The Hague.

He remains behind bars, awaiting sentence in a separate case in which he was handed one year in jail and fined 300,000 euros ($350,000) for bribing witnesses during the war crimes trial.

He lost an appeal against that sentence and the ICC is yet to decide on a new jail term, which carries a maximum of five years.

Bemba's lawyers however argued Tuesday that their client should be provisionally freed.

"Mr Bemba is not a flight risk... and will adhere to all conditions set down by this court for his release," Melinda Taylor told a three-judge bench.

"There is no legal or objective justification to separate Mr Bemba from his family for one day longer," she said.

"We therefore request that he be released immediately."

Prosecutors on Tuesday however urged judges to separate Bemba's acquittal in the main trial and his conviction in the bribery case, adding that "there is still the possibility that he may abscond" ahead of a sentencing set for July 4.

ICC spokesman Fadi El Abdallah told AFP the judges' decision on Bemba's release would most likely be in writing, only after which it would be publicly announced by the ICC.

Political ambitions

Legal experts earlier said they expected Bemba to be released on Tuesday, given the time he has already spent in jail.

Bemba is likely to join his family in Belgium as soon as he is freed, his lawyer Peter Haynes told journalists last week.

After Tuesday's hearing Haynes said Bemba "remained calm" and was awaiting his release.

"I'm pretty sure he's laid-back whether this happens today or tomorrow or sometime in the future," Haynes said, adding "a series of diplomatic arrangements still need to be made" before he could be reunited with his Brussels-based family.

It is not yet known whether or when the former Congolese leader planned to return to the vast central African country following his release.

His acquittal came amid mounting tensions in the run-up to scheduled presidential elections on December 23.

Bemba had unsuccessfully opposed President Joseph Kabila in elections in 2006. After his militia clashed violently with government forces in 2007, he was forced out of the DRC but retains a groundswell of support.

Asked whether Bemba had any future political ambitions, Haynes said: "He's never given up on his political ambitions."The Aquarius rescue vessel was however caught in a dramatic standoff over the weekend that saw Italy and Malta refuse to allow it to dock.

"Supplies will be received shortly from an Italian vessel onto #Aquarius. Plan from MRCC (the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) Rome is that rescued people will later be transferred on Italian ships before heading together to" the eastern Spanish port of Valencia, the charity said on Twitter.

The development comes a day after the new Spanish government headed by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez offered to allow the Aquarius to dock in Valencia, insisting it was an "obligation" to do so.

The refusal to accept the Aquarius in Italy was the first major anti-migrant move since far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini took office this month.

Authorities on the French island of Corsica also offered to host the migrants, the morning after SOS Mediterranee raised fears that the Aquarius would not be able to reach Spain safely due to deteriorating weather conditions.Kathmandu, June 12

The government of Nepal has forwarded a proposal to the countrys private entrepreneurs, calling them to establish a partnership for a heavy equipment leasing company so as to expedite infrastructural development works.

During a meeting with private sector leaders recently, Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada said the establishment would address the problems caused by lack of heavy equipment in the construction business.

In response, the entrepreneurs also said they were positive about the proposal and further discussions would be needed to implement the plan.

Major problems in the construction sector are due to our capacity. Contractors take big responsibilities though they do not have sufficient capacity and equipment, Khatiwada said, Keeping these things in mind, I proposed to establish a leasing and consultancy company jointly.

Currently, the country borrows modern machinery from other countries including India and the United Arab Emirates. The government also does not have such equipment.James Moriarty, the chairman of the Virginia-based headquarters of the institute, and Rep. Gregg Harper, R-Miss., were also part of the U.S. delegation.

The institute, known as the AIT, serves as the de facto embassy for the United States, which broke off formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan when it switched recognition to the Communist government in Beijing in 1979.

There had been speculation that President Donald Trump might make a bolder show of support for Taiwan, which has emerged as one of the most vibrant democracies in Asia. However, the lack of Cabinet-level visitors from Washington displayed the Trump administrations unwillingness to upset China, with whom it is already locked in a standoff over trade.

Trump had also sought Chinas help in arranging the landmark summit that took place on Tuesday in Singapore between Trump and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un. That meeting deflected American and global attention away from the institutes dedication.

As in the case of the summit on the other side of the South China Sea, China was not present, but was certainly watching. The government in Beijing views Taiwan as its sovereign territory, which it has vowed to reclaim by force if necessary, despite never having actually ruled the island.

Rumors had run rampant here for months that the Trump administration might break with standing U.S. policy by sending a higher-profile visitor to make a more open show of support for Taiwan, which has faced increasing military and diplomatic pressure from China.

In a show of how important the U.S. presence is for Taiwan, the islands president, Tsai, was joined at the dedication ceremony by her predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou. Many of Taiwans top politicians sat in the audience of about 200.

As we dedicate this building, we also rededicate ourselves to our common sense of purpose, Tsai said. As free and open democracies, we have an obligation to work with one another to defend our values and protect our joint interests.

When asked by a journalist if he was disappointed that no higher-level representatives were sent from Washington, Moriarty, the institutes chairman, pointed to the summit in Singapore.

I believe there is a lot going on in the region today, and we need to respect that, he said.

Speaking to a crowd of reporters before the ceremony, the institutes director, Kin Moy, a career diplomat in the State Department, said the new buildings unveiling showed Washingtons unshakable commitment to Taiwan.

After delays since its groundbreaking in 2009, the institutes fortified compound on the northern edge of Taipei, Taiwans capital, will begin operations in September, when some 450 staff members, including several U.S. diplomats, will relocate from their current offices scattered around the city.

The institute performs most of the same functions as an embassy, including issuing visas. It is the largest diplomatic mission  official or unofficial  in Taiwan, making it a symbol of both Taiwans awkward diplomatic limbo and also its quiet but strong ties with the United States.

U.S. support for Taiwan goes back to the end of Chinas civil war in 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek, the World War II ally of the United States, fled to the island with his Republic of China government after being routed by Mao Zedongs Communists.

The lack of mutual recognition between the governments in Beijing and Taipei and Beijings insistence on treating Taiwan as its own territory have created a situation in which other countries are forced to recognize either China or Taiwan, but not both. Only a handful of nations, mostly in the Pacific and the Caribbean, keep formal embassies in Taiwan, which still calls itself the Republic of China.

While tiny Taiwan no longer poses a military threat to China, its status as a Chinese-speaking democracy is viewed as an ideological threat by Beijings authoritarian government. Calls for absorbing Taiwan have grown steadily louder under Xi Jinping, Chinas strongest leader since Mao.

Taiwans freedom of speech was on display outside of the institutes dedication ceremony. While security was tight inside, rival demonstrators vied for attention outside the buildings gates. One group advocated scrapping the Republic of China in favor of a new country called Taiwan. Across the street, a smaller group raised banners calling for unification with China.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.Four fishermen were also bundled together with the officers after they were arrested near Mageta and Huma Islands in Lake Victoria, the reported Tuesday.

Eye witnesses recounted that the officers guns were taken away as were their phones before they were taken to Bugiri Mainland Prison in Uganda at about 6pm.

Siaya County Administration Police Commandant Patrick Lumumba said the 3pm incident involved up to eight soldiers on patrol.

The officers, he said, were rounded up and put together with Kenyan fishermen found catching fish in Ugandan waters.

Lumumba disclosed that the attackers, who were heavily armed, first hijacked five Kenyan boats and took away their engines.

"Our officers were overpowered by the heavily armed attackers who lay an ambush on the officers who assumed they were civilians and fishermen," said Lumumba.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!Pumpkin Month At Queens Farm! October is Pumpkin Month at Queens Farm and there were pumpkins as far as the eye could see at the Queens County Farm Museums Pumpkin...

Olympians Presented With Keys To Queens Two beloved daughters of Queens took their rightful place in the pantheon of iconic borough residents on October 1, as Queens Borough President Donovan Richards,...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!KAZAKHSTAN: United Wagon Cos TikhvinSpetsMash plant has begun delivering 64 covered wagons to customers in Kazakhstan, where the company sees a significant potential market for modern and high-capacity vans.UK: On June 12 the Office of Rail & Road issued its draft determination setting out its initial opinions on Network Rails 34bn strategic business plan for Control Period 6, which the infrastructure manager had published in February.Rantoul, IL (61866)

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Rain ending early. Clearing overnight. Low 42F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale

Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada.

Search Real EstateFund houses have conducted investor camps and awareness programmes in more than 400 cities.

Also, the popular 'Mutual fund sahi hai' campaign has helped bring in a lot of new investors into the MF fold from under-penetrated regions.

Ashley Coutinho reports.

>

At the end of April, assets under management (AUM) from the B30 locations stood at Rs 4.02 trillion, while the top 30 (T30) centres accounted for Rs 19.2 trillion.

In February, the Securities and Exchange Board of India tweaked the extra incentive structure for generating assets from the beyond 15 (B15) cities.

From April 1, the market regulator has said, fund houses will be allowed to pay an extra commission of 30 basis points for incremental flows from the B30 cities, as distinct from the B15 cities earlier.

Accordingly, the terms and definitions of '15 cities', 'T15' and 'B15' have been substituted with '30 cities', 'T30' (top 30) and 'B30', respectively.

Helped by the extra incentive and focus by the industry, AUM from the B15 cities have grown more than 35 per cent a year in the past two years.

For instance, the B15 AUM increased 41.7 per cent to Rs 3.09 trillion as on March 31, 2017 compared to the year-ago period.

It further increased by 38 per cent year-on-year to Rs 4.26 trillion at the end of March 2018.

In comparison, the AUM from T15 (top 15) cities grew 36 per cent and 19 per cent, respectively, during this period.

While the figures for April are not comparable given the change in definitions, industry experts believe that the momentum from smaller towns remains strong.

Going by the earlier definition, the share of the B15 cities in AUM stood at 18.77 per cent as of the end of March 2018, the highest in at least four years.

In comparison, the share of T15 has been consistently declining and stood at 81.23 per cent at the end of March 2018, down from 84.38 per cent at the end of March 2015.

Industry experts say the share of smaller centres in overall assets will only go up as fund houses and distributors tap into these territories to pocket a higher commission.

Already, fund houses have conducted investor camps and awareness programmes in more than 400 cities.

Also, the popular 'Mutual fund sahi hai' campaign has helped bring in a lot of new investors into the MF fold from under-penetrated regions.

The first phase of the campaign started last year with the idea of debunking myths surrounding MFs.

Besides, asset management companies have also increased their footprint in smaller locations.

All these factors, together with a sustained uptick in the market, have helped the cause of increasing the acceptability of mutual funds in these locations.

The Sensex surged about 11 per cent in financial year 2018, and has rallied more than 40 per cent during the four years of Prime Minister Narendra D Modi at the helm.

According to Amfi's recent data, the B30 locations showed an affinity towards equity assets, with 65 per cent of the MF assets from these locations being in equity schemes as of April 2018.

In contrast, just about 36 per cent of the T30 assets were in equity schemes.

The higher concentration of debt assets in T30 locations was due to a higher proportion of institutional participants from these locations, Amfi said.

About 27 per cent of the overall MF assets held by individual investors came from the B30 locations.

On the other hand, just about 7 per cent of institutional MF assets came from B30 locations, and the remaining 93 per cent was from the T30 locations.

Individual investors held Rs 12.07 trillion in mutual funds as of April 2018, an increase of 36 per cent over April 2017.

Direct investments amount to 15 per cent of individual assets -- 3 per cent from B30 and 12 per cent from T30.

Average investment corpus of a retail investor is Rs 79,000, while that of a corporate investor, Rs 22.8 million.

Average ticket size of an equity MF investor is Rs 155,146.

The number of investor accounts has increased to 72 million, of which 67 million belong to retail investors -- those investing less than Rs 500,000.

In December 2014, the investor account count stood at just 40 million.

Among states that top the AUM charts are Maharashtra, Delhi, Goa and Gujarat, the data shows.

Assets managed by the Indian mutual fund industry have grown from Rs 19.11 trillion in April 2017 to Rs 23.21 trillion in April 2018. This represents a 21.4 per cent growth in assets over April 2017.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.comIn May, price growth for drugs was in negative territory at (-)1 per cent

The pharmaceutical industry, after 12 months, bounced back to double-digit growth in May, clocking a 10.8 per cent year-on-year revenue growth, riding on a nine per cent volume growth.

The sector's relatively low growth in a year has been thanks to the transition to the goods and services tax (GST) regime.

The regime had tapered growth to single digits. In May last year, the industry had cut down its inventory days from a normal of 30-45 days to 15-20 days, owing to the shift to the GST regime.

Deepnath Roy Chowdhury, president of the Indian Drug Manufacturers' Association (IDMA), said it was a positive sign that the industry growth was back in double digits.

However, one would keep a close watch the June numbers to see if the trend continues.

The industry is going through challenging times, especially price control measures bear down on industry, he said.

In May, price growth for drugs was in negative territory at (-)1 per cent.

The government is planning to introduce a new price index for pharma products that would determine the prices of all medicines sold in the country, not only those listed in the national list of essential medicines.

Currently, prices of around 850 drugs are capped by the government.

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority revises these prices annually based on the wholesale price index (WPI).

For other medicines, companies can raise prices by 10 per cent every year.

Pankaj Patel, chairman of Cadila Healthcare, felt the double-digit growth is partly because of the low base effect of last May.

"The industry is definitely getting back on a growth path after the GST jitters," he said.

Domestic sales growth had slipped to an eight-year low to 5.5 per cent in calendar year 2017, thanks to the GST impact, delayed product approvals and inclusion of more products under price caps. In comparison to a 10.7 per cent growth in 2016, the industry recorded sales of Rs 1.16 trillion in 2017.

According to AIOCD-AWACS, market research wing of All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), the market touched sales of Rs 105.83 billion in May 2018.



Of therapies, the respiratory segment went up 15.4 per cent on year-on-year basis, while dermatology posted 14.4 per cent growth, anti-diabetes grew 14.1 per cent.

Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/ReutersThe Tata-SIA airline Vistara is gearing up to station an indigenously developed robot, RADA, at its signature lounge at Delhi airports Terminal 3.

Powered by AI, the robot is programmed to scan boarding passes, provide information on the terminal, departure gates, real-time flight status and weather conditions of destination city etc.

And RADA can also entertain people by playing games and multimedia content, says Sangeeta Tanwar.

The global artificial intelligence (AI) in aviation market is expected to be valued at $152.4 million in 2018 and is likely to reach $2,222.5 million by 2025, at a CAGR of 46.65 per cent between 2018 and 2025, according to ResearchAndMarkets.coms Artificial Intelligence in Aviation Market report.

This growth can be attributed to the huge demand for AI technologies to increase efficiency with the help of virtual assistance and training applications.

Airlines in the country have been quick on the uptake.

Take Tata-SIA airline Vistara. In a first for an airline in the country, the company is gearing up to station an indigenously developed robot, RADA, at its signature lounge at Delhi Airports Terminal 3.

Powered by AI, the robot is programmed to scan boarding passes, provide information on the terminal, departure gates, real-time flight status and weather conditions of destination city etc.

And RADA can entertain people by playing games and multimedia content.

The robot, says the company, is aimed to help the airline offer an intuitively thoughtful on-ground service to its customers.

We are experimenting with robotics, AI and machine learning to help eliminate mundane and repetitive activities that our customer service personnel end up doing at the airport on a daily basis.

"The objective is to free up valuable time of our employees by powering routine processes by technology so that they can have a more meaningful and productive interactions with fliers, says Ravinder Pal Singh, chief information and innovation officer, Vistara.

RADA has been conceived, designed and engineered by the companys team of technology experts and apprentices from Tata Innovation Lab. The robot will be pressed into service from July 5, 2018.

Based on the actual nature of conversations that fliers would have with RADA, the airline is prepared to arm the robot with more in-depth AI cognitive and algorithmic abilities.

For example, in future, there could be a use case where a passenger traveling with aged parents may want to know about the nearest medical store accessible to them.

In this case, the robot would be programmed to list out medical stores in the airports vicinity. Or there could be a request for a seat change by a passenger.

It would be left to RADA to put forward the best options available.

Going forward, as RADA gets populated with varying customer queries, the robot will be trained to respond to questions that are not routine and yet are crucial to deliver a satisfying customer experience.

In addition to RADA, the IT team is deploying AI and ML (machine learning) technologies to sharpen its focus on customer service.

One of the key focus areas for the company is customer mining, that is, identifying and targeting potential customers using data science.

Vistaras journey in this direction began much earlier. Vistara routinely scans the social media space or what it calls listen to the chatter to know what fliers are talking about.

The talk could be about their flying experience, quality of customer service or in-flight service.

This chatter could also relate to happiness or unhappiness quotient of fliers.

The objective is to channel the feedback to improve the parameters that seem to be falling short of expectations.

Vistara is also turning to AI and ML to mine new fliers, thanks to their ability to follow a complete decision loop based on observing what people are buying or even talking about.

Based on social chatter, the airline attempts to understand the flying pattern and preferences of potential fliers.

This includes details like when a traveler is likely to plan her next trip, potential places of visit etc.

All this information is collated on the basis of a fliers search history for flights, hotel bookings or random comments and conversations on social media or visits to the companys digital assets.

According to Pal, there are two parts to social media listening -- mapping customer intent and emotion. Intent is relatively easy to guess and it involves establishing fliers intended place of travel, timing, purpose of the planned travel and so on.

Vistara enjoys 73.4 per cent success rate in identifying these elements.

The difficult part relates to identification of the relative emotion of fliers and deciphering it in the right manner.

This is crucial to help improve the required parameters affecting customer service.

The company enjoys a success rate of about 33 per cent on this count.

For example, if social media chatter indicates that a flier is angry, it is crucial to pinpoint the exact pain point and fix it.

Eventually, the airline wants to get to the next level of analytics that can help it correctly target each and every advertising rupee that is aimed at acquiring a customer.

Every innovation in the technology domain has to add up to cost savings and revenue augmentation to drive profitability, says the airline.

Experts say this is just the first step. The real test would be to deploy AI to be able to decide in real time what prices it should place on flights, by observing what external market forces are impacting costs and prices.

Photograph: Kind courtesy, Vistara'If Walmart is a physical retailer, why is it striking a deal with Flipkart for the online space?'

'Its a calculated move to enter Indian retail, something that it could not do via multi-brand route.'

A month after signing the biggest e-commerce deal in the world, Walmart and Flipkart are facing roadblocks that could drastically change the contours of the transaction.

If the Competition Commission of India (CCI) suggests structural changes in the Walmart-Flipkart deal, as indicated by officials, there could be three options before the American retail giant, sources said.

One of the options for Walmart could be to not accept the structural changes suggested by the fair trade regulator, and back out of the deal.

The second option could be to renegotiate the deal at a lower valuation.

And the third could be challenging the CCI ruling in the courts.

Although theres no evidence yet, the Bentonville-based retailer could attempt a solo entry into the Indian e-commerce space, quite like what rival Amazon did five years ago, if Walmarts deal with Flipkart were to fall through, another source pointed out.

On May 9, Walmart had announced its decision to buy 77 per cent in Flipkart for $16 billion.

That the deal was still a few steps away from being sealed was apparent at Walmarts annual shareholders meeting in Arkansas on June 1.

We dont own Flipkart yet, Walmart CEO and President Doug McMillon told the audience when the questions were all around the $16-billion deal, which is pending regulatory approval.

The CCI is the only regulatory nod that the deal would require and Walmart has told the US Securities and Exchange Commission that everything will be completed by the end of the year.

Walmart refused to comment on the issue. However, sources close to the company said that till now the only dialogue they had with the CCI was about giving them basic information on the deal.

The CCI has not sent the company any letter with directions on restructuring the deal, according to these sources.

They also claimed the stake buyout of Flipkart was on track and the integration process was on.

Walmart has faced severe shareholder concern over its decision to acquire a loss-making e-commerce company in India.

So far, Walmarts biggest deal in e-commerce was to invest $3 billion for a Jet.com division. Analysts have maintained that Walmart excessively overpaid for a controlling stake in Flipkart.

In fact, no investor has exited yet, according to another source close to the deal. Nobody has received a cheque from Walmart so far.

There are going to be multiple share purchase agreements that will all be executed simultaneously once the deal concludes.

At that point the shares from Softbank, Tiger, Naspers, Sachin Bansal and a number of other investors in Flipkart will be transferred to Walmart. So till that happens, nobody has exited, he pointed out.

In other words, even if the CCI verdict was to change the direction of the deal or block the transaction, nothing would change materially as shares or money have not changed hands till now.

Commenting on structural changes that CCI may ask for in the Walmart-Flipkart deal, Harish HV, Partner, India Leadership team, Grant Thornton India LLP, said, this seems to be based on protests by wholesale traders to penalise the deal.

There is talk of asking Walmart to set up a fund to help support small retailers, he said.

If that is so, CCI should recommend to government to impose this on all parties Indian and foreign as well as big format retailers. No logic in one company bearing costs.

The other hurdles

CCI is not the only hurdle that Walmart needs to cross. Traders associations representing neighbourhood or mom and pop stores have been agitating aggressively too.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government has been opposed to foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail, thereby keeping the like of Walmart out, the government has not shown any resistance to the Walmart-Flipkart deal.

But Praveen Khandelwal, the most vocal office bearer of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said the government did not have a direct role in the Walmart-Flipkart deal.

According to him, traders, who are planning an all-India protest on July 2, have the backing of powerful people who matter in the current dispensation.

Khandelwal, secretary general of CAIT, said the association would actively take up the matter with CCI, Reserve Bank of India and Enforcement Directorate.

Beyond competition issues, traders are protesting against what they call an unethical deal.

Why is Walmarts entry into e-commerce wrong if Amazon is operating in the same space?

To that, Khandewal said, our objection is against others too. But, traders make an additional point. That, if Walmart is a physical retailer, why is it striking a deal with Flipkart for the online space?

"Its a calculated move to enter Indian retail, something that it could not do via multi-brand route.

Meanwhile, tax authorities are waiting as well to make their demands once theres clarity on the deal structure. Questions are already being posed to the investors.

Photograph: Jim Young/Reuters'Healthcare is so expensive that while it saves lives, it destroys more lives socially and financially.'

'While the poor gets wiped out, a middle-class man goes to a corporate hospital and after the treatment, he ends up below the poverty line.'

'Generally, hospitals would like to have patients who need procedures and operations.'

'They are not so fond of palliative care.'

'How much can be made from one hour of counselling? And how much can be made from one hour of an operation?'

Palliative care, says Dr M R Rajagopal, must not be associated with death. Photograph: Kind courtesy Palliam India

He is called the father of palliative care in India.

He set up the country's first palliative care unit, the Institute of Palliative Medicine in Kozhikode in 1993, at a time when very few in India had heard of palliative care.

He is a crusader, who made morphine-based medicines which is one of the cheapest and the most effective treatment for chronic pain, available to every patient in pain.

It was because of his relentless efforts that Parliament passed an amendment to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in 2014.

On Republic Day, he was awarded the Padma Shri for his untiring efforts in making the lives of the terminally ill peaceful and comfortable.

He is Dr M R Rajagopal.

When Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier met him at the Pallium India care centre in Thiruvananthapuram, the centre were in the process of shifting.

Dr Rajagopal and his staff had been forced to move from a location that was easily accessible to patients to a more interior area. Naturally, the mood at Pallium India was sombre and the staff were a disappointed lot.

After years of unrelenting work to bring palliative care to so many people, Pallium India has no place of its own, and Dr Rajagopal has to spend his time and energy finding new premises for the hospital.

Do you think the Padma Shri, the Government of India honoured you with, will bring attention to the much-ignored field of palliative care?

I hope so.

The home ministry did something very imaginative. They announced a quiz programme on the Padma awardees at the national level. There were hundreds of participants and all of them studied a little bit (about) the awardees to participate in the quiz.

When I went to Delhi, I found a group of youngsters who knew about palliative care because they had read about it to participate in the quiz.

Do you feel palliative care is still unknown in India?

Unfortunately, even today, palliative care is totally unknown in India, even among medical professionals.

Those who know (anything) about it have very erroneous ideas. Even professionals, who have heard of palliative care, have many mistaken impressions.

In our country euthanasia gets discussed often. But not palliative care.

It is not unusual for somebody to come to me and ask to be killed. But the majority sit up and smile the next day.

So, the thought should be how to make life liveable for them.

Yes, there is a small percentage whose life we cannot make liveable.

Is palliative care all about improving the quality of life of a person and alleviating pain?

I am glad you asked this question. Indeed, palliative care is about making life as liveable as possible including permitting death with dignity and comfort.

Unfortunately, even among professionals, it is associated with death.

The direct consequence is very often patients reach me only in the last few days of their lives, having (suffered for years).

The World Health Organisation, in its guidelines, said palliative care should start early in the course of an illness, along with other therapies.

But a majority of medical professionals, even in well-reputed hospitals, do not advise patients to look at palliative care. Why this ignorance?

Only 1 per cent doctors refer needy patients to palliative care.

In most parts of India palliative care is unknown. There are no facilities. That is part of the problem.

One stream of doctors will have to refocus -- like the HIV physicians, cancer therapists and neurologists. They are not only dealing with a tumour or a virus alone. But addressing serious health-related suffering too.

Since the middle of the last century, medicine has included more and more technology and precision in diagnosis.

But once diagnoses depended more on MRI scan and imaging, it also meant the human being got less and less attention.

Gradually, the focus became more on the disease.

I believe palliative care came as a reaction to that.

It evolved first as life care for cancer patients in the UK in the 1960s. Understandably, the focus on dying became quite prominent there.

Later, people started thinking: Why improved quality of life only in the last few weeks of life?

The 1986 definition of palliative care was that it was for those whose disease was no longer responsive to curative care.

Then WHO redefined it in 2002: Palliative care should begin with the treatment and continue with the treatment.

When WHO defines something, the whole world focusses on it. This redefinition became historical.

Unfortunately, 16 years later, the change still has not taken place. (That tells you) a lot about the way the medical system functions.

Being the hand soothing a patient is a keystone of palliative care, says Dr Rajagopal. Photograph: Kind courtesy Palliam India

Is it not the right of a person to have quality of life till he or she dies? Shouldn't palliative care be part of medical education?

Absolutely. I quite accept that education and awareness of medical professionals is a must.

How are we going to achieve that?

It took 19 years for us to make the department of health to bring in a national programme for palliative care.

We still have not been able to make the medical council include palliative care in its curriculum.

You have to look at this issue in another way. All of us are potential patients. It should be something every person thinks about and discusses.

We should think of it from the perspective of the patient and the family members.

I believe health care should be recognised as a partnership between family members and patients.

A person reading this should be able to think: If I have a distressing situation, I shouldn't just look at a cardiologist or oncologist or a neurologist.

I should look for a place where their management should be coupled with palliative care so that if I have a myocardial infraction, the attention should not only be on the coronary arteries, but on my pain and my spouse's suffering outside in the ICU too.

Also, instead of having the companionship of all those machines, if I have a loving hand holding me, how much more relief I get.

Public demand can make many reforms, which a system may not be that willing for or interested in, happen.

Do you feel there is a conflict among the point of view of doctors between curative care and palliative care?

I don't think we should say, from the point of view of doctors.

We should say from the point of view of the healthcare system, which includes the doctors, the (health) minister and, more importantly, includes the industry.

That is because in all these decisions there is an unseen huge influence of the industry. This influence has its positives and many negatives.

The negative is that it has made healthcare so expensive that while it saves lives, it destroys more lives socially and financially.

While the poor gets wiped out, a middle-class man goes to a corporate hospital and after the treatment, he ends up below the poverty line.

Generally, hospitals would like to have patients who need procedures and operations. Then, within a short time, significant profit can be made.

They are not so fond of palliative care.

How much can be made from one hour of counselling? And how much can be made from one hour of an operation?

It is true there is clearly a conflict there.

Today my colleagues and I go about advocating palliative care.

We are looked at as a crazy bunch of people, in some corner, who can be ignored completely. That's the problem.

Palliative care has to be framed as a public healthcare issue.

Demand has to come from the common man.

Palliative care is about making life as comfortable as possible and allowing the person to live as long as possible with dignity, believes Dr Rajagopal. Photograph: Kind courtesy Palliam India

Do you feel patients and their families do not ask for palliative care because they look at it as something to consider closer to death? And they are scared?

It is absolutely true.

For many doctors, patients and families, palliative care means giving up.

You have to educate the public that palliative care is not giving up. It is more about life than death.

It is about making life as comfortable as possible and allowing the person to live as long as possible with dignity.

My group in the USA did an epoch-making study on two groups of people who had cancer -- one group had cancer treatment alone and the other group had cancer treatment with palliative care.

They found that those who had both at the same time, lived three months longer and had better quality of life, with less intensive care.

We have to inform the common man about this.

Because the healthcare system may not give this information to the people.

It was reported that, in 80 per cent of cancer patients in India, cancer is detected only when it is at Stage 3 and Stage 4. Does that not make palliative care all the more important?

Absolutely.

That doesn't mean they do not need disease-specific treatment. They can have that and also palliative care.

Even if it cannot be cured, for example, palliative radiation can be given to make life much more comfortable.

Just as any disease-specific treatment should include palliative care, palliative care will have to include disease-specific treatment too.

Six million people in India require palliative care, it is said. How equipped are we to impart palliative care to such huge numbers?

According to the latest Lancet Commission report, there are close to 10 million people who need palliative care.

The world over, 61 million people experience serious health-related suffering and we have one-sixth of the world's population. That makes it closer to 10 million. The 6 million figure was taken based on the mortality rate.

Are we equipped?

My answer: We can be very easily equipped. It is a low-hanging fruit.

Teaching palliative care is not rocket science.

It is something that can be very easily done by including it in medical education over a few years along with in-service training of medical and nursing professionals.

Is palliative care part of the treatment system in the developed countries?

Palliative care is most developed in some European countries like Germany, France and also the UK.

Australia and New Zealand will come next.

Canada started evolving much later.

In the US, unlike the European countries, most of the growth occurred in this century. But they grew very fast.

Dr Rajagopal says the world over 61 million people experience serious health-related suffering. Photograph: Kind courtesy Palliam India

Because of the non-availability of palliative care, do you think the poor are the worst sufferers?

For all the other problems in this country, that would be true, but not in this.

At least in Kerala, the poor die better.

Once the disease is declared incurable, they go back to their villages and they get some palliative care in Kerala.

Where do the rich go?

Most people, if they have enough money in the pocket, would die horrible lonely deaths in intensive care units. That too, without pain relief.

When the poor man feels his throat is parched, there will be somebody to drop a few drops of water in it.

But the rich man cannot swallow because he has a tube down his throat.

In Kerala, palliative care is available mostly at the primary level and not at the tertiary level.

In a majority of hospitals, death is over-medicalised.

When somebody is dying, attention is given to his blood pressure, oxygen saturation, serum sodium level and they die painful deaths in intensive care units.

You are called the father of palliative care in India. Do you think the Padma Shri will bring more attention to palliative care?

The title of father of palliative care is a misnomer. Honestly.

It was an oncosurgeon, Dr (Luis Jose) De Souza in Mumbai, who actually brought palliative care to India at a time when I had not even heard about it.

The Padma Shri makes it a tiny bit easier to open some doors and get people's attention. It is not as if it is going to have a dramatic impact.

On January 25 it got a lot of attention. But on January 27 everybody had forgotten about it.The Congress president says he was the first one to visit former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the hospital.

IMAGE: Congress president Rahul Gandhi waves as he arrives to attend a meeting with his party workers in Mumbai on Tuesday. Photograph: Shirish Shete/PTI Photo

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of insulting his 'mentor' L K Advani despite Hinduism teaching how a 'guru' was the most important person in an individual's life.

Addressing a rally of party workers in Mumbai, Gandhi said Modi did not treat his guru (Advani) with respect even at official functions.

"Everybody knows who is the guru and mentor of Modi -- L K Advani. But the Prime Minister doesn't accord respect to him even at official functions. It is me who follows protocol and I am always with him (Advani) during (such) events," he said.

"Today I feel very sad for Advani ji. The Congress party has given him more respect than Modi ji has," he said.

The Congress president said his party fought and defeated Advani in 2004 and 2009 parliamentary elections.

"Now it is the Congress and our party's ideology which give respect to Advani," Gandhi said.

Gandhi said he was the first to pay a visit to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee after his hospitalisation on Monday.

"Even when Vajpayee is ill in hospital, I was the first one to visit him, since the Congress believes he has contributed to the country," he said.

However, the Bharatiya Janata Party accused Gandhi of practising the 'lowest form of politics' and said it was bizarre to see the president of the country's oldest party stoop to such a low.

BJP spokesperson Anil Baluni claimed that it was clear that the Congress president has no link with Indian values as he keeps violating political and social norms.

Hitting back at Gandhi, Baluni referred to Congress leaders' criticism of former president Pranab Mukherjee for attending a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh event, and said the country had seen how the party treated one of its veterans.

Congress leaders had torn to pieces clothes of its then president Sitaram Kesari and thrown him out of his office, Baluni said as he cited alleged mistreatment of former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao by his party to make his point. Rahul Gandhi should not lecture us political values, he said.

"The Congress president is practising the lowest form of politics. He is violating our social and political norms. He does not even seem to know the kind of politics he is doing. The country is watching how the president of the oldest political party is behaving," Baluni said.

Addressing a convention of Mumbai booth-level Congress workers on Tuesday, Gandhi accused the Modi government of creating hatred and division in the society and betraying farmers as well as youth in the country.

He also alleged that Modi was a 'chowkidar' only for a handful of industrialists and not the common man. He said that the prime minister feels that he can run the country only with his speeches.

"But now, if you observe him closely, there is fear in his voice. There is even more fear in Jay Shah's father (Amit Shah)... and that is why he is going here and there," he said in an apparent dig at the saffron party's 'contact for support' campaign.

Gandhi expressed confidence that the Congress and the rest of the opposition parties will defeat the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

"In the last four years, the Modi government has created hatred and division in the society. Farmers and youth have been betrayed," he said.

"But the youth will have to be given jobs and farmers' interests need to be protected. The prime minister asks what the Congress has done during it rule... Congress didn't threaten and crush anybody. The party did not divide people over caste, religion and colour.

"Congress just saw if the individual was an Indian and it stood by him. Congress united the country," he said.

Gandhi said the BJP scraped through the Gujarat assembly polls and suffered a defeat in the Karnataka elections.

"Now, the party will not be seen after the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The Opposition led by Congress will defeat the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls," he claimed.

He said a senior opposition leader recently told him that only the Congress could protect the unity and diversity of India.

"The senior leader told me that he had spent 50 years of his political life fighting against the Congress. But now he has realised that in the battle of ideologies, only the Congress could defeat the BJP and the RSS ideology," he said.

When the voices in the audience asked if the leader was L K Advani, Gandhi said, "No it's not Advani."

He said the country had suffered due to the policies of the BJP in the last four years.

Describing the booth workers as 'senapatis' (generals) of the party, he said at the convention that he will ensure that their respect and interests are protected.

"Ask anybody if candidates for Gujarat polls were parachuted from elsewhere. Ask Karnataka Congressmen whether or not their views were considered during the selection of candidates. The party belongs to you and it is your responsibility to protect and propagate the party ideology," he said.

Gandhi also asked the workers to talk to people about promises of Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts, 2 crore jobs annually and good price for farm produce and how the Modi government's decisions like demonetisation, GST rollout had hurt them.

"Talk to people about Doklam, Rafael deal, scams of Piyush Goyal, Jay Shah," he said adding that the Mission Shakti programme is aimed at empowering the party worker and is working well in Rajasthan.

Taking a dig at the media, he said, "Write sometimes about Rafale deal, Doklam. I know you and your higherups are under pressure. When the United Progressive Alliance was in power, you wrote about us openly and criticised us fearlessly."

Gandhi said he plans to create a wall in the new party headquarters in Delhi with the names of matryrs, who laid down their lives for the country, written on it.

"When Savarkar was writing mercy petitions to the British, Congress men and women were serving jail terms," he said.

Gandhi began his 30-minutes long speech with a couple of sentences in Marathi: Majha sarvanna namaskar. Apan sagle kase aahat. (My greetings to you. How are you all?)

Earlier on Tuesday, the Congress chief appeared before a court in Bhiwandi town in neighbouring Thane district in connection with a defamation case filed against him by an RSS worker.

Talking to reporters outside the court, he took a swipe at Modi's radio programme 'Mann ki Baat' and said the prime minister does not speak about 'kaam ki baat' like providing employment to youth or safeguarding farmers.

"Let them (the BJP and the RSS) slap as many cases as they want against me. Ours is a fight of ideology. We will fight them and win," Gandhi said.

On May 2, the court in Bhiwandi had asked Gandhi to appear before it on Tuesday to record his plea in the defamation case filed by RSS worker Rajesh Kunte in 2014.

Kunte had filed the case after watching Gandhi's speech at an election rally in which he had claimed that the RSS was behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi.As many as 62 persons have so far been arrested from different parts of Assam in the brutal killing of two men in Karbi Anglong district and spreading rumours and hate messages on social media that fuelled the sensational incident.

Two friends -- Nilotpal Das, 29, and Abhijeet Nath, 30 -- were on Friday pulled out of their vehicle at Panjuri in Karbi Anglong district and beaten to death by a group of irate villagers, who suspected them to be child-lifters.

The incident was recorded by locals on their mobile phones and circulated on social media.

Protests continued across the north eastern state over the dastardly incident.

Two persons were today arrested, taking the tally of the number of arrests in the case to 26.

Also, 13 persons were arrested on Tuesday for misuse of social media in connection with the killing of the duo, taking the tally of such arrests to 36, an Assam Police spokesperson said.

Seven persons each were arrested from Nagaon and Karbi Anglong districts, six from Sonitpur and three each from Kamrup Metropolitan and Darrang, he added.

Besides, two each from Biswanath, Sadiya and Dhubri have been arrested, while one each from Hojai, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh and Barpeta districts were arrested in connection with spreading rumours on social media, the official said.

The crackdown on the misuse of social media was launched by the police after initial investigations suggested that messages posted on social media about child-lifters entering the state from outside may have led to the lynching episode.

The police have also issued an advisory asking people to refrain from spreading rumours on social media.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Mukesh Agarwal is monitoring the situation on the spot and also the search operations by security forces.

Meanwhile, the Assam government announced to introduce an awareness programme in all development blocks and panchayats of the state in the wake of incidents triggered by rumours and superstition.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal asked the authorities to frame modalities and a roadmap to implement the awareness programme 'Sanskaar' at all levels, in coordination with local bodies, women organisations and media persons.

'Assam is known all over India for its unique hospitality and people coming from all over the country must feel an ambience of friendliness where ever they go in the state,' a release quoting the chief minister said.

Right to Information activist and peasant leader Akhil Gogoi expressed shock over the incident and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the episode.

Earlier in the day, parents of Nilotpal Das urged people to desist from politicising the issue.

'We are grateful to all for extending their support to us in this hour of grief but we appeal to maintain peace and calm,' they said in a statement issued Guwahati.

During the day, protests took place in some places in the state with agitators blocking a road at Hojai by burning tyres. They demanded exemplary punishment to the culprits.IMAGE: Bhaiyyu Maharaj with Union minister of state for external affairs VK Singh. Photograph: @Bhaiyyumaharaj/Facebook

Spiritual guru Bhaiyyu Maharaj, who allegedly killed himself in Indore on Tuesday, enjoyed a large following among politicians.

When Bhaiyyu Maharaj, whose real name was Udaysinh Deshmukh, was injured in a road accident in 2016, among those who came to meet him were Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and then Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel.

This was an indication of the tremendous clout and fan following the 50-year-old model-turned-spiritual guru had among politicians, many of them from Maharashtra.

Bhayyu Maharaj was one of the five 'saints' to whom the Shivraj Singh government of Madhya Pradesh had granted minister of state rank in April.

However, he had refused to accept it, saying "a post holds no importance for a saint".

Past visitors to his 'ashram' at Indore, where he was based, included well-known personalties like Narendra Modi, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Pratibha Patil, Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.

Former Maharshtra Chief Minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said Bhaiyyuji Maharaj would be remembered for the social work he did in the state.

"A lot of political people used to meet him. He was a spiritual person who motivated people to do good. He visited Maharashtra frequently and met a lot of people and was also involved in social work here," Chavan said in his condolence message.

Born in 1968 in a family of agriculturists at Shujalpur in Madhya Pradesh, Bhaiyyu Maharaj was invited by Modi when he undertook 'sadbhavna fast' as chief minister of Gujarat.

In 2011, the then United Progressive Alliance government had deputed him as a mediator to persuade social activist Anna Hazare to call off his fast at the Ramlila ground in Delhi over the Lokpal issue.

Last year, the self-proclaimed spiritual guru courted controversy on his wedding day after a woman, who claimed to be an actress, accused him of "cheating" on her and termed him a "trickster".

Bhaiyyu Maharaj married Dr Ayushi Sharma, a native of Shivpuri, in Indore last year, a year after announcing his intention to take 'sanyas' from public life.

His first wife Madhavi died in 2015.Taking his fight literally to the doorstep of the lieutenant governor, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues dug in their heels on Tuesday and did not leave his office where they have been camping since Monday evening, even as Health Minister Satyendar Jain began an indefinite hunger strike to press for their demands.

IMAGE: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, deputy Manish Sisodia and two other ministers -- Gopal Rai and Satyendar Jain at the L-G's office. On Monday night, the Delhi CM, who is a diabetic, had to take insulin during the sit-in. Photograph: @SudhirBhardwaj/Twitter

The Aaam Aadmi Party government's demands include a direction to Indian Administrative Service officers to end their 'strike' and action against those who have struck work for 'four months'.

The unprecedented move came under severe criticism from the party's opponents, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress.

However, the AAP maintained that their fight would continue and they would not get 'bogged down' till their demands were met. The party also plans to take the protest a step further as it has decided that all its MLAs will march to the L-G's office on Wednesday.

Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, Development Minister Gopal Rai and Jain met Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal at 5.30 pm on Monday and have since stayed on.

After spending the entire night in the anteroom of the L-G's office, Kejriwal also released a video today and said that the AAP ministers had 'no option' but to stage a sit-in as the Lt Governor was not paying heed to the Delhi government's demands 'despite several requests'.

In a tweet, Kejriwal also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 'I am really appalled at LG's stubborn refusal to end IAS strike and his justifications for ongoing strike. Wonder what are PMO's instructions to him,' he said.

It was the first time in the history of Delhi that the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues spent the night at the L-G's office to press for their demands, officials said.

After spending the entire night at L-G's office, in the morning Kejriwal tweeted, 'Satyender Jain starts indefinite fast'. Jain began his fast at the the L-G's office at 11 am.

The L-G, however, did not turn up in his office on Tuesday.

IMAGE: Kejriwal tweeted at 6.27 am from the L-G office, saying My dear Delhiites, good morning. Struggle continues. Photograph: @SudhirBhardwaj/Twitter

On Monday night, the chief minister, who is a diabetic, had to take insulin during the sit-in and got 'specific food' from his home, sources said.

'My dear Delhiites, good morning. Struggle continues,' Kejriwal tweeted at 6.27 am from the L-G's office.

A number of AAP MLAs, party leaders and workers have also camped near the L-G's office and the police have barricaded the area.

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari took to social media to criticise Kejriwal, saying 'Making mockery of Democracy, No Work only Drama (sic)'.

He said 'A new film of Chief Minister is running in Delhi. Its title is 'Chahe Kuch Karlo, Hum Nahin Sudharenge' (Do whatever you wish, We will not change)'.

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken said, 'Is it not Kaliyug, that a chief minister whose attendance at Delhi Assembly is just 10 per cent and who does not go to his office is complaining of non-cooperation of IAS officers.'

Earlier in the video statement released by him, Kejriwal said that the AAP ministers staged a sit-in for the people of Delhi so that their work did not get affected. According to the AAP government, officers have not been attending meetings with the ministers and not picking up their calls due to which the people's work was suffering.

Officers have gone on a 'partial strike' since the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash on the intervening night of February 19-20, it said.

In the video message, Kejriwal said that he and his ministers have been requesting the L-G since February 23 to issue directions to the IAS officers to end their 'strike', but the Lt Governor was not paying heed to their demands.

'Yesterday (Monday), we again met him (Baijal) and told him that he will go from here (L-G office) only after getting our demands fulfilled,' he said.

The chief minister said, "We are not sitting here for ourselves, but we are sitting here for you (Delhiites) and for schools, water, mohalla clinics so that the people of Delhi could get facilities.

'Kejriwal alleged that some of the officers told him that the L-G's office was 'orchestrating' the 'officers' strike' that is why the Lt Governor does not want bureaucrats to end their strike, a charge which was slammed by the L-G's office. The L-G's office said it was one more 'dharna without reason'.

A statement, issued by Baijal's office last evening, stated that the L-G was 'threatened' to summon officers and issue directions to them to end their 'strike' immediately.

In the morning, a letter, signed by Kejriwal, Sisodia, Rai and Jain, was sent to Baijal, asking him to take all necessary steps to end the 'strike' by the IAS officers, including issuing written orders, that all those officers who do not return to work will be proceeded against and 'if necessary, ESMA (Essential Services Management Act) may be invoked'.

However, the officers association has claimed that no officer is on strike and no work has been affected. Delhi's bureaucrats took a step forward today after they used social media to counter the AAP government's allegations that IAS officers were on a 'strike', creating the hashtag '#Delhiatwork NoToStrike' to list the recent work done by them and stress the point that they were all at work.

The AAP government and the bureaucracy have been at loggerheads since the alleged assault on the chief secretary by AAP MLAs at Kejriwal's residence on the intervening night of February 19-20.Donald Trump has met Kim Jong Un, shaking the North Korean leaders hand and posing for the cameras at a historic summit in Singapore.

Trump arrived at the Capella hotel on Sentosa island looking slightly pensive, fiddling with his jacket buttons; Kim appeared relaxed.

The pair greeted each other at a luxury hotel on the island, just off the Singaporean coast, before heading in for talks about denuclearisation.

US President Donald Trump offers North Korea's Kim Jong Un a thumbs-up as they sit down to hold talks. While many would hail this as a historic moment, there were some detractors, with one on Twitter writing, "The man who wouldn't shake the hand of Angela Merkel and called Justin Trudeau 'weak' is giving a thumbs up to a brutal dictator who kills dissidents and even his own family while that same dictator laughs at him." Photograph: @Scavino45/@WhiteHouse/Twitter

Trump, who is 6 foot 3 inches, towered over Kim, who is around 5 foot 7 inches and close to 40 years younger than the US president. Once inside the pair appeared to warm up, smiling as they chatted after their initial handshake. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Trump briefly grabbed Kim's upper arm at the beginning of their handshake and then put his arm on Kim's back to guide them to their meeting room. They then spoke briefly in a corridor before entering their meeting room and both men were smiling as they shook hands again with just two interpreters at their sides. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

If there were tensions between the two leaders, remember the names they called each other -- dotard, there was nothing but smiles on Tuesday. Photograph: Kevin Lim/The Straits Times/Reuters

After their working lunch, Trump and Kim take a brief stroll around the Capella Hotel. The US president said the talks had gone "better than anybody could have expected." Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/ReutersCongress President Rahul Gandhi will face trial in a defamation case filed against him by an Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker, with a court in Bhiwandi in Maharashtra on Monday framing charges against him even as he pleaded not guilty.

The 47-year-old Congress leader appeared before civil judge A I Sheikh in Bhiwandi, who read out the charges levelled against him and also the statement of the complainant Rajesh Kunte.

Kunte had filed the case in 2014 after watching Gandhi's speech at an election rally in which he had claimed that the RSS was behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi.

After reading out the complaint against Gandhi, the judge asked him, "Do you accept the charges?"

To this, Gandhi replied, "I plead not guilty."

The court then proceeded to frame charges against the Congress leader under IPC sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation).

Under section 500, a person found guilty of defamation faces simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.

The court fixed August 10 as the next date of hearing, when the actual trial will begin.

Emerging from the court, Gandhi said if need be, he would be present in the court again.

"Let them (the BJP and the RSS) slap as many cases as they want against me. Ours is a fight of ideology. We will fight them and win," he told reporters outside the court.

On May 2, the court had asked him to appear before it.

Gandhi, who arrived in Mumbai this morning, reached the magistrate's court at 11.05 am amid heavy security cover and was greeted by supporters who raised slogans in his favour.

He was accompanied by Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan and some other party leaders.

In the court room, Gandhi's counsel Narayan Iyer and the complainant's lawyer Dharghalkar argued over the issue of the submissions made by Gandhi in the high court where he had submitted the transcript of his speech made during the said election rally at Bhiwandi on March 6, 2014.

The issue of taking it on record in this court was hotly debated and remained inconclusive.

"As per the charge, you (Gandhi) on March 6, 2014, in a rally held for elections at Bhiwandi, Thane, defamed the organisation to which the complainant belongs," the judge said while reading out the charge.

"Your speech, which was telecast on channels and also published in newspapers, damaged the reputation of the complainant and his organisation and you thereby committed an offence under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," he said.

The judge also read out Gandhi's remarks which he had made at the rally and were cited by the complainant.

Gandhi left the court at 12.15 pm.

"On the next date of hearing, the court is likely to pass an order on whether certain documents, including the transcript of the video recording of Gandhi's speech submitted by the complainant, can be admitted as evidence or not," Iyer said.

Gandhi is not required to appear before the court on the next date of hearing, he said.

The court also allowed an application filed by Gandhi last month seeking a summons trial, which would mean detailed recording of evidence, instead of a 'summary trial'.

While trials in such cases are normally held summarily, Rahul Gandhi filed an application last month seeking for it to be conducted as a 'summons trial'.

"A summary trial is short and will be completed by just submitting the written arguments. We have sought for a summons trial which would go into the in-depth recording of the evidence," Iyer said.

"The case relates to historical facts and hence, we need to rely on several documents and would like to record the evidence of experts," he said.

After the court proceedings got over, Kunte said, "I have full faith in the court and I am sure justice will be delivered."

Rahul had earlier moved the Supreme Court seeking quashing of the case.

The apex court had in July 2016 said he should not have resorted to "collective denunciation" of an organisation, and would have to face trial if he did not express regret for his remark.

The Congress leader had declined to accept the suggestion and expressed willingness to face the trial.

In the court room on Tuesday, Gandhi and the complainant sat at the extreme corners for about one hour while their counsels were examining the documents.

At one point of time, the Special Protection Group officials got annoyed as Gandhi was made to use a toilet, which was in dilipidated condition, instead of taking him to the bar room washroom.

Kunte, on the other hand, alleged that the police had given special treatment to Gandhi while he and his counsel were whisked away and subjected to a thorough checking before they entered the court room.

The road leading to Bhiwandi had huge hoardings which said, 'Rahul Gandhi, Sangarsha Karo'.

The hoardings were later pulled down due to the model code of conduct in place for the MLC elections scheduled for June 25.

Photographs: Mitesh Bhuvad/PTI PhotoOn June 12, history was made when United States President Donald Trump shook hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and had extensive talks at Capella Hotel in Singapore.

However, this meet has come after several twists and turns.

Following is the chronology of key events leading to a historic summit between the two leaders.

IMAGE: South Koreans at at Seoul Railway Station watch on a screen US President Trump meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Photograph: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

March 7, 2017: US President Trump says the nuclear threat from North Korea has entered a new phase, a day after Pyongyang test-launched four ballistic missiles towards Japan.

April 26, 2017: The Trump administration briefs US Congress on its North Korea policy and releases a statement that calls for increasing sanctions pressure on North Korea and working with allies and regional partners on diplomacy.

April 27, 2017: Trump warns that a major major conflict with North Korea, and said that he is seeking a diplomatic solution to the issue.

May 24, 2017: Trump refers to Kim as a madman with nuclear weapons who could not be let to run loose.

June 1, 2017: The US imposes sanctions on individuals and entities linked to North Koreas nuclear and missile programmes.

July 4, 2017: Pyongyang test fires a long-range missile into the Sea of Japan, with some experts stating the missile could potentially reach Alaska, a US state located in the northwest extremity of North America.

August 9, 2017: Tension rises as North Korean threatens to fire ballistic missiles near US Pacific territory of Guam.

September 19, 2017: In his first address to the UN General Assembly, US President Trump threatens to totally destroy North Korea.

September 21, 2017: President Trump issues an executive order imposing additional sanctions on entities that facilitate financial transactions and trade with North Korea.

September 21, 2017: Kim responds to Trumps UN speech with an unprecedented statement under his own name, calling Trumps behaviour mentally deranged and asserting that a frightened dog barks louder.

November 20, 2017: US President Trump officially designates North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism.

December 22, 2017: The UN Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 2397, imposing additional sanctions on North Korea, including cutting refined petroleum imports by nearly 90 per cent.

January 1, 2018: Kim announces in his annual New Year address that North Koreas nuclear forces are capable of thwarting and countering any nuclear threats from the United States.

February 23, 2018: US President Trump announces new sanctions against North Korea, targeting the countrys shipping, trading companies and vessels.

March 8, 2018: The United States and North Korea announce that their leaders plan to meet before June to discuss nuclear disarmament on the Korean peninsula.

March 25, 2018: Kim makes first visit to China to meet President Xi Jinping.

May 8, 2018: Kim makes second visit to China to meet President Xi.

May 8, 2018: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo travels to North Korea to meet Kim in preparation for the US-North Korean summit.

May 9, 2018: North Korea releases three American detainees as a goodwill gesture ahead of a possible summit between Trump and Kim.

May 10, 2018: US President Trump announces he will meet Kim Jong-un on June 12 in Singapore to discuss the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

May 15, 2018: North Korea cancels talks with South Korea scheduled for the next day and threatened to cancel the Trump-Kim summit, citing discontent with US-South Korean joint military drills.

May 24, 2018: North Korea reports that it destroyed its nuclear testing site at Punggye-ri.

May 24, 2018: In a letter to Kim, Trump cancels the US-North Korean summit scheduled for June 12, citing tremendous anger and hostility displayed by Pyongyang.

May 25, 2018: In response to Trumps letter, Kim Kye Gwan, North Korean first minister of foreign affairs, states that North Korea has the intent to sit with the US side regardless of ways at any time.

June 1, 2018: US President Trump takes a U-turn and confirms that he would meet Kim for a historic summit in Singapore on June 12 and that it will be the beginning of a process.

June 10, 2018: Trump and Kim arrives in Singapore for the first meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.

June 11, 2018: Mike Pompeo says US is offering unique security guarantees to North Korea in return for a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation.

June 12, 2018: President Trump and North Korean leader Kim meet for a historic face-to-face summit.Trump announced that US would halt military exercises in South Korea, something widely seen as a concession as Pyongyang has long claimed they are invasion rehearsals.

The president, however, said the sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear tests will remain for now.

IMAGE: US President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un before their bilateral meeting at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on Tuesday. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday pledged to work toward the complete denuclearisation in return for security guarantees from the United States as Donald Trump wrapped up his historic summit with outcomes that could ease tensions and reshape the geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific region.

"Yesterday's conflict does not have to be tomorrows war," Trump said following more than four hours of intense talks with Kim, which he described as honest, direct and productive.

Trump said Kim 'reaffirmed' his commitment to denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and also agreed to destroy a missile engine test site.

IMAGE: Trump speaks while Kim looks at the signed document that acknowledge the progress of the talks and pledge to keep momentum going, after their summit at the Capella Hotel. Photograph: Johnathan Ernst/Reuters

"We are ready to write a new chapter between our nations," Trump told reporters after the much talked about summit -- the first between a sitting US president and North Korea's top leader.

He also announced that he would halt US military exercises in South Korea, something widely seen as a concession as Pyongyang has long claimed they are invasion rehearsals.

The president, however, said the sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear tests will remain for now.

Trump and Kim conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new relations between the two countries and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, according to a joint statement signed by Trump and Kim.

IMAGE: Kim, Trump meet at the Capella hotel. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, the statement said.

It said the two sides committed to recovering POW/MIA (prisoners of war and missing in action) remains including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

The document was signed after the two leaders had a one-on-one meeting, with translators only, followed by an expanded meeting including their top aides and a working lunch at Capella Singapore hotel in Sentosa Island after months of diplomatic twists and turns.

"We signed a joint statement that is an unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of North Korea," Trump said.

WATCH: Trump and Kim share historic handshake

He said the US is prepared to start a new history with North Korea.

"Kim told me that North Korea has already destroyed a major missile engine testing site," he said, without elaborating on it.

In response to a question about denuclearisation, Trump said, "We're starting that process... very quickly."

Trump said there will be a meeting next week to go over the details of the denuclearisation process.

"We are working with the regional countries on getting this deal going. We are sitting with (National Security Advisor) John Bolton next week to go over the details, to get this stuff done. We are working with South Korea, Japan, China to a lesser extent," he said, while addressing an hour-long press conference.

IMAGE: Trump and Kim before their expanded bilateral meeting. Photograph: Johnathan Ernst/Reuters

When asked about North Korea's future economic model, Trump said it is for the country and its people to decide. He pointed out the real estate potential of its great beaches which can be seen on missile test footage.

Earlier, Trump said the summit went 'better than anybody could have expected'.

"We have decided to leave the past behind," Kim said through a translator, after signing the statement.

"The world will see a major change," he added.

Trump said he was very proud of what took place today and the two leaders would take care of a very dangerous problem for the world.

IMAGE: The two leaders shared a 12-second handshake against a backdrop of American and North Korean flags. They then appeared to share a few light-hearted words as they walked down a corridor to the hotels library. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

The 71-year-old Trump said he has developed a very special bond with 34-year-old Kim.

Trump said Kim is a very talented man and he will invite him to the White House at the appropriate time, and he will also travel to Pyongyang at a certain time.

Earlier on Tuesday morning, the summit began with the two leaders arriving separately at the luxurious hotel.

IMAGE: The motorcade of US President Donald Trump travels towards Sentosa for his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Photograph: Feline Lim/Reuters

They walked towards each other, stood face to face for the first time and shared a 12-second handshake against a backdrop of American and North Korean flags.

They then appeared to share a few light-hearted words as they walked down a corridor to the hotel's library.

The two leaders held one-on-one meeting for around 45-minutes with just translators present.

IMAGE: Trump speaks during a news conference after the meeting. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

According to North Korean media, Kim actually arrived at the venue seven minutes earlier than Trump to show respect as it's cultural, the young one should arrive earlier than the elder one.

The red tie that Trump wears may also show some respect to Kim as well, it's the colour that North Koreans like.

Later, they held delegation-level talks. Kim was asked at least three times if he would give up his nuclear weapons. In response, he just smiled.

IMAGE: Chef Abraham Tan of Royal Plaza on Scotts' Carousel restaurant puts finishing touches to his creation, the Trump Kim burger in Singapore. Photograph: Edgar Su/Reuters

"There will be challenges ahead but we will work with Trump. We overcame all kinds of skepticism and speculation about this summit and I believe that this is good for the peace," Kim said.

After the delegation-level meeting, Trump joined Kim for a working lunch which had a mix of Western and Asian dishes, such as Korean stuffed cucumber and beef short rib confit with some Haagen-Dazs ice cream to top things off.

The two leaders then took a post-lunch stroll in the courtyard of the hotel.

On the eve of the summit at Sentosa, the US had offered 'unique' security guarantees to North Korea in return for a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation.Singh and Badami took Waghmare to a corner of the corridor outside, where others have no access, and gave him a lecture.

The conversation was largely inaudible, except for a phrase here or there.

The thrust was unmistakable.

Waghmare had to learn not to give such detailed answers to the defence.

Vaihayasi Pande Daniel reports from the Sheena Bora murder trial.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

Pradeep Waghmare presented himself on Monday, June 11, in court in the Sheena Bora murder trial as himself.

As the man named Pradeep Waghmare.

But being yourself isn't often always what is required of a witness in a courtroom.

A candid, honest, semi-lettered man was whom Waghmare came across to be on Monday, when his cross-examination commenced in CBI Special Judge Jayendra Chandrasen Jagdales Courtroom No 51 at the Mumbai city civil and sessions court, Kala Ghoda, south Mumbai.

Certainly his answers testified him to be that:

He did not vaguely reply, that he could not remember, to too many of the questions.

He had plausible answers for most of the queries put to him.

He did not cleverly dodge any questions.

He seemed to make no attempt to dress up the truth.

He did not suffer from memory loss.

He had no artful replies.

Clean, simple answers were exactly what the former office boy at INX Media Services Pvt Ltd and cleaner of Indrani and Peter Mukerjea's residence at Marlow, Worli, south central Mumbai, delivered up in court on Monday.

And he did an earnest job of it.

Was either the defence or the prosecution happy with that?

Not entirely.

Why?

One of the series of intriguing things you learn about courts, in the one-and-a-half years you have been attending, is that a partially literate person often has another way of answering or comprehending a question. That is because his understanding is altogether different, but neither inferior nor illogical.

But it doesn't always please the defence because they view it as sidestepping a question or prevarication.

For instance when Indrani's trial lawyer Sudeep Ratnamberdutt Pasbola asked Waghmare if he ever received calls in office from Indrani's son, the Guwahati-based Mekhail Bora, he didn't answer the advocate, initially.

Instead he countered Pasbola's question, to the lawyer's irritation, with another question and asked if Pasbola meant in office as in during office hours. Or did he mean while on the office premises. A fair question.

Another phenomenon you have discovered about courts is that the witnesses all must be forgetful smart cookies, offering up implausible answers.



Poor Waghmare just didn't make the cut.

Instead he volunteered, unknowingly, a variety of interesting little tidbits of information, that tossed up a few wrinkles in the prosecution's general narrative on the case.

Like he mentioned that his cellphone instrument, unfortunately for him, had been impounded by the Khar police station, north west Mumbai, because it had the number of a man in Kolkata whom Indrani had wanted him to contact, saved on it.

This emerged when Pasbola happened to ask if the number was still saved on his phone and if he could dial it.

There was, it was also discovered on Monday, no record of the police having taken the phone.

Waghmare added further that the phone was damaged. And Inspector Dinesh Kadam, of that police station, had taken his phone from him and taken it to his office. He didn't remember the CBI asking him about the phone.

Monday's cross examination did not begin at the appointed time of 11 am. It was postponed to 2.45 pm in the afternoon, since Pasbola could not make the morning hearing. At 2.45, Pasbola's colleagues said he was held up in another matter at the high court, but would be in by 3.20 pm.

The court patiently waited for him.

Closer to 4 pm, Pasbola -- whose engagement diary must be an absolute nightmare to juggle, like that of many lawyers -- arrived to open his cross examination.

He appeared, as always calm, cool and collected, never stressed, not a hair out of place.

In the interim, Waghmare, who was wearing a light blue shirt and grey trousers, wandered out of the court for a momentary break.

The judge, who rarely loses his sense of humour or his equanimity, commented in Marathi: "Well now the lawyer is here. But the witness has disappeared."

Waghmare was duly retrieved from wherever he had sauntered off to and the hearing began.

Pasbola started off Waghmare's cross examination by asking how many times the Khar police station had interrogated him.

The office boy said he had been questioned across three different days in August 2015 by Inspector Kadam. But he had not been taken anywhere by the police to identify anything.

He said the CBI had spoken to him just once and recorded his statement on a computer.

Neither the CBI nor the police had enquired of Waghmare what his mobile number had been in 2012.

The lawyer wanted to know the details of Waghmare's numbers.

Waghmare had two numbers because he used a double SIM and he remembered both those numbers, and recited them from memory, unlike other witnesses in the past who could not remember their own phone numbers.

He said one of the numbers got discontinued because it was a pre-paid and he didn't pay the bill.

For Rs 4,500 Waghmare kept the INX office in Thane, outside Mumbai, clean and ran the office errands.

For an additional Rs 3,000 he went, twice or thrice a week, to the Mukerjea's flat in Worli and cleaned up there as well as in their garage.

He had keys to both the flat and the garage. As did, he said, the Mukerjeas' former driver and Accused No 3 Shyamvar Pinturam Rai.

But both of them were never in the flat together, except once.

Waghmare received his monthly emoluments "Sometimes by cheque and sometimes by cash."

He had no fixed hours, he confirmed, at the office, but if there was work he could not go home. He also had no set days of the week for his trips to Marlow.

Pasbola, mystified: "So whenever the mood suited you, you went to Marlow?"

Waghmare: "Yes."

There was a security register at Marlow, for visitors to sign into. But Waghmare never had to or did. He agreed that there was no way of proving his trips to Marlow and it was all about the strength of his word.

The Q and A took place in Marathi with Waghmare simply offering a "Ho (Yes)" or a "Nai (No)" to mostly each question.

He seemed to have a good head for dates. His wife sat in the front row of the court watching the proceedings impassively, offering only a flicker of a smile when Waghmare and Pasbola clashed over the office hours vs office question.

In Thane he shared the office with Indrani's secretary Kajal Sharma and Shyamvar Rai. The office got no visitors, he said.

Rai was already working at INX when Waghmare joined. He and Rai slowly became friends, speaking, he agreed, on the phone "two or three times a day." And they met face to face at the Thane office. Rai even visited Waghmare's home once when his wife was ill with typhoid.

They remained in touch right till August 2015, although the frequency was less after Rai left INX and Indrani's employ in late 2012. And though Waghmare asked him many times, he never got to know what job Rai started, post INX.

Pasbola: "After he left INX where was Rai working?"

Waghmare cheerfully but totally guilelessly: "As a driver."

Pasbola impatiently: "But where?""

Waghmare: "I tried asking him where he was working many times, but he did not give an answer."

In August 2015 Waghmare vouched for the fact that he and Rai spoke multiple times before Rai was arrested, from August 11 onwards.

Pasbola: "You and Rai spoke many times daily, calling each other, sometimes he called you and sometimes you called him?"

Waghmare: "Ho (Yes).

Pasbola: "Daily."

Waghmare fumbled a bit at this point and Pasbola got gruff.

Pasbola bullying: "Barabar? (Correct?)"

Waghmare: "Ho (Yes)."

That was a curious point. And another oddity that Waghmare inadvertently uncovered.

According to the defence, Rai was not arrested on August 21, 2015. The defence have charged that since he was allegedly collaborating with the police, Rai had been held in the Khar police's custody from some days before that.

If that was true, Rai and Waghmare had spoken numerous times when Rai was in custody.

And why had Waghmare and Rai been speaking so often so close to his arrest?

Undoubtedly, Pasbola will return to this point in the days to come.

When it came to Waghmare's acquaintance with the younger Boras, he said he knew of Mekhail Bora and Sheena Bora from 2006.

Pasbola: "When did Mekhail Bora start calling you?"

Waghmare: "2007."

Pasbola did not ask why Mekhail would call him. Another point that will surely be raised later.

Pasbola: "Did he call Shyamvar Rai in the same manner that he called you?"

Waghmare said he had no idea and that he did not mention Mekhail's calls to Rai or Sharma.

And Rai never volunteered any information on Mekhail's calls to him.

Pasbola: "From when did you know that Mekhail and Sheena were Indrani's son and daughter?"

Waghmare, surprisingly answered: "From 2013-2014," because he said Mekhail told him.

Pasbola: "Did you ever call Mekhail?"

Waghmare categorically: "No."

Pasbola: "When did you meet Mekhail?"

Waghmare: "In 2006. Only once."

Pasbola: "When did you meet Sheena Bora?"

Waghmare: "I have never met her."

Then, looking bewildered, he backtracked and Pasbola gave a big grin.

Waghmare: "Once in 2006 and once in 2011."

Pasbola moved his cross examination to Waghmare's trip to Sealdah outside Kolkata in 2014 to collect some medicines for Indrani from a man named Sujit there.

Judge Jagdale puzzled: "Sealdah?"

Pasbola explained: "In Kolkata. A station like Howrah. Like VT and Churchgate are in Mumbai."

The lawyer asked Waghmare if he ever met the mysterious Sujit and if he knew Sujit's address and if he had searched for him in Kolkata.

Waghmare said he had not.

Pasbola pointed out that he earlier said, in his testimony, that he was not able to "locate him there", which suggested he went looking for Sujit.

A noisy skirmish erupted, with CBI Special Prosecutor Kavita Patil taking objection.

Patil successfully pushed home her point that when Waghmare said he was unable to locate Sujit there (Kolkata) it did not imply that Waghmare had actually gone searching for Sujit.

Waghmare said he stayed overnight in Sealdah at a lodge. He didn't remember how much he paid for his boarding and he had received no receipt for his stay there, he averred.

Neither has the police nor the CBI asked about a receipt of his stay there or where this lodge was in their interrogation of him.

The cross examination proceeded to the most significant and ticklish issue of the day -- the apparent random confiscation of Waghmare's cellphone.

Why was the phone seized?

Why was there no record of its confiscation?

One wondered how, at will, the police could so easily take a phone away from a man who must have saved up for many months to buy it.

Pasbola: "The panchnama (the police's investigative report that is verified by witnesses) does not mention that the police seized your mobile?"

Waghmare: "I gave the mobile to the police when I gave them the (Kolkata) ticket and boarding pass."

Pasbola: "Did you tell Singh Sahib (CBI Investigating Officer Kaushal Kishor Singh) that you had a mobile, on which Sujit's number was saved, that was taken by the police?"

Waghamare shrugged indicating it seems he had not.

Pasbola: "Did the police try to call Sujit from your mobile?"

Waghmare: "I have no idea. The police took my mobile and went to the cabin with it."

Pasbola sarcastically: "The great manush Kadam? (That great man Kadam?)"

Waghmare: "Ho (Yes)."

Waghmare, perhaps realising a little too late, the enormity of what he had disclosed, then went off on a tangent, offering that his phone was a "juna (old) mobile" (which was a Samsung; he didn't know the model) and it was damaged and he told the police that if they were able to turn it on and access the number, they were welcome to try.

At this crucial interplay in the hearing it suddenly started to rain.

Given the steamy temperatures that had been plaguing the room since morning, all sets of eyes in court, that were looking steadfastly at Waghmare, including the judge's, moved in swift unison to the window, to check if, hopefully, it was raining.

It was a tiny cloudburst that lasted all of two sad minutes. The heat remained.

Disappointed, all eyes travelled back to Waghmare.

Pasbola, showing Waghmare his panchnama, again probed why the seizure of the phone was not recorded there.

Waghmare unsure and somewhat bewildered: "Aathvath nahi (I can't remember)."

In the back, Indrani, sitting between Peter and former husband Sanjeev Khanna in the accused box, wearing a full-sleeved white kurta and salwar matched with a green chunni and bindi, trilled, with an incredulous giggle: "Aathvath nahi??

The hearing ended there, to be resumed on Tuesday afternoon.

Waghmare and his wife, who was wearing a light blue kurta and a white churidar, were set to leave. They were asked to wait.

There was some general confusion as lawyers and the police were all trying to exit the room together.

The police were keen to take the accused back to jail as quickly as possible. The accused were not keen to go.

The police got their way, to the lawyers' ire, even after appealing to CBI Special Prosecutor Bharat Badami.

Peter, as he was being borne quickly away, was instructed to write a letter of complaint to the judge saying he had not been allowed to see his advocates by the prosecution.

Singh and Badami subsequently took Waghmare to a corner of the corridor outside, where others have no access, and gave him a lecture.

The conversation was largely inaudible, except for a phrase here or there.

The thrust was unmistakable.

Waghmare had to learn not to give such detailed answers to the defence.

Instead, he needed to answer questions put to him with those more common and handy phrases from the witnesses' lexicon: "I don't remember" or "I don't know."

The meek-looking simpleton of Waghmare looked a bit troubled.

A sad, uncomfortable expression was writ large across his trusting face, as he attempted to comprehend these fresh instructions.

In all probability the Pradeep Waghmare who takes the witness stand on Tuesday will not to be anything like the Pradeep Waghmare of Monday. He will not be himself.

Along with Waghmare, Tuesday, Amnesia may once again skip gleefully into the courtroom and have a field day.Reedies Flourish With Fulbrights

Bumper crop of Reed grads win Fulbright fellowships.

By David James 19 |

For the third time in Reeds history, six grads have been selected for Fulbright scholarships and will travel to countries including Russia, Morocco, and Latvia.

The largest exchange program in the country, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers research, study, and teaching opportunities in more than 140 countries to recent graduates and graduate students. Every year the program awards approximately 8,000 grants, with roughly 1,900 of those going to U.S. students.

As a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, Dylan Holmes 17 will be a teaching assistant at a Moroccan university. He is also looking forward to volunteering at Moroccan film and visual arts cultural heritage organizations.

Brandon Marrow 18, also the recipient of an English Teaching Assistantship, will be at the Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University in Novosibirsk, Russia. In addition to teaching English, he said, I will provide various lessons on American culture to Russian and international students who will go on to teach English themselves. Brandon said that he couldnt have applied and lasted the eight-month wait without the help of Michelle Johnson of the Center for Life Beyond Reed and fellow alum Erin McConnell 16.

Timmy Straw 18 received a Fullbright Research Award along with the Critical Language Enhancement Award, given to Fulbright recipients to facilitate a greater depth of language learning in their host countries. Based in Moscow, Timmy will be researching the the role of poetry in contemporary Moscowin particular its relationship to Soviet and post-Soviet official and unofficial historiesand will be translating selected works of the contemporary Moscow poet Maria Stepanova. Stepanovas poems are particularly attentive to what scholar Marianne Hirsch calls postmemory, the afterlife of historical catastrophe in the cultural and private unconscious.

Ophelia Vedder 18 received an English Teaching Assistantship in Madrid, Spain, and while there is looking forward to learning more about Spanish folk dancing.

Aja Procita 18 will be journeying to Latvia to be an English teaching assistant. At Reed, she gained experience as a science and math teaching assistant and is excited to take those skills abroad. Latvia has a unique cultural history and language which I'm looking forward to learning more about, she said.

Genevieve Ward 15 will head to Bulgaria to research Ottoman architectural legacies in Bulgarian historiography.

More than 100 Reedies have received Fulbright scholarships since the program was founded in 1946, averaging about one and a half Reed students who teach or do research via a Fulbright each year. Six Reedies were previously awarded Fulbright scholarships in 2005 and in 2011.

Tags: Alumni, Awards & Achievements, International, Life Beyond Reed, StudentsI am honoured to address the Security Council today on the topic at the heart of the ICRC's mission and mandate, and at the centre of all aspects of our daily work in armed conflicts around the world.

My wish is that  for once  we could discuss protection of civilians in a positive and celebratory tone. That we could say the impressive progress, and that we could talk about the impressive progress, on the normative and policy fronts is finally matched by action on the ground. That would be our wish. But sadly, we can't. Once more the gap between the two remains enormous. And the reality on the ground is characterised by a dire lack of protection.

We all know what that reality looks like. It is the child left orphaned and permanently disabled after the family home was hit in an air strike. It is the doctor threatened by fighters for treating someone from the "other side." The detainee languishing in an overcrowded jail with no procedural safeguards. Or the woman living in torment for decades without news of her missing husband. And it is the countless men, women and children suffering the long-lasting consequences of armed conflicts in every region of the world, each with their own tragic story.

Our focus here today  as always  is how best to respond to such terrible suffering, and how to prevent it from happening in the first place. How to close the gap between words and action and actually protect civilians.

Our basic message is simple and very clear: the single most effective way to reduce suffering in war is to uphold the fundamental principle of humanity. The most important tool for achieving this is already in our hands. That tool is international humanitarian law, which is designed to respect and preserve life and dignity even in the worst situations.

Equally clear is that primary responsibility for respecting international humanitarian law  and ensuring respect  falls to States.

There can be no excuse and no exceptions to the applicability of the law. No matter how complex, protracted or fragmented an armed conflict may be. No matter what labels or designations are given to the parties.

What we often see is States and their partners claiming they are fighting individuals designated as "terrorists" or "foreign terrorist fighters," sometimes including children, rather than a conventional enemy. That international humanitarian law does not apply, or applies differently somehow.

There is also a general trend of denial of responsibility for international humanitarian law violations, including for direct or proxy partners  or of passing responsibility to someone else down the line. This only increases the climate of impunity and ultimately causes yet more suffering.

Let us be very clear. International humanitarian law protects everyone who is not  or no longer  taking part in hostilities. Exceptional behaviour by one side  even including large scale violations of international humanitarian law  can't justify an unlawful response. On the contrary, States must not only respect international humanitarian law, they must also influence those they partner with or support, to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law.

In many of the ongoing armed conflicts we see in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere, belligerents receive significant support from States  for example in the form of logistical support, training, financing, or partnered operations. States that supply belligerents with weapons have a special responsibility and are particularly influential, as they are providing the means by which violations may be committed. The message must be clear: there will be no support without compliance with the law.

Failure to follow the rules  essentially a failure of humanity  results in much of the suffering that we see every day in our work. I would like to highlight four ongoing issues that we find of particular concern, with clear recommendations for improving the situation on the ground.

The first issue  which echoes the concerns of the Secretary-General  is the enormous impact on civilians of the use of heavy explosive weapons in populated areas. Working on the frontlines of armed conflicts as we do, the ICRC sees close-up the often-devastating humanitarian consequences of these weapons  in Syria, in Iraq, in Yemen, in Ukraine, in Afghanistan, in Libya and elsewhere.

With conflicts becoming more urbanised and protracted, these consequences are becoming more widespread and are lasting longer, sometimes for generations. This is not only in terms of traumatic loss of life, livelihoods, infrastructure and services, but also the deep mental scars.

The obvious solution lies in changing behaviour. In view of the unique vulnerabilities of civilians living in population centres, it is crucial that parties to armed conflicts reassess and adapt their choice of weapons in urban warfare. To this end, we once again urge States and parties to armed conflicts to avoid the use of explosive weapons that have wide area effects in densely populated areas. This "avoidance principle" suggests a presumption of non-use of such weapons due to the high risk of indiscriminate effects and of consequent harm to civilians.

Damage and disruption to essential services brings me to the second main issue of concern  the protection of health care.

Security Council resolution 2286 was a very significant first step towards better implementation of existing international humanitarian law on medical care in armed conflict.

However, during the two-year period since its adoption, from May 2016 to April 2018, the ICRC recorded over 1,200 incidents of violence against health care in 16 countries: health workers killed, threatened, kidnapped; ambulances obstructed; medical supplies destroyed or prevented from crossing front lines; hospitals bombed or looted.

The gap between words and action is rather dramatic. It is imperative that all States  not only parties to conflicts  uphold international commitments and make the protection of health care a national priority. One of the best ways to do so, we believe, is to focus on national and regional initiatives, including the exchange of best practices between States.

More specifically, we would urge all States to take the following five priority measures:

First one: review their military doctrine, procedures, planning and practice to protect medical care in the conduct of military operations.

Second: ensure their domestic legislation enables health care professionals to carry out their work impartially and safely, in line with IHL and medical ethics.

Third: ensure conflict-specific training and support for health care professionals, and capacity-building and preparedness of health care systems.

Fourth: gather good quality data to develop better tools to prevent violence from happening and mitigating its consequences when it does.

And five: support behavioural change initiatives and other means of awareness-raising aimed at increasing respect for health care workers in general so that they can work in safety even under the most difficult circumstances.

The third issue, Mr President, of concern I'd like to highlight today is deprivation of liberty. The ICRC visits hundreds of places of detention in conflict zones around the world every year. In many, the use of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is the norm, with dramatic consequences on detainee physical and mental health. Severe overcrowding is also common. This is often due to a high incarceration rate, shortcomings in the judicial process and limited infrastructure.

All too often, places of detention are inhumane and unmanageable. In the long run this has negative repercussions on society as a whole, fuelling cycles of conflict and abuse.

So how can this be remedied? States have an obligation to respect human dignity at all times, including in temporary places of detention. Prison infrastructure needs to be planned in line with the Nelson Mandela rules. Detention staff should have the training, capacity and independent oversight to manage places of detention, humanely and adequately. Judicial guarantees and procedural safeguards must be enforced rapidly after capture or arrest, in keeping with the relevant law.

ICRC's visits to places of detention in conflict zones can play a critical role in ensuring that detainees are treated humanely. We therefore call on States and other parties to armed conflict to grant the ICRC access to places of detention.

The fourth  and final  issue is the many people who go missing in armed conflict. No one can even be sure how many people are affected. If we just look in Iraq alone, for example, estimates on the number of missing persons from past and current conflicts range from 250,000 to 1 million. Just for Iraq alone. The plight of these people, and their families, can go on for many years, even decades.

People have the right to know what happened to their missing relatives. International humanitarian law contains a range of provisions to prevent people from going missing in armed conflict and to account for those who do. Parties to conflict have an obligation to provide information and make efforts to put families back together, no matter who they are and where they come from.

The way in which cases of missing persons are handled can have a long-term impact on reconciliation, on stability and on peace. For better or worse. We can help. We can support parties to conflict to fulfil their obligations, which will in turn help people to rebuild their lives.

This year, we are launching a four-year project with a global community of practitioners to develop professional standards and practices to improve the response to missing persons and their families.

Mr President, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

Despite this gloomy picture, it would be wrong  and indeed dangerous to believe  that international humanitarian law is always violated and is therefore useless. Any normalisation of violations could have a terrible impact on those affected by armed conflict. Conversely, we believe that a more positive focus on international humanitarian law can actually strengthen compliance.

While we are rightly concerned by violations of the law, we must equally recognise the many positive examples of respect. These, of course, rarely make the headlines.

To this end, the ICRC is currently undertaking the International Humanitarian Law in Action project to collect and promote evidence-based examples of respect for the law from parties to conflict around the world. This, we hope, will reaffirm and strengthen the positive impact of international humanitarian law in today's armed conflicts.

Mr. President,

In conclusion, there is clearly still a long way to go before the various normative and policy achievements regarding protection of civilians are felt where they really matter. Not on paper, but on the ground.

The ICRC therefore urges States to take decisive action in the four particular areas that I highlighted. To avoid the use of heavy explosive weapons in populated areas. To counter a wide range of threats to health care. To ensure humane treatment and conditions of detention for all detainees. And to commit to preventing people from going missing and properly accounting for those who do. This means not just States themselves, but their partners and proxies too.

We stand ready to guide and support States and other stakeholders to take practical measures to achieve these goals.

Action in these four areas would go a long way towards ensuring better protection of civilians in armed conflicts everywhere. And it would do much to restore faith in our common humanity.Misery as Strategy: The Human Cost of Conflict

Publisher International Crisis Group (ICG) Author Caroline Flintoft Publication Date 31 May 2018 Cite as International Crisis Group (ICG), Misery as Strategy: The Human Cost of Conflict, 31 May 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5b1fad9e4.html [accessed 16 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.

31 May 2018

Misery as Strategy: The Human Cost of Conflict

In conflicts across the world, levels of displacement and hunger are increasing. The tactics used by leaders, governments and non-state armed groups have much to do with that misery.

From Syria to Yemen, from South Sudan to Venezuela, war and political crisis are causing human anguish on a scale unseen in a generation.

That conflict and crisis take a high human toll is hardly new, of course. Yet the scope of suffering today is striking. The number of people displaced globally by conflict and persecution stood at 65.6 million at the end of 2016, the greatest number since World War II. Figures released earlier this month show that there were 11.8 million new internal displacements in 2017, nearly double the 6.9 million in 2016. The number of people facing acute hunger globally due largely to conflict and instability reached almost 74 million across eighteen countries in 2017. The trend is clear: war and crisis are destroying more lives and livelihoods, pushing more people toward starvation and driving more people from their homes.

So, what is happening?

From Syria to Yemen, from South Sudan to Venezuela, war and political crisis are causing human anguish on a scale unseen in a generation.

First is simply that the last decade has seen an increase in conflict and political violence. While data and definitions vary, and data deficiencies and gaps exist, studies generally point to upward trends.

But deepening human misery comes not only from more war and violence. It also comes from the manner in which many actors  whether leaders, governments or non-state armed groups  are pursuing military and political objectives. Too often these actors gain from human deprivation. Sometimes they deliberately inflict pain on civilians, attacking, forcibly displacing or otherwise controlling populations, including by determining whether, where and how they get access to aid. At other times, they use heavy-handed military or political tactics without attention to the enormous suffering they are causing.

In wars, these patterns track broadly with violations of the fundamental principles, under international humanitarian law (IHL), of distinction between civilians and combatants, and of proportionality in carrying out attacks. Whether observance of IHL has in fact declined in recent years is difficult to measure and subject to debate. What is clear is that many of today's conflicts  certainly major wars but also lower-intensity armed conflicts  have seen shocking and repeated violations of the rules that are meant to protect civilians in war.

Deepening human misery comes not only from more war and violence. It also comes from the manner in which many actors [...] are pursuing military and political objectives.

This instrumentalisation or disregard of civilian harm is clearly in evidence in some of today's worst conflicts, from Yemen to Syria to South Sudan. Such disregard is also a worrying feature of many political and socio-economic crises that fall short of armed conflict yet still produce large-scale humanitarian crises, like that of Venezuela.

Yemen and Syria

Yemen is in the throes of regionalised civil war that pits Huthi rebels against a Saudi-led coalition, allied with the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and a variety of anti-Huthi fighters, who at times fight each other. The U.S., with other Western powers, backs the internationally recognised Hadi government and provides military assistance to the Saudi-led coalition. The main protagonists all have used tactics that exact a terrible human cost. All sides have exacerbated a humanitarian crisis on an astounding scale: over 22 million Yemenis, 75 per cent of the population, need humanitarian assistance; some 8.4 million are on the brink of famine. But the Saudi-led coalition  because of its superior firepower and ability to control the land and sea approaches to Yemen, which has long depended on imports for food, medicine and fuel  bears particular responsibility.

The Saudi-led coalition's bombing campaign has destroyed hospitals, schools and homes and resulted in untold civilian casualties. By hindering access to Yemen's most important port, Hodeida, and closing Sanaa's international airport (both in Huthi-controlled areas)  arguing that these restrictions are necessary to stem the flow of arms from Iran to Huthi fighters  it has prevented millions from receiving the food and other supplies they need to survive.

After completely closing Hodeida port in response to a Huthi missile fired at Riyadh in November 2017, the coalition partially lifted the blockade the following month. That move has alleviated Yemen's plight to some extent. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also announced a $1.5 billion contribution to UN humanitarian efforts. Yet aid is a stopgap measure that cannot be a substitute for commercial imports. Both humanitarian and commercial imports into Hodeida remain well below the needed levels, due to the coalition's continued restrictions and related bureaucratic hurdles. As it presses on with its military campaign along the Red Sea coast, the coalition threatens to worsen matters greatly with an invasion of Hodeida, as Crisis Group recently warned.

The war in Syria also has seen horrendous human suffering as a result of actions by all sides, none more consequential than those of President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The regime has repeatedly used tactics that deliberately harm civilians for political and military gain. Its core strategy in taking back opposition areas has been to drain them of resources, degrade infrastructure and target civilians and rebels alike, in order to drive those who oppose it out and leave no option other than submission to regime authority for those who remain. The aim is also to send a clear message about the price of resistance.

Tactics include controlling whether and how humanitarian aid reaches civilians in need, now numbering some 13.1 million overall  roughly two thirds of the population that remains in the country and a proportion equivalent to over 50 per cent of the pre-war population. These numbers include over six million facing acute food insecurity and over two million in UN-declared besieged and hard-to-reach areas. The regime has undercut the UN's humanitarian agencies, placing excessive strictures on their work, and regularly denies them access to civilians in even the most desperate straits.

Backed by Russian air power, government forces have bombed civilians and civilian infrastructure  including schools and hospitals  in rebel-held areas. They have also used chemical weapons against civilians. All of these tactics were on display as the regime squeezed the rebel-controlled Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta. The regime benefits substantially from this strategy, while diplomatic support from Russia mitigates the costs and protects it from external consequences. The strikes by the U.S. and its allies in retaliation for the government's chemical weapons attack in Eastern Ghouta on 8 April may discourage such attacks, but are unlikely to change the regime's broader calculations regarding the use of tactics that target civilians.

Rebel groups notably have carried out their own atrocities and sieges of civilian areas, if not on the same scale as the regime. Meanwhile, the Islamic State (ISIS) has used chemical weapons, albeit on a much smaller scale than the regime, and mass executions in areas under its control.

South Sudan and Venezuela

In South Sudan, too, parties to the civil war use tactics that either deliberately cause human suffering or show insufficient regard for their humanitarian impact.

Government troops, rebel forces and armed groups of all stripes have repeatedly attacked civilians or, through raiding and pillaging, left them without the means of sustaining themselves. As Crisis Group explained in a briefing on conflict and famine last year: "Warring parties tend to view civilians as integral elements of their enemy's economic, political and social support system. This is particularly evident during incidents of revenge violence, when civilians are likely to be treated not as distinct and protected but as part of an armed group".

Armed groups often try to direct aid to populations they control, while seeking to withhold it as a way to punish or demand the loyalty of populations they perceive as supporting their enemies. The government itself has sought to deny aid to populations under rebel control as a means of pressuring them to accept peace on the government's terms (though aid groups usually have been able to negotiate access eventually).

Harassment of and attacks upon aid workers are common. Such incidents are aspects of a broader "scorched earth" approach to fighting that does not spare aid operations, medical facilities, religious institutions or schools. Fighters often double as bandits and, given the economic crisis, humanitarian aid is one of the few assets available to steal. Lawlessness, in the form of attacks on aid convoys and roadblocks set up to extort agencies, also contributes to the need for expensive airdrops of food  reducing the amount available for hungry civilians.

The peak of the annual "lean season"  when families run out of food before the next harvest  is expected over the next three months. Millions already face acute food insecurity. If South Sudanese armed actors do not create a more conducive environment for aid delivery and donors do not increase their contributions for humanitarian efforts, parts of the country risk sliding into famine this year.

Venezuela's humanitarian crisis stems not from war, but from political crisis and malfeasance, as illustrated in a recent Crisis Group report. With the economy in freefall, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans are fleeing poverty, hunger and deadly disease epidemics.

Yet President Nicolas Maduro's increasingly repressive government rejects economic reform, fearing such measures would threaten its grip on power and resources. Current economic policies  including price and currency controls, state subsidy and rationing of food, and expropriation of commercial assets  directly benefit key constituencies in the regime, above all the military. Reversing those policies would threaten these interests.

The regime also denies the humanitarian crisis exists, denouncing reporting of the situation as part of an "imperialist" plot. It refuses foreign humanitarian support; the delivery of aid, it argues, could presage a military intervention (that hardline elements of the opposition call for such a move under the slogan "humanitarian intervention NOW" hardly helps).

The government has failed to release reliable economic, health and other statistics. For instance, it suppressed information about an outbreak of diphtheria  a disease once eradicated in Venezuela  which has been reported in 22 of the country's 23 states and the capital district, and taken over 140 lives since late 2016. It also links social benefits, including the distribution of food and other goods, to political loyalty, thus seeking to retain the support of a core segment of the population.

A group of Venezuelan NGOs has proposed a mechanism for the government to work with them and UN officials in overseeing the distribution of aid, to help guarantee that it is not politicised. But the government has not responded. And last month it said it will distribute eleven million doses of vaccines for children only to holders of the carnet de la patria, an identification card that individuals must obtain to receive subsidised food handouts and other social benefits. The government also has linked the card to the voting process, causing many to fear that their benefits are contingent on support for the ruling party, including in this month's elections for the presidency and regional legislatures, which saw Maduro win by a wide margin amid condemnation by the U.S. and regional powers.

Venezuela's neighbours are left to cope with the consequences. Colombia now hosts an estimated 800,000 Venezuelans, 450,000 of whom are believed to be staying in the country without residency papers. Many, especially those with limited funds, are concentrated in the border city of Cucuta, compounding the poverty, urban sprawl and unemployment that already existed there. With Colombian armed groups competing for control of lucrative smuggling routes along the border, the spillover could endanger the country's fragile peace process.

A Higher Tolerance for Violence?

As these cases illustrate, the deliberate harm of civilians or the use of tactics with scant regard for human suffering are all too common across today's landscape of war and crisis.

All the more disconcerting is that state parties and their allies almost certainly shoulder the lion's share of blame.

It is difficult to generalise about reasons for this trend  in other words, to identify the geopolitical currents that underpin the widespread use of tactics that target or otherwise harm civilians. The conflicts are diverse as are the states involved. Indeed, it is debatable whether parties are more likely to resort to the use of such tactics today or whether their use is simply more prevalent because conflict has increased. Greater visibility of such tactics, given expanded media coverage, may also contribute. But a handful of factors appear to have helped create an international environment permissive of such abuse.

The first follows from the protracted nature of many conflicts. While today more wars tend to be intrastate, most involve outside powers and an array of non-state armed groups. It is hard to find a settlement that meets the interests of the warring parties  from the major or regional powers involved, to national actors, to local commanders that may have direct access to revenue streams and thus considerable autonomy. Violence often spreads across wide swathes of the country, leaving few areas unaffected and few safe havens for civilians. Warfare is increasingly urbanised, with non-state armed groups embedded in the general population, which also means fighting exacts a higher civilian cost.

In some cases, as wars drag on, growing hatred and resentment, the desire to avenge abuses and, in many instances, the wish to protect financial interests that instability sustains tend to increase incentives on all sides for more brutal forms of violence, or tactics that result in greater civilian harm. In wars characterised by mass atrocities from the beginning, the behaviour of belligerents rarely improves during the course of the conflict. Indeed, parties often point to excesses by their opponents to justify their own.

Second, mounting geopolitical tension, including among major powers, is likely to have contributed. Major powers tend to pull their punches on abuses by allies, while reserving the harshest criticisms for their enemies. Witness, for example, the disconnect in the UN Security Council on Syria and Yemen. Western powers regularly  and rightly  condemn mass violence by the Assad regime and its Russian and Iranian backers. But their voices are considerably quieter on the Saudi-led coalition's bombing campaign in Yemen. Russia, meanwhile, has tried to shift the blame for chemical weapons attacks by the Syrian regime to rebels, exploiting the fact that ISIS has also used poison gas, and has protected Damascus from consequences  including by pulling the plug on the UN/Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Joint Investigative Mechanism, mandated to determine responsibility for chemical weapons attacks, after that body found the regime responsible for the April 2017 Khan Sheikhoun attack.

Last, it is difficult to escape the fact that a decade and a half of post-9/11 Western counter-terrorism operations have played some role, albeit difficult to define precisely. Fairly or not  and undoubtedly in the service of self-interest in many cases  leaders across the world have interpreted these operations, and the militarisation of what tends to be a political problem, as a signal that draconian tactics are more permissible against their own enemies. Russian diplomats frequently cite the destruction of Mosul or Raqqa, for example, to deflect criticism of the Syrian regime's brutal operations in eastern Aleppo or Eastern Ghouta.

Whatever the precise causes, the pervasive use of tactics that cause such civilian suffering  whether deliberately or through calculated disregard  should be a cause for alarm. It is not just a moral concern. While such tactics might serve the immediate interests of some leaders, governments or militias, the massive humanitarian crises they provoke can themselves be sources of instability and recurrent conflict. At a minimum, they inject further uncertainty into wars and crises that are already difficult to resolve. Without redoubled efforts to forge political solutions, today's overwhelming levels of displacement, the destruction of cities, homes and infrastructure, and the hunger, destitution and trauma, likely will only grow.RUSSIA: Further raids, arrests of Jehovah's Witnesses

Publisher Forum 18 Author Victoria Arnold Publication Date 6 June 2018 Cite as Forum 18, RUSSIA: Further raids, arrests of Jehovah's Witnesses, 6 June 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5b1fb6144.html [accessed 16 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.

6 June 2018

RUSSIA: Further raids, arrests of Jehovah's Witnesses

Law enforcement agencies launched multiple armed raids on Jehovah's Witnesses' homes in four further regions. Long interrogations followed, including of an 83-year-old woman. Courts put another five people in pre-trial custody as they face criminal investigation. Twelve Jehovah's Witnesses are now behind bars, with at least 30 facing criminal cases.IHL & the protection of migrants caught in armed conflict

Publisher International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Publication Date 4 June 2018 Cite as International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), IHL & the protection of migrants caught in armed conflict, 4 June 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5b1fc32c4.html [accessed 16 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.

IHL & the protection of migrants caught in armed conflict

June 4, 2018 In the wake of the 2016 New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, this year marks the final phase of the process leading to the adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. As the international community gathers to respond to large-scale movements of people, the focus has been primarily on the departure of migrants from their countries of origin and on their arrival in countries of destination, notably in Europe and North America.[1] However, the challenges faced by migrants along the route, including in transit States or in third countries where they reside, is often overlooked. In particular, the plight of migrants caught in situations of armed conflict should not be forgotten.

Armed conflicts are a major driver of forced displacement and respect for international humanitarian law (IHL) can contribute to preventing and minimizing it. However, the role of IHL extends beyond its preventive role. Migrants, including those who left a safe place voluntarily, may find themselves living in or crossing through countries affected by conflict at different stages of their journey. In these situations, migrants, like the rest of the civilian population, endure great difficulties. As foreigners, however, they may face additional vulnerabilities, for instance in accessing basic services or being subjected to restrictions of personal liberty. For migrants caught in armed conflicts, IHL provides important legal protection and helps bridge protection and assistance gaps.

The following 4 key points highlight the relevance of IHL for migrants in these situations.

1. Migrants are entitled to protection under IHL in international and non-international armed conflicts

Although IHL does not contain specific rules about migration or about the protection of migrants as a category of persons, they are not left outside the scope of its rules. To determine their protection, migrants must be positioned within IHL rules. This means, first of all, classifying the type of conflict in which they find themselves and then secondly determining whether they are 'civilians' or 'combatants'/'fighters'. As most migrants will be considered civilians under IHL, the rules providing protection to the civilian population will be the focus here (although migrants who are not civilians are also addressed by IHL).

Migrants are covered by IHL rules providing protection to the civilian population in both international and non-international armed conflicts. This protection is two-fold. First, migrants are entitled to protection from the effects of hostilities. Notably, this means that they, as civilians, cannot be targeted, unless and for such a time as they take a direct part in hostilities. It also means they are protected against indiscriminate attacks and the use of starvation as a method of warfare, among other rules. Second, like all civilians, migrants must be protected when in the power of a party to the conflict.

As a starting point, IHL requires that parties to a conflict treat all civilians without 'adverse distinction'. Consequently, IHL confers protection on migrants, irrespective of whether they are considered 'regular' or 'irregular' migrants. Although, in certain instances, IHL rules do specifically provide for differentiated treatment, this is to address the different situations and needs of the individuals protected rather than to treat them adversely. Under customary IHL, the prohibited grounds of 'adverse' distinction include race, colour, religion, language and national origins, all of which may be relevant for migrants. Consequently, migrants who are civilians for the purposes of IHL should not be treated any differently than other civilians based on the sole fact that they are migrants.

2. In international armed conflicts migrants may enjoy differing layers of protection

The IHL regime governing protection in international armed conflicts is based on status. This means that, as civilians, migrants may enjoy differing layers of protection depending on whether they also qualify for the status of 'protected persons' and/or are considered 'refugees' as defined in the relevant treaties.

Migrants enjoy protection, first and foremost, under the general rules of IHL covering the civilian population contained in the Fourth Geneva Convention (GC IV) and in Additional Protocol I (AP I). These rules provide minimum safeguards against the 'sufferings caused by war' for all migrantsincluding nationals of an 'enemy' Stateirrespective of their nationality (Part II of GC IV). Migrants may also be protected, for instance, by provisions relating to missing and dead persons (Part II, Section III of AP I), rules on relief in favour of the civilian population as well as on the treatment of persons in the power of a party to the conflict (Part IV, Sections II and III of AP I respectively). Importantly, migrants who do not benefit from more favourable treatment under the Geneva Conventions or AP I will, at the very least, be entitled to the fundamental guarantees contained in Article 75 of AP I, which are recognized as customary rules.

Beyond these rules, migrants may also enjoy special protection as aliens in the hands of a party to the conflict or an occupying power if they qualify as 'protected persons'.[2] Here, the question of nationality is a key consideration. All migrants who qualify as 'protected persons' benefit from the more detailed and protective regime found in GC IV.[3]

Finally, migrants may also enjoy protection as 'refugees', within the meaning of IHL.[4] Refugees who classify as 'protected persons' in the territory of a party to the conflict enjoy special protection under Article 44 of GC IV. Refugees in occupied territory, who are not considered protected persons, are covered by Article 70(2) of GC IV. Moreover, where AP I applies, migrants who are not 'protected persons' under GC IV may nevertheless benefit from this protective regime if they (1) are considered refugees 'under the relevant international instruments accepted by the Parties concerned or under the national legislation of the State of refuge or State of residence' (2) 'before the beginning of hostilities' (Article 73 AP I).

3. In non-international armed conflicts all migrants not or no longer directly participating in hostilities are protected

Unlike in international armed conflicts, in non-international armed conflicts there is no protected person status and, as a result, nationality does not matter when determining protection under IHL. In this type of conflict, all personsincluding migrants, who are not, or are no longer, directly participating in hostilities are protected under the relevant provisions of IHL, namely Article 3 common to the Geneva Conventions, Additional Protocol II where it applies, and the relevant rules of customary IHL. Notably, these rules require humane treatment in all circumstances and without adverse distinction. They also require respect for fundamental guarantees. This includes the prohibitions on violence to life and person, outrages upon personal dignity and the passing of sentences without a fair trial.

4. A number of IHL rules may be particularly important in the context of migration

As seen, IHL provides important protection for migrants in armed conflicts. A number of rules are of particular relevance in the context of migration, including those governing the movement of civilians as well as those on family unity and on missing and dead migrants.

IHL rules related to the movement of civilians

The main aim of IHL is to seek to prevent or minimize the infliction of suffering. Respect for its rules, including those providing protection against the effects of hostilities, can prevent and minimize the displacement of civilians for reasons related to the armed conflict. When civilians are nonetheless displaced, IHL requires that they be protected and assisted, which may contribute to reducing the suffering of those displaced and facilitate their return home.

In addition, IHL contains a number of other rules that either impose limits on, or permit, the movement of migrants caught in armed conflicts. For instance, the right to leave, which applies in international armed conflicts, provides for the right of protected persons to leave the affected territory voluntarily at the outset of, or during, a conflict. This right may, however, be limited by the State if the departure is against its national interests. Furthermore, depending on the type of conflict and the particular circumstances, other limitations on the transfer of civilians include the prohibition of the forced displacement of civilians for reasons related to an armed conflict as well as the prohibition of refoulement[5].

IHL rules on family unity and missing and dead migrants

Migrants living or transiting through countries experiencing armed conflict often become separated from their families, go missing, or die. As a result, IHL rules relating to the respect for family life, the maintenance or re-establishment of family links, and the clarification of the fate and whereabouts of missing and dead migrants are especially important in the context of migration. Notably, parties to the conflict must take all feasible measures to account for persons reported missing as a result of armed conflict and to provide family members of missing persons with any information they have on their fate. It should be noted that the rules on accounting for missing persons and re-establishing family links may continue to apply beyond the end of an armed conflict.

***

When we consider how to respond to large-scale movements of people, we must not overlook the vulnerabilities that migrants may face when they find themselves in a third country affected by armed conflict. Indeed, a large part of today's discussions focus on addressing the root causes of migration in countries of origin as well as the protection of migrants (or lack thereof) in countries of destination, rather than the needs of migrants caught in conflict. For these migrants, the rules of international humanitarian law provide important legal protection in situations of international and non-international armed conflicts, in addition to their protection under other applicable bodies of law.

***

The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

***

For a more in-depth discussion on this topic

See the recently published article on the topic in the International Review of the Red Cross.

***

Footnotes

[1] As an umbrella category, the term 'migrant' covers different categories of persons. It includes refugees and stateless persons, while recognizing the special protection they are entitled to under IHL (and other bodies of international law). The 2009 International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Policy on Migration describes migrants as '[p]ersons who leave or flee their habitual residence () to seek opportunities or safer and better prospects'.

[2] Based on the definition under Article 4 GC IV, those without a nationality, including stateless migrants, are considered 'protected persons'.

[3] All 'protected persons' benefit from the guarantees found in Section I of GC IV. They are covered by additional rules depending on whether they are on the territory of a party to the conflict (Section II GC IV) or in occupied territory (Section III of GC IV).

[4] It is important to note here that although the term 'refugee' is not defined in GC IV, it is considered broader in scope than the definition found in the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. In essence, what matters for the purposes of GC IV is that the person does not 'enjoy the protection of any government'. All migrants meeting this criterion would be considered refugees under GC IV, regardless of their status under international refugee law.

[5] For international armed conflicts, see notably Article 45(4) of GC IV. In the ICRC's view, in non-international armed conflicts the 'categorical prohibitions' contained in Article 3 to the Geneva Conventions are to be understood as also prohibiting transfers where an individual would be in danger of suffering a violation of the fundamental protections contained in this article upon transfer. Beyond IHL, the principle of non-refoulement is found in International Refugee Law and International Human Rights Law. For further details see the recently published ICRC Note on Migration and the Principle of Non-Refoulement. See also Tilman Rodenhauser, The principle of non-refoulement in the migration context: 5 key points (March 30, 2018) Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog.Trappe, PA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 06/12/2018 --Kelly Insurance Agency has been assisting clients in and around Trappe, Pennsylvania since 1984. They are firmly established as a local Trappe insurance resource, and they have clients from nearby cities like Royersford, Skippack, Limerick, Phoenixville, and Collegeville. This agency offers a wide range of different types of insurance coverage for individual clients and their families.



Auto insurance is one area of specialization for Kelly Insurance Agency, and they can insure motorcycles as well. Their access to coverage is quite extensive, so they can satisfy the needs of people that need insurance for recreational vehicles, classic cars, boats, jet skis, all-terrain vehicles, and trailers. This agency represents a number of different insurers, so they have the ability to bring back multiple quotes. As a result, their clients can choose the appropriate coverage at an affordable premium.



Homeowners insurance is also available through Kelly Insurance Agency. Details of home insurance policies can be rather complex, and there are decisions to make with regard to deductibles. This agency is very big on client communication, and they are very willing to explain all the facts to their clients. It is useful to point out the fact that individuals can sometimes get discounts when they purchase their home insurance and car insurance from the same company.



Many people are surprised to find out that a standard homeowners insurance policy does not cover some natural disasters, like earthquakes and flooding. Kelly Insurance Agency has the ability to connect their clients with separate flood insurance and earthquake insurance.



Another type of personal insurance that they offer is life insurance. There are a number of different types of life insurance available, including term life insurance, whole life insurance, and universal life coverage, along with disability insurance and long term care coverage.



Kelly Insurance Agency also serves members of the business community. They offer a wide range of different types of commercial insurance. Their offerings include commercial motor vehicle insurance, general liability coverage, professional liability, workers' compensation insurance, errors and omissions insurance, and several other forms of commercial insurance coverage.



This company makes it easy for locals to satisfy all of their insurance needs under one convenient roof. They are open six days a week, and they are willing to schedule appointments outside of regular business hours when necessary.



About Kelly Insurance Agency

Kelly Insurance Agency offers many different types of insurance for people in the Trappe, Pennsylvania area.A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.A MAN who burgled a discount store has been jailed for 18 weeks.

Lee Smith (37), of no fixed abode, who is also known as Dork, James Elliss and Smithy, admitted at Sheffield Magistrates Court last Wednesday (6) to stealing cash from Bargain Buys on College Street, Rotherham, on May 27.

Magistrates jailed Smith because he had a flagrant disregard for court orders and because the offence was aggravated by his previous record of offending.

Smith was ordered to pay 60 compensation and 85 costs.Stella Manzie

FORMER council boss Stella Manzie has been made a dame in the Queens birthday honours list.

She was one of the commissioners appointed to Rotherham by Government in 2015 after the CSE scandal.

Ms Manzies citation acknowledged her outstanding record of transforming public services in challenging areas.

Before arriving at RMBC, she spent seven years as boss of Coventry City Council, overseeing its turnaround from being one of the countrys worst-performing authorities.

She was also director general for finance at the Scottish government and led Barking and Dagenham Council in the run up to the 2012 London Olympics.

She left Rotherham after a year following the appointment of a permanent chief executive Sharon Kemp.James Brower, Manager of the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project, explains to the ag tour group the technology behind the diversion dam. (Photo by Jordan Hall)

The Montana Farm Bureau hosted the Young Farmers and Ranchers Ag Tour on June 1-2 in the Richland County area. Taking a tour of local points of agricultural significance, a group from around the region learned more about local food and natural resource production and consumption.

The Roundup spoke to the Montana Farm Bureau Director of Membership Relations, Sue Ann Streufert, who also serves as the Young Farmer and Rancher Coordinator, about the importance of the event.

Streufert said, "The purpose of the tour is to create opportunities for our young producers to learn about opportunities in Montana. We want our members to be informed about different opportunities in different parts of the state, and this is an important part of that process."

Using a yellow school bus from the Sidney School District, the group of about fifteen attendees toured the Lower Yellowstone Intake Diversion Dam, Eastern Ag Research Station, Sidney Sugars beet factory, Meadowlark Brewery and Safflower Technologies. The group also received a tour of the Steinbeisser farm and ranch, hosted by Don Steinbeisser, Jr., and made other stops along the tour route to learn about agricultural production.

Visiting the places where local agriculture is produced or consumed wasn't the only purpose of the tour, however.

Streufert told The Roundup, "Networking is a big piece of this. We want to create networking opportunities for young people in agriculture."

She continued, "Honestly, it's important to just talk about those challenges. It's an opportunity to get together with other people in agriculture, so it's a two sided purpose, both education and networking. Producers, especially young producers, need to have and build relationships that can help them in the future."

Starting at 3 p.m. on Friday and going to about 3 p.m. on Saturday, the tour organizers were sensitive to the busy schedules of the young people attending. Streufert said, "It was pretty short and sweet, but we packed a lot into the agenda."

The majority of the fifteen or so attendees were local to Richland County, but others were present from Miles City, Circle, and as far as Shawmut, Montana. The North Dakota Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher chair, Brandon Lindstrom, also attended the event in order to learn more about neighboring production.

Along with Sue Ann Streufert, the tour was organized by Gil Gasper from Circle, Ben Johnson of Sidney, and a committee of volunteers who did most of the organizing regarding tour stops.Political scientist Megan Ruxton presents an interesting and informative program on environmental issues and community impacts last Friday in a special brownbagger at the USDA-ARS. The talk focused on her work in New Brunswick, Canada and how scientists can communicate with the public, leading to better understanding between the two.An audition will be held for the Missoula Childrens Theatre (MCT) production of PETER AND WENDY on Monday, June 18 at 11:30 am at the Watford City Intermediate School Media Center in Watford City. There are roles for those students 1st grade through 8th grade. Approximately 50-60 local students will be cast to appear in the show. Those wishing to audition must arrive at 11:30 am rehearsal time and plan to stay for the full two hours. Some of the cast members will be asked to stay for a rehearsal immediately following the audition at 2 pm

No advance preparation is necessary, but a smile never hurts! Students should just be ready to come and have a good time! Assistant Directors will also be cast to aid in rehearsals throughout the week and to take on essential backstage responsibilities.

MCT Tour Actor/Directors will conduct rehearsals throughout the week, starting after Mondays auditions and continuing Tuesday, June 19th through Friday, June 22nd at 11:30 am each day in the Watford City Intermediate School Media Center.

Although not all cast members will be needed at every session, those auditioning must have a clear schedule for the entire week and if selected, be able to attend all rehearsals required for their role and be available for all scheduled performances. A detailed rehearsal schedule will be distributed at the conclusion of the audition. Cast members scheduled for the full 4 hours and 15 minutes will be asked to bring a sack lunch, dinner or snack to be eaten during the 15-minute break between sessions.

The Missoula Childrens Theatre (MCT), the nations largest touring childrens theatre, has been touring extensively for more than 40 years now from Montana to Japan, and will visit nearly 1,200 communities this year with up to 44 teams of Tour Actor/Directors. The tour team will arrive with a set, lights, costumes, props and make-up, everything it takes to put on a play, and will cast 50-60 local students to perform. Also included in the residency are three enrichment workshops presented by the Tour Actor/Directors. Creativity, social skills, goal achievement, communication skills and self-esteem are all characteristics that are attained through the participation in this unique, educational project. MCTs mission is the development of lifeskills in children through participation in the performing arts.

PETER and WENDY will be presented on Friday, June 22rd at 7 pm and Saturday, June 23rd at 10 am at the Watford City Intermediate School Media Center. The Missoula Childrens Theatre residency in Watford City is brought to you by the Long X Arts Foundation with support from First International Bank and Trust, the North Dakota Community Foundation and other community sponsors.

For more information or to pre-register your child visit longxarts.com/missoula-childrens-theater.html or contact Jessie at the Long X Arts Foundation at 701-770-8659 or [email protected]The Northern International Livestock Exposition (NILE) organization has been providing opportunities for youth involved in 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) to get a head start in the cattle business. The program is called the NILE Merit Heifer program. It is a live animal scholarship, which means recipients are given a heifer to take care of, keep records on, and build a herd with. The NILE Merit Heifer program is now accepting applications for the 2019 program and will be accepting applications until Saturday, June 30th.

The qualifications for the program are that the applicant must be between the ages of 12 and 16 as of June 30th, they must be either a 4-H or FFA member, and must be a NILE member(Youth Membership fee is $25). Applicants also have to have a commitment to agriculture, future goals for a production operation, and the ability to feed and raise the animal in a proper setting. The application requirements include a complete application, an essay explaining why the applicant wants/deserves the heifer, a list of three different references, three reference letters, and a three to five minute YouTube video that includes future goals for the heifer, facility tour, and current FFA and 4-H projects. In addition to applications from eligible youth, the NILE is also accepting information from ranches wishing to donate a heifer calf.

The NILE has been providing heifers to awarding agriculturists for almost 19 years. This was all made possible because of an idea that Bill Pelton, former director of the NILE and NILE Merit Heifer Chairman, put into action."The main goal for the program, since inception in 2000, was to give youth the opportunity to get started in the beef industry by awarding them with a heifer calf. The youth own the heifer jointly with the NILE over the course of one year, where the youth is required to care for the heifer, halter break the heifer, breed the heifer, and submit monthly reports to the donor of the heifer and the NILE Merit Heifer Program. At the conclusion of the NILE Merit Heifer year, the now bred heifers are required to return to the NILE and show against the rest of the Merit Heifers. In the end, if the youth completes the program successfully, the heifer ownership papers are signed over to them. The heifer is now theirs to keep, along with her offspring throughout the heifer's lifetime!" said NILE Livestock Manager and Director of Youth Education, Shelby Shaw.

Many 4-H and FFA members have been awarded this opportunity which has enabled them to get firsthand experience on what it is like to have a heifer of their own. This program has also allowed youth to become more involved with the cattle production business. "Over 300 youth have gone through the program since it began, and while that is an amazing feat, this is an ongoing goal. By providing this amazing opportunity, youth are not only receiving a heifer; they are receiving knowledge of the beef industry. Conference calls with a local nutritionist, one on one experience with an AI representative, herd visits, and monthly reports dealing with disease, beef cattle marketing, and program promotion. Being able to provide that kind of information, not only prepares the youth for challenges they may face but may also open their eyes to new topics," explained Shaw.

The NILE is a non-profit organization, dedicated to the promotion of livestock, agriculture education and respect for the western culture. It originated as an idea from the livestock committee of the Billings Chamber of Commerce in 1966. By the fall of 1968, a full-fledged livestock show with 250 exhibitors and 600 entries was already underway. Today, the NILE Stock Show consists of livestock shows, horse shows, and rodeo. The Stock Show also includes one of the most significant agricultural events of the Northwest which is ProRodeo.

Now the NILE organization puts a big emphasis on programs to encourage youth participation like the Merit Heifer Program, Jr. Fed Show, and Sale, Jr. Breeding Cattle Shows, Youth Judging Contests, school assemblies, and an agricultural education program for over 2,000 area 4th graders.

Shaw said," The NILE Merit Heifer Program has seen great success over the years. Many of the youth that completed the program have gone on to raise their own herds of cattle, with their Merit Heifer being the staple female of their herds. One of the most rewarding and successful parts of the program is when past recipients return as donors, donating a calf from their herd that started with their original Merit Heifer." For more information on the program you can visit the NILE website at thenile.org.Glenn Tipton came out of retirement and shared the stage with Judas Priest at the Sweden Rock Festival in Solvesborg on June 9, to perform "Metal Gods," "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight."

The guitarist had announced his retirement from the road earlier this year, after a diagnosis revealed he was suffering from Parkinson's Disease.

Tipton had played these three songs with the band at several stops during their U.S. tour.

Tipton told BUILD Series, "It's just amazing to get, first of all, support from the band. The texts and e-mails from all over world, and to hear the audience was very emotional. You don't like to see a grown man cry, but we did."

When asked about whether he would make more live appearances during the band's tour in support of their 18th album, Firepower, the guitarist told 105.7 WAPL, "I think so, yeah. As long as I'm capable of going on stage and doing my parts and doing it well. I love it  I love to be on stage with PRIEST, and I'll do it for as long as I can."

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Entertainment NewsAn agreement that commits North Korea to work towards "the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula" and promises "new relations" between Washington and Pyongyang has been signed in Singapore.

The deal was signed during a historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a luxury hotel on Singapore's Sentosa island Tuesday.

Trump said his meeting with Kim went "better than anybody could have expected."

"We've decided to leave the past behind," said the Korean leader.

Details of the deal are expected at a joint news conference later in the day, according to Trump.

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Political NewsThe United States has given assurance to North Korea that it is ready to stop "provocative and expensive" war games with South Korea. In return, North promised to destroy a key missile engine testing site, without specifying its location.

This was disclosed by US President Donald Trump at a news conference after a historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a luxury hotel on Singapore's Sentosa island Tuesday.

Trump addressed the media after the two sides signed an agreement that commits North Korea to work towards "the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula" and promises "new relations" between Washington and Pyongyang.

The US-South Korea joint military exercises were a major irritant in ties between the United States and North, which Pyongyang has criticized as a rehearsal of invasion.

Trump told reporters that Kim had agreed to "verified" denuclearisation - a key US demand before the summit.

He added that he discussed with Kim human rights and religious freedom in North Korea, and the issue of Japanese abductees.

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Political NewsExxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) said that the Liza Phase 1 development is continuing to rapidly progress, with the commencement of development drilling offshore Guyana.

Exxon Mobil noted that development drilling began in May for the first of 17 wells planned for Phase 1, laying the foundation for production startup in 2020. The company and its co-venturers have so far discovered estimated recoverable resources of more than 3.2 billion oil-equivalent barrels on the Stabroek Block.

Liam Mallon, president of ExxonMobil Development Company said, "We are well on our way to producing oil less than five years after our first discovery, which is well ahead of the industry average for similar projects. The Liza development and future projects will provide significant economic benefits to Guyana."

Exxon Mobil said that Liza Phase 1 is expected to generate over $7 billion in royalty and profit oil revenues for Guyana over the life of the project. Additional benefits will accrue from other development projects now being planned.

Liza Phase 1 involves the conversion of an oil tanker into a floating, production, storage and offloading or FPSO vessel named Liza Destiny, along with four undersea drill centers with 17 production wells. Construction of the FPSO and subsea equipment is under way in more than a dozen countries.

Liza Destiny will have a production capacity of 120,000 barrels of oil per day. A second FPSO with a capacity of 220,000 barrels per day is being planned as part of the Liza Phase 2 development, and a third is under consideration for the Payara development. Together, these three developments will produce more than 500,000 barrels of oil per day.

The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres, or 26,800 square kilometers. Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is operator and holds 45 percent interest. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30 percent interest and CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25 percent interest.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business NewsThe agreement reached between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a historic summit meeting in Singapore evoked mixed response in US political circles.

While Vice President Mike Pence praised Trump for his steadfast leadership on the world, Republican Senator Marco Rubio has been skeptical of the deal.

"While I know @potus is trying to butter him up to get a good deal, #KJU is NOT a talented guy. He inherited the family from his dad & grandfather. He is a total weirdo who would not be elected assistant dog catcher in any democracy," said the Senator from Florida.

Pence, a die-hard supporter of Trump, was one of the first respondents. "With the success of the #SingaporeSummit, the world is one step closer to peace on the Korean Peninsula", he said on Twitter. "This historic summit is a tribute to the steadfast leadership of @POTUS on the world stage and an important milestone on the path to a nuclear free Korean Peninsula, according to him.

Democrats turned heavily on the President over the engagement with the Korean leader.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi released a statement highly critical of Trump.

"Apparently, the President handed Kim Jong-un concessions in exchange for vague promises that do not approach a clear and comprehensive pathway" towards the goal of nuclear non-proliferation, she says.

"In his haste to reach an agreement, President Trump elevated North Korea to the level of the United States while preserving the regime's status quo," Pelosi added.

In the opinion of Sen. Chris Murphy, "Kim's gulags, public executions, and planned starvation, are legitimized on the world stage" through this deal.

"U.S. gives up one of our biggest negotiating chips - military exercises. North Korea ends up backtracking on previous promises on denuclearization," said the Senator from Connecticut.

"This is an abdication of American leadership. Just embarrassing", Brian Schatz said on his Twitter account.

"In less than a week President Trump has turned our relationship with the western world upside down, and he developed what appeared to be a true friendship with one of cruelest despots on the planet. "America First" is undermining our values and our interests," said the lawmaker from Hawaii.

According to Richard N. Haass, the pro-Republican former president of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Singapore summit statement is "essentially aspirational: no definitions of denuclearization, no timelines, no details as to verification. What is most troubling about all this is that the US gave up something tangible, namely, US-RoK military exercises, in exchange".

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News(Agencia CMA Latam) - The Brazilian state-owned power company Eletrobras' employees are holding a strike to pressure the country's government against the company's privatization, and they intend to keep the stoppages for 72 hours, as originally planned.

Among the claims, the workers demand the departure of the president of state-owned company, Wilson Ferreira Jr., and the revocation of plans to sell the six distributors in the North and Northeast regions, in addition to 70 Special Purpose Companies (SPEs), which would be the first so that the government can privatize the holding company as a whole.

According to analysts consulted by Ag?ncia CMA, the risk of the strike overthrowing the president of the state is low. However, it is possible that the demonstration increases the wear and tear that the privatization process has been facing.

"Given that Eletrobras does not have the same visibility as Petrobras, I do not think it should lead to Wilson's departure, but the greatest danger would be a frustration with the delay in privatization, which would make it difficult for him to stay, besides other consequences," said a source who did not want to be identified.

In a report to clients, Brasil Plural bank minimized the risk of Wilson Ferreira Jr. leaves as president of Eletrobras. "The movement has limited space to influence the political scenario: the core of the company (generation and transmission) has limited exposure to the population, which prevents widespread dissatisfaction with the company and its president," said the institution, which kept a recommendation purchase price for the company's shares at R$ 27.60.

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.Senate leaders have agreed to attach an amendment to a must-pass defense spending bill that would essentially kill the Trump administration's agreement to end crippling sanctions on Chinese telecom giant ZTE Corp.

Senators Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., applauded the inclusion of their amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act responding to the national security threat posed by ZTE.

"ZTE has repeatedly violated U.S. law and represents a threat to our national security - Congress cannot and will not allow the Administration to let ZTE off the hook in the interest of Chinese jobs," Van Hollen said in a statement.

He added, "I'm pleased that our bipartisan proposal will be included in the manager's amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, and I appreciate my colleagues on both sides of the aisle working together to protect American interests and national security."

The amendment would restore penalties on ZTE for violating export controls and prohibit government agencies from purchasing or leasing telecommunications equipment or services from the Chinese telecom giant.

The inclusion of the amendment in the NDAA comes just days after Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced an agreement lifting an order that banned ZTE from buying American products.

The agreement included a $1 billion fine against ZTE and forced the company to replace its board of directors and executive team and install a U.S.-chosen compliance team.

Ross banned ZTE from buying Americans products in April, claiming the company made false statements about employee disciplinary actions related to the illegal shipping of telecom equipment to Iran and North Korea.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said including the amendment to undo the ZTE deal says "loudly and in a bipartisan fashion that the president is dead wrong to back off on ZTE."

"The fact that a bipartisan group of senators came together this quickly is a testament to how bad the Trump administration's ZTE deal is and how we will not shy away from holding the president's feet to the fire when it comes to keeping his promise to be tough on China," Schumer said.

The House previously passed its version of the defense bill without the ZTE language, meaning the two versions of the bill would need to be reconciled.

President Donald Trump, who has previously highlighted the fact that ZTE buys a tremendous amount of equipment from American companies, could still veto the bill.

However, Cotton argued that a presidential veto is unlikely, noting the NDAA includes "many other critical priorities."

The agreement to lift the sanctions on ZTE was seen as part of an effort to reach a broader trade deal with China.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business NewsAustralia will on Wednesday see June results for the consumer confidence index from Westpac, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. In May, the index sank 0.6 percent to a score of 101.8.

New Zealand will release May numbers for food prices; in April, prices were up 0.1 percent on month and 1.0 percent on year.

Finally, the in Indonesia remain closed this week for Eid-ul-Fitr.

For comments and feedback contact: 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) - Colcap, the main index of the Colombian Stock Exchange, rose 0.17%, closing at 1,550.56 points, boosted by Bancolombia's good performance.

Ramses Pestanapalmett, an analyst at Ultraserfinco, noted that the bank's shares went up due to the technical correction after the sustained decline that occurred last week, with a performance that was in line with the behavior of its ADR in the United States.

The shares of Canacol (+3.40%), ?xito (+2.11%), Preferencial Bancolombia (+1.99%), and Bancolombia (+1.39%) closed higher, while Ecopetrol (-1.31%) and Avianca (-1.28%) fell.

The locally traded U.S. dollar closed at 22,861.39 Colombian pesos, marking a 0.09% rise, following the historic meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong Un.

Marcela Ramirez, an analyst at Acciones & Valores, said the greenback limits losses to its main peers as geopolitical tensions between the United States and North Korea diminish, with a market that remains positive in the face of negotiations regarding the Korean Peninsula denuclearization.

by Agencia CMA Latam

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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.

Vajpayee continues to be at AIIMS for second day (File Photo) Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, undergoing treatment for urinary tract infection at the AIIMS here, is responding well and his vital parameters are stable, hospital officials said on Tuesday. Vajpayee was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Monday.



"His condition is stable. He is responding to treatment and is on injectable antibiotics. All vital parameters are stable. He will continue to be in hospital till the infection is controlled," AIIMS media and protocol division chairperson Aarti Vij said.



Vajpayee's hospitalisation triggered VIP visits including that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah and Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday, followed by Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and MDMK leader Vaiko on Tuesday.



A team of senior doctors under the supervision of Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS, is conducting the tests on Vajpayee, who is bed-ridden for many years. Guleria, a pulmonologist, has been a personal physician to Vajpayee for long.



The BJP on Monday said Vajpayee was admitted on the advice of doctors for routine check-ups and investigations.



Modi called on Vajpayee on Monday evening and interacted with his family. He spoke to doctors and enquired about the former Prime Minister's health. Modi was at AIIMS for about 50 minutes.



Rahul Gandhi was the first to visit the hospital to check on Vajpayee's health. Health Minister J.P. Nadda also visited, followed by Amit Shah and Modi.



Vajpayee, 93, who was Prime Minister briefly in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004, retreated from active politics over the last decade due to failing health.



Re: Churchs decision is like someone putting a gun on the Governments head - Prime Minister Tuilaepa.

The rationale for the church not to pay taxes extend way back when Church and State were of the same entity. Now, the employees (faifeaus) of the system has to pay taxes but the returns created by church assets which is a Corporation should never be touched because its the fundamental right granted by his cousin the govt. for political and economical control of humanity.

Since Samoa has adopted the good ole mantra of the mother church of Babylon the Great granting Samoa a Christian State status reminds me of the time when Constantine in AD 325 after the unification of the East and the West declared Rome as a Christian State.

What that means ecclesiastically is that the state is now in control of all the assets of the world (land). It was more of a political move rather than a spiritual move. And by the way, the Christians that Constantine annihilated were the Gnostic Christians, the true Christians based on knowledge (thinking) not the fake Christians we have today based on a belief system. Is it a coincidence that our customary land is in jeopardy in the hands of the registry which is the government and Samoa being a Christian State?

Somebody has to do their homework to see through the cloak of deception of govt. and their kissing cousins, the church has imposed on our people. Knowledge is power but precise information is more powerful.

On another matter, your editorial titled the Old Court house, letter from a friend and S.I.F.A is interesting.

White washing history was always the hallmarks of the imperialist and now circumvented by our own govt. to erase the memory from future generations to know the true history of what happened to our beloved country of Samoa.

Its just like the burning of books in Europe during the Romantic Nationalistic era to keep future generations in the dark so that they can be easily controlled.

Leituala Roger B.Supreme Court Justice Leiataualesa Daryl Clarke was not happy when prosecution witnesses did not show up for a hearing last week Friday.

When the hearing of Eti Alapae, who is accused of stealing from the Auto Spare Parts at Matautu-uta, was called, lawyer Vaisala Afoa of the Attorney Generals Office told the Court the prosecution was ready to proceed.

Alapae of Apia, Leone and Vaimoso, is charged with one count of theft and one count of burglary.

According to the Police summary of facts, he is accused of illegally entering the Auto Spare Parts building at Matautu-uta. While inside the building, he stole $30, 160, US$4,560 (T$11,686.85), NZ$200 (T$360.80), $2,031.80 CNY (T$813.70), phone cards Digicel and Bluesky $1,500, N.Z. passport $350 and an iron box that is used to store money which cost $1,500.

The total cost of the stolen items came up to $46,371.30 belongings of Crystal Chang, a female of Matautu and Alafua. Alapae pleaded guilty to burglary but not guilty to the charge of theft.

Justice Leiataualesa questioned the defendant.

Eti can you explain to me the essence of your plea of not guilty to the charge of theft? Justice Leiataualesa asked.

Because you seek to vacate your not guilty plea in respect of burglary which means you accept that you unlawfully entered the building of Auto Spare parts but you are pleading not guilty to theft.

Is it because you dispute the items stolen? Do you accept that some of the materials in the charge were stolen or not?

Alapae said yes.

I only took $10,000 but the amount that I am hearing from charges I never took any of those amounts that is the only amount I took, Alapae told the Court.

Justice Leiataualesa adjourned the matter for the registrar to go through the charges with the defendant and note down why hes disputing the summary of facts.

After their meeting, Justice Leiataualesa then explained to Alapae about the criminal charges.

The charge of theft that you have been charged with, you are jointly charged with another person namely Leia, he told the defendant.

What that means is that if both of you together stole all the items or you were a party to the theft of those items with your co-defendant Leia then both of you together as a party stole all the items but Leia took the other items and you took the other items.

That means you are both guilty of the full amount of the amount that was stolen from this building. Even if you took the part of it and Leia took the other part, you are guilty of all the items stolen because you are charged as a party.

At the end Alapae still maintained his not guilty plea.

My plea of not guilty remains and I have changed my mind as well in the burglary charge, I plead not guilty, he said.

This was when Justice Leiataualesa had asked the prosecution to proceed with the hearing; however Ms. Afoa told the Court that only the complainant was waiting outside.

Where are all the other witnesses, asks Justice Leiataualesa. Because prosecution came on the 31st May and applies to the C.J. they are ready to proceed for hearing before me today (Friday).

At that point, Ms. Afoa told the Court that the Investigating Officer told her that he will be at Court with the witnesses.

I was advised by our Investigative Officers that he will attend Court today, however I have just confirmed that its just the complainant thats outside, she said.

So I am seeking the Courts indulgence to have 10 minutes break so I can contact the Investigating Officer of this matter.

After a break, prosecution had sought for the Courts indulgence to have the matter adjourned because the witnesses will not be present during the hearing.

This made Justice Leiataualesa unhappy.

Prosecution, this issue should not be arising, this is the hearing and you said you are ready to proceed as of Thursday last week, he told the prosecution. What that means is that you will be able to summon all witnesses and arrange for them to be here.

But Ms. Vaisala could not do anything.

My apologies, but have just got an update from the Investigating Officer that he is still trying to locate the witnesses, she said.

It was then that Justice Leiataualesa asked the prosecution of the whereabouts of their witnesses.

Why is he still trying to locate them, it is now Friday but the date was confirmed last week Thursday at call overs, he said.

But Ms. Afoa said the problem falls on the Investigating Officer.

We have done our part and we have informed the Police on 29th of May in regards to this matter, she said. So we are seeking for Your Honors indulgence for a final adjournment for prosecution to summon all witnesses.

Justice Leiataualesa granted the motion.

This matter has been given an early hearing date because prosecution opposes bail and then requested for an early hearing date today (yesterday), he said.

There is no satisfactory explanation from the prosecution as to why witnesses are not present and informing the Court that you have done your part is not a satisfactory explanation on why witnesses are not here.

And if this has been an issue with the Investigating officer in delaying of his part, then prosecution should raise the matter with the Police so it does not reoccur.

This matter is adjourned to Monday for mention to set another hearing date.Three different community workshops were part of the opening of the University of the South Pacific (U.S.P.), Alafua Campus 50th anniversary celebration yesterday.

Floral crown making, elei printing and tapa printing workshops were organized for the community to come together and engage in activities.

Local business owner in tapa printings, Faapito Mataafa Lemuelu spoke about the significance of traditional handicrafts in the Samoan culture.

I believe that our people should be made aware of our culture slipping from our hands, in reference to knowledge or skills making traditional handicrafts.

I am continuing on that legacy, passed on throughout each generation which I learned from my mother, the art of tapa printing, she said.

The 45-year-old from Vailoa Palauli, Savaii, says her selling price ranges from its sizes; some are sold for $10 and others at $30.

First time participant in tapa printing, Eterei Salele shared her gratitude toward skills demonstrated in helping create her first tapa.

There was a lot of work in terms of the technique required in making it. Before, I was not aware of it but now I understand the effort put in to creating these beautiful works of art, she said.

Local business owner in elei printing, Pearl Blakelock-Vaai spoke about sharing her knowledge through this workshop.

I believe the art of making this is quite unique, the way printed materials are used in making everyday clothing. The participants are very keen and excited in taking part and I came to share the skills and knowledge that is needed to pass on this talent, she added.

The Ambassador from the Republic of China, Wang Xuefeng took part in the elei printing workshop as a first time experience.

We often see the materials and the Samoan designs which look so beautiful and we like it. I bought the material from the shop in order to print on it to make a lavalava. After two and half years of the work in Samoa, now we are becoming real Samoan people. We treat it as the culture, heritage and spirits of the people. I enjoyed making my first printed lavalava to show our respect for the people of Samoa, he said.

About 60 people participated in these diverse demonstrations in works of art.Twin sisters reported missing during the weekend have been found.

This was confirmed by the Police in a statement yesterday.

The Samoa Police Service wishes to inform members of the public that twin sisters Isapela and Anapela Asuasu who were reported missing from their home on Friday 8th June 2018 have reunited with their parents this morning Monday 11th June 2018, the statement reads.

The two sisters were with families on the weekend and were not aware that their parents have sought the assistance of police when they did not return home on Friday evening.

The Samoa Police Service would like to take this opportunity to advice relatives to please get in contact with parents of young children to ensure that they are safe.

We thank members of the public for sharing this post which enabled the relatives to become aware of this situation.The Police are asking members of the public to call for help, or seek help if they know someone who is at risk from suicide.

The call was made in a media statement it issued last night on its Facebook page, confirming three suicide cases during the weekend.

Samoa Police Service offers our deepest condolences to the families involved, the statement reads.

S.P.S. takes this opportunity to advice members of the public or individuals who are in similar situations, that, you are not alone.

If you are feeling depressed and is contemplating suicide, Please call for help! Seek help from your friends, church ministers or family members.

The first incident took place last Friday at Motootua.

It involved a 43-year-old male.

On Saturday, the police responded to another call regarding a 42-year-old male.

The matter was reported to police by his family members.

Then on Sunday, the Police responded to a call for assistance and found a 14-year-old male. A gun was involved.

Police investigations will continue and inquests will be held at the discretion of the Coroner.SINGAPORE (AP)  Donald Trump approached from the right, striding down the long portico at the colonial-era Singapore resort. Kim Jong Un, dressed in his familiar Mao suit, emerged from the left. They met in the middle, on a red carpet, dozens of cameras recording their every move, as the world watched.

And counted.

Thirteen seconds. That's how long the American and North Korean leaders shook hands at the start of their summit Tuesday. The length of the contact, their facial expressions and body language, the stunning backdrop of interlocked national flags  all of it was instantly analyzed, criticized and marveled at in tweets and commentary in South Korea, the United States and beyond.

South Koreans applauded in a train station as they watched; the South Korean president grinned broadly; one official compared the summit, favorably, to the birth of his daughter. On the flipside, critics said the welcome Trump was giving Kim in Singapore would legitimize one of the world's worst human rights offenders.

It was a single, quintessentially human movement  a greeting, a welcome, a start of a relationship  but the reaction to the handshake was as complicated as the standoff that the two countries these men represent have been locked in for seven decades now.

There was shock, relief, worry, sometimes simultaneously, as the world watched Trump and Kim  who were insulting each other's mental and physical prowess and threatening nuclear war just a few months ago  shaking hands and smiling.

Trump put his hand out first, followed by Kim as they strode toward each other. Trump grasped Kim's right arm as they shook, and then, later, took ahold of Kim's left arm as they turned to face the cameras and the world, both their expressions momentarily deadening before they turned to face each other again, and smiled.

The backdrop was almost as shocking as the warmth of the handshake  a row of the two nations' flags displayed side-by-side at the entrance to the Singapore resort that's hosting their summit.

Both Koreas have long demonized the other's national flag. It's illegal to show the North Korean flag in the South, and even during the recent inter-Korean summit in the Demilitarized Zone there was no sign of the North's flag. North Korea's anti-U.S. iconography dates to the war and regularly shows North Korean soldiers bayonetting the U.S. flag.

However, many South Koreans rushed to express their awe of Tuesday's events.

The liberal Hankook Ilbo newspaper marveled that the U.S. president didn't shake hands in the usual "Trump way" of domineering his counterpart. It also noted that Trump softly tapped Kim on the shoulder and seemed to engage in small talk with him.

Jung Chung-rae, a former lawmaker of the liberal Minjoo Party, tweeted that the handshake "shined with courtesy and respect" and that history will remember their "handshakes and smiles." South Koreans watching television screens in a train station applauded the moment Trump and Kim met. Media photos showed South Korean President Moon Jae-in smiling broadly during a Cabinet meeting at the Blue House while watching a television screen that showed Trump and Kim shaking hands in front of American and North Korean flags. "All the attention of our people is on Singapore," Moon said. "I, too, could hardly sleep last night."

Shortly before the leaders met, Moon's chief of staff wrote on Facebook that the summit reminded him of his child's birth.

"I remember hovering around the delivery room the day my daughter was born. I didn't care whether you were a boy or a girl. Just come out to the world healthy with a big cry," Im Jong-seok wrote, apparently wishing for a successful outcome from the meeting between Trump and Kim.

Critics, however, saw the handshake and Kim's earlier moonlight stroll as evidence Trump was helping to legitimize Kim as his equal on the world stage even though the North Korean regime has been accused of horrific rights abuses. During his stroll Monday along the glittering Singapore waterfront, crowds yelled his name and jostled to take pictures, and the North Korean leader posed for a selfie with Singapore officials.

Last year Kim was "Little Rocket Man," according to Trump, and U.S. officials regularly mentioned his likely role in the assassination of his half-brother with nerve agent in a Malaysian airport, as well as his uncle's execution. Kim's image would now be bolstered, critics said.

Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA analyst, told MSNBC, "Kim Jong Un is prepared. He knows what he wants, which is to gain an ... international acceptance of North Korea as a nuclear weapons power. He thinks he's coming into this meeting from a position of strength because he has reached certain capability in his nuclear missile program. And he thinks he's going to now see what he can get out of the United States."

Adam Mount, a U.S. defense analyst, expressed anger about seeing the U.S. and North Korean flags side by side. ?

"We should be working diligently to transform North Korea and our relationship with it," he tweeted. "But until that day, it's abhorrent to see a flag that stands for so much suffering and cruelty standing with ours."Several years ago, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaois Government ordered residents of Sogi to relocate. With the offer of a quarter acre land at Falelauniu they could lease to own for $30,000 and $3,000 relocation cost, residents were given a few years to make the move.

At first many of them opposed the decision. But as time wore on, some residents decided to accept the offer, packed up and headed inland to what they now call home.

Others though refused to move at all. How can we forget elderly mother, Tala Leiataua, who issued a heartfelt plea to Prime Minister Tuilaepa at the time?

Said she: Were ready to face the consequences  but  we want to be buried on this land, Tuilaepa, this land is where our grave is. This is where we belong. Our ancestors have worked so hard to level this swamp during the German colonial times for us. We want to stay.

I ask the government to dig a hole and throw us all in there. Id rather die and be buried on the land my ancestors passed down to us.

Folks, you dont hear a plea as such, especially from an elderly grandmother who has known no other home apart from Sogi, and not be affected by it.

Still, the Government would not budge.

So some time in 2016, the Government through the Samoa Land Corporation (S.L.C.) had had enough and threatened to evict all Sogi residents.

Out of fear, they obliged and moved except for one family. Nanai Liutofagaomataafa Tokuma took the fight a step further. As descendants of Turore Tokuma, Nanai filed a lawsuit against the Government, arguing that they have every right to be on that land and that the Government could not evict them.

The family claimed that the land they were living on was a gift to Turore Tokuma, his wife and their four children by then Commissioner of Crown Estates of Samoa and also the Public Trustee, Percival Ernest Patrick.

It followed his fathers wrongful and his near death sentence for the alleged killing of a Chinese businessman. He claimed that when it was brought to light it wasnt his father who killed the Chinese businessman; the Government at the time offered them the land as compensation.

Since then, Nanai said they had known no other home. Further, he argued that they had spent more than a 100 years developing what was essentially swamp into the piece of land it is today. And now that the Government has threatened to evict them, they refused to move but instead asked the Court to:

 declare that the title to the Sogi land belongs to the Tokuma family;

 declare the occupation by the Tokuma family of the Sogi land is lawful;

 Declared that the Sogi land occupied by the Tokuma family should be conveyed and registered under the Tokuma family; and

 An order for interim injunction to stop them from being evicted.

Last week, the Supreme Court, through Justice Leiataualesa Daryl Clarke, delivered its decision. In short, he ruled that Nanais family have failed to provide evidence to prove their claims. He was firm that most of the evidence provided by the family was hearsay.

There was however no evidence to establish the existence of a gift of the Sogi land to the Plaintiffs or their ancestors; a breach of a proper purpose; a breach of legitimate expectation; or the existence or breach of any contract, Justice Leiataualesa ruled.

Appropriately therefore on the basis of the absence of relevant evidence or indeed the Plaintiffs evidence being contrary to their pleaded case, counsel for the Plaintiffs withdrew various causes of action pleaded leaving only two remaining for determination. These remaining claims were firstly for unjust enrichment and secondly, proprietary estoppel by encouragement or acquiescence.

For the reasons that follow, the Plaintiffs who bear the onus of proving their case on the balance of probabilities have failed to do so and by some way. The full ruling has been published over several editions of the Samoa Observer as well as our online version.

Legally, its hard to argue against Justice Leiataualesas ruling. He has to make a decision based on evidence that is available before him and unfortunately hearsay cannot be taken as fact. We can understand that.

But say for argument sake that we are to take this ruling and apply it our history, genealogies and life of Samoans in general, where does that leave us with the stories passed down from generation to generation?

That is one of the questions this decision raises, which is especially relevant given our history of stories, genealogy and tales being passed down by word of mouth.

Keep in mind that back in those days, it was a luxury to have a pencil let alone a piece of paper.

That said, Nanai and his family would obviously be devastated by the decision.

In the build up, they had insisted they would not move. Elderly mother Tala Leiataua is part of the family.

The Court has clearly spoken and that they have lost the fight. What are they going to do now? The inevitable is that they will have to relocate or face being convicted for contempt of Court. But what if they absolutely refuse to move?

What if they stood by what they said when they asked Prime Minister Tuilaepa to dig a whole and throw us all in there.

Stay tuned!

Have a wonderful Wednesday Samoa, God bless!Dear E.F.K.S. Faifeaus who dont want to pay tax,

I urge you to read the Word of God, which the Holy Spirit inspired men to write for us. It is the manual for life and relevant to us for today.

The God I know and have a relationship with - The God of the Bible - is Almighty, all powerful, all wise. All knowing, loving, kind, compassionate and very rich - to name a little of who He is.

Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit and a great man of faith, said in The Word 19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

If you have a loving relationship with the God of the Bible through His Son Jesus Christ then you should have faith to believe and trust that our God is able to do according to His Word.

He will provide for your tax and for your every need as He does for me and many other believers. We who believe can testify to His faithfulness. If God said it, we can believe it and that should settle it. Only Believe.

I can testify that The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want!! His Grace is sufficient for me  His Grace is awesome!

What does Jehovah Jireh mean? Look it up in the bible.

By faith we can look on paying taxes is a simple way of taking part in building up Samoa and helping the people and obeying the Lord.

We all need hospital treatment, roads, water, electricity etc and will receive pensions by and by and with the right mindset we can rejoice as we pay tax and have peace in that we are doing a little to help the nation we are so proud of  you can be a good example to your congregations by learning and then teaching them about Bible Prosperity. My God is a RICH God.

You will read in the bible that the original sin was rebellion and there are many instances of acts of rebellion mentioned in the Bible.

I have to ask - what are E.F.K.S. faifeaus teaching their congregations??

Obviously to be fearful of not having enough, to be rebels and not to believe in or trust in The Lord God who is able to do more than we can ask, think or imagine! Jesus came to give us abundant (plentiful, overflowing, spilling over) life and He will bless those who believe and have faith.

The God whose I am and who I serve did not like rebellion, grumbling, murmuring in OT days and He does not change. If He didnt like it then He still doesnt like it today.

Read the Bible and see for yourselves the consequences of rebellion and repent. You are teaching the people of Samoa to fear and to be rebels and I fear what the result could be to our nation! Please Teach them the truth of who the Lord is and lead by example.

But first of all You must be born again. Repent and ask Jesus into your hearts and ask Him to reveal Himself and His will to you so you can teach the people the truth.

The Bible also says that we should obey our leaders. The country voted in our leaders and come election time you can vote for a change if necessary. Again I say read what happened to the ones who rebelled against their leaders. They are not fairy stories but real life stories written for us to learn from. Read the bible and see it for yourselves.

If Jesus returned today will He find faith? It is very sad for Samoa when the Church itself will bring the wrath of God upon the nation.

A.S.

A BelieverDear Editor,

How the dynamic of life has slowly rattling and unfolding from year to year into the fast transformation pace of weeks into days, that is before our very eyes!

The fast speed of violent recurrence is almost getting us caught not able to cope with the substances that are so foreign, and were portrayed only on the big screen and television, but into actions of reality we are now experiencing.

Ostensibly, prior to the birth of the Human Rights Protection Party and their baby pet universal suffrage, life in paradise was just obedience and resilient, suave and respect for one another.

There was no equal right here no equal right there rather one-way right; the village council way. And failing that, then on the highway.

But today with the protection of the so-called human rights; the air has the right, the fish, the animal, the birds, the environment, the kid, the woman, the church; and guess what else?

Over a decade or so ago, some sections of my village Siumu had put up an illegal blockade on the cross island road simmering off some land issues with the government. Its their right they had claimed. Then the Satapuala road block. And to becoming more regular, with the inter school student fighting. Then the ongoing drug cartel war with the police in Aana where one police fatality and one or two illegal narcotic traders.

And a couple of months ago the rugby supporters and players skirmishes in Anoamaa. Then more recently, where once they had said the place bad omens are forbidden (e faasa ai le leaga ... Faasaleleaga) but da hell broke loose between Salelologa and Salelavalu!!!

Lately, the media reported Salelologa had handed over three suspects to the police for the destructions of vendors belongings at the market however the pictures of the events, there were more that committed the horrendous crimes. Not three. Where is the rest of the men who stormed the market with their absolute freedom to show Samoa they have no respect for our law?

None from Salelologa are charged with interfering and pestering the police while conducting their lawful duties to enforce law and order, that is constantly becoming non functioning to normality in Samoa right now.

I am still trying to calculate how these criminals were allowed to stop the police, and demanding to release an offender. There must be a law; if not, then please introduce one to protect the police from being chivvied and interfered with while conducting their lawful duties to enforce law and order to arrest an accuse.

If they were brave in numbers then as individuals must have the guts to come forward and tell Samoa they own up to their crimes.

If the three were in police custody on the way to Tuasivi, where are the people who stopped the police vehicle and demanded the three be released? The dregs of Salelologa involved in the rampage through the market and interfering with the police must muster up to face the impetus thrust of the law.

The contemptible insurgency will continue to rise and the law abiding general public will claim victim of these violent outbursts if the government is not acting right now.

Police safety is paramount. No one has any right none or whatsoever to lay hand or hands (or any part of their bodies) on the police.

Currently, the police is not safe, neither you nor I or our overseas visitors.

It is time for the government to allow police to act responsibly and shoot any culprits first and ask questions after.

Arm the police right now please to fight fire with fire to right wrong to stop this madness violence it is becoming a nuisance.

But I had wish, only if Lord God Almighty had granted unto my words the venomous noxious for ones peaceful death. Wouldnt it be nice? Samoa by now; would have rid of all troublemakers including the sporadic gutless faceless homogeneous ghosts.

With my utmost respect,

Tofaeono Misatauveve Iosefo Joseph Hollywood

PalisiThe Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure (M.W.T.I.), Afamasaga Sua Pou Onesemo, has been suspended.

The decision was confirmed yesterday by the Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, Papalii Niko Lee Hang.

The suspension is to allow the Police to investigate allegations of corruption made against the C.E.O. by a former Member of Parliament of the Government of India, Sh.P.K. Bansal and his company called Ascent Navals.

Afamasaga strongly rejects the allegations.

Speaking to the Samoa Observer yesterday, Papalii said the decision to suspend him was only finalised on Monday during a special Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.

We held a special Cabinet meeting yesterday (Monday) as we had to wait for the return of the Prime Minister, Papalii said. With the recommendation and decision by the Public Service Commission (to suspend); the final say is with Cabinet."

That decision was endorsed yesterday. Now hes officially suspended as a C.E.O. pending the investigation by the Ministry of Police.

Asked for details of the suspension, the Minister said Afamasaga is placed on leave with pay for a month.

The leave with pay status is valid for a month and by the end of the month and if the investigation remains incomplete; he will no longer receive his salary."

However after the investigation and the C.E.O. is cleared, the Government is bound to back-pay the salary.

The allegations against Afamasaga were made by the Executive Director of a company called Ascent Navals.

Mr. Bansal, who is no longer a Cabinet Minister in India, wrote to the Chairman of the Public Service Commission on 28 May 2018, alleging corrupt and illegal practices by the Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Bansal also alleges that Afamasaga demanded favours, properties, cash and airfare tickets for him and his family to travel to Singapore.

When the Samoa Observer contacted Afamasaga for a comment, he not only denied the allegations in the letter, he counter-accused Mr. Bansal and Ascent Navals of being corrupt themselves.

These allegations is due to their frustration from numerous visits to Samoa and offers to myself and the Ministry that I continued to deny, Afamasaga said.

He even offered a proposal to Samoa Shipping Corporation, which was also denied. These people are so demanding and the approach of bribing officials that I never accepted. Had there been any offers accepted, I would have been hesitant to remove them from the selection process.

Emails from the Samoa Observer to Mr. Bansal to explain why he is no longer a Cabinet Minister in India have not been responded to.Eighteen Members of Parliament who have completed Certificate of Law Course at the University of the South Pacific (U.S.P.) Alafua Campus will graduate tomorrow.

The graduation ceremony is the first of its kind in the region and is part of the Universitys one-week 50th year anniversary celebration opened with a parade in Apia yesterday.

Associate Minister and Member of Parliament from Vaimauga Sisifo No.1, Lenatai Victor Faafoi Tamapua, will be among the graduates.

He said this is an exciting time for Members of Parliament.

It all started last year when I took up studies to have a more in depth understanding of the legislations that come through Parliament, which is the key reason behind my participation in this particular course, he said.

Even though I had a busy schedule, I still made time to attend lectures and tutorials.

Lenatai added it was fascinating what they were being taught, especially when it highlighted what exactly they were doing in Parliament in reference to endorsing the law.

I am very happy to be graduating in this programme even though I didnt know I would graduate again."

It was all worthwhile the effort and time spent on it. Throughout our hectic schedules, we still were able to pull it off."

The course comprised six subjects in the one-year certificate, which includes an introduction to the different types of law, legal interpretation, and law for administrators, business law and civil courts.

The United Nations Development Programme (U.N.D.P.) funded the participation of 18 Members of Parliament, as part of its overall work on supporting governance in Samoa.The work of 14-year-old Quenjule Slaven through her Community Outreach Programme in assisting young street vendors was recognised by the International Labour Organization (I.L.O.) yesterday.

Ms. Slaven, from Moamoa, is a Year-13 student at St. Marys College.

An award befitting to this passionate young lady that volunteers her time to help the Street Vendors in Apia town area, said I.L.O Coordinator Tomasi Peni.

She is the founder of the after-school reading and Maths programme at the public library for child vendors who do not attend school for financial reasons."

And currently up to 40 young people including students from schools take part in this programme.

A short video of Slaven talking about her volunteer work, played as she made her way to receive her award presented by Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labor Chief Executive Officer, Pulotu Lyndon Chu Ling.

Ms. Slaven volunteers her time in the Library on Tuesdays and Thursdays where she helps young street vendors and students learn how to read and work math problems.

I hope that this program will influence the youth of this generation to help the young children who are unable to attend school due to financial issues."

And I also hope that similar programs will be launched to help promote and end child labour."

The work my family and I do is to enable the street vendors to read and learn; just basic education and these are efforts to help them with what they do on the daily basis, she said.

Last year she was the recipient of the prestigious fellowships by the Sir Peter Blake Trust in New Zealand to take part in the Sir Peter Blake Youth EnviroLeader Forum (YELF) in New Zealand.

She is an award-winning story writer; a Newspapers in Education columnist for the Samoa Observer; has won regional poster competitions and was selected by her school to be an ambassador for Samoa Stationery and Books.Fifty years on, the University of the South Pacific (U.S.P.) still embodies the aspirations of the Pacific Island countries.

Yesterday, a bulk of alumnaes, staff and current students of the U.S.P. Alafua Campus marched from Tauese to the Government Building at Eleelefou to mark the opening of the universitys Golden Jubilee celebration.

Led by the Samoa Police Band, it was a proud moment for all those who were educated under the regional institution that has grown in size and specification to address the needs of all its nationalities.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi in his opening remarks noted the university was established to fill the leadership gap left by the retreating colonial leaders and fulfill the education needs of the Pacific Islanders.

Since its inception, U.S.P. has shaped the Pacific region for the better and making itself a source of immense pride for the region, this has transformed its position from just an autonomous university in the region to its status as an excellent cultural education provider, research institution and development organization."

In the national accreditation of U.S.P.'s programme, it is evident that the university has increased in its involvement as the vigor of its academic using international linkages research projects, assessments and outcomes.

Universitys Pro-vice Chancellor, Winston Thompson commended Tuilaepa and the Samoan Government for their efforts in helping the development of the university.

Prime Minister your presence here today (yesterday) is a recognition of what you yourself have given to the university as one of the strong supporters of education not just in Samoa but across the Pacific and its this support that you as one of the political leaders of our region that enables us to have this great achievement and development."

I think throughout the years of being the Prime Minster of Samoa, you have been one of the strongest and consistent supporters of the development of the university.

Mr. Thompson added it is a memorable event because it coincides with Samoas 56 years independence.

This event is something that Im sure that will be used as time goes on as even more graduates come out of the university to contribute to the development of this country and this is something that all of you, who have been involved in one way or another, can justify.

I particularly recognize the Parliamentarians in their mature years have taken on further studies and we look forward to even more of our communities in Samoa and across the Pacific taking advantage of this new opportunity.

Alafua Campus Director, Mohammed Umar told the Samoa Observer this is very significant for the university because Alafua Campus is just one of the 14 campuses in the region, so its very important for Samoa as a country because it hosts the School of Agriculture.

This particular week, we have three main important parts of the celebration, first is the parade and the official opening of the celebration by the Prime Minister, and the graduation of a number of Parliamentarians who have completed certificates in Civil Law and the third event is the Open Day on Friday where we will showcase what Alafua is all about, what we do in terms of what we offer and teach.

Mr. Umar said the number of students in 1968 was 200 and now there are 35,500, which is a huge increase and there are new campuses and buildings done in Kiribati and Solomon Islands.

Most countries in the Pacific now have realized that the university can provide as a premier education institution to the whole region, he said.The Minister of Agriculture, Lopaoo Natanielu Mua, and his Managers visited the Vaiaata prison last week to inspect their 300-acre plantation.

Currently the taro, banana and cocoa crops on the plantation cater for the provision of food for all three prisons in Tanumalala, Oloamanu and Vaiaata.

A new species of the Israel banana variety from South Africa which was brought over to Samoa for the purposes of growing for export is being cultivated at the Vaaiata prison.

According to A.C.E.O. of Crops division, Moafanua Tolo Iosefo, the Israel banana is a good variety because it bares very big healthy bunches.

There are talks of expanding their production for exporting in the future in an attempt to self-sustain the prison facilities, but according to Vaiaata prison Manager, Lega Frost, their main priority at this time is meeting the needs of the prisons.

Exporting would be a big responsibility but at this time the priority is for the prisons, especially Tafaigata. We have a big farm and yes it is generating money but this plantation carries the other prisons because we respond to their needs, he said.

Mr. Frost said he was pleased the management team from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries visited their facility and their planation.

He hopes that M.A.F. will assist them in providing education for the prisons on how to maintain the banana plantations particularly with the use of chemicals because so far they have not been utilizing pesticides.

The Vaiaata prison facility houses 40 prisoners and there is minimum security with an open house and no locks. According to Mr. Frost, it is important that their approach also has a rehabilitative element particularly in how the prisoners are treated pointing out the all of the inmates are low risk offenders.

Growing and harvesting the 300 plantation at the prison not only provides sustenance for all the prisons in Samoa, it also provides purpose and productivity for prisoners.

We have no problems with escapees here, Mr. Frost said. I think what these people have committed are low level crimes and therefore the treatment should be different. If the environment is unhealthy, there will no doubt be trouble. If they have a role to play, the prisoners have a sense of purpose and place in here. We are like a family and everyone has a job to do here.

Everyone must have attention and they are happy to work. We have a cooking crew, a maintenance crew, and a plantation crew. If you have a job to do, then you wont have time or the need to start trouble.

Lopaoo added while Savaii has not seen or held high risk offenders on the island before, it must not be taken for granted that it will most likely eventuate in the future and that all efforts must be made to ensure that Savaii boosts its agriculture sector to provide jobs for people on the big island.

Im not saying its not going to happen here  it will happen here, Lopaoo said. But if we have employment and if we have people commit to going to the farms and be able to spend their own money, they wont feel the need to steal or misbehave.Digicel and Samoa Stationery and Books have signed an agreement to have Digicel products made available at all S.S.A.B. stores.

Held at the Digicels headquarter, the partnership will enable customers to purchase a TV set and a Digicel Play Decoder all at once at any of the S.S.A.B. stores in Upolu and Savaii.

With every purchase, customers will have the option to sign up on a monthly subscription, either the lite plan for $49 or the premium plan for $89, which provides them with up to 25 channels.

Digicels Chief Executive Officer, Farid Mohammed, said the partnership is the beginning of a long-term relationship with S.S.A.B.

We are absolutely delighted with the support that we got from Tofilau Fiti Leung Wai and her team, he said.

S.S.A.B. has been selling our products for a couple of weeks now and we thought lets make this relationship official and we wanted to bring in to the attention of our customers where they can now also purchase Digicel products at the S.S.A.B. outlets as well.

That provides Digicel and increase reached to its customers and it also gives us another partnership to work with especially when it comes to our TV products.

We know S.S.A.B. is by far the largest seller of TVs in Samoa so we thought it was a great opportunity for us to partner with them so that when a customer walks in to purchase a television they can get a full package including the Digicel play subscription.

So that is one of the few things that will be available through S.S.A.B. going forward.

Mr. Mohammed said the products are already available in stores.

This is just to get the message out to our customers and those who are looking to buy TV and Digicel play services we strongly recommended that you see the great deal down at S.S.A.B. stores, he said.

In addition to that you can also purchase Digicel sim cards proper cards from the S.S.A.B. stores as well.

So this is definitely the beginning of a long term relationship, so I want to thank them for being open in all the negotiations and being very helpful in getting this partnership deal close and we definitely looking forwards to many partnership.

President and owner of S.S.A.B. Tofilau Fiti Leung Wai said the partnership will be beneficial for customers for various reasons.

Firstly, weve always tried to promote our shop as a one stop shop, convenience shopping for our customers and I believe this partnership with Digicel can achieve that purpose to some extent, she said.

When they come to S.S.A.B. to buy a phone they dont have to go anywhere else to buy a sim card as the sim cards will be at available in store and they can also top up their credits there. So its quite an excellent deal and it is always a purpose at S.S.A.B. to try and make people come there and not go anywhere else so this partnership achieves that.

Secondly she said it adds value to both Digicel and S.S.A.B. products.

At the moment we have a few local channels but if they come and buy a TV set they can also be given an option to purchase a Digicel Play Decoder which can access 25 channels for viewing, she said.

So it really adds value to our products and we are happy about that.

Moreover, she said the partnership enhances customers experience shopping at S.S.A.B. by providing them with these Digicel products.

I believe this partnership strengthens our relationship with Digicel which in return will benefit the community not only through our promotion but our growth, said Tofilau.

The more growth our companies experience were more incline to lend a hand to our community through our respected philanthropic work.

So I welcome this partnership with Digicel and again I thank the Chief Executive Officer of Digicel and their team for this great partnership and also value for money for all our clients.

As Digicel and S.S.A.B. share the same aim which is that we want the best for our clients and this partnership fulfils that aim.WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump's abrupt announcement Tuesday that he will suspend U.S. military drills in South Korea appeared to catch the Pentagon and the Seoul government flat-footed, and it contradicted a pillar of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis's campaign to make U.S. troops more combat-ready.

During a news conference following his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump pushed his unconventional approach even further by calling annual U.S.-South Korean military exercises "provocative." He also said he'd like to remove all 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in the South, although he made clear this was an option for the future, not a part of current negotiations.

The U.S. has stationed combat troops in South Korea since the end of the 1950-53 war and has used them in a variety of drills designed to sharpen skills and test troops' ability to operate effectively with their South Korean partners.

The next scheduled major exercise, known as Ulchi Freedom Guardian and involving tens of thousands of troops, normally is held in August.

"We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should," Trump said in Singapore. "But we'll be saving a tremendous amount of money. Plus, I think it's very provocative." In a later interview with the Voice of America, Trump said the North Koreas were "very happy" about his decision to freeze the exercises "because it is so provocative."

In the wake of Trump's unexpected, almost offhand comments to reporters, the Pentagon said it was consulting with the White House and others but was silent on whether Ulchi Freedom Guardian will proceed. Mattis's chief spokeswoman, Dana W. White, told reporters he was "in full alignment" with Trump and had been consulted in advance on all aspects of the Singapore talks.

"There were no surprises," she said.

If Mattis was aware that Trump was going to announce a suspension of military exercises, he apparently did not share that information with the South Koreans or with the military organization most directly affected: U.S. Forces Korea.

That U.S. command said it had "received no updated guidance on the execution or cessation of training exercises."

The South Korean government also appeared caught off guard. Seoul's presidential office told The Associated Press that it was trying to parse Trump's comments. The South Korean military seemed similarly surprised.

"At this current point, there is a need to discern the exact meaning and intent of President Trump's comments," Seoul's Defense Ministry said, adding that there have been no discussions yet with Washington on modifying drills set for August.

Trump's remarks contradicted decades of assertions by U.S. administrations that military exercises in South Korea are defensive and essential to ensuring that allied forces are ready at a moment's notice to fight the North. A favored U.S. slogan in South Korea is "ready to fight tonight."

Mattis often says his number one priority as Pentagon chief is to improve what he calls the "lethality" of the military, which includes making troops better equipped, trained and prepared for a full range of combat. In his view, preparedness equates to more effective deterrence -- persuading potential adversaries they cannot win and thus should not attack.

Trump's statement was portrayed by critics as an unreciprocated concession.

"Stopping the joint exercises has been a long-term goal for North Korea and China," two Asia analysts, Victor Cha and Sue Mi Terry, wrote in a summit assessment for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "Trump delivered it while getting nothing in return beyond the same generalities that North Korea has been offering since the early 1990s."

Even some Republicans in Congress seemed uneasy about this. Rep. Ed Royce of California, who is chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, applauded Trump for pursuing peace through diplomacy, but he also said Kim had "gained much" Tuesday, "including an apparent promise" from Trump to suspend military drills.

Trump also seemed annoyed that U.S. bomber aircraft make six-plus hour flights from the Pacific island of Guam to the Korean peninsula as part of its exercise routine.

"Six and a half hours  that's a long time for these big massive planes to be flying to South Korea to practice and then drop bombs all over the place, and then go back to Guam," Trump said. "I know a lot about airplanes; it's very expensive."

North Korea regularly calls the military exercises provocative preparations for a northward invasion, and many of the scariest standoffs in recent years on the Korean Peninsula have happened when the drills were being staged.

Moon Seong Mook, a former South Korean military official, said Trump's comments on the drills confirmed what many in South Korea had feared all along  that North Korea would attempt to drive a wedge between Washington and Seoul and gain substantial concessions from an unconventional U.S. president who thinks much less of the traditional alliance than his predecessors.

"The American military presence in South Korea wouldn't mean much if the militaries don't practice through joint drills," said Moon, now a senior analyst for the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy.The Lemon Grove City Council is considering asking voters to approve a half-cent sales tax hike to fund more city services.

The City Council heard some sobering news at last weeks budget workshop for the 2018-19 year. New Finance Manager Molly Brennan said this fiscal years general fund revenues are just barely covering expenditures.

A report by Brennan and Al Burrell, the citys finance consultant, shows that next year the city will be looking at a loss of almost a quarter-million dollars to its general fund. Lemon Groves starting balance in its general fund is about $5.3 million for the coming 2018-19 fiscal year.

The citys total revenues (and transfers) this year for its general fund are projected to be $13,856,521, with expenditures at $13,846,179, a small net gain of $10,342. But next years budget shows an expected loss of $440,164, with expected revenues of $13,349,236 not offset by $13,789,400 in expenses.

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City Councilman David Arambula said the city will need to change its operating motto.

Were about to enter a desperation stage, Arambula said. If we dont do something, were going to have serious issues.

The bulk of the citys costs are for sheriffs deputies and firefighters. About 72 percent of Lemon Groves general fund budget is dedicated to public safety. Lemon Groves costs this year for law enforcement are $5.8 million, which will rise to $6.3 million in the coming year. Fire department costs are expected to be about $4.5 million for next year, down from about $4.8 million projected for this year.

The city will also see its animal control contract increase because of a rise in call volume. Animal control services in the city, about $200,000 this year, will rise to about $290,000 next year.

Lemon Grove is seeing the effects of changes in California Public Employees Retirement System costs. The city received a 31 percent increase in a required lump sum payment to pay for its unfunded liability. It is jumping from $350,709 this year to $458,805 for the 2018-19 year.

The citys financial plan for the coming fiscal year, which starts July 1, considers a voter-approved, half-cent sales tax increase that may bring about $1.2 million to Lemon Grove.

The tax the city is considering is known as a transaction and use sales tax, City Manager Lydia Romero explained. The tax would be imposed on purchases from out-of-state vendors who are otherwise not required to collect tax on their sales.

The City Council was also quizzed on other possible taxes that would need voter approval. Those include a business license tax increase; a tax on the use of utilities such as gas, electricity, telephone, water and cable television; a parcel tax on real property; and an increase in transient occupancy tax (TOT) on guests lodging at hotels and motels in Lemon Grove. The city currently collects a 10 percent TOT.

Romero also floated other ideas for revenue generators that would not need voters OK.

Those include increasing rental rates for facilities such as its gazebo, community center and recreation center; installing electronic billboards along state Route 94 that advertisers would pay to be on; and offering city vehicles for sponsorship by outside entities.

The City Council previously considered electronic billboards several years ago, enticed by the thought of bringing in a quarter-million dollars, but it nixed the plan. During the discussion of tax options, city attorney Jim Lough quipped twice that his legal opinions were sponsored by Carls Jr.

Arambula said Lemon Grove will have to work on a plan, and soon. Otherwise, it will end up laying off city staff.

I dont think anything should be off the table, he said. Its short-sighted for us to not take this seriously.

A formal document on the budget will be presented to the City Council at its June 19 meeting. The city had plans to cancel the July 3 City Council meeting but because of the budget concerns and possible tax ordinances to be considered for the November ballot, the City Council agreed to meet the day before the national holiday.

karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.comTo the small, but loyal fan club who eagerly await his arrival on Monday afternoons, 90-year-old George Tsoris is a rock star, though when he performs, its in verse, not song lyrics.

Tsoris fans are 6- to 9-year-old members at the Boys & Girls Club of Vista, where hes been hosting weekly poetry-reading and -memorization sessions for the past four years.

In April, he received the Maytag Dependable Leader Award at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Americas national conference in San Diego. The national honor came with a $20,000 grant for the Vista club.

Matt Koumaras, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Vista, said hes seen a remarkable transformation in the children who cant wait for Tsoris to walk through the doors each week.

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I see kids getting more confident, carrying books around the club and taking them home, and I see them reading and sharing poems with each other, Koumaras said. George has such an infectious smile and a very easygoing, patient and thoughtful personality. The kids just love him.

Tsoris is a longtime volunteer who has taught poetry, reading and writing to children, seniors and prison inmates for more than 20 years. He especially loves teaching children to memorize poems.

Schools dont really teach poetry anymore, he said. Theyve done away with rote memorization in favor of critical thinking. But kids have fertile minds and pick things up quickly. The beauty of poetry is the younger you are when you read it, the longer it stays with you.

Volunteer poetry teacher George Tsoris and one of his most faithful students, 9-year-old Jayde McCurry of Oceanside at the Boys and Girls Club of Vista. (Boys and Girls Club of Vista )

Tsoris comes by his love for words genetically. His father immigrated from Greece with little more than a fifth-grade education so he filled the gap with books, including reading the dictionary from cover to cover.

The older Tsoris married a fellow Greek immigrant and they settled in an ethnic section of East Milwaukee, Wis., where George, the second of their four sons, was born in January 1928.

He discovered a passion for poetry in fourth grade, when his teacher had the class memorize and recite together Alfred Noyes 1906 narrative poem The Highwayman. It still trips off his tongue today, along with hundreds of other poems stored in his memory.

I love the sound of the words, he said. I love the meter and the rhythm. Poetry comes from the heart. I think Emily Dickinson said it best: If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.

Tsoris favorite poet is William Wordsworth but he also admires the work of Langston Hughes, E.E. Cummings, Sarah Teasdale, Wallace Stevens, Fernando Pessoa, Ana Akhmatova and Rudyard Kipling.

Poetry would become his companion through high school, college and his early career in the advertising business. Wordsworths The Daffodils helped him in periods of loneliness and William Ernest Henleys Invictus gave him strength during hard times. And after he met his future wife, Pauline, in a Milwaukee Greek Orthodox church, he won her heart with his own self-penned poetry.

George and Pauline Tsoris of Oceanside. The long-married couple sing together in the choir at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Cardiff. (Charlie Neuman / San Diego Union-Tribune )

After they married, the Tsorises moved to Chicago, where he worked in advertising and, later, real estate appraisal. In the 1990s, he started putting his love for words into service.

Every week for four years he visited inmates at Chicagos Cook County Jail and helped them with homework and reading to pass their high school equivalency exams. He spent three years doing poetry reading and homework help with grade-schoolers in Northbrook, Ill. And he spent a few more years reading stories and poetry to elderly residents at Chicagos Swedish Covenant Assisted Living center.

Pauline Tsoris said her husband got his love of words from his father, but he inherited his mothers kindness and upbeat personality.

Hes a very understanding, humble person who always finds something good in a bad situation, Pauline said. Hes thrilled to help people because he gets as much back from it as they do.

After the Tsorises retired to Oceanside nine years ago, he was eager to find a new outlet for his energies. At a birthday gathering in 2014, Koumaras overheard Tsoris asking about volunteer opportunities at area senior homes and he recruited him to Boys & Girls Club of Vista.

It was a full-circle moment for Tsoris. During World War II, Tsoris mother worked at a parachute factory, so he spent his afternoons at a Boys Club in East Milwaukee, where he has fond memories of the free snacks, activities and camaraderie he enjoyed there.

Koumaras said the $20,000 grant that Tsoris earned for the club with his award will arrive in July and will be used towards scholarships for needy club members to use for school supplies and other needs.

Tsoris also now volunteers on Tuesdays tutoring third-graders in reading at Temple Heights Elementary School in Oceanside.

Tsoris said he always kicks off his poetry programs by asking participants to recite any poem they learned as a child. Older people always have a verse in their heads but most children do not.

Detail view of a book of poetry compiled by George Tsoris in 1943 when he was a student at Lincoln High School in Milwaukee, Wis. (Charlie Neuman / San Diego Union-Tribune )

To make poetry more accessible to younger audiences, he reminds them that poems are like songs without music and he draws them in with kid-friendly verses by Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss as well as musical theater numbers.

One of his biggest fans and most-active poetry-readers at the club is Jayde McCurry, a third-grader at Breeze Hill Elementary School. The brainy 9-year-old memorized Wordsworths three-stanza The Daffodils in just an hour.

Jaydes grandmother, Yvonne Mattern, said that in the year since her granddaughter began studying and memorizing poetry with Tsoris, her reading level has leapt from a fifth- to a ninth-grade level.

Jayde said working on poetry and memorization with Tsoris has helped her with school homework, given her more confidence and improved her ability to speak in public.

Hes very nice and I love what he brings us, Jayde said. Even if we dont understand the poem hes teaching up, he goes over them with us until we all do.

Jaydes favorite poem from the past year was adapted for National Library Week from a quote by Dr. Seuss. She needs no encouragement to launch into a flawless recitation:

The more you read,the more you know. The more you know, the smarter you grow. The smarter you grow, the stronger your voice, when speaking your mind or making your choice.

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.comAlthough construction issues have delayed its planned opening by a couple months, Carlsbads Windmill Food Hall will debut in early August and nine of its food vendors have been announced.

Earlier this month, the iconic windmill building at Palomar Airport Road and Interstate 5 was repainted from white and sun-bleached sky blue to black with white trim.

Those colors will be combined with whitewashed red brick in the 14,000-square-foot food hall, being built in the long-shuttered TGI Fridays restaurant location at 890 Palomar Airport Road.

Windmill Food Hall developer James Markham of Carlsbad said the project will have 11 food vendors, a 50-seat bar, vintage video and Skee-Ball games, lawn and table games, a communal seating area with fireplace, patio seating and a calendar of events. Hes also planning to open a speakeasy bar on the windmill buildings second floor at a later date.

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1 / 11 Thai-styled rolled ice cream and desserts will be served at Bing Haus, one of the just-announced vendors for Windmill Food Hall, opening in early August in Carlsbad. (Bing Haus) 2 / 11 The lobster roll sandwich at Lobster West, an Encinitas-born family-owned restaurant that will open a booth at Windmill Food Hall, opening in early August in Carlsbad. (Pam Kragen/ U-T) 3 / 11 Cross Street Chicken & Beer, which opened its first location in Kearny Mesa last fall, is one of the just-announced vendors for Windmill Food Hall, opening in early August in Carlsbad. (Courtesy photo) 4 / 11 Rolled Up, a build-your-own sushi burrito concept, is one of the just-announced vendors for Windmill Food Hall, opening in early August in Carlsbad. (JM Concepts) 5 / 11 Thai-Style Kitchen, a pop-up restaurant concept serving traditional Thai dishes, is one of the just-announced vendors for Windmill Food Hall, opening in early August in Carlsbad. (Thai-Style Kitchen) 6 / 11 Crackheads, a gourmet breakfast sandwich and coffee eatery, will open a stand-alone restaurant space in Windmill Food Hall, opening in early August in Carlsbad. (JM Concepts) 7 / 11 Doughballs Pizza serves made-to-order whole pizzas. Its one of the vendors just announced for the Windmill Food Hall, opening in early August in Carlsbad. (JM Concepts) 8 / 11 Bread and Cheese is a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich stand run by lifelong best friends Justin Frank and Devin Gneiting at the Hillcrest Farmers Market. Theyre among the just-announced vendors for Windmill Food Hall, opening in early August in Carlsbad. (Bread and Cheese) 9 / 11 The newly painted windmill building at Palomar Airport Road and Interstate 5 in Carlsbad will be home to the Windmill Food Hall in August (Pam Kragen) 10 / 11 An artists rendering of Windmill Food Hall, which will open in early August in Carlsbads iconic 1982 windmill building on Palomar Airport Road. (Windmill Food Hall) 11 / 11 Carlsbad restaurant entrepreneur James Markham is transforming the iconic windmill building on Palomar Airport Road into the Windmill Food Hall with 11 restaurant concepts inside. (Courtesy photo)

Markham said hes been overwhelmed with interest from both potential vendors and the public since the project was announced earlier this year.

I feel like this is something North County has needed for a long time, he said. North County needs more cool.

Windmill is one of three food halls scheduled to open around the county this year, joining Liberty Public Market, which opened in 2016 at Liberty Station in San Diego. Still to come this year are Little Italy Food Hall and Park Commons in Sorrento Valley.

Food halls are one of the fastest-growing culinary trends in the U.S., with the number expected to nearly double to more than 200 by 2019. Being on the front end of food trends is Markhams specialty.

The serial food concept creator was the brains behind the national chains Pieology, Project Pie and MOD Pizza, which earned him glowing write-ups in magazines such as Entrepreneur, Restaurant Hospitality and Business News Daily.

More recently, hes developed a string of quick-service outlets around San Diego including Doughballs Pizza, Crackheads breakfast eatery, Rolled Up sandwich shop and Jarfood. A few of these will join the tenant mix at Windmill Food Hall, which Markham says is long overdue in North County.

A food hall eliminates the veto vote, he said, referring to families arguing over where to eat. Not only does it touch everyones palate, it can also act as an incubator for new restaurant startups. You can go to any city and some of the best food is found in farmers markets and food halls where these hard-working people are doing it because they love their food and believe in it.

Markham said it was never his plan to fill the hall with just his concepts. He and his wife and children have enjoyed visiting restaurant startups and market vendor stalls to find the perfect mix for Windmill.

Heres a look at the lineup:

Bing Haus  Thai-style rolled ice cream and other desserts in flavors such as green tea, black sesame and banana. Its original shop is on Convoy Street in Kearny Mesa.

Bread and Cheese  Gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches made by lifelong best friends Justin Frank and Devin Gneiting, who run a popular stand frequented by the Markham family at the Hillcrest Farmers Market.

Cross Street Chicken & Beer  Korean-style fried chicken is the specialty at this booth run by married restaurateurs Tommy Nguyen and Grace Chi, whose original location opened last fall on Convoy.

Lobster West  Award-winning lobster roll sandwiches are the specialty at this family-run Encinitas-born restaurant company owned by Kim and Joel Locker.

Taco Lady  A spin-off of the popular El Puerto Mexican & Seafood restaurant in Carlsbad Village. It will serve gourmet street tacos.

Thai-Style Kitchen  Traditional Thai dishes are prepared by this pop-up street fair vendor run by a former chef from Lotus Thai restaurant in Carlsbad.

Crackheads  Markham started this gourmet breakfast sandwich and coffee stand at Liberty Public Market last summer. He closed it this past spring in anticipation of moving it into the base of the windmill structure as a stand-alone restaurant.

Doughballs Pizza  Markham created this made-to-order pizza concept last year at Liberty Station and in Pacific Beach. Those have both closed for the move into Windmill Food Hall.

Rolled Up  Markhams third concept serves build-your-own sushi burritos. It will relocate from its current location in Hillcrest.

Markham said hes also working on a Korean hot pot station from Convoys Friends House restaurant, and hes in the hunt for a burger vendor who makes gourmet sliders. Hes also considering keeping a station open for short-term rentals by chefs testing popup concepts.

Once Windmill Food Hall opens, Markham will begin work on a 60-seat Chicago-style speakeasy bar, which would share the buildings second floor with a large banquet room.

The buildings are part of the 150-room Carlsbad By the Sea Hotel, which was opened in 1982 as part of the Pea Soup Andersens hospitality chain. Last year, the property was purchased by RAR Hospitality, which is in the midst of a $1 million refresh that includes the windmills new paint job.

Allison Whitt of Design X Architecture & Interiors in Lemon Grove is overseeing the look of the project, which will include roll-up garage door-style walls, a 35-foot bar with vintage-style leather bucket seats, custom-made leather sofas and cloth wingback chairs, and a patio with vintage outdoor furniture, fire pits and trees.

Windmill Food Hall will offer online ordering, curbside food pickup and delivery. It will also use a single-point payment system where theyll be issued a key fob or bracelet synced to their credit card, which can be swiped at any booth or the bar.

There will also be a monthly calendar with events such as sip-and-paint classes, dance lessons and Bumble dating/networking events.

Markham said he hopes visitors are surprised by the look and feel of Windmill Food Hall.

I like the unexpected, Markham said. You have to push people past their comfort zone to the point where they become comfortable with the uncomfortable.

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.comIf you remember your Shakespeare, theres a bit of a romantic third wheel in Romeo and Juliet: Rosaline, the girl that Romeo is swooning for at the start of the play.

Once Juliet steps into the picture, though, poor Rosaline gets dumped anon, not to be heard from again.

But things are a little more complicated in Romeo, Romeo & Juliet, the world-premiere play by Roustabouts Theatre co-founder Ruff Yeager that hits the stage this week as the upstart local companys fourth full production.

The piece is not an adaptation of Shakespeare; instead, it centers on a production of R & J thats in rehearsal at a summer-stock company on Cape Cod.

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Also, very much unlike the Bard original, its a comedy.

But like the circa-1597 tragedy of two warring families and the young pair caught in the middle, it plays on the idea of star-crossd love, says Yeager, a longtime San Diego actor-playwright and an assistant professor of theater at Southwestern College.

His story, co-directed by Kim Strassburger and Roustabouts co-founder Phil Johnson, has an actor named Nancy (Michelle Marie Trester) stepping in as a last-minute replacement for the would-be Juliet in the summer production.

One problem, as Yeager explains it: Nancy has never performed Shakespeare before, so she has to learn how to do it.

That offers up some fertile ground for laughs: I think its really fun to see somebody kind of massacre Shakespeare, as he puts it.

And Trester  who had a memorably bonkers cameo in Cygnet Theatres The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds last year  is so funny in this production, Yeager says. Shes so true and honest and in the moment.

Another problem: Nancy winds up falling for her Romeo, aka an actor named Tracy. Hes played  in his San Diego professional stage debut  by Michael Silberblatt, a Coronado School of the Arts grad (and former student of Strassburgers there) who was honored as a presidential scholar in the arts by Barack Obama in 2010. (Hes also something of a math whiz.)

Tracy, though, only has eyes for his director, Simon, portrayed by the busy San Diego actor Brian Mackey, a familiar and versatile presence in houses all over town.

As the three rehearse Shakespeares famous balcony scene, in which Romeo confesses his affection for Juliet, the trios own fraught romantic situation plays out.

The summer-stock setting is one thats familiar to Yeager; as a student at Missouri State University, he acted in such summer musicals as Wheres Charley? in a non-air-conditioned tent in the middle of the hot season.

And yet he recalls the experience fondly: When youre a young actor, it feels important and serious and very inspiring.

The play, in some ways, is a nod to those days, and to his own continuing romance with the stage.

Its a love letter to summer stock, a love letter to the creative experience, (and) a love letter to Shakespeare.

Romeo, Romeo & Juliet

When: In previews. Opens June 22. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through July 8.

Where: Roustabouts Theatre Co. at Moxie Theatre, 6663 El Cajon Blvd., Rolando District.

Tickets: $38

Phone: (619) 728-7820

Online: theroustabouts.org

Brian Mackey, Michelle Marie Trester and Michael Silberblatt (from left) in Roustabouts Theatres Romeo, Romeo & Juliet. (Daren Scott )

jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @jimhebertNeighbors knew him as Tim, a quiet man who kept to himself but was always pleasant and never left home without his San Francisco Giants cap on.

Then his picture appeared on the news and TV satellite trucks showed up Monday on their quiet, tree-lined street in Daly City, and it became clear their neighbor apparently was not who they had thought.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations said in a news release they had apprehended the man, identified as Capt. William Howard Hughes Jr., who had top security clearance when he disappeared in New Mexico 35 years ago.

Hughes was charged with desertion and is being held at Travis Air Force Base. He could face up to five years of confinement, forfeiture of all pay and dishonorable discharge from the Air Force.

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Authorities say they arrested Hughes last week at his residence, where he was living under the name Barry OBeirne.

Official records show that OBeirne used Timothy as a middle name.

Everyone knew him as Tim. He was very pleasant, said neighbor June Dayao, 60, a retired teacher who recognized her neighbors face in a photograph released by the Air Force. Thats him but he always had his Giants hat on.

Dayao and her husband had talked about going to a Giants game with him and his partner, a woman already living in the house when Hughes moved in several years ago.

Neighbor Lorenzo Laurel, 62, said Hughes was an ideal neighbor.

I would only see him when he leaves or throws out the garbage; he was very private, said Laurel, who never knew his neighbors occupation and assumed he was retired.

Hughes was captured after a passport fraud investigation, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations said in a statement.

He told authorities after his capture Wednesday that he was depressed about being in the Air Force and decided to leave, saying he created a fake identity and lived in California since he vanished in 1983, according to the statement.

Hughes was involved in classified planning and analysis of NATOs control, command and communications surveillance systems during the Cold War. He specialized in radar surveillance.

A captain at Kirtland Air Force Base, Hughes was 33 and single when he vanished, according to news reports from the time of his disappearance.The Los Angeles Board of Education has deadlocked over rehiring its top internal investigator, effectively dismissing him unless board members reconsider before the end of the month.

The board split evenly over rehiring Inspector General Ken Bramlett during a confidential closed-door portion of last weeks board meeting. His current contract expires at the end of June.

Bramletts departure would raise questions about the future of an office established as a watchdog over the nations second-largest school system.

Some critics  inside and outside L.A. Unified  say his forced departure could undermine accountability efforts, including overseeing independently operated charter schools. But others say the board members who voted not to rehire him had lost confidence in Bramlett, especially in light of recent allegations that he had tolerated a hostile work environment after employees complained about his chief deputy.

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The school-board tally, according to district sources in senior management who were not authorized to speak on the record, was 3 to 3, with one member, Ref Rodriguez, abstaining. The vote, which happened outside of public view, was not announced even though California law requires the reporting of all actions taken.

Interviewed Friday, district general counsel David Holmquist declined to confirm the vote and said the board has no obligation to report a decision not to approve a proposed contract  for Bramlett or anyone else.

The vote was first reported by radio station KPCC.

Bramlett, who has held the job for five years, declined to discuss his status, saying only: I love this district, and I love the kids in the district.  I tried to do everything we could do to protect their resources so the district could give them everything it could.

The votes against Bramlett came from a new majority bloc that took control last year. Its members were elected with substantial financial support from charter school advocates. On the other side were three board members who are retired school district administrators.

Rodriguez, who belongs to the charter-supported bloc, recused himself from the vote because hes been under investigation by the inspector generals office for alleged conflicts of interest. Separately, Rodriguez faces criminal charges of political money laundering. He has denied wrongdoing.

Rodriguezs recusal had the same effect as a vote against Bramlett, who fell one vote short of the needed majority.

Several charter schools have become mired in lengthy investigations by Bramletts office. On a few occasions, such probes resulted in criminal charges; they also have contributed to recommendations that the board vote to close certain schools.

L.A. Unified has more charters and charter students than any other school district. About 18% of LAUSD students are enrolled in charters.

After the charter-supported board majority took control last July, charter leaders pressed for changes to L.A. Unified oversight.

The charter wishlist included limiting the reach of the inspector general. In a compromise last November, charters achieved some bureaucratic relief but the inspector generals authority remained intact.

Bramlett became vulnerable, however, as his three-year contract neared an end, especially after recent allegations that his top deputy and senior investigator Frank Cabibi repeatedly made racially and sexually tinged comments. Cabibi, who could not be reached for comment, recently resigned.

Bramletts defenders contend that a full investigation could exonerate Bramlett.

Its unfair to let him go before this necessary fact-finding is complete, said former school board member David Tokofsky, who supported the original establishment of the office, about 20 years ago. He said he worried that the complaints could be a pretext to get rid of Bramlett and weaken the offices authority.

L.A. Unified is the only California school district with an inspector general. The office was established as the district was beginning the nations largest school construction program.

With that effort ended, it may be time to rethink whether that offices central functions can be managed in other ways, potentially saving money and preventing bureaucratic overreach, said Myrna Castrejon, executive director of Great Public Schools Now, which helps fund the establishment of new schools, including charters.

One vote against Bramlett was from board President Monica Garcia, the longest serving board member; the others were from Nick Melvoin and Kelly Gonez, whove been in office for less than a year. Melvoin and Gonez have been notably outspoken about the #MeToo movement and making sure that L.A. Unified does not tolerate locker-room talk and other forms of sexual harassment.

Senior district officials declined to discuss Bramletts contract or the complaints.

Bramlett declined to criticize board members or discuss the allegations.

All complaints received in this office are taken very seriously, he said. And all are investigated thoroughly and the appropriate action is taken.

howard.blume@latimes.com

Twitter: @howardblumeFor the pioneering members of San Diegos LGBTQ community, the local gay bar was not necessarily a place where everyone knew your name. But it was a place where people knew the real you, and that was all that mattered.

Haven. Club. Community space. Safe house. Beginning in the closeted 1950s and continuing through the activist 70s, the AIDS-shadowed 80s and the Gay Pride 90s, San Diegos gay bars have been so much more than a place to drink and dance.

In San Diegos gay and lesbian bars, people could be themselves. And in the new KPBS documentary, San Diegos Gay Bar History, these storied spaces are being celebrated for all the things they were to their patrons, and for all of the things they had to be.

To hear the older generation describe the experience, before there were gay centers or gay community organizations, everything happened in the bar, filmmaker Paul Detwiler said of his documentary, which debuts Thursday at 9 p.m. on KPBS-TV. It was the place where people in the community took care of each other.

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In San Diegos Gay Bar History, which is part of the KPBS Explore Local Content program, the personal illuminates the historical. The documentary starts with gay life in post World War II San Diego and ends with the bittersweet closing of the Numbers bar in 2017. In between, the hour-long documentary remembers how places like the Circus Room, the Apartment, the Flame, and the West Coast Production Company kept their patrons afloat when the cultural tide was running against them.

In the 1950s, people thought gay people were sick, World War II veteran and Hoover High School graduate George McGuire says in the film, remembering with wonder tales of a bar in Los Angeles called the Canyon Club, where men could actually dance together.

There wasnt a lot of same-sex dancing going on in San Diegos gay bars, where the vice squad could pop in at any time. If you were arrested, your name, address and occupation could end up in the pages of the San Diego Union or the Tribune. And if you were a woman, your children could be taken away.

In one interview, native San Diegan Jill McCall settles into a comfortable couch to tell the story of going to a gay bar with some friends to celebrate a promotion, when she and some of her fellow celebrants were arrested and thrown in jail. But the charges were dropped, and the next night, McCall and her friends went back to the club because there was nowhere else they wanted to be.

We were popular then, McCall says with a laugh.

Later, the bars became a place to organize and strategize. In the post-Stonewall 1970s, the gay-rights movement was born in the bars. During the AIDS epidemic of 1980s, bars became the sites for meetings, fundraisers and way too many memorials.

In one of the documentarys most moving sections, survivors pay tribute to the friends they lost and to the spirit that helped hold their fractured world together.

Out of a community of 30 to 40 friends, Im the only survivor. Its very difficult for me to talk about, says Papa Tony Lindsey, a tribal elder in San Diegos leather community.

It was a nonstop 24/7 battle for seven or eight years, says Susan Jester, founder of the San Diego AIDS Walk. It was a difficult time, but it was a time when the community rose to the occasion.

The documentary ends with a long goodbye and a lingering debate. September of 2017 marked the closing of Numbers, a bar on the edge of Hillcrest that had been the home of Pride parties, drag shows and the Club Sabbat goth night. In the documentary, Numbers owner Nick Moede chalks it up to a changing market, where LGBTQ people feel more widely accepted, and having their own space isnt as important as it used to be.

Thats progress, he says. And thats good.

Not everyone agrees. For some members of the community, havens are still important. Just because the mainstream bar scene is more welcoming than it used to be doesnt mean everyone feels welcome there. The history of San Diegos gay bars may still have a few chapters to go.

If you are too femme as a guy or too butchy as a girl, you are still not going to be comfortable, filmmaker Detwiler said. There are a lot of people who cant assimilate, especially transgender kids. They still have to have places where they are safe and where there are other people like them.

San Diegos Gay Bar History premieres Thursday, June 14 at 9 p.m. on KPBS-TV, with encores airing at 9 pm. Monday, June 18, on KPBS 2; 10 p.m. Monday, June 18 on KPBS; and 8 p.m. Thursday, July 5 on KPBS2.

Twitter: @karla_peterson

karla.peterson@sduniontribune.comA man who fatally stabbed his mother  a well-known high school science teacher  in their Clairemont home last year was convicted Monday of first-degree murder.

Joseph Robert Burks faces 26 years to life in prison when he is sentenced July 13 by San Diego Superior Court Judge Charles Rogers.

Jurors deliberated 4 1/2 days before finding the 31-year-old defendant guilty of murdering 58-year-old Angela Burks, who had been a teacher at Otay Ranch High School for 14 years. She had been with the Sweetwater Union High School District since 1983.

Deputy District Attorney Makenzie Harvey said the defendant called 911 about 7:15 p.m. July 24, 2017, telling dispatchers he had stabbed his mother and that she needed medical attention.

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When officers arrived, they found the victim on her back and unresponsive inside the home on Mount Putnam Avenue near Mount Laudo Drive, the prosecutor said. The victim  who had lost a lot of blood  was taken to a trauma center, where she was pronounced dead.

San Diego police homicide Detective Christopher Leahy testified that the victim lived on one side of the home and the defendant on the other.

The mothers side of the home was well maintained and the defendants side was messy, with items stacked on top of his bed and an assortment of weapons  including two Samurai swords  lined up against a wall, according to the detective.

There was a mattress in a bathroom and the defendant seemed to be sleeping in there, Leahy said.

Two knives believed to have been used in the attack were found at the scene, and one of them had the blade broken at the handle, the detective testified.

Angela Burks was stabbed at least 15 times. A motive for the killing was not clear.A Vista man whose apparently rough arrest last month was recorded by a neighbor was ordered Tuesday to face trial on domestic violence charges  the initial reason deputies had gone to his home that morning.

At the end of an hour-long preliminary hearing, Superior Court Judge Sim Von Kalinowski found that prosecutors presented enough evidence to order Gerardo Martinez, Jr., to stand trial on the domestic violence-related charges.

The hearing focused on the interactions between the defendant and his off-and-on girlfriend, who called 911 on May 7. It included no testimony regarding what may have transpired between the 24-year-old man and the deputies who arrested him near his familys condominium, not far off East Vista Way, on the citys northeast end.

The encounter with authorities grabbed attention after a bystander shot video of the waning seconds of Martinezs arrest as well as that of his father, who was taken into custody at the same time.

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 A 22-second video posted on Facebook shows sheriffs deputies in Vista manhandling two restrained suspects. (Courtesy of Ashley Tovar)

The 22-second recording appears to show deputies manhandling Gerardo Martinez Sr., and his namesake son after they were in handcuffs.

The footage showed Martinez Sr. shoved into a wooden fence face-first. His son, pinned to a sidewalk, was beaten about the head.

A neighbor shot the recording. The sister and daughter of the men in the video posted it on social media.

The Sheriffs Department issued a statement that the video captured only a portion of what happened, and asserted that the two men in the video had fought with deputies.

The department put two of the deputies on desk duty. The two deputies remained on that status as of Tuesday, a department official confirmed.

The District Attorneys Office dropped all charges against the elder Martinez, and also dismissed a resisting-arrest charge against his son.

However, the younger man has remained jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail for charges linked to the domestic-violence accusations. He has pleaded not guilty.

At the end of Tuesdays hearing, Martinezs defense attorney asked to have the bail reduced to $20,000.

My client was brutally beaten by police in this matter, attorney Francisco Aldana said.

Aldana said his client has suffered headaches and was diagnosed with a possible concussion as well as post-traumatic stress.

The judge slashed his bail in half  to $50,000.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

(760) 529-4945

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUTSeven refugees resettled in San Diego County in May, the lowest number of new arrivals since December.

The county reached a record low that month when six refugees resettled here. Since then, arrivals rose to 68 in February and then dropped again to 25 in March and 13 in April.

San Diego used to take in more refugees than any county in California with hundreds of newcomers, mostly from Iraq and Syria, arriving each month. So far in fiscal 2018, seven Iraqi refugees have come to the county, and two arrived from Syria.

Mays seven arrivals were members of one family from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Nationwide, resettlements increased last month from 1,639 to 2,142, a 31 percent change. Refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo were the largest group resettled with 922 arrivals around the country.

Burmese refugees were the second largest group with 346 arrivals across the U.S., and those from Ukraine were the third largest at 188.

San Diego has four resettlement agencies dedicated to helping refugees get started in their new lives. With few refugees arriving, the agencies have mostly helped people arriving with special immigrant visas, given to those who work with U.S. military in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Donna Duvin, executive director of the International Rescue Committee in San Diego criticized the Trump administration for its low refugee arrivals  more than halfway through the fiscal year, the U.S. has resettled 14,331 refugees, just under 32 percent of the 45,000-person ceiling set by President Donald Trump.

Given the reality of the refugee crisis and the diminishing number of families being approved for US resettlement, the current administration is doing everything in their power to dismantle a humanitarian program that successfully provided a lifeline for the most vulnerable refugee families over many years, said Donna Duvin, executive director of the International Rescue Committee in San Diego. It is a sad page in our countrys history.

In May, Kentucky took in 147 refugees  the most of any state. California was second with 146 new arrivals.

In California, refugees from the Ukraine at 46 were the largest group, with most going to Sacramento County. Forty-seven percent of Californias new arrivals were from Eastern European countries.

Immigration Videos On Now New developments in family separation case 9:53 On Now A San Diego woman volunteered as a medic in Texas helping migrant families 2:35 On Now Immigration policy protests in Carlsbad nearly cancelled after permit issue 1:38 On Now When children are separated from their parents at the border, here is where they go next On Now Prospects of a deal for 'Dreamers' may hinge on separating Trump from hard-liners on his staff On Now What is DACA? On Now Border wall prototype contractors selected On Now Video: Ukrainian boxer wins asylum in U.S. On Now 30 apprehended after Border Patrol agents discover tunnel On Now Video: Kurdish diaspora prepare to vote on independence

Follow me on Facebook for live updates about immigration news

kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate on TwitterThe four children killed in an Orlando, Fla., apartment were identified Tuesday, as police grappled with whether they were alive at any point during 21-hour standoff.

The kids, remembered by a family friend as beautiful babies who would never hurt anyone, were found shot to death in two bedrooms where convicted felon Gary Lindsey attacked his girlfriend and critically wounded a police officer.

Orlando police Chief John Mina said officers never heard sounds or voices of the children during sporadic phone calls with Lindsey during the standoff that began Sunday and stretched into late Monday.

There was never any indication of an imminent threat to the children, Mina told reporters.

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A member of the SWAT team stormed the home around 8:30 p.m. after seeing at least one dead child in a bedrooms.

Iraya, 12, Lillia, 10, Aidan, 6, and Dove, 1, were held hostage and killed by Gary Lindsey. (GoFundMe )

We made the decision to save the rest of the children and breach the apartment, Mina said.

The remaining children were also found dead of apparent gunshot wounds when the SWAT team searched the home, while Lindsey was found dead in a closet.

Two of the children were his, while two others were thought to be his girlfriends, Mina said. They were identified on a GoFundMe page as 12-year-old Iraya, 10-year-old Lillia, 6-year-old Aidan and Dove, who was just 1.

Her boyfriend was the father of two of the children and selfishly took the lives of these precious innocent angels and then took his own life, wrote Walter Benenati, who is raising money to cover funeral costs.

Gary Lindsey killed four children, wounded a police officer and then took his own life. (Volusia County Branch Jail / TNS )

He hopes the fund will help the mother of two of the slain children get on her feet, according to the fund-raising page. So far, the site has raised more than $3,000 for the family.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer expressed his condolences, tweeting early Tuesday that our hearts go out to the family of the children and the law enforcement officers who worked tirelessly to bring this standoff to a peaceful conclusion.

The standoff started after Lindseys girlfriend, who was not identified, called police from a nearby clubhouse. She met with officers and said Lindsey punched and grabbed her.

Lindsey opened fire through a door as police tried confronting him, striking and critically wounding Officer Kevin Valencia. The officer has undergone surgery but he has been unable to communicate, Mina said.

At least one officer managed to return fire at Lindsey and Mina warned they were not responsible for the death of the children.

It was not our bullets that killed those children, Mina said.

Lindsey, who was a convicted felon on parole until 2025, was found with five guns in the home, including two shot guns, two rifles and a handgun.

With News Wire ServicesChief White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow was rushed to a Washington hospital after suffering a very mild heart attack, according to officials.

President Trump gave word of Kudlows ailing health from the convoy to his meeting with North Koreas Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

Our Great Larry Kudlow, who has been working so hard on trade and economic, has just suffered a heart attack, Trump tweeted. He is now in Walter Reed Medical Center.

Hes doing fine. The doctors here are fabulous, Kudlows wife, Judith Kudlow, told the Washington Post in a phone call from the military-run hospital.

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It was not immediately known when or where Kudlow suffered the heart attack.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Kudlow is in good condition.

His doctors expect he will make a full and speedy recovery, Sanders said in a statement. The President and his Administration send their thoughts and prayers to Larry and his family.

Kudlow returned from Canada over the weekend after joining world leaders and members of Trumps White House circle for a combative Group of 7 summit. He accused Trumps Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau, on Sunday of betraying Trump for portraying him as weak ahead of his historic meeting with Kim.

Kudlow, 70, joined the Trump administration as the director of the National Economic Council in March.

The New Jersey native  who worked on Democratic political campaigns with Bill Clinton as a student  worked in Ronald Reagans White House and later as chief economist at the Bear Stearns investment firm.

Before Trump hired him, Kudlow was a commentator and host on CNBC.San Diego City Council members unanimously adopted a budget on Monday that increases infrastructure spending to its highest level ever and avoids deep cuts to cherished programs despite rising employee salaries.

The spending plan, for the budget year that will start July 1, also boosts money to fight homelessness and illegal dumping while adding funds to accelerate police officer hiring and train new lifeguards.

Mondays vote comes after several weeks of relatively calm budget negotiations. Lobbying by community leaders was limited by the program cuts in the $1.46 billion operating budget being relatively small and having minimal effect on the public.

Because of the hard actions that were taken by city staff over the last year to really be fiscally prudent, we were in a much better situation, Councilman Chris Ward of University Heights said. I think this budget on the whole really represents a commitment to our core services and what the city needs to be doing on an ongoing basis.

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The biggest spending increases would be for infrastructure, which includes street repair, sidewalks, parks projects and building upgrades.

The capital improvement section of the budget would increase to more than $550 million, up from more than $445 million during the current budget year and triple the $179 million the city spent five years ago.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer, whose staff this spring created the blueprint that the final spending plan is based on, praised the council after the unanimous vote and said he plans to sign the budget on Wednesday without making any line-item vetoes.

Were making another big down payment on San Diegos future with a balanced budget that puts neighborhoods first, he said in a statement released by an aide. I want to thank the City Council for unanimously supporting a budget plan that continues the progress weve made to fix more streets, help people into stable housing, put more officers on the street and keep our libraries and rec centers open for families.

The council added some last-minute spending increases to the budget on Monday, including money for tree trimming, anti-graffiti efforts, library security and fire-prevention brush clearing.

The package of spending additions, which also included $2.5 million for street lights, was based on a summary of the competing priorities of the councils nine members created by the citys independent budget analyst, Andrea Tevlin.

Council members also went beyond Tevlins recommendations to include $500,000 for a potential Chicano Park Community Center in Barrio Logan.

The council declined requests to include additional money for construction of permanent supportive housing for the homeless. Several housing advocates complained that $17 million that had been earmarked as seed money for such projects has been redirected to pay for temporary homeless solutions, such as shelter tents and a transitional storage center.

The citys spending on homelessness has sharply increased in recent years from the $3 million to $3.5 million per year previously spent fighting the problem.

The nonprofit Climate Action Campaign also criticized the city for not including a five-year projection of spending on its landmark climate action plan, which is expected to require increasing contributions in coming years to help the city reduce greenhouse gases.

The spending plan was mostly praised, however, for maintaining recent expansions of library hours and other neighborhood services even though revenue growth is slowing and city employee salaries are on the rise.

Some critics have noted that a projected deficit in this budget was closed with millions in excess reserves, which are one-time funds the city wont have available to close gaps in the future.

The budget also includes about $14 million in cuts, which build on $18 million in similar reductions the city made last year.

City finance officials have also said revenues could fall sharply if the economic downturn that many financial analysts are predicting actually happens, but they havent included any estimates because its difficult to project how deep revenues would drop.

Another hurdle facing the city is its annual pension payment, which is scheduled to increase sharply in coming years.

The budget adopted on Monday projects the citys general fund reserves will be more than $190 million next June, creating some cushion if there is a downturn.

Some highlights of the budget include:

$4.4 million to expand a program focused on curbing illegal dumping;

$550,000 for increased brush management and clearing, which is considered a key to preventing wildfires;

$317,000 to pay for a police captain and other resources to accelerate background checks for new officers and boost recruitment to help fill more than 200 vacancies;

$238,000 for a lifeguard academy.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrickA fire destroyed a shed and a motorhome in Shelltown Tuesday, displacing a resident and a dog, officials said.

The fire was reported shortly after 10 a.m. behind a home on Osborn Street near Cottonwood Street, said San Diego Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Monica Munoz.

When crews arrived, they found the shed fully involved and the fire had spread to the nearby RV and a couple of cars parked nearby, Battalion Chief Steve Salaz told OnScene TV. The motor home and the shed were a total loss.

We saved the house, he said.

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It was not known how the fire started. No one was inside the shed or the RV when the fire started. No injuries were reported.

Red Cross was assisting the displaced resident, Munoz said.

Twitter: @karenkucher

(619) 293-1350

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.comThe Sheriffs Department said Monday evening it had arrested a 13-year-old San Marcos Middle School student for bringing an unloaded gun to school.

In a news release, the department said school administrators on Monday were told that a student had a gun in his backpack. The information came from another student, the release said.

School officials brought the 13-year-old to the office, and asked if he had a weapon. The student admitted he did, and after school officials looked in the backpack and saw a gun they called authorities. Deputies then checked the bag and found an unloaded .22 caliber gun.

The student was arrested and later booked into juvenile hall. Because the student is a juvenile, his name was not released.

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Twitter: @gregmoran

greg.moran@sduniontribune.comThe FBI on Monday asked for the publics help to identify a man authorities said robbed a Mira Mesa bank then ducked into a nearby fast-food spot to change clothes.

Special Agent Davene Butler said the heist happened about 10:45 a.m. Saturday at a US Bank on Mira Mesa Boulevard, roughly a block and a half west of Interstate 15.

The thief walked in and passed a note to a teller, who handed over cash, Butler said in a news release.

He then headed out of the bank and into a nearby fast-food restaurant, where he changed clothes, the agent said.

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In the bank, the robber wore dark clothes, including long pants. He also had a dark gray jacket, a black ball cap and sunglasses.

But after he ducked into the food place, cameras caught him later in a white T-shirt and gray shorts. The hat and sunglasses were also gone.

The FBI released these images Monday in hopes of identifying a man they said robbed a Mira Mesa bank then changed clothes at a nearby food place. (Images courtesy FBI )

It is unclear if authorities recovered the clothes seen during the heist.

Aside from the clothing descriptions, the FBI described the suspect as a thin light-skinned black man, about 30 years old and standing about 6 feet tall. He was also unshaven at the time of the robbery.

No weapon was seen during the heist.

Tipsters with information about the mans identity can call the San Diego office of the FBI at (858) 320-1800.

Anonymous tips can be made by calling Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 or at sdcrimestoppers.org.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

(760) 529-4945

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUTWhile Deputy Richard Fischer defends himself against criminal charges related to sexual misconduct while on duty, a new alleged victim has come forward.

A 62-year-old woman who worked as a babysitter for Fischer and his wife in 2016 states in a claim filed Monday against San Diego County that the deputy dry humped her while he was in uniform after he returned home from work.

The woman, identified as A.W. in the legal filing, is a retired 15-year administrative assistant at the San Diego Sheriffs Department who lives alone in El Cajon. She had begun babysitting for Fischer after meeting the infant while working at the sheriffs substation in Santee, the claim said.

The hug was not a normal hug, the claim states. Fischer then began thrusting his groin into her vaginal area with dry hump motions. This encounter lasted about 30 seconds.

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According to the claim, which seeks unspecified damages, A.W. pushed away from Fischer by pushing both of her hands against Fischers chest.

Deputy Fischer said, Whats the matter? Are you afraid of my wife? Or do you have a boyfriend? the claim states. A.W. responded by saying, Both. Deputy Fischer told A.W., You should be afraid of my wife.

According to the claim, the woman continued babysitting until 2017, when internal-affairs investigators escorted Fischer home as a result of other allegations lodged against the deputy and took his badge and gun.

A.W. did not immediately report the incident, but told friends and her sister after the other allegations were reported in The San Diego Union-Tribune and other media.

The latest claim also includes this new assertion: On information and belief, claimant also alleges that in September 2012, the sheriffs Internal Affairs department interviewed a young college student who alleged she had been sexually harassed and stalked by Deputy Fischer.

If true, that investigation would have occurred three years before another alleged victim said she informed the sheriffs department by letter that Fischer improperly groped her. The department said it cannot locate the letter and insisted it first became aware of complaints against Fischer last fall.

The deputy is facing more than 14 years in prison if convicted on all counts. So far, lawyers for San Diego County paid out more than $900,000 to resolve four lawsuits from alleged victims. At least nine other cases are pending.

A spokesman for the county, which is defending Fischer against the lawsuits, did not respond to a request for comment, nor did his criminal defense attorney.

Watchdog Videos On Now Sexual misconduct accusers worry deputy is being protected 6:16 On Now City funded $2-million waterfront bathroom 1:26 On Now Public water district charges customer for legal work, response to records request On Now Video: Tiny homes won't be reused amid housing, homeless crisis On Now Attorney General seeks documentation for Miss Middle East On Now Rep. Hunter probe covers possible fraud On Now Video: SDG&E delaying solar credit for some low-income housing tenants On Now Video: Former San Diego Junior Theatre teacher sentenced for sex with teen girl 0:24 On Now Video: Shelter volunteers believe they were fired for finding a dog a home 0:49 On Now McKamey Manor is leaving San Diego 3:35

jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonaldPresident Trump heaped praise on North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un, commending him as a dedicated leader whos beloved in his isolated homeland.

But only months ago Trump branded him little rocket man in front of other world leaders at the United Nations, and called him out over a laundry list of human rights violations.

The young dictator  who took over after his fathers death in 2011  has indeed come under fire for his leadership of North Korea, where citizens are subjected to military rule. The Human Rights Watch said last year the country is one of the most repressive authoritarian states in the world, and has been sanctioned multiple times by the UN.

Here are some of the terrible things Kim is said to have done:

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Kim Jong Nam, seen in 2001, was killed in Malaysia last year and many suspect his half-brother ordered it. (Itsuo Inouye/AP )

Executions, family style

The North Korean dictator is reputed to have ordered hundreds of executions, and his family hasnt been spared from his merciless rule.

That includes his maternal uncle, Jang Song-thaek, who was killed in December 2013 after the high-ranking military leader was convicted of treason. Rumors have spilled out of the tightly guarded nation in the years since Jang died a messy death, with some speculating he was blown away with machine guns or fed to a pack of dogs.

The Institute for National Security Strategy estimates Kims regime has executed at least 340 people since he came into power in late 2011.

Otto Warmbier was imprisoned in what critics called a show trial with baseless accusations and died within days of returning to the U.S. (Jon Chol Jin / AP )

Imprisonment and forced labor

Another hallmark of North Koreas authoritarian society has been imprisoning supposed spies, putting them on show trials and often subjecting them to unforgiving harsh labor.

As many as 120,000 people are held in North Korean political prison camps, according to UN estimates, where theyre believed to receive little food and medical care but plenty of abuse.

Health issues

A North Korean defector who charged through the demilitarized zone and into South Korea last year offered a glimpse into the nations health crisis.

Doctors found parasitic worms in the soldiers stomach, which experts argued at the time underscores greater issues in North Korea. And because soldiers are believed to be treated better than the average citizen, the picture could be grimmer for the rest of the population.#stocks-weekly Seoul stocks likely to move in tight range next week: analysts South Korean stocks are likely to move in a tight range next week as investors weigh the outlook for third-quarter corporate earnings and the Federal Reserve's signal over tapering...

#cold snap Unseasonable cold snap to drive Seoul's temperatures to 64-year low Temperatures are forecast to drop sharply this coming weekend to a 64-year low for Seoul, the state weather agency said Friday. The morning low is forecast to fall to 1 degree C...President Trump wants to beat swords into timeshares.

The former real estate tycoon said after a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that he could imagine condominium developments on the hermit kingdoms shoreline.

They have great beaches. You see that whenever theyre exploding their cannons into the ocean. I said boy look at that, wouldnt that make a great condo, he said at a news conference after the summit in Singapore on Tuesday.

And I said instead of doing that you could have the best hotels in the world right there. Think of it from a real estate perspective. You have South Korea, you have China and they own the land in the middle. How bad is that, right? Its great.

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Trumps speculation about the potential of business in the totalitarian country, and a summit where he and Kim pledged peace and denuclearization on the peninsula rattled by Pyongyangs weapons of mass destruction, came after he was asked whether it wanted to open economically.

President Trump and Kim Jong Un walk during a break in their Singapore summit on Sentosa island. (SAUL LOEB / AFP/Getty Images )

U.S. officials showed a glossy video to North Korean counterparts and later the press trumpeting technological advancements that could be within the countrys future.

The President said that the video represented the highest level of future development that could be achieved in a country often accused of forsaking its own peoples needs to spend money on its military and nuclear programs.

They may not want that, I can understand that, too. But that was a version of what could happen, what could take place, Trump added.

A joint statement from Trump and Kim likewise offered few specifics over what endeavours their two countries would take part in after the meeting as part of a new relationship, and discussion of economic development in North Korea was not included on a list of plans.

Trump has said that he is no longer involved in the running of the Trump Organization, which has developments in foreign countries such as Scotland and also licenses its name to local partner organizations for projects in many countries.

The organization itself, run by his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, has said that it will not embark on any more foreign deals, though it has continued with previously agreed projects such as residential towers in India.More than a year ago, The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board urged city leaders and hotel developers to strike a deal so that the city could lease a piece of waterfront land under private control thats instrumental to expanding the convention center. We urged the businessmen holding the lease to transfer it at a fair price, so Mayor Kevin Faulconer and a coalition of advocates could pursue a hotel room tax increase to fund an expansion that we have long said is in the citys best interest. But to be honest, we never gave much thought to what the ultimate price might actually be. Well, now we know.

Gulp.

Three years ago, the city, which then controlled the site, could have retained control of this key piece of land thats crucial to a contiguous convention center expansion for about $14 million. Now it will take 137 percent more than that  $33.2 million  to secure control, in a deal with a few potential what ifs. That fact alone is galling, but the land is so vital to a bigger convention center  and the convention center expansion so vital to San Diegos economy  that we urge the San Diego City Council and San Diego Port commissioners to ratify the deal when they separately consider it at their meetings Tuesday.

The ultimate plan is to ask voters in November to finance an up to $850 million convention center expansion via a hotel room tax increase that would raise the San Diego hotel room tax from an effective rate of 12.5 percent to as much as 15.75 percent. To help build support, a portion of this new revenue would be dedicated to homeless programs and road repairs, two of San Diegos most pressing needs, as anyone who has driven through Downtown or any neighborhood where the downtrodden dwell knows.

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Faulconer and a coalition of hoteliers, homeless advocates and business and labor interests want to use the 5-acre Fifth Avenue Landing site to expand the convention center rather than for building a hotel project, but the developers control it through 2024. And those developers are suing the city and its Convention Center Corp. over the land, which falls under the purview of the Port of San Diego as an administrator of state tidelands. Its complicated.

The lease deal, hashed out in mediation, settles that litigation, which could last years, but requires an upfront $5 million payment by the port and puts the city on the hook to reimburse the port if the convention center expansion citizens initiative doesnt qualify for the November ballot  or if voters reject it. Also, there is a legal question about whether the convention center expansion requires two-thirds voter approval, or could proceed with majority support. Under terms of the new lease deal, the city would need a court ruling by March 15 affirming approval requires only a simple majority, or it could again lose control of the site. Thats a short window.

Now heres what is good about the deal. If approved Tuesday and if voters support the convention expansion, the city would obtain control of the lease through 2042 and potentially decades longer. Thats key. And the remaining $28.2 million the city must pay the current lease holders would come from increased hotel taxes, not the citys general fund  a significant detail that protects its operating budget.

The cost of expanding the convention center, helping the homeless and repairing city streets will only increase the longer San Diego waits.

The deal reeks when you think about how much cheaper city control was just a few years ago. But the convention center expansion means so much that city and Port of San Diego officials should hold their noses, approve the deal and not look back. Consider it a worthwhile investment in San Diegos future.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & OpinionLets not forget who Kim Jong Un really is

Re U.S., N. Korea hold momentous summit (June 12): Does no one remember that this dictator that President Trump describes as honorable and is cozying up to is the one who put a young American man in prison where he was tortured and brutalized unto death for trying to steal a poster?

What has happened to our countrys moral compass? Does anyone care?

Nadine Bangsberg

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Point Loma

Trump just showed the world how to play the U.S.

Let Trumps abject foreign policy victory with North Korea be a lesson to all despots who seek to gain credibility and economic gains with the worlds powers.

Hold your citizens hostage, rob them of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and tax them til they bleed so you can develop nuclear weapons. Point them at the U.S. and then ask to be seated at the big table. Make promises while remembering what happened to Saddam Hussein. A recipe certain to be followed again and again ... while Trump Enterprises reaps the benefits of the real deals he seeks ... development and licensing partnerships in developing nations. Good job!

Paul Jester

San Diego

Trump thinks Canada is our real enemy

Now that Korea is secure, Trump is free to deal conclusively with our traditional enemy, Canada.

Rick Dunn

San Diego

Letters and commentary policy

The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below.

Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook.Have you ever wanted to own your own ghost town?

Now you can for the price of $925,000. Seriously, an old mining town known as Cerro Gordo is for sale on about 317 acres in the Owens Valley near Lone Pine, California  300 miles north of San Diego.

It has the vibe of a Hollywood set except its the real thing.

According to the property listing, Cerro Gordo  Spanish for fat hill  comprises about 22 buildings including a hotel. In its prime in the Civil War era, the settlement prospered and was filled with silver miners with economic ties to Los Angeles.

The settlers there  as many as 4,800 of them at its peak  averaged about one murder a week in the 1860s and 1870s, according to The Los Angeles Times, which feels eerily prescient for a place now referred to as a ghost town.

Its a living ghost town, says Realtor Jake Rasmuson, who graduated from University of San Diego School of Business.

The last major mining era was in the 1920s, according to the historical website for the mines there.

The site has been extremely well protected from diggers, artifact looters and Mother Nature herself, the listing says. Restoration has been undertaken on most of the buildings and the rest are in a state of protected arrested decay.

Its currently open to the public for tours and has power on-site, though water has to be trucked in. Cerro Gordo has been privately owned by the same family for decades and became available for purchase just more than one week ago.

Its very rare  having something of this historical significance which has been privately held for such a period of time, Rasmuson said in an interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune.

He said there arent conditions to the sale but that the family has strong ties to the property and hopes to see the settlement preserved.

The photos really give a feel for what this Cerro Gordo is all about, so here are a few to set the scene.

Bishop Real Estate

Bishop Real Estate

Bishop Real Estate

Bishop Real Estate

Bishop Real Estate

Bishop Real Estate

You can also check out a video tour of Cerro Gordo below.

Cerro Gordo provides the rare opportunity to own your own Ghost Town and Mining Operation. For those looking to acquire a piece of American West, Cerro Gordo is for you. The tow ...

To check out the listing, go here.

Email: abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @abbyhamblinRob Graff loves talking about cheese so much that he has dubbed himself the Professor of Cheese, which comes into play with his course through San Diegos Venissimo Cheese called Academy of Cheese, as well as many local events and trips to major cheese destinations such as Vermont and Italy.

As the Professor of Cheese, Graff is all about taking the snobbiness out of cheese not only in his Academy of Cheese course, but at the four Venissimo Cheese shops (founded by Gina and Roger Freize) around San Diego, as well.

With two cheese in hand, Graff stopped by the PACIFIC office studio in downtown San Diego to talk about making his way into the business, getting over his fear of public speaking and the story and human element behind the creamy, hard, stinky, soft, crumbly food.

During episode 8 of Dish It Up, heres what to look forward to:

Getting into the cheese business

Following his passion

Starting the Academy of Cheese in 2009

Getting over a fear of public speaking, by putting down the papers and just speaking from the heart

The story and human element of cheese

Growing cheese education on traveling tours

Touring the Piedmont region in Italy

The mecca of truffles

Touring Vermont with Venissimo in September 2018

Planting the seed for future events

Dish It Up is a collaboration between PACIFIC and Facebook group Eating and Drinking In San Diego.

Listen and subscribe to Dish It Up and sister podcast Kiss My Glass on Apple iTunes, Google Play and Soundcloud.

Keep up

Mission Hills: 745 W. Washington, 619.491.0708; North Park (inside Bottlecraft): 3007 University Ave., 619.376.1834; Del Mar (at Flower Hill Promenade): 2650 Via de la Valle, 858.847.9616; Liberty Station (at Liberty Public Market): 2820 Historic Decatur Rd., 619.930.9713, venissimo.com

Instagram

@venissimo

@venissimomh

@venissimo.northpark

@venissimodelmar

@venissimolibertystation

Facebook

facebook.com/VenissimoCheese

Podcast

Noon on Tuesday

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.You might be surprised at the things a ships captain has to worry about.

Weekly Newsletter The best of The Saturday Evening Post in your inbox! Join

Whether youre new to cruising or a seasoned sailor, you learn something new with every ship and destination. From streamlining packing skills to booking shore excursions to taking advantage of whats included on your sailing, once you get your rhythm down, the excitement of waking up to a new location every day kicks in full gear.

But really getting to know a ship, and the destinations to which she sails, takes time and experience, so when you have a question, theres no better resource than the captain. Holland America Line Captain Henk Draper has been showing excited travelers the world for a quarter of a century. Born and raised in The Netherlands in a family of seamen, Draper has spent his career at sea, first on cargo ships and then with Holland America.

I must admit Holland America Line was not my first choice of a job, but after 25 years I think I have the best job ever, says Draper.

Subscribe and get unlimited access to our online magazine archive. Subscribe Today

Every week or so, thousands of new people make the Noordam their home away from home. As Captain, Draper is responsible for the safety and security of around 2,800 passengers and crew members on a daily basis.

I think as a Captain that you are responsible for everything that is going on, on the bridge and on the ship. I think as the Captain you should regularly walk around on the ship and be visible. You should be in the engine room, you should be in the laundry, you should be in the kitchen, because it is important that both guests and employees see you are taking care of business, says Draper.

Most people have no idea about what goes on behind the scenes of a cruise ship. From water desalination, to stabilizers, to keeping an eye out for whales.

As soon as we see whales, we have to slow down, says Draper. We are trained in how to predict the movement of the whales, and personally Ive never had any whale strikes. Holland America Line developed the interactive, computer-based training program designed to avoid whale strikes in cooperation with NOAA and the National Parks Service. All deck officers on Holland America Line vessels have taken the course, and the program is being shared with the cruise and maritime community.

It seems simple enough, but fluctuating speed can make keeping to a schedule and getting to port on time challenging.

When we go to Alaska, the whale population is growing so fast out there, says Draper. You have to slow down for those pods of whales and you still want to be on time in Ketchikan.

Whether in Alaska, or in the South Pacific, constantly changing weather and tides have to be considered throughout cruise journeys. On a recent sailing into Akaroa, New Zealand, the Noordam had just six and a-half-feet (2 meters) under the keel. When docking in Sydney, Austrailia, Captain Draper had the same amount of space atop the ship as she sailed under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The ships bridge is equipped with the most recent technology, but experience can never be replaced and comes into play in situations most cruisers dont realize, like reporting swell height.

It is all estimated. It is just experience. We cannot really meter it from the ship. Its all by eye, says Draper.

As a Captain, Draper works three months on, and then has three months off. Picking a favorite port at sea is tough, but for a variety of reasons, Draper has a fondness for Port Chalmers, New Zealand.

I think its just awesome when you go in, and when you sail out Im always amazed by the albatross colony on the starboard side. And I always enjoy watching and for me it is kind of the highlight of the whole cruise, says Draper.

And when the opportunity allows, he doesnt hesitate to head into town, to enjoy a meal The Portsider restaurant.

He (the owner) makes the best Bitterballen Ive ever eaten, says Draper. (A traditional Dutch snack, Bitterballen is a ragout of slow cooked beef shoulder coated in bread crumbs and deep fried.)

Whats one of the Captains favorite things to eat on the ship? Drapers a big fan of the steel cut Oatmeal. So if your travels take you aboard Noordam, you know what to order for breakfast.San Francisco, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/12/2018 -- One of the key factors boosting the growth of the Chinese ethylene glycol market is the increasing demand for PET bottles from the packaging industry. As food brands are seeking safer and healthier packaging alternatives, demand for PET packaging is increasing, which in turn is driving the growth prospects of the Chinese ethylene glycol market. PET containers can help retain the food aroma, flavor, and appearance. As PET bottles are easy to handle, light in weight, and can be re-sealed without any inconvenience, their demand will continue to grow, which in turn will boost the growth of the ethylene glycol market. The lead author of the report has stated that the flourishing growth of the automotive industry will also be a driving factor for the growth of the ethylene glycol market in China.



The demand for polyesters fibers for coated fabrics, seat belts, conveyor belt fabrics, in China will boost the growth of the market. This is because ethylene glycol is required for the manufacturing of polyester fibers. The Chinese ethylene glycol market is fragmented with the presence of small and large players. This is expected to create intense market competition among players. China has feedstock advantages and closer proximity to end-user markets, and this will drive the ethylene glycol in the country. The demand for ethylene glycol will rise from the downstream applications and textile industries. Fabrics made using polyester are extensively used in home furnishings, apparels, blankets, computer mouse pads, bed sheets, and upholstered furniture.



Request a sample copy of the Report @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=482



China Ethylene Glycol Market: Overview



The China ethylene glycol market is likely to experience a tremendous growth, primarily due to the burgeoning demand for polyester fibers across the globe. Polyester fibers are widely used in the textile industry in the manufacturing of carpets, upholstery, conveyer belts, and seat belts. Ethylene glycol is an organic compound primarily used in the manufacturing of polyester fibers and polyethylene terephthalate. Globally, Asia Pacific is one of the key consumer as well as manufacturer of ethylene glycol. China is one of the important growth sites of the Asia Pacific market.



At present, China uses conventional processes for the production of ethylene glycol. Manufacturers are shifting their focus from conventional petrochemical route to coal. The country is expected to commercialize its coal-based manufacturing processes in the forthcoming years across all projects. Several manufacturers in the country produce ethylene glycol using syngas, a mixture of oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide.



The report is a complete, professional study for existing as well as new manufacturers in the China ethylene glycol market. It provides essential insights into the industry chain structure along with an extensive understanding of the upstream raw materials and downstream demand chain and import and export statistics. It also sheds light on the currently available production capacities and the efficiency at which they are utilized. The competitive landscape of the market has been derived using tools such as Porter's five force analysis and market attractiveness analysis. It offers a detailed overview of drivers, restraints, opportunities, and trends of the China ethylene glycol market.



Request TOC of the report @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=482



China Ethylene Glycol Market: Drivers and Restraints



The growing demand for PET resin from the food and beverage industry for the manufacturing of water bottles and food containers is driving the China ethylene glycol market. The rising demand for antifreeze agents is also bolstering the growth of the market. Ethylene glycol is used as antifreeze in the automotive industry. Moreover, it is extensively used in medical sterilization and as heat transfer agent and coolant in geothermal pumps and air conditioning systems. The increasing production capacity for ethylene glycol is favoring the growth of the market.



On the flip side, the efficiency of the existing production setups is low and therefore, the output has not increased as significantly as production capacities have increased. Volatile prices and transportation of raw materials, particularly ethylene dioxide are primary concerns for players in the market.



China Ethylene Glycol Market: Regional Segmentation



East China will be a prominent regional segment during the forecast period. Zhejiang, Anhui, and Jiangsu are the major revenue contributors to the growth of the region, primarily due to high ethylene glycol consumption in these provinces. Hebei province located in North China also serves as a major hub for the China market. Shijiazhuang Lanyang Chemicals Co. Ltd. and Shijiazhuang Panjiang Chemicals Ltd. are among the major producers of ethylene glycol in the province.



China Ethylene Glycol Market: Key Manufacturers Mentioned in the Report



Some of the prominent players in the China ethylene glycol market are Jiangsu Tianyin Chemical Co. Ltd., Hebei Qilong Chemicals Co. Ltd., Royal Dutch Shell, Sinopec, China National Petroleum Corporation, and Anhui XinYuan Chemical Co. Ltd.



Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/china-ethylene-glycol-market



About TMR Research

TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in today's supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients' conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.UK-based Frebs Marine International has come up with its Universal Cargo System, which it claims will solve not only the issues of the shortage of feeder ships but also radically change the container industry supply chain as well.

The industry has long noted a troubling long term trend that mainline container vessels are getting bigger while the number of feeder container ships to serve them has been either stagnant or falling. This was highlighted in a recent SeaIntel report which suggested that the ratio of feeder vessels to large vessels would drop to 5.4 by 2020 from 7.9 currently.

Read more: Feeder vessel shortage seen by 2020: SeaIntel

Frebs Marines Universal Cargo System is based on an integrated mothership and barge concept, where the former is semi-submersible and will allow the barges to float on and off while it is anchored in deeper water offshore from smaller ports.

Frebs Marine believes its system can provide an alternative to the usual system of feeder ships serving hub ports where large mainline vessels call and get containers transhipped to them by conventional means.

Self-propelled autonomous barges

The key to the systems success, it believes, will be its use of barges, which can be self-powered and autonomous, which can load containers as well as bulk cargoes. Each of these barges is estimated to be able to take 600 teu and a mothership could load from 10 to as many as 30 of these barges. This would give it a theoretical capacity of between 6,000 teu to as much as 18,000 teu and bringing it almost into the same league as some of the biggest ultra large container ships (ULCS) now in service.

Frebs Marine ceo Michael Freeland did qualify however that the plans were so far only theoretical. We have not yet employed a naval architect to verify the maximum quantity of teu or volume of bulk cargos which a barge can hold, he told Seatrade Maritime News.

In Frebs Marines vision, the mothership will not need to come alongside a conventional berth and will anchor offshore in deeper waters while its barges, which essentially function like small feeder ships, can motor to the dock side to discharge and load cargo.

The barge would have the advantage of also being able to navigate canals, such as the new Panama Canal and the Manchester Ship Canal as well as rivers and smaller shallower ports.

Ideal for smaller ports and rivers

The Frebs barges are ideal for smaller ports, rivers and docks, said Freeland as the barges are about 67m long and so only need a short dock with minimal facilities, making them well-suited for less developed ports. Operators can use quayside cranes or floating barge-mounted cranes if necessary.

Therefore, in undeveloped and primitive ports as found in intra-Asia (and in Africa among others) the Frebs barges will be easily and efficiently handled without a large investment in new infrastructure, added Freeland.

The company even claims that specially designed barges can be adapted to load cargoes as varied as vehicles, heavy machinery and dry bulk commodities.

Oceangoing mothership

The mothership would be an oceangoing vessel with covered holds protecting the barges and its containers or cargo. The mothership can be autonomous as well as the barges, said Freeland, pointing out that major maritime group Wilhelmsen has recently formed a joint company, Massterly, with Kongsberg in Sweden to develop large autonomous cargo ships.

Read more: Wilhelmsen and Kongsberg setting up world's first autonomous shipping company

By adopting the Universal Cargo System, Frebs Marine says, the handling of each container is streamlined significantly by eliminating at least one transfer and will lead to considerable savings in transit times and overall shipping costs.

Since the mothership can off-load barges while at anchor, it can then also be re-loaded with pre-loaded barges, which are moored away from the dockside. This means that a considerable area of dock space capacity is freed up, Frebs Marine pointed out.

Our intellectual property consists of outline designs of the ships and barges, two unique patented features and the entire concept of the Universal Cargo System, said director and cfo Stephen Line, adding that Frebs Marine intends to use a licence model to develop the system.

He suggested that each of the major lines should be investing in the Universal Cargo System as this would enable them to bypass investments in ULCSs and massive dock developments. He envisaged each of them buying or leasing about ten motherships with a set of 20 barges and these would be developed with the help of major shipbuilders in Korea, Japan and China.

Similarly we anticipate that the major port operators, for example, DP World, will be keen to adapt or even reduce their expansion facilities to match the huge economies of utilising the Universal Cargo System, added Line. Frebs Marine would offer project management to launch the system and advise on its effective operation.

The rapid advances in the automation of processes and the installing of new IT systems will work in parallel with the Frebs system, he added.

Competing concepts

The concept is not unique however. According to a Digital Journal article, Norway-based Seaway Innovations along with FluXXWorks has developed its ro-ro-based CargoFlow concept based on the CargoCat and CargoKitten. The latter is a smaller vessel that can be used as a feeder vessel in a similar way to Frebs barges and also aims to cut time in port with autonomous container loading and offloading concepts.

The concepts have been modeled and proven through the use of simulations that visualize the cargo flows, automation, and multimodal integration. Similar to Frebs, Seaway says the automation technologies will make crane operations and other related costs in ports obsolete, and both ship owners and cargo owners will see increased revenues.

The company was also seeking investors and potential collaboration partners for CargoFlow.

Work on autonomous vessels especially for coastal or shortsea work is moving apace, with projects such as the EU-funded Hull to Hull (H2H), research project established to develop technical solutions for safer navigation in close proximity of other stationary or moving vessels and objects. Kongsberg is responsible for development and delivery of all key enabling technologies for the project.

Autonomous electric feeder Yara Birkeland

Europe is already moving fast on autonomous vessels with Norwegian agricultural fertilizer company Yara building the worlds first fully electric and autonomous container ship, the Yara Birkeland which is expected to be launched in 2020.

Meanwhile at a higher level, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) just in May finally took its first steps to address the issue of autonomous ships by opening the dialogue at its Maritime Safety Committee meeting.

Read more: IMO to set up taskforce on autonomous ships

The Universal Cargo System is described as disruptive technology' and now requires a novel and brave approach to cargo shipping, which has been relatively conservative for many decades. All the major sectors of the supply chain have to adapt to and invest in many new concepts, said Line.

Working closely together now the shipping industry will be able to manage the inevitable growth in worldwide sea trade over the next thirty or more years, Line concluded.Posidonia is no doubt one of the biggest and most influential maritime events on the shipping calendar, said Majid Obaid bin Bashir, acting chairman and secretary general of EMAC. It provides a platform for the entire maritime community worldwide to come together to discuss trends and share the views of some of the world biggest Greek shipowning concerns.

Our participation in this major event, as part of the Dubai Maritime Cluster, helps us spread the word about EMAC and the benefits of alternative dispute resolution, he added.

As well as showcasing the Centres commitment to delivering a trusted global standard for maritime arbitration services, it helps EMAC in keeping up with the pace of change and how we can adapt our services accordingly.Press Release

June 11, 2018 Dispatch from Crame No. 322:

Sen. Leila M. de Lima's statement on Duterte's myopic small-town mayor worldview 6/11/18 Duterte has singled out Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio among the leading critics of his policy on China and the West Philippine Sea (WPS), blaming him for not doing anything in the past against Chinese island-building in the WPS. He also asks why Carpio and the "yellow" opposition had to wait for him to deal with China's presence in the WPS, and why the US did not stop China before by deploying the American fleet in the Spratly Islands. This is classic Duterte, blaming everyone but himself for his cowardice and spineless policy in confronting China as the most dangerous threat to the country's national security. Of course, it is not true that everybody else simply waited until he took over as President before doing something about the Chinese. The simple fact is, it is only now that the Philippines has a President who has chosen to be China's puppet and lapdog. And it is not as if we chose him to be the one to lead us against China's occupation of the WPS. The 16 million he fooled with his jet-ski promise left us with no choice on that. In his unsophisticated and myopic small-town mayor worldview, Duterte thinks that either the Philippines bows down to China or goes to war with it. To him, the choices are between surrender and violent confrontation. Such are the limitations of a provincial warlord mentality that Duterte has brought to the presidency. His brain simply does not have the capacity to deal with complex international issues. This is reflected in his choice for Foreign Affairs Secretary, a dilettante in international affairs who analyzes the world in terms of idiotic anecdotal analogies the same way Duterte does; without any grasp of the complexity of diplomacy whatsoever. This has been our problem from the very beginning. Duterte had no experience in national politics before he became President, and much less in international diplomacy. His exposure to regional and world affairs before he became President was basically zero. But the bigger problem is that not only does he not realize this, he even brags and confidently brings his small-town mayor worldview to the world stage, thus dealing with our neighbors exactly the same way he did as Davao City's local warlord. We simply cannot expect him to deliver as a competent statesman in the world stage. The least that Duterte can do is not to be a traitor to his country and become China's lapdog. But even in this he has failed as President. This is the only reason why more capable minds than him like Acting CJ Carpio have to repeatedly remind him to shed his collaborator mindset and start acting like the country's leader, instead of its number one traitor. The Chinese are already boarding the boats of our fishermen and stealing their catch in Scarborough Shoal, as if we are already an occupied people subject to their abuses and extortions. In a time of creeping invasion, what we need is a leader who will protect our territories from the invader, not a Judas who will sell us to the Chinese for 30 pieces of silver.Press Release

June 11, 2018 Koko hails rollout of free internet in PH Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III on Monday welcomed the agreement between the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the National Transmission Corporation (TransCo), and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), which would enable the use of dark fiber in the transmission grid. Dark fiber refers to the unused portion of the fiber-optics in the transmission grid. "This is one step closer to the fulfillment of the promise for free internet in the country. The implications for trade is enormous, as it will unlock a vast market that hitherto was unable to access the benefits of electronic commerce in the country", said Pimentel. The Senator is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship. Pimentel said, "The internet opens lines of communication between entrepreneurs and consumers, while at the same time empowers those with marketable ideas to enter the entrepreneurial ranks." The Senator noted that in conjunction with the recently signed Ease of Doing Business Act, this development will spur the creation of more enterprises while at the same time increasing the trade volume of existing companies. Pimentel said, "I expect a bigger pie for every Filipino entrepreneur to have a slice of. This is the power of the internet which the Duterte Administration has opened for the use of every Filipino." The Senator also expressed hope this will be a spur to lower the price of internet access in the country. Pimentel said, "While not intended as a competitor to the current telcos, the existence of a free alternative should bring prices down and the quality of service up." The Philippines has often been cited as a case where consumers pay more for lower quality service of internet service providers (ISPs).Sen. Bam asserts independence from China

As the nation celebrates Independence Day, families are drowning from rising prices and Filipino fishermen are bullied out of Philippine waters, said Sen. Bam Aquino.

"Ipinagdiriwang natin ang Araw ng Kalayaan ngunit marami sa mga kapatid nating mangingisda ay hindi malayang mangisda sa sarili nating karagatan," said Sen. Bam Aquino.

"Ninanakawan na at inaapi ang ating mga kapatid na mangingisda ngunit tila walang ginagawa ang pamahalaan para protektahan ang kanilang kapakanan," added Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam was referring to claims by several fishermen during a press conference in Malacanang that China is dictating the movement of vessels over the Panatag shoal through its coast guard ships in the area.

One of the fishermen claimed that the Chinese coast guard is blocking access of bigger Filipino fishing vessels to the shoal's lagoon.

"We shouldn't need China's permission to fish in our own waters," said Sen. Bam.

Earlier, Sen. Bam urged the Senate to take the lead in defending the country amid China's militarization of our seas.

"If Malacanang will not side with the Filipino people on this issue, then the Senate can take the lead in defending our country," said Sen. Bam, adding that a strong and independent Senate can and should investigate all our dealings with China, especially when the rights and livelihood of our countrymen are at risk.

Sen. Bam added that if the government continues its defeatist mentality, China will be more emboldened to commit more abuses to our territory and against the Filpino people.Press Release

June 12, 2018 HONTIVEROS: DUTERTE'S FOREIGN POLICY A COMPLETE DISASTER, A THREAT TO PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE Coinciding with the country's observance of its 120th year of independence, Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday called the Duterte government's foreign policy, particularly its dealings with China and the West Philippine Sea, a complete disaster and a threat to Philippine independence and sovereignty. Hontiveros issued the statement after videos captured China's Coast Guard taking the catch of Filipino fishermen on Panatag Shoal off the coast of Zambales province. The Senator was also responding to reports that a Chinese military aircraft had landed at the Davao International raising concerns that it might have breached the country's diplomatic and security protocols. "Palpak at isang malaking banta sa ating kasarinlan ang palasukong foreign policy ni Pangulong Duterte. Palpak itong ipagtanggol ang kaligtasan at kabuhayan ng ating mga mangingisda. Palpak itong ipaglaban ang soberenya at teritorya ng bansa," Hontiveros said. "It is a complete foreign policy disaster. It has squandered our historic victory at the United Nations (UN) Arbitral Tribunal. It betrays our heroes' struggle for independence against foreign colonizers. It is a policy of annexation to a foreign power," Hontiveros added. "Foreign policy audit" The opposition Senator called for an audit of the Duterte administration's foreign policy. She explained that a foreign policy audit could scrutinize what kind of diplomatic actions were undertaken by our foreign affairs officials against China, and what diplomatic platforms and channels were used. Hontiveros also said that a foreign policy audit would determine if the Duterte administration's foreign policy framework is in compliance with our international obligations, particularly the arbitral tribunal ruling on the West Philippine Sea. "Amid the timidity, silence and opacity about how Government carries its foreign policy work, we need a public, participatory and comprehensive assessment of its foreign policy directions and implementation. It's time to audit its foreign policy, especially the so-called 50-100 diplomatic protests and actions undertaken by the foreign affairs department vis-a-vis China. In light of all these threats to and violations of our national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the public deserves to know if the government is really standing up for us," Hontiveros said. "President Duterte and his foreign affairs officials have the responsibility to inform the people about their foreign affairs strategy to respond to China's aggressive actions in the region. The people need to see and be assured that our government is really upholding the country's national interests," Hontiveros concluded.Press Release

June 12, 2018 On Independence Day, Legarda Urged Filipinos To Embrace Change, Preserve Cultural Identity In commemoration of the Philippines' 120th Independence Day, Senator Loren Legarda urged Filipinos to be open to all kinds of change, but to never forget the importance of protecting and preserving our culture and identity as Filipinos. "I urge Filipinos all over the globe to embrace change. It is inevitable and it is part of growth and development, both as individuals and as a country. Move forward, take in all the new things that this rapidly changing world has to offer," Legarda said. "But in the midst all of these changes and developments, always make sure that you will never lose your mark and identity because it is what makes you Filipino. It is what has brought you to where you are today," Legarda stressed. Legarda, who is known to be the voice of Filipinos advocating for the preservation of culture and heritage, said that change and development are components of the society that are meant to advance, but not to disregard what has been achieved. "What is also important is to make sure that changes or reforms -- whether economic, political, social, environmental, among others -- do not become an excuse to place other people or another sector at a disadvantage or be neglected." "Developmental progress, economic growth, and technological advancement among others are forces of the society that are meant to upgrade our welfare and our being, but of being a Filipino," Legarda said. Finally, she underscored the importance of preserving culture and heritage and protecting the rights of indigenous peoples, who strive to faithfully live by the standards and traditions of their ancestors and who, in return, likewise seek to pass on their culture and tradition to the generations of Filipinos. "Our past is a reflection of ourselves. Our heritage gives us an understanding of our identity and help us unite as Filipinos. In a globalized world, where foreign influence in our daily lives is quite evident and strong, let us not let our culture, arts, and living traditions be just another part of our history. Instead, let all these boost our pride in being Filipino," Legarda said. Legarda further reiterates that Filipinos, in striving to achieve progress and development, should ensure that they are taking a path where no one is taken advantage of and where each and everyone benefits equally. "As we move forward toward our desired progress as an individual and as a nation, let us be sensitive enough to make sure that every Filipino likewise enjoys the benefits of development and that our identity need not suffer during the process because when you lose your identity, that is tantamount to disregarding all the heroism and sacrifices that our forefathers did for us to gain out independence as a people and as a country," Legarda concluded.Statement of Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, Partido Liberal president, on Independence Day

We celebrate the 120th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence amid stark challenges and abiding aspirations as a nation, particularly the blatant violations to our territory and our resources, and consequently to our rights as a free people.

Not since World War II have we faced such a serious threat to our sovereignty, to the very definition of who we are, to our very existence and survival as a country.

Ngayong Araw ng Kalayaan, naghahanap ng kasagutan ang mga tanong na ito: Duyan tayo ng magiting, sumpa natin ay hindi tayo pasisiil pero bakit tila alipin umasta sa harap ng China ang mga namumuno? Bakit nila isinasantabi ang mga pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayang mangingisda? Nasaan ang pagtupad sa sinumpaang tungkuling pangalagaan at proteksyunan ang mga karapatan nating mamamayang pinagmumulan ng kanilang kapangyarihan?

Why are our leaders kowtowing to a neighbor at the expense of our own people, our own waters, our own self-respect?

Today, we remember our heroes, those who willingly gave their lives for the cause not just of nationhood, but more so the cause of self-determination toward a peaceful and prosperous society where citizens can freely and safely express their thoughts, religion, political beliefs; where workers and young people enjoy equal opportunities for growth; and where economic growth is felt especially by the poorest.

Today, we affirm our commitment to the same dream and stay the course.

Padayon, magiting na kapwa Pilipino at Pilipina!Koko: Nation-building never ends

Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III on Tuesday called on Filipinos to celebrate the country's 120th Independence Day by reaffirming their commitment to nation-building.

For Pimentel, independence is just the first step improving the quality of life for all Filipinos.

"We cannot falter in securing the gains we have made since our independence. Filipinos must use their political rights to empower their countrymen, especially the poor and needy", said Pimentel.

The Senator in particular pointed to the unequal growth of regions which left large parts of the country mired in poverty even as other areas continue to experience economic growth.

Pimentel said, "We have bold solutions available, such as Federalism, but it can only do so much. Ultimately, bringing our country from the Third World to the First World requires constant effort on our part to select good leaders, to always put the interests of the country first, and eternal vigilance in holding our leaders accountable for their actions."Restaurant Brands New Zealand has inked a master franchise agreement with Yum! Brands for the continued operation of the Pizza Hut brand in New Zealand.

The 10-year agreement will see Restaurant Brands responsible for day-to-day administration of the Pizza Hut brand in New Zealand, supporting existing independent franchisee-owned stores and developing new outlets. The local firm will continue to run marketing and operations for the brand in New Zealand and will step into the position of franchisor to existing independent franchisees, and provide development support to new franchisees.

The new deal, which Restaurant Brands had previously flagged, will see it receive a portion of the franchise fees payable by independent franchisees to Yum!

Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum! Brands owns the Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell brands and is the world's largest fast-food restaurant company. In New Zealand, Restaurant Brands is the country's largest fast-food operator with the KFC, Pizza Hut, Starbucks Coffee and Carl's Jr brands. In recent years it has been selling its regional and lower volume Pizza Hut stores to independent franchisees and at the end of the company's first quarter it owned 33 Pizza Hut stores in New Zealand, with 65 operated by independent franchisees, bringing the total network to 98 stores.

The company's shares last traded at $7.97, and have increased in value by a third over the past year.

(BusinessDesk)

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The government has granted a Chinese-owned company permission to expand a water bottling plant in Whakatane.

Creswell NZ, which is wholly owned by Chinese bottled water supplier Nongfu Spring Co, applied to buy freehold and leasehold interest in 6.2 hectares of land at Otakiri, near Whakatane. The land is classed as sensitive under the Overseas Investment Act because it is more than 5 hectares of non-urban land and borders conservation land.

Land Information Minister Eugenie Sage and Associate Finance Minister David Clark have granted the application, conditional on the company providing an additional 60 fulltime jobs within four years and getting the resource consents it needs under the Resource Management Act, they said in a joint statement today. The company still needs water permits and other resource consents from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Whakatane District Council before it can buy the land.

"The Overseas Investment Office recommended approval as Creswell NZ Ltd met the test to provide substantial and identifiable benefits to New Zealand, Clark said. "Specifically more jobs, exports, greater productivity and additional capital investment for the country."

Creswell has said it will spend $42.5 million to upgrade the existing plant and establish two new bottling lines, creating 32 jobs in the first two years and 60 once the plant is fully operational. The OIO can force Creswell NZ to sell the land if it does not create the jobs, Sage said.

The government's bill to prevent foreigners from buying existing houses in New Zealand, the Overseas Investment Amendment Bill, is currently being considered by a select committee, which is due to report by June 21 before it has its second reading. Sage said that the Overseas Investment Act "will also be more widely reviewed this term.

(BusinessDesk)

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Be it the changing technology landscape or manouevering the terrains of business dynamics, retail businesses are expected to adapt quickly or risk getting extinct.

In the age of the Facebook and Twitter, becoming smart may no more be an option, but a given. While the adage may sound highly cliched to the uninitiated, for the retail sector which prides itself for being the second largest employer opportunity, that statement is a pinching reality.

Ask yourself, did you not check for feedback from your friends and compare prices of that gadget that you so desperately wanted to buy during a visit to the local store? The answer for most would be a yes. A retailer may hate seeing the customer depart because a rival e-com website offers better margins, but ultimately it's the customer's call.

And customers are happy experiencing products at an offline store, but buy from an an online store at a cheaper price.

The retail industry in India is undergoing tectonic changes. While most of them can be customer oriented, it has becoming increasingly important on how they get their technologies in play to ultimately offer value to a departing customer. Offering value may not only stop a customer from leaving, but it would also open up newer opportunities for a retailer- positive reviews, cross-sell and up-sell opportunities.

In the words of Kumar Rajagopalan, for retailers the concept of retailing maybe redundant, since customers were more inclined to "me-tailing".

Rajagopalan, the Chief at Retailers Association of India, was speaking around the sidelines of an event titled Retail Technology Conference (ReTechCon).

"Today, consumers expect to be recognised by retailers when they visit and be given specific offers, deals and services. It is not about retailing anymore, but about Me-tailing," he said.

Rajagopalan further adds, "this [me-tailing] is pushing retailers to give concepts that are much more technologically advanced and are focussed towards individuals."

ReTechCon, a congregation of the who's who from the retail industry with participation from leading retail brands, was deliberating the topic of 'Intelligent Retail: What is Smart'. In a fast changing digital milieu, involving digitally driven innovative ideas such as the Amazon powered Alexa and the Google Voice, smart is not an option, it is what brands are expected to be.

Kumar added "What is Smart? is a question that has been going through the minds of most retailers as it is also something that many consumers are embracing, many times intuitively. It is with the intention of helping retailers understand all that is latest that we have themed ReTechCon on the topic."

New age technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, the Internet of things may appear like mumbo-jumbo to the average customer.

But they have the power to shape conversations with customers in instances where there may be a limit to the normal human-interface. For instance an AI inspired chatbot need not limit itself to the application of delivering digital payments or daftly tackling irate customers. The use-case for AI in retail spans far- from how a burger chain interacts with its customers- maybe curiosly asking for additional toppings of Cheese- to an apparel company conversing about colors, shape in a product range.

Be rest assured that technologies such as Artificial intelligence are not rocket-science, but are as simple as "electricity", a metaphor that Ashish Chauhan, the Chief of Bombay Stock Exchange, used.



From Left to Right: Kumar Rajagopalan, Debjani Ghosh and BS Nagesh, the non-executive Vice Chairman of Shoppers Stop during the inaugural ceremony. Image Courtesy: RAI

Chouhan said, "Waves of technology will come. If you can ride them as retailers, you will be able to thrive. Focus on non-linearity it allows you to move fast. Artificial Intelligence is like electricity, it can be used in any situation. Learn how to use it and other smart technologies effectively."

"With smartness you can do many things. It's a deluge, if you do your bit, continue to evolve, you will thrive," he advised retailers.

Even as talks of crypto technologies, blockchain, CRM, ERP, Big Data blazed through the discussions, Debjani Ghosh, Nasscom's President said "We use tech words wrongly. We should really understand what they mean and what they do."

Sharing her vision of a technology based delivery to delight customers, she said, "Going forward, no single technology will have the biggest impact; It is going to be the orchestration of technologies. How do you transform the brick and mortar store with the application of data science, and how you integrate offline and online, thats going to be the future... How do retail businesses survive the waves of disruption? Like Jeff Bezos said, keep the consumer in the centre of everything you do and youll be fine."

The deliberations transcended to customer intelligence, and also a roundtable on the future of technology that saw retail heads deliberate on customer privacy and managing customer data.

Besides participation from several retailers, the conference was also a hub for innovative companies such such as NetworkBay that has recently helped Croma, the retail store chain driven by the Tatas, come up with a 'Gadgets of Desire' store format.

Codenamed 'Gadgets of Desire', this Croma store allows customers to browse and shop for the entire Croma catalogue through multiple interactive screens strategically placed across the store.: The executive was not committing a "cardinal sin" by seeking reconsideration of some proposals made by the Supreme Court collegium on the appointment of judges, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said today amid charges by the opposition that the government was stalling appointments to the higher judiciary.

He also said that the judiciary had enough "foresight and statesmanship" to settle differences within it and urged the political class to remain "immune" from the issue.

The Law Minister also made a veiled attack on the Congress, claiming that parties which had lost in elections were using courts to hit out at the ruling party through "sponsored litigation".

Referring to allegations that the government was stalling appointments to the Supreme Court and the 24 high courts, Prasad said neither the law minister nor the law ministry was a "post office" which would only process recommendations of the collegium on the appointment of judges.

The government had come under attack when it returned to the collegium its recommendation to elevate Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice K M Joseph to the Supreme Court, citing seniority and regional imbalance.

He said the government respected the verdict of the Supreme Court to quash the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act which sought to give the executive a larger say in judicial appointments.

"But I wish to make it very clear that the law minister or the law ministry is not a post office. This fact I would like to very gently highlight. Even in the collegium system...created by the three judgments of 1993, 1998 and 1999, the right of the government has been acknowledged to seek a reconsideration and also to give inputs," he said addressing an event.

He said reports that by seeking a reconsideration, "we are committing a cardinal sin" is not correct.

"We have a constitutional role...we shall continue to respectfully and gently convey our views. Obviously, the collegium has to take a call," Prasad said.

Referring to appointments in the high courts, he said the years 2014 and 2015 were "lost" in the "NJAC battle" when appointments were stalled due to a lack of procedure.

Through NJAC, the government had sought to overturn the over two decade-old collegium system of judges appointing judges.

"In 2016, we appointed 126 HC judges, which was the highest number in the last 30 years. Since 1989, an average, 79 to 82 judges were appointed (per annum)," he said.

Prasad said, in 2017, 117 HC judges were appointed and till now 30 HC judges have been appointed. He said 30 additional judges were also made.

"And the things which are being processed, I am pretty sure, that the highest number of 126 appointments will be surpassed when 2018 ends," he said, adding that appointments were being fast-tracked.

He also said that the government's commitment for a robust judiciary is "complete and total".The agency has written to the Interpol to issue the notice which would mean that the member countries of the Lyon-based international police cooperation agency can arrest and extradite Nirav Modi who fled the country in the first week of January, weeks before the bank filed a complaint with the CBI.

: The Central Bureau of Investigation has asked the Interpol to issue a Red Corner Notice against absconding billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi in the over USD 2 billion banking scam involving Punjab National Bank, officials said today.

Nirav Modi was last publicly seen in a Press Information Bureau group photograph of CEOs and top brass of Indian corporate sector with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Davos, Switzerland.

A week later, the CBI registered an FIR against him on the basis of complaint against him and his uncle Mehul Choksi.

His brother and wife were also named as accused in the FIR.

His wife Ami, a US citizen, brother Nishal a Belgian, and uncle Choksi, Gitanjali group's promoter, had also fled the country in the first week of January.

The case pertains to allegedly cheating the state-run Punjab National Bank through fraudulent issuance of Letters of Undertakings and Foreign Letters of Credit.

The agency recently chargesheeted both Nirav Modi and Choksi separately in the scam. It has now approached the Interpol for a Red Corner Notice aimed at bringing Nirav Modi back for facing trial in the cases against them, the sources said.

The CBI, in its chargesheets filed on May 14, had alleged that Nirav Modi, through his companies, siphoned off funds to the tune of Rs 6,498.20 crore using fraudulent LoUs issued from PNB's Brady House branch in Mumbai. Choksi allegedly swindled Rs 7080.86 crore, making it possibly the biggest banking scam in the country, it alleged.: Congress president Rahul Gandhi slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not talking about employment for youth and farmers and said that his fight was against the government's policies. Gandhi, who appeared before a court in Bhiwandi town in connection with a defamation case filed against him by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker. also dared the BJP and the RSS to slap as many cases on him as they wanted to.

"Our fight is against the policies of the prime minister. Farmers are frustrated and the prime minister does not talk about employment for youth. This government is only for the rich," Gandhi told reporters outside the Bhiwandi court.

He took a swipe at Modi's radio programme 'Mann ki Baat' and said the prime minister does not speak about 'kaam ki baat' like providing employment to youth or safeguarding farmers.

"Let them (the BJP and the RSS) slap as many cases as they want against me. Ours is a fight of ideology. We will fight them and win," Gandhi said.: Following his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, US president Donald Trump said the two countries are prepared to start a new history. We are ready to write new chapters. The past does not have to define future, Trump said.

Addressing a press conference, Trump thanked Kim Jong Un for taking a bold step for a bright future of his people adding that his talks with the North Korean leader were honest, direct and productive.

Trump said it's been a "tremendous" 24 hours, stepping to the podium to speak with reporters at the press conference.

The president said it's his "honor" to address the people of the world after the summit. Trump said his meeting with Kim was honest, direct and productive.

The president said US sanctions on Korea would remain for now.

Trump said Kim told him North Korea is destroying a nuclear site and is already destroying a "major" missile testing site. The president claimed that agreement came after the two signed the document and is not in the document.

"The past does not have to define the future," Trump said, suggesting that the two nations need not be enemies.

Trump claimed that, this time, it won't be like past administrations' attempts to deal with North Korea.

Human rights violations were discussed with Kim Jong-un, says Trump. The remains of the thousands of prisoners of war who died in the Korean war of 1950 will be repatriated. "He is very smart. A very good negotiator," says Trump.

"Will travel to Pyongyang and will invite Kim Jong-un to the White House at the appropriate time," Trump said.

The US president said 32,000 US soldiers were in South Korea and it was time to bring them home. "Will be stopping the war games which will save the US a tremendous amount of money," he said.US launches another trade case against China



Washington, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



US President Donald Trump's Commerce Department on Tuesday announced another trade action involving Chinese imports, with producers of steel propane tanks accused of dumping and unfair subsidies.

It is the latest in a series of disputes the Trump administration has taken up against Beijing, the largest of which are the looming 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods amid complaints the country is stealing US technology.

The frictions with the Asian giant, as well as the latest conflict will allies like Canada and the European Union have threatened to spill over into a global trade war.

The latest complaint, lodged by US manufacturers in Ohio and Tennessee, argues that China is dumping and unfairly subsidizing the steel cylinders, which allegedly land on the US market at below cost, creating unfair competition for US companies, including two that filed a complaint with the Commerce Department.

The complaint says China subsidizes production by 55 to 109 percent through a variety of programs including taxes, grants and export credits for nearly $90 million in exports.

If Commerce determines the China provides the industry with unfair subsidies and is dumping the products, it will impose antidumping and countervailing duties to make the prices similar to US competitors.

The case also alleges dumping of the steel tanks by Taiwan and Thailand at lower rates.

Last year, the United States imported a little over $100 million in the propane cylinders from the three countries combined, according to the Commerce Department.An army has invaded Eden Park. Its a contingent of a vast military force  but fear not: The soldiers from the city of Xian in the Chinese province of Shaanxi are here for peaceful and culturally educational purposes. Theyre on leave from the massive army of 8,000 life-size terracotta figures created to guard the mausoleum of Ying Zheng (259-210 B.C.), who became the first emperor of China in 221 B.C. when his actual army defeated surrounding states and nomadic tribes, enabling him to unify an empire into the Qin dynasty. Through August 12, the figures will guard one of two exhibition galleries at the Cincinnati Art Museum dedicated to



In addition to the warrior figures, the exhibition includes a gallery with 120 objects from 14 Chinese art museums and archeological institutes. On view are a cavalry horse, arms and armor, ritual bronze vessels and bells (the sound of one solemnly rings in this gallery), works in gold and silver, jade ornaments, precious jewelry and ceramics. Many items have never before been on view in the United States. They provide fascinating context for the terracotta soldiers.



Ying Zhengs reign (221-210 B.C.) was brief, but the Qin dynasty (pronounced chin, the source for the English word China) he established fostered progressive and fundamental cultural, political and economic reforms. A national currency was put in place, as well as a unified system of weights and measures. He standardized writing for more uniform communications. He ordered boundary fortifications to be connected, resulting in the Great Wall.



Ying Zheng, The First Emperor (Qin Shihuang)Beyond those innovations, Ying Zhengs quest for immortality was realized in the form of an astonishing burial complex that was forgotten for more than two millennia. In 1974 farmers digging a well outside Xian discovered pottery shards and bronze arrowheads. Excavation revealed a massive archeological site. Even today only a quarter of the warriors have been reassembled.



China carefully protects this ancient site and its objects, allowing no more than 10 figures to be shared beyond its borders at specific exhibitions. CAM Curator of Asian Art, Dr. Hou-mei Sung worked closely with Li Jian, Curator of East Asian Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, to assemble this exhibition and co-author its catalog with photos, maps and informative text. Dr. Sung, Jian, and both museums directors made several trips to China to negotiate with museums there for an exhibition to tell the story of the neighboring states and nomadic peoples who were assembled into the Qin empire.



Asked what this exhibition might mean to Cincinnati visitors, Dr. Sung said, People interested in Chinese history and culture can see how the Qin established the foundation of Chinese civilization, culture and art. Its directly connected to today  the current language, the political system, even the Chinese currency.



Dr. Sung paid special attention to Chinese cosmology, a belief system that still influences art in China. The five elements of that philosophical system  water, earth, fire, metal and wood  can be repeatedly seen in the objects on display. It is reflected in the animal art, why Chinese have dragons and tigers as symbols, like ying and yang. She mentions Ang Lees Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) that exemplifies how the ying and yang meet to generate heroes. These basic, deep-rooted concepts of nature were all established during the Qin dynasty, and they continue today  art, painting, Chinese medicine, martial arts, feng shui  almost anything you touch, reflects the concept of ying and yang.



Architectural elements such as roof tiles are decorated with some of these cosmological elements. The exhibitions wall texts offer details about the items on display, including beautiful personal jewelry and decorations for horses that pulled chariots. A replica of a chariot drawn by four horses is displayed adjacent to CAMs entry lobby. The half-sized chariot, charioteer and horses are the only element of the exhibition available for viewing without a ticket. (Its the shows only replica. All other items are actual historic objects.)



That foretaste will whet appetites for the life-size figures in CAMs upstairs exhibition space. Ten of them  displayed in five pairs, nine humans and a horse, many reassembled from broken pieces  are breathtakingly real. An armored general, decorated with honorary ribbons, has an authoritative demeanor. He had to have a sturdy, heavy presence to command, Dr. Sung points out. Standing next to him is a middle-ranking officer, wearing extensive officer armor.



Kneeling Archer, Qin dynasty (221206 BC), earthenware, Excavated from Pit 2, Qin Shihuangs Mausoleum, 1977, Emperor Qin Shihuangs Mausoleum Site MuseumAn infantryman who once held a spear-like weapon  wooden with a bronze point, long since eroded away  stands at the ready. His shoes are ornamented with fine designs. (Dr. Sung suggests that his wife or mother was surely looking after him.) Such details add to figures distinctive, individualized appearances. Each one was assembled from fired terracotta pieces: legs, torsos, arms and hands. Once components were connected, finer points were added including a head with a relatively unique face and expression.



Two archers once held crossbows. They seem to be ready for their military duties. One kneels. He wears armor, required by those positioned on the front line. The other, without armor, would have been stationed farther back. His legs are positioned as if hes about to be part of firing a barrage of arrows to rain down on an advancing foe. Focused on their individual roles, they are differentiated but singular in purpose.



A cavalry horse conveys an air of proud confidence. Carefully groomed with a braided tail, he wears a beautifully detailed saddle. Standing next to him is a slim cavalryman, similar in stature to a modern-day jockey. Two other figures with equine responsibilities are nearby: An armored charioteer, his hands positioned to hold reins, and a young boy who likely worked in the stables, with neatly cropped hair.



Armor, Qin dynasty (221206 BC), limestone, Excavated from Pit K9801, Qin Shihuangs Mausoleum, 1999, Shaanxi Provincial Institute of ArchaeologyThe armor on figures is especially worth attention. Warriors and officers wore such protection made of leather pieces, stitched together to defend their head, shoulders, torso and abdomen. Adjacent to the terracotta figures is a glass-encased display of body armor and a helmet, fashioned from limestone tiles bound together with copper wires, using ancient tiny holes drilled for assembly. (These items were found in a pile of more than 700 pieces, painstakingly pieced together like a complex jigsaw puzzle.) This symbolic display for the emperors tomb was a way to demonstrate his massive and daunting military prowess  and to protect him on his life in the afterworld.



Soldiers arent the only characters represented. A civil official wears a simple, long robe with large, loose-fitting sleeves that conceal his clasped hands as he stands with a patient, devoted demeanor. A small paring knife and pouch hang from his side, probably used to record accounts on bamboo.



The tomb itself is still being carefully excavated, much of it long buried beneath eroded land. Many of the terracotta warriors shattered remains have been damaged by water and fire, but are gradually and meticulously being reconstructed. The ancient terracotta figures were once painted vibrant colors, most of which have disappeared over time. Efforts are being made to recreate some of them. (A tiny red ribbon around the hair topknot of the armored infantrymans head is still visible.)



In addition to the warriors, the Emperors tomb had many features representing a total environment. A constructed riverbank was populated by 46 life-size bronze water birds  cranes, swans and geese. The CAM exhibition includes a remarkably realistic bronze goose, its webbed feet neatly tucked beneath. The actual tomb must have been truly magnificent. A description recorded in 91 B.C. stated, The tomb was filled with irreplaceable goods and priceless treasures. Crossbows with arrows have been installed for shooting anyone who intends to enter the tomb. The ground is filled with mercury to emulate the rivers and the sea. The ceiling is painted with stars and zodiac, constellations, the ground covered with geographic features. The candle lights burn eternally in the tomb. While Ying Zhengs glorious mausoleum has not yet been fully returned to its original state, this CAM exhibition paints an impressive picture of life in the Qin dynasty 2,300 years in the past. Its not to be missed.



Attendance has been exceptionally strong since the shows opening in April. CAM is requiring timed tickets, easily ordered online via http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/terracottatickets, to ensure the best viewing experience, admitting only 100 people per half-hour. Museum members can obtain free tickets; general admission for others is $16, $8 for college students, seniors (65+) and children (6-17). Its likely that Terracotta Army will surpass attendance records for past exhibitions, including the highly successful Van Gogh: Into the Underground (2016). Many weekend hours have been sold out, so choose your time carefully. A few more tips: Use the ticket code ONLINE when ordering tickets for a $2 discount. You might consider attending on Thursday evenings, 5-8 p.m., when admission is free; two more free options: Art After Dark, 5-9 p.m. on Friday, June 29, and Friday, July 27 when you can find your inner warrior and sample craft beer at the Cincinnati Art Museums annual beer tasting event Art After Dark: Terracotta Army Beer Bash.



The Beer Bash will feature a wide selection of craft beers from seven local breweries, live music from New Orleans Creole band The Hot Magnolias, food for purchase from Deweys Pizza and Graeters Ice Cream, and access to the entire museum including Terracotta Army: Legacy of the First Emperor of China.Trump, Kim share historic handshake



Singapore, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un shared warm words and a historic handshake Tuesday as they held an unprecedented summit to tackle a tense decades-old nuclear stand-off and an enmity stretching back to the Cold War.

The two men clasped hands beneath the white-washed walls of an upscale hotel in neutral Singapore, before sitting down for a half-day of meetings with major ramifications for the region and the world.

It is the first-ever meeting between sitting leaders of the two nuclear-armed foes and was unthinkable just months ago, when fears of war mounted amid missile tests and verbal insults.

The pair shook hands for several seconds, Trump reaching out to touch the North Korean leader on his right shoulder.

As they sat down for their one-on-one meeting, the US leader -- who had said he would know "within the first minute" if he a deal would be possible with his North Korean counterpart -- predicted a "terrific relationship" with Kim.

For his part, the North's leader made a reference to the two countries' history of war and acrimony, but noted the fact of their meeting showed they could overcome the past.

"The way to come to here was not easy," Kim said as he sat with Trump. "The old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward but we overcame all of them and we are here today."

Trump responded: "That's true."

The imagery for the high-stakes meeting was undoubtedly positive and Kim Yong-hyun, professor at Dongguk University in Seoul said: "The atmosphere of the summit looks very good."

"It will be hard for this meeting to agree on specific deals but it carries considerable significance as a starting point," he said.



- 'Fire and fury' -



The warm words seemed an age ago from when Trump was threatening to rain down "fire and fury" on Pyongyang and Kim attacked Trump as a "mentally deranged US dotard", as he fired off a series of provocative weapons tests.

Trump had cajoled the international community to exert "maximum pressure" to buckle Kim's regime if he did not give up his nuclear weapons.

The Singapore summit is a potentially legacy-defining meeting for both men -- comparable to president Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, or Ronald Reagan's summit 1986 with Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik.

And it is part of what Trump calls a "one-time" offer to resolve the stand-off through diplomacy.

"We will all know soon whether or not a real deal, unlike those of the past, can happen!" Trump tweeted shortly before departing for the summit.

But many agreements have been made in the past with North Korea that have later fallen apart.

On the table is the vexed question of denuclearisation -- a euphemism that means vastly different things to the two parties.

It remains far from clear that Pyongyang is willing to give up its nukes -- weapons that the regime sees as its ultimate guarantee of survival.

And on the eve of the meeting, aides for both men were still scrambling to narrow yawning differences.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that the United States was willing to offer Pyongyang "unique" security guarantees if it denuclearises.



- Hugely symbolic -



The pair -- Kim in his thirties and consolidating his dictatorship, Trump in his seventies and struggling to bend Washington to his impetuous will -- are unlikely protagonists, both instantly recognisable, so much larger-than-life as to be cartoonish.

But their work Tuesday was deadly serious.

They represent nations that are still technically at war, even if the mortars, carbines and gunships of the bloody 1950s conflict have long since fallen silent.

The totalitarian regime has made rapid progress towards marrying nuclear and missile technology that would put Los Angeles, New York and Washington within striking distance of a nuclear holocaust.

The United States says that is unacceptable and will be dealt with, one way or another.

For North Korea the talks are hugely significant.

Standing beside the US president in front of a phalanx of cameras is an enormous step towards ending decades of international isolation and critics say it legitimises one of the world's most ruthless regimes.

Trump will use what he says are legendary instincts to see whether Kim if bluffing, buying time or is serious.

Kim and Trump met first in a closed session lasting around 40 minutes, before a larger meeting with key advisers.

But the summit itself is unlikely to be the end game -- more likely it is the start of a longer process of negotiation.

The discussions "will set the framework for the hard work that will follow", Pompeo said.Trump, Kim share historic handshake



Singapore, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un shared warm words and a historic handshake Tuesday as they held an unprecedented summit to confront a decades-old nuclear stand-off and enmity stretching back to the Cold War.

The two men clasped hands beneath the white-washed walls of an upscale hotel in neutral Singapore, before sitting down for a half-day of meetings with major ramifications for the region and the world.

It is the first-ever meeting between sitting leaders of the two nuclear-armed foes and was unthinkable just months ago, when fears of war mounted amid missile tests and verbal insults.

The pair shook hands for several seconds, Trump reaching out to touch the North Korean leader on his right shoulder.

As they sat down for their tete-a-tete, the US leader -- who had said he would know "within the first minute" if a deal would be possible -- predicted a "terrific relationship" with Kim.

For his part, the North's leader made a reference to the two countries' history of war and acrimony, but noted the fact of their meeting showed they could overcome the past.

Sitting across from Trump at a small side table, Kim told the US president through a translator: "It was not easy to get here."

"The past worked as fetters on our limbs and the old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward," he went on, his listener looking him in the eye and nodding. "But we overcame all of them and we are here today."

Trump responded: "That's true" before another handshake -- smiling this time -- and a thumbs-up from the US president.

The imagery for the high-stakes meeting was undoubtedly positive and Kim Yong-hyun, professor at Dongguk University in Seoul said: "The atmosphere of the summit looks very good."

"It will be hard for this meeting to agree on specific deals but it carries considerable significance as a starting point," he said.

After huddling for around 40 minutes, the leaders were joined by senior advisors before breaking for lunch, with prawn cocktail, short-rib confit, soy-braised cod, and vanilla ice-cream among the options.

- 'Fire and fury' -



Some analysts have warned the summit could produce more style than substance and Kelly Magsamen, a former top Pentagon Asia specialist, said: "We'll see if Kim actually gives him anything more than superficial pleasantries and some good TV."

But the warm words and positive optics seemed a different era from when Trump was threatening to rain down "fire and fury" on Pyongyang and Kim attacked Trump as a "mentally deranged US dotard", as he fired off a series of provocative weapons tests.

Trump had cajoled the international community to exert "maximum pressure" to buckle Kim's regime if he did not give up his nuclear weapons.

The Singapore summit is a potentially legacy-defining meeting for both men -- comparable to president Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, or Ronald Reagan's 1986 summit with Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik.

And it is part of what Trump calls a "one-time" offer to resolve the stand-off through diplomacy.

Many agreements have been made in the past with North Korea that have later fallen apart.

On the table is the vexed question of denuclearisation -- a word that means vastly different things to the two parties.

It remains far from clear that Pyongyang is willing to give up its nukes -- weapons that the regime sees as its ultimate guarantee of survival.

And on the eve of the meeting, aides for both men were still scrambling to narrow yawning differences.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that the United States was willing to offer Pyongyang "unique" security guarantees if it denuclearises.



- Hugely symbolic -



The pair -- Kim in his thirties and consolidating his dictatorship, Trump in his seventies and struggling to bend Washington to his impetuous will -- are unlikely protagonists, both instantly recognisable, so much larger than life as to be cartoonish.

But their work Tuesday was deadly serious.

They represent nations that are still technically at war, even if the mortars, carbines and gunships of the bloody 1950s conflict have long since fallen silent.

The totalitarian regime has made rapid progress towards marrying nuclear and missile technology that would put Los Angeles, New York and Washington within striking distance of a nuclear weapon.

The United States says that is unacceptable and will be dealt with, one way or another.

For North Korea the talks are hugely significant and the image of Kim and Trump standing before the flags of both countries is an enormous step towards ending decades of international isolation.

Trump will use what he says are legendary instincts to see whether Kim if bluffing, buying time or is serious.

But the summit itself is unlikely to be the end game -- more likely it is the start of a longer process of negotiation.

The discussions "will set the framework for the hard work that will follow", Pompeo said.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in echoed the feelings of many on the troubled peninsula and beyond.

"I, too, could hardly sleep last night," he told his ministers as they watched the handshake live before a cabinet meeting, voicing hopes for a "new era among the two Koreas and the United States".N. Korea media herald Kim's Singapore stroll



Pyongyang, North Korea, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



North Korea's state media lauded Singapore Tuesday as they highlighted Kim Jong Un's visit to some of its top tourist attractions.

A few hours ahead of his historic summit with Donald Trump -- the first encounter between a leader of the isolated, nuclear-armed North and a sitting US president -- Kim took a break from preparations for a waterfront stroll.

He was accompanied by the city-state's foreign and education ministers -- with whom he posed for selfies -- and surrounded by officials as police held back pursuing reporters.

But images of the young leader are carefully controlled and managed in the isolated North, and travelling media from Pyongyang enjoyed close access to their leader.

No fewer than 14 images of his visit to the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) hotel, casino and convention centre and other sights were printed on the front page of the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper.

It showed him smiling on the MBS' rooftop Sky Park observation platform, adding he "learned about the social and economic development" of Singapore.

Other pictures showed onlookers taking pictures of Kim, who has made only two previous trips beyond the Korean peninsula as leader, both of them to China.

Praising Singapore's "clean and beautiful" environment, Kim vowed to "learn a lot from the good knowledge and experience of Singapore in various fields in the future," the newspaper added.

The fulsome praise for another country is unusual for the media in the impoverished North, which generally do not show detailed images of affluent foreign countries.

The bright lights of the Singaporean cityscape are a notable contrast to Pyongyang, much of which remains dimly lit at night despite Kim overseeing a number of prestige development projects during his rule.Trump says 'a lot of progress' made in Kim summit



Singapore, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un emerged from their Singapore summit Tuesday with the US president hailing "a lot of progress" and a "fantastic" sit-down.

"We had a really fantastic meeting," Trump said as he strolled out of the Capella Hotel side-by-side with the North Korean leader.

"A lot of progress. Really, very positive, I think better than anybody could have expected, top of the line, really good," Trump added, before showing Kim the interior of "The Beast", his armour-plated limousine.

"We're going right now for a signing," Trump said, referring to an unspecified document.North Korea media herald Kim's Singapore stroll



Pyongyang, North Korea, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



North Korea's state media provided extensive coverage Tuesday of a late night stroll taken by Kim Jong Un around staunchly capitalist Singapore, with a barrage of photos accompanying the young leader's effusive praise for the island state's economic model.

Fulsome applause for another country is unusual for the media in the impoverished North, which generally do not show detailed images of affluent foreign countries.

A few hours ahead of his historic summit with Donald Trump -- the first encounter between a leader of the isolated, nuclear-armed North and a sitting US president -- Kim took a break from preparations for a waterfront stroll.

He was accompanied by Singapore's foreign and education ministers -- with whom he posed for selfies -- and surrounded by officials as police held back pursuing reporters.

But images of Kim are carefully controlled and managed in the isolated North, and travelling media from Pyongyang enjoyed close access.

No fewer than 14 images of his visit to the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) hotel, casino and convention centre and other sights were printed on the front page of the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper.

It showed him smiling on the MBS' rooftop Sky Park observation platform, adding he "learned about the social and economic development" of Singapore.

Other pictures showed onlookers taking pictures of Kim, who has made only two previous trips beyond the Korean peninsula as leader, both of them to China.

In Pyongyang, commuters gathered around a news stand at a subway station where the front page had been posted.

Praising Singapore's "clean and beautiful" environment, Kim vowed to "learn a lot from the good knowledge and experience of Singapore in various fields in the future," the newspaper added.

The bright lights of the Singaporean cityscape are a notable contrast to Pyongyang, much of which remains dimly lit at night despite Kim overseeing a number of prestige development projects during his rule.Trump, Kim formed 'special bond' in historic meeting



Singapore, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



Donald Trump has formed a "special bond" with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, he said Tuesday at the end of a historic meeting during which the two former foes pledged to meet again.

The pair signed what Trump called a "pretty comprehensive" and "very important" document, which spoke of "new US-DPRK relations" and committed Washington to "security guarantees".

However, asked about denuclearisation -- the crux of the summit, Trump said "we're starting that process", adding that it would begin "very, very quickly."

For his part, Kim said the two Cold War foes had vowed to "leave the past behind", pledging "the world will see a major change."

The extraordinary summit -- unthinkable only months ago -- comes after the two nuclear-armed foes appeared on the verge of conflict late last year as they slung personal insults and Kim conducted nuclear and missile tests.

It was the first-ever meeting between sitting leaders of the two countries and was closely watched around the world.

"We'll meet again," Trump said after a signing ceremony, standing with Kim on the verandah where they first met. "We will meet many times."

Trump said he "absolutely" would be willing to invite Kim -- whose regime has been criticised for widespread human rights abuses -- to the White House.

Earlier, the pair shared warm words and a historic handshake as they sought to confront a nuclear stand-off and enmity stretching back decades.

The two men shook hands for several seconds beneath the white-washed walls of an upscale hotel in neutral Singapore, Trump reaching out to touch the North Korean leader on his right shoulder.

As they sat down for their tete-a-tete, the US leader -- who had said he would know "within the first minute" if a deal would be possible -- predicted a "terrific relationship" with Kim.

In Seoul, South Korean President Moon Jae-in watched live on television, telling his ministers, he "could hardly sleep last night".

After huddling for around 40 minutes, Trump and Kim were joined by senior advisors before breaking for lunch, where prawn cocktail, short-rib confit, soy-braised cod, and vanilla ice-cream were among the options.

The imagery for the high-stakes meeting was undoubtedly positive and Kim Yong-hyun, professor at Dongguk University in Seoul said: "The atmosphere of the summit looks very good."

"It will be hard for this meeting to agree on specific deals but it carries considerable significance as a starting point," he said.



- 'Fire and fury' -



Some analysts have warned the summit could produce more style than substance and Kelly Magsamen, a former top Pentagon Asia specialist, said: "We'll see if Kim actually gives him anything more than superficial pleasantries and some good TV."

Critics said the mere fact of the meeting meant Trump was legitimising Kim, who critics say runs a police state where human rights are routinely trampled.

"It's a huge win for Kim Jong-un, who now -- if nothing else -- has the prestige and propaganda coup of meeting one-on-one with the president, while armed with a nuclear deterrent," said Michael Kovrig, Crisis Group Senior Adviser for North East Asia.

The warm words and positive optics seemed a different era from when Trump was threatening to rain down "fire and fury" on Pyongyang and Kim attacked Trump as a "mentally deranged US dotard", as he fired off a series of provocative weapons tests.

The Singapore summit is a potentially legacy-defining meeting for both men -- comparable to president Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, or Ronald Reagan's 1986 summit with Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik.

But many agreements have been made in the past with North Korea that have later fallen apart.

On the table is the vexed question of denuclearisation -- a word that means vastly different things to the two parties.

It remains far from clear that Pyongyang is willing to give up its nukes -- weapons that the regime sees as its ultimate guarantee of survival.

And on the eve of the meeting, aides for both men were still scrambling to narrow yawning differences.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that the United States was willing to offer Pyongyang "unique" security guarantees if it denuclearises.

But the summit was more likely it is the start of a longer process of negotiation.

The discussions "will set the framework for the hard work that will follow", Pompeo said.Kim charm offensive overshadows N. Korea rights abuses: activists



Singapore, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



Kim Jong Un's charm offensive and his historic summit with US President Donald Trump have overshadowed a more sinister side of his regime -- widespread human rights abuses, activists say.

The meeting in Singapore offered a dramatic image makeover for Kim, previously known for his apocalyptic threats of nuclear war and accused of ordering the killings of his own uncle and half-brother.

During his three-day visit, a smiling Kim shared a historic handshake with Trump, took selfies with top Singaporean officials and toured the city-state's scenic waterfront, drawing throngs of onlookers.

Trump praised Kim as a "very talented man" who "loves his country very much," after ignoring a reporter's question on whether he raised the issue of Otto Warmbier -- a US student who died after being detained in the North for more than a year.

"Some say Kim is 'cute' or 'friendlier than expected,' but they should not be deceived by Kim's smiling face at this political show," Choi Jung-Hun, a North Korean defector living in Seoul, told AFP.

The Kim family has ruled the impoverished, nuclear-armed nation with a pervasive personality cult and little tolerance for dissent.

North Korea stands accused of a litany of state-sanctioned rights abuses including torture, rape, execution and brutal crackdowns on dissent.

The regime is estimated to have up to 120,000 political prisoners in its sprawling gulag system.

Kim also had his own powerful uncle, Jang Song-Thaek, executed in 2013 for treason, and is accused of ordering the assassination of his half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, at a Malaysian airport in 2017.

- 'Diplomatic reality show' -



Days before Tuesday's summit, more than 300 rights groups including Human Rights Watch urged Pyongyang to improve its dire rights records.

"Kim Jong Un is trying to become an international statesman, but this effort will fail if he continues to preside over a country that has been referred to as the 'world's biggest open prison'," said Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW.

Trump repeatedly suggested lifting sanctions on the North as ties improved, and praised Tuesday's summit as a "tremendous success".

But while many sanctions were imposed over the North's missile and nuclear weapons tests, some were imposed over rights abuses, John Sifton, HRW Asia advocacy director, said.

That means human rights would be "staying on the agenda of subsequent negotiations, whether they (Kim and Trump) want it or not" Sifton warned on Monday.

Amnesty International also urged efforts to shed light on the "near total denial of human rights" in the North at the summit.

"It would be deeply disappointing if the catastrophic human rights situation in North Korea is completely overlooked as diplomatic relations continue to thaw," it said last week.

The US State Department's latest rights report on the North, released earlier this year, describes "egregious human rights violations" in the authoritarian state, from public executions to widespread surveillance of citizens.

Trump acknowledged earlier this month that he had not raised the issue of human rights during the preparation stage for the summit but on Tuesday said it had been discussed.

Choi urged the international community to see the "dark side behind the diplomatic reality show".

"I really hoped that Trump raised the issue of human rights during the meeting with Kim... so that this dialogue would mean something even for poor North Koreans rotting in prison camps," he said.Summits fuel questions about Trump's embrace of autocrats



Singapore, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



Donald Trump's warm embrace of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un after a spectacular bust-up with G7 allies is the latest example of what critics say is a worrying penchant for autocrats.

The backslapping, smiles and handshakes in Singapore on Tuesday stood in conspicuous contrast to the furrowed brows and piercing looks of a summit just days before in Canada.

Whereas Trump looked tired and annoyed in Quebec, where he was surrounded by leaders of democracies, he could barely have been more relaxed around the lunch table with Kim -- a man who overseas industrial scale human rights abuses and is suspected of ordering the assassination of his own brother last year.

"Getting a good picture everybody?" he joked with photographers before sitting down to ice cream with Kim, "so we look nice and handsome and thin."

At a post-summit press conference, Trump praised Kim as "very smart" and a "very good negotiator," in the same breath as warning critical statements by Canada's prime minister would cost the country "a lot of money."

Trump's embrace of strongmen and autocrats has long been a point of contention at home.

He has repeatedly praised Russian leader Vladimir Putin and has voiced admiration for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, whose drug policies have resulted in thousands of deaths.

But the juxtaposition of Trump's treatment of Kim and his distain for G7 friends has pushed criticism to new levels.

"The president disrespects our closest allies and gives a pass to dictators," said Democratic congresswoman Nanette Barragan. "I never thought I would see the day."

For Trump's fiercest critics, it is just more evidence of a dangerous predilection for authoritarian figures.

"How long will you remain silent as President Trump lays ruin to our alliances and tears apart the very fabric of our democracy?" Democrat Adam Schiff asked his Republican colleagues.

"Patriots do not stand mute when our country is in jeopardy, no matter what party occupies the White House."

Trump's joint stroll and bonhomie with Kim was too much even for some of the party faithful.

"If Obama had had the last 24 hours that Trump has had, the GOP would be demanding his impeachment," said prominent Republican commentator Erick Erickson.

The White House has balked at the notion that Trump is more comfortable around strongmen than fellow democrats.

When a CNN reporter put the point to Trump in Canada, Trump denounced him as "fake news" and his national security advisor John Bolton laughed derisively.

But some observers say there are more personal, less ideological, reasons for Trump's behaviour -- he likes people who praise him.

The Putins, Kims and Dutertes of the world have been more than willing to lavish praise when needed.

Putin has variously called Trump "brave" for meeting Kim and heralded his business acumen.

"Donald isn't just president of the United States, he's also a good and strong entrepreneur," Putin said recently.

In contrast, fellow G7 leaders -- many of whom have electorates that distrust the businessman-turned-president -- are not given to massaging his ego.

"The G7 made clear that for Trump it's all about whether people respect him and see him as successful," said Kelly Magsamen a former top Pentagon Asia specialist.

"He also appears to be easily manipulated by dictators who have figured this out."EU hails 'crucial and necessary' Trump-Kim talks



Brussels, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



The EU on Tuesday praised the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a "crucial and necessary step", indicating that denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula could be achieved.

"This summit was a crucial and necessary step to build upon the positive developments achieved in inter-Korean relations and on the peninsula so far," the EU's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

Mogherini stressed that the aim of the international community remained "the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula" -- a longstanding formulation that implies Pyongyang allowing inspections and not rebuilding any weapons it gives up.

"The joint statement signed by the US and DPRK leaders today gives a clear signal that this goal can be achieved," Mogherini said, using an abbreviation for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

But Trump and Kim's joint statement omits the words "verifiable and irreversible", leading some observers to question whether it amounted to any new commitments from Pyongyang.

The US leader said there would be further meetings and Mogherini said the EU stood ready to "facilitate and support the follow-on negotiations and other steps".

Tensions between the EU and US are running high over a series of disagreements on major international issues, including Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and his decision to slap tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.A Nobel in the offing for Trump and Kim Jong Un?



Oslo, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



Could their historic Singapore summit earn Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un a Nobel Peace Prize?

Maybe, but it's still early days, say experts.

The US president and the North Korean leader on Tuesday signed an agreement which, while short on details, reaffirmed Pyongyang's commitment to the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula".

Some commentators and politicians have suggested the pair be awarded a Nobel for their efforts.

But experts say the prestigious prize -- at least for now -- may remain elusive for the duo.

Timing and personalities count against both leaders, they say.

Trump has given a seismic shock to international diplomacy by, among other things, pulling the US out of a landmark nuclear deal with Iran, while Kim is guilty of numerous human rights violations.

And then there is the question of whether their process bears fruit. The diplomacy of disarmament is invariably risk-laden, complex and long.

"It's too early," Asle Sveen, a historian who specialises in the Nobel prize, said of the prospects for a Kim-Trump award.

"But if (the agreement) were to lead to real disarmament on the Korean peninsula, it would be very difficult to not award them the prize. It would be a bizarre situation, but that's happened in the past, that people with a pretty violent past have received the Nobel Peace Prize," he said.

Even before the Singapore summit, several people, including South Korean President Moon Jae-in, former US president Jimmy Carter and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, suggested Trump could deserve the Nobel.

One fake Nobel Peace Prize nomination for Trump has already been invalidated after a case of identity fraud was uncovered earlier this year. But 18 Republicans have nominated him for 2019 in recognition of "his tireless work to bring peace to our world."

Ten years after it awarded the Peace Prize to the newly-elected Barack Obama in a move that was widely mocked as being premature, the Nobel committee does not want to repeat past mistakes.

And in 2000, the Nobel was awarded to then South Korean president Kim Dae-jung for his reconciliation efforts with the North, which turned out to be little more than "a public relations campaign," said Henrik Urdal, the head of the Peace Research Institute of Oslo (Prio).

"I think they'll probably wait to see some pretty significant results before giving another prize in that direction," Urdal told AFP.

Dan Smith, the head of Stockholm peace research institute SIPRI, agreed the Nobel would be premature.

"Today's agreement is a good first step but the journey is long and complicated. Other things President Trump has done -- most notably withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement, which is crucial for global security, and destabilising the Iran nuclear deal, which is crucial for Middle East regional stability -- are much less positive for peace."



- 'Blood on their hands' -



If real progress were to be made on the Korean peninsula, the Nobel committee would find itself in a bit of a dilemma, given the track record of the two main actors.

"Many of those who have received the Peace Prize have had quite a bit of blood on their hands," noted Urdal.

"The question is whether they did enough good that it washes out the blood. Neither Trump nor Kim Jong Un have done enough this year to win the prize."

Geir Lundestad, who served as the influential secretary of the Nobel committee between 1990 and 2014, used to say that the "Nobel is not a prize for saints."

"But you don't have to push this logic to the extreme either," he told AFP on Tuesday.

He hailed the Singapore summit but expressed scepticism about the possibility of a Nobel at this stage.

"These two people have a lot of baggage: Kim is one of the worst dictators in the world and Donald Trump is in the process of tearing down the political and economic structures that the US set up after 1945 and that have benefitted everyone," he said.

Urdal meanwhile pointed to the paradoxes in Trump's diplomacy.

"The thing that damages Trump's chances the most is that he pulled the US out of the Iran nuclear deal," Urdal said.

"At the same that he's choosing the path of peace on the Korean peninsula, he's stoking a conflict in the Middle East and is putting an entire region in danger."

Peter Wallensteen, a Swedish professor specialised in international relations, said South Korean President Moon Jae-in deserved to be included if ever a prize were awarded for peace in Korea.

"Actually, Moon might be the one that deserves this the most, but that would be a slap against Trump!"Trump, Kim hail historic summit; questions over way forward



Singapore, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un hailed their historic summit Tuesday as a breakthrough in relations between Cold War foes, but the agreement they produced contained few details about the key issue of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons.

The extraordinary and unprecedented encounter in Singapore saw the leader of the world's most powerful democracy shake hands with the third generation scion of a dynastic dictatorship, standing as equals in front of their nations' flags.

Kim agreed to the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula", a stock phrase favoured by Pyongyang that stopped short of long-standing US demands for North Korea to give up its atomic arsenal in a "verifiable" and "irreversible" way.

And in a blockbusting press conference after the summit, Trump said the US would halt military exercises with Seoul -- something long sought by Pyongyang, which claims the drills are a rehearsal for invasion.

With Pyongyang having declared a moratorium on weapons testing on the grounds its development programmes were complete, the move looked like a tacit acceptance of the "freeze for freeze" proposal pushed by Beijing and previously decried by Washington.

The US stations around 30,000 troops in security ally South Korea to protect it from its neighbour, which invaded in 1950 in an attempt to reunify the peninsula by force.

"We will be stopping the war games which will save us a tremendous amount of money," Trump told reporters, adding that "at some point" he wanted to withdraw US troops from the South.

Both Seoul and US military commanders in the South indicated they had no idea the announcement was coming, and analysts expressed immediate concern.

Ending the drills "is in excess of all expert consensus, South Korean requests, and even a close reading of North Korean demands", said Adam Mount of the Federation of American Scientists.



- All smiles -



The Singapore summit was a potentially legacy-defining meeting for both men -- comparable to president Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, or Ronald Reagan's 1986 summit with Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik.

But many agreements have been made in the past with North Korea that have later fallen apart, and ahead of the meeting, critics expressed concerns that it risked being more about headlines than substantive progress.

It also legitimised Kim, whose regime stands accused of widespread human rights abuses, critics charged.

In the event, the two leaders showered each other with compliments in the sumptuous setting of a luxury Singapore hotel, a marked contrast from their previous rounds of mutual insults, such as "mentally deranged" and "little rocket man".

Trump said he had formed a "special bond" with the "very talented" Kim, who is suspected of ordering the assassination of his brother at a Malaysian airport last year.

After a day filled with smiles and handshakes watched around the world, the US "committed to provide security guarantees" to North Korea, while Pyongyang committed to "work towards" denuclearising the Korean peninsula.

Melissa Hanham of the US-based Center for Nonproliferation Studies said on Twitter that North Korea had "already promised to do this many times," adding the two sides "still don't agree on what 'denuclearisation' means."

Asked about the issue -- the crux of the summit -- Trump said "we're starting that process" which would begin "very, very quickly", but gave no concrete details.

US sanctions would remain in place until Washington had seen progress, he added, before flying out of Singapore bound for the US territory of Guam -- towards which Pyongyang had last year threatened to lob missiles.



- We'll meet again -



"We'll meet again," Trump said after the signing ceremony, standing with Kim on the verandah where they first met. "We will meet many times."

He "absolutely" would be willing to invite Kim to the White House, and would do so when the time was right, he added.

For his part, Kim -- who made headlines the evening before the summit with an nighttime visit to major tourist sites -- said the two Cold War foes had vowed to "leave the past behind", pledging "the world will see a major change".

Abraham Denmark of the Wilson Center in Washington tweeted: "It seems Kim got a huge propaganda win and a metric ton of legitimacy, and the US gave up joint exercises, for little new and nothing in return."

But he added: "The silver lining is that dialogue will continue, and where there is diplomacy there is hope."Six things we learned from historic US-N.Korea summit



Singapore, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



US President Donald Trump hailed his summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un as a "very great day in the history of the world".

But as the world was glued to the unprecedented meeting, we also learned that Kim likes a selfie and that Trump is really, really proud of "The Beast", his armoured car.



- Bring the boys home -



In a jawdropping post-summit press conference lasting more than an hour, Trump said he wanted to bring home the 30,0000 or so US troops currently stationed in South Korea.

Picking up a theme he had hammered on the presidential campaign trail, but which worries allies in Seoul and Tokyo who rely on US defence, he said: "I want to get our soldiers out. I want to bring our soldiers back home."

He also called a unilateral halt to "very provocative" US military exercises with South Korea, claiming they were "very expensive" and the US pays for "a big majority of them".



- Sleepless in Singapore -



Summitry is hard work and Trump claimed he "had not slept for 25 hours" during his time in Singapore, which lasted just under 48.

The US president had an unusually light public schedule the day before the summit and holed up in his hotel the whole afternoon and evening -- although he was tweeting very early on D-day and again on his way to the meeting.

Kim also proved to be a secret night owl, stunning onlookers in Singapore by going on an unannounced night-time prowl of the city sights, accompanied by a horde of aides and security officers.



- Air Force Un -



Before the summit, several commentators wondered how the travel-shy Kim was going to get to Singapore, having not flown such a distance since coming to power in December 2011.

In the end, he simply hitched a ride from his pal President Xi Jinping on an Air China Boeing 747 -- a surprising move given North Korea's insistence on "juche" or self-reliance.

The crew had social media users and planespotters scratching their heads with some aerial subterfuge, changing call-sign midair over China.

It may have been a safer move than taking his usual aircraft, a Soviet-made Ilyushin-62 dubbed Air Force Un -- although his sister and close aide Kim Yo Jong reportedly used it to reach the city-state.



- Location, location, location -



According to former hotel developer Donald Trump, the beaches of North Korea offer ripe opportunities -- although he gave a slightly sinister reason for knowing that.

"They have great beaches," he said. "You see that whenever they are exploding the cannons into the ocean.

"I said, 'Boy look at that view.' Wouldn't that would make a great condo? I said, 'Instead of doing that, you could have the best hotels in the world.'

"Think of it from the real estate prospective. South Korea and China, and they own the land in the middle."



- Selfie star -



Kim capped months of a diplomatic charm offensive by posing for a public selfie for the first time -- a far cry from his usually carefully controlled image.

The photo of a grinning North Korean leader, taken and posted online by Singapore's foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan, astonished social media users.

Not everyone was impressed, though.

"Is it worth taking a picture with a tyrant? It's your shame," said one user @huangyonghua.



- 1 in 10,000 -



Gone were the days of "little rocket man" and "sick puppy" -- names Trump had previously used for his summit buddy.

Now Kim was praised as "talented", "very smart", a "good negotiator" who "loves his country very much", according to the US President, who even showed off his armoured limousine to the North's leader.

Few people could take over North Korea at the age of 26 and "run it tough", Trump mused. "1 in 10,000 couldn't do it," he added, with the caveat: "I didn't say he was nice about it."

Pressed on the fate of Otto Warmbier, the US student who died after being held in North Korea, Trump said relations started to change with Pyongyang at around the time of Warmbier's death.

"Otto did not die in vain," he said.Trump, Kim hail historic summit; questions over way forward



Singapore, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un hailed their historic summit Tuesday as a breakthrough in relations between Cold War foes, but the agreement they produced contained few details about the key issue of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons.

The extraordinary and unprecedented encounter in Singapore saw the leader of the world's most powerful democracy shake hands with the third generation scion of a dynastic dictatorship, standing as equals in front of their nations' flags.

Kim agreed to the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula", a stock phrase favoured by Pyongyang that stopped short of long-standing US demands for North Korea to give up its atomic arsenal in a "verifiable" and "irreversible" way.

And in a blockbusting press conference after the summit, Trump said the US would halt military exercises with Seoul -- something long sought by Pyongyang, which claims the drills are a rehearsal for invasion.

With Pyongyang having declared a moratorium on weapons testing on the grounds its development programmes were complete, the move looked like a tacit acceptance of the "freeze for freeze" proposal pushed by Beijing and previously decried by Washington.

The US stations around 30,000 troops in security ally South Korea to protect it from its neighbour, which invaded in 1950 in an attempt to reunify the peninsula by force.

"We will be stopping the war games which will save us a tremendous amount of money," Trump told reporters, adding that "at some point" he wanted to withdraw US troops from the South.

Both Seoul and US military commanders in the South indicated they had no idea the announcement was coming, and analysts expressed immediate concern.

Ending the drills "is in excess of all expert consensus, South Korean requests, and even a close reading of North Korean demands", said Adam Mount of the Federation of American Scientists.



- All smiles -



The Singapore summit was a potentially legacy-defining meeting for both men -- comparable to president Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, or Ronald Reagan's 1986 summit with Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik.

But many agreements have been made in the past with North Korea that have later fallen apart, and ahead of the meeting, critics expressed concerns that it risked being more about headlines than substantive progress.

It also legitimised Kim, whose regime stands accused of widespread human rights abuses, critics charged.

In the event, the two leaders showered each other with compliments in the sumptuous setting of a luxury Singapore hotel, a marked contrast from their previous rounds of mutual insults, such as "mentally deranged" and "little rocket man".

Trump said he had formed a "special bond" with Kim, whom he described as "very talented". As well as abuses at home, Kim is also suspected of ordering the assassination of his brother at a Malaysian airport last year.

After a day filled with smiles and handshakes watched around the world, the US "committed to provide security guarantees" to North Korea, while Pyongyang committed to "work towards" denuclearising the Korean peninsula.

Melissa Hanham of the US-based Center for Nonproliferation Studies said on Twitter that North Korea had "already promised to do this many times," adding the two sides "still don't agree on what 'denuclearisation' means."

Asked about the issue -- the crux of the summit -- Trump said "we're starting that process" which would begin "very, very quickly", but gave no concrete details.

US sanctions would remain in place until Washington had seen progress, he added, before flying out of Singapore bound for the US territory of Guam -- towards which Pyongyang had last year threatened to lob missiles.



- We'll meet again -



"We'll meet again," Trump said after the signing ceremony, standing with Kim on the verandah where they first met. "We will meet many times."

He "absolutely" would be willing to invite Kim to the White House, and would do so when the time was right, he added.

For his part, Kim -- who made headlines the evening before the summit with an nighttime visit to major tourist sites -- said the two Cold War foes had vowed to "leave the past behind", pledging "the world will see a major change".

Abraham Denmark of the Wilson Center in Washington tweeted: "It seems Kim got a huge propaganda win and a metric ton of legitimacy, and the US gave up joint exercises, for little new and nothing in return."

But he added: "The silver lining is that dialogue will continue, and where there is diplomacy there is hope."Trump's vow to end US-SKorea drills catches Pentagon off guard



Washington, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



Pentagon officials scrambled for a clear message Tuesday about the US military presence in South Korea, after President Donald Trump vowed at his summit with the North's leader Kim Jong Un to cancel "provocative" joint drills.

Trump surprised observers when he told reporters after the unprecedented meeting in Singapore that continuing the exercises routinely held between the US and South Korean militaries would be "inappropriate" while the US works to flesh out a comprehensive deal with North Korea.

"We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should," Trump said.

"Plus, I think it's very provocative," he noted, adding that "at some point" he wanted to withdraw US troops from the South.

The pledge, absent from the joint statement Trump signed with Kim, appeared to come as news to both South Korea and the Pentagon.

US Forces Korea (USFK), which comprises about 28,500 troops permanently based in South Korea, received no immediate new guidance on upcoming joint training exercises, including so-called Ulchi Freedom Guardian scheduled for later this year.

"In coordination with our (South Korean) partners, we will continue with our current military posture until we receive updated guidance from the Department of Defense and/or Indo-Pacific Command," Colonel Chad Carroll, spokesman for USFK, said in a statement.

Meanwhile at the Pentagon, officials ducked in and out of meetings to discuss what would amount to an epic shift in how the US military has been postured in South Korea for decades.

The defining motto of troops there is that they are prepared to "fight tonight," and joint drills are seen as the most integral component of that readiness.

"The Department of Defense continues to work with the White House, the interagency, and our allies and partners on the way forward following the US/(North Korea)summit," Pentagon spokesman Chris Sherwood said.

"We will provide additional information as it becomes available."

Colonel Rob Manning, another spokesman, said: "We are going to be aligned with the president," while noting that the readiness of US forces would remain "paramout."



- 'Troubling' concession -



Trump's statements in Singapore also point to what appears to be a growing gap between him and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

Only hours before the summit, Mattis told Pentagon reporters that, as far as he knew, the issue of US troops in South Korea would not be part of any discussion in Singapore.

Mattis has also been a staunch defender of America's long-standing alliances and the security and economic superstructure it engineered after World War II.

But Trump refused to endorse a communique at the G7 summit over the weekend that said participants were "guided by our shared values of freedom, democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights and our commitment to promote a rules-based international order."

Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, said it was "troubling" that Trump had agreed to suspend joint drills without making any reference to North Korea dialing back its conventional military threat.

"The Singapore summit statement is essentially aspirational: no definitions of denuclearization, no timelines, no details as to verification," Haass said on Twitter.

"What is most troubling about all this is that the US gave up something tangible, namely, US-RoK military exercises, in exchange," he added, using the abbreviation for South Korea's official name.

Still, he credited the summit for starting a diplomatic process between North Korea and the United States.World hails Trump-Kim summit as 'first step' to denuclearisation



Paris, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



World powers welcomed the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday.

Most cautioned that the summit in Singapore was only the first step in a long journey to full denuclearisation of the the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK, as North Korea calls itself.

Here are some of the main reactions so far:



- China -



In Beijing, which is Pyongyang's sole major ally and main trading partner, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the fact that the two leaders "can sit together and have equal talks has important and positive meaning, and is creating a new history."

"Resolving the nuclear issue, on the one hand of course is denuclearisation, full denuclearisation. At the same time, there needs to be a peace mechanism for the peninsula, to resolve North Korea's reasonable security concerns," Wang said.



- Japan -



Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saw the summit as a "first step" towards "complete denuclearisation" and "the comprehensive resolution of issues concerning North Korea."



- Russia -



Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that while "we have not yet seen the documents... the mere fact that this meeting took place is of course positive."



- EU -



EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini praised the summit as a "crucial and necessary step to build upon the positive developments achieved in inter-Korean relations and on the peninsula so far."

The aim of the international community remained "the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula", she said. "The joint statement signed by the US and DPRK leaders today gives a clear signal that this goal can be achieved."



- Britain -



British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson said in tweet that the talks had been "constructive" and "DPRK's commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula is an important first step towards a stable and prosperous future."



- France -



"It is obviously very positive that this meeting can be held... but at the same time I think we need to be cautious," said France's Defence Minister Florence Parly.

She said she was being "very pragmatic" while awaiting the results of the historic talks, "without being naive or thinking that things can change in a day just like magic."



- IAEA -



Yukiya Amano, the head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, welcomed the "DPRK's commitment towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula."

"The IAEA stands ready to undertake any verification activities in the DPRK that it may be requested to conduct by the countries concerned," Amano added.



- Norway -



Norway's foreign minister Ine Eriksen Soreide said that notwithstanding the "fundamentally positive" step the summit represented, it was now "that the largest part of the work actually begins."



- Poland -



Jacek Sasin, aide to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, said that "if as a result of the meeting, North Korea will abandon its nuclear aspirations and no longer threatens to launch an attack, it's very good."

President Andrzej Duda's chief of staff, Krzysztof Szczerski, hailed the summit as "spectacular" and a "triumph of diplomacy".



burs/spm/rlpCORRECTED: World hails Trump-Kim summit as 'first step' to denuclearisation



Paris, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



World powers welcomed the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday.

Most cautioned that the summit in Singapore was only the first step in a long journey to full denuclearisation of the the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK, as North Korea calls itself.

Here are some of the main reactions so far:



- China -



In Beijing, which is Pyongyang's sole major ally and main trading partner, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the fact that the two leaders "can sit together and have equal talks has important and positive meaning, and is creating a new history."

"Resolving the nuclear issue, on the one hand of course is denuclearisation, full denuclearisation. At the same time, there needs to be a peace mechanism for the peninsula, to resolve North Korea's reasonable security concerns," Wang said.



- Japan -



Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saw the summit as a "first step" towards "complete denuclearisation" and "the comprehensive resolution of issues concerning North Korea."



- Russia -



Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that while "we have not yet seen the documents... the mere fact that this meeting took place is of course positive."



- EU -



EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini praised the summit as a "crucial and necessary step to build upon the positive developments achieved in inter-Korean relations and on the peninsula so far."

The aim of the international community remained "the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula", she said. "The joint statement signed by the US and DPRK leaders today gives a clear signal that this goal can be achieved."



- Britain -



British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson said in tweet that the talks had been "constructive" and "DPRK's commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula is an important first step towards a stable and prosperous future."



- IAEA -



Yukiya Amano, the head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, welcomed the "DPRK's commitment towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula."

"The IAEA stands ready to undertake any verification activities in the DPRK that it may be requested to conduct by the countries concerned," Amano added.



- Norway -



Norway's foreign minister Ine Eriksen Soreide said that notwithstanding the "fundamentally positive" step the summit represented, it was now "that the largest part of the work actually begins."



- Poland -



Jacek Sasin, aide to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, said that "if as a result of the meeting, North Korea will abandon its nuclear aspirations and no longer threatens to launch an attack, it's very good."

President Andrzej Duda's chief of staff, Krzysztof Szczerski, hailed the summit as "spectacular" and a "triumph of diplomacy".



burs/spm/rlpEU hails 'crucial and necessary' Trump-Kim talks



Brussels, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



The EU on Tuesday praised the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a "crucial and necessary step", indicating that denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula could be achieved.

"This summit was a crucial and necessary step to build upon the positive developments achieved in inter-Korean relations and on the peninsula so far," the EU's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

Mogherini stressed that the aim of the international community remained "the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula" -- a longstanding formulation that implies Pyongyang allowing inspections and not rebuilding any weapons it gives up.

"The joint statement signed by the US and DPRK leaders today gives a clear signal that this goal can be achieved," Mogherini said, using an abbreviation for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

But Trump and Kim's joint statement omits the words "verifiable and irreversible", leading some observers to question whether it amounted to any new commitments from Pyongyang.

The US leader said there would be further meetings and Mogherini said the EU stood ready to "facilitate and support the follow-on negotiations and other steps".

Tensions between the EU and US are running high over a series of disagreements on major international issues, including Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and his decision to slap tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also welcomed the summit.

"NATO strongly supports all efforts leading towards the eventual denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula," Stoltenberg said in a statement.

"A Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons will contribute to the security of NATO allies and of our partners in the region, and to the security of the entire global community."Netanyahu congratulates Trump on North Korea summit



Jerusalem, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated US President Donald Trump after his summit Tuesday with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and said Washington's policy on Iran was also succeeding.

"I commend US President Donald Trump on the historic summit in Singapore," Netanyahu said in a statement.

"This is an important step in the effort to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons."

The Israeli leader said Trump had "also taken a strong stand against Iran's efforts to arm itself with nuclear weapons and against its aggression in the Middle East.

"This is already affecting the Iranian economy," he added.

The United States withdrew last month from the Iran nuclear deal reached between world powers and the Islamic republic in 2015.

The other parties to the deal -- Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia -- have vowed to stay in the accord, but appear powerless to stop their companies pulling out of Iran for fear of US penalties.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is for civilian uses only, but its opponents, notably the US and Israel, accuse it of seeking to build an atomic bomb.

The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly said that Iran is complying with the accord.Trump's vow to end US-SKorea drills catches Pentagon off guard



Washington, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



Pentagon officials were surprised Tuesday after President Donald Trump vowed at his summit with the North's leader Kim Jong Un to cancel "provocative" joint military drills with South Korea.

Following the unprecedented meeting in Singapore, Trump stunned observers when he said continuing the exercises routinely held between the US and South Korea would be "inappropriate" while Washington fleshes out a comprehensive deal with Pyongyang.

"We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should," Trump said.

"Plus, I think it's very provocative," he noted, adding that "at some point" he wanted to withdraw US troops from the South.

Hours after Trump's declaration, the Pentagon on Tuesday afternoon insisted that US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had not been blindsided by Trump.

"He was not surprised, he was consulted," Mattis's spokeswoman Dana White told reporters.

"Conversations have been robust, there were no surprises."

In a statement, White later said the Pentagon "welcomes the positive news coming out of the summit and fully supports the ongoing, diplomatically led efforts with" North Korea.

But US officials told AFP they were taken aback by the news, and Pentagon personnel spent the morning in meetings discussing what could amount to an epic shift in the US military's posture in South Korea.

The drills, which date back decades, are an integral component of the Pentagon's boast that its troops are always ready to "fight tonight" on the Korean peninsula.

The exercises allow US and South Korean forces to practice mobilizing soldiers in the event of conflict, and to run computer simulations to improve coordination between the two militaries.

US Forces Korea (USFK), which comprises about 28,500 troops permanently based in South Korea, received no fresh guidance on upcoming joint training exercises, including so-called Ulchi Freedom Guardian scheduled for later this year.

Colonel Rob Manning, another spokesman, said: "We are going to be aligned with the president," while noting that the readiness of US forces would remain "paramount."



- 'Troubling' concession -



Trump said he wanted to remove the US military presence from South Korea, though he provided no timeline.

"I want to bring our soldiers back home," he said. "That's not part of the equation right now. At some point, I hope it will be, but not right now."

Mattis has repeatedly stressed that any reduction in troops would be a decision that only Washington and Seoul could address.

Only hours before the summit, Mattis told Pentagon reporters that, as far as he knew, the issue of US troops in South Korea would not be part of any discussion in Singapore.

Stephen Pomper, US program director at the Crisis Group, said Trump had sown confusion by announcing the end of drills without first checking with the South Koreans.

"Creating friction with a key ally with an issue like that may have been a mistake, frankly," he told AFP.

And what "exactly was the president committing to?" he added. "Was he committing to end all military exercises or was he committing to end just the most provocative ones?"

Exercises with South Korea cover a range of eventualities, including drills with nuclear capable bombers.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio said he was "uncomfortable" with the suspension of military drills, especially "if this becomes permanent in exchange for nothing."

But Daniel Davis, a retired army lieutenant colonel and fellow at the Defense Priorities military think tank, said suspending the drills would have no short term impact on US and South Korean military readiness.

"The US armed forces will in no way stop individual and collective training, the South Korean military will continue to train and prepare as they always have," he told AFP, adding that institutional knowledge from years of drills would be retained.

Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, said it was "troubling" that Trump had agreed to suspend joint drills without making any reference to North Korea dialing back its conventional military threat.

"The Singapore summit statement is essentially aspirational: no definitions of denuclearization, no timelines, no details as to verification," Haass said on Twitter.

"What is most troubling about all this is that the US gave up something tangible, namely, US-RoK military exercises, in exchange," he added, using the abbreviation for South Korea's official name.

Still, he credited the summit for starting a diplomatic process between North Korea and the United States.Trump, Kim hail historic summit; questions over way forward



Singapore, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un hailed their historic summit Tuesday as a breakthrough in relations between Cold War foes, but their agreement was short on details about the key issue of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons.

The unprecedented encounter in Singapore saw the leader of the world's most powerful democracy shake hands with the third generation scion of a dynastic dictatorship, standing as equals in front of their nations' flags.

Kim agreed to the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula", a stock phrase favoured by Pyongyang that stopped short of long-standing US demands for North Korea to give up its atomic arsenal in a "verifiable" and "irreversible" way.

And in a blockbusting press conference after the summit, Trump said the US would halt military exercises with Seoul -- something long sought by Pyongyang, which claims the drills are a rehearsal for invasion.

With Pyongyang having declared a moratorium on weapons testing on the grounds its development programmes were complete, the move looked like a tacit acceptance of the "freeze for freeze" proposal pushed by Beijing and previously decried by Washington.

The US stations around 30,000 troops in security ally South Korea to protect it from its neighbour, which invaded in 1950 in an attempt to reunify the peninsula by force.

"We will be stopping the war games which will save us a tremendous amount of money," Trump told reporters, adding that "at some point" he wanted to withdraw US troops from the South.

Both Seoul and US military commanders in the South indicated they had no idea the announcement was coming, and analysts expressed immediate concern.

Ending the drills "is in excess of all expert consensus, South Korean requests, and even a close reading of North Korean demands", said Adam Mount of the Federation of American Scientists.

In Washington, Pentagon personnel -- also caught off guard -- spent the morning discussing what could amount to an epic shift in the US military's posture in South Korea.



- All smiles -



The Singapore summit was a potentially legacy-defining meeting for both men -- comparable to president Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, or Ronald Reagan's 1986 summit with Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik.

World powers from China to Japan, the European Union and Russia welcomed its outcome -- while cautioning it was only the first step towards resolving the nuclear stand-off with Pyongyang.

Many agreements have been made in the past with North Korea that have later fallen apart, and ahead of the meeting, critics expressed concerns that it risked being more about headlines than substantive progress.

It also legitimised Kim, whose regime stands accused of widespread human rights abuses, critics charged.

In the event, the two leaders showered each other with compliments in the sumptuous setting of a luxury Singapore hotel, a marked contrast from their previous rounds of mutual insults, such as "mentally deranged" and "little rocket man".

Trump said he had formed a "special bond" with Kim, whom he described as "very talented". As well as abuses at home, Kim is also suspected of ordering the assassination of his brother at a Malaysian airport last year.

After a day filled with smiles and handshakes watched around the world, the US "committed to provide security guarantees" to North Korea, while Pyongyang committed to "work towards" denuclearising the Korean peninsula.

Melissa Hanham of the US-based Center for Nonproliferation Studies said on Twitter that North Korea had "already promised to do this many times," adding the two sides "still don't agree on what 'denuclearisation' means."

Asked about the issue -- the crux of the summit -- Trump said "we're starting that process" which would begin "very, very quickly", but gave no concrete details.

Speaking later as he flew out of Singapore bound for the US territory of Guam -- towards which Pyongyang last year threatened to lob missiles -- Trump said he intended to hold North Korea to its word on denuclearisation.

"We're going to have to check it and we will check it. We'll check it very strongly," he told reporters on Air Force One.

In the meantime, the US leader declared himself satisfied with the summit outcome, saying "there was nothing more we could have done."

Asked whether he trusted Kim, he replied: "I do."



- We'll meet again -



Standing with Kim after the signing ceremony in Singapore, Trump vowed they would meet again.

"We will meet many times," said the president, who declared himself "absolutely" willing to invite Kim to the White House, when the time was right.

For his part, Kim -- who made headlines the evening before the summit with an nighttime visit to major tourist sites -- said the two Cold War foes had vowed to "leave the past behind", pledging "the world will see a major change".

Abraham Denmark of the Wilson Center in Washington tweeted: "It seems Kim got a huge propaganda win and a metric ton of legitimacy, and the US gave up joint exercises, for little new and nothing in return."

But he added: "The silver lining is that dialogue will continue, and where there is diplomacy there is hope."

arb-ric-slb-ec/wdOptimization

Are you frustrated with a slow pc or a hard disk not performing as it should?

Try SLOW-PCfighter to speed up boot time on a slow PC, or try a free scan of FULL-DISKfighter to recover space on a full disk. The latest offering is DRIVERfighter to update your driver updater. Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools.United Nations, Jun 12, 2018 (SPS) - The Permanent Representative of Cuba to the UN, Anayansi Rodriguez, has reaffirmed the support of her country for a just and definitive solution to the question of Western Sahara.

Speaking at a session of the United Nations Decolonization Committee, the diplomat expressed Cuba's support for the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination, based on respect for the principles of the UN Charter and international law. .

In this regard, she highlighted the call of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union to initiate talks among the member states in order to establish a free and fair referendum.

"Cuba has repeatedly expressed its support for the efforts of the United Nations to find a definitive solution to this case, in such a way that the people of Western Sahara can exercise their right to self-determination."

Therefore, we hope that the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council are complied with, added the ambassador.

The Saharawi people need the support of the international community, she said, and referred to the solidarity aid that Cuba has been providing since 1976 when sending medical brigades to the refugee camps in North Africa.

The island has also offered medical study facilities to undergraduate and graduate students, more than two thousand 876 Sahrawi students had graduated from higher education in the Caribbean country, said the diplomat.

'The Saharawi people will always be able to count on the firm solidarity of our people in their heroic struggle to exercise their legitimate rights.' She stressed

Rodriguez recalled how 55 years ago, the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United Nations declared Western Sahara as a Non-Self-Governing Territory.

Meanwhile, he stressed, during the last 22 years numerous resolutions of the General Assembly, the Security Council and the African Union have ratified the right to independence and self-determination of the Saharawi people.

All this in accordance with resolution 1514 on the granting of independence of colonial countries and peoples, said the Cuban diplomat.

In 2017, the General Assembly requested by consensus the Decolonization Committee to continue to examine the situation in Western Sahara and to report thereon at its seventy-third session, She added.

That resolution, among other elements, expressed support for the ongoing negotiation process with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, leading to the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, Rodriguez said.

However, he said, despite the continuous efforts made, there is practically no progress in the search for an effective solution to the conflict in Western Sahara, which has been at a standstill for more than four decades. SPS

125/090/TRAMerida (Spain). June 12, 2018 (SPS) - The Mayor of the City of Merida (Extremadura), Antonio Rodriguez Osuna, received this morning, on an institutional visit, the Saharawi Delegate for Extremadura, Hameiduha Ahmed, according to a press release from the mentioned municipality.

At the end of the meeting, the Saharawi delegate pointed out that "he has had the opportunity to explain the situation that the population of Western Sahara is going through and the cooperation that is taking place from Extremadura".

Hameiduha Ahmed took advantage of the visit to view the possibility that, from the City Council, projects are being carried out to alleviate the situation "and the assistance of the Saharawi population that has been sheltering for over 43 years in the Algerian camps".

The Saharawi delegate thanked his host "the availability and solidarity shown by the City Council with the Saharawi people, many years hosting children of the Vacation in Peace program"

He stressed that Extremadura, like the other communities, work in Humanitarian Aid, child care, development, health, nutrition and education projects.

Regarding the "Vacations in Peace" Program, he pointed out that 135 children arrived in Extremadura this year, specifically on June 28.

For his part, the mayor announced that, at the meeting, "we have immediately offered to continue collaborating, as we have been doing so far, with the Vacation in Peace Program" and he also announced that "we have advanced the possibility of closing a Agreement of Cooperation of the City Council of Merida with the Saharawi People ". SPS

125/090/TRAUnited Nations (New York), June 12, 2018 (SPS)  the Frente POLISARIO representative to the works of the Special Committee for the Decolonization of Nations United , Mr. Sidi Mohamed Omar has took part in the meeting, dedicated to the issue of Western Sahara at the works of the Special Committee for the Decolonization of Nations United organized at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The Saharawi diplomat stressed that the question of Western Sahara is a matter of clear and unquestionable colonization and has been registered in the agenda of the Fourth Committee of the United Nations since 1963.

Dr. Sidi Mohamed Omar said that for 27 years, Morocco hampers the holding of the referendum on self-determination and continues its policy of annexation and tries to change the demographic composition of the territory.

"The Moroccan occupation and annexation are the main obstacles to the decolonization of this territory," the Saharawi diplomat recalled.

"The Occupying Power persists in its attempts to undermine the inalienable right of our people to self-determination and independence, resorting to manipulation, misinformation, intimidation and sabotage," denounced the Frente Polisario representative.

The Saharawi representative recalled that the process of decolonization of Western Sahara was violently interrupted when Morocco invaded the territory in 1975, "an invasion denounced by the General Assembly on more than one occasion."

" the issue of Western Sahara is still on the agenda of the Committee of 24 clearly shows that it is a matter of decolonization," said the Sahrawi representative, calling "the United Nations and the international community as a whole to assume their responsibilities in guaranteeing the inalienable right of peoples to self-determination and independence. " SPS

125/090/TRAOgden church invites community to free organ dedicatory recital concert

OGDEN  St. Paul Lutheran Church will open its doors Wednesday for a free community concert that will showcase the church's newly refurbished and digitized pipe organ. St. Paul has resided at its current location, 3329 Harrison Blvd., since 1962. Later, a Zimmer pipe organ was installed in 1984. According to the concert program, attendees can look forward to hearing everything from baroque to modern music, and concertgoers should plan to spend roughly an hour at the event, which starts at 7 p.m. The concert is intended to demonstrate the full breadth of the Zimmer pipe organ which ...TO VIEW MORE NEWS STORY, PLEASE CLICK ON NEWS TAB ON MAIN MENU BARForFarmers N.V.: ForFarmers strengthens position in Belgium by acquiring Voeders Algoet

Lochem, 12 June 2018

ForFarmers strengthens position in Belgium by acquiring Voeders Algoet

ForFarmers is acquiring Voeders Algoet, a feed company established in Zulte, close to the Belgian ForFarmers sites. As a result, ForFarmers strengthens its position as feed company in Belgium with the offer of Total Feed solutions.

Voeders Algoet sells around 150,000 tonnes of compound feed to swine and ruminant farmers. In the split financial year (1 July to 30 June) 2016/2017, the company generated sales of approximately 40 million with an opeRating result before amortisation and depreciation (EBITDA) of approximately 2 million.

ForFarmers is paying circa 7 times Voeders Algoet's EBITDA. Closing of the transaction is expected to take place in the second half year of 2018, pending, amongst others, approval from the Belgian competition authorities. Voeders Algoet's results will be consolidated in the results of ForFarmers as of closing date.

Voeders Algoet's current management and 22 staff form part of the transaction. In addition, 12 bulk trailers are included in the acquisition. As a result, ForFarmers is starting its own transport activities in Belgium. Voeders Algoet will be integrated into ForFarmers Belgium. Voeders Algoet's contract farming* activities is not taken over by ForFarmers. Over time, Voeders Algoet's feed production will probably be transferred to the current ForFarmers factories in Izegem and Ingelmunster

Added value for customers

Adrie van der Ven, COO, and responsible for the ForFarmers Belgium/Germany cluster and new regions: "This acquisition fits into the consolidation that is needed for a healthy agricultural sector in Belgium in the long-term. Combining the knowledge of both companies to optimally support customers with their business targets is the main priority. Voeders Algoet's experience and market position contribute to a further reinforcement of our Total Feed approach in Belgium. The new combination will also be the second largest feed company in Belgium."

Steven and Olivier Algoet, the current owners of Voeders Algoet, see an opportunity to expand their offerings to customers further with this transaction: "ForFarmers and Voeders Algoet are ambitious and focused on offering quality feed, with the accompanying professional advice. The focus is on increasing yields in the agricultural business. This step gives our customers and staff the opportunity to grow with the company towards ForFarmers' ambitions."

(*) contract farming: farmers produce pigs under contract from a manufacturer at a pre-agreed price for their work and premises.

This press release contains information, which qualifies as inside information within the meaning of Article 7, paragraph 1 of the EU Market Abuse Regulation.

Editor's note / Information:

Contact:

Caroline Vogelzang, Director Investor Relations & Corporate Communications, ForFarmers

T: +31 573 288 194, M: +31 6 10 94 91 61, E: caroline.vogelzang@forfarmers.eu



Company profile ForFarmers

ForFarmers N.V. ('ForFarmers', Lochem, the Netherlands) is an internationally operating feed company that offers total feed solutions for conventional and organic livestock farming. ForFarmers gives its very best "For the Future of Farming": for the continuity of farming and for a financially secure sector that will continue to serve society for generations to come in a sustainable way. By working side-by-side with farmers ForFarmers delivers real benefits: better returns, healthier livestock and greater efficiency. This is achieved by offering tailored and Total Feed solutions and a targeted approach with specialist and expert support.

With sales of approximately 9.6 million tonnes of feed annually, ForFarmers is market leader in Europe. ForFarmers has approximately 2,300 employees and production facilities in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. In 2017, revenues amounted to over 2.2 billion.

ForFarmers N.V., Postbus 91, 7240 AB Lochem, T: +31 (0)573 28 88 00, F: +31 (0)573 28 88 99

info@forfarmers.eu, www.forfarmersgroup.eu



FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including those relating to ForFarmers legal obligations in terms of capital and liquidity positions in certain specified scenarios. In addition, forward-looking statements, without limitation, may include such phrases as "intends to", "expects", "takes into account", "is aimed at", ''plans to", "estimated" and words with a similar meaning. These statements pertain to or may affect matters in the future, such as ForFarmers future financial results, business plans and current strategies. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, which may mean that there could be material differences between actual results and performance and expected future results or performances that are implicitly or explicitly included in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may result in variations on the current expectations or may contribute to the same include but are not limited to: developments in legislation, technology, jurisprudence and regulations, share price fluctuations, legal procedures, investigations by regulatory bodies, the competitive landscape and general economic conditions. These and other factors, risks and uncertainties that may affect any forward-looking statements or the actual results of ForFarmers, are discussed in the last published annual report. The forward-looking statements in this press release are only statements as of the date of this document and ForFarmers accepts no obligation or responsibility with respect to any changes made to the forward-looking statements contained in this document, regardless of whether these pertain to new information, future events or otherwise, unless ForFarmers is legally obliged to do so.

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: ForFarmers N.V. via Globenewswire

More dynamic concept, but also shortfalls

The ecosystem services (ES) framework was introduced in the 1970s, and really took off in the 2000s. Ecosystem services was an attempt to recognize that ecosystems produce multiple benefits for people, ranging from food, to flood regulation, and beauty that are not often included in decision making. It has since then inspired a great quantity of research, has lead to changes in policy in law in many countries, including Sweden.

Peterson and his colleagues make the point that the NCP framework raises the bar when it comes to considering how cultural context influence how people perceive nature and good quality of life. They also argue that the framework indicates a more dynamic approach to future change, which is more in line with the view of resilience science.

But NCP also comes with shortfalls. One of these is that the framework has replaced the word ecosystems with nature. Urban and agro-ecosystems are home of, and support the life of, most of the worlds population. Since neither of these ecosystems generally are considered nature, Peterson and his team argue that this gives too little attention to these important systems. They also bring up that the use of nature instead of ecosystems fails to communicate that humans are the main force shaping the ecosystems today.

Another shortfall, according to the authors, is that while the framework acknowledges some forms of human-nature relationships, other forms remain unmentioned. For example, the NCP framework highlights a one-way flow relationship from nature to people, neglecting feedback relationships, when several research has shown that human actions have a big influence on the production and distribution of benefits that nature provides us with.

Can undermine international commitments

The NCP framework has been developed within the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The strong reactions to the article have included a questioning of credibility of the entire IPBES process.

Peterson and colleagues point out that discrediting the multitude of assessments carried out by hundreds of scientists within the IPBES as a reaction to a single paper seems extreme. They also warn about what such a division among scientists could mean:

Although scientific debate is vital for testing ideas, polarization within scientific communities often impedes science and practice because it can lead to the silencing of less powerful voices and reducing the diversity of perspectives in divisive and unproductive discussion, the authors argue.

Furthermore, they warn, in this particular case, such divisions threaten to undermine the challenging process of securing the international commitment for IPBES, at a time when it requires greater capacities and financial support.

The authors round the paper up by encouraging IPBES to continue to build bridges between more diverse sources of knowledge. While the platform goes to some lengths to include different knowledge systems, it could benefit a lot by taking this process a few notches further, they argue.

By for instance collaborating with other actors and institutions, IPBES could gain knowledge from a wider range of disciplines, industries and cultures, which could help it to make a bigger impact on the development of global and local biodiversity, they conclude.

Link to publication

Request publication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.It was only a matter of time before the increasing availability of commercial photo satellite photos, and the increasing resolution, made it possible for economists to gather more accurate economic data about nations that were known to provide unreliable statistics. Major offenders include China, Russia and North Korea. The answer came in the night.

In the last few years, there have been several studies which used satellite photo activity over time to find a correlation between what the photos were showing and what official economic statistics were saying during the same time. The most basic of these studies used the amount of light nighttime satellite photos showed over time and compared the increases in this light with reported GDP growth (or decline). In the West, where GDP data is more accurate because it is open to more scrutiny, it was found that for every 10 percent increase in nighttime light there was an increase in reported GDP growth of 2.4 percent. But in nations with less reliable (and verifiable) data a 10 percent increase in light yielded a reported GDP growth of 2.9-3.4 percent.

This research is most meaningful for China, which now has the second largest GDP in the world. There are enough verifiable statistics (especially when it comes to foreign trade and international banking activity) to verify that China now has a huge, and probably second only to the United States, economy. But accurate data on annual GDP growth is crucial in determining the health of the Chinese economy and what vulnerabilities it has.

For example, Chinese GDP growth has been slowing since 2010 and that trend will continue. The question is how much of the GDP growth, especially as it is declining, is accurate. For China, the slowdown is mostly about how the decades of development are over. Most of the missing (because China did not go through the Industrial Revolution until the late 20th century) infrastructure (road, ports, dams, utilities, housing) have now been built. Another major factor is government corruption which often leads to unneeded infrastructure projects that are often poorly built. Yet the government feels that it still needs inflated economic performance numbers to justify its continued dictatorship (of the Communist Party).

The Chinese government was forced to admit that the decades of 10 percent a year GDP growth were over and appears to have settled on 6-7 percent a year being the acceptable new normal. But foreign analysts see five percent or (and eventually) less as the reality and a catastrophic economic collapse (because of mismanagement of the banking system) still a possibility.

China is aware of the fact that inaccurate economic data is an internal problem as well as an international one. The Chinese realize that the old problem of corruption within the government, especially when it comes to accurate economic statistics, is something that should be addressed. The unreliable government statistics were long an open secret that did not seem to matter. That has changed, especially since 2010. Often details of that change are made public.

For example in early 2017 Wang Baoan, the head of the Chinese National Statistics Bureau was convicted on corruption charges and sentenced to life in prison. The prosecution was mainly about crimes committed earlier (1994-2016), mostly before he became Bureau chief in 2015. Wang Baoan, a career bureaucrat, became a very wealthy man (over $22 million in all) by accepting bribes and other favors. Most worrisome was his last post, running the scandal plagued National Statistics Bureau, which is believed to knowingly distribute falsified economic data for decades because no one in power wanted the complete truth, just enough to make them look good.

A growing number of economists and corrupt government officials have seen changes coming because it was becoming easier for more people to scrutinize details of economic activity. This was most obvious when it came to public availability of satellite photos and other data. In the 1990s commercial photo satellites began providing more photos of the earth to anyone who could pay. The general public got access to similar data after Google Earth was introduced after 2001. Before that satellite photos like this were considered military secrets and only rarely released. This led to many changes but the basic one was it became more difficult to lie about what was, literally, happening on the ground and visible from space.

The truth is out there, often in the darkness.President Duterte has backed off on his China is our friend and too powerful to fight attitude after he found that he was losing vital political and popular support because of perceived over-dependence on Chinese benevolence. Also, a new government in the United States provided more support for resistance to Chinese aggression. So Duterte adapted and took better care of defense agreements with the Americans and other local allies.

The United States believes that China had built sufficient port and aircraft facilities on islands in the South China Sea to quickly station warships and combat aircraft at these new facilities and, in effect, declare that it controlled the South China Sea and dare anyone to oppose that control. Many of the islands are artificial, made by dredging up sand from nearby reefs and shallow waters. Seven reefs belonging to the Philippines have undergone this transformation and commercial satellite photos already show military aircraft and other equipment showing up on these artificial islands. Apparently, China has also installed anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles on some of these islands (Fiery Cross Reef, Subi Reef, and Mischief Reef, all just west of the Philippines) in addition to EW (Electronic Warfare) equipment, including jammers as well are arriving on the new islands. China did not announce installing this military equipment but aerial and satellite photos show the equipment appearing during April, if not earlier. Since then some of these weapons have been moved or concealed and more stuff is coming in. Thanks to commercial photo satellites it is easy to keep track of what China is doing on the artificial islands they created in Filipino waters. Mischief Reef, which an international court agreed belonged to the Philippines, now has a Chinese military base and an airstrip that is regularly used by Chinese military aircraft. In addition, China has installed electronic surveillance and jamming equipment there in addition to air defense and anti-ship missiles. Filipino politicians and most of the Filipino voters they represent are not happy about this and Chinese efforts to appease angry Filipinos with massive investments and other economic perks are not working.

Japan has taken advantage of this and formed a growing alliance to oppose China. Japan has been establishing links with Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and other countries threatened by Chinese aggression. While China sees Japan as a fading economic and military power, Japan still has the second largest economy in the region, as well as more powerful allies than China. The Japanese military is still a formidable force, especially at sea. While memories of Japanese brutality throughout East Asia during World War II still survive the fear of similar treatment from China are turning Japan into a sought-after ally for most nations in the region.

ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) Status

The three largest Moslem Islamic terror organizations in the south (Abu Sayyaf, Maute Group and BIFF) have all pledged allegiance to ISIL in the last few years. That has not worked out to their advantage with the three suffering major losses last year and making the Philippines a place to avoid by other Islamic terrorists in the region looking for a safe sanctuary. The Philippines is no longer safe.

It gets worse for some of the Filipino groups. Abu Sayyaf has taken heavy losses in the last year and the military believes that continuing operations against Abu Sayyaf at the current level (intense, with more troops being assigned to the effort) the Islamic terror group may cease to be a major Islamic terrorist threat by the end of 2018. An example of the Abu Sayyaf weakness was demonstrated in mid-May when Abu Sayyaf released two policewomen they had kidnapped in Sulu three weeks earlier. The government repeated its policy of no ransom (after Abu Sayyaf demanded $100,000) and concentrated troops and police in the area to find the two policewomen and any of the other 15 hostages Abu Sayyaf was known to be holding. Many of the soldiers and police had prior experience searching this area and knew who the usual suspects, and locations, were. The released policewomen confirmed this fear among their captors as well as details of the morale and other details of the Abu Sayyaf men who took and held them. During the search, three soldiers and at least 11 Abu Sayyaf men were killed and Abu Sayyaf operations in the area were disrupted.

The two other ISIL affiliates in the Philippines, Maute Group and BIFF are also fading as casualties, desertion and voluntary surrenders shrink their numbers and make it more difficult to find new recruits.

June 10, 2018: In the south (Maguindanao province) troops captured another camp used by BIFF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters) gunmen. This facility turned out to have a bomb workshop that was turning out roadside bombs, landmines and other explosive devices. During the operation troops encountered over 60 BIFF men, most of whom promptly fled. About 10,000 local civilians fled temporarily as the army spent several days approaching and attacking the camp. At least 15 BIFF men were killed, ten wounded and two captured. BIFF is attempting to revive ISIL in the south and so far is having a hard time because of the constant (since late 2017) pressure by the security forces. BIFF is opposed to the peace deal other local Moslem ground negotiated to provide Moslem areas with some autonomy. BIFF wants all of the Philippines run by its Moslem minority (eight percent of the population). There are an estimated 300 BIFF members left and the group is recruiting younger and younger teenagers to make up for losses. These younger recruits are harder to train, less reliable and more prone to desert.

Saudi Arabia revealed that in late May it had arrested nine Filipinos (along with two Saudis and a Yemeni) and accused them of threatening state security. This apparently refers to support for an Islamic terror group. Foreign workers in Saudi Arabia are sometimes found to have been radicalized by locals who are secretly working for banned Islamic terrorist organizations. Non-Moslem Filipinos working in Saudi Arabia are often pressured to convert.

June 8, 2018: In the north (Isabela province) troops clashed with a group of about 20 NPA rebels who locals had reported to the police. The NPA fled when fired on by the troops, losing one of their men to the gunfire and leaving much of their equipment behind in order to get away.

June 7, 2018: The government is trying to verify a video showing Chinese coast guard sailors stealing fish from Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Shoal. China considers this area part of China and since 2012 have posted warships (coastguard or navy) to enforce their claim. In 2017 China built an environmental monitoring station on Scarborough Shoal, which is 220 kilometers from one of the main Filipino islands (Palawan) and 650 kilometers from Chinese territory (Hainan Island) and according to international law (and a recent international court decision) is Filipino. The Chinese say they have a prior claim to most of the South China Sea and basically dares the rest of the world to try and stop them. Under international pressure, China tolerates Filipino fishermen to continue operating in the area, as Filipinos have for centuries. The fishermen have been complaining about the Chinese sailors helping themselves to some of their catch (usually the choicest items) and now there is video evidence of this. The government has tried to avoid antagonizing China about the disputed claims but most Filipinos are less lenient towards the Chinese aggression and are demanding action. Several days later China responded that it would punish any Chinese who committed such crimes. The Chinese coast guard has a history of criminal behavior, usually taking bribes from smugglers or the kind of theft the Filipino fishermen are complaining of. China is in the midst of another big anti-corruption effort and cracking down on dirty coast guard personnel is a plus for the Chinese government.

June 4, 2018: In the north (Mountain province) a police patrol encountered a larger force of NPA gunmen in a remote village. After a 30-minute gun battle (that left one cop dead and another wounded) the NPA withdrew taking any casualties they had with them.

May 31, 2018: In the south (Mindanao) police arrested the local head of NPA finance. The suspect was also accused of murder. The NPA financial managers are particularly sought out because the NPA has evolved from leftist rebels to criminal gangs surviving largely from money extorted from businesses.

May 30, 2018: In the south (Agusan del Norte) an NPA gunman murdered a local village leader who was also active in running a local defense volunteers group that was making life difficult for the NPA.

May 27, 2018: In the south (Misamis Oriental province) an army patrol encountered a group of 30 NPA rebels and after a brief gun battle the leftist rebels fled, leaving behind three dead and several weapons and much equipment.

May 25, 2018: In the south, MILF has accused the police of murdering nine MILF gunmen after a MILF unit had surrendered to a large police patrol seeking MILF men suspected of involvement in the drug trade. Such outlaw activity is not unknown but in this case, the MILF leadership is accusing the police of abusing their power. The government is investigating the matter vigorously. MILF has been on good behavior for the last two years as the current government tries to get the Moslem autonomy deal approved by Congress.

May 23, 2018: In the north (Quezon province) troops found and seized an NPA camp occupied by about 15 of the leftist gunmen. The NPA men fled as the troops closed, taking little with them. The camp was apparently located because of a clash in the same area on the 14th in which a soldier was killed but two NPA men were captured. Information from those two captives provided enough information to locate the camp and carry out a surprise attack. If the rebels have enough warning that troops are coming they will remove most of their equipment from a camp so the troops will find it empty of NPA personnel and anything else of value.

May 19, 2018: In the south (Jolo) another senior Abu Sayyaf official (Hasmin Abtain) was arrested when one of his former victims recognized him and promptly alerted local police. Abtain was a veteran member of Abu Sayyaf and a close associate of the Abu Sayyaf supreme leader who was killed in 2017.

May 14, 2018: The government protested a Chinese attempt, on May 11th, to interfere with a Filipino effort to deliver supplies to a base it maintains on Second Thomas Reef which both countries claim. Despite the presence of Chinese military aircraft and ships the supplies got through to the detachment of Filipino marines has been stationed there on a World War II era landing ship (the BRP Sierra Madre) since 1999. The Filipino navy deliberately grounded the LST on Second Thomas Reef in 1999 to provide a place for this observation team. In 2013 Chinese patrol ships came within nine kilometers of the LST, which China insists is there illegally. The Philippines warned China that it would resist any attempts to use force against the grounded ship and while the Chinese still tries to interfere with supply ships, they have stayed away. In 2015 China protested the Filipino effort to make repairs on the LST. The Philippines protested the Chinese moves today but only after a two week delay because of disagreements within the Filipino government about how to deal with the situation. China is buying a lot of influence in the Philippines but at the same time, most Filipinos fear being conquered by an increasingly aggressive China. The Philippines also decided to proceed with upgrades to its other disputed islands in the Spratly Islands.While Algeria has been buying billions of dollars worth of Russia weapons recently it has also been buying Chinese weapons as well. Algeria has noted that China often manufactures Russian type weapons that are cheaper, more reliable and delivered more quickly. A recent example of this is the W86 120mm mortar carried on the back of a Mercedes Benz 4x4 G Class military vehicle. Normally China offers the W86 carried on the back of a similar Chinese EQ2050 vehicle. EQ2050 is actually a copy of the American hummer (M998 HMMWV). But the W86 and its hydraulic system for getting the 206 kg (453 pound) W86 off and back onto the rear of the vehicle can be mounted on any similar 4x4 vehicle, including the hummer.

The G Class qualifies and is preferred because Algeria has been assembling G Class military vehicles in Algeria since 2015. Most of the production of the new plant is for civilian customers but up to 2,000 of the Class G vehicles are for Algerian military and para-military (including police) units. By adopting the G Class Algeria joined more than sixty other nations that have used the Class G for their armed forces. First developed in the 1970s as a military vehicle, civilian versions appeared as well and were soon outselling the military models. Production of G Class military model is to continue at least until 2025.

Most Model Gs are used to carry personnel and supplies. Able to haul up to 1.5 tons, some Model Gs are also used as ambulances and there is an armored version (with a payload of only half a ton). The standard Model Gs weigh about 3.5 tons while the armored models come in at 4.5 tons. In many respects, the hummer was inspired by the G Class but optimized for military use from the beginning. The hummer and G class have similar capabilities.

The W86 mortar was developed in the 1990s to replace the Type 55 (a copy of the Russian World War II M1943). There was an upgrade in 2003 and the version carried in the back of an EQ2050 appeared in 2014. The W86 has a more efficient recoil system and can handle more powerful new 120mm shells that have a range of up to 7.7 kilometers (and weigh about 14 kg/31 pounds each). The W86 is also sold in a towed version that uses large road wheels like artillery and can be towed by vehicles like the hummer. The version carried in the back of a hummer type vehicle is more popular and better able to move off-road. The W86 usually has a crew of six and these, as well as a few dozen rounds of ammo are carried on the vehicle along with navigation and fire control equipment (which often includes a laser range finder).Hope Feeney is getting settled into her new office as president of the Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce. She replaces Denise Wilkinson who resigned for a similar position in Norfolk, Neb.

In April it was announced that Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce President Denise Wilkinson was resigning for a similar position in a bigger market.

Monday, her replacement and the newest Chamber director/president took the helm.

Hope Feeney, a graduate of Sidney High School and Hastings College, recently returned to Sidney to take on the duties of Chamber president.

"I grew up here, graduated high school here," she said Monday.

After high school she attended Hastings College where she earned a degree in Business Administration and a minor in English. She then took a job with the Lincoln Public Schools, Lincoln, Neb., where she worked with the federal programs including grants, youth and community development programs.

Community is what drew her back to Sidney.

"I was kind of missing that home part of my life," she said.

She said while she was working at Lincoln, her husband was working at another school district.

"We never really felt part of the community," she said.

In returning to Sidney, she says she has found a presence of people who want Sidney to succeed.

Her husband is new to the Sidney area, but likes the town and community.

"It feels like home here," she said

Her husband has accepted a teaching position at Sidney High School.

She wants to lead projects that benefit the community, according to Neeley. She said she would love to form focus groups that involve different parts of the community. She said the numerous activities and events in Sidney is part of what makes Sidney a community.

"There's different things that even I didn't know about that are out there," she said.

She said being in a community she can be involved in is important to her. She talked of having a place to go for coffee on a Saturday morning, a public library, parks and numerous events.

"I want to make sure I'm a resource for people," she added.

She thinks of her self as collaborative, anxious to work with other people. She said she doesn't want to come into the office telling people things can only be done her way.

"It's going to be about them and not about me," she said.

She added that when there is something she can do, she will do it.

She said her work at the Chamber will focus on the community.

She and her husband live in the area with their two dogs.The famed confectioner has previously embarked on partnerships with renowned luxury names including Lacoste, Thierry Mugler and Givenchy.

Now they have revealed plans to launch a chain of 20 boutique hotels, the first of which will open its doors at the start of September at the Place de la Madeleine in Paris.

The ultra-luxurious 54-room hotel will be called Fauchon LHotel Paris and  perhaps unsurprisingly  will place a strong focus on food. An in-room Gourmet Bar will offer a high-end twist on traditional hotel mini-bars by featuring a selection of complimentary Fauchon products.

Olivier Chauvin, President and CEO of Fauchon Hospitality, said: The strategy is to establish a portfolio of Fauchon LHotel branded properties, with a goal of 20 hotels over the next decade.

"With Faucons legacy in all aspects of the culinary industry, it is a natural next step to open our own hotels. It has been essential for us to define a concept that truly sets us apart, so we are not just another hotel brand.

Fauchon plans to expand their hospitality into other locations across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.The Malaga provincial court has ruled for the first time in favour of the shared custody of a dog. The dog in question, a female Pomeranian crossbreed called Tara, will spend six months at a time living with each of her owners, a divorced couple, who live in Madrid and Antequera, respectively.

This the first ruling on a matter of this kind made by a higher court - and only the fourth resolution in the country.

As explained to SUR by Alejandra Leon, the woman's Ronda-based lawyer, the relationship between the pair ended after more than ten years living together.

Leon, who is a member of the Legal Centre for Defense of Animals, said that the respondent, the man, left the couple's shared home in Madrid and returned to his birthplace, Antequera. Tara remained in the care of the claimant for four years. During this time, she fed, walked and cared for Tara. Visits to the vet have been proven in court.

Four years on from the split, the respondent decided to take the dog with him to Antequera. He had legal rights to exclusive ownership, since he was cited as Tara's sole owner on the register for pets and other documents. On the basis of this evidence, the courts in Antequera rejected the woman's claim to ownership.

From here, the claimant decided to appeal to the provincial courts of Malaga, pursuing a strategy of co-ownership which took care into account as well as documentation.

On this basis, the provincial judge has agreed to shared custody of the dog, recognising that the woman has maintained an intense emotional relationship with her pet for more than seven years. The decision also took the rights of the animal into account. It is an important verdict, declares Leon: Animals are being considered as living beings rather than just things.

According to the lawyer, Tara will soon be collected for her six-month stay in Madrid.Uber is looking to branch out from four-wheelers to two-wheelers. The company applied for a permit to enter San Francisco's scooter business.

Uber Applies For Permit To Operate E-Scooters In San Francisco

The ride-hailing company wants a piece of the growing scooter craze in San Francisco and has already applied for the city's upcoming scooter-sharing pilot program, according to a report published by Axios.

Scooter companies market the mode of transportation as a cheap and efficient solution for trips that are too long to walk but too short for a car ride.

According to a new city law that came into effect on Monday, June 4, any company that would like to offer on-demand dockless scooters for transport in San Francisco is required to apply for a permit.

San Francisco's Pilot Program

The pilot program will last for 12 months and help the city determine whether the scooters serve the public interest. According to the program, up to five companies can apply for the permit. The city will restrict the number of scooters to 1,250 for the first half of the year, and if things go well, that number could double up to 2,500.

The city's transportation agency introduced the pilot program in a bid to regulate the new means of transportation after a sudden boom in dockless electric scooters led to chaos on the streets of San Francisco and became a headache for city officials.

For instance, people would use the scooters on sidewalks and then leave them anywhere once they were done with them, causing inconvenience to people with disabilities who have to navigate past the two-wheeled vehicles.

Scooter-Sharing Pilot Program Receives A Dozen Applications

As many as 12 companies have applied for the e-scooter pilot program in San Francisco, including scooter manufacturer Razor and Uber rival Lyft. Startup companies that are already offering scooter-rental services in the city, such as Bird, LimeBike, and Spin, as well as newcomers, Skip and bicycle-sharing company, Ofo also filed applications.

Each company has to convince officials that it will educate riders about what they should or shouldn't do when it comes to riding or parking a scooter on the sidewalk to obtain a permit. The companies have to be insured and have a privacy policy in place to protect user information. The applicants also need to share trip information with city officials and offer a budget-friendly plan for low-income riders.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.The suicide rate in the United States keeps climbing and experts have identified two major reasons behind the rising number of suicides among Americans.

Since 1999, U.S. suicide rates have increased by 25 percent, with over 40,000 Americans taking their own lives in 2016. Two separate reports have identified possible reasons behind the alarming trend.

The Risk of Suicide Contagion

Fashion designer Kate Spade was found dead in her apartment in Manhattan in what appeared to be suicide. A few days later, chef and food storyteller Anthony Bourdain was found in his hotel room in France unresponsive, also suicide.

According to mental health experts, high-profile celebrity suicides lead to what is known as suicide contagion. This is when the suicide of one person or multiple people contributes to increased suicidal behavior among others, especially to those who are already harboring suicidal thoughts or are already at risk of suicide.

John Ackerman, the Suicide Prevention Coordinator at the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research in Ohio's Nationwide Children's Hospital, said that people suffering from depression and are at risk of suicide are already trying to learn how other people experience it.

"Especially when you've got high-profile people who are successful and who the world views as having a lot going for them and they die by suicide, it can generate feelings of hopelessness," Ackerman said.

In the United States, there was a near 10 percent increase in the number of suicides, equivalent to an addition of about 1,800 deaths, in the four months after the suicide of comedian Robin Williams in 2014. Ackerman and other mental health experts are concerned that the suicide rate will again climb after the deaths of Spade and Bourdain.

Public Mental Health Crisis

Columbia University's John Mann, a psychiatrist studying the causes of depression and suicide, said that there was a much bigger, all-encompassing reason for the increasing suicide rates in the United States.

"We have a serious, national problem in terms of adequate recognition of psychiatric illnesses and their treatment. That is the single most effective suicide-prevention method in Western nations," Mann said.

Almost three in four Americans who have a psychiatric illness when they took their own lives were not receiving treatment at the time of the death. Mann said that making mental health care more affordable may help decrease the U.S. suicide rates, but the government has made significant cuts in public mental health funding over the past decade.

The latest budget cut by the Trump administration will also remove the Medicaid program, which is the major source of public funds in mental health treatment that serves more than 70 million low-income and disabled Americans.

No 'Magic Formula' for Suicide Prevention

According to mental health experts, helping people process loss and cope with difficult emotions are important in suicide prevention.

"We can't take for granted that everyone learns this by some magic formula," said the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention's Dr. Jerry Reed. "We learn how to read, how to write. We also have to help people learn how to cope."

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Experts want people to be attentive about suicide contagion in the wake of the deaths of well-known personalities of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade.

People who are already considering suicide may act on their thoughts definitively when they hear about other individuals taking their own lives, particularly if the suicide was committed by a popular personality.

Last week, celebrity chef Bourdain took his own life just three days after fashion designer Spade killed herself.

Mental health professionals are now encouraging families to reach out to members who might have suicidal tendencies.

Specialists are also calling for cautious journalism and advised writers and broadcasters against using sensationalized headlines when reporting about suicide. The health authorities also advised against reporting graphic suicide details, particularly on what the celebrity used in committing the act.

Suicide Contagion Is A Real Phenomenon

John Ackerman, the coordinator in the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research at Nationwide Children's Hospital, explained that people who are already battling the thoughts of committing suicide may have, at one point, researched about how others dealt with the same experience. Celebrity suicides were particularly appealing because people tend to look up to them and identify with them.

"[W]hen you've got high-profile people who are successful and who the world views as having a lot going for them and they die by suicide, it can generate feelings of hopelessness," Ackerman said.

Madelyn Gould, a professor of epidemiology in child psychiatry at Columbia University, and Doreen Marshall, vice president of programs at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, echoed the same opinion.

Gould has studied suicide contagion for considerable years and attests that the phenomenon is real. She also highlighted how sensationalized media coverage of high-profile suicides may influence the thinking of an already vulnerable person.

"When I heard about Bourdain, I was sad for him and for all the people who were going to hear about it, and I am also sad for people who might be influenced by it," Gould said.

For Marshall, the detailed reporting of how celebrities killed themselves may act as possible triggering mechanism.

"The details can fill in the picture. The impact feels much closer when it's someone in the public eye because we feel we know them and we make assumptions about their life," Marshall explained.

High-Profile Suicides

A study conducted following Robin Williams's death in 2014 revealed that suicide rates across the United States increased by almost 10 percent. Specifically, the study noted an additional 2,000 deaths by suicide in the aftermath of Williams's demise.

A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following Marilyn Monroe's death in 1962 found that suicide rates in the country increased by 12 percent from the previous year.

A similar effect is being observed following Bourdain's death. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has seen an uptick of 25 percent in the suicide-related calls over the last two days of Bourdain's death. This is a notable increase compared to the same period of the previous week.

Frances Gonzales, director of communication for the Lifeline, said media coverage has also raised awareness about the helpline when they mention it during reporting. The Lifeline number 1-800-273-8255 has since been busy deescalating moments of crisis and helping people expand their resilience against depression.

Dan Reidenberg, executive director of Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, meanwhile, saw an increase of about 25 percent to 30 percent people seeking help either through calls or text services.

Ellen Lovejoy, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health, shared that NJ Hopeline in New Jersey has seen a 70 percent increase in helpline calls after Bourdain's death.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.The medical community continues to embrace innovative technology, including the use of robots in a professional medical setting.

The Research In The United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, former health minister Lord Darzi commissioned a controversial study that suggested that robot medics, or carebots, be fully automated within the National Health Service (NHS). The research for the study will be formally introduced on June 19.

The report found that carebots could do roughly one-third of the work done by nurses and one-quarter of the work done by hospitals. The carebots could also work in private homes for the elderly and disabled.

The use of robots would save the NHS about $17 million annually, which is one-tenth of its budget. The report would call on the Health and Social Care secretary to make a sizeable investment into this technology.

"Unlike in some industries, where there are fears that automation will lead to job losses, in health and social care it will complement human skills and talents, by reducing the burden of repetitive and administrative tasks and freeing up of staff to spend more time on direct clinical care with patients," the review said.

Benefits Of The NHS Using Carebots

In addition to the cost benefits, there could be numerous advantages to integrating the health system with carebots. It would rely on artificial intelligence systems with machine-learning algorithms to accurately diagnose different diseases. The technology would help doctors conduct procedures. It will also help patients with meals and transportation.

Some of the technology in the hospitals in the United Kingdom is up to 35 years old, which can slow down medical procedures. The use of the carebots would give medical professionals up to 30 percent more time to focus on training and care

Hospitals In The United States Already Embracing Robots

Many countries, including the United States, are already embracing the use of robots in a medical setting. The robots help hospitals complete easy tasks and engage with patients. The technology is also cost-efficient.

Some of the robots replace jobs that people once held, such as packaging medical supplies. Other robots focus on new uses of telecommunication and information technology. Two of the most popular medical robots are Tugs, which is made by Aethon, and RoboCouriers, which is made by Swisslog.

"No hospital wants to cut corners for the sake of automation or for the sake of technology," analyst Charlie Whelan told Modern Healthcare. "At the same time, they are looking for ways to make things easier and cheaper."

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.A new study was published that showcased that young women are unable to set a time for fitness activities once they complete their high school.

Working Out Less

Medical journal JAMA Pediatrics published a study that was created by a Duke University research team on June 11. The team looked at data that reflected both young men and women aged 12 to 29 years old and if they kept up a fitness regimen once high school ended. They used information from 9,472 participants who took the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey from a period that ranged from 2007 to 2016.

The U.S. Government recommended that adolescents do at least 60 minutes or more of moderate or vigorous physical activity. Government officials also approved for adults 18 years old and older that they should complete at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate physical activity or an hour and 15 minutes of dynamic physical activity each week. However, the study found that young women struggled with reaching their minimal fitness goals.

The Study's Results

About 88 percent of male teenagers that participated in this study reported that they stayed active during their middle and high school years. However, only 73 percent of young female teenagers said that they found time to incorporate some physical activity. Meanwhile, 70 percent of black female participants stated that they participated in some exercise when they were younger.

However, the study noted that by the time all participants moved on from high school, only 73 percent of the young men reported that they kept fitness in their weekly routine. Unfortunately, researchers recorded that both categories of young females experienced significant dips in physical activity. Only 62 percent of the female participants noted that they kept an exercise routine in their 20s. Meanwhile, 46 percent of black females in the study stated that they participated in physical activity after high school.

Dr. Charlene Wong, one of the study's authors and a Duke University professor, noted that there was room for improvement regarding increasing adolescents and young adults' fitness regiments. She also noted that this physical activity situation could be affecting the country's obesity rates. Wong also noticed that lifestyle could have also played a significant role as well.

"The cultural context of the way that teens and young adults live their lives has changed. The rise of the use of all our mobile technology, and being more sedentary, certainly is one concerning thing," said Dr. Wong to NPR.

Exercise Studies

Seventeen-year-old Jared Shamburger was hospitalized after he contracted a severe illness. It turned out that he had rhabdomyolysis. This illness can happen if a person works out too much. Rhabdomyolysis could cause muscle tissue to break down and could release damaging proteins that could harm the kidneys.

Frontiers in Neuroscience published a study that leg exercises could improve the brain's functionality and handle stress The study's research team found that exercises such as jogging, climbing, and weight training could increase healthy neural cells in a person's brain. However, if a person cuts out these activities, it could be detrimental to the mind because not only would it have a hard time replicating these cells, but the person would have a challenging time dealing with stressful situations.

Spain scientists found that pregnant women who exercise at least three times a week could experience shorter labor. They divided 500 participants into two groups. The first group received routine education about nutrition and physical activity recommendations, while the other group participated in moderate exercise three times a week. The women who exercised not only eliminated their labor time by nearly an hour but also were less likely to receive an epidural.

Tech Times reached out to Dr. Wong for a comment on this story.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.There is a very rare symptom called Uncombable Hair Syndrome that exists but only a very few people are affected by it. As of 2018, only 100 people worldwide are suffering from this rare disorder.

A woman from the Chicago, Illinois area discovered that her 18-month-old baby has the said genetic disorder, which could mean it may not be as rare as experts thought.

Taylor's Uncombable Hair

Cara McGowan found that her daughter Taylor's hair was very hard to manage when she was 4-6 months old. When she was an infant, Cara claimed that Taylor's hair was very fuzzy and that she and her husband expected it to fall out, but it never did.

Cara stated that Taylor's hair would stand completely on its own and no amount of products would help. She stated that her daughter's hair could also be easily damaged, especially when put in a ponytail. After finding pictures of others who have similar hair like their daughter, the McGowan's found that Taylor had Uncombable Hair Syndrome, which is also known as Spun Glass Hair Syndrome, Pili trianguli et canaliculi, or Cheveux incoiffables.

The McGowans reached out to Professor Regina Betz who informed the parents after testing their blood that they both carry the mutation of the PADI3 gene, an enzyme called peptidyl arginine deiminase 3, which they passed on to Taylor.

Betz, who is a lead pioneer of the syndrome, stated that majority of the people who have uncombable hair syndrome have mutations in PADI3 which is strongly expressed in hair follicles and have their function in building the hair shaft. Although the McGowans have heard unfavorable things about their daughter, the couple continued to let their daughter's hair grow and created a Facebook called "Baby Einstein 2.0' to help raise awareness about the rare disorder.

"Our message that we would like to spread is one of accepting diversity, loving oneself, and recognizing bullying and what it looks like and making it stop. Being different is OK, being different is acceptable, and it should be celebrated," Cara stated.

What Is Uncombable Hair Syndrome?

National Uncombable Hair Syndrome (UHS) is described as a rare disorder of the hair shaft that is characterized as silver-blond or straw colored-hair, stands on its own, and cannot be flattened at all. The disorder can be discovered in babies from the ages of 3 months-12 years old.

The symptom only affects the hair scalp. If the hair is constantly groomed, the hair can become damaged.

There is no treatment for the disorder but it can improve over time. Experts suggest that gentle hair care and avoiding harsh chemicals are best when treating a person who has this syndrome.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.A student from the University of Arizona was traveling in Spain when she began to have neurological symptoms. During a visit to the doctor on the trip, she was revealed to have a rare autoimmune disorder.

After being diagnosed with the disorder she was forced to stay in Spain. Now she has to raise funds to get back home.

Paralyzed In Spain

University of Arizona student Kara Dunn went to bed not feeling well, she had tingling sensations in her hands and face. Dunn woke up paralyzed from what turned out to be Guillain-Barre Syndrome. This rare autoimmune disorder attacks the peripheral nervous system, which is the system outside the brain and spinal cord. Dunn suddenly became sick on June 5.

During this time, Dunn also became sick with pneumonia and had to be put on a ventilator. She was able to be taken off of the ventilator on June 11. Dunn's family is trying to bring her back to the US but she would need to take a special medical flight that costs thousands of dollars.

Her brother Ryan Dunn started a GoFundMe page to raise funds to bring Dunn home. Insurance would be able to cover for most of her treatment back in the US but it wouldn't cover the flight back from Spain. Dunn's family is trying to raise $50,000 for the flight and related medical expenses such as physical therapy for Kara.

At the moment, Dunn's family was able to raise almost $32,000 for her. Ryan says on the GoFundMe page that this will cost their family more than $100,000 and that the money raised for Kara would alleviate that cost.

What Is Guillain-Barre Syndrome?

Guillain-Barre syndrome is an autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the nerves. This results in weakness and tingling in the extremities during the first symptoms. These sensations spread quickly and as a result, the person's body becomes paralyzed.

People who are diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome need to be hospitalized to be treated for the disorder. Researchers aren't sure of what causes Guillain-Barre, but people who are diagnosed usually have an infectious illness such as a respiratory infection or the stomach flu right before they seem to get Guillain-Barre.

There isn't a cure for Guillain-Barre but its symptoms can be treated and this could reduce how long Guillain-Barre will infect a person. Most people who are diagnosed with Guillain-Barre can recover from the illness but they will experience some effects from it. They will continue to feel weakness, numbness, and fatigue after.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Flood damage would double without coral reefs: study



Paris, June 12 (AFP) Jun 12, 2018



Loss of coral reefs around the world would double the damage from coastal flooding, and triple the destruction caused by storm surges, researchers said Tuesday.

Coupled with projected sea level rise driven by global warming, reef decline could see flooding increase four-fold by century's end, they reported in the journal Nature Communications.

Without coral to help absorb the shock, a once-in-a-century cyclone would wreak twice the havoc, with the damage measured in the tens of billions of dollars, the team calculated.

"Coral reefs serve as natural, submerged breakwaters that reduce flooding by breaking waves and reducing wave energy," said Michael Beck, lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy research and environmental group, and a professor at the University of California in Santa Cruz.

"Unfortunately, we are already losing the height and complexity of shallow reefs around the world, so we are likely already seeing increases in flood damages along many tropical coasts," he told AFP.

Not all coral reefs are declining, and reefs can recover from bleaching, overfishing and storm impacts, Beck noted.

"But the overall pattern of signficant losses across geographies is clear."

Much of the world's 71,000 kilometres (44,000 miles) of coastline with shallow reefs -- concentrated in the tropics -- has been decimated by coastal development, sand mining, dynamite fishing and runoff from industry and agriculture.

Coral is also highly sensitive to spikes in water temperature, which have become sharper and more frequent with climate change.

A marine heatwave in 2016, for example, killed off nearly 30 percent of Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef. Damage from yet another bout of destructively warm water in 2017 has yet to be assessed.

Global coral reefs risk catastrophic die-offs if Earth's average surface temperature increases two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, earlier research has shown.



- Undervalued natural assets -



The 196-nation Paris Agreement seeks to cap global warming "well below" that threshold, but the planet has already warmed by more than 1 C.

Combining coastal flooding and economic models, the new study calculated -- country by country -- the value of coral reefs as a barrier against storm-related wreckage.

Globally, seaside flooding is estimated to cause nearly $4 billion dollars (3.4 billion euros) a year in damages.

With the erosion of the top metre (three feet) of coral reefs worldwide, that figure rises to $8 billion, Beck and his colleagues found.

"The topmost living corals will die and can break off very quickly," said Beck.

The countries most at risk from coral reef loss are Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Mexico and Cuba, each of which could avoid $400 million in damage per year if reefs are maintained.

Saudi Arabia, the United States, Taiwan and Vietnam would also become significantly more vulnerable to flooding with severe coral erosion.

"When we consider the devastating impact of tropical storms in just the past few years -- Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Typhoon Haiyan -- the effects would be much worse without coral reefs," Beck said.

The study adds to a growing body of research seeking to calculate the monetary value of assets and services -- long taken for granted -- that Nature provides us for free.

Mangrove forests, for example, also protect against storm surges and serve as nurseries for dozens of aquatic species. They are disappearing at the rate of one-to-two percent per year, scientists say.

Likewise, bee populations that pollinate tens of billions of dollars worth of crops each year are collapsing.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GONZALES  The Ascension Parish Council agreed Monday night to ask west bank voters this fall whether to cut in half a nearly 37-year-old sales tax that helps fund Prevost Memorial Hospital in Donaldsonville.

The measure is part of a push led last year by Parish Councilmen Oliver Joseph and Bill Dawson, the council vice chairman and chairman, to cut the critical access hospital's half-cent sales tax in half and shift that quarter-cent to recreation for western Ascension.

The 5-3 council vote came in response to the hospital's board of commissioners' request. The board opposes putting the matter on the ballot but the Legislature passed a law requiring them too do it.

Before the vote, Randal Robert, the hospital board's attorney, told the Parish Council that the board believed the tax reduction would harm the hospital's future viability and the quality of care given to the people in western Ascension.

"They do not believe it is in the best interests of the hospital. They do not believe that it is in the best interests of the citizens of west Ascension, people who have relied on Prevost Hospital to provide them with medical care and services more than 60 years, but yet they are forced to put this resolution before you," Robert told the council.

The council was gathered in a special meeting Monday in Gonzales on one of its normal committee meeting nights to ensure the vote happened in time for the Nov. 6 ballot.

Dawson tried Thursday night to prevent the need for a special meeting by moving to amend the agenda of a regular council meeting last week to consider the putting the tax cut on the November ballot. But the effort failed when Councilman Todd Lambert voted against the amending the council agenda. The law requires a unanimous council vote to proceed.

Some council members such as Travis Turner said Monday they saw no problem in allowing west bank voters to weigh in on the hospital's services and the future of its tax.

"If you're really concerned about the people of Donadsonville, let them go ahead and make the vote themselves and stop trying to act as a gatekeeper," Turner told hospital officials.

But the vote also prompted an immediate response late Monday night from Parish President Kenny Matassa, who said the meeting was about the council's leadership's push "to cut health care services in West Ascension." He said that his administration has improved recreational facilities and opportunities for young people on the west bank and the cut to the hospital wasn't necessary.

"East Ascension gets 'both/and' solutions, but West Ascension gets 'either/or' solutions? That's not right, and that's why I oppose this council action," he said in a statement.

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Matassa has veto power and has 10 days from the council's vote to act.

State Sen. Ed Price, D-Gonzales, authored House legislation adopted last year when he was still a state representative, ordering the hospital board to put the tax reduction on a ballot no later than July 6, 2018.

The ballot measure in November, if adopted, would eliminate the quarter-cent. Joseph told the council Monday that voters will have to be asked at a later date whether they want to approve a new quarter cent tax for recreation.

Longtime officials running the hospital have vocally opposed the tax reduction plan since Dawson and Joseph floated the idea last year and, for a time, questioned whether they could simply refuse to put the matter on the ballot after Price's bill was adopted unanimously through both chambers in the Legislature. They have since determined they had to act.

Recreation in Ascension Parish lacks a dedicated revenue stream. Voters rejected a 5-mill property tax in 2014 that would have been dedicated to recreation parishwide. The parish sets aside about $2.5 million per year for west bank recreation from undedicated sources that also serve other parish needs.

At issue for Joseph, Dawson and other council members who appoint the hospital commissioners, however, has been the aging 25-bed hospital's condition and the size of its budget surplus. It had reached $24 million through mid-2017. Hospital officials have noted that surplus was greatly aided by a $2.1 billion expansion of the CF Industries complex that has since ended and said they were making plans to invest that money back into the hospital.

Council members have called for an accounting of hospital finances and plans for improvements. Before the vote, Councilman Aaron Lawler asked whether the hospital had widened bathroom doorways that were not able to handle patients in wheelchairs. Robert told Lawler that the hospital was not present Monday night to answer those kinds of questions but would do so in writing.

"If you can't answer the question, I'm going to assume the worst," Lawler said.

In closing remarks, Dawson noted that 83 percent of the people living in western Ascension weren't alive to vote on the hospital tax when it was adopted in 1980. Dawson noted that many Ascension Parish taxes, such as property taxes for firefighters and drainage, have 10-year renewal periods.

Opposed to the measure were Councilmen Todd Lambert, Daniel "Doc" Satterlee and Randy Clouatre. Council members Benny Johnson, Teri Casso and John Cagnolatti were absent.A large golf umbrella helps a man stay dry as he gets out of his truck in the parking lot of the Walgreens store at Government and Acadian Thruway, Friday, May 18, 2018.A lawsuit challenging Louisiana's public defense system should be deemed a class action because tens of thousands of poor people accused of crimes are at risk in the troubled system that lacks money and oversight, a Baton Rouge state judge was told Tuesday.

Mark Cunningham, who represents the five individual plaintiffs in the suit, argued to District Judge Todd Hernandez during a class certification hearing that the risk for people lacking access to adequate legal counsel is jail time.

"The liberty at stake in this case is the greatest liberty we all have  our freedom," Cunningham said.

"The system is broken. We know they are at risk," he added of the state's current and future indigent defendants.

Remy Starns, who represents the named defendants in the suit, asked Hernandez to deny the class certification motion. The defendants named in the suit are Gov. John Bel Edwards, members of the Louisiana Public Defender Board and chief state Public Defender James Dixon.

Starns argued, among other things, that the proposed class is "shockingly broad" and said only the Legislature can address the funding issue. Starns also said the named plaintiffs have suffered no actual injury but instead complain they are at risk.

Cunningham replied that such a risk "should not have to be endured." The risk, he said, is being assigned an attorney saddled with an excessive caseload and no money to hire an investigator or experts.

"They care about their clients but there are not enough hours in the day," Cunningham said of public defenders.

Hernandez took the arguments under advisement.

The lawsuit, filed in February 2017 in East Baton Rouge Parish by a group of nonprofit and private law firms, seeks a court-appointed monitor to oversee the state's public defense system.

Calling Louisiana's public defense system 'epidemic problem,' new lawsuit seeks big help A group of nonprofit and private law firms filed a lawsuit Monday seeking a court-appointed monitor to oversee Louisiana's troubled public def

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That system relies heavily on criminal fines and fees  mostly from traffic tickets  for its survival. Funding varies widely from parish to parish and is subject to the fluctuating number of tickets issued.

A 1963 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Gideon v. Wainwright requires states to provide lawyers for defendants unable to hire their own.

Cunningham argued Tuesday that Louisiana's overburdened public defenders are essentially "triage" lawyers.

"That's not Gideon's promise," he told Hernandez. "We're asking this court to fulfill Gideon's promise."

Cunningham also argued that "not having money is not an excuse for a constitutional violation." He said the Edwards administration must do a better job of prioritizing its financial resources.

Starns pointed out that the governor recently signed into law a criminal justice reform package called the Justice Reinvestment Act.

"I take great exception to the suggestion that Gov. Edwards has done anything wrong here," Starns told the judge.

Starns also called Dixon, the state public defender, a "fantastic public defender."

About $30 million in annual state funding meant to supplement the revenue from fines and fees has done little to ease bloated caseloads that stand well above state standards in nearly every district defender's office, the suit claims.

On average, public defenders in Louisiana handle caseloads that are double the maximum recommended under state Public Defender Board standards, the suit says.WASHINGTON  States can target people who haven't cast ballots in a while in efforts to purge their voting rolls, the Supreme Court ruled Monday in a case that has drawn wide attention amid stark partisan divisions and the approach of the 2018 elections.

By a 5-4 vote that split the conservative and liberal justices, the court rejected arguments in a case from Ohio that the practice violates a federal law intended to increase the ranks of registered voters. A handful of other states also use voters' inactivity to trigger processes that could lead to their removal from the voting rolls.

Justice Samuel Alito said for the court that Ohio is complying with the 1993 National Voter Registration Act. He was joined by his four conservative colleagues in an opinion that drew praise from Republican officials and conservative scholars.

The four liberal justices dissented, and civil rights groups and some Democrats warned that more Republican-led states could enact voter purges similar to Ohio's.

Louisiana has a similar, but not exact system as Ohios, said interim Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin. When voters don't respond to attempts to verify the home addresses, they are put on the inactive list. Then, if they don't vote in two federal elections, they can be stricken from voter rolls. Ohio puts voters on its inactive list when they don't participate in two federal elections, then that state tries to verify home addresses.

About 16 percent of Louisianas registered voters have never cast a ballot, Ardoin said.

Ohio is of particular interest nationally because it is one of the larger swing states in the country with the potential to determine the outcome of presidential elections. But partisan fights over ballot access are playing out across the country. Democrats have accused Republicans of trying to suppress votes from minorities and poorer people who tend to vote for Democrats. Republicans have argued that they are trying to promote ballot integrity and prevent voter fraud.

Ohio's contested voter purge stems from an inoffensive requirement in federal law that states have to make an effort to keep their voter rolls in good shape by removing people who have moved or died.

But Ohio pursues its goal more aggressively than most, relying on two things: voter inactivity over six years encompassing three federal elections and the failure to return a card, sent after the first missed election, asking people to confirm that they have not moved and continue to be eligible to vote.

Voters who return the card or show up to vote over the next four years after they receive it remain registered. If they do nothing, their names eventually fall off the list of registered voters.

The case hinged on a provision of the voter registration law that prohibits removing someone from the voting rolls "by reason of the person's failure to vote."

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Alito said that the two factors show that Ohio "does not strike any registrant solely by reason of the failure to vote."

Justice Stephen Breyer, countered in his dissent: "In my view, Ohio's program does just that." Breyer said many people received mailings that they discard without looking at them. Failure to return the notice "shows nothing at all that is statutorily significant," he wrote.

In a separate dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said Congress enacted the voter registration law "against the backdrop of substantial efforts by states to disenfranchise low-income and minority voters." The court's decision essentially endorses "the very purging that Congress expressly sought to protect against," Sotomayor wrote.

Richard Hasen, an election law expert at the University of California at Irvine, called the case "a close question of statutory interpretation." Hasen said the lawsuit the court resolved Monday did not involve allegations of discrimination against minority voters, and he suggested the laws in Ohio and other states could be vulnerable to a legal challenge on those grounds.

Civil rights groups said the court should be focused on making it easier for people to vote, not allowing states to put up roadblocks to casting ballots.

"With the midterm election season now underway, the court's ruling demands heightened levels of vigilance as we anticipate that officials will read this ruling as a green light for loosely purging the registration rolls in their community," said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Ohio has used voters' inactivity to trigger the removal process since 1994, although groups representing voters did not sue the Republican secretary of state, Jon Husted, until 2016. As part of the lawsuit, a judge last year ordered the state to count 7,515 ballots cast by people whose names had been removed from the voter rolls.

Husted called the decision "a victory for electoral integrity." He is running for lieutenant governor this November on the Republican ticket headed by Mike DeWine, the current attorney general.

Adding to the tension in the case, the Trump administration reversed the position taken by the Obama administration and backed Ohio's method for purging voters.

Last week, President Donald Trump said he would nominate Eric Murphy, the Ohio lawyer who argued the case on the state's behalf, to a seat on the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A three-judge panel on that court had ruled 2-1 that Ohio's practice was illegal.

Mark Ballard of The Advocate Capitol news bureau contributed to this reportAs the Louisiana Legislature heads into its third special session of the year, U.S. Sen. John Kennedy says he thinks Gov. John Bel Edwards should resign and let Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser run the state.

"I just don't think (Edwards) can run the government, and if he can't he needs to step down and let Nungesser take a shot," Kennedy said during an interview this week on KPEL NewsTalk radio in Acadiana.

Kennedy's comments come as the Legislature continues to battle over the best way to shore up the state's finances ahead of a $650 million fiscal cliff the state faces when more than $1 billion in temporary taxes expire June 30.

Edwards has been in a budget stand-off largely with conservative House Republican leaders over the best way to plug the hole. The most recent special session, which was the sixth since Edwards took office in January 2016, ended with an impasse in the House largely over whether the state should extend one-third or one-half of an expiring 1 percent sales tax.

Some House Republicans recently have floated a possible two-fifths extension as a compromise, while some leaders have pushed for opportunities to redistribute cuts.

Without additional revenue, the state faces deep cuts to higher education, public safety, human services and other programs in the budget lawmakers approved in the session that ended June 4. Among programs at stake is the food stamps program, which Edwards' administration says would shut down because there would be no state money to administer the federally-funded program. Prisoners also could be furloughed if funding for inmate housing is cut.

Kennedy said he's received calls in his Washington office about the issues and an earlier threat that thousands of recipients of Medicaid assistance for nursing homes would lose their funding if health care funding was cut.

"He's doing it to try to put pressure on the Legislature," Kennedy said. "I tell them, 'Look folks, this is just a political game.' It's a joke but it's not a funny one."

He accused Edwards of using scare tactics to raise taxes.

"It's not funny," Kennedy said. "This scares people half to death."

In the 15-minute interview, he suggested three times that Nungesser should become governor.

Kennedy and Nungesser are both Republicans. Edwards is a Democrat in his first term who is seeking re-election in 2019.

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Nungesser, whose job as lieutenant governor largely focuses on tourism and also faces cuts under the proposed budget, recently joined Edwards for a session-starting speech at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He declined to comment on Kennedy's remarks.

Kennedy, who is in his first Senate term after serving as state treasurer for several years, has been speculated as a possible challenger to Edwards in next year's election, and the two men have repeatedly been at odds. Kennedy's spokeswoman declined to comment when asked Tuesday whether he will run for governor, and he was not asked during the radio show.

Edwards' spokesman Richard Carbo called Kennedy's remarks "absurd."

It's official: Legislature's 3rd special session of 2018 to start June 18 Louisiana lawmakers will be back at the State Capitol on June 18 for the third special session of the year and a last-ditch attempt at address

"Gov. Edwards isn't going to be distracted by childish comments or letters from our junior senator," Carbo said. "More people are working in Louisiana than ever before, unemployment is at a 10-year low and we are scoring the biggest economic development deals in our state's history. That's what can happen when you focus on the job you have."

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He also questioned Kennedy's effectiveness in the U.S. Senate.

"He hasn't passed a single bill since being elected to the Senate, but has an infinite amount of time to do media interviews," Carbo said. "We could similarly ask him to step down for being the most ineffective member of Congress, but that'd be nothing out of the ordinary as he's run for every political office under the sun. You don't see this kind of behavior from other elected officials because they're busy doing their jobs."

Kennedy, who was a Democrat until he changed parties in 2007, said that he thinks Edwards is too liberal for Louisiana.

"I've known John Bel for 10 years. He's very smart, he's a nice guy, he's a liberal Democrat and he wants his way," Kennedy said. "He thinks he has a mandate. He thinks his mandate is to tax and spend like they do in Massachusetts and California."

"If he believes that, then he needs to step aside and let Nungesser run the show or let somebody run the show," Kennedy added. "He just can't hack it."Gov. John Bel Edwards told a news conference in the early morning hours of Tuesday, June 5, 2018, that he would call another special session after the Louisiana Legislature adjourned without approving any major revenue-raising measures.In the stylish remake of the 1972 blaxploitation classic Super Fly, Jason Mitchell plays one of those gangster roles hed been avoiding.

I wasnt going to pigeonhole myself, the actor, raised in New Orleans, said last week by phone from Los Angeles. But Im always down for a new challenge. It all boils down to quality.

Quality runs through Mitchells pre-SuperFly work, especially in the acclaimed dramas Straight Outta Compton, Mudbound and Detroit. And he showed his comic side in Jordan Peeles and Keegan-Michael Keys New Orleans-shot Keanu.

In the new SuperFly, Mitchell plays Eddie, right-hand man to Youngblood Priest. Trevor Jackson  the 21-year-old actor known for TVs Grown-ish  co-stars as Priest, aka Superfly.

Trevor, hes amazing to work with, Mitchell said. And its a super fun movie.

SuperFly moves the action from early 70s Harlem to present-day Atlanta. Cocaine-dealing partners Priest and Eddie are living large until a hotheaded thug grows jealous of Priest.

I dont want to put myself in a cycle, Mitchell said of the roles he chooses. Its a process Im still going through, but I still want to do movies that move people. Thats really my thing.

Mitchells portrayal of Eric Eazy-E Wright in 2015s Straight Outta Compton moved millions. That performance in the hit biopic about the revolutionary rap group N.W.A. also persuaded writer-director Dee Rees to cast him in Mudbound. Featuring Mitchell as Ronsel Jackson, a returning World War II veteran subjected to racial hatred in post-war Mississippi, Mudbound received four Academy Award nominations.

Acting took Mitchell from New Orleans Hollygrove neighborhood to Hollywood. He lives in Atlanta, hub of Georgias thriving film and television industry, as well as Chicago, where he films his leading role in the Showtime series The Chi.

Now 31, Mitchell didnt start acting until his early 20s. After dismissing college because he didnt want heavy student-loan debt, Mitchell worked at Dragos Seafood Restaurant and Mr. Eds Oyster Bar & Fish House and washed dishes at the Ritz-Carlton.

But when Mitchell and a friend heard a radio commercial for Jaqueline Flemings Jaq's Acting Studio, the friend suggested he give acting a try.

At first, I was like, All right, whatever. Im just trying to find some new friends,  Mitchell recalled. And I wanted to go somewhere a couple of times a week for a few hours and be somebody else. But Jacqueline was like, Something about you is really dope. You could be really, really good at this.

So, I went there, and I just loved it, Mitchell said. I used to have people crying in class. Because I wasnt afraid to hit the gas and see how far it could go. A lot of people dont want to lose themselves in that sort of turmoil. Theyre like, Jason, where do you find the pain? Im like, Honestly, my lights been off. And for five years straight, we didnt get Christmas presents. We didnt have time to cry about it then. 

Mitchell made his film debut in 2011s Texas Killing Fields, a Louisiana-shot crime drama starring Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. He appeared with Mark Wahlberg in two New Orleans-filmed crime dramas, Contraband and Broken City.

Mark Wahlberg really took a liking to me and the fact that I was just myself, Mitchell said. Because so many people, they act as if they know how you want them to act.

Mitchell played his first significant supporting role in 2012s Dragon Eyes, featuring Cung Le and Jean-Claude Van Damme. His confidence grew on the set of the action-crime drama filmed in Baton Rouge.

Connections  from Fleming to talent agent Tosha Smith Mills to casting director Meagan Lewis  put Mitchell in front of Straight Outta Compton director F. Gary Gray. Mitchell auditioned dozens of times for Lewis with no success. But when the principal role of Eazy-E in Straight Outta Compton came along, she thought it could be his.

Lewis sent Mitchells audition tape for the part to Los Angeles. An invitation for a callback audition in L.A. followed, but the $1,800 cost for Mitchell to fly to California was prohibitive for him. He ultimately won the role via a Skype audition.

Mitchells innate ability to act naturally and summon emotion impressed the Straight Outta Compton director.

Often (new actors) come in and they act with a capital A,  Gray told The Los Angeles Times in 2015. I like people who just serve the truth. Whether its high or low, whatever you would do naturally. He (Mitchell) had that natural instinct.

Ive been getting crazy, crazy, crazy opportunities, Mitchell said of his career. But its not about what I did, its about what Im going to do next. I just try to stay humble and keep God in my life. This was not my life a couple of years ago. Its a blessing to be busy.A referendum to do away with a Jim Crow-era law that allows juries in Louisiana to convict suspects in felony trials without a unanimous vote has won the backing of the state Republican Party, a key endorsement that seemed far-fetched only a few months ago.

The state GOPs Central Committee voted 78-17 in Lafayette on Saturday to encourage Louisiana voters to join 48 other states in requiring unanimity to convict or acquit a criminal defendant in all felony trials.

Louisiana and Oregon are the only states that allow juries to return verdicts where there is dissent. Both states allow as few as 10 of 12 jurors to decide a case. And only Louisiana, the first state to break from centuries of Anglo-Saxon legal tradition on jury unanimity, allows split verdicts in murder trials.

The state GOP's endorsement follows a surprise run through the Legislature for a bill authored by Sen. JP Morrell, D-New Orleans. Given little chance in March, the proposed constitutional amendment quickly gained steam after the powerful Louisiana District Attorneys Association dropped its formal opposition.

Needing two-thirds support in the Legislature, the measure cleared its final hurdle in the House by a vote of 82 to 15.

State voters will now decide Nov. 6 whether to dispense with a rule that was born in 1898 at a constitutional convention steeped in the rhetoric of white supremacy. The referendum itself needs a simple majority to pass.

In a statement, Andrew Bautch, executive director of the state GOP, quoted John Adams, the American founding father who once said it was "the unanimity of the jury that preserves the rights of mankind."

The state party "feels it's time to adopt this amendment," Bautch said. "I along with our governing body believe that in criminal cases, the verdict of the jury should be unanimous.

Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, already has stated his support for the referendum, describing Louisiana as an outlier when we shouldnt be.

The state Democratic Party has yet to weigh in formally but is all but certain to endorse the proposal in late summer, said its executive director, Steven Handwerk. I have no doubt in my mind," Handwerk said.

Ben Cohen, an attorney with the Promise of Justice Initiative who has filed numerous challenges to the constitutionality of the current system, called the GOP's support a sign of almost universal recognition that unanimous juries are central to our constitutional system. We are stronger, our criminal justice system is stronger, when every voice is valued.

In the meantime, reform advocacy groups have begun organizing a campaign in support of the referendum.

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Their first salvo came last week, in a billboard that appeared above a strip mall in Calcasieu Parish, mocking the district attorney there, John DeRosier, for his defense of the split-verdict law during a House committee hearing.

Ive heard a lot about this being a vestige of slavery, DeRosier told the committee. Im not proud of that, and I have no reason to doubt it. But it is what it is.

Black committee members, led by state Rep. Ted James, D-Baton Rouge, seized angrily on that comment.

In an interview last week, DeRosier insisted his comment was misconstrued. He said he was agreeing that the racist history of the law cant be defended, while arguing that theres no evidence that non-unanimous verdicts are less reliable than those reached by every member of a jury.

Its a little bit frustrating, he said of the billboard, which was paid for by a San Francisco-based advocacy fund. It attempts to try and convince some other people that (his comment) was something sinister, when it absolutely was not.

A divided U.S. Supreme Court upheld the split-verdict laws in both Louisiana and Oregon in 1972, ruling that federal juries must be unanimous but that states were free to tinker with their own jury rules.

Some defenders of the split-verdict rule have argued that Louisiana "cleansed" its law when delegates met in 1973 to craft a new state constitution and agreed to require 10 votes for a valid verdict, up from nine.

But an Advocate review of nearly 1,000 jury trials in Louisiana over a six-year period found that the law continues to disadvantage black defendants more than white ones.

About 40 percent of the convictions in the newspapers review came with one or two holdout jurors, and black defendants were 30 percent more likely than white ones to be convicted by split juries.

In East Baton Rouge Parish, where the newspaper examined the votes of individual jurors in most cases, records show that black jurors were 2.5 times more likely than white ones to vote against conviction in cases with split verdicts.

Staff writer Jim Mustian contributed to this report.Former St. Bernard Parish President David Peralta, whose single term in office was upended by sexual assault allegations from his estranged wife and criminal charges filed against him in three jurisdictions, was found dead at his Meraux home Tuesday. He was 64.

Deputies discovered Peralta's body about 11 a.m. after a relative reported that he appeared to be dead.

No foul play is suspected, and the death appeared to be from natural causes, the St. Bernard Sheriff's Office said. A coroner's report has yet to be issued.

"Parish President Guy McInnis, the St. Bernard Parish Council and parish government employees would like to send their condolences to his family and friends," the parish said in a statement.

Martin Regan, the attorney who defended Peralta from the allegations made by his wife, said he was saddened at the news of his death. He lauded Peralta for his accomplishments in politics and law enforcement.

You cant ask for a more generous person than David Peralta, he said. Its a great loss, very unfortunate.

Peralta, a lifelong St. Bernard Parish resident, was a sergeant with the New Orleans Police Department before going to work for the St. Bernard Sheriff's Office, where he attained the rank of major. While there, he worked as the administrator of the juvenile detention center and then ran the jail.

Peralta, who had a master's degree in public administration and studied urban planning, later transitioned into politics, serving as a planning and zoning commissioner in St. Bernard. He then became chief administrative officer under Parish President Henry "Junior" Rodriguez.

He remained in that post for nine months under Parish President Craig Taffaro, who defeated Rodrigue for the top job in 2007, but quit after he and Taffaro had a falling out. Peralta returned to work at the Sheriff's Office as a grant administrator.

Three years later, in 2011, he ran against Taffaro and defeated him by a few hundred votes.

After two years in office, the scandals that would go on to define his term in office began in late 2013, when Sharon Schaefer, his wife at the time, accused the parish leader of handcuffing, beating and raping her in their Meraux home on her 49th birthday. Peralta denied the claim, insisting the couple had engaged only in rough sex.

A nasty divorce played out publicly, and a grand jury indicted Peralta on one count of sexual battery, a charge prosecutors later dropped.

Peralta later faced charges of stalking Schaefer in St. Tammany Parish, a case that also was subsequently dropped.

Separately, a grand jury in East Baton Rouge Parish accused him of tapping his campaign account for money with which to gamble. Prosecutors later agreed to dismiss those counts after Peralta paid an undetermined fine to the state Board of Ethics.

By mid-2015, he was indicted again  the fourth time in 16 months  in a sweeping set of charges that included nearly two dozen counts in St. Bernard Parish, including malfeasance and abuse of office.

Among other crimes, the state Attorney Generals Office accused Peralta of accepting a loan from a businessman whose company had a contract with St. Bernard Parish.

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Peralta also was charged with asking a parish employee to use a parish computer to track down an address for his ex-wife. The 22-count indictment further accused Peralta of obtaining a list of parish employees addresses and using that information to solicit campaign donations.

Many St. Bernard residents said Peraltas legal issues were casting a cloud over the parish, but they largely gave up urging him to resign. And throughout his legal issues, he defiantly refused to step down, insisting time and again that he would be vindicated.

The Parish Council had little basis to remove him from office because he hadnt been convicted. Instead, the council passed measures to chip away at his authority, which led to one confrontation after another, culminating in a brief, bizarre state of emergency that Peralta declared in July 2015 after the council canceled a controversial parish contract with a technology firm run by an ally of his.

He suffered a staggering defeat at the polls in October 2015, collecting just 3 percent of the vote and finishing fifth in a seven-person field.

Peralta blamed his legal issues on a vendetta by a power-hungry state Attorney Generals Office, accusing then-Attorney General Buddy Caldwell of seeking to sully his reputation to aid Caldwell's political allies, including Taffaro.

The legal dispute came to an abrupt end in 2016, when Peralta, now out of office, reached a plea deal with state prosecutors that spared him jail time and resolved more than two dozen charges against him in two parishes, including the allegations of taking kickbacks and forcing employees to help him stalk his ex-wife.

As part of the deal, Peralta pleaded no contest to felony counts of malfeasance and abuse of office in addition to one misdemeanor count of stalking. He was ordered to pay $2,500 in fines and serve two months of house arrest and two years of probation.

By then, the years of legal wrangling had taken a heavy toll, leaving Peralta financially strapped.

What has this done to my future? I dont have any skills, and thanks to them, I dont have any assets anymore, because Im broke, he told The Advocate in 2015. The little bit of money I had left was blown this week with even more lawyer fees and more bonds. Its gone.

Regan, a staunch defender of his client, said Peraltas kindness and generosity were evident even during his legal troubles, which Regan said started with a false and malicious accusation.

Even when this thing was going on, the man had more friends than anyone in that courthouse, he said.

No funeral arrangements were publicly available Tuesday.

Advocate staff reporter Richard Thompson contributed to this report.Members of a California-based drug ring have been using commercial flights to Louis Armstrong International Airport to run marijuana and other drugs into Jefferson Parish, according to a 13-count indictment recently unsealed in 24th Judicial District Court.

The indictment, which was handed up under seal in April, accuses 14 named defendants and five unnamed co-conspirators  some of them airline employees  of bringing between 10 and 32 pounds of marijuana with them on flights, including one on Southwest Airlines, since early 2014.

The indictment on drug, racketeering and money laundering charges says that members of the ring acting as drug "mules," or carriers, were at times accompanied by other members of the ring. It says they could count on the operation to bail them out of jail quickly if they were arrested and to pay for their lawyers.

The indictment accuses the group of bribing government employees or contractors and commercial airline employees as part of the operation.

The group allegedly also operated at Chicago Midway International Airport, as well as airports in Oakland, San Francisco and Sacramento, California.

While the indictment mentions heroin, cocaine and marijuana, all the arrests and charges outlined in the indictment deal with marijuana, with the exception of an arrest of one of the group's leaders.

Prosecutors say the group compromised the safety of passengers and made those corrupted agents, subcontractors and employees susceptible to bribery or blackmail by individuals or groups that wish to engage in acts of serious violence.

Judge Henry Sullivan of 24th Judicial District Court in Gretna unsealed the indictment at the request of prosecutors with Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick's office, who said that the investigation no longer required it to be sealed.

Those charged were: Esam Ghalid, 46, of Stockton, Calif.; King Baker, 52, of New Orleans; Sarah Abd-Elaziz, 30, of Oakland, Calif.; Michael Lewis, 28, of New Orleans; James Hawkins, 64, of Union City, Calif.; Chikezie Iwundu, 26, of Pritchard, Ala.; Kayla Johnson, 23, of Oakland, Calif.; Safiya Zina, 39, of Antioch, Calif.; Delance Vanderhorst, 28, of New Orleans; Yonston Vazquez, 24, of Oakland, Calif.; Germanie Stepter, 22, of Paulina, La.; Jiasia Steib, 21, of Vacherie, La.; Bobbie Jean Stampley, 45, of Vicksburg, Miss.; and Tommy Bardwell, 41, of Stockton, Calif.

The indictment lists 47 individual acts that it says make up the racketeering charge and 22 contributing to the charge of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. A third count charges the group with money laundering in excess of $100,000.

The indictment includes a charge of possession of heroin with intent to distribute against Ghalid, who was also known as Alandos Forrest, James Forrest and Dose.

Ghalid is described as a cell head of one component of the enterprise working out of Oakland and the Stockton area. It says he was caught by Alabama State Police and Homeland Security agents transporting $70,000 in cash with Baker.

Baker was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute it, money laundering and transporting proceeds of drug sales.

Baker was arrested at Armstrong Airport in April 2017 with a suitcase containing nine pounds of marijuana. Then, in February, he was arrested with Johnson on allegations that they transported nearly 32 pounds of marijuana from California to Armstrong Airport via a Southwest flight.

Ghalid had them both bailed out on bonds totaling $40,000 before flying to California with Johnson on another Southwest flight the next day, the indictment alleges.

Earlier, in December 2016, Baker was stopped for speeding in Alabama with Ghalid and another woman as passengers. The police confiscated $70,000 in cash stowed in a suitcase that Baker claimed he had made from selling counterfeit merchandise after losing a construction job. A federal judge last month ordered Baker to forfeit the money to the government; the indictment says the money had actually been made selling marijuana.

Abd-Elaziz, Lewis, Sina, Iwundu, Baker, Johnson, Stepter, Steib and Vazquez were charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute it. Stampley, Abd-Elaziz and Lewis were charged with money laundering and transporting drug money.

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Abd-Elaziz allegedly supervised the transport of drugs on domestic airlines, including 10 pounds of marijuana on June 30, 2017, and conducted surveillance on drug mules.

Lewis, a distributor, allegedly coordinated the delivery of the June marijuana delivery.

Hawkins, an employee of an unspecified airline, allegedly supplied more than 100 airline passes to the gangs members, who would travel carrying cash or go along with mules carrying drugs.

The use of airline passes enabled the enterprise to have multiple members travel on the same flight while using a method of acquiring the ticket  distinct from the credit card ticket purchases made for the mule, which in turn made it more difficult to identify enterprise members and the pattern of their activity, the indictment says.

Iwundu allegedly collected luggage full of drugs left at baggage carousels, including an attempted collection of about 21 pounds of marijuana on Nov. 10. He was caught on April 10 in Sacramento with almost $15,000 in suspected drug money.

Johnson allegedly smuggled 31 pounds of marijuana on Feb 18.

Zina allegedly coordinated with Abd-Elaziz and Lewis and an unindicted co-conspirator to smuggle drugs, including 10 pounds of marijuana on June 30, and flew on multiple flights coordinated by Ghalid.

Vanderhorst, another cell head, operated out of Oakland and New Orleans, coordinating drug smuggling and financing and orchestrating Abd-Elazizs travel, the government says.

Vazquez allegedly carried 24 pounds of marijuana on March 13 and 14 and was responsible for the collection of drug money and delivering it to the leaders.

Stepter allegedly carried 24 pounds of marijuana from California to the New Orleans airport on March 13.

Steib allegedly transported 24 pounds of marijuana on March 13 from California to the New Orleans airport.

Stampley allegedly transported proceeds of almost $10,000 to Ghalid on March 20.

Tommy Bardwell, allegedly a mid-level monitor, is accused of providing sites for the packaging and labeling of the drugs smuggled on airlines. Prosecutors say he also paid and monitored mules.

The indictment also includes a a charge of possession of oxycodone against Stampley.

As of Monday, Lewis, Zina, Stepter and Steib remained in custody after being arrested last week. Baker is on a home incarceration monitoring program after bonding out following his prior arrests.

Zina, Stepter and Steib all had their bail set at $800,000. Lewis was set at $595,000.A New Orleans man is alleging excessive force by a State Police trooper, saying in a federal court lawsuit filed Sunday that he was knocked off his bike by a stun gun then struck repeatedly during a drug arrest in the French Quarter.

Zachary Terrell, who later pleaded guilty, said he was kicked and stomped by a trooper with a history of aggressive arrests.

Terrell, 29, is seeking financial damages from Trooper Troy Pichon and other State Police officers.

His lawsuit is the latest bid by the MacArthur Justice Center in New Orleans to turn a spotlight on the tactics that state troopers use while helping to secure the citys historic core.

The law can be enforced without using brutality in the course of a stop or an arrest, said attorney Jim Craig, who works for the nonprofit law firm. We are without a doubt looking very closely at the methods of the Louisiana State Police in the city of New Orleans.

A State Police spokeswoman declined to comment, citing the pending suit, which has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman.

+6 Two JPSO deputies in Keeven Robinson homicide probe face separate excessive force lawsuits The case of a 22-year-old man who died last week while in custody of the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office is being investigated as a homicide

The lawsuit claims that on the night of June 17, Terrell met a friend after finishing a shift at Tujagues Restaurant to discuss their evening plans. Pichon and Trooper Jeffrey Roach spotted Terrell and the other man speaking together on the sidewalk.

The troopers believed they were witnessing a hand-to-hand drug deal, the lawsuit states. Although Terrell eventually pleaded guilty to drug charges, he denies that it was anything more than a conversation with his friend.

Terrell had earphones on as he bicycled away on St. Peter Street. The lawsuit says the troopers made no effort to talk to his friend, who is white, as they closed in on Terrell, who is black. At St. Peter and Burgundy streets, Pichon used his stun gun on Terrell, according to the suit.

Terrell fell off his bike and onto the ground. The suit claims that after that grossly disproportionate use of force, and while Terrell lay incapacitated on the ground, Pichon kicked him in the head and stomped on his face.

Pichon handcuffed Terrell and dragged him across the asphalt, according to the suit. Terrell said the other trooper, Roach, did nothing.

Terrell was arrested and eventually charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession of heroin, distribution of a schedule IV drug, possession with intent to distribute a schedule IV drug and resisting an officer.

As a result of his arrest, Terrell needed seven stitches around his right eyebrow and suffered facial swelling and bruising, bruises to his nose and upper lip, and wounds on both his wrists as well as his elbow and knee, the lawsuit claims. It says he also has suffered from nightmares, anxiety and increased distrust of law enforcement.

Craig declined to share photographs of his clients injuries.

Did state troopers racially profile black N.O. tourist? Claim rejected in court A federal court jury has rejected a series of civil-rights claims against three State Police troopers accused of racially profiling and unlawf

Terrell eventually pleaded guilty to possession, distribution and resisting arrest charges in August. He was sentenced to seven years in prison as a habitual offender. He is serving his sentence at the Bossier Parish jail.

Although Terrell pleaded guilty, Craig said that was no excuse for Pichons treatment of his client. Drawing from Pichons official reports, the lawsuit claims the trooper has exhibited a distinct pattern of excessive force.

Pichon used a stun gun on a man who took a defensive stance in November 2015, put an arm lock on someone who afterward was taken to Childrens Hospital for treatment in June 2016, put a neck hold on a suspicious person later that month, shocked someone who took a fighting stance the next month and shocked a running suspect in the back in May 2017, according to the lawsuit.

Pichons reports are replete with vague, boilerplate language, the lawsuit alleges. Nevertheless, it says, Capt. Darrin Naquin, who commands the State Police troopers stationed in the French Quarter, and State Police Training Academy Director Derrell Williams have repeatedly signed off on his reports.

Pichon, Roach, Naquin and Williams are the defendants named in the lawsuit.

Man body-slammed by Louisiana State trooper in French Quarter is Chicago doctor A man body-slammed by a state trooper in the French Quarter over the weekend suffered several injuries during his arrest, including a lacerati

The suit comes five months after the MacArthur Justice Center won a partial victory in another lawsuit against the State Police in the French Quarter. A jury found in January that State Police violated the Fourth Amendment when they arrested a black tourist in 2015. However, the jury handed Lyle Dotson no money and rejected separate claims that State Police racially profiled him.

Craig said that Terrells arrest is proof that the State Police  which receives compensation from New Orleans to patrol the French Quarter  ought to be subject to the same strict policies imposed on the New Orleans Police Department as a result of its 2012 reform agreement with the federal government.

New Orleans cops are permitted to use stun guns only when such force is necessary to protect the officer, the subject, or another party from physical harm, according to department policy. Officers also are supposed to pause to consider the risk of injury on a fleeing suspect before using a stun gun.

The NOPDs policy was instituted after a sweeping federal investigation found that the department routinely violated peoples rights. It does not apply to State Police in New Orleans, but Craig said it should.

They are being compensated through the cooperative endeavor agreement with the city of New Orleans, and they should be accountable to some degree to the residents and citizens of New Orleans, he said.

State Police Trooper Melissa Matey declined to comment on the suggestion. "We don't fall under the consent decree," she said.A Baton Rouge man was booked into the New Orleans jail on a second-degree murder charge on Monday after a judge upped his bail to $1 million.

Garrett Ward, a 25-year-old commercial real estate agent, was remanded to the jail in connection with the fatal beating of 60-year-old Arnold Red Jackson on Jan. 6. Police said Ward drunkenly beat the New Orleans man to death for no apparent reason in the 2000 block of St. Charles Avenue  Jackson died several days after the attack.

Ward was initially released on bail after his arrest. However, after a grand jury returned the murder indictment on Thursday, Criminal District Court Judge Robin Pittman raised his bail over the objections of his attorney.

Ward wore a navy blue suit as he appeared to surrender himself on Monday. Defense attorney Lindsey Williams entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

Although Wards relatives were hoping to raise enough money to prevent him from returning to jail, they were not able to do so before he was remanded to the city lock-up on Monday.

Ward took off his tie and his suit jacket before a courtroom deputy slapped handcuffs on him in court.LATEST: Fourth arrest made in connection with man's death after Pearl River brawl

A third person was arrested in connection to the brawl that ended in 46-year-old Jeffery Howell's death Saturday on a West Pearl River sand bar, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office said Monday night.

Blaine Manalle, 20, of Slidell, was arrested on one count of second-degree murder, the sheriff's office said and booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail Monday.

Also arrested in connection to the incident is 21-year-old Cameron Alphonso, of Slidell, and 22-year-old Alden Kindergran.

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Alphonso was initially arrested on one count of manslaughter, but his charge was upgraded to second-degree murder Monday after the sheriff's office obtained additional witness statements and an autopsy revealed Howell died from blunt force trauma to the head.

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Kindergran was arrested on one count of disturbing the peace. He was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail and released Sunday afternoon after posting a $750 bond.

Howell's death stemmed from an incident the sheriff's office said took place on the sand bar south of the Davis Landing Boat Launch just after 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

Deputies called to the scene learned there had been a disturbance between two large groups, one of which included Howell. The ensuing fight led to Howells injuries and death.

The reason for the fight has not been revealed.

STPSO detectives are continuing to conduct interviews and collect information on the incident that they said may potentially lead to additional arrests.

I applaud the hard work, dedication and exhaustive efforts of our detectives who have worked long hours and interviewed in excess of 40 people in an effort to establish the probable cause necessary to make an additional arrest in connection with what took place Saturday evening, Sheriff Randy Smith said.Against the backdrop of recent high-profile school shootings, the Jefferson Parish School Board has approved spending as much as $1 million to put "school resource officers" at every public high school and two middle schools.

The new policy adds resource officers at three high schools: Patrick Taylor Science and Technology Academy, Thomas Jefferson High School for Advanced Studies and Haynes Academy for Advanced Studies.

The system already had officers at nine other high schools and two middle schools.

Under the new agreement, the school system will pay between $727,000 and $899,000 to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office to place officers at 11 high schools and Fischer Middle School. The system will also pay for a supervisor to oversee the deputies.

The contract will begin Aug. 1 and will last for one year, with an option for two additional one-year terms.

The board also approved an agreement with the Gretna Police Department that will place two officers at Gretna Middle School and one at Thomas Jefferson High. That agreement will cost the school system $169,416. The agreement is for one year with an automatic three-year renewal, according to board documents.

Board President Mark Morgan noted during the board's discussion that there had been some resistance in the past to putting officers at some parish schools, but that recent events, such as shootings at schools in Parkland, Florida, and Santa Fe, Texas, had made safety even more important.

A handful of Jefferson Parish students were arrested earlier this year for making threats after the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida. Many of those threats were made on social media. Sheriff Joe Lopinto said at the time that the system generally gets one or two complaints about threats a month.

The Jefferson Parish school system is the largest in the state, with more than 50,000 students.Tulane University President Michael Fitts will stay in his job at least through 2023, the schools governing board announced Monday, citing numerous successes for the Uptown institution under Fitts leadership.

Fitts signed a five-year contract with Tulane in 2014. His renewal comes a year before that contract was due to expire.

A former University of Pennsylvania law school dean, Fitts is credited with pulling Tulane out of a deficit, raising private dollars and helping the university improve its standing in national rankings.

He has recruited new faculty and overseen the opening of several new buildings at Tulane. The universitys incoming classes also have been increasingly diverse under his tenure and have had stronger academic records, officials said.

These past few years that Mike Fitts has served as president of Tulane University have been nothing short of transformative, Board of Tulane Chairman Doug Hertz said.

Fitts, 65, launched or maintained several initiatives at Tulane after he was chosen to replace Scott Cowen, the school's president for 16 years.

One was a multiyear fundraising drive that began before his arrival. When Fitts publicly announced it in December, it had already raised about $820 million in six years of collecting donations. The school has raised an additional $87 million since his announcement, and Fitts hopes to reach $1.3 billion in five years.

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When he took the reins at Tulane, the school had been running an annual deficit of $15 million to $20 million. He closed that gap through buyouts and cutting some positions, and the school entered the 2017 fiscal year in the black. It has remained that way since then.

Fitts also created task forces that focused on improving the undergraduate experience and fostering more faculty research collaborations. Those groups issued a host of recommendations that Tulane has implemented, including a revamp of the honors program, more incentives for collaborative research and improved first-year student interdisciplinary courses.

The incoming Class of 2022 is Tulane's most diverse, admissions director Jeff Schiffman wrote in a recent blog post. About a fifth of the students are people of color, while 5 percent are international students. Entering students also are stronger academically, with an average ACT score of 32, one point higher than the previous year's incoming class.

The school's rankings also have gone up. Tulane was ranked No. 40 among national universities this year on U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges lists, up from No. 54 in 2015. On the Princeton Review's lists, Tulane was ranked No. 4 in the "Happiest Students" category this year, up from No. 10 in 2015.

Major building projects under Fitts have included the $35 million-plus Goldring/Woldenberg Business Complex, new residence halls and The Commons, a $55 million complex that will house a new dining hall, multipurpose meeting spaces and a permanent home for the Newcomb College Institute.

Fitts in recent months also has hired new deans in four schools: Kimberly Foster, in the School of Science and Engineering; Thomas LaVeist, in the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine; Inaki Alday, in the School of Architecture; and Brian Edwards, in the School of Liberal Arts.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Primastuti Handayani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, June 12, 2018 09:16 1222 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8c708c 1 Opinion idul-fitri-exodus,Idul-Fitri-2018,#Ramadhan,#Ramadhan2018,ramadhan-in-indonesia,Transportation,transportation-ministry,road-construction,infrastructure-development Free

Around 32 million people have left Jakarta and other big cities across the country for their hometowns, mostly in East, West and Central Java, as well as Yogyakarta. Their aim is to arrive home before Idul Fitri, which is likely to fall on Friday.



For many Muslims, performing the Idul Fitri prayer with close family members is a tradition that has been preserved for generations. The morning prayer, normally held on an open field, will be followed by a ritual, oftentimes filled with emotion, in which children ask for forgiveness from parents and elders.



It has been an annual routine for most Muslims but there are some differences this year, particularly the way they travel to be reunited with their families.



The 1,100-kilometer trans-Java toll road connecting Javas western and eastern tips is nearly completed, with several sections  Pemalang-Batang-Semarang (Central Java), Salatiga-Surakarta (Central Java) and Ngawi-Mojokerto (East Java)  still under construction.



Toll road operator PT Jasa Marga has prepared the tol fungsional (uncompleted toll road) on those routes to facilitate the holiday makers journeys. The state company estimated that 1.4 million cars would leave Jakarta, starting last Friday, for the homecoming trip, thanks to the governments decision to extend the holiday for civil servants to 10 days.



Because of the extended holiday, the police predicted that congestion along the toll road would be bearable. One of the causes of gridlock has always been unmanaged traffic entering and leaving rest areas along the toll road.



Congestion occurred on the unfinished toll road section connecting Salatiga and Surakarta on Sunday due to steep climbs that some drivers were unable to deal with. In a tweet, the Central Java Transportation Agency called on motorists driving cars below 1,000 cc to exit in Salatiga to avoid the difficult section, or else they would get stuck in the middle of the steep slope and cause congestion.



Both the police and the government have learned a valuable lesson from the tragedy that marred the 2016 Idul Fitri exodus. Then, 12 travelers died from exhaustion after cars and buses carrying them were gridlocked for hours near the bottlenecked Brebes exit gate in Central Java.



A deadly accident has already marked the exodus this year. A few days ago, an unknown person threw rocks at passing cars on kilometer-6 of the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road, killing one. The police immediately hunted down the perpetrator and safeguarded all pedestrian bridges to avoid the incident from recurring.



The police have also warned travelers against riding motorbikes, especially when they have children and overloaded cargo. The Transportation Ministry is deploying 16 vessels belonging to state shipping company PT Pelni to transport travelers and their motorbikes for free.



Last Saturday, a Dobonsolo vessel, carrying 1,300 passengers and 700 motorcycles, left Tanjung Priok in Jakarta and arrived at Tanjung Mas port in Semarang on Sunday.



Traveling by ship is apparently still less popular than taking trains. State-owned PT KAI has provided free rides for motorcycles, with 19,136 being transported by train. The number is higher than last years mark of around 16,000.



As part of the governments support for the Idul Fitri exodus, President Joko Jokowi Widodo inaugurated Kertajati International Airport in Majalengka, West Java, and the expanded Ahmad Yani International Airport in Semarang, Central Java.



Kertajati is a boost for passengers from Cikarang, Karawang and Purwakarta, which have been hit the hardest by traffic congestion as a result of the ongoing construction of the light rapid transit (LRT) and Jakarta-Cikampek elevated toll road  if they have to fly from Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in East Jakarta. They can reach Kertajati quicker using the Cipali toll road.



The expansion of the Ahmad Yani passenger terminal has given regular travelers some relief. Previously, the old airport could only accommodate 800,000 passengers per year, but now, the President expects, the airport to accommodate 7 million.



On top of all the routine transportation problems that happen every year, the police remain vigilant of potential terror threats during the Idul Fitri holidays. The recent terror attacks in Surabaya and other cities only prove that extremist groups remain at large.



Jokowi is proud of the acceleration of infrastructure projects especially at airports, seaports and toll roads. He repeatedly said infrastructure projects were important to help the national economy grow. With over 17,000 islands, connectivity is a daunting challenge for Indonesia.



Jokowis adversaries and haters have criticized the airport and toll road construction, saying the projects were part of a blanket campaign for next years election.



Regardless of the negative sentiments, Jokowi has answered his critics with something that Indonesians can enjoy: connectivity and quicker traveling time.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Achmad Munjid (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta  Tue, June 12, 2018 11:42 1222 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8ccacf 3 Opinion Islam,#Islam,Muslim,First-Travel,Dimas-Kanjeng,umrah-scam,Scam,religious-beliefs Free

The Islamic black market is spreading in various forms. By playing around with Islamic symbols in separate cases, First Travel, Abu Tours and Kanjeng Dimas (the cleric who many believed could magically multiply their money) scammed trillions of rupiah over the years out of consumers across the country.



There have also been unqualified Muslim preachers arbitrarily offering troubling interpretations of Islamic teachings on television, like the claim that heavenly pleasure is nothing more than an orgy. A popular female Muslim TV preacher turned out to be incapable of writing Quranic verses in proper Arabic script. Muslim hard-line groups such as Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia, Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia and others aggressively propagate the necessity of sharia through the establishment of an Islamic state.



Recently, a series of terrorist attacks took dozens of lives in Depok, Pekanbaru in Riau and Surabaya; the horror in the last city was even committed by parents as suicide bombers and their children. These are tips of a bigger Islamic black market iceberg. Why is it spreading?



Obviously, religion is a symbolic system, as the anthropologist Clifford Geertz explained. However, the need of religious symbols among Indonesian Muslims today is much bigger than ever. The striking contrast between the present situation and the past is stunning.



Until the mid-1980s, due to the New Orders hostile political stance, Indonesian Muslims were marginalized and often seen as obstacles, if not the government enemy. In the scholar Nurcholish Madjids terms, Muslims were known as a majority with a minority mentality. When possible, most Muslims tended to avoid using Islamic symbols in public spaces, let alone go to work in headscarves (for women). Even saying assalamualaikum (peace be upon you) to greet a mixed audience made many Muslims feel awkward.



Since Suharto reached out to Muslims in the late 1980s, we have seen the surge of the Islamic wave along with new freedoms.



Today, it is even normal for non-Muslims to say assalamualaikum in official meetings. Many public schools unofficially require female Muslim students to wear the headscarf as part of their school uniform. To gain public sympathy, more female Muslims, from street beggars to mega-graft convicts, wear the hijab. Only recently, the government of Aceh Besar regency issued a bylaw requiring all flight attendants to wear the hijab whenever their plane landed there.



Unlike in the past, since the 1990s Islam has become a powerful presence. When everyone uses a smartphone, not using it will make you look stupid. When most Muslims take on all kind of Islamic attributes and symbols, those who do not participate look ugly, even despicable and alienated.



Today there is greater social pressure requiring Muslims to demonstrate their religious identity. Therefore, Islamic fashion, cuisine, school, media, forums, associations, groups, banking, business etc are growing everywhere. Islamic symbols have become valuable resources, precious capital, marketable commodities and a defining identity readily available for different purposes.



Besides spirituality, religion is a social practice, as observed by the scholar Pierre Bourdieu. Hence, the growing demand for religious symbols has opened up greater opportunities for political, economic and social interests.



Meanwhile, due to rapid change, religious providers cannot always properly cater to all the demands. For instance, during Ramadhan, religious events are held simultaneously across mosques, institutions and forums, dramatically increasing the demand for Muslim preachers or speakers. So does the demand for various needs supposedly required for a proper Islamic life style.



When social pressure for religious symbols is so high compared to limited capacity of religious providers  especially when combined with insufficient religious literacy  the essence and quality of religious practice become secondary. People just need to look normal by participating in the common practice of going Islamic to avoid being alienated from their group. This thirst for religious symbols eventually invites new actors, many without proper training, some even with dark motives.



It is exactly this big gap between the supply and demand of Islamic symbols that has helped created the Islamic black market, a free space for quasireligiosity, pseudo-Muslim preachers, fake Islamic business and religious fraud like the one committed by First Travel and Abu Tours, as well as teaching hoaxes, including radicalism and terrorism.



Illegal and fake products are exchanged and unregulated in this space called the Islamic black market. What looks convincing and real on the surface to uninformed eyes can be totally bogus, even poisonous.



This black market mostly provides selfie religiosity  attributes for exclusive personal piety that serve the interest of politicians, businesses or other profit seekers who have nothing to do with spiritual matters. Even worse, the Islamic black market is also fertile ground for religious radicalism and terrorism.



The wide reach of the Islamic black market explains the puzzling discrepancy between over-religionization of public life, where Islamic symbols and attributes are strongly visible on the one hand, and the pervasive ethical problems on the other, such as the increasing numbers of graft cases, frequent violations of human rights, poor interreligious relations and even violence in the name of religion.



Although reality has shifted fundamentally in comparison to the 1980s, and with Islam predominant on every level, some Muslims are still entrapped in the old minority mentality. They are always anxious to have a bigger share and worried about being marginalized. As a result, some Muslims are hypersensitive when their groups interests are at stake. Any minor issue, like the case of Sukmawati Soekarnoputris poem, is perceived as religious blasphemy.



Sadly, when it is about the rights of others, these grumpy Muslims are very insensitive. In addition to the Aceh local regulation on headscarves for all flight attendants, the banning of community service to be held by St. Paul church of Yogyakarta and persecution against the Shiites and the Ahmadis are among notable examples.



Its as if it is taken for granted that the majority has the privilege to define the other, but not vice versa. Whenever people pay too much attention to religious symbols, they will easily misrecognize the true meaning of religion.



Since religion is a symbolic system, obviously religious symbols are very important. However, religion should not be locked up into symbolism. If religion is to play a significant role in taking up the challenge faced by the people, we should stop making religion part of the problem.



Religion should be part of the solution. We should bring back religion to its primary function, namely as moral guidance and ethical foundation for its adherents.



In fact, Islam encourages Muslims to embrace and to cooperate with all human beings in creating a just and peaceful world for all. Therefore, exclusive symbolic personal piety should be transformed into liberating social ethics and inclusive public morality.



Otherwise, the Islamic black market may spread even wider and more people will fall prey to it.

***

The writer lectures at the Department of Intercultural Studies, Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Yogyakarta.

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 Muhammad Sinatra (The Jakarta Post) Kuala Lumpur  Tue, June 12, 2018 16:17 1221 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8d8bed 3 Opinion Malaysia,Malaysia-election,Mahathir-Mohamad,Mahathir,Indonesia,reformasi,2019-presidential-election,#2019PresidentialElection Free

The commemoration of Indonesias 20th year of Reformasi in May this year coincided with Malaysias new chapter in democratization and governance. In the 14th general election (GE14) held on May 9, Malaysians voted the reform-oriented Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition into power, replacing the decades-long rule of Barisan Nasional (BN).

This historic development in Malaysian politics instigated peculiar reactions on Indonesias side.

Some Indonesian political actors were quick to grab the political capital produced by PHs victory, the return of Tun Mahathir Mohammad to top leadership and Malaysia Baru to bolster their own narratives in the run-up to next years presidential election.

These include the comparison between President Joko Jokowi Widodo and Mahathir as popular and successful leaders, the portrayal of PHs election win as a sign of a similar government change in Indonesia and the call to abandon identity politics, a staple in BNs campaign strategy which proved unfruitful in GE14.

The absorption of GE14s outcome into Indonesias national conversation should not come as a surprise. After all, the aftermath of Malaysias election presents a strong political narrative of administrative change and the conversion from a corrupt to reformist regime.

These subjects strongly resonate with the current climate of Indonesian political discourse, which could explain why politicians jumped onto them like hungry lions. Opposition parties, especially, need fresh ammunition to sustain their barrage on Jokowis administration until April next year, considering the presidents high electability score.

It seems unfortunate that the tectonic shift in Malaysias removal of a corrupt regime and its subsequent embarkation at democratization  both attained without bloodshed  merely serve as political currency exploited by Indonesian politicians. Surely for citizens of a nation which spectacularly toppled the New Order regime and embraced Reformasi 20 years ago, the experience of Malaysia deserves better appreciation from us?

Regardless, the entry of Malaysian political experience and ideas into our national conversation is akin to fresh breeze in an environment where Malaysia is commonly ridiculed and regarded as Indonesias eternal rival.

At a time when Indonesias democracy appears to be fumbling, Malaysias recent development shows a necessity to escape the trap of our ethnocentrism and learn from our closest Nusantara neighbor, despite the effort by politicians to frame the subject as befitting their interest.

So could Indonesia learn from Malaysias undertaking of its reform agenda?

Caution should be applied here. Any call for Indonesia to emulate Malaysias reformasi process must not be based on simplistic reasoning that romanticizes democratization and the difficulties of political transition, but ignores the vast difference of national experience between the two countries.

Considering the different circumstances driving Indonesia and Malaysia to embark on their respective government reform, the priorities and endgame envisioned by each country also diverge from one another.

For example, Mahathirs PH administration has placed priorities in rooting out corrupt figures, relaxing the public sphere and reforming government institutions, among others. These agendas are being pursued vigorously by Putrajaya with Mahathir at its helm, aimed not only at eliminating the illness festering under the previous regime, but also to consolidate public approval towards the fledgling government.

Since the advent of former president BJ Habibies administration, Indonesia has tackled similar agendas to reverse the failings of Soehartos 32 year-old rule. In fact, the Reformasi-era governments bore even greater responsibilities, which include returning the military to the barracks, revamping the financial sector in the wake of Asian financial crisis, ensuring political participation and embarking on decentralization as well as separation of power.

It has been 20 years since we as a nation embraced our Reformasi and thus to aspire to Malaysias model of reform is illogical, comparable to repeating the same process that we initiated two decades ago.

Perhaps the most important lesson Indonesians can learn from Malaysia Baru is not the changing of governments, but why that change occurred in the first place.

Malaysias case is the latest testament that a regime characterized by hubris and greed has no place in a politically-awakened society, one where participation in day-to-day governance is guaranteed by a democratic system.

Malaysias Reformasi was sealed when the people realized that removing a corrupt government was of higher priority than voting for people of similar ethnicity and religion, triggering what media colloquially called the Malaysian tsunami.

Yet the issue of corruption is missing in the way Indonesian politicians are discussing GE14, despite this being the main constraint to our reform movement.

Not only do corruption cases continue to be rampant among Indonesian lawmakers and officials, there have also been alleged attempts to stifle the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to deter the proliferation of this illicit practice. After all, corruption and political power go hand in hand, both under authoritarian and democratic regimes.

The persistence of corruption is why maintaining the integrity of institutions is an imperative. This does not only translate into ensuring transparency and accountability of government institutions, but also channeling political support for anti-corruption agencies and safeguarding their independency from invested interests.

In Malaysia post-GE14 developments symbolize monumental support from both the elites and the grassroots for anti-corruption drive spearheaded by Malaysias Anti-Corruption Commission (SPRM). Within a month after GE14, the investigation into the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal was reopened, corrupt officials with chequered records either resigned or were dismissed and scrutiny on institutions was mounted.

Malaysias renewed fight against corruption should be among primary subjects in Indonesias approach to the next general elections. The positive progress could inject greater stimuli to revitalize Indonesias fight against embezzlement, bribery and abuse of power, especially in the countrys most corrupt institutions.

As much as Indonesians like to pride themselves on being a democratic nation, the constant fragility of our rule of law and institutions would always contribute to the deficit of trust towards the government of the day, regardless of who between Jokowi or Prabowo Subianto sits on that throne in the Merdeka Palace.

No one president could fully dismantle our ubiquitous culture of corruption, since this fight requires the convergence of both the elites and the grassroots support in our anti-corruption agency.

Thus there is an imperative to sensitize Indonesians of the necessity to carry forward this good fight, and this is where Malaysias anti-corruption drive could play a role.

If only this narrative could be incorporated into our national conversation, the dynamics of reformasi in Indonesia and Malaysia would then come full circle. Whereas Malaysias reform leaders were inspired by their Indonesian counterparts to stage a similar movement 20 years ago, Indonesians could aspire to emulate their Malaysian neighbors determination to bring back dignity to the country by picking up where Reformasi was left off.

As Malaysias post-GE14 reality continues to unfurl and brings about interesting development almost on a daily basis, bits of it may trickle into Indonesias political conversation until April next year. However, we Indonesians should try to look past what our politicians are telling us about Malaysias political experience and derive essential lessons that could contribute to our nation- and state-building process.

***

The writer is an analyst at the ISIS Malaysia research center.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.Christian Louboutin's battle to protect his trademark red soles was given a lift on Tuesday when the European Union's top court said they did not consist exclusively of a shape, which are usually not protected under EU trade mark law.

The judges at the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) did not follow the advice of the advocate general who said in February that the red colour could not be considered apart from the shape of the sole.

"The mark does not relate to a specific shape of sole for high-heeled shoes since the description of that mark explicitly states that the contour of the shoe does not form part of the mark and is intended purely to show the positioning of the red colour covered by the registration," the ECJ said in a statement.

The French designer went to court in The Netherlands to prevent the Dutch high street chain Van Haren from selling its own versions of high-heeled shoes with red soles, a favourite on celebrity red carpets.

Read also: Shoe designer Louboutin in EU setback over red soles

A Dutch court had asked the ECJ if the prohibition on the registration of shapes as trademarks also applied to shapes combining three-dimensional properties of a product and other characteristics such as colours.

The court in The Hague will deliver the final ruling on the matter based on the ECJ decision.

Louboutin, founded in 1991, claimed victory and "warmly" welcomed the ruling.

"The protection of Christian Louboutin's red sole trademark is strengthened by the European Court of Justice," Louboutin said in a statement. "The red colour applied on the sole of a woman's high heel shoe is a position mark, as Maison Christian Louboutin has maintained for many years."

The ECJ said that a trademark, such as Louboutin's, could not be regarded as consisting "exclusively" of a shape, where the main element is a specific colour designated by an internationally recognised identification code.A photo posted by the German government showing a determined Angela Merkel standing up to an intransigent Donald Trump appears destined for the history books, summing up the fractures left by a deeply divisive G7 summit.

The already iconic picture by Berlin's official photographer at the gathering in Canada, Jesco Denzel, set social media alight when it appeared on Saturday, hours before Trump ripped up the hard-fought summit conclusions in an angry tweetstorm.

The image, which drew comparisons to a Baroque painting, shows Merkel standing at the center of the frame leaning across a table before a seated Trump, his arms crossed in defiance.

Looking focused or exasperated depending on the viewer's interpretation, Merkel is flanked by British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron, their faces largely obscured. Shinzo Abe of Japan looks on with a world-weary expression.

Many saw a distillation of a crisis of the West in the photograph, and a revival of the debate launched by US and British media after Trump's 2016 election whether Merkel was the new "leader of the free world".

National broadsheet Sueddeutsche Zeitung noted the moniker had made Merkel "uncomfortable" at the time.

"She thought it was exaggerated, hasty, inappropriate. A year and a half later, this restraint is no longer up-to-date or appropriate... If Merkel doesn't rise to the occasion, it can quickly mean the end of the post-war order in Europe."

Other observers highlighted a victory for Berlin's spin doctors.

"A hands-down public relations triumph for Germany," news weekly Der Spiegel said of the picture that seemed to capture the world's imagination.

- '1:0 for the US president' -

A winner, however, is in the eye of the beholder.

Elisabeth Wehling, a US-based political linguistics researcher, tweeted that the body language clearly pointed to Trump dominating the scene.

"1:0 for the US president! Sitting while the other stands is a classic strategy of gestural framing, to establish one's own authority and propagate it via pictures -- it works on global media because it transcends language barriers," she wrote.

Read also: Trump, Kim launch historic Singapore summit with a handshake

US National Security Advisor John Bolton, who stands next to Trump in the picture, tweeted it during the summit to tout the America First message.

"Just another #G7 where other countries expect America will always be their bank," he wrote.

"The President made it clear today. No more. (photo by @RegSprecher)," crediting Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert's account for the image for good measure.

Seibert said laconically Monday that he had posted the photo on Twitter and Instagram simply to "give an overview of the chancellor's work and the intense working atmosphere at a G7" summit.

Regardless of the interpretation, the image succeeded in launching an internet-wide caption contest.

Belgian Guy Verhofstadt, who heads the European Parliament's liberal group, chose the tagline: "Just tell us what Vladimir has on you. Maybe we can help," in a tart reference to alleged collusion between Russian President Vladimir Putin's government and the Trump team to influence the US presidential election.

"This looks like an episode of Celebrity Apprentice where Trump is about to fire Angela Merkel because her strudel marketing plan fell through," Washington-based comedian Tim Young tweeted.

Doctored images showed the US president as a petulant child -- including memes with Trump overturning a bowl of noodles on his head or clutching a teddy bear as Merkel sternly looks on.

- 'Won't be bamboozled' -

But the humor could not mask a deep sense of unease that the end of the transatlantic partnership was nigh.

Far from taking a victory lap, Merkel told German public television late Sunday that she found the summit's implosion "sobering and a little depressing" and called it a "momentous step" taken by Trump.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, whose office for the first time in the history of the republic has reportedly ordered an overhaul of Germany's US policy, went further.

"You can destroy an incredible amount of trust very quickly in a tweet," he said.

"Europe United is the answer to America First."

Germany, Europe's top economy, finds itself in the sights of the US president due to its large trade surplus and defense spending criticized as too low.

Merkel, who is hashing out a roadmap with Macron this month for far-reaching European reforms, acknowledged that the moment had arrived for the continent to rethink its global role.

The European Union must develop "a joint strategic culture", she said, "otherwise Europe will be ground up in a world with very strong poles" of power elsewhere.

With an eye to the trade dispute, she added: "We won't be bamboozled -- we will take action."Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (Reuters) Jakarta  Tue, June 12, 2018 06:35 1222 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8b92cd 2 National Indonesia,malnutrition,girls-generation,health,economy,food Free

From fears that eating chicken wings makes it hard to find a husband to beliefs that pineapple jeopardises fertility, a host of food taboos are fuelling malnutrition among Indonesian girls, experts said as they launched an adolescent health drive.

Nutritionists said girls ate very little protein, vegetables or fruit, preferring to fill up with rice and processed snacks which were often sweet or fried.

"Indonesian girls are being left behind when it comes to nutrition," said Kecia Bertermann of Girl Effect, a non-profit that uses mobile technology to empower girls.

"They don't understand why their health is important, nor how nutrition is connected to doing well at school, at work or for their futures."

The U.N. children's agency UNICEF says Indonesia has some of the world's most troubling nutrition statistics.

Two in five adolescent girls are thin due to undernutrition, which is a particular concern given many girls begin childbearing in their teens.

Experts said the food taboos were part of a wider system of cultural and social habits leading to poor adolescent nutrition, which could impact girls' education and opportunities.

One myth is that cucumber stimulates excessive vaginal discharge, another that eating pineapple can prevent girls from conceiving later on or cause miscarriages in pregnant women.

Others believe spicy food can cause appendicitis and make breast milk spicy, oily foods can cause sore throats and peanuts can cause acne, while chicken feet - like chicken wings - can cause girls to struggle finding a husband.

Research by Girl Effect found urban girls ate little or no breakfast, snacked on "empty foods" throughout the day and thought feeling full was the same as being well nourished.

Snacks tended to be carbohydrate-heavy, leaving girls short of protein, vitamins and minerals.

Girl Effect is teaming up with global organisation Nutrition International to improve girls' eating habits via its Springster mobile app, a platform providing interactive content for girls on health and social issues.

If successful, the initiative could be expanded to the Philippines and Nigeria.

Experts said Indonesia was a country with "a double burden of malnutrition" with some people stunted and others overweight but also lacking micronutrients.

Marion Roche, a specialist in adolescent health at Nutrition International, said the poor nutritional knowledge among girls was particularly striking given infant nutrition had improved in Indonesia.

"Adolescent girls don't know what healthy looks like, as health is understood as the absence of illness," she said. "We need to give them the knowledge to make healthy choices."Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, June 12, 2018 08:36 1222 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8be03a 4 Business foreign-capital-tax,bank-indonesia,discourse,DarminNasution,Suahasil-Nazara Free

The central bank has said the country will not impose a tax on foreign funds anytime soon, stressing that the issue is only being discussed and is an option to control both capital inflows and outflows.

Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Perry Warjiyo said in Jakarta over the weekend that the central bank had no plan to use such an instrument.

There was a misunderstanding [regarding my previous statement]. I only gave an example that one of the instruments [to control foreign funds] is a tax, he said as quoted by kotan.co.id.

It is only an example of an instrument that could be applied. But it is not an initiative or a plan to be implemented anytime soon.

Imposing taxes can prevent both huge inflows and outflows of foreign funds. The objective is to stabilize the currency exchange rate and calm the financial market down.

Meanwhile, Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution called on all parties not to make a fuss about Perrys statement because even if such an instrument is implemented, BI should discuss it with the government.

Dont comment further on it. The situation has yet to calm down, he said.

Similar comments were made by the Finance Ministrys head of fiscal policy Suahasil Nazara, stressing that the ministry had never discussed the issue. I just heard [about] it. There is no talk about it, he said. (bbn)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, June 12, 2018 09:55 1222 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8c8cf5 1 City Idul-Fitri-2018,Takbiran,Monas,Sandiaga-Uno Free

The Jakarta authorities will ban takbiran (recitation of Allah is great) convoys from the streets on the eve of Idul Fitri, as well as not holding a celebration at the National Monument (Monas) area in Central Jakarta, an official has stated.

Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno said on Monday that takbiran will be split into five areas [municipalities], so as to avoid traffic congestion in the city center.

Several mosques and city administration facilities were among the planned sites for takbiran, Sandiaga said, but he had yet to specify the five locations.

Sandiaga has forbidden the community from holding convoys and takbiran events that could disturb public order. He added that the city administration would prepare security measures to ensure safety.

The city administration wants to convey that it wants to keep the takbiran night well-organized, so those who want to hold an event should coordinate with the Jakarta Transportation Agency, he added.

A number of interest points for takbiran would be determined by the transportation agency, which would coordinate with other security institutions such as the police, the Indonesian Military and the Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP).

Meanwhile, National Police deputy chief Syafruddin said it would be better if takbiran were held at big mosques such as Istiqlal Grand Mosque in Central Jakarta.

It is better to hold takbiran at the centers of mosques rather than holding convoys around Jakarta, which would create traffic, he said. (acr)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Semarang, Central Java  Tue, June 12, 2018 09:19 1222 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8c76e3 1 National Central-Java,Central-Java-Police,Kenteng-Bridge,Kartasura-toll-road,Salatiga-Kartasura-functional-toll-road,Idul-Fitri-2018,IdulFitri,Idul-Fitri,idul-fitri-exodus,#IdulFitriExodus,#IdulFitri Free

Central Java Police chief Insp.Gen. Condro Kirono said on Monday that in the last three days, the number of vehicles entering the province via toll roads had reached 69,000.

As of Monday morning, the number of vehicles passing through the Kertasari tollgate has reached 69,000. On Sunday, the number of vehicles using the toll road reached 32,000, said Condro in Semarang.

On Friday, when a number of functional toll roads in Central Java started to operate, the number of vehicles reached 23,000. Functional toll roads are toll roads that are in the last stages of construction and operating to help reduce congestion during the holiday. Use of functional toll roads is free.

A stalled vehicle is pushed on the Salatiga-Kartasura functional toll road on June 11. (JP/Suherdjoko)

Among the problems we face is a long line at the Kertasari tollgate, as well as at the Kuto River because the construction of a bridge has not been completed, said Condro.

Condro said congestion also occurred on the Salatiga-Kartasura functional toll road, in which traffic police officers must manage the flow of traffic over the Kenteng Bridge because of a steep incline in the area. Vehicle passing the incline must use first gear, said the police chief.

Condro said motorists using the Semarang-Salatiga operational toll road could exit at the Tingkir tollgate and enter national roads to continue their trips to Surakarta. However, many of them want to experience driving on functional toll roads, including the steep incline in Kenteng. (ebf)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Indonesia  Tue, June 12 2018

British Ambassador to Indonesia Moazzam Malik has appointed Surabaya-based businesswoman Ivy Kamadjaja as the United Kingdoms honorary consul in Surabaya.

She was chosen for the post because of her vast business network not only in East Java province but also at the national level.

Malik said Ivys business network was strategic in her appointment as the honorary consul in Indonesias second-largest city, after a meeting with Surabaya Mayo Tri Risma Rismaharini on Wednesday.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Bekasi  Tue, June 12, 2018 10:52 1222 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8cb1d5 1 City burglars,crime,empty-homes,Bekasi Free

A homeowner and his neighbors have caught a man allegedlly in the act of burglarizing a house in the Pondok Timur Indah residential complex of Bekasi, West Java.

According to the police's investigation, the suspect, identified as "I", attempted to burglarize Imam Santoso's house because he thought Imam and his family had left for mudik.

"The homeowner had actually just gone out to visit a relative in the city," Bantargebang Police chief Comr. Siswo said as quoted by tempo.co. "When he got home, he was surprised to find a strange person in his house."

Imam apparently called out to his neighbors, who arrived moments later and tackled the suspected burglar, who surrendered immediately.

Siswo said the police apprehended another suspect, EF, at his rental house in Bantargebang, for allegedly planning the burglary. The police also confiscated two diamond rings, two gold pendants, one gold baby bracelet and Rp 1.5 million (US$ 107.32) in cash as evidence.

"Suspect 'I' was the executor, while EF was the mastermind," Siswo explained. "We had to shoot [EF] in the foot because he tried to fight back [during his arrest]," he added.

The National Police have urged Idul Fitri holidaymakers to ask neighbors or relatives to look after their houses while they were away on holiday, due to the prevalence of burglaries targeting empty homes during the extended holiday. (rfa)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, June 12 2018

State-owned toll operator PT Jasa Marga revealed that 109,165 cars left Jakarta for the annual Idul Fitri exodus on Saturday.

Another 100,000 cars were expected to leave the capital via the Cikarang tollgate on Sunday, Jasa Marga spokesman Dwimawan Heru said on Sunday as reported by tempo.co.

Sundays figure was a 85 percent increase from the number of cars that usually exit Jakarta on weekends, which once reached 58,851.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, June 12, 2018 10:57 1222 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8cbcc2 1 National illegal-workers,Nabire,Timika,Papua,Chinese-citizens,immigration,ImmigrationOffice,Immigration-Office Free

The Tembagapura Immigration Office has said that hundreds of Chinese nationals were found working for local gold mining companies in Nabire, Papua, without proper work documents.

This was happening for quite a long time due to poor supervision, Tembagapura Immigration Office head Jesaja Samuel Enock said as quoted by Antara in Timika on Monday.

According to the immigration office, 13 workers were taken to Timika from Nabire on Sunday. Eight more Chinese people will be transferred to Timika on Wednesday.

Samuel said the office found out about the alleged illegal employment of Chinese citizens at local gold mines based on reports from local residents and tribal councils.

Samuel said he later launched an investigation into the reports and carried out unannounced inspections at gold mining sites in Nabire, where his personnel allegedly found Chinese people working without proper permits. The gold mining sites in Nabire are located in four locations, namely Kilometer 70, KM 52, KM 38 and KM 30 on the trans-Nabire-Enarotali Paniai highway.

We received reports from the residents that more than 10 local gold mining sites in Nabire hired Chinese people. Weve managed to reach four sites only so far, Samuel said.

He said the local residents were disappointed and felt cheated by the companies where the Chinese nationals allegedly worked.

There are no local people working at the companies. They have even been banned from the sites. Thats why they dont know the exact details on the production capacity of those mines. (stu/ebf)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Tokyo, Japan  Tue, June 12, 2018 16:41 1221 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8dd448 1 National Vice-President-Jusuf-Kalla,Vietnamese-deputy-prime-minister,Truong-Hoa-Binh,wages,minimum-wage Free

Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh discussed the minimum wage for workers in Southeast Asia and the fate of Vietnamese fishermen in Indonesia during their bilateral meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.

In the meeting, Kalla and Binh agreed to coordinate and hold further discussions on the minimum wage for industrial workers in the region.

Kalla said establishing a minimum wage was important to ensure better welfare for workers in neighboring countries that are investment destinations for labor-intensive industries, such as Vietnam.

We want to cooperate to ensure that workers [in the region] are not continuously pressed upon by the industry, Kalla said on Tuesday. We are also talking about establishing a minimum wage in ASEAN.

Kalla said industrial competition should not forsake the welfare of workers, whose salary was relatively low due to intense competition in labor-intensive industries.

Vietnam is among Indonesias major competitors in Southeast Asia for investment in labor-intensive industries. In 2015, Indonesias monthly average minimum wage stood at US$123, higher than Vietnam at $118.

Kalla said the collaboration was still at an early stage. Binh also requested Jakartas attention over Vietnamese fishermen being detained by Indonesian authorities for illegally fishing in Indonesian waters, he added.

We will process them through the legal system and I said [to Binh] that we will immediately conclude it so that our bilateral relations with Vietnam will not be disrupted." (ebf)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Aceh  Tue, June 12 2018

A male elephant was found dead from poisoning in East Aceh, Aceh, on Sunday. One of its tusks had been removed.

Bunta, 27, was part of the Conservation Response Unit (CRU) elephant team, which wards off wild elephants trying to enter the area. Bunta and three other elephants had been stationed at CRU Serbajadi in Bunin village, Serbajadi district, East Aceh, Aceh, since January 2016.

The team was tasked with preventing animal-human conflict in the area. Bunta was the main police elephant at CRU Serbajadi, which was visited by Hollywood actor Leonardo Di Caprio in March 2016.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Vela Andapita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, June 12, 2018 16:58 1221 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8dea55 1 City Ramadhan-2018,Idul-Fitri-2018,waste,jakarta Free

The Jakarta Environment Agency recorded that the amount of waste produced by Jakartans increased by 4 percent during Ramadhan.

Agency head Isnawa Adji said in a statement that from January to May this year, the agency transported 7,710 tons of waste every day to Bantargebang landfill in Bekasi, West Java.

The figure rose to an average of 7,999 tons every day since the beginning of Ramadhan. It is an increase of around 289 tons per day, he said.

The increase is due to changes in peoples consumption patterns. They tend to consume more food during iftar [breaking-of-the-fast meal] and sahur [predawn meal], he added.

Most of the excess is domestic waste, such as food, fruit, vegetable and plastic waste.

[The amount of waste] usually starts decreasing a week before and after Idul Fitri. Many people have left the city for mudik [exodus], Isnawa said.

The figure would rise again and reach its peak seven to 10 days after the Idul Fitri celebrations as people begin flocking back to the city.

Some 15 percent of workers involved in transporting waste are on leave for Idul Fitri, but Insawa said I assure that they will work optimally soon after the Idul Fitri celebration ends."Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, June 12, 2018 10:54 1222 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8cbb5b 1 Business Indonesia-National-Single-Window,export-competitiveness,Presidential-Regulation Free

President Joko Jokowi Widodo has signed Presidential Regulation No. 44/2018 on the Indonesia National Single Window (INSW), which is tasked with integrating export and import services, to boost exports.

Under the regulation, the submission and the processing of data and information is managed in a single process by the INSW, according to a statement published on the Cabinet Secretariat's official website setkab.go.id on Monday.

The regulation is to help the Indonesian economy compete internationally, the statement says.

It says that the INSW handles various documents related to the quarantine, customs and licensing processes as well as documents on seaports and airports.

Export and import documents are submitted to relevant ministries and other government institutions through the INSW system, according to the statement.

The INSW website, at www.insw.go.id, comes with information in both Indonesian and English .

To access the INSW system, users must obtain Hak Akses (Access Rights), which are issued by INSW system management based on a finance ministerial regulation, according to Article 7 of the presidential regulation.

The system is also equipped with a steering council, which is tasked with harmonizing policy and synchronizing processes in ministries and government institutions to improve efficiency.

The council is chaired by Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution, with ministers and other top government officials holding membership positions. (bbn)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, June 12 2018

As victims of the recent sexual abuse case in Depok are elementary school students, the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) and the Depok Police have decided to provide therapy and counseling to help mitigate the impact of the abuse on them.

The case came to light when parents of four students reported a former teacher identified only as WA, 23, on Wednesday to the police for alleged sexual abuse.

According to one of the parents, the suspect commanded all male students to take off their pants while studying in the classroom. If they resisted, the suspect threatened to lower their grades and encouraged them by saying that they would get good grades if they complied.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, June 12, 2018 15:16 1221 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8d6113 4 Business MRT-Jakarta,construction,progress Free

Construction of the MRT in Jakarta is 94.2 percent complete, with a rolling stock trial run slated for December, PT MRT Indonesia president director William P. Sabandar said in Jakarta on Monday

We are on time and the commercial operation will be held in March 2019, William said while accompanying Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution in his visit to the MRT project, kontan.co.id reported.

He said two trains, each of which consisted of six cars, had arrived from Japan and that other trains were expected to arrive in December, when a trial run would be held without passengers.

He said the two currently available trains would head from Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta to test the entire MRT system.

The MRT had already been powered with electricity, William said, adding that the railway signaling system, which was vital for the entire system, was currently being installed.

We have started to install the signaling system. As you can see, the railway tracks have already been installed, while in August, we will place the trains on the tracks, he said.

A total of 16 trains and 96 train cars will operate along the MRT network. (bbn)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Kharishar Kahfi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, June 12, 2018 14:03 1221 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8d36ad 1 National Yahya-Cholil-Staquf,Yahya-Staquf,NU,NahdlatulUlama,Israel,Palestine,Palestinians,Tel-Aviv Free

A top Muslim cleric from Indonesias largest Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Yahya Cholil Staquf, has broken his silence regarding his visit to Jerusalem to fulfill an invitation from an Israeli organization, saying his visit was made in part to support Palestine.

I stand here for Palestine. I stand here on the basis that we have to honor Palestine's sovereignty as a free country, he said in a statement posted on NU's official website, nu.or.id.

The cleric explained that Indonesias and NUs active role was to continue former president Abdurrahman Wahids mission to create world peace.

Yahya  also known as Gus Yahya  clarified the reasons behind his visit after speaking in a discussion held by the America Jewish Committee (AJC) Global Forum in Jerusalem.

It was previously reported that he was invited by the Israel Council on Foreign Relations to deliver a speech titled Shifting Geopolitical Calculus: From Conflict to Cooperation at the David Amar World North African Jewish Heritage Center in Jerusalem on June 13.

NU executive Robikin Emhas confirmed on June 9 that the invitation was for Yahya but denied a claim that the cleric represented NU, asserting it was a personal invitation. Robikin said he believed Gus Yahyas presence in Israel was to support Palestinians.

Yahya's clarification came amid polemics surrounding Tel Avivs plan to bar Indonesians from entering Israel in retaliation against Jakartas move to deny visas to dozens of Israeli citizens. The policy was initially to take effect on June 9 but waived until June 26. (ebf)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Semarang, Central Java  Tue, June 12, 2018 09:50 1222 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8c8ab0 1 National St-Theresia-Catholic-parish,Bongsari-parish,Semarang,Central-Java,ramadhan,Ramadhan-2018,Harmony,tolerance,religious-harmony Free

Hundreds of people flocked to a bazaar selling basic commodities held by congregation members of the St.Theresia Bongsari Church in Semarang, Central Java, on Sunday, or five days before Idul Fitri. At least 400 packages of basic commodities were offered at an affordable price at the bazaar.

Each package, which contained 5 kilograms of rice, 1 kg of sugar, 1 kg of wheat flour, 1 liter of cooking oil, tea and soy sauce, cost only Rp 50,000 (US$3.60). Other items were also sold at low prices, such as school equipment and 267 kg of eggs.

Catholic priest Eduardus Didik Chahyono said all the goods were being sold far below market price because the Bongsari parish wanted to share happiness.

The bazaar was held by congregation members of the Bongsari parish. We hold bazaars like this every Christmas and Idul Fitri, he said.

Togetherness: Members of Jami'atul Quro wal Huffadh, a rebana (traditional tambourine) musical group, sing Islamic songs during a breaking-of-the fast event held by the St.Theresia Bongsari Church in Semarang, Central Java, on June 1. (JP/Suherdjoko)

The bazaar was one of two events held by the church during Ramadhan this year. A breaking-of-the-fast event was also held at the St. Maria Park in Bojongsalaman subdistrict, West Semarang, on June 1.

Members of Jami'atul Quro wal Huffadh, a rebana (tambourine) musical group, sang Islamic songs. A qori performed a Quranic recitation before they broke the fasting.

A breaking-of-the fast event is held routinely. The Bongsari church is part of this neighborhood unit. We have always been involved in the dynamics of this community. With this event, we want to give testimony that at the grassroots level, our people live in peace and harmony, said Priest Didik. He said people must always be critical of views that tended to besmirch other religions

Islamic cleric Khoirul Anwar said Muslims were often called on to be peacemakers for parties engaged in conflict. The presence of Muslims should bring peace, he said. (ebf)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Tramaditya Salim (The Jakarta Post) Singapore  Tue, June 12, 2018 15:24 1221 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8d6ea7 1 World Donald-Trump,kim-jong-un,North-Korea,Korean-peninsula,Singapore,Lee-Hsien-Loong Free

Southeast Asia has its eyes on the historic summit on Tuesday between United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, as many in the region await a possible deal that may soothe tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Trump and Kim, having concluded a one-on-one meeting, wider bilateral talks and a luncheon just before 1 p.m. on Tuesday, had a brief stroll on the grounds of the Capella Hotel, where the US president said in passing that their engagements were "top of the line" and that he and Kim would soon be signing some sort of document.

Just minutes before, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi was the latest to express well wishes for the summit. "My very best wish for the Singapore Summit between North Korean Leader and US President," she tweeted using her handle, @Menlu_RI.

(Read also: Trump, Kim sign 'comprehensive document')

Earlier that day, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said by hosting the summit at a venue that is both neutral and agreeable to both sides, Singapore may "enable a productive summit".

As the host country, Lee said Singapore felt it was duty-bound to contribute to the constructive outcome of the summit, as tensions on the Korean peninsula have a great impact on the region.

"If tensions in Northeast Asia on the Korean peninsula are going to destabilize the region, then Southeast Asia is not going to be let off scot-free, nor the world," he said in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, on Wednesday. (ebf)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin N. Abdi (The Jakarta Post) Balikpapan  Tue, June 12, 2018 10:18 1222 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8ca481 1 National reporters,journalism,defamation,South-Kalimantan,Kotabaru Free

A South Kalimantan journalist who had been detained by the authorities for more than a month after being charged with defamation for his articles died on Sunday.

The journalist, identified as Muhammad Yusuf from online news portal KemajuanRakyat.co.id, died at Kotabaru Regional Public Hospital in Kotabaru, South Kalimantan, around two weeks after being transferred from the Kotabaru Polices detention center to Kotabaru penitentiary on May 27.

Yusuf had been charged with defamation and hate speech as stipulated under the 2008 Electronic Information and Transactions Law.

He had reportedly complained of breathing difficulties, chest pain and had vomited inside the detention on Saturday before being rushed to the hospital.

Yusuf passed away at exactly 2:30 pm at Kotabaru hospital, said Kotabaru Police chief Adj. Sr. Comm. Suhasto on Monday.

The police accused Yusuf of defaming and inciting hate speech against oil palm plantation company PT Multi Sarana Agro Mandiri (MSAM) on KemajuanRakyat.co.id, his social media accounts and during rallies.

MSAM is owned by coal-tycoon Syamsudin Andi Arsyad, also known as Haji Isam.

Suhasto said the police arrested Yusuf after having consulted the Press Council.

The Press Council confirmed that they had investigated 23 of Yusufs published articles and found that most of them were "unverified, unbalanced and opinionated" and were therefore considered as defying the councils standards of journalism and the 1999 Press Law.

The Press Council concluded that those who felt disadvantaged by Yusufs writings could press charges against him using legislation other than the 1999 Press Law. (nor/ahw)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, June 12, 2018 18:41 1221 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8e153d 1 City stone-throwing,teenagers,East-Jakarta,toll-road Free

Two teenagers were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly throwing rocks at passing cars on a toll road below Malaka bridge in Ciracas, East Jakarta.

"We have arrested both suspects," East Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Yoyon Tony Surya said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com. "They are still under investigation."

Both suspects said they did not mean to hurt anybody, Yoyon said.

"They said they did it just for fun," Tony explained. "But we're still looking into the case."

The suspects allegedly threw rocks from above lane four that connects Jakarta to Bogor in West Java.

"The suspects allegedly started throwing rocks from the bridge after they finished sahur [pre-dawn meal]," Tony said.

Security officers from state-owned toll operator Jasa Marga caught the teenagers in the act. The officers then reported them to the highway patrol.

This is the latest case in which rocks were thrown at passing cars.

On June 5, a motorist was killed after large rocks were thrown at passing cars on the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road.

Jasa Marga operation management division vice president Bagus Cahya AB stated that a person with a psychological disorder was the perpetrator.

"The perpetrator has been arrested," he said. (rfa)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Tramaditya Salim (The Jakarta Post) Singapore  Tue, June 12, 2018 20:15 1221 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8e38be 1 World Trump-Kim-summit,joint-statement,Donald-Trump,USA,North-Korea,Singapore Free

United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un came away from a historic summit on Tuesday with an agreement to work toward a "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula".

Trump has committed to providing security guarantees to North Korea, while Kim "reaffirmed his unwavering commitment" to complete denuclearization, according to a statement signed by both leaders at the end of the summit in Singapore.

Both sides also agreed to establish diplomatic ties during the event, which the statement says "will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world".

The statement does not go into details on how denuclearization would be achieved and leaves out other issues that may complicate tensions in the region. It only said that the US and North Korea would "join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime" on the Korean Peninsula.

Both leaders say, however, that they reaffirmed the Panmunjom Declaration signed during the Inter-Korean Summit, which became the basis of realizing a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

The US and North Korea also committed to recovering the remains of fallen heroes and prisoners of war, "including the immediate repatriation of those already identified".

Speaking at a press conference after the summit, Trump said he expected the denuclearization process to start "very, very quickly".

Trump and Kim were in Singapore in the first ever meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Tramaditya Salim (The Jakarta Post) Singapore  Tue, June 12, 2018 08:19 1222 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8bd211 2 World trump,kim-jong-un,Singapore,peace-and-conflict-resolution,denuclearization Free

A historic peace summit between United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un began with a symbolic handshake at the courtyard of the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island on Tuesday.

The handshake, an orchestrated gesture lasting 12 seconds in front of the media, marks the first time a sitting US president has met a North Korean leader.

Ahead of a one-on-one meeting between the two leaders, Kim told Trump that "the way to the summit was not easy".

"We overcame all of them [the obstacles] and we are here today," Kim said on Wednesday through a translator.

Trump, in the meantime, said, "We'll have a terrific relationship".

The two leaders planned a 45-minute one-on-one meeting with just translators present, followed by an expanded bilateral meeting and a working lunch.

Kim is scheduled to return home at 2 p.m. Singapore time, while Trump is to make a 4 p.m. press conference before departing later in the evening.

Sentosa Island, the venue of the summit, got its name from the Sanskrit word meaning "peace".Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Tramaditya Salim (The Jakarta Post) Singapore  Tue, June 12, 2018 12:49 1221 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8cf0cc 1 World ASEAN,DonaldTrump,Donald-Trump,kim-jong-un,North-Korea,Singapore Free

US President Donald Trump has expressed his country's continued commitment to engaging Southeast Asia, the Singaporean Foreign Ministry said in a media statement, following a tete-a-tete meeting with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the palace on Monday.

"President Trump [...] expressed the US continued commitment to engage the region and his support for Singapores Chairmanship of ASEAN," the statement said.

"In this regard, President Trump accepted the invitation from President Halimah Yacob to make a state visit to Singapore in November 2018, in conjunction with the 6th ASEAN-US Summit and 13th East Asia Summit".

(Read also: Trump's national security adviser back in fold at Kim summit)

On the face of it, the US has only recently shown renewed interest in engaging Southeast Asia, after Trump attended last year's APEC leaders' meeting in Vietnam and touted a "free and open Indo-Pacific", shorthand for concerted efforts with allies like India, Japan and Australia -- and now ASEAN -- to balance China's rapidly expanding sphere of influence in the region.

Last week, senior officials from Australia, India, Japan and the US met in Singapore on the sidelines of the ASEAN-centered senior officials meetings and reaffirmed "shared support for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region", a US State Department press release stated.

"The four countries reiterated strong support for ASEAN centrality and ASEAN-led mechanisms in the evolving regional architecture, and affirmed the indispensable role of regional institutions in the Indo-Pacific."

Despite acknowledging the group's centrality in the "regional architecture", Washington has yet to fully dispel doubts that it has put the region on the back burner. It has yet to nominate an envoy to ASEAN, one of three pledges made by US Vice President Mike Pence during a visit to Jakarta last year, which would reassure ASEAN that the US would continue engagement in the region.

Trump is in Singapore to attend the US-North Korea summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on June 12. (ebf)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Tramaditya Salim (The Jakarta Post) Singapore  Tue, June 12, 2018 11:44 1222 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8ccb32 1 World Donald-Trump,US-president,kim-jong-un,Mike-Pompeo,US,North-Korea,Pyongyang Free

United States national security adviser John Bolton, who almost jeopardized plans for a historic summit between the US and North Korea three weeks ago, has rejoined President Donald Trump for an extended bilateral meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Bolton was seen accompanying Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who had closely coordinated with North Korea on plans for Tuesday's summit.

Pyongyang had earlier criticized the hawkish Bolton, who called for it to give up its nuclear arsenal in a deal that would mirror Libya's abandonment of its weapons program. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi would later be killed by US-supported militants in 2011.

North Korea rejected any suggestion of a Libya model, Reuters reported.

In a letter published by the White House on May 24, Trump said he was scrapping the summit after threats by the North to pull out over what it regarded as confrontational remarks demanding unilateral disarmament.

(Read also: Kim-Trump summit commences with handshake)

When the summit was back on again, Bolton had reportedly been sidelined from further summit preparations.

Trump has since dismissed the Libya model and, through White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, said he would use a "Trump model" instead.

The US president had also backed off from using a "maximum pressure" campaign on the North - a point Bolton has bullishly echoed - although US officials insisted the ongoing negotiations were still in step with the strategy.

Bolton was seen again at the summit on Tuesday and took part in the extended bilateral meeting between Trump, Kim and their senior officials.

It remains unclear whether his presence has influenced the US approach.

Trump and Kim might still agree on a declaration to end the 1950-53 Korean War, which was concluded with an armistice.

Ahead of the two leaders' tete-a-tete at the beginning of the summit, Kim said he was willing to work in close cooperation with Trump. It would be challenging, but he would be willing to do it, he said.

"It has not been easy to get here," Kim said through a translator.

"The old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward but we overcame them and we are here today"

After their one-on-one meeting, Trump said the two have "a terrific relationship". (ebf)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Jess Macy Yu (Reuters) Taipei  Tue, June 12, 2018 07:45 1222 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8bab23 2 World US,China,Taiwan,diplomacy Free

The United States will unveil a new $250 million representative office Taiwan's capital on Tuesday, a de facto embassy that underscores Washington's strategic ties with the democratic, self-ruled island as it faces escalating tensions with China.

Washington cut diplomatic ties with Taipei in 1979 but remains the island's strongest ally and sole foreign arms supplier. It opened the American Institute of Taiwan (AIT) to conduct relations between the two sides after severing ties.

The new complex, a significant upgrade from the low-key military building the AIT had used for decades, will serve as the representative office later this summer, said AIT Director Kin Moy.

Marie Royce, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, and U.S. Congressman Gregg Harper are expected to attend Tuesday's ceremony.

Royce is the highest-ranking State Department official to visit Taiwan since 2015.

China claims self-ruled Taiwan under its "one China" policy and Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring what it sees as a wayward province under its control.

China's hostility towards Taiwan has grown since President Tsai Ing-wen was elected in 2016. Beijing suspects Tsai wants to push for formal independence, which would cross a red line for Communist Party leaders in Beijing.

Tsai, who has said she wants to maintain the status quo but will protect Taiwan's security and not be bullied by Beijing, is expected to give a speech at the new AIT office on Tuesday.

Widely read Chinese state-run newspaper the Global Times said on Tuesday China needed to warn Taiwan and the United States against provocation.

"The mainland must continue to build up its deterrence against Taiwanese authorities, making them know that the U.S. cannot be their saviour," it said in an editorial on the opening of the new office.

Taiwan recently lost two diplomatic allies after they switched ties to China, while some international companies have changed their websites to show the island's designation as being part of China.

China has also stepped up military drills, sending bombers and jet fighters on exercises near the island that Taipei has denounced as intimidation.

Taiwan has lobbied Washington to sell it more advanced equipment, including new fighter jets, to bolster its defences.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Anne Banerji (Reuters) New Delhi  Wed, June 13, 2018 00:37 1221 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8e6ee9 2 World India,stigma,discrimination,lesbian,LGBT Free

The suicide of a lesbian couple who jumped into a river and drowned highlights the hidden struggles of gay women in India, who are subjected to 'correctiverape' cures and family pressure to marry, activists said on Tuesday.

The women left suicide notes before killing themselves in the western state of Gujarat on Monday, a police officer, who declined to give his name as he was not authorised to speak to the media, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

He refused to confirm whether one woman also threw her toddler into the river, as reported by local media, which quoted the notes as saying, "We are leaving this world to live with each other. The world did not allow us to stay together".

It is more common to hear about lesbians committing suicide than other members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, said gay rights campaigner Anjali Gopalan.

"They live a far worse life than gay men, a much tougher life, because there is largely more acceptance of male homosexuality," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"Women's sexuality is not discussed at all in India, making it much more challenging for them to come out."

There is no official data on India's LGBT population, but the government estimates some 2.5 million gay people, reflecting those who have declared their sexuality to the health ministry.

Lesbians face a life of double discrimination - first because of their gender in a male-dominated society where sexual violence, child marriage and female infanticide are common - and then because of their sexuality, activists say.

In a surprise ruling in 2013, India's top court reinstated a ban on gay sex after a four-year period of decriminalisation, but it is set to reconsider the 2013 decision in July after a slew of petitions opposing the ban as unconstitutional.

Although the law is rarely enforced, it is used to intimidate, harass and blackmail gay people, activists say.

Outside cities, lesbians often face violence, brutality and even death, rights groups say.

"In rural areas, corrective rape is very prevalent and it is one of the main reasons why women do not come out," Maya Urmi Aher, a transgender rights activist, said, pointing to pressure on women to marry and bear children.

Such rapes are seldom reported as they are often carried out by husbands, brothers and fathers in a bid to 'cure' women, she said.

"Law and order consider crimes like this a joke," she said."We are the best island in the Caribbean, boasts a Puerto Rican to tourists.

Puerto Rico is an important island for Americans because of its convenient location as a bridge between Europe and America.

It was also through the island that Christopher Columbus discovered Florida.

Despite being a US territory, the island has its own culture. The Tainos who hail from South America were the first inhabitants of the island. By 1493, they amounted to 50,000 people.

Puerto Rico is a popular stopover for tourists taking Caribbean cruises. Many guides offer tours in and around the island with a running time of two hours for a price of US$25.

San Juan is divided into two sectors, the old and new towns. They are not far from each other and are reachable within minutes.

The tours usually start with a visit to the Capitol building, which was built in 1929. It is designed in a neoclassical style with intricate carvings on its pillars. Inside the Capitol building are beautiful architectural designs on ceilings and floors.

The Walkaway of the Presidents (JP/Aruna Harjani)

Opposite the Capitol is the Walkaway of The Presidents, which consists of statues of the nine US presidents who have visited Puerto Rico. What is more interesting is that the statues are life size.

The nine presidential statues are of Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford and Barack Obama.

The tour then heads to Ashford Avenue in Condado. Here, an array of shops and restaurants is located.

One of the highlights of the area is the Mother and Child statue created by Fernando Botero, which was reportedly purchased for $1.8 million.

The statue is situated at the Plaza del Ancla square in Condado. Opposite the statue is Condado Beach.

Artwork: Fernando Boteros Mother and Child statue is located close to Condado Beach. (Aruna Harjani) (JP/Aruna Harjani)

With most tours the last stop is the Plaza Colon, where the exquisite San Cristobal Fort -- one of the first and biggest forts in America  is situated.

A part of the San Juan National Historic site, the fort was built by the Spaniards to protect the island from attack. The fort has cisterns that were used to store water during the Spanish colonial era but later were used as bomb shelters during World War II.

The Plaza Colon also has a 40-foot pillar with a statue of Columbus on top.

In the city of Arecibo there is another monument created in honor of Columbus, which at 350 feet is taller than the Statue of Liberty. The monument miraculously survived the recent heavy storms.

It is said it took 110,000 hours to make the statue, which weighs 6,500 tons using 2,500 pieces of bronze, steel and copper. A Georgian-Russian painter, named Zurab Tsereteli, designed the statue.

The symbolism of the statue causes mixed reactions, some see it as a remembrance of Columbus discovery of Puerto Rico but some see it as a reminder of the notorious treatment of the Tainos by him.

The Plaza Colon has a 40-foot pillar with a statue of Columbus on top. (Shutterstock/File)

Puerto Ricans, being Spanish-oriented, celebrate Christmas and after New Year, the Epiphany.

Twelve days after Christmas Puerto Ricans celebrate El Dia De Los Reyes or Three Kings Day. In fact, this is the time Puerto Ricans exchange their gifts. For them the three kings represent a more spiritual and faithful representation of the story of the birth of Christ.

The three kings  Melchior represents Europe, Gaspar represents Arabia and Balthazar represents Africa. In celebration the Plaza Colon also has statues of the three kings.

Another place worth a visit is the Castilo San Felipe del Morro, named in honor of King Philip II of Spain. The castle was built for the purpose of guarding San Juan Bay. UNESCO has declared this fortification a World Heritage Site.

Fortification: The San Felipe del Morro castle, a UN World Heritage site since 1983, is seen in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Shutterstock/File)

Museo De Las Americas, a museum featuring pre-Columbian and modern art hosts different exhibitions but also has permanent exhibits by Puerto Rican artists.

The Cathedral of San Juan Baustista is one of the oldest buildings in San Juan. The church was first built in 1521 but later destroyed by a hurricane and was restructured in 1540. The church has old relics displayed inside the building.

Teatro Tapia, is the oldest theater in Puerto Rico built in the 18th century. The interior of the theater is in a neoclassical style and is still used to stage shows.

When it was time to leave the island, looking back, I realized how Puerto Rico had stolen my heart in just a matter of hours. It is Western in so many ways but its rich culture and traditions will always engulf modernity.

From here the lines of a song from West Side Story played in my mind and it goes: Puerto Rico, my hearts devotion, let it sink back in the ocean, always the hurricanes blowing, always the population growing, and the money owning and the natives steaming.Singapore Airlines announced last month that it will reopen its Singapore-Newark route in October.

The journey from Singapore to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, the United States, will reportedly take around 19 hours, making it the worlds longest commercial flight.

For the route, the airline will use the Airbus 350-900ULR, which can hold 161 passengers  67 in business class and 94 in premium economy.

The decision to have no economy class was made to meet market demand, Singapore Airlines spokesperson told AFP as quoted by kompas.com.

Read also: Singapore Airlines to launch world's longest flight

"The two-class configuration [...] was a business consideration to meet market demand. This configuration will also provide our customers with greater comfort on non-stop flights," said the airlines spokesperson.

However, analysts say the decision is an attempt to promote the airline to wealthy customers.

"It's about Singapore Airlines marketing themselves as a premium service provider," Brendan Sobie, chief analyst at the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, told AFP. (jes/kes)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, June 12, 2018 06:01 1222 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e8b89f2 4 News Education,railway,railway-engineering,Madiun,East-Java,PT-INKA Free

Madiun State Polytechnic (PNM) in Madiun, East Java, has recently opened a railway engineering program with a bachelor of applied science degree.

Research, Technology and Higher Education Minister Mohamad Nasir officiated the program on Friday, while new student enrollment is expected to begin this year.

The minister had urged PNM to launch the program, pointing to the progress of rail transport in Indonesia. Some of the governments recent efforts include the Jakarta-Bandung high speed train, Jakartas MRT and Palembangs light rapid transit (LRT) in South Sumatra.

Our railway [industry] still lacks qualified human resources, whether [the companies] are run by the Indonesian Railways Academy [API] or PT Industry Kereta Api [PT INKA], while the demand is incredibly high, Nasir told kompas.com.

Read also: ITB to offer master degree program on railway engineering

The workers we have now also need improvement. We plan to send 15 INKA engineers to China to study high-speed trains, while 142 railway experts from the company will be involved in the program, he added.

PNM director M. Fajar Subkhan said that demand for skilled workers in the railway industry was increasing.

We need around 30,000 people. Its a big number and we need to meet that demand if we want to provide qualified [human] resources, he said.

Fajar said the school has prepared a number of activities with related agencies to strengthen collaborations between the field of education and the transportation industry. (wng)The other day, we posted statements from local elected officials regarding Mayor de Blasios proposed changes in the admissions procedure for the citys specialized high schools.

The mayor wants to scrap the Specialized High School Admissions Test, as a way of increasing enrollment in the elite high schools by black and Latino students. Asian groups have expressed outrage, saying the plan is unjust (more than 60% of the students in New Yorks specialized schools are of Asian descent). In our original story, City Council member Margaret Chin criticized the city administration for failing to consult with local communities before unveiling the proposal. She demanded a meeting with the mayor and stakeholders from across the city to begin creating, a solution that works for all of our students.

After the article was published, Chins office sent along a letter the Council member has sent to the mayor. Chin noted that shes a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, one of the specialized public institutions. She praised the mayors efforts to make the schools more diverse, but then expressed serious concerns about the plan:1. Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of The Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII-Chester Nez and Judith Schiess Avila I had no idea about the Navajo Code Talkers until I listened to a podcast episode from Stuff You Missed In History Class about codebreaking in WWII, and they talked a bit about US codebreaking methods in WWII. The Navajo Code Talkers worked in the marines and passed messages from command to the rest of the soldiers in the Pacific Theater, and it was basically unbreakable because Navajo is unintelligible to anyone who is not a native speaker and has not had training it. Chester Naz was the last living Navajo Code Talker, and he died in 2014, so this book is the last source of information about the Navajo Code Talkers that comes directly from one of them. 2. The Hiding Place: The Triumphant Story of Corrie Ten Boom-Corrie Ten Boom, John Sherrill, Elizabeth Sherrill Corrie Ten Boom and her family were leaders in the Dutch Underground in WWII: they hid Jews in their home and helped them escape from Nazi Germany. All but Corrie were killed in concentration camps during the war. The Hiding Place tells Corrie and her family's war story. 3. Code Name Pauline: Memoirs of a World War II Special Agent-Pearl Witherington Cornioley Pearl Witherington was a Special Agent in the French branch of the Special Operations Executive, the spy network set up by Winston Churchill in WWII, first as an undercover courier and then the leader of a group of 3,500 men, and she was integral in many acts of sabotage committed by the SOE during the war. 4. Arise To Conquer-Ian Gleed Gleed's memoir was actually written during WWII; an account of his service during the Battle of Britain, from his first mission in 1939 to recieving the Distinguished Flying Cross. Gleed died in 1943, having been shot down in his plane over Tunisia. 5. The Last Jew of Treblinka-Chil RajchmanRajchman's memoir is the only survivor's record of Treblinka, so definitely an important one to read to understand from a firsthand perspective what went on at that camp. The book was originally published in 1944, in Yiddish, but has subsequently been translated into English. 6. An Underground Life: Memoirs of a Gay Jew In Nazi Berlin-Gad Beck Gad Beck's memoir talks about his life being gay and a Jew and a teenage leader in the Resistance in WWII. It's quite frankly amazing that he managed to stay out of the Concentration camps, let alone survived the war! Given that it's currently Pride Month, Gad Beck's memoir would be the perfect book to read if you want both a taste of WWII, and to read something written by a gay man. 7. Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker's War, 1941-1945-Leo Marks Leo Marks was head of Communications of the SOE, and invented lot of the codes used by the British in WWII. When it comes to British cryptography, we tend to think immediately of Alan Turing and the codebreakers and Bletchley Park, but Marks' work with the SOE was just as integral to the war effort. Marks was also a playwright and screenwriter, and he has a very humourous and engaging writing style as well as writing about a fascinating subject. 8. The Boy On The Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible....on Schindler's List-Leon Leyson Leon Leyson is the only Schindler's List child to have written a memoir - he was only ten years old when the Nazis invaded Poland and his family were forced into the Krakow ghetto. The book Schindler's List follows the life of Oskar Schindler, the man who saved many Jews' lives by employing them in his factory, but that is a fictional novel, so if you want a historical account from someone who was actually on Schindler's list, then this might be a good place to start.9. Barefoot Gen-Keiji Nakazawa Barefoot Gen is a ten part Japanese manga series, which, although slightly fictionalised and not a completely direct account like some of the memoirs in this list, is a semi-autobiographical account of the author's experiences of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the aftermath. Hiroshima is an event that tends to be overlooked in WWII writing, and this being a graphic novel, it's an accessible way of learning about the horrific bombing. 10. Diary of A Young Girl-Anne Frank I couldn't finish off this list without including the book that inspired it, Anne Frank's diary. Anne Frank's story is such a tragic one, but what is amazing about Anne Frank's diary is how much hope she had, even in the darkest period of her short life.Casting our minds back to last year's Tony's, Dear Evan Hansen snatched up the majority of the awards, and the year before that Hamilton wiped the floor. They were worthy winners, but their success is a result of them both breaking the mold and stretching the limits and expectations of musical theatre - I'm not sure I can say that Frozen has done the same.The key distinction between adaptations and original stage musicals is that the latter are constructed with an awareness of the limitations and advantages of working within the theatre. This may seem obvious, but it affects not just how we tell stories, but also what kind of stories we are telling. Take, for example, the Book of Mormon, a musical that has been celebrated for years after winning Best Musical (among other awards) at the Tony's in 2011. This musical works on stage because its controversial nature exploits the immediacy of the audience. On the screen, audience members would be able to distance themselves from the story making them, potentially, more critical and judgmental of the story being told. But in the theatre, the audience becomes part of the story, and the controversy simply heightens the tongue-in-cheek comedy that is being performed. Therefore, it is imperative that original stage musicals, like the Book of Mormon, are being told in order for theatre to continue to grow as an art form, with its boundaries constantly being questioned. It is also an outlet for particular stories to be told, an example here is Everybody's Talking about Jamie, which depicts the tale of a drag queen - a story more significat on the stage, due to it being the home of drag, compared to the screen. I'm not insinuating that adaptations are unable to push the boundaries too, or that they are inherently bad - the Lion King is evident of that, with its breathtaking puppetry causing it to have a seemingly permanent place on the West End. Rather, what I am saying is that adaptations, particularly from the screen, do not need to create groundbreaking theatre. More often than not, their reputation will prevail and people will attend the show for years, simply as an opportunity for them to see their favourite songs live. Similarly, adaptors may struggle to shake the expectations of their prospective audiences, which could be limiting to their creativity. Again, I believe that adaptations are acceptable in small doses, but with every single nomination for Best Musical being an adaptation, and at least half of the shows on at the West End right now also being adaptations, we must begin to question whether we are losing sight of what theatre really is.University students in the UK have successfully recruited almost 12,000 people to the stem cell register this academic year.

Students that are a part of Marrow societies, now present in 55 UK universities, have acted as a catalyst to spur people to do what they can to save anothers life - leading to amazing results.

In 2017-2018 academic year alone, Marrow has recruited 11,917 students to the stem cell register.

In addition, they have helped raised 160,000 to fund the charitys research initiatives.

On university campuses, Marrow societies run recruitment drives, hold fundraising events, and spread the word to raise awareness about stem cell donations - and clearly, their efforts are paying off.

Charlotte Cunliffe, Marrow Programme Lead at Anthony Nolan, says: Our Marrow volunteers really are the unsung heroes, helping Anthony Nolan give hope to patients with blood cancer and, as the numbers show, its been an amazing, lifesaving year!

After collecting registrations, marrow society members hand the names to Anthony Nolan and the charity aims to find matches for blood cancer and blood disorder patients that are in need of stem cell transplants.

Anthony Nolan, previously known as Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Register, was founded in 1974 by Shirley Nolan after her son was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder called Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome. Unfortunately, Anthony was not able to find a bone marrow match and died in 1979.

Shirley made it her lifes mission to help other patients find matches by creating a register for bone marrow and stem cells transplants.

Since then, the charity has been responsible for 1,000 stem cell donations and made up a quarter of all stem cell donations in the last two years.

Marrows origins draw similarities to the charity that it benefits.

In 1998, University of Nottingham student James Kustow learned that his childhood friend Karen had been diagnosed with leukaemia and needed a bone marrow transplant in order to survive. In response, James successfully organised a group of students to join the Anthony Nolan register to help find her a match.

Although Karen was unable to survive after relapsing four months later, James continued his work and inspired other students to do the same.

The emergence of Marrow societies in 1998 saw an additional growth in potential donors, and that year was the first time the charity provided donors for 300 transplants in a single year.

Marrows contributions to Anthony Nolan are vital, as 28% of all Anthony Nolan stem cell donations come from Marrow societies.

The charity has recruited over 100,000 potential donors onto the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register since 1998.

Every day, at least five people start their search for a matching unrelated stem cell donor," says Charlotte.

"The tireless efforts of all of our selfless student volunteers, helping to grow our register and raise vital funds to make our work possible, mean that more people in urgent need are given a second chance of life."Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here

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Home PageThe series can't be delayed if it's already complete!

Source: Press Release

DC's Black Label's flagship title Superman: Year One was revealed as delayed last month, so to counterbalance the delay, DC has decided to count Sean Gordon Murphy's Batman: White Knight as a Black Label title, giving them a fully completed series right out of the gate!

In March, Murphy alluded to this idea on Twitter:

"BWK was an unplanned success that caught everyone off guard. It might have been a Black Label book if I have waited a year- but in a way it accidentally jumped the gun. Who knows, maybe it'll be absorbed by Black Label."

While the hardcover wasn't considered a part of the Black Label, it will be starting with the softcover which is set to release October 9.

Other Black Label titles include:Margaret J. Williams

Margaret J. Williams passed away peacefully in her sleep on May 27, 2018.

Daughter of G.U. Austin and wife Grace born in 1923 she was the 5th of 7 siblings. All of whom preceded her in death as well as her husband Raymond C. Williams and her youngest son Roger A. Williams.

Margaret graduated from Rugby High school in 1941 and was the Salutatorian of her class. She married her High School sweetheart when he returned from active duty

after being wounded in combat.

Margaret is survived by her oldest son Ron and wife Judy Williams, son Rhys and wife Pamela Williams, daughter-in-law Tanya Williams, 7 Grandchildren, 8 Great

Grandchildren and 1 Great Great Grandchild. We are fortunate to have had her for so long. She will be missed.

Margaret will be interred at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan, North Dakota with her husband Raymond.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to: Prairie Village Museum 102 Highway 2 S.E. Suite A Rugby, North Dakota 58368Carol Ione Johnson

Dec. 22, 1935  May 30, 2018

Carol Ione Johnson, daughter of Lloyd O. and Margaret (Berg) Johnson, was born December 22, 1935 at Bottineau, North Dakota. She was raised in the rural Overly, North Dakota home of her parents and attended grade school in Overly, graduating from Willow City High School, the class of 1953.

Carol earned her Associate degree with honors in secretarial science from North Dakota School of Forestry in Bottineau in 1955. She was employed by First National Bank in Bottineau and from 1957-1958 she attended the Lutheran Bible Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota. While in Minneapolis, she worked in the investment depart-

ment at the Evangelical Lutheran Church headquarters. She later worked at First National Bank in Minot.

In 1968, Carol earned her Bachelor of Philosophy degree from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, majoring in social work. From 1968 to 1998, she worked

as a social worker/supervisor in child protection at the Grand Forks County Social Service Center in Grand Forks. She retired in 1998 and returned to the Johnson family farm in rural Overly to be a caretaker for her mother until her passing in June of 2000. Carol remained on the family farm for the next 18-years. The farm was her passion and she helped her brothers and nephew with a lot of farm activities, such as helping with moving machinery and preparing meals. Carol was a member of

Willow Creek Lutheran Church in Overly, where she served a number of years as president of the WELCA and also secretary of the church council. In the recent past, because of serious health issues, she had spent numerous days in hospitals in Minot and Rugby. Her latest hospital admission was in Rugby, at the Heart of America

Medical Center, where she passed away in the Care Center on May 30, 2018.

She is survived by her brothers, LeRoy (Muriel) and Robert (JoAnn) of Rugby, Edward (Dana) of Towner, sister, Marilyn Polk of Bismarck; numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends, and her faithful companion, her cat, Lucy.

Carol was preceded in death by her brother, Donald and sister, Shirley Walker, brothers-in-law, Dan A. Polk and Warren Walker; and her parents.

Funeral services were held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, June 8th at the Willow Creek Lutheran Church in Overly with burial in the Willow Creek Cemetery, Overly. Pastor James Odden, officiating

Organist: Margaret Wittmayer

Vocalist: Jenner Johnson

Casket Bearers: Nephews: Ryan, Brett, Scott, Cory, Kipp, Travis, Trent & Tanner Johnson, Daiel C. Polk and Shane Walker

Arrangements with the Anderson Funeral Home of Rugby. Online registry: www.funeralsbyanderson.comMore than 1.300 on UND Spring 2018 Deans List

More than 1,300 students were named to the UND Deans List for the 2018 Spring Semester at the University of North Dakota. The Deans List comprises students whose grade point average are in the top 15 percent of the enrollment in each of the Universitys degree granting colleges and schools. A student must have completed no fewer than 12 semester hours of academic work for the semester, of which eight or more hours must be graded work rather than satisfactory/unsatisfactory.

Area students:

ESMOND: Gannon Engkvist

LEEDS: Alyssa Anderson, Bo Lauckner

RUGBY: Aubrey Hovland

TOWNER: McKenzie Bryn

WOLFORD: Hannah Walsh

More than 1,000 on UND Spring 2018 Presidents Roll of Honor

1,100 students were named to the University of North Dakota Presidents Roll of Honor for the 2018 Spring semester.

To qualify for the UND Presidents Roll of Honor, a student must have an overall cumulative grade point average of 3.80 or higher. The student must also have earned a minimum of 30 semester hours and have completed a minimum of 12 hours at the close of the semester, eight of which must be for traditional letter grades.

Area students:

ESMOND: Gannon Engkvist

LEEDS: Alyssa Anderson, Bo Lauckner

TOWNER: McKenzie Bryn

WOLFORD: Hannah Walsh

North Star Community Credit Union Awards College Scholarships

Each scholarship ranges from $500-$1000 and is awarded to a high school senior in the markets in North Dakota served by North Star.

This year, twenty-two applications were received and over half the applicants were awarded $500 scholarships.

Applicants must be a graduating senior, enrolled as a full-time student at a college of their choice and have parents who are members of North Star. The North Star Community Credit Union scholarships were established in 1980 and have been awarded to students annually ever since.

RUGBY: Kyler Odden, Corina Bell, Nathaniel Haman

WILLOW CITY: Charlynn Klebe

 NSCCU

NDTC Announces 2018 NDTC Scholarship Recipients

Ten exceptional high school seniors were selected to each receive a $750 award through the NDTC College Scholarship Program. Jacquelyn Blessum, Rugby High School, daughter of Alan and Karleen Blessum, was among the ten selected.

NDTC demonstrates its commitment to our community by investing in the future of deserving youth in our service area. Consideration was given to high school senior applicants planning to attend a post secondary school and whose parents or guardians have their primary residence within NDTC exchanges and are a current subscriber of NDTC telecommunication services.

Congratulations Jacquelyn!

 NDTCSeveral weeks ago in my column, I reviewed information on veterans burial locations in North Dakota. Today, I would like to expound on this to include additional burial benefits for veterans.

A veteran who passes away from a service connected disability, on or after September 11, 2001, is entitled to a burial allowance for the total cost of the funeral, burial, and transportation, of $2000.00, whichever is less. An additional separate amount is payable for the veteran, if the veteran is buried in a National Cemetery. There is no time limit for the burial or transportation allowances due to a service connected death.

A veteran who passes away from a non-service connected disability may be entitled to a burial allowance of $300.00. $762.00 is allowed if the veteran died in a VA medical center, or a VA nursing home or a VA contracted nursing home, with an additional $300.00 plot or interment allowance. An additional separate amount is available for transportation to a National Cemetery or from the place of death to the place of burial if the veteran dies at a DVA Medical Center, hospitalized at a non-DVAMC under Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) authorization, or while traveling under DVA authorization. If in an approved nursing home, and no other entitlement, $300.00 is then payable. The deadline for submitting the claim is two years after the date of final permanent burial or interment.

The DVA furnishes upon request, at no charge to the applicant, a headstone or marker to mark the gravesite of an eligible veteran in any cemetery around the world. There is no time limit for ordering the marker. Headstones are provided for eligible spouses and dependents of veterans when buried in a national, military, or state veterans cemetery. Any deceased veteran discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces under conditions other than dishonorable is eligible to receive the grave marker. Military service after September 7, 1980 required a minimum of 24 months of service, except for special circumstances. Individuals with 20 or more years of service in the National Guard or Reserve, entitled to retirement pay subsequent to October 27, 1992 are entitled to a grave marker.

The DVA furnishes the U.S. flag to drape the casket of a veteran, and certain members of the National Guard, and the Selected Reserve.

Please contact me should you have any questions concerning burial benefits.Southern Pines, NC (28387)

Today

Mostly sunny in the morning. Increasing clouds with showers later in the day. High 84F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

A mostly clear sky. Low 48F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.Posted Tuesday, June 12, 2018 3:55 am

The first bite into their classic hamburger or a sip of their super thick milkshake keeps bringing customers back to Don & Jos Drive-In.

This family-run restaurant  located on the corner of 219th Street and 10th Avenue in Ridgefield  has stayed in business throughout the evolution of Battle Ground and Ridgefield.

Don and Joanne Zumstein first opened the doors during Memorial Day Weekend in 1968. Their son, Mike, and his wife, Connie, took ownership of the restaurant in 1982. This past Memorial Day, they celebrated the businesss 50th anniversary.

Fifty years is a long time for a business to be going, Connie Zumstein said. Mike and I have been blessed to be here for almost 36 years now. We know so many people by name. It feels like theyre friends. Like family.

The Zumsteins think back to the old days, when there was not so much traffic around the restaurant. Before the 219th Street exit opened on Interstate 5, freeway travellers got off at the fairgrounds exit and came up 10th Avenue. Vancouver residents came down past Dollars Corner. Now when people take the highway to downtown Battle Ground, Don & Jos is the first restaurant they see coming off I-5.

Its much more convenient today to get off the freeway and right back on here, Connie Zumstein said. Its growing a lot out here. They have turned these big, huge pastures into housing developments.

Despite this new wave, Zumstein says Don & Jos remains a small town tradition that continues to thrive thanks to loyal customers from Ridgefield, Battle Ground, Prairie, La Center, Woodland and as far north as Olympia and as far south as Portland, Oregon.

The menu is simple  burgers, sandwiches, fries, tater tots, chicken strips, onion rings, sodas and milkshakes. There are also homemade soups. Milkshakes are made with care. Each ingredient gets mixed with ice cream at different stages for maximum thickness. There are also sundaes and soft serve on waffle cones.

All of that stuff, Mikes parents had on their menu. Consistency and customer service are important to us, Connie Zumstein said. You go places that you have been to before, and all of the sudden, they change the menu or the food doesnt taste the same. Its so disappointing. We make it the way people want it.

Although Connie and Mike Zumstein know they will not be around Don & Jos for the next 50 years, their dream is to pass the family business down to their four children, Michael Zumstein II, Kristin, Travis and Courtney. Their grandchildren, Amy and Emily, have also worked at the restaurant.

Don and Joanne Zumstein still live in Battle Ground, just a few miles from their family landmark.

Im sure Mikes parents are pretty proud that its still around, Connie Zumstein said. He must have been 12 when his parents opened up this place in 1968. I started working for his mom as a teenager in high school in 1973. Thats how I met him.

Connie and Mike had their fair share of tough times throughout the years, but they hunkered down because they loved running a family business where they could raise their children.

We were kids. We were 26-years-old. We had never ran a business before, she said. I think if we figured out all the hours we put in and divided by how much money we got, our employees made more money than we did. We did work a lot of hours when we first started, but this way our pride and joy. Still is.Posted Tuesday, June 12, 2018 3:48 am

A summer tradition nearly a century old makes a return as the 96th annual Planters Days comes to Woodland this weekend.

Celebrated first in 1922, the now four-day event started to commemorate completion of dikes allowing the titular planters to farm the Woodland Bottoms. This years iteration starts off Thursday with the opening of the Horseshoe Lake Carnival, a childrens parade and fireworks.

Longtime Planters Days organizer and Woodland Chamber of Commerce Executive Director J.J. Burke said that mainstays of past years such as the bed races and frog jumping competitions will make a return with this years theme being Small town values, Big time dreams.

Those disappointed with the short fireworks show from 2017 are promised a bigger bang this year, following the selection of a new provider. Burke explained that last year the Planters Days Committee used a company from Tacoma following the loss of their previous provider. This year Planters Days will be done by the company that does the Independence Celebration at Pekin Ferry, making better use of the committees limited funds.

All that money that we were spending for travel back and forth to Tacoma goes back into the fireworks, Burke said, adding he was guaranteed an 18 to 20-minute show.

It should be a big one, Burke said, adding that in his 16 years of coordinating the event there hasnt been a shutdown of a show due to weather conditions.

Though much of last years events will be returning, Burke commented how some of the traditions from yesteryear  such as a greased pole climb  arent feasible in the modern age as Burke explained underwriters wouldnt insure such activities. He noted that insurance for this year had a big increase due to his insistence on keeping one tradition alive  candy throwing.

One thing Ive always said is the day they stop throwing candy is the day Im not going to run Planters Days, Burke remarked, explaining that it was a draw for kids  and in some cases adults  to scramble for sweets.

Regarding the events longevity Burke noted relatively low turnover among Planters Days committee members during his tenure, explaining that changes  if any  get deliberated with them before making any drastic shifts to the storied celebration.

Everybody has a say. I dont make the rules, Burke said. Anything we want it goes through the board.

96th Annual Planters Days in Woodland

Schedule of events

Thursday, June 14th

3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Carnival opens at Horseshoe Lake Park

3:45 p.m.

Childrens chalk art on Davidson Avenue

5 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

Childrens parade on Davidson Avenue

Starting at 5 p.m.

Strawberry shortcake and hot dogs at Horseshoe Lake Park

6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Free carriage rides on Davidson Avenue

8 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Planters Days Queen coronation at Horseshoe Lake Park

10 p.m. to 10:19 p.m.

Fireworks show at Horseshoe Lake Park

Friday, June 15th

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Friends of the Woodland Community Library book sale at the Woodland Community Center (782 Park St.)

1 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Carnival at Horseshoe Lake Park

At dusk

Kielbasa and corn on the cob at the Woodland Moose Lodge (133 Davidson Ave.)

6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Museum Bingo at the Woodland Middle School commons (755 Park St.)

6:30 p.m.

Saturday Market set-up in the U.S. Bank parking lot (569 Goerig St.)

Saturday, June 16th

All day events

Saturday Market in the U.S. Bank parking lot (569 Goerig St.)

Kielbasa and corn on the cob at the Woodland Moose Lodge (133 Davidson Ave.)

7 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Breakfast at VFW Post 1927 (434 Davidson Ave.)

Breakfast Buffet at the Moose Lodge (133 Davidson Ave.)

8 a.m.

Parade Formation on 5th Street south of Davidson Avenue

9 a.m.

Parade Judging on 5th Street south of Davidson Avenue

9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Calvary Chapel Kids Zone near church (170 Davidson Ave.)

9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Friends of the Woodland Community Library book sale at the Woodland Community Center (782 Park St.)

11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Carnival at Horseshoe Lake Park

11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Parade along Davidson Avenue, Park and Buckeye streets

Starting at noon

Firemens Barbecue at Horseshoe Lake Park

1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

51st Annual Frog Jump at Horseshoe Lake Park

2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Military Vehicles Collectors Show at Horseshoe Lake Park

3:30 p.m.

Firemens Muster in front of U.S. Bank (569 Goerig St.)

4 p.m.

Water Spectacular Ski Show at Horseshoe Lake

16th Annual Bed Races on Davidson Avenue

7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Cruise-in on Davidson Avenue

7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Billy Hagen Group on the stage at Hoffmann Plaza (at the corner of Davidson Avenue and Goerig Street)

Sunday, June 17th

All-day events

Saturday Market in the U.S. Bank Parking Lot (569 Goerig St, Woodland)

Car Show in downtown Woodland

Water Spectacular Ski Show at Horseshoe Lake (Times had not been announced as of press deadline)

7 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Breakfast buffet at the Woodland Moose Lodge (133 Davidson Ave.)

9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Horseshoe Paddlesports at Horseshoe Lake Park

Starting at 11 a.m.

Hot dogs and hamburgers at VFW Post 1927 (434 Davidson Ave.)

12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Talent contest on the stage at Hoffman Plaza (at the corner of Davidson Avenue and Goerig Street)

12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Carnival at Horseshoe Lake Park

2:30 p.m.

Car show awards on Davidson Avenue

3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Raffle drawing on the stage at Hoffman Plaza (at the corner of Davidson Avenue and Goerig Street)

1st prize: $5,000

2nd prize: Big Tex Traeger Grill (with accessories)

3rd prize: $500 Costco Cash Card

Information: Planters-Days.com or 360-225-9888Posted Tuesday, June 12, 2018 4:28 am

Excitement is building among those involved with the Ridgefield Community Library. After years of searching for a potential new location to expand, the powers that be have approved moving forward with a spot familiar to all who use the current facilities.

On May 21 the Fort Vancouver Regional Library board voted to accept a donation from the Ridgefield Community Center to the library district, allowing for the library to eventually expand into the whole building. Currently, the library only occupies a portion of the roughly 8,000-square-foot structure.

The finer points about what the donation would entail are still being worked out. In an email late last month, community center board member Carla Bonebrake said specifics werent available at that time.

While the community center board comes up with the final donation, those who have been pushing for a new library for years are getting excited.

Its a relief, a huge relief, Friends of the Library member Jan Robinson remarked. She has been involved with the library for years, being a part of its move into the current location in 1994.

We have been looking and looking, Robinson continued, noting that either a site wasnt available, didnt suit the needs of a library or was in the wrong location.

Robinson said that sticking in the same spot more or less meant that the community aspect of the library would be intact, noting that currently it serves as an anchor to draw people in to downtown Ridgefield.

To get a green light, its phenomenal, she said.

Fellow Friends member and former Ridgefield mayor Tevis Laspa said that the donation of the building would qualify for a matching grant from the Community Foundation of Southwest Washington.

Friends member Kathy Winters provided an update June 8 on her blog, fyi98642.org, saying it was the goal of Fort Vancouver Regional Library and the Ridgefield Community Center to have the donation and some site evaluation work all finalized this summer.

Alongside Laspa, Winters is one of the primary fundraisers for the library. For her, it all started with a personal milestone. In 2015 she began a campaign, 80 for 80 referencing a goal to raise $80,000 for the library by her 80th birthday the following January.

When I first said I was going to raise $80,000, everyone laughed, Winters said. That dismissal proved misguided as she was able to raise more than $100,000 by her birthday.

Winters update also included the total amount raised through fundraising: the Friends of the Ridgefield Library, the regional library district and its fundraising foundation have nearly $1.3 million set aside for the project. According to Winters, that number combined with matching grants would put the funds raised close to what a remodel of the building could cost.

Winters added that Fort Vancouver Regional Library Executive Director Amelia Shelley told her an additional $800,000 to $1 million would likely be needed for soft costs outside of construction.

Though there is still work to be done to secure all the funding needed, Robinson, Laspa and Winters were optimistic that fundraising was just getting started, bolstered by the selection of a location.

Throughout the process, the Friends numbers have swelled with a total of 104 currently accounted for ,with varying levels of involvement, Robinson said.

Theres a lot of blood, sweat and tears that have come into this building, Robinson said, adding that the community may have been fearful of the building going into disrepair.

We think its a credit that everybody is pitching in and doing something, Laspa said, adding that other than the Friends the community at large has been supportive of their efforts.

When the library moves into the full space, the city will lose its primary meeting area, but there is a plan in place. City Manager Steve Stuart said that the city and the school district have worked out an agreement to utilize the renovated View Ridge Middle School which will be the site of both council and school board meetings.

It wasnt just the Friends of the Ridgefield Library getting excited. Ridgefield Community Librarian Sean McGill remarked that the decision brought a bit of deja vu.

Early on in this process, when things started up, I had a dream that we were still in this building. It looked different, but we were still here, McGill said. Chief among the prospects that he is excited to see is more space for both activities as well as more quiet space.

As with basically every aspect of Ridgefield, the library is dealing with explosive growth. McGill said that last summers biggest program, the Oregon Bird Man, drew 180 kids.Posted Tuesday, June 12, 2018 4:31 am

Fireworks laws continued to fill local government agendas last week, as Battle Ground approved enforcement rules and Clark County took an extra week to decide about changing their own code.

The Battle Ground City Council approved 6-1 enforcement rules for fines associated with the illegal discharge of fireworks. For discharge of legal consumer fireworks outside of approved discharge times it will be a $100 fine for the first offense, $250 for the second and $500 for subsequent ones.

The ordinance also has fines for discharge of illegal fireworks at $250 for the first offense, $500 for the second and $1,000 for all subsequent offenses.

Currently, the city has fireworks violations under general code enforcement rules, meaning a $100 fine across the board. The new language delineates violations into their own section while imposing greater fines for more than one offense.

The lone dissenter, councilor Philip Johnson, had questions regarding the fire marshals authority to enforce fireworks laws.

Battle Ground Fire Marshal Chris Drone said the right for him to issue a misdemeanor criminal citation, something already provided in city code, was very limited and seldom exercised. Instead, a civil citation was far more likely if more than a warning was needed.

He gave a typical scenario when encountering someone illegally using fireworks; he would make contact with the individual and if a warning was not deemed sufficient he would begin writing the citation. Only if the individual was combative or didnt provide identification would he then call police to the scene.

The approved ordinance will go into effect July 4, 2018, 30 days after its approval. That differs from the ordinance approved May 21, as Drone explained that code regarding sale and use could not be implemented until a year after approval by council.

Drone said staff picked the $100 fine for a first offense as a way to ease into the new law without too shocking of a penalty right from the start.

In years to come, that might be the appropriate time, in my opinion, to look at increasing those (fines), Drone said. Increasing fines would incur on violations occurring within a two-year window.

Councilor Brian Munson noted that if a fine was too high it might be thrown out, mentioning the more than $1,000 fine for registering a vehicle in another state.

Sometimes the black-and-white of the $100 or something smaller is a lot cleaner, Drone said. When you start citing for $250, $500 it becomes a hardship.

Prior to the vote, Deputy Mayor Shane Bowman wanted a look at Clark Countys enforcement fine schedule to see how it stacked up to Battle Grounds own law, explaining it could have an impact if there was a discrepancy in amounts.

If the county says its $1,000 and its $100 here, Id go to Battle Ground to light off fireworks, Bowman said.

County hearing

Currently the countys fines are included in a catch-all category for code violations which levels a $250 for the first offense and $500 for any subsequent offense in a five-year period. A change to that fine made by adding an individual fireworks violations category was one of several changes to county code brought before the Clark County Council during a public hearing June 5.

Clark County Fire Marshal Jon Dunaway presented several options for council to consider regarding fireworks, covering everything from fines for violation to permitting for sellers.

Among proposed changes, Dunaway presented one that would allow staff to charge a fee for permits for fireworks tents  an additional $156 on top of the current $100  in order to fund enforcement efforts.

Dunaway brought up a recommendation for a new section of code that would restrict allowable fireworks to those determined as safe and sane  ones that do not rise more than one foot into the air or travel more than six feet on the ground. He said that restriction would make sure that any firework remained on the property following its ignition.

Three options for changing the number of days for sale were considered. One would keep the current seven days of sale from June 28 to July 4; another would restrict sales to four days, July 1 to 4. A third option would allow for a full weekend of sales before July 4, which Dunaway explained would mean sales would start June 29 for the 2019 holiday. If Independence Day falls on a Saturday however, sales would start June 28. If a full weekend fell in the first four days of the month, sales would be from July 1 to 4.

Dunaway also presented two options for use. One would allow for discharge on July 3 and 4, while also removing a demarcation bisecting the county into two different use timeframes. Currently 219th Street divides the county, with seven days of use allowed north of it while only one day would be allowed south of it.

A second option would limit use to July 4 while also removing the demarcation. None of the proposed changes would affect current rules regarding New Years Day holiday.

Dunaway presented a possible new section that would consider the fire risk, allowing for the council to prohibit fireworks use when extreme fire danger risks exist within the county. The section had several benchmarks for environmental conditions to take into account before an order was made such as moisture levels in plants and weather.

Finally, Dunaway touched on enforcement, presenting a proposal to include fireworks use outside of legal dates and times on a violation fine schedule, setting the first offense as a $500 fine and subsequent violations at $1,000 in a five-year period.

Public comment

Several members of the public came out in support and opposition for fireworks, either calling for restrictions or a compromise.

Jeff Fish, a member of the Hazel Dell Lions in charge of the groups fireworks sales, said the club was in favor of a seven-day sale, two-day discharge scheme, adding that the option allowing for a full weekend of sales would be confusing to vendors due to the flexible number of days.

Fish said that fireworks sales account for 80 percent of the clubs budget, explaining that those funds go directly back into the community through the clubs charitable work including support for sight and hearing foundations.

We do about $300,000 of eye care a year, among the different Lions Clubs in the county, Fish said, adding that for the individuals they serve they were their last option.

Beau Leach, general manager for the Vancouver store of TNT Fireworks spoke of how a drop in the number of days for sale would affect the industry.

Obviously Im pro-fireworks, but I also try to understand what the other side is saying in any argument, Leach said. He explained that a restriction to only four days of sales puts the bulk of the retailers in Clark County out of business.

Its just not worth the setup, Leach remarked.

TNT Fireworks Regional Manager Jason Trout took issue with using the California State Fire Marshals Safe and Sane certification, noting that the requirements change yearly, providing a hassle for sellers to meet the different demands for that season.

Though TNT Fireworks does business in California and thus is prepared for those annual changes, Trout said retailers that dont might not be able to meet the requirements for the seal.

Trout also noted some discrepancies in proposed code changes as well as the option for council to ban use given certain conditions, explaining that they could vary across the county.

It doesnt seem fair to eliminate the whole county when only a portion of it could potentially be in that (threshold for fire), Trout remarked.

The Historic Trust President and CEO Mike True said that a significant amount of funding for the community fireworks show on the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site comes from retail sales of the devices.

That event would not take place if it wasnt for the support of retail fireworks, True said.

True said cutting back on days would still have an impact, though he added that keeping seven days of sales with a minimum of one day of usage would be agreeable.

Not all comments came from those against a restriction of fireworks. Orchards resident Mary Laski said she had lived across the Pacific Northwest from Oregon to Alaska, but said that none of those places I lived prepared me for the horror I experienced here on my first Fourth of July. That first year the field behind her house caught fire, she said, and again in 2017 plants caught fire in the neighborhood.

Its very difficult to deal with that noise, the smell, the fire sirens, Laski said. She had considered getting out of the area with her pets during the event but said she was afraid to come back to find her house burned down.

Debbie Nelson, a former neighborhood mediator for Vancouver and Clark County for 20 years, said that the majority of neighborhood conflicts where a resolution wasnt reached were the result of fireworks use.

Neighbors feel like their neighbors who are blowing up fireworks dont care, Nelson said. That sentiment could lead to escalation of tensions from angry residents who retaliate by calling authorities on each other.

Its better if you guys would be the bad guys, Nelson said to council, asking for more restrictive laws on fireworks.

Council did not take action on any of the proposed changes, instead deferring to another public hearing scheduled for June 12. Councilor John Blom addressed a concern from the public regarding what, if any, action the county would take, noting that direction is still to be decided.

Because there are proposals, does not mean that we are set to take a certain course of action, Blom said. Nothing is set in course yet.Posted Tuesday, June 12, 2018 4:00 am

Americas supply of affordable housing is shrinking and a bevy of government regulations on residential construction only exacerbates the homeless problem. As a result more people are now living unsheltered in tents along the freeway or beneath overpasses because they cant afford to pay rent or a home mortgage.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reported on a single night in 2017, over a half million people were homeless in America. There were over 21,000 people homeless in Washington State last year.

In Seattle, HUD records show the unsheltered population grew by 44 percent over two years to nearly 5,500 and it is worsening.

For example, passage of California Proposition 47 in 2014 reduced jail sentences for nonviolent crimes, including shoplifting, theft of less than $950, and drug use.

People who once would have been locked up, including those with drug addictions and mental-health problems, have been left to the streets. Many steal to feed their habits, Wall Street Journal reporter Allysia Finley wrote.

The King County homelessness crisis would cost an estimated $360 million to $410 million per year to address at current levels, the Puget Sound Business Journal reported earlier this year.

Rather than imposing a tax which threatens jobs, elected officials must find ways to stop skyrocketing rents which have made it harder for low-income people to find affordable quarters.

Because of regulatory restrictions on development, the demand for housing hugely exceeds the supply. The stock of public and rent-controlled housing is especially limited, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Nationwide, regulations imposed by all levels of government account for nearly 25 percent of the sales price of a new single-family home, according to a 2016 study by the National Association of Home Builders. It found that regulatory costs in an average home built for sale went from $65,224 to $84,671 between 2011 and 2016.

Regulatory costs impact rentals as well particularly in West Coast cities. RentJungle.com reports a two bedroom apartment in Seattle rents for $2,700 a month on average compared with $1,450 in Pittsburgh, PA. Rent in Austin, TX, is 20 percent lower and consumer prices are 30 percent below Seattle. (Both cities are attempting to lure Amazons HQ2).

Elected officials and regulators need to look at the cumulative impact of all regulations and consider the impact on affordable housing with each new mandate.

For example, in California, the state Energy Commissions decision mandating solar panels be installed on all new homes which will add $8,000 to $12,000 to the cost.

Californias astronomical housing costs are a result of these government mandates, zoning restrictions, and permitting fees. The state Legislative Analyst Office estimates that it costs between $50,000 to $75,000 more to build a home in California than in the rest of the country. Building a low-income housing unit costs about $332,000, WSJ reports.

One of the big problems is people cannot afford all of the added compliance costs built into the price of a home or apartment rent.

Last November, Seattle Times Reporter Mike Rosenberg wrote that households now need a record $93,400 annual income to afford monthly payments on the median home ($478,500) home in the Seattle metro area. That figure is up from about $82,000 in 2016.

The bottom line is wages are not keeping pace with the costs of housing. Unless elected officials look deeply in the root causes of housing affordability, the homeless problem will only grow.

Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He recently retired as president of the Association of Washington Business, the states oldest and largest business organization, and now lives in Vancouver. He can be contacted at theBrunells@msn.com.Posted Tuesday, June 12, 2018 4:04 am

One solution to the I-5 commuter gridlock is to consider real trains instead of light-rail trains. The Cascades train and AMTRAK trains pick up passengers at the Vancouver station and within 20 minutes, passengers arrive in downtown Portland during non-commuter hours. At Portland Union Station, passengers get on the MAX or buses within a few blocks. The current problem is that real trains are not scheduled during commuter rush hours.

One Cascade train could be scheduled to run between Vancouver and Portland during peak I-5 commuter hours. I would suggest leaving Vancouver at 6 a.m. to return to Vancouver for 7, 8 and 9 a.m. trips. Then again in the afternoon with operated trips from Portland at 3:30, 4:30, 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.

I believe one WSDOT Cascades train can carry up to 500 passengers (seated and standing). One Cascades train could be rescheduled to operate several trips from Vancouver to Portland Union Station during morning and evening commuter rush hours. CTRAN buses could be scheduled to arrive at Vancouver train station while a train is waiting. Train and bus scheduling is important to eliminate waiting at the train station and allowing a shorter commute time.

If commuters could use this transportation mode, it would be a much needed improvement for motorists and truckers on I-5 during rush hours.One man will take out all four major heavy weight titles. But who will it be? Deontay Wilder? Or Anthony Joshua?



Newshub report more on the story:



A blockbuster heavyweight unification title fight is at its final hurdle, with American Deontay Wilder agreeing terns to fight Brit Anthony Joshua.

ESPN is reporting the two undefeated champions will square off in the UK later this year, with a guaranteed return fight in the US in 2019 regardless of outcome.

The pair of fights will be for all four major heavyweight titles - WBC, IBF, WBA and WBO.

Wilder's co-manager Shelly Finkel told ESPN that it's now up to Joshua's camp to sign off.

"We have agreed to the terms that [Joshua's promoter] Eddie [Hearn] has put out to us for a fight in the UK. Deontay has accepted his terms to fight in the UK," Finkel said.

"Deontay sent an email to Joshua [Sunday] night, and I sent one [Monday] to Barry Hearn and Eddie telling them that we officially accept the offer to fight under the terms they gave us and to send us the contract."

Finkel confirmed to ESPN that the purse will not be split 50-50, but they are happy with the offer presented to them.

"There's no [percentage] split, but they've offered us a good purse. Not as good as we feel it should be, but we want the fight, and we're willing to take what they offered," Finkel said.

There has been speculation in recent weeks that the Hearns were leaning towards their mandatory WBA challenger Alexander Povetkin, but a double-header with Wilder would be far more lucrative.

WBC champion Wilder addressed Joshua's fans on social media on Tuesday (NZT), writing: "The $50M offer for him to fight me next in the US is still available.



remaining of

Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.Dresden, situated in Eastern Germany on the border of the Czech Republic, is perhaps best known for being heavily bombed during the Second World War. The British/American aerial bombing attack in 1945 caused a firestorm that swept through the city centre, destroying many of Dresdens most iconic buildings and resulting in the deaths of nearly 25,000 people.

Over the course of 60 years, the Old Town has been painstakingly rebuilt from the rubble; its iconic buildings recreated brick by brick. Many of the citys half a million residents contributed to Dresdens restoration by volunteering to clear the rubble, which continued well into the 90s.

Nowadays, the scars of War are barely noticeable and Dresden has become one of Germanys must-visit destinations. The River Elbe snakes through the city, dividing the traditional Old Town and buzzing Neutstadt (New Town), which has one of the liveliest nightlife scenes in Eastern Germany.

Must visit

On the left bank of the Elbe is Dresdens Altstadt (Old Town), which can be explored entirely on foot. In the summer months, the sound of classical music fills the main square  the buskers here are exceptional. As you walk along the cobbled streets admiring the Renaissance, Baroque and 19th century architecture, it is hard to believe that many of these grand buildings are reproductions. Among them is the Dresden Frauenkirche, an 18th century Lutheran church that stands proudly in the centre of the Altstadt.

Also known as The Church of our Lady, it features one of the largest domes in Europe and is a spectacular example of Protestant sacred architecture. During the bombings of 1945 the church dome collapsed, and for 50 years the ruins served as a war memorial. Restoration was finally completed in 2005, using 8000 of the original stones, and the Frauenkirche now stands a symbol of reconciliation between former warring nations.

Just around the corner from the Frauenkirche is a 101m long mural depicting the Procession of Princes  35 rulers belonging to one of Saxonys ruling family, who governed the region 800 years ago. The mural is composed of 25,000 Meissen porcelain tiles and presents a dramatic and rousing picture of medieval Saxony. The mural was spared from the brunt of the bombings, but still suffered serious smoke damage and some 700 tiles had to be repaired or replaced.

There is one modern gem that should not be missed. Albertinum is a modern art museum on Bruhls Terrace that houses a former courtyard, creating a huge covered space for exhibitions and events. The museum hosts both permanent and temporary exhibitions, including the New Masters Gallery and Sculpture Collection.

The size and scale of the building creates an atmosphere of glorious tranquility and the whole museum is a pleasure to explore. Dont miss the sculpture hall, which features a visually stunning collection of classical modern sculptures. Get there a couple of hours before closing time and you may have the museum to yourself  bliss!

Across the river is another museum that is really worth a visit: the Bundeswehr Military History Museum. Located in the Albertstadt district, the former armoury represents the 700 year history of the German armed forces. The original building has been updated with a striking modern attachment in the form of a huge glass arrowhead, which doubles as a gallery space and viewing platform.

Highlights of the museum include an unflinching exhibition on drug use by both the German and allied armies during World War II  crystal meth was apparently used by many German soldiers, while Benzedrine was the drug of choice of the British army. There is also an interesting exhibition on animals used in war, from elephants to carrier pigeons.

Must go for gold

One of Dresdens more colourful historical figures was Augustus the Strong, the Elector of Saxony who ruled between 1694 and 1733. Augustus earned his nickname thanks to his displays of great physical prowess, such as breaking an iron horseshoe clean in half. As well as being a bit of a show-off, Augustus the Strong had a predilection for shiny things. In the 12th to 16th centuries Saxony was one of the richest countries in the world, and Augustus invested this wealth in ridiculous quantities of gold and precious stones.

Much of this collection is housed in the Residenzschloss (the Royal Palace), which contains a vast museum complex displaying everything from weapons of the Ottoman empire to 17th century drinking games. One of the museums, the Green Vault, was founded by Augustus the Strong and contains the largest collection of treasures in Europe. The sheer volume of gold, ivory and precious stone ornaments is almost impossible to comprehend.

Must question what you see

As you stroll long the River Elbe, you may notice a grand looking building that resembles a mosque. It is in a fact Yenidze, a former cigarette factory that was built in an Oriental style in order to promote the exotic origins of the tobacco it produced. These days, the building functions as an office space, and the decorative dome houses a restaurant.

Must shop

Check out the colourful buildings and painted murals of Outer Neustadt, where Louisenstrasse meets Alaunstrasse. The labyrinthine and colourful courtyards conceal a host of boutique shops selling quirky jewellery, clothes, bags and swimwear.

Must eat and drink

Outer Neustadt is an ideal location to grab a beer and taste some of Germanys culinary delights. Lila Sosse is nestled amid the mural covered courtyard of Kunsthofpassage, and serves a delicious selection of German tapas. Try the cheese spaetzle with fried onions or the herring tartar with beetroot.

A visit to Dresden would be incomplete without trying the classic schnitzel. Head to Cafe Vis-a-Vis, which serves a generous portion with white asparagus and hollandaise sauce to a backdrop of lovely views of the Elbe.

To satisfy your sweet tooth, Camondas is an upmarket chocolate shop with a divine selection of chocolates, pralines and speciality ice cream. You are given a wicker basket that you can fill with your chosen chocolates, and the friendly staff will then wrap them up for you in a beautifully presented box.

Must stay

The four-star Amedia Plaza Dresden is located in the centre of the Old Town and has exceptionally comfortable rooms, a quirky interior and is just a 20-minute taxi to Dresden Airport.

Getting there

There are no direct flights from the UK to Dresden. However Lufthansa offer daily flights from London to Dresden via Munich and Frankfurt for as little as 200 for a return flight. From the airport, you can either get a taxi to the city centre (takes about 30 minutes) or take the train from the airport to Dresden Hauptbahnhof.

For more information, visit the German National Tourist Board website.(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

Over sixty of New Yorks most important government officials came out on Sunday, June 3rd to salute the work of the Met Council on Jewish Poverty for their service to 225,000 New Yorkers in need. For the first time, the annual Met Council breakfast was sold out and there was a standing room only crowd at The Yale Club. Nearly 400 elected officials, policymakers, Jewish community advocates, and leaders of affiliated Jewish Community Councils gathered to show their support for the Met Council  Americas largest Jewish communal social service organization and its CEO David G. Greenfield.

The Master of Ceremonies for this years event was Errol Louis  award-winning anchor of Inside City Hall on NY1 and CNN commentator. This years breakfast was dedicated to the memory of Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz zl who was a steadfast supporter of Met Council and fought both hatred and poverty  the theme of this years Met Council breakfast.

Met Councils Legislative Breakfast was a wonderful celebration of our important partnership with government officials, said David G. Greenfield, Met Councils CEO. This years honorees embody the most important qualities of government officials: they are dedicated defenders of New Yorks most vulnerable, and creative problem solvers in addressing our citys most pressing challenges. We honor them for fighting every day against poverty and hatred. We are grateful to work with them year-round as the premier Jewish organization dedicated to helping the needy in our New York communities.

This organization is vital to New York and to America said Senator Charles Schumer, who is a long-time supporter of Met Councils work. Senator Schumer was joined by a half-dozen members of Congress including Chair of the House Democratic Caucus Joe Crowley who presented askan Shimmy Pelman of Tomchei Shabbos of Queens with the Met Councils charitable partner award. Tomchei Shabbos was honored for being the largest of the 120 groups that Met Council supplies with food for Pesach to do home deliveries. Over 500 people volunteered to deliver food to directly to homes of the needy in Queens before Pesach. Also in attendance at the bi-partisan breakfast was Repulican Congress Member Dan Donovan and Senator Marty Golden  both strong advocates on behalf of the Jewish needy and partners in the work that Met Council does.

Israels Consul General Ambassador Dany Dayan gave greetings and praised not only the work of Met Council but the leadership of Met Council CEO David G. Greenfield. David Greenfield was one of the first people I met with in the United States because he is renowned for his leadership and his strong support of Israel, the ambassador said.

Another moving moment was when New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie presented the family of the late Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz zl with the Met Council recognition for his lifetime of commitment to fighting for the Jewish poor. Michaels son, Yonatan, spoke at the breakfast of how meaningful it was to him and his family.

The Annual Met Council Legislative Breakfast was bigger and better than ever, said New York City Council Member, Mark D. Levine. It was wonderful seeing elected leaders and many others coming together in support of the largest Jewish communal social safety net in America!

Other distinguished honorees included: NYPD Commissioner James P. ONeill, The Honorable Laurie Cumbo (NY City Council), The Honorable Todd Kaminsky (NY State Senate), The Honorable Steven Cymbrowitz (NY State Assembly), The Honorable Barry Grodenchik (NY City Council), The Honorable Stephen Levin (NY City Council), The Honorable Donovan Richards (NY City Council), The Honorable Ritchie J. Torres (NY City Council), and long-serving senior Met Council staffer Jackie Ebron.

It was a great morning to be at the Met Council Legislative Breakfast honoring the work of Commissioner ONeill and many others, recalled Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney. Thank you, Met Council, for your tireless work to help vulnerable populations of New York City, including the more than 565,000 poor and near-poor living in Jewish households in NYC.

I am honored to receive the Champion of Affordable Housing Award from Met Council, said New York City Councilman, Donovan Richards. Proud of the work they do every day to address poverty in our communities.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)An enigmatic sculpture of a kings head dating back nearly 3,000 years has set off a modern-day mystery caper as scholars try to figure out whose face it depicts.

The 5-centimeter (2-inch) sculpture is an exceedingly rare example of figurative art from the Holy Land during the 9th century B.C.  a period associated with biblical kings. Exquisitely preserved but for a bit of missing beard, nothing quite like it has been found before.

While scholars are certain the stern bearded figure wearing a golden crown represents royalty, they are less sure which king it symbolizes, or which kingdom he may have ruled.

Archaeologists unearthed the diminutive figurine in 2017 during excavations at a site called Abel Beth Maacah, located just south of Israels border with Lebanon, near the modern-day town of Metula.

Nineteenth-century archaeologists identified the site, then home to a village called Abil al-Qamh, with the similarly named city mentioned in the Book of Kings.

During the 9th century B.C., the ancient town was situated in a liminal zone between three regional powers: the Aramean kingdom based in Damascus to the east, the Phoenician city of Tyre to the west, and the Israelite kingdom, with its capital in Samaria to the south.

Kings 1 15:20 mentions Abel Beth Maacah in a list of cities attacked by the Aramean King Ben Hadad in a campaign against the Israelite kingdom.

This location is very important because it suggests that the site may have shifted hands between these polities, more likely between Aram-Damascus and Israel, said Hebrew University archaeologist Naama Yahalom-Mack, who has headed the joint dig with Californias Azusa Pacific University since 2013.

Yahalom-Macks team was digging through the floor of a massive Iron Age structure in the summer of 2017 when a volunteer who arrived for the day struck pay dirt. The layer where the head was found dates to the 9th century B.C., the epoch associated with the rival biblical kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

In a rare move, archaeologists and curators at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem rushed to put the piece on public display. A detailed report is set for publication in the June edition of the journal Near Eastern Archaeology.

Eran Arie, the Israel Museums curator of Iron Age and Persian archaeology, said the discovery was one of a kind. In the Iron Age, if theres any figurative art, and there largely isnt, its of very low quality. And this is of exquisite quality.

The royal figurine is made of faience, a glass-like material that was popular in jewelry and small human and animal figurines in ancient Egypt and the Near East.

The color of the face is greenish because of this copper tint that we have in the silicate paste, Yahalom-Mack said. But a crucial clue for identifying it as a Near Eastern monarch was its very interesting hairdo, she said.

The bearded figures hair is pulled back in thick locks that cover the ears, and is held in place by a striped diadem of gold. Its hairstyle looks similar to the way ancient Egyptians depicted neighboring Near Eastern peoples in art.

The guy kind of represents the generic way Semitic people are described, she said.

Because Carbon-14 dating cannot give a more exact date for the statues creation other than sometime in the 9th century, the field of potential candidates is large. Yahalom-Mack posited it could be kings Ben Hadad or Hazael of Damascus, Ahab or Jehu of Israel, or Ithobaal of Tyre, all characters appearing in the biblical narrative.

Were only guessing here, its like a game, she said. Its like a hello from the past, but we dont know anything else about it.

As scholars debate whether the head was a stand-alone piece or part of a larger statue, the Hebrew University team is set to restart digging this month at the spot where the mystery kings head was found.

(AP)MK (Yesh Atid) Elazar Stern has withdrawn his support for the recommendations submitted by the State Giyur Committee headed by Moshe Nissim. Stern claims changes were made in the recommendations to accommodate chareidim and that is why he withdrew his support.

The chareidim expressed opposition to the committees recommendations, as did the Chief Rabbis of Israel and rabbonim from the chardal sector of the dati leumi community.

Stern claims changes demanded by chareidi parties have been accepted in part, including how the committee will select the person in charge of state giyur, and therefore, he feels he can no longer back the plan.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)Members of the Tax Administration Unit of the Tax Authority recently conducted an income registration audit in Jerusalem. As part of the operation, which was conducted by the Jerusalem-1 Assessing Officer, 167 reviews were conducted in businesses from a variety of fields, indicating that 9% of the businesses examined did not record income as required by law.

In the office of a lawyer in the city, bank statements were examined, and it was discovered that he had not registered an amount of NIS 50,000. The lawyer claimed that once in a while we vacate and issue receipts for several months.

An examination of the business account of another lawyer revealed that the account had deposited about NIS 2,500 for processing collection files that were not recorded in the business books. The lawyer explained, This is a mistake in good faith.

An audit conducted by a company that operates an event hall found that the business owners did not record checks in the amount of NIS 10,000 in the designated tax computer software that exists in the business. The companys owners claimed, We could not figure out how to work with the computer.

The visitors came to the barbershop in the city and discovered that the owner had not registered a sum of NIS 6,000 received for renting another position to another barber. The owner of the barbershop said, Ill pass it on to the accountant.

The visitors took a taxi ride that was not recorded during the entire trip, nor were stops along the way. The driver explained, I was in the middle of driving.

In a clinic audit, the visitors discovered that the owner did not record revenues of about NIS 65,000 received for renting a store. The owner of the place explained, I did not know that a receipt should be issued.

In another review of an attorney, it was found that he did not register two checks for a total sum of NIS 25,000. The lawyer explained, Checks do not have a connection to the business even though they are written out to him and marked for deposit only.

This audit activity was conducted as part of the Tax Authoritys extensive activity against tax evaders and black capital. This is part of the policy of increasing enforcement activity to improve and maintain deterrence, expanding intelligence, among other things by conducting field operations aimed at reporting truth and collecting real tax, thus increasing the level of equality among citizens.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)Goldman Sachs boss Lloyd Blankfein is being encouraged to run as Mayor of New York

Punchy Goldman Sachs boss Lloyd Blankfein, who is expected to stand down in the coming months, is being encouraged by friends to run as Mayor of New York.

Bronx-born Lloyd, 63, is said to be flattered but sceptical. He lacks the charisma of his predecessors Hank Paulson, 72, and Jon Corzine, 71, both of whom went into politics, and would regard a campaign doomed to fail an unnecessary dent in his $1billion fortune.

Media mogul Michael Bloombergs mayoral campaigns cost him more than 200million.

Venture capitalist Michael Edelson has been appointed a director of pension firm Tontine Trust.

The jovial Manchester United director, 73, aka The Shellmeister, is one of the Citys most popular dealmakers, helping to float firms such as Knutsford and ASOS.

Though I fear hes destined to be remembered as the man who introduced David Beckham to a young, pouting Victoria Adams.

Scurrilous allegations that Sir Martin Sorrell, 73, paid a sex worker in Mayfairs Shepherd Market 300  which the dainty ex-WPP boss strenuously denies  suggest an alarming decline in the areas going rates.

It was on those same cobbled streets Jeffrey Archer met prostitute Monica Coghlan, whom he admitted paying 2,000.

That was way back in 1986. No doubt gloomy Remainers will blame Brexit.

WPP werent commenting on the urgent Sorrell business yesterday. Though they did issue a press release announcing it had cut the ribbon on its offices in Lower Manhattan, as though this non-story was of any comparable interest.

Rheumy-eyed investor George Soros, 87, is set to add another chunk to his 6billion fortune after he was revealed to be stakeholder in wonder horse Justify, winner of Americas Triple Crown on Saturday.

The horses breeding rights are now said to be worth 60million. If hes as virile as his part-owner he should prove a successful stallion. The thrice married old goat has fathered five children.Annual meetings rarely live up to their promise. Nevertheless, the gathering of WPP investors on Londons Southbank tomorrow should be a humdinger.

It has all the ingredients for a circus, including lurid allegations against Sir Martin Sorrell and demands from investor advisory group Glass Lewis that chairman Roberto Quarta be removed.

There also are questions as to whether former boss Sorrell is really entitled to be treated as a good leaver after a deal cooked up behind closed doors which could gift him up to 20million in share options.

If any of this is hurting Sorrell it is hard to tell. A fortnight ago he was confidently doing the rounds  unescorted  at the Chelsea Flower Show.

WPP's AGM has all the ingredients for a circus with lurid allegations against ousted boss Sir Martin Sorrell (pictured) and demands that chairman Roberto Quarta be removed

Moreover, much to the angst of WPP directors he is planning to start an advertising group through the shell company Derriston Capital with backing from veteran financier Lord Rothschild.

The lesson from WPP is that it is never satisfactory for a public company to launch an inquiry involving major transatlantic law firm Wilmer Hale, force out the chief executive and then pretend that the allegations were trifling.

The truth is that the details will eventually out. There is a narrative that says Sorrells troubles began when Roberto Quarta was chosen to replace easygoing predecessor Philip Lader as chairman in 2015. Perhaps.

But my own encounter with Quarta, when we met to discuss the chief executives pay cheque, was of a chairman in thrall to Sorrell who felt he deserved to be paid like a movie star.

The change of attitude towards Sorrell came with the choice of Nicole Seligman, a high powered Washington lawyer, as senior non-executive director.

Her background at Washington litigation firm Williams & Connolly and in defending Bill Clinton during impeachment signals a person who takes no prisoners.

Many leaks about Sorrell first appeared in the Wall Street Journal suggesting that the American connection was important and much of the detail may never have emerged in the UK but for this.

Through friends, Sorrell has maintained that he was always scrupulous in the separation of personal and business expenses.

That may be, but the scale of his personal expenses  453,000 in 2014  on top of his outsize salary must be considered outlandish.

In a long career where he dominated the organisation it will come as no surprise that Sorrell was not as universally loved inside as he was by some of his sycophantic followers outside.

When he fell from grace there were no shortage of witnesses willing to testify to bullying and an extravagant expenses-fuelled lifestyle.

Much of this may amount to tittle-tattle. But there was only one way to properly clear the air and allow Sorrell to get on with his life and WPP to restore some normality. That was to publish the Wilmer-Hale report.

As Seligman will know from her Washington life, the cover up often proves more toxic than the underlying problem.

Engine trouble

Rolls-Royce has had more than its fair share of turmoil in recent times. But investors thought they could at least count on engineering excellence as bribery and bureaucracy were tackled. Even that, however, is starting to look a little ropy.

Having been required to acknowledge a problem with the compressor on its Trent 1000 C package engine, which powers the Dreamliner, it has now discovered a similar problem in another group of engines requiring a one-off inspection.

The need to do more inspections, replace some compressors, fly closer to airports and other precautionary measures are a costly embarrassment. Worse if it were to hand advantage to US rivals General Electric and Pratt & Whitney.

In spite of the distraction, chief executive Warren East is sensibly getting on with his task of eliminating duplicate middle management jobs with 4,000 set to go. That too will be costly and disruptive. But it is necessary if the UKs premier engineering group is to maintain a competitive edge.

US retreat

Poundworld may be at the opposite end of the market to House of Fraser.

But the reasons behind the decision of its American private equity owners to pull the plug are much the same.

Weak footfall, rising wage costs and surging business rates. Additional stress comes from higher import costs.

But one cannot think that richly-resourced TPG  a value destroyer at Debenhams  pulled the rug too easily.MBABANE  The National Psychiatric Hospital might just be the Ministry of Healths new headache.

Sources allege that the psychiatric hospital is not only a health hazard among other issues but needs serious intervention as there are reports of alleged assault on support staff by patients. According to sources who asked that their identities be concealed as they feared victimisation, the psychiatric centre was a cause for concern as there was overcrowding in some wards and added that their standard was not satisfactory. They alleged that some patients slept on the floor as there were insufficient beds. They further alleged that some patients went to the extent of sleeping together in an attempt to keep warm. The sources also alleged that the hospital seemingly had financial problems as there was no washing soap among other things.

The sources alleged that the centres laundry department could not wash linen and patients uniforms due to the unavailability of soap. They further alleged that the department had to improvise by using tile cleaner to wash the linen and uniforms. Hygiene was also of concern to the sources who alleged that if health inspectors would visit the hospital, a lot of concerns may be raised. The sources alleged that patients were at high risk of being sick and sustaining physical injuries which could even be fatal. They alleged that this was because of what they described as the extreme unhealthy inpatient environment conditions. Patients bath in filthy showers and pass stools in filthy blocked toilets, alleged the sources. They further alleged that the centres drainage system had problems as waste was not washed away, instead filthy water erupted from it onto the floor surface. They also alleged that some acutely ill patients drank the dirty water.

Violence was also alleged to have happened at the psychiatric centre in April, as a patient allegedly assaulted a member of the support staff. According to the sources, the staff member was assaulted while in the acute male ward. They alleged that the staff member was brutally assaulted and left with fractured bones by patients who complained about meals being served 30 minutes past their normal serving time. The patients were also alleged to have been aggrieved by food being of bad quality and small quantity. According to the sources, patients allegedly used unclean blankets and mattresses. The sources said the blankets had a foul smell and were of poor quality. They narrated that patients allegedly had to use multiple blankets to keep themselves warm. Ministry of Health Deputy Director Dr Velephi Okello confirmed the reports during an interview yesterday. She explained that the staff member who was assaulted by patients was receiving medical attention and added that the psychiatric hospital employees had been engaged about the matter. She explained that the facility was a high risk environment as such incidents sometimes happened.



Israeli police began evicting settlers from homes in a West Bank outpost on Tuesday ahead of a court deadline to leave structures partially built on Palestinian land, an AFP correspondent reported.

Young boys in tears were followed by a young woman holding a baby, as they were escorted out of their home in the Netiv Haavot neighbourhood of Elazar settlement, south of Jerusalem.

They left without any resort to physical contact by the unarmed police.

In February, Israel\s Supreme Court gave the settlers until June 15 to vacate 15 homes found to have been built partly on private Palestinian land.

An estimated 2,000 people, most of them young activists, had travelled to the outpost to support the settlers and protest their eviction.

Large Israeli flags were flying on some of the rooftops, as well as signs pledging to return to the site.

After morning prayers, men sang and danced in a show of faith outside the homes to be razed.

Police had tried to prevent supporters from going inside but videos published on social media showed activists joining residents in several of the homes.





 \Peaceful protest\ 

One resident, Aviad Amitai, said that Tuesday marked the start of a three-day process, with police clearing people from the houses subject to the court order before demolishing them.

"We have a peaceful protest, we are law-abiding people, we are not going to show any violence here," Amitai told AFP.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that while residents did not want the event to be violent, "weve seen in previous evacuations police officers being injured as a result of stones or violent incidents."

To keep away people intent on violence, police had set up roadblocks in the area, denying access to 10 people so far, he said.

Police deployed 500 officers to secure the location and "continue to evacuate the area, step by step".

Rosenfeld said eviction of the homes was expected to take "at least several hours, probably the whole day."

Hananel Dorni, chairman of settler group the Yesha council, said the court\s decision to demolish the homes was "unwarranted".

Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel, himself a settler, said the discussions leading up to the court\s decision were like those in Sodom and Gomorrah, ancient cities that according to the Bible were demolished by God for their sinfulness.

Ariel tweeted from Netiv Haavot that he would "not relent" before settling "all of the land of Israel."

The right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu draws support from the settlement movement and has settlers in top cabinet posts.

It has approved a plan to build 350 homes at new plots in Netiv Haavot.

The plan also reportedly includes some 60 million shekels ($17 million, 14 million euros) in compensation for the settlers leaving the homes to be demolished and provision for temporary housing for them until construction is complete.

All Israeli settlements are viewed as illegal under international law, but Israel differentiates between those it has approved and those it has not.

Peace Now, an Israeli NGO, said the Palestinian owners of the land to be vacated have been seeking to have their property restored since the settlers arrived there in 2001.

Israel occupied the West Bank in the Six-Day War of 1967. Settlements there are seen as major stumbling blocks to a peace deal since they are built on land the Palestinian wants for their future state.

SOURCE: AFPContributed photo

Titusville resident Janet Kiehl was named state TOPS Queen at the recent TOPS Northwestern Pennsylvania ARD rally held in Erie. Kiehl lost 106 pounds through TOPS.A former University of Kansas student who said his theater professor sexually assaulted him was the recipient of a $200,000 settlement payout by KU, newly obtained documents reveal. Although not admitting wrongdoing, KU paid the sum to the student in exchange for him dropping his federal Title IX lawsuit against the university, according to a confidential settlement agreement signed in August 2017.THIS IS CLEARLY THE WORK OF KANSAS CITY ANTIFA COMMIES TARGETING THIS HISTORIC FAMILY BIZ WITH HATE RHETORIC IN ORDER TO CHAMPION THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF DREAMERS AND OTHER ILLEGAL ALIENS!!!

Here's a translation for those who know thisstory isn't what it seems at face value . . .Denizens of Midtown KC can easily recognize the handwriting.Reality: Anti-Irish rhetoric is a legacy of the 20th century and not something that this country has seen since the 1930s. The messaging isn't that complicated and, seemingly, wants to remind more remind locals of their immigrant roots. Accordingly, just as TKC reported previously, Antifa and the local Communist click are becoming more radicalized and now are targeting local merchants.Check the links:Developing . . .TKC BLOG COMMUNITY SHARES SOME HIGHLIGHTS AND A RESPONSE FROM ATTORNEY HENRY SERVICE!!!

Mr. Service: "It is perhaps worse to have to confirm to you that I indeed have been subjected to veiled threats and physical violence, from people insisting that I sell the Lincoln Building back to the BEU."

THIS LINCOLN BUILDING BEEF IN THE HISTORIC 18TH & VINE JAZZ DISTRICT IS REACHING THE BOILING POINT!!!

For those who haven't seen it yet, we want to highlightregarding an ongoing beef in the heart of Kansas City's jazz district.Here's an online preview of thework by Mr. Eric Wesson . . .It really is worth picking up an issue to get the full story.However . . .In an e-mail addressing the situation, attorney Henry Service lamented the troubles of the Black Economic Union of Greater Kansas City along with "many disturbing things about what appears to be unseemly behavior of other BEU officials, including improper governance, operations, and management of this historic organization."Moreover . . .And so . . .There are two Council members running for Mayor in the 3rd District who have been mum on this topic so far but it's clear that mediation and more attention directed toward solving the crisis needs to be engaged as KCMO's investment of more than $100-million in this part of town is once again at risk because of in-fighting.Developing . . .Deerns Group, a Dutch consulting leader in conceptual design, engineering and construction services, has been awarded a contract by the Kuwaiti government to implement a range of technical facilities in and around Kuwait International Airport.



This is one of the largest projects being undertaken by Deerns in its 90-year history; the total contract value amounts to 30 million ($35.3 million). It will be executed over a period of five years, said a statement from the Dutch group.



The project will be implemented in co-ordination with its local partner Al Nabhan Engineering Consultancy, it added.



Deerns said an agreement was signed by the duo along with Kuwait's Directorate General of Civil Aviation for the speedy provision of management and supervision services at the airport.



According to the Dutch consultancy, it had won the project in a competitive bidding process that started early last year.



The firm has worked in Kuwait before: Deerns provided the design of technical facilities for the airports new terminal building.



The work will be carried out from Deerns local office in Kuwait, with local expertise and logistical support from Al Nabhan, and with specialist support from Deerns offices in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe, said the statement from the Dutch group.



For the development of specialised communication, navigation and surveillance systems as well as meteorological systems for air traffic management, Deerns will collaborate with the Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR), it stated.



This new project is a great addition to Deerns long and extensive portfolio of airport projects, developed over decades and spanning the globe, with current projects in Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America, it added.-TradeArabia News ServiceBahraini authorities said work was progressing well on Phase One of its Khalifa Town development, which upon completion will boast a total of 1,560 housing units, said a report.



Presently. more than 400 residential apartments in the town are ready for handover, reported BNA.



Housing Minister Bassim bin Yacoub Al Hamer visited the work site to review the project progress. The visit of the minister coincides with the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister, on the distribution of ready-made units in Khalifa Town and the implementation of the order of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander First Deputy Prime Minister on the distribution of 5,000 housing units.



Al Hamer briefed ministry officials and engineers on the ongoing work, both in the construction of the units and in the infrastructure works, reported BNA.



The technical team reported that the ministry has already achieved the completion of 421 housing units in the town and the works of the infrastructure, which contributed to the start of delivery of units to beneficiaries, it stated.



Al Hamer also reviewed the progress of work on the other site in the town, which is witnessing the implementation of 862 units and 192 apartments, which are expected to see completion by the end of this year, said the report.



He also visited the work site, which witnessed the implementation of 120 housing units in accordance with the building models prepared by the Prince Charles Foundation for Building Community, an advisory institution that has prepared the general and detailed plans for the project, it added.In a major move, Bahrain government has reduced the timeframe for land applications, in response to the growing demand for industrial land across the kingdom and as part of the governments ongoing strategic focus on supporting investors in the manufacturing sector.



The initiative, introduced by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, guarantees that complete applications for industrial land will be assessed within a maximum of 18 working days.



Over the past 30 years, the government has invested heavily in establishing industrial zones throughout the country, developing dedicated areas for manufacturing clusters, said the statement from Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB).



By 2020, further investment will be supported in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism-led plans to develop infrastructure in industrial zones, it stated.



The ministry currently operates eight industrial zones totalling over 10 million sq m. These zones are a dynamic base for hundreds of companies sustaining over 46,000 jobs and are key in developing and strengthening the manufacturing sector of Bahrain, said the EDB in its statement.



The improvements made last year in the land application process has led to a 69 per cent increase in allocations. To further improve efficiencies, the ministry has set an objective to launch an online land application service in 2018.

Accessing the land application form on the ministrys website looks to improve turnaround times and convenience, it stated.



Following approval for land, the Industrial Areas Operations Directorate of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism have streamlined the steps required to sign a land lease agreement designed around service efficiency. This increased focus is also aimed at ensuring the proper utilisation of the land, said the EDB statement.



Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP) is the most recent industrial zone to be developed in the kingdom, providing 3 million sq m of land with easy access to both Bahrain International Airport and Khalifa bin Salman Port in Al Hidd.



As of the end of 2017, total investment in BIIP had reached $1.89 billion, with 82 per cent of its land capacity occupied by 118 companies spanning various manufacturing sectors from 29 countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United States, Canada, Germany, South Korea and India.



Zayed R Alzayani, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, while highlighting the importance of industrial zones such as BIIP in stimulating increased investment in the country, said: "When BIIP reaches full occupancy, we anticipate that investments by Bahraini and foreign industrial companies will have exceeded $2 billion, creating more than 10,000 jobs."



Bahrains large-scale infrastructure development is currently valued at over $32 billion and covers a wide range of sectors, including housing and transport.



This includes $10 billion of investments undertaken by government-related entities (holding companies, funds), $7.5 billion under the auspices of the GCC Development Fund, and $15 billion worth of investment by private sector entities, remarked Alzayani.



The manufacturing sector is a key benefactor of these investment projects. The extensive modernisation programme at Bahrain International Airport will increase air cargo capacity to one million tonnes annually by 2020.

Additionally, the new King Hamad Causeway, the second to connect Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, will help boost the industrial sector.



Khalid Al Rumaihi, the chief executive of EDB said: "The manufacturing sector is a key pillar of Bahrains economy, accounting for almost 15 per cent of GDP. Over the past five years, the sector has grown by 18 per cent and is the second largest non-oil contributor to the economy, after financial services."



The kingdom offers numerous competitive advantages for manufacturing. We are continuously improving the business environment to ensure the best possible experience for companies and investors, he added.



Al Rumaihi said the investors will be able to take advantage of Bahrains low operating costs, the availability of a highly skilled, bilingual workforce, a supportive regulatory environment, and 100 per cent foreign ownership in most sectors.



"Existing industrial projects across the country range from export-based products such as plastics, precision engineering, electronics, food products, manufacturing aluminium products, fiberglass products, packaging materials and other industrial products," he added.-TradeArabia News ServiceOtokar, a leading supplier of Turkish land defence systems, has introduced its Tulpar Light Tank at the Eurosatory 2018, Europes largest defence industry exhibition, being held in Paris, France.



Within its wide product range Otokar will also display its Arma, Cobra II, Kaya II and Cobra armoured vehicles with superior mobility as well as ballistic and mine protection along with turret systems, said a company statement.



Otokar general manager Serdar Gorguc said: Being Turkey's internationally recognised land platform manufacturer and operating in more than 30 countries in the world, we highly enjoy our extensive new vehicle development capabilities born by both our know-how and experience.



We are more than happy to carry our experience in designing and developing armoured vehicles, and particularly main battle tanks onto the new vehicles, noted Gorguc.



Considering the continuously changing combat conditions and threats, light tanks, effectively serving as reconnaissance and fire support vehicles in modern armies are taking more important role in the world, he added.



Gorguc said by getting inspired from different requirements of the clients in different parts of the world, Otokar has combined its experience with engineering and R&D capabilities, and debuted newly developed Tulpar Light Tank in Paris.



"We believe that light tanks will be more apparent in the inventories in the upcoming years," he added.



According to him, Otokar manufactured various armoured vehicles and turret systems in different types and versions ranging from 4x4, 6x6, 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicles to tracked armoured vehicles.



"New Tulpar Light Tank is targeting several markets. Otokar is known in the global markets as a company that designed, developed and qualified Turkeys main battle tank and our most important reference in new purchases is our armoured vehicles used in more than 30 countries in five continents. We are in talks with the countries that need and demand the light tank in particular," he added.-TradeArabia News ServiceThe Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) has approved a Dh40 million ($10.8 million) concessionary loan for the development of a rural electrification project in Kalongo, Uganda, a media report said.



Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, director-general of ADFD, and Ajedra Gabriel Gadison Aridru, Uganda's Minister of State for Finance Planning and Economic Development, signed the loan agreement at the ADFD headquarters in Abu Dhabi, UAE, reported Emirates news agency Wam.



Aimed at electrifying homes, schools, healthcare centres, government offices and commercial, industrial and agricultural establishments, the project seeks to help the government achieve its objective of meeting the rural electricity demand that currently stands at less than seven percent to 26 per cent by 2022.



Set to benefit 20,634 consumers over the next 10 years, the rural electrification project is anticipated to improve the living standards of the rural population and minimise migration to cities.



Al Suwaidi said: "The UAE, through the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, pursues an active policy of supporting sectors that can accelerate economic development across emerging countries. Among these sectors, energy is of great significance, given its crucial role in poverty eradication and inclusive development. At ADFD, we are committed to supporting the government of Uganda in fulfilling its development objectives through ensuring timely and adequate funding for strategically important projects."



The 33kV rural electrification project involves civil and electrical works for the installation of a 139-kilometre transmission line, as well as 88 distribution stations and 415 volts distribution lines on a 167-kilometre stretch that will bring electricity to about 2,000 consumers. The project supports the development of small industries, workshops and agricultural units in rural Uganda, while curbing the over-exploitation of vegetation as a source of energy.



In turn, Aridru praised the UAE for its leading development efforts, and acknowledged the important role ADFD has played in advancing sustainable growth in key sectors in Uganda. He explained that this electrification project will go a long way in supporting the Ugandan government in achieving its development priorities.



ADFDs engagement in the development of Uganda dates back to 1977. Since then, the fund has extended Dh79 million in loans and government grants towards the development of a number of projects that have positively transformed the livelihood of a sizable rural population and the local economy.Russian and Chinese nuclear executives have signed the biggest package of contracts in the history of the two countries nuclear partnership.



The package consists of four deals and envisages the construction of four Gen 3+ VVER-1200 units (at the Xudabao and Tianwan sites), cooperation in the CFR-600 fast reactor pilot project, and supply of the RITEG (Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator) parts for Chinas lunar exploration programme.



The signing ceremony was attended by Russian president Vladimir Putin and Peoples Republic of China president Xi Jinping.



Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev commented: Today, Russia and China are the leaders of the worlds nuclear energy [industry]. The signing of these agreements is the best confirmation of our partnership with our Chinese friends.



I note that over the course of longstanding cooperation with our reliable partners  Chinas Atomic Energy Authority, the National Energy Administration, and the CNNC corporation  we have created an unprecedented level of trust. Therefore, we developed a framework for joint design and construction at the Tianwan site by both Russian and Chinese specialists.



We continue to jointly build the most modern Gen 3+ units in China. Moreover, today we agreed to start the construction of VVER-1200 power units at a greenfield site. We have great plans to cooperate in the nuclear sphere, not only with regard to [the design and construction of] high-power nuclear power plants, Likhachev added.

There were signed two deals on the construction of 4 new units  two at the greenfield site of Xudabao and two at Tianwan (units 7 and 8). All 4 units will feature Russias latest Gen3+ VVER-1200 reactors. The reactors, as well as all other necessary equipment, will be developed and supplied to the nuclear island by Russian side.



Third deal envisages the supply of equipment, fuel, and services for the CNNC-developed CFR-600 fast reactor pilot project.



A deal was also signed a deal for the supply of radionuclide heat units (UHR) used as parts of radioisotope thermoelectric generators to power equipment in Chinas space programme, for use in lunar exploration in particular.  TradeArabia News ServiceON THE MOVE: DASH Lands Lesko for CGO; Kurland Leaves ITG

Dash Financial Technologies landed Bloomberg alum Glenn Lesko as its new Chief Growth Officer. Reporting directly to CEO Peter Maragos, Lesko will be responsible for driving the firms revenue growth objectives globally, both organically and inorganically. A 30 year veteran, Lesko most recently served as CEO of Bloomberg Tradebook. Prior to that he spent nearly 10 years at Instinet, serving as CEO of Instinet Asia and later head of Americas Equities.

Ann Neidenbach, who joined Cowen as chief information following its acquisition of Convergex, joined the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) last week as chief information officer for shared services, according to media reports. She will be responsible for developing the Groups BSL operations in Sri Lanka and Romania, which delivers technology, data services and corporate support across the exchanges global operating entities.

If you have a new job or promotion to report, let me know at jdantona@marketsmedia.com

Scott Kurland has left ITG. The 16 year veteran and former Managing Director and Head of Workflow Technology at ITG has joined SS&C Technologies. At SS&C Kurland will spearhead the rollout of their next-generation financial operations system. Prior to ITG, he was Co Founder and Head of Product Development at ESP Technologies.

KeyBanc Capital Markets has hired Tom Mazzucco as a managing director and head of global internet & digital media investment banking in its Technology Group. Mazzucco comes to KBCM Technology Group with more than 25 years of investment banking experience, most recently as head of the global internet practice at Jefferies. He previously served as global head of internet & digital media investment banking for Citigroup, UBS, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch.

Transcend, a leader in collateral and liquidity management technology, has appointed BJ Marcoullier, former JPMorgan Chase securities finance executive, as its Head of Sales. Before joining Transcend, Marcoullier spent 22 years at JPMorgan Chase, most recently leading its North American liquidity and funding team within equity finance and prime brokerage. He also led funding, liquidity and capital optimization efforts for its US broker dealers and prime brokerage business and managed the Americas securities borrow and loan desk.

Asa Attwell is joining Nomura as its head of EMEA foreign exchange and emerging markets. Attwell will also serve as co-head of global FX options along with Nagaraj Pangal. Together they will be tasked with growing the FX options business across G10 currencies and emerging markets.

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For more information on related topics, visit the following channels:The 2018 Bag Lunch Arts Series continues in June with Faces of Appalachia, which will be presented by photographer and author Tim Barnwell.

The program begins at noon on Tuesday, June 19, in the librarys Rogow Room and is made possible by the Friends of the Library.

Barnwell will discuss Appalachian culture and history as it relates to the area, sharing photographs and stories of meeting folks from Western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee.

The presentation will include images of people and places made over the past 35 years that are included in his three Appalachian-themed books that include scenes of daily life, such as farming, hunting, religious activities, people working with oxen and horses, making traditional crafts and playing old-time music.

Transcending their geographical origins, his photographs record a way of life and remind us how our forefathers lived for generations, with seemingly little change, in the decades before modern industry, roads, technology, and communications transformed the country. His presentation will focus on his efforts, using photography and collecting oral histories, to preserve regional mountain heritage and promote appreciation of the natural beauty that surrounds us.

Barnwell is a based in Asheville and is one of the most published photographers in the South. His books include The Face of Appalachia and On Earths Furrowed Brow, which capture farm culture, while Hands in Harmony spotlights the craftspeople and musicians who play all manner of traditional instruments, including Doc Watson, Ralph Stanley, Earl Scruggs, Bill Monroe, Jerry Douglas and Pete Seeger. His books will be available for sale and signing following the program.

Proceeds from Friends memberships and from Second Story Book Store sales help pay for all of the library programming.

There is never a charge to attend programs, and the public is invited to bring along a bag lunch to enjoy during this presentation. Refreshments for Bag Lunch are provided by the Friends and include cookies and coffee from Blue Ridge Bakery. For more information, call the library at 884-3151.Where do people want to go the most? Is it New York, Paris or another adventure worth $5,000?

Dori Miller, president of the board of directors at the TC Arts Council said, Now you can start dreaming and win the trip of a lifetime for a $100 raffle ticket, or you and a travel buddy could split a ticket for $50 each, while benefiting the TC Arts Councils programs, including art programs for our kids. Our kids need you and you need an adventure!

The Transylvania Community Arts Council has partnered with Aloha Seven Seas Travel to offer an experience filled fundraiser. The TC Arts Council has $100 raffle tickets on sale. Tickets will be sold until Oct. 26. The winner will be drawn at the TC Arts Council during the Brevard Fourth Friday Gallery Walk on Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. You do not have to be present to win.

According to TC Arts board of directors member Cindy Rehm, Participation in this raffle not only offers a chance to win a fabulous custom designed vacation, but an opportunity to support the outstanding arts programming that the TC Arts Council provides to artists, students, audiences and the community at large throughout the year.

Travel must be booked with Aloha Seven Seas Travel in Brevard. The winner of the raffle drawing will have until Dec. 31, 2019 to book their trip.

The TC Arts Council is located at 349 S. Caldwell Street in Brevard. To purchase raffle tickets, stop by TC Arts Council or call (828) 884-2787.STATE OF North CAROLINA

COUNTY OF TRANSYLVANIA

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION

FILE NO. 18E181

EXECUTORS  ADMINISTRATORS NOTICE

Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Almeta B. Ellenburg of Transylvania County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claim against the Estate of Almeta B. Ellenburg to present them to the undersigned on or before August 21, 2018 or the claim will be forever barred thereafter.

All persons indebted to said estate please make immediate payment.

Dated: May 21, 2018.

Mildred A. Owenby

27 Pinecola Drive

Brevard, NC 28712

M/5/21/4TP-68776

___________________________________________________________________________

STATE OF North CAROLINA

COUNTY OF TRANSYLVANIA

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION

FILE NO. 18-E-169

EXECUTORS - ADMINISTRATORS NOTICE

Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Dorothy Ann Griffin of Transylvania County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claim against the Estate of Dorothy Ann Griffin to present them to the undersigned on or before August 21, 2018 or the claim will be forever barred thereafter.

All persons indebted to said estate please make immediate payment.

Dated: May 21, 2018.

William Howard Griffin

1693 Crab Creek Road

Penrose, NC 28766

M/5/21/4TP-68777

___________________________________________________________________________

Notice of Public Hearing

City of Brevard

Bicycle-Friendly Implementation Plan Adoption

The Brevard City Council will hold a public hearing on Monday, June 18, 2018. The hearing will begin at 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as possible in the Council Chambers of the Municipal Building located at 95 West Main Street to consider the following:

Adoption of the Citys first Bicycle-Friendly Implementation Plan. This document is intended to be an actionable plan for the City of Brevards goal of achieving the highest practical level of certification under the Bicycle Friendly America program.

The actions and implementation steps outlined in this plan are to help guide Staff and the Parks and Trails Committee (which acts as the Citys Bicycle Advisory Committee) prioritize Staff time and tax-payer money to most efficiently achieve, and maintain, certification.

The public is invited to attend this public hearing and make comment, either in favor of or in opposition to this plan. A copy may be reviewed at in the City of Brevards Planning Department between the hours of 8:30-12:00PM or 1-5:00PM. For additional information you may call the City Planning Department at (828) 885-5630.

This 30th day of May, 2018.

Jill Murray

City Clerk

M/6/4/2TC-68891

___________________________________________________________________________

NOTICE OF

FORECLOSURE SALE

18 SP 20

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Dwight C. Rigsby (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Dwight Rigsby) to William R. Echols, Trustee(s), dated the 13th day of January, 2004, and recorded in Book 212, Page 707, and Modification in Book 772, Page 604, in Transylvania County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Transylvania County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in the City of Brevard, Transylvania County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 10:00 AM on June 20, 2018 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in the County of Transylvania, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows:

Beginning at an iron pin, the Southeastern corner of Owen property described in Book 244, page 138, and running thence South 87 deg. 30 min. East (passing an iron pin at 174.86 feet) a total distance of 229.16 feet to a stake in the Western edge of NC Highway 281; thence with the Western edge of the Highway, North 8 deg. East 214.58 feet; thence North 88 deg. 51 min. West (passing an iron pin at 73.56 feet) a total distance of 232.71 feet to an iron pin, the Northeast corner of the Owen property; thence with the Owen line, South 7 deg. 11 min. 30 sec. West 208.81 feet to the point of Beginning, containing 1.11 acres, more or less, as surveyed by P.R. Raxter, RLS, in May, 1981. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 1603 Blue Ridge Road, Lake Toxaway, North Carolina. This property is conveyed subject to the Western half of the right of way of NC Highway 281.

Trustee may, in the Trustees sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in NCGS 45-21.23.

Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by NCGS 7A-308(a)(1).

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS, WHERE IS. Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws.

A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including

Single-Family Residential Real Property

An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S.  45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold.

Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may after receiving the notice of foreclosure sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC.

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE

c/o Hutchens Law Firm

P.O. Box 1028

4317 Ramsey Street

Fayetteville,

North Carolina 28311

Phone No: (910) 864-3068

https://sales.hutchenslaw firm.com

Case No: 1240250 (FC.FAY)

M/6/4/2T-68895

___________________________________________________________________________

STATE OF North CAROLINA

COUNTY OF Transylvania IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION

BEFORE THE CLERK

FILE NO. 18-E-175

EXECUTORS  ADMINISTRATORS NOTICE

Having qualified as Personal Representative of the Estate of Robert C. Hering of Transylvania County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of Robert C. Hering to present them to the undersigned on or before August 21, 2018, or the claim will be forever barred thereafter. All persons indebted to said estate, please make immediate payment.

This the 21st day of May, 2018.

Renee K. Egert, Personal Representative

c/o Ramsey & Pratt, P.A.

35 N Gaston Street

Brevard, NC 28712

ATTORNEY:

Michael K. Pratt

Ramsey & Pratt, P.A.

35 N Gaston Street

Brevard, NC 28712

828-884-4113

M/5/21/4TC-68756

___________________________________________________________________________

STATE OF North CAROLINA

COUNTY OF TRANSYLVANIA

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE

SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION

File No: 18-E-176

EXECUTORS  ADMINISTRATORS

NOTICE

Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of RICHARD EDWARD RAWSON of Transylvania County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claim against the Estate of RICHARD EDWARD RAWSON to present them to the undersigned on or before August 21, 2018, or the claim will be forever barred thereafter. All persons indebted to said estate, please make immediate payment.

This the 21st day of MAY, 2018.

JOHN V. RAWSON

PO BX 670

ROCKY HILL,

NEW JERSEY 08553

Attorney:

The Neumann Law Firm, PLLC

David C. Neumann, Atty.

9 Park Place West, Ste. 102

Brevard, NC 28712

828-884-6575

#13630

M/5/21/4TC-68755

___________________________________________________________________________

STATE OF North CAROLINA

COUNTY OF TRANSYLVANIA

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION

FILE NO. 18-E-197

EXECUTORS  ADMINISTRATORS NOTICE

Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Judith L. Mashburn of Transylvania County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claim against the Estate of Judith L. Mashburn to present them to the undersigned on or before September 11, 2018 or the claim will be forever barred thereafter.

All persons indebted to said estate please make immediate payment.

Dated: June 11, 2018.

Julie Simpson

PO Box 62

Penrose, NC 28766

M/6/11/4TP-68922

___________________________________________________________________________

STATE OF North CAROLINA

COUNTY OF TRANSYLVANIA

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION

FILE NO. 18-E-186

EXECUTORS  ADMINISTRATORS NOTICE

Having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Myrtle L. Potter of Transylvania County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claim against the Estate of Myrtle L. Potter to present them to the undersigned on or before August 28, 2018 or the claim will be forever barred thereafter.

All persons indebted to said estate please make immediate payment.

Dated: May 28, 2018.

Harry George Potter, Jr.

14 Apple Bee Road

Brevard, NC 28712

M/5/28/4TP-68848

___________________________________________________________________________

Notice of Public Hearing

City of Brevard

Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development Grant Opportunity

The Brevard City Council will hold a public hearing on Monday, June 18, 2018. The hearing will begin at 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as possible in the Council Chambers of the Municipal Building located at 95 West Main Street to consider the following:

Application for funding assistance via a 2018 Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant. These funds will be used to implement the Citys Downtown Streetscape Improvement Plan, which was adopted in 2012. The estimated construction cost is $12.7 million. The grant can fund 100% of the construction costs.

The public is invited to attend this public hearing and make comment, either in favor of or in opposition to this application. For additional information you may call the City Planning Department at (828) 885-5630.

This 30th day of May, 2018.

Jill Murray

City Clerk

M/6/4/2TC-68892

___________________________________________________________________________

STATE OF North CAROLINA

COUNTY OF TRANSYLVANIA

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION

BEFORE THE CLERK

FILE NO. 18-E-190

EXECUTORS  ADMINISTRATORS NOTICE

Having qualified as Personal Representatives of the Estate of Betty Jean Allen McMillan Hudson of Transylvania County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of Betty Jean Allen McMillan Hudson to present them to the undersigned on or before September 11, 2018, or the claim will be forever barred thereafter. All persons indebted to said estate, please make immediate payment.

This the 11th day of June, 2018.

Sonja McMillan Goold, Co-Personal Representative

Marc W. Goold,

Co-Personal Representative c/o Ramsey & Pratt, P.A.

35 N Gaston Street

Brevard, NC 28712

ATTORNEY:

Michael K. Pratt

Ramsey & Pratt, P.A.

35 N Gaston Street

Brevard, NC 28712

828-884-4113

M/6/11/4TC-68978

___________________________________________________________________________

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION

STATE OF North CAROLINA

HAYWOOD COUNTY

CASE NUMBER:

18 CVD 453

In the District Court

TRACY PRICE,

Plaintiff,

vs.

JESSICA ANDERSON and,

PATRICK BUCKLEY

Defendants

To: JESSICA ANDERSON and PATRICK BUCKLEY

Take notice that pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the above-entitled action.

The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: CHILD CUSTODY.

You are required to make defense to such pleading no later than July 9, 2018, and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought.

This the 7th day of June, 2018.

Brad H. Ferguson

Attorney for Plaintiff

1878 Camp Branch Road

Waynesville,

North Carolina 28786

Phone: (828) 452-1655

Fax: (828) 356-6517

M/6/11/3TP-68980

___________________________________________________________________________

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

CITY OF BREVARD

PROPOSED

FY 2018-2019 BUDGET

In accordance with N.C.G.S. 159-12(b), the Brevard City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed budget for fiscal year 2018-2019 on Monday, June 18, 2018, at 7:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as possible. The hearing will be held in City Council Chambers located at 95 West Main Street, Brevard, NC. The public hearing is being held to receive comment from the public on the proposed budget.

The proposed FY 2018-2019 Budget has been submitted to City Council and a copy of the proposed budget is available for public inspection in the Office of the City Clerk weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

This the 29th day of May, 2018.

Jill Murray

City Clerk

M/6/4/2TC-68868After the old East Fork Baptist Church was destroyed by fire on Dec. 13, 1956, the congregation constructed a new brick building.

The Eastatoe Township covers approximately 50 square miles in south central Transylvania County. It is bordered by Hogback Township to the west, Gloucester and Cathey's Creek townships to the North, Dunn's Rock Township to the east and South Carolina to the south.

The Eastern Continental Divide runs along the boundary between Transylvania County and Greenville County, S.C., before heading North and west through Eastatoe and Hogback townships. Above Lake Toxaway the divide turns west and south. This means a portion of the area drains south and east into the Toxaway River and Savannah River Basin. The rest of the region flows into the tributaries of the Middle and East Forks of the French Board River and then the French Broad.

Much of the township lays within the disputed Orphan Strip area. As white settlers began moving to the area following the American Revolution, North Carolina and Georgia engaged in the little known Walton War over the exact location of the state boundary. Georgia claimed the territory as Walton County, while North Carolina claimed it as part of Buncombe County (today Transylvania County). During the early 1800s, there were some major confrontations that lead to at least one death and the militia being called in for protection. By the time Georgia finally admitted defeat there were already numerous families settled in the area.

The first census after the establishment of Transylvania County was taken in 1870. It lists 351 residents in 72 households in the Eastatoe Township. Within just 10 years, the population nearly doubled to 674 residents in 132 households.

When Joseph Silversteen brought his tanning and lumber businesses to Rosman, which lies partially within the Eastatoe Township, there was another growth spurt. By 1940, the population was 1,169 in 228 households.

Although most of the township remained relatively sparsely populated, a few small communities did have official post offices. The longest operating were East Fork from 1875-1908 and Galloway from 1887-1914. Brona, Eunice, Rio, Rosy, Sassafras Gap and Tex were post offices that existed for less than five years.

John and Jane Gillespie were among the earliest settlers in the Eastatoe Township. John made long rifles at his mill on the East Fork River. He also trained his three sons in rifle making. Several of Gillespie's grandsons were also rifle makers. Gillespie family members served as postmasters at East Fork for 29 of its 33 years.

Jackson Gillespie was a grandson of John and Jane Gillespie. He was postmaster at East Fork from 1875-1879.

The oldest church in the township is the East Fork Baptist Church, which was established in the 1840s by members of the Gillespie, Glazener, Heath, Hines, Kennemeur, Lance, Paxton and Whitmire families. Early East Fork Baptist Church records are available on microfilm in the Local History Room at the library.

(Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. Visit the N.C. Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs. For more information, comments or suggestions, contact Marcy at [email protected] or (828) 884-1820.)About 120 people gathered in the WNC Military History Museum on June 6 to commemorate the turning point of World War II and to honor two D-Day veterans and seven other World War II veterans.

D-Day occurred on June 6, 1944, when the Allies invaded Western Europe.

Ray Pegram, a radio operator in the first C-47 to drop Pathfinder paratroops into Normandy at 1a.m. on D-Day, told of his experiences and showed slides. Pegrams plane also dropped glider planes and supplies, and, later, landed on Utah Beach when the tide was out, picking up wounded soldiers and flying them back to England.

Pegram entertained the museum audience with a story of delivering gasoline to Pattons Fifth Army in the weeks after D-Day. After we delivered the gasoline, the word came back from Patton, Bring us some G.D. socks! Pegram said laughing. So, the next day we delivered the socks.

George Sarros, a motor machinist in an LST (Landing Ship, Tanks) hitting Omaha Beach, recalled the tragic story of two LSTs in his flotila being hit by German torpedoes during their April training off the shore of England before the invasion.

Defying the flotillas commanders orders to return to the beach, Sarros ships captain made the decision to rescue survivors. Sarros sadness was evident as he told the story of pulling sailors out of the 45-degree water; many were dead.

We took one man into our mess hall, put him on the table where we ate and tried to save him, he said. We couldnt. I removed his dog tags and his wallet. I looked inside his wallet and there was a picture of his wife and child. There were so many who didnt survive those blasts. We put all the dog tags into a pillow case.

The nine World War II veterans in attendance were asked to stand to be thanked and recognized. The audience gave a sustained standing ovation.

After the lecture, the WWII veterans signed copies of World War II Veterans of Western North Carolina: Their Stories in Their Own Words, the book which is an honor project of the museum.

The World War II veterans (ranging in age from 93 to 99) enjoyed meeting other veterans from that war and thanked each other for their service.

The WNC Military History Museum provides free lectures monthly, gives programs at schools and other groups, and provides an Honor Wall for plaques to honor individual veterans. The museum is located at 21 E. Main St. (behind the courthouse gazebo) and is open Wednesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information, call 884-2141 or go to http://www.wncmilitaryhistorymuseum.com.Quentin Clark Jr., of Brevard, passed away peacefully Tuesday, June 5, 2018.

He was the firstborn son of Lillian Pacetty Clark of Tampa, Fla., and Quentin Clark Sr.

He spent most of his childhood in Bladen County, N.C., where his ancestors had lived since colonial times, making their living from turpentine, timber and tobacco. The sandy roads and loblolly forests of Bladen provided the backdrop for many of his beloved stories in later years.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one brother, Russell.

He served in the Navy during the Korean War, maintaining aircraft at the Naval Air Station on Boca Chica Key, Fla.

On a visit to see a navy buddy in Oklahoma, he met his friend's cousin, Alice. He and Alice were married 60 years, until she passed away in January 2018.

After leaving the University of Oklahoma with a mechanical engineering degree, he made his way back east with his wife happily joining him. They first moved to Knoxville, where they started their family. Then moved to Chattanooga, and finally, Brevard.

From 1966 until 1993, he worked at Ecusta, helping to keep the boilers and paper machines running and making many special friends.

He was a strong believer and follower of his loving God. He was a faithful member of the Brevard Church of Christ, serving many years as elder and teacher.

In his retirement years, he enjoyed reading, praying, writing, woodworking, mushroom hunting, traveling, cooking, spending time with family and friends and his dogs.

Left to cherish his memory are three daughters, Holly Watkins (Lonnie), of Apex, N.C., Kelly Clark, of Brevard, and Melissa Carmine (Doug), of Mount Dora, Fla .; granddaughter, Heather Nossaman (Lucas), of Knoxville, Tenn .; grandson, Seth Watkins, of Apex, great-grandson, Ezra Nossaman; and many beloved nieces, nephews and cousins.

A private memorial service will be held in the coming weeks.

The family wishes to thank special friends Darlene, Lavonnia and Sherry, Care Partners Hospice, and the staff at Cedar Mountain House.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Transylvania Christian Ministry, P.O. Box 958, Brevard, NC 28712.

To leave a condolence for the family of Quentin Clark Jr., visit "obituaries" at http://www.moore-fh.com.

Moore-Blanchard Funerals & Cremations is serving the family.vinaymishra188@gmail.com

New Delhi, June 12

The RBI needs more powers to oversee public sector banks (PSBs), Governor Urjit Patel told a parliamentary panel on Tuesday amid mounting bad loans in state-run lenders.

The RBI Governor, who appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Finance, faced tough questions from lawmakers on bad loans, bank frauds, cash crunch and other issues, according to sources.

Sources said the Governor assured the members that steps were being taken to strengthen the system. Regarding the PSBs, he told the panel that the RBI has inadequate control over them.

The Governor asked for more powers to control the government-owned banks, said sources present at the meeting. There are 21 state-owned banks, including SBI.

Sources further said the RBI Governor also answered queries regarding the $2 billion fraud allegedly committed by diamontaire Nirav Modi and his associates in the PNB. According to sources, Patel said it was impossible to look after each and every branch of a bank in terms of an audit.

Some members of the committee, headed by senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily, sought to know about the reasons for recent instances of ATMs running out of cash and why enough steps were not taken to tackle banking frauds.

Patel told the panel that steps were being taken to strengthen the banking system. We are confident that we will be able to tide over the crisis, a source quoted the Governor as saying with respect to the NPA situation.  PTI

Losses mount to over Rs 87,300 croreROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 11

About 3,000 students, 20 per cent of the total, were promoted from Class IX to Class X with grace marks in March this year. A maximum of 10 grace marks were given to each student.

The number assumes significance as 5,567 students, about 52 per cent of the total, have failed in the CBSE Class X exams this year. The grace marks, which help promote ineligible students every year, affect the outcome of the results.

There were a total of 15,000 students in Class IX this year. Over 4,000 students failed and were detained. If the 3,000 students who were promoted with grace marks are also counted, then over 7,000 students had failed, around 48 per cent of the total students.

Under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, the government schools have been following the policy of no detention till Class VIII. In Class IX, the schools are following the policy of giving grace marks to those who otherwise would not have been able to make it to Class X. In 2017, a maximum of 15 grace marks were given, while in 2018, it was reduced to 10.

Education Secretary BL Sharma held an emergency meeting on Monday on the grace marks policy and stressed the need for not resorting to it from next year. I do not understand it at all. A student either passes or fails, he said.

Officials have told me that students who have been promoted with grace marks will be screened again after the vacation. If they fail again, they will be detained, he said.

A number of instructions were issued after the meeting on Monday, which included supervision of schools by higher officials, including the District Education Officer. I will also inspect schools.

The schools will be assigned to higher officials, said the Education Secretary.

School principals will further supervise teachers. Principals and teachers will be held responsible for poor results. A pass percentage of 7 will not be accepted, he said.

Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 38 (West), has a pass percentage of just 7.94 in Class X, the worst among the government schools in Chandigarh.

It implies that over 92 per cent of the students in the school were not able to pass.

There were 126 students, of whom just 10 passed in the exams.

Government Model High School, Sector 22-C, was the second worst with just three of the 37 students having passed (8.11 per cent).

Action will be taken against teachers giving poor results, said BL Sharma.KC Singh

KC Singh

The world watched with understandable interest, if not anxiety, the Singapore Summit between US President Donald Trump and autocratic ruler of Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong-un. Trump staked personal credibility as in the past over two decades and a half, spanning presidencies of Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama, many deals and agreements were reached but never fully observed. In balance is the Korean Peninsulas future, its denuclearisation and impact on other regions and nations like Iran. The summit will also likely impact the Chinese strategic calculus and relations with its troublesome protege, conveniently used both as a buffer with the Republic of Korea (ROK) and a captive commercial and strategic asset.

When India tested nuclear devices in 1998, it faced palpable Western hostility, reflected in the questioning by a deluge of Western and Japanese television networks. It was argued then whether it was a coincidence that China clandestinely shared nuclear weapon technology with Pakistan and missile wherewithal with DPRK. Then ignored when the two exchanged it, as Benazir Bhutto recounted having done on a visit to Pyongyang as PM of Pakistan. Strategically, China determined decades ago that the challenge to its predominance in Asia could come only from India and Japan-ROK. Pakistan was bolstered to tie down India and DPRK the other two.

Iran watching the Singapore proceedings carefully issued a warning on the morning of the summit that DPRK should be mindful of Trumps record in abandoning the P5+1 nuclear deal with Iran. The US-DPRK terms of engagement would naturally impact a resolution of US standoff over the Iran deal. By restricting the Iranian enrichment programme to a decade and allowing a sunset clause, complete denuclearisation was never an end objective. But with DPRK, the US seeks complete, verifiable, irreversible dismantlement of nuclear weapons programme and assets, reduced to the acronym CVID. In the joint statement while Trump promises to provide security guarantees to DPRK, he, in turn, obtains DPRKs firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

The easy loitering walk-past the media by Trump and Kim after their luncheon meeting, a peep by the latter inside the US presidential sedan called The Beast and joint signing of a declaration seemed to indicate at least personal chemistry, which Trump repeatedly hinted at during the presser. Quizzed when complete denuclearisation will commence, Trump said they were starting that process quickly, very, very quickly. In the presser, he shared that two additional steps had been agreed upon. One, the US will discontinue military exercises with ROK, which Trump thought were expensive and unnecessarily provocative. Two, and this would get Trump electoral returns back home on the eve of the crucial mid-term elections, remains of over 6,000 US servicemen shall be promptly returned by DPRK.

Security guarantees to DPRK would have implications for US allies ROK and Japan. When asked if this meant early withdrawal of 32,000 US troops in ROK, Trump said this would not happen right now. In turn, the US would have to convert CVID into transparent measures by DPRK to give up its nuclear assets and programme. Similar commitments existed in the 1994 framework agreement negotiated by the Clinton administration, whereby DPRK was to shut down its heavy-water reactor at Yongbyon and was to receive, in exchange, two light-water reactors and oil.

In 2000, a DPRK Vice-Marshal brought a personal letter for President Clinton from Kims father, who died in 2011. But once President George W Bush took over and 9/11 led to US intervention to depose regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2001 and 2003, respectively, and Bush in a 2002 speech included DPRK in his Axis of Evil, the mood changed in DPRK, which withdrew from the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003. Six-nation talks were held off and on during 2003-07 and another agreement hammered out on February 13, 2007, despite DPRK having tested a nuclear device on October 9, 2006. DPRK promised action for action, a phrase also used by Iranians, but in reality, they kept using negotiations to obtain vital economic sustenance while relentlessly developing nuclear weapons and missile technology.

What then is different this time around? Perhaps the two protagonists. Trump, as CNNs Christiane Amanpour described him, can be a bully or a pussy-cat utilising negotiating methods honed over a lifetime of business dealings. It is possible that young Kim, basically a genetic copy of his patrilineal line, may have consolidated power enough to attempt moving his nation from out of the strategic corner. Trump feels that Kim is willing to move further than DPRK ever went because of confidence Trump has been able to generate in his words. But Iranian warning about US guarantees and the fate of Gaddafi, having voluntarily abandoned his weapons of mass destruction programme, and Saddam Hussein, having bluffed about one, with both dethroned and dead would linger in North Korean minds. Trumps credibility can hardly be high seeing his quarrel with G7 colleagues, particularly Canada, within hours of agreeing to sign the declaration.

The joint statement will be closely analysed domestically, as indeed in other major capitals of the world. Republican Presidents have the advantage, like those BJP Prime Ministers in India, that they can get away with a lot more dangerous diplomatic dalliance than their rivals. President Obama was roundly criticised by the Republicans for his Cuba outreach for ignoring Cubas rights record. The same yardstick will hardly be applied this time around. Though Trump said he did raise the rights abuses, he did not press. DPRK has already dismantled its nuclear testing site, which is irrelevant to its nuclear programme now as its weapon design has been tested successfully. It may abandon ICBM missile tests that potentially threaten US mainland.

Trump also announced that additionally DPRK had decided to dismantle its advanced missile testing facility. But the risk is of these developments triggering Japanese concerns and lurching them towards self-reliance in nuclear deterrence. But if, indeed, what has been witnessed today is historic, it could force Iran to re-negotiate a more intrusive inspection-based agreement without a sunset clause that now allows it an enrichment programme after a certain period. Trump opined Iran is today not so confident a nation and is welcome to return and negotiate a real deal. He may be underestimating Iranian nationalism and the will to resist.

Trump rather pompously declared that had he negotiated a decade earlier, he would have achieved success even easier. Nobel Peace prizes were awarded in the past for peace-making in West Asia or Obamas nuclear disarmament speech. Some have died or were assassinated or left presidencies without achieving the promised goals. It is hoped Messrs Trump and Kim are more successful.

The writer is a former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairsuttara@tribuneindia.com

Dubai, June 12

A popular Indian-origin chef in the United Arab Emirates has landed in a controversy after he allegedly posted an anti-Islam tweet, triggering calls for his sacking, a media report said on Tuesday.



Atul Kochhar, a Michelin-Star chef well known here for his Rang Mahal Indian restaurant at the JW Marriott Marquis hotel, received flak after taking a dig at Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra for her tweet over an episode in American television series 'Quantico' that purportedly portrayed Hindu nationalists as terrorists, the Khaleej Times reported.

"It's sad to see that you (Priyanka) have not respected the sentiments of Hindus who have been terrorised by Islam over 2000 years. Shame on You (sic)," Kochhar tweeted. He later deleted the tweet and apologised for the "major error" that was "made in the heat of the moment on Sunday", the paper said.

"There is no justification for my tweet ... I fully recognise my inaccuracies that Islam was founded round 1400 years ago and I sincerely apologise. I am not Islamophobic, I deeply regret my comments that have offended many," Kochhar tweeted on Tuesday.

The anti-Islam tweet created a furore on social media, with twitterati calling for firing the chef. Popular commentator and Arab journalist Khaled Almaeena tweeted: "You (Kochhar) have offended me..As a person who loves India its people no matter what their caste or creed. As a secular and liberal, it truly is a horror statement".

Some said they would boycott the restaurant. "Chef celebrity showed his true colours. I won't eat here after reading the racist tweets by the head chef," a UAE resident posted on his Facebook page.

"I have cancelled my wedding anniversary meal for next month at your restaurant. You knew exactly what you meant as you tweeted that message," another Twitter user added.

JW Marriot hotel, however, distanced itself from the chef's comments. "We are aware of the comments made by Chef Atul Kochhar. We would like to stress that we do not share the same views as stated in the remark, nor is it a representation of the culture of diversity and inclusion that we pride ourselves on at the hotel," the hotel tweeted on Monday. PTIvermaajay1968@gmail.com

Religion is drama. Be it the spectacular opening of the doors of the sanctum sanctorum to the ringing of bells revealing a god lit up in divine splendour or the Sunday Mass celebrating and remembering the sacrifice of the son of God. Recently there was even greater drama at a small nondescript temple in the suburbs of Hyderabad. A Vaishnavite priest of a Balaji temple did something stunningly theatrical. This Brahmin priest, CS Rangarajan, carried Aditya Parasri, a Dalit, on his shoulders into the temple to establish equality of men before god. This act of atonement for the collective guilt of society seems to have triggered a movement, at least, in Andhra Pradesh. On June 14, another temple priest is going to carry a Dalit on his shoulders into the Mohana Ranganayaka Swamy temple in Guntur town. When India became free, the high priest of our freedom movement, Mahatma Gandhi, had chosen Dr BR Ambedkar to head the drafting committee of the Constitution in a similar gesture, lending our Constitution the legitimacy it would not have otherwise gained in an oppressively hierarchical society.

Caste, untouchability and oppression are Indian realities more than Hindu evils. Every religion practices it, particularly against the Dalits, the most oppressed of all people. Just a few weeks ago, a Christian family of Kerala murdered its son-in-law in an extraordinary event of honour killing in that so-called progressive state, which produced the first Dalit President and the first Dalit Chief Justice of India. Hindu, Christian or Sikh, priests ought to carry Dalits on their shoulders to express remorse and reconciliation. As a priest, the temple is Rangarajans work place also and the symbolism extends to not just a spiritual cleansing of the soul of the feudal lords, but he was also ushering in a man much younger into a place where he was barred hitherto. Beyond the politics of quota, this is a shining example of inclusion that a liberal society needs to understand and emulate. The next logical step, obviously, is to carry Dalit sons-in-law on the shoulders into privileged caste households to ensure equality of men before men.editorial@tribune.com

Our Correspondnet

Hamirpur, June 12

My focus will be on qualitative technical education as 80 per cent engineers passing out every year in the country were not employable said Prof SP Bansal, Vice-Chancellor of Himachal Pradesh Technical University, after assuming charge here on Tuesday.

He said no government university could run without grant from the government and it needed Rs100 crore to meet the initial establishment expenditures of the university. He said he would seek funds from the government for better results.

He said he believed in gross employment ratio (GER) not in gross enrollment ratio,which had become the motive of most of the technical education institutes in the country. He said a vision document and a master plan would be prepared for improving the working of HPTU. He said a committee was constituted to make a concept note after visiting some best performing universities of the region. He said a conference of Vice-Chancellors from over five universities would be organised here so that the university could be benefited by their experiences. Prof Bansal said an inspection team of the university would visit all affiliated institutions and colleges and submit the infrastructure and facility report. Action will be taken against the institutions operating in violation of the norms set by the university, he said.

He said the university would have tie-ups with international universities, which would attract more students and standard of the education would also improve.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 12

While admitting to factionalism within the party, AICC incharge Rajni Patil on Tuesday said personal issues must not come in the way of unity.

All those who have occupied positions like that of Chief Minister, minister and Speaker while being in the Congress owe a responsibility towards the party, she said.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Patil said:Yes, like any other political party, there are differences here too but I will try to resolve them after interacting with all the leaders and party workers.

Patil was bombarded with questions on the party being faction-ridden and Virbhadra Singh skipping the first state office bearers meeting she addressed. Ninety per cent of the leaders are united, it is only a mere 10 per cent who could be having personal issues. My advice to everyone is to shed their personal egos in party interest, she said. She assured that she would try to reach out to everyone. In an oblique reference to senior party leaders, including Virbhadra Singh, she said all those who got the opportunity of becoming CM, ministers and Assembly Speaker should pay back to the party by working for its unity and victory. What restructuring is required within the party is a call that will be taken by the party high command. That cannot be revealed before the media, she said.

She said she would tour all the 68 Assembly segments within the next three months, starting from Chamba. Tthe party would put up a united fight to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Patil said she would assign responsibilities to all the leaders.editorial@tribune.com

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 12

Keeping in mind the last years deadly militant attack on pilgrims and the current fragile situation in mind, nearly 3,000 additional Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) and policemen are being deployed in the Kashmir region this year to ensure a peaceful Amarnath yatra beginning on June 28.

Though there is no specific input about any possible attack on the yatra, security forces are, however, taking no chances and have decided to increase the CAPF deployment from 181 companies in 2017 to 213 companies this year. Similarly, the number of J&K Armed Police battalions/IRP companies has been increased from 23 to 32 from the previous year.

With the additional 41 companies this year nearly 20,000 CAPF and policemen will be securing the annual yatra in Kashmir, a senior security official said.

While the CRPF performs a major role in the conduct of the yatra, the Army will sanitise the upper reaches en route the cave shrine.

According to a security official, the highest number of deployment will be made in Anantnag district in south Kashmir followed by Ganderbal district in central Kashmir. Last year on July 10, a bus carrying Amarnath yatris was attacked by suspected militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in Anantnag district, killing eight pilgrims and injuring 19 others.

The challenges for the security forces are manifold to ensure a safe yatra.

The yatra passes through three sensitive and volatile south Kashmir districts. There is also a high concentration of militants in these districts and new recruits may target the yatra deployment for weapon-snatching, the officer said. Besides the threat of IEDs are always there. But we are geared up for all challanges.

Inspector General, CRPF Srinagar Sector, Ravideep Singh Sahi said adequate arrangements were in place for the yatra and induction of forces had begun.

More surveillanceshalender@tribune.com

Pervin Malhotra

email your queries to careers@tribunemail.com

Q.I am a student of second year of BSc physics (hons) course. I am interested in forensic science. After my BSc will I be eligible for a PG diploma course in forensic medicine?  Raghav Seth

A. Your BSc will not make you eligible for a PG diploma in forensic medicine as the eligibility for this course is an MBBS degree . However, there are a couple of programmes that also admit students with an MSc degree.

With your qualification and interest in this field you ahould try for PG diploma and degree courses in Criminology & Forensic Science.

Typically, these courses cover forensic investigation of the crime scene, forensic photography, forensic toxicology, forensic serology, fingerprint analysis, criminal profiling, drug detection, lie detection, firearm identification, cybercrime etc

So, you can go for an MSc in Forensic Science at Punjabi University, Patiala, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra or the University of Chennai, Delhis Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha Universitys LNJN National Instt of Criminology & Forensic Sc (www.nicfs.org), Rohini (M/o Home Affairs, GoI) offers

1) MA/MSc in Criminology & MSc in Forensic Sc both of which require a BSc degree.

Besides diploma courses in forensic sciences, offered by Delhi University and Amity University, there are other diploma courses in Criminology & Forensic Science.

You could also choose to study Clinical Toxicology (study of poisons, their effects, detection and treatment) separately or do a Masters in Pharmacology & Toxicology from National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research (NIPER), SAS Nagar, Mohali (www.niper.nic.in) or MSc Toxicology at Jamia Hamdard, Delhi or MSc Environmental Toxicology offered at Dr BR Ambedkar University, Agra and University of Madras, Chennai.rchopra@tribunemail.com

Thane (Maharashtra), June 12

Congress President Rahul Gandhi will face trial in a defamation case filed against him by an RSS worker, with a court here in Maharashtra on Tuesday framing charges against him even as he pleaded not guilty.

The 47-year-old Congress leader appeared before civil judge A I Sheikh in Bhiwandi, who read out the charges levelled against him and also the statement of the complainant Rajesh Kunte.

Kunte had filed the case in 2014 after watching Gandhi's speech at an election rally in which he had claimed that the RSS was behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi.

After reading out the complaint against Gandhi, the judge asked him, "Do you accept the charges?"

To this, Gandhi replied, "I plead not guilty". The court then proceeded to frame charges against the Congress leader under IPC sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation).

Under section 500, a person found guilty of defamation faces simple imprisonment for a term, which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.

The court fixed August 10 as the next date of hearing, when the actual trial will begin.

Emerging from the court, Gandhi said if need be, he would be present in the court again.

"Let them (the BJP and the RSS) slap as many cases as they want against me. Ours is a fight of ideology. We will fight them and win," he told reporters outside the court.

On May 2, the court had asked him to appear before it on Tuesday.

Gandhi, who arrived in Mumbai this morning, reached the magistrate's court at 11.05 am amid heavy security cover and was greeted by supporters who raised slogans in his favour.

He was accompanied by Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan and some other party leaders.

the court room, Gandhi's counsel Narayan Iyer and the complainant's lawyer Dharghalkar argued over the issue of the submissions made by Gandhi in the High Court where he had submitted the transcript of his speech made during the said election rally at Bhiwandi on March 6, 2014.

The issue of taking it on record in this court was hotly debated and remained inconclusive.

"As per the charge, you (Gandhi) on March 6, 2014, in a rally held for elections at Bhiwandi, Thane, defamed the organisation to which the complainant belongs," the judge said while reading out the charge.

"Your speech, which was telecast on channels and also published in newspapers, damaged the reputation of the complainant and his organisation and you thereby committed an offence under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," he said.

The judge also read out Gandhi's remarks which he had made at the rally and were cited by the complainant.

Gandhi left the court at 12.15 pm.

"On the next date of hearing, the court is likely to pass an order on whether certain documents, including the transcript of the video recording of Gandhi's speech submitted by the complainant, can be admitted as evidence or not," Iyer said.

Gandhi is not required to appear before the court on the next date of hearing, he said.

The court on Tuesday also allowed an application filed by Gandhi last month seeking a summons trial, which would mean detailed recording of evidence, instead of a 'summary trial'.

While trials in such cases are normally held summarily, Rahul Gandhi filed an application last month seeking for it to be conducted as a 'summons trial'.

"A summary trial is short and will be completed by just submitting the written arguments. We have sought for a summons trial which would go into the in-depth recording of the evidence," Iyer said.

"The case relates to historical facts and hence, we need to rely on several documents and would like to record the evidence of experts," he said.

After the court proceedings got over, Kunte said, "I have full faith in the court and I am sure justice will be delivered."

Rahul Gandhi had earlier moved the Supreme Court seeking quashing of the case.

The apex court had in July 2016 said he should not have resorted to "collective denunciation" of an organisation, and would have to face trial if he did not express regret for his remark.

The Congress leader had declined to accept the suggestion and expressed willingness to face the trial.

In the courtroom on Tuesday, Gandhi and the complainant sat at the extreme corners for about one hour while their counsels were examining the documents.

At one point of time, the SPG officials got annoyed as Gandhi was made to use a toilet, which was in dilapidated condition, instead of taking him to the bar room washroom.

Kunte, on the other hand, alleged that the police had given special treatment to Gandhi while he and his counsel were whisked away and subjected to a thorough checking before they entered the courtroom.

The road leading to Bhiwandi had huge hoardings that said: Rahul Gandhi, Sangarsha Karo.

The hoardings were later pulled down due to the model code of conduct in place for the MLC elections scheduled for June 25. PTIeditorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 12

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday irked the ruling BJP with his remarks that he was the first to visit former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in AIIMS even though the latter was a political rival. This on a day a Maharashtra court framed charges against him in a defamation case filed by an RSS worker.

Gandhi made the reference while attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for disrespecting his elders.

Gandhi later tweeted his thoughts that provoked BJP leaders who hit back. Ekalavya cut off his right thumb because his guru demanded it. In the BJP, they cut down their own gurus. Humiliating Vajpayeeji, Advaniji, Jaswant Singhji and their families is the Prime Ministers way of protecting Indian culture, said Gandhi on Twitter, posting a video that captured Modis mannerisms vis-a-vis mentor LK Advani pre and post 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Earlier, Gandhi after appearing for the court hearing in Bhiwandi said he was fighting a battle of ideology against the BJP and RSS and will not be deterred by court cases. Gandhi was in Bhiwandi court in Thane for the defamation case the RSS has slapped against him. The case is in relation to Gandhis accusations that the RSS was involved in killing Mahatma Gandhi. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A combative Gandhi while addressing party workers in Mumbai said the Congress had a culture of respecting elders, while the BJPs undermined its veterans.

The Congress chief spoke of the Hindu religion which teaches us that the guru is supreme and he is the giver of all knowledge and then mentioned his visit to Vajpayee to drive home the point.

Who was the guru of Prime Minister? LK Advani but Advani ji is not given due respect in any function. We have always fought against Advani ji and defeated him in 2004 and 2009. But who has protected him? The Congress has. Who fought against Vajpayee ji? The Congress and yet when Vajpayee ji is ailing I was the first to see him in the hospital because it is Congress culture to respect elders and I am a soldier of the Congress, Gandhi said, attracting rebuttals from BJPs Anil Baluni who described Gandhis remarks as the lowest level of politics.

The court has fixed August 10 as the next date of hearing, when the actual trial in the defamation case will begin.rchopra@tribunemail.com

New Delhi, June 12

The condition of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was admitted to the AIIMS here with urinary tract infection, lower respiratory tract infection and kidney issues, is stable, the hospital said on Tuesday.

The 93-year-old leader was admitted to the hospital on Monday.

In a statement, the AIIMS said, His condition is stable. He is responding to treatment and is on injectable antibiotics. All his vital parameters are stable. He will continue to be in hospital till the infection is controlled.

A team of doctors, under the supervision of AIIMS director Randeep Guleria, evaluated his condition sometime back, a source said.

He continues to remain in the ICU of the cardio-thoracic centre of AIIMS, the source said.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh met him on Tuesday.

On Monday, the hospital said Vajpayee, who had been ailing for long, was admitted for routine check-up and investigations.

In a statement issued at 10.45 pm on Monday, the AIIMS said Vajpayee was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection.

A host of leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, visited the BJP patriarch at the hospital on Monday.

Modi met the doctors and enquired about the well-being of Vajpayee. He also met his family members, according to an official statement issued on Monday.

BJP veteran LK Advani, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, party chief Amit Shah, Health Minister JP Nadda, Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan, Vijay Goel and Congress president Rahul Gandhi were among those who paid a visit to the ailing leader on Monday.

The BJP, on Monday, said in a statement that Shah had a detailed discussion with the doctors about Vajpayees treatment and also met the former prime ministers family at the hospital.

Vajpayee was thrice elected the prime minister between 1996 and 1999 and is the only non-Congress prime minister to complete the full term of five years, from 1999 to 2004. As his health deteriorated, he had slowly withdrawn himself from public life and was confined to his residence for years. PTIeditorial@tribune.com

Bengaluru, June 12

Another suspect has been arrested in connection with the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, the police said today but denied speculation about him being the assassin.

The Special Investigating Team (SIT) of Karnataka police probing Lankeshs killing said it had arrested 26-year-old Parashuram Waghmare from Sindhagi in Vijaypura district of the state.

Waghmare was produced before the 3rd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrates court here which remanded him in SIT custody for 14 days for further interrogation, an official release said.

Inspector General of Police BK Singh, who heads the SIT, said nothing had emerged during the probe so far to suggest that Waghmare had shot Lankesh.

No. That thing has not come in our investigation, he said amid speculation in the media that Waghmare could be the assassin.

Waghmares is the sixth arrest in connection with the killing of Lankesh, who was shot dead in front of her house here on September 5 last year. Lankesh was known for her strong views against hardline Hindutva.

His role in the conspiracy and other details will be revealed later as it would affect the investigation at this stage, the SIT release said. Waghmare was said to have links to right wing groups.

The SIT had earlier arrested five peopleKT Naveen Kumar alias Hotte Manja, Amol Kale, Manohar Edve, Sujeeth Kumar alias Praveen and Amit Degvekar.  PTIeditorial@tribune.com

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 12

Nearly six months after the names of 11 advocates were cleared for elevation as Punjab and Haryana High Court judges, one of the collegium members is now believed to have raised objections.

Available information suggests Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal, without consulting the other collegium members, has shot off a communication to the Union Law Ministry. The letter comes at a time when the Haryana Government has already sent the list back to the collegium with certain objections.

The contents of the letter are not known, but it is believed Justice Mittal has asserted some of the names, recommended by the collegium of which he was a member, do not merit appointment. It is believed to have been written when Justice Mittal was acting as the Chief after the retirement of Justice SJ Vazifdar on May 3 and before Justice Krishna Murari took over on June 2.

The collegium, comprising then Chief Justice Vazifdar, Justice Mittal and Justice Surya Kant, had recommended the names for elevation after it met in November last. Nothing is there to suggest that a dissenting note was recorded by Justice Mittal during the course of the collegium meeting.

Soon after the finalisation of the recommendations, the names were forwarded to both Punjab and Haryana governments, along with the Supreme Court, in accordance with the prescribed procedure.

Chief Justice Krishna Murari has already stated that the elevation of Judges was an issue required to be gone into. But as of now he was to update himself regarding the status of recommendations. I have to see how many recommendations have been made; and whether the same are pending, Justice Murari said.

The advocates recommended includes the daughter of Punjab and Haryana High Courts former Judge and three law officers, including two from Punjab and one of Haryana.

The list met Punjab Governments immediate approval, but the Haryana Government kept considering the matter till it finally sent the file back for reconsideration. The advocates recommended from Punjab Bar were Sukant Gupta, Harsimran Singh, Arun Kumar Monga, Jasdeep Singh Gill, Mansur Ali, Deepinder Singh Nalwa and Harsh Bunger.

The Haryana list included names of Justice RK Nehrus daughter Manjari Nehru Kaul, Sanjay Vashisth, Manoj Bajaj and Sunil Kumar Singh Panwar. As of now, the Punjab and Haryana High Court with just 50 Judges, against the sanctioned strength of 85, is among the top three courts  the other two being Allahabad and Madras  in the country in terms of vacancies.rchopra@tribunemail.com

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 12

Nearly six months after the names of 11 advocates were cleared for elevation as Punjab and Haryana High Court judges, one of the collegium members is now believed to have raised objections.

Available information suggests Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal, without consulting the other collegium members, has shot off a communication to the Union Law Minister. The letter comes at a time when the Haryana government has already sent the list back to the collegium with certain objections.

The contents of the letter are not known, but it is believed that Justice Mittal has asserted some of the names, recommended by the collegium of which he was a member, do not merit appointment. It is believed to have been written when Justice Mittal was acting as the Chief after the retirement of Justice Vazifdar and before the taking over of Justice Krishna Murari.

The collegium, comprising then Chief Justice Shiavax Jal Vazifdar, Justice Mittal and Justice Surya Kant, had recommended the names for elevation after it met in November last year. Nothing is there to suggest that a dissenting note was recorded by Justice Mittal during the course of collegium meeting.

Soon after the finalisation of the recommendations, the names were forwarded to both the Punjab and Haryana governments, along with the Supreme Court, in accordance with the prescribed procedure.

Chief Justice Krishna Murari has already stated that the elevation of judges was an issue required to be gone into. But as of now he was to update himself regarding the status of recommendations. I have to see how many recommendations have been made; and whether the same are pending, Justice Murari said.

The advocates recommended includes the daughter of Punjab and Haryana High Courts former judge and three law officers, including two from Punjab and one of Haryana.

The list met the Punjab governments immediate approval, but the Haryana government kept considering the matter till it finally sent the file back for reconsideration.

The advocates recommended from Punjab Bar were Sukant Gupta, Harsimran Singh, Arun Kumar Monga, Jasdeep Singh Gill, Mansur Ali, Deepinder Singh Nalwa and Harsh Bunger.

The Haryana list included names of Justice RK Nehrus daughter Manjari Nehru Kaul, Sanjay Vashisth, Manoj Bajaj and Sunil Kumar Singh Panwar.

As of now, the High Court with just 50 judges, against the sanctioned strength of 85, is among the top three courts in the country in terms of vacancies; the other two courts facing acute shortage being Allahabad and Madras.amansharma@tribunemail.com

London, June 12

A UK judge has ordered the declassification of documents that are expected to shed further light on Britain's involvement in Operation Bluestar in 1984, dismissing the British government's argument that the move could damage diplomatic ties with India.

Judge Murray Shanks, who presided over a three-day hearing of the First Tier Tribunal (Information Rights) in London in March, ruled on Monday that a majority of the files relating to the period must be made public and rejected the UK government's argument that declassifying the Downing Street papers would damage diplomatic ties with India.

The judge, however, did accept that one file marked "India: Political", from the UK's Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), could contain information that relates to British spy agencies MI5, MI6 and GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) and therefore the Cabinet Office was entitled to rely on a technicality that exempts such material from the Freedom of Information (FOI) request appeal.

"We recognise that the period we are concerned with was a highly sensitive one in India's recent history and the strength of feeling it continues to evoke it should also be remembered that the fact that 30 years has gone by is bound to have reduced any prejudice that may have resulted from release of the withheld material," the judgment notes.

The FOI appeal was handled by KRW Law on behalf of freelance journalist Phil Miller, who has been investigating the exact nature of the then Margaret Thatcher-led government's assistance to the Indian Army operation on Golden Temple in Amritsar.

In 2014, UK government documents declassified under the 30-year rule to make such material public had revealed that British military advice was given to Indian forces prior to Operation Bluestar.

Then British Prime Minister David Cameron had ordered a review into this discovery, named as the Heywood Review, which led to a statement in Parliament declaring that Britain's role had been purely "advisory" and the advice provided by the country's Special Air Service (SAS) had "limited impact in practice".

But Miller, the author of 'Sacrificing Sikhs: The need for an investigation' report released last year, says only "full transparency" would reveal the exact nature of Britain's involvement.

"After nearly four years of asking for disclosure of these files, it is a great victory for a judge to rule that more transparency would not harm diplomatic ties or risk national security," said Miller, who is disappointed that one file has been left out due to a "loophole" relating to the country's intelligence agencies.

"It is no wonder that many in the Sikh community are calling for a public inquiry, as only that would have the power to disclose all relevant material," he added.

The files that must now be released in full include papers on UK-India relations from 1983 to 1985 - covering a meeting between Thatcher and Indira Gandhi's adviser, L.K. Jha, the situation in Punjab, Sikh activities and the assassination of Gandhi in October 1984.

Judge Shanks dismissed the UK government's claim that declassifying these papers would harm relations with India and said "it is worth noting that we have heard no evidence of any adverse reaction from the Indian government resulting from the events of January and February 2014", referring to the Heywood Review.

The UK Cabinet Office has been given time until July 11 to appeal against the First Tier Tribunal's decision. Alternatively, it must make the relevant documents available to Miller for his research by July 12.

The Cabinet Office said it would be issue its response in due course. - PTIeditorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 12

Union IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday said the government was contemplating linking driving licences with Aadhaar cards to end forgery of driving licences.

Talks are on with Union Minister for Surface Transport Nitin Gadkari to link driving licences with Aadhaar cards. It will help in nabbing rash drivers who even after an incident of rash driving or an accident go on to get forged licences made from other states, said Prasad while talking to mediapersons.

Prasad, who on a visit to Uttarakhand, paid obeisance at the Kedarnath and Badrinath temples and announced the setting up of a law school in Dehradun.

I have made suggestions to the minister concerned of Uttarakhand to first visit law schools in Bhopal and Jodhpur and then come up with their own layout of the school, he added.

While replying to a question about opposition in some quarters to Modis governments decision to open bureaucracy for lateral entry by inviting 10 joint Secretary-level posts, Prasad said, It is not something new. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a lateral entry in the finance sector. Now we want to expand it to other sectors as well.

On the issue of Chief Justice KM Joseph and his pending elevation to the collegium, Prasad said he has already expressed his view on the issue and would not like to rake up the issue.

He said: The government of the day can have different views on the composition of the collegiums.

He said the government was ready to speak with the opposition on the passage of the triple talaq Bill. It is pending in the Rajya Sabha as the Congress is not interested in its passage, but there are people in the Congress who are in favour of the Bill and we will speak with the party on the issue, he added.uttara@tribuneindia.com

Paris, June 12

France is increasing its military presence in the Indo-Pacific region, sending warships through the South China Sea and planning air exercises to help counter China's military build-up in disputed waters.

In late May, the French assault ship Dixmude and a frigate sailed through the disputed Spratly Islands and around a group of reefs that China has turned into islets to push back against Beijing's claim to own most of the resource-rich South China Sea.

Our patrol involved passing close to these islets to obtain intelligence with all the sensors it is possible to use in international waters, the Dixmude's commanding officer, Jean Porcher, told reporters in a video interview.

Writing in The Wall Street Journal, a researcher from the Hudson Institute think-tank who was onboard, said that "several Chinese frigates and corvettes" tailed the French vessels.

Porcher said the ship maintained cordial radio contact with Chinese military vessels, "which were present in the area until we left". So far the United States has taken the lead in confronting China over its territorial claims in the South China Sea, which are contested by several neighbours, particularly Vietnam.

But France, which along with Britain is the only European nation to regularly send its navy into the region, has also waded into the dispute, sending its ships into the South China Sea three to five times a year.

In August, the air force will stage its biggest-ever exercises in southeast Asia as part of a strategy to mark France's presence in a region that is home to 1.5 million French citizens in the country's overseas territories.

Three Rafale fighter jets, one A400M troop transporter and a C135 refuelling tanker will fly from Australia to India, with several stop-offs along the way. The sea and air operations follow a visit by President Emmanuel Macron last month to Australia, where he spoke of the need to protect the Indo-Pacific region from "hegemony"a veiled reference to Beijing's growing might.

He stressed that France, which will be the last country in the EU after Britain leaves the bloc to have territories in the Pacific, did not want to antagonise China.

But a "strong Indo-Pacific axis" was needed to ensure respect for freedom of navigation and aviation in the region, he told Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.  AFPrajivbhatia82@gmail.com

Singapore, June 12

Following is the chronology of key events leading to a historic summit today between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un:

March 7, 2017: President Trump says the nuclear threat from North Korea has entered a "new phase", a day after Pyongyang test-launched four ballistic missiles towards Japan.

April 26, 2017: The Trump administration briefs US Congress on its North Korea policy and releases a statement that calls for increasing sanctions pressure on North Korea and working with allies and regional partners on diplomacy.

April 27, 2017: Trump warns that a "major major" conflict with North Korea, and said that he is seeking a diplomatic solution to the issue.

May 24, 2017: Trump refers to Kim as a "madman with nuclear weapons" who could not be let to run loose.

June 1, 2017: The US imposes sanctions on individuals and entities linked to North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes.

July 4, 2017: Pyongyang test fires a long-range missile into the Sea of Japan, with some experts stating the missile could potentially reach Alaska, a US state located in the northwest extremity of North America.

August 9, 2017: Tension rises as North Korean threatens to fire ballistic missiles near US Pacific territory of Guam.

September 19, 2017: In his first address to the UN General Assembly, President Trump threatens to "totally destroy North Korea."

September 21, 2017: President Trump issues an executive order imposing additional sanctions on entities that facilitate financial transactions and trade with North Korea.

September 21, 2017: Kim responds to Trump's UN speech with an unprecedented statement under his own name, calling Trump's behaviour "mentally deranged" and asserting that "a frightened dog barks louder."

November 20, 2017: President Trump officially designates North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism.

December 22, 2017: The UN Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 2397, imposing additional sanctions on North Korea, including cutting refined petroleum imports by nearly 90 per cent.

January 1, 2018: Kim announces in his annual New Year address that North Korea's nuclear forces are "capable of thwarting and countering any nuclear threats from the United States".

February 23, 2018: President Trump announces new sanctions against North Korea, targeting the country's shipping, trading companies and vessels.

March 8, 2018: The United States and North Korea announce that their leaders plan to meet before June to discuss nuclear disarmament on the Korean peninsula.

March 25, 2018: Kim makes first visit to China to meet President Xi Jinping.

May 8, 2018: Kim makes second visit to China to meet President Xi.

May 8, 2018: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo travels to North Korea to meet Kim in preparation for the US-North Korean summit.

May 9, 2018: North Korea releases three American detainees as a goodwill gesture ahead of a possible summit between Trump and Kim.

May 10, 2018: President Trump announces he will meet Kim Jong-un on June 12 in Singapore to discuss the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

May 15, 2018: North Korea cancels talks with South Korea scheduled for the next day and threatened to cancel the Trump-Kim summit, citing discontent with US-South Korean joint military drills.

May 24, 2018: North Korea reports that it destroyed its nuclear testing site at Punggye-ri.

May 24, 2018: In a letter to Kim, Trump cancels the US-North Korean summit scheduled for June 12, citing "tremendous anger and hostility" displayed by Pyongyang.

May 25, 2018: In response to Trump's letter, Kim Kye Gwan, North Korean first minister of foreign affairs, states that North Korea "has the intent to sit with the US side regardless of ways at any time." June 1, 2018: President Trump takes a U-turn and confirms that he would meet Kim for a historic summit in Singapore on June 12 and that it will be the beginning of a "process." June 10, 2018: Trump and Kim arrives in Singapore for the first meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.

June 11, 2018: Mike Pompeo says US is offering "unique" security guarantees to North Korea in return for a "complete, verifiable and irreversible" denuclearisation.

June 12, 2018: President Trump and North Korean leader Kim meets for a historic face-to-face summit. PTIsanjiv@tribunemail.com

Seoul, June 12

President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that the US would stop the very provocative and costly military drills with key ally South Korea after his historic summit here with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, widely seen as a concession to a jittery Pyongyang.

The US and South Korea are security allies, with about 30,000 American troops based in the country to defend it from its northern neighbour, which launched an invasion in 1950. They hold joint military exercises every year that anger North Korea which has long demanded an end to the drills and frequently responds with volatile steps of its own, leading to a spike in tensions.

We will be stopping the war games which will save us a tremendous amount of money, Trump, also the commander-in-chief of the US military, told reporters, adding he had agreed to stop the war games because he considers them very provocative.

Trumps declaration that the US would end joint military exercises with South Korea, fulfils a major demand by North Korea that has long claimed they are invasion rehearsals. He also said he wants to withdraw American troops stationed in South Korea, like he had promised during his election campaign.

The move appears to be based on the freeze-for-freeze proposal mooted by China, under which North Korea would stop nuclear and missile tests in exchange for a halt to the military exercises.

South Koreas Presidential Blue House said it needed to find out the precise meaning or intentions of Trumps statement, while adding that it was willing to explore various measures to help the talks move forward more smoothly. A spokeswoman for US military forces in Korea, meanwhile, said they had not received any direction to cease joint military drills.

USFK has received no updated guidance on execution or cessation of training exercises  to include this falls schedule Ulchi Freedom Guardian, US Forces in Korea spokeswoman Lt Col Jennifer Lovett said. In coordination with our ROK partners, we will continue with our current military posture until we receive updated guidance.  Agencies

Video starring Trump, Kim pitches for peace

When US President Donald Trump sat down to make the case for peace to North Koreas leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday, he rolled out what amounted to a movie trailer starring the two leaders. Trump said Kim and other senior members of the North Korean delegation had huddled around an iPad to watch the four-minute video, which appeared to draw more from the hype of Hollywood than the careful language of diplomacy. I think he loved it, Trump said, referring to Kim. Reuters

Indian-origin man spends Rs 38K to meet Trump

An Indian-origin man from Malaysia went to Singapore and spent a whopping $573 (approx Rs 38,600) to put up at a luxury hotel for one night so that he could get a chance to meet US President Donald Trump. Maharaj Mohan, 25, a consultant, checked into the Shangri-La hotel on Monday. However, all Mohan got for his trouble was a selfie with The Beast, the eight-tonne bulletproof Trumps limousine, a report said. PTI

India calls summit a positive development

India welcomed the historic summit between Trump and Kim Jong Un as a positive development and hoped that any resolution on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula would address its concerns over Pyongyangs nuclear proliferation linkages. Soon after Trump and Kim signed a comprehensive document promising to end decades of hostilities between the two countries, the MEA, in New Delhi, said India supports efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy. PTI

UN sanctions may be eased: China

China said sanctions against Pyongyang could be eased if it complies with the UN resolution, after the successful Singapore summit

N Korea is reeling under the UN economic sanctions for holding nuclear tests. Pyongyangs defiance last year had Beijing giving a go-ahead to punishing sanctions against the reclusive state

Sanctions are not an end. The Security Council should support the current efforts and contribute to the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said

EU ready to facilitate future talksThe domain turkeytelegraph.com may be for sale. Please click here to inquireNew York, 12 June 2018  UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA and UN Women welcome with appreciation the Government of Swedens decision to enter into multi-year core funding agreements with our agencies. These will enhance our ability to fulfil our mandates and carry out our work with the greatest possible flexibility and predictability.

This 6.8 billion SEK contribution will help us deliver better results for the communities we serve.

Core funding allows UN agencies to provide sustained support to national priorities as countries progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals; to respond in a timely and effective way to crises; and to operate to high standards of accountability, quality and transparency. Core funds pay for essential enablers for our work on the ground, including maintaining staff and offices where they are most needed, training professional staff and funding operational functions like audit and human resources. All these activities guarantee the quality and integrity of our work and help us deliver maximum value for every dollar contributed.

The multi-year nature of Swedens commitment is especially welcome. It will significantly enhance our agencies capacities to plan and implement our Strategic Plans and to collaborate towards Agenda 2030, fulfilling our collective commitment to leave no-one behind, as the common chapter of our Strategic Plans commits us to do.

With the General Assembly having passed its resolution on the repositioning of the UN Development System on 31 May, Swedens decision comes at a particularly opportune moment as our agencies look forward to playing our part in an ever more effective and efficient UN system. Our new agreements with Sweden provide strategic, coherent, predictable, results-based and structured frameworks for collaboration, supporting the UN Secretary-Generals vision of more flexible and pooled funding for the UN Development System, which includes his call to increase core funding to UN development agencies to 30%.

We are grateful to the Government of Sweden for their leadership and support. We look forward to working together towards the Sustainable Development Goals and a more equal and prosperous world for all.Human development is about expanding the richness of human life, rather than simply the richness of the economy in which human beings live. It is an approach that is focused on people and their opportunities and choices.A young Rohingya refugee boy plays in the flooded area between shelters, at the Shamlpur refugee settlement in Bangladesh.  UNHCR/Patrick Brown

The first heavy rains of the year swept through Rohingya refugee settlements in Coxs Bazar district this weekend, marking the start of the monsoon season. This is an early test for refugees and humanitarian agencies working to support the Government of Bangladesh on the response efforts.

Torrential rains and winds up to 70 kilometres per hour caused at least 89 reported incidents, including 37 landslide incidents, causing several injuries and one confirmed fatality  a child. Nearly 2,500 refugee families, some 11,000 people in all, are affected.

As of 10 June the rain has become nearly continuous. According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department nearly 400 millimetres of rain have fallen in Coxs Bazar area since Sunday. This is equivalent to two thirds of the average June rainfall for this part of the country. The area currently shelters some 900,000 refugees, including 720,000 who have arrived in Bangladesh since August 25 last year.

Bangladeshi authorities, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, and other humanitarian partners responded immediately to the incidents caused by the monsoon rains. Interventions included search and rescue operations, relocations and distributions of shelter kits and aid.

According to damage assessments, more than 1,000 shelters have been damaged as well as ten water points, 167 latrines, one health facility, and one food distribution site. The rains have also flooded the main road through the Kutupalong settlement, temporarily blocking vehicle access to parts of the site.

UNHCR and partners, working in support of the Bangladeshi authorities, have been working around the clock to try to mitigate risks of landslides and flooding in the highly congested refugee settlements. However, given the scope of the refugee population, the sheer size of the settlements and the challenging terrain, we fear that the extreme weather will cause further damage, destruction and potential loss of life.

Based on aerial mapping of the settlements, we estimate that up to 200,000 refugees could be at risk of landslides and floods and still need to be moved to safer areas. Of this population, more than 41,000 are at high risk of landslides. But, due to the hilliness of the terrain, limited availability of flat land is a major challenge to relocating the most at risk families. So far, more than 14,000 refugees at high risk of landslides across the settlements have been relocated to safer areas. More land is urgently needed.

While relocations and aid distributions continue we are also prepositioning more emergency supplies, including 10,000 tents, 190,000 tarpaulins, as well as two million water purification tablets, ready for use when needed. UNHCR also has five hospital tents and emergency health kits stored in permanent warehouses in Coxs Bazar.

UNHCR teams and other agencies, including the Bangladesh Cyclone Preparedness team and the Fire Service and Civil Defence, have been working with volunteer refugees on disaster preparedness and training, including fire safety and early warning messages, to search and rescue, disease outbreak preparedness, cyclone preparedness, first aid and psychological first aid training. More than 2,000 refugees have been trained, which is still ongoing. Additionally, 50 refugee Safety Unit Volunteers - both women and men - in each section of the site have been trained as first responders in emergencies.

In March, the UN launched the Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis, seeking US$ 951 million in 2018 to meet the immediate needs of more than 880,000 refugees and over 330,000 Bangladeshis in communities affected by the crisis. To date, the appeal is just over 21 per cent funded. It is critical that humanitarian agencies receive early and flexible funding to save lives and improve the living conditions for refugees during the monsoon season, as well as to continue providing timely assistance and protection.

For more information on this topic, please contact:A Syrian refugee speaks to a UNHCR staff member about cash assistance, in the Zahle district of the Beqqa Governorate in Lebanon.  UNHCR/Hannah Maule-ffinch

UNHCR wishes to underscore the importance of working closely with Lebanon to find safe, dignified and sustainable solutions for Syrian refugees. In all countries we respect the rights of refugees to decide freely and for themselves on returning home. And similarly, we do not discourage returns that are based on individual free and informed decisions.



UNHCR is very concerned at Fridays announcement by Foreign Minister Bassil on freezing the issuance of residence permits to international staff of UNHCR in Lebanon. This affects our staff and their families and directly impacts UNHCRs ability to effectively carry out critical protection and solutions work in Lebanon. Our work is aimed at supporting the Government of Lebanon and local communities in managing the tremendous challenge Lebanon faces in hosting around a million Syrian refugees, and to continue our efforts within the broader United Nations family and international community to finding, for refugees, durable solutions outside Lebanon. We hope the decision of the Foreign Ministry will be reversed without delay.

For more information on this topic, please contact:Newly arrived refugees and migrants at a registration centre in Fylakio, Greece, shortly after they arrived from Turkey.  UNHCR/Socrates Baltagiannis

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi today urged Denmark and other European countries to work together on coherent asylum policies, and said a race by states to introduce unilateral restrictions risked harming refugees, and Europe itself.



Grandi, who was speaking at the end of a two-day visit to Copenhagen, warned that increasingly restrictive asylum policies and unilateral measures by European States marginalize refugees, and make successful integration more difficult  harming both refugees and the societies hosting them.



At a time when people are worried about the impact of conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, I understand the concerns of many Europeans. But the solution lies in countries working together. That means working together to provide safety to those who need it  through fair and coherent arrangements in line with the international framework that Europeans helped build.



During his visit, the High Commissioner met Denmarks Minister of Foreign Affairs Anders Samuelsen, Minister for Immigration and Integration Inger Stjberg and Minister for Development Coordination Ulla Trns. He also had the honour to meet with her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary. In addition, he met with refugees and visited the UN City in Copenhagen, where many UN agencies work.



Denmark is an important contributor to humanitarian action globally, including in support of people displaced by war, conflict and persecution. Grandi recognized Denmark as a global partner in refugee protection and solutions, and stressed the need to have the same approach domestically.



A number of countries in Europe, including Denmark, introduced more restrictive measures in the aftermath of the 2015 Mediterranean crisis  affecting family reunification and resettlement of vulnerable refugees, in particular.



Denmark has traditionally been a leader in resettlement and is a strong and an important partner to UNHCR. By reactivating its resettlement programme, hundreds of the most vulnerable refugees, including for example women, victims of violence, could benefit from much-needed safety and protection, and start to rebuild their lives, said Grandi.



Countries around the world are currently discussing a Global Compact on Refugees, to be adopted by the United Nations General Assembly later this year. Good European regional and national policies can help shape how refugee situations are managed globally, and show how solidarity and shared responsibility pays dividends all round. Recent proposals to externalize the asylum process, with the aim of shifting responsibility away from Europes borders and limiting access to asylum for those arriving in Europe, run counter to these global efforts and must be avoided.



We need solidarity and cooperation, not responsibility-shifting. Nine out of ten forcibly displaced people are not in Europe, but in their own countries or neighbouring ones, Grandi added. When Europe closes its doors, the compassion and solidarity of those countries is bound to falter.





For more information on this topic, please contact:June 12 2018

East Renfrewshire Council will decide later this week whether to give the go-ahead to a 55m retirement village which seeks to shatter preconceptions of later living by offering a range of on-site activities including a gym, spa, restaurants and clubhouse overlooking a reservoir.





Netherplace will sit on 17 acres of former industrial land on the outskirts of Newton Mearns, comprising 252 homes and an 80-bed care home together with specialist care services, all geared toward the over 55s.









Spearheaded by Scotsbridge Holdings, headed by Shazad Bakhsh, the latest application includes a number of amendments to an application which was previously recommended for approval





Bakhsh said: We believe this project will ultimately reduce the burden on local authority care provision by providing residents with more intermediate care options.







In addition to signficiant facility and activity offerings, the development will also feature an on-site day care nursery ensuring interaction with the wider community while the considered layout will encourage neighbours to engage with each other. Our professional and experienced team has a vision to modernise the sector and provide a development to both answer demand and exceed expectations.







Jewitt & Wilkie Architects founder Jonathan Jewitt added: This proposal includes a wide variety of unique features which have been subtly future-proofed to cater for the changing needs of residents. By providing this kind of accommodation, it is expected that housing currently occupied by one or two persons within the surrounding community will be released into the market for much-needed family housing.







An on-site reservoir will be retained as a landscape feature, utilized for fishing and parkland.June 12 2018

Structured House Group have gone back to square one in their 40m bid to develop a rundown corner of the Merchant City, scrapping plans to build a student residential tower in order to deliver flats for private rental.





Merchant Residential will now include a mix of PRS flats, office space for start-up businesses and retail, with a pledge to rescue The Old College Bar thrown in for good measure.





Craig Inglis, chief executive of Structured House Group, said: Our proposals and ambitions continue to be to rejuvenate the corner into Merchant City and to convert what has been a dilapidated site into a gateway to the city.We have been working with the City Council planners for more than three years and having listened to considerations and engaged with key stakeholders, with our new application, we are adapting the look, feel, and requirements of the site. We hope to create a focal point which brings together the Merchant City with the High Street, in a style that compliments old with new.A pre=application consultation on the new plans is scheduled to take place on 14 June at the Premier Inn Hotel on George Street from 11:00 till 19:00.Published: June 12, 2018

Coral Reef Course Immerses Students in Study  Literally

Christa Edwards 19 spent her 20th birthday underwater in Honduras. That evening, she was diving in a marine sanctuary in Roatan and watching a tiny invertebrate called ostracods display patterns of bioluminescence.



They lit up the darkness for as far as we could see. It was like being in outer space, said Edwards, a marine science-biology major with a minor in environmental science.



Edwards was with classmates in biology Professor Kevin Beach and Associate Professor Lori McRaes travel course on coral reefs (MAR 344). They had spent a full semester in the classroom reviewing basic biology of corals, coral reef ecology and reading the most recent primary literature on what current research is going on about the global decline of coral reefs.



Then in May they headed to the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences for two weeks of immersive  literally  hands-on experimentation, which culminated in the completion of an independent research project.







There are estimates that weve lost as much as 50 percent of our reefs worldwide in the last 50 years, said Beach, noting that reefs in Roatan are in decent shape. He said the coral there has changed over the years; its now weedier and stress-resistant. The island of Roatan has established this marine sanctuary: they dont allow spear fishing, they have permanent moorings on the reef so people arent dropping anchor, they provide education and outreach about proper diving practices and choosing sunscreens that are safe to corals. Beach said they realized that tourism is the lifeblood of the island, and healthy reefs equal a healthy tourism industry.



The 13 students on the trip had to have all of their freshman biology and chemistry courses completed and be scuba certified. Offered every other year, the course included a service-oriented aspect where they worked on coral farms. They took species of coral that are disappearing from the reef, propagated them and out-planted them back on the reef to help grow these corals.



Im hoping they come away from this coral reef experience with an understanding of the trajectory that reefs are taking globally, but also what some small-scale efforts can do to help preserve and restore reef environments, Beach said.



While there are cultural excursions, for the most part the class is based on the reef, learning the organisms and learning to do work underwater, he said of the more than 20 dives they completed. They got a taste of what its like to be a marine scientist.







Edwards, an Honors program student who received a scholarship to attend the coral reefs course, is getting a double dose of research and inquiry this summer. She came back from Honduras and headed to Fort Pierce, FL, as she is participating in a 10-week National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program hosted by Florida Atlantic Universitys Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. She is collecting fin clips from bull sharks and spotted eagle rays throughout the Indian River Lagoon in order to measure the total mercury concentrations in the tissue, determining if the mercury is impacting shark and ray health by measuring potential correlations between mercury concentrations and blood chemistry.



Hopefully, the research will be used to better understand how mercury impacts the marine food web and to better protect our marine ecosystems that many people rely on from harmful contaminants, Edwards said.







The trip to Roatan was impactful  meant for students to learn about themselves through travel-based challenges, both the highs and lows, personally and academically. For Honors student Ryan Tharp 20, a marine science-biology major from Arvada, CO, the course changed his career focus, from becoming an ichthyologist to working with corals.



This trip gave me a lot of new friends I dont think I would have ever made otherwise, Tharp said. It let me be myself more, too, because I was with people who were interested in the same things I was.



One of the most memorable experiences for Tharp was just getting in the water for the first time.



As soon as I looked down, I could see schools of fish, tons of coral, sponges everywhere and algae growing on everything as far as 60 feet deep, he said. It felt like I had entered an entirely different world. Being able to see all this in person rather than on TV made the trip worth all the hard work.







For Edwards, the course was an affirmation for her calling toward conservation.



Seeing all the life and beauty within the coral reefs in Roatan fueled that passion inside me to work towards protecting those fragile ecosystems. Every dive was a new surprise with thousands of organisms waiting to be seen, and I want now more than ever to help other people understand that beauty and to understand why it is so important to keep our reefs healthy, said Edwards, of Chattanooga, TN. It was a humbling experience to work on the coral restoration farm there and to know that there is hope for these reefs.



Learn more about UT travel courses.





Have a story idea? Contact Jamie Pilarczyk, Web Writer

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Read more UT Life storiesSage Grouse Presentation to Kick Off 2018 Harlow Summer Seminars

A University of Wyoming researcher will discuss the effectiveness of Wyomings sage grouse core-area strategy to kick off the 2018 Harlow Summer Seminars at the University of Wyoming National Park Service (UW-NPS) Research Center Thursday, June 21. The center is located at the AMK Ranch in Grand Teton National Park.

Jeff Beck, associate professor of rangeland wildlife habitat restoration ecology in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, will speak at 6:30 p.m. at the AMK Ranch, located north of Leeks Marina. A barbecue, at a cost of $5 per person, will take place at 5:30 p.m. Reservations are not required.

The Wyoming core-area strategy was established in 2008 by gubernatorial executive order. Its intended to provide greater protection for breeding sage grouse across the state in response to concerns about the potential listing of the bird under the federal Endangered Species Act. Beck and his colleagues have evaluated the effectiveness of the strategy using grouse telemetry data, lek counts and energy development data.

Beck, who earned his Ph.D. from the University of Idaho, began his work at UW in 2006 as a postdoctoral researcher and joined the UW faculty in 2007. His research interests lie in wildlife habitat ecology and restoration ecology, with a focus on restoring the functionality and structure of wildlife habitats in disturbed rangeland systems, particularly sagebrush habitats. He has worked extensively with private landowners, the energy industry, and state and federal wildlife and land management agencies.

The UW-NPS Research Center provides a base for university faculty members and government scientists from throughout North America to conduct research in the diverse aquatic and terrestrial environments of Grand Teton National Park and the greater Yellowstone area.

Formerly called the AMK Ranch Talk Series, the Harlow Summer Seminars program is named after retired UW Department of Zoology and Physiology Professor Hank Harlow, who helped make the UW-NPS Research Center a significant center for research and community outreach. Harlow began the popular weekly public seminars during the summer months.

For more information about the Harlow Summer Seminars, contact Michael Dillon at (307) 314-9833 or Michael.Dillon@uwyo.edu.UW Student Receives Physics Leadership Scholarship

Aman Kar, who will be a senior at UW this fall, is one of 10 college students nationwide to receive a Society of Physics Students Leadership Scholarship. Kar says his scholarship is for $2,000 and will help him pay for a large portion of his college expenses during the fall semester. (Aman Kar Photo)

A University of Wyoming student is one of 10 nationwide to receive a Society of Physics Students (SPS) Leadership Scholarship.

Aman Kar, who will be a senior at UW this fall, is pursuing a double major in physics and astronomy, and a double minor in mathematics and computer science. He will receive a scholarship worth $2,000 for 2018-19.

This scholarship will help me pay off a significant portion of my college expenses for the upcoming fall, says Kar, from Kolkata, India. I am grateful to SPS for thinking I am worthy of this award. It also helps me be motivated to keep on helping with the SPS chapter we have here at the University of Wyoming.

The purpose of the SPS scholarship program is to encourage the study of physics and the pursuit of high scholarship. The SPS Leadership Scholarships consist of $2,000-$5,000 awards for physics majors in the latter stages of their undergraduate careers.

In determining the recipients, the SPS Scholarship Committee considers high scholarship performance, both in physics and overall studies; exhibition of the potential and intention for continued scholastic development in physics; and active participation in SPS programs.

Kars work has included different projects through his undergraduate years.

I am a senior member of our observing team for the 0.6-meter telescope at the Red Buttes Observatory, where we perform follow-up observations of transiting exoplanet candidates, he says. I have worked on characterizing giant exoplanets using the 2.3-meter telescope at the Wyoming Infrared Observatory. Currently, I am researching young stellar objects from observations taken at the Red Buttes Observatory.

Kar has been an active participant in UWs SPS chapter since his freshman year. He recently was elected both the vice president of the UW SPS chapter and the associate zone councilor for the upcoming academic year. His hobbies include intramural sports, hiking, biking and swing dancing.Medical staffers attend to a wounded woman at a hospital after a deadly suicide attack, in Kabul, Afghanistan on Jun 11, 2018. (Photo source: AP/Rahmat Gul)

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the latest attack in the Afghan capital, a day before the government's separate ceasefire with the Taliban is due to start.

The blast happened at the main gate of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, police and health ministry spokesmen told AFP.

Employees were gathered at the entrance of the compound waiting for a bus to take them home when the bomber blew himself up in the crowd, said rural ministry spokesman Faridoon Azhand, who was inside the building at the time.

"I was in my office when I heard a big blast," another employee told AFP.

"Most of my colleagues were leaving for the day to go home. I am worried about my colleagues. We are told to stay inside for now."

Police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai confirmed the attacker had targeted the employees as they waited for the bus at around 1pm (0830 GMT). They were leaving early due to the holy month of Ramadan, when most Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.

The attack, which IS claimed via their Amaq propaganda agency, killed 13 people and wounded 31, Azhand told AFP. A doctor at a hospital treating many of the victims confirmed the death toll.

Police and health officials said earlier that 12 people were killed and 31 wounded.

The attack was just one of several around Afghanistan Monday.

Militants raided a government building in the eastern city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, prompting terrified employees to jump out of the windows, officials said.

A suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance to the education department, triggering a fierce battle between gunmen and Afghan security forces, Nangarhar provincial governor spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told AFP.

At least 10 people were wounded, city health department director Najibullah Kamawal told AFP.

In another incident an explosion inside a house in Kabul killed one person and wounded three others, Stanikzai said.

The three wounded were detained after police found explosives, including suicide vests, in the building which they suspect was being used by militants planning attacks in the city.

STORM BEFORE THE CALM?

Taliban and IS militants have stepped up their attacks on Kabul in particular in recent years, making it the deadliest place in the country for civilians.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday announced police and troops would halt hostilities with the Taliban for a week - though he warned that operations against other groups, including IS, would continue.

The ceasefire would last from the "27th of Ramadan until the fifth day of Eid-al-Fitr", he said, indicating it could run from Jun 12-19.

The Taliban said Saturday their fighters would stop attacking Afghan security forces but only for the first three days of Eid, the holiday capping Ramadan. They said they would continue attacking US-led NATO troops.

It is the first time the militants have agreed to suspend fighting since the 2001 US invasion, and the move was largely welcomed by war-weary Afghans.

Both sides have vowed to retaliate if attacked during the ceasefire.

If it holds, analysts had expressed cautious optimism that the agreements could help build trust between the government and the Taliban and lay the groundwork for peace talks.

But with myriad armed groups in Afghanistan, there are still fears that IS could continue to carry out attacks - or even be helped by the Haqqani Network, a brutal arm of the Taliban that is suspected of partnering with IS on attacks in Kabul in the past.

The latest violence comes as dozens of protesters march hundreds of kilometres towards Kabul to demand an end to the nearly 17-year conflict.SBV has just approved to raise MBBank's charter capital by 19 per cent

2017 business results showed huge profit at most Vietnamese banks. However, the overly fast growth of total assets has elevated risks.

According to the National Financial Supervisory Commission, risk weighted assets increased by 9.3 per cent, while the owners equity by only 4.6 per cent.

This difference will decrease the capital adequacy ratio (CAR), which in 2017 was estimated at 11.1 per cent, already lower than the 11.6 per cent of the previous year. It continued decreasing during early 2018, according to the National Financial Supervisory Commission. If calculating CAR on the basis of Basel II norms, it will reduce a little more.

Therefore, several Vietnamese commercial banks are using retained earnings to raise their charter capital as the deadline for applying Basel II norms draws near. In late 2017, numerous banks increased charter capital successfully, such as Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank (MBBank) raising it by VND1 trillion ($44 million), Vietnam Prosperity Joint Stock Commercial Bank (VPBank) by VND1.647 trillion ($72.6 million), and Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank (ACB) by VND1.882 trillion ($83 million).

The capital increasing plans of banks have been highlighted at this years annual general shareholders meetings. At the end of May, VPBank and MBBank received the State Bank of Vietnams approval to raise their charter capital. VPBank could raise it to VND25.299 trillion ($1.11 billion) from the current VND15.7 trillion ($690 million). MBBank was allowed to raise its charter capital to around VND21.6 trillion ($950 million) from VND18.2 trillion ($800 million).

The two banks plan to raise equity by issuing shares to sell to foreign and domestic investors and pay dividends, and by issuing bonus shares from their retained earnings and reserves. Resources for the increase mainly come from the banks owners equity. Thus, although VPBank raises charter capital by a significant margin, total owners equity did not change much and CAR will not improve.

These are not the only banks resorting to the use of retained earnings to raise capital from owners equity.

Shortly after its market debut on June 4, Techcombank announced that it would hold an extraordinary meeting to seek shareholders approval to increase its capital to VND35 trillion ($1.5 billion) from VND11.7 trillion ($515 million).

Earlier this year, Saigon Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SHB) issued nearly 84 million shares to pay dividends to its shareholders and raised its capital by VND900 billion ($40 million) to VND12 trillion ($527 million). It is seeking to increase its charter capital to more than VND13.2 trillion ($580 million) by the end of this year.

Hiking capital aims to lure investment from foreign and domestic investors, as well as raise banks owners equity. However, not many banks managed in this.

Last year, Vietcombank negotiated to sell 7.7 per cent to Singapores investment fund (GIC) to gain $400 million, but the deal has yet to be conducted. Similarly, BIDV considered signing an agreement with a South Korean financial corporation but the deal has yet to be announced.

While CAR has not been raised, banks are facing the risk of diluting shares if they raise equity or pay dividend by issuing bonus shares.

Another reason is that the banking sector has gone through a rough patch a few years ago. Its poor business performance together with the high level of non-performing loans has dragged down banking stocks, making shareholders more cautious about investing in them.

In this situation, using cumulative earnings to raise charter capital is a more likely choice. Bank owners prefer this as their cash is kept at the banks and is on hand for other investments.

Between late 2017 and the end of the first quarter of 2018, the stock market grew well, especially bank stocks. Thereby, banks caught this opportunity to plan issuing shares. However, in the second quarter, the stock market has become bleaker, and numerous banking stocks dropped, so investors should consider twice before pouring money into these stocks.Canada's Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, pictured in March 2018, told lawmakers that ratifying the TPP was a "top priority" for the government in Ottawa. (AFP/CLAUDIO REYES)

The United States is Canada's single biggest trade partner, with two-way exchanges of goods and services totalling US$673.9 billion in 2017, and Washington enjoys a US$8.4 billion surplus.

Nevertheless, Trump appears determined to up-end the trade relationship, insisting that the US is the loser, and has demanded that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) be renegotiated or abandoned.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is in talks to save the deal and, in concert with the other major trading powers in the G7 group of nations that met in Quebec over the weekend, pushed back against Trump.

And in Ottawa on Monday, International Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne urged lawmakers to speed ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership that might offset losses in US trade by binding Canada closer to Asia, Australia and Latin America.

In particular, Canada, Japan and the European G7 powers are outraged by Trump's unilateral - or illegal, in their eyes - imposition of tariffs on imported steel and aluminium in the name of preserving US industry on national security grounds.

'CIRCUS THUG'

Trump skipped the end of the G7 summit on Saturday and was in the air en route to his historic nuclear summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un when Trudeau dubbed the national security justification "insulting."

And the young Canadian leader, who has attempted to maintain a public facade of friendship with the US leader, confirmed that he would regretfully impose retaliatory tariffs on US goods from next month to offset the steel levy.

Trump was infuriated by the news conference and abruptly withdrew US support for the summit's relatively anodine closing statement, a boilerplate invocation of the importance of multilateral trade rules.

He also insulted Trudeau personally, dubbing him "very dishonest and weak" and excoriated Canada's managed dairy market, which is a tiny part of total exchanges but is protected by a huge 270 per cent tariff.

He also suggested he is again studying possible tariffs on automobiles imported from Canada, a move which would have a much more substantial hit on both economies.

The venom of the exchange sent shockwaves through foreign policy circles and rattled markets, as another sign of the weakness of the Western alliance and of the threat NAFTA will collapse.

As might be expected, Trudeau's foreign minister Chrystia Freeland took his side.

"Canada does not conduct its diplomacy through ad hominem attacks, we don't think that it's a useful or productive way to do business and perhaps we refrain particularly from ad hominem attacks when it comes to our relationship with our allies," she declared.

And the Canadian left, no friend of the American right, was quick to attack Trump's outburst.

"This is a small-minded man not fit for public office. Canada will not be pushed around by his circus thug bluster," said Charlie Angus of the New Democratic Party.

But even conservative and populist figures on the right of Canadian politics, some of them admirers of Trump's brand of politics when it stays south of the border, rallied to their liberal premier.

"We will stand shoulder to shoulder with the prime minister and the people of Canada," said Doug Ford, the newly-elected anti-tax premier of Ontario and brother to the late crack-smoking mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford.

TRADE 'OBSESSION'

Trump's favorite US network Fox News invited Canada's outspoken former conservative prime minister Stephen Harper, usually a reliable Trudeau critic, to discuss the crisis.

But even he was nonplussed by Trump's line of attack. "I don't understand the obsession with trade relations with Canada," he sighed.

Despite his own US Trade Representative's office confirming the trade surplus falls more than US$8 billion in Washington's favor Trump has repeatedly insisted that US workers are getting ripped off by NAFTA.

Behind his claim lies a difference in how the countries' calculate the trade figures.

According to the USTR, America counts Canadian goods that are shipped to regional trading hubs within the United States and then re-exported back to Canada or Mexico as US exports.

If these goods that originate in Canada and are eventually sold there without have been substantially worked upon in the United States are taken into account then Ottawa comes out the winner.

Using this metric, the USTR reports, Canada can claim a US$90 billion annual surplus in goods trade, although the US still has a large advantage in services.

This seems to have been what Trump was referring to when he tweeted: "Fair Trade is now to be called Fool Trade if it is not Reciprocal.

"According to a Canada release, they make almost 100 Billion Dollars in Trade with U.S. (guess they were bragging and got caught!). Minimum is 17B."

'DIVISIVE AND PERSONAL'

Wherever Trump is getting his figures from, his aggressive personal attacks and determination to torpedo a prestigious world summit on Canadian soil have done nothing to head of the threat of trade war.

"I'm in complete agreement with the prime minister's statement," said Jason Kenney, leader of the Conservative Party in oil-exporting Alberta Province and a Harper ally.

"A reasonable, balanced and firm assertion that Canada will not be bullied, and that we will retaliate if the US Administration does not end its attack on our steel exports."

In Ontario, home to many car plants that would be hit by US tariffs, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer warned that NAFTA and the cause of free trade itself is now at stake.

"Divisive rhetoric and personal attacks from the US administration are clearly unhelpful," he added.Dinh La Thang and other defendants at the first instance court in March

The Hanoi Supreme Peoples Court scheduled the appeal trial of the case of deliberately acting against state regulations on economic management, causing serious consequences related to the VND800 billion ($35.2 million) capital contribution of Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) to OceanBank, which was entirely lost after the bank was acquired for VND0.

The Hanoi Peoples Court opened the first instance of this case in March. Seven defendants appealed against the first verdict, including:

Dinh La Thang, former chairman of PetroVietnam;

Nguyen Xuan Son, former deputy general director of PetroVietnam;

Vu Khanh Truong, former member of PetroVietnams board of directors;

Nguyen Thanh Liem, former member of PetroVietnams board of directors;

Phan Dinh Duc, former member of PetroVietnams board of directors;

Nguyen Xuan Thang, former member of PetroVietnams board of directors;

Ninh Van Quynh, former chief accountant of PetroVietnam.

Dinh La Thang appealed against the entire first instance verdict and requested the court to reconsidered the charges, penalties, and civil liability. He was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment and was obligated to repay VND600 billion ($26.5 million).

Nguyen Xuan Son requested exemption from the civil liability of returning VND15 billion ($0.66 million). He claimed that Ninh Van Quynh should be held responsible for the VND180 billion ($7.9 million) that Son claims to have transferred to him, while Quynh stated that he only received VND20 billion ($0.88 million).

The other defendants also requested reduced the penalties and exemption from civil liability.

Earlier, the first instance verdict sentenced Vu Khanh Truong to five years in prison, Nguyen Xuan Son to 30 months in prison, Nguyen Xuan Thang to 22 months in prison, Nguyen Thanh Liem to 20 months of suspended imprisonment, and Phan Dinh Duc to 15 months of suspended imprisonment.

Particularly, Ninh Van Quynh was sentenced to 23 years of imprisonment and was ordered to pay a compensation of VND100 billion ($4.4 million) to PetroVietnam.

Defendant Vu Khanh Truong has to pay back VND40 billion ($1.76 million), while other defendants have to return VND15 billion ($0.66 million) each.llustrative image (Source: VNA)

Of the figure, 15,397 are passenger cars, showing a month-on-month increase of 13 percent. Meanwhile, 6,890 commercial and 778 special-purpose vehicles were sold in May, down 8 percent and 36 percent, respectively.

In terms of origin, the number of domestically-assembled vehicles was 19,467 and that of imported automobiles was 3,598, representing month-on-month rises of 9 percent and 12 percent respectively.

According to the VAMA, as many as 103,746 vehicles of all types were sold in the domestic market in the first five months of 2018, down 6 percent over the same period last year.

The sales of passenger cars saw an annual rise of 6 percent while the sales of commercial and special-purpose vehicles suffered respective year-on-year declines of 19 percent and 37 percent.

In the January-May period, a total of 87,426 domestically-assembled vehicles were handed over to buyers, up 10 percent against the same period last year. The sales of imported automobiles dropped 46 percent to 16,320.

According to experts, the strong fall of imported cars in the five-month period was due to businesses failure to complete procedures as requested in the Governments Decree No.116/2017/ND-CP, which stipulates the conditions for production, assembly, import and business of automobiles, and their warranty and maintenance services.

No batch of cars was imported in Vietnam in the first two months of 2018, according to the VAMA.

In March 2018, only Honda Vietnam imported the first batch of automobiles which are subject to zero percent import duty under the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA), which became effective from January 1, 2018. At the end of April, these cars were put for sale.

In April, GM Vietnam imported a batch of Chevrolet Trailblazer for distribution, and was put for sale in early May.

Various car models of popular brands such as Toyota, Ford, Chevrolet, and Suzuki will be imported into Vietnam in late June and July, creating fierce competition between domestically-assembled and imported cars.Requiring foreign firms to install servers in Vietnam is stipulated in the Law on Cybersecurity's Article 26. Photo: AFP

The National Assembly on June 12 officially approved the Law on Cybersecurity with 423 out of the 466 delegates (86.96 per cent) attending the National Assembly meeting in favour of the proposal. 15 delegates disagreed and 28 delegates abstained.

The requirement for foreign firms to install servers in Vietnam is stipulated in Article 26 of the law. Accordingly, domestic and foreign firms providing telecommunications and internet services and value-added services in the Vietnamese cyberspace, have to authenticate and protect users information as they register digital accounts.

In addition, the firms have to provide access to users information to the agency specialised in cybersecurity (the Ministry of Public Security) and are obligated to support the Ministrys investigation related to violations of the Law on Cybersecurity.

Domestic and foreign firms have to store data at Vietnamese servers in accordance with the governments regulations in case of collecting, exploiting, and analyising personal information and the relations of people using the firms services in Vietnam.

Finally, foreign firms specialised in cyber activities have to install servers and establish representative offices in Vietnam. The law will come into effect from January 1, 2019.

Thus, from early 2019, Facebook and Google will have to install servers and establish representative offices in Vietnam.FastGo launches ride-hailing app with massive incentive

The FastGo ride-hailing app is launched after three years of software development. The app is built by NextTech Group after the order of a large-scale taxi firm from Indonesia and Taxi Open99 Group from Vietnam.

FastGo offers advantages for both drivers and customers. Notably, with the exception of a fee to join the app, drivers will not have to pay commission to the operators of FastGo. Instead, driver partners just have to pay a maximum service fee of VND30,000 per day in case they earn more than VND100,000 per day.

Customers will enjoy fares of VND7,900 per kilometre for the FastGo service, lower than either traditional taxi brands or Grab.

Besides, customers will be insured against any incident occurring during the trip, including traffic accidents or personal injuries due to conflicts with the driver. FastGo is the first technology ride-hailing provider to take out an insurance policy for customers.

Nguyen Huu Tuat, general director of FastGo Vietnam

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Nguyen Huu Tuat, general director of FastGo Vietnam stated that FastGo will ride the waves of the 4.0 technology revolution and issue the highest-quality ride-hailing service to customers. FastGo believes that with its smart and friendly ride-hailing app and methodical development strategy, it will be able to develop sustainably, create lucrative jobs for drivers, and benefit local customers.

Tuan added that three days after releasing recruitment information, 1,500 drivers registered to partner with FastGo.

FastGo commits not to increase fares during peak hours and to build the system to receive feedback and comments from customers.

At first, FastGo will issue three core services, namely Fast Car (the transport service for individual automobiles), Fast Taxi (linking traditional taxi firms), and Fast Luxury (transport service using luxury automobiles). FastGo will launch the service in Hanoi in June, Ho Chi Minh City in July, and Danang in August.

According to the plan, in the first three years, FastGo will partner with 20,000 drivers and be present in large cities across the countries to serve 5 million customers.

In order to have money to expand FastGos operation network, FastGo will call for investors. FastGo expects to collect between $3-50 million within the first three years. At present, there are five investors expressing interest in pouring capital into FastGo, Tuat stated.The opening of McDonald's branch in Hanoi. Photo: trithuctre.vn

Newswire AFP stated that on last Thursday (June 7), McDonalds announced yet another plan to cut an unspecified number of jobs as a part of its restructuring to save its business in the US and save $500 million.

McDonalds spokeswoman Terri Hickey said, With that in mind, we are putting into place a new US field structure that will better support our franchises and will ensure that McDonalds continues on a path to being more dynamic, nimble, and competitive.

Doubting that the US fast food giant may make similar moves in Vietnam, VIR contacted McDonalds Vietnam, who failed to reply to e-mails.

Since officially entering Vietnam in 2014, McDonald's Vietnam has opened 17 stores, including 16 in Ho Chi Minh City and one in Hanoi. The US firm plans to raise the number of its stores in Vietnam to 100 in 10 years.

Previously, in August 2015, McDonalds also cut 225 jobs, including 135 jobs in its headquarters in Oak Brook city, Illinois and 90 jobs in its foreign branches.

The cut on personnel took place while McDonalds general director Steve Easterbrook announced the plan to cut business costs by $300-million by 2017 and to restructure activities to keep pace with the changes in the fast food industry.

Scandals related to food safety

In late 2014, McDonalds was hit by several scandals related to food safety and these issues have dented its reputation. For instance, in McDonalds Japan, a human tooth was found in a customers French fry in August, and a child cut his mouth in December on a piece of plastic on a chocolate sundae.

Previously, McDonalds Japan had to halt selling Chicken Nuggets after a customer found a strip of vinyl roughly 1.5 inches long in their order.

Afterwards, in early 2015, McDonalds Japan apologised to its customers and vowed to ensure product safety.

The scandals had a marked impact on the revenue of McDonalds Japan in 2015s first quarter. Accordingly, revenue dropped by 34.5 per cent, resulting in a loss of $120 million.

Falling behind food trends

Instead of previous fast food standards, including reasonable prices and fast service, current fast food standards revolve around the origin of materials. Accordingly, people are becoming more health-aware and are picking fresh, organic food options. Meanwhile, McDonalds is being regarded as the main cause of obesity in the US.

Riding on the modern food trend, its competitor and former subsidiary Chipotle has been focusing on developing a high-quality food system with fresh and organic materials at slightly higher prices.

While traditional fast food stores commonly serve hamburgers and fried chicken, Chipotle has a South American menu featuring barbecued meat and stewed potatoes. Chipotle has passed McDonalds to become the US leading fast food brand worth $20 billion in 2014.

In 2014, according to a survey of 32,000 people by US magazine Consumer Reports, McDonalds was listed among the top 20 food chains with the worst pancakes.The blackened and damaged cockpit area of a Star Alliance passenger aircraft is pictured at the airport in Frankfurt, western Germany. (Boris Roessler/dpa/AFP)

Neither crew nor passengers were aboard the aircraft when the towing vehicle steering it onto the apron for a later departure burst into flames for unknown reasons, a spokesman for subsidiary Lufthansa Technik told AFP.

The fire spread from the truck to the plane, with photographs posted on social media showing a massive column of black smoke.

Although the plane was empty, 10 people were being treated for "respiratory irritations", the spokesman said. There were no serious injuries.

A spokesman for Frankfurt airport said firefighters extinguished the blaze "immediately" and that the fire had not disrupted traffic at Germany's busiest hub.

Later photos showed extensive smoke and fire damage to the nose and cockpit section of the Airbus plane, which has been grounded for repairs.Many household businesses in HCM City are reluctant to formally register as businesses despite authorities inducements.-Photo tuoitre.vn

Tran Thi Thanh Phuong, director of Phuong Cat Tax Agency, said that tax agencies have offered free tax registration and tax return filing services to new enterprises and household businesses, under the departments programme to support new enterprises.

Free counselling was offered in all districts, including outlying districts like Nha Be and Binh Chanh, she said.

For new enterprises, registration and certain annual fees for the first three years are waived under the 2017 Law on Supporting Small to Medium Businesses.

City authorities have organised 250 counselling and encouragement events to raise awareness among people running household businesses.

But only 3,950 have upgraded their business status, with many others being reluctant to become enterprises since it could entail paying higher taxes and social insurance.

Mac Quoc Anh, deputy director and general secretary of the Ha Noi Small and Medium Enterprises Association, said some of the businesses might also want to remain being household firms since it would help them conceal their true income.

Nguyen Nam Binh, deputy chief of the department admitted that many of the owners may also not be fully aware of enterprise-related regulations and procedures such as enterprises registration and keeping proper records.

Some household firms also find these regulations too complicated and prefer to stay small so that they do not have to deal with enterprise responsibilities such as obligations to employees or implementing regulations on environment, noise reduction or fire fighting, according to Tuoi tre (Youth) and Ha Noi Moi (new Hanoi) newspapers.

Nguyen Duc Nghia, head of the HCM City Taxation Agency Club, said tax procedures are too complicated and enterprises often have to hire service providers, adding that the procedures need to be simplified to make them easier for small and new businesses.

Phuong said policies to support small and medium-sized enterprises are not well developed.

According to the department, there are many household businesses that are more than capable of becoming enterprises, including over 420 that employ more than 10 staff, which is illegal according to the current law, 14,800 that use invoices and over 21,000 with monthly revenues of VND50-100 million (US$2,200-4,400).

The city aims to have 1 million enterprises by 2020.iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- As President Donald Trump in Singapore flexed his diplomatic muscles with North Korea, members of his own party back in Washington were gearing up to deliver a stinging rebuke over his efforts to normalize trade with China.



Senate Republicans returning to work Monday were also disheartened by the president's bellicose language toward Canada over the weekend, but their efforts to check his ability to impose the sorts of tariffs that started the tit-for-tat seem likely to fail in the near term.



The lead negotiators on the annual defense policy bill added a measure that would essentially reverse the administrations softening of penalties on ZTE, a Chinese telecom company that the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence community have singled out as a national security threat because it could be using its devices to spy on Americans. Final passage of the bill is likely to come this week.



The amendment, co-sponsored by Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Chuck Schumer D-N.Y., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., prohibits the entire U.S. government from purchasing or leasing equipment from ZTE and a similar telecom also cited for national security risks, Huawei.



It would also restore penalties on ZTE imposed in March 2017 after the company was caught selling equipment to Iran and making false statements assuring it had disciplined executives. The punishments included a fine and a seven-year ban on ZTEs ability to purchase U.S. parts.



Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced last week that the administration had reached a definitive agreement with ZTE that he said represented the most strict compliance that weve ever had on any company, American or foreign.



That deal included a billion-dollar fine and ZTEs agreement to install a new, American-picked compliance board. But ZTE had already agreed to a $1.2-billion dollar fine in the 2017 penalty package.



In a statement released when the bipartisan group introduced its bill last week, Rubio indicated their measure  essentially reinstating the original penalties, plus additional restrictions on U.S. purchases  was much tougher than what the White House had negotiated.



On the same day that the Administration announced it had reached a deal with ZTE, my colleagues advanced this important measure and I encourage Congress to remain clear-eyed and unified on the threat China poses to U.S. interests and national security, Rubio said.



While the White House has yet to weigh in on this latest development, Trump tweeted late last month that the deal with ZTE was more than what his Democratic predecessors had accomplished.



Asked whether he thought Trump would veto the entire National Defense Authorization Act defense policy bill, to which the ZTE amendment has been attached, Van Hollen said that would represent a massive concession to China.



Veto the bill in order to protect ZTE and Chinese jobs? I dont think so, he told reporters.



Senate Republicans were also upset that the administration had publicly, and in many of their minds, unnecessarily, rebuked Canada during the weekends G7 meeting by refusing to endorse a joint statement and accusing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of negotiating in bad faith. While Canada had already previously announced retaliatory steel and aluminum tariffs on the U.S., it seemed to be Trudeaus comments at a press conference, in which he said Canada would not be pushed around  that upset the president and his advisors.



There's a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door," trade advisor Peter Navarro said on "Fox News Sunday."



Republicans largely cried foul at the use of heated language at the United States ally and neighbor.



Its uncalled for. Just absolutely uncalled for, Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., said.



Im pretty sure that circles of hell are not reserved for Canadians proposing retaliatory tariffs, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said.



But they don't seem likely to do anything more than wring their hands over the substance behind those comments, at least at the moment. Sens. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., are working on a bill that would check the presidents ability to impose tariffs on the basis of national security concerns, as he did in the Canada case, without congressional approval.



But while the pair has been trying to add the measure to the NDAA, it appeared Monday as if it would be ineligible because of procedural hurdles related to its economic impact. Any measures having to do with funding would have to originate in the House of Representatives, which has already voted on its version of the NDAA.



Some Senate Republicans also have concerns that the bill would violate the presidents constitutional authority as head of the executive branch, meaning it likely wouldnt sail through as easily as the ZTE amendment is expected to.



Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., noted that some Republicans are opting to give the administration space to negotiate with Canada and other partners in the near term, and that would be best not to try to rein in the presidents authority at the same time.



Theres clearly a concern with a lot of sort of free trade conservatives in our conference about the present track that were on and where it could end up going. But I think at the moment everybody is giving the president the benefit of the doubt, Thune said.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.



US President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un look on as documents are exchanged between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the North Korean leader's sister Kim Yo Jong. (Photo: AFP/Saul Loeb)

This was stated in the joint document signed by Mr Kim and US President Donald Trump at their historic summit in Singapore.

Mr Trump, on his part, committed to provide security guarantees to North Korea. The document did not state what those guarantees might be.

It made no mention of demands made by the US previously for "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation".

The document laid out the following key points:

- US and North Korea commit to establish new US-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.

- The two countries will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

- Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, North Korea commits to work towards the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

- US and North Korea commit to recovering remains of prisoners of war including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

The document stated that follow-on negotiations led by the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and a relevant high-level North Korean official will be arranged "at the earliest possible date" to implement the outcomes of the Singapore summit.

Before both leaders proceeded to sign the document, at the Capella hotel in Sentosa, Mr Trump said their meeting went "better than expected and no one could've expected this".

US President Donald Trump holds up a document signed by him and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un following a signing ceremony during their historic US-North Korea summit. (Photo: AFP/Saul Loeb)

Mr Kim said the "world will now see a major change".

"We had a historic meeting and weve decided to leave the past behind," he added. "The world will see a major change. I would like to express my gratitude to President Donald Trump for making this happen."Habeco is hard-pressed by competition even on its traditional northern market

Habeco reports bleak business results and decreasing market share

In 2017, Habeco earned VND9.8 trillion ($429.58 million) in revenue and VND658 billion ($28.84 million) in after-tax profit, signifying decreases of 2 and 17 per cent, while simultaneously marking a decrease in profit in three consecutive years.

This year, Habeco only set 500 million litres of beer as production target, up 4 per cent on-year, while the firms profit will decrease by 8 per cent on-year.

Along with decreasing business results, Habeco reported a decline in market share. Notably, its market share decreased from 18.9 per cent in 2016 to 16.2 per cent in 2017. Its traditional product, Hanoi Beer also saw a decrease of 24.1 per cent in market share. According to the expectations of Ho Chi Minh City Securities Corporation, Habecos market share may decline by 15.3 per cent this year.

Due to the slip in market share, Habeco reported losses in the northern region, which is considered its home turf. At present, Sabeco is expanding its distribution network in the northern region, where it currently takes up 10 per cent of the market.

The saturation of the beer industry, in collaboration with the strict competition with other competitors are the two major reasons for the bleak business results of Habeco.

Furthermore, Habeco is claimed to run ineffective marketing. Besides, its products are not as diverse as those of competitors.

Uncertain divestment

In addition, the long delay in state divestment is another factor hindering the development of Habeco. As Habeco is on the list of firms to be divested by the state, the existing Board of Ddirectors of the firm does not have motivation to develop the Habeco brand, as they are waiting to be replaced.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is facing difficuties in looking for a strategic partner to transfer either a part or the entire 81.79 per cent owned by the state.

Even the most potential strategic partner Carlsberg, the Danish Brewer that currently holds 17.3 per cent of Habeco, stated that while it is interested in buying more of Habecos shares, it will only do so at a competitive price.

The Danish brewer even wanted to use its priority purchasing rights to buy Habecos stakes for low cost for numerous times but failed. According to the representative of Carlsberg, despite progress after numerous discussions, the two sides have yet to reach a compromise due to legal problems related to Carlsbergs priority purchasing rights at Habeco.

There was information that other foreign investors, including Heineken and AB Inbev, are looking to acquire a stake in Vietnams third-largest brewer in order to increase their market shares. However, there is no information on these plans.MPIC buys 49 per cent stake of Tuan Loc Water Resources JSC

According to newswire Thestandard, MPIC said in a disclosure to the stock exchange wholly-owned unit MetroPac Water Investments Corp. finished the purchase of 37.926 million shares, equalling 49 per cent stake in Tuan Loc Water Resources JSC, a subsidiary of Tuan Loc Corporation.

The transaction allows MPIC to take existing advantages of Tuan Loc to enter and expand into the Vietnamese water market.

Tuan Loc has been installing water supply systems in numerous large-scale projects across the nation. It currently has a charter capital of VND1.6 trillion ($70.24 million).

The buy-in allows the Metro Pacific group to take on Vietnamese industrial water concessions.

Recently, Tuan Loc, in collaboration with two other domestic investors, was assigned to develop Thu Thiem 3 Bridge, located in District 4, under the build-transfer (BT) format.

The biggest project of Tuan Loc is Song Lam Raw Water Treatment Plant, a 50-year build-own-operate project (2015-2064) with an installed capacity of 200 million litres per day (MLD) expandable to 300 MLD. This plant supplies raw water to Nghe An Water Supply JSC and surrounding industrial parks.

Earlier in last November, MPIC signed an share purchase agreement to buy 45 per cent or 9.9 million shares of the outstanding capital stock of BOO Phu Ninh Water Treatment Plant JSC, which holds a license to serve clean water demand in the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone, and urban areas, industrial zones and adjacent rural areas in Quang Nam province.

MPIC said the deal was subject to price adjustment through an escrow mechanism depending on the fulfillment of certain conditions.

However, the two parties have yet to publish the information whether the deal is finished or not so far.

MPIC is an investment holding company led by businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan whose businesses include water, energy, telecommunications, infrastructure, hospitals, tollways, railways, and logistics, among others.Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. (Photo: VNA)

Correspondent: Ocean is an agenda item for this years G7 Leaders Outreach Session. We know that Vietnam is a coastal country highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Mr. Prime Minister, could you please share with us the policies that Vietnam is pursuing to develop its marine economy and protect the marine environment?

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc: The 21st century is the century of oceans, as the seas and oceans are the habitat and development space for the coastal countries in general and the planet as a whole. Therefore, the development of maritime economy and the protection of the marine environment play a very important role in the sustainable development of coastal countries, including Vietnam.

Our country has immense potential for marine economy development: a 3,260 km long coastline, or one kilometer of coastline for every 100 square kilometers of land, six times greater than the world average. Vietnam has 1 million square kilometers of territorial waters, endowed with rich and lucrative resources, such as seafood (3 to 3.5 million tonnes), oil and gas, and other mineral resources. Vietnam has more than 2,770 islands and islets, and many beautiful bays recognized as world heritages, such as Ha Long Bay, and 125 beautiful scenic beaches, 20 among them are of international standards. These make for enormous potential for the development of maritime tourism.

In addition, Vietnam is also located in a very important geo-strategic position on the international trade lane connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Five out of ten largest sea lanes in the world pass through the East Sea (a.k.a. South China Sea), accounting for more than 50 percent of total global shipments. With more than 90 ports, including deep-water international transit ports, Vietnam boasts excellent potential in the development of sea transport, transit and logistics.

Given such rich potential, marine economy and seaward development have been Vietnam's strategic development orientation for many years. Our vision is to build Vietnam into a marine-capable country. We have set the target that by 2020, the marine and coastal economic sectors shall account for 55 percent of our GDP and 60 percent of gross export.

To realize the above vision and goal, Vietnam has been implementing many policies, plans and measures to develop the marine economy and protect the marine environment.

First, we have been improving the institutions, policies, legal framework and planning for the sea and islands. The Sea Law, Marine Resources and Environment Law and relevant regulations are being effectively implemented. Vietnam has acceded to multiple international maritime protocols and agreements in order to create the legal framework for the development of the marine economy.

Second, we are consistently implementing policies pertaining to the research and development and application of marine science and technologies. We are modernizing the marine infrastructure to support the marine economy such as coastal roads and the port network. Vietnam has established a number of competitive marine industries, such as tourism, aquaculture, fishing and seafood processing, oil and gas exploitation and production as well as fifteen coastal economic zones. The export value of seafood in 2017 exceeded 8.3 billion USD, a record year-on increase of 19 percent. The figure for the first five months of 2018 amounted to 3.15 billion USD, up 11 percent year-on year.

Third, we consider the protection of the marine environment and ecology an extremely important, regular and long-term mission. Developing the marine economy concurrently with the protection of the marine environment is Vietnam's consistent position in her marine strategy, the principle being that use and extraction need to go hand-in-hand with protection and renewal, without trading off the environment for economic growth. All development projects must ensure full and effective observance of environment protection regulations. The Vietnamese government encourages businesses within and outside of Vietnam to invest into the sustainable development of the marine economy, such as marine ecosystem protection, sustainable aquaculture and renewable energy development, treatment of waste discharged into the sea, and enhancing capacity for responding to climate change and rising sea level.

Fourth, we will step up international cooperation and integration, thus making active and responsible contribution to the reinforcement of peace and stability in the seas. Vietnam supports the effort of the international community that contributes substantially to the maintenance of peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight, and to the protection of the marine environment. Vietnams consistent policy is to resolve differences and disputes through peaceful means in compliance with international law, in particular the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; respect the diplomatic and legal processes; promote mutual trust; refrain from the use or threat of force; fully and effectively implement the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC); and work towards the early conclusion of a substantive and effective Code of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (COC).

Vietnam stands ready to promote cooperation with all countries and partners in the development of marine economy, on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and observance of international law towards the common goal of clean, peaceful and stable oceans for the common prosperity.

Correspondent: Mr Prime Minister, Vietnam has been invited by host countries to the 2016 G7 Leaders Outreach Session in Japan, the 2017 G20 Summit in Germany and again to the 2018 G7 Leaders Outreach in Canada. This seems to indicate the growing role and status of the country in the international arena. Could you please give us some ideas about the messages and initiatives of Vietnam at the 2018 G7 Leaders Outreach Session?

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc: In implementing our foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multi-directionalisation of our external relations, Vietnam is carrying out active and extensive international integration in a variety of areas. As a trustworthy friend and partner, Vietnam has been making active and responsible contribution to matters of common interest to the international community at many important multilateral forums, such as the United Nations, ASEAN, APEC and ASEM to name a few. The fact that Vietnam was invited to join the recent G20 and G7 Leaders Outreach Summits indicates that the international community acknowledges Vietnam's active role, efforts and contributions to the maintenance of a peaceful and stable environment for cooperation and development in the region, the promotion of the shared interests, as well as the settlement of the common challenges of the world and the region.

The agenda of this year's G7 Leaders Outreach Session prioritizes discussion on the ocean. This is a matter of existential importance to the survival and development of coastal countries and the planet at large. At the Summit, the leaders of G7 countries and invited countries and international organizations shared their views and ideas on the promotion of international cooperation to enhance capacity in climate change and rising sea level adaptation and response, sustainable extraction of marine resources, and protection of the marine environment and ecology.

The fact that Vietnam was invited to the G7 Leaders Outreach Session by Canada is both another step forward in the Vietnam  Canada Comprehensive Partnership established in November 2017, and a testimony to the role, status and efforts of Vietnam in climate change response, marine economy development and marine environment protection that are acknowledged by the international community.

At this Summit, Vietnam has provided concrete and responsible inputs to the discussions of many important agenda items, in particular the promotion of serious implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the protection of the marine environment and ecosystem, and the prevention of plastics pollution the oceans where as much as 8 million tonnes of plastic are being added every year. We welcome Canada and G7 countries initiatives to promote cooperation to prevent marine litter, advance gender equality and facilitate women's access to basic resources and services for climate change response.

On our part, Vietnam suggested that the international community should discuss the possibility of a Global Agreement on the Prevention of Plastic Litter in the Ocean, akin to the Paris Agreement on climate change. In addition, Vietnam also calls upon the G7 countries to consider establishing an Expanded Cooperation Forum between G7 countries and coastal countries on climate change and rising sea level response and marine environment and ecosystem protection. Such initiatives stem from the urgent need of the international community for the promotion of concrete and effective cooperation in climate change response and marine environment protection, and thus were welcomed and highly regarded by many countries at the Summit.

Vietnam stands ready to promote cooperation with all countries and partners in implementing the above-mentioned initiatives through concrete and practical programs and projects, for the common sustainable development and prosperity of our planet as a whole.A US Air Force F-22 Raptor lands at Gwangju Air Base in South Korea during the Max Thunder drills in May. (Photo: AFP)

Washington and Seoul are security allies, with 28,500 US troops stationed in the South to defend it from its neighbour which invaded in 1950.

They hold joint military exercises every year that infuriate Pyongyang, which has long demanded an end to the drills and often responds with actions of its own, ratcheting up tensions.

North Korea in May cancelled talks with Seoul over "Max Thunder" joint military air exercises between the US and the South. They were a "rude and wicked provocation", it complained.

"We will be stopping the war games which will save us a tremendous amount of money," Trump told reporters.

"I think it's very provocative," he said - echoing Pyongyang's traditional line.

"Under the circumstances we are negotiating a complete deal," he added. "It is inappropriate to have war games. Number one, we save money. A lot. Number two, it is really something they very much appreciated."

Trump did not indicate whether the North would make any concessions in return for stopping the exercises.

The move, if fulfilled, would appear to be effectively an implementation of the "freeze for freeze" proposal promoted by China, under which the North would stop nuclear and missile tests in exchange for a halt to the exercises.

Kim has previously declared a moratorium on testing, saying the development of his nuclear arsenal is complete.

Trump also said he wanted to withdraw the US troops stationed in the South, something he promised on the campaign trail, saying: "I'd like to be able to bring them back home."

The issue was "not part of the equation right now", he said, but "at some point I hope it will be."

Trump's declarations are likely to alarm conservatives in South Korea, who have appealed to him not to put its security at risk.

A presidential spokesman, in a cautious response, said Seoul needed to understand "the exact meaning and intention" of Trump's remarks.

But various ways to encourage dialogue on denuclearisation should be seriously considered, the spokesman said.

US Forces Korea said it had received no new instructions about its scheduled training exercises, including this summer's Ulchi Freedom Guardian.

The other major joint exercise is known as Key Resolve/Foal Eagle exercise, usually conducted in the spring.

"In coordination with our ROK (South Korean) partners, we will continue with our current military posture until we receive updated guidance from the Department of Defense and/or Indo-Pacific Command," it added.

Any suspension of the joint exercises would be a "substantial concession" to the North's security concerns, said Alison Evans, deputy head of Asia Pacific Country Risk at IHS Markit.

There is a precedent for cancelling joint exercises to encourage talks. A major drill known as Team Spirit was cancelled several times in the 1990s as Washington held its first major negotiations over the North's nuclear programmes.German Chancellor Angela Merkel (right) greets Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde (centre) and Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Roberto Azevedo (left) at the Chancellery in Berlin. (Bernd von Jutrczenka/POOL/AFP)

Trans-Atlantic and other trade wars would have "a long-term impact on the global economy," he said at a Berlin meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of the IMF, World Bank and other international institutions.

"We must stop this escalation of tensions, the tit-for-tat process is not going to be helpful ... new sectors will be brought into the picture, which is something that will harm everyone," he said.

The EU has vowed to retaliate against US metal tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, and tensions worsened at a Group of Seven summit in Canada after Trump rejected an attempt to write a consensus statement and bitterly insulted the Canadian host.

The joint communique which Trump rejected had vowed that G7 members would reform multilateral oversight of commerce through the WTO and seek to cut tariffs.

Azevedo warned that "the rising trade tensions risk a major economic impact, undermining the strongest sustainable period of trade growth since the end of the financial crisis.

"But, more than that, the systemic effects could be very damaging, risking a long-term impact on the global economy."

The US president came under fire at the contentious G7 summit of leading economic powers for his "America First" protectionist drive.

Trump lashed out again at US allies on Monday in Twitter messages focusing on "massive trade surpluses" that he said the United States has endured "for decades" with its closest allies.Young artists offer contemporary exhibitions

Young artist Pham Tran Viet Nam of Da Nang finds red is the best way to show his admiration of modern life at Van Te Thap Loai Chung Sinh (Prayer for Ten Types of Wandering Souls) in HCM Citys The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre. Photo courtesy of the organiser

Each of their works in different media tackles the subject matter of life and love in various ways, but the underlying themes of admiration and reality are constant.

Pham Tran Viet Nam of Da Nang finds red is the best way to show his admiration of modern life. He uses vivid reddish-yellow and vermillion colours to highlight his feelings about the challenges people face today.

Ten of his paintings at the event, called Van Te Thap Loai Chung Sinh (Prayer for Ten Types of Wandering Souls), feature faces of women and men expressing different feelings. Some pictures portray faces of evil.

He said he was inspired by the popular poem of the same name, also called Van Chieu Hon (Writing for Wandering Souls), by Nguyen Du, a famous writer in the 17th century.

Nam places his paintings on the walls and the floor.

Artist Truong Cong Tung of Dak Lak works are featured in Noi Giua Su Phan Manh & Cai Toan The (Between Fragmentation and Wholeness), featuring the relationship between the universe and humans.

According to Tung, he found inspiration from The Wholeness and the Implicate Order, a book by David Bohm, a distinguished physicist in quantum theory.

Tungs exhibition will close on June 30 at Galerie Quynh at 118 Nguyen Van Thu Street in District 1.

Nams Van Te Thap Loai Chung Sinh at The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre at 15 Nguyen U Di Street in District 2 will run through July 13.Funeral Announcements A daily list of current funeral annoucements as heard on KXRA 1490 AM/100.3 FM

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Sports Update This current sports headlines delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria.

Upcoming Events This email is the events of the area delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria.

Breaking News The big news. Sent only as it happens.At the beginning of June, Jordan was shaken by a week of peaceful demonstrations against a project for a fiscal law which planned for a rise in taxes of between 5 % and 25 % for all persons with an annual salary of more than 8,000 dinars ($11,245). The demonstrators, whose quality of life had suffered greatly from the consequences of the Western war against Syria, demanded, and obtained, the resignation of the Prime Minister and the withdrawal of the project for law.

In reality, the Kingdom hardly had a choice  the plan was in conformity with the engagements taken in 2016 during the subscription for a loan from the International Monetary Fund. It had been rejected several times because of the war, and had only been presented when Parliament was closing. Its modification would have supposed a complete change of economic policy, which is not on the agenda. The only solution would be to obtain financial support from Saudi Arabia in order to reimburse the debt.

Numerous medias have advanced the possibility of a new episode of the  Arab Spring . This is not likely - in 2011, the demonstrations came to an end by themselves, without recourse to violence. All it needed was for the united front of the early days to collapse, and the Islamists would have broken with the secular groups. This is perfectly logical when we consider the Kingdoms links with the British and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Lets not forget that far from being a spontaneous movement, the  Arab Spring  was an operation by MI6, planned since 2004-2005, in order to put the Muslim Brotherhood in power, on the model of what the British secret services had already organised in 1915 with Lawrence of Arabia (the  Great Arab Revolt ) [1]. Yet Jordan had always controlled the Brotherhood at home - the national Honorary Guide was Prince Hassan, the Kings uncle. Today, the Kingdom continues to enjoy excellent relations with Hamas (which declared itself the  Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood ). It was for this reason, during the  Arab Spring , that the Brotherhood did not demand the  fall of the regime , as it did everywhere else, but instead called for a government composed of its members.

After that, Jordan joined the counter-revolutionary camp by becoming an  associate  of the Gulf Cooperation Council, (despite the reticence of Kuwait, which still reproached Jordan for having supported its invasion by Saddam Husseins Iraq in 1990).

The demonstrations of early June were justified at the local level, but needed specific support in order to be held in a now authoritarian country.

These demonstrations perhaps constitute pressure brought to bear on Amman before the presentation by the White House of its plan for peace in Palestine. Lets remember that the Kingdom has always considered itself the kingdom of the Palestinians, and that King Abdallah II is the  protector  of the holy Muslim sites in Jerusalem and the  guardian  of the holy Christian sites in the Holy City (a title which was recognised by Pope Jean-Paul II in 2000). Until the beginning of the application of the Oslo agreements, Jordan assured the administrative management of the West Bank (even though it has been occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War). Yasser Arafat himself had envisaged paying allegiance to the monarchy. At least three quarters of Jordanians are Palestinians. Only the remaining quarter is composed of native Bedouins.

Currently, all the regional powers are attempting to gain a foothold in Palestine. For example, Turkey is trying to steal the Islamic Jihad from Iran. At the same time, the United States and Israel are trying to pressure each of the protagonists.

Whatever the plan drawn up by Jared Kushner, the special advisor and son-in-law of President Donald Trump, Jordan will have to play a part. Currently, many documents, some of which have never been published, are being released from the archives. It appears that the creation of the capital of an independent state for the Palestinians in Abous Dis has already been discussed. According to the Partition Plan for Palestine, in 1947, Abous Dis is a neighbourhood of the city of Jerusalem. and during the Oslo Agreements, Yasser Arafats second in command, Mahmoud Abbas (his current successor), agreed to the idea of establishing the capital of Palestine there. In fact, at that time, the Palestinian Authority had already begun the construction of the future Parliament in Abous Dis. However, the  peace process  got bogged down - this point was never ratified, and the work was interrupted. To return to our discussion, the Israelis isolated Abous Dis from the rest of the city with a wall, while the Palestinians, considering that it is only a tiny part of Jerusalem, demanded half of the city. In any case, it is not impossible that Jordan could become the Palestinian state with a double capital, Amman and Abou Dis. In this case, the question of the type of regime will be asked once again  Kingdom or Republic?International and Local Chefs Join Calentita Food Festival

This years Calentita Food Festival, organised by Word of Mouth, on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, will feature international chefs running food stalls, and cooking demonstrations.

The Organisers have announced:

We are really pleased to announce that this years Calentita Food Festival has attracted interest from a number of international chefs that will be travelling to Gibraltar to run stalls and also to carry out cooking demonstrations at our Calentita Kitchen Live.

Travelling from Malta, Chef Alan Warren Cefai will be a familiar name to fans of GBC Television series Inspired By Malta, Gibraltar has long and historic ties with Malta and we are delighted to welcome Alan to Gibraltar to participate in Calentita and to provide an authentic taste of this Mediterranean island which holds such a dear place in the hearts of so many locals. Alan plans to bring the best of Malta with him to Calentita, preparing a delicacy of rabbit stew arancini with white bean, garlic and parsley puree drizzled with prickly pear sauce. All his ingredients, from the prickly pears to the spices, will be sourced in Malta  a true taster of this beautiful island.

London-based chef Richard McLellan will bring a wilder touch to the food festival with his stall Wilder x Gibraltar. With years of experience working with some of Londons top Michelin starred chefs such as Tom Aitkens, Adam Byatt, and Alyn Williams, Richards stall promises to offer a gourmet experience for festival goers. I will be creating a dish that draws a connection between Gibraltar and my home city of London. Richard will be using wild ingredients from local sources - hence the name of his

Alan and Richard will both carry out cooking demonstrations at Calentita where they will be joined by pastry chef, cookery teacher, activist and bestselling author, Henrietta Inman. Henrietta will also lead a team of chefs catering for the Dinner & Dialogue event that will take place on Sunday 23rd June 2018.

Henrietta Inman is a pastry chef, cookery teacher and author, specialising in patisserie and all types of food, made with natural and wholesome, seasonal ingredients. After gaining a distinction in the Professional Patisserie Scholarship at Westminster Kingsway College, she worked in a number of award-winning kitchens including Heinz Becks Michelin-starred Apsleys formerly at The Lanesborough Hotel, and for Skye Gyngell. She has published two books Clean Cakes and The Natural Baker and is a contributing author to Cook for Syria which will be published on 20th June 2018.

Vicky Bishop, Claire Foster and Nico Fitzgerald will also join the demonstration lineup.

Vicky is a health supportive chef and owner of Vickys Natural Kitchen Deli and catering outlet. She believes that cooking from scratch is about connecting with nature and your ingredients.

For me its about getting inspiration from the vegetables and foods available to you; whatever the natural source I am working with and designing my menus and recipes around that. Vicky will be carrying out a demonstration at the Calentita Kitchen.

Claire Foster, who has made a name for herself in Gibraltar as the chef at vegan restaurant The Kasbar, began cooking at an early age as a result of an illness, learning how to make nutritionally dense food. Later she turned professional working in the food industry for years. I love cooking with fresh organic vegetables. I have many dishes that I love making, but right now I have really been enjoying putting together different types of burgers, working to perfect a vegan burger. I want to demonstrate to people that vegan food can be incredibly flavourful, help the environment and maybe even awaken ones third eye. Apart from taking part in Calentita at the Vegan stall Claire will also be demonstrating her signature walnut pate in the Calentita kitchen it's a much healthier option than a liver pate and is perhaps more flavourful, people will have to try and judge for themselves. I am really looking forward to the demo going well and may use it as a platform to offer cooking classes in the future.

Nico Fitzgerald is already making a name for himself in international circles. Passionate about food from a young age, Nico grew up knowing he wanted to be a chef one day. After a brief detour through University, Nico attended the world renowned Le Cordon Bleu in London, where he graduated with a Grand Diplome de Cuisine et Patisserie. After completing a work placement at the 2 Michelin-starred Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in Knightsbridge, Nico was offered a job at one of Hestons other Michelin-starred restaurants, the Hinds Head, where he now runs the pastry department. Nico will be carrying out a demonstration in the Calentita kitchen.Chief Ministers Address to UN Committee of 24

'Mr Chairman, may I start by congratulating you on your appointment to the Chair of this important committee.

Forty nine years ago this month, General Franco closed the frontier between Gibraltar and Spain to try to force the Gibraltarians to give up our right to selfdetermination.

Instead, it had the effect of dividing communities and people and reinforced our commitment never to surrender our right to determine our political future for ourselves.

In the seven years I have been addressing you as Chief Minister, Gibraltar has experienced, at the hands of the former Government of the Kingdom of Spain, some of the worst economic sanctions and restrictions our people have known since the land frontier was opened in 1982.

Whilst the Partido Popular have held power in Spain, and in particular during the period in office of former Foreign Minister Margallo, Gibraltarians have been subjected to a campaign of opprobrium that was designed to break down the excellent relationships that exist between our people and the people of the Spanish hinterland around us.

Those relationships exist at a commercial level and they affect all areas of business.

But, more importantly, those relationships exist at a human level.

Human relationships of friendship, love and mutual respect.

And yet, even the concerted campaign of the Margallo years has been unable to destroy or even dent the depth of understanding that exists between the good people of our neighbouring nations.

What has been concerning in the past years, has been the effect of the lack of investment in the region of the Campo de Gibraltar on the part of the Spanish administration led by the Partido Popular.

My prepared text deals in detail with the effect of that on illicit trafficking in the region.

What is important for this Committee to note is that the right of the People of Gibraltar to determine our own political future is impossible to deny. It is a right enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, and in several resolutions of the General Assembly.

Since we were added to the list of nonself governing territories, there has only been one direction of travel  to quote the General Assemblys seminal Resolution 1514 (XV) of 1960:

Immediate steps shall be taken, in Trust and nonselfgoverning territories or all other territories which have not yet attained independence, to transfer all powers to the peoples of those territories, without any conditions or reservations.

It is not only Administering Powers that must abide by this requirement. The General Assembly has also said, for example in Resolution 637 (VII) of 1952, that ... every Member of the United Nations, in conformity with the Charter, should respect the maintenance of the right of selfdetermination.

The International Court of Justice stated in its 1971 Namibia Advisory Opinion that the right of selfdetermination applies to all nonselfgoverning territories.

No exceptions.

Spains attempt to carve out a special exception to the selfdetermination rule in the case of Gibraltar is not only transparently selfserving  it is also legally unconvincing, and it is not a view that enjoys widespread international support, as Dr Jamie Trinidad has shown in his recent book Self Determination in Disputed Colonial Territories :

Mr Chairman, our right to selfdetermination is clearly established and we will never cease to insist on its implementation.

Our wish is to be decolonised in accordance with the freely expressed will of the People of Gibraltar is insatiable.

In recent decades, we have moved progressively towards selfgovernment, and in 2006 we voted for a constitution that makes Gibraltar entirely selfgoverning other than in respect of defence and external relations.

We have repeatedly asked this Committee to give us feedback on what it considers the effect of our choice in a referendum of that Constitution means.

Have we reached the maximum possible level of selfgovernment short of independence?

We have had no feedback.

Under your chairmanship, we once again seek your guidance in this respect.

We also, once again, renew our call for the Committee to visit Gibraltar to see for yourselves the real circumstances of our modern reality.

But most importantly, Mr Chairman, we call for an opportunity to see cooperation between Gibraltar and its neighbouring region grow.

That has been facilitated, but not delivered, by the lowering of the antiGibraltar rhetoric since Snr Dastis took over as Foreign Minister in Spain from Snr Margallo.

We sincerely trust that the political change in Madrid now may allow the space for such future cooperation to flourish.

Indeed, since the United Kingdom started to negotiate its withdrawal from the European Union, we have been exploring, in discussions with Spanish officials, ways of pursuing future cooperation.

Her Majestys Government of Gibraltar is ready to work on solutions that deal with the consequences of our involuntary departure from the European Union and in, in particular, to protect the right of free movement to and from Gibraltar of all citizens, including but not only crossfrontier workers.

In fact, there are almost 13,500 people who live in Spain and work in Gibraltar. Already, we are the second largest employer in Andalucia.

And we are an economic engine of legitimate activity for the whole region, providing 25% of the GDP of the whole Spanish Campo de Gibraltar.

That is what we explored more successfully with the former Socialist administration in Spain between 2004 and 2011 in the Forum for Dialogue, which the Partido Popular Government of Snr Margallo withdrew from.

Gibraltar continues to strongly support that Forum, as the United Kingdom has itself repeatedly also stated in its interventions before this Committee and the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly to which you report.

We are also committed to delivering on our obligations under the agreements done in Cordoba in 2006, in particular in relation to Gibraltar Airport, which were the fruit of that Forum for Dialogue.

Gibraltar and the UK have entirely complied and are complying with those obligations, including the payments of over one hundred million pounds sterling to Spanish pensioners who used to work on the Rock before the frontier closure.

Gibraltar has spent over one hundred million pounds itself on the new Airport terminal and associated works to comply with the agreement on the airport.

Yet, the Spanish Government has singularly failed to comply with its obligations under these agreements since the Partido Popular was elected in 2011.

We trust that this attitude of noncompliance with agreements and false calumnies about Gibraltar will now be reassessed by the Government of Prime Minister Sanchez.

And we are ready to conclude further agreements in areas of mutual concern and interest, including agreements to provide full and unimpeded fiscal transparency of persons and corporations, agreements for the protection of the environment and for deeper police and judicial cooperation.

There is so much we can do, Mr Chairman. There is so much potential we can unlock. There is so much mutual benefit to explore.

Because, Mr Chairman, although we will not deviate from our stated position that Gibraltar will never be Spanish, we reach out our hand in friendship and reiterate equally forcefully our desire to have a strong and positive relationship of cooperation with our Spanish neighbours.

In that respect, the ball is in their court.

We will not be found wanting.

We remain ready to work together in the mutual interest and to the mutual benefit of our respective peoples.'Billy McFarland. Photo: Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Image

Fyre Festival founder Billy McFarland has already been found guilty of defrauding investors, and as he awaits sentencing he is being charged with more fraud-related crimes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The New York office of the FBI is charging McFarland with continuing to break the law even after he pleaded guilty to the earlier charges, and the infamous promoter was arrested today for allegedly selling almost $100,000 worth of fake tickets to events for fashion, music, and sports.

In March, McFarland pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of wire fraud, having been accused of scamming investors out of $1 million to fund the festival. To secure the money, McFarland overstated his company Fyre Medias financial stability, and gave false statements about revenue, insurance policies, and bank loans. As he awaits sentencing, McFarland is staring down up to 40 years in prison, with each charge carrying a maximum of 20 years. Along with Ja Rule, who co-created the festival, the two are also facing a class-action suit from the festival-goers for running an alleged Ponzi scheme.Holland Taylor as Ann Richards. Photo: Walter McBride/Corbis via Getty Images

With Ann airing on PBSs Great Performances on June 19, 2020 at 9pm ET, were sharing this interview from 2018.

It was just wonderful to have that expansive spirit to try to inhabit, Holland Taylor says, reflecting on her time spent playing former Texas governor Ann Richards in her one-woman show Ann. That expansive, generous human spirit. It was the most marvelous experience of my life. Taylor began to work on Ann soon after Richardss death in 2006, absorbing reams of material  correspondence, speeches and TV appearances, anecdotes from family and friends  from the impeccably coiffed politicians life into a play that wound its way from Texas, to Washington, and in 2013, Broadway, where Taylor earned a Tony Award nomination.

On June 14, Ann returns, this time online, as a taped performance on the streaming service BroadwayHD, recorded from the Zach Theatre in Austin, Texas. In advance of the plays return, Vulture spoke with Taylor to discuss what about Richards caught her attention, and how working on the play changed her life.

Whats it like to bring the show to the internet?

Ive warned [the people at BroadwayHD], not only will they have theater aficionados wanting to see this, but theres a whole Ann Richards nation out there. We call it the Ann Nation, who are so avidly longing for her or her kind of power in the world today, her kind of voice and her kind of humanity. Its very moving to me because I think I, myself, was compelled by whatever that surge, whatever that longing is. I think thats what actually made me do this from day one. It was right after she died, and then early in 07, I was researching this. I just couldnt stand that she was gone.

I do a Twitter search on her because Im curious about what people say, and you do the same thing with Clinton or Carter or any other leader that was much cared for, you dont see anywhere near the kind of appearances that everyday people were saying, If only we had an Ann Richards. Ann Richards should be president. What would Ann say? You do it yourself, Im not kidding. I became fascinated with it, how prevalent she is still in the American imagination. Shes fiery, she inspires people to do more, to be more, to be their authentic selves more. Shes also very, very, very comforting. Its an odd combination.

What would you imagine Ann Richards would think of Trump and the current state of politics?

After years of immersive research and also being incredibly welcomed by her top staff people and her administration and her family, I really do feel I can get inside her head. However, I cant get inside that sense of humor in the sense that  I wrote a lot of funny things for her to say in the play that I had a real feeling for her but when it comes to what she would say about our present situation, even I am just praying that she would send a voice down.

I knew one thing that would be true of her. She was not a negative person and as appalled as she might be and profoundly shocked as she might be by some of the things happening currently in our politics and in our culture, she would say, This will turn. We will grow from this. We will emerge from this. Ultimately she would be finding a way to speak positively about what we can do but she would be doing plenty. Thats for sure.

Theres a line where she jokes about her network of women arriving with their brooms to work with her, which reminded me of Trump talking about witch hunts. It feels like people are still grappling with what it means to have powerful women in politics. Did playing Ann give you insight into the prejudice against them?

Our country is the operative word. It is particular to us and I couldnt begin to hazard an opinion about why but theres no precedent. I heard a staffer of hers say once that she only saw Ann Richards cry once, and that was when the ERA did not pass. That really just broke her heart, because think of what it means! Now the ERA is getting ratified all over the place now, but who knows? There is something there, particularly in America, that I think is profoundly repressive for women.

Ann was a mans woman. Ann was so attractive to men. I dont mean that in the obvious sense. I mean she appealed to men. If guys, her colleagues, Democrat, Republican, whatever admired and loved her, their love was fierce. Incandescent because she inspired. People knew she was true. People knew she was authentic and true-blue and you cant buy that. I think she had a way of being accepted by men in a way perhaps other women might find more difficult.

Did the act of doing so much research and performing as Ann for so long change how you perceived yourself as a political person?

My call to action came when she came to me as a force that I had to do something creative about her. That was a call to action because my whole quest to this has been full of purpose  This has been the joy and the meaning of my life.

I certainly have been profoundly affected by her influence on me. Absolutely no question about it. While I do occasionally make the political tweet, again its not politics. Its really bigger than that, you know? Its kind of an approach to life. Its really her approach to life. Its a very contagious quality, that kind of life.

One of the things people remember so much about Ann is her wit, and her insults specifically. What would she make of how politics now seems so especially vulgar and built on insults?

I really think that she would be appalled and disheartened by it. Something really bad has happened. Ann could be very profane and vulgar in her own language in certain circumstances. She was a good old girl in that sense. I do say fucking in the play.

But again it comes back to this, it comes back a little bit to this woman issue in a sense that shes often cited for being insulting to George Bush Sr. in that keynote address. [Where Richards said George W. Bush was born with a silver foot in his mouth.] Google that. Watch that speech just up to when she tells that joke because you almost cannot believe the thunderclap reaction to it.

It was a great line. Jane Wagner had sent it to her. It was Jane Wagners idea. Various people said, Oh, you cant say that. Kirk Adams, who is her son-in-law, Ceciles husband, said, Oh, I think it was great. Definitely use it. So she did use it, but let me say something about it. Had a man said that exact line, he would have gotten a roar of applause and slapped on the back by the person he said it to because it actually isnt sarcastic and it actually isnt insulting. Its the kind of remark a man would make at a roast and get the most generous laugh in the world because you think about it.

It often feels like women who make jokes  for instance, Michelle Wolf at the White House Correspondents Dinner or Samantha Bee making a joke about Ivanka Trump and calling her a c word  make men so much angrier than men making jokes, because theres something about a woman having that comedic power that its frightening to people in power.

Its really extraordinary. Its absolutely key to the woman issue. This reveals an actual cancerous sort of a frame of mind. Im not clever enough, I dont know that I could tease it out into a real understanding any greater than that. Its just something that I notice. I feel and I recognize it.

She was so very funny and so very comfortable with people and so accepted that she could get away with a lot that other women couldnt. We really see in that particular line and the myth, I dont even know that its true, but the myth that George Bush and people associated with him, George Jr., were avenging that remark. If thats true, that is really appalling.

When he did win the governors mansion from Ann, and she did not get her second term, that was when Karl Rove cut his teeth, on that campaign. That was when Karl Rove picked up George Bush as the guy he was going to run to power with. And Karl Rove practiced extraordinary dirty politics in that campaign, did extraordinary things.

Not just in playing Ann, but on The Practice or Two and a Half Men or even Legally Blonde, youve played a lot of these women who are often in positions of power. Is there something about these women that interest you or that you find a reaction to?

In my position, Im not the one who does the choosing all of the time. I get offered roles, not often, and I think that I have a kind of an ability to seem perhaps more self-possessed and more powerful than I actually am. I get hired for those roles and people attribute those qualities to me and I dont necessarily possess them at all.

For some reason, I often play people who are rich which I am not. Ive done lots of work for Pete Gurney and he used to say, Its because you wear good shoes. The one thing I always make sure of, as I stumbled from audition to audition as a young actor, is that I always had a nice pair of high heels that I always took good care of. But I am, in some ways, fortunate to get these roles, and in other ways not, because its a kind of typecasting.

But Ann Richards could not be  in ways she is very powerful, of course  but socially shes so different from what I usually play. And that was the greatest experience ever. To play this warm, connected person who was vital and connected to people and cared about people.

Do you find yourself missing that experience?

Oh terribly. I miss it very much. It was also physically just incredibly taxing. Out of pure ego, I insisted that I do eight shows a week.* No one person show does that. I was 70 when I opened that show. I dont know what the hell I was thinking. I just said Ill do it, you know? And I think I did it without ego, but after Lincoln Center, it was 151 performances I think, I was really physically not myself for a good year.

I say I miss it, but getting it back up again is a half a year. It takes two months to get the text up again and then really running so that I can do it. You want to have a run thats at least two months so, its something that I just cant make a snap decision to do.

Youre in Sebastian Lelios Julianne Moore remake of Gloria and filming a few other TV roles. Do you plan to come back to the stage soon?

Oh, yes. I did Front Page last year, and I did Ripcord the year before that and then I did Ann in between. I did three theater things in a row and its really good for me. I think its where Im happiest. Its my natural habitat. I came very late to working on film and television and Im not that good at it.

I think the roles for me will be in theater much more than film and television. Obviously I could not be speaking more generally, but I would say in general in the Hollywood world, older women just sort of dont exist much. If they do its in a very cartoony way that isnt very much like real women who happen to be old. I think Europeans must shake their heads at us. They must wonder [why] a 70-year-old woman is not respected and not a figure of interest. Theaters are more likely to have a role that Im going to want to play than the other. There will be more roles.

Have you thought much about what itll be like to have this performance preserved?

I wish we had the real deal forever, which is what moved me to do the thing in the first place, but I reasoned back then that if I could evoke her somewhat, then some of the inspirational qualities that she had would travel with it. That was what I hoped for. How amazing to have something that I could do that I could really give my all to, that had nothing to do with me. Its a very light feeling.

How do you let it go? There is something parental about it. It requires great devotion, great commitment, great love, and then it takes wings. This is winging off into the air, and it will remain in the air. Im very happy.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

*The original interview incorrectly stated Taylor did eight weeks of shows, not eight shows a week.Queer Eye returns for a second season on June 15. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix

All this week, were publishing a series of pieces to accompany our New York cover story going behind the scenes of Netflix.

Having already broken through with comedies and dramas, Netflix is now making a massive effort to conquer the wide world of unscripted TV. Youve probably already seen (or at least heard of) some early offerings: the new Queer Eye; the intentionally comedic cooking competition Nailed It!; talk shows from Michelle Wolf, David Letterman, and Joel McHale. But just as it has with other genres, Netflix is planning to dramatically scale up unscripted, with up to 50 reality and talk shows slated to launch this year and more in the works for 2019. The planned output is so vast, the unscripted team has been traveling to various Netflix outposts around the world to give other staffers a look at how current shows are performing and to preview whats in the development hopper. Spoiler alert: Its a lot.

During an April visit to the companys gleaming new headquarters in Hollywood, I was able to sit in on one of these 90-minute sessions. Netflix is calling it a road show, since the same presentation will be given over the next few weeks at Netflix HQ in Los Gatos, and offices in Singapore and Amsterdam. At least 100 employees from various units gather in whats basically a small movie theater as Bela Bajaria, a longtime NBC and CBS executive who joined Netflix at the end of 2016, opens the event with a status update on how unscripted shows are performing among Netflix subscribers. Like everything else at Netflix, original unscripted content has gone from barely existent (Chelsea Handlers now-dead talk show was its best-known series for years) to seemingly omnipresent in a matter of months. From this sudden volume, Netflix wants to figure out how subscribers interact with nonfiction programming: Were going to learn a lot this year, Bajaria says.

Shes only at the mic for a few minutes before turning things over to other execs, starting with Brandon Riegg, a former NBC colleague Bajaria recruited to be her top lieutenant for unscripted. He talks about how Netflixs status as an international company means it needs to apply a different lens to the production of reality shows, and explains how much of a potential opportunity there is in the space. An exec from Netflixs research team offers some insight on how the units originals are doing. One of the preconditions of letting me into the meeting was that I not divulge any specific data, but one nonspecific factoid stood out: More people have already watched McHales new Netflix show than ever watched it on E!

As the road show goes on, theres lot of talk about planned experimentation: Netflix wants to do interactive reality shows and try to see if it can do competition shows where audiences vote, a la American Idol or The Voice. There s a plan to do some short-form reality content, including something called Cooking on High. Its a cannabis-themed cooking show where each of the first seasons 12 episodes will be a brief ten minutes. The splashiest project previewed, however, is a music-themed docuseries called Westside, and its clear Netflix is hoping the show will generate the same sort of viral buzz as this winters Queer Eye revival. Jenn Levy, a Bravo expatriate, outlines the concept of the show, which is being produced by Love Productions (the company behind The Great British Bake Off) and Madwood Studios. Its a really never-done before approach to a docu-soap, she says. It tells the story of nine aspiring musicians living in Los Angeles, working together, hanging out together. Theres character development and plotlines you find in some of our best scripted series. But its all done in a really raw and authentic way. And then theres the twist: The hook is, they also break into song, Levy says. Think The Hills meets La La Land or Glee with a whole lot more edge.

On paper, it sounds like it all go horribly wrong  the Cop Rock of reality shows. But when Levy plays a work-in-progress sizzle reel  featuring a bunch of passionate 20-something artist types emoting their heart out about the usual struggles of youth, as the final track of M83s Hurry Up, Were Dreaming plays in background  theres big applause from the group, and it doesnt sound like a pro forma yay, team reaction.

A few more unannounced projects are highlighted, including a big talent get for Netflix: British comedian Jimmy Carr, host of the long-running Channel 4 show 8 out of 10 Cats. Hell bring the panel format to America with The Fix, which will be produced by Embassy Row, the company behind Netflixs Beyond Stranger Things talk show. Each episode will have Carr and two permanent team captains  D.L. Hughley and Katherine Ryan interacting with guest comedians and actual experts to tackle a massive issue facing the world (all in a comedic fashion). Netflix is also leaning into the confectionary category with Sugar Rush, a baking competition from Magical Elves (the producers of Nailed It!) where speed is key. Noted pastry chefs Candace Nelson and Adriano Zumbo will act as judges; Hunter March is set to host.

After the presentations are over, Riegg opens the floor to questions. A female staffer asks about the possibility of crossovers between various Netflix unscripted shows. I dont always watch cooking competition shows, but Id watch if Antoni were on it, the woman says, referring to one of the stars of Queer Eye. That would get me into verticals Im not super into. I suddenly hear the voice of Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos behind me; hed slipped in from the back at some point during the presentation. He offers praise for the presentation, comments on some of the concepts mentioned, including the idea of testing out short-form unscripted content. Netflix is agnostic about the length of shows, he says: We just want people to watch. He also brings up an earlier discussion about how the new Queer Eye has performed on the service. The viewership and completion stats are great, it seems, but the unscripted execs were a bit surprised the shows first weekend wasnt bigger, considering the show was based on an iconic brand from the early aughts. I do like how our dialogue around this is, This thing took a long time to catch on  15 days, Sarandos says to laughter from the room. It took Seinfeld four years! Sarandos offers an explanation for what happened: We thought everyone would remember Queer Eye for the format. But it really was a completely fresh audience for this.

After the 90-minute presentation wraps up, I meet with Bajaria back in her office. Its even more modest than the one Sarandos works out of  a cubicle with walls  and a big contrast from the palatial-by-comparison digs Bajaria occupied when I visited her at NBCUniversal maybe five years ago. I ask her to explain more about the difference between working at a big legacy media company such as NBC and Netflix. Ive made shows for a long time in different places and ways, volumes of shows, she says. Theres such a speed here  of efficiency, of decision-making  and theres a lack of process and layers. Theres just a quickness and a nimble, Lets try something, lets make something.Actress and activist Rose McGowan Photo: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Actress Rose McGowan has been indicted on one count of cocaine possession by a grand jury in Virginia. Court documents say the cocaine was found in a wallet that McGowan left behind on a plane. McGowan has said repeatedly that the drugs may have been planted on her, and are not hers.

McGowan told The New Yorkers Ronan Farrow that she lost the wallet while flying to D.C. for the Womens March. The airport found two bags of cocaine inside. Imagining Im going into sisterly solidarity, I can think of nothing more opposed to that, energetically, that I would want in my body at that moment, McGowan said at the time. The march occurred soon after McGowan accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault.

Her attorney, Jim Hundley, did not comment on the indictment on Monday. However, he wrote to the Virginia court in November that the drugs had time to be planted. Depending on when and where the wallet was lost, individuals other than Ms. McGowan had access to the wallet for somewhere between approximately 5 hours 40 minutes and more than 11 hours, he said.

Hundley and McGowan had moved to have the charges dismissed, which the judge refused. Her trial will be set later on Tuesday.Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton confirmed one person was shot and killed after a fight stemming from loud music.

The Sheriff also said a second person was hurt in the dispute. Sheriff Singleton said it happened after 10:00 Saturday night in the Pine Haven Shores neighborhood, west of Rogersville.

Investigators say the victim is 47-year-old Michael Moore Watson. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the Sheriff's Office, Watson was upset with his neighbors over their loud music.

Investigators say Watson confronted his neighbors over the music and a fight broke out.

Authorities say 30-year-old Cory Swider, was assaulted by Watson in the fight. Swider was treated for his injuries and released from Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital in Florence.

According to Sheriff Singleton, the brother of Swider, Charles Jordan, was also at the scene and had a weapon.

Sheriff Singleton adds the investigation indicated Watson was moving toward Jordan, who fired a shot into the air, but Watson continued aggressively toward him and that's when Jordan shot and killed Watson.

Right now, no arrests have been made in the case. Investigators say witnesses at the home said Jordan acted in self-defense.

The incident happened outside between the two homes. The case is expected to be presented to a grand jury.High school freshman in Florence are able to get a jump early on the college scene thanks to a partnership between the school system and Northwest Shoals Community College.

Starting next fall, 50 incoming 9th graders in the Florence City School System will start to take college credit courses and trade classes from Northwest Shoals Community College. The unique program will have students graduating with an associates degree from college while graduating high school at the same time.

Lynne Hice, Florence City Schools assistant superintendent of curriculum, said students won't leave their campuses to take the college courses, but that will change in the future.

"The instructors are at Northwest Shoals but we also provide instructor support through our school," said Hice.

The school system partnered up with Northwest Shoals to offer career paths in medical assisting, welding, general liberal arts, and child development.

"The courses that fall under career tech umbrella, those courses are free to students," said Hice.

If a student sticks with the program they will graduate high school with an associates degree in college.

"They will be leaving high school as a junior in college. So that really helps propel them into the next level," said Hice.

Incoming high school freshman, Malorie Campbell, is taking part in the new program. She said me she'll be taking the general courses. She wants to be a doctor one day and says knocking out her early courses will help her future. Campbell said she was a little nervous about signing up at first, but since the program is built to ease freshman into the college courses that helped calm her nerves.

"It's real exciting to graduate and have a head start from other people," said Campbell.

Florence City School officials said this new program is modeled after one in Texas. If the program is a success they hope to expand it to more curriculum in the following years.(CNN) -- With a handshake, the leaders of the US and North Korea broke through decades of antagonism, signaling a willingness to stake their reputations on forging a new relationship between the two nations.

It was a moment that few would have foreseen at the end of 2017, a year in which Washington and Pyongyang traded threats of nuclear war amid repeated North Korean weapons tests.

Tuesday's much anticipated summit, the culmination of months of back-room meetings, proved a highly choreographed and scripted affair, yet still maintained an element of the surreal.

Appearing side-by-side at a signing ceremony following several hours of talks, Kim said "the world will see a major change," adding that the two men had decided "to leave the past behind."

Trump said that he and Kim had formed a "very special bond" as the two added their names to what the US President called "pretty comprehensive" agreement. Trump said he was "very honored" to be signing.

"I think our whole relationship with North Korea ... it's going to be a much different situation than it was in the past," Trump said. Trump added that he would "absolutely" invite Kim to the White House and that denuclearization would start "very quickly."

The document, signed by the two men, committed the US and North Korea to join efforts to "build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula."

In language reminiscent of previous pledges made by the North Korean leader, Kim also committed his country "to work toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," a non-specific declaration that will likely raise questions as to the lasting effectiveness of the document.



The signing ceremony capped a remarkable series of developments Tuesday in which Trump and Kim put aside months of personal antipathy to meet in person -- the first ever meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.

The two men began the summit by strolling towards each other on a red carpeted reception area of Singapore's Capella Hotel, shaking hands in front of alternating US and North Korean flags, while flashing guarded smiles.

Washington and Pyongyang have tried and failed to uphold other agreements on North Korea's nuclear program, but both leaders have promised this time will be different.

Despite the pressure, the two leaders appeared wholly at ease, exchanging pleasantries and at one point appearing to share a joke.

Kim perhaps captured the sentiment best. As he and Trump walked along the hotel's colonnade, the North Korean leader told Trump: "Many people in the world will think of this as a ... form of fantasy ... from a science fiction movie."

Trump and Kim addressed the media side-by-side before entering into more formal talks. Their chairs slightly askew to face each other and flags behind them. It looked remarkedly like any other meeting that Trump conducts with statesmen and prominent world leaders who visit him at the Oval Office. But this meeting was with a man who just last year threatened to strike the US with a nuclear weapon.

"I feel really great, we're about to have a great discussion," Trump said after sitting down next to Kim. "I think it will be tremendously successful, and it's my honor and we will have a terrific relationship. I have no doubt."



The Singapore summit is something of a grand finale for Kim after months of diplomatic outreach that included meetings with the leaders of South Korea and China.

"This is such a powerful moment for the North Korean people. It will be celebrated in North Korea as the moment the United States acknowledged and treated North Korea as an equal," said Jean Lee, the director of the Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

"They (the North Koreans) come from a very poor and very small country. For the president of the United States to fly pretty much half way around the world to meet their leader lends the country so much legitimacy that it sorely craves," said Lee.

But appearing side by side as equals risks legitimizing Kim's regime, critics argue. The country's dire human rights situation and the 100,000 people believed to be imprisoned in gulag-like prisons were not expected to feature prominently in Tuesday's discussions.

"If the handshake is the start of a process that can transform North Korea and its relationship with the outside world, it was necessary," said Adam Mount, a senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists who focuses on North Korea and nuclear policy.

"But it is an image that will be seen by the relatives of North Korean political prisoners, defectors who escaped to freedom, despots around the world considering their own nuclear programs. It is an image that can never be taken back."

Trump said he would bring up human rights during the summit, but the White House has maintained the key goal is to get North Korea to agree to the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of its nuclear program. Kim has said he's willing to begin a process of denuclearization, but some analysts believe it's unlikely he'll unilaterally give up his nuclear weapons at the start of any deal.

"It has not been easy to come to this point," Kim told reporters when the summit kicked off Tuesday morning. "For us the past has been holding us back, and old practices and prejudices have been covering our eyes and ears, but we have been able to overcome everything to arrive here today."Otto Warmbier was a U.S. citizen who was detained and sentenced to hard labor in North Korea in 2016. He was arrested after allegedly stealing a North Korea propaganda poster at his hotel while touring the country.

After serving 17 months of his 15-year- prison sentence, he returned to the U.S. in a vegetative state on June 12, 2017 and died one week later, at 22-year-old.

During a news conference after the President's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jon Un, President Trump said the historic summit wouldn't have happened without Otto Warmbier.

"Otto Warmbier is a very special person and he will be for a long time in my life. His parents are good friends of mine. I think without Otto, this would not have happened. Something happened from that day, it was a terrible thing, it was brutal. But a lot of people started to focus on what was going on, including North Korea. I really think that Otto is someone who did not die in vain. I told this to his parents. A special young man and I have to say special parents, special people. Otto did not die in vain. He had a lot to do with us being here today," said President Trump speaking to the media Tuesday morning.

While it's unclear what happened during Warmbier's year in North Korean custody, doctors who examined him said he suffered from a severe neurological injury that most likely happened between March and April 2016.

President Trump also paid tribute to Warmbier and his family at his 2018 State of the Union address.We have a Ford Assembly line just a couple of kilometers from here. It will be interesting ...

If the intention will be to move production to the US, it will take years for Ford to react and re-tool a plant down there. In the mean time, the American consumer pays a levy to his own government.



Back in the Autopact days, a large fraction of cars sold in Canada were made in Canada. We can dust that off but this time around, it may not be American marques being made here for Canadian consumption and the Big Three loses even more market share.



MAGA!Donald J. Trump and Kim Jong-un signed a joint statement following their five hour meeting in Singapore. You can read the text of the statement in full here What does it actually commit to? Nothing new.What does it not do? Provide specifics. Address the on-going human rights violations inside of the ironically named Democratic People's Republic of Korea (there's no shred of democracy there).But wait, it provides for the repatriation of POW/MIA remains. That's new. Uh, no it isn't. Between 1996 and 2005, joint US/NK recovery teams were able to locate and return over 200 sets of remains. Then the recovery efforts ended. The North Korean government (then headed by Kim Jong-Il) would no longer guarantee the safety of US personnel in North Korea; and critics of the program said the North Korean government was extorting cash from the US in what was described as "bones for bucks." The recovery effort began again in 2011 and then stopped in 2016.But wait, the North Koreans demolished their nuclear test site to reduce tensions. Uh no, not really. They destroyed it because to continue using it would risk collapsing the mountain where it was located; releasing radioactive material into the air. There are reports that one of the tunnels at the site collapsed before the "official" demolition, killing over 100 workers.But wait, they agreed that the DPRK would commit to work toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Uh, they'd agreed to that before. In 1985 when they acceded to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, agreeing to conclude a safeguards agreement within 18 months. They failed to complete the agreement. In 1992 when both North and South Korea signed the South-North Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. It contained a provision where both nations committed to not test nuclear weapons.A quarter of a century later, and nothing has changed. They promise to do one thing and then later do another. Will this time be different? Possibly. But the U.S. made a big concession. Donald Trump agreed to halt joint US/South Korea military readiness exercises. That came as a big surprise to the militaries of both nations, who weren't looped in on this shift in policy.Why are those exercises necessary? Isn't the U.S. the most powerful military on the planet? Seoul, the capital city of South Korea is only 35 miles away from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Conversely, Pyongyang is over 120 miles from the DMZ. The U.S. had less than 25,000 combat troops in South Korea. Less than 100 fighter/attack jets. The North Korean Army is nearly twice the size of the South Korean Army in terms of combat-ready troops in active service. Only the threat of an immediate US reaction-force's arrival on the scene keeps the South safe.Over 1,500 years ago a Roman by the name of Vegetius wrote these words.That translates as "If you want peace, prepare for war." It is as true today as it was then. Those military training exercises are crucial to maintaining the highest level of readiness.What Trump should have done was promise to cancel those joint exercises, as long as progress was being made on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. As long as the DPRK continued to act in good faith. As long as they agreed to begin addressing the issues of human rights within their borders.Donald Trump did another thing that I find disconcerting. He held a bilateral summit with the leader of a nation whose economy is smaller than those of the nations of Nepal and Gabon; in the wake of sowing major discord with our strongest allies. He launched a trial balloon about readmitting Russia to the G-7 without regard to why they were booted out in the first place. He gave compliments to a despot while dissing the leader of our neighbor to the north.There is some credit to be given to Donald Trump,, this summit leads to more than a meaningless statement. The jury will be out on that for a long time.In this past election, like many before it, the left used the specter of The Klan and Old Jim Crow in order to motivate black people to vote...At the invitation of the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO), WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya attended the 20th OCO Annual Conference, held in Melbourne, Australia on 11 June 2018. The OCO comprises 23 Customs administrations from the Pacific region, eight of which are WCO Members.

After the opening address by the ABF Commissioner, Mr. Michael Outram, Secretary General Mikuriya spoke about the WCOs current priorities and their implications for small island economies in his opening speech. He stressed the importance of connecting the dots in the maritime environment by applying WCO instruments, before describing several measures of specific relevance to small island economies.

A number of ceremonies then took place.

Firstly, OCO Members signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Customs Cooperation as a basis for sharing information and best practices.

Secondly, Kiribatis Minister of Justice, The Honourable Natan Teewe, presented Dr. Mikuriya with his countrys instrument of accession to the Revised Kyoto Convention.

Thirdly, the Pacific Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (PACHS) 2017 was launched, introducing 7- and 8-digit regional subheadings in addition to the 6-digit subheadings in the 2017 version of the Harmonized System (HS) in order to facilitate the collection of trade data as well as Customs controls. The WCO welcomed the development of PACHS 2017, which was consistent with the HS 2017.

The Conference subsequently addressed the following topics: Enhancing the role of Customs in regional integration and trade facilitation; Strengthening cooperation and information exchange on law enforcement matters; Development of technical and professional capabilities of Customs in the Pacific; and Strategies for the reform of Customs administrations.

In the course of the deliberations, speakers referred to the points raised by Secretary General Mikuriya and highlighted the importance of following the international standards and related good practices developed by the WCO.

All the participants expressed their appreciation for the excellent organization of this event and warm hospitality extended by ABF, including a visit to the Container Examination Facility (maritime), Melbourne Gateway Facility (airport) and National Detector Dog Program.On 11 June 2018, on the occasion of the 20th Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO) Annual Conference held in Melbourne (Australia) and attended by the WCO Secretary General, Kiribatis Minister of Justice, representing his Government, deposited his countrys instrument of accession to the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (Revised Kyoto Convention - RKC).

With this, Kiribati becomes the very first non-WCO Member to accede to the Convention. According to Article 8.1 of the RKC, any Member of the WCO and any Member of the United Nations or its specialized agencies may become a Contracting Party to this Convention by acceding to it. It should be recalled that, in June 2017, the WCO organized a successful Workshop on the RKC for Vanuatu Customs and, thanks to financial support from the OCO Secretariat, participation in this Workshop was extended to six non-WCO Members (Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu). One of the important outcomes of this Workshop was the development of clear action plans by each of the above-listed Pacific Islands towards accession to the RKC.

Having entered into force on 3 February 2006, the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC), a WCO legal instrument known as the blueprint for modern and effective Customs procedures in the 21st Century, was also widely used in the negotiations on the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA). Accession to the RKC and, above all, its implementation, complements countries efforts towards ratification and implementation of the WTO TFA. With the accession of Kiribati, the Convention now has 114 Contracting Parties.

The Conventions key elements include the application of simplified Customs procedures in a predictable and transparent environment, optimal use of information technology, utilization of risk management for efficient Customs control, a strong partnership with trade and other stakeholders, and a readily accessible system of appeals.

In an international environment marked by a determination to implement the WTO TFA in an expeditious and harmonized manner, the WCO welcomes the fact that the number of Contracting Parties to the RKC continues to grow, especially as this instrument is at the core of the WCOs Economic Competitiveness Package (ECP). WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya strongly encourages WCO Members and other United Nations Members not yet having done so to follow the example of Kiribati and accede to the RKC (and, in particular, implement its provisions) as soon as possible, given this instruments significance for Customs and the international trade community.Vancouver, B.C., June 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- We are advised by ACL that journalists and other readers should disregard the news release, "ACL Wins Top Honour of Company of the Year at the BC Technology Impact Awards" issued June 6, 2018, over GlobeNewswire.NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES



VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Conifex Timber Inc. ("Conifex" or the "Corporation") (TSX:CFF) is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated May 25, 2018, it is filing a final short form prospectus (the "Prospectus") with applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities with respect to a marketed offering (the "Offering") of 10,750,000 subscription receipts (the "Subscription Receipts") of the Corporation at a price of $6.00 per Subscription Receipt for total gross proceeds of $64,500,000, together with an over-allotment option for up to an additional 1,612,500 Subscription Receipts, at a price of $6.00 per Subscription Receipt for additional gross proceeds of up to $9,675,000.

In connection with the Offering, the Corporation has entered into an underwriting agreement (the Underwriting Agreement) with a syndicate of underwriters led by Raymond James Ltd. and including CIBC Capital Markets and RBC Capital Markets (collectively, the Underwriters).

The net proceeds of the Offering are expected to be used to partially finance the previously announced acquisition (the "Acquisition") by Conifex, through its wholly owned subsidiary, of all of the outstanding membership interests of each of Caddo River Forest Products, LLC, Suwannee Lumber Holding Company, LLC and Suwannee Timber Management, LLC, which own and operate the Suwannee sawmill in Cross City, Florida and the Caddo River sawmill in Glenwood, Arkansas.

Each Subscription Receipt will entitle the holder thereof to receive, without payment of additional consideration or further action, one common share of the Corporation upon closing of the Acquisition.

The Corporation has received conditional acceptance to list the Subscription Receipts and the underlying common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

The Offering is expected to close on or about June 19, 2018 and is subject to customary closing conditions.

For further information regarding the Acquisition, please refer to the Corporation's news release dated May 15, 2018 and the Prospectus in respect of the Offering, a copy of which will be available under the Corporation's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

The Subscription Receipts will be offered in all provinces of Canada other than Quebec. Subject to applicable law and the provisions of the Underwriting Agreement, the Underwriters may offer the Subscription Receipts outside of Canada, including in the United States in reliance on applicable private placement exemptions under United States federal and state securities law.

The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or to U.S. Persons (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act), except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Corporation's securities to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or U.S. Persons.

About Conifex Timber Inc.

Conifex and its subsidiaries' primary business currently includes timber harvesting, reforestation, forest management, sawmilling logs into lumber and wood chips, and value added lumber finishing and distribution. Conifex's lumber products are sold in the United States, Chinese, Canadian and Japanese markets. Conifex has expanded its operations to include bioenergy production following the commencement of commercial operations of its power generation facility at Mackenzie, British Columbia.

For further information, please contact:

Yuri Lewis, Chief Financial Officer at (778) 331-8687

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward looking statements with respect to Conifex, the proposed Acquisition and the Offering, including statements regarding the expected use of proceeds of the Offering and the expected Offering and Acquisition closing dates. Although the Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in such forward looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on information currently available to the Corporation. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, among other things, include risks related to receipt of shareholder and regulatory approvals and satisfaction of other conditions to closing the Acquisition and those related to the Corporation's ability to complete the Offering on acceptable terms or at all, and other factors discussed in materials filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time including matters discussed under Risk Factors in the Corporation's 2017 Annual Information Form and the Prospectus, copies of which are available under the Corporation's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and the Corporation assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.Fiscal Court Approves Body Armor Resolutions

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By Mike Cooper

Jun. 11, 2018 | PADUCAH

By Mike Cooper Jun. 11, 2018 | 10:13 PM | PADUCAH

The McCracken County Fiscal Court approved two resolutions to obtain body armor for the McCracken County Sheriff's Department, at their meeting on Monday evening.



The resolutions call for entering into an agreement with the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security, which will administrate the purchase of body armor, active shooter kits, hard armor, and helmets. Judge Executive Bob Leeper described it as an excellent opportunity to help protect the deputies in the Sheriff's Department while using grant money.



In other actions, Judge Executive Bob Leeper announced an upcoming project working with Judge Executive Cooper and the Ballard County Fiscal Court to extend the four-lane US Highway 60 into Ballard County from its present location in McCracken County.



An update from the McCracken County Road Department was presented by Randy Williams, including a report on the Maxon Road project.



The court heard an update from Jim Askins on the Kentucky Wired Project, which will bring high speed broadband to all 120 Kentucky counties.



Commissioner Bill Bartleman expressed the court's appreciation for the service of McCracken County Sheriff Jon Hayden, who will be retiring on June 30th.





The court acted on 21 court orders, and approved the following appointments:



Crystal Rothrock to the McCracken County Public Library Board, expiring on June 30, 2022.



Janice Crosno reappointed to the McCracken County Public Library Board, expiring on June 30, 2022.



Darren Ranikin reappointed to the McCracken County Planning Commission, expiring on June 30, 2022.



Bill Bartleman reappointed to the Purchase Area Development District Board of Directors, expiring on June 30, 2021.



Randy Williams reappointed to the Purchase Area Development District Transportation Committee, expiring on June 30, 2021.



William Miller reappointed to the Purchase Area Development District Transportation Committee, expiring on June 30, 2021.



Danny Brown reappointed to the Purchase Area Development District Commodities and Food Bank Task Force Committee, expiring on June 30, 2021.



Cal Ross reappointed to the Purchase Area Development District Housing Corporation Committee, expiring on June 30, 2021.



Bob Fesmire reappointed to the Lone Oak Fire Department Board of Trustees, expiring on June 30, 2021.





In other business, the court approved the first reading of Ordinance 2018-04, an ordinance adopting and ratifying the previously established fee-pooling system for the McCracken County Sheriff's Office and setting the parameters of that system, as well as those of a purchase order system for Sheriff's Office expenditures.



They also held a very short executive session.





Bill Clinton "on the mend" after hospitalized with infectionBy West Kentucky Star Staff Jun. 12, 2018 | 02:21 PM | MARSHALL COUNTY

Police have released the name of the woman who died in a one-vehicle crash Thursday in Marshall County.

According to the Marshall County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to US 68 at Marvel Road in reference to a vehicle that had crashed and was on fire. Deputies said 35-year-old Stephanie K. Colson, of Benton, was traveling west on US 68 when her vehicle ran off the shoulder of the road and struck a sign post.

Colson's vehicle then crossed Marvel Road, struck another sign and then two trees. Colson was pronounced dead at the scene by the Marshall County Coroner's Office.Police Report: Shooter Argued with Victim at Party

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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Jun. 10, 2018 | LEDBETTER

By West Kentucky Star Staff Jun. 10, 2018 | 01:56 PM | LEDBETTER

A Livingston County teen originally charged with assault in a weekend shooting at a party in Ledbetter now faces a murder charge, after an argument reportedly escalated into deadly violence.



Kentucky State Police say 15-year-old Peyton N. Hurt, of Boaz, died Sunday night at Baptist Health Paducah from injuries sustained in Saturday night's shooting. Police say the 1st degree assault charge against 19-year-old Tyler Jones has been upgraded to 1st degree murder. He was arraigned on that charge in Livingston Circuit Court on Tuesday and his cash bond was set at $1 million.



State police say Jones shot Hurt Saturday night at a party in Ledbetter. Jones was booked into the McCracken County Regional Jail Saturday night, along with 20-year-old Alexis Johnson, of Paducah. She's charged with hindering apprehension. Court dockets show she will be arraigned on Thursday.



West Kentucky Star requested copies of police reports from Saturday, and they show that four witnesses identified Jones as the shooter. Documents also indicate the homeowner was missing a gun, and Jones was reportedly the only one who had access to it.



The police report also says witnesses told State Troopers that Jones and Hurt argued about accusations of him cheating on Johnson, who is his fiance'. Witnesses said Jones was "in a fit of rage and was striking his truck with his fists." He reportedly gave multiple versions of his story to police, none of which matched what witnesses told them.



The police report also indicates alcohol, marijuana and other drugs were reportedly used at the party.

By West Kentucky Star Staff Jun. 11, 2018 | 07:10 PM | WESTERN KENTUCKY

State Senator Danny Carroll of Paducah attended the first meeting of the 2018 School Safety Working Group last Monday, June 4 in Frankfort. Ten legislators will participate in the group over the summer and fall.Carroll told West Kentucky Star the group began organizing their schedule for the legislative interim period and they intend to listen and learn as they visit every region of the state."Everyone who has a stake - from parents to teachers to administrators, school safety personnel and experts, mental health professionals - just trying to gather as much information as we can," Carroll said.He said LRC staff in Frankfort are researching what other states are doing to address school violence and safety.Carroll said, "Hopefully, the idea is once the summer is over and the interim is over, we will be able to use the information gathered to come up with various pieces of legislation to help address the problem."Carroll said he was a Paducah Police officer and his sister-in-law was a student at Heath High School when the 1997 shooting occurred. He added that as an alumnus of Marshall County High School with relatives who attend there, the news of the January shooting was devastating.Carroll said there are multiple issues the group will research on school violence."I'm one that believes we really need to look down to the root of the problem and look at more of the mental health issues. That's another aspect that we'll be studying during the summer, and trying to help the students and identify issues early on and provide support. So, a lot of work to be done and a lot of different layers," Carroll said.Besides Carroll, who is a Republican, the group's members include Senators Ray S. Jones II (D), Alice Forgy Kerr (R), Johnny Ray Turner (D), and Max Wise (R). State Representatives on the committee include John Blanton (R), George Brown, Jr. (D), John Carney (R), Brandon Reed (R), and Democrat Will Coursey, who represents parts of Lyon, Marshall and McCracken Counties.The group's co-chairs, Wise and Carney, told WLKY they won't make recommendations for new legislation, but will issue a report by December that can be used by lawmakers as they write their own bills.Coursey was surprised by that news, saying he hoped some specific recommendations would be made by the group.

On the Net:By The Associated Press Jun. 11, 2018 | 08:52 PM | SINGAPORE

A joint declaration signed by President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says the U.S. has committed to providing "security guarantees" to the North.

The document signed at the end of the pair's historic summit in Singapore on Tuesday also says Kim "reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

It's unclear exactly what Trump has promised Kim in terms of security. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declined to say Monday whether guarantees might include withdrawing U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula.

A copy of the text snapped by a photographer at the signing summit says Trump and Kim also discussed how to build "a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula" in their talks.English Lithuanian

Vilnius, Lithuania, 2018-06-12 08:16 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

NOTIFICATION FOR IKKB OMX BALTIC BENCHMARK FUND ORDINARY SHAREHOLDERS MEETING AND DRAFTS DECISIONS

By the decision of UAB Orion Asset Management, code: 111707985, office address: A.Tumeno street 4 (hereinafter  Management Company), Vilnius, extraordinary shareholders meeting shall be convened of IKKB OMX Baltic Fund, code: 111713358, office address: A.Tumeno street 4, Vilnius (hereinafter  the Company). The meeting of shareholders will take place at the Management Companys registered office on June 22, 2018. Meeting record date: 31 May, 2018.

The right to participate in the meeting and to vote may be exercised only by those who are registered as shareholders or other persons mandated by shareholders, or other persons who has the right to vote according to the agreement between the parties.

Agenda of the meeting:

Approval of the Company's financial statements for 2017.

Drafts decisions

To approve the Company's financial statements for 2017.

Voting procedure

Initiator of shareholders meeting does not allow to participate and vote in the meeting through electronic communication instruments. Draft decisions, agenda of the meeting, documents which will be submitted to the meeting and the information related with shareholders subjective rights, shall be published on the website at www.am.orion.lt. Select general menu, column on the top Funds, item OMX Baltic Benchmark Fund. Also, this specific information for shareholders is available at the Management Company office, on working days from 11.00 until 12.00 and from 14.00 until 16.00.

By registering to participate at the meeting, shareholders or other persons mandated by shareholders must provide identification cards. Persons mandated by shareholders must present mandate (power of attorney). Mandate which was issued by natural person, must be approved by notary. Mandate which was issued in a foreign country must be translated into Lithuanian language and legalized according to the legislation. Mandated person can be authorized by more than one shareholder and can vote separate due to indication of the shareholder.

Shareholder can mandate natural or legal person to participate and vote in the name of shareholder at the meeting via electronically means of communications. There is no obligation to approve such mandate by notary.

Mandate which was issued using electronic communication instruments must be confirmed by shareholder electronic signature (using certified software) which one is confirmed as safe. Shareholder must inform initiator of the meeting about mandate which was issued using electronic communication instruments by email, this information must be sent to oam@orion.lt, no later than one day before shareholders meeting 04.00 pm.

Mandate and notification must be of the written form. Mandate and notification must be signed by shareholders electronic signature (not only the email should be signed). Shareholder which provides notification must indicate internet address where software which may be used to inspect the validity of electronic signature can be downloaded.

There is no specific form of mandate approved.

Shareholder or other mandated person can vote by correspondence (filling and signing voting ballot).

If shareholder requires, initiator of the meeting must send general voting ballot by registered mail or personally serve it, no later than 10 days before shareholders meeting. General voting ballot must be signed by shareholder or other mandated person. If ballot was signed by mandated person, additional document proving the right to vote must be attached.

Filled and signed general voting ballot must be submitted to the initiator of the meeting. It must be sent by registered mail or presented directly. Completed ballot will have power only if it will be received until shareholders meeting.

On the website www.am.orion.lt, column on the left Funds, item OMX Baltic Benchmark Fund, News shall be indicated following information:

Notification about shareholders meeting;

Drafts of the decisions due to agenda issues and other related documents which will be submitted to the meeting;

General voting ballot.

Procedure of submission of questions and sumplements of agenda

Shareholders whose shares are carrying voting rights at least 1/20 of the all votes, has the right to propose to add items to the agenda of the meeting. In order to supplement the agenda, shareholders must draft the project of decision due to additional proposals. When there is no obligation to take a decision, shareholders must draft the project of clarification. Proposals of the agenda must be submitted in written or must be e-mailed. Proposals which are submitted on paper must be presented on working days to the initiator office or must be sent by registered mail. Proposals which are submitted by email must be sent to oam@orion.lt. Proposals must be presented no later than 14 days until shareholders meeting, i.e. until 8 June, 2018. If agenda of the meeting will be supplemented, all modification that was made by initiator, will be notified no later than 10 days before shareholders meeting in the same way as this notification regarding shareholders meeting.

Shareholders whose shares are carrying voting rights at least 1/20 of the all votes, have the right to propose new projects of decisions, which are included in the agenda of the meeting. Proposals must be submitted on paper or must be e-mailed.

Proposals which are submitted on paper must be presented until 09.00 am to the initiator office or can be sent by registered mail. Proposals which are submitted on paper can be presented to the chairman of the meeting after the announcement of agenda, but no later than before shareholders will start to consider issues which are indicated in the agenda. Proposals which are submitted by email must be sent to oam@orion.lt. Shareholders meeting will considerate all decisions projects proposals (due to questions indicated in the agenda) which would be sent no later than on 22 June, 2018, 09.00 am.

Shareholders have the right to submit additional questions regarding the item included in the agenda of the meeting. Questions submitted on paper must be presented to the initiator office or must be sent to oam@orion.lt, no later than 3 working days before shareholders meeting.

Annex.

General voting ballot;

Respectfully,

UAB Orion Asset Management

CEO

Ramunas BaranauskasNORTH CAROLINA'S $24 BILLION BUDGET IS NOW LAW; GOVERNOR'S VETO OVER-RIDE IS COMPLETE

COOPER'S VETOS OVER-RIDDEN 11 TIMES BY REPUBLICAN CONTROLLED GENERAL ASSSEMBLY

The Associated Press reported Tuesday that North Carolina General Assembly Republicans have overridden Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of the state budget for the second year in a row.

The House completed the override Tuesday with a vote of 73-44 after floor debate. The Senate voted to override last week, the day after Cooper issued his veto. Republicans margins in both chambers are wide enough that they can override and veto if they remain united.

Cooper complained the GOP budget didn't do enough for public education, teacher pay and the environment. Republicans countered that Cooper wanted to spend too much in his own proposal. The bill adjusts the second year of the two-year budget and largely takes effect July 1.

This is the 11th override of Cooper's 14 vetoes since he took office in early 2017.Seven people protesting a jail sentence for a black man using an improvised flamethrower during violent white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville last year have been arrested.

On Friday, a judge ordered a 20-day jail sentence for Corey Long, who said he used the makeshift flamethrower to protect himself during the "United the Right" rally.

A few dozen people protested the sentence late Friday night in downtown Charlottesville, chanting "Corey Long did nothing wrong." Police arrested seven protesters and charged them with "pedestrian stepping into street with poor visibility," a misdemeanor.

Officers saw the group marching on the Downtown Mall, making their way to East Market Street and Emancipation Park.

Police say the protesters gathered in the middle of the roadway and were given several instructions to move out of the roadway or be arrested.

One of those charged was Star Peterson, who is in a wheelchair after suffering injuries when she was run over in the car attack that killed Heather Heyer during the Aug. 12 rally and counter protests.

The others included Eleanor Ruth Myer Sessoms, Nicolas Roy McCarthy-Rivera, Veronica Haunani Fitzhugh, James Alan Swanson, Jenna C. Hochman, and Keval Mandar Bhatt.

The Charlottesville Police Department has released a list of the people arrested at a protest on Friday.

According to police, officers responded to the Downtown Mall around 9:55 p.m where there were reports of a disorder involving a large group of people.English Finnish Swedish

Fiskars Corporation

Stock Exchange Release

June 12, 2018 at 9:30 EEST

Fiskars appoints Tuomas Hyyrylainen as Chief Growth Officer and member of the Fiskars Group Leadership Team

Fiskars has appointed Tuomas Hyyrylainen as Chief Growth Officer and member of the Fiskars Group Leadership Team (FGLT) from September 1, 2018. He will report to Fiskars President and CEO Jaana Tuominen.

During the past years Fiskars has focused on structural changes, building common platforms and creating unified ways of working. As this work will continue, the existing foundation allows us to shift our focus more firmly on activities that will help us in driving growth. I am very happy to welcome Tuomas to join the Fiskars team. As our new Chief Growth Officer, he will be responsible for Fiskars Group's strategy, brand and portfolio development, digital transformation and mergers & acquisitions (M&A). His strong track record in transforming and developing businesses, as well as his strategic insight and pioneering attitude will provide Fiskars with fresh energy and new perspectives, said Jaana Tuominen, President and CEO, Fiskars Group.

Tuomas Hyyrylainen, M.Sc. (Econ.), joins Fiskars from Neste Corporation, where he holds the position of SVP, Emerging Businesses, and is a member of the Executive Board. Prior to Neste, Tuomas has been Vice President, Strategy and M&A and a member of the Executive Team at F-Secure Corporation.

I look forward to joining Fiskars Group, at this time, when the company is looking for avenues to grow. I'm inspired by the company's purpose to make the everyday extraordinary and look forward to building Fiskars' future together with the entire team, said Tuomas Hyyrylainen.



As a result of this change, the Fiskars Group Leadership Team will, effective as of September 1, 2018, consist of the following members:



 Jaana Tuominen, President and CEO

 Sari Pohjonen, Chief Financial Officer and Deputy to the CEO

 Risto Gaggl, Chief Supply Chain Officer

 Tuomas Hyyrylainen, Chief Growth Officer

 Ulla Lettijeff, President, SBU Living

 Niklas Lindholm, Chief Human Resources Officer

 Maija Taimi, VP, Corporate Communications and Sustainability

 Paivi Timonen, General Counsel

 President, SBU Functional, to be appointed later



Tuomas Hyyrylainen's picture and resume as well as more information on the Fiskars Group Leadership Team are available at:

https://www.fiskarsgroup.com/investors/corporate-governance/management/leadership-team





Media and investor contacts:

Corporate Communications, tel. +358 204 39 5745, communications@fiskars.com





Fiskars - Making the everyday extraordinary

Fiskars serves consumers and customers around the world with globally recognized brands including Fiskars, Gerber, Iittala, Royal Copenhagen, Waterford, and Wedgwood. Building on our mission to create a family of iconic lifestyle brands, Fiskars' vision is to create a positive, lasting impact on our quality of life. Please visit www.fiskarsgroup.com for more information.

AttachmentVoters participating in Tuesday's primary listed several issues as a priority when casting their ballots.

Primaries were held to choose a Democratic nominee in Virginia's 6th congressional district and a Republican to run against Sen. Tim Kaine in the fall.

Will Shirkey, who voted at Lucy Simms Center in Harrisonburg, said he chose the candidate he felt would best protect the 1st and 2nd amendment.

"He'll protect Virginia history, our statues, things that are being attacked for not reason at all, really," said Shirkey.

Pankaj Patel said several issues brought him out to the polling booth.

"One is healthcare, the second one is gun control and I guess education would be the third" said Patel.

Tamara Robinson, who said her primary concern was health care, felt confident in her choice for the open house seat.

"If she gets it, she'll be the one to get it all done," said Robinson. "I have friends who have been complaining about almost everything everybody else has been complaining about around here in Harrisonburg. We need someone who will stand up for us around here."IRVINE, Calif., June 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ocutrx Vision Technologies, LLC, a California based Augmented Reality (AR) Glasses developer today announced that the companys core AR medical application technology has been issued its first patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The companys Augmented Reality headset, called Oculenz boasts the widest field-of-vision in the industry, with a 110-degree high-resolution heads-up display, in a wirelessly connected, untethered, micro-weight headset. The patent also teaches how the Oculenz ARwear can work in conjunction with smart contact lenses as the display and eye-tracking.



This first patent award validates our core technology for using our AR platform innovations for medical applications, stated Michael H. Freeman, CEO/CTO and Founder of Ocutrx. This is a real milestone for creating value for Ocutrxs patent portfolio and an incredible step forward in securing patent rights around the world, Freeman said. We immediately filed a Continuation Patent to focus on the previously filed specification elements incorporating eye-tracking with an AR head mounted display for the larger AR market.

The company plans to also market their Oculenz to other sectors including gaming, commercial, industrial, HAZMAT, e-commerce, aerospace, drones and defense. While many AR companies built a platform first, and are now looking to find a market, said Scott Evans, M.B.A., Ocutrx COO, we strategically designed our first ARwear for the medical industry, where there are many highly-motivated buyers, then we intent to expand into the AR market-at-large.

Ocutrx was founded in 2015 by Michael H. Freeman, an Emmy Award-winning designer of streaming mobile video technology which became the basis for the IEEE 802.11(n) MIMO standard. Freeman created the first streaming smart-phone video product which was licensed by virtually all of the cell companies which existed in the 1990s. The streaming video technology and patents were later sold to Samsung Electronics.

The Oculenz is the first ground-breaking technology to offer a solution for advanced central visual defects in patients with retinal disease, said Dr. Thomas Finley, M.D. a Vitreoretinal surgeon and member of the Ocutrx International Medical Advisory Board (IMAB). This innovative AR device brings a new hope to regain functional vision previously considered impossible. The impact on the individual's quality of life and retained or regained ability to productively function at home and in the workplace will be immeasurable.

The USPTO determined that Ocutrxs first patent application was allowable covering a diagnostic phase where the patients can wear the Oculenz to map their own retinal defects, alone or with the help of their physicians, and a second corresponding display phase where the video is buffered according to the retinal map and displayed over the patients real-world vision. The Oculenzs buffered display shows all the real-world video image, but none is shown on the exact area of the patients eye defect. Instead, it is directed to the patients existing good areas of the macula or near adjacent peripheral retina.

The Oculenz technology works somewhat like how we all have a natural blind spot in our vision that we do not realize on a day to day basis, said Dr. Lars Freisberg, M.D., an international Retinal Specialist surgeon, licensed in the U.S., Norway and Germany, and member of the Ocutrx IMAB. However, you never really see this hole, explained Dr. Freisberg, because the brain fills it in with other gathered visual information.

With the Oculenz the idea is that the patient senses the entire image and learns to disregard the defect area through 'neural adaptation' due to the 'plasticity of the brain,' said Dr. R. Wade Crow, M.D., Neural Ophthalmologist and Assistant Professor of Neuro-Ophthalmology at the University of California-Irvine and member of the Ocutrx IMAB. Working with visual input, the brain can train itself to not see redundant or unnecessary things.

About Ocutr x

With corporate headquarters in the OC at Irvine, California, and a research and R&D lab in the Midwest, located in Oklahoma, Ocutrx is a new breed of AR manufacturing company focusing on the lightest weight headset with the largest field-of-vision in the market. At a time when worldwide applications for easy-to-wear and easy-to-use AR solutions are being touted as the next big thing after the smartphone Ocutrx is creating impactful, revolutionary AR glasses for the masses.

To learn more about Ocutrx, please visit the company website at www.ocutrxarwear.com.

Media Contact:

Karen Clarke

Media Representative

Ocutrx Vision Technologies, LLC

karen.clarke@ocutrxarwear.com

(949) 623-8408

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/03bd1b8e-4d74-4836-b372-a1aa0f110ddd

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6eeb0bdf-925b-48e8-995c-589429b422f2Williamson, WV (25661)

Today

Rain early. A mix of sun and clouds in the afternoon. High 66F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low near 45F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.English French

ROUYN-NORANDA, Quebec, June 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GLOBEX MINING ENTERPRISES INC. (TSX:GMX) (FRANKFURT:G1MN) (STUTTGART:G1MN) (BERLIN:G1MN) (MUNICH:G1MN) (XETRA:G1MN) (OTCQX:GLBXF) is pleased to provide shareholders with information regarding recent work undertaken on our wholly owned Francoeur/Arntfield Gold Mines property locate 25 km west of Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec.



Late last fall, Globex personnel visited an area of the property approximately 450 m ( 1,500 ft) south of the gold localizing Wasamac/Francoeur fault that is associated with numerous gold deposits including the various Francoeur Mine and Arntfield Mine gold ore zones on our property. Historical maps showed a number of trenches, probably from the 1930s and a limited number of drill holes. Several significant gold values were reported both from a few of the trenches and drill holes. During our staffs initial visit, numerous old, collapsed and earth filled trenches were located and two grab samples from the limited remaining rock exposure returned gold assays of 3.15 g/t Au and 5.69 g/t Au.

Last month, a team returned to the area and undertook a program of prospecting and localizing the historical trenches and drill holes. A total of 25 grab samples were collected principally from rock exposures within the historical trenches or nearby. Ten of the grab samples assayed over 1 gram per ton as listed below:

Samples Gold g/t Samples Gold g/t E29119 4.49 E29127 2.33 E29120 3.50 E29128 7.06 E29121 4.15 E29129 11.55 E29124 5.55 E29130 6.27 E29125 14.16 E29142 1.47

For gold assaying, Expert Laboratory located at 750-A Saguenay, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec uses a 29.16 gram sub-sample of the pulp (1 assay-ton) and fuses it, following standard procedures used in a fire assay method. The gold content of all samples is determined using atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. Samples containing greater than 1gpt gold are subjected to a re-assay whereby the gold content is determined using a gravimetric fire assay method.

Grab samples are selective by nature and are unlikely to be representative of average grade.

Globex now views this largely underexplored area as a priority exploration target and will submit an application to the government to undertake a program of stripping with follow-up mapping and channel sampling.

This press release was written by Jack Stoch, Geo., President and CEO of Globex in his capacity as a Qualified Person (Q.P.) under NI 43-101.

We Seek Safe Harbour. Foreign Private Issuer 12g3  2(b) CUSIP Number 379900 50 9

LEI 529900XYUKGG3LF9PY95 For further information, contact: Jack Stoch, P.Geo., Acc.Dir.

President & CEO

Globex Mining Enterprises Inc.

86, 14th Street

Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec Canada J9X 2J1



Tel.: 819.797.5242

Fax: 819.797.1470

info@globexmining.com

www.globexmining.com

Forward Looking Statements: Except for historical information, this news release may contain certain forward looking statements. These statements may involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity and performance to be materially different from the expectations and projections of Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. (Globex). No assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking information will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits Globex will derive therefrom. A more detailed discussion of the risks is available in the Annual Information Form filed by Globex on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

51,048,577 shares issued and outstanding

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: P. Schoenfeld Asset Management LLP (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):

The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named. (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:

Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree CME Group Inc (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken:

For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure 11 June 2018 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?

If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state N/A Yes, NEX Group plc





2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security:



USD 0.01 Class A common



Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: (2) Cash-settled derivatives:



176,022 0.05 (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:



TOTAL: 176,022 0.05

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 0.01 USD common Equity Swap



Decreasing a short position 14,181 GBP 127.44





(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: 12 June 2018 Contact name: Alan Chan Telephone number: +1 212-649-9500

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 Panels Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Codes disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panels website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.OTTAWA, Ontario, June 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Metrics Technologies and Test and Verification Technologies (T&VS) today announced a long-term, far-reaching partnership to further adoption of the Metrics true cloud solution and accelerate verifications move into the cloud.



Under terms of the agreement, T&VS will have access to the Metrics Open Platform to manage and leverage big simulation data to run global verification projects, shattering barriers restricting simulation capacity. Its engineers will use the cloud platform for internal and client projects, matching simulation requirements on Google Cloud.

Metrics and its value proposition are long overdue in the semiconductor industry, says Mike Bartley, T&VS chief executive officer (CEO). It is offering something verification groups desperately need  unlimited on-demand simulation in the cloud that scales to infinite test application, leveraging big simulation data across massive regression environments.

The Metrics Cloud Simulator and Verification Manager, a pay-by-the-minute software-as-a-service (SaaS) Solution improves resource utilization and engineering productivity, has unlimited capacity and elasticity to scale with variable demand. Simulation resources are dynamically adjusted up or down every minute without the need to purchase additional hardware or licenses, or manage disk space.

T&VS is a well-respected worldwide engineering services company with expertise in test and verification, remarks Doug Letcher, Metrics president and CEO. The availability of infinite simulation, along with the productivity of Verification 3.0, is something the engineers at T&VS want today.

Metrics will demonstrate its comprehensive verification solutions at the Design Automation Conference (DAC) Booth #1244 Monday-Wednesday, June 25-27, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. at the Moscone Center West in San Francisco.

About T&VS

T&VS (Test and Verification Solutions Ltd) provides services and products to organizations developing complex microelectronics and embedded systems products to verify their hardware and software products, employ industry best practice and manage peaks in development and testing programs. T&VS embedded software testing services includes onsite/offshore testing support, such as assistance with safety certification and security testing. T&VS hardware verification services include onsite/offshore verification support and training in advanced verification methodologies. T&VS also offers Verification IP and its own Verification (EDA) signoff tool.

About Metrics

Metrics, headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, is the first provider of cloud-based simulation and verification management solutions, offering electronic systems and semiconductor companies instantly adjustable access and pay-by-minute SaaS pricing, with unlimited capacity during peak demand. Metrics offers a secure robust verification environment from a 100% cloud-based platform utilizing Google Cloud and accessible via major web browsers. Metrics API enables semiconductor teams and software vendors to integrate custom software elements into their cloud verification environment.

Connect with Metrics at:

Website: www.metrics.ca

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/metrics-technologies/

Twitter: @metricsdotca

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nanette@nvc.comChristian Venier's open doors is actually a small tasting event with a bunch of fellow winemakers, it takes place in the courtyard of the lovely family wine farm which sits near a samely-lovely village (pictured on left) a handful kilometers south of Blois, actually in a separate hamlet in the outskirts of Cande, named Madon. This village sits at a very close distance from other artisan vignerons, people like the Puzelat brothers , Herve Villemade , Claude Courtois . I reached the area on my motorbike from the Cher valley, the smell on the side roads was gorgeous with all the acacias blooming and bending under the weight of all these white flowers (see picture on right). I love the beignets de fleurs d'acacia and by the way Emily has a recipe for that, and next year I swear I take the time to go pick flowers and make some. Anywhere you drive there are plenty of acacias, I guess all you have to do is choose a small road with little traffic to be sure your flowers are clean.

Cande-sur-Beuvron, Loire It's been years I wanted to go at the yearly open doors of Christian Venier , it's not that far from where I stay on weekends in the Loire and Noella Morantin who had first told me about it said it was a friendly small-size event not to miss. Better late than never I went there this year, and thanks to Emily Dilling , the Californian expat who is making craft beer in Touraine, because I met her on the saturday market in Saint-Aignan and she told me (or reminded me, I should have known) that it was this very weekend...

Feel welcome

As I was parking the motorbike 50 meters away from the wine farm (I had seen while cruising along that there were already a few people in the courtyard), I was greeted by this pleasant scene : a bunch of cute farm animals were looking at this strange horse (me on my machine) from a lot on the other side of the street. Good omen, this place has good vibes, I forgot to ask Christian if these belonged so him or someone of his family but I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

Ambiance

I don't remember what was the cause of these laughs when I shot this scene, but this illustrate well the general mood during this tasting event : gentle, friendly, families with children, and lots of other winemakers visiting as well among the visitors. This was open to everybody, no invitation, just walk in the courtyard and grab a glass. This year 7 artisan vignerons were taking part and pouring their wines : Christian Venier of course, Cedric Bernard whom I visited on his parcel last year, Benoit Courault (here with his son), Laurent Saillard (here with Maylis), Jeff Coutelou, Sebastien Benoit-Poujade & Noella Morantin. Que la fete commence, we're spoiled, as I use to say....

Otherwise I think there were a few pros (trade, bars or restaurant owners) but also many locals, some of them wine wise, either coming from the villages around or also from Blois which is just a few minutes from here (by the way many people who work in Blois chose to rather live in the countryside nearby). It's hard to know precisely but you could understand by your neighbors' conversation that they were often familiar with these wines.

Christian Venier & son

Let's begin with the master of the place, who was helped for the matter by his son.

__ Les Carteries, Cheverny 2017, a white blend of 80 % Sauvignon and 20 % Chardonnay. Acidulous on the nose, vividness feel. Super nice mouth, wrapping feel in the palate, a treat when swallowed, nice length. 8,5  tax included (people were also coming to the event to buy wine, the vignerons had brought van-loads of cases), a super good deal ! Volume for this cuvee : 30 hectoliters (from a one-hectare parcel).

__ Les Hauts de Madon, Cheverny 2017, a red blend, 70 % Gamay and 30 % Pinot Noir. Nice light red color with transparency. Nice nose with dust feel; in the mouth, fruity with some sweetness, may be a bit young at this stage, a couple of years more laying down will do the best I think. Nice wxelcome bitterness at the end. 14 % alcohol but doesn't feel that high. 9 , also super good deal, keep a while before drinking if you buy some.

__ Le Clos des Carteries, Cheverny 2017, 80 % Gamay, 20 % Pinot Noir; the wine is poured at a rather cold temperature, I warm the glass before drinking. Nice chalky tannin. Sold out now, was priced 9 .

Benoit Courault

Benoit Courault works now on a surface reaching soon 6 hectares, targeting 7 hectares in the future. He says he and his family don't live in the mobile home anymore, they moved in the old farm nearby but they kept the trailer to accommodate visitors or pickers.

__ Le Petit Chemin, Vin de France (table wine) 2009. Perly wine, this is vintage pet'nat, a natural sparkling that stalled, so it's just a bit fizzy and with sweetness. Color is golden yellow, rather turbid. Acidulous aromas, goes down so easy (comme du petit lait), nice freshness. He made 600 bottles of this.

__ Gilbourg, Vin de France 2016, Chenin that went through one year of elevage in barrel. Grapes come from the Prieure de Gastine vineyards, these are old vines (60). You can see the parcel on my visit report at Benoit Courault. Super-generous mouth with smooth feel on the palate and good length. At the time of this event, he just had a few bottles left of this cuvee. Benoit says he didn't suffer from frost losses in 2017, that's thanks to the fact his parcels are on slopes, but it was a close call.

__ Les Guinechiens, Vin de France 2013. Chenin. Color : wheat-yellow with turbidity. Nose : eglantine, elderberry. In the mouth, lightly perly, he added 1 gram SO2 at racking and the wine fermented a bit in the bottle, that's why the light tickling on the tongue. Nice energy, with tension, a real pleasure in the mouth, this wine breathes a quiet harmony, there's a vibrant Umami feel here. Bottled in 2015, he made 2000 bottles of this. Bottle costs 22 , he's only beginning now to sell this cuvee.

__ La Goulee, Vin de France 2016, it's a try he made with using vat bottoms and blending Cabernet Franc, Grolleau and a good volume of Chenin. Freshness feel with candy aromas, grenadine. Tasted blind, this cuvee could pass for a white, but it's not a rose, it's a white with reds; nice energy with radiant feel in the throat, that's good ! It's the only time he made this experiment, he worked in the south where this type of blend is more common and he thought it might be good to mix varieties in the parcel, the grapes that are late to ripe bringing acidity in the blend. He thus plans in the future to plant together on the same block some Grolleau Gris, Grolleau Blanc, Pineau d'Aunis, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Blauer Portugieser (he says you can find some in Auvergne, Ardeche and Anjou), he made massal selections for that and still ponders if he plant all these varieties together or not. I hope he does, these old-type white-red blends taste terrific.

Laurent Saillard

I went to Laurent's table but he had only 2 cuvees to offer for tasting, for the other wines (two reds) he had brought he has no bottle left here, all has been sold the previous day (this Open-Doors event lasts 3 days with monday a public holiday) and he doesn't even have any bottles left at his cellar. He was there with Maylis who also poured when Laurent chatted at the other stands.

__ Lucky You 2017 white (Chardonnay and Sauvignon), bottled 2 weeks earlier. Laurent says in 2017 he picked less than half of the usual volume of grapes as a result of the frost. He didn't buy grapes to compensate meaning his wine volume is down for a while; 2018 sounds good at this stage, no frost and the vines will compensate for last year as a revenge. Pretty sure I liked the wine but no notes.

__ Blank 2016, his new Sauvignon cuvee (this is its first vintage) made from old vines of Sauvignon (50) with elevage in a tronconic wooden vat. This parcel is part of the surface he bought from Clos Roche Blanche. he works differently compared to CRB, he leaves the wine on its own without intervention, the wine was entonne in the wooden vat after the pressing and he didn't touch it until october 2017, it stayed quiet on its lees. Here there's no added SO2 at all. Tastes good. He made about 1500 bottles (11 hectoliters).

Jeff Coutelou

Jeff Coutelou had made the journey from his domaine Mas Coutelou in the Languedoc which is farmed organic since 1987. I met him last time at the iconic Villebarou wine fair earlier this year and loved what I tasted there.

__ Castets 2014 - I saw Jeff at one point pouring a mysterious wine from a huge bottle the size of a demijohn (a 27-liter Primat also called Goliath), this was his small producion made from a variety almost extinct, Castets, he says there is only one hectare planted altogether in France, or a couple of rows here and there, and it's only registered as a variety in the Aveyron departement [thanks again to our wine bureaucracy that brushes away the old varieties].The variety was also discarded because it gets easily disease like oidium for example, and also the vine splits its grapes in many micro bunches with tiny, packed berries which makes the picking longer and more tricky. This variety could still be interesting to replant nowadays because the resulting wine stands out but again the EU's twisted subsidy-policy gets in the way as there's no subsidy planned for replanting Castets, so the growers balk at doing it on their own.

The wine he says has a big substance with a good fluidity, it was vinified with a 4-month maceration (pressed end of january 2015) without big extraction as he didn't look for big tannins. This wine is not for sale he says it's PMG (pour ma gueule). It's an incredible wine there's such a fruit in there it's like it's just been pressed, and the tannin texture is gorgeously thin and gentle. There's a good concentration but nothing excessive, very natural and harmonious, plus it's smooth & unctuous.

to get the wood to have this Castets was ardous, I learn that the chambre d'Agriculture de l'Aude which manages the grape variety conservatory had discovered that Chateau Simone was the only domaine where you could still find a parcel of Castets, so they contacted the domaine to ask them for wood so that they could keep some vines (60 or 80 vines) in their vine conservatory orchard (which was of prime importance if something happened to their own parcel), but the domaine said no, intent of remaining the only domaine to have Castets. To counter this blocus the people in charge of the vine conservation contacted the agricultural advisors all over South-Western France and ask them to check in the old parcels and look for isolated vines of Castets. This worked, someone found in an old parcel 5 isolated vines of Castets, they did the regular checkings for the wood, 3 among the 5 were healthy and from these only 3 vines they could make a massal selection of 80 vines to keep in the vine conservatory... That's how he got access to his Castets, he ovegrafted a few rows of 25-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon.

Noella Morantin with Philippe

Noella Morantin says that in 2017 she had smaller volumes with the frost and she bought fruit, thanks to Mikael Bouges who willingly gave them access to his grapes. In 2018 they had some frost alert albeit less severe and they had placed in advance (at midnight) antifreeze candles on the parcel Chez Charles which is at risk, the candle buckets were lit at 4 am (200 candles to light on a one-hectare block) and this worked well to protect the buds in the wee hours of the morning. Among the grapes they bought to Mikael there's Cabernet Franc and Cot and they'll delay the releasing of this wine to spread the sales and compensate for the meager volumes.

__ Les Pichiaux 2017, Sauvignon. Bottled a few days before this event. Empyreumatic notes on the nose. Very aromatic with freshness. Unfiltered, easy, pretty rich also. Got less than 10 mg SO2 per liter.

__LBL 2015 old vines (60 years) of Sauvignon, the ones that were originally part of Le Bois Lucas. Nice energy in the mouth, nice tension.

__ La Boudinerie, Gamay 2016. I remember this cuvee, Noella gave me a bottle of it last autumn, was terrific (although it had just been bottled). Still gorgeous, love this wine, beginning with this appealing nose. Swallowed : as terrific as ever, really a nice cuvee. For the 2017 vintage this cuvee is not yet finalized, they had very little volume because almost all grapes froze, they'll see if they still bottle separately the small volume they have or if they blend it with something else.

__ Tango Atlantico, Vin de France 2015. This is a new cuvee of theirs, Philippe explains that they wanted to see the result of this blend of two rustic varieties like Cabernet (60 %) and Cot (40 %) vinified separately part whole-custered, part destemmed (alternate layers). They made a two-year elevage (separate as well), blended the whole last summer, bottled before the harvest and they began to sell the wine this last winter. There's chance they keep making this blend because it yields a complex wine that goes well with food. They may do this again with the 2017 which will be available in late 2019. They chose this name which happens to be also a song by Joe Jackson (written to protest the Falkland Islands war in the early 80s') because they wanted a name that call to mind the warmful side of red wine and reflects (with the atlantic) to the region of origin of Noella (she was raised on the Atlantic coast).

The wine has this appealing meat juice feel I love with a nice tension. Costs 15 , good deal.

Cedric Bernard

It's just been a year since I visited Cedric Bernard, actually just a short time spent with him while he was doing walk plow behind his draft horse, but I remember having loved their wines I tasted over there along the parcel. He was there with Roxane pouring his wine. He also farms and vinifies very close from here in Monthou-sur-Bievre just south of Blois and Les Montils (where Puzelat has his facility). Cedric works on a 1,5-hectare surface.

__ Brin de Chevre, Vin de France 2017, Chenin. Nose : candy, berlingot. Appealing mouth with energy and vividness, illuminates your esophagus down to the stomach, love it ! He sprayed a 501 last year but he says he's not fully on biodynamy.

__ la Biquette Doree, Vin de France 2015, Romorantin. From a magnum because he sold all his 75-cl bottles (not clear if he still has some at the cellar). 8 months in barrels then he racked the wine. Super aromatic for a Romorantin, with a nice uintensity in the mouth, precision. Not the austere, mineral cut you usually find in a Romorantin. Very expressive. 13 .

__ Touche Noue, Vin de France 2015, a blend of Gamay/Pinot Noir. The color is deliciously light, with turbidity, the nose is wild, I love that already. Super good indeed, with silky tannin touch. No oak here. He made 500 bottles and sells for 5 . Can't believe it, I took a case although I came on motorbike. Cedric says he lost 90 % of the grapes in 2016 & 2017 with the frost. If I can read correctly my notes he put the whole-clustered grapes together and the bottling took place in march 2016.

Pic on left : Cedric chatting with Jean-Marie Puzelat

Eugene Venier

The tables were set up ready for the coming lunch, here on the left Eugene, Christian Venier's father, this wine event is taking place in his farm and courtyard actually. He's the one thanks to whom all this magic happens, this philosophy shared by all these vintners was his before many were born. I like to remind he's also the uncle of the Puzelats and has also a family connection (don't remember which) with Herve Villemade.

Lisanne Van Son with Laurent

Happy to have also met Lisanne Van Son here, she was working at Lise & Bertrand Jousset's wine bar in Montlouis. She's into some wine project and I'll keep you informed in time about it.

Babass (right)

A few wine people from Angers and its region had come for the event including Babass (here on right), probably sharing cars and sleeping here in one of the outbuildings.

The repas de vignerons

Here is the lunch, I wanted to be with them for this meal because that's always a great experience to eat with winemakers and as soon as I arrived I asked Laurent where I could pay for my part and to whom I should ask, he told me to just notice Christian but that there was no fee, there'd be food for everyone who could seat. That's the way they do here, I'd have been happy to pay something but no way. Here at the end of the table you can see Emily Dilling the Californian expat and now craftbrewer who came with her baby, Ben taking part with Julien Pineau to a wine event in Angers.

Timothe Toigo

This lunch was great, nice people, vignerons and others; on the other side of the table was Timothe Toigo who from Canon Canon, a wine shop in Rochefort-sur-Loire a few kilometers south-west of Angers along the Loire. Their Facebook page gives you an insight of the vibrant vibe at this wine venue, they even had Mr Ito the Japanese importer drop there (pictured there with Babass).

Beloved chef

I don't remember precisely what brought this fervent expression of love for Laurent Saillard but he was the chef for the cuisine that day and like always it was terrific and she couldn't let him go...

Olivier Soulas (left)

For me the tasting wasn't finished yet and after this great lunch I went to the barrel of Olivier Soulas, pictured here with Jeff Coutelou and Pascal Simonutti who also showed up. Olivier Soulas works near Beziers in the south of France with 2,5 hectares since 2014. He's been working on the side to make a living and since recently (january 2018) he works for Jeff Coutelou. He brought here several cuvees.

__ Un Je Ne Sais Quoi, Vin de France 2017. White blend, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris and Terret Bourret, the latter being a late-ripening variety local to the Languedoc. It exists in different colors. Olivier picked it early october. He farms on permaculture, cuts weeds under the vines with a sickle and a friend of his uses his draft horse to plow on his parcel of Cinsault. He has 3600 vines of Grenache, all old vines. He is presently in organic conversion and will get the Ecocert certification in 2019.

The wine is lightly perly with a sweetness that is well balanced by acidity & minerality, whatever it is. Nice mouth feel of white tannins also, I like that. Interesting wine, costs 14  public price.

__ In Media Res, Vin de France (2017 I think). Blend of Cinsault (old vines, 82 years old), Aramon (he has 34 ares of it, 40 years old), Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris. For the two Grenaches he used only the early-press part. All is grown on goblet (he has also some 60-year-old Carignan). His rootstocks are usually planted first and the grafting takes place one year later, which helps the vines be stronger and healthier.

Nice light redish color, turbidity. Pepper notes on the nose. The mouth is very vivid, I understand that's because of the Grenache Blanc. 2nd mouth shows a nice sweet feel that has a good length. Regarding his sales he sells to 2 or 3 cavistes near Beziers plus he takes part to a few wine events like this one, where he can sell his bottles. In all as cuvees he makes a white, a red, a sweet red (Cinsault, I understant sugar transformation stopped because of the drought) and a long-keep red.

Jeff's Solera

Lastly Jeff Coutelou poured me some of his divine Solera (from a 50cl bottle), that's as you know a multiple-vintage wine getting every year a bit of the last vintage, usually in a large barrel with the appropriate exposure to oxygen, except that here the base vintage (the first) is estimated to be 200 years old.... Look at this color, it can't lie ! The nose reminds the one of a Vin Jaune, with oxidative notes, terrific nose already ! In the mouth and swallowed, it's just magnificent, superb gem of a wine. Such a classy wine.

The glass at this event were a casual patchwork of all the tastings thz Veniers had taken part to and my glass was obviously coming from Surk-Ki's Wein Salon Naturel in Cologne...

Daniel on the quad bike

Christian's brother Daniel was offering a quad-bike tour (mostly to young women it seems...) in the area and certainly in the vineyards, this didn't seem to be a quiet ride and the passageng better hold firmly to the rails or to the driver... For my part it was time to ride back myself to the other side of the Cher river some 35 kilometers away and happily this was not a time window for breath checks, that would have been another story if I had stayed until the evening, I'd have had to find a crash pad in the attic of the farm...

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Digital Issue Would you like to receive our Digital Issue? Signup today!Why The Second Amendment Isn't There For What you Think it IsThe Great Waters Research Collaborative, a project of the University of Wisconsin-Superiors Lake Superior Research Institute, released results of a study on nonindigenous species of plankton in ballast discharges from U.S. and Canadian lakers to western Lake Superior.

The research builds on work conducted by others in the Great Lakes in recent years.

Operators of the lakers proposed the study as a means of complying with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency ballast water permitting requirements and approached GWRC to undertake the scientific research.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency paid for the study via the U.S. Maritime Administration portion of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

The study documented five species of non-indigenous zooplankton not yet established in western Lake Superior, including Hemimysis anomala (bloody red shrimp) in laker ballast water discharged there.

The study also detected, in uptake water, a species of zooplankton (Paraleptastacus wilsoni) that had not previously been recorded in the Great Lakes. Some of the species, including this one, live in harbor sediment and may have escaped routine surveillance to date.

About the research

Ten U.S. and Canadian-flag lakers participated in the study.

Sampling took place in 2017, primarily in the late summer through early winter, and focused on ballast water discharges into western Lake Superior of water loaded from the lower four Great Lakes.

GWRC also conducted voyage-wide sampling on a subset of voyages, documenting selected characteristics of the source water system and the associated ballast water uptake, plus ballast water discharge and the associated receiving system in western Lake Superior.

Ballast water samples were microscopically analyzed for any non-indigenous species of aquatic organisms not yet detected in western Lake Superior waters.

Special emphasis was placed on detections of Hemimysis anomala which, until the summer of 2017 when a single specimen was found, had not previously been detected in western Lake Superior. A genetic detection probe targeted to Hemimysis anomala was used to analyze source and receiving water for presence/absence of its environmental DNA.

We are grateful to the U.S. and Canadian laker industry for facilitating this study. Their willingness to support this research demonstrates their strong commitment to the health of the Great Lakes, said Allegra Cangelosi, LSRI senior scientist, and principal investigator of the study. The chances that any of the organisms we detected in this study could survive, establish and harm Lake Superior are unknown, and may be negligible. The results nonetheless support greater research emphasis on identifying and validating performance of new ballast water management alternatives for lakers, as well as better understanding the risks of ballast-mediated transfers of organisms within the Great Lakes.

This study is an important benchmark in protecting Lake Superior and inland waters from unwanted, aquatic species that are not native to the Great Lakes, said Commissioner John Linc Stine of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

He also said, Now its time to get to work with the vessel owners to develop additional ballast management strategies that further protect Minnesota waters.

The AP said the Alliance for the Great Lakes contends the study is evidence action is needed to protect lakes from invasive species. "All ships operating on the Great Lakes  oceangoing and lakers  must be accountable and stop introducing and spreading the biological pollution that is invasive species," alliance president and CEO Joel Brammeier said in a report from the Associated Press.COLOGNE, Germany and LITTLETON, Mass., June 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TUV Rheinland today announced the launch of its global Industrial Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (CoE) based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Centre of Excellence will address the cybersecurity needs of its industrial clients such as manufacturing companies, plant operators, energy and utility companies, transportation and transit system operators to secure their operational technology landscape. In the rapidly evolving digitalization of markets across all businesses, there is a significant need and demand for deep industrial security skills and expertise that this Centre of Excellence will continue to develop worldwide.



Under the Global Centre of Excellence, the first Operational Technology (OT) Security Lab based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia will serve as the regional hub for showcasing industrial cybersecurity technology, knowledge and client consultations. The Operational Technology Security Lab will provide a safe, controlled environment for clients to experience scenario-based simulations to test and demonstrate industrial systems vulnerabilities and cybersecurity threats.

Combining our expertise in industrial services and operational technology security in our Centre of Excellence, we are one of the few organizations developing deep capabilities and offering this level of cybersecurity expertise to clients concerned about the safety and security of their operations, said Frank Luzsicza, Executive Vice President, at TUV Rheinland.

The facility will have equipment to showcase industrial manufacturing processes generating real-time industrial data, which will be integrated with technologies that detect threats and secure such industrial facilities. The OT Security lab is a unique and significant step to serve the needs of our clients. Using a combination of training sessions, pilots, demonstrations, threat research and cyber-attack simulations, the Operational Technology Security Lab will help our clients stay ahead of industrial cyber threats, said Urmez Daver, Global Head for Industrial Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence.

Cybersecurity in the world of Operational Technology and Industrial Control Systems

Organizations operating industrial facilities have a responsibility to monitor, detect and mitigate cybersecurity attacks in order to maintain the safety, integrity and availability of their plant which, if compromised, may have a severe and detrimental impact on society. Leading cybersecurity standards for industrial control systems emphasize that systems operators should have cybersecurity management solutions in place. TUV Rheinland has over 100 years of experience in testing and certifying industrial systems and has worked across some of the most challenging industries. TUV Rheinlands services portfolio includes end-to-end visibility, threat detection and continuous vulnerability assessment and monitoring for OT and industrial cybersecurity risks.

Visit the TUV Rheinland website for more information on Industrial Cybersecurity Solutions.

About TUV Rheinland

TUV Rheinland is a global leader in independent inspection services, founded 145 years ago. The group maintains a worldwide presence of more than 20,000 people; annual turnover is nearly EUR 2 billion. The independent experts stand for quality and safety for people, technology and the environment in nearly all aspects of life. TUV Rheinland inspects technical equipment, products and services, oversees projects, and helps to shape processes and information security for companies. Its experts train people in a wide range of careers and industries. To this end, TUV Rheinland employs a global network of approved labs, testing and education centers. Since 2006, TUV Rheinland has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact to promote sustainability and combat corruption. Website: www.tuv.com

About TUV Rheinland OpenSky

TUV Rheinland OpenSky offers one of the most advanced and integrated portfolios of security solutions and services for connected devices, platforms and Internet of Things (IoT) with the mission to enable a secure and safe digital future. With headquarters in Littleton, MA, TUV Rheinland OpenSky is a 100% subsidiary of TUV Rheinland Group, operating some of the worlds broadest smart device and IoT testing labs, defining industry standards for functional safety and security and is a leading provider of inspection and assurance services that combine safety, quality and security certifications.



TUV Rheinland OpenSky provides expertise to help corporations protect information assets, minimize risk and accelerate the adoption of enabling technologies with its holistic approach and framework that addresses Cybersecurity, Privacy, Cloud Infrastructure and Functional Safety requirements to build trusted, connected platforms. The portfolio of services supported by industry participation in defining such standards and research, enables clients to effectively stay at the forefront of adopting new technologies for managing safety and cyber risks. It provides advisory, consulting, systems integration and managed security services organized across three core disciplines for connected platforms: Advanced Cyber Defenses; Mastering Risk and Compliance and Secure Cloud Enablement.



For more information on TUV Rheinland OpenSky, please visit tuvopensky.comRamaphosa can help resolve the Gaza crisis

The gunning down by the Israeli army of protesting Palestinians at the Gaza border in May has drawn international condemnation.

Theres also been global outrage about the recent killing of a young Palestinian medic near the same border.

South Africa, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, is among the states calling for an end to the ongoing and violent injustice in Gaza. The country has proposed an independent inquiry into the May killings. This proposal was endorsed by many other countries, and by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

But a resolution to this effect was quashed during a recent and reportedly bitter UN Security Council meeting.

The UN is stymied. However, Ramaphosas own history suggests that South Africa might yet play a valuable leadership role in bringing peace to Gaza.

Twenty years ago Ramaphosa was the only African representative on the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty. This body formulated a new diplomatic framework for practical action to protect civilian victims of armed violence. The framework was initiated by Canada and called the Responsibility to Protect, or R2P.

A long overdue debate

The framework as a principle received unanimous endorsement at the UNs 2005 extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government. It was intended to enable the UN to legitimately sanction collective action that could prevent severe suffering among civilian victims of armed violence.

The African Union became the first and still only multilateral body to entrench the principle in its governing instrument, the Constitutive Act. But, it remains untested.

The UNs only attempt to apply the principle was in mandating a humanitarian armed intervention in the 2010/11 Libyan crisis. It was a controversial move. South Africa and others then on the Security Council faulted the US and NATO for violating the terms of the mandate to protect civilians. Instead, they charged, those intervening were intent on regime change, by deposing President Muammar Gaddafi.

The 2014 Gaza crisis, during which more than 2100 Palestinians and 66 Israeli soldiers were killed, offered another opportunity to test Responsibility to Protect framework. However, attempts to secure a binding UN resolution were stymied by a US veto.

The framework has a daunting diplomatic history. But it might finally find positive application in addressing Gazas humanitarian crisis. And South Africa could be the force that drives Responsibility to Protect from paper into action.

Protecting the people of Gaza

Ramaphosa and his foreign minister Lindiwe Sisulu might consider a diplomatic approach with at least three elements:

First, South Africa must be absolutely clear and transparent that an R2P intervention in Gaza would be strictly limited to protecting people. The three contending parties for control of Gazas people  Hamas, the Palestinian Authority based in the West Bank, and Israel  remain unable to find political compromise and appear locked into policies that only worsen suffering among the people trapped in Gaza.

South Africa can reasonably argue that none of these three parties to the Gaza conflict, or interested external powers, will benefit from an increasingly likely humanitarian catastrophe.

The country has plenty of compelling evidence to make its case. This includes the March 2018 report of the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace process on the perilous conditions in Gaza. Denying Gaza access to electricity has become a capricious political weapon recently wielded by Israel and the Palestinian Authority to weaken Hamas. This while Egypt dithers with allowing occasional supplies through its border with Gaza. This has brought essential human services to a humanitarian tipping point.

The UN report concludes that short term respite allowed between violent confrontations since the forced resettlement of Palestinians in Gaza 70 years ago will no longer suffice. Putting people first now must be paramount and predominate.

A second element could be to organise an ad hoc coalition of countries willing to apply Responsibility to Protect in Gaza, by essentially political not military means. South Africa could first approach the governments that actively supported the framework Commission on which Ramaphosa served. Gro Harlem Brundtland, then Prime Minister of Norway, once described this group to me as the real international community. She singled South Africa out as one of the most prominent and promising new members of this informal club.

Norway currently chairs a group seeking to coordinate donor assistance for the Palestinians. But, with cuts in US funding likely amid other setbacks, a new approach is needed. In March, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick called for USD$ 539m in humanitarian relief for Gaza. This could be a useful starting point for a Responsibility to Protect intervention.

The third element is more challenging and political. Responsibility to Protect engagement in Gaza should have the informal backing of the UN Secretary-General and endorsement by the UN General Assembly. And if it doesnt require a UN Security Council Resolution for a military intervention, as was the case with Libya, then it may be possible to avoid another US veto.

An invitation by the duly elected Hamas government in Gaza would be necessary. But, amid signs its internal support is dropping as people focus on their survival, a formula acceptable to them and to the Responsibility to Protect coalition might be feasible.

Opportunity for Ramaphosa

Since Israel claims Gaza is nominally an independent territory, its prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu might also be persuaded to come on board if R2P included pledges of restraint by Hamas.

US President Donald Trump is still a wild card amid mounting political resistance at home and isolation abroad. But he too might acquiesce to ad hoc humanitarian action by several of the USs traditional democratic partners.

Ramaphosa could begin this process on the margins of this weekends G7 meeting in Canada, which he has been invited to attend. Depending on progress in the coming months, his government can continue to advance this case as South Africa rejoins the UN Security Council for the 2019/2020 sessions.

John J Stremlau, Visiting Professor of International Relations, University of the Witwatersrand. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.DANBURY, Conn., June 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Crown World Mobility (CWM)  the provider of domestic and international end-to-end workforce mobility solutions and talent management strategies  is sending four executive delegates to this years Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) Annual Conference and Exposition. Industry leaders from around the world will gather at the event held June 17-20 in Chicago.



Crown World Mobilitys executive representatives understand the global conditions for placing and retaining talent both domestically and internationally and will be available to connect at CWMs booth #2655.

Were excited to be attending this years conference, says Robert Leotti, VP Business Development, North America. Crown World Mobility is dedicated to being a top provider of workforce mobility services and this conference is a great opportunity to connect and learn with others in our industry.

Knowing how to navigate the ins and outs of the global talent landscape and international human resources management are ever-important skills. Attendees are introduced to incredible resources, best practices and industry connections in an effort to support their success. The conference features several keynote speakers including Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook and Adam Grant, a New York Times best-selling author. Additionally, SHRM is offering close to 200 breakout sessions covering topics in business and HR strategy, HR compliance, global HR, professional development, talent management and total rewards.

About Crown World Mobility: Crown World Mobility (www.crownworldmobility.com) is a division of the Crown Worldwide Group, established in 1965 and headquartered in Hong Kong. Crown World Mobility helps corporations manage global talent and talented individuals perform on the global stage. Crown's approach is to work with all stakeholders to find the right solution, implementing a global mobility program that is successful for the whole organization. This often means finding a unique solution, which Crown has the experience and capability to deliver.

For more information on Crown World Mobility, visit www.crownworldmobility.com .

Media Contact:

Leslie Licano

leslie@beyondfifteen.com

(949) 733-8679 ext. 101For the first time, Maine voters will use ranked-choice voting in several major races. Here is what to know about Tuesday's primary.

Ranked-choice voting will be used in four races where there are more than two candidates: the Democratic gubernatorial primary, the Republican gubernatorial primary, the 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary and the Republican State House District 75 primary. All other races have two candidates or are unopposed.

If a candidate in the ranked-choice voting races receives 50 percent, plus one in the initial vote tally, that candidate will be declared the winner. If no candidate receives 50 percent, plus one after the initial tally, the votes are tabulated in rounds until there are two candidates left. The candidate with the majority of votes in the final round is declared a winner.

It is likely it will take several days for winners to be declared in the ranked-choice races. If no candidate receives a majority after the initial tally, the ballots will be taken to Augusta where the ranked-choice tabulation will be conducted by the Maine Secretary of State's Office.

Maine Governor - Democratic Candidates:

Adam Cote: Cote, a Sanford lawyer, was the first Democrat to launch a gubernatorial campaign. The father of five served 21 years in the National Guard. He survived a suicide bombing in Mosul, Iraq that killed 22 people. Cote believes Maine needs someone in the Blaine House who is an outsider. Cote said Maine is primed for economic growth, but more needs to be done to attract and retain workers. Cote wants to invest in broadband, workforce training and finding the next generation of products that will come from the state's "competitive advantages," like forestry, agriculture and aquaculture.

Donna Dion: Dion, of Biddeford, served as the city's mayor for 15 years. She said her skills with people and finance will serve her well in the Blaine House. Dion said she wants to implement user fees for people who own homes in Maine but don't list Maine as their primary residence. She said the fee would help rebuild the state's crumbling infrastructure. Dion said respect is an important part of her campaign. She wants Democrats and Republicans working together to solve the state's problems.

Mark Dion: A former Portland police officer and Cumberland County Sheriff, Dion is well-known in the greater Portland area. After leaving law enforcement, Dion opened a law practice and has served in the Maine Legislature. Dion prides himself on his practical approach to law enforcement and marijuana legalization legislation. Dion said if he is elected governor, he will work to contain the high health care costs Mainers face.

Mark Eves: Former House Speaker Eves said making sure his children have opportunities to stay in Maine as adults is what's driving his bid for governor. Eves said his regional jobs plan has already been proven successful through two training programs at Maine community colleges. Eves is a family therapist who served four terms in the Maine House of Representatives. He often clashed with Republican Gov. Paul LePage. Eves said he is a progressive Democrat, and believes a single-payer health care system can become a reality in Maine. His campaign is the first in Maine to unionize.

Janet Mills: Maine Attorney General Mills said health care is her No. 1 priority, including addressing the state's opioid epidemic. Mills said she would appoint someone to be Maine's point person in the fight against addiction. Mill said as attorney general, she has bought enough doses of naloxone to equip 78 law enforcement agencies with the opioid overdose-reversing medication. Mills has often clashed with Republican Gov. Paul LePage. Her office has refused to represent the LePage administration in court. She hopes to become Maine's first woman governor.

Diane Russell: Russell, of Portland, is probably the most liberal of the Democratic candidates for governor, but said that doesn't mean she can't win the primary. Russell is known for her work to create a commission tasked to reduce the number of Democratic superdelegates by two-thirds before the next presidential election. Russell also supported the efforts to legalize marijuana and adopt ranked-choice voting. Russell said she wants to close corporate loopholes to fight food insecurity. Russell said it is time for a new generation to lead the state in Augusta.

Betsy Sweet: Sweet has lobbied for progressive issues in Augusta for 35 years. She said she has lobbied for people with disabilities, the elderly, women, children and people with low incomes. Sweet said she does not represent for-profit organizations. Sweet is running as a clean elections candidate and wants to get big money out of politics. Sweet helped write Maine's clean elections law and sees it as a way to limit the influence of people with deep pockets. Sweet said she is the right person to fix what is wrong in Augusta.

Maine Governor - Republican Candidates:

Ken Fredette: Fredette is the Minority Leader in the Maine House of Representatives. Fredette lists cutting taxes, adding to Maine's rainy-day fund and lowering the state's unemployment rate among his accomplishments. Fredette said he has an ambitious plan to fight the state's opioid epidemic by increasing the Maine State Police force, paying them more money and use the National Guard to stop drugs at the border. Fredette is a lawyer and serves as a lieutenant colonel and judge advocate general in the Maine Air National Guard.

Garret Mason: Mason is a four-term state senator from Lisbon and has served the past two terms as Senate Majority Leader. Mason said his experience working in his family's excavation business and his time in the Legislature make him the best candidate to advance beyond the primary. Mason is running as a clean elections candidate despite opposing the program in the past. Mason said, "Just because you don't like the rules doesn't mean that you can't -- and you shouldn't - play by them."

Mary Mayhew: Mayhew spent more than six years as the Commissioner of Maine's Department of Health and Human Services under Gov. Paul LePage. She said voters looking to extend LePage's legacy should vote for her. Mayhew takes credit for fixing DHHS's financial woes and implementing welfare reforms that are being mirrors at the national level. Mayhew in order to improve Maine's economy, the government needs to help existing businesses by getting out of their way.

Shawn Moody: Moody turned his talent for fix cars into a successful business. Moody's Collision Centers employ nearly 200 people across Maine who each own a piece of the company's profits. Moody said his business experience is his primary selling point on the campaign trail. Moody ran for governor as an independent eight years ago, but said he is not a politician. Moody's enrollment in the Republican party has drawn criticism from both sides.

U.S. 2nd Congressional District - Democratic Candidates:

Jared Golden: Golden, 36, is a former Marine who served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Golden said he is part of a new generation of leaders and is focused on bipartisanship. He was a staffer on the Senate Homeland Security Committee for Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Golden currently represents part of Lewiston in the Maine House of Representatives.

Craig Olson: Craig Olson lives in Islesboro where he runs a rare book business and operates the town's transfer station. Olson sees health care as a major issue. He battled skin cancer and said the Affordable Care Act helped provide the insurance coverage he needed to recover. Olson said in traveling Maine's 2nd Congressional District, health care is a major concern for voters. Olson said his experience at the local level as a town selectman separates him from his two opponents.

Lucas St. Clair: Lucas St. Clair is best know as an advocate for the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. St. Clair is the son of Burt's Bess co-founder Roaxanne Quimby who donated the land for the national monument. St. Clair said his work on the national monument separates him from his opponents. St. Clair said his focus will be on rural Mainers.

Mainers are being asked to weigh in for a second time on ranked-choice voting. Question 1 asks voters whether they want to continue using ranked-choice voting. Supporters of ranked-choice voting launched a "people's veto" after the Legislature voted to delay its implementation. Maine voters approved ranked-choice voting in a referendum in the November 2016 election.

"If you're in favor of using ranked-choice voting and you want to continue with that, it's a "Yes" vote. If you're not in favor or you want to see the Constitution amended before implementing it, a "No" vote would be appropriate," Kristen Muszynski of the Maine Secretary of State's Office said.

If Question 1 is approved, voters will use ranked-choice voting for all state and federal primary elections, but will only use ranked-choice voting for federal races in general elections.

Last year, the Maine Supreme Court issued an opinion saying ranked-choice voting violates a provision in the Maine Constitution that state races are determined by a plurality.

Other Races:

Waterville Mayor Recall: Voters in Waterville are being asked if they want to recall Mayor Nicholas Isgro. The recall effort was launched after Isgro was accused of sending a disrespectful tweet to Parkland shooting survivor Davis Hogg.

Cumberland County District Attorney: Three Democrats, Jon Gale, of Portland, Seth Levy, of Brunswick, and Frayla Tarpinian, of Windham, are facing off in a primary for Cumberland County District Attorney. Longtime Republican District Attorney Stephanie Anderson is not running for re-election.

School Budget Votes: Voters in Portland, Auburn, Scarborough and Falmouth are being asked to approve school budgets.

Maine Legislature: There are several primaries for both Democrats and Republicans running for the Maine House and Senate. The House Democratic primaries are in districts 2, 12, 13, 21, 30, 32, 40, 56, 65, 70, 88, 97, 99 and 109. The House Republican primaries are in districts 75, 84, 100, 102, 108, 110 and 141. The Senate Democratic primaries are in districts 7, 11, 15, 16, 17 and 28. There are no Senate Republican primaries.Its an annual tradition for the seniors in the Central Valley School District to walk through the halls of the schools that raised them before they move on to the pomp and circumstance of graduation.

The soon-to-be graduates at Central Valley Academy walked through the elementary schools within the district on Monday morning, but it was the trek through Jarvis Middle School in Mohawk that was particularly significant.

Just five years ago, the seniors began as eighth graders at Jarvis, adjusting to middle school with a whole crop of new faces as the Mohawk and Ilion school districts merged.

The students are the product of a merger that many were worried about.

Learning both schools, past traditions, creating new traditions, said Shannon Buttacaroli, a guidance counselor at Jarvis Middle School.

"It was different, said CVA valedictorian Kaylee Miller. It was a little scary, but I mean, a lot of my friends now are from Ilion.

"We're in a completely new environment, said CVA senior Shivam Patel of the merger. Its a very unique experience and I'm very happy it happened.

"It's to the point now where you don't even remember what kid came from Mohawk, what kid came from Ilion. They're just all CVA students, said CVA principal Richard Keeler.

Entering college will provide the same challenge of adjusting to new school work surrounded by new faces.

"[Its] kind of like a good inspiration for what I want to do, said eighth grader Nicholas Shed. Like it kind of just makes you want to push harder because you know that they were able to do it.

But from the kids who have done it before, theyre showing the kids they were five years ago, the group of friends they are today.

"I think becoming a Thunder was a great thing because we all came in together, something new. We got so many more opportunities and I'm glad I'm graduating as a thunder."

The seniors from this years graduating class will be taking their Central Valley Academy memories to colleges across the country  Georgia Tech, Bowling Green and Syracuse University, just to name a few.LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)-- Former Earhart Elementary teacher Joe Kimerer, 47, may go back to jail before his trial.

Kimerer is accused of several sex crimes against children.

He is currently out on bond but prosecutors said he violated a condition of it.

According to Lafayette Police, on June 4th, Kimerer visited his home on Rainbow Drive in Lafayette.

Police said the victims live close and saw him outside that day.

Police said it doesn't appear he made contact with the children.

However, his presence alone could put him back behind bars.

Prosecutors said one of his bond conditions was to not be in sight of any victims in this case.

However, Kimerer's attorney Earl McCoy said he has yet to find evidence that condition was made clear to Kimerer.

Even so, McCoy said he doesn't think the condition is fair in the first place.

"How can it be a violation of your bond to be within sight of somebody?" asked McCoy. "If I walked into Walmart and somebody I'm not allowed to see is on the other side of Walmart calls out and says 'hey, he was here,' and pulls the security cameras. I'm going to jail? That doesn't make sense."

McCoy said this is why he was hoping a judge would allow Kimerer to leave the state to live with his parents in Florida.

Kimerer is currently living in a hotel outside of Tippecanoe County.

McCoy said it is a huge financial burden on Kimerer and his family.

A hearing for the motion to revoke bond has yet to be scheduled, according to online records.FRANKFORT, Ind. (WLFI) - Fire crews spent more than an hour extinguishing a fire at a fastener supply plant in Frankfort.

The fire broke out around 4:45 p.m. Monday at Fontana Fasteners. Fire crews said the plant's vent stacks over heated.

The overheated vent stacks then caused a fire in the bottom floor, those flames then ignited the roof.

The Frankfort Fire Department said there were no injuries and little damage.TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI)  In stagnant water, there's more than what meets the eye.



"You know, it's kind of like a scavenger hunt," said Tippecanoe County Health Department Environmentalist Nick Davis. "You never know what you are going to find and you're always out looking."

Davis doesn't mind looking for early signs of mosquito breeding.

"You know, it keeps me out of the office, I get to travel around the county and see different places," said Davis.

There are four stages to a mosquito's life but Davis is looking for two in particular, the larvae and pupae stage. Davis is looking to kill those stages so he can stop them from growing into adult mosquitoes.

It's all for your protection.

"We want to stop the spread of diseases, West Nile virus would be the most commonly known one here," said Davis.

So, Davis uses special types of larvicide to treat areas with stagnant water like the Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds.

"For pupea, that'd be the oil."

But for larvea, he typically uses a larvicide machine. It sprays out a grainy substance that settles in the water and the larvae feeds off it.

"And that's what kills them, the bacteria actually stops the growth process," said Davis.

But don't go trying this at home.

"They need to have the license from the office of the Indiana State Chemists," said Davis.

So, if there's stagnant water in your neighborhood, you should call the Tippecanoe County Health Department and they can assist you.SINGAPORE (AP)  President Donald Trump and North Koreas Kim Jong Un concluded an extraordinary nuclear summit Tuesday with the U.S. president pledging unspecified security guarantees to the North and Kim recommitting to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. They coupled the summit agreement with lofty promises by Trump to handle a very dangerous problem and Kims prediction for major change.

Full Text Of Signed Statement

Meeting with staged ceremony on a Singapore island, Trump and Kim came together for a summit that seemed unthinkable months ago, clasping hands in front of a row of alternating U.S. and North Korean flags, holding a one-on-one meeting, additional talks with advisers and a working lunch.

Both leaders expressed optimism throughout roughly five hours of talks, with Trump thanking Kim afterward for taking the first bold step toward a bright new future for his people.

Trump added during a news conference that Kim has before him an opportunity like no other to bring his country back into the community of nations if he agrees to give up his nuclear program.

Light on specifics, the document signed by the leaders largely amounted to an agreement to continue discussions as it echoed previous public statements and past commitments. It did not include an agreement to take steps toward ending the technical state of warfare between the U.S. and North Korea.

President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have signed what Trump says is a very important and pretty comprehensive document. (June 12)

The pair promised in the document to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula and to repatriate remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action during the Korean War.

Language on North Koreas bombs was similar to what the leaders of North and South Korea came up with at their own summit in April. At the time, the Koreans faced criticism for essentially kicking the issue of North Koreas nuclear arsenal down the road to Tuesdays Trump-Kim summit. Trump and Kim even directly referenced the so-called Panmunjom Declaration, which contained a weak commitment to denuclearization and no specifics on how to achieve it.

The formal document signing followed a series of meetings at a luxury Singapore resort.

After the signing, Trump said he expected to meet many times in the future with Kim and, in response to questions, said he absolutely would invite Kim to the White House. For his part, Kim hailed the historic meeting and said they decided to leave the past behind.

In a moment that would never happen in North Korea, reporters began yelling questions to Trump and Kim after they signed the document, including whether they had discussed the case of Otto Warmbier, the American college student who suffered brain damage while in North Korean custody and died in June 2017, days after he was returned home to Ohio.

In the run-up to the meeting, Trump had predicted the two men might strike a nuclear deal or forge a formal end to the Korean War in the course of a single meeting or over several days. But in the hours before the summit, the White House unexpectedly announced Trump would depart Singapore earlier than expected  Tuesday evening  raising questions about whether his aspirations for an ambitious outcome had been scaled back.

The meeting was the first between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader.

Aware that the eyes of the world were on a moment many people never expected to see, Kim said many of those watching would think it was a scene from a science fiction movie.

After meeting privately and with aides, Trump and Kim moved into the luncheon at a long flower-bedecked table. As they entered, Trump injected some levity to the days extraordinary events, saying: Getting a good picture everybody? So we look nice and handsome and thin? Perfect.

Then they dined on beef short rib confit along with sweet and sour crispy pork.

And as they emerged from the meal for a brief stroll together, Trump appeared to delight in showing his North Korean counterpart the interior of The Beast, the famed U.S. presidential limousine known for its high-tech fortifications.

Critics of the summit leapt at the leaders handshake and the moonlight stroll Kim took Monday night along the glittering Singapore waterfront, saying it was further evidence that Trump was helping legitimize Kim on the world stage. Kim has been accused of horrific rights abuses against his people.

Its a huge win for Kim Jong Un, who now  if nothing else  has the prestige and propaganda coup of meeting one on one with the president, while armed with a nuclear deterrent, said Michael Kovrig, a northeast Asia specialist at the International Crisis Group in Washington.

Trump responded to such commentary on Twitter, saying: The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the U.S., say the haters & losers. But he added our hostages are back home and testing, research and launches have stopped.

Giving voice to the anticipation felt around the world as the meeting opened, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday he hardly slept before the summit. Moon and other officials watched the live broadcast of the summit before a South Korean Cabinet meeting in his presidential office

The summit capped a dizzying few days of foreign policy activity for Trump, who shocked U.S. allies over the weekend by using a meeting in Canada of the Group of Seven industrialized economies to alienate Americas closest friends in the West. Lashing out over trade practices, Trump lobbed insults at his G-7 host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trump left that summit early and, as he flew to Singapore, tweeted that he was yanking the U.S. out of the groups traditional closing statement.

The optimistic summit was a remarkable change in dynamics from less than a year ago, when Trump was threatening fire and fury against Kim, who in turn scorned the American president as a mentally deranged U.S. dotard. Beyond the impact on both leaders political fortunes, the summit could shape the fate of countless people  the citizens of impoverished North Korea, the tens of millions living in the shadow of the Norths nuclear threat, and millions more worldwide.

Alluding to the Norths concerns that giving up its nuclear weapons could surrender its primary deterrent to forced regime change, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters that the U.S. was prepared to take action to provide North Korea with sufficient certainty that denuclearization is not something that ends badly for them.

He would not say whether that included the possibility of withdrawing U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula, but said the U.S. was prepared to take what will be security assurances that are different, unique, than Americas been willing to provide previously.

The North has faced crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions as it has advanced development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Pompeo held firm to Trumps position that sanctions will remain in place until North Korea denuclearizes  and said they would even increase if diplomatic discussions did not progress positivelyLAUPAHOEHOE, Hawaii, June 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new type of residential community, never seen before on Hawaii Island, just received final subdivision approval, and properties in this landmark neighborhood are now available to the public.



After more than 10 years of extensive research and effort, Big Island Sustainable Homes, LLP is pleased to announce the arrival of Kuwili Lani, (to embrace the heavens,) the first-ever sustainable agrihood on Hawaii Island. Infrastructure has been completed with lots within the gated subdivision ranging from mid $200K to mid $300K. Julie Keller, R(B), of Hawaii Life Real Estate Brokers, is handling sales for Kuwili Lani.

Featuring 11 one-acre vacant lots zoned Ag-1 for agricultural use, Kuwili Lani is a planned intentional community designed to be low-impact, where residents can enjoy a sustainable lifestyle. Situated along the Hamakua Coast in Laupahoehoe, careful consideration and planning went into every aspect of living in this truly one-of-a-kind subdivision.

Emphasizing independence from the energy grid and wise use of natural resources, the community is designed with an array of renewable energy systems, including photovoltaic, wind, plus a combination of water catchment and County potable water. Homes in Kuwili Lani will feature the latest in green building practices. With each lot designed to take maximum advantage of the regions rich soil, residents of Kuwili Lani are encouraged to grow their own food.

Developer Big Island Sustainable Homes, LLP created Kuwili Lani in response to demand from people looking to live in Hawaii who are mindful about the environment. Kuwili Lani is designed for people who want to live where they have a low-impact on the land, while still enjoying the modern amenities of technology.

Kuwili Lani is based on the principle of being independent and in charge of ones own destiny, states Michael Whelan, managing partner for Big Island Sustainable Homes, LLP. We wanted to create a path for people to follow who are aware of the way their lifestyle impacts our environment.

For more information on Kuwili Lani and how to be a part of this innovative sustainable community, contact Julie Keller at (808) 987-7931 or email Julie@hawaiilife.com.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/87e1b15e-42e9-4bc5-a659-69f234aaff90



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MOUNT PROSPECT, June 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) is pleased to announce that Snapchat now requires United States and Canadian pharmacies that wish to advertise on its platform to be verified by NABP. Snapchats new advertising policy, found in the Pharmaceutical & Healthcare section, comes at a time when greater regulation of online pharmacies on social media is needed to prevent the sale of counterfeit drugs that may contain harmful substances, such as glue, chalk, and rat poison.

Snapchat joins Google, Bing, Yahoo!, and Twitter in requiring that pharmacy-related advertisers obtain NABP verification. The Association offers two verification products: the .Pharmacy Verified Websites Program, which verifies pharmacy-related websites worldwide, and the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites program, which accredits US-based pharmacies with a web presence.

As of earlier this year, Twitter was the most recent social media company to join the fight against fake medicines on the web by requiring .pharmacy verification, NABPs newest online consumer safety program. We are pleased that Snapchat is also joining the effort to prevent the promotion of rogue websites to their users, said NABP President Susan Ksiazek, RPh, DPh. Our hope is that more social media sites follow these companies in putting patient safety first.

Launched in 2014, the .Pharmacy Program is at the forefront of verifying the safety and legitimacy of pharmacy and pharmacy-related websites. Both Visa and Mastercard consider NABP a recognized third party for the verification of pharmacy merchants selling prescription drugs in a card-not-present environment.

Consumers who buy medicines from NABP-verified websites can be confident they are buying medicine from trustworthy, legitimate pharmacies. An easy way to know that a website has been verified by NABP is to look for the .pharmacy suffix at the end of the web address. A list of safe online pharmacies and related resources can be found on the Find a Safe Site section of www.safe.pharmacy.

As more online pharmacies continue to appear every day, NABP remains resolute on raising awareness about the dangers of illegal online drug sellers. NABPs .Pharmacy Program seeks to protect the public health against the thousands of online pharmacies that operate illegally by providing verification of safe sites. For more information on the .Pharmacy Program and how to apply for a .pharmacy domain name, visit www.nabp.pharmacy/safe.

NABP is the independent, international, and impartial Association that assists its state member boards and jurisdictions for the purpose of protecting the public health.Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.Cooperation strengthens mining radiation protection

12 June 2018

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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) are to work together to enhance radiation protection of workers in the uranium mining and processing industries under a new cooperation agreement.

Larsson (on the left) and Pinak pictured at the signing of the agreement in Melbourne (Image: IAEA)



The agreement between the two organisations outlines plans to address potential harm that could be caused by the higher concentrations of naturally occurring radioactive materials - or NORM - that can result from the processing and handling of raw materials.

The activity concentrations of the radionuclides in rocks and soil found in nature are generally low, but some minerals, including commercially exploited ones, may contain radionuclides of uranium, thorium or potassium at elevated concentrations. Human activities such as mining and ore processing can significantly increase the concentration of NORM radionuclides, which may require radiation control and regulation.

ARPANSA CEO Carl-Magnus Larsson and IAEA Head of Radiation Safety and Monitoring Miroslav Pinak on 24 May signed practical arrangements building on an earlier agreement under which work was conducted to create a publication on occupational radiation protection approaches in uranium mining and processing stages and techniques, as a part of the IAEA Safety Report Series. That report was developed during meetings in Australia, Canada and South Africa involving regulatory body and industry representatives.

Cooperation under the new three-year agreement is expected to provide practical tools for regulators, mine operators and workers through a training package that supports the use of the report's recommendations. The agreement will also see ARPANSA help the IAEA strengthen its global survey of information on occupational radiation protection in uranium mining (UMEX), which aims to improve protection and safety through sharing of good practices and other information.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topicsMIRAMAR, Fla., June 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Whether youre looking to theme park hop or hop onto a beautiful beach, Spirit Airlines (NYSE:SAVE) is set to whisk the Piedmont Triad away to sunny Florida with ultra-low fares! Beginning September 6, 2018, Spirit will begin service from Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO) to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Orlando International Airport (MCO), and Tampa International Airport (TPA). The Piedmont Triad will mark Spirits 66th service station in its growing network. Service to and from Orlando will run 3 times weekly, while service to and from Fort Lauderdale and Tampa will each operate 2 times weekly, starting this September. Service will increase to 4 times weekly to Orlando and 3 times weekly to Fort Lauderdale and Tampa starting November 8, 2018.



Spirit is excited to offer the Piedmont Triad ultra-low fares to warm, family-friendly destinations just in time for a winter getaway, said Mark Kopczak, Spirit Airlines Vice President of Network Planning. Our Guests will be able to make the most out of their vacations by choosing the options they want and saving money in the process. We pride ourselves on providing more opportunities for everyone to travel.

The Airport Authority is very excited to welcome Spirit to PTI, said Stephen D. Showfety, chairman of the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority. Spirit is an ultra-low cost carrier that is building a sterling reputation for reliable, on-time service to key markets. Spirit service at PTI is a great win for the airport and a great win for the community and the state.

Piedmont Triad (GSO) to/from Starts: Frequency: Tampa (TPA) September 6 2-3x weekly, year-round Fort Lauderdale (FLL) September 6 2-3x weekly, year-round Orlando (MCO) September 7 3-4x weekly, year-round

With Spirits expanding network, the airline continues to improve on its on-time performance and Guest satisfaction, while building upon its larger commitment to invest in the Guest experience. The airline recently announced state-of-the-art high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity will be installed on its entire fleet by summer of 2019. Recent Department of Transportation data shows Spirit Airlines among the top carriers for on-time performance and baggage handling. Guests can learn more about Spirits pledge to keep improving at InvestInTheGuest.com. To check out Spirits super low fares and vacation packages head to spirit.com, and dont forget to sign up to receive alerts on Spirit's email deals and special offers.

About Spirit Airlines:

Spirit Airlines (NYSE:SAVE) is committed to offering the lowest total price to the places we fly, on average more than 30% lower than other airlines*. Our customers start with an unbundled Bare Fare and get Frill Control which allows them to pay only for the options they choose  like bags, seat assignments and refreshments  the things other airlines bake right into their ticket prices. We help people save money and travel more often, create new jobs and stimulate business growth in the communities we serve. Our Fit Fleet is one of the youngest and most fuel-efficient in the U.S. We operate more than 500 daily flights to 65 destinations in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean. Come save with us at spirit.com.

* Based on data from the Department of Transportation and verified by an independent service.Email Sign Up For Our Free Weekly Newsletter





According to CoreLogic's monthly Loan Performance Insights Report, 4.3 percent of U.S. residential mortgages were in some stage of delinquency (30 days or more past due, including those in foreclosure) in March 2018, representing a 0.1 percentage point decline in the overall delinquency rate, compared with March 2017 when it was 4.4 percent.



As of March 2018, the foreclosure inventory rate - which measures the share of mortgages in some stage of the foreclosure process - was 0.6 percent, down 0.2 percentage points from 0.8 percent in March 2017. Since August 2017, the foreclosure inventory rate has been steady at 0.6 percent, the lowest level since June 2007, when it was also 0.6 percent. The March 2018 foreclosure inventory rate was the lowest for that month in 11 years; it was also 0.6 percent in March 2007.



Measuring early-stage delinquency rates is important for analyzing the health of the mortgage market. To monitor mortgage performance comprehensively, CoreLogic examines all stages of delinquency, as well as transition rates, which indicate the percentage of mortgages moving from one stage of delinquency to the next.



The rate for early-stage delinquencies - defined as 30 to 59 days past due - was 1.7 percent in March 2018, unchanged from March 2017. The share of mortgages that were 60 to 89 days past due in March 2018 was 0.6 percent, also unchanged from March 2017. The serious delinquency rate - defined as 90 days or more past due, including loans in foreclosure - was 1.9 percent in March 2018, down from 2.1 percent in March 2017. The March 2018 serious delinquency rate was the lowest for that month since 2007 when it was 1.5 percent.



"Unemployment and lack of home equity are two factors that can lead to borrowers defaulting on their mortgages," said Dr. Frank Nothaft, chief economist for CoreLogic. "Unemployment is at the lowest level in 18 years, and for the first quarter, the CoreLogic Equity Report revealed record levels of home equity growth with equity per owner up $16,300 on average for the year ending March 2018."



Since early-stage delinquencies can be volatile, CoreLogic also analyzes transition rates. The share of mortgages that transitioned from current to 30 days past due was 0.7 percent in March 2018, up from 0.6 percent in March 2017. By comparison, in January 2007, just before the start of the financial crisis, the current- to 30-day transition rate was 1.2 percent, while it peaked in November 2008 at 2 percent.



"As we enter the summer, the risk of hurricane and wildfire damage to homes increases as does the risk of damage-related loan default," said Frank Martell, president and CEO of CoreLogic. "Last year's hurricanes and wildfires continue to affect today's default rates. Serious delinquency rates are more than double what they were before last autumn's hurricanes in Houston, Texas, and Naples, Florida. The serious delinquency rates have also quadrupled in Puerto Rico."











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You will now be receiving our Weekly Real Estate Newsletter.ATLANTA, June 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jigsaw announced it is celebrating its tenth anniversary of delivering its patented technology to corporations, universities and K-12 schools.



As we start our second decade, our new name reflects more accurately how we change the dynamics of virtual training, learning, working and collaborating to better meet the needs of our changing world and workforce, said Jigsaw Interactive CEO and Co-Founder Josette Fleszar. Immersive engagement is central to having the most effective tools for increasingly dispersed and global workforces to succeed in the digital era. It is the heart of the technology we offer, the capabilities we enable, and the way we engage our customers and partners. Our commitment to delivering the highest levels of excellence in our technology and our customer care programs will continue to be the driving force for our entire team.

Founded in 2008, Jigsaw Interactive has experienced tremendous growth as it delivers a unique approach to virtual learning, training and collaboration. Its technology delivers an opportunity for facilitators to creatively deliver learning and work environments where every participant gets involved. The technology allows persistent work rooms for live virtual collaboration and work projects. It also includes the ability to clone sessions designed to save trainers and facilitators time when scheduling various programs. Its customers and partners come from diverse industries including IT, pharmaceuticals, utilities, healthcare, hospitality and education. Fortune 500 companies use Jigsaw Interactive to empower their teams through technology designed to meet todays workforce and companies digital strategies.

Jigsaw Interactives patented technology features versatile functionality with a large menu of multimedia formats enabling organizations to effectively conduct, assess and report on group projects, training and collaboration sessions in an easy-to-use virtual environment.

Jigsaw Interactive offers more than innovative solutions for virtual connections and communications for todays global and dispersed workforce. The company also delivers the highest levels of excellence in training, customer care and technical support so customers and partners get the most out of their investment.

Jigsaw Interactive will attend the ISTE 2018 Conference taking place June 24-27, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. For more information or to schedule a meeting, visit jigsawinteractive.com.

About Jigsaw Interactive

Jigsaw Interactive is a rapidly growing, privately held company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Our patented technology is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that delivers tools to meet the needs of the digital workforce. Jigsaws virtual learning and collaboration technology enables our customers to revolutionize how they train, educate, collaborate and work through a virtual environment  helping them embrace digital transformation and enhance their organizations success. To learn more or schedule a demonstration, visit jigsawinteractive.com.Plaid Cymru councillors call for Citizens Advice service to get temporary Council Chief Exec savings

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Jun 12th, 2018

Plaid Cymru councillors have made a case to keep Wrexhams Citizens Advice centre open  by using funds saved from not having a permanent chief executive in post over the past nine months.

Group leader Marc Jones said the Citizens Advice centre on Grosvenor Road was a huge asset to the borough and had dealt with more than 5,000 cases last year alone.

Ahead of an executive board meeting this morning, members of the Plaid Cymru group have proposed that money saved from the vacant chief executive position is used for the Citizens Advice Service.

The councils previous Chief Executive, Dr Helen Paterson, left Wrexham Council towards the end of 2017 to take up a similar position in Walsall. For various reasons the post remain unfilled for several months, with Clare Field taking on the role temporarily. At the end of May Wrexham Council announced that Ian Bancroft had been appointed to the role.

However Cllr Jones states that around 100,000 has been saved over the past 12 months from not having a permanent chief executive  money he argues could be used to fund the Citizens Advice Service.

He said: At a time when more and more people are struggling to keep a roof over their heads, access services and get independent advice, its vital we have the expertise and experience of Citizens Advice available locally.

The centre is an asset to the people but also to the council  with trustees saying it has saved the authority 200,000 last year.

It was disappointing that the full council wasnt able to vote on this matter last month and I hope the Executive Board will see sense and continue to fund the centre in the future. The options on the table are very modest  25,000 a year.

Cllr Jones added: This is a council that has saved around 100,000 from not employing a permanent chief executive over the past nine months, with one of our executive directors stepping up to carry out the role.

This unexpected windfall could be used to benefit a valuable service.

On Monday Wrexham.com reported that trustees at the Citizens Advice Service had hit back at comments made by Wrexham Council by issuing a statement presenting their side of the issues surrounding their organisation.

The service, which dealt with in excess of 8500 clients with over 21,000 enquiries recorded in the past year, has warned it could close by the end of July if funding from Wrexham Council is not forthcoming

This morning Executive Board members will debate four options  including allocating some funding  which could help safeguard the service for a further 12 months.

Such options come as a result of a notice of motion submitted to full council by labour councillors in May.

Todays meeting will start at 10am and will be viewable via the councils webcasting service for those unable to attend.Police appeal as classic car destroyed after suspicious blaze in Acton

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Jun 12th, 2018

Shortly after 3.25am this morning North Wales Fire & Rescue Service and North Wales Police attended the report of a car on fire in Acton Park Community Centre on Overton Way.

Police say the vehicle, a Morris 1800 was destroyed by the blaze, the circumstances of which are being treated as suspicious by local Police.

Local Sergeant Vic Powell said The Morris was left parked by the owner in the car park and an initial examination by North Wales Fire & North Wales Police point towards a deliberate ignition and so a criminal investigation is underway.

I am appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time who saw any suspicious persons or activity, or indeed knows anything about this fire to contact Police immediately.

North Wales Police would like to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and may have witnessed events to contact them on 101 or via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and quote W078414. Alternatively contact the control room direct via the new web live chat.EDMONTON, Alberta, June 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Capital Realty will unveil the inaugural public art installation Carbon Copy at the Edmonton Brewery District on Friday, June 15, 2018. The sculpture, created by Alberta-based artists Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett, evokes the possibility of renewed understanding through a shift in perspective. Carbon Copy transforms a re-appropriated 1988 Plymouth Caravelle K-Car into an illuminated obelisk, a monument to todays evolving car culture, and a glitch in our regular understanding of everyday life. By marrying a divergent aesthetic with an industrial background, the artists created a piece that inspires shared experiential moments and collaborative viewership.



People often think of cars as non-places, mechanisms to move us from Point A to Point B. But cars are also micro worlds, spaces for conversation, contemplation, cross-country adventures and mundane day-to-day commutes. In places like Alberta, its difficult to generalize the impact of Car Culture on our cityscapes, and our lifestyles. Quite simply, the popularity of the automobile has changed everything, said Brown and Garrett.

The two artists were among five who were invited to First Capital Realtys public call for submissions and were selected as the winners after a rigorous juried selection process.

First Capital Realty has been involved in various art projects across the country for the last eight years. The addition of Carbon Copy adds aesthetic value to Edmontons Brewery District and enhances the experience of visitors to the centre. First Capital Realty is known for its retail focused environments that help urban neighbourhoods flourish, explained Sandra Levy, VP, People and Corporate Affairs at First Capital Realty. What is less well known, is our numerous innovative programs that support the arts and local artists in these neighbourhoods. We are excited to give back and contribute to Edmontons public art collection.

A heritage plaque will also be unveiled alongside the new sculpture, highlighting the Brewery Districts importance to Edmontons history. The Brewery was built in 1913 and the administration office was built in 1925. The two buildings underwent significant renovations and repairs as part of the Edmonton Brewery District redevelopment in order to preserve its heritage filled past.

Media is invited to the Edmonton Brewery District art and heritage plaque unveiling on Friday, June 15, 2018.

WHAT: Public Art and Heritage Plaque Unveiling

WHEN: Friday, June 15, 2018 at 10:30am MST

WHERE: Edmonton Brewery District

WEBSITE: http://brewerydistrictedmonton.ca/

**PHOTO AND INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE**

ABOUT EDMONTON BREWERY DISTRICT

The Edmonton Brewery District is co-owned by First Capital Realty Inc. and Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada and is managed by First Capital Realty Inc. The shopping centre has a mix of national and regional tenants that include Loblaws City Market, Shoppers Drug Mart, Winners, GoodLife Fitness, MEC, Starbucks, Tokiwa Ramen, Oliver Park Dental and more. The Edmonton Brewery District accommodates an urban lifestyle with its unique blend of products and services. This new development incorporates the principles of smart urban development and green building practices. This development also offers an architectural design that is both historical and current in its approach. For more information please visit: www.fcr.ca

ABOUT FIRST CAPITAL REALTY (TSX:FCR)

First Capital Realty is one of Canadas largest owners, developers and managers of grocery anchored, retail-focused urban properties where people live and shop for everyday life. The Company currently owns interests in 161 properties, totalling approximately 25 million square feet of gross leasable area.

ABOUT FIRST CAPITAL REALTY ARTS PROGRAM INITIATIVE

First Capital Realty has been involved in various art projects across the country for the last eight years. These projects allow the Company to support local artists, engage with its communities while at the same time adding aesthetic value to its properties and enhancing the experience of visitors to these centres. Through collaborations with OCAD University, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and Concordia University, First Capital Realty has sponsored several competitions giving students/emerging artists an opportunity to showcase their talent and art as well as go through a process of real life modeling, presentations and other related interactions for their public art with a client/corporation. First Capital Realty also supports local established artists through public calls and holds an annual arts festival in Toronto.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Alberta artists Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett, work with diverse mediums and materials, ranging from artificial light to re-appropriated urban debris, to create public sculptures and installations. Using mass-produced objects as a reference to cities as an immeasurable quantity of materials, people and situations, Caitlind and Wayne evoke the possibility of renewed understanding through a critical shift in perspective.

In addition to the Carbon Copy installation, Caitlind and Wayne invite anyone who has ever been a driver or passenger to participate in The Glove Box , an analog and digital collection of auto-nostalgia and turning points. Text submitted will be handwritten on carbon copy paper and placed in the glove compartment of the sculpture, becoming a time capsule documenting the invisible micro worlds in traffic all around us. To contribute, visit: www.carboncopycar.ca/the-glove-box.

For further information:

Karran Finlay, Calder Bateman Communications

780-426-3610 / kfinlay@calderbateman.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/df9bab59-50fe-4882-909c-60bfcc4c7869

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/72932a19-e7c1-4ba6-89d7-378150165070

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4a6e011a-2e8e-4372-833f-a5dd5acca650Over 1,000 workers at the Aluminerie de Becancour (ABI) aluminum smelter in Becancour, Quebeca joint venture of the aluminum giants Alcoa and Rio Tinto-Alcanhave entered their sixth month of lockout.

The workers are determined to resist ABIs concessions demands. But the United Steelworkers (USW) has not lifted a finger to mobilize the working class in Quebec, across Canada and internationally in the ABI workers defence or to make their struggle a rallying point for opposition to the big business assault on jobs, wages and working conditions.

On the contrary, the union has repeatedly signalled its readiness to make concessions. Soon after the lockout began, USW Local 9700 President Clement Masse said the union had agreed in principle to the replacement of the current defined benefit pension plan with an exclusively worker-funded one, and was prepared to accept modifications to seniority rights. Only, complained Masse, managements proposals for allocating jobs solely based on skills and performance went too far.

Now the USW has launched talks with the company, with Lucien Bouchard, a former Parti Quebecois (PQ) premier of Quebec and notorious defender of big business interests, serving as mediator.

Both sides have agreed to a complete news blackout during the negotiations, including when and where negotiations are being held. According to Radio-Canada, representatives of ABI and Local 9700 met on Monday, June 4. This was their first face-to-face meeting since early March, when management provocatively announced that it now deemed the concessions it had demanded prior to locking out the workers in January insufficient, then broke off talks.

Even though the multinationals Alcoa and Rio Tinto pocketed billions in profits last year, they are determined to extort major concessions from the ABI workers, with a view to increasing productivity and profits and setting new, low-cost benchmarks for their worldwide operations. ABI management and the employer lobby group, the Aluminum Association of Canada, have repeatedly cited lower labour costs in China, a major aluminum producer, as a competitive threat.

How has the Steelworkers union responded to the transnationals intransigence?

Far from organizing genuine resistance to managements attack, which would require the mobilization of broad sections of the working class in Canada and internationally, the Steelworkers and the Quebec Federation of Labour have systematically isolated the ABI workers.

No attempt was made to link the ABI workers struggle with the more than two-month strike of 1,300 Iron Ore Company (IOC) miner and ancillary workers in Labrador City and Sept-Iles, Quebec mounted against management demands for cuts to health coverage and the introduction of a two-tier pension plan for new hires. Yet IOC is itself majority-owned by Rio Tinto and the strikers were fellow USW members.

An appeal for support from workers across North America would meet with a powerful response from industrial workers and all sections of the working class. Recent months have seen a wave of teachers strikes in the US, and strikes by auto parts, railway and casino workers, among others, in Canada.

Rather than encouraging the ABI workers to make their struggle part of a broader working-class counteroffensive, the union has directed them to make futile and reactionary appeals to the Quebec government, the PQ official opposition, and the shareholders of ABIs parent companies.

This has gone hand-in-hand with efforts to dismiss the significance of what is at stake in the lockout.

Big business and its political hirelings have been mounting an offensive against the working class for decades. Since the 2008 global financial crisis, this has reached a new level with employers seeking to eliminate defined pensions, slash wages and impose speed-up, and governments pursuing relentless austerity. Yet the USW has presented the lockout as a manoeuvre from out of the blue, and one the company has undertaken not so much to gut workers rights as to secure better electricity rates from Hydro-Quebec, the Quebec government-owned utility. No matter that Rio Tinto has repeatedly locked workers out in recent years to force them to accept givebacks.

In another treacherous action that demonstrates the unions opposition to any serious struggle against the aluminum transnationals, the USW successfully prevailed on workers at Rio Tinto-Alcans Alma, Quebec facility to reopen and possibly extend their collective agreement (even though the existing contract only expires in 2020). Rio Tinto has said contract changesi.e. concessionsare a prerequisite for it to make new investments.

The USWs welcoming of Lucien Bouchards appointment as mediator should also serve as a warning to ABI workers. As Quebec premier, Bouchard used the traditionally close ties between the union bureaucracy and the big business PQ to impose the greatest social spending cuts in the provinces history.

The Steelworkers attempts to smother the ABI workers anti-concessions struggle is the result of the pro-capitalist and nationalist perspective that has guided its actions for decades. Like the union bureaucracy as a whole, the USW has become a junior partner of the ruling class, with its leaders having developed interests antagonistic to the workers they claim to represent.

The corporatist character of these right-wing organizations is demonstrated all the more by the USWs support for US President Donald Trumps tariffs on steel and aluminum, so long as Canada is exempted, and the burden of layoffs and mill and smelter closures is borne by workers in China, India, Vietnam and other lesser-developed countries.

Like Prime Minster Trudeau, USW President Leo Gerard has championed Canadas role as a close ally of Washington in its predatory wars and is urging Trump to pursue a North America First, rather than an America First, protectionist policy.

As part of this campaign, and in league with the big Canadian steel and aluminum companies, the USW has urged Ottawa to collaborate more closely with Washington to wage economic war against China and other rivals. In April, the Trudeau Liberal government integrated the USW and other unions onto a committee involving representatives from government and industry to review measures for combatting the dumping of steel on the Canadian market, a measure clearly aimed at China.

The USW recently welcomed the announcement by the federal and Quebec governments of a combined $120 million investment in a Rio Tinto-Alcoa green project. While the project is touted as pro-environment, it will be entirely subordinated to the transnationals push for greater profits.

If ABI workers are to prevail over Rio Tinto and Alcoa, they must take control of their struggle out of the hands of the United Steelworkers. Workers should form an independent rank-and-file action committee that would appeal for support from industrial and public sector workers across Quebec and the rest of Canada, and reach out to fellow workers in the United States and internationally to initiate a joint counteroffensive against the steel and aluminum bosses.The Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, from the far-right Lega, declared Victory! in a tweet late Monday after Spain offered to take a ship packed with 600 refugees, which Italys new right-wing government had blocked from landing in southern Italy.

The refugees were aboard the Aquarius, a ship operated by SOS Mediterranee and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). They are migrants who were picked up from unsafe rafts in six separate operations Saturday by Italian navy ships patrolling the waters off of Libya.

Among those crammed onto the vessel were 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 other children and seven pregnant women. Some of them are reportedly sick or suffering from injuries inflicted in beatings and torture carried out by human smugglers in Libya.

The new right-wing government, which consists of the Lega and the Five Star Movement, has decided to make an example of these refugees, at the risk of their lives, in order to implement its anti-immigrant policy. The campaign platform of the coalition called for the speedy deportation of half a million migrants.

Saving lives at sea is a duty, but transforming Italy into an enormous refugee camp is not, Salvini declared demagogically on Facebook. Italy is done bowing its head and obeying. This time theres someone saying no.

On Monday afternoon, the new Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (PSOE) was the only European leader to promise that his government would allow the Aquarius to land and the refugees to disembark, to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

It is by no means clear, however, that the Aquarius can make the journey to the Spanish coast overloaded as it is with refugees. In a tweet late Monday, MSF said, Spains offer of safe port Valencia is 1,300 kilometres awayfurther 3 day journey with Aquarius already over maximum capacity. Health and safety of people rescued onboard including sick and injured people, pregnant women and children must come first.

Salvini had sent an official note to the Maltese government in Valletta on Sunday urging it to take in the ship. At the same time, he categorically barred all Italian ports from allowing the Aquarius to dock.

Malta then also refused to accept the Aquarius. Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, a social democrat, pointed out that the maritime rescue of these refugees had involved several merchant ships and three patrol boats belonging to the Italian Coast Guard. As a result, Malta was neither involved nor responsible for coordinating the rescue.

Significantly, Salvinis note banning the Aquarius was also signed by Danilo Toninelli, who is the new Minister of Infrastructure and Transport and a member of the Five Star Movement (M5S). Luigi Di Maio, M5S leader and second deputy prime minister, had expressly supported Salvini in a television interview a few hours earlier, claiming that the phenomenon of migrants had become uncontrollable in Italy.

The situation of the people aboard the Aquarius had become increasingly unbearable, after two days of sailing between Messina and Malta without being able to find a safe haven. TV journalist Anelise Borges, reporting from the Aquarius, said there were supplies for two to three days, but they could run out.

The situation is precarious, Borges said, because the rescue vessel is overcrowded. The ship is usually designed for 550 people. Most people have had to stay outside on deck and are completely exposed to the weather. Were talking about people who have already spent 20 to 30 hours at sea before being rescued.

The plight of the Aquarius recalls the legendary 1939 Voyage of the damned, in which the German ocean liner, the St. Louis, set sail for Cuba with 937 German Jews seeking to escape Nazi terror. Refused permission to land not only in Cuba, but the United States and Canada as well, the ship was forced to return Europe, disembarking its passengers in Antwerp, Belgium, which, within a year was occupied by the Nazis. It is estimated that a least one-quarter of the passengers were murdered in the Holocaust.

In most cases, the refugees aboard the Aquarius have endured a hellish journey of months or even years before managing to leave Libya. Many migrants are picked up by the Libyan Coast Guard and dragged back to the infamous Libyan torture camps. Just a few days ago, 15 people were killed in a mass break-out in Libya.

The refusal of a safe haven for the Aquarius in Italy, as well as the close collaboration of the European Union (EU) with the Libyan Coast Guard, shows the true face of EU refugee policy. The new Italian government is just pursuing this policy more nakedly and ruthlessly.

The EU is waging a shadow war against migrants, which has already claimed tens of thousands of lives in the mass grave of the Mediterranean Sea. The international migration organization IOM has documented 785 drowned refugees this year alone.

The German government also supports this EU war against refugees and immigrants. Chancellor Angela Merkel (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) has spoken out in favour of the rapid development of the notorious AnKER centres. Speaking on the Anne Will talk show, she said on Sunday that asylum procedures would have to be accelerated in future so that rejected asylum seekers can leave the country quickly.

The CDUs coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), shares the tough attitude against refugees. In a Spiegel online interview, SPD leader Andrea Nahles said on Sunday that the safe countries of origin policy included people being deported as well. We have to deal with that. We cannot give the impression that people can easily stay in Germany if their application for asylum has been rejected. She threatened that many decisions would be made on the subject in the near future.

The Italian government has set a deadly precedent by refusing to allow the Aquarius to dock and has given the signal to turn back NGO ships. After the Aquarius was turned away, other ships, including the Seawatch, rescued nearly 800 people from the Mediterranean on Sunday. Last weekend alone, over 1,420 people have been rescued, whose fate and survival are now directly threatened.

While offering to allow the Aquarius to dock at Valencia, the new PSOE government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will pursue a no less anti-immigrant policy than the rest of the capitalist governments of Europe. It was under the PSOE in 2005 that Spain originally erected a border fence around Melilla and Ceuta, the Spanish enclaves in Morocco, to stop refugees from reaching Spanish territory. The three-meter-high fences were topped with razor-wire, monitored by police, with CCTV watch posts and motion sensors. The fences were subsequently increased to six meters, and satellites and drones were introduced.

Even if the refugees on the Aquarius were to reach Spain, there is no reason to hope that they will find asylum there. The Spanish state is notorious for brutal collective deportations and was condemned for this by the European Court of Human Rights only last October.The parents of the 43 missing students of the Ayotzinapa teachers college, who were kidnapped, disappeared and presumed murdered on the night of September 26, 2014 demanded in a press conference on Wednesday June 6, that Mexicos President Enrique Pena Nieto obey a recent court order, mandating the reopening of the investigation into the Ayotzinapa case and the formation of a Truth and Justice Commission to expose all the details of the case, including the states involvement.

At the press conference, some of the parents expressed the hope that the doors of justice were finally about to open with this decision from a panel of judges.

Mario Gonzalez, one of the parents, said at the press conference: The parents of the 43 know perfectly well that this government has not given us any answers throughout the last four years. This is an opportunity for the president [Pena Nieto] to show some dignity and support the new commission. Gonzalez added that the parents believe that the court decision cannot be appealed, and obligates the government to comply.

The June 4 ruling by a panel of judges from the nineteenth district court, based in Tamaulipas state (Primer Tribunal Colegiado del Decimo Noveno Circuito), analyzed reports from the Inter-American Human Rights Commission (CIDH) and from a panel of forensic experts. It found that the investigation into the events the night that the students disappeared was incomplete and fraudulent. The ruling also gives the parents of the victims the power to participate by electing members of the proposed Truth Commission.

At the press conference, other parents declared that the so-called historical truth, that the students had been kidnapped by the United Guerreros drug cartel (Guerreros Unidos), killed, incinerated at a garbage dump, and their ashes scattered in a nearby river, from the very beginning had been meant to cover up for and protect the military and federal police.

The CIDH confirmed that the initial investigation by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Republic (PGR in Spanish), which, two weeks after the kidnapping, presented what it called the historical truth of the episode, contained serious flaws. This was particularly true in relation to the role of the municipal and federal police, the military, government officials and state authorities, that may either bear direct responsibility for the crimes of September 26 and 27, 2014, or participated in the subsequent cover-up.

The initial response from the PGR was that the court was violating the separation of powers clause of the Mexican Constitution and overstepping its authority.

One issue that the parents have raised since the beginning is that much of the alleged evidence presented by the PGR in the weeks following the kidnappings was based on confessions obtained under torture. At the press conference, the parents also demanded that the new investigation concentrate on the role of the government, its police agencies and the armed forces, along the lines first proposed by the panel of international forensic experts in 2016.

In November 2014, the government of Mexico and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights established the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts known by its Spanish acronym as GIEI, to follow up on the investigation. Its final report in April 2016 concluded that forensic evidence did not support the claim that all the bodies had been incinerated at the said location. It also questioned the procedures that had been followed by the PGR.

At last weeks press conference, Blanca Nava, one of the mothers, said, Now is a good opportunity for the return of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts [of the CIDH]. That is what we want. They were the first to raise the contradictions and propose how to carry out the investigation, which was never done.

Following up on the CIDH investigation, on March 15 of this year the United Nations office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a 65-page report entitled Double Injustice  Human rights violations in the investigation of the Ayotzinapa case that chronicles and analyzes the human rights violations that took place between the date of the kidnappings and January 2016. This latest report expands on the suspicions first raised by the Group of Independent Experts.

According to the UN investigation, out of 129 individuals arrested by the PGR and the military following the kidnappings, there is strong evidence that 51 were tortured physically and psychologically, and that at least one of them, Emmanuel Alejandro Blas Patini, had been tortured to death in October 2014. The UN followed up on 34 of these tortured detainees.

The UN investigation describes an almost uniform modus operandi of illegal arrests, detentions outside the protection of the law and torture, together with implausible and self-contradictory justifications to explain away the injuries caused by the brutal treatment.

On the basis of those voluntary confessions, Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam, declared on January 27, 2015 that the case had been solved. On that occasion Murillo made use of the unhappy phrase, historical truth, that now haunts the Mexican government.

Under this version, the municipal police of Iguala, and Colula, in Guerrero state, under instructions from Iguala mayor Jose Luis Abarca, had attacked the students, who were traveling by bus; police killed six, wounded 25 and handed 43 students to a criminal gang, Guerreros Unidos, who killed them, burned their bodies at a rubbish dump, and then discarded their remains in the nearby San Juan River. Abarca, a member of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), which today rules in alliance with the Pena Nieto administration and the ruling PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party), is said to have acted in alliance with the drug cartel.

The PGR under Murillo insisted that this crime was driven by drug trafficking, diverting public attention from the fact that the Ayotzinapa teaching college is a center of opposition to the governments education reform. While some of the students were headed to a teaching assignment, others were on their way to commemorate in Mexico City the anniversary of the Tlatlelolco Massacre of October 2, 1968, in which hundreds of students were gunned down by Mexican troops. The unraveling of events since September 2014 now strongly suggests that what took place in Ayotzinapa was a politically motivated state crime.

In the lead-up to the July 1 national elections, the decision by the court in Tamaulipas is sure to add to the explosive political and social tensions roiling Mexico.

Up until now, on the campaign trail and in two national debates, the presidential candidates have managed to deliberately ignore the assault on the Ayotzinapa case. The so-called populist candidate, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in a campaign appearance in New York City when questioned a year ago about this case, refused to answer and instead denounced his questioner, Antonio Tizapa, as a provocateur.  Tizapas son Jorge Antonio Tizapa Legideno, is one of the disappeared students. ADN Politico (Political DNA), a Mexico City online news journal, interviewed parents of the disappeared who expressed their anger and disappointment that the presidential candidates have sidestepped the Ayotzinapa case.

For us it is hard that there have been no declarations; one no longer trusts them [the presidential candidates], declared Bernabe Abrajan, a parent of the disappeared student Adan Abrajan de la Cruz.

[The candidates] have shown us that they are are not interested in the Ayotzinapa case. They have not said anything, declared Hilda Legideno mother of Jose Antonio Tizapa Legideno. Forty three months have passed and on their part there is only negativity. They know perfectly well what happened, and those who are guilty; but have no desire to investigate. The government is involved in the disappearance of our children. Knowing about the fate of our children is our main struggle. We want nothing else; they have offered us material wealth, but we are not interested, added Legideno.

Reacting to the Tamaulipas court order, the Lopez Obrador campaign offered to create not just one truth commission, but many. No further elaboration was provided.

This Tuesday, the last presidential debate is scheduled to take place between the presidential candidates. Different from the previous two debates, in this debate there will be questions from the general public, culled from the thousands of questions that the debates organizers solicited and received from across Mexico.

Undoubtedly some will have to do with the Ayotzinapa case; furthermore, last weeks court decision in Tamaulipas will make it nearly impossible for the candidates or the media to continue ignoring the kidnapping, disappearance and probable murder of the 43 students from the Ayotzinapa teachers college, three years and eight months ago.After raking in billions of euros in profits for years by exploiting low-paid workers, French retail giant Carrefour announced last week that it would close down 272 stores it purchased from the Dia retail chain, laying off thousands of workers.

On its web site, Carrefour declares that it produced a net operational margin of 2 billion in 2017 on sales of 88.24 billion worldwide. Once depreciation, one-time expenses and other financial elements were subtracted from this sum, the corporation posted a net profit of 773 million.

At the same time, it is sacking thousands of workers. Of the 273 ex-Dia stores, only 29 found buyers, so that just 195 of the 2,100 workers affected will get to keep their jobs.

This mass layoff is only the first in a series of attacks on the workers that Carrefour management is planning with the complicity of the trade unions. Carrefour workers already went out on strike in late March to defend wages and jobs. However, now that thousands of workers are being fired, the trade unions are doing nothing to defend the jobs that are threatened in France or mobilize Carrefour workers around the world.

In February, Carrefour CEO Alexandre Bompard declared, After a net loss of more than 500 million in 2017, the French division of Carrefour must put into place without any delay its plan for transformation. The company announced that after a generally difficult year in 2017, which it attributed to tough competition on world markets, 2018 would be a turning point, the first stage of its Plan Carrefour 2022.

In fact, Carrefours difficulties inside France are to a large extent linked to the record of management, particularly when it bought back the Dia subsidiary that it had spun off in 2014 in order to increase dividend payments to Carrefour stockholders, which totaled 2.4 billion that year. However, Carrefour bought back Dias operations at an inflated price of 600 million, 50 percent more than the 400 million proposed by rival retailer Casino. The cost of this acquisition heavily weighed on the operations of Carrefour in France.

While Carrefours profitability is also suffering from the collapse in consumer spending in Latin America, Carrefour management pointed to losses from the Dia stores they had bought back: The operational losses of the ex-Dia stores have continued to weigh heavily on profit margins in France, to the tune of approximately 150 million.

Carrefour plans to resolve its difficulties on the backs of the workers, drastically cutting costs by slashing wages and jobs around the world. Bompard has said that some 2 billion in cuts will be needed to improve profitability.

Carrefour began with attacks on workers in Asia, which together with Latin America and Europe is one of the main centers of Carrefours business. Profit margins turned very narrowly positive again in Asia in the first quarter of 2018, with 12 million in profits against 7 million in losses over the same period last year. Le Figaro wrote, The corporation is getting the fruits of its action plan in China, particularly in terms of cost cutting, in what is still a very competitive environment.

Now, Carrefour is attacking workers across Europe. Talks on the Job Savings Plan (PSE) of the Carrefour-Proximity division began at the end of February, together with the Voluntary Departure Plan (PDV) affecting 2,400 staff in Carrefours management centersa process that Bompard said needs dialog and pedagogy.

This underscores the reactionary character of the French unions intervention to sabotage and sell out the struggles at Carrefour. At the end of March, they were forced to organize a strike, which workers overwhelmingly took part in to express their opposition to threats from management and its cut in profit-sharing payments to employees, which fell from 610 to 57. The Stalinist General Confederation of Labor (CGT) union declared that managements proposed solution, a 150 voucher for goods sold at Carrefour, would not satisfy the workers.

All that to get just this? asked CGT official Philippe Alard after the CGT-organized strike, adding: We would be surprised if the workers will accept this.

But the unions accepted the deal, strangled the strike, and have since then worked systematically to divide the struggles of Carrefour workers country by country, division by division, as Carrefours operations are impacted by strikes in France and the powerful truckers strike in Brazil.

Far from mobilizing Carrefour workers again to defend workers in the ex-Dia stores who are targeted for mass sackings, the union bureaucracies are trying to lull the workers to sleep or to demoralize them with impotent trade union complaining. Cyril Boulay of the Workers Force (FO) union claimed that there should be more job losses since Carrefour is not planning to spin off any more companies before the end of June.

CGT official Frederic Roux lamented the announcement of mass sackings, despite 400 statements of interests from potential buyers on 200 Dia stores. According to financial magazine Challenges, the CGT bemoaned Carrefours lack of interest in finding more buyers for these stores and also questioned the good faith of the negotiations.

At Carrefour, as the CGT itself admits, the trade unions have been negotiating and helping plan the closure of ex-Dia stores and thousands of job cuts. Today, their strategy is to proceed with this process as quickly as possible, closing the ex-Dia stores before a struggle erupts.

The only way forward to defend those threatened with mass sackings is for Carrefour workers to take the struggle out of the hands of the trade unions and to form rank-and-file committees independent of the unions and link this struggle to the developing strike movement against Macron and strikes around the world.Last month, the Basque separatist group ETA (Euskadi Ta AskatasunaBasque Homeland and Freedom) publicly announced its dissolution.

A 378-word final statement from ETA to the Basque Country was delivered by its historic leader, Josu Urrutikoetxea, better known as Josu Ternera, who remains in hiding.

He proclaimed the end of ETAs 60-year historical cycle, adding that the armed group has completely dismantled all of its structures and has put an end to all its political activity.

Former members of ETA will continue the struggle for a reunited, independent, socialist, Basque-speaking and non-patriarchal Basque Country wherever they see fit  Urrutikoetxea insisted.

The dissolution of ETA comes seven years after it announced an end to the armed struggle in 2011. At the time, the World Socialist Web Site explained, in an attempt to integrate themselves into the state apparatus, ETA, Batasuna and other nationalist and middle class ex-left organisations calling themselves the Basque Radical Left are looking to the success of the peace process involving the Irish Republican Army and Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland.

Since then Sinn Fein has become a responsible party of capitalist government, seeking to ensure the political stability necessary to attract investment capital. It has ruled in coalition with the bigots of the Democratic Unionist Party, imposing one austerity measure after another on the working class.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams attended ETAs symbolic International Meeting to advance the resolution of the Basque conflict in southern France on May 4. Alongside him were other key figures involved in the Northern Ireland peace process, including former Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern and former British Prime Minister Tony Blairs chief of staff, Jonathan Powell.

Also in attendance were Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) President Andoni Ortuzar and Arnaldo Otegi, former ETA member, leader of ETAs banned political wing Batasuna and its successor, Sortu. Otegi also leads Euskal Herria Bildu (E.H. Bildu), an electoral coalition of the Basque Radical Left, formed after the Supreme Court of Spains 2011 ruling barring Sortu from electoral participation.

E.H. Bildu has already integrated into official politics, acquiring state positions, influence and money. It has two deputies in the Spanish Congress, 18 out of 75 seats in the Basque parliament and 11,195 town councillors. For its national representation, E.H. Bildu obtains 379,174.

For these aspiring upper-middle-class layers, ETA has been an obstacle to their further progress. Its dissolution opens the door to participating more fully in the exploitation of the regions working class.

Otegi relishes in the prospect of becoming the Basque Gerry Adams. He declared the dissolution of ETA was a new situation which opens many windows of opportunity. He appealed to the PNV to ally with E.H. Bildu and Elkarrekin Podemos (the Basque section of Podemos) to reach a new legal and political status for the Basque country.

Like its Catalan counterparts, the Basque ruling elite is seeking to extract more concessions from the central Spanish state to maintain and develop the region as a base for global capital and prevent its revenues subsidising poorer regions of the country.

The Basque Country already ranks first in Spain in terms of per capita income, some 30 percent higher than Spains average. It also has a unique tax system (with Navarre), which allows it to collect its own taxes and retain a percentage greater than its share of population or GDP.

At the same time, the Basque Country is a social powder keg. Workers have lost an average of 642 in purchasing power, the worst of all regions in the past year. It is also the region with the highest percentage of labour conflicts, 68.9 per 100,000 workers (up 7.7 percent in the last year) and a 140 percent increase in the number of workers participating.

On the struggle for a decent pension, El Pais questioned, Why Bilbao has become the capital of the rebellion of pensioners? It pointed out, In many cases they [the pensioners] share a common past in the struggles in the Bilbao shipyards or in the large public steel mills of Bizkaia that were closed in the 70s and 80s during the great industrial reconversions.

The PNV dresses up its grubby manoeuvres for more concessions from Madrid with high-minded talk about national identity and self-determination. This was proved to be a fraud when it reneged on a promise to vote against the PPs budget, so long as the PP continued to rule Catalonia from Madrid after deposing the Catalan government last year, when it voted for independence. Instead, in a sordid deal, the PNV gave its five casting votes to the PP government, allowing the budget to pass in return for over 500 million in investments.

Within days, the PNV then ditched the PP, providing its five votes (along with E.H. Bildus two votes) for the PSOE no-confidence motion that ushered in a PSOE government committed to the PPs budget and the 500 million plus for the Basques. In return for its support, Basque PNV regional premier, Inigo Urkullu, declared that he expected new Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to uphold Basque autonomy inscribed in the 1979 Statute of Gernika and to further facilitate progress in Basque self-government.

Basque nationalism and ETAs foundation

Decades of ETA terror activity that left 829 people dead (including 340 civilians) and over 1,000 injured, unleashed massive repression by the Spanish state. This sowed immense confusion in the working class and progressive sections of the middle class. It stirred up sectarian divisions throughout Spain and especially in one of its most militant regions. It provided the state with a pretext to strengthen its repressive apparatus.

An historical assessment of the history, programme and class character of ETA, therefore, is essential in restoring a socialist outlook in the working class in Spain and internationally.

Both Basque and Catalan nationalism developed at the turn of the 19th century, in large measure as a reactionary response to the rise of the workers movement. Emerging predominantly within the petty-bourgeois intelligentsia, the Basque nationalists sought support in the peasantry against the predations of big capital and the state bureaucracy.

The father of Basque nationalism, Sabino Arana, founded the PNV in 1895. He hated the working class, especially those who migrated to the Basque country from elsewhere in Spain. Arana declared, A great number of them seem to be undeniable testimony of Darwins theory, since rather than men they resemble apes, rather less beastly than gorillas: do not search in their faces for the expression of human intelligence nor of any virtue; their eyes only reveal idiocy and brutishness.

When the dictatorship of General Miguel Primo de Rivera in Spain fell in 1931, heralding the start of the Spanish Revolution, the PNV declared its objective was stopping the workers movement and the possibility of a revolution. It demanded of its members absolute abstention from participation in any class movement 

To be continuedUS Attorney General Jefferson Sessions delivered a devastating blow to asylum seekers yesterday by announcing that the government will no longer grant asylum to most victims of domestic violence or gang violence.

The policy change was announced in the form of a decision in the case Matter of A-B-, in which a woman from El Salvador, denoted in this case by the initials A-B-, fled her home country for the United States to escape her ex-husband who repeatedly raped and beat her during their marriage.

Although they legally divorced, A-B- was still unable to escape her ex-husband. The regular beatings and rapes continued. As is often the case in domestic violence cases involving workers and peasants in Central America, the police did nothing or were unable to prevent these vicious attacks.

The asylum seeker fled for the United States, crossing the US-Mexico border in 2014. When she appeared in immigration court, the judge said she was lying and rejected her asylum application, slating her for deportation. The Board of Immigration Appeals reversed, finding the judges ruling erroneous. The Attorney General ultimately intervened to render a final decision.

The decision is a legal travesty and will result in the rejection of thousands of asylum applications. Because of this decision, countless people will be deported and then killed or tortured by their persecutors.

Under international and US law, an immigrant qualifies as a refugee and merits asylum status if they can prove they have a well-founded fear of persecution based on membership in a protected group. Under the legal principle of non-refoulement, no country can deport an asylum seeker to a country where they are likely to face persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion.

Matter of A-B- involves the particular social group category. Under US law, asylum applicants in this category have the burden of proving they belong to a group of people that is socially distinct in the society from which they are escaping and that they were persecuted because of their membership in this particular social group.

The applicant in Matter of A-B- asserted she belonged to the group El Salvadoran women who are unable to leave their domestic relationships where they have children in common. This category of social group was previously accepted by the Board of Immigration Appeals in a well-known decision called Matter of A-C-R-G-, which yesterdays decision overruled.

Sessions decision rejected this particular social group, closing the doors to countless women desperately fleeing brutal domestic violence. His ruling states that private violence does not merit asylum status.

Generally, claims by aliens pertaining to domestic violence or gang violence perpetrated by non-governmental actors will not qualify for asylum, Sessions declared. The mere fact that a country may have problems effectively policing certain crimessuch as domestic violence or gang violenceor that certain populations are more likely to be victims of crime, cannot itself establish an asylum claim.

The Democratic Party responded to Sessions ruling by posturing as opponents of the restriction on the right to asylum. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal noted, Todays decision will send untold numbers of refugees to their deaths. Attorney General Sessions: their blood is on your hands.

True enough, but by this logic most of Senator Blumenthals Democratic colleagues are also covered in blood. In 1997, the Democratic Party overwhelmingly passed the most consequential restriction on the right to asylum in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA), which bars immigrants from applying for asylum unless they do so within one year of entering the US.

IIRAIRAs asylum restrictions passed the Senate with the support of a majority of Senate Democrats, including Dianne Feinstein, Patty Murray, Patrick Leahy, Harry Reid, and many others. A majority of House Democrats also voted to restrict asylum, including Representatives James Clyburn, Elijah Cummings, and Sheila Jackson-Lee.

The Patriot Act of 2001 and Real ID Act of 2005both overwhelmingly supported by Democratsalso drastically expanded bogus terrorism bars to asylum, resulting in thousands or tens of thousands of unjust asylum dismissals. Those Democrats who supported one or both of these laws include Senators Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joseph Biden, Richard Durbin, John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, Paul Wellstone, Charles Schumer and Ron Wyden, as well as House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.

The road to Trumps and Sessions attack on immigrants was paved by the Obama administration, which deported 2.7 million immigrants, including at least 85 from 2014 to 2015 who were denied asylum and then murdered by their persecutors in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador alone. Obama drastically expanded the size of immigration detention centers, and a recent Amnesty International report shows that it also covered-up widespread rape and physical abuse of detained child immigrants from 2009 to 2014.held on 12 June 2018, at 11 a.m. at Hotel Bristol, Kartner Ring 1, 1010 Vienna, Austria

Eastern Property Holdings Ltd, the real estate investment company listed on SIX Swiss Exchange, held its Annual General Meeting ('AGM') on 12th June 2018. All resolutions proposed in the Notice of the AGM released on 16 May 2018 were passed.

The following approvals and resolutions were duly passed by the Annual General Meeting:

1) Approval of the Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2017

2) Approval of the Directors' proposal to not pay a dividend for the year ending 31 December 2017

3) New election of Deloitte AG, Zurich as EPH's auditor for a period of one year

Eastern Property Holdings Ltd. is an investment company listed on SIX Swiss Exchange which holds interest in office, residential and retail properties. EPH is managed by Valartis International Ltd. a wholly-owned subsidiary of Valartis Group AG.

Additional information on Eastern Property Holdings is available by contacting Anna Bernhart Tel: +41 44 503 5400.Net neutrality, the legal requirement that internet service providers (ISPs) treat all communications as equal, officially ended on Monday. The move is a major milestone in the attack on a free and open internet and on freedom of expression in the United States.

Since the birth of the public internet, ISPs have operated as so-called common carriers and have been effectively regulated as public utilities, similar to bus companies and package delivery services. Until now, they were, by law, prohibited from discriminating against their users or websites by blocking, tampering with or slowing down internet traffic.

In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reaffirmed these principles, declaring, A person engaged in the provision of broadband Internet access service shall not block lawful content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices, and that ISPs shall not impair or degrade lawful Internet traffic on the basis of Internet content.

With the FCCs vote to end net neutrality in December, which went into effect Monday, ISPs have been given sweeping powers to act as gatekeepers to the internet. Under the new rules, these giant private companies will have the ability to privilege some content over other content, establish packages that allow access to only certain sites based on what consumers pay, or block websites and services altogether.

The proponents of abolishing net neutrality, led by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, argue that the vast powers granted to ISPs are irrelevant because users will be free to switch ISPs if they are not satisfied with the actions of their current provider. This argument is so absurd that it hardly merits refutation.

The internet service market is cornered by just four corporations (Comcast, AT&T, Time Warner and Verizon). Fifty million Americans have access to only one internet service provider, and more than half have only two to choose from. This number will contract even further with the potential merger of AT&T and Time Warner, which is slated for approval sometime this week.

The ending of net neutrality has been met with overwhelming popular opposition. According to a poll by the University of Marylands Program for Public Consultation, 83 percent of American voters opposed the FCCs move to end net neutrality. When the FCC opened the measure for public comment, 98.5 percent of individual respondents were hostile.

Despite this overwhelming public opposition, the ending of net neutrality on Monday was met largely with silence on the part of the Democrats and their aligned media outlets, and the implementation of this sweeping attack on democratic rights was not even mentioned on the evening news. As with everything else in America, popular opinion in the end counts for nothing.

No credence can be given to the professions of support for net neutrality on the part of the Democratic Party and among technology giants such as Google and Facebook. In fact, the Democrats and social media companies have been at the forefront of the drive to censor the internet.

Over the past year, Google and the social media monopolies Facebook and Twitter have moved to implement a regime of internet censorship at the behest of the US intelligence agencies, for which the Democrats have served as the mouthpieces. The companies have worked to substantially diminish the readership of left-wing, anti-war and socialist websitesincluding the World Socialist Web Site in the name of fighting fake news and Russian meddling.

The social media companies, meanwhile, base their nominal opposition to the ending of net neutrality on purely mercenary motives. They do not want their potential rivals among the ISPs to gain an advantage by promoting their own content distribution services. Just as importantly, they want to maintain their monopoly on censorship so that they can do the bidding of the US government in exchange for lucrative Pentagon contracts.

The Democrats token opposition measures, consisting of symbolic congressional votes, appeals for states to enforce net neutrality and a slew of legal challenges, serve as a political cover for their agreement with, and implementation of, internet censorship.

The ending of net neutrality marks a new stage in the drive to censor the internet. With the vast majority of written communicationand an ever-growing section of all communicationtaking place online, the drive to censor and control the internet is a major step toward abolition of the freedom of expression in the United States.

This is not the outcome merely of a change in administrations. It is part of a shift in the class policy of the ruling elite. The 2016 election, with its broad abstention by the working class amid widespread hostility to Hillary Clinton, the favored candidate of Wall Street, and the subsequent strike movement by teachers independently of the unions, has made clear to the ruling elite that the imposition of internet censorship is necessary for the defense of its domination of society.

More broadly, the ruling is an expression of the growing monopolization of the American economy by a small number of massive corporations. This process is inseparable from the growth of social inequality and the attack on democratic rights. Despite the lionization of the free market by Democrats and Republicans alike, both parties are determined to impose a ruthless crackdown on any opposition to the handful of banks and corporations that increasingly dominate society.

The control over the internet by a handful of social media monopolies and internet service providers, which conspire against the democratic rights of the population, makes clear that the defense of democratic rights is inseparable from the ending of private ownership of the internet infrastructure. Internet access is a basic social right, which must be freely available to all without the interference of corporations or the state.

The defense of internet freedom and opposition to censorship must be connected to a socialist program for the transformation of all major corporations into public utilities under the democratic control of the working class.

The social force capable of defending a free internet is the working class. The struggle of workers all over the world to defend their basic economic rights is intersecting with the struggle to defend freedom of expression. The cutting edge of this struggle is the fight against internet censorship.Public school teachers and education support staff at Footscray City College in Melbourne voted for a resolution supporting the campaign to stop the persecution of WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange, including a demonstration in Sydney on June 17, organised by the Socialist Equality Party.

The World Socialist Web Site is co-ordinating an international campaign in defence of Assanges freedom, which is winning the support of workers, students, civil rights lawyers, artists and academics internationally. The founder of the whistleblowing WikiLeaks website is in a highly precarious position. More than ten weeks ago, the Ecuadorian government cut him off from the outside world, closing down internet and other communications and denying visitors access to the London embassy where he has been confined since 2012.

Some of the teachers and ES staff who voted in support of Julian Assange

Socialist Equality Party and Committee for Public Education member Will Marshall moved the resolution in defence of Assange at a meeting last Thursday of the Footscray City College Australian Education Union sub-branch. The meeting was attended by about 40 teachers and education support staff.

Staff voted to adopt the following resolution:

That this sub-branch meeting of Australian Education Unionteachers and education support staff at Footscray City Secondary Collegeendorse the campaign to free Julian Assange and support vigils being held around the world on June 19 and a public demonstration in Sydney on June 17, organised by the Socialist Equality Party. Assange is being targeted because he exposed the United States government for its war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan and its diplomatic intrigues around the world. We demand that the Turnbull government extend to Assange the rights that should be available to him as a citizen, and secure his return to Australia with guarantees against indictment and extradition to the US.

Marshall, in moving the resolution, emphasised that Assange was being targeted because he had brought to the worlds attention details of the crimes of the United States and its allies, including Australia, involving their illegal wars, assassinations, and spying on their own citizens. Assange, he said, was being utilised as an example to intimidate other whistleblowers and outspoken opponents of government policy. He also explained that successive Labor and Liberal federal governments had supported the persecution of Assange and refused to extend to him his basic democratic rights as an Australian citizen.

The vote to support the campaign to free Assange is another example of the immense hostility of ordinary working people to the destruction of democratic rights. The World Socialist Web Site has published remarks in support of the WikiLeaks editor from workers around the world, as well as numerous statements endorsing the Sydney demonstration from artists, journalists, lawyers, filmmakers and others (see articles on the campaign against Internet censorship). The defence of Assange is vital, both for his own personal welfare as he confronts the threat of extradition to the US and a lifetime of imprisonment and torture there, and for the defence of the fundamental democratic rights of the entire working class to freedom of speech and online communication.

After the Footscray City College meeting, Marshall spoke with several teachers. Natasha, an Italian teacher, [she is in the red jumper in the photo] said: Because Assange leaked information about the wars launched by Obama and Clinton he is now wanted by the CIA and FBI. He exposed government decisions that involved massacres and the weapons they used.

Referring to the political crisis in Italy, she said: The Lega [League, a right-wing extremist party] has more power than any other party with only a very small vote. [Lega leader] Matteo Salvini is anti-Muslim, racist, and disgusting. The problem is there is no left. When the economy started going badly in the 1930s, they blamed the Jews. Now it is migrants who happen to be black.

Frank, a chemistry teacher, said [he is on the far right in the photo]: This is like 1984. Civil liberties are going out the window. If they arent holding Assange there [in the Ecuadorian embassy] then why are the police outside? He has upset the right people. They are using him as an example. WikiLeaks exposed how US foreign policy was holding everyone to ransom. The Australian government is complicitthey havent said a word about Assange. Even drug pushers get some kind of support from the Australian embassy  The big countries are getting away with crimes. What is infuriating is that the media is complicit in all of this. They allow anything to be said.

The Socialist Equality Party and the Committee for Public Education encourage all teachers and education support staff to actively support and participate in the upcoming demonstrations and vigils supporting Assange, and to pass resolutions similar to the one at Footscray City College, prior to the June 1719 events.

Resolutions can be sent here.The Guardians June 4 event, The Skripal case: A new Cold War? was a blatant attempt to propagandise against Russia in the interests of British imperialism.

The newspaper gave the platform to Anne Applebaum and Luke Harding along with two of its journalists, Caroline Bannock and Steve Morris, who had covered the Skripal story.

All have uncritically regurgitated the British governments unsubstantiated, contradictory and constantly shifting claims that the Russian-British double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia were poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent by the Putin regime.

Applebaum now works at the London School of Economics where she heads, appropriately enough, a program on disinformation and 21st century propaganda. She is a virulent anti-communist and a ferocious warmonger, married to the former foreign minister of Poland.

After the Russian annexation of Crimea, she called for total war against nuclear-armed Russia in a column in the Washington Post. Closely connected to the highest echelons of the US state, she is a member of key foreign policy think tanks and sits on the board of directors of the CIA-linked National Endowment for Democracy.

Harding, long time foreign correspondent for the Guardian, appears to have very close links to Britains security services. He has authored books that can only be described as hatchet jobs on Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, aimed at discrediting them and facilitating their persecution by the US authorities, as well as innumerable propaganda pieces against Russia.

The Guardian itself has a long record of dutifully promoting the anti-Russian warmongering of both the US and British political establishments. It supported the Western-backed coup in Ukraine in 2014, using allegations of Russian aggression to press for punitive sanctions against Moscow, British participation in the US intervention in Syria against the Russian-backed regime of Bashar al-Assad, most recently following fake news of a chemical weapons attack on Douma. This is in addition to accepting uncritically the allegations of Russian interference in the US presidential election in 2016.

To underscore the Guardians political loyalties, another invitee, although not on the platform, was Sir David Omand, from whom the Guardian has commissioned several articles over the years.

Omand is a former senior civil servant and head of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the intelligence and security organisation responsible for spying on people at home and abroad. He is currently a visiting professor at Kings College London and vice-president of the Royal United Services Institute, the leading military think-tank.

It was GCHQ that in 2013 oversaw the operation to destroy the Guardians hard drives and memory cards on two computers containing encrypted files from whistle-blower Edward Snowden, after the British government threatened to jail editor Alan Rusbridger and close the newspaper over its reporting of the Snowden revelations. The Guardian accepted this blatant censorship with only token protest.

The newspaper also has form on news control. It stated in 2010 in an infamous editorial about WikiLeaks, which had provided secret US diplomatic cables to the Guardian and four other news outlets, that it had only agreed to publish a small number of cables to control the political fall-out from the details of murder, torture, espionage and corruption they revealed. It added that the newspaper had exercised extreme discretion in the editing, contextualising, explanation and redaction of the documents. [emphasis added]

The Guardian is acutely aware of the widespread and entirely healthy scepticism towards anything the government says on Skripal, in the aftermath of lies such as the existence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction in furtherance of Britains warmongering. Indeed, the week before the June 4 event confirmed the need for the Guardians services in propping up the governments campaign of lies.

The newspaper led on the report of the supposed murder of Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko at his apartment in Kiev as the assassination of yet another Putin critic, only for Babchenko to show up alive and well the very next day at a press conference about his murder. Harding wrote lamenting that the stunt would allow Russia and other unscrupulous governments to dismiss real events as fake.

At the event itself, focus was placed for the most part on calls to end Russian money laundering in London and avoiding wherever possible any direct examination of the Skripal case in favour of sweeping generalisations.

Applebaum rejected any possibility that the Kremlin was not involved in the Skripals attempted assassination. She insisted that, having done a lot of research on how Russian propaganda works, this was like watching a replay of MH17, the Malaysian passenger jet shot down over Eastern Ukraine. In that case, Russia immediately put out dozens of stories, not just deny it, but using multiple sources, gave out dozens of stories to pollute media with so much nutty stuff in order to make people draw back and say believe it is all unknowable. That is their modus operandi, designed for a Russian audience.

Applebaum never indicated that the same might be said about the British governments line on the Skripal case!

Harding said that assassination was a traditional Russian method of dealing with opponents going back to Lenin and Stalin and was resurrected in the 1990s when Putin and ex-KGB people came to power. Unable to cite any example of Lenin assassinating anyone, he roamed willy-nilly through history citing various assassinations by Stalin, including that of Trotsky, and various more contemporary alleged assassinations as proof of his argument.

There were, he said, two theories about why Russia had tried to kill Skripal.

The first, which Harding rejected, was that after Skripal was released in a spy exchange, he broke the rules, remained active and embarked on the old spies lecture trail. The second, which he preferred, is that Skripal was almost irrelevant: not so much the target but an instrument to frighten and intimidate anyone thinking of cooperating with the West, especially talking to the Mueller Inquiry in the US into the alleged Russian attempt to subvert the US 2016 election.

After these baseless ruminations, chairperson Mark Rice Oxley asked former GCHQ chief Omand, sitting in the audience, for his thoughts. Omand was enthused. Its a great conversation. I agree with Lukes idea of implausible deniability. Hence the baroque method assassination. The point is to intimidate.

I know the team that did the assessment of the nerve agent, attributing it to a Novichok agent and the Russian state. It was meticulous, like Sherlock Holmes, eliminating everything.

No scientific theory is 100 percent reliable, but this was as close as it gets, he asserted.

He then admitted that it was entirely unclear how applying Novichok to a door handle would work!

Omand agreed with Harding that the British government should go after the money, urging investigative journalists to dig, saying it would hurt the people in power around Putin.

Omand, responding to a question from the chair as to whether British public opinion would be in favour of increasing hostility to Russia, revealed the extent of the collaboration between the Guardian and Prime Minister Theresa Mays Conservative government.

He said, You are doing a good job in that regard. My fear is that if things worsen, it would be necessary to explain The Kremlin could miscalculate, for example with a cyber-attack. We could be moving into a dangerous period.

Applebaum interrupted, saying, We know they could do that.

Some questions from the floor revealed public scepticism towards the government and medias coverage of the Skripal case.

Answering a question about the governments use of D-Notices (Defence and Security Media Advisory Notice), Morris tried desperately to excuse press censorship. Contradicting reports that the government had issued two D-notices to prevent the media from identifying British intelligence service personnel Skripal was working with, he said there were very few that we know about, only one. D notices had changed and are now advisory.

Other members of the audience asked where the Skripals were now, reports about them being given US passports and relocated to the US under fake names, the governments news management, whether it was coincidence that Porton Down, the governments chemical and biological military research institute, was so close to the incident, and that it had recently received additional funding of 48 million.

One audience member pointed out that since the poisoning had been unsuccessful, Russia might not have been responsible and that the government and media had taken the easy way out by blaming Russia.

This was dismissed without a serious answer. The newspaper of what passes for the liberal left instead proceeded to solidify its alliance with the most right-wing layers of the US and British political and intelligence establishment by churning out anti-Russian propaganda of a distinctly McCarthyite character.In the wake of the acrimonious collapse of this weekends Group of Seven summit in Quebec, US President Donald Trump and his top aides have escalated their attacks on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the European Union, threatening to launch tariffs on auto exports on top of already implemented tariffs on steel and aluminum products.

There is an unprecedented level of acrimony and division following the first outright failure in a long line of summits held since 1975. This points to a fundamental and irreparable breakdown of the post-World War II economic order that was erected by the United States, and the plunge of world capitalism into a global trade war, with incalculable consequences.

Following two days of tense and often bitter discussions, Trump suddenly withdrew his endorsement of a G7 communique that had been drafted to paper over the deepening rift between Washington and the other G7 powers. He fired off tweets from Air Force One on his way to the Singapore summit with Kim Jung-un, denouncing Trudeau as a liar and weakling, following the Canadian prime ministers end-of-summit press conference.

Trump, who arrived at the summit late and left early, skipping a session on climate change, held a press conference before he left in which he repeated his attacks on Canada and Europe for alleged unfair trade practices, complaining that the other G7 countries treated the US like a piggy bank that everybody is robbing.

Trudeau began his news conference by announcing that a communique had been signed by all seven heads of governmentrepresenting Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, Canada and the US. That statement evoked applause from the assembled journalists, who spent the weekend worrying over the prospect of a failure to obtain unanimous support for a final declarationsomething without precedent in the 45-year history of the annual summits of major capitalist governments.

Under questioning from Canadian reporters, he criticized the tariffs imposed by Trump and declared that he would go ahead with plans to impose $12.8 billion in retaliatory tariffs on July 1. He also reiterated Canadas rejection of US demands that a revamped North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) include a sunset clause that would require that it be renegotiated after a set number of years. Seeking to whip up nationalist sentiment, he said Canada will not be pushed around.

Trump responded with personal insults against Trudeau and the announcement that he had instructed his aides to retract Washingtons support for the communique as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the US Market!

Over the next two days, the invective from Trump and his top economic officials escalated, while Germany and France declared their support for Trudeau and reiterated the plans of the EU to impose its own retaliatory tariffs on the US on July 1.

On Monday, Trump tweeted from Singapore: Fair Trade is now to be called Fool Trade if it is not Reciprocal. According to a Canada release, they make almost 100 Billion Dollars in Trade with US (guess they were bragging and got caught!) Then Justin acts hurt when called out!

In a separate tweet, Trump returned to his attacks on NATO allies for failing to spend at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense. He wrote: [T]he US pays close to the entire cost of NATOprotecting many of these same countries that rip us off on Trade He singled out Germany as paying 1 percent (slowly) of GDP towards NATO.

On the Sunday talk shows, Trumps top economic and trade advisers attacked Trudeau with rhetoric that one Washington Post columnist noted are the kind of words that normally preceded military action.

Interviewed on Fox News Sunday, trade adviser Peter Navarro said, Theres a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad-faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door.

He added that Trump had done Trudeau a favor by agreeing to come to Quebec and he was even willing to sign that socialist communique. But as soon as Trump had left Canada, according to Navarro, Trudeau stuck our president in the back. That will not stand.

Lawrence Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council, appearing on CNNs State of the Union program, accused Trudeau of a betrayal and double cross of Trump aimed at making him look weak on the eve of the summit with North Korea. Kudlow demanded that Trudeau apologize and take it back.

Trudeau chose not to respond directly to the attacks by Trump and his advisers. Instead, he insisted that Canada would adhere to the terms of the G7 communique, which included an affirmation of a rules-based trading system and a pledge to oppose protectionism. While seeking to appeal to Canadian nationalist sentiment under conditions of declining popularity and growing working class opposition to their austerity agenda, Trudeau and the Canadian bourgeoisie are terrified of the prospect of an outright trade war with the US, which accounts for some 75 percent of Canadian exports. An estimated 1.9 million Canadian jobs are directly tied to exports to the US.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave an interview Sunday night to the ARD public television channel in which she rejected Trumps trade ultimatums and reiterated the intention of the European Union to retaliate for the US steel and aluminum tariffs by taking action at the World Trade Organization and imposing equivalent tariffs on American products such as bourbon whiskey, Harley-Davidson motorbikes and peanut butter.

We wont let ourselves be pushed around over and over again, she said. We will act too.

Suggesting an effort to form a wider trade bloc excluding the US, she added, We have to stand up for our principles, our values in Europe, potentially with Canada or Japan.

In line with the general response in Europe to the US trade offensive and other hostile actions such as the withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear accord, Merkel reiterated the need to develop an independent European security force and pledged to further increase German military spending.

Frances Elysee Palace issued a combative statement declaring, International cooperation cant depend on anger and small words We spent two days obtaining a draft and commitments. We stick to it. And anyone who leaves and turns his back on them shows his inconsistency.

French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted late Sunday that an isolated United States faced a united front from its allies.

Former Socialist Party President Francois Hollande worried on France3 television: This is a heavy blow for the G7 it may even be a fatal blow its very clear there will be an escalation of sanctions, of retaliation, and thus more tariff barriers.

The London-based Financial Times published a stunning editorial Monday under the headline Donald Trump goes rogue at the G7.

Writing that it would have been better had Trump carried out his threat to skip the meeting, the chief organ of British finance capital said, The outcome, however, was worse than almost anyone could have imagined As it was, he lashed out angrily at the countries that should be his allies, suggested that the grouping should expand to include a thuggish autocracy [Russia], and upped his threats of trade conflict to an even more extreme level.

By isolating himself so thoroughly, Mr. Trump has firmly decided to make the G7 a G6 plus one. A forum that used to act as the steering committee for the world economy is now merely another theater of combat for the presidents misguided trade war

Instead, the G6 and other like-minded countries must band together whenever possible to resist protectionism, attempt to bypass Mr. Trump by signing trade deals that exclude the US, and keep the apparatus of global cooperation as functional as they can for when sanity hopefully returns to the White House. This weekend showed a world in disarray, where America has abdicated its responsibilities. The rest of the globe should draw consequences.

The pious hopes of the Financial Times for a better result from a future US president are unlikely to be fulfilled. Despite the attempts to portray the extreme economic nationalism and unilateralism of the Trump administration as the product of the peculiar beliefs and proclivities of the current occupant of the White House, the turn by the United States to trade war and unbridled militarism is the outcome of profound objective processes that span decades. It is not a mere accident that American capitalism has elevated this representative of the criminal financial oligarchy to the post of commander in chief.

Trump and his America First agenda express the disorientation and outrage of the American ruling elite over the massive decline in the world economic position of American capitalism over the past five decades, and their failure to reverse this decline by means of military violence. More than a quarter-century of neo-colonial wars in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa since the dissolution of the Soviet Union have only accelerated the decline, and US imperialism finds itself facing new threats to its hegemonic ambitions, particularly with the rise of China.

Under these conditions, and in the context of a global crisis of the capitalist system, the US is resorting to the methods of trade war in an attempt to offload its crisis onto its major competitorsa path that, as in the 1930s, leads inexorably to world war.Amidst a growing mood of militancy among autoworkers, the 37th quadrennial constitutional convention of the United Auto Workers opened in Detroit Monday. The four-day ritual brings together some 1,100 largely handpicked delegates to debate carefully vetted resolutions before voting to install the new international officers selected by the outgoing administration caucus headed by UAW President Dennis Williams.

The past several months has seen protests by autoworkers over sweetheart deals between the UAW and management in the face of an escalating assault on jobs and working conditions. This takes place under conditions in which the entire union apparatus is being discredited as more details come out about the wholesale bribery of the UAW leadership in the corruption scandal surrounding the illegal diversion of funds from the UAW-Chrysler National Training Center.

While the Detroit Free Press reported talk of a contentious convention, there was no evidence of such. The whole affair reeked of stage-managed conformity, beginning with the ultra-patriotic and militarist opening ceremony. The speakers list contained the usual rota of Democratic Party politicians, high-level union officials and leaders of the venal official civil rights establishment. Various displays promoted, not workers struggles, but corporate opportunities and joint union-management partnership. One booth touted the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust, which promised steady rates of return for pension fund investors.

In his report, Williams touted the unions reactionary program of economic nationalism, despite the presence of union delegations from Britain and Italy designed to provide the UAW with an international veneer. While the outgoing UAW president made certain criticisms of the Trump administration for stirring up intolerance and its lopsided tax plan favoring business, Williams lined up behind Trumps trade war policies. In particular he advocated a tougher stance in the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, including stiffer penalties on vehicles and parts imported from Mexico and Canada that do not meet US content requirements.

These remarks came a day after the Trump administration broke up the recent G7 economic summit in Canada with its calls for tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from US allies. The protectionist stance of the United States evoked warnings from French President Macron of the outbreak of full-scale trade war that could be the antechamber to a shooting war.

In his speech to the convention, Williams once again sought to distance the top leadership of the UAW from the corruption scandal ravaging the union. Once again, he made the absurd claim that the bribing of UAW negotiators by Fiat Chrysler executives had no impact on the outcome of the 2015 labor agreement with the Detroit automakers.

To be clear: those who misallocated or misused training center funds betrayed our trust, said Williams, who served both as secretary-treasurer and UAW president during the time of the illegal payoffs.

The federal investigation has seen two senior UAW officials, Virdell King and Keith Mickens, both involved in negotiations with Fiat Chrysler, entering guilty pleas. Also entering a guilty plea was Monica Morgan, the widow of the late General Holiefield, the former UAW vice president for Fiat Chrysler. Another senior UAW official in the Chrysler department, Nancy Johnson, has been indicted, but has not yet entered a plea.

The scandal has taken a wider toll in the UAW leadership, with Norwood Jewell, the former head of the Chrysler department, taking early retirement in January and UAW Secretary Treasurer Gary Casteel announcing he will not seek re-election. The scandal has forced the UAW to tap an outsider to replace Williams, who is stepping down due to age requirements. The new heir apparent is Region 5 director Gary Jones, from Missouri, not part of the Detroit inner circle. Cindy Estrada, head of the GM department, who had been an early favorite for the top spot, was pushed aside amidst reports that her private charity was under Justice Department scrutiny.

The convention takes place one year before the start of the 2019 auto contract negotiations. In his report Williams referred to the 2-1 rejection vote by workers at Fiat Chrysler in 2015 against the sellout deal negotiated by the UAW, declaring, workers sent a message to the company. The result, he claimed, was that workers got the contract they wanted in a process that demonstrated how democracy works in our union.

In fact, the vote was a repudiation of the UAW, which brought back a deal maintaining the hated two-tier wage system and removing caps on the use of super-exploited temporary part-time workers. The UAW responded to the rejection vote by bringing back a virtually identical sellout. It only secured eventual ratification through lies and intimidation amid allegations of outright vote rigging.

In looking ahead to the 2019 talks Williams spoke ominously of the tremendous example of the retiree health care trust fund, or VEBA, managed by the UAW. He added, This is a model we need to replicate across our collective bargaining agreements, implying that a similar arrangement, perhaps along the lines of the health care co-op floated by the UAW during the 2015 contract talksand overwhelmingly opposed by rank-and-file workerswill again be proposed.

The VEBA allowed the auto companies to offload their obligation to cover retiree health care to the union at a huge cost savings. Underfunded from the beginning, the VEBA resulted in cuts to retiree health care. Nonetheless, it was a bonanza for the UAW, which gained control of a multi-billion-dollar investment fund. That this is now being considered for hourly employees is further demonstration of the fundamental antagonism between the UAW and the interests of autoworkers.

Williams pointed to the growth of UAW finances, including a larger strike fund, as one of the accomplishments of his administration. Indeed, according to the treasurers report, the strike fund topped $721 million in 2017, its highest level since 2010, following a 25-percent dues increase imposed in 2014. Despite stagnant or declining membership, which is currently hovering around 400,000, down from 1.5 million in 1979, the assets of the UAW have remained remarkably constant and now stand in the area of $1 billion. In fact, the finances of the UAW are dependent on its ability to suppress strikes, since the UAW constitution allows a considerable diversion of money from the strike fund to finance the unions large roster of staff paid in the six-figure range.

Not included in the financial report are the unions additional sources of income including direct payments from the auto companies to fund a myriad of joint programs as well as the administration fees collected by the union for managing the VEBA.

Following its longstanding policy, the UAW refused to issue convention press credentials to reporters from the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter. Informal conversations by this reporter with convention delegates underscored the largely unrepresentative character of those in attendance. Most appeared to be in their 40s or older. A younger delegate from the Rawsonville, Michigan, Ford plant soon revealed that he had been told bad things about you guys, referring to the WSWS.

Needless to say, there were no temporary part-time workers at the convention, although by some reckonings they now account for nearly one out of every four workers at the Detroit carmakers. These workers are required to pay dues to the UAW, but do not receive even nominal protection under the UAW agreements.

The picture of crisis and decay at the convention points to the need for new, alternative forms of organization. No reform of the UAW is possible. Workers must not wait until the 2019 contact negotiations but must act now by organizing rank-and-file factory committees to be the genuine voice of workers. This break with the UAW must include a rejection of nationalism and its pro-capitalist outlook and the forging of the closest links between workers in the US and workers around the world.Latin America

Day of protests in Argentina against sackings and assaults on wages

As Argentina continues to sink into economic turmoil, workers across the country launched a day of protest on June 7 against layoffs and attacks on wages. In San Martin, Mendoza cannery workers at the La Campagnola Company in the western province of Mendoza rallied at the plants entrance and blocked access to defend their jobs. Twenty workers were sacked last month and 35 in April, as part of a campaign to drastically reduce the workforce, which has fallen to 120 from 350 a few months ago. The company also intends to slash the number of seasonal workers from 800 in years past to 180 now.

Union leader Antonio Moyano of the Food Industry Union of San Martin denounced the layoffs. They told us not to worry, declared Moyano, because the company is investing in new machinery. However, the union has allowed the sackings so far, avoided strike action and launched limited protests, such as the one last Thursday, while making impotent appeals to the labor ministry.

In Cordoba City, workers marched through the streets of this industrial city demanding an end to layoffs in the government press agency, Telam, as well as in newspapers, and radio stations. The marchers rallied in front of corporate press associations to protest continuing layoffs and closures.

Workers also rallied and protested at Cordoba Citys Provincial Power Utility, EPEC, against sackings and to demand back wages. The rally launched a 48-hour strike against the utility. The strikers are also demanding the freeing of six workers, arrested for allegedly attacking company managers, and the restitution of their jobs.

Marches, rallies and protests also took place in opposition to the layoffs of road workers in Tucuman province, of teachers in Buenos Aires and other Argentine cities. Workers consider the wave of layoffs, imposition of early retirements and wage delays in the context of austerity measures being demanded by the International Monetary Fund as part of its $50 billion rescue loan.

University employees in Brazil begin nationwide strike

Professors and administrative officials at federal universities in twelve states in Brazil have begun a nationwide strike for more government investment in education, better working conditions and a 27 percent pay increase on October 29. The walkout is in response to government plans to slash spending, including in education.

Among the federal universities on strike are those in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Mato Grosso. On June 5, an assembly of University of Sao Paulo workers and students endorsed the strike and rejected a proposed wage increase for education workers of 1.5 percent. The workers, who have not had a raise since 2015, are demanding a 12.6 percent wage increase. The strike also centers on the defense of the University Hospital, which has been subjected to government austerity measures.

Chilean fishermen stage protest

On June 4, fishermen at the Chilean port of Concepcion marched and set up barricades blocking access to cities surrounding the port, which is located on the south-central coast. At issue were new government regulations on fishing that restrict traditional fishing methods for coastal fish and mollusks.

Mexico City firefighters protest assassination of fellow worker

On June 9, firefighters in Mexico City rallied in front of Mexico Citys municipal government house, protesting Fridays assassination of one of their comrades, second inspector Javier Salinas Garcia. The protestors blame Ismael Garcia, leader of the Firefighters Union and current PRD congressional candidate, for masterminding the assassination.

Salinas Garcia was campaigning for a new labor organization and opposed Ismael Garcias candidacy. A spokesman for the new organization declared at the rally that the attacks on Salinas Garcia and others began when the new organization registered with the government authorities. Following repeated threats, Salinas Garcia left a recorded message holding Ismael Garcia responsible for anything that happened to him or his family.

Those firefighters that support the alternate union have faced harassments and attacks, including sackings, not getting paid properly, being denied access to fire stations and receiving anonymous death threats.

United States

Upstate New York health care workers end three-day strike without contract

Health care workers at the Jordan Health Center in Rochester, New York, ended their three-day strike June 8 and returned to work without a contract. The 65 members of Local 1199 of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are seeking wage and benefit improvements.

The SEIU unanimously endorsed a federal mediators proposal that called for a wage freeze in 2018 and a 7 percent salary increase during 2019 to 2020. Management wants to limit the offer to 6 percent by 2020 with an additional 1 percent in 2021. The union ceded the wage freeze in return for an agreement by the company to continue funding health care benefits, although there are reports management was able to obtain substantial reductions in the cost of the plan itself. Workers are also agitated by Jordan Health CEO Janice Harbins salary increase from $148,000 in 2013 to $251,000 in 2016.

Canada

Quebec daycare workers launch unlimited strike

Following months of limited job action, more than 1,300 workers in Montreal and nearby Laval are on strike at 57 publicly funded daycare centers. After a series of one-day walkouts, workers voted last month to give the Confederation des syndicats nationaux (CSN) a mandate for unlimited strike action. The main issues in dispute include work schedules, seniority and working conditions, with the employer demanding the right to send workers home on a day they are called in to work under some circumstances.

Daycare workers in the region have been without a contract since the spring of 2015, during which time funding from the provincial government has been cut drastically. Although talks are continuing, the union has said the strike will remain in effect until a deal is reached.

BC casino workers vote to strike

Workers at various facilities of Gateway Casino in lower British Columbia have voted overwhelmingly in favor of strike action, with the vast majority of 675 local members of the BC Government Employees Union (BCGEU) turning out to cast ballots.

Negotiations between the two sides broke off in May over substantial differences over wages and benefits with the union stating that the latest company offer would not even exceed the planned raise in the provincial minimum wage. The last contract for workers at Gateway expired in September 2017 and BCGEU negotiators have pledged to do whatever it takes to get a fair contract.

On June 4, the two-month-long strike by 2,300 casino workers at Caesars Windsor ended after they ratified a deal pushed by the Unifor union. The workers had rejected similar union-backed deals on two previous occasions.A brave soldier and a fearless friend, that's how 26-year-old Alex Conrad is remembered by his Army brothers, who say the world is a little darker without him.

The Chandler soldier was killed by enemy fire in Somalia this past week. Four other soldiers were also injured during the attack.

Conrad's fellow soldiers shared powerful words about him and memories they'll never forget.

Conrad served as Camari Webb's team leader in Afghanistan twice. Webb sent us this emotional statement:

"Even though Alex was younger than me, I always looked up to him. He was a go-getter, determined, motivated and made sure that we could accomplish anything. Alex took every miserable situation and made it into a positive one. His smile and laughter were contagious. He was loved and admired by everyone around him. He made every situation meaningful; nights where we slept on top of trucks, sharing a blanket with him in the desert of Afghanistan, to soaking in the rain during field training at Fort Lewis. He made me feel like we could go to war with God watching out for you. He gained responsibility and rank faster than most - and was nicknamed the Corporal for a while since he was the only one in our unit. I learned a lot from him and his leadership. Alexander Conrad is my definition of an American soldier. He never accepted defeat, never complained and always finished what he started. He will be truly missed. The Army has lost a great leader, my brother and my friend."

Conrad was a human intelligence collector and a decorated soldier with a list of awards for his service. His fellow soldier Staff Sgt. Mark Villarreal is heartbroken over the loss of his brother, and sent us this statement:

"Alex was more than a friend but a someone I considered a brother. He was a great leader, soldier, and was the epitome of selfless service. His dedication to his job, career, and soldiers is (sic) what stands out most in my mind. His willingness to not just look at how he can change today but how he can change tomorrow for the betterment of the Army is truly hard to define. He will live long in our memories in all of those that he touched and his memory will be shared with the future soldiers of the Army. I will do everything in my power to ensure that I and others live up to the potential of Alexander Conrad."

Conrad's death was the first public announcement of a U.S. military combat death in Africa since four U.S. service members were killed in Niger in October.

Since Conrad's death, he has been awarded a Purple Heart and a Meritorious Service Medal.Orlando, FL  One man and four children are dead after a standoff of more than 20 hours, Orlando police Chief John Mina said.

Mina said officers were in contact with Gary Lindsey Jr., directly and indirectly, by phone throughout the day Monday after he shot an officer around 11:45 p.m. Sunday and barricaded himself in an apartment with the four children, ages 1, 6, 10 and 11.

At one point, Mina said, officers tried to give Lindsey another phone because his had a bad connection, and during the exchange they saw that one of the children was dead.

Officers entered the apartment around 9 p.m. Monday, Mina said, and found that all the children held hostage were dead of gunshot wounds. Lindseys body was found in a closet, police said.

Mina said two children are believed to be Lindseys and two are his girlfriends.

We have no idea when those poor children lost their lives. That will all be part of the investigation, Mina said. He added that law enforcement had worked all day to bring the standoff to a peaceful resolution, but unfortunately it was a tragic and sad ending.

Officers originally responded to a domestic violence call from Lindseys girlfriend Sunday, Mina said. Lindsey, 35, shot at officers when they arrived, hitting one, Mina said. Officers returned fire, but Mina said he did not know whether Lindsey was hit. Police said Lindseys girlfriend made the initial call after she had left the house.

The officer shot was identified as Kevin Valencia, who has been with the Orlando police since 2016. He remains in critical condition after surgery, Mina said.

Mina told CNN affiliate WFTV that Valencia, who is in his late 20s and has a wife and two boys, was expected to survive.

Hes extremely strong, and were praying for the best, the police chief said.

Mina said Lindsey has been arrested before for arson and domestic violence battery. Criminal records show Lindsey has been arrested four times for violating his probation, CNN affiliate WKMG reported.TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI)- The Terre Haute Police Department is warning of fake oxycodone in the Terre Haute area. The pills can look a lot like opioid pills, but they're much more powerful.

Police recently released the following statement,

The Terre Haute Police Department says a new counterfeit opioid is hitting the streets of the Wabash Valley.

Dr. Christian Shaw of Western Indiana Recovery Services, an opioid treatment program of Hamilton Center Inc., said their clinic has become aware of at least one recent overdose likely attributable to pills called blues.

Blues are particularly dangerous because they are designed to look like the oxycodone pills many have become accustomed to purchasing from illicit sources, but are often laced with fentanyl, a powerful opioid that can be up to 100 times stronger than morphine.

Its already killed dozens of people in the Southwest, and now the drug may be showing up in Terre Haute.

Officials warn of the extreme risk associated with consuming any illicit substance, and in particular blue pills made to look like oxycodone, or Oxy 30s as they are commonly known.

Western Indiana Recovery Services, an opioid treatment program of the Hamilton Center, has seen one case already. These pills contain other substances, including deadly doses of opioids, like fentanyl. It has Dr. Christian Shaw worried.

The pills are called the "blues" and they could be making it's way to the Terre Haute area.

Dr. Shaw says he has received one recent overdose connected to these specific pills.

"It's an exaggeration of an intoxication or high that they are feeling to the point that they just pass out," Dr. Shaw said.

The "blues" could be mistaken for oxycodone pills. But, Dr. Shaw says to take a closer look. The pills can contain a variety of drugs, including cocaine, lidocaine, methamphetamine, and or fentanyl.



"Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is normally used in surgery and in certain outpatient pain management treatments," he said.

The pills are a powerful opioid. Dr. Shaw says they can be up to 100 times stronger than morphine.



"It's very strong and if it's taken with heroin or if it's mistaken, it has the power to cause overdose with very very small amounts," he said.

News 10 reached out to the Drug Enforcement Administration. They say they have seen several cases across the country. Its already killed dozens of people in the Southwest.

On the other hand, the Vigo County Drug Task Force says they didn't know anything about the so-called "blues" pills.

"My hope is that these pills don't end up in Terre Haute because it could be disastrous quite quickly if these become common on the streets," Dr. Shaw said.

Dr. Shaw encourages anyone to call Western Indiana Recovery Services. You can reach them at (812) 231-8484. To learn more information about their program, click here.CBS NEWS - Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey found himself backpedaling after tweeting about using Chick-fil-A's mobile app, saying he'd forgotten about the fast-food chain's history of opposing gay marriage.

Dorsey found himself the subject of a tweetstorm after he posted a screenshot showing how he'd saved 10 percent using Chick-fil-A's app at one of the fast-food chain's outlets in Los Angeles.

"This is an interesting company to boost during Pride month, Jack," tweeted former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien, noting June is the month designated to celebrate LGBT communities around the world.

Others also chimed in, with Dorsey offering a mea culpa in reply to O'Brien, saying he "completely forgot" about the company's background -- a statement that didn't go over well with some conservative Christians, who also took to social media to weigh in.

The marriage controversy did help the company's chicken sandwiches become a favorite among Washington conservatives, with Chick-fil-A for a time catering a monthly event for House conservatives hosted by the Heritage Foundation. An Atlantic reporter found House Republicans spent just $345 in taxpayer funds on Chick-fil-A in the three years before the 2012 controversy and nearly $13,00 in the following two years.

The private company's conservative Christian leanings also came into view recently when EPA head Scott Pruitt explained why he had looked into having his wife own a Chick-fil-A franchise. "I love, she loves, we love Chick-fil-A as a franchise of faith," Pruitt told a reporter.

Chick-fil-A did not immediately return requests for comment.WIIKWEMKOONG, Ontario, June 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To celebrate National Indigenous History Month, a program called Challenge4Change has been launched in Ontario to fundraise for the retention and growth of Indigenous Languages and Culture. There are very few reconciliation initiatives that we can champion together. Language is one of them where we, as Canadians, can all come together for lasting change.



As part of the action-based program, a fun and engaging, free app has been developed that lets you learn common words and phrases in Anishinaabemowin - once the everyday language of many Indigenous communities in Ontario. It is available for download at The App Store and Google Play. You can then exchange words with friends, neighbours and co-workers as well as donate to show your support, and see how your highest score ranks alongside others in the friendly competition!

Indigenous languages are disappearing at an alarming rate. "The number of people who are identifying fluency is dropping dramatically, almost in half in the last 20 years," says Arif Virani, parliamentary secretary to the minister of Canadian Heritage. "There's no Indigenous language that is technically safe. Every language is unsafe or endangered."

Challenge4Change is part of an ongoing campaign, and will be followed by a school program in March of 2019 to coincide with National Indigenous Languages Month. Then it will expand to other Indigenous languages and to a broader umbrella program that will cover other key initiatives including youth empowerment, economic development, governance, health and wellness.

Weve started the work but need your help to reach our goal, is the message from Ogimaa, or Chief, Duke Peltier of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory.

www.Challenge4Change.ca

Follow/Like us on:

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Download the app:

Link on Google Play Store

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Challenge4Change is led by Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and supported by Synergiq Solutions of Toronto. Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory is situated on Odawa Mnis, now known as Manitoulin Island, in Ontario. Its a community of 7,200 Anishinabek members with 2,900 living in Wiikwemkoong.MACON, Miss. (WTVA) - A Noxubee County fugitive, captured in Tennessee, is on her way back to Mississippi.

Noxubee County Sheriff Terry Grassaree says his deputies left Tennessee with Amber Lynn Boyd sometime near 11:30 Monday morning.

She was wanted for aggravated assault.

She's accused of luring a man to Highway 45 on June 1. When he got there, three men shot several rounds into his vehicle. One bullet grazed the victim.

Boyd was arrested last week in the Memphis area.

RELATED: Noxubee County fugitive arrested in Memphis

With her in custody, Grassaree hopes to learn more about the shooters.MADISON, Miss. (AP)  A Mississippi woman says her husband was unarmed when he was shot to death by a sheriff's deputy.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is leading the probe into what happened Friday night in Madison County.

Amanda Renfroe tells WLBT-TV that her 36-year-old husband, Michael Renfroe of Jackson, dropped a stick out his truck window when they were together. She says he turned the truck around and got out to retrieve the stick, and a deputy pulled behind them without blue lights flashing.

Amanda Renfroe says her husband kept walking after the deputy told him to stop, and then the deputy shot him multiple times.

Madison County Sheriff Randy Tucker tells the Clarion Ledger that Michael Renfroe attacked the deputy.

Coroner Alex Breeland says Michael Renfroe died of gunshot wounds.DENHAM SPRINGS, La. (WTVA) - According to Louisiana authorities, a Tupelo man was found dead alongside a local contractor in Denham Springs during the weekend.

In a press release, the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office said it appears Ted Bourn of Tupelo and contractor Beaux Bailey exchanged gunfire, killing each other. They were found dead at Bailey's home Sunday morning.

Bailey is listed as the victim. Bourn is listed as the suspect.

The sheriff's office says the initial call to 911 was a home invasion.

"We do not bleieve this was a random home invasion based on the evidence we have now obtained," stated Sheriff Jason Ard. "We believe the suspect intentionally targeted the victim."

The release states authorities are working to determine a motive for the shooting.

Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson confirms he and investigators assisted Louisiana authorities as detectives visited Bourn's home in Mississippi and collected electronic devices.

Stay with WTVA 9 News for updates on this developing story.RIPLEY, Miss. (WTVA) - A Ripley-based compounding pharmacy is prohibited from manufacturing and distributing drugs after an injunction was entered last week.

U.S. District Judge Neal Biggers for the Northern District of Mississippi entered a consent decree of permanent injunction last week between the United States and Delta Pharma, Inc. of Ripley, as well as the company's president Tommy Simpson and vice president and pharmacist-in-charge Charles Harrison.

A complaint alleges the pharmacy manufactured and distributed purportedly sterile drug products that were in poor quality under the FD&C Act because the drugs were made under insanitary conditions and in violation of current good manufacturing practice requirements.

"The complaint also alleges that Delta Pharma manufactured and distributed unapproved new drugs and drugs that were misbranded because their product labels did not include adequate directions for use."

How Suicide Quietly Morphed Into a Public Health Crisis



By Benedict Carey

.



A candlelight vigil by family members of a young man who killed himself in Salem, Ore. Medications and psychiatric treatment are more widely available than ever, yet suicides in the United States are on the rise.CreditAshley Smith/Statesman Journal, via Associated Press





The deaths of the designer Kate Spade and the chef Anthony Bourdain, both of whom committed suicide this week, were not simply pop culture tragedies. They were the latest markers of an intractable public health crisis that has been unfolding in slow motion for a generation.



Treatment for chronic depression and anxiety  often the precursors to suicide  has never been more available and more widespread. Yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week reported a steady, stubborn rise in the national suicide rate, up 25 percent since 1999.



The rates have been climbing each year across most age and ethnic groups. Suicide is now the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. Nearly 45,000 Americans killed themselves in 2016, twice the number who died by homicide.



After decades of research, effective prevention strategies are lacking. It remains difficult, perhaps impossible, to predict who will commit suicide, and the phenomenon is extremely difficult for researchers to study.

One of the few proven interventions is unpalatable to wide swaths of the American public: reduced access to guns. The C.D.C. report found that the states where rates rose most sharply were those, like Montana and Oklahoma, where gun ownership is more common.





It is predominantly men who use guns to commit suicide, and men are much less likely to seek help than women.



The escalating suicide rate is a profound indictment of the countrys mental health system. Most people who kill themselves have identifiable psychiatric symptoms, even if they never get an official diagnosis.



The rise in suicide rates has coincided over the past two decades with a vast increase in the number of Americans given a diagnosis of depression or anxiety, and treated with medication.



The number of people taking an open-ended prescription for an antidepressant is at a historic high. More than 15 million Americans have been on the drugs for more than five years, a rate that has more than tripled since 2000.

But if treatment is so helpful, why hasnt its expansion halted or reversed suicide trends?





This is the question Ive been wrestling with: Are we somehow causing increased morbidity and mortality with our interventions? said Dr. Thomas Insel, former director of the National Institute of Mental Health and now president of Mindstrong Health, which makes technology to monitor people with mental health problems.



I dont think so, Dr. Insel continued. I think the increase in demand for the services is so huge that the expansion of treatment thus far is simply insufficient to make a dent in what is a huge social change.



Drug trials and other randomized studies are virtually useless for capturing measurable effects on suicide. Most drug trials explicitly exclude subjects deemed a suicide risk; even when they dont, the studies dont last long enough to say anything definitive about who commits suicide.



But one recent study, by Danish researchers, supported the benefits of therapeutic intervention.



Using detailed medical records, the investigators studied more than 5,500 people who had been treated for deliberate self-harm, including cutting and clear suicide attempts.



Over decades, the portion of those people who got psychotherapy at suicide clinics were about 30 percent less likely to die or commit further self-harm than those who did not.



I personally think that its the quality of care that matters, not the quantity, Dr. Insel said. We need more access, better measures and better quality of care.



But in this country, many of those who commit suicide have received little or no professional help. Indeed, they rarely tell anyone beforehand of their plan  when there is one. Often the act is impulsive.

According to Matthew Nock, a professor of psychology at Harvard, the wide majority of people who die by suicide explicitly deny suicidal thoughts or intentions in their last communications before dying.



Andrew Spade, Ms. Spades husband, said she had seemed fine when hed talked to her just before her suicide. Mr. Bourdain was filming one of his clever, humorous shows in Strasbourg, France, when his body was discovered.



The rise of suicide turns a dark mirror on modern American society: its racing, fractured culture; its flimsy mental health system; and the desperation of so many individual souls, hidden behind the waves of smiling social media photos and cute emoticons.



Some experts fear that suicide is simply becoming more acceptable. Its a hard idea to test, but its possible that a cultural script may be developing among some segments of our population, said Julie Phillips, a sociologist at Rutgers.



Prohibitions are apparently loosening in some quarters, she said. Particularly among younger people, Dr. Phillips said, We are seeing somewhat more tolerant attitudes toward suicide.



In surveys, younger respondents are more likely than older ones to believe we have the right to die under certain circumstances, like incurable disease, bankruptcy, or being tired of living, she said.



The cultural currents that deepen despair and increase the chances of suicide have long been staples of sociological debate.

The social scientists Christopher Lasch and Robert Putnam identified postwar influences that have corroded the fabric of local everyday life  the block parties, church meetings, family barbecues and civic groups that once bound people against solitude and abandonment.





More recently, the economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton of Princeton have argued that the hollowing out of the economy and loss of middle and working class supports, like unions, have contributed to a broad increase in self-reported pain in those groups, both mental and physical.



The aggressive marketing of opioids by Purdue Pharma and others eased some of that pain  and helped create a generation of addicts, tens of thousands of whom die each year. Opioids are the third most common drugs found in the systems of suicides, after alcohol and anti-anxiety medications like Xanax, the C.D.C. reported.



A decline in marriage rates has likely played a role, as well. In her research, Dr. Phillips has found that in 2005 single middle-aged women were as much as 2.8 times more likely to kill themselves than married women, and their single male peers 3.5 times more likely than married men to do the same.



In contrast to homicide and traffic safety and other public health issues, theres no one accountable, no one whose job it is to prevent these deaths  no one who gets fired if these numbers go from 45,000 to 50,000, Dr. Insel said.



Its shameful. We would never tolerate that in other areas of public health and medicine.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee resident and community leader, has filed to run for Leon County School Board District 3.

Darryl Jones filed to run for Leon County School Board District 3 on Tuesday.

Jones is a graduate of Florida A&M University and has served on the boards for the FAMU Way Committee, the PACE Center for Girls, and the Tallahassee Memorial Hospital Foundation among others.

Jones currently serves as the Deputy Director of the Minority, Women and Small Business Enterprise Program within the Tallahassee Leon County Office of Economic Vitality.

"I've always been passionate about serving my community and its members. If given the chance to serve the people of Leon County's District 3, I will do so with the future and well-being of our children in mind. There's no other community more deserving of our efforts," said Jones.

Jones' campaign is devoted to creating a new era of academic achievement, school safety, and facilities conducive to learning for children attending school in District 3.

He says he is committed to addressing the achievement gap and serving as the voice of change for school aged children living in Southeast Tallahassee.He drank a full bottle of champagne, a full bottle of wine, three beers, said homeowner Jim Laurence.

Police arrested 53-year-old Brettan Houldin for burglary.

When officers arrived they found him half-dressed in the backyard with a wine bottle stolen from the home.

He was trying to get another bottle of wine open, but couldnt find a corkscrew, said Laurence.

Police said the suspect defecated throughout the house and fell asleep on the couch.

His pants were still there! I mean it was awful. The place was filthy dirty, said Laurence.

The couple said they woke up a few times in the middle of the night, but never realized someone was inside their home.

The couple said they left their door open for their dog to go in and out. They said they wont do that anymore.

Thats still no invitation for any person to come into your home and do what he did, said Laurence.

Houldin remains in jail on a $20,000 bond.(ABC NEWS) - Four children are dead following a hostage situation and a standoff with a suspect accused of shooting an Orlando police officer in the face.

Nearly 24 hours after an Orlando police officer was shot in the face and four children were taken hostage, Orlando Police Chief John Mina told reporters that the gunman was dead, and all four children in the apartment died of "apparent gunshot wounds."

Mina said they made contact with Gary Lindsey around 8:30 p.m. Monday night. While trying to give Lindsey a cell phone with better reception to communicate, the chief said one of his officers noticed a child in the home appeared to be dead. That is when Mina said they made the decision to try and save the other children.

ABC Action News reporter Michael Paluska heard a loud explosion just before 9:00 p.m. Monday night. Mina said that was the SWAT team going in to try and save the children. Officers found all four children, ages 1, 6, 10, and 11, dead. Lindsey committed suicide inside a bedroom closet.

It is not clear at this point how long the children were deceased inside the apartment.

The standoff started around 11:45 p.m. Sunday night when an officer with the Orlando Police Department was shot while responding to a domestic violence call at the Westbrook Apartment complex near Universal.

As officers approached Lindsey opened fire striking Ofc. Kevin Valencia.

OPD @ChiefJohnMina: Our main concern right now is the children that are being held hostage in the apartment with suspect who shot and seriously wounded one of our officers responding to a domestic violence call. pic.twitter.com/Y8PwAq30Ic  Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) June 11, 2018

The officer was shot in the eye receiving a very serious injury which required surgery. Chief Mina stated during a news conference Monday morning, the officer was out of surgery and recovering. His condition was listed as critical.

Mina said Lindsey had previous arrests for domestic violence and arson. He was on felony probation at the time the standoff began.

During a 3:00 p.m. news conference Monday, more than 14 hours after the standoff began, Mina told reporters he believed the children were still alive.

Mina said Lindsey had previous arrests for domestic violence and arson. He was on felony probation at the time the standoff began.

During a 3:00 p.m. news conference Monday, more than 14 hours after the standoff began, Mina told reporters he believed the children were still alive.

Mina said a police crisis intervention team had been trying to talk Lindsey into surrendering peacefully.

"Right now the suspect is barricaded in his apartment," Mina said at the time. "He has spoken with us a couple of times, but has hung up the phone on us a couple of times, too."

The incident began when Lindsey's girlfriend contacted police to report that he had battered her, and she directed officers to an apartment in the Westbrook complex, Mina said.

The mother met with police outside the complex, authorities said.

Lindsey is the father of two of the children, and the other two belong to his girlfriend.

Late Monday night members of the Orange County Sheriff's Office brought in floodlights and several portable toilets were dropped off. The chief said they did everything they could to make sure this ended peacefully with no children or Lindsey getting hurt.

A GoFundme has been created to help with funeral expenses for the children. The GoFundme was created by a friend of the children's grandfather.

"These beautiful babies never hurt anyone. Ciara lost her children Iraya, age 12, Lillia, age 10, Aidan, age 6, and beautiful little Dove, age 1-year-old. It is a tragic ending to a night of horror," the GoFundme reads.

A separate GoFundme has been created to support Ofc. Valencia.

Copyright 2018 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.WASHINGTON, D.C. (WTXL) - U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and others introduced legislation on Monday to require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to develop a new system for determining the number of fatalities caused by a natural disaster.

The moves comes on the heels of recent reports that suggest the death toll in Puerto Rico could be 70 times higher than previously reported.

These reports that suggest the death toll in Puerto Rico could be 70 times higher than previously reported are deeply troubling, Nelson said. People have a right to know the truth, and this bill will help ensure we have the most accurate information possible going forward.

The legislation, which Nelson introduced Thursday with Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), would require FEMA to work with the National Academy of Medicine to determine best practices for local, state and federal government officials to use to assess mortality rates during and immediately after a disaster.

Last month, the New England Journal of Medicine published a study estimating that anywhere between 800 and 8,500 deaths could be linked to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, a drastic increase over the official death toll of 64. Other estimates have suggested the death toll could approach 1,000.

In addition to Nelson and Harris, the bill was cosponsored by Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Tom Carper (D-DE) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

The legislation now heads to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for consideration.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee man is behind bars after police say he pulled a gun on a woman during an argument over a parking spot at a local Walmart.

Omega Jefferson was arrested on Sunday for carrying a concealed weapon without a license, possession of a weapon by a convicted Florida felon, and violation of probation.

Court documents say police were called to the Walmart at 3535 Apalachee Parkway about a man with a gun.

The caller said that she was with her daughter when she saw a man had "pulled out a gun, fighting over who was going to park in the spot."

When police arrived and found Jefferson, they asked him if he had been in a confrontation with a woman over a parking space, which he said he had.

An extensive on-scene investigation was conducted and officers located a loaded .40 caliber handgun on Jefferson, who is a Florida convicted felon.

The gun was impounded and Jefferson was transported to the Leon County Detention Facility. He remains in jail on a $12,500 bond.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Tuesday marks two years since a gunman walked into a gay nightclub in orlando murdering 49 people.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott proclaimed Tuesday as Pulse Remembrance Day and is directing all state flags to be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset.

Scott is also asking all Floridians to pause for a moment of silence at 9 a.m. to recognize the lives lost.Jersey City officials have removed more than two hundred newspaper boxes from the streets, angering publishers who say they weren't given a heads up and have had their free speech violated.

Last week, Mayor Steven Fulop tweeted a picture of the impounded boxes that said 240 had been removed, with more to go.

"We continue to remove these from the streets as many are non functioning, they clutter the sidewalks, and many just become trash cans," the mayor wrote. "If we accidentally took one that has permits to be there please reach out to [the Department of Public Works.]"

But the people at The Indypendenta free, community-based paper out of Brooklynsay the city couldn't tell them who regulates the news boxes.

"We would gladly comply with any regulations or permits that exist, but as far as we can tell they don't even have a permitting process," said Peter Rugh, associate editor for the Indypendent.

Rugh's right. After a day of phone calls to the DPW, the Division of Sanitation and City Hall, we found that unlike New York, where Department of Transportation regulates news racks, no such permits exist in Jersey City.

Rugh said Jersey City officials didn't contact The Indypendent before hauling their box away, despite keeping it clean and displaying the paper's contact information prominently. He said volunteers who regularly stock the box called the publication Tuesday to say it was missing.

"We're pretty upset about this. We have a First Amendment right to get the news out to people. So we view it as an affront not only to our newspaper and our readers, but to the press in general," Rugh said.

Same goes for the Hispanic weekly El Especialito. Anthony Ibarria, the publication's general manager, told us no one called before seizing the boxes.

Ward D Councilmember Michael Yun said he didn't know why Fulop had cleared every single news box.

"Those free newspapers serve a lot of people," Yun said, adding that several of the papers serve the city's immigrant community.

Yun said while some of the stands had been neglected, that wasn't reason enough to clear the whole lot.

"If the finger has an infection, you don't cut off the whole arm," Yun said.

Hanna Peterson, a spokeswoman for the mayor, said in an email the City Council's next agenda includes a measure for new standards and locations for the boxes.

We felt that some were a security risk and some were abandoned. If someone wants to pick up their boxes, they can of course, she wrote. However, we ask that they wait to return them to the street until there is some clear permits and standards for the boxes.

The Indypendent has a Change.org petition asking Fulop to return all the news racks. Community advocates also plan to protest City Hall on Grove Street at 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday.

Rebeca Ibarra is an assistant producer for WNYC and works on the New Jersey desk.SUWANNEE COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - Earlier Monday, Sheriff Sam St. John and the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office held a ceremony at the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for K9 Handler Cheth Plaugher and his K9 Partner Huk for their efforts in apprehending a murder suspect.

Deputy Plaugher and Huk found suspect Ruben Gutierrez on May 30 in Alachua County.

"This was basically an appreciation for them for the work they've done for us. He's done time in the past and now allegedly took someone's life," said Sheriff St. John. "So we're just so fortunate to have such a good working relationship in the North Florida area."

Deputy Plaugher and K9 Huk were given a certificate and many dog treats at the ceremony..

Gutierrez is currently being held on charges in Alachua County and will be shipped to Suwannee County.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A new study ranks Tallahassee the 7th best city in Florida to start a long and prosperous career.

The website Wallet-Hub conducted the study comparing job opportunities and overall quality of life for 182-U.S. cities.

Local leaders say keeping talent in Tallahassee grows local businesses.

"It's more amunition for us to be able to use in our effort to retain top talent," said Jay Revell, vice president of the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce. "It also isn't just friendly for our purposes, but to the companies themselves who are everyday working to try and find the best people to come to their companies, this is a great piece of information."

Revell says there are more openings in The Capital City than there are people looking for jobs.

That's why keeping talented people is so important.

To see the report WalletHub did click here.GENEVA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Switzerland's national postal service, Swiss Post, dismissed all the managers of its subsidiary, Swiss PostBus, on Monday due to a loss of trust following a scandal wherein claims of tens of millions in illegal subsidies were made.

Swiss Post said in a statement, "Restoring lost confidence in the long term is only possible with a new operational management team at PostBus and at Swiss Post Group.

"The board of directors is therefore dismissing all the members of the PostBus executive board with immediate effect," the government-owned company said.

The CEO of the Swiss Post company, Susanne Ruoff, was the first to go.

The company had deliberately kept its profits low to receive more support money from the government.

Swiss Post said that PostBus manipulated its accounts for years, earning profits that it systematically concealed.

In February, the Swiss Federal Office of Transport (FOT) reported that PostBus had claimed almost 80 million Swiss francs (81.2 million U.S. dollars) in excessive federal and cantonal subsidies over the past decade by manipulating accounts.

Board chairman Urs Schwaller said he was alarmed that all the control mechanisms in place at Swiss Post Group clearly failed to do their job for years and was shocked at the effort that had gone into manipulating accounts. "There is no justification for what went on for many years."

The company will have to refund the money.

Transport minister Doris Leuthard said on Monday in Bern that the events at PostBus were inexcusable, and that the affair had harmed the postal service and trust in public service in general, Swiss News Agency SDA-ATS reported.

The PostBus management had been under scrutiny since a regular FOT audit of the years 2007 to 2015.

The exact motives behind the systematic accounting tricks remain unclear, Swiss national broadcaster Swissinfo reported on its website in February.ARUSHA, Tanzania, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A conference on Gender and the Judiciary in Africa kicked off on Monday in Tanzania, aimed at addressing legal barriers for women in African countries.

Poverty levels in Africa was locking out women from accessing judicial services, said Tanzanian Vice President, Samia Suluhu Hassan at the three-day conference, which is jointly organized by the Judiciary of Tanzania and the World Bank Group.

Hassan appealed to the Chief Justices and Lawyers from 51 countries in Africa to expedite cases facing women and children to ensure justice.

"Women and children are the ones who bear the brunt of dragging of cases on the continent, I urge you to fast track such trials in a bid of helping them to get justice," said Hassan, urging justices to review the laws governing the welfare of women and children to ensure that they serve the right purposes when the two are faced with judicial hurdles.

"They (women and children) grapple with a lot of issues, from rape offenses to probate cases, it is, therefore, prudent to ensure that the existing laws work to their advantage," she said.

"Equal access to justice is an integral part of human development and poverty eradication and is a fulcrum for a human rights-based approach to economic development," said Ibrahim Juma, Tanzania's Chief Justice.

"To ensure the trust in, and effectiveness of, any judicial system, the judiciary needs to broadly reflect the racial and gender composition of a country," said Sandie Okoro, World Bank Senior Vice President, and Group General Counsel.

According to Okoro, without true access to justice for women, the cycle of poverty will be perpetuated and women and girls will not have a chance to lift themselves and their families out of poverty."Russian military vehicles enter the Douma district in the eastern countryside of the capital Damascus of Syria, on April 14, 2018. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

MOSCOW, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Militants of the so-called "Free Syrian Army" with the assistance of U.S. military special operations forces are mulling a fake chemical attack in Syria, the Russian military said Monday.

The intelligence was confirmed by three independent channels in Syria, said Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov in a statement.

The Free Syrian Army militants have brought chlorine cylinders to a settlement in the Syrian province of Deir al-Zour to fake a chemical attack by the Syrian government troops against civilians, Konashenkov said.

A video of the staged attack, after it is disseminated in the western media, will serve as a new pretext for the U.S.-led coalition to strike Syrian targets and justify an offensive by militants against Syrian government forces on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, he said.

The ministry said it is intolerable to use such a provocation to destabilize Syria, Konashenkov said.

The United States, along with Britain and France, launched joint airstrikes on military targets in Syria on April 14, in response to what they said was the Syrian military's use of chemical weapons in Douma, a then rebel-held town in Eastern Ghouta near the Syrian capital of Damascus on April 7.

However, Russia said that no traces of the chemical attack had been found and that the event was staged.Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili (R) speaks during an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency in Tbilisi, Georgia, June 8, 2018. (Xinhua/Kulumbegashvili Tamuna)

TBILISI, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Georgia believes China's development is a rare and great opportunity for Georgia and the world at large, with Georgia being ready to further enhance cooperation in all fields, Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili has said.

"We look at China's development as a rare and great opportunity, instead of a challenge, for the world. That is why Georgia signed a free trade agreement last year with China," the president told Xinhua in a recent exclusive interview at the presidential palace.

Margvelashvili noted that China is an "important and interesting" actor in the global politics and economy, contributing greatly to world peace and stability.

"When we talk about conducting economic or cultural dialogue between different nations, we can't ignore China, which is one of the strongest states, economically, militarily and demographically," Margvelashvili said, stressing that China plays a unique role in the current global arena.

He said relations between Georgia and China "has been developing toward a very proper direction," adding that fruitful results have been achieved in cooperation since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992.

He said the two countries have forged a very reliable and productive partnership politically, economically and culturally.

"We two countries have developed a good long-term relationship, supporting each other politically and cooperating economically," Margvelashvili said, stressing that the support from China is crucial to Georgia because of China's unique role in the United Nations.

The president also spoke highly of the free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries signed last year, hailing it as a great economic achievement that is significant for Caucasus country's future development.

The China-Georgia FTA, inked in May of 2017 and effective since January 2018, will cancel import tariffs for 93.9 percent of Georgian products sold to China. Reciprocally, 96.5 percent of Chinese products entering Georgia will be duty-free.

Meanwhile, the president pointed out that cultural exchanges have been active in recent years, evident in the growing popularity of the Confucius Institute in Georgia.

As for the Belt and Road Initiative, which China proposed in 2013 to promote worldwide connectivity and trade through infrastructure construction and investment, Margvelashvili said it is a great and visionary concept which will benefit all the countries along the ancient Silk Road.

"Talking about the Belt and Road Initiative, which is great and visionary, I think Georgia is one of the leading countries in cooperation with China to develop this project in the region," he said, adding that Georgia is "very committed to this initiative."

"Georgia has started to develop our own portion along the Silk Road. Our task is to boost this inter-continental cooperation with our Chinese partner," Margvelashvili said.

He said Georgia is ready to join hands with China and engage in taping Georgia's unique potential in building the Belt and Road.

"If you look at the projects within the Belt and Road Initiative, you will find there are many routes. But the Georgian route is one of the easiest and most interesting," Margvelashvili said, adding that Georgia can help diversify the trade routes and provide the access to the Black Sea.

"As your partner, we are glad that the Chinese friends are always visionary and far-sighted. It will definitely benefit our future cooperation," he said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 02:55:09|Editor: Chengcheng

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WASHINGTON, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A study published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that warmer temperatures by the end of this century may increase the likelihood of simultaneous low yields across multiple high-producing regions, which could lead to price hikes and global shortages.

The research led by the University of Washington (UW) showed dramatic increases in the variability of corn yields from one year to the next.

Corn, the most widely grown crop in the world, is used in food, cooking oil, industrialized foods, livestock feed and even automobile fuel.

While most rice is used domestically, corn is traded on international markets. Four countries, the United States, Brazil, Argentina and Ukraine account for 87 percent of global corn exports, with China mostly producing for domestic use.

According to the study, today the probability that all four exporters would have a bad year together, with yields at least 10 percent below normal, is virtually zero.

But results showed that under two degrees Celsius warming, which is projected if people succeed in curbing greenhouse gas emissions, this risk increases to 7 percent.

Under four degrees Celsius warming, which the world is on track to reach by the end of the century if current greenhouse gas emissions rates continue, there's an 86-percent chance that all four corn-exporting countries would simultaneously suffer a bad year.

It suggested that cases like the 2003 heat wave in Western Europe, which devastated crops there, would be more likely to coincide with bad years in other regions.

"Yield variability is important for determining food prices in international markets, which in turn has big implications for food security and the ability of poor consumers to buy food," said the paper's lead author Michelle Tigchelaar, a UW postdoctoral researcher in atmospheric sciences.

According to the study, warmer temperatures will severely decrease average corn yields in the U.S. southeast, Eastern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, and will increase the variability in the United States and other exporting nations.

"Even with optimistic scenarios for reduced emissions of greenhouse gases, results show that the volatility in year-to-year maize production in the U.S. will double by the middle of this century, due to increasing average growing season temperature," said co-author David Battisti, a UW professor of atmospheric sciences.

"The same will be true in the other major maize-exporting countries. Climate change will cause unprecedented volatility in the price of maize, domestically and internationally," said Battisti.

The study did not take into account precipitation changes, since those are harder to predict, and projections show that changes will be small compared to the natural changes in rainfall from one year to the next.

It also assumed that temperature swings will stay the same as today, though some models project temperatures will become more variable under climate change.

"We took a conservative approach and assumed the weather will be the same, only acting on top of an overall warmer climate," Battisti said.This is Keith Richards's New York City apartment, located at 1 Fifth Avenue in Greenwich Village. This is also, presumably, Keith Richards's hand chair. As a quick aside, because it's impossible to ignore the hand chair in the room, I would like to say I never pegged Richards for a hand chair guy. But honestly, who is? When a hand chair shows up in a photo or right before your eyes when you enter a living room in someone's home... it's always a surprise. No one seems like a hand chair person, and I would argue that no one really is. To quote Pedro Friedeberg, inventor of the hand chair, on the hand chair: "I hate them."

My colleague argues that Keith Richards is exactly the type of guy to own a hand chair, which is a fair counterpoint. At the very least, Keith Richards is one of the only people in the world who could pull off a hand chair, but he needed to spend decades creating musical masterpieces and doing copious amounts of drugs and crafting an otherworldly, completely unrelatable persona to do so. Still, hand chairs seem more like a Mick thing.



(Courtesy of Douglas Elliman)

Anyway, Richards may have finally unloaded his Village home, which has been on the market for two years. This past week it went into contract. At press time the whereabouts of the hand chair were not known.

Click through for a look at the Gold Coast duplex, featuring three bedrooms, three terraces,

"two spacious walk-in closets completely outfitted to showcase fashionable garments," an office, "open staircase with a leather wrapped bronze handrail," a soaking tub, a kitchen that looks like it has never seen food, and at one point, a hand chair.BERLIN, June 11 (Xinhua) -- International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde on Monday attacked the U.S. protectionist trade policies and warned that the cloud over global economy "is getting darker".

"The biggest and darkest cloud that we see is the deterioration in confidence that is prompted by (an) attempt to challenge the way in which trade has been conducted, in which relationships have been handled and in which multilateral organizations have been operating," said Lagarde.

She made the remarks after an annual meeting in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of world economic organizations including the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the International Labour Organization and the African Development Bank.

The IMF expected the global economy to grow by 3.9 percent both in 2018 and 2019, marking a slight pick-up from last year's 3.8 percent.

But Lagarde added: "the clouds on the horizon that we have signaled about six months ago are getting darker by the day, and I was going to say, by the weekend."

Following the Group of Seven (G7) summit over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump surprisingly withdrew support for a hard-won joint declaration on free trade signed at the meeting in Canada.

Merkel responded to this on Sunday, saying Trump's last-minute decision was both "sobering" and "disheartening", and threatening with European Union's counter measures in an escalating trade war between the two transatlantic powers.

The IMF chief said that challenges to world trade were damaging business confidence and putting global economy at risk.

To ensure effective multilateralism, Lagarde along with other economic leaders, called for global attention, global responsibility and global solutions.

"Effective multilateralism is more important than ever," they said in a joint statement.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 04:55:31|Editor: Chengcheng

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CHICAGO, June 11 (Xinhua) -- China's Consulate General in Chicago once again alerted local Chinese community against financial scams in which fraudsters disguise themselves as consular officers over the phone.

The consulate on Monday disclosed a recent case on its social media account, elaborating how Chinese diplomats helped a senior couple living in Chicago area retrieve a heavy loss of 200,000 yuan (about 31,000 U.S. dollars).

Scammers called the couple, using internet technology to disguise the number to appear as the Chinese consulate's office, and made them believe that their bank account in China was involved in "illegal money laundering activities."

The fraudsters then requested the couple to provide personal information to avoid being in trouble and instructed the victims to transfer their money to a bank account under their control.

With the help of police in China and diplomats in the Chicago consulate, Chinese authorities successfully froze the fraudsters' bank account before the victims' 200,000 yuan could be withdrawn.

China's Consulate General in Chicago has more than once warned the local Chinese community that consular officers will never call and ask people to transfer money.

In a relevant community alert issued earlier this month by Chicago's Police Department, local police also asked the Chinese community to stay alert and never give out credit card or bank information to anyone they do not know, and report to police if they believe they might have been a victim of such a scam.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 05:05:34|Editor: Chengcheng

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PANAMA CITY, June 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. authorities on Monday extradited Panama's ex-president Ricardo Martinelli, placing him on a private flight from Miami, Florida to Panama City.

Martinelli, handcuffed and dressed in what appeared to be a prison uniform, landed at the capital at 8:40 a.m. local time and was handed over to Panamanian officials.

Martinelli, who served as president from 2009 to 2014, is accused of illegal phone tapping of political rivals during the last two years of his term, and is considered to be in contempt of court, since he failed to attend court hearings.

In January 2015, Martinelli went to Miami to take part in a meeting of the Central American Parliament (Parlacen), but never returned.

He was arrested there on June 12, 2017, on an extradition request by Panama.

Fellow members of Martinelli's Democratic Change (CD) party gathered outside the capital's Tocumen International Airport on Monday and waved party flags in a show of support for the ex-president.

Martinelli was to be taken to the city's El Renacer penitentiary.WARSAW, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A hero is not only the one who rescues others, but also the one who knows how to create conditions that help avert threat, Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Monday during a ceremony to award nine-year-old Adrian Grodzki with a Medal for Sacrifice and Courage.

Grodzki, a nine-year-old primary school student from Sycewice town, northwestern Poland, saved the life of his peer, who fell through weak ice on a large pond on March 18, 2018.

Grodzki found a large tree branch, while holding on to bushes with one hand, he laid the branch on the fragile ice and passed the other end to his friend. This way he managed to pull the other boy out of the water.

"Adrian's heroism lies in the fact that not only did he save his friend's life, but he did it in a very prudent, wise and safe way, not putting himself in a dangerous situation," Polish Press Agency quoted the president as saying.

Grodzki said during the ceremony that he knew how to behave in this unusual situation, because in his school every year there is a meeting with firefighters who explain the principles of first aid during this type of events.OTTAWA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Canada's House of Commons Monday condemned the personal attacks on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by U.S. President Donald Trump and his surrogates.

The House of Commons unanimously supported to a motion presented by New Democratic Pary (NDP) MP Tracey Ramsey, condemning the U.S. actions given the "longstanding, mutually-beneficial trading relationship."

All lawmakers gave a standing ovation for the government's response to the Trump administration's verbal attacks on Trudeau.

The motion offers a collective parliamentary backing of the Canadian steel, aluminum, and supply management sectors and support for the Canadian government's retaliatory tariffs.

It says that MPs "reject disparaging ad-hominem statements by U.S. officials, which do a disservice to bilateral relations and work against efforts to resolve this trade dispute."

Ottawa has announced dollar-for-dollar retaliation on the U.S. imposition of steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada. These countermeasures amount up to 16.6 billion Canadian dollars (about 12 billion U.S. dollars) in imports of steel, aluminum, and other products from the Unites States, and are set to come into effect on July 1 this year.

The U.S condemnation stems from Trudeau's assertion that Canadians "are polite, we're reasonable, but we also will not be pushed around," a point he had made several times before.

He made this comment at the end of the G7 summit during a news conference on Saturday. Not long after Trump issued two tweets calling Trudeau "very dishonest & weak."

The Canadian lawmakers' solidarity came a day after White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said: "There is a special place in hell" for Trudeau for his "bad faith diplomacy" with Trump, as a dispute over trade escalated.

Trudeau kept silence after the personal attacks. It came in sharp contrast to a roar of disapproval among Canadian politicians, who banded together across party lines to denounce Trump's attack and praise the bilateral and trading relationship between the two neighbors.

While the agreement of MPs who are normally opposed on most fronts was remarkable, the anger spread to pundits, officials, celebrities and ordinary citizens as Canadians vowed consumer boycotts of American goods and brainstormed insults of Trump on social media.SAN FRANCISCO, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Governor Bill Walker of the northwest U.S. state of Alaska Monday called on residents in Alaska to plant more trees and flowers to protect environment and preserve the health of the state's ecosystem.

By proclaiming June 18-24 as "Pollinator Week" in Alaska, Walker said all Alaskans should be encouraged to learn more about the important role native pollinators play in maintaining the health of the state's ecosystems.

"Alaska has an abundance of plant, insect, and animal species that enhance the natural beauty of our state and contribute to the health of our ecosystems," he said.

Pollination plays a dynamic and vital role in the health of Alaska's forests, grasslands, and other unique bionetworks, which provide forage, fish, wildlife, timber, water, mineral resources, and recreational opportunities, Walker said.

However, he cautioned that pollinator populations have declined noticeably in recent years, which may result from factors such as pests, pathogens, viruses, poor nutrition, pesticide exposure, bee management practices, and lack of genetic diversity.

Pollinator Week offers an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of pollination "for the wellbeing of our ecosystem and food sources," said the governor.

He urged Alaskans to grow flowers, trees and other plants on their property to supply pollinators with nectar, pollen and habitat.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 08:11:15|Editor: Chengcheng

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UNITED NATIONS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned the attack by armed elements the day before on a UN peacekeeping mission patrol in the Central African Republic (CAR), which killed one peacekeeper and wounded another.

In a statement through his spokesperson, Guterres said the killing of the Burundian peacekeeper brought to five the number of peacekeepers killed in targeted attacks in the CAR since January 2018, with two attacks occurring in the span of a week.

The UN chief reaffirmed his "unwavering" support to the mission in the CAR, or MINUSCA, in its efforts to protect civilians and stabilize the country.

He recalled attacks against UN peacekeepers might constitute a war crime and that sanctions could be applied against the perpetrators, urging the CAR authorities to investigate and identify the perpetrators so that they could be brought to justice.

Guterres offered his "deepest" condolences to the family of the killed as well as to the Burundian government, and wished a swift recovery to the injured.UNITED NATIONS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, said Monday that the conflict in Darfur of Sudan has changed for the better and the peacekeeping mission there must change with it to better serve the local people.

Briefing the Security Council on an official report on the AU-UN hybrid mission, or UNAMID, Lacroix said the situation in Darfur has changed "radically" for the better. "The fighting between the government and rebel groups remains confined to parts of the mountainous Jebel Marra area."

In this light, he said "now is the time to plan for the future of UN and AU support to Darfur: by closely linking the drawdown in peacekeeping to the build-up in peace and development."

The UN under-secretary-general noted UNAMID is in its final stage of a year-long reconfiguration, which saw 11 team sites closed, as well as a shift toward peacekeeping mainly in Jebel Marra and peacebuilding in the rest of Darfur.

He added the mission's area of operations would be reduced to 13 team sites in greater Jebel Marra and its headquarters moving from El Fasher to Zalingei, central Darfur.

Overall, the force strength would be reduced from 8,735 to 4,050 military personnel, and the police component would be reduced from 2,500 officers to 1,870, according to Lacrox.

He underscored the "transition concept" presented in the report, which aims to bridge the transition from peacekeeping to early recovery and development in Darfur.

"The whole-of-system transition concept focuses on addressing the critical drivers of conflict and preventing relapse," he said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 08:36:19|Editor: Chengcheng

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SINGAPORE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump left his hotel Tuesday for the historic summit with top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un.

A motorcade carrying Trump was seen departing the Shangri-La Hotel for the Capella Hotel on Singapore's Sentosa Island, where Trump and Kim are to hold the monumental first-ever DPRK-U.S. summit.

The two leaders planned to meet one-on-one for up to an hour with only their translators at their sides, before an extended meeting and a working lunch attended by their entourages.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 08:51:23|Editor: Chengcheng

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TOKYO, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks opened higher Tuesday as a comparatively weak yen versus the U.S. dollar encouraged buying amid optimism over a summit between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Singapore Tuesday.

As of 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average gained 192.71 points, or 0.85 percent, from Monday to 22,996.75.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, added 13.12 points, or 0.73 percent, to 1,799.96.

Oil and coal product, rubber product and land transportation-linked issues comprised those that gained the most in the opening minutes after the morning bell.LOS ANGELES, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Family members of Jiang Yue, a Chinese exchange student killed in a road rage incident in Arizona two years ago, Monday urged judges to reject a plea agreement the local attorney's office offered to the murderer.

Gathering at the site where the 19-year-old were gunned down in January 2016, Jiang Yue's cousin Katherine Xu read a statement, saying: "Such a decision and approval of the plea bargain can not be, and is not reasonable and not fair. We, the Jiang family and our 10,000 supporters, do not believe it is acceptable to the legal system."

Jiang Yue's tragedy happened when she drove in the city of Tempe,Arizona, and was rear-ended by Holly Davis, who got off her vehicle, walked over to Jiang's car and opened fire. Jiang lost control when trying to drive away and crashed into another car carrying a family of five. Davis fled the scene and was later taken into custody by police.

Prosecutors initially sought to charge Davis on 14 criminal counts, including first degree murder, aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and endangerment. Davis pleaded not guilty to all the charges at the initial hearing in February 2016, and entered into a plea agreement in February this year.

Under the plea agreement, Davis, in her 30s, would face a 25-year sentence and up to 250,000 U.S. dollars in restitution in exchange for pleading guilty to second degree murder and dismissal of all the other charges, local Phoenix New Times reported.

However, Jiang Yue's family told Xinhua last Friday that the local attorney's office never informed them before the agreement was reached and they have evidence showing before the shooting that Davis had a handwritten note to her boyfriend indicating she would be on the news.

Jiang's family is set to meet with Judge Warrin Grandville Tuesday, who has not approved the plea agreement, to express their concerns. Meanwhile, Davis is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday.

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office issued a statement Monday, saying: "The Maricopa County Attorney's Office has complied with our state constitution's victims' bill of rights...and the pursuit of justice requires prosecutors to take into account the views and concerns of victims as well as the practical realities of the facts and circumstances of any given case."Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 09:56:36|Editor: Chengcheng

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MONTEVIDEO, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Uruguay is working to identify around 900 families with no access to electricity to ensure universal access, an official said on Monday.

"The government has the objective to complete electrification in the entire country," said Alvaro Garcia, director of the Office of Planning and Budget (OPP) at a press conference, adding that "99.7 percent of Uruguayans have lighting."

Reporting on the progress of a program "Uruguay, everyone with light," Garcia said that 2,710 families had no power in 2012. That number has now dropped to around 1,500, and 600 of them have already signed up to be connected to the grid by the state power company known as UTE.

"This changes people's quality of life. Some had been waiting for 40 years for power," the official explained.

For every successful connection project, the OPP pays for 40 percent of the costs and UTE supplies all needed material resources.

The average cost of rural electrification networks is 10,000 U.S. dollars per kilometer.

The government of Uruguay signed a national pledge in 2012 to provide universal access to electricity in rural areas.SAN FRANCISCO, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The governor of U.S. northwest state of Alaska on Monday reaffirmed the state's strong ties with China, which he said offer "all the tools" the state needs for "a diverse economy."

In a signed article posted Monday by the online edition of Alaska newspaper the Juneau Empire, Governor Bill Walker said Alaska already has "a strong, longstanding trade relationship with China, which has purchased more from Alaska than any country for the past several years."

Citing his trip to China last week when he led a delegation of 40 Alaska business leaders, he said the trade mission "met with existing business partners, forged links with new ones, improved government to government relationships, and found ways to grow economic opportunities at home and abroad."

During the China tour, he said, Alaska seafood companies have successfully promoted the "unparalleled quality" of Alaska wild-caught seafood to customers in China, where a growing middle class supports a market with great potential.

The Chinese people expressed their strong interest in wild Alaska fish and vegetables from which baby food is made, he said.

Walker stressed that Alaska has unique experiences of tourism for Chinese visitors, who he said are interested in going to Alaska in winter to see the northern lights, ski and to simply experience the state's vast, open wilderness that "stands in stark contrast to life in urban China."

He said he has worked hard to push for direct Alaska-China flights "that will improve both tourism and cargo capacity for what Alaska offers."

Walker said Alaska's trade mission to China has born fruits as a trade delegation from China's northeastern city of Harbin has toured Anchorage for business opportunities.

Moreover, Chinese athletes will likely go to Alaska to train for 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in Anchorage as set out in an agreement between Heilongjiang Province in northeast China and Alaska Pacific University, he said.

Walker said his China tour was an opportunity for Alaska's products and experiences to be recognized internationally.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 10:16:39|Editor: Chengcheng

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TRIPOLI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations-backed Libyan government on Monday rejected Britain's intention to use the frozen Libyan funds in London to compensate victims of attacks by the Irish army.

"The Presidential Council of the Government of National Accord refuses the intention of the British House of Commons to vote on a decision taking advantages of Libya's frozen funds in London to compensate the victims of the Irish army's attacks, of which Gaddafi's former regime was accused of supporting," Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Serraj's information office said in a statement later on Monday.

Members of the British House of Commons recently submitted a formal request to discuss a bill obliging Libya to pay financial compensation to victims of attacks by the Irish army.

"We consider this as a serious step. Making such a decision is violation of the international law and of Libyan sovereignty. It is also a precedent on which others might rely to put their hands on other countries' funds in the future," the statement said.

The Libyan government warned that "such a step would not serve the Libyan-British relations that we seek to develop and improve," adding that it would seek all legal and diplomatic means to "confront it."

The UN Security Council passed resolution No. 1973 in 2011, which imposed sanctions on the former government led by Muammar Gaddafi and froze all Libyan assets and funds abroad.

Britain accused Gaddafi's government of supplying the Irish Republican Army with weapons, in an effort to end British rule in Northern Ireland in the 1980s and 1990s.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 10:26:40|Editor: Chengcheng

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SINGAPORE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- A landmark summit between leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States took place here Tuesday, igniting hopes for a political solution to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and lasting peace in the region.

No one, however, would expect the half-day summit to be able to iron out all differences and remove deep-seated mistrust between the two long-time foes.

To ensure that the positive momentum begets desirable outcomes, it is imperative for all stakeholders to continue working toward a common objective.

The road toward the goal of a nuclear-free peninsula and realizing regional peace and prosperity is bound to be a bumpy one that requires patience and wisdom. The first step is always the hardest to take.

As Pyongyang and Washington, the two parties at the crux of the peninsula issue, have made bold decisions to hold a summit, it is important that talks keep going and that relevant parties contribute to the negotiating process.

The Singapore summit marks the first time in history that a sitting U.S. president meet with the top leader of the DPRK. In that respect, the summit itself carries historical significance, and is expected to chart a course of denuclearization and herald a new chapter toward peace and prosperity on the peninsula.

The DPRK has recently made several goodwill gestures that evinced its strong desire to achieve a denuclearized peninsula and to focus on economic development.

Pyongyang honored its promise in late May by dismantling the Punggye-ri underground nuclear test site, where it conducted all its past six nuclear tests. Reporters from China, Russia, the United States, South Korea and Britain were invited to witness the closure.

Earlier in the same month, U.S. President Donald Trump thanked DPRK leader Kim Jong Un for releasing three detained Americans and also expressed his wish to make the summit "a very special moment for world peace."

Disagreements will not disappear all at once but are by no means unbridgeable. The two countries should address each other's reasonable concerns, manage and reduce their differences, and take more actions to enhance dialogue and foster mutual trust.

In that process, China will continue to contribute its efforts and play a constructive role in pushing for a peaceful solution of the peninsula nuclear issue.

A pressing issue to be addressed at the moment is to translate the current hard-earned detente into a long-lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula by properly accommodating concerns of all parties.

To that end, the "dual-track" approach advocated by China, which seeks denuclearization alongside establishing a peace regime on the peninsula, has proven to be a practical and reasonable solution.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 11:11:47|Editor: Chengcheng

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CARACAS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela will buy medicine directly from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to attend to its scarcity of drugs and face the U.S. financial blockade, an official announced Monday.

"Transnationals ... we will no longer buy from you directly, we will purchase directly from the Pan American Health Organization. We will no longer go through intermediaries," Venezuelan Health Minister Luis Lopez told a local radio station.

Venezuela has signed an agreement with PAHO to acquire "all oncological treatments, treatments for patients who have had transplants, patients who require insulin."

The minister said the measure would allow an end to the "mafias, thieving and intermediation by people" who smuggle drugs into the country.

"There is a cartel which places pressure on an international level, but also at the national level. The pharmaceutical companies do nothing for the population, they only operate based on their profits," said Lopez.

The health ministry has optimized the sending of supplies and medicine to the health network, and over six people have recently been arrested for illicit selling of medicine, Lopez added.

According to Lopez, a registry of patients with cancer, diabetes or after transplant operations will be created to verify how many people need the drugs received from PAHO.

Venezuela is currently facing severe scarcity of food and medicine, forcing the government to seek alternative measures.CANBERRA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Popular Australian pale ale Little Creatures is heading a push to tap into the fast-growing craft beer market in China and the rest of Asia.

Regional brewer Lion is seeking fresh revenue streams for Little Creatures and its other Australian brands following increasing interest in the pale ale style in the Asia-Pacific region.

Little Creatures has had a presence in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region since 2016 when a fashionable venue was opened there, and the brand can also be found at the renowned Jockey Club and more than 120 premium liquor stores.

With its distinctive dancing cherub label, the brand can also be sampled in Shanghai and Beijing at venues in partnership with local hospitality operators.

But Lion is now seeking to create a thirst for its product on a much wider scale.

As mainstream beer sales continue to be flat, the craft beer market is growing strongly.

"The profit in craft beer globally is likely to double over the next three to four years, so there is some significant growth in that segment," Matt Tapper, Lion's managing director of global markets, told The Australian newspaper.

The craft beer share of the broader beer market was about 10 percent in Australia and New Zealand, he added, while in Asia generally it was less than 1 percent.

Tapper said Lion's strategy aimed to plug into a vibrant, increasingly global craft beer community.

"You have parts of the world that are at different levels of maturity when it comes to craft beer," he said.

"However, what is consistent is they are all in significant growth and the millennials group of customers that we are primarily targeting - those aged 20-35 - are looking for new experiences."

Lion now sells Little Creatures in about 30 markets globally. This month it launched the Little Creatures Mohamed Ali Lane in Singapore, comprising a microbrewery, restaurant and bar.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 11:26:51|Editor: Chengcheng

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SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Two policemen were killed and one wounded Tuesday after militants attacked their post inside a court complex in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The police post at district court complex was attacked in Pulwama district, about 32 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"In a predawn militant attack today, militants barged inside court complex here killing two policemen and wounding third one," a senior police official posted in Pulwama told Xinhua.

"The police post was set up inside the court complex to guard it."

Reports said militants snatched two service rifles of the slain policemen from the post during the attack.

The wounded policeman was removed to hospital, according to officials.

Following the attack contingents of police, paramilitary and army rushed to the spot to initiate searches for the militants.

"The area has been cordoned and searches are underway to apprehend the militants responsible for the attack," the official said.

So far no militant outfit has claimed responsibility of the attack.

A guerrilla war is going on between militants and Indian troopers stationed in the region since 1989. However, of late policemen too have been trained to fight them.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 11:46:56|Editor: Chengcheng

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TRIPOLI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Four soldiers of the Libyan eastern-based army were injured in a suicide bombing attack in the eastern city of Darna, while another suicide attacker failed to reach his target, said a military source.

A suicide car bomber attacked a military force in central Darna, injuring the four soldiers, an officer in the army's operations chamber of Darna told Xinhua, later on Monday.

Another suicide bomber who tried to target a group of soldiers in the city's port was stopped before reaching his target, the officer added.

"The suicide bomber was driving a car bomb fast towards the port of Darna, trying to target the soldiers charged with securing the port.However, his car exploded before reaching our troops without causing casualties," the officer said.

"The terrorists trapped in the city rely on suicide attacks as the army forces are narrowing them down," the official said.

The eastern-based army, led by General Khalifa Haftar, is launching a military operation to take over Darna from the militants who control the coastal city.

The army has besieged Darna since 2015, demanding that the armed group of the Shura Council (Consultative Council) of the Mujahideen in Darna, a coalition of Islamist militias, leave.

The army accuses the armed group of being loyal to al-Qaida.

The army announced on Sunday that it has taken over more than 90 percent of Darna, expecting to have a full control of the city in the next few days.MOSCOW, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a boat collision that occurred Monday night on Volga River in Russia has increased to 10, the country's emergency service confirmed Tuesday.

"Ten people were killed as a result of the collision of a catamaran and a barge in Volgograd," Russian Emergency Services Ministry said in a press release.

Earlier reports said at least nine victims were found in the accident.

Five others were saved while one more individual is missing, the emergency service added.

A total of 16 people were on board the catamaran and all of them are Russian citizens, previous local reports quoted emergency service as saying.

A rescue operation is underway. Investigators are also working at the scene, according to local reports.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 12:12:04|Editor: Chengcheng

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SYDNEY, June 12 (Xinhua) -- With over 80 shipping containers still unaccounted for off Australia's east coast on Tuesday, after strong seas dislodged the freight on May 31, New South Wales State Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) formally requested the Australian military to help with the clean up, local media reported.

Hit by massive nine meter swells, the Liberian-flagged YM Efficiency lost its cargo 30 km off the coast of Port Stephens (180 km north of Sydney).

So far, 750 cubic meters of debris from 14 containers have washed up on shore or been recovered from the water, but it is still unclear whether the remaining containers will eventually rupture and start to release rubbish.

"We do know they will deteriorate over time, which is why it's important that we perhaps look at where we can map them and then we've got some information as to what we can do (regarding retrieval) once we've done that," RMS executive director Angus Mitchell told local media.

"We're pretty confident most of the sea surface is clear at this stage and our focus is getting that stuff that's been collected on the rock ledges of the coast."

With the 12-meter long containers posing extreme risk to sailors, small ships and commercial fishing vessels, it appears a trawler has already had a near miss with one in Port Stephens when its nets got snagged on what they suspect was one of the missing containers last week.

Spanning a range of around 400 km, the clean up effort is expected to cost tens of thousands of U.S. dollars, with the price tag set to be paid by the YM Efficiency maritime insurer.

It is unclear when the Australian Defence Force will join the clean up operation.HANOI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Over 60 million computers in Vietnam are infected with malicious codes each year, according to the country's leading computer security firm BKAV on Tuesday.

The most common malicious codes are those used by hackers to mine digital currencies, encrypt data, steal personal information, spread viruses via USB drives, and launch APT (advanced persistent threat) attacks.

BKAV said over 735,000 computers in Vietnam have recently been infected with a cryptocurrency-mining virus, and more than 1.2 million computers have been infected with W32.XFileUSB which spreads through USB drives.

According to the firm's calculation, malware infections made computer users in Vietnam to suffer losses of 12.3 trillion Vietnamese dong (544 million U.S. dollars) in 2017, up from 10.4 trillion Vietnamese dong in 2016, some 8.7 trillion Vietnamese dong in 2015, and 8.5 trillion Vietnamese dong in 2014.

According to the Authority of Information Security under the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications, in the first five months of this year, nearly 19.6 million turns of Vietnamese IP (Internet Protocol) addresses were mobilized for botnets of hackers in the world. A botnet is a network of private computers infected with malicious software and controlled as a group without the owners' knowledge.

The high rate of malware infections in Vietnam is mainly attributed to the low rate of using copyrighted software, including anti-virus ones, according local experts.

Besides, Vietnamese computer users rarely update software to patch security holes, experts said, noting that up to 40 percent of computers in Vietnam face the SMB (Server Message Block) flaw.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 12:37:11|Editor: Chengcheng

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Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un (L) shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore before the first-ever DPRK-U.S. summit, on June 12, 2018. (Xinhua/The Straits Times)

SINGAPORE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump gathered here Tuesday for a historic meeting widely expected to open a new chapter in their countries' relations.

They shook hands and held a 40-minute one-on-one meeting at the Capella Hotel on Singapore's resort island of Sentosa, before proceeding to an expanded meeting and a working lunch with their aides.

The larger meeting was attended by three major security and diplomatic aides to Kim and Trump, respectively.

On the DPRK side, Kim Yong Chol and Ri Su Yong, two vice chairmen of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee, and Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho were present.

Accompanying Trump were White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, National Security Advisor John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The expanded meeting came after the one-on-one session between Kim and Trump, which the U.S. leader described as "very, very good." During the face-to-face talks, Trump said he had an "excellent relationship" with Kim.

Kim and Trump started their first summit with a historic handshake that lasted for a few seconds before a row of national flags of the two countries.

"This is just a new beginning," said Trump while shaking hands with Kim.

Kim, dressed in a dark suit, and Trump, sporting a red tie, talked at a corner in the hotel corridor for a few minutes, before they walked along the passage into the meeting room and sat down in front of journalists.

"The way coming here was not easy," said Kim.

The DPRK leader said he and Trump came here after overcoming "all the obstacles" such as old prejudice and practices that had stood in their way forward.

Predicting a tremendous success of the summit with the DPRK leader, Trump said that it was "an honor" to meet face-to-face with Kim and that he would have "a terrific relationship" with the DPRK leader.

After shaking hands again with Kim in front of cameras, Trump gave a thumbs-up before starting the first meeting between an incumbent U.S. president and a DPRK leader.

Since taking over his country's leadership in late 2011, Kim had made only three known trips to foreign countries before the Singapore visit. He traveled to China twice and to the South Korean side of the truce village of Panmunjom.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 12:47:13|Editor: Chengcheng

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CARACAS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Arco Minero del Orinoco, a state-run resource-rich mining zone in Venezuela, produced more than 17 tons of gold in 2017 for Venezuela's Central Bank (BCV), an oficial said on Monday.

"We are diversifying the economy through the mining engine, so that it is another pillar of the nation's economy," Minister for Ecological Mining Development Victor Cano told local media.

Cano said the government is working to boost mining to diversify an economy long reliant on oil exports, and forge a sustainable industry.

The government has signed 300 agreements with representatives of small mining operations to regulate the activity and establish new mineral extraction techniques that are more environmentally friendly, he said.

"We want to control the damage and the impact," so the area "can recover in the shortest time possible," said Cano.

Located in southern Bolivar state, the Arco Minero del Orinoco encompasses an area of 111,843 square km, which is rich in gold, diamond, coltan and bauxite deposits.

Smuggling is a problem plaguing the sector in Venezuela, which led the government to launch Operation Metal Hands last week to dismantle groups that buy gold and other valuable metals and minerals from small mining operations, and then smuggle the material out of Venezuela through organized crime networks.

"We are working ... to prevent these gold mafias in Bolivar state, especially in the Arco Minero del Orinoco," said CanoSource: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 13:07:19|Editor: zh

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RIO DE JANEIRO, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's Finance Minister Eduardo Guardia said on Monday that the country's economy has already managed to recover from the losses caused by the truckers' strike in May.

The 10-day nationwide strike paralyzed all fuel transportation in the country, as well as most transportation of food and other products.

Truck drivers were protesting against the high diesel fuel price, which skyrocketed since the government changed the pricing policies of state-owned oil company Petrobras.

In order to get the truckers back to work, the government offered cuts in diesel fuel prices and suspended some of the taxes applied to fuel.

"There is no doubt the strike caused losses to the country. It paralyzed the country for 10 days, there were supply problems; it affected several sectors of the economy, including truckers' own activity. But what we must discuss now is the impact of all that, and the numbers I saw were very positive," Guardia said.

Guardia called the strike an isolated incident. "During the strike, the economy was practically paralyzed, so there are losses for several sectors. Now the economy is back on track and has resumed a growth trajectory," the minister added.5 killed, 26 injured in car bomb attack in eastern Afghan province Source: Xinhua 2018-06-12 13:42:31 GHAZNI, Afghanistan, June 12 (Xinhua) -- At least five police were killed and 26 injured after Taliban militants attacked a district office with an explosive-laden hijacked military vehicle in Afghanistan's eastern province of Ghazni on Tuesday, a provincial government spokesman said. Editor: LiuSource: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 14:07:39|Editor: Chengcheng

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GHAZNI, Afghanistan, June 12 (Xinhua) -- At least five police were killed and 26 injured after Taliban militants attacked a district office with an explosive-laden hijacked military vehicle in Afghanistan's eastern province of Ghazni on Tuesday, a provincial government spokesman said.

The explosion occurred roughly at 2:00 a.m. local time Tuesday when a man rammed the vehicle to the front gate of Muqur district office building, killing five policemen guarding the gate and a watchtower, spokesman Harif Noori told Xinhua.

Most of the wounded sustained injuries by shrapnel and flying glasses and three injured policemen remained in critical condition, he said.

The blast also severely damaged the building.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 14:17:42|Editor: Chengcheng

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SINGAPORE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump signed a document here Tuesday after their historic summit.

At the signing ceremony, Trump said it was "a very important document, pretty comprehensive document."

For his part, Kim called it "a historic document," saying that the two sides will "leave the past behind" and the world will "see a major change."Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 14:22:42|Editor: Li Xia

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Neiharika Rajiv, one of the six developers, presents the device for ensuring women's safety in New Delhi, India, on June 11, 2018. A team of six Indian youngsters have won a prestigious prize of 1 million U.S. dollars for designing and developing a device for ensuring women's safety. (Xinhua/Zhang Naijie)

by Pankaj Yadav

NEW DELHI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- A team of six Indian youngsters have won a prestigious 1 million-U.S. dollar prize for designing and developing a device for ensuring women's safety.

The device costs around 30 U.S. dollars, and is a miniature which could be worn as a wrist watch, or simply put in a pocket or a bag. The team's endeavor is to bring down the cost and make it available to women across India, and the globe as well.

After winning the prize in New York last week, the team members returned to India on Sunday evening, and on Monday morning they were invited by the country's Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi for felicitation and discuss how to work together in future.

The safety device has a "Red Button" which when pressed by a woman in unsafe circumstances would alert her five guardians whose phone are integrated with the safety device, called "Safer PRO."

The device works on a mini sim-card, and once charged can be worn up to seven days at a stretch.

Out of the six team members, one is a woman named Neiharika Rajiv who was originally a sociology student before joining the other five boys, all Delhi-based electronics students.

"All these five are smart intelligent boys from a woman's perspective, so I joined them all around four years back. I got to know about them through newspaper reports while they were still under-graduates," said Neiharika.

"Neiharika informs us about all women-related aspects and what kind of help is required by them in a particular situation. Rest of us have our well-defined areas of work such as business development and technology development, etc.," said Chiraag Kapil, director of business development of their over-three-year-old start-up "Leaf Wearables."

He added: "The infamous, and brutal, Nirbhaya gang rape case that happened in Delhi in December 2012 and shook whole of India was the trigger for all of us to work in the direction of designing a device which could be kept discreetly. We have been working on women safety devices since 2015."

The first device made by the team was called "Safer" which could be connected with the mobile phone of the victim through blue-tooth. It was priced at 53 U.S. dollars.

The team sold nearly 25,000 of the devices across the globe. But soon it was realized that its connectivity with a phone was a problem, since the attacker could easily throw away the victim's phone thereby rendering the device useless and the victim helpless.

Thereafter, they developed a device which could be worn as a jewelry and hidden. "That we sold only in India as we had a tie up with an Indian company Reliance. It was actually a jewellery and prices at 230 U.S. dollars..." said Chiraag.

Finally, after inputs from Neiharika, the team began work on the device called "Safer Pro."

"We wanted the women safety device to be small which could be worn or kept discreetly. And we started our work accordingly... Then there was this XPRIZE competition in the U.S. for which we applied and contested," said Neiharika.

Chiraag told Xinhua that 27 judges who were experts in their own fields tested and adjudged the devices of all the five finalists, including three from the United States, one from Switzerland, besides the Indian team.

"The tests were carried out by the judges in different situations and varied circumstances, in the buses and trains. And, eventually we won," said Chiraag.

Now, the team is looking for Indian government support to manufacture the device, and make it available to the women in the remotest of remote areas at an affordable price.

"We want to make it available at a price below 1,000 Indian Rupees (around 15 U.S. dollars). And for that we look forward to financial aid from the government of India. We want to make it available to the public via government," he added.

According to Chiraag, their next target is to integrate the device with the nearest police station to the victim so that in case of an emergency the police can reach out to the victim.

"The victim can be located as precisely as two meters," he added.

Neiharika said the device is also very helpful for the young kids, teenagers to be specific, who move out frequently in areas nearby their homes.

"Normally, parents of such kids are a worried lot and concerned about their safety. This device helps parents know about their kids' minute-to-minute location. The other best part is that it has the facility of sending Voice-Notes to the guardians."

The team plans to formally launch and sell the device by year-end, with the government's active aid and support.

In India, 79 percent of women have been victims of harassment or violence in public. As per official figures released by India's National Crime Records Bureau, in the year 2016 as many as 39 crimes against women were reported every hour, up from 21 in 2007. The rate of crimes per 100,000 female population was 55.2 during the year, up from 41.7 in 2012.

Women faced most crime in the form of "cruelty by husband or his relatives," accounting for 33 percent of all crimes in 2016. Meanwhile, rape accounted for 11 percent of all crimes against women with 38,947 cases reported in 2016, or four every hour.

Developers present the device for ensuring women's safety in New Delhi, India, on June 11, 2018. A team of six Indian youngsters have won a prestigious prize of 1 million U.S. dollars for designing and developing a device for ensuring women's safety. (Xinhua/Zhang Naijie)DENVER, the United States, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Firefighters from across the west are scrambling to Colorado as two major wildfires have closed the San Juan National Forest (SJNF) for the first time in its 113-year history.

The 416 Fire has consumed 22,131 acres (89.6 square km) Monday evening, and the nearby Burro Fire 1,000 acres (4.04 square km) -- each doubling in size in just 48 hours -- with close to 1,000 firefighters working on both and with neither blaze more than 15 percent contained, according to Inciweb.

SJNF's website Monday night announced closing the massive 1.8-million-acre (4047 square km) forest that stretches across nine counties "until moisture" relieves the drought-stricken forests, probably when the monsoon season arrives later next month.

Firefighters from three states worked through Sunday night to save the town of Hermosa Creek and hundreds of homes. A total of 2,200 homes have been evacuated so far.

No injuries or fatalities have been reported from either fire, and the cause of each is under investigation. The 416 Fire began on June 1 and the Burro Fire on June 8.

"The (416) fire burned right up to the edge of Hermosa," Shawn Bawden, fire spokesman, told the Denver News-Post. "We're happy to say no one has been injured and no homes have been burned. It speaks to the professionalism of the firefighters."

The 416 wildfire was advancing at the rate of one mile (1.6 km) an hour until it reached fire lines built by hundreds of firefighters, Bawden said. A total of 813 firefighters are now fighting the 416.

The advancing fire, burning about 13 miles (21.9 km) north of the city of Durango in Colorado, triggered mandatory evacuations of 675 homes Sunday, including some at Purgatory Resort.

In the little, remote Durango, businesses were recoiling from the news that the 800,000 to 1 million tourists who typically visit the city of 17,000 before entering the SJNF will not be in the picture this summer.

"Under current conditions, one abandoned campfire or spark could cause a catastrophic wildfire, and we are not willing to take that chance with the natural and cultural resources under our protection and care, or with human life and property," Richard Bustamante, SJNF forest fire staff officer, told the Post.

Although the National Weather Service forecast for the area a chance of thunderstorms and showers from Thursday through Sunday, SJNF officials said the rain likely would not bring enough moisture to reopen the forest.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 14:32:46|Editor: Chengcheng

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GHAZNI, Afghanistan, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Afghan security forces' airstrikes killed six militants of the Taliban outfit, destroying a propaganda instrument of Taliban in the eastern Ghazni province, provincial police chief Farid Ahmad Mashal said Tuesday.

The strikes, targeting Radio Shariat, according to the official, were launched in Zana Khan district late Sunday night.

Aimed at launching propaganda for the Taliban outfit, the radio begun operation some four months ago in Zana Khan district to air programs for the Taliban group and encourage youngsters to join the armed group in fighting against the government.

Taliban militants are yet to make comment on the report.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 15:07:57|Editor: Li Xia

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Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un (L) shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore before the first-ever DPRK-U.S. summit, on June 12, 2018. (Xinhua/The Straits Times)

SINGAPORE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump gathered here Tuesday for a historic meeting widely expected to open a new chapter in their countries' relations.

They met one on one for about 40 minutes, had an expanded meeting joined by a few aides, and concluded their morning activities with a working lunch.

The larger session of the meeting, which took place at the Capella Hotel in Singapore's resort island of Sentosa, was attended by major security and diplomatic aides to Kim and Trump.

On the DPRK side, Kim Yong Chol and Ri Su Yong, two vice chairmen of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee, and Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho were present.

Accompanying Trump were White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, National Security Advisor John Bolton, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

"Working together, we will get it taken care of," Trump said at the beginning of the expanded discussions, forecasting that he and Kim will solve "a big problem and a big dilemma."

Kim said he will "cooperate with President Trump to resolve the challenges ahead" and to overcome the skepticism and speculations about their summit.

More officials took part in the working lunch, with the additional participants on the U.S. side, including White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, National Security Council Senior Director for Asia Matt Pottinger, and senior diplomat Sung Kim, who has led substantive talks with Pyongyang into the summit.

Kim and Trump started their first summit with a historic handshake before a row of the national flags of the two countries that lasted for several seconds.

"This is just a new beginning," Trump said while shaking hands with Kim.

Kim, dressed in a dark suit, and Trump, sporting a red tie, talked in a corner of the hotel corridor for a few minutes before they walked along the passage into the meeting room and sat down in front of journalists.

"The way coming here was not easy," Kim said.

"We had the past that grabbed our ankles and old prejudices and practices that covered our eyes and ears. We are here after overcoming all these," he said.

Predicting a tremendous success of the summit, Trump said it was "an honor" to meet with Kim face-to-face and that he would have "a terrific relationship" with the DPRK leader.

After shaking hands again with Kim in front of the cameras, Trump gave a thumbs-up before starting the first meeting between an incumbent U.S. president and a DPRK leader.

Since taking over his country's leadership in late 2011, Kim had made only three known trips to foreign countries before the Singapore visit. He traveled to China twice and to the South Korean side of the truce village of Panmunjom.Kim agrees with Trump to complete denuclearization in exchange for security guarantees Source: Xinhua 2018-06-12 15:07:57 SINGAPORE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un agreed Tuesday with U.S. President Donald Trump to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for the security guarantees by the United States, according to a joint statement signed by the two leaders after a historic summit in Singapore. Editor: Li Xia Related News Back to TopSource: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 15:22:59|Editor: Li Xia

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Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un (L) shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump during the signing ceremony of a joint statement in Singapore on June 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Ministry of Communication and Information of Singapore)

SINGAPORE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump signed a "comprehensive" agreement here on Tuesday afternoon.

At the signing ceremony, Trump said it was "a very important document, pretty comprehensive document."

Kim called it "a historic document," saying the two sides will "leave the past behind" and the world will "see a major change."

Asked about denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, Trump said: "We are starting that process very, very, very quickly, absolutely."

He said the United States' relationship with the DPRK and the Korean Peninsula "is going to be a very much different situation than it has in the past."

Earlier in the day, the two leaders held a 40-minute meeting one on one with only their translators at their side, before their entourages joined them for a larger meeting and a working lunch.

After the signing ceremony, Kim is expected to fly back home in the afternoon, while Trump will give a press conference before leaving Singapore.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 16:35:32|Editor: Xiang Bo

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Visitors view a systematic demonstration of a smart blackboard during the 16th China International Software & Information Service Fair in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, June 12, 2018. The service fair, with the participation of 750 exhibitors, kicked off here Tuesday. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 16:38:14|Editor: Yamei

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BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday called on the leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States to reach basic consensus on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and establishing a peace mechanism.

Wang told reporters that the world is focused on the ongoing meeting between DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore.

Noting the past confrontations between the two countries for more than half a century, Wang said it was of great and positive significance that the two leaders sit together and have equal dialogue, which was making new history.

China welcomed and supported the meeting, which was a goal that China had always expected to achieve, Wang said.

"We hope that the two leaders will work to eliminate barriers, build mutual trust, overcome difficulties, and reach basic consensus and make substantive progress in promoting denuclearization and establishment of a peace mechanism on the Korean Peninsula," he said.

Wang called on relevant parties to make efforts on these goals, stressing that China would continue to play a constructive role.SINGAPORE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States would stop conducting annual war games with South Korea, which the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) had denounced as a dress rehearsal for northward invasion.

Trump made the remark during a press conference after a historic summit with top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella Hotel on Singapore's resort island of Sentosa.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 17:13:28|Editor: mmm

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KUNMING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Companies in southwest China's Yunnan Province signed deals worth 9.6 billion yuan (1.5 billion U.S. dollars) with Taiwanese firms at the Seventh Yunnan-Taiwan Economic, Trade and Cultural Conference on Tuesday.

The deals cover such areas as agriculture, health and bio-medicine, and tourism, according to the organizing committee.

Hosted by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the Yunnan provincial government, the five-day conference attracted around 1,400 entrepreneurs, experts and scholars from both provinces.

By the end of 2017, there were 831 Taiwanese enterprises in Yunnan, with a total investment of about 1.1 billion U.S. dollars and trade volume between the two provinces reached 20 billion yuan.LUANDA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Serbia seeks to strengthen security cooperation with Angola and promote the two countries' exchanges in science and military economy, a senior Serbian security official said here on Monday.

Addressing the fourth meeting of the Angola-Serbia Defense Cooperation Committee, Aleksandar Zivkovic, state secretary of the Serbian Ministry of Defense, said his country has proposed an agreement on confidential data exchanges and protection, as well as cooperation in security services and counter-terrorism.

Serbia also seeks to deepen cooperation in science and military economy, he said.

Under an agreement between the two countries' armed forces, 25 cadets from Angola will receive military and medical training in Serbia in 2019.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 17:13:28|Editor: mmm

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MAIMANA, Afghanistan, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Taliban militants, after fierce fighting, overran Kohistanat district in northern Afghanistan's Faryab province, killing the district governor, on Tuesday, provincial government spokesman Jawed Bidar said.

"Taliban militants launched fierce fighting in the wee hours of today on Kohistanat district and unfortunately the district was collapsed and its governor Abdul Rahman Panah was killed in the fire exchange," Bidar told Xinhua.

Both the Taliban and security forces suffered casualties in the fire fight, which lasted for hours, the official said without providing details.

Meanwhile, Sibghatullah Silab, the deputy to Provincial Council of Faryab, confirmed the fall of Kohistanat district, saying that the district governor Abdul Rahman Panah along with eight of his men were killed during the Taliban raid on the district headquarters.

Taliban militants, who launched a deadly offensive on Muqar district in eastern Ghazni province on the same day, haven't commented on the news.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 17:33:33|Editor: mmm

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BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- China's new yuan-denominated loans in May stood at 1.15 trillion yuan (about 179.7 billion U.S. dollars), down from 1.18 trillion yuan in April, the central bank data showed Tuesday.

The M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, grew 8.3 percent year on year, unchanged compared with a month earlier, the People's Bank of China said in a statement.ADDIS ABABA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's national flag carrier Ethiopian Airlines (ET) is to start cargo flights to Zhengzhou, an Ethiopian official said on Tuesday.

Speaking to Xinhua, Busera Awol, Chief Commercial Officer at ET, said the planned cargo flights to Zhengzhou will boost air connection between the central Chinese city and the African continent.

"Ethiopian Airlines currently has daily passenger flights to Guangzhou and Beijing and three times a week passenger flights to Chengdu as well as daily passenger and cargo flights to Hong Kong and Shanghai" he said.

Awol declined to disclose when the cargo flights planned to Zhengzhou will be started or the possible flight frequencies under consideration.

Speaking to Xinhua earlier this year, Yared Berta, Regional Director of China, Mongolia and North Korea for ET, said the airlines' planned cargo flights to Zhengzhou is part of efforts to attract new customers, particularly in China's hinterland.

"Currently ET transports about 80,000 passengers and 60,000 tons of cargo annually through its five gateways in China," he said.

Ethiopian Airlines became the first African carrier to fly to China back in 1973.BRAZAVILLE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- China stands ready to cooperate with the Republic of Congo and other African nations in efforts to achieve common development and jointly build a community with a shared future for humanity, Chinese Ambassador to the Republic of Congo Ma Fulin told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The lasting cooperation between China and the Republic of Congo primarily lies in mutual political trust, said Ma, adding that the two countries have been maintaining close high-level exchanges since forging diplomatic ties and in 2016 the two sides decided to upgrade the bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation.

The Republic of Congo has been exploring a development path befitting its national conditions and highly recognizes China's development path, which enables the two nations continue deepening their cooperation in various fields, said Ma.

Ma said that China and the Republic of Congo enjoy strong economic complementarities and both countries have a vision and needs for common development.

The Republic of Congo has been cooperating closely with China and seen a number of projects completed in the country, such as China-Congo Friendship Hospital and No.1 National Road, said Ma.

He also mentioned that the Sino-Congolese Bank for Africa (BSCA), a co-funded bank established by China and the Republic of Congo, is called "Congolese people's own commercial bank" locally.

Ma stressed that China-Congo cooperation, which sticks to the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith in China's African policy, is an important part of China-Africa cooperation.

Ma added that the target of cooperation between China and Africa is to realize common development and build new patterns of international relationship and a community with a shared future for humanity.

He said China does not interfere with other nation's internal affairs and aims to achieve mutual respect in cooperation. Meanwhile, China also focuses on the need of African nations in their respective development agenda.

Ma also expressed his belief that the upcoming summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to be held in Beijing in September will inject new impetus for future cooperation between China and Africa.NEW DELHI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Indian police have arrested some 40 people in northeastern state of Assam for spreading rumors about child lifters and hate messages on social media.

"The arrests came in the aftermath of Friday night's horrific lynching of two youths in Assam. These arrests are separate from the 25 people held so far for the lynching of the duo in Karbi Anglong district," a police official told the media Tuesday.

A mob of hundreds had beaten to death the duo- Niloptal Das, a 29-year-old sound engineer, and 30-year-old Abhijeet Nath, while they were on an adventure tourism in a village in Assam's Karbi Anglong, 200 km from capital Guwahati, suspecting them to be child-lifters.

"A massive manhunt is on to nab other accused in the lynching case," local police chief G.V. Siva Prasad told the media Monday.

State Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has issued a stern warning to people spreading fake rumours on social media. "People found circulating rumours would be dealt with very firmly," he told the media in Guwahati after holding a high-level security meeting Sunday.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 18:03:47|Editor: mmm

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BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- China's top economic planner has signed a memorandum with China Construction Bank to set up a fund investing in strategic emerging sectors.

In addition to the national-level development fund, the two parties will also establish underlying funds to attract private capital. The target fund volume is expected to be about 300 billion yuan (46.85 billion U.S. dollars), according to a statement released by the National Development and Research Commission (NDRC).

The money will be invested in sectors like advanced information technology, high-end equipment, new materials, and new energy vehicles to support major projects and develop industrial clusters of strategic emerging sectors.

China aims to lift the added value of strategic emerging sectors within its GDP to 15 percent in 2020 and nurture five new pillar sectors each with 10 trillion yuan in market scale.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 18:13:51|Editor: mmm

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JERUSALEM, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Israeli police investigators questioned Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday in the official prime minister's residence in Jerusalem over new evidence in a telecom-giant corruption case, in which he is a suspect.

A police spokesperson confirmed that the Israeli leader is being questioned over the so-called "Case 4000," a criminal investigation involving senior officials in Bezeq, Israel's largest telecommunication company, and in the government.

This is Netanyahu's third questioning in the high-profile case.

Israel's Ha'aretz newspaper reported that Netanyahu is questioned over the new testimony of Nir Hefetz, a former spokesman for Netanyahu and his close associate who turned state's witness against him on March 5.

Hefetz gave the police recordings and text messages allegedly indicating bribery.

According to the police, Shaul Elovitch, the control-holder of Bezeq, received regulatory and financial benefits from the communication ministry, during Netanyahu's term as a communication minister. In exchange, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, received positive coverage in Walla, a news site controlled by Elovitch.

Netanyahu has been entangled in a series of criminal investigations over alleged corruption.

In February, the police said there was enough evidence to charge Netanyahu with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in two separate cases. However, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has still to decide whether to press charges or drop the cases.SINGAPORE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), agreed Tuesday with U.S. President Donald Trump to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees.

Kim and Trump signed a joint statement after their meeting -- the first between a sitting U.S. president and a DPRK leader -- at the Capella Hotel in Singapore's resort island of Sentosa.

In the joint statement, Trump committed to providing security guarantees to the DPRK, while Kim reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The two leaders conducted a "comprehensive, in-depth and sincere exchange of opinions" on issues related to the establishment of a new DPRK-U.S. relationship and building a lasting and robust peace regime on the peninsula, the joint statement said.

They agreed to commit to establishing new DPRK-U.S. relations "in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity."

The statement said the two leaders are convinced that the establishment of new DPRK-U.S. relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and the world, and recognize that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearization of the peninsula.

Pyongyang and Washington will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the peninsula, according to the joint statement.

Reaffirming the Panmunjom Declaration, which South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim signed after the third inter-Korean summit on April 27 at the border village of Panmunjom, the DPRK agreed to commit to working toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, it added.

Pyongyang and Washington also agreed to commit to recovering the remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action during the 1950-53 Korean War, including an immediate repatriation of those already identified.

Kim and Trump acknowledged that the summit was of great significance in helping the two countries overcome decades of tension and hostilities and open up a new future in their relations.

They pledged to implement their agreement fully and expeditiously, concurring to hold follow-on negotiations to be led by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a high-level DPRK official at the earliest possible date.

The two leaders, the document said, have committed to cooperating for the development of new DPRK-U.S. relations and for the promotion of peace, prosperity and security of the Korean Peninsula and the rest of the world.

Kim and Trump started their first summit with a historic handshake that lasted for several seconds in front of a row of the national flags of the two countries.

"This is just a new beginning," Trump said while shaking hands with Kim.

Kim, dressed in a dark suit, and Trump, sporting a red tie, talked in a corner of the hotel corridor for a few minutes before they walked along the passage into the meeting room and sat down in front of journalists.

"The way coming here was not easy," Kim said.

"We had the past that grabbed our ankles and old prejudices and practices that covered our eyes and ears. We are here after overcoming all these," he said.

Predicting a success of the summit, Trump said it was "an honor" to meet with Kim face-to-face and that he would have "a terrific relationship" with the DPRK leader.

They met one on one for about 40 minutes, with only translators at their sides, before having an expanded meeting attended also by their key security and diplomatic aides.

On the DPRK side, Kim Yong Chol and Ri Su Yong, two vice chairmen of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee, and Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho were present.

Accompanying Trump were White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, National Security Advisor John Bolton, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

"Working together, we will get it taken care of," Trump said at the beginning of the expanded discussions, forecasting that he and Kim will solve "a big problem and a big dilemma."

Kim said he will "cooperate with President Trump to resolve the challenges ahead" and to overcome the skepticism and speculations about their summit.

More officials took part in the working lunch, with the additional participants on the U.S. side, including White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, National Security Council Senior Director for Asia Matt Pottinger, and senior diplomat Sung Kim, who has led substantive talks with Pyongyang into the summit.

Since taking over his country's leadership in late 2011, Kim had made only three known trips to foreign countries before the Singapore visit. He traveled to China twice and to the South Korean side of the truce village of Panmunjom.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 18:23:55|Editor: Li Xia

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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in Singapore on June 12, 2018. The United States will stop conducting war games with South Korea, U.S. President Donald Trump said here Tuesday after a historic summit with Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). (Xinhua/Ministry of Communication and Information of Singapore)

SINGAPORE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The United States will stop conducting war games with South Korea, U.S. President Donald Trump said here Tuesday after a historic summit with Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Answering questions at a press conference at the Capella Hotel in Singapore's resort island of Sentosa, where his meeting with Kim took place, Trump said it is not part of the equation now to bring home the U.S. soldiers stationed in South Korea.

But "we will be stopping the war games ... unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should," he said.

He added that such military drills are "very expensive" and "very provocative."

The DPRK has consistently denounced the military drills as a dress rehearsal for northward invasion.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 18:28:56|Editor: Xiang Bo

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WELLINGTON, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government on Tuesday approved an application under the Overseas Investment Act 2005 for a Chinese-owned company to purchase land to expand the existing Otakiri Springs water bottling plant near Whakatane.

The decision is conditional on Cresswell NZ Ltd providing an additional 60 fulltime jobs and getting the resource consents it needs under the Resource Management Act (RMA), Land Information Minister Eugenie Sage said in a statement.

Creswell NZ Ltd is wholly owned by Nongfu Spring Co Limited, one of China's bottled water suppliers. It applied to increase the amount of water it can draw from the Otakiri Springs in August last year.

The consent means Creswell NZ Ltd can purchase a freehold and leasehold interest in approximately 6.2 hectares of land at Otakiri, near Whakatane in the North Island.

The land is classed as sensitive under the Overseas Investment Act because it is more than 5 hectares of non-urban land and adjoins land held for conservation purposes, Sage said.

Associate Finance Minister David Clark said the Overseas Investment Office recommended approval as Creswell NZ Ltd met the test to provide substantial and identifiable benefits to New Zealand, "specifically more jobs, exports, greater productivity and additional capital investment for the country."

The company proposes to expand the existing water bottling plant and invest more than 42.5 million NZ dollars (29.9 million U.S. dollars) over four years to upgrade the plant and establish two new bottling lines. The expansion is expected to provide 60 fulltime jobs once the new plant is fully operational within four years, Clark said, adding that this is a substantial increase on the current eight jobs at the plant.

Sage said the overseas investment consent was also conditional on the company getting the water permits and other resource consents it needs under the RMA from the local council.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 18:38:58|Editor: Yamei

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SHANGHAI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Ctrip.com International, Ltd. Tuesday announced that it has further strengthened its strategic relationship with U.S.-based Booking Holdings.

The popular Chinese online travel agency said Gillian Tans, CEO of Booking.com, the largest business within Booking Holdings, has been designated as Booking Holdings' observer to the Ctrip board of directors.

Ctrip.com and Booking.com will continue to share access to each other's hotel inventory, allowing customers to select from a wider range of price competitive products globally.

Ctrip also established a commercial partnership with OpenTable, another Booking Holdings business. This allows Ctrip customers to make reservations for restaurants in North America on OpenTable.ISTANBUL, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Turkish and Bulgarian prime ministers on Tuesday pledged efforts to revive the Silk Road in a best possible way.

"As Bulgaria we fulfill our commitments," Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said in meeting with his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim in Turkey's western city of Izmir, according to CNNTurk, a private broadcaster.

Borisov said that his country will continue to improve relations with Turkey, especially in the fields of energy and transportation under the Silk Road project.

In his speech, Yildirim said the construction of a high-speed train project will start in a few months in Turkey as part of the trans-European transport network.

"The historic Silk Road will be revived from Istanbul to Edirne on a 232-kilometer-long line as part of a railway project that will connect the Balkans with the Far East," said Yildirim.

Edirne is a province in northwestern Turkey that borders Greece and Bulgaria.

According to Yildirim, Turkey will further improve transit connections with Bulgaria via highways and railways.

The delegations of Turkey and Bulgaria are scheduled to attend the inauguration of a Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline project that will carry Azeri gas to Europe.

Around 10 billion cubic meters of Azeri gas will be transported to Europe per year via Turkey through the pipeline, said Yildirim.BERLIN, June 12 (Xinhua) -- German law enforcement authority revealed on Tuesday that police have arrested a suspect allegedly involved in the Islamic State (IS).

According to a statement posted on the official website of the Federal Prosecutor General of the Federal Court of Justice, the accused is "strongly suspected of having participated" as a member of the foreign terrorist organizations Islamic State.

The 18-year-old Iraqi national Arqam A. is charged of various acts, including joining the IS in October 2014 in Mosul, Iraq, completing a military training, providing security services at the IS, and participating in battles for the Iraqi city of Baidschi.

According to the arrest warrant, in October 2015, the accused left Iraq, and in February 2016, he traveled to Germany.

The suspect's apartment in Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg was searched.BERLIN, June 12 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of major international economic and financial organizations on Monday reaffirmed strong support for the multilateral trading system while warning of rising protectionism.

In a joint statement after their annual meeting here, they said, "Increasing protectionist tendencies provide us with a clear incentive and opportunity to express our strong support for the multilateral trading system."

The leaders are from the World Trade Organization (WTO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, International Labour Organization (ILO), and the African Development Bank.

"AMERICA FIRST" UNDER ATTACK

At a press conference, WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo criticized the U.S. trade measures meant to put "America First".

The United States has been focusing much more on bilateral measures, sometimes even unilateral measures, which is not something that is supportive of the rules-based trading system, he said.

Merkel, who just came back from the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Canada, said that with the United States imposing import tariffs on European Union (EU) steel and aluminum products, "multilateralism right now is in a complicated and difficult phase."

On Sunday, the German chancellor voiced disappointment at U.S. President Donald Trump's last-minute decision to withdraw from a hard-won joint G7 declaration on free trade at the summit and threat to take more trade measures against the EU.

Azevedo called for a halt in the escalation of trade tensions, saying they were not helping the international trade that is essential for global economic prosperity.

PROTECTIONISM HARMING GLOBAL GROWTH

The IMF predicted that the global economy would grow 3.9 percent both in 2018 and 2019, slightly up from last year's 3.8 percent.

The WTO anticipated a merchandise trade volume growth of 4.4 percent in 2018, although a continued escalation of trade-restrictive policies could lead to a significantly lower number, while the ILO expected the global unemployment rate to fall slightly to 5.5 percent this year.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde said the global economy is still in a favorable shape, but the cloud over it "is getting darker" as U.S. trade policies posed challenges to world trade and damaged business confidence.

"The biggest and darkest cloud that we see is the deterioration in confidence that is prompted by (an) attempt to challenge the way in which trade has been conducted, in which relationships have been handled and in which multilateral organizations have been operating," Lagarde said.

Merkel said leaders at the Berlin meeting were convinced that sustainable world economic development can be achieved only by cooperation.

"Trade policy cooperation and coordination are more than ever of utmost importance to us," the leaders said in the joint statement.

In addition to rising protectionism, the leaders thought that the world economy is confronting other downside risks too, such as a sudden tightening of financial conditions and stronger capital flow reversals.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 19:45:43|Editor: Li Xia

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People queue up for the train to home at Pasar Senen train station in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 12, 2018. Indonesia's traffic reached its peak each year during the travel period as millions of people travel to their hometowns by plane, ship, car or motorbike to celebrate the upcoming Eid al-Fitr festival. (Xinhua/Agung Kuncahya B.)Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 19:44:19|Editor: Yamei

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BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese banks extended 1.15 trillion yuan (about 179.7 billion U.S. dollars) in new yuan-denominated loans in May, edging down from 1.18 trillion yuan in April, central bank data showed Tuesday.

The figure was 40.5 billion yuan more than the same period last year, the People's Bank of China said in an online statement.

As of the end of May, outstanding yuan loans grew 12 percent from a year earlier to 132.89 trillion yuan.

The M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, grew 8.3 percent year on year, unchanged with a month earlier.

The narrow measure of money supply (M1), which covers cash in circulation plus demand deposits, rose 6 percent year-on-year at the end of May, down from 7.2 percent at the end of April.

Total social finance, a broad measure of funds that non-financial firms and households get from the financial system, increased by 760.8 billion yuan in May, 302.3 billion yuan less than a year earlier.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 19:49:21|Editor: Yamei

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BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- China said Tuesday that it would ease restrictions on foreign institutional investors in a step to open its financial market wider.

New rules for the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (QFII) and the RMB Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (RQFII) programs will make it easier for investors to move funds out of the Chinese mainland, according to the People's Bank of China and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

Regulators will scrap a rule that limits the amount of funds that QFIIs can take out of the mainland every month at 20 percent of its mainland assets as of the end of the previous year.

The requirements for a three-month capital lock-up period for QFII and RQFII redemptions will be removed, according to the new rules unveiled with immediate effect.

QFIIs and RQFIIs will also be allowed to make forex hedges on their investments in the mainland to offset risk from forex movements.

The QFII program allows licensed overseas investors to invest in the mainland's yuan-denominated capital market, while the RQFII program allows foreign institutional investors to invest in the mainland's onshore market with offshore RMB deposits.

As of the end of May, 287 overseas institutions had received quotas amounting to a total of 99.46 billion U.S. dollars under the QFII program, while the quotas in the RQFII program came in at 615.85 billion yuan (about 96.2 billion U.S. dollars) for 196 institutional investors from abroad.Azerbaijan's army conducts combat readiness drills Source: Xinhua 2018-06-12 19:49:21 BAKU, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The Azerbaijani army's missile units on Tuesday conducted firing drills aimed at evaluating combat readiness, the country's Defense Ministry said. The army launched modern anti-tank guided missiles. The exercises were performed under both daytime and nighttime conditions, involving weapon systems capable of destroying tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other types of armored vehicles, the ministry said in a statement. Editor: Li Xia Related News Back to TopSource: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 19:54:23|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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Ethiopian migrants rest on roadside in the outskirts of Sanaa, Yemen, June 14, 2018. It is estimated that every year thousands of Ethiopians looking for better economic opportunities abroad are trafficked through Somalia, Djibouti, the Red Sea and Indian Ocean to reach the Arabian Peninsula. Ethiopian migrants in Yemen reportedly face constant abuses by smugglers and other criminals, including arbitrary detention, physical violence, sexual assaults and forced labor. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed)

ADDIS ABABA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The Federal Government Communication Affairs Office of Ethiopia (GCAO) confirmed on Tuesday the drowning of 46 of its nationals in the Indian ocean earlier this month.

On June 6, a boat carrying 100 Ethiopians disembarked from the port of Bosaso in Somalia hoping to reach the Yemeni coast.

However, the boat capsized in the Indian ocean before it could reach the Yemeni coast leaving 46 dead. Fifteen others are still missing. The remaining 39 Ethiopians were rescued by Yemeni locals.

GCAO said it had confirmed the boat was carrying people beyond its capacity and is working with the International Organization for Migration to give emergency health treatment to the survivors of the boat wreck which is currently sheltered in Yemen.

GCAO further said it's working with regional and international organizations to bring to justice human traffickers who are responsible for such kind of tragedies.

It is estimated that every year thousands of Ethiopians looking for better economic opportunities abroad are trafficked through Somalia, Djibouti, the Red Sea and Indian Ocean to reach the Arabian Peninsula.

Ethiopian migrants in Yemen reportedly face constant abuses by smugglers and other criminals, including arbitrary detention, physical violence, sexual assaults and forced labor.JUBA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan said Tuesday that it is ready to start processing and issuing East African Community (EAC) electronic passport to enhance cross-border movement of people and goods.

Mou Mou Athian, the under-secretary in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and East African Affairs, said the e-passport is expected to unleash benefits linked to regional integration.

"We are ready to start issuance of the EAC digital passport to our citizens because it is very important to have one society that is governed by a common market protocol," Athian told journalists in Juba.

He said the e-passport will have categories that include diplomatic, service and ordinary and its validity depends on the beholders' terms though it is set for 10 years validation.

The move came after the regional economic bloc set August as the deadline for South Sudan and Rwanda to start issuing their citizens the electronic passports.

Last year, the EAC's six partner states including South Sudan were directed to start issuing the new East Africa machine readable electronic passports by January but the preparedness of each member state was considered.

South Sudan applied for membership to the EAC as soon as it gained independence from Sudan in 2011. However, its application was declined because of the country's institutional weakness.

In 2016, South Sudan was officially admitted to become the sixth member of the EAC after President Salva Kiir signed an accession treaty in Tanzania's commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.

The East African Community was originally formed by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda before Rwanda and Burundi joined the bloc a couple of years later.SINGAPORE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday expressed optimism that the denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula would "start soon" and hopes that China could participate in the signing process of a peace treaty.

At a press conference at the Capella Hotel in Singapore's Sentosa Island Tuesday afternoon, Trump called his meeting with Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), "honest, direct, and productive."

Kim has "reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Trump said, adding that the denuclearization process will start "right away."

"We will do it as fast as it can mechanically and physically be done," he said.

However, Trump also said denuclearization will take time.

According to the president, the U.S. side will meet next week to "go over the details." He also wants to work with China, South Korea and Japan. "China is very helpful," Trump said.

He said at present, sanctions against the DPRK remain, but he looks forward to ending the sanctions if relations progress.

As for a peace treaty in replacement of the current armistice agreement after the 1950-53 Korean War, Trump said he very much wants China to participate in its signing.

"I think it would be great to have China involved and also of course, South Korea," he said.

When asked about establishing diplomatic ties between the United States and the DPRK, the president said "hopefully soon" but it's still "a bit early for that."

Kim and Trump held the summit here on Tuesday morning, and signed a joint statement at noon.

In the joint statement, the DPRK and the United States said they would commit to establishing a new relationship, and that the DPRK would work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Both sides said they are committed to jointly building a lasting and stable peace regime on the peninsula, and to recovering the remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action from the Korean War.TOKYO, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe on Tuesday welcomed the historic summit held between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

At a press conference, the Japanese leader hailed the agreement signed by U.S. President Donald Trump and DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un in which the two agreed to a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees for the DPRK.

He noted that such a move would be "a step toward the comprehensive resolution of various issues."

Earlier in the day, the Japanese prime minister told reporters that he had high hopes that the U.S.-DPRK summit would bring about a successful resolution to the DPRK's nuclear and missile program.

Abe said that the DPRK could be facing a brighter and more prosperous future.

The DPRK "has rich natural resources and a diligent workforce. It will have a bright future if it treads down the right path," Abe added.SEOUL, June 12 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday called the summit between top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump a "success."

In a statement, Moon applauded Kim and Trump for their courage and determination to take a daring step towards change.

Moon said the joint statement signed by the two leaders will be recorded as a historic event that would help dissolve the last remaining vestige of the Cold War.

Under the joint statement, Pyongyang and Washington agreed to a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees for the DPRK.

The two countries agreed to establish a new kind of bilateral relations under the joint statement.

Moon said it was a great victory achieved by both the United States and the two Koreas, and a huge step forward for people across the world who long for peace.

The South Korean president also extended his heartfelt appreciation to Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and other world leaders who helped make the summit a success.

"We will write a new chapter of peace and cooperation leaving the dark days of war and conflict behind," said Moon, who vowed to be there together with the DPRK along the way.

Moon said there may be many difficulties ahead as the DPRK-U.S. summit was just a beginning, but noted that South Korea would never give up on this bold journey.

He said history is a record of people who take action and rise to a challenge, noting that his government will spare no effort to ensure that the U.S.-DPRK agreement is implemented in its entirety.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 20:49:45|Editor: Li Xia

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BEIRUT, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Tourism activity is low in Lebanese capital Beirut due to the absence of Gulf visitors, said Pierre Ashkar, president of the Syndicate of Hotel Owners in Lebanon Tuesday.

Ashkar added that only 10 percent increase from the prior year is witnessed in hotel reservations for the coming three-day holiday Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, Muslim's holy month of fasting.

Last November, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait warned their citizens against traveling to Lebanon due to a Lebanese-Saudi crisis caused by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri's controversial resignation in Riyadh which he rescinded soon after.

Ashkar said that tourism activity will improve only when tourists from the Gulf return to Lebanon.

"Gulf tourists used to make up 60 percent of total visitors to Lebanon," he said. "Now they constitute 4 percent only."

Ashkar noted that Gulf tourists are the ones who spend money the most in Lebanon compared to other nationalities. "They also stay for long periods unlike tourists with other nationalities who come for only two or three days," he added.

Ashkar added that Gulf tourists' return to Lebanon depends on the country's government formation.

Lebanon succeeded in holding the first parliamentary elections in nine years but it still faces the challenge of overcoming all hurdles that may hinder cabinet formation.

"Gulf authorities will assess the situation following the government formation to decide whether to allow their nationals to visit Lebanon or not," he said.

Representatives of hotels also told Xinhua that demand from Gulf nationals for Beirut's hotels is very shy and the tourism activity is low for Eid al-Fitr.

"Reservations at Beirut's big hotels do not surpass 70 percent for this period," said Ayman Nasser el-Dine, operations manager at Beirut's Hotel Cavalier.

Nasser el-Dine said his hotel did not witness any increase in demand for this year's Eid al-Fitr compared to the same period last year.

He noted that Gulf tourists are absent. "Gulf tourists prefer to come to Lebanon by land using their cars but the Syrian conflict prevents them from doing so nowadays," he said.

"In my opinion, most of these people prefer to go to Turkey for vacation instead of coming to Lebanon for the time being," he added.

Nasser El Dine said that reservations at his hotel for Eid al-Fitr this year is made by Syrians mostly, and Europeans.

Likewise, Rita Saad, director of marketing at Le Grey hotel, said most of the demand at her hotel comes from Europeans.

A recent study by Lebanon's Blominvest Bank stated that the total number of tourists in Lebanon rose by 5 percent in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the same period last year.

The increase, it said, is due to the yearly growths recorded in tourist arrivals from Europe and America which together comprised 49.56 percent.

Saad said that demand for rooms at le Grey for Eid al-Fitr stands at 87 percent this year, which is slightly higher than last year due to positive vibes stemmed from parliamentary elections.

"We have some demand by Kuwaitis and Emiratis but not Saudis," she said.

Meanwhile, Mohamad Faraj, operations manager at White House furnished apartment for tourists, reported a very low reservations rate of 10 percent.

"The small demand we have is by Iraqis who come for medical purposes but we have not seen any people from the Gulf since 2007," he said.KIEV, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The State Property Fund of Ukraine is targeting to earn between 57 million U.S. dollars and 65 million dollars from the privatization of small facilities in 2018, Vitalii Trubarov, acting head of the fund, said on Facebook on Tuesday.

Currently, the government plans to privatize more than 700 facilities under the "small privatization" list and the list could be expanded, Trubarov said.

The privatization, which will start later this month, will be carried out through the online platform ProZorro, he said.

In March, the Ukrainian government has approved a list of about 576 small facilities, which could be sold to private investors this year. Last month, the list was expanded to 716 objects.

The facilities include the government-owned assets and municipal enterprises and the property of these enterprises, including completed and unfinished buildings, equipment, and social and cultural objects.

Under its "big privatization" list, the Ukrainian government plans to sell 22 large enterprises in 2018.

This year, Ukraine has adopted new legislation on the privatization of state property, aimed at attracting more investors.

The legislation provides an opportunity for investors to sign contracts with the Ukrainian government and to settle disputes with it in accordance to international law.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 20:59:47|Editor: Li Xia

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TRIPOLI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- A double car bomb suicide attack targeted a heavily populated neighborhood in the eastern Libyan city of Darna on Tuesday, killing and injuring a number of civilians, a military source said.

"A suicide attack was carried out by the remnants of the Darna terrorist council with two car bombs in the eastern neighborhood of Sheha on our forces in the neighborhood," Mohammed Khalid, an officer of the army's operations chamber of Darna, told Xinhua.

The final casualties is yet to come, Khalid said.

A similar suicide attack with two car bombs on Monday injured four army soldiers near the city's seaport.

The eastern-based army, led by General Khalifa Haftar, is launching a military operation to take over Darna from the militants who control the coastal city.

The army has besieged Darna since 2015, demanding that the armed group of the Shura Council (Consultative Council) of the Mujahideen in Darna, a coalition of Islamist militias, leave. The army accuses the group of being loyal to al-Qaida.

Since the beginning of the fight between the army and the militants, more than 30 soldiers were killed and 40 others were injured so far, according to medical and military sources.

Army spokesman announced on Sunday that the army has taken over more than 90 percent of Darna, expecting full control of the city in the next few days.by Xinhua writers Fei Liena, Lin Hao

SINGAPORE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- For the first time, the sitting leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States shook hands here on Tuesday under intense global gaze.

Just past 8:00 a.m. (0000 GMT), a motorcade carrying U.S. President Donald Trump left the Shangri-La Hotel for the Capella Hotel in Singapore's Sentosa Island. A few minutes later, DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un's motorcade departed for the summit.

Five minutes before 9:00 a.m. (0100 GMT), a serious-looking Kim, with glasses in one hand and a folder in the other, walked inside the building, followed by Trump wearing a dark-blue suit and a red tie.

At 9:04 a.m. (0104 GMT), the two leaders walked slowly up to each other in the two corridors on each side of the building, and met at the entrance against the backdrop of six DPRK flags and six U.S. flags.

"This is just a new beginning," Trump said, shaking hands with Kim for more than 10 seconds. Kim smiled and nodded.

After posing for the cameras, the two leaders talked privately for a little while. Then they entered a room to start their one-on-one talks.

Trump predicted that the discussion would be "tremendously successful". "We will have a terrific relationship. I have no doubt," he said.

Kim laughed on hearing this. "The way coming here was not easy. We had the past that grabbed our ankles and old prejudices and practices that covered our eyes and ears. We are here after overcoming all these," he said.

"That's true," Trump agreed, shaking Kim's hand again and giving him a thumbs-up. Then the reporters were cleared out the room.

At 9:56 a.m. (0156 GMT), Kim and Trump re-emerged, sitting face-to-face with their top aides.

"Working together, we'll get it taken care of," Trump said to Kim, referring to the Korean Peninsula denuclearization issue.

In response, Kim said he will "cooperate with President Trump to resolve the challenges ahead" and to overcome the skepticism and speculations about their summit.

Trump said, "We will solve it. We will be successful. I look forward to working with you. It will be done."

At noon, the two leaders had a working lunch together when they chatted.

About one hour later, they took a short walk around the hotel. Trump told reporters that things went "better than anybody could have expected," and they were going to sign a document.

At the signing ceremony, Trump said the document was "important" and "comprehensive".

Kim called it "a historic document," saying the two sides will "leave the past behind" and the world will "see a major change."

Then he signed the document, a joint statement both in Korean and English, with a pen with "Kim Jong Un" engraved on it.

Asked about the Korean Peninsula denuclearization, Trump said, "We are starting that process very, very quickly, absolutely."

In the joint statement, the DPRK and the United States were committed to establish a new relationship, and the DPRK was committed to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Both sides were also committed to make joint efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, and recover the remains of the prisoners of war and those missing in action in the Korean War (1950-53).

Since the Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice, the DPRK and the United States had been locked in confrontational rhetoric and behavior.

But things took a dramatic turn this year when the DPRK dispatched its athletes to participate in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea in February. Later, Kim made two trips to China, and met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in twice in one month. He also extended an invitation to Trump for a meeting, which was accepted by the U.S. president.

However, the meeting was not roses all the way. In late May, Trump abruptly decided to withdraw from the summit. In a letter to Kim, the U.S. leader said he felt it "inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting."

Now that the two leaders have finally had their handshake, the world is waiting to see what happens next.

According to Lee Sang-man, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies of Kyungnam University in Seoul, the fact that Kim and Trump sat down at the same table and talked is "epoch-making".

"The DPRK-U.S. summit itself (is) a first step toward opening a new era of (a) denuclearized Korean Peninsula," he said.ULAN BATOR, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia and Nepal signed a Memorandum of Understanding to set up a bilateral mechanism to deepen ties, said Mongolia's foreign ministry.

The memorandum was signed as Mongolian Foreign Minister Damdin Tsogtbaatar met with a visiting delegation led by his Nepalese counterpart, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali.

The ministers of the two landlocked countries expressed their confidence that relations and cooperation will continue to grow.

The two foreign ministers also stressed the importance of expanding their bilateral ties at the regional and international levels.

The Nepalese delegation arrived here Saturday to attend a conference of landlocked developing countries.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 21:39:56|Editor: Li Xia

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VIENNA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The UN's nuclear watchdog welcomed on Tuesday a joint statement between U.S. President Donald Trump and top leader Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) that commits to a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) previously voiced its expectation for progress to be made at the summit, noting its readiness to play a role in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"I welcome today's Joint Statement of President Trump of the United States and Chairman Kim of the DPRK at the Singapore Summit which includes the DPRK's commitment towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," said IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano.

A joint statement was made at the historic meeting between the DPRK and U.S. leaders, noting that the DPRK has committed to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for a guarantee of its security.

The IAEA said it will closely follow subsequent meetings between the two countries.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 21:44:57|Editor: Li Xia

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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in Singapore on June 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Zhu Hongye)

SINGAPORE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The United States will stop holding war games with South Korea, U.S. President Donald Trump said here Tuesday after a historic summit with Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Answering questions at a press conference at the Capella Hotel on Singapore's resort island of Sentosa, where his meeting with Kim took place, Trump said bringing home U.S. soldiers stationed in South Korea is currently not part of the equation.

But "we will be stopping the war games ... unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should," he said.

He added that such military drills are "very expensive" and significants costs could be saved if they ended.

The DPRK has consistently denounced the military drills as a dress rehearsal for a northward invasion.

The annual South Korea-U.S. military drills are carried out twice in spring and fall. This year, the springtime war games were conducted in April, delayed due to South Korea hosting the Winter Olympics. The autumn military drills were scheduled for August.

In a joint statement, Kim and Trump agreed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees for the DPRK, something Trump has confirmed. Kim also confirmed his "unwavering" commitment to complete denuclearization.

The U.S. president said he ultimately wanted to bring the U.S. soldiers stationed in South Korea home, although currently he had no plan to scale back the U.S. military presence there.

About 28,500 U.S. troops are currently stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.

During his talks with Trump, Kim said his country is ready to destroy its major missile engine testing site.

Pyongyang already blew up its Punggye-ri nuclear test site, where the country conducted all of its six nuclear tests.

Trump said his meeting with Kim was honest, bold and productive, noting that Kim was firm about denuclearization.

Before the press conference, Trump said at the signing ceremony with Kim that the denuclearization process would begin "very quickly," adding that he would meet the DPRK leader several more times.

Trump told reporters that he would invite Kim to the White House and visit Pyongyang at an appropriate time, adding that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton would meet with DPRK officials next week for further nuclear talks.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 21:44:58|Editor: Yamei

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An Airbus A330 aircraft of China's Hainan Airlines is seen at Dublin Airport in Dublin, Ireland, June 12, 2018. The direct flight between Dublin and Beijing, capital of China, was launched here Tuesday morning as the Airbus A330 aircraft of Hainan Airlines departed Dublin Airport. This is the first direct flight linking Dublin with Beijing, and also the first between Ireland and the Chinese mainland. (Xinhua)

DUBLIN, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The direct flight service between Ireland's Dublin and China's Beijing was launched here on Tuesday morning as an Airbus A330 aircraft of Hainan Airlines departed the Dublin Airport almost exactly at the time scheduled.



This is the first direct flight ever launched by Dublin Airport to connect the Irish capital with the Chinese capital.

Prior to the departure of the flight, a brief ceremony was held at Terminal One of Dublin Airport, which involved speeches from officials of Dublin Airport, Hainan Airlines and the Chinese embassy in Ireland. A cake-cutting and a ribbon-cutting were also held at the ceremony.

Commenting on the launch of Tuesday's maiden flight from Dublin to Beijing, Dublin Airport Managing Director Vincent Harrison said that it was a historic day for the airport.

"Trade between Ireland and China is hugely important for our economy," said Harrison, adding that the new direct route will greatly facilitate Irish firms and exporters with operations and clients in China as well as Chinese financial services and technology companies investing in Ireland.

According to Harrison, Ireland is also home to more than 5,000 Chinese students attending Irish educational institutions and each year there are estimated 30,000 people travelling between Dublin and Beijing.

He said the launch of the direct Dublin-Beijing flight route will make travellers between Ireland and China much easier.

The direct Dublin-Beijing flight service is operated by Hainan Airlines on a four-days-a-week basis with non-stop flights between Dublin and Beijing as well as flights with a stopover in Britain's city of Edinburgh.

Hainan Airlines is a major airline in China with a fleet size of over 400 planes which offer nearly 1,800 flight routes to over 220 destinations around the world.

Dublin Airport is the largest airport in Ireland which annually handles about 85 percent of the total flight passengers in the country.

Earlier on June 2, a Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific also opened its first direct flight service between Hong Kong and Dublin.

With the opening of these two direct flight routes, the economic and people-to-people exchanges between China and Ireland will surely be strengthened, said an official from the Chinese embassy in Ireland.BUCHAREST, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Closing the gap between Romania and Western Europe and the further modernization of the country depend on investment in innovation, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday.

"Romania faces the challenge of reducing the economic and social gaps still separating it from Western Europe," Iohannis told the "We are inventing the future! Our bet on science!" conference at the Royal Palace.

"The modernization of Romania over the next decades depends, to a decisive extent, on investment in innovation that will lead to the development of a knowledge-based economy able to smartly and sustainably exploit the technological challenges of the future," Iohannis said.

Particular attention should be paid to the stimulation of major projects in strategic areas and high added-value, he stressed.

He cited the development of the Magurele Science Park in southwestern Bucharest, which marks a very important step forward toward increasing the connectivity between academia and the private sector and will bring a number of benefits to both the local community and the whole country.

The president added that research is indispensable to any strategy for sustainable economic growth and "increasing the absorption of European funds, as well as private investment, are a necessity for Romania if it is to develop its research infrastructure".Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 21:55:03|Editor: Li Xia

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By Pankaj Yadav

NEW DELHI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- India has indigenously developed "lithium-ion" (Li-Ion) cells technology, said a scientist who worked on the project for five years.

India presently imports Li-Ion batteries from countries such as China, Japan and South Korea, among others.

The development of the Li-Ion cells technology will lead to cost-cutting by up to 20 to 30 percent, said the scientist.

The milestone was achieved with the joint effort of the "Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CECRI)", based in southern state of Tamil Nadu and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research's (CSIR) lab in New Delhi.

Now, the CECRI and the RAASI Solar Power Private Limited have signed an agreement for transfer of technology and further commercialisation of the project, said Jonas Davidson, the principal scientist and the business development officer with CECRI.

"This project took us five years to complete. This development of the technology would lead to cost cutting in the manufacturing of Li-Ion batteries in India to the extent of 20 to 30 percent compared to the cost at which we import them from other countries," Davidson told Xinhua.

CSIR-CECRI has set up a demonstration facility in Chennai, capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, to manufacture prototype Li-Ion cells.

India is one of the largest importers of Li-Ion batteries. In 2017, it imported nearly 150 million U.S. dollars worth of such batteries.

In an official statement, the country's Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan said that the indigenous development of Li-Ion battery technology will give tremendous boost to two flagship programs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- increasing the share of clean energy in the energy basket by generating 175 gigawatts by 2022 and the second "National Electric Mobility Mission" to switch completely to electric vehicles by 2030.

"The development of the technology is a validation of the capabilities of CSIR and its laboratories to meet technology in critical areas to support our industry, besides other sectors," added the minister.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 22:00:05|Editor: Yamei

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Tian Kun Hao, a Chinese-built dredging vessel, the largest of its kind in Asia, berths at a port in Qidong City, east China's Jiangsu Province, June 7, 2018. Tian Kun Hao, constructed by Tianjin Dredging Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of China Communication Construction Co., Ltd. (CCCC), finished its first sea trial. The 140-meter-long vessel, with the designed capacity to dredge 6,000 cubic meters per hour, can dig as deep as 35 meters under the sea floor. (Xinhua/Mao Zhenhua)

TIANJIN, June 12 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese-built dredging vessel, the largest of its kind in Asia, returned to the shipyard in Qidong city of east China's Jiangsu Province Tuesday after completing its first sea trial.

The 140-meter-long vessel, named Tian Kun Hao, can dig as deep as 35 meters under the sea floor and dredge 6,000 cubic meters per hour.



"The sea trial was challenging yet successful," said Wang Jian, deputy chief engineer of the vessel's investor, Tianjin Dredging Co., a subsidiary of China Communication Construction Co. "The power and propelling systems of the ship withstood the test of the sea."

During the four-day trial, the vessel's navigational aids such as the radar and gyrocompass were also tested. More than 120 staff, including vessel crew and engineers, were on board.

After the trial, the manufacturer, the Qidong maritime engineering company of the Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co. will fix the problems found during the test.

The vessel is expected to be delivered to Tianjin Dredging in August.BERLIN, June 12 (Xinhua) -- A large group of parliamentary delegates in Germany's federal parliament (Bundestag) have called for the creation of a Franco-German public investment fund on Tuesday as a means to enhance cross-border cooperation between the two neighboring countries.

"In order for the border regions to truly merge together, we need a Franco-German investment fund", the joint statement signed by 116 delegates from states located on Germany's border with France argued. The motion was devised by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), German Social Democrats (SPD), Greens (Gruene) and Free Democratic Party (FDP) politicians as a contribution to an ongoing overhaul of the bilateral Elysee treaty signed by Berlin and Paris in 1963.

The joint statement published on Tuesday emphasized that German national programs, such as those concerning federal transportation routes, energy network expansion and the provision of high-speed internet, needed to be "conceptualized beyond the border" and "linked to corresponding French programs." The continuous build-up of infrastructure in Western German states like Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Baden-Wuerttemberg in particular needed to occur in close cooperation with French policymakers in adjacent regions.

Additionally, the parliamentary delegates expressed their support for a proposal by French president Emmanuel Macron to establish a more deeply-integrated Franco-German economic zone. "We welcome this initiative and call for the commencement of its implementation by dismantling all barriers to business in the border regions", the document read.

Other potential areas of cooperation between Germany and France identified in the joint-statement were labor market, security and environmental policy. The proposals entailed in the paper will form part of the wider agenda discussed in a joint Franco-German council of government ministers scheduled for the coming week.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 22:00:07|Editor: Li Xia

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RAMALLAH, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The consensus government of the Palestinian Authority, headed by Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, rejected on Tuesday accusations of imposing "punitive measures" against the Gaza Strip.

The government said in a press statement following its weekly meeting held in Ramallah that it still bears its responsibility towards the coastal enclave, which is still controlled by Islamic Hamas movement and has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.

The statement denounced what it called "the alleged attempts of misinformation and fabrications, which aim at diverting attention from the real responsibility towards the suffering of the Gaza Strip and to confuse the public opinion."

The consensus government criticized those who blamed the government for not paying salaries and ignoring the humanitarian problems, saying that the crisis was caused by Israeli occupation of Gaza since 11 years ago.

"Cutting off salaries can never be punitive against Gaza, it is temporary," said the statement, adding that a total of 15,000 civil servants and 20,000 military employees have been paid half of their salaries.

The statement said the government spent 300 million Israeli Shekels (83.85 million U.S. dollars) without getting anything in return from Gaza, adding "in spite of this, the government is still committed to Gaza."

Earlier Tuesday, dozens of Palestinians demonstrated in the West Bank city of Ramallah demanding the Palestinian Authority to pay full salaries to its employees in the Gaza Strip. It is the second demonstration within the coming two days.

Three months ago, the Palestinian Authority reduced the salaries of its employees in the Gaza Strip and only paid part of it. According to the official figures, 58,000 civil servants and security employees work in Gaza.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 22:05:09|Editor: Li Xia

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GAZA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian observers believe that there is still little chance to reach a long-term truce agreement between the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip and Israel.

International calls have increased recently for the need to find solutions to the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israel blockade since mid-2007.

The calls came amid growing tension on the borders of the Gaza Strip and Israel where the Palestinians have launched ongoing anti-Israel protests that have so far left 127 Palestinians dead and tens of thousands wounded.

Recent reports said international and regional efforts had reached a truce agreement Israel and Hamas, which has been in control of the Gaza Strip since 2007.

According to the reports, the supposed four-year agreement will include Israeli humanitarian facilitations to improve the economic and humanitarian situation in the seaside territory.

On Sunday, the Israeli mini-cabinet held a meeting to discuss the growing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and ways possible to ease the conditions there.

However, observers believe an agreement between Israel and Hamas to cool tension and avoid a possible military confrontation is still out of reach.

"Such an agreement is not easy to reach," Gaza-based writer and political analyst Adnan Abu Amer told Xinhua.

The gaps between Israel and Hamas are wide and difficult to bridge, he said. "This means that the situation will not change."

Abu Amer added that reports about a solution to Gaza's crises are nothing more than trial balloons.

"The Israelis do not see themselves forced to end the humanitarian crisis of the Gaza Strip... the most likely option is to continue formal actions to manage the crisis, not solve it fully," he pointed out.

Gaza has been placed under a tight Israeli blockade since the Islamic Hamas movement seized the territory by force after routing forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007.

In the past six years, Israel and Hamas have been engaged in three major wars that have claimed the lives of thousands of Palestinians and Israelis.

The blockade has pushed Gaza's populations deeper into poverty as economists in Gaza point out that extreme poverty hit 53 percent in 2017 compared with 37 percent in 2011.

The coastal enclave has also been suffering from a political division that was caused by Hamas violent takeover of Gaza.

Political analyst Hani Habib from Gaza believes that holding a meeting of the Israeli cabinet to discuss the situation in Gaza means there has been some action to set a plan to solve the crisis of Gaza.

But Habib said that there is no internal Israeli consensus on the plan, pointing out that Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman opposes such a plan.

"Lieberman believes that the idea that giving facilitation to Gaza would help cool the security situation in Israel is a completely wrong bet," Habib told Xinhua.

He said that Israel has monitored the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza for one year without providing any solution, adding that Israel has seriously started to search for solutions after the "Great March of Return" along the Gaza-Israel borders, which demands the return of Palestinian refugees who were forced to leave their cities during the Arab-Israeli war in 1948 as well as lifting the blockade.

Habib linked the talk of a solution to the crisis in Gaza and the possibility of announcing the U.S. administration's peace plan of the deal of the century "which will focus on the Gaza Strip specifically to promote the internal Palestinian division."

In March, the White House hosted an international meeting that was attended by 19 countries, including Israel and Arab Gulf states, to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The meeting was boycotted by the Palestinian Authority, which said the meeting is meant to undermine the "national Palestinian project" by creating a state in Gaza.

"Israel is not going to reach any agreement with any Palestinian party as Israel's main political factions seek to complicate the conflict with the Palestinians," Ramallah-based expert of Israeli affairs, Ashraf al-Ajrami, told Xinhua.

He noted that a recent Israeli poll found that the ruling Likud party would win 31 seats in the Knesset (Israel's parliament) if elections were held now, keeping it as the largest faction in parliament with one more seat than it currently has.

Al-Ajrami said the Israeli far-right succeeded in raising fear of the Israeli public of developments in the region and the alleged threats to Israel's security.

"This gave the Israeli public the feeling that a right-wing government must be in power to deal with these challenges, which undermines any chances of agreements with the Palestinians," he pointed out.CAIRO, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stressed on Tuesday that his country will continue to make an effort to prevent deterioration of the situation in Syria, official MENA News Agency reported.

"Egypt will also go on in maintaining the rights of the Syrian people and their interests based on the firm stances of preserving the unity of the Syrian territories," the president told the visiting United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.

The president highlighted the importance of mobilizing efforts of the international community to draft a permanent and comprehensive solution to the Syrian crisis that has torn the country since 2011.

Sisi noted that Egypt was ready to intensify its contacts with other parties to reach a permanent political solution to the long-standing conflict based on common concepts.

Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said the UN envoy asserted the importance of the Egyptian role in the Middle East region as a main pillar of stability in the region.NAIROBI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Heavy borrowing from the domestic market to meet budget deficit has seen the Kenyan government exceed its target for this financial year as it nears the end.

Domestic borrowing currently stands at 2.87 billion U.S. dollars for the financial year 2017/2018, an excess of 181 million dollars, according to Treasury on Tuesday.

The government had targeted to borrow some 2.75 billion dollars by the end of this financial year. The excess borrowing can be attributed to last year's two elections, which led to heavy spending.

The government is also funding several infrastructure projects that include road construction. The borrowing is expected to rise in the next two weeks before end of the financial year.

The government is currently selling a 400 million dollars bond, besides the weekly Treasury bills amid high investor appetite.

"Borrowing from domestic market is projected at 2.93 billion dollars at the end of June and external borrowing at 3.2 billion dollars," said the Treasury in a debt brief.

According to the Central Bank, current domestic debt stands at 24.4 billion dollars.

On the other hand, external debt stands at 25 billion dollars.

Overall public debt is estimated at about 49 billion dollars, an equivalent of at least 50 percent of the gross domestic product.NAIROBI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Tuesday launched the national land use policy to help address food security and environmental protection.

Deputy President William Ruto said the document will also address other related concerns such as human settlements, climate change and economic pursuits within the context of social, economic, political and other related realities.

"However, to achieve balanced economic development, it will take more than the legislative framework that has been put in place, but rather a change of attitude and approach," Ruto said during the launch of the blueprint in Nairobi.

He said the ability to manage diverse, competing and conflicting claims while upholding livelihoods and promoting sustainability is critical for development.

"In order to adequately address matters connected with land, the policy is a product of wide, comprehensive, patient, diligent and inclusive deliberations and consultations," Ruto said and emphasized that consultation and participation are not mere formalities or meaningless rituals.

The overall goal of the policy, which was drafted in 2016, aims at providing legal mechanisms for utilization of land as the absence of a clearly defined land use policy in the country since independence resulted in a disorganized approach in managing the different land use practices and different responses.

Farida Koroney, the Cabinet Secretary for Lands, said utilization of land by the citizenry is influenced by competing interests which results in conflicts.

"The rapid increase in population and the high rates of urbanization continues to exert pressure on the scarce land resources in different parts of the country. This has contributed to intense competition between different land uses, resulting in various challenges related to land use," Karoney said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 22:35:22|Editor: ZD

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BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- China welcomes and supports the achievements of the meeting between the leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement Tuesday.

The statement said the meeting yielded positive achievements, which was important progress in promoting denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the political settlement process.

China highly appreciates the political decisions made by the leaders of the two countries, and applauds the efforts made by relevant parties to make the meeting a success, the statement said.

"To achieve denuclearization, to end the hostility and confrontation lasting for more than 60 years, and to pursue lasting peace and prosperity of the peninsula and the region are in line with the development of the times and are the universal voice of the international community. The meeting and its achievements are an important step toward these goals."

It said that China had made unremitting efforts in pursing denuclearization, maintaining peace and stability of the peninsula, and resolving the problem through dialogue and consultation.

"We wish and support the two sides to implement the consensus reached by the two leaders, promote follow-up consultations, further consolidate and expand the achievements, and make the political settlement of the peninsula issue a sustainable and irreversible process," it said.

"As a neighbor of the peninsula and an important party of the issue, China stands ready to work with other relevant parties toward denuclearization and the establishment of a peace mechanism on the Korean Peninsula."TIRANA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Albanian state gas company "Albgaz" and the Italian natural gas infrastructure company "SNAM" signed an agreement on the establishment of a joint venture for the maintenance of Trans-Atlantic gas Pipeline (TAP) on the Albanian territory on Tuesday.

According to the agreement, "Albgaz" company will have 75 percent of the shares and "SNAM" 25 percent.

"The agreement followed intensive negotiations and an open international procedure with participation of the best European companies we selected by merit the Italian "SNAM", a shareholder company in the TAP consortium," declared the Albanian Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Damian Gjiknuri while attending the signing ceremony.

Gjiknuri explained that the Albanian side did not have the experience so that it was required an international partner.

Meanwhile, "Albgaz" director Arber Avrami emphasized that in the initial phase the company plans to recruit 45-60 qualified employees whose training will be done in Italy.

According to Avrami, the initial maintenance cost can go up to 4-6 million euros (around 4.7-7 million U.S. dollars) annually, but that may reach up to 10-15 million euros (around 12-18 million U.S. dollars).

Moreover, the joint venture has already begun the negotiations with the TAP on reaching an agreement of operational and maintenance services.

The Trans Adriatic Pipeline consortium said it has cleared around 90 percent of the pipeline route along the Southern Gas Corridor project in Albania and Greece.TOKYO, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Giant panda cub Xiang Xiang celebrated her first birthday Tuesday at Ueno zoo in Tokyo, where she has become the zoo's most beloved attraction.

A year ago to the day, Xiang Xiang was born through natural conceptual to her parents Fairy and Billy (Japanese name Shin Shin and Ri Ri).

Since her days as a baby cub, Xiang Xiang has been enjoying eating apples and climbing trees everyday at the zoo as her throngs of adoring visitors look on.

"She has been growing very smoothly. We want visitors to continue to warmly watch over her development," a spokesperson for the zoo said.

During the day, the birthday girl was seen playing on a hammock that was handmade for her by staff at the zoo especially for her 1st birthday.

The energetic Xiang Xiang seemed delighted with her birthday gift and bounded around her enclosure, climbing trees and bars energetically.

Just before Xiang Xiang's birthday, the zoo lifted the maximum number of visitors allowed to see her per day from 9,500 to 15,000.

Official photo albums of the cute bundle of fur were also available to mark this most auspicious occasion and 15,000 commemorative cards will be given to visitors through Sunday in celebration of Xiang Xiang's health and vitality over the past year.

Two days after Xiang Xiang was born, she weighed just 147 grams. According to the latest measurement taken on June 5, she now weighs 28.2 kilograms.

After receiving suggestions from the public, the giant panda cub was named Xiang Xiang, which means "popular" in Chinese.

Such is the popularity of Xiang Xiang that 870,000 people have visit her since Dec. 19, helping the zoo to attract more than four million visitors for the first time in six years.

Her cute and vibrant antics have even garnered her a sizable online following, with viral footage of the panda running and playing watched by 35 million viewers between mid-December and early June.

Xiang Xiang's parents first came to Japan from China in 2011 under a 10-year lease agreement and Xiang Xiang is the first panda to be born and raised at the zoo in five years.

Xiang Xiang's return to China will be discussed after she turns two years old, as at that time she will be more independent from her parents.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 22:45:25|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Chinese President Xi Jinping chairs the 18th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, June 10, 2018. Xi delivered a speech during the meeting. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit has injected fresh impetus to the building of an SCO community with a shared future and ushered in a new era for cooperation among member states.

In his speech at the summit, President Xi Jinping offered his insights on development, security, cooperation, civilization, and global governance, enriching the Shanghai Spirit and giving the SCO new historic missions.

Xi spoke of the need to build up strength of unity and mutual trust, strengthen the foundation for shared peace and security, build a powerful engine to achieve common development and prosperity, forge closer ties through cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and expand partnership networks of international cooperation.

These proposals are indeed in line with the national conditions of the member states and the interests of their peoples.

The summit held in east China's port city of Qingdao marked the first gathering of leaders of all eight member states since India and Pakistan were admitted as full members last year.

At the summit, member states stressed unity, coordination, and common development.

They made "building a community with a shared future for humanity" a common concept in the Qingdao Declaration. This move demonstrated their recognition of the Chinese philosophy and firmly upheld the building of an SCO community with a shared future.

At present, the world is faced with challenges such as hegemony, power politics, security threats, unilateralism, and trade protectionism.

The SCO is confident in addressing the problems as member states deepen partnerships, prioritize cooperation on security, follow the trend of economic globalization and regional integration, enhance people-to-people connectivity and mutual learning in culture, and expand international exchanges and cooperation.

In doing so, the SCO member states will be able to achieve lasting stability and common prosperity.

Concrete initiatives have been made at the two-day summit, with 23 cooperative documents in diverse fields signed, more than any previous SCO summit.

China announced plans to train 2,000 law enforcement officers for all parties in the next three years through China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation and other platforms, set up a 30-billion-yuan (4.7 billion U.S. dollars) equivalent special lending facility within the framework of the SCO Inter-bank Consortium, and support building a demonstration area in Qingdao for China-SCO local economic and trade cooperation.

Today, the SCO stands as a comprehensive regional cooperation organization that covers the largest area and population in the world. Its member states, namely, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, account for about 20 percent of the global economy and 40 percent of its population.

It has also become a significant organization in promoting world peace and development, and safeguarding fairness and justice in the world.

Standing at a new historic starting point, the SCO will make greater contributions to the lofty cause of human progress.CAIRO, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Egypt denounced the recent suicide bombing on a ministry office western of Afghanistan's capital Kabul that killed at least 13 people and injured more than 30 others, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday.

The statement expressed Egypt's condolences as well as its solidarity with the Afghan government and people "in confrontation of sinful terrorism that targets innocent people during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan."

"The attack violates the tolerant principles of Islam," said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

The explosion took place Monday when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest at the front gate of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development western of the capital Kabul.

The Islamic State (IS) regional terrorist group claimed responsibility for the blast.

The attack came a week after a similar suicide bombing on a gathering of Afghan clerics in Kabul that left at least 14 dead and more than 20 wounded.

Afghanistan has been hit by insurgency over the past couple of decades with the presence of different militant groups including the most dominant Taliban, in addition to al-Qaida and recently the IS.

Egypt, likewise, has been suffering terror activities at home that have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers as well as civilians since the army toppled former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests.

The IS claimed responsibility for most of the attacks in Egypt as well.LUSAKA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Tuesday declared three days of national mourning for the late gender minister Victoria Kalima.

The gender minister died on Monday evening at a hospital in Lusaka, the country's capital after an illness.

Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa said the Zambian leader has accorded a state funeral for the late gender minister and that the national mourning period will run from June 14 to June 16.

Davies Mwila, secretary-general of the governing Patriotic Front (PF), said the party regrets the death of the former gender minister.

He said in a statement that the former gender minister was a fighter and dedicated to her duties, adding that as gender minister, she worked tirelessly to champion for the rights of women, especially the fight against child marriages.

Victoria Kalima, 46, who was also a lawmaker for the ruling party in one of the constituencies in the eastern part of the country, was appointed gender minister when Lungu was re-elected after the 2016 general elections.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 22:55:28|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- China has lodged stern representations with the United States over its official exchanges with Taiwan, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

According to reports, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Culture Affairs Marie Royce attended the dedication ceremony of the new office complex of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) earlier Tuesday.

Spokesperson Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing that China is deeply concerned about and has lodged stern representations with the United States over the issue.

Any official exchange between the United States and Taiwan under any excuse is a violation to the one-China principle and the three joint communiques between China and the United States, and an intervention in China's internal affairs, Geng said.

"We urge the United States to honor its pledges made to China on the Taiwan issue, correct its wrong practices to avoid damaging China-U.S. relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," said Geng.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 23:05:30|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un (L) shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore before the first-ever DPRK-U.S. summit, on June 12, 2018. (Xinhua/The Straits Times)

UNITED NATIONS, June 12 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday welcomed the holding of the summit between the leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States as an important milestone in advancing peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

In a statement through a UN spokesperson, Guterres said implementing Tuesday's agreements, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions, will require patience and support from the global community.

In addition, he urged all concerned parties to seize this momentous opportunity and reiterated his readiness to fully support the ongoing process.

The UN chief noted in letters to DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump before their summit that the road ahead requires cooperation, compromise and a common cause.

Kim and Trump gathered in Singapore Tuesday for a historic meeting. Under a joint statement signed by the two leaders, Pyongyang and Washington agreed on a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees for the DPRK.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 23:05:32|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un (L) shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore before the first-ever DPRK-U.S. summit, on June 12, 2018. (Xinhua/The Straits Times)

by Xinhua writers Chen Jian, Fei Liena, Yoo Seung-ki

SINGAPORE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump met here Tuesday for a landmark summit, the first between incumbent leaders of both countries since the 1950-53 Korean War.

"GET-TO-KNOW-YOU"

Kim wearing glasses and dressed in a dark suit and Trump sporting a red tie shook hands in front of the cameras at around 9:00 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) at the luxury Capella hotel on Sentosa resort island off the southern tip of the city state.

The much-anticipated summit marked the first ever meeting between a top DPRK leader and a sitting U.S. president.

Trump, who noted that he expected to meet Kim "many" times, said: "This is just a new beginning... We're going to have a great discussion and a terrific relationship."

"The way coming here was not easy," said Kim. "Old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward, but we overcame them to be here."

They had one-on-one talks, with only interpreters by their sides, for about 40 minutes before an expanded meeting involving senior officials from both sides and a working lunch.

The summit, described by Trump as a "get-to-know-you" meeting, finally went ahead as scheduled after an on-again-off-again dramatic twist.

Trump abruptly canceled his planned June 12 meeting with Kim in late May, citing "tremendous anger and open hostility" displayed by Pyongyang's recent remarks. But the DPRK responded calmly by saying that it was ready to sit down with the U.S. side at any time for talks to solve the problems existing between them.

Shortly after Trump's surprise cancellation of the U.S.-DPRK summit, South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with Kim for a second time in Panmunjom, a month after their first summit on April 27.

The Kim-Trump summit, scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, was put back on track following multi-track talks between DPRK and U.S. officials in New York and Singapore's efforts to salvage the highly-anticipated meeting.

STICKING POINTS

The two leaders signed a "comprehensive" joint statement after their summit. The United States would be committed to providing security guarantees to the DPRK in exchange for Pyongyang's commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"We are going to take care of the very big and very dangerous problem for the world," Trump said at the signing ceremony, adding that his meeting with Kim was "far better than anybody even predicted."

For his part, Kim said: "We had a historic meeting today and we decided to leave the past behind. The world will see a major change."

The meeting came after an inter-Korean summit on April 27, when Kim and Moon reaffirmed their commitment to complete denuclearization of the peninsula and agreed to push for multilateral talks, including China and the United States, to turn the 1953 armistice agreement into a peace treaty.

The DPRK openly dismantled its nuclear test site ahead of the summit in late May, which Trump called "a very smart and gracious gesture."

While the DPRK calls for phased and synchronous measures for denuclearization, requiring reciprocal actions by the United States, such as security guarantees and sanctions relief, the United States insists on a "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization (CVID)."

"The United States must guarantee there will be no regime change in the DPRK," said Lee Sang-man, professor at Kyungnam University in Seoul.

But Trump told a press conference after his summit with Kim on Tuesday that sanctions against the DPRK would be in place until Pyongyang completely denuclearizes.

Washington and Pyongyang have been at odds over the specific model of denuclearization after U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton suggested the so-called "Libya model."

DPRK First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan flatly dismissed Bolton's suggestion that Pyongyang should abandon its nuclear arsenal first to receive benefits on trade.

The agenda for improving bilateral ties between the two long-time rivals was also discussed at the summit.

"The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity," read the joint statement.

The DPRK and the United States have had no diplomatic relations since the 1950-53 Korean War. U.S. interests are represented by the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang.

MEETING HALFWAY

Trump told the press conference on Tuesday that the United States would stop annual joint military exercises with South Korea, denounced by Pyongyang as rehearsals for a northward invasion.

"Now we are seeing what China has advocated. China's 'dual-track' approach is being realized," said professor Lee at South Korea's Kyungnam University.

China has long advocated a "dual-track" approach: denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and an established peace mechanism.

Chung Dong-young, a lawmaker from South Korea's center-left Party for Democracy and Peace, said China long ago advocated for the very same points reached during the summit, adding that a peace regime would not be possible without denuclearization, while denuclearization would not be possible without a peace regime.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the meeting was of great significance, and something China long called for.

"We hope that the two leaders will work to eliminate barriers, build mutual trust, overcome difficulties, and reach basic consensus and make substantive progress in promoting denuclearization and establishment of a peace mechanism on the Korean Peninsula," he said.

Wang stressed that China would continue to play a constructive role in bringing peace to the Peninsula.

(Xinhua reporters Zhu Dongyang, Matthew Rusling in Washington, Wang Lili in Singapore, Geng Xuepeng in Seoul, Lin Hao in Kuala Lumpur, Yan Lei in Tokyo, Bai Xu in Canberra, Yang Jingzhong, Levi Parsons in Sydney also contributed to the story.)OSLO, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Norway said Tuesday it supports the idea that 700 troops of the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) can practice and train in the Nordic country for five years and the activity can be expanded.

The training of around 330 U.S. Marines at the Vaernes military base in central Norway was introduced in 2017 and is to be continued until the end of 2018, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

In case the dialogue about continuation succeeds, the scheme will include up to 700 U.S. Marines from 2019, who will be distributed in the Inner Troms region of northern Norway as well as in the central part of the country, according to the statement.

The scheme will be evaluated by the end of 2022, the ministry said.

It noted that the training extension is in line with Norway's long-term plan to facilitate further interaction between Norwegian and allied forces and contribute positively to the development of Norwegian Armed Forces' operational capacity.

"The defense of Norway is dependent on support from our allies in NATO, as is the case with most other NATO countries. In order for this support to work in crisis and war, we are fully dependent on exercising and practicing together in peacetime," Norwegian Minister of Defence Frank Bakke-Jensen was quoted as saying.

"We must ensure that NATO soldiers from other allied countries get experience from Norwegian circumstances and that Norwegian and allied soldiers are trained together," he said.

However, this rotation-based training should not provide a valid reason for reactions from Russia, the statement said.

"If we work on defending Norway, that should not worry anyone, just as we accept that other countries train to defend themselves," Bakke-Jensen said. "The continuation of the U.S. Marine Corps scheme is in line with Norwegian base policy."

In another statement, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence said the U.S. authorities have also proposed to build deployment platforms for four combat aircraft at the Rygge base, some 65 km south of Oslo.

This plan is part of the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI) that the United States has designed with European allies to improve the readiness of forces in Europe, the ministry said, adding that it concerns the establishment of infrastructure and not about the deployment of combat aircraft.

"It is positive news that the United States will invest in military infrastructure at Rygge. This investment will facilitate increased preparedness and rapid transfer of NATO allied forces in the event of crisis and war," Bakke-Jensen was quoted as saying.

The plan at Rygge involves establishing a hangar area for four combat aircraft as well as a taxiway, a fire protection building, lighting and signage.

The U.S. authorities are taking into consideration use of fourth generation fighter aircraft in training at Rygge if needed in future, the statement said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 23:20:39|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un (L) shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore before the first-ever DPRK-U.S. summit, on June 12, 2018. (Xinhua/The Straits Times)

BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Countries around the world spoke highly of the landmark meeting between top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore on Tuesday.

High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said Tuesday that diplomacy is the only way forward toward a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

"This summit was a crucial and necessary step to build upon the positive developments achieved in inter-Korean relations and on the peninsula so far," she said in a statement.

"The ultimate goal, shared by the entire international community and as expressed by the United Nations Security Council, remains the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," the statement said.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the joint statement signed by Kim and Trump was a crucial first move in the long journey toward lasting peace and stability on a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.

He said Singapore was honored to have hosted the important summit, and "we join the international community in celebrating this outcome, and in wishing both the U.S. and the DPRK success in implementing this agreement."

The Philippine government on Tuesday strongly commended all parties for their unremitting efforts and commitment that led to the realization of the summit.

The meeting "underscores the importance and value of dialogue and diplomacy in seeking resolutions to outstanding issues among all concerned parties," the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement.

India said it hoped the talks between Kim and Trump will pave the way for a lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Australia welcomed the outcomes from the historic summit and deemed it a step in the right direction.

"Australia will continue to work closely with our partners to coordinate actions in support of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in a media release.

Kim and Trump signed a joint statement after their meeting. Trump committed to providing security guarantees to the DPRK, while Kim reaffirmed his commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The two leaders conducted a "comprehensive, in-depth and sincere exchange of opinions" on issues related to the establishment of a new DPRK-U.S. relationship and building a lasting and robust peace regime on the peninsula, the joint statement said.OSLO, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Norway on Tuesday filed a complaint at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to fight back against U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Norway requested WTO dispute settlement consultations with the United States as the first stage of the international organization's settlement process, the Norwegian ministry said in a statement.

"In Norway's view, the additional tariffs imposed by the United States on steel and aluminum imports are a violation of the WTO rules," Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Soreide was quoted as saying.

"The WTO and its dispute settlement system is the established forum for handling disagreements about trade policy," she said.

The Norwegian minister said that Washington's "disregard for WTO rules weakens the credibility of the United States in international trade, and risks undermining the rules based multilateral trading system".

So far, the European Union (EU), Canada, Mexico, China, India and some other economies have also requested dispute settlement consultations with the United States in response to the additional tariffs.

Amid waves of criticism, the United States had decided to impose tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum, for the EU, Canada and Mexico, starting on June 1.

The imposition of the new tariffs has been viewed as "pure protectionism" by the EU.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 23:30:43|Editor: huaxia

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OSLO, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Norway on Tuesday filed a complaint at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to fight back against U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Norway requested WTO dispute settlement consultations with the United States as the first stage of the international organization's settlement process, the Norwegian ministry said in a statement.

"In Norway's view, the additional tariffs imposed by the United States on steel and aluminum imports are a violation of the WTO rules," Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Soreide was quoted as saying.

"The WTO and its dispute settlement system is the established forum for handling disagreements about trade policy," she said.

The Norwegian minister said that Washington's "disregard for WTO rules weakens the credibility of the United States in international trade, and risks undermining the rules based multilateral trading system".

So far, the European Union (EU), Canada, Mexico, China, India and some other economies have also requested dispute settlement consultations with the United States in response to the additional tariffs.

Amid waves of criticism, the United States had decided to impose tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum, for the EU, Canada and Mexico, starting on June 1.

The imposition of the new tariffs has been viewed as "pure protectionism" by the EU. EnditemIsraeli police evict settlers in the Netiv Ha'avot neighbourhood of the Elazar settlement, south of Jerusalem on June 12, 2018. (AFP photo)

JERUSALEM, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Clashes between Israeli settlers and police erupted on Tuesday when the forces started evicting settlers from 15 homes that were built illegally on privately-owned Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.

The eviction in the outpost of Netiv Ha'avot came after the Supreme Court ruled that the homes will be demolished. They climbed rooftops and clashed with the police.

Hundreds of pro-settlement youths rallied in the area to resist the eviction.

The protest also spilled over to Jerusalem, where demonstrators burnt tires and briefly blocked the main entrance to the city, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said in a statement.

Under international law, all of the Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, are illegal.

However, Israel charges that the settlements, home to some 500,000 Israelis who live in heavily guarded communities among about 2.5 million Palestinians, are legal. Outposts like Netiv Ha'avot are settlements built without official permits from the Israeli authorities and are deemed illegal also under Israeli law.

According to the Supreme Court ruling, all of the homes of Netiv Ha'avot were built without official permits. However, the government said it will retroactively legalize the outpost after the 15 homes constructed illegally on private Palestinian land would be evicted.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-12 23:40:50|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visits a start-up incubator of Sany Group in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, June 12, 2018. The visit is part of his two-day inspection trip to the cities of Hengyang and Changsha, which ended Tuesday. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

CHANGSHA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- China should speed up economic upgrade and push industrial transfers in a reasonable and orderly manner, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has stressed.

Good business environment, rather than favorable policies, should be the key to win businesses in industrial transfers, Li said during a two-day inspection trip to central China's Hunan Province, which ended Tuesday.

He was accompanied by Hunan's Party chief Du Jiahao and governor Xu Dazhe during the trip.

"China will further open up its market, we open our arms to embrace foreign businesses that will invest in China," Li said while visiting a wholly owned subsidiary of Germany's Bosch Group in Changsha, capital of Hunan Province.

Products made by foreign companies in China are also made-in-China products and will be treated equally, Li said.

Li also visited a paddy field in a village in Hengyang city, where he talked with local farmers. He called for more investment in and support for agriculture, and improvement of water conservancy, road and other infrastructure facilities.

While visiting the Baishazhou industrial park in Hengyang, Li pointed out that transfer of industries from east regions to central and western regions was in line with economics rules and would contribute to balanced and coordinated development of different regions.

Li urged local governments to further streamline administration and improve the business environment to boost the market.

During his visit to a smart manufacturing workshop of machinery giant Sany Group, Li encouraged Chinese enterprises to roll out more highly competitive products to meet individual client demands and gain a forefront position in global high-end manufacturing.

At 58.com, which has the country's largest online recruitment platform, Li stressed that employment is critical to people's livelihood and the nation's development.

He called for support for the development of emerging business forms like the sharing economy and gig economy, which offer jobs and meet diverse consumer demands as Chinese people seek a better life.RIGA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Latvia will reinstate the so-called "sin taxes" charged on alcohol, tobacco and gambling to finance the State Culture Capital Foundation, the national endowment which sponsors culture projects, the government decided Tuesday.

Representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers said that starting in 2022, the foundation's budget will receive three percent of excise tax on alcohol, two percent of excise tax on tobacco, 1.37 percent of lottery tax and 2.21 percent of gambling tax.

The government will continue to provide its annual subsidy to the foundation during a transition period from 2019 to 2021.

The ministers decided to change the foundation's financing scheme after hearing the culture ministry's report outlining four possible financing options.

According to the ministry's report, which has been published on the government's website, culture in Latvia needs independent funding, something Latvia's current government has promised to ensure.

Governmental representatives said the new financing scheme would enable the State Culture Capital Foundation to organize three project competitions a year, continue its program of lifelong grants and fund projects in prioritized areas like events targeting children and youth audiences.

It would also be able to consistently increase funding to target programs aimed at supporting cultural activity in Latvia's regions.

Representatives of Latvian creative industries have been calling for an independent financing model for the State Culture Capital Foundation for more than a decade.

The foundation used to be financed with "sin taxes" until the government of former prime minister Einars Repse abolished the system in 2004.LISBON, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Two Australian tourists were found dead on Tuesday at Pescadores beach in Ericeira, Mafra, Portuguese Lusa News Agency reported.

The two tourists had apparently been taking a selfie and fell over the protective wall and onto the beach in the town of Ericeira, some 50 km northwest of Lisbon, Lusa said.

The accident is presumed to have happened between 1:00 am (2300 GMT) and 6:00 am (0400 GMT) local time on Tuesday.

The victims, a woman in her 30s and a man in his 40s, were found dead on the beach by a worker who was cleaning the beach, but their cell phone was still at the top of the cliff by the road.

The Australian Embassy in Lisbon was notified about the death of two Austrian nationals. Police were called to the scene but said there appeared to be no suspicious circumstances.PARIS, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Several people are being held hostage in Paris after an armed man stormed a building in the capital's 10th district, news channel BFM TV reported on Tuesday.

"Intervention of prefecture police in progress at Paris 10 following a hostage-taking," Paris police headquarters wrote on Tweeter.

BFMTV reported that the man claimed holding three people. He asked to have contact with Iranian ambassador.

The incident did not appear to be terrorism-related, it added.

French police have sealed off the zone where heavy security force was deployed.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-13 00:41:06|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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DALIAN, June 12 (Xinhua) -- China's software exports reached 37.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, up 9.7 percent year-on-year, said a report on the digital economy issued by the Ministry of Commerce Tuesday.

About half the volume, 18.9 billion U.S. dollars, was through exports to the United States, European Union and Japan, according to the report.

China's software export grew rapidly since 2012 and has gradually moved towards the higher end of the value chain, it said.

The report also noted that China still lacks the innovative capabilities in developing basic and development tools software, and warned domestic software companies of growing cost and risks in the industry.MAPUTO, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The Mozambican government said Tuesday in Maputo that about 1.5 million children and juveniles aged between 7 and 17 in the country are exposed to hazardous work, mostly in the informal sectors.

Jafar Buana, City Director of the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security of Maputo revealed that the numbers of children involved in hazardous work that the government keeps track of are extremely high, reaching 74.4 percent at the national level.

"The action will be done at the sectoral level, because the involvement of children is distributed in sectors, with the largest number of children in the informal sectors and the illegal mining," said Buana during a school presentation about works considered dangerous for children on the outskirts of Maputo.

Buana said that in Mozambique children have hazardous jobs that can affect their health, safety and morality, mainly from sectors such as agriculture, mining industry, informal commerce and transportation.

Izilda Maibaze, an official from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Affairs, said measures have already been taken to remove children from dangerous working condition, in coordinated with various civil society organizations.

"The children are taken to facilities where they are recuperated and later they will be reintegrated into their families," said Maibaze, adding that some children are reluctant to leave.

According to the presentation, sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest number of children involved in child labor worldwide.Feeling a little sad or blue? Watch some Pharrell Williams 'Happy' music clips from around the worldKAMPALA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan authorities are in talks with Uganda to release eight fishermen who were arrested on Lake Victoria over illegal entry into the country.

Patrick Onyango, Uganda's deputy police spokesperson told Xinhua on Tuesday that the Kenyan fishermen were arrested by the Uganda Revenue Authority law enforcement officers while fishing illegally in Ugandan waters.

"They were detained in one of our police posts on the island and later brought to Namayingo. Taken to court and remanded," said Onyango.

"But there are negotiations between the RDC (Resident District Commissioner) and their equivalent the other side (Kenya) to have them released," he said.

Kenya and Uganda have had several conflicts in the past over fishing activities on Lake Victoria, especially on the disputed Migingo Island. The two countries share the Lake.VILNIUS, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite highlighted tackling political corruption and the crisis amongst political parties in her state of the nation address on Tuesday.

The most recent political scandals and efforts to tackle political corruption were the center of the president's address.

"We have stopped the oligarchic takeover of the democratic system, even though all of us have painfully burned our fingers, including myself," said Grybauskaite in her address to Lithuanian members of parliament.

Her speech touched on the most recent political and business scandal following the probe by the Parliamentary Committee on Nation Security and Defense (NSGK) on business influence on politics. NSGK has revealed a widespread influence of business groups on political leaders and their parties during the last decade for the purpose of benefiting from the public procurement of major energy projects.

"When the waters of political corruption were stirred up, unseen Lithuania opened before us even though we had suspected its existence," said Grybauskaite on Tuesday.

The Lithuanian president warned that "new dealers ready to bargain Lithuania away keep cropping up" and urged the country's legislators to use legal instruments, renew the political system, and rise from the "pit of distrust" to break down corruption.

Political parties also need to have quality standards and democratic management traditions, according to the president.

Grybauskaite admitted that changes in fighting corruption in the country had not been as quick as she had hoped.

"Almost two terms in office were needed to curb corruption and it took so long for law enforcement to move from suspicion to legal evidence," she said.

Grybauskaite also touched upon economic and social issues, criticizing that the country still lags behind in using EU support.

Talking international affairs, Grybauskaite highlighted threats to global trade and international agreements, saying "global multilateral diplomacy is in crisis", and new forms of cooperation are needed.

"We need to strengthen bilateral relations with strategic partners and our closest neighbors and to expand our circle of friends," said Grybauskaite.

It was the ninth annual address by Grybauskaite, who became the President of Lithuania in 2009 and is currently serving her second five-year term, which began in 2014.ALGIERS, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese embassy in Algeria on Tuesday alerted Chinese citizens in the North African country to take further safety precautions following a recent fatal robbery of a Chinese citizen.

The embassy said in a statement on its official website that a Chinese company employee was robbed and died from knife injures Sunday afternoon at the region of Dalbeda in Algiers.

The head of the Consular Department of the Chinese embassy on Tuesday visited the Algiers Police Headquarters and the police station in Dalbeda to express serious concerns about the incident, while requiring the Algerian police to make every effort to capture the murderer, it said.

Chinese Ambassador Yang Guangyu planned to meet with officials of Algerian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday to urge them to attach greater importance to the safety of Chinese citizens and companies in Algeria and take practical measures to ensure their security, the statement said.

The statement revealed that several provinces in Algeria recently have witnessed several cases of armed robberies and burglaries against Chinese companies and personnel, resulting in varying degrees of personal injures and property damages.

The embassy urged Chinese companies and citizens in Algeria to raise their awareness of safety and take further preventive measures.TRIPOLI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez Serraj on Tuesday held a meeting with the Chinese Charge d'Affaires to Libya Wang Qimin to discuss mutual cooperation between the two countries.

"The talks focused on enhancing cooperation between the two friendly countries. We reviewed the latest developments in the political process in Libya. We hope that the transitional phase (in Libya) would end and move forward towards elections in December," Wang told Xinhua after the meeting.

Paris recently hosted a meeting on Libya with the participation of different Libyan parties to end the political crisis.

The parties agreed to hold and be committed to "credible" presidential and parliamentary elections on Dec. 10.

"We talked about... the return of Chinese companies (to Libya). We consider that the end of the transitional phase in Libya will improve the stability and the security situation, which motivates our companies to return and resume projects in Libya," Wang said.

Most foreign companies left Libya due to security deterioration following the overthrow of former leader Gaddafi's regime in 2011, leading to the suspension of most development projects.

The Chinese diplomat also highlighted the importance of the Chinese-African Summit to be held in Beijing this year, considering it as an important gathering of senior leaders that will enhance cooperation between China and Africa, most significantly through the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Belt and Road Initiative, which China proposed in 2013, aims to build trade and infrastructure networks linking Asia to Europe and Africa along the trade routes of the ancient Silk Road.

Wang confirmed that Serraj has been officially extended an invitation to participate in the summit.

The Chinese Charge d'Affaires on Monday signed documents to provide medical aid to Libya worth up to 6 million U.S. dollars, following a meeting with the Libyan Health Minister Omar al-Tahir Bashir.

"The aid is an important commitment from China to Libya, as special assistance is provided every year to support the health sector," Wang told Xinhua following the signing of the documents.NAIROBI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is considering the adoption of the Chinese yuan as a reserve currency, its central bank governor said on Tuesday.

Patrick Njoroge, the Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), told journalists in Nairobi that a number of African countries are also contemplating including the renminbi as part of their foreign exchange reserves.

"It is inevitable that Kenya will include the Chinese yuan as a reserve currency. The only question is when and the timing will be determined by a number of short term factors," Njoroge said during the Guangzhou-Foshan Nairobi Business forum.

In 2016, the International Monetary Fund included the renminbi to its Special Drawing Right (SDR) basket alongside the U.S. dollar, euro, yen and the British pound. Currently, most of Kenya's foreign exchange reserves are in dollars.

Njoroge said that China's growing role in the global economy has made the Chinese yuan one of the currencies of foreign trade.

He noted that bilateral trade and investment ties between Kenya and China have grown exponentially over the past decade.

"This has increased the demand for the Chinese yuan by both Kenya and Chinese traders operating in Kenya," he said.

The CBO governor added that the addition of the renminbi as a reserve currency will help reduce cost of transaction in Sino-Kenyan trade.

Njoroge noted that the adoption of the Chinese yuan as a currency reserve will be a positive move for the Kenyan economy given the flourishing Sino-Kenyan ties.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-13 02:21:34|Editor: zh

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Visiting Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini (L) shakes hands with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a joint press conference after their meeting in Budapest, Hungary, June 12, 2018. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Slovakia's counterpart Peter Pellegrini praised the Italian government for refusing to allow the migrant ship Aquarius to dock in Italy, at a joint press conference here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Attila Volgyi)

BUDAPEST, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Slovakia's counterpart Peter Pellegrini praised the Italian government for refusing to allow the migrant ship Aquarius to dock in Italy, at a joint press conference here on Tuesday.

On Monday, some 629 people were stranded in the Mediterranean aboard the Aquarius, according to the UNHCR. Italy had refused to allow the migrant ship to enter any of its ports in its southern regions.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez later allowed the ship to dock in Spain.

This was the first time Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's recently installed government -- formed on a coalition of far-right League and anti-establishment Five Star Movement -- decided to turn away migrants and refugees saved during the Mediterranean crossing.

Asked about the Italian refusal to let the ship dock in Italy, Orban said: "The willpower to defend maritime borders has returned in Italy, which could lead to a change in the European migration policy," adding that the government in Rome had Hungary's full support.

Also on the issue of migration, Orban commented on a recent declaration by German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the fact that the Hungarian border fence protected Germany as well.

"We respect the will of the Germans to let in several hundreds of thousands of migrants in their country. We only ask the same in return, that they respect our decision not to invite the migrants," Orban underlined.

"If we stay tolerant towards one another, I believe that we will stay in strategic partnership," he added, stressing that he was hopeful that German-Hungarian relations would remain on the grounds of common sense.

Slovakia takes the helm of the rotating presidency of the Visegrad Group (Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia) in July. Pellegrini declared that migration would be a key topic of its presidency.

"I want to emphasize that we must stop the policy of saving all the people who throw themselves into the water: the coast guards or the police save them and suddenly they are sent to the territory of the EU. We have to place them in hot spots outside EU territory," Pellegrini said.

"The Italian response was just the beginning: the EU's external borders must be strengthened," he added.

"We refuse to bring migrants into our countries: we reserve the right to choose with whom we want to live or not, and it is out of the question to pay a quota per capita in case of refusal. On the other hand, we can and will help in the defense of the borders with the sending of soldiers or of the police," he said.

"Orban's position is very clear on migration, but it also completely reflects the position of the other leaders of the Visegrad countries and 90 percent of the population of these countries. For this reason our point of view will not change," he concluded.

The two leaders praised the good relations between their two countries and the common projects of the Visegrad Group, such as the building of a high-speed trade between the Polish and the Hungarian capital via the Slovakian capital, and the construction of new motorways and bridges.PRAGUE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The Czech National Anti-drug Center (NPC) has detained and accused 60 people of smuggling several hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and heroin to Australia, said NPC director Jakub Frydrych at a press conference on Tuesday.

The smugglers face 10 to 18 years in jail.

The local organisers hired indebted or low-income Czechs as couriers. The drug dealers used their own travel agency that planned individual holiday stays for the couriers, who departed from Prague via the U.S or Thailand to Australia. The chief organiser and five of his closest aides who hired couriers and secured the logistics of the criminal transactions are among the accused, said Frydrych.

He said that within a trip, a pair of couriers smuggled 20 kilograms of drugs. In two years, this group organized at least 38 trips and smuggled 780 kilograms of drugs.

The NPC cooperated on the investigation of the case with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Australian Federal Police. After the detention of the first Czech couriers, the U.S. and Australian authorities started investigating the case as organized crime.

The first couriers were detained by the Australian police at the Sydney airport in 2016 and some were sentenced to seven to nine years in prison. In the U.S., the case began to unfold at the Las Vegas airport where two Czech couriers were detained.

The gang smuggled drugs to Australia and partly to New Zealand, the final price of the drugs is up to 18 times higher than in Europe. The globally organized gang might have earned astronomic sums, an equivalent of dozens of billions of Czech crowns, said Frydrych.

The case in the Czech Republic is supervised by the Regional Public Prosecutor's Office in Ceske Budejovice. The main organizers are being prosecuted.JUBA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Ambassador to South Sudan Adil Ibrahim Mustafa said Tuesday Khartoum's good gesture to mediate in talks between South Sudanese warring leaders will end rivalry and yield peace in the East African youngest republic.

Mustafa told Xinhua in Juba that the planned talks between President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar is expected to commence on June 18 at the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

The arrangement of the meeting between South Sudanese warring leaders are about to finish. The talks are expected to take place during the eve of a Muslim festival in Khartoum," Mustafa told Xinhua Tuesday.

The envoy said the talks will focus on discussing contentious issues between the warring parties and it will be attended by the Ethiopian's new Prime Minister, Abiye Ahmed, including key other Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) leaders.

"I am so confident that the Khartoum submission will end with fruitful results that will motivate the parties to go for final agreement in the next round of talks in Addis Ababa," the envoy stressed.

He said that the meeting is a part of regional bloc's efforts to revive the 2015 peace pact to end the more than four years of conflict, dismissing the critics' allegation that Khartoum was hijacking the regional bloc's mediation role.

"Our initiative is to mediate the talks between the two principals based on the resolutions of the IGAD Council of Ministers that called for a face-to-face meeting between President Salva Kiir and Machar," Mustafa said.

"When IGAD council of ministers proposed the talks, they didn't mention the meeting venue so we are proposing Khartoum to be the venue," he added.

This comes after Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir offered to mediate talks between South Sudanese warring leaders in the Sudanese Capital, Khartoum.

President Kiir and rebel leader Machar have both expressed readiness to hold talks to end rivalry and prevent the world's newest country from further disintegrating.

The regional bloc urged all the warring parties to seize this opportunity to negotiate in good faith and make real compromises based on the bridging proposal on outstanding issues.

South Sudan's conflict has now entered its fifth year. The conflict erupted in 2013 after forces loyal to President Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar engaged in combat.

The 2015 peace agreement to end the violence was again violated in July 2016 when the rival factions resumed fighting in the capital, Juba, forcing Machar to flee into exile.

Millions of South Sudanese civilians have sought refuge in neighboring countries as the conflict rages on despite attempts by international players to end it.KIEV, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The National Bank of Ukraine, the country's central bank, said on Tuesday that continuation of cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is key to Ukraine's stability in the near-term.

"If Ukraine receives two more tranches before the completion of the IMF program, the short-term and the medium-term risks to macroeconomic and financial stability will be reduced to the minimum," the bank said in its quarterly "Financial Stability" report.

The cooperation with the international financial institutions is particularly important for serving Ukraine's debts, which now pose the greatest challenge to the financial stability of the country, the report said.

Under the 17.5-billion-U.S.-dollar cooperation program with the IMF, which started in 2015 and will last till March 2019, the East European country has received about 8.7 billion dollars from the IMF.

The disbursement of the aid was suspended since April 2017 over Ukraine's failure to implement the agreed reforms.

On Monday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a law, giving which gives the greenlight to the creation of a supreme anticorruption court, a landmark reform demanded by the IMF.

In 2018-2020, Ukraine has to repay 20 billion dollars of its state debt.SKOPJE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Macedonia and Greece have come up with a final deal after a long process of negotiations to solve the name dispute, Macedonian Prime Minster Zoran Zaev confirmed Tuesday at a press conference.

Under the agreement reached, Zaev said the name to be used both internationally and bilaterally would be the Republic of North Macedonia.

This agreement, according to Zaev, needs to be further regulated in line with an amendment to the constitution.

Moreover, Zaev added that through this agreement, the Macedonian language would be recognized in the United Nations and its people would be known as Macedonian citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia.

"The agreement reached between the two countries reaffirms and enhances the Macedonian ethnicity, cultural identity, language and nationality, as well as guarantees the security of the country," said Zaev during the press conference.

Moreover, Zaev assured that the deal would be presented to all political shareholders, signed by officials of the two governments, followed by a ratification in Parliament.

On May 30, Zaev declared that Macedonia would hold a referendum on the name deal with Greece when both countries reached an agreement.

Macedonia is formally called the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) by the United Nations. Macedonia is also the name of a northern province in Greece. Athens is worried that the use of the same name by the neighboring state could lead to territorial claims.

The solving of the name row that has existed between two countries is seen as the main obstacle Macedonia has to overcome in order to make progress towards European Union (EU) and NATO integration.A student displays his face and hand painted with messages during an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign on the occasion of World AIDS Day in Chandigarh, India, Dec. 1, 2017. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

UNITED NATIONS, June 12 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday asked for continued efforts toward the elimination of AIDS despite good momentum in the fight against the epidemic.

The world is making good progress toward ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. But progress is uneven and fragile, Guterres told the UN General Assembly.

On all continents, key populations at higher risk of infection continue to be left further and further behind. And young women remain unacceptably vulnerable where prevalence is high, he noted.

The UN chief asked authorities to empower young people to protect themselves from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS.

This includes providing a full range of sexual and reproductive health services and rights, harm reduction for people who use drugs, and access to anti-retroviral treatment for young people living with HIV, he said.

Guterres stressed that prevention is the key to breaking the cycle of HIV transmission.

The United Nations' 2020 prevention roadmap focuses explicitly on adolescent girls, young women and key populations at risk. This sharpened focus on human rights, key populations and gender equality is essential, he said.

Greater leadership and investment must follow suit to remove the social and political barriers that keep so many beyond the reach of necessary services, he said.

The world has made steady progress in HIV prevention. More people have access to HIV testing and treatment. Access to anti-retroviral therapy has expanded by more than 20 million people since 1990. As mother-to-child transmission continues to decline and fewer children are living with HIV, we are moving closer to bringing about an AIDS-free generation, said Guterres.

"At this pivotal moment, we must renew our focus and shared commitment to a world free of AIDS. The pandemic is not over, but it can be. We must all do our part," he said.NAIROBI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan government on Tuesday announced plans to attract Chinese investment in the East African country's manufacturing sector.

Adan Mohamed, Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Industry, told a trade forum in Nairobi that Nairobi has rolled out a raft of incentives ranging from fiscal to infrastructure development to make the country a low cost manufacturing destination.

"We want Chinese manufacturers to help Kenya achieve its goal of becoming a leading exporter of merchandise to the rest of the world," Mohamed said during the Guangzhou-Foshan Nairobi Business forum.

Mohamed noted that Chinese manufacturers can take advantage of Kenya's low labor wages to produce for the domestic as well as foreign markets.

He said that Kenya has already launched its first special economic zone that offers investors world class infrastructure to produce goods in a globally competitive market.

He noted that foreign investors are also permitted to repatriate their profits to their home countries without any restrictions.

Mohamed said that Kenya has signed bilateral and multilateral agreements with over 100 countries that offer Kenyan goods preferential access to some 1.2 billion people.

Mohamed said that as China faces rising labor costs, some of their factories are looking for low cost producing nations.

"We have put in place measures to ensure that a good number of Chinese manufacturers select Kenya for their operations," he said.

He said that Kenya offers a politically stable environment that provides equal opportunity for both local and foreign investors to set up successful operations.

According to the ministry of industry, manufacturing has been identified as one of the key focus areas that will help Kenya achieve middle income status.

Mohamed said that one of the key drivers of the country's widening trade deficit is importation of manufactured goods.

"So by strengthening our industrial sector we can achieve a trade surplus as well as create numerous job opportunities for locals," he said.

Guo Ce, the Economic and Commercial Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, said that Chinese entrepreneurs are looking to tap into the numerous opportunities available in Kenya for the benefit of the citizens of both nations.

Guo noted that Kenya's geographic location coupled with stable political environment makes it an ideal destination for foreign investors.

He added that Kenya is now the first step for Chinese investors looking to set up operations in Africa.

The Chinese diplomat said that despite Kenya lacking huge mineral and hydrocarbon deposits, it has managed to diversify its economy to be one of the most resilient in Africa.NAIROBI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Tuesday signed an agreement with Singapore to phase out double taxation and attract investments from the Southeast Asian country in key sectors like agro-processing and financial services.

Henry Rotich, the Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury and Planning, said the elimination of double taxation will promote trade between the two countries alongside sharing of expertise required to hasten economic growth.

"The main objective of eliminating double taxation is to create a conducive environment for investments and trade in goods and services between Kenya and Singapore," said Rotich.

"Other benefits include facilitation in tax administration through sharing of information by tax authorities of the two countries, hence checking tax evasion," he added.

Rotich said that Kenya is keen to tap into Singapore's expertise in policy and regulatory reforms as well as human resources development that catapulted it to middle income status within a short period.

Currently, the balance of trade between Kenya and Singapore is in favor of the latter and represents a deficit of an estimated 51 million U.S. dollars.

According to Rotich, Kenya's exports to Singapore that includes tea, fruits, nuts and vegetables stood at 30 million dollars while imports from the country that included synthetic fibers and polymers stood at 50 million dollars in 2017.

He said the signing of an agreement on promotion of investments between Kenya and Singapore will help address the yawning trade deficit.

"The agreement is also designed to encourage investor confidence by setting high standards of investor protection applicable in international law," said Rotich.

Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies, said the removal of double taxation will encourage investors from his country to venture into Kenya's rapidly growing manufacturing, logistics and ICT sectors.

"We intend to deepen our cooperation with Kenya given that it is East Africa's largest business and logistics hub. The elimination of double taxation will encourage our business entities to look for opportunities in Kenya," Shanmugaratnam said.

He revealed that Singapore private investors will be holding regular forums with their Kenyan counterparts to explore investment opportunities in key areas like shipping, logistics, water solutions, construction and tourism.MOGADISHU, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Somalia Qin Jian on Tuesday visited China-funded health facility in Mogadishu's Wadjir district where about 15,000 Somali children are receiving medical care.

The Mother to Child Care project run by the UN children's fund (UNCIEF) benefited from 2 million U.S. dollar donation from the Chinese government.

Speaking during the tour, Qin reiterated his government's support to Somali people, adding that Beijing has also given donations worth 1.5 million dollars to people whose lives were affected by floods in the country in May.

The Chinese envoy commended UNICEF officials in the country for effectively utilizing the money.

"We are supporting Somali development projects, humanitarian assistance, peace and also giving out scholarships," Qin said during the tour of the facility.

UNICEF Deputy Representative to Somalia Jesper Moller thanked the Chinese government for the donation towards the construction of the health facility.

Moller noted that the project has benefited 1,500 children who were initially suffering from malnutrition since inception.

"We are very happy and proud of our relationship with the Chinese government that will go a long way in helping save lives of children in the country," he said and appreciated the good working relationship with the Chinese government.

According to Mohamed Ahmed, a Medical Coordinator at the health facility, the newly refurbished center treated 35,356 children last year.

"We screened a total of 34,784 children, 1,422 children were treated with severe malnutrition and 74 were hospitalized last year," Ahmed said.ROME, June 12 (Xinhua) -- A humanitarian migrant-rescue NGO said Tuesday a refugee ship will head to Spain with help from Italy, which will provide Coast Guard and navy ships to help transport 629 asylum seekers that were rescued from international waters off Libya last week.

The Aquarius ship run by SOS Mediterranee NGO confirmed Tuesday it has been told to reach the Spanish port city of Valencia, which is 760 nautical miles and over three days' voyage away from its present location.

"After 36 hours of standby in international waters 27 nautical miles from (the island nation of) Malta and 35 miles from Sicily, Aquarius has received official instructions to reach safe harbor" in Valencia, said the NGO, which is made up of associations from France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.

The 629 rescued men, women, and children come from countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cameroon, and Nigeria, according to RAI public broadcaster.

Italy on Sunday refused to let the Aquarius dock on its shores, sparking a row among European member states. Some, like Spain and France, slammed Italy's decision while others, such as Austria and Hungary, praised it.

The Italian government replied in a statement Tuesday that the country "cannot accept hypocritical lessons from countries that have always preferred to look the other way on immigration."

Meanwhile, EU officials warned that this issue can make or break the Union.

"This incident tells us that we must intervene immediately," European Parliament chief Antonio Tajani, who is Italian, told RAI in an interview.

Tajani said the EU must reform its so-called Dublin Agreement, which says that asylum seekers must apply for protection in the country of first arrival. This means Italy and Greece bear the brunt of the migrant crisis, because their southernmost islands are the first landfall for people fleeing from North Africa and the Middle East.

"We must save Europe," Tajani told RAI. "If there is no common agreement the entire European Union is in danger."

He was echoed by EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos. "The incident in the Mediterranean with the Aquarius vessel... has reminded us once again that migration is not just a theoretical discussion," he told the European Commission on Tuesday.

"No one believes this is an Italian responsibility" but rather "a European issue, requiring a European response," said Avramopoulos, who proposed to triple the funding for migration and border management to almost 35 billion euros (over 41 billion U.S. dollars) for 2021-2027, compared to 13 billion euros in the previous period.

"Our policy and budget for migration, asylum and borders need to be flexible and effective, but equally fair and proportionate," Avramopoulos tweeted.

"We cannot continue the political ping-pong of who is responsible. Because we all are: the EU as a whole with all Member States."

Meanwhile, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, tweeted that he plans to travel to Libya by the end of the month because "this situation must be resolved directly within the African continent".

"Thanks to Italy, Europe is finally changing: we must protect our borders in order to defend our citizens," tweeted Salvini.

A total of 14,441 migrants have reached Italy as of June 12 this year, down 77.45 percent compared to the same period in 2017, according to the interior ministry.GENEVA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Animal rights groups and environmental organizations in Switzerland have launched a popular initiative to ban intensive, large-scale livestock farming, the Swiss News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The groups have 18 months to collect the required 100,000 valid signatures.

The "No factory farming in Switzerland" initiative calls for a constitutional amendment that will affect animal husbandry practices in Switzerland, hoping to put an end to questionable conditions for livestock in the country, such as confining ten pigs in a pen the size of a car parking spot.

The initiative aims to put a brake on the increasing trend towards large-scale farming, high-productivity breeding and production optimization, according to the groups behind the campaign. They hope to achieve these objectives by amending the Swiss Federal Constitution.

The rights groups and organizations called on the Swiss government to protect the dignity of animals within the animal husbandry industry, which includes the right not to live in intensive, large-scale livestock farming conditions that violate animal welfare.

If the initiative is accepted, the government must define criteria for animal-friendly housing and care, ensure access to the outdoors, as well as limit the maximum number of animals kept in a barn. It would also need to create further regulations for importing animal products for food purposes.Tanks are seen in a military parade in Baku, Azerbaijan, June 26, 2011. (Xinhua/Liu Yang)

BAKU, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The Azerbaijani army's missile units on Tuesday conducted firing drills aimed at evaluating combat readiness, the country's Defense Ministry said.

The army launched modern anti-tank guided missiles. The exercises were performed under both daytime and nighttime conditions, involving weapon systems capable of destroying tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other types of armored vehicles, the ministry said in a statement.STRASBOURG, June 12 (Xinhua) -- European leaders debated priorities Tuesday with the lawmakers here, and the long-delayed actions on migration crisis has stirred frustration among the European Parliamentary.

"Preventing future crises is just as important as managing the current crisis," European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans said in an address to the European Parliament, gathered for its plenary session which was in preparation for the European Council summit of June 28-29.

He called for the European Council to take definitive action in reforming the Dublin system, which regulates how migrants and asylum seekers arriving in the European Union are managed.

"The situation in the Mediterranean is a stark reminder that we cannot wish problems away," Timmermans added.

Monika Panayotova, Deputy Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the European Council, told the European Parliament that "much had been achieved in the past years to strengthen our overall migration policy, with tangible results on the ground".

Assuring MEPs that the Bulgarian Presidency of the European Council had made migration a priority, and that intensive negotiations had led to more concrete solutions for the issue, Panayotova admitted that "Dublin reform remains difficult".

The Bulgarian official was quickly rebuked by President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani, who reminded Panayotova that MEPs had already overwhelmingly adopted recommendations for the overhaul of the Dublin Rules.

The European Parliament's text "is both firm and expresses solidarity", Tajani said, adding that it expresses a plea to the Council for them to take on board the serious proposal that garnered a huge majority to reform the Dublin rules and that has not been done up until now.

Tajani was referring to a November 2017 resolution adopted by the European Parliament that set for a series of guidelines for common asylum policy reform within interinstitutional negotiations between the Parliament and the European Council.

Leaders of the political groups also criticized the European Council for not taking decisive action on the migration crisis, ongoing since 2015, the year which saw over a million people arrive on European soil by irregular means.

Addressing the European Council representative on behalf of the Socialists and Democrats, Udo Bullman, lamented the plight of the Aquarius, a migrant ship that was recently accepted by Spain after being refused entry by Italy.

"No, you don't have time to postpone the issue of migration," Bullman hammered at Panayotova, "there is no excuse for not doing anything," he said.

"I have only one question: when, for heart's sake, will the European Council take a decision on this migration issue, and when will you take a responsibility?" asked Guy Verhofstadt on behalf of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.

Verhofstadt, former Prime Minster of Belgium, had strong words for the European Council, promising legal action if the body made up of European heads of state and government could not reach a decision.

"If EU leaders fail to agree to reform our common European migration & asylum system at EUCO, we have to bring the Council to Court under art.265 of the Treaty for 'failure to act'," he tweeted on Tuesday.

"We all know that the Dublin Rules don't work; we've been saying that for years here in the Parliament, we've been having proposals for how to fix it for years, and it doesn't get any better," added Ska Keller on behalf of the European Greens.

The June 28-29 Summit will be the last of the Bulgarian Presidency of the European Council before it is succeeded by Austria. In addition to migration, other major topics including Brexit, security and defense cooperation, the EU's long-term budget, and Eurozone reform will be on the summit agenda.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-13 04:02:04|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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VIENNA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) pumped more oil in May before the next meeting here, while de facto oil leader Saudi Arabia increased its production, the oil cartel's latest monthly report showed on Tuesday.

The OPEC crude oil production increased by 35,000 barrels a day in May compared to April after months of low oil production. The total amount of the oil production of OPEC was 31.87 million barrels per day in May.

Saudi Arabia, the largest oil pumper in OPEC, was the biggest contributor to the production increase, pumping 85,500 barrels per day more in May compared to April. However, the members of the cartel still show high conformity to the oil production ceiling.

The output ceiling of OPEC was 32.5 million barrels a day, which has lasted for more than one year to slash the global crude oil inventory.

OPEC is to hold meeting in Vienna on June 22 to discuss the oil output ceiling for the coming months.VARADERO, Cuba, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Cuba is committed to expanding Internet access and information technology (IT) to speed up economic, social and cultural development, Communications Minister Maimir Mesa said on Tuesday.

At the opening of the Sixth Latin American Telecommunications Congress in Cuba's seaside resort of Varadero, about 150 kilometers east of Havana, Mesa said the economic impact of these technologies, particularly the Internet, will contribute to the nation's development, productivity and employment.

"Our development plan is closely linked to telecommunications, effective government and social integration," said Mesa.

Some 4.5 million Cubans are now connected to the Internet, following three years of exponential growth in the infrastructure needed.

"Access to the Internet is provided at more than 1,500 public and residential locations where the infrastructure allows it and will soon be generalized via mobile phones with 3G and 4G technology," said Mesa.

"An increase of 20 percent per year in mobile technology will allow it to become the most popular way to access the Internet in Cuba," he said.

The challenge to expanding telecommunications infrastructure remains the ongoing U.S. trade embargo and Cuba's economic limitations, said the Cuban minister.

Still, "investment in technological infrastructure has increased in recent years, as we work to improve access, prices, affordability, and the use of IT by the population," Mesa said.

According to local authorities, there are currently 1,651 public Internet access sites in Cuba, 673 of them WiFi hotspots, and more than 28,000 users with home Internet service known as Nauta Hogar.

The high cost of connection (one U.S. dollar per hour) is still a problem, but Cubans are willing to make the sacrifice to inform themselves, interact with their loved ones and friends, and research content related to their professional and individual needs.

In February 2017, Cuba's parliament approved a comprehensive policy to increase Internet access in a country that until recently had one of the lowest penetration rates in Latin America.

The Latin American Telecommunications Congress has become a platform to promote exchanges and cooperation in the sector at the regional level, said Mesa.

The forum strengthens "public policies that promote the development of information technology in Latin America's digital ecosystem," he said.WASHINGTON, June 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is considering holding a press conference after every policy meeting rather than every other meeting, according to local media.

"Some of Mr. Powell's colleagues believe his direct style of communication makes him well suited to deliver press conferences more often and have recommended he make the change," the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

The Fed has maintained the every-other-meeting schedule since beginning press conferences in 2011, but the central bank has fallen into the pattern of making major policy changes only at meetings followed by a news conference, according to the Journal.

"We've evolved to a place where the market only thinks we'll move if there's a press conference," Raphael Bostic, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, was quoted as saying.

"It's important that the market believes that we could potentially move at any meeting that we have," he added.

The Fed holds eight policy meetings every year and the chairman currently holds quarterly press conferences during the months of March, June, September, and December.

Holding a press conference after every policy meeting could also give the chairman more opportunities to explain the central bank's monetary policy decisions, according to the report.

"At every meeting, there's a statement, and at many meetings, there's a change in policy. Any one of those-even a no change in policy-demands some kind of explanation," former Fed Vice Chairman Alan Blinder was quoted as saying.

Powell said in March that he didn't want any change in the format of the press conference to be misread as a signal of plans to raise rates more aggressively.

"I would want to think very carefully about it and make sure that no one would take more frequent press conferences as a signal of the path of policy," he said.

Powell is expected to hold its second press conference as Fed Chairman on Wednesday and tell reporters whether it's worth doing more press conferences.JUBA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- China and South Sudan on Tuesday signed a technical cooperation agreement for the modernization of state broadcasters in the East African nation.

The agreement for upgrading and modernization of broadcast studios at the state-owned radio and television was signed by senior officials from the country's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and officials from the Chinese Embassy in South Sudan.

Justin Allier De Mayen, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said the China-aided project estimated to cost about 15 million U.S. dollars will enable the construction of two state of the art broadcast studios and also offer capacity building for South Sudanese journalists through media exchanges.

Mayen appreciated Beijing for its support to the development of the media sector in the conflict-torn nation, adding that the two countries will continue to strengthen relations for the welfare of their people.

"With this signature, we have stepped a milestone in our bilateral cooperation with the People's Republic of China that has been so generous with the people of South Sudan," Mayen said.

Mayen said the modern studios, if completed, would improve the quality of programs aired by the state broadcasters.

"This is something that we have been yearning for so long because our TV and radio have been lacking studios. Our people will be better served in the area of media and technology that will also lead to freedom of media," Mayen added.

Cai Senming, Economic and Commercial Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in South Sudan, said the project to be undertaken by Chinese engineers would start soon.

He added that the grant is part of China's effort to help the world's youngest country attain stability and prosperity.BERLIN, June 12 (Xinhua) -- German civil servants, including school teachers employed in the public sector, will continue to be excluded from the legal right of workers to go on strike, the country's Federal Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday.

The Karlsruhe-based judges hereby rejected a constitutional appeal which sought to overturn a provision in the German civil service code barring its members from going on strike. The presiding judge Andreas Vosskuhle argued that a right to strike for civil servants would create "a domino effect" in the public sector which threatened to undermine "fundamental principles of civil service."

The verdict by the Federal Constitutional Court emphasized that civil servants were still explicitly allowed to organize in trade unions under German law in order to preserve and improve their working conditions. However, industrial action which involved public sector staff laying down their work as witnessed during a spate of recent "warning strikes" was incompatible with the fiduciary duty and alimentation principle associated with holding a civic office.

The constitutional appeal was launched by four German teachers who participated in industrial strike action at the start of the year as part of now-concluded negotiations over collective wages in the public sector and subsequently received disciplinary penalties for their behavior. The plaintiffs' legal challenge against their punishment was supported by the German Education Union (GEW) and the Federation of German Trade Unions (DGB).

According to the Federal Constitutional Court, around three quarters of a total of 800,00 German teachers are formally classified as civil servants.BERLIN, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Incidences of economic and financial misdemeanors, also known as "white collar" crime, are on the rise in Germany, figures published on Tuesday by the country's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) show.

According to BKA, the number of cases registered by authorities in 2017 reached the highest level in five years at a total of 74,070 nationwide incidences of white collar crime. The Wiesbaden-based agency highlighted that the figure marked an increase of 28.7 percent compared to the previous year. At the same time, the total value of damage created by economic and financial misdemeanors also rose by nearly 25 percent to 3.74 billion euros.

The BKA largely attributed the worrying development to "new and diverse opportunities for crimes" created by the internet. For example, so-called "social bots" were increasingly used to create fake identities and information in order to manipulate online purchasing decisions.

Another type of scheme commonly encountered by German authorities in 2017 involved dubious online finance platforms, many of which focused on the buoyant trade in cryptocurrencies and lured investors with the promise of high returns. "There is a danger for investors that the invested capital is not being used as advertised but rather for the purpose of illegal profit maximization," the BKA warned.

Nevertheless, the official study noted the annual surge in white collar crime experienced by German authorities was partially accounted for by just one unusually large and complex case. Prosecutors launched investigations into Dresden-based financial services provider Infinus between 2016 and 2017 on suspicion of serious commercial- and investment fraud, leading to the filing of independent charges against the company.

State prosecutors have since accused the founder and former managers of Infinus' of having defrauded at least 20,000 investors of around 150 million euros by creating an illicit Ponzi scheme. The case is currently still ongoing at the Dresden Higher Regional Court.

The BKA further noted that it had recorded a fall in some categories of economic and financial misdemeanors in 2017, including cases of "chief executive officer (CEO) fraud" in which fraudsters posing as corporate managers contact the accountants of companies and order the transfer of funds abroad. Thanks to better international cooperation between judicial authorities, the incidence of this specific type of crime in Germany nearly halved from 439 in 2016 to 262 in 2017.PARIS, June 12 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday reiterated commitment to the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal despite U.S. withdrawal, but asked Tehran to comply with its obligations "without any ambiguity."

During a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, Macron "recalled the will of France, the Britain, Germany, Russia and China, to continue to implement the Vienna agreement in all its dimensions," his office said in a statement.

The French president informed Rouhani of the work in progress made to maintain the deal, asking "Iran, for its part, fulfill its obligations without any ambiguity," the statement added.

At request of Iranian officials, a ministerial meeting, Macron said, will be held in coming weeks to help resolve the crisis, according to the Elysee.Iranian President Hassan Rouhani makes a statement over U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of quitting the 2015 international nuclear deal, in the capital Tehran on May 8, 2018. (Iranian Presidential Office photo)

TEHRAN, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday urged the European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal to take "practical and tangible measures" to protect Iranian interests after the U.S. pullout.

In a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, Rouhani warned that it will be impossible for Iran to remain in the nuclear deal if it cannot benefit from it, the official news agency IRNA reported.

The Iranian leader expressed satisfaction with Europe's stance, particularly France's, over the nuclear deal, but adding that the European remarks and statements should be followed by practical and tangible steps to compensate Iran and salvage Tehran's interests.

Iran and the other five signing parties to the deal should not allow this "great achievement of diplomacy" to be ruined by the unilateral measures and violations of the United States, Rouhani said.

Iran signed the landmark nuclear deal with the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany in 2015 to halt its nuclear weapons program in exchange for sanctions relief.

U.S. President Donald Trump decided on May 8 to quit the Iranian nuclear deal and vowed to reimpose sanctions, including oil embargo, on Tehran.

Iran is currently in talks with France, Britain and Germany to revive the "blocking statute," a 1996 regulation that prohibits European Union companies and courts from complying with foreign sanctions laws.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-13 04:52:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BRASILIA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The grain production of Brazil in the 2017-2018 season is estimated to reach 229.7 million tons, a 3.4 percent decrease compared with 237.7 million tons last year, said its food supply and statistics agency Conab Tuesday.

The agency downgraded the yield once before, when it forecast a 232.6 million-ton harvest on May 10.

The expected volume includes some 118 million tons of soy and 85 million tons of corn, as well as other grains.

Conab blamed the decrease in yield, despite a record high area of cultivated farmland of 61.6 million hectares, on poor weather conditions that especially impacted the country's second corn harvest.

Wilson Vaza, deputy head from the Agriculture Ministry's agricultural policy department, said that despite the setback in yields, the outlook was positive.

"The motivation remains and next year we believe we can surpass 240 million tons," said Vaza.

The agency also announced the creation of an agricultural information website that will act as a clearinghouse for all manner of data, from yields to prices and inventory per state, and the cost of shipping.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-13 05:22:42|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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DAMASCUS, June 12 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 civilians of the same family were killed by renewed U.S.-led airstrikes on Syria's northeastern province of al-Hasakah on Tuesday, state news agency SANA reported.

The airstrikes targeted the village of Tal Shayer in the southeastern countryside of al-Hasakah, the latest in a string of airstrikes that have caused civilian casualties.

A day earlier, the U.S.-led coalition killed 18 civilians, mostly Iraqi refugees, in airstrikes on the town of Khoeberah in the southern countryside of al-Hasakah, said SANA, adding that women and children were among the killed.

The attacks came after 10 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed last Tuesday in the U.S.-led airstrikes on the town of Jaza'a in the southern countryside of al-Shaddadah city in al-Hasakah province.

SANA said the U.S.-led coalition is ramping up airstrikes on the southern countryside of al-Hasakah to enable the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to take control.

The U.S. and the SDF have been on an offensive against positions of the Islamic State (IS) militant group in al-Hasakah to consolidate the Kurdish control in areas east of the Euphrates River.

The Syrian government has slammed the killing of civilians by the U.S.-led coalition, calling it an "illegitimate" coalition that should be disbanded.TRIPOLI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Libya's eastern-based army confirmed Tuesday that its air force carried out three airstrikes on terrorist targets near the city of Sirte, some 450 km east of the capital Tripoli.

After monitoring al-Qaida terrorists who fled from Benghazi, Libyan air force fighter jets carried out an airstrike in the morning and two others in the afternoon on terror positions 60 km south of Sirte, the military spokesman Ahmad Mismari said in a statement.

"The airstrikes were precise and our fighter jets returned to their bases safely," Mismari added.

Islamic State terrorists are active in the desert of Sirte as well as southern Libya, which is dominated by the rugged desert and valleys.

The Benghazi Defense Brigades, a coalition of extremist groups that fights the army in the eastern city Benghazi, has launched several attacks in eastern cities in Libya.

In the most recent attack on the southern airbase of Brak in June 2017, 141 army soldiers were killed.

The eastern-based army, led by Gen. Khalifa Haftar, last year expelled the armed group from Jufra town, some 240 km south of Sirte, forcing them to flee into the nearby valleys and desert areas.Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-13 06:42:59|Editor: mmm

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UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe speaks during an interview with Xinhua News Agency at the United Nations headquarters in New York, on June 12, 2018. China is playing a great role in fighting AIDS, Michel Sidibe said Tuesday at the UN headquarters after his report on the latest progress of the agency's struggle against AIDS. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, June 12 (Xinhua) -- China is playing a great role in fighting AIDS, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe said Tuesday at the United Nations headquarters after his report on the latest progress of the agency's struggle against AIDS.

At the halfway point to the 2020 fast-track commitments agreed by the General Assembly in 2016, the world is making strong progress toward ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030, the senior UN official said.

China is making education the central work, making sure that sanitation, environment, sport and other issues are addressed, Sidibe said.

China-Africa is a wonderful partnership. African health ministers are meeting to discuss what could be the new paradigm for reinforcing relevant service delivery system, the UN official said.

Chinese have gone to Sierra Leone to help Africans deal with Ebola, he said, adding that China, a country with successful experience in "barefoot doctors", can play a critical role in training community health workers, he said.

Xinhua News Agency, one of the leading media groups in the world, has been on the forefront sharing results, making people understand what needs to be addressed, and trying to mobilize, advocate and create space for social change, Sidibe said.

UNAIDS and Xinhua have established a unique and amazing partnership, Sidibe said.

UNAIDS signed an MOU with Xinhua in 2010 and unrolled joint media campaigns on fighting AIDS ever since. The UN agency has also strengthened ties with the Chinese government in combatting the epidemic in China and beyond.HAVANA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The sole survivor of a fatal plane crash in Cuba that killed all of the other 112 people on board in mid-May remains in critical condition, the hospital said on Tuesday.

Cuban national Maylen Diaz Almaguer, 19, is conscious, oriented and cooperating with the treatment, Dr. Carlos Alberto Martinez, director of the Calixto Garcia General Hospital in Havana, told reporters.

The patient's respiratory functions have been stabilized so that she can occasionally breath on her own without the aid of mechanical ventilation, he said, but her prognosis is guarded, meaning doctors cannot say how her condition will evolve.

In the meantime, Cuban authorities continue to investigate the cause of the crash with the help of U.S. and Mexican forensic experts.

Cubana Airlines operated the aircraft under a wet lease arrangement with Mexican charter airline Damojh (commercially known as Global Air), meaning it came with a flight and maintenance crew, which in this case numbered six people.

The Boeing 737 crashed and ignited a little past noon on May 18, just minutes after taking off from Havana's Jose Marti International Airport on its way to eastern Holguin province.

Nearly all the victims, mainly Cuban nationals, were killed on impact and in the resulting fire.

Two other women rescued alive along with Diaz later succumbed to their injuries.The leftist opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) has called on the government to sign the agreement enabling the Central European University (CEU) to continue its operations in Budapest.

Hungary tightened rules governing the operations of foreign universities in the country last year, requiring foreign colleges and universities in Hungary to operate on the basis of an interstate agreement and to run a campus in the country in which they are based.

Gergely Arato, DKs education spokesman, said that the agreement to be signed between the State of New York and the Hungarian government that would create the otherwise completely unnecessary legal conditions for CEUs continued operations has been on the governments table since September.

Arato said it was already clear last April when the higher education law was changed that the amendment had only been introduced to make things harder on CEU. And the Venice Commissions report on the law made it clear that the legislation was unfair and violated international law, he added.

CEU, founded by US billionaire George Soros, has said that the amended legislation would make its continued operations in Budapest impossible.

The university has complained that it was targeted by the amendment because it has no campus in the United States. Last autumn, CEU said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Bard College to provide educational activities in New York.

Last month, CEU signalled its intent to remain in Budapest after the Open Society Foundations (OSF), also financed by Soros, announced plans to move its headquarters to Berlin.

Arato said if CEU moved its operations to Vienna, those who would lose out on the universitys departure would not be CEU or Soros, but rather Hungarian students and professors and the Hungarian higher education system.

MTI Photo: Roka LaszloAs long as Europes security depends exclusively on the good will of Turkey, its borders will remain defenceless, Peter Szijjarto, Hungarys foreign minister, has said.

Szijjarto said Turkey had terminated its agreement with Greece to take back migrants. This goes to show how fragile the situation has become on Europes southern border, Szijjarto said after a meeting of Central European Initiative foreign ministers in Split.

If the EU-Turkish deal goes the same way as the Greek-Turkish agreement, a new wave of migrants can be expected on the Western Balkan route, and hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants may arrive on Hungarys southern border in the blink of an eye.

Szijjarto said the Western Balkans was the only remaining line of defence and Hungarys fence really works.

He said very alarming developments were taking place to the south of Europe, adding that it was clear that Brussels had failed to build a southern line of defence over the past three and a half years.

Participants at the meeting agreed on the need for a common policy that does not encourage migrants to move to Europe. Migration must be tackled at its root. Countries of origin for migrants should cooperate more closely in order to put a stop to the outflow, he said.

MTI Photo: Mohai BalazsState railway company MAV has announced a new tender for the renovation of Kobanya-Kispest railway station in Budapest, it told HVG on June 8.

The previous contract to modernise the station signed in early 2017 has been cancelled and new bids are now being considered, MAV said.

Reconstruction will start in spring 2020 to be completed by the end of 2021. MAV received an EU subsidy of Ft 4.5 billion for the project.Self-driving cars will take centre stage at this weeks two-day meeting of the Hungarian-Israeli mixed economic committee, the minister for innovation and technology said at the meetings opening ceremony in Zalaegerszeg, in western Hungary.

Opportunities for cooperation between Hungary and Israel abound in the areas of business, research and academia, Laszlo Palkovics (pictured on top) said.

Ohad Cohen, trade commissioner at Israels economy and industry ministry, said the two-day session to be held in the building of the self-driving vehicle test track the government is building in the city will be attended by government and business representatives.

The governments job is to create the environment for businesses and itll be up to businesspeople to make use of it, Cohen said. Cohen said the construction of the test track was proceeding well, adding that Israeli firms specialising in the development of self-driving cars will also be inspecting the track over the course of mixed committee meeting.

Zoltan Balaicz, Zalaegerszegs mayor, noted that the city is contributing a 265-hectare site for the track that will cost 45 billion forints (EUR 140.6m). Zalaegerszeg has also become the test city for 5G networks, he added.

MTI Photo: Illyes TiborIRON COUNTY'S state representatives, state Sen. Janet Bewley, left, and state Rep. Beth Meyers tour Saxon Harbor with the Iron County forestry and parks administrator, Eric Peterson Friday to see how the rebuilding effort was going after the harbor was destroyed in the July 2016 storm.

By RICHARD JENKINS

[email protected]

SAXON, Wis. - Surprise and delight seemed to be the dominant emotions Friday, as Iron County's state representatives saw firsthand how much progress had been made rebuilding Saxon Harbor since it was destroyed in the July 2016 storm.

"It's really wonderful to come down here and finally see that the hard work of all of the people from the county, and the state and the federal government - we're really seeing results," said state Sen. Janet Bewley (D-Ashland). "And we can really see what our new harbor is going to look like, it's going to be a be...Coun Perez reiterates warning to barangay leaders involved in drugs

07 Aug 2017 Hits:37 Comments(0)

Liga ng mga Barangay President, Councilor Jerry Perez yesterday reiterated his warning to all barangay officials from using or selling drugs. Perez said he is closely monitoring the activities of all the barangay officials and vowed sanctions against erring leaders. Aqui gane na mio barangay ya quita ya iyo na puesto cunel dos barangay leaders quien mas temprano ya sale positivo na...SINGAPORE: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump reached the venue of their historic summit in Singapore on Tuesday after both sides sought to narrow differences over how to end a nuclear standoff.

While Trump was optimistic about prospects for the first-ever meeting of sitting US and North Korean leaders, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo injected a note of caution, saying it remained to be seen if Kim was sincere about his willingness to denuclearise.

Officials of the two sides held last-minute talks to lay the groundwork for the summit of the old foes, an event almost unthinkable just months ago, when they were exchanging insults and threats that raised fears of war.

The summit is due to begin at 9 am (0100 GMT)

Trump was the first to arrive at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa, a resort island off Singapore`s port with luxury hotels, a Universal Studios theme park and man-made beaches. island, a resort.



Kim Jong Un's convoy leaves hotel for Singapore resort on Sentosa Island where the North Korean leader is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump. US President arrives at the summit site, reports AP (File pictures) pic.twitter.com/z2AubbeQYl  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

Television images showed Kim's motorcade arriving later.

AP later claimed that Kim Jong Un's convoy has also arrived in Sentosa island where the North Korean leader will hold a summit with Donald Trump. The US President is present at the summit site, it said.

Kim Jong Un's convoy arrives on Sentosa island where the North Korean leader will hold a summit with Donald Trump. The US President is present at the summit site, reports AP  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

Staff-level meetings between the United States and North Korea were going "well and quickly," Trump said in a message on Twitter on Tuesday.

But he added, "In the end, that doesn`t matter. We will all know soon whether or not a real deal, unlike those of the past, can happen!"

After a flurry of diplomatic overtures that eased tension, the leaders are headed for a history-making handshake that US officials hope could eventually lead to the dismantling of a North Korean nuclear programme that threatens the United States.

The combatants of the 1950-53 Korean War are technically still at war, as the conflict, in which millions of people died, was concluded only with a truce.

On Tuesday morning, Pompeo fed the mounting anticipation of diplomatic breakthrough: "We`re ready for today."

Trump will hold a one-on-one meeting with Kim on the resort island of Sentosa, before they are joined by officials and have lunch together, the White House has said.

While Trump and Kim shake hands, searching each others eyes and words for signs of trust or deceit, the rest of the world will be watching, hoping that somehow these two unpredictable leaders can find a way to defuse one of the planet`s most dangerous flashpoints.

"I just think it`s going to work out very nicely," Trump said on Monday, although gaps remain over what denuclearisation would entail.

Pompeo told reporters the event should set the framework for "the hard work that will follow", insisting that North Korea had to move toward complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation.

North Korea, however, has shown little appetite for surrendering nuclear weapons it considers vital to the survival of Kim`s dynastic rule.

Sanctions on North Korea would remain in place until that happened, Pompeo said. "If diplomacy does not move in the right direction ... those measures will increase."

He added, "North Korea has previously confirmed to us its willingness to denuclearise and we are eager to see if those words prove sincere."

The White House said later that discussions with North Korea had moved "more quickly than expected" and Trump would leave Singapore on Tuesday night after the summit, rather than Wednesday, as scheduled earlier.

Kim is due to leave on Tuesday afternoon, a source involved in the planning of his visit has said. One of the world`s most reclusive leaders, Kim visited Singapore`s waterfront on Monday, smiling

and waving to onlookers, adding to a more affable image that has emerged since his April summit with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in.

The Swiss-educated leader, who is believed to be 34, has not left his isolated country since taking office in 2011, apart from visiting China and the South Korean side of the border Demilitarised Zone, which separates the two Koreas.

Just a few months ago, Kim was an international pariah accused of ordering the killing of his uncle, a half-brother and scores of officials suspected of disloyalty.

`CHANGED ERA`

The summit was part of a "changed era", North Korea`s state-run KCNA news agency said in its first comments on the event.

Talks would focus on "the issue of building a permanent and durable peace-keeping mechanism on the Korean peninsula, the issue of realising the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and other issues of mutual concern", it added.

Ahead of the summit, North Korea rejected unilateral nuclear disarmament, and KCNA`s reference to denuclearisation of the peninsula has historically meant it wants the United States to remove a "nuclear umbrella" protecting South Korea and Japan.

Trump spoke to both South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japan`s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday to discuss developments ahead of the summit.

For Kim, the authoritarian leader of the militarised state that has shunned contact with the outside world, the ultimate goal aside from security guarantees would be freedom and support to develop an impoverished economy.

For Trump, achieving a momentous foreign policy success would cement his place in history, and give his presidency a boost just months ahead of congressional mid-term elections.

Many experts on North Korea remain skeptical Kim will ever completely abandon nuclear weapons, believing his engagement aims to get the United States to ease crippling sanctions.

"The process could be doomed before it begins," said Kelsey Davenport of the Arms Control Association, adding that a common understanding of denuclearisation was key to success.MOSCOW: Militants of the so-called "Free Syrian Army" with the assistance of US military special operations forces are mulling a fake chemical attack in Syria, the Russian military has claimed.

The intelligence was confirmed by three independent channels in Syria, said Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov in a statement on Monday.

A Xinhua report quoted Igor as saying that the Free Syrian Army militants have brought chlorine cylinders to a settlement in the Syrian province of Deir al-Zour to fake a chemical attack by the Syrian government troops against civilians.

A video of the staged attack, after it is disseminated in the western media, will serve as a new pretext for the US-led coalition to strike Syrian targets and justify an offensive by militants against Syrian government forces on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, he said.

The ministry said it is intolerable to use such a provocation to destabilize Syria, Konashenkov said.

The United States, along with Britain and France, launched joint airstrikes on military targets in Syria on April 14, in response to what they said was the Syrian military's use of chemical weapons in Douma, a then rebel-held town in Eastern Ghouta near the Syrian capital of Damascus on April 7.

However, Russia said that no traces of the chemical attack had been found and that the event was staged.Patna: Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) is likely to release class 10 board exams results 2018 on June 20. The matric results will be declared on the official website - biharboardonline.bihar.gov.in.

However, since the BSEB has not officially announced any date of the results, candidates are advised to keep checking the official websites for more information. Over 17 lakh students appeared for the matriculation examination in 2018.

Steps to check your BSEB Results 2018:

- Visit the official portal of BSEB - biharboardonline.bihar.gov.in.

- Click on 'Bihar board results 2018'.

- Click on BSEB class 10th results 2018.

- Enter roll number and other relevant details.

- Click on 'submit'.

- The students are advised to download the results and take a print out of the same.

As per the official website, "BSEB was established for holding and conducting an examination at the end of the secondary school stage, for prescribing course of studies for such examination and for carrying out such other objects and duties as may be considered necessary for the purpose as stated in the act, rules and regulations of the board."

"Apart from the secondary school examination, the board also conducts departmental examinations (not on yearly basis) such as diploma in physical education, certificate in physical education and teachers training examination on such terms and condition as laid down by the state government."New Delhi: The makers have dropped a new poster of 'For Here Or To Go' and the lead actor, Ali Fazal, looks dashingly uncertain on it.

The poster also gave out the release date of the film in India, July 06. The film is set against the backdrop of the 2008 recession and revolves around an Indian entrepreneur that struggles with American immigration system.

Apart from the 'Fukrey' actor, the film also stars Melanie Chandra, Rajit Kapur, Amitosh Nagpal, and Omi Vaidya in pivotal roles. The dramedy is directed by Rucha Humnabadkar and written by Rishi Bhilawadikar. The film was released overseas in 2017 but July 06 will be the homecoming date for the critically acclaimed cinema.NEW DELHI: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Tuesday said that former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's condition is stable.

He is responding well to the treatment and is on injectable antibiotics, the doctors attending Vajpayee at the AIIMS said.

''All vital parameters are stable. He will continue to be in hospital till the infection is controlled,'' the hospital said in a medical bulletin released on the former prime minister's health.

Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's condition is stable. He is responding to treatment and is on injectable antibiotics. All vital parameters are stable. He will continue to be in hospital till infection is controlled: All India Institute of Medical Sciences  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

The BJP patriarch was admitted to AIIMS on Monday and is being treated for urinary tract infection.

Earlier, the hospital had said that Vajpayee was admitted for a routine check-up and that his condition was stable. A team of doctors under the supervision of AIIMS director Randeep Guleria had been attending to the nonagenarian leader, a statement from the hospital had said.

A host of leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the ailing BJP leader at the hospital. The PM met the doctors and enquired about the well-being of Vajpayee. He also met his family members and spent nearly 50 minutes at the hospital.

PM @narendramodi visited former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee at AIIMS today. He was at AIIMS for about 50 minutes. The Prime Minister interacted with family members of Shri Vajpayee. He also spoke to doctors and enquired about the health of Shri Vajpayee. pic.twitter.com/CctZYDJV8o  PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 11, 2018

BJP veteran LK Advani, BJP president Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Health Minister JP Nadda, Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi were among those who paid a visit to the ailing leader on Monday.

As news of the former PM's health spread, many, including political leaders and common people prayed for his recovery.

On 25 December 2014, Vajpayee was awarded the Bharat Ratna - India's highest civilian honour.

The then President Pranab Mukherjee had conferred the award to Vajpayee at his residence on 27 March 2015.

Vajpayee, who was PM briefly in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004, has retreated from active politics over the last few years due to failing health conditions. He was the first non-Congress PM to serve a full five-year term. Along with Advani, Vajpayee took the BJP from two seats in the Lok Sabha to power at the Centre.

He first entered the Lok Sabha in 1957. He was then elected to the 5th, 6th and 7th Lok Sabha and again to the 10th, 11th 12th and 13th and to Rajya Sabha in 1962 and 1986. In 2004, he won from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh for the fifth time consecutively.

At 93, he is currently the oldest living former PM.

(With Agency inputs)Vadodara: A doctor has been booked on the charge of raping a woman patient in his clinic near Vadodara in Gujarat by sedating her under the pretext of treatment, police said today.

The Ayurvedic doctor, who used to practice allopathy, has been on the run while his compounder has been arrested, a police official said.

According to the official, more such cases may come to light against the doctor who allegedly used to sedate women patients coming to his clinic in Angadh village by administering an injection before raping them.

Police have registered an FIR against the doctor under various sections of the IPC including 376 (punishment for rape) and 328 (Causing hurt by means of poison, etc., with intent to commit an offense) on the complaint of a woman.

Quoting the complainant, the official said the compounder had filmed the incident at the behest of the doctor who blackmailed the woman into having physical relations with him multiple times.

The alleged incidents took place around two months ago.

The official said around seven clips have emerged in which the doctor is purportedly seen in compromising position with various women.

Police have formed various teams to trace the doctor.HYDERABAD: Raja Singh, the controversial BJP MLA from Hyderabad, has been booked for allegedly saying that only those "begging for vote" host Iftar parties.

According to ANI, a case has been registered against Singh at the Falaknuma Police Station for hurting religious sentiments by slamming those hosting Iftar parties.

Hyderabad: Case registered against BJP MLA Raja Singh at Falaknuma Police Station for hurting religious sentiments after he allegedly remarked on #iftar parties hosted by political parties, in a video message he posted on social media. (file pic) pic.twitter.com/9kO6RgIR6Z  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

Commenting on the growing trend among the political parties for hosting the Iftar party, Singh had on Monday said that he would neither host nor attend such events.

Known for making contentious statements, the MLA from Goshamahal constituency in Hyderabad also posted a video message on a social networking site where he said that one of his friends suggested him to hold an Iftar party like many other lawmakers do during the holy month of Ramzan.

"These days many Telangana legislators are busy hosting Iftar parties, wearing skull caps and taking selfies. They think if they have to do vote bank politics, they will have to think of 'sabka saath, sabha vikas' (together will all, development for all),'' Singh said.

"This is their thinking. Those who sit with them (those attending Iftar) are 'vote ke bhikhari' (beggars for vote). My thinking is different," he added.

Singh said that his religion Hinduism taught giving respect to everyone.

"But some religions and their religious books preach to kill Hindus as they are 'Kafir' (a term literally meaning non-believers but often construed as insulting to followers of other religions). How can I attend an Iftar or host one for those who talk of killing Hindus?" he said.

Singh said when his friend disputed his contention and wanted a proof in support of his claim, he told him that it was mentioned in the "green book".

"This green book is responsible for the spread of terrorism in India and it should be banned. I will fight to get it banned," he said.

The BJP leader said that he dreams of an "akhand Hindu rashtra" (an undivided Hindu nation), building a Ram temple in Ayodhya, a ban on cow slaughter in the entire country and return of displaced Kashmiri Pandits.

He said it was because of "secularwadi" (secularist) Hindus that the Mughals and the British ruled India.

"When there are over 50 Muslim countries and more than 100 Christian countries, why can't there be a single Hindu nation?" Singh questioned.

Singh recently accused Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao of hosting Iftar at different mosques in the state to "appease" the minorities.

"KCR wants aid from Centre as state is in financial crisis but for appeasement of minorities #Telangana government is spending 66 crore for #Iftar party Development over vote bank politics #Iftar politics," he tweeted.

#KCR wants aid from centre as state is in financial crisis but for appeasement of minorities #Telangana government is spending 66 Crores for #IftarParty Development over vote bank politics #Iftarpolitics@KTRTRS @TelanganaCMO pic.twitter.com/gDwwAk5hyM  Raja Singh BJP MLA (@TigerRajaSingh) June 8, 2018

However, this is not the first time that Raja Singh has been booked for making provocative statements. He has earlier been booked by the Hyderabad Police in connection with his alleged hate speeches.

He had once triggered a controversy, saying that the heads of those opposing construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya be chopped off.

(With PTI inputs)A 25-year-old woman was allegedly raped by self-styled godman Daati Maharaj and his disciples several times. The woman approached the police with a complaint against Daati Maharaj at the Fatehpur Beri police station in south Delhi on Sunday.

The victim told police that she was a disciple of the self-styled godman for a decade, but after getting raped by him and two of his disciples, she returned to her native place in Rajasthan.

She also alleged that a female disciple of the godman would force her into his room and if she refused, would tell her that other disciples too slept with him, the police said.

The woman also alleged that she was sexually abused in the ashrams of the godman in Delhi and Rajasthan and named two male disciples of Daati Maharaj.

She fled from one of the ashrams two years ago and was in depression for a long time.

After she recovered from her trauma, she narrated her ordeal to her parents, who approached the police and a case was registered.

Delhi Commission for Women Chairperson Swati Maliwal met the victim and said she should be given police protection.

"Met girl who alleged rape by Dati Maharaj in his ashram. The girls story is simply horrifying and it appears that she has gone through the utmost torture. She has a threat to her life. Issued notice to Delhi Police to imm provide her protection. Dati Maharaj shud b imm arrested! (sic)," Maliwal tweeted.Mumbai: Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday that he went to see BJP patriarch Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is admitted in AIIMS, as the former PM had worked for the country and the Congress party respected him.

Vajpayee was thrice elected the PM between 1996 and 1999 and is the only non-Congress prime minister to complete the full term of five years, from 1999 to 2004. As his health deteriorated, he slowly withdrew from public life and has been confined to his residence for years.

"We had contested against Vajpayee ji, but when he is ill now I went to meet him on priority because I am a soldier of Congress. Vajpayee ji had worked for our country and we respect him as he was the PM. This is our culture," the Congress president said addressing the booth workers in Mumbai.

He also said that he felt sorry for BJP veteran LK Advani, claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not 'respect his guru'. "LK Advani has been the guru of PM Modi, but I have seen in events that the Prime Minister does not even respect his guru. Today I feel very sad for Advani ji. The Congress party has given him more respect than Modi ji," Rahul said, as per ANI.

Congress party fought against Vajpayee's govt, but when he was sick it was we who first visited him. This is the ideology of Congress party, we respect our opponents: Congress President @RahulGandhi #RahulGandhiInMumbai pic.twitter.com/5J7oVjpXlG  Congress (@INCIndia) June 12, 2018

We had contested against Vajpayee ji but when he is ill now I went to meet him on priority because I am a soldier of Congress. Vajpayee Ji had worked for our country and we respect him as he was the Prime Minister. This is our culture: Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Mumbai pic.twitter.com/GKxfrRa64K  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

LK Advani has been the guru of PM Modi, but I have seen in events that PM Modi does not even respect his guru. Today I feel very sad for Advani ji. The Congress party has given him more respect than Modi Ji: Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Mumbai #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/xJoGAuDq3F  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

Rahul was among those who paid a visit to the ailing leader in the hospital on Monday. Others who visited Vajpayee on Sunday included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP veteran LK Advani, party chief Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Health Minister JP Nadda and Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan.

The condition of the former PM was stable, the hospital said on Tuesday. In a statement, the AIIMS said, "His condition is stable. He is responding to treatment and is on injectable antibiotics. All his vital parameters are stable. He will continue to be in hospital till the infection is controlled," PTI reported.

A host of political leaders, including former PMs Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda, visited the ailing leader on Tuesday. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, MoS Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Union Ministers Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and Anant Geete were others who visited him.

Meanwhile, slamming the BJP, Rahul said, "They have the recently lost in Karnataka and have barely saved themselves in Gujarat, they will be wiped out in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh and Congress and other opposition parties will defeat them in the General Elections 2019."

"A senior politician told me that he has been fighting against the Congress for the past 50 years and it is after 50 years that he realised that if there is any party which can keep the country safe it is the Congress. Only Congress can defeat the ideology of BJP and RSS. As Mumbai takes in all sections of people and works together so does Congress party takes in all sections of society and works towards building an inclusive India," he added.

"My message to all of you is, this party belongs to its workers, not just the leaders. Wherever BJP-RSS spreads hate, a Congress worker should spread love and peace," he told party workers.

(With Agency inputs)The Madhya Pradesh unit of Congress party has demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the death of self-styled godman and spiritual leader Bhayyuji Maharaj. The spiritual leader, who was recently offered MoS position by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, allegedly committed suicide at his residence in Indore on Tuesday.

The Congress party has alleged that Bhayyuji Maharaj was under pressure because of Madhya Pradesh government and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The opposition party claimed that Chouhan had been forcing him to become a minister in his government and work for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). According to them, Bhayyuji Maharaj had refused to take facilities provided by the state government and refused to become a minister.

Indore Deputy Inspector General HC Mishra had confirmed that the spiritual leader shot himself dead at his residence in Silver Spring area. He was rushed to Bombay Hospital in a critical condition and was later declared dead.

Bhayyuji Maharaj left a suicide note before taking the extreme step, claiming that he was fed up and under too much stress. He further wrote in the note that someone else should take care of the family. "Somebody should be there to handle duties of family. I am leaving, to much stressed out. Fed up (sic)," said the alleged suicide note.

When the post of Minister of State was offered to him by the Chouhan government in April, Bhayyuji Maharaj had refused to accept it saying a post holds no importance for a saint.

Born as Uday Singh Deshmukh, Bhayyuji Maharaj enjoyed a large following among politicians and film stars. Among those who used to pay obeisance to him were Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and former President Pratibha Patil. Bhayyuji was a popular name in Uttar Pradesh as well.

Bhayyuji attracted national attention in August 2011 when anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare was on indefinite hunger strike for Lokpal bill. When Anna was not ready to discuss it with the Union government, late Vilasrao Deshmukh brought Bhayyuji to hold parleys with Anna.

He had also coordinated with the then law minister Salman Khurshid and Delhi MP Sandeep Dikshit and prepared the draft of the Lokpal bill, which was acceptable to both the parties.

Prior to following the path of spiritualism, Bhayyuji Maharaj had tried his hands in modelling.The Enforcement Directorate has reportedly seized an under-construction mall, which was being built by the family of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.

This comes more than a year after the central government had issued a notice to Bihar government, asking the authorities to stop the construction work, which was alleged to be part of benami property acquired by Lalu and his family.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Kumar Modi had alleged that Lalus son and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had started the construction of the mall without even getting its map cleared from authorities concerned.

Reports say that among the directors of the mall are Tej Pratap Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, and Lalus daughters Chanda and Ragini. On February 14, 2017, former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi was also included as one of the directors.

The mall, which is being constructed in Danapur area near Patna, is valued at almost Rs 200 crore. The land on which the mall is being constructed was owned up by Lalu in April 2017. He had claimed that there was nothing illegal in the construction of the mall.

In December 2017, the Enforcement Directorate had seized a three-acre plot of land, worth Rs 45 crore, in Patna, belonging to Lalu and family.

The ED has been probing financial irregularities in a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Lalu Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav and other family members.New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of humiliating BJP veterans, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani, saying that the BJP 'cuts down their own gurus'. The BJP hit back at Rahul accusing him of practising the 'lowest form of politics' and said that it was bizarre to see the president of the country's oldest party stoop to such a low.

"Ekalavya cut off his right thumb because his guru demanded it. In the BJP, they cut down their own gurus. Humiliating Vajpayee ji, Advani ji, Jaswant Singh ji and their families is the Prime Minister's way of protecting Indian culture," Rahul tweeted.

Ekalavya cut off his right thumb because his Guru demanded it. In the BJP, they cut down their own Gurus. Humiliating Vajpayeeji, Advaniji, Jaswant Singhji and their families is the Prime Ministers way of protecting Indian culture. pic.twitter.com/lqUtBtj0t8  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 12, 2018

Earlier also, in Mumbai, Rahul on Tuesday had accused PM Modi of insulting his "mentor" Advani despite Hinduism teaching how a "guru" was the most important person in an individual's life. Addressing a rally of party workers, he had said that the Prime Minister did not treat his guru (Advani) with respect even at official functions.

"Everybody knows who is the guru and mentor of PM Modi - LK Advani. But the Prime Minister doesn't accord respect to him even at official functions. It is me who follows protocol and I am always with him (Advani) during (such) events. Today I feel very sad for Advani ji. The Congress party has given him more respect than Modi ji has," Rahul had said.

The Congress president had pointed out that his party fought and defeated Advani in 2004 and 2009 parliamentary elections. "Now it is the Congress and our party's ideology which give respect to Advani," he had said.

Rahul had added that he was the first to pay a visit to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee after his hospitalisation on Monday. "We believe Vajpayee has contributed to the country," he had said.

Congress party fought against Vajpayee's govt, but when he was sick it was we who first visited him. This is the ideology of Congress party, we respect our opponents: Congress President @RahulGandhi #RahulGandhiInMumbai pic.twitter.com/5J7oVjpXlG  Congress (@INCIndia) June 12, 2018

We had contested against Vajpayee ji but when he is ill now I went to meet him on priority because I am a soldier of Congress. Vajpayee Ji had worked for our country and we respect him as he was the Prime Minister. This is our culture: Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Mumbai pic.twitter.com/GKxfrRa64K  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

LK Advani has been the guru of PM Modi, but I have seen in events that PM Modi does not even respect his guru. Today I feel very sad for Advani ji. The Congress party has given him more respect than Modi Ji: Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Mumbai #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/xJoGAuDq3F  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

BJP slams Congress chief for LK Advani comment, says Rahul Gandhi practising lowest form of politics

BJP spokesperson Anil Baluni said that it was clear that Rahul has no link with Indian values as he keeps violating political and social norms. He referred to Congress leaders' criticism of former president Pranab Mukherjee for attending an RSS event and said that the country had seen how the party treated one of its veterans.

Rahul Gandhi has been trying to advise BJP on how to respect senior leaders, he should first of all answer on his ill-treatment to their own senior leaders, like PV Narasimha Rao & Pranab Mukherjee: Anil Baluni, BJP (file pic) pic.twitter.com/9S1o8snEBO  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

Congress leaders had torn to pieces clothes of its then president Sitaram Kesari and thrown him out of his office, Baluni added, as he cited alleged mistreatment of former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao by his party to make his point, PTI reported.

"The Congress president is practising the lowest form of politics. He is violating our social and political norms. He does not even seem to know the kind of politics he is doing. The country is watching how the president of the oldest political party is behaving," Baluni said.

(With Agency inputs)New Delhi: Days after Pakistan passed the Amendment to Azad Jammu and Kashmir Constitution Act 2018", India on Monday put forward a strong-worded statement protesting against it. Lodging a "strong protest", India asked its neighbour nation to vacate all areas it illegally occupies in Kashmir.

"The government of India has conveyed a strong protest through diplomatic channel today against the so-called `Azad Jammu and Kashmir Interim Constitution (13th Amendment) Act 2018`. It was clearly conveyed that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir, which also includes the so-called `Azad Jammu and Kashmir` is an integral part of India by virtue of its accession in 1947," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

"Any action to alter the status of any part of the territory under forcible and illegal occupation of Pakistan has no legal basis whatsoever, and is completely unacceptable. Instead of seeking to alter the status of the occupied territories, Pakistan should immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation," said the statement.

On Friday, June 1, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-dominated joint sitting of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Council approved the amendments to the AJK Constitution.

Through its order on Gilgit-Baltistan on May 21, former Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi seized more authority from the local council to deal with the affairs of the region. India has strongly protested against Islamabad's move relating to administrative authority over the Gilgit-Baltistan region.

New Delhi in April 2018 had summoned Pakistan's Deputy High Commissioner Syed Haider Shah over the same and said that any action to alter the status of any part of the territory under its "forcible and illegal occupation" has no legal basis.

The Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) has its own President and Prime Minister. A part of PoK comprises of Gilgit-Baltistan as well.

With agency inputsIn yet another boost to the Indian Army, the Smerch guided missile-cum-multi barrel rockets successfully hit targets around 90 kilometres away at Rajasthan's Pokhran field firing range on Monday to clear the trial. Developed jointly by India and Russia, two versions of the Smerch - 9MMF and 9.55K - were test-fired.

A team senior Indian army officers and Russian scientists witnessed the test firing. The missiles/rockets are state-of-art and their direction can be controlled/changed to hit moving targets or if they deviate from their course. The Smerch uses stabilisers made at Kanpurs Ordnance Factory Board. The stabilisers are the wings of the rocket which cannot be fired without them.

A similar test firing of the Smerch in 2017 had failed as the rockets missed the target and went awry. The 48.5 tonne Smerch with the Indian Army can fire seven types of rockets.

India is already developing and had in January 2017 and May 2018 successfully test-fired an upgraded version of Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher to replace the Smerch. "The Pinaka Rocket converted to a Guided Pinaka was successfully test-fired from Launch Complex-III, ITR, Chandipur today. The Pinaka Rocket Mark-II, which evolved from Pinaka Mark-I is equipped with a navigation, guidance and control kit and has been transformed to a Guided Pinaka. This conversion has considerably enhanced the range and accuracy of Pinaka. The test-firing has met all mission objectives. The radars, electro-optical and telemetry systems at Chandipur tracked and monitored the vehicle all through the flight-path. The Guided Pinaka is developed jointly by ARDE Pune, RCI Hyderabad and DRDL Hyderabad. ITR Chandipur provided the range and launch support," the Ministry of Defence has said on January 12, 2017.

The Pinaka Mark-II has a range of more than 70 kilometres and it can fire a salvo of 12 rockets in 44 seconds.Jharkhand Board Matric Result 2018: The Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC) is likely to announce Jharkhand Class 10 Board Results 2018, also known as the JAC Secondary Result 2018, at 4 pm on June 12, 2018 at jac.nic.in or jacresults.com.

The JAC Jharkhand Class 10 Secondary Result was held from March 8 to 21. A total of 4,31,734 students appeared for both Jharkhand Board Class 10 exam.

Steps to check Jharkhand 10th Result 2018

1. Visit jac.nic.in or jacresults.com or examresults.net or jharkhand.indiaresults.com

2. On homepage, look for link which says Jharkhand Board Class 10 Result 2018

3. Enter your Roll Code and your Roll Number click on sumit.

4. The results will be displayed on screen. Candidates are advised to keep a copy of results with them

The JAC Class 10 Board exams were held across 954 exam centres. Following the declaration of Jharkhand Class 10 Board Results, students will be able to choose their choice of streams Arts, Science and Commerce.

Jharkhand Academic Council, also popularly known as JAC is the board which looks after the education system of Jharkhand and is responsible for conducting 10th & 12th Exams in the state of Jharkhand. It came into existence on November 15, 2000 under act of assented and state Legislature of Jharkhand.Chennai: The United Forum of Bank Unions on Tuesday threatened to intensify their stir in July and August against the 'meagre' two per cent salary hike, officials said. The bank employees had observed a two-day strike on May 30 and 31 against the hike.

The United Federation of Bank Unions, the umbrella organisation of nine bank unions, met in Chennai and congratulated the staff for observing the two-day strike, general secretary of the federation CH Venkatachalam said.

"It has been decided to further continue the struggle with more strikes. Having regard to the need for an amicable solution, it was decided to meet the higher authorities in the government and the banks", he said.

"However, if no solution is forthcoming in these meetings, the United Forum of Bank Unions will proceed and announce more agitations", he added.

Meanwhile, a report from Tirupathi quoted senior vice-president of the National Confederation of Bank Employees, VVSR Sarma as saying that the bank staff would intensify the stir in a phased manner in July and August to press for their demands.

"Prior to intensifying our agitation, United Forum of Bank Unions decided to submit a memorandum on the wage hike issue and other banking developmental issues to finance minister Arun Jaitley by this month-end," he said.PALGHAR, India/TOKYO: India is set to miss a December deadline to acquire land for a Japan-backed $17 billion bullet train project following protests by fruit growers, government officials said, likely delaying one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s most ambitious projects.

PM Modi`s office is now monitoring the project week-to-week, as Indian officials seek to reassure Tokyo that the hurdles can be overcome through intense negotiations with sapota and mango growers in Maharashtra.

Protests, backed by local politicians, have flared up in recent months against attempts to secure sections of a 108-km (67-mile) stretch, which is around one-fifth of the entire bullet train corridor connecting Mumbai with Ahmedabad, the largest commercial city in Modi`s home state of Gujarat.

"I`ve worked hard for three decades to develop this plantation, and they are asking me to hand over this land," sapota farmer Dashrat Purav, 62, said as he showed his orchard in the town of Palghar, a three-hour-drive north of Mumbai.

"I haven`t worked hard to surrender land for the project. I did that for my children."

Purav said he would sell his land only if at least one of his two unemployed sons was promised a government job.

Protests against land acquisitions are common in India, where tens of millions of farmers till small holdings. A planned $44 billion refinery to be run by a consortium including Saudi Aramco, the world`s biggest oil producer, is also struggling to secure land in Maharashtra.

"Land acquisition for any project is complex in India," said Dhananjay Kumar, spokesman for the National High Speed Rail Corp Ltd (NHSRCL) that is overseeing the project. "Here also we are facing difficulty because of so much resistance."

Failure to procure the bullet train land by the deadline would delay disbursal of soft-loans by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a government development body, which is reviewing the project next month, said two senior officials with the state-run Indian Railways, declining to be named.

A JICA spokeswoman said that India must create relocation plans for local residents and make them public in order to enter into a loan agreement covering the main part of the bullet train project.

"It is possible that it takes time to sign a contract as India takes proper and careful measures in line with JICA`s guidelines for environmental and social considerations," she said.

To assuage Japan`s concerns, Indian officials have sought a meeting this month with transport ministry officials in Tokyo, one of the Indian officials said. India wants the project`s completion target to be advanced by a year to 2022, the 75th year of India`s independence.

A Japanese transport ministry official who deals with the bullet train project said that Indian officials had told them that "they can manage" the land acquisition.

"We will continue to work together with the Indian government to bring this project forward with an aim to start operation in 2023," the official said.

"NOT INSURMOUNTABLE"

Japan is majority-funding the train project through a 50-year loan. Japanese companies such as Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Corp <5401.T>, JFE Holdings <5411.T>, Kawasaki Heavy Industries <7012.T>, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries <7011.T>, Toshiba Corp <6502.T> and Hitachi <6501.T> are likely to supply at least 70 percent of the core components of the rail line, sources told Reuters in January.

PM Modi has called the project crucial for his pet "Make in India" campaign aimed at lifting the share of manufacturing in India`s $2 trillion economy. The government also hopes to generate hundreds of jobs through the train project, and hence is pushing hard to finish it on time.

To sweeten the terms for people opposed to selling their land, Indian Railways has put its weight behind NHSRCL, pledging funds from its own welfare scheme to build schools and community halls, one of the officials said.

Ashwani Lohani, chairman of the Indian Railway Board, said the issues with farmers were not insurmountable.

The government has offered to buy land at a 25 percent premium to the market value, the two government officials said. Farmers are also being offered resettlement dues of 500,000 rupees ($7,409) or 50 percent of the land value, whichever is higher.

However, local political opposition in Palghar, ahead of a general election next year, has fanned the protests. Opponents say the bullet train is wasteful and the money would be better used upgrading the country`s rickety rail infrastructure. Farmers have threatened a hunger strike.

Last week, farmers and local activists disrupted a public hearing conducted by NHSRCL, its second attempt to hold such an event in less than a month. The first one last month was also cut short by protests.

"In coming weeks we will intensify the protests," said Nilam Gorhe, a spokesman for Shiv Sena, a Maharashtra regional party that has an on-off relationship with Modi`s ruling party.New Delhi: The Railway board has set a target of shedding more than 11,000 redundant posts in different zones of the railways in the financial year 2018-2019, a letter by the board to all general managers stated.

As part of its annual exercise to shed excess baggage, the board reviews the strength of its workforce in its 17 zones in view of changes in technology, working system and redundancies.

This fiscal, 11,040 posts have been identified to be included in the 'pool of surrendered posts' - which have been vacant for long or those which have been rendered redundant due to technological advancement.

Last year, the number of such surrendered posts was around 10,000.

According to the letter, Northern Railway and Southern Railway have been asked to shed the highest number of posts - 1,500 each, followed by 1,100 posts in Eastern Railway and 1,000 posts in Central Railway.

"Every year, targets are given to the zonal railways to identify surrendered posts after analysing the work involved. Some zones meet the targets, some do it partially and some don't. But this exercise is essential as the posts included in the 'Pool of Surrendered Posts' are used to create safety category posts needed for new assets," an official said.

The Indian Railways currently employs 1.34 million people and the wage bill constitutes nearly 50 percent of its working expenses.

The Bibek Debroy committee on restructuring of the railways, which submitted its report in 2015, had recommended that the national transporter opt for staff rationalisation redeploying employees more efficiently or cutting down staff strength where necessary for its long-term viability.

However, railway unions raised a protest claiming that it was not possible to surrender posts at a time when the number of trains being introduced is increasing manifold.

"We have conveyed to the Chairman Railway Board Ashwani Lohani about our reservations with this move and we refuse to follow this tughlaqi farman (autocratic decision). They keep issuing letters but hardly any posts are actually surrendered by the zones," Shiv Gopal Mishra of All India Railwaymen's Union said.MUMBAI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday pleaded not guilty before a trial court in Maharashtra's Bhiwandi shortly after it ordered the framing of charges against him in connection with a defamation case filed by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activist.

According to ANI, the court allowed the framing of charges against Rahul Gandhi under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code.

Charges framed against Rahul Gandhi by Bhiwandi court in a criminal defamation case filed by Rajesh Kunte of RSS. Charges framed under section IPC 499 & 500. Rahul Gandhi pleaded not guilty. pic.twitter.com/oiQjBJfwiI  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

As the proceedings began inside the court and judge AI Sheikh read out the charges against him, Rahul Gandhi said, ''I am not guilty."

The court passed its order shortly after it began hearing in the case filed by RSS activist Rajesh Kunte against the Congress chief.

The Rahul Gandhi had landed in a legal trouble for alleging that the "RSS was behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.''

Gandhi arrived at the Bhiwandi trial court around 11.10 am amid heavy security cover and was greeted by hoards of people raising slogans in his support.

Rahul Gandhi was earlier spotted at the Mumbai Airport. From there, he had proceeded to the court in Bhiwandi, Thane in connection with the RSS defamation case.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi arrives at the magistrate court in Bhiwandi, Thane, for hearing in RSS defamation case. pic.twitter.com/z1RQBrHo6Q  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

The Gandhi scion had failed to appear before the court last month and his lawyer had pleaded the court for an exemption from personal appearance.

The Bhiwandi Court had on January 17 directed the Congress president to depose before it in connection with the case.

Visuals from outside the magistrate court in Bhiwandi, Thane, where Rahul Gandhi will appear shortly in connection with a defamation case filed by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/2lo2Zajep8  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

The court, while hearing the matter on January 17, had granted Rahul Gandhi an exemption from personal appearance in response to an application presented by his lawyer and set April 23 as the new date for him as he did not appear before the court on that day.

RSS worker Rajesh Kunte had filed the case against the Congress president for claiming that the right-wing organisation had killed Mahatma Gandhi.

In September 2016, Rahul Gandhi had withdrawn his petition filed in the apex court challenging the case and said that he would face the trial.

Rahul Gandhi had expressed his readiness to face the trial after the top court refused to interfere with the criminal proceedings pending against him before the trial court in Bhiwandi.

Besides the RSS defamation case, Rahul, his mother Sonia Gandhi and some top Congress leaders are also under the scanner in connection with alleged misappropriation of funds related to the now-defunct National Herald newspaper.

After attending the hearing at the Bhiwandi court, Rahul is expected to travel to Mumbai where he will interact with Congress booth-level workers at an event to be held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre at Goregaon in north Mumbai.

At the function there, Rahul will launch Project Shakti, a national initiative undertaken by the Congress to facilitate the party leadership establish direct communication with the grassroot workers across the country.

This will be Rahul Gandhis first public engagement in Mumbai ever since he took over as Congress president in December 2017.

During his stay in Mumbai, Rahul Gandhi is also expected to meet NCP president Sharad Pawar.Panaji: Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said his ministry was working on a cruise route from Mumbai to Bali in Indonesia, via Kochi and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, to boost cruise tourism.

"I have met a minister from Indonesia. We have initiated the idea of having cruise from Mumbai to Andaman Nicobar via Goa and Kochi. The ships can go up to Bali, Indonesia. Indians usually visit Singapore or Bangkok. They can go there directly on a cruise from Mumbai," the minister told reporters.

Gadkari, who is on a two-day visit to Goa to attend a meeting of Highways department officials to review the ongoing works across the country, further said the work to widen the Mumbai-Goa highway would be completed by March 2019.

"The work on all the packages on the Mumbai-Goa highway has begun. The work on tunnels has also started. We want to complete the entire road by March next year except a tunnel at Kashedi Ghat in Maharashtra," he said.

The minister said the refurbished highway would be an "engineering marvel" and motorists could enjoy a scenic drive. The four-lane highway expansion project has been delayed for several reasons, including lack of permission to cut trees. Once completed, the drive from Goa to Mumbai will be just six-hour-long.

Gadkari appealed to common people, politicians, and NGOs to adopt highways by planting trees along them. "I appeal to all members of public, MLAs, MPs and NGOs to come forward and plant trees along the highways. They should plant the trees and adopt them," the Union minister said.

He said he had spoken to Rajya Sabha MP Narayan Rane, who hails from Sindhudurg district in neighbouring Maharashtra, about tree plantation and the latter has assured to implement the same in Sindhudurg taluka.

The minister said the Goa-Mumbai waterway was now open for regular boat service.

"We have opened up the Mumbai Goa waterway for boat service. Initially, there were some technical problems for this service, which are fixed now," he said.

A private shipping company had recently announced its service connecting Mumbai to Goa.

"The successful trial of the ship was also conducted. The service is right now on hold because of monsoon. It will restart after two months post monsoon," Gadkari said.

The cruise service between Mumbai and Goa is likely to become operational in September this year.

Gadkari said the Central government always encouraged cruise tourism.

"Mumbai gets 80 cruise ships. We have constructed a state-of-the-art terminal for ships. Goa also gets a number of cruise vessels. We expect that in the next five years 950 cruise vessels will be calling the Goa port," he said.KOLKATA: The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) on Tuesday declared the Class 12th results 2018 on the official website - wbresults.nic.in or wbbse.org. The result was released at 10.30 am.

This year, the pass percentage is 83.75 while last year, the pass percentage was recorded at 84.20. As many as 6,63,516 lakh students cleared the exam this year.

The West Bengal Board's Higher Secondary (HSC +2) examinations were held from March 27, 2018 to April 11, 2018.

A total of 8.25 lakh students had enrolled in the Class 12th examination, out of which, nearly 8.09 lakh students appeared in the exam.

Granthan Sengupta has bagged the highest percentage of 99.2 from the Arts stream and Ritvik Kumar Sahu topped from the Science stream with 98.6 per cent.

The result is also available on these alternative websites - school9.com, exametc.com, Indiaresults.com, Results.shiksha, Westbengal.shiksha, Westbengalonline.in, knowyourresult.com

school.gradeup.com

Here's how to check the result:

- Go to the official website wbbse.org

- Click on the relevant result link

- Enter your roll number and other required details

- Click on submit

The result will appear on the screen. Students are suggested to download the result and take a print out of the same for further reference.

How to check your result via SMS:

Type "WB12ROLL + NUMBER" and send it 56263

The original marksheets will be handed over to the students from their respective schools or institutions. They are advised to visit their schools to collect the marksheets.SRINAGAR: As many as 10 CRPF jawans sustained injuries on Tuesday after terrorists hurled grenades at Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir. The incident took place in Anantnag's Sadar.

The heavily-armed terrorists attacked the security personnel in the wee hours of Tuesday. The injuries are said to be minor. The jawans have, meanwhile, been admitted to the hospital.

The incident comes barely hours after some unidentified terrorists attacked a police guard post in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district which claimed lives of two policemen.

Three other policemen reportedly sustained injuries in the heavy exchange of fire after the attack.

A group of three-four terrorists had opened fire at the police guard post, killing two policemen.

The police personnel deployed on duty retaliated and a heavy exchange of fire took place from sides. However, the terrorists managed to flee from the spot.SRINAGAR: Some unidentified terrorists had attacked a Beacon camp in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.

The incident was caught on camera.

#WATCH Terrorists hurled a grenade on a Beacon camp at Verinag in Anantnag yesterday. (Source: CCTV footage) pic.twitter.com/mO37T96ypL  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

The CCTV footage shows a terrorist stepping out of a car and hurling a grenade at the closed gate of the Beacon camp in Anantnag.

Seconds after throwing the grenade, the terrorist rushes back to his car and flees from the spot.

The car is reportedly intercepted by another car coming from the opposite direction.

In a related development, at least 10 CRPF jawans were injured in a grenade attack by terrorists in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir in the wee hours of Tuesday.

''Terrorists hurled a grenade on CRPF party at Janglat Mandi in Anantnag. Ten CRPF personnel got minor injuries," a police spokesman said.

He said all the injured were shifted to hospital for treatment where their condition is stated to be stable.

Meanwhile, a police post inside the court premises in South Kashmir's Pulwama was attacked by some unidentified terrorists, which resulted in the death of two policemen.

Three other policemen were also injured in the incident.

(With PTI inputs)KOLKATA: Acting on a tip-off, the Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police arrested one of the key accused in Bodh Gaya blast that took place earlier this year during Dalai Lama's visit.

Hazibulla, a member of terror outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), was arrested from Bandel Railway Station in West Bengal's Hooghly district, from the ticket counter on Sunday night. The 57-year-old accused is a resident of Samsherganj of Murshidabad district.

"He (Hazibulla) had helped in procuring explosive that was used by JMB cadre in Bodh Gaya mines," said DC (STF) Murlidhar Sharma told DNA.

Earlier this year, on January 19, during Dalai Lama's visit, a blast took place at Kalchakra ground in Bodh Gaya.

Cops later arrested Paigambar Sk and Jamirul Sk from Murshidabad and Darjeeling, respectively, with a large cache of explosives and other equipment.

Hazibulla was also present with the main accused during the blast, sources in the STF said.

Following the blast, Hazibullah took shelter in Hooghly and was secretly working as a recruitment agent for the terror outfit in the district.

The police acted on a tip-off from another Bangladeshi resident, Noor Alam, who had been recently arrested in the case.

Hazibullah was presented at the court on Monday and has been sent for 14 days in police custody. He has been charged with section 120B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging war), 121A (conspiracy to wage war), and 123 (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war) of the IPC and relevant sections of the Explosive Act.Indore: Controversial godman and spiritual leader Bhayyuji Maharaj committed suicide on Tuesday afternoon by shooting himself in the head with a gun. He was rushed to Bombay Hospital in Indore in a critical condition, where doctors later declared him dead.

Bhayyuji Maharaj: Know more about this high-profile spiritual guru

"He shot himself dead at his residence in Silver Spring, a post area of the city," said the DIG. He left a suicide note which said, " "Somebody should be there to handle duties of family. I am leaving too much stressed out. Fed up."

The police have cordoned off the entire area. A large number of his supporters have gathered in front of the hospital.

A former model in Bollywood, the godman later turned to spirituality and was an advisor to many politicians and members of the showbiz. He was reportedly in a lot of stress and depression over issues within the family and political pressures.

State Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had offered him the position of a state minister earlier this year, which he turned down.

He announced his retirement from public life in 2016, a move that surprised many.

Bhayyuji Maharaj, whose original name is Uday Singh Deshmukh, has shot himself, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Indore H C Mishra told PTI.

He shot himself dead at around 2:50 pm, nearly an hour after his last tweet on Maha Shivratri (see below).

' '  ''            ,   -               . pic.twitter.com/PrBf0rw5ZV  Bhaiyyuji Maharaj (@bhaiyujimaharaj) June 12, 2018

Bhayyuji's first wife died a few years ago. He remarried again in 2017.

He was very popular across Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. His ashram is situated in Indore city and top political leaders including Devendra Fadnavis, legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar among others are his disciples.

He also played the role of a mediator when India Against Corruption (IAC) movement led by Anna Hazare was at its peak.

With agency inputsMUMBAI: BJP candidate Suresh Dhas on Tuesday won the Osmanabad-Beed-Latur seat which went to polls along with five other Legislative Council seats in Maharashtra. The election result came as a setback to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and its leader Dhananjay Munde.

The electoral contest had turned into a prestige battle between BJP leader and Maharashtra Women and Child Welfare Minister Pankaja Munde and her cousin NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, whos the Leader of the Opposition in the Council. The showdown saw Suresh Dhas take on Ashok Jagdale, an independent. The NCP had fielded Ramesh Karad, a former BJP worker and a close associate of Pankaja Munde but he withdrew his nomination on the last day.

Unable to name a new candidate, the NCP declared support for Jagdale. The other five seats which went to poll were Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Nashik, Parbhani-Hingoli, Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli and Amaravati.

Former minister Suresh Dhas was suspended for six years for indulging in the "anti-party activities" by NCP. In the past, apparently a group of NCP candidates in Beed, led by Dhas, had indirectly supported the BJP to prevent Dhananjay Munde, from taking credit for the partys victory.Bhiwandi: Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) activist Rajesh Kunte on Tuesday accused the Bhiwandi Police of bias towards him and giving special treatment to Rahul Gandhi in connection with a defamation case filed by him against the Congress chief.

''Special treatment was given to Rahul Gandhi and his people. I am the complainant and still was not allowed inside court without being frisked but Rahul Gandhi and his people went in without frisking despite him being accused. Police was biased,'' Rajesh Kunte told reporters outside the court.

Special treatment was given to Rahul Gandhi and his people.I am complainant and still was not allowed inside court without being frisked but Rahul Gandhi and his people went in without frisking despite him being accused.Police was biased: Rajesh Kunte,RSS #Bhiwandi #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/Gy7ZZAnTEp  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

Kunte made this remark shortly after the Bhiwandi trial court ordered the framing of charges against Rahul Gandhi in connection with the case.

The court ordered the authorities to book Rahul Gandhi under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code. However, the Gandhi scion pleaded not guilty before the court.

As the proceedings began inside the court and judge AI Sheikh read out the charges against him, Rahul Gandhi said, ''I am not guilty."

The court also posted the matter for next hearing on August 10.

Rahul Gandhi had landed in troubled waters for allegedly saying that ''the RSS was behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.''

The Congress president had made these remarks during an election rally on March 6, 2014.

Offended with his remarks, Kunte had filed a case accusing Rahul Gandhi of attempting to defame the RSS - the parent organisation of the BJP - which in power at the Centre and in 21 states.

Rahul Gandhi had earlier failed to appear before the trial court and his lawyer had pleaded the court from granting him exemption from a personal appearance.

In September 2016, Rahul Gandhi had withdrawn his petition filed in the apex court challenging the RSS defamation case and said that he would instead face the trial.

Rahul Gandhi had expressed his readiness to face the trial after the top court refused to interfere with the criminal proceedings pending against him before the trial court in Bhiwandi.

Besides the RSS defamation case, Rahul, his mother Sonia Gandhi and some top Congress leaders are also under the scanner in connection with alleged misappropriation of funds related to the now-defunct National Herald newspaper.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy is the petitioner in this case.

After attending the proceedings at the Bhiwandi trial court, Rahul is expected to travel to Mumbai where he will interact with Congress booth-level workers at an event to be held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre at Goregaon in north Mumbai.

At the function there, Rahul will launch Project Shakti, a national initiative undertaken by the Congress to facilitate the party leadership establish direct communication with the grassroot workers across the country.

This will be Rahul Gandhis first public engagement in Mumbai ever since he took over as Congress president in December 2017.

During his stay in Mumbai, Rahul Gandhi is also expected to meet NCP president Sharad Pawar.

(With Agency inputs)New Delhi: The market capitalisation of Avenue Supermarts, operator of DMart chain of outlets, had hit Rs 1 lakh crore mark on Monday.

Led by the gain in the stock, the company's m-cap moved to Rs 1,00,075.07 crore (at 1.30 pm) on Tuesday. The share price of the company was was quoting 1.61 percent up at Rs 1,603.55 a piece.

Chart courtesy: BSE

Shares of Avenue Supermarts got listed on bourses on March 21, 2017. Since listing, the stock has gained over 149 percent.

Avenue Supermarts' billionaire promoter Radhakishan Shivkishan Damani last month sold 47.30 lakh shares of the company for over Rs 643 crore, through an open market transaction.

According to the bulk deal data available with BSE, Damani offloaded 47.30 lakh shares, amounting to 0.76 percent stake in Avenue Supermarts.

At the end of March quarter of 2017-18, Damani held about 24.60 crore shares or 39.41 per cent stake in Avenue Supermarts. Damani, a low profile investor, made his way into the billionaire list and among the top 20 richest Indians, with a blockbuster listing of Avenue Supermarts last year.Mumbai: Bollywood actor and Bigg Boss 7 contestant Armaan Kohli has been nabbed by the Mumbai Police for assaulting girlfriend Neeru Randhawa. According to a report in ANI, Kohli was arrested by the Mumbai Police for assaulting his girlfriend.

The actor, who reportedly went missing, was nabbed by the police after a case was filed against him.

Actor Armaan Kohli arrested by #Mumbai Police, he is accused of assaulting his girlfriend Neeru Randhawa. (File Pic) pic.twitter.com/wc4NOFIHTG  ANI (@ANI) 12 June 2018

Neeru, 35, had lodged the case against Kohli, 46, at the Santacruz police station last week.

As per the complainant, she was in a relationship with Kohli for past three years and they used to stay together in a flat in the suburb.

The duo had an argument over some monetary issue at their residence and during the altercation, he allegedly pushed the woman and she fell from the stairs. The accused then pulled her hair and banged her head on the floor, a police officer said citing the complaint.

She suffered head and knee injuries in the incident and was admitted to a hospital by her driver, reports suggest.

"Upon being informed about the incident, we went to the hospital and recorded the statement of the woman. Based on the statement, we booked him under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and other relevant sections of the IPC," said Shantanu Pawar, senior police inspector, Santacruz.

Kohli garnered limelight after he appeared in the seventh season of super-hit reality show Bigg Boss hosted by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan.

Soon after the show, Kohli bagged the role of an antagonist in Salman starrer Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, a film directed by Sooraj Barjatya in 2015.

Son of filmmaker Rajkumar Kohli, Armaan began his acting career as a child artiste and later went on to do films like Virodhi, Dushman Zamana, Anaam, Koyal, Kohra, Dushmani, Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani etc to name a few as the lead actor.

He made headlines during Bigg Boss 7 over his relationship with co-contestant Tanishaa Mukerji, daughter of veteran actress Tanuja. Armaan and Tanishaa were in a relationship for a brief period but headed for splitsville soon.

(With PTI inputs)Mumbai: Sara Ali Khan who is shooting in Hyderabad these days to shoot for Rohit Shetty's Simmba starring Ranveer Singh in the lead role, is making the most of her spare time!

The pretty young girl was spotted shopping on the streets of the city along with her mother Amrita Singh.

A Twitter user took to the micro-blogging site to share images of the mother-daughter duo shopping.

Check out the pics here:

Sara kept her look simple in a pinkish salwar kameez and a matching dupatta while Amrita wore a green kurti. In the pic, we can see Sara carrying a polythene bag and holding a hairband while Amrita is busy looking at the fancy items put on display.

Daughter of Saif Ali Khan, Sara will be making her grand debut with Abhishek Kapoor's Kedarnath starring Sushant Singh Rajput. The newcomer will have back-to-back releases in the last two months of this year, as Kedarnath is slated to release on November 30 and Simmba will hit theatres on December 28.

Sara's first film Kedarnath ran into trouble as the makers of the film had certain differences of opinion between them. The film got delayed way beyond its actual date of release. Nonetheless, the film will now release in November, ahead of Shetty's Simmba produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions.

Here's wishing Sara all the very best.Varanasi (UP): In a shocking incident, Union Minister Anupriya Patel became a victim of eve-teasing in Uttar Pradesh. The incident took place as the Minister of State (MoS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, was travelling in a car between Aurai and Mirzamurad regions on Monday night.

Patel was returning to Varanasi after attending programmes at her Lok Sabha constituency Mirzapur. Suddenly, three men travelling in a car without a number plate tried to overtake the cavalcade of the minister. The trio was warned by the minister's security personnel.

However, the accused persons ignored all warnings, hurled indecent comments towards Patel and misbehaved with the security men.

The minister complained about the matter to Varanasi SSP R K Bhardwaj, who launched a drive to trace the whereabouts of the trio.

The trio has now been arrested by Mirzamurad police and their car confiscated, the police said.

When Yogi Adityanath was sworn in as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister in 2014, one of his top priorities was ensure the safety of college-going girls" and "check eve-teasing". Anti-Romeo squads were created to ensure the safety of women. However, not much has changed in these one and half years it seems.

In April 2017, four students of Delhi University had stalked Union Minister Smriti Irani's car in Lutyens Delhi in an "inebriated" state. The incident took while she was returning home in Chanakyapuri from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The students were later arrested for allegedly stalking and outraging the modesty of a woman and released on bail.

Earlier this year, in April, the Delhi police filed charge sheet against the four people for allegedly misbehaving and stalking Union Minister Smriti Irani, reported news agency ANI.Nainital: A case of criminal contempt has been filed in the Uttarakhand High Court against Justice Lokpal Singh for allegedly using inappropriate language against lawyers, including a former judge and a woman lawyer.

The case against Justice Singh has been filed by an advocate CK Sharma.

A case of criminal contempt filed in Uttarakhand High Court by a lawyer CK Sharma against Justice Lokpal Singh for allegedly using inappropriate language against other lawyers including a former judge & a woman lawyer.  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

The petition has been filed in light of remarks made by Singh against Sharma and his colleague Soniya, according to Bar & Benches.

Lawyers at the Uttarakhand High Court at Nainital had earlier boycotted the court of Justice Lokpal Singh, in protest against alleged misbehaviour towards the Bar members.

The protests reportedly began after Justice Singh made disparaging remarks against the lawyers and also imposed a penalty of Rs 2 lakh on them following which the Uttarakhand High Court Bar Association called for boycotting the Court No 7.

The boycott of the court of Justice Lokpal Singh was later called off following assurances from the judge.Abuja: A Nigerian man sent off his father in style by buying a new and expensive BMW car to bury his father, instead of using a coffin. The man, identified as Azubuike, who lost his father due to old age in the village of Ihiala, supposedly splashed 66,000 cash on the car to bury his father in. Reports said that Azubuike had promised his father that one day he would have a flash car.

The photo of the funeral, showing the big car being lowered into a huge grave dug six feet deep, has gone viral. Following are some of the reactions by Facebook users who were not very appreciative of the act:

"He will need 24 hours round clock around the grave for the old man to rest in peace otherwise Saraki boys will dismantle that grave" - Gbenga Olatunji.

"I hope that he didn't forget to keep the car running because of the ac the man deserves the air condition" - Tony Makeke.

"I don't care if he buries his dad with private jet... my only concern is burying together with our innocent plate number" - Michael Odike.

"I hope he didn't forget to put gallons of fuel inside the grave? Because his father will need to refill before he reaches heaven" - Zobs Bethram.

"Buy the car for your parent while he is still alive if you are moneyed and bury them with a decent coffin but this is just being foolish and showing off" - Sifiso Inno Makhashila.

"Insanity and selfishness regardless of that fact that is your cash" - Calvin Cal Diamean.

On Twitter people wrote:

Nigerian man reportedly honours father by burying him in brand-new BMW. If true, one wonders how long before grave robbers steal the carhttps://t.co/2nCWp56qjw  Charles Onyango-Obbo (@cobbo3) June 12, 2018

well done good Son your father will drive the BMW to meet God.. stupidity.  SKJ (@SegeJohnson) June 12, 2018

Earlier, in a similar incident in Nigeria, an Enugu-based billionaire had buried his mother in a Hummer SUV customised coffin.KOLKATA: A teenaged girl in West Bengal`s South 24 Parganas committed suicide district early on Monday, allegedly after an altercation with her boyfriend on social media, police said.

"The body of Mousumi Mistri, a class 12 student, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her room in South 24 Parganas` Sonarpur on Monday morning. The body has been sent for autopsy," said an officer from Sonarpur police station said.

According to the family members, the girl committed suicide after she had a fight with her boyfriend over chat and threatened that she would kill herself.

"She went out on Sunday afternoon but came back home upset. The lights were on in her room till 1.30 a.m. We don`t know when she committed suicide," said a relative.

"She had chatted with her boyfriend on social media last night where they clearly had an argument over something. She even wrote about committing suicide. Maybe the boy did not know something like this will really happen," he said.

Police said they have detained the boy for allegedly abetting suicide.

"We have recovered a snapshot from the girl`s phone. Things would be clear after investigation," police added.US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong-un hailed their historic summit in Singapore on Tuesday as a rousing success and said it would be cornerstone in ensuring peace on the Korean peninsula and in US-North Korea relations.

The two countries have been sworn enemies for decades with relations nosediving in recent months after North Korea conducted several missile tests. Fears that these missiles could reach the western coast of the US further fueled the fire. As such, the summit was being looked at as a historic event to ensure that nerves were not just calmed but relations were improved. Both Trump and Kim held two rounds of talks after which they signed a document which promises to be like no other ever signed between two countries.

The four big takeaways from the document are as follows:

1) The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new US-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.

2) The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean peninsula.

3) Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclarisation of the Korean peninsula.

4) The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

While Trump has said he is open to the idea of inviting Kim to the White House, he also said that this is only the first of many meetings with his North Korean counterpart. Kim, on his part, said that past acrimony should be buried and that both countries should now look at the present and future, and ensure close collaboration.SINGAPORE: President Donald J Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a first, historic summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018, Tuesday.

President Trump and Kim Jong Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new US-DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

Convinced that the establishment of new US-DPRK relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world, and recognizing that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un state the following:

1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new US-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.

2. The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

3. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

4. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

Having acknowledged that the US-DPRK summit - the first in history - was an epochal event of great significance and overcoming decades of tensions and hostilities between the two countries and for the opening of a new future, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un commit to implement the stipulations in this joint statement fully and expeditiously.

The United States and the DPRK commit to hold follow-on negotiations led by the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and a relevant high-level DPRK official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the US-DPRK summit.

The US President and North Korean leader Kim have committed to cooperate for the development of new US-DPRK relations and for the promotion of peace, prosperity, and security of the Korean Peninsula and of the world.After months of missile threats and enmity exchanged through social media, US President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un signed a comprehensive document in a historic summit in Singapore on Tuesday.

Issuing a joint statement after the summit, Trump and Kim pledged to work towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and assured to maintain peace between the two countries.



While both the leaders found the summit successful, netizens took to Twitter to troll Trump and Kim, with few even suggesting to reward the former with Nobel 'Peace' Prize.

Here are some of the reactions:

The denuclearization of North Korea does not just benefit America, it benefits the world. History is being made. Wheres President Trumps nobel peace prize?  Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) June 12, 2018

The iTunes terms and conditions contain a more substantive clause about not using nuclear weapons than the document that Trump and Kim just signed. pic.twitter.com/I1iXDQT83O  James O'Malley (@Psythor) June 12, 2018

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un are going to ruin the Nobel Peace Prize for everyone.  Shahak Shapira (@ShahakShapira) June 12, 2018

They say keep your friends close but your enemies closer.  . (@JesuisBeckie1) June 12, 2018

Kim's reaction to Donald Trump's joke is the best thing you will see all day today. #TrumpKimSummit pic.twitter.com/oLjVYIUApk  Shahjahan Khurram (@91Shahji) June 12, 2018

Hillary Clinton spotted in Singapore just before the #TrumpKimSummit pic.twitter.com/m8YAtXFEuR  Miles John Partipelo (@MilesPartipelo) June 12, 2018

They still keep crying. pic.twitter.com/imLNcJRuOQ  I am at Peace. (@Maazi_Dan) June 12, 2018

President Donald Trump said he was open to the idea of inviting Kim Jong-un to the White House, he also said that this was the first of many meetings to come with his North Korean counterpart. Kim, on his part, said the past should be buried and that both countries should now look at the present and future, and ensure close collaboration.Brussels: The EU on Tuesday praised the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a "crucial and necessary step", indicating that denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula could be achieved.

"This summit was a crucial and necessary step to build upon the positive developments achieved in inter-Korean relations and on the peninsula so far," the EU's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

Mogherini stressed that the aim of the international community remained "the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula" - a longstanding formulation that implies Pyongyang allowing inspections and not rebuilding any weapons it gives up.

"The joint statement signed by the US and DPRK leaders today gives a clear signal that this goal can be achieved," Mogherini said, using an abbreviation for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

But Trump and Kim's joint statement omits the words "verifiable and irreversible", leading some observers to question whether it amounted to any new commitments from Pyongyang.

The US leader said there would be further meetings and Mogherini said the EU stood ready to "facilitate and support the follow-on negotiations and other steps".

Tensions between the EU and US are running high over a series of disagreements on major international issues, including Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and his decision to slap tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.Tokyo: Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday welcomed a document signed by North Korea's leader at an unprecedented summit with US President Donald Trump as a "first step" towards denuclearisation.

Speaking briefly hours after Kim Jong Un and Trump held historic talks in Singapore, Abe also said he was pleased that the US leader had raised the emotive issue of Japanese abducted by Pyongyang.

"Through this US-North Korea summit, Chairman Kim Jong Un's intent for complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula was confirmed in writing," Abe told reporters.

"I support this as a first step to the comprehensive resolution of issues concerning North Korea."

Kim and Trump signed a document after their talks in which the North Korean leader reaffirmed his commitment to "work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula", without giving further details.

It made no reference to other weapons capabilities, including the missiles that North Korea has fired over Japan.

The document also refers to the repatriation of the remains of prisoners of war and those killed in conflict, but makes no specific reference to people abducted by North Korea.

The issue of Japanese citizens who were abducted in the 1970s and 1980s to help Pyongyang train its spies has long soured already strained relations between Tokyo and Pyongyang.

The Japanese government has officially listed 17 people as abductees, but there are strong suspicions that dozens more citizens were snatched to train Pyongyang's spies in the Japanese language and culture.

Japan has repeatedly called for the issue to be raised in discussions with Pyongyang, and Trump said at a press conference on this afternoon that he had discussed the issue with Kim.

"I highly appreciate the fact that President Trump firmly touched upon what I told him recently about the abduction issue which is very important to us, to Japan," Abe said.

"I want to hear the details by phone (from Trump). I will continue aiming to resolve concerns such as the abduction, nuclear and missile issues," he added.

Japan has maintained a hardline position on North Korea despite a whirlwind of diplomacy towards Pyongyang in recent months, and has been left largely on the sidelines as South Korea and the United States have held talks with Kim.

Abe has suggested recently he could talk with Kim directly in an attempt to resolve the abduction issue, though there has been no substantive movement thus far on potential talks.

A high-ranking Japanese government official said Tokyo has no plan to provide financial assistance to Pyongyang "unless the abduction issue moves forward", according to public broadcaster NHK.

"From now on, there will be various kinds of bargaining toward a Japan-North Korea summit," the unnamed official said.Paris: A man took two people hostage at a small business in the centre of Paris on Tuesday and demanded that he be put in touch with the Iranian embassy to deliver a message to the French government, police sources said.

The area around the incident in the 10th arrondissement of Paris was ringed off by police. Special units and fire services were at the scene.

"Officials will be trying to start a negotiation with the man," police union official Yves Lefebvre told BFM TV, which reported that the incident did not appear to be terrorism-related.

A police source said the hostage-taker initially hit one person who was able to escape. The attacker, who appeared to be brandishing a fake weapon, had doused his remaining two hostages in petrol, the source said.

There were no immediate details on the age, appearance or nationality of the hostage taker. But the police source said he had asked to communicate with the Iranian embassy so that they could convey a message to the French government.SINGAPORE: How possessive are you about your shit? North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who was on a visit to Singapore for the historic US-North Korea summit on Tuesday, carried his portable toilet along with him. Yes, you heard it right!

Reports suggest that the North Korean leader, who committed to 'complete denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula', refused to sit on any of the public toilets in the summit. As a security measure, Kim carried his personal, highly guarded commode to the host country, Singapore. And this isn't all. He does this not just during international tours but everywhere he visits.

In the US-North Korea summit, Kim was accompanied by a transport plane carrying food, his bullet-proof limousine and a portable toilet. The leader does not prefer using a public restroom because the North Koreans are protecting against a literal info dump.

Kim's excretions contain information about his health status so they can't be left behind, reported CBS news. There is a customized washroom set up inside Kim's convoy of vehicles, in fact, there is a separate car that acts as his restroom.

Kim Jong-un met US President Donald Trump and the two world leaders signed a document following two rounds of talks. The two countries have been sworn enemies for decades with relations nosediving in recent months after North Korea conducted several missile tests. Fears that these missiles could reach the western coast of the US further fueled the fire.

As such, the summit was being looked at as a historic event to ensure that nerves were not just calmed but relations were improved. The document signed by both the world leaders promises to be like no other ever signed between two countries.Singapore: Within a few short hours of signing a historic document in which North Korea has committed to denuclearisation in the Korean peninsula, US President Donald Trump announced that he would be bringing an end to war games between his country and South Korea.

Trump and North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un signed a landmark document on Tuesday which paved the way for establishing peace and good relations between the two countries. The document also laid the foundations of the gloom of a nuclear threat fading away. While both leaders hailed the outcome of their talks, they also underlined the common objective of establishing peace. "Our unprecedented meeting, the first between an American president and a leader of North Korea, proves that real change is indeed possible," said Trump. "We're prepared to start a new history, and we're ready to write a new chapter between our nations."

Trump also said that the war games with South Korea would be brought to an end. "We will be stopping the war games (with South Korea). We shall save us a tremendous amount of money, a lot of money, unless and until we see that future negotiations (with North Korea) are not going along as they should. I want to get our soldiers out, wanna get our soldiers back home. We have, right now, 32,000 soldiers in South Korea and I would like to be able to bring them back home. But that's not the part of the equation right now. I hope at some point it will be."

It is learnt that Trump has invited Kim to the White House and the US President even told members of the press that Tuesday's meeting was the first of many to come. He however did mention that existing sanctions on North Korea will remain for the time being.WASHINGTON: White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow suffered a heart attack on Tuesday, informed US President Donald Trump in a tweet. He's now out of danger, informed a White House spokeswoman.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said that Kudlow, who was travelling earlier with the President, told reporters that Kudlow was "in good condition" and "doing well."

Kudlow was admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center in suburban Maryland.

Trump's tweet came minutes before he was scheduled to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

"Our Great Larry Kudlow, who has been working so hard on trade and the economy, has just suffered a heart attack. He is now in Walter Reed Medical Center," Trump tweeted.

Our Great Larry Kudlow, who has been working so hard on trade and the economy, has just suffered a heart attack. He is now in Walter Reed Medical Center.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2018

Kudlow, 70, is the Director of the National Economic Council (NEC) under US President Donald Trump. He was last seen giving press briefings in Washington following the G7 summit defending the President's move and commenting on fair trade.

A longtime television commentator who also worked in The Wall Street, Kudlow was hired by Trump in March to replace Gary Cohn as director of the NEC.

A Republican, Kudlow also served as an economic adviser to former President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.

With Reuters inputThe two days of the leaders of Canada, the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Japan and Germany meeting were accompanied by disputes. The agreements reached in the end were nullified by two tweets of the American president. Why did the current summit become the most scandalous in its history?

Read original article at 112.ua

He was late and left earlier, offered to return Russia to the club of leading democracies of the world, accused Barack Obama of annexing Crimea, called the Canadian prime minister "dishonest and weak" and eventually refused of his signature under the final document. President Donald Trump, without a doubt, became the central (and somewhat isolated) figure of the G-7 summit, which was held in Canada on June 8-9.

- Agreed to jointly react to the actions of "hostile states."

- Called on Russia to stop" undermining democracy, "adhering to Minsk agreements, respecting Ukraine's sovereignty and not supporting the regime of Bashar Assad in Syria.



- Announced their readiness to extend restrictive measures against Moscow, noting that the extension of sanctions is connected with the non-fulfillment of the Minsk agreements.



- Condemned the poisoning of former intelligence agent Sergei Skripal and put the responsibility for this on the Russian Federation.



And everything would be good, if not the Trump's demarche. Being on the plane on his way to Singapore, he reported via Twitter that he had withdrawn his signature from a joint statement. This was the first such precedent in the history of the G-7 format.



Such a decision Trump motivated by the position of Trudeau regarding the new US duties on steel and aluminum.



"Justin Trudeau during the G7 summit looked so gentle and mild, and after my departure told at a press conference that" US duties were kind of insulting "and such that he" will not be pushed around." Very dishonest and weak!" wrote the American president.On 17 June 2015, Ukraine joined the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances, but over the past three years, nothing has been done to implement the Convention in domestic law and its application practices. The absence of adequate legal qualifications of enforced disappearance in national law does not allow for the proper application of the provisions of the above-mentioned Convention.

The problem of enforced disappearances is one of the most serious human rights issues in Ukraine. They were carried out by IAF in ORDLO, and units of Ukrainian state structures in the territory under the control of the government. The difference is that ORDLO has no place to complain to, and these crimes remained completely impunity. In the controlled area after the establishment of the military prosecutors office in such cases, criminal proceedings were opened on the statements of various entities, although the investigation as a whole cannot be considered effective.

Since November 2015, enforced disappearances in the controlled territory were not recorded by us (except disappearances made by the SBU for exchange). In ORDLO in 2014, they were held daily. After the military conflict entered the stage of low intensity the number of disappearances decreased, but they remain frequent. The fate of the disappeared persons is not notified about. The disappeared persons are only recognized among the deceased with the traces of a violent death after a period that could last between several hours and several months or more, or it turns out that a disappeared person is in the place of detention of the s.-c. MSS.

Lack of a single methodology of a definition of the missing persons and coordination between various State bodies led to the appearance of various assessments of the number of disappearances in the zone of military conflict  between several hundred and several thousands of persons.

On 15 February 2015  published the list with the data of 1331 missing persons in the zone of armed conflict. According to the data of the Department of NPU in Donetsk region, between April 2014 and the early 2017 2727 persons went missing in Donetsk region, the fate of 1053 of them is unknown.

According to the data of Luhansk region CMA, 633 persons are found, the fate of 572 persons remains unknown. A lesser number of missing persons is according to the SSU assessment  403 persons. All these data refer to the controlled territory. It is not possible to estimate the number of missing persons in ORDLO.

It is clear that many missing persons could be dead and their bodies are either not found at all or not identified. As of 1 April 2018, 307 deceased persons remain unidentified.

The database of the CO Shore of Peace contains the data about 2,878 missing persons for the entire period of the military conflict in the East of Ukraine. As of late May 2018, the database contains 1,148 missing persons: 150 military persons, 998 civilians. Unidentified deceased  152. According to the data of Child Search Service of CO Magnolia as of 1 June, 2018, in 2014-2018 102 children went missing in Donetsk region, 7 of them are still missing, 123 children went missing in Luhansk region, none of them are in the search as of now.

The SSU is responsible for enforced disappearances for the purpose of exchanging prisoners of war and civilian hostages who are in custody in ORDLO. The SSU forms a so-called exchange fund: it looks for people who are implicated in committed crimes linked with separatism, state treason, terrorism or other offenses under SSU jurisdiction, detains them and offers an exchange for those held prisoners in LNR or DNR instead of criminal prosecution and long sentences. The detainees tend to agree to the exchange.

Then they are taken to unknown places of pre-trial detention of the SSU, which according to law cannot be in the SSU, where they are kept before exchange without any communication with the outside world.

Where exactly these "secret prisons of the SSU" are located is unclear. Reports of the international organizations and separate testimonies point to cells in the SSU departments of eastern cities of Ukraine.

On 26 May 2017 a draft law no. 6521 was introduced to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine concerning the functioning of pre-trial investigation centers controlled by SSU. The offered draft law actually proposes to unite in one authority  SSU  the functions of investigation and detention, that is, to return to the inquisition practices of treating the prisoners of former USSR. This bill, on our deep conviction, must

be necessarily rejected.

There were also enforced disappearances and the transfer of asylum seekers in Ukraine to Russia and other countries. In some cases, the SBU was directly involved in these disappearances.

Read the original text at Human rights in Ukraine.At the same time, occupants increased the number of professional shooting groups that record the so-called ceasefire violation

Open source

The militants have received the permission to shoot positions of the Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation from small arms without the consent of units commanders. The spokesman of Ukraines Defense Ministry press center, Colonel Maksym Prauta said this to 112.ua at the briefing.

"According to intelligence of Ukraine, the commandment of Russian-occupants lifted restrictions on the use of small arms by the personnel of leading units. In particular, Russian militants stationed at combat posts got the permission to shell the Joint Forces positions without the consent of the commanders of the units," he said.

The spokesman of the ministry stressed that this way, the enemy created additional conditions for provoking the fire in response to escalate the situation along the delimitation line.

"At the same time, the occupants increased the number of professional cameramen groups that record the so-called violation of cease-fire regime by Ukraine in order to prepare propaganda materials and spread them in the media controlled by Russia and occupation authorities," he concluded.

As it was reported earlier, Ukraine lost 100 billion dollars because of Russian aggression in Crimea and Donbas. This is stated in the study of the Atlantic Council analytical center, which was presented at the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center.

Thus, the study says that after the annexation of Crimea, Ukraine lost 1.4 million hectares of land, which are estimated at more than 1.8 billion dollars. In addition, banks lost their assets, which remained in the bank branches (from 1.7 to 1.9 billion dollars). Together with this, Russia confiscated "Krymenergo", that is, Ukraine lost $ 1 billion.



In Donbas, most of the infrastructure has been destroyed because of the fighting. In the study, experts estimated losses of 9.5 billion dollars. And after the decrease in the share of trade with Russia, Ukraine lost another $ 14 billion.

Related: Ukraines Foreign Minister: Russia proposes fake UN mission in Donbas

Related video:EPA / UPG

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that the ministers of the Normandy Four during the talks in Berlin paid special attention to the issue of deploying the UN mission in the east of Ukraine, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

"Regarding the conditions of the UN mission presence in eastern Ukraine, we instructed our policy directors to hold further consultations on these issues during the next week," German Foreign Minister said.

Earlier, Heiko Maas supported the deployment of UN peacekeeping mission in eastern Ukraine.

The official noted that the beginning of the mission's deployment will be discussed at Normandy Four talks. According to him, the necessary conditions are the withdrawal of heavy weaponry and better humanitarian conditions. However, the very fact of this resume after 16 months-long break, according to him, is a success.

The meeting of the Foreign Minister of the Normandy Four countries took place in Berlin on June 11.

According to Volodymyr Yelchenko, the permanent envoy of Ukraine in the UN, it is unlikely that UN member countries will be able to start working on the mandate of UN peacekeeping mission in Donbas until the middle of summer of 2018.The Ukrainian military took casualties on Tuesday, as the Russian mercenaries continued to attack the emplacements of government forces. This is mentioned in the Facebook post by the HQ of the Joint Forces Operation.

The enemy's casualties are being specified.

Hostile troops opened fire 11 times; in four cases, they used Minsk-banned mortars. 82 and 120 mm mines hit Novotoshkivske, Novotroitske, and Vodyane. Smal arms and RPGs were used in the attacks on Mariinka, Troitske, Hnutove, and Vodyane. A sniper opened fire in the vicinities of Lomakyno, not far from Mariupol, Donetsk region.

Earlier, 112 International reported that the militants have received the permission to shoot positions of the Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation from small arms without the consent of units commanders. The spokesman of Ukraines Defense Ministry press center, Colonel Maksym Prauta said this to 112.ua at the briefing.

"According to the intelligence of Ukraine, the commandment of Russian-occupants lifted restrictions on the use of small arms by the personnel of leading units. In particular, Russian militants stationed at combat posts got the permission to shell the Joint Forces positions without the consent of the commanders of the units," he said.

The spokesman of the ministry stressed that this way, the enemy created additional conditions for provoking the fire in response to escalate the situation along the delimitation line.

"At the same time, the occupants increased the number of professional cameramen groups that record the so-called violation of cease-fire regime by Ukraine in order to prepare propaganda materials and spread them in the media controlled by Russia and occupation authorities," he concluded.According to him, the US continues to support the deployment of the UN peacekeepers to Donbas

U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker claimed that he personally ascertained that the combat actions in the east of Ukraine became the consequence of the Russian intervention as he reported on Twitter.

"As I saw on my recent trip, there is a hot war in eastern Ukraine that has created a grinding, degrading humanitarian crisis all caused by Russias intervention," he wrote.

Volker added that the US continues to support the deployment of the UN peacekeepers to Donbas to simplify the implementation of the Minsk Agreements.

"But Russias proposal for an OSCE protection force is a non-starter," he added.

Earlier U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker claimed that the ethnic Russians participate in the Donbas Conflict on both sides. He noted that Russia's President Vladimir Putin has some guidance and possibilities to 'present himself in the best light' toward the situation at the east of Ukraine.

Also, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that the ministers of the Normandy Four during the talks in Berlin paid special attention to the issue of deploying the UN mission in the east of Ukraine.The document came into force on the day of its adoption on June 7

Verkhovna Rada published in the Voice of Ukraine a decision condemning sentence of Moscow City Court in the case of Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko imprisoned in Russia. The document came into force on June 7, on the day of its adoption.

By adopting the resolution, Ukrainian Parliament has condemned illegal verdict in the case of Roman Sushchenko and appealed to the parliaments of foreign states, parliamentary assemblies of international organizations, world leaders and the international community in this regard.

In the appeal, Verkhovna Rada expressed strong protest in connection with the unlawful sentence of Roman Sushchenko. Ukrainian MPs have stated that "the Moscow City Court verdict in this case is based on outright fabricated charges, falsifying evidence and is another indication of the absence of justice in Russian Federation and the continuation of politically motivated persecution of citizens of Ukraine."

As it was reported earlier, Verkhovna Rada passed the document, in which it turned to the international partners due to the illegal verdict in the case of the political prisoner.

The Verkhovna Rada demanded that Russia immediately stop the deliberate violation of human rights and freedoms, cancel the illegal decision in the case of Roman Sushchenko and see to it that he returns to Ukraine without impediment.

Roman Sushchenko, the Ukrainian reporter, was detained in Moscow in September 2016. The Russian prosecutors charged him with espionage in favor of the Ukrainian military intelligence. They also accused him of an attempt to clear up the possibility of a new attack on Mariupol by the DNR terrorists. Recently, the Russian court sentenced him to 12 years in the high-security penal colony.The Ukrainian fruits and berries are exported to more than 30 countries of the world, including the EU

The mission from China on the assessment of the state control over the production of the sweet cherry has begun its work in Ukraine as the press service of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection reported.

"It is expected that the analysis of the phytosanitary risks during the export of the Ukrainian sweet cherry to China will be held during the work of the Chinese mission in Ukraine. As well as the project of the protocol of the phytosanitary requirements for the export of this product to the Chinese market will be worked out."

Moreover, the representatives of the mission will visit Zaporizhia, Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions to get familiarize with the peculiarities of the cultivation, storage, packaging of the sweet cherry and phytosanitary procedures provided by the local department of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety during the control within the forming of the export consignments of the sweet cherry.

As we reported Ukraine became the largest exporter of eggs in the EU with a share of 38%, surpassing the US. It is noted that Ukrainian holding company for egg production plans to produce 2 billion eggs a year.Open source

Credit should be given to Ukraine's civil society, the EU, the International Monetary Fund and Western governments which applied pressure on the Ukrainian government and parliament.

But, the massive vote for an ACC could not have happened without the support of the President Petro Poroshenko whose parliamentary coalition provided the bulk of the votes.

The logic for the creation of an ACC is straightforward.

Ukraine's courts are corrupt and have been proven to be unable to prosecute senior officials, politicians, and oligarchs who are accused of abuse of office, corruption, and other illegal acts.

Progress in criminally charging those accused of crimes has been slow despite Ukraine having created new institutions such as the NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau).

As a body independent of the old corrupt judicial system the ACC should, therefore, speed up the prosecution of Ukrainian ruling elites.

At the same time, an ACC would be a white elephant if Europe does not step up and stop being a haven for corrupt Ukrainian officials and oligarchs.

The fight against corruption is not confined to Ukraine but is multi-pronged and also includes Europe which has been until now a weak link.

Here is why.

Firstly, while calling upon Ukraine to energise its fight against corruption, European countries and their Caribbean tax havens continue to accept billions of dollars from Ukraine and other former Soviet states.

Kiev...but also London

Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International describes London as the money laundering capital of the world.

EU members Cyprus and Latvia are notorious as money laundromats for dirty money, concerning Washington to such a degree that the US treasury department recently pressured Riga to implement significant banking reforms.

The EU should follow the US in applying pressure on Latvia and Cyprus to clean up their financial sectors.

The stashing of huge amounts of dirty money in Europe can be used for the buying of influence and corrupting local politics. It is not only populists and nationalists who have taken Russian money; the British Conservative party accepted nearly 1m (1.13m) from Russian oligarchs.

Secondly, Europe has long indulged in corruption from Eurasia.

Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder heads up Nord Stream for Russia's state-owned Gazprom which is now building Nord Stream 2.

Ukrainian president Poroshenko believes that supporters of Nord Stream 2 are "Russia's accomplices in its hybrid war" against Ukraine and other neighboring countries.

Paul Manafort, under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller, hired a slew of Europeans known as the 'Hapsburg group' headed by former Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer.

Gas intermediary RosUkrEnergo created by gas tycoon Dmytro Firtash, wanted by the US and Spain on corruption and money laundering charges, was registered in Switzerland and Austria.

Thirdly, numerous European countries provide sanctuary and asylum to Ukrainians accused of corruption.

For the last four years, Firtash has been awaiting the outcome of US and Spanish requests for his extradition which is being held up by Austrian courts and politicians turned 'consultants.'

Serhiy Bodnarchuk, former head of the Ukrainian arms export agency is wanted by Ukraine and Interpol and is seeking asylum in the UK.

Oligarchs Oleksandr Onyshchenko and Igor Kolomoysky are bitter opponents of president Poroshenko and live in Spain and Switzerland respectively.

In 2016, Onyshchenko was accused of involvement in corruption in the gas trade and fled abroad before his parliamentary immunity was lifted. Spain, Germany and the UK have refused to extradite him to Ukraine to stand trial.

Kolomoysky, who is ranked the second wealthiest oligarch in Ukraine and has Swiss and Israeli citizenship in addition to Ukrainian, has been deprived of two sources of corrupt income by Poroshenko.

The first was a money laundering scheme through Pryvat Bank, nationalised in late 2016, which over the last decade netted him and his associates $5.5bn (4.7bn). This money laundering could not have been successful without the use of European banks.

The second was Kolomoysky's control over the state oil refining company UkrNafta which had been given to him by then prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko in January 2010 in return for his support for her election.

Last month a London court returned control over UkrNafta to state gas company Naftohaz Ukrainy. Kolomoysky is, not surprisingly, backing Tymoshenko in next year's Ukrainian presidential elections.

The establishment of an ACC is a step forward in Ukraine's fight against corruption but could still be undermined by European governments continuing to turn a blind eye to the source of illicit capital, providing asylum to those fleeing justice and allowing property purchases by oligarchs.

For the ACC to be successful requires Europe to step up and end its love of dirty money.

Read the original text at euobserver.Read the original text at 112.ua.

Open source

In the days of previous Ukraines National Bank (NBU) leadership, the title of our article would cause some panic, and now everything seems to be quite boring and trivial. However, the risks of the banking system are a common phenomenon, and they are always there.

One of the main NBUs functions is monitoring the work of the banks and timely identifying the difficulties for their correction. And it is preferable that this "correction of mistakes" does not turn into a banks bankruptcy. But recently, the banks bankruptcy became less shocking for the people, and the risk of closing banks, especially large ones, is perceived as something insignificant. And the closure of small banks is of little interest.

The NBU uses its standards to assess the reliability of the banking system. This is a very simple and convenient mechanism for controlling how Ukrainian banks feel themselves. Of course, if you pay attention to these norms in time and analyze them correctly.

Indicator H2  "regulatory capital adequacy ratio"  is one of the most popular banking standards. If this figure is below 10% for a bank, then the bank has the insufficient amount of its capital to answer to its clients for their money. There is even the NBU instruction, which prescribes that if this figure is below 10%, then such a bank should be closed and a temporary administration introduced. The fact that the previous leadership introduced temporary administration in banks, where this indicator was more than 10%, is just another point of the issue. And now this figure across the entire banking system of Ukraine is 17%. Isnt it wonderful? Especially if you recall that a year ago it was about 13%, and in 2015  7.8%. Hence, there is no risk of closing the new banks. In general, there is no such risk. But there are data on the H2 norm, issued on May 1, 2018, for individual banks, and a number of interesting facts could be revealed. Indicator H2 of "Pivdenniy" bank amounted to 10.46%, "Credit-Dnepr" bank  to 10.43%, Globus Bank - to 10.28%, MEGABank  to 10.01%. It is clear that the owners of these banks simply need to increase the authorized capital of the bank or, for example, reduce the number of problem loans, then their H2 index will improve. Everything could be corrected and done. There is nothing horrible about the fact that banks have problems with the indicator of regulatory capital. It is just business. The main thing is to do the right actions in time and not to bring the situation to the crisis.

Loans issues are a major problem here. As of May 1, 2018, the total amount of loans in Ukraine is about 38 billion USD, and the amount of reserves for soured loans is about 19 billion USD. Banks are forced to form huge reserves for the soured loans. And there is no other way. For more than a year, banks have been trying to reduce the share of the soured loans. But there is no radical change in this sphere. More or less, banks managed to convert part of the foreign currency loans, first of all, legal entities, from currency to hryvnia, and also to loan some old loans for new ones with partial repayment of debt, but that is all. It is impossible to reduce it radically. Even if there is an opportunity to take the collateral from the debtor, it does not save the situation. Since it is unclear what to do with this pledge and where to sell it. Banks need a loan repayment, and not the property because it is quite difficult to turn this property into money. And business needs loans, they also do not want to repay the old loans. Individual companies have really suffered losses after the Maidan and the so-called reforms. The collapse of the hryvnia and the increase in tariffs for energy killed many businesses. So some businessmen cannot repay the loans, but even more, he does not want to do it, hoping that Maidan will write everything off. Moreover, the massive shutdown of banks has led to ruining the business of many people, and the anger at banks among businesses is only intensifying. If Maidan did not happen, there would not be a major banks bankruptcy, and in general, we would avoid many different struggles.

So, would Ukraines banking system be able to hold up? In general, there are no special problems. Even those banks that need to increase the statutory fund will be able to do this. The NBU does not hurry up to close them and, most likely, will make concessions on the issue of filling the statutory fund. This is not that critical. However, the banks do not know how to persuade or force a business to start actively repay the loans so that it is possible to issue new loans to the same business. And business does not know how to get a new loan without paying off the old one.Skopje and Athens agreed that Macedonia will change its official name, amidst the dispute that has been running since the 1990s

The new constitutional name of the Republic of Macedonia is Northern Macedonia. Zoran Zaev, the Macedonian Prime Minister said this during the speech broadcasted on the government portal.

According to him, the new name is officially agreed with Greece, which protested against the current name of the republic.

'The agreement guarantees Macedonia's exit from the isolation; it creates European perspective, stability and progress', Zaev said.

The country's residents will be now referred to as citizens of Northern Macedonia; however, the ethnonym' Macedonians' will remain, as well as the term 'Macedonian language'.

The solution of the dispute between Greece and Macedonia may create the impetus on the latter's way to the EU and NATO.

The Greece-Macedonia dispute has been lasting since the early 1990s, when Yugoslavia broke down, which led to the restoration of statehood of former member states, including Macedonia. The Greek side protested against the official name of their neighbors, calling the state either 'Skopje' or the 'Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia'.

The Macedonian parliament passed the resolution on joining the NATO in 1993, however, the negotiations with the Alliance are still underway. Greece repeatedly blocked Macedonia's talks with the EU and NATO over the said dispute.Fishing became very important in the Azov Sea for Ukraine in such conditions  State Agency of Fishing Agriculture

The Russian Federation seized 90% of fishery resources of Ukraine after the annexation of Crimea. Andrey Kravchenko, the vice-chairman of the State Agency of Fishing Agriculture of Ukraine, stated live on "Radio Krym.Realii".

"Fishing in the Black Sea ranged from 40 to 50 thousand tons before the annexation of Crimea, but with regard to recent events a part of fisheries left at the occupied territory. We lost about 90% of recoverable reserves in the Black Sea and also access to the resources, household, and vessels which left at the occupied territory," the official said.

Related: Ukrainian fishermen might be detained by Russian border guards in Azov Sea

Fishing became very important in the Azov Sea for Ukraine in such conditions, the vice-chairman of the State Agency of Fishing Agriculture of Ukraine noted.

"Our business entities caught more than 37 thousand tons in the Azov Sea in 2018. It's pretty large quantity which partially maintains the food security of the country," Kravchenko concluded.

Reportedly, Russia occupied the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in 2014.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine officially proclaimed February 20, 2014, as a day of a temporary start of the occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia.

The main international organizations, including the UN General Assembly, condemned actions of Russia, called the annexation and occupation of Crimea illegal. Sanctions have been imposed against the Russian Federation.

Related: G7 leaders ready to implement new anti-Russian sanctions

Arbitral tribunal at the Hague in May of 2018 ruled that the Russian Federation has to compensate a number of Ukranian companies for annexation of Crimea. 18 Ukrainian companies and one individual sued Russia.Earlier Serbia considered the possibility to increase the number of days for a visa-free stay of the Ukrainians from 30 to 90 days within six months

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic agreed on the further liberalization of the visa regime as the press service of the Ukrainian leader reported.

"Within the working visit to Turkey, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko held the meeting with the President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic.The sides agreed on the further liberalization of the visa regime and developments of the contacts between people," the message said.

It is noted that the leaders discussed the activation of the political dialogue and strengthening of the economic side of the bilateral relations.

"In this context, the importance of the holding of the next session of the Intergovernmental Commission on trade-economy cooperation was noted as well as the feasibility of the continuation of the practice of the organization of the bilateral business forums," the message said.

Moreover, the presidents paid attention to the cooperation within the international organizations, interaction in the humanitarian sphere and agreed on the importance of the strict observance of the sovereignty and territorial integrity principles.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko pays a working visit to Turkey where he should hold a number of the meetings.

Earlier Vucic claimed that Serbia did not recognize Crimea as a part of Russia because it would mean the support of the independence of Kosovo. At the same time, Vucic reminded that in 2014 Belgrade did not support the sanctions against Moscow, however, it clearly states about its European ambitions.Over the past few months, they have been disrupting events by national and sexual minorities, says the report by the international organization

Over the past several months, Ukrainian far-right activists have increased the frequency of their attacks on national minorities. Vyacheslav Likhachov, the author of the research conducted on the behalf of Freedom House, said this as quoted by UNN news agency.

'We've been witnessing certain negative dynamics over the past few months. Since the beginning of this year, the number of incidents grew, as the far-rights disrupt the events, public rallies and the closed-door meetings. The number of minorities-related incidents also grew drastically', he said.

The author mentioned many ultranationalist groups, assumed to be involved in such attacks.

The report mentioned the disruption of a lecture about Holocaust in Lviv in January 2018; the attack on Queer Home Kryvbas in Kryvyi Rig (southeastern Ukraine) in February 2018; the attack on those participating in marches on May 8 in Kyiv; an attempt to disrupt the Docudays film festival in Kyiv in March, and the attacks on Roma camps.Russia is likely to appeal against the Court's jurisdiction in this case, - Olena Zerkal, deputy foreign minister of Ukraine

It will take the UN International Court several years to consider Ukraine's memorandum about Russia's funding of terrorism. Olena Zerkal, the deputy foreign minister of Ukraine posted this on Facebook.

The official commented on the possible development on this case, specifically Russia's reaction to this document.

'After the memorandum is submitted, Russia would have the right to appeal against the court's jurisdiction to consider this case. Just like it happened with Georgia vs Russia case, the latter will use this right, and there will be denials from Russia three months later. Given the current practice, the consideration will take about one and a half years... In total, it will take another few years,' she said.

Asked if Ukraine provided enough evidence, the official said that the document was 'extraordinarily large'. According to her, usually, the documents feature the minimum of the necessary evidence; but Ukraine brought so much evidence, because 'Russia just lies to the court, calling black what has always been white'.

On Tuesday, Ukraine sent the UN International Court a memorandum on Russias funding of terrorism. According to Ukraines foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin, the document consists of more than 17,000 pages in 29 volumes. The total weight made almost 90 kilograms.

As is known, Ukraine sued Russia in the International Court of Justice in early 2017, demanding to stop the funding of Illegal armed formations in Donbas and to restore the activity of Mejlis of Crimean Tatars in the occupied Crimea. The court found that there was not enough evidence of Russias funding of terrorism; however, it ruled that the Kremlin should stop the acts of discrimination of Crimean Tatars.The Federation urges the Ukrainian leadership to put an end to the oppression of the freedom of speech in the country

Open source

The European Federation of Journalists will appeal to the EU Council in case of the political decision on the 112 Ukraine license and will argue such decision as Ricardo Gutierrez, the EFJ Secretary-General claimed.

The Federation has urged the Ukrainian leadership to put an end to the oppression of the freedom of speech in the country. The proper statement was made at the annual gathering of the international organization in Lisbon.

"We are concerned enough with the situation of the speech freedom in Ukraine. We held the annual meeting in Lisbon (Portugal). 70 delegations of the journalists from Europe voted for the fact that Ukraine moves on the freedom of speech of the journalists," Gutierrez claimed, noting that the threats come from the officials.

"It is dangerous enough when the officials tell this. It is a real problem. The European Federation of Journalists urged the leadership of Ukraine to put an end to it," he said.

Earlier 112 Ukraine TV Channel protested against the activity of Yuriy Artemenko, the head of the National TV and Radio Broadcasting Council of Ukraine. The channel's management insists that the official has been conducting the Council's actions in the way that prevents 112 Ukraine TV from broadcasting; previously, he stated that the Council would not issue the license for this medium.

Gutierrez commented the situation: "As for me, this is an official statement of the National TV and Radio Broadcasting Council Head that it is ready to accept the political decision because if you can say this to the journalist before the official answer then it is an unfair, political decision."

He also added that the Federation expects the fair decision of the National TV and Radio Broadcasting Council.

"If it will not be so, we will argue it and put it on the online-platform of the EU Council to defend the journalist. I do not know the reason but I hope that the decision will be made in a fair and honest way."

Gutierrez is sure that 112 Ukraine has a right to possess the license as well as other media of Ukraine.

"This statement does not show the political will be honest and fair. We hope that everything will change and the decision will be positive. In another way, we will urgently respond to it," he promised.

We recall that the National Council refused 112 Ukraine TV Channel in the relocation of the broadcasting concept to the information one for 34 times. On the basis of the formal violation, it imposed the fines and preventions against 112 Ukraine TV Channel. The Ukrainian and international experts treat such actions of the regulator as the pressure on the TV channel and freedom of speech in the country.[Provisional Translation]

On June 11, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a press conference at the Prime Ministers Office.With respect to the summit telephone talk with the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America, the Prime Minister said,Ahead of the U.S.-North Korea summit meeting tomorrow, I received a phone call from President Trump saying that he wanted to have a discussion with me based on the latest situation and we held a Japan-U.S. Summit Telephone Talk.President Trump said that the U.S.-North Korea summit meeting would take place tomorrow from 9 a.m. local time and that he intended to have thorough discussions at the meeting. President Trump explained the latest situation, as arrangements continue to be made among working-level officials. We also engaged in detailed coordination on how to approach the summit meeting tomorrow. I believe that Japan and the United States, as well as Japan, the United States, and the Republic of Korea, fully share and are in agreement on the basic approach to the meeting.I hope tomorrows summit meeting will be a historic meeting and a major step towards peace and stability in Northeast Asia. We also reaffirmed that President Trump would raise the abduction issue at the meeting. I strongly hope that the summit meeting will serve as an opportunity to make progress on the outstanding issues of concern, including the nuclear and missile issues as well as the abduction issue, and that it will be a success.Ukraine's Foreign Minister noted that state needs guarantees from Russia on the access of the OSCE to occupied territories

Open source

The demand of Kyiv to deploy the UN peacekeepers at the Russia-Ukraine border not controlled by Ukraine contradicts the Minsk Agreements. Sergy Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of Russia claimed this at the briefing after the meeting of the Normandy Four as 112.ua reported.

"We explained that the ideas offered by the Ukrainian colleagues and the American representatives to turn this peacekeeping mission to some military-political office that will control all territory of these self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk 'republics' and will decide whom and how to elect completely contradict the Minsk Agreements," he said.

At the same time, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said that the opinions of the foreign ministers on the deployment of the UN peacekeepers are completely different.

According to Klimkin, the issue of the political prisoners and hostages' exchange was also raised during the meeting.

He also noted that he counts on the observation of the commitments by Russia on the ceasefire regime and withdrawal of the heavy weaponry after the meeting.

"We need clear guarantees from Russia, I mean its presence in occupied territories and OSCE's access there. There are conditions that must be fulfilled," he emphasized.British Prime Minister reminded that the G8 did not become the "Big Seven" without reason

British Prime Minister Theresa May said that Russia would not be invited to return to the G7 countries until it stops interfering in the affairs of other countries. Reuters reported this.

There was a good reason why the G8 became the G7, May told lawmakers in Britains parliament on Monday, saying its exclusion was a result of its illegal annexation of Crimea.

Any conversations about whether or not Russia can come back round the table cannot take place until Russia has changed its attitude, she said.

As it was reported earlier, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko thanked the leaders of the G-7 countries for their support of Ukraine. According to him, the results of the summit confirmed that Ukraine is "among the key priorities of the free world."

The leaders of the G-7 countries declared their support for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. The participants of the summit declared condemnation of the illegal annexation of Crimea.Open source

Ukraine files the memorandum on the financing of the terrorism and racial discrimination to the UN International Court as Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin reported on Twitter.

"Today Russia will get so-called "gift" from us in the UN International Court. It weighs about 90 kilograms, consists of 17, 500 pages and contains 29 volumes. We file our memorandum on the financing of the terrorism and racial discrimination," Klimkin wrote.

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko paid attention to the date of the memorandum's filing.

"It is very symbolical that the UN International Court scheduled June 12  Day of Russia  for the filing of the memorandum in the case of Ukraine against Russia in the violation of the International Convention for the Suppression of Financing of Terrorism and the UN Convention for the Liquidation of All Form of Racial Discrimination," he wrote.

Poroshenko emphasized that the filing of this memorandum is the important stage in the proving that Russia will be responsible for all criminal actions. The president emphasized that the whole world "is convicting Russia to recognize the unlawfulness of its actions and withdraw from the occupied territories of Donbas and Crimea."

"So far, Russia continues to persistently lie that it did not occupy the Ukrainian lands, took Buk that shot down MH17 there, took BM-21 Grad from which the civilians of Mariupol, Kramatorsk, and Avdiivka and the checkpoint in Volnovakha were shelled. The Russian officials persistently lie they did not recruit the terrorists who committed the explosions in Odesa, Kharkiv, and Kyiv. They lie they do not survive Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars from Crimea, discriminating them in the occupation," the president noted.

He expressed the belief that it is possible to overcome such lie only with the evidence and Ukraine needs the position of the UN International Court for this "that will give an appropriate assessment to Russia's actions and will not allow to hide from the responsibility behind other manipulations and shouts "this is not us" and "we are not there".

Poroshenko added that the memorandum contains the extraordinary number of the evidence  "to left everyone doubtless that Russia committed the illegal actions and should be responsible for them."

As we reported the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry filed a suit on the violations of the International Convention for the Suppression of Financing of Terrorism and the UN Convention for the Liquidation of All Form of Racial Discrimination on January 16 to the UN International Court in the Hague.

The Foreign Minister Klimkin specified the charges against Russia. Terrorist acts directed against unarmed civilians, financial and material support of pro-Kremlin militants, arms smuggling  these are the crimes committed by the Russian leadership against Ukraine.

Later the UN International Court demanded that Russia show how it complies with the court's decision about the restoration of the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar people in the annexed Crimea.According Pavlo Klimkin, so far the positions of the countries are in different universes

Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin said that the positions of the countries on UN peacekeepers in the Donbas are completely different, reports Ukrinform.

"We discussed the possible format of our peacekeeping mission. The parties understand the agreements and mission in a different way. Russian side proposes a totally fake mission, with fake protection of the SMM," Klimkin said.

Klimkin described Russia's position as "worse" than it seemed at first: now, Russia insists that peacekeepers can only "escort" OSCE observers along the conflict line and in the occupied territory, but will not be able to do anything else.

The heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine met for the first time in a year and a half. The agenda was the release of Ukrainian political prisoners and the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission on Donbas.

As it was reported earlier, Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, had a telephone conversation with Justin Trudeau, the PM of Canada, and discussed the deployment of the UN peacekeeping mission in Donbas. Poroshenko has informed about the current state in Donbas and Moscows provocations to create tensions on the Sea of Azov. The interlocutors have coordinated the positions before the G7 summit.

Earlier, Poland, Germany, Sweden, Portugal, Turkey and Finland stated that they were ready to bring the peacekeepers to Donbas.SAPO refused to comment, advising to the journalist to appeal to the U.S. Embassy to Ukraine

Open source

The US has annulled the American visa of Nazar Kholodnytsky, the Head of Ukraine's Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) as Ukrainian News reported citing the source at the law enforcement bodies.

'His visa was canceled', the source said.

Also, it specified that the annulled document was issued for five years.

Moreover, Kholodnytsky was supposed to participate in the recent event in the US where Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yury Lutsenko took place but did not come due to the mentioned reasons.

The SAPO refused to comment on this situation. According to LIGA.net, Yaroslav Gordievych, the Advisor for Communication recommended to the journalist to appeal to the U.S. Embassy to Ukraine.

'You can ask it in the embassy where the visa is issued', he said.

As we reported the SAP found a wire in the cabinet of Nazar Kholodnytsky. It was noted that the NABU and Prosecutor General's Office held the audition. It was noted that the NABU and GPU tapped the SAPO Head.

On March 22, Kholodnytsky confirmed that the wire was found in his cabinet. He noted that he does not know who is an owner of the device found on March 6 and waits for the response from the law enforcement bodies.

Yuriy Lutsenko, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine initiated Kholodnytskys resignation on March 30. Lutsenko appealed to the Qualifications and Disciplinary Commission of Public Prosecutors concerning Nazar Kholodnytsky, his Deputy and the Head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office.

Also, Kholodnytsky claimed that the Prosecutor Generals Office opened the criminal proceeding against him due to the disclosing of the details of the pretrial investigation, particularly, the Suprun case.PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)Learn important terminology as well as which types of collaborative technology best suit personal business needs. Registration required.

The Better Business Bureau Serving New Mexico and Southwest Colorado are hosting a FREE seminar on the importance of Telecommunications and Collaborative Technologies in Business. You will learn important terminology, as well as which types of collaborative technology, will best suit your business needs. The seminar will be on Tuesday, June 12th, 2018 and will be held at the office of the BBB here in Albuquerque, NM from 12p-1p. Our guest speaker will be Jason Wolf, the Director of Business Development for ValuTel Communications Inc.

Presentation Topics:

What are POTS (landlines) lines and what are the benefits?

What is VoIP and how will it benefit my business?

What are Unified Communications and how will it benefit my business?

What are key components of Unified Communications?

How reliable and secure is Unified Communications and Collaboration technology?

How do I evaluate my business needs when considering UC and Collaboration technology?

When: Tuesday, June 12th, 2018

Where: Better Business Bureau

7007 Jefferson St. NE Ste A

Albuquerque, NM 87109

Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm

About the Speaker:

Jason Wolf is the Director of Business Development for ValuTel Communications Inc., a telecommunications company located in Albuquerque, NM. For the last 28 years, ValuTel has been providing telephone and internet services to New Mexico companies, organizations, and governments, ranging from small businesses to large enterprises. Having previously worked for Apple Inc., Jason has a strong foundation in mobile technology and understands the ever-changing telecommunications technology landscape. He will explain to you how state of the art technology can greatly benefit your business and your bottom line.

Register here. https://bbb-telecom-seminar.eventbrite.comThe nonprofit Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation is working on modernizing the countrys customs bonding system.



Robert Kielbas, vice president for global development in Roanoke Trades Chicago office, said during a conference on Friday that he hopes Vietnams first customs bond under a new and modernized system will be issued by the end of this year.

Kielbas is participating in the project being administered by the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation (GATF), a nonprofit in which governments and businesses work together to identify trade facilitation issues and implement targeted reforms to address them.

I dont want to be a soothsayer, but I would like to say that, hopefully by the end of this year, we will have actually written a bond in Vietnam, and what that would do, that would give them bragging rights to no end, he said during the 97th Annual American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI) Conference and Expo in Baltimore. In the international arena, that would show that they have made such an effort, and they have gotten their house in order so well that they have now made this massive effort to improve trade, to get goods across their borders.

The bond will be issued in Vietnam with no exclusions or deductibles and will largely address issues associated with clearances of small and medium-sized enterprises, Kielbas said.

Vietnams new customs bond system will be similar to that used in the United States, GATF said in an April press release. Vietnam will be the first country outside the United States with such an all-encompassing system.

That should help to streamline the countrys customs practices the highly economically competitive Southeast Asia region, as Vietnam currently maintains the highest rate of cargo holds globally, GATF Deputy Director Raul Perales said during the AAEI conference.YEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. US President Donald Trump has met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in a historic summit in Singapore, CNN reports.

The two men -- both intent on making history -- greeted each other with extended hands in front of a row of US and North Korean flags, a previously unthinkable sight that reflects a new chapter in the two countries' acrimonious relationship.

Later, Trump said his historic summit with Kim was going "very, very good" and predicted an eventual agreement on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons, a gut-level assessment Trump had claimed earlier in the week he would make within the first minutes of the meeting.

"Excellent relationship," he said as he emerged from one-on-one talks after 38 minutes.

Trump's threats to politely walk out of the meeting if his expectations were unmet did not materialize. Instead he predicted he could "solve a big problem, a big dilemma" alongside his new partner.

"Working together, we'll get it taken care of," Trump said.

The remarks came amid an improbable series of events that few could have anticipated even three months ago. The unlikely images of US and North Korean counterparts engaging in friendly dialogue lent the day an air of unreality. In a detailed menu, the White House said the men were served Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Other developments fueled that impression. Minutes before the historic handshake, Trump tweeted that his top economic adviser Larry Kudlow had suffered a heart attack. Immediately after the encounter, Dennis Rodman -- one of the only Americans to have met Kim -- was openly weeping while being interviewed by CNN's Chris Cuomo.

Even Kim seemed to acknowledge the surreality of the day.

"Many people in the world will think of this as a (inaudible) form of fantasy ... from a science fiction movie," his translator was overheard saying as the two leaders walked down a white-columned colonnade.

Earlier, Trump patted Kim on the back and placed his hand on the North Korean's shoulder as they walked into their meeting.

"I feel really great. We'll have a great discussion," Trump said at the beginning of the talks.

"This will be tremendously successful," he continued. "We will have a terrific relationship."

Speaking through an interpreter, Kim alluded to the longstanding enmity between his country and the United States.

"It has not been easy to come to this point," Kim said, according to a CNN translation of his remarks. "For us the past has been holding us back, and old practices and prejudices have been covering our eyes and ears, but we have been able to overcome everything to arrive here today."

Trump nodded in agreement.

The meeting comes only months after the two men traded nuclear taunts, ratcheting up tensions and leading to fears of war.

Whether nuclear disarmament is indeed the outcome of Tuesday's summit won't be known for years, if not decades. But the dramatic act of extending his hand to one of America's longtime adversaries will forever illustrate Trump's gut-driven, norm-shattering tenure.

After the men shook hands, they repaired inside for one-on-one talks. In that first meeting they were joined only by translators, a break from standard practice of having at least one aide present for high-stakes huddles.

Later in the day, advisers joined the talks for a larger bilateral session and a working lunch. Trump was joined by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, chief of staff John Kelly, national security adviser John Bolton and the US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, who has lent his Korea expertise to the talks.

It's not clear what the US side has been able to extract from the North Koreans in terms of their willingness to get rid of their nuclear weapons or allow inspectors into the country to catalogue the scale of their program.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. Minister of economic development and investments of Armenia Artsvik Minasyan held a meeting on June 11 with the delegation of Vassilis Maragos, Head of Unit of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Eastern Partnership of the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission.

Officials of the European Commission, the EU delegation in Armenia and the ministry took part in the meeting, the ministry told ARMENPRESS.

At the meeting, minister Minasyan attached importance to continuous cooperation with the EU and expressed willingness for development of future joint work.

The sides discussed issues related to the EU budgetary and technical assistance projects for Armenia within the framework of the Armenia-EU cooperation, projects which were implemented last year and upcoming programs, projects planned under the Neighborhood investment tool and possible directions for assistance in 2018.

Ensuring the effective implementation of CEPA was highlighted, as well as deepening of further bilateral cooperation.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. One man and four children are dead after an over 20-hour standoff in the US state of Florida, Orlando Police Chief John Mina said during a press conference Monday, CNN reports.

Mina said officers were in contact with Gary Lindsey Jr., directly and indirectly, by phone throughout the day after he shot an officer Sunday night around 11:45 p.m. and barricaded himself in an apartment with the four children, ages 1, 6, 10 and 11. At one point, Mina said, officers tried to give Lindsey another phone, and during the exchange saw that one of the children was dead.

Officers entered the apartment around 9 p.m. Monday, Mina said, and found that all the children held hostage were dead. Mina said two children are believed to be Lindsey's and two are his girlfriend's.

Officers originally responded to a domestic violence call from Lindsey's girlfriend Sunday, Chief John Mina said. Lindsey shot at officers when they arrived, hitting one, Mina said. Officers shot back, but Mina said he did not know whether Lindsey was hit. Police said Lindsey's girlfriend made the initial call after she had left the house.

The officer shot was identified as Kevin Valencia, who has been with the Orlando Police Department since 2016, remains critical condition after surgery, Mina said.

Lindsey had a criminal record.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump have signed a historic document that would lead to major change, they announced at a joint news conference after their first face-to-face meeting in Singapore, RT reports.

The contents of the document have not been disclosed so far, but Trump said that he will hold a press conference on the matter later in the day.

Weve developed a very special bond, Trump said, sitting next to chairman Kim after what he called an intensive time together. He vowed to start the process very, very quickly without specifying what exactly is going to happen.

Today we had a historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind, and we are about to sign a historic document. The world will a see a major change, Kim said, before thanking his US counterpart for the meeting.

After the signing ceremony Trump said that, from now on, the Korean peninsula is going to be very much a different situation than it has in the past.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian defense ministry has released footage proving that the Armenian Armed Forces have full control over the Gunnut section along the Nakhijevan border.

Filmed from Armenian positions, from the position which has full control over the ruins of the village, defense ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan said on Facebook.

Earlier Hovhannisyan had said that on June 6 and June 7 Azerbaijan requested permission from Armenia for certain citizens to approach a cemetery in the southern part of the former settlement.

Hovhannisyan had said that this was the first time ever Azerbaijan has made a similar request.

The Armenian military, citing commitment to humanitarian norms, eventually allowed the Azerbaijani citizens to visit the graves for a short period of time. But Azerbaijan, however, distorted the whole story and began manipulating the goodwill of the Armenian military, and falsely presented the entire story to be an achievement and control over those territories.

Gunnut is a presently uninhabited village which lies in ruins.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. Armenian President Armen Sarkissian sent a congratulatory letter to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as the country is celebrating Russia Day today, on June 12.

Accept my warm congratulations on the occasion of the national holiday  Russia Day.

This significant day was the beginning of systemic transformations in statehood-building and development of the social-economic field, education, science and culture, with which the brotherly people of Russia are rightly proud. The successes have strengthened the countrys role and reputation in the global arena even more.

The deep roots of the mutual-relations of our two countries, which are based on solid ties of century-long friendship, trust and mutual-aid, today contribute to the expansion of bilateral allied partnership of Armenia and Russia.

I am sure that the progressive development of multilateral intergovernmental relations will furthermore also stem from the main interests of our peoples and countries, contribute to ensuring regional and international security, the Armenian president said in the cable, according to his office. The president wished welfare and all the best to President Putin, and peace and prosperity to the people of Russia.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has held a meeting with Jorgen Elmeskov, director general of Statistics Denmark  a Danish governmental organization.

At the meeting the PM attached importance to the role of official statistics in the effective functioning of the administration system, in decision-making, and stressed the need for close cooperation of Armenias statistics committee and the Statistics Denmark in both bilateral and multilateral formats.

Pashinyan noted that any platform is important for specialized contacts and exchange of experience and expressed conviction that the ongoing conferene in Yerevan will be useful for strengthening cooperation.

Elmeskov noted that a long time effective cooperation has been formed with Armenia.

The process of reforms of Armenias statistical committee has been discussed.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. The democratic reforms taking place in Armenia and Artsakh will strengthen the positions of the two Armenian states in the international arena, deputy minister of foreign affairs of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan told reporters.

It is obvious that the democratic reforms which are taking place in the two Armenian states cannot not strengthen the positions of the Armenian states in the international arena. This has been talked about numerously, he said.

He added that Azerbaijans playing card is the money coming from air or ground  oil and gas  while Armenias playing card is in another field.

It is our intellectual capacity, the creative potential of our people, and the more conditions are created for its best manifestations the stronger we will be, he said.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. Deputy minister of foreign affairs of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan insists Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans approach that Armenia cannot negotiate instead of Artsakh in the negotiations for settling the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Speaking to reporters in the parliament today, the deputy FM emphasized that the overwhelming majority of issues which are on the negotiations table relate to Artsakh itself. At least in two issues Armenia cannot negotiate instead of Artsakh. The first relates to the status of Artsakh, the second to the territorial integrity issue of Artsakh. This is at least, however there are other issues also, he said.

Asked in what case and over what issues can Armenia negotiate, Kocharyan stressed that the necessity for negotiations for prevention of military operations shouldnt be forgotten.

If there are no negotiations then the likelihood of resumption of military operations increases. Thats why always remember the platform which relates to the prevention of resumption of military operations, of course Armenia must negotiate, but Armenia cannot negotiate over the issues which are in the dimension of the government of Artsakh, he said.

According to Kocharyan, if Azerbaijan truly wants to have progress in the talks, it should directly negotiate with Stepanakert, instead of pretending that there is no such entity.

A bright example of this is the 1994 trilateral agreement on cessation of military operations. Baku directly began to negotiate with Stepanakert, the treaty was basically ready, Baku suggested Yerevan to join, Yerevan did join, but couldve not, he said.

According to him, Bakus policy is at fault for there not being a possibility for progress in talks today.

When Baku will accept Karabakh as a full negotiations party, we can expect that progress will take place in the negotiations, he said.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan considers the uncovering of the March 1 events to be one of the most important cases of the Special Investigative Service.

Pashinyan delivered the remarks today while introducing the newly appointed head of the service  Sasun Khachatryan.

When we say that there are no restrictions, we mean it. And if similar cases existed in the past, which for some political or other subjective or objective reasons didnt advance, I hope that the detectives will touch upon all those cases under the leadership of the new director proceeding from the goals of ensuring full lawful system in Armenia. One of the most important cases that the Special Investigations Service should uncover is the March 1 crime, he said.

Earlier on June 8, Pashinyan sacked Vahram Shahinyan from the post of chief of the Special Investigations Service, replacing him with Sasun Khachatryan.

March 1 is a colloquial term referring to the 2008 post electoral developments in Armenia, when mass protests turned violent and claimed 10 lives.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. Late Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan would turn 67 years old today.

Margaryans family members and fellow party-members from the Republican Party paid tribute to his memory in the Komitas Pantheon in Yerevan, where the late PM is buried.

Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan is the son of Andranik Margaryan.

Third President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, who is the chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia, was in attendance of the commemoration event. He was joined by former defense minister Vigen Sargsyan, Speaker of Parliament Ara Babloyan and other politicians.

Eduard Sharmazanov, the deputy Speaker of Parliament and spokesperson of the Republican Party, told reporters that Andranik Margaryan would never draw the human relationship line through the government and opposition. He would draw the line through the value system.

Andranik Margaryan was a devotee of national ideology. God willing, someday we will reach the Armenia which Andranik Margaryan dreamt about, and he dreamt for us to live with national values, be united in the society, clearly differentiate whats most important and whats secondary. Until his last second, Andranik Margaryan selflessly served for Armenia, he said.

He served as PM from 2000 to 2007.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the Embassy of Russia today in Yerevan on the occasion of Russia Day, the national holiday of the country.

The PM congratulated Ambassador Sergei Kopirkin, the embassy staff and in their person the good people of Russia, wishing peace and prosperity.

The PM also sent congratulatory letters to his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev and President Vladimir Putin, the PMs office said.

This significant day in the history of Russia, a country having millennia of history and unique legacy, symbolizes systemic changes in political and social-economic fields, consistent work for strengthening the role and reputation of the state in the international arena. We in Armenia value the many centuries-old friendly ties of our peoples, the Armenian PM said in particular in the cable to Putin.

The PM wished Putin good health, successes and peace and prosperity to the Russian people.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Ara Babloyan held a meeting on June 12 with US Ambassador Richard Mills.

At the meeting, the Speaker said the US-Armenian relations are productive, and attached importance to mutual visits of parliamentarians and strengthening of ties in boosting bilateral relations.

The world witnessed that Armenia is a democratic country and is committed to its adopted principles and ideas  a bright example of which was the peaceful and constitutional settlement of the issues, the Speaker said referring to the recent domestic political crisis.

Speaking on early elections in the future, Babloyan said that mechanisms should be jointly developed in order for the upcoming elections to be in line with democratic principles and be acceptable by the society.

The US Ambassador highly praised the Speakers role in effectively organizing parliamentary works in the period of change for Armenia.

The Ambassador attached importance to the settlement of the domestic political processes in Armenia through the rule of law, in an atmosphere of mutual understanding.

Under the new Constitution of Armenia, the National Assembly continues having an important role and in this important period in the history of Armenia I am ready to work with you and the other leaders, Mills said.

The sides also touched upon the reforms of the electoral code, the actions in the fight against corruption and prospects of cooperation.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Artsakh informs that during the recent days active moves and mobilization of Azerbaijani troops and military equipment can be noted in different sections of Artsakh-Azerbaijan contact line. ARMENPRESS reports the statement issued by the Defense Ministry of Artsakh reads as follows,

In the recent period the Azerbaijani side demonstrates evident activity in the information field that is manifested by the spread of various sorts of misinformation and abundance in propagandistic footages. With the main goal to present the achievements of their armed forces properly to the domestic and external audiences, official Baku first started to circulate ungrounded information about the alleged liberation of 11 thousand hectares in section of Nakhichevan, and then posted on the internet the footage of using POLONEZ multiple launch rocket system and Israeli-made LORA long-range artillery system.

Parallel to this informational propaganda active moves and mobilization of Azerbaijani troops and military equipment can be noted in different sections of Artsakh-Azerbaijan contact line in the recent days.

Defense Army front line units watchfully follow the activities of the adversary and take necessary actions stemming from the situation.

Edited and translated by Tigran SirekanyanYEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia Mane Tandilyan has announced about resignation. ARMENPRESS reports she made a note on her Facebook page.

During yesterdays Cabinet meeting the issue of full induction of Mandatory Funded Pension System was discussed. You know my position on the component of mandatory which I expressed years ago. Being appointed Minister of Labor and Social Affairs I expressed my position on suspending the full induction of the mandatory component by a year and to amend the system based on public debates, creating different attractive solutions for the beneficiaries. This path also had some complications, but I have expressed readiness to initiate that work and to carry out large-scale works with the public to find the best solution acceptable for the public.

After long debates it became clear that my proposal does not enjoy the support of the Cabinet. Instead, another option was presented, which was approved at the Cabinet meeting.

This issue is of paramount importance to me. The component of mandatory had no and now has no public support, and its reasons are numerous. It has social, legal, political and systematic problems and I see no way for fully inducting the component of mandatory without discussing it with the public, discovering the problems and finding joint and acceptable solutions. I hoped that the new Government would take a new path of solving this issue. The imperative methods of solving issues characteristic of the previous authorities are not acceptable for me.

Dear compatriots, I have been against the mandatory funded system and together with my supporters I organized protests and now again I think that the mandatory system should include the principle of free expression of will and opportunity to make a choice, given the risks and longevity of the system.

With this note my powers as the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs are terminated, which were just tools for serving the citizens of Armenia.

I wish the present Cabinet numerous achievements and farsightedness for the benefit of democratic Armenia.

Taking into account the fact that I became a Cabinet member as a member of Bright Armenia party, I also suspend my membership to the party, resolutely supporting my friends in creating bright Armenia.

Starting from today I will continue to watchfully follow all the political developments as a citizen, sparing no efforts for the strengthening of the Armenian statehood.

Edited and translated by Tigran SirekanyanYEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. Justice Minister of Armenia Artak Zeynalyan has denied media reports that he has allegedly submitted a resignation letter, the Minister posted a note on his Facebook page.

The information spread by media outlets that I have submitted letter of resignation does not correspond to the reality. I continue to implement my responsibilities as Justice Minister with a great sense of responsibility and determination to carry out reforms, ARMENPRESS reports the Minister wrote.

Earlier today, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Mane Tandilyan submitted resignation letter.

Edited and translated by Tigran SirekanyanThe Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) this week agreed to pay a record penalty to settle its violations of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws. The A$700 million fine plus legal costs will become final upon the approval of the Federal Court.

The deal was met with market approval, and has allowed regulators to claim victory. Given the publics current hostility to banks in the wake of revelations from the Banking Royal Commission, politicians also joined the bandwagon and applauded CBAs loss.

Also read: 3 things you need to know about CBAs $700m money-laundering payment

What if the penalty is a sign of mob justice, rather than just deserts? And given the scale of the payout, will the fine also end up further punishing customers and shareholders?

Answering these questions requires a close look at the case. CBA was alleged to have violated the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006, in several specific ways.

First, it introduced Intelligent Deposit Machines (IDMs) without conducting an independent risk assessment and/or instituting mitigation procedures to tackle money-laundering. Unlike older ATMs, IDMs process cash deposits and make the funds available for transfer immediately. Clearly, criminals could use these features to launder cash gained through crime. CBA wrongly believed that its existing ATM monitoring processes covered these risks.

Also read: Is it harder for you to buy a home than it was for your parents?

Second, it was warned about these risks and could have minimised money laundering by imposing daily limits on accounts. CBA refused.

Third, CBA failed to provide transaction reports within 10 business days for cash deposits greater than A$10,000. This violation referred to 53,506 transactions totalling about A$625 million. The failure was due to a coding error  the software was not updated to pick up a new code created for IDM deposits.

Fourth, CBA failed to report transactions with a pattern of money-laundering  apparently misunderstanding its legal obligations.

Story continues

Also read: Heres how Europes debt crisis will affect you

Fifth, CBA failed to report suspicions about identity fraud  for example, in relation to eight money-laundering syndicates. Therefore, AUSTRAC and law enforcement were unaware of several million dollars of proceeds of crime mostly connected with drug importation and distribution that passed into accounts held by CBA.

Sixth, CBA was deficient in monitoring accounts despite warnings from law enforcement  778,370 accounts were not monitored. CBA was slow to act even after suspicious accounts were terminated, facilitating money-laundering.

Clearly these are significant violations. However, the statement of facts agreed by AUSTRAC and CBA state that the bank did not deliberately or intentionally violate its legal obligations under the relevant laws.

Considering that CBAs violations were inadvertent, due to technical glitches, and attributable to a mistaken belief about existing systems satisfying legal obligations, the A$700 million fine might be excessive.

International comparisons

By international standards, the fine seems to be very high. This week the UK Financial Conduct Authority fined the British division of Indias Canara Bank 896,100 (A$1.58 million) for consistent failure in its money-laundering controls, and for failings affecting almost all aspects of its business.

The FCA said the banks failings potentially undermine the integrity of the UK financial system by significantly increasing the risk that Canara could be used for the purposes of domestic and international money laundering, terrorist financing and those seeking to evade taxation or the implementation of sanction requirements.

In the United States, the Justice Department fined US Bancorp US$528 million (A$694 million) for criminal violations of money-laundering laws and for concealing its behaviour from regulators.

CBAs fine is far higher than Canaras punishment for similar violations, and roughly on a par with the sanction meted out to US Bancorp  albeit the latter was for more serious criminal wrongdoing. It is also comparable to the US$665 million (A$874 million) penalty imposed on HSBC (plus US$1.26 billion in sacrificed profits). Unlike CBA, HSBC was punished for willfully failing to maintain proper money-laundering controls.

Yet the proceeds from HSBCs violations stretching back to the 1990s were staggering: at least US$881 million in laundered drug money; a failure to monitor more than US$670 billion in wire transfers and over US$9.4 billion in purchases of physical US dollars from HSBC Mexico; some US$660 million in sanctions-prohibited transactions; and evidence of deliberate sanctions violations by processing transactions to parties in Iran, Cuba, Burma, Sudan, and Libya.

A fair punishment?

The size of CBAs penalty seems to be more in line with banks that have deliberately flouted money-laundering laws, rather than the smaller punishments handed to banks that did so unintentionally. It is tempting to conclude that this is influenced by the current prevailing mood to send a message to financial institutions.

Whats more, we cannot necessarily assume that the fine will act as a deterrent. The penalty is not paid by the CBA staff who acted wrongly; it is paid by the bank, ultimately by the shareholders.

Similarly, the cost of managing enhanced scrutiny and investing in additional compliance machinery will be passed on to customers in the form of higher charges and fees. Likewise, if banks become excessively cautious because of apprehensions about overenforcement, that will impact services and reduce profitability  again harming innocent people.

The punishment must always fit the crime. Excessive punishment is counterproductive and creates additional victims.

If the purpose was really to tackle wrongdoing, the CBA staff who were responsible for the violations should have been identified and penalised.

The Conversation

The A$700 million fine is good for political posturing but will hurt customers and shareholders the most. Bank-bashing has a cost, and it is paid by ordinary people, not politicians.

Sandeep Gopalan, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic Innovation) & Professor of Law, Deakin University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.British Prime Minister Theresa May avoided a major blow to her Brexit strategy on Tuesday after lawmakers rejected a plan that would have given parliament a veto on the final deal negotiated with Brussels. The House of Commons voted 324 to 298 to defeat an amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill which would have removed her government's power to decide to leave the bloc without any agreement. But in unusual scenes, ministers were forced to offer a last-minute compromise to pro-European MPs, negotiated in part in huddles in the chamber as the debate raged. May had feared a rebellion by members of her Conservative Party over the motion, one of 15 submitted by the unelected upper House of Lords being considered by MPs over the course of two days. The pro-European cause was boosted when junior justice minister Phillip Lee, a friend of May's, resigned shortly before the debate in order to back the veto amendment. In the end Lee abstained, saying he trusted the premier to give parliament a "voice" in a compromise motion due to be presented when the bill returns to the Lords on Monday. May met with more than a dozen Tory would-be rebels shortly before the vote to reassure them, although exactly what she promised is in dispute. A statement from the Brexit ministry said the government had agreed to "look for a compromise". But it made clear that "we have not, and will not, agree to the House of Commons binding the government's hands". Talks with Brussels have stalled over the fraught issue of the Irish border, but both sides are hoping to agree a deal by October in time for the Brexit date of March 29, 2019. - 'Immense crisis' - The EU (Withdrawal) Bill would formally end Britain's membership of the European Union and transfer more than 40 years of European law onto the British statute books. May is seeking to overturn 14 of 15 Lords amendments, but has a fight on her hands due to her fragile majority in the 650-seat Commons. She had already agreed to give MPs a vote on the final Brexit deal, but rejecting it could see Britain crash out of the EU with no agreement. The Lords amendment would have given parliament the power to decide what happened next, with the possibility of reopening negotiations or staying in the bloc. Following its defeat, the government's own version of the amendment will now go forward. Solicitor General Robert Buckland promised to discuss incorporating concerns raised by former attorney general and rebel Dominic Grieve. Grieve proposed the government be forced to seek parliamentary approval for its strategy if it has not agreed a Brexit deal by the end of November. "If we don't achieve a deal at all, the fact is we are going to be facing an immense crisis," he told MPs. "The question is how do we take some sensible steps to anticipate that happening and try to make sure that there is a coherent process for dealing with it." - 'Over the cliff' - May's approach to rebel MPs on Tuesday reflects her wider handling of the government, which is deeply divided on Brexit and only held together through careful compromises. But with crunch time approaching, tensions are rising, and during Tuesday's debate angry eurosceptics accused their rivals of trying to undermine the 2016 Brexit referendum. "The decision was taken by the people, we gave them that decision and we have to stand by it," said Conservative MP Bill Cash. His pro-European colleague Anna Soubry hit back at those seeking to "take us over the cliff of hard Brexit". She has previously spoken of the threats she faced for challenging the government, and revealed Tuesday that one colleague was too scared this week to vote as they wanted. In other votes Tuesday, the government successfully overturned an amendment seeking to remove the date of Brexit from the face of the bill. Further clashes were expected on Wednesday over how closely Britain stays aligned with the EU's economy after leaving. British Prime Minister Theresa May avoided a major blow to her Brexit strategy after lawmakers rejected a plan that would have given parliament a veto on the final deal negotiated with Brussels. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May had warned that defeat on the bill would weaken her hand in Brexit talksChina on Tuesday praised the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as historic and called for "full denuclearisation" to resolve tensions on the Korean peninsula. Beijing also suggested that the United Nations could consider easing sanctions if North Korea fulfils its obligations under resolutions that punished Pyongyang for its nuclear and missile tests. The fact that the two leaders "can sit together and have equal talks has important and positive meaning, and is creating a new history," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters. "The crux of the peninsula nuclear issue is a security issue. The most important, difficult part of this security issue is for the United States and North Korea to sit down to find a way to resolution via equal talks," Wang said. "Resolving the nuclear issue, on the one hand of course is denuclearisation, full denuclearisation. At the same time, there needs to be a peace mechanism for the peninsula, to resolve North Korea's reasonable security concerns." Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang called on the UN Security Council to "make efforts to support the current diplomatic dialogue, efforts to denuclearise the peninsula, and promoting the process of a political settlement of the Korean peninsula issue." Easing sanctions on Pyongyang, Geng implied, could be one area for the organisation to explore, noting that the "relevant resolutions" provided for the easing of the penalties "in accordance with the compliance of... (North Korea) and the development of the situation". Beijing is Pyongyang's sole major ally and main trading partner, but it has backed the UN sanctions. Despite tensions, the Cold War-era allies have sought to mend ties recently, and Kim borrowed an Air China plane to travel to the landmark summit in Singapore. China praised US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for "creating a new history"Dutch lawmakers Tuesday approved a treaty signed between the Netherlands and Ukraine to ease the possible prosecution of those responsible for downing flight MH17, including trying suspects through video link. Former Dutch justice minister Stef Blok signed the pact with Ukranian counterpart Pavlo Petrenko in July last year, three years after the Malaysia Airlines passenger jet was shot down over war-torn eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 on board. Approved Tuesday, the treaty sets in stone that the prosecution of suspects will take place in a Dutch court, most likely in The Hague. It also allows for a trial by video. Jail sentences would be served in Ukraine if convicted suspects cannot be extradited to the Netherlands. The treaty "is an important step towards finding the truth and putting the suspects on trial, thereby satisfying victim's relatives," Blok said at the time. The Netherlands and Australia last month directly blamed Russia. A Russian-made BUK missile slammed into the plane on a routine flight between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014. Although five countries -- Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine -- are probing the incident, the majority of victims on the flight were Dutch. The move came after international investigators concluded that the BUK came from a Russian military brigade based in southwestern Kursk. Moscow has vehemently denied any responsibility and has given a number of other theories pointing the finger at Kiev. The unveiling of the National Monument for the MH17 victims in Vijfhuizen, in 2017Macedonia and Greece on Tuesday resolved a nearly three-decade row by agreeing to call it the Republic of North Macedonia, as Skopje hailed a "historic solution" to a dispute which had blocked its bid to join the EU and NATO. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said the two sides agreed to the rename the former Yugoslav republic after months of intensive diplomacy. "There is an agreement. We have a historic solution after two and a half decades. Our agreement includes Republic of North Macedonia for overall use," Zaev told reporters in the capital Skopje. Greece has long objected to its northern neighbour being called Macedonia because it has its own northern province of the same name. In televised comments, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras declared the deal "a great diplomatic victory and a great historic opportunity" for the region to have "friendship, cooperation and co-development". Macedonia hopes that resolving the name dispute will help clear the way for it to join the European Union and NATO. But the deal still needs to be approved by the Macedonian parliament and pass a referendum there, as well as ratification in the Greek parliament. Tsipras insisted the Macedonian government needed to get parliamentary approval otherwise "NATO's invitation is canceled and negotiations with the EU will not move". European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted his support for the agreement: "Thanks to you the impossible is becoming possible." "I am keeping my fingers crossed," he said. - Hardliners critical - Greek officials earlier said the list of potential names included "New Macedonia" and "Upper Macedonia", but after months of discussions "North Macedonia" was chosen. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias had prepared a 20-page draft agreement after repeated talks with his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Dimitrov. Tsipras said that the agreement would specify that Macedonia's language is of Slavic origin. Both governments have faced criticism ahead of the compromise and on Tuesday Macedonia's President Gjorge Ivanov signalled his concern. "There is a need for a wider national consensus to find a solution that won't hurt the dignity of the Macedonian people and citizens," said Ivanov. He is close to the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party which was defeated by Zaev in elections last year. The party's leader Hristijan Mickoski said he would not support changes to the "constitutional name" of Macedonia. "The government signed a capitulation because of his (the prime minister's) incompetence to lead the negotiations and he accepted every request made by Greece," said Mickoski. This year there have been several protests against an agreement in Skopje, as well as in Athens and Greece's second city of Thessaloniki in the north. In Greece, Tsipras' conservative rival Kyriakos Mitsotakis also denounced the deal as a "bad agreement". "The acceptance of the Macedonian language and nationality is an unacceptable national retreat," he said. - 'No chance' - Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos, a hardline junior coalition partner in Tsipras's government, earlier dismissed talk of a deal, saying there was "no chance" Zaev could get it approved. Skopje hopes to secure a date to begin European Union accession talks at an EU summit in late June, and an invitation to join NATO in mid-July. "This historic agreement is testament to many years of patient diplomacy, and to the willingness of these two leaders to solve a dispute which has affected the region for too long," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement. "This will set Skopje on its path to NATO membership. And it will help to consolidate peace and stability across the wider Western Balkans," he added. The EU's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said the deal "contributes to the transformation of the entire region of southeast Europe". Athens has long objected to its neighbour's constitutional name -- the Republic of Macedonia -- because it fears it could imply territorial ambitions. Ancient Macedonia was the cradle of Alexander the Great's empire, a point of pride to Greeks today. But under the Romans, the province of Macedonia was expanded to include territory in modern-day Greece, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Albania. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said the deal would end the 27-year name dispute "It's about the name" reads graffiti on a wall in central Skopje referring to a bitter dispute with Greece over Macedonia's name Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced an accord that he hopes will end a long name row with MacedoniaDonald Trump's handshake with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on Tuesday marked a historic moment -- the first meeting ever between a sitting US president and the leader of North Korea. The US president's often-awkward handshakes with world leaders have sparked ridicule but many hope the one with Kim -- the culmination of months of dramatic diplomacy -- will lead to durable peace on the Korean peninsula. Here are some other handshakes that shook the world: - The Koreas: Kim-Moon (2018) - On April 27, 2018, as the world held its breath, Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in reached across the Military Demarcation Line that divides the two Koreas and shook hands, the result of a remarkable thaw on the peninsula sparked by the Winter Olympics earlier this year. Kim then stepped over the border for a summit with the South Korean president, making him the first leader from Pyongyang to set foot in the South since the Korean War ended in an armistice 65 years ago. The two leaders agreed to pursue permanent peace and the complete denuclearisation of the divided Korean peninsula. - US, Cuba: Obama-Castro (2013) - At a memorial service for Nelson Mandela on December 10, 2013, US President Barack Obama made headlines when he shook hands with Cuba's Raul Castro, the first such public greeting between leaders of the bitter neighbours after decades of enmity. Within months there was a rapid thaw. Full diplomatic relations were restored in July 2015, followed by once-unthinkable steps to mend ties. Obama visited Cuba in 2016 -- the first such trip by an American president in 88 years. Washington also relaxed its decades-long embargo on the communist-ruled island, and US airlines resumed direct flights to Havana in November 2016. - N. Ireland: Elizabeth II-McGuinness (2012) - In a landmark moment in the Northern Ireland peace process, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II met Martin McGuinness, a former top commander in the paramilitary Irish Republican Army during the many years of bloody hostilities with British forces. The IRA wanted an end to British rule in the province, and for it to be merged with the Republic of Ireland. McGuinness later became one of the figures that helped negotiate an end to the violence. Then a deputy first minister of Northern Ireland, McGuinness shook hands with the Queen during her June 27, 2012 visit to the province. It was a gesture towards reconciliation that would once have been unimaginable, with McGuinness' militant past and British security operations still a source of anger for many. - Israel, Palestinians: Arafat-Rabin (1993) - After months of secret negotiations in Norway, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat stood in the South Lawn of the White House on September 13, 1993 to witness the signing of the Oslo Accords. And then, in one of the most dramatic moments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with US president Bill Clinton's arms stretched around both leaders, Arafat and Rabin shook hands. The abortive process granted autonomy to the occupied Palestinian territories without creating a separate state. Rabin was assassinated two years later by a Jewish extremist opposed to the peace process, which faltered in the years that followed. - Egypt, Israel: Sadat-Begin (1977) - In what is widely considered a major turning point in the recent history of the Middle East, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat arrived in Israel on November 19, 1977 on a historic visit -- the first by an Arab head of state to the Jewish nation. Images of Sadat shaking hands with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin during the visit were transmitted around the world. The visit led to the first Arab-Israel peace treaty and the formal end to the state of war that had existed between the two countries for 30 years. Sadat paid for it with his life: he was assassinated by Islamists in 1981. Many hope Donald Trump's summit with Kim Jong Un will lead to durable peace on the Korean peninsula The Kim-Moon summit was the result of a remarkable thaw on the Korean peninsula, sparked by the Winter Olympics There was a rapid thaw in US-Cuba ties after Barack Obama and Raul Castro shook hands in 2013 The 2012 handshake between Queen Elizabeth II and former IRA commander Martin McGuinness was a gesture that was once unimaginable The Rabin-Arafat handshake capped months of secret talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's 1977 visit to Israel led to a formal end to the decades-long state of war between the two countriesInternational judges Tuesday ordered an interim conditional release of former Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba who was acquitted last week of war crimes after a decade behind bars. "Today... the International Criminal Court ordered the interim release under specific conditions for Mr Jean-Pierre Bemba," The Hague-based tribunal said in a statement. "Taking into account all relevant factors and the circumstances of the case as a whole, the Trial Chamber considers that the legal requirements for continued detention are not met," the court said. The heavy-set Congolese politician was acquitted on appeal Friday by the ICC, which said he could not be held criminally liable for crimes committed by his troops in the Central African Republic in 2002-2003. The surprise decision came after Bemba, 55, had been sentenced unanimously to 18 years in 2016 by ICC trial judges after a decade behind bars following his arrest in Belgium. Bemba's interim release relates to a separate case in which he was handed one-year jail sentence and fined 300,000 euros ($350,000) in 2017 for bribing witnesses during his main war crimes trial. He lost an appeal against that sentence and the ICC is yet to decide on a new jail term, which carries a maximum of five years. Sentencing is due on July 4. Bemba's lawyer Peter Haynes said his client planned to return to Brussels to be united with his wife and five children. But the ICC's judges allowed the former rebel commander-turned-politician to leave the court's detention unit at a Dutch prison in The Hague only if he adhered to strict requirements. These included "surrendering himself immediately to relevant authorities" if asked by the court, refraining from making public statements on the case, not changing his address without prior notice and not contacting any witnesses. The ICC's judges added the Congolese politician retroactively served "80 percent of the maximum possible sentence" therefore it was "disproportionate to further detain Mr Bemba merely to ensure his appearance for sentencing." - 'Miniature Mobutu' - The 18-year sentence in Bemba's main case was the longest ever to be handed down by The Hague-based court. Then, judges found Bemba -- nicknamed "Miniature Mobutu" -- guilty on five counts of warcrimes and crimes against humanity committed by his private army during a five-month rampage in the neighbouring CAR. Bemba had sent his militia, the Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC) -- a rebel force that he later transformed into a political organisation -- into the DRCongo's northern neighbour in October 2002 to quash a coup against then president Ange-Felix Patasse. The trial was the first before the ICC to focus on sexual violence as a weapon of war. It was also the first to determine whether a military commander bore responsibility for the conduct of troops under his control. Bemba's lawyers argued their client should be provisionally freed as he was not a flight risk. - Political ambitions - Lawyer Haynes said his client was bound to travel to the Belgian capital "within the next 24 hours but it wouldn't be a case of him walking straight out the detention unit into a taxi and being in Brussels in a couple of hours". MLC national secretary Jean-Jacques Mbungani told AFP that Bemba "is in the coming hours expected in Rhode-Saint-Genese, a Brussels suburb, with his family." "He will not make a public statement before July 4," the date of Bemba's sentencing, Mbungani added. It was not yet known if the former Congolese leader planned to return to the vast central African country following his release. His acquittal came amid mounting tensions in the run-up to scheduled presidential elections on December 23 in the DRC. Bemba had unsuccessfully opposed President Joseph Kabila in elections in 2006. After his militia clashed violently with government forces in 2007, he was forced out of the DRC but retains a groundswell of support. Asked whether Bemba had future political plans, Haynes said: "He's never given up on his political ambitions." "His attitude to his current (situation) is very much to take it one step at a time." Lawyers for former Congolese vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba will call for his release Tuesday after he was acquitted of war crimes at the ICC in The HagueIsraeli police began evicting settlers from homes in a West Bank outpost on Tuesday ahead of a court deadline to leave structures partially built on Palestinian land, an AFP correspondent reported. Young boys in tears were followed by a young woman holding a baby, as they were escorted out of their home in the Netiv Haavot neighbourhood of Elazar settlement, south of Jerusalem. They left without any resort to physical contact by the unarmed police. In February, Israel's Supreme Court gave the settlers until June 15 to vacate 15 homes found to have been built partly on private Palestinian land. An estimated 2,000 people, most of them young activists, had travelled to the outpost to support the settlers and protest against their eviction. Large Israeli flags were flying on some of the rooftops, as well as signs pledging to return to the site. After morning prayers, men sang and danced in a show of faith outside the homes to be razed. Police entered house after house, escorting residents and supporters or in some cases carrying them out without objection. By the early afternoon, only one house remain occupied, with dozens of youths standing on its roof, as police assessed how to tackle the potentially volatile situation. - 'Peaceful protest' - Resident Aviad Amitai said that Tuesday marked the start of a three-day process, with police clearing people from the houses subject to the court order before demolishing them. "We have a peaceful protest, we are law-abiding people, we are not going to show any violence here," Amitai told AFP. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that while residents did not want the event to be violent, "we've seen in previous evacuations police officers being injured as a result of stones or violent incidents." He said that to keep away those intent on violence, police had set up roadblocks and denied access to 10 people. Police deployed 500 officers to secure the location and "continue to evacuate the area, step by step". Rosenfeld said the eviction of the 15 families was expected to take "at least several hours, probably the whole day." Hananel Dorni, chairman of settler group the Yesha council, said the court's decision to demolish the homes was "unwarranted". Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel, himself a settler, said the discussions leading up to the court's decision were like those in Sodom and Gomorrah, ancient cities that according to the Bible were demolished by God for their sinfulness. Ariel tweeted from Netiv Haavot that he would "not relent" before settling "all of the land of Israel." The right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu draws support from the settlement movement and has settlers in top cabinet posts. It has approved a plan to build 350 homes at new plots in Netiv Haavot. The plan also reportedly includes some 60 million shekels ($17 million, 14 million euros) in compensation for the settlers leaving the homes to be demolished and provision for temporary housing for them until construction is complete. All Israeli settlements are viewed as illegal under international law, but Israel differentiates between those it has approved and those it has not. Peace Now, an Israeli NGO, said the Palestinian owners of the land to be vacated have been seeking to have their property restored since the settlers arrived there in 2001. Israel occupied the West Bank in the Six-Day War of 1967. Settlements there are seen as major stumbling blocks to a peace deal since they are built on land the Palestinian wants for their future state. An Israeli police officer scuffles with activists as colleagues begin evicting 15 families from the Netiv Haavot settlement outpost in the occupied West Bank on June 12, 2018 in accordance with a Supreme Court order Israeli activists scuffle with police at the Netiv Haavot settlement outpost in the occupied West Bank on June 12, 2018 in protest at the eviction of 15 families in accordance with a Supreme Court orderNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly brought a rather personal item with him to Singapore for the summit, to thwart any would-be spies.

Kim, who is in Singapore for an historic meeting with Donald Trump, brought his own toilet to stop sewer divers from analysing his waste, South Korean media outlet Chosun reported.

Former North Korean guard Lee Yun Keol said the extreme measure was to stop foreigners from discovering sensitive information about the leaders health.

Kim Jong-un arrived at Changi Airport in Singapore on one of three planes sent from Pyongyang. Source: Getty

Rather than using a public toilet, the leader of North Korea has a personal toilet that follows him around when he travels, he told the Washington Post.

The leaders excretions contain information about his health status so they cant be left behind.

The heightened security measures were also applied to Kims arrival into Singapore, with three planes arriving from Pyongyang on Sunday in an elaborate decoy set up.

One of the planes reportedly carried Kims bullet-proof stretch limousine, along with food for the trip and the prized Portaloo.

Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump shake hands at the historic summit at the Capella Hotel in Singapore. Source: 7 News

The portable toilet first featured at the inter-Korean summit with Moon Jae-in, South Koreas president, in April.

The historic summit on Singapores Sentosa Island is the first meeting between the two leaders following decades of hostility and threat of nuclear confrontation between the two nations.Kim Jong-un is staying in one of Singapores most luxurious hotels throughout his historic summit with Donald Trump, and its a far cry from whats considered one of North Koreas most extravagant stays.

The North Korean leader checked into the St Regis Singapore on Sunday, escorted by about 20 guards, CNN reports. Its believed hes staying in the Presidential Suite.

Outside the St Regis Hotel in Singapore where Kim Jong-un is reported to be staying. Source: Getty Images

The hotels website describes the suite as the most lavish suite in the hotel and the epitome of seductive luxury and bespoke comfort.

It features a private balcony, jacuzzi and gym. It also has its own living and dining rooms and each room is lined with gold, and accented with precious metals like brass, onyx, and silver.

Its a pricey stay too with one night in the suite priced at about A$9000 (GBP 5100).

Inside the St Regis Hotels Presidential Suite in Singapore. Source: St Regis Singapore

But the St Regis Presidential Suite is a stark contrast to whats considered to be one of North Koreas best hotels.

The Ryanggang Hotel in Pyongyang was built by Mr Kim to impress tourists, The Telegraph reports.

The suite is described as the most lavish in the hotel. Source: St Regis Singapore

The hotel is described as first-class with 11 storeys and 330 rooms, according to KTG DPRK Tours and Informations website. Rooms are relatively spacious but have Korean style beds, which feature very thin mattresses, foreigners might not be used to.

The Ryanggang also has a rotating restaurant on the top floor.

One of the Ryanggang Hotels rooms in North Korea. Source: Trip Advisor/ uspn

However, reviews of the hotel on TripAdvisor show many travellers have been less than impressed with their stay. One user, from the UK, gave it one star and described it as an awful hotel that has a rat problem.

Another said the hotel is as bad as it gets and also gave it one star.

One user was a little more forgiving and gave it two stars but complained about the hot water system and heating issues.

When we arrived, we were told hot water will be available from 9pm to 11pm, he wrote.

Story continues

Later we will find out that it was a lie, there was no hot water on that day at all. It was also very cold, as heating seemed to be non-existent. We all had to walk around with coats on, and there seemed to be no radiators anywhere in the building at all!

Some visitors complained the hotel had heating and lighting issues. Source: Trip Advisor/ MWYR

Another simply said the hotel reminds visitors of what a horror North Korea is adding its dirty, cold and hideous and so awful.

Other complaints included that the rotating restaurant doesnt rotate, rooms had frequent power outages and a dislike of its Soviet style architecture.

It has an average of two and a half stars on Trip Advisor.Hundreds of migrants stranded on board the Aquarius rescue vessel in the Mediterranean will be transferred to Italian ships and taken to Spain, French charity SOS Mediterranee said Tuesday. The 629 migrants, including pregnant women and scores of children, were saved by SOS Mediterranee on Saturday. The Aquarius rescue vessel was however caught in a dramatic standoff over the weekend that saw Italy and Malta refuse to allow it to dock. "Supplies will be received shortly from an Italian vessel onto #Aquarius. Plan from MRCC (the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) Rome is that rescued people will later be transferred on Italian ships before heading together to" the eastern Spanish port of Valencia, the charity said on Twitter. The development comes a day after the new Spanish government headed by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez offered to allow the Aquarius to dock in Valencia, insisting it was an "obligation" to do so. The refusal to accept the Aquarius in Italy was the first major anti-migrant move since far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini took office this month. Authorities on the French island of Corsica also offered to host the migrants, the morning after SOS Mediterranee raised fears that the Aquarius would not be able to reach Spain safely due to deteriorating weather conditions. Aid workers had also warned that food and drink supplied by the Maltese navy to the migrants would only last until Tuesday. A total of 629 people, including pregnant women and scores of children, were saved by SOS MediterraneanHundreds of migrants stranded for days on an aid ship in the Mediterranean because Italy and Malta refused to take them headed Tuesday for Spain after being transferred to two other vessels. Rescuers warned of deteriorating weather conditions facing the 629 people -- including pregnant women and scores of children -- who have been crammed on the Aquarius vessel since being plucked from the sea off the Libyan coast at the weekend. With food and drink running short, their plight could last another three or four more days before they are finally able to land in the Spanish port of Valencia, according to the French charity SOS Mediterranee which operates the ship. "#Aquarius has set sail to #Valencia at 21h00 as have the #Dattilo and #Orione, all three ships carrying the 630 people rescued 72 hours ago," SOS Mediterrannee tweeted late Tuesday, referring to two other official Italian vessels involved in the operation that will see them cover 1,500 kilometres. Spain stepped in to help after Italy -- which has been on the front line of the migration crisis in Europe -- and Malta refused to allow the Aquarius to land despite strong pressure from the international community. Italy's stance has triggered a war of words with its European allies, with France in particular accusing it of being "irresponsible". - 'Obligation to avoid catastrophe' - Doctors from another French charity, MSF (Doctors without Borders), are helping treat the migrants, who include seven pregnant women, 11 young children and 123 unaccompanied minors. Many of them are from Africa. Spain's new Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had offered the boat safe harbour, saying there was a moral "obligation to help to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe". Anelise Borges, a Euronews correspondent on the Aquarius, told AFP that weather forecasts were predicting waves as high as two metres (seven feet). "Even if the conditions are OK, and we go only with 100 people aboard it could take three, three-and-a-half days to get to Spain," Borges added. That would mean the migrants will have been at sea for almost a week by the time they arrive in Valencia. Borges said they had been at sea for 20-30 hours before being rescued, and nerves were fraught. "Yesterday they told the people on board that there could be a possibility that we would not be going to Italy but that we didn't know yet where we were going to go and obviously people got terrified," she said. "A man threatened to throw himself off the boat, saying he didn?t want to go back to Libya, for some people the prospect of going back was really really scary." - 'A European issue' - Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he would go to Libya -- the launchpad for many migrants and refugees fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East -- by the end of the month. "This situation needs to be resolved on the African continent," said Salvini, whose new populist government has vowed a tougher stance on immigration. He wants to cut the number of arrivals to Italy -- something already achieved by his predecessor thanks to a deal struck with Libyan authorities -- while accelerating the expulsion of "illegals". Salvini has repeatedly accused charities of working with human traffickers but said Italy would not stop rescuing migrant boats itself. "We have put a stop to the NGOs. The coastguard and navy can continue to save lives, but other countries need to keep giving us a hand." He noted that an Italian coastguard ship was expected to dock in Sicily in the coming hours carrying some 937 migrants, also rescued off Libya. SOS Mediterranee insisted it would continue its rescue activities once the Aquarius had returned from Spain. - 'Political weapon' - French President Emmanuel Macron blasted Italy for its "irresponsibility" over its handling of the crisis. Ximo Puig, president of the Valencia region, also had strong words for Rome. "Turning this into a political weapon is despicable... it is clear that Europe must act more wisely, but we cannot let these people die at sea." But Italy retorted that it refused to accept "hypocrital lessons" from France, according to a government statement quoted by the media. The International Organisation for Migration's director general William Lacy Swing hailed Spain's offer. But he warned: "I fear a major tragedy if states start refusing to accept rescued migrants as was threatened." Under EU rules, migrants must apply for asylum in the European country where they first arrive. That has put pressure on Italy and Greece, the entry points for the hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and poverty at home to seek a new life in Europe. EU leaders in December set an end-June deadline for an overhaul of rules to create a permanent mechanism to deal with migrants. The migrants in limbo off Italy were rescued by the Aquarius charity vessel from the sea off the coast of Libya Conditions aboard the Aquarius charity boat are cramped Food and drink onboard the Aquarius are in short supply Map locating the ship Aquarius which rescued 629 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea between Malta and Italy.Norway will ask the United States to double the number of US troops stationed in the country and deploy them nearer the border with Russia, the government said Tuesday. The announcement came after nine nations along NATO's eastern flank called Friday for the alliance to bolster its presence in their region. Since last year, 330 US Marines have been deployed on rotation at Vaernes in the centre of Norway, despite loud protests from Russia. Oslo said it wants to boost the troop numbers to 700 and station them further north at Setermoen, 420 kilometres (260 miles) from Russia. The US deployment agreement would also be extended from the current six-month renewable periods to five years. "The defence of Norway depends on the support of our NATO allies, as is the case in most other NATO countries," said Defence Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen in a statement. "For this support to work in times of crises and war, we are are totally dependent on joint training and exercises in times of peace," he added. Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia had Friday called for NATO to discuss an increased military presence in their region at next month's leaders' summit in Brussels. The group said it was necessary to supplement NATO's current ground forces "with aerial and naval components" NATO beefed up defences in central and eastern Europe in response to growing fears about Russia, following Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014. The Russian embassy in Oslo could not be contacted Tuesday for comment, but last year it criticised repeatedly the deployment of US forces in Norway. Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide said that if the new deployment went ahead "there will still be a respectful distance with the Russian border". "But we can't see any serious reason why Russia should react, even if we expect it will again this time since it always does about the allied exercises and training." To ease Moscow's concerns, before becoming a founder member of NATO in 1949, Oslo gave a commitment not to station foreign troops on its soil unless it was under threat of attack. The government says it still follows that commitment noting that the troop presence is not permanent but rotational. The Norwegian border crossing station at Storskog on November 11, 2015 near the town of Kirkenes. Oslo wants the United States to double the number of US troops stationed in the country and deploy them nearer the border with RussiaA threatening message scrawled in a plane toilet has forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing.

The United Airlines Boeing 767-300 flight from Rome to Chicago was diverted on Monday to Shannon Airport in Ireland after the discovery of the note, which reportedly referred to a bomb.

The plane had 214 passengers and crew onboard at the time, and the Irish Times reported police were taking handwriting samples from everybody in an attempt to match it up to the note.

United Airlines Boeing 767-322 #UA971 flight from Rome to Chicago was diverted to Shannon Airport in Ireland on Monday after a hand writing message referred to a bomb on the plane was discovered on board pic.twitter.com/VmmuUCpxDV  Manu Gomez (@GDarkconrad) June 11, 2018

Investigators also conducted a security screening of all hand luggage in the cabin.

The Irish Times reported passengers disembarked about 40 minutes after landing at 1.42pm local time, and were taken to a screening area within the airport.

Passengers were escorted to hotels for the night.

United Airlines said in a statement the landing was due to a potential security concern, but declined to comment further.

After assessing the situation, our crew made the decision to divert to the nearest available airport, it said.

Additional security screenings will be performed on all customers and baggage.

A United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Ireland. Source: Getty Images

The airline said on Twitter that the flight was cancelled and would depart for Chicago on Tuesday.

The US government is aware of the incident and is seeking to establish whether there was any violent intent behind the threat, a US government source familiar with the investigation told Reuters.

A second US government source said similar incidents involving threatening notes found on airplanes happened about once a week.

Story continues

The handwriting on the note was being analysed to see if it matched with any other such notes, which are periodically found on planes, one of the sources said.

It was not clear whether the note was posted in the bathroom prior to take-off or during the flight.The Vatican's top abuse investigator arrived in Chile on Tuesday, a day after Pope Francis accepted the resignation of three bishops from the scandal-wracked Chilean Church. Maltese archbishop Charles Scicluna and fellow papal envoy Jordi Bertomeu will take witness statements from victims of sexual abuse within the Church and provide instruction to Chilean dioceses to respond adequately to any new complaints. "We have come to ask forgiveness" from the victims on behalf of Pope Francis, said Bertomeu as they arrived in Santiago. The two investigators will meet Wednesday with Canon law experts from Chilean dioceses who will provide "technical and legal assistance" in order to "provide adequate responses to each case of child sexual abuse committed by clerics or religious," Scicluna told reporters. The two officials are due to travel to Osorno, the Catholic diocese led by Juan Barros, one of three bishops whose resignation Francis accepted following a child sex abuse scandal that has come to haunt his papacy. Scicluna told reporters that the visit to Barros's diocese of Osorno aimed to "express the particular closeness of the pope to the diocese of Osorno and his beloved people." The entire Chilean delegation of bishops that was called to a meeting with the pope in the Vatican last month resigned. But so far, the pope has accepted only three resignations. The Vatican named the other two bishops as Cristian Caro Cordero and Gonzalo Duarte Garcia de Cortazar. Both are 75, the age when bishops normally retire. When asked if others were to follow, Bertomeu said the matter rested in the pope's hands. Several members of the Church hierarchy, including Barros, are accused by victims of ignoring and covering up years of child abuse by Chilean pedophile priest Fernando Karadima during the 1980s and 1990s. Francis appointed 61-year-old Barros as bishop of Osorno in 2015, when victims' allegations against him were already widely known. And the pontiff himself became mired in the scandal when, during a trip to Chile in January, he defended Barros, who was accused of covering up Karadima's wrongdoing. Karadima was suspended for life by the Vatican over the allegations of child molestation. Scicluna and Bertomeu visited Chile in February to investigate the allegations and meet with victims. Their report to Rome noted the existence of a "culture of abuse" within the Chilean Church. In a letter to Chileans released at the end of last month, the pontiff voiced "shame" that the Catholic Church failed "to listen and react in time" to the allegations of sexual abuse by Chilean clergy. He has since received two groups of Karadima's victims at the Vatican. The second group comprises five Chilean priests who met Francis at the start of June. Since 2000, about 80 Catholic priests have been reported to authorities in Chile for alleged sexual abuse. The archbishop of Malta, Charles Scicluna, has traveled to Santiago on behalf of Pope Francis to ask forgiveness of victims of child sex abuse by Roman Catholic priestsIf youre wondering why letters from some of Australias biggest brands and tourist landmarks are vanishing, dont worry they havent been vandalised  but there is a bloody good reason for their disappearance.

Sydney Opera House, Adelaide Oval and Luna Park are some of the major landmarks around Australia that at first glance look to have fallen victim to vandals or an electrical fault, but the real reason is far less sinister.

The letters A, B and O, are all used to identify blood types that have vanished from the landmarks in support of International Missing Type Day  a global campaign that aims to raise awareness about the need for more blood donors.

In addition to the landmarks, business including, NAB, Nandos, 13 Cabs, Cancer Council and the RAA have also blacked, hidden or removed the letters and will continue to do so for a large portion of the week.

Luna Park has turned off their A lights. Source: Supplied

Sydney Opera Houses welcome sign looks a little different to usual. Source: Supplied

Sydneys NAB building have also turned off their lights. Source: Supplied

Nandos have jumped on board the campaign. Source: Supplied

The Red Cross Blood Services Missing Type campaign aims to recruit 100,000 new donors over the next 12 months, with 4,000 of those donors needed over the coming fortnight to help address a winter slump in donor numbers.

A Red Cross spokesperson told Yahoo7 News there was an emphasis on the A, B, O and A-B bloody types, but said donations of all types was important.

Blood Service Chief Executive Shelly Park said demand for donated blood was ongoing  and therefore the need for new donors, too.

We simply couldnt supply the life-giving blood that we do if it wasnt for the efforts of our amazing donors, Ms Park said.

Through this campaign, it would be wonderful to see more Australians become blood donors, particularly throughout this challenging winter season.

At some stage, nearly every Australian will be touched by their, or a familys members, need for donated blood. So please, dont wait: become a donor today.

Head to Donate Blood to book an appointment or find out how you can help.As Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un make history with their highly-anticipated Singapore summit, people around the world were bombarding the internet trying to find more about the reclusive North Korean leader.

As a reality-TV-star-turned-president, there has never been a shortage of media coverage when it comes to Trump and his extremely colourful past, but the same cant be said for the dictator he is trying to find common ground with.

Given the extreme regulations North Koreas media are subjected to, very little personal information about the supreme leader is shared with the public  making them want it just that much more.

Here are the questions the Internet wants answered about Kim Jong-un.

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (Kevin Lim/The Straits Times via AP)

How old is he?

According to some reports, Kim was born on January 8, 1982, however the US government officially lists Kims birthday as January 8, 1984, making him 33 years old.

That makes the North Korean leader less than half the age of US President Donald Trump, who turns 72 on Thursday.

How tall is Kim Jong-un?

The North Korean leaders official height is 57, but at a recent meeting with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in, who stands at 56, he appeared to be a couple of inches shorter.

Kim Jong-un is believed to be around 55 and Donald Trump stands nearly a foot taller at 63.

At the historic summit, some eagle-eyed viewers claimed Kim was wearing shoes with special height-adding insoles.

Kim Jong-un is believed to be around 55 and Donald Trump stands nearly a foot taller at 63. Photo: AP

Can Kim Jong-un speak English?

Kim Jong Uns former high school teacher said the North Korean leader probably does know how to speak English, but pretends he doesnt.

Michel Riesen told the NBCs Today Show Kim was a good student and claims he attended an English-language international school in Switzerland.

During the summit, the leaders communicated with the help of translators. Experts have suggested Kim uses the translators to have more time to respond.

Who is Kim Jong-uns wife?

Kim Jong Un is married to Ri Sol Ju, making her North Koreas first lady.

Story continues

She has recently made regular appearances at her husbands side, including at a banquet in April when he met with with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Ri is believed to be late 20s, or early 30s, and the couple have three children together, according to South Koreas National Intelligence Service (NIS).

Kim Jong Un is married to Ri Sol Ju, making her North Koreas first lady. Photo: AP

Who was Kim Jong-uns grandfather?

Kim Jong-uns grandfather Kim Il-sung was the founder of the Peoples Republic of North Korea at the end of Japans control.

He married twice and had five children, including Kims father.

Upon his death in 1994, Il-sung was succeeded by his son Kim Jong-il and then by Kim Jong-un in 2011.

What is Kim Jong-uns net worth?

Based on statistics from spending reports, Kim Jong-uns net worth is believed to be around A$9-13 billion (GBP 5-7 billion).

What does Kim Jong-uns surname mean?

The Jong in Kim Jong-uns name is the same as his fathers and the Un is believed to mean favour or grateful.

The leaders name is a continuation of not only his fathers legacy, but also his grandfathers, Kim Il-sung, according to local media.Taliban fighters killed a governor and took control of his district as clashes broke out across Afghanistan despite the start of a government ceasefire, officials said Tuesday. There was intense fighting between Afghan security forces and Taliban gunmen in the northern provinces of Faryab and Sari Pul, with officials reporting an unspecified number of casualties on both sides. The governor of Kohistan district in Faryab was killed along with eight others in an ambush overnight, provincial governor spokesman Jawed Bidar told AFP, blaming the Taliban. He said the militants had seized control of the district, a development confirmed by provincial police chief Nabi Jan Mullah Khail. The Taliban claimed the Faryab attack as well as one in Sayad district of neighbouring Sari Pul, where provincial governor's spokesman Zabiullah Amani said fighting was still under way. "Last night large numbers of Taliban attacked several villages... the fighting continues and both sides have casualties," Amani told AFP. "We have asked for more reinforcements." A suicide bomber driving a Humvee and gunmen attacked a district government building in the southeastern province of Ghazni overnight. They killed five police officers and wounded 26 other people including the district governor, said provincial governor spokesman Arif Noori. Noori blamed the Taliban for the attack, although no group has so far claimed responsibility. The government's ceasefire offer went into effect Tuesday morning, said interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish. "We have ordered our forces to defend with all their power if they are attacked by an enemy that has no respect for anything." - Taliban's Eid message - The attacks come as Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada issued a message for Eid, the holiday that ends the holy month of Ramadan and starts later this week. He reiterated the group's demand for direct talks with the United States to end the war. Washington has previously rejected such calls. Akhundzada also warned Afghanistan's top clerics, who recently proclaimed suicide attacks a sin, that they were being used by the US and its allies "for their vested interests". The message coincided with a visit to Kabul by Pakistan's powerful army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. He planned to meet President Ashraf Ghani, said Pakistan's military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor. Pakistan has long been accused of supporting the Taliban and providing safe haven to its leaders, charges it denies. Ghani last Thursday announced police and troops would halt hostilities with the Taliban for eight days, from June 12-19 -- though he warned that operations against other insurgents, including the Islamic State group, would continue. The Taliban said Saturday their fighters would stop attacking Afghan security forces but only for the first three days of Eid. They said they would continue assaults on US-led NATO troops. Analysts had expressed cautious optimism that the ceasefire offers could help build trust between the government and the Taliban and lay the groundwork for peace talks. But with myriad armed groups in Afghanistan, there are still fears that IS could continue to carry out attacks -- or even be helped by the Haqqani network, a brutal arm of the Taliban that is suspected of partnering with IS on attacks in Kabul in the past. strs-emh-us-amj/st/sm The Afghan authorities have accused the Taliban of defying the start of a government ceasefire with themPentagon officials were surprised Tuesday after President Donald Trump vowed at his summit with the North's leader Kim Jong Un to cancel "provocative" joint military drills with South Korea. Following the unprecedented meeting in Singapore, Trump stunned observers when he said continuing the exercises routinely held between the US and South Korea would be "inappropriate" while Washington fleshes out a comprehensive deal with Pyongyang. "We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should," Trump said. "Plus, I think it's very provocative," he noted, adding that "at some point" he wanted to withdraw US troops from the South. Hours after Trump's declaration, the Pentagon on Tuesday afternoon insisted that US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had not been blindsided by Trump. "He was not surprised, he was consulted," Mattis's spokeswoman Dana White told reporters. "Conversations have been robust, there were no surprises." In a statement, White later said the Pentagon "welcomes the positive news coming out of the summit and fully supports the ongoing, diplomatically led efforts with" North Korea. But US officials told AFP they were taken aback by the news, and Pentagon personnel spent the morning in meetings discussing what could amount to an epic shift in the US military's posture in South Korea. The drills, which date back decades, are an integral component of the Pentagon's boast that its troops are always ready to "fight tonight" on the Korean peninsula. The exercises allow US and South Korean forces to practice mobilizing soldiers in the event of conflict, and to run computer simulations to improve coordination between the two militaries. US Forces Korea (USFK), which comprises about 28,500 troops permanently based in South Korea, received no fresh guidance on upcoming joint training exercises, including so-called Ulchi Freedom Guardian scheduled for later this year. Colonel Rob Manning, another spokesman, said: "We are going to be aligned with the president," while noting that the readiness of US forces would remain "paramount." - 'Troubling' concession - Trump said he wanted to remove the US military presence from South Korea, though he provided no timeline. "I want to bring our soldiers back home," he said. "That's not part of the equation right now. At some point, I hope it will be, but not right now." Mattis has repeatedly stressed that any reduction in troops would be a decision that only Washington and Seoul could address. Only hours before the summit, Mattis told Pentagon reporters that, as far as he knew, the issue of US troops in South Korea would not be part of any discussion in Singapore. Stephen Pomper, US program director at the Crisis Group, said Trump had sown confusion by announcing the end of drills without first checking with the South Koreans. "Creating friction with a key ally with an issue like that may have been a mistake, frankly," he told AFP. And what "exactly was the president committing to?" he added. "Was he committing to end all military exercises or was he committing to end just the most provocative ones?" Exercises with South Korea cover a range of eventualities, including drills with nuclear capable bombers. Republican Senator Marco Rubio said he was "uncomfortable" with the suspension of military drills, especially "if this becomes permanent in exchange for nothing." But Daniel Davis, a retired army lieutenant colonel and fellow at the Defense Priorities military think tank, said suspending the drills would have no short term impact on US and South Korean military readiness. "The US armed forces will in no way stop individual and collective training, the South Korean military will continue to train and prepare as they always have," he told AFP, adding that institutional knowledge from years of drills would be retained. Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, said it was "troubling" that Trump had agreed to suspend joint drills without making any reference to North Korea dialing back its conventional military threat. "The Singapore summit statement is essentially aspirational: no definitions of denuclearization, no timelines, no details as to verification," Haass said on Twitter. "What is most troubling about all this is that the US gave up something tangible, namely, US-RoK military exercises, in exchange," he added, using the abbreviation for South Korea's official name. Still, he credited the summit for starting a diplomatic process between North Korea and the United States. South Korean Marines storm a beach in the southeastern port of Pohang during joint drills with the US military last yearThe United States on Tuesday unveiled a new $255 million de facto embassy in Taiwan in what was hailed as a "milestone" in relations, drawing the ire of China which considers the self-ruled island as part of its territory. Donald Trump's administration is moving to strengthen ties with Taiwan in the face of China's diplomatic moves and military threats. In March, after Trump approved new rules allowing top US officials to travel to the island, Beijing called on Washington to "correct its mistake". But the US sent an assistant secretary of state for the unveiling. Beijing said it lodged an official diplomatic protest with Washington. The US switched diplomatic recognition to China in 1979 but maintains close economic, political and security ties with Taiwan. It manages its relations through the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Marie Royce, assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs, attended the dedication ceremony with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen. "AIT's new home is both a tangible symbol that reflects the strength of our ties and a state-of-the-art facility that will make possible even greater cooperation for years to come," said Royce, the wife of pro-Taiwan congressman and House foreign affairs committee chairman Ed Royce. AIT chairman James Moriarty called the new complex a "milestone" in the US-Taiwan relationship and a "testament to the strong US commitment to Taiwan". Tsai hailed the complex as a new chapter in the "great story of US-Taiwan relations". Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Beijing was "gravely concerned" and launched "solemn representations" with Washington -- diplomatic speak for an official protest. "If any US official attends this activity, whatever their excuse may be, it violates the one China principle," Geng told a regular press briefing. "We urge the US to honour its words on the Taiwan issue and redress it's wrongdoings so as to avoid doing harm to China-US ties and peace and stability in cross-straits relations." China and Taiwan have been ruled separately since 1949 but Beijing views the island as a renegade province awaiting reunification, by force if necessary. It bars Taiwan from membership in the United Nations and many other international organisations and has been luring away the island's remaining diplomatic allies. Since Tsai came to power two years ago, Beijing has cut contact with her government because Taipei refuses to acknowledge that Taiwan is part of "one China". Beijing officials have described intensified Chinese military drills near the island as a warning against any moves to assert its sovereignty. While Taiwan's relationship with the US is essential to its security, it must also guard against provoking China, its biggest military threat but also the dominant market for the island's export-driven economy. The new de facto US embassy in Taipei reaffirms Washington's commitment to Taiwan as China steps up diplomatic and military pressure on the self-ruled island China bars Taiwan from membership in the United Nations and many other international organisations and has been luring away the island's remaining diplomatic alliesRussian President Vladimir Putin discussed during a visit to Austria this week the possibility of Vienna playing host to a summit with his US counterpart Donald Trump, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Saturday. "It was mentioned that Vienna could be such a city" Peskov was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti state news agency after being asked if Putin discussed whether the city could hold such a meeting when he met with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Tuesday. Peskov's comments come a day after Trump called for Russia to be readmitted to the group of the world's leading nations, known as the G7, a step that would end Russia's international isolation over its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Speaking from China where Putin was attending a regional security summit, Peskov said that in their last telephone conversation on March 20 the Russian and US leaders had also mentioned possibly meeting in Vienna. "You know, the two presidents discussed the necessity of holding such a meeting in their last telephone call. Including that Vienna could be such a city" for the summit, said Peskov. He added, however, that no concrete agreements have been reached and no concrete discussions were underway. Under the conservative Kurz, Austria has strived to act as a mediator between Russia and the West. While the EU-state imposed sanctions on Russia over Crimea along with the rest of the bloc, Austria did not expel Russian diplomats like other Western nations following the March poisoning of a Russian former double agent and his daughter in Britain, an attack London has accused Moscow of being behind. "We have continued our cooperation even during difficult times," Kurz said after his talks with Putin on Tuesday. Putin said in a Russian television interview that a meeting with Trump would be "useful." "Dialogue may prove to be constructive," he said in the interview, the full version of which was released on Saturday. He added that Russia was ready to "develop, deepen and normalise ties with the United States," noting that the next move was for Washington to make. Putin indicated that he did not like "a lot" of the US authorities' decisions but praised Trump for his consistency. "Trump fulfils his pre-election promises," he said. There has been discussion about holding a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump in ViennaPicture use

Unless otherwise stated all photos on this site are copyrighted  Jim Budd. They should not be used without authorisation and due credit. Please contact me on budmac@btinternet.com for all use. There will usually be a charge for use in commercial publications  papers, magazines, websites etc. and for other commercial uses. Photos that are used for commercial use without permission will be charged double  the fee for the use of photo and for breach of copyright. Commercial organisations asking to use photos for no payment may not always receive a polite response.A 32-year-old woman from Williamstown has been charged after allegedly assaulting a schoolgirl at a train station in Melbourne last month.

The 17-year-old girl was on her way home from school about 2pm on Tuesday, May 1, when the woman allegedly approached her from behind at Newport station and sexually assaulted her as she walked down the ramp to the exit.

A 32-year-old Williamstown woman has been arrested after an alleged sexual assault on a 17-year-old girl. Source: Victoria Police

The 32-year-old woman presented herself to a police station on Tuesday afternoon.

She has been charged with sexual assault and bailed to appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court on 17 August.Dana Balter touts her pro-choice views while questioning her Democratic primary foe's in a new TV ad released by her campaign Tuesday.

The ad, which is airing on broadcast stations in the district, accuses Juanita Perez Williams of opposing abortion and highlights her participation in the March for Life in 2016.

The March for Life is a major anti-abortion rally held annually in Washington.

Balter has said she is pro-choice and if elected to Congress she would oppose efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and other reproductive health care services.

"Voters deserve to know that there are clear policy differences between the candidates," Balter, D-Syracuse, said in a statement. "We're all tired of politicians telling us one thing and doing something else. A 'pro-life' activist claiming she's pro-choice is something voters deserve to know about."

Perez Williams' stance on abortion has been an issue in the campaign since The Intercept, an online news outlet, published a story in late April. The article focused on Facebook posts written by Perez Williams that mention her "pro life advocacy" and participation in the March for Life.

The story also notes that she was endorsed by EMILY's List in the 2017 race for Syracuse mayor. EMILY's List supports pro-choice Democratic women in federal, state and local races.

In a recent interview with The Citizen, Perez Williams said she is "100 percent behind a woman's decision to choose."

"Choice for me is imperative, no matter what side of the aisle you are on, because it ensures things are legal, things are safe and things are accessible," she said.

Perez Williams added later, "Dana and I are on the same side of this issue. She knows that. We both believe in choice. We both believe in respecting the privacy of that choice."

She pledged to support a woman's right to choose and will oppose any legislation that aims to restrict that right. She also opposes attempts to defund Planned Parenthood, which is a major provider of women's health care services.

Both candidates have criticized U.S. Rep. John Katko, the incumbent Republican who represents the 24th Congressional District, for voting to defund Planned Parenthood.

Balter and Perez Williams are vying for the Democratic nomination to challenge Katko, R-Camillus, this fall. The primary will be held Tuesday, June 26.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 3Whether you call him an entrepreneur, a trustee, a minister or a captain, you'd be right.

Matt Bianconi, an Aurora native, was born and raised on Cayuga Lake. In the summers, his day would start with breakfast before he and his three older siblings would spend hours on the lake in the family boat, or under the water's surface with a mask and snorkel.

To share his love of the lake and Aurora with others, Bianconi Tours is coming to fruition this summer. Bianconi will offer three different daily Cayuga Lake boat tours that depart from the Aurora Inn dock.

To learn more For more information about Bianconi Tours, visit bianconitours.com or call (617) 874-7353.

While the Aurora scenery, operating a boat and starting a business are not new to Bianconi, he said that this is, to his knowledge, the first modern boat tour company to be based in Aurora. After traveling, owning a retail business in Ithaca, running a marketing company in Vermont and, most recently, living in Boston, Bianconi and his partner, Alexis Boyce, made the move back to Aurora six years ago, buying a home on the lake next to Bianconi's family home, which his grandfather once bought for $850.

With Aurora roots deeper than 100 years  Bianconi's grandfather settled there in the early 1900s after immigrating from Italy  he feels confident that his history in the village and on the lake will offer something unique to visitors and locals alike.

Seeing Aurora from the water offers a new perspective of the beautiful village, said Bianconi, who also sits on Aurora's board of trustees. He said his tours are "a great opportunity" for both tourists in the area and many people who have lived in the village their whole life, but have never had a chance to see it from the lake.

Bianconi launched his website just a few weeks ago and so far has been taking "a slow, organic approach" to starting this business. He has already done a couple tours this season. He's been preparing for this summer for over a year, becoming a captain last spring when he acquired his U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Credential as master. Bianconi also bought La Barca Del Vino, his six-passenger, 27-foot pontoon boat. It's a bit larger than his first power boat, which was built by his dad and brother when he was 12, and measured 10 feet long.

"Boating has always been a passion of mine, ever since I was a kid," Bianconi said. His passion has seemingly stood the test of time  Bianconi said he's still in the lake every day, and that time seems to vanish when you're on the water: "It's a whole different way of living out there (on the lake)."

So far, Bianconi said, he's received a lot of support and enthusiasm for his tour business.

Right now, in addition to private charter options, Bianconi is offering a two-hour lunchtime cruise, a four-hour afternoon winery tour cruise, and a 1.5-hour sunset cruise. A captain of many caps, Bianconi said he is also able to perform weddings on the pontoon, or on land. To his knowledge, captains having the power to marry solely based on that credential are a myth, but with the help of the internet, Bianconi got the ordination to perform weddings, and has three under his belt already.

Bianconi said when his grandfather came to Aurora he raised and sold chickens, ran a cobbler shop out of his family home  where Bianconi's mother still lives  and even made his own wine. Bianconi said people have told him stories about how they would see his grandfather during Prohibition "to get a pair of shoelaces," but in reality wound up drinking wine in the basement.

Fishing was also part of how his grandfather provided for his family, and Bianconi believes that is how his father's love of the lake began.

"I suppose I inherited my grandfather's entrepreneurial spirit and my dad's love for Cayuga Lake," Bianconi said. "It's a pretty good combination."

Bianconi said his dad, a World War II Navy veteran, began building boats in his early teens and probably made about 10 boats in his lifetime. While his mom and dad were dating, they built a boat together that became the family boat Bianconi grew up with.

"My father was a very creative guy," Bianconi said. He grew up in such a creative environment, he continued, that when he saw a toy he wanted on television, his dad's impulse was to make it, not buy it.

Being able to share stories of what once was in Aurora  such as how his dad used to watch the Barnum & Bailey Circus and animals go by on the old train tracks in his backyard  brings a different dimension to his tours, Bianconi said.

"It's important to me that everyone has fun and enjoys themselves," Bianconi said, whether that's recommending one of the four local wineries to grab a bottle to bring on the boat, pointing visitors toward a spot for lunch or Aurora Ale & Lager Co. He said being based in Aurora has unique advantages not all other boat tours in the Finger Lakes can offer, as it's more of "a one stop" for many amenities.

"It's beautiful," Bianconi said. "It's great to come here."

Staff writer Megan Ehrhart can be reached at (315) 282-2244 or megan.ehrhart@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter @MeganEhrhart.

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Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.AUBURN  Cayuga County Legislator Joseph Bennett is scheduled to be reappointed to his District 10 seat at Tuesday's special Legislature session after he resigned last month in order to be eligible for a pension from his job at Cayuga Community College.

Bennett, D-Auburn, resigned as a legislator on May 30 in order to receive the pension he earned from 11 years as a maintenance mechanic at CCC to comply with a state law that prohibits receiving a pension while remaining a public employee.

According to Bennett, he was advised by the state pension system, since CCC and the county government are part of the same system, that he needed a break in service to comply. To do so, he submitted a letter of resignation to Legislature Chairman Patrick Mahunik, D-Auburn, on May 30 before working his last day at CCC on May 31.

If successfully reappointed, Bennett, who is serving his second term after being re-elected in 2015, will have to face a special election a year early, a possibility he said he was prepared for.

What happens happens. That's the nature of the beast, that's state law, state rules, Bennett said. I would hope people would put me in there at least for the one year to finish out my term.

Receiving a pension while still working as a public employee, often referred to as "double dipping," can be a controversial practice. In 2015, for example, state Sen. John DeFrancisco, R-DeWitt, came under fire for using a special loophole allowing state legislators who took office before 1995 to collect their pension as a legislator while still serving, despite previously condemning the practice.

In 2007, then-Cayuga County Legislature Chairman George Fearon similarly resigned from his elected position in order to receive retirement benefits from the Union Springs Central School District.

At that time, in response to concerns from other legislators and the public at his reappointment, Fearon promised to only receive benefits from the school district and not have the county contribute to his retirement.

Current Legislature Chairman Patrick Mahunik, D-Auburn, said it was unfortunate that a procedural step had to be taken for Bennett to receive his pension, and suggested the state reform its rules.

I think someone that's worked their entire life deserves access to their pension. I don't want to put barriers up for people that serve publicly, Mahunik said.

Without a break in service, Bennett was told his wife would be unable to receive any of his pension benefits were anything to happen to him, prompting his decision.

I have to look after my family first, Bennett said.

The special Legislature meeting is scheduled at 5 p.m. at the Cayuga County Office Building at 160 Genesee St.

Staff writer Ryan Franklin can be reached at (315) 282-2230 or ryan.franklin@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @RyanNYFranklin

Love 1 Funny 2 Wow 3 Sad 0 Angry 5I direct this letter to all veterans who are NRA members. I have some concerns. Is it true that every time the NRA CEO snaps his fingers, you click your heels and salute? Is it true that all NRA veterans support civilian possession of assault weapons with large magazines?

If so, I have these observations: are you aware that the NRA president makes $1 million a year? I repeat $1 million. Are you aware that the NRA CEO has never served his country for a day? Never. Not a single day. Next time he asks you to click your heels and salute, please consider this.

Full disclosure: I am an Army NAM vet. In those days, we trained with the old M14, the great-grandson of the original M1. A fine, accurate rifle. On my last day at the range, they told me I qualified as an Expert Marksman.

Over a year later, after untold thousands of dollars in additional training, I was about to ship out for Nam. But they told me I had to qualify again, on a different rifle. This time it was the M15, now known as the AR15. I remember thinking it felt like a toy  plastic, lightweight. It didnt seem very accurate. I had to keep adjusting the sights. But, if I missed the target, there was that big magazine, encouraging multiple additional shots.

Assault weapons don't belong in civilian hands. They don't belong on our streets. They should all be under the care and responsibility of trained personnel, such as our brave Reservists and National Guardsmen.

David Lansford

Auburn

Love 3 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 6LOS ANGELESGay porn performer Tyler White has passed away, veteran producer Shannon Prewitt confirmed Tuesday.

Prewitt, a producer for Broke Straight Boys and the chief operating officer for the site's parent company, Blu Media, said Prewitt died on June 4 at his home in the northeastern part of the U.S. He was 25.

It's something were pretty sad about because he was a wonderful person, Prewitt told AVN, adding that memorial services are scheduled for Wednesday. Some people have true illnesses that they just cant seem to get away from. Unfortunately, it just got the best of him.

White got his start with BrokeStraightBoys.com in early 2014, performing in more than 20 scenes for the site over the course of about a year. The up-and-coming performer also toured the country with BrokeStraightBoys for a series of Pride events.

He and I got really close, Prewitt said. He was one of my main tour people. He was a good guy. Unfortunately, he had some demons.

Prewitt said White had not been active with his site for years, but he did perform occasionally for others.

Our members are certainly heartbroken," Prewitt said. "They do feel like they get to know the guys. I definitely saw something in him, but we had to part ways.

In an interview that was posted on the BrokeStraightBoys YouTube channel not long after Whites debut in 2014, White said he grew up 20 miles from Boston, used to attend Red Sox games and was a big fan of the Celtics.

He also said he wrestled in high school and enjoyed skateboarding and snowboarding in his hometown. White had a tattoo of his favorite animalan owlon his left arm, among other ink.WASHINGTON, D.C.In an order issued earlier today, the United States Supreme Court has denied certiorari in the long-running case of Flanigans Enterprises, Inc., et al v. City of Sandy Springs, GA. This means that the high court will not hear argument that ordinances passed by the city, which zoned out several existing clubsFlashers on Roswell Road and the Mardi Gras on Powers Ferry Road, as well as adult bookstore Inserections, also on Roswell Roadand prohibited the sale of alcohol in the adult clubs where nudity is allowed, are unconstitutional.

"Both cases originate in a 2006 controversy, when the bookstore and strip clubs challenged new city codes suggested by Scott Bergthold, a Tennessee attorney who specializes in municipal laws cracking down on sexually-oriented businesses," the ReportersNewspapers.net website stated. Bergthold is a long-time conservative religious activist who is responsible for drafting anti-adult ordinances across the country, and then offering his services to defend those ordinances in court. Sandy Springs has already paid several hundred thousand dollars to Bergthold for his "services."

First Amendment attorney Cary S. Wiggins, the primary attorney involved in the case, had filed his petition for writ of certiorari earlier this year, arguing in part that the Supreme Court's decision in Reed v. Town of Gilbert changed the playing field for how the high court should examine cases dealing with the First Amendment rights attendant to sexual speech. In the 2257 case, for example, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that post-Reed, adult producers' First Amendment rights should be examined under the doctrine of strict scrutiny rather than intermediate scrutiny, as that court and the trial court had previously done. Strict scrutiny requires that in attempting to uphold a law which targets sexual speech (such as, in this case, nude dancing), a court must find that the law in question is justified by a compelling governmental interest, and is both narrowly tailored to achieve that goal or interest and at the same time is the least restrictive means to achieve that interest.

Wiggins also argued that even if the Sandy Springs statute survives examination under Reed, then it adds to an existing conflict among the appellate circuits; namely, Justice Anthony Kennedy's concurrence in City of Los Angeles v. Alameda Books, as well as the Eleventh Circuit's interpretation of both Justice Kennedy's Alameda holding, which stated that although four other circuits consider Kennedy's concurrence to be binding because it states the narrowest ground on which the other justices concurred in the judgment, the Eleventh Circuit had added a requirement that such a concurrence must also be "harmonized with the plurality's opinion" in order to be binding.

Also, when Wiggins argued the case before the Eleventh Circuit back in August of last year, another reason that court upheld the Sandy Springs ordinances was because Justice Kennedy's concurrence in Reed didn't deal with the concept of secondary effects as noted in the 1986 case of Renton v. Playtime Theatres, which Sandy Springs claimed the targeted adult businesses had caused.

"[S]ignificantly, the majority opinion in Reed did not address the secondary-effects doctrine," the Eleventh Circuit panel had ruled. "For this reason alone, we cannot read Reed as abrogating either the Supreme Courts or this Circuits secondary-effects precedents."

Wiggins made several good arguments in his cert petition, but in the end, the Supreme Court apparently felt that the circuit conflict created by the Eleventh Circuit's ruling was not compelling enough to allow Wiggins and Bergthold to argue it before them. It now remains to be seen how Sandy Springs will attempt to put its ordinance into effect.

Pictured: Humorist John Oliver's conception of the U.S. Supreme Court justices as dog avatarsTuesday, June 12, 2018 Tale Of Two Guvs: One Makes The Peace With The Past As The Other Grapples With Her Present, Plus: Rating Tim Keller Richardson-Martinez 2010 It's the tale of two governors. Bill Richardson and Susana Martinez. Let's dive in.



He finished his gubernatorial terms at rock bottom approval levels but in the nearly 8 years since his departure Bill Richardson has shrugged off whatever resentments and frustration he had and has found contentment in his post political life. And success.



The former UN Ambassador, now 70, is seemingly everywhere as the summit between the US and North Korea takes center stage. He has traveled there repeatedly to free prisoners as an off the grid diplomat and serve as an intermediary with he isolated government.



In an appearance about the summit this week on the Today show Richardson displayed the confident, knowledgeable, affable personality that propelled him into the highest ranks of state and national politics. He probably still rues his fall from grace in the state he served as Governor and congressman, but if there is any residue of bitterness it is buried deep inside. This is a guy now completely comfortable in his own skin who has nothing to prove, but a lot to show.



Will Susana Martinez who is also finishing her governorship with rock bottom approval ratings manage to find the serenity that Richardson apparently has when she leaves office at year's end? Perhaps, but judging by her most recent foray onto the political battlefield she has a long way to go.



In the aftermath of State Rep. Yvette Herrell's big primary win of the southern GOP congressional nomination, Martinez stunned the GOP by



Im certainly going to support our Republican (nominee). But I think there are some questions with reference to her ability to  represent New Mexico in a fair and reasonable way.



That Martinez and her chief political advise Jay McCleskey were all in for former Hobbs Mayor Monty Newman, Herrell's chief rival for the nomination, was well known. And Martinez has never dealt with defeat well. But the bitterness displayed there, coming as it did so close to her own exit, reveals that she has yet to make peace with her own downfall and grapple with her post-gubernatorial future.



Richardson held grudges and in the end managed to let them go. Martinez has held even more grudges. Now this most warlike of Governors faces the daunting task of letting them go, if she is to eventually find peace within herself and a meaningful role in retirement.



RATING KELLER







After six months in office the appraisals of ABQ Mayor Tim Keller are coming in. We noted the "C" grade awarded the mayor by Pete Dinelli, the former ABQ city council and 2013 mayoral contender who was defeated by Mayor Berry. That drew this response from Patrick Hoffman:



I appreciate Pete Dinelli's service over the decades, However, I find his schoolmarm article awarding Mayor Keller an overall grade of "C" to be unfair. He obviously gave more weight to some "subjects" than others. In the area of public safety, the analogy of turning a large, heavy ship would to apt. It does not turn on a dime.



A good teacher does more than pontificate on a student's real and perceived faults, failings and shortcomings. Giving fair weight to successes is needed. Encouragement and positiveness are essential. I see little to none of that in this rather spiteful article.



And reader John reacted with this:



The only change I have seen so far with Mayor Tim is that he has hung his portrait wherever there is a vacant nail. No denunciation of the ART boondoggle or rearrangement of APD. "New Boss same as the Old Boss." What a disappointment.

I don't think the "only in office for six months" excuse has much traction since he knew from his announcement for mayor what the problems were with the past administrations.



Tim, get out the bulldozers and flatten the ART stops, send the photo op buses back and cut our losses, and get rid of the old cronies at APD or I predict you will be a one hit blunder.



THE BOTTOM LINES



Reader Kim Switzer writes of Monday's bottom lines:



Joe, you blogged:



Reader Frank Gilmer has the final bottom lines for this edition:



Joe, here's my prediction for Trump's reaction to the Deb Haaland candidacy: "She's no Native American, she's Dutch. Just look at that last name--Holland!"



I spoke with Deb before the election and she told me her family name Haaland is actually of Scandinavian derivation, not Dutch which was my first thought since I am half Dutch myself with the surname de Groot and am aware of the aa in that language. She said Haaland is Norwegian.



You can already see the yard signs: "Norwegians for Haaland."



This is the home of New Mexico politics.







Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.



( c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2018 It's the tale of two governors. Bill Richardson and Susana Martinez. Let's dive in.He finished his gubernatorial terms at rock bottom approval levels but in the nearly 8 years since his departure Bill Richardson has shrugged off whatever resentments and frustration he had and has found contentment in his post political life. And success.The former UN Ambassador, now 70, is seemingly everywhere as the summit between the US and North Korea takes center stage. He has traveled there repeatedly to free prisoners as an off the grid diplomat and serve as an intermediary with he isolated government.In an appearance about the summit this week on the Today show Richardson displayed the confident, knowledgeable, affable personality that propelled him into the highest ranks of state and national politics. He probably still rues his fall from grace in the state he served as Governor and congressman, but if there is any residue of bitterness it is buried deep inside. This is a guy now completely comfortable in his own skin who has nothing to prove, but a lot to show.Will Susana Martinez who is also finishing her governorship with rock bottom approval ratings manage to find the serenity that Richardson apparently has when she leaves office at year's end? Perhaps, but judging by her most recent foray onto the political battlefield she has a long way to go.In the aftermath of State Rep. Yvette Herrell's big primary win of the southern GOP congressional nomination, Martinez stunned the GOP by openly dissing the woman who has a very good chance of taking the congressional seat in November:That Martinez and her chief political advise Jay McCleskey were all in for former Hobbs Mayor Monty Newman, Herrell's chief rival for the nomination, was well known. And Martinez has never dealt with defeat well. But the bitterness displayed there, coming as it did so close to her own exit, reveals that she has yet to make peace with her own downfall and grapple with her post-gubernatorial future.Richardson held grudges and in the end managed to let them go. Martinez has held even more grudges. Now this most warlike of Governors faces the daunting task of letting them go, if she is to eventually find peace within herself and a meaningful role in retirement.It's time for the 2018 edition of Vintage ABQ, the annual festival celebrating the state's finest foods and wines with proceeds going to educate ABQ area kids. Click on the ad to get your tickets to the various events and stay tuned here as we will be awarding readers with tickets to the popular Grand Tasting.After six months in office the appraisals of ABQ Mayor Tim Keller are coming in. We noted the "C" grade awarded the mayor by Pete Dinelli, the former ABQ city council and 2013 mayoral contender who was defeated by Mayor Berry. That drew this response from Patrick Hoffman:And reader John reacted with this:Reader Kim Switzer writes of Monday's bottom linesYou can already see the yard signs: "Norwegians for Haaland."This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com)Frozen food distributor Central Foods has appointed Richard Clegg as business development manager.

In the field-based role, Clegg will look after the Caterforce consortium, Country Range group and other accounts, with a focus on the north of England and Scotland.

He joins the Northamptonshire-based company with experience in the foodservice sector, having started off as a van driver, working his way through roles in the warehouse, telesales and training sectors, and as a chef. Most recently he managed multiple wholesale accounts.

We are very pleased to welcome Richard to Central Foods, said Central Foods MD Gordon Lauder. He has experience throughout the full supply chain and right across the foodservice sector. His appointment will strengthen our business development team, at a time when we are undergoing growth and expansion.

Clegg added: I am delighted to have joined Central Foods  a company that has an excellent reputation in the foodservice supply sector  and I look forward to helping the firm to continue to build on its growth and development.

Central Foods sources products from around the world and the UK, supplying more than 400 different product lines, including bakery items, free-from goods, desserts and buffet products.

Recent launches include mini doughnuts and muffins and a free-from sausage roll.A project to bring fresh bread to those working in space has teamed up with Leicester University.

German start-up Bake in Space  which has created an oven for use in space  now has a UK branch at DOCK Leicester, next to the National Space Centre and planned 75m Space Park.

The University of Leicester is working with Leicester City Council, Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) and the National Space Centre on the plans, which support government initiatives to get the UK more involved in space programs.

Bake in Space aims to bring fresh bread to astronauts  no easy feat as it involves development of dough suitable for baking in orbit, plus resultant bread that holds up in microgravity but still tastes and feels like bread.

Baked goods are problematic in space: free-floating crumbs can get inhaled, or float into electrical panels, causing technical issues.

Additionally, there is the question of safe storage, as spores from a mouldy loaf could prove fatal in a sealed spaceship environment. Lastly, no surface on board a spaceship can be greater than 40C, and cleaning a hot oven in microgravity is fraught with complications.

Previous NASA experiments to tackle the issue included coating pre-cut bite-sized cubes of bread in gelatin to keep any crumbs contained.

Astronauts can spend anywhere from days to years drifting in space, isolated from humanity. Bake in Space believes freshly made bread will improve wellbeing.

Besides a source for nutrition, fresh food evokes through all the senses of smell, touch and taste, memories of general happiness and home, said Ryan Laird, UK national coordinator for the project and honorary graduate of Leicester University, in an interview with the Leicester Mercury.

Bake in Space is working with various businesses and institutions to integrate and test hardware and food samples.

According to its researchers, the hardest part of the process was developing dough with the correct texture. While bread thats chewier and tougher doesnt produce crumbs, it also doesnt taste like bread as we know it.

Laird told the Leicester Mercury the prototype oven is one-tenth of the heat of a normal oven, with bread being baked for longer in space than it would be on earth. There is also the matter of how both bread and oven can cool in an area where hot air wont dissipate.

Instead it [the heat] would just sit there and would pose a danger for astronauts. Therefore theres a whole cooling sequence that needs to take place before the door can even be opened, he continued.

Following success with the space-oven prototype, Bake in Space is now working on a crumb-free bread mix.

It is also exploring the idea of developing a made-in-space sourdough brand based on yeast cultivated at the International Space Station.

Weve come up with an idea for a sourdough, but its currently more of a concept. It would be very interesting to have a sourdough in space because of the unique environment and the bacterial growth required for it to develop, concluded Laird.

If the project is successful, the organisation plans to potentially sell space rolls in bakeries.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.Bill on higher air crash payout sent to Cabinet

The Tourism Ministry has submitted a draft bill on Nepals accession to the Montreal Convention 1999 (MC99) to the Cabinet seeking its approval in principle so that it can be tabled in Parliament.Central govt tightens foreign visit norms

The federal government has made it mandatory for officials and staff of local governments planning foreign visits to obtain the approval of Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MoFAGA).The state of Georgia has strengthened their law on background checks for nursing home employees and owners who have routine resident contact or access to any of their personal information. Effective October 1, 2019, all owners, applicants and employees of long term care facilities will be subjected to fingerprint and name background checks through the FBIs database. Previously, state law required a name-only background check through a state database. The group behind the push for the new law, the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform, said the stricter laws of surrounding states left Georgia open to employing those from neighboring states with a checkered past.

The new law, officially titled the Georgia Long-Term Care Background Check Program, applies to not just nursing homes, but assisted living facilities, home health agencies, and private in-home providers.

Illinois Nursing Home Employee Law

The Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act applies to owners and applicants to hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, hospice care providers, and assisted living facilities. Currently the law requires background checks that include fingerprinting for applicants, but only requires the prints to be run through the Illinois state police database. There is an option to run the prints through the FBI database, but it is not a requirement. As with Georgia, the law applies to those who have regular contact with residents or patients, as well as those who have access to their information.

There is a loophole for long-term healthcare employees in the current Illinois law. Those hired before 10/1/2007 who have worked for the same employer on a continual basis are exempt from a fingerprint background check. If the employee should switch employers, they are then required to submit to the test.

All information on healthcare workers is available through the Illinois Department of Public Healths Health Care Worker Registry (HCWR). Specifically, the database details license status, known criminal activity, and the year of completion and location of their certification program for CNAs. CNAs have the most 1 on 1 contact with nursing home residents on a daily basis.

Many Illinois cities are in close proximity to Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin, creating the opportunity for out-of-state employment. What is to prevent someone with an offense from another state crossing over to work in an Illinois nursing home? The Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check form does ask for both a current address and prior addresses and notes that the information may be run through the FBIs database, but as previously mentioned, the FBI check is not required by law.

In a profession entrusted with the care of our most vulnerable citizens, it should be the law that all employees, regardless of the length of their employment or amount of contact with residents, are subjected to a fingerprint criminal check run through the federal database on an annual basis. Still, to play devils advocate, stories have dominated the news of abusive and neglectful nursing home workers who have no prior record but have committed atrocious acts. While there is no current plan to strengthen Illinois law on background checks for healthcare workers, the passage of the new law in Georgia is at least giving many hope that other states will realize our elderly loved ones deserve better.There's one week to go until an EU committee votes on a plan to "transform the internet into a tool for surveillance and control," that will permanently cement the place of American internet giants like Google and Facebook, freezing out smaller internet companies (and even large nonprofits like Wikipedia) who lack the tens of millions of dollars that complying with the rule will require.



Writing in the New Internationalist, the EFF's Jillian C York talks to the European Alliance for Startups on the costs this proposal will exact from small, European companies trying to gain a local toehold in the EU internet market.

Here's a tool to contact your MEP: with one week to go, there has never been a more pressing need to do so.



But these aren't the only reasons civil society organizations have come out in force against the proposal. As Reda has pointed out, the filters are also bad for business, as they place a significant burden on small companies and thus hamper competition from European platforms against dominant US ones. Lenard Koschwitz of Allied for Startups writes that by levying fines to companies that don't comply, the proposal is 'carpet bombing the entire digital world'. And, like existing rules, the filtering systems can easily be abused by rightsholders. To understand how, we need only look to abuses enabled by existing mechanisms like YouTube's Content ID system. Meant to make enforcement of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act easier for platforms and protect rightsholders by scanning for infringing content, this automatic tool has resulted in a power imbalance that places the onus on users to prove their innocence, sometimes against multiple claimants.





Will EU copyright law 'carpet bomb' the digital world?

[Jillian York/New Internationalist]Lisa Rein writes, "DJ Spooky is having a record release party Wednesday night for his new Phantom Dancehall album, which utilizes samples from legendary VP Records' Greensleeves sublabel."

Date: Wednesday, June 13

Time: 9pm  3am

Location: Output, 74 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, New York 11249

Here's DJ Spooky describing the feel of the record and some of the culture behind it: "Most of these were recorded in Jamaica at VP Records' Fun Studio. VP records is legendary; They are the biggest record label in Jamaica. 'VP' stands for 'Vincent and Patricia Chin'  so 'VP.' They are Chinese-Jamaican, which I have always loved. The fact that they are just quirky, kind of at the heart of Jamaican culture; Chinese and Indian. Jamaica is very multicultural. So the idea was to represent a little bit of an update on Dancehall with a downtown New York flavor."

Dr. Laurence J. Peter's 1969 "Peter Principle" holds that companies promote high-performing employees to more and more exalted managerial jobs until those employees reach a role that they're incompetent to perform, and thereafter, the employees' negative performance reviews mean that they stop getting promoted, so that, on average, managers are all stuck in jobs they're not very good at.



A trio of business school professors have published a study in the Harvard Business Review that provides empirical evidence that this is basically how things work in corporations. They followed the successes of salespeople before they were promoted to managers for their excellent sales record, then compared it with the performance of the salespeople these new managers were in charge of, before and after the promotion.





The researchers found that "sales performance is negative correlated with performance as a sales manager" and that "when a salesperson is promoted, each higher sales rank is correlated with a 7.5% decline in the performance of each of the manager's subordinates following the promotion."

Moreover, "firms tend to promote top sales workers into management, even though they become the worst managers."



In our data, among people who were actually promoted, better salespeople ended up being worse managers. But if we could observe the managerial potential of all salespeople, and not just those who were promoted, would we still find a negative correlation between sales performance and managerial performance? Answering this question is difficult because the promoted managers we observed in the data weren't promoted at random. For example, if firms promoted by flipping a coin, then poor salespeople could get promoted because they were lucky, rather than being promoted because their employer observed qualities that overcame their deficiencies as salespeople. Although people aren't getting promoted by coin flips, they are more likely to be promoted if they happen to be in the right place at the right time: using variation in the promotion rates across industry over time to act as our coin flips, we still find that better salespeople tend to be worse managers.

Research: Do People Really Get Promoted to Their Level of Incompetence [Alan Benson, Danielle Li, Kelly Shue/Harvard Business Review]

(via Marginal Revolution)Achyut Wagle holds PhD in economics and is currently a professor at the Kathmandu University School of Management. He is an econo-political analyst, writing for The Kathmandu Post for many years.In 1969, United Nations Command negotiator and US Maj. Gen. James B. Kapp and North Korean Maj. Gen. Ri Choon-Sun sat across the table from one another for 11.5 hours without eating or using the restroom. The delegates were only permitted to leave the room if the person who called the meeting proposes a recess. Ri never did. In fact, the two men spent the last 4.5 hours of the meeting silently staring at one another. At 10:30pm, Ri stood up and walked out.





During the meeting, Knapp had asked Ri for North Korea to begin a four-step process to calm tensions in the region.





The infamous meeting was featured in Jeffrey Z Rubin and Bert R. Brown's book "The Social Psychology of Bargaining and Negotiation" which sounds like a rather useful read.





"A long, awkward silence" (Weird Universe)I appeared on CBC Radio's national flagship news programme As It Happens last night, talking about the EU's Article 13 proposal to use AI algorithms to spy on and judge everything posted online for potential copyright infringements.



As I pointed out in the interview, the EU proposal creates a permanent advantage for the giant US internet companies, who'll be able to use their money and clout to comply with these rules, while leaving everyone else (Europeans, Canadians and the rest of the world) without the services that Europeans might found, with better policies on privacy, speech, cyberbullying and all the other issues you might not agree with US giants on.

An unintended consequence might be something like joining a European dating service, some future equivalent of Tinder, and having your Tinder profile taken down because you're wearing a band T-shirt that has a copyrighted photo on it. The malicious consequences would be something like in the run-up to a debate over, say, Greece leaving the European Union or a new Catalan independence referendum, someone might maliciously upload Wikipedia articles or other key news articles to WordPress or other large blogging platforms so that you couldn't write about them. Every time you try to quote those articles, it would show up as having been copyrighted and not something that you're allowed to quote from.

How Canadians could get caught up in the EU's proposed copyright law [As It Happens/CBC]News / National

by Staff reporter

THE MDC Alliance has warned the country was heading towards a sham election after the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) allowed President Emmerson Mnangagwa to proclaim election dates before production of a final voters' roll.Alliance spokesperson Welshman Ncube said Zec was supposed to release a final voters' roll before the nomination court sits to ensure that those who nominate candidates were on the roll.Ncube who doubles as MDC leader said the alliance would continue piling pressure for levelling of the political playing field including taking legal action if their engagement efforts failed to bear fruit.Zec has dismissed the MDC Alliance's demands for access to the voters' roll, saying all political parties will have free access to it once it was complete, urging the political parties to access the provisional voters' roll on the commission's website.But Ncube said the commission was supposed to advise Mnangagwa to proclaim the election date after it had finalised the roll to allow parties to audit and propose changes on time.He said according to the electoral laws, the voters' roll cannot be challenged 30 days before an election."We have about two weeks now to the end of June to analyse the voters' roll and challenge it if there is need.There are over five million people who have registered to vote and how can we audit such a number in two days?" Ncube asked."The nomination court is sitting on Thursday and we don't have a voters' roll. What will people do if the people who nominate them are not in the voters roll?"Ncube said they will fight Zec until the electoral amendments proposed by the opposition parties were implemented.He said already, there was every indication that the country was rushing towards a disputed poll."We had until August 22 to run the elections, what was the rush when the voters roll is not complete?"In its long statement released at the weekend, Zec said some of the items contained in an MDC Alliance petition on electoral reforms were misdirected as they cannot be legally dealt with by the commission and demanded for patience as it was at the tail end of finalising the voters' roll.The MDC Alliance had demanded an electronic copy of the provisional voters' roll, an independent external audit of the voters' roll, retirement of alleged security personnel within Zec, access to biometric voter registration servers, removal of alleged military presence in rural areas and queried the establishment of additional polling stations.They also demanded that Zec enables those in the Diaspora to vote, disbanding of the accreditation committee, inclusion in procurement and movement of the ballot papers among other issues.The MDC Alliance petitioned Zec last week and at the weekend, alliance leader Nelson Chamisa threatened to shut down the whole country if the reforms were not implimented.Zec, in its response, claimed it had no military personnel, despite its chairperson Priscilla Chigumba in February admitting 15% of Zec staff was from the military.The commission also ruled out Diaspora vote, contrary to Mnangagwa's pledge while he was in Davos, Switzerland, that Diasporans will be allowed to vote.Zec commissioner Joyce Kazembe, while addressing delegates at an elections workshop in Kariba last month, said the commission held the keys to the proclamation date as Mnangagwa will only do so after it advises him it was through with compiling the voters' roll.Mnangagwa has repeatedly promised the international community his administration will hold a free and fair poll as he battles to get legitimacy after using the military to take over power from his former boss Robert Mugabe last November.News / National

by Staff reporter

Talks to reunite the feuding MDC-T factions have virtually collapsed with the Thokozani Khupe led formation saying it will not go to bed with a political outfit that is full of gangsters and is about to enter into an electoral pact with former president Robert Mugabe.THE two warring MDC-T leaders who are fighting over use of the opposition party's name and symbols following their acrimonious split last month, had reportedly agreed to go back to the negotiating table to resolve their differences amicably with a possibility of reuniting.This came against the backdrop of a failed High Court bid by the Chamisa camp to bar Khupe from using the party name and symbols.Khupe's deputy, Obert Gutu, in April said he would only engage with the Chamisa camp if its leaders were honest and meant their words."Our position is clear, we are not vindictive. With all the abuses, we have said we are not abusive," he said."If our colleagues are truthful and honest, they should mean what they say and say what they mean. Their actions should reflect what they mean."Their actions have spoken of malice, vindictiveness, intolerance, even the decision to recall Khupe from Parliament."If they are not genuine, how can we work with them, but if they are honest, we can work together."Everyday, I receive of 200 messages from South African numbers scolding me."The fallout between Khupe and Chamisa was triggered by the death of party founder, Morgan Tsvangirai in February this year, leaving a leadership vacuum, with both camps claiming to be the legitimate one.News / National

by A Mhlongo

Zimbabweans are set to know their new president at least by 4 August, according to the elections roadmap released by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.According to the roadmap it says it will take the commission five days to collate and announce the results of the elections which will be held on 30 July.News / National

by Staff reporter

WITH three days left before the Nomination Court sits to accept candidates for this year's general elections the MDC-T is still to resolve the ragging fight for Glen View South involving the late party founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai's daughter Vimbai Java, former councillor Gladmore Hakata and another political upstart Joana Demba.The issue has sucked in Vimbai's mother-in-law Christine Java who in an emotional interview told NewsDay that the prospective MDC-T lawmaker was initially earmarked for Mt Pleasant by her father."I was shocked to hear reports that women from Glen View South claiming there is no candidate yet Vimbai is there.There is a former councilor (name withheld). Three weeks ago there was violence that left many injured.Vimbai came within a whisker of being attacked but she asked the victims to withdraw the charge to protect the party," Java said."They threw rocks and broke window panes at the constituency offices and Vimbai has undertaken to repair the damage."According to Java, the campaign against her daughter-in-law was brought to party headquarters where a group of women demonstrated against the MDC-T's attempt to "impose" Vimbai."Yesterday (Friday), the women stormed Harvest House seeking audience with [national chairman Morgen] Komichi.Komichi told them the seat had been reserved as part of Tsvangirai's legacy.Before he went for his last medical check-up in South Africa, Tsvangirai said he was worried he had not done something for his children."He wanted Vimbai to represent Mt Pleasant, but then he said there was [Jameson] Timba, one of his closest associates, hence he moved her to Glen View South," Java said."Neither Tsvangirai nor his late wife [Susan] enjoyed his toil that came with the formation of the MDC-T and this was his way of creating something for his children."Vimbai was not immediately available for comment, but highly-placed sources claimed the resistance against Tsvangirai's daughter has its roots in the ugly power scrap that ensued following the former Prime Minister's death in February."You will remember the family was divided and made pronouncements regarding who was the rightful heir to the MDC-T throne.The internal problems continue to simmer and it is here that Vimbai finds herself on sticky ground," NewsDay heard."The party has accepted Vimbai as candidate, but Hakata and his group have turned to violence and lack of respect for the party and Tsvangirai's legacy."Both Komichi and party spokesperson Tabitha Khumalo were not available for comment yesterday.Hakata denied he was involved in any violence, but instead argued there was an attempt to impose Tsvangirai's daughter on the people of Glen View South."I have not been involved in any violence. Initially, they omitted my name from the candidates list, I appealed and was given greenlight to compete by the national chairman Komichi.Now it seems everyone does not want to talk about the issue.I am being sent from pillar to post with no one willing to take responsibility and make the call.The party ruled that the people of Glen View South must be given a chance to choose their MP," Hakata said.News / Religion

by Ihechukwu Njoku

Ihechukwu Njoku is a freelance journalist based in Lagos, Nigeria

Tuesday 12th June 2018 marks the 55thbirthday of renowned Nigerian cleric, T.B. Joshua, who was born in 1963 to a "humble home" in Arigidi, Ondo State, Nigeria.To celebrate the occasion, Joshua released exclusive, unseen footage of his early life and ministry, revealing the extent of his impoverished upbringing."Who are we celebrating? Don't forget  he is not a superstar but a man of the people,"Joshua told congregants on Sunday 10thJune 2018, adding that people should see his birthday as an opportunity to help "those who need them".Explaining his mysterious birth, Joshua claimed he spent fifteen months in his mother's womb before she finally delivered him at Egbe Hospital in Kogi State, Nigeria.Equally strange circumstances surrounded his naming ceremony where the seven-day old baby was almost crushed by a rock which fell through the roof of his house from a nearby construction site."Miraculously, the baby was not touched but found saved on the other side of the net where he was lying," Joshua explained, showing congregants the exact rock which had been remarkably preserved.Guests who witnessed the miraculous occurrence gave a string of names to the baby, including 'Temitope' which was eventually adopted by the family."I found myself in a simple and humble family background. I mean, lacking basic means of life,"the cleric described of his upbringing, showing pictures of the tiny, dishevelled house he was brought up in."I was a baby before the death of my father. Consequently, I knew nothing about my late father and the entire family burden rested squarely on my mother's shoulders,"he continued, the congregation listening with rapt attention.He paid a special tribute to his late mother, "who always advised me to look into my love walk".The cleric added further details about the "epileptic fits" he encountered in his education. "I attended six different colleges in less than one year,"he recounted, mentioning the academic institutions by name."This record is not a way of saying I have arrived but to encourage the weak - those without fast legs or human help - that there is hope, and Jesus is the hope," Joshua stressed, adding that further records of his early life would be released on subsequent birthday celebrations."Concentrate on your future. What you are going through is a preparation for your future, a bridge to your future,"he counselled the congregation, using his own life experience to stress the point.The City of Calgary has lost its fight to keep a lid on an investigator's report on misconduct by several city councillors.

The investigator found there were substantiated complaints of disrespectful behaviour and discrimination or harassment in their workplaces.

For three years, the city resisted a Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy request filed by CBC News to see the details of the 2014 investigation, which was done by a Calgary lawyer.

- From September 2017: Calgary fights to keep $76K investigation into councillor misconduct a secret

The outside investigator was called by the city auditor following complaints from staff who work in the councillors' offices to the city's whistleblower program.

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta recently ordered the city to release the report, which cost the city $76,000.

The report concludes the problems in the councillors' offices in 2014 were "sufficiently widespread to sustain a finding of systemic problems in the workplace."

There were substantiated breaches of council's Respectful Workplace policy by several council members and that took its toll on the staff, according to the investigator, Calgary lawyer Bill Armstrong.

"Council staff feel that they have no options in the face of such conduct other than to quit or put up with unwelcome comments and actions" by a number of city councillors, writes Armstrong, who is a senior partner at the law firm of Norton Rose Fulbright.

However, specific details of the misbehaviour remain a mystery, as do the identities of all but one of the councillors found to be at fault.

The city was permitted to redact names of most of the elected officials involved in order to protect the identities of the complainants.

The details of the misconduct by the city councillors has also been withheld by the privacy commissioner but only to protect the identities of whistleblowers.

Disrespectful behaviour, discrimination or harassment

Story continues

The substantiated breaches fall into two categories.

There were examples of disrespectful behaviour as well as examples of discrimination/harassment, which could include sexual harassment, according to the report.

The report states disrespectful behaviour could include:

- Conduct, written or verbal comments, actions or gestures that are humiliating, offensive, hurtful or belittling.

- Hostile or unwanted behaviour.

- Bullying or intimidation.

- Abusing authority.

- Yelling or shouting.

It could also include any action that results in a harmful or poisoned work environment

The report states discrimination/harassment includes:

- Inappropriate behaviour.

- Sexual harassment.

- Unwelcome remarks, jokes, taunts, suggestions or speculations about a person's body, attire, sex life, etc.

The report concluded that none of the policy breaches involved the use of alcohol and there was no criminal activity found.

In January 2015, Mayor Naheed Nenshi said publicly he had heard complaints about councillors being drunk on the job. But that was not a factor in this investigation.

There was one complaint against a councillor that was found to be unsubstantiated.

Of the 14 councillors in office at the time of the investigation, 10 of them were re-elected last fall.

City officials fought to keep all of the report secret for years, refusing to provide the report through the FOIP process.

Under provincial law, specific information can be exempted in replying to a FOIP request. The exemptions include things such as third-party information, information that is covered by solicitor-client privilege and information that would identify informants in a law enforcement investigation.

Some of the councillors hired lawyers to argue their names and actions should not be released in responding to CBC News's request.

Through an inquiry conducted by the information and privacy commissioner, they argued the councilllors' names should not be released through the FOIP process.

The lawyers took the position that their clients could potentially suffer the loss of their jobs, damage to their reputations, financial harm, psychological harm or damage to their personal lives.

Only one councillor went public

Only one councillor, Evan Woolley, who represents the inner-city Ward 8, consented to having his name released in the report.

Even though Woolley waived his privacy rights and the finding against him was minor in nature, the city's legal department still resisted disclosure. It argued that releasing his name could help identify others.

The information and privacy commissioner disagreed with the city and ordered Woolley's name be released, saying the disclosure would not affect anyone else.

Woolley told CBC News he was swept up into the investigation after he became angry and yelled at a staff member in 2014.

"There was a single incident in which I basically got mad at someone and I apologized for that," he said.

The incident prompted a complaint to the city's whistleblower program, which is to be used for reporting any wrongdoing by council or city employees.

Woolley said he had no problem with the city releasing his name as he wanted to be open and transparent.

However, Woolley said he does not know who the other councillors were, how many were found to have acted inappropriately or what they did.

The last city council was briefed in 2014 on the results of the investigation, but Woolley said he hadn't seen the report.

"I have no knowledge of what those other incidents were so I can't comment."

When asked if he thinks his colleagues or former colleagues should have also released their names, Woolley would only say: "I have no knowledge of what those other incidents were so I can't comment."

No sanctions approved by council

Lori Williams, a political studies professor at Mount Royal University, said the findings of the investigation are serious.

Williams said the lack of information about the misconduct leaves voters in the dark about their elected officials, while the city's secrecy does a disservice to both Calgary's reputation and the elected officials who were not subjects of the investigation.

"We know that there are 10 people on the current council that could have been the subject of this investigation. One of them has self-identified and has taken responsibility and is being transparent about what was going on, leaving nine people potentially tainted."

Beyond the court of public opinion, she said only council itself can sanction council members who violate rules.

In this case, while council was briefed on the findings of the investigation, members weren't told who was investigated, nor what they did.

No council member was reported publicly to have been punished by council. Several council members told CBC News no sanctions were approved.

Williams said the incident also raises questions about how council can possibly decide to sanction one of its members if even its members aren't given the details of the misconduct.

Council's conduct rules have been tightened since 2014 and council approved the creation of an integrity commissioner to investigate complaints filed against elected officials. That person can report publicly on any substantiated allegations of misconduct by council members.

Coun. Jyoti Gondek was first elected last fall so she wasn't on council when the investigation happened in 2014.

She said she doesn't know whether any of her council colleagues were part of the investigation.

She also doesn't believe an elected official could have their identity protected today, given the changes made at city hall since 2014 and the fall-out from the #metoo movement.

"I believe in today's environment, people will be expected to step forward and take responsibility for their actions," said Gondek.

- MORE CALGARY NEWS | Seton is a community under construction but it already has a heart

- ANALYSIS | Home as self: Why few things upset Calgarians more than change in their neighbourhoodPost-miscarriage screening should be added to postpartum checks, says Opposition

P.E.I.'s new mental health screening process for moms is good, but could be improved, says Progressive Conservative health critic Sidney MacEwen.

MacEwen said women who experience a miscarriage should also be screened for problems. Some people might not know the symptoms, he said, or where to reach out for help.

"I've had a number of conversations with people that have had miscarriages and they don't know til later on in life, might be later on, might be right away, but they are suffering from postpartum symptoms," he said.

"What we want is for those people to be able get the screening."

With the postpartum screening, women will get a brochure with information about postpartum depression delivered by a public health nurse during the first home visit after baby is born.

Health Minister Robert Mitchell told the legislature he will look into the idea.

Health PEI said while there is no formalized screening program, short-term counseling is available for women who miscarry.

More P.E.I. newsBy Heather Somerville SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The $100 billion SoftBank Vision Fund has made its second-ever investment in an enterprise software company, as the massive fund broadens its portfolio beyond consumer tech firms such as Uber and DoorDash. The Vision Fund led a $250 million investment into data storage company Cohesity, a California-based company that provides services to help businesses store, manage and protect their data. The investment, which came at a valuation of more than $1 billion, brings the company's total fundraising to $410 million, said Rob Salmon, president and chief operating officer. SoftBank, which leads a nearly $100 billion investment vehicle that includes funding from the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, Apple Inc, and Qualcomm, among others, has made sizeable investments in ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc, shared office provider WeWork, food delivery startup DoorDash and dog walking app Wag. Enterprise technology companies haven't been as much of a focus. Cohesity marks the fund's second investment in the enterprise software sector, said Deep Nishar, senior managing partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers. Last year it invested in Slack, a workplace messaging service. "In this space we've looked at multiple companies," said Nishar, who will join Cohesity's board as the fifth director. "In general we are fairly particular." SoftBank has also pledged to help Cohesity expand its operations in Asia. Cohesity is looking to add business in Japan, where SoftBank is headquartered, as well as South Korea and India, Salmon said. Cisco Investments, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital and Sequoia Capital also joined the round. New data privacy regulations in Europe that took effect last month, which change how companies can process the personal data of European Union citizens, has provided new business for Cohesity. The privacy law overhaul has driven demand for services that help companies track personal data and determine whether that data is being stored properly and is at risk of being moved or stolen. "In the EU and the United States, citizen of these countries want more protection, and they want to make sure enterprises take this seriously," Cohesity's Salmon said. Cohesity is on track for more than $100 million in revenue this year, Salmon said. Its customers include the U.S. Department of Energy, Hyatt Hotels Corp and Piedmont Healthcare. (Reporting by Heather Somerville; Editing by Miral Fahmy)Establishment of NERC moves a step closer

The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation (MoEWRI) moved a step closer to establishing the Nepal Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) with the Law Ministry approving the regulation required to operate it.I am writing this article from the heart of East Jerusalem, within walking distance of where Jesus was crucified and raised, and where so many other remarkable events of biblical history have taken place over thousands of years.

The reason I have returned here is to undertake a journey of understanding of not just the events that have shaped history, but the events that shape todays history for millions of people in this land.

One cannot come to the Middle East and ignore the conflict that occurs right before your very eyes between Palestinians and Jews. Not far from where I am staying, Jesus once sat on a hillside and told his disciples that those who make for peace are blessed. Peace currently seems a very long way off in this place of conflict, fear and hatred. I can imagine the Prince of Peace silently weeping over what he sees.

Today was a very heavy day on our tour. This morning we visited Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum. I have read a fair bit about the Holocaust, but to see the horror of it in so much detail, and with the very race of people to whom it happened, was overwhelming for me. Having German heritage, I struggled to hold back the tears and just wanted to tell the local people that I am so sorry for what the nation of my parents did to them.

Then this evening we were visited by two people from a group called the Parents Circle Family Forum (PCFF). They are probably the only organisation in the world that does not want any more people to join them. The reason is that the group is open to people who have lost family members in the Israeli / Palestinian conflict.

Rami is one such person. He is a Jewish man whose father survived Auschwitz. Rami joined PCFF because his daughter, Smadar, was blown up by two Palestinian suicide bombers in 1997. She was 14.

Aarab is another member of PCFF. He is a young Palestinian man, one of six children. His sister was shot and killed by an Israeli soldier in 2007.

As Rami shares his story, he sits next to Aarab and tells us he sees Aarab as his own son. This Jew and this Palestinian put their arms around each other as Rami continues to share.

PCFF

PCFF currently consists of 600 people, Israelis and Palestinians. They share not only a common humanity but a common grief. Their suffering has brought them together, allowing them to see each other as blood brothers and not as enemies.

As I think about the work of PCFF, I am reminded of Pauls encouragement that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation. Thousands of people on both sides of this conflict are tired of the fighting. Too many people have lost loved ones. They just want to follow the words of their prophets, Isaiah and Micah, and turn their swords into ploughshares and not train for war anymore.

Rami and Aarab are examples of two people putting into practise Jesus command to love our enemies. When we see the other as a person loved by God, just like us, it becomes harder to hate them. Aarab quotes Martin Luther King, who said that we hate each other because we dont know each other, and we dont know each other because we dont talk to each other.

The Israel/Palestine issue is not really an issue. That depersonalises it. This is about peoples lives. It is personal. Theological arguments just dont cut it when people are dying. For Christians, peacemaking and justice seeking are to be the top priorities when we think and deal with this.

Both Rami and Aarab encouraged us not to be pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian, but to be pro-peace and pro-justice. And it all starts with relationships, as Rami and Aarab have discovered.

Jesus always saw people in their dignity and humanity. He placed the other at the front and centre, as the heroes of his stories. The parable of the Good Samaritan today could easily be retold as the parable of the Good Palestinian Muslim.

If that sounds like heresy to you, then you havent understood Jesus. Jesus tells us to go and emulate the one who showed mercy. In his story, that person was the hated Samaritan, the one who believed the wrong things and was the bitter enemy of Gods people.

It is time for the fighting to end, and it is time for Christians to be the peacemakers that Jesus calls us to be. It is time for us to not be pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian, but pro-Jesus, pro love of our enemies and our neighbour as ourselves.

Nils von Kalm is from Melbourne, Australia and has a passion for showing how the Gospel is relevant to life in the 21st century. He can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nils.vonkalm and at http://soulthoughts.com/

Nils von Kalms previous articles may be viewed atFuel import bill balloons to all-time high of Rs131.93b

Nepals oil import bill ballooned to a record Rs131.93 billion in the first 10 months of the fiscal year, largely due to a sharp growth in domestic consumption despite regular electricity supply.Mumbai

The Tata Group is looking at monetising income-producing assets worth Rs 800-1,000 crore of two companies as it restructures its infrastructure and real estate businesses, said two people with direct knowledge of the development.



Tata Sons recently announced the reorganisation of the infrastructure and real estate businesses led by Tata Realty & Infrastructure and Tata Housing Development Company in a bid to simplify structures and leverage synergies. The parent company has roped in consultants to assess properties including income-producing assets across the country to be monetised.



Tata Realty & Infrastructure develops projects including roads and bridges, apart from commercial and retail properties, while Tata Housing is in the residential space.

The reorganised business will include infrastructure and urban solutions in the charge of Sanjay Ubale and commercial and residential real estate headed by newly appointed managing director Sanjay Dutt, who will also lead the integrated management of both companies.



"A new special purpose vehicle will be formed to house such assets and this entity will directly engage in negotiations to monetise them. In the first phase, around Rs 250-300 crore worth of properties are likely to be monetised," said one person.



Email queries to Tata Realty & Infrastructure and Tata Housing remained unanswered at the time of going to press.



According to the plan, the company is considering two options to monetise such identified properties. It may look at listing a public real estate investment trust (REIT) or a private REIT in which an institutional investor may acquire a strategic stake. A REIT is an entity that owns, operates or finances income-producing real estate.



Tata Housing is a closely held public limited company and a subsidiary of Tata Sons, which holds 99.9% of its equity share capital. The company has a diversified portfolio of more than 70 million sqft under various stages of development in addition to a pipeline of projects of over 19 million sqft across key cities.



It has ventured into foreign markets such as the Maldives and is exploring others such as Sri Lanka and South Asian countries.

Kailash Babar&Sachin Dave, Economic Times, MumbaiJavaScript is disabled on your browser.

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Bangkok, June 12, 2018The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned a new cybersecurity law that was passed today by Vietnams National Assembly as a clear threat to press freedom and called on the Vietnamese government immediately to repeal it.

The legislation, which goes into effect January 1, 2019, will severely restrict online freedoms and gives broad powers to government authorities to surveil the internet, including the ability to force international technology companies with operations in the country to reveal their users personal information and censor online information on demand, according to news reports said.

The laws vague and broad provisions ban any online posts deemed as opposing the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, or which [offend] the nation, the national flag, the national anthem, great people, leaders, notable people and national heroes, according to the reports. The same sources state that the laws Article 8 prohibits the use of the internet to distort history, deny revolutionary achievements or undermine national solidarity.

The law also prohibits disseminating online incorrect information which causes confusion among people, damages socio-economic activities [or] creates difficulties for authorities and those performing their duty, according to reports.

After January 1, 2019, companies will have 24 hours to remove content that the Information and Communications Ministry or the Public Security Ministry find to be in violation of the new law, news reports state.

It was not immediately clear what penalties would be administered for violations of the law.

Vietnams new cybersecurity law represents a grave danger to journalists and bloggers who work online and should be promptly repealed, said Shawn Crispin, CPJs Southeast Asia representative. We expect international technology companies to use their best efforts to uphold their stated commitment to a free and open internet and user privacy and to resist any attempts to undermine those commitments.

Vo Trong Viet, chairperson of the National Assemblys Committee on Defense and Security, told lawmakers before the vote that the law was extremely necessary to defend the interests of the people and national security, The Associated Press reported.

The law will expand on existing restrictions on online activities outlined in Decree 72, which in 2013 imposed bans on posting and sharing online any information or news that harms national security or opposes the state, Reuters reported at the time.

All mainstream media is state-controlled in Vietnam, but independent journalists and bloggers have thrived in anonymous online spaces provided by foreign-hosted platforms like Facebook. On Sunday, protesters took to the streets in a number of Vietnamese cities to protest the cybersecurity bill as well as controversial special economic zone legislation, news reports said.

At least 10 journalists were held behind bars in Vietnam when CPJ conducted its annual census of jailed journalists worldwide in December 2017. All ten were jailed on anti-state charges related to their journalism, CPJ research shows.Govt and police snub rights body

The government and Nepal Police headquarters have ignored National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) request to end Ganga Maya Adhikaris hunger strike.Adhikari has abstained from food and water for the last 14 days.Scientists from Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad have discovered for first time distant planet revolving around Sun-like star. Both the planet and the star have been named EPIC. With this discovery India joins handful of countries which have discovered planets around stars.

EPIC planet

The planet has been named as EPIC 211945201b (or K2-236b) and host star has been named EPIC 211945201 (or K2-236). The EPIC planet is six times bigger than Earth and revolves around host about 600 light years away. EPIC was found circling very close to its host star, going around it once in about 19.5 days.

EPIC planet is smaller in size compared to Saturn and but is bigger than Neptune. Its mass is about 27 times Earths and six times that of Earth at radius. Its 60% mass may be made up of heavy elements like ice, silicates and iron. The planet is unlikely to be inhabitable because of its high surface temperature of around 600C.

Discovery method

The discovery was made using PRL-designed PARAS (PRL Advance Radial-velocity Abu-sky Search) spectrograph to measure and confirm the mass of the new planet. PARAS is first of its kind spectrograph in the country which can measure the mass of planet going around star. It is integrated with 1.2-metre telescope located at PRLs Gurushikhar Observatory in Mount Abu, Rajasthan. Very few such spectrographs exist around the world (mostly in US and in Europe) that can do such precise measurements.

Significance

The discovery of EPIC planetary system adds to sparse catalogue of 22 other confirmed exoplanet systems that have mass and radius in range between Saturn and Neptune. It will help in understanding formation mechanism of such super-Neptune or sub-Saturn kind of planets that are too close to host star. This planet is very unlike those in our own Solar System, by studying them will tell us more about how planetary systems are formed. 



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This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics.Bangladesh: Poverty drives coastal children to toil in shrimp industry

by Rashad Ahamad

June 12,2018 | Source: New Age BD

Second grader Mim goes to the local school regularly but often she has to leave it even before her classes end as it is time to catch shrimp fries in high tide of the high current River Baleshwar at Sarankhola in Bagerhat, a costal district. Mim Akter said she had thus to support her fisherman father Milon Mollah as did thousands other children in the coastal region to back their respective families financially.



I regularly go to school in the morning and come back before the high tide, said seven-year-old Mim while she, with the help of her three-grader cousin Fatima, was catching shrimp fry from the river frequented by crocodiles. Mims mother Nargis Begum said that all the students of the 109 No Dakkhin Kuriakhali Government Primary School leave the school during high tide for netting fries. For years, children of the area have to help their families by catching fries amid many deadly incidents of drowning and being taken away by crocodiles. Nargis said that Mim and Fatima would jointly pull the 12 square feet net from the rivers shoreline as they were too small to do it singlehandedly and she would separate the fries from other fishes to sell them at the nearby Bashonkhola Bazar. They earn more during the peak season (March to June) when she sells them at Tk 1 per piece in the local market.



We three earn on an average Tk 150 a day, said Nargis. Mims father Milon Mollah, a contract fisherman, said he earned daily Tk 200 on an average after paying the local money lander for his boat and net. I cannot maintain my four-member family with my own earning, he said. Besides Mim and Fatima, Shimul Peda, Salah Uddin Khan, Sujon Talukder, Morium, all students of the same primary school, come from fishing families and catch fries from the river. Child rights activists say that hundreds of thousands of children living in the costal districts including Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira, Patuakhali, Noakhali, Feni, Chandpur, Borguna, Barisal, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Bhola, Coxs Bazar and Chittagong are involved in fishing to support their families. New Age visited a number of villages of Sarankhola where most of the children were found engaged in fishing. But, no government or non-government organisation has any statistics of how many children are involved in the business.



Child rights activist Md Shahidul Islam, also the executive director of Voice of South Bangladesh, however, said that not only poverty, but also the high demand for shrimp fries and lax monitoring were responsible for such a large number of children being engaged in labour. Shrimp Research Institute chief scientific officer, Khan Kamal Uddin Ahmed, said that the shrimp enclosure owners were facing acute crisis of fries as only 17 government hatcheries, out of 57, were in operation. He said the hatcheries could supply 10-12 crore fries against the demand for 600 crore Galda fry every year. The rest of the demand has to be met from natural sources, which is illegal. Bagerhat district fisheries officer Zia Haider Chowdhury said that the hatchery owners lost their interest in fry production as they could not make it profitable.



Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association senior vice-president Kazi Belayet Hossain said that frozen fish export is based on shrimp industry, the 6th highest export-oriented sector of the country, which contributes 3.65 per cent to the total GDP. In 2016-17 FY shrimp worth Tk 3,568 crore was exported from the country, he said. Southkhali Union Parishad chairman Mozammel Hossain said that the government was providing 40kg rice per month during ban of jatka fishing for each of the registered fishermen but there was no such incentive for those who collected fries. Bangladesh Shishu Odhikar Forum director Abdus Shahid Mahmud said child labour in underwater activities was banned in Bangladesh. He asked the government to make a fresh list of the children and their families to bring them under social safety net.



To achieve SDGs, the government should stop the child labour immediately, he said. Sarankhola Matsha Cashi Samiti general secretary Kamruzzaman Bulbul said that some shrimp farmers even bought the fry collected from natural resources considering its quality. Shrimp and prawn production in the rivers was reducing alarmingly as the fry collection continued, said fisherman Mizan Bepary demanding that the government should protect fries like jatka.Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday told the parliament that the government has drafted a new law to ensure capital punishment for masterminds, godfathers and patrons of illegal drug trading.





In reply to lawmakers' queries, the minister also informed the parliament that there is no visible progress in stopping yaba smuggling in Bangladesh from Myanmar due to lack of good intentions of Myanmar authorities.





On bringing godfathers of drug trade to book, Kamal said in the existing Narcotics Control Act 1990, there is a provision for capital punishment for drug criminals. But according to the law, there is no option of taking actions if drug is not found in someone's possession. That's how masterminds escape the law easily.





In a bid to take tougher actions against patrons and godfathers of drug trade, the government has drafted Narcotics Control Act 2018 keeping the provision for death penalty against them, Kamal said.





Besides, the home minister also said officials of the respective directorate who investigate money laundering related crimes will be empowered to bring drug kingpins to book.





About the ongoing drive against drugs, the minister said it is going on according to the list of drug traders to bring drug patrons and godfathers under the purview of the law.





In response to another query, Kamal informed the House that Bangladesh and India so far held 5 director general level meetings to stop illegal transport of drugs from India to Bangladesh which were effective.





On stopping yaba being smuggled from Myanmar, the minister said Bangladesh and Myanmar so far held 3 bilateral meetings on preventing yaba smuggling.





"In every meeting, we have exchanged intelligence reports on yaba manufacturing factories in Myanmar, requesting them to stop production and supply of yaba in Bangladesh," Kamal said.





"But there is no visible progress in this regard," he added.





On the anti-narcotics drive, he said a total of 35,112 accused drug traders were arrested from January to March in 2018 in connection with 27, 340 cases.





Over 3.28 crore pieces of yaba were recovered during the time, said the minister.

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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 Daily Star, June 12, 2018The six-year-old girls body was found in a heap of trash days after she went missing from near her aunts house in Kasur on January 4.





Pakistans Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal filed by a convict challenging the death sentence awarded to him for raping and murdering a six-year-old girl in Kasur, Dawn reported.





A three-judge bench at the Lahore registry upheld the death penalty handed to the convict Imran Ali by an anti-terrorism court.





The girls father thanked the top court and the Joint Investigation Team for maintaining the verdict.





He also reiterated that the convict should be publicly hanged, The Express Tribune reported.





The girls body was found in a heap of trash days after she went missing from near her aunts house in Kasur on January 4.





She was on her way to a tuition centre, and her parents were in Saudi Arabia for Haj.





Her death triggered massive protests in the district, where there had been 11 similar cases over 12 months.





Ali was arrested on January 23. An anti-terrorism court handed him four counts of death penalty, one life term and a fine of 32 lakh Pakistani rupees (approximately Rs 18.63 lakh) in February.

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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3 suspects may face the death penalty if found guilty after police found them with 1.9kg of cannabis believed obtained from a supplier in Kuala Lumpur via WeChat.





An operation carried out near a hotel at Bundusan at about 6pm last Friday saw a man and woman being nabbed with 6gm of the drug in their car.





District Police Chief DSP Mohd Haris Ibrahim said another suspect believed to be the supplier, who was walking towards the vehicle, tried to flee upon noticing police presence.





"He threw away a Poslaju package while trying to flee," Haris told a press conference at IPD Penampang, Monday.





He said the suspects allegedly received their supply from a dealer in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur.





After making an arrangement via WeChat, the drug is sent over through Poslaju.





He added that the drug seized was worth about RM5,000. The case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which could lead to the death penalty and under Section 6 of the same Act which leads to a fine or jail, or both.





In another drug case, police arrested 2 men believed to be in their 20s, one of them a local, in a bust at a house at Kampung Luyang Baru, here, at about 1.30pm on the same day.





The suspects attempted to evade arrest which led to 1 of them sustaining injuries on his face, back and legs from falling.





Further investigations led to the discovery of a packet of Syabu weighing 5.01gm from the suspect.





The case is being investigated under Section 39A(1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

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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

Daily Express, June 12, 2018RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  A survivor from El Salvadors civil war must be resentenced because North Carolina jurors who decided he should die for his wifes killing werent told to consider evidence relating his conduct to his mental condition, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday.





The justices vacated the death sentence but let stand the 2014 first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping convictions of Juan Carlos Rodriguez of Winston-Salem for the 2010 death of his wife, Maria. Her decapitated body was discovered three weeks after she was last seen alive.





The majority in the 5-2 decision determined that Superior Court Judge Stuart Albright failed during Rodriguezs sentencing hearing to direct jurors to examine that Rodriguezs mental limitations and past struggles impaired his ability to fully comprehend his conduct.





Associate Justice Sam Ervin IV, writing the majority opinion, pointed to evidence showing Rodriguez was malnourished and in extreme poverty amid constant violence as a child in war-torn El Salvador in the late 1970s and 80s. He suffered a mental disorder, according to expert witnesses and had a low IQ and mild intellectual disability.





Jurors had to make a binding recommendation to the judge to sentence Rodriguez to death or to life in prison without parole. Ervin wrote theres uncertainty whether the judge adding this information to the list of mitigating and aggravating circumstances would have changed a jurors mind.





Evidence of Rodriguezs mental limitations and disturbed and overwrought thinking supports a rational inference that defendants ability to fully comprehend the wrongfulness of his conduct and to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law was adversely affected when the murder occurred, Ervin wrote.





In the dissenting opinion, Chief Justice Mark Martin wrote there was no evidence linking Rodriguezs purported intellectual impairment, mental disorders, and marital strife to his homicidal conduct.





The majority also ignores the evidence showing that defendants actions were carefully premeditated and that he took many steps to conceal his identity as the perpetrator, which would have prevented jurors from finding the mitigating circumstance occurred, Martin wrote.





The couple had been estranged at the time of Maria Rodriguezs death. She had entered a domestic violence shelter a month before, writing that her husband had threatened to kill her. She was last seen alive at the couples former apartment by her children, who told investigators she had been bloodied by their father. He tossed her body over his shoulder, put her in the vehicle and said he was taking her to the hospital, according to evidence. Her skull was recovered 2 years after her decapitated body was found, 20 miles away.





Rodriguezs IQ was estimated several times at below 70, a threshold for significantly impaired intellectual functioning. But accused killers in North Carolina also must show significant inability to adapt to daily life and that their mental disabilities were evident before adulthood.





Rodriguez has been on North Carolinas death row while awaiting the appeal. While more than 140 people await execution, the state hasnt carried out capital punishment in more than a decade as various legal challenges have blocked it. Changes in state law have also dramatically lowered the number of murder cases in which local prosecutors seek the death penalty.





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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 Ohio Parole Board will hear the case of Ray Tibbetts on Thursday.





I spent almost 30 years of my life working in the Ohio prison system, beginning as a chaplain at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility. I later worked in a number of other positions, eventually serving as warden at Madison, London and Pickaway correctional institutions. My time working directly with inmates showed me what my faith had always taught me was true: All life has value, even those who have committed horrible and despicable acts and that change and rehabilitation are possible.





Based on my experience, I believe that Ray Tibbetts death sentence should be commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole.





In February, Gov. John Kasich asked the Ohio Parole Board to take another look at Tibbetts case because of a highly unusual circumstance: A juror, Ross Geiger, came forward to ask for mercy for Tibbetts.





In a letter to the governor, the juror said that if he had heard the detailed evidence about the brutality and abuse Tibbetts suffered as a child and other strong mitigating evidence that wasnt presented at trial, he would have voted for a sentence of life without parole. Under our rules in Ohio, if one juror  in this case, Geiger  had voted for life without parole, Tibbetts would not have ended up on death row.





As Geiger explained in his letter, Tibbetts trial attorneys utterly failed to present compelling evidence that would have caused him to spare Tibbetts life. Tibbetts was severely abused and repeatedly abandoned throughout his childhood. When he was age 2, Tibbetts and his siblings were placed in foster care. Even though the prosecutor at trial told the jury that foster care was the best thing that ever happened to Tibbetts, he and his siblings were malnourished, routinely beaten and humiliated.





Tibbetts and his siblings endured a variety of cruel punishments such as being tied in their beds, lying in their own urine all night, being forced to stand until they collapsed and being denied food but forced, as they cried from hunger, to watch their foster family eat.





All of the siblings were deeply scarred by their upbringing with one committing suicide and others suffering with mental illness, addiction, homelessness and incarceration. For Tibbetts, his abusive childhood resulted in serious drug and alcohol addiction as an adult.





Backgrounds like Tibbetts are all too common for people who enter our prison system. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction recognizes this, and like the departments name suggests, is dedicated to not only protecting the public, but also offering rehabilitative opportunities to the incarcerated.





Considering all that Tibbetts went through as a child, his ability to overcome and find success and sobriety as an adult inmate is a credit to the department.





I understand Tibbetts life has been transformed through his Christian faith and serves as a spiritual resource to other incarcerated men. He is active in a prison ministry and provides messages of hope, support and redemption through correspondence with others who are incarcerated. He is no longer the troubled criminal, addicted to drugs and alcohol, as he was when he entered death row 20 years ago. He is remorseful, reflective and reformed.





To be sure, Tibbetts must be held accountable for his actions, but executing a changed man who committed a terrible deed does not make our justice system just. There is nothing redemptive about the death penalty. It not only removes the offender, no matter how far removed from the original offense, but it also affects those who carry out the execution.





Correctional personnel, from corrections officers up through the ranks to wardens and above, also carry the lingering weight of taking a life, a burden no one should have to carry.





By all accounts, by the grace of God, Tibbetts has experienced a radical transformation. I understand he is a model inmate, a positive influence inside the cellblock as he shares his story. If Tibbetts is granted clemency, he will never return to free society. He will be able to continue functioning as an example of a changed life and a redeemed person, an asset though limited by his confinement.





For Tibbetts, court appeals are over. But the parole board, with its recommendation, and Gov. Kasich, with his ultimate decision, can fix this injustice. I pray that they find the strength to do what is right, affirming truth and acknowledging the value of a changed life, and spare the life of Ray Tibbetts.





Alexander served as one of the first chaplains at Southern Ohio Correctional Facility and in several administrative positions there. He also is a former warden of the Madison, London, and Pickaway correctional institutions. He resides in Delaware, Ohio.

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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His defenders say yes. South Dakota says no. The Supreme Court may soon weigh in.





Before South Dakota jurors decided the fate of Charles Rhines in 1993, they sent a handwritten note to the judge. They had just found Rhines guilty of fatally stabbing 22-year-old Donnivan Schaeffer, an employee of Dig Em Donuts in Rapid City, during a robbery a year earlier. But now they had some questions.





If they didnt vote for the death penalty, what would his life in prison look like? Would he be allowed to mix with the general inmate population? Would he be able to create a group of followers or admirers? Would he have a cellmate?





The judge said he couldnt answer, and the jury sent Rhines to death row, where he remains today. A few years ago, those seemingly innocuous questions became crucial to the last-ditch efforts to save his life. Rhiness lawyers knew that the jurors had been told that Rhines is gay. They went looking for jurors, following a hunch that turned out to be correct.





There was lots of discussion of homosexuality, one juror recalled, according to affidavits later filed in court. There were lots of folks who were like, Ew, I cant believe that. Another juror said they knew that he was a homosexual and thought that he shouldnt be able to spend his life with men in prison. A third recalled overhearing a fellow juror say that life in prison would mean sending him where he wants to go. In essence, the defense argues, the jury sent Rhines to his death because some jurors thought life in a male prison might be enjoyable for a gay man.





The Supreme Court is now considering whether to hear Rhiness argument that his death sentence should be thrown out because it was tainted by homophobia. In the wake of the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision  in which the court ruled for a baker who declined to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple  the Rhines case could pave the way for new legal debates about how the justice system treats LGBTQ+ people accused of crimes. Simply put: Can a sentence be overturned if it was based on someones sexual orientation?





Until recently, the answer would have been an easy no. A central tenet of American law is that what happens in the jury room stays in the jury room. (This is often called the no-impeachment rule.) But last year, the court made an exception to that rule in the case of Miguel Angel Pena-Rodriguez. He was convicted of sexually assaulting two teenage girls, but a juror had allegedly remarked that Mexican men had a bravado that caused them to believe they could do whatever they wanted with women.





Sending the case back to lower courts, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that judges should look at situations where a jury may have relied on racial stereotypes or animus to find someone guilty. The justices then ordered a lower court to revisit the case of Keith Tharpe. Years after sentencing Tharpe to death, a juror admitted, I have wondered if black people even have souls.





These cases concern race, but Shawn Nolan, who oversees Rhiness defense team at the Federal Community Defender Office in Philadelphia, called sexual orientation a natural next step.





Paul Swedlund, the assistant attorney general for South Dakota who is arguing against Rhines, said he could not comment on pending litigation. But his brief to the Supreme Court punches back hard, arguing that jurors had lots of reasons to sentence Rhines to death beyond his sexual orientation. Rhines locked Donnivans head between his knees and pounded a hunting knife into the base of Donnivans skull, partially severing his brain stem, the brief says. Unaffected by the screams and blood and death, Rhines left the store with his loot to get something to eat...an order of french fries.





Then there was his bloodcurdling confession, in which he cackles while comparing young Donnivans death spasms to a beheaded chicken running around a barnyard.





The states lawyers also argue that discrimination against sexual minorities has not been as destructive  and thus in need of policing by the courts  as racial discrimination. No politician has ever proposed constructing a wall to keep homosexuals out of the country, the states brief says. No civil war has been fought over [sexual orientation]. No nationwide pogrom has been perpetrated for the enslavement or eradication of homosexuals.In other cases, prosecutors have been criticized for making inflammatory comments about a defendants sexual orientation, but researchers know little about whether juries listen to them. A few studies have found that college students, serving as mock jurors, tend to find people they know are homosexual guilty more often in certain circumstances. If there is a potential homosexuality component to the case, this is something that is on the minds of jurors, Bellarmine University criminologist Heather Pruss wrote in a dissertation based on thousands of interviews conducted by the national Capital Jury Project. But how jurors evaluate sexual orientation is difficult to untangle. In cases out of Kentucky and California, for example, jurors spoke disparagingly about gay victims  suggesting they were somehow culpable because they were lured by the defendants  and the implication was that this made the jurors less likely to vote for death.





Such cases are rare, and the legal battles over them are plagued by hazy facts. Juries dont typically record their conversations, and interviews with former jurors often happen years or even decades after the fact. Some judges also restrict the ability of defenders to interview former jurors. Even when they find them, each of the twelve can remember things a little differently.





South Dakota also says Rhines shouldnt have an audience before the Supreme Court because the defense misrepresented what jurors really said in interviews. The state sent its own investigator to find the jurors in May 2017. Many told him they had no memory of the homophobic comment and felt harassed by the defense. One did recall someone saying Rhines might like life in the penitentiary among other men, but said this line was a passing remark that was given little weight.





The state lashed out at the defense lawyers as a boutique, anti-death penalty law firm that stretched the truth to save their client. Were not boutique! Were public defenders! Nolan responded, pointing out that the state has not shown that any jurors actually recanted their comments on homosexuality. But what really happened in the jury room? I reached out to three jurors  one quoted by the defense, one quoted by the prosecution, and one quoted by both sides  and the picture grew even muddier.





Former juror Frances Cersosimo said last week that she vividly remembers a juror saying that Rhines might not mind life in prison because he was gay. There was a murmuring, everyone said Whaaat? Cersosimo recalled. Immediately, this man admitted it was a stupid thing to say...I dont know why I said that. The South Dakota state investigator characterized this as a joke, though Cersosimo insisted, It was not a joke. (The juror she recalled being the one who said this declined to comment.)





In another affidavit collected by the defense, juror Harry Keeney admits the knowledge of Rhiness homosexuality affected his decision. His signature appears shaky and the state says this is because he has dementia. His wife Janet Keeney confirmed to The Marshall Project this is true. I think he didnt say that, she said of the comment in question. I wouldnt depend upon it. Wed just come back from a vacation, she added. We were tired...The average person cant remember what happened 25 years ago.





The jurors I reached all said that they sentenced Rhines to death primarily because of the nature of the murder. The pictures of the kid, he way he bragged about the kid begging for his life. Those things never leave your head, said juror Delight McGriff, who has no memory of any comments about homosexuality, though she admitted this was a long time ago.





The Supreme Court will discuss whether to take the case on Thursday. Rhiness lawyers, in asking them to say yes, cite the case of Duane Buck. At his trial, an expert witness made remarks about his race. When the court overturned his sentence, Chief Justice John Roberts memorably declared that the law punishes people for what they do, not who they are. The experts comments boiled down to a couple of sentences, but Roberts noted that some toxins are deadly in small doses. If the Supreme Court agrees to hear Rhiness case, theyll again need to decide how to weigh just a few words, uttered decades ago and now mostly forgotten.

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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Key accused in the murder case Naveen Kumar claims that he travelled to a Sanstha ashram in Mangalore on the invitation of a local HJS leader on September 5, 2017, and learnt the next day from TV reports that Gauri Lankesh had been killed. (Photo: File)

Bengaluru: The ongoing probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Karnataka police into the murder of journalist and social activist Gauri Lankesh has unearthed another link to the extremist Hindutva Sanatan Sanstha and its affiliate Hindu Janajagruti Samiti.

According to a report in The Indian Express, Mohan Gowda, Bengaluru-based coordinator of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) put K T Naveen Kumar, key accused in the case, in touch with the Sanstha unit during the planning phase of Gauri Lankesh murder.

K T Naveen Kumar, an activist of the Hindu Yuva Sena and resident of Maddur was arrested on March 2, 2018 for allegedly providing logistical support to a group that came from outside Karnataka to shoot Gauri Lankesh at her Bengaluru home on September 5, 2017. Four of Naveen Kumar's associates were taken into custody last week for the murder of the journalist and plotting to kill Kannada writer K S Bhagwan.

According to the report, based on a voluntary statement by Naveen Kumar, Gowda allegedly connected him in 2017 to Sujeet Kumar alias Praveen, a 37-year-old Udupi resident, who was part of this unit and was arrested on May 31.

When The Indian Express contacted Mohan Gowda, he said: It is a police conspiracy. We will hold a press conference soon on behalf of the HJS to speak on these issues.

The others arrested are Amol Kale alias Bhaisab (39) an activist of the HJS from Maharashtra, Amit Degwekar alias Pradeep (39) a Sanatan Sanstha activist and resident of Goa and Manohar Edave (28) a resident of Vijayapura in Karnataka.

In his statement, Naveen Kumar made a reference to an annual convention of the Sanstha he attended in Goas Ponda in June 2017 where he expressed his personal views that the use if weapons and arms is necessary to protect the Hindu dharma.

On the second day, there was a discussion on the protection of the Hindu dharma I participated in the discussion and expressed my personal view that the use of weapons and arms is necessary to protect the Hindu dharma Impressed by my speech, many people congratulated me. Mohan Gowda praised me a lot. I told him I can procure guns and bullets. He told me there were many like-minded people and they would be contacting me in the coming days, Naveen Kumar claims.

The police chargesheet had earlier revealed the accused had killed journalist and social activist Gauri Lankesh because they were angry with her for speaking against Hindu dharma, Gods of Hindu dharma and insulting Hindu dharma.

Also Read: Gauri Lankesh 'anti-Hindu', had to be killed, confesses arrested man

As per the written statement, a few days after the convention, he received a phone call seeking a meeting from a man who identified himself as Praveen  the call was from a public booth. He told me that my phone number had been provided by Mohan Gowda from Bengaluru, claims the statement.

I called up Mohan Gowda and asked him about the call He (Mohan Gowda) told me the caller was part of his organisation and a person with my mindset. He told me to carry on working with the caller, Naveen Kumar claims.

After a few days, caller Praveen, as per the statement, visited Naveen Kumar and and his wife soon after and collected some bullets that were in his possession to verify whether they could be useful. Soon after, he told Naveen Kumar that he needed assistance to kill Gauri Lankesh.

On August 19 and 20, 2017, the statement claims, the HJS organised an event in Bengaluru, which was attended by the man identified as Praveen. On the last day of the event, Praveen took Naveen Kumar to a park near the venue in the Vijayanagar area of Bengaluru and told him that he needed assistance to kill Gauri Lankesh, claims the statement, reports The Indian Express.

He told me Gauri Lankesh had been speaking in an insulting manner about Hindus and Hindu Gods, and that they had decided to kill her, Naveen Kumar claims adding that he subsequently travelled to a Sanstha ashram in Mangalore on the invitation of a local HJS leader on September 5, 2017, and learnt the next day from TV reports that Gauri Lankesh had been killed.Arvind Kejriwal along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia as well as Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai met Anil Baijal and demanded that he direct the IAS officers to call off their 'strike' and punish those who struck work 'for four months'. (Photo: Twitter | @ArvindKejriwal)

New Delhi: Amid high drama, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues met Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Monday evening and decided to stay put at his office till their three demands were accepted, including a direction to IAS officers to end their "strike" and action against officers who have struck work for "four months".

Arvind Kejriwal tweeted at 6 pm from the waiting room of the LG office that a letter was handed over to Baijal but he refused to take action.

"Handed him this letter. LG refuses to take action. LG is under constitutional duty to act. Left wid no option, we have politely told LG that we will not leave till he acts on all points. We hv come out of his chamber n sitting in his waiting room (sic)," he tweeted.

Handed him this letter. LG refuses to take action. LG is under constitutional duty to act. Left wid no option, we have politely told LG that we will not leave till he acts on all points. We hv come out of his chamber n sitting in his waiting room pic.twitter.com/UwsVqqU69g  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 11, 2018

Arvind Kejriwal along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and other cabinet colleagues Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai met Baijal and demanded that he direct the IAS officers to call off their "strike" and punish those who struck work "for four months".

He also asked the LG to approve his government's proposal on doorstep delivery of rations scheme. "In the history of independent India, this is the first time that IAS officers on strike for four months. Why?" he questioned. He also asserted that the scheme on doorstep deliver of rations should be implemented as it will help people and remove corruption.

In the history of independent India, this is the first time that IAS officers on strike for four months. Why?  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 11, 2018

"We have been urging Hon'ble LG for last many months but LG refused," he said. The AAP dispensation claimed that several efforts were made to end the "strike" by IAS officers due to which government work has been suffering in past four months. Sisodia said that he met and wrote to the LG five times about the strike but he did "nothing" to end it "How can elected govt work, if Hon LG supports IAS officers strike like this," he tweeted from Raj Niwas.

The AAP government and the bureaucracy have been at loggerheads since the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by AAP MLAs at Kejriwal's residence on the intervening night of February 19-20.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal accused the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the Centre of "unleashing" the Lieutenant Governor, IAS officials and agencies such as the CBI, ED, I-T Department and the Delhi Police on the AAP government to stall its functioning. He alleged that Delhi government officials, who have been boycotting meetings with AAP ministers for four months after the alleged assault on Prakash, are being "threatened" into continuing their strike.

"The strike is being orchestrated by the PMO and coordinated by the LG (Anil Baijal)," Kejriwal told reporters.Bengaluru: It was a 'frothy' welcome for Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister G. Parameshwar when he went on an inspection drive of Bellandur Lake, along with a battery of officials, on Monday.

Mr Parameshwar had a first-hand experience of the problem at Bellandur lake, which has earned a bad reputation for Bengaluru at the international level. He also experienced a shower of froth during the inspection.

Taking stock of the condition of the lake which has caught fire five times in two years, he asked BDA officials what steps have been taken to contain the fire and frothing.

BBMP officials said that indiscriminate dumping of garbage was a major problem and now 24 lake marshals have been appointed to prevent it. Besides, CCTV cameras too have been installed around the lake to curb the menace, they said. Mayor Sampath Raj, who accompanied the minister, said that fires have been noticed in the land belonging to defence forces, but defence authorities prevent BBMP staff from dousing the fires.

Residents around the lake told the minister that the stench and frothing are unbearable. They, however, appreciated the work being done by lake marshals, and said illegal dumping at the lake has reduced after their appointment. "With marshals catching waste dumpers almost every day, it is a step in the right direction. The marshals have definitely brought in a change, but there is only so much that a few Marshals can do. The sheer vastness of the lake makes it difficult for them too," said Srinivas, a resident.

Promising to solve the problem of frothing and stench in three months, Mr Parameshwar directed officials to ensure that the sewage treatment plant is fully functional. He told the officials to slap notices and impose penalties on individuals and companies responsible for dumping and frothing of the lake.

The government has allocated Rs 30 crore for the development of 167 lakes in the last two years, he said.

Drive against encroachments

"A drive against encroachment of lakes will be taken up shortly. The government extends its full support to clear encroachments and to arrest flooding in the city," he said. Earlier, he inspected the Kaggadasapura Lake and directed officials to set up sewage treatment plants. He also directed the BBMP to part with one acre of land to the BWSSB to set up the STP.Nepal welcomes Trump-Kim historic summit

Nepal has welcomed the historic summit held between President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea in Singapore on Tuesday.The harvest of barley is likely to decrease by 4 percent to 7.1 million tonnes.

The UkrAgroConsult agriculture consultancy on Tuesday cut its forecast for Ukraine's 2018/19 crop year wheat and barley harvest and exports due to a severe drought across the country.

Read alsoUkrainian farmers export almost 36.5 mln tonnes of grain since July 1

The consultancy reduced its wheat harvest forecast by 3 percent to 25.5 million tonnes and exports to 16 million tonnes from 17 million tonnes forecasted in May, Reuters wrote.

The harvest of barley is likely to decrease by 4 percent to 7.1 million tonnes, while 2018/19 barley exports could fall to 3.7 million tonnes from the previous estimate of 4 million tonnes, the consultancy said in a statement.Ukrainian ATGMs prove to be no worse than Javelins  military expert

According to Badrak, the Ukrainian ATGMs hit targets in the same way as U.S. Javelins.

If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+EnterNBU expects to get next IMF tranche in 2018

The IMF mission is expected to arrive in Kyiv.

If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+EnterRussia seizes nearly 90% of Ukraine's Black Sea fishery resources

Deputy head of the State Fishery Agency noted that in such conditions, fishing in the Azov Sea remains important for Ukraine.

If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+EnterWhat do you think about our new website?

Share your opinionOn February 27th, 2014, Russian military forces, wearing masks and no military insignia, infiltrated Ukraines Crimean Peninsula, took over the Supreme Council of Crimea and proceeded to capture strategic sites across the peninsula. Ultimately, this action led to the installation of a pro-Russian government in Crimea, and in March, an illegitimate, fabricated referendum there that attempted to legitimize Russias annexation of Ukrainian territory.

When Russian forces entered the Crimean capital in 2014, it was a direct violation of the UN Charter, said U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nikki Haley at a UN Security Council meeting in late May.Since then, Russia has pushed into eastern Ukraine, creating a humanitarian crisis that threatens millions.

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia, which is fighting through a proxy of separatist militias, rapidly expanded to other parts of eastern Ukraine, particularly the Donbass region, and continues today. And despite its transparent denials, there is no doubt that Russia is driving the conflict.

The militants in eastern Ukraine report directly to the Russian military, which arms them, trains them, leads them, and fights alongside them. Russias combined forces in eastern Ukraine include thousands of tanks, armored vehicles, and heavy artillery.

Indeed, Russias actions have created a catastrophe of suffering in Ukraine, said Ambassador Haley.

This is not a frozen conflict  the month of May has seen security conditions worsen with increased ceasefire violations, higher civilian casualties, and growing military casualties.

Russia can unilaterally fix this wrong. And the first step is acknowledging it, said Ambassador Haley. Resolution of this conflict is not only possible, it is profoundly straightforward. Russia needs to withdraw its military forces and equipment, call on its proxies to honor the ceasefire, and fulfill its commitments under the Minsk agreements.

We condemn, in the strongest terms, Russias involvement in eastern Ukraine and its purported annexation of Crimea. Until Russia returns the Crimean Peninsula to Ukrainian control, U.S. sanctions related to the invasion of Crimea will continue. And until Russia pulls its forces out of eastern Ukraine and honors its Minsk commitments, our sanctions in response to its flagrant misconduct in the eastern part of the country will stay in place.Officials grill 3 accused over money laundering

The Department of Money Laundering Investigation on Monday interrogated three main accused in the 33kg gold smuggling case about their illegal income.President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, or DPRK, held a historic summit in Singapore on June 12.

Both leaders discussed how to build a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. In a joint statement, President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to North Korea, and Chairman Kim reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The United States and the DPRK vowed to recover the remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

President Trump and Chairman Kim agreed to implementthe joint statement fully and expeditiously. They also committed to hold follow-on negotiations, led by the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a relevant high-level DPRK official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the summit.

In the meantime, said President Trump in a press conference, the sanctions will remain in effect. But he painted a picture of a potentially much brighter future for North Korea:

We dream of a future where all Koreans can live together in harmony, where families are reunited and hopes are reborn and where the light of peace chases away the darkness of war. This bright future is within and this is whats happening. Its within our reach.

President Trump described the historic meeting as the beginning of an arduous process. He stressed, Our eyes are wide open, but peace is always worth the effort, especially in this case.

The past, noted President Trump, does not have to define the future. Yesterdays conflict does not have to be tomorrows war. And as history has proven over and over again, adversaries can indeed become friends. President Trump added that there is no limit to what North Korea can achieve when it gives up its nuclear weapons and embraces commerce and engagement with the rest of the world.

Chairman Kim has the chance to seize an incredible future for his people, said President Trump. Anyone can make war, but only the most courageous can make peace.The largest business groups of Ukraine badly service their loans, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has said, not disclosing the names of business groups.

"Excluding Privat Group, the share of bad debts of the top five largest business groups is 82%. With Privat it is 93!" Deputy Director of the Financial Stability Department of the NBU Yevhen Dubohryz said at the presentation of the fifth report on financial stability on Tuesday.

According to the document, the total volume of gross loans issued to the five largest business groups is about UAH 125 billion, or 14% of all loans of the corporate sector.

The National Bank said that the top ten business groups account for 21% of all loans, that the top twenty - 27%, while the share of bad loans they have is 79% and 76% respectively.

"We have a lot of loans issued to large borrowers or major business groups, and it is the largest business groups - debtors of Ukraine  that have the worst payment discipline," Dubohryz said.

He said that in the course of negotiations with borrowers and banks, the National Bank sees a negative trend that large unscrupulous borrowers are deliberately delaying the restructuring of debts, and sometimes require preferential terms from banks, for example, writing off part of the debt or zero interest for years with redemption at the end of the term.

"Generally speaking, debtors now have more power, especially opportunities, not to pay their debts, than banks when they work with these debtors," the representative of the National Bank said. He called for the adoption of laws on the protection of creditors and the reform of the judicial system.

"If the banks are not coordinated to settle the debts of large groups, these debts will never be returned," the NBU said in the new report.Ukraine hopes to receive natural gas via the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) in the future, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"Ukraine fully supports this project today we agreed that we would be glad to diversify our energy sources and receive gas from TANAP via Bulgaria and Romania," Poroshenko said at a ceremony of launching TANAP in Turkey on Tuesday.

He said that Ukraine always supports European initiatives in the diversification of energy supplies.

The TANAP opening ceremony took place in the Turkish city of Eskisehir with the participation of presidents of Turkey and Azerbaijan.

The 1,850-kilometer Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) will be transporting gas of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 field from the Turkish eastern border with Georgia to the Turkish western border.

The TANAP ground-breaking ceremony took place in the Turkish province of Kars on March 17, 2015. The gas pipeline will be transporting at least 16 billion cubic meters of gas, including 10 billion to Europe and 6 billion to western Turkey. The project cost is $7.99 billion.

The pipeline's annual capacity will grow to 24 billion cubic meters at first, and 31 billion cubic meters in the later period.Anup Ojha is a reporter for The Kathmandu Post primarily covering social issues and human interest stories. Before moving to the social beat, Ojha covered arts and culture for the Post for four years.Normandy Four ministers confirm need to observe ceasefire in eastern Ukraine - Maas

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has said that the foreign ministers of the Normandy Four managed to discuss a number of steps that would ensure a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.

"All sides once more voiced support for a lasting ceasefire, including the withdrawal of heavy weapons, the disengagement of troops and demining," he said at a press conference on June 11 following the Normandy Four meeting.

At the same time, Maas spoke out for the protection and granting of access to observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

"We had a very detailed and constructive dialogue with each other today," Maas said.The authorities of France and Germany are ready to assist in mine clearance work in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has said.

"France and Germany have offered participation in demining, allocating additional funds, as well as providing expert advice," he told reporters in Berlin.

In addition, the French minister stressed the need for greater protection of civilian sites.

"Basic civilian infrastructure facilities, such as a filtration station in Donetsk, should be better protected," he said, adding that the decision that will be worked out in the case of this station can later be used as a model for ensuring security of many other facilities.Russian-backed militants have fired 27 times at the positions of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) in Donbas over the past 24 hours, including 11 times with the use of heavy weapons, wounding three Ukrainian servicemen, the JFO press center has said.

"The intensity of hostilities in the area of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) remained steadily controlled over the past day, on June 11. Russian occupation forces violated the ceasefire regime 27 times, using 11 times the weapons banned by the Minsk agreement," reads a report as of 07:00 on Tuesday, which was published on the Facebook page of the JFO press center.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, two militants were killed and three wounded.The foreign ministers of the Normandy Four countries (Germany, France, Ukraine, and Russia) at a meeting in Berlin, Germany, discussed the possibility of holding a meeting of the head of state of the Normandy format in the near future, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said.

"We need to determine if there is any sense for the meeting at the top level. We spoke today about the importance of such a meeting in the near future. We did not determine specific dates, but we agreed to work further to determine the general framework and leave two or three issues that have exclusively political significance for the decisions of the heads of state," Klimkin said at a briefing after the Normandy format meeting in Berlin early on Tuesday.

"When we have such logic, we will be able to approach the summit," he added.

At the same time, Klimkin said that in the issue of deploying peacekeepers to Donbas the positions of the foreign ministers "are in different universes."

"We understand our agreements differently, we absolutely understand in different ways what the mission should be like. [Russian Foreign Minister Sergei] Lavrov insists that this should be the fake protection of the [OSCE] SMM," he said.

According to him, the issue of political prisoners and exchange of hostages was also raised at the meeting in Berlin.

"It is very important that [German Foreign Minister] Heiko [Maas] and [French Foreign Minister] Jean-Yves [Le Drian] received very special emotions after meeting with the relatives of hostages, so today we were together, pressurizing Lavrov and telling him that Russia does not want to take away Russians, does not want to talk about exchanges, does not want to really complete the exchange in Donbas, does not want to start searching for those who disappeared in Donbas, along with the Red Cross. In the end, Lavrov even admitted that this is not a political problem," Klimkin said.Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze has said Russian special services are actively trying to discredit Ukrainian patriots by branding them anti-Semitic.

"We have serious threats that do not always come from Ukrainian roots [...] The threats to our partnership that we see are, in particular, the effective use by the Russian special services of the so-called 'Jewish card' in Ukraine and attempts to equate between Ukrainian patriots and anti-Semites," she said at a conference, dubbed "The Experience of the State of Israel: Lessons for Ukraine," held on Tuesday in Kyiv.

According to her, even the Soviet special services did the same then.

"And now, with renewed vigor, attempts have been made to discredit the movement for independence in Ukraine," Klympush-Tsintsadze said.

"I do not want to say that there is no such problem at all. It would be irresponsible, but we are discussing those cases of vandalism or attacks in Ukraine and doing everything we can to effectively investigate and prevent new cases like this," she said.

Klympush-Tsintsadze stressed that during 2017 there were no recorded cases of violence against the Jewish community.Ukraine submits to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) a memorandum on the violation by Russia of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said.

"Today, the Russian Federation will receive from us a kind of 'gift' to the International Court of Justice. It weighs about 90 kg, consists of 17,500 pages of text and is contained in 29 volumes," Klimkin wrote on his Twitter page on Tuesday.

"We are submitting our memorandum on the financing of terrorism and racial discrimination," he added.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that the submission of a memorandum to the International Court of Justice in the case of Ukraine against Russia on the violation of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination was an important stage in bringing Russia to justice.

"It is very symbolic that the International Court of Justice selected June 12  Russia Day  for the submission of a memorandum in the case of Ukraine against Russia on the violation of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The provision of the memorandum in the case against Russia is an important stage in proving that the Russian Federation will be liable for all its illegal actions," Poroshenko wrote on his Facebook page.The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) refutes reports about the alleged existence of the so-called "secret prisons of the SBU" and states that evidence has already been collected about torture of around 500 Ukrainian citizens in some areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

"The Security Service of Ukraine once again refutes unreliable reports about the existence of the so-called 'secret prisons of the SBU.' We emphasize that the Service operates exclusively within the framework of the current legislation. All procedural actions with detainees are conducted in accordance with the clauses of the Criminal Procedure Code, which is confirmed by the results of inspections of representatives of international organizations on the protection of human rights," the SBU said in a press release on Tuesday.

At the same time, the SBU said it had collected documentary evidence of almost 500 Ukrainian citizens - former hostages in occupied areas in Donbas - about specific facts of physical torture and psychological harassment during hostage-taking.

"We call on all human rights organizations to provide assistance to former hostages of Russian terrorist groups in preparing relevant appeals to the ECHR," the SBU said.Hungary continues to block the possibility of holding a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission at the highest level, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze has said.

"So far, Hungary continues to block the possibility of holding a Ukraine-NATO Commission meeting at the highest level of heads of state and government. We continue to work with Hungary and our other partners to still have this opportunity," she told reporters in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Klympush-Tsintsadze noted that at the moment Ukraine has the highest level of cooperation with all signatories of the charter on distinctive partnership.

She recalled that the president of Ukraine had been invited to the NATO summit.

Klympush-Tsintsadze added that the Ukrainian side would work until the last moment so that the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission takes place.

On September 26, 2017, Hungary's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade announced it would block Ukraine's rapprochement with the European Union because of the law on education. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry sent the law to the Venice Commission for vetting. On December 8, the Ukrainian Education and Science Ministry reported that the Venice Commission had not supported Hungary's accusation of narrowing the ethnic minorities' rights in the article on the language of instruction in Ukraine's law on education. Ukraine's Ministry of Education and Science declared its readiness to implement the recommendations of the commission and developed three models for the implementation of the language article in the law on general secondary education.

A meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission, which was to be held on February 14 or 15 as part of a meeting of defense ministers of all member countries of the alliance, was blocked by Hungary, which applied the right of veto.

In April, Hungary blocked a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO commission at the level of foreign ministers.Ukraine has filed a memorandum with the International Court of Justice in the framework of the lawsuit against Russia on the violation of the International Convention on the Prohibition of the Financing of Terrorism and the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, further, the Ukrainian party expects an objection to the jurisdiction of the court, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine for European Integration Olena Zerkal has said.

"Evidence of a breach of international law by Russia was filed with the International Court of Justice in The Hague ... After submitting the memorandum, Russia will have the right to file its objections about the jurisdiction of the court to consider this case. Just like in Georgia vs. Russia case, the latter will take advantage of this right, and in three months we will receive these objections," she wrote on her Facebook page on Tuesday.

Zerkal also added that considering the existing practice, consideration of the issue of jurisdiction will take about one year and a half.

"After that, the written and oral stage of consideration of the case will last, in general, everything will take several more years," the deputy minister said.

She clarified that while the trial is underway, Russia has the opportunity at any time to recognize the illegality of its actions and to resolve the situation.

"And if Russia continues to resist, then the responsibility of Russia as a state for international illegal actions will be established by the court." One way or another, justice will triumph," Zerkal summed up.

The deputy minister recalled that since 2014 on the territory of Ukraine illegal armed groups have committed a number of acts that are considered terrorist in accordance with the Convention on the prohibition of the financing of terrorism.

In particular, we are talking about the crash of the MH17 flight, the shelling of civilians in Mariupol, Kramatorsk, Avdiyivka, Volnovakha and terrorist acts in Kharkiv, Odesa and Kyiv."

"Russia supplied arms and coordinated the commission of these acts, which is the financing of terrorism, in accordance with the Convention. And therefore, Russia must be held accountable as a state for violating the requirements of the Convention to prevent such financing."

Also, according to Zerkal, Russia, in violation of the laws of occupation, which in itself is illegal, applies its legislation to discriminate against Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians in Crimea.

Earlier on this day, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin said that a memorandum on the violation by Russia of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination weighs about 90 kg, consists of 17,500 pages of text and is contained in 29 volumes.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that the submission of a memorandum to the International Court of Justice in the case of Ukraine against Russia on the violation of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination was an important stage in bringing Russia to justice.

"It is very symbolic that the International Court of Justice selected June 12  Russia Day  for the submission of a memorandum in the case of Ukraine against Russia on the violation of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The provision of the memorandum in the case against Russia is an important stage in proving that the Russian Federation will be liable for all its illegal actions," Poroshenko wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday.KYIV. June 12 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Since the beginning of the annexation of Crimea by Russia, human rights organizations have recorded 181 cases of inhuman treatment of the inhabitants of the peninsula, of which 55 cases involve torture, NGO CrimeaSOS head Tamila Tasheva has said.

"As of June 11, 2018, at least 181 cases of torture and inhuman treatment were recorded, of which 55 involved torture cases and 126 are inhumane treatment," Tasheva told a news conference at the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news agency in Kyiv on Tuesday.

According to her, the first cases of inhumane treatment of people and torture were registered in March 2014 and were related to Russia's special operation to seize Crimea.

Head of Unit of the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (the central office is located in Kyiv) Maksym Kandzioba said the Crimean prosecutor's office is initiating criminal cases on all facts of torture and inhuman treatment of people in the temporarily occupied territory.

"Currently, about 140 criminal cases have been registered," he said.Province 4 approves policies and programmes

The policies and programmes unveiled by the Province 4 government for fiscal year 2018/19 have been endorsed by the Province Assembly meeting with majority votes on Tuesday.KYIV. June 12 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Belarus has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine in the form of food, furniture, including children's furniture, and refrigerators, First Deputy Minister for Emergency Situations of Belarus Alexander Khudoleev has said.

"In accordance with the agreements reached after the meetings of the heads of state of Ukraine and Belarus, the government of Belarus decided to send another humanitarian convoy," he said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine in Kyiv on Tuesday.

According to Khudoleev, four trucks have already crossed the Ukrainian-Belarusian border.

He also said that the humanitarian aid includes food products, in particular, rapeseed oil, canned food, sugar, yeast, pasta, flour, buckwheat, as well as furniture and refrigerators. The total weight of humanitarian cargo is 80 tonnes.

According to the official, foodstuffs will be unloaded in Kyiv at the warehouses of the mission of the International Committee of the Red Cross, where food kits will be formed for the transfer to those needy.

The trucks will then leave for Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

Ukraine's Deputy Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons Heorhiy Tuka noted the importance of assistance including furniture for children's educational institutions. According to him, this year, about 30 schools in Donetsk region will resume operations after major repairs or elimination of damages caused by shelling.

In addition, Tuka said: "We, as a ministry, will do everything possible to ensure that logistics is provided at the highest level, so that there are no obstacles. There are all agreements with the Interior Ministry regarding escorts, as there are a large number of checkpoints on the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions."U.S. President Donald Trump's Republican allies in Congress are moving to block his deal to put Chinese telecom giant ZTE back in business if it pays $1 billion more in fines for violating U.S. sanctions against Iran.

Lawmakers said on June 11 that the U.S. Senate will vote as soon as this week on bipartisan legislation to block the deal, which would allow the company to start buying equipment from U.S. suppliers again once its pays the fine and changes its management.

The Chinese company has been accused of violating U.S. sanctions by selling sensitive equipment to both North Korea and Iran. After Trump announced his deal with China and ZTE last week, Senate leaders said they would seek to reverse it.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers have said they believe ZTE's sales to Iran represent particularly "dangerous" breaches of U.S. national security. Legislators said they are planning to block the ZTE deal in an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, a big defense policy bill the Senate is due to debate this week.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers introduced the amendment last week. Among other things, it would restore penalties on ZTE for violating U.S. export controls and bar U.S. government agencies from purchasing or leasing equipment or services from the Chinese company.

Republican Senator Tom Cotton and Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, sponsors of the amendment, said Senate leaders have agreed to include their proposal in the defense bill's "manager's package," which usually includes only non-controversial amendments that are added to the legislation by unanimous consent.

Once the defense legislation passes the Senate, it must be reconciled with the House version of the bill before it can be sent to the White House for Trump's signature or veto.

Based on reporting by AP and ReutersMacedonia and Greece say they have reached a deal to resolve their 27-year dispute over the former Yugoslav republic's name.

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said on June 12 that Athens and Skopje agreed on the name Republic of North Macedonia, or Severna Makedonija in Macedonian, to end the row that has hampered Macedonia's ambitions to join both the European Union and NATO.

"There is no way back," he told a news conference after a telephone conversation with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

Zaev said the deal preserved the Macedonian ethnic and cultural identity, while Tsipras said in a televised statement that the accord will allow a clear distinction between Greece's province of Macedonia and the country.

The Greek prime minister also said that Macedonia's name change would be reflected both domestically and internationally.

"We have a deal. I'm happy because we have a good deal which covers all the preconditions set by the Greek side," Tsipras said in televised comments.

Under the deal, the country's language will be Macedonian and its citizens known as Macedonians, reports said.

The text is expected to be signed by the end of the week before being sent to the Macedonian parliament for ratification. The proposed name will also go to a referendum in Macedonia later this year.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the "historic agreement" and called on the two sides to finalize it.

"This will set Skopje on its path to NATO membership. And it will help to consolidate peace and stability across the wider Western Balkans," Stoltenberg said in a statement.

The European Union congratulated Tsipras and Zaev for their "determination and leadership in reaching this historic agreement."

"We now look forward to the [European] Council endorsing our recommendation of 17 April to open accession negotiations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in June," EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini and EU Enlargement Negotiations Commissioner Johannes Hahn said in a joint statement.

Skopje and Athens have recently stepped up United Nations-brokered negotiations to resolve their name dispute, which dates back to 1991 when Macedonia peacefully broke away from Yugoslavia, declaring its independence under the name Republic of Macedonia.

Athens objected to its neighbor's new name, saying it implied a territorial claim over Greece's province of the same name, which borders the Balkan country.

Because of Greek objections, Macedonia was admitted to the UN under a provisional name, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Greece, an EU and NATO member, has also cited the dispute to veto Macedonia's bid to join the two organizations.

On June 6, thousands of people protested in major cities across Greece against the compromise, while, four days earlier, like numbers of supporters of Macedonia's right-wing opposition VMRO-DPMNE party took to the streets of the capital, Skopje, to protest against a deal.

With reporting by Reuters, AP and AFPForuzan Faghiri was 3 years old when her family fled war in Afghanistan for neighboring Iran.

The Faghiris found shelter and education while at the same time coping with the discrimination and restrictions that Afghan refugees routinely face in Iran.

Yet Faghiri persevered, becoming a conspicuous success among Afghan immigrants to Iran.

The 29-year-old physicist's work was recently highlighted in the government daily Iran, which suggested that the young woman's creativity and technological prowess could help Tehran combat its stubborn pollution problem.

There are an estimated 3 million Afghans living in Iran: 1 million of them registered and around 2 million of them undocumented refugees living in legal limbo.

They frequently face discrimination and resentment among other Iranians who blame them for joblessness and other social ills, and are thought to have been recruited by the hundreds for combat duty in nearby Syria, where Tehran ally President Bashar al-Assad has been waging a 7-year battle for survival.

"It wasn't just a few," Faghiri says of the problems she encountered growing up as an Afghan in Iranian society.

'Starting In Minus'

At one point, Faghiri said, she was expelled from middle school over her nationality. Her parents managed to get her enrolled again two months later, she added.Officials of the Islamic Republic lambasted Israel on Monday, June 11, for launching a Persian website to assist people and farmers of Iran to recycle water.

Calling Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu a deceitful showman, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said, I dont know to what extent one should respond to the remarks of a deceitful showman.

Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had released a two-minute video in which he offered Israels water expertise to Iran, which he said faces an environmental disaster due to persistent drought.

Today Im going to make an unprecedented offer to Iran, Netanyahu said in the English-language video, which featured links to the State of Israels Persian website with information about water shortage, and to a Persian-language Telegram Channel.

More than 15,000 people watched the video immediately after it was released.

Responding to the widely watched video, Qassemi said This is not the first time that Netanyahu makes such irrelevant comments, adding, The Israeli prime minister had better first stop the massacre of Palestinians and the crimes that he is committing on a daily basis.

Responding to questions raised by reporters, Qassemi also insisted, The Iranian nation, with such population and capability, is definitely able to resolve its own problems and do not need this jugglery.

However, without any reference to water mismanagement the Islamic Republic establishment is accused of, Qassemi also did not elaborate on the reasons that have triggered recent water crisis in Iran and led to widespread protests in Provinces of Isfahan and Khuzestan.

Qassemi was echoing earlier comments made by the head of Department of Environment (DOE) and Deputy President Isa Kalanatri.

Netanyahu is overstepping; Irans environment is none of his business. Hed better look after his own business, Kalantari told pro-reform website Entekhab on Monday, insisting, Netanyahu may do whatever he likes, but hed rather clean up the mess he has created.

However, the US educated and twice Minister of Agriculture (1989-2001), the 65-year old Kalantari preferred not to elaborate on the mess he was talking about.

Previously, Kalantari has repeatedly warned that 50 million people Will soon be forced to relocate under the pressure of water crisis in Iran.

In his recent video addressed to the people of Iran, Netanyahu used Kalantaris remarks to enforce his argument, Issa Kalantari, a former Iranian agriculture minister, said that 50 million Iranians could be forced out of their homes due to environmental damage. 50 million!

Going further, Netanyahu argued, Millions of Iranian children are suffering from mismanagement, inefficiency, and the theft of vital resources by the Iranian regime.

While admitting Israels past challenges with shortage of water, Netanyahu told the Iranians, Israel has the know-how to prevent environmental catastrophe in Iran. I want to share this information with the people of Iran.

A long-lasting drought has repeatedly made headlines in Iran during past months.

In current situation of the water crisis, 70% of the Iranian population should leave the country, Kalantari has ominously predicted.

A member of the influential Expediency Council, former deputy President Mostafa Hashemi Taba has gone further, saying, If the problem of water is not addressed, the Islamic Republic will be wiped off along with Iran.

Minister of Energy, Reza Ardakanian has also predicted that 334 cities with nearly 35 million people are going to suffer water crisis during summertime.

One reason behind Irans water crisis is ill-planned and haphazard construction of numerous dams in recent decades.

In a June 7 article, Benjamin Walsh, a research analyst at Global Food and Water Crises Research Programme, argues that the bulk of the blame for Irans water crisis falls on the Islamic regime and its Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

Mismanagement, corruption and total rejection of responsibility by the state are the root problems for the looming catastrophe.

The role of the Iranian regime is an overlooked factor in the countrys ongoing water crisis. It continues to silence critics of government policies that have contributed to the crisis, Walsh writes.ANKARA, June 12 (Reuters)

Iran has voiced support for a potential Turkish operation against Kurdish militants just over its border in northern Iraq, Turkish Defence Minister Nurettin Canikli said on Tuesday.

The Turkish military has ramped up air strikes in northern Iraq targeting Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) bases in Qandil, close to the Iraq-Iran border, where high-ranking members of the militant group are thought to be located.

The government has also said Turkish troops have deployed roughly 30 km (nearly 20 miles) inside northern Iraq, not far from Qandil.

"Our offer to Iran was to carry out the operation together. Iran, in its remarks at least, has voiced very important support," Canikli told a roundtable interview with the state-run Anadolu news agency.

There was no immediate confirmation of his assertion from Tehran.

Canikli said Turkey was also in full agreement with Baghdad on a potential operation into Qandil, adding that Ankara was in talks with "all possible countries" on the matter.

Iraq, however, said it would not accept any Turkish operation against Qandil or other PKK strongholds.

"The Iraqi government will not accept any advance on its land by Turkish forces in pursuit of the PKK elements currently present in the Sinjar, Makhmour and Qandil mountains," Saad al-Hadithi, a spokesman for Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told the Iraqi News Agency.

He added that the Iraqi government would "absolutely not allow" any aggression from inside its land against Turkey or other states.

Canikli however said there were "serious attacks and infiltration" into Turkey from Qandil, and that Turkey would remain in northern Iraq until all terrorists groups were removed.

"Our goal now is to be a lasting presence there until terror is completely removed, we will remain in northern Iraq," he said.

With a large Kurdish population of its own, concentrated in the southeast, Ankara has long resisted Kurdish ambitions for independence in Iraq, Syria or Iran, fearing it could inflame separatism inside Turkey.

An offensive against the PKK in Qandil would mark Turkey's third cross-border operation since 2016, with the first two targeting Kurdish militia fighters in northern Syria.

Last week, Turkey and the United States also endorsed a roadmap for the withdrawal of the Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara considers a terrorist organisation linked to the PKK, from the northern Syrian city of Manbij.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis told Pentagon reporters that Turkish and U.S. officials would meet in Germany this week to discuss the details of the roadmap, namely joint patrols inside Manbij to secure the region.

Canikli also said officials would discuss the Manbij roadmap during talks in Germany this week.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ece Toksabay; Additional reporting by Phil Stewart in Washington and Ahmed Aboulenein in Baghdad; Editing by Dominic Evans)UNITED NATIONS/WASHINGTON, June 11 (Reuters)

The United Nations is engaged in "intense" shuttle diplomacy between the Iran-aligned Houthi group in Yemen, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in a bid to avert an attack on Yemen's Hodeidah port city, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres said on Monday.

A Saudi-led coalition military attack or siege on the Houthi-held western city, long a target in the war, could cost up to 250,000 lives in a worst-case scenario, the United Nations has warned. The Red Sea port is a lifeline for millions of people, handling most of the country's commercial imports and humanitarian aid supplies.

The U.N. Security Council met behind closed doors on Monday at the request of Britain to be briefed on the situation after heavy fighting erupted near Hodeidah on Friday and Saturday.

"We are, at the present moment, in intense consultation," Guterres told reporters on Monday. I hope that it will be possible to avoid a battle for Hodeidah.

Correspondence sent from European donor governments to aid groups in Yemen on Saturday warned that "a military assault now looks imminent," according to the text of the correspondence seen by Reuters.

"The Emiratis have informed us today that they will now give a 3-day grace period for the UN (and their partners) to leave the city," it said.

A Western diplomat confirmed a "72 hour grace period where they (Emiratis) can guarantee they won't move," which began on Saturday.

When asked about the three-day deadline to NGOs, Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said at a news conference in Riyadh: We are working through open and continuous channels with the U.N. envoy to give a chance for a political solution.

He said past and present U.N. efforts had been met with intransigence by the Houthis who he said have refused a political solution to end the crisis.

The United Nations relocated members of its international staff from Hodeidah on Monday.

Guterres said U.N. Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths was shuttling between Sanaa and also the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday called on all parties "to honor their commitments to work with the U.N."

He said in a statement that he had spoken with leaders of the United Arab Emirates and "made clear our desire to address their security concerns while preserving the free flow of humanitarian aid and life-saving commercial imports."

Pompeo's statement, while cautionary, did not explicitly urge the Emiratis to avoid an assault on Hodeidah.

HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

Oxfam, one of the world's biggest disaster relief charities, warned about a potential assault.

"Our message is clear ... if this assault happens then it would be very difficult to imagine how difficult the situation the people in Yemen, particularly in Hodeidah, will be in," said Muhsin Siddiqui, country director of Oxfam.

Griffiths has been working on a peace plan that calls on the Houthi group to give up its ballistic missiles in return for an end to a Saudi-led coalition bombing campaign and a transitional governance agreement. He is due to brief the U.N. Security Council later this month.

Previous U.N. efforts have failed to end the more than three-year-old conflict which pits the Houthis, who seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, against other Yemeni forces backed by a coalition loyal to exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and led by U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Western diplomat said there were "a couple of last ditch attempts" to try to see whether there were any options to de-escalate, including a plan to "see some sort of a temporary ceasefire," but that would involve the Houthis putting their weapons down or potentially even moving out of the port.

After briefing the Security Council on Monday, U.N. aid chief Mark Lowcock told reporters that "if for any period Hodeidah were not to operate effectively the consequences in humanitarian terms would be catastrophic."

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, acknowledged the "humanitarian crisis" in Yemen and said he had met twice with Griffiths and also spoken to him by phone.

He cited the possibility that the United States could potentially do more on humanitarian relief, if asked, but said "right now we have not been asked to do more than what we're already doing." (Reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations and Yara Bayoumy in Washington Additional reporting by Phil Stewart, Susan Heavey and Warren Strobel in Washington and Sarah Dadouch in Riyadh Editing by James Dalgleish and Tom Brown)The Taliban has killed at least 14 members of Afghanistan's security forces in an overnight attack in the Sayyad district of northern Sar-e-Pul Province, a local official said on June 12.

At least 25 others were wounded during the attack, provincial council member Noor Aga Noori said.

Noori also said that four of the injured soldiers were taken hostage by the insurgents.

In eastern Ghazni Province, a suicide bomber using a military Humvee vehicle killed at least five members of the Afghan security forces, officials said.

A spokesman for the Ghazni governor, Arif Noori, said the attack occurred on June 12 in the early hours of the morning.

At least 26 others, including a district governor and 18 police officers, were wounded in the blast, Noori said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Noori said the Humvee had been taken earlier from Afghan forces by Taliban fighters in a separate attack.

Based on reporting by dpa and APBaku, Azerbaijan, June 12

Trend:

The 10-year anniversary of the "Baku process" has been celebrated in Paris, with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Azerbaijani Embassy in France and the Permanent Mission to UNESCO.

The audience was informed about the "Baku process", and it was noted that this platform was put forward by the initiative of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in 2008 to carry out more specific activities in the field of dialogue between cultures and religions.

For more detailed information about the "Baku process", the floor was given to Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan Abulfaz Garaev. The minister expressed gratitude to the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Embassy of Azerbaijan in France and the Permanent Mission to UNESCO for organizing such an important event.

Garayev noted that this year marks not only the 10th anniversary of the "Baku process", but also the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. The minister said that representatives of different religions have been peacefully coexisting in Azerbaijan since ancient times. He stressed that over the past ten years political, religious and cultural leaders of the countries of the world have been gathering in Baku.

It was noted that in order to promote intercultural dialogue in 2008 at the conference of Ministers of Culture in Baku, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev put forward the "Baku process" initiative. In 2010, at the 65th session of the UN, the call of the President of Azerbaijan to hold the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue turned the "Baku process" from a regional initiative to a global one.

The idea of holding the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue has been supported by such influential international organizations as UNESCO, UN Alliance of Civilizations, World Tourism Organization, Council of Europe, and ISESCO, and the first Forum was held in Baku in April 2011.

A total of 6,000 representatives of states and governments, heads of international organizations, ministers of culture and ambassadors, parliamentarians, diplomats, representatives of NGOs and media, journalists and experts took part in the Forum, which has been held every two years since that year.

Garayev spoke about the international events held in Azerbaijan. He brought to attention that the 7th Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, held in Baku in 2016, was attended by 3,000 representatives from 147 countries.

In the resolution entitled as "Promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, cooperation in the name of mutual understanding and peace", the UN General Assembly highly appreciated the "Baku process" and called it an important global platform to support intercultural dialogue. Garayev added that this year the Azerbaijani government decided to combine with the "Baku process" another important international event - the Baku International Humanitarian Forum.Details added (the first version was published at 12:15)

Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

Trend:

The 10-year anniversary of the "Baku process" has been celebrated in Paris, with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Azerbaijani Embassy in France and the Permanent Mission to UNESCO.

The audience was informed about the "Baku process", and it was noted that this platform was put forward by the initiative of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in 2008 to carry out more specific activities in the field of dialogue between cultures and religions.

For more detailed information about the "Baku process", the floor was given to Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan Abulfaz Garaev. The minister expressed gratitude to the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Embassy of Azerbaijan in France and the Permanent Mission to UNESCO for organizing such an important event.

Garayev noted that this year marks not only the 10th anniversary of the "Baku process", but also the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. The minister said that representatives of different religions have been peacefully coexisting in Azerbaijan since ancient times. He stressed that over the past ten years political, religious and cultural leaders of the countries of the world have been gathering in Baku.

It was noted that in order to promote intercultural dialogue in 2008 at the conference of Ministers of Culture in Baku, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev put forward the "Baku process" initiative. In 2010, at the 65th session of the UN, the call of the President of Azerbaijan to hold the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue turned the "Baku process" from a regional initiative to a global one.

The idea of holding the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue has been supported by such influential international organizations as UNESCO, UN Alliance of Civilizations, World Tourism Organization, Council of Europe, and ISESCO, and the first Forum was held in Baku in April 2011.

A total of 6,000 representatives of states and governments, heads of international organizations, ministers of culture and ambassadors, parliamentarians, diplomats, representatives of NGOs and media, journalists and experts took part in the Forum, which has been held every two years since that year.

Garayev spoke about the international events held in Azerbaijan. He brought to attention that the 7th Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, held in Baku in 2016, was attended by 3,000 representatives from 147 countries.

In the resolution entitled as "Promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, cooperation in the name of mutual understanding and peace", the UN General Assembly highly appreciated the "Baku process" and called it an important global platform to support intercultural dialogue. Garayev added that this year the Azerbaijani government decided to combine with the "Baku process" another important international event - the Baku International Humanitarian Forum.Students, cops clash in Tanahun

Students aligned with main opposition party Nepali Congress, Nepal Students Union (NSU), clashed with police at Damauli, Tanahun district on Tuesday.Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

Trend:

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Foreign Minister of Belarus Vladimir Makey had an exchange of congratulatory letters on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry said in a message June 12.

In his letter, Mammadyarov congratulated his counterpart on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Belarus.



Noting that this anniversary is remarkable and symbolic for the two countries, Mammadyarov said that close cooperation between the countries has been developing successfully thanks to the wisdom and efforts of the leaders of the two countries.



Mammadyarov noted in his letter that the good traditions of long-term and productive Azerbaijan-Belarus cooperation on the principles of mutual trust, respect and friendship are a solid basis of the relations between the two countries in the modern period.



He said that the bilateral relations characterized by intensive political dialogue, socio-economic relations, mutual support in the international arena and continuous deepening of humanitarian cooperation have reached a strategic partnership level.



In turn, Makey in his letter addressed to Mammadyarov stressed that over the past 25 years Belarus-Azerbaijan relations have been built on the traditions of friendship, mutual understanding and trust, and embraced political, social, economic and humanitarian spheres.



Makey said that high-level and interstate contacts are developing dynamically and a number of bilateral economic projects are being implemented. He also noted that the two countries have a similar stance in relation to the challenges and threats that exist in the international arena and mutually support each other.



In his letter, Makey expressed confidence that the Belarus-Azerbaijan relations will be fruitful in the future as they are today.



Diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Belarus were established June 11, 1993.Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

Trend:

Azerbaijan does not agree with most of the stories published on Eurasianet.org about the country and considers them biased, Head of the Press Service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmet Hajiyev told Trend June 12 commenting on the information on social networks about the Eurasianet correspondent Joshua Kucera's visit to the occupied lands.

"But considering the fact that Eurasianet.org has sent a preliminary appeal to Azerbaijan about the visit of the reporter to the occupied lands, as well as the respect shown by it to the laws and territorial integrity of the country, and based on the principles of respect for freedom of media, there was no objection to the visit of the reporter," Hajiyev said.

Hajiyev noted that on May 25 and 30 the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry received two official letters signed by the Director General of Eurasianet.org, located in New York, about visit of Joshua Kuchera, Turkey & Caucasus Editor, to Nagorno-Karabakh on June 2-9.

"The letter expressed respect for the laws of Azerbaijan and understanding that Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. The letter also noted that the visit does not imply recognition of any sort of status of Karabakh or disrespect for territorial integrity and sovereignty," Hajiyev added.

He noted that the letters were accepted as an application for accreditation of media representative in Azerbaijan.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

Trend:

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with Chief Executive Officer of BP Robert Dudley in the city of Eskisehir, Turkey.

They emphasized the importance of the opening of TANAP project and noted the successful implementation of cooperation between BP and SOCAR.

During the conversation, the sides exchanged views on cooperation prospects.Details added (first version posted on 17:10)

Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

Trend:

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in Turkeys Eskisehir city.

At the meeting, the sides expressed satisfaction with the development of bilateral relations in the political, economic and other spheres between Azerbaijan and Ukraine, and noted that cooperation in the transport sphere yields good results.

During the conversation, the importance of the TANAP project, as well as its contribution to international cooperation was stressed.

At the meeting it was noted that last year the trade turnover between the two countries grew 2.5 times, and the export from Azerbaijan to Ukraine increased eight times.

It was also stressed that the volume of transit cargo supplied from Ukraine and passing through Azerbaijan doubled.

The sides also stressed the deepening of cooperation in the energy sector, expanding ties with SOCAR and increasing the number of SOCAR filling stations in Ukraine.

During the conversation, an exchange of views took place on bilateral relations and the issues of mutual interest.Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Eskisehir.

They noted that friendly and brotherly relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey are successfully developing in the political, economic and other fields. The presidents stressed the significance of the important global projects jointly implemented by Azerbaijan and Turkey, including TANAP.

They underlined that extensive cooperation was implemented in the field of energy. The heads of state expressed confidence that the bilateral relations will continue to strengthen and expand in all areas.

They exchanged views over the bilateral ties and issues of mutual interest.Details added (first version posted on 19:13)

Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

Trend:

The Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) is another victory of Turkey and Azerbaijan, said Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev.

He made the remarks addressing the opening ceremony of TANAP in Turkeys Eskisehir city June 12.

My dear brother, dear President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Dear presidents, ladies and gentlemen. First of all, I would like to express satisfaction with being on the soil of brotherly Turkey once again. We in Azerbaijan are very glad for Turkeys success under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey has turned into a great power as a result of President Erdogans tireless activity, said President Aliyev.

The head of state noted that Turkey is a country which determines the world agenda.

We in Azerbaijan are glad for that. Turkeys strength is our strength, and our strength is in our unity. We have been demonstrating this unity for many years. Today, it is very difficult to find such countries that are so close to each other and support each other so much. The unity of Turkey and Azerbaijan, their fraternity are important factors for our countries, our peoples, our region and for Eurasia, he added.

President Aliyev noted that the commissioning of TANAP today is another manifestation of the Turkey-Azerbaijan brotherhood.

TANAP is another victory of Turkey and Azerbaijan. TANAP is a historic project, said the head of state.

Today we are writing the energy history of the 21st century together. This is the history of cooperation. This is the history of stability. Our energy projects bring stability to our region. All countries, companies participating in these projects get benefit, peoples get benefit, said President Aliyev.

The head of state noted that the implementation of such a huge project as TANAP became possible thanks to the joint strong political will of Turkish and Azerbaijani leaders.

This is not the first project that we have implemented together. Prior to this, we marked the opening of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in 2006. We together opened the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline in 2007. Last year, we opened the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway together. We attended all these opening ceremonies together with my dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan. We are together today, on this historic day as well. This shows that any project put forward on our initiative is realized, because thought-out policy, strong will and our brotherhood stands behind this, said President Aliyev.

The head of state pointed out that over the last years, there were held many discussions and events on transportation of large volumes of Azerbaijani gas to Europe.

But regretfully, they didnt bring any result. In this case, Turkey and Azerbaijan decided to put forward a new project. We named it together as TANAP. The agreement on TANAP was signed in Istanbul in 2012 by Recep Tayyip Erdogan and me. On that day, during that signing ceremony, we expressed our wish to see this day and Allah granted us this. We have done great work over these years, added President Aliyev.Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

Trend:

The Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) is another victory of Turkey and Azerbaijan, said Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev.

He made the remarks addressing the opening ceremony of TANAP in Turkeys Eskisehir city June 12.

"My dear brother, dear President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Dear presidents, ladies and gentlemen. First of all, I would like to express satisfaction with being on the soil of brotherly Turkey once again. We in Azerbaijan are very glad for Turkeys success under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey has turned into a great power as a result of President Erdogans tireless activity," said President Aliyev.

The head of state noted that Turkey is a country which determines the world agenda.

"We in Azerbaijan are glad for that. Turkeys strength is our strength, and our strength is in our unity. We have been demonstrating this unity for many years. Today, it is very difficult to find such countries that are so close to each other and support each other so much. The unity of Turkey and Azerbaijan, their fraternity are important factors for our countries, our peoples, our region and for Eurasia," he added.

President Aliyev noted that the commissioning of TANAP today is another manifestation of the Turkey-Azerbaijan brotherhood.

"TANAP is another victory of Turkey and Azerbaijan. TANAP is a historic project," said the head of state.

"Today we are writing the energy history of the 21st century together. This is the history of cooperation. This is the history of stability. Our energy projects bring stability to our region. All countries, companies participating in these projects get benefit, peoples get benefit," said President Aliyev.

The head of state noted that the implementation of such a huge project as TANAP became possible thanks to the joint strong political will of Turkish and Azerbaijani leaders.

"This is not the first project that we have implemented together. Prior to this, we marked the opening of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in 2006. We together opened the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline in 2007. Last year, we opened the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway together. We attended all these opening ceremonies together with my dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan. We are together today, on this historic day as well. This shows that any project put forward on our initiative is realized, because thought-out policy, strong will and our brotherhood stands behind this," said President Aliyev.

The head of state pointed out that over the last years, there were held many discussions and events on transportation of large volumes of Azerbaijani gas to Europe.

"But regretfully, they didnt bring any result. In this case, Turkey and Azerbaijan decided to put forward a new project. We named it together as TANAP. The agreement on TANAP was signed in Istanbul in 2012 by Recep Tayyip Erdogan and me. On that day, during that signing ceremony, we expressed our wish to see this day and Allah granted us this. We have done great work over these years," added President Aliyev.

"Implementation of TANAP project is a very difficult task both from technical and financial point of view. But we implemented it with great success," said the head of state.

Today, the commissioning of TANAP creates great opportunities for neighboring and friendly countries, said President Aliyev, adding that TANAP brings together seven countries and many companies.

"TANAP, which is an integral part of the Southern Gas Corridor, is an indispensable infrastructure project for resolving energy security issues at present and in the future," he said.

The head of state noted that the official opening ceremony of the Southern Gas Corridor was organized in Baku two weeks ago, on May 29.

"The Southern Gas Corridor consists of four major projects: Stage 2 of development of Shah Deniz gas field (this fields reserves stand at 1.2 trillion cubic meters), South Caucasus Pipeline, TANAP and TAP. Three of these four projects have already been implemented and completed. TAP is 72 percent complete. I am confident that TAP project will also be completed in the next two years and thus, Europes largest infrastructure project, the Southern Gas Corridor, which requires $40 billion worth investment, will be implemented. This historic achievement will enable us to transport Azerbaijans rich gas reserves to Turkey and European markets with short and safe route and in a diversified form," said the head of state.

Southern Gas Corridor is an energy security project, said President Aliyev, adding that energy security is a national security issue of every country.

"Energy security and diversification of energy resources are exactly what make the Southern Gas Corridor important. Azerbaijani gas will be delivered to Turkey and European markets with new routes via the Southern Gas Corridor. The Southern Gas Corridor is a project of both new routes and a new source. It serves energy diversification in true sense of the word," said the president.

SOCAR, BOTAS and BP have participated in the implementation of this great work, said President Aliyev, adding that they are TANAPs shareholders.

"I would like to express gratitude to them. I want to express gratitude to all companies, which participated in these activities for carrying out this great work at high quality and in a short time," he said.

The head of state noted that the Southern Gas Corridor constitutes a new cooperation format in Eurasia.

"If in the beginning of our work in early 2000s there was created a trilateral cooperation format such as Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey, today, as I said, seven countries participate in this project. Three more countries will participate in this project as our future partners. We should try to do greater work for supplying Azerbaijani gas to Europe and make our scope wider," he noted.

"I would like once again to say that today is a historical day. This day became possible only thanks to the strong political will. This project might remain on paper if there were no Turkish-Azerbaijani unity and brotherhood," said President Aliyev.

Turkey presented itself as a good country for foreign investments, which allowed to make big investments in this country, added the head of state.

"More than $13 billion worth investment has been made in Turkey in recent years by Azerbaijan alone. This figure will reach $20 billion in coming years. I want to sincerely congratulate you, our peoples, all our friends with this remarkable event. I wish TANAP a good journey. Thank you," said the head of state.Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

Trend:

During the first five months of 2018, Heydar Aliyev International Airport served 1.56 million passengers. This indicator exceeds the same indicator of the previous year by 11 percent.

National air carrier Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) carried 631,000 passengers, while national low-cost airline Buta Airways  176,000 passengers.

1.34 mln. passengers (86% of passenger traffic) accounted for international flights. 31% of total number of international passengers accounted for AZAL, while 13 percent - Buta Airways.

Currently, Heydar Aliyev International Airport serves more than 30 airlines on over 40 destinations. Top ten most popular international destinations include Istanbul, Moscow, Dubai, Kiev, Doha, Sharjah, Tbilisi, Baghdad, Tehran and St. Petersburg. In January-May 1.22 mln. passengers traveled to these destinations. The Kingdom of Bahrains national airline Gulf Air launched flights to Baku starting June.

The new airport terminal of Heydar Aliyev Airport (Terminal 1) was put into operation in April 2014. Its total area is 65,000 square meters.

In May 2018 Heydar Aliyev International Airport was awarded the maximum category of "5 stars" by the Skytrax, which is influential British consulting company specializing in the study of the quality of services provided by various airlines and airports worldwide.

Also Heydar Aliyev Airport was named the best airport among airports of Russia and CIS countries for the level of the provided services, being awarded the prestigious Skytrax World Airport Awards for the second year in a row.Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

Turkmenistan plans to increase cargo transit through Azerbaijan, the chief specialist for international relations of the port of Turkmenbashi Shatlik Garabegov told Trend.

He noted that, it became possible after increasing the transshipment capacity of the port of Turkmenbashi from 10 to 25 million tons of cargo per year.

"Now, the port has an opportunity to increase container transportation. We have started negotiations with all interested parties, not only shippers, but also manufacturers to increase the flow of goods. Negotiations are underway with Azerbaijan, as a large cargo flow goes from here to Europe," said Garabegov.

He noted that in order to attract cargoes, the port of Turkmenbashi is ready to provide warehouses on its territory, free of charge.

"The multimodal park of this port will provide a range of services for storage and combined processing of container cargo delivered by air, road and rail transport, ensuring their transshipment to water transport and back. Our plans include the creation of a logistics center in the port with a preferential regime on the rights of a free economic zone, where free space and a range of services for freight forwarding and transport companies will be provided, such as processing and storage of goods, maintenance of vehicles, customs, brokerage, insurance, information and other services," Garabegov said.

He added that Turkmenistan plans to attract Caspian and Central Asian countries, as well as European and Middle East states to this free economic zone (FEZ).

"We intend to expand cooperation with Azerbaijan. Possibilities are also being explored for the delivery of goods to Turkey and eventually to Europe via Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway," said Garabegov.

In early May, the ceremony of opening of the international seaport was held in the Pre-Caspian Turkmenbashi City. The cost of the project implemented by Gap Insaat Company (Turkey) is more than $1.5 billion.

With the commissioning of the Turkmenbashi port, the great opportunities have emerged for sending goods arriving in Turkmenbashi port along the "Silk Road" route from Asia and the Pacific region, further to European countries through the ports of Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran. The port complex includes a common loading terminal, bulk cargo terminal, polypropylene terminal, as well as shipbuilding and ship repair docks.

The project is developed in accordance with the international Greenport standard. The annual intake capacity of the port will be 17-18 million tons. Together with the previously operating port, this figure makes up 25-26 million tons. The international ferry and passenger port can serve 300,000 passengers and 75,000 trailers per year. The container terminal has an average annual capacity of 400,000 TEU.Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

Share of the AKFA company, the Uzbek producer and exporter of aluminum and plastic profiles, in the market of Uzbekistan is currently about 70 percent, the company told Trend on June 12.

The company also noted that manufactured products are exported to such countries as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan. AKFA exports heating radiators to Azerbaijan.

A representative of the Uzbek company said that company has 3-4 competitors in the domestic market in different spheres of production. However, the products of AKFA have a number of competitive advantages.

Among the advantages of our company are complete production cycle (from production of profiles to assembly of ready windows and doors), twenty years of experience, fully automated plants with European equipment, ability to produce products on orders, and wide range of products including PVC and aluminum profiles, accessories and components, heating radiators, windows and doors, the company noted.

The AKFA company was established in 2004 with the opening of a plant for production of aluminum profiles. In 2008, AKFA was one of the first companies in Uzbekistan to be certified according to ISO 9001 standard for management systems.

The company currently has 8 extrusion presses and 45 extrusion lines for production of plastic profiles in 6 factories, which also include lines for production of fittings and components, radiators and automatic transmissions, and employ over 5,000 people.

The total production area of the company is some 60,000 square meters. The company produces 30,000 tons of aluminum and 20,000 tons of plastic profiles per year. The company also produces over 1.6 million pieces of accessories per year. At the same time, 40 percent of all the company's products are being exported.

It was earlier reported that the European-Uzbek BENKAM JV, a division of the AKFA company, specializing in the production of aluminum and plastic profiles, will participate in the Messe Dusseldorf Aluminum 2018 exhibition in October 2018.

At the 2016 exhibition, BENKAM created a client base of 127 companies and concluded a number of large contracts on supply of products to European countries. In January 2018, export to the CIS countries, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, USA, Canada and other countries began.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanovChandan Kumar Mandal is the environment and migration reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering labour migration and governance, as well as climate change, natural disasters, and wildlife.Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Ilkin Shafiyev  Trend:

In January-April 2018, the volume of Azerbaijan's non-oil export increased by 19.3 percent compared to the same period of 2017, Azerbaijani Deputy Economy Minister Rufat Mammadov said at the press conference in Baku June 12.

He added that 12.9-percent growth was observed in the export of agricultural products, while the volume of export of industrial products increased by 23.65 percent.

During the reporting period, the number of business entities engaged in foreign economic activity increased by 33.6 percent and their number reached 8,979, Mammadov added.

The range of exported products has also increased to 1,936 types, he added.

"Azerbaijan has a great export potential, he said. The achieved results show that the conducted work brings results. I believe that this positive trend will continue until the end of thw year."

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @IlkinShafiyevBaku, Azerbaijan, June 12

Trend:

The working meeting of experts of the Caspian states will be held in Astana on June 18-19, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tleuberdi told reporters June 12.

"On June 18-19, Astana will host a meeting of experts of the Caspian states. The issues will be agreed, and the texts of the agreements will be checked," Tleuberdi said.

He noted that, this meeting will serve as preparation for the upcoming summit of the heads of the Caspian states, which is planned to be held in August this year in Aktau. "The date is not yet known, and we have not sent invitations yet. We are waiting for official confirmation from all participants of their readiness to hold the summit," the official explained.

He noted that the decision to hold the summit in Aktau, not in Astana, as previously planned, was made due to the fact that "the last two summits were held in Baku and Astrakhan, and accordingly, we also decided that the summit should take place on the Caspian coast."

"The agenda of the summit is to discuss cooperation in the Caspian Sea, and it is expected to sign 5-6 different agreements on transport, trade and economic relations, and their final texts are being agreed now," Tleuberdi said.

He explained that the draft Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea will be presented to the presidents of the Caspian countries.

"It will be submitted to the heads of states for discussion, and the expert group will report on the status of this document," he said.

The Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea is a five-sided document between Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkmenistan and Iran. The issue of the status of the Caspian Sea remains a key topic of discussion at the summits of the states of the region. The leaders of the five countries met for the first time in 2002 in Ashgabat. The second Caspian summit was held in Tehran in 2007, the third - in Baku in 2010, and the fourth - in Astrakhan in 2014.Details added (first version published at 10:43)

Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

A unified database of large state-owned companies has been created in Azerbaijan, taking into account the recommendations of the World Bank (WB), Chairman of the State Property Committee Kerem Hasanov announced June 12 at the conference dedicated to the issues of promoting transparency and efficiency in the activities of state enterprises of Azerbaijan.

He noted that, this database contains information on personnel records, financial and accounting indicators, including information on real estate.

"At the same time, a special web platform was created, which allows large state-owned enterprises to input relevant information into this database. This platform is available on the portal of electronic services of the State Committee. Currently, the database contains information on 20 large state-owned enterprises. In the future, their number may increase," Hasanov said.

The conference on "Promoting transparency and efficiency in the activities of state enterprises of Azerbaijan", organized by the State Property Committee and the World Bank, started its work in Baku on June 12.

The event is being attended by representatives of the State Committee, the World Bank, Ministries of Economy and Finance, experts and representatives of public organizations.

The purpose of the conference is to increase transparency and efficiency in the management of state property and to expand the use of existing optimization methods.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Anvar_MammadovDetails added (first version posted on 11:14)

Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

The state enterprises play a special role in Azerbaijans economy, Country Manager for the World Bank Azerbaijan Office Naveed Hassan Naqvi said.

He made the remarks at the conference entitled "Promoting Transparency and Efficiency of State-Owned Enterprises in Azerbaijan" in Baku June 12.

The activity of state enterprises is important for the economic sustainability of any country, including Azerbaijan, he said.

"But at the same time, it is important for corporate governance to be developed at the state enterprises, Naqvi added. Transparency and effectiveness of the state enterprises activity should be further strengthened."

He added that the holding reforms on increasing transparency will strengthen Azerbaijans economy and help the country pass from the category of countries with average income to the category of high-income countries.

"These reforms are being successfully carried out in Azerbaijan, 16 out of 20 state enterprises have become public legal entities, he added. But it is necessary to continue working. The legal framework should be further developed and WB is ready to support Azerbaijan's aspirations."

The conference entitled "Promoting Transparency and Efficiency of State-Owned Enterprises in Azerbaijan", organized by the State Committee on Property Issues and WB, kicked off in Baku on June 12.

The representatives of the State Committee on Property Issues, WB, Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Finance, experts and representatives of public organizations attended the event.

The purpose of the conference was to increase transparency and efficiency in the management of state property and to expand the use of existing optimization methods.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Anvar_MammadovBaku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Ilkin Shafiyev - Trend:

There are plans in Azerbaijan to organize 12 more export delegations until the end of the year, acting president of the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) Yusif Abdullayev said.

He said that considering the trade delegation already sent to Astrakhan, their total number will reach 13 in 2018.

Export delegations will be sent to Switzerland, Mongolia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Germany, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, said Abdullayev. Two delegations will be sent to Russia and China each. By the end of this year, Azerbaijan will be represented with single exhibition stands at six international exhibitions.

He also noted that at the end of this month it is planned to open Azerbaijans trade house in Ukraine, and next month in Latvia.

Until the end of this year, Azerbaijans wine house will be opened in Shanghai, Abdullayev added.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @IlkinShafiyevBaku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

Uzbekistan should store more agricultural products to make food products affordable, so that people can live better with their current incomes, the press service of the Uzbek president quoted Shavkat Mirziyoyev as saying during his visit to the Kuva District of the Fergana Region.

The head of state got acquainted with the projects on development of poultry, fish farming, beekeeping, stockbreeding, camel breeding, potato growing, citrus cultivating and on organization of an agrological center, as well as on land measurement and rational use of water.

Mirziyoyev noted that these spheres of agriculture are the basis of the prosperity of the people of Uzbekistan and gave corresponding instructions for implementation of the projects.

The head of state also ordered to increase the harvest of agricultural products, organize quality work for their storage, packaging and delivery to consumers.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanovBaku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

Two more extraordinary meetings of Azerbaijani Parliament are scheduled for June 28 and 29, a source in the Azerbaijani government told Trend.

It is expected that amendments to the Law on the State Budget for 2018 will be considered at the meetings.

The budget forecasts will be adjusted considering oil price at $55 per barrel. The base price for oil set in the state budget for this year is $45.

Revenue part of the 2018 state budget is forecast to total 20.127 billion Azerbaijani manats (including centralized revenues in the amount of over 19.473 billion manats, local revenues in the amount of 653.350 million manats), while expenditures are expected to amount to 21.047 billion manats (including centralized expenditures in the amount of over 20.323 billion manats, local expenditures in the amount of 723.925 million manats).

(1.7 manats = 1 USD on June 12)Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

Further increase of taxes on tobacco products is necessary in Azerbaijan, Head of the World Bank Office in Azerbaijan, Naveed Hassan Naqvi told reporters June 12.

The head of the WB office noted that, low taxes on tobacco products lead to two problems.

"In Azerbaijan today, there is still a very low tax on tobacco products. This leads to two problems. First, the government receives less profit from the tobacco industry than it could be. Secondly, low taxes on tobacco products cause cheapness of cigarettes and their availability, which leads to their excessive consumption and burden on the health care system," Nagvi said.

The head of the WB Baku office noted that Azerbaijan could use the experience of neighboring Turkey in this issue.

"During the year, we have sent our proposals to the government several times, and we are glad that the ministries of taxes and health have a full understanding of this issue. We believe that Azerbaijan could use Turkey's experience," Nagvi said.

In Turkey, the increase in prices for tobacco products by 195 percent caused not only an increase in the collection of taxes from their sale by 175 percent, but also a decrease in sales of cigarettes by 16 percent. Nagvi noted that, currently, the tax on cigarettes in Turkey is about 75 percent of the cost of cigarettes.

In Azerbaijan, the rate of excise duty on the import of tobacco products are as follows: cigars - 20 AZN per 1,000 pieces, cigarettes - 12 manats per 1,000 pieces.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Anvar_MammadovBaku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

Azerbaijans Zaman Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers LLC has become a member of the London & International Insurance Brokers' Association (LIIBA), according to the information posted on the associations website.

Thus, Zaman Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers LLC joined commercial organizations from Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Hong Kong and Spain, which chose London as an attractive place for operations.

Zaman Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers LLC has been operating since 2003. The company provides brokerage services for all types of insurance and reinsurance.

LIIBA represents interests of insurance and reinsurance brokerage companies operating in London and international markets. The company was founded in 1910.

The main priorities of the LIIBA are to represent interests of members of the government, international bodies in order to create proportional regulatory framework and support the associations members regarding legislative and technical changes.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Anvar_MammadovBaku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Ali Mustafayev  Trend:

Kazakhstans Kuryk port will become one of the key facilities of the transport and logistics complex of the New Silk Road, the director of DARYN Partners Nurzhan Marabaev told Trend.

"Among the multimodal overland container transport routes connecting East Asia with Europe, Iran and Turkey, the way through Kazakhstan is the most efficient in terms of time and cost. Kuryk port is a Kazakh industrial complex on the shore of the Caspian Sea, which will include both logistics and production facilities, increasing Kazakhstans transit potential," Marabayev said.

He added that the complex has an advantageous strategic position at the intersection of developing land trade corridors between East and West ( within One Belt, One Road initiative) and North and South (between Iran, India, Russia).

"Kuryk port is intended to carry out two big missions - to increase Kazakhstan's trade with the Caspian countries and increase the transit potential of the Caspian region. The development of the port has given a powerful impetus to the development of the transit and transport potential of the development of cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the countries of the Caspian region, contributing to the implementation of the New Silk Road project," said Marabayev.

Previously, speaking at the SOCAR III International Caspian and Central Asia Downstream Forum on Trading, Logistics, Refining, Petrochemicals, Marabayev also announced the completion of the railway projects in Kazakhstan, which will significantly reduce the distance and cost of cargo transportation, and, accordingly, will increase the volume of cargo transshipment through the ports of Aktau and Kuryk.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Ali_MustafayevThree wild elephants wreak havoc in Dhanusha villages

Wild elephants have been terrorising the people of Kemalipur, Eklebar and Sukumbasi Basti in Dhanusha district for the past one week.Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Azad Hasanli - Trend:

Azerbaijan and Moldova discussed possibility of expansion of trade turnover, President of Moldova Igor Dodon wrote on his Facebook page.

He said that this issue became one of the topics of his meeting with Azerbaijans Ambassador to Moldova Qudsi Osmanov.

The parties discussed a number of issues affecting bilateral relations, social programs of the Azerbaijani government in the Gagauz autonomous region.

Dodon noted the intensification of bilateral contacts at all levels and advocated sustainable development of cooperation between the two countries in the spheres of mutual interest.

Azerbaijans trade turnover with Moldova amounted to $2.27 million in January-April 2018, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee. Almost the entire amount of trade accounted for the import of Moldovan products to Azerbaijan.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @AzadHasanliBaku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Ilkin Shafiyev - Trend:

The Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) project will strengthen Azerbaijans image as a reliable energy supplier, Slawomir Raszewski, research associate in the European Centre for Energy and Resource Security, told Trend.

Raszewski said that he considers Azerbaijans being the initiator and participant of this project as a positive factor.

Economically, Azerbaijan will increase revenues from the sale of energy resources via the Southern Gas Corridor, he added.

"Politically it elevates Azerbaijans role in the region," he said. "In my opinion, that is of great importance in terms of diversification [of energy resources]. What is important, it does deliver new volumes of natural gas."

The official opening ceremony of the Southern Gas Corridor was held in Sangachal terminal, Baku May 29.

The Southern Gas Corridor, worth over $40 billion, is considered as one of the priority energy projects for the EU, which strives for diversification of gas sources. The project envisages the transportation of gas from the Caspian region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey.

At an initial stage, the gas to be produced in the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage.

As part of the Shah Deniz Stage 2, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @IlkinShafiyevBaku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

The opening of the Trans-Anatolian pipeline (TANAP) is a significant event in the history of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Europe, the Administration of the President of Turkey told Trend June 12, while commenting on the opening of the TANAP pipeline, the launch ceremony of which will be held today in Turkish Eskisehir City.

The Presidential Administration noted that, Azerbaijan, using its energy potential, and Turkey, using its capacity for transportation, have managed to change the energy map of the region.

Earlier, the Turkish Presidential Administration told Trend that all projects implemented jointly with Azerbaijan are very successful and are aimed at the development of not only the two countries, but also the entire region.

On May 29, the launch ceremony of the first stage of the Southern Gas Corridor project was held in Baku.

Thus, the first gas from the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field has already gone through the first segment of the Southern Gas Corridor - from the Sangachal terminal expanded for Shah Deniz-2 to the expanded South Caucasus Gas Pipeline. The project will continue to develop on a rolled-up basis. The next stage will be the commissioning of the TANAP gas pipeline, through which the gas will enter the territory of Turkey and will be transported further to Europe.

The TANAP pipeline will be laid from the Georgian-Turkish border to the western border of Turkey. TANAP together with another  Trans-Adriatic (TAP) gas pipeline - is part of the "Southern Gas Corridor" project, which provides for the transportation of gas from the Azerbaijani field "Shah Deniz" to Europe.

The initial capacity of the TANAP pipeline is expected to be 16 billion cubic meters of gas per year. About six billion cubic meters will be supplied to Turkey, and the rest - to Europe. After the completion of the TAP, the gas will be delivered to Europe approximately in the early 2020.

The share distribution of TANAP shareholders is as follows: Southern Gas Corridor CJSC - 51 percent, SOCAR Turkey Enerji - seven percent, BOTAS - 30 percent, and BP - 12 percent.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluBaku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The official opening of the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), which is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor that envisages transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, is a key milestone, European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic told Trend June 12.

The Trans-Anatolian Pipeline, together with the South Caucasus Pipeline and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, is an essential part of the Southern Gas Corridor. Its official opening therefore marks a key milestone, as Caspian gas can now flow to Turkey on a commercial basis, said the European Commissions vice-president.

In other words, we are turning intentions into reality and delivering another tangible result under the Energy Union.

By helping diversify our energy suppliers and routes, the Southern Gas Corridor is strategically important for the EU's energy security. We all stand to gain from this 'bridge' between the Caspian region and the EU market. It is in our joint interest to make it a success, said Sefcovic.

Our long-term objective is to create a pan-European energy market based on free trade, competition and diversified supplies, sources and routes. This shows that the Energy Union does not stop at the EU's borders and it has a strong external dimension. Only like this it can be truly resilient.

The ceremony of launch of TANAP is due to take place on June 12 in Turkish Eskisehir city.

TANAP will be laid from the Georgian-Turkish border to the western border of Turkey. TANAP together with Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which provides for the transportation of gas from the Azerbaijani field Shah Deniz to Europe.

The initial capacity of TANAP is expected to be 16 billion cubic meters of gas per year. About six billion cubic meters will be supplied to Turkey, and the rest to Europe. After completion of the TAP, the gas will reach Europe in early 2020.

The share distribution in TANAP is as follows: Southern Gas Corridor CJSC - 51 percent, SOCAR Turkey Enerji - 7 percent, Botas - 30 percent, and BP - 12 percent.

The launching ceremony of the first stage of the Southern Gas Corridor project was held in Baku on May 29.

The gas from the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field has already gone through the first segment of the Southern Gas Corridor - from the Sangachal terminal to the expanded South Caucasus Pipeline.

The Southern Gas Corridor, which costs more than $40 billion, is one of the priority projects for the EU and provides for the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.

At the initial stage, the gas produced within the second phase of development of the Azerbaijani gas condensate field Shah Deniz is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects.

The gas in the second stage of the field development will be exported to Turkey and European markets through the expansion of the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of the TANAP and TAP pipelines.

---

Follow the author on Twitter:@Lyaman_ZeynBaku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Ali Mustafayev  Trend:

Kazakhstan is ready to share its experience in controlling expenditures within construction and maintenance of gas pipelines, with the participants of the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline project, Kazakh Energy Minister Kanat Bozyumbayev said at a press conference, Turkish media outlets reported.

"We have unprecedented experience in the operation of such pipelines, and for this reason we will offer to share the experience of controlling the costs of the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline project to its participants," said Bozumbayev.

The minister also said that he will participate in the opening ceremony of TANAP, where he will also voice proposals for cooperation to interested parties.

The ceremony of launch of TANAP is due to take place on June 12 in Turkish Eskisehir city.

TANAP will be laid from the Georgian-Turkish border to the western border of Turkey. TANAP together with Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which provides for the transportation of gas from the Azerbaijani field Shah Deniz to Europe.

The initial capacity of TANAP is expected to be 16 billion cubic meters of gas per year. About six billion cubic meters will be supplied to Turkey, and the rest to Europe. After completion of the TAP, the gas will reach Europe in early 2020.

The share distribution in TANAP is as follows: Southern Gas Corridor CJSC - 51 percent, SOCAR Turkey Enerji - 7 percent, Botas - 30 percent, and BP - 12 percent.

The launching ceremony of the first stage of the Southern Gas Corridor project was held in Baku on May 29.

The gas from the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field has already gone through the first segment of the Southern Gas Corridor - from the Sangachal terminal to the expanded South Caucasus Pipeline.

The Southern Gas Corridor, which costs more than $40 billion, is one of the priority projects for the EU and provides for the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Ali_MustafayevOil fell on Tuesday, reversing earlier gains, although volatility subsided to its lowest in three weeks, as investors prepared for a key meeting of the OPEC producer group next week, Reuters reports.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries released its monthly report on Tuesday, in which it cited the high degree of uncertainty hanging over the global oil market this year.

Brent crude futures LCOc1 fell 35 cents to $76.11 a barrel by 1347 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures CLc1 traded 13 cents lower at $66.23.

The market has been rangebound for two weeks and that is likely to remain the case, Ole Hansen, senior manager at Saxo Bank, said.

OPEC, together with partners including Russia, has cut oil output by 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) since January 2017 in an effort to boost the market.

Volatility in oil prices has subsided due to caution around the groups meetings LCOATMIV scheduled for June 22-23, at which it will decide on future supply policy.

With U.S. sanctions threatening to cut Iranian exports and the potential for more declines in Venezuelan production, OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia and Russia have indicated they would be willing to raise output to make up for any supply shortfall.

Russian production reportedly climbed to 11.1 million bpd in early June.

In the United States, output has risen by almost a third in the last two years, to a record 10.8 million bpd.

Top exporter Saudi Arabia - which has so far led OPECs efforts to withhold supplies - is also showing signs of raising production.

OPEC said on Tuesday the outlook in the second half of the year is highly uncertain even though the oil producer groups figures show a global glut is gone, suggesting exporters will be in no rush to fully relax output curbs next week.

Recently, crude oil futures have lost some momentum amid uncertainty as traders prepare for potentially more supply returning to the market, the group said.

I feel that if they would like to be a responsible swing producer for the global oil market, based on their (demand) numbers, they should increase production by at least 1 million bpd from the current level, PVM Oil Associates strategist Tamas Varga said.

Crude remained in a tight trading range, in line with the broader financial markets, which were largely unruffled by a U.S.-North Korea summit aimed at the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) is the most important project of the century, Turkish Energy Minister Berat Albayrak said June 12 at the TANAP opening ceremony in Turkeys Eskisehir.

He noted that TANAP is also a project of peace and stability in the region.

TANAP is a clear indicator of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey, Albayrak said.

The minister added that TANAP will ensure the energy security of Europe.

The launching ceremony of TANAP took place June 12 in Turkish Eskisehir city.

TANAP together with Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which provides for the transportation of gas from the Azerbaijani field Shah Deniz to Europe.

The initial capacity of TANAP is expected to be 16 billion cubic meters of gas per year. About six billion cubic meters will be supplied to Turkey, and the rest to Europe. After completion of the TAP, the gas will reach Europe in early 2020.

The share distribution in TANAP is as follows: Southern Gas Corridor CJSC - 51 percent, SOCAR Turkey Enerji - 7 percent, Botas - 30 percent, and BP - 12 percent.

The launching ceremony of the first stage of the Southern Gas Corridor project was held in Baku on May 29.

The gas from the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field has already gone through the first segment of the Southern Gas Corridor - from the Sangachal terminal to the expanded South Caucasus Pipeline.

The Southern Gas Corridor, which costs more than $40 billion, is one of the priority projects for the EU and provides for the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.

At the initial stage, the gas produced within the second phase of development of the Azerbaijani gas condensate field Shah Deniz is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects.

The gas in the second stage of the field development will be exported to Turkey and European markets through the expansion of the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of the TANAP and TAP pipelines.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluBaku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

KazakhExport and the Agricultural Credit Corporation (ACC) will jointly guarantee farmers' loans, the ACC said in a statement released on June 11.

The joint-stock companies "Export Insurance Company "KazakhExport" and "Agricultural Credit Corporation" have signed joint regulations on consideration and financing of applications for feedlots with insurance protection.

The message says thanks to the new regulations, and according to the terms of financing by working capital of the feedlot projects, borrowers of the Agricultural Credit Corporation will be able to use KazakhExport insurance as collateral in the amount of up to 90 percent of the loan amount.

According to the signed regulations, the terms of consideration of applications for financing will be significantly reduced, the stages of project examination and assessment of borrowers' reliability will be simplified, on the basis of which the ACC will make a decision on granting a loan.

"After that, the ACC will provide the insurer (KazakhExport) with the documents necessary for making a decision regarding giving the insurance protection to the client for the implementation of the project," the message says.Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

Trend:

Kazakhstan plans to export more than 100,000 tons of alfalfa hay per year to China, the Kazakh media reported June 12.

The appropriate protocol was signed between the General Administration of Customs of China and the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan.

The main phytosanitary requirements were stipulated in the protocol: for today, the requirements are absence of quarantine objects, pests and diseases, said Mars Almabek, deputy chairman of the State Inspection Committee. This list is also stipulated in the protocol and consists of 17 quarantine objects. The ways of haulage in bales and rolls have been defined, while alfalfa hay should be transported in containers, and this was agreed upon with the Chinese side. One of the requirements is the absence of insects and remains of vegetation.

Similar agreements for the transportation of alfalfa hay are also being conducted with other interested countries, he added.Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

Trend:

Kazakhstan plans to apply Japanese technology in the construction of water pipes in the experimental order, Minister for Investment and Development of Kazakhstan Zhenis Kasymbek said during a government meeting, Kazakh media reported June 12.

It is planned to install corrosion protection equipment using Japanese technology (Mitsui), which will prevent corrosion, extend the life of pipes to 40 years and improve the quality of water, Kasymbek said.

He noted that after the completion of the experiment and in the case of confirmation of the announced results, expediency of further application of this technology will be determined.

The minister also reminded that in 2018, the strategic plan for Kazakhstans development until 2025 was adopted.

In accordance with this plan, it is necessary to provide the population of Kazakhstan until 2025 with centralized water supply in cities by 100 percent and in villages by 80 percent, he added.Trump, Kim hold historic talks in Singapore

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met at a luxury hotel in Singapore becoming the first sitting leaders of US and North Korea to meet.Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

Trend:

The Ministry of Transport of Tajikistan is considering more than 30 road projects, the implementation of which will require more than $2.7 billion, Asia-Plus reported.

The most expensive project in the list of promising road projects is the project "Rehabilitation of Khorog-Kulma section of Dushanbe-Kulma highway".

According to preliminary data, it will take about $568 millionto rehabilitate the 395-kilometer section of this highway.

Among the promising projects with a relatively high budget, there are those for the rehabilitation of the Kalai Khumb-Vanj (80 km, $238 million) and the Vanj-Khorog (163 km, $200 million) highways and the project for the connection of the Tajikistan-Pakistan highway passing through Afghanistan (83 km, $215 million).

The list of promising projects also includes the project "Construction of anti-avalanche galleries on the Dushanbe-Chanak highway". The construction will require $26.6 million.

The Ministry of Transport stated that, currently 12 investment road projects are under implementation, the total budget of which is about $700 million.

These are, in particular, projects for the reconstruction of roads Khujand-Isfara, Dushanbe-Tursunzoda (from the Avicenna monument to the Western Gate of Dushanbe), Kulyab-Kalai Khumb (Shokhin-Shagon and Shokhin-Kulyab sections), Vose-Khovaling, Temurmalik-Baljuvan-Khovaling and others.

During the years of independence, 12 billion somoni was allocated for the development of the country's road infrastructure.

In the recently published "Quality of Roads" ranking of the World Economic Forum, Tajikistan occupies the 70th place among 137 countries.

In terms of the quality of roads in the former Soviet Union, Tajikistan is inferior only to Azerbaijan, Lithuania and Estonia.Tehran, Iran, June 12



By Kamyar Eghbalnejad - Trend:



Mohammad Ali Khatibi, Irans former governor to OPEC, said Washingtons new sanctions against Iran are politically motivated, calling the EUs support for Iran at this juncture a crucial factor.



"Foreign firms can continue to work with their counterparts in Iran if Tehran and the EU governments manage to reach a general agreement and address the concerns of investors in the oil and non-oil sectors," Khatibi told the Trend .



Referring to impending US sanctions against Iran, he urged the Iranian and European governments to address the investors concerns and support them in the face of the US threats.



He also raised his forecast for oil prices for this year due to rising demand and the potential for supply loss from Iran after the sanctions come into effect.



The potential rise in oil prices will be more of a physiological war if not accompanied by practical steps, Khatibi said.



The former Iranian envoy to the OPEC further said that Iran would certainly find new clients for its oil if the foreign firms walk away from their contracts.



In a speech from the White House on May 8, US President Donald Trump accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism and seeking nukes before announcing the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany), known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).



Trump also said he would reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose "the highest level" of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.



The new US sanctions will take six months to kick in, but a number of European companies have already halted their businesses in Iran despite verbal pledges by their governments to protect them against any fallout.Tehran, Iran, June 10

By Kamyar Eghbalnejad - Trend:

Irans private sector is gearing up to use its utmost effort to boost trade cooperation between Tehran and the EU nations following Washingtons pullout from the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, a report said.

On May 8, US President Donald Trump refused to stay in the nuclear deal, known as JCPOA. Trump also said he would reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose "the highest level" of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.

The EU, UK, France and Germany, who were among the major negotiators of the JCPOA back in 2015, scrambled to salvage the deal, telling Washington that they would continue to support the agreement and that they did not favor the new US sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

The new US sanctions will take six months to kick in, but a number of European companies have already halted their businesses in Iran despite verbal pledges by their governments to protect them against any fallout.

According to a report by the Trend news agencys correspondent in Tehran on June 10, representatives from Irans private sector are mulling plans to increase the volume of the countrys trade transactions with Europe dramatically both in value and weight.

Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines Gholam Hossein Shafei, a veteran in business transactions, is leading them and trying to fully explore the existing potential.

To that end, a delegation from Irans private sector investors will leave Tehran for France and the Netherlands on June 24 to step up their effort in line with boosting their trade with the EU in the areas of clean energies, oil, gas, petrochemistry, transportation and agriculture during their 5-day visit.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, at the head of a high-ranking economic delegation, is also scheduled to travel to Switzerland and Austria on July 1 to discuss the development of ties in the fields of banking, insurance coverage, gasoil, and food, the report added.

Last week, 20 Norwegian businessmen held talks with Iranian officials and explored ways to improve mutual ties between the two nations in the sectors of oil, gas, fishery, food and transportation.Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

Trend:

Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif left Tehran for Pretoria on June 12 to discuss mutual cooperation with South African officials.

Heading a high-ranking political-economic delegation, Zarif is scheduled to meet senior South African officials, including President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Lindiwe Sisulu, Irans media outlets report.

The two sides will discuss various issues, including ways to boost Tehran-Pretoria relations in diverse fields and the future of the nuclear deal after the US withdrawal.

An Iranian trade delegation comprising representatives from the countrys private sector will travel to South Africa this month to explore business opportunities there.

Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines Gholam Hossein Shafei will lead the trade delegation to South Africa.

During the planned three-day visit, the representatives from the Iranian private sector will sit down with African merchants and business people active in the fields of mines, food, engineering services, petrochemical products, oil, medicine and pharmaceutical equipment, tourism, car manufacturing, and household appliances, the report added.

Irans President Hassan Rouhani has repeatedly stressed his governments interest in upgrading ties with African countries.Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

Trend:

One Iranian border guard was killed in an armed clash with drug smugglers in the country's south eastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan.

The clash occurred between Mirjaveh 128 commando unit and drug traffickers near the border of Pakistan. As a result, Lt. Akbar Masoumi Nejad was killed in the shootout , Irans police site said in a statement June 12.

No further details were available regarding the incident.

Iran sits on a major drug route between Afghanistan and Europe, as well as the Persian Gulf states. The Islamic Republic shares about 900 kilometers of common border with Afghanistan, over which 74 percent of opium is smuggled.

The fight against drug trafficking annually costs Iran about $1 billion, according to the official estimates.

According to the statistics, there are about two million drug users in Iran.Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

About 25 percent of all goods produced in the Navoi Free Economic Zone (FEZ) are currently being exported, the directorate of the FEZ told Trend.

Geography of supplies currently includes such countries as Kazakhstan, Russia (car parts), Afghanistan (detergents), Turkey (cables) and so on, with the leader in terms of export volume being the Green Line Profile (BENKAM) company, whose products are supplied to Germany, Canada, etc.

As of today, there are 22 enterprises operating at the Navoi FEZ, carrying out activities in various spheres.

"The directorate of the FEZ is acting as an initiator of attracting foreign investors. We hold presentations for visitors, we promote the Navoi FEZ through various media and social networks. We conduct offline presentations in China and South Korea, organize various business forums, conferences, we send letters directly to large companies and embassies of countries," the directorate said.

According to the concept, high-tech projects of any industries whose products are exported can be opened at the FEZ. At the same time, the directorate added that they would like to see European investors in such industries as textile, deep processing of agricultural products and processing of basalt ore.

In addition to European investors, Azerbaijani companies are also showing considerable interest in the FEZ.

"In 2018, an Azerbaijani delegation on air transportation visited the free economic zone. Several enterprises and private entrepreneurs from Azerbaijan participated in the recent business forum on May 12, among which was the Matanat-A company, for example," the management of the FEZ said.

The directorate concluded that although contribution of the Navoi FEZ to the economy of Uzbekistan is currently not so significant, there are great plans for 2018-2019.

The Navoi Free Economic zone was established on Dec. 2, 2008 by the decree of the president of Uzbekistan. The total area of the FEZ is 564 hectares, with the production area being 364 hectares.

Natural gas, electricity, drinking water, sewerage and irrigation water, are connected directly to the enterprises.

The FEZ is located near the Navoi International Airport, which serves 30 flights a week, with 300 tons of cargo per day at the first stage and 100 tons per day at the second stage.

The Karmana Logistics Center Next is also located near to the Navoi FEZ. The center has a capacity of unloading 50 containers per day.

Investors are granted a wide range of benefits and preferences in the FEZ. Depending on the volume of investments, investors are exempted for different periods from payment of land tax, profit tax, corporate property tax, tax on improvement and development of social infrastructure, single tax payment for microfirms and small enterprises, as well as mandatory contributions to state trust funds.

With investments of $300,000 to $3 million, an investor will receive benefits for three years, with $3 to $5 million  for five years, with $5 to $10 million  for seven years, and with over $10 million  for 10 years.

In addition, investors will be freed for the entire period of activity of the FEZ from payment of customs duties for imported raw materials and components used for production of goods aimed at export.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanovBaku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkish Armed Forces wont leave Iraq in order to ensure security of Turkeys borders, Turkish National Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli said, Turkish media reported June 12.

The minister noted that the goal of Turkey is to clean the mountain areas of Iraq from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorists and also to create a security zone in the lowland areas.

Canikli noted that the Turkish Armed Forces created military bases in Iraq and those bases make it possible to intensively fight the PKK.

The minister also noted that Turkey planned to carry out an operation against the PKK in northern Iraq a year ago.

On June 11, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkish Armed Forces launched a new military operation in northern Iraq.

He stressed that the Turkish Air Force, using 20 aircraft, destroyed 14 bases of the PKK terrorists in northern Iraq.

"Turkey is determined to fight PKK," Erdogan said.

Meanwhile, Spokesman and Deputy Chairman of the Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party Mahir Unal said the Turkish authorities have repeatedly stated that military operations against PKK militants in northern Iraq may start at any moment.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said earlier that Turkey has 11 military bases in northern Iraq, which greatly facilitate the fight against PKK.

The conflict between Turkey and PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has lasted for more than 25 years claiming more than 40,000 lives. PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the UN and the EU.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluBritains Brexit minister David Davis said on Tuesday there would be no reversal of the decision to leave the European Union whatever the outcome of divorce talks with the bloc, Reuters reports.

British Prime Minister Theresa May faces a showdown in parliament with lawmakers later on Tuesday who want a meaningful vote on an eventual Brexit deal and to set the governments direction if the house rejects the agreement.

Whatever we do, were not going to reverse that (decision to leave the EU), David told BBC radio. A meaningful vote is not the ability to reverse the decision of the referendum.

When asked if May would lead the conservatives into the next UK election, Davis also said I think so ... actually I hope so.The UN's nuclear watchdog welcomed on Tuesday a joint statement between U.S. President Donald Trump and top leader Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) that commits to a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, Xinhua reported.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) previously voiced its expectation for progress to be made at the summit, noting its readiness to play a role in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"I welcome today's Joint Statement of President Trump of the United States and Chairman Kim of the DPRK at the Singapore Summit which includes the DPRK's commitment towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," said IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano.

A joint statement was made at the historic meeting between the DPRK and U.S. leaders, noting that the DPRK has committed to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for a guarantee of its security.

The IAEA said it will closely follow subsequent meetings between the two countries.Macedonia and Greece on Tuesday resolved a nearly three-decade row by agreeing to call it the Republic of North Macedonia, as Skopje hailed a "historic solution" to a dispute which had blocked its bid to join the EU and NATO, AFP reported.

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said the two sides agreed to the rename the former Yugoslav republic after months of intensive diplomacy.

"There is an agreement. We have a historic solution after two and a half decades. Our agreement includes Republic of North Macedonia for overall use," Zaev told reporters in the capital Skopje.

Greece has long objected to its northern neighbour being called Macedonia because it has its own northern province of the same name.

In televised comments, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras declared the deal "a great diplomatic victory and a great historic opportunity" for the region to have "friendship, cooperation and co-development".

Macedonia hopes that resolving the name dispute will help clear the way for it to join the European Union and NATO.

But the deal still needs to be approved by the Macedonian parliament and pass a referendum there, as well as ratification in the Greek parliament.

Tsipras insisted the Macedonian government needed to get parliamentary approval otherwise "NATO's invitation is canceled and negotiations with the EU will not move".

European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted his support for the agreement: "Thanks to you the impossible is becoming possible."

"I am keeping my fingers crossed," he said.US Embassy launches training for peacekeepers

The US Embassy has launched a new series of inter-cultural communication and leadership trainings at the Birendra Peace Operations Training Centre (BPO-TC) and the National Police Academy.Washingtons attempts to make Moscow change its foreign political policy through imposing more sanctions will fail, Russias Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday, TASS reported.

"As before, nothing will come of (new sanctions - TASS) as efforts to make Russia change an independent policy on the global arena will fail. However, American politicians are still trammeled by illusions considering the US a global guardian, and only put their helplessness on display as they continue ineffective attempts to turn up the heat on Russia," the statement said.

The ministry called the US attempts to make Russia out to be an enemy shortsighted, and urged to fight with real threats. "The US is evidently demonstrating short-termism, inventing an enemy out of nothing instead of seriously fighting with terrorism and other real threats," the statement said.

As reported earlier the US Department of the Treasury imposed restrictions against three Russian individuals, three Russian companies and their two foreign-based affiliates on June 11. The sanctions were imposed particularly in line with the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) on expansion of anti-Russia sanctions adopted last year, the Treasury Department said.

Among sanctioned companies are Digital Security and structures of Embedi connected with it, Erpscan, Divetechnoservices, and Kvant Scientific Research Institute.

US President Donald Trump signed the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which provides for tougher sanctions against Russia, Iran and North Korea, on August 2, 2017.Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Turkeys National Railway Company has announced a tender on consulting services within the construction of a logistics center in the countrys Malatya province.

Local and foreign companies can participate in the tender.

The tender procedure will be held at 14:30 (GMT + 3) on June 27, 2018.

Applications and proposals from interested parties are accepted at: TCDD Isletmesi Genel Mudurlugu Satn Alma Ve Stok Kontrol Dairesi Baskanlg Anafartalar Mahallesi Hipodrom Caddesi No: 3 06050 Anafartalar Mah. Altndag/Ankara.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (+90 312) 309 05 15, fax: (+90 312) 311 53 05.

The tender participation fee is 300 Turkish liras.

The official exchange rate on June 12 is 4.5217 TL/USD.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluBaku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Thirty-four militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) were killed as part of the counter-terrorist operation being carried out in northern Iraq, the Turkish General Staff said in a message June 12.

According to the message, military operations against PKK in northern Iraq will continue.

Turkish Armed Forces have launched a new military operation in northern Iraq, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier.

He stressed that the Turkish Air Force, using 20 aircraft, destroyed 14 bases of the PKK terrorists in northern Iraq.

"Turkey is determined to fight PKK," Erdogan said.

Meanwhile, Spokesman and Deputy Chairman of the Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party Mahir Unal said the Turkish authorities have repeatedly stated that military operations against PKK militants in northern Iraq may start at any moment.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said earlier that Turkey has 11 military bases in northern Iraq, which greatly facilitate the fight against PKK.

The conflict between Turkey and PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has lasted for more than 25 years claiming more than 40,000 lives. PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the UN and the EU.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluBaku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Turkey is resolute in the fight against the PKK and against any other threats, Turkish General Staff Chief Hulusi Akar said during a visit to the Turkish-Iraqi border to get acquainted with the course of military operations in northern Iraq, Turkish media reported June 12.

Akar noted that, the beginning of Turkey's military operation against the PKK is the beginning of the end of the PKK terrorists.

Today, the General Staff of Turkey said that, as part of the counter-terrorist operation, which is carried out in the north of Iraq, 34 PKK militants were killed.

Turkish Armed Forces have launched a new military operation in northern Iraq, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier.

He stressed that the Turkish Air Force, using 20 aircraft, destroyed 14 bases of the PKK terrorists in northern Iraq.

"Turkey is determined to fight PKK," Erdogan said.

Earlier it was reported that in the framework of the operation against the terrorist PKK in Northern Iraq, the Turkish military moved deep into Iraqi territory by 73 kilometers.

Meanwhile, Spokesman and Deputy Chairman of the Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party Mahir Unal said the Turkish authorities have repeatedly stated that military operations against PKK militants in northern Iraq may start at any moment.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said earlier that Turkey has 11 military bases in northern Iraq, which greatly facilitate the fight against PKK.

The conflict between Turkey and PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has lasted for more than 25 years claiming more than 40,000 lives. PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the UN and the EU.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluBaku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkey offered Iran to launch joint military operations against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorist group, National Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli said, Turkish media reported June 12.

Despite that Iran treats the fight against the PKK positively, the parties havent reached an agreement on joint actions regarding the terrorist group so far, Canikli noted.

Earlier, Canikli said that Turkish Armed Forces wont leave Iraq in order to ensure security of Turkeys borders.

On June 11, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkish Armed Forces launched a new military operation in northern Iraq.

He stressed that the Turkish Air Force, using 20 aircraft, destroyed 14 bases of the PKK terrorists in northern Iraq.

"Turkey is determined to fight PKK," Erdogan said.

Meanwhile, Spokesman and Deputy Chairman of the Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party Mahir Unal said the Turkish authorities have repeatedly stated that military operations against PKK militants in northern Iraq may start at any moment.

The conflict between Turkey and PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has lasted for more than 25 years claiming more than 40,000 lives. PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the UN and the EU.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluBaku, Azerbaijan, June 12

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The EU must decide on Turkey's membership in this structure, the Turkish media quoted the countrys Prime Minister Binali Yildirim as saying June 12.

EU membership still remains a priority for Turkey, he said. Turkey has carried out a lot of reforms to join the EU.

"Turkey also stands for the appearance of new issues of negotiations with the EU," Yildirim said.

Previously, Yildirim said that Turkey does not need the EU, nevertheless, the Union must make a final decision on Ankara's EU membership as soon as possible.

Yildirim added that Islamophobia has recently grown in the EU and this may lead Europe to a serious crisis.

An association agreement between the EU and Turkey was signed in 1963. Ankara filed an application for membership in the EU in 1987, but accession negotiations were launched in 2005.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluUS President Donald Trump and Japans prime minister during a phone call agreed to closely consult after the summit in Singapore, the White House said in a press release, Sputnik reported.

"Trump spoke yesterday with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan. The two leaders discussed recent developments ahead of todays summit with North Korea and agreed to consult closely following the meeting," the Washington's release said on Monday.

Also, the White House said in a press release that US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in discussed by phone prior to the Singapore summit maintaining close coordination on North Korea.

"Trump spoke yesterday with President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea to discuss recent developments ahead of todays summit with North Korea," the release said. "The two leaders vowed to continue their close coordination following President Trumps meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore."

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are holding their first ever meeting in the hope of finding a peaceful solution to the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula.The United States should not lift any economic pressure from North Korea because the intentions of Pyongyang will be clear only in the long term, House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a press release on Tuesday, Sputnik reported.

"Only time will tell if North Korea is serious this time, and in the meantime, we must continue to apply maximum economic pressure," the release stated.

Ryan added the US government should not forget that it is dealing with a brutal regime that has deceived the United States in the past. Moreover, American policy on North Korea promoted by previous US presidents did not work out.

Still, Ryan expressed hope that Trump's initiative to meet Kim put both countries on a path of peace and stability in the region.

Trump and Kim met for the first time in Singapore on Tuesday morning local time. The two leaders held a four-hour summit and signed a joint statement at the end of the talks.

The highly anticipated meeting did not result in Kim's clear agreement to fully denuclearize. Trump, however, noted it was the beginning and indicated further dialogue will be happening with more negotiations, including a possible Kim's visit to the White House.The US forces stationed in South Korea have not received any guidance on cessation of military exercises on the Korean Peninsula, following statements made by US President Donald Trump in Singapore after his talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Spokeswoman for US Forces in Korea Lt. Col. Jennifer Lovett told TASS on Tuesday.

"We have received no updated guidance on execution or cessation of training exercises - to include Ulchi Freedom Guardian. In coordination with our ROK partners, we will continue with our current military posture until we receive updated guidance from the Department of Defense (DoD) and/or lndo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM)," she said.

Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump pledged to stop conducting US "war games" with South Korea on the Korean Peninsula. Speaking at a news conference after the summit, he called the military drills "tremendously expensive." At the same time, he noted that the US forces deployment in South Korea had not been discussed with Kin Jong Un.

Currently, the United States has 28,500 personnel in South Korea.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has accepted US President Donald Trump's invitation to visit the US, and the US president has accepted Kim's invitation to visit Pyongyang, Sputnik reported citing North Korean state news agency KCNA.

"Kim Jong Un has invited Trump to visit Pyongyang at a convenient time, while Trump has invited Kim Jong Un to visit the United States. Both leaders with pleasure accepted each other's invitations, knowing positively that it would be another important event for DPRK and US relations," the agency said.

Earlier, Trump and Kim held a historic summit in Singapore and committed the United States and North Korea to establishing new bilateral relations and building a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. Moreover, Pyongyang affirmed its commitment to denuclearize in exchange for security guarantees from Washington.

After the summit, the North Korean state news agency reported that during summit, the North Korean leader said that North Korea and the United States should urgently take action to halt military actions against each other.

Meanwhile, the US president praised the event, saying that he had gotten along with the North Korean leader.

The historic summit ended with an agreement consisting of four points: the agreement to establish new bilateral relations, the decision to join efforts to "build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula," Pyongyang's confirmation of commitment to denuclearization, and the repatriation of the remains of US military personnel, either prisoners of war or missing in action, from the 1950 to 1953 war.Young country, fallow lands

As youths migrate and arable land lay fallow, question remains: who is going to farm?KYODO NEWS - Jun 12, 2018 - 10:35 | World, All

The United States and North Korea remain technically in a state of war due to the 1950-1953 Korean War having ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty.

The war began on June 25, 1950, with a North Korean invasion into South Korea. The U.S.-led United Nations forces fought alongside South Korea against the North, which was supported by China and the Soviet Union.

Hostilities ceased with an armistice agreement signed on July 27, 1953, by the U.S.-led U.N. Command, North Korea and China. South Korea refused to sign, however.

The Korean Peninsula has since been split in two along the Demilitarized Zone, a 4-kilometer-wide strip of land that runs for 250 km across peninsula, and has come to be known as the world's last Cold War frontier.

North Korea has long called for a peace treaty to formally end the war, but the United States has rejected it, saying it makes no sense to discuss the issue without making progress in Pyongyang's nuclear issue.

At the inter-Korean summit on April 27, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae In agreed to pursue "complete" denuclearization of the peninsula and to strive to declare a formal end to the Korean War this year.

U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this month ahead of his first-ever summit with Kim on Tuesday in Singapore that Washington and Pyongyang could sign an agreement to end the Korean War.KYODO NEWS - Jun 12, 2018 - 17:39 | All, Urgent, World

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he raised the issue of North Korea's past abductions of Japanese nationals during his unprecedented meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

"I brought it up absolutely and they are going to be working on that," Trump said at a news conference following his historic summit with Kim in the city-state, when asked whether the abduction issue came up during their meeting.

He added, "We didn't put it down in the document but it will be worked out," referring to the joint statement signed by the leaders and released after their meeting.

The statement did not touch on human rights in North Korea, including the abductions of Japanese citizens.

Tokyo had asked Trump to take up during the summit with Kim the long-standing issue involving Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s. Pyongyang claims the issue has been settled.

Trump reassured Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a phone call Monday that the issue would be taken up. Abe said afterward that Trump had promised the issue would be raised "100 percent" in the meeting with Kim.

Abe and Trump also met in Washington last Thursday. At their joint press conference in the U.S. capital, Abe expressed eagerness to meet with Kim, saying, "I would like to directly face North Korea and talk with (Kim) so as to achieve an early resolution of the abduction issue."

Abe has made resolving the abductions a top priority of his administration.

(Trump met relatives of Japanese national abducted by N. Korea during his visit to Tokyo in November 2017)

Japan officially lists 17 citizens as abduction victims and suspects North Korea was involved in many more disappearances. Five of the 17 were repatriated in 2002, with Pyongyang maintaining that eight had died and four others never entered the country.

Japan and North Korea agreed in 2014 that Pyongyang would reinvestigate the fate of all of the abductees. But the North later disbanded the investigation panel and effectively abandoned the bilateral accord.

The decades-old issue remains a stumbling block for Japan and North Korea to normalize diplomatic ties.

Amid a flurry of diplomacy related to denuclearizing North Korea, there had been concern that bringing up what some view as a purely Japanese issue could stymie global efforts to compel the North to give up its nuclear weapons.

Japan has maintained there can be no normalization of bilateral ties or extension of economic support unless the abduction, nuclear and missile issues are resolved in a comprehensive manner.KYODO NEWS - Jun 12, 2018 - 22:04 | World, Feature, All

North Korea's ordinary citizens on Tuesday showed keen interest in leader Kim Jong Un's trip to Singapore for a historic summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, despite a dearth of information on the historic event that was making headlines around the world.

At a subway station in central Pyongyang, some people were seen intently reading the latest edition of the country's leading Rodong Sinmun newspaper posted on the wall, which reported Kim's visit to major tourist spots in Singapore on the eve of the summit.

A passerby pointed at one of 14 photos showing Kim at Singapore's iconic Marina Bay Sands hotel that he visited while sightseeing at night.

On a big screen in front of Pyongyang Station, the hub of North Korea's railways, a TV announcer also reported Kim's sightseeing excursion in a regular afternoon program. No video footage was aired, but some citizens paused to listen to the news.

While Kim's arrival in Singapore to hold talks with Trump has been reported in the country, as of Tuesday afternoon, there was no official announcement of the summit and it appeared to be business as usual in the capital.

At a square in front of Pyongyang Station in the morning, housewives dressed in green were waving red flags to the tune of music, cheering on people going to work. Banners bearing slogans such as "Let's unite our hearts and band together" were displayed.

A poster put up near the station showed photos of power plants and a message that read, "Let's gather our full force to build a socialist economy and accelerate the progress of revolution!"

In a sign that North Korea is trying to improve living standards, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Tuesday that Kim "learned about the social and economic development" of Singapore while touring various locations there.

In the summit, Trump and Kim pledged to work toward the "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula while Washington committed to provide security guarantees to Pyongyang.KYODO NEWS - Jun 12, 2018 - 15:34 | World, All

China welcomes the first-ever U.S.-North Korea summit on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, expressing hope that Washington and Pyongyang will work together to achieve denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

The meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore "has important and positive meaning, and is creating a new history," Wang told reporters.

China wants Trump and Kim to "establish mutual trust" and "overcome difficulties" to establish a peace mechanism on the Korean Peninsula, Wang added.

(China Foreign Minister Wang Yi)

Wang also urged the U.S. and North Korean leaders to find a way to resolve security issues "via equal talks," reiterating that the nuclear matter should be solved in a "peaceful" manner.

China will continue to play a "constructive role" in creating peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, Wang said.

"I think nobody can doubt the extremely unique and important role China has played. And this role will continue," he said.

Relations between China and North Korea have improved markedly since Kim visited Beijing in March, on his first foreign trip since becoming supreme leader following the death of his father Kim Jong Il in 2011.

Xi and Kim also met again for two days in the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian in early May, just about one month before the Washington-Pyongyang summit.

After their summit on Tuesday, Trump and Kim signed a document, and the U.S. president invited the North Korean leader to visit the White House.By Siti Rahil, KYODO NEWS - Jun 12, 2018 - 13:15 | World, All

Security was extremely tight in Singapore on Tuesday for the historic summit between the leaders of the United States and North Korea, with whole roads blocked and barricaded in the vicinity of the venue and their hotels, and thousands of security personnel patrolling both on land and at sea.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said earlier this week that Singapore has spent $S20 million to host and organize the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday, of which half is for one of the largest ever security operations in the wealthy city-state.

"We will do what is necessary to make this a safe meeting," Lee told local reporters.

Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said 5,000 security officers had been deployed on the ground, with national servicemen also roped in to help.

"We are very happy to play a part in facilitating this meeting with Singapore being the venue. It says much that both (North Korea) and the U.S. have agreed on Singapore," Shanmugam said.

"Both take security very seriously, their leaders are high-profile targets, they believe that Singapore can provide a safe, secure venue and they have confidence in our neutrality, so it's a major show of confidence in Singapore."

About a week before the summit, the government designated the areas around the St. Regis and Shangri-La hotels, where the two leaders were staying, near the bustling Orchard Road shopping enclave, as special security zones, which would allow the police to conduct tighter checks on cars and people or even deny access altogether.

At the St. Regis hotel where Kim was staying, a huge white tent has been erected nearby for use by security officers, while a whole stretch of road beside the hotel has been heavily barricaded to keep vehicles out. Dozens of police motorcycles, along with ambulances and fire engines and other rescue vehicles, were parked nearby.

The security was stepped up even for airplanes arriving at Changi airport, a major regional air hub, with planes told to slow down their speed. More patrols are being conducted in waters surrounding the resort island of Sentosa where the summit venue, the Capella Singapore hotel, is located.

A Singapore air force drone is providing aerial surveillance over the island during the summit, while the Singapore navy has stepped up maritime patrols in the waters around Sentosa, according to the Defense Ministry.

With more than 2,000 foreign journalists having registered to come to Singapore for news coverage of the event, the F1 Pit Building in mainland Singapore is being used as the media center.

Police arrested two South Korean media personnel for criminal trespass at the house of the North Korean ambassador on June 7. The two men, aged 42 and 45, were deported to South Korea.

Immigration authorities have also turned away at least four people in the days before the summit, including a Southeast Asian man who was behaving nervously and was suspected of having visited internet sites related to suicide bombings, and an Australian man who was denied entry on account of his previous alleged terror-related activities.

Even Howard X, a comedian who entertains by impersonating Kim, was detained by police for about two hours when he arrived at Changi Airport on Friday. "I think the immigration officers wanted to intimidate me. They said not to go to Sentosa," he said.

(Howard X)

John Shaw, a British tourist on holiday with his wife soon after retiring as a police officer, said he felt very safe, and was impressed with the way the security was organized for the summit.

"This is very, very well organized," he said. "It's possibly one of the biggest events in world history, so it's justified."

Helen Chin, a Singaporean woman in her 60s who works as a store clerk, said she found the security arrangements troublesome as she cannot take a bus to her workplace because the stretch of road has been closed off to vehicles, while she doubted that most Singaporeans are excited about the summit.

While Singapore is regarded as one of the safest places in Asia, it is said to be targeted by terrorists due to its close relations with the United States and Israel.

In 2016, Indonesian militants allegedly plotted to launch a rocket attack from Indonesia's Batam island, which is a 45-minute ferry ride away, toward Singapore's Marina Bay financial district.KYODO NEWS - Jun 12, 2018 - 23:12 | World, All

The U.S. government on Tuesday held a dedication ceremony for Washington's new de facto embassy in Taiwan, with which it maintains substantial but non-official ties.

Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce, leading the U.S. delegation, called the massive complex "a symbol of the strength and vibrancy of the U.S.-Taiwan partnership in the 21st century."

The new office of the American Institute in Taiwan, located in Taipei's Neihu district, cost $250 million and took nine years to complete.

Royce is the highest level official of the U.S. Department of State to visit Taiwan since 2015.

She is also one of just a few U.S. officials to visit Taiwan after U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law the Taiwan Travel Act championed by Royce's husband, Rep. Ed Royce of California. The act encourages U.S. and Taiwan officials of all levels to visit each other.

In her address, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen lauded the new building as "a new chapter in a story that has been decades in the making."

While there earlier was speculation that a Cabinet-level official would be dispatched to the ceremony from Washington, doing so would most likely have angered Beijing, which regards the island as part of its territory.

China has urged the United States to avoid having official contacts with Taiwan or improving relations in substantive ways.

Outgoing AIT Director Kin Moy described the American delegation as "perfect" for the occasion, saying the officials represented all of the cooperative areas between United States and Taiwan.

In addition to Royce, U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper, AIT Chairman James Moriarty and others also attended event.

Moriarty emphasized that "the cultural relationship" and "people-to-people relationship" between Taiwan and the United States are "the strongest."

In Beijing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman later Tuesday expressed "grave concern" over the U.S. government's decision to send a senior official to attend the AIT ceremony, saying it violated the one-China principle and interfered in China's domestic affairs.

The spokesman also urged Washington to "correct the wrong" to avoid undermining Sino-U.S. relations and destabilize the Taiwan Strait.KYODO NEWS - Jun 12, 2018 - 13:47 | Urgent, All, Japan

Japan on Tuesday launched an H-2A rocket carrying a government radar-type intelligence-gathering satellite from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan.

The reconnaissance satellites will be used for such purposes as monitoring military facilities in North Korea and taking images of affected areas at a time of natural disasters.

(H-2A F39 rocket)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. launched the H-2A F39 rocket from JAXA's launch site in Kagoshima Prefecture.

There are two types of reconnaissance satellites -- radar satellites capturing radio waves reflected from the ground and optical satellites taking photos of the ground using a device similar to a digital camera.

The government currently operates 4 radar satellites and 2 optical ones. It aims to operate 10 satellites in total including the two types and relay satellites.

The government classifies the images as specially designated secrets and does not reveal them, except for those taken at a time of natural disaster. When it does, the government downgrades the image quality so as not to reveal the image-capturing capacity of the satellites.KYODO NEWS - Jun 12, 2018 - 19:37 | All, World

Japan is determined to settle the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea through direct talks with the North's leader, as U.S. President Donald Trump raised it during the U.S.-North Korea summit on Tuesday.

"I'm determined that Japan will have to directly face North Korea and resolve (the abduction issue) bilaterally," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters after Trump said he raised the issue during his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga stressed Japan's commitment to resolving the issue.

"We have not changed our determination to settle (the abduction issue) by directly negotiating with North Korea," Suga said at a press conference.

Tokyo has long sought the return of Japanese kidnapped by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s. After his talks with Trump on Thursday in Washington, Abe expressed his willingness to meet with Kim to seek an early resolution.

Abe hailed the agreement between Trump and Kim on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, saying it will be "a step toward the comprehensive resolution of various issues" concerning North Korea.

"North Korea has rich (natural) resources and a diligent workforce. It will have a bright future if it treads the right path," the prime minister also said in a press conference earlier in the day after a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

(PM Abe, right, and families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea)

Abe is likely to hold phone talks with Trump later Tuesday to be briefed on the outcome of the summit that focused on North Korea's denuclearization.

Foreign Minister Taro Kono told reporters in the morning, "The focus is on whether North Korea will show its clear engagement in efforts toward abandoning all weapons of mass destruction and missiles of all ranges."

As North Korea's nuclear and missile development poses a security threat to Japan, the Abe administration has stressed the need to beef up the country's defense capabilities in recent years.

"Even if a certain promise is made at the summit, we should be careful about lowering our guard until we can confirm that specific steps have been taken," Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said.

Tokyo sought to coordinate policy toward Pyongyang with Washington, its key ally, ahead of the Singapore meeting and U.S. President Donald Trump promised to raise the long-standing issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea.

Kono said the abduction issue is something that Japan and North Korea will eventually have to deal with by themselves.

Kono plans to visit South Korea from Wednesday for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is accompanying Trump to Singapore, and South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung Wha.Call of the Wild: Tribal communities of Gavi and their Makka DoctorNote: This press release was adapted from an original release by the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu.

Experiments conducted at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) helped to confirm that samples of interplanetary particles - collected from Earth's upper atmosphere and believed to originate from comets - contain dust leftover from the initial formation of the solar system.

An international team, led by Hope Ishii, a researcher at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UH Manoa), studied the particles' chemical composition using infrared light at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source (ALS). Scientists also explored their nanoscale chemical makeup using electron microscopes at the Lab's Molecular Foundry, which specializes in nanoscale R&D, and at the University of Hawaii's Advanced Electron Microscopy Center.

The study was published online June 11 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The initial solids from which the solar system formed consisted almost entirely of carbon, ices, and disordered (amorphous) silicate, the team concluded. This dust was mostly destroyed and reworked by processes that led to the formation of planets. Surviving samples of pre-solar dust are most likely to be preserved in comets - small, cold bodies that formed in the outer solar nebula.

(See a related article - From Moon Rocks to Space Dust: Berkeley Lab's Extraterrestrial Research)

In a relatively obscure class of these interplanetary dust particles believed to originate from comets, there are tiny glassy grains called GEMS (glass embedded with metal and sulfides) that are typically only tens to hundreds of nanometers in diameter, or less than a hundredth of the thickness of a human hair. Researchers embedded the sample grains in an epoxy that was cut into thin slices for the various experiments.

Using transmission electron microscopy at the Molecular Foundry, the research team made maps of the element distributions and discovered that these glassy grains are made up of subgrains that aggregated together in a different environment prior to the formation of the comet.

The nanoscale GEMS subgrains are bound together by dense organic carbon in clusters comprising the GEMS grains. These GEMS grains were later glued together with other components of the cometary dust by a distinct, lower-density organic carbon matrix.

The types of carbon that rim the subgrains and that form the matrix in these particles decompose with even weak heating, suggesting that the GEMS could not have formed in the hot inner solar nebula, and instead formed in a cold, radiation-rich environment, such as the outer solar nebula or pre-solar molecular cloud.

Jim Ciston, a staff scientist at the Molecular Foundry, said the particle-mapping process of the microscopy techniques provided key clues to their origins. The presence of specific types of organic carbon in both the inner and outer regions of the particles suggests the formation process occurred entirely at low temperatures, he said.

"Therefore, these interplanetary dust particles survived from the time before formation of the planetary bodies in the solar system, and provide insight into the chemistry of those ancient building blocks."

He also noted that the "sticky" organics that covered the particles may be a clue to how these nanoscale particles could gather into larger bodies without the need for extreme heat and melting.

Ishii, who is based at the UH Manoa's Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, said, "Our observations suggest that these exotic grains represent surviving pre-solar interstellar dust that formed the very building blocks of planets and stars. If we have at our fingertips the starting materials of planet formation from 4.6 billion years ago, that is thrilling and makes possible a deeper understanding of the processes that formed and have since altered them."

Hans Bechtel, a research scientist in the Scientific Support Group at Berkeley Lab's ALS, said that the research team also employed infrared spectroscopy at the ALS to confirm the presence of organic carbon and identify the coupling of carbon with nitrogen and oxygen, which corroborated the electron microscopy measurements.

The ALS measurements provided micron-scale (millionths of a meter) resolution that gave an average of measurements for entire samples, while the Molecular Foundry's measurements provided nanometer-scale (billionths of a meter) resolution that allowed scientists to explore tiny portions of individual grains.

In the future, the team plans to search the interiors of additional comet dust particles, especially those that were well-protected during their passage through the Earth's atmosphere, to increase understanding of the distribution of carbon within GEMS and the size distributions of GEMS subgrains.

###

Berkeley Lab's ALS and Molecular Foundry are DOE Office of Science User Facilities.

The research team included scientists from the University of Washington, NASA Ames Research Center, and the Laboratory for Space Sciences. The work was supported by NASA's Cosmochemistry, Emerging Worlds, and Laboratory Analysis of Returned Samples programs; the ALS and Molecular Foundry are supported by the DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences.

View the original University of Hawaii press release

View a related article: From Moon Rocks to Space Dust: Berkeley Lab's Extraterrestrial Research

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel Prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. For more, visit http://www.lbl.gov.

DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit http://www.science.energy.gov.The team comprised researchers from Kazan Federal University and Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. The bacteria were retrieved from a mass grave in Samara Oblast, Russia. As evidence showed, that particular strain contained key virulence factors ancestral to those which later caused pandemics of the 6th century (Eastern Roman Empire), 14th century (Eurasia), and 19th century (China).

Senior Lecturer Rezeda Tukhbatova, Kazan Federal University, explains, "The disease continues to influence world population today. Its precise origins and age are still unclear. In particular, it's not yet known when Y. pestis acquired its virulence profile which allowed it to adapt in fleas and be transmitted to mammals. Latest genome research has shown that Bronze Age strains didn't have that particular factor. That's why we targeted specimens from that era to find when such important change took place. Making such advances can help predict future evolution of epidemics."

Remains of 9 people from Samara Oblast were tested. Two of them were found to be afflicted by the deadly bacteria. The individuals belonged to the Timber-grave culture, and their DNA showed evidence of bubonic plague infestation characteristic for the abovementioned pandemics.

This proves that flea-borne plague has existed for a much longer time than previously theorized. Its age now dates back to 4 thousand years ago. Also, the researchers posit that two lines of plague bacteria with different profiles and transmission mechanisms existed at that time.

Team leader Johannes Krause, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, adds, "Whether those lines were equally distributed in human populations and how human activity helped distribute them - those questions are yet to be answered." Other genomes from the Bronze Age and the Iron Age can help determine major events in the history of humanity's most dangerous natural enemies.

###MANHATTAN, KANSAS -- Language changes are happening in southwest Kansas, a Kansas State University linguistics team has found. People in Liberal, Kansas, and other communities are developing a distinct accent, and the language change is a sign of a vibrant and growing community, researchers say.

Mary Kohn, associate professor of English, and her research team, including Trevin Garcia, May graduate in English, Liberal, Kansas, have found that as demographics have changed and Latino populations have increased in southwest Kansas, the ways that people are speaking English have changed, too.

"A lot of these patterns are on the phonetic level, meaning that it deals with sounds," Kohn said. "So what we are dealing with here is a distinct accent. It's not so much that we have completely radical new ways of speaking in Liberal, as it is there is a distinctive Liberal sound that is emerging."

That distinct Liberal sound is most prominent among young people, Kohn said. Many youth -- even those who do not speak Spanish -- speak English with subtle Spanish characteristics, such as rhythmic or staccato syllables and different vowel pronunciations. These changes are especially noticeable in words, such as "cat" or "hand."

Listen to an audio sample of Kohn explaining some of the vowel pronunciation changes happening in Liberal, Kansas.

Listen to an audio sample that illustrates pre-nasal raising. The young European American male speaker from Liberal, Kansas, says his English vowels -- especially the word "Spanish" -- in a Spanish-style pronunciation.

Kohn's research is part of the Kansas Speaks Project, which she began to document language change throughout the state. Her team is focusing on southwest Kansas because of the rapid demographic changes in the area since the 1980s. Communities such as Liberal went from a 20 percent Latino population to a 60 percent Latino population over a couple of decades, Kohn said.

"For us, it's just really exciting to watch these demographic shifts happening," Kohn said. "There are changes to the demography of the region and there are linguistic changes as well. It's a real testing ground of what happens when you bring different language backgrounds together within a community in an immediate and present way."

Kohn's team is building a corpus -- or collection -- of audio samples that represent the ways that people talk in different Kansas communities. Throughout the state, they have interviewed more than 90 people ranging from 8 years old to 91 years old. They are comparing these present-day interviews with about 20 archival interviews conducted in 1968 in 10 different Kansas communities by the Dictionary of American Regional English.

What is happening in Liberal, Kansas, is similar to what has happened in other regions in the U.S. Look at Minnesota, Kohn said, where the iconic Minnesota accent developed through northern European immigration to the region.

"It's something that we see all over the U.S., and it's characteristic of what happens when you have large immigration patterns affect the demographic of the region," Kohn said.

Through their collections, the researchers have found that the Latino English that is emerging in southwest Kansas shares certain links and patterns with other rural communities in Texas, California, New York and Florida. All of these communities are experiencing rapid demographic shifts and increases in Latino populations.

But unlike other communities across the country, younger European Americans in southwest Kansas are beginning to speak English that mimics the staccato, rapid and evenly timed sounds of Spanish, Kohn's research has found.

Listen to an audio sample that illustrates syllable timing. The speaker is a young European American male from Liberal, Kansas, and his English pronunciation mimics the even syllables of Spanish.

For Kohn and the Kansas Speaks Project, it is exciting to see a new English sound emerging in these communities. English is not threatened, Kohn said, because language change is natural as each generation finds its own voice.

"There has always been this fear that language change is somehow dangerous or scary or will prevent communication," Kohn said. "When we see language change, what we really see is that a community is continuing to develop and grow. It's a sign that we have a vibrant and lively community present. The only kind of language that doesn't change is a dead language."

###

Kohn is presenting the research on Kansas English at the Sociolinguistics Symposium 22 in New Zealand later in June.

Audio clips available at https://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/2018-06/kohn61118.html[caption id="attachment_1388" align="aligncenter" width="558"]

Stacks-Money cash

Photo Credit: Aadarsh AeKae/Shutterstock.com

[/caption] Former investors in Orbital ATK Inc. filed a petition in the Delaware Court of Chancery seeking appraisal of their shares in connection with Northrop Grumman Corp.'s $9.2 billion acquisition of the aerospace and defense technologies firm. GKC Strategic Value Master Fund asked the court to determine the value of nearly 393,000 Orbital shares the investment fund said it owned when the deal closed last week. Northrop Grumman, the nation's fifth-largest defense contractor, announced in September that it would purchase the Dulles, Virginia-based company for $134.50 per share, but the deal required the blessing of U.S. antitrust regulators before it could be completed. Orbital shareholders voted overwhelmingly in favor of the deal at a special meeting last November. Northrop Grumman said on June 5 that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission cleared the transactions, and the deal officially closed the following day. According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Orbital is now operating as Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. Blake Larson, Orbital's former chief operating officer, will lead innovation systems and report to Kathy Warden, Northrop Grumman's president and CEO, the company said. We are delighted to have them join the Northrop Grumman team, and we are very excited about the value creation our combination represents for our customers, shareholders and employees," Wes Bush, Northrop Grumman's chairman and CEO, said in a statement. "Together, through our leading technologies and innovation-focused culture, we look forward to developing enhanced mission capabilities and more competitive offerings in critical global security domains, he said. Northrop Grumman, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, has said that it viewed Orbital's small space systems, launch vehicles and munitions as complimentary to its own core capabilities. The company expects the deal to produce $150 million in annual cost savings by 2020, and the company has said that it values Orbital's, according to an investor presentation. In Delaware, only dissenting shareholders are eligible to petition for appraisal under Section 262 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. GKC will likely seek additional compensation by arguing that the deal price undervalued their shares. However, they may face an uphill climb, after recent Delaware Supreme Court decisions indicated a clear preference for deal price as the best indicator of fair value in cases that involve a robust and competitive sale process. They are also seeking statutory interest and costs associated with litigating the appraisal action, including an award of fees for expert witnesses and attorneys. The petition listed Eric M. Andersen of Andersen Sleater Sianni as counsel for the petitioners. An online docket-tracking service did not list attorneys for Orbital. The case has not yet been assigned to a judge. The case is captioned GKC v. Orbital ATK.Here's how global financial markets may react if the North Korea summit is a success ... or failure

If President Trump and Kim Jong Un come closer to an agreement, Chinese stocks are particularly poised to benefit, according to CNBC analysis using Kensho, a quantitative analytics tool used by hedge funds.

When worries about North Korea's nuclear threat escalate, European and emerging market stocks are among the worst performers, according to Kensho.

A successful outcome of U.S. talks with North Korea could give a boost to Chinese stocks and a U.S. exchange-traded fund that tracks them, according to a study looking at financial market reactions to past milestones regarding the rogue nation.

A disappointing outcome could hurt European stocks, the study showed.

President Donald Trump is set to hold a historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore beginning Monday evening EDT. It's uncertain whether the leaders can agree on issues such as immediate denuclearization and sanctions relief. The meeting itself was temporarily canceled by Trump.

But if the two leaders come closer to a resolution, Chinese stocks are particularly poised to benefit, according to CNBC analysis using Kensho, a quantitative analytics tool used by hedge funds.

The iShares China large-cap ETF (FXI) climbed an average 0.9 percent in the two trading days after talks between leaders of North and South Korea that indicated improved relations. The study looked at 19 instances since Kim assumed power in late 2011.

FXI tracks companies such as Tencent, Bank of China, PetroChina and Air China, a state carrier that said earlier this month it is resuming flights between Beijing and Pyongyang. The majority of North Korea's trade is with China, which supplies most of the rogue state's oil.

Other global markets tend to gain after talks between South and North Korea. The iShares MSCI South Korea Index Fund ETF (EWY) , iShares S&P Europe 350 Index ETF (IEV) and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index ETF (EEM) all climbed about half a percent on average, the Kensho study showed.

Story continues

In the U.S., the S&P 500 rose an average 0.2 percent, according to Kensho. The Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) , a measure of fear, drops 3 percent on average.

When worries about North Korea's nuclear threat escalate, European and emerging market stocks are among the worst performers, according to Kensho.

IEV and EEM each fall half a percent on average in the two days following a successful missile test or a particularly aggressive statement from the Trump administration, according to Kensho. The study looked at 25 such occasions since Kim took power.

South Korean stocks tended to fall about a third of a percent, while the iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ) declined a quarter of a percent, on average, when tensions around North Korea increase, the Kensho analysis found.

The VIX jumps 5.6 percent on average. The S&P 500 and China's FXI trade positive roughly 50 percent of the time, no better than a coin flip.

WATCH: US-N. Korea talks moving faster than expected



More From CNBC

June 13 (Reuters) - Australia's Investa Office Fund (IOF) and Blackstone Group on Wednesday entered into a scheme implementation agreement through which the U.S. private equity giant would acquire the Sydney-focused company for A$3.08 billion ($2.33 billion).

The directors of IOF manager Investa Listed Funds Management said they unanimously recommend the offer, which equates to a distribution adjusted price of A$5.15 per unit. ($1 = 1.3212 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Aditya Soni in Bengaluru Editing by Leslie Adler)Singapore is not just where the historic meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is set to take place on Tuesday, June 12. It is also one of the global centers of fusion cuisine, drawing on Malay, Chinese, Indian, and other influences.

It's only fitting then that businesses across the island nation are creating a new type of fusion in anticipation of this week's summit: one inspired by the two leaders, their personalities, and their home countries.

Across their Singapore locations, KFC has renamed its fried chicken box "Four Peace Meal." At Mexican restaurant Lucha Loco, there is a cheeseburger-flavored "El Gringo" taco and a Korean fried chicken "El Hombre Cohete," or the rocket man, reports CNBC.

Hey @realDonaldTrump & Supreme Leader Kim, a historic #TrumpKim meeting deserves an epic meal. Hmu if you want to drop by KFC Sentosa on 12 June for a free box. Peace out,

Colonel H. Sanders #KFCSG #KFC4PEACEMEAL pic.twitter.com/4vh2QQQuAh  KFC_SG (@KFC_SG) June 8, 2018

Wolf Burgers has "The Burger for World Peace"--a mix of "juicy bulgogi marinated shabu brisket," kimchi mayo and Korean-style pickled radish, with caramelized onions and "American sharp cheddar." Dallas Restaurant & Bar, is offering a "buttermilk chicken and kimchi Summit-wich." Even the Royal Plaza hotel has created a special kimchi burger and "Summit Iced Tea" for its patrons.

Story continues

Hey @realDonaldTrump--Remember you said "We should be eating a hamburger on a conference table"? Let's make it happen with our #TrumpKimBurger from @royalplazaonscotts https://t.co/DNnlIK6xp3 pic.twitter.com/rsePIuN5jo  Royal Plaza on Scotts (@royalplazasg) June 11, 2018

The Common Good Company, which is a consortium of Singaporean food businesses, had its eyes set on the thousands of journalists who were coming to Singapore for the summit. It reportedly gave away Kimchi and Durian flavored ice cream, with signs saying "Durians May Be Thorny but Relations Needn't Be" and "Feeling More Trump-ish or Kim-ish today?"

But it's not just restaurants that are looking to capitalize on the summit. One startup, called Vybes, hired Trump and Kim impersonators over the weekend to promote its app. Cannabis cryptocurrency company PotCoin funded Dennis Rodmans trip to Singapore for the summit. And WeGoGo, a travel discovery platform, is offering a three day stay at the Marina Bay Sands hotel for the lucky winner of a lottery.

Even the Singaporean government has seen an opportunity to make an extra buck. It minted a commemorative "World Peace" coin, selling the gold version for 1,380 Singapore dollars ($1,033). The coin will also be available in silver and nickel, and features a dove and olive branch motif, as well as other symbolic items. Demand for the coin has already been so huge, the mint is reportedly increasing its supply.By David French

NEW YORK, June 11 (Reuters) - California's utilities regulator has told SJW Group it must seek approval for its proposed merger with Connecticut Water Service Inc, according to a document provided by the regulator to Reuters, a move that creates a potentially significant impediment to the deal.

In March, the two companies announced a tie-up that would create the third-largest investor-owned water and wastewater utility in the United States, with an equity value of around $1.9 billion, serving 1.5 million customers.

The deal is part of a contentious four-way water utility merger battle, also involving California Water Services Group and Eversource Energy.

A regulatory review in California would likely extend the time needed to approve the merger by many months, given the state's active approach to oversight, analysts have said.

San Jose-based SJW and Connecticut Water said in March that regulatory approval would only be required in Connecticut and Maine.

But in a June 8 letter to John Tang, SJW's vice president of regulatory affairs, the General Counsel for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), Arocles Aguilar, said it was directing SJW to seek CPUC's approval for the tie-up by June 29, under an article concerning changes of ownership.

The letter, provided to Reuters by CPUC, noted mergers were evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the regulator and the proposed transaction would result in ownership by members of the Moss family falling to around 12 percent after the deal, from around 20 percent currently.

The family has been the largest SJW Group shareholder for decades, the letter notes, adding that dilution to their stake could affect the operation of San Jose Water Company.

SJW Group is the holding company for San Jose Water Company, which provides water services to 1 million people in the greater San Jose metropolitan area.

Representatives for SJW Group and Connecticut Water declined comment.

However, a source close to SJW said the company disagreed with CPUC's assessment and would respond formerly to the regulator in due course.

Story continues

U.S. utilities are seeking consolidation to cut costs and bolster investment in aging infrastructure.

Despite agreeing the SJW Group tie-up, Connecticut Water said on May 31 it would solicit other potential bidders over a 45-day period.

Eversource Energy, which had an offer for Connecticut Water rejected in April, is considered a possible bidder.

In turn, SJW rejected a merger offer from California Water in April. In June, California launched a tender offer to acquire SJW shares.

(Reporting by David French, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)Bozoma Saint John

Bozoma Saint John

Bozoma Saint John, a former Apple marketing exec hired to fix Uber's brand, is leaving the company.

She'll become CMO of Endeavor, the parent company of famed Hollywood talent agency WME.

Saint John is known for stealing the show at Apple's WWDC 2016 conference.

Bozoma Saint John, a marketing expert who was hired by ousted CEO Travis Kalanick to help fix Uber's brand, is leaving the company after a little more than a year, Recode first reported Monday.

Uber confirmed to Business Insider that Saint John is leaving. Saint John is leaving to become CMO of Endeavor, the parent company of famed Hollywood talent agency WME, which represents stars such as Amy Adams, Oprah, and Matt Damon.

"Boz joined Uber at a time when the company was hurting  but her energy, optimism and creativity have been a key part of our ongoing turnaround. Endeavor is lucky to have her, and Im excited to watch her work in her new role," CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement.

Saint John is best known as the stylish ex-Apple Music exec who stole the show with her high-energy presentation at the iPhone maker's annual WWDC conference in 2016. She went to Uber in 2017, right as the company hit a string of scandals that tarnished Uber's brand and led to the resignation of its CEO Travis Kalanick.

During her time at Uber, Saint John took steps to improve the company's image with both drivers and customers, going so far as to drive for the service personally.

NOW WATCH: How Apple can fix HomePod and Siri

See Also:

SEE ALSO: Uber's next battle with Lyft could be over the electric scooters that are slowly taking over the countryMEXICO CITY, June 11 (Reuters) - Canada's Goldcorp said on Monday an ongoing protest blocking entry to its Penasquito mine, one of Mexico's biggest gold producers, could force the company to halt output.

The mine, in northern Zacatecas state, produced 476,000 ounces of gold last year, comprising 18 percent of Goldcorp's total production and generating more than 33 percent of its revenue.

The demonstration began on June 1, led by local truck-drivers who say the company reneged on promises to hire locally.

Local residents also blocked access at the mine last year, protesting for more than a week over a water dispute. The company later said it was able to resume normal operations without a hit to production.

Michael Harvey, Goldcorp's director of corporate affairs, said the current blockade was illegal and had prevented the flow of workers and supplies.

"We are still working, but if we can't let supplies in, at some point we will stop producing," he said.

Ascension Carrillo, one of the protest leaders, said the goal was to get Goldcorp to fulfill its hiring promises.

"The only thing we want is the work that was promised to us ... we're fighting to feed our families," Carrillo said. (Reporting by Noe Torres, Writing by Daina Beth Solomon Editing by Marguerita Choy)As online ordering and fresh food delivery expands around the globe, is angling for a stake. The Alphabet subsidiary announced a joint venture today with French chain Carrefour, making it the first retailer in France to partner with Google.

By 2019, Carrefour groceries will be available through Google products such as its Home voice-controlled speaker and Assistant digital helper. The initiative marks the first time in France that groceries will be sold through Googles interfaces, Carrefours head of digital transformation, Marie Cheval said in an interview with Bloomberg.

According to the Financial Times, the partnership is the highest-profile move yet by Alexandre Bompard, who joined Carrefour as chief executive in July 2017. When he came on board, Bompard vowed to improve the companys e-commerce investments while also pledging to reduce Frances dependence on suburban big box retailers.

Google gets more than a delivery deal out of the collaboration. This summer, Carrefour plans to open an innovation lab in Paris, where the retailer will rely on Google Cloud to test artificial intelligence-driven services. Carrefour will also adopt Google tools such as Gmail for its more than 160,000 employees.

Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.

In March, announced a partnership with Groupe Casino to sell products from Monoprix stores through Amazon Prime. In the same month, another French food retailer, Leclerc, debuted home delivery in France.

See original article on Fortune.com

More from Fortune.comgavel and law books

A judge has ordered an art dealer to turn over a pair of paintings looted by Nazis from an Austrian Jewish entertainer in the 1930s to a New York City auction house, and upbraided the dealer for infringing on the property rights of the entertainers heirs. The two-and-a-half year legal battle was one of the first successful applications of the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act, said Raymond Dowd of Dunnington Bartholow & MIller, the attorney for the plaintiffs.Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Charles Ramos said that Richard Nagy has 10 days to deliver the Egon Schiele paintings Woman In a Black Pinafore (1911) and Woman Hiding Her Face (1912) to Christies auction house, where the heirs of Fritz Grunbaum want to sell the paintings to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of Schieles death. The federal statute, enacted in 2016, allows claimants to bring causes of action for Nazi-looted artwork lost between 1933 and 1945 within six years of discovering their possessory interest in artworks and where they are located; Dowd said the win in his case could provide guidance to other counsel representing parties vying to recover lost artworks and artifacts. Ive gotten a lot of phone calls from very happy counsel, Dowd said. As for Nagy, who is based in London, the judge found that the art dealer knowingly and in bad faith interfered with the plaintiffs property rights by refusing to turn over the paintings and awarded damages and attorney fees to the plaintiff. The plaintiffs have also moved for sanctions against Nagy, accusing him of using deceptive, inconsistent and scorched-earth tactics in the replevin and conveyance case: Nagy waged a frivolous campaign to argue that Grunbaum did not own the paintings, despite telling his insurance provider otherwise, and tried to scrub the heirs claims to the paintings from a German database, the plaintiffs allege. Theres substantial evidence in the record of bad faith, Dowd said. He represented Timothy Reif and David Fraenkel, the executors of the estate of Leon Fischer and Milos Vavra. Nixon Peabody partners Thaddeus Stauber and Kristin Jamberdino represent Nagy. Dowd said that Christies will conduct a condition report on the paintings to verify their value, but that they are estimated to be worth $5 million to $7 million. Grunbaum, a cabaret performer who was a vocal critic of the Third Reich, owned the paintings before World War II, but in 1938, Nazis stormed his home and sent him to a concentration camp in southern Germany, where he was forced to sign power of attorney of his possessions over to his wife, possibly at gunpoint. The Nazis seized more than 400 artworks from Grunbaum, which included 81 works by Schiele. Grunbaum was later killed in the concentration camp and his wife was killed in Belarus in 1942. In 1956, about 50 of Schieles works surfaced at a Swiss auction house. According to court papers, the plaintiffs first found the paintings in Nagys gallery in New York City; in November 2015, they tracked down the paintings at John F. Kennedy International Airport in the hands of a fine-art shipper who was bound for London. In April, Ramos ruled that the paintings should be returned to the heirs, finding a signature at gunpoint cannot lead to a valid conveyance.MEXICO CITY, June 12 (Reuters) - Mexico's antitrust agency is initiating an investigation into allegations of monopolistic practices in the national sugar industry, the government said it in its official gazette on Tuesday.

The Federal Commission for Economic Competition, or Cofece, will probe evidence presented to the regulator relating to suspected anti-competitive practices in the production, distribution and sale of sugar in Mexico, it said.

The government did not provide details of the case or say who was under investigation, as is customary. (Reporting by Veronica Gomez; Editing by David Gregorio)cloud mining

A mysterious startup based out of Estonia has filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to inform the agency that it intends to raise nearly $200 million through an initial coin offering (ICO).

According to public documents filed earlier this month, the firm  NewTech Myning OU  hopes to raise as much as $180 million by selling GoWeb tokens through Simple Agreements for Future Tokens (SAFT). Token prices are fixed at $3, and investors can purchase as little as one token.

The document indicates that NewTech Myning was formed in 2018 as a limited liability company (LLC) and that it is based out of Tallinn, Estonia.

The sale was filed under Regulation D, indicating that the company is seeking an exemption from standard securities registration requirements. NewTech Myning OU said that they are exempt from registration under Rule 506(c), which means that only accredited investors can contribute to the offering.

The documents reveal little else about the company, but the GoWeb website indicates that the tokens will entitle their owners to a set amount of computing power from the firms cloud mining data center. The website further states that GoWeb was formed in 2014, though if true it has operated largely under-the-radar.

Notably, Rainer Osanik, who in the filing is listed as NewTech Mynings CEO, does not appear among the team members listed on the GoWeb website.

If GoWeb successfully reaches its hard cap, it could rank as one of the 10 most lucrative token sales in 2018. According to data from CoinSchedule, ICOs have raised just under $10 billion in 2018, though just eight projects have raised $100 million or more (not including EOS, whose $4 billion ICO began in 2017).

However, it remains to be seen whether this little-known startup will be able to attract this level of capital.

Featured Image from Shutterstock.



The post Mysterious Estonian Mining Firm Files to Hold $180 Million ICO appeared first on CCN.

Kim Jong Un North Korea factory

Reuters/KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly wants to follow a "Vietnam-like" opening of the country's economy.

Some analysts doubt that's possible given the country's troubled economic past and nature of the Kim regime.

It's also unclear if and when the US will lift sanctions on Pyongyang, which has gone back on vows to denuclearize before.

Could North Korea's economy, the most isolated in the world, ever follow in the footsteps of Vietnam's? Even as Pyongyang warms up to the leader of the free world, some analysts doubt it.

Seoul-based Maeil Business Newspaper reported Kim Jong Un said during a private summit with South Korea that he saw a "Vietnam-like" opening of the country, probably referring to Hanoi in 1986. Vietnam's ruling communist party dropped collectivism to pursue a "socialist-oriented market economy," under which the country's GDP growth increased by an average of 3% per year over the next decade.

But the chances of North Korea successfully emulating the Vietnam model are "slim," according to a team of economists at Capital Economics led by Gareth Leather. They think even if the economy is opened up, foreign investors are likely to be very cautious as they remember previous financial ventures in North Korea.

A few examples: Korean companies that invested in the Mount Kumgang tourist region and the Kaesong industrial complex saw their assets frozen after bilateral relations soured. And a joint venture by Chinese mining company Xiyang to build a mine in North Korea was terminated less than a year after production began.

On top of that, experts say it's unlikely the North Korean dictator would allow his regime to shift in the way they sometimes do when an economy opens. One potential reason Kim sees Vietnam as a model, according to Leather, is that their ruling party achieved economic development while maintaining a firm grip on power. But this isn't always the case.

Story continues

"There are examples of other countries in Asia, most notably Korea and Taiwan, where development and the opening of the economy to the outside world have played an important role behind the emergence of democratic movements," he said.

Video: Trump Will End Joint Military Exercises With South Korea

For more news videos visit Yahoo View.

There are a number of factors that Pyongyang could capitalize on through open borders, including its geographical position next to major economies like China and Japan and access to natural resources. The country sits on rich, largely untapped reserves of zinc, iron and some rare-earth metals often used in electronics.

But it's unclear if or when US sanctions against North Korea could be lifted. Economic penalties the US imposes on Pyongyang relate to proliferation and human rights violations, issues North Korea has gone back on with the US in previous agreements.

An agreement signed by President Donald Trump and Kim early Tuesday said North Korea will "work toward complete denuclearization," but it did not provide details on when or how.

The president later told reporters he'd halt US-South Korea joint military drills, which stunned both Seoul and Washington. US officials in South Korea had "received no updated guidance on the execution or cessation of training exercises," the Associated Press reports.

Trump said the two leaders touched on certain human rights abuses, but did not offer any further details, and the subject was absent from the statement and opening remarks. A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

"As expected, the historic meeting between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jung Un produced photo ops and statements of goodwill, but is only the first step in a long road of negotiations," said Chris Zaccarelli of Independent Advisor Alliance, a Charlotte-based firm. "The lack of specifics from the meeting  including a lack of timelines  leave little to trade on and so the impact on markets from the summit has been negligible."

NOW WATCH: Trump pitched peace to Kim Jong Un with this Hollywood-style video starring Kim as the leading man

See Also:

SEE ALSO: 21 photos of North Korea that Kim Jong Un wouldn't want you to seeCrown Castle (CCI) reported earnings 30 days ago. What's next for the stock? We take a look at earnings estimates for some clues.

It was a week where oil prices ended largely unchanged and natural gas futures dropped.

On the news front, Devon Energy Corp. DVN agreed to sell interests in certain midstream assets apart from boosting its share buyback program, while Exxon Mobil Corp. XOM snapped up offshore stakes in Brazils fourth pre-salt bid round.

Overall, it wasnt a good week for the sector. While West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures remained essentially unchanged at $65.74 per barrel, natural gas prices fell some 2.4% to $2.89 per million Btu (MMBtu). (See the last Oil & Gas Stock Roundup here: Exxon, Shell, Petrobras & More)

The U.S. oil benchmark was little changed during the week as fears of a looming drop in Iranian crude exports and tumbling Venezuelan production were offset by an unexpected build in U.S. crude stockpiles amid record production, together with steadily increasing rig count.

Meanwhile, natural gas prices moved southward last week as ample production continue to overshadow the commoditys below-average storage levels.

Recap of the Weeks Most Important Stories

1. Devon Energy decided to sell its 95 million units in the master limited partnership EnLink Midstream Partners, LP ENLK and 115 million units in the general partner EnLink Midstream, LLC to an affiliate of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) for $3.125 billion. This deal will lower Devons consolidated debt by nearly 40% and result in a decline in consolidated general and administrative expenses and interest cost by around $300 million annually, thereby boosting its margins.

The proceeds from the monetization of the midstream assets combined with that of the non-core E&P assets already sold, will enable Devon Energy to exceed its $5 billion divestiture target.

Devons board of directors also authorized a $3 billion increase in Devons previously announced $1 billion share-repurchase program, bringing the total repurchase program to $4 billion. The company is returning proceeds from the transaction to its shareholders. This will further improve the value of its shareholders. (Read more Devon to Monetize Midstream Assets, Buyback More Shares)

Story continues

2. Exxon Mobil has won the Uirapuru exploration block with co-venturers Equinor ASA EQNR and Petrogal Brasil during Brazils 4th pre-salt bid round.

Brazilian energy major Petrobras PBR has chosen to exercise its right to enter in the consortium and will be the operator with an equity interest of 30%. Exxon Mobil, Equinor and Petrogal Brasil will have a holding of 28%, 28% and 14%, respectively.

In 2018, Exxon Mobil intends to acquire seismic coverage on more than 7,500 square miles. 3-D seismic survey work is already in progress on two blocks in the Northern Campos area offshore Brazil. The company is striving to get the required approvals to begin drilling activities.

The latest award boosts Exxon Mobils holding in Brazils pre-salt basins by adding net acres of about 88,900 to its portfolio. The company has a total exposure to more than 2.2 million net acres in the country, with interests in a total of 25 blocks offshore Brazil. (Read more Exxon Mobil Expands Footprint in Brazil With Uirapuru Block)

3. SeaDrill Limited SDRL recently announced that it anticipates emerging from bankruptcy by the first half of July, bringing in pleasant news for its investors. Notably, the Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) companys shares have rallied about 60% over a month, handily outperforming the industrys decline of 4.4%. The elevated investors optimism is a result of the companys restructuring plan that won approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in April, after almost a year-long struggle to survive. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

The companys financial restructuring plan received approval from 99.8% of the creditors. Per the restructuring agreement, the international offshore drilling company will witness capital injection of $1.08 billion, which would comprise $880 million secured loans and $200 million equity. The existing shareholders will receive only 1.9% stake in the post-restructuring equity.

Under the restructuring plan, banks will defer the maturities of all secured credit facilities worth $5.7 billion by five years, with no amortization payments til 2020, along with significant covenant relief. The plan will also witness the conversion of $2.3 billion worth unsecured bonds into 15% of equity in the restructured company.

With Seadrill nearing bankruptcy exit with its restructuring plan, it will improve the liquidity position of the company and provide growth opportunities. SeaDrill, having one of the youngest and most advanced drilling fleets, will be poised to secure more contracts post restructuring, helping the company to stabilize its revenues. (Read more SeaDrill Expects to Emerge From Bankruptcy in July)

4. Petrobras 2017-2018 divestment plans could be in jeopardy, as the Brazilian Federal court suspended the companys $7 billion deal with Engie SA. The court recently passed a ruling against the sale of Petrobras natural gas pipeline unit, Transportadora Associada de Gas (TAG) to France-based Engie SA.

The company had announced the sale of its wholly-owned subsidiary, TAG, last year. TAGs gas pipeline system spanning 4,500 kilometers is primarily located in the north and northeast of Brazil. It can transport up to 74.7 million cubic feet per day, which is fully contracted through long-term agreements with ship-or-pay clauses.

The court halted the transaction due to discrepancies in the way Petrobras advanced with the sale. It is believed that the sale was not publicized well enough to stimulate ample competition. Petrobras is taking necessary legal steps to protect the interest of its shareholders.

The sale of TAG is major part of Petrobras divestiture program of 2017-2018. The company plans to sell assets worth $21 billion over the said time frame.

These divestment plans are in sync with the companys strategy to reduce its debt burden and reinstate its investment grade rating and financial health. Further, it will also help the company gain additional liquidity, as it intends to increase investment in the ultra-deepwater projects. (Read more Brazil Court Halts Petrobras' $7-Billion Asset Sale)

5. Repsol, S.A. REPYY recently announced its intention to increase its dividend by 8% annually. This will result in pushing the dividend per share to 0.95 ($1.12) in 2019 and 1 ($1.18) in 2020, from the current level of 0.90. The company also intends to carry out share repurchase programs to avoid dilution. This came as part of its updated targets for its 2016-2020 strategic plans.

The company also has plans to invest around 15 billion ($17.6 billion) in its operations during the 2018-2020 timeframe. The company sets its new targets based on the expectation that Brent benchmark will be above $50 per barrel during this period.

The company intends to increase its exploration and production activities through 2020, while achieving a 8% production growth rate. Repsol will employ 8 billion in upstream businesses, which is expected to help the company reach its production goal of 750 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2020.

Repsol will invest 4.2 billion in its downstream projects, which also includes international expansion. (Read more Repsol Updates Strategies & Goals, Hikes Dividend)

Price Performance

The following table shows the price movement of some the major oil and gas players over the past week and during the last 6 months.

Company Last Week Last 6 Months XOM +2.2% +0.4% CVX +2.1% +6.6% COP +1.7% +35.7% OXY +1.3% +23.1% SLB +1.4% +8.9% RIG +0.8% +26.7% VLO -3.3% +38.7% MPC -3.6% +21.2%

The Energy Select Sector SPDR  a popular way to track energy companies  generated a +0.7% return last week. The best performer was oil major Exxon Mobil, whose stock rose 2.2%.

Longer-term, over six months, the sector tracker is up 11.1%. Independent refiner and marketer, Valero Energy Corp. is far and away the major gainer during this period, experiencing a 38.7% price appreciation.

Whats Next in the Energy World?

As usual, market participants will be closely tracking the regular releases i.e. the U.S. government statistics on oil and natural gas -- one of the few solid indicators that comes out regularly. Energy traders will also be focusing on the Baker Hughes data on rig count. However, all eyes are on the oil producers meeting set for Jun 22 in Vienna, which will decide what happens next regarding their supply curb policy.

More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!

It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market.

Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020.

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EnLink Midstream Partners, LP (ENLK) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (PBR) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Repsol SA (REPYY) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Seadrill Limited (SDRL) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Devon Energy Corporation (DVN) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Statoil ASA (EQNR) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment ResearchU.S. West Texas Intermediate and international-benchmark Brent crude oil rebounded from early losses to close higher on Monday, as bullish comments from the Iraqi oil minister raised doubts as to whether OPEC would decide to boost output at its upcoming meeting.

July WTI crude oil settled at $2.963, up 0.073 or +2.46% and August Brent crude oil settled at $76.40, down $0.06 or -0.08%.

Daily August Brent Crude

Early in the session, prices fell in response to a bearish report from JPMorgan on Friday that said, Non-OPEC supply is expected to rise sharply in 2019, led by U.S. shale growth, along with Russia, Brazil, Canada and Kazakhstan.

Also pressuring prices was a report from over the week-end from Russian news agency Interfax. It said on Saturday that Russias oil output had risen to 11.1 million bpd in early June, up from slightly less than 11 million bpd for most of May and above its target output of under 11 million bpd.

Finally, sellers were also responding to another rise in new rigs drilling for oil in the United States. According to Baker Hughes, the rig count rose by one last week to 862, its highest since March 2015. This suggests U.S. crude output, already at a record 10.8 million bpd, will climb further.

The market hit its low for the session and turned higher after Iraqs oil minister said producers should not be influenced by pressure to pump more oil.

The minister, Jabar al-Luaibi, said that oil prices still require support and stability, and producers should not over-exaggerate the oil markets need for more supplies.

According to a statement, the minister also rejects unilateral decisions by some oil producers without consulting the rest of the members of the OPEC and non-OPEC producers who took part in the reduction agreement.

Daily July WTI Crude Oil

Forecast

Crude oil futures are trading mixed early Tuesday on low volume as traders awaited the outcome of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore.

At 0325 GMT, July WTI crude oil is trading $66.12, up $0.02 or +0.03% and August Brent crude oil is at $76.39, down $0.07 or -0.09%.

Story continues

We continue to expect a two-sided trade as investors prepare for the OPEC meeting in Vienna on June 22. Traders arent sure what to expect from the meeting.

Earlier in the month, the market sold off sharply as investors priced in the possibility of increased production from Saudi Arabia, Russia and other major producers. However, the market bottomed last week after Venezuela said it may have to cancel all of its delivery contracts. On Monday, Iraq suggested it would not back a plan to raise production.

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

More From FXEMPIRE:Oil prices climbed on Tuesday

Investing.com  Oil prices climbed on Tuesday as traders look forward to the outcome of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

Crude Oil WTI Futures for July delivery were trading at $66.21 a barrel at 12:22AM ET (04:22 GMT), up 0.17%. Brent Oil Futures for August delivery, traded in London, were up 0.03% at $76.48 per barrel.

Shanghai Crude Oil WTI Futures for September delivery were down 0.06% at 469.90 yuan per barrel on Tuesday.

Oil markets would likely to be heavily driven by policy events and statements this week, according to analysts.

"This week is all about global developments ... And today marks the potentially momentous meeting between Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in Singapore," said Shannon Rivkin, investment director at Australia's Rivkin Securities.

"Any positive outcome could be good news for markets, even if gold and oil may take a short-term hit," he added.

However, movements in oil markets are likely to remain limited as traders were reluctant to take on large new positions ahead of a meeting between producer cartel OPEC and some of its allies on June 22, as investors continued to fear OPEC could ease production curbs at its meeting to offset falling supplies in Venezuela and an expected drop in Iran oil exports as U.S. sanctions loom.

OPEC-member Iraq said last week that a production increase was not on the table as the market was stable and prices were good, despite reports that the U.S. government had asked Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members to increase oil output by around 1 million.

Related Articles

Oil edges up on cautious optimism over Trump, Kim summit in Singapore

Oil steady ahead of Trump meeting with Kim

Canadian dairy farmers cling to protections as Trump demands concessionsTexas Capital (TCBI) reported earnings 30 days ago. What's next for the stock? We take a look at earnings estimates for some clues.

Investors in The Boeing Company BA need to pay close attention to the stock based on moves in the options market lately. That is because the Jun 15, 2018 $255 Call had some of the highest implied volatility of all equity options today.

What is Implied Volatility?

Implied volatility shows how much movement the market is expecting in the future. Options with high levels of implied volatility suggest that investors in the underlying stocks are expecting a big move in one direction or the other. It could also mean there is an event coming up soon that may cause a big rally or a huge sell-off. However, implied volatility is only one piece of the puzzle when putting together an options trading strategy.

What do the Analysts Think?

Clearly, options traders are pricing in a big move for Boeing shares, but what is the fundamental picture for the company? Currently, Boeing is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) in the Aerospace - Defense industry that ranks in the Top 41% of our Zacks Industry Rank. Over the last 60 days, three analysts have increased their earnings estimates for the current quarter, while three have dropped their estimates. The net effect has taken our Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter from $3.37 per share to $3.41 in that period.

Given the way analysts feel about Boeing right now, this huge implied volatility could mean theres a trade developing. Oftentimes, options traders look for options with high levels of implied volatility to sell premium. This is a strategy many seasoned traders use because it captures decay. At expiration, the hope for these traders is that the underlying stock does not move as much as originally expected.

Looking to Trade Options?

Each week, our very own Dave Bartosiak gives his top options trades. Check out his recent live analysis and options trade for the NFLX earnings report completely free. See it here: Bartosiak: Trading Netflix's (NFLX) Earnings with Options or check out the embedded video below for more details:

Story continues



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Zacks Investment ResearchJune 12 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

The Times

- The Financial Reporting Council has fined KPMG 3.2 million pounds for its auditing of Quindell, ending a three-year investigation into the bookkeeping of the scandal-hit insurance technology company now known as Watchstone Group Plc. https://bit.ly/2xYLLFU

- California-based start-up Olaplex has secured a rare victory in Britain in a patent infringement battle with L'Oreal, the French cosmetics giant. The court found that L'Oreal's product infringed Olaplex's UK patent for its Bond Multiplier hair-lightening product. https://bit.ly/2JCEMUv

The Guardian

- Cabin crew at Ryanair Holdings Plc in the UK will be represented by a union for the first time after Unite signed a recognition agreement with the airline. About 650 staff working from Ryanair's UK bases could be covered by the deal, with the union able to represent them in talks on pay, hours and holidays. https://bit.ly/2Jzz3Pj

- Britain's factories unexpectedly recorded the sharpest fall in output for more than five years in April. The Office for National Statistics said manufacturing output fell by 1.4 percent in April from the previous month. https://bit.ly/2sPP39D

The Telegraph

- Jaguar Land Rover is to end production of its Discovery off-roader at its Solihull plant and move the work to its new factory in Slovakia. https://bit.ly/2HJbvWm

- Challenger stock exchange Aquis will float on the junior Aim market to bolster its war chest to take on larger rivals, such as the London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Boerse. https://bit.ly/2sPPOzv

Sky News

- Bargain retailer Poundworld has crashed into administration, putting 5,100 jobs at risk after last-ditch rescue talks failed. https://bit.ly/2l5l2ON

- Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc has warned it has identified more problems with its engines that have forced airlines to ground and lease replacement planes. https://bit.ly/2l1Rqld

The Independent

- Legal & General has pledged to take action on companies not doing enough to combat climate change. The fund manager, which invests around 1 trillion pounds on behalf of its customers, said it would exclude climate change laggards from its Future World Fund. https://ind.pn/2sOnPjA (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Rolls-Royce (RR.L) said a costly compressor problem that had grounded Boeing planes had now been found in a different type of engine, compounding pressures on a group that is due to cut more than 4,000 jobs this week.

Britain's best known engineering company has been hit by a problem with a compressor in the Trent 1000 package C engine that is not lasting as long as expected, grounding planes, forcing inspections and angering airline clients.

The engine powers Boeing's 787 Dreamliner jet.

On Monday it said it had now found the same issue on a "small number of high life Package B engines", requiring a one-off inspection of the B fleet and sending its shares down 1 percent.

The news, which will not affect Rolls' full-year free cash flow target, comes as the group embarks on the latest stage of a major restructuring program under Chief Executive Warren East that is designed to boost profitability.

On Friday the group will host a capital markets day where, according to a person familiar with the situation, it will announce more than 4,000 job cuts, mostly in Britain and affecting support and management roles.

The group, which employs 50,000 people in 50 countries, is also expected to set out how it will make a return on the investment made in recent years and the expected drivers of cash flow beyond its medium-term horizon.

The news about the compressor issue will not help however as Rolls has been fighting to show it has a lid on a problem which has forced airline customers to lease alternative planes to fly in the busy summer holiday period.

The existing package C issue had led to about 30 of the affected aircraft being grounded at any one time for checks. They were flown by airlines including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand (AIR.NZ).

Air New Zealand said earlier this month it would lease two Boeing 777s to cover for 787-9s that are affected by the Rolls engine issue.

Story continues

Airlines that use the package C engine tend to also take the package B engine. According to Rolls some 380 package C engines are in service while there are 166 package B engines in service.

Rolls said that while this new problem would incur some additional cost, it did not expect it to affect its free cash flow guidance for 2018.

Analysts welcomed the fact the group did not revise the target and noted the comment that the package B issue only affected a "small number" of engines.

(Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by James Davey/Keith Weir)SINGAPORE (AP)  President Donald Trump wrapped up his five-hour nuclear summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with surprisingly warm words and hope for "a bright new future" for Kim's isolated and impoverished nation. Yet he immediately faced pointed questions at home about whether he got little and gave away much in his push to make a deal with the young autocrat  including an agreement to halt U.S. military exercises with South Korea.

Meeting with staged ceremony on a Singapore island, Trump and Kim signed a joint statement Tuesday agreeing to work toward a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, although the timeline and tactics were left unclear. Trump later promised to end "war games," with ally South Korea, a concession to Kim that appeared to catch the Pentagon and Seoul government off guard and sowed confusion among Trump's Republican supporters in Washington.

The head-scratching was a fitting end for a meeting marked by unpredictability. The face to face was unthinkable just months earlier as the two leaders traded insults and nuclear threats. In agreeing to the summit, Trump risked granting Kim his long-sought recognition on the world stage in hopes of ending the North's nuclear program.

While progress on the nuclear question was murky, the leaders spent the public portions of their five hours together expressing optimism and making a show of their new relationship. Trump declared he and Kim had developed "a very special bond." He gave Kim a glimpse of the presidential limousine. Kim, for his part, said the leaders had "decided to leave the past behind" and promised, "The world will see a major change."

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Soon, Kim departed the venue, while a clearly ebullient Trump held forth for more than an hour before the press on what he styled as a historic achievement to avert the prospect of nuclear war. Before leaving himself, Trump tossed out pronouncements on U.S. alliances, human rights and the nature of the accord that he and Kim had signed.

The details of how and when the North would denuclearize appear yet to be determined, as are the nature of the unspecified "protections" Trump is pledging to Kim and his government.

As Trump acknowledged that denuclearization would not be accomplished overnight, the North suggested Wednesday that Trump had moved away from his demand for complete denuclearization before U.S. sanctions on the long-isolated country are removed.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency said the two leaders "shared recognition to the effect that it is important to abide by the principle of step-by-step and simultaneous action in achieving peace, stability and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." KCNA also reported that Trump had expressed his intention to lift sanctions "over a period of good-will dialogue" between the two countries.

The White House did not immediately respond to the North Korean characterization of the deal.

The Singapore accord largely amounts to an agreement to continue discussions, echoing previous public statements and commitments. It does not, for instance, include an agreement to take steps toward ending the technical state of warfare between the U.S. and North Korea.

Nor does it detail plans for North Korea to demolish a missile engine testing site, a concession Trump said he'd won, or Trump's promise to end military exercises in the South while negotiations between the U.S. and the North continue. Trump cast that decision as a cost-saving measure, but also called the exercises "inappropriate" while talks continue. North Korea has long objected to the drills as a security threat.

It was unclear whether South Korea was aware of Trump's decision before he announced it publicly. U.S. Forces Korea said it was unaware of any policy change. Trump phoned South Korean President Moon Jae-in after leaving Singapore to brief him on the discussions. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo flew to Seoul Wednesday for follow-up meetings.

The U.S. has stationed combat troops in South Korea since the end of the Korean War in the 1950s and has used them in a variety of drills. The next scheduled major exercise, involving tens of thousands of troops, normally is held in August.

The Pentagon said Tuesday it was consulting with the White House and others, but was silent on whether the August exercise would proceed. Mattis' chief spokeswoman, Dana W. White, told reporters he was "in full alignment" with Trump.

Lawmakers, too, were looking for details. Republicans emerged from a meeting with Vice President Mike Pence wanting more information on which exercises were on hold. Colorado Sen. Corey Gardner said Pence told them that small-scale exercises would continue, but "war games will not." Pence's spokeswoman later denied that comment.

"There will be certain exercises that will continue." Gardner told AP, adding he hoped "there's further clarification what that means."

North Korea is believed to possess more than 50 nuclear warheads, with its atomic program spread across more than 100 sites constructed over decades to evade international inspections. Trump insisted that strong verification of denuclearization would be included in a final agreement, saying it was a detail his team would begin sorting out with the North Koreans next week.

The agreement's language on North Korea's nuclear program was similar to what the leaders of North and South Korea came up with at their own summit in April. Trump and Kim referred back to the so-called Panmunjom Declaration, which contained a weak commitment to denuclearization but no specifics on how to achieve it.

The document also included an agreement to work to repatriate remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action from the Korean War.

But Tuesday's summit was as much about theatrics as the details of a deal.

The U.S. president brushed off questions about his public embrace of the autocrat whose people have been oppressed for decades. He did say that Otto Warmbier, an American university student who died last year just days after his release from imprisonment in North Korea, "did not die in vain" because his death helped bring about the nuclear talks.

In the run-up to his face-to-face with Kim, Trump had appeared unconcerned about the implications of feting an authoritarian leader accused by the U.S. of ordering the public assassination of his half brother with a nerve agent, executing his uncle by firing squad and presiding over a notorious gulag estimated to hold 80,000 to 120,000 political prisoners.

In their joint statement, the two leaders promised to "build a lasting and stable peace regime" on the Korean Peninsula. Trump has dangled the prospect of economic investment in the North as a sweetener for giving up its nuclear weapons. The longtime property developer-turned-politician later mused about the potential value of condos on the country's beachfront real estate.

Ahead of the summit, Trump had predicted the two men might strike a nuclear deal or forge a formal end to the Korean War in the course of a single meeting or over several days. But in the hours before they met, the White House unexpectedly announced Trump would depart earlier than expected.

Aware that the eyes of the world were on a moment many people never expected to see, Kim said many of those watching would think it was a scene from a "science fiction movie."

Critics of the summit leapt at the leaders' handshake and Kim's moonlight stroll along the glittering Singapore waterfront as further evidence that Trump was helping legitimize Kim on the world stage.

"It's a huge win for Kim Jong Un, who now  if nothing else  has the prestige and propaganda coup of meeting one on one with the president, while armed with a nuclear deterrent," said Michael Kovrig, a northeast Asia specialist at the International Crisis Group in Washington.

Trump responded that he was embracing diplomacy with Kim in hopes of saving as many as 30 million lives.

The North has faced crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions for years as it has advanced development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Pompeo held firm to Trump's position that sanctions will remain in place until North Korea denuclearizes  and said they would even increase if diplomatic discussions did not progress positively.

___

This story has been corrected to show Pompeo flight to Seoul was scheduled Wednesday not Tuesday and to show Kim leaving venue and then later leaving Singapore.

AP writers Darlene Superville, Ken Thomas, and Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report.

Follow AP's summit coverage here: http://apne.ws/MPbJ5Tv

Singapore Summit news hub is now active on the AP News site and the mobile app. It showcases AP's overall coverage of the event. It can be found here: https://apnews.com/tag/Singaporesummit#TwoDictators lights up Twitter after Fox News host accidentally uses term for Trump and Kim

The hashtag #TwoDictators erupted on Twitter after Fox News host Abby Huntsman mistakenly used the term to describe President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The "Fox and Friends" host later apologized for her slip-up.

The gaffe comes ahead of Trump's summit with Kim set for Tuesday.

The hashtag #TwoDictators erupted on Twitter TWTR after Fox News host Abby Huntsman on Sunday mistakenly used the term to describe Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un .

The "Fox and Friends" presenter apologized to viewers after referring to the leaders as "two dictators" ahead of their historic meeting in Singapore Tuesday .

Speaking on "Fox and Friends Weekend," Huntsman mistakenly suggested to former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci that the upcoming summit would be a historic moment for two autocratic powers.

"Regardless of what happens in that meeting, between the two dictators, what we are seeing right now, this is history," Huntsman said.

The slip-up appeared to go unnoticed by Scaramucci, who responded "yeah" and went on to describe Trump as a "disruptive risk-taker."

"[Trump] is a disruptive risk-taker, he's willing to break the usual bonds ... because he knows that if he goes to a meeting like this, he increases the chance of peace and prosperity," said Scaramucci.

Huntsman, who is the daughter of U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman Jr., later apologized on the show.

"I do want to point out that earlier, as you know sometimes on live TV sometimes you don't always say things perfectly," said Huntsman. "I called both President Trump and Kim Jong Un a dictator. I did not mean that, my mistake, so I apologize for that."

Abby Huntsman tweet: Apologized on the show. I'll never claim to be a perfect human being. We all have slip ups in life, I have many :) now let's all move on to things that actually matter.

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However, netizens quickly picked up on the gaffe, spawning a stream of memes and prompting the hashtag #TwoDictators to trend on Twitter.

Trump, a regular proponent of Fox News, had not responded to the error at the time of publishing.

Trump is due to meet with Kim on Singapore Sentosa Island Tuesday to push for a denuclearization plan for North Korea.

It will be the first-ever meeting between sitting U.S. and North Korean leaders.





More From CNBC

By Ritah kemigisa.

People living with albinism in the country have cried for safety calling upon government to put in place policies that will guarantee their safety.

According to the Olive Nantambi, the executive director Albinism Umbrella persons with albinism in the country are continuously living in fear of being attacked, abducted and sacrificed due to the cultural myths that surrounds their skin pigment.

Namutebi says all they want is a clear policy that can protect them since the current laws are unclear and have since to make them feel protected.

She is also calling upon the police force to be more vigilant and not to discriminate against with albinism.

According to statistics from the United Nations an estimated over 8000 people living with albinism in Uganda.

The same statics show that an estimated 75 albinos were killed in Tanzania between 2000 and 2015 by people seeking to use their body parts for ritual purposes.By Karen Freifeld

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - ZTE Corp's <000063.SZ> settlement with the U.S. Commerce Department that would allow China's No. 2 telecommunications equipment maker to resume business with U.S. suppliers was made public on Monday, days after the company agreed to pay a $1 billion fine, overhaul its leadership and meet other conditions.

But the ban on buying U.S. parts, imposed by the department in April, will not be lifted until the company pays the fine and places $400 million more in escrow in a U.S.-approved bank, the agency said.

ZTE <0763.HK> did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday.

ZTE, whose survival has been threatened by the ban, secured the lifeline settlement from the Trump administration on Thursday.

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said on Sunday that President Donald Trump agreed to lift the ban as a personal favour to the president of China.

ZTE must replace the boards of directors of two corporate entities within 30 days, according to a 21-page order signed June 8 and published on Monday on the Commerce Department website along with the settlement agreement.

All members of ZTE's leadership at or above the senior vice president level also must be terminated, along with any executive or officer tied to the wrongdoing.

On June 1, Reuters exclusively reported on the monetary penalty and other terms demanded to reverse the ban. Reuters on Tuesday revealed that ZTE had signed a preliminary agreement with the Commerce Department.

ZTE pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to evade U.S. embargoes by selling U.S. equipment to Iran. The ban was imposed after the company made false statements about disciplining some executives responsible for the violations. ZTE then ceased major operations.

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Under the settlement, ZTE will pay a total civil penalty of $1.7 billion, including $361 million already paid as part of a March 2017 agreement, the $1 billion fine and the $400 million that will go into escrow.

The $400 million will be held in a U.S. bank account for 10 years and can be disbursed to the Commerce Department if ZTE fails to abide by the agreement. After 10 years, if there are no violations, the $400 million will be returned to ZTE.

U.S. lawmakers have attacked the agreement and planned legislation to roll it back, citing intelligence warnings that ZTE poses a national security threat.

The Senate is due to vote as soon as this week on legislation that would block the settlement agreement, included as an amendment to a must-pass defence policy bill.

As part of the order, ZTE must identify in detail to the Commerce Department all Chinese government ownership and control of ZTE, including public and private shares. The department also will select a monitor, known as a special compliance coordinator, within 30 days to report on compliance by ZTE and its affiliates worldwide for 10 years. The coordinator will have a staff of at least six employees funded by ZTE.

A separate monitor was appointed to a three-year term by a U.S. federal court in Texas last year. Under the deal, ZTE also agreed to allow the U.S. government easier access to verify the company's shipments for items subject to the regulations. In addition, within 180 days, ZTE must post calculations of the U.S. components in its products on its website in Chinese and English. ZTE is not allowed to take any action or make any public statement, even indirectly, denying any of the allegations.

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld, additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Sandra Maler, Richard Chang and Cynthia Osterman)It should go without saying, but material from the Moon is pretty rare here on Earth. The Apollo astronauts brought a whole bunch of lunar material back with them but virtually none of that is in the hands of the general public. A Cincinnati woman named Laura Cicco might be one of the very few private citizens with a piece of the Moon that she can call her own, and now shes suing NASA to make sure they dont try to take it from her.

Cicco was first given a tiny vial of moon dust when she was just ten years old, the Washington Post reports, along with a handwritten note from astronaut Neil Armstrong. It was the 1970s, and Cicco  then Laura Murray  had a connection to the famed space traveler via her father, a US Army and FAA pilot who was friends with Armstrong. Decades later, she would rediscover the vial of pale gray dust in a box of her parents belongings, and now shes fighting to make sure it remains in her possession.

Don't Miss: Amazon has a $40 wireless keyboard that lasts forever without new batteries or recharging

The lawsuit, which Cicco filed this week in federal court, is a proactive measure to prevent NASA from attempting to claim the vial of dust. To be clear, NASA hasnt actually attempted to retrieve the dust from Cicco, and its unclear if the agency has or had any plans to do so, but if they did it certainly wouldnt be without precedent.

NASA has made a habit of hunting down lunar artifacts that have escaped its possession in the past. Perhaps most famously, a lunar sample return bag used by Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 17 mission was mislabeled by a government employee and auctioned off to the public by mistake. It was bought and eventually resold, but not before NASA did everything in its power to get the bag back. A court ultimately decided that the government was not the rightful owner, and the artifact remains in private hands.

The vial of dust that Cicco was gifted has been analyzed at least twice, with scientists ruling that it is likely a sample of the lunar surface. However, the possibility that the material is actually of terrestrial origin cant be ruled out. Nevertheless, its clearly pretty special to its owner and well have to wait and see if NASA decides to make a move.

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See the original version of this article on BGR.comAtta Mohammad Noor has long occupied a prominent place on the Afghan political stage. From his time as a young commander of the anti-Soviet mujahedin guerillas in the 1980s, Noor became an influential leader after a U.S.-led military intervention overthrew the hard-line Taliban regime in late 2001. He was the longest-serving governor of his native Balkh stronghold until he stepped down in March.

In response to written questions, Noor discusses some of the accusations and controversies surrounding him. He also weighed in on major issues and his future ambitions.

RFE/RL: After several months of defiant statements and refusals, what made you finally step down as governor of Balkh Province and reconcile with President Ashraf Ghani?

Atta Mohammad Noor: In the wake of the massive fraud in the 2014 presidential elections, the national unity government (NUG) was formed to stop the country from descending into chaos. Under the NUG agreement, the two camps agreed to a 50-50 power-sharing formula. Subsequently, Ghani assumed office as the president and Abdullah as the chief executive of the NUG. In the same agreement, its also stipulated that all senior political hiring and firing will be done in consultation with our party representatives. However, the presidential palace announced my resignation without having duly consulted with Jamiat-e Islamis leadership.

I said it time and again in the past three years that its time for me to step down and a new governor take over to build on my legacy and provide security, public services, development, and economic opportunities for Balkh residents.

From the very first day when the presidential palace made the announcement, Jamiat-e Islami insisted on a dialogue to resolve the political crisis over Balkh. We in Jamiat-e Islami presented the palace with a 12-point reform agenda as the framework for our negotiations.

After protracted negotiations that took several months, we concluded an agreement in which the presidential palace agreed to all our reform proposals except for two. Ghani acted in good faith and decreed the provisions of the agreement with Jamiat-e Islami. In line with the agreement, I deemed it necessary to step down, and I officially announced that in my speech at the inauguration of the Nowruz festival in Balkh on March 21.

During my tenure, Balkh flourished as a vibrant and economic hub. It has changed into an oasis of prosperity, security, co-existence, development, and culture for the whole country. I have left behind a legacy that will last forever. My main assignment has always been serving my people and my country. I have fought and served this country all my life. I will be playing a political role at the national level, where my past legacy will help me do better.

RFE/RL: Youve criticized CEO Abdullah Abdullah for being a weak leader and have even called him a snake in the sleeve. You were his main backer during the 2014 elections; what were the reasons behind your criticism of him?

Noor: This is the most extensively debated and covered subject by the media since the inauguration of the unity government. I did not only criticize Abdullah but Ghani, too, for letting the people down and their failures to deliver on their promises. I might have occasionally singled out Abdullah because I was of the understanding that he, as someone nominated by our party, should have delivered on his promises. This relates to the suffering and agony of the people. People want action. They are tired of hollow promises. People want change. And thats why we have been raising our voice to be the voice of the voiceless.

RFE/RL: After 9/11, the northern alliance enjoyed most international backing. Why are they complaining now about being discriminated against and that the rights of their supporters are being denied?

Noor: The term northern alliance is a cliche often used to trivialize and play down the national resistance of the people of Afghanistan against Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and international terrorism.

Those who were associated with [the anti-Soviet] jihad and national resistance of the people of Afghanistan against terrorism [in the 1990s] have been vilified and discriminated against by power-greedy circles over the past few years. Let me reiterate that Afghanistan could only thrive if politics is inclusive and we have a broad-based government in place.

RFE/RL: Whats your stance on peace and reconciliation with the Taliban insurgents? Would you embrace them?

Noor: I welcome those Taliban who are from Afghanistan and want to embrace our constitutional democracy, sever their ties with terrorists, denounce violence, and are willing to join civilian life. However, the Taliban have not shown any signs that they are in fact ready for peace and reconciliation. Unilateral reconciliation doesnt really work. We have to use all means, either through diplomacy or pressure, to make the Taliban come to the negotiating table.

RFE/RL: In a 2015 report, Human Rights Watch said there was strong evidence that you controlled and funded local militias in Balkh that were implicated in serious abuses. How would you respond?

Noor: I am aware of those baseless allegations, and I have lodged a complaint against them. It is staged propaganda by my political rivals and, unfortunately, Human Rights Watch fell for it. I responded in writing to the HRW report, in which they accused me of serious abuses without providing any credible evidence, and made my stance very clear.

RFE/RL: What does Daesh, or ISIS, want to achieve in Afghanistan, especially in the northern provinces?

Noor: After failing to create a permanent foothold in the Middle East, Daesh now wants to create a vacuum in the north in particular and turn Afghanistan into a battleground. The majority of Daesh are mercenaries and turncoat Taliban. Some of them have only changed flags. But there are real ISIS fighters in the north. The foreign troops in cooperation with their Afghan counterparts have been raiding them through air and land. We need more serious efforts in this regard.

RFE/RL: On the issue of the fight against corruption, are you in agreement that you and other high-ranking government officials have failed to effectively battle corruption throughout the country?

Noor: There were serious efforts to curb corruption under my tenure in Balkh. However, corruption is a national issue and needs a holistic top-down national solution. Given the centralized system of governance with all the decisions made in Kabul, we were grappling with the corruption chunks [small graft] in Balkh, not the heart resting and thriving in Kabul. Despite all this, Balkh has stayed a transparent province by channeling revenues to the central budget.

RFE/RL: Your opponents have accused you of having a hand in the widespread corruption in Balkh Province. How do you react to that?

Noor: These are baseless allegations and a staged smear campaign against me. They cannot provide even a shred of evidence to back up their claims. I have always made it clear that if they have evidence, they must present it. They launch such smear campaigns to undermine my legacy. But they have always failed.

RFE/RL: You have a long history of building and leaving political alliances. For example, you harshly slammed General Abdul Rashid Dostum but recently made an alliance with him. Can the people trust your word and political judgment?

Noor: The times are changing in Afghanistan. We are facing a fierce enemy. We need to pool our political resources to counter the menace of the Taliban and Daesh in Afghanistan. United we stand; divided we fall. It is in the true spirit of unity that I along with other political figures took the initiative to build a political alliance. Would a political alliance for the sake of unity be a bad thing? Let the people decide.

RFE/RL: Your opponents consider you a warlord, arguing that Afghanistan would not prosper under the warlords. Do you agree?

Noor: Having fought for your country and people is the greatest honor one can be proud of. Look around the world: Lincoln, Churchill, Napoleon. What would the French say about Napoleon?

I made a sacrifice for my country, having fought for its honor, sovereignty, and integrity. I will do it again if I have to. After relative peace and stability prevailed in Afghanistan, I contributed to state building, reconstruction, and development. I take great pride in that.

RFE/RL: Most leaders in post-9/11 Afghanistan have evaded a transparent process of accountability. Would you be willing to volunteer for accountability to prove to the Afghan people that you have nothing to hide?

Noor: I have nothing to hide. I am all for greater transparency and accountability for those who live a public life as a politician.

RFE/RL: What are your future ambitions? Are you going to run for president in 2019?

Noor: I said recently that I have not yet decided whether I will be a presidential candidate representing my constituency. That is a decision that Jamiat-e Islami and my allies will make when the time is right. We will either have a single candidate or join a strong ticket.At least 27 people have been reported killed in several attacks across Afghanistan on the first day of a cease-fire unilaterally declared by the government.

Taliban militants on June 12 overran a district capital in the northern province of Faryab, killing at least eight people, mainly members of the Afghan security forces, local officials said.

Hundreds of militants stormed checkpoints and police headquarters across the province, including district capital Kohistan in the overnight attack, provincial council member Manan Qateh said.

Mohammad Panah, the district governor, was among those killed in the attack, according to provincial councilor Rahmatullah Turkistani.

In neighboring Sar-e Pul Province, at least 14 members of the security forces were killed and 25 were wounded in an overnight attack by Taliban fighters, provincial council member Noor Aga Noori said. Four wounded soldiers were taken hostage.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks in Faryab and Sar-e Pul provinces.

Meanwhile, in the eastern province of Ghazni five members of the security forces were killed when a suicide bomber detonated a Humvee armored vehicle packed with explosives at the gate of Moqor district center, officials said.

At least 26 people were wounded in the attack, said Arif Noori, spokesman for the Ghazni governor.

Noori blamed the Taliban for the attack, but no group has claimed responsibility so far.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has announced that police and troops would halt hostilities with the Taliban from June 12 until around June 20 for Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that caps off the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.

However, he said that operations against other groups, including the Islamic State extremist group, would continue.

The Taliban said its fighters would stop attacking Afghan security forces but only for the first three days of Eid al-Fitr, which begins at the end of this week. The militants also said they would continue attacking U.S.-led NATO troops.

Also on June 12, Pakistan's army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, traveled to Kabul where he was set to meet with President Ghani, Pakistani military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said.

Ghafoor tweeted that Pakistan "wishes to see a national unity government in Kabul and US/NATO succeeding to bring peace in Afghanistan."

The visit comes amid tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is accused of harboring militant groups, including the Afghan Taliban. Islamabad denies the charge.

With reporting by dpa, Reuters, AFP, and APRFE/RL Turkmen Service correspondent Soltan Achilova says she was accosted by two men over the weekend and punched in the chest, the latest in a long string of attacks on the 69-year-old journalist.

The incident occurred on June 9 in the town of Yoloten on June 9, when she was visiting her relatives, Achilova said.

She said she noticed a car following her when she was on her way to the home of her relatives' neighbor.

When she left the neighbor's home 30 minutes later, two young men on bicycles blocked her way and demanded to know why she had taken pictures of their homes -- something she said she had not done.

One of the men punched her in the chest and she fell down.

The same day, local police impounded her relatives' car and said it would not be returned until she leaves Yoloten for the capital, Ashgabat, where she lives.

Achilova says her relatives in Yoloten have been under pressure for a long time over her work for RFE/RL.

Achilova, who has been reporting on the experiences of ordinary Turkmen residents with her photographs for years, has faced an onslaught of physical assaults by police, thugs, and other unidentified assailants.

On May 9, Achilova was detained and threatened by security officers in Ashgabat when she was taking pictures of the flower-laying ceremony at the Eternal Flame near the Memorial Complex to victims of World War II.

That incident came two days after Deputy Foreign Minister Vepa Hajiyev said at a hearing of the UN Human Rights Council on Turkmenistan in Geneva on May 7 that "the fact that Radio Liberty correspondents work freely in the country" proves that there is media freedom in Turkmenistan.

RFE/RL President Thomas Kent, citing the violent attack on Achilova, condemned Hajiyev's statement on May 10, calling it "outrageous and offensive."

Other RFE/RL reporters and contributors in Turkmenistan have faced physical attacks, threats, and prosecution on charges that critics say are groundless.

The natural-gas-producing Central Asian country has been ruled with an iron fist by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov since 2006, when he came to power following the death of longtime autocrat Saparmurad Miyazov.By Ruth Anderah.

The family of the arrested renowned Movit products boss Simpson Birungi has dragged Attorney General of Uganda to High Court seeking orders compelling him to immediately produce their relative in court.

According to the family, Birungi was arrested by armed forces on June 7th this year while answering a bond at Kibuli Police on allegations of murdering his former employee.

The family represented by Birungis wife Sheila Kyokusiima has now sued the director general of Internal Security Organization (ISO), Inspector General of Police (IGP), Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) and attorney general (AG) whom she claims are holding her husband illegally since the law requires them to produce him in court within 48hours after arrest .

According to police, Birungi was arrested on Monday last week by ISO operatives who later handed him over to police and was consequently detained at Kireka Special Investigations Directorate (SID) over murder allegations of his former manager Stephen Asaba in 2010.

Asaba was murdered and his body dumped in Nakawuka in Kajjansi town council, Wakiso district.English Dutch

Lochem, 12 June 2018

ForFarmers strengthens position in Belgium by acquiring Voeders Algoet

ForFarmers is acquiring Voeders Algoet, a feed company established in Zulte, close to the Belgian ForFarmers sites. As a result, ForFarmers strengthens its position as feed company in Belgium with the offer of Total Feed solutions.

Voeders Algoet sells around 150,000 tonnes of compound feed to swine and ruminant farmers. In the split financial year (1 July to 30 June) 2016/2017, the company generated sales of approximately 40 million with an operating result before amortisation and depreciation (EBITDA) of approximately 2 million.

ForFarmers is paying circa 7 times Voeders Algoet's EBITDA. Closing of the transaction is expected to take place in the second half year of 2018, pending, amongst others, approval from the Belgian competition authorities. Voeders Algoet's results will be consolidated in the results of ForFarmers as of closing date.

Voeders Algoet's current management and 22 staff form part of the transaction. In addition, 12 bulk trailers are included in the acquisition. As a result, ForFarmers is starting its own transport activities in Belgium. Voeders Algoet will be integrated into ForFarmers Belgium. Voeders Algoet's contract farming* activities is not taken over by ForFarmers. Over time, Voeders Algoet's feed production will probably be transferred to the current ForFarmers factories in Izegem and Ingelmunster

Added value for customers

Adrie van der Ven, COO, and responsible for the ForFarmers Belgium/Germany cluster and new regions: "This acquisition fits into the consolidation that is needed for a healthy agricultural sector in Belgium in the long-term. Combining the knowledge of both companies to optimally support customers with their business targets is the main priority. Voeders Algoet's experience and market position contribute to a further reinforcement of our Total Feed approach in Belgium. The new combination will also be the second largest feed company in Belgium."

Steven and Olivier Algoet, the current owners of Voeders Algoet, see an opportunity to expand their offerings to customers further with this transaction: "ForFarmers and Voeders Algoet are ambitious and focused on offering quality feed, with the accompanying professional advice. The focus is on increasing yields in the agricultural business. This step gives our customers and staff the opportunity to grow with the company towards ForFarmers' ambitions."

(*) contract farming: farmers produce pigs under contract from a manufacturer at a pre-agreed price for their work and premises.

This press release contains information, which qualifies as inside information within the meaning of Article 7, paragraph 1 of the EU Market Abuse Regulation.

Editor's note / Information:

Contact:

Caroline Vogelzang, Director Investor Relations & Corporate Communications, ForFarmers

T: +31 573 288 194, M: +31 6 10 94 91 61, E: caroline.vogelzang@forfarmers.eu



Company profile ForFarmers

ForFarmers N.V. ('ForFarmers', Lochem, the Netherlands) is an internationally operating feed company that offers total feed solutions for conventional and organic livestock farming. ForFarmers gives its very best "For the Future of Farming": for the continuity of farming and for a financially secure sector that will continue to serve society for generations to come in a sustainable way. By working side-by-side with farmers ForFarmers delivers real benefits: better returns, healthier livestock and greater efficiency. This is achieved by offering tailored and Total Feed solutions and a targeted approach with specialist and expert support.

With sales of approximately 9.6 million tonnes of feed annually, ForFarmers is market leader in Europe. ForFarmers has approximately 2,300 employees and production facilities in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. In 2017, revenues amounted to over 2.2 billion.

ForFarmers N.V., Postbus 91, 7240 AB Lochem, T: +31 (0)573 28 88 00, F: +31 (0)573 28 88 99

info@forfarmers.eu, www.forfarmersgroup.eu



FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including those relating to ForFarmers legal obligations in terms of capital and liquidity positions in certain specified scenarios. In addition, forward-looking statements, without limitation, may include such phrases as "intends to", "expects", "takes into account", "is aimed at", ''plans to", "estimated" and words with a similar meaning. These statements pertain to or may affect matters in the future, such as ForFarmers future financial results, business plans and current strategies. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, which may mean that there could be material differences between actual results and performance and expected future results or performances that are implicitly or explicitly included in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may result in variations on the current expectations or may contribute to the same include but are not limited to: developments in legislation, technology, jurisprudence and regulations, share price fluctuations, legal procedures, investigations by regulatory bodies, the competitive landscape and general economic conditions. These and other factors, risks and uncertainties that may affect any forward-looking statements or the actual results of ForFarmers, are discussed in the last published annual report. The forward-looking statements in this press release are only statements as of the date of this document and ForFarmers accepts no obligation or responsibility with respect to any changes made to the forward-looking statements contained in this document, regardless of whether these pertain to new information, future events or otherwise, unless ForFarmers is legally obliged to do so.NO WATER IN LAST WELL; REGULATORS AGREE TO REDUCED DRILLING





LESS WATER THAN EXPECTED LIKELY TO LESSEN DEWATERING COSTS AND ROCK SUPPORT REQUIREMENTS

WINNEMUCCA, Nev., June 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Paramount Gold Nevada Corp. (NYSE American:PZG) ("Paramount) reported today that the final monitoring water well drilled adjacent to the mineral reserves at the proposed Grassy Mountain underground mine did not encounter water to a final depth of 950ft., which is considerably below the bottom of the mine plan.



The absence of water in the last well could further improve the robust economics of the recently released Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) (see PFS results) by lowering estimated dewatering costs and reducing the requirement for measures to improve rock stability.

Paramount CEO, Glen Van Treek commented: The PFS estimates an after tax internal rate of return (IRR) of 28% which is certainly very positive. However, a PFS is based on a set of assumptions, usually with a built in margin of safety to be conservative. Optimizing the PFS is therefore an ongoing process as we move towards permit approvals followed by final feasibility analysis and construction. We will now review the positive implications of reduced water flow on mine operations.

Mr. Van Treek also noted that the Oregon State Technical Review Team (TRT) had reviewed the results of the most recent water well drilling and accepted Paramounts proposed reduction in the water monitoring program, agreeing that a shallower well is no longer needed to be drilled. We continue to be pleased with the cooperation we are receiving from Oregon State agencies, Van Treek said. The TRT decision allows Paramount to complete and submit its Ground Water Baseline Report on schedule.

In total, the environmental baseline report will consist of 23 separate work plans. To date, Paramount has filed 17 of these baseline reports, four of which have been approved by the TRT (see press releases dated March 13, 2018 and March 27, 2018) and six remain to be filed of which one will be filed as part of the Consolidated Permit Application. All final baseline reports will be included in the Consolidated Permit Application for the proposed Grassy Mountain Gold Mine which Paramount plans to submit to the TRT in 2018.

Grassy Mountain recently released a PFS (see press release of May 24, 2018) for a proposed underground gold mine. The PFS envisions a 750 ton per day milling operation yielding annual average production of 47,000 ounces of gold and 50,000 ounces of silver over 7.25 years. The project has estimated total cash operating costs of $528 per ounce of gold produced (after silver credits), life of mine operating cash flows exceeding $250 million and an after tax IRR of 28%.

NI 43-101 Disclosure

The water monitoring well program was overseen by Michael F. McGinnis, Project Manager. Mr. McGinnis is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. He has reviewed and approved this press release.

About Paramount Gold Nevada Corp.

Paramount Gold Nevada is a U.S. based precious metals exploration and development company. Paramounts strategy is to create shareholder value through exploring and developing its mineral properties and to realize this value for its shareholders in three ways: by selling its assets to established producers; entering into joint ventures with producers for construction and operation; or constructing and operating mines for its own account.

Paramount owns 100% of the Grassy Mountain Gold Project which consists of approximately 9,300 acres located on private and BLM land in Malheur County, Oregon. The Grassy Mountain project contains a gold-silver deposit (100% located on private land) for which results of a positive PFS have been released and key permitting milestones accomplished (see press release dated May 24, 2018). Additionally, Paramount owns a 100% interest in the Sleeper Gold Project located in Northern Nevada. The Sleeper Gold Project, which includes the former producing Sleeper mine, totals 2,322 unpatented mining claims (approximately 60 square miles or 15,500 hectares).

Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors Concerning Estimates of Indicated, Inferred Resources and Reserves

This news release uses the terms "measured and indicated resources", "inferred resources" and proven and probable reserves. We advise U.S. investors that while these terms are defined in, and permitted by, Canadian regulations, these terms are not defined terms under SEC Industry Guide 7 and not normally permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the SEC. "Inferred 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 a feasibility study or prefeasibility studies, except in rare cases. 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 mineral deposits in this category will ever be converted into reserves. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of an inferred resource exists or is economically or legally minable. 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.

Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements

This release and related documents may include "forward-looking statements" and forward-looking information (collectively, forward-looking statements) pursuant to applicable United States and Canadian securities laws. Paramounts future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other applicable securities laws. Words such as "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although these words may not be present in all forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements included in this news release include, without limitation, statements with respect to: production estimates and assumptions, including production rate and grade per tonne; revenue, cash flow and cost estimates and assumptions; statements with respect to future events or future performance; anticipated exploration, development, permitting and other activities on the Grassy Mountain project; the economics of the Grassy Mountain project, including the potential for improving project economics and finding more ore to extend mine life; and mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates. Forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analyses and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Management believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: the conclusions made in the PFS; the quantity and grade of resources included in resource estimates; the accuracy and achievability of projections included in the PFS; Paramounts ability to carry on exploration and development activities, including construction; the timely receipt of required approvals and permits; the price of silver, gold and other metals; prices for key mining supplies, including labor costs and consumables, remaining consistent with current expectations; work meeting expectations and being consistent with estimates and plant, equipment and processes operating as anticipated. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: uncertainties involving interpretation of drilling results; environmental matters; the ability to obtain required permitting; equipment breakdown or disruptions; additional financing requirements; the completion of a definitive feasibility study for the Grassy Mountain project; discrepancies between actual and estimated mineral reserves and mineral resources, between actual and estimated development and operating costs and between estimated and actual production; and the other factors described in Paramounts disclosures as filed with the SEC and the Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta Securities Commissions.

Except as required by applicable law, Paramount disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this document.

Paramount Gold Nevada Corp.

Glen Van Treek, President, CEO and Director

Christos Theodossiou, Director of Corporate Communications

866-481-2233



MANCHESTER, United Kingdom, June 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Epistem, the Manchester UK-based Contract Research Company, announces that following investment by Foresight Group it has completed a management buy-out (MBO) from genedrive plc.



Epistem provides both pre-clinical and clinical research services across several specialist therapeutic areas, including oncology, gastro-intestinal (GI) diseases and toxicity and inflammatory diseases. Clients include several global pharmaceutical businesses, US Biodefence programmes and niche biotechnology companies.

Foresights investment, which includes an injection of growth capital, will support the management teams clear plans for growth, enabling expansion of the service offering, including further investment in Next Generation Sequencing and Laser Capture technologies to complement current services identifying and validating targets and biomarkers. The team also plan investments in GI disease models, developing both organoid and microbiota services, along with expansion into chronic disease models such as fibrosis. The business will also strengthen its sales and marketing activities across its international customer base.

The buy-out is led by Dr Catherine Booth, one of the original founders of Epistem and expert in GI biology. Dr Booth will be supported by a strong executive team including Operations Director Julie Tudor, also one of the original founder members of Epistem, and a new sales director and finance director. Foresight has introduced an experienced industry Non-Executive Chairman, Dr Nick Ash. Dr Ash will be a strong addition to the team having previously been CEO of Source BioScience plc, an international contract research, diagnostic services and analytical chemistry business.

Dr Catherine Booth, CEO, Epistem, commented: We are delighted to partner with Foresight. Epistem has huge potential for growth and development. We have a clear list of initiatives for enhancing and expanding the business and are looking forward to delivering a more comprehensive suite of services to address our customers scientific needs. Foresight, complemented by Nick Ash, will provide us with significant financial and strategic support.

Dr Nick Ash, Non-Executive Chairman, Epistem, added: I am looking forward to working with Cath and the Management team at Epistem to accelerate the growth of the business, and build a Company that excels in customer service and provides an outstanding environment in which to work.

Matthew Pomroy, Investment Manager, Foresight, commented: Epistem is a prime example of the type of company Foresight likes to support, a differentiated and customer-focused business with market leading expertise. Caths dedication and long term involvement, combined with the new expertise from incoming Chairman Dr Nick Ash, gives us confidence that we will see the business go from strength-to-strength. We look forward to working with the team in the coming years.

Notes for editors

About Epistem Ltd (Epistem):

Epistem is an established research service provider with headquarters in Manchester UK and facilities in the US. Originally founded on ground-breaking research in epithelial stem cell biology, it has evolved into a dynamic and successful business that provides innovative research services. For 18 years Epistem has been providing a personalised service to customers worldwide, from virtual start-ups to established biotechnology companies, global pharmaceutical and personal care companies.

Epistem is committed to providing reliable, innovative and transferable pre-clinical and clinical models and services to support decision making throughout the drug discovery and development pipeline.

www.epistem.co.uk

About Foresight Group LLP (Foresight):

Foresight is a leading independent infrastructure and private equity investment manager which has been managing investment funds on behalf of institutions and retail clients for more than 30 years.

Foresight has 2.8 billion of Assets Under Management across a number of funds, including Listed Vehicles-Limited Partnerships, Enterprise Investment Schemes (EISs), Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs) and Inheritance Tax Solutions using Business Property Relief (BPR).

Foresights Private Equity Team, comprising 22 investment professionals, pursues four discrete but complementary investment styles: Venture, Impact, Growth and Replacement Capital through its growing regional office network, typically investing between 500k and 5m in management buy-outs, management buy-ins and growth capital investments in UK SMEs.

The Foresight Regional Investment Fund targets companies in the North West of England, North Wales and South Yorkshire. It is managed from Foresights Manchester office.

Foresight was voted Best VCT Investment Manager at the 2017 Growth Investor Awards, having been previously awarded VCT House of the Year at the 2016 Unquote British Private Equity awards.

Foresight is headquartered in London with regional offices in Manchester, Nottingham, Milton Keynes, Leicester and Guernsey and international offices in Sydney, Rome and Seoul.

www.foresightgroup.eumrinalsharma91 wrote:

Hello Everyone!



I recently got into Georgetown-McDonough's full-time MBA program starting in the fall of 2018, and I need some help on whether I should attend/re-apply to different schools in next year's application cycle. I have provided a brief insight into my journey so far. Please, feel free to share your thoughts or ideas.



BASICS:

Gender: Male

Citizen: India, living in the United States since 2010. I cannot work in roles that require US government clearance as I am not a citizen/green-card holder.

Age: 27

Undergraduate Degree: BS Electrical Engineering

Undergraduate Institution: Purdue University West Lafayette, IN.

Current Employer: Cummins Inc.

Current Designation: Senior Electronics Controls Engineer (1 promotion, 1 direct reportee)

Post MBA Goal: Product Development Manager in Tech.

Technology Consulting (MBB ideal, but being realistic any of the Big 4 will be amazing too)





TESTING:

GMAT score: 700 (Q:47, V:39)

710 (Q:49,V:35)



APPLICATIONS:

Schools Applied to for Fall 2017: UT-Austin (Dinged w/o interview)

UCLA-Anderson (Dinged w/o interview)

Cornell-Johnson (Wait listed w/o interview then dinged)

CMU-Tepper (Dinged w/o interview)



Schools Applied to for Fall 2018: UNC-Kenan Flagler (Dinged w/o interview)

Cornell-Johnson (Wait listed w/o interview)

USC-Marshall (Dinged after interview)

Georgetown-McDonough (admitted)



Note: I applied to all schools in both years in either R3/R4 (i.e. January/March)

Hey thanks for sharing your profile. Your stats are solid for the schools you have applied for, though as you know, you are part of a rather competitive demographic.McDonough's placement into tech isn't particularly great with only 13% of the c/o 2017 going into tech and 15% of the c/o 2018 doing an internship in tech. Average starting salaries for tech is quite low as well (~$105K). Still, McDonough claims for the c/o 2017 that Google and Amazon were top employers, though they don't specify the number of grads that went into those companies. They might send a handful of grads into the top tech companies per year (will you be one of the lucky ones)?If you're not particularly excited about attending McDonough, then I would definitely reapply this year with a goal of hitting R1 and / or R2.In lieu of prepping for the GMAT, you might consider getting an early start on your applications and potentially working with an admissions consultant, particularly if you are not a native English speaker or have much exposure to the tech industry. For example, you stated your goal is "product development manager", but the more common term that is used in tech is "product manager".Feel free to PM me if I can help.By Damali Mukhaye.

The opposition forum for democratic change has asked government to apologize to Ugandans for failing to protect them amid the growing insecurity in the country.

The calls comes at a time when the country is still morning the murder Arua municipality MP Ibrahim Abiriga who was gunned down by unknown assailants on Friday together with his body guard and brother SaidiBuga.

Addressing journalist in Najjanakumbi, the party deputy secretary General Harold Kaija said that despite Abirigas killing, very many people have been killed in a similar manner and nothing has been done.

Kaija says the president of the country has since promised to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to book but nothing has been implemented.1. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A. Hayeks solution to the economic depression was not guided in the right direction.

Incorrect

B. Before Wapshotts 2012 study, Hayeks contribution to the field of economics was unknown.

Incorrect

C. Hayeks contribution to economics began in the 1970s and has continued into the twenty-first century.

Incorrect

D. Macroeconomics was singlehandedly created by Hayek.

Incorrect

E. A specific work gave more importance to Hayeks work than ever before.

Correct

2. The primary purpose of the passage is to

A. contrast two solutions to the same issue.

Incorrect

B. establish the superiority of one hypothesis over another.

Incorrect

C.prove that one theorist's contribution to a particular field was more notable than another's.

Incorrect

D. outline different approaches to a historical problem.

Incorrect

E. contrast two different approaches to a historical problem and share the reason for the limited appreciation for one

Correct

3. According to the passage, which of the following was true of political parties at the time of the Great Depression?

A. They wanted to speed up the process of reestablishing the economys prosperity.

Incorrect

B. They believed it was futile for the government to get involved in market mechanisms.

Incorrect

C. They believed they had a responsibility to intervene in the situation.

Incorrect

D. They wanted to prove that they were capable of reinstating the economys well-being.

Correct

E. They believed that Hayek's solution would undermine their future in politics.

Incorrect

4. Which of the following would the author most likely agree with?

A. Hayeks theory was dominated by Keynes because Keynes had a better long-term vision than Hayek did.

Incorrect

B. Even though the reaction of the political organization could be anticipated, the underwhelming response received by Hayek in general was not indicative of the potential of his theory.

Correct

C. In addition to being politically viable, Hayeks ideas were probably ahead of their time.

Incorrect

D. Had Keynes also argued for limited government intervention, his ideas too would have been vehemently rejected by the political organizations.

Incorrect

E. In the light of the real reason that Hayeks theory did not receive much appreciation, Keynes probably did not contribute as much to economics as he is credited for.

Incorrect

: Out of Scope. The author states that Hayeks solution was not politically viable. This does not necessarily mean that it was misguided.: Out of Scope. The author states that Wapshott gave unprecedented /unmatched importance to Hayeks work. This does not give us any basis to understand that Hayeks work was unknown before Wapshotts analysis.: Out of Scope. The passage states Keynes contribution dominated Western economic analyses until the 1970s. We do not know when Hayeks contribution began.: Inconsistent. The author states that Hayek established the distinction between microeconomics and macroeconomics, not that he created macroeconomics.. This information is explicitly stated in the passage as the author states that Wapshotts study gave unprecedented importance to Hayeks work.: Partial Scope. The author contrasts the two views only in the first paragraph of the passage. The second half of the passage is devoted to highlighting why the solution proposed by Hayek was not appreciated as much as it should have been.: Out of scope. The author does not say that Hayeks hypothesis was superior to Keynes.: Out of Scope. The author does not say that Hayeks contribution was more noteworthy than Keynes.: Out of Context. First of all, the author doesnt discuss the Great Depression and the proposed solutions to it in general. Secondly, the author does present Keynes and Hayeks differing views, but this is not the main purpose of the author as discussed in the solution to choice A.. This choice matches our understanding of the passage, as detailed in the passage analysis, and our discussion in the pre-thinking analysis.: Out of Scope. There is no given information that states or hints that the political organizations felt so.: Opposite. This was Hayeks view; not the view of the political parties.: Inconsistent. This was Keynes view as he believed that the governments should intervene in the situation. From the information given about the political parties, we just know that these organizations wanted to prove that they could be significant in reestablishing the economys prosperity; nothing can be said about whether they felt they had the responsibility to do so.. This choice matches the authors statement that each political party was seeking to prove its worth in helping the economy to recover.: Inconsistent. Wapshott states that Hayeks view was unpopular because it was not politically viable at the time. We do not know whether the political parties of the time felt threatened about their futures.: Out of Scope. The author does not state or imply anything about the long-term viability of Keynes theory.. This choice is a combination of two opinions expressed by the author. The author states that the rejection of Hayeks solution by the political organizations was not surprising. Hence, we can understand that their reaction could be anticipated. And we are also told that Hayeks theory was underestimated. This means that the author believes that the merits of the theory werent fully appreciated.: Out of Scope. The author does not comment on/suggest anything about the relevance of Hayeks ideas with respect to their being ahead of their time.: Out of Scope. We have no basis to conclude whether Keynes would have received a similar response by the then political organizations. Also, the word vehemently makes this choice too extreme.: Out of Scope. Wapshotts analysis, which the author uses to convey his/her point about Hayeks theory being underestimated at the time of the Depression, just tells us that the real reason that Hayeks theory was overshadowed by Keynes was not that it had limited merits but because it was politically not viable. From this specific analysis, we cannot draw any inference about the merits of Keynes theory and certainly not about his overall contribution to economics._________________Married Couple Applying Jointly: First in Family College Students [ #permalink

Hello!



We are a married couple applying this year for 2019 matriculation. Our desire is an M7 school but would be happy to enroll in any school in the top 20. We are working very hard towards improving our current GMAT score.





Husband :



GMAT: 650

Undergrad: 3.30 GPA Finance Major (Top 10 Public University (#40th +/- overall))

Graduate: 3.86 GPA Masters in Accounting (Top 20 Public University (#50th +/- overall))

Experience: Commercial Banking with a focus in Capital Markets - Client Facing Relationship Manager (7 years)

Personal: 1st in Family to be born in the USA (Mother and Father were born in South America), 1st in Family to go to college, 1st in Family to graduate from Masters. Product of inner city schools and disadvantaged socioeconomic background (free or reduced lunch K-12).

Involvement: Volunteer to advise students from similar backgrounds on college preparation and career goals. INROADS, Posse Foundation, and Junior Achievement. I also started my own scholarship for graduating high school seniors from my high school. Influencing youth to take the right steps towards a successful future.

Post goals: Investment Bank at the same institution I am currently employed.



Wife



GMAT: 650



Undergrad: 3.87 GPA Neuroscience & Behavior Major (State University in Florida)

- Degree is very rigorous and science/math heavy. Courses such as Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Comparative Vertebrae morphology, Calculus, etc. Graduated Summa Cum Laude. This degree and major is considered Pre-Med.



Graduate: 3.67 GPA Masters in Medical Science in Physician Assistant Studies (PA Program is ranked #2 in Florida (40th overall))

- Graduated With Honors. My PA program is very selective with only 75 students and the acceptance rate is 5%. The program is 27 months, full time, 39 courses and over 141 credit hours.



PA Work Experience/Description: A PA is healthcare professional who can work in any medical specialty; who diagnoses and treats disease, prescribes medications, and often serves as a patient's primary medical provider. I am a Dermatological PA, therefore my daily routine is to see 15-30 patients, whose visits consist of either full body skin checks, specific dermatological complaints (such as Psoriasis), surgical procedures (such as removal of skin cancers or precancerous lesions), or cosmetic purposes (such as lasers). I have my own patient base and work autonomously (with the support of 1-2 Medical Assistants) on a daily basis and only confer with the Physician for complicated cases.



By matriculation (August 2019) I will have accumulated 33 months of work experience.



Business fundamentals: Accepted into the June 2018 cohort of HBX CORe program offered by Harvard Business School.



Personal: Born in Berlin, Germany (I am a naturalized US Citizen) to a German Mother and Lebanese Father. Migrated to Florida in 2006 at 16 years old. 1st in Family to go to college, 1st in Family to graduate from Masters.



Involvement: Provide free skin checks and informational presentations on skin health and skin cancer prevention at several different events. Community Service for INROADS an organization that helps minorities receive internships in fortune 500 companies.



Post goals: Management Consulting with a focus on the Healthcare Industry.





Any insight on this specific situation of jointly applying would greatly help us. We will only enroll in a school in which we were both accepted. Thank you!



Thank you!By Ruth Anderah.

The Boda-Boda 2010 chairman Abdullah Kitata is to stay on remand for a while as general court Martial is provisionally on its annual recess.

Kitatas further trial at the Army court for offenses of Unlawful possession of fire arms and ammunition had been scheduled for today but it could not resume because of the said recess and no other date was given.

The one month recess will enable the appointing authority to appoint new members of the court to replace old members on the panel whose 2 terms have since expired.

This means the court will have to reschedule and give all cases new hearing dates.

Kitata is kept on remand at Makindye Military police barracks while his 12 co-accused are at Luzira prison.By Damali Mukhaye.

The strike by the academic staff at Makerere university business school kicks off today across all the campuses in the country.

According to the chairperson of the MUBs academic staff Isaak Magoola, they have circulated the notices to all academic staff at Nakawa,Mbrara, Arua,Jinja and Mbale campuses to lay down all their tools until their grievances are handled.

He says starting today, there will be no marking, inputting results, attending academic meetings, or research and internship supervision.

The lecturers are demanding for salary enhancement for some lecturers, money for industrial action supervision and equality in salary payment.Why are individuals, organizations, and media outlets surprised when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) audits of dairy operations find that a significant amount of our foreign-born labor are here without proper authorization? Why would anyone anticipate anything else in an industry that does not have access to a visa program to provide for our labor needs?

In agriculture, we continually hear about the need to be transparent in food production to keep the trust and support of consumers. We should be equally as transparent on our industrys dependence on foreign-born labor. That includes the economic risk to our communities if we fail in our efforts to obtain legal status for our current workforce, their spouses, and dependent children.

One approach

In Idaho, the Idaho Dairymens Association (IDA) has gained support from other businesses, local Chambers of Commerce, the Catholic Church, local law enforcement, and most importantly the Hispanic community by openly discussing our dependence on foreign-born labor. Through the University of Idaho and the McClure Center for Public Policy Research studies, we developed the ability to openly discuss at community events the value added to the social fabric of our rural communities, our schools, and Idahos economy by foreign-born labor.

Opportunity knocks

Immigration has been and is being fiercely debated in Washington D.C., which has placed it front and center in the media. Now, the farm bill vote by the House of Representatives is potentially being held hostage until there is a debate on immigration. This provides all of us an opportunity to be transparent about our industry and our nation's dependence on a labor force that we, along with other segments of the economy, have come to rely on. Since 2013, when the U.S. Senate took up immigration, the opportunity to educate lawmakers and the general public on the critical needs of immigration has never been as great as it is now.

Lets not squander that opportunity.

IDAs position is quite simple . . .

First we must have legal status for our current workforce. It has become apparent that if their spouses and dependent children arent included, our workers simply wont take advantage of any new program.

Second, we must have access to year-round workers.

Third, there must be a visa program that allows access to new legal workers with adequate numbers to provide for our future labor needs.

Lastly, we recognize that to achieve our goals, there will be enhanced border security and workplace enforcement that is included. Weve accepted that reality for a long time, but those are both roles for the federal government, not additional demands placed on farmers. None of the bills currently before Congress provide these assurances. Until they do, we will continue our efforts to make those necessary changes.

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2018

May 21, 2018As dairy farmers, we all know that June is Dairy Month. Its a time to celebrate our industry and really work at highlighting our unique stories. This year, Im looking at it another way.

When we spend 30 days focusing on sharing our story, are we really reaching the people we need to connect with? Or is it another case of our voices being lost in the echo chamber? I recently asked a few friends and acquaintances with no connection at all to the dairy industry if they knew that June was celebrated as Dairy Month. Not one of them did.

Now, of course, after our conversations they did. Kind of like me not knowing that June is also celebrated as Aquarium Month and Turkey Lovers Month. I think this is another example of how we truly need to focus on reaching outside of our industry to tell our story and have the most positive effects.

There truly are so many amazing events that do just that in the month of June. I really encourage each and every one of you to find a way to contribute. The more voices we have sharing our story, the further we all reach.

Just dont forget to focus on those ways that we really reach outside the choir to maximize our efforts. Reaching those in our circles who have no connection to dairy and benefit the most from gaining that connection to the dairy industry. So from hosting a June Dairy Month tour on your farm to telling the stranger behind you in the grocery line thanks for grabbing that gallon of milk. Make sure all those around you know that it is June Dairy Month!

The author is a third-generation dairy farmer from Oregon where she farms in partnership with her husband and parents. As a mother of two young boys who round out the family-run operation as micro managers, Darleen blogs about the three generations of her family working together at Guernsey Dairy Mama. Abiqua Acres Mann's Guernsey Dairy is currently home to 90 registered Guernseys and transitioned to a robotic milking system in 2017.By Ssebuliba Samuel.

President Yoweri Museveni has asked Ugandans to stop addressing the current insecurity as a military problem, calling for a joint effort to solve the problem.

Addressing mourners at the final sendoff of former Arua Municipality Member of Parliament Ibrahim Abiriga yesterday, the president said assassins cannot be eliminated by deploying many security personnel, but by mass citizenry awareness working together to address the issue.

He however added that to achieve this, some restraints will be exercised especially in terms of media control to limit propaganda.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The President also noted the importance of restoring air traffic between the two states, which will give impetus to the further development of relations between Kazakhstan and India.Videos and photos circulated on social media by activists and supporters show truck drivers parked in a convoy on the main highway in central Tehran holding up banners with slogans calling for solidarity.

The strikes, which began over low wages and high expenses, are continuing in spite of the Iranian Regimes repression. The mullahs have threatened to charge the striking truckers with propaganda against the regime and violating national security, crimes that could carry fines, imprisonment, or even the death penalty.

Radical cleric Ahmad Alam al-Huda, a member of the Assembly of Experts and a close confidant of Irans Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, attacked the strikers and claimed that Iranians should not take part in strikes.

He said: Iran is not France or Britain where you can take part in the strike.

Many Iranians opposed this notion and shared their support for the strike on Twitter using a Farsi and an English hashtag #Iranstrikes.

Trade unions from all over the world, like the International Federation of Truck Drivers, the National Federation of French Trade Unions of the General Federation of Labor (CGT) and the North American Truckers Association, have also issued statements in support of the truck drivers strike and demanded that the mullahs meet the demands of the protesters.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) wrote on May 30: The Iranian Resistance calls on the public, especially the courageous young people throughout the country, to work in solidarity with the strikers and support the detainees. The Iranian Resistance calls on all international human rights organizations, labour unions and international transportation agencies to condemn repressive measures against striking drivers in Iran and to take immediate action to release the detainees.

Uprising

The truck drivers strike is just one part of the ongoing uprising among the Iranian people that began last December. The anti-regime uprising began with a small protest in Mashhad over a proposed budget that would slash subsidies for the poor and increase military spending, but soon it became about so much more.

The protesters knew that the cause of all of their problems, from water shortages to high unemployment to lack of political freedoms, was the result of the mullahs malign policies. Therefore, the solution was regime change. That is the wish of the Iranian people.

Regime change and the uprisings in Iran will be a major focus of this years Free Iran Grand Gathering in Paris on June 30, organised by the NCRI, which over 100,000 people are expected to attend.Simply, the Iranian Resistance is unique among forces that seek to remove dictatorships from power. It not only advocates for regime change, but also represent the viable alternative to the mullahs.

Most revolutions fail because there is no stable government in place to take over, leading to chaos. The Iranian Resistance has formed a government-in-exile made up of several dissident groups (collectively known as the National Council of Resistance of Iran or NCRI) and it has working relationships with many of the worlds governments.

The NCRI is ready and willing to take over the governing of Iran when the mullahs fall until a free and fair election can be held  the NCRI estimates six months for this. They have already published the majority of their to-be-implemented laws, including the abolition of the death penalty and the disbanding of the military nuclear programme, so the world knows what to expect.

The Iran lobby needs to discredit the Resistance because they have a vested interest in the Regimes existence and they know that the Resistance will provide regime change sooner or later.

Trita Parsi of the National Iranian American Council has dedicated much of his life to promoting the idea of a moderating force within the Regime. Of course, there has been no moderation from the Regime in the past 40 years, so why would we expect it now?

The Regime has been run in the same manner since it hijacked the revolution and now the mullahs benefit greatly from the money that they are able to steal from the Iranian people. They wont change. So the NIAC must discredit anyone that opposes the mullahs and ignore the Regimes abuses and the largescale dissent against the Regime.

The biggest target of the NIAC is the Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK), one of Irans oldest dissident groups, whom Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and current National Security Advisor John Bolton have addressed meetings of before. The lobby calls the MEK a terrorist cell or a cult, with no evidence for either, making it clear that this is not a place for facts.

Michael Tomlinson wrote on Iran Lobby: One of the central tenets of the Iranian resistance movement as articulated by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the head of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, which is the major umbrella group of Iranian dissident organizations, is that any movement towards regime change and democratization in Iran must begin and be grounded in the Iranian people.

The NCRI is holding its annual global gathering in Paris on June 30, where regime change will be a big topic of discussion.Pompeo said: 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. These will indeed end up being the strongest sanctions in history when we are complete.

That is why, in May, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the head of Irans central bank and several other individuals or organisations involved in the secret transfer of money to terrorist groups like the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Qods Force and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

At the same time, the Treasury also sanctioned five members of the IRGC for supporting the Houthi militants in Yemen, who are firing missiles into Saudi Arabia, and nine individuals and firms who illegally obtained aeroplane parts for Iranian airlines that had been designated for their support of terrorist groups.

Recent sanctions

The latest sanctions, announced by the Treasury on May 30, also target those who commit human rights abuses against the Iranian people.

Three individuals associated with Ansar-e Hizbullah  a group involved in the violent suppression of Iranian citizens, including acid attacks against women in Isfahan  have been sanctioned. While Evin prison was sanctioned for torturing and abusing dissidents and prisoners of conscience.

Furthermore, the Treasury Department sanctioned the Hanista Programming Group, two government officials, and the director of the IRIB, the state broadcasting organisation, for their roles in censoring the Iranian peoples access to information and limiting freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement: America stands with the people of Iran and [the] Treasury is taking action to hold the Iranian regime accountable for ongoing human rights abuses, censorship, and other despicable acts it commits against its own citizens.

These sanctions show that the US will not look away from Irans human rights violations, but it is also important to show that the US stands with the people working to bring freedom and democracy to Iran  the Iranian Resistance.

One way to do this, would be to have a prominent presence from the Donald Trump administration at the Free Iran Grand Gathering in Paris on June 30, where many prominent politicians have spoken before, including National Security Adviser John Bolton.Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Al Jazeera reports on a big refugee story from Europe. Spain's new government has stepped up and offered to take in a rescue ship that is drifting in the Mediterranean sea with 629 refugees and migrants, including 123 unaccompanied minors, on board after Italy and Malta refused to let it dock.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, a socialist who took office just over a week ago, gave instructions for the humanitarian vessel to be admitted to the eastern port of Valencia, his office said in a statement yesterday.

The Aquarius took the people, including seven pregnant women, from inflatable boats off the coast of Libya.

The Aquarius picked up nearly 630 migrants, including over 120 unaccompanied children and seven pregnant women on Saturday (09/06). Photo: Getty

KJ

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2018/06/after-malta-and-italy-balk-spain-offers-to-accept-more-than-600-refugees-on-ship.htmlThe title of this post is the headline of this notable new Atlantic piece, which carries the subheadline "As legalization spreads, so do calls to ease sentences for those convicted of possessing pot." Here are excerpts:

Colorado, which legalized marijuana for recreational usage in the 2012 elections, doesnt allow anyone with a felony marijuana conviction in the last decade to apply for a retail marijuana business license  this in a state where African-Americans are more than three times more likely and Latinos 1.5 times more likely to be arrested on marijuana charges than whites. So even though arrests are down 81 percent since 2012, theres a whole host of black and brown people in the state who will be excluded from participation in the legalized industry for almost another decade.

Activists have, however, learned some lessons from the Colorado experience. The devastation of communities of color by the war on drugs was always a top priority for people working on this issue, said Shaleen Title, a marijuana activist on the board of Marijuana Majority and the founder of THC Staffing Group. But what we started seeing in 2012, and particularly as there started to be a big business incentive for legalization, was less focus on the social justice issues. This is, in part, because some newer proponents of legalization either didnt focus on it or worried that introducing the issue of racial justice would impede the effort to legalize. Its very well documented that its black and brown people who have borne the brunt of prohibition, she added, noting that only one of Colorados 500 marijuana dispensaries is owned by an African-American woman. When we pass these laws, we have to address that. We cant just start from scratch and expect for that to be fair.

Title was part of a coalition of activists in Massachusetts that made sure that the states ballot initiative in 2016 allowed people with marijuana-only convictions to be licensed marijuana business holders. It also forced the issue of broader amnesty for marijuana convictions. The war on drugs has been a racially discriminatory disaster and legalization should be an opportunity to try to correct that and make amends for past wrongs, explained Tom Angell, the chairman of Marijuana Majority, which is devoted to reforming the countrys marijuana laws. But theres still a lingering, outdated, and cruel attitude that people who broke the law should be punished as much as possible, even if it prevents them from fully participating in society....

Californias 2016 ballot initiative to legalize the production, distribution, and use of marijuana for recreational purposes set up a system providing for the reclassification and/or expungement of marijuana-related offenses. For those still serving sentences, there will also be opportunities for resentencing. Its likely to have an impact on a significant number of Californians: The ACLU says that nearly 20,000 people were arrested for marijuana possession even after the state decriminalized possession in 2011.

In Oregon, which legalized recreational marijuana by ballot initiative in 2014, the law did not have an explicit expungement provision  but it did allow people with marijuana-related crimes to qualify for licensure to own a legal marijuana business. Then, in 2015, the legislature passed a law allowing anyone with a marijuana conviction to apply for expungement if the act for which they were convicted  like possession, growing marijuana, or growing in excess of what was deemed allowable for medical use  is no longer considered a crime.

There are fees associated with expungement  as there are in most states  and the process requires legal assistance, which is why the Minority Cannabis Business Association, in partnership with the cannabis company Marley Natural, held its first-ever expungement clinic in Portland, which helped 30 clients. Jeannette Ward, the vice chair of the MCBA, noted that, because of Oregons law allowing people with convictions for marijuana-related offenses to participate in the legal system, the clinic wasnt about helping potential marijuana business owners. We do it because the war on drugs targeted people of color, she said, and we want to take the profits from companies that are making money and try to rebalance the scales of the detrimental wars on drugs....

The impacts of a marijuana arrest, let alone a conviction, can be profound. Arrest is just one moment, explained Jenny Roberts, a professor and the co-director of the Criminal Justice Clinic at the American University Washington College of Law. And then that moment is determinant of so many things down the line. One moment of racially disparate policing becomes a moment that follows people throughout their life. She noted that criminal records can  legally or not  affect arrestees employment prospects, their ability to find housing, and even their ability to travel outside the countryeven if they arent convicted of any crime. We treat too many acts in this country as things that need to be processed through the criminal justice system, she said. Everyone knows that you can go around and arrest many, many people for marijuana, but we all know who actually gets arrested for it, she added. Policies that end up in racially disparate arrests are unfair and have much broader impacts than just the arrests.Stateline has this effective new piece on a topic that I have long thought should get even more attention as the marijuana reform movement continues to pick up steam. The piece is headlined "In These States, Past Marijuana Crimes Can Go Away," and here is how the article starts and ends:

When Californians voted to legalize marijuana last year, they also voted to let people petition courts to reduce or hide convictions for past marijuana crimes. State residents can now petition courts to change some felonies to misdemeanors, change some misdemeanors to infractions, and wipe away convictions for possessing or growing small amounts of the drug. We call it reparative justice: repairing the harms caused by the war on drugs, says Eunisses Hernandez of the Drug Policy Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group that helped write the California ballot initiative.

Colorado, Maryland, New Hampshire and Oregon also have made it easier for people convicted of some crimes of marijuana possession, cultivation or manufacture to get their records sealed or expunged, which generally means removing convictions from public databases. Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a criminal justice bill that would, among other changes, allow people to expunge any conviction thats no longer a crime, such as marijuana possession.

These efforts by states that have legalized or decriminalized marijuana are part of a national trend toward making it easier for people to seal or expunge a range of convictions. Americans with a criminal record  whether its marked with felonies, misdemeanors or both  can find it harder to get a job and find housing.

Hernandez and other social justice advocates say marijuana legalization should be paired with criminal justice reforms that help people convicted of past drug crimes rebuild their lives. Yet allowing people to seal their criminal records or reclassify convictions is not the rule in states that have legalized or decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana. Bills that would remove or reduce convictions on peoples records are often opposed by lawmakers and prosecutors who argue that people who knowingly violated prior laws shouldnt be let off the hook just because the law changed.

California has done more than any other state to require judges to excuse residents past marijuana crimes. Thats because the state took the issue to voters, Hernandez said. Through the Legislature, we would not have gotten this....

Defense lawyers and other advocates for decreasing penalties for nonviolent drug crimes say that sealing someones record can change their life. Yet state data from Oregon and California  the states that have done the most to allow people to take convictions off their records  suggest that so far, only a fraction of people with marijuana convictions have asked to get them sealed or set aside.

Nearly half a million people were arrested for marijuana crimes in California over the past decade, according to the Drug Policy Alliance. But California courts have received just 1,506 applications for reclassifying past marijuana-related crimes since state residents gained the option to do so last year. The Drug Policy Alliance also says that more than 78,000 convictions could be set aside in Oregon. But courts received just 388 requests for set-asides in cases that involved a marijuana charge in 2015, 453 in 2016, and 365 so far this year, according to the Oregon Judicial Department.

It could be that many people just dont know they can get their records sealed. Marijuana industry and legal defense groups have hosted free events in both states to help people file the right paperwork  though in both states, lawyers say filing a petition is straightforward enough to handle without an attorney.

Another problem may be that many people have complicated criminal records, Margolis said. Those people  they have not benefited. Courts are more likely to reject petitions from people with long criminal histories, Margolis said. For instance, someones conviction for marijuana cultivation might be paired with a money-laundering conviction, a delivery conviction, or a criminal-mischief conviction because a house was vandalized.

Some people may just decide that hiding their conviction from view isnt worth the hassle. If someone has another crime on his record that cant be wiped away, say an unrelated felony, he might not bother to eliminate a minor marijuana conviction. One of the convictions that can be sealed in Colorado and California is possession of an ounce or less of marijuana. But in both states, even before marijuana possession was legalized, possession of a small amount of marijuana was just an infraction or a petty offense, punishable by a $100 fine.

Still, the California ballot initiatives emphasis on criminal justice reform and releasing people from the burden of past crimes may be the new normal moving forward. The initiative has become the gold standard, said Art Way, director of the Drug Policy Alliances Colorado office. He said that activists in New Mexico, New Jersey and New York are all lobbying for racial justice and, to some extent, retroactive relief for marijuana crimes.In recent weeks, I have spotlighted a number of article from a number of outlets discussing marijuana reform's impact on part marijuana convictions. The latest example today comes from the Washington Post via this extended article headlined "Convicted of a marijuana crime in California? It might go away, thanks to legal pot." Here are excerpts:

California is offering a second chance to people convicted of almost any marijuana crimes, from serious felonies to small infractions, with the opportunity to have their criminal records cleared or the charges sharply reduced. State officials hope to reverse decades of marijuana convictions that can make it difficult for people to gain meaningful employment and disproportionately affect low-income minorities.

We worked to help create a legalized and regulated process for legal marijuana, but we also wanted to make sure we could help  some way, somehow  repair the damages of marijuana prohibition, said Eunisses Hernandez, a policy coordinator at the Drug Policy Alliance. The alliance said there have been 500,000 arrests for marijuana offenses in California in the past 10 years, and it estimates that up to a million people have reviewable convictions on their records.

At least 4,500 people had filed petitions to have their sentences reduced, redesignated or thrown out as of September, according to the California Judicial Council. The highest amount came from Riverside County, where 613 applications were filed. In addition, at least 365 people have applied to have their juvenile marijuana convictions thrown out. Not every county reported data.

The change here is part of a nationwide movement to reduce marijuana charges and atone for harsh penalties during the war on drugs. At least nine states have passed laws expunging or reducing marijuana convictions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Maryland, Oregon and Vermont also now allow convictions for marijuana offenses that are not crimes under current law to be wiped off a criminal record.

The re-designation of marijuana crimes in California went into effect immediately after voters approved the measure legalizing pot. Many viewed it as an offshoot of a 2014 ballot initiative that reduced penalties for certain drug and theft crimes. Those who want their marijuana convictions lessened must present their cases in court. Prosecutors can decide not to support a reduction should someone have a major felony, such as murder, on their record. Old convictions will be reclassified under the law as it reads now. For example, if someone had been convicted of possessing an ounce or less of marijuana, that conviction would be tossed out because that is now legal in California.

Some district attorneys offices notified the recently convicted and incarcerated that they were eligible to have their records changed and that they potentially could leave prison. Last year, prosecutors in San Diego searched for people convicted of marijuana offenses in the prior three years who would be eligible for reductions. When the measure passed, prosecutors got their petitions before a judge as soon as possible. We absolutely didnt want people to be in custody who shouldnt be in custody, said Rachel Solov, chief of the collaborative courts division in the San Diego district attorneys office. She said that as of mid-December, the office has handled nearly 600 reductions.

But advocates said many people who completed their sentences still do not know they could be able to change their criminal records. Hernandez and defense lawyers said that the state has put little effort into outreach and that most people are hearing about the opportunities through word of mouth or social media. One of the projects were working on this year is to notify people that this is an option, said Bruce Margolin, a Los Angeles defense lawyer who specializes in marijuana cases. Its a viable thing to do, obviously, because people are suffering with these felony convictions in so many aspects of their life.

Omar Figueroa, a defense lawyer in Sebastopol, Calif., who specializes in marijuana law, said the requirement to go to court makes it more difficult for the poor to take advantage. Thats one of the criticisms, that a lot of people dont have the time or energy or the access to public transportation to get to the courthouse, Figueroa said. What I see is the people who have more means are the ones who are taking advantage of this, and the people who have more basic struggles in their everyday life, the last thing theyre thinking about is cleaning up their criminal history for their old marijuana convictions.Private-Public Business Partnership Key to Strengthening D.C. Workforce and Economy

Cranes in the air, vital communities and a progressive push toward changing the image of a diverse federal district are signals that the District of Columbia is evolving. As robust construction of affordable housing and development of retail projects continue, DCs economic boom is a shared benefit for residents and businesses.

Under the leadership of Mayor Muriel Bowser, the District has taken proactive steps to create relationships with the business community to ensure that not only District residents who are job seekers have a fair shot at economic prosperity through the First Source program, but also allow for continued investment in and support of communities in which the businesses are developing.

Investing in the growth of our local workforce and infrastructure is a city-wide collaborative effort. The District is the first in the nation to create a local government agency devoted to public-private partnerships. Launched in 2015, the Office of Public-Partnership has a specific focus on expanding economic opportunities for the District by delivering on infrastructure needs and government services.

ADVERTISEMENT

For a private business to partner with the District, this gives them access to human capital of skilled and trained residents to be given priority for projects. Through the DC Department of Employment Services, a private business can further invest in the Districts workforce by facilitating workforce development programs and specialized training to prepare District residents, especially those who experience employment barriers or hardships, for employment opportunities.

Along with the Districts investment of $16.75 million towards the DC Infrastructure Academy located in Ward 8, Pepco contributed more than $5 million towards workforce development programs that will be offered at the academy as part of the utility companys merger agreement with Exelon.

The return investment for Pepco, or other businesses that collaborate with the District, is the expansion of a diverse and qualified local labor market, especially for in-demand industries such as solar energy, IT, construction, infrastructure and healthcare. This can also translate to business longevity in the District, which boosts the citys economic outlook. When a business is not only committed to bringing their services to the District, and invests their contributions through partnerships with local government agencies and community organizations, it is a demonstration of how the business is serious in cultivating a healthy local economy within the District.

Investments and partnerships with the private sector contribute to the declining unemployment rate, nationwide and locally, especially in areas where it is critical. While the District is experiencing an overall decline in unemployment, Wards 7 and 8 still experience high unemployment rates. In April, the Washington Metropolitan region added more than 15,000 jobs, contributing to the reduction of the unemployment rate in the District.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors recently released a reported that shows the economic growth of metropolitan regions across the nation. According to the report, in 2017 metropolitan areas across the nation have added $1.9 million jobs, which account for 91.6 percent of personal wage income. The U.S. Conference of Mayors makes it clear that metropolitan regions are the driving force of the nations economy.

As the skyline of the city is changing with newly built residential and commercial buildings, the District remains committed in continuing to work actively with the business community to achieve the vision of ensuring District residents are placed on a path of economic prosperity, making for a strong, sustained workforce.The leaders of the United States and North Korea met for the first time in Singapore Tuesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held direct talks about the Norths nuclear activities and other issues. Then, they were joined by top advisers.

The two men signed an agreement at the end of five hours of meetings.

In the agreement, Kim expressed his firm and unwavering support for complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Trump offered to provide security guarantees to North Korea.

The historic meeting was the first between a North Korean leader and a U.S. president while he was still in office.

Historic meeting in Singapore

Tuesday morning Trump shook hands with the North Korean leader in front of U.S. and North Korean flags at the Capella Hotel on Singapore's Sentosa Island.

The president said he believed he would be able to get along with Kim. "We will have a terrific relationship, no doubt."

Kim said, "We overcame all odds to come here."

Then, the two leaders met for a one-on-one meeting for about 40 minutes. What exactly they discussed has yet to be made public.

After that meeting, the leaders joined with top aides for extended talks. The U.S. side included Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Advisor John Bolton and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. Among those with Kim was Kim Yong Chol, who met with Trump at the White House last week.

Trump called the document he and Kim signed comprehensive. It calls for the U.S. and North Korea to jointly work on efforts to build a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. It calls on the two sides to work together on establishing new relations and to recover the remains of prisoners of war and military members missing in action.

The two sides also promised to hold additional negotiations.

Trump says talks a success, but seeks actions in return

Trump told VOA after the talks that the agreement was the result of months of negotiations. "You know that could have ended in a war," Trump said.

He added, "But we ended with a deal."

Trump said that U.S. troops based in South Korea will stay where they are, but he announced an end to military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea.

We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should...

Later, Trump told reporters that existing U.S. sanctions against North Korea will remain in place until the Norths nuclear weapons "are no longer a factor." Those measures are designed to punish the North Korean government for its nuclear activities.

Trump said he and Kim discussed the possibility of ending the Norths nuclear weapons program. He said that efforts to confirm denuclearization would be achieved "by having a lot of people there." He also predicted Kim would begin work right away to "live up" to the agreement.

Experts estimate that North Korea has between 20 and 80 nuclear weapons.

Trump said he and Kim only very briefly talked about human rights, but that the two sides would discuss it more in the future.

When asked about thousands of people held in labor camps, Trump said he thinks he has helped them because things in North Korea will change.

"I think they are one of the great winners today," he said.

Trump spoke about American college student Otto Warmbier, who was arrested by North Korean officials in 2016. Warmbier died a year ago after he returned to the United States with severe brain damage.

"Otto did not die in vain, Trump said. He had a lot to do with us being here today.

After the meeting, Trump told reporters that he also raised the issue of Japanese citizens seized by North Korea. He said negotiators would work on that issue.

South Korea watching closely

The meeting was closely watched by South Koreans.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in held a cabinet meeting as the Singapore meeting took place.

Moon played a strong part in organizing the talks between the U.S. and North Korean leaders, which Trump cancelled at one point.

North and South Korea are still technically at war because a peace treaty has never been signed to end the Korean War.

Some observers have criticized Trump for agreeing to meet with the North Korean leader. They said the move represented a major concession to the North for little in return.

Before the talks, Trump said the release of three hostages was enough for him to go ahead with the meeting.

Speaking to VOA after the meeting, Trump said he had great feelings for the North Korean people. He said because of the developments with the Norths leaders, great things are going to happen for North Korea.

Im Mario Ritter.

Mario Ritter wrote this story for VOA Learning English. His story was based on reports from VOANews.com and the Associated Press. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

unwavering  adj. continuing in a strong way

all odds  idiom. being very unlikely

comprehensive  adj. complete or inclusive

tremendous  adj. huge; very great

factor  n. a service used in the process of production

peninsula  n. land surrounded by water on nearly all sides

vain  adj. having no success

achieve  v. to reach; to carry out

concession  n. the act of surrendering somethingA group of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has criticized a Cambodian government working group set up to monitor and control online news.

A statement signed by 117 NGOs condemns the creation of the group. It was formed through a prakas -- a declaration issued by a government minister.

The working group was formed by Cambodias ministries of information, interior and posts and telecommunications. A government announcement last week said the working group is aimed at controlling all dissemination of information found to threaten the defense and security of the nation.

It would also seek to block information considered a threat to relations with other countries, the economy or public order or that discriminates against the countrys customs and traditions.

The government declaration gives the ministries the power to take action against people violating the rules. It also permits the government to act against internet service providers.

The ministry of posts and telecommunications will require all internet service providers to use software and other tools to monitor internet usage, the announcement said. The software should be able to filter or block any websites, accounts or social media pages considered illegal.

The statement by the NGOs criticizes the declaration, which it says threatens the privacy rights and freedom of expression of every single internet and social media user in Cambodia.

Among those signing the letter were the rights group Licadho and the election watchdog Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia.

The NGOs dismissed the declarations list of illegal content. They called the working group a clear case of government overreach and censorship.

The NGOs noted that the blocking of content and closure of social media accounts is to be completely decided by the ministries, without judicial review or the right to appeal.

The ministerial order represents a serious threat to the Cambodian peoples constitutional rights, the NGOs statement said. It added that the working group further reduces the limited space left for public debate following months of attacks on media freedoms.

The creation of the working group comes ahead of Cambodias planned general election next month. Rights groups have raised concerns about the fairness of the election process because of a series of actions by the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Among the actions was a government ban on the countrys main opposition party. Cambodian officials accused the party of attempting to overthrow the government. Political observers and rights groups have said they believe the action was taken in an effort by Hun Sens government to stay in power.

The government has also attempted to silence critical voices within the countrys NGO community and has closed some media organizations.

Earlier this year, Cambodias main media watchdog group said media freedoms suffered severe damage in 2017. A report by the Cambodian Center for Independent Media noted the closures of 32 radio stations that produced broadcasts often critical of the government. It said other media organizations were also forced to suspend operations because the government launched tax investigations.

Im Jonathan Evans.

This story was reported by Radio Free Asias Khmer Service. It was translated by Nareth Muong and written in English by Joshua Lipes. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for Learning English, with additional information from Reuters. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

dissemination  n. the spreading of information or ideas

filter  v. remove unwanted things from something

monitor - v. to watch, observe, listen to, or check (something) for a special purpose over a period of time

censorship  n. the blocking or removal of material such as writings, film, videos which are not approved by the governmentAs reported in this Los Angeles Times article, headlined "California lawmaker wants to make it easier to clear marijuana convictions from criminal records," a lawmaker in California is talking about making a law to make expungement of certain past marijuana convictions automatic. Here are the details:

Proposition 64, approved by California voters in 2016 to legalize recreational pot use, allows people to petition the courts to have past convictions for marijuana offenses expunged from their records. But the process can be difficult and expensive, according to supporters of pot legalization.

In response, Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) on Tuesday proposed legislation that would make it easier to have criminal convictions removed from the records of marijuana users, potentially opening more doors to employment and housing. Rather than require people to petition the courts for a determination, AB 1793 would require criminal convictions for marijuana-related offenses to be automatically expunged, placing the burden on the courts, Bonta said.

Lets be honest, navigating the legal system bureaucracy can be costly and time-consuming, the lawmaker told reporters at the Capitol. His bill, he said, will give people the fresh start to which they are legally entitled and allow them to move on with their lives.

Proposition 64 legalizes, among other things, the possession and purchase of up to an ounce of marijuana and allows individuals to grow up to six plants for personal use. The measure also allows people convicted of marijuana possession crimes eliminated by Proposition 64 to petition the court to have those convictions expunged from their records as long as the person does not pose a risk to public safety. They can also petition the court to reduce some crimes from a felony to a misdemeanor, including possession of more than an ounce of marijuana by a person who is 18 or older.

As of September, 4,885 Californians have petitioned the courts to have marijuana convictions expunged or reclassified, but many people dont know about the process, which can be difficult, according to the Drug Policy Alliance, which supported Proposition 64.

Bontas bill was supported Tuesday by alliance state director Laura Thomas and Dale Gieringer, who is the state coordinator of California NORML, another legalization group. The bill, Thomas said, will help to expedite the ability of people to achieve the promise of restorative justice.It is officially summer beach season here in the United States.

While some popular beaches have hotels and businesses along them, others are protected from development by the United States government. Some of these areas are called national seashores. The National Park Service oversees them.

One special national seashore along Americas East Coast is called Assateague Island. People can enjoy the sand, warm waters and the islands special residents: wild horses.

Changing climate and weather patterns, however, are threatening the future of the island.

A stormy history

Assateague Island is a 43.5-kilometer barrier island. Barrier islands are long, sandy islands near the coast. The island is divided between the American states of Maryland and Virginia. People get to the island by driving over a long bridge.

Liz Davis is the public information officer for Assateague Island. She says Assateague owes its history to storms. She adds it was almost a very different place than it is today.

Until 1933, Assateague Island was connected to another island to its north, called Fenwick Island. That year, however, a large storm cut an inlet through Fenwick Island. That divide remains to this day. The southern part of the island that was separated was later named Assateague Island.

Davis said that, in its early history, the island had just a few small communities of people.

In the 1950s, plans began to build a town on the island called Ocean Beach. In 1962, however, a very large storm hit Assateague. It badly damaged most of the islands structures and roads that were being built.

After the storm, the developers for Ocean Beach decided the area may be too difficult to build on. They sold the land to the state of Maryland. The government later turned the area into a national seashore.

Today, Assateague is a popular place to visit. It has welcomed at least two million visitors in each of the last 10 years. People can relax on the beach, surf in the ocean, hike along the islands paths or kayak through its many marshes.

Wild and free horses

But most people come to Assateague to see its unusual residents: wild horses. Wild horses are not easy to see in the eastern United States. But on Assateague, visitors can find them almost anywhere.

There are many stories of how the horses first came to Assateague. Davis says they are most likely descendants from horses owned by early farmers on the island.

Early farmers and landowners would put their livestock out on the Barrier Island. They would have forage year-roundour horses are descendants of some of those horses over 300 years ago that never got rounded up.

Davis says that because the horses have been living wild on the island for several centuries, they have adapted to its environment and small food supply.

Their body shape is a little different because of their life on the island. They are a little shorter in stature. Stocky bodies and shorter legs they have small ears, because they are in a wide open sandy, windy environment.

She adds that, despite the horses size, they are still genetically horses and not ponies, a smaller animal related to horses.

Since the island is protected, the horses can move around freely. A recent survey of the horse population on Assateague found that there are about 82 horses on the island.

Shrinking seashores

However, changing weather has affected the island.

Because Assateague is mostly sand, it is very sensitive to weather. Storms, ocean waves and rising sea levels have changed its shape over the years.

Davis says the island is moving west by one to 1.5 meters a year; the rising sea level is shrinking the island on its east side, while wind and waves move sand over to its west side.

She says, Ive been at Assateague for 26, 27 years, and I can definitely say Ive witnessed the changes here.

We are seeing stronger weather systems and rising sea levels. We are monitoring sea levels and changes in shorelinesWe have data that showing that these changes are happening.

Davis added that the National Park Service has developed a plan for how to manage the island for the next 25 to 30 years.

The plans include replacing the asphalt in the parking lots with a more environmentally friendly surface that wont harm the water if it is washed away by rising sea levels.

Davis says the park also may be forced to move some of its ocean-side camping areas in the next few years. And, changes could include no longer permitting people to drive to the island.

This is happening to our island and we need to be prepared for it, Davis said.

Im Phil Dierking.

And I'm Alice Bryant.

Phil Dierking reported this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

Do you know of any other beaches that are threatened by changing weather? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

adapt - v. to change your behavior so that it is easier to live in a particular place or situation

asphalt - n. a black substance that is used for making roads

beach - n. an area covered with sand or small rocks that is next to an ocean or lake

descendant - n. someone who is related to a person or group of people who lived in the past

forage - v. to eat growing grass or other plants

inlet - n. a narrow area of water that goes into the land from a sea or lake

kayak - v. to paddle a long narrow boat that is pointed at both ends and that is moved by a paddle with two blades

livestock - n. farm animals (such as cows, horses, and pigs) that are kept, raised, and used by people

marsh - n. an area of soft, wet land that has many grasses and other plants

monitor - v. to watch, observe, listen to, or check (something) for a special purpose over a period of time

stature - n. a person's height (or an animal's height)

stocky - adj. short and heavy or broadSome manufacturers of electronic cigarettes are offering financial aid to students who write about the possible benefits of using their products.

The financial aid  worth $250 to $5,000  can be used at colleges or universities in the United States. These scholarships are advertised on the internet by e-cigarette makers and e-cigarette review websites, the Associated Press reported.

Most of the scholarships are offered as part of a competition. Students are asked to write papers on how e-cigarettes can be safer than smoking traditional cigarettes. At least one company asks students to write about different kinds of e-cigarettes and suggest ones they like best. Some seek papers in support of medical marijuana.

Some companies have used the scholarships as a way to get their names listed on websites of schools like Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley.

E-cigarettes have been growing in popularity in the United States since 2010. The devices are never lit. They instead use power from a battery. They produce a vapor caused by heating liquid. Users breathe the gas into their lungs.

The liquid usually contains nicotine, a chemical found in tobacco products and traditional cigarettes. Nicotine is known to be highly addictive. So users can develop a dependency on the drug. Most e-cigarettes also contain other chemicals for taste.

Many medical experts agree that using an e-cigarette  known as vaping - is safer than smoking a cigarette. Supporters have also suggested that e-cigarettes can help smokers of traditional cigarettes cut back or even stop smoking. But little is yet known about the long-term health effects of using e-cigarettes.

Robert Pagano is owner of the review site Vapor Vanity. He told the AP his company was offering scholarships of up to $1,500 this year. He admitted the financial aid is partly used as a marketing tool. But he also said that many people in the industry are former smokers who want to help young people avoid tobacco.

Its a little bit of being genuine, a little bit of self-interest, said Pagano, whose company does not sell e-cigarette products. He added that scholarships are one of the best ways of getting students to think about the issues they are asked to write about.

Most companies behind the writing contests did not react to requests from the AP for comment. But the American Vaping Association defended the scholarships. It said they provide a way for companies to publicize their name while also offering students financial help.

Gregory Conley is the head of the association. He compared the scholarships to similar programs that have long been offered by manufacturers of alcohol products, such as Anheuser-Busch. That company gives tens of thousands of dollars each year to minority students.

Some anti-tobacco groups said they did not know about the scholarships until asked about them by the AP. They are sharply critical of efforts to get students to write in favor of vaping.

Theyre trying to use youth as their marketing surrogates, said Gregg Haifley, who is with the American Cancer Society. He added that although some companies describe the programs as helpful to students, he believes it is all a marketing effort to get new users.

E-cigarette manufacturers often say their products are meant only for adults who are trying to stop smoking. Some of the writing contests state that they are not meant to promote vaping. But anti-tobacco groups say there is no other reason the companies would be reaching out to young people.

Robin Koval is president of the Truth Initiative, a nonprofit group opposed to the tobacco and vaping industries. She says most of the students getting involved are not smokers who are trying to stop. What theyre saying and what theyre doing does not seem to agree here. But thats not surprising, Koval said.

The AP reports it is unclear how many scholarships have actually been awarded. Several websites promise to publicize winners of their contests, but none have appeared to do so. None of the 15 companies contacted by the AP would name the winners.

Harvard and California State University (CSU) at Long Beach removed e-cigarette-related scholarship listings after being asked about them by the AP. They explained that the listings should not have been posted.

Were not interested in being a platform for tobacco or vaping, said spokesman Jeff Bliss, of CSU Long Beach.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

benefit  n. a good or helpful result

review  n. report in a publication that gives an opinion about a product

contest  n. a competition

battery  n. a device for providing electric current

vapor  n. substance in the form of a gas or that consists of very small drops or particles mixed with the air

genuine  n. real, sincere or honest

surrogate  n. a person that takes the place or performs the duties of someone else

promote  v. give support to or make people aware of something

platform  n. a way of telling the public about your opinionsAmerican President Donald Trump criticized the United States trade partners, including those in Europe and Canada, on Monday.

Trump wrote on Twitter that the U.S. will no longer accept what he called unfair trade, even from friendly countries.

We must put the American worker first, he tweeted.

On Saturday, he called the situation Trade Abuse.

Trump tweeted Monday from Singapore. He traveled there following the meeting in Canada of leaders of the Group of Seven major industrial nations.

The G7 is Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S.

The leaders met in the area of Charlevoix, Quebec on June 8 and 9. The discussions were marked by disputes with the United States over trade and Russia. The United States did not agree to the G7 meeting final statement.

After it ended, U.S. President Donald Trump published a tweet that said he had told his trade representatives not to endorse the Communique.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to reporters at the close of the meeting on Saturday. He said that Canada would order retaliatory measures against U.S. products as soon as July 1.

The Trump administration ordered taxes on steel and aluminum imports from Canada and other allies earlier this year.

Trudeau said that Canada would not be pushed around.

Several leaders said they did not support the idea of Russia rejoining the group of economic powers. Russia was expelled after it took over Crimea in 2014. Members also say Russia continues to support separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Trudeau said he was not remotely interested in having Russia rejoin the group.

British Prime Minister Theresa May agreed. She said Russia had failed to meet the terms of the Minsk agreements meant to end the conflict in Ukraine.

Before the meeting, Trump had voiced support for Russia taking part.

On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced additional economic restrictions against five Russian groups and three individuals. The U.S. said they were being punished for harmful cyber activities and ties to Russian intelligence agencies.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told German public television that Trumps withdrawal from the communique was sobering. And, French leader Emmanuel Macron criticized the presidents refusal to sign the communique as harmful to international cooperation.

Of the disagreements, U.S. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo said, There are always irritants in relationships. He said he believed relations among the allies would move forward on a strong basis.

The G7 communique called for members to work together to support a number of economic and social goals. It called for a commitment to a rules-based international trading system and called for members to continue to fight protectionism. The statement also called for cooperation in supporting economic growth that helps everyone.

In addition, the document called for preparing workers for future jobs and for gender equality. It stated support for human rights and the rule of law. The communique also stated a desire by some members to support the Paris agreement on climate change and efforts to protect the environment.

In 2019, France will host the G7 meeting of leaders.

As the G7 leaders met in Canada, another international meeting led by China met in Qingdao, China. Members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization include China, Russia, India and five other Asian countries which meet yearly to discuss economic and border issues.

Im Mario Ritter.

Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English from VOA News stories from Chris Hannas and Steve Herman. Caty Weaver was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

endorse v. to publicly or officially support something or someone

communique n. an official, important news released by a group of standing

retaliatory adj. related to something done to hurt someone in reaction to being hurt

remotely adv. to a very small degree

sobering adj. something that is serious, requiring thought

irritant n. something unpleasant or annoying

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

Ebola is back in Africa -- this time in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

On its website the World Health Organization (WHO) states that, as of June 9, at least 28 people have died in the DRC after they had contact with Ebola virus disease. This is out of 66 confirmed, probable or suspected Ebola cases.

Health workers in the DRC are working quickly to stop the virus from spreading. They are using a new vaccine to protect people.

Wangui Nondi says his body temperature rose after he cared for his brother, who died from Ebola. But Nondi is better now after receiving the Ebola vaccine.

The vaccination campaign began in the middle of May in two countryside communities. But there is a limited supply of the vaccine. So, health care workers were the first to be vaccinated.

World Health Organization official Tarik Jasarevic told VOA that only people who have been in contact with an infected person get the vaccine. He said this helps to form a kind of ring around the patient.

"This is not a general mass immunization, as is being done for some other diseases. We are looking into people who have been in contact with those who tested positive for Ebola, and their contacts. So, we make a ring around the person who contracted the virus."

The vaccine they are using was developed a few years ago during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The experimental vaccine has proven to be safe and effective in human testing.

Doctor Tarit Mukhopadhyay is a vaccine expert with the University College, London. He leads the Vaccine Development Working Group for the UK Vaccine Network. He explains how the vaccine works.



"What it does, it teaches the immune system to recognize those Ebola proteins on the surface of this modified virus, and in doing so, create a protective response against that."

Scientists can only test the vaccine when there is an Ebola outbreak. Dr. Mukhopadhyay says he and other researchers have many questions.

"What we're trying to do now is to establish how effective is this vaccine? Do you need one dose, or two doses to be protected? And once you've been injected or vaccinated with this, how long does that protection last for, as well?"

Containing Ebola virus disease may be a problem in the DRC. The areas affected by this outbreak are close to heavily-used waterways. It started in an area called Bikoro, and then moved to Mbandaka, a busy port along the Congo River.

People use the river to bring produce to the country's capital, Kinshasa. Health workers say keeping Ebola out of heavily populated areas is critical to containing this outbreak.

Another critical part of containing the outbreak is cooperation.

Jasarevic said that to defeat an Ebola outbreak, the whole community needs to cooperate. The most important thing, he said, is that infected people receive treatment in a hospital where they can be separated from others, or isolated. They must not remain at home.

"It is only human, that people who have their relatives in isolation units want them to be at home, want them to be with their family at home in what could be the last moments of their lives. But we need really to explain to everyone that is how disease is being transmitted. If a person who is sick is in an isolation unit, it not only increases the chance of survival for this patient, but it will also prevent the spread of the virus to the family."

Brief history of Ebola

WHO officials say Ebola virus disease first appeared in 1976. That is when medical experts confirmed cases in what is now South Sudan and the DRC.

Scientists say they think the virus comes from wild animals. The disease can be transmitted from person to person through direct contact with the blood or other fluids from an infected person. For that reason, Ebola patients must be kept away from other people.

The virus destroys cells that control blood pressure and then causes organ failure. Signs of the disease include high body temperature, vomiting, diarrhea, and bleeding. Once infected, patients have a very low chance of surviving.

The worst Ebola outbreak in history took place between 2014 and 2016. It killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa. The WHO and international health experts have since been criticized for not doing a better job in fighting the disease.

And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.

VOAs Anita Powell reported on the efforts of Tarik Jasarevic, while VOAs Carol Pearson reported on the work of Tarit Mukhopadhyay. Anna Matteo adapted their reports for Learning English. Her story also uses information from the WHO website.

_______________________________________________________________

Quiz

Quiz - Health Workers Stop Ebola From Spreading Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

___________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

outbreak - n. a sudden start or increase of fighting or disease

dose - n. to have the food, liquid, etc., that is in your stomach come out through your mouth because you are sick

response - n. something that is done as a reaction to something else

modify - v. to change some parts of (something) while not changing other parts

immunization - n. the act of protecting someone from a disease

vomit - v. to have the food, liquid, etc., that is in your stomach come out through your mouth because you are sick

diarrhea - n. an illness that causes you to pass waste from your body very frequently and in liquid rather than solid form

transmit  v. to cause (a virus, disease, etc.) to be given to others

ring  n. something that forms a circle around something else

positive  adj. good or usefulAt 15 years of age, American Madeline Morales has lived through experiences most young people do not have to deal with.

Morales has faced cancer. She has used anti-cancer drugs and radiation treatments to fight the disease. But she is hopeful about her condition and tries to find beauty through her camera.

Morales takes her camera everywhere she goes. She is always looking for something interesting to shoot.

Today she will see something most people will never see in their lifetime.

Morales was one of 23 students who shared their experiences with cancer through pictures at a show in Los Angeles, California. Their photographs can be seen at the offices of the Pablove Foundation in Los Angeles, California. All of their students attended its advanced photography class.

Improving lives with photos

The Pablove Foundation tries to improve the lives of children living with cancer through its Shutterbugs photography program. The group also provides money for childrens cancer research.

Any money made from sales of the students photos will go to cancer research.

The Pablove Shutterbugs program offers photography classes in eight cities across the United States.

Ashley Blakeney directs the program in four of the cities, including Los Angeles. She said, "Being in these classes with other people that completely understand their experience and can be a community with them has been really impactful and has really made them feel a lot more comfortable in what they've been through and where they're going with it."

Blakeney said the photography classes give students living with cancer a feeling of community at a time when they often feel very alone. Photography also helps the students feel better about themselves and their abilities, she added.

She also said the program helps the young people think about things other than their condition because it takes them out of the hospital.

"Because they are able to build this skill set and to be the really great photographers that they are in a sense that they can now say I am an artist. I am a photographer. I have this voice, and I have this story to tell, she said.

Looking for beauty through a lens

The photos of Bayu Lukman, another student, can be seen at the show.

Lukman learned he had cancer after finishing elementary school. He found the emotional part of living through cancer and its treatments to be difficult. But he said that most of his photos are about hope.

"You kind of get really depressed and you don't want to live anymore." he added, "You need to stay optimistic and push yourself through."

With photography, many young students see the world with hope, where their identity is not only controlled by cancer.

"There's more to us than just having cancer  that we have more of a story to tell besides cancer. We want people to see what we see even if it's through the lens," said Morales.

"Pablove helped me understand more about the struggles of cancer and has given me a small chance to actually assist in the world a bit with photography, I'd say, to express my story and allow it to...reach other kids so they understand how to deal with it hopefully," said Lukman.

Im Phil Dierking.

Elizabeth Lee wrote this story for VOANews.com Phil Dierking adapted her story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Do you know of other people with cancer who use art as a form of treatment? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story

impactful - adj. having a major impact or effect.

lens - n. a clear curved piece of glass or plastic that is used in eyeglasses, cameras, telescopes, etc., to make things look clearer, smaller, or bigger

positive - adj. thinking about the good qualities of someone or something

optimistic - adj. having or showing hope for the future

elementary - n. of or relating to elementary school

comfortable - adj. not causing any physically unpleasant feelings

advanced - adj. beyond the basic level American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved.

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China's central bank says Evergrande risks 'controllable'

BEIJING (AP)  Chinas central bank said Friday that financial risks from China Evergrande Groups debt problems are controllable and unlikely to spill over, amid growing investor concerns that the crisis could ripple through other developers. Evergrande is the worlds most indebted developer, with over $300 billion in liabilities.

Read ArticleAs explained in this recent press release, the Center for Justice Reform at Vermont Law School is taking an active role in helping Vermont's recent marijuana reform become consequential for persons with certain prior marijuana convictions. Here are the details (with links from the original):

Windsor County States Attorney David Cahill, Chittenden County States Attorney, Sarah George, and the Center for Justice Reform at Vermont Law School, invite community members convicted of misdemeanor marijuana offenses to Expungement Day, a free information session to assist individuals with removing convictions from their record. Expungement Day for Windsor County convictions will be held from 9 a.m. to Noon Saturday, June 9, in Oakes Hall, Room 012 at VLS. Expungement Day for Chittenden County convictions will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday, June 12, in Courtroom 2C of the Costello Courthouse at 32 Cherry Street in Burlington.

Effective July 1, Vermont law changes to allow for the personal possession of small amounts of marijuana by individuals age 21 and older. In recognition of this change and shifting attitudes about marijuana, the Windsor and Chittenden County States Attorneys have agreed to support the expungement of all old misdemeanor marijuana possession offenses that arose within Windsor and Chittenden County. This does not apply to felony-level offenses, convictions for sale of marijuana, or any offenses that took place outside of Windsor or Chittenden County. Cahill and George will support expungement regardless of any prior or subsequent convictions for other offenses. However, even after July 1, it will remain illegal to possess more than an ounce of marijuana, to use marijuana in a public place, or to drive under the influence of marijuana or any other drug. These laws will continue to be enforced by police and prosecuted by the Windsor and Chittenden County States Attorneys.

Under Vermont law, 13 VSA 7606, once a conviction is expunged, a person may lawfully claim that he or she was never arrested, convicted, or sentenced for the marijuana possession offense. While Vermont affords these protections for expunged offenses, other states and the federal government may treat the effect of the expungement differently.

During each Expungement Day, Professor Robert Sand, director of the Center for Justice Reform, VLS students, and other volunteers will educate community members about how to complete an expungement petition. Though volunteers will not provide legal advice, by the end of the session, participants will have a completed expungement petition ready for filing. Both States Attorneys have agreed to accept the petitions and file them with their respective courts.

When a person has paid their debt by virtue of a criminal conviction, that should be finite  they shouldnt keep paying said Sand in a VPR interview earlier this year. There is room within our judicial system  and it should be appropriately resourced  for court to be a place where rights are restored. Participants in Expungement Day should plan to bring valid, government-issued photo identification as well as any records they have related to their prior misdemeanor marijuana offense, to include the original docket number. For more information about Expungement Day, email justicereform@vermontlaw.edu.

Expungement Day is supported with a generous contribution by the Pennywise Foundation.As reported in this local article, headlined "San Francisco will use new technology to automatically reduce marijuana convictions under Prop. 64: 'Its about leveling the playing field'," a notable player in the tech world is stepping up to aid expungement efforts in California in the wake of marijuana legalization. Here are the details:

When recreational marijuana use was legalized in California, it presented an opportunity to reduce or expunge convictions for possession crimes that made it harder for some people to get ahead in life. Since then, some counties have worked to address those convictions, taking on the lengthy bureaucratic process so that people would not have to wade through the legal world on their own.

San Francisco led the charge, announcing in January that the district attorney's office would retroactively apply the new marijuana law to prior convictions dating as far back as 1975. But for prosecutors, the chance to change those convictions also came with a challenge: It required a lot of resources to plow through thousands of cases.

On Tuesday, Dist. Atty. George Gascon announced what he believes to be the solution. San Francisco is working with a nonprofit organization to create a program that would automatically clear eligible convictions under California's new marijuana legalization law. The program, created by Code for America, will allow the district attorney's office to use new technology to determine eligibility for record clearance under state law, automatically fill out the required forms and generate a completed motion in PDF format. The district attorney's office can then file the completed motion with the court....

The new program will clear people's records of crimes that can be barriers to employment and housing, the district attorney said. Lack of access to employment and housing drive recidivism, Gascon said, adding that he hopes the partnership will inspire other prosecutors who have cited resource constraints to follow suit.

In February, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey said petitioning through the courts would be faster for people seeking relief than waiting for her office to review the case files. The same month, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion to develop a plan to help make it easier for people to reduce or clear minor pot convictions. The Los Angeles County district attorney's office estimates there have been 40,000 felony convictions involving pot-related offenses since 1993. It is unclear how many of those people are eligible for relief or how many have petitioned for it.

Although "drug use in this country has not been limited to people of color" in California, minorities  particularly African Americans and Latinos  have been arrested and jailed for marijuana offenses at much higher rates than white people, Gascon said. Many of those affected are poor, he added, or lack the resources needed to change their criminal records on their own. "It's about leveling the playing field," he said. "Justice is supposed to be about fairness and equity."...

The district attorney's office said Gascon and Code for America began exploring the possibility of automating the process in February, after recognizing how "resource intensive" it was to wipe out or reduce convictions. Some 962 motions to dismiss a misdemeanor marijuana conviction have been prepared, 528 have been submitted to the San Francisco Superior Court and 428 have been granted, the district attorney's office said, but felony convictions take longer because they require an analysis of rap sheets in order to determine eligibility.

Code for America plans to expand the pilot program to other California counties with the target of clearing 250,000 convictions by 2019. The organization has previously delved into the realm of criminal justice: In 2016, it created Clear My Record, an online application that connects people with lawyers to clear criminal records across California.

"By reimagining existing government systems through technology and user-centered design, we can help governments rethink incarceration, reduce recidivism, and restore opportunity," Code for America Executive Director Jennifer Pahlka said in a statement. The program, she said, will demonstrate that "our institutions can deliver on the promise voters intended when they passed propositions like Proposition 64."A suicide bomber struck outside a government ministry in the Afghan capital yesterday, killing 12 people and wounding 31 days before the start of a holiday cease-fire with the Taliban.

Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanekzai says a suicide bomber on foot struck outside the Rural Rehabilitation and Development Ministry as employees were leaving work. Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majroh confirmed the toll

No one immediately claimed the attack, but the Taliban and an Islamic State affiliate regularly strike government targets in the capital and elsewhere.

The Taliban have agreed to a cease-fire coinciding with the three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The holiday is set to begin later this week. The IS affiliate is not included in the cease-fire.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, a roadside bomb struck a microbus in eastern the eastern Ghazni province yesterday, killing six people. Arif Noori, a spokesman for the governor of the Ghazni province, said women and children were among those killed in the blast, which also wounded three people.

He said the bomb was planted by the Taliban. The insurgents mostly target security forces and government officials, but their roadside bombs often kill civilians.

Elsewhere in Ghazni, at least three local police and 10 Taliban fighters were killed in clashes, Noori said.

In the northern Kunduz province, the Taliban attacked a joint army and police checkpoint, killing at least 15 Afghan security forces, said Mohammad Yusouf Ayubi, head of the provincial council.

In the eastern Nangarhar province, a suicide bomber wounded at least 10 civilians when he struck near the education department in the provincial capital of Jalalabad, said Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the governor.

He said three other suicide bombers were shot and killed by security forces as they tried to enter the building. He said a vehicle filled with explosives was found near the scene of the attack.

In a separate attack in the same province, a sticky bomb wounded 14 civilians in the Chaparhar district, according to hospital spokesman Inamullah Miakhail. Gen. Ghulam Sanayee Stanekzai, provincial police chief in Nangarhar, said the bomb went off as people were shopping in a market.

No one claimed either attack. Both the Taliban and IS are active in eastern Afghanistan, especially Nangarhar. APIt has been announced that the Canidrome wants to send the greyhounds to China!

The Macau Governments policy seems to be as usual, following the laissez faire, laissez passer posture, washing its hands when the issue is about the free market.

The Canidrome knows that only a few of the greyhounds can be adopted within one and a half months, so, they have argued, as the deadline nears that very few people want to adopt them. Next months closure of the Canidrome was known two years ago, when there were more than 120 inactive animals there. Now, there are only a few days remaining on the deadline. Anima sent its last letter on May 18, the latest in many letters, advice and recommendations sent by Anima in the past, anticipating these problems!

The Canidrome and the Macau Government may have forgotten that Anima has found around 430 potential adopters from all over the world, including within Macau and Hong Kong, and it definitely did not happen in one and a half months, but over several months, even years.

Anima recently offered its support to the Canidrome for the adoption program but, as usual, has received no answer.

The Macau Government will be under very tight observation and scrutiny from local and international communities and I believe also from the China central government authorities, regarding the future of its greyhounds.

From 2012, Anima has been asking for an adoption program for greyhounds, but it was not really done.

Angela Leong recently said that she does not believe there are any happier dogs in the world than the greyhounds of Macao.

Well, this is the price of freedom, everybody is free to joke with our authorities!

What about those thousands of animals that were not able to have an option and were all killed?

Were they so happy, or even healthy, when they were killed, even if they were healthy?

A few days ago, she announced races were not happening anymore, and Mr. Lei Chi Man, executive director of Canidrome confirmed that the races will cease on July 2.

If the greyhounds will run on the track until the last day, who is going to believe that on that final night all of them will be removed, so that when the Government wakes up the next day, the facilities will be all released?

Not forgetting, of course, the toy collection kept for the animals in the Canidrome!

In conclusion, it is better to imagine a beautiful toy than a rug on the floor!

For a long time, Anima has mentioned that Canidrome wants to send all greyhounds to China.

First Leong said that she had to ask the animal owners if they could be put into adoption (she didnt know she was the major owner?). With the decrease from over six hundred greyhounds, the SJM workers, and her friends, could have kept them all.

This may be a silly question, but what does SJM have to do with this greyhound business?

Now, she says that the process would be much easier if they are all sent to China.

Going to China, right next door without being desexed, is much easier and more profitable indeed!

If they go to China, of course it is more profitable if they are not desexed (as what happens now with the large majority) and this could be a new source of income: breeding for sale to the tracks that exist internally, as well as supplying other parts of Asia! This will create a potential violation of Chinas laws.

The Australian breeders who sold many of the greyhounds to the Canidrome violated the industrys own rules, as they were sent to Macao without the approval of Greyhounds Australasia. This then created a serious problem of potential breeding of these animals in China, yet Macao has closed its eyes!

Now they want to send them provisionally to the Jockey Club, where there is a lot of housing around, and even hotels? Well I like the imagination of those people! Business first, as usual!As U.S. President Donald Trump left the Group of Seven nations in turmoil this weekend, Chinas Xi Jinping and Russias Vladimir Putin were putting on a very different show on the other side of the world.

On Sunday, Xi and Putin toasted the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, an eight-member bloc designed to coordinate security policies across Asia. The group, which welcomed new members India and Pakistan, as well as the presidents of Iran and Mongolia, pledged to increase cooperation on energy and agriculture and create more favorable conditions on trade and investment.

The carefully choreographed affair contrasted with the discord in Canada, as Trump disavowed the G-7s joint statement and criticized his host, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Even as the scope of the breakdown over U.S. tariffs became clear, Xi was taking the podium to criticize what he said were new forms of unilateralism and protectionism.

We oppose the practice of sacrificing other countries security for their own absolute security, Xi told a gathering of the SCOs heads of state in the Chinese port of Qingdao. We need to reject selfish, short-sighted and closed policies, uphold the rules of the World Trade Organization, support the multilateral trading system and build an open world economy.

Chinas state-run media had fun with the contrasting images of the feuding democratic states and the orderly proceedings of the China- and Russian-led bloc. The English-language Twitter of account of the Communist Partys Peoples Daily newspaper posted photos of a tense scene in La Malbaie, Quebec, and another of Xi and Putin smiling, with the caption, G7 vs SCO: two meetings on the same day.

Chinas official Xinhua News Agency published a report titled The Seven Split Nations, The Lone U.S on Sunday, saying that the power of the G-7 was already diminished and the internal divisions will further reduce its influence.

The comparison only goes so far. While the 17-year-old SCO has increasingly extended into trade and economic cooperation  the G-7s central focus  it was founded as a security group. The bloc, which also includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, has rallied around opposition of the three evils of terrorism, separatism and religious extremism.

The SCO accounts for more than 40 percent of the worlds population versus about 10 percent for the G-7.

The bloc has its own tensions lurking below the surface, as China seeks to use the group as a vehicle to promote its Belt and Road Initiative, a vast infrastructure-building program that runs through Russias strategic backyard. The addition of South Asian rivals India and Pakistan have also raised questions about the groups long-term cohesiveness.

Pang Zhongying, a senior fellow at Pangoal, a Beijing-based research institution, said the SCO faced the same underlying tensions as the G-7 as governments favor unilateral actions over collective ones.

The golden era of multilateralism is over, facing a crisis not only in the G-7, but also in the SCO, Pang said. Even though Chinas state-owned media touted the so-called rich fruits of the SCO, only a few tangible achievements were in fact generated from this summit.

The group demonstrated solidarity in pledging to uphold the Iran nuclear deal, a major source of G-7 contention after Trumps withdrawal last month. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, whose country has observer status at the SCO, attended the summit, making his first foreign trip since the U.S.s decision. BloombergIn celebration of Festa Della Repubblica  the National Day of Italy  Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel, Cotai Centrals Italian trattoria, Bene, is offering Celebrating Italy specials throughout June.

Executive Sous Chef Luca Pecorari has crafted a four-course set dinner for guests to savor some of his authentic recipes and specialty dishes, Sheraton Grand announced in a statement.

The menu consists of yellow fin tuna carpaccio with green olives, red onion, lemon relish and garlic bread crumble; home-made tagliatelle with porcini and black truffle cream sauce; pan-seared Japanese scallops with glazed asparagus, prosciutto and truffle caviar as well as the finishing touch: a molten lemon cake with gelato.

For fans of Benes signature dishes, Chef Luca has also designed a three-course set menu that features some of the restaurants most popular dishes. Guests can enjoy the eggplant gratin with buffalo mozzarella, smoked scamorza cheese and crisp basil; spaghetti carbonara Bene-style, tossed in a castelmagno cheese wheel; and the classic Italian tiramisu.

Jaguar land rover to move discovery production to Slovakia

Jaguar Land Rover is shifting all production of its Discovery model to Slovakia amid falling diesel sales, vehicle taxes and uncertainty about Britains departure from the European Union.

The company says the decision, which is likely to affect hundreds of jobs, is a tough one but forms part of our long-term manufacturing strategy as we transform our business globally.

Discovery production in Birmingham will move to Slovakia early next year.

Jaguar also said it will invest millions in Solihull in the west Midlands, where the new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models will be built.

Profits have been under pressure, with pre-tax profit slumping to 364 million pounds (USD487 million) in the three months to March 31, from 676 million pounds in the same period last year.North Koreans got their first big dose of news yesterday that their leader Kim Jong Un had arrived in Singapore for what even the state-run media was calling a historic meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The news covered the front page of the ruling partys newspaper and was the top  and only  item on the first news broadcast of the day on Korean Central Television, which for many North Koreans is the only channel available.

People crowded around poster stands at subway stations around the capital to read the news and gathered at noon in front of the citys main train station to watch a big screen display of images of Kim getting off the special Air China flight that took him to Singapore.

A report by the Korea Central News Agency said the summit would have wide-ranging and profound talks and noted that it is being held under the great attention and expectation of the whole world.

The relative speed with which the state media got the news of Kims arrival in Singapore out to the North Korean public suggests a certain level of confidence that the meeting will go well  or at least well enough. For the North, Kim Jong Un has already won a huge propaganda bonus by merely having the summit and sitting down as an equal with the U.S. president, an accomplishment his father and grandfather sought but could never realize.

By prominently showing the Air China jet that flew Kim to Singapore, the reports also made no secret of Chinas important role behind the scenes. That might not bode so well for Trump, who has expressed some concern about Chinas influence.

Even so, the summit continues to be a highly sensitive topic in North Korea and it is difficult  even more so than usual  to get people to express their opinions about it. The media reports yesterday follow months of only the scantest of coverage of the plans for Kim to meet Trump, though his summits with South Koreas President Moon Jae-in and Chinas President Xi Jinping received major coverage soon after they had ended.

When I woke up this morning I saw the news in the newspaper that our respected Marshal went to Singapore for the North Korea-U.S. summit, said Han Il Gwang, a Pyongyang resident, displaying typical discretion when speaking to an Associated Press Television crew. I know that Singapore is a very hot country so I wish that our respected Marshal stays healthy and comes back in good health.

Such characteristic caution when speaking in public notwithstanding, there is no doubt the prospect of the summit is generating a good deal of interest, and probably astonishment, among average North Koreans.

North Korea has so far presented Kims sudden diplomatic overtures to his neighbors and to the United States as a logical next step following what Kim has claimed is the completion of his plan to develop a credible nuclear deterrent to what Pyongyang has long claimed is a policy of hostility and nuclear blackmail by Washington.

Those points were echoed in yesterdays media coverage, which stressed that the talks with Trump would be focused on forging a relationship that is more in tune with what it called changing times  most likely meaning the Norths new status as a nuclear weapons state  its desire for a mechanism to ensure a lasting a durable peace on the Korean Peninsula and, finally, denuclearization.

What exactly it has in mind for any of those broad topics remains to be seen. Eric Talmadge, Pyongyang, APA plan to open a social clinic targeting the SARs low-income earners is underway as Paul Pun, general secretary of Caritas Macau, initiates a personal project which he intends to operate as soon as possible.

Pun recently took over a private clinic which was offered to him by a local medical practitioner in a bid to assist migrant workers with the burden of expensive medical costs.

According to him, a significant number of migrant workers are not getting treated due to the high medical costs, thus developing their ailments into serious illnesses.

Pun intends to improve the running of this clinic after finding two doctors who are willing to volunteer on a specific time basis.

The locals have medical vouchers amounting to MOP600, but migrants do not. I believe the government will not give them so for those who are sick and may not be able to afford to go to see a doctor, they can come to this clinic, Pun explained to the Times.

What they would usually do is to use their traditional medication or just go to any pharmacy and self-medicate and then, would ask for assistance from charitable organizations when they are already in the intensive care units, he added.

Currently, Pun aims to have doctors who are fluent in English so they can accommodate English-speaking migrants.

The clinic, which is located nearby Av. De Almeida Ribeiro, will be temporarily closed despite its acquisition of license, until it finds at least a doctor who is willing to voluntarily put aside some time for migrant workers.

According to Pun, there are doctors in the public sector who are willing to volunteer, yet lamented that these doctors are not allowed to conduct services in the private sector.

I am not sure whether they can volunteer but I am sure they can just give some advice to patients without prescribing medications. Were looking at retired doctors, or doctors who are willing to be employed [for minimum pay], Pun explained.

He hopes to operate this clinic as a social enterprise, not to make profits but to offer help to the SARs migrant workers, particularly those who are household employees.

Its a basic need. Its a basic element for them to have primary medical care [so] this is the first step that we can do. Its important to do something and serve the migrants. Were not here to compete with the market, Pun said.

We do not intend to profit from these clinics. Otherwise, were just like the other clinics. Its a way of maintaining and promoting health amongst migrant workers, he added.

Pun plans to open the clinic every other day and permanently on Sundays, and to allot a specific quota during its operation hours.

Currently, he is planning to maximize the purpose of the clinic, as the only factor hindering it now from opening is the lack of doctors.

Pun also says that there are no plans to request any sponsorship from the government as yet, as he has already received sponsorships in terms of medical equipment and clinic rents.

Job seekers prone to high recruitment fees if bill passes

The general secretary of Caritas Macau, Paul Pun, says that the proposed recruitment agency bill  which will prevent recruitment agencies from hiring tourists  will result in job seekers paying higher agency fees.

Currently under discussion by one of the standing committees of the Legislative Assembly, the proposed bill will only affect non-skilled workers. Pun explained that the government is aiming to manage job hunters in the region.

Recruitment agencies will only have good reason to earn money. [] It has both pros and cons but for us, if we intend to go with the new proposal, we have to control the money-making of agencies, said Pun.

The government should make sure that the procedures would not encourage more agency fees.

He suggested that the proposed bill should only apply to certain professions, noting that those in cleaning occupations should not be included in the proposal, as no training is required for that role, compared to those working in households as babysitters.The Philippine presidents office yesterday called Chinese seizures of fish caught by Philippine fishing boats near a disputed shoal unacceptable, and presented three fishermen who described their experiences.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said he and Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano raised the incidents with the Chinese ambassador in Manila, who assured them that Chinese coast guard personnel would be punished if an investigation finds the accusations are accurate.

The recent incidents at Scarborough Shoal have sparked new criticism after a TV network interviewed fishermen and broadcast a video of the alleged confiscations. China has sparked alarm with its recent actions to fortify its sweeping territorial claims in the South China Sea, including the reported installation of anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles on its newly built islands.

The incidents have increased pressure on President Rodrigo Dutertes government to take a stronger stance toward Chinas behavior in the disputed waters. Since his inauguration, Duterte has forged cozier ties with China and avoided strongly criticizing it in public.

Dozens of Filipino fishermen and left-wing activists protested at the Chinese Consulate yesterday with posters reading I cant eat today, China stole our catch and I cant fish in our own seas. Some brought fish to symbolize what they called Chinas robbery and extortion at sea.

What they did to our fishermen [] shows that they have claimed the area and not only that they stole the fishermens catch that was supposed to feed their families on that day, their family went hungry because of this, protest leader Roberto Aleroza said.

Roque said the government has taken action to prevent a repeat of the Chinese actions. The Chinese coast guard should not be taking even a kilo and were not allowing this, he said, adding that Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed that Filipinos should be able to fish freely at Scarborough, which was seized by China in 2012.

Roque, however, suggested the Chinese actions were not an act of harassment and were just a dent that would not affect friendly relations between China and the Philippines. Chinese coast guard personnel at times gave noodles, cigarettes and water to Filipino fishermen in exchange for the fish, he said.

Rommel Sihuela, one of the three fishermen presented by Roque at a news conference in the presidential palace yesterday, said Chinese coast guard personnel boarded Philippine fishing boats at Scarborough and took some of their best catch against their will. They went on board, then helped themselves in our fish containers, he said. We just let them because they may shoo us away again if we dont allow them to take the fish.

In December, armed Chinese personnel seized fishing equipment from Filipino fishermen, he said.

Two Filipino officials told The Associated on Friday that the Philippines protested Chinese seizures of fish caught by Filipinos at Scarborough at a meeting in Manila in February. Chinese officials at the meeting took note of the concerns and promised to look into the incidents, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Antonio Carpio, a senior associate justice of the Supreme Court who has done extensive studies of the territorial disputes, said the Philippines could file a new case against China for violating a 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijings extensive territorial claims in the South China Sea. The ruling, which China has ignored, said China violated the rights of Filipinos by preventing them from fishing at Scarborough, a traditional Asian fishing area. Jim Gomez, Manila, APFive men were fatally shot yesterday in southern Thailand, police said, the latest killings in a region plagued by insurgency for more than a decade.

The five were killed at about 1 a.m. as they were meeting at the home of one of the victims, said police Capt. Zulkifli Rasoe, a deputy investigator in Bannangsta district in Yala province. An unknown number of attackers broke into the house and opened fire on the victims before escaping, he said. The victims bodies had multiple gunshot wounds to the body and head, and police found shotgun shells and bullet casings at the crime scene.

Police said they were investigating whether the shooting stemmed from a personal conflict or was related to the insurgency.

Predominantly Buddhist Thailands three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat are the center of a Muslim separatist insurgency that has claimed the lives of more than 6,500 people since 2004. Yesterdays victims were all males, aged between 25 and 39.

The killings followed another mass shooting in southern Thailand last Thursday in which four villagers were shot dead while panning for gold in a river running through a rubber plantation.

The Thai government has been holding peace talks with a coalition of southern insurgent groups with which it has reached an agreement in principle to establish safe zones for the protection of civilians, but it is unclear if every insurgent group will honor it.

Last week, the deputy chairman of the Pattani Islamic Committee, Aduldej Chenae, was fatally shot by gunmen on motorcycles.

Don Pathan, a security analyst based in southern Thailand, said Aduldej was a key mediator between the insurgents and the government in establishing the peace talks, and that his death would likely prompt others to think carefully before getting involved in the talks.

No group has claimed responsibility for the latest shootings, he said. APThe title of this post is the title of this new HuffPost piece on a topic that readers know is dear to my heart in part due to my work on my most recent article, "Leveraging Marijuana Reform to Enhance Expungement Practices." Here are excerpts from the HuffPo piece:

In California, prosecutors in Alameda, Santa Clara, San Diego and San Francisco counties announced earlier this year they will automatically review, recall, resentence and potentially dismiss and seal more than 10,000 misdemeanor and felony marijuana convictions.

The movement is spreading. On Friday, Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes became the latest top prosecutor to join, asking a city court to vacate all convictions and dismiss all charges for misdemeanor marijuana possession that were prosecuted in the city before the state legalized marijuana for recreational purposes in 2012. Now prosecutors in Denver and Burlington, Vt., are mulling similar measures, their representatives told HuffPost this week.

In Denver, where prosecution of low-level pot offenses has been a low priority for a decade, Ken Lane, a spokesman for newly elected DA Beth McCann, said that while McCann hasnt retroactively applied Colorados laws for post-conviction relief, she has asked staff to research the matter... in response to what DAs in California are doing. And in Vermont, which recently became the first state in the nation to legalize marijuana via legislature rather than ballot measure, another prosecutor is making moves.

Justin Jiron, deputy states attorney in Chittenden County, Vermont, which contains Burlington, told HuffPost that his office is weeks away from announcing a new policy that will allow individuals to apply to have their past marijuana possession records expunged or sealed regardless of when the conviction took place. Its not as immediate of a review as San Franciscans and San Diegans can expect, but its a meaningful step. I think the simplest way of looking at it for us is just that these people have convictions that if they were to commit them today they wouldnt be a crime, Jiron said. So it seems unfair to basically saddle them with a conviction for something that is now legal.

Prosecutors in pot-friendly jurisdictions have enormous power to offer relief for people previously convicted of marijuana offenses in their jurisdiction, but many arent using it. Californias marijuana law requires individuals to apply for relief for previous marijuana-related crimes  a process that can be costly and time-consuming. Prosecutors there could greatly speed up the process by following San Franciscos automatic process, which makes relief more immediate.

Prosecutors in other legal-weed jurisdictions could potentially follow Seattle prosecutor Holmes lead and leverage their own states laws to move for post-conviction relief for past marijuana offenses. Those state laws, however, are complex and vary tremendously by jurisdiction  this includes expungement, which does not have a standard definition across jurisdictions, as well as sealing and dismissal. Some states dont address retroactive relief for past criminal convictions. Some require a governors pardon to vacate a conviction. Others allow post-conviction relief but require years-long wait periods, or limit which kinds of convictions can be removed from a persons record.

But few prosecutors are making moves like Holmes  either because they dont want to, or because state legislatures havent passed laws that allow relief for now-legal acts. People convicted of state pot crimes in the past in Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, Alaska, Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine  all places where the drug is now legal for recreational purposes  may still have violations on their record. And even in California, where the legal marijuana industry is already valued at $7 billion, according to one estimate.

In Los Angeles County, Californias largest by population, District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced in February that individuals will have to continue to apply for relief themselves, rather than wait for [her] office to go through tens of thousands of case files. Lacey estimated there were 40,000 felony convictions involving marijuana since 1993 in Los Angeles County. When reached by HuffPost, her office did not have any updates on this decision....

The exact extent to which prosecutors can retroactively apply their state marijuana laws o

r seek to vacate past convictions is a point of debate, and it depends on many complicated factors. This includes a prosecutors individual preferences, resources, a states laws regarding retroactivity and post-conviction relief, said Lauren-Brooke Eisen, a former prosecutor who is now a senior fellow at New York University School of Laws Brennan Center for Justice. Theres no one right answer to this, Eisen said. But whats happening with marijuana in states like California and Colorado, which have built in some of this retroactivity, it does open the door absolutely for a little bit more pushing the envelope by DAs.

Rodney Holcombe, staff attorney at the Drug Policy Alliance echoed this sentiment, saying it is not enough to simply legalize marijuana because prohibition ravaged many communities. Tens of thousands of people across the country  especially persons of color  continue to suffer from the consequences of prohibition, he said. We cannot in good conscience legalize without repairing the harms wrought by the failed drug war. We can only truly claim victory when we center our efforts on the persons most harmed by prohibition.Acacia Mining plc, together with its subsidiaries, mines, processes, and sells gold in Africa. The company has three gold mines in north-west Tanzania, including Bulyanhulu, Buzwagi, and North Mara; and a portfolio of exploration projects at various stages of development in Tanzania, Kenya, Burkina Faso, and Mali. It also produces co-products, such as copper and silver. The company was formerly known as African Barrick Gold plc and changed its name to Acacia Mining plc in November 2014. The company was incorporated in 2010 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Acacia Mining plc is a subsidiary of Barrick Gold Corporation.

Read More(HealthDay)Maintenance of certification (MOC) among physicians is associated with performance on selected Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) process measures, according to a study published online June 12 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Bradley Gray, Ph.D., from the American Board of Internal Medicine in Philadelphia, and colleagues examined whether physician American Board of Internal Medicine's MOC status is associated with performance on selected HEDIS process measures in annual comparisons conducted among physicians. Data were included for 1,260 general internists who were initially certified in 1991 and provided care for 85,931 Medicare patients between 2009 and 2012.

The researchers found that 786 physicians maintained their certification from 1991 to 2012 and 474 physicians did not. The mean annual percentage of HEDIS-eligible patients with diabetes who completed semiannual hemoglobin A1c testing was 58.4 and 54.4 percent among physicians who did and did not maintain certification. The annual standard for low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol measurement and all three diabetic standpoints were met more frequently by diabetes patients of physicians who maintained certification (83.1 versus 80.5 percent and 46.0 versus 41.6 percent, respectively). In patients with coronary heart disease, measures of LDL testing were more frequent, and biennial mammography was also more frequent among physicians who maintained certification (79.4 versus 77.4 percent and 72.0 versus 67.8 percent, respectively).

"Maintaining certification was positively associated with physician performance scores on a set of HEDIS process measures," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the publishing and medical technology industries.

Explore further Docs engage little to coordinate medicare home health care

Copyright  2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved.Credit: CC0 Public Domain

As more and more parents across the country choose nonmedical exemptions from vaccinations for their children, doctors and researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital say the risk of vaccine preventable disease outbreaks is increasing as well.

Their evidence is provided and explained in a Policy Forum article in the latest edition of PLOS Medicine.

Nonmedical exemptions from vaccines are based on religious, philosophical or personal beliefs rather than a known medical condition that would prevent a child from receiving a vaccine. As of 2016, 18 states allow for nonmedical exemptions for personal beliefs.

A team of researchers from the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and the Texas Children's Hospital's Center for Vaccine Development analyzed this data and found that, among children enrolling in kindergarten, those with nonmedical exemptions have increased since 2009 in 12 states. The team concluded that this increase is associated with the lower rates of measles, mumps and rubella vaccination coverage.

The researchers identified several metropolitan areas across the country that stand out as "hotspots" of vaccination exemptions, including major metropolitan areas in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle and Spokane), Texas (Houston, Fort Worth, Plano and Austin), Utah (Salt Lake City and Provo) and Arizona (Phoenix), as well as less populated and rural counties in Idaho.

"This weakens herd immunity that protects the population at large, particularly children who are unable to get vaccinated for medical reasons," said Dr. Peter Hotez, professor and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor, and director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development.

Hotez and the other authors, Jacqueline K. Olive, Ashish Damania with Baylor and Texas Children's Hospital, and Melissa S. Nolan, assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of South Carolina, all emphasize that vaccination coverage up to 90-95 percent of a population (in this case, children entering kindergarten) is needed to protect children from highly infectious diseases. Hotez cites the 2014-2015 outbreak in Anaheim, California, saying that it was associated with low vaccination coverage and that it led to a ban on nonmedical exemptions in the state.

"Our concern is that the rising [nonmedical exemptions] will stimulate other countries to follow a similar path and put more children and other populations at risk for a number of deadly disease that can be prevented with vaccines," Hotez said.

Explore further Low vaccination rates in Texas could result in measles epidemics

More information: Olive JK, Hotez PJ, Damania A, Nolan MS (2018) The state of the antivaccine movement in the United States: A focused examination of nonmedical exemptions in states and counties. PLoS Med 15(6): e1002578. Journal information: PLoS Medicine Olive JK, Hotez PJ, Damania A, Nolan MS (2018) The state of the antivaccine movement in the United States: A focused examination of nonmedical exemptions in states and counties.15(6): e1002578. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002578Contrast shown demonstrates regions where cerebral blood flow in pediatric patients with chronic kidney disease is greater than that in the control group. Credit: Radiological Society of North America

Blood flow changes in the brains of children, adolescents and young adults with chronic kidney disease may explain why many face a higher risk of cognitive impairment, according to a study published online in the journal Radiology.

Prior research has linked chronic kidney disease, a condition characterized by the loss of kidney function over time, with lesions in the brain's signal-carrying white matter and deficits in cognitive performance. While chronic kidney disease in adults is frequently associated with age-related disorders such as hypertension and diabetes, the disease in childhood often occurs congenitally, yet still affects brain development and cognitive function.

"It's not clear if the brain problems from kidney disease seen in adults are secondary to the hypertension produced by the disease," said coauthor John A. Detre, M.D., professor of neurology and radiology, director of the Center for Functional Neuroimaging in Radiology and vice chair for research in neurology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. "In our study, we wanted to look at patients with early kidney disease, before they've experienced decades of high blood pressure. In doing this, we could separate the kidney disease effects from those of chronic high blood pressure."

Dr. Detre and colleagues assessed blood flow in the brains of 73 pediatric kidney disease patients, average age just under 16 years, and 57 similarly aged control participants. The researchers used arterial spin labeling, an MRI technique that can noninvasively quantify blood flow in the brain.

Patients with kidney disease showed higher cerebral blood flow compared with controls in certain brain regionsa surprising finding, considering that decreased cognitive performance is generally associated with decreased blood flow in the brain, such as in aging and dementia. There are a couple of possible reasons for this unusual phenomenon, Dr. Detre said.

Images show overlapped clusters from all individual patients with chronic kidney disease with positive extrema in cerebral blood flow (CBF) in subject-specific voxel-wise analysis. Color bar indicates total number of subjects who had subject-specific clusters with increased CBF. Credit: Radiological Society of North America

"It may indicate compensatory hyperactivity, in which the brain regions are working extra hard to maintain performance," he said. "Another possibility is that there's a disturbance in the regulation of blood flow in these patients."

White matter cerebral blood flow and blood pressure were also correlated, suggesting that kidney disease patients have problems with cerebrovascular autoregulation, the process that controls blood pressure in the brain. This type of dysfunction could potentially lead to white matter injury, according to Dr. Detre.

"Chronic kidney disease appears to affect brain physiology and function even early in the disease," he said. "This study gives us clues about what changes in brain physiology might underlie cognitive changes."

Among those changes were differences in blood flow between patients and controls in areas of the brain that correlated with cognitive problems in the patients. Compared with controls, kidney disease patients had cerebral blood flow differences in the default-mode network, the network of brain regions active when a person is not focused on a particular task. Patients with low executive function, or skills related to planning, organizing and paying attention, had significant differences in cerebral blood flow compared with controls.

The findings point to cerebral blood flow measurements with arterial spin labeling as a potentially valuable tool in characterizing cerebrovascular function in chronic kidney diseasean important area of research given the associations between kidney disease and neurological function, and the significantly increased risk for transient ischemic attack and stroke in even mild chronic kidney patients.

"Cerebral blood flow is a critically important physiological parameter that you can measure in just a few minutes with arterial spin labeling," Dr. Detre said. "This technique provides a noninvasive way of quantifying cerebral blood flow that doesn't require use of contrast agent, which is contraindicated in patients with kidney dysfunction."

Explore further Kidney impairment decreases blood flow to the brain, boosting risk of brain disorders

More information: "Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Children and Young Adults with Chronic Kidney Disease" Radiology, 2018. Journal information: Radiology "Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Children and Young Adults with Chronic Kidney Disease", 2018.Credit: CC0 Public Domain

In the mid 19th century, French neurologist Guillaume Duchenne wanted to distinguish real smiles from fake. Interested in the response of nerves and muscles to stimulation, he applied electricity to particular parts of faces to see the results.

He divided smiles into two groups: those that involved the crinkling of the eyes  sincere smiles  and those that used only the muscles around the mouth  insincere smiles.

Today, the full smile that uses the muscles around the mouth and eyes is known as a "Duchenne smile"  and the fake one is the "Pan Am smile", after the kind of smile you might greet someone with if it's part of your job to be friendly.

In 1974, Leonard Rubin described three basic types of smile, based on his study of 100 people:

The "Mona Lisa", where the corners of the mouth go up and outwards and the upper teeth are exposed. The dominant muscle action is from the zygomaticus major. About two-thirds of people studied smile this way.

The "canine" smile, where the canine teeth are exposed. The dominant muscle action is from the levator labii superioris. 31 per cent of people smiled like this.

The "full dentured", where the lips are pulled back strongly, showing both upper and lower rows of teeth. All muscles are equally dominant. Just 2 per cent of people were found to smile this way.

Cosmetic surgeons, who have to be meticulous in identifying the smiles that their patients are paying good money to try to achieve, call these three types commissure, cuspid and complex, respectively.

Phuong Nguyen, a Philadelphia plastic and reconstructive surgeon, attempts to clarify the matter using celebrities. The Mona Lisa, he says, is the Angelina Jolie. The Tom Cruise smile is a canine smile, and a Julia Roberts is the full dentured smile. This is a subjective matter. Other doctors place Jolie in the second or third categories.

Smiling is not a realm given over to easy description. Contemplate the ideal smile as recounted by one clinician in the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics:

The total number of different types of smile is frequently debated. A recent BBC article gave the total as 19.

Arguably the most important researcher into smiles over the past 30 years has been Paul Ekman at the University of California. His 1978 Facial Action Coding System, written with Wallace V Friesen, seeks to create an atlas of nearly all possible human expressions. Ekman says, in his book Telling Lies, that their technique for measuring the face can distinguish over 50 different smiles.

Confused? You're not the only one. Perhaps the best approach is to just grin and bear it

Provided by Mosaic

This article first appeared on Mosaic and is republished here under a Creative Commons licence.

Credit: American Heart Association

People with high but under control blood pressure saw a jump in their levels during exercise, an increase that mirrored the spikes seen under similar conditions among people with untreated hypertension, according to a new U.K. study. The findings open up the possibility of tailoring blood pressure treatment to a patient's activity level.

But the study's senior author emphasized that routine exercise continues to be one of the best ways to help lower blood pressure in the long run, since regular physical activity strengthens the heart and allows it to pump more blood with less effort.

"We don't want to put people off exercising because it's been proven that training to be fitter does help control blood pressure, which in return reduces your risk of having a heart attack and stroke," said Emma Hart, an associate professor at the University of Bristol's School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, and the senior author of the study published Tuesday in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.

Researchers measured the impact of sudden exercise on four small groups of people, 59 in all. Three of those groups had high blood pressure: one had the condition under control through treatment, primarily medication; another group received treatment but did not have it controlled; and the third group did not treat their high blood pressure at all. The fourth group had normal blood pressure.

In the study led by Benjamin Chant, a doctoral student at the University of Bristol, participants in all four groups took exercise tests on stationary bicycles. They had their blood pressure measured every 90 seconds until they reached a point where they couldn't exercise any further.

Blood pressure generally rises for everyone during exercise, but only to reasonable levels in people who are healthy.

But blood pressure rose excessively among the study group who had their blood pressure under control. Similar rises occurred among patients whose condition was either uncontrolled or untreated.

The exaggerated increase started when participants had only reached a moderate level of exercise  around 50 percent of their peak point.

"We're now starting to think that it may be more important to aim for controlling blood pressure during physical activity, even just day-to-day physical activity, rather just at rest," Hart said. "Because if you're getting these repeated rises in excessive blood pressure, then that's probably not good for your cardiovascular system."

Researchers believe part of the reason for that increase is a chemical byproduct released by muscles during exercise that tells the brain to increase blood pressure. This process, called the metaboreflex, is hyperactive in people who have high blood pressure. The new findings suggest the reflex also is fairly immune to medications that are normally prescribed to treat high blood pressure.

Peter Raven, a retired physiology and anatomy professor with the University of North Texas Health Science Center who was not involved in the study, said the report's findings suggest that doctors shouldn't base their efforts to control blood pressure on measurements taken when people are at rest.

"They really should be tested, within a clinical setting, during exercise. It could be at the moderate level, but I would suggest they be taken at the max, so that you could identify whether the drug therapy they're using is the one that will maintain their blood pressure even while they're exercising," said Raven, who wrote an editorial that accompanied the study.

Hart again appealed to people to continue exercising  but after consulting with their doctor first. She noted that her study was conducted on generally inactive people given a "one-off bout of exercise."

"I live in Bristol, which is very hilly. If someone who is very sedentary suddenly needs to walk up a hill, that might not be good," she said. "But if you are more trained  say you're repeatedly climbing up that hill every week  then that probably will help reduce your risk of having a cardiovascular event."

Hart said next steps will involve taking a look at more fit people and the impact that fitness level has on blood pressure during exercise.

Explore further Regular exercise may be more beneficial for men than post-menopausal women

More information: Benjamin Chant et al. Antihypertensive Treatment Fails to Control Blood Pressure During Exercise, Hypertension (2018). Journal information: Hypertension Benjamin Chant et al. Antihypertensive Treatment Fails to Control Blood Pressure During Exercise,(2018). DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.118.11076Men diagnosed with the heart condition dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) are 64 percent more likely to die than women with the same disease (of those enrolled, 12.4 percent of women and 19.1 percent of men died during this study), according to new research funded by the British Heart Foundation.

The condition made headlines in 2016 when it was revealed that DCM contributed to George Michael's death. This research could lead to new treatments for this common disease, if factors are found in women that protect their hearts from damage.

Researchers at Imperial College London investigated whether sex impacts the outcome of people living with DCM. The team analysed the data of 881 DCM patients (290 women and 591 men, median age 52 years) over approximately 5 years.

The team found that men with DCM were 64 percent more likely to die, compared to women. They also found that women's hearts were less severely scarred and the strongest pumping chamber in the heart was found to be more functional in women with DCM who had developed heart failure, compared to men. However surprisingly, women were 10 percent more likely to develop heart failure and had more severe symptoms, such as breathlessness and fatigue, compared to men.

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a condition affecting 260,000 people in the U.K. and is the leading cause of heart transplants worldwide. In people with DCM, the heart muscle becomes stretched and 'baggy' and is unable to pump blood around the body efficiently. To compensate, the heart works harder and over time, begins to tire and fail.

Currently, there is no cure for the condition itself and prognosis is poor. It is crucial that doctors are able to better identify those at higher risk of heart failure or death, and that more research is carried out to develop new treatments for people with DCM.

Now, the researchers hope to investigate whether female hormones could protect the heart from damage. If so, the team will work out how this happens and use this knowledge to develop a new treatment for people with DCM and protect families from the devastation it causes.

Dr. Sanjay Prasad, Reader in Cardiology at Imperial College London and Consultant Cardiologist at Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, said:

"Research has led to the discovery of some genes responsible for DCM, better recognition of the symptoms and earlier diagnosis. But we have so much more to do.

"I meet people with DCM every day and I've seen it devastate families. That's what drives me and my team to better understand how the disease develops and find those at the greatest risk of complications.

"Our research shows that men with DCM are at greater risk of death, compared to women. This insight should encourage doctors to manage male DCM patients more intensively, and better stratify those who should and shouldn't have more extensive treatment.

"Now, we want to explore what factors could be protecting the hearts of women. We will harness this knowledge and work towards developing new treatments for people with DCM."

Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said:

"All too often DCM progresses to heart failure  a chronic condition that takes the lives of thousands of people every year in the UK. To protect families from heartbreak, it is vital that we better understand conditions like DCM and identify those who are risk of developing heart failure or dying.

"Research like this helps give us clues about why some people's hearts may be better protected than others.

"We need to improve the public's awareness of serious heart conditions like DCM and continue to strive for innovate treatments that protect hearts from damage. These diseases are real, they are life-threatening and they need to be tackled."

Mark Heldt, a 52-year-old from West Norwood, London, was diagnosed with DCM after his Father sadly died of the same disease. Mark's Brothers Ricky and Philip were also diagnosed with DCM. Philip has since been fitted with three ICDs and is now awaiting a heart transplant.

Mark says: "I was in my mid-twenties when my Dad was diagnosed with DCM. That was the first we'd heard of the disease. After my Dad passed away, my siblings and I were called in for screening to see if we were at risk of my Dad's condition. Philip, Ricky and I were diagnosed with DCM. We were in complete shock.

"My brother Philip's life has been affected the most. He struggles with chronic fatigue and has deteriorated so badly that he's now awaiting a heart transplant.

"With my family being put through the mill, I know firsthand how incredibly important research is. We need to know who is most at risk, and find better treatments."

Deb Coleman, a 56-year-old freelance photographer from Swindon, was diagnosed with DCM after suffering a cardiac arrest while giving birth to her son, Cameron, in 1994. Deb takes daily medicine, but does not have symptoms and has been able to continue with her normal, busy life. Deb says:

"When I was diagnosed I thought my life would change. But it hasn't  I'm fine and I don't have any symptoms. I'm able to continue my work as a photographer, which I love.

"I know not everyone living with DCM is as lucky as me. If researchers can find out why some suffer more greatly than others and find a way to better protect people's hearts, then I support it wholeheartedly."

Explore further Childhood cancer survivors have higher risk of deadly heart disease in pregnancy

More information: Brian P. Halliday et al. Sex- and age-based differences in the natural history and outcome of dilated cardiomyopathy, European Journal of Heart Failure (2018). Brian P. Halliday et al. Sex- and age-based differences in the natural history and outcome of dilated cardiomyopathy,(2018). DOI: 10.1002/ejhf.1216 Ray E. Hershberger et al. Dilated cardiomyopathy: the complexity of a diverse genetic architecture, Nature Reviews Cardiology (2013). DOI: 10.1038/nrcardio.2013.105 Lars H. Lund et al. The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: Thirty-fourth Adult Heart Transplantation Report2017; Focus Theme: Allograft ischemic time, The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.healun.2017.07.019 Dennis M. McNamara et al. Clinical and Demographic Predictors of Outcomes in Recent Onset Dilated Cardiomyopathy, Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2011). DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2011.05.033 Journal information: Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Provided by British Heart FoundationChip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump's trade policy adviser, Peter Navarro, apologized Tuesday for his "inappropriate" comment suggesting that "there's a special place in hell" for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.



"Let me correct a mistake I made," Navarro told the audience at the Wall Street Journal's annual CFO Network conference Tuesday. "In conveying that message, I used language that was inappropriate and basically lost the power of that message. I own that, that was my mistake, those were my words."



Asked if he were apologizing to Trudeau, he responded, "Yeah, absolutely."



Over the weekend, in an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Navarro said," "There's a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door."



The harshness of the language drew fire from many members of Congress, including key Republicans.



"Its uncalled for. Just absolutely uncalled for," Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., said Monday.



"Im pretty sure that circles of hell are not reserved for Canadians proposing retaliatory tariffs," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, added.



In striking such a hostile tone against one of the oldest and closest U.S. allies, Navarro said Tuesday he was emboldened to send a "strong signal of strength" on the eve of the landmark summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.



Trudeau angered the president for comments he made in a news conference at the conclusion of the G7 meeting, during which he said that the "U.S. Tariffs were kind of insulting" and Canada "will not be pushed around" by the United States.



Those remarks then sparked a Twitter outburst from Trump in which he called Trudeau "so indignant."



Trump addressed the feud following his meetings with Kim in Singapore at a more than hour-long press conference. He was asked why he was jeopardizing relations with long-standing allies like Canada while welcoming a historical U.S. enemy with open arms as a friend.



"I left the [G7] meeting and I'll be honest, we are being taken advantage of by virtually every one of those countries, very, very seriously," Trump said. "Now, the United States because of bad management at the top, because of presidents that didn't care about trade or didn't understand it or whatever reason, for many years with China being obviously the most successful at it but the European Union is second, 151 billion we lost, they were represented at the meeting, and we're being taken advantage of on trade. Canada does have very big advantages over us in terms of trade deficits. We have a big trade deficit with Canada. I was riding where, oh, it's actually a surplus."



He then asserted multiple times to the room full of reporters that he has a "good relationship" with Trudeau.



"I have a good relationship with Justin Trudeau," he said. "Other than he had a news conference that he had because he assumed I was in an airplane and I wasn't watching. He learned. That's going to cost a lot of money for the people of Canada. He learned. You can't do. We laughed. We had a very good relationship. I've had a good relationship with Justin."



In Canada Tuesday, commenting on the Trump-Kim summit, where the two leaders appeared very cordial and even smiling together, Trudeau said he supported Trump's efforts to reach a nuclear deal.



"Obviously we support the continuing efforts by the President on North Korea," the Canadian prime minister said. "We look forward to looking at the details of the agreement."



But asked about the rhetoric coming from the White House, Trudeau stood firm on his commitment to first safeguard Canadian interests.



"On his comments, I am going to stay focused on defending jobs for Canadians and supporting Canadian interests."

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.ut organoids are three-dimensional balls of intestinal tissues grown in the lab from stem cells that allow researchers to examine the role different types of cells play in bowel health. The red stain marks cell outlines, while DNA is shown in blue. Credit: University of Toronto

The University of Toronto's David McMillen and his research team are creating a new life form to ward off disease  a bespoke, gut-dwelling microbe engineered to release drugs when needed.

"Our ideal outcome would be to be able to deliver a therapeutic into the gut with a programmable bacterium, which you could use for multiple diseases," says McMillen, an associate professor in the department of chemical and physical sciences at the University of Toronto Mississauga and leader of a Medicine by Design team looking to develop regenerative medicine therapies for intestinal diseases.

This new type of approach is one of several interdisciplinary projects funded by the regenerative medicine initiative with the aim of harnessing intestinal stem cells  cells that can self-renew and replace damaged cells in the gut  to boost the body's natural healing ability and perhaps even grow replacement tissue in a dish.

Other efforts are led by Jeffrey Wrana, a senior investigator at Sinai Health System's Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute (LTRI) and a professor in U of T's department of molecular genetics, and Ulrich Tepass, a professor in the department of cell and systems biology, who are investigating how different cells contribute to gut development and maintenance.

The three team projects are among 19 from across U of T and its affiliated hospitals that Medicine by Design is funding to accelerate stem cell discoveries and translate them into new treatments. Medicine by Design is made possible thanks in part to a $114-million grant from the federal government's Canada First Research Excellence Fund  the largest single research award in U of T's history.

Germs to the rescue

As many as 100 billion cells are thought to be shed every day from the intestine as part of wear and tear brought about by food digestion. The lost cells are quickly replaced, thanks to stem cells that dot the entire length of the intestine and are tasked with repairing tissue damage throughout life. But when this cell shedding and replacement process goes awry, it can lead to a host of diseases, from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to cancer.

If, for example, the cells of the intestinal lining are not replaced quickly enough, the gut can become "leaky" and unable to properly absorb food, clear waste and most importantly, prevent microbes from entering the body. This triggers inflammation, as seen in IBD, an umbrella term for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, both of which negatively impact quality of life.

With one in 150 Canadians living with Crohn's or colitis, Canada has one of the highest incidences of IBD in the world, with economic costs estimated at $2.8 billion per year, according to the 2012 report by the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada. Among Canadian children under the age of five, the incidence of IBD is rising at an alarming rate, according to a study published last year.

While it is not clear what is behind the rise in IBD, it is thought that the microbiome  the gut's resident bacteria  could have something to do with it. Dubbed by experts as the "neglected organ," the microbiome is increasingly viewed as crucial for human health, especially for the proper development of the immune system.

It's fitting, then, that a Medicine by Design team is looking to fix the gut lining by means of an engineered gut microbe. Led by McMillen (pictured left), the team will insert genes into a bacterium that will allow it to sense and respond to inflammation in the gut in such a way that it can treat  and possibly even cure  IBD.

The project is rooted in the link between the microbiome and Crohn's disease, previously discovered by McMillen's collaborator Dana Philpott, a professor in the department of immunology. Philpott's team found that gut bacteria secrete a product called muramyl dipeptide (MDP), which binds to a receptor called NOD2 that resides inside the stem cells. A recent study showed that MDP acts via NOD2 to spur intestinal stem cells to proliferate and generate new cells for lining repair.

Current treatments include injections of steroids and other anti-inflammatory drugs that cause whole-body immunosuppression, which can be harmful. But these "band-aid sort of approaches" don't address the root of the problem and merely reduce the symptoms, says Philpott. By making a gut bacterium that can ramp up production of MDP during inflammation, "it should be possible to stimulate the human receptor to the right level and promote healing of the cells that are hardest hit during Crohn's disease," Philpott says.

To do this, the researchers will insert a synthetic genetic circuit inside a bacterium that will allow it to detect inflammatory molecules in the gut and use this as a trigger to release MDP for tissue repair.

Creating disease-fighting bacteria is at the cutting edge of synthetic biology, a field that strives to create cells with new and desired properties. "The main advantage bacteria have over drugs is that they can also sense disease," says McMillen.

Microbiome engineering is particularly appealing not only because bacterial genomes are small and fairly easy to tweak, but also because getting regulatory approval for any such therapy should be easier than for engineered human cells.

"Of all the things you could engineer, the microbiome is probably one of the safest places where you could start applying synthetic biology," says Keith Pardee, assistant professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, who is also on the team. "You're not modifying the patient, you are modifying the bacteria that will eventually wash out."

The team is taking advantage of the fact that gut microbes change their gene expression  and ultimately the molecules they release  in response to inflammation. Working with mice, their plan is to identify these molecules and turn them into universal inflammation sensors. As high-tech as it sounds, the daily grind of experiments is far from glamorous. It involves collecting mouse droppings to get the excreted bacteria, which are then mashed up and analyzed by DNA sequencing to find the genes that turn on in response to IBD.

This part of the project is being carried out in collaboration with John Parkinson, a senior scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and a professor in U of T's department of molecular genetics, who is an expert in computational large-scale data analysis. Also on the team are Tae-Hee Kim, a scientist at SickKids and assistant professor in the department of molecular genetics, who is using a "gut on a chip" platform to study intestinal stem cells in more detail, and Radhakrishnan Mahadevan, a professor at U of T's department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry, who is engineering bacteria to produce high levels of the MDP molecule.

hese images show the intestines of mice that have been given muramyl dipeptide (MDP)  left panel  and those that have not  right panel. The red stain marks cells that are proliferating, with more stain visible in the presence of MDP. A recent study showed that MDP acts via a receptor to spur intestinal stem cells to proliferate and generate new cells for lining repair. Credit: Sabrina Coquenlorge-Gallon/Tae-Hee Kim lab, SickKids

Another possible approach the team is investigating involves dampening inflammation locally and letting the intestine recover on its own. In this case, an engineered bacterium would release anti-inflammatory drugs only at the site of inflammation, which is beneficial in preventing all-body immunosuppression.

And unlike most cutting-edge medicines, the therapeutic bacteria need not cost a fortune.

"What we're making is self-replicating drugs that could treat patients essentially for free," says Pardee. "Everyone can grow a bug."

If all goes well, McMillen thinks that an IBD-sensing bacterium is within reach in three years' time.

"This is the most exciting project of my career," says McMillen. "Thanks to Medicine by Design, we have a shared goal among a group of researchers with a wide range of interests and this is catalyzing interactions and ideas we would not have had otherwise."

Towards organ replacement and repair

Using stem cells to grow replacement organs from scratch  or to boost the body's natural healing processes at will  are long-standing goals in regenerative medicine. But before these goals can be realized, researchers first need to get a clearer understanding of how different types of cells work together to drive organ growth and maintenance.

A few years ago, it became possible to grow three-dimensional balls of intestinal tissue from stem cells in a dish, also known as intestinal organoids or "mini-guts," which allow researchers to examine the diverse roles different types of cells play in bowel health and disease.

Wrana and his team are at the forefront of organoid research. With Medicine by Design funding, they are now developing new imaging technologies that, combined with genome editing and mathematical modelling, will reveal new insights into how individual cells contribute to intestinal repair.

"These discoveries can be applied to making the growth of human replacement tissues more efficient, or by illuminating how to get replacement tissue to functionally integrate into the recipient organ," Wrana says. "This research will also enable the design of therapies aimed at awakening dormant regenerative programs in damaged organs, thereby stimulating our own tissue to repair itself."

In addition to John Parkinson, team members include Laurence Pelletier and Daniel Durocher, both senior investigators at LTRI and professors in the department of molecular genetics; Daniel Schramek, an investigator at LTRI and an assistant professor in the department of molecular genomics; Sevan Hopyan, a senior scientist at SickKids and an associate professor in the department of surgery; Liliana Attisano, a professor in the department of biochemistry and in the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research; Christopher Yip, a professor at the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME); and Luca Scardovi, an associate professor in the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering.

Getting the right size

Before researchers can grow replacement organs in the lab, they'll need a way to control their size. Organs that are too big or too small would be unsuitable for transplant, while any unchecked growth could potentially lead to cancer.

How organ size is controlled is what Tepass's team is trying to find out.

For the intestine, the key again lies in the lining, which harbours stem cells. It's now clear that cells that make up the lining do much more than just separate the intestine from other tissue. For example, as the intestine become distorted during food digestion, the cells in the lining sense and respond to mechanical forces by changing which genes are switched on. And when it comes to stem cells, stretching makes them proliferate more.

Being able to control this mechanism of cell proliferation could help regulate organ size in culture. "If the organ grows too fast, or becomes too big, you could use a drug that reduces mechano-sensitivity to slow down growth," says Tepass, adding that, while this research is still in early stages, one day such approaches could find a place in the clinic.

Tepass is searching for molecular players that link mechanical stress to changes in gene expression. But he is not looking for answers inside the gut. Instead, his team is studying the wings of fruit flies. The wing is composed of the same kind of epithelial cell sheet that forms the gut lining and envelops many internal organs. The study of fly wings helped researchers discover numerous genes that control organ size, which were subsequently also shown to have the same function in humans. Working with flies allows researchers to investigate complex cellular behaviour in the context of a whole animal, which cannot be readily replicated in cultured cells or organoids  and at a fraction of the cost and time it would take to do the same in larger animals such as mice.

"The process of going from stem cells to a functional organ is still largely a black box, something we don't know very well," Tepass says. "To control the overall size of the organ is a challenging biological question and we are using a simple organism to find key molecular players that orchestrate how big an organ gets."

Working with Helen McNeill, associate investigator at LTRI, and Anne-Claude Gingras, senior investigator at LTRI and professors in the department of molecular genetics, the team is identifying new genes and proteins that control growth. Also on the team is Juri Reimand, principal investigator at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and an assistant professor in the department of medical biophysics, who is helping with large-scale computational data analysis. To see how these molecules are distributed in cells, Tepass has teamed up with Yip at IBBME and Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalez, an associate professor at IBBME and a member of the translational biology and engineering program at the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, who are experts in combinatorial microscopy, live tissue imaging and quantitative image analysis.

Tepass emphasizes that "support from Medicine by Design has been essential to bringing together researchers from different fields to refocus their efforts on the question of controlling organ size. On a fundamental level, the understanding gained here is expected to guide rational approaches to organ regeneration and repair in the clinic."Sarah and her cousin's baby, Sophia Murphy. Credit: University of Cambridge

Mothers who 'connect' with their baby during pregnancy are more likely to interact in a more positive way with their infant after it is born, according to a study carried out at the University of Cambridge. Interaction is important for helping infants learn and develop.

Researchers at the Centre for Family Research carried out a meta-analysis, reviewing all published studies in the field, in an attempt to demonstrate conclusively whether there was a link with the way parents think about their child during pregnancy and their behaviour towards them postnatally.

The results of their work, which draws data from 14 studies involving 1,862 mothers and fathers, are published in the journal Developmental Review.

Studies included in the meta-analysis examined parents' thoughts and feelings about their child during pregnancy through interviews and questionnaires. For example, in interviews expectant parents were considered to have a 'balanced' representation of their child if they showed positive anticipation of their relationship with the child or showed 'mind-mindedness'  a propensity to see their child as an individual, with its own thoughts and feelings. This was contrasted by parents who had a 'distorted' representation of their child, with a narrow, idealised description of their child, and incomplete or inconsistent descriptions of them.

Once the child had been born, researchers in these studies would observe the interactions between parent and child. One measure they were looking for was 'sensitivity'  the ability to notice, interpret and respond in a timely and appropriate manner to children's signals, for example if the baby was upset.

Combining the results from all 14 studies, the Cambridge team showed a modest association between positive thoughts and feelings about the infant during pregnancy and later interaction with the infant, but only in mothers.

"Studies have shown that parent-child interaction is crucial for a child's development and learning, so we wanted to understand if there were prenatal signs that might predict a parent's behaviour," says Dr. Sarah Foley, the study's first author, who carried out the research as part of her Ph.D.

"Although we found a relationship between a mother's attitude towards her baby during pregnancy and her later interactions, this link was only modest. This suggests it is likely to be a part of the jigsaw, rather than the whole story."

Research has also shown that increased awareness of the baby during pregnancy is associated with healthy behaviours during pregnancy, such as giving up smoking or attending antenatal appointments.

While more work is needed to determine what form such interventions might take, options might include the midwife encouraging the mother to think about what her baby may be like, or asking the mother to imagine activities they think she and her baby might like to do together.

"This is a relatively new area of research, but could have important implications for children's development," adds Dr. Foley. "We need more research in this area, but hope it will inform new interventions that could help new mothers engage more with their children."

Dr. Foley says there may be a number of factors that contribute to low levels of attachment with the baby during pregnancy. These include: previous experience of miscarriage, depression or anxiety, a mother's relationship with her own parents, or cultures in which focusing on the baby is considered inappropriate. However, she says, the paucity of evidence means it is difficult to determine which of these factors would impact on prenatal thoughts about the infant, which might in turn influence the quality of later interaction with the infant.

"Working with children throws up lots of unexpected and fun moments," says Dr. Sarah Foley. "One day you're being splashed while standing on a toilet-seat filming bath-times, the next you're catching YouTube-worthy vomiting action shots and being used as a climbing frame by one child to ensure you can film another!"

Sarah has just completed an ESRC-funded Ph.D. at the Centre for Family Research, working with Professor Claire Hughes. She has spent several years at Cambridge now, having completed her undergraduate degree in Social and Political Sciences at St Catharine's College. The Centre, she says, "is an incredibly stimulating academic environment with immense support and lively discussions over cake on a Friday morning!"

Her doctoral research looked at expectant mothers' and fathers' thoughts and feelings in the last trimester of pregnancy as predictors of their adjustment to parenthood and subsequent parenting over the first two years of life. "Despite an increase in fathers' involvement in childcare, the majority of research remains focused on mothers," she says.

Her current research involves, in part, looking at parents' expectations of their roles and division of childcare, and the consequences when these expectations are not met. This is timely in light of recent changes to parental leave in the UK and societal shifts in notions of the involved father, she says.

Sarah's research is part of the ERSC-funded New Fathers and Mothers Study, a longitudinal study of 200 first time parents from Cambridge, and 200 from the Netherlands and New York.

"The children in the study are turning three this year and we're busy seeing how they are getting on at nursery," she explains. "This typically involves me getting down on the floor and testing the children's social understanding and thinking skills through a variety of fun tasks."

She hopes that her research will lead to changes in antenatal education and early parent support that promote discussion of parents' thoughts and feelings about parenthood and their future infant. In November 2017, as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science, she ran a free ante-natal class for new parents that discussed the realities of parenthood, the importance of self-care and simple parenting tips rather than simply focusing on birth plans.

"The journey through parenthood is filled with joy, but also elements of confusion, and sometimes pain. Crucially, parents should not feel alone and I hope that through greater dissemination of my research findings, through classes or perhaps a book or an app, we can support new parents and encourage more 'honest conversations' about parenthood."

Explore further Fathers' early parenting quality affected by mothers

More information: Sarah Foley et al. Great expectations? Do mothers' and fathers' prenatal thoughts and feelings about the infant predict parent-infant interaction quality? A meta-analytic review, Developmental Review (2018). Sarah Foley et al. Great expectations? Do mothers' and fathers' prenatal thoughts and feelings about the infant predict parent-infant interaction quality? A meta-analytic review,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2018.03.007Higher empathy people appear to process music like a pleasurable proxy for a human encounter  in the brain regions for reward, social awareness and regulation of social emotions. Credit: SMU, UCLA

People with higher empathy differ from others in the way their brains process music, according to a study by researchers at Southern Methodist University, Dallas and UCLA.

The researchers found that compared to low empathy people, those with higher empathy process familiar music with greater involvement of the reward system of the brain, as well as in areas responsible for processing social information.

"High-empathy and low-empathy people share a lot in common when listening to music, including roughly equivalent involvement in the regions of the brain related to auditory, emotion, and sensory-motor processing," said lead author Zachary Wallmark, an assistant professor in the SMU Meadows School of the Arts.

But there is at least one significant difference.

Highly empathic people process familiar music with greater involvement of the brain's social circuitry, such as the areas activated when feeling empathy for others. They also seem to experience a greater degree of pleasure in listening, as indicated by increased activation of the reward system.

"This may indicate that music is being perceived weakly as a kind of social entity, as an imagined or virtual human presence," Wallmark said.

Researchers in 2014 reported that about 20 percent of the population is highly empathic. These are people who are especially sensitive and respond strongly to social and emotional stimuli.

The SMU-UCLA study is the first to find evidence supporting a neural account of the music-empathy connection. Also, it is among the first to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore how empathy affects the way we perceive music.

The new study indicates that among higher-empathy people, at least, music is not solely a form of artistic expression.

"If music was not related to how we process the social world, then we likely would have seen no significant difference in the brain activation between high-empathy and low-empathy people," said Wallmark, who is director of the MuSci Lab at SMU, an interdisciplinary research collective that studiesamong other thingshow music affects the brain.

"This tells us that over and above appreciating music as high art, music is about humans interacting with other humans and trying to understand and communicate with each other," he said.

This may seem obvious.

"But in our culture we have a whole elaborate system of music education and music thinking that treats music as a sort of disembodied object of aesthetic contemplation," Wallmark said. "In contrast, the results of our study help explain how music connects us to others. This could have implications for how we understand the function of music in our world, and possibly in our evolutionary past."

The researchers reported their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, in the article "Neurophysiological effects of trait empathy in music listening."

The co-authors are Choi Deblieck, with the University of Leuven, Belgium, and Marco Iacoboni, UCLA. The research was carried out at the Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center at UCLA.

"The study shows on one hand the power of empathy in modulating music perception, a phenomenon that reminds us of the original roots of the concept of empathy'feeling into' a piece of art," said senior author Marco Iacoboni, a neuroscientist at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.

These areas of the brain uniquely activate in people with higher empathy when they listen to music. Credit: SMU, UCLA

"On the other hand," Iacoboni said, "the study shows the power of music in triggering the same complex social processes at work in the brain that are at play during human social interactions."

Comparison of brain scans showed distinctive differences based on empathy

Participants were 20 UCLA undergraduate students. They were each scanned in an MRI machine while listening to excerpts of music that were either familiar or unfamiliar to them, and that they either liked or disliked. The familiar music was selected by participants prior to the scan.

Afterward each person completed a standard questionnaire to assess individual differences in empathyfor example, frequently feeling sympathy for others in distress, or imagining oneself in another's shoes.

The researchers then did controlled comparisons to see which areas of the brain during music listening are correlated with empathy.

Analysis of the brain scans showed that high empathizers experienced more activity in the dorsal striatum, part of the brain's reward system, when listening to familiar music, whether they liked the music or not.

The reward system is related to pleasure and other positive emotions. Malfunction of the area can lead to addictive behaviors.

Empathic people process music with involvement of social cognitive circuitry

In addition, the brain scans of higher empathy people in the study also recorded greater activation in medial and lateral areas of the prefrontal cortex that are responsible for processing the social world, and in the temporoparietal junction, which is critical to analyzing and understanding others' behaviors and intentions.

Typically, those areas of the brain are activated when people are interacting with, or thinking about, other people. Observing their correlation with empathy during music listening might indicate that music to these listeners functions as a proxy for a human encounter.

Beyond analysis of the brain scans, the researchers also looked at purely behavioral dataanswers to a survey asking the listeners to rate the music afterward.

Those data also indicated that higher empathy people were more passionate in their musical likes and dislikes, such as showing a stronger preference for unfamiliar music.

Precise neurophysiological relationship between empathy and music is largely unexplored

A large body of research has focused on the cognitive neuroscience of empathyhow we understand and experience the thoughts and emotions of other people. Studies point to a number of areas of the prefrontal, insular, and cingulate cortices as being relevant to what brain scientists refer to as social cognition.

Studies have shown that activation of the social circuitry in the brain varies from individual to individual. People with more empathic personalities show increased activity in those areas when performing socially relevant tasks, including watching a needle penetrating skin, listening to non-verbal vocal sounds, observing emotional facial expressions, or seeing a loved one in pain.

In the field of music psychology, a number of recent studies have suggested that empathy is related to intensity of emotional responses to music, listening style, and musical preferencesfor example, empathic people are more likely to enjoy sad music.

"This study contributes to a growing body of evidence," Wallmark said, "that music processing may piggyback upon cognitive mechanisms that originally evolved to facilitate social interaction."

Explore further Listening to music can improve unconscious attitudes towards other cultures

More information: Zachary Wallmark et al. Neurophysiological Effects of Trait Empathy in Music Listening, Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience (2018). Zachary Wallmark et al. Neurophysiological Effects of Trait Empathy in Music Listening,(2018). DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00066Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Scientists at the University of Sheffield have discovered what keeps the perfect balance of breaks and repairs in our DNAsomething which could help improve the success of chemotherapy and combat neurodegeneration associated with ageing.

Our genome, where precious genetic information is stored, is challenged with thousands of breaks every day.

Cells possess an army of proteins that search for, detect and fix these breaks to maintain genome integrity, but little is known about how the cell fine-tunes the level of response in these repair factories to suit each and every repair event.

The level of proteins in our cells is controlled by synthesis and degradation. Cells get rid of proteins when not needed by attaching a small peptide called ubiquitin.

The new study, led by Dr. Sherif El-Khamisy at the University of Sheffield's Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, has revealed an enzyme called UCHL3, which controls DNA repair by removing ubiquitin marks from TDP1a DNA repair protein. The findings also have implications in brain ageing which has an affect on memory, cognitive function and learning.

An overexpression of UCHL3 causes less ubiquitination of TDP1 and increases its protein level, which is found in chemotherapy resistant cancers such as rhabdosarcomathe most common soft tissue sarcoma in children, which has a debilitating effect on the muscles, tendons and cartilage.

Too little UCHL3, however, was found to cause more ubiquitination of TDP1 reducing its level in neurological diseases such as ataxiasa group of disorders that affect co-ordination, balance and speech.

Dr. El-Khamisy said: "This study identifies UCHL3 as a novel therapeutically druggable target where suppression of its activity can improve cancer treatment, whereas encouraging and fuelling its activity can combat neurodegeneration.

"Defective DNA repair is a common theme in a number of neurological disorders including motor neuron disease and dementia. Finding novel approaches to fuel the cell's ability to repair genomic breaks may hold promise in improving treatment of a broad range of neurological diseases."

The five-year study is funded by a Wellcome Trust Investigator Award to Dr. El-Khamisy and involved collaborations across departments at The University of Sheffield and internationally.

The full study is published today (12 June 2018) in the journal Cell Reports.

Explore further Enzyme that regulates DNA repair may offer new precision treatments for breast and ovarian cancerOn a conference call this afternoon, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said that the team doesnt expect right-handed pitcher AJ Ramos back anytime soon.

Ramos, 31, was placed on the disabled list on May 28 with right rotator cuff tendinitis, and is deciding between surgery or taking the more conservative route back.

In 28 games for New York this year, Ramos had a 6.41 ERA, 60 ERA+, 5.14 FIP and 1.627 WHIP over 19.2 innings. That includes a rough series in Milwaukee over Memorial Day weekend where he was roughed up in back-to-back games.

Ramos was originally acquired by the Mets last July in exchange for prospects Merandy Gonzalez and Ricardo Cespedes.

He is making $9.2 million this year and is a free agent at seasons end.ARCHIVED - King of Spains brother-in-law closer to jail after failed appeal



The Supreme Court has reduced Inaki Urdangarins sentence but only by 5 months

Inaki Urdangarin, the husband of Princess Cristina and brother-in-law of King Felipe VI of Spain, is now one step nearer entering prison following the decision by the Supreme Court to reduce his sentence by only 5 months on appeal.

This means that he still faces 5 years and 10 months behind bars after being found guilty in the Noos trial in February 2017 of misuse of his position and of public funds, falsifying documents, influence trafficking and tax fraud. The only successful aspect of the appeal he lodged with the Supreme Court is that he has now been exonerated on one charge of falsifying documents, and his former business partner Diego Torres has also had his sentence reduced to 5 years and 8 months.

The Supreme Court verdict maintains the decision that the two mens wives, Cristina de Borbon and Ana Maria Tejeiro, are guilty only of having benefitted from their husbands illegal activities.

The responsibility for deciding when Inaki Urdangarin and the other guilty parties in the Noos case should enter prison, and which jail they should serve their sentences in, now lies with the provincial courts in Palma de Mallorca.

Follow Murcia Today on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest news, events and information in the Region of Murcia and the rest of Spain: https://www.facebook.com/MurciaToday/

-->Tanzania has warned unregistered bloggers and operators of online forums that they must shut down their websites or face criminal prosecution, Reuters reported.

The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) passed regulations in March 2018 compelling those who publish content online  including bloggers and operators of YouTube channels  to register with the government.

According to the report, the TCRA is a state-run entity.

To apply for a licence, you must pay an application fee of 100,000 Tanzanian shillings (R578). You must then pay an initial licence fee of 1 million shillings (R5,780), and an annual license fee of another 1 million shillings.

This initial cost is greater than Tanzanias average per capita income, which is under 1.9 million shillings per year.

Anyone in contravention of the new regulations faces a fine of at least 5 million shillings, imprisonment for a minimum of 12 months, or both.

Activists have said the government of President John Magufuli is cracking down on dissent and free speech under the pretence of tackling hate speech and other online crimes, including cyberbullying and pornography.A: First steam the ears wrapped in foil with ice, then remove the foil and place them on the grill to give the corn some color. The kernels remain plump and juicy this way.

- Tim Carman

Q: I read somewhere about the minimalist kitchen. Since Ill be moving soon, Im starting to look at my kitchen. I admit, when I dont know what to get my husband, Ill get him a kitchen tool. But as a result, our kitchen is overrun with tools we only use once a year. . . if ever. Im looking at everything though and have no idea what to keep or throw away. Do you have any suggestions for multi-use tools? For instance, do I really need a zester or a strainer or can I throw those out? A potato masher? A mandolin? Im at a loss! How do you keep your kitchen pared down?

A: I would keep the zester (microplane?) and strainer. Both are pretty handy. How else to easily get citrus zest, or grate garlic or ginger? And a strainer you can use when making broth or custard or flavored oil. The potato masher might be expendable, because you can use a wooden spoon or fork, although I use my potato masher for beans more than potatoes. I dont own a mandoline and Ive gotten along fine with out it.

How do I keep my kitchen pared down? I kind of dont. Although I do try to limit big appliances."We have to do this because we love you. This is what keeps you alive," her parents would say.

For nine years, she suffered like this. Beyond the pain, she developed cataracts and often broke out into extreme rashes. She was medicated so much, she struggled with memory and an array of other issues.

Her parents tried everything. They took Emmy to top medical institutions and spoke with insulin companies to get the least amount of preservatives in her insulin, because that's what they believed was causing the allergic reactions. Nothing seemed to work.

Desperate, her father wrote an email last year to Dr. Raja Kandaswamy, one of the nation's pre-eminent pancreas transplant surgeons. "Her quality of life is degrading faster than we had hoped, so now we are looking for a solution that will allow her to stop needing insulin, while we find a solution to her allergy," Jack Reeves wrote.

More than 1 million Americans have Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition that destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Insulin is a hormone needed to allow sugar to enter cells to produce energy. For most children, the condition is managed through insulin injections and a close monitoring of their blood sugar levels. It is exceedingly rare for a child to have an insulin allergy on the magnitude as Emmy.State Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry will talk about her first two years in office and the issues now before her at the Saturday, June 23 meeting of the League of Women Voters of Napa County.

The program will start at 9:30 a.m. in the McCarthy Library Community Room, Napa Valley College, 2227 Napa-Vallejo Highway. Light refreshments will be served. Questions will be answered. Parking will be available.

The program will be followed at 11 a.m. by the annual meeting of the League of Women Voters of Napa County.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.Pacific Union College, Napa Countys only four-year college, will host its annual commencement exercises Friday through Sunday.

The college, located in Angwin, will award 369 associate, bachelor, and masters degrees to 343 graduates, 49 of whom are from Napa County. The largest departmental groups are the nursing and health sciences (181 graduates from the Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs), business administration (37), biology (23), communication (21), and visual arts (21).

In addition, three graduating students are Maxwell Scholars: JJ Reynolds, marketing communication major; John Jung, biology major and pre-med student; and Dominique Townsend, English literature major.

We are excited to honor and celebrate our graduates and the future that lies ahead, says Robert Cushman Jr., PUC president. I look forward to meeting graduates, families, and friends here on beautiful Howell Mountain, where nature and revelation unite in education.

After California, which is home to 290 graduating seniors, Hawaii and Oregon boast the highest number of graduates, followed by Washington State, Maryland, Arizona, and Guam. International graduates hail from Belgium, Canada, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Vietnam.Pacific Gas and Electric Co. expects to record a significant liability for losses associated with the 2017 Northern California wildfires, the utility said Monday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

However, the company said in the filing it may not take a loss from the Atlas and Highway 37 fires  despite findings by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, that PG&E equipment was responsible for starting both fires.

For the Atlas and Highway 37 fires, PG&E Corporation and the Utility do not believe a loss is probable at this time, given the information currently available, PG&E wrote in the filing. However, it is reasonably possible that facts could emerge that lead PG&E Corporation and the Utility to believe that a loss is probable, resulting in the accrual of a liability in the future, the amount of which could be significant.Perhaps the most important ranking for California came when it surpassed the United Kingdom and France for the first time ever to become the worlds fifth-largest economy (behind only the overall U.S., China, Japan and Germany) with a gross domestic product of more than $2.7 trillion, an increase of $127 billion over just the last year.

The rise in gross domestic product put Californias pace of growth far ahead of low-tax states like Texas and Florida, which style themselves as the wave of the future and Californias chief rivals. Economic and job growth has far outstripped the nation as a whole, accounting for the lions share of national growth.

Its hard to see how Trump, who says his decimating of federal regulations has created economic growth, can try to make the same claim about California, which is fighting most of his changes.

This all trickles down, as the conservative economist Arthur Laffer (a former Californian) might say. It even trickles into the voting booth.

Essentially, the party registration figures and the flight of onetime Republican voters into both the no-preference and Democratic columns are the result of Democratic successes with the state economy.

Cox will surely keep arguing that things are terrible. As a challenger of the status quo, he needs to do that. But barring a sudden collapse that could be blamed on Democrats, hes unlikely to have much more success in the fall than his party did this spring.

Thomas D. Elias writes the syndicated California Focus column. He is author of the book, The Burzynski Breakthrough: The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It.Eighty-one eighth graders, their parents and relatives, teachers and many others celebrated their Promotion Ceremony Thursday evening at St. Helenas Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School.During the ceremony, Ivan Robledo, ABS president, recited the Pledge of Allegiance; Bonnie Valquez and Abigail Langhoff sang the National Anthem; and Langhoff and Gissel Carrillo Fregoso gave the student addresses.A recent walk in Bothe Napa Valley State Park might surprise you with the amount of construction that is occurring along the parks History Trail.

The History Trail is the short trail that leads from the Day Use area of the Bothe Napa Valley State Park to the Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park. This trail is currently being renovated by the California Conservation Corps but its still quite accessible for an easy stroll.

According to Jay Jessen, a Bothe Park steward, the California Conservation Corps activities are designed to make this important historic site more accessible to visitors.

The trail loop surrounding the site is being graded and widened to make it ADA compliant. There will also eventually be an interpretive panel at the site, though there is no exact timeline for the panels completion. Jessen wrote the trail around the cemetery and to the church will be done by July 1.

The trail loop winds around a grassy knoll containing numerous ornate gravestones and little white picket fences surround various plots. This is the parks Pioneer Cemetery, and its one of the most interesting historic sites in the valley.

In addition to the gravestones, its also the site of the White Church. As the first church in the Napa Valley its history  and the graves of the people that surround the site  acts as a touchstone to understanding the events of how the Napa Valley was first settled.

An early book authored by Lyman L. Palmer entitled History of Napa and Lake Counties, California has created confusion about how the White Church got its name. The church took its name from the fact that it was the only painted house in upper Napa Valley, Palmer wrote in 1881.

However, later historians attribute the churchs name to a Gospel preaching circuit rider by the name of Asa White who in 1852 rode into the Napa Valley for the first time. This story is documented by the St. Helena Historical Society.

According to the SHHS, White struck up a friendship with a man named Florentine Kellogg. Kellogg lived near the then recently constructed Bale Grist Mill and it was he who was hired by Dr. Edward T. Bale to work on the construction of the mill. Bale bartered 600 acres to Kellogg in return for Kelloggs work who fashioned all the metal work on the mill.

Kellogg also built a house  now called the Lyman House  across the creek from the Bale Mill which can still be seen through the woods. Its said to be one of the earliest frame structures in the valley.

The Rev. White, according to SHHS, used the Kellogg house for his headquarters while he was in the Napa Valley to teach Bible classes, and his teaching must have been successful, because one year later, a small church building was constructed and dedicated on Nov. 13, 1853. This was the Methodist-Episcopal Church  The White Church and it was just 22-feet by 32-feet frame building with two entrances one for men, and one for women and children.

Its the grassy knoll upon which the White Church was built where todays CCC crews are working.

This land had been deeded to Rev. White by a man named Reason Penelope Tucker. who was one of the most interesting settlers of the Napa Valley. Tucker had previously achieved fame as a member and a leader of two of four expeditions in 1837. The purpose of these expeditions was to rescue the 83 members of the ill-fated Donner-Reed Party.

The Donner-Reed Party had become stranded in 30 feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada. They were starving to death. Accounts of the four rescue attempts  in the form of excerpts from journals  were later published in the California Star on June 5, 1847. Six years later in 1853, Reason Tucker had become one of several famous heroes of the time.

An unnamed granddaughter of Reason P. Tucker described him as six feet three inches tall, very strong, and heavy weight, a man of great determination and always friendly and kind.

Louis Keseberg  one notorious survivor of the Donner Party rescued during the fourth attempt  said that Tucker was the only member of the Fourth Relief group who showed him any compassion. Keseberg had been discovered actually eating the remains of one of the members of the ill-fated Donner Party.

The fact that Tucker gave the building site for the White Church to Rev. White is also a testament to Tuckers compassionate nature. There were no churches in the valley at that time, and its easy to speculate that the raw pioneer life must have fostered a need for some trapping of civilization after the terrible events of the Donner Party a mere six years before.

The remains of members of the Kellogg family and the Tucker family along with many other early pioneers were subsequently buried in the little graveyard near where the White Church stood.

According to the SHHS, fire destroyed the White Church in 1906. It was abandoned because the deed to the land upon which it stood was disputed in 1855.

As a result of that land dispute, Reason P. Tucker lost everything and he left the valley, according to the SHHS. For this reason, he is not buried in this small cemetery, but several of his descendants are.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.Students enrolled in the technology classes at St. Helena High School and Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School recently visited NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View.

The students are part of the CTE computer pathways classes. Over two years, those classes introduce students to tech fields such as computer science, coding, robotics and engineering. The courses help students begin to think about careers by visiting tech companies like Google, Intel and in this case NASA.

Students were greeted by a NASA engineer who organized the day so that every 30 minutes the students were whisked from building to building on the NASA campus, meeting specialists who created presentations and hands-on experiences for the students.

"I cant understate the impact the experience had on these kids, said teacher John Harrington. It was obvious that each of these specialists had invested a tremendous amount of time developing clear and substantive presentations for my students. Each one clearly explained the technology the kids were viewing, their personal backgrounds and how they got to their current positions and then spent time offering them career advice. It was very impressive."Armenia launches case of attack on military posts by Azerbaijani army and attempt to murder 6 Karabakh soldiers

Ruben Vardanyan: I'm involved in politics, but I'm not seeking power, I'm ready to lose it all in Russia and Armenia

Karabakh Defense Army: News spread on social networks about shelling near Harav village inaccurate

Ilham Aliyev blames Iranians and Armenians for alleged collapse of mosques in Nagorno-Karabakh

Karabakh Ombudsman: Azerbaijani Armed Forces fired a few gunshots in sector of military posts near Harav village

Armenia Deputy PM Suren Papikyan discusses North-South Energy Corridor with Russian counterpart

Armenia PM proposes to strengthen trilateral mechanisms to investigate incidents and adhere to ceasefire

Russian academician: Erdogan understands that direct confrontation with Russia may be fatal

Opposition 'Armenia' alliance issues statement

Bill Clinton recovering from infection in hospital

US to lift curbs for vaccinated foreign travelers starting November 8

Karabakh President spokesperson: Situation on Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact stable, not counting provocation

Iran MFA responds to Aliyev's allegations

Opposition 'Armenia' faction receives leaders of Karabakh's parliamentary factions

Armenia Parliament Deputy Speaker receives leaders of Karabakh legislature's factions

Taliban announce creation of Supreme Court in Afghanistan

Armenia ex-defense minister Davit Tonoyan to not be released

Armenia Justice Ministry: Officials aren't mandated to get COVID-19 vaccine because they can't be relieved of posts

Voytolovsky: Any escalation of conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh will require direct involvement of peacekeepers

Digest: Latest on Azerbaijani fire near Artsakh border, more on injured soldier's health condition

Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijanis deliberately set 8,000 ha of grass of Yeraskh villager on fire with gunshots

Yerevan Investigation Department of Armenia Investigative Committee has new head

Russian academician: Yerevan has never recognized Artsakh and has not addressed Russia for assistance

Lavrov: Armenia's leadership is interested in plan to open Russian schools

Karabakh FM pays working visit to Russian Federation, holds meetings

Voytolovsky describes consequences of deterioration of Russian-Turkish relations for Yerevan and Baku

Pashinyan: Armenia ready to hand over minefield maps to Azerbaijan in exchange for captives

Artsakh State Minister: Only one of 6 soldiers wounded yesterday is in severe condition (PHOTOS)

Ambassador: Russia is, in practice, the only country that stood by Armenia's side last year

Lukashenko calls on Armenia, Azerbaijan not to turn CIS into platform for clarifying separate matters

Armenia premier: Many not only do not believe in but also do not want peace, stability in region

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijan fires at Yeraskh, resident's barn and haystacks burning

Karabakh MFA: Azerbaijan policy is terrorism

Armenia PM: Yerevan-Baku peace talks must resume under OSCE Minsk Group auspices

Artsakh ombudsman: Recorded incident another proof that Azerbaijan theses on peaceful coexistence are false

Russian Orthodox Church to establish diocese in Armenia

Armenia PM: South Caucasus is on threshold of major transformations

Armenia's Pashinyan: Russia and its president played a crucial role in stopping 44-day war in Karabakh

Armenian and Belarusian FMs touch upon bilateral cooperation agenda in detail

Putin: Russia peacekeepers are guarantors of ceasefire in Karabakh

Armenia MFA highlights undertaking necessary steps through mediation of Russian peacekeepers

Pashinyan: Armenia ready to start border delimitation, demarcation with Azerbaijan

Karabakh prosecutor's office: Provocative actions from Azerbaijan outpost only 400m away had started Wednesday

Azerbaijan uses drone yesterday, Artsakhs President spokesperson says

Night passes calmly in Harav, Norshen villages of Karabakh after Azerbaijan shooting

PAUL Armenia will be located at a historical building in Yerevan: details of the long-awaited project have been released

Armenia ombudsman: There were Azerbaijan attacks also at Harav village, some other Artsakh civilian settlements

1,765 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Artsakh MOD: Azerbaijan armed forces opened fire on Defense Army sanitary vehicle

Part of downtown Paris is named after Armenia

PM: Armenia highly values development, deepening of friendly relations with Austria

Monumentwatch.org: Azerbaijani roads, endangered Armenian cultural heritage

Newspaper: Imprisoned Armenia community leaders will remain in prison even if re-elected

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers concerned about rate of emigration from Artsakh

Karabakh state minister: Wounded soldiers surgeries went successfully

FM: There will be no large-scale war as long as Russian peacekeepers are in Artsakh

Karabakh defense army: Armenian side has no positional, territorial losses

Artsakh State Minister: Situation has stabilized along entire line of contact (PHOTOS)

Karabakh Defense Army: Situation along entire length of line of contact relatively stable at this moment

Karabakh Ombudsman: Artsakh Defense Army has no casualties

Head of Karabakh's Harav village: There were shootings at military posts, shootings have mainly stopped

Karabakh Defense Army: Azerbaijani Armed Forces open fire at military base, 6 injured

Azerbaijani Armed Forces use weapons of large caliber in direction of Karabakh's Nor Shen village

Attorney: Armenian MP Artur Sargsyan to be released on bail for AMD 20,000,000

Armenian Unified Info Center: Karabakh Defense Army will provide official information soon

Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijani army's attack leaves 6 Armenian soldiers injured, 2 of them in critical condition

Eduard Sharmazanov: Republican Party of Armenia will hold its congress on Dec. 18

Armenia ex-defense minister Seyran Ohanyan: Azerbaijan can't be compared with Iran in terms of capabilities

Karabakh Defense Army: Azerbaijan MOD's news that Azerbaijani soldier died from Armenian soldier's gunshot is false

Armenia ex-defense minister assesses possibility of start of Iran-Azerbaijan war

Armenia ex-defense minister: Military exercises held in Iran were great support for Yerevan

Armenia court rules to release Goris deputy mayor on bail for AMD 30,000,000

Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains of another 2 Armenian servicemen found in Hadrut region

Armenia receives batch of 50,000 doses of Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine

Armenia defense minister holds consultation over preparation for the winter

Azerbaijani FM 'on need for Armenia to transfer precise mine maps to Azerbaijan'

Russia welcomes disposition of Azerbaijan and Armenia to normalize relations

Karabakh Defense Army: Azerbaijan MOD's news about seizure of reconnaissance UAV is disinformation

BREAKING: UN court hears Armenia case against Azerbaijan; Erdogan, Aliyev to open airport in Shushi

Taliban's high-ranking delegation arrives in Turkey

Mirzoyan, Lavrov and Bayramov meet, discuss issues related to Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Latvia President tests positive for COVID-19

Sergey Melikov elected leader of Dagestan

Armenia official: Zero vacant bed at coronavirus treatment hospitals

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan meets with National Security Service reserve officers' union founders

Azerbaijan plans to increase natural gas supplies to Turkey and Europe

Dollar loses value in Armenia

Armenia Parliament Speaker receives Sweden Ambassador

Armenia PM attaches importance to formation of common electricity and natural gas markets within EEU

Azerbaijan states readiness to normalize relations with Armenia, but on several conditions

Rustaveli Avenue blocked in central Tbilisi

Armenian, Russian FMs meet in Minsk

Armenia representative asks UN court to end vicious cycle of violence perpetrated against Armenians by Azerbaijan

PM: Air Arabia, Armenia government will invest $10m each, establish national air carrier

Prison burning in Georgia's Rustavi, Mikheil Saakashvili in adjacent jailhouse

Armenias Mirzoyan attends CIS foreign ministers' meeting in Belarus

Armenia State Revenue Committee chief: YouTube, Google, Facebook and others agreed to fulfill tax obligations

Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan FMs trilateral meeting expected in MinskYEREVAN.  The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, on Tuesday received director general Jrgen Elmeskov of Statistics Denmark.

First, the PM underscored the role of official statistics in the effective operation of the system of governance and in decision-making, and he stressed the need for close collaboration between the Statistical Committee of Armenia and Statistics Denmark, press office of the PM informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Also, Pashinyan expressed a conviction that the ongoing conference in capital city Yerevan will be useful in terms of the strengthening of cooperation and modernization of Armenias statistical system.

In addition, the premier noted that the Statistical Committee of Armenia has been tasked with being maximally objective and independent, and that this will contribute to ensuring public confidence; in his words, this is one of the priorities on the agenda of the new Armenian government.

Elmeskov, in turn, noted that long-lasting and productive cooperation has been established with their Armenian colleagues, and he reflected on the need for the introduction of new standards for the application of the statistical mechanism.

Also, the interlocutors discussed the reforms being implemented by the Statistical Committee of Armenia.Karabakh President Bako Sahakyan has official announced that he will not run for presidency in 2020.

He added that he will take all the necessary steps to ensure free and transparent presidential and parliamentary elections.

As you know our people adopted a new Constitution through referendum in 2017, which provides for a transitional stage of 3 years. This period will be also used for harmonizing the legislation with the new Constitution. National presidential elections will be held in 2020 in line with the current Constitution, he said.

The footage of Azerbaijanis visiting the graves at ruined Gyunnut village, which is now under the control of the Armenian side, has been posted on the internet by spokesperson for the Armenian Defense Ministry Artsrun Hovhannisyan.

Hovhannisyan had earlier informed that on June 6 and 7, the Azerbaijani side had petitioned to the Armed Forces Command of Armenia, with a request to permit some Azerbaijani citizens to visit the graveyards in the southern suburbs of the ruined settlement of Gyunnut. And based on humanitarian norms, the Armenian side had permitted these Azerbaijanis to visit the graveyard.

The Knesset has postponed a plenum debate on recognizing the Armenian Genocide that was scheduled to take place today.

The plenum debate will take place on June 26, following Turkish elections, as a result of an agreement reached between Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg.

Sasun Khachatryan has been appointed chief of the Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Armenia during the extraordinary session of the government.

Former chief Vahram Shahinyan was relieved of his duties last week based on his respective letter of resignation.

Armenia cannot negotiate instead of Artsakh; it can negotiate only for its own stead, Armenian Deputy FM Shavarsh Kocharyan said.

Armenia cant negotiate instead of Artsakh in at least two matters. The first refers to the status of Artsakh, and the secondto the matter of territorial integrity of Artsakh, he said.

He emphasized that of course Armenia should negotiate, but not on matters that are in the domain of the authorities of Artsakh.

When Azerbaijan truly wishes to make progress in the negotiation process, it shall directly negotiate with Stepanakert, rather than pretending that there is no such subject, he added.

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un have signed a joint document following their summit in Singapore on Tuesday. North Korean leader reaffirmed his commitment to complete denuclearisation of the North Korean peninsula.

Speaking during a media conference US President Donald Trump expressed his readiness to invite Kim Jong Un to Washington and said the leaders had decided to leave the past behindUsername: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 4 Vote(s) - 3 Average

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Page: 1 2 3 4 Florida hostage standoff ends in tragedy, four kids dead 269346

The Grinch Who Stole LOPmas!

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06-12-2018 08:49 AM



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Post: #1 Florida hostage standoff ends in tragedy, four kids dead

Advertisement http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/06/12/flo...eport.html



The man shot a deputy who is dying in a hospital having been shot in the head, and after a nearly two day standoff, killed his two children and his girlfriends two children, then turned the gun on himself.



HOW COULD THE POLICE HAVE ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN?



PEOPLE SHOULD LOSE THEIR BADGE OVER THIS. The man shot a deputy who is dying in a hospital having been shot in the head, and after a nearly two day standoff, killed his two children and his girlfriends two children, then turned the gun on himself.HOW COULD THE POLICE HAVE ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN?PEOPLE SHOULD LOSE THEIR BADGE OVER THIS. (This post was last modified: 06-12-2018 11:11 PM by 269346 .) 269346

The Grinch Who Stole LOPmas!

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06-12-2018 08:53 AM



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Post: #2 RE: Florida hostage standoff ends in tragedy, four kids dead

That woman whose kids were just murdered, her life is ruined. The family whose father is not coming home or does come home but is never the same, being confined to a wheelchair on a feeding tube or some other fate, their lives are ruined. Why did the police not stop this? LoP Guest

lop guest

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06-12-2018 08:54 AM











Post: #3 RE: Florida hostage standoff ends in tragedy, four kids dead

269346 Wrote: (06-12-2018 08:49 AM) http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/06/12/flo...eport.html



The man shot a deputy who is dying in a hospital having been shot in the head, and after a nearly two day standoff, killed his two children and his girlfriends two children, then turned the gun on themselves.



HOW COULD THE POLICE HAVE ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN?



PEOPLE SHOULD LOSE THEIR BADGE OVER THIS.

Well, we all did. We want freedom, then ask for help when we need it. No I don't have a better idea just, that's what is. There's no shame in it. Well, we all did. We want freedom, then ask for help when we need it. No I don't have a better idea just, that's what is. There's no shame in it. LoP Guest

lop guest

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06-12-2018 09:26 AM











Post: #4 RE: Florida hostage standoff ends in tragedy, four kids dead

Florida + fox. + gunman + reportedly or allegedly..= fake operation mockingbird scripted cia propaganda "news"



Same for all jade helm states LoP Guest

lop guest

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06-12-2018 10:26 AM











Post: #5 RE: Florida hostage standoff ends in tragedy, four kids dead

Sooooo important





They have no one from station within earshot of the place lol..





Garbage LoP Guest

lop guest

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06-12-2018 11:51 AM











Post: #6 RE: Florida hostage standoff ends in tragedy, four kids dead

Cue Alex Jones calling it a hoax LoP Guest

lop guest

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06-12-2018 12:24 PM











Post: #7 RE: Florida hostage standoff ends in tragedy, four kids dead

269346 Wrote: (06-12-2018 08:53 AM) That woman whose kids were just murdered, her life is ruined. The family whose father is not coming home or does come home but is never the same, being confined to a wheelchair on a feeding tube or some other fate, their lives are ruined. Why did the police not stop this?

Are you retard? Are you retard? PioneerSpirit

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06-12-2018 12:52 PM



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Post: #8 RE: Florida hostage standoff ends in tragedy, four kids dead

269346 Wrote: (06-12-2018 08:53 AM) Why did the police not stop this?

You are stating that this is the fault of the police?

How, exactly, do you think that they failed in their duties? You are stating that this is the fault of the police?How, exactly, do you think that they failed in their duties? "They notice that you notice" - Mothman Prophecies



A tradition cannot make an historical claim and then refuse to have it evaluated by history LP Guest

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06-12-2018 01:10 PM



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Post: #9 RE: Florida hostage standoff ends in tragedy, four kids dead

269346 Wrote: (06-12-2018 08:53 AM) That woman whose kids were just murdered, her life is ruined. The family whose father is not coming home or does come home but is never the same, being confined to a wheelchair on a feeding tube or some other fate, their lives are ruined. Why did the police not stop this?

You're outdoing yourself now, mr Numbers. You know?

Maybe you do, maybe you don't. But it's true. You're outdoing yourself now, mr Numbers. You know?Maybe you do, maybe you don't. But it's true. TELL-A-VISION PROGRAMMING

lop guest

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06-12-2018 01:33 PM











Post: #10 RE: Florida hostage standoff ends in tragedy, four kids dead

269346 Wrote: (06-12-2018 08:49 AM) http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/06/12/flo...eport.html



The man shot a deputy who is dying in a hospital having been shot in the head, and after a nearly two day standoff, killed his two children and his girlfriends two children, then turned the gun on themselves.



HOW COULD THE POLICE HAVE ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN?



PEOPLE SHOULD LOSE THEIR BADGE OVER THIS.

You must be trolling. There is no other excuse other than that . You must be trolling. There is no other excuse other than that . LoP Guest

lop guest

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06-12-2018 01:38 PM











Post: #11 RE: Florida hostage standoff ends in tragedy, four kids dead

2 day stand off and just being released

Plz gtfo here w this garbage





You ust all watch ellen or follow kardashians LoP Guest

lop guest

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06-12-2018 02:33 PM











Post: #12 RE: Florida hostage standoff ends in tragedy, four kids dead











Right here.



http://lunaticoutpost.com/thread-36827-p...#pid735311 Right here. Man From Orion

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06-12-2018 03:07 PM



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Post: #13 RE: Florida hostage standoff ends in tragedy, four kids dead

I love how 4 children were murdered and everyone in the comment section is more concerned with tearing one another down trying to guess his political affiliation.



When did we cross this bridge?



I hope the end comes soon to us all. PioneerSpirit

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06-12-2018 03:29 PM



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Post: #14 RE: Florida hostage standoff ends in tragedy, four kids dead

Man From Orion Wrote: (06-12-2018 03:07 PM) everyone in the comment section is more concerned with tearing one another down trying to guess his political affiliation.

My comment wasn't a 'tear someone down'.

He was upset that the cops didn't stop it.

My comment was a question ... what do you think they should have done?

What did the cops supposedly do wrong?

I'm asking for clarification on his statement. My comment wasn't a 'tear someone down'.He was upset that the cops didn't stop it.My comment was a question ... what do you think they should have done?What did the cops supposedly do wrong?I'm asking for clarification on his statement. "They notice that you notice" - Mothman Prophecies



A tradition cannot make an historical claim and then refuse to have it evaluated by history Man From Orion

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06-12-2018 03:32 PM



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Post: #15 RE: Florida hostage standoff ends in tragedy, four kids dead

PioneerSpirit Wrote: (06-12-2018 03:29 PM) Man From Orion Wrote: (06-12-2018 03:07 PM) everyone in the comment section is more concerned with tearing one another down trying to guess his political affiliation.

My comment wasn't a 'tear someone down'.

He was upset that the cops didn't stop it.

My comment was a question ... what do you think they should have done?

What did the cops supposedly do wrong?

I'm asking for clarification on his statement.

Oh my dear, not here.

Not you at all as well.

At the posted link, the comment section there.

Not one person cares about those dead children.

They're all just pissing on each other to see who can make

the most egregious political comment. Oh my dear, not here.Not you at all as well.At the posted link, the comment section there.Not one person cares about those dead children.They're all just pissing on each other to see who can makethe most egregious political comment. Advertisement

















The number of new print magazines started in the U.S. fell by more than half in 2020 to 60, compared tDear Newsie Readers,

Newsie has now permanently ceased it's services as of Friday 20th December 2019.

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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.

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The team at NewsieLunaticoutpost.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program , anaffiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.Amazon, the Amazon logo, MYHABIT, and the MYHABIT logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.Don't be a pest to the forum.No profanity in thread-titles or usernamesNo excessive profanity in postsNo Racism, Antisemitism + HateNo calls for violence against anyone..This website exists for fun and discussion only. The reader is responsible for discerning the validity, factuality or implications of information posted here, be it fictional or based on real events. The content of posts on this site, including but not limited to links to other web sites, are the expressed opinion of the original poster and are in no way representative of or endorsed by the owners or administration of this website. The posts on this website are the opinion of the specific author and are not statements of advice, opinion, or factual information on behalf of the owner or administration of LunaticOutPost.Com. The owners or administration of this website can't be hold responsible for content hosted on sites that posters link to in; including, but not limited to, posts, signatures, private messages and such. This site may contain content not suitable for minors and if you feel you might be offended by such content, you should log off immediately.This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Users may make such material available in an effort to advance awareness and understanding of issues relating to civil rights, economics, individual rights, international affairs, liberty, science & technology, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.In accordance with industry accepted best practices we ask that users limit their copy / paste of copyrighted material to the relevant portions of the article you wish to discuss (no more than 50% of the source material) provide a link back to the original articleIf you are a legal copyright holder or a designated agent for such and you believe a post on this website falls outside the boundaries of "Fair Use" and legitimately infringes on yours or your clients copyright please contact [email protected] This website is owned by :Marco ZwaneveldDrijfriemstraat 522516 XR The HagueNetherlands.I will not rent, sell, share or otherwise disclose your personal information to any third party.We might contact you from time to time regarding your purchases or the services (like forums and announcement lists) you have subscribed to.Some of the 3rd party advertisers on lunaticoutpost.com may use cookiesto track peformance and/or to serve relevant ads.If you wish to read more and/or opt out of such cookies, please visit: http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/The Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania released guidelines for ICOs in the country on June 6. The published guidelines follow statements by the United States SEC that align ICOs as securities, as CCN reported last week.

Lithuania has stood out as a major player in Europe for welcoming blockchain startups and businesses. The Minister of Finance, Vilius Sapoka, introduced the guidelines with:

[] we can not ignore the development of new financial instruments and phenomenon of blockchain technology. We do believe that certain usage of it, such us ICOs, should be regulated[] We acknowledge that the brave new crypto economy world is here to stay, this is why we encourage and invite its participants to innovate and create in Lithuania.

The new guidelines more clearly define the various scenarios where ICOs and token projects would fall under either securities regulations or currency regulations. They act as a litmus test for regulators, much like the Howie Test that the United States SEC is using as a rough guide.

Flowchart for Securities or Currencies and Impact on Taxation

Unlike the subjective ways that the SEC currently seems to apply the Howie Test to ICOs, the new guidelines from Lithuania spell out the scenarios that would classify an ICO as a security or currency. They then further break down more granular regulations that would apply under each category, in a flowchart-based guide (shown below).

Along with these guides for companies launching ICOs, the report also explains the tax implications for corporate and personal/retail investors. For retail investors, Income received from individual purchases and sales of virtual currencies will be taxed standard 15% fixed income tax rate. As CCN reported, the United States IRS has also stepped up enforcement on tax evasion with cryptocurrency.

Founders of ICOs will not be taxed if the tokens are not active or locked, or if they are held for dividend or interest payments to investors.

Story continues

Miners are subject to VAT for providing mining services to others for payment. Selling/exchanging mined virtual currency for fiat or other tokens is exempt from VAT in Lithuania.

Accounting and Anti-Money Laundering/Terrorism

The guidelines make clear that expenses for getting an ICO platform up and running. Sales of the tokens raised after an ICO are subject to the amount paid for it, in others, its fair value. The books should use a data source should be used to determine the tokens fair value, which includes the average market prices published by major cryptocurrency exchanges.

The Finance Ministry concludes that it will be amending AML and CTF Laws in order to combat money laundering and terrorism as they relate to cryptocurrencies. The first round of amendments will be forthcoming.

Featured image from Shutterstock.



The post Lithuania Publishes ICO Guidelines, Aligns with United States Sentiment appeared first on CCN.

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Russo-Japanese War, JapanKorea Treaty of 1905, and Hague Secret Emissary Affair Laserz

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06-12-2018 08:21 PM



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Post: #1 Russo-Japanese War, JapanKorea Treaty of 1905, and Hague Secret Emissary Affair

Advertisement



The Choson or Joseon Dynasty lasted 500 years until the Queen was assassinated.



Taejo Lee Sung-gye founded Joseon (also called Chosun, Choson, Choson) in 1392. The dynasty continued until 1910, and lasted for five centuries as one of the world's longest running monarchies.



Taejo founded Joseon on the ashes of the Goryeo Kingdom with its capital city Kaesong. The kingdom's capital was in Seoul and was the became the last dynasty of Korea and the longest lasting Confucian dynasty in history.



Shortly following the declaration of the Korean Empire in 1897, the dynasty ended with the Japanese annexation in 1910.



http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entr...on_Dynasty













The assassination of Queen Min

Empress Myeongseong







The Japanese minister to Korea, Miura Goro, orchestrated a plot against 43-year-old Queen Min (later given the title of "Empress Myeongseong"), and on 8 October 1895, she was assassinated by Japanese agents.



In 2001, Russian reports on the assassination were found in the archives of the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation. The documents included the testimony of King Gojong, several witnesses of the assassination, and Karl Ivanovich Weber's report to Aleksey Lobanov-Rostovsky, the Foreign Minister of Russia, by Park Jonghyo.



Weber was the charge d'affaires at the Russian legation in Seoul at that time.

According to a Russian eyewitness, Seredin-Sabatin, an employee of the king, a group of Japanese agents entered Gyeongbokgung, killed Queen Min, and desecrated her body in the north wing of the palace.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea_under_Japanese_rule Let's review the history of the Asian region that has the focus of the world right now.The Choson or Joseon Dynasty lasted 500 years until the Queen was assassinated.Taejo Lee Sung-gye founded Joseon (also called Chosun, Choson, Choson) in 1392. The dynasty continued until 1910, and lasted for five centuries as one of the world's longest running monarchies.Taejo founded Joseon on the ashes of the Goryeo Kingdom with its capital city Kaesong. The kingdom's capital was in Seoul and was the became the last dynasty of Korea and the longest lasting Confucian dynasty in history.Shortly following the declaration of the Korean Empire in 1897, the dynasty ended with the Japanese annexation in 1910.The assassination of Queen MinEmpress MyeongseongThe Japanese minister to Korea, Miura Goro, orchestrated a plot against 43-year-old Queen Min (later given the title of "Empress Myeongseong"), and on 8 October 1895, she was assassinated by Japanese agents.In 2001, Russian reports on the assassination were found in the archives of the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation. The documents included the testimony of King Gojong, several witnesses of the assassination, and Karl Ivanovich Weber's report to Aleksey Lobanov-Rostovsky, the Foreign Minister of Russia, by Park Jonghyo.Weber was the charge d'affaires at the Russian legation in Seoul at that time.According to a Russian eyewitness, Seredin-Sabatin, an employee of the king, a group of Japanese agents entered Gyeongbokgung, killed Queen Min, and desecrated her body in the north wing of the palace. Laserz

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06-12-2018 08:25 PM



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Post: #2 RE: Russo-Japanese War, JapanKorea Treaty of 1905, and Hague Secret Emissary Affair





The major theatres of operations were the Liaodong Peninsula and Mukden in Southern Manchuria and the seas around Korea, Japan and the Yellow Sea.











Russia sought a warm-water port on the Pacific Ocean for its navy and for maritime trade. Vladivostok was operational only during the summer, whereas Port Arthur, a naval base in Liaodong Province leased to Russia by China, was operational all year. Since the end of the First SinoJapanese War in 1895, Japan feared Russian encroachment on its plans to create a sphere of influence in Korea and Manchuria. Russia had demonstrated an expansionist policy in the Siberian Far East from the reign of Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century.



Seeing Russia as a rival, Japan offered to recognize Russian dominance in Manchuria in exchange for recognition of Korea as being within the Japanese sphere of influence. Russia refused and demanded Korea north of the 39th parallel to be a neutral buffer zone between Russia and Japan.



The Japanese government perceived a Russian threat to its plans for expansion into Asia and chose to go to war. After negotiations broke down in 1904, the Japanese Navy opened hostilities by attacking the Russian Eastern Fleet at Port Arthur, China, in a surprise attack.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Japanese_War The RussoJapanese War (190405) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and Korea.The major theatres of operations were the Liaodong Peninsula and Mukden in Southern Manchuria and the seas around Korea, Japan and the Yellow Sea.Russia sought a warm-water port on the Pacific Ocean for its navy and for maritime trade. Vladivostok was operational only during the summer, whereas Port Arthur, a naval base in Liaodong Province leased to Russia by China, was operational all year. Since the end of the First SinoJapanese War in 1895, Japan feared Russian encroachment on its plans to create a sphere of influence in Korea and Manchuria. Russia had demonstrated an expansionist policy in the Siberian Far East from the reign of Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century.Seeing Russia as a rival, Japan offered to recognize Russian dominance in Manchuria in exchange for recognition of Korea as being within the Japanese sphere of influence. Russia refused and demanded Korea north of the 39th parallel to be a neutral buffer zone between Russia and Japan.The Japanese government perceived a Russian threat to its plans for expansion into Asia and chose to go to war. After negotiations broke down in 1904, the Japanese Navy opened hostilities by attacking the Russian Eastern Fleet at Port Arthur, China, in a surprise attack. Laserz

let there be light

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06-12-2018 08:32 PM



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Post: #3 RE: Russo-Japanese War, JapanKorea Treaty of 1905, and Hague Secret Emissary Affair





Delegates of both Empires met in Seoul to resolve differences in matters pertaining to Koreas future foreign policy; however, with the Korean Imperial palace under occupation by Japanese troops, and the Imperial Japanese Army stationed at strategic locations throughout Korea, the Korean side was at a distinct disadvantage in the discussions.



yes.... there was drama!







On 9 November 1905, Ito Hirobumi arrived in Hanseong and gave a letter from the Emperor of Japan to Gojong, Emperor of Korea, asking him to sign the treaty. On 15 November 1905, he ordered Japanese troops to encircle the Korean imperial palace and threatened the emperor in order to force him to agree to the treaty.







On 17 November 1905, Ito and Japanese Field Marshal Hasegawa Yoshimichi entered the Jungmyeongjeon Hall, a Russian-designed building that was once part of Deoksu Palace, to persuade Gojong to agree, but he refused.



Ito pressured the cabinet with the implied, and later stated, threat of bodily harm, to sign the treaty.



According to (Han-Gyeok), Korean prime minister Han Gyu-seol disagreed, shouting loudly.



Ito ordered the guards to lock him in a room and said if he continued screaming, they could kill him.



The Korean cabinet signed an agreement that had been prepared by Ito. The Agreement gave Imperial Japan complete responsibility for Korea's foreign affairs, and placed all trade through Korean ports under Imperial Japanese supervision.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan%E2%8...ty_of_1905 Following Imperial Japans victory in the Russo-Japanese War, with its subsequent withdrawal of Russian influence, and the TaftKatsura Agreement, in which the United States allegedly agreed not to interfere with Japan in matters concerning Korea, the Japanese government sought to formalize its sphere of influence over the Korean Peninsula.Delegates of both Empires met in Seoul to resolve differences in matters pertaining to Koreas future foreign policy; however, with the Korean Imperial palace under occupation by Japanese troops, and the Imperial Japanese Army stationed at strategic locations throughout Korea, the Korean side was at a distinct disadvantage in the discussions.yes.... there was drama!On 9 November 1905, Ito Hirobumi arrived in Hanseong and gave a letter from the Emperor of Japan to Gojong, Emperor of Korea, asking him to sign the treaty. On 15 November 1905, he ordered Japanese troops to encircle the Korean imperial palace and threatened the emperor in order to force him to agree to the treaty.On 17 November 1905, Ito and Japanese Field Marshal Hasegawa Yoshimichi entered the Jungmyeongjeon Hall, a Russian-designed building that was once part of Deoksu Palace, to persuade Gojong to agree, but he refused.Ito pressured the cabinet with the implied, and later stated, threat of bodily harm, to sign the treaty.According to (Han-Gyeok), Korean prime minister Han Gyu-seol disagreed, shouting loudly.Ito ordered the guards to lock him in a room and said if he continued screaming, they could kill him.The Korean cabinet signed an agreement that had been prepared by Ito. The Agreement gave Imperial Japan complete responsibility for Korea's foreign affairs, and placed all trade through Korean ports under Imperial Japanese supervision. Laserz

let there be light

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06-12-2018 08:42 PM



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Post: #4 RE: Russo-Japanese War, JapanKorea Treaty of 1905, and Hague Secret Emissary Affair





The provisions of the treaty took effect on November 17, 1905, and it laid the foundation for the JapanKorea Treaty of 1907, and subsequent annexation of Korea in 1910.











Emperor Gojong sent personal letters to major heads of state to appeal for their support against the illegal signing. The Hague Secret Emissary Affair resulted from Korean Emperor Gojong sending confidential emissaries to the Second Peace Conference at The Hague, the Netherlands, in 1907.



The Emperor Gojong sent three secret emissaries to the second international Hague Peace Convention to protest the unfairness of the Eulsa Treaty. But the great powers of the world refused to allow Korea to take part in the conference.









and by February 21, 1908, he had sent 17 letters bearing his imperial seal, to the eight rulers...



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan%E2%8...ty_of_1905 The treaty signed under threat of death deprived Korea of its diplomatic sovereignty,in effect making Korea a protectorate of Imperial Japan.The provisions of the treaty took effect on November 17, 1905, and it laid the foundation for the JapanKorea Treaty of 1907, and subsequent annexation of Korea in 1910.Emperor Gojong sent personal letters to major heads of state to appeal for their support against the illegal signing. The Hague Secret Emissary Affair resulted from Korean Emperor Gojong sending confidential emissaries to the Second Peace Conference at The Hague, the Netherlands, in 1907.The Emperor Gojong sent three secret emissaries to the second international Hague Peace Convention to protest the unfairness of the Eulsa Treaty. But the great powers of the world refused to allow Korea to take part in the conference.and by February 21, 1908, he had sent 17 letters bearing his imperial seal, to the eight rulers... conspiracyparty

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Post: #5 RE: Russo-Japanese War, JapanKorea Treaty of 1905, and Hague Secret Emissary Affair



also funded the Japanese during that war.



He was one of the biggest bankers in the world and in the US.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Schiff



Its because he disliked Russia and hated the Czar.

The Czar family in Russia was Germanic, just like the monarchs in UK.



*edit* he also funded Zionist causes. The same guy who funded the Bolshevik Revolutionalso funded the Japanese during that war.He was one of the biggest bankers in the world and in the US.Its because he disliked Russia and hated the Czar.The Czar family in Russia was Germanic, just like the monarchs in UK.*edit* he also funded Zionist causes. (This post was last modified: 06-12-2018 08:53 PM by conspiracyparty .) Laserz

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06-12-2018 08:55 PM



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Post: #6 RE: Russo-Japanese War, JapanKorea Treaty of 1905, and Hague Secret Emissary Affair

conspiracyparty Wrote: (06-12-2018 08:51 PM) The same guy who funded the Bolshevik Revolution

also funded the Japanese during that war.



He was one of the biggest bankers in the world and in the US.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Schiff



Its because he disliked Russia and hated the Czar.

The Czar family in Russia was Germanic, just like the monarchs in UK.



*edit* he also funded Zionist causes.

thank you for adding info to this thread thank you for adding info to this thread Laserz

let there be light

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06-12-2018 08:55 PM



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Post: #7 RE: Russo-Japanese War, JapanKorea Treaty of 1905, and Hague Secret Emissary Affair





















We're celebrating the LGBT movies that broke serious ground, opened hearts, and pushed cinema forward Happy #Pride2018 https://t.co/ki8JHcoDL4  Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) June 10, 2018

Every website/publication/person with a Twitter has a list of favorite LGBT films, and Rotten Tomatoes is no exception. Not sure how they arranged their choices - they aren't ordered by freshness scores - but here are some of their picks!#142(63% Fresh): After being fired from her job as a bank teller, Frankie (Vivica A. Fox) begins working at a janitorial service with her friends Tisean (Kimberly Elise), a single mother; Cleo (Queen Latifah), a boisterous lesbian; and Stony (Jada Pinkett), who is dealing with the recent death of her brother. The women are struggling with their finances, so they decide to start robbing banks. At first the group is successful, but they soon attract the attention of an obsessive detective (John C. McGinley).: It may not boast an original plot, butis a satisfying, socially conscious heist film thanks largely to fine performances from its leads.#104(92% Fresh): Gia Carangi (Angelina Jolie) travels to New York City with dreams of becoming a fashion model. Within minutes of arriving, she meets Wilhelmina Cooper (Faye Dunaway), a wise and high-powered agent who takes Gia under her wing. With Cooper's help and her own natural instincts, Gia quickly shoots to the top of the modeling world. When Cooper dies of lung cancer, however, Gia turns to drugs -- and both she and her career begin to spiral out of control.#69(87% Fresh): A struggling comedy writer in New York City (Jesse Plemons) returns home to Sacramento to care for his dying mother (Molly Shannon) in this affecting family drama from Saturday Night Live writer Chris Kelly, marking his directorial debut.resists easy melodrama, rewarding viewers with a smart, subtle look at family dynamics with a talented cast and a finely calibrated blend of funny and serious moments.#37(94% Fresh): Teenage Alike (Adepero Oduye) lives in Brooklyn's Fort Greene neighborhood with her parents (Charles Parnell, Kim Wayans) and younger sister (Sahra Mellesse). A lesbian, Alike quietly embraces her identity and is looking for her first lover, but she wonders how much she can truly confide in her family, especially with her parents' marriage already strained. When Alike's mother presses her to befriend a colleague's daughter (Aasha Davis), Alike finds the gal to be a pleasant companion.: Pulsing with authenticity and led by a stirring lead performance from Adepero Oduye,is a powerful coming out/coming-of-age film that signals the arrival of a fresh new talent in writer/director Dee Rees.#5(99% Fresh): A young farmer numbs his frustrations with drinking and casual sex until a Romanian migrant worker sets him on a new path.: A quiet, moving rumination on loneliness and newfound intimacy,marks an outstanding directorial debut for Francis Lee.I hope their families and friends have the support they need today.



I cried a lot when this news broke, but in the two years since, I have gotten way more numb to this kind of mass violence. Nothing positive has happened in the realm of restricting guns and it seems like nothing ever will. I vote, and I encourage other people to vote, and I live in a blue state, but it seems fruitless.

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I can't believe it's been 2 years already, I guess it just feels so fresh since there's still the ongoing attack against the community.



And as long as people repubs don't care about/hate are dying, nothing will really be done.

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i can't believe it's been two years already. the memories of the news breaking out is still so fresh in my mind. i felt so sick to my stomach. i hope their families have all the support for today, i can't imagine what they're going through.

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Hugely devastating, especially seeing the victims and how young the majority were. It's horrible that the violence did not end there and we've still had more horrific "never again" mass shootings.



it's also fucked up that LGBTQ celebrations of joy like pride are still disrupted by police, especially when they're so necessary in a post-Pulse and Pence world.

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two years, and what do we as a country have to show for it? not a goddamn thing, makes me so angry.



RIP to the victims and I hope all affected by this have received the proper care.

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I don't cry often and just remember being so upset that day and how truly devastating it was for the community to have that safe space violated and that destruction. I feel so much for those families and friends today and send them love.

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my mind couldn't process this when i woke up to the news

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I will never forget when this happened. As a gay Latino this definitely hit me hard.



I remember listening to NPR coverage of this and Ari Shapiro (an openly gay journalist) was interviewing a friend of one of the victims. As the friend got more and more into the story of the victim and the homophobia he faced with his family and how the friend took him in, you heard this progressive breakdown in Aris masc sounding impartial journalist demeanor. This little interaction always stuck with me I guess do to this greater consciousness of what it means to be gay and the struggles we experience within the community.

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I'm shocked it's already been two years, it's still so fresh in my memory



hopefully the loved ones left behind could find support during this time, may the victims RIP

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I will never forget that day. I woke up to so many missed calls and texts from people wanting to know if I was alive. :[ My husband and I had been downtown that night but got home by like 11. I remember it being extra raw because Christina Grimmie had been killed the night before Pulse.



The worst. RIP to all of these beautiful individuals. Their deaths will not be in vain.  Thanks for this post, OP.

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I wrote about Pulse, Queer rage, and how it feels like were screaming into the voidhttps://t.co/PmqbJgQOVy  JuanPa (@jpbrammer) June 12, 2018



This article really encapsulated how I felt and how I feel now.

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i almost included that one too <3

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juanpa is really great

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"These days, to be marginalized means to be inundated by daily atrocities at a spirit-breaking pace. Violence rolls in, crashes in waves, more meteorological than human, rendering us ineffective agents in the solution."



very real

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thank you so much for sharing.

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This article was brutal and beautifully written. Thank you for sharing it.

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I remember waking up to this on Sunday morning and preparing to walk down to the West Hollywood Pride parade.



So, sad and scary. Heart-wrenching.



There was SO MUCH support that day- every group that came down the parade was screaming love for Orlando.

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LinkThis show isnt even that iconic.

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stfu mona



i'm kidding. but really this is iconique, how dare you



Edited at 2018-06-12 09:08 pm (UTC)

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hdu

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wowowow

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Why the negativity sis?!

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but it even has Shakespeare

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How is it too risky?? You could do amazing things with the back story and visuals.

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It's because "Peeles take on Gargoyles doesnt fit neatly within Disneys branded silos (live-action fairy tale, Star Wars, Pixar, Marvel)."

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It's so sad that it's come to this. Soon we will be like the Lego Movie where everyone just listens to the one song, only we'll all be basically watching the one film.

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LoL, I like the idea of J.Peele having Disney by the balls and tip-toeing around his wants.

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GIVE. IT. TO. MEEEEE



this is ripe for a live action version, it adapts perfectly and easily to the real world.

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let chelsea peretti his wife play a random bystander who's like the first to get exposed to the Gargoyles and runs away screaming



GIVE ME THIS

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I feel like this is just getting my hopes up the way they did when they announced they were making the Artemis Fowl movie like 10+ years ago.



Disney needs to let Gargoyles come back. There's a larger waiting in the wings fandom for it than they seem think there is.

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Or they need to sell the rights and let a studio who wants it to do something with it.

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Artemis Fowl is at least coming out next year.

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LET HIM.

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IVE BEEN WANTING THIS FOR DECADES

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That headline just healed me of all ailments.

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I read that as hairline and scrolled back up all confused lol

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Only if it's animated, has the OG cast, and Greg Weissman writes.

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I just binged the series for the first time in 10+ years 2 weeks ago. The storylines, characters, diversity....everything held up and is still good!



Disney acts ashamed of Gargoyles for some reason. This franchise needs a revival and deserves one. With Greg Weisman and the OG team attached to consult.

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Werk

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Remember when Rick Baker did a mock up of Golliath when they planned to do the movie in the 90's and it looked awesome? I'd be down for it. Personally, I'd be down for a gritty, noir fantasy/sci fi vehicle like this and Disney is fucking dunmb to not take his offer and run with it to a studio to make a film.





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my god disney



get with it

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Linkstop the presses, disney did something homophobic.

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disney isn't a homophobic company tho.

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I believe them tbh like the trailer went straight to crazy violence in the middle of the kiss so they probably just cut it out a few seconds early so whatever kids were sitting there didnt see Ellie rip some dudes throat out lmao

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mte i dont think highly of disney but the kiss was literally interrupted by jarring violence

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i'm not too familiar with this franchise and jfc i wasn't prepared for that violence

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It went from kiss to killing, very quickly.

If anyone wanted to keep watching, they could have watched on any number of sites that was broadcasting.

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This was the first trailer of the night. The entire trailer for this game was the most violent thing of the night, there was one other game that was violent and bloody but not anywhere near the level of this but idk if they showed that one or not



There was also the resident evil 2 trailer which I assume they didnt show eithe r



Edited at 2018-06-12 10:01 pm (UTC)

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I guess according to Twitter, during Resident Evil 2, they showed the dead rat, followed by the scene before realizing they needed to censor it. I wouldn't know since I didn't watch Disney XP for the Playstation showcase since I watched it via Playstation. So take my word with a grain of salt.

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#disneyxd #E32018 #TheLastOfUs2 #censored pic.twitter.com/9qxYdAwTWH  Edwin== (@jolt1030) June 12, 2018





Which I mean, they could have been censoring the violence but I can see why those watching XP would take it as otherwise. I guess when IGN was talking about the scene and how they praised the creators for keeping Ellie gay they blurred the kiss out. I guess this also enraged fans as well.Which I mean, they could have been censoring the violence but I can see why those watching XP would take it as otherwise.

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Do I believe Disney. Heck no.

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I believe them. I mean they cut straight to a scene of her shoving a blade in a guys throat. Im guessing if it was on some type of delay they cut it early enough which meant cutting into the kiss.

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Why did they even show it in the first place??

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I guess Disney has been trying to appeal to gamers lately since they launched D | XP last year. They had Disney do some E3 stuff with Youtubers leading the way but I guess they decided to broadcast E3 live with IGN. I don't know why they even bothered with it considering Playstation has more mature games than Nintendo for example. I just don't understand out of all the places to watch the showcase that people would watch it on Disney.

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I low key think Disney was relieved the kiss cut to violence so they had an excuse not to show it lol

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I mean the kiss goes on for awhile before the knife thing, but they cut the kiss as soon as it starts, sounds like bullshit they wanted to censor the kiss too and this is their scapegoat.

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I don't really trust Disney just based on principal tbh.

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They cut out a gay kiss in one of their TV movies so I don't really trust them to tell the truth even if it probably was an accident in the end lol.

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Are you talking about Descendants 2? Yeah, I heard about that. I find it ironic because this behavior only makes me assume that the character who came out on Andi Mack will never have a love interest or be explored tbh.

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Yeah it's so baffling but pretty telling too. I see you Disney.

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i had no idea Harry and Gil kiss in D2. i had to google to see who you guys were referring to. i'm shooK.



of course Disney cut it. you can come out on a Disney show but that's as far as it goes at this point for Disney.



i bet they think that's progressive enough and are patting themselves. smh.

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omg that would've been so great if descendants had showed someone gay/a gay kiss - that franchise is super popular with kids!!

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Sounds like a bs excuse to me

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LinkA major tax overhaul in Russias oil industry is about to start pressuring the earnings of major oil companies. Refiners will be hit hardest as the overhaul will increase the tax burden on downstream operations while the upstream sector will see taxes shift from production-based to profit-based.

Last week, the Finance and Energy Ministries announced that they had agreed with oil companies to begin phasing out oil export duties by 5 percent annually over the next six years, from 30 percent now to zero in 2023. The producers are happy about this: the dutyalong with a so-called mineral resource tax based on production sizewill be replaced by a profit-based tax that, oil companies say, will stimulate investments in production expansion.

Yet their happiness is not all-encompassing. S&P Platts writes that the phase-out of the oil export duty actually seeks to reduce state support for the local refining industry, which has - over the last ten years - exceeded industry spending on refinery modernization by five times. This success is largely due to the difference in oil export duties for crude oil and oil products.

Currently, oil product exports are taxed on the basis of a percentage of the crude oil export duty, which is tied to the price of oil. Changing that will save the government some US$16 billion (1 trillion rubles) annually from subsidies for refiners. The change will include not only removing the crude export duty, but also next year introducing a negative excise duty on crude oil for Russian refineries, a government source told S&P Platts. Related: OPECs Second Biggest Producer Faces Instability

The aim of the government is to stimulate refinery upgrades and higher light oil product output. Back in 2015, Moscow slashed the export duties for crude and light oil products while raising the ones for heavy oil products.

Now, the Finance Ministry has proposed excise refunding to those refiners who invest in upgrading their processing facilities. Even with the refunds, however, these companies will likely see a higher tax burden overall as reform plans also include a temporary increase in the mineral resources tax on crude oil and gas condensate, to be introduced next year.

In another blow to refiners bottom lines, the government recently announced a plan for a mechanism that will make it possible to quickly raise the export duties on oil products should crude oil prices jump, in order to make sure the domestic market remains sufficiently supplied. Related: New Players Enter The European Gas Game

In addition to a well-supplied domestic market, the mechanism, if approved by parliament, will bring in an additional US$1.93 billion (120 billion rubles) to the 2018 budget. This additional revenue would come at the expense of part of the diesel export earnings of Gazprom Neft, Rosneft, and Surgutneftegaz, among others.

The wider tax reform, including the switch to a profit-based tax in the upstream sector, could generate a total US$58 billion (3.6 trillion rubles) over the six-year period of the export duty phase-out, based on an average price per barrel of oil of US$50 and based on the current ruble exchange rate. Since the refiners that will suffer the negative consequences of the reform are also the biggest upstream players in Russia, chances are that things will largely even out at the end of the day.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:MANILA, Philippines  Many Filipinos are still satisfied with how democracy works in the country based on the latest Social Weather Stations survey (SWS).

According to the Pollster, 78 percent of Filipinos are satisfied with the countrys democracy in the second quarter of the year, a drop of two points from 80 percent in June last year.

Meanwhile, 60 percent of Filipinos still prefer democracy among other systems of government while 19 percent wants authoritarian rule.

The survey was taken through interviews with 1,200 respondents all over the country from March 13 to 28.

In his message for the anniversary of the Independence Day on Tuesday, June 12, President Rodrigo Duterte said he hopes for everyone to build that courage to defend the present democracy and its importance in the years to come. This is also a way to cherish the sacrifices our forefathers made for the liberty that we enjoy today.

The chief executive also appealed to the public to combat corruption, illegal drugs and criminality that impede the countrys progress. Likewise, the President called on everyone to stand firm in creating a better future for all Filipinos regardless of status in life.

Today, we honor and remember the patriots who have given their lives in the name of liberty and freedom. As heirs of this great sacrifice, let us all be worthy of their legacy by leaving behind a nation. If we do not prepare our country financially, politically, environmentally, tandaan ninyo ang sinabi ko (remember what I said). Im thankful that Ive said it in a very important place  Kawit, Cavite  where our nation was founded, Duterte said.

Before his speech, some hecklers welcomed the President in the said event. However, Duterte maintained that he respects the militants freedom of expression and instructed the police on the ground to exercise maximum tolerance.

I will understandOur Constitution guarantees freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and free expression. So I would just advise the law enforcement to just deal with them peacefully and the maximum tolerance, he advised the PNP.  Rosalie Coz

The post Majority of Filipinos still satisfied with PH democracy  SWS Survey appeared first on UNTV News.After Trump-Kim summit, China says sanctions against North Korea could be eased

Beijing has suggested international sanctions against Pyongyang could be eased, just hours after a historic summit meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended in a joint statement on complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

The remarks were made by foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang at a briefing in Beijing after Foreign Minister Wang Yi praised the summit  the first between a North Korean leader and a sitting US president  as creating a new history.

Creating new history: Asia reacts to landmark US-North Korea summit

The relevant resolutions passed by the UN Security Council stipulate that  adjustment to the sanctions has to be made in accordance with the situation on how North Korea has implemented the agreement  including suspending or removing relevant sanction measures, Geng said.

China had maintained UN sanctions against its reclusive neighbour in a serious and strict manner, he said.

The Chinese side believes that  the actions taken by the UN Security Council should support the current diplomatic dialogues and efforts in progressing towards denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, Geng added.

Analysts generally agree that a series of stringent economic and financial sanctions against North Korea, led by the US with Chinas support, played a big role in Kims sudden embrace of diplomacy over the past six months after his repeated nuclear provocations.

Geng said that Beijing would continue to fulfil its international obligations and play a constructive role on the Korean peninsula.

Shopping, fast food and lavish dinners: North Korean delegates sample Singaporean capitalism  and McDonalds

Wang said in a statement earlier that China welcomed and supported the summit between the US and North Korean leaders and hoped the two countries could reach a basic consensus on achieving denuclearisation.

The fact that Trump and Kim can sit together and have equal talks has important and positive meaning, and is creating a new history, he said in the statement.

Story continues

At the same time, there needs to be a peace mechanism for the peninsula, to resolve North Koreas reasonable security concerns, he added.

This article After Trump-Kim summit, China says sanctions against North Korea could be eased 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:The United States formally unveiled its new de facto embassy in Taiwan on Tuesday, signalling its continued commitment to helping defend the island amid escalating tensions between Taipei and mainland China.

Analysts said while the move was certain to please Taipei and infuriate Beijing, it would be important to see whether the office will take on a more official role, facilitating contact between the US and Taiwanese governments.

A dedication ceremony for the US$250 million four-storey office compound was attended on Tuesday morning by senior officials from Taiwan and the US, including the islands President Tsai Ing-wen.

The new base for the American Institute in Taiwan is said to be the strongest and most secure structure ever built on the island, made with blast-proof materials over nearly 10 years.

A number of its building materials were shipped from the US, according to AIT officials.

Taiwan event creates headaches for Trump amid North Korea talks

Marie Royce, assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs, was one of the representatives for the US government, with many officials accompanying US President Donald Trump for his summit in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

It represents much more than steel and glass and concrete, Royce said at the ceremony. The new office complex is a symbol of the strength and vibrancy of the US-Taiwan partnership in the 21st century.

Royce is the wife of a long-time Taiwan advocate and House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, Ed Royce.

Also among the guests of honour were William Moser, principal deputy director of the US Overseas Office, and US Congressman Gregg Harper, co-chairman of the US Congressional Taiwan Caucus. Premier William Lai and former Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou were also present.

A smiling Tsai said the new building was a symbol of more promising relations between Washington and Taipei.

The great story of Taiwan-US relations remains to be filled with the efforts of those that will one day occupy this building, she said. As long as we stand together, nothing can come between us, Tsai said, referring to the ever-closer bilateral relations between the two sides since Trump took power and as Beijing increasingly tries to suppress Taipei.

Story continues

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Beijing was gravely concerned and had launched solemn representations with Washington  diplomatic speak for an official protest.

If any US official attends this activity, whatever their excuse may be, it violates the one-China principle, Geng told a regular press briefing, Agence France-Presse reported.

We urge the US to honour its words on the Taiwan issue and redress its wrongdoings so as to avoid doing harm to China-US ties and peace and stability in cross-strait relations.

Ties between Taiwan and mainland China have been strained since Tsai, from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, took office in 2016. Beijing considers Taiwan to be a breakaway Chinese province to eventually be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Tsai has also refused to acknowledge the 1992 consensus that there is only one China and that Taiwan forms part of it. Beijing says the principle forms the basis of any ties between the mainland and Taiwan.

Taiwan confident senior US officials like John Bolton will visit new de facto embassy soon

Beijing has sought to increase political pressure on the island, halting any cross-strait dialogue and isolating it internationally by poaching its few overseas diplomatic allies. The mainland has also stepped up military exercises and air patrols close to Taiwan.

Trump decided not to send cabinet-level officials to the opening ceremony to avoid further antagonising Beijing amid other tensions over trade and Chinas claims to much of the South China Sea, sources with ties to the US and Chinese governments told the South China Morning Post earlier this month.

But AIT director Kin Moy said he believed Royce was the perfect guest for the ceremony. She is absolutely a perfect candidate, a perfect guest to come here because she reflects about 40 years of education and cultural cooperation between our two sides, he said in a brief news conference.

When asked to confirm a statement by former AIT director Stephen Young last year that US Marines would be stationed at the new office, both Moy and his boss, AIT chairman James Moriarty, sidestepped the question by saying the new complex will have similar security arrangements to the current office  where a small number of US personnel work with local security staff.

We dont make a political statement with our security. What we do is we bring a sufficient number of people to coordinate with local staff to ensure that the people inside our buildings are very safe, Moy said.

Former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian said on Facebook on Tuesday that the AIT had been planning to post US Marines at the new office back when he was president, between 2000 and 2008.

Chen said the construction plan for the complex had been overseen by four presidents, including Lee Teng-hui, during whose term AIT started negotiations over the location of the new office. The project agreement was then signed when Chen was president, he said, construction began under Mas watch, and now the new office was being launched under Tsai.

It has nothing to do with increased relations between the US and Taiwan, Chen said.

Why new de facto US embassy in Taiwan may further rock ties with China

The AIT signed a 99-year NT$340 million (US$11.38 million) lease with the Taipei city government in 2008 for a 6.5-hectare plot of land for the new office complex.

Shen Lyu-shun, Taipeis former unofficial envoy to the US, said the new office was a milestone in US-Taiwan ties. But what is more important is whether this organisation is able to function in an official capacity, he said.

Lai I-chung, executive director of the pro-DPP Taiwan Thinktank, said regardless of whether the US State Department was tied up with the Trump-Kim meeting in Singapore on Tuesday  and unable to send a high-level cabinet official to Taiwan for the ceremony  development of US-Taiwan relations will not be limited to June 12 [launch day].

With the US and Taiwan getting closer, Beijing is expected to step up pressure against Taiwan, but this will only increase sympathy and support for Taiwan from countries in the region, Lai said.

On the mainland, state-run tabloid Global Times said in an editorial on Tuesday that Beijing should continue to send the message to Taiwanese authorities that Washington was not their saviour.

This article US unveils new embassy in Taiwan amid strained ties with China first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.Why no rocket launch plans from Australia? Credit: Shutterstock/Gearstd

For the past 20 years, Australia has attempted to stake its claim in the lucrative commercial space industry.

In some aspects we have done quite well. There is no doubt that we have some of the most advanced ground systems in the world, and our open, relatively unpopulated geography makes the Australian continent ideal for operations such as the Square Kilometre Array.

But despite our accomplishments on the ground, there has been very limited success for Australians wanting to get to space from our continent.

Early launch plans

The enactment of the Space Activities Act 1998 (Cth), one of the first examples of a domestic commercially focused space law, was prompted by the plans by Kistler Aerospace to establish a spaceport at Woomera.

That Act was focused on the operations that were taking place at the time. Australia was seeing significant interest from overseas entities who wanted to capitalise on our geography for launching rockets.

Fast forward to 2018, and no commercial launch operator has yet established themselves in Australia.

Rather, we have a burgeoning commercial interest in low-cost, high-volume cube sats for Internet of Things applications.

In 2015, the federal government announced a review of the Space Activities Act, recognising that regulation is just as significant a barrier for the space industry as the cost involved.

In early 2017, after a significant consultative period, the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (DIIS) recognised the need for reform, recommending that the Space Activities Act be replaced.

Rise of the space agency

In the intervening time, the government also announced the Space Capability Review and accepted its recommendation of the introduction of an Australian Space Agency.

That agency, to be headed by former CSIRO boss Megan Clark AC, will come into being on July 1, 2018. Many people consider the move to be a reaffirmation of Australia's interest in the space domain.

More than a year after the legislative proposal paper was released by the DIIS, the Space Activities Amendment (Launches and Returns) Bill 2018 received its second reading in the House of Representatives on May 30, 2018, with little fanfare or coverage.

Despite the lengthy period of consultation and the initial statements that an entirely new Act would be drafted, this is a revision of the already existing legislation. It does little to inspire confidence in the government's approach to an Australia commercial space industry.

Limited changes in legislation

This Bill purports to broaden regulatory frameworks, expand the scope of the Act, reduce costs to operators, and reduce barriers to entry.

Another SpaceX launch from Florida  How long before crowds can watch a launch from Australia? Credit: Flickr/Jill Bazeley, CC BY-NC

In some ways, it will achieve these goals. There is a reduction of the insurance requirements for operators, from a world-leading A$750 million to a far more competitive A$100 million.

The bill facilitates the launch of space objects from aircraft, will recognise the prevalence of overseas markets for launch operations, and introduce the ability to launch rockets reaching an altitude less than 100kmAustralia's regulatory demarcation of outer space.

As noted above, the changes to the Act are dwarfed by the content that is merely left in place. Operators previously complained of an Act that is vague, difficult to navigate, and with prohibitive compliance costs.

Most of the changes embodied within the bill are merely in name only. A "Space Licence" becomes a "Facility Licence" with the only substantive reduction in pre-licence compliance being that the licence is no longer restricted to corporations.

The "Overseas Launch Licence" is renamed the "Overseas Payload Permit", but is not matched with any substantive changes. This would see an Australian who wishes to launch a rocket overseas need a payload permit to launch their rocket.

Further, and of significant concern to commercial operators considering whether they should base their operations in Australia or move offshore, is the requirement for all permits to "include a strategy for debris mitigation".

It is not clear what form this should take or how stringently this must comply, for example, with standards such as Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

Advances overseas

If we look overseas there has been an abundance of new domestic laws that focus on promoting commercial activity while more actively aiming to protect the domain that is so important to everyday life.

Recent domestic enactments such as the British Space Industry Act 2018, the New Zealand Outer Space and High-altitude Activities Act 2017, and a plethora of US statutes recognise the need for on-orbit regulation.

Read more: Lost in space: Australia dwindled from space leader to also-ran in 50 years

Under the United Nation's Outer Space Treaty, a country is required to authorise and continually supervise non-government activities in outer space.

Australia's existing Act, and this new Bill, fail to do this. Regulating activities while in space is the hallmark of modern domestic space law.

Finally, there is no reference to the new Australian Space Agency. It is anticipated that the agency will be the relevant regulatory body for the purposes of the Act and its role will be articulated in the yet to be developed rules.

A slight element of unease creeps into the space industry in the face of this disconnect. It is hoped that this does not reflect any ambivalence to the future role of such an Agency nor reflect a lack of commitment to Australia becoming a driving force in the space industry.

Joel Lisk contributed to the research for this article.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.One of the giant slugs (Limax maximus) recorded by volunteer scientist Sanae Watanabe. The slugs are an invasive alien species in Japan. Credit: Sanae Watanabe

With the help of citizen science, researchers have unraveled the close correlation between weather conditions and the appearances of a giant slug species, enabling them to predict the slug's activity on the following day.

The giant slug Limax maximus, an invasive species which made its way from northern Europe to Japan and other regions worldwide, is notorious for the harm it can cause to horticultural and agricultural crops. A research team led by Yuta Morii of Hokkaido University previously reported the spread of the species and its potential native predator in Japan.

In the current study published in Science of the Total Environment, Morii and his collaborators found that a certain set of weather conditions could be a reliable short-term indicator of how often giant slugs would appear on a set mountain path. The findings showed that the slugs were more likely to appear on days with higher humidity and lower wind speed and precipitation than the 20-year average. Furthermore, following days which recorded higher than average humidity and precipitation and lower than average wind speed and atmospheric pressure, the number of slug appearances tended to increase. They used the findings to make predictions regarding future slug sightings.

This study was made possible by citizen science. In order to survey the number of slugs present on the path, volunteer naturalist Sanae Watanabe hiked the Mt. Maruyama route, in Sapporo, Japan, at 5:00 AM nearly every day for two years. At the same time, researchers were feeding weather data obtained from a Sapporo City meteorological station located two kilometers from Mt. Maruyama into a computer. They then conducted statistical analyses using a recently developed method known as Bayesian regularization, which elucidated the correlation between slug appearances and complex weather conditions.

"Citizen science is a powerful tool to combat the challenges created by invasive species. Our study emphasizes the importance of collaborations between researchers, government administration, and citizen volunteers. We hope that our prediction method can be used in the future to develop targeted eradication policies against slugs." said Yuta Morii.

Explore further Native leech preys on invasive slug?

More information: Yuta Morii et al. Activity of invasive slug Limax maximus in relation to climate conditions based on citizen's observations and novel regularization based statistical approaches, Science of The Total Environment (2018). Journal information: Science of the Total Environment Yuta Morii et al. Activity of invasive slug Limax maximus in relation to climate conditions based on citizen's observations and novel regularization based statistical approaches,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.403Brasilestes stardusti existed more than 70 million years ago in what is now Sao Paulo State. Its description, based on a fossilized tooth, has been published in Royal Society Open Science Credit: Mariela Castro

Brasilestes stardusti is the name given to the oldest known mammal found in Brazil. It lived in what is now the northwest of Sao Paulo State at the end of the Mesozoic Era between 87 million and 70 million years ago. It is the only Brazilian mammal known to have coexisted with the dinosaurs.

The discovery of Brasilestes was announced on May 30, 2018, by a team led by Max Langer, a professor at the University of Sao Paulo's Ribeirao Preto School of Philosophy, Science & Letters (FFCLRP-USP). Langer's team included colleagues at the Federal University of Goias and the University of Campinas in Brazil, La Plata Museum in Argentina, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US.

Physically speaking, Brasilestes consists of a fossilized premolar tooth with a maximum crown length of 3.5 mm. "The tooth is small and incomplete: the roots are missing," said paleontologist Mariela Cordeiro de Castro, first author of the paper recently published in Royal Society Open Science.

"Small but not tiny," Castro continued. "Although it's only 3.5 mm, the Brasilestes tooth is three times bigger than all known Mesozoic mammal teeth. In the age of the dinosaurs, most mammals were the size of mice. Brasilestes was far larger, about the size of an opossum."

The name of the new species pays tribute to British rock star David Bowie, who died in January 2016, a month after the fossil was found. Brasilestes stardusti alludes to Ziggy Stardust, an extraterrestrial character created by Bowie for a 1972 album.

The research was supported by the Sao Paulo Research FoundationFAPESP as part of the thematic project "The origin and rise of dinosaurs in Gondwana (late Triassic-early Jurassic)," for which Langer is principal investigator.

The fossilized tooth was found in a rocky outcrop of the Adamantina Formation in General Salgado, Sao Paulo State. The rocks are in a field on a ranch called Fazenda Buriti.

"We were visiting Mesozoic outcrops when Julio Marsola [another member of the team], keen-sighted as a lynx, spotted a small tooth sticking up out of a rock," said Castro, a professor at the Federal University of Goias (UFG).

"The General Salgado deposits are well-known. Several Mesozoic crocodiles have come from them. The particular outcrop where I found Brasilestes is interesting, with dozens of fragments of Mesozoic crocodile eggshells. I bent down to look more closely at a small part of the outcrop to see if there were any eggshells and spotted the tooth. If it had stayed out in the open like that for a few more days, the rain would have swept it away.

"When I noticed what appeared to resemble the base of the tooth's two roots [the roots themselves have broken off], I thought it must be a mammal. Laboratory analysis gave us the certainty that it is indeed from a mammal."

A placental mammal in the Botucatu Desert

While a mere 3.5 mm tooth, especially an incomplete one, may seem insufficient to describe a new species of mammal, in actual, fact extinct mammals are frequently described on the basis of a single fossilized tooth.

This is because teeth are the most durable part of the mammalian skeleton. After all, they have to withstand the wear and tear of chewing for an entire lifetime. In contrast, many fish species and reptiles, for example, grow new teeth continually throughout their lives. Indeed, mammalian teeth are often the only skeletal remains that stay intact long enough to become fossilized.

The fact that a single premolar is all that is left of Brasilestes and that it is incomplete prevented the researchers from distinguishing with absolute confidence the group of mammals to which the species belonged. They know the tooth belonged to a therian, a member of a large subclass of Mammalia that includes marsupials and placentals.

Although there is not enough evidence to support the inclusion of Brasilestes in either infraclass, the researchers believe (but cannot categorically conclude) it was a placental mammal. If so, the fossil is unique.

Today, there are three major groups of mammals, namely, placentals, marsupials and monotremes. All three evolved during the Mesozoic Era. At that time, however, they were by no means the only groups of mammals. There were also multituberculates, which were common in the northern hemisphere, as well as groups typical of the southern hemisphere such as meridiolestids and gondwanatheriansnamed for Gondwana, the ancient southern supercontinent that gave rise to Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, and India.

The first Mesozoic mammal fossils were found in Argentinian Patagonia in the early 1980s, and some 30 species are now known. Until the Brasilestes announcement, these were the only ones found in South America. None remotely resembles the little tooth found in Brazil.

"When I showed the Brasilestes fossil to Edgardo Ortiz-Jaureguizar, a paleontologist at La Plata Museum, he was very surprised. He said he'd never seen anything like it, and at once showed it to another specialist at the same institution, Francisco Goin, who had the same reaction. Goin said Brasilestes resembled no other Mesozoic mammal found in Argentina, hence in South America," Castro recalled.

Among the 30-odd Argentinian species of Mesozoic mammals, there are meridiolestids, gondwanatherians, and even a few suspected multituberculates. There are no marsupials or placentals. The only fossils in these two groups found in South America date from after the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago in an event that marks the end of the Mesozoic and the onset of the current geological era, the Cenozoic.

Until the discovery of Brasilestes, the only traces of Mesozoic mammals in Brazil were hundreds of tracks and footprints left by unknown creatures 130 million years ago as they traversed the dunes of the Botucatu Desert in what is now Sao Paulo State. The solidified surface of those dunes has been preserved as sandstone slabs on which the footprints can be seen.

In 1993, Reinaldo Jose Bertini , a professor at Sao Paulo State University (UNESP) in Rio Claro, announced the discovery of a mammalian jawbone fragment with a single tooth far smaller than the Brasilestes premolar. However, Bertini did not publish a detailed study of the fossil and therefore could not name a new species.

"Brasilestes is not just the first Brazilian Mesozoic mammal to be described but also one of the few Mesozoic mammals found in more central regions of South America. The Argentinian fossils were found in geological formations in Patagonia, the southern tip of the continent," Langer said.

"Furthermore, Brasilestes is different from everything found before, suggesting that possibly placental mammals inhabited South America between 87.8 million and 70 million years ago," said the FAPESP thematic project coordinator.

New species possibly related to a mammal from India

Even more surprisingly, the Mesozoic mammal with premolars that most resemble the Brasilestes tooth lived on the other side of the world, in India, between 70 million and 66 million years ago. Its name is Deccanolestes. No other creature in the global fossil record is so similar to Brasilestes.

How could two members of the same lineage have lived so far apart in unconnected regions? Approximately 100 million years ago, when South America and Africa had only just been separated by the opening of the South Atlantic, India was breaking away from Gondwana and starting to wander through the Indian Ocean.

This implies that at least 100 million years ago, the ancestors of Brasilestes and Deccanolestes populated the Gondwana supercontinent. In other words, the lineage to which Brasilestes and Deccanolestes belong is far older than the ages of their fossilsbetween 87 million and 70 million years ago for Brasilestes, and between 70 million and 66 million for Deccanolestes.

"The discovery of Brasilestes raises many more questions than answers about the biogeography of South American Mesozoic mammals," Langer said. "Thanks to Brasilestes, we've realized that the history of Gondwana's mammals is more complex than we thought."

Finding triggers speculation on xenarthrans' origins

This could give rise to new hypotheses and new lines of investigation. Who knows, for example, whether future research inspired by the discovery of Brasilestes will reveal the origin of a typical South American group, the xenarthrans, the order of armadillos, anteaters and sloths? Castro's main research interest, in fact, is the evolutionary history of the xenarthrans.

"An interesting feature of the Brasilestes premolar is its superthin enamel, which is only 20 micrometers thick. The Brasilestes enamel is the thinnest of any Cretaceous mammal in the fossil record. Most Mesozoic mammals have enamel in the range of 100 to 300 micrometers," Castro said.

"Tens of known species of xenarthrans are alive now. Hundreds are extinct. Only three have enamel. The microstructure of Brasilestes' premolar enamel is very similar to that of the nine-banded armadillo," said the FAPESP-supported researcher.

According to Castro, "molecular clock evidence suggests the xenarthran lineage started at least 85 million years ago. However, the oldest armadillo fossils, found in Rio de Janeiro, are about 50 million years old".

While it is intriguing to imagine Brasilestes as an ancient xenarthran, it is far too soon for any such affirmation.

"The age and provenance of Brasilestes do match molecular hypotheses for the origin of the xenarthrans, but it would be premature to infer taxonomic affinity in light of the morphological differences between the Brasilestes tooth and armadillo teeth," Castro said.

Langer agreed. "We have only one Brasilestes fossil. That's nowhere near enough to extract conclusions from the fossil record," he said.

The fact that no Mesozoic mammal fossils were found in Brazil before Brasilestes could mean such fossils are rare or too fragile to be preserved. "Who knows, one day we may find new Brasilestes fossils that help us understand its history better. It could take decades," Langer said.

Explore further Utah fossil reveals global exodus of mammals' near relatives to major continents

More information: Mariela C. Castro et al, A Late Cretaceous mammal from Brazil and the first radioisotopic age for the Bauru Group, Royal Society Open Science (2018). Journal information: Royal Society Open Science Mariela C. Castro et al, A Late Cretaceous mammal from Brazil and the first radioisotopic age for the Bauru Group,(2018). DOI: 10.1098/rsos.180482Credit: Oregon State University

New research shows that paying communities in Mexico to conserve and manage their jointly-owned property doesn't just benefit the environmentit strengthens social relationships and a sense of community within those areas as well.

The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The findings provide new evidence that payments for environmental services can provide broader social benefits, according to the study's co-lead authors, Oregon State University's Jennifer Alix-Garcia and Amherst College's Katharine Sims.

This is the first analysis of the social capital impacts of a national-scale, globally relevant forest conservation program. It shows that payment programs improve participants' "social capital"involvement in assemblies, ability to resolve conflicts, trust between members and community-building efforts, among other things.

"Conservation of natural resources often relies on voluntary contributions of time and effort, and payments for environmental services policies boost these efforts by providing funding for maintenance of forests and other natural vegetation," said Sims, adding that incentive-based conservation programs have been adopted in multiple countries and play a central role in global climate agreements. "While these financial incentives help forest management activities compete with other land uses, many conservationists worry that external payments will undermine moral or intrinsic motivation to protect nature."

Alix-Garcia, an economist in OSU's College of Agricultural Sciences said, "It is especially noteworthy that the program did not crowd out unpaid contributions to land management or other voluntary community work."

Mexico's federal Payments for Environmental Services (PES) program, run by the Mexican National Forestry Commission, funds conservation activities by landowners. It provides five-year contracts to selected participants who agree to maintain existing forest or other natural vegetation and manage their land according to a voluntary plan.

Participants in the PES receive annual payments equivalent to $8 to $32 in U.S. dollars per acre and are monitored by field visits and satellite. Approximately half of forested land in Mexico is governed under these arrangements, making them key to the future of biodiversity and watershed protection. At least 18 percent of all land across the world is controlled communally.

Previous research by Alix-Garcia and Sims was among the first to show that payments for environmental services could slow deforestation, especially when contracts were targeted to communities under strong pressure to convert natural lands into cropland or pasture.

This latest study focused on Mexico's agrarian communities, which are formally recognized structures of local governance that make joint decisions over land management through elected councils and an assembly of members.

Alix-Garcia and Sims found further evidence that the implementation of incentive-based conservation initiatives results in increased land management activities, such as patrolling for illegal activity, building fire breaks and controlling pests.

"Social capital and trust are understood to be important drivers of economic development generally, and of collective action to protect the environment," Alix-Garcia said. "We were really encouraged to see that Mexico's PES is supporting pro-social behavior in addition to directly incentivizing conservation. We are very interested to see how PES may impact social capital in other settings globally."

To evaluate the PES' social impacts, Alix-Garcia and Sims used a method called regression discontinuity, which took advantage of the fact that the program had many more applicants than the available budget to support them, in order to make a comparison between participants and similar rejected applicants.

Participants were selected on the basis of points that rank their risk of deforestation and ecological and social characteristics, with the highest-ranking participants in each state accepted to the program. By comparing the outcomes for applicants above and below the cutoffs, researchers could isolate the impact of the program from other possible confounders.

Sims and Alix-Garcia designed and supervised the collection of information from more than 800 leaders of agrarian communities and 8,000 individual households via field-based surveys.

The team found that payments increased land management activities by more than 50 percent among participants compared to similar controls. The program had an 8-9 percent impact on community social capital.

Explore further New analysis shows Brazil slows deforestation with land registration program

More information: Jennifer M. Alix-Garcia el al., "Payments for environmental services supported social capital while increasing land management," PNAS (2018). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Jennifer M. Alix-Garcia el al., "Payments for environmental services supported social capital while increasing land management,"(2018). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1720873115Morass of icebergs that have calved off Jakobshaven, the largest glacier in Greenland. Credit: Professor Jonathan Bamber, University of Bristol

A new study led by scientists from the University of Bristol has provided an up-to-date insight into the impact of melting land ice on sea levels.

The new estimate shows there has been a six-fold increase in annual land ice contribution to global sea level rise from the mid-1990s to the early 2010s.

Land ice describes permanent ice on the surface of the Earth, which comprises the two ice sheets that cover Antarctica and Greenland as well as numerous smaller glaciers and ice caps.

Over the course of the 20th century, melting glaciers and ice caps dominated the overall contribution of land ice to global sea level rise.

This has changed over the last few decades due to the accelerating contribution of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. Ice sheets are the largest potential source of future sea level rise and represent the largest uncertainty in projections of future sea level.

This new study, published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters, suggests that for the most recent five-year period (2012-2016), land ice contributed around 1.85 mm per year to global sea level rise. The largest source was Greenland (37 percent of the total, or 0.69 mm per year) followed by glaciers and ice caps (34 percent or 0.63 mm per year). Antarctica contributed the remainder, with the vast-majority from West Antarctica (26 percent or 0.48 mm per year).

A heavily crevassed glacier in Bernese Oberland Switzerland. Credit: Jonathan Bamber, University of Bristol

Since 1992, there has been a revolution in our ability to measure the land ice contribution to sea level rise using satellite observations.

However, different satellite sensors have provided unique and sometimes conflicting results, and as a result the many published estimates of land ice trends have provided a confusing and often inconsistent picture.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) attempted to synthesize estimates published up to early 2013.

Since then, considerable advances have been made in understanding the origin of the inconsistencies, reducing uncertainties in estimates and extending time series, yet this study is the first that has attempted to combine post-AR5 estimates in a rigorous and holistic way.

The new estimate draws on published literature, primarily focused on studies published since 2013, expert assessment of that literature, and a new analysis of Arctic glacier and ice cap trends combined with statistical modelling.

Credit: Chart: Richard Westaway Source: Bamber et al (2018)

Lead author Professor Jonathan Bamber from the University of Bristol's School of Geographical Sciences, said: "Our analysis draws on many earlier studies along with new, previously unpublished data and shows that in just over two decades land ice has gone from making a modest contribution to being by far the dominant source of sea level rise.

"It is intended as comprehensive review of our understanding of current land ice trends and their contribution to contemporary sea level rise.

"It is also, as far as we are aware, the first study since IPCC AR5 (published 2014) that has attempted to combine post-AR5 estimates in a rigorous and holistic way. In this sense it should be of considerable interest to the community, providing an updated and extended synthesized estimate of a key component (land-ice) of the sea-level budget."

The authors were funded as part of a five-year European Research Council project, GlobalMass (www.globalmass.eu), which aims to  for the first time at a global scale  rigorously combine satellite and in-situ data related to different aspects of the sea level budget, so that observed sea level rise can be attributed to its component parts.

Explore further Alarming projections for polar ice sheets

More information: Jonathan L Bamber et al. The land ice contribution to sea level during the satellite era, Environmental Research Letters (2018). Journal information: Environmental Research Letters Jonathan L Bamber et al. The land ice contribution to sea level during the satellite era,(2018). DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/aac2f0In future, crop protection must be carried out more gently. Credit: Fotokostic / Shutterstock

We must reduce the environmental and health risks of pesticides. However, rather than banning them completely, Robert Finger advocates an intelligent approach to crop protection.

Glyphosate, neonicotinoids, drinking water initiative  renouncing pesticides is currently the subject of fierce discussion. For while on the one hand our nutrition system cannot function without crop protection, especially pesticides carry undisputed risks for humans and the environment.

Prohibition of the main plant protection products stands at the heart of the debate. The EU imposed a complete ban on the outdoor use of three common neonicotinoids at the end of April 2018, as these neuroactive insecticides are also harmful to beneficial organisms such as bees. Also on the political agenda is a possible ban on glyphosate, the most widely used pesticide in the world.

There are currently two public initiatives in Switzerland that go even a step further. The "Clean drinking water and healthy food" initiative wants subsidies to be paid out only to farms that  among other things  do not use pesticides. Meanwhile, the initiative "Save Switzerland from synthetic pesticides" aims to ban the use of synthetic pesticides in general.

The private sector is also a driver of bans and restrictions. "Glyphosate-free" milk in Germany and "residue-free" fruit and vegetables (zero residu de pesticides) in France: renouncing pesticides is increasingly a key marketing argument.

What are good policy solutions?

I believe we have no option but to significantly reduce the risks to humans and the environment posed by pesticides, and that this should be our objective. However, bans and restrictions are not always effective because they can have undesirable side-effects.

For example, imposing a ban on a specific product may encourage crop-growers to turn to other, more toxic ones. Other environmental objectives could get compromised and the cost of crop protection could increase. Both the quantity and quality of food could fall while prices could rise. It is conceivable too that fruit and vegetables would increasingly be grown under netting and foil, which would change the face of our landscape.

Getting the overall picture

In order to create a basis for political and economic decision-making, we must examine and quantify all conflicts of interest. We don't yet have a clear enough picture of what agriculture with fewer pesticides would look like.

For instance, we're currently investigating how forgoing glyphosate or all herbicides could affect selected arable crops. We use bioeconomic models to depict weed pressure and control strategies, as well as the decisions taken by farmers. In this way, we simulate how farmers behave when biophysical, economic or legal conditions change.

We've been able to show that cultivating maize without the use of glyphosate intensifies soil cultivation, but overall reduces the use of pesticides, with only a slight increase in average costs for the farmer. This means, by implication, that higher prices for glyphosate could reduce its use. The alternative  more intensive soil cultivation in the event of a ban  would, however, increase energy consumption, soil erosion and CO2 emissions from agriculture.

Incentives for good plant protection practice

I'm also convinced that we need new ways to reduce the risks of using pesticides without jeopardising other services provided by the sector. The digitisation of agriculture has a decisive role to play here: autonomous robots and drones can detect and control weeds, pests or diseases and so drastically reduce or completely replace pesticides. The agriculture of tomorrow must also strengthen preventive measures in the form of biological and mechanical control strategies. Last but not least, the breeding of resistant strains can also make a significant contribution to crop protection.

In my opinion, these approaches should be encouraged. However, what are needed too are economic instruments to make agricultural production more sustainable. Instead of simply banning active substances, the environmental damage caused by pesticides should be internalised when drawing up policies: for example, a steering tax could provide an incentive to replace harmful products either with less hazardous products or non-chemical strategies.

More information: Robert Finger. Take a holistic view when making pesticide policies stricter, Nature (2018). Robert Finger. Take a holistic view when making pesticide policies stricter,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/d41586-018-04166-5 Thomas Bocker et al. Modelling the Effects of a Glyphosate Ban on Weed Management in Silage Maize Production, Ecological Economics (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.08.027 Robert Finger et al. Revisiting Pesticide Taxation Schemes, Ecological Economics (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.12.001 Journal information: NatureShown: Range of focus for various eye refractive conditions. Myopia shifts the focal range closer, causing bad far sight. Hyperopia shifts the focal range farther (allowing focusing ability beyond infinity), causing bad near sight and lens fatigue since the crystalline lens does not relax even when looking at infinity. Presbyopia reduces the focal range and moves the nearest plane of focus away from the eye. Credit: Nitish Padmanaban/Stanford

With aging comes deteriorating vision. At SIGGRAPH 2018, attendees will have the chance to test a new computational system that effectively mimics the natural way the human eye corrects focus, specifically while viewing objects that are closer rather than farther away.

This particular inability to focus clearly on nearby objects is called presbyopia, and everyone could have a varying degree of this problem as they age. A team of Stanford University researchers has developed a system that automatically corrects this mechanism. Dubbed Autofocals, the system externally mimics the natural accommodation response of the eye by combining data from eye trackers and a depth sensor, and then automatically drives focus-tunable lenses. While there are a variety of vision correction options to address this problem, most solutions, to date, fall short of delivering users the natural vision quality of their youth.

"A lot of presbyopes have had time to get used to their corrections, through progressive lenses, monovision, etc., but they still spent the majority of their lives being able to refocus their eyes," says Nitish Padmanaban, lead author of the study and electrical engineering Ph.D. candidate at Stanford. "We want to restore that experience."

Padmanaban and collaborators, including Robert Konrad, Ph.D. candidate at Stanford, and Gordon Wetzstein, assistant professor of electrical engineering and of computer science at Stanford, will demonstrate Autofocals at SIGGRAPH 2018, held 12-16 August in Vancouver, British Columbia. The annual conference and exhibition showcases the world's leading professionals, academics, and creative minds at the forefront of computer graphics and interactive techniques.

Building on previous advances made in the area of automated vision correction, Autofocals' focus-tunable eyewear for presbyopia correction incorporates eye trackers and a depth camera with a sensor fusion algorithm designed to jointly and effectively make use of both in one complete system.

The team evaluated Autofocals on 24 users, ages 51 to 81, across a set of visual performance tasks: visual acuity (sharpness of eyesight), contrast sensitivity, and letter matching. In this introductory study, users experienced better visual acuity at nearer distances when compared to monovision and progressive lenses methods, while not sacrificing 20/20 visual acuity at any distance. Monovision is the use of one contact lens that corrects only distance vision in one eye, and another lens that corrects only near vision in the other eye. Progressive lenses are popular eyewear lenses that offer focus correction at varying strengths and distances. Preliminary results also indicated that users did not experience a sizable difference with respect to contrast sensitivity and letter matching, and the majority felt the prototype worked more effectively than their own corrective lenses.

"While the technology is still in its early stages, several of the presbyopes who've tried our system genuinely wanted to have a working version for themselves," notes Padmanaban. "Vision is such an important sense for all of us that every improvement counts for a lot in terms of quality of life."

At the SIGGRAPH demo, those who suffer from presbyopia will get started by calibrating the eye trackers on the Autofocals device, after which they should be able to simply look around and have different objects automatically pop into focus. For younger attendees, a separate focus-tunable lens will be made available to them so that they can experience firsthand some sense of the problem that Autofocals is attempting to address.

In future work, the researchers might explore improving the eye-tracking component; specifically, digging deeper into developing a calibration-free or calibration-on-the-fly eye-tracking capability. Current user experience now entails having to calibrate the eye trackers each time the device is worn or when they slip off the wearer's face, for example. Other improvements could be made to the device itself, with respect to design aesthetics and practical use.

"One could imagine that as this technology improves," adds Padmanaban, "you could have a single pair of glasses for your entire life."

Explore further Researchers personalize virtual reality displays to match a user's eyesight

Provided by Association for Computing MachineryPlants, like the sorghum pictured here, determine when to flower based on their environmental conditions and genetics. Credit: Jianming Yu

New research led by an Iowa State University agronomist identifies clear patterns in how plants react to different environments that could lead to new ways of predicting crop performance.

The research focuses on flowering time in sorghum, a globally cultivated cereal plant, but the results could have implications for nearly all crops, said Jianming Yu, professor of agronomy and the Pioneer Distinguished Chair in Maize Breeding. The study, published recently in the peer-reviewed academic journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, focuses on phenotypic plasticity, or the way plant traits respond to environmental factors.

Yu and his research team gathered data on sorghum plants at sites in Iowa, Kansas and Puerto Rico between 2010 and 2016. They tracked flowering time, or when and for how long the plants flower, and started looking for patterns in the data.

"We want to step into the plant's shoes to see how they make the decision for when to flower," said Xianran Li, adjunct associate professor of agronomy and a co-corresponding author of the study.

The three geographical regions in the study presented a wide range of environmental conditions, and, at first, the data presented no obvious patterns, he said. But when the researchers zeroed in on "photothermal time," a window of time that's crucial to a plant's development when it processes the environmental cues of sunlight and temperature, everything fell into place.

The team developed this environmental index based on photothermal conditions and plant outcomes and established a framework for whole-genome performance prediction and gene discovery. Viewing sorghum flowering time through this photothermal lens allowed distinct patterns to emerge that applied to the plants regardless of growing region.

"Not just the overall performance and its prediction, this represents an elegant framework in which scientists can better understand the intricate dynamics of gene effects, the ups and downs, along this environmental gradient," Yu said.

"We started seeing patterns in the noise," said Tingting Guo, postdoctoral research associate and a co-first author of the study. "In any environment, if I have this photothermal index, I can use existing performance curves to predict future performance. It's a standardized framework for making predictions."

Other authors who contributed to the study include Xin Li, a former graduate student and the first author; and Qi Mu, a graduate student in the ISU agronomy department.

The team is conducting further research to extend this unified framework to other crops and other traits, such as yield or stress resistance, which could allow farmers and plant breeders to make more accurate predictions about how plants will perform in new environments or in unknown environmental conditions. This method can also help researchers cope with the unknowns that accompany plasticity, or the way plants with identical genetics perform differently when exposed to different conditions.

"This turns that challenge into an opportunity," Yu said. "It gives us a place to start when making predictions with many unknowns involved."

Explore further Scientists propose a new strategy to accelerate plant breeding by turbocharging gene banks

More information: Xin Li et al. Genomic and environmental determinants and their interplay underlying phenotypic plasticity, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2018). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Xin Li et al. Genomic and environmental determinants and their interplay underlying phenotypic plasticity,(2018). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1718326115Sea urchins lack eyes, but can see with their tentacle-like tube feet instead, previous research has indicated. Now, researchers at Lund University in Sweden have tested their vision in a new study, and shown that while sea urchins have fairly low resolution visionit is good enough to fulfill their basic needs.

"Sea urchins are currently the only animals that have been shown to see without having eyes. They see using light-sensitive cells in their tube feet, which resemble tentacles and, like the spines, are all over the body. You could say that the entire sea urchin is one single compound eye", says John Kirwan, who conducted the study as a part of his doctoral thesis, together with colleagues at Lund University.

The tube feet have other functions besides registering light. They are used for feeding and in some species are used by the sea urchin for locomotion. Others are used to attach to surfaces or as levers to correct its position when upside down.

John Kirwan studied the sea urchin species Diadema africanum. The experiments placed the animals in water inside strongly illuminated cylinders that had various dark images on the walls.

"Ordinarily, sea urchins move towards dark areas in order to seek cover. When I notice that they react to certain sizes of images but not to others, I get a measurement of their visual acuity", explains John Kirwan.

To obtain further data, he carried out another experiment in which he showed rapidly growing figures above the sea urchins, as a way of conjuring up an image of an approaching predator. He then registered how large the figures had to be before the sea urchins would defend themselves by directing their spines towards the shadow above.

The acuity of vision was calculated using X-ray tomography and electron microscopy.

John Kirwan's calculations show that of the 360 degrees surrounding the sea urchin an object must take up between 30 and 70 degrees for the sea urchin to see it. Humans only need an object to take up 0.02 degrees in order to detect it, making it clear that their eyesight is poor in comparison with human eyesight.

"However, this is still sufficient for the animal's needs and behaviour. After all, it's hardly poor eyesight for an animal with no eyes," John Kirwan concludes.

Explore further Sea urchins see with their whole body

More information: John D. Kirwan et al. The sea urchinDiadema africanumuses low resolution vision to find shelter and deter enemies, The Journal of Experimental Biology (2018). Journal information: Journal of Experimental Biology John D. Kirwan et al. The sea urchinDiadema africanumuses low resolution vision to find shelter and deter enemies,(2018). DOI: 10.1242/jeb.176271Ancient DNA analysis genetically identified Bronze Age Hallstatt pigs as Europeans. Credit: Sabine Hammer/Vetmeduni Vienna

Salt has been mined at Hallstatt since the Bronze Age, including for the preservation of pork meat. Bone fragments and teeth found in the area provide evidence of an organized meat industry, especially of pork. Residual DNA in these prehistoric specimens can reveal information about the genetic origins of the pigs. Using a specially developed method, researchers from Vetmeduni Vienna and the Vienna Natural History Museum extracted and analysed the prehistoric DNA. Their study, published in BMC Research Notes, shows that the Bronze Age Hallstatt pigs were genetically European.

The Hallstatt region is an internationally renowned World Heritage site. But the real treasure here is  and has been since the Bronze Age  the salt that is extracted in the mines near the town. One reason is that Hallstatt salt is ideal for the preservation of meat without the usual refrigeration. Because of this, a lucrative meat production industry developed in the region quite early.

The Bronze Age inhabitants of Hallstatt had pigs  but what kind of pigs?

Excavations as well as bone fragments and teeth attest especially to the presence of pork meat production in the Hallstatt region during the Bronze Age. Genetic information obtained from these specimens makes it is possible to more exactly date the visual evidence. The specimens often contain enough residual DNA to identify the exact species of pigs that were processed here. But extracting prehistoric DNA requires special methods to be used.

Sabine Hammer from the Institute of Immunology at Vetmeduni Vienna and her colleagues at the Natural History Museum managed to extract mitochondrial DNA from porcine teeth as a first step to identifying the species of pigs that were processed at Hallstatt during the Bronze Age. The analysis showed that the collected samples belong almost exclusively to the so-called European haplogroup.

Adapted method shows Hallstatt pigs were European

Visually determining and dating a species based on bone fragments or teeth is no longer the only way to identify archaeological samples. The determination of the genetic and, consequently, geographic origins provides valuable information about the keeping or breeding of livestock in early human history. What is needed is a source of prehistoric DNA of sufficient quality to be extracted and analysed.

Hammer and her colleagues managed to adapt the available approaches in order to genetically determine the first samples. "We were able to extract enough mitochondrial DNA for a so-called marker analysis from seven of the chosen samples," the first author explains. "We performed a computer analysis to compare the DNA sequences decoded in this manner with previously published DNA codes. The result was clear for all of the samples except one. It appears that only pigs that belong, genetically seen, to the European ancestors were processed."

Modern pigs can be placed into one of two haplogroups in which certain genetic variations can be traced through evolution to a common ancestor. "Pigs can be divided into an Asian and a European haplogroup," explains Hammer. "Our findings showed six of the samples to be clearly of European origin." Just one sample revealed an intermediate haplotype between the two groups.

"These findings are a first step towards showing that pigs for meat production were kept and bred in and around Hallstatt," explains Hammer. This geographic assumption must still be confirmed through additional sampling. It appears clear, however, that not only the farmed animals but also wild boars that were hunted for the early Hallstatt meat industry had European ancestors. The specially developed method, confirmed by the results of this study, will help to decode additional marker genes for a more comprehensive analysis in the future. "The important thing, however, is that DNA of sufficient quality must be extracted from the excavated samples," says Hammer. Only then will it be possible to clearly map out and geographically assign the specimens.

Explore further Pigs that digest their nutrients could reduce pork industry's carbon footprint

More information: Sabine E. Hammer et al. Bronze Age meat industry: ancient mitochondrial DNA analyses of pig bones from the prehistoric salt mines of Hallstatt (Austria), BMC Research Notes (2018). Sabine E. Hammer et al. Bronze Age meat industry: ancient mitochondrial DNA analyses of pig bones from the prehistoric salt mines of Hallstatt (Austria),(2018). DOI: 10.1186/s13104-018-3340-7Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Teaching math to small groups of low-income, minority kindergartners has a positive impact on their learning and can help bridge the divide with higher-income peers, say University of Michigan researchers.

Robin Jacob, co-director of the U-M Youth Policy Lab, and Brian Jacob, professor of education and public policy, evaluated kindergarten students in the one-year math enrichment High 5s program in 24 low-income elementary schools in New York City.

They found that kids who participated in the program received 30 percent more time on math instruction with more individualized attention, and were exposed to a wider range of advanced math topics and more interactive activities.

"There is an observed gap in achievement between children living in poverty and their peers from higher-income households at school entry. That gap only continues to grow over time," said Robin Jacob. "By intervening early, the High 5s program narrowed the achievement gap between low-income children and their higher-income peers at the end of kindergarten."

Students enrolled in the High 5s program met in groups of four students with a trained facilitator for 30 minutes three times a week. Activities were delivered in a game-like format and intended to be fun, engaging, interactive and developmentally appropriate.

At the end of kindergarten, student math achievement was analyzed on two different measuresthe Woodcock-Johnson applied problems subscale and REMA-K. The students in High 5s scored higher than the control students on the REMA-K.

The effect of the program was equivalent to about two-and-a-half months of learning on the assessment, the researchers said.

The U-M researchers are now working to develop a model for such small-group math instruction that requires fewer resources and could be more easily scaled.

"To date, there has been very little research about the effectiveness of small group math instruction in the early elementary school grades," Robin Jacob said. "This study demonstrates that well implemented, engaging, small group instruction in math has the potential to boost math achievement."

Explore further Changing students' attitudes to mathematics improves test scores

More information: New evidence on the benefits of small group math instructions for young children. New evidence on the benefits of small group math instructions for young children. www.brookings.edu/research/new  -for-young-children/Credit: ISTOCK

Uganda, in eastern Africa, is notoriously corrupt, and many Ugandans have little faith that their leaders will provide them with honest information. But a new study conducted in the country suggests that mobile telephone technology and official information about budget corruption can help citizens hold politicians accountable at election time.

Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study details how Uganda's ubiquitous mobile phones and targeted SMS text messages about budget irregularities were able to help voters make better informed choices at the polls.

Mark Buntaine, an assistant professor in UCSB's Bren School of Environmental Science & Management and one of four co-authors of "SMS texts on corruption help Ugandan voters hold elected councillors accountable at the polls," noted the 2016 experiment focused on district elections. Politicians at this level are directly responsible for basic public services such as trash hauling, water wells and the like.

"This is really the front line where people experience the things that they care about," he said, "and if they can get accountability at that level, there's a lot to be achieved."

The study involved roughly 16,000 voters, all of whom agreed to participate. Working with Twaweza, a Ugandan-based organization that promotes good governance, the researchers used mobile phone text messages to inform voters about suspected budget fraud by local government councils.

Allegations of suspected fraud were based on annual government audits that track whether councils followed procurement rules, completed projects as specified and properly accounted for expenditures.

The results showed that voters who confirmed receiving messages and who learned that suspected fraud was greater than they expected were 6 percentage points less likely to vote for incumbent councilors. Meanwhile, voters who learned that fraud was less than expected were 5 percentage points more likely to vote for incumbent councillors.

The same messages had no effect for higher-profile elections for council chairperson, the study found.

"Sending factual information works some of the time," Buntaine explained, "for lower-level politicians who are more like city councilors, the first level of people you would contact as a citizen. Once you get up higher on the chain, we don't observe any effect on voters' choices. We think that's because voters have more information about higher-level politicians, so there's less room to move people's choices at that level."

Buntaine cautions that the study should not be seen as a template for interventions in other elections. The Uganda experiment used information that was "salient, local and attributable to specific kinds of politicians. If you lose any of those characteristics, you likely lose the ability to change people's minds about how to vote," he said.

Indeed, the Uganda study was part of a larger initiative, Metaketa I, in which research teams study the effect of information on voter behavior in six other countries. The results in Uganda were unique. "Our finding contrasts with other studies and even other types of messages in our own study that produce a null result," Buntaine said. "Information doesn't seem, on average, to change the way people vote."

Nonetheless, he said, just because an approach on average doesn't work does not mean that it never works. "We need to focus on the conditions that allow for information to have a beneficial effect on the way that people approach elections. And again, we think that's when it's salient, it's local and it's very attributable to politicians."

More information: Mark T. Buntaine et al. SMS texts on corruption help Ugandan voters hold elected councillors accountable at the polls, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2018). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Mark T. Buntaine et al. SMS texts on corruption help Ugandan voters hold elected councillors accountable at the polls,(2018). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1722306115This the cover of the special issue on climate science for service partnership China. Credit: Advances in Atmospheric Sciences

Now in its fifth year, with more than 100 scientific publications under its belt, the Climate Science for Service Partnership China (CSSP China) has helped improve understanding of the effects of climate change on society and is forging new ways to reduce the risks associated with climatic extremes.

Research highlights appear on June 7, 2018 in a special issue of Advances of Atmospheric Sciences, a journal published by Springer.

CSSP China was established in 2014, supported by the UK-China Research and innovation Partnership Fund, funded in the UK by the Newton Fund. CSSP China partners include China Meteorological Administration's Beijing Climate Centre and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Met Office, as well as other key research organisations in China and the United Kingdom. CSSP China is part of a growing global network of partnerships within the Weather and Climate Science for Service Partnership Programme.

"Over the course of many years, the scientific community has made significant advances in observing and understanding our planet's day-to-day weather and the longer-term climate," said Prof Stephen Belcher, Met Office Chief Scientist and one of the coordinators for the collaboration. He is also one of the authors of the special issue's preface alongside Prof Peter Stott, Science Fellow at the Met Office.

"Alongside the scientific advances," Prof Stott said, "society is becoming increasingly aware of, and perhaps more vulnerable to, weather-related and climate-related risks, such as loss of life arising from extremes of temperature, precipitation, wind, or water levels."

The special issue includes research papers organized into five connected categories ranging from how to improve monitoring systems to understanding the global dynamics of climate variability and change, as well as the climatic extremes specific to East Asian climate. There is also research focused on knowledge application through the development of models and climate projection systems and the joint development of prototype climate services.

"Climate services are sources of climate information to enable economic development and social welfare to be resilient to variations and changes in climate," Prof Stott said.

CSSP China research on summer rainfall patterns in the Yangtze river basin led to significantly improved seasonal forecastingan important feat for a flood-prone area where the inhabitants are at risk not only of losing their livelihoods, but their lives. CSSP China-supported research has also led to better assessment of crop security and resiliency, which has an obvious and direct impact on food supplies across the world.

"Through CSSP China we are building a joint framework that will be the foundation for future work together. I am confident that we can provide the information and support needed to help China and the UK to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change," said Dr. Lianchun Song, one of the guest editors from NCC.

Dr. Riyu Lu, one of the guest editors from IAP, commented on the progress of CSSP China in the past five years: "The progress of CSSP China totally exceeds my expectation. I had thought it would take quite a while for British scientists to become familiar with regional climate over China, but it turns out the process has been considerably shortened through close cooperation and personnel visits in both countries; in particular, data and model sharing without any reservation has resulted in productive outcomes. The special issue only showcases some of the recent achievements, and I'm looking forward to even more exciting results in the next phase of our cooperation."

CSSP China partners are now working hard to translate more of their research findings into applicable services that can help inform policy decisions, as well as better inform society in terms of preparedness for natural disasters of immediate or gradual circumstances.

"The ultimate goal of CSSP China is to develop and apply scientific understanding in order to enhance the provision of climate and weather resilient economic development and social welfare in China and in the United Kingdom," Prof Belcher said.

Explore further Rescuing historic climate data in the East Asian region

More information: Stephen Belcher et al, Preface to Special Issue on Climate Science for Service Partnership China, Advances in Atmospheric Sciences (2018). Stephen Belcher et al, Preface to Special Issue on Climate Science for Service Partnership China,(2018). DOI: 10.1007/s00376-018-8002-0Children who attend school with many kids from violent neighborhoods can earn significantly lower test scores than peers with classmates from safer areas, according to a new Johns Hopkins University study.

In schools where more kids have a high exposure to violence, the study found, their classmates score as much as 10 percent lower on annual standardized math and reading tests. The findings, which demonstrate how urban violence and school choice programs can work together to spread "collateral damage," appear today in the journal Sociology of Education.

"Exposure to neighborhood violence has a much bigger impact that we think it does," said the lead author, Johns Hopkins sociologist Julia Burdick-Will. "It seeps into places that you don't expect. It can affect an entire school and how it's able to function."

Burdick-Will studied students who attended Chicago Public Schools from 2002 to 2010, analyzing administrative data from the school system, crime statistics from the Chicago Police Department and school surveys from the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research. She looked at five cohorts of students who were freshmen between the fall of 2002 and 2006, and followed each student for up to four years.

She found high school students in Chicago public schools experience, on average, about 70 violent crimes a year within a few blocks of their homes. Children with high levels of exposure to violence, however, often experienced double that.

The crimes included homicides, sexual assaults, aggregated and simple batteries, aggravated and simple assaults, and robberies.

About half of the students studied were African American and about a third were Hispanic. Schools with students who experienced high levels of neighborhood violence, however, were more than 94 percent African American.

Because Chicago offers students the option of attending school anywhere in the city, students often commute to schools across town. Students from nearly every neighborhood attend nearly every school. This means that the experience of violence that Chicago students face where they live does not necessarily remain in their neighborhood, but is taken with them all over the city where they attend school.

Previous research shows that children living in violent neighborhoods experience trauma that makes them more difficult to teach and is related to an increased likelihood of high school dropout and low test scores as well as depression, attention problems, and discipline issues, says Burdick-Will. What hasn't been studied in the past is that students who are in the same classes as these children also don't learn as well, scoring as much as 10 percent lower on annual tests, she found.

It's possible these effects build over time, she says.

"This is just one yearwe don't know what the cumulative effects are," Burdick-Will said. "If you score 10 percent lower in just one year, you're that much less prepared for the next year. Ten percent less growth in a year is a pretty big deal."

Chicago's crime rates are comparable to those in Baltimore, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Houston and Miami, and it is possible that schools in those cities have similar issues, Burdick-Will says.

"Dealing with urban violence has ripple effects we're only starting to understand," she said. "We can't think about violence as something happening to kids in an isolated part of the city where I don't live. That's just the tip of the iceberg. High crime rates may be concentrated in specific areas, but their effects can be felt in schools all over the city."

Explore further Sociologist challenges the myth that where you live determines where you go to schoolI mentioned last week that I recently visited Switzerland, Austria and Hungary, and that if we think things have gone nuts in the U.S., we have no idea.

The gentle Swiss, as I pointed out last week, have become enamored of right-wing, populist parties and are about to vote on a flat-out silly leftwing ballot initiative designed to destroy 10% of the Swiss economy, i.e., banks.

But the Swiss are an island of sanity compared to Austria. In Austria, the Freedom Party, a right-wing, populist, nationalist, anti-immigration party founded by former Nazis and SS officers, is the junior partner in the current Austrian government coalition. The last time this happened (in 2000, I think), western Europe ostracized Austria. This time around, the Austrian chancellor will be President of the European Council.

Still, compared to Hungary, Austria is a bastion of moderation. If you get all your news from U.S.-based media you probably know very little about whats going on in Hungary. After all, its glorious past notwithstanding, Hungary is smaller than Los Angeles.

If, on the other hand, you get some of your news from UK-based mediathe Financial Times, the Economist, the London Times, the Guardianyou probably think that the Hungarians have lost their minds and that their leader, Viktor Orban, is The Man Who Would Destroy Europe.

A recent case in point is Gideon Rachman, who writes for the Financial Times and who used to offer thoughtful commentary about Europe. Rachman penned a column in April in which he referred to the rot at the edge of the EU. He was referring to Hungary, certainly, but also to Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and, possibly, Switzerland.

Hello? The aggregate population of these countries is 82 million people, the same as Germany, and far larger than Rachmanns little England (55 million). If we add in Italy, where not one, but two populist parties are in power, we find that populists are running countries the size of Germany and France combined.This is hardly a fringe phenomenon.

Im not calling out Rachman because I specifically disagree with his dim view of what is going on in the EU. For the most part, I share his concerns. But what good does it do to call decent people names? Rachman has become so unhinged by the rise of populism that he has ceased to be useful and has become part of the problem.

Here, then, are the elite medias views on the rise of illiberal democracy, followed by the more thoughtful versions I heard on my recent trip to the rotten fringe.

Media: Viktor Orban, who coined the phrase illiberal democracy, is a tyrant along the lines of Vladimir Putin in Russia and Recep Erdogan in Turkey.There is no such thing as illiberal democracy, since democracy itself means liberal democracy, that is freedom of the press (especially!), protection for minorities, an independent judiciary, the welcoming of migrants seeking a better life, and so on.

Your Humble Blogger (YHB): Oh, really? Democracy means people get to vote on who their leaders will be, period. All else is liberal, advanced opinion (even if we happen to agree with it). The success of Orban, Putin, and Erdogan, to say nothing of China, and the relative decline of the U.S. and (especially) western Europe, strongly suggests that alternative forms of political organization must be doing something right, especially if what we care about is improvement in the lives of ordinary people.

Media: People who voted for Viktor Orban (or Donald Trump) are racists, misogynists, and anti-migrant bigots. They resent the fact that their (white) privileges are coming to an end with the rise of minority and migrant rights and thats the long and short of it.

YHB: As noted above, calling people nasty names makes you part of the problem, not part of the solution. No doubt some of the Trump and Orban supporters are in fact bigots (as are many people who voted against them). But the vast majority arent. Moreover, they dont resent improvement in the status of minorities or immigrants at all. What they resent is that their own status hasnt improved one whit in many decades. Does elite opinion actually think that the way to achieve equality is to hold back the core population for decades until the disadvantaged can catch up? This would seem to be the obvious conclusion from the results of elite policymaking over the last three or four decades. But if so, I humbly suggest that elite policymakers are in danger of being trampled into dust by the jackboot of history.

Media: All the Forces of the Western World must be marshaled to stop illiberal leaders: impeach Trump, reverse the Brexit vote, have the EU squeeze the lifeblood out of Hungary, Austria, Poland, etc.

YHB: That these people were duly elected, often by large majorities, seems not to bother the elite at all. Meanwhile, they love the tyrant, Xi, because China is the only country large enough to stand up to the U.S. Does no one see a problem here?

Media: Liberal democracy is the only legitimate form of government and it will prevailor the world wont be worth living in.

YHB: According to my calculation, authoritarian governments (China, most of Africa and the Middle East, parts of Latin America) and illiberal democracies (almost everywhere else) vastly outnumber the small and dwindling liberal democracies, which control only Canada and western Europe. It used to be obvious to the elite that the end of history had arrived and liberal democracy had triumphed. That triumph, however, was not only premature, but the world is headed powerfully in another direction. Its not precisely democracy thats in retreat; its liberal democracy thats in retreat.

Instead of viewing Trumpist Americaand Orbanist Hungary and so onas appalling and illegitimate, elite opinion needs to realize that the rot isnt all on the populists vegetables. It was the rot in elite policymaking that got us where we are, and its that rot that will, in fact, kill liberal democracy if it isnt fixed.

Next up: On Illiberal Democracies, Part IIIThe National Flag FoundationWhats in a symbol? One great thing about pittsburgh is that, as long as you may have lived here and made a study of the area, surprises always pop up to greet you. Case in point: Pittsburgh is home to the National Flag Foundation, a nonprofit that is celebrating its 50th anniversary in Pittsburgh this year, appropriately, on June 14Flag Day.

The sweet spot of this newly revitalized nonprofit is flag education, which, in this era of limited civics education in schools, is a valuable service. The Foundation has been doing this in classrooms for decades but soon will offer a variety of new methods including a downloadable app on its website nationalflagfoundation.org. And its new headquarters Downtown in the Koppers Building will feature an interactive, high-tech Educational Center on the first floor.

Were putting the Flag Foundation on the pedestal because the time is right to pause and consider the meaning of the American Flag. At a time when so many people are so full of vehement partisan opinion, perhaps theres wisdom in focusing on what unites rather than divides us.

The flag is certainly one such thing, with a symbolic power that far outstrips the 13 stripes for the original colonies and 50 stars for the states. To many, the flag means liberty and human rights. But to all, from children who grew up reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to veterans who have fought to defend the country, the flag represents the essential power of America.

And that power resides in the mind and what we call the heart. The mind gives rise to ideas, which when coupled with emotion, commitment and action make and remake the human world.

What would Ben Franklin, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln have said the flag meant to them? What does it mean to you? Its worth considering, because its in our collective conception of that symbolwhether vibrant and refreshed or forgetful and fatiguedthat the future of our country lies.

The Clarion QuartetCelebrating forbidden sounds

Nearly three years ago, a group of four Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra musicians came together to research and ultimately play what Nazi Germany called degenerate musicmusic that often was written by Jewish composers while they were held in concentration camps.

Since then, the Clarion Quartetviolist Tatjana Mead Chamis, cellist Bronwyn Banerdt and violinists Jennifer Orchard and Marta Krechkovskyhas focused worldwide attention on this music by composers such as Viktor Ullmann and Erwin Schulhoff, who ultimately died in concentration camps.

During a PSO European tour, the Quartet travelled to and performed at Theresienstadt Concentration Camp in the present day Czech Republic. The effect was so strong that a German producer independently raised funds to create the Quartets first CDBreaking the Silence, which was released earlier this year.

Were putting the members of the Clarion Quartet on the pedestal for their clarion call to revivify the work of composers, some of whose lives were cut short but whose music is now reaching the world.A dramatic shift in British and French ideas about empire unfolded in the sixty years straddling the turn of the nineteenth century. As Jennifer Pitts shows in A Turn to Empire , Adam Smith, Edmund Burke, and Jeremy Bentham were among many at the start of this period to criticize European empires as unjust as well as politically and economically disastrous for the conquering nations. By the mid-nineteenth century, however, the most prominent British and French liberal thinkers, including John Stuart Mill and Alexis de Tocqueville, vigorously supported the conquest of non-European peoples. Pitts explains that this reflected a rise in civilizational self-confidence, as theories of human progress became more triumphalist, less nuanced, and less tolerant of cultural difference. At the same time, imperial expansion abroad came to be seen as a political project that might assist the emergence of stable liberal democracies within Europe. Pitts shows that liberal thinkers usually celebrated for respecting not only human equality and liberty but also pluralism supported an inegalitarian and decidedly nonhumanitarian international politics. Yet such moments represent not a necessary feature of liberal thought but a striking departure from views shared by precisely those late-eighteenth-century thinkers whom Mill and Tocqueville saw as their forebears. Fluently written, A Turn to Empire offers a novel assessment of modern political thought and international justice, and an illuminating perspective on continuing debates over empire, intervention, and liberal political commitments.

Jennifer Pitts is Assistant Professor of Politics at Princeton University. She is the editor and translator of Alexis de Tocqueville: Writings on Empire and Slavery .

"Jennifer Pitts . . . [shows] that support for imperialism is not inherent to liberalism by demonstrating that prominent 18th- and early-19th-century liberals in Britain and France were deeply critical of imperialism. . .. The book is beautifully written, and the scholarship is outstanding."Choice

"Jennifer Pitts helps us to see early-nineteenth-century imperial discourse in a new light by showing more clearly what came before."Michael Bentley, Victorian Studies

"An impressive and even pathbreaking piece of work."Theodore Koditschek, Journal of Modern History

"This book is a brilliantly successful attempt to account for the apparent transition from the fierce, bitter assault on the idea of empire by the writers of the second half of the eighteenth century...to the often self-congratulatory, high-minded endorsement of a new kind of imperial mission less than half a century later.... Pitt's finest pages...are on Tocqueville and the Algerian question."Anthony Pagden, Perspectives on Politics

"This is an excellent book about late eighteenth-century and early nineteenth-century liberals and empire. Based on a wide range of material, which Pitts handles impressively, the book begins from a broad but workable definition of liberalism as involving a notion of individual rights and an attempt to widen social sympathies. Pitts deserves much credit for directing attention to liberalism's ability to negotiate difference in a context of empire and for her well-written, inspiring, and thorough analysis."Casper Sylvest, Political Studies Review

"This [is a] thoughtful and engaging book."John Cramsie, The Historian

"Jennifer Pitts . . . undermines the case for the reality of anti-imperialism by depicting the rise of 'imperial liberalism' as a major intellectual trend in both Britain and France between c. 1780 and 1850. She does so in a careful, acute and lucid account of the ideas on empire of Adam Smith, Burke, Bentham, the Mills, and de Tocqueville."Anthony Howe, European History Quarterly

"Exhibiting depth of research, jargon-free prose, and intellectual acumen on every page, this book is a well-balanced, seamless whole that reveals the impact of empire on the genesis of modern liberalism. It is a work of first importance not only for political theorists but also for readers in philosophy, history, and literature."David Armitage, Harvard University, author of The Ideological Origins of the British Empire

"This rich and provocative book examines a subject of great current interest in fields from political theory to international relations to European history. It deserves and should receive a broad audience. The scholarship is both careful and persuasive, and Pitts has an appealing authorial voice. The passion to understand what makes a theorist reject or support foreign conquest drives her narrative and holds the reader's attention as the analysis unfolds."Cheryl Welch, Simmons College, author of Liberty and UtilityJune 12, 2018 in Utility (E)

[prMac.com] Orlando, Florida - CampSoftware is excited to announce the release of SpeakerCue, a confidence monitor for professional producers and presenters. This handy communications tool is a simple, streamlined way for a presenter or speaker to monitor their time and for an assistant or producer to provide them with invaluable information. SpeakerCue requirements are simple; a Mac or PC for the person who is controlling the time and messaging, and an external display within view of the speaker to receive those messages.



"SpeakerCue is the only full-featured program countdown clock that integrates the ability to easily communicate with your speaker or moderator while they're on stage," said Bill Chapman, Executive Director/Producer at The Richmond Forum, America's largest non-profit public lecture series. "We've used SpeakerCue for speeches by President Barack Obama, actress Glenn Close, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, and others. Now, I would never consider producing a program without it."



The most important feature of SpeakerCue is that it provides a configurable clock, customizable in a variety of color and display options. The clock can be configured in hour/minutes or hour/minutes/seconds mode in the current time or as a countdown clock. Based on preference, it can also be set to flash or change color at a pre-set time to inform the speaker to start wrapping up their presentation or at other prearranged times.



SpeakerCue also features a one-way message transmitter that will allow an advisor to give speakers of all skill levels the instructions they need to make their presentations better in real time. SpeakerCue is an excellent way for a teacher to send basic instructions to a beginner speaker such as "Speak louder," "Slow down," "Look up," or "Smile." Seasoned professional producers can send their speaker more advanced cues such as, "Expand on that point," "Last question," or "Introduce the next speaker."



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Visit SpeakerCue online to download a free demo. In demo mode, SpeakerCue will auto-quit after 10 minutes, but it can be relaunched as often as you would like. For more information, please contact Ardith Gumbert.

CampSoftware was incorporated in 2002 and specializes in custom database-driven app development for small and mid-sized businesses. Prior to this release, CampSoftware has released multiple other stand-alone products including several FileMaker utilities, applications and tools. All Material and Software (C) Copyright 2018 CampSoftware. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo and macOS 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.

###CVR Refining, LP operates as an independent petroleum refiner and marketer of transportation fuels in the United States. The company owns and operates a complex full coking medium-sour crude oil refinery in Coffeyville, Kansas; and a complex crude oil refinery in Wynnewood, Oklahoma. It also controls and operates logistics assets, including approximately 570 miles of owned and leased pipelines; approximately 130 crude oil transports; a network of crude oil gathering tank farms; and approximately 6.4 million barrels of owned and leased crude oil storage capacity, as well as approximately 4.6 million barrels of combined refined products and feedstocks storage capacity. In addition, the company owns 170,000 barrels per day pipeline system that transports crude oil from Broome Station facility to Coffeyville refinery; approximately 1.5 million barrels of crude oil storage capacity, which supports the gathering system and Coffeyville refinery; approximately 0.9 million barrels of crude oil storage capacity at Wynnewood refinery; and approximately 1.5 million barrels of crude oil storage capacity in Cushing, Oklahoma, as well as leases crude oil storage capacity of approximately 2.3 million barrels in Cushing and approximately 0.2 million barrels in Duncan, Oklahoma. CVR Refining GP, LLC operates as the general partner of CVR Refining, LP. The company was founded in 2012 and is based in Sugar Land, Texas. CVR Refining, LP is a subsidiary of CVR Energy, Inc.

Read MoreElverhoj Museum of History and Art, located at 1624 Elverhoy Way in Solvang, is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11am to 4pm. Exhibits showcase Solvangs rich history and celebrate the Danish-American pioneer spirit and the colorful heritage of Denmark. The Museum Gallery features changing exhibitions of regional, national and international art. There is no charge for admission. Suggested donation is $5. For more information, call the Museum at (805) 686-1211 or visit www.elverhoj.org.Education Reporter

Mathew Burciaga is a Santa Maria Times reporter who covers education, agriculture and public safety. Prior to joining the Times, Mathew ran a 114-year-old community newspaper in Wyoming. He owns more than 40 pairs of crazy socks from across the globe.Fortinet recently observed a series of cyber-attacks targeting Russian service centers offering maintenance and support for various electronic goods.

Security researchers from Fortinet have recently spotted a series of cyber-attacks targeting Russian service centers offering maintenance and support for various electronic goods.

Experts highlighted the hackers conducted multi-stage attacks but excluded the involvement of a nation-state actor.

Attackers leveraged spear-phishing messages using weaponized Office documents exploiting the 17-Year-Old MS Office flaw CVE-2017-11882 that was addressed by Microsoft updates in October.

The first attacks were observed at the end of March when crooks sent spear-phishing emails to a service company that repairs Samsungs electronic devices.

The messages were written in Russian and contained a file named Symptom_and_repair_code_list.xlsx.

FortiGuard Labs discovered a series of attacks targeted at service centers in Russia. These service centers provide maintenance and support for a variety of electronic goods. reads the post published by Fortinet.

A distinctive feature of these attacks is their multi-staging. These attacks use forged emails, malicious Office documents with exploits for a vulnerability that is 17 years old, and a commercial version of a RAT that is tucked into five different layers of protective packers.

Experts noticed that the content of the email was the result of a translation made by a translator service, analyzing the headers of the email the experts discovered that the IP address of the sender wasnt associated with to the domain in the From field.

The attackers used a different XLSX file for each email, they used shellcode to perform various tasks to gain access to the LoadLibraryA and GetProcAddress functions that allow it to execute the final payload.

The two most important functions imported by the shellcode are: URLDownloadToFileW and ExpandEnvironmentStringsW. continues the analysis.

The purpose of the first one is obvious. The last function is used to determine the exact location where the shellcode should store downloaded payload, since this location will be different under different platforms. Finally, Shellcode downloads a file from the URL: hxxp://brrange.com/imm.exe, stores it in %APPDATA%server.exe, and then tries to execute it.

The final payload uses multiple-layer multi-packer protection to avoid detection.

The first stage implements the first layer of protection, the popular ConfuserEx packer that obfuscates objects names, as well as names of methods and resources,

The resources are used to determine the next stage payload, which is encrypted using DES, and executes the decrypted file named BootstrapCS that represents the second stage of the multi-layer protection.

BootstrapCS is not obfuscated, but it contains multiple anti-analysis checks, with the structure settings in the resources section determining which checks should be performed.

This check is essential to avoid the code being execute in a virtualized environment and also searches for and shuts dowIt also writes the payload path to the following startup registry keys:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\[Specified Name] HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\[Specified Name]

The stage 3 of the payload is represented by a binary resource named mainfile that represents the third level of packing protection, a simple XOR algorithm with the KEY = 0x20 was used for encryption.

Once the payload is decrypted payload it is injected into a process based on the value in the settings resource file.

The stage 3 of the payload resolves a commercial Remote Administration Tool (RAT) dubbed Imminent Monitor. At stage 4, the security researchers once again used the ConfuserEx packer.

The Imminent Monitor RAT includes the following five modules:

Aforge.Video.DirectShow 2.2.5.0

Aforge.Video 2.2.5.0

Injector 1.0.0.0

ClientPlugin 1.0.0.0

LZLoader 1.0.0.0

that allows the malicious code to control the victims machine, including the webcam.

The analysis of the C&C servers revealed 50 domains registered by the attackers on the same day, some of them were used by crooks to deliver malware, while others were involved in phishing attacks. The experts also discovered older .XLSX samples that exploit different vulnerabilities.

We also noticed that the pattern of these attacks has become quite popular today. The use of exploits is more efficient than the use of simple executable files, especially since the level of threat-awareness among users has sufficiently grown in recent years. It is simply not that easy to trick a user to opening executable file as it was before. Exploits are a different case, concludes Fortinet.

Further details are included in the IoCs section of the report.

Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs Russian Service Centers, hacking)

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Share OnThis article was originally published on 9 July 2018 and updated to reflect the latest fee changes. Additional reporting done by Jorinda Hsu.

For some Singaporean parents, having their child is accepted into a local university is a dream come true. As of 2017, about one in three children of each cohort makes it to a local university.

Singapores public universities are a lot less expensive than private or universities overseas, which could sometimes exceed $500,000.

However, unlike during Secondary School or Junior College where many Singaporeans only needed to pay a modest sum for school fees, the costs of local university tuition can run into tens of thousands of dollars yearly even after the MOE Tuition Grant.

The cost is not helped by the fact that universities have consistently raised their fees over the past few years, to account for rising operating costs, the bulk of which goes to covering manpower costs like staff salaries.

Whether youre matriculating into university this year or in future, this guide will help you and your family plan your finances to determine how they wish to finance your university tuition.

Read Also: Guide To Education Financial Aid In Singapore

AY21/22 Local University Tuition Fees For Singaporeans

Universities That List Annual Tuition Fees

Programme NUS NTU SMU SUTD Arts & Social Sciences $8,200 $8,200 $11,450  Architecture $8,850    Architecture and Sustainable Design    $13,300 Art, Design, Media  $8,200   Business/Accountancy $9,600 $9,400 $11,450  Communication Studies  $8,200   Computing $8,200 $8,200 $11,450  Dentistry $29,300    Design and Artificial Intelligence    $13,300 Education  $8,200   Engineering $8,200 $8,200   Engineering Product Development    $13,300 Engineering Systems and Design    $13,300 Industrial Design    Information Systems $8,200  $11,450  Information Systems Technology and Design    $13,300 Law $12,650  $12,650  Medicine $29,300 $34,700   Music $14,200    Nursing $8,950    Pharmacy $9,050    Real Estate $8,200    Renaissance Engineering  $17,900   Science $8,200 $8,200   Sports Science  $8,200  



Universities That List Full Course Fees

Story continues

Programme Duration SIT SUSS Accountancy 3-year 4-month $27,720  Accountancy 4-year  $33,440 Air Transport Management 3-year $27,720  Aircraft Systems Engineering 3-year $22,500  Business Analytics 4-year  $30,000 Computer Engineering 3-year $22,500  Computer Science (DigiPen) 3-year 8-month $43,080  Diagnostic Radiography 3-year 8-month $36,960  Dietetics and Nutrition 3-year 8-month $36,960  Digital Art and Animation (DigiPen) 3-year 8-month $43,080  Digital Communications and Integrated Media 3-year $22,500  Early Childhood Education 4-year  S$30,000 Finance 4-year  S$30,000 Hospitality Business 3-year $27,720  Human Resource Management 4-year  S$30,000 Information and Communications Technology 3-year 8-month $30,000  Marketing 4-year  S$30,000 Mechatronics Systems (DigiPen) 3-year 8-month $43,080  Occupational Therapy 3-year 8-month $36,960  Pharmaceutical Engineering 3-year 4-month $30,000  Physiotherapy 3-year 8-month $36,960  Public Safety and Security 4-year  S$30,000 Radiation Therapy 3-year 8-month $36,960  Robotics Systems 3-year 8-month $30,000  Social Work 4-year  S$30,000 Speech and Language Therapy 3-year 8-month $36,960  Supply Chain Management 4-year  S$30,000 Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering 3-year 4-month $22,500  User Experience and Game Design (DigiPen) 3-year 8-month $43,080 

For a fairer comparison of full course fees, the duration of the study for SIT & SUSS has been included.

Financing Your University Education

It is important to note the tuition fees listed are paid in a semester-by-semester basis, rather than a lump sum upfront.

This should offer some relief for families unable to provide the cash up front. With shrewd financial planning beforehand, some families can save up the amount needed for their childrens university education.

For those with some financial difficulties, there are various options available to help you afford a university education.

Financial Aid: If your family meets the qualifying criteria, you can apply for financial aid. Some financial aid schemes require you to reapply annually.

Scholarships: These come in a variety of flavours, offered by private companies, government organisations, and charitable foundations. Some scholarships come with a bond, that requires you to work at a particular place for a stipulated length of time.

Perks of scholarships include paying your tuition fees partly or entirely, a monthly allowance, and money to go for exchanges. The monetary value of a scholarship can add up to over $100,000. The attractiveness of scholarships makes securing a scholarship highly competitive.

Post-Secondary Education Account: If you have funds still in your Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA), you can use them to offset the cost of undergraduate programmes at university. For guys who have served National Service, the National Service Housing, Medical and Education (NS HOME) Awards supplements your PSEA by $3,000 for non-commanders and $3,500 for commanders.

CPF Education Loan Scheme: If your parents or relatives have sufficient funds in their CPF Ordinary Account, you can tap on their CPF monies CPF Education Loan Scheme (CPFES) to pay for your school fees. Once you start work, youll then repay the amount drawn, plus accrued interest.

Tuition Fee Loan (TFL): If the above options are not available to you, you can apply for the Tuition Fee Loan for up to 90% of the subsidised tuition fee payable. Tuition Fee Loans are provided by the Ministry of Education and administered by DBS and OCBC.

The main difference between the TFL and the CPFES is that the interest rate of the TFL is pegged to the prime lending rates of DBS and OCBC which stand at 4.38% and 4.5% respectively, which is higher than the CPFES rate of 2.5%. However, the TFL only charges interest after graduation, while the CPFES charges interest from the day the loan is taken.

If you qualify for both schemes and have trouble deciding, the CPF Board has compiled a list of scenarios to find out which scheme will be better for you. You can also use CPF Calculators to calculate your monthly instalment and the length of your loan repayment period.

Read Also: 4 Things You Need To Seriously Consider Before Taking Up A Scholarship

Should University Tuition Fees Influence The Course You Choose?

While the university tuition fees can add up to no small change, it should not be the only reason behind your choice of course.

Firstly, the starting pay can vary significantly across different faculties. University courses like Medicine, Dentistry and Law are amongst the most expensive, yet they are perennially popular, because their median starting pay usually tops the charts in the General Employment Survey.

Similarly, the relative job security of these courses is reflected in the strong full-time permanent employment rate which ranges between 90% to 100%. The survey also does not account for lucrative opportunities for career progression in these specialised professions, which will further enhance your lifetime earning potential.

At the same time, you shouldnt be selecting a course just because it appears to have the best career prospects.

Forcing yourself to take up a course that you are uninterested in can turn your university experience into a living nightmare. When this happens, it is unlikely for you to do well in the subject, and the same goes for your career.

Read Also: 7 High-Paying Jobs In Singapore That Dont Require A Degree

The post 2021 Cost Guide: Singapore Universities Tuition Fee Comparison appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg.Macedonia and Greece on Tuesday resolved a nearly three-decade row by agreeing to call it the Republic of North Macedonia, as Skopje hailed a "historic solution" to a dispute which had blocked its bid to join the EU and NATO. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said the two sides agreed to the rename the former Yugoslav republic after months of intensive diplomacy. "There is an agreement. We have a historic solution after two and a half decades. Our agreement includes Republic of North Macedonia for overall use," Zaev told reporters in the capital Skopje. Greece has long objected to its northern neighbour being called Macedonia because it has its own northern province of the same name. In televised comments, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras declared the deal "a great diplomatic victory and a great historic opportunity" for the region to have "friendship, cooperation and co-development". Macedonia hopes that resolving the name dispute will help clear the way for it to join the European Union and NATO. But the deal still needs to be approved by the Macedonian parliament and pass a referendum there, as well as ratification in the Greek parliament. Tsipras insisted the Macedonian government needed to get parliamentary approval otherwise "NATO's invitation is canceled and negotiations with the EU will not move". European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted his support for the agreement: "Thanks to you the impossible is becoming possible." "I am keeping my fingers crossed," he said. - Hardliners critical - Greek officials earlier said the list of potential names included "New Macedonia" and "Upper Macedonia", but after months of discussions "North Macedonia" was chosen. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias had prepared a 20-page draft agreement after repeated talks with his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Dimitrov. Tsipras said that the agreement would specify that Macedonia's language is of Slavic origin. Both governments have faced criticism ahead of the compromise and on Tuesday Macedonia's President Gjorge Ivanov signalled his concern. "There is a need for a wider national consensus to find a solution that won't hurt the dignity of the Macedonian people and citizens," said Ivanov. He is close to the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party which was defeated by Zaev in elections last year. The party's leader Hristijan Mickoski said he would not support changes to the "constitutional name" of Macedonia. "The government signed a capitulation because of his (the prime minister's) incompetence to lead the negotiations and he accepted every request made by Greece," said Mickoski. This year there have been several protests against an agreement in Skopje, as well as in Athens and Greece's second city of Thessaloniki in the north. In Greece, Tsipras' conservative rival Kyriakos Mitsotakis also denounced the deal as a "bad agreement". "The acceptance of the Macedonian language and nationality is an unacceptable national retreat," he said. - 'No chance' - Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos, a hardline junior coalition partner in Tsipras's government, earlier dismissed talk of a deal, saying there was "no chance" Zaev could get it approved. Skopje hopes to secure a date to begin European Union accession talks at an EU summit in late June, and an invitation to join NATO in mid-July. "This historic agreement is testament to many years of patient diplomacy, and to the willingness of these two leaders to solve a dispute which has affected the region for too long," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement. "This will set Skopje on its path to NATO membership. And it will help to consolidate peace and stability across the wider Western Balkans," he added. The EU's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said the deal "contributes to the transformation of the entire region of southeast Europe". Athens has long objected to its neighbour's constitutional name -- the Republic of Macedonia -- because it fears it could imply territorial ambitions. Ancient Macedonia was the cradle of Alexander the Great's empire, a point of pride to Greeks today. But under the Romans, the province of Macedonia was expanded to include territory in modern-day Greece, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Albania.A Hong Kong man and his female passenger were killed in a bike accident in Thailand over the weekend.

Wong Siu-ming, 44, was riding a motorbike with his female companion along the Lampang Chiang Mai Highway in northern Thailand when they were hit by a car on Saturday night.

The woman, who was in her 30s and from the mainland, died at the scene, while Wong was taken to hospital where he later died of his injuries.

A local newspaper reported that the crash happened in wet conditions on a downhill bend near the Thai Elephant Conservation and Training Centre.

The report said the motorcycle was hit from behind by a white sedan. Thai authorities had reportedly arrested the driver of the car in connection with the incident, which occurred about 67km away from Chiang Mai.

Motorcycle deaths are not uncommon in Thailand. The primary mode of road transport in the country an average of more than 100,000 domestic sales have been recorded per month in recent years, and bike accidents account for nearly three-quarters of traffic-related deaths in the country, according to a study by the Ramathibodi Hospitals Child Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention Centre.

In 2015, the World Health Organisation cited a death rate of 26.3 motorcycle-related deaths for every 100,000 people in Thailand, making its roads one of the deadliest for people to ride a motorcycle on.

For visitors, the average cost of renting a bike is about 150 to 450 baht (US$5 to $15 ) per day, depending on the bike they want to hire.

Visitors that want to drive are required by law to hold an international driving licence and when asked, must be able to produce the document along with their passport and national driving licence.

Despite these regulations many shops in Thailand still rent out bikes, even if the customer does not have a licence.

Story continues

As long as you can drive away from their shop without toppling over or crashing into something or someone, youre as free as a bird, an American couple living in the country wrote on their blog.

On Monday, the Immigration Department said that after learning about the crash it contacted the Hong Kong office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Chinese consulate in Chiang Mai, to learn about the case.

A spokesman for the department said officers had contacted the family members of the deceased and offered help.

This article Hong Kong man and female companion killed in northern Thailand bike crash first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.Iran's President Hassan Rouhani speaks during an extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, Turkey May 18, 2018. Arif Hudaverdi Yaman/Pool via Reuters

PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned world powers on Tuesday that it was impossible for Tehran to stay in the nuclear deal if it cannot benefit from the accord after the U.S. withdrawal.

In a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Rouhani said he was satisfied with Europe's stance, especially French efforts to salvage the 2015 deal, but that "such statements should be combined with actions and tangible measures".

"If Iran cannot benefit from the (nuclear) deal, then it's practically impossible to stay in the accord, Rouhani was quoted by state news agency IRNA as saying in a phone call with the French president.

The pact between Iran and world powers lifted international sanctions on Tehran. In return, Iran scaled back its nuclear activities, increasing the time it would need to produce an atom bomb if it chose to do so, a goal it denies having.

Since President Donald Trump withdrew the United States in May, calling the accord flawed, European signatories - France, Britain and Germany - have been scrambling to ensure Iran retains enough economic benefits to persuade it not to pull out.

Macron's office said he had told Rouhani in the same telephone call that France remained committed to the nuclear deal but Tehran needed to fully comply with its commitments.

"The President of the Republic recalled the will of France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China, to continue to implement the Vienna agreement in all its dimensions," Macron's office said.

"The president informed President Rouhani of the progress in the work being done on our side. He hoped that Iran, for its part, will fulfil its obligations without any ambiguity."

Macron's office confirmed a previously agreed ministerial meeting between all the remaining signatories of the deal, the European powers, China and Russia, would be held in the coming weeks in Vienna.

French diplomatic sources said the meeting was likely to take place during the week of June 25.

(Reporting by John Irish and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Mark Heinrich)Hundreds of migrants stranded for days on an aid ship in the Mediterranean because Italy and Malta refused to take them headed Tuesday for Spain after being transferred to two other vessels. Rescuers warned of deteriorating weather conditions facing the 629 people -- including pregnant women and scores of children -- who have been crammed on the Aquarius vessel since being plucked from the sea off the Libyan coast at the weekend. With food and drink running short, their plight could last another three or four more days before they are finally able to land in the Spanish port of Valencia, according to the French charity SOS Mediterranee which operates the ship. "#Aquarius has set sail to #Valencia at 21h00 as have the #Dattilo and #Orione, all three ships carrying the 630 people rescued 72 hours ago," SOS Mediterrannee tweeted late Tuesday, referring to two other official Italian vessels involved in the operation that will see them cover 1,500 kilometres. Spain stepped in to help after Italy -- which has been on the front line of the migration crisis in Europe -- and Malta refused to allow the Aquarius to land despite strong pressure from the international community. Italy's stance has triggered a war of words with its European allies, with France in particular accusing it of being "irresponsible". - 'Obligation to avoid catastrophe' - Doctors from another French charity, MSF (Doctors without Borders), are helping treat the migrants, who include seven pregnant women, 11 young children and 123 unaccompanied minors. Many of them are from Africa. Spain's new Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had offered the boat safe harbour, saying there was a moral "obligation to help to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe". Anelise Borges, a Euronews correspondent on the Aquarius, told AFP that weather forecasts were predicting waves as high as two metres (seven feet). "Even if the conditions are OK, and we go only with 100 people aboard it could take three, three-and-a-half days to get to Spain," Borges added. That would mean the migrants will have been at sea for almost a week by the time they arrive in Valencia. Borges said they had been at sea for 20-30 hours before being rescued, and nerves were fraught. "Yesterday they told the people on board that there could be a possibility that we would not be going to Italy but that we didn't know yet where we were going to go and obviously people got terrified," she said. "A man threatened to throw himself off the boat, saying he didnt want to go back to Libya, for some people the prospect of going back was really really scary." - 'A European issue' - Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he would go to Libya -- the launchpad for many migrants and refugees fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East -- by the end of the month. "This situation needs to be resolved on the African continent," said Salvini, whose new populist government has vowed a tougher stance on immigration. He wants to cut the number of arrivals to Italy -- something already achieved by his predecessor thanks to a deal struck with Libyan authorities -- while accelerating the expulsion of "illegals". Salvini has repeatedly accused charities of working with human traffickers but said Italy would not stop rescuing migrant boats itself. "We have put a stop to the NGOs. The coastguard and navy can continue to save lives, but other countries need to keep giving us a hand." He noted that an Italian coastguard ship was expected to dock in Sicily in the coming hours carrying some 937 migrants, also rescued off Libya. SOS Mediterranee insisted it would continue its rescue activities once the Aquarius had returned from Spain. - 'Political weapon' - French President Emmanuel Macron blasted Italy for its "irresponsibility" over its handling of the crisis. Ximo Puig, president of the Valencia region, also had strong words for Rome. "Turning this into a political weapon is despicable... it is clear that Europe must act more wisely, but we cannot let these people die at sea." But Italy retorted that it refused to accept "hypocrital lessons" from France, according to a government statement quoted by the media. The International Organisation for Migration's director general William Lacy Swing hailed Spain's offer. But he warned: "I fear a major tragedy if states start refusing to accept rescued migrants as was threatened." Under EU rules, migrants must apply for asylum in the European country where they first arrive. That has put pressure on Italy and Greece, the entry points for the hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and poverty at home to seek a new life in Europe. EU leaders in December set an end-June deadline for an overhaul of rules to create a permanent mechanism to deal with migrants.Romanian judges and prosecutors hit back Monday at attacks on the judiciary by the ruling party's embattled head Liviu Dragnea, who compared prosecutors to the communist-era secret police, saying he should be punished for intimidation. Dragnea made the remarks on Saturday and in a TV interview a day later promised to "clean up the dirt left behind by the rats". "Describing members of the judiciary as 'corrupt', 'Stalinists', 'torturers' and 'rats' is a particularly serious development," the Judges' Forum, a key legal grouping, said. "The call to 'stop abuses', coming as it does from someone involved in legal troubles, is a form of pressure... and a dangerous precedent which ought to be punished," it said. Dragnea is the head of the ruling Social Democrats (PSD) but was barred from becoming prime minister following a 2016 conviction for electoral fraud. A verdict in another fraud trial involving Dragnea is due later this month. The outgoing head of the DIICOT anti-terrorism body, Daniel Horodniceanu, told AFP he had asked the Higher Magistrates' Council "to defend the professional reputation (of prosecutors) and the independence of the judiciary." Since the PSD returned to power at the end of 2016, Dragnea has led the party's charge against what it says are abuses by the judiciary. Critics say he is one of many in Romania's elite annoyed by moves to clamp down on corruption in one of the EU's most graft-ridden countries. Last year, the government put forward a proposal to weaken corruption legislation which would have spared Dragnea from standing trial in his current case. But the government was forced to backtrack after the biggest wave of protests since the collapse of communism in 1989.Lambretta, the cult Italian scooter brand, has finally arrived on our shores. Last June 5, Lambretta and local motorcycle retail and lifestyle chain Ropali officially launched the brand in the Philippines, with Ropali top executives and Lambretta International Sales Manager Michael Fulton representing their respective companies at the contract signing.

Ropali President Ariane Alingog said at the affair: It is an honor to be able to work with Lambretta, a globally recognized, authentic and historically renowned Italian scooter icon. Today, Ropali makes history in the Philippines again, with our contract signing with Lambretta. As the countrys leading motorcycle and scooter retailer, we intend to imprint Lambretta into the consciousness of our enthusiast-customers, as we fully intend for our market to embrace Lambretta, the scooter acknowledged worldwide as a cult classic.

Ropali Lambretta

With 124 branches all over the country, Ropali is well-equipped to help the Italian scooter brand conquer the Philippine market. Aldouse Rex Alingog, general manager of Ropali Group of Companies, said that his company will kick off the sales and distribution of Lambretta with its new V-Special range, bringing its three different engine sizes to the country. These will include a 50cc, 125cc, and 200cc, which are expected to arrive by June 23. A press conference is slated for the three engine models on June 25.

Also in attendance during the contract signing were Ms. Ma. Ceres Allam, Ropali Chief Revenue Officer; Ms. Eden Cabrera, Senior Marketing Manager Ropali; and key executives of the local motorcycle retail chain along with VIP guests and media friends.

The post Ropali Brings Lambretta to the Philippines appeared first on Carmudi Philippines.The Vans Shop Riot 2018 German leg will be taking place this Saturday (16/06/18) at North Brigade Skatepark in Cologne, kicking off the long running series which this year will be finishing up in Milan in October. We dont have any further dates yet but guaranteed this one will be worth keeping an eye on  watch out for coverage of some kind dropping next week and, while youre at it, check out last years UK leg and the finals which took place in Holland.

Address:

North Brigade Skatepark

Scheibenstr.13a

Cologne, Germany

June 16th, 2018 riots are expected to break out across Europe and last up until September due to the ongoing celebrations of the Vans Shop Riot Series 10th Anniversary.

Beginning in Germany and Portugal this weekend, before escalating across most EMEA territories including UK, France, Italy, Spain, Israel, Benelux & Scandinavia the riots will further illustrate Vans ongoing commitment to the core stores and ultimately, the roots of the biggest individual success stories in skateboarding.

On a local level, each country sees the top shop teams rioting it out for one day in one of their best Skateparks. Its a strict street contest. As for the competition format, its one vs the other in true riotus fashion and there can only be one winner! Then from a pan-European perspective, each countries winning team will qualify for an all-expenses paid trip to the European Shop Riot Finals.

Phil Hackett . His clients include The BBC, GQ, Titus Skateshop, Friendship Skateboards, and many more. Phil has been skating since the early 90s, and recently produced a series of illustrative books and prints based on this theme. Phil says  the chance to collaborate with Vans for this years Shop Riot has been a dream job to date, furthermore being given such creative freedom has made it even more enjoyable. For the past couple of years, weve partnered with a relevant Skate Artist on the creative execution. This year we team up with UK artist,. His clients include The BBC, GQ, Titus Skateshop, Friendship Skateboards, and many more. Phil has been skating since the early 90s, and recently produced a series of illustrative books and prints based on this theme. Phil says  the chance to collaborate with Vans for this years Shop Riot has been a dream job to date, furthermore being given such creative freedom has made it even more enjoyable.

Every year, the Shop Riot Finals are held in a different country. For 2018, weve partnered with Spitfire, and the finals will take place in Milan, Italy in early October.Benefits of curbing climate change far outweigh costs

Posted on 12 June 2018 by dana1981

Those who oppose policies to cut carbon pollution and slow climate change always claim that doing so will be too expensive and cripple the economy. They argue that instead we should maximize economic growth so that we can pay for climate damages and adaptation in the future. Its an argument helped by the fact that models have essentially treated economic growth as an external factor that wont be significantly impacted by climate change.

That assumption has been challenged in recent years, starting with a 2012 paper in theAmerican Economic Journal finding that higher temperatures reduce economic growth rates, particularly in poorer countries. A 2015 paper by Stanford scientists published inNature Climate Change built on this work, similarly finding that global warming will particularly hurt economic growth in poorer countries, and that Optimal climate policy in this model stabilizes global temperature change below 2 degrees C. This finding is consistent with the target set by the Paris climate accords.

Later in 2015, a team of scientists led by Marshall Burke published a paper inNature finding a relationship between temperature and Gross Domestic Product, or GDP. Theres a sweet spot where regions with an average temperature around 13 degrees Celsius (55 degrees Fahrenheit) have the highest economic productivity. When temperatures are much hotter or colder, GDP falls. Countries like the United States, Japan, China, and many European countries happen to have temperatures right near that sweet spot, while many developing countries closer to the equatorin regions like Africa and southeast Asiaare already hotter than optimal. Consistent with the findings of the aforementioned studies, the economies of these poorer tropical countries will be particularly hard hit by global warming, because their climates are already sub-optimally hot.

Just recently, Burke led another team of scientists in research quantifying these economic costs of higher temperatures. Their latest paper, also published in Nature, found that limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius would likely save the global economy more than $20 trillion by the year 2100 as compared to 2 degrees Celsius warmingat a cost of about $300 billion. That means the benefits of curbing climate change would exceed the costs by about 70-to-1. The study also only accounts for temperature effects on GDP and not other damaging factors like sea level rise, and is thus likely a conservative estimate.

Burkes study also estimated the economic impact of higher levels of global warming, if we fail to meet the Paris climate targets. For example, global warming of 3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures in 2100 would reduce global GDP by about 10 percent as compared to 2 degrees Celsius global warming. A temperature of 4-to-5 degrees Celsius would make us 10 percent poorer yet, as compared to 3 degrees Celsius. Those would be massive economic losses that could exceed $100 trillion. And it wouldnt just impact poor countriesa working paper recently published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond found that global warming could significantly hamper economic growth in the United States as well, especially in the hotter Southern states. The paper found that if we meet the 2 degrees Celsius Paris climate target, US economic growth will only slow by about 5-to-10 percent, but global warming of 3-to-3.5 degrees Celsius would dampen the American economy by twice as much10-to-20 percent.

Its also worth noting that these are not controversial findings. Even economists and organizations most-cited by climate contrarians agree that further global warming will hurt the economy, and has been hurting the economies of poorer countries for about 40 years.

Click here to read the restAmericas relationship with Canada has sunk to a surreal new low thanks to tensions over trade/Donald Trump. And when anybody asks Donald Trump to explain why hes so furious at Ottawa, he almost always circles back to one topic: The dairy industry.

The dairy industry! Our neighbors to the north have long used high tariffs to shield their domestic milk producers from foreign competition, and the issue seems to have become a fixation for the president. Trump tweeted and talked about it incessantly before and after last weekends disastrous G-7 summit. I love Canada, he told reporters, But they treat us unfairly on trade. Very, very unfairly. You see the numbers. Almost 300 percent on dairy. The president even went so far as to suggest that he imposed steel tariffs on Canada in retaliation for the countrys protectionist stance on butter and cream. (This seemingly contradicted the administrations official line, which was that the steel tariffs were necessary for U.S. national security).

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PM Justin Trudeau of Canada acted so meek and mild during our @G7 meetings only to give a news conference after I left saying that, US Tariffs were kind of insulting and he will not be pushed around. Very dishonest & weak. Our Tariffs are in response to his of 270% on dairy!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2018

The president isnt necessarily wrong to criticize Canadas dairy policies, which are antiquated and harmful for the countrys own consumers, as well as American farmers. But his obsession with the subject is yet another example of his rhetoric on trade being broadly misleading, even when it gets specifics right.

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Trump is peeved about Canadas so-called supply management system for dairy products and poultry, which sets prices and then limits production by farmers to keep the market from flooding. The government then keeps out cheaper imports using stiff tariffs, ranging from 168 percent on eggs to 270 percent on milk to 298 percent on butter. These days, the Canadian government exempts a small share of imports from the tariffs, but not muchwith yogurt, for instance, it works out to about a teaspoon per Canadian per year.

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Many in Canada complain that the system, which dates back to the 1970s, is an anachronism that lets the countrys shrinking number of dairy farmers profit on the backs of everyday families. Canadians pay far more for their milk than Americans, and the policy is especially burdensome for the poor; one recent estimate suggested, for instance, that lower-income households end up spending an extra $339 a year for groceries due to supply management. But the policy has survived because Canadas 11,000 dairy farmers are a powerful interest group overwhelmingly located in the politically influential provinces of Quebec, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is from, and Ontario. The issue is so sensitive that Canadian dairy and poultry were entirely exempted from the North American Free Trade Agreements tariff reductions. As the Toronto Stars editorial board put it last year: The folly of our continued commitment to supply management is widely accepted in policy circles, yet it persists in part because risk-averse politicians fear the purportedly powerful dairy farmers lobby.

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The issue seemingly came to Trumps attention for the first time in 2017, after a controversy flared up between U.S. farmers and Canada over ultrafiltered milk, a protein product used to make cheese. The stuff had essentially been exempt from Canadas tariff system, allowing American dairies to work up a nice business exporting it North. But the Ontario dairy board eventually used its regulatory powers to shut out the imports, outraging a group of dairy state politicians, including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, House Speaker Paul Ryan, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, leading Trump to tweet about the unlikely international flashpoint in April.

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Canada has made business for our dairy farmers in Wisconsin and other border states very difficult. We will not stand for this. Watch!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 25, 2017

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Hes been on the warpath over the price of Canadian milk ever since.

Some have argued that Trump lacks the moral high ground to criticize Canada for its dairy policies. Many of have called attention to the fact that he walked out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which cracked open 3.25 percent of Canadas dairy market to foreign competition, a small but meaningful step towards liberalization. Its been pointed out that the U.S. puts its own high tariffs on dairy that could theoretically block imports (agricultural economists told me that the main reason Americans dont buy much foreign milk is that American farmers are extremely good at producing it for cheap). And some have pointed out that U.S. has its own agricultural sacred cowsthey just tend to be more metaphorical. For instance, our sugar industry is protected by an elaborate system of price supports and tariffs that puts Mexico at an enormous disadvantage, and forces Americans to pay more for their sweets.

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But the real issue here isnt whether Trump has the right to attack Canada for protecting its farmers. Its that hes using the dairy industry, which is a bit of an edge case, to paint a wildly inaccurate portrait of trade between the U.S. and Canada, and how it affects our farmers. NAFTA, and the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement that preceded it, eliminated most tariffs on farm goods. As a result, American farmers do quite a lot of business across the northern border. Most years, we run a small trade deficit on agricultural goods with Canada; in 2017, we ran a small surplus, exporting $24 billion worth of products and importing $22 billion, according to the U.S. Trade Representative. Neither side is getting robbed. Dairy isnt everything.

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Trump, of course, would have you believe otherwise. Trump likes to harp on specific, high tariffs to make it seem as if Americas trade partners are deeply protectionist when, in fact, most of them keep trade barriers very low overall. He uses the dairy issue to make a broader case that Canada is waging a war on all American farmers when, in fact, our agricultural systems are pretty deeply entwined. And he deploys it over and over again, probably because there arent many other great examples to support his case. Trump has found his talking point. And, as usual, hes going to milk it for all its worth.Tuesdays historic summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un is in the books. The American president and North Koreas dictator traveled to Singapore to discuss denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and potentially lifting economic sanctions against North Korea. After some warm handshakes and warmer words, the leaders signed a joint declaration that did not include any specific steps toward denuclearization. Trump, however, did say that the United States would cease joint military exercises with a taken-by-surprise South Korea.

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To discuss what the summit means for the future of the region and for Trumps presidency, I spoke by phone with Katy Oh, the co-author of three books on North Korea. During the course of our conversation, which has been edited and condensed for clarity, we discussed Kims strategy toward Trump, how the North Korean leader differs from his father, Kim Jong-il, and what China and South Korea will make of the summit.

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Isaac Chotiner: What are your first impressions from the summit?

Katy Oh: A monkey show. [Laughs] I didnt expect very much, but [the joint declaration] came out to be quite an ordinary and pretty bad document.

Why do you think that? Was there nothing positive?

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Although the two leaders issued a stupid document and communique, a written document has some weight. But they didnt put down anything that will drive North Korea to denuclearizeits got to be a joke. And although I think the nuclear issue is the most important issue for the United States and global security, the worst dictator [was just] welcomed with compliments by the CEO of the United States. All in all, I am very down today, and very frustrated.

Although the two leaders issued a stupid document and communique, a written document has some weight.  Katy Oh

Do you put any stock in the denuclearization comments at all?

Some people say that after this document, the nitty-gritty of an implementation process will begin. But we dealt with North Korea for the last 30 years, with ups and down, and today we have more nuclear weapons in North Korea than we did [in the past].

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What did you make of Kims strategy going into this summit?

The most important bottom line is that since he came to the political stage as the countrys ultimate leader, after his fathers death in 2011, he [has] pursued two strategies for North Koreas future. One is the complete, near-comprehensive development of deliverable missiles and deliverable nukes. And the other is economic advancement, economic development. Right now, North Korea is a nuclear state, so he wants to meet with China and South Korea and move past economic sanctions. So instead of [that] two-track strategy, he now says, We now have one strategy for the future of North Korea: economic development.

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Three things have changed in North Korea. Kim replaced his father. Trump became president. And South Korea elected a leader more willing to negotiate

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You are right. The receptiveness [of the] South Korean government to North Korean demands is one of the most important factors. South Korea is the one who will give the economic aid. Do you think Donald Trump will give any money to North Korea? South Korea is receptive, [though], and is willing to fill the Norths economic demands. This is why Kim said, I cannot lose this golden opportunity.

Do you think that Kim is doing something different than his father would have done, in similar circumstances?

The personality is different first of all. Personality matters sometimes. His father was a very shy introvert. He didnt want to meet anybody other than limited and selected invited people, but Kim likes to be under the spotlight: TV, YouTube. I mean, for Gods sake, hes [an] extrovert. That factors in a little bit. At the same time, the nuke program was not as developed as today.

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Because the nuke program is more developed, you can get a better deal from South Korea?

Yes, because [they] are a nuclear state.

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What do you see as the next step here?

[The consideration of] American strategic assets [that] include incredible aircraft carriers, fighter planes, stealth bombersoccasionally they are deployed around the Pacific and close to the Korean Peninsula. Its a symbolic gesture, but the North Koreans do not like that sort of thing at all. So a lot of these things will be put on the table, but we dont know which will be the first steps.

The U.S. will demand steps. And then North Korea will demand steps. Its like a brick building. I lay one brick. You do the same thing. Somehow they put in a crummy brick, instead of a full brick, [but they] build the house together. I think, though, there will be some angry critics inside the U.S. government, outside the U.S. government, and globally. The problem is that the U.S. has a shortage of energy and talent [working on this], and North Korea has nothing but a huge team working on this.

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What do you think China and South Korea will each make of this summit?

China is happy, even if they might be a little bit worried that Kim will be drawn toward the United States and away from China. But they helped Kim stage this political show, and they will be happy the meeting ended without them slapping each others faces.

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So far, I think the South Koreans are very happy because the communique is basically reflecting the similar spirit of the declaration that the South Korean president and Kim made when they met. It looks like they are following the South Korean steps.

Will there be South Korean angst about Trump announcing that military exercises will be put on hold?

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South Korean politics is a whole different chapter. Its not a united society. Its not a consolidated society. There are people who are very proNorth Korean and pro-Chinese and very anti-American and anti-Japanese as well as a lot of people who think America is the best ally and that South Korea should improve its relationship with Japan. The country is divided. The people who have been arguing that the United States should withdraw and that the people of a unified Korea will then have a better life and future without the presence of superpower America are happy. But some of the countrys leaders and elites will begin to worry: We expected a much more detailed document that [would lay] down an implementation process.In one of the most famous summations of the George W. Bush administration, an anonymous White House aidewidely believed to be Karl Rove, though he denied itdismissed the administrations critics as the reality based community, telling the New York Times in 2004, Were an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while youre studying that realityjudiciously, as you willwell act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and thats how things will sort out. With respect to Bushs team, when it comes to creating new realities through ceaseless action, they were rank amateurs compared with Donald Trump.

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Weve seen the Trump administrations skill at creating its own realities over the past few days in Trumps interactions with two leaders, Canadas Justin Trudeau and North Koreas Kim Jong-un. On Saturday, Trump, tweeting from his plane leaving the G-7 summit in Canada, blasted Trudeau for making false statements at his news conference after acting meek and mild at the summit, saying that in response, he had instructed U.S. reps not to sign the G-7 communique to which he had previously agreed. Trump advisers Larry Kudlow and Peter Navarro then attacked Trudeau on Sunday news shows, accusing him of having stabbed the president in the back.

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What did Trudeau actually say to elicit this response? That it was kind of insulting for Trump to imply that trade with Canada constituted a national security threat given the long alliance between the two countries, and that Canada would apply retaliatory measures to any U.S.

tariffs. This statements did not represent a change in the Canadian position or even with rhetoric used in the past. Now, however, thanks to Trumps thin skin and big megaphone, a long-standing dispute over tariffswhich Trump is not even entirely wrong abouthas become a personal beef between two world leaders.

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As for Kim, Trump has obviously shifted the dynamics of the storyline, going from taunting him as little rocket man and threatening fire and fury to Tuesdays statements about their terrific relationship and what an honor it was to meet the dictator. Even commentators (like me) who were mostly critical of the agreement that came out of the summit breathed a sigh of relief today; good relations between these two nations are preferable to the alternative, which is catastrophic war. But as others have noted, the war scenario was mostly on the table because Trump put it there. Obviously, its not Trumps fault that Kim now has an operational nuclear deterrent. He was well on his way to acquiring one before Trump came into office. But he also still has one today. And judging from the vague commitments in Tuesdays agreement, hes not giving it up any time soon. The U.S. was living with the alarming reality of a nuclear-armed North Korea before, and still is. The difference is that Trump leapt at the opportunity to ratchet up the tension, then released it. No doubt the comparatively low-stakes drama with Trudeau will get a similar, if short-lived, resolution soon.

At the end of his press conference Tuesday, Trump admitted that in six months he may find out he was wrong about Kim. I dont know that Ill ever admit that, he said. Ill find some kind of excuse. By then, after all, hell have created a brand-new storyline for us to study.Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, unpaid senior White House advisers, earned at least $82 million in outside income in 2017, the Washington Post reported Monday. Both benefited from investment deals made by the companies they used to run.

Trump has relinquished control of her companies, but, along with her father, has broken with precedent by not divesting of her business interests. The Post, which reviewed financial-disclosure forms released Monday, reported that Ivanka Trump earned nearly $4 million from her stake in the Trump International Hotel in Washington, more than $2 million in severance from the Trump Organization, and roughly $5 million from the trust that controls her clothing brand.

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Ethics watchdogs have warned that while she has large stakes in companies that could benefit from the wealth of influential donors and political figures at home and abroad, she and her husband remain susceptible to influence. As HuffPost has noted, the RNC and other Republican entities have already spent nearly $2 million at Trump hotels and resorts. And as the Post reported, Ivanka Trumps clothing line is produced in foreign factories, placing her at risk of bias in international matters.

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Kushner, the Post reports, has divested some holdings, but not all, and he continued to benefit from a large number of real estate holdings. In 2017, he reported earnings of more than $5 million from one apartment complex in New Jersey bought by the family real estate company last year.

A spokesman for Kushner and Trump said that the two had followed federal ethics rules. As to the current filing which OGE also reviews, their net worth remains largely the same, with changes reflecting more the way the form requires disclosure than any substantial difference in assets or liabilities, he said in his statement.

As the New York Times noted, because we cant see the players behind the various deals Trumps and Kushners trusts and investment vehicles made in 2017, its hard to tell whether people wanting to curry favor with the Trumps were involved.At the pivotal moment in Otto Premingers 1962 film Advise and Consent, a young senator who chairs the subcommittee overseeing the nomination of a new secretary of state tells the president he needs to pick a different nominee.

Mr. President, I dont want to wreck [his] life. I dont want to deprive you of his services in some other office, the senator says of the nominee, who had lied about his political ties. But in this case, his confirmation as secretary of state, I am bound by my duty to my committee.

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You also owe a duty to your party, the president tells him.

To which the senator replies, I cant subvert the purpose of a Senate committee!

Its typically dramatic for political theater of the time, but it also reflects some enduring truths of American governance. The president can flatter and cajole and pressure, but he cant force the senator to act on his nominee. What a young senator lacks in seniority and party standing, he has in constitutional authority: He exists independently of the executive branch, with his own set of powers and privileges.

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Set that scene today and it would look a little different. Our politics are far more ideological and polarized. Faced with presidential pressureand aware of a watchful basea young senator might bend despite his principles and obligations. But he would still have his constitutional authority. He could still hold the president accountable.

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Flake and his colleagues are posturing against Trump while doing little to actually stop him.

Republican senators could take a lesson from the fictional young senators courage. In the wake of President Trumps angry outburst against key allies over the weekend, including Canada, several expressed dismay and defiance. Fellow Republicans, this is not who we are. This cannot be our party, said Jeff Flake of Arizona on Twitter. His senior colleague, John McCain, voiced a similar view, telling our allies that Americans stand with you, even if our president doesnt. As did Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who said, Canada remains our close ally, good friend, & one of Americas biggest trading partners. Earlier in the week, Bob Corker of Tennessee challenged Trump on trade, pushing back on White House criticism. I am a United States senator, and I have responsibilities and Im going to continue to carry them out, Corker said.

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Those messages were all on brand: Flake has cultivated the persona of a conscientious conservative; McCain, a self-styled maverick; Corker, a serious legislator; and Collins, a fair-minded moderate.

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They each make clear that Trump offends their sensibilities. Republicans should not be okay with [Donald Trump] threatening to jail his opponent after the election. That is not who we are, tweeted Flake in October of 2016, before the election. Politics can make us silent when we should speak, and silence can equal complicity. I have children and grandchildren to answer to, he said in a speech last summer, criticizing Trump and his allies. I will not be complicit.

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But Flake and his colleague have been complicit. A United States senator can do much more than call press conferences and attract cameras. They have leverage. If Flake believes Trump is violating a critical normif he thinks that the president needs more meaningful oversightthen he has ways to force the issue. He and his colleagues can block a nominee or threaten to scuttle legislation using the filibuster. If they fear that Trump may fire Robert Mueller and end the FBI investigation into his campaign, they can freeze the Senates business and force Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell into allowing a vote on Mueller-protection legislation.

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Instead of taking concrete action to hold Trump accountable, however, theyve been satisfied to criticize him while confirming his nominees and advancing his legislative agenda, such that it exists. For all their dismay and condemnation, neither Flake nor his like-minded colleagues have tried to connect their work to their rhetoric. Theyre posturing against Trump while doing little to actually stop him.

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Theres nothing to stop Jeff Flake or Bob Corker or Susan Collins from standing up against the president. Indeed, both Flake and Corker will retire at the end of the yearthey have nothing to lose. And while they are substantively conservativeand likely approve of the judges and policies that have happened under the presidents watchtheyve also framed Trump as uniquely transgressive. Either Trump is a threat to the country that demands action, even if it costs conservative victories, or hes not. If he is, all they have to do is have the courage of their conviction. All they have to do is put words to action.

Otherwise, this is a charade, meant to garner attention and praise, while doing littleif anythingto challenge the dire threat they claim to oppose.A Michigan state senator and gubernatorial candidate struck the word democratic from the phrase core democratic values in the states proposed social studies standards, taking issue with what he saw as partisan language, according to a new report.

Bridge magazine, a nonprofit news organization in Michigan, reported on Tuesday that Patrick Colbeck led a group of conservatives in stripping references to gay rights, Roe v. Wade, climate change, the NAACP, and the Ku Klux Klan from the proposed social studies standards for students from kindergarten through the 12th grade.

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They had this term in there called core democratic values,  Colbeck told Bridge. I said, First of all, core democratic values [is] not politically neutral. Im not proposing core Republican values, either.

Colbeck has a history of controversial actions, and he has spread inflammatory anti-Muslim conspiracy theories to accuse his political rival of plotting civilization jihad.

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The focus group responsible for reviewing the standards, which were originally written and reviewed by subject-matter experts, was made of of teachers and representatives of minority groups. But Colbeck found his way on the committee by sending the State Board of Education 13 pages of notes on changes he wanted made.

Of those changes, he asked to cut the one reference to the KKK, all but one reference to the NAACP, both references to LGBT people, both references to Roe v. Wade, and all references to climate change. He also inserted the phrase, the expansion of rights for some groups can be viewed as an infringement of rights and freedoms of others, and in a section for a high school course about civil rights, he cut references to immigrants and people with disabilities. He also changed core democratic values to core values (or deleted the phrase altogether) 13 times.

Other changes he suggestedsuch as stating that The KKK was founded as an anti-Republican organization not an anti-black organization and cutting references to Islamwere ignored.

The standards could be changed again before they are approved, and the public still has time to weigh in.It was an early morning in May 2012 when Eddie Crandell got the call that his ex-wifes parents were getting evicted from their home on the Robinson Rancheria, where they had lived for 25 years as members of the Pomo Indian tribe on the federal reservation in Northern California.

When he reached the scene, family members, who had not been prepared to move, were already scurrying through the house, packing their belongings into boxes and loading them into vehicles under the watchful eye of four tribal police officers.

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Crandells 5-year-old son didnt understand. Why are you kicking out my grandparents, he asked an officer, who didnt respond. But Crandell knew his extended family was being targeted for disenrollment, the process by which Native Americans lose citizenship within the tribe. Just over the hill, six other families were being evicted in a large-scale action by the tribal council to remove all members not viewed as real Indians.

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It was very contentious, Crandell said. People worried that they would be targeted if they talked to [opponents of the tribal council]. Nobody wanted to approach anyone. Everyone was afraid.

Thousands of Native Americans across the country have had their Indian citizenship terminated in disenrollment proceedings that have stripped them of their identity, acceptance in the tribe, and access to tribal resources like health care and educational grants. The once-rare practice has accelerated rapidly, experts said, but some ex-members and their advocates are pushing back, and there have been signs in recent years that the tide has turned against tribal disenrollment. Crandell, for example, has successfully restored membership to about 60 people, and disenrollees throughout Indian Country have also won a series of significant victories.

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Since the earliest recorded instances of tribal disenrollment in the late 19th century, researchers believe nearly 80 tribes across 20 states have engaged in the practice that has affected up to 10,000 people, said David Wilkins, who co-wrote the book Dismembered: Native Disenrollment and the Battle for Human Rights. Although disenrollment is a relatively modern phenomenon among the 567 federally recognized tribes, its causesgreed and government corruptionare familiar.

The success of the gambling industry brought newfound prosperity to tribes as they looked for ways to alleviate poverty and improve living conditions on reservations. According to the most recent data from the National Indian Gaming Commission, gaming revenue increased more than 4 percent in 2016 to $31 billion, spurring economic development and supplementing federal funds with per capita payments to tribal members. It was the seventh-consecutive year of growth in gross gaming revenues for the tribal market as a whole. Critics say that wealth is exactly what caused disenrollment to reach epidemic levels. The logic is simple: Reducing the number of tribal members means more money for those who remain.

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Such was the case for the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, whose membership of 1,800 people was cut in half after the opening of the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino in 2003, according to a This American Life program from 2013. In the segment, the remaining tribal members told reporter David Ferry that they saw increases in their payout checks after people were kicked out.

Disenrollment proceedings continued through 2016, when council Chairwoman Claudia Gonzales confirmed that she had sent about a dozen disenrollment letters to some of the tribes founding families. The dispute was never settled, but in October 2017, the tribe permitted open enrollment for the first time that many could remember. Many viewed the move as a hollow gesture from incumbent council members to drum up support just days before an election, and it was unclear whether previously disenrolled people could reapply.

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Disenrollment is occurring even among tribes that do not have significant gaming wealth. Take, for example, Californias Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians, whose tribal council sought to consolidate power by targeting political opponents through disenrollment. It was simply a political issue, said Rick Cuevas, who was dismissed from the tribe, along with nearly 100 extended family members, after the council posthumously disenrolled his ancestor in 2006. There were votes they couldnt control. Its not just about the money. Its about power and control.

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Unlike Crandell, Cuevas relatives were allowed to remain on the reservationin the house that his father built in 1957albeit without access to tribal resources, such as health care, housing grants, and other benefits provided by the federal government, which were annulled in the disenrollment proceedings. Theyre basically living under an apartheid system, he said.

They cant go to the park without a tribal member. They cant drink out of the water fountains. They cant go to the pool. Thats segregation.

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For many Native American communities, the ability to determine who is and who isnt a member is the single greatest indicator of tribal sovereignty. Once a tribe has disenrolled its members, they are left with few legal options for reinstatement. They can appeal the disenrollment ruling, as Cuevas did, but tribal courts seldom overturn a councils membership decision. And the U.S. government washed its hands of Indian affairs long ago.

You are placed in a legal Wonderland, said Wilkins, a professor of Native American policy and federal Indian law at the University of Minnesota. You are in between worlds. Federal courts have basically closed the door to you, and tribal councils dont want their own courts hearing disenrollment cases. You are left without any recourse whatsoever, which is the status of many of the disenrollees today.

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Traditionally, pre-Columbian tribes viewed belonging in terms of extended kinship groups, defined broadly to emphasize the need for interdependence among everyone in the tribe, Cherokee scholar Eva Marie Garroutte said. Kin groups administered justice, assembled leadership groups, organized local farming and other aspects of daily life. But as the United States expanded into Indian territory, it sought to impose more legalistic blood quantum requirements that measured the amount of Indian blood a person had to determine membership. For example, the Navajo require its members to possess a minimum of 25 percent Navajo blood. American politicians of the 19th century hoped that, over time, Native Americans would breed themselves out by intermarrying with non-natives, reducing their percentage of Indian blood and thereby releasing the government from its obligations to the tribes.

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For nearly two centuries, tribal governments and federal legislation imposed those conflicting requirements and applied them haphazardly, making the Indian enrollment process extremely complicated. Some tribes were so distrustful of the government that they refused to be registered. Native Americans with mixed tribal heritage simply guessed at their percentage of Indian blood. Others were denied enrollment, or they died before it was complete. Without that documentation and definitive proof of Indian heritage, Native Americans became increasingly susceptible to disenrollment charges.

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The United States essentially removed itself from the contentious issue in 1934 by passing the Indian Reorganization Act, which imposed constitutional governance on tribes with membership criteria that caused blood quantum laws to be widely accepted throughout Indian Country. Since then, the United States has largely deferred to tribal sovereignty in internal Indian disputes. In 1978, the Supreme Courts Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez decision, written by Thurgood Marshall, said Native Americans do not have the right to use federal courts as a way to correct civil rights violations committed by individual tribes. Wilkins said the ruling disappointed many Native Americans, who wanted more protection against tribal governments, and sparked debate about the role of the federal government in Indian affairs.

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The U.S. has a moral trust obligation to ensure tribes persist and sustain, said Gabe Galanda, a Native American attorney whose firm represents many disenrolled members. That responsibility gets looked at in a narrow, legal way that sounds only monetary. For example, if the government allowed a tribal facility to fall into disrepair, now its liable for the financial repercussions. Whats been lost is the moral trust responsibility. The U.S. has a legal duty to prevent a tribe from annihilating itself.

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Without help from the judiciary, disenrolled members are turning to firms like Galandas for assistance. Still, there is little lawyers can do to change their clients fates.

For those who have been disenrolled, I continue to advise them to act, however and whenever they can, as if they still belong, Galanda said. The rule of law is not what it once was in this country, but that cuts both ways. Why should any legal Indian who belongs cower to a corrupt tribal politician and adhere to the so-called legal result of a corrupt leader?

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Disenrollees may have lost in the courts, but they are winning the battle in the court of public opinion. In the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, tribal leaders did not take stances on disenrollment because they did not want to speak ill of other tribes. There was also a misconception among members that their silence would prevent disenrollment from happening within their own tribe. But all that is changing thanks to an active network of social media groups, from Galandas Stop Disenrollment to Emilio Reyes Stop Tribal Genocide, that has helped kindle discussion among tribes about this formerly taboo topic.

It was kept in the dark for so long, it spread like a cancer, Galanda said. Its been brought into the light through mainstream media attention, legal advocacy, social media, and interpersonal communication, all of which has caused the ebb of the practice were witnessing now. In the process, the taboo associated with disenrollment has waned in favor of shame upon tribes that engage in the practice.

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Throughout Indian Country, there are encouraging signs that disenrollment is waning. There have been no new mass disenrollments since 2016, two years after the numbers peaked, and some tribes have reversed course and reinstated disenrolled members, Galanda said. In August 2016, a tribal appeals court in Oregon overturned a decision by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde to disenroll 66 members after a three-year battle. In March 2017, Robinson Rancheria became the first tribe to voluntarily reinstate 60 members after Crandell helped lead a successful recall election of corrupt officials. Now, as council chairman, he is working to pass legislation that will prevent unjustified disenrollment in the future.

We were able to do it with the support of the membership, Crandell said. It was a well-orchestrated plan that we did together. We were all on the same page, and it was a really impactful time.

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Also in March 2017, the Elem Indian Colony in California reversed a motion filed by members living off the colony to disenroll all 132 people who lived on the reservation. In August, a federal judge ruled that the Cherokee Nation, based in Oklahoma, must reinstate 2,800 descendants of enslaved people owned by the tribe after the tribe stripped the descendants of their rights in a 2007 vote. (The descendants, who are well-connected with the Congressional Black Caucus, cited a specific treaty obligation, spurring the federal governmentwhich has the power to intervene depending upon the tribe and situationto step in.)

But the battle isnt over for reinstated members. Although some tribes have had success with integrating the disenrolled in leadership positions, they still face discrimination within the tribe. At a Grand Ronde council meeting in February, a tribal elder said members who had been targeted for disenrollment should not be serving on the enrollment board, the tribal newspaper Smoke Signals reported. We know theyre zero Grand Ronde, and now theyre on our enrollment committee, elder Brenda Gray said. To me, theyre still not tribal members. Courts made them, but theyre not.

The lingering animosity is concerning for activists, but they remain cautiously optimistic about the future.

I feel like weve turned a corner, Wilkins said. Im very cautiously optimistic, but Im not sure were out of the woods yet because the forces that led to disenrollmentincreasing revenues, the blood quantum problemsthey are still at play. We have to keep an eye on this. We cant put the genie back in the bottle.Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was hospitalized in November with broken ribs and bruised lungs after his next-door neighbor tackled him on his own lawn. The bizarre, extreme nature of the violence between the two older men in an affluent Kentucky suburb sparked immediate speculation: What could have caused this neighbor to become so blinded by rage?

Now, as the neighbor, retired anesthesiologist Rene Boucher, has admitted guilt and is requesting a sentence of probation instead of prison time, more details have emerged about their feud.

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In a 10-page memorandum filed Friday and obtained by the Bowling Green Daily News, Bouchers attorney argued that the prosecutions request of 21 months in prison was too severe, given Bouchers reputation as a pillar of his community and the isolated nature of the offense.

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The memorandum describes a simmering anger that started in the summer of 2017 and that, as has been previously reported, dealt with a minor lawn dispute over the pruning of some trees. In the fall, that-low simmering anger grew hotter.

In September, Paul piled limbs and trimmings from shrubs in a 5-foot-high and 10-foot-long pile near the property line between them. Boucher, who called the pile unsightly, after several weeks moved the debris into portable dumpsters and had them taken away.

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In October, Paul reconstructed the pile. A few days later, Boucher again had them hauled away. Less than 10 days later, Paul again made another pile of limbs and leaves, again in the same spot. Boucher took his beef to the Rivergreen Homeowners Association, but it did not help.

On Nov. 2, Boucher hit some kind of limit with his patience. He poured gasoline on the pile of debris and set it on fire. The resulting fireball gave him second-degree burns on his arms, neck, and face.

The next day, Paul, possibly underestimating the depths of his neighbors rage, used his lawnmower to blow leaves from his property onto Bouchers. Then he piled on the insults: During this process, Rand Paul stepped away from his lawnmower, gathered several branches from an adjacent pile of trash, and placed them in the exact location where the last pile had been burned just one day prior.

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Boucher tackled Paul. Boucher, according to his account, told Paul afterward that he wanted this to stop. Paul replied that Boucher would be getting a visit from the police.

In a statement, Paul refuted Bouchers account of mutual antagonism. Before Senator Paul was violently attacked from behind, he had no conversations or discussions with the attacker, a spokesman for Paul said in a statement. There was no longstanding dispute. This description is untrue. It is impossible to have a dispute when no words of disagreement were ever spokenneither immediately nor at any other time before the attack occurred. In the decade prior to the attack, Senator Paul had no contact with the attacker.

The spokesman added that the attack should be considered a serious, pre-meditated assault that resulted in major injuries. Any description of this attack that implies a yard dispute justifies such violence and misses the point.

Boucher will be sentenced on Friday.The grand summit turned out to be an even emptier pageant than expected.

It began with suitable drama: President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un approaching each other for the long handshake. Before the summit, Trump had said he would know whether the affair would fly or flop in the first minute. My touch, my feelthats what I do, hed explained. The touch and feel must have been good, for one minute later, before theyd exchanged a word beyond small talk, Trump told reporters he was honored to be in Kims company and predicted their meeting would be a tremendous success.

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Yet at the end of the day (and the summit, all told, lasted less than 12 hours), the two sides issued a joint statement that, even by the low-bar standards of such documents, was extraordinarily light on detail.

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North Korea did commit to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. In recent days, several specialists had said that this would mean nothing without an itemization of North Koreas present stockpile and a timetable for its dismantling. The joint statement provided no timetable, no itemization, nor even a timetable for when Pyongyang would submit an itemization.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said prior to the meeting that Trump would insist on the complete, verifiable, irreversible dismantlement of North Koreas nuclear complexes. The joint statement contained not the vaguest reference to how the disarmament would be verified.

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Finally, that crucial but ambiguous phrase, denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, remained undefined. Midlevel officials from both countries had been working for days to hammer out an agreement on this and other basic issues. Apparently they did not succeed, nor did the two leaders when they met face to face, nor did the somewhat larger group of top officialsincluding Pompeo, National Security Adviser John Bolton, White House chief of staff John Kelly, and their North Korean counterpartswhen they sat across from one another at a table.

Many observers had worried about two possible scenarios for the summit: that nothing specific would be nailed down about the dismantlement of North Koreas nuclear arsenal and that, in the course of making security guarantees to Kims regime, Trump would concede too much on commitments to U.S. allies in South Korea and Japan.

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Trump proved the skeptics right on the first worry, a bit less so on the second. Some had feared that Trump might sign on to a peace treaty ending the Korean War. (Since 1953, a cease-fire has been in place, but the combatants are still technically at war.) The concern was that such a treaty would be quickly followed by the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea. The joint statement mentions efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, but nothing, for the moment, about a treaty.

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Nor does it say anything about lifting economic sanctions, another issue on which critics had feared Trump might cave.

However, at a post-summit press conference, Trump said that he would suspend joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises, saying that these war games are expensive and agreeing with Kims charge that theyre provocative. This was quite a concession, especially since Trump seems to have made it without first consulting South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

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The only concessions Kim made at the summit were commitments to recovering and repatriating POW/MIA remains (an emotional issue for the families of war veterans), and to shutting down a missile-engine test site. Trump said that Kim agreed to the latter gesture, as a favor, at the last minute.

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So Kim went home from Singapore with a bevy of prizes: the legitimization of his regime as a world power worthy of peer treatment by an American president (who, afterward, suggested a possible future White House meeting); a suspension of military exercises on his border (which had been a tangible sign of the U.S.South Korean military alliance, which Pyongyang has long wanted to disrupt); and the easing of once-firm demands on the pace and verification of disarmament.

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Kim remains a totalitarian monster who cant be trustedand Trump remains a gullible mark.

Trump went home with a promise by Kim to recover dead soldiers remains, suspend operations at a missile-engine test site, and dismantle North Koreas nuclear weapons sometime in the future.

Game and set to Kim.

On a broader level, all this is good news compared with the headlines of several months ago, when Trump and Kim exchanged threats routinely and storm clouds of war rumbled eerily overhead. In their joint statement on Tuesday, the two sides agreed to hold follow-on negotiations, led by Pompeo and a high-level North Korean official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the summiti.e., to fill in the many blanks and reconcile the many conflicts.

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This process will take years and may not amount to much in the end. Still, the summit produced what some had forecast as a modest, substantive outcomemaybe the best of what might be achievable: a declaration of lofty long-term goals, accompanied by a few tangible gestures and the creation of a forum where the diplomats can work out the details.

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At the same time, though, Kim remains a totalitarian monster who cant be trustedand Trump remains a gullible mark, more impressed than any grown-up should be by limousines and red carpets.

Trumps post-summit press conference wavered between a puzzle and a disgrace. Asked about the joint statements lack of verification clauses, Trump invoked his instincts as a reliable meter, beginning an alarming number of sentences with the phrase I believe. A few hours later, referring to Kim in an interview with ABC News, he said, He trusts me, and I trust him.

Finally, when asked at the press conference about North Koreas economic prospects, given that its currently one of the most impoverished splotches on the planet, Trump said, They have great beaches. You see that whenever they are exploding the cannons in the ocean. I said, Look at that view, that would make a great condo. I explained it. I said, Instead of doing that, you could have the best hotels in the world. Think of it from the real estate perspective. 

This may be Donald Trumps biggest shortcoming: He thinks of the entire world from a real estate perspective; Kim Jong-un and most of the worlds other leaders are not so narrow or naive.The agreement signed in Singapore on Tuesday by President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un does not include any specific commitments on denuclearization or mention of sanctions relief. The two leaders did not, as Trump had suggested they might, negotiate a formal end to the 195053 Korean War. However, both probably more or less got what they wanted out of the meeting: a dramatic and historic photo-op.

The joint statement notably did not feature the phrase complete, verifiable, irreversible, denuclearization (or dismantlement), which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had previously suggested was nonnegotiable. Instead, Kim vaguely committed to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsulawhich he had already committed to at his meeting with President Moon Jae-in of South Korea in April. The agreement does not include any specific steps or benchmarks for that process, though according to Trump, Kim did agree to destroy a missile enginetesting site after the agreement was signed.

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While sanctions will remain in place for now, Kim did extract one major concession from Trump. We will stop the war games which will save us a tremendous amount of money, Trump said, referring to the joint U.S.South Korean military exercises that North Korea has long objected to. Unless and until we see the future negotiations not going along like it should. We will be saving a tremendous amount of money. Plus, it is very provocative. [Update, June 12, 2018, 9 a.m.: The South Koreans were apparently unaware of this concession beforehand. At this point, that shouldnt be surprising.]

Summing up the reactions of most North Korea watchers this morning, Andrei Lankov, director of the Korea Risk Group, wrote, We expected it would be a flop, but its floppier than anything we expected. The declaration is pretty much meaningless. The Americans could have extracted serious concessions, but it was not done. The North Koreans will be emboldened and the U.S. got nothing.

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Asked why this was different from the numerous agreements North Korea has signed in the pastmany of which, it should be noted, included far more specifics than this oneTrump said at a press conference following the meeting that the difference was himself: I dont believe [the North Koreans] have ever had the confidence in a president they have right now for getting things done and ability to get things done.

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He said he was not worried that North Korea would abandon the denuclearization process, stating, Once you start the process it means its pretty much over.  As evidence for this assertion, he referred to conversations he had had with an uncle who was a professor at MIT.

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Trump also said that he hoped to travel to Pyongyang to meet with Kim at the appropriate time and would also like to invite the North Korean leader to the White House.

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Trump said he did raise the issue of human rights with Kim, leader of one of the worlds most oppressive and brutal regimes, and that he believes Kim is going to do things about it. In response to a reporters question mentioning Otto Warmbier, the U.S. student who died shortly after being released from North Korean custody last year, Trump said that he did not die in vain, because after his death, a lot of people started to focus on what was going on, including North Korea. He described the thousands of people held in North Koreas network of gulags as one of the great winners today.

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In one of the stranger moments of the press conference, Trump lapsed back into real estatedeveloper mode, saying of North Korea, They have great beaches. You see that whenever they are exploding the cannons in the ocean. I said, Look at that view. That would make a great condo. I said instead of doing that, you could have the best hotels in the world. Think of it from the real estate perspective.

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After the meeting, Trump said, I have told people, I did not want to build up peoples hopes. I told people, I thought this would be a successful meeting if we got along. This is not particularly convincing given that he had at various points in the past few months promised full denuclearization, an end to the war, and mused about receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.

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In a tweet prior to sitting down with Kim, Trump had dismissed the haters & losers who said the meeting itself was a victory for the North Koreans. But for Kim, a day that included a handshake with the president of the United States in front of side-by-side U.S. and North Korean flags, a commitment to end the joint military exercises, and at least the possibility of a White House invitation, without any notable North Korean concessions, was undoubtedly a victory.

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The warmth with which Trump greeted Kimhe declared himself honored to be in the presence of the Stalinist dictator of a nuclear-armed pariah statewas a stark contrast to his frosty interactions with the leaders of the G-7 and his Twitter sniping with the prime minister of Canada earlier in the weekend. Its also hard to square Trumps faith in North Koreas vague commitments today with his years of lambasting Barack Obamas administration for a far more specific and verifiable agreement with Iran.

Still, given how close Trump and Kim appeared to launching a devastating war just a few months ago, the bizarre sight of them chatting amiably and pledging to continue the dialogue is far better than the alternative.Monday, June 11, was the first day of the end of the open internet. It was the day that the Federal Communications Commissions repeal of the Obama-era network neutrality rules became official, a move piloted by FCC Chairman and Donald Trump appointee Ajit Pai. In an op-ed Sunday on the technology news site CNET, Pai defends the FCCs decision to rescind the old system, which prohibited internet providers from slowing down or speeding up access to individual websites. Under the new rules, internet providers will be allowed to do whatever they want with their network traffic, including blocking access to websites or charging websites a fee to reach users faster. Pais Orwellian argument is that the old way was not, in fact, protective of an open internet, and that the new way is.

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In his op-ed, Pai insists that the internet will now be protected as a place where you are free to go where you want, and say and do what you want, without having to ask anyones permission. That may be true for large internet providers like Comcast, which will now be able to throttle or censor traffic on its networks however it wants, but its not true for most U.S. internet users, who generally have few, if any, options to take their business elsewhere.

The FCCs new policy specifically removes the previous requirement for internet providers to treat all activity on their networks equally, meaning Verizon or AT&T couldnt offer faster speeds to the New York Times over your local newspapers website, ensuring that no company or viewpoint could be privileged or censored based on who was willing to pay more for priority access to users. Now, all internet providers need to do is write in their terms of service that they reserve the right to do whatever they wantif theyre transparent that they might throttle your internet connection one day, regulators wont stop them from doing it. Pai says this information will allow consumers to make an informed decision about which internet service provider is best for them and give entrepreneurs the information they need as they develop new products and services. But the truth is that most Americans have no more than one, maybe two, choices when it comes to high-speed internet. If your internet provider is blocking access to some websites and you dont like it, you very well may have nowhere else to go. And even if you do have a second option, they might both have the same or similar policies. (If Comcast is throttling, why wouldnt AT&T too?) And its the internet providers that stand to win the most from this scheme, since theyre now able to collect money from subscribers who pay to get online and from websites that are willing to pay extra to reach users faster.

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Its the internet providers that stand to win the most from this scheme.

But this is nothing to worry about, Pai implies, since the internet rules give the Federal Trade Commission the power to to police internet service providers for anticompetitive acts and unfair or deceptive practices. Again, hes wrong. Yes, the new rules do give the FTC the power to punish companies that deceive consumers, so if an internet provider doesnt tell you in the fine print that it might one day slow down access to a website that cant pay up, it might face a fine. But this doesnt stop internet providers from acting up in the first place. And its not even clear that the FTC has jurisdiction over internet providers, since the agency is specifically prohibited from enforcing its policies against phone companies. Two years ago, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals even interpreted the prohibition against the FTC policing common carriers as applying to other services that phone providers offer, and since its common for major phone companies like Verizon and AT&T to also provide broadband services, its unclear that the FTC will be able to do much to stop internet providers from behaving badly. And besides, the internet is a network of networks, and while the FTC has plenty of brilliant technologists on staff, its incredibly difficult to investigate where the cause of a slow internet connection originates. As Terrell McSweeny, former FTC commissioner, put it last fall in a statement to the House Judiciary Committee:

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Absent clear rules, the detection of discriminatory conduct is costly, difficult, time-consuming, and hard to remedy. For example, lets say that you are watching streaming video and your stream becomes slow or grainy. Is that caused by intentional data discrimination by your ISP? Or might it be a server issue related to the content provider? Perhaps a spotty Wi-Fi connection? Or maybe something else entirely? How would a typical consumer know? How would the FTC?

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Pai continues by noting that internet providers will have to be transparent about their network-management practices by posting information online, either on their own websites or on the FCCs. When was the last time you went to the Comcast Xfinity website to check its policy on internet speeds? Its just not realistic to think that most users will read these companies transparency reports, and even if they are that proactive, companies may articulate the policies in jargon that most consumers are unable to understand anyway.

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To help drive his argument home, Pai notes that the new rules will help the little guyssmall, local internet providers that dont have the means to withstand a regulatory onslaught, bolstering the assertion by quoting a single small internet provider in Vermont, VTel, that told the chairman that regulating the internet like a phone companythat is, making sure that internet companies are treated like the necessary utility like they aredoesnt incentive VTel to invest in its network, and that the current FCC gives VTel optimism about the future. OK, thats one company. But last year, about 40 ISPsnot the big players like Comcast and Verizon, which are against net neutrality protectionswrote to the FCC to say that the previous open-internet rules havent hurt their business or discouraged them from expanding and improving their networks at all. And in April, the trade group INCOMPAS, which represents many smaller telecom companies throughout the country, filed a petition to appeal the FCCs net neutrality repeal, arguing that the new net neutrality rules give the big internet providers the upper hand. Net neutrality has always been critical for small businesses and start-ups to compete in the internet age, said Dane Jasper, the CEO of Sonic, a smaller internet provider based in the Bay Area. When the FCC eliminated those protections, it opened the door for large, incumbent ISPs to use their gatekeeper position to put a stranglehold on innovation and competition.

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Its not like the old net neutrality rules prevented the major companies from investing and expanding their networks either, as Pai has repeatedly claimed. In fact, after the net neutrality rules were passed in 2015, Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T all told their investors in public calls that theyve since expanded investment in improving and building out their networks. If the net neutrality rules were supposed to deter their investment priorities, those companies just didnt get the memo.

The internet is how we connect with friends and family. Its how we know whats happening in our own backyards and how we find where local businesses are and how to get there. Its how we learn about whats going on in the world and how we organize for political change when somethings wrong. American internet and technology companies are now the most powerful companies in the world, largely because they were given the chance to succeed in an open playing field and the FCC fined companies when they acted in nonneutral ways. But Pais new rules give the big internet providers the power to choose which companies get the upper hand.

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If Yelp loads faster than the website of your favorite local restaurant, Yelp has an extra advantage. If a local-newspaper site takes a few seconds longer to load than Fox News or CNN, readers may be less inclined to visit it. Far from making the internet more open, the FCCs new rules threaten to make the internet more boring, more concentrated, and less diverse. New startups and businesses that want to offer innovative new products or services may not even get the chance to worry about the regulation Pai has made into a boogeyman because they can never afford to reach users as fast as the incumbents can.

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But advocates, activists, politicians, millions of internet users, and business leaders have been telling Pai that for years, and that hasnt stopped him. Now lawmakers in Congress are trying to undo the damage hes done. Its not easy to do anything in Congress, and the Republican majority may well preclude the effort to restore the open-internet rules that passed through the Senate and now have to make it through the House. There will also be challenges in the courts. None of this will be easy as people become used to a web without net neutrality, especially if the changes are as subtle as slowing down a website just a few seconds. No matter how the battle plays out, proponents of net neutrality will have to be clear about what an open internet really meansand push back against Pai as he tries to redefine the debate.At the Singapore summit between President Trump and North Koreas Kim Jong-un this week, a company connected to the local government provided journalists with gift bags containing a tourism guidebook, a water bottle, a trial newspaper subscription to the Straits Times, and a fan that can be plugged into a USB port.

Media goody bag: Mini USB fan, hand-held fan with #TrumpKim on either side to blow around all the hot air.... and a fun guide to Sentosa. NB: that's not the delegations playing beach volleyball. pic.twitter.com/fbdKVzr0Cn  Amanda Drury (@MandyCNBC) June 10, 2018

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After journalists posted pictures of the bags contents, a number of cybersecurity experts sent tweets urging them not to plug in the fans, noting that the devices could be designed to surreptitiously download malicious software onto a victims computer.

A free USB fan for journalists covering talks in Singapore, how cool! (Because its impossible for USB devices to spread malware or exfiltrate data, right?) https://t.co/Hin3erdWbQ  Stephen Cobb (@zcobb) June 10, 2018

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If you're thinking "I need to stay cool, I could use one of these," come talk to me. I'll kick you in the shin really hard. Then the ice you use to reduce swelling will keep you cool. Bonus: the medical bills will cost less than the inevitable incident response this thing brings. https://t.co/w8FV9BSBkA  Jake Williams (@MalwareJake) June 11, 2018

So, um, summit journalists. Do not plug this in. Do not keep it. Drop it in a public trash can or send it to your friendly neighborhood security researcher. Call any computer science department and donate it for a class exercise. Id be glad to take one off your hands, btw. https://t.co/vz8xjUIjVz  Barton Gellman (@bartongellman) June 11, 2018

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If you are a journalist at a summit with the North Koreans and someone gives you a USB fan, please do not plug it into your laptop. COME ON https://t.co/sxnMyKZwAq  Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) June 11, 2018

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Alan Woodward, a computer science professor at the University of Surrey, told the BBC, Theres an adage in cyber-security: if you give someone physical access to your computer, its no longer your computer. Use an unknown USB stick and you are doing just that.

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As the Huffington Post points out, the Russian spies planted USB drives containing malware in kiosks surrounding the NATO headquarters in Kabul in 2008. A U.S. military official ended up purchasing one of the devices and plugged it into a secure computer. Russia reportedly employed the same ruse again during a G-20 summit near St. Petersburg in 2013, supplying foreign delegates with complimentary USB pen drives that were equipped to download information from a targets computer.

It is rather warm in Singapore at this time of the year, with temperatures hovering around 90 degrees. Theres no proof that the USB fans are intended to do anything but provide a much-needed breeze. But, just to be safe, attendees should probably fan themselves with the guidebook instead.Collector Eugen Barkany did not distinguish between high and low art

The Jewish Community Museum pays a tribute to its initiator.

The life story of the builder and collector Eugen Barkany would have resulted in a novel. He was a successful construction entrepreneur of Jewish origin who survived both world wars. After the second one, not only did the communist regime deprive him as capitalist of his company, but he and his wife were expelled from his native Presov to find his new home in Bratislava. All that time he had been collecting - postal stamps, objects linked to the years he spent as prisoner of WWI in Siberia and especially Judaica. Gradually he created two valuable collections - one in Presov and the second one in Bratislava. Today, a selection from both collections can be seen in the Jewish Community Museum in the last remaining synagogue in Bratislava.

Eugen Barkany was a lifelong passionate collector, said Maros Borsky, director of the Jewish Community Museum on the occasion of opening the exhibition dedicated to this personality. It is this founding personality, pioneer in the care and protection of the Jewish cultural heritage in Slovakia, who we wanted to commemorate and remember during the seventh year of our operation.

The initiator and indirect founder of this museum was Eugen Barkany himself. Although it opened only 45 years after his death and not in the Neolog synagogue on Rybne Square, as Barkany originally planned, but at the synagogue on Heydukova Street, it administers the Judaica collection Barkany created during the years he spent in Bratislava.

Eugen Barkany (1885-1967) August 28, 1885  born in Presov

 born in Presov 1911  establishes a design and construction office in Presov

 establishes a design and construction office in Presov 1914-1920  fights on the fronts of WWI and is interned in POW camps

 fights on the fronts of WWI and is interned in POW camps about 1920  marries Olga Kallai from Michalovce

 marries Olga Kallai from Michalovce 1920-1941  re-opens his design and construction office in Presov

 re-opens his design and construction office in Presov 1928-1942  director, custodian and curator of the Jewish Museum in Presov

 director, custodian and curator of the Jewish Museum in Presov 1942-1945  goes into hiding in Budapest

 goes into hiding in Budapest June 1945  returns to Presov

 returns to Presov 1951  expelled from Presov by the communist regime

 expelled from Presov by the communist regime 1955  arrives in Bratislava

 arrives in Bratislava 1955-1967  assembles Judaica collection and prepares establishment of the Jewish Museum in Bratislava

 assembles Judaica collection and prepares establishment of the Jewish Museum in Bratislava November 3, 1967  dies in Bratislava. He is buried on the Neolog Jewish cemetery

The most interesting pieces of this collection are displayed today in a permanent exhibition opened in the womens gallery of the synagogue in 2012. The remaining space of the gallery is used for seasonal exhibitions. This year, it is an exhibition called Between Presov and Bratislava, focusing on the Judaica collection created by Barkany in Presov.

Now the whole space of the museum, both seasonal and permanent, is dedicated to this personality, said Jana Svantnerova, curator of the exhibition. In this way the visitor can realise the unbelievable contribution of Barkany toward the preservation of Jewish heritage.

Rare papercuts and textiles

The opening of the first ever Jewish museum in Slovakia, in Presov in 1928, was preceded by the discovery of wall paintings in a former prayer room dating from the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, a period when Jews were not allowed to settle in royal free towns like Presov. It was given to them only in 1840.

The discovery caused great enthusiasm, leading to the founding of the Jewish museum, said Svantnerova.

In only three months Barkany collected about 400 items. These became the basis of the first exhibition in the museum. Barkany himself was in charge of the museum from 1928 until 1942.

Later, when the collection expanded, the museum moved to a former bastion that was no longer used by the city and which Barkany expanded. The collection survived WWII more or less unharmed in these premises.

From the Presov collection, the curator selected almost thirty of the oldest and most rare artefacts. Among them is the Torah ark curtain, the parochet, from 1777/1778, and the parchment with an illustrated prayer from the middle of the 18th century.

The wooden Torah pointers are a great rarity.

Because most artistic collections especially include silver pointers, there are not so many wooden pointers and thus they are even more precious, said Svantnerova.

The other very rare artefacts are papercuts.

Paper items and textiles were the first to be destroyed because they were either burned or moulded, said Svantnerova.

Moreover, these items were, for collectors, often artificially unvalued, and therefore they did not collect them. Mostly they were not works by professionals, but the believers themselves created them and were an expression of folk religion.

Eugen Barkany collected also such items because he did not distinguish between high and low art, said Svantnerova. Thanks to this, the Presov collection has such great value today.

10. Jun 2018 at 8:30 | Jana LiptakovaGerman ministry advises tourists to be cautious in Bratislava

Apart from the capital  where recently a street conflict ended fatally  other places with recorded criminality are the High Tatras and spas.

The Justice for Henry march in Obchodna Street, Bratislava - at the site where he was killed. (Source: TASR)

The German Foreign Ministry has warned visitors of Slovakia of an especially high crime rate in tourist destinations on June 11.

The ministry has opined that luggage thefts and car burglaries occur mostly in the capital, Bratislava, in the High Tatras and in Slovak spas. It added, however, that even thefts in hotels cannot be ruled out, the TASR newswire reported.

The German Foreign Affairs Ministry also points to the increased number of violent crimes against foreigners in Bratislava, and recommends extra caution around Obchodna Street in the downtown area.

Bratislava I borough with the most violent crimes

Read also:

Read also: Bratislava called for justice for Henry Acorda and an end to violence Read more

In Bratislavas first borough, which officially includes the Old Town (Stare Mesto) belongs, along with Obchodna, there was the biggest occurrence of violent incidents calculated per one inhabitant, the Dennik N daily wrote.

The daily reported that the Bratislava I borough had 2.6 violent crimes per 1,000 inhabitants for the last year. Second comes Bratislava III borough with New Town/Nove Mesto, Raca and Vajnory (1.65 violent incidents per 1,000 inhabitants); while the smallest number occurred in Bratislava V  including the Petrzalka housing estate.

The statistics do not consider the huge number of tourists who are much more numerous in the Old Town than in other city parts, the daily pointed out.

Incidents on Obchodna Street

Obchodna Street does not stand out in statistics of violent criminality, either: last year, police recorded six violent crimes: two cases of physical assault, two of threat and two attacks on public officials. Most frequently, the incidents took place around midnight, and on the weekends in the early morning hours  but the recorded cases are too scarce to allow any conclusions, Dennik N wrote.

Read also:

Read also: Several murder cases involving expats remain unsolved Read more

It is probable, though, that many of the conflicts do not even make it to the records, as the victims are reluctant to report violence. This was also the case on June 7  so far the most recent case of a foreigner being beaten in the capital.

The crimes from police statistics concern serious cases when the attacker kicked or beat their rival in the head. In May 2017, a man coarsely called a passer-by names and then pointed his gun at him, threatening to shoot his car  and his knees. The attacker received a 300 fine and the prosecutor did not appeal.

The Obchodna Ulica a Okolie civic association claims for Dennik N that the situation is not catastrophic but rather long-term and police have not worked on solving it. The founder of the association, Davy Cajko, told the daily they want to put pressure on Mayor Ivo Nesrovnal and those responsible to deal with it.

One of the bar managers said back in 2016 that after she had reported vandalism the police asked her whether she really wants to file an official complaint, as it may last a long time and they will probably not find the perpetrator.

12. Jun 2018 at 13:47 | Compiled by Spectator staffWhat are the key events in modern Slovak (and Czech) history?

Czechs and Slovaks have rated the key events in domestic modern history, picking a wartime uprising, an anti-communist revolt and the rise of independent Slovakia. They also ranked top important personalities.

The Slovak National Uprising in 1944, the creation of a sovereign Slovak Republic in 1993 and the 1989 Velvet Revolution are the key positive events in Slovakias modern history as chosen by the people of the country in a recent survey.

Only the Velvet Revolution was chosen by both nations  Slovaks and Czechs (who also took part in the survey), the TASR newswire wrote on June 11. The other two events mentioned by Czechs were the period of the first Czechoslovak Republic (1918-1938) and the establishing of a sovereign Czech Republic in 1993.

Most crucial events  positive and negative

As for the most influential events, regardless of their positive or negative connotations, 49 percent of Slovak respondents chose the Velvet Revolution, followed by the formation of an independent Slovak Republic. Third place went to Slovakia joining the European Union in 2004, Zora Butorova from the Institute for Public Affairs (IVO) told TASR.

Both the Slovak and the Czech public deemed the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia the darkest moment in their shared history.

August 1968 was a traumatic moment in both societies, but its viewed in a slightly more negative way among the Czechs, Paulina Tabery of the Centre for Public Opinion Research told the newswire.

Other negative historical moments for Slovaks include the period when Vladimir Meciar was Slovak prime minister (1994-1998) and the installation of the communist regime in February 1948. For the Czechs, however, these periods also include the Nazi-run Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia in WWII and the signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938.

Who are the top important Czechs and Slovaks?

Another part of the survey touched upon the most significant people from Czechoslovak history. The names of Slovak politicians Milan Rastislav Stefanik (key in the setting up of Czechoslovakia), Alexander Dubcek (leading figure in the Prague Spring of 1968) and the first Czechoslovak president Tomas Garrigue Masaryk were the most commonly mentioned in the Slovak half of the survey.

Among the Czech respondents, Masaryk came first, with Jan Palach  who set himself on fire in Prague in protest against the 1968 invasion  and Vaclav Havel, a leading dissident under communism and Czechoslovak president after the Velvet Revolution, also featuring heavily.

Vladimir Meciar, Vasil Bilak  who signed the letter inviting the Warsaw Pact countries to invade Czechoslovakia in 1968  and the leader of the wartime fascist Slovak Republic, Jozef Tiso, are considered to be the most negative historical figures among the Slovak public. Bilak also made it into the top trio in the Czech part of the survey. The other two negative figures in the Czech Republic were communist leaders Klement Gottwald and Gustav Husak.

The eights anniversary was the incentive

The survey was conducted by the Slovak Academy of Sciences Institute of Sociology, in collaboration with the IVO, the Centre for Public Opinion Research and the Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Sociology. The results were obtained from 1,012 Slovak respondents above the age of 18 and 1,061 respondents above the age of 15 in the Czech Republic, according to TASR.

It was conducted in 2018, on the occasion of so-called anniversary years ending with an eight, like 1918 (establishment of the first Czechoslovak state), 1948  the February 25 putsch installing communism  and 1968, the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, the SITA newswire wrote.

12. Jun 2018 at 13:51 | Compiled by Spectator staffProfessionals warn of storms in all Slovakia

A first-degree warning has been issued for June 12 and the night of June 13, with supercells being expected in some parts of eastern Slovakia.

Storms are forecasted for the whole territory of Slovakia, for June 12. The Slovak Hydro-meteorological Institute (SHMU) issued a first-degree warning, effective from 14:00 on; in some places, warnings will be in effect until midnight but in most of Slovakia they can occur until 6:00 of June 13.

The storms can also be accompanied by hailstones and short, intense rainfall ,which can bring as much as 20 to 40 millimetres of precipitation, the TASR newswire wrote, quoting SHMU. Wind can be intense as well, up to 65 to 85 kilometres per hour.

East Slovakia will continue to be plagued by rain and storms, the Kosice Korzar newspaper wrote on June 12, adding that SHMU issued the first-degree warning for the Kosice and Presov regions, predicting storms, intense downpour and a wind of up to 18-23 metres per second (65-85 km/h).

Supercells may occur, too

The imeteo.sk website points out that during Tuesday, extraordinarily strong storms, supercells, may appear in the east. These have already occurred the previous day, accompanied by hailstones  but did not cause greater harm.

Last year, repeated supercells were behind enormous damage, especially in the Saris and Zemplin area of eastern Slovakia.

A supercell is a thunderstorm characterised by the presence of a mesocyclone, according to wikipedia: i.e. a deep, persistently rotating updraft. Thus, these storms are sometimes referred to as rotating thunderstorms. Of the four classifications of thunderstorms supercells are the overall least common and have the potential to be the most severe. They are often isolated from other thunderstorms, and can dominate the local weather up to 32 kilometres (20 mi) away. They tend to last 2-4 hours.

12. Jun 2018 at 19:00 | Compiled by Spectator staffSlovak high-tech fortress hosts cryptominers

A Slovak cryptofarm using actors and a data centre for promotion caught the eye of the worldwide IT community.

A building owned by Igor Rattaj where cryptominers rent the spaces. The Slovak Finance Ministry also has a floor there. (Source: SME)

Font size: A - | A +

In mid-May, people from the world's IT community noticed that the most commonly mentioned initial coin offering (ICO) project for cryptocurrency mining on Twitter is the unknown Slovak company Kelta.

Crypto currencies are an electronic virtual substitute for regular money. Many of them are based on the principle of virtual gold, which initially must be mined and then used as payment. The best known crypto currency is Bitcoin.

The desired crypto currency is generally mined by downloading software that connects with that crypto currencys network and makes demanding computing operations that require powerful PCs and graphics cards.

This process consumes a lot of energy for operation and cooling. It means that the mining of this virtual gold also costs money in the real world. Mining a significant amount of certain crypto currency at home in the living room is too demanding so people created halls full of computers for mining around the world.

Kelta offers people the possibility of buying computer power for dollars. However, the company has no computing power, since it has not purchased computers yet. So it is asking money from people and promising them that their investments will return as soon as the project starts running.

An anonymous YouTuber using the nickname SkrillaKing, who tracks crypto currencies on the Internet, gave the company a closer look. He points out that there have been several such projects in the world, some of which have later turned out to be scams and people lost their invested money. He considers this project to be risky but it is not a scam, according to him.

Their team is fine. This guy, he founded Kelta, he is an advisor. Basically he is a rich guy, says SkrillaKing while pointing a mouse cursor on the face of Slovak financier Igor Rattaj.

video //www.youtube.com/embed/AkCIDk9VlfM

Rattaj is a former partner of the J&T financial group and owns the largest share of the Tatra Mounted Resorts ski slopes. Kelta describes him as a "consultant" on the website but Rattaj denies such a description.

He told The Slovak Spectator that he only owns the building in which the Kelta project is running.

I have nothing to do with Kelta, Rattaj said.  I rented them out some space in the data center under standard conditions.

Another well-known Slovak businessman will appear as soon Keltas PR video starts. George Mac, the English version of the name Juraj Mac, presents himself as the head of the project. Mac is known for being prosecuted for obstruction of justice, scams and the non-payment of taxes.

12. Jun 2018 at 15:41 | Roman CuprikSlovak teenager left her baby in the UK shortly after giving birth

The Slovak rape victim travelled to Derby to give birth.

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The 17 year-old Slovak girl who travelled to Derby at the end of her pregnancy left her son in the care of nurses three days after giving birth, British media, including the BBC, reported.

She told British social workers she became pregnant after being raped in Slovakia and wanted the boy to be placed for adoption, a family court judge, Clifford Bellamy, was told.

Ruling against mothers will

He ruled, however, that the baby should be returned to Slovakia and added Slovak judges should make decisions about his future. The judge revealed the details of the case in a ruling following a hearing in a family court in Derby.

Judge Bellamy said the child could not be identified but said he had been placed into the care of the Derby City Council after his birth in March.

The judge also noted, as quoted by BBC, the boy was a habitual resident in his mothers homeland as he has spent only a few of weeks in the UK since his birth, and was therefore a Slovak citizen. Slovak authorities are allegedly willing to accept him and there was evidence relatives would like to look after him, he added. The council will work with the foreign authorities to ensure the baby is transferred as soon as possible, BBC wrote on June 11.

12. Jun 2018 at 21:01 | Compiled by Spectator staffBBC is surprised by obsolete Slovak MIG fighter planes

The British BBC TV also wonders why Russian engineers maintain the fighter planes at a NATO base.

BBC TV has recently broadcast a report on Slovak fighter planes MiG-29, asking why a NATO member state still uses these obsolete machines.

The planes produced during the Cold War, some of which are 30 years old, are now deployed at the Sliac airport as part of the Slovak army (i.e. of a NATO member) and have to be maintained and repaired by Russian military engineers, reporter Rob Cameron mentioned. He added in the programme that according to insiders, they have problems with engines and the on-board system. Their condition thus requires maintenance by Russian engineers who are the only ones familiar with the technology.

Read also:

Read also: Russian MiGs bring tension to the coalition Read more

Turning to allies

While Slovak Defence Minister Peter Gajdos (SNS) does not perceive this situation as a threat to national security, security analyst Jaroslav Nad of the Slovak Security Policy Institute (SSPI) is of a different opinion, the Sme daily wrote on June 7.

He told BBC he believes that after 14 or 15 years of NATO membership, it is high time to get rid of the Russian equipment and focus on allies.

Read also:

Read also: US presents F-16 aircraft in Bratislava Read more

In February, Nad pointed out for the TASR newswire that the purchase of new fighter planes is suspiciously slow. Behind it, the analyst sees the ministrys effort to play for time so they can later claim that the subscription agreement with Russia on rental of the fighter planes needs to be prolonged.

Pilots are now complaining that due to the MIGs technical problems, they do not have enough flight hours.

To be decided in June

Currently, the Defence Ministry has been deciding between two short-listed offers to buy new fighter planes. MIGs should be replaced either by Swedish JAS-39 Gripen planes, or by US F-16 fighter planes whose production has yet to be launched.

Read also:

Read also: Conditions of Gripen jet fighters rental agreed Read more

The Defence Ministry's decision, which has to be filed for approval to the parliament, should come by the end of June, Sme wrote.

12. Jun 2018 at 21:08 | Compiled by Spectator staff"Foreign citizens perpetrate many BEC scams. Those individuals are often members of transnational criminal organizations, which originated in Nigeria but have spread throughout the world," the DoJ says.

"This operation demonstrates the FBI's commitment to disrupt and dismantle criminal enterprises that target American citizens and their businesses," said FBI Director Christopher A. Wray.

The United States Department of Justice announced Monday the arrest of 74 email fraudsters across three continents in a global crackdown on a large-scale business email compromise (BEC) scheme.The arrest was the result of a six-month-long operation dubbed "" that involved the US Department of Justice, the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Treasury, and the US Postal Inspection Service.The international law enforcement authorities led by the FBI arrested 42 of the total 74 individuals involved in BEC scheme in the United States, 29 in Nigeria and 3 each in Canada, Mauritius, and Poland.Moreover, the authorities seized nearly $2.4 million and recovered about $14 million in fraudulent transfers, according to the FBI, which estimates that businesses worldwide have lost up to $5.3 billion to BEC fraudsters since 2013.Like most BEC scheme, the cybercriminals targeted both businesses and individuals, including many senior citizens and real estate purchasers, to steal millions using socially-engineered emails to convince them to make wire transfers to bank accounts controlled by the criminals.In one case, the US Department of Justice alleged that two Nigerians living in Dallas, Texas, posed as a property seller and requested a $246,000 wire transfer from a real estate attorney, who lost $130,000 after the bank was notified of the fraud while $116,000 were frozen.The US Department of Justice said such scams are "prevalent" and pledged to pursue and prosecute the perpetrators "regardless of where they are located."According to the DoJ, the fraudsters also targets individuals with romance, employment opportunities, fraudulent online vehicle sales, rental, and lottery scams. Sometimes they ask for valuable data like employee tax records instead of, or in addition to, money.Since such email fraud attacks are on the rise, the law enforcement recommended people to educate themselves and organizations to educate their employees on BEC schemes to protect their businesses.Are you already a victim of the BEC scheme? Please file a complaint with the IC3. You can also take a look at this IC3 public service announcement on BEC schemes.The Spanish king's brother-in-law was sentenced on appeal on Tuesday to five years and 10 months for siphoning off millions of euros in a case that has shamed the royals, the Supreme Court said.

Inaki Urdangarin's revised sentence is slightly lower than the term he had been handed in February, and could see the husband of Princess Cristina thrown behind bars if he loses a final appeal before the Constitutional Court.TokyoGirls'Update

For Comfort on a Budget; GUs PJs Are Popular Among Japanese Girls

Sponsored Links

If youre currently sleeping in old jogging bottoms and a miss-matching t-shirt, it is a great opportunity to invest in some nice sleepwear when you visit Japan. For comfort on a budget, I highly recommend to check out PJs at Japanese fast-fashion retailer, GU.



I believe most of you already know about UNIQLO which is a global fast fashion retailer but probably, GU is not as well known as UNIQLO yet.

GU is a sister brand of UNIQLO and surprisingly, most of their product are even lower priced than UNIQLO. Despite low prices, their quality is still good as UNIQLO and design are brimming with a playful spirit. There are about 370 stores across the country, also a few stores in Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan.

Recently, among Japanese young women, GU pajamas are gaining popularity.

TinaTamashiro appeared as a model in their last fall and winter collection, 2017.

Japanese teenagers are like to match their PJs with their friends when they have slumber parties or especially when they go on a school trip!

They buy the same kind of PJs in different colors to look like twins.

GU has an excellent selection of nightwear, ranging from satin PJs to pile dresses.

So it is popular not only among teenagers but also women of all ages.

I went to GU Ginza store; which is one of the large stores in Japan, in order to check out whats on their top-shelf right now.

As you can see, all the PJs are neatly displayed, well presented. Here are 3 popular PJs according to the online sales ranking.



This ranking is made around the end of May 2018.

1: Pajama [satin] shorts [2,490]

This set is both stylish and cozy. Perfect fit for women of all ages with its simple design. Summer is steaming hot in Japan. Personally, Im unable to sleep at night without turning on the air conditioner. So this satin material lets you feel as cool as possible.



2: Pile pajama dress [1,990]



Keep things cute and comfy with this Pile dress! This shrink-free material is just perfect for traveling. Also might be the most bathroom-friendly sleep outfit.



3: Pajama [satin] [strawberry] shorts [2,490]

I was totally heart-eyes over this sweet pajama set.

This is definitely the sweetest out of all kinds of their satin PJs. But navy one could be both cute and chic.



GUs pajamas are not only cute and comfy but also affordable. Also, it would be a perfect gift for friends back home.

Lets hit the snooze in GUs PJs this summer!

Shop Information

GU Ginza Shop

Address: 104-0061 Tokyo, Chuo, Ginza, 5 Chome77

Phone: 03-6255-6141

Business Hours: 11: 00-9: 00 pm daily

GU Official Website http://www.gu-japan.com/

GU Official Twitter https://twitter.com/gu_global

GU Official Instagram https://www.instagram.com/gu_global/



Photos by Rabi Cosuzu

Sponsored Links

Share This Article

Author Rabi Cosuzu Cosplayer, gamer. An enthusiast for Japanese pop culture.

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DisqusMany rubber tree growers in Vietnam have been facing huge losses, as their plants failed to withstand adverse weather conditions and fetched low prices although the government initially encouraged massive rubber farming.

Many years ago, rubber trees, once described as white gold thanks to economic benefits from their white sap, began to emerge aplenty in different regions nearer to the north of Vietnam, yielding considerable wealth for farmers who put a large amount of money they saved into the then promising white gold business.

But over the past few years, growers confidence in the plants has cracked noticeably when weather and price slumps cast a blight on their production.

In 2013 and 2017, two tempests swept through central Vietnam, knocking down hundreds of thousands of rubber trees in Quang Binh Province, many of which survived the first storm only to be downed by the second.

A local man named Phung Van Minh said he was stunned to know that more than half the rubber trees grown on his 5-hectare piece of land were tipped over in the 2017 storm, after he tried to stand upright the three-year-old trees downed by the earlier storm, one by one.

Disastrous storms also took a heavy toll on rubber farming in the neighboring province of Quang Tri, where plantations for rubber trees were built in many rural towns and districts.

Nguyen Thi Hua, a local resident, said she is now standing with her back against the wall as her two-hectare area for the trees was destroyed by the above tempests.

The plants failed to resist gales due to their brittle trunks, according the Quang Tri administration, which after these episodes has not expanded the land for rubber growing any longer and is looking for alternative crops instead.

Around rubber trees on 5,000 hectares of land were damaged beyond use, the administration estimated.

Workers pull a fallen rubber tree upright to enable its continued production of latex after a storm in Quang Binh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The scale of the negative effect did not seem to be predicted, although central Vietnam receives around 10 to 12 storms every year, according to Nguyen Ho Lam, a university lecturer.

In Son La, a province in northwestern Vietnam, rubber trees have nearly been abandoned and cut down due to their low production.

Ha Quyet Nghi, director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said about ten years ago problems arose only a short time after the province had the trees planted on an area of 6,000 hectares, about 12 percent of the originally planned land.

One reason, Nghi clarified, is that rubber trees require a tropical climate while Son La has four cold months a year.

But he claimed that the project of growing the plants was not wrong from the beginning and did not come from a hasty decision, for the government had made a careful selection on the appropriate land for the cultivation.

Down-spiraling prices for rubber came to deal another painful blow.

In recent years rubber has sold at only around US$1,000 per metric ton, a steep decline from the $5,000 a metric ton in 2010, according to Nguyen Anh Tuan, director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in northwestern Lao Cai Province.

Only when the unit price is above $3,000 will profit for growers be generated, as rubber trees in the province are sparsely spaced and farmers have to negotiate difficult mountain routes for latex tapping, Tuan said.

We still consider rubber trees as multi-purpose plants. They can cover tree-denuded hills, yield latex, and provide wood when theyre old, he added.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Vietnamese banks total loans at the end of May were 6.16 percent larger than at the end of 2017, the State Bank of Vietnam said on Monday.

Bad debts accounted for 2.18 percent of total lending at the end of the first quarter, it said in a statement.

Vietnam aims to keep toxic debts ratio under 3 percent of total loans, while the central bank has said it targets credit growth at 17 percent this year.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Cheap prices, no drinking age limit and sales hour restriction, and unfinished legislation on the prevention of harmful effects of alcohol abuse are the three main reasons behind Vietnams rapid advance in the global beer and alcohol consumption rankings.

Middle-income Vietnam managed to jump 30 notches, from 94th in 2010 to 64th in 2016, on the list of the worlds biggest beer-drinking countries, Nguyen Tuan Lam, a WHO advisor for Vietnam, told an event held to discuss a draft decree on preventing alcohol abuse in Hanoi last week.

According to the WHO expert, each Vietnamese consumes an average of 8.3 liters of alcohol per annum, sending the country to the third place in Asia in terms of beer consumption.

Cheaper than milk

In Vietnam, beer is cheaper than milk.

While a 330ml can of beer fetches only VND11,000 (US$0.5), a 170ml bottle of milk already costs VND7,000. This is not to mention bia hoi (draft beer), which is much cheaper.

And beer is also as easy to buy as candy in the Southeast Asian country.

Many grocery store owners said it is normal to sell beer to children and juveniles, as there is currently no regulation on the sale of beer to children as per the Vietnamese law.

Nhung, a shopkeeper of a beverage store on Kha Van Can Street in Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City, said many of her customers looked very young and they appeared to be sent to buy the alcoholic drinks for their families.

Im a vendor so Id sell to anyone who wants to buy my stuff, she said.

Why should I care about customers age?

Likewise, Tan, a manager of a drinking place on Le Quang Dinh Street in Go Vap District, said he would sell alcohol at his customers request, paying no attention to how old they may be.

There were even cases when children who went to our place with adults were given beer to drink, Tan revealed.

The unregulated buying and selling of alcohol has been putting pressure on urban order management forces, according to Tran Viet Lam, from the urban security unit of Ho Chi Minh Citys District 3.

Urban order management officers are only able to fine establishments for occupying the sidewalks, and a lack of legal frameworks has prevented [them] from handling such issues as underage alcohol drinkers, Lam admitted.

Under current laws, beer is classified as a common food commodity, therefore subject to the same food safety regulations as non-alcoholic products.

A consumer picks up a can of beer at a supermarket in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Some experts suggest Vietnam look to other countries, where buying alcohol is strictly regulated, for better management of beer and alcohol consumption.

For instance, a Vietnamese health official recalled trying to buy alcohol during a restricted time period at a supermarket in the U.S., but all attendants strictly followed the rules and turned down his request.

Meanwhile in Thailand, alcoholic beverages are banned from sale during two certain periods every day, or during religious holidays and elections.

Draft decree still under discussion

Vietnam has in fact been preparing a draft decree on preventing the harmful effects of alcohol abuse for ten years.

The final draft of the legislation, expected to address the current policy gaps, is scheduled to be submitted to the lawmaking National Assembly for approval in early 2019.

The draft decree seeks to prohibit the sale of alcohol during specific times of the day, restricting the density of establishments selling alcohol, and banning the sale of alcohol to children.

While these propositions have been embraced by members of the public, as evidenced by the results of several surveys, they always meet with strong opposition from alcoholic drink makers.

Industry insiders express skepticism over the feasibility and practicability of the draft decree, saying the new regulations may affect tourism development.

But it appears that the beer makers are only concerned about their own revenue, which may be hit if the sale and consumption of alcohol in Vietnam are restricted.

Vu Thi Minh Hanh, deputy head of the Health Strategy and Policy Institute, said more attention should be paid to the harmful effects of alcohol abuse than money generated from selling beer.

While the world's alcohol consumption has remained stable, rising from 6.2 liters per person a year to 6.4 liters per person a year after nearly a decade, the figure in Vietnam has jumped from 6.4 liters to 8.3 liters in the same period, Hanh said.

The harmful effects of alcohol abuse have far outpaced the revenue that alcohol brought to liquor businesses, Hanh underlined.

As Vietnam has to wait for another year for the bill on preventing and fighting against the harmful effects of alcoholic beverages to be revised and completed, many streets across the country will remain day and night filled with beer shops and the Cheers sound of drinking toasts.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Authorities in Da Nang are set to dismantle 104 apartments built against regulations in a real estate project developed by the notorious Muong Thanh Group.

The Peoples Committee in Ngu Hanh Son District are taking steps to remove the illegal parts within the Muong Thanh hotel and apartment complex.

The project is developed by the namesake corporation, which has become infamous for a series of offenses in the implementation of its real estate projects throughout the country.

The high-rise developer unilaterally adjusted the original design of the complex to add a total of 104 apartments, all of which have been sold.

According to the original design, the structure includes 42 floors and a two-story basement, with apartments allowed to be constructed from the sixth floor up.

It also showed that the second to fifth floors of the building would be reserved for common facilities like parking, kindergartens, swimming pools and gyms.

However, Muong Thanh has constructed 104 flats on these floors.

The municipal Peoples Committee previously ordered the administration in Ngu Hanh Son to set up a plan to pull down the illicit parts of the construction.

The implementation of the plan was required to be reported back to the Da Nang Peoples Committee prior to June 17.

According to an official in Ngu Hanh Son, the developer of the complex was previously allowed to voluntarily strip down the 104 apartments.

As they have failed to do so, the district-level administration will dismantle them.

Residents who currently live inside the illegitimate apartments have been invited to a meeting on June 16, where they will be informed of a relocation plan during the dismantling of the flats.

The provincial Department of Justice will be in charge of providing legal consultation for the affected residents.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!As of midnight on Monday, thousands still surrounded the provincial administrations headquarters in the capital city of Phan Thiet as police officers retreated inside the building to hold their ground against the incited crowd.

The mob gathered there at around 8:00 pm, and started throwing rocks and petrol bombs at officers stationed inside.

Dozens of police officers were hurt in the assault, with some suffering from broken arms and legs, according to local police.

Messages calling for the crowd to refrain from violent actions were broadcast via public loudspeakers across the citys downtown to little effect as the mob still refused to disperse as of 11:30 pm.

Many broke into a fire police station nearby and set fire to dozens of vehicles parked inside.

It was the second day of escalating violence in Phan Thiet, following the arrest of 102 people involved in the riot-like incident on Sunday.

Thousands gather outside the headquarters of the Peoples Committee of Binh Thuan Province in south-central Vietnam on the evening of June 11, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Aside from Binh Thuan, marches also began in different areas of Vietnam on Sunday as people took to the streets to raise their voice against a draft law that would allow land to be leased for up to 99 years to potential foreign investors in the countrys three planned special administrative and economic zones.

The zones  Phu Quoc, Van Don and Bac Van Phong  are to be located in Kien Giang, Quang Ninh and Khanh Hoa Provinces in the southern, northern and south-central parts of the country, respectively.

Development of the three zones is estimated to set Vietnam back US$69.16 billion as the country looks to win more foreign investment through greater incentives and fewer restrictions in the areas.

Critics of the government-prepared bill, which if passed would lay the legal foundation for the establishment of the special zones, object to the 99-year land lease for fear of threats to national security.

Despite the Vietnamese government having pledged to scale down the lease period and the lawmaking National Assembly having agreed to delay consideration of the bill until October, opponents of the draft law are not satisfied.

In Binh Thuan, street occupants became agitated and started hurling rocks and hard objects at police officers on Sunday afternoon as they blocked a part of National Highway 1, causing a kilometers-long line of congested vehicles on the lifeline road.

Another mob that assembled in downtown Phan Thiet turned violent when they broke into the headquarters of the provincial administration and other public buildings on Sunday evening and caused substantial damage to the properties despite police efforts to contain the crowd using water cannons.

Vehicles parked inside a fire station in Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province in south-central Vietnam are set ablaze on June 11, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Officials said on Monday 102 had been detained for involvement in the vandalism, but later said they had released 95 following a screening process.

At a press briefing on Monday afternoon to update the media on current situations, a local official said the aftermath of the attacks was unimaginable and unprecedented in the province.

To some extent, it was like a riot, he said, stressing that illegal actions would be subject to investigation and a due process.

While the Constitution of Vietnam protects citizens right to stage protests, the subject has not been codified by any existing law, according to Nguyen Minh Tam, deputy general secretary of the Vietnam Bar Association.

I understand the peoples patriotism in the face of threats to the countrys sovereignty  but peacefully raising ones opinion and disturbing public order are different things, he said.

While the situation is more contained in other areas, police in Ho Chi Minh City said they had captured over 150 people who were found inciting others to commit violence against law enforcement during the marches on Sunday.

We have been able to confirm that there are reactionary units behind the violence, said Nguyen Sy Quang, spokesperson of Ho Chi Minh City Police.

He added that the situation in the southern metropolis had been put under control.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Over 86 percent of the attending members of the lawmaking National Assembly, or 423 out of 466, voted for the adoption of the Law on Cyber Security, with only 15 legislators turning it down and 28 abstaining from the vote.

The vote was finished at nearly 10:00 am on Tuesday, the last working day of the legislatures fifth plenary session that kicked off on May 21.

The 43-article law, which regulates all activities that protect national security and ensure public safety and order on the Internet, will come into effect on January 1, 2019.

The piece of legislation requires all foreign providers of Internet-related services to open representative offices and data centers in Vietnam, where information of Vietnam-based users must be stored, in order to continue offering their services to local users.

An article in the law grants the countrys Ministry of Public Security the power to demand access to any organization or companys data system for investigation in cases where there is a perceived threat to national security and public safety.

Internet service providers, including Facebook and YouTube, will be required to remove anti-state, offensive or inciting contents from their platforms within 24 hours of receiving a request from the ministry, according to the law.

Addressing the legislature before Tuesdays vote, the chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Defense and Security said the law is necessary to defend the interests of the people and national security.

[The law] will not obstruct the flow of data or affect the regular operations of organizations and companies, including startups, the legislatures Standing Committee said in a statement.

Over half of Vietnams population of 92 million have access to the Internet, according to a 2017 report by the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Doctor Tang Xuan Dinh was deputy director of the Ca Mau General Hospital in Ca Mau Province in December 2016, when he received an order from the provincial health department requiring him to take up a new post as director of a district-level public hospital located in a rural area.

Dinh refused to comply with the appointment, citing his inexperience in management and his wish to focus on professional work at the general hospital.

Being a director entails watching over all of the hospitals operations, which Im not trained to do, the doctor said.

In addition, my family lives in Ca Mau City so it would be inconvenient for me to commute to work every day in the rural district of Cai Nuoc.

The doctors resistance got him in hot water and ended up earning him an official warning from the provincial Department of Health, which oversees the operations of all local public hospitals.

In August 2017, four months after receiving his first disciplinary action, Dinh was transferred to the Ca Mau Hospital of Traditional Medicine, where he was required to show up to take on a specific duty.

However, the doctor has since refused to show up for work without any explanation, according to the hospitals directorial board.

Tran Van Viet, director of the Ca Mau Hospital of Traditional Medicine, said on Monday it had initiated disciplinary procedures against Dinh for his disobedience.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Tonight on Dateline Amos Roberts travels to the Philippines where he meets some of the people helping victims of sexual trafficking and goes undercover on a raid, which could result in saving up to 70 prostituted children.

UNICEF estimates that there are 1.2 million children lured into the sex trade each year, and up to 100,000 of those are in the Philippines.

Prostitution is illegal in the Philippines and sex workers under the age of 18 are automatically considered trafficking victims and their pimps can be jailed for life.

Sixteen years ago, former Queensland electrician Tony Kirwan changed his life when he set up Destiny Rescue, an international NGO that investigates, rescues and rehabilitates children that have been trafficked into the sex trade.

I felt awkward even walking into a brothel, like I felt like should I even be in here, like this feels wrong, explains devout Christian Kirwan.

But at the same time knowing that if I dont go in then the kids that are in there are never going to have a chance of getting out.

Joining Tony and his team, Amos immerses himself in a world of sleaze and exploitation, as they gather evidence to give to the local police.

The under-resourced local police are grateful for any help, even from a crew of Australians with no background in law enforcement.

Amos also talks to Marlyn Capio-Richter who is the centre manager of PREDA Foundation, a Catholic charity that rescues and rehabilitates victims of sexual abuse and trafficking.

Marlyn ran away from home when she was 13 to escape her abusive stepfather. Living on the street, vulnerable to exploitation, she was sold into prostitution.

I became submissive. And I had nothing to lose, because I am already sexually abused by my stepfather. If this is the will of God, then let it be. So I work as a prostituted child and I follow the order of my boss in order for me to survive.

Now, Marlyn uses her own experiences to help young girls aged between 7-18, as they undergo intensive therapy to deal with their experiences.

Rehabilitation doesnt always work and some trafficking victims will return to prostitution.

Those on the frontline of this struggle, like Marlyn and Tony, know the odds are stacked against them.

But if they dont help these children, who will?

9.30pm tonight on SBS.A new SVOD service screening nothing but royal-themed content has launched internationally, and is now available in Australia.

TrueRoyalty.tv offers subscribers a mix of documentaries and factual dramas about Royalty from around the world and through the ages.

The price is $8.99 a month in Australia, or $89.99 per year, with a free 1 month trial also on offer.

Launch titles include Prince Philip at 90, Meghan Markle: How To Be A Royal, The Last Dukes and The Duke and Duchess of Windsor: The Secret Photos of their Love Story.

True Royalty was formed by media entrepreneur Gregor Angus, brand strategist Edward Mason and BAFTA-winning royal producer Nick Bullen who curates the content.

Bullen said, People have always been obsessed with Royalty  from the Pharaohs to medieval kings right up to todays newest royal Meghan Markle. True Royalty is a chance to share the best stories with viewers across the globe.

Source: TBIWelcome to the very modern marriage of Lena & Martin who decide after some 14 years of marriage (and no sex for the last 2) that its time to pull the plug, in Splitting Up Together.

But instead of a formal divorce they agree to remain co-habitating, for the sake of the kids and the mortgage (yep it happens, I know people in the same situation). Martin (Oliver Hudson) moves into the garage during Mom week, while Lena (Jenna Fisher) does likewise during Dad week.

The three kids, 2 of whom are barely teenagers, dont need to be shunted from house to house, so much as keep track of who is in charge in any given week. As a premise its a new take on The Odd Couple with sexual tension, albeit resolved, still in play around the edges.

But the theory is far more navigable than the practice. Can you cut emotions as neatly as sleeping arrangements? And how can you forge your own independence when you have been so dependent on someone who is under your very nose? Expect lots of high fives as awkward affection replaces couples kissing.

Its the friends and family of our (un)happy couple who struggle with the new now, with Lenas sister (Dianne Farr), best friend (Lindsay Price) and father (Geoff Pierson) all offering advice on starting anew as she tries not to make it such a big deal. Naturally the topic of dating comes up, cue handsome young doctor and fumbled flirting.

Martin is similarly given a man-talk by his best bro (Bobby Lee) that he never looked at life from Lenas perspective.

Jenna Fischer (The Office) holds this premise together thanks to her comic timing, but Oliver Hudson (Rules of Engagement) is an affable dad.

Written by Emily Kapnek (Selfie, Suburgatory), and produced by Ellen DeGeneres amongst others, the series will see the pair realise their attraction is reigniting. There is also some nice inclusiveness, including Asian-American friends, and the daughter -who appears to be about 10- telling her older brother, We dont objectify women in this house. Ok a bit unrealistic, granted, but comedy sometimes come from hearing the thing you least expect.

Splitting Up Together is a single-cam comedy with no laugh track, and the humour is relaxed rather than driven by punchlines. The pilot episode is genial if youre looking for something light.

Spliting Up Together begins with a double episode tonight at 9:45pm on Seven.The corporate logos of the state oil company PDVSA and Citgo Petroleum Corp are seen in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2018. REUTERS/Marco Bello

By Marianna Parraga

HOUSTON (Reuters) - The U.S. unit of Venezuela's state-run oil producer PDVSA [PDVSA.UL] is increasing purchases of crude on the open market because it cannot get sufficient deliveries from its struggling parent company, traders said on Monday.

Citgo Petroleum has been buying crude from multiple countries worldwide as PDVSA has been unable to comply with the contractual volume of heavy crude due to falling output and port congestion slowing deliveries, according to the traders.

Declining oil production, lawsuits by creditors, shortages of spare parts for terminals and executive braindrain have all reduced PDVSA's ability to export oil. Most recently, U.S.-based ConocoPhillips' <COP.N> actions to seize PDVSA assets to cash in on a $2 billion (1.5 billion) arbitration award have added to the firm's export issues.

Crude exports are Venezuela's main source of revenue, but the OPEC member has seen deliveries fall sharply in the last few months, dropping to 1.17 million barrels per day (bpd) in May from 1.24 million bpd in April, according to Thomson Reuters trade flows data.

Citgo in recent weeks has been buying Colombian and Ecuadorean heavy crude on the spot market, as well as Azeri Light from the Black Sea region and Arab heavy and medium crudes, according to the Reuters data and traders.

From January through April, Citgo was the customer most affected by PDVSA's inability to fulfil its contracts, according to the Venezuelan company's internal data. PDVSA's oil output this year has fallen to 1.62 million bpd, a 33-year low.

Citgo has a 273,000-bpd contract to import Venezuelan Merey crude from PDVSA, but PDVSA has not sent a single cargo of that grade in over a month, forcing Citgo to buy spot cargoes of diluted crude oil (DCO) from joint ventures, according to the traders and Reuters data.

PDVSA has sent other grades, including Corocoro and Pedernales, but only in small volumes.

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"They are mainly looking for Latin American heavy grades," said a trader who sold two spot crude cargoes to Citgo for June delivery.

Citgo can process up to 749,000 bpd of crude in three U.S. refineries. In the past, PDVSA supplied as much as 40 percent of Citgo's crude requirements, but volumes have been slowly declining for years.

The subsidiary has a "contingency plan" for diversifying imports if Venezuelan supply declines further, according to a Citgo employee, who declined to be identified as the information was private. The plan has not yet been activated, the person added.

As of June 11, PDVSA had 23 million barrels worth of crude to be shipped from the port of Jose and through new ship-to-ship (STS) transfers off its Paraguana Refining Center (CRP), according to Reuters vessel tracking and trade flows data.

Since early June, PDVSA has been notifying customers about its need to employ STS operations. The backlog has decreased to 72 vessels this week from over 80 tankers last week, according to Reuters data, as PDVSA has focused on loading the largest vessels first and rejected nominations for receiving new tankers in June until it finishes loading those already in line.

"Each STS operation is taking almost a week," said a shipping source. "Costs are higher, special vessels are needed and PDVSA operators have to be moved from other ports. It's a lot of work."

Large tankers chartered by Valero Energy <VLO.N>, Vitol, Nayara Energy <ESRO.M3> and Reliance Energy <RELI.NS> of India, and China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) were waiting on Monday near Jose port for crude.

ConocoPhillips' bid to claim $2 billion from arbitration led to a tanker backlog representing nearly a month's worth of shipments at its main terminal.

GRAPHIC - PDVSA's noncompliance with oil supply contracts: https://tmsnrt.rs/2JqWNoI

ALTERNATIVES

Citgo was expecting to receive about 6 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey crude in June, one of the traders said.

Instead, it imported a 516,000-barrel cargo of DCO that discharged last week and several other cargoes of the same grade have set sail to its refineries, according to the Reuters data.

The pressure for Venezuelan oil eased up slightly in early June as Citgo's 157,500-bpd Corpus Christi refinery halted its fluid catalytic cracker (FCC) due to a fire.

But declining production of upgraded crude at PDVSA's joint ventures in the Orinoco Belt, the country's largest producing region, has limited the barrels Citgo normally could access in place of Merey.

Of four crude ventures that process up to 620,000 bpd of oil for exports, two are undergoing maintenance and a third is expected to start major maintenance later this month, according to two sources close to the projects.

(Reporting by Marianna Parraga in Houston; additional information by Mircely Guanipa in Punto Fijo, Venezuela; editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Marguerita Choy and G Crosse)The crypto markets took a hit on Sunday as the price of bitcoin dropped to its lowest value in two monthsfrom around $7,280 to under $6,700, according to Coindesk statistics.

EOS, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Ripple and Litecoin all suffered minor losses of between 5 and 10 percent this weekend based on metrics from CryptoCompare, another website that tracks the pricing of the major digital coins. Charles Hayter, the founder of the platform, told Newsweek that two reasons for the recent stumble included a recent crypto-exchange hack in South Korea and an article published Friday by the Wall Street Journal which detailed an ongoing market manipulation probe in the U.S.

Crypto-exchanges, Hayter said, are currently caught between a rock and a hard place thanks to jurisdictional issues and legal disputes, but he characterized Sundays price drop as relatively minor. At the time of writing, the price of a single bitcoin had stabilized at approximately $6,680 ($5,033). It was a long way from the lofty highs of December last year, when a single coin was valued at $20,000.

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Bitcoin

JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images

According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has sent subpoenas to four crypto-exchangesBitstamp, Kraken, ItBit, and Coinbasedemanding answers on the subject of market price distortion. Bloomberg has reported a criminal probe is being spearheaded by the Justice Department. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) warned last year that investors should be aware of growing fraud and manipulation in crypto markets.

I cautionagainst promoting or touting the offer and sale of coins without first determining whether the securities laws apply to those actions, wrote chairman Jay Clayton at the time. Selling securities generally requires a license, and experience shows that excessive touting in thinly traded and volatile markets can be an indicator of scalping, pump and dump and other manipulations and frauds.

Story continues

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Crypto-exchanges are used to buy and sell digital currencies. Their unregulated nature has resulted in a backlash from some governments, including in the U.S., U.K., China and South Korea. In recent months, major hacks and cyberattacks have resulted in the loss of funds worth millions of dollars. In one of the most extreme examples, South Koreas Coincheck lost the equivalent of $500 million.

Cryptocurrency

NHAC NGUYEN/AFP/Getty Images

This weekend it emerged that another exchange, known as Coinrail, had been targeted. According to Coindesk, a cryptocurrency focused news website, around $40 million worth of coins were stolen. The platform, it said in a statement (translated via Google Translate), lost up to 30 percent of its funds.

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The exact damage of the leaked coin/token is currently being confirmed, the team said. The news coincided with bitcoins price drop, but it is difficult to confirm if the two cases are actually entwined.

Indeed, not everyone appeared to be convinced.

Coinrail trades over 50 cryptocurrencies but is a relatively small exchange as in the last 24-hour period it registered a $2.6 million trading volume, wrote CryptoGlobe, a news fork of CryptoCompare. As some pointed out, the drop was likely a delayed reaction to a WSJ [Wall Street Journal] report.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekThe 416 wildfire which has devastated parts of Colorado is continuing to cause havoc after strong winds saw the blaze more than double in size in just 24 hours.

But officials said winds should drop on Monday (June 11) leaving smoke heavy and low in the valley and visibility restricted.

Tomorrow (Tuesday, June 12) will be dry once again, but wind speeds should decrease. Winds will be calm in the morning until around 10:30 a.m., and will increase to 10 to 15 mph from the west/southwest in the afternoon.

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Occasional gusts may reach 25 mph after 1:30 p.m. Temperatures will be in the high 70s to low 80s and relative humidity may remain as low as single digits.

Elsewhere, the National Weather Service issued a dense smoke weather warning for Highway 550 corridor from Molas Pass through Durango and down to the New Mexico state line, as well as the Highway 160 corridor between Hesperus and Bayfield, extending east past Pagosa Springs.

Residents have been warned the smoke will bring poor visibility to the area and advised people to slow down when driving, use their headlights and leave plenty of distance from the car ahead.

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RTX68FQQ

La Plata County/Handout via REUTERS

The fire, which was first reported at 10:02 a.m. Friday, June 1 in San Juan National Forest, about 10 miles north of Durango, has since gone on to spread across more than 16,000 acres, according to La Plata County officials.

The fire is currently around 10 percent contained, and around one quarter of a mile away from the nearest residential structure. Officials said a structure protection is in place, with still no reports of any injuries.

Story continues

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A mandatory evacuation order was issued Sunday morning for more than 850 residences in Purgatory/Durango Mountain Resort, Lake Purgatory, Silver Pick Lodge, Cascade Village, Mill Creek and all residences on both sides of U.S. Highway between mile markers 46.5 to 53.1.

More than 800 firefighters have been assigned to tackle to blaze. This is a long-duration event, fire information officer Shawn Bawden, told the Durango Herald. Firefighters will be here as long as it takes to get the job done.

The cause of the blaze is currently under investigation. In April, La Plata County suffered exceptional drought conditions, with fuels such as grass, brush and trees in La Plata helping to produce explosive fire growth and behavior.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekBRINNON, Wash. (AP)  Authorities say a family of five was killed in an explosion at their vacation property on Washington state's Hood Canal.

Brinnon Fire Chief Tim Manly said Monday that two adults and their three young children died in the fire early Sunday. He says the family from Washington state spends weekends at the cabin in Brinnon, a small community on the Olympic peninsula.

Manly did release names or ages, pending notification of relatives.

Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Michael Haas says authorities do not suspect foul play but will investigate.

Neighbors called 911 after hearing an explosion about 1 a.m. Sunday. Firefighters who respond found the small cabin engulfed in flames. They initially found two bodies and later found three more.

The Washington State Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

See Also:Leslie Grantham during a photocall for the play Beyond Reasonable Doubt, in 2005. (PA)

Former EastEnders actor Leslie Grantham is fighting for his life in hospital.

Grantham, 71, is, according to the Sun, desperately ill in hospital after he returned to the UK from his Bulgaria home.

A spokesperson told the newspaper: Its true that Leslie is very poorly.

The actor, famed for his role of Dirty Den Watts in the BBC soap, is said to be in critical condition with his family worried for his future health, as a close friend says: Leslie is being looked after. Those who are close to him are hugely worried and are praying for his well-being.

The star left the UK after he split from his wife, Jane, of 31 years, and filmed a series called The English Neighbour back in 2010.

Actor Leslie Grantham with actress Letitia Dean during a photocall to introduce the return of his character Dirty Den, to EastEnders. (PA)

Grantham first auditioned for EastEnders back in 1984 prior to its 1985 launch. Originally he went for the part of Peter Beale but was offered Den Watts instead.

Despite announcing his intent to leave the show in 1988, he remained on our screens until 1989, after bosses didnt want both him and Anita Dobson (who played wife Ange) to be leaving at the same time. The show filmed a storyline of his that saw him finally leave the small-screen the following year.

Dirty Den did, however, make a return to Albert Square some years later in 2003. While fans assumed Den had died at the hands of a gunshot, he apparently survived the injury and fled to Spain. He stayed for just over a year before it was revealed towards the end of 2004 that Grantham was again leaving the show  this time by the hand of his new wife, Chrissie, who hit him over the head with an iron doorstop.

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7 classic British TV shows that auctioned off their iconic carsPARIS (Reuters) - France's prime minister accused Italy on Tuesday of not meeting its international obligations after refusing to take in more than 600 migrants stranded aboard the rescue ship Aquarius.

"Italy, the Italian government, has chosen to not respect its international obligations terms of security for the people," Edouard Philippe told MPs. "This episode shows that there is no hope in the short-term for a national solution to this problem. There can only be a European response."

Philippe said no European country had done more than France to try to stabilise the migrant crisis through its military operations in the Sahel region and its efforts to find a political solution to the conflict in Libya.

(Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Bate Felix)Wang Chenglin, who runs a construction machinery distributor, poses for a picture at his office in Dandong, China June 11, 2018. REUTERS/Brenda Goh

By Brenda Goh

DANDONG, China (Reuters) - Property speculators in China may be betting that Tuesday's U.S.-North Korea summit will unlock riches across the border but Chinese construction machinery dealer Wang Chenglin is far from convinced.

Like many business owners in Dandong, through which most of North Korea's trade flows, Wang's hopes have been dashed before.

In particular, he remembers supplying three excavators for the construction of the New Yalu River Bridge, a project that was meant to represent a new era of economic ties but was abandoned after Pyongyang reversed a decision to engage with China.

Wang also tells of tough bargaining with North Korean buyers: they sought discounts of as much as 20 percent, and sometimes put up a deposit and then vanished.

Before United Nations sanctions on the North last August halted his cross-border trade entirely, Wang said he was selling between five and 10 machines a year to North Korean buyers, accounting for roughly 20 percent of his business. He has run his company, Dandong Shuoyu Machinery, for over a decade.

North Koreans have started turning up again to look at his machinery since the nation's leader Kim Jong Un visited China in March on his first trip abroad since assuming power.

SPECULATORS MOVING IN

That is just one of a number of recent signs that cross-border business may be about to pick up. Investors have also been snapping up real estate in this city, which is opposite the Yalu River from North Korea.

Speculators are buying land along other parts of China's border with North Korea, and traders are stockpiling cheap North Korean coal amid hopes that restrictions will soon be lifted.

Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump signed an agreement in Singapore on Tuesday at the first ever summit between American and North Korean leaders. The agreement lays the ground for a possible dismantling of the North's nuclear weapons program.

"It'll be good if North Korea opens up," said a hat seller in Dandong, who only gave her name as Yang. "The people there are so poor, it's like China in the 1980s."

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She said the number of North Koreans shopping in the city had dropped in recent months after the sanctions against North Korea were tightened. But now, she said, property prices wee being driven up by people betting that trade would revive.

Other local people in Dandong said North Korean workers were returning, prompting the opening of some restaurants and hotels.

The owner of one Korean restaurant was training staff on presenting a new menu in preparation for more visitors from other parts of China, including people intending to visit North Korea.

Yet Wang, the construction machinery dealer, preaches caution about hopes that the North could open its economy after decades of isolation.

"We've experienced many flip-flops ... and I don't entirely believe him," he said of Kim's apparent willingness to end North Korea's isolation.

Still, if the summit leads to economic opening, Wang said he would look to bring in additional cheaper models that would appeal to North Korean buyers. In that case, he also expected competition from the likes of South Korean and American firms.

"Thankfully China's market is big enough," he said.

ABANDONED BRIDGE, BROKEN WINDOWS

Construction on the 2.2 billion yuan (256.9 million) New Yalu River Bridge started in 2012 and symbolised China's efforts to coax its Cold War-era ally into export-oriented reforms.

Wang, whose dealership represents local brands such as Jinggong and XCMG Construction Machinery, recalled a grand opening ceremony for the bridge and surrounding planned free trade zones.

Kim's powerful uncle, Jang Song Thaek, was in attendance.

That led businesses including Wang's to flock to the Dandong New Zone, and Wang provided three excavators to the North Korean side of the river to help ready the ground for the Chinese-funded project.

Things didn't go well.

Wang said North Korean border guards even broke the windows on his excavators to steal bread and bottled drinks his workers had left inside when he left the machines on the North Korean riverside at night, forcing him to pay 1,800 yuan per machine for repairs.

Meanwhile, progress on the bridge faltered after Jang, a key liaison between Pyongyang and Beijing, was executed in late 2013 after a North Korean military tribunal found him guilty of treason.

The dual-carriageway bridge currently lies unused, while the gates to the free trade zone are deserted and locked.

Another equipment distributor, Han Xiaoning, a sales manager for Luyu machinery, said she had done some business with North Korea in the past and was also wary.

"If I relied on North Korea I would starve to death," Han said.

Not everyone is so cautious.

Fu Hong, a dealer for Lonking machinery, said the brand was popular in North Korea and she was excited about the opportunity if the summit was successful.

She said the dealership had taken over another firm that had left the business in January after it was squeezed by the sanctions, and is bullish about prospects across the river.

"We feel that this market has the greatest potential."

(Reporting by Brenda Goh; Editing by Tony Munroe and Martin Howell)TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iran's supreme leader has sought to clarify his position on Israel after being accused of threatening its destruction.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted by the official IRNA news agency late Sunday as saying the Mideast conflict should be resolved through a popular referendum among "all real Palestinians, including Muslims, Jews and Christians" who trace their roots back to before the creation of Israel.

That would seem to include all Palestinians as well as the small community of Jews who lived in the Holy Land before the creation of Israel. Khamenei did not address the fate of the vast majority of Jewish Israelis.

Khamenei has repeatedly called for Israel's demise, while saying Iran would only attack it in self-defense.

Israel views such remarks as a genocidal threat, a charge Iran denies.

See Also:Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said that he believes his nations ongoing war will be over soon.

Speaking to British newspaper Mail Online in a partially filmed interview published by Syrian state media on Sunday, Assad voiced his view that the war in Syria will come to an end in less than a year. Continuing, he said that his army will take back every inch of the country, claiming that he has the support of his people.

The Syrian leader also pointed fingers at the West for prolonging the conflict, suggesting that the United States, the United Kingdom and France have supported terrorists in his country.

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GettyImages-509763032

JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images

We were about to achieve reconciliation in the southern part of Syria only two weeks ago, but the West interfered and asked the terrorists not to follow this path in order to prolong the Syrian conflict, Assad said, Al Jazeera reported.

We are fighting the terrorists, Assad said, arguing that the armed groups are supported by the British government, the French government and the American [government] as well as their puppets in our region.

When pressed about Russian involvement with the conflict, Assad said that no foreign government dictates his governments actions.

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We've had good relations with Russia for more than six decades now, nearly seven decades. They never, during our relation, try to dictate, even if there are differences, he said. Assad admitted that he has had disagreements with Russia and Iran which also supports the Syrian armythroughout the seven-year conflict.

Story continues

"That's very natural, but at the end the only decision about what's going on in Syria and what's going to happen, it's a Syrian decision, Assad said.

The leader also responded to allegations that Russia has started coordinating with Israel in regards to strikes against targets in Syria. Assad said that this is not true and that Moscow had no prior knowledge of any attacks.

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Russia never coordinated with anyone against Syria, either politically or militarily, and that's [a] contradiction, he said. "How could they help the Syrian army advancing and at the same time work with our enemies in order to destroy our army?"

The Israelis have carried out numerous attacks in Syria in recent months, primarily targeting the Iranian forces stationed in the country as well as its allies, the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah. Iran and Hezbollah have been widely seen as instrumental to bolstering the success of Assads forces throughout the war. At the same time, both groups are openly hostile toward Israel, and the Israeli military has preemptively struck when it feels threatened by their presence close to its border.

Israeli energy minister and cabinet member Yuval Steinitz recently appeared to threaten that his nation could kill Assad if necessary to stop Iran. "If Syrian President Bashar Assad continues allowing the Iranians to operate out of Syria, it would be the end of him, the end of his regime," Steinitz said last month.

In the new interview, Assad also blasted the American and British governments for interfering with his nations sovereignty. At the same time, when asked about his time in London as a medical student, he admitted there were things he missed about the city. The Syrian leaders wife is also a British citizen.

Despite his criticism of Western governments, Assad said his nation is ready to cooperate if they change their political position.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekPARIS (Reuters) - A senior United Arab Emirates official said an ultimatum for the United Nations to convince the Iran-aligned Houthi movement to evacuate Yemen's main port of Hodeidah expired on Tuesday night.

The Saudi-led coalition, which the UAE is part of, is gearing up for an assault on Hodeidah, preparing to launch by far the biggest battle of a three-year-old war between an alliance of Arab states and the Houthi movement that controls Yemen's capital Sanaa.

Hodeidah, the only Yemeni port controlled by the Houthis, serves as a lifeline channelling food, medicines and other vital imports to the majority of Yemenis who live in Houthi-ruled territory.

"We gave U.N. special envoy Martin Griffiths 48 hours to convince the Houthis to withdraw from the port and city of Hodeidah," UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash told France's Le Figaro newspaper.

"We are awaiting his response. These 48 hours expire during the night of Tuesday and Wednesday."

The United Nations said it was engaged in "intense" shuttle diplomacy between the Houthis and coalition leaders Saudi Arabia and the UAE to avert an all-out attack.

"If the Houthis don't get out of Hodeidah city and the port, the UAE will start a military operation against the rebels in Hodeidah," Gargash was quoted as saying by the French daily.

"Thanks to them controlling the port of Hodeidah, they are getting financing, which allows them to get weapons, weapons such as missiles that are then fired on Saudi Arabia."

Amid the diplomatic efforts to avert a worsening of an already desperate humanitarian crisis in Yemen, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, Macron's office said.

"(He) called for restraint from all the belligerents and to protect civilians," his office said.

France is trying to arrange a humanitarian conference on June 27 co-presided with Saudi Arabia, although it has come under pressure from non-governmental organisations to reconsider given the possible offensive on Hodeidah.

(Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Gareth Jones)President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un signed a joint statement in an important step towards the denuclearisation of North Korea at a summit in Singapore early on Tuesday.

Trump and Kim Jong-Un shook hands early on Tuesday morning at the start of a historic summit between the leaders of both nations.

President Trump said: "Everything has gone much better than anyone could think. We will have a wonderful relationship."

The North Korean leader said that although it had been difficult to establish first contact due to old prejudices it was a good prelude to peace and the world would see a big change.

During a lunch, both leaders signed a joint statement with four key points regarding the US and North Korean future relationship and the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. It read:

1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.

2. The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

3. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

4. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

This agreement was seen an important first step towards a future peace treaty, analysts said the positive outcome of the summit would relax investors after a tense G7 meeting over the weekend where Trump alienated many of the US's oldest allies.

Jasper Lawler at London Capital Group said: "Despite the prospect of worsening relations between the US and its closest allies and increased trade tensions following the strained G7 meeting, US indices closed higher as, lifted by sentiment ahead of the historic meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un".

However, some analysts thought it was somewhat vague and lacked detail. And despite Trump's comments that this was a historic first, it comes slowly on the heels of a joint declaration made on the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula back in 1992 during Bill Clinton's administration.

Market analyst Connor Campbell at Spreadex said investors were likely to have been left feeling "unimpressed by the flimsiness of the agreement".

After the summit, Trump gave a press conference where he said that Kim Jong-Un had given his "unwavering commitment" to denuclearisation and had agreed to destroy the country's major missle engine testing site. He also said the denuclearisation would be verified by the US.

When asked about the joint war games carried out by South Korea and the US he said he will commit to stopping the exercises: "Id like to bring them home, but thats not part of the equation right now. But we will be stopping the war games."

He also told abc News in an interview that he believes another summit will be needed and he would be happy to invite Kim Jong-Un to the White House in the future.Key players from the Leave.EU platform, Arron Banks and Andy Wigmore, face a grilling from MPs on Tuesday over alleged meetings with the Russian ambassador during the campaign.

Since the 2016 referendum, questions have been raised about Leave.EU's unofficial campaign and its chief backer Mr Banks.

The DCMS (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) committee who are investigating the use of "fake news" in the Brexit referendum will question Banks and Wigmore over their relationship with data company Cambridge Analytica, the possible misuse of information and the alleged close relationship between both Brexiters and Russian officials.

The Sunday Times reported that Banks, who helped fund Leave.EU, had met with Russian officials during the referendum period more frequently than he had admitted to in his book The Bad Boys of Brexit.

When questioned about meeting the Russian ambassador in London, they said they had proposed having dinner together because Banks wife is from the Russian diaspora and Wigmore, who is a Belize diplomat, wanted Russia to buy bananas from his native country.

They denied receiving money for the campaign from Russia.

When asked about meeting Cambridge Analytica, Wigmore said: "We believed CA were perceived as one of the best political campaigning companies. The truth is, our marketing people actually knew more than they did."In his

In his book, Banks said Leave.EU had "partnered" with CA but Banks clarified in the Commons that "we put them into the designation document", saying that they would have hired them had they won the designation.

Banks claimed that the success of the campaign had been thanks to Leave.EUs strategies: "I think we won the referendum because there were two campaigns. Vote Leave was appealing to the soft Tories, while we were appealing to the Labour voters for whom migration is a huge issue."

On the success of the campaign on social media, Banks said they had not misused data, rather they had known exactly how to catch their audience's attention: "My experience with social media is it's a firestorm, like a bushfire, that blows over everything. Our skill was creating bushfires and then putting a fan on that would just blow it over everything."

"Winning an election isn't about facts", they said.

When asked by MP Chris Mattheson whether they had engaged in 'fake news', according to The Guardian, Banks retorted saying: "I would say, Chris, that parliament itself is the biggest source of fake news in the country  straight after this hearing youll be at lunch with some Guardian journalist quaffing a glass of chablis and spinning this how you want."

After the inquiry, Damien Collins chair of the DCMS committeee and head of the interrogation said: "Mr Banks and Mr Wigmore themselves put on the record that they frequently lie, exaggerate, misspeak and misunderstand. So it is difficult for the Committee to know if we should take all of their answers seriously when it comes to data sharing and misuse, campaign spending, and their meetings with high ranking Russian officials. They accuse other witnesses to this Committee of being dishonest, yet admit to the inconsistencies in their own evidence.

"Our inquiry is about getting to the truth of these matters, which is of substantial public interest. We will be writing to them to follow up on various points raised during their evidence, and the hard copy evidence that was submitted by Mr Wigmore today.One of Tanzanian gold producer Acacia Mining 's contract team has been involved in a fatal accident at its North Mara mine.

Sadock Crispin Tindahinile passed away as a result of an accident which involved a reversing vehicle at the Gokona deposit.

Acacia confirmed that there had been no other injuries reported and that investigations into the incident were already underway, with all relevant authorities having been informed.

Peter Geleta, Acacia's interim chief executive officer, and the whole Acacia team expressed their sincere condolences to Tindahinile's family and colleagues.

The death was by no means the first regrettable event at Acacia's North Mara gold mine, as hundreds of local villagers invaded the mine for several days back in June 2017 in an attempt to steal ore amid an ongoing dispute between the former FTSE 250 firm and the Tanzanian government.

Acacia's security forces arrested at least 66 people, 34 of whom were women used as human shields by groups of armed men who invaded the mine following accusations by the Tanzanian authorities that the firm was under-declaring revenues and evading taxes worth tens of billion of dollars.

Last summer, Acacia's Canadian majority shareholder Barrick Gold has agreed to compensate the government of Tanzania to try and resolve an export dispute that saw the mining group accused of under-declaring its gold shipments and "mining illegally".

As of 0825 BST on Tuesday, Acacia shares had lost 2.78% to 118.80p.AstraZeneca , alongside its partner Eli Lilly and Company , announced on Tuesday the discontinuation of the global Phase III clinical trials of lanabecestat, an oral beta secretase cleaving enzyme (BACE) inhibitor, for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

The FTSE 100 drugmaker said the decision was based on recommendations by an independent data monitoring committee, which concluded that both the AMARANTH trial in early Alzheimer's disease and the DAYBREAK-ALZ trial in mild Alzheimer's disease dementia were not likely to meet their primary endpoints upon completion, and therefore should be stopped for futility.

As a result of the decision, the related AMARANTH extension trial would also be discontinued.

We are saddened by this outcome as our researchers are working tirelessly to find a solution for the many people who are impacted by this devastating disease, said Menelas Pangalos, executive vice-president of AstraZenecas IMED biotech unit.

We are committed to ensuring our findings can be used to inform further research in the Alzheimer's community, given the importance of finding a treatment for this disease.

The independent data monitoring committee recommendation to stop the studies was not based on safety concerns, AstraZeneca said.

It added that the AstraZeneca and Lilly BACE alliance for lanabecestat remained in place, and the companies would now work with the clinical trial sites involved to implement the discontinuations.

The complexity of Alzheimer's disease poses one of the most difficult medical challenges of our time, and we are deeply disappointed for the millions suffering from this devastating disease," said Daniel Skovronsky, president of Lilly Research Labs.

We are grateful for the contributions of the study participants and their families and encourage them to consider other Alzheimer's disease clinical trials.

Skovronsky said Eli Lilly remained dedicated to Alzheimer's disease research, as it had been for the last three decades.

We won't give up on finding a solution for Alzheimer's patients.

The AMARANTH trial randomised patients with early Alzheimer's disease to receive lanabecestat - 20mg or 50mg - or placebo orally once daily for 104 weeks.

According to the two firms, the primary endpoint of the trial was change from baseline on the 13-item Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog13).

Early Alzheimer's disease was defined as the continuum of patients with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease and patients diagnosed with mild Alzheimer's disease dementia.

Patients who completed the AMARANTH trial were given the opportunity to enrol in the AMARANTH extension trial, where all patients received active treatment.

The DAYBREAK-ALZ trial randomised patients with mild Alzheimer's disease dementia to receive either lanabecestat - 20mg or 50mg - or placebo orally once daily for 156 weeks.

For that trial, the primary endpoint of the trial was change from baseline on ADAS-Cog13.

AstraZeneca said the discontinuation of the lanabecestat Phase III clinical trials in Alzheimer's disease was not expected to have a material impact on its financial guidance for 2018, which therefore remained unchanged.GlaxoSmithKline said on Tuesday that the president of its vaccines business, Luc Debruyne, will leave at the end of the year following 27 years at the pharmaceutical company.

He will be replaced by current president of the global manufacturing and supply division, Roger Connor, on 1 September. Connor has been on the corporate executive team since 2012 and "has led the strategic transformation of GSK's supply chain to support improved quality and supply performance".

The group said he has a proven track record of leading a complex, global organisation, developing organisational capability and driving cultural transformation.

Also with effect from September, Regis Simard - currently senior vice president of global pharma manufacturing - will be appointed president of pharmaceutical supply chain and will join the corporate executive team. He joined Glaxo in 2005 as a site director in France, having worked in the electronics, medical devices and pharmaceuticals industries.

At 1535 BST, the shares were up 0.7% to 1,546.40p.Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un have signed a document that will see the denuclearisation of North Korea begin "very quickly", the US president announced. After a working lunch concluded a morning of negotiations in Singapore, the two leaders held a signing ceremony, with Mr Trump calling it a "comprehensive" agreement. Mr Kim said "we are leaving the past behind us" as he said "the world will see a major change". - Telegraph

Pro-European Tory MPs handed Theresa May a stay of execution last night after they signalled that they would not use a crunch vote to demand that Britain remain in a customs union with Europe. In a compromise brokered after hours of talks, a leading Tory rebel said that she would drop her support for a Lords amendment to the Brexit bill that would force ministers to negotiate a customs union with Brussels and instead table a fresh amendment committing Britain to negotiating a new customs arrangement with the EU. - The Times

The British economy is showing the greatest signs of stress since the eurozone crisis and fears of a double-dip recession six years ago, as worrying reports show the steepest fall in manufacturing output and the greatest degrees of pessimism among employers since 2012. Concerns over Brexit and a slowdown for high street spending are among the major factors contributing towards 2018 being the worst time in six years for British firms planning to take on new staff, according to a closely watched survey compiled by the recruitment firm ManpowerGroup. - Guardian

Business leaders will attack ministers lack of focus on trade today as they launch a fresh attempt to make their voices heard in Whitehall as Britain prepares to leave the European Union. Senior chief executives are to join a new council, established to help the government to get this right, as Brexit negotiations continue and as officials draw up plans for trade deals with the the United States, Australia and New Zealand and others. - The Times

Philip Hammond is preparing to raise up to 10 billion in extra tax to help to boost the NHS on its 70th birthday. Theresa May is also to lift a cap on skilled workers from outside the EU that blocks foreign doctors from coming to Britain. The move will precede the expected announcement next week of a package of measures to improve the health service. - The Times

New Look has reported an operating loss of 74.3m for the year to March 24, with UK sales falling by 11.7pc on a like-for-like basis. Alistair McGeorge, New Look's executive chairman, said: "Last year was undoubtedly very difficult for New Look, with a well-documented combination of external and self-inflicted issues impacting our performance. - Telegraph/PA

The purchase of Battersea Power Station, the biggest property deal in the UK, is under threat after the leader of Malaysias governing coalition said it would be investigated as part of dubious investments made by the previous administration. On a visit to London to meet British ministers, Anwar Ibrahim, who leads the recently elected Pakatan Harapan, said a series of deals paid for by Malaysian sovereign funds and pension funds had to be looked at again and renegotiated if there were any wrongdoing. - Guardian

Home secretary Sajid Javid has said that Arron Bankss Russian connections are being examined very seriously by two ministers in two departments who want to establish if there was an attempt to undermine parliamentary democracy during the Brexit campaign. Javids unexpected intervention came on the eve of what is expected to be a stormy select committee meeting in which the Brexit-backing tycoon and his colleague Andy Wigmore are expected to be questioned by MPs over their links to Russian officials and business leaders. - Guardian

Citigroup has suggested that it will cut up to half of its 20,000-strong technology and operations staff in the next five years and replace them with machines, according to a report last night. Jamie Forese, the US banks president and chief executive of its institutional clients group, told the Financial Times that the technology and operations jobs, which account for almost two fifths of its staff, were the most fertile for machine processing. - The Times

Challenger stock exchange Aquis will float on the junior Aim market to bolster its war chest to take on larger rivals, such as the London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Boerse. Aquis, which has been dubbed the Spotify of trading venues, will raise 12m as it attempts to lure investors with its subscription-based model. - Telegraph

In Silicon Valley and Hollywood, Wall Street and the City, all eyes will tomorrow be focused on a courthouse in Washington DC for a decision that could the trigger a new wave of giant deals driven by sweeping technological change. The federal judge Richard J Leon is due to rule on whether the $85bn (64bn) takeover of Game of Thrones maker Time Warner by the telecoms colossus AT&T can go ahead in the face of opposition from competition watchdogs and Donald Trump. - Telegraph

Invesco, which owns 17 per cent of the Invesco Perpetual Enhanced Income trust, has taken a rare step of serving a requisition order to the trust, compelling it to hold a general shareholder meeting to decide the future of two of its board members within two months. It has called for Donald Adamson, chairman of the trusts board, and Richard Williams, chairman of the management engagement committee, to go. - The Times

Scientists have created the UKs first ever "unhackable" fibre network in anticipation of the dawn of quantum computers, a technology that could render current security systems completely useless and leave critical infrastructure, banking and healthcare networks open to hackers. The network, constructed by researchers from BT, the University of York and the University of Cambridge over the past two years, is secured by the laws of quantum physics which dictate how light and matter behave at a fundamental level. Using this, it is able to block anyone attempting to crack into the fibre link. - TelegraphLondon's FTSE 100 was down 0.3% to 7,716.25 in afternoon trade on Tuesday as investors were left disappointed by the lack of detail in the US-North Korea agreement, although UK jobs data came in pretty solid.

British Gas owner Centrica was the standout gainer as Jefferies upped the stock to 'buy' from 'hold' and lifted its price target to 165p from 140p.

"While the stock has been in value territory for the last six months, we have remained on the sidelines with Centrica due to subdued earnings momentum. We now see material earnings upgrades as likely with the recent rally in power, gas and oil prices," the bank said.

On the downside, housebuilders Barratt Developments, Berkeley Group and Persimmon were all in the red as FTSE 250 peer Crest Nicholson posted a drop in half-year pre-tax profit and warned that margins for the year would come in towards the lower end of its guidance range, squeezed by cost pressures.

Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, said: "The read-across to the rest of the sector should see some estimates for growth trimmed and 2017s outperformance in share price terms is unlikely to be repeated, thanks to higher costs and slower growth in house prices.

"But the steady increase in payouts mean that the shares will continue to remain in demand, but this time from income investors rather than growth chasers."

FTSE 100 - Risers

Centrica (CNA) 149.55p 3.42%

Evraz (EVR) 553.00p 2.98%

Mediclinic International (MDC) 558.20p 2.69%

Kingfisher (KGF) 311.90p 2.36%

Old Mutual (OML) 221.90p 1.70%

Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 302.00p 1.44%

Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.) 844.60p 1.42%

Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) 2,015.00p 1.41%

United Utilities Group (UU.) 786.20p 1.24%

Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB.) 5,955.00p 1.19%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

Anglo American (AAL) 1,819.00p -2.89%

Barratt Developments (BDEV) 563.80p -2.63%

Berkeley Group Holdings (The) (BKG) 4,205.00p -2.32%

Glencore (GLEN) 380.55p -2.17%

Smurfit Kappa Group (SKG) 2,922.00p -2.08%

Mondi (MNDI) 2,090.00p -1.83%

Antofagasta (ANTO) 1,072.50p -1.83%

Persimmon (PSN) 2,815.00p -1.57%

Imperial Brands (IMB) 2,571.50p -1.51%

Ashtead Group (AHT) 2,365.00p -1.46%Over the last six months, in an FBI sweep nicknamed Operation Wire Wire, the federal law enforcement officials have made 74 arrests, including 42 within the United States, 29 in Nigeria, and three in Canada, Mauritius, and Poland. According to the FBI website on Monday (June 11), the efforts involved the Department of Justice, Homeland Security, and Treasury, as well as the Postal Inspection Service. It's all part of an international BEC takedown involving multiple countries.

Business E-mail Compromise (BEC)

In the sophisticated e-mail scams, scammers pretend to be a legitimate vendor for the companies with invoices for their finance departments.

Business E-mail Compromise (BEC) schemes target only employees with access to the companys finances, but that is not all. This type of scam has become a significant threat to US businesses and individuals. The FBI has found that the criminal organizations behind the BEC are also targeting individual victims, often done through impersonation of a key employee or business partners, and sometimes even through romance and lottery scams.

Involved actors

According to the FBI, the losses due to BEC scams have more than doubled in 2018, with $685 million reported by 4,081 victims to the FBIs internet crime complaint center in the first quarter. "The FBI 2017 Internet Crime Report" compared this to the recorded losses of $275 million in 2015 and $675 million in 2017.

FBI assistant director Scott Smith said the fraudsters are doing their homework. Smith told the Wall Street Journal that they would go into company websites looking for the right people.

Scammers even go as far as pulling annual reports in an effort to find out what companies they do business with before spoofing those accounts by impersonating firms in e-mails sent to their targets.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

Some even fake a CEOs e-mail account and use that e-mail to request for payments from the companys finance officers. Recent prosecutions have revealed the role of money mules, accomplices whose main responsibility was to withdraw funds from bank accounts that received the illicit transfer in order to move them somewhere else.

BEC targets

Over the years, we have seen many large companies defrauded in similar kinds of BEC scams. FACC AG, an aerospace and defense company that sells Airbus and Boeing equipment, was a target of a fake president fraud. The company lost $54 million in 2016 to hackers impersonating the CEO who ordered for the money to be wired to an account controlled by the cybercriminals. In 2017, an Atlanta based security service provider identified a group of Nigerian threat actors, the Gold Galleon, who used fake payment requests to steal close to $4 million from multiple companies. In many of these scams, the organization is expected to take action based on a request from someone senior in the company or a supplier.It is always a matter of time before a famous group splits with the departure of just one member, and that time has finally come for Fifth Harmony. According to the statement released by the group on Monday morning, the 19-year-old did not notify her group mates about her decision but left her agents to break the news.

Agents announced the departure news after iHeartRadio's Jingle Ball

The agents decided to announce the news concerning the departure of Camilla Cabello from Fifth Harmony just hours after all the five of them leaving the stage in Florida at the iHeartRadios Jingle Ball.

According to the statement, Camilla Cabello had decided to leave Fifth Harmony after four and half years as a member of the group thereby leaving Fifth Harmony as a quartet. The all-female singing band announced this through their social media platforms like iInstagram and Twitter which spread through the platforms like wildfire since within 20 minutes of posting on Twitter, the tweet garnered nearly 11,000 retweets with more than 18000 likes. These are estimated to increase as more people will get enlightened with time.

Therefore, the group members took the chance to wish her all the best and stated that they intend to move forward normally as four members including, Lauren Jauregui, Dinah Jane, Normani Kordei and Ally Brooke for their fans because they are four strong women who will remain in the Fifth Harmony as four-piece.

It can be argued that Camilla Cabello was testing the waters at the beginning of the year through her solo collaboration with Machine Gun, an American hip hop artist when they released a hit track, "Bad Things" in October. The track had solder over 136000 copies in America alone just two months after its release.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

More controversies in the Band

Additionally, Fifth Harmony has recently faced more controversy after one of the team members, Lauren was found in possession of Marijuana as she was preparing to travel to Brazil from America but was detailed at the airport and charged in a court of law. According to TMZ reports, the 20-year-old Lauren was going to Brazil where the band was set to perform at the VEVO FunPopFun Festival but was unable to join the group as the performance went on four-piece without her presence.Sabre-tooth fossils were discovered in Russia, it was reported on Friday (June 8) and they were able to shed some light on the life they lived. According to CBC, one of the skulls resembled a wolf in size and had blade-like teeth. The other skull was smaller with a longer snout, larger eye sockets, and had needle-like teeth. The paleontologists seem to be quite excited about the new fossil finds in Russia.

Saber-toothed creature roamed Russia millions of years ago

These specific Sabre-toothed animals have already been named in Russia Newsweek reported.

The larger one that resembles a wolf is called Gorynychus (named after a 3-headed dragon), and the smaller one is called Nochnitsa, which was named after a nocturnal spirit. As reported by CBC, "They roamed what is now modern-day Russia between 299 and 252 million years ago during what's known as the Permian Period."

The two paleontologists that are on point with these fossils are Christian Kammerer who belongs to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and Vladimir Masyutin, part of the Vyatka Paleontological Museum in Kirov, Russia. They both published their works on Friday about the different species in the journal on the PeerJ website.

Knowledge found in the bones

According to CBC, most of the paleontologists and other scientists have relied on just one section of the world for its knowledge of the proto-mammals, aka Sabre-tooth tigers, and that place is Karoo Basin of South Africa.

They enjoy working this section of the earth because of the amazing geological features that are unique to Karoo Basin. Over half of this area is made of a particular rock that was part of the Permian period and this area is also technically a stable land mass according to Christian Kammerer. Kammerer was cited by CBC as saying that one of the reasons why he likes the Russian site is because there are more patterns than at their South African sites.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

This discovery about when Kammerer was visiting Russia for a conference and went to the Vyatka Paleontological Museum in Kirov. He wasn't expecting to come across all of these gorgonopsian fossils that were beautifully intact and displayed. According to Kammerer, his team and himself are the only ones doing extensive research on these specific extinct animals.

Kammerer went on to describe how he was amazed at finding these prehistoric animals. During a closer look at the fossils, Kammerer noted the proto-mammals' jaw structures that included certain bones that were previously found in higher-up mammals like humans, that later evolved to be part of the hearing apparatus of the inner ear.

Thanks to Kammerer's visit, his Russia colleagues were able to discover that they had some other unidentified fossils in their collection.America's long-simmering war against Islamist fighters in Somalia claimed another casualty on Friday (June 8). US Army Special Operations Command announced today (June 11) that the one American soldier killed in the recent firefight between Somali government troops and Islamist militants was 26-year-old Staff Sergeant Alexander W. Conrad. Conrad, originally from Chandler, Arizona, was a member of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group.

Military.com reports that Conrad joined the US Army in 2010 and was first assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.

Conrad served two tours of duty in Afghanistan prior to joining the 3rd Special Forces Group. Along with several awards and citations, including two Meritorious Unit Commendations and three Army Commendation Medals, Conrad has been posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and a Meritorious Service Medal.

In response to Chandler's death, President Donald Trump tweeted out: "My thoughts and prayers are with the families of our serviceman who was killed and his fellow servicemen who were wounded in Somalia. They are truly all HEROES." AZ Central also reported that Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said on Sunday (June 10) that all flags would be lowered to half-staff in order to commemorate Conrad.

War against militants

Conrad was just one of about 800 US troops, most of whom are members of elite forces like Special Forces and the US Navy SEALs, who are currently deployed in East Africa. During the attack on Friday, US Africa Command says that Conrad and other US soldiers were working alongside the Somali National Security Forces and the Kenyan Defense Forces when, at approximately 2:45 PM Mogadishu time, Islamist militants opened fire with small arms and mortars.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

Four Americans in total were wounded in the attack, with Conrad being the only KIA. The attacking militants belonged to the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab, which is officially part of al-Qaeda but has splinter groups affiliated with ISIS, which has carried on a war against the Somali government in Mogadishu since 2009. The Daily Beast has reported that al-Shabaab gunmen diverted the Jubba River in order to force the American soldiers and their East African allies to build a combat outpost on higher ground.

This then allowed al-Shabaab to ambush the unsuspecting troops.

Africa in flames

American troops have been involved in Somalia since 1992. During Operation Restore Hope, American and United Nations soldiers attempted to bring peace to the East African nation during a turbulent civil war. Less than a year later, in response to warlord attacks on UN convoys and American Marines, Delta Force and other special operators launched Operation Gothic Serpent in order to catch warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. The failures of this mission led to the Battle of Mogadishu, which was immortalized in the book and film, "Black Hawk Down."

Since that time, American troops have been deployed all over Africa in order to stem the rising tide of Islamist militants.

Just last year, in October 2017, four members of Special Forces were killed in Niger during an ambush orchestrated by ISIS. This ambush led to growing public awareness in the United States about the sheer size of US special operations in Africa.No more Montville, New Jersey? Melissa Gorga's stunning mansion has been featured on "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" since season three but soon, the longtime reality star and mother of three will be saying goodbye to the home. According to her Instagram page, Gorga and her husband, Joe Gorga, have listed their home with Michael Kolsky of Caldwell Banker in hopes of moving on to their next home.

"My Beautiful home that Joe, my family and I have so many memories in, can be yours," Gorga teased in the caption of an overhead shot of her sprawling East Coast pad.

"So excited to list my house!" she added. For the past several years, the Gorga family has been raising their three kids, including daughter Antonia, 12, and sons Gino, 10, and Joey, 7, in the home.

Will Melissa Gorga soon be a Beverly Hills housewife?

In a second post shared on Instagram, Melissa Gorga told her fans and followers that it was time for a change. She even included a hashtag about it being "time for Cali," which led some to believe that the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star was ready to transition from an East Coast housewife to a West Coast housewife on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." Then, when Gorga shared a couple of kissing emojis after being asked if she would be joining Erika Girardi on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," those rumors were sent into overdrive.

On June 11, The Inquisitr reported on the rumors of Gorga's potential role on the Los Angeles-based franchise, noting that Bravo TV hasn't yet addressed the casting rumors.

Melissa Gorga is filming 'RHONJ' season nine

While a major move seems to be looming for Gorga and her family, she is currently in the midst of production on "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" season nine, which started filming months ago with returning cast members Margaret Josephs, Teresa Giudice, Dolores Catania, and Danielle Staub.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

Following last year's eighth season of the show, cast member Siggy Flicker announced she would be walking away from the series and all its drama after appearing for just two seasons. However, a replacement for Flicker has not yet been confirmed.

Melissa Gorga and her co-stars, including Teresa Giudice, Dolores Catania, Margaret Josephs, and Danielle Staub, are expected to return to Bravo for "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" season nine sometime later this year. A premiere date for the new season has not yet been set.BaghdadIraq on Monday accused other oil-producing countries of extracting more barrels of crude than agreed by Opec and its partners, ahead of a meeting of the cartel next week. Producers who are or are not members of Opec have not respected the set target... and the price of petrol has not reached the desired level, said Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaibi. In order to reach a fair and consistent price, we need more support, stability and engagement from the producing countries for the agreement reached in early 2017, he said in a statement. At the time, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other countries pledged to limit oil output and measures to boost crude prices. But according to the Russian news agency Interfax, in the first part of June Russia exceeded its daily production target of 10.95 million barrels per day. Opec member Iraq is currently producing 4.325 million barrels a day, according to the oil minister Luaibi. It has often called for measures to be taken to boost oil prices to support its budget, hit largely by the price slump and its three-year war on jihadists.Iraq supports the stabilization of market prices even if our country has experienced wars for 30 years and needs to rebuild itself urgently, Luaibi told reporters on Monday evening. We respect Opecs decisions, he added. Opec and its partners are scheduled to discuss the agreement at a meeting in Vienna on June 22. The main issue to be decided (in the Austrian capital) is the stabilization of the market, said Luaibi. Asked about the possible impact on the talks of the crisis between arch-foes Saudi Arabia and Iran, the minister said the Iraqis would meet the Iranians and the Saudis to discuss and try to make sure the market is stabilized.Virginia Tech alumni from across the country came to campus last weekend to start a new tradition, gathering for the university's first four-day, summer reunion weekend.

Reunion 2018, held June 7-10, included a welcome reception from President Tim Sands and Laura P. Sands, educational seminars and tours, dinners on the Drillfield, class happy hours, fireworks, and more.

Matthew M. Winston Jr., senior associate vice president for alumni relations, told alumni attending this years inaugural event that they were pioneers.

Thank you for being part of Hokie history and beginning this journey with us. We are so grateful for your support, Winston said. We wanted to gather all Hokies on campus for one long weekend because we knew it would be a special opportunity. It gives us a chance to serve so many more people than our weekends in the fall.The main author of the bill mandating the establishment of a Filipino Sign Language system on Tuesday said he is optimistic the measure will soon get enacted. ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio made the statement following the approval on second House Bill 7503 during last session day of Congress last May 30. HB 7503 mandates the state to ensure that Filipino deaf can exercise their right to expression and opinion by requiring the use of FSL in schools, broadcast media, and workplaces when communicating with the deaf. The bill is in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Tinio said. Under the bill, the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, the Technical Educational Education and Skills Development Authority, and all other national and local government agencies involved in the education of the deaf are tasked to henceforth use FSL as the medium of instruction in deaf education. The FSL shall be taught as a separate subject in the curriculum of deaf learners. The reading and writing of Filipino, as the national language, other Philippine languages, and English shall also be taught to deaf learners. The University of the Philippines and the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, professional sign linguistics and linguistic researchers, in collaboration with the CHED, DepEd and the Early Childhood Care and Development Council, shall come up with guidelines in the development of training materials for the education of the deaf. These materials shall be used by all state universities and colleges as well as their teachers and staff. In the justice system, the FSL shall be the official language of legal interpreting for the deaf in all public hearings, proceedings, and transactions of the courts, quasi-judicial agencies, and other tribunals.To ensure effective and equal access of the deaf to justice and facilitate their effective roles as direct and indirect participants in the legal system, the courts, quasi-judicial agencies, and other tribunals are hereby mandated to ensure the availability of a qualified sign language interpreter in all proceedings involving the deaf, without prejudice to the right of the deaf to choose other forms or modes of communication, if they so prefer. The bill provides that hearings, proceedings and transactions shall include those that are held in police stations and before the Lupong Tagapamayapa as well as preliminary investigations and other initial stages in the court, other quasi-judicial bodies and tribunals. The FSL also shall be the official language of the deaf employed in the civil service and in all government workplaces. All government offices shall take reasonable measures, including the conduct of awareness and training seminars on the rationale and use of FSL, to encourage its use among deaf and hearing-impaired government employees. In the health system, state hospitals and all health facilities shall ensure access of the Filipino deaf to health services, including the free provision of FSL interpreters and accessible materials upon the request of deaf patients or individuals who have deaf family members. The FSL shall also be used as the medium of official communication in all other public transactions, services, and facilities. Similarly, the FSL shall be the language of broadcast media interpreting. The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas and the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (shall, within one year from the effectivity of the Act, require FSL interpreter insets, compliant with accessibility standards for television, in news and public affairs programs. The bill mandates the KWF, in coordination with the DepEd Secretary, CHED Chairperson, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director-General, Professional Regulation Commission Chairperson, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Secretary of Justice, and the heads of other relevant agencies, and in consultation with representatives of the deaf community, teachers with knowledge and experience with the use of FSL in deaf education, the academe, interpreters, and other persons concerned, to promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of the Act.5 hours ago

China's central bank says Evergrande risks 'controllable'

BEIJING (AP)  Chinas central bank said Friday that financial risks from China Evergrande Groups debt problems are controllable and unlikely to spill over, amid growing investor concerns that the crisis could ripple through other developers. Evergrande is the worlds most indebted developer, with over $300 billion in liabilities.

Read ArticleFilipinos urged to support summit

posted June 12, 2018 at 10:00 pm by PNA June 12, 2018 at 10:00 pm

Malacanang on Monday enjoined Filipinos to participate in the upcoming National Information and Communications Technology Summit 2018 which will take place on June 21-22 in Davao City. With the theme Empowering the Filipino through Digital Transformation, the National ICT Summit 2018 is a venue for information sharing, presentation and discussion of programs, initiatives, policies, and innovative solutions. It will also serve as a venue for the resolution of ICT issues and concerns, with particular emphasis on empowering government ICT executives, managers, and policy makers to fully support and implement the Build, Build, Build infrastructure program of the President. Under memorandum circular 45, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea urged all heads of departments, bureaus, and offices including government-owned and -controlled corporations and their subsidiaries, government financial institutions, local government units, and state universities and colleges to lend full support to the National ICT Summit 2018.Meanwhile, ICT executives, chief information officers, technical staff, academics, and key personnel were also authorized to attend the summit and actively participate in the conduct of all its programs and activities. The Department of Information and Communications Technology is the lead agency in harnessing information and communications in the Philippines.

COMMENT DISCLAIMER: Reader comments posted on this Web site are not in any way endorsed by Manila Standard. Comments are views by manilastandard.net readers who exercise their right to free expression and they do not necessarily represent or reflect the position or viewpoint of manilastandard.net. While reserving this publications right to delete comments that are deemed offensive, indecent or inconsistent with Manila Standard editorial standards, Manila Standard may not be held liable for any false information posted by readers in this comments section.Jeremy Bernstein at the NYRB:

The Standard Model, which is a theory of nearly everything (gravity being an exception) likes things in threes. There are, for example, three colors of quarks, just as there were three neutrinos typesuntil very recently: research conducted by the Mini Booster Neutrino Experiment (MiniBooNE) at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, suggests the possible existence of a fourth type of neutrino that does not fit into any theoretical model.

Neutrinos have always been my favorite particles, ever since I learned about them in graduate school in the 1950s. They reminded me of that eccentric uncle youve never seen, but who you know exists because your aunt speaks of him affectionately as a slightly rogue member of the family. Even the invention of neutrinos is a bizarre tale.

more here.Natalie Angier in The New York Times:

In advance of Fathers Day, lets take a moment to sort out the differences and similarities between Dad jeans and Dad genes. Dad jeans are articles of sex-specific leisure clothing, long mocked for being comfy, dumpy and elastic-waisted but lately reinvented as a fashion trend, suitable for male bodies of all shapes and ages. Dad genes are particles on the sex-specific Y chromosome, long mocked for being a stunted clump of mostly useless nucleic waste but lately revealed as mans fastest friend, essential to the health of male bodies and brains no matter the age. Yes, dear fathers and others born with the appurtenances generally designated male. We live in exciting times, and that includes novel insights into the sole chromosomal distinction between you and the women now prowling the aisles at the hardware store. (Didnt he say he could use a new bow saw? Or some halogen light bulbs?)

Researchers have discovered that, contrary to longstanding assumptions, the Y chromosome is not limited to a handful of masculine tasks, like specifying male body parts in a developing embryo or replenishing the sperm supply in an adult man. New evidence indicates that the Y chromosome participates in an array of essential, general-interest tasks in men, like stanching cancerous growth, keeping arteries clear and blocking the buildup of amyloid plaque in the brain. As a sizable percentage of men age, their blood and other body cells begin to spontaneously jettison copies of the Y chromosome, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. That unfortunate act of chromosomal decluttering appears to put the men at a heightened risk of Alzheimers disease, leukemia and other disorders. Im quite certain, said Lars Forsberg, an associate professor of medical genetics at Uppsala University in Sweden, that the loss of the Y chromosome with age explains a very large proportion of the increased mortality in men, compared to women.

Other researchers are tracing the evolution of the Y chromosome and comparing the version found in modern men with those of our close relatives, both living and extinct.

More here.Yanis Varoufakis in The Guardian:

Donald Trumps early departure, and his subsequent refusal to endorse the G7 communique, has thrown the mainstream press into an apoplexy reflecting a deeper incomprehension of our unfolding global reality.

In a bid to mix toughness with humour, Emmanuel Macron had quipped that the G7 might become the  G6. Thats absurd, not least because without the United States, capitalism as we know it (let alone the pitiful G7 gatherings) would disappear from the planets face.

There is, of course, little doubt that with Trump in the White House there is an awful lot we should be angst-ridden about. However, the establishments reaction to the presidents shenanigans, in the United States and in Europe, is perhaps an even greater worry for progressives, replete as it is with dangerous wishful thinking and copious miscalculation.

Some put their faith in the Mueller investigation, assuming that Mike Pence would be kinder to them as president. Others are holding their breath until 2020, refusing to consider the possibility of a second term. What they all fail to grasp is the very real tectonic shifts underpinning Trumps uncouth antics.

More here.Getty Images

At its recent annual conference, the American Medical Association, the largest national doctors group, voted against changing its long-held position against physician-assisted suicide or shifting it to neutral. The decision means the group will retain the language in its current Code of Medical Ethics that states physician-assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physicians role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks.

The AMA announcement comes as what is sometimes called death with dignity or aid in dying is gaining greater acceptance nationwide, and groups supporting a patients right to end his or her life were swift to register their unhappiness with the decision. National polls show that a strong majority of Americans are in favor of allowing assisted suicide in the face of terminal illness, and six states plus the District of Columbia now permit the practice. Oregon was the first to do so, in 1994, with other states picking up the mantle after 2008. (A judge's decision to overturn Californias 2015 law is being appealed.)

Given the rapidly shifting landscape its members face, the AMA couched the votes results as a decision to continue examination of physician-assisted suicide. In a statement, the association's immediate past president, Andrew Gurman, M.D., said that its delegates referred the issue for additional information and discussion at a future policy-making meeting, an acknowledgment that they're not finished debating this thorny issue.

In leading up to the vote, doctors publicly expressed very different opinions, with some stressing the need to help patients avoid end-of-life pain and others insisting that having any hand in death was too far removed from their essential role as healers. Many mentioned that taking a role in the process  with all its moral, legal and societal complexity  put them on a slippery slope theyd be better off avoiding.

The ethics report, which delegates were asked to consider before voting, acknowledged doctors on either side of the divide have deeply held moral beliefs, but also noted that the philosophical arguments for or against physician-assisted suicide are essentially the same since the last time their group debated the issue. Given that the legality in several states has changed since then, the report indicated that more guidance is needed for doctors working where assisted suicide is now a reality.

For instance, it called for more safeguards, such as multidisciplinary panels to support patients through the entire process, including verifying consent and capacity, and guaranteeing appropriate amounts of counseling. The group did acknowledge that health systems in California and Canada had shared helpful reports of such practices adopted after their legalization of aid in dying.

But the report devoted more space to the worry that guidelines relating to who can receive assistance with ending their life could be eroded, and that the practice could be extended beyond mentally competent, terminally ill patients to, say, patients with psychiatric disorders, or that criteria could be broadened to include not just physical suffering but existential suffering. Finally, they expressed a fear that stigmatized or socioeconomically disadvantaged patients could be coerced or encouraged to end their lives. The authors also noted that evidence from studies in Belgium and Netherlands, where the practice is legal, didn't alleviate their concerns.Ryan McGinnis/Getty Images

Dealing a potential setback to voting rights, the Supreme Court on Monday upheld Ohios practice of starting to purge people from its voter-registration rolls after they miss just one federal election.

Federal law prohibits states from removing citizens from registration lists just because they dont vote. States are, however, permitted to send out notices to confirm voters addresses. In a 5-4 decision, the high court ruled that Ohios policy of sending such notices because someone did not vote in a federal election is constitutional. In Ohio, someone who hasnt voted for two years gets a notice asking them to verify their address. If they do not respond and then do not vote in the next two federal election cycles, they are removed from the rolls.

Voting-rights advocates say policies such as Ohios make it more difficult for eligible voters to stay registered. Many older voters, particularly those with disabilities or from low-income backgrounds, could be purged from the rolls and face the difficulties of having to reregister repeatedly. Transportation costs and taking time off from work are some of the obstacles they face.

Voters in the U.S. commonly dont participate in every election, says AARP Foundation Senior Attorney Dan Kohrman. Yet many thousands of them in Ohio and other states with aggressive policies like Ohios will find their names removed from voter rolls when they appear at the polls, having decided one or more candidates deserve their support. Ohios policies assume nonvoters have died or moved. Frequently this is flatly incorrect. AARP believes we need to encourage voter participation, not erect barriers that impede voting.

Mondays ruling involved Larry Harmon, a 60-year-old Navy veteran and long-time resident of Portage County, Ohio. He voted in the 2008 federal elections but not in the 2010 midterm. That failure to vote triggered Ohios process to confirm whether he was still living at the same address. Harmon says he never received that confirmation request, and he also chose not to vote in the 2012 and 2014 federal elections. When he tried to vote on a ballot initiative in 2015, Harmon discovered he had been removed from the list of registered voters.

Seventeen states filed a brief in the case supporting Ohio, while 12 states filed one supporting Harmon.

For more on voting rights and the 2018 midterm elections, visit aarp.org/vote.What you need to know about NSU's 2021-22 basketball scheduleAlbuquerque police homicide detectives continue to investigate after they say a man was dropped off at Lovelace Medical Center, near Downtown, with a fatal gunshot wound Sunday afternoon.

Officer Simon Drobik, an APD spokesman, said Monday that detectives were still trying to identify the person shot and are still working the case.

Drobik said that around 4 p.m. officers were sent to the medical centers emergency room at 601 Dr Martin Luther King Jr. NE.

Officers arrived on scene and discovered one male subject with trauma to his chest, Drobik wrote in an email.

He said the man was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where he died.

Cindy Foster, a UNMH spokeswoman, said UNMH handles almost all serious trauma cases in the state because it has New Mexicos only level one trauma center.

Drobik did not answer questions about who dropped the man off at Lovelace or if that person or people stuck around to talk with detectives.

No persons of interest have been identified at this time, Drobik said.The city of Albuquerque has reached a settlement in a years-old lawsuit centered on a 2010 police shooting criticized by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Mickey Owings was fatally shot in a Wal-Mart parking lot by officer Kevin Sanchez, who was one of several officers investigating a report of a stolen car.

An unmarked police vehicle boxed Owings in, and he was shot by the plainclothes detective as Owings hit multiple vehicles in an attempt to leave the parking lot.

The lawsuit, filed by Owings three children in 2014, was set for trial this week.

But Joe Kennedy, who is representing the plaintiffs, said the monetary settlement was reached Thursday.

All in all, I think it was something that the city didnt need to defend and couldnt defend from the perspective of good police tactics, he said.

Alicia Manzano, a spokeswoman for the city, said the suit is one of the last few remaining cases still pending from the previous administration listed in the DOJ report.

She said the terms of the agreement will be finalized after the court approves the settlement details.

Neither Kennedy nor the city would provide the settlement amount, but Kennedy said he hopes the money will give Owings children an avenue toward education and counseling.

In its investigation findings, the DOJ said Owings did not pose a threat. It also scolded the department for allowing officers to shoot at vehicles.

This damage to property, as serious as it was, did not justify taking Owings life, the DOJ wrote. The detective who shot Owings could very easily have missed and hit one of the innocent civilians walking through the parking lot; moreover, after Owings was shot, the probability that he would injure someone with his car increased dramatically.

As part of the DOJ settlement, the department has since implemented a policy significantly restricting officers ability to shoot into vehicles.

Its hard to convey how poorly planned and supervised this whole thing was, and how it was sort of part of the culture of the officer on the street gets to do whatever they want to do, Kennedy said.

We feel like the city is on its way to reform and hopefully something like this wont happen again.To mark the Philippines 120th Independence Day on Tuesday, tech giant Google depicted the countrys colorful marine life on its Doodlethe image that appears above the search bar on its homepageunderlined by the red, yellow, and blue colors of the national flag. In a statement, Google Philippines said the Doodle captures the underwater depths with an image of the seabed, explored by Moorish idols [the yellow striped fishes], blue spotted stingrays, and a whale shark. Coral reefs, which serves as habitat to these aquatic species, break the blue waters with its bright colors, Google added.

With up to 70 percent of the marine area of the so-called Coral Triangle, the Philippines waters are recognized as the center of the worlds marine biodiversity, with over 2,500 species of fish in it. Its not the first time Google has featured the Philippines in its Doodle. Previous Doodlesoften stylized to include the letters of the companys nameinclude a depiction of musical maestro Levi Celerio to mark his 108th birthday on April 30; the elections last May 9, 2016; the jeepney in November 2014; and the bayanihan concept for Independence Day in 2014.Bernalillo County residents wanting to set off fireworks as part of their July 4 celebration will likely need to make other plans.

County commissioners during their administrative meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday are expected to consider a fireworks ban in unincorporated areas of the county.

If approved, the ban would include unincorporated areas east of Louisiana Boulevard to the west face of the Sandia Mountains and from San Antonio areas north of Sandia Pueblo; all the East Mountain areas, north, south and east to the county line; portions of the unincorporated areas include the Rio Grande bosque and wildland areas extending 1,000 feet from the outer edge of the bosque.

The order would ban the sale and use of missile-type rockets, helicopters, aerial spinners, stick-type rockets and ground audible devices and limit the use of ground and hand-held sparkling and smoke devices to areas that are paved or barren and that have a readily accessible source of water.

Commissioners in April ordered a ban of open fires, campfires and smoking in unincorporated areas.

Use and sale of aerial devices and ground audible devices are permanently banned in the city of Albuquerque.

The county order, which is still in effect, prohibits smoking except in enclosed buildings, within vehicles equipped with ashtrays, and on paved or surfaced roads, developed recreation sites, or while stopping in an area that is barren or cleared of all flammable material. It also prohibits campfires and recreational fires and bans heating and cooking fires except cooking or heating devices that use kerosene, white gas or propane as a fuel in an improved camping area that is cleared of flammable vegetation for at least 30 feet and has a water source.

New Mexico is coming off of its third warmest May on record as climate predictions for June show greater than average chances that the state will see above average temperatures again this month, the Associated Press reported.

State statute requires municipalities and counties to proclaim an extreme or severe drought condition within 20 days prior to a holiday for which fireworks are sold.

In 2016, commissioners established a voluntary ban in response to the Dog Head Fire that burned 17,912 acres in Bernalillo and Torrance counties. Commissioners could not establish an involuntary ban as the legislation was passed within 20 days of the July 4 holiday.

Commissioners also established a fireworks ban before the Independence Day holiday in 2014.Picnics, hikes and mountain bike rides in the Cibola National Forest will soon be on hold until further notice.

Most campgrounds, picnic areas, trails, trailheads and forest roads in Mountainair, Sandia and Mount Taylor ranger districts of the Cibola National Forest are closing to all recreational activities indefinitely due to extreme fire danger, the Forest Service announced Monday.

Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands officials said Monday that the shutdown  starting as soon as Friday  will remain in effect pending a significant amount of moisture and subsequent decreases in the fire danger level.

The Cibola is a high-use forest so this is not a decision that we made lightly, said Matt Rau, fire staff officer, in a statement. The forest is tinder dry and the monsoons may still be a few weeks out. We need to take every action possible to reduce the risk of human-caused fires.

The order is effective Friday for the Mountainair and Sandia districts, and in place June 22 for the Mount Taylor district.

Most National Forest trails in the Sandia Mountains  including the La Luz Trail and those near Tijeras  will be closed until the area receives significant rainfall.

I guess it has been like this, so its not a big surprise, said Jonathan Hidalgo, 18, while starting a hike on La Luz trail in 90-degree temperatures on Monday. For the fire danger, it does make sense.

Exceptions to the order include government employees on official duty, firefighters and private property owners, special use permit holders, contractors, Native American tribes and others whose activities do not raise the risk of wildfire.

There also is an exception in the Sandia district for Foothills Trail No. 365, the Sandia Peak Tram and the Sandia Ranger District Administrative site, which includes the Tijeras Pueblo, trail, programs and facilities, forest officials said in a news release.

The Cibola National Forest announcement wont affect Albuquerque Open Space trails until those trails cross into the National Forest, said Philip Clelland, a spokesman for Albuquerque Parks and Recreation Department.

That means some of the trails in the Sandia foothills will be open in part and closed once hikers leave city property and enter the forest, he said.

There probably will be some sort of caution tape  to keep people from going farther on those trails, he said.

The city hasnt made any decisions yet on whether it will close either the foothills trails or the trails in the bosque. Albuquerque Fire Rescue currently has listed the fire danger at very high.

As soon as they raise the level (to extreme), then well go ahead and implement closures, Clelland said.

Anyone caught violating the order could be found guilty of a Class B misdemeanor and face a fine of $5,000 for individuals or $10,000 for organizations, and/or imprisonment.

Many popular outdoor recreation sites in northern New Mexico have already been closed.

The Santa Fe National Forest earlier this month closed 1.6 million acres of public land spanning six counties on both sides of the Jemez Mountains.

Popular recreational areas within the Santa Fe forest include the Jemez Falls campground and trail near the Gilman Tunnels.

On the way to Ski Santa Fe, the Aspen Vista Trail, Winsor Trail and others are closed, as are popular fishing and camping sites along the Pecos River north of Pecos.Lets be bold for a moment and decide manners still matter. Sure, that may seem like a quaint idea in this day and age when:

 The leader of our country regularly takes to Twitter to denigrate those he disagrees with.

 Actor Robert De Niro uses the Tony Awards as a platform to oppose the president, forcing TV censors to bleep out his uses of the F-word on a Sunday night.

 A local city councilor chases publicity in his losing bid for Congress by starting a TV ad with F the NRA.

It feels like our universe has turned into a giant Jerry Springer episode, with each person jockeying to shock us with even more outrageous behavior than the last one. And so, rather than stand up against the bad behavior and set an example for the students in her district, Albuquerque Public Schools Board member Elizabeth Armijo joined the madness, twice using the F-word during a school board meeting last week amid a debate about whether the district should continue to accept money from the NRA for a leadership program.

Im f sick of it, she said at one point.

Asked by a Journal reporter about her lack of decorum, she doubled down, asserting, My word choice is not offensive. Whats offensive is that our community continues to be divided.

Its worth noting she used the F-word during the board meeting  not during a whispered exchange out in the hallway or the parking lot.

Armijo is an elected school board member who represents all of us and the fact she doesnt realize its inappropriate to use expletives during a public school board meeting is incomprehensible. Because if its OK for a school board member to drop F-bombs during a public meeting, then neither she, nor school officials, should object when students start dropping F-bombs in class.

And just because others, even high-profile others, have limited vocabularies and lack manners doesnt mean everybody should.

Armijo owes it to the students and employees in the district and to the taxpayers who support it to conduct herself with professionalism, and if thats too much for her to handle, she should resign.

Its time to say enough already and stop accepting crass behavior from those who are supposed to be setting an example, especially for the youngest in our community.

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.He was one of our states real heroes  part of a dwindling group of New Mexico men who survived being taken prisoner and tortured by the Japanese during World War II.

Ralph Rodriguez Jr. and the other Battling Bastards of Bataan were forced into a brutal 65-mile march through the jungles of the Philippines. They endured years of torture, near starvation and other horrors. Rodriguez, who died last week at the age of 100, was one of about 1,800 New Mexicans sent to train in the Philippines. Only about half of them made it back home.

Rodriguez was a medic and, as a prisoner of war, he tended to other mistreated prisoners, although he didnt have any medical supplies. He also kept handwritten records of fallen comrades.

He was liberated after nearly three years and returned to New Mexico, where he married and raised a family. Like so many other Bataan Death March survivors, he talked about his experience as a prisoner of war.

I think he was just trying to keep everyone remembering, his daughter, Mona Lisa Rodriguez, says.

With only seven N.M. Bataan Death March survivors left, its now up to each of us to remember the hardships these brave men endured and to keep their stories alive for future generations.

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.Picnics, hikes and mountain bike rides in the Cibola National Forest will soon be on hold until further notice.

Most campgrounds, picnic areas, trails, trailheads and forest roads in Mountainair, Sandia and Mount Taylor ranger districts of the Cibola National Forest are closing to all recreational activities indefinitely due to extreme fire danger, the Forest Service announced Monday.

Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands officials said Monday that the shutdown  starting as early as Friday  will remain in effect pending a significant amount of moisture and subsequent decreases in fire danger.

The Cibola is a high-use forest so this is not a decision that we made lightly, said Matt Rau, fire staff officer, in a statement. The forest is tinder dry and the monsoons may still be a few weeks out. We need to take every action possible to reduce the risk of human-caused fires.

The order is effective Friday for the Mountainair and Sandia districts, and in place June 22 for the Mount Taylor district.

Most national forest trails in the Sandia Mountains  including La Luz Trail and those near Tijeras  will be closed until the area receives significant rainfall.

I guess it has been like this, so its not a big surprise, Jonathan Hidalgo, 18, said while starting a hike on La Luz Trail in 90-degree temperatures on Monday. For the fire danger, it does make sense.

Exceptions to the order include government employees on official duty, firefighters and private property owners, special-use permit holders, contractors, Native American tribes and others whose activities do not raise the risk of wildfire.

There also is an exception in the Sandia district for Foothills Trail No. 365, the Sandia Peak Tram and the Sandia Ranger District Administrative site, which includes the Tijeras Pueblo, trail, programs and facilities, forest officials said in a news release.

The Cibola National Forest announcement wont affect Albuquerque Open Space trails until those trails cross into the National Forest, said Philip Clelland, a spokesman for Albuquerque Parks and Recreation Department.

That means some of the trails in the Sandia foothills will be open in part and closed once hikers leave city property and enter the forest, he said.

There probably will be some sort of caution tape  to keep people from going farther on those trails, he said.

The city hasnt decided whether it will close either the foothills trails or the trails in the bosque. Albuquerque Fire Rescue currently has listed the fire danger at very high.

As soon as they raise the level (to extreme), then well go ahead and implement closures, Clelland said.

Anyone caught violating the order could be found guilty of a Class B misdemeanor and face a fine of $5,000 for individuals or $10,000 for organizations, and/or imprisonment.

Many popular outdoor recreation sites in northern New Mexico have already been closed.

Santa Fe National Forest earlier this month closed 1.6 million acres of public land spanning six counties.

Popular recreational areas within Santa Fe National Forest include the Jemez Falls campground and trails near the Gilman Tunnels.

On the way to Ski Santa Fe, the Aspen Vista Trail, Winsor Trail and others are closed, as are popular fishing and camping sites along the Pecos River north of Pecos.SANTA FE  Libertarians say they fear election workers across New Mexico are under-counting the write-in votes for their partys candidates  enough to threaten their gubernatorial hopefuls spot on the Nov. 6 general election ballot.

Blair Dunn, the Libertarian candidate for attorney general, said the concern centers largely on interpreting the validity of write-in votes.

In some cases, he said, voters may have written in the name of a Libertarian candidate, but failed to fill in the bubble next to the write-in line.

As it stands now, the partys write-in candidates for governor and lieutenant governor  Bob Walsh and Robin Dunn  dont have enough votes to advance to the Nov. 6 general election.

We want to make sure this is cleared up, Blair Dunn said. Our concern is, if we didnt address it, the other two major party candidates would be happy to not have our candidates on the ballot.

He said he also has heard reports of Libertarians being turned away at the polls, giving him pretty serious concerns about suppression of the Libertarian vote.

Joey Keefe, a spokesman for Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, whose office oversees state elections, said the secretary, a Democrat, is confident in the work of county clerks across the state.

It takes longer to verify write-in votes than other votes, Keefe said, and Secretary Toulouse Oliver is confident that all 33 county clerks and their precinct boards are doing their jobs fairly and accurately, as required by state law. To spread unfounded conspiracy theories threatens the integrity of our democracy and is a slap in the face to the county clerks who have devoted their lives to protect that democracy.

Every Libertarian candidate was unopposed in the primary, but state law requires write-in candidates to get a minimum number of votes to win the nomination. In this case, Walsh and Robin Dunn need at least 230 votes, or 2 percent of the Libertarians registered in New Mexico.

They had about 150 votes, according to unofficial returns released on election night.

The number could fluctuate as election workers and county clerks complete their canvass of the results.

But Daniel Ivey-Soto, a state senator and executive director of the clerks affiliate of the New Mexico Association of Counties, said the write-in votes wont count unless the bubble is filled in. For ballots tabulated by a machine, he said, voters must follow the instructions to have their votes counted.

A more flexible standard, however, is allowed for hand-tallied votes, Ivey-Soto said.

If the Libertarian Party paid for a recount and demanded a hand tally, he said, election workers would examine each ballot manually and count any vote in which the persons intent was clearly discernible.WASHINGTON  Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson  one of few Americans to maintain contact with the North Korean government over the past two decades  called Tuesdays summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un a positive development, while the states U.S. senators sounded a more skeptical tone.

Richardson said the meeting in Singapore was beneficial from a diplomatic standpoint but a mixed bag on the thornier subject of persuading Kim to give up his nuclear weapons.

It was historic and positive in that it lessened tension on the peninsula, but its a mixed result on denuclearization because North Korea has basically not given up anything, Richardson told the Journal. Its good to see less tension  the two leaders getting together and trusting each other.

But I would have wanted to see more on human rights, more on verification (of North Korean efforts to dismantle its nuclear weapons enterprise). There is no mention hardly at all on inspection and verification.

Richardson is a former U.N. ambassador and sometime diplomatic troubleshooter for the U.S. in North Korea. Richardson has experience negotiating with Kim Jong Il  the late father of the current North Korean president. He has never met the son. But Richardson has kept in touch with members of the North Korean government through his contacts at the United Nations.

A document signed by Trump and Kim on Tuesday was short on detail or specifics and effectively amounted to an agreement to continue talks. The Associated Press reported that it did not include any concrete language on steps toward ending the technical state of warfare between the U.S. and North Korea.

Richardson said the lack of specific commitments from North Korea was not surprising.

They never say yes to anything, and they never say no  they just string you along, Richardson said. In all of the agreements with the U.S.  with the Bush administration, the Clinton administration  they said they would denuclearize and then they dont do it. They break the agreement. So the jury is still out on the denuclearization issues.

Richardson said another positive result from Tuesdays talk was an agreement to return remains of U.S. soldiers in North Korea from the 1950-1953 Korean War. During a 2007 trip to Pyongyang, Richardson persuaded the North Koreans to turn over the remains of six U.S. soldiers killed during the war.

Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., scorched Trump on Twitter for agreeing to the summit with Kim, calling it weak.

President Trump just gave a brutal North Korean dictator the international legitimacy he has always craved and got nothing in return, Heinrich tweeted. Weak.

Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., told reporters in a conference call that he was skeptical.

Im always in favor of smart diplomacy to defuse tensions  but its still unclear what exactly we got out of the summit, said Udall, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Im concerned that the United States seems to have gotten very little from North Korea: no concrete timeline or verifiable details for denuclearization. In exchange for a vague promise, we gave North Korea a big concession  ending our military exercises on the peninsula, and eroding readiness as a result.

Rep. Steve Pearce, the delegations lone Republican, offered praise for the summit.

North Korea has been unstable, repressive and dangerous for more than 65 years, and anything which can promote stability is what we must be doing, Pearce said. As I have stated in the past, the United States cannot tolerate North Koreas tactics of intimidation, and I look forward to seeing what progress will be made over the next few months for the people of North Korea, the United States and the world.SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico  Plans to shutter 265 public schools across Puerto Rico have been temporarily derailed with a judges order to stop the closure of at least nine institutions and his recommendation that other judges do the same in lawsuits still pending on other school closures.

The decision was celebrated on Tuesday by the Puerto Rico Teachers Association, which has sued over the closures with support from parents who say they worry about a lack of transportation to new schools and the disappearance of programs for special-needs students.

Justice was served, Aida Diaz, the associations president, told The Associated Press. This ruling demonstrates that  nobody has absolute authority to make arbitrary decisions over the rights of our people.

She said three other lawsuits that involve some 60 public schools across the U.S. territory are pending.

The judge said Monday that the islands Department of Education did not prove the need to close six schools in the north coast city of Arecibo and another three in the central mountain town of Morovis. He also noted that a recently approved law to overhaul Puerto Ricos education system does not give officials blanket permission to close schools.

The Department of Education said it would appeal the decision, and spokeswoman Yolanda Rosaly told the AP that it expects an enrollment drop of some 70,000 students by August. Puerto Rico currently has more than 1,100 public schools that serve 319,000 students, but that number keeps shrinking as families keep moving to the U.S. mainland due to an 11-year recession and the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria last year. If all planned closures take place, 835 schools will remain operational.

Officials announced in early April that they would close 283 schools, which they later scaled back to 265 after additional reviews and meetings with parents and teachers. The government has noted that enrollment already has dropped by more than 38,700 students since just last May and that nearly half of the schools are using only 60 percent of their capacity.ATLANTA  A former high-ranking prison officer who raped at least three female inmates at a Georgia prison and then intimidated them to keep them from reporting the assaults has been sentenced to serve more than four years in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge William Moore on Monday sentenced Edgar Daniel Johnson, 51, to serve four years and three months followed by three years of supervised release, according to online court records. Johnson will also have to register as a sex offender.

He had pleaded guilty in October to three counts of willfully depriving the inmates of their Eighth Amendment rights under color of law, three counts of obstruction for coercing the inmates into covering up the assaults and one count of maliciously conveying false information about explosive materials.

He admitted that between Nov. 1, 2012, and Sept. 30, 2013, he had non-consensual sex multiple times with three female inmates at Emanuel Womens Facility in Swainsboro, where he worked as a guard, according to a plea agreement.

Johnson also admitted calling Southside Fire Department in Chatham County to report a false bomb threat on Elba Island near the Port of Savannah in May 2017.

The women Johnson sexually assaulted are identified in court filings only by their initials, and The Associated Press generally does not name alleged victims of sexual crimes.

A woman who said she is the one identified in court filings as S.A. said in a phone interview Tuesday that she was relieved Johnson was sentenced to prison and will have to register as a sex offender.

It makes me feel real good because he cannot go out and hurt anyone else, she said. His name will forever be out there.

Her assigned work detail from spring 2012 through August 2013 included cleaning Johnsons office. One day he stood behind her, put his arms around her and put his hands down into the front of her pants, she said. She grabbed his hands and asked why he was touching her, and he told her he liked her and that she was very pretty, she said.

She asked him not to touch her like that, but he frequently groped her when she was in his office and raped her twice, she said. Once she was out of prison, he harassed her by phone, she said.

The women in this case said Johnson forced them to have sex. But even consensual sex between an inmate and a prison employee is illegal.

Because inmates are vulnerable to sexual assault both by prison staff and other inmates, Congress in 2003 passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act, which calls for corrections systems to have a zero-tolerance policy on prison rape.

Investigators with the Georgia Department of Corrections began to look into allegations against Johnson after numerous inmates filed complaints, describing specific scenarios with similarities and details no one else would know, investigator Clay Nix told the AP in 2015. He said at the time that his office had identified more than a dozen women who said Johnson had assaulted them.

Johnson was fired in April 2015 and was arrested the following month on multiple state-level charges related to the investigation.

The status of the state case was not immediately clear. The plea agreement says the Emanuel County district attorneys office had said it would dismiss all pending state charges if Johnson successfully entered a plea to the federal charges.

District Attorney Hayward Altman was not in the office Tuesday and did not immediately respond to an email. Johnsons lawyer in the state case also did not immediately respond to an email and phone message.SANTA FE  A complex proposal aimed at boosting the use of renewable energy in New Mexico  and helping the PNM recoup its investment in abandoned coal plants  is showing signs of life ahead of the 2019 legislative session.

Sen. Jacob Candelaria, D-Albuquerque, said Tuesday that hes trying to negotiate a solution following the defeat of a similar bill last session. He was part of a bipartisan group that co-sponsor the legislation.

I think were really close on a lot of this, he said in an interview. It all comes down to whether people want to negotiate in good faith.

Candelaria asked his legislative colleagues during a committee meeting Tuesday to consider the issue during meetings later this year, as they prepare for the 60-day session that begins in January.

The earlier proposal, Senate Bill 47, emerged as one of the most contentious bills considered by the Legislature this year. Negotiations among Public Service Company of New Mexico, environmental groups and others failed to produce an agreement, and the legislation died on a 5-4 vote in the Senate Conservation Committee.

The harshest critics called it a bailout of PNM.

A coalition of business and labor groups supported the proposal  partly as a way to help San Juan County in the Four Corners area, where a slowdown in the natural gas industry has hit the community hard.

Its the most important thing to our constituents in these counties, House Minority Whip Rod Montoya, R-Farmington, said Tuesday during a meeting of the states Economic and Rural Development Committee.

He broached the idea of breaking the legislation into separate bills, though he acknowledged he wasnt sure whether that would help or hurt.

The final version of the bill that failed this year had several components. It would have allowed PNM to issue low-interest bonds  repaid by customers over a 20-year period  to ease the financial burden as the company abandons coal plants, a financial mechanism called securitization.

PNM would also have been required to get at least 50 percent of its power through renewable sources by 2030, a much more ambitious goal than whats in place now.

The proposal also called for economic aid to San Juan County, where coal plants are located.

Liliana Castillo, a spokeswoman for Conservation Voters New Mexico, one of the groups involved in the talks, said her organization is hopeful about the prospects for a revised bill next session.

We at CVNM believe securitization can be accomplished in 2019, she said, built upon the same framework that we ended 2018 with  a commitment for funding to assist with the economic transition in the Four Corners area and a commitment to renewable energy.

Ray Sandoval, a PNM spokesman, said the company is meeting with stakeholders to determine what is in the best interest for the San Juan County community, our customers, our shareholders, and the State of New Mexico.MANAGUARiot police and pro-government paramilitaries on Monday attacked the barricades manned by anti-government activists in the Nicaraguan capital, plunging neighborhoods into violence and chaos in an attempt to stamp out a two-month-old uprising against President Daniel Ortega. The government offensive launched overnight into the early morning comes as Ortega enters his fifth day of silence regarding the Roman Catholic Churchs proposal to resume talks aimed at calming the political crisis. Bursts of gunfire resounded through the streets of Managua as television footage showed turbulent scenes of armed security forces on foot and in trucks chasing young men away from street barricades. Activists attempted to push them back by throwing rocks and setting off homemade mortars. The violence appeared to have cooled by mid-afternoon, a few hours after Silvio Jose Baez, an auxiliary bishop of Managua, had urged residents to stay inside their homes. It is very dangerous because of the presence of violent gangs, he wrote on Twitter. Dont risk life in vain. The protests that began April 18 over controversial pension reforms have exploded into a mass effort to pressure the presidents exit. At least 145 people have died in clashes with security forces and armed gangs loyal to Ortega, according to the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH), which also said more than 1,000 had been injured. Government security forces early Monday swept into seven neighborhoods, forcefully clearing barricades on the main Juan Pablo II avenue that connects the capitals north and south, activists said. Hooded pro-Ortega armed civilians meanwhile broke down the barricades that residents had built in adjacent streets to protect themselves from roving gangs. The blockadeswhich are guarded by mostly young men wielding slingshots and mortarsare found on nearly 70 percent of roads, crippling transportation, and commerce in more than half of the countrys departments. Similar attacks in the city of Sebaco, 90 kilometers north of Managua, left one dead on Sunday, according to the CENIDH. Police meanwhile said that 15 hooded individuals attacked a police post in Mulukuku municipality in the Caribbean north of the country, killing two officers and one gang member. One police officer was also kidnapped. In Leon, 90 kilometers northwest of Managua, civic groups called for work stoppages and school closings for 24 hours to protest the governments repressive actions.Ortega, a leftist who has held the presidency since 2007, has remained silent since last Thursdays meeting with the Church when he requested a period of reflection to mull over the bishops mediation proposal. The US Embassy in Nicaragua released a statement Monday voicing support for Church-led dialogue, saying Caleb McCarry, a top staffer of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had traveled to the country on Saturday to discuss the severe democratic crisis. He along with Ambassador Laura Dogu met the presidency and bishops as well as a civic alliance, the statement said. The United States respects Nicaraguas sovereignty and understands that the ultimate solution to the current conflict must come from Nicaraguans, the statement said, adding Washington aimed to respectfully support talks in a way that is helpful and acceptable to all parties. Also on Monday Nicaraguas Association of Freight Carriers (ATN) announced the suspension of all national and international shipments because of the blockades, which have stranded some 6,000 trucks. Dialogue is the only viable solution for Nicaragua to come out of the crisis, the associations president Marvin Altamirano told journalists. Nicaraguans have taken to the streets en masse to demand the ouster of Ortega, who first came to power in 1979 at the head of a communist junta installed by Sandinista rebels who overthrew a US-backed government. A major political force for the better part of four decades, he is now serving a third consecutive term as president due to end in 2022. A key demand of activists is to bring forward the next presidential election and attempt to vote him out, but so far Ortega shows no signs of relinquishing his grip. As part of the talks, proposal bishops had presented the leftist leader with a plan to expedite the poll and institute electoral and constitutional reforms. Repression has continued at equal if not greater intensity since that meeting, with four deaths reported in the municipalities Managua, Masaya, Sebaco and Jinotega resulting from pro-government attacks on activists. During last weeks meeting with Ortega, Bishop Baez said he voiced that using only the language of repression in Nicaragua results in moving further from reality. It aggravates the political crisis and the pain of the people, and serves to destroy the national dialogue, he said.Fevikwik and Swiggy bagged top honours at the Star Re.Imagine Awards announced on Monday, June 11, 2018 in Mumbai, for excellence in creativity (Best Creative Campaign) and creativity along with the use of integrated media (Best Integrated Creative Campaign), respectively, in campaigns that reached out to the biggest audience across TV & Digital during the recently concluded Vivo IPL 2018 on Star India. Additionally, 11 campaigns across nine brands received special mentions.

Sanjay Gupta, Managing Director, Star India and Guest of Honour, MS Dhoni, under whose leadership CSK lifted the Vivo IPL 2018 trophy, felicitated the two winners with spectacular bespoke glass trophies designed by the grandmaster of British Glass studio, Peter Layton.

The winners and other meritorious campaigns were selected by a bespoke jury comprising Sir John Hegarty, Piyush Pandey, Raju Hirani, Vibha Rishi, Rahul Welde and V Sunil. They evaluated over 300 campaigns from 125 brands that had played during the Vivo IPL 2018 till Friday, May 25, on Star TV Network and Hotstar. The judges selected campaigns that excelled in both  creativity and leveraging the power of multi-platform TV and Hotstar.

The winning campaigns were from some of the best creative teams in Indian advertising. The top honours went to Fevikwiks Khushiyon ke chand pal, conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather, which won the award for excellence in creativity (Best Creative Campaign), and Swiggys No order too small, conceptualised by Lowe Lintas, Bengaluru, was recognised for the Best Use of Integrated Media (Best Integrated Creative Campaign).

All great campaigns are a result of great teamwork. Hence the two winning teams of up to 24 members each from Fevi kwik and Swiggy comprising of Marketing, Creative, Media, etc., will be hosted at a bespoke global sporting event. The Star Re.Imagine Awards celebrate and reward not just creativity, but great teamwork as well.

Over 125 brands were on board the Vivo IPL 2018 across TV & Digital from various sectors like Telecom, Consumer Durables (Handset), Retail and Lifestyle, Food Delivery and Restaurant (Hospitality), E-commerce, Online services, Automotive, Gaming, Online Payment Wallets, Paints and Adhesives FMCG.

Sanjay Gupta, Managing Director, Star India, commented, We instituted the Star Re.Imagine Awards 2018 as a platform to enthuse the incredible marketing and advertising talent of India to create magic and disruption this IPL. We heartily congratulate all the winners for having created extremely engaging and inspiring narratives. These campaigns seized the imagination of the biggest ever audiences in an IPL across TV and Digital screens combined and contributed immensely to making the Vivo IPL 2018 a truly delightful experience for all. A very special thank you to all the members of the elite jury who helped immensely in creating a brand for the future  the Star Re.imagine awards.

Partnering with Star India in this initiative are Sideways and Kyoorius.

Winners:

Best Creative Campaign: Pidilites Fevi kwik campaign titled Khushiyon ke chand pal, conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather.

Best Integrated Creative Campaign (leveraging of TV and digital platforms): Swiggys campaign titled No order to small, conceptualised by Lowe Lintas, Bengaluru.

Brands that received Special Mention from the jury (In alphabetical order):

Amazon

Coca Cola  Brands Coca Cola & Sprite

Flipkart

Future Group  Brand Factory

Pidilite Fevicol Ezee Spray & Dr. Fixit

Peter England

Vivo

Vodafone

Tata Sky

Click here for more related news.Radio Citys digital arm, radiocity.in has undertaken formidable steps to further strengthen its digital backbone by partnering with Google AdWords Premier Small & Medium Business Partner Program and AdsWizz, the leading technology provider of advertising solutions for the digital audio industry. The exclusive radio partnership with Google will provide small and medium businesses, a holistic digital media strategy and create new revenue streams for Radio City. Partnership with AdsWizz will enable efficient monetization of Radio Citys web radio stations through programmatic buying of audio ad inventory. Radio Citys web platform, Radiocity.in, reaches over 30 million listeners each month through 52 online radio stations and 900 playlists, with almost 90% of users consuming audio content on mobile.

The strategic alliance with Google for the AdWords Reseller Program will help its customers expand their online consumer reach by amplifying their online visibility. AdsWizz will work with digital audio publishers and advertisers, helping them place their ads through programmatic buying. Radiocity.in runs an online ad inventory of over 10 million in India alone. This partnership will not only benefit Radio City to monetize its digital audio inventory but will also help AdsWizz gain exposure among the Indian audience.

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Abraham Thomas, CEO, Radio City said, Online audio advertising has been consistently growing with the increasing popularity of online audio consumption. Radio Citys strategic alliances with two powerhouses of the digital advertising space will help us accelerate our digital first approach. The partnerships will drive synergies with our customers and enable digital audio advertising transactions to flow seamlessly between buyers and sellers. Our partnership with technology based services will also simplify and quicken the entire process of buying and selling ads, thereby benefiting all the stakeholders.

Giving further insight into this development, COO - Digital Media of Jagran Prakashan Ltd, Rachna Kanwar added, Recent trends across the globe have observed a rise in digital audio consumption and revenue growth. The revenues for audio streaming platforms have seen a growth of 37% last year in India. At Radio City, weve always believed in staying ahead of the curve, and this collaboration is another milestone in the journey of excellence for Radio City."

Alexis van de Wyer, CEO of AdsWizz, said, Programmatic ad buying allows buyers granular targeting based on consumer behavior such as music interests, purchase patterns and demographics. The programmatic space in India is significantly mature in terms of technology adoption. We are happy to partner with Radio City which has a commanding presence in the digital space and help them optimize their ad inventory. We hope that this partnership will go a long way in revolutionizing buying of ad space and create awareness around the benefits of programmatic advertising.

India is one of the most promising markets for programmatic advertising as an increasing number of ad budgets move towards digital. In todays highly mobile environment, advertisers are investing in innovative digital audio to engage listeners and amplify their reach. Shake Me is one such innovative feature from AdsWizz enabled for Radio City app users. Using this format, advertisers can offer listeners value-added services in the form of locally relevant coupons, app downloads, navigation support and direction via Google Maps, boarding passes, or access to a live person via an automatically dialed phone call.According to various media sources, Sir Martin Sorrell has strenuously denied allegations, which WPP investigated the former company chair for paying a sex worker with the ad networks finances. Recently, the claim was made in a report by The Wall Street Journal. The report focused on WPPs investigation of alleged financial misconduct by Sorrell. The report cited people familiar with the matter as saying the investigation focused on use of company funds to pay a sex worker. Just a few days after word of an investigation into inappropriate behavior, Sorrell stepped down as WPP chairman. The allegation comes ahead of WPPs first annual general meeting following Sorrells departure.Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier?

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Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page.The nation marked 120 years of independence yesterday. But I have observed that we Filipinos do not have the same fervor as the other countries that also fought for their independence. The United States, for instance, marks July 4 each year with much enthusiasm. But here, Santa Banana, when you ask anyone on the street what the significance of June 12 is, he or she will tell you that it means there is no work and no classes, so traffic is bound to be light. As usual, there were speeches from national and local officials urging the people to preserve our freedom. But did we really fight for freedom or was it handed down to us? On July 4, 1946, I witnessed the declaration of our independence. It coincided with the birth of the United States. For many years we regarded July 4 as our day of independence, until 1963 during the term of the late Diosdado Macapagal. So is this just another day, just another holiday? What a tragedy. *** I would like to pick up from where I left yesterday about the effects of negative news reporting on peoples psychological health. Psychologists conducted a study; they constructed three different news bulletins. One was composed entirely of negative news items, another entirely positive, and the other emotionally neutral. They were given to three different groups of people. As predicted, those who watch the negative news bulletin became significantly sadder, more anxious, and more worried than the other two groups. I thus pose this question to our leaders: Is there something we can do to prevent worry and anxiety among the people? In our country, for instance, there are reports of graft and corruption, killings, crime, war. I ask this question in light of a survey that supposedly found that the Philippines is most depressed in Southeast Asia. Santa Bananawe know that depression can lead to suicide! But since we now live in an age where news is borderless, we have to accept and live with negative news. I long for my youth when technology was not yet upon us. *** I wrote yesterday that President Dutertes war on corruption has become a big joke. Even the officials he supposedly fires still get recycled. On occasion, Mr. Duterte not only fires peoplehe also insults them, calling them sons of whores. The President must know that these double standards are affecting his credibility. He must be reminded that popularity does not last forever.Duterte Diehard Supportersthe DDSmay not agree with me, but this is what I believe. *** The recent landing of a Chinese military plane in Davao City, right at the home base of President Duterte, without the Defense Department knowing about it, is cause for alarm. It is said that the aircraft was cleared by the Civil Aeronautics Authority of the Philippines which allows refueling, but there must be protocol here. If Defense is not aware of the landing of a military plane, we may just be invaded by the Chinese at anytime, anywhere! I hope the Senate looks into this incident. It is bad enough that the Duterte administration has been adopting the policy of accommodation when it comes to China. Having a military plane land right under the nose of the Presidents home base is just too much. *** There have been a lot of killings of forest rangers in Luzon and Mindanao. They had the job of preventing illegal logging and other means of denuding our forests. Its ridiculous that rangers here are unarmed. There are only about 500 of them, tasked to protect millions of hectares of forests. Either they soon connive with illegal loggers, or risk their lives. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources should look into this. *** I am saddened with the sudden demise of my good friend, Roy Golez, former National Security Adviser. Roy was a graduate of the Annapolis School of navy officers. When he joined government, he exemplified the traits of honesty and integrity. My condolences to the family.In May 2016, the Reformist Hope faction participated in its first intra-parliamentary vote, for speaker, a few months after its overwhelming victory in legislative elections. Mohammad Reza Aref, head of the List of Hope, a coalition of Reformists and moderates supporting President Hassan Rouhani, lost his bid for the speakership. Instead, Ali Larijani, the conservative who had long held the post, was re-elected with 173 votes to Arefs 103.

Arefs allies, however, won two deputy speakership positions, with Masoud Pezeskhian, representing Tabriz, becoming first vice speaker, and Ali Motahari, a moderate conservative, becoming second vice speaker. For political analysts, the vote set the record straight in terms of the political weight that each group rightly wielded in the legislature.

The Reformists appeared to accept Larijani as parliament speaker after the 2016 vote, but as this years intra-parliamentary elections drew near in late May, rumors began to circulate about Aref again entering the race against Larijani. The reports surprised everyone, including the Reformists, who were themselves critical of Arefs performance in parliament. In their opinion, he had been too quiet and a failure as the Reformists parliamentary leader. Why then did the Reformists decide to challenge Larijani in 2018?

The move appears to have been related to what had been speculation about a possible coalition of Reformists and hard-liners. The hard-liners, the smallest faction in the parliament, were pushed to the sidelines in 2016. Larijani, however, could not maintain his grip on parliaments top post without their support. The hard-liners therefore presumably decided to form an odd and unexpected coalition with their Reformist rivals behind the scenes.

According to media reports, the hard-liners agreed to abstain from voting for Larijani in return for a deputy speakership, most likely Motaharis, if the Reformists won the vote. Unconfirmed reports claimed that the Reformists were also willing to give the hard-liners other positions on parliaments permanent steering board, such as secretary and supervisor.

Thus, on May 30, in the election for the speakership, Larijani competed against Aref and the hard-liners candidate, Hamid Reza Hajibabai, who had served as education minister during President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 's second term (2009-2013). The first round of voting ended with Aref in the lead with 114 votes, Larijani in second place with 101 votes and Hajibabai trailing with 54 votes, requiring another round of voting. In the second round, as expected, the hard-liners withdrew from the race, with Hajibabai stepping aside  but, as it turns out, in favor of Larijani. The vote ended with Larijani securing a shaky victory, with 147 votes to Arefs 123.

After the vote, the Reformist Mostafa Kavakebian voiced his displeasure with what had occurred. The withdrawal of Hajibabai, especially while announcing his support for someone else, was illegal, Kavakebian charged. We knew of course that these friends would not stay [on the agreed path] until the end of the road, and we had predicted this situation. Kavakebians remarks thus confirmed that the Reformists and hard-liners had in fact colluded prior to the vote.

Parliamentary reporter Mehdi Ghadimi, who had previously worked for the Reformist Shargh Daily, told Al-Monitor, You could predict that this would be the fate of the behind-the-scenes coalition between the Hope faction and the hard-liners from the start. The hard-liners started this game for their own personal benefit and played the Reformists in the process. Their proposal to the Reformists showcased them in front of Larijani. Before this, Larijani did not take them too seriously. But now, they have reminded him that if it were not for them, he would no longer be speaker, and with this, they can gain more leverage in parliament.

Another important factor is that many Reformists do not view Aref as having the ability to be a capable speaker. His lack of action over the past two years had gained him the moniker the silent politician, and now, with this odd gamble, he has added yet another defeat to his own and the Reformists record in parliament.

Not everyone, however, shares this perspective. On May 31, Shargh ran The List of Hopes Power Maneuvering, an article in which it claimed that the Reformists, through a well-played performance, had surprised their competition, including Larijani, and for the first time in 10 years had seriously challenged him for the speakership.

On the same day, Etemad, another Reformist daily, published the front-page story Hope Shines, wherein it likened the intra-parliamentary elections to the military command As you were, adding that the elections had shocked various political players. Meanwhile, on June 1, Shafaqna reported that Aref was preparing for the 2021 presidential elections, and this is why he had considered forming an inclusive Reformist party.

Reports of the latter are nothing new. It has been speculated for years that Aref would again run for the presidency after Rouhanis term ends. During the 2013 presidential elections, Aref, under pressure from Reformist figures, reluctantly withdrew his candidacy in the final days leading up to the vote. In a statement when he withdrew, Aref made his discontent known by refusing to mention Rouhanis name and saying that he was stepping aside at the request of former Reformist President Mohammad Khatami, who did not see his continued participation in the elections as expedient.

Although Arefs role in Rouhanis 2013 victory cannot be denied, his performance in parliament since that time has raised concerns, especially among Reformists, about his ability to attract votes as well as his competence to serve as president.

Nonetheless, the developments surrounding the internal parliamentary vote could indeed indicate the beginning of Arefs 2021 presidential bid. If so, it will not be an easy path for him, as he will face broad challenges to his authority and leadership, in particular from a powerful Reformist rival, Eshagh Jahangiri, the current first vice president.In an apparent reaction to the policies of US President Donald Trump, Iran appears to be in the grip of rising nationalism amid signs of an effort to forge internal political reconciliation. Rather than solely seeking to topple the Islamic Republic, the United States and its regional allies are now perceived as pursuing the dismemberment of Iran.

Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, who previously served as government spokesman under Reformist President Mohammad Khatami, tweeted May 9, [Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed] Bin Salman, [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and Trumps issue with Iran is beyond the political system. Their [problem] is a great country named Iran. Ramezanzadeh, who is Kurdish, has long advocated for ethnic minority rights and was arrested in the aftermath of the disputed 2009 presidential elections.

But perhaps the most surprising reaction to Trumps anti-Iran rhetoric in recent weeks has come from Ardeshir Zahedi, a high-ranking official of the ousted Pahlavi regime that was overthrown in 1979. Few would expect that a man who lost his position and influence with the rise of the Islamic Republic would venture to pay for the publication of an open letter in a New York Times' advertisement to defend the current Iranian states foreign policy.

Warning US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over his threats against Tehran, Zahedi wrote May 25, "Cats will dream of mice ... Iran is not Iraq, adding, Through the millennia of its history, my country has never stooped or bowed to foreigners and has always remained united in the face of adversity.  Irans noble people always stand together and help defend their homeland. History has quickly taught foreign aggressors to abandon their wishful thinking of crushing Iran." Referring to Irans regional policies, Zahedi further emphasized, "What is not mentioned is that Iran is in Syria by the invitation of Syria, the legitimate government of a sovereign nation. It is the presence in Syria of secret armies from the US and other Western countries that violates international law."

The open letter quickly drew praise from Iranians of various political persuasions  notably including hard-liners  and made the front pages of newspapers in Iran.

In reaction to the letter, conservative historian Abdullah Shabazi wrote on his channel on the popular messaging app Telegram on June 3 that Zahedi has always been "independent" and that even under the toppled monarchy, he acted independently of the shah. Mohammad Reza Kaieni, the editor of the history section of Javan, a newspaper affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), urged officials to invite Zahedi to Iran.

Within Iran, outspoken figures such as Sadegh Zibakalam, a prominent critic of the hard-line camp, have publicly stated a willingness to pick up a gun and go to the front lines to defend their country, driven by fear of a Syria-type scenario. Mostafa Tajzadeh, a prominent Reformist former political prisoner and longtime critic of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, tweeted Jan. 29, Inattention to Trump, Netanyahu and Bin Salmans project to turn Iran into Syria is not rational. He called for efforts to achieve freedom, justice and democracy and at the same time protect national independence, territorial integrity and the peoples security.

Along with Trump's and Pompeo's remarks, more fuel for the upswing in nationalism in Iran may have come from the Saudi crown princes threat to take the battle inside Iran while hawks such as John Bolton, who has a warm relationship with the outlawed Mujahedeen-e Khalq, have been given prominent positions in the US administration.

Against this backdrop, an important point that should not be neglected is that an undeniable number of people who voted for moderate Hassan Rouhani in the 2013 and 2017 presidential elections cast their ballots less because of an interest in backing the political system and more out of concern about the rise of a hard-line candidate.

The joint US-Saudi-Israeli offensive against Iran appears to be forging political unity among Iranians. The threats seem to have fueled a tendency to support the countrys ballistic missile program as a symbol of national sovereignty and a necessity for survival. The political establishment in Iran also appears to be cautiously endeavoring to bring usually bitterly divided political factions in the country closer to each other. The attendees of Khameneis recent speeches is a case in point.

Those attending Khamenei's events are commonly invited by the office of the supreme leader. At Khameneis iftar ceremony May 23 were a surprising number of outspoken critics, including senior Reformist figures who were jailed in the aftermath of the 2009 presidential elections. Also there were Ali Shakuri-rad, the head of the Reformist National Unity party; Mohammad Atrianfar, a senior member of the Executives of Construction party; members of the Reformist Association of Combatant Clerics, whose views are close to late dissident Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri; and several members of the administration of Reformist President Mohammad Khatami, including his previously jailed deputy Mohammad Ali Abtahi.

In a climate of external threat and a mood of national solidarity, all signs point to the Iranian political establishment finally moving toward healing wounds between factions that have been festering since the 2009 presidential vote. In this equation, renewed US hostility and a surge in nationalist sentiment may ultimately strengthen rather than weaken the Islamic Republic.The fate of Iraqs latest elections has become fraught following a deliberate arson attack on the ballot boxes storage center in the Rusafa district of Baghdad on June 10.

The facility exposed to the fire contained some 1.1 million of the overall 1.8 million votes from the Baghdad constituency. Baghdad is crucial to forming power in Iraqs parliament as the district holds 71 of the total 329 seats. Votes from the Rusafa district alone account for around 40 seats and could alter the course of the future government.

The extent of the ballot losses remains unknown, but the head of the Independent High Electoral Commission, Riyadh al-Badran, claimed June 11 that 95% of the boxes had escaped the flames. The commission also announced in a statement that it possesses backup copies of the results in the national office in Baghdad. Meanwhile, Iraqs interior minister stated, We have taken control of the situation. He added that there was no burning of any ballots, and that only electronic counting and sorting devices were affected by the fire, not the ballots themselves. However, political forces have cast doubt on the credibility of these disparate claims, demanding that a full re-election be staged and warning that the country faces the risk of igniting civil war.

Following the fire, the speaker of the outgoing parliament, Salim al-Jabouri, called for a redo of the elections that have been proved rigged, distorting the results and the will of the Iraqi people in a deliberate and dangerous manner. Those who contributed to this act of fraud and vandalism must be prosecuted. Jabouri claimed that the incident was planned [and] deliberately intended to conceal cases of fraud and falsification of votes and to deceive the Iraqi people, manipulating their choices and their will.

However, Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, whose Sairoon Alliance won the first tier in the election, expressed his opposition to restaging elections in a June 11 article, Iraq in danger, calling on all political parties to unite and advance toward forming a government. Is it time we stand together for reconstruction or for us to burn the ballot boxes and restage elections for the sake of a seat or two? he asked. Warning of attempts by some parties to ignite a civil war, he said that Iraq would not fall into what some who sold two-thirds of Iraq want, which is a civil war  a clear reference to a prior statement by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is accused of failing to prevent the country from falling into the hands of the Islamic State in 2014, that civil wars usually occur after elections if results are challenged.

Sadr's top aide also accused both winning and losing parties in the elections of participating in the arson attack, claiming, The ballot boxes storage center fire was either aimed at forcing the restaging of elections or covering up fraud.

The beneficiary of redoing the election would be the losing parties, which would attempt to recoup their losses in another opportunity to win votes, while any who won votes through rigging would benefit from a cover-up of electoral fraud.

In this complex situation, the Iraqi government faces no easy choices and only four options. It can completely cancel the election and restage it in conjunction with municipal elections in December. It can restage the vote only in the Rusafa district, where votes were affected by the fire, or nullify results from this district and count only the results from the rest of Iraq. Or it can proceed with the declared results, incorporating any slight changes that may occur after manual sorting and counting.

The first option appears unfeasible in light of official statements from the supervisory authority responsible for conducting the elections and overseeing the integrity of results.

Saad al-Hadithi, a spokesman for the prime minister, stated June 11 that the decision to rerun the election is vested in the Federal Court, not the executive branch or any other party  a clear comment on Jabouri's call for a redo. Similarly, Board of Commissioners member Saad Kakaee said, The decision to cancel the election results following the fire does not lie in the hands of the Board of Commissioners but with those in the Judicial Council and the Federal Court.

The Judicial Council previously announced that there is no straightforward legal provision that allows the restaging of elections. Meanwhile, the winning blocs are opposed to any rerun, as indicated by previous statements from Sadr and Sairoon Alliance leaders, as well as from the Fatah Alliance that ranked second. Fatah Alliance spokesman Karim Nuri said, We do not support a restaging  the compromise is a recount.

Nullifying the results from the Rusafa district  whether accompanied by another election in the area or not  would open the path for opposition from other blocs that claim fraud has occurred in their constituencies. Among them are Al-Wataniya of Ayad Allawi, who has called for a referendum on the fate of the elections, and Kurdish opposition blocs including the Movement for Change (Gorran), which has accused the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party of widespread electoral fraud.

The only remaining option is to proceed with the manual counting of outstanding votes by the judiciary, which has already appointed nine judges to supervise the process. Yet such a solution is not expected to yield results that differ markedly from those previously announced.

In the past, such electoral differences had been resolved through political settlements that sought to satisfy losing parties that contest the election results, while avoiding provoking opposition from the winners who endorse them. After a settlement is secured, the outcome will be announced through a decision by the judiciary, and will not be easily contested by the disputing parties.In a bold move, Iraqs Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr spoke in favor of the return of the Jews who were evicted from the country half a century ago. Sadr responded to a question posed by one of his followers June 2 on whether Iraqi Jews have a right to return after having been forcibly displaced due to previous Iraqi policies, noting that they used to own properties and were part of the Iraqi community. He said, "If their loyalty was to Iraq, they are welcome." His answer was taken as tantamount to a religious edict, or fatwa.

The response has won him even more popularity and admiration for his policies and unexpected moves. His bloc, the Sairoon Alliance, won the largest number of parliament seats after allying with the Communist Party in an unprecedented move. This opening to ethnic and religious diversity reflects a shift in the personality of a Shiite religious and political figure known for being rebellious and defiant over the past 15 years.

However, an overview of Sadrs previous positions reveals that this positive attitude toward Iraqs Jews is not really new. In an interview with journalist Sarmad al-Tai in 2013, Sadr said he "welcomes any Jew who prefers Iraq to Israel and there is no difference between Jews, Muslims or Christians when it comes to the sense of nationalism. Those who do not carry out their national duties are not Iraqis even if they were Shiite Muslims.

Diyaa al-Asadi, a leader in the Sadrist movement, told Al-Monitor that while his movement criticizes the founding of the State of Israel for usurping the historical lands of Palestine, it distinguishes between Zionism as a secular political movement and Iraqi Jews as a religious minority rooted in Iraq.

Sadr, whose policy of openness to religious diversity is part of his comprehensive program to ease the sectarian and religious polarization of Iraqi politics, calls for the protection of Iraqi Jews and for granting them all their citizenship rights.

Tai, the reporter who interviewed Sadr in 2013, told Al-Monitor that by touching on the return of Iraqi Jews, Sadr has broken the silence on a sensitive issue that no other political or religious Iraqi leader has dared raise since the exodus of Jews in 1950-1951.

Sadrs stance has sent a sigh of relief to the Jewish community outside of Iraq. Edwin Shukr, a leader in the British Jewish community and personal envoy of the president of the European Jewish Congress, considers Sadrs initiative a milestone and expressed his willingness to meet with Sadr and thank him on behalf of the Jewish community.

Sadrs positivity toward a sect that has been neglected for more than half a century represents a real revolution that could change the perspective of large segments of Iraqi society.

Professor Ronen Zaidel, a specialist on Iraqi affairs at the University of Haifa, takes particular interest in Sadrs policies. He believes that the fact that Sadr linked the return of Jews to their loyalty to Iraq as a conditional openness extended only to those holding non-Israeli passports. However, he expressed cautious optimism that this could be just a first step to start a dialogue with the representatives of Iraqs expatriate Jews. He does not expect that Sadr's position will upend the Iraqi policy on all issues related to the future of the Jewish community in Iraq.

The Iraqi authorities may permit members of the Jewish community to visit Jewish holy sites and shrines without granting them further rights or restoring their Iraqi citizenship, he said.

Iraq is home to several Jewish holy shrines, including that of the Prophet Ezekiel (Al-Kifil in Babylon), Ezra HaSofer (Al-Azir in Maysan), the Prophet Daniel (near the castle of Kirkuk), the Prophet Jonah (in Mosul, destroyed by the Islamic State) and the Prophet Nahum (in the village of Alqosh).

Shukr hopes that the openness of Sadr will be the start of public interest in preserving the holy Jewish places, which are common symbols of the Abrahamic religious heritage within Iraq and would pave the way for the rebuilding of ties between the new generations that are freed from the chains of hatred and fears of conflict.

Iraq's 2005 constitution did not recognize Judaism as one of the officially recognized religions such as Islam, Christianity, Mandean and Yazidi (Article 2.2).

A 1982 law that defined the officially recognized religious communities in Iraq included the Jewish community among the official religions but under the name Mossawi, or "follower of Moses." The term Israeli community had been used in previous legislation and was changed to avoid mention of Israel for fear it could be interpreted as official recognition of the state.

The new Iraqi Nationality Law of 2006 also reinstated Iraqi citizenship for those who had lost it as a result of political, sectarian or racial decisions. A few minorities among Saddam Husseins opponents, including the Feyli (Lurs), benefited from the law, but Jews were excluded.On the morning of June 10, just hours before the Security Cabinet  the Israeli governments top forum on security issues  was set to debate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Transportation and Intelligence Affairs Minister Yisrael Katz struck from the agenda his proposal to build an artificial island off the Gaza coast.

Katz, a member of the Security Cabinet, has been trying in recent years to promote this ambitious and creative plan to ease the pressure of the blockade on Gaza and provide the Palestinians their economic independence without endangering Israels security. The plan, which Katz calls a separation island, a play on words in Hebrew, has been the focus of international attention, but the Security Cabinet, especially Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, has turned its backs on the idea.

Ahead of the Security Cabinet session, Katz and the director of the Intelligence Ministry, Chagai Tzuriel, went over their slick presentation and prepared topics for discussion, including the legal aspects of the proposal. On the morning of the meeting, however, Katz realized that the strategic debate, scheduled weeks in advance, would instead become a tactical discussion given the series of violent clashes along the Gaza border in recent weeks and the wave of incendiary kite attacks that Israelis have dubbed kite terrorism. Katz consulted with others and then announced that he would withdraw his plan from the agenda.

The official reason for his decision was Libermans sweeping opposition to the approach. Katz has known for a while that the defense minister is not enamored of the plan, especially after Liberman said in February that investing billions for the benefit of the Hamas rulers of Gaza was total madness. Katz, however, assumed that within the framework of a strategic debate and having the support of defense officials he would finally get to lay out his much-touted plan in an organized presentation, and that given the escalation surrounding Gaza, the Security Cabinet would give it due consideration.

After making his decision to hold off, and before the start of the meeting, Katz issued a statement critical of Liberman. The State of Israel has been caught in an unreasonable situation in Gaza, Katz said. On the one hand, we are dealing with proposals for civilian aid in the short run due to the humanitarian crisis instead of exerting significant practical pressure to return the bodies of IDF soldiers and the captives, and on the other hand, we are avoiding decisions on proper strategic solutions for the long run.

After the three-hour meeting, Katz understood he had made the right decision. According to ministers at the session, the discussion was conducted along general lines, nothing new was said, improvised solutions were suggested and no vote was taken. Once again, it transpired that the Israeli government continues to lack a strategic solution for Gaza.

During the course of the meeting  an exchange of views, the airing of slogans and letting off of steam  the ministers expressed their views on kite attacks, whereas IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot continued to warn against the severe repercussions for Israels security from the economic crisis in Gaza. Liberman, on the other hand, reiterated his insistence that absent progress on the return of the bodies of two Israeli soldiers and two Israeli civilians held in Gaza, Israel would not grant significant humanitarian concessions. According to sources at the meeting, Liberman rejected some of the measures proposed by the military to ease the pressure on Gaza. So did Education Minister Naftali Bennett, chair of the right-wing HaBayit HaYehudi, who also linked humanitarian aid to the issue of the soldiers remains and missing Israelis, saying he would only support an equation of humanitarian in return for humanitarian. Bennett and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan also urged the army to direct live fire against kite dispatchers.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not put any decisions to a vote or suggest any concrete solutions, although on June 4 he had told reporters while on a trip to Europe that Israel was examining various options to prevent a humanitarian collapse in Gaza.

Following the meeting, Katz lashed out at Liberman, accusing him of being pleased with the situation in Gaza. In a June 11 interview on Army Radio, he remarked, [Liberman] thinks the current situation should be preserved. I disagree completely.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, Katz insisted that he has no intention of backing down. He said he would continue promoting his blueprint and would present it at the next Security Cabinet session, where security officials would get a chance to express their opinions frankly.

There are two options for Gaza, Katz said. Either the defense minister comes up with a plan to destroy Hamas in Gaza with all the known costs that entails, and he has yet to present such a plan, or we go for a disengagement, a separation from Gaza, as I propose, freeing us of humanitarian responsibility. I propose a good disengagement instead of a bad one.

Katzs plan is interesting in every respect, including in itself and because Katz, a top Likud figure and member of the right-wing camp, suggests thinking outside the box, dismissing populist militant slogans about Gaza and trying to come up with practical, long-range terms. Katz proposes mobilizing international funding for the 3-square-mile island, which will be linked to the coast by an almost 3-mile-long bridge. The project's cost is estimated at $5 billion. The island would be built in international waters, include a seaport (and perhaps an airport), and a security checkpoint would be built on the bridge. This will allow economic independence for the Palestinians [and] provide Gaza with a controlled humanitarian and commercial outlet without endangering Israels security, he said.

Katz has presented his plan to senior international officials, among them US presidential envoy Jason Greenblatt, and to foreign media. He also, as mentioned, enjoys the backing of the defense establishment.

Katz, who intends to run for the leadership of Likud after the Netanyahu era, is adopting a pragmatic, creative and courageous approach reflecting a humane approach from the political right. On the one hand, he favors tough, military measures to counter terrorism from Gaza, but on the other hand, he does not bury his head in the sand and believe that economic prosperity in Gaza will enable Israel to disengage from the enclave and will be effective in security terms.

Unfortunately, political disagreements and clashing egos are preventing serious consideration of the plan, at least by the countrys top security ministerial forum.RAMALLAH, West Bank  After years of stagnation following extensive damage and destruction by the Israeli military during the second intifada (2000-2005), Jenin currently finds itself in the midst of an economic renaissance, having emerged as a thriving retail shopping hub. Each year, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Israel cross the Green Line to frequent businesses and shops there, along with Palestinians from elsewhere on the West Bank. Both are attracted primarily by the affordable prices. Palestinians living in Israel access the West Bank city through the Jalama checkpoint.

In general, prices tend to be higher in Israel because per capita income is higher there than in Palestine. In addition, product type, quality and taxes, or a combination thereof, also contribute to prices being higher in the markets of Arab villages and towns in Israel than in the West Bank. In 2017, Mohammed Kamil, the director general of the Jenin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, cited Israeli figures in announcing that Palestinians living in Israel spent $365 million on the other side of the Green Line in 2016.

During the second intifada, hundreds of shops and facilities were forced to close or were destroyed. Jenins severely damaged economy began to recover around 2006. New shops were opened, and others were renovated, with clothing and footwear stores sprouting in large numbers. The opening of restaurants and fruit and vegetable shops followed. Then, in June 2008, Israel opened the Jalama crossing to allow a limited number of its Arab citizens to visit the city for shopping from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, without their vehicles. Over time, the number of Palestinians allowed to cross was increased, and they were permitted to drive into the city. Jenin lies 16 miles from Nazareth and 31 miles from Haifa.

Um Khaled drives to Jenin from Nazareth once a week to shop. Jenin is very close to us, and prices there are lower than those offered inside the Green Line, not to mention the good quality of the products offered, she told Al-Monitor. I buy what I need and then eat in one of the citys restaurants before heading back to Nazareth.

Mohammad Mahajneh is a regular visitor from Umm al-Fahm. I visit Jenin with my wife and two children, he told Al-Monitor. We are now shopping for Eid al-Fitr. We are mainly searching for children's clothes and sweets. Prices are affordable and merchants are friendly. Some traders tried to take advantage of us by raising their prices, but they are still relatively low for us.

The friendly people are also one of the reasons Ahmed Telhami, from Shefa-Amr, comes to Jenin. In addition, he remarked, Instead of shopping in expensive Israeli stores, we shop in Jenin and support its economy.

Abu Ahmed al-Silawi, a Jenin merchant who owns food and candy shops, claims that 90% of sales in the city are to Palestinians living in Israel. They spend on foodstuffs, clothes, shoes and other goods, he told Al-Monitor. Several stores have been able to keep their doors open because of them, while others were able to expand their enterprises due to the profits they reaped from these visitors.

Silawi emphasized, The commercial activity created by the Arab citizens of Israel in Jenin is noticeable. When the Jalama crossing closed on May 20 and 21 [for Shavuot, a holiday commemorating God giving the Torah to the Jews on Mount Sinai], commercial activity hit rock bottom. Arab citizens of Israel visiting the city encourage traders and businessmen to invest and expand.

Arabs from Israel spend millions of dollars per year in Jenin. Kamil explained to Al-Monitor that this spending drives a need for additional labor, thus increasing employment, especially in the services sector, such as restaurants and parks. It also encourages traders to provide shoppers with high-quality goods.

Around 860,000 vehicles crossed into Jenin from inside the Green Line in 2016 compared to 929,000 in 2017, Kamil said. The number of our visitors is increasing, which means more purchases, more shopping and more money.

Jenin's real estate sector has also benefited as result of spending by Palestinians living in Israel. The province in general and the city in particular are experiencing a surge in construction projects, especially in commercial buildings.

During 2017, around 700 new shops opened in the city and are duly licensed, raising the total number of shops to about 3,000, Tawfiq Abu Obeid, a municipality official in charge of commercial markets, told Al-Monitor. From the beginning of 2018 until the end of May, 380 new shops have opened, with the construction of dozens of shopping malls and towers. The number of new shops is expected to reach 1,000 by the end of the year with the completion of work on shopping malls now under construction.

New shopping centers are opening on what seems like a weekly basis. On June 2, the fashionable Clock Tower shopping center was inaugurated, with dozens of shops. The complex was built on the ruins of the Cinema Jenin, the city's only movie theater, after its purchase and demolition.

The influx of visitors to the city has not been without a price, so to speak. The large numbers of shoppers flocking to the city require greater regulation and infrastructure projects, Kamil said. The city's infrastructure cannot handle this number of visitors. Shoppers need expanded streets and parking spaces. The city's municipality has so far failed to provide and develop the necessary infrastructure.

Abu Obeid defended the municipality's response thus far. The surge in commercial activity in Jenin was unexpected. The city had not seen such a large number of visitors in years, especially during the month of Ramadan and the holidays, he said. The city of Jenin is relatively small, with a high-density layout. The massive influx of visitors from beyond the Green Line is too much for the city's facilities to handle. The city was not ready to accommodate such a large number of shoppers and cars.

Abu Obeid said that plans are being considered for improving the city's infrastructure and providing basic and necessary facilities to ensure visitors and shoppers a more comfortable experience.

Despite the current positive outlook for the economic sector driven by the influx of shoppers to Jenin from beyond the Green Line, it could all end tomorrow if Israel were to decide to close the Jalama crossing.MOSCOW  Turkey and the United States have agreed on a plan for the People's Protection Units (YPG) to leave the northern Syrian city of Manbij. Ankara has long sought to control the territory but couldnt make a move because of US support for the Kurdish militia.

Al-Monitor reported earlier that many in Washington interpreted the deal as an effort to re-establish Americas partnership with a key NATO ally. It came as no surprise that NATOs senior leadership quickly endorsed the agreement.

Damascus, however, made it clear that the deal is unacceptable to the Syrian government. Days before the United States and Turkey announced the Manbij agreement, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem warned, Neither Turkey nor the US has the right to negotiate the [fate of] Syrian cities.

Russia has been closely observing the situation in northern Syria for many months as one of the three major themes in the Syrian conflict, along with developments in the south, where Moscow is trying to negotiate a modus vivendi for Israel and pro-Iranian forces, and in eastern Syria, where the presence of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces is seen as a next big issue for Russias policy on Syria.

The news about the United States and Turkey striking a deal raised mixed feelings in Moscow. Many in the Russian policymaking community who are traditionally wary of Turkey pointed to Ankaras dealings with Americans as justification of their caveats against partnering with Turkey. To make the perception worse, the agreement with the United States on Manbij was followed by the Turkish foreign ministers critical remarks on what is arguably Russias most sensitive foreign policy issue: Crimea.

On June 8, shortly after visiting the United States, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke at a reception of the Association of Culture and Aid to Crimean Tatars. He urged some European countries not to forget Russias annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

"We will never forget about what happened in the Crimea, never.  We remind [Europeans] that if you now forget about the Crimea and tomorrow something [else] happens in Ukraine, you will be responsible for this," Cavusoglu stated in the presence of his Ukrainian counterpart, Pavel Klimkin, along with a leader of the Crimean Tatar people, Mustafa Dzhemilev, who is considered an outlaw in Russia.

Cavusoglu added that Turkey will never forget that Crimea is part of Ukraine" and will continue to the capital, Kiev. He promised an agreement soon on establishing a free-trade zone between the two countries.

While Turkeys position on Crimea has been consistent since 2014 and should barely come as a surprise, the very momentum for the remarks fueled the fire of Moscows critics of Turkey.

Another concern is whether Turkey will remain a committed partner to Iran and Russia in the Syrian peace negotiations they organized in Astana, Kazakhstan, now that Turkeys zone of interest in northern Syria is virtually ensured.

Ankaras precarious future in Syria before its alignment with Moscow and Tehran for the Astana meetings in early 2017 has gradually transformed into serious, quasi-institutionalized influence on the ground.

Turkeys tensions with Washington over the Kurds  exacerbated by other bilateral matters and Trumps decision to relocate the US Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem  have long raised worries with some, and hopes with others, that NATOs solidarity with Turkey was crumbling.

While disagreements with the United States on some issues remain strong, and links among the Astana guarantors are being tested on a daily basis, todays Turkey appears to be a more confident player in Syria.

For now, Ankara seeks to maintain a careful balancing act between Russia and the United States to keep promoting its own agenda. Turkeys geopolitical situation is such that it shouldnt actually [be asked] to choose between this country or that country, Cavusoglu told PBS News Hour on June 4. We have good relations with Russia, but the US is our strategic ally.

Its not an either/or situation, he added.

Yet as past instances show, Turkeys leadership is often prone to emotional moves, and its decisions tend to be clouded by immediate needs rather than strategic choices. Moscow wants to see whether the deal with the United States will go beyond Manbij, as Ankara apparently hopes, and whether it hurts Russias policies in Syria.

Addressing the US-Turkey deal, a senior diplomat at the Russian Foreign Ministry told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, Russias position is rather neutral. [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan needs the deal primarily for the sake of [winning] his upcoming election in Turkey.

He added, Many issues in the [Manbij] deal remain unclear: How are they going to [discern] who are members of PKK [the Kurdistan Workers Party, which unlike the US, Russia does not consider a terrorist group] and who are not? Who will be allowed to stay and who will get pushed out? How many Turkish observations posts will be established and where? So well see how it goes, he said.

Another reason why Russias official reaction remains rather moderate  unlike that of the expert community  is because the US-Turkey deal is seen as potentially undermining Kurdish confidence in their alignment with the United States. Since Washington is seen as having more commitments than Russia with the Kurdish YPG, Moscow doesnt feel obliged to mediate better conditions for Kurdish forces in a situation that could damage Americas image as a reliable ally.

Besides, despite Ankaras apparent feeling of being in the passengers seat at the moment, Russia is coming to believe that the many mutually beneficial projects produced by the countries rapprochement are going to keep Turkey from taking any overtly hostile steps. Moscow and Ankara still have a lot to accomplish together in Syria, including in Idlib. The June 7 strikes in Idlib province, allegedly by Russian air forces, are a reminder that Moscows not averse to going after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham as its main [military] goal in Syria in 2018. Russia wont shy away from using force if it feels the situation in the province is about to spin out of control.

Otto von Bismarck, Germanys Iron Chancellor in the 1870s-1890s, once stated, Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Russia and Turkey certainly feel they are wise enough to not be fooled by each other. But even contemporary history between the two shows there have been enough mistakes  ones that produced crises  to learn from.Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud is bailing out his fellow monarch, Jordans King Abdullah, from a crisis the Saudis helped create. Whatever the Saudis' timing or motives, they are doing the right thing as Jordans stability is crucial to the region.

Salman convened a summit in Mecca on June 10 with Kuwaits Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum to address Jordans financial crisis and the demonstrations it has produced. The crisis has already toppled the Jordanian prime minister. Abdullah brought his son Crown Prince Hussein to the summit, presumably for a crash course in Arab summit politics.

At the summit, a $2.5 billion five-year aid program was agreed on, but many of the details are not available yet. This is roughly half the aid Jordan has been receiving from the Gulf states. Following the Arab Spring, the Saudi king led the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to agree to provide $5 billion in grant aid to Jordan over five years beginning in 2012, of which the Saudis contributed $2 billion. The package ended in 2017. Roughly 1 million Jordanian citizens living in GCC member states send home over $2 billion annually.

Jordan faces huge economic challenges, with many refugees from Palestine, Iraq and Syria in the country. With few natural resources, Jordan has long been dependent on outside benefactors including the United States and the European Union. The halt in the aid package last year played a critical role in creating the conditions for the current protests in Jordan; uncertainty about Saudi and Gulf aid has not been helpful to create confidence in Jordans finances.

The Saudis have been increasingly unhappy with Jordans policies on several crucial issues. First, Jordan has not joined the Saudi blockade of Qatar, although it withdrew its ambassador in Doha last year. Qatar is the third-largest investor in Jordan, and trade has grown since last summer.

While Jordan withdrew its ambassador from Tehran when Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomats in 2015, it has not severed relations as the Saudis did. And it has drawn down its support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

The Saudis have also been unhappy with Jordan's strong opposition to the US Embassy move to Jerusalem. But that irritation has faded as the Saudis have moved to reassert traditional Saudi positions in the Israeli-Palestine conflict. Salman has taken the lead on reaffirming the Saudi position during the self-proclaimed Jerusalem Arab League Summit in Dhahran on April 15.

Saudi efforts to intimidate Jordan have backfired. Last December, the Saudis briefly detained wealthy Jordanian businessman Sabih al-Masri when he visited the kingdom. Jordanians and Palestinians saw the detention as an attempt to humiliate them, and the episode was a public relations setback for the Saudis, especially for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who was seen as the perpetrator. But the incident did nothing to strengthen confidence in the Jordanian economy and the Saudi commitment to Jordan.

At this time it is not clear if the Saudis extracted any new commitments from Jordan for the new aid agreement. The Jordanians assume that there is some quid pro quo for the Saudi money. The Saudis will have a greater influence on Jordans foreign policy thanks to the aid leverage, but Amman has a long track record of independence.

The Saudis are also in a weaker position to exert influence with relatively lower oil prices than in 2012 and their expensive war in Yemen. The Yemeni war, Prince Mohammed's signature foreign policy item, is a tremendous drain on Saudi resources. The year-old quarrel with Qatar has all but destroyed the GCC, previously a force multiplier for Saudi policies.

Jordan has a long history of political unrest, often turning into demonstrations. Just two years after ascending to the throne at age 18, King Hussein was almost toppled in 1955 by the so-called Baghdad Pact riots. The British-led Arab Legion saved the monarchy from crowds chanting for Egypts President Gamal Abed Nasser. Ironically, the Saudis were also financing the riots because of their historic rivalry with the Hashemites and aversion to British imperialism.

Ever since 1955, Jordan has been at the center of regional politics. By virtue of its geography and demographics, the small kingdom is crucial to keeping alive the Arab worlds slender grasp on any hope of stability. Surrounded by civil wars, occupation and terror, keeping Jordan afloat is a vital interest of the Saudis and the Americans.GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  The board of directors of the Palestinian Social Security Institution announced June 4 during a press conference held in Al-Bireh, in the central West Bank, that the agency has been launched and is now carrying out its duties and tasks while gradually rolling out its facilities in accordance with the provisions of Social Security Law No. 19 of 2016.

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said during the same press conference that protecting Palestinian citizens from the dangers they face while providing them with a decent life is the government's raison detre and top duty. He said a number of companies are starting to register with the institution in the lead-up to the official and obligatory registration period, which will start Nov. 20.

Hamdallah said the institution will gradually embark on its work of providing benefits to its members. He said the implementation of the minimum wage decision No. 11, which was approved by the government in 2012, will become mandatory. He added that this announcement marks the first step toward safeguarding the rights of about 1 million Palestinian workers and employees.

Osama Harz Allah, the director general of the Social Security Institution, told Al-Monitor that the purpose of the institution is to provide insurance services and benefits to registered members. He said the law will be gradually implemented. The first phase will include provisions for retirement, disability, old age, death, work injury and maternity insurance. The second phase is the Nov. 20 compulsory registration phase, during which unregistered companies will be facing strict measures. The third stage will include provisions for health, unemployment and family compensation insurance based on regulations gradually issued by the government.

The institution covers and protects its Palestinian members, and this system is applied in most countries of the world. We are almost the last to apply this system given the absence of the required political and legal environment, he said.

He pointed out that Law No. 19 of 2016 was issued to cover private sector citizens who are not covered by other pension systems, such as the one provided by the Palestinian Pension Agency for the public sector. He stressed that the aim of the institution is to provide social protection to citizens throughout their lives.

Asked about the reason it took this system so long to see the light, he said, We had to provide all the technical, logistical and professional requirements needed by the institution so it shows a high level of readiness and an effective capacity to respond to the citizens needs."

Harz Allah pointed out that within a few days, the institution will be launching its website. He said the institution is working on a smartphone application so that its members can easily access their data and get answers to their queries. In the event that small enterprises do not have internet access, he said, the institution would be willing to receive paper registration requests.

The first Gaza branch of the institution will be inaugurated within 45 days, when the logistical preparations and building are ready, and more branches will be gradually announced, he said.

He said the institution gets its direct funds from contributions paid by employers and employees, while it gets its indirect funds from grants, donations, loans and any other revenues accepted by the board of directors of the agency. Added to this are loans and grants provided by the government. There is also the return on the invested funds of the institution in accordance with chapter IV of the law, which explains the investment mechanism and controls. Harz Allah expects the agency to be one of the largest financial institutions in Palestine.

Asked about the financial resources of the institution, Salameh Abu Zaiter, a member of the board of directors, told Al-Monitor that the agency covers pension, work injury and maternity insurance by using the monthly contributions paid by employers and employees as well as the fines that result from noncompliance with the provisions of the social security law.

Workers pay 7.5% of their salaries to the social security institution, while another 8.5% is paid by employers.

Abu Zaiter said that once employees are 60 and have paid 180 contributions over the course of 15 years, they can apply for a retirement pension that does not go below 75% of the minimum wage. Work injury, maternity and pregnancy compensation, however, is provided as soon as employees register with the social security institution. He said that in the event the insured employee dies, his family can obtain a retirement pension.

Asked about the minimum wage, he said, The institution does not accept that employers provide contributions for employees being paid less than the minimum wage, and this means that the institution is indirectly contributing to the application [of the minimum wage law].

As for the difficulties that the institution may face, he said that these include the Palestinian division between Fatah and Hamas, the difficulty of enforcing the law in the Gaza Strip and the possible noncooperation of some small private enterprises, especially the unorganized sectors that evade taxes and fail to pay the minimum wage. However, he said there is an inspection department at the institution, and any companies that fail to register with the agency will be fined. He said that in case of further evasion, the agency will resort to the judiciary. He stressed that the future vision of the institution aims at preserving and investing the funds so that the organization can keep self-sustaining.

Amen Abu Aisha, a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at Al-Isra University in Gaza, stressed the importance of having an appropriate political and economic environment to be able to implement such a law. He said the difficult economic situation in Gaza may limit the law implementation process, especially amid the ongoing political division, the Israeli siege, the high rates of poverty and unemployment, the weak and unstable labor market, and the failure of a large number of companies to pay the required rates that would allow them to join the institution. Whats more, he said, there is a widening gap between the West Bank and Gaza amid a lack of accurate information, data and statistics on the labor market. Add to this that there are workers in Israel, and it is difficult to collect financial rights from the Israeli side.

He called on the government to improve the Palestinian economic situation, provide some kind of stability, pay the salaries of public employees in full and provide an appropriate investment environment capable of spinning the economic wheel.

The positive thing is that the institution will reduce the risks faced by workers and will secure their professional and retirement life, and this will serve as an incentive that boosts their productivity provided the necessary administrative and financial controls are in place, he said.Iraqs new leader; Shia Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has called for unity as the country tilts towards a new division after a warehouse where May elections ballots boxes have been stored caught fire on Sunday following a demand by the parliament for a manual recount of votes over fraud allegations.

It is time to stand up for reconstruction rather than the burning of ballot boxes or a new election for the sake of one or two seats, Sadr said in a statement.

Stop fighting for seats, posts, gains, influence, power, and rulership, he added.

Sadr, a staunch Iraqi Shia nationalist opposed to the influence of Iran and the United States in Iraq emerged as the countrys new leader after his bloc won May elections beating pro-America and Tehran-backed candidates.

His victory has been challenged. The parliament mandated a manual recount of votes nation-wide following allegations of fraud supported by outgoing Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

The tense atmosphere worsened Sunday after a site where the ballot boxes were stored caught fire.

Authorities said the fire was deliberate but did not destroy any ballot box as fire-fighters managed to control it.

Al-Abadi, who finished third in the elections, condemned the fire noting that it was a plot to harm the nation and its democracy.

The fire incident has given opportunity to parties which did not do well during the elections to call for a rerun.

As Sadr calls for unity, Irans Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani, according to The New Arabs Arabic-language service, landed in capital Bagdad on Sunday for a meeting with Shia political leaders in order to discuss consequences resulting from the fire.

Iran has a strong political influence on Iraqs politics. The Islamic Republic brought its support to the victory over the Islamic State group in December after it deployed hundreds of military advisors in Iraq.Turkey says Iran has offered verbal support for its latest offensive against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels scattered across the forbidding Qandil Mountain range separating Iran from Iraq. Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli told the state-run Anadolu news agency in a wide-ranging interview today, Our offer to Iran was to carry out the operation together. Iran, in its remarks at least, has voiced very important support.

His comments came a day after Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that the operation against Qandil had started with 20 Turkish fighter jets destroying 14 PKK targets in the region.

In fact, a Turkish military operation against the PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan was already underway with Turkish troops deployed roughly 30 kilometers (nearly 20 miles) in the Harkurk region that falls northeast of Qandil. But the big one  a full-scale assault presumably involving ground forces taking on the mountain bases proper  has yet to begin. There is widespread skepticism that conventional methods could work against the guerrillas, who have a wide network of hideouts buried in the bowels of the craggy mountain chain, prompting speculation that Turkey's bellicosity is more about vote-grabbing in the run-up to the June 24 polls. Many of their camps are mobile. And Qandil town, which is de facto administered by the PKK  a giant portrait of the imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan stares from a mountain face at its entrance  is populated with hundreds of civilians.

Canikli told Anadolu that the PKK was using these civilians as human shields. Qandil and the entire region will be expunged of terror  including villages because the terrorists live together with the villagers; this is their strategy.  Naturally we will carry out our operations without harming the civilian population. We are very experienced in this matter. Turkish airstrikes have in fact caused civilian deaths over the years, provoking a local backlash. But the Iraqi Kurdish government, which relies heavily on Turkey to sell its oil, has for the most part held its tongue.

Canikli said the Iraqi government was in full agreement with Turkey on an operation against Qandil. But a spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi disputed this claim, telling the Iraqi News Agency, The Iraqi government will not accept any advance on its land by Turkish forces in pursuit of the PKK elements currently present in  Sinjar, Makhmour and the Qandil Mountains.

Turkey has over 2,000 troops deployed in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq, notionally to contain the PKK. But when it sent several hundred special forces to Bashiqa, near Mosul, in late 2015 to train Sunni fighters for the fight against the Islamic State (IS), Baghdad flipped. Talks to secure a Turkish withdrawal have come to naught.

Iran has yet to respond to Turkeys assertions that it is on board. The country has a large and restive Kurdish population of its own and the PKKs Iranian franchise, PJAK, has been growing in popularity, particularly among Shiite Kurds. Much like Ankara, Tehran is spooked by the United States support for the PKK-friendly Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protections Units (YPG), which has drawn Iranian Kurds to its ranks.

Ceng Sagnic, who coordinates the Kurdish Studies program at Tel Aviv Universitys Moshe Dayan Center, observed that Irans position has always remained ambiguous  tactically allying itself with the PKK to curb Turkish influence, but cooperating with Turkey against the rebels when it feels threatened by them itself. Iranian neutrality, however, can be counted [as] support for Turkey in this instance, given that escape routes from Qandil to Iran require Iranian cooperation, Sagnic told Al-Monitor.

Canikli suggested, however, that Turkey was looking for help against the PKK from different quarters. He said Ankara was in talks with all relevant countries regarding its plans and would remain in northern Iraq until we wipe out the terror completely.

One of those countries is the United States. The Pentagon has reportedly upped intelligence sharing on PKK targets in recent months, partly to offset Turkeys fury over the US-led coalitions arming and training of YPG forces in the battle against IS.

Bowing to Turkish demands, Washington also agreed to oversee the YPGs withdrawal from the mainly Arab town of Manbij. A road map laying out a phased implementation of the plan was announced last week by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Military officials from both sides are holding talks in Stuttgart, Germany, to hammer out details. Canikli maintained that US and Turkish forces would jointly oversee the YPGs departure.

There wont be any Look, we removed the YPG. Everything will be done together, he said.As the US-backed coalition in Yemen appears ready to assault the rebel-held port city of Hodeidah, the entry point for most of the countrys aid, Congress is calling on the Pentagon to use all available means to stop the operation.

In a letter circulating in the House of Representatives and obtained by Al-Monitor, members of Congress deeply alarmed by the military action are asking US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to dissuade Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates from attacking. UN officials worry the assault could put as many as 250,000 lives at risk.

The Pentagon has already been scrutinized by lawmakers for refueling Saudi and UAE jets in the yearslong conflict and deploying US special forces troops to dismantle Iran-backed missile launchers near Yemens northern border without seeking congressional authorization. Al-Monitor reported in November that US refueling support to the coalition more than doubled over the last year.

We urge you to use all available means to avert a catastrophic military assault on Yemens major port city of Hodeida by the Saudi-led coalition, and to present Congress with immediate clarification regarding the full scope of US military involvement in that conflict, reads the letter spearheaded by Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., which has been signed by seven members of Congress. We remind you that three years into the conflict, active US participation in Saudi-led hostilities against Yemens Houthis has never been authorized by Congress, in violation of the Constitution.

Yet fierce fighting on the ground may be moving too fast for the United States to stop it. Over the weekend, as the UNs top Yemen mediator Martin Griffiths tried to talk the Houthis into peacefully turning over the port, Saudi-backed troops clashed with the rebels just miles from the city, with most UN and nongovernmental organization workers quickly hustled out to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

By late today, key lawmakers had begun losing faith in US efforts to convince Saudi and UAE military officials to stop the assault, after The Wall Street Journal reported that the UNs shuttle diplomacy failed to move UAE officials and that the Donald Trump administration had given the operation a blinking yellow light.

More evidence the Yemen War is spiraling, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said in a tweet. The US has begged Saudi/UAE coalition not to attack the humanitarian aid port of Hudaydah. New reports suggest they have refused our plea, are readying an assault. Result could be catastrophic.

Despite the uptick in US refueling, military experts say the UAE is less dependent on the Pentagon for operations in Hodeidah. Once envisioned as an Emirati-led amphibious assault needing advanced US boats to navigate Red Sea minefields laid by Iran, the 45,000-strong force of Yemeni troops has instead moved along the coast in a two-month offensive to reach Hodeidah with refueling support from new helicopter bases.

Its a waste of time to point blank stop this operation without offering an alternative, said Michael Knights, a fellow at the Washington Institute. If somebody told the US in 2003, dont go to Baghdad, what would we have said?

The letter comes as Congress has been increasingly frustrated in recent months by perceptions that the Trump administration is overriding legislative authority to expand US participation in the Yemen war. In May, Reuters reported that Congress is reviewing the sale of more than 120,000 precision-guided munitions that will be used in the conflict, laying the groundwork for a potential fight on the Senate floor.

We are concerned that in the midst of a Senate effort to exercise its constitutional authority to end unauthorized hostilities  including U.S. targeting and refueling assistance for Saudi-led airstrikes against Yemens Houthis  the Pentagon may have concealed key information from members of Congress regarding the full extent of on-the-ground U.S. military participation in the Saudi coalition-led war, the letter adds.

UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock told reporters today that 70 percent of Yemens imported food, fuel, and medicines come through Hodeidah. More than 22 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the famine-wracked country.WASHINGTON  The United Arab Emirates warned today that it may proceed with a military operation on the key Yemeni port city of Hodeidah if the international community is unable to persuade the Houthi rebels holding the Red Sea port city of 400,000 to withdraw.

The current and illegal Houthi occupation of Hodeida is prolonging the Yemeni war, Anwar Gargash, the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, wrote on Twitter today. The liberation of the city and port will create a new reality and bring the Houthis to the negotiations.

The international community must pressure the Houthis to evacuate Hodeida and leave the port intact, Gargash continued.

Gargash said the coalition had given UN Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths a 48-hour ultimatum to persuade the Houthis to withdraw from Hodeidah that expires overnight Tuesday to Wednesday.

Gargashs Twitter tirade followed a muted statement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday that many diplomats and veteran Yemen experts interpreted as giving the UAE a de facto yellow light to proceed with the military operation that Washington had long opposed, fearing humanitarian catastrophe. The port of Hodeidah is the gateway for an estimated 80% of the humanitarian, food and commercial supplies for Yemen, including for Sanaa, the Yemeni capital of 2 million people.

I have spoken with Emirati leaders and made clear our desire to address their security concerns while preserving the free flow of humanitarian aid and life-saving commercial imports, Pompeo said in the statement on developments at Hodeidah issued by the State Department on Monday.

We expect all parties to honor their commitments to work with the UN Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen on this issue, support a political process to resolve this conflict, ensure humanitarian access to the Yemeni people, and map a stable political future for Yemen, Pompeos statement continued.

The statement from Pompeo  is not a red line; it is a yellow light at best, Jeremy Konyndyk, a former senior official with the US Agency for International Development and Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, told Al-Monitor.

I think the ambiguity in and of itself will be seen as a green light by the [UAE- and Saudi-led] coalition, Konyndyk, now with the Center for Global Development, said. This is an important dynamic."

Konyndyk continued, Going back to when I was in government, we were constantly giving the red light on Hodeidah and other ill-advised things the Saudis and Emiratis wanted to do." He added, It is not enough not to give the green. You have to actively give a red light.

Former US Ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein told Al-Monitor, I think we were telling the Emiratis it would be better not to, but we would support them if they went ahead.

But former US Ambassador to the UAE Barbara Leaf said Pompeos statement was not the full-throated endorsement that the UAE may have wanted to hear to proceed.

The way I would view Pompeos statement, he is saying that he talked to the Emiratis, he hears them, he understands their security concerns about Yemen, why they are there, Leaf, who finished her tour as US ambassador to the UAE late last year, told Al-Monitor. But he refers them to Griffiths.

The Trump administration came in wanting to improve relations with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and is reluctant to publicly criticize them, Leaf said.

They dont want to go in for bashing and sharp statements and criticism, Leaf, now a fellow with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said. They are not going to do that. They are going to want to avoid saying anything overtly critical.

In the other direction, the Emiratis want to hear a full-throated yes, Leaf said. I do not think that is what they are getting.

While Gargash suggested he saw military pressure on the Houthis as pushing them into peace negotiations, former US officials who worked on Yemen say it may be the Saudi side that is reluctant to return to UN-brokered talks now that their military prospects against the Houthis on the ground are improving.

"My impression is that Griffiths has been unable to get the Saudis to come to the table, a former senior Obama administration official, speaking not for attribution, told Al-Monitor.

"There are several credible reports that the Houthis are prepared to come to the table, the former senior Obama administration official said. That said, they have yet to demonstrate that they are reliable interlocutors who will live up to their commitments.

"It would be quite troubling if there is an opportunity now to test Houthi willingness to reach a political/military resolution and the Saudis and Emiratis choose to leave that opportunity on the table, the former senior US official said.

Griffiths briefed the UN Security Council behind closed doors Monday on his frantic efforts to try to avert a military escalation in Yemen and revive political talks. The UNs Lisa Grande told NPR today that the UN has withdrawn international staff from Hodeidah to Sanaa, but said local staff was still working in the port city.

Fighting is closing in on the port city of Hodeida, the Norwegian Refugee Council wrote on Twitter today. NRC staff report that the city is tense, amid media reports of airstrikes inside the city.

[The] UK government has warned aid agencies that it has received information from Coalition forces the city will be attacked in the coming days, NRC Yemen country director Mohamed Abdi said on the NRCs Twitter account. Any attack will have catastrophic consequences for civilians  risking hundreds of thousands of lives."

It is probably not a coincidence that the moment the UAE and the Saudis are signaling they may attack Hodeidah is when US President Donald Trump and Pompeo are in Singapore doing North Korea diplomacy, Gulf analyst with Chatham House Peter Salisbury said.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have learned, really over the last five years or six years, that a red line from the US is not actually a hard red line, and it can be eroded," Salisbury added.

The UAE has learned it can ask for forgiveness instead of permission, Salisbury said.For many years, Egyptians believed that large families were a source of pride and security for old age. New family planning policies are trying to reverse that faith in numbers.

Rayes Abdel Nazeer moved to Cairo from the southern province of Minya in the mid-1980s seeking a better life. He has since worked as a doorman in the affluent residential suburb of Hay El Maadi, 7 miles south of Cairo, living with his wife and children in a small, dark basement in the building where he works. His monthly earnings of 1,300 Egyptian pounds ($73)  just above the minimum wage in Egypt  are barely enough to look after his family.

"In my village in the south of Egypt, large families are a source of pride and children are seen as blessings from God," 59-year-old Abdel Nazeer told Al-Monitor.

While he admits it is a daily struggle to put food on the table for his family, he is nevertheless skeptical about the Egyptian government's new family planning campaign that advocates for smaller families using the slogan "Two Are Enough."

"I believe that God will provide for every child, and children  especially sons  grow up to support their parents in their old age," said Abdel Nazeer, who has five children. Three of his older sons now have their own families to support. The two younger ones, who are 17 and 20, live with their parents in the small basement and help their father clean the cars of the tenants of the apartment for a small monthly fee.

Many poor families in Egypt share Abdel Nazeer's conviction, considering children as a source of income.

Egypt's poor tend to believe that the more children they have, the bigger the family income. They often force young children to drop out of school at an early age to start working," said Hanan Girgis, a population expert and executive vice president of Baseera, the Center for Public Opinion Research.

But recent price hikes resulting from the harsh austerity measures adopted by the government in November 2016, which included the flotation of the Egyptian pound and subsequent cuts in state subsidies, are prompting a change in the mindset of some Egyptians. Feeling the pinch of the rising costs of fuel, housing and basic commodities, many young couples are having to reconsider their decisions and are weighing their birth control options.

"When I first got married, I wanted a large family with at least four or five children. Since having my first child four years ago, I have realized how difficult it is to raise a child. Due to the high cost of living, few can afford to have a second or third child. It will be a long time before my husband and I decide to have another child," Kholoud Taha, an upper-middle-class housewife, told Al-Monitor.

With nearly 95 million inhabitants, according to the World Population Review, Egypt is the Arab world's most populous country. With a newborn every 15 seconds and a population growth rate of 2.4% annually, the "catastrophic" population boom is piling pressure on the already hard-hit economy struggling to recover from the political chaos that followed the 2011 uprising. The fact that the bulk of the population  around 95%  is concentrated in a narrow strip of land along the Nile River constituting less than 5% of the country's total land area has exacerbated the problem. Overcrowding, congestion, high pollution levels and poor delivery of public services are just some of the manifestations of the high population density.

Not surprising then that overpopulation has become a major policy concern for the government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The government's family planning campaign, launched last year, is just one attempt by the authorities to stem the rapid population growth that Sisi has warned "is as critical as the terrorist threat." If the current growth rates persist, Egypt's population is expected to reach 119 million by 2030, according to a 2017 report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), a grave prospect that some analysts have described as "an explosive population bomb."

Girgis attributes the high fertility rates in recent years to a shortage in contraceptives and poor access to reproductive health care services, especially in the rural south. "In Egypt, there is an urban-rural divide. Since the 2011 uprising, there has been a marked deterioration in reproductive health care services in clinics, particularly those in the provinces outside Cairo. Women had little access to birth control, and the few clinics outside the major cities offered no services to women seeking advice on family planning," she said.

The "Two Are Enough" campaign promises to change this. Targeting over 1 million women in 10 of Egypt's poorest governorates  most of which are in the underdeveloped southern region, where population growth rates are the highest  the two-year project aims to encourage families to limit births to two children per family instead of the current average of four.

The targeted women are beneficiaries of the Ministry of Social Solidarity's World Bank-supported Takaful and Karama social safety nets program, an initiative that offers monthly income support to poor and vulnerable households based on an incentive system related to children's school attendance and use of maternal and child health care.

The family planning campaign is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Social Solidarity and the Ministry of Health. The plan aims to deploy 12,000 family planning advocates to state clinics in at least a dozen rural provinces. These "advocates," along with doctors and nurses, have attended advocacy training sessions supported by the UNFPA.

Young volunteers who also participated in the training will go from house to house in rural villages to spread awareness about family planning. The key message is that fewer children means a better quality of life and less pressure on household budgets. The UNFPA is also supporting a training program for journalists covering population issues including reproductive health. "The role of the media cannot be overestimated: Clearing misconceptions about birth control and disseminating the 'correct' messages about family planning can go a long way in helping the campaign succeed," May El Sallab, Female Genital Mutilation Program Coordinator at UNFPA, told Al-Monitor.

Meanwhile, member of parliament Ghada Agami has proposed a bill linking parents' rights to receive state subsidies to family planning. If signed into law, families with more than three children will be denied access to state benefits such as free education in government schools and other subsidized goods. "The rapid population growth threatens to derail the government's development efforts and is undermining the quality of life of Egyptians. We need to act now to avert severe food and water shortages in the future," Agami told Al-Monitor.

"Since the success of Egypt's family planning campaign in the mid-1980s when growth rates dropped from a high of over 3.5% in the 1970s to 1.7% in early 2000, successive Egyptian governments have been complacent in dealing with the family planning issue. It is time we pick up where we left off. What we need is a collective effort with everyone on board: the media, civil society, the private sector and the government. That's the only way the campaign can have an impact," Girgis concluded.Dorothy Cotton (photo by Greg Garrison/AL.com)

Dorothy Cotton, a top aide to civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., helped organize the 1963 civil rights marches in Birmingham.

She died Sunday, June 10, at a retirement home in Ithaca, New York. She was 88.

Cotton was education director for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference from 1960-68, the top female leader in an organization founded by King and other ministers.

"We worked together," said the Rev. Calvin Woods, president of the Birmingham chapter of SCLC and national vice president. "She was very close to Dr. King. She did a lot of good work. She was very talented. She could sing and it didn't take long for her to teach others the Freedom Songs."

In one of her last public appearances in Birmingham, Cotton talked about the need for new leadership to rise up.

"I don't like for people to talk as if Dr. King was not a real person," said Cotton in a 2013 conference at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Birmingham. "It disempowers those who come after. I am resisting that with every ounce of my being."

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the civil rights organization formed in 1957 to fight racial segregation, organized the successful 1963 protests against segregation in Birmingham. The SCLC was founded by a group of ministers including King, its first president, and the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, who at the time was pastor of Bethel Baptist Church of Collegeville in Birmingham.

Cotton was the top female official in the SCLC through most of the 1960s.

"We love Dr. King," Cotton said. "I love Dr. King, but it was not Dr. King's movement. He did not start the civil rights movement."

The civil rights movement was about people seeing injustice and standing up against it, she said. Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, James Meredith and others responded to injustice through action, Cotton said.

"It was started by one person here, one person there, one person over here," she said.

"If you see something wrong, sometimes you may have to start an action all by yourself," Cotton said. "One person sees something wrong and starts doing something about it. People will join you if you do it with the right spirit."

If people wait for the next King, they are not responding to injustice, she said.

"We have been disempowered because we think Martin Luther King Jr. dropped out of the sky," Cotton said.

Cotton is often credited as the organizer of the children's marches in Birmingham, but she said in an interview with AL.com that there really were no marches that were just made up of children.

"James Bevel and I would ask children to stop by the basement of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church," she said. There, they would give instruction on non-violent resistance as a way to defeat segregation.

The participation of the children became legendary.

"It swelled every day," she said. "More and more children got involved. They knew why people were going to jail. They understood people were allowing themselves to be arrested, because they were fighting for a changed society so they could be treated like other people."

Still, there were people of all ages in the marches, she said.

"A lot of children got involved," Cotton said. "But a lot of older people too. I never separated them into groups. That (children's marches) is not in my consciousness as a separate thing."

Cotton said churches and religious faith were a central part of the civil rights movement. "Churches were the only place black folk had to gather," she said. "Religious faith was extremely important in the movement. But it wasn't the only thing that was important. We had people of no faith."

Moral response to injustice came from people of all faith and none, she said.

"People felt the rightness of our cause," Cotton said.

Cotton was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina. She attended Shaw University in Raleigh before earning a bachelor's degree in English and library science at Virginia State College in 1955. She earned a master's degree in speech therapy from Boston University in 1960.

"She helped to motivate the movement, particularly in its early stages," Woods said. "She came to Birmingham and led the singing. She worked very hard in the movement."A Birmingham woman has been charged with a felony after authorities say she stole nearly $1,000 from a mentally-disabled woman at an assisted living facility where she worked.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office charged 24-year-old Sumaya Page with fraudulent use of a credit/debit card.

Chief Deputy Randy Christian said deputies on May 1 were called to an assisted living facility in Center Point to investigate a report of theft.

A facility staff member, Christian said, told investigators that one of their clients - a 37-year-old mentally disabled woman - had asked them to look over her bank account because something did not appear to be correct. In doing so, staff members noticed several suspicious withdrawals from the woman's account.

Administrators spoke to the client's caregiver - Page - and she admitted to making unauthorized withdrawals to make purchases for herself. The case was turned over to sheriff's detectives who determined Page had managed to take nearly $900 from the victim.

On June 6, sheriff's detectives obtained the criminal arrest warrant for Page. She was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on June 8 and released the same day after posting $1,000 bond.A former Tuskegee Police Department lieutenant has been convicted for his role in the 2014 beating of a handcuffed, compliant arrestee and subsequent cover-up attempt.

Alex Huntley, 54, was convicted Friday, according to an announcement Tuesday by U.S. Attorney Louis V. Franklin, Sr., of the Middle District of Alabama, FBI Special Agent in Charge James Jewell, and Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.

A federal grand jury in January issued a five-count indictment against Huntley and another former lieutenant - 44-year-old Darian Locure - charging that on or about Dec. 24, 2014, Huntley physically assaulted an arrestee, while Locure willfully failed to intervene to stop Huntley's assault. The assault injured the arrestee.

Huntley and Locure also were charged with directing and encouraging other Tuskegee police officers and recruits who witnessed the assault to keep it a secret. Finally, the indictment claimed that Huntley gave false testimony under oath about the assault in a state court proceeding regarding criminal charges against the arrestee.

Locure was acquitted of all charges.

Authorities said evidence presented at trial established that Huntley arrested a man who scuffled with police near the Tuskegee town square and directed a fellow police officer to transport him back to the Tuskegee Police Department for booking. Once there, Huntley sprayed pepper spray in the arrestee's face, even though the arrestee was handcuffed and following police instructions.

Huntley then took the arrestee inside the police station, where Huntley knocked the still-handcuffed arrestee to the ground, stomped on him, and repeatedly kicked and punched him. In between blows, Huntley stood over the arrestee and yelled threats at him as the arrestee screamed in pain. A police officer recruit who witnessed the beating was so horrified that he secretly audio-recorded the assault on his cell phone.

Franklin said Huntley is facing up to 10 years in prison, substantial fines, and three years of supervised release after his sentenced is served. There is no parole in the federal system.

"The majority of our police officers are dedicated to protecting and serving the public with strength, courage, and valor. Unfortunately, Mr. Huntley was not so dedicated," Franklin said. "Police officers walk a tough, yet honorable line every day. This office is committed to prosecuting any law enforcement officer who abandons their oath to protect and serve and, instead, chooses to engage in criminal conduct that they are sworn so oppose."

"Lady Justice wears a blindfold for a reason, and a violation of someone's civil rights by a sworn law enforcement officer cannot be tolerated," said the FBI's Jewell.

"Illegal conduct by officers who abuse their power and violate the civil rights of those in their custody will not be tolerated," said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore. "The department will continue to vigorously enforce our nation's laws and hold officers who break the law accountable."Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said there's no new money in the budget next year to continue a five-year plan to pave all the city's streets.

A five-year plan announced last year, which would have required $10 million a year for street paving, was an "unfunded mandate" from the previous administration, he told members of the city council during a Monday afternoon meeting on the proposed 2019 fiscal year budget.

"Street paving is a priority to all of us," Woodfin said, adding that there are no capital dollars left. Capital funds and not general fund dollars have historically been used for street paving.

The Birmingham City Council may pass the $436 million fiscal year 2019 budget as early as June 19, about two weeks before the end of the current fiscal year.

The budget includes $3.665 million for Birmingham City Schools. A portion of those funds will go towards school security including 14 walk-through metal detectors, 20 hand-held scanners, door alarms, security officers and crossing guards.

Woodfin restored funding to the city's 99 neighborhood associations in the budget after hearing objections from the council and residents. Each neighborhood will receive $2,000 for a total of $198,000.

The mayor also restored level funding for the Vulcan Park Foundation, Ruffner Mountain, McWane Center, Red Mountain Theater and a partial increase for Rickwood Field.

Funding also hasn't been cut to the Birmingham Sister Cities Commission, the mayor said, after hearing concerns from Council President Valerie Abbott.

He said the city is contributing to the commission next year, but those funds will come from the mayor's office.

The amount budgeted for the commission hasn't been released yet.

Sister Cities in a non-profit commission helps organize events and exchanges between Birmingham and sister cities across the world. Birmingham has sister cities in China, Czech Republic, England, Ghana, Hungary, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Senegal and Ukraine.

Woodfin previously said the budget will include additional funds for demolition of dilapidated structures and weed abatement. The city will also invest in more shot spotters and other enhanced technology for Birmingham police and neighborhood lighting.

City employees will see a 1 percent cost of living adjustment and the continuation of longevity pay.

Woodfin said the city will begin to tackle the 18-year underfunding of the pension program by contributing an additional $2.9 million this fiscal year.

Street paving

Birmingham has little funds left to pave streets in the coming months, largely due to an unanticipated payment the city has to make to Trane for ongoing energy upgrades, Woodfin said.

Woodfin told councilors on Monday that he anticipated pulling funds from the general fund to do some paving in 2019.

The city announced in 2016 a plan to invest $61.3 million for energy upgrades in 125 city buildings. This was expected to create $100 million in energy and operational costs over the next two decades.

The money the city does have for street paving came from the Alabama Department of Transportation.

Andre Bittas, director of planning, engineering and permits, said the city received $2.2 million in funds from ALDOT for citywide street paving. Another $2 million has been committed from ALDOT for street paving in the Fountain Heights neighborhood due to the interstate construction in the area. He said $4 million is also being spent on truck routes in Districts 6 and 7.

In fiscal year 2017-18, $9 million was allocated to street paving, Woodfin said.

In the future, though, Woodfin said he wants to see street paving funds come from the general fund and not just rely on capital funds.

That is going to require cuts in other parts of the budget, he said.

"I am willing to have that conversation," Woodfin said. "The question is when I present it to us, will we be able to stomach what we have to cut in order to pave streets? It is a tough conversation to have."

He said he would also like to discuss with councilors how to generate new revenue.Birmingham police have filed formal charges in a Sunday- night shooting that killed a 28-year-old father.

Keegan Dixie, 27, is charged with murder in the death of Antonio Taylor. Birmingham police spokesman Sgt. Johnny Williams said though charges have been filed, the investigation is ongoing.

West Precinct officers were dispatched about 11:15 p.m. Sunday to the Shell in the 800 block of Third Avenue West on a report of a person shot, said Sgt. Bryan Shelton. Once on the scene, they found the victim suffering from a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Taylor, 28, was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 1:33 a.m. Monday.

Police previously said the preliminary investigation showed Taylor and an acquaintance - now identified as Dixie - were outside the store when the shooting happened. Detectives received conflicting accounts of what happened. One account states the shooting was accidental, and the other intentional.

They have not released what information led to the warrants against Dixie.

Taylor was the father to an infant son. His father, Alonzo Taylor, said his son never met a stranger. "He made everyone smile and up until last night didn't have an enemy,'' Alonzo Taylor said. "He just had his first child, a son, and was a hardworking man. All this was taken from us in a cowardly senseless act."

"He was well-loved and didn't deserve to die so young,'' his father said. "He wasn't a thug and didn't live that lifestyle."

Dixie is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on $250,000 bond.An 18-year-old male was hospitalized after a man got out of his car and fired multiple shots at him Monday evening, according to the Madison County Sheriff's Office.

The shooting happened on Alpha Lane at 6:30 p.m., officials said.

Neighbors told officials they saw a dark-colored small SUV stop in the 100 block of Alpha Lane and a black male get out of the car, said sheriff's spokesman Lt. Donny Shaw. The man then opened fire on the victim, who was standing in the front yard of a home in the 100 block of Alpha Lane, Shaw said.

The victim then retreated back to the house and the alleged shooter got back in the dark-colored SUV and left the scene, he said.

Officials aren't certain how many people were inside the SUV described.

The victim was taken to Huntsville Hospital for treatment, Shaw said. His updated condition was not available. Shaw said investigators do not have a motive for the shooting.

This is a developing story. This story will be updated.

Anyone with information about the shooting should contact the Madison County Sheriff's Department at 256-722-7181.Libyan forces aligned with eastern army commander Khalifar Haftar have arrested 11 Tunisian fighters as they managed to conquer the city of Derna.

Haftars forces have launched a ground offensive against Derna Protection Force (DPF), a coalition of local fighters and Islamist combatants. Haftars Libyan National Army (LNA) views the DPF as an Islamist grouping having ties with al Qaeda as well as foreign fighters.

Dozens of foreign fighters have been arrested, including, besides the 11 Tunisians, 19 Egyptians.

A UN taskforce in a report published in 2015 indicated that around 5,000 Tunisians had left their country to join ranks of terror groups in hot bed conflicts, namely Syria, Iraq and Libya.

Tunisia is bracing up for the return of those fighters after the defeat of the Islamic State group (ISIS) in Iraq and Libya.

Three terror attacks, the worst in the countrys history, killed 71 people mostly foreign tourists, in 2015. The attacks were carried out by ISIS-trained Tunisians. Authorities claimed they were trained in ISIS camps in Libya.For the family of Army Sgt. Julius McKinney, answers came.

McKinney, a native of Brilliant, Alabama, was buried last weekend, 68 years after he was reported missing during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, one of the most brutal battles of the Korean War.

The burial came after DNA testing confirmed bones found in 2004 in North Korea were those of McKinney. His family said the identification and internment provided long-awaited answers.

"It's bittersweet," McKinney's nephew Bill Huff told the Daily Corinthian. "I hate the way that he got killed and the suffering that he did and the suffering of the rest of the family, but, in a way, it's a good feeling that it's going to be closed now."

Nearly 7,702 U.S. personnel remain unaccounted for from the 1950-53 war. More than 5,000 of those were lost in North Korea, according to the Department of Defense.

More than 140 of the Korean War's missing are from Alabama.

Hope for families

The historic meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un included a commitment to recover the remains of U.S. military personnel missing in action and presumed dead from the Korean War. The countries also pledged to work together on the recovery of remains and the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

One-hundred forty-eight of the missing and presumed dead are from Alabama. Their names, provided by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, are:Alabama's summertime weather pattern is in full effect.

That means hot, humid air and the daily chance of afternoon rain and storms.

A few of those storms could again be on the strong side, according to forecasters.

The best chance of those will be in north and north-central Alabama. NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has placed that part of the state under a marginal risk of severe weather today.

A marginal risk means isolated severe storms will be possible.

Strong to severe storms have been popping up all over the state for the last few days.

A few of those have downed trees and powerlines and caused localized flooding.

The National Weather Service in Huntsville is anticipating storms to develop in Mississippi and western Tennessee and push into north Alabama by mid- to late afternoon or evening.

Any stronger storms that develop could drop very heavy rain and have wind gusts as high as 50-60 mph, forecasters said.

Thunderstorms will also be possible across the rest of the state today, but there is no organized severe weather risk.For the second straight summer, Rodney Smith Jr. is on track to touch all 50 states with acts of kindness intended to spread a spirit of service to young people.

Smith, 28, brought his 50 States 50 Lawns tour to Montgomery on Monday afternoon. The tour is a project of the Raising Men Lawn Care Service non-profit organization that Smith started two years ago when he was a student at Alabama A&M.

Hello to Alabama . I will be mowing in Montgomery Tuesday morning . If you know of anyone who is elderly, disabled, a single mother or a veteran who needs their lawn mower let me know . Its free . pic.twitter.com/QkU1pGg2dj  Rodney Smith Jr (@iamrodneysmith) June 11, 2018

Smith cuts lawns for free for the elderly, disabled, single mothers and veterans. One of Smith's goals for the national tour is to draw more young people to do the same through what he calls the "50-yard challenge."

Participants send in a photo holding a sign saying they accept the challenge. That means they'll mow lawns for free, too.

In return, they get T-shirts and can earn a new mower if they complete the challenge. More important are the timeless lessons about the value of a selfless act.

"It teaches them responsibility, teamwork, how to give back," Smith said, taking a short break from cutting his first yard in Montgomery. "I think it's really important with a lot of kids these days are inside playing video games and we're trying to get them outside and giving back to the community."

Smith said there are 130 young people taking part in the 50-yard challenge and 12 who have finished it.

With the sky threatening an afternoon shower, he worked fast to mow single mother Angela Smith's lawn but took time to pose for a photo with Angela and her daughter, Brittney Johnson, 17.

For my first lawn in Montgomery,AL I had the pleasure of mowing Ms smith lawn for her and her daughter. They normally try to do it themselves, but its hard on them & their lawn mower is broken. They said this meant a lot to them . Making a difference one lawn at a time pic.twitter.com/xDMpC395Ke  Rodney Smith Jr (@iamrodneysmith) June 12, 2018

Brittney, who just graduated from Jefferson Davis High School, came across Smith's story on Facebook. She did some research on Smith's website and reached out to him after learning he was coming to Montgomery.

"I was just fascinated by it so I just gave it a chance and he said he would be here to cut it today," Brittney said. "I'm just amazed."

Smith, who grew up in Bermuda, said he started his program after he spotted an elderly man mowing his lawn in the fall of 2015. At the time, Smith was pursuing a computer science degree at Alabama A&M.

"It looked like he was struggling so I pulled over and helped him out," Smith said.

Smith wanted to do more. He reached out to friends on Facebook to find others who needed help getting their grass cut. He cuts lawns for free in his spare time and soon hit a goal of 40 yards, then 100. A man who was selling his mower on Craigslist gave it to Smith when he learned what Smith was doing.

Smith's work attracted some local news coverage. WHNT News 19 gave him $319 as part of a "pay it forward" segment, and Smith launched the Raising Men Lawn Care Service.

It's a 501 (c)(3) organization that can accept tax deductible donations. Lawn mower engine company Briggs and and Stratton has provided support for Smith's tours with funds and equipment.

Alabama is the 25th state on Smith's tour. After spending Tuesday in Montgomery, Smith's next stop is Nashville.

Angela Smith, whose home was Smith's first stop in Montgomery, sees merit in Smith's mission.

"I think it's a great thing that he's doing because he's taking his time out to come around to help people who are struggling and having hard times," Angela Smith said.A Dothan woman was arrested and charged late last week after police found the body of a baby in the freezer of a hotel room. The search of the room is part of a broader investigation that involves a man who was part of a shootout with cops from Florida on June 4.

Amanda Gail Oakes, 36, who is the mother of the child, was charged with manslaughter and abuse of a corpse a little over a week after Carlton James Mathis, 28, who is accused of murdering the child, was shot by SWAT officers in Bronson, Florida. Oakes was also arrested at that time.

Carlton James Mathis

Mathis was treated for his wounds by SWAT at the scene and he was later taken to hospital for treatment.

Amanda Gail Oakes

During these events in Florida, "the Dothan Police Department served a search warrant in their city and located what are believed to be the remains of the child that prompted the search for Mathis," according to a Alachua Sheriff's Office Facebook post.

Oakes is being held in the Houston County Jail on a $150,000 bond for abuse of a corpse and was not granted bond for the manslaughter charge, according to county records.

The victim, Curtis James Oakes, was 6 months-old when authorities learned of the baby's death. It was reported to cops that the couple were in central Florida in the aftermath of the child's death. After the child could not be located authorities searched a hotel room in Dothan and located the baby in a freezer.

It's believed the child was placed in the freezer five or six days prior to its discovery.Aminta Cifuentas suffered weekly beatings at the hands of her husband. He broke her nose, burned her with paint thinner and raped her.

She called the police in her native Guatemala several times, but was told they could not interfere in a domestic matter, according to a court ruling. When Cifuentas's husband hit her in the head, leaving her bloody, police came to the home but refused to arrest him. He threatened to kill her if she called authorities again.

So in 2005, Cifuentas fled to the U.S. "If I had stayed there, he would have killed me," she told the Arizona Republic.

And after nearly a decade of waiting on an appeal, Cifuentes was granted asylum in the U.S. The 2014 landmark decision by the Court of Immigration Appeals set the precedent that women fleeing domestic violence were eligible to apply for asylum. It established clarity in long-running debate over whether asylum can be granted on the basis of violence perpetrated in the "private" sphere, according to Karen Musalo, director for the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

But on Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions overturned the precedent set in Cifuentas's case, deciding that victims of domestic abuse and gang violence generally will not qualify for asylum under federal law. (Unlike the federal courts established under Article III of the Constitution, the immigration court system is part of the Justice Department.)

For critics, including former immigration judges, the unilateral decision undoes decades of carefully-deliberated legal progress. For gender studies experts, such as Musalo, the move "basically throws us back to the Dark Ages, when we didn't recognize that women's rights were human rights."

"If we say in the year 2018, that a woman has been beaten almost to death in a country that accepts that as almost the norm, and that we as a civilized society can deny her protection and send her to her death?" Musalo said. "I don't see this as just an immigration issue . . . I see this as a women's rights issue."

Sessions's decision reversed a 2016 ruling by the Justice Department's Board of Immigration Appeals, the body responsible for interpreting U.S. asylum law, granting asylum to a Salvadoran woman who said she was abused by her husband. Musalo is co-counsel in the case.

Sessions's reasoning hinged on the argument that domestic violence victims are not generally persecuted as members of a "particular social group," according to his ruling. Under federal law, asylum applicants must show that either "race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion . . . was or will be at least one central reason for" their persecution.

In the precedent-setting Cifuentas case, the Board of Immigration Appeals held that an applicant can qualify for asylum as a member of a particular social group of "married women in Guatemala who are unable to leave their relationship." To support its ruling, the board noted that Guatemala has a culture of "machismo and family violence." Spousal rape is common and local police often fail to enforce domestic violence laws.

Sessions rejected that reasoning. "When private actors inflict violence based on a personal relationship with a victim," Sessions wrote, "then the victim's membership in a larger group may well not be 'one central reason' for the abuse."

"The prototypical refugee flees her home country because the government has persecuted her," Sessions wrote. "An alien may suffer threats and violence in a foreign country for any number of reasons relating to her social, economic, family, or other personal circumstances. Yet the asylum statute does not provide redress for all misfortune."

As Kara Lynum, an immigration lawyer in Minnesota, tweeted, "Sessions thinks these women aren't eligible for asylum because their husbands are only violent to them - not all women."

A group of 15 retired immigration judges and former members of the Board of Immigration Appeals wrote a letter in response to Session's decision, calling it "an affront to the rule of law."

The Cifuentas case, they wrote, "was the culmination of a 15 year process" through the immigration courts and Board of Immigration Appeals. The issue was certified by three different attorneys general, one Democrat and two Republican. The private bar, law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, all agreed with the final determination, the former judges wrote. The decision was also supported by asylum protections under international refugee treaties, they said.

"For reasons understood only by himself, the Attorney General today erased an important legal development that was universally agreed to be correct," the former judges wrote.

Courts and attorneys general have debated the definition of a "particular social group" since the mid 1990s, according to Musalo.

"It took the refugee area a while to catch up with the human rights area of law," Musalo said.

A series of cases led up to the Cifuentas decision. In 1996, the Board of Immigration Appeals established that women fleeing gender-based persecution could be eligible for asylum in the U.S. The case, known as "Matter of Kasinga," centered on a teenager who fled her home in Togo to escape female genital cutting and a forced polygamous marriage. Musalo was lead attorney in the case, which held that fear of female genital cutting could be used as a basis for asylum.

"Fundamentally the principle was the same," as the one at stake in Session's ruling, Musalo said. Female genital cutting, like domestic violence in the broader sense, generally takes place in the "private" sphere, inflicted behind closed doors by relatives of victims.

Musalo also represented Rody Alvarado, a Guatemalan woman who fled extreme domestic abuse and, in 2009, won an important asylum case after a 14-year legal fight. Her victory broke ground for other women seeking asylum on the basis of domestic violence.

Then, after years of incremental decisions, the Board of Immigration Appeals published its first precedent-setting opinion in the 2014 Cifuentas's case, known as "Matter of A-R-C-G."

"I actually thought that finally we had made some progress," Musalo said. Though the impact wasn't quite as pronounced as many experts had hoped, it was a huge step forward for women fleeing gender-based violence in Latin America and other parts of the world.

Now, Musalo says, Sessions is trying to undo all of that. And he's doing so at a particularly monumental time for gender equality in the U.S. and worldwide.

"We've gone too far in society with the MeToo movement and all of the other advances in women's rights to accept this principle," Musalo said.

"It shows that there are these deeply entrenched attitudes toward gender and gender equality," she added. "There are always those forces that are sort of the dying gasp of wanting to hold on to the way things were."

Sessions assigned the 2016 case to himself under his power as attorney general, and said the move will help reduce the growing backlog of 700,000 court cases.

But relatively few refugees are granted asylum annually. In 2016, for example, nearly 62 percent of applicants were denied asylum, according to Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

Paul Wickham Schmidt, a retired immigration judge and former chairman of the Board of Immigration Appeals, wrote on his blog that Sessions sought to encourage immigration judges to "just find a way to say no as quickly as possible." (Schmidt authored the decision in the Kasinga case, extending asylum protection to victims of female genital mutilation.)

Sessions's ruling is "likely to speed up the 'deportation railway,'" Schmidt wrote. But it will also encourage immigration judges to "cut corners, and avoid having to analyze the entire case," he argued.

"Sessions is likely to end up with sloppy work and lots of Circuit Court remands for 'do overs,'" Schmidt wrote. "At a minimum, that's going to add to the already out of control Immigration Court backlog."Film organizers are warning Dothan residents about movie scene depicting a 1949 cross burning is being filmed in Dothan later this week. Organizers said they want the public to be aware so the sight of a burning cross will not cause alarm, the Dothan Eagle reported.

The scene is part of the movie "Second Samuel," which is being shot in the Dothan area.

The cross burning scene will take place in the 300 block of South Foster Street Thursday night. The block will be cordoned off during the scene. Police and fire officials will be present, film spokesperson Sherri Lipscomb told the Eagle.

"This film touches on racism, gender identity, and lot of issues that were as pertinent today as they were then," Lipscomb said. "The story is about 'Love thy neighbor' and acceptance. To tell the story, we need to burn this cross. We are not condoning it of course. We just need to do it in order to tell the story."

Only A Few Days Left... A small donation is all we need Second Samuel tackles conflict, race, autism and what it means to be a good samaritan in a small, southern Georgia community during the 1940s. Everyone at some point has felt like they dont belong and this film tells that story in a beautiful way. Help us share this wonderful story! We only have a few days left to reach our Kickstarter goal so please click the link to give! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/865086857/second-samuel-movie?ref=79ioy6 Posted by Second Samuel Movie on Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Other filming locations include Porter Hardware in Dothan, a private residence in Dothan, Landmark Park, a road near the National Peanut Festival Fairgrounds and other locations in Abbeville, she said.

The story is adapted from Pamela Parker's play, which takes place in 1949 in the small south Georgia town of Second Samuel. One of the town's most beloved residents, Miss Gertrude, has died and the town is preparing for her funeral. Miss Gertrude's death reveals a secret that leaves the town reeling. The story is narrated by the character Bernard 'B' Flat, a developmentally-challenged young man, the Eagle reported.From outward appearances, Fairhope can be considered an envy of Alabama cities as the state's fastest-growing municipality since the 2010 U.S. Census.

The bayfront city is adorned with charm. Quaint shops, art galleries and homegrown eateries burst nightly with activity. Popular festivals attract tens of thousands of people annually. Flowers dot the landscape.

But for the past 18 months, Fairhope's politics have been anything but lovely. Power plays at city hall often pit Mayor Karin Wilson and her supporters against the five-member City Council and Wilson's critics.

In the past two weeks, those battle lines hardened further as the two sides debated the fate of Fairhope's police chief. The divide was illustrated by two council meetings that the warring factions attended separately. The mayor's detractors filled up the council chambers during a special-called meeting on June 4, followed by a stronger showing of Wilson proponents on Monday.

The friction brought calls for the mayor to resign, counter-calls for the council president to step aside and accusations from both sides about a lack of trust.

The mayor's husband even stood up and spoke out on Monday, accusing the council of orchestrating the June 4 outrage against the mayor, while defending his wife's character.

Meanwhile, resident Ron Allen said, "I've been coming to these meetings the last 10 to 11 years and I don't know what to say, but this has just got to stop. It's nasty. It's not being adults. It's not people who are mature. It's got to stop."

'Harassment, bullying'

The latest discord first began its boil on June 1, when a city press release was released announcing the retirement of Police Chief Joe Petties. Petties is a notable law-enforcement figure in the coast region, being an African-American chief in a city that's more than 85 percent white.

The press release caused shock, and Petties himself claimed he would be willing to reconsider retirement as long as the police department oversight was handled by the City Council, rather than the mayor's administration.

Council members said they were unaware of the chief's pending retirement, but Wilson said the announcement was based on paperwork Petties had filed with the Retirement Systems of Alabama in Montgomery.

A hastily-arranged special meeting was meant for the council to discuss an interim replacement. The meeting drew a large crowd, all of whom appeared to be Petties supporters and many of whom were Wilson detractors. The meeting quickly evolved into a town hall-style forum, where attendee after attendee praised Petties and talked about how he often visited sick people and supported local businesses.

"He's been a great chief who caters to everybody," said resident Johnny Chaney. "He doesn't choose any sides."

Petties spoke, too, flanked at the podium by numerous former city employees who had been either fired or had retired since Wilson took over as mayor in 2016.

Petties accused the mayor of attacking his integrity and orchestrating a "ploy for me to surrender my position." He said he received a poor evaluation late last month from the mayor, which he claimed was the first "deplorable" review he's gotten in his 35-year law enforcement career.

"This evaluation was filled with negative statements and lies," the chief said.

Petties said that the mayor also accused him of intimidating or harassing city employees. He said he was asked to assign lieutenants to handle those interactions.

"Mayor Wilson called one of my lieutenants and stated that I needed to retire while I still had my integrity intact and that the police department was like the Titanic, a sinking ship, under my leadership," said Petties. "This just confirmed my thought that Mayor Wilson was bound and determined to force me out."

At one point, Petties had to stop speaking and was overcome with emotion. His wife had to finish his thoughts. "My retirement should be a joyful one ... I feel I should be able to finish the rest of my term freed from harassment and bullying," the Petties statement concluded.

'Political'

Wilson declined to talk specifics about her review of the chief, calling it a confidential matter.

"As mayor, it is my job to do evaluations," she said. "I do that for all department heads. If he wants to share it, he can. I support anything he wants to do - stay or retire - and I didn't ask him to retire."

Wilson said that Petties told her that he had intended to retire at the end of former Mayor Tim Kant's term in late 2016. Petties was appointed as chief in 2013, while Kant was in office, replacing former Chief Bill Press, who was also embroiled in a city power struggle.

Wilson said that Petties decided to stay on the job to help with the transition.

Petties said he and his wife traveled to Montgomery to speak with representatives at the Retirement Systems of Alabama to discuss a July 1 retirement. He said that retirement is the only way to leave "on my own terms."

Fairhope Police Chief Joe Petties speaks during a Tuesday, June 4, 2018, Fairhope City Council meeting. (photo from the city of Fairhope's website)

Council members, following Petties's statement, said they were unaware of what had transpired. They said the public commentary at the June 4 meeting was not "rehearsed" and they all asked Petties to reconsider his retirement. Some of the council members even tore up a resignation letter that Petties had written.

The council voted unanimously to explore possible options that would allow it to take control of the police department from the mayor, and Petties said he'd remain with the city until the council's analysis is complete. A report is expected within the next couple of weeks.

Wilson, meanwhile, said: "It's unfortunate that this is turned into something about me," a comment which elicited audience boos. "There is nothing I can say to this group. I don't talk about personnel matters. You won't hear it from me. The reality is this has been a very political town in the past 1-1/2 years and there has been a lot of opportunities for people to point the finger and that should not happen when it comes to personnel."

Councilman Kevin Boone, a Wilson nemesis on the council, responded: "It is about the mayor. You are in charge of the employees. This is a hostile environment. We've had six other employees up there speaking about how bad of a situation it was which forced them to resign. It's about the mayor."

Said Wilson: "It's political."

'Packed crowd'

A week later - on Monday - it was Wilson's side who came to speak out at the council meeting. The view of the pro-Wilson crowd was that the council had ginned up the outrage against the mayor.

"What you guys put on last week, I was told not to watch and I haven't watched it," said the mayor's husband, Kiefer Wilson, referring to the council meetings which are taped and broadcast on the city's website. "What you guys displayed was horrible. I think it was all orchestrated. I think you call your special friends and disgruntled employees. It was made to make her look bad. The more you do that, the tougher we get."

He added, "When you question my wife's character, you question me."

Dean Mosher and Jay Harlan, both Wilson proponents, also accused the council of staging the June 4 meeting.

They both focused particular ire on Jack Burrell, the council president

Harlan said Burrell's actions were "unmanly" and a "sissy thing to do." Harlan said, "You planned the whole thing. You packed the crowd."

Bobby Green, a Fairhope resident, likened the audience at the June 4 meeting to a "mob."

Mosher questioned why other council members, instead of Burrell, had not offered to serve as the council president. Burrell has served in that role for six years.

Harlan said he believed Burrell is purposely trying to get the mayor removed or is forcing her to resign so he can become mayor.

Said Burrell: "I didn't orchestrate anything. This is more character assassination that I've endured for the past year and a half."

He added, "I don't have any sights on being mayor. There is no conspiracy. I have a great paying job. I'm a full-time engineer. I don't have dreams of being the mayor right now."

Wilson also had an ally in A.J. Cooper, the former mayor of Prichard from 1972-1980, who is a Fairhope business owner. He said that Wilson, as mayor, has the authority to act as the city's top executive.

"This is not about race, it's not about political parties," said Cooper. "It's about how do we manage the cities."

There were also Wilson detractors at Monday's meeting, such as Jesse Patterson who directly asked the mayor if she would resign. Said Wilson, "That's a resounding 'No.'"

"I've never seen such a blatant misuse of power as I've seen with the current mayor," said Melanie Beiser, a former city employee. "Over 25 employees have left since this mayor was elected, and that is over 400 years of experience."

'Ground Zero'

The meeting on Monday also underscored the dire relationship between Wilson and the five-member, all-male council.

Wilson said none of the council members have reached out to her to request a meeting to try to improve relations and resolve disagreements.

Councilman Jay Robinson, who along with Jimmy Conyers and Robert Brown were first elected with Wilson in 2016, said he has never rejected a meeting with Wilson. He accused Wilson of making generalized statements that the council "refuses to meet with me."

Brown said that the trust between the two sides need to be rebuilt. He called the relationship at "Ground Zero."

Boone and Wilson then began arguing, with Boone emphatically saying he would not reach out to Wilson for anything. He said. "Mayor, you have misled me so many times. We cannot trust you. The last time I met with you, you asked me to leave. Why would I reach out to you if you asked me to leave and yelled?"

Said Wilson: "The only one who yells is you. The reality is that I'm the only one who reaches out. It has to go both ways."

Countered Boone: "Unfortunately, we can't trust you."

Kiefer Wilson, in the audience, then responded: "What you did, we can't trust you."

Said Boone: "You had your time to talk. We cannot trust her."

Said Kiefer Wilson: "I'm sure she feels the same way."A potential trouble spot continued to brew in the western Caribbean on Tuesday morning.

The National Hurricane Center said the area of disturbed weather is forecast to move into the southwestern Gulf of Mexico by this weekend, where it had a chance to develop. It's a low chance, though.

Development, if any, is expected to be on the slow side, the hurricane center said Tuesday morning.

The system has only a 20 percent chance of becoming a tropical depression over the next five days.

It is expected to move west to northwest over Central America and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula over the next few days and won't do much during that time.

But things could change by the end of the week, when -- and if -- the system makes it into the southwest Gulf.

Conditions there may be a bit more favorable for it to intensify.

The Gulf has already had one storm this year -- Subtropical Storm Alberto, which came ashore on the Florida Panhandle. The next name on the list is Beryl.

Name or not, the system will spread heavy rain over parts of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula.

It could also bring those tropical rains northward to the western Gulf Coast.

Here's a look at the seven-day rainfall forecast from the Weather Prediction Center. It shows areas along the Texas coast could get 3 inches of rain or more.

This is the seven-day precipitation forecast, showing that Texas could get several inches of rain through next week. (Weather Prediction Center)

So could this system have any effect on Alabama?

Not too much -- if it stays on its predicted path, according to Jack Cullen, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Mobile.

"As far as any impacts, the way it's projected to go now, west of here, any impact would just be increased moisture, increased rain, but no direct impacts," he said Tuesday morning. "If it was to come any farther east we could get a lot more rain, but right now it seems to be raining every day anyway."This is an opinion column.

Of course the mayor of Paint Rock, Ala., wants to keep the press - and other prying eyes - away from the business of her town.

Of course.

I mean, up to now Paint Rock - population 204 -- was best known as the spot where the Scottsboro Boys were yanked off a train in 1931 and railroaded for real. Yeah. Not a chamber of commerce moment.

And then there was the time a few years back when a former mayor sought to disband the police department - after the chief of police arrested that mayor's son for DUI.

Not a good look.

So the new mayor - Brenda Fisk - came to office with the idea of nipping bad publicity in the bud.

She proposed guidelines for the town's council meetings that not only bar media from attending without prior permission, but would lock out anyone who doesn't live or own property in the town.

Here's what the proposed regulations said:

Item 10: "All regular scheduled meetings are open to the residents/property owners of the Town of Paint Rock. Anyone not residing in the town limits, or anyone not owning property within the town limits will not be permitted without prior approval of the council."

And ...

Item 12: "Members of the media, i.e.: newspaper, television, radio, etc. will not be allowed without prior approval from the council majority. When asking for approval, you must present a valid reason/justification for the media to attend."

And this:

Item 13: "Recording of any meeting of the town council is not permitted. Posting of any Town minutes, email to council members, financial statements, etc., to ANY unauthorized media source is strictly forbidden."

Paint Rock has had its moments. (By Brian Stansberry)

Holy cow. All of this, so you know, is as illegal in Alabama as grand theft auto.

Hand it to Brandon Cox, editor and publisher of the Jackson County Sentinel. He called up Fisk, and listened to her hang herself on the silken stands of her ignorance.

"What goes on in Paint Rock is the business of the people who live in Paint Rock," she told him. "I really don't see the benefit for anyone outside of Paint Rock or who doesn't own property here to come to these meetings. They're open to anyone who lives here. Anyone else can stand outside the door, but I can close the door."

Then Cox called her BS, describing in a column how the town clerk said she thought the mayor consulted the Alabama League of Municipalities, and how the mayor's guidelines fly in the face of everything America is supposed to represent.

"We couldn't believe what we were reading," he wrote.

Man, it couldn't get any nuttier, right? Wrong.

After speaking to the League of Municipalites - where I was assured that "Oh no, not in any circumstance" would they advise a town to do something like that, I spoke to Mayor Fisk.

She said it was all a mistake. A ruse. She said she didn't know Cox, and didn't believe he was a reporter. So she talked to him and "fed him a line."

"We're not standing in the doorway telling people they can't come in," she said.

Except it was all true. She did propose the regulations and she said again she would would like to keep the media and outsiders out, but has since learned she can't do it.

The guidelines were recommended to the council, but were never approved, she said.

"It was not voted on," she said. "It's sitting dormant."

Thank Heaven for governmental inefficiency.

I asked her if there was something from the past that made her leery of outsiders or the press, and she said yes. Asked what those things were, she said "That's not important."

Nobody's business, I guess.

Fisk said Paint Rock is just trying to survive.

"Our little town is about to dry up and blow away," she said. "We don't have what we need to sustain ourselves."

With leadership like this, perhaps it shouldn't try.

John Archibald is a columnist for Reckon by AL.com. His column appears in The Birmingham News, the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Register and AL.com. Write him at jarchibald@al.com.

Paint Rock press restriction by John Archibald on Scribd

Paint Rock by John Archibald on ScribdAttorney General Jeff Sessions signaled Monday that victims of domestic abuse and gang violence generally will not qualify for asylum under federal law, a decision that advocates say will endanger tens of thousands of foreign nationals seeking safe harbor in the United States.

Sessions' ruling overturned a 2016 decision by the Justice Department's Board of Immigration Appeals that said an abused woman from El Salvador was eligible for asylum. The appeals board is typically the highest government authority on immigration law, but the attorney general has the power to assign cases to himself and set precedents.

Such cases can be appealed to the circuit courts, which are part of the judicial branch of government.

Sessions told immigration judges, whose courts are part of the Justice Department, that his decision "restores sound principles of asylum and long standing principles of immigration law." He said it will help reduce the growing backlog of 700,000 court cases, more than triple the number in 2009.

"We have not acted hastily, but carefully," Sessions said in the statement to the judges. "In my judgment, this is a correct interpretation of the law."

To qualify for asylum, foreign nationals must establish that they have a fear of persecution in their homeland based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or "membership in a particular social group," a catch-all category that has in the past included victims of domestic violence and other abuse.

But in the ruling, Sessions said such cases would be less common going forward.

"Generally, claims by aliens pertaining to domestic violence or gang violence perpetrated by non-governmental actors will not qualify for asylum," he wrote. "The mere fact that a country may have problems effectively policing certain crimes-such as domestic violence or gang violence-or that certain populations are more likely to be victims of crime, cannot itself establish an asylum claim."

Critics called Monday's ruling the latest effort by the Trump administration to erode asylum protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, particularly those fleeing rampant gang violence and high homicide rates in Central America.

They said Sessions' decision overturns decades of legal efforts to protect abused women.

Michelle Brane, director of the Women's Refugee Commission's Migrant Rights and Justice program, said in a statement: "Women and children will die as a result of these policies."

The American Immigration Council, a nonprofit immigrant advocacy group, said Sessions is "taking away a vital lifeline" for victims of severe domestic and gang violence.

"Today's decision by the Attorney General is yet another attempt to close our doors," Beth Werlin, executive director of the American Immigration Council. "Turning our backs on victims of violence and deporting them to grave danger should not be the legacy sought by any administration."

The Trump administration has accused migrants of exploiting the asylum system to gain entry to the United States, aware that the immigration courts are so backlogged that their cases could take years to complete.

To discourage people from coming to the United States, federal officials recently adopted a "zero tolerance" policy for illegal border crossings, criminally prosecuting people even if they are seeking asylum or have crossed the border with their children. Such criminal prosecutions mean separating parents from their children.

Monday's ruling by Sessions centers on an asylum case filed by a Salvadoran woman who entered the United States illegally in 2014. She said she was escaping from an ex-husband who had physically and emotionally abused her for years, even after she moved elsewhere in El Salvador. The woman said her ex-husband had raped her, and his brother, a police officer, had also threatened her.

A Charlotte, North Carolina-based immigration judge denied the woman asylum. She appealed and, in 2016, the board ruled in her favor, saying it was clear that the Salvadoran government was unable to protect her even after she moved to another part of the country. The board based its ruling partly on a 2014 precedent, known as the Matter of A-R-C-G, which Sessions also vacated Monday, saying it was "wrongly decided."

The attorney general's ruling said it is still possible that crime victims could win asylum in the United States, but they would have to pass a tougher test in the courts, including showing that their home government is unable or unwilling to protect them, and that they cannot safely relocate to another part of their own country.

The case is one of severalSessions has assigned to himself since becoming attorney general. In March, Sessions ended a requirement that asylum seekers get a full hearing before an immigration judge, making it easier for judges to close cases they deem frivolous or unlikely to succeed.

Hours before he issued Monday's decision, Sessions told immigration judges that it will be their "duty to carry out this ruling." He has also ordered them to complete 700 cases a year, imposing a quota system for the first time.Several senior former Libyan officials under Muammar Gaddafi currently in prison for a range of crimes are about to be released over health concerns, the New Arab reports.

Seddik al-Sour; director of the attorney generals investigations office aligned with UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) told The New Arab on Monday several dignitaries of the deposed regime would be freed this week at medical advice.

The decision was made after doctors confirmed that the inmates are in critical condition and that they cannot be treated inside prison, he said.

Those to be freed include Abu-Zaid Dorda, who served as the Gaddafi regimes spy chief, former Military Intelligence official Abdel Hamid Ammar and former Air Force Chief Abdel Karim al-Kadeiki.

The men were locked up along with dozens others in 2015 in trials that found them guilty of serious crimes.

Dorda, 74, was sentenced to death along with nine others. Other defendants were handed life sentences or short-term sentences.

The convicts had been linked to crimes ranging from killing to torture of participants in the NATO-backed revolution that brought down the regime of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.The world's largest travel website, TripAdvisor, has deemed Alabama State Parks are the place to be in 2018.

Seven Alabama State Parks earned nine Hall of Fame honors and 12 parks in the 22-park system have earned Certificates of Excellence. The parks achievements total at 16 Certificates of Excellence this year.

"The most rewarding facet of this recognition is that it comes from visitors' opinions and rankings," said Director of Alabama State Parks Greg Lein. "For seven parks to receive Certificates of Excellence for five straight years is remarkable. We are so proud of our staff and volunteers for the hard work they do that is reflected by the high regard our visitors hold in the parks."

The Hall of Fame winners are Cathedral Caverns State Park, Chewacla State Park, DeSoto State Park, Gulf State Park, Joe Wheeler State Park, Monte Sano State Park and Oak Mountain State Park.

The Hall of Fame status is awarded to parks, venues, businesses and attractions who have received a Certificate of Excellence for five consecutive years. To be considered for the Hall of Fame status, parks must maintain a rating of at least four out of five on the TripAdvisor website, have a minimum number of reviews and have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least a year.

The Alabama State Parks span approximately 48,000 acres of land and water.

While many of Alabama's parks were recognized for one category of excellence, Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores was honored in three areas.

Four parks were consistent winners, having picked up honors in 2017 and 2018. Cheaha State Park in Delta, DeSoto Falls, Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail at Gulf State Park, Lake Guntersville State and Wind Creek State Park were recognized for their waterfalls, hiking trails, outdoor activities, mountains and nature.

Meaher State Park in Spanish Fort and Rickwood Caverns State Park Warrior were first-time awardees for Certificated of Excellence.

To learn more about the Alabama State Parks in your area, click here.The Center for Biological Diversity Monday sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on claims it failed to protect the habitat for spring pygmy sunfish under the Endangered Species Act.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

In the lawsuit, the Center explained that the spring pygmy sunfish has been driven "locally extinct" in two of the three springs it was known to live. The fish are now found in the six stream miles, 1,435 acres of spring pools and other wetlands near the Beaverdam Spring and Creek watershed.

The Center claims this remaining habitat for the fish is at risk of being destroyed by plans to build an automobile plant in the watershed. Toyota Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. announced plans to build an automotive plant just west of Huntsville and adjacent to the Beaverdam Spring and Creek complex.

"Habitat destruction pushed this little fish to the brink of extinction, and it'll be the final nail in the coffin if the Service doesn't protect what little habitat remains," said Elise Bennett, a staff attorney at the Center. "Allowing urban sprawl and manufacturing plants to degrade the spring pygmy sunfish's unprotected pools and wetlands puts the entire species at risk."

The Center petitioned to protect the spring pygmy sunfish under the Endangered Species Act in 2009. The Fish and Wildlife Service protected the sunfish as a threatened species in 2013 and proposed protections for eight stream miles and 1,617 acres of spring pool and spring-influenced critical habitat in Limestone County.

In the lawsuit, The Center claimed the Fish and Wildlife Service has not finalized its critical habitat proposal more than four years after the species was listed as threatened in October 2013. The fish has twice been considered extinct since its discovery in 1937.

The spring pygmy sunfish is a tiny fish that rarely grows more than an inch. It lives in the dense aquatic vegetation around springs in the Tennessee River Drainage.

The Toyota-Mazda plant is projected to be a 2,400-acre site with two manufacturing lines that will produce up to 300,000 cars each year. The plant is projected to be up and running by 2021.

The Center claims the new roads, buildings and parking lots that will come with the plant will "impact water quality and disrupt water flow to the springs where the rare fish lives," pushing the fish into extinction.

"The spring pygmy sunfish's clean springs, flowing creeks and spring-fed wetlands are precious to wildlife and people," Bennett said. "The spring pygmy sunfish's struggle is a warning that we need to protect these waters before it's too late."A Lauderdale County woman is accused of forging more than $16,000 worth of checks from her employer's bank account, authorities said.

Carnley Melton is indicted on 53 charges, police said.

Carnley Melton, 37, of Killen, is indicted on 50 counts of possession of a forged instrument and three counts of first-degree theft, Florence police announced today.

An investigation into Melton began in August 2017 when her boss, a local builder, contacted police. The builder told police there had been unusual expenditures on the business account, said Capt. Brad Holmes in a news release.

"Detectives opened an investigation into the case and found evidence that Melton had written checks from the business account without permission," Holmes said.

Melton was arrested Monday. She was released from the Lauderdale County jail on $90,000 bail.Is the proverbial missing link swimming in the waters off the Alabama coast?

I think so every time I see a searobin, an exceptionally bizarre fish that has spindly legs for walking and giant, wing-like pectoral fins that open and close as it strolls across the bottom, like the wings of a bird in flight. More to the point, sea robins are reported to occasionally take actual flight, soaring over the surface of the sea like flying fish. (I have never witnessed a flying searobin, though I have seen many flying fish. I take this report of flying searobins with a few grains of salt).

So we have a walking, and perhaps flying, fish living right in the Gulf of Mexico. Worth noting, searobins are also heavily armored, with thick skulls covered in armored plates. Few predators can eat them, as their bodies are so tough.

Is it such a leap to imagine a long ago version of this strangely tough, walking fish as the first creature to crawl out of the primordial sea and walk upon the land?

It's not for me.

In fact, I see the searobin as the whole evolutionary package: legs to become a skittering land creature, and large wings to become a master of the air. Really, the little fish is quite extraordinary. And if searobins are not the actual missing link, their unique body appointments certainly point us toward the idea that such a missing link back 100 million years ago was not only possible, but perhaps even probable.

Check out the legs on this searobin. These fish, with bird-like wings for pectoral fins, actually walk across the seafloor on fins modified into legs.

Now, scientists will tell you that the "legs" are actually modified fins and equipped with sensors that help detect crustaceans and other creatures hiding in the sand. But that doesn't change the fact that the searobin uses those modified fins to walk on the seafloor. I followed several searobins around during a dive last week and filmed them strolling. There can be no mistake when you see a sea robin ambling across the seafloor. The fish has a set of six appendages that appear to function exactly like a set of legs on an insect.

If I kept my distance, they'd stroll along in front of my camera. But, if I strayed a hair too close, they'd suddenly flap their giant pectoral fins for a burst of speed and swim away.

There are about a dozen species of searobins in the Gulf. The video accompanying this story captures a bandtail searobin, definitely one of the prettiest members of the clan. They sport rusty patches on the snout and chin and large and obvious tendrils over each nostril and eye.

Here's how Dr. Bob Shipp describes the searobin family in his excellent book, Dr. Bob Shipp's Guide to the Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico: "The searobins are fascinating fishes, with heavily armored spiny heads, and gaudy, strikingly marked pectoral fins. Separate finger-like rays serve as tiny feet for these fishes as they walk along the bottom. Although their appearance might be frightening at first, these harmless fellows are docile and fascinating. They also have the greenest eyes of any fish I know."US President Trump and North Korean leader Kim sign a declaration that aims to achieve denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula.

This is absolutely historic. Never before have the leaders of these two countries met. These are countries that are still technically at war. However, it may be historic that they are meeting, but no one should think that this is a deal.

US President Donald Trump and South Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed an agreement on Tuesday but this is likely going to be a long and bumpy road ahead.

The other main observation is how fast this has moved.

Today is 364 days since Otto Warmbier, a student the US accuses North Korea of torturing, was brought back to the United States and then died.

If you think of that period of last summer, it was probably the tensest period in the relationship between North and South Korea over the last 70 years.

Then more nuclear tests and missile tests followed, answered by Trump with language about fire and fury, threatening to totally destroy North Korea.

We sort of know what then happened.

Al Jazeera learned that the day after Trump spoke at the General Assembly in September, the North Korean foreign minister met Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, saying the UN could send a senior UN official to Pyongyang.

Weeks later Jeffrey Feldman, the then-political affairs chief of the UN went to North Korea, where he said that Kim made an overture, suggesting that he should offer an olive branch by sending a delegation to the Olympics in South Korea.

This move opened up diplomacy between South Korea and North Korea.

The South Koreans got the CIA involved and they led the US initiative, leading to the secret meeting between Pompeo and Kim in Pyongyang at Easter, where it was revealed that diplomacy had reached a different pace.

Pompeo returned to Pyongyang, on-off contacts continued, which have led to this historic summit today.

This was probably the biggest day of diplomacy in the last decade, apart from one other day, when the JCPOA, or Iran deal, was finally signed in Vienna in July 2015.

And that was the deal that Trump has pulled out of, setting himself an extremely high bar for the Korean diplomatic process.

Trump needed to find something better than the Iran deal. All of this makes it fascinating, interesting, historic, but very much in its early stages.At least 78 Palestinians have been documented missing since the beginning of the Israeli occupation in 1948.

Mulki was four years old when his father went to war, and has one sole memory of him.

He came into the house wearing his military uniform and carrying a box of red apples, the 55-year-old told Al Jazeera.

His older siblings would always tell him how their father was always in uniform, and was the first person in the village to own a radio.

One photograph is all that Mulki and his siblings have left of their father, Mahmoud Suleiman.

Mahmoud left to fight in what has become to be known as the 1967 Six Day War, and promised his young children at the time he would be back.

Fifty-one years later, he still has not returned, and none of his family members have heard anything from him.

Fate unknown

On June 5 of that year, the Arab armies appealed to its male citizens to join their ranks, as the war between them and Israel was about to erupt.

Mahmoud, who was 33 years old and working for a porter company, immediately heeded the call. He joined the Jordanian army, whose government had administered the West Bank since 1948.

My father at the time was home on sick leave because he had broken his wrist, Mulki, 55, told Al Jazeera.

Mahmoud, who was living in the village of Beit Ur, west of the West Bank city of Ramallah, was summoned to the Second King Hussein Battalion, which had its headquarters in the Bani Yacoub area in Jerusalem.

Despite the familys attempts to prevent Mahmoud from leaving due to his health, he insisted on meeting the armys call. He wore his military uniform, bid his family farewell and left.

Mulki Suleiman was four years old when his father went off to fight with the Jordanian army in the 1967 Six Day War [Shatha Hammad/Al Jazeera]

Like thousands of other Palestinians during the war, Mahmouds wife and her six children fled to Jordan. As soon as the war was over, which ended with the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip, West Bank, occupied East Jerusalem, the Sinai Peninsula and the Syrian Golan Heights, the family began to look for Mahmoud.

Everyone was looking for my father but we did not know whether he was dead or alive, Mulki said.

After months of unsuccessful appeals to the Red Cross and the battalion, the family, which had lost its breadwinner, started receiving a pension from the Jordanian army.

Furthermore, the army announced that Mahmoud had been killed and issued a death certificate, despite the fact that there was no evidence of him being killed.

We lost hope

Decades later, towards the end of the 90s, Mulki brought his fathers case to the attention of local media, which coincided with statements made by the Israeli government that it had killed scores of Palestinians who had crept back into the country from Jordan and carried out military operations.

Several war survivors told the Ouri family that they had seen Mahmoud, slightly injured, during the battle, confirming that he was indeed a participant during the war.

Yet Mulki said that after years of searching, he barely has any other confirmed accounts of what happened to his father.

We do not know if my father was martyred and buried in the cemeteries of numbers, he said, referring to Israeli closed military zones that contain mass graves of unknown Palestinian and Arab bodies that are marked with numbers.

We had hope that my father was still alive, but after all these years we lost it, he added.

We now only ask for a simple human right, to know where my father was buried, to visit his grave and read the Quran to him, Mulki said.

Dangers of crossing the border

During the 1967 war, soldiers were not the only ones who went missing at the border, but civilians too, who tried to return from Jordan to their families in Palestine. This was the case with the parents of Abdel-Majeed Mustafa Hamdan, from the village of Aroura, north of Ramallah.

Abdel-Majeed, who is now 81 years old, sits in front of his library with an oil painting of his mother, Zubaida Hassan. Behind him is a black and white photograph of his father, Mustafa Hamdan.

These are the only things he keeps to remember his parents, unlike his three brothers who until this day have held on to their mother and fathers clothes.

Two months before the war broke out, Zubeida had traveled to Kuwait to visit her eldest son. When June came around, her husband Mustafa insisted on going to Kuwait to bring her back to Palestine, fearing that they would be denied the right to return, as had previously happened with Palestinians in 1948.

The couple returned to Amman in August and stayed at the Al-Karama camp with a relative.

Twenty-five people, including my parents, were preparing to return to Palestine by crossing the border at 3am on August 13, despite the warnings and the stories that had been circulating about the Israeli army killing those who infiltrated the border, Abdel-Majeed said.

That was the last day his parents were seen. For the next few months, Abdel-Majeed and his brothers frantically searched for their parents in prisons, hoping they were arrested and not killed.

Abdel-Majeed Hamdans mother, Zubaida, was shot along with her husband and 21 people as they tried to cross the border to reach their families in Palestine [Shatha Hammad/Al Jazeera]

Then in February the following year, their worst suspicions were confirmed.

Two members of the group that included his parents relayed the events of that pre-dawn morning.

My parents and the rest of the group were crossing the Jordan River, when two members became too afraid to carry on and turned back, Abdel-Majeed said.

At the same time, the Israeli army directed their searchlights towards the group and began to shoot at them.

The two, who survived the massacre, suffered from deep psychological trauma at the massacre they had witnessed, and were unable to talk about what had happened until six months later.

They confirmed that the Israeli army had killed the whole group in front of them, while they had evaded death by hiding in the small bushes.

We heard a lot about the killing of Palestinians on the border and the corpses floating on the river, Abdel-Majeed said.

To this day Abdul-Majeed does not know what exactly happened to his parents, but he is certain that they have died.

Even today, we do not know the burial site of my father and mother, which is the only thing we wish to know today, in order to visit their graves, says Abdul-Majeed.

I am sure that the Israeli army killed my elderly parents and many others on the border. This is confirmed by many accounts, which deny Israels claims about the transparency of its weapons usage.

The Israeli army lost its humanity and killed innocent unarmed people who were only trying to get to their families.

Difficulties in documenting missing people

Salwa Hammad, a coordinator of a campaign to recover the bodies of Arab and Palestinians held by the Israel, said that the campaign is trying to find out the fate of people whose families have reported the missing of their loved ones at various times since the beginning of the Israeli occupation.

The campaign, which was founded in 2008, regularly receives reports from families confirming the loss of their children and who accuse Israel of being responsible for their fates.

According to Hammad, 78 Palestinians have been documented missing, with the oldest case going back to 1951.

The largest number of missing people documented goes back to 1967, where 43 Palestinians have been reported by their families.

The real number of missing persons exceeds the number we have documented, especially since the documentation process takes place through direct contact with families who provide us with information and details about those missing, Hammad said.

Salwa Hammad is part of a campaign documenting missing Palestinians since the beginning of the Israeli occupation [Shatha Hammad/Al Jazeera]

Hammad said that during the process of documenting missing persons, the campaign faced a problem that began with obtaining information from people who lived in villages along the border, who said they have buried scores of people killed by the Israeli army.

This problem has complicated tracing and documenting the cases of missing people, she said.

Israel does not recognise the burial of many Palestinians killed in the cemeteries of numbers, which include at least 253 Palestinians, and also does not recognise the missing Palestinians and Arabs.

In 2017, Israel admitted to the detention of only 124 bodies of missing Palestinians, and refused to recognise the rest of the held or missing bodies.

Besides Palestinians, people from several Arab countries, including Syria, Lebanon and Egypt, are unaccounted for.

However, the campaign has not been able to refer to the Israeli courts with these files through legal procedures, which Hammad describes as a difficult and thorny process.

The hope of finding missing people is still fresh among many Palestinian families, who suspect that their lost children may still be alive and are in Israeli secret prisons.

As long as they do not see the body, they will cling to that hope of finding them alive, Hammad said. Its a form of psychological torture, and the practise of withholding bodies is a violation of international law.

For families like Mulki Suleiman and Abdel-Majeed Hamdan, the only thing they want is to know where their loved ones lie.The story behind a popular Ramadan dish of fried vermicelli noodles and dark raisins in sweet coconut milk.

Unguja, Zanzibar  On a rainy morning on the predominantly Muslim islands of Zanzibar, 48-year-old Howingkao Howai bounds into Kariakoo Noodles Producer with pep in his step.

As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan draws to an end, Howingkao and his team are in the thick of a noodle-making frenzy.

In Zanzibar, Ramadan is not complete without the sweet promise of tambi (noodles in Swahili) at iftar  the evening meal to break the daily fast.

One of Zanzibars most popular Ramadan dishes, tambi is made of fried vermicelli noodles and dark raisins simmered in sweet coconut milk with dashes of cardamom, vanilla and cinnamon.

The noodles, made in small batches by Chinese family-owned noodle factories on the sister islands of Unguja and Pemba, are a testament to Zanzibars long-standing history of trade with China dating back to 1000 AD.

Amid the buzz and boil at the Kariakoo Noodles on Unguja, Howingkao explains: I was born in Zanzibar, and I come from a family of seven children. I started working at the noodle factory as a young man, and Ive been working here ever since. This [noodle-making] business is in our blood.

Howingkaos father, Hojofat Howai, was born in southern China in the Cantonese port city of Guangzhou.

In the early 1930s, he travelled with his father (Howingkaos grandfather) by sea to the island of Pemba, where the family found work trading cloves and sea cucumbers. The Howai family briefly considered moving back to China in the 1940s, but World War II meant times were lean and transportation by ferry or plane nearly impossible.

With a growing family of four sons, Hojofat Howai and his wife decided to stay and establish a noodle-making factory in Chake Chake, Pemba.

The Howingkao

to Zanzibar, but Zanzibaris made it their own.]

When Zanzibars 1964 revolution triggered a mass exodus, the Howai family once again considered leaving, but Howingkaos father decided it was better to stay.

They relocated to Unguja to open Kariakoo Noodles, which Howingkao and his older brother Hing manage today.

Five different Chinese family-owned noodle factories with generational roots in Zanzibar currently operate on Unguja alone, with a few other noodle shops on Pemba. Howingkaos cousin Kao also runs a noodle factory around the corner, but they operate as independent businesses with competitive yet similar prices.

The Chinese introduced tambi [noodles] to Zanzibar, Howingkao explains, but Zanzibaris made it their own.

A family business

Mrs Chen, Howingkaos cousin in her late 60s, believes it was her father, Chen Nang, also from Guangzhou, who first popularised the flour-based noodle in Zanzibar.

In the 1920s, Chen Nang travelled by sea to Zanzibar to make a living in the sea cucumber export business. He moved around Unguja a lot and noticed Swahili villagers labouring to make small batches of rice flour noodles by hand.

This was hard work  a struggle from start to finish, Mrs Chen remembers her father telling her.

In Zanzibar, Ramadan is not complete without the sweet promise of tambi [Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein/Al Jazeera]

In the 1930s, Chen Nang returned to Guangzhou, got married and returned to Unguja with his wife and a hand-cranked noodle machine.

When my father returned to Zanzibar with that machine, it changed a lot of lives. A long time ago, without electricity on the hand, this way of making noodles became very popular. Everyone started asking for this tambi. And the rest is history! says Mrs Chen.

The history of ancient maritime trade and cultural exchange with China dates back thousands of years. Chinese Admiral Zheng He of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was born into a Muslim family but worshipped Tietan, the patron goddess of seafarers and sailors.

He reached East African shores on impressive fleets in the early 1400s  long before Vasco de Gama  trading porcelain and silk for ivory and ostriches with traders along the Swahili Coast.

Tambi is made of fried vermicelli noodles and dark raisins simmered in sweet coconut milk with dashes of cardamom, vanilla and cinnamon [Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein/Al Jazeera]

Chinese immigrants have since settled in Zanzibar in waves during the 1930s, 1960s and 1990s, adapting to Swahili culture while maintaining ties to their own, often speaking Cantonese at home and fluent Swahili for business.

While tambi is not regular fare in Swahili cuisine, it is a unique Swahili delicacy eaten especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

Howingkao, who converted to Islam when he married a Muslim Zanzibari 20 years ago, thinks tambi is popular during the holy month because when we fast, we are looking for affordable ways to fill up at night, and tambi is much cheaper than cassava (a starchy root) or bananas. Think about it! You have five children. One bunch of bananas is 4,000 shillings ($2), but you havent purchased the fish yet! With tambi, you fill up fast. Buy a kilo at 2,000 shillings ($1), and it lasts you and your five children at least two nights.

Ramadan is really our season

Inside the steamy Kariakoo Noodles shop, with bright purple walls and white flour strewn everywhere, the team can barely keep up with demand, producing a years worth of tambi during peak season.

Were open year-round, but Ramadan is really our season when we make noodles around the clock, 24 hours a day, in 12-hour shifts, for nearly four months. After Ramadan, tambi is still available because we store it for retail or wholesale until it runs out.

Howingkao stops mid-step to consider the maths.

In a year, we use  96,000 kilos of flour.

The team produces a years worth of noodles during peak tambi season [Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein/Al Jazeera]

Jumanne, a 50-year-old noodle maker who has worked for Kariakoo Noodles for eight years, explains how the sweet spiced tambi dish begins with vermicelli noodles made from a simple mixture of water and white flour.

The dough is mixed in a small room filled with stacked flour sacks.

Two young men run the mixer then carry the dough by hand to a machine that flattens the dough into thin ribbons. Another team directs the long rivulets of dough through an extrusion machine, and a lone young man waits on a chair at the end of the line, ready to catch the long noodles in his hands as they slice through the blades.

He then slings the noodles onto wooden sticks that are transferred quickly into a large contraption full of boiling water heated by a blazing fire.

Jumanne says its essential for the noodles to boil and steam under a burlap cover for 30 minutes before transferring them to mobile drying racks.

His face glistening with sweat, he grabs a string or two and takes a bite, nodding his head in approval before another team wheels the racks of steaming noodles into the main storefront with the doors flung wide open onto a busy street scene.

It is vital for the noodles to boil and steam under a burlap cover [Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein/Al Jazeera]

Here, a group of energetic young men stand around tables chatting while they fold the piping hot noodles into little bundles resembling balls of messy yarn, placing them carefully on wooden-framed mesh trays.

Usually, hundreds of tambi bundles dry in the hot Zanzibari sun, but this years monsoon season has seriously dampened noodle production, prompting Kariakoo Noodles to stack the trays in a coal-burning sauna-like room, where temperatures can reach up to 60 degrees Celsius, to dry.

Really, thats the hardest part, standing in that [heated] room, it gets really hot in there, but Im used to it, says Jummanne. Throughout Ramadan, there are about eight or 10 of us here, and were always working, up to 12 hours a shift. Even my son worked with me for a while. Its good work while it lasts.

Even in the rain, a steady stream of tambi customers flows into Kariakoo Noodles all morning.

Ali, originally from Zanzibar and now living in the United Kingdom, stops in and leaves with five kilos of tambi.

We have a big family, theyll be happy now, he says.

Mohamed, who lives in Dar es Salaam, rides up on his motorcycle, picks up 20 kilos of tambi in a large striped bag and secures it tightly to the back of his bike.

Half [of the tambi] will stay here in Zanzibar, and half Ill take to Dar es Salaam on the first ferry tomorrow morning, he says putting on his helmet before riding off into the rain.After weeks of uncertainty about the planned US-North Korea summit, US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a comprehensive document. Kim claimed that the world will see a major change, while Trump described him as a very talented man who loved his country very much, and appeared willing to invite him to visit the White House.

The document apparently embodies four pillars: first, the two sides commit to establishing new  relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity; second, they will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula; third, North Korea reaffirms the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration [and] commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula; and fourth, they commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

Follow-up negotiations are also planned under the agreement.

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The possibility of a deal was signalled by Kim Jong-un at the beginning of the summit when he said, The old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward, but weve overcome all of them, and we are here today.

However, the text of the document does not contain much that is new. It merely recites already documented positions. Its real significance lies in the context in which it was signed and the accompanying statements by the two leaders.

In this sense, what old prejudices is Kim referring to and what change is the world likely to see? Are the two leaders simply promising to stop using characterisations such as little Rocketman or mentally deranged US dotard and avoid threatening to unleash fire and fury?

Or is the North Korean leader referring to deeper, older prejudices that have held back his country for decades? If so, is it really possible for him to overcome them and still stay in power?

The answer to these questions depends on a good understanding of how central these prejudices are to the very raison detre of Kim Jong-un-ism and his regimes survival.

If a transition towards the Chinese model is what the future holds, Trump might be doing China a massive favour.

His grandfather, Kim Il-sung, instituted a cult of personality in addition to a centralised system of self-reliance and extreme nationalism  juche. This ideology requires North Koreans to build their country by relying on their own resources under the guidance of the supreme leader. Following his death, his son and successor, Kim Jong-il, devised another doctrine to consolidate power, songun, or military first.

Kim Jong-un clearly embraces this doctrine  as he must to survive. In 2013, he described songun as a revolutionary idea that his father built by the strengthening of the KPA [Korean Peoples Army]  as the buttress, the main force, of our revolution and achieved the historic victory in the grim anti-imperialist, anti-US showdown in defence of the countrys security and socialism by training the KPA to be the army of the leader boundlessly faithful to the cause 

Surely, juche and songun qualify as old prejudices and represent obstacles to cooperation. Will North Korea jettison such core values?





If you think these are not enough, consider the Ten Principles in Establishing Partys Monolithic Ideological System, which remains the manifesto for the regime. Article 2.1 states The Great Leader Comrade Kim Il-sung is a genius of the revolution, the sun of the people and a legendary hero whom we must respect unendingly, revere eternally and come to with the greatest happiness and glory 

Article 4.3 commits people to Unconditionally accept, treat as a non-negotiable condition, and decide everything upon Kim Il Sungs instructions and in every act think only about his greatness. Further, article 4.10 pledges to Fight with all ones will against anti-Party and anti-revolutionary thinking trends that have its origin in capitalistic ideas  and retain the purity of revolutionary thought and Juche ideas of the Great Leader.

In other words, the old prejudices that are obstacles to cooperation are intrinsic to the North Korean state. If Kim Jong-un has to overcome them, he will have to accept the prospect of a much-diminished role in the future.

He knows that if North Koreans are told that there is a way to prosperity other than through self-reliance and that the imperialist US approach is not so bad after all, this risks undermining the regime.

Citizens might ask for justice for past wrongs and seek to overthrow the supreme leader because the entire edifice upon which his rule rests would be invalid. And there is plenty for Kim to fear. North Korea has a record of horrific human rights abuses. Tens of thousands are in prison and disappearances, executions, torture, rape, and forced labour are widespread.

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No rational leader would risk being held accountable for such crimes. The best-case scenario is that Kim Jong-un will seek a soft landing away from the Ten Principles and songun rather than a crash-and-burn outcome. That might mean a transition away from self-reliance and towards opening up the economy while maintaining pervasive social controls a la China in the era of Deng Xiaoping.

Even that carries significant personal risks to himself and the regime. Therefore, much like China, Kim is likely to retain his military capability. In such a scenario, Tiananmen Square-style events might occur. As all the historical evidence shows, once people experience freedom, they are reluctant to accept servitude.

Rights beget demands for more rights. This begs the obvious question: will the West stand by if such a crackdown occurs when North Korea opens up and its citizens demand more?

So, the sensible conclusion is that Kim Jong-uns idea of overcoming old prejudices hints at a much more limited conception of obstacles to North Koreas integration into the global economy. The farthest extreme of what is possible is post-Deng China: an open economy governed by a dictatorship.

If a transition towards the Chinese model is what the future holds, Trump might be doing China a massive favour. Kim Jong-un will naturally seek guidance from the Chinese to script such an outcome.

Once North Korea opens up and sanctions are lifted, Chinese enterprises will seize the opportunity to secure highly lucrative deals  from building infrastructure to supplying weapons to exploiting North Koreas cheap labour for its own purposes. This will not advance US interests.

In the end, if Trump succeeds in opening the door, his biggest challenge will be to stop China from coming in after him to steal the family jewels. That will be a presidency-defining transaction for the Dealer-in-Chief.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.The Singapore summit has not done more than legitimise the North Korean regime.

After months of nail-biting anticipation, US President Donald Trump held an historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jung-un.

The city-state of Singapore, a mercantile nation that has maintained robust ties with both sides throughout the years, hosted the two leaders at the luxurious Capella Hotel on Sentosa island.

Singapore spent close to $15m to cover the North Korean leaders accommodation, logistics of the meetings, as well as overall security for the two world leaders. International sanctions made it difficult for Kim to cover his overseas accommodation.

China, a close ally of North Korea, provided transportation logistics by offering an Air China plane, a retrofitted Boeing (747-4J6), for the 3,000-mile trip from Pyongyang to Singapore.

Kims official carrier, a four-decades-old Soviet-made Ilyushin Il-62 dubbed Air Force Un, was deemed unfit for the voyage.

Thousands of journalists flocked to Singapore to cover the historic summit.

But despite all these grand preparations and despite all the big expectations, the outcome of the summit proved largely disappointing. The US-North Korea joint declaration was a broadly generic document, containing no tangible compromise between the two sides.

In the end, what this summit achieved was have the US president indirectly legitimise a notorious dictator.

Much ado about nothing

Both men were desperate for this meeting, Trump perhaps even more so. The US president wanted to score his first major foreign policy achievement. His tenure in office, so far, has been marked by growing tensions with neighbours and allies as well as a massive collapse in US global influence.

He recently faced a barrage of criticisms over his trade policy, including the imposition of punitive tariffs on the US top trading partners, proposal for readmission of Russia to the G7, the abrupt withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal earlier this year and reneging on the Paris Agreement on climate change last year.





The North Korean leader, however, provided Trump a chance for diplomatic redemption, no matter how fleeting. Visibly pleased with his highly anticipated summit in Singapore, Trump reassuringly told Kim that they would have a tremendous relationship. The less enthused North Korean leader simply replied, Were here [gladly], overcoming everything to make this meeting happen.

In their joint declaration, Trump and Kim vowed to continue building a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. More specifically, the US committed to provide security guarantees to Pyongyang, while the latter reaffirmed [its] firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

Yet, there was no mention of Washingtons key demands, namely the Complete, Verifiable, and Irreversible Disarmament (CVID) of North Koreas nuclear infrastructure. Trump also provided no clear idea of the kind of security guarantees the US is willing to offer Pyongyang.

The two leaders simply underscored their firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. To Trump, perhaps the instantaneous media mileage generated by the event was more important than negotiating a truly consequential deal, which, according to leading experts, may take more than a decade to complete.

Thus, its hard to see the outcome of the summit as anything but a series of motherhood statements with little substance.

The two leaders will likely have to conduct reciprocal visits to each others capitals over the coming years before working out a final deal. The White House has indicated the possibility of multiple meetings between Trump and Kim, while diplomats and defence officials painfully hatch out the devil in the details of a final agreement.

A victory for Kim Jong-un

While there was little substance in the summit declaration, Kim came out as the winner of this set of talks. He basked in global stardom and managed to enhance his regimes legitimacy by engaging in high-stakes diplomacy with the support of all major powers. Thus the summit undoubtedly helped the Korean regime partially lift the veil of its profound international isolation.

Now, all key players, from China to South Korea, Singapore and the US, have a direct stake in ensuring that the peace negotiations move forward and as smoothly as possible. As a reward for the summit, Trump is expected to suspend joint military exercises with South Korea and contemplate the prospect of drawing down US military presence in the Korean Peninsula.

The announcement has provoked displeasure in Seoul, but it is music to the ears of the North Korean regime, which has managed to secure concessions from the US without necessarily agreeing to a clear denuclearisation plan. The summit was, in many ways, war by other means.

With Trump constantly heaping praise on the North Korean leader and dangling the prospect of full normalisation of bilateral ties, the reclusive regime is gradually and stealthily dispensing with its axis of evil pariah status. There is even talk of a Nobel Peace Prize for Trump and Kim.

As a result, the regime change agenda is definitively off the table for now. This could, over time, also weaken international resolve and the willingness of many nations, particularly outside the West, to implement international sanctions against North Korea.

Thus, the summit was a big win for Kim, giving him a deep measure of strategic respite. Over the coming months, the North Korean regime will explore its next move in chess-like, technical, and potentially drawn-out negotiations towards a final and enduring agreement.

At stake is not only Kims regime survival, but also the welfare of his people who are desperate for greater economic engagement with the world.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.Balkan peoples love to argue among themselves. Whether its squabbles about the past or fights in the present, there is plenty that puts neighbours at odds with one another.

One thing is beyond dispute however: the word compromise has a negative ring to it in nearly all languages of Southeast Europe. Politicians in Scandinavia or Germany might take pride in their ability to forge consensus and bridge opposing views. But their colleagues in the Balkans seem to thrive in confrontation, even when they wheel and deal with their adversaries behind the scenes.

The case is point is the so-called Macedonia name dispute. Ever since the former Yugoslav republic by that name gained independence in 1991, the dispute with neighbouring Greece became a centerpiece of the regions politics.

More than a quarter of a century has passed without Athens and Skopje settling their differences. And the outside world, for the most part, remains baffled by the dispute preventing the Republic of Macedonia, or FYROM if you wish, from joining NATO and starting membership talks with the European Union.

What is the dispute about?

Greece objects that the Republic of Macedonia implies a claim to the whole geographic region of Macedonia, of which more than half is part of Greek territory. Furthermore, the majority of Greeks have been alarmed by the appropriation by Slav Macedonian nationalists of Ancient Macedonian heritage. For them, Alexander the Great is part and parcel of Hellenic identity.

Resentment only grew when the centre-right VMRO-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity embarked on a campaign of antiquisation upon seizing power in Skopje in 2006. Under its populist Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, the capitals downtown area was revamped into what looks like a neoclassical-themed amusement park presided over by a humongous statue of Alexander the Great perched upon a fountain in the main square.





That made the quarrel even worse. Not only did the Greek government veto Macedonias entry into NATO but it also added the name of the majority population and their language to the list of problem issues.

But Slav Macedonians have their legitimate grievances, too. They have the right to self-determination and the right to choose what to call themselves, their language and, their country. Unlike Bulgaria, Greece had no objections when Macedonia was part of communist Yugoslavia, nor did it really push against the codification of a Slav Macedonian language after World War II and the recognition of a Macedonian nation within the federal system.

It was only post-independence that successive Greek governments raised alarm about irredentism and portrayed their feeble neighbour, barely making it safely out of the bloodshed ripping Yugoslavia apart, as a top national threat.

Skopje did push for the rights of ethnic Macedonians in northern Greece  arguably a minority among the Slav speakers in the region, most of whom share a Greek national identity.

But to say that the country poses a real challenge to Greece  a member of NATO and the European Union with a strong military and much larger economy  is stretching it too far. In fact, over the years Greece has become a key trade partner and leading investor across its northern border. And at the end of the day, it is in Athens interest to have its neighbour join the EU as an essential step towards stability and prosperity.

A compromise

Now the good news: There is a breakthrough. On June 12, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev announced that he and Greek Alexis Tsipras had struck a deal. Northern Macedonia will be the compromise name, a concession for Greece.

Skopje is meanwhile winning on the issues of naming the nationality (Macedonian citizens of Republic of Northern Macedonia) and the language (Macedonian). The adjective Skopje will be using in official communications would remain Macedonian.

The agreement is contingent on the outcome of a referendum in Macedonia and an endorsement vote by the Greek parliament.

The EU and NATOs role cannot be overstated. It has been the resolve of Zaevs government to shepherd Macedonia into the Western clubs which led to the settlement with Athens. Greece holds the key to joining the Atlantic Alliance and the EU.

The next meeting of the European Council, a gathering of heads of state and government, on June 28-29 will provide the venue where Zaev and Tsipras will present their agreement. If everything goes according to plan Skopje could be given green light for accession negotiations with the EU.

NATO is likely to invite Northern Macedonia as a member at its next summit in Brussels (July 11-12)  a full decade after a membership proposal was blocked during the Bucharest summit. Athens will then ratify the accession protocol in the autumn, together with the agreement on the name issue.





There are spoilers, however. The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has called on VMRO-DPMNE, now in opposition, to fight against an externally imposed compromise. He lauded Gruevski  who was recently sentenced by a court of first instance for embezzling public money  for coming to Europes rescue during the migration crisis of 2015-2016.

But in reality, VMRO-DPMNE might find it hard to defeat Zaev at the referendum. Together with the Albanian parties in his government, the prime minister should be able to garner sufficient support for the deal.

The ball is primarily in Tsipras court. Could he muster enough votes in parliament to get a deal through? The main opposition party, New Democracy (ND), is squarely opposed. So is Independent Greeks, an ND splinter faction which has governed in coalition with Tsipras Syriza since 2015.

This means that the prime minister would depend on support by other parts of the opposition, such as the leftist Movement for Changes. If Tsipras manages to shepherd it through the ratification process, he will win his place in history.

Badly needed good news

The breakthrough in the dispute is sure to have geopolitical repercussions.

Although formal accession will take time, (Northern) Macedonias entry into NATO will allow the West to claim a victory in the standoff against Russia. The country, which was on the brink of a civil conflict in early 2017, will earn plaudits as a success story of Euro-Atlantic engagement at a time when Europe and Canada, on one side, and the US, on the other, are at each others throats.

A symbolic gain, it will nonetheless boost morale, especially as it comes a year after Montenegro joined the alliance. The membership talks with the EU will be a boon for Skopje too, provided that skeptics such as France or the Netherlands do not raise last-minute objections.

EU dignitaries such as German Chancellor Merkel, who phoned Zaev and Tsipras in late May, appear to be enthusiastic. The compromise between Athens and Skopje is the sort of good news the Balkans badly needed. Let us hope that Zaev and Tsipras will pull it off.

NATO and the EU will be of tremendous help, as will Greece if it plays constructively, but the main responsibility for positive change lies with the Macedonian citizens.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.Dying cells generally have two options: go quietly, or go out with a bang.

The latter, while more conspicuous, is also mechanistically more mysterious. Now, scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have pinpointed what they believe is the molecular code that unleashes this more violent variety of cell death.

This particular version of cell suicide is called necroptosis, and it typically occurs as a result of some sort of infection or pathogenic invader. Necroptosis is sort of like the cells version of taking one for the team, said Jan Carette, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology. As the cell dies, it releases its contents, including a damage signal that lets other cells know theres a problem.

Seen in this light, necroptosis seems almost altruistic, but the process is also a key contributor to autoimmune diseases; its even been implicated in the spread of cancer.

In a new study, Carette and his collaborators discovered the final step of necroptosis, the linchpin upon which the entire process depends. They call it the death code.

Their work, which was published online June 7 in Molecular Cell, not only clears up what happens during this type of cell death, but also opens the door to potential new treatments for diseases in which necroptosis plays a key role, such as inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis. Carette is the senior author, and postdoctoral scholar Cole Dovey, PhD, is the lead author.

Initiating detonation

When a cells health is threatened by an invader, such as a virus, a cascade of molecular switches and triggers readies the cell for death by necroptosis. Until recently, scientists thought they had traced the pathway down to the last step. But it turns out that the entire chain is rendered futile without one special molecule, called inositol hexakisphosphate, or IP6, which is part of a larger collection of molecules known as inositol phosphates. Carette likens IP6 to an access code; only in this case, when the code is punched in, its not a safe or a cellphone thats unlocked: Its cell death. Specifically, a protein called MLKL, which Carette has nicknamed the executioner protein, is unlocked.

Genetic screens are a lot of fun because you never know what youre going to get.

This was a big surprise. We didnt know that the killer protein required a code, and now we find that it does, Dovey said. Its held in check by a code, and its released by a code. So only when the code is correct does the killer activate, puncturing holes in the cells membrane as it prepares to burst the cell open.

MLKL resides inside the cell, which may seem like an error on evolutions part; why plant an explosive in lifes inner sanctum? But MLKL is tightly regulated, and it requires multiple green lights before its cleared to pulverize. Even if all other proteins and signaling molecules prepare MLKL for destruction, IP6 has the final say. If IP6 doesnt bind, MLKL remains harmless, like a cotton ball floating inside the cell.

When its not killing cells, MLKL exists as multiple units, separate from one another. But when IP6 binds to one of these units, the protein gathers itself up into one functional complex. Only then, as a whole, is MLKL a full-fledged killer. Its like a grenade split into its component parts. None of them are functional on their own. But put back together, the tiny bomb is ready to inflict damage.

Weve come to realize that after the cell explodes, there are these alarm molecules that alert the immune system, Dovey said. When the cell releases its contents, other cells pick up on these cautionary molecules and can either shore up defenses or prepare for necroptosis themselves.

Screening for the Grim Reaper

In their quest to understand exactly how necroptosis occurs, Carette and Dovey performed an unbiased genetic screen, in which they scoured the entire genome for genes that seemed to be particularly critical toward the end of the pathway, where they knew MLKL took action. Before the IP6 finding, it was known that an intricate pathway impinged on MLKL. But only through this special genetic screen, in which they systematically tested the function of every gene at this end stage, were they able to see that IP6 was the key to necroptosis.

Genetic screens are a lot of fun because you never know what youre going to get, Carette said. We feel quite excited that weve been able to pinpoint IP6.

Their screen revealed that IP6 binds with especially high specificity. Other similar versions of inositol phosphate, such as IP3, didnt pass muster, and when bound to MLKL had no effect. This gave Carette an interesting idea. For conditions like irritable bowel disease, in which erroneous necroptosis contributes to the severity of the disease, it would be desirable to disable IP6 from binding under those conditions. Perhaps blocking the binding site, or tricking MLKL into binding to one of the other versions of inositol phosphate, could do the trick. Either way, Carette and his collaborators are now digging further into the structure of IP6 bound to MLKL to better understand exactly how the killer is unleashed.

In terms of drug discovery, inositol phosphates have been somewhat ignored, so were really excited to be able to look into these small molecules for potential therapeutic reasons, Carette said .

Other Stanford co-authors on the study are graduate student Jonathan Diep; postdoctoral scholar Jennifer Yinuo Cao, PhD; and assistant professor of biology Scott Dixon, PhD.

Carette is a member of Stanford Bio-X, Stanford ChEM-H and the Stanford Child Health Research Institute.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University, St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, the University of Texas, Princeton University, Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut fur Molekulare Pharmakologie, GlaxoSmithKline and Emory University also contributed to the work.

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants T32AI007328, DP2AI104557, 5T32GM007347, R01AI020211 and R01GM124404), the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital and the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities, the fundraising organization for St. Jude.

Stanfords Department of Microbiology and Immunology also supported the work.Prime Minister Bruno Tshibala rules out new election bid by long-time president in Decembers postponed poll.

The prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has said that President Joseph Kabila will not seek a third mandate in the countrys delayed elections because of constitutional term limits that prevent him from running again.

Kabila, whose second term officially ended in 2016, is constitutionally ineligible for Decembers poll, although his rivals accuse him of wanting to stay in power.

So far, he has not clearly stated whether he will step aside, despite appeals from the international community to publicly say he will not run for re-election.

But DRC Prime Minister Bruno Tshibala said on Tuesday that Kabila will respect the constitution.

The elections are going to take place without the participation of President Kabila, who will abide by the spirit and the letter of the constitution, he said in an interview on the sidelines of the International Economic Forum of the Americas conference in Montreal, Canada.

December election

The country has seen widespread anger over what some see as Kabilas refusal to relinquish power after the end of his second full term in December 2016.

Kabila came to power in 2001 after the assassination of his father, Laurent-Desire Kabila, the countrys third president.

He was elected in 2006 in the DRCs first democratic election since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960.

Kabila secured a second term in 2011, though that election was plagued by allegations of widespread voter fraud.

Currently, a DRC president can only serve two consecutive five-year terms.

According to the DRCs Independent National Electoral Commission, the elections  which have been postponed twice  will take place on December 23, 2018.

Last week, exiled opposition leader Moise Katumbi addressed thousands of supporters in the capital, Kinshasa, via video link and called for a united front against Kabila.Analysts say the aid offers more symbolic weight than actually helping Jordan wither its worst economic crises in years.

The Gulf states pledge of $2.5bn aid package to Jordan carries more symbolism and moral solidarity than a tangible solution to the countrys economic crisis, several current and former Jordanian officials say.

Analysts say the aid package, offered by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, might only provide Jordan with an estimated $150-$300m of annual direct budget support over a five-year period, falling short of the Middle Eastern nations immediate needs to balance its budget.

A one-time payment of between $500m and $1bn will go towards a direct deposit to Jordans Central Bank and the World Bank.

Hani al-Mulki was removed as prime minister after his efforts to reduce the budget deficit and implement tax reforms and subsidy cuts  backed by the IMF  sparked widespread protests.

The latest aid package, however, appears to have disappointed Jordanian officials and the public, who were hoping for a much larger package, similar to the one given by the Gulf nations between 2011 and 2017.

It carries more symbolic weight to Jordan than actual tangible economic solutions to its current crisis Jawad Anani, a former Jordan deputy prime minister

Jawad Anani, a former Jordan deputy prime minister for economic affairs in the previous government, told Al Jazeera that the aid packages details were vague.

It carries more symbolic weight to Jordan than tangible economic solutions to its current crisis, said Anani, who currently chairs Ammans stock exchange.

State of flux

The current Gulf aid package appears to be structured towards helping Jordan get more favourable loans from international lenders, something Jordan was hoping to avoid, had the Gulf states offered a cash grant.

This arrangement, according to analysts, puts the country in a state of flux because it does not address its immediate need for a cash infusion to cover its more than $1bn budget deficit.

Under the 2011 agreement, Jordan received $3.75bn from the three countries over a five-year period, structured to inject cash directly into the economy to generate growth and revenues.

Jordans debt has now reached around $38bn and its debt-to-gross-domestic-product ratio is currently at a record 96 percent up from 71 percent in 2011.

A major one of the problems that bedevil Jordans finances is the payments to service its debt, which in 2017 amounted to 21 percent of total revenue, or about $2bn, according to official figures.

Anani said: it is still too early to say how the Gulf nations will decide to structure their pledges to Jordan, but nevertheless, the amount falls too short of Jordans expectations and immediate needs.

For that reason, Anani argues, Jordan must work with the European Union and other countries to bring capital investments to the country to create jobs and generate revenues for the states budget.

The government should have reduced taxes and cut down on prices and fees to stimulate spending and generate growth Senior economist at Jordans Ministry of Finance

Political pressures

The three Gulf states pledged the total amount collectively, but it is still unclear how much each country will pay, a critical detail for Jordan.

Analysts fear that since the pledge was not a binding agreement, it could be subjected to political pressures within the donor countries especially if there was a change in leadership in their countries.

The absence of UAE crown prince and its de facto ruler, Mohamad Bin Zayed, from the meeting in Mecca where the aid package was discussed is also worrisome, according to senior Jordanian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

This could mean the UAE is less committed to helping Jordan than other states at this critical juncture, according to Jordanian government sources.

Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, represented the UAE at the meeting, which was attended by the heads of states of other two countries.

Upon his return from Saudi Arabia on Monday Jordans King Abdullah II expressed his appreciation for Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE and Saudi King Salman Bin Abdel Aziz for their brotherly Arab solidarity with Jordan.

Wrong economic policy?

A senior economist at Jordans Ministry of Finance told Al Jazeera that successive governments followed an incorrect procyclical fiscal policy, a policy that focused on increased taxation and prices hikes to cover its uncontrolled expenditures.

This policy resulted in less consumer spending which in turn limited the growth of the economy, said the official on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The government should have used a counter-cyclical approach by increasing government spending and reducing taxes to stimulate spending and generate growth, he added.

Mohamad Halaiqah, a former deputy prime minister for economic affairs, told Al Jazeera that while the Gulf aid while does not help much to ease his countrys finances directly, it would, however, help stabilise the countrys currency, the Dinar, and improve its creditworthiness to international lenders.

At this stage, its better than nothing and we should use any help we can get, he said.

Follow Ali Younes on Twitter: @ali_reportsFormer DRC vice president, who was acquitted last week of war crimes, expected to be reunited with family in Belgium.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has ordered the interim release under specific conditions of Jean-Pierre Bemba, the ex-vice president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, following his acquittal last week on war crimes charges.

The 55-year-old was acquitted on Friday and his 18-year sentence was overturned, but he remained in custody because he is awaiting a final sentencing in another case in which he was convicted of interfering with witnesses.

Judges imposed conditions on Bembas release, including that he not make public statements on the case or contact witnesses.

Bembas defence lawyers argued at a hearing on Tuesday that he was not a flight risk and that there is no legal or objective justification to separate Mr Bemba from his family for one day longer.

His lawyer Peter Haynes told journalists that the rebel commander-turned-politician planned to travel to Brussels, Belgium, to be reunited with his family who live there.

Bemba was the highest-ranking politician convicted by the permanent war crimes court, and his case had been seen as establishing a precedent that political and military officials may be held liable for the actions of troops under their command.

In what was described as a landmark ruling, Bemba was sentenced to 18 years in prison in June 2016 for five counts of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by his private army during a five-month rampage in the neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR).

Presiding judge Christine Van den Wijngaert said on Friday that Bemba could not be held responsible for atrocities carried out by troops under his control in the CAR, and that trial judges had failed to consider the efforts he made to stop crimes once he became aware of them.

His acquittal is a huge blow for prosecutors, as his conviction was one of the few they had won since the courts establishment in 2002.Iran on Trump-Kim summit: North Korea should act with caution

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi has stressed that the nature of the US government is not such that one can be optimistic about it.Abadi says anyone who tried to sabotage the political process in the country will be punished.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has rejected demands of any repeat of the May 12 parliamentary election, warning that anyone who tried to sabotage the political process will be punished.

The elections were held, theres no turning back. We have to move forward in order to form a new government, Abadi said on Tuesday.

Abadi was referring to some calls by Iraqi MPs to cancel the election results and hold new polls after a fire broke out at Baghdads largest storage site for ballot boxes on Sunday.

Abadi called the fire a deliberate act and said the attorney general would bring charges against those who are trying to undermine the political process.

He also pointed out that only the Supreme Federal Court could decide whether to re-run the vote, which was won by Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadrs bloc.

On Monday, Sadr urged Iraqis to unite rather than squabble over a possible re-run of the election, in a message apparently meant to lower the political temperature after a ballot box storage depot caught fire.

An Iraqi court ordered the arrest of four people accused of setting fire to the storage site, the judiciary said. Three of them were policemen and the fourth was an employee of the Independent High Elections Commission.

Sadr and al-Amiris political alliance

Sadr and Iranian-backed militia chief Hadi al-Amiri, who won first and second place respectively in Iraqs May parliamentary election, announced on Tuesday an alliance between their political blocs.

The move announced from the Shia holy city of Najaf is the first serious step towards forming a new government after weeks of negotiations between parties. It comes exactly one month after an election marred by historically low turnout and fraud allegations.

The two Shia figures said they would keep the door open for other winning blocs to join them in forming a new government.

Our meeting was a very positive one, we met to end the suffering of this nation and of the people. Our new alliance is a nationalist one, Sadr said.

Sadr has emerged as a nationalist opponent of powerful Shia Muslim parties allied with neighbouring Iran and as a champion of the poor.

Amiri, a fluent Persian speaker, is Irans closest ally in Iraq, having spent two years in exile there during the era of Saddam Hussein.Monsoon rains threaten Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

Preparations have been under way to help protect refugees from flooding and landslides since February, but hundreds of thousands have been left to fend for themselves.Singapore  Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un have sat down for unprecedented talks between the leaders of two long-hostile nations, as the world watches anxiously for signs of a peace deal and an agreement on the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

Trump and Kim met privately from 9:05am local time for 48 minutes flanked only by their translators, then broke for a wider bilateral meeting with aides, a meeting expected to last 90 minutes, leading into lunch at 11:30am (3:30 GMT).

Before the start of the private meeting, Trump and Kim exchanged small talk in front of news photographers and television cameras, saying: We look forward to working this out together  It will be done.

Later in the day, Trump is reportedly set to give his first post-summit interview at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island to Fox News Sean Hannity, a leading Trump booster, who is in Singapore covering the summit.

Trump is scheduled for a news conference at 4pm local time.

The meeting on Tuesday between the United States president and North Koreas leader, unthinkable until recent months and uncertain until June 1, is a high-stakes and politically risky venture into summit diplomacy by two unpredictable personalities who have famously exchanged personal insults and threats of war.

US officials and the North Korean state news agency struck a hopeful tone as the meeting approached, while negotiators from both countries met privately in the last hours to iron out agreements, such as over the definition of denuclearisation and the terms under which Pyongyang might agree to dismantle its nuclear arsenal.

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Early on Tuesday, just a few hours before his meeting with Kim, Trump wrote on Twitter that meetings between staffs and representatives are going well and quickly. He quickly cautioned, however, that we will all know soon whether or not a real deal  can happen.

His comments echoed those of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who said on Monday talks between the countries were moving quite rapidly and we anticipate they will come to their logical conclusion even more quickly than we had anticipated.

Im very optimistic that we will have a successful outcome from our meetings tomorrow, he said.

Accompanied by Singaporean cabinet ministers, Kim made an evening tour of sites in the city-states waterfront on the eve of the summit [Vivian Balakrishnans Twitter page/via Reuters]

The Norths state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) heralded the summit as part of a changed era.

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Wide-ranging and profound views on the issue of establishing new DPRK-US relations, the issue of building a permanent and durable peace-keeping mechanism on the Korean Peninsula, the issue of realising the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and other issues of mutual concern, as required by the changed era, will be exchanged at the DPRK-US summit talks, KCNA reported in English.

DPRK stands for North Koreas formal name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

Ultimate objective

The summit is not expected to last beyond Tuesday, with both leaders set to leave Singapore shortly after concluding their meetings.

Heading into Tuesdays summit, the big competing items on the table came down to what by now are popular acronyms, with the US seeking the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, or CVID (complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearisation), and the North Korean leadership rejecting unilateral nuclear disarmament while seeking its survival, or CVIG (complete, verifiable, irreversible guarantee of North Koreas security).

On Monday evening, Pompeo said that the US ultimate objective remains the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, and that Washington is willing to provide unique security assurances if Pyongyang agrees to do so.





President Trump believes that Kim Jong-un has an unprecedented opportunity to change the trajectory of our relationship and bring peace and prosperity to his country, he told reporters.

The fact that our two leaders are sitting down face-to-face is a sign of the enormous potential to accomplish something that will immensely benefit both of our peoples and the entire world.

Pompeo is scheduled to immediately fly to Seoul and Beijing after the summit to brief South Korean allies and Chinese officials on the discussions, reflecting the reality than any solutions in the region will need buy-in from those nations.

Both Trump and Kim arrived on Sunday to Singapore, chosen as the site of the summit for its reputation as a safe and orderly place and the fact that it has diplomatic relations with both North Korea and the US.

Follow Tom Benner: @tgbenner

Al Jazeeras diplomatic editor James Bays, reporting from Singapore:

This is absolutely historic. Never before have the leaders of these two countries met. These are countries that are still technically at war. However, it may be historic that they are meeting, but no one should think that this is a deal. The most we are going to get is a declaration on the start of a negotiation and this is likely going to be a long and bumpy road.

The other main observation is how fast this has moved. Today is 364 days since Otto Warmbier, a US student who the US accuses North Korea of torturing, was brought back to the US and then died. If you think of that period of last summer, it was probably the tensest period in the relationship between North and South Korea over the last 70 years. Then more nuclear tests and missile tests followed, answered by Trump with language about fire and fury, threatening to totally destroy North Korea.

We sort of know what then happened. Al Jazeera learned that the day after Trump spoke at the General Assembly in September, the North Korean foreign minister met with Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, saying the UN could send a senior UN official to Pyongyang. Weeks later Jeffrey Feldman, the then political affairs chief of the UN went to North Korea, where he said that Kim made an overture, suggesting that he should offer an olive branch by sending a delegation to the Olympics in South Korea.

This opened up diplomacy between South Korea and North Korea. The South Koreans got the CIA involved and they led the US initiative, leading to the secret meeting between Pompeo and Kim in Pyongyang at Easter, where it was revealed that diplomacy had reached a different pace. Pompeo returned to Pyongyang, on-off contacts continued, which have led to this historic summit today.

This was probably the most important day of diplomacy in the last decade, apart from one other day, when the JCPOA, or Iran deal, was finally signed in Vienna in July 2015. And that was the deal that Trump has pulled out of, setting himself an extremely high bar for the Korean diplomatic process. Trump needed to find something better than the Iran deal. All of this makes it fascinating, interesting, historic, but very much in its early stages.European policies are criminalising vulnerable people, rights groups say, as hundreds are left stranded for days at sea.

Human rights groups have denounced Italy and Maltas refusal to allow a refugee rescue ship to dock at their ports, amid growing uncertainty for the hundreds of people on board, including 123 unaccompanied minors.

In a statement on Tuesday, Amnesty International accused the Italian and Maltese governments of trampling the principle of rescue at sea and undermining the entire search and rescue system.

If allowed to go unchallenged, [this] will discourage and compromise the lifesaving work of NGOs leaving thousands of migrants and refugees adrift in the Mediterranean, Elisa De Pieri, Amnestys Italy researcher, said.

The Aquarius, which is jointly operated by SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Beyond Borders (known by its French acronym MSF), had rescued 629 people from the Mediterranean Sea and remained unable to dock since Saturday.

The people on board, including 11 children and seven pregnant women, are from several African countries and had set off from the coast of Libya to reach Europe.

Aloys Vimard, a project coordinator for MSF who is on board the Aquarius, said on Monday that although people are calm, we can see that they are getting anxious.

The boat is overcrowded and we are above capacity. We have very vulnerable people on board and most of them are exhausted.

Four extra days at sea

The Aquarius was denied the right to dock in Italy and Malta, the closest countries, before Spains new Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he would give the ship safe harbour at the eastern port of Valencia.

But MSF officials said that disembarking at the closest port was preferable to a journey of an extra four days, taking into account deteriorating weather conditions coupled with tensions and maximum capacity on board the Aquarius.

The better option would be to disembark the rescued people in the nearest port after which they can be transferred to Spain or other safe countries for further care and legal processing, the organisation said.

The statement came as Italys coastguard announced it would send two ships to take on some of the refugees to relieve overcrowding and transport them to Valencia.

MSF also expressed concern over the condition of patients who had to be resuscitated after rescue, saying they could develop significant pulmonary issues after swallowing sea water.

People rescued at sea must be disembarked in nearest safe port.

While De Pieri welcomed the Spanish governments offer as a show of solidarity, she also said that the move highlights the calculated callousness of the Italian and Maltese authorities.

This sets a precedent that will inevitably cost lives, she said.

Unacceptable behaviour from Italy

The nationalist authorities on the French island of Corsica meanwhile also offered to receive the Aquarius, in a move criticised by the central government in Paris.

[Corsican leader Gilles Simeoni] is taking a position without having any responsibility which is easy, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, junior Europe and foreign affairs minister told Sud Radio.

What does international law say? They need to go to the port that is safest and closest. And we can see that Corsica is not the closest or the safest. Given the boats location, it is between Italy and Malta, he added.

Still, French President Emmanuel Macron criticised Italy for its cynicism and irresponsibility, saying during a cabinet meeting that under maritime law in cases of distress, those with the closest coastline have a responsibility to respond.

If a boat had France as its closest coast, it could land, Macrons spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said.

Griveaux accused the new far-right government in Rome of lacking solidarity.

You cant create a precedent that will enable one European country to offload onto other European countries, he said. We need to show solidarity, which Italy has not shown.

On the other end of the spectrum, Hungary praised Italys decision to refuse to allow refugees to dock at its ports.

Viktor Orban, the virulently anti-migrant prime minister, praised the Italian governments decision as a great moment which may truly bring changes in Europes migration policies.

Speaking at a meeting on Tuesday with his Slovak counterpart Peter Pellegrini, Orban said that it had been so depressing to hear for years that Europes maritime borders cannot be defended that one practically lost the will to live.

Moral compass lost

According to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, any ship learning of distress at sea must assist, no matter the circumstances.

The convention also states that the country responsible for operations in that area has primary responsibility for taking in the people on the ship.

Vimard, the MSF project coordinator on board the Aquarius, said that he is extremely concerned about how difficult it is to perform lifesaving rescue missions at sea.

Its very worrying that once again politics are being placed above the safety of vulnerable people, he said in his statement.

Anybody in distress at sea should be rescued and treated in a dignified way. European policies are criminalising and stigmatising people seeking protection and rights which are afforded to them under international humanitarian law.

Karline Kleijer, an emergency coordinator for the MSF, said that a political game is being played over the heads of 629 people.

This standoff shows how Europe has lost its moral compass in the Mediterranean, MSF quoted her as saying.Medical charity says boat packed with 629 people should be allowed access to the nearest port immediately.

Doctors Without Borders (known by its French initials, MSF) has urged EU member states to give a boat packed with 629 rescued refugees and migrants immediate right to disembark, a day after Spain granted the vessel rights to dock in its territory.

Rescue workers onboard the MV Aquarius said it will take four days to reach the port of Valencia and that the boat should be allowed access to the nearest port immediately, which currently means in Italian or Maltese territory.





[MSF] welcomes this gesture of humanity but it would require four more days at sea in a boat already over maximum capacity and in deteriorating weather conditions, the organisation said in a tweet.

This plan would mean already exhausted rescued people would endure four more days travel at sea, it added.

The better option would be to disembark the rescued people in the nearest port after which they can be transferred to [Spain] or other safe countries for further care & legal processing.

Aloys Vimard from MSF said there was enough food and water to give to people for two to three days.

Regarding the planned voyage to Spain, Vimard, who is on board the ship, told Euronews: This is not what we wish, its overcrowded  people are weak, tired, exhausted.

The Aquarius was denied the right to dock in Italy and Malta. Italys new populist coalition government between the far-right League party and anti-establishment Five Star Movement has pledged to stop the flow of people entering the country through the Mediterranean.

This plan would mean already exhausted rescued people would endure 4 more days travel at sea. The better option would be to disembark the rescued people in the nearest port after which they can be transferred to #Spain or other safe countries for further care & legal processing. pic.twitter.com/yVeCsVPcct  MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) June 12, 2018

Matteo Salvini, the countrys new interior minister and the head of League, blocked the Aquarius access to Italian ports.

Saving lives at sea is a duty, but transforming Italy into an enormous refugee camp is not, Salvini wrote on Facebook on Monday.

Victory!

After Spains new Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez allowed the ship to dock in Valencia, Salvini celebrated the decision.

Victory! He wrote on Twitter after the announcement.

The Mediterranean is a key route into Europe for refugees and migrants are using North African states, such as Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt as launch points for journeys.

In the year 2017, 171,635 migrants and refugees made the sea crossing into Europe and 3,116 people died or went missing trying to do so.

Last week, at least 112 people died in a shipwreck off the coast of Tunisia while trying to make the journey north across the Mediterranean.First person: N Korean defector anxious about Trump-Kim summit

YouTuber Ttohyang, who defected from North Korea in 2009, shares her thoughts on the historic meeting.Ethiopia and Egypt agreed to elevate their countries relationship to a strategic level of mutual trust, cooperation and support.

This came during the two-day visit Ethiopias Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed paid to Cairo.

The two sides also reiterated their commitment to set up a joint fund for infrastructure development, according to the chief of staff in the office of the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Fitsum Arega.

Earlier this year, Ethiopian ex-PM has asserted that his country will not put Egyptians lives at risk, as the disagreement between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan continue over the countries shares of Nile waters after Ethiopia completes construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

The Dam, estimated to cost at least $4 billion, will be Africas largest hydroelectric infrastructure.

Egypts share of Nile water sits at 55.5 billion cubic meters. The dam is expected to reduce Egypts share of Nile waters, further limiting the countrys already scarce water resources. However, Ethiopia has reassured Cairo that its water share will not be affected.

In a gesture of goodwill, Egyptian authorities released 32 Ethiopian prisoners during the Prime Ministers visit.Prime Ministers Tsipras and Zaev say they have agreed on Northern Macedonia as the new name for small Balkan country.

Athens, Greece  Greece and its northern neighbour, which called itself Macedonia at the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, have announced a historic agreement on the latters future name, paving the way for the final settlement of a 27-year dispute.

Republic of North Macedonia, or Severna Makedonija in Macedonian was one of three names left on the table since talks began in January. The leadership in Skopje chose it over Gorna (Upper) Macedonia and Nova (New) Macedonia.

I believe all Greeks can today be proud, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in a five-minute address from Athens on Tuesday night.

This is a great diplomatic victory and a historic opportunity  not just for our nation but for our entire region. A source of discord that undermined the regions ability to go forward together is ended, and a window of friendship, cooperation, prosperity and mutual growth opens onto the future.

The agreement, he said, cemented Greeces status as a leading power in the Balkans and as a pillar of stability.

His northern counterpart in Skopje hailed the agreement as historic.

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We have been solving a two-and-a-half decade dispute  that has been drowning the country, said Zoran Zaev, whose election in December 2016 presented a new opportunity for a solution in the long-running issue.

Zaev added that the deal will strengthen the Macedonian identity.

EU-NATO vetoes

The two sides have not attempted to resolve their dispute since 1995. Conservative governments in Skopje have sought European Union (EU) and NATO entry for two decades, seeing these as essential to the countrys long-term survival. Athens has held a power of veto over both, and wielded it at the 2008 NATO summit in Romanias capital, Bucharest.

After Zaevs election, talks began in January on the basis that Greece would allow the use of the word Macedonia, and the government in Skopje would choose a qualifier, to differentiate the countrys name from the Greek province of Macedonia.

If all goes well, the EUs foreign ministers, who meet at the General Affairs Council on June 25, will decide whether to issue the former Yugoslav republic an invitation to join the bloc.

NATO would then, in theory, issue its own invitation at the upcoming annual summit on July 11-12. The two invitations would lend credibility to Zaevs government, as it appeals to the countrys 1.8 million voters to back the deal in a referendum in the coming weeks.

Armed with a yes vote, Zaev would go to parliament this autumn to seek the two-thirds majority needed to alter the constitution in line with the agreement.

This would involve more than changing the constitutional name, Republic of Macedonia. Zaevs socialist government will have to remove references to the Macedonian people as an indigenous race, implying ancient heritage. He will also have to remove references to past struggles to unite all Macedonians from Skopje to the Aegean, implying irredentist claims on Greek territory.

By the end of the year, Greece would ratify the agreement in parliament, and lift its veto on the countrys entry into the EU and NATO. Official entry would happen well ahead of elections scheduled for the autumn of 2019 in both countries.

Greek concerns

For the Greek side, cultural issues have been paramount. The agreement will force Skopje to abjure any claims on Greek history and heritage, which could imply territorial claims on its northern regions. That means the people of its northern neighbour will be known as Macedonians from Severna Macedonia, softening claims to a Macedonian ethnicity with ancient roots.

It will be [in the agreement] that this language bears no relationship with ancient Greek, [the state] lays no claim to ancient Macedonia, to Greek Macedonia, and this language belongs to the Slav family of languages, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said in an interview.

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I consider this honest and clear. They define their identity by saying it is other than the ancient or modern Greek, other than that of our Macedonia.

A committee will be formed to revise school textbooks accordingly, Kotzias said.

Not everyone declared themselves satisfied on the Greek side.

I dont think there is any possibility of this agreement being accepted in the Skopje parliament or in a referendum, said Defence Minister Panos Kammenos, leader of the nationalist Independent Greeks (ANEL) party, which is the junior coalition partner to the ruling Syriza.

But Greece has gained something very important, Kammenos told reporters as he denounced the agreement before it was even made public. It has shown that it is not Greece which is blocking Skopjes path to the EU.

Kammenos and his eight members of parliament will not vote for ratification in the Greek parliament, he says, leaving the government shy of the outright majority it will need.

Kotzias has said that the government is able to secure the votes necessary without ANEL.

While many Greeks have recently demonstrated against any use of the word Macedonia by their northern neighbour, Kotzias has emphasised Greeces interests in an agreement.

Do we want these people to be Europeans, or looking to the east? he asked rhetorically, a thinly veiled reference to Turkeys courting of the country.

Dont we want young people to be brought up in friendship and good relations [towards Greece], rather than turn towards Turkey?

Greece invested in NATO and EU membership to safeguard its own security during the Cold War, when it was surrounded by 1,000km of Iron Curtain.

It sees the expansion of both bodies in the Western Balkans as the completion of a jigsaw puzzle. Kotzias has embarked on a charm offensive to close the book on old disputes with Albania and former Yugoslav Macedonia, seeking instead to cultivate friendship and common positions.

A tortured history

The Socialist Republic of Macedonia held its first post-Yugoslav election in November 1990. The VMRO-DPMNE won on a platform of uniting all Macedonians in Macedonian lands under occupation in neighbouring Bulgaria, Greece and Albania into a Macedonian confederation, which would seek EU membership.

Greece watched with alarm as, on 25 January 1991, the parliament in Skopje declared sovereignty of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia and the right of the Macedonian people to self-determination.





On September 8, 1991, 72 percent of the former Yugoslav republics citizens voted yes in a referendum on the question: Do you support a sovereign and independent state of Macedonia, with the right to enter into a future union with the other sovereign states of Yugoslavia?

That same month, parliament declared independence from Yugoslavia, and adopted its constitution two months later.

In December, following pressure from Germany, the EU declared it would recognise the former Yugoslav republics as individual sovereigns, precipitating the federations breakup.

Greece opposed the move but acquiesced following US assurances that it would receive diplomatic support on the Macedonia issue.

Greek nationalism was fanned by populists such as then-Foreign Minister Antonis Samaras. A rally in February 1992 gathered a million people in the northern city of Thessaloniki, Greeces second biggest.

In July 1992, seeing that Greece effectively blocked the path to NATO and EU membership, the president of former Yugoslav Macedonia, Kiro Gligorov, changed tack and applied for recognition at the UN.

This caught Greece unprepared and created a two-track process Greece did not immediately address.

Meanwhile, the deepening and broadening of the war in Yugoslavia added to European concerns that hostilities could extend to the south of the country if central government authority in Skopje were not quickly reinforced.

The socialist government of Andreas Papandreou placed an embargo on Skopje in 1994, excluding food and medicines.

Subsequent studies showed that this was largely ineffective, as Greek exporters sent shipments through Bulgaria rather than lose business.

It also backfired, isolating Greece diplomatically. Skopje now reaped a flurry of recognitions either as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), its official name in the United Nations, or as the Republic of Macedonia.

In September 1995 Athens admitted defeat and signed the Interim Accord with Skopje, whereby both sides recognised each others sovereignty, disavowed any mutual territorial threat, resumed trade and pledged to find a solution to the name issue.

This is the bilateral document that has governed relations between the two nations until now.Groups slam Jeff Sessions who ruled survivors of domestic abuse and gang violence will generally not qualify for asylum.

Immigrant and womens rights advocates have slammed a ruling by US Attorney General Jeff Sessions that may make it nearly impossible for domestic abuse and gang violence survivors to seek asylum in the US.

Sessions decision is a virtual death sentence for individuals fleeing domestic violence and pervasive gang violence, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said on Twitter.

Its not driven by legal merits but by the administrations determination to reduce immigration by any means, no matter the human consequences, it added.

Sessions had personally intervened in a closely watched immigration case involving a Salvadoran woman who sought asylum after being raped and threatened by her former spouse.

The woman won an appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals to overturn a lower immigration courts decision to deny her asylum petition, but in his ruling on Monday, the attorney general said that survivors of private crimes would generally not be granted asylum.

Generally, claims by aliens pertaining to domestic violence or gang violence perpetrated by non-governmental actors will not qualify for asylum, Sessions said in his decision.

The mere fact that a country may have problems effectively policing certain crimes  such as domestic violence or gang violence  or that certain populations are more likely to be victims of crime, cannot itself establish an asylum claim, he added.

Sessions said that an asylum applicant must demonstrate members in a group, which is composed of members who share a common immutable characteristic, is defined with particularity, and is socially distinct within the society in question.

We had to cross the border to be safe so that my mom, my siblings and I could be free from pain and suffering. I know exactly what it takes to migrate as a domestic violence survivor and it hurts so much to see this happening. Erika Andiola, DACA recipient

The ruling effectively reverses precedent put in place during the administration of US President Barack Obama that allowed more women to cite domestic violence and fears of gang violence as part of their asylum application.

Sessions told a group of immigration judges, who are part of the Department of Justice, on Monday that the asylum system is being abused to the detriment of the rule of law, sound public policy and public safety.

He added that in his judgement, this is a correct interpretation of the law.

We had to cross the border to feel safe

Mondays decision was swiftly condemned by human rights groups and immigrants, who called it cruel and heartless, saying it could endanger the lives of tens of thousands of women and children.

By shutting down most claims of persecution at the hands of criminal gangs and/or intimate partners, Sessions is demonstrating his contempt for immigrants and women, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) said in a statement on Monday.

He is also providing further evidence of the Trump administrations anti-immigrant agenda, which separates families, creates fear in communities, and punishes vulnerable people who are fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries, he added.

Erika Andiola, a DACA recipient from Mexico and the former press secretary of Bernie Sanders, shared on Twitter that her mother was a victim of domestic violence.

We had to cross the border to be safe so that my mom, my siblings and I could be free from pain and suffering, she said. I know exactly what it takes to migrate as a domestic violence survivor and it hurts so much to see this happening.

My mother was a victim of domestic violence. We had to cross the border to be safe so that my mom, my siblings and I could be free from pain and suffering. I know exactly what it takes to migrate as a domestic violence survivor and it hurts so much to see this happening. #MeToo https://t.co/jD1a5Fh9oI  Erika Andiola (@ErikaAndiola) June 11, 2018

Horrific anti-immigrant agenda

Many called the ruling the horrific continuation of the Trump administrations attack on womens rights and its crackdown on immigrants.

This administration has rarely missed an opportunity to punish and hurt the most vulnerable people in our society, but even by their own shamefully low standards this is a particularly horrific move, Lizet Ocampo, the political director for the People for the American Way, a progressive non-profit organisation, said in a statement.

Shortly after taking office, the US president signed an executive order, expanding the powers of the Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency to focus on detaining most undocumented immigrants, including those with no criminal record.

Earlier this year, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report detailing the harsh conditions women and children have faced in US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody along the US-Mexico border.

HRW documented more than 100 cases of women and children being held in frigid conditions beyond the three-day period recommended by CBP.

There have also been allegations of sexual harassment against guards at detention centres.

Anger has continued to mount over the administrations recently introduced policy that separates children from migrant and refugee parents who are caught crossing the US-Mexico border.

If you cross the border unlawfully  then we will prosecute you, Sessions said last month. If youre smuggling a child, then were going to prosecute you, and that child will be separated from you, probably, as required by law, he added.

Trump has repeatedly rallied against immigrants since the 2016 presidential election, running on a campaign to build a wall on the US -Mexico border.

The administration has also ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Salvadorans, Haitians, Nepalis, Nicaraguans and Sudanese.

Sessions decision on Monday is likely to be challenged in court.Intense clashes reported between Afghan security forces and the Taliban despite the start of a government ceasefire.

Taliban fighters have killed a district governor in northern Afghanistan while clashes are ongoing elsewhere, despite the start of a government ceasefire, officials said.

The governor of Kohistan district in Faryab was killed along with eight others in an ambush overnight, provincial governor spokesman Javed Bedar confirmed to Al Jazeera.

Bedar said that Taliban had successfully pushed into the districts centre.

If the Taliban attack us, we need to defend ourselves, he told Al Jazeera.

The battle is ongoing as we have asked for immediate reinforcements.

Intense fighting was also reported between Afghan security forces and the Taliban in the northern provinces of Faryab and Sari Pul, with officials reporting an unspecified number of casualties on both sides.

The Taliban claimed the Faryab attack as well as one in Sayad district of neighbouring Sari Pul, where provincial governors spokesman Zabiullah Amani said fighting was still under way.

The attacks follow Taliban announcement on Saturday that their fighters would stop attacking Afghan security forces for the first three days of Eid, the holiday that ends the holy month of Ramadan, which begins later this week.

The Taliban announcement followed an offer of a ceasefire from the government, which, according to interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish, went into effect on Tuesday.

In February, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani proposed a ceasefire and a release of prisoners among a range of options including new elections involving the armed group, and a constitutional review in a pact with the Taliban to end a conflict that last year alone killed or wounded more than 10,000 Afghan civilians.

Taliban has been fighting in Afghanistan since it was removed from power in 2001 by the US-led forces. The armed group has set the withdrawal of foreign forces as a pre-condition for peace talks.Short on detail, the landmark statement includes a commitment by Kim to work towards complete denuclearisation.

Singapore  US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed an agreement on Tuesday pledging to support a peaceful resolution to seven decades of hostilities between the two countries and a de-escalation of nuclear tensions.

Under the agreement, the US committed to provide security guarantees to its old enemy while North Korea commits to work towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

That provision falls short of the hoped-for complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearisation of North Korea that had been urged by the US and its allies in the build-up to Tuesdays talks.

Trump defended the agreement at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, saying both he and Kim are committed to its provisions.

Today is the beginning of an arduous process, Trump told reporters. Our eyes are wide open, but peace is always worth the effort, especially in this case.

Trump said economic sanctions against the country will remain in effect until North Korea reverses its nuclear programme, and added there are no short-term plans to reduce the number of US troops  some 28,500  stationed in South Korea.

Trump and Kim capped a one-day peace summit by signing the agreement without immediately disclosing the terms. Trump stayed on to detail the agreement at a later news conference while Kim left the summit for a return flight to Pyongyang.

Four major points covered in the Trump-Kim agreement: The US and North Korea will pursue better relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.

The US and North Korea will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea commits to work towards denuclearisation.

The countries agree to recover and repatriate POW/MIA remains dating back to the Korean War.

Earlier, at a signing ceremony, Kim said: We had a historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind. The world will see a major change.

Trump added: A lot of work and a lot of preparation went into this. The meeting went better than expected and no one couldve expected this.

As both leaders stood on a hotel veranda to say their final goodbyes, Trump said: Well meet again. We will meet many times.

Analysts are divided over the agreement, with some saying it does nothing to avoid repeating past mistakes in similar attempts at a denuclearisation deal.

Others see the summit as a welcome reversal to decades of hostility and harsh language between the US and North Korea.

An important first step has been taken with the historic agreement even if it is scanty on details, said Eugene Tan, associate professor of law at Singapore Management University.

Much work remains to be done and there will be obstacles ahead for sure given what is at stake for all stakeholders.

Short on details

Geoffrey See, a founder of the Choson Exchange, a Singapore-based non-profit that organises business workshops in North Korea, said: The summit is still short on details on how both sides will achieve their objectives. But the summit has reversed a process [by] putting trust, relationship and aspiration at the start rather than at the end.

Tuesdays summit, which began about 9am local time and ended with the signing shortly before 2pm (06:00 GMT), was punctuated by handshakes, smiles and upbeat comments from both Trump and Kim.

{articleGUID}

Trump met Kim on Singapores Sentosa Island at the Capella Hotel, a former British colonial barracks converted into a high-end hotel, starting with a carefully choreographed handshake greeting against a backdrop of US and North Korean flags.

Following initial comments to reporters Tuesday morning, Trump and Kim went into a private meeting accompanied solely by their translators, then a larger meeting with aides to both men, and finally a working lunch.

Before heading into the private meeting with Trump, Kim said: The way to come to here was not easy. The old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward, but we overcame all of them and we are here today.

Tom Benner tweets @tgbennerAfghan ceasefire comes after government told security forces to halt operations against the Taliban until June 20.

The UN Security Council on Monday urged the Taliban in Afghanistan to reciprocate the governments temporary ceasefire offer in full.

The Taliban announced on Saturday a three-day truce over the Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end of the week, in an apparent response to the earlier unilateral ceasefire announced by the Afghan government for nine days until June 20.

The armed group said on Saturday that the ceasefire would exclude foreign forces, and that it would defend itself against any attack.

Afghanistan is expected to celebrate Eid on June 15-17, depending on the lunar calendar.

Security Council members further urged the Taliban to accept Kabuls February offer of direct talks without any preconditions and without the threat of violence aimed at ending the conflict.

The members of the Security Council reiterated the importance of an inclusive Afghan-led and -owned peace process for the long-term prosperity and stability of Afghanistan and expressed their full support for the Afghan governments efforts to that end, council members said in a statement.

The surprise move by the government came days after a gathering of the countrys top religious leaders in the capital, Kabul, issued a fatwa  a religious edict issued by an expert in Islamic law  against suicide bombings and attacks.

The religious gathering was attacked by a suicide bomber, killing at least seven people.

Increase in violence

The Taliban had denounced the gathering, insisting its fight against what it considers foreign invaders was justified. It instead urged the religious scholars to side with it against the occupation of the country.

In February, Ghani offered recognition of the Taliban as a legitimate political group in a proposed political process that he said could lead to talks to end more than 16 years of war.

Ghani proposed a ceasefire and a release of prisoners among a range of options, including new elections involving the armed group, and a constitutional review in a pact with the Taliban to end a conflict that last year alone killed or wounded more than 10,000 Afghan civilians.

The Taliban has been fighting against Kabul since it was removed from power in 2001 by the US-led forces. The armed group has set the withdrawal of foreign forces as a pre-condition for peace talks.

The US and NATO formally concluded their combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014, but the US still has thousands of forces based there in a support and counterterrorism role.

The Donald Trump administration has sent additional troops to try to change the course of the USs longest war but it has failed to check deadly violence. Hundreds of people have been killed since the beggining of the year in attacks claimed by the Taliban and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).Russia says it is ready to help implement a deal but Iran warns Pyongyang that the US will renege on deal.

Reactions are pouring in after the historic summit between North Koreas Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.

In a joint declaration on Tuesday, the United States committed to providing security guarantees to its old enemy while North Korea commits to work towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.





The countries also committed to pursuing better bilateral relations. The two have been bitter rivals since the end of fighting in the Korean War in 1953, which divided the Korean Peninsula.

Washington has been South Koreas biggest ally and arms supplier since, and continues to operate bases in the country.

The reaction from Seoul was one of uncertainty, especially over remarks made by the US president during the summit in which he said he would put an end to joint military exercises with the South Koreans.

At this point, we need to find out the precise meaning or intentions of President Trumps remarks, a spokesman for the South Korean presidential office said.

Heres how others reacted:

Russia

Russias Foreign Ministry praised Trumps move to end war games with South Korea, saying it was necessary to stop provocative actions to ease tensions on the peninsula.

It also said that it was willing to help implement the deal and work towards denuclearisation of the peninsula.

Of course the devil is in the detail, and we have yet to delve into specifics. But the impulse, as far as we understand, has been given, said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

Japan

Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday welcomed the agreement as a first step towards denuclearisation but said more needed to be done.

I want to hear the details by phone (from Trump). I will continue aiming to resolve concerns such as the abduction, nuclear and missile issues, Abe said.

China

China, North Koreas biggest ally, has responded to the meeting between the two leaders with the suggestion that sanctions against Pyongyang could be lifted.

The UN Security Council resolutions that have been passed say that if North Korea respects and acts in accordance with the resolutions, then sanction measures can be adjusted, including to pause or remove the relevant sanctions, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing.

Iran

Tehran urged North Korea to proceed with caution after its recent experience with its own nuclear deal with the US.

Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear agreement, which was signed in 2015, in May.

Bahram Ghasemi, a spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, said the North Koreans should enter into talks with awareness.

Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an ally of Trump, linked the Singapore summit to the US presidents recent decision to unilaterally withdraw from a multinational nuclear deal with Iran.

This is an important step in the effort to strip the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weaponry, Netanyahu said of Trumps meeting with Kim.

President Trump is also taking a firm stance against Irans attempt to obtain nuclear weaponry, as well as its belligerence in the Middle East.

United Nations

Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, called on the international community to offer support on carrying out the agreement on steps towards denuclearisation between the United States and North Korea.

Implementing todays and previous agreements reached, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions, will require patience and support from the global community, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.Once the sick man of Europe, Germany weathered the financial crisis and the Great Recession better than its neighbours.We are talking about Democrats from top to bottom, regular Democrats -- leadership, elected officials, donors, voters. We are talking about the Democrats indispensable voting blocs: blacks, Hispanic immigrants, feminists, gay activists, campus millennials , our growing Muslim population . Every Democratic demographic except white suburban women is stuffed with anti-Semites.

The Democrat Partys power depends on Jew-haters. Democrat politicians and their media elite pander and promote anti-Semitism for two reasons. It is a key part of the identity politics of the left, and since Obamas transformative impact on his own party, the left is calling the tune on Democrat leadership, policy, and getting out the vote. The other reason is naked power. The Democrat Party cant win with only the votes of decent people. They need the haters, so theyre fine with the hate.

As the left wing takes over the Democratic levers of power, they are bringing anti-Jewish bigotry into the mainstream. Leftists embrace anti-Semitism on principle. The principle is intersectionality. While all whites and heterosexuals are attacked as oppressors, Jews are called out for special targeting, even progressive Jews.

The Collegefix.com reports:

Politically progressive Jews are also being ostracized by like-minded peers because of their support, or even just presumed support, for Israel, the report says: Jewish students report being rejected from progressive social justice activities such as pro-choice rallies, anti-rape demonstrations, Black Lives Matter events and racial justice conferences.

This is not about compassion for Arabs. Swastika graffiti on campuses calls for death to Israel. It calls for all Jews to be killed. Progressive attacks on Israel morphs into old-fashioned anti-Semitism: Jews murder children, secretly run things, are subhuman creatures, are pariahs.

On campus, an anti-Semitic America is already here. Black activists, feminists, and Moslems unite around harassing Jewish students. In California, the Black Student Union calls for funding of all student groups except Jewish ones. Their set of demands has a swastika drawn on the university presidents forehead.

Jew-hating faculty -- mostly from the Middle East Studies departments, Black Studies, and Womens Studies -- inject emotional, odious imagery and lies about Jews into their classroom lectures, emails to students, and academic symposia. According to the AMCHA Initiative, liberal college administrators turn a blind eye even when progressives physically assault Jewish students.

Weve seen Democrats cohabit with evil before. Liberals tolerate sexual predators because they need their power and money. Democrats tolerate anti-Semites in the same way. It is necessary for the greater good, meaning Democrat power. Money, power, spoils -- all ride on identity politics.

Dig into the ADL report on anti-Semitism in America and you find that Black anti-Semitism is twice the national average and was three times the national average when Obama was in office. Some 36 percent of Hispanic immigrants are anti-Semitic. American-born Hispanics, 14%, almost 50% more than white Americans. The liberal ADL chooses not to analyze Muslim-American anti-Semitism. The bombings, arson, Molotov cocktail attacks, and shootings by American Moslems attacking Jews speak for themselves.

The Democrats have reached a tipping point, writes Jonathan Tobin at National Review. There is no place for pro-Israel Democrats in a party dependent on minority voters.

Every black Democratic member of Congress is pals with Louis Farrakhan at election time, as was presidential candidate Barack Obama. Farrakhan, who loves Hitler and blames slavery on the Jews. Every Democrat politician is enthusiastically behind Black Lives Matter. Their platform savages Israel as a genocidal, apartheid state.

I dont think we are seeing raw cynicism when Obama and the congressional black caucus express respect, even enthusiasm, for these anti-Semites. Jew hatred is a normal part of black culture. Local black politicians, newscasters, professors, and regular people routinely express the crudest sort of anti-Semitism  that the Rothschilds caused a snowstorm in D.C. in order to own the cities, that Jews alone have white privilege, that Israel should be ethnically cleansed.

It is important to note that the majority of blacks, Hispanics, feminists, and millennials are not anti-Semitic. The Democrats could theoretically call out and expel the haters, as Republicans do. In reality, they depend on lockstep voting blocs and cant afford to lose a few percent. They rely on 90% of the black vote. They need the Somali vote to win Minnesota. They need the SJWs to win enough millennials. They need the anti-Semites, because Democrat anti-Semites are a big enough minority to count.

Democrats excel at Orwellian propaganda, in which they accuse the Republicans of precisely their own crimes. It is very effective. Normal Democrats who would at least have the decency to feel uneasy about their partys promotion of anti-Semites instead have the fun of feeling morally superior to those KKK Republicans.

Democrats only denounce anti-Semitism by white nationalists, a marginalized group with no power and few followers. In Democratic hands, "white nationalist" is a fictional category that includes Breitbart News and indeed, anyone who likes President Trump. These accusations are a sign of the Democrats profound unseriousness about attacking Jews. Its only purpose is political advantage. This is shameful. When it comes to real anti-Semitism, alive and growing within their own ranks, they applaud and promote it.

The KKK was never and is not Republican. Their membership is 3-6,000 at most. The much-publicized alt-right is an internet movement with an estimated 25-50,000 readers -- not a voting bloc, not a political force. In progressive Scott Alexanders words:

Caring about who the KKK or the alt-right supports is a lot like caring about who Satanists support. Its not something you would do if you wanted to understand real political forces. Its only something you would do if you want to connect an opposing candidate to the most outrageous caricature of evil you can find on short notice.

Anti-Semitism does have a home in one of our major parties -- the Democratic Party. Obama was the first major Democrat to openly express love and understanding of a blatant anti-Semite, his beloved mentor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Democratic voters showed they could care less. They desperately wanted Obama to win, to be good, to be great, so they pretended twenty years with an anti-Semitic mentor didnt matter. It was a pivotal moment for the party. Let us hope, not for American history.

Flash forward, and the Democrats choose a Farrakhan man, Keith Ellison, as number 2 to lead the DNC. Feminists marched on Washington under the leadership of notorious anti-Semites Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory. Obama did his work well. He is dedicating his very large fortune to training a million more like-minded community organizers.

Obama liked to boast that he had no need for white middle America voters -- minority demographics would soon ensure Democrats a permanent one-party state. I recall this when I learn that kindergarten through college, anti-Semitic incidents are off the historical charts, and have been doubling yearly the last few years. Kindergarteners are obviously bringing this from home.

The Republican Jewish coalition is the only group calling for the Democrat embrace of anti-Semitism to end. The rest of us avert our eyes from the unpleasant and, admit it, tedious list of incidents, and let the Dems carry on as usual. We act as if each new scandal is a one off. Democrats scream constantly about the fake anti-Semitism of the GOP. The GOP remains silent on the real anti-Semitism of their opponents.

If we dont stop Democrats from promoting and normalizing Jew-hatred, it will be the new face of America.

Anti-Semitism is the new face of the Democratic Party.Schultz was forced to step down after hacked emails revealed that she and the DNC had their finger on the scales and actively worked to defeat Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic primaries in favor of Hillary Clinton.

Former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz subverted our democracy and interfered in the 2016 election in ways Moscow could only dream of, yet while Special Counsel Robert Mueller continues to chase Russian phantoms, the case against Wasserman Schultz and Imran Awan, the IT director she and other Congressional Democrats employed, continues to drag on despite overwhelming evidence of criminality and clear national security implications.

She has been forced to step aside after a leak of internal DNC emails showed officials actively favoring Hillary Clinton during the presidential primary and plotting against Clintons rival, Bernie Sanders The Sanders campaign has long claimed that the party establishment had its finger on the scales during the bitter and surprisingly long primary, but the embarrassing new revelations proved to be the final straw for a figure who had been a lightning rod for tension within the party.

What the Democrats accused the Russians of doing, Debbie Wasserman Shultzs DNC was actively doing. And considering what we have found out about the Pakistanis, not the Russians, that were brought in to run their IT operation, it makes sense as to why the DNC refused to turn over their servers to FBI forensic investigators. What else where they trying to hide?

One thing they tried to hide was Debbie Wasserman Schultzs curious relationship with Pakistani Imran Awan.

Awan was the top IT aide to Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The FBI reportedly seized smashed computer hard drives from his home. He was arrested trying to flee to Pakistan after wiring almost $300,000 to the country, according to The Daily Caller, which has owned the story because it does actual news reporting. Heres an amazing paragraph from the Caller: Awan and members of his family received $4 million from the Democratic congressmen they were working for since 2010. Wasserman Schultz has been especially uncooperative with the probe into her staffers and even threatened the Capitol Police chief for gathering evidence. She refused to fire Awan until after he was arrested, even though Capitol Police had already revoked Awans access to the congressional IT system in February in relation to a major security breach. ($4 million, and you wonder where your tax dollars go.)

Like Al Capone and tax evasion, Imran Awan was charged with bank fraud regarding the millions he was paid and handled with his family. But the court case against him has mysteriously been delayed a seventh time. Is a plea deal in the works against Wasserman Schultz or is this just another case of the criminality can being kicked down the road? At issue may be that laptop with initials REPDWS on it:

The federal court case against Imran Awan, a former information technology (IT) administrator who worked for dozens of House Democrats, was delayed again on Tuesday to July 6. This is the 7th time the court hearing has been postponed since November last year. Awan and his wife, Hina Alvi, have been charged with bank fraud. Many of the delays appear to be related to a laptop that Awan left in a decommissioned phone booth in a House building in April last year. The laptop, which had the username RepDWS, was accompanied by several copies of ID cards belonging to Awan and a letter he wrote to prosecutors. Awan had been employed by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) -- whose initials (RepDWS) were on the laptop -- since 2005 After the laptop was found by Capitol Police, Wasserman Schultz attempted for months to have the laptop returned to her, including hiring an outside lawyer to prevent prosecutors from looking at it. During a May 18 hearing, Wasserman Schultz told the Capitol Police chief there would be consequences if the laptop was not returned to her.

Awan was allowed to have security access to House servers and freely took advantage to loot them of files and information, some of which was undoubtedly classified:

Alleged theft of congressional equipment, massive data breaches of Congress members emails, likely espionage and more are all wrapped up in this case that involves data from 40 or more Democratic members of Congress Sources also say that investigators were particularly interested in whether anyone else in the congressional offices that all of these IT aides worked for was involved in alleged improper activity. This might include Rep. Wasserman Schultz, who was the Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair when she employed Awan. It might also include former Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., who employed Awan when Becerra was chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. Becerra is now California attorney general. The House Office of Inspector General tracked the Awans network usage and found that a massive amount of data was flowing from the (congressional) networks, said Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa. Over 5,700 logins by the five Awan associates were discovered on a single server within the House, the server of the Democratic Caucus Chairman, then Rep. Xavier Becerra of California. Up to 40 or more members of Congress had all of their data moved out their office servers and onto the Becerra server without their knowledge or consent.

One suspects that if the case involved 40 or more Republican members of Congress things might be moving along more speedily. As it is, this may be the third time a curious relationship has jeopardized U.S. national security while mucking up our political and legal systems. FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page gleefully pursued a relationship as they sought an insurance policy against Donald Trump assuming the presidency. Senate intelligence committee aide James Wolfe was caught leaking documents to New York Times national security reporter Ali Watkins, with whom he had a relationship. And now we have Wasserman Schultz and Awans curious relationship:

Even after getting fired by some members of Congress for stealing computers and data systems, Floridas Debbie Wasserman Schultz, then Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair, kept him and let him have access to her emails and files as well as the password to the electronic device she used for DNC business. At one point, Awan had access to the computers of dozens of members of Congress, including those on the House Intelligence and Foreign Affairs committees. Judicial Watch has launched an investigation and is pursuing public records. The governments bizarre failure to prosecute Awan for the national security violations he appears to have committed points to a political coverup thats dangerous, craven and borders on traitorous. A House Office of Inspector General investigation determined earlier this year that Awan and his relatives committed numerous violations of House security policies, including logging into the House Democratic Caucus server thousands of times without authorization.

Interestingly, as the Daily Caller reports, Imran Awans lawyer, Chris Gowen, is a long-time associate of both Bill and Hillary Clinton who has done work for the Clinton Foundation, used as a pay-for-play cash cow for the entire Clinton family. Interestingly, Gowan has raised the specter of anti-Muslim sentiment in the Awan case:

Chris Gowen, Imran Awans lawyer, is a long-time campaigner for former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Gowen described Awans arrest as clearly a right-wing media-driven prosecution by a United States Attorneys Office that wants to prosecute people for working while Muslim. Gowen is a founding partner of Gowen, Rhoades, Winograd and Silva law firm, with offices in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, Penn. His official bio on the firms web site notes that he left the Public Defenders office to work for former President William Jefferson Clinton and then-Senator Hillary Clinton. Chris was a fact checker for President Clintons memoir, My Life. He also served as a traveling aid for President Clintons national and international trips. Chris finished his tenure with the Clintons by directing the advance operations for then-Senator Hillary Clinton during her 2008 presidential campaign.

This is just one of many shoes waiting to drop from the Democrats centipede of corruption. Crimes were committed here, possibly including Wasserman Schultz and leading Democrats. Yet a cover-up could be in the works. Lets not take our eves off this corner of the swamp.

Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investors Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.The UN Security Council on Monday said it plans to reduce troops from its joint peacekeeping force with the African Union in Darfur.

About 4,050 to 8,735 troops will exit the peacekeeping mission by June 2019, while police would be reduced from 2,500 to 1,870.

According to UN Under-Secretary General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the situation in Darfur has changed dramatically in the right direction since the peak of the conflict.

The AU-UN Hybrid Mission in Darfur must change in accordance with the shifting realities on the ground, the UN official said on Monday, highlighting the need to closely link the missions drawdown to the scaling up of both peacekeeping and development activities.

The peacekeeping mission (UNAMID) should be directed to the area where it is most needed, namely at the site of continued conflict in the Jebel Marra, Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the Security Council on Monday. Fighting continues between Sudanese government forces and rebel groups in this mountainous region.

In the rest of Darfur, the UN system should leverage the capabilities of the agencies, funds and programs best suited to tackling the problems that remain there.

In this connection, Lacroix outlined two central concepts behind a new two-year strategy  each supporting the other.

The first, dealing with peacekeeping, would focus on protection of civilians, humanitarian support and mediation of local conflict.

The second central tenet, would bridge the evolution from peacekeeping to early recovery and development, in collaboration with the UN country team serving Darfur, he added.

The whole-of-system transition concept focuses on addressing the critical drivers of conflict and preventing relapse, explained the senior UN official.

For the roadmap to be realized, he underscored the need to have longer-term funding arrangements in place and increase voluntary contributions from donors.

The Security Council will vote on the latest plan on June 28 when mandate of the peacekeeping mission is renewed.

The conflict in Darfur has left some 300,000 dead and more than 2.5 million displaced since 2003.Dear stupid media: North Korean denuclearization is a foregone conclusion

With the historic meeting of President Trump and Kim Jong-un, there has been the expected typhoon of naysayers and pundits caterwauling about whether North Korea will willingly give up its nuclear weapon ambitions after a single meeting. Does it take a simpleton like me to point out to these morons the obvious reasons why it's a foregone conclusion? Let me type slowly for those at the dinosaur media (including Fox) so that they can catch up to reality.

Along with the mud-slinging between Trump and Kim, there was also backroom dealing going on. Trump was, and the media knew, pressuring China to get involved  basically telling Xi Jinping to get his lackey (Kim) under control. Why has that fallen on deaf ears and atrophied brains? Trump knew full well what would get China to act: the potential of full-throttle restrictions on Chinese imports to the United States  cars, phones, televisions, shirts, sandals, and every other cheap wristwatch. The tariffs on steel and aluminum were the warning shot. Are the "pundits" even able to acknowledge this? Certainly, they understand that even a partial restriction on Chinese imports would disrupt their economy. But I may give them too much credit. On every channel, every hour, every pasty buffoon was carping about "would North Korea really give up the nukes?" Dear Lord, save them from themselves. That question was answered after the second visit to China by Kim. Does any sentient being doubt that if China said get rid of the nukes, North Korea would balk? The logic is so simple that I can't believe the "pundits" are incapable of grasping it. Do they really need their intellectual barf so bad to ensure more appearances on political talking-head media? Dumb question. China needs our money to continue building its military. Trump says we'll cut it off if the Chinese don't get North Korea to give up the nukes. China tells the Norks to give up the nukes. The Norks complain about needing protection from the West. China says we got your back and conveys that to Trump  much the same way we protect Alaska and Hawaii. Got it? What country in its right mind would attack a protectorate of China? None, since the transfer of our missile technology to China under Clinton in the '90s. Long story short: The Trump economy is the driving force in the world today. Everyone wants a piece of this pie. Trump will parlay that power to its maximum effect. China knows it. Merkel knows it. As does eyebrow boy up north. Trump knows that the Nork missiles are going away. He wouldn't have gone to the summit if he didn't. He also knows we won't be putting any nukes in South Korea or Japan, as a nod to China once North Korea destroys its own. But at that point, who needs them?Yesterday, the Supreme Court made an important decision affirming Ohio's efforts to keep voter registration rolls up to date. The media left is describing it in apocalyptic terms, as if anything that prevents dead people from voting is an outrage.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday revived Ohio's contentious policy of purging infrequent voters from registration rolls in a ruling powered by the five conservative justices and denounced by liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor as an endorsement of the disenfranchisement of minority and low-income Americans.

The Atlantic's article on the decision offers this hilarious description of the dissenting justices:

Justice Stephen Breyer dissented for himself and the three moderate liberals  Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor. Sotomayor also wrote a short solo dissent.

Chuck Schumer is hysterical:

The ongoing push to disenfranchise American voters, led by the Trump administration and its allies at the state and local level, received a big boost from the #SCOTUS today. This is why elections matter. https://t.co/XzchYbpB9J  Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 11, 2018

The right to vote is the most sacred right we have as citizens. Aggressive voter purge systems like Ohios essentially make voting a use it or lose it privilege.  Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 11, 2018

Democracy suffers when laws make it harder for U.S. Citizens to vote. This decision is dangerous and damaging and is NOT why we passed the National Voter Registration Act in 93. In fact, this goes completely against the spirit of the law.  Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 11, 2018

What this sort of hyperventilating misses is that a fraudulent vote cancels the vote of a genuine voter. In other words, vote fraud disenfranchises Americans. Failure to purge the rolls of those who have moved or died or given up on voting is an open invitation to fraud. In a nation where approximately 10 percent of the population moves every year, and where millions of people are registered to vote in more than one state, purging the rolls of inactive voters who may be dead or have moved is necessary to prevent fraud. When billions of dollars are spent on elections, leaving the voter rolls so open to cheating amounts to what is called an "attractive nuisance" in tort law  an invitation to bad or dangerous behavior.

Dan McLaughlin of NRO brings some sanity and perspective to the decision.

The Court was not asked to decide if states are allowed to purge names from the voter rolls. Federal law requires them to do so. That law, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, was written by congressional Democrats, passed with the votes of every single Democratic senator and 238 of the 252 Democrats in the House at the time (including Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, Steny Hoyer, and James Clyburn) and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. The NVRA, also known as the "motor voter" law, expanded voter registration in a number of ways, but it also formally recognized the legitimate interests of states in periodically updating their lists of voters so they are limited to people actually still residing in a place where they are eligible to vote, and commanded them to do something about it: NVRA requires States to "conduct a general program that makes a reasonable effort to remove the names" of voters who are ineligible "by reason of " death or change in residence. 20507(a)(4).



Bill Clinton signs the NVRA, with Cloward and Piven standing behind him.

Ohio's efforts to keep rolls accurate is a three-stage process:

First, individuals who failed to vote or engage in "voter activity" for two years are identified as potentially inactive. "Voter activity" includes things like updating a registration, signing a petition, or updating a voting address with various state agencies. It then sends a postcard asking to verify that the voter is still there. NVRA dictates that if the voter sends back the postcard, that's the end of the matter: either they confirm they haven't moved, or they confirm they have. NVRA also says that if there is no response, states have to wait at least two election cycles (typically four years) and can then remove the voter if they haven't voted or otherwise updated their address. (Ohio extended the NVRA period slightly to four full years). Thus, a voter registration only gets added to the NVRA-required purge if the voter hasn't been heard from at all, either by voting activity or confirming an address, for six full years. Other states have similar programs, though with a variety of triggers.

The idea that voting ought to be effortless has always struck me as silly  a view that puts me in the minority among Americans, judging from what is in the media. People think high voter turnout is an unalloyed good. But if people are not paying attention to politics and don't bother to vote or respond to a notification for six years, that indicates they don't really care. They are likely to choose the candidate who has better hair, or is taller, or who is of a preferred race, rather than someone who stands up for their own interests. They are drive-by casual voters. But their vote counts exactly the same as the vote of someone who reads the voter guides, keeps up with the news, and carefully chooses whom to vote for.

Nobody is being disenfranchised! People are just being asked to take the time to maintain their registration by responding to a postcard.

Allowing illegal voting, on the other hand, disenfranchises real voters.Kim Jong-un flies home to sell the deal to the North Korean ruling elite

It looks as though President Trump won over Kim Jong-un in Singapore, but now Kim has to sell the deal to the Pyongyang power elite. The stick of a threat of "fire and fury" (meaning the military destruction of the regime) and the carrot of wealth  like that of glittering Singapore, where Kim took the opportunity for sightseeing, including a lavish casino run by the Sheldon Adelson's Sands corporation  certainly worked on the dictator. At his press conference, President Trump mentioned that he had shown a video to Kim illustrating the wealth that could lie ahead for Kim and his regime with an opening to the world. He also showed off his limousine, known as The Beast, apparently impressing him with its massiveness. Kim Jong-un clearly loves the boys' toys of modernity.

I have long believed that the fact that Kim spent his formative years in a Swiss boarding school was a huge opportunity, for the rest of the North Korean elite has no such exposure to the West. But in order for this deal to move forward and realize its potential, Kim is going to have to convince the rest of the Pyongyang power elite to go along and risk destruction of their nuclear security blanket and some degree of openness to the international world, including intrusive inspection visits and trade. The people who command military and police units (some of whom have been replaced with KJU loyalists),those who control key state enterprises, and those who are able to supply bribes  luxury goods from the West, mainly, but also food  must go along, or else, as my colleague Rick Moran put it this morning, "[d]on't be surprised if Kim doesn't wake up one morning." The North Korean regime is best understood as a gangster operation, holding power solely through intimidation and financing itself largely through illicit activities  massive counterfeiting (of hard currencies, especially dollars) and drug-running. These mainstays are not going to last if this deal moves forward. So what can replace them? First and foremost, Korean laborers. The North Korean regime already dabbled in contract labor, supplying North Korean workers to certain Middle East locations in the past, and also to a now shuttered but potentially revived industrial park for South Korean enterprises just over the border in North Korea. Right now, it appears that sanctions have been so successful that North Korea is literally running out of money. So the members of the ruling elite already have been tightening their belts. My strong suspicion is that some of the other meetings that have taken pace preceding the agreement signed in Singapore included discussion of the sources of income that would open to North Korea if it behaves as promised. This is a key moment in the history of the North Korean regime. It has the example of China maintaining a corrupt ruling elite in the midst of economic liberalization. It also has been unable to keep out foreign media as thoroughly as in the past  cell phones, video-players, and memory sticks have brought South Korean soap operas to a substantial portion of the population, according to various reports. If so, I suspect that the elite  all except the old guard that is being purged  understands that the old way of doing things cannot survive. Trump's genius was in recognizing that the time is right for change, and in managing to line up all the ducks with China, South Korea, and Japan to make an offer to Kim and his backers that they can't refuse. I never once expected that I'd ever be rooting for Kim Jong-un. But such is the vision of Donald Trump that he has worked me into that position. If he can maintain his power and lead his nation into openness and destruction of its nuclear arsenal, that will be a huge win for the entire world.That's what's been reported as straight news lately, and what this Hollywood denizen would have you think in her bid to defend her friend Argento from criticism over the suicide of her lover.

It was love, love unencumbered by borders , and free as a bird  so actress Rose McGowan would have us think. What could be worse than borders, after all? So don't go blaming actress Asia Argento for her lover Anthony Bourdain's suicide because the pair was involved in some kind of open marriage-without-the-marriage hookup, you see.

In one way, she is right. Obviously, both Argento and Bourdain bought into the idea that love is the same as sex, and sex, even in an exclusive relationship, shouldn't be exclusive to one person. It wasn't just Argento; it was both of them. That's why you get this sort of talk from McGowan, emphasis mine:

Dear Fellow Humans, Sitting across from me is the remarkable human and brave survivor, Asia Argento, who has been through more than most could stand, and yet stand she does. She stood up to her monster rapist and now she has to stand up to yet another monster, suicide. The suicide of her beloved lover and ally, Anthony Bourdain. I write these truths because I have been asked to. I know so many around the world thought of Anthony Bourdain as a friend and when a friend dies, it hurts. Many of these people who lost their 'friend' are wanting to lash out and blame. You must not sink to that level. Suicide is a horrible choice, but it is that person's choice. When Anthony met Asia, it was instant chemistry. They laughed, they loved and he was her rock during the hardships of this last year. Anthony was open with his demons, he even wrote a book about them. In the beginning of their relationship, Anthony told a mutual friend, "He's never met anyone who wanted to die more than him." And through a lot of this last year, Asia did want the pain to stop. But here's the thing, over their time together, thankfully, she did the work to get help, so she could stay alive and live another day for her and her children. Anthony's depression didn't let him, he put down his armor, and that was very much his choice. His decision, not hers. His depression won. Anthony and Asia had a free relationship, they loved without borders of traditional relationships, and they established the parameters of their relationship early on. Asia is a free bird, and so was Anthony. Was. Such a terrible word to write. I've heard from many that the past two years they were together were some of his happiest and that should give us all solace.

An open relationship of that sort, where partners on the one hand seem to be pledging some kind of eternal fealty to one another, with a pledge to be "a rock," yet sleep around on the side (and leave the other to read about it in the tabloids), is healthy for a relationship? As if it's even natural? Especially for a fragile person such as Bourdain, who by all accounts was inclined to depression? It goes to show just how warped Hollywood's values are. McGowan doesn't even know how gross her statements sound because she has embraced the propaganda herself. After all, who could be in favor of dreadful borders in relationships and not embrace free birds? Probably just Trump-supporters.

The circumstantial evidence is actually pretty strong that this is what sent Bourdain off the deep end. He was a sensitive person, he said in previous reports that he sought true love, and his infatuation with Argento in the wake of the breakup of his first marriage, which hadn't been finalized, was pretty intense. The divorce alone was probably a problem, and his infatuation with Argento was some means of replicating the ruined marriage and hanging on. People magazine writes that he was so "lovestruck" that his friends were "concerned." (After all, someone who doesn't believe in exclusivity in relationships in that enlightened sense shouldn't get too involved, it seems.) Second, it seems that Bourdain, who was the father of an 11-year-old daughter by his original marriage, said the whole fatherhood thing transformed him. Well, yes, and that sentiment is not unique, because that is what fatherhood does. As such, it requires motherhood, and familyhood, none of which works well with open relationships.

Obviously, Bourdain was troubled by his desire for true love and true families, alongside being a free bird with open sexual morals, which rather harshly contradicts that first desire. No wonder it sent him off the edge, and that is tragic.

No, McGowan isn't wrong in saying Argento is not exclusively to blame for the suicide. The problem was the free bird values. What she did was inadvertently highlight that the embrace of "free bird" values, which so contradict human nature and human desire, is what took Bourdain's life. Sadly, none of these people here can even see it.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons SA-BY 2.0.It is especially galling to listen to Democratic senator Chuck Schumer and his fellow Democrats, who did nothing for decades now lecture Trump. Here's what he sent a few days ago :

With the Singapore summit underway between President Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, the left just can't stop complaining. But let's look at what's really going on. Trump threatened North Korea, and now North Korea is coming to the table, possibly to cave. Other presidents, bureaucrats, and world leaders continually appeased North Korea for decades, while the latter continually built its weapons stockpile. A few months ago, these same experts were saying Trump would cause World War III and was deranged. Now these people are lecturing Trump about what he should do next.

Senate Democrats told President Trump on Monday that they won't accept a deal to lift sanctions on North Korea unless the country completely and permanently eliminates its nuclear and missile testing program. "Sanctions relief by the U.S. and our allies should be dependent on dismantlement and removal of North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J. wrote in a letter to Trump. "Any deal that explicitly or implicitly gives North Korea sanctions relief for anything other than the verifiable performance of its obligations to dismantle its nuclear and missile arsenal is a bad deal."

They snipe and complain, no matter how successful President Trump is, and it's far from the only example of this behavior. Here are some others:

On Iran, Trump is trying to hold this terrorism-spreading nation, that harms its neighbors, supports Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, and pledges death to America and Israel accountable. So now the complaints are flowing. Yet for eight years, President Obama and other world leaders built up the tyrants and terrorists from Iran by giving them huge amounts of money and pretending that an agreement that wasn't signed was an actual agreement. Today they are lecturing Trump because, after all, they want to sell stuff to and buy stuff from these terrorist-sponsoring tyrants.

Trump kept the promise of Congress and previous presidents to move our embassy in Israel, and the experts predicted it would be a disaster. Now that the embassy is open, it appears that there are few problems and whatever they are, they are small. Shouldn't embassies be where a country conducts its business and calls its capital, or should we just cave in to Iran's wishes?

Trump supported Brexit while Obama and others said Great Britain would suffer greatly if the British voted for Brexit. The other European leaders and Obama obviously like a powerful central government, and freedom is secondary. I am having trouble spotting the collapse of Great Britain.

Trump is helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia as we were obligated to do when Ukraine gave up its nuclear stockpile. Obama and other European leaders did nothing to help Ukraine defend itself but did tell Russian president Vladimir Putin to cut it out. Obama also allowed Russia to get control of uranium in the U.S. that the Russians could in turn sell to anyone, including Iran and North Korea. Commodities are essentially fungible, so this could happen, regardless of export controls. I did not see the European leaders protest the sale.

Trump is helping Europe with natural gas from the U.S. to reduce the dependency on Russia and yet we get no thank-yous from that bunch. In fact, they pretend it is Trump who kowtows to Russia even though this act on gas cuts off some of his cash flow and control.

Trump is trying to destroy terrorist organizations that other world leaders have allowed to expand for decades, from Hezb'allah to ISIS to Hamas to FARC.

Trump is trying to fix the massive imbalance in trade between U.S and the world that has gone on for decades. Other countries impose taxes and tariffs on U.S. goods and are now squealing about Trump imposing tariffs as if they never have done it themselves. The media, Republicans, and world leaders are acting as if Trump were seeking to destroy the "world order" with his tariffs. Of course, they would prefer the status quo because they have had advantages from it for decades.

Trump is showing the world how to goose the world's largest economy with regulatory relief and lower taxes. On that front, he is being lectured about not knowing what he is doing because, like Obama, they prefer a bigger government. The experts said the economy and markets would collapse if Trump got elected. As with so many things, the so-called experts were not only wrong, but exponentially wrong.

Trump learned from President Ronald Reagan that the way to defeat tyrants is to beat them, not appease them. He also learned throughout history that the best way to goose an economy is to unleash the dynamism of the private sector, which helps to lift almost all boats. Sadly, Obama, the Democrats, other world leaders, and most of the media learned little if nothing from history because their policies almost solely rely on bigger government, which keeps more people dependent on government instead of allowing them to move up the economic ladder.

While Trump is focused on fixing problems left to him, reviving an economy that experts said could only grow slowly and bringing down dangerous tyrants, other world leaders, Obama, the pope, and a majority of politicians are focused like a laser beam on...climate change. And they blame Trump for not believing in the fictions they do.

It just underlines that politicians from around the world, experts, and bureaucrats, who have not only not solved problems, but helped create and compound them, can't stand the thought of an outsider like Trump solving economic and diplomatic problems better than they would. So they lecture us that he doesn't know what he is doing. The media, instead of pointing out all the problems the experts created and didn't solve with their methods, just repeat the talking points that Trump doesn't know what he is doing. The rest of us are getting a little tired of this dreary game of theirs, played in such lockstep.Otto Warmbier, the 22-year-old Virginia college student who died upon his return home from a stint in a North Korean prison, was recognized by Donald Trump as the catalyst that brought about the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and the president.

President Trump said Tuesday after his historic summit with North Korea dictator Kim Jong Un that the meeting between the two leaders may not have happened if not for the death of Otto Warmbier. Warmbier, 22, was a student at the University of Virginia when he was arrested in North Korea in January 2016 for allegedly stealing a propaganda poster. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fell into a coma while incarcerated. He was brought back to the U.S. in June 2017 only to die a few days later. "Otto did not die in vain," Trump said as he discussed North Korea's human rights record. Trump's comments on Warmbier came after Vice President Mike Pence reassured the Ohio man's father when he spoke to him ahead of the Singapore summit. "Today I assured his dad, as the president said two days ago, their beloved son, Otto Warmbier, will not have died in vain," Pence said. The vice president commended Trump on his success thus far with North Korea, speaking of that country's participation in the Winter Olympics, the suspension of all ballistic missile testing and, recently, the release of three American hostages.

Clearly, the death of Warmbier affected Trump in an emotional way. It highlighted the necessity of having better relations with North Korea  if not friendly, at least a lot less antagonistic.

And for the families of Korean war soldiers whose remains have been kept for 65 years, good news:

Trump said during the news conference that the remains of Americans who died during the Korean War will also be brought home. He said it was a last minute deal and expected more than 6,000 Americans' remains to be brought back to the U.S.

The death of young Mr. Warmbier was not a tragedy. It was state-sponsored murder. The attitude of the North Korean government toward Americans almost certainly gave license to prison guards to brutally mistreat U.S. citizens.

Would a change in that attitude lead to better treatment for Americans at the hands of the North Koreans? We have citizens incarcerated in countries all over the world  some for good cause, others not. The standard of treatment for them varies a lot, but there are few countries where the state encourages mistreatment of Americans.

The point is, better relations with the North could very well mean that those Americans unfortunate enough to be imprisoned will fare better than Otto Warmbier. Trumped up charges of espionage notwithstanding, the practice of taking Americans prisoner and holding them as hostages may become a rarity.

There are going to be other Americans taken prisoner by North Korea in the future. The president and the U.S. government should take careful note of whether treatment of them while in captivity improves or not.Nobody knew. None of us saw it. Among his biggest supporters, maybe a handful suspected it. Many of us expected the economic renewal of the U.S. to happen. Many of us foresaw a significant roll back of Saint Barack's horrid, destructive agenda. A lot of us hoped for a major push back on the left.

None of us, no one I have read, no one I know, expected Donald Trump to be a giant in foreign policy. No one expected him to reshape the world. Yet Donald Trump, in a short time, is doing so.

That was supposed to be one of the reasons to vote against him. He had no foreign policy experience. He did not understand the world. He was going to lead us into wars. He would be taken advantage of by our enemies. He would ruin our alliances. He would be a rube. A bumpkin. An embarrassment. That was what we were told.

Well. Guess what, NeverTrumps! You were so wrong, desperately wrong. Your shame should be bottomless. Bill Kristol, Max Boot, all of you stand up and please voluntarily go into the stocks and throw rotten veggies at yourselves. You should be ashamed to speak. Yep, the entire left-leaning foreign policy establishment as well. All of you.

I did not expect this, never saw this as one of Trump's strengths. Nonetheless, we have not seen a better, more fruitful, and more capable foreign policy than this administration since the great Ronald Reagan.

Here are some of his accomplishments:

He has succeeded in having North Korea agree (document signed today here) to complete denuclearization. The North Koreans have destroyed their main nuclear testing site. They have given us three hostages without the plane loads of cash the Iranians got. North Korea is considering ending the long war with its southern neighbor. So much has happened with this story, it's close to as big and consequential a historical event as the coming down of the wall in Berlin and the fall of the Soviet Union. We won't know for a while. But for the first time in our lifetimes, there is a genuine negotiation to deal with the nuclear nightmare that the North Koreans have brought the world in the past decades.

The decimation of ISIS. In less than one year, their caliphate dreams have been shattered, their bases of operation destroyed.

The realignment of the Middle East. Most nations are choosing to ally together against Iran, and with us. Even Saudi Arabia is a clear ally, and of *gasp* Israel, too.

Israel is a stronger ally than ever. We have moved our embassy to Jerusalem.

Trump's success in connecting with the premier of China.

His dropping of the TPP deal, and subsequent current individual negotiations with the Pacific countries, such as Japan and South Korea.

His current renegotiation with Canada and Mexico on NAFTA.

His clear connection with Macron of France and the upcoming prime minister of Italy.

His clear words to the G7 this week that America will no longer be the piggy bank to the world.

His clear message to the globalist elites that we will not succumb to their foolish nonsensical wastefulness of the (so-called) Paris Climate Accord.

His pulling out of the disastrous Iran nuclear deal. He is clearly signaling to those in Iran who oppose the mullahs that he will, unlike the ugly American Barack Obama, support them if they take the lead in getting rid of those medieval tyrants. He is forging a potent alliance against them.

He has effectively signaled Assad and Putin that they will not be able to get away with the things they did so easily under the former disastrous Obama administration.

Now, let me take a hard poke at the leftist crazies who are the mainstream media. When virtually all of them celebrated the demise of the Korean summit some weeks ago, it was a sad sight to behold. People who should have been yearning for a peaceful solution to the North Korean saga of the last decades decided to cheer when it looked like the summit was off. So-called journalists named Mika, Rachel, Joe, Andrew, and Jake literally every leftist journalist, cheered because the deal appeared to have gone south. No more talk of a Peace Prize, they all cackled. See, we told you Trump was way over his head, didn't we?

Well, when I first read the letter from Trump calling off the summit, it was crystal-clear to me, and anyone paying attention, that Trump was negotiating. He knew what he was doing, and he was several moves ahead of everyone else (as usual). 'Twas obvious as the nose in front of any Democrat operative pretending to be a journalist's face. Did they not read The Art of the Deal? Do these fake news-purveyors never tire of being wrong or losing?

I think not.

Unlike their hero Barack O, the feckless one, the one who gave everything away to whichever country he was negotiating with, Trump actually excels at negotiation. He negotiates from strength. He knows what he wants from a deal and pushes for it until it's a deal that is worthwhile having.

So here we are. The same journalistic fools who gloated in the early calling off of the summit are again caterwauling to their audience just how Trump is unprepared, how he knows nothing, how he's going to get us in a terrible deal with the brilliant adversary Kim Jong-un.

It's all they know. You'd think someone would take a hook like at the old vaudeville shows and yank them off the stage. But no, the news industry is determined to entirely destroy itself. They are determined to make fools of themselves one more time. Determined to undermine their own sanity by promising Trump will fail. Again.

Will the last people who watch our so called "news" media, the last to leave the building please turn off the lights?

As Americans, we can be certain Trump will not sell us out. Whether this summit succeeds in actually changing North Korea and denuclearizing the peninsula, we won't really know for a while. What we do know is that no other American leader has succeeded in getting this far. What we do know is that Trump as foreign policy expert will continue to surprise us and the world.

Enjoy it while you can. We've not seen a foreign policy team this good at realigning the word since Reagan.

One remarkable surprise.DxOMark Image Labs, a Paris-based imaging company best known to consumers for its in-depth camera reviews, has been offered money for placing particular products on its agenda many times, its Marketing VP Nicolas Touchard revealed in an interview with AndroidHeadlines. Its the same as in any business, the industry veteran said in reference to solicitation attempts, having confirmed the offers came from both phone makers and camera manufacturers, but being quick to clarify that such advances werent meant to be bribes. Some [companies], especially those who never worked with us [before making their approach], didnt understand our business model, which is why they offered money, Mr. Touchard said.

The French company never accepted such proposals and doesnt see a scenario wherein that would happen going forward. We have our own schedule [for reviews], we are not obliged to do any and dont want to be obliged in the future, the DxOMark executive asserted. Once those suitors were explained how the firm operates, they adjusted their pitches accordingly, with no single manufacturer suggesting any money exchanges hands while requesting reviews after the initial misunderstanding, the official said.

DxOMark publishes camera reviews  both mobile and otherwise  primarily as a way to promote its benchmarking, consulting, and seminar services. The companys website where all of its reviews are published isnt monetized and there are no plans for that business model to change in the future, Mr. Touchard said. DxOMarks reviews are meant to be the most scientific take on (mobile) camera benchmarking available online, whereas its modular lab configuration called the Analyzer is also available for purchase and can be calibrated and used for arriving to the same ratings independently. The review process itself is a relatively lengthy affair and takes ten days in total, with half of that period being spent on shooting and the rest being dedicated to analysis. DxOMarks five labs are hence always full, though the company has been on a hiring spree since splitting from DxO Labs last September, with the increased headcount allowing it to raise the number of camera reviews it does on a monthly basis.

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If we dont review every new model, its only because we have so much to do internally, Mr. Touchard said, adding that the number of mobile and standalone camera reviews DxOMark does is still set to continue going up moving forward. Regardless, with new flagships coming out constantly, finding extra time slots for product reviews is becoming an increasingly more difficult affair, the executive acknowledged. DxOMark presently employs 60 engineers and technicians but Mr. Touchard declined revealing how many of them are tasked with camera reviews throughout any given month. While the firm is still focused on flagships in the mobile space, it recently started paying more attention to non-premium Android devices as their camera capabilities are now closing the gap with high-end handsets in terms of image quality, having recently reviewed the likes of the Vivo X20 Plus, Lava Z25, and the Energizer E520.Facebook recently provided the U.S. Senate with answers to a number of questions presented by stateside lawmakers earlier this spring, having done so some two months after its co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg was grilled by Capitol Hill in the aftermath of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, though with limited success. The two-month delay may be attributed to the fact that Facebooks head was presented with dozens of questions during his two congressional hearings in April, with every Senator only being allowed several minutes for questioning the 34-year-old. The comprehensive document provided to American legislators numbers 452 pages, though it also retreads many of the same ground Facebook previously covered, ultimately revealing little new information about the companys privacy practices.

Among other things, the social media giant used the opportunity to once again deny reports that it creates shadow profiles on individuals who arent Facebook users, adding that it doesnt leverage any non-user data for advertising purposes and only collects it in order to prevent third parties from mining actual user data or abusing the platform in another way. The Menlo Park, California-based firm also disclosed its doubling the size of its content review team this year, having said its expecting to have 20,000 people policing and curating the platform by early 2019. Facebook is still refusing to refer to its users as the product and advertisers as its true clients like many critics have been describing its business model in the past, with the latest filing stating the firm remains committed to connecting people at the expense of everything else. Our priority is protecting our community, and that is more important than

maximizing our profits, the document reads.

The firm also dismissed the idea of its main platform ever being offered in the form of a paid product, having described advertising as a good compromise that allows even the poorest individuals to stay connected with anyone they care about. On the subject of the Cambridge Analytica ordeal, Facebook testified it believes the political consulting firm paid the equivalent of approximately $1 million in exchange for personal data of up to 87 million users in 2014, most of whom never agreed to having their information harvested in such a manner, i.e. havent logged into an online personality quiz tasked with mining user data. Facebook remains under federal scrutiny and may end up being hit by stricter privacy regulations in the near future, together with every other digital giant in the U.S.Morocco and the European Union are heading towards the renewal of the fishing protocol, as the College of Commissioners unanimously adopted on Monday the exchange of letters that include the Moroccan Sahara in the agricultural agreement.

This is an important step since Rabat and Brussels started negotiations on the renewal of the fisheries agreement with a view to adapting the agreement to the decision of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), a European source in Brussels commented.

Thus, products from the Sahara region will be included in the agreement, especially given the positive socio-economic fallouts for the regions population and economy, the European source confirmed.

The same source pointed out that the inclusive consultations with local representatives, civil society and various entities and organizations concerned, have showed broad support for confirming the inclusion of products from the southern provinces in the agreement, given the socio-economic benefits to the regions population and economy.

The EU source said that the future agreement with Morocco is meant to facilitate the access of the Sahara products to the EU at the same preferential tariffs applied on products from other Moroccan regions.

The European Commission noted in a statement released at the end of the College of Commissioners meeting that the approved documents will be sent to the EU Council and the European Parliament for adoption.

The statement also recalled that Morocco is a key partner in the southern neighborhood with which the EU maintains privileged relations. The Commission also expressed willingness to further develop these links with the North African country in several areas.The official Android Developers YouTube channel has now published a new video featuring a robotic Android mascot named Rosie, meant to inspire more developers to get involved with the Android Things IoT platform. Although the robot only differs from the official mascot in terms of coloration, Rosie was actually a team effort between Google and Deep Local. First conceptualized at Google, the former company was later given the task of taking it from a prototype condition to the final product shown in the video. Of course, since this only appears meant to act as a reference point for other developers, it doesnt do a whole lot aside from rolling around, taking pictures, and conducting very basic interactions. Despite its relatively rudimentary in its functionality, however, the company really just seems to have wanted to break ground with third-party developers in the promotion of its Android-based IoT platform and tools.

On that particular front, Googles Rosie may be the perfect solution. For starters, the companys prototype was built on a very simplistic platform. The team behind the robot started with a simple radio-controlled vehicle, wireless antenna, and foam for the body. For those who might be curious. The name of the robotic IoT selfie-shooter is drawn from World War II-era U.S. promotional posters intended to provide motivation from women working in jobs ordinarily occupied by men at the time. It was later handed off to Deep Local, who rebuilt the robot at a much larger scale and added photo printing capabilities, among other things. The hardware used for that is all off-the-shelf as well. Rosie utilizes electric wheelchair motors and two car batteries wired in series for power. A machine learning board was used inside to provide Rosie with the ability to use various sensors and the whole thing is built on Googles Android Things API.

The Android Things API, meanwhile, was launched in version 1 back in may. Thats a code library which allows for on-device processing of exactly the types of code instances used in Rosie. It also allows for customization of exactly which portions of those libraries are used, making it much more lightweight to implement than it might otherwise be. Moreover, the company has provided a substantial amount of support on its associated websites for getting developers started. Whether or not this new campaign works to inspire developers or not, the video itself shows that this kind of project can be undertaken with relative ease on the platform. So it should be interesting to see where developers take things moving forward.New details have reportedly emerged about the settlement ZTE will need to pay to the U.S. government before business can resume with American components manufacturers. For the most part, thats said to include both a $1 billion fine and the placement of $400 million in escrow to be held in a U.S.-based bank of ZTEs choosing. Including the previously paid $361 million as part of an initial settlement for its behavior, that brings the total set to be paid by the company to just over $1.76 billion. The escrow holdings, meanwhile, will be held for as much as ten years and will be distributed to the Commerce Department if ZTE fails to follow the rules of the new agreement. That includes both public and private shares. The company will also be required to fund a compliance coordination team of no fewer than six staff, to which it will report starting 30 days from the agreement and for the entire term of the agreement. At the end of the ten-year term, the escrow will be returned to ZTE on the condition that there have been no further violations.

In an attempt to alleviate the fears of some lawmakers regarding what kind of security risk the company might pose, ZTE will be required to identify all Chinese government ownership and control at the company. Not content to stop there, the agreement will reportedly see every executive employee of the company at or above the senior vice president level fired. Any other officers or executives involved in the unsanctioned trade with North Korea and Iran will also be losing their jobs, while the entire board of directors at ZTE will have to be replaced with two corporate entities. Moreover, all of its use of U.S.-made components and details surrounding that will need to be posted on its website in English and Chinese. Lastly, the company must agree not to deny or imply the denial of its role in the embargo breach.

Of course, this is just the latest development in ZTEs ongoing row with the U.S. government over its decision to ignore both a ban on business with Iran and North Korea and ensuing fines. However, it could very well mark the end of that ban if ZTE complies with the details outlined. That would be good news for the company, which has suffered sizeable losses associated with its supply chain and ability to meet demand. With that said, there is one other roadblock in ZTEs way at this juncture. Political representatives in the U.S. still need to vote on the agreement to move things forward. That may prove a problem since many in the legislative body believe ZTE poses a threat to national security due to its close ties with the Chinese government. Primarily that stems from comments made which suggest the agreement was reached as a personal favor from President Donald Trump to Chinas president.HMD Globals Nokia 3.1 smartphone can now be pre-ordered via Amazons online marketplace at $159. The second-generation Nokia 3 handset incorporates some premium elements while keeping its price low for budget-conscious users. The Nokia 3.1 will start shipping in early July and will come in Black, Blue, and White color variants. The Nokia phone was officially announced in late May in Moscow, Russia, along with the Nokia 2.1 and Nokia 5.1, which feature bigger displays, improved processor performance, and other enhancements.

The expected availability date on Amazons listing for the Nokia 3.1 slightly comes a bit later than what HMD Global recently stated in its announcement of the smartphone when it promised a June release. As a quick recap, the second-generation Nokia 3 handset features a 5.2-inch HD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels, with a 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass for display protection. Under the hood, the Nokia 3.1 is powered by the MediaTek 6750 octa-core processor which offers a 50-percent performance improvement over its predecessor, which was announced in February last year. It will also ship with two options for RAM and native storage, namely 2GB/16GB and 3GB/32GB. On the optics side of things, the phone boasts a 13-megapixel rear camera with an aperture of f/2.0. Its front camera shows off an 8-megapixel lens with an aperture of f/2.0. In terms of dimensions, the Nokia 3.1 measures 146.3 x 68.7 x 8.7mm. It also weighs 138.3 grams and is made of glass, aluminum, and plastic.

The Nokia 3.1 runs Android 8.0 Oreo, with HMD Global reportedly planning to push all of its existing Nokia smartphone lineups to Android P once Google releases the latest version of its mobile operating system in the form of a stable build later this year. Theres still no word on when the Finnish mobile phone company will exactly upgrade its entire Nokia-branded series of smartphones. Nonetheless, considering that all of the companys previous smartphone models that originally launched with Nougat pre-installed have already been upgraded to Android Oreo, recent reports seem to match the original equipment manufacturers established strategy for keeping its devices up to date.HMD Global had introduced the Nokia X6 mid-ranger last month in China, and it seems like an international variant of the device is coming soon, as it seemingly just got certified in Taiwan. The device just got certified by Taiwans NCC authority, which stands for National Communications Commission. The phone appeared at NCC as the Nokia TA-1103, while the Chinese variant comes with the TA-1099 model number. The Nokia TA-1103 actually got its Bluetooth certification quite recently, and that listing, in addition to this one, more or less confirm this is an international variant of the Nokia X6, at least according to the source. NCC did not reveal all that much info regarding the phone, but it did confirm that the device will support 4G LTE connectivity.

The Nokia X6 is very popular in China, as HMD Global managed to sell out initial stock of the Nokia X6 in only ten seconds in the country. The companys Chief Product Officer (CPO), Juho Sarvikas, actually opened up a poll last month, asking people whether they are interested in the Nokia X6, trying to figure out whether the company should release a global variant of the phone or not. After 6,000 votes, 91-percent of consumers said Yes, which is probably why were seeing such certifications out there, the devices arrival is imminent at this point. The global variant of the Nokia X6 will probably sport the same specs as the Chinese model, while it will probably look the same as well, so we know exactly what to expect. The device will sport a dual camera setup on the back, where its fingerprint scanner will be included as well. The Nokia X6 comes with really thin bezels, a chin below the display, and a display notch up top.

The Chinese variant of the Nokia X6 features a 5.8-inch fullHD+ display, 4GB / 6GB of RAM and 32GB / 64GB of expandable storage. The device is fueled by the Snapdragon 636 64-bit octa-core processor, while it includes a 3,060mAh battery. 16 and 5-megapixel cameras are located on the back of the Nokia X6, while a single 16-megapixel camera sits on the phones front side. Android 8.1 Oreo comes pre-installed on the Nokia X6, while the phone utilizes Qualcomms Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging in order to replenish its 3,060mAh battery pack. If youd like to know more about the Nokia X6, click here.Theres been a new development in the long-running feud between Apple and Samsung, as the Korean tech giant prepares to take the recent verdict in Apples favor back before the courts. In a jury-led decision near the end of May. Samsung was ordered to pay Apple $539 million in damages as the result of a patent infringement case stemming from way back in 2011. Samsung appears not to have given up on its fight to prove that it is innocent of the infringement allegations and is now arguing that the amount of damages set is too high. Thats based on a post-verdict motion the company filed with US District Court in San Jose just after proceedings came to an end. Furthermore, the company is requesting in a second motion that it be paid back for an earlier payment to Apple of $146 million for an invalidated touchscreen patent. That figure would include interest accrued if Samsung can successfully argue its case and would significantly reduce the amount it owes.

The companys appeal seems to be on the basis that the case will set a precedent for others moving forward. Namely, Samsung claims that the ruling flies in direct opposition to a Supreme Court judgment regarding the scope of possible damages and could place an undue burden on competition and creativity in the mobile industry. The case itself was brought by Apple and centers around designs used back in 2010 through 2011 with regard to both software and hardware aspects of Apples iOS devices. A total of five aspects were considered, whittled down from a much higher number earlier on in the case. Those include patents associated with aesthetic design, in addition to two patents related to how the iPhone-specific features functioned. Samsungs primary goal over that time has been to prove that smartphone design centers solely around the components of a phone.

The courts ultimately ruled that Apples design patents were valid and infringed. That news was not all bad for Samsung since the iPhone manufacturer had initially asked for damages to be awarded in excess of $2.5 billion. Regardless, this case seems as though it still isnt about to end anytime soon. As of this writing, neither company has released any comments regarding the latest turn of events, and the courts have not responded to the appeal filing.Samsung is planning an early August launch for the Galaxy Note 9, according to a known industry insider from China who previously alleged they were close to some of the South Korean companys suppliers. The insider on Monday said the next Galaxy-branded Android flagship will be launching on either August 2 or August 9, with its Thursday unveiling presumably being followed by a pre-order period spanning several weeks. The latter date was already reported by Bloomberg earlier this month and the same source claimed Samsungs next high-end offering will additionally improve on the imaging capabilities of the Galaxy S9 lineup which was already advertised with the camera reimagined tagline.

Much like the Galaxy S9 series refined the Galaxy S8 formula earlier this year, the Galaxy Note 9 should do the same to Samsungs last stylus-equipped Android phablet. Besides an improved S Pen, the device is expected to ship with Bixby 2.0, a significantly enhanced version of Samsungs artificial intelligence assistant which is said to have much shorter response times and widened capabilities. A variable-aperture lens akin to the Galaxy S9 one may be part of the package as well, but no other major innovations are likely to be debuted by the handset. Recent leaks point to yet another line of high-end Samsung smartphones without an in-display fingerprint reader, suggesting the Galaxy Note 9 will sport a more traditional rear-mounted sensor. A 3D camera is also unlikely to be included, having reportedly been reserved for the Galaxy S10 family meant to be released in early 2019.

The base memory configuration of the device is widely predicted to remain unchanged compared to the 2017 model, i.e. include 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage space. Samsung is likely to launch the Galaxy Note 9 with its first-ever custom implementation of Android 8.1 Oreo, as well as another dual-camera setup on the back. Should the Android smartphone end up being announced in early August, its likely to go on sale that same month, with all recent flagship releases from the company being treated to relatively short pre-order periods.The United States Senate is set to vote on an anti-ZTE bill later today, shortly after the government provided the Chinese company with a lifeline deal which allowed it to resume normal operations in spite of its repeated violations of international trade sanctions and settlements pertaining to the thereof. The top Congress house will be debating the provision as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), with the ZTE-related amendment already being approved as part of the draft last month, in spite of President Trumps then-ongoing efforts to mend U.S. relations with the Shenzhen-based firm.

The Presidents decision to lend a helping hand to ZTE saw bipartisan opposition from stateside legislators, though most industry watchers believe Capitol Hill has little options to reverse the new settlement. Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle previously argued ZTE poses a national security risk and the Commerce Department-issued denial order preventing it from buying and licensing American technologies indirectly addresses that issue, whereas allowing it to continue operating in the country and collaborating with U.S. firms achieves the opposite effect. As part of the new settlement, ZTE agreed to import $70 billion worth of additional goods from the U.S. and pay another $1 billion fine, in addition to giving in to a broad range of other concessions.

The new NDAA draft itself is standard practice on Capitol Hill, with one such bill being passed on an annual basis. Pentagon recently banned all sales of ZTE and Huawei-made devices from the vicinity of its military bases, with stateside lawmakers now considering going a step further and reinstating the Commerce Departments seven-year denial order which would likely bankrupt the company in the near term. President Trump would be able to veto the bill less its delivered with a supermajority vote, an unlikely scenario that would require two-thirds of Congress to agree on a highly debated subject of national security and telecommunications. ZTE repeatedly denied any allegations of posing a security threat to any nations. While publicly traded, the phone and telecom equipment manufacturer is majority-owned by China itself.Sony is still having doubts about the concept of fully bezel-less smartphones even as it started slimming down the screen borders on its most recent mobile products, a number of company officials revealed in an internal interview with their colleagues. The Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact released earlier this year marked a major milestone for the Japanese original equipment manufacturer, having debuted the new Ambient Flow design language meant to succeed the OmniBalance aesthetic Sony has been pursuing for years. While many industry watchers presumed the pair of Android flagships marked the end of Sonys 16:9 products in the high-end price bracket, the company followed up on them with a much more traditional-looking Xperia XZ2 Premium which retains the widescreen image format from its older offerings.

Sonys designers say they still have doubts about elongated aspect ratios and minimal bezels, having revealed they want every product they deliver to be both aesthetically pleasing and functional. A complete lack of bezels that some OEMs are now striving toward may not be the most ergonomic or intuitive form factor from an end-user perspective, even though it may be considered as more visually appealing, according to the officials. The Tokyo-based tech giant also isnt planning on blindly sticking with a single design over any given product generation, with its product team pointing to the Xperia XZ2 Premium and Xperia XZ2 Compact as two examples of that line of thinking; while the smaller device features smaller bezels and an 18:9 screen, it was envisioned as a versatile and highly portable offering intended for single-handed, usually portrait use. On the other hand, the Xperia XZ2 Premium is a phablet catering to heavy multimedia users and with the vast majority of todays video content still being a 16:9 affair, embracing a taller aspect ratio would just deteriorate from ones viewing experience, Sonys product team believes.

Sony is presently devising new bezel-less smartphone concepts but nothing has been set in stone for 2019 and beyond. While the firms mobile division has been shrinking in recent times and has once again found itself in the red over the last fiscal year that ended this March, the firm has no intentions of exiting the smartphone market that it believes will lead to the next big thing in the industry, whethers thats 5G, AR, both, or something else entirely.On June 4, Sprint settled a class-action lawsuit with thousands of sales employees. Sprint settled for $3.65 million on a class-action lawsuit that has been going on for over nine years in the US District Court of Kansas City, Kansas. Back in May 2008, almost four thousand Sprint business channel sales employees filed this suit against Sprint. The argument was the fact that Sprint failed to pay commissions they were owed after merging with Nextel. The employees said that the system Sprint was using was not able to track commissions and pay data for several years. Of course, Sprint is still continuing to deny these allegations.

This was a pretty long lawsuit for Sprint and these employees, and while the employees did ultimately end up winning, it is a pretty small settlement. Just $3.65 million. After paying off the lawyers that argued the case, the employees involved here likely wont receive much money from this class-action lawsuit, and that is typically the case with these class-action lawsuits anyways. Usually those involved only get a check for a few bucks. According to court documents, the employees will receive around $25 for this case. About $1.9 million goes to the nearly four thousand employees, while the remainder goes to paying the lawyers (around $839,600) and litigation costs (around $850,000).

Sprint isnt the only one that has been in a good number of lawsuits as of late. All four of the US carriers have had their own fair share of lawsuits lately, and a number of them were due to business practices that were not in favor of its customers. Though Sprint is the first one to really have its employees file a lawsuit against them. A nine-year lawsuit is definitely a long one, and its possible that many of these employees have left Sprint for many years already. While the $25 class-action lawsuit check likely wont make up for the lost money, it is better than nothing here.Users of Googles video calling app Duo will now be able to export their call history in app version 36 and later. Thats not the most exciting change to have hit the app and a far cry from the popular demand that Google integrates all of its messaging and calling solutions into a single platform. It is, however, one that can be endlessly useful for keeping a closer eye on interactions with contacts and saving phone numbers that a user doesnt necessarily want to add to their contacts application or SIM card. Its also not brand-new since it was previously possible via ADB for those who knew how to use the debugging tool. After the update, the process is simplified and available from the menus of the app itself.

The majority of Duo users wont need to install any new software to get access to the new feature either. The change appears to be rolling out on the server side of the service, according to initial reports. The act of exporting Duos call history is also very straightforward. Users simply need to navigate to the Duo application and then tap the menu at the top right-hand corner. Thats the three-dot icon, which should expand to show a list of options. After tapping on Help & feedback, users will be presented with a list of frequently asked questions. There should be a More option visible available as well. Tapping on that, followed by tapping on that pages three-dot menu will reveal the option to Export Call History.

The solution provided by Google could obviously be simplified further. Google has been working with a fair degree of consistency to deliver updates to its dedicated video calling and audio messaging app; among the more recent of those was the ability to make Duo calls to users who dont have the app installed. That was implemented back in January and there have been a few other changes since then as well. The addition of history exports rounds out those improvements and brings the app in line with most modern apps in its category. With any luck, the company will continue to improve on the feature, making it easier to find and use.Verizon is currently rolling out a software package to the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge that will upgrade the operating system of the two devices to Android 8.0 Oreo. Once the new software update is installed, users will be able to take advantage of features of Android Oreo, which include the autofill functionality, the Picture-in-Picture mode, and the notification dots feature. The autofill functionality makes it easier for users to log-in to websites and applications by remembering important information like usernames and passwords. On the other hand, the Picture-in-Picture mode allows users to view two applications at the same time by showing one app in a smaller window, which is placed on top of another application. Meanwhile, the notification dots feature informs the user of which apps have notifications directly on the home screen. Furthermore, users should experience improved battery life after installing the software upgrade due to the introduction of background activity limits for Android applications.

Verizons support website also listed a number of features specific to Samsungs proprietary skin that are incorporated into the major operating system upgrade. Among the features enumerated on the carriers website is the App Pair functionality, which allows people to open two applications at the same time with just one tap. The Dual Messenger feature enables users to keep two different accounts for the same chat or social media application on the same device. Other features that come with the software package include high contrast options for the keyboard app, modifications to the devices phone screen, and the installation of the SmartThings app. In addition, the update also brings the April 2018 Android security patch.

The software package should be rolling out now to Verizon-branded variants of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge, although it may take several days before all units receive the update. However, users have the option of manually triggering the update process by going to the device settings and proceeding to the software updates section of the About Phone menu. Before installing the software package, it is advisable to backup the files and images stored in the handset to a microSD card or a personal computer to prevent the loss of important data, and it is also recommended that handsets have sufficient battery charge to last the entire update procedure.The ZTE deal that provided the Shenzhen-based firm with a lifeline following a crippling denial order imposed on it by the Commerce Department in April was a personal favor to the president of China Xi Jinping, according to Peter Navarro, President Trumps top trade adviser. In a recent interview with Fox News, the Washington official described the polarizing settlement as the last chance for ZTE to continue operating in the United States, having called the company a bad actor. When questioned why the White House was still adamant to lend a helping hand to a firm that first violated U.S. trade sanctions placed on Iran and North Korea, then failed to adhere to the terms of a 2017 settlement over the matter and lied to federal investigators, Mr. Navarro said the new deal is President Trumps attempt at showing some goodwill for bigger efforts.

The Singapore summit with China and North Korea is one such effort, as are Washingtons ongoing trade negotiations with the Far Eastern country. Beijing, the majority owner of ZTE, has yet to reciprocate the favor that exposed the President to bipartisan criticism from Capitol Hill, with U.S. lawmakers presently debating whether to attempt reversing the new settlement over national security concerns, though their chances to do so successfully remain questionable, threatened by the possibility of a presidential veto that theyd only be able to override with a supermajority vote. American chipmaker Qualcomm is hoping the latest development will help its NXP bid receive approval from Chinas antitrust watchdog that has yet to conclude its review of the proposal 20 months since it was first announced, being the last competition regulator in the world with the power to block the $44 billion merger.

ZTE is now once again able to purchase Qualcomms Snapdragon chips, license the latest versions of Googles Android operating system, and acquire other American technologies crucial to its operations. The episode may spur more silicon-related investments in China, currently the worlds largest semiconductor importer, according to some industry watchers. ZTE recently apologized to its employees for the uncertainty that stemmed from its transgressions, having vowed to do better moving forward.BarcelonaOriol Junqueras has asked the new Spanish primer minister, Pedro Sanchez, to respect the Catalan government and the demands they might make when they engage in talks with them in the coming days. Speaking for Catalonias public broadcaster, Catalunya Radio, Junqueras said that Pedro Sanchez will have to choose between making superficial changes, like [former PM] Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero did, or being a statesman. In other words, he can stick his neck out or stick to progressive posturing. We will see.

In line with the new Catalan governments position, Junqueras insisted that their Spanish counterpart should sit down for talks, but he warned that Catalans will never surrender their democratic goals. The best way will always be the broadest path, the road that brings together the most people. This might not necessarily be the straightest or the narrowest, argued the former vice president. Even though he remains firmly committed to dialogue, Junqueras warned that our will as a nation takes first place.

At any rate, the ERC leader was skeptical about the Spanish governments predisposition to discuss Catalonias self-determination: I wish they would, he said. Junqueras admitted that he does not want to come across as naive or start a countdown for such significant objectives. Therefore, he stressed the need to persevere: We must work to make it possible, work on it until it becomes unstoppable and many more of us are willing to support it. On this point, Junqueras also warned that it is not ERCs job to prop up the PSOE, but that his partys goal is to promote dialogue and find a democratic solution where the will of the people is respected.

Oriol Junqueras has been held in Spains Estremera prison for seven months. However, he claims that his convictions remain unshakeable, even though he admitted that the situation is hard on his family. Being locked up is tough, but it is worse for my family; the punishment meted on them is so unfair that that I cannot abide it, he complained. This is worse than revenge: it is vicious spite. They want to punish us and they do so by making the people who are close to use suffer: our children and young infants, he remarked. Junqueras mentioned that he has not seen any signs that the new socialist government in Madrid might want to resolve the situation.

On the subject of the footage [of himself and other Catalan leaders] taken inside the Estremera prison and published by this newspaper, Junqueras stated that it was taken without his permission: We were oblivious to it, he noted. However, he admitted that the pictures are not degrading. The former Catalan vice president criticised the fact that they could be videoed inside the prison itself. Once you endorse the idea that you might be filmed anywhere and in any way, you are obviously allowing an intrusion into your privacy.

Everybody has their own reasons

Junqueras refused to comment on his relationship with Carles Puigdemont. This is not the time for criticism, he said, and he stated that everybody has their own reasons to make their decisions. He chose not to discuss whether Puigdemont had been in touch with him since he was taken into custody. The former vice president wished the best of luck to the new Catalan president, Quim Torra, and did not question his decision to aim to reinstate former president Carles Puigdemont.The News in Brief

Parliamentary Investigative Committee Chair Meets with Saralidze



The Parliamentary fact-finding commission, set up in relation to the murder of the two teenagers on Khorava Street, held meetings with representatives of the civil sector, the Public Defender and the father of the killed teenager, Zaza Saralidze.



The Chairman of the Commission Sergi Kapanadze noted that he met Saralidze and his lawyer, listened to his position and agreed on future cooperation.



I will hold a meeting with NGOs to speak about our future cooperation. It is very important that commission's activities are transparent. Tomorrow I will again meet with Zaza Saralidze and his lawyer in the parliament," said Sergi Kapanadze.



Kapanadze also noted that the commission will request materials from all relevant agencies.



The Commission consists of 17 MPs. 6 members of the Georgian Dream Ruling Party and 9 opposition MPs from the party European Georgia.



One of the members is from the Alliance of Patriots of Georgia - Ada Marshania, and one member is independent- MP, Salome Zurabishvili.







PM Welcomes First Georgian Ozeki



Sumo wrestler Tochinoshin (Levan Gorgadze), who has recently been promoted to the sport's second-highest rank of ozeki, met with the Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili at the governmental administration on June 6.



PM stated that Tochinoshins victory will act as a bridge between Georgian and Japanese people.



"Tochinoshin is the main representative of Georgia to Japan. Despite the long distance between Georgia and Japan, the two have a lot in common and the role of Tochinoshin in our relations is special.



You can always count on us, just like we count on you, the PM addressed the sportsmen after the meeting.



The Japan Sumo Association officially decided on the promotion of Gorgadze on May 30. The decision was officially confirmed to Tochinoshin and his master Kasugano at the ceremony.



Gorgadze is the third wrestler from Europe and the first from Georgia to reach the rank. The 2 other Ozeki-ranked wrestlers from Europe are Bulgarian-born Kotooshu and Estonian wrestler Baruto.

(Prepared by Mariam Chanishvili)



In the latest development in a tangled legal dispute that will probably outlive us all, the J. Paul Getty Trust announced that it plans to file an appeal with Italys Court of Cassation of a June 8 Italian criminal court decision calling for the California museum to relinquish its celebrated statue, The Victorious Youth (aka the Getty Bronze).

For now, its the centerpiece of the gallery devoted to The Hellenistic World, which is a highlight of the sweeping reconception and reinstallation of the Getty Villa, which reopened on Apr. 18:

Judge Giacomo Gasparini of the Court for the Preliminary Investigations, Pesaro, ruled that the bronze was stolen, because it was found in Italian territorial waters, loaded onto a fishing boat from Italy and illegally exported from Italy.

The Getty has always asserted that the fishing boat was in international waters, not Italian waters. Either way, it seems likely that it was illegally smuggled out of Italy, which has strict retentionist laws about cultural property within its borders.

In its announcement reacting to the latest decision, the museum dusted off a favorite argument of anti-repatriationist James Cuno, who held this view long before he became the Getty Trusts president: The Getty Bronze, in the press releases words, is not part of Italys extraordinary cultural heritage. Accidental discovery by Italian citizens does not make the statue an Italian object.

This hearkens back to Cunos dubious argument in his 2008 book, Who Owns Antiquity?, that modern nations have no right to legislate the protection of and access to whatever they consider to be their cultural property.Antiquities are ancient artifacts of times and cultures long preceding the history of the modern nation-state. And in all but a very few cases, they have no obvious relation to that state other than the accident of geography: they happen to have been found within its modern borders.

Heres a more detailed statement regarding the litigation situation that Ron Hartwig, the Getty Trusts soon-to-retire vice president of communications, sent me today, in response to my queries:

After having been denied the opportunity to present relevant witnesses to testify in the previous cases, and having to appeal to the Italian Constitutional Court to gain such right about 40 years after its purchase of the object, the Getty presented evidence that the Getty Bronze was acquired legally after thorough research and careful due diligence. The Getty presented all of the surviving witnesses involved in the acquisition and provided additional evidence to the judge relating to the underlying transaction. Nevertheless, the current decision relies on testimony provided by individuals in related criminal investigations, without the presence of counsel, and certain questionable statements by [former Metropolitan Museum director] Thomas Hoving to Italian authorities in 2007. [More on the late Hoving, below.] The Getty did not have the opportunity to cross examine the witnesses and the statements were simply taken as true by the judge, even though the Getty presented evidence to the contrary in the Pesaro proceeding. Italys assertion of ownership of the object relies on a single decision by a minor Sicilian court that has been criticized by scholars. This same decision was considered irrelevant 50 years ago by the Italian Court of Cassation in its prior decision pertaining to the object, when it ruled there was no evidence that the statue belonged to Italy. The Getty strongly believes that once the case moves to the Court of Cassation these facts should be considered and that the Getty will ultimately prevail

or maybe outlast the opposition.

In a written statement he sent me in November 2006, former Metropolitan Museum director Tom Hoving (not always a reliable narrator) had told me this:

The old man, J. Paul, insisted before he purchased the bronze (to share with the Met in exchange for the Mets lending the Boscotrecase frescoes the the Getty indefinitely) that the Italian government grant permission in writing [for the two U.S. museums] to acquire and exhibit it. [Emphasis added.] Why cant the Getty simply respect the donors wishes and hand it back to Italy?

The Getty Museum bought The Victorious Youth, dated 300-100 B.C., for $3.95 million in 1977. (Getty had died the previous year.) Heres what the sculptures new label says about its travels:

His olive wreath suggests Olympia was the site of his victory and the original location of the statue. After the sculpture was removed, probably in Roman times, it was shipwrecked en route to Italy.

This almost sounds like the Getty is suggesting that if the Victorious Youth goes anywhere, it should be Greece. Who will emerge victorious in this endurance contest is still anyones guess.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Bell Gully is advising on the sale of an Auckland-based business to an Australian medical imaging company.

The top firm was tapped by the sellers of Specialist Radiology Group, Trinity MRI, and

Cavendish Radiology to ASX-listed Integral Diagnostics (IDX) for $97.65m. The businesses operate four specialist radiology clinics in Auckland and lead in their market for complex diagnostic imaging, including MRI, CT and SPECT.

IDX is acquiring the businesses for $74.4m in cash, as well as $23.25m in IDX equity, of which 80% will be held in escrow for up to five years. The businesses are expected to contribute between $12m and $13m EBITDA to IDX for financial year 2019.The government met with representatives of the sector in May to propose a compromise, which included funding for cases and junior barristers.

Criminal barristers are decrying the continued defunding of their sector amid unsustainable workloads, particularly the revamp to the Advocates Graduated Fee Scheme (AGFS). The latest government rework has been estimated by the Bar to have cut reading fees by up to 40%, all while the system continues to experience a cascading build-up of caseload.

Rafferty said that the investment in the AGFS is a first step in a long road to rehabilitating the criminal justice system.

The damage done in recent decades will not be undone in weeks, or perhaps years. This proposal is the beginning and not the end of our campaign to improve the broken system we all work in every day, she said. We still face exceptional difficulties, as do our solicitor colleagues. This will not fix the terrible conditions, the unhealthy and unreasonably onerous working practices and the general decrepitude. However, if we consider it a start we can build on it.

The Bar has now also launched a campaign for more government support for prosecutors.Active Noise Cancellation

A special edition according to its maker, the Yukon Graphite Performance is nothing but a badge-engineered Tahoe RST. The same engine with the same amount of ponies and twist, the Hydra-Matic 10L80 gearbox, and magnetorheological dampers are all present, and thats a little bit underwhelming.Adding insult to injury, the high-performance Yukon doesnt get the upgraded braking system and Borla exhaust of the Tahoe RST. If theres anyone to blame for that, you can address your complaints to General Motors beancounters in Detroit.In addition to the go-faster goodies mentioned a couple paragraphs before, the Yukon Performance Edition includes 22-inch bright machined wheels with Carbon Flash Metallic pockets, black assist steps with gloss black accents, black inserts for the grille and fog lamp surrounds, black roof rails, and black beltline moldings.The interior of the murdered-out gentle giant, on the other hand, features a high-capacity air cleaner, Bosesystem, multi-color head-up display, an 8-inch Driver Information Center, and an 8-inch infotainment system with satellite navigation. It must be mentioned the Graphite Performance Edition requires the Graphite Edition. The lesser version is exclusive to the SLT trim in either Yukon or Yukon XL configurations, be it the rear- or four-wheel-drive setup.The all-new Graphite Edition builds on the commanding road presence and inherent capabilities of the Yukon and affords customers the opportunity to project a unique, yet distinctly GMC style, explains Stu Pierce, senior marketing manager for GMC trucks and full-size SUVs . Still, youre much better off buying the Chevy.And North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was just offered a rare but very short glimpse of it, before U.S. Secret Service agents stepped in and shut the back door.Trump is now in Singapore for the very first summit with Kim Jong-un, of which hes already told the media its progressing better than even he expected. And Lord knows he had high hopes about it, even saying he knew how to handle the little rocket man Jong-un. Apparently, that includes showing off for him, by allowing him to catch a glimpse of the top secret limousine.You can see the impromptu stop by Cadillac One in the video below. Notice how Secret Service agents are striving to keep cameras on the other side of the passenger door, so as to prevent them from getting any footage from the interior. Also notice that the agent who opens the door for Trump is also the one who closes it when he sees Jong-un looking inside.In other words, in wanting to show off for the North Korean leader, Trump may have put his own safety at risk. After all, theres good reason why all the specs and details about Cadillac One are top secret, and the new one will be even safer Then again, Trump knew such a move would sit well with Jong-un. He has his own version of the Presidential limousine, albeit a more expensive one. While Trumps Cadillac One is said to have cost an estimated $1.6 million, Kims Mercedes-Benz S600 is worth $2 million and even has a portable toilet included.As for how talks about North Koreas plans to dump nuclear weapons and end the war with South Korea are going, Trump hinted to the media that everything is coming up roses.Its going great. Its better than expected, Trump told reporters outside. We had a really fantastic meeting. A lot of progress  better than anything could have expected. Top of the line.Four months after being announced, Ford says the pilot project currently underway in Miami has attracted 70 business, including, for instance, the local Coyo Taco.For the project, Ford is using a Transit Connect and is somewhat cheating. You see, the car is not at all autonomous, but controlled by an experienced driver. Meaning theyre just like any delivery vans. So what is exactly Ford testing?They are testing peoples reaction to the delivery method and their interaction with the car. Fords procedure does not require the driver to come up to your door and deliver the goods, but instead makes the customer walk up to the car and pick them up himself.The Connect van is equipped with a multi-locker system that grants customers access to the desired products. An app notifies them on the estimated delivery time for the food and, once it has arrived, the customer is required to key-in a code on the embedded touchscreen. The code is used to unlock the correct locker and have the meal served.The self-driving features of the future autonomous delivery system, meaning cars with no drivers, are being tested elsewhere in Miami, with the help of a fleet of other cars."Today, deliveries can be made to someones door, though there is usually an extra charge involved," said in an article on Medium. Fords vice president Sherif Marakby back in February when the project was announced.Oftentimes, drivers illegally double-park when they cant find a space, potentially causing traffic congestion for others. A self-driving vehicle wont need to be tipped, and it wont park illegally.Ford plans the Miami project to act as a testbed for the launch of the purpose-built self-driving vehicle in 2021.A potential spy, that is. Laugh if you will, but sources from the police say this wouldnt be the first time this happened. Criminals can turn very innovative when the need be, and this could very well be a pigeon spy, Times of India reports.To make sure this isnt the case, the police will conduct X-rays on the bird, to see if there are any coded messages or hidden objects in his body. Were assuming it will be released if they find nothing, but whos to tell.The pigeon had landed near Shahpur post of Border Security Force near Indo Pak international border and was later handed over to the police. Police inspector Paramvir Singh said the pigeon was handed over to them by the BSF and they would get its X Ray conducted, the report says.Apparently, cross border narcotic smugglers as well as militants seem to favor this means of communication, which is why police are being over-zealous in analyzing the suspect in custody right now.As of the time of writing, at least 3 similar incidents have made headlines across the world, in the span of a little over a year. One such suspect managed to escape the police, in what was later dubbed a clear case of police negligence. In another instance, officers resorted to clipping the wings of another alleged spy pigeon, afraid it would escape custody too and they would be accused of incompetence.Only in one of these instances did authorities confirm they had found a coded message on the bird.One Nigerian man, identified only as Azubuike, is making headlines after he chose to bury his father in a first-generation BMW X6 . If youre wondering why a traditional wooden coffin wasnt good enough, heres the explanation: the son had promised his father he would, one day, buy him a flash car, The Sun reports.Apparently, he never got to it when his dad was still alive and, not wanting to break his promise, he did so in death. So, instead of burying his father in a coffin, as us regular people would do, he went out to a local BMW showroom and acquired the 2014 car, for which he paid a reported 66,000 (approx. $88,000) in cash.Word on social media has it that he specifically sought that the BMW [be] equipped with Sat Nav to help him find his way to the pearly gates, the British tab says. Thats mighty considerate of him, not wanting his father to get lost on his way to Heaven.One photo from the funeral has gone viral on social media, showing the used BMW being lowered into a large grave, which had been dug by the people from the village. The pall bearers are all dressed to the nines, and curious attendees are taking pictures of the unusual coffin.Also on social media, the gesture is being dismissed as a final and completely useless showing of flashiness. Had the man really wanted to buy his father a car, he would have done everything in his power to do so while the man was still alive. To bury that kind of money into the ground (literally so) is stupid and inconsiderate, especially since he could have donated it, if he really wanted to make a difference.This trend of using expensive cars instead of coffins seems to have started in 1988, when Detroit kingpin Maserati Rick Carter was buried in a custom-made gold-plated Mercedes-Benz coffin worth over $16,000. Mercedes-Benz, and not Maserati, was his favorite car brand.A first look at President Trump's interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity immediately after his Singapore summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (airing in full at 9 p.m. ET):

"[O]ther administrations, I dont want to get specific on that, but you know they had a policy of silence. If [North Korea] said something very bad and very threatening and horrible, just dont answer. Thats not the answer. Thats not what you have to do. So I think the rhetoric  I hated to do it, sometimes I felt foolish doing it  but we had no choice."

 President Trump to Fox News' Sean Hannity

The conversation leading up to that quote:

Hannity: "In the room alone and then the subsequent talks with your team and their team, how honest, how brutal, what was said?"

"In the room alone and then the subsequent talks with your team and their team, how honest, how brutal, what was said?" Trump: "So we got along very well. We got along from the beginning."

"So we got along very well. We got along from the beginning." Hannity: "A lot of people critics quickly saying when you said 'Little Rocket Man' or 'fire and fury,' or when he said, 'Oh, Ive got a red button on my desk,' and you said, 'Well, mines bigger and it works better than yours,' how did it evolve from that to this?"

"A lot of people critics quickly saying when you said 'Little Rocket Man' or 'fire and fury,' or when he said, 'Oh, Ive got a red button on my desk,' and you said, 'Well, mines bigger and it works better than yours,' how did it evolve from that to this?" Trump: "I think without the rhetoric we wouldnt have been here. I really believe that. You know, we did sanctions and all the things you would do. But I think without the rhetoric..."

Trump also was scheduled to talk in Singapore with Greta Van Susteren for Voice of America.13 Republican senators are urging President Trump to back a policy achieved under former President Obama that they say would create American manufacturing jobs. It would also cut greenhouse gas emissions, but that went unmentioned.

Why it matters: In a letter, dated last week and obtained by Axios on Monday, the senators dont mention "Obama" or "climate change." It's one of the starkest signs of how the Republican Party is willing to support efforts cutting emissions as long as they dont mention one of these two hyper-polarizing topics.

A spokesman for the White House's National Security Council confirmed the administration has received the letter, and said it's now under review. The spokesman didn't comment further.

The details: The policy at issue is an amendment to a global treaty phasing down refrigerants in appliances that emit powerful greenhouse gas emissions. The senators talk up how the amendment would help secure Americas place as the global leader in several manufacturing industries.

Whats next: In order for it to go into effect, the Trump administration would need to send it over to the Senate for its review, and ultimately vote on whether to approve it. In the letter, the senators urge Trump to send it to the chamber for review.

Go deeper: Industry touts economic gains of Obamas climate policy to Trump; How your air conditioner plays catch-up to regulationsFive states have primary elections today, bringing the nationwide total of states that have held primaries this cycle to 21.

What to watch: Keep your eyes on governor's races in Maine, Nevada and South Carolina, as Democrats are competing to replace their state's Republican chief executive. Both sides have been pouring record amounts of money into gubernatorial races across the country.

Why it matters: There are 36 governor's races happening this cycle, and 26 of them will have the power to approve or reject new congressional maps that will be redrawn after the 2020 census.

Governor's races

Maine: The four GOP candidates running to replace Governor Paul LePage have all tried to present themselves as closely aligned with him. (One candidate has an ad featuring LePage's wife while another says he'll "put the gas pedal" to LePage's accomplishments.)

But Republicans have reason to worry. Control of Maine's governor's mansion has consistently changed parties in every election since 1955. And EMILY's List invested $300,000 behind the leading Democratic female candidate, making it the biggest outside group contribution to the gubernatorial race.

Nevada: The state hasn't had a Democratic governor since 1999. The top two Democratic candidates, Christina Giunchigliani and Steve Sisolak, are within three points of each other and and the punches continue to fly. Sisolak accused his challenger of having "single-handedly protected perverts." EMILY's List intervened and put $2 million behind Giunchigliani.

The other side: Whoever wins will likely face Republican Adam Laxalt, who supported President Trump in 2016 and is backed by conservatives like Sheldon Adelson and the Koch-aligned group Americans for Prosperity.

South Carolina: The incumbent Republican Governor Henry McMaster is running for his first full term (he replaced Nikki Haley when she joined the Trump administration.) He has the president's backing, which should help his chances, but with three Republican challengers he could end up in a runoff later this summer.

The flip side: James Smith is the leading Democratic candidate. He's been a state lawmaker for about 20 years, is a veteran, and has former Vice President Joe Biden's support.

Go deeper: Tonight is the first time voters in Maine are using their new election system, where candidates are ranked by preference and votes are redistributed to each voter's next highest choice until a candidate exceeds 50% of the vote.President Trump has said hell know within one minute whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is serious about denuclearization. That first minute is rapidly approaching.

What to watch: The hours leading up to the starting gun have been an exercise in expectations setting. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was careful to note that while the summit is historic, its aim is to set the conditions for future productive talks. But even he cant predict what will happen when the two leaders sit down, one-on-one, in just a couple of hours.

The itinerary

Note: Singapore is 12 hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast.

9am local [9pm ET]: Trump greets Kim, with a 45 minute one-on-one meeting (which will include translators) beginning at 9:15.

Trump greets Kim, with a 45 minute (which will include translators) beginning at 9:15. 10am: Pompeo, Chief of Staff John Kelly, and National Security Advisor John Bolton join for an expanded bilateral meeting.

Pompeo, Chief of Staff John Kelly, and National Security Advisor John Bolton join for an 11:30am: Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, Ambassador Sung Kim, and NSC Asia chief Matt Pottinger join the group for a working lunch .

Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, Ambassador Sung Kim, and NSC Asia chief Matt Pottinger join the group for a . 4pm: Trump holds a press conference.

Trump holds a press conference. 7pm: Trump departs for Washington, by way of Guam and Hawaii.

Axios' Jonathan Swan and Alayna Treene report that Trump is expected to tape an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity after the summit and before leaving Singapore.

Worth noting: Jennifer Jacobs of Bloomberg reports that Kim is leaving Singapore at 4pm and Trump had been willing to stay in Singapore longer if negotiations were progressing well, but since Kim booked his departure, Trump booked his own.

What happened today

Sung Kim, a veteran diplomat and the current ambassador to the Philippines, has led discussions with the North Korean side in Singapore. Pompeo said those talks were moving quickly and successfully, despite reports to the contrary.

While Trump has spent most of his time in Singapore in his hotel, Kim was spotted out on the town with a massive security detail, taking in glamorous sights, posing for a selfie and, bizarrely, being cheered by onlookers.

Trump called South Korean President Moon and Japanese Prime Minister Abe.

What to watch for

As the Washington Post notes, the decision to begin the summit "without top advisers or nuclear arms specialists in the room underscores that their real goal is to develop a rapport and stage a global spectacle rather than to ink the technical details of a denuclearization accord."

the decision to begin the summit "without top advisers or nuclear arms specialists in the room underscores that their real goal is to develop a rapport and stage a global spectacle rather than to ink the technical details of a denuclearization accord." Victor Cha of CSIS writes that the summit is only the start of a negotiation process  and thats good news. Data shows North Korea is less likely to take provocative actions while theyre negotiating with the U.S.

that the summit is only the start of a negotiation process  and thats good news. Data shows North Korea is less likely to take provocative actions while theyre negotiating with the U.S. Jieun Baek, author of "North Korea's Hidden Revolution," writes in Foreign Affairs that "while in Singapore, Trump must be mindful of how Pyongyang will use the negotiations for propaganda in order to further bolster the regimes legitimacy." That means, in her opinion, avoiding both public threats and flattery.

Go deeper: Scoop... Trump open to U.S. embassy in North Korea, What that could mean for the U.S.

Three tips

Why to worry: Michael O'Hanlon of Brookings says bad outcomes include: 1. The U.S. gambles away its military alliance with South Korea for insufficient returns. 2. Negotiations fall apart, but global appetites for maximum pressure on Pyongyang are gone. 3. The leaders clash and "we wind up on the path towards 2017 again, and seem on the brink of war." Why to hope WaPo's Anna Fifield writes: "Despite everything Ive learned in the 14 years since I began covering North Korea, despite myself, I feel hopeful again now ahead of Tuesdays summit. ... Im not optimistic about complete denuclearization. No way. ... But this moment feels different. This process is different. These leaders are different. " Word of advice: Ryan Hass of Brookings says to watch for "recycled language" from previous agreements in North Korea's post-summit statements. "That would be a key indicator" that there was no breakthrough, he says.

Go deeper: Kim Jong-un's intelligence file, What Kim wants from Trump.The foreign ministers of Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine met in Berlin today to take another stab at peace in Ukraine. The U.S. is not represented, but President Trumps presence will likely be felt in ways that he didnt intend  and that Vladimir Putin will not appreciate.

The big picture: President Trumps suggestion that Russia be re-invited to meetings between the leading Western democracies got this years G7 summit in Quebec off to a tumultuous start. Like his previous attempts to improve relations with Putin, Trumps latest diplomatic effort was so ham-handed that it will likely make international cooperation more fraught, even for Russia.

If the idea was to bring Putin back into the club, then Trumps effort was an immediate failure. All it got him was a reminder from the other leaders about why Russia was kicked out in the first place: its aggression against Ukraine.

The impact: With his abrupt and imperious call to bring Putin back into the diplomatic fold, Trump has made European leaders who might be formulating their own overtures to Moscow look as though theyre taking orders from a deeply unpopular American president. Putin will now find it harder to patch things up with Europe, put the Ukraine issue behind him and get back into the club. Across Europe, pro-Putin populist parties find themselves associated with a tarnished brand.

Stephen Sestanovich is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, professor of international diplomacy at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and author of Maximalist: America in the World from Truman to Obama.President Trump's Middle East peace team, senior adviser Jared Kushner and special envoy Jason Greenblatt, will travel to Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia next week to discuss the next stages of the peace effort and the crisis in Gaza, a senior U.S. official tells me.

Why it matters: The official said Kushner and Greenblatt want to discuss lingering questions they have as they finish drafting the peace plan, including the optimal time for launching it. The U.S. official added the trip may include other stops as well, but does not include a meeting with Palestinian officials  who are refusing to meet following Trump's decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

From the U.S. official:

"The peace team didnt ask for a meeting [with the Palestinians] for this trip. The Palestinian leadership will know Kushner and Greenblatt are in the region and if the Palestinian leadership wants to meet, Kushner and Greenblatt are ready to meet."

"The administration wants to launch the plan when the circumstances are right, and Kushner and Greenblatt want to hear the parties thoughts on that. The administration has not set a date yet for launching the plan."

U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman is visiting Washington this week. The U.S. official stressed that contrary to several press reports, Friedman was not summoned to Washington to talk about the peace plan but was there for regular meetings. "Ambassador Friedman wanted to catch up with Kushner and Greenblatt before they head to the region", the U.S. official said.

For more stories like this, sign up for the Axios World newsletter.Jared Kushner has been meeting with Senators on the Hill today whipping support for the White House-backed prison reform bill that passed in the House last month, deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley told Axios in a statement.

Big picture: The bill would send around 4,000 inmates home, incentivize participation in rehabilitation programs and provide hygiene products to incarcerated women. It received wide bipartisan support in the House, but in the Senate, Republican Chuck Grassley and Democrats Dick Durbin, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker are adamantly opposed to any bill that does not lower harsh federal sentencing guidelines. But adding these measures would likely lose needed hardline Republican support.Norway will be asking the U.S. to station more Marines in the country, likely over concerns about Russias aggressive behavior following its annexation of Crimea in 2014, Reuters reports. There are 330 Marines currently there, and Oslo wants to more than double that number to 700 by 2019.

Why it matters: The Marines' arrival last year was the first time that foreign troops had been stationed in Norway since WWII. Norway's request would seek to place more Marines closer to the Russian border than those currently in the country  potentially raising tensions with Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin.President Trump just concluded a meeting with Kim Jong-un that would have been unimaginable even a few months ago.

Where it stands: Much still needs to be worked out, including the specifics of denuclearization, security commitments to South Korea and Japan and some acknowledgment of concerns about human rights. But one point is clear: Talking is now the currency of U.S. relations with North Korea. And thats a good thing.

Not long ago, Americans fretted that their unpredictable leader would either launch or provoke a nuclear war with North Korea. As those fears recede, political space has opened for talks to prevent such an outcome.

Yet this openness will not necessarily be permanent. As with the Iran nuclear deal, American politics matters. So if the Trump administration doesnt move quickly to make real, sustainable and verifiable denuclearization gains, the window will close, leaving no diplomatic path forward.

Democrats, despite historically supporting diplomacy, will look for gaps in the administrations North Korea policy to exploit. Republicans, who have historically pressed for sanctions and military threats, will feel vulnerable to charges of hypocrisy if their president doesnt deliver the gains he promised.

The bottom line: For a successful diplomatic process that clears Congress, as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has promised, Trump will need to move fast. And he will need to make the deal concrete. The good news is that this approach has been managed before. The bad news is that it hasnt always worked.

Joel Rubin is the president of the Washington Strategy Group and a former deputy assistant secretary of state.The Singapore summit was textbook Trump, namely, his equation of the personal and chemistry with policy and accomplishment. The problem is less (as so many are saying) the legitimacy the president accorded the North Korean leader, so much as the one-sided outcome that yielded little in the way of substance.

Between the lines: The released statement is almost entirely aspirational. There are no definitions of denuclearization, no specifics as to the requirements of verification, and no timelines. History would suggest that implementation is everything when it comes to North Korea, yet there is nothing firm about what is to be done or when or how.

It is most troubling that Trump agreed to suspend all joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea and mentioned the desirability of removing U.S. troops from the peninsula. That he used the phrase war games to describe the exercises only makes it more worrisome. There was no mention in the summit statement of reducing North Korea's conventional military threat to the South. The outcome seems to be nothing so much as the freeze for freeze proposal China floated months ago linking North Korean weapon and missile testing with U.S.South Korean exercises.

It will be extraordinarily hard for the United States to maintain pressure on North Korea given that sanctions will begin to unravel (with China and Russia leading the way) and given that South Korean President Moon has committed to normalizing relations with the North. The only reference to a future process assumes a continuation of bilateral talks. None of this bodes well for future North Korean concessions or for the concerns of American allies.

The bottom line: The good news is that the Singapore summit initiated a diplomatic process with the potential to make a contribution to stability and peace. War seems much more distant than it did just months ago. The bad news is that "potential" is the operative word here, and we are off to an unbalanced start.

Richard Haass is president of the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of A World in Disarray.President Trump's summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, who he called "rocket man" just a year ago, has finally happened, and Trump is hailing it a success.

One big quote: "North Korea has great beaches. You see that whenever they're exploding cannons into the ocean... Wouldn't that make a great condo? ... You could have the best hotels in the world right there. Think of it from a real estate perspective. You have South Korea. You have China. And they own the land in the middle. How bad is that? Right? It's great."

From Singapore:

We will be stopping the war games [with South Korea] which will save us a tremendous amount of money. It is very provocative. "I think honestly he's going to do these things." "I may be wrong, I mean I may stand before you in six months and say, Hey I was wrong. I dont know that Ill ever admit that, but Ill find some kind of an excuse." Trump asked photographers whether they got a good picture of him and Kim "that makes us look nice and handsome and thin." "I gave up nothing. I'm here. I haven't slept in 25 hours." As reporters shouted questions, Trump turned to Kim Jong Un, saying, "The press, they never stop." On Kim Jong-un: "Well he is very talented. Anybody who takes over a situation like he did at 26 years of age and is able to run it, and run it tough  I don't say 'he was nice' or I don't say anything about it," On North Korea: "It's rough. It's rough in a lot of places, by the way, not just there. But it's rough. On whether there was a recording of the meeting between Trump and Kim: I dont have to verify, I have one of the great memories of all time.

Fox News interview:

I just think that we are now we are going to start the process of denuclearization of North Korea, and I believe that hes going back and will start it virtually immediately  and hes already indicated that and you look at what hes done. On his "rocket man" comments and other hostility last year: "Without the rhetoric we wouldnt have been here....So I think the rhetoric, I hated to do it, sometimes I felt foolish doing it, but we had no choice."

The full Fox interview will be aired at 9 p.m. tonight.

ABC interview

"I do trust him, yeah... Maybe in a year youll be interviewing and I'll say I made a mistake. It's possible. Were dealing at a high level, a lot of things can change a lot of things are possible." "Over my lifetime I've done a lot of deals with a lot of people and sometimes the people you most distrust turn out to be the most honorable ones and the people that you do trust turn out to be not the honorable ones." "I've been up 24 hours now straight between phone calls and working it... This is a very, look this is 72 years were talking about, and we put it into one very intensive day and some meetings beforehand."

Go deeper:Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei meets the Ambassador of Poland

12-06-2018

On June 12, 2018 the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland to the Republic of Belarus, Artur Michalski, on the occasion of presentation of copies of his Credentials.

During the meeting, the sides discussed a wide range of issues of Belarus-Poland cooperation, noted a positive dynamics in development of bilateral political contacts and parliamentary relations, as well as an increase of trade turnover between Belarus and Poland.

The parties agreed to further promote the improvement of trust and mutual understanding between both countries and increase quality and practical impact of bilateral contacts.

   

print versionPrime Minister Nikol Pashinian told an Armenian law-enforcement agency on Tuesday to vigorously prosecute corrupt state officials, tackle vote buying and solve the killings of eight opposition protesters committed in 2008.

Pashinian issued the orders as he presented the new head of the Special Investigative Service (SIS), a body tasked abuse of power and electoral fraud committed by senior state officials, to his senior staff.

The previous SIS chief, Vahram Shahinian, tendered his resignation last week. His successor, Sasun Khachatrian, is a former prosecutor who ran a private law firm until his latest appointment.

No corrupt official in Armenia must sleep well at night, Pashinian told Khachatrian and other senior SIS officials. This is the most important thing. And every law-abiding citizen of Armenia must sleep well at night and  know that there is a government, judicial authority and law-enforcement system which ensure their security, freedom and rights.

Pashinian has repeatedly pledged to root out endemic government corruption since a protest movement led by him toppled the countrys previous government headed by Serzh Sarkisian. The new head of the National Security Service (NSS) appointed by him a month ago was quick to launch at least two high-profile corruption investigations.

The 43-year-old premier stressed the special importance of fighting against election-related crimes and vote buying in particular. He noted that individuals financing or handing out widespread vote bribes have rarely been prosecuted. I hope that such crimes will be properly investigated and there will be concrete results, he said.

The former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) still headed by Sarkisian has long been accused by its political opponents, including Pashinians Yelk alliance, of heavily relying on the illegal practice. Critics say that the HHKs victory in the April 2017 primarily resulted from vote buying. Sarkisian and other party leaders deny that.

Pashinian further instructed the SIS to finally identify and punish those who were directly responsible for the deaths of eight protesters and two police servicemen during the March 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan.

One of the most important things which need to be done by the Special Investigative Service is to solve the March 1 [2008] crime, the March 1 killings, he said. I want to make clear that when say there are no restrictions [on the scope of the investigation] we really mean that.

The ten people were killed as security forces tried to disperse supporters of opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian demanding the rerun of a disputed presidential election held in February 2008. Dozens of Ter-Petrosian allies, including Pashinian, were subsequently arrested and prosecuted on what human rights groups described as politically motivated charges.

The SIS has for years claimed to be continuing to investigate the bloodshed.One month after becoming Armenias minister of labor and social affairs, Mane Tandilian resigned on Tuesday, voicing her opposition to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians intention to continue an unpopular reform of the national pension system.

Tandilian was one of the organizers of street protests in 2014 against the former Armenian governments decision to require citizens born after 1973 to finance a large part of their future pensions through additional tax payments. The protests forced the new government to make the new system, recommended by Western donors, optional for private sector employees until July 2018.

Shortly after Pashinian appointed her as minister last month, Tandilian proposed that this deadline be extended by one more year. She said that more public discussions on the issue should be held in the meantime.

Pashinians government decided on Monday, however, that the new pension system will become mandatory for all Armenians aged 44 and younger next month. The only concession it made was to ask the parliament to cut the new pension tax rate from 5 percent to 2.5 percent.

Tandilian cited the government decision when she announced her resignation on her Facebook page. After lengthy discussions it became obvious that my proposal is not supported by the government, she wrote. Instead, another variant was put forward and approved at the government meeting.

This issue is of utmost importance to me, she said, arguing that the pension reform is opposed by most Armenians and people affected by it must therefore be free to choose a mechanism for determining their retirement benefits.

Tandilian, 40, also said that she is terminating her membership in the Bright Armenia party, which teamed up with Pashinians Civil Contract and another opposition party to contest last years parliamentary elections. Their Yelk alliance came in third in the polls.

Tandilian was elected to the Armenian parliament on the Yelk ticket. She had to resign from the National Assembly after agreeing to join Pashinians government formed following the April 23 resignation of Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian.

Neither Pashinian nor other Yelk leaders immediately reacted to her resignation.

Tandilian did not openly object to the government decision on the pension reform during Mondays cabinet meeting. The decision was openly opposed by another cabinet member, Minister for Economic Development Artsvik Minasian.

Minasians objections clearly irritated Pashinian, who said that all ministers must share collective responsibility for all government actions. Those who dont shoulder this responsibility are not with us, the premier warned bluntly.By Rashid Shirinov

The Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), which has long earned a reputation in the country as a fraudulent organization, is going through bad times. The reason is that Armenias population, which started protests two months ago in order to change the grave situation in the country, now protests against the leadership of the Church.

Since its establishment, the AAC has literally been inviolable, and today the Church is an autonomous structure within Armenia, which adheres to its own laws and influences the lives of Armenians.

However, the countrys population is obviously tired of the AACs current leadership, and therefore, people protest in Yerevan, demanding the resignation of the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II.

The Armenian believers have enough reasons to dislike their Catholicos. Some time ago, at the opening ceremony of a church in Armenia  the country that ranks first in the world in terms of the number of churches  Karekin II was asked whether it is right that churches are being built non-stop while the people in Armenia are starving. The Catholicos replied to the question cynically saying people will satisfy their hunger through spiritual values.

Another scandal occurred in early April this year, when a Russian businessman gave Karekin II a heavy golden staff. In an open letter to the Catholicos, the Armenians expressed outrage at the demonstration of the present while a significant part of the population in the country is starving.

Moreover, some years ago an amount of more than $1 million was found at Karekins account in a Swiss bank. This also shows the dishonesty of the Armenian Church.

The new wave of dissatisfaction with the Catholicos in the Armenian society started in social networks in late May. Citizens were urged to lock the doors of the Church and not to let the hated Karekin II enter the building.

However, it is doubtful that protests against the Catholicos will go far and lead to any serious consequences. Meanwhile, Karekin II is not worried about the situation and, as Bishop Arshak Khachatryan told journalists, is not going to leave his position.

The most interesting thing is that the Armenian government, to which the AAC does not obey, cannot remove Karekin II from his post. The Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that the state and the Church are separated in Armenia and the state should not interfere in the work of the Church. Thus, he made it clear to the population that their protests are meaningless and he cannot help them in this regard.

However, the activists from the Armenian population, who have earlier managed to overthrow Serzh Sargsyan and his Republican Party, do not give up and continue their protests against the Church with the hope of making Karekin II leave his position as well.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 89 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said June 12.

Armenias armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Durdana Yusifli

Azerbaijan is taking every chance to introduce its domestic products all over the world. With its Made in Azerbaijan brand production of construction materials, cosmetics, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, fruit and vegetables, canned food, tea, as well as machine building, chemical and light industry, the country is going to reach the markets of EU, Persian Gulf, China, the CIS countries, Turkey and Russia.

Earlier, entrepreneurships of different scopes have been represented in various cities. This process has reached a number of countries, such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, China, Pakistan and others. And it is continuing to reach more destinations. An example of it is the first mission of this year to Russia.

Yusif Abdullayev, President of Azerbaijani Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO), sais that the country plans to organize 12 more export missions till the end of this year.

Noting that the trade mission has already been organized in Astrakhan, he said that the total number of the missions will reach 13 in 2018.

Export missions will be organized to Switzerland, Mongolia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Germany, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and two missions will be sent to Russia and China. Till the end of this year, Azerbaijan will also participate with a single stand at six international exhibitions, said Abdullayev.

The President AZPROMO also mentioned that at the end of this month it is planned to open a trade house of Azerbaijan in Ukraine and next month in Latvia. Until the end of this year, the wine house of Azerbaijan will be opened in Shanghai, he added. The trade house will support promotion of Azerbaijani products under the Made in Azerbaijan brand in Latvia, marketing research, participation in exhibitions and other activities related to the promotion of Azerbaijani goods.

Azerbaijan extends the geographical zone of its trade houses aiming to support the promotion of national goods worldwide. The Trade House will support promotion of Azerbaijani products under the Made in Azerbaijan brand in several countries, marketing research, participation in exhibitions and other activities related to promotion of national goods.

The first Trade House of Azerbaijan was opened in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, in May 2017 to facilitate the export process, promote an export of competitive Azerbaijani production and enable the countries to expand trade operations. Today, alcoholic products, natural juices, jams, cosmetics and other products of Azerbaijan are displayed in the Trade House.

The country plans to open its one more Trade House in Arkhangelsk region, Russia. The opening of the Trade House, which will be located in one of the historical buildings in Arkhangelsk, is expected to be a good driver for the development of economic and cultural-educational cooperation between Arkhangelsk and Azerbaijan.

Recent activities to expand the export of products produced in the country have accelerated and become a serious state policy.

Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communications reported that national companies exported non-oil products worth $356.4 million in 1Q18, which is 35 percent higher than in the same period of 2017.

In the list of the main importers of non-oil products from Azerbaijan in January-March 2018 the first place was taken by Russia ($98.7 million), followed by Turkey ($97.6 million), Switzerland ($33.8 million), Georgia ($31.8 million) and China ($11.9 million).

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Durdana Yusifli

The taxes on tobacco products have been raised in Azerbaijan, as the Parliament at a plenary meeting has adopted amendments to the Tax Code.

The new amendments provide for an increase in the excise tax for production of cigars and cigarillos in the country.

Thus, from now on, a tax of 20 manats ($11.7) will be levied for every 1,000 cigars produced in Azerbaijan. Previously, this tax amounted to 10 manats ($5.8).

In January-April 2018, tobacco products amounting to 11.51 million manats ($670,000) were produced in Azerbaijan, according to the State Statistics Committee.

During the reporting period, Azerbaijan exported tobacco and its industrial substitutes worth $3.99 million, imported - worth $34.93 million. In comparison with January-April, 2017, exports decreased by 25.61 percent, imports - by 22.51 percent.

Hasan Nagvi, Head of the World Bank in Baku office, said that the taxes on tobacco products in Azerbaijan should be increased.

He said that low taxes on tobacco products lead to two problems. First, the government received less profit from the tobacco industry. Secondly, low taxes on tobacco products caused cheapness of cigarettes and their availability, which led to their excessive consumption of them.



"During the year, we repeatedly sent our proposals to the government, and we are glad that the ministries of tax and health have a full understanding of this issue, Nagvi said

Head of the World Bank in Baku said that Azerbaijan could benefit from Turkey's experience in this matter.

Thus, the increase in the price of tobacco products in Turkey caused not only an increase in the collection of taxes by 175 percent, but also a 16 percent decrease in cigarette sales. Now the cigarette tax in Turkey is about 75 percent of the cost of cigarettes, according to Nagvi.

In late December, Azerbaijan adopted the law On Restriction of the Use of Tobacco Products.

In accordance with the law, smoking is forbidden throughout the territory of various educational institutions, in hotels, health care facilities, rehabilitation centers, health resorts, social facilities, theaters and cinemas, at exhibitions, reading rooms, libraries, museums and other cultural institutions, in underground and overground crossings, buses (including intercity and international), taxis, metro, air, railway, sea and river transport, bus stops, railway stations, river and sea ports, airports, elevators, common areas of multi-apartment buildings, in buildings and enterprises where flammable substances are stored, on playgrounds, beaches, workplaces of organizations, enterprises, offices, regardless of organizational and legal form and ownership.

Allocation of places for smoking will be transferred to the discretion of employers. In addition, municipalities are given new powers to take action against the use of tobacco products. They will take steps to restrict the use of tobacco products.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Sara Israfilbayova

Azerbaijan and Moldova discussed possibility of expansion of trade turnover.

President of Moldova Igor Dodon wrote on his Facebook page that this issue became one of the topics of his meeting with Azerbaijans Ambassador to Moldova Qudsi Osmanov.

The parties discussed a number of issues affecting bilateral relations, social programs of the Azerbaijani government in the Gagauz autonomous region.

Dodon noted the intensification of bilateral contacts at all levels and advocated sustainable development of cooperation between the two countries in the spheres of mutual interest.

Diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Moldova were established on May 18, 1992. Azerbaijan opened its Embassy in Chisinau on October 5, 2005 and Moldova opened its Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan on November 1, 2005.

Azerbaijan and Moldova closely cooperate in international organizations. The countries are members of such organizations as the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Independent States, GUAM and BSEC. In all these international structures, official Chisinau fully supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Moldova shows great interest in deepening ties with Azerbaijan. Economic indicators are at a high level and are growing every year. This is due to the demand for Azerbaijani goods in Moldova. Azerbaijani products have found a worthy place in the Moldovan market. Thus, in 2016 Azerbaijan agreed to send horse meat to Moldova, based on the agreement concluded between the companies of the countries.

Earlier, during his meeting to Azerbaijan Dodon said that there is a very big Azerbaijani diaspora in Moldova. He said the Moldovan diaspora in Azerbaijan is smaller and consists of 10-15 people.

Azerbaijans trade turnover with Moldova amounted to $2.27 million in January-April 2018, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee. Almost the entire amount of trade accounted for the import of Moldovan products to Azerbaijan.

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Sara Israfilbayova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Sara_999Is

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Laman Ismayilova

ANIMAFILM, the first international festival of animation art, will be held in Baku on October 19-21.

The project aims to develop creative and production activities of filmmakers, film and animation studios of the country, review various genres of professional animation by foreign directors and exchange experience.

More than 80 applications from 22 countries have been submitted for participation in the festival, Trend Life reported.

Among them are films from France, the United States, Iran, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Canada, Spain, Japan, etc.

The festival will feature several contests: "Azerbaijan Animation", "Best Short Animation Film", "Best Short Animated Azerbaijani Film", "Best Animated Social Animation", "Best Advertising Animation", "The Most Original Screenplay for Animation."

Winners will be determined by two members of the international jury. Among the jury members are well-known Azerbaijani animator Elchin Hami Akhundov, writer Sevinj Azimova, head of the Guild of Georgian Animators Ketevan Janelidze, Czech animator Miroslava Janicatova, Iranian filmmaker Leila Novruyi and others.

Thematic evenings, seminars and master classes, presentation of the book "Azerbaijan Animation", children's programs and other surprises await guests of the festival.

The "ReAnimasiya" exhibition will be opened to honor the 120th anniversary of the National Cinema.

For more information, please contact: www.animafilm.az/

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

If Turkey possessed necessary power in due time, it would not allow the occupation of the Azerbaijani territories, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, Turkish media reported on June 11.

Cavusoglu noted that Azerbaijan is a strategically important country for Turkey.

He further noted that Ankara has always supported Baku and will continue to support Azerbaijan in the future.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Rashid Shirinov

The statement of the Armenian foreign minister at the meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the statement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry on the situation on the frontline are contradictory, Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev told Trend on June 11.

He noted that on the one hand, the Armenian Foreign Ministry is trying to conceal Armenias responsibility as a party to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and on the other hand, with these statements confirms that Armenia is a party to the conflict.

The logical question is: what are the servicemen of the Armenian armed forces doing in the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan? As a result of Armenias policy of occupation and territorial expansion against Azerbaijan, Armenian youth are forced to spend the most formative period of their lives in the trenches and serve the occupation policy, Hajiyev stressed.

He added that the illegal presence of the Armenian forces in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is the main cause of incidents and provocations on the line of contact of the troops and is a serious threat to regional peace.

To prevent such a situation, Armenia, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions, must withdraw its troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and put an end to the policy of occupation. Only after that, it will be possible to ensure lasting peace and stability in the region, the spokesman mentioned.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Until now, Armenia controls fifth part of Azerbaijans territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz@alextdaugherty

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said he was skeptical that any deal between President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un would eliminate the country's nuclear weapons program, though he hopes such a deal can be negotiated.

"Should be skeptical of any deal with (Kim Jong UN)," Rubio tweeted Tuesday. "Limits to future strategic weapons instead of eliminating current program not an acceptable outcome. Hope Im wrong but still believe they will never give up nukes & ICBMs unless believe failure to do so triggers regime ending reaction."

Then Rubio took at shot at Kim, who took power in North Korea after his father and grandfather previously ruled the country, arguing that the 34-year-old autocrat "would not be elected assistant dog catcher in any democracy."

"One more thing about KJU," Rubio tweeted. While I know POTUS is trying to butter him up to get a good deal, KJU is NOT a talented guy. He inherited the family business from his dad & grandfather. He is a total weirdo who would not be elected assistant dog catcher in any democracy."

Rubio's comments on the North Korean dictator mirror his attacks on Trump during the 2016 presidential primary, when the Florida Republican said Trump's career in real estate was due to his father's wealth.

"Heres the guy that inherited $200 million," Rubio said during a debate. "If he hadnt inherited $200 million, you know where Donald Trump would be right now? Selling watches in Manhattan."

And Rubio's tweet criticizing Kim Jong Un drew a head-scratching response from Missouri Republican Rep. Billy Long.

"If he one day runs for President of the Korean Peninsula perhaps you can give him some pointers on running a successful Presidential campaign?" Long said in response to Rubio, mocking Rubio's presidential loss to Trump and offering a scenario where a third-generation dictator would somehow run for elected office in a unified Korea.By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijan has the right to liberate its occupied lands by military means in accordance with its legislation and the UN Charter, First Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijani Parliament Ziyafat Asgarov said on June 12.

He made the remarks at an extraordinary plenary session of the Parliament. Asgarov noted that Azerbaijan is a peace-loving state.

We reject war as a means of claim on the territory of other states. Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding territories were occupied by Armenia. If Armenians do not leave our territories, Azerbaijan has the right to liberate the occupied lands by military means in accordance with its legislation and the UN Charter. Our cause is just, said the first deputy chairman.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign state with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years.

Until now, Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijan does not agree with most of the articles published about the country on Eurasianet.org and considers them biased. However, given that Eurasianet.org sent a preliminary appeal to Azerbaijan about the visit of its journalist to the occupied lands, as well as the respect for the laws and territorial integrity of the country, and based on the principles of respect for freedom of media, there was no objection to the visit of the journalist, Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev told Trend on June 12.

He made the remarks commenting on the information in social networks about the visit of a Eurasianet.org correspondent Joshua Kucera to the Armenia-occupied lands of Azerbaijan.

Hajiyev noted that on May 25 and 30, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry received two official letters signed by the Director General of Eurasianet.org on Kuceras visit to Nagorno-Karabakh on June 2-9.

The letter expressed respect for the laws of Azerbaijan and recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as an integral part of Azerbaijan. The letter also noted that this visit in no case implies recognition of any status of Karabakh or disrespect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, the spokesman said.

He added that the letters were accepted as an application for accreditation of media representatives in Azerbaijan.

Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war in early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war. Large-scale hostilities ended with a easefire in 1994, but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.

All unauthorized visits to Nagorno-Karabakh and other regions of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia are considered illegal, and any individuals paying such visits without the consent of Azerbaijan are included in its Foreign Ministry's list of undesirable persons.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order to provide material assistance to religious structures in the country.

Under the order, to provide material assistance to religious structures operating in Azerbaijan, one million manats will be allocated to the Caucasus Muslims Office, 250,000 manats - to the Baku and Azerbaijan Diocese, 250,000 manats - to the religious community of Mountain Jews in Baku, 100,000 manats - to the Baku religious community of European Jews, 100,000 manats - to the Catholic Church Apostolic Prefecture in Azerbaijan, and 100,000 manats - to the Alban-Udin Christian Community of Azerbaijan.

The Finance Ministry is instructed to provide financing under the order.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev congratulated President of Russia Vladimir Putin in connection with the Russia Day.

"I cordially congratulate you on the state holiday - Russia Day. Today, friendly Russia successfully resolves issues of improving public administration, sustainable development and modernization of the economy, improving welfare of the people," President Aliyev said in his message.

President Aliyev emphasized that Russia has an active role on international arena.

"The high level of the Azerbaijani-Russian bilateral relations, which clearly reflects the fruitful cooperation and close interaction of the two countries on the widest range of issues, is particularly gratifying. I am confident that our joint efforts will continue to be aimed at further strengthening of the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Russia in the interests of our peoples and countries, which are traditionally linked by close ties of friendship and good-neighborliness. I wish to you, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, good health and success, and to all Russians peace and prosperity," reads the congratulatory message.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Rashid Shirinov

The return of internally displaced persons to the liberated Jojug Marjanli village of Azerbaijans Jabrayil region continues, Chairman of Azerbaijans State Committee for Refugees and IDPs Rovshan Rzayev said on June 11.

He made the remarks at a meeting with Rupert Ainley, head of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Directorate of the British Foreign Ministry.

Rzayev informed Ainley in detail about the work carried out in solving the social problems and improving the living conditions of more than one million IDPs of Azerbaijan, who were expelled from their native lands as a result of the Armenian occupation.

The State Committee chairman noted that President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has taken significant steps to address the social problems and improve the living conditions of refugees and IDPs. He added that the First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva also carries out consistent and purposeful activities in this direction, as a result of which about 300,000 refugees were provided with new apartments.

Rzayev also said that the IDPs from the Jojug Marjanli village, who were temporarily settled in different regions of Azerbaijan, have begun to return to their homes. In the first stage, 50 houses were built in the village, and in the second stage, internally displaced persons were resettled in 50 of the 100 houses built.

Ainley, in turn, said that the United Kingdom attaches great importance to strengthening strategic cooperation with Azerbaijan and noted that the UK is interested in the implementation of projects related to IDPs in Azerbaijan.

The sides also discussed issues of mutual interest during the meeting.

Jojug Marjanli was liberated by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces from the Armenian occupation in April 2016. In late January 2017, President Ilham Aliyev ordered to restore the village.

During the first phase of restoration, 50 private houses, a school, mosque, electric substation, hydrometeorological station, highway and other relevant infrastructure were constructed in Jojug Marjanli. The village was provided with gas, electricity and water supply. During the second phase of construction and restoration work and work on improvement and creation in Jojug Marjanli, new houses are built and infrastructure is enhanced.

Due to the ethnic cleansing policy carried out by Armenia and the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions of Azerbaijan, the number of refugees and IDPs in Azerbaijan hit more than 1.2 million. With a population of about 9.8 million, Azerbaijan is among the countries carrying the highest IDP caseload in the world in per capita terms.

Thanks to the measures taken over the past 13 years, the level of poverty among IDPs in Azerbaijan decreased from 75 to 12 percent.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Rashid Shirinov

Official opening of Eurosatory-2018 defense and security international exhibition, where the Azerbaijani Defense Industry Ministry is participating, took place in Paris on June 11.

The ministry exhibits 270 items at Eurosatory-2018, which is attended by leading companies of developed countries. Visitors inspect the products of the ministry with great interest.

Defense Industry Minister Yavar Jamalov also took part in the opening of the exhibition.

On the first day of Eurosatory-2018, he met with delegations of the leading French companies Thales and Nexter. The sides held negotiations on bilateral cooperation at the meetings.

The Azerbaijani minister also met with a delegation of the German company Rheinmetall. At the end of the meeting, the Defense Industry Ministry and Rheinmetall signed a protocol of intentions on bilateral cooperation.

During the meetings, Jamalov also held discussions on the support of the candidacy of Baku for the World Expo 2025 exhibition.

Azerbaijan leaves behind many CIS and regional countries to take its place among the first 53 strongest armies of the world, according to the U.S.-based Global Firepower survey center. The country, which is in war with neighboring Armenia over the latter's groundless territorial claims during more than 20 years, keeps in focus the armament. While creating its own armament, Azerbaijan works closely with leading companies and firms in various fields of military industry.

The Azerbaijan-made products include such weapons as mortars of various caliber and their ammunition, 5.45-millimeter machine guns, 7.62-mm general-purpose machine guns, sniper rifles of special purpose, Matador and Marauder armored personnel carriers. Moreover, Azerbaijani military factories produce 30-mm automatic grenade launcher complex, sight for ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft installation, ammo of various calibers, PG-7V grenade launchers, unmanned aerial vehicles, aerial bombs for training exercises and many other weapons.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko will pay a working visit to the Republic of Turkey on June 12, Ukrainian media reported.

According to the press service of the head of the Ukrainian state, the purpose of the visit is Poroshenko's participation in the ceremony of launching the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline from Azerbaijan to Turkey (TANAP).

"The visit is carried out at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The program of the visit provides a number of bilateral meetings between the Ukrainian president and the leaders of foreign states," the press service said.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Mohammad Ali Khatibi, Irans former governor to OPEC, said Washingtons new sanctions against Iran are politically motivated, calling the EUs support for Iran at this juncture a crucial factor.



"Foreign firms can continue to work with their counterparts in Iran if Tehran and the EU governments manage to reach a general agreement and address the concerns of investors in the oil and non-oil sectors," Khatibi told the Trend .



Referring to impending US sanctions against Iran, he urged the Iranian and European governments to address the investors concerns and support them in the face of the US threats.



He also raised his forecast for oil prices for this year due to rising demand and the potential for supply loss from Iran after the sanctions come into effect.



The potential rise in oil prices will be more of a physiological war if not accompanied by practical steps, Khatibi said.



The former Iranian envoy to the OPEC further said that Iran would certainly find new clients for its oil if the foreign firms walk away from their contracts.



In a speech from the White House on May 8, US President Donald Trump accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism and seeking nukes before announcing the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany), known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).



Trump also said he would reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose "the highest level" of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.



The new US sanctions will take six months to kick in, but a number of European companies have already halted their businesses in Iran despite verbal pledges by their governments to protect them against any fallout.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Kamila Aliyeva

Kazakhstan intends to export gasoline to the countries of Central Asia. This was stated by Kazakh Energy Minister Kanat Bozumbayev at a briefing on June 11, Kazinform reported.

We are working to open exports to Central Asia, and we are also working with our Russian colleagues to open exports. We plan to reach new agreements by the end of the summer and ratify some, he said.

The minister went on to add that Kazakhstan needs gasoline exports.

We need to export gasoline. We will export part of the gasoline, because otherwise the reserves will exceed 600,000 tons at the oil refineries by October this year under the current utilization rates and we have nowhere to fill it, Bozumbayev said.

Earlier, the authorities of Kazakhstan proposed to ban the import of gasoline from Russia by rail for three months. The order of the Minister of Energy Kanat Bozumbayev was published on the portal of e-government of Kazakhstan.

In April, Bozumbayev also spoke about the likely cheapening of gasoline in the country due to the excess fuel. In May 2018, prices for gasoline fell by 0.8 percent.

Kazakhstan has three major oil refineries - Atyrau, Shymkent and Pavlodar. Pavlodar refinery has already completed its modernization program. Atyrau refinery plans to launch new units by June, while Shymkent is expected to wrap up a modernization in September.

The refining capacity of all the three plants will increase from 13.8 to 16.5 million tons after modernization of the refinery completes. Production of all types of light oil products, gasoline, diesel fuel and aviation kerosene will increase. All plants will produce gasoline for 2.3 million tons more. The production of diesel fuel will increase for 917,000 tons and aviation kerosene for 539,000 tons.

As a result of 2017, the production of oil refined products reached 709.6 billion tenge in value terms  showing an increase of 14.2 percent compared to 2016. As many as 59.3 percent of the output fell to the Atyrau Refinery, 12 percent  to the Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant and 11.2 percent - to the Shymkent oil refinery. The refineries plan to increase their oil products throughput to 15.3 million tons this year, from 14.2 million tons last year.

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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 passenger car production in Uzbekistan amounted to 64,190 units in January-May 2018, thus showing an increase of 22.4 percent compared to the same period in 2017, according to the Uzbek State Statistics Committee.

In January-May 2018, the output of trucks was 1,079 units, which is 31.9 percent less compared to the same period in 2017.

Production of buses in Uzbekistan in January-May 2018 amounted to 219 and registered a decrease of 41.1 percent compared to January-May 2017.

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan increased the output of tractors by 5.3 times to 1,142 units.

Car industry occupies one of the leading places in the economy of Uzbekistan. A significant number of the country's population is employed in this sector of industry.

The vast majority of automotive enterprises in Uzbekistan are joint ventures with foreign partners. This shows that the country is successfully working to create a favorable investment climate.

The main production companies are GM Uzbekistan, SamAvto, JV MAN Auto-Uzbekistan and GM Powertrain Uzbekistan.

The automotive industry has undergone significant reform last year. Simplification of the procedure for buying cars is intended to increase the demand for them, and the expansion of export opportunities will make this Uzbek brand even more popular abroad.

Since 1998 Uzbekistan has been a member of the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA).

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzScreen capture from a Troutman ad | YouTube



About a year after formally entering the race to be Florida's next commissioner of agriculture, former state Rep. Baxter Troutman of Winter Haven released six new digital ads along with a revamp of his campaign website Monday night.

The short ads each introduce Troutman and touch on an issue, including gun rights, water sustainability and citrus greening, a disease that has had detrimental effects on Florida's citrus industry. They will run on YouTube and social media, according to campaign spokesman Carlo Fassi.

"Hello, I'm Baxter Troutman, a conservative businessman and a family farmer. And I am a champion for Second Amendment rights," begins one. Troutman then goes on to say that as Commissioner of Agriculture, he will defend Floridians' right to bear arms against attacks from "the Left and the liberal media."

Troutman, a Republican whose family is in the citrus and cattle industries, has dedicated around $3 million of his own funds to his roughly $3.4 million campaign war chest.

His top opponents, both Republican, are state Sen. Denise Grimsley who has fundraised about $1.2 million and state Rep. Matt Caldwell who has raised around $2.1 million.

All three candidates have family ties to farming. However, in one of Troutman's ads, he claims he is "the only candidate who truly grew up with dirt in his toes."By Kamila Aliyeva

Uzbekistan will create a logistics center in Russia. This follows from the resolution On measures to further develop the activities of Investstroy OJSC issued by the government of Uzbekistan.

According to the document, the authorities of Bukhara region and Uzbekkozikavkatholding are creating logistics center on the basis of production areas of Investstroy OJSC in Vladimir.

The project is being implemented to increase the export of goods produced in Uzbekistan, including fruits and vegetables.

The government transferred 60 percent of the share of Uzbekistan in the authorized capital of Investstroy OJSC to the khokimiyat of the Bukhara region (with the exception of the right to dispose).

The cabinet of ministers allowed the khokimiyat of the Bukhara region to finance the project to create a logistics center of Investstroy OJSC, including the reconstruction and construction of new buildings, structures and storage facilities, as well as the acquisition of necessary equipment and technologies, special vehicles at the expense of revenues from overfulfilment of the local budget with the subsequent sending of funds in accordance with the established procedure to increase the share of Uzbekistan in the authorized capital of the company.

In January- May 2018, the volume of Uzbek exports of food products rose by 60.9 percent due to an increase in the export of fruit and vegetable products by 73.8 percent. The volume of exports of fruit and vegetable products amounted to $ 305.4 million. In the export of fruit and vegetables, the main partners are Kazakhstan (47.4 percent), Russia (13.4 percent), Afghanistan (7.7 percent), Kyrgyzstan (7.3 percent), China (4.7 percent), Vietnam (4.4 percent), Turkey (3 percent), Pakistan (2 percent) and Iran (1.3 percent).

---

Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzAfter declaring a mistrial last week in the case of a Beaumont man convicted of the 2014 murder of a 16-year-old girl, an Orange County judge on Tuesday postponed the retrial until December and ordered a larger jury pool to be summoned.

The second trial of Kelvin Lee Roy, 36, was set to start last week in Orange County's 163rd District Court, but Judge Dennis Powell said "there were too many folks that had heard about the case" and had made up their minds about his guilt.

> > BEFORE AND AFTER: Infamous SE Texas defendants

Roy killed Alexandria Bertrand when he crashed into the back of a stopped Honda minivan carrying Bertrand and her mother, April, at Main Street and Old U.S. 90 in Vidor in February of 2014. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison.

Roy's murder conviction was overturned last spring when the state's Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that Powell should have instructed the jury to consider the lesser charge of intoxication manslaughter in addition to murder. The maximum sentence for intoxication manslaughter is 20 years in prison.

"Given that he has already been convicted and sentenced by one jury in Orange County - a fact widely publicized by the media and social networks - adds even further prejudice and stigma to the case as we prepare to re-try it," wrote Ryan Gertz, Roy's attorney, in a Monday court filing requesting a change of venue.

Gertz said Powell did not deny the change of venue request, which is still on the table until the case is reset on Dec. 3.

Powell previously said he "didn't foresee it to be a case that would need a bigger courtroom." He did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Of 50 potential jury members interviewed on June 4, the number who had knowledge of the case "was shocking," Gertz wrote.

"A change of venue is the most appropriate course of action," the motion stated, because "even if an individual juror has limited knowledge of the case, their friends, neighbors, church members, and co-workers likely will."

> > RELATED: Third suspect arrested in connection with Nederland murder

Roy was driving with his then-girlfriend, Taralynn Brown, on Feb. 7, 2014, when his vehicle hit a minivan stopped at a Vidor intersection. Bertrand, a passenger in the minivan, was ejected from the vehicle and killed.

According to the appeals court ruling, "Roy told Brown, 'I'm going to kill both of us.'" Brown "begged Roy to stop," the filing said, but "Roy accelerated and Brown recalled 'flying in the air and crashing.'"

Roy's "intent to cause serious bodily injury" to Brown was transferred to Bertrand, allowing for the elevated charge of murder rather than manslaughter, according to previous Enterprise reporting.

A jury "could rationally find that Roy did not intend to harm Brown and that his reckless behavior caused Bertrand's death" based on the evidence presented in the trial, Criminal Appeals Court Judge Michael E. Keasler wrote, warranting the instruction to consider manslaughter in addition to murder.

Roy's blood sample was taken immediately after the accident. He tested positive for marijuana, PCP and alcohol, according to testimony. His blood alcohol content was 0.015, below the legal limit of 0.08, according to a Jefferson County Crime Lab toxicologist.

phoebe.suy@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/phoebesuyA Texas high school student last seen five months ago remains missing.

Cynthia Lowry, 17, was last seen by her fellow students on Jan. 17. She attends John Jay High School in Bexar County.

RELATED: Off-duty SAPD officer arrested, accused of driving while intoxicated

According to a police report, Lowry only went to her first class at before leaving the school around 10 a.m. When her family arrived to pick her up from school, she told them she wasn't there, police said.

The family hasn't been able to get in touch with her since, authorities said.

Lowry has brown hair, brown eyes and is 5 feet 4 inches tall. She also has a scar on the left side of her forehead.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police department's missing persons unit at 210-207-7660.

Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here. | fsabawi@mysa.com | Twitter: @FaresInSAIn-N-Out Burger's Texas locations will remain closed Tuesday after the company discovered the buns delivered to the area weren't up to par, according to a report from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The company abruptly shut its stores Monday and said Tuesday the restaurants remain closed as replacement buns did not arrive as early as expected. The fast-food chain is now expected to open Wednesday.On January 12, 2018, former Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie signed into law certain amendments to the Healthcare Facilities Planning Act (N.J.S.A.  26:2H-12) (the New ASC Law), which fundamentally change the landscape of physician-operated surgical practices in New Jersey. Owners of existing registered surgical practices and ambulatory surgery investors should be familiar with the ramifications and opportunities that arise from this legislative change.

The recent amendments will change the landscape for physician based surgical practices in several ways, as summarized in the list below:

1. The Surgical Practice Registrationwas Replacedwith ASC Licensure.

Prior to the New ASC Law, single-room surgical practices based in a physicians private medical office were required to obtain a registration from the New Jersey Department of Health (the DOH). All other surgical facilities  e.g., ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs)  were required to obtain a license and undergo New Jerseys application process for licensed facilities. The prior law allowed physician based surgical practices to register with the DOH, rather than applying for facility licensure.

Under the New ASC Law, surgical practicesare now required to obtain a license from the DOH as an ASC and follow the existing statutory and regulatory scheme relating to ASCs, with a few exceptions as described below. Surgical practices that are currently registered must apply to the DOH for ASC licensure by no later than January 12, 2019.

2. Newly Licensed ASC are Exempt from Certain ASCRequirements.

Existing surgical practices that are now required to become licensed ASCs are exempt from paying initial and renewal licensing fees.In addition, surgical practices that are certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) or accredited by any accrediting body recognized by CMS (e.g., the American Association of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities) are not required to meet the physical plant and functional requirements that are otherwise imposed on ASCs. Surgical practices that do not qualify for the aforementioned exceptions to the ASC physical plant and functional requirements may apply to the DOH for a waiver from these requirements.

Generally, existing surgical practices that become licensed ASCs under the New ASC Law will be exempt from the ASC assessment charged by the DOH. However, the DOH may impose the ASC assessment against any surgical practice that expands to include additional operating rooms (as discussed below).

3. ASCs are Subject to New Reporting Requirements.

The New ASC Law requires ASCs to report to the DOH any changes in ownership within 30 days of such change. In addition, ASCs are required to annually report to the DOH the name of the facilitys medical director, physician director, and physician director of anesthesia, as applicable, and the director of nursing services, and report any changes in a named director within 30 days of such change.

The DOH has not yet issued regulations implementing the New ASC Law. The current regulations applicable to ASCs require a change of ownership to be reported at least 30 days prior to the change (N.J.A.C. 8:43A-3.3(a)). Existing regulations applicable to surgical practices require parties to apply to the DOH for approval at least 90 days prior to a transfer of ownership or adding a new individual as an owner (N.J.A.C. 8:43C-1.6(a)).



4. New Exceptions to the ASC Moratorium are Available.

While New Jerseys moratorium on issuing new ASC licenses is still in effect, the New ASC Law provides several new exceptions for parties interested in becoming owners in an ASC. The New ASC Law retains the six exceptions that existed under the previous moratorium statute and adds several new exceptions as described below. Of particular note, the moratorium does not apply to existing registered surgical practices so long as they apply for an ASC license by January 11, 2019.

Prior Exceptions:



 Transfer of ownership of an ASC approved by the DOH;

 Relocation of an ASC within 20 miles of the ASCs current location or to a Health Enterprise Zone with no expansion in the number of operating rooms, which has been approved by the DOH;

 The entity filed relevant documentation with the Health Care Plan Review Unit of the Department of Community Affairs within 180 days of the effective date of the 2009 moratorium;

 The facility is owned jointly by a general hospital in New Jersey and one or more other parties; or

 The facility is owned by a hospital or medical school in New Jersey.

New Exceptions:

 Two or more surgical practices may combine and form a newly licensed ASC, provided that the number of operating rooms at the new ASC is no greater than the total number of operating rooms of the two or more consolidating surgical practices;

 An existing ASC can expand by combining with one or more surgical practices, provided that the number of operating rooms after such an expansion does not exceed the total number of operating rooms of the ASC and consolidating surgical practices prior to the consolidation; or

 An existing ASC can also expand by combining with one or more ASCs, provided that the number of operating rooms after such an expansion does not exceed the total number of operating rooms of the surviving ASC and consolidating ASCs prior to the consolidation.

5. Unique Opportunities for Surgical Practice Consolidation Now Exist.

The new exceptions to the ASC moratorium generate unique opportunities for existing surgical practices and/or ASCs that are interested in consolidation and expansion. The New ASC Law permits surgical practices and ASCs to consolidate with other surgical practices or ASCs to form larger facilities.

The New ASC Law permits registered surgical practices, which were limited to only 1 operating room under the previous law, to increase their capacity by consolidating with other surgical practices or ASCs provided that the maximum number of operating rooms for any newly consolidated facility does not exceed the total aggregate number of operating rooms permitted for each of the consolidating surgical practices and/or ASCs. Through such combination, surgical practices and ASCs may be able to achieve certain economic efficiencies through shared resources and economies of scale. In addition, the combined efforts of surgical practices and/or ASCs can improve quality of care to patients through the common development of evidence-based policies, procedures, and protocols to be used in an expanded facility.

In addition, the New ASC Law presents opportunities for non-physicians to invest in combined and expanded former surgical practices. Prior to the New ASC Law, registered surgical practices could only be owned exclusively by licensed physicians. However, the New ASC Law suggests that non-physician ownership may be permitted once a surgical practice is licensed as an ASC.

Thus, the three new exceptions to the ASC moratorium under the New ASC Law present intriguing opportunities for:

 Non-physician investors who can now own equity in newly license done room ASCs and larger ASCs formed through the combination of other ASCs;

 Existing surgical practices that were previously unable to expand beyond one operating room due to the ASC licensing laws and moratoriums; and

 Existing ASCs that could not expand beyond their current capacity of operating rooms.

6. Self-Referral Prohibitions Were Modified.

The New ASC Law was passed in conjunction with amendments to New Jerseys Codey Law(N.J.S.A.  45:9-22.5 and 45:9-22.5a),which generally prohibits practitioners from making referrals to entities where the practitioner (or the practitioners immediate family member) has a significant beneficial interest.

Under the previous version of the law, one exception to the Codey Law permitted such referrals to an ASC or surgical practice for procedures that required anesthesia, if the following conditions are met: (a) the procedure is personally performed by the referring practitioner; (b) the practitioners earnings as an owner or investor in the surgical practice or ASC are directly proportional to the practitioners ownership interest and not to referrals; (c) clinical decisions at a facility owned in part by non-practitioners are made by practitioners in the best interest of the patient; and (d) the disclosure of the referring practitioners significant beneficial interest is disclosed in writing to the patient at or prior to the time that the referral is made.

The new Codey Law amendments will amend this exception (effective January 12, 2019), making it applicable to surgical procedures involving the use of any anesthesia, if the aforementioned conditions are met. This amended language will in effect protect more referrals, as it expands the scope of covered surgical procedures from those that only require anesthesia to procedure that involve the use of anesthesia.

Conclusion

Less than one year remains for registered surgical practices in New Jersey to obtain ASC licensure, and thus, industry stakeholders should understand the ramifications and opportunities generated by the New ASC Law and the amendments to the Codey Law.Here are nine updates on ASC companies and industry-relevant companies to note:

KKR will acquire Nashville, Tenn.-based Envision Healthcare for about $9.9 billion, or $46 per share.

Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare launched its 2018 Health Over Hungry Cereal Drive to collect cereals and promote the importance of eating breakfast June 1.

Lakewood, Colo.-based Pinnacle III affiliate Denver Surgery Center recently received accreditation from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment allowing it to start accepting patients.

Establishing teamwork as an organizational norm helps ASC staff members perform at their highest potential, according to Lakewood, Colo.-based Pinnacle III's Vice President of Operations Jovanna Grissom, RN. Read more insights from her on establishing a teamwork culture in an ASC.

New Lenox, Ill.-based Silver Cross Hospital opened a freestanding ASC in New Lenox through a joint venture with independent physicians and Addison, Texas-based United Surgical Partners International.

Administrator of Portland, Ore.-based Northwest Ambulatory Surgery Center Kecia Norling, RN, discussed the biggest challenges her center faces and outpatient total joints as the most exciting opportunity for the future. Northwest Ambulatory Surgery Center is an Addison, Texas-based United Surgical Partners International affiliate.

Houston-based HCA Healthcare's Gulf Coast Division joined Greater Houston Healthconnect, the last major Houston-area health system to do so.

The New York Department of Health approved Buffalo, N.Y.-based WNY Medical Management's proposal to build a multispecialty ASC in Amherst, N.Y.,

Medical supply company McKesson acquired Medical Specialties Distributors for $800 million.Here are 10 gastroenterologists who made headlines in May:

ISMIE Mutual Insurance Co., elected Adrienne Fregia, MD, to its board of directors.

Rachna Shroff, MD, joined Tucson-based University of Arizona Cancer Center to serve as its gastrointestinal medical oncology chief. She will also serve as its Data and Safety Monitoring Board chair and as an associate professor.

Kansas City (Kan.) VA Medical Center appointed Ahmed Saeed, MD, head of endoscopy.

Garfield Grandison, MD, will begin seeing patients at King's Daughters Ohio in Portsmouth.

Gastroenterologist Marc Subik, MD, is rejoining Marshall University, Marshall Health and Cabell Huntington Hospital, all in Huntington, W.Va.

Freeport, Ill.-based FHN Memorial Hospital added gastroenterologist Timothy Laurie, DO, to its staff.

Patient Preferred Physicians and Practitioners named Isaac Raijman, MD, a Patient Preferred Physician in Texas.

Augusta-based Medical College of Georgia named Kenneth Vega, MD, its new chief of gastroenterology.

The International Association of HealthCare Professionals named Saritha Gorantla, MD, among those recognized in its The Leading Physicians of the World publication.

Gastroenterologist Harold Bornstein, MD, claims a letter decreeing then-candidate Donald Trump was in "extraordinary" health was written by Mr. Trump himself.The Barbara Northeimer Fish Memorial Cancer Fund bestowed a $175,000 gift to Morgantown, W.Va.-based WVU Cancer Institute to support colorectal cancer screenings.

Here's what you should know:

1. The fund was established in remembrance of Barbara Fish by her husband Bob Fish. Ms. Fish passed away from metastatic colorectal cancer. Mr. Fish established the fund in her honor to support diagnostic screening.

2. The institute will use the gift to screen uninsured individuals between 50 years and 75 years who are eligible based on income guidelines and requirements.

3. Patients with a positive test result will also have their diagnostic colonoscopy covered.

4. The program will launch in the fall of 2018.Nashville (Tenn.) General Hospital CEO Joseph Webb, DSc, might receive an up to 10 percent raise as part of his three-year contract, according to The Tennessean.

Nashville General's oversight board voted on the terms of Dr. Webb's three-year contract June 11. Under the proposed contract, Dr. Webb will earn his current salary of $350,000 during the first year of the new contract, which begins this month, and will automatically receive a raise during the second or third year of the contract if annual raises are awarded to the rest of the hospital staff. Staff raises typically amount to 2 or 3 percent; however, Dr. Webb has the opportunity to receive up to 10 percent, as approved by the hospital board each year, according to the report.

The up to 10 percent incentive pay raise is part of the board's plan to encourage Dr. Webb to continue improvements at Nashville General, which faced financial difficulties and threats of closure last year, the report states.

Several board members touted Dr. Webb's talent and improvements at the hospital during the June 11 meeting, stating what Dr. Webb's "gifts and talents are worth are probably bigger than what we are putting on the table. But we are living in an environment where we probably need to be strategic in our commitment to you and our plan going forward," The Tennessean reports.

Dr. Webb has until June 15 to accept the terms of the new contract.

The board abruptly voted to extend Dr. Webb's contract, which was set to expire this month, during a May 31 meeting. Since the decision, at least five Hospital Authority Board members have resigned, citing concerns over granting Dr. Webb the three-year contract extension before completing and publishing his performance evaluation  the first Dr. Webb has received since being named CEO in 2015, according to the report.

Hospital officials released the performance evaluation June 11. The document, which was prepared by board members who have all since resigned, said Dr. Webb had done a good job of boosting morale at the safety-net hospital and improving its accreditation, but struggled to stabilize the hospital's finances.

During the meeting June 11, board members asked Dr. Webb about the hospital's finances. Dr. Webb reportedly said the institution's financial troubles began before he arrived in 2015, and blamed some of the lingering instability on the previous finance officer, who has been replaced, the report states. With more financial support coming from the city, he claimed the institution will not need a cash subsidy in the coming fiscal year.

To access the full report, click here.Cape Girardeau, Mo.-based Saint Francis Healthcare System revealed it will give raises to more than 200 employees, or nearly 8 percent of its workforce, effective July 8.

The system said the raises are from increasing the minimum hourly pay to $11.70 "to ensure all employees have the opportunity to earn a livable wage."

Some Saint Francis employees now are paid $8.55 per hour, spokesperson Tyler Graef told the Southeast Missourian. This is above the state's minimum wage of $7.85 per hour.

Saint Francis President and CEO Maryann Reese, RN, DHA, attributed the wage increase to the system's mission and values rather than the external market.

"This decision goes to the core of our principles as a Catholic healthcare system," she said. "As we continue our efforts to lower costs and make the healthcare system more efficient and functional for patients, we cannot risk overlooking our own colleagues in the process. Doing the right thing includes making sure we care for all members of the Saint Francis family."

Bishop Edward Rice, head of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, praised the decision, saying the changes "show respect for the dignity of our workers. It affirms their value and will promote the well-being of families."

The new hourly rate is double the amount a person would need to stay above the federal poverty rate, according to a Saint Francis news release.

Dr. Reese told the Southeast Missourian the increase overall will cost about $300,000, "but we have mitigated it [expenses] in other areas, decreasing our costs and being cognizant of our processes."

More articles on compensation:

Ousted Nassau hospital president and CEO receives $215k separation package: 5 notes

ACP urges hospitals to commit to equal pay for female physicians

Allegheny Health Network will boost minimum wage to $15 in 3 yearsChildren's Healthcare of Atlanta filed a letter of intent with the state of Georgia to obtain a certificate of need  the first step toward breaking ground on its proposed $1.5 billion construction project, according to Georgia Health News.

Here are five things to know:

1. The project, first announced in November 2017, will replace the 325-bed Children's hospital in Atlanta with a larger one containing 446 beds. The replacement facility also would be located in Atlanta.

2. The proposed $1.5 billion campus would span 70 acres, contain two patient towers and include an attached clinic and medical office building.

3. The letter of intent marks the first step toward construction. A letter of intent must be filed 30 days before the certificate of need is filed and a certificate of need is required to begin construction. Officials from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta expect state approval to take about six months if the project gets no formal opposition.

4. As part of the certificate of need application, a hospital must demonstrate is has sufficient funds to finance the project.

5. If the project is approved, the opening is slated for 2025.Spending on employee health benefits has risen about 5 percent annually in recent years, with U.S. employers expected to spend approximately $738 billion to cover employee healthcare costs in 2018. To help drive down these costs, several major companies are getting more involved in managing their workers' health.

Here are six things to know:

1. Several major companies have entered direct contracting agreements with health systems as a way to gain more control over employee health benefit design and to realize savings.

2. Instead of looking to health insurers to help control the rising cost of employee health benefits, Cisco Systems, an IT and networking company, directly contracted with Palo Alto, Calif.-based Stanford Health, according to Reuters.

3. Stanford Health physicians track about 12 health indicators for employees covered by the plan, with the aim of improving health outcomes for Cisco employees and driving down costs for the company. If they meet these goals, Stanford gets a bonus payment from Cisco. If they fail, Stanford pays Cisco a penalty.

4. Cisco told Reuters costs for the Stanford plan are 10 percent lower than conventional coverage, which is still used by most of the company's employees.

5. Technology company Intel offers a similar plan called Connected Care. The company told Reuters it is saving 17 percent on healthcare costs for the 38,000 employees enrolled in the plan.

6. Although the movement toward direct contracting between health systems and employers is small, a few other large companies, including Boeing and Walmart, have also entered direct contracts with provider organizations, according to the report.

More articles on healthcare finance:

Texas hospital considers bankruptcy as debt mounts

Wisconsin hospital's Medicare contract in jeopardy after third CMS survey reveals deficiencies

Geisinger's operating income jumps 38% in first 9 months of fiscal yearBoston-based Dana-Farber Cancer Institute saw operating revenue and income increase in the first six months of fiscal year 2018, leading to an improvement in net income.

While operating expenses were up 9.4 percent to $824.1 million in the first half of 2018, expenses did not outpace revenue. Dana-Farber posted operating revenue of $849.1 million for the first six months of 2018, up 11.3 percent compared to the same six-month period in 2017, according to recent bondholder documents. The cancer hospital largely attributed the increase to growth in patient volume and pharmacy revenue, which boosted patient revenue by $71.4 million year over year.

Dana-Farber ended the six-month period with operating income of $25 million, compared to $9.4 million in the first half of 2017. After incorporating investment gains, Dana-Farber recorded net income of $70.7 million, a 56 percent increase compared to $45.3 million the cancer hospital posted in the same period a year prior.



More articles on healthcare finance:

Anthem's new imaging policy likely to hit hospitals' profits

2 Arizona hospitals enter bankruptcy

Lee Health scales back hiring, raises as operating margin declinesCMS terminated Overland Park, Kan.-based Blue Valley Hospital's Medicare contract in April, and the hospital faced another setback last week when a federal judge ruled she did not have jurisdiction to hear the hospital's case against HHS and CMS challenging the Medicare termination decision, according to KCUR.

Here are six things to know:

1. Under rules enacted last September, a healthcare facility must average at least two inpatients per day and an at least two-night average length of stay to be considered an inpatient hospital for Medicare reimbursement. Facilities that fall short of these requirements may instead be considered same-day surgery centers, which have different reimbursement rates.

2. CMS said Blue Valley Hospital doesn't meet the new federal requirements for Medicare participation. A survey by state health officials in November found Blue Valley Hospital did not have any inpatients at that time, and a subsequent report showed the hospital performed about 309 outpatient surgeries, compared with 146 inpatient surgeries over a yearlong period.

3. Blue Valley Hospital officials acknowledged that the hospital fell short of the two-night average stay requirement, but they say the new federal requirements are arbitrary. "This action taken by CMS was not related to any patient safety or quality of care issue, but results from CMS' change in the definition of hospital under the Code of Federal Regulations," Blue Valley Hospital CEO D. Chris Dixon told The Kansas City Star in April.

4. The hospital sued HHS and CMS in federal court, claiming many of its patients have an expected length of stay of two nights, but they are able to go home earlier than expected due to the high-quality care they receive at the hospital. "CMS' new criteria suggests that hospitals should keep patients longer than necessary just to meet arbitrary CMS requirements, which is against public policy," the lawsuit states.

5. The hospital retained its Medicare billing privileges until last week, when a federal judge ruled she did not have jurisdiction to hear the case. Blue Valley Hospital immediately appealed the decision, according to KCUR.

6. Blue Valley Hospital is open and accepting patients. However, the hospital may be forced to shut down without Medicare funding, according to KCUR.

More articles on healthcare finance:

CHS on pace to make $500M capital investment in Indiana hospital network

Wisconsin hospital's Medicare contract in jeopardy after third CMS survey reveals deficiencies

5 hospital bankruptcies so far in 2018In this special Speaker Series, Becker's Healthcare caught up with Brian Greenberg, CEO of Greenberg Advisors, an investment firm specializing in revenue cycle management, healthcare IT, accounts receivable management and business process outsourcing.

Mr. Greenberg will speak during the Becker's Hospital Review 4th Annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference on "Investing in Health IT and Revenue Cycle Companies," at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20. Learn more about the event and register to attend in Chicago.

Question: How do you promote innovation within your organization?

Brian Greenberg: I encourage everyone to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset. I'm absolutely against doing things a certain way just because that's the way we've always done them. As a result, we maintain an environment where everyone is encouraged to find new, creative ways to achieve a goal, which has been a great source of innovative ideas in our merger and acquisition processes.

Q: What's the best thing you've read lately?

BG: The Battle of Junk Mountain by Lauren Abbey Greenberg. Even if my wife wasn't the author, I'd recommend it. It's a great summer read, written for middle [school aged] kids, but there are [also] clear lessons for adults about relationships, which translate to improved leadership and prioritization skills. Being in the "people business" as we are, I believe firmly that the better understanding we have about our own relationships, the happier we are and the better we perform for clients.

Q: What do you see as the most vulnerable part of a hospital's business?

BG: We see many aspects as being vulnerable, from patient access to coding and billing, and beyond. There are simply so many ways that providers can and do lose out on opportunities to capture revenue. We are big fans of specialization and believe that many great specialists exist to help providers in each area, with experience and technology to eliminate inefficiencies.Another member of Nashville (Tenn.) General Hospital's board resigned June 7  the fifth individual to depart within one month  over administrators' decision to extend hospital CEO Joseph Webb's, DSc, contract, according to The Tennessean.

In her resignation letter obtained by The Tennessean, Hospital Authority Board Member Fredia Outlaw cited "grave concerns" with the 11-seat board and its decision to extend Dr. Webb's contract.

"I believe in a focus on both process and outcomes in keeping with principals [sic] and practice that ensure integrity. ... I strongly believe that the current process of review and renew of Dr. Webbs contract is seriously flawed," Ms. Outlaw wrote.

The Hospital Authority Board voted 5-1 to offer Dr. Webb a three-year contract during a May 31 meeting, as his current six-month contract was set to expire in June. The meeting was previously scheduled to take place June 11, but board members who supported Dr. Webb reportedly made the decision to vote two weeks early, before Dr. Webb's performance evaluation was completed and published, according to The Tennessean.

Dr. Webb's contract renewal came amid the resignations of four Hospital Authority Board members, which all occurred within the past month. After the vote, several city councilmen voiced their concerns about board procedures, noting the resignations and Dr. Webb's contract renewal together did not "seem like a coincidence," according to a previous report by The Tennessean.

Dr. Webb was hired as CEO of the hospital in 2015 to stabilize the facility. While Nashville General has struggled financially under his leadership, hospital officials and the Nashville mayor's office have said the facility has become more fiscally stable within the past month, the report states.

To access The Tennessean report, click here.Stephen Klasko, MD, president and CEO of Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health was the only hospital executive named among Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business for 2018, which he attributes to a fundamental problem in the healthcare leadership pipeline.

Dr. Klasko wants to not only change the way healthcare is delivered and paid for, but alter the industry's DNA through a number of innovative research, educational and clinical initiatives. He earned his bachelor's degree from Bethlehem, Penn.-based Lehigh University, his medical degree from Drexel University School of Medicine in Philadelphia and his master's in business administration from the Philadelphia-based Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Klasko took the time to speak with Becker's about the lack of healthcare representation on the Fast Company list and what he has done at Jefferson to be considered among the most creative people in business.

Editor's note: Responses have been edited lightly for length and clarity

Question: What does it mean to you to be included on the Fast Company Most Creative People in Business list?

Dr. Stephen Klasko: This is really more exciting than anything else because a big part of what I've spent the last 15 or 20 years talking about has been trying to understand why healthcare can't be disruptive and join in the consumer revolution. Instead of having start-ups led by Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos and Jamie Dimon saying they're tired of their employee healthcare being stuck in the 90s, why can't we be the ones causing that disruption?

My inclusion on the list is really a testament not as much to me but to Jefferson as a whole. I always say we want to be a 195-year-old academic medical center with a start-up mentality. I think Fast Company was impressed with seeing a university healthcare system taking a no-limits approach to taking risks and being innovative. Systems like us tend to be so risk averse. We changed our vision from the classic goal of being the best healthcare center with the most NIH funding to re-imagining healthcare education with our own parallel values. The fact that the preeminent publication about innovation would honor our collective efforts to create change in healthcare and design is great.

Q: Why don't you think more hospital CEOs are on this list alongside you?

SK: The way people become leaders, especially in academic medical centers, maybe made sense in the 90s but probably doesn't in 2018 or beyond. It used to be you moved up your academic or clinical career by being a brilliant medical doctor or a very good administrator. You work to appear in academic publications or fill hospital beds, and by the time that person is in a leadership position, you have a health system that's risk-averse and wants to stick to the old game plan. We have gone from an operational world to a strategic world to a visionary world. Today, the way we select and educate leaders is the same way we select physicians  based on GPA, MCATs and organic chemistry grades. Then we're surprised our leaders aren't more empathetic and communicative.

When I graduated from Wharton, I got a grant to look at what makes physicians different than other people as leaders. And based on the way physicians are selected and educated, we join a cult around four biases: competitive, autonomy, hierarchal and non-creativity. Physicians are taught to memorize complex equations, not necessarily taught to be creative.

We did a survey and asked entrepreneurs what got them to where they are. Creativity was either ranked one, two or three in 95 percent of the cases. On the other hand, when we asked physician and hospital leaders the same question, creativity was not in the top three. When you think about where healthcare was, that approach was fine, but the world is changing. If you're not creative, then you're going to fear change and retreat to your shell.

Q: Do you think creativity is properly valued in healthcare?

SK: I absolutely believe it is not.

One of the studies I'm doing now is looking at what health systems say about their future compared to how the hospital's CEO is incentivized. This may not surprise you, but they're not the same. The websites and billboards say the hospitals are all about quality, community engagement and creativity, but how does the CEO get incentivized? Usually the incentives are more aligned with EBITDA, patient census and whether you have a bigger MRI than the hospital across the street.

In Philadelphia, a place with fantastic academic medical centers, we have one of the greatest discrepancies in life expectancies across zip codes in the country. I challenged the board chairs of the nonprofit health systems here to say, "You know if that's what you care about, then 25 percent of each of our incentives ought to be determined by what's happening in Philadelphia  not what's happening in our hospital."

I don't think boards look for creativity when they search for CEOs, and that is going be increasingly important and will change healthcare a lot in the coming years.

Q: What about your experience or perspective do you think sets you apart as a healthcare leader?

SK: I guess starting with my personality, I'm not afraid to take risks. I fly planes, I jump out of planes; I've always been more of an instinct than an operational person. I started out in a very different way than leaders of most academic medical centers. I started out as a private practice OB-GYN in a relatively small town in Pennsylvania. And I built a private practice from six births a month to almost 60 births a month just by doing some creative things that frankly didn't seem that creative to me  like seeing people when they wanted to be seen. It's now called patient-centered care.

And I actually went into academic medicine for a really unusual reason. The most performed surgery in the country in the 80s was the hysterectomy. I was at a conference listening to an academic physician talking to students about hysterectomies, saying that taking out a uterus is no big deal after a woman passes her childbearing age. Well I happened to be at a bookstore that night and four of the top 10 non-fiction best sellers were about how terrible hysterectomies were, and I realized what we were teaching these students was wrong. I went into academics to do some of the work around psychological and emotional effects of hysterectomies, and from there I moved up in my academic career.

I've been able to take some risks and take a no limits approach in my whole career. The other thing that's different is that I'm not afraid to challenge all that's wrong with healthcare in America. It sometimes doesn't make me a lot of friends. I call out insurers, providers and pharmaceutical companies, because I think we are all part of a fragmented, expensive inequitable and occasionally unfair healthcare delivery system.

Q: Of the Jefferson Health patient engagement initiatives mentioned by Fast Company, which are you proudest of? Which was most difficult to implement?

SK: In some respects, the achievement I'm most proud of is that we started something called Digital Innovation in Consumer Experience, which is a group of about 45 app developers. They're young folks that come from all sorts of industries that aren't outside contractors, they report to me. They're there to solve our problems in a way you would solve them in other consumer industries. That led to the virtual rounds team, which started when we said it doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you have a mom or dad in the hospital in 2018 that you still call them later that day asking what the doctor said. We said the technology's there, it's not a technology problem, so we sent video conference software out to families and they are now part of rounds.

We usually talk about patient-centered care like it's a marketing campaign, but figuring how to use technology to actually be more human is what I'm most proud of. We have 36 hospitals that use us for neurosurgery and, because of a partnership with InTouch Health, we can do many of those post-op checks at home. Using robotics, we can actually get a more human experience and the patient doesn't have to drive for three hours.

I would say the most difficult things have been those we've been really early adopters of. I decided we were going to be all in on telehealth in 2013, and people thought I was on drugs. I wanted to be the only telehealth program in the country fully staffed by our own ER clinicians so every doctor on our telehealth platform would be a Jefferson doctor, which we did by aligning incentives and goals.

I really am passionate that we have to do a much better job of working of how we train physicians. We've done a great job of training doctors to be really good robots, which was great when we didn't have robots, but three years from now we're going to have robots that are going to be a hell of a lot better at memorizing genomic formulas than I am and it's really important that we emphasize the human aspect now.

At Jefferson, we've totally transformed our curriculum more around communication skills, equity, quality and safety. Our selection process is much more focused on self awareness, empathic communication skills and cultural competence, and it's led to an incredible increase our diversity. Changing the DNA of healthcare through the physicians and nurses we bring in is as important as anything else we do.The Georgia Composite Medical Board suspended the medical license of Windell Davis-Boutte, MD, June 7, claiming the dermatologist "poses a threat to the public health, safety and welfare" after videos of her dancing and singing while performing surgery were released to the media, The New York Times reports.

Here are six things to know:

1. Dr. Davis-Boutte is medical director and CEO of Boutte Contour Surgery & Skin in Lilburn, Ga., who sought to be known as the "dancing doctor," according to former patient Latoyah Rideau. Ms. Rideau told the publication she plans to join at least nine other patients in a lawsuit against Dr. Davis-Boutte claiming negligence, according to the report.

2. The state medical board said June 7 it "received reliable information" last week that one of Dr. Davis-Boutte's patients was hospitalized in May one day after undergoing a liposuction, breast augmentation and butt lift operation and suffered a collapsed lung and anemia due to acute blood loss. The board concluded Dr. Davis-Boutte "failed to conform to the minimal standards of acceptable and prevailing medical practice," the report states.

3. A lawyer who has been involved in litigation against Dr. Davis-Boutte for two and a half years told The New York Times at least 100 individuals have come forward to complain about the physician. The lawyer has filed four complaints against Dr. Davis-Boutte and went public with the lawsuits in May. She also made the 20-plus videos Dr. Davis-Boutte filmed while performing surgery available to the media earlier this year.

"It was gross. And to know that she never stopped dancing while she was doing my procedure goes to show why my body is disfigured and messed up," Ms. Rideau told The New York Times of the video Dr. Davis-Boutte filmed while performing surgery on her.

3. The Composite State Board of Medical Examiners' physician profile of Dr. Davis-Boutte notes she was named in four medical malpractice settlements between October 2017 and February 2018, ranging from $95,000 to $1 million.

4. In a statement one day before the medical board's decision, a publicist for Dr. Davis-Boutte told The New York Times the dermatologist was a "known expert in this field" with "decades of experience and a countless number of clients." The publicist also said Dr. Davis-Boutte "is authorized to perform cosmetic surgery" and that "she is dedicated and committed to giving her clients the utmost professional, masterful surgical expertise and experience."

5. However, the publicist told the publication, "Since the suspension, [Dr. Davis-Boutte is] not able to comment at this time."

6. During an interview with HLN June 8, Dr. Davis-Boutte reportedly said she had "done nothing wrong" and that as a surgeon she is "supposed to be able to multitask," according to the report.

To access the full report, click here.The U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights has started an investigation into how Los Angeles-based University of Southern California handled accusations against a former university gynecologist.

The office will specifically examine USC's response to reports and sexual harassment complaints against former chief gynecologist George Tyndall, MD, dating to the 1990s that were not fully investigated by the university until spring 2016 and that the university failed to disclose to the office during an earlier investigation, the Education Department stated.

"No student should ever endure sexual harassment or abuse while trying to pursue their education," U.S. Education Sercretary Betsy DeVos stated.. "Every student on every campus should have a safe learning environment, and I expect all education institutions under the department's jurisdiction to take seriously their responsibilities under Title IX, [which prohibits sex discrimination]. Attempts to obfuscate or hide Title IX violations from the department will not be tolerated, and I am calling on USC to cooperate fully and completely with this investigation."

Dr. Tyndall continued to see patients for at least three decades, even though there were sexual harassment complaints filed against him. The university suspended the physician in 2016 after a complaint from a nurse, and forced him to leave USC last year after an internal investigation.

There was public outcry from students, faculty, alumni and others after it was learned the university reportedly did not immediately report sexual harassment allegations against Dr. Tyndall to the Medical Board of California, and only did so after the university was approached by the Los Angeles Times for an investigation published May 16. USC students sued USC over the scandal. Thousands of people also signed petitions calling on C.L. Max Nikias, PhD, president of USC to resign or be placed on leave. In May, Dr. Nikias agreed to resign.

Reuters could not reach Dr. Tyndall for comment, but noted he has denied any wrongdoing in Los Angeles Times reports.

The civil rights investigation will center on whether USC violated civil rights under Title IX with respect to its handling of the issue, according to Reuters.

Alyssa Rege and Alia Paavola contributed to this report.

More articles on physician integration issues:

The time has come to rethink pain management

U of Missouri-Kansas City med student accuses institution of fraud, racketeering

Transitioning to value-based care: What physician groups need to knowRegistered nurses of Greenfield, Mass.-based Baystate Franklin Medical Center ratified a contract with the hospital June 11 after two strikes and more than a year of negotiations.

Here are seven things to know about the deal:

1. The agreement, which covers about 200 Baystate Franklin nurses represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2017, and runs through Dec. 31, 2021.

2. It addresses various patient care issues, including staffing. The hospital has agreed to post and recruit positions "to fill such positions that are necessary for the hospital to meet its contract obligations," according to the union. It also has agreed to assign a charge/admission nurse throughout the day and night in the mental health unit, and not to give a patient assignment to charge nurses in the operating room.

3. The deal also provides raises for nurses, who will receive 50 cents more per hour for every hour paid last year and through the first full pay period after ratification, according to the union. The contract also includes a 2.5 percent across-the-board raise the first full pay period after ratification, along with other pay increases over the life of the contract.

4. Other parts of the labor deal include the creation of a new nurse float pool and language related to workplace violence prevention.

5. Ron Bryant, president of Baystate Franklin, praised the ratification of new contract language, calling it "a key step in maintaining access to high quality healthcare in Franklin County."

"The final agreement continues our commitment to market competitive wages and staffing models that provide high quality care to our community," he stated to Becker's Hospital Review. "With new leadership firmly established, Baystate Franklin Medical Center is now positioned to focus on advancing outstanding healthcare outcomes for our community."



6. Donna Stern, RN and senior co-chair of the Baystate Franklin MNA Bargaining Committee, also praised the agreement.

She said: "Unity truly is our strength. We are incredibly proud of what we have accomplished for our patients, nurses, all hospital staff and community. The value of standing together for what is right and not backing down cannot be overstated. Our fight was long and difficult at times, but we persevered and achieved an amazing contract."

7. The agreement comes after nearly18 months of contentious negotiations. Nurses went on strike in June and April.

More articles on human capital and risk:

Washington state nurses picket over staffing

University of Vermont Medical Center nurses to vote on strike

Bartlett Regional Hospital workers get pay hike in 3-year labor dealAhead of a planned strike, a group of employees at Pittsfield, Mass.-based Berkshire Medical Center are calling for resolution of a dispute between the hospital and registered nurses, according to The Berkshire Eagle.

Here are six things to know:

1. On June 11, three longtime medical center employees hope to rally nurse colleagues represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association to reach a contract agreement and avoid a strike, the report states. Employees have expressed concerns about the planned walkout, including internal conflict and financial risks to the hospital.

2. The medical center employees have circulated a petition stating: "We do not support the MNA's decision to strike, and ask for acceptance [of] a fair and reasonable contract."

3. Negotiations began in September 2016. The nurses went on strike in October 2017, and in January voted to authorize another one-day strike. After a strike authorization, the law requires nurses to give hospital officials at least 10 days' notice of a planned walkout. The nurses issued a one-day strike notice for Feb. 27, but later withdrew it. Then on June 4, nurses notified the medical center they planned to begin a one-day strike at 7 a.m. June 18. The Berkshire Eagle reported that the latest medical center contract proposal was withdrawn when the June strike notice was issued, meaning an offer extended in February is back on the table.

4. Earlier this month, the hospital said it has prepared for another strike and does not anticipate interruption of services or quality of care. According to the report, those preparations include planning to bring in replacement nurses for five days. The medical center estimates a June 18 strike and the subsequent four days in which hospital nurses will be unable to return to work because of an agreement with replacement workers will cost $3 million to $4 million.

5. Staffing has been a key sticking point in negotiations. However, the union indicated it is committed to reaching a resolution.

"To our nonRN caregiver co-workers we say this: We're all in this together; we are all one. We are here for you. In unity there is strength."

6. The hospital did not comment about the petition or June 11 rally effort when contacted by Becker's Hospital Review. But it expressed disappointment about strike plans.

"For the past four months, the hospital has, at every opportunity, made clear to the union and to the registered nurses it represents that if they did not timely accept the hospital's offer or if they chose to deliver another strike notice, the offer would be withdrawn," a hospital statement reads. "The hospital's reasoning is not punitive, but rather the result of its obligation to redirect hospital resources that could have benefited the nurses and use them instead to maintain quality hospital services during a  nurses' strike."

More articles on human capital and risk:

Washington state nurses picket over staffing

University of Vermont Medical Center nurses to vote on strike

Bartlett Regional Hospital workers get pay hike in 3-year labor dealNovo Nordisk, a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Denmark, is thinking about slashing 3,000 jobs from its global workforce and reducing its long-term financial outlook, according to an Endpoints News report.

The drugmaker, which specializes in producing insulin products, reportedly is looking to layoffs to shore up finances as it faces an "uncertain and unpredictable" market in the U.S.

The new cost-savings plan is largely driven by the windstorms mounting in the U.S. over drug pricing, especially Novo's insulin products, which already have come under fire for their high costs.

"We are operating in a dynamic environment that brings new challenges and opportunities every day, which means we continually assess and adjust plans as needed. And whenever we make important decisions, we will communicate them at the appropriate time," Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jrgensen told Endpoints.

Novo is expected to announce the full cost-cutting plan in August, alongside its second quarter results.Kyle, Texas-based Seton Medical Center Hays is boosting its brain and spine services, according to Community Impact Newspaper.

Here are five things to know:

1. The medical center is welcoming a third neurosurgeon to its team this summer.

2. With a stronger neurosurgical team, Seton Medical Center Hays is building a foundation for its brain and spine offering.

3. Kate Henderson, regional president of Seton Medical Center Hays and three other hospitals, told Community Impact Newspaper, the additional neurosurgeon will allow the medical center to offer outpatient spine care.

4. The medical is also enhancing its women's services with a $14.1-million expansion.

5. Seton Medical Center Hays will likely become a Level II trauma center by this fall.Michael A. Mont, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon at Great Neck, N.Y.-based Northwell Health.

Dr. Mont became Northwell Health's vice president of strategic initiatives in orthopedic surgery, joint reconstruction system chief and attending orthopedic surgeon at New York City-based Lenox Hill Hospital in April.

In practice for more than 30 years, Dr. Mont previously served as Cleveland Clinic's orthopedics chair. His clinical interests include primary and complex total hip and knee replacements, hip and knee joint preservation, knee arthroscopy and cartilage preservation and restoration.

In 2000, Dr. Mont co-founded The Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopaedics in Baltimore, where he became director of The Center of Joint Preservation and Reconstruction.

He has served on the editorial boards or as a reviewer for several publications, including the Journal of Arthroplasty and Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

Dr. Mont attended the Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed a residency and fellowship at New York City-based Mount Sinai Hospital and Medical Center, and an additional fellowship at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Discover the biggest business and clinical trends at the Becker's 16th Annual Future of Spine + Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference. 140 physician speakers, keynotes Joe Montana and Tucker Carlson and more. June 14-16 in Chicago  learn more and register here.

To nominate an orthopedic surgeon to be featured, please email Angie Stewart at astewart@beckershealthcare.com.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday met with US President Donald Trump in Singapore, marking a historic moment in international politics. The important day for the two leaders could have put both in endangerment.

Reportedly, Jong-un took extreme steps so as to ensure his safety. He had dispatched decoy planes from Pyongyang to thwart enemies. The North Korean leader even packed his own food to avoid getting poisoned.

He took his safety even further by bringing his own toilet to Singapore. Reportedly, this is to ensure intelligence agencies do not obtain information about his health.The chair of Derry and Strabane Rural Partnership William Lamrock has urged businesses in rural areas to take advantage of two new funding schemes..

Mandatory pre-application workshops for the rural basic services scheme and the rural broadband scheme will be held later this month.

These are potentially great opportunities for rural areas, a Small Grant under the Rural Basic Services Scheme could fund small-scale investments such as equipment or refurbishment to open up access to services that are currently absent or difficult to deliver in rural areas," Mr Lamrock said.

We are also delighted to be opening an expression of interest process for the Rural Broadband Scheme so that we would be ready to open a call if this scheme progresses.

I would urge anyone interested in either scheme to register for one of the mandatory pre-application workshops as you must attend a workshop and complete an Expression of Interest to be eligible to apply for funding.

The mandatory pre-application workshops for both schemes will begin on Thursday, June 21 at 7pm on Glenelly House, Plumbridge, Friday, June 22 at 10am in Strabane Council Offices, Monday, June 25 at 2pm in St Columbs Park House, Derry and Tuesday, June 26 at 7pm in Derg Valley Care, Parkview Road, Castlederg.

Speaking ahead of the workshops Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor John Boyle, urged the local rural community to discover if they can benefit from the funding.

These schemes are designed to support and develop rural communities, helping them to make a real difference in rural areas and providing crucial support in a challenging economic climate, he said.

In particular, this funding could help to improve access to services and broadband which can be obstacles in rural areas.

The Rural Basic Services Scheme is now in its third call, the latest of which is for small grants only (10,000 - 50,000) and seeks to support innovative ways of delivering services in rural areas.

The scheme would be ideal for small-scale capital projects such as refurbishment to a building or equipment that would allow a group to provide a service that is currently absent or difficult to access.

Eligible projects must be part of a cluster with at least three partners, meet the overall priority of Health and Wellbeing and include at least one absent or difficult to access service.

The Rural Broadband Scheme is opening for expressions of interest to identify potential interest in small-scale community broadband pilot projects.

Funding of up to 100,000 per project may be available for community-led solutions to broadband enable not spots in rural areas where there is no access.

The scheme is not aimed at individuals, the solution must be for the broader community.

The Expression of Interest process is being progressed pending further details of the proposed Government Broadband funding of 150m for Northern Ireland, if that scheme progresses it may offer a solution to rural not spots.

The Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and the European Union with 7.54 million allocated to the Derry and Strabane Council area.A popular global food delivery app has entered the Belfast market potentially creating "hundreds" of jobs.

Uber Eats, which has a presence in North America, Australasia, Europe, Asia and Africa, has partnered with 20 restaurants here, including McDonald's.

The on-demand food delivery app, which can order millions of meals around the world from a range of restaurants and takeaways, has also listed Frankie & Benny's and Bombay Brasserie among its Belfast partner list.

Toussaint Wattinne, general manager of Uber Eats in the UK, said: "We're hugely excited to be launching in Belfast... people in the city can now use Uber Eats to get the food they want, when they want it, in just 30 minutes or less.

"With hundreds of dishes to choose from, Uber Eats has something for everyone, whatever the occasion or location - whether that's dinner at home, breakfast at work or a snack when out with friends.

"The Uber Eats app is really simple to use and orders are charged straight to your card so there's no need for cash."

Another spokesman for the firm told the Belfast Telegraph that hundreds of new jobs could be created. He said: "We expect hundreds of people to sign up to deliver great local food with Uber Eats over the coming months."

The news comes as Deliveroo, NI's only other takeaway delivery firm, revealed it was expanding its bike delivery operations beyond Belfast.

East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson said he met representatives of the company in London last month to hear about its expansion plans into Bangor, Lisburn and Londonderry. The company has already partnered with 100 Belfast-based restaurants.Production at the Michelin plant in Ballymena came to a halt last month

Northern Ireland's employers are becoming more cautious when it comes to hiring amid the uncertainty caused by Brexit and falling consumer confidence.

That's the conclusion of workforce experts ManpowerGroup, which conducted a new survey among 2,107 employers.

The study found that Northern Ireland has fallen to the bottom of the UK table of hiring confidence, with manufacturing facing closures and cutbacks.

It also concludes that the lack of clarity over Brexit is not only delaying recruitment, but investment decisions as well.

Used by both the Bank of England and the UK government, Manpower claims its employment outlook survey is the most comprehensive, forward-looking of its kind.

Chris Gray, director at Manpower UK, said: "After over a year of hovering in positive territory, it's disappointing to report that hiring intentions in Northern Ireland have fallen into negative territory this quarter.

"However, given the bigger picture - a gloomy national outlook and ongoing uncertainty about the post-Brexit picture in Northern Ireland - it's no wonder that this is impacting hiring plans.

"Although nationally manufacturing has been a bright spot, hiring intentions in the industry here have been weak, with some big manufacturing companies such as Michelin, JTI Gallaher's and Wrightbus closing down or cutting back."

He said in a region where driving and logistics roles have always played a crucial role, employers need certainty.

"Although we are still seeing a steady stream of hiring in this sector, our clients are telling us that they need a lot more clarity about the future before they can make any real business growth, investment or hiring decisions."

Manpower said the UK-wide outlook of +4% reflected the most downbeat hiring prospects since 2012, with falling confidence in the finance and business services sector largely responsible. It said both those areas were experiencing the lowest confidence for nine years.

ManpowerGroup's managing director James Hick said: "This is the first quarter since 2009 - when Britain was in the depths of the financial crisis - that we've seen business and financial services employers record a negative outlook.

"As the UK is a global centre for financial and professional services, if the sector's shrinking, it's not good news for UK plc. While financial services only employ 3.5% of workers, it generates about 11% of Government tax receipts," he said.

"Technological innovations mean banks are now more automated, and we've already seen branch closures announced by the likes of RBS and Lloyds, which will cause significant job losses."

Outside Northern Ireland, manufacturing did provide some room for optimism. Outlook for the sector increased to +7%, with the weak pound proving good news for many exporters in Great Britain.It has been claimed that worries over Brexit and concerns over social policy here are contributing to a fall-off in overseas investment with new projects down by over 50% (stock picture)

The lack of an Executive, worries over Brexit and concerns over social policy here are contributing to a fall-off in overseas investment with new projects down by over 50%, it's been claimed.

Foreign direct investment into Northern Ireland plummeted during 2017 with a 54% drop in projects, according to the EY Attractiveness Survey.

The survey found that there were just 19 new projects by overseas firms during the year. And Northern Ireland was the worst performing region of the UK with the steepest decline year-on-year. Wales, the next-worst performer, experienced a fall of 17% in its job-creating projects from overseas to 33.

But a spokeswoman for economic development agency Invest NI - responsible for attracting investment from overseas - said: "EY's results count investment from outside of the UK during a calendar year and therefore this does not reflect the full picture of FDI success in Northern Ireland."

Citing fDiMarkets.com and population estimates for 2016 from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, she said: "Over the past five years (2013-14 to 2017-18) Northern Ireland attracted more FDI jobs per head than any region in the UK."

But economist John Simpson said: "There should be little surprise that NI is now performing poorly in the attraction of FDI. The combination of the widely reported continuing political instability in the devolved institutions plus the negative fears about the impact of Brexit, which have been worsening month by month as the UK-EU talks become less amicable, has created a degree of uncertainty about business investment in NI."

And he said that uncertainty over business investment was creating "a serious handicap for Invest NI and for us all as individuals hoping to improve our economic prosperity".

But Mr Simpson said the debate over the introduction of same-sex marriage and abortion in Northern Ireland was also contributing to concerns about Northern Ireland as a location for investment.

"The uncertainty about the future role of the border on the island, along with the social worries about equal marriage, the concerns about a greater degree of compassion in dealing with abortion, and an intractable disagreement on the freedoms in the use of Irish language are all homemade obstacles to improving the economy."

The report was carried out by the UK staff of business advisory firm EY.

Invest NI said its calculations on FDI included investments from companies in Great Britain into Northern Ireland, which were not included by EY.

It added that during the 2016 to 2017 financial year, "externally-owned businesses created 2,447 jobs in NI, supported by Invest NI".

Neil Gibson, chief economist at EY Ireland, said a calendar year - as used in the Attractiveness Survey - was not an adequate period in which to judge FDI performance.

"It is a weak year on this measure, and disappointing - but it's set in the context of a very strong year previously.

"It will be important to see if this reflects a step change to a lower level or a blip."

He said the competition for FDI was getting tougher, with a greater offer from Central and Eastern Europe.

And in addition, he said that with NI now claiming a healthy employment rate of 69.7%, attracting jobs was no longer the main priority.

"It is increasingly about improving capabilities and looking to increase productivity amongst incumbents and ensuring sustained competitiveness."

But he said Brexit was slowing down investment in finance jobs in the UK - but that digital investment had stepped up in NI. "The prospects for it remain very strong as they are tied very closely to talent levels, rather than EU market access."

And he said that while a lack of an Executive did not help "it is worth reflecting that the lead time on investments means that it is debatable how much direct impact that would have had on last year's numbers".

Niall Harkin, chairman of Chartered Accountants Ulster Society, said: "Questions around how Brexit may affect the trading environment in NI, plus the uncertainty that comes from the current political stalemate, make it much more difficult to attract FDI.

"Our members feel strongly that political stability and a realistic plan for how the border will be managed are required as soon as possible, so that we can begin to restore confidence and to attract the jobs and economic development that FDI would bring.

"Over three-quarters of our members feel that NI will be more adversely affected by Brexit than other regions of the UK."A pharmaceutical business in Co Londonderry is expanding with the creation of 14 new jobs.

iMed NI is taking on the new staff at its manufacturing site in Draperstown.

It's a major wholesale importer of pharmaceuticals, and repackages and relabels prescription and over the counter pharmaceutical products.

Co-owners Laurence O'Kane and Paul Murphy said advice and support from economic development agency Invest NI had helped the firm with recruitment, and upskilling its existing workforce.

Grainne McVeigh, Invest NI director of life sciences and scaling, said the expansion was good news for the life sciences sector.David Drumm's conviction for false accounting and conspiracy to defraud was a very unusual, technical and prolonged criminal trial. The former chief executive of Anglo Irish Bank never denied his participation in the transactions with Irish Life & Permanent. The trial was all about whether they had illegally created a deception.

Drumm's defence was that he had engaged in these transactions in the context of the stressful events of the time and had "put on the green jersey".

The Irish banking system was in trouble and he had answered Ireland's call, having had the Central Bank encourage Irish banks to support each other.

It was also argued that he didn't benefit from the transactions. But that isn't necessarily correct.

Firstly, Judge Karen O'Connor pointed out that irrespective of who in the Central Bank said what about Irish banks helping each other, these transactions were either against the law or they were not. Looked at through this prism, setting up a series of circuitous multi-billion euro transfers had created a false impression of the financial position of the bank.

It was a most unusual fraud, because Drumm was never going to pocket the proceeds of the fraud or the false accounting.

This was a deception on the market aimed at saving the bank. And it failed.

In that sense, it was ultimately a waste of time.

Drumm might not have ever pocketed the benefits of the fraudulent transactions, but he did stand to gain if the scheme had worked.

He would have kept his job if the bank did not go under.

He was a highly-paid multi-millionaire who stood to suffer financial and reputational damage if the bank collapsed.

At the heart of the fraud on the market was a deception.

Anybody who was interested in buying or selling Anglo Irish Bank shares, or anybody considering trading in its bonds, or considering withdrawing their deposits, was given a false account of the financial position of the bank. They suffered as a result.

Anybody who bought shares at this time was deceived.

Once the government decided in September 2008 to guarantee all of the deposits in all of the Irish banks, the deception was essentially redundant anyway. The government decision to guarantee all liabilities and the subsequent collapse of the bank resulted in a 30bn bill for taxpayers.

One could of course argue that he was acting to prevent the collapse of the bank, before the taxpayer was on the hook for the money.

Nevertheless, the transactions were reckless and illegal.

It is troubling to think that if Anglo Irish Bank had not collapsed, details of this fraud on the market might never have come to public attention.

A massive deception would have taken place and we might never have known about it.

Questions were being asked about these deposits in some financial and regulatory circles quite early on, but would they have been fully pursued and referred to the necessary authorities if the bank had not collapsed under the weight of its excessive, turbo-charged lending?

It is quite possible they would not.

The audit committee of the bank missed them.

The regulator missed them.

Very few people knew the full details and the reputational damage to Irish banking that would have flowed from disclosure might have kept the transactions below the radar.Northern Irelands film industry is set for another massive boost as TV bosses gave the go-ahead for a Game Of Thrones prequel series.

The global smash-hit franchise is currently being filmed in various locations across the province including a castle set opposite the Titanic Slipways in east Belfast.

In its eighth and final season, producers have gone all-out to round off the epic series with six episodes  rumoured to be feature length  in production.

The stars have been out and about in Belfast eating and drinking in their favourite city centre haunts as they take a break from fire-breathing dragons and undead White Walkers.

Game of Thrones fans and the film industry in Northern Ireland can now look forward to more tales from Westeros as the US-based production company behind the current series ordered a pilot episode of a prequel series.

Depending on the quality of the pilot, the network will commission a full series which will not be broadcast until after Game Of Thrones final season in 2019.

Penned by GoT author George RR Martin, the series is set 1,000 years before the battles over the Iron Throne in what is called the Age Of Heroes.

Expand Close Game of Thrones being filmed in Belfast titanic studios. Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX / Facebook

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Martin is joined on the writing team by acclaimed English screenwriter Jane Goldman, whose credits include blockbuster Hollywood movies Kick-Ass and Stardust.

If production of the full series goes ahead, the prequel will tell tales of the worlds descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour, HBO confirmed in a statement.

From the horrifying secrets of Westeros history to the true origin of the White Walkers, the mysteries of the East, to the Starks of legend its not the story we think we know.

Expand Close SUNDAY LIFE NEWS - Game of Thrones stars in Belfast - Kit Harington (Jon Snow) today in La Taqueria Belfast with Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) and Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei) - Credit: @purple_dwagon/twitter - Jun 5 - "#GameofThrones cast farewells? Kit Harington today in Belfast with Emilia Clarke and Nathalie Emmanuel (5 June 2018)" / Facebook

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Whatsapp SUNDAY LIFE NEWS - Game of Thrones stars in Belfast - Kit Harington (Jon Snow) today in La Taqueria Belfast with Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) and Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei) - Credit: @purple_dwagon/twitter - Jun 5 - "#GameofThrones cast farewells? Kit Harington today in Belfast with Emilia Clarke and Nathalie Emmanuel (5 June 2018)"

The proposed prequel series would, however, contain many of the forefathers of existing characters including Bran the Builder and Lann the Clever, who founded the Stark and Lannister houses respectively.

Kit Harington, who plays lead character Jon Snow in the series, is due to marry co-star Rose Leslie on June 23 in a wedding with more than a hint of Game Of Thrones style. In the second most anticipated castle wedding of the year, the two are due to tie the not at Leslies family castle in Aberdeenshire.

The ceremony is also to be officiated by Father Chad Boulton, a hooded Benedictine Monk, at Ampleforth Abbey in North Yorkshire.

Expand Close SUNDAY LIFE NEWS - Game of Thrones stars - L-R Actor Jason Momoa, writer D.B. Weiss, writer David Benioff. prideofgypsies Layovers. Where we going ? What are we doing ? Whats the score here.? Whats next?? Aloha j #motherland #paymyrespects #payhomage #somebodyordersomefuckinggolfshoes. Credit: prideofgypies/instagram / Facebook

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Whatsapp SUNDAY LIFE NEWS - Game of Thrones stars - L-R Actor Jason Momoa, writer D.B. Weiss, writer David Benioff. prideofgypsies Layovers. Where we going ? What are we doing ? Whats the score here.? Whats next?? Aloha j #motherland #paymyrespects #payhomage #somebodyordersomefuckinggolfshoes. Credit: prideofgypies/instagram

In October last year Harington played down rumours the pair were going to have a fully Game Of Thrones-themed ceremony.

Speaking on the Jonathan Ross show he said: No. There is absolutely no chance of me convincing her to do that.

In the same interview the star, who has been seen in several Belfast bars and restaurants including The Spaniard, Fitzwilliam Hotel and La Taqueria over recent weeks, revealed how he had broken the news of his wedding to the producer on the show, blaming him for the impending nuptials.

He said: I rang him up and I said: Im getting married and its your fault, actually.Ahead of World Blood Donor Day this Thursday, Lisa Smyth hears why two families in Northern Ireland feel huge gratitude to those who regularly give blood.

'James was so ill... he wouldn't be alive now if he hadn't had those blood transfusions'

Teacher Laura Lennox (34) lives in Moneymore, Co Londonderry, with her husband, Gareth, also 34. The couple have two children, James, who turns four in August, and two-and-a-half-year-old Lucy. She says:

James was a healthy little boy and then in April last year he started vomiting and having diarrhoea. To begin with we put it down to a wee tummy bug, but it got to the point where he was passing a stool every 15 minutes and after three days there really was nothing left for him to pass.

It looked like he was almost passing the lining of his gut and then he started passing blood in his stools, so we took him to A&E.

They weren't overly concerned and sent us home but it kept getting worse. He was so lethargic and so sick, so we took him back to hospital and they did some blood tests and realised he was in total renal failure.

We come from a farming background and they said he must have picked up a strain of E Coli from the cattle. He was admitted to the paediatric ward at Craigavon and by this stage he wasn't passing any urine at all so the doctors were very concerned about him.

They told us they wanted to transfer him up to the Royal so the kidney specialists could see him. My husband went in the ambulance with him while I drove behind - it was such an awful drive.

It turned out the E Coli had attacked his red blood cells, breaking them down, which meant that when the blood was travelling through his kidneys all the broken cells were clogging up his kidneys and stopping them from working. It also meant his haemoglobin levels were very low.

By this stage he was really ill - he was still conscious but he was very weak, very swollen. He just lay there. James was really unlucky; out of all the people who get E Coli only 1% develop this complication.

The staff at the Royal were amazing. They told us they wanted to observe James for 24 hours to see if his urine output would return because sometimes the kidneys kick-start themselves.

However, that didn't happen and they were pumping fluids into him which were going nowhere and he was getting more swollen and puffy.

On the second day they started him on dialysis and he had to go to theatre to get all his lines and feeding tubes put in. He had three tubes coming out of his neck.

Handing him over to the theatre staff was absolutely terrifying as he was just a baby really. It might seem strange but I just had to do something for the two hours he was in theatre. I ended up going to a laundrette up the Falls Road to get his blanket and teddy bear washed as he'd been sick all over them.

Even while James was on dialysis, the blood cells were still being broken down and he needed blood transfusions because his haemoglobin levels were so low. He ended up getting three units over three days.

We were told he could be on dialysis from one or two days right up to six or seven weeks and in the end he stayed on dialysis for three weeks.

Probably the lowest point for me came during the first week because James was in so much pain they had to give him morphine to help manage it. He became unresponsive and the consultant was so worried she sent him for a CT scan of his brain to see if he was having a silent seizure.

We'd been told that one of the main causes of death from the condition was seizures and I just remember standing in the scanner with him and crying and crying. It turned out that it was just the morphine because his body wasn't filtering it properly because of the kidney failure.

After a few weeks we started to see a difference in him. Eventually he was allowed home but only during the day at the start as they had to monitor him so closely.

My husband and I took it in turns to stay with him in hospital but it was such a stressful time because Lucy was at home, so I felt like I didn't really see her for six weeks.

It was such an exhausting experience but we also feel so lucky to be where we are now because James wouldn't be alive if he hadn't had those blood transfusions.

He still isn't down to an annual appointment because there's still some protein in his urine which is a sign that the injury to his kidney is still there, but he's a totally different child this year compared to this time last year. He has so much more energy now, whereas last summer he would just sit around. He's due to start pre-school in September and he's so excited about it.

It's amazing to see the difference in him, though doctors have told us that it's likely he will go into renal failure again sometime in the future because of the damage that has already happened. They said the treatment that he has received will not last his lifespan, but they just don't know when that will happen. It could be in his 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s or even his 60s. We are just hoping that it happens later rather than sooner, but when it does happen he will need more blood transfusions.

Being in the position where a loved one needs blood really changes your perspective on the whole subject. I still find it surreal that my wee boy is running around with someone else's blood in his body and that he needed blood when he was so young.

In our case, it shows that blood isn't only used when something dramatic like an accident happens, that you can be completely healthy one day and the next you need a transfusion to save your life because of an illness.

It also shows that an adult, someone you have never met, can save the life of a baby who has just started out in their life. It's an incredible gift.

I used to give blood every so often but now that I realise how important it is, I give it religiously. It's only when someone you love is affected that you realise that it actually does save lives.

It takes about half an hour, three times a year. I know now that as a mother of a child who needed a blood transfusion that we will be eternally grateful to the people who gave blood and saved James' life."

'After getting the operation, I'm definitely optimistic and I see every day as a blessing'

Jim Kilpatrick (58) lives in Donaghadee, Co Down, with his wife of 30 years, Elma. The couple have one daughter, Jane (28). He says:

When you hear of someone with cirrhosis, there's an automatic association with alcohol abuse, but that certainly wasn't true in my case. Other than the odd drink here and there I was never a great drinker. In fact I was a regular driver so soft drinks were more my approach.

However, I was diagnosed with liver failure last May. It really was quite a shock and the doctors have never been able to identify the cause.

I'd been having weight problems for a while, but my mother had died in January and I put it down to the stress of that. My weight was going up and down but I wasn't overly concerned until after I took early retirement in March last year.

I had been working as a procurement officer for South Eastern Regional College and when I left that, my wife and I wanted to start doing more things together, to enjoy our retirement and travel a bit.

We booked a cruise but it was while we were away that my weight really became an issue, it was so bad that I couldn't even button up my suit at times. I was very uncomfortable, it felt painful and was difficult to move.

I'd been to the doctor before the cruise and they were carrying out investigations. When we got back home I went back to the GP and he told me he thought it was cirrhosis. I couldn't believe it, I looked at him as if to say 'catch yourself on!', but he said he thought that was what was causing the build-up of fluid.

He gave me a letter and told me to go straight to A&E and they arranged for me to come back a few days later so they could drain the fluid. They managed to drain 10 litres, essentially the same as five big bottles of Coke you get in the supermarket. I was diagnosed with cirrhosis and put on medication while they tried to find out why I had become ill in the first place.

However, as time went on, and I was told there was a clear course of action ahead, the cause of the cirrhosis became less important than what lay ahead.

Though the consultant wasn't able to tell me what percentage of my liver had been damaged, she indicated I was nowhere near needing a transplant.

She did warn me, however, that the position can change at any time and when that happens you can essentially fall off the cliff, and that is pretty much what happened to me.

The medication kept me going right through to the end of last year but then on January 2 of this year I became very unwell. I had noticed my weight going back up before Christmas and I'd been planning to contact the hospital but unfortunately things took a very sinister turn before I got the chance.

I was haemorrhaging very badly and losing a massive amount of blood, and we ended up ringing 999 during the night. I was rushed into hospital and I spent most of January in the Ulster. Towards the end of the month they transferred me to the Royal because the consultants at the Ulster realised I needed specialist treatment.

I was moved just in time to be seen by a specialist from King's College Hospital in London, where all the liver transplants are done for patients from Northern Ireland. He had been over here to do a clinic, had read my notes before he saw me and within minutes of walking into my room he told me he didn't think he would be messing about with a sticking plaster, but that he believed I needed a transplant. He also told me that if I didn't get one it would be fatal.

I had to have a whole raft of tests and make sure I was stable enough to have the operation, and that's where the blood transfusions came in.

They basically kept me alive until a liver was found. Within five weeks, at 4.20am on Easter Monday, we got the call for me to come across to London. It was my wife Elma who answered the phone, and your first response when the phone rings at that time of night is that a relative has been in an accident or that someone has died. But it turned out there was a liver for me.

By 5.20am we were leaving the house and at 6am I was pulling into the car park at Aldergrove. There's no other word than surreal to describe driving to the airport knowing you are going to be having a transplant in a matter of hours.

When we arrived in Luton there was a rapid response ambulance sitting waiting for us and we drove up the M1 at 95mph. The whole experience is something I will never forget.

I had the operation that night because the liver wasn't at King's and we had to wait for it to arrive.

By that time, our daughter Jane had arrived over and we all walked down to theatre and said our best wishes to each other. The surgeon asked if I had any last questions and I told her I only had three words - 'bring it on'. She laughed and said she knew it was going to go well.

The operation took six hours and I recovered quickly. Within a few hours I was sitting up chatting to the nurses in ICU and I was able to fly back to Northern Ireland in an air ambulance eight days after the operation.

It's now 10 weeks since my transplant and I feel terrific. Elma and I are looking forward to doing all the things we wanted to do last year but weren't able to. I don't think I realised at the time just how sick I was. I know the lows that I went through and the emotions I experienced, but even the doctors have since told me I'm lucky to be alive.

The blood transfusions I received played a big part in me being here today and kept me going until I had my transplant. Before I fell ill I didn't give blood because every time I saw my blood I passed out. I did go along to a couple of donation sessions but I passed out every time.

Of course, now I am very used to needles and the sight of my blood, but I can't give blood myself anymore. It's so important to donate because so many people need blood for so many different reasons and you never know when you might be in that situation.

I look at life differently since my transplant and getting the blood, which no doubt saved my life, I'm definitely more optimistic and I feel like every day is a blessing.

Even if the rain is lashing and the wind is blowing I don't complain, I just say at least I am here for another day to see it."

How to sign up as a blood donor

The Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service (NIBTS) relies on regular donors to ensure there are adequate blood supplies but also needs over 150 new donors to come forward every week. It is possible to start donating blood from the age of 17, yet only 6% of the eligible population in Northern Ireland donate.

Enrolling as a new blood donor is easy - just text BLOOD to 60081, call 08085 534 666, or visit www.nibts.org.

You can also drop into a local donation venue to donate.

The NIBTS website, Facebook and Twitter pages also have lots of information on blood and platelet donation, as well as details of all upcoming donation venues.Theresa May has called for unity ahead of the key Commons showdown (PA)

DUP MPs will support Theresa Mays government in a series of crucial upcoming Brexit votes at Westminster.

The House of Commons is to debate 14 proposed amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill made by the House of Lords.

The crucial bill will set out the terms for the United Kingdoms withdrawal from the European Union.

The Prime Minister is braced for a backbench revolt from Conservative MPs but has urged the rebels to support the government.

The BBC reports the 10 DUP MPs are expected to support the Prime Minister in the votes over the next two days.

One of the key amendments suggested by the House of Lords is to give Parliament a meaningful vote on any final Brexit deal.

If the government loses this key vote, Prime Minister May may lose control of the Brexit negotiations.A Northern Ireland builder and pub owner spared jail for cheating the revenue out of more than 400,000 in unpaid taxes is facing a legal bid to have his sentence increased.

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has referred Bartley Murphy's case to the Court of Appeal, claiming the suspended term of two years and three months he received was unduly lenient.

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Senior judges have listed the challenge for a hearing later this month.

Murphy, 53, from Ardglass Road in Downpatrick, Co Down, pleaded guilty to a single count of cheating HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) out of taxes over an eight-year-period.

He had originally denied the charge when the bill he faced stood at 1.2m. That figure was reduced to 422,000 amid the engagement of a forensic accountant and an agreement reached with tax authorities.

A previous court was told Murphy's offending, between 2007 and 2015, had been unsophisticated.

A cheque was also lodged for the full amount owed following the sale of his family home and a 75,000 brewery loan.

Last month a judge at Downpatrick Crown Court imposed a 15,000 fine and suspended the prison term for a period of three years.

His decision was based on the businessman's guilty plea and the impact of immediate imprisonment on sub-contractors working for him.

Now lawyers representing the PPS have launched a challenge to the sentence.

Liam McCollum QC told the Court of Appeal today: "We are looking for a date this term to deal with the matter."

With counsel for Murphy seeking transcripts of the evidence from a forensic accountant in the case, Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan confirmed the case will be heard on June 21.A teenager accused of involvement in the vicious assault on Bangor pier has faced abuse from both sides of the community, a judge was told.

Newtownards Magistrates Court heard claims that when 18-year-old Cora Campbell walks to her signing station to report to police three times a week, geographically she crosses from one side of the community to the other and is often abused by both.

In addition, defence counsel Conor OKane revealed the teenager is living under a loyalist death threat.

Applying for her bail conditions to be varied in relaxing her curfew and removing a reporting condition, Mr OKane told the court: Every time she walks to the police station, she gets abuse.....she gets abuse from the Nationalist community and abuse from members of the loyalist community.

Campbell, with an address at English Street in Downpatrick, is one of three teenagers accused of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to a teenager in an attack on 20 April which was recorded and spread across social media resulting in millions of views.

A 16-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy have also been charged.

Previous courts have heard claims that the victim was lured to the pier where she was allegedly attacked by Campbell and her co-accused, the two landing numerous kicks and punches.

At one stage the victim had alcohol poured in her face and a male recording the footage can be heard encouraging the two to continue the attack.

A Detective Constable told Deputy District Judge Peter Prenter he maybe aware of this case and having outlined how the alleged victim was subjected to a vicious assault which was recorded and published online, the judge exclaimed oh yes.

The officer said she would be reluctant to lift the curfew which is currently 7pm-7am but regarding the condition that she signs at a police station three times a week, she is tagged and I dont believe that the signing is really necessary.

Mr OKane said that was a fair concession from the police and added that in relation to the curfew, he was not seeking its complete removal but rather for it to be pushed back for a few hours, submitting that with the light evenings, its a bit draconian to have a teenager in by 7pm.

He told the court that to date, Campbell has obeyed each and every condition of her bail with police calling to her bail address several times a week and she has not been found wanting.

Judge Prenter said while he would remove the reporting condition, he would not remove the curfew but vary it so that Campbell has to be home by 10pm.An artist's impression of how the completed city centre development could look

Three buildings in the heart of Belfast will be razed to make way for a 400m regeneration project, following a unanimous decision by the councils planning committee.

BCCs planning committee approved the plans, without discussion, at Tuesday nights meeting at City Hall.

Now the structures on 53-63 Royal Avenue and 16 Lower Garfield Street will disappear and be replaced with the urban development, previously known as the Royal Exchange project.

Some of the key issues in the case presented by council officers at the meeting included the impact on adjacent listed buildings and sections of the plans within the city centre Conservation Area.

City planners recommended approval of the plans prior to Tuesdays committee session, which follows the approval of 11 out of the 12 of the projects associated applications in March.

Developers Castlebrooke Investments said almost 6,000 permanent jobs are set to be created by the new office, retail and leisure space.

Carried out in phases, the construction of the development will include: two hotels, the reintegration and refurbishment of seven listed buildings, three new public realm spaces and a 22-storey tower block.

To date, the company has invested more than 40m in acquiring the site, in addition to planning and construction, which began with a listed building on Lower Garfield site last year (under existing planning permission).

The site switched hands in January 2016 in an off-the-market deal between Castlebrooke and Cerberus, the US firm who purchased Nama assets totalling almost 1.5bn in 2014.

It covers 12 acres of land in the North East Quarter of the city centre bound by Royal Avenue, Donegall Street, North Street, Lower Garfield Street and High Street.

Construction for the proposed scheme is estimated to be in the region of 250m, with the total investment reported to be close to 400m.

Concerns over the project were previously raised by several councillors and campaign groups, such as Save Cathedral Quarter, primarily regarding the potential negative impact on heritage, arts and smaller businesses.

Meanwhile, several other items were given the go ahead on Tuesday, including: an extension to the Asda store in the Westwood Centre; an outline case for a residential development on the site of the old Mount Gilbert College; and a new reception and exhibition space in City Hall.

On the night, the new reception for City Hall drew some concern from councillors, as a new reception area was only opened recently.

Sinn Feins JJ Magee, who works in construction, questioned paying for the same job twice, however the recommended approval by planners was agreed, without a vote.The Court of Appeal rejected the attempt to have the convictions overturned.

A Belfast man jailed for subjecting his daughter to a campaign of rape over nearly two decades has failed in a bid to overturn his convictions.

Described as manipulating and controlling, the 66-year-old was said to have groomed her from an early age and continued the sexual abuse well into adulthood.

In 2016 a jury found him guilty of eight counts of rape and three indecent assaults.

His lawyers challenged the safety of the convictions, based on an earlier trial having returned not guilty verdicts on alternative counts of incest.

They also claimed inconsistencies in the prosecution evidence on when and where the abuse started.

But the Court of Appeal rejected submissions that the trial process had been flawed.

The man, who cannot be identified, received a 14-year sentence at Belfast Crown Court for repeatedly raping and molesting his daughter.

He was said to have commenced abusing her when she was 14, and continued until she left Northern Ireland in her early thirties.

According to the prosecution she became trapped in a vicious cycle.

The woman gave evidence of being raped on her parents' own bed, with further abuse taking place after she moved out.

In 2013 she made a complaint to police in England about the alleged offending.

Her father insisted none of the claims were true.

His evidence was that he was a good and loving parent who had supported his daughter in troubled times.

Lawyers for the man argued that it had been an abuse of process to retry him on the original count in the indictment after he was found not guilty of incest allegations.

But Lord Justice Deeny, sitting with Lord Justice Treacy, ruled the guilty verdict was safe.

Dismissing the appeal, he added: "It is relevant to note that in this case the complainant's evidence, at least so far as a sexual relationship with her father is concerned, is supported to a degree by his own statements and the evidence of two close relatives."The Pope's decision not to visit Northern Ireland when he visits the Republic in August is expected to lead to a massive scramble for tickets by Catholics north of the border.

Those hoping to see Pope Francis have been warned that places will be capped at each venue for health and safety reasons.

Yesterday, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin revealed that those attending the outdoor papal Mass in the Phoenix Park on the afternoon of Sunday, August 26 will have to obtain a ticket and these have been limited to 500,000.

An additional 20,000 places in the Phoenix Park have been reserved for volunteers, priests, security and health staff and choirs.

However, an additional 80,000 tickets will be kept aside for overflow, as required by health and safety regulations.

The Festival of Families, which Pope Francis will attend on the evening of Saturday, August 25 in Croke Park, will be restricted to 80,000 tickets, while the crowd who will hear the Pope recite the Angelus in Knock will be capped at just 45,000 people.

This is despite the fact that tens of thousands of Catholics from Northern Ireland are expected to look for tickets for Phoenix Park and Knock now that a papal visit north of the border has been ruled out.

Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, said: "We were really hoping this might be an opportunity and I think he really would love to come to Northern Ireland, but I suppose the pressures of this particular event and all he wants to do for the World Meeting of the families have overtaken that.

"I don't get any sense from those I have been speaking to that the Holy Father is ruling out the possibility of ever coming to Northern Ireland.

"I think there will have to be a specific visit and I hope it will be soon."

Registrations from Catholics in Northern Ireland for the World Meeting of Families Congress in Dublin's RDS over August 22-24 have already exceeded expectations.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, president of the World Meeting of Families (WMOF2018), explained to the media why registrations were being capped for papal events.

He said that when Pope John Paul II came to Ireland in 1979, "there were two words that weren't used - health and safety. We have a very different regime now and rightly so".

The Pope's first engagement will be a meeting with Michael D Higgins at Aras an Uachtarain.

He will then travel to Dublin Castle for a civic reception hosted by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

Mr Varadkar said yesterday that the event will mark a "significant visit by a global and spiritual leader to Ireland".

An online portal for tickets will open on June 25. It is understood some parishes are already planning 'registration days' for older people who may not be comfortable using the internet.A DUP whistleblower has claimed the party detests Stephen Nolan and his BBC producers with every fibre of its body for the show's coverage of the RHI scandal.

The unnamed DUP politician, appearing on BBC Radio Ulsters Stephen Nolan show, revealed that the chief executive of the DUP, Timothy Johnson, writes to and fines DUP politicians if they say things to the media that have not been approved by the partys press office.

The whistleblower described Mr Johnson as God incarnate and judge, jury, executioner, implementor, enforcer and adviser within the DUP.

The party detests you and your producers with every fibre of its body, the DUP politician told Nolan.

I hope you are not upset to hear that because they believe you have exposed the RHI scheme to the public and if it wasnt for the way you homed in on this in December 2016 and made it a major issue that we would not be in the position we are in today.

"So if you are under any illusion that the DUP dont despise you, then I am afraid you are in for an awful shock.

The RHI scandal, also known as Cash for Ash, exposed the public purse to an overspend of almost 500 million, after the then-Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment Arlene Foster failed to introduce proper cost controls.

This led to members of the RHI scheme making huge profits from the flawed green energy scheme.

The scandal led to the collapse of the Executive with the then Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness resigning in protest.

The whistleblower told Nolan DUP MLAs and MPs could be fined as much as 1,000 for straying off the party line.

The unnamed source said the partys relationship with the Nolan Show would be better if it were not for his relentless RHI coverage.

The whistleblower said: Had RHI not occurred, the relationship [with Nolan Show] would be totally different. There is an official boycott, I can tell you that now.

Expand Close Former watchdog Sir Alistair Graham PA / Facebook

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Sir Alistair Graham, a former Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life Standards, said the practice of fining political representatives for expressing their opinions was authoritarian and draconian.

He said: I am quite shocked really that a political party, who understandably wants to try and control the message that gets out to the public, is imposing fines on an elected representative whose public duty is to represent their constituents, not just follow the party line, I think is quite unacceptable.

Sir Graham added he thought the practice undermined democracy and the effectiveness of DUP politicians.

A DUP spokesperson said: The DUP operates under a constitution and a code of conduct for its members which was passed by the central executive committee of the party.

"The chief executive, on behalf of the party officers, writes to members on code of conduct matters as he is required to do from time to time.

"The party does not comment on its internal procedures. The party reserves the right to decide what programme to participate in and the best mix of platforms to ensure ongoing communication with the people of Northern Ireland.

"Timothy Johnson has asked us to indicate that he will deal with issues pertaining to his RHI evidence when he appears before the inquiry.

A BBC Spokeswoman said: The Nolan show provides an inclusive forum for audience-led debate about a range of issues affecting audiences. We welcome the involvement of all elected representatives across our output.Damage caused to five mobile classrooms beside a primary school at Barrack Street in Belfast.

Damage caused to five mobile classrooms beside a primary school at Barrack Street in Belfast.

Damage caused to five mobile classrooms beside a primary school at Barrack Street in Belfast.

Damage caused to five mobile classrooms beside a primary school at Barrack Street in Belfast.

A suspected arson attack has destroyed five mobile classrooms in Belfast, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.

The incident happened in the Barrack Street area of Belfast on Monday evening.

Inspector Swann said: It was reported at approximately 10:00pm that there was a fire in this vicinity.

"Police along with NIFRS attended the scene and after the fire was extinguished, the damage caused to the mobiles was discovered.

"It is believed that access was gained at 9:15pm. This crime has caused thousands of pounds worth of damage and we are asking for the publics assistance in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

A NIFRS spokesperson said two fire crews were sent to the scene at 9.53pm on Monday.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire appears to be deliberate.

The incident was dealt with at 10.52pm.

Anyone with information about this fire should contact police on 101 quoting reference 1613 11/06/18.A 23-year-old has been taken to hospital following the attack.

A 23-year-old man has been hospitalised following a punishment style assault in Belfast.

Detectives are appealing for witnesses and information following the incident near to the Comber Greenway, Knock, Belfast on Tuesday evening.

At approximately 6.30pm police received a report that a 23-year-old man had been assaulted by a group of approximately 6/7 men, who had hammers, bats and knuckledusters.

He has been taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries, which are not believed to be life threatening at this time.

East Belfast Ulster Unionist Councillor, Alderman Jim Rodgers, has condemned the attack

I unreservedly condemn the shocking incident which took place tonight in which a gang of up to seven men attacked a man in his early 20s in a paramilitary style attack, using bats, hammers and knuckle dusters," Alderman Rodgers said.

The Comber Greenway is used by many people to walk dogs, ride bicycles and simply enjoy the peace and quiet. It is the last place where one would expect to see a brutal gang attack on a young man.

Nobody has the right to take the law into their own hands and nobody in East Belfast wants this type of activity to be taking place. There is simply no excuse whatsoever for it and the people responsible need to be taken off the streets and brought before the courts. I urge anyone who can assist the police to catch the culprits to come forward immediately and tell what they know.

Detective Sergeant Sam McCallum would appeal to anyone who may have witnessed this assault or anyone who has information that could assist with police enquiries to contact Detectives at Musgrave on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference 1161 12/06/18.

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.Defencecommittee chair Julian Lewis has launched a new inquiry into protecting military veterans from prosecution (Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament/PA)

An influential committee of MPs has launched an inquiry into protecting British war veterans from prosecution following all conflicts.

The Defence committee called for former soldiers facing investigations into Troubles-related fatalities in Northern Ireland to be safeguarded using an official statute of limitations.

The Government is consulting on measures addressing the countrys violent past, including an Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) to search for opportunities for prosecution.

Committee chair Julian Lewis said: Our concerns are such that we intend to return to the subject of statute of limitations and, once again, to explore how former service personnel can be protected from the spectre of investigation and re-investigation for events that happened many years, and often decades, earlier.

His committees report last year called for the enactment of the legal statute covering all incidents during the Northern Ireland conflict up to the signing of the 1998 Belfast Agreement which involved former members of the Armed Forces.

Committee members said they were disappointed and surprised the Northern Ireland Offices consultation on addressing the legacy of decades of violence did not reflect their recommendations.

Backbench MPs have led a vociferous campaign for a statute of limitations to end what they claim is a witch hunt against members of the armed forces.

Prime Minister Theresa May has said the treatment of Northern Ireland veterans was unfair while Northern Irelands former Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Barra McGrory said soldiers were not treated unfairly.

Paramilitaries were responsible for most of the killings in Northern Ireland.

Official statistics for prosecutions show a minority involved the Army.

Mr Lewis added: The Government has a moral duty to defend those who served in the defence of our country, whether that was in Northern Ireland, Iraq or Afghanistan.

Even veterans of the Falklands campaign in 1982 have told me that they, too, could be targeted.

It simply cannot be right that veterans, who were the subject of investigations at the time of the events in question and subsequently cleared, are now living in fear of re-investigations and the threat of prosecutions.Charlotte Caldwell and her son Billy outside the Home Office in London yesterday ahead of a meeting with Minister of State Nick Hurd

The Co Tyrone mother of a boy with a deadly form of epilepsy has said she will continue to treat her son with cannabis oil despite his medication being seized by airport officials.

Charlotte Caldwell arrived in Heathrow yesterday morning and declared to customs that she was carrying cannabis oil that had been prescribed to 12-year-old Billy by doctors in Canada.

The mum-of-two from Castlederg had been hoping to be allowed to continue her journey home with the medication, but after the six-month supply of cannabis oil was seized, she said she would return to Canada to get more.

"Billy will get his medication," she commented. "I'm absolutely devastated but I won't give up."

She said the border officials who seized Billy's medication were polite and "doing their job", and claimed one welled up with tears while doing so.

Charlotte was not arrested as a result of bringing the cannabis oil - a controlled substance - into the UK.

After leaving the airport, she pleaded for the drug to be returned in a meeting with Home Office Minister Nick Hurd. However, her request was denied.

"It's Billy's anti-epileptic medication that Nick Hurd has taken away, it's not some sort of joint full of recreational cannabis," she said. "I will just go back to Canada and get more and I will bring it back again because my son has a right to have his anti-epileptic medication in his country, in his own home."

Billy was diagnosed with a severe form of epilepsy when he was just a few months old. Doctors in Belfast were unable to bring the condition under control. At its worst, Billy suffers up to 100 seizures a day - any one of which could be fatal.

In addition to campaigning for the right to treat Billy's seizures with cannabis oil, Charlotte is also determined the drug should be available to anyone in the UK who could benefit from it.

"We're not looking to make it legal for people to use cannabis recreationally," she said. "This is completely different. What we want is the right for our children to receive a treatment that is life-saving in their own country.

"We will not stop ... we are not going to give up."

Billy made history when he became the first person in the UK to be prescribed medicinal cannabis by the health service.

But Charlotte was forced to travel to Canada with Billy last week after officials warned her GP that he faced serious consequences if he continued to write prescriptions for it.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "The Home Office is sympathetic to the difficult and rare situation that Billy and his family are faced with.

"Whilst we recognise that people with debilitating illnesses are looking to alleviate their symptoms, Border Force has a duty to stop banned substances from entering the UK."Heavy rain and strong winds have been forecast for Thursday.

Northern Ireland is braced for 60mph winds after the Met office issued a yellow weather warning.

A spell of very windy weather is expected on Thursday with gusts of 50 to 60mph likely.

There will be a small chance of longer journey times or cancellations as road, rail, air and ferry services are affected.

There is a slight chance of some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs.

Power cuts and mobile phone coverage may also be affected.

The Met Office has warned there is a small chance of danger to life from large waves and beach material being thown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and property.Previous Stormont health minister Michelle ONeill and Professor Rafael Bengoa with the Bengoa Report in July 2016

Northern Ireland's health service could face the equivalent of a winter flu crisis all year round, an international expert has warned.

The stark message comes from Professor Rafael Bengoa, who set out a radical blueprint for reform of the health system here in 2016.

He is due to meet with MLAs today as he returns to Northern Ireland to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the NHS - a day after health officials announced a cash injection of 9.5m to help address ailing pressures on our health service.

Writing in today's Belfast Telegraph, Professor Bengoa, a former Basque health minister, said an overhaul of health policy was urgently required.

"If we don't transform, every month will eventually start to look like January and February," he said.

"That will not be because of the flu, but because of chronic diseases that affect older people all year round.

"Within a relatively short time, the health system will enter into crisis due to this natural demand."

In a high-profile report published in October 2016, widely known as the Bengoa Report, he urged widespread reform of the health service here.

It led former health minister Michelle O'Neill to outline a 10-year plan for improvement, which included tackling waiting lists and boosting GP practices. Millions of pounds have since been allocated for addressing waiting lists.

Professor Bengoa added: "Inevitably, demand will continue to increase sharply as people live longer lives.

"At present, too many services are based around buildings rather than being centred on what people and communities need.

"Much more care needs to be delivered in primary care settings, close to or in people's homes. That's the essence of transformation."

He said willingness and determination to change existed in abundance in Northern Ireland, despite the collapse of Stormont, which has affected decision-making across the civil service.

"Of course there will be frustration and setbacks along the way," he added.

"There is still a strong consensus for change, a deepening understanding that you can't continue with the status quo.

"I keep in close contact with Northern Ireland and I know there are some less than positive voices on the prospects for serious health reform.

"I realise too that this viewpoint is connected to the political situation and the collapse of the devolved institutions not long after our report was published.

"But I want to say that you don't have to give in to pessimism. Always remember that the situation facing health and social care in Northern Ireland is far from unique.

"Citizens and policy makers across much of the developed world are grappling with the exact same fundamental issues.

"Transformation is a long term process," Professor Bengoa added.Foreign investment in Northern Ireland has plummeted by more than 50%, a new survey has found.

A leading economist has blamed Brexit, the lack of a Stormont Executive and even the debate over same-sex marriage and abortion for contributing to the massive downturn.

Economist John Simpson was speaking as a report by business advisors EY found there was a 54% fall in investments by new foreign companies during 2017.

There were just 19 projects here, compared to 33 in Wales, the next poorest performer in EY's Attractiveness Survey.

Mr Simpson said he was unsurprised by the findings, as he said Northern Ireland's attractiveness to investors was being hit by fears over the effects of Brexit, and the lack of a functioning devolved government.

And, he added, that uncertainty was creating "a serious handicap for Invest NI and for us all as individuals hoping to improve our economic prosperity".

The economist said the debates over same-sex marriage and abortion here were also contributing to concerns about NI as a location for investment.

"The uncertainty about the future role of the border on the island, along with the social worries about equal marriage, the concerns about a greater degree of compassion in dealing with abortion, and an intractable disagreement on the freedoms in the use of Irish language are all homemade obstacles to improving the economy," he added.

However, a spokeswoman for Invest NI, which is responsible for attracting overseas investment, said: "EY's results count investment from outside of the UK during a calendar year and therefore do not reflect the full picture of FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) success in Northern Ireland.

"Over the past five years Northern Ireland attracted more FDI jobs per head than any region in the UK." Invest NI said its calculations on FDI included investments from companies in Great Britain into Northern Ireland, which were not included by EY.

EY Ireland chief economist Neil Gibson said a calendar year, as used in the Attractiveness Survey, was not an adequate period in which to judge FDI performance. But he added: "It is a weak year on this measure, and disappointing, but it's set in the context of a very strong year previously. It will be important to see if this reflects a step change to a lower level or a blip."Former SDLP deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon has said he was "pleasantly surprised" by Peter Robinson's suggestion of holding a poll on Irish unity every generation.

"It is interesting and a very good thing that Peter Robinson is thinking beyond the box," Mr Mallon said.

"I hope his words will encourage others to start considering things in a similarly positive way."

Former DUP leader Mr Robinson last week suggested that holding generational border polls was a way of stabilising politics in Northern Ireland.

Delivering a lecture at Queen's University, he said such an approach would help make the constitutional question less disruptive to local politics and the prospect of a referendum less threatening.

He stated he would be very confident that citizens would choose to stay within the UK.

Mr Mallon told the Belfast Telegraph: "I was pleasantly surprised by what Peter Robinson said.

"I very much welcome it as it shows foresight. I hope it will now prompt others to begin looking to the future and planning for it."

But both former UK Unionist leader Bob McCartney and TUV leader Jim Allister said Mr Robinson's suggestion could not be welcomed by any unionist.

DUP MPs Gregory Campbell, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and Sammy Wilson have also distanced themselves from the generational border poll proposal.

Mr McCartney said: "I always thought that Peter Robinson was an excellent tactician but that he lacked strategic vision and I believe his proposal proves that."

The former North Down MLA said Mr Robinson's definition of a generational poll was unclear. "Is it every 18 years or every 25 years?" he asked.

Mr McCartney continued that the Brexit referendum proved that such polls generate enormous instability.

"They aid those who thrive on instability," he said. "Having one here along the lines Peter Robinson proposed would keep every generation on the edge.

"And the temperature would be turned up one or two years in advance of the vote."

Mr McCartney stated he was at a loss to see what unionists had to gain from the proposal which he believed benefited only republicans.

"Sinn Fein hoped that the Belfast Agreement would be a transition process leading to a united Ireland. They have realised that isn't happening.

"Rather, the Agreement has brought about a degree of stability to Northern Ireland, particularly economic stability and investment," he commented.

"Deep down, Sinn Fein realises that its strategy hasn't worked. So the party is running with the idea of a border poll because it would thrive on the instability that would create."

Mr Allister said he failed to understand how any unionist could "talk up" the idea of holding a border poll.

"That is the battle cry of Sinn Fein," he commented. "Why on earth would any unionist give it credence?

"To be even debating the mechanics of this is unhelpful to unionism. It is beyond me why Peter Robinson would want to give legs to this idea."

Mr Allister said the "subtext" of the former DUP leader's speech was: "If I was in charge of the party we wouldn't be in this mess".

He added: "It was pretty obvious that Arlene Foster was the target of some of Peter Robinson's rebukes."

The main focus of the former First Minister's lecture at Queen's were his reflections on how to restore a stable power-sharing administration. Mr Robinson, who was recently appointed an honorary professor of peace studies at Queen's, warned that community division in the region was "accelerating" and suggested violence could reignite if the political stagnation continued.

"We are at risk of awaking the slumbering hostilities that we had all hoped would never again be aroused," he said.

He described the talks process to restore devolution in Northern Ireland as a "train wreck" and called on the DUP and Sinn Fein to go beyond their narrow party interests. Mr Robinson continued that one of the hardest tasks would be for the leaders to sell any deal to their parties.

"Let's be clear, not all of your colleagues will want to make the necessary concessions," he said.

"That's where leadership comes in.

"It will be a career-defining moment.

"Make no mistake about it, your leadership will be on the line. If they reject your recommendation, they are rejecting your leadership. So fight tooth and nail for it."

Working together, Northern Ireland's two communities could achieve great things, he added.Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has called for funding for legacy inquests in Northern Ireland to be released without further delay, and says the final decision now rests with the Government.

Speaking after what she described as "very successful" meetings with PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton and Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan in Belfast yesterday, Ms McDonald said families have "waited for decades without answers and there is now no further excuse for delay".

"This was my first meeting with the Chief Constable since becoming party president and it was a constructive engagement," she commented.

"The delay in implementing the legacy mechanisms agreed at Stormont featured prominently in discussions with both the Chief Constable and the Lord Chief Justice.

"And while the delay is the responsibility of the DUP and the British Government, clearly there is growing frustration at the failure to progress this issue.

"Some families have been waiting almost 50 years for the basic right of a proper inquest to be held, and the Lord Chief Justice has put forward a plan to clear the backlog."

Ms McDonald continued: "This outrageous foot-dragging is entirely unacceptable. The monies to fund the inquests must be released immediately and that is the message we will continue taking directly to the British Government.

"We initially believed it would be a call made by departments here. It transpires that is not the case.

"We will remain very forceful and it is our insistence that the monies are now released.

"I will be meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May on June 20 and we will put this to her again.

"I hope given the fact that the business case has been gathered, and that we're now told it's a matter of due diligence, that calls will be made very speedily and that resources required will be released without any further delay.

"In the immediacy of the here and now there is no excuse, no reason, no decent rationale for delaying the legacy inquests or withholding the funding from them. The call is now with London."

Following the meeting, Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan said the lack of resources available to him to hold inquests into the deaths of more than 50 people killed during the Troubles must be addressed.

"I recognise the disappointment felt by the families that since we met in February 2016 we have only been able to make very limited progress in dealing with the outstanding legacy inquests," he said.

"The important matter now is to address the issue of resources and ensure we move as quickly as possible to provide a resolution on the remaining cases."

Sir Declan's office added that he is happy to meet with any political party over this issue.

Ms McDonald was leading a delegation including deputy leader Michelle O'Neill and policing spokesman Gerry Kelly.

"We also pressed on the Chief Constable the importance of ensuring there is no repeat of the intimidation in Belfast last year when people were driven from their homes in mixed developments," she said. "This kind of paramilitary intimidation, which often begins with the erection of flags that are intended to intimidate, is intolerable and there must be a sustained policing effort to tackle it.

"We can't have an other summer of intimidation.

"Families must feel safe to go about their business free of intimidation from the towering infernos of bonfires.

"The impact of budget cuts, Brexit and the need for more co-operation with An Garda Siochana were also discussed and we expressed concerns at the PSNI's sustained under-resourcing of the neighbourhood policing teams.

"It is important there is a sustained policing effort to tackle the scourge of paramilitary intimidation and violence.

"Cuts to the budgets affecting policing with the community is a serious mistake."The international expert who authored a report to transform Northern Irelands health care system has said he is not concerned about the lack of devolved government to drive it.

Almost two years ago, Professor Rafael Bengoa made a number of radical recommendations to make the health and social care system fit for the 21st century.

During a visit to Belfast on Tuesday, Professor Bengoa said change has already started, and that a health minister in post would only help if they were a good minister.

There was cross-community support for the resulting report, Delivering Together, which was launched by the then Stormont Health Minister Michelle ONeill, First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness in October 2016.

Expand Close Professor Bengoa said the collapse of the devolved assembly would not affect changes in the system (Rebecca Black/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Professor Bengoa said the collapse of the devolved assembly would not affect changes in the system (Rebecca Black/PA)

But just a few months later, the Northern Ireland Assembly collapsed.

Professor Bengoa insisted he is not disappointed by the current political situation.

Things are moving forward, and some projects are taking shape, he said.

There is no study anywhere that says had we had a government, things would have been done one way or another.

Things have moved on even without government.

When asked whether having a health minister in post would be better, Professor Bengoa said that would probably help, but only if it was a good minister.

If that minister has the right vision and is moving in the right direction, he said.

Delivering Together had that.

What's really good here is that you are on a transformative agenda even without a government.Professor Rafael Bengoa

But there are only five or six countries in Europe where you have a minister that knows where they are going. So if you have ministers who dont know where they are going, where they are just saying: I am going to survive for four/five years, then they are not going to be on a transformative agenda.

Whats really good here (in Northern Ireland) is that you are on a transformative agenda even without a government.

The 10-year plan for improvement included tackling waiting lists and boosting GP practices.

Millions of pounds have since been allocated for addressing waiting lists.

An 8.8 million investment in GP services was announced on Monday.

As part of Prof Rafael Bengoa's visit to Belfast today he will deliver a keynote lecture at @QUBelfast at 1.30pm. Watch the live stream here https://t.co/M9KXYyIiLC

Lecture will examine how health and social transformation

will build solid foundations for years ahead #NHS70 pic.twitter.com/a8ZIgLwXxt  Department of Health (@healthdpt) June 12, 2018

Professor Bengoa said it is vital that health stakeholders work together to succeed in transforming the system.

So, you have around the table the pharmacists, the nurses and doctors, and the local politicians deciding that for this local community of 100,000, what is it that we need to do with our kids becoming more obese, more mental health issues? he said.

That conversation is going to be had if we move forward with this model. If you dont move forward with this model, you dont have that conversation, you dont extract all the know-how of the different disciplines.

For the moment, they still dont have a common vision. They are going to have as we move forward.

What is the pattern of disease in this population and can we do something about it together? Versus: Lets continue defending wee pharmacies, wee doctors, wee nurses etc.

You have to get the needs of the population on the table.

Professor Bengoa is in Belfast to deliver a lecture at Queens University marking the 70th anniversary of the health service and themed around reshaping care for the next 70 years.A man who complained of a police officers oppressive behaviour towards him as he attempted to collect his son from a concert in south Belfast, has had his complaint rejected by the Police Ombudsmans Office.

The man, who had asked to park in a closed-off slip road before attempting to turn into a lane blocked off by a police Land Rover, said the officer assaulted him before threatening to shoot him as he edged forward in his car.

He said the officer had grabbed him by the arms and stuck his knuckles into his throat after he got out of his vehicle at the Lisburn Road end of Stockmans Lane in August last year. This, he said, had caused bruising under his chin which had been confirmed at the Mater Hospital.

However, Police Ombudsman investigators, who interviewed the officer under caution, took accounts from members of the public and other police officers, and reviewed body worn video footage, rejected the mans claims that the officer had acted oppressively.

The officer denied any wrongdoing but admitted to threatening to shoot after the complainant had driven towards him. He said his actions were necessary due to the mans aggressive demeanour and his failure to heed police directions.

He also stated that when he was putting the man into the Land Rover, where he cautioned him for a motoring offence, a struggle had ensued, but he denied assault.

Eyewitness accounts from several members of the public and other police officers supported the officers version of events. Body worn video did not capture the initial incident but did show the officer take hold of the mans arm and jacket as he attempted to return to his car. It also showed that it was a notebook in the officers hand which come into contact with the mans neck, rather than his fist as the complainant had alleged.

As required, a report was sent to the Public Prosecution Service which directed no prosecution of the officer.Ballymoney road racer William Dunlop has said he will take some time out to consider his future after withdrawing from the Isle of Man TT last week.

In an update to his fans he revealed the family reason why he announced on June 9 that he wouldn't be competing at the TT.

In a statement posted on his website, Dunlop said: "I just thought I would put a few words down about my recent withdrawal from the 2018 TT races as I have a lot of good people around me and I felt this is something that needed addressed.

"First and foremost, I would like to thank all my sponsors, not one of them made me feel like I had to do anything I didn't want to nor did they ask my issues - it's good to have people helping me like this and it's much appreciated.

"Also a big thanks to everyone for their kind messages, I really can't believe the support people have given me.

"It has been a difficult few weeks but things have made a turn for the better for myself and Janine. We are expecting a second baby, but unfortunately we received terrible news at our 20-week scan and were referred to a specialist.

"While I was on the island Janine had to deal with everything herself and was attending the hospital appointments and scans herself while I was away.

"My head wasn't in the races and my thoughts were always at what was happening at home. My family will always come first so I made the decision to come home," the racer added.

"We received positive news this weekend and everything is now appearing to be normal, so after months of uncertainty we now finally feel that we can enjoy this time and get excited for a new addition.

"There are still additional scans and meetings with consultants to attend but things are looking so much better for us as a family.

"I have a few weeks to rest and recover from my NW200 crash and also think about my future. I will sit with my sponsors in time and see where we all stand."A high-profile businesswoman who quit the Presbyterian Church over its decision to deny people in same-sex relationships full membership has urged others to rethink their allegiance to the organisation.

The Irish General Assembly also controversially voted to deny the children of same-sex couples baptism last week.

Lifelong Presbyterian Lesley Macaulay stopped short of calling on fellow worshippers to follow her lead and resign from the church - but the Portstewart mother-of-two whose eldest daughter Beth (24) has been with her fiancee for three years has urged worshippers who share her faith to "examine" their support for the institution. "I would love members who, like myself, are uncomfortable with the vote to ask themselves if they can continue supporting the Presbyterian Church," she said.

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"I would love church members to say enough is enough, we're not supporting this anymore ... because this is definitely the start of a more fundamental approach.

"I think they're going to target women next, meaning that women will not have a role within the church.

"Resignation is a big decision. I don't want to force anyone to do that but I do want them to examine themselves. Can they support an institution that's making these sort of decisions and causing this hurt and pain?"

Mrs Macaulay, a consultant and charity fundraiser, and her husband Tony, a well-known writer and peace-builder, are still reeling from the Presbyterian General Assembly's recent decisions aimed at gay couples and their children.

They believe "it is targeting our beautiful daughter Beth" who grew up in the Presbyterian Church "because of her God-given sexual orientation".

Mrs Macaulay revealed that she has received widespread messages of support following her public opposition and resignation over last week's ruling. "I don't know why they had to do this or why they had to make it so official; it seems to have come out of the blue," she said. "It's certainly a group of fundamentalists who really want a church that is like themselves, a group of clones to be honest."

In addition to private messages from "prominent members of the Presbyterian Church and church leaders" saying they are on her side - although their hands are tied - there has been "an overwhelming response from so many different people".

"Families, members of the LGBTQ community, ministers, and the Spectrum Centre, which has a group of LGBT Christian gay people, have all contacted me," she said.

"I'm getting positive feedback from people telling me that I am doing the right thing. I'm speaking up for people who can't speak up for themselves. My faith is a Christian faith. Even though it's been an upsetting experience, I feel stronger about my faith because I know what I am doing is the right thing.

"I know there are a lot of people who are feeling the same way as me - not just parents, but brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, and other family members, because so many of them have been in contact with me today.

"So many families or family members have moved to England because they don't want the negativity and the bigoted attitude of the church in Northern Ireland."

She added: "I have stood up because of my daughter. This is too important not to say anything. I'm defending my lovely daughter."A memorial wood at Edenaveys outside Armagh which has been created thanks to Dr Sally Walmsley

Nine memorial woods have been created in Northern Ireland as a lasting tribute to those who died in the First World War.

They are among 130 new woodlands across the UK remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The woods range in size from a tiny 10th of a hectare to 10 hectares.

One of Northern Ireland's nine woods is springing to life thanks to composer and writer Dr Sally Walmsley.

With support from Forest Service and the Woodland Trust, she has transformed over five hectares of grassland into a thriving young woodland at Edenaveys, just outside the city of Armagh.

Gregor Fulton, the Woodland Trust's estate and outreach manager, said: "The trees planted, throughout the UK, are a flourishing and lasting tribute to those who sacrificed so much during the First World War.

"Landowners are changing landscapes and creating much-needed homes for wildlife."

He added: "It's a heartening contrast to the sadness of war."

Dr Walmsley added: "I came across the initiative thanks to a chance meeting with a local woodland consultancy IndiWoods and thought what a worthwhile thing to do.

"I now have exciting plans for the recently named Seppy's Wood. Using the arts, my aim is to give people the chance to connect with nature. I want to increase awareness of the world in which we live and the amazing world of trees."

The Woodland Trust's First World War Centenary Woods project has seen four flagship woods created, including one at Brackfield Wood in the Faughan Valley, close to Londonderry.Irish Ferries offer alternative travel options after the delay of a ferry being delivered (Peter Byrne/PA)

Almost 19,000 Irish Ferries passengers have had their sailings to France cancelled because of a delay in the delivery of a new ferry, the company has said.

Holidaymakers who booked to travel on the new W.B. Yeats vessel this summer are now having to seek other means of transport after Irish Ferries cancelled the planned sailings.

In a statement, the company said the cancellation was because of further delays in building the ship by German company Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) & Co KG.

The ship was due to start sailing in July but all sailings will now commence between Ireland and France and the UK in September.

Customers will be contacted on Tuesday about the cancellations and offered alternative travel options by the company.

We are offering each affected customer a 150 euro voucher which can be used on any of our Ireland-France routes next yearIrish Ferries

Irish Ferries was previously forced to cancel July sailings for the W.B. Yeats in April when they were told by FSG of the initial delay.

Some 2,500 bookings were impacted by the earlier cancellation, but the company said that 95% of those swtiched to Irish Ferries Oscar Wilde.

Irish Ferries said that around 6,000 bookings will be impacted by the latest cancellation  or some 19,000 passengers.

The company said in a statement: Irish Ferries very much regrets the inconvenience these cancellations cause our customers and hopes that as many as possible will choose to be accommodated via the companys alternative arrangements and continue with their holiday plans.

As valued customers of Irish Ferries, we are offering each affected customer a 150 euro voucher which can be used on any of our Ireland-France routes next year.

Customers can contact Irish Ferries on +353 (0) 818 300 400 or email customersupport@irishferries.com.The Prince of Wales shakes hands with Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly at Carlisle Memorial Church in Belfast (Brian Lawless/PA)

The Prince of Wales has shaken hands with former IRA bomber and Sinn Fein Stormont Assembly member Gerry Kelly during a visit to Belfast.

Mr Kelly escaped from Northern Irelands high-security Maze Prison in 1983 while serving a jail sentence for the 1973 bombing of the Old Bailey.

He became a senior republican negotiator ahead of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and has embraced the peace process for decades, serving as a minister in the powersharing executive.

Mr Kelly said: This is about outreach and it was a deliberate act to come down.

No better place to do it than north Belfast, a very mixed area often described as a microcosm of the difficulties or characteristics of the whole of the north.

It is a patchwork quilt of communities.

North Belfast was the scene of multiple sectarian killings during the 30-year conflict and part of it was once dubbed murder mile.

Charles began a two-day trip to Northern Ireland on Tuesday with a recital by the Ulster Orchestra in a 19th century Methodist church in Belfast which is undergoing major restoration.

Expand Close The Prince of Wales shakes hands with Sinn Fein MLA Caral Ni Chuilin as her colleague Gerry Kelly (left) looks on at Carlisle Memorial Church in Belfast (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp The Prince of Wales shakes hands with Sinn Fein MLA Caral Ni Chuilin as her colleague Gerry Kelly (left) looks on at Carlisle Memorial Church in Belfast (Brian Lawless/PA)

He has spoken many times about reconciliation in Ireland and has previously met former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, offering condolences on the death of ex-Stormont deputy first minister Martin McGuinness.

The princes uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten was killed in an IRA bombing during a boating trip near his family holiday home in Co Sligo in the west of Ireland in 1979.

Charles toured Carlisle Memorial Church, which has served as a gateway to north Belfast since 1875.

Expand Close The Prince of Wales samples a special brew created for the ABVFest beer festival at Carlisle Memorial Church in Belfast (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp The Prince of Wales samples a special brew created for the ABVFest beer festival at Carlisle Memorial Church in Belfast (Brian Lawless/PA)

He was shown around by Fionnuala Jay OBoyle, patron of the Belfast Buildings Trust which is the custodian of the church. She is also Lord Lieutenant of Belfast.

She said: An event like today really has gladdened everybodys heart and lifted everybodys spirits.

The church was built by James Carlisle in memory of his two children who died in plagues and epidemics.

Expand Close The Prince of Wales meets members of the Ulster Orchestra (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Ms OBoyle added: At one stage this was seen as the Methodist Cathedral on the island of Ireland, so it is wonderful to see a building of such importance, one that has a place in the hearts of people, come back to life.

School children from across the community, Belfast Royal Academy and the nearby St Malachys College, met the royal visitor.

Ciaron McKenna, 16, a GCSE pupil from St Malachys, played the tin whistle as part of his school group.

They performed traditional Irish pieces like She Moved Through the Fair, which Van Morrison popularised.

Expand Close Charles and Fionnuala Jay-OBoyle, of the Belfast Buildings Trust, meet members of the Ulster Orchestra (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Charles and Fionnuala Jay-OBoyle, of the Belfast Buildings Trust, meet members of the Ulster Orchestra (Brian Lawless/PA)

Mr McKenna said the prince asked if the ghastly schoolwork got in the way of music.

He added: it was a big deal, coming from a Catholic background it is unusual to meet the royals, but it was a good experience and I enjoyed it.

Charles also sampled local craft cheese and beer before moving to his next engagement.Seven of the so-called Hooded Men (from left) Jim Auld, Patrick McNally, Liam Shannon, Francie McGuigan, Davy Rodgers, Brian Turley and Joe Clarke (Brian Lawless/PA)

The Irish Government is to appeal against a European court decision that found the UK did not torture 14 men interned without trial during the Troubles.

The so-called Hooded Men claim they were subjected to a number of torture methods when they were detained without trial at a British military camp in Northern Ireland in 1971.

These included five techniques  hooding, stress positions, white noise, sleep deprivation and deprivation of food and water  along with beatings and death threats.

Earlier this year, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) dismissed Irelands request to find the men suffered torture and said there was no justification for revising an original judgment in 1978 that held that while the men suffered inhumane and degrading treatment, they were not tortured.

Expand Close Liam Shannon, one of the Hooded Men (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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The Irish authorities took the case to Europe after highlighting what it said was fresh evidence.

In March, the court said new material had not demonstrated the existence of facts that were not known to the court at the time or which could have had a decisive influence on the original judgment.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin has confirmed it will appeal against that ruling to the Grand Chamber of the ECHR.

Kevin Hannaway, one of the Hooded Men, hailed the move.

Todays ruling is not only a mammoth step for us, but for many other torture survivors all around the world, he said.

We always knew the judgment was flawed, and that we had strong grounds of appeal, we are delighted the Irish Government has accepted our submissions and an appeal will now be lodged.

We all intend on fighting this case to the very end on behalf of ourselves and those who have passed away since the treatment we underwentKevin Hannaway

We all intend on fighting this case to the very end on behalf of ourselves and those who have passed away since the treatment we underwent.

Mr Hannaways solicitor Darragh Mackin added: We warmly welcome the position adopted by the Irish Government in todays decision.

From the day on which the judgment was handed down, we have engaged with the Irish Government in calling for an urgent appeal to be lodged.

The international significance of this case is duly reflected by the fact that this case will now be referred to the highest court in Europe. The grounds were self-evident. We now look forward to an expeditious hearing in the Grand Chamber.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said: The March 20 ruling of the European Court of Human Rights on the Governments application for a revision of the 1978 Ireland v UK case has been fully considered by the Government, taking account of advice from the Attorney General.

The Government has decided to request a referral of the matter to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights.

The request for a referral will be submitted to the court in Strasbourg before the deadline of June 20.

The men were hooded and flown by helicopter to a secret location, later revealed to be a British Army camp at Ballykelly, outside Londonderry.

The ECHR judges rejected the Irish case by a majority of six to one. The Grand Chamber of the court is made up of 17 judges.

Solicitor Michael Halleron, who represents Mary McKenna  a daughter of another of the hooded men, Sean McKenna  said: This is a significant decision.

A referral to the Grand Chamber allows Ms McKenna on behalf of her father, as well as the other applicants, another opportunity for the judgment made in 1978 to be revised, insofar as the five techniques on persons interned in Northern Ireland in 1971 constituted inhuman and degrading treatment but not torture.

The judgment in the Hooded Men case has live, global implicationsSinn Fein senator Niall O Donnghaile

Sinn Fein senator Niall O Donnghaile, who had tabled a motion in the Irish Seanad calling for an appeal, welcomed the move.

The judgment in the Hooded Men case has live, global implications and it is only right that those who have committed, are committing or would seek to commit the kind of torture inflicted on these 14 Irishmen are exposed and held to account on the international stage, he said.

Government have made the right decision with this appeal and I encourage them, as this appeal process moves ahead, to ensure they remain fully engaged with the men themselves as well as their legal representatives.

The Hooded Men have been campaigning for truth and justice for almost 50 years now, their steadfast courage and dignity is renowned the world over; we know that what these men endured was systematic and calculated torture, it is long past time that that reality was held firm on the international stage.Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has thrown his weight behind the idea of building a bridge linking Northern Ireland and southern Scotland.

The 15bn 'Boris Bridge' would span the North Channel, and is already supported by the DUP, whose MPs back the Conservative Government at Westminster.

Quoting a source close to Mr Johnson, the Daily Telegraph reported: "Boris thinks this is an interesting idea which should be looked at more seriously - as politicians in Scotland and Northern Ireland have already said it's the kind of ambitious project we need to make a success of Global Britain."

Mr Johnson has already expressed support for the construction of a bridge linking England and France.

The idea of an bridge to Scotland has been around for more than a century, but has always been dismissed as either too expensive or too difficult to build.

Unlike the Straits of Dover, the North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland is very deep, which poses substantial construction challenges, compared to the England-France route.

A bridge stretching from Larne in Co Antrim to Portpatrick in Dumfries and Galloway is the most likely option, though a bridge from Bangor to Portpatrick could offer an alternative crossing.

The shortest distance would be from the north Antrim coast to the Mull of Kintyre - just 13 miles - but the road network from there to Glasgow would also require substantial upgrade work as a consequence - and would radically increase the project's cost.

The DUP's former Health Minister Simon Hamilton has previously backed a plan linking Northern Ireland and Scotland.

"Imagine being able to board a train in Belfast or Dublin and be in Glasgow or Edinburgh in just a few hours. It would revolutionise our trade and tourism never mind our sense of interconnectedness. It maybe isn't as unrealistic an idea as you'd first think," Mr Hamilton wrote in the Belfast Telegraph in January.

Alan Dunlop, an academic from Liverpool University, has suggested the bridge would be similar to the one connecting Denmark and Sweden across the Oresund Strait and could be completed for between 15bn to 20bn.

The Scottish Government has said it is ready to "explore all options" in relation to a physical link with Northern Ireland.An inspection report on HMP Belmarsh has been published (Steve Parsons/PA)

Body-scanning technology has been deployed in a crackdown on drugs and violence at one of Britains most high-profile prisons.

The device, which uses low level X-rays to identify inmates concealing contraband, has been trialled in the reception area at HMP Belmarsh in south-east London.

A report from HM Inspectorate of Prisons said the scanner had led to the discovery of mobile phones, weapons and drugs which would not have been detected during a strip search.

HMP Belmarsh  encouraging trial of body scanner to prevent smuggling of drugs and contraband - read the @HMIPrisonsnews inspection report - https://t.co/CLiY1OovZA - and media release - https://t.co/ERjm4VHLag  HMI Prisons (@HMIPrisonsnews) June 12, 2018

Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke said: Technology was being used to support efforts to manage violence and drug use at the prison; for example, through the body scanner being piloted in reception.

Early results were encouraging, and I was told that staff welcomed the initiative, as did many prisoners who wanted to see the disruptive and dangerous trade in contraband disrupted.

Data gathered during the inspection visit in January and February showed that levels of violence had increased at Belmarsh since it was last assessed in 2015.

However, in some important respects, the increase was not as significant as in many other local prisons, Mr Clarke said.

The overall level of security at the jail had helped, and the use of illegal drugs was less of a problem than we might have expected, he added.

We will use learning from this to strengthen our drugs strategy across other prisonsMichael Spurr, HM Prison & Probation Service

The scanners, which cost approximately 100,000 to 120,000, have been trialled at Belmarsh and HMP Wandsworth under pilots launched in October last year, as ministers and prison governors work to reduce the inflow of contraband across the estate in England and Wales.

Michael Spurr, chief executive of Her Majestys Prison & Probation Service, praised Belmarshs efforts, saying: We will use learning from this to strengthen our drugs strategy across other prisons.

Belmarsh is one of only three high-security core local prisons in England and Wales.

Mr Clarke described the establishment, which held 843 men at the time of the inspection, as probably the most high-profile prison in the UK.

A shortage of frontline staff was being addressed but had resulted in a severely depleted daily regime and regular redeployment of specialist personnel to ensure that even a basic period of daily unlocking time could be given, the report found.

Mr Spurr said staffing vacancies are being filled as a result of a successful recruitment campaign.Theresa May paid a visit to the grieving Grenfell community hours after revealing that she will always regret failing to meet survivors in the days after the fire.

The Prime Minister attended a service at St Clements Church, a stones throw from the west London high-rise block, and laid a wreath with a handwritten message on Monday evening.

A moving vigil at St Clements Church this evening followed by a very welcoming iftar at Al-Manaar Mosque. #Grenfell  Theresa May (@theresa_may) June 11, 2018

She was accompanied by Fire Minister Nick Hurd, who left a bouquet of flowers.

Afterwards, Mrs May went to the nearby Al Manaar mosque, where she donned a headscarf and joined worshippers observing Ramadan as they broke their fast.

It is understood she spoke directly with survivors during the private evening visit.

The Grenfell fire was a tragedy that should never have happened - and I am determined that it will never be forgotten. https://t.co/LUXC9tnxs8  Theresa May (@theresa_may) June 11, 2018

Earlier on Monday, the PM revealed in the Evening Standard that she will always regret failing to meet survivors on her first visit to the scene of the disaster.

She said those caught up in the tragedy needed to know that people in power understood their despair and admitted it seemed as though I didnt care.Award-winning artist Larissa Watson, who has been ordered to appear in court in Genoa next month following her arrest in Portofino. A post has appeared on Facebook in which she suggests she could do with press agent and lawyer

A Northern Ireland artist arrested in Italy for allegedly attempting to steal a 150,000 luxury yacht has pleaded for help via social media.

Larissa Watson, an award-winning painter, has been ordered to appear in court in Genoa next month following her dramatic arrest in the exclusive coastal resort of Portofino last Monday.

The 50-year-old, who opened a boutique in Belfast's Commercial Court under her own fashion and lifestyle brand Goddess and Swift four years ago, was arrested after allegedly climbing aboard a Sangermani day cruiser and - having located its keys - attempted to sail it out of the port.

A suspicious harbour worker, however, spotted the acclaimed designer and climbed on board the yacht, steering it back to its mooring before alerting the port authority and the local Carabinieri paramilitary police, who placed her under arrest, it has been said.

The vessel is owned by a local boat rental company.

The whereabouts of the mother-of-four have been unknown since the story broke - with her alleged exploits prompting Italian media to dub her 'The Portofino Pirate' and compare her "double life" to a film plot.

Now a message on Facebook, apparently written by Mrs Watson, has appeared with her photograph in a post under her fashion brand's social media page.

It reads: "Could do with press agent and lawyer, as crazy person hacking my life; please PM me for location as I have no phone at present." The previous post, which appeared on April 10, appeared to suggest that Mrs Watson had possessions such as her phone, passport and credit cards stolen while in Italy.

That same day Mrs Watson appeared to have only arrived in the Italian capital, saying in another post: "Hi there. I'm in Rome!"

Other posts show images of her travels as well as pictures of the interior of her boutique.

Believed to have been in Italy since February, Mrs Watson has also been reported to Italian authorities for what is claimed to be a string of unpaid hotel and restaurant bills.

She allegedly left an unpaid hotel bill in Milan, fled a restaurant without paying in Ventimiglia on Italy's border with France, and ran off from a hotel in Reggio Calabria in the far south of the country. On at least two occasions police were called.

In another incident, the Ulster University graduate reportedly went to a beauty salon in Santa Margherita Ligure, close to Portofino, and then allegedly refused to pay her bill of 150. Police were called and she was charged with fraud.

The Ulster University graduate, who achieved a Masters in fine art in 2004, has exhibited extensively in the UK, America, Japan and Europe, with her award-winning art pieces drawing much attention.Donald Trump says Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has learned a lesson after criticising him, and it will cost Canada a lot of money.

At a news conference on Tuesday after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the US president recounted his recent exchanges with Mr Trudeau.

He said the Canadian leader must not have realised Mr Trump had televisions on Air Force One, allowing him to monitor Mr Trudeaus news conference at the end of the G7 summit.

He learned. Thats going to cost a lot of money for the people of Canada. He learned, Mr Trump said, wagging his finger. You cant do that. You cant do that.

The president said he was annoyed by Mr Trudeaus comments about not letting Canada get pushed around.

I see (on) the television that hes giving a news conference about how he will not be pushed around by the United States. And I say, push him around? We just shook hands. It was very friendly, Mr Trump said.

The president said he had a good relationship with Justin. I really did.

But he called Mr Trudeau dishonest and weak in tweets following the summit on Saturday.

Trump advisers also took up the attack in appearances on Sundays news shows, levelling more withering and unprecedented criticism against Mr Trudeau, branding him a backstabber unworthy of Mr Trumps time.

Theres a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door, trade adviser Peter Navarro said.

Asked about Mr Trumps remarks in the Canadian parliament on Tuesday, Mr Trudeau said he supports his efforts on North Korea and looks forward to the details of the agreement.

On his comments, Im going to stay focused on defending jobs for Canadians and supporting Canadian industries, Mr Trudeau said before walking away from reporters.

Mr Trump also commented at the news conference on the viral photo taken of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and others standing before him.

Expand Close Angela Merkel speaks with Donald Trump at the G7 meeting (Jesco Denzel/German Federal Government/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Mr Trump said it was snapped as they waited for changes he had requested to the communique he ended up pulling out of.

He said it didnt look friendly but it was very friendly.Currently, and for more than a year, we have had no functioning government and no-one expects devolution to be restored any time soon

The drop in inward investment by more than 50% last year is, to put it mildly, a very worrying statistic. Yet it is hardly surprising, given that some of the most fundamental requirements of companies seeking to set up anywhere are absent in Northern Ireland.

Currently, and for more than a year, we have had no functioning government and no-one expects devolution to be restored any time soon.

There is confusion over who can make any decisions normally taken by ministers and a distinct lack of input from Westminster.

Also, no one is certain how Brexit negotiations will pan out and how the final divorce will affect Northern Ireland. Further, it is a province deeply divided on social issues such as gay marriage, abortion reform and cultural touchstones.

The Executive, when it was in power, missed the boat by failing to introduce a lower rate of corporation tax, widely regarded as one of the most important economic levers.

No matter how attractive the incentives given by Invest NI, this is not an encouraging background for hard-headed business leaders to set up firms here in a very competitive global marketplace.

Some analysts try to explain away this plummeting investment scene by pointing out how well Northern Ireland has done in the past. But those successes came at a time when the devolved government was working and when ministers were going on trade missions around the world.

Some people might argue that with unemployment at an all-time low, attracting new investment does not matter to the same degree as it once did.

But that is to ignore the need to grow the economy and to create a culture of more skilled jobs and better rewards for workers.

Northern Ireland's economy is too heavily dependent on the public sector, even with the recent cull of civil servants, and many of the jobs that have been attracted here in recent times are in service industries, usually back office employment.

Northern Ireland, if it was functioning as it should, has many attributes required by inward investors, particularly the quality of the workforce, the infrastructure and the access to markets - although that will change after Brexit.

What the EY Attractiveness Survey demonstrates is that Northern Ireland is the ugly duckling of the UK which has suddenly lost its buoyancy.

The political drift cannot be allowed to continue.I'm delighted to be back in Northern Ireland today, catching up with old friends and finding out at first-hand about the latest developments in health and social care.

It is always an inspiration to see for myself the commitment and expertise of staff - and the widespread determination to make things better.

There is no doubt that the system is struggling, as demand for services keeps rising and budgets are squeezed.

However, there are grounds for confidence too, not least because we know what needs to be done to ensure a stable and successful future.

That's the main theme of my visit today - helping to celebrate the 70th birthday of the NHS and focusing on what is required and being done to help it endure and prosper.

The central problems being faced at present should not come as a surprise. We warned in our October 2016 report about the "burning platform" - that the current outdated system will increasingly be unable to cope as pressures and challenges intensify. Inevitably, demand will continue to increase sharply as people live longer lives.

At present, too many services are based around buildings rather than being centred on what people and communities need.

Much more care needs to be delivered in primary care settings, close to or in people's homes. That's the essence of transformation. I keep in close contact with Northern Ireland and I know there are some less than positive voices on the prospects for serious health reform.

I realise too that this viewpoint is connected to the political situation and the collapse of the devolved institutions not long after our report was published.

But I want to say that you don't have to give in to pessimism.

Always remember that the situation facing health and social care in Northern Ireland is far from unique. Citizens and policy makers across much of the developed world are grappling with the exact same fundamental issues.

Significantly longer life expectancy - the demographic revolution - is changing the face of society, often in very positive ways. It means health and social services have to change and that applies across different funding models.

In my own country, I sometimes worry that we are in collective denial about the enormous challenges in front of our eyes.

Working in the medium to long term is not always our strength in Spain. We are champions of short-term reaction. In the case of the demographic challenge and sustainability, the short term will not work for the health system. Like Northern Ireland, we in Spain have had severe winter pressures in our hospitals, not least due to flu.

If we don't transform, every month will eventually start to look like January and February.

That will not be because of the flu, but because of chronic diseases that affect older people all year round. Within a relatively short time, the health system will enter into crisis due to this natural demand.

The same applies to Northern Ireland and many other countries.

We can't keep relying indefinitely on hard-pressed staff to keep shoring things up.

They need to see that there is a willingness and determination to change, that there is hope for the future.

Here's the good news. That willingness and determination exists in abundance in Northern Ireland.

Of course there will be frustration and setbacks along the way.

Politics and policy-making do not tend to follow a smooth path anywhere in the world.

Transformation is a long-term process. That's why your last Health Minister Michelle O'Neill set out a 10-year vision in her "Delivering Together" report in October 2016.

There is still a strong consensus for change, a deepening understanding that you can't continue with the status quo.

I was very heartened back in October 2016 at the cross-party support for transformation and the widespread awareness of why it was needed.

Of course, that collective understanding does not guarantee success. But it provides a strong basis for moving forward.

Northern Ireland can still blaze a trail for others to follow.

So by all means celebrate the health service's 70th birthday with pride. But keep working to make sure it reaches 80 years in fine shape.

Professor Rafael Bengoa is a health reform specialist and the author of the Bengoa ReportThe unknown person who illicitly recorded and then leaked Boris Johnson's blazing speech about Brexit at a strictly private gathering has done the nation a great service. Some have even suggested that - perish the thought - Johnson might himself actually have been behind the leakage.

Johnson - daringly - implied President Trump would make a better job than Theresa May and, again by implication, rounded on Chancellor Philip Hammond, whose Treasury he described as being "basically the heart of Remain".

He also demonstrated there was turmoil in the Cabinet ("I am not going to hide it from you - there is an argument going on").

In short, you are left with the impression that Foreign Secretary Boris believes the Government is making a mess of the negotiations.

Now, there appear to be signs of panic in the Tory ranks. In an unlikely partnership, Remainer and former Home Secretary Amber Rudd has joined forces with Brexiteer Iain Duncan Smith in appealing to would-be Tory rebels to support the Prime Minister in the forthcoming Brexit votes in the Commons. There are fears Government defeats could pave the way to the downfall of Mrs May and the possible collapse of the Government, with the prospect of Jeremy Corbyn entering Number 10.

A deeply gloomy outlook for the Conservatives.

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party can scarcely have been more bizarre and preposterous than the G7 summit which has just ended in Canada.

All that appeared to have been achieved was bad feeling among the participants and marvellous stories for the journalists. It certainly did not seem to have achieved much in "running the world", an expression used by President Trump.

He inferred that the whole affair was pointless without the presence of Russia, which had been expelled from the group over the annexation of Crimea. But no one agreed with him - although it would seem that the absence of Russia must have reduced the validity of the meeting.

Indeed, Trump pretty well dominated the whole affair, before leaving early for Singapore and his own summit with the North Korean leader. Throughout, he had virtually ignored Theresa May. The trouble is, full-time politicians do not know how to handle someone who has no political experience, speaks his mind bluntly and who does not give a fig for the niceties of political etiquette. Some of the time was spent by members complaining about the US imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminium.

Trump accused the EU of using the USA as a piggy bank and robbing from it. And he warned EU states against trying to retaliate.

And when host Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada, described the US tariffs as "insulting", Trump immediately denounced Trudeau as "dishonest and weak".

But Trump had not finished there. Within minutes of the publication of the agreed end-of-summit communique, he withdrew the USA's endorsement of it.

Not exactly an occasion of sweetness and light. Indeed, some participants will be returning home metaphorically battered and covered in bruises.

What better place for a quiet snooze than the House of Lords, with its warm atmosphere, (reasonably) comfortable red benches and the droning of long-winded speechmakers?

And, indeed, quite a few of their lordships have been spotted on television screens happily slumbering during debates.

But all this - plus loud conversations between sedentary peers during speeches - has angered Tory chief whip, Lord Taylor, who has now issued his noble charges with a document inviting them to be better behaved.

Now, Lord Taylor's counterparts in the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties are likely to follow his example and formally rebuke their own members for grossly bad manners.

It's not so much Lords a'leaping as Lords a'sleeping.

Whoever thought the Upper house would be a haven for such selfish misconduct?

Mary Wilson, widow of former Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, has died aged 102.

She hated life at Number 10 and once revealed she wore laddered stockings beneath her long skirts at many Downing Street events to express her very private contempt for what she regarded as the ludicrous pomp and flummery of these occasions.Youre out for a brisk walk. Its sunny and warm and youre gasping for water or a soft drink. But youve left your wallet or purse at home. No matter. Just visit a shop and use your fitness tracker to pay for your refreshment.

Its not an imagined future. Its reality right now. Banks are enabling customers to access their money through an increasing range of digital devices and Danske Bank is at the forefront of that revolution locally. It was the first lender in the UK to allow purchases through Garmin Pay. It also offers payments via Fitbits, Apple Watches, Samsung wearables and of course with smartphones too.

This digitalisation of financial services is not just driven by banks. Customers, used to the slick operations of tech giants and social media providers, are demanding the same seamless digital service from all of their digital solutions.

Danske Banks Chief Digital Officer, Sren Rode Andreasen, has a big ambition. He isnt just aiming to be ahead of his market rivals: I see us becoming the most forward-thinking business in Northern Ireland when it comes to digital.

The Danish born executive, who now lives in Belfast, recognises that many customers will still want the option to do their banking in a branch. While the lender remains committed to continuing its traditional service, Mr. Andreasen points out, having endured our winter weather, that a visit to the bank here often necessitates an uncomfortable excursion out into the wind and rain. For the sake of comfort and simply convenience, many nowadays prefer to do their banking from the desk or sofa. The solution he says is to offer the perfect balance between face-to-face transactions and a digital self-service offering.

Danskes engagement with its customers, whether through the medium of clicks or mortar, heavily depends on an infrastructure provided by BT Business in Northern Ireland. BT handles all of the banks voice and mobile communication as well as data connectivity between the banks branches and ATMs. This is all wrapped up in a single managed service from BT, which keeps things simple for the bank. The relationship is hugely significant for both businesses. Sren Rode Andreasen says its super important to have a trusted partner like BT in the digital transformation of Danske Bank.

Part of that transformation has involved Danske equipping frontline and head office staff with iPhone 8s. Its the sort of investment normally reserved for executives, but the company believes that it is an effective way to spread a digital mindset throughout the business.

Human Resources Director, Caroline van der Feltz, says that the reaction from employees to the iPhones has been hugely positive. Once again, BT has worked in partnership with the bank to structure the contract in such a way that encourages staff to use the phones, to immerse themselves in the digital world without impediments.

Customers of the bank will be familiar with the banks highly regarded mobile and tablet apps, but inside the organisation the new Danske Life app helps employees to connect and collaborate with each other. Digital technology also creates new possibilities. Caroline said: Being able to work at a time and place that is convenient to you is very empowering  digital technology helps facilitate this. On a practical level, this flexibility helps the bank retain staff and attract new talent from other organisations and universities.

It turns out the banks reputation in the digital space very much enhances the companys appeal for prospective recruits.

In all of this, the partnership between the bank and BT Business in Northern Ireland generates reassurance for everyone. Caroline reflected: Here in Northern Ireland there is undoubtedly a lot of trust in the Danske brand and theres a lot of trust in the BT brand." Its clearly a relationship where both sides are winners.

For further news and insights, join our BT Business & Public Sector Network in Northern Ireland LinkedIn group.Malaysians who were stranded in Pyongyang, North Korea, walk with Foreign Minister Anifah Aman (center right), after arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, March 31, 2017.

Malaysia will reopen its Pyongyang embassy, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said in signaling a potential warming in bilateral relations that were strained after last years assassination of the North Korean leaders estranged half-brother at a Kuala Lumpur airport.

Mahathir, who heads Malaysias newly elected government, revealed the move during a three-day visit to Tokyo where he called for pursuing good relations with North Koreas young leader.

Yes, we will reopen the embassy, Mahathir told the Nikkei Asian Review in an interview Monday, responding to a question about whether he would consider reopening Malaysia's embassy in North Korea.

The missions Malaysian staff was repatriated amid a diplomatic row that erupted in the weeks following the February 2017 killing of Kim Jong Nam, the half-sibling of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.



Two women, Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, are standing trial in a Malaysian court on charges that they murdered Kim Jong Nam in a chemical weapon attack by smearing his face with the deadly VX nerve agent. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty, saying they were tricked into believing that they were participating in a TV prank show.

The incident sparked the row between the two nations which had enjoyed bilateral ties since 1973. Malaysia recalled its ambassador, banned its citizens from traveling to North Korea and canceled visa-free entry for North Koreans.



In response, North Korea retaliated with a travel ban on all Malaysians in Pyongyang, trapping three diplomats and six family members, who were able to fly out only after Malaysia agreed to hand over Kim Jong Nams remains and send home three North Koreans wanted for questioning.

At the height of last years diplomatic crisis, the government of then-Prime Minister Najib Razak, along with South Korea and the United States, accused North Korea of being behind Kims killing.

New North Korean attitude



But on Tuesday, Mahathir told a Tokyo conference on the Future of Asia, organized by Nikkei, that his administration was more interested in a new attitude displayed by Kim Jong Un during the North Korean leaders summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore, according to reports.

We used to think North Korea was a very belligerent country that doesnt care for the rest of the world, that they want to use nuclear weapons, Mahathir said. But today he is making effort to establish better relations even with the United States.

Tuesdays historic meeting between the U.S. and North Korean leaders culminated in a joint statement that opened the door to the prospect of ending decades of hostility between Washington and Pyongyang.



Mahathir, who will turn 93 on July 10 and who previously served as prime minister from 1981 until 2003, said the public should not be skeptical about the latest developments involving North Korea.

We should take North Korea at face value and get it to participate in international negotiations to moderate the rigid attitude it had before, he said. We should take it as genuine, and try to establish good relations including a trade relationship with North Korea.

During a joint news conference in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Mahathir said that when North Korea makes a step forward to the right direction, a bright future may lay ahead.



Abe pledged to work closely with Mahathir to cooperate in addressing North Koreas nuclear and missile development, according to Japans Kyodo news service.

I will closely cooperate with Mr. Mahathir to send out a powerful message to North Korea, Abe told a joint news conference.

Time to rebuild relations

Back in Malaysia, Ahn Sang Wuk, a professor at University Malaya, echoed Mahathirs sentiment about pursuing a warming in bilateral relations.

Malaysias action back then to recall its ambassador was justified for that time to show they are angry at North Korea, he told BenarNews. But now is the time to rebuild relations.Malaysia is preparing this week for the end of Ramadan, the holiest month of the year for Muslims.

The Muslim-majority nation of more than 32 million people began observing Ramadan fasting on May 17. During Ramadan, millions of Muslims around the world are required to refrain from food or drink from dawn to dusk for 30 days. Fasting is intended to bring the faithful closer to God.

Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan with a three-day holiday known as Eid al-Fitr. Malaysia marks Eid with popular traditions, such as the serving bubur lambuk, a creamy rice porridge cooked with assorted spices, coconut milk and pieces of meat.

The most popular and much sought-after version is distributed at the Kampung Baru Mosque and at the Indian Mosque in Kuala Lumpur. After the end of prayer at mosques, a small supper called moreh is served and participants sit close to each other and share the meal.



Conventional wisdom tells us that family life in America is changing, but it is thanks to the research and scholarly contributions of Bowling Green State University sociologist Dr. Susan Brown that we now have specific insight into how.

In recognition of her achievements, the Population Association of America (PAA) gave Brown the 2018 Clifford C. Clogg Award for Mid-Career Achievement. Presented this year at the associations meeting in Denver, the biennial award recognizes early career, outstanding and innovative scholarly achievements in population studies and demography. The award is sponsored by PAA in association with the Population Research Institute of the Pennsylvania State University, and commemorates the memory and creative contributions of Clifford Clogg to the field of quantitative methods and labor force demography.

Brown, chair of the Bowling Green State University Department of Sociology and Professor of Research Excellence, has worked with colleagues at BGSU and other institutions to provide a new look into family dynamics, especially how they are changing for older adults. She is the co-founder, with Distinguished Research Professor Wendy Manning, of the National Center for Family and Marriage Research at BGSU.

The mission of NCFMR is to support research on key questions about the effects of family structure and processes on the health and well-being of children, adults, families and communities and build research capacity with improved data and methods. The center brings together multidisciplinary networks of scholars and has directed top tier visibility to BGSU.

Her research into the later stages of family life in particular have led to awareness of such trends as gray divorce, co-habitation and repartnering among older adults, and have captured the attention not only of other scholars but also the national media, as we seek to understand the true nature of what is happening, beyond health concerns, grandparenting and retirement.

For example, Browns work with BGSU colleague Dr. I-Fen Lin has shown that, while co-habiting among younger adults is seen as somewhat provisional, older adults who live together have high levels of relationship stability. Another trend they have identified among older adults is living apart together, or being in committed, intimate relationships but living separately. Also, although the divorce rate among younger couples is on the decline, it is rising for older couples.

In addition to shedding light on the older generation, Brown and her colleagues have studied early adulthood, a little-understood phase of life, as well as the lives of same-sex cohabiting couples.

The studies she has conducted are innovative and break new ground as they establish connections across the fields of sociology, family demography, and gerontology, said her nominators from BGSU and other institutions. Susans work is significant in documenting the unique meanings, quality, and character of relationships during the later stages of the life course.

Brown has published her research in the top journals, with a total of nearly 50 peer-reviewed articles. Reflecting the quality of her work and its policy implications, her research has been fully supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Aging and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Her 2017 book Families in America, proposed and published by the University of California Press, provides an insightful and state-of-the-art treatment of contemporary family life in the United States.

Brown has also been active in her service to the research community. She is recognized in the field as a leader and was elected to serve on the board of the Population Association of America and to the council of the American Sociology Association Family Section. Her excellent reputation is also reflected in her tenure on the NIH Population Science Committee Study Section. This is an honor only asked of the best in the field, said her nominators.This past Friday, June 8th, ATS Travel celebrated its twenty year anniversary in style. The beautiful gala event held at the Movenpick Hotel & Residences was graced by numerous corporate leaders, travel giants and celebrities

ATS Travel was established in 1998 by Rosemary Kaittany and has now grown to a globally recognized travel management solutions company that commands a notable share of corporate and government business.

It was a touching event that enabled ATS Travel to express gratitude to their biggest and longest serving clients and partners.

To our esteemed partners, Amadeus, KQ, Emirates, Qatar Airways, South African Airlines, Rwand Air, Etihad, Jambojet, Silverstone, Fly 540, KLM, Ethiopian Airlines, Sarova, Serena, Carnivore, Movenpick, AIG , Credit Connect, Evensis, Keyframe, Fahari Media, Eminent Media, Posh Palace Kenya, Heritage and all destination management companies that we work with, a big great thank you. And thank you again for ensuring that this event is a success. We look forward to growing our partnerships further in the future and doing more business with you all. Rosemary Kaittany (Founder, Managing Director & CEO) said during her speech at the dinner.

ATS Travel is known for its family values, experience and quality when it comes to all things travel, offering Kenyans and travelers across the world a large variety of travel related services. From visas, to flights, to reservations and transfers, nothing is beyond their realm when it comes to travel and that can be testified by the massive show of support by their clients and partners.

In a show of appreciation, guests in attendance were given a chance to win travel raffles to various destinations both domestically and abroad. By the end of the night, 40 lucky guests walked away as winners.

ATS Travel is also now unveiling 20 destinations in which they will be offering incredible packages and deals to. These destinations include: Thailand, Capetown, Egypt, Israel, Mauritius, Malaysia, Singapore, Guangzhou, Dubai, Zanzibar, Mombasa, Diani, Maasai Mara, Amboseli, Ngare Ndare, Nanyuki, Naivasha, Turkana, Athi River and Embu.

Dr. Julius Kipngetich, the Chief Guest at the event stated that, Close to 1.2 billion people across the world travel to different countries today and companies like ATS Travel make that possible. In 2020 it is estimated that close to 1.5 billion people will be doing the same.

The event was also graced by Nairobi Women Representative Esther Passaris, who shared some kind words about how inspired and moved she was by Rosemary Kaittany and the success of ATS Travel. She reiterated the fact that good employees really come a long way in ensuring a company succeeds.

Also in attendance was KCB Chairman Mr. Ngeny Biwott. KCB have been long standing clients of ATS Travel and are part of the numerous corporate clientele ATS Travel continues to cater to in an ever changing world and economy, where travelling for business is more and more necessary.The Significance of Shiva's Trident Faith Mysticism oi-Renu

All the Hindu gods possess sacred objects which symbolize the divine powers or are weapons which they use to protect their devotees with. Many a time, various stories are associated with these sacred objects.

For example, the Sudarshan Chakra that Lord Vishnu holds signifies the eternal universe and the cycle of time. The same Sudarshan Chakra is used by Lord Vishnu as a weapon too.

Similarly, a trident and a Damru are the two most popular objects that Lord Shiva is depicted with. While in meditation, these are placed by his side, and while dancing, he is seen holding these in his hands. Today, we will discus about the significance of the trident. Read on to know.

Mentioned In The Vishnu Purana

The mention of the holy trident is also found in the Vishnu Purana. It says that Surya Dev, the Sun God, married Sanjana. Sanjana was the daughter of Vishwakarma. Vishwakarma, who is also known as another form of Lord Brahma, is believed to be the architect of the world.

He is the lord of the tools used for construction, measurement or other instruments used for similar purposes. He is largely worshipped by the engineer class. So, when his daughter got married to Surya Dev, she did not like the unbearable heat of Surya Dev. Hence, she came back to complain about the matter to her father.

As a remedy, Lord Vishwakarma, invited Surya Dev to discuss the issue. Lord Vishwakarma and Surya Dev held a talk, the outcome of which was that Surya Dev agreed to shed of one-eighth part of his heat. This one-eighth part fell to the earth, which Surya Dev later used to make the trident. The same trident was given to Lord Shiva later.

Lord Shiva, who is believed to be a divine sage, is also known as the destroyer. The trident that he carries symbolises the way he blesses his devotees.

The Holy Trinity

The three points of the trident have various meanings. Sometimes, these refer to the holy Trinity, that is Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva. Due to this association, it is also believed that they symbolize the three forces of creation, maintenance and destruction.

When Shiva uses the trident to attack a demon, it signifies an attack from all the three of the Trinity. It is also believed that by using it, he liberates the being from the cycle of birth and death. There is a popular belief derived from the scriptures that those killed by God are the fortunate beings.

All the demons, though are cursed souls, are liberated from this world by the almighty himself, which is considered good. When Shiva attacks with the trident, he liberates them to salvation.

It Symbolizes Time

These three points of the trident also are believed to symbolize the time in its past, present and future form. This way, it is associated with Kaal, which means time. All the three forms of time, assimilate into the trident of Shiva.

All the karmas done by man in the past, and those that he is doing now or will be doing in the future are all taken into account and paid back using the trident by Shiva. He compiles all, and delivers his blessings. He brings an end to the past, present and future, when he attacks with the trident.

Associated With The Three Gunas

Yet another way the three points of the trident are seen is by associating these with the three gunas that the atmosphere consists of. Known as Satva, Rajas and Tamas, these gunas are the energies which are present in the atmosphere and are responsible for the various qualities that we possess, and therefore, these affect the people accordingly.

These energies are responsible for our moods and emotions. These are believed to be present in the human body in various proportions. Shiva's trident brings an end to the cycle of these energies, and destroys the element of ignorance, which lets the energies affect the moods of the beings.

The trident is seen as the place where all three energies become one, and ignorance is destroyed, giving origin to awakening. This awakening, which enables self-control, is believed to be the real knowledge.

Symbolizes The Three Worlds As Well

Since the Trident is also the weapon of Shiva, it also means that Shiva destroys the three worlds, Aakash (the sky), Patal (the netherworld) and Prithvi (the Earth), all in one stroke of bliss. When associated with the human body, trident also signifies the three channels of energy. These channels meet at the forehead between the eyebrows. The stroke of bliss thus enables awareness.

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This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, express or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and noninfringement.Two police officers linked to the murder of Janet Waiyaki at Nairobis City Park were Monday charged at the High Court in Nairobi.

Administration Police Constable William Chirchir from Makadara Police Station and AP Godfrey Kirui from Industrial Area Police Station denied murdering Janet Waiyaki in May.

The two officers pleaded with Justice James Wakiaga to release them on bail, arguing that the constitution grants them the right unless there are compelling reasons to deny them bond.

Their lawyer, Ham Lagat, said that they were still serving the force and would abide by all conditions given by the court. He said the suspects were residing in police quarters and had been going to Gigiri police station whenever they were required.

The prosecution, through the assistant director of public prosecutions, however, opposed their release on bail saying that a survivor of the shooting was discharged from hospital on Thursday and the investigating officer was yet to take some statements.

She argued that detectives need at least seven days to file an affidavit.

The Judge granted the prosecution five days to file the statement and for the suspects lawyer to reply, ahead of the hearing on the bail application scheduled for June 19.

The judge also rejected a plea by Lagat for the two to be held at the Gigiri Police Station.

He said the two accused persons had already pleaded to the charge and should be remanded at the Nairobi Remand Prison.

The trial will start on November 20 and will be heard for three days.

The two were with three other officers on the morning of May 21 when they shot at a car that had reportedly stayed in a thicket for long.

They were the only ones that fired, discharging 15 bullets between them from their AK47 rifles and killing Waiyaki on the spot and injuring Bernard Chege.A city carpenter who was contracted to design a presidential chair used by former president Daniel arap Moi has not been paid almost three decades later.

Solomon Njoroge Kiore, director of Furncon Ltd, sued the government through the Attorney-General 26 years ago for failing to pay for two presidential seats he designed and delivered according to the terms of a tender he had won.

According to Njoroge, the protracted legal battle saw his business crumble since he cannot use the premises where he keeps the instruments of power.

It is an instrument of power. It was used by the President for a year. It is treasured and, therefore, no one is supposed to touch it. My business has suffered immensely because of this seat since I cannot allow ordinary wananchi to tamper with an instrument of power, says Njoroge as quoted by Nation.

The carpenter has since labeled what used to be his workshop The Presidential Seat Warehouse, where the seat is kept under lock and key in the warehouse.

In 2007, Njoroge filed a case seeking Sh195 million but the amount could rise substantially after factoring in others fees such as storage, and compensation(both for lost business and delayed payment).

In court documents, Njoroge says it won the tender floated by the Department of Defence (DoD) and later got the approval of State House.

He says the seat was made under strict supervision of the military and State House staff.

In order for the seat to join other insignias of the Republic of Kenya, approval was given by the tender board and later assented to by then President Daniel Moi.

The firm was asked to make similar furniture for presidential lounges at the Eldoret Moi Airbase and Kahawa Garrison, claims Njoroge.

Njoroge said he was called to the DoD and advised to go to State House for payment, but, he was sent back to DoD and told that it was the department that had made payments for such items in the past.

In February 2018, the government applied to settle the matter out of court but Njoroge claims he has not heard from the State since then.

He is, however, optimistic that the seat will find its way to the recently created State House Library and Museum.A househelp linked to the gruesome murder of a woman and her baby in Muhoroni, Kisumu County has been arrested in Uganda.

Jacky Auma was reportedly arrested Sunday at Namayisi in Uganda after Kenyan police officers in Port Victoria, Busia County shared information about the suspect with their Ugandan counterparts.

A senior police officer at Busia police station who sought anonymity until the suspect is handed over to Kenyan authorities said Ugandan police were processing documents of the suspect before she is extradited to the country to face murder charges.

County police commander John Kamau said Monday that they are liaising with their counterparts to ensure Auma is brought to justice.

The suspect, a Ugandan national, was on the run after allegedly stabbing to death Elizabeth Achieng, 26, and strangling her three-month-old son.

Auma is suspected to have strangled the infant to death before she wrestled her employer, strangled her, stabbed her multiple times and partially burnt her using an electric iron.

Achiengs body had several stab wounds on the chest and burns on the left side.

The deceaseds husband, Evans Otieno, said an iron was found beside his wifes body.

Achieng worked as a community health officer at Kadenge Health Centre in Muhoroni.Miguna Migunas nomination for the Nairobi Deputy Governor job is set for debate regardless of whether the lawyer is in the country or not.

The controversial nomination by Governor Mike Sonko is set to be tabled before the County assembly this week, according to speaker Beatrice Elachi.

Speaking during a television interview on Monday morning, Elachi said the nomination will go through due process even though Miguna has since rejected it.

We will table the motion before the assembly this week, I dont want to talk much about it as it is a matter to be discussed before all members of the County Assembly, said Alachi.

Once it is tabled this week then from there it will move according to the Standing Orders.

Sonko nominated Miguna on May 18 for vetting and approval by the county assembly.

The County boss said that Miguna meets all requirements provided for in the Constitution, the Leadership, and Integrity Act, the County Government Act, and the Elections Act to deputize him.

Miguna, however, dismissed it saying it was a malicious distraction.By Padraig Hoare

Money messaging startup Plynk is to appoint a liquidator  just a year after it received 25m in one of the largest ever Series A investments in an Irish firm.

The company said it is to hold a creditors meeting in Dublin on June 27, and will ask for Jim Stafford of Friel Stafford to be appointed as liquidator.

It is a dramatic fall for the firm, which received 25m in its Series A raise from European investment trust fund Suisse Privee in May last year.

Series A is the name typically given to a companys first significant round of venture capital financing.

Plynk announced 40 new jobs based in its Dublin headquarters last June  adding that it planned to hire across numerous departments over the next year.

Founded in 2015, the firm was Europes first money messaging app offering instant person-to-person payments.

Plynk was co-founded by Charles Dowd and Clive Foley to remove the complexities of money transfers amongst family and friends.

Linked to users social networks, Plynk users send money as a message to a single contact or in group chats instantly and with no fees  likened to a WhatsApp with money transferring involved.

Mr Dowd, who said he wanted Plynk to become a verb like Google or Facebook, has worked for some of the worlds largest and most impactful technology firms, including IBM, Microsoft, and Facebook, holding senior management roles in the US and Ireland over the past 25 years.

He left Facebook in 2015 to establish and develop Plynk with Mr Foley, who previously worked at Wonga and Ezetop.

Following its Series A success, KPMG referenced Plynks historic milestone in its Pulse of Fintech 2017 report.

Since the 25m in funding was announced, it emerged that the sum was dependent on the company reaching certain user numbers, which it failed to do.

The firm is not believed to have accepted any new customers since December.

Staff have left in numbers this year.

Despite the difficulties in December, the firm said that month that growing the brand in Europe was the next phase of the business, with Portugal following Ireland in its rollout.

Mr Dowd told the Irish Examiner at the time that he was confident in the firms business model.

The business plan you commit to with your investors should be meaningful and achievable. They want the business to be successful and are not here to say you must grow to five million people or anything like that, he said.Contingency plans for Brexit will be discussed by the Cabinet this morning.

Ministers will update their colleagues on how each department is preparing for the fallout, with Tanaiste Simon Coveney giving an overall picture on negotiations.By Louise Roseingrave

An old age pensioner died of a lethal combination of drugs and alcohol after attending a senior citizens Christmas party.

Marcella OReilly (74) went with friends to the Christmas party and was laughing and in great form on her return home. The woman, who lived alone at Decies Road in Ballyfermot, Dublin 10 was taking multiple prescribed drugs as part of her everyday medication.

The womans neighbour told an inquest into her death that she saw Ms OReilly returning home around 4.30pm on December 8 2016.

Roisin Furlong, who lives next door, said she saw Ms OReilly and another lady trying to enter the house. They had the wrong key in the door, she said.

We put her into bed and she was laughing and joking about having had a few drinks. She thanked us for looking after her so well, Ms Furlong told Dublin Coroners Court.

I advised her to lie on her side just to be cautious. I turned on the bathroom light for her, she said.

Home help Carmel Maher called to Ms OReilly at 7pm and found her sleeping.

She was asleep in bed and I didnt want to wake her as she had a few drinks at a Christmas party earlier that day, Ms Maher said. Later she found the elderly woman unresponsive in her bedroom and ran for help.

Paramedic Declan Duffy said he arrived at the house at 10.16pm. He said the woman was in a collapsed state with no heart rate and was not breathing. She was pronounced dead at 12.03am.

A post-mortem found the woman had a lethal combination of five prescribed drugs in her system along with a blood alcohol level of 180 milligrams per cent.

The drugs included the anti-anxiety drug xanax, the muscle relaxant benzodiazepine, the painkiller lyrica, the anti-depressant mirtazepine and a drug used for mood conditions called quetiapine. All medications were present at therapeutic levels. The cause of death was a toxic combination of drugs and alcohol.

Its not that you take too much of anything, its just that the type of tablets she was on, they dont mix well with alcohol, Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said.

Returning a verdict of misadventure, the coroner said the woman fell into a deep sleep.

Its poignant because she was in such good form before she went to sleep, the coroner said.Putin says Russia needs to return its leadership in space exploration, TASS

"Russia should make many steps forward to return its leading positions in space exploration, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his Q&A session on Thursday. "These technologies are developing and they are developing very actively and are being commercialized very actively and in this sense we must make many steps forward, including with regard to the quality of satellites and the quality of equipment. We must return and firmly keep our competence and leadership in launches," the Russian president said."

Russia's Rapidly Evaporating Space Program, earlier post

"Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev agreed to slash funding for Russia's space programme by 30 percent on Thursday, an effort to reign in state spending in the face of a deepening economic crisis."Update June 13 - 8am : Thomas Kelly, 61, who was missing from his home in Tuam, Co Galway has been located safe and well.

Gardai would like to thanks the public for their assistance.By Patrick Flynn

Gardai have confirmed they are satisfied there was no threat to an aircraft that diverted to Shannon Airport yesterday because of a reported bomb threat.

Handwriting experts were brought in to test passengers after a warning note was found in the toilet.

The crew of United Airlines flight 971 declared an emergency over the Atlantic and turned around before landing at Shannon. The crew spent about 20 minutes dumping aviation fuel over the sea to ensure they touched down within safe landing weight limits.

The crew reported they had a possible security issue on board and wished to land at Shannon. Its understood that a note, written on a surface in a toilet, suggested there was a a bomb on board.

There were 214 passengers and crew on board the Chicago-bound aircraft which had left Rome just three hours earlier.

The Boeing 767 jet landed safely at 1.42pm and was escorted to a remote taxiway and met by airport police and Gardai.

Passengers were requested to provide handwriting samples as part of the investigation while all passengers and crew members were interviewed by Gardai.

The flight was later cancelled. Passengers were provided with refreshments during their time in the airport before being sent to hotels for the night. They will continue to their destination this afternoon.

While the passengers and their hand luggage underwent additional security screening, any baggage in the cargo hold could not be checked until the flights actual travel time had elapsed. This is a normal procedure for such security alerts.

A Garda spokesman said: We are satisfied there was no threat to the aircraft. All the passengers and crew were interviewed and will continue their journey at 3 oclock today.

There have been a number of similar incidents at Shannon Airport in the past. The most recent was in January 2016 when Turkish Airlines flight 34 was forced to divert to Shannon following a bomb threat.

The crew became aware of the threat after a written note was discovered on board.Update 7.10pm: Dr Gabriel Scally has said that completing the report into CervicalCheck is "much more complex than we could have imagined at the beginning".

Dr Scally was due to complete his scoping inquiry this month but now says it will take until the end of the summer.

Dr Gabriel Scally

Speaking to RTE Radio 1 Drivetime, Dr Scally said that he had not expected the difficulty he has run into in obtaining the necessary information.

He denied reports that the delay was caused by his interaction with the women involved saying that they have been "absolutely fantastic".

"The problem is the volume of information that we're going to have to go through and its availability to us, because it is not yet coming either in quantity I would want it or in the way I would want it," Dr Scally explained.

"It is unacceptable to be given reports that were generated relatively recently in a modern format for us to be sent them in a photocopied format that we can't search.

"When we are dealing with thousands and thousands of files it is really important that we are able to do a decent job searching through those."

Despite difficulties, Dr Scally does not believe that he is being stonewalled.

Still having discussions with the HSE, he says that things are slow.

Let me be crystal clear whatever information Dr Scally requires, he must be provided with. I made that absolutely clear when I met him yesterday. I am grateful to him for his excellent work, his engagement with the women impacted & 6 key recommendations which I accepted in full  Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) June 12, 2018

He told Mary Wilson that he will be getting in touch with Minister Simon Harris in the next day to inform him that he is not getting the information he wants if he does not get it.

"Let me make it quite clear, I will not be letting walls get in my way, whether they are stone or otherwise. I will get to the bottom of this," Dr Scally said.

"At the heart of this are a group of women who developed cervical cancer and information was known about their slides previously, they had been looked at again and in very many cases the results of those slides were changed and they weren't told."

Dr Scally is hoping to speak to as many women and families that have been affected by the CervicalCheck scandal but says that he understands that there are those who will not wish to be involved.

He will be holding a number of meetings around the country to which all of those affected will be invited and will have the opportunity to tell their stories.

On consent forms between patient and CervicalCheck screening, Dr. Scally said that he hopes to see two new statements, one being that women will have full and open access to their screening records and two, if there is a problem that it will be disclosed in a timely, considerate and accurate manner

I think the consent form has to be more of a contract between the screening service and the women so that they both know what to expect. The women have a right to expect access to their records and to be told when something is wrong.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has defended the delay in the final report of the scoping inquiry.

"It isn't as straight forward as going to the medical records of a hospital and requesting a patient chart, medical records are about a lot more than that," said Mr Varadkar.

"They can be in a number of different places, they can be in paper format and electronic format and it doesn't just include the patient's charts in electronic records, it also includes things like x-rays, things like slides, things that may be in laboratories elsewhere."

Mr Damien McCallion, HSE National Director, National Screening Service welcomed the publication of the Progress Report by Dr Gabriel Scally today.

"The HSE is committed to learning from the failings identified in this audit and to rebuilding trust and confidence in the cervical screening programme," said Mr McCallion.

"The review team has recommended some immediate practical improvements that can be made to our cervical screening communications and health education materials.

"We are working on a project to comprehensively review the information and materials used as part of the CervicalCheck programme.

"This process will now be specifically informed by the recommendations as outlined today by Dr Scally in his progress report, and we will ensure that these recommendations are followed up swiftly within the cervical screening programme."

The HSE has said that it will continue to co-operate fully with the Scoping Inquiry, the International Expert Panel Review and any subsequent inquiries.

You can listen to Dr Scally's full interview below:

Earlier: Head of CervicalCheck inquiry critical of delay in receiving information

The head of the investigation into CervicalCheck has criticised state agencies for not getting information to him fast enough.

Dr Gabriel Scally was due to complete his scoping inquiry this month but now says it will take until the end of the summer.

Dr Scally gave a progress report to the government this morning.

He says a large portion of the 4,000 documents he has been given only arrived from the HSE, Department of Health and others in recent days and many are in formats that cannot be searched digitally.

People Before Profit TD Brid Smith says the delay is not acceptable.

Minister says delays with Scally report, HSE delays releasing women's medical reports; Govt delays releasing the stats on performance of the privatised labs this scandal starts and ends with outsourcing, no delay will hide this fact .#standing4women #CervicalCancer @Dyaneconnor  Brid Smith TD (@bridsmithTD) June 12, 2018

The Taoiseach acknowledged there has been a delay in getting documents.

But Health Minister Simon Harris defended the progress made.

Earlier: CervicalCheck inquiry to miss deadline

An inquiry into the CervicalCheck scandal is set to miss its end of June deadline.

Dr Gabriel Scally, who was appointed to lead the preliminary inquiry, was due to recommend if a commission of investigation is necessary by the end of the month.

According to the Irish Times, Dr Scally has still not spoken to the majority of people involved and is now looking at how he can get in contact with all of the 209 people affected.

Department of Health officials met yesterday with the chairman of the scoping investigation, whose progress report will be considered at Cabinet today.By Gerard Cunningham

A senior Independent Newspapers editor has told the Charleton tribunal she advised against the publication of a draft article with the woman who alleged that her complaint against garda whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe was not properly investigated.

Dearbhail McDonald, the Group Business Editor with Independent News & Media, told the tribunal she was asked to review and "stress test" a story by journalist Paul Williams in March 2014 by editor Stephen Rea.

The article was based on an interview with the woman, identified only as Miss D, who made sexual offence allegations against Sgt McCabe in 2006. The DPP ultimately directed no prosecution after a garda investigation into the allegations, saying no evidence of a crime was disclosed.

Ms McDonald testified that she advised against publication of the story. She said the article published in April 2014, which did not name Sgt McCabe or Miss D, contained material differences from the draft she had seen.

Ms McDonald said she was asked to look at whether the article was fit for publication "in terms of being legally and factually robust.

Ms McDonald said her background as legal editor meant she would have knowledge of legal and defamation issues and was often asked to give an opinion, although she was not a lawyer.

Ms McDonald said that she made her own inquiries about the story, and wrote a memo over which she was claiming professional privilege

The tribunal is looking at allegations by former garda press officer Supt David Taylor that he was directed while in that role to smear Sgt McCabe. Former commissioners Martin Callinan and Noirin O'Sullivan deny there was any smear campaign.

Ms McDonald said that at the time of the article, she was working on coverage of the Anglo trial.

"I wasn't negatively briefed by anyone in An Garda Siochana, and that includes Supt Taylor," Ms McDonald said.

Ms McDonald said she had no knowledge of a "poison pen" anonymous letter sent to the Irish Independent until the tribunal showed it to her.

She said that she saw a video tape of Mr Williams' interview with Miss D along with group editor Stephen Rae and group head of content Ian Mallon.

Mr Mallon told the tribunal he did not recall seeing the video, or a meeting where Ms McDonald was asked to review the story, but he attended a lot of meetings during his time at INM.

Mr Mallon said that nearly every journalist in INM was aware of the allegation from Miss D and Sgt McCabe after the story was published.

Tribunal barrister Kathleen Leader BL put it to Mr Mallon that if the Irish Independent had published a story about a garda whistleblower accused of abuse it could have changed the narrative in relation to Sgt McCabe.

"If what was being alleged to be correct was established to be correct, absolutely," Mr Mallon said.

Mr Mallon said he had no recollection of ever speaking with former Sunday Independent editor Ann Harris about Sgt McCabe, and did not recall anyone using the phrase "kiddie fiddler".

Irish Examiner journalist Daniel McConnell said he was unable to reveal any sources.

Daniel McConnell

Former garda press officer Supt David Taylor has said he briefed Mr McConnell against Sgt McCabe around the time of the PAC penalty points hearings in January 2014.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that happened for reasons of journalistic privilege," Mr McConnell told the tribunal.

"I'm compelled by an obligation I have to protect my own sources, and also to the principle of the gathering of information."

Mr McConnell, who worked with INM in 2014, said he was not aware of Mr Williams' article until it appeared in the newspaper.

"I was primarily based in Leinster House. The normal gossip around Talbot Towers, as it was known, I would not be aware of it," Mr McConnell said.

Mr McConnell said around the time of Sgt McCabe's appearance before the Public Accounts Committee there were "vague rumblings" criticising Sgt McCabe, but "nothing I could ever really put my finger on".

"The question was being asked politically, was he a credible witness before the PAC," Mr McConnell said.

Mr McConnell said that he had never met Mr Callinan, and only met Ms O'Sullivan "on a small number of occasions, walking in and out of Oireachtas committees, a shake of the hands and that would be it.

Mr McConnell said he knew of Supt Taylor, and had "limited dealings with him, dating to when I was chief reporter at the Irish Independent."

Mr McConnell said after he moved to covering politics, he would have had no real reason to speak to Supt Taylor.

John Ferry BL, representing Supt Taylor, said his client's position was that he negatively briefed Mr McConnell about Sgt McCabe .Update 5pm: A journalist with the Irish Independent has told the Disclosures Tribunal she advised against the publication of a series of articles by her colleague Paul Williams.

Dearbhail McDonald was asked to stress test the articles which stemmed from an interview with Ms D who made allegations of abuse against Maurice McCabe which the DPP rejected.

Earlier, three journalists from the Irish Examiner claimed privilege, and would not say if they were negatively briefed by senior gardai about Sgt McCabe.

In March 2014, Paul Williams interviewed Ms D  who raised concerns about the garda investigation into her allegations against Maurice McCabe.

The DPP directed no prosecution and said even if what was alleged had occurred, it did not constitute abuse.

Dearbhail McDonald was asked to stress test Mr Williams story in her capacity as legal affairs editor, and she eventually advised against publishing it.

An editorial decision was made to publish the series of articles in due course, and Ms D and Maurice McCabe were anonymised.

Earlier three journalists from the Irish Examiner claimed journalistic privilege over conversations they had with senior gardai.

Daniel McConnell, Cormac OKeeffe and Juno McEnroe declined to answer questions about their dealings with former Garda Press Officer Dave Taylor and would not confirm or deny if theyd been negatively briefed by him about Maurice McCabe.

Daniel McConnell arriving at the Disclosures Tribunal today. Pic: Gareth Chaney Collins

Earlier: Tribunal chairman: 'Not conceivable' based on current evidence that reporters were negatively briefed on McCabe

By Gerard Cunningham

The chairman of the Disclosures Tribunal has said it is not conceivable based on the evidence he has heard so far that journalists were negatively briefed about whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe by senior garda officers.

"I regard it as not conceivable that there was any such communication on the state of evidence as it now exists," Mr Justice Peter Charleton said.

This morning, on day 92 of the inquiry, the tribunal heard evidence from two Irish Examiner journalists who both claimed privilege in relation to any conversations they may have had with confidential sources.

Juno McEnroe (left) and Cormac O'Keefe arriving at the Disclosures Tribunal today. Pic: Collins.

Security correspondent Cormac O'Keeffe told the tribunal that he felt obliged to claim journalistic privilege.

"My overriding obligation is not to do anything that could endanger the flow of information from sources to journalists either now or in the future," Mr O'Keeffe said.

The chairman said he felt "disturbed" that a journalist could refuse to answer questions at the tribunal about what sources said, and could write an article the following day based on what sources said.

"This is a bit like a crossword puzzle spending the whole morning trying to work out what people are saying to me," Mr Charleton said.

The tribunal is looking at allegations by Supt David Taylor that he was directed when he was garda press officer to smear Sgt McCabe in relation to a false allegation of sexual offending. Former commissioners Martin Callinan and Noirin O'Sullivan deny there was any smear campaign.

The DPP directed no prosecution after a garda investigation into allegations by Miss D in 2006, saying no evidence of a crime was disclosed.

Mr O'Keeffe said he believed he had heard "bits of gossip" about Sgt McCabe around February 2014, when he first wrote about the penalty point scandal.

"There was no reference to a child. The first reference was in relation to a sexual allegation generally," Mr O'Keeffe said.

Asked if he had heard rumours from anyone other than journalists, Mr O'Keeffe said he was unable to comment on anything that may or may not identify a source.

"My reaction initially was to be very cautious about this snatch of information that I heard," Mr O'Keeffe said.

Mr O'Keeffe said there was still an obligation on a journalist not to reveal a source, even when an alleged source had waived any privilege or confidentiality.

Mr O'Keeffe said there was also a danger that if a journalist confirmed somebody was not a source, then that narrowed down who a source could be, which could lead to identification.

John Ferry BL formally put it to Mr O'Keeffe that his client Supt David Taylor had negatively briefed Mr O'Keeffe about Sgt McCabe.

"I'm unable to say anything that may or may not identify a source," Mr O'Keeffe said.

John Fitzgerald BL, on behalf of former commissioners Mr Callinan and Ms O'Sullivan said it was unfair to his client that Mr O'Keeffe refused to answer questions.

Earlier, Irish Examiner political correspondent Juno McEnroe said he wanted to "correct the record" about a letter sent to the tribunal last year in which solicitors said he did not have any information relevant to the terms of reference.

Mr McEnroe said the letter was incorrect, and should have stated that he would be claiming privilege and could not confirm or deny he had any information of relevance to the tribunal.

"All I can say is that the letter is incorrect and sent in error. I sought advice and it was close to deadline for sending in, and I regret that it was sent," Mr McEnroe said.

In an interview with tribunal investigators in April 2018, Mr McEnroe said he had no knowledge of any involvement by former commissioners O'Sullivan or Callinan or any other senior member of An Garda Siochana in negative briefings.

Mr McEnroe said a commissioner or assistant commissioner would be senior officers, and that he would not have regarded a superintendent as a senior officer.

Ms Kathleen Leader, BL for the tribunal asked Mr McEnroe if he had any evidence of a senior member, including a superintendent, discrediting Sgt McCabe.

"In relation to Supt Taylor I cannot answer questions in relation to that for fear of disclosing information relating to a source, or sources," Mr McEnroe said.

Mr McEnroe said he had not become aware of sexual allegations against Sgt McCabe until after July 2014. The tribunal chairman said that Supt Taylor was no longer press officer after June 2014.

The chairman said that it therefore followed "as night follows day" that Supt Taylor did not brief Mr McEnroe.

Mr McEnroe said that when Sgt McCabe came to Leinster House to give evidence to the Public Accounts Committee it was unprecedented, and a "David and Goliath moment".

"I do remember around that period, and this was more gossip, prattle, that somebody raised a question mark over Sgt McCabe," Mr McEnroe said.

"I then endeavoured to look into that, and I was satisfied that he was a credible person," Mr McEnroe said.

"I just remember there were question marks raised, is he a trustworthy person," Mr McEnroe said.

Mr McEnroe said that sources were "the bread and butter" of journalism. "If we don't have those sources it's much more difficult to get stories," Mr McEnroe said.

"I believe it's the right of the journalist to maintain that privilege even above the right of the person who waived it," Mr McEnroe said.The Cabinet is to consider holding a referendum on Ireland's blasphemy laws.

The Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan is proposing to delete the reference to blasphemy in the Constitution.

It would pave the way for a vote in October on the issue, likely alongside a referendum on the constitutional reference to a woman's place in the home.

The Minister intends to introduce the referendum bill on blasphemy to the Dail before the summer recess.By David Raleigh

A Co Limerick teenager is in a critical condition in hospital after falling 39-feet from a hotel in the Spanish holiday resort of Santa Ponsa, Mallorca, in the early hours of this morning.

The seriously injured youth has been named locally as 19-year old Jack Walsh, from Askeaton.

Mr Walsh, one of a set of triplets, was in the resort only a few hours when the incident occurred, sources said.

He had travelled to Mallorca yesterday to meet with friends after he had repeated a Leaving Certificate exam paper, according to sources.

Locals said Mr Walshs family, including his parents Tony and Sandra, and his sisters Tara and Orla, have been left numbed by the tragic events.

It is understood a number of Mr Walsh's family have already travelled to Son Espases Hospital where he is receiving critical care.

Local police, the Civil Guard, are investigating the incident.

Askeaton Fianna Fail Councillor, Kevin Sheahan, who is a family friend, said the town was reeling at the news.

The thoughts of the entire community are with the family and we hope and pray that Jack will make a full recovery, he added.

Local sources said Mr Walsh flew to Spain yesterday to catch up with a group of friends after having stayed behind at home to sit a repeat maths exam.

He flew out sometime yesterday. He had to repeat a maths exam, and he left the boys go (first), and (afterwards) he hooked up with them.

Local Spanish news outlet Cronicabalear.es reported that a 19-year old Irishman was in a very serious condition in hospital at Son Espases, after falling from a height of about twelve meters in Santa Ponsa, Mallorca.

The events took place at 4:25am in the Vista Club apartments, located on Nuno Sanz Street and the causes of what happened are unknown for the moment, it reported.

Two ambulances rushed to the hotel apartment block and paramedics treated the youth at the scene.

Cronicabalear reported it was the third incident in ten days in the region.

A British national died on June 3rd last, after falling from the seventh floor of the Eden Rock apartments in Magaluf.

On June 8th a 21-year old man was found unconscious at the foot of the Hotel BH Mallorca and was transferred to Son Espassa Hospital where his condition is unknown.By Ann O'Loughlin

The Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan is to put "certain options to a mother and her two Irish-born daughters, aged eight and 13, who are fighting orders for their deportation to the mothers native Georgia, the High Court has heard.

The development came after Mr Justice Richard Humphreys indicated last Friday he considered the deportation orders are disproportionate for reasons including the woman has been here for 15 years and her children, who have never been outside Ireland, are rooted here.

The judge indicated he intended to find against the Minister in a written judgment if necessary but adjourned the matter to allow lawyers for the Minister consider what he had said.

Today Siobhan Stack SC, for the Minister, said she was instructed to seek a further adjournment of two weeks so certain options could be put to the family.

Garry OHalloran BL, for the family, consented to the adjournment in those circumstances.

The case concerns Lela Sivsivadze, who came here in 2003, and her two children, Mariam (aged 13) and Sofia (aged 8).

On Friday, Mr OHalloran urged the judge to overturn the deportation orders for reasons including arguments the childrens rights had not been properly taken into account.

The children have lived all their lives here, have never travelled outside Ireland, attend school here, speak Irish and know almost nothing of Georgia, he said.

The Minister for Justices 2017 decision to deport them arising from lies told by the mother in her asylum application 15 years ago is so disproportionate in a democratic society its off the radar, he said.

Those lies, the court heard, were to the effect she was fleeing an abusive stepfather in Georgia who did not exist. She was rather coming here to seek work.

Counsel said it is accepted there is a duty on everyone to tell truth at all times and that his client had told it late in day. However, the State response revoking the familys humanitarian leave to remain and ordering their deportation was totally disproportionate, he argued.

Her children should not be punished for those lies, which she had disclosed some years ago in other court proceedings unsuccessfully challenging the deportation of her husband, also from Georgia.

He was deported in 2011 and Ms Sivsivadze has said he has no home or employment in Georgia and she and the children had nowhere to live if they were deported.

Mr OHalloran said the case was essentially about the rights of children to have their position considered independently of the conduct of their parents. The older girl was already very distressed arising from the deportation of her father to Georgia seven years ago, he added. The familys only contact with him is via Skype.

Documents concerning the family which the court had sought from the State showed nothing to suggest humanitarian leave to remain previously granted to the family was dependent on the mother not having provided false and misleading information, he also argued. A memo indicated the leave to remain was granted as an exceptional measure.

Siobhan Stack SC, for the Minister, said Ms Sivsivadze had previously secured permission to remain here on humanitarian grounds and that permission could be revoked if false and misleading information was provided.

Ms Sivsivadzes parents are alive and still living in Georgia, her husband is also there and there was no evidence to support the claims he is homeless and unemployed, she also argued.

During exchanges with counsel, Mr Justice Humphreys said it was widely known that many people tell lies in the immigration process but that few admit to those.

"We are all against immigration fraud but very few own up to it," he said.

Ms Sivsivadze has been here 15 years and the State has come down on her like a ton of bricks because she was either honest or naive enough to have owned up to the lies, he remarked. "Where is the incentive to come clean if this happens?"

Ms Stack said the mother "created this situation for herself" and the case should be considered in the context of all the documents, not just the memo.The wife of a Polish father of two hacked to death during a frenzied machete attack in their home has told gardai his killers spoke fluent English.

Elzbieta Wilk has been able to give investigating gardai some crucial details about the savage assault in their home at Maglin, near Ballincollig, on the outskirts of Cork City early on Sunday, which killed her husband, Mikolaj, 35, and left her with serious injuries to her head, face, and hands.

Gardai said work is ongoing to establish a motive for the shocking attack.

As an autopsy conducted by assistant state pathologist Margot Bolster at Cork University Hospital (CUH) yesterday confirmed that Mr Wilk died from multiple slash injuries, his wife underwent surgery in the same hospital which it is hoped will save three near- severed fingers.

Gardai remained tightlipped last night on the progress of their investigation, but they confirmed that a firearm was recovered during a technical examination of a BMW 3 series car, which was found about an hour after the attack abandoned and burned out at Iniskenny, Ballinora, about 6km from the Wilk home.

The gun will be subjected to further detailed forensic tests, they said.

It is understood that Ms Wilk has told gardai that at least four men, all wearing balaclavas, entered their home at around 3am on Sunday and viciously attacked her husband, slashing him with machetes several times about the head and upper body. She suffered several slash injuries to her face, neck, and hands as she tried to protect him.

Their two children, a boy and a girl aged under six, were in a back room and woke to hear the attack. They were unhurt and are being cared for by experts.

A Slovakian woman in her 30s who was renting a room in the house escaped through a rear window, before the alarm was raised and the gang fled.

Detectives have conducted door-to-door enquiries and have begun trawling through CCTV footage harvested from premises in the area. They repeated their appeal for anyone who saw anything unusual or suspicious in the Maglin, Ballincollig, Ballinora, or Waterfall areas between 2am and 5am on Sunday, or in the days before, to contact Gurranabraher garda station.

A friend of Ms Wilk, Aga Deryng, who was at Ms Wilks hospital bedside yesterday, said her physical condition has improved.

But her heart will be broken forever, she said.

While members of Mr Wilks family are due to arrive in Ireland today, arrangements are being made for Ms Wilks relations to care for her two children.

More than 6,000 has been pledged to a GoFundMe account set up for the family.

This story first appeared in the Irish Examiner.By Aoife Nic Ardghail

The retrial of a Cavan child-minder accused of causing serious harm to a 10-month-old baby has opened at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Sandra Higgins (37) of The Beeches, Drumgola Wood, Cavan, has pleaded not guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to the baby at the accused's home on March 28, 2012.

In his opening address, prosecution counsel Kerida Naidoo SC said the jury would hear how the baby girl was admitted to Cavan General Hospital having seizures and looking pale and floppy on that date.

Mr Naidoo said there would be evidence that the baby's injuries included bruising and swelling on her head and face, bleeding on her brain and detached retinas in both her eyes.

He said it was the State's case that these injuries caused a substantial risk of death or impairment to one or more of the baby's bodily functions and that these were inflicted by Ms Higgins.

Counsel told the jury it would hear from multiple doctors who treated the baby as well as an expert in non-accidental injuries to children.

He said that nobody saw Ms Higgins inflict any injuries or shaking but that the prosecution's case centres on background evidence, including in whose care the baby was under. The accused denied any wrongdoing when interviewed by gardai.

The accused, a married mother-of-two, began working as child-minder for the baby's parents full time in November 2011.

Mr Naidoo told the jury there would be evidence that around March 2012, the parents became concerned their child was coming back from the minder's with bumps and bruises.

He said it was the State's case that the baby arrived at the accused's house in fine form about 9am on the day in question, but about 4.30pm Ms Higgins rang the mother to say her child was in A&E.

Mr Naidoo warned the jurors that it was understandable to have sympathy for parties in the trial, but as a jury they had to be dispassionate when analysing the evidence.

Giollaiosa O Lideadha SC, defending, submitted to the court that it was fully accepted that the damage suffered by the baby amounted to serious harm.

Earlier, Judge Pauline Codd warned the jury of seven men and five women not to conduct their own research or discuss the case with others as it would be in contempt of court.

She also told the jury not to be influenced by any media attention or commentary and to base the verdict on evidence heard in court.

Earlier the jurors heard that the case has gone to trial on other occasions and there was media coverage of this but it was crucial that they should not be affected by any of this.

The trial continues and is scheduled to run for three weeks.Men are being reminded that seeking help for mental health related issues is not a sign of weakness.

That's the message from New Zealand born rugby player and pundit Brent Pope who's encouraging others to "open up" during Men's Health Week.A State witness, who was given immunity from prosecution, has been giving evidence at the trial of three people accused of murdering Gareth Hutch.

Mary McDonnell told the non-jury Special Criminal Court that two men, including one of the accused, used her flat on the morning of the killing.

Mary McDonnell is not in the official Witness Protection Programme but the court heard she is being protected and managed at a local level.

The prosecution says her flat was used as a base to monitor the movements of Gareth Hutch on the morning of May 24, 2016 when he was shot dead.

Jonathan Keogh of Gloucester Place, Dublin 1, his sister Regina and Thomas Fox of Rutland Court, Dublin 1 deny murdering him.

Ms McDonnell said Jonathan and Thomas cleaned two guns down with baby wipes in her flat at Avondale House, Dublin 1 the night before.

She said Jonathan and another man returned the following morning. From her flat, she said you could see Mr Hutchs home and the car park.

At one point, she said she remembered the other man saying right Johnny, were on before they ran out after Gareth.

It is the prosecutions case that Jonathan Keogh was one of the two gunmen and that his two co-accused helped him plan and execute the killing.By Alison O'Riordan

A protected witness has told a murder trial of how she was "shaking" when two of the accused called to her flat and wiped down handguns on the evening before Gareth Hutch was shot dead.

The State witness said that the following morning, accused Jonathan Keogh was told by another man Right Johnny we are on before both men chased after Mr Hutch as he emerged from his flat.

She said Mr Keogh previously said he was "going to get" Mr Hutch.

Amid heightened security arrangements at the Criminal Courts of Justice today in Dublin, Mary McDonnell gave evidence in the trial of three Dubliners accused of murdering Mr Hutch.

Mr Hutch (36), nephew of Gerry the Monk Hutch, was shot dead as he was getting into his car outside Avondale House flats on North Cumberland Street in Dublin on the morning of May 24, 2016. He died as a result of four gun shot injuries.

A brother and sister as well as another man are on trial at the non-jury, three-judge court accused of murdering Mr Hutch.

Thomas Fox (31) with an address at Rutland Court, Dublin 1, Regina Keogh (41) from Avondale House, Cumberland Street North, Dublin 1 and Jonathan Keogh (32) of Gloucester Place, Dublin 1, have pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Hutch.

Mr Fox has also denied unlawfully possessing a Makarov 9 mm handgun on May 23, 2016 at the same place.

In his opening speech, prosecution counsel Paul Burns SC said Ms McDonnells evidence would be important in this trial. He said it was the States case that Ms McDonnell had been encouraged by Regina Keogh and her brother Jonathan Keogh to allow him use her flat as a base to wait for Mr Hutch prior to the attack. Her kitchen window had a view into Mr Hutch's flat. Ms McDonnell has been given immunity from prosecution.

The prosecution also contend that Jonathan Keogh threatened to kill Mr Hutch the evening before the shooting, that Mr Fox and Ms Keogh were instrumental in planning the murder, and Mr Keogh and another man were the shooters.

Facing away from the three accused, who were sitting together in the dock, key witness Ms McDonnell described the events leading up to the shooting to a packed courtroom.

Ms McDonnell told prosecution counsel Mr Burns that she was married and had some family from a previous relationship. She lived in a flat at Avondale House and her husband was in a residential rehab centre.

The witness said she moved into Avondale House seventeen years ago and the first person she got to know was Regina Keogh. She agreed with Mr Burns that it was possible to see Gareth Hutchs flat from her kitchen sink and her bedroom overlooked the carpark at the flats complex.

The 45-year-old agreed that she and Ms Keogh were close friends in May 2016 and they would help each other out if one of them ran out of cigarettes, sugar or teabags.

She said she knew Jonathan Keogh but not really well, only through coming into Reginas, adding she would not ignore him. The witness said Mr Keogh was close to his sister, Regina, so he was frequently in and out" of Avondale House.

Ms McDonnell told the court she knew Thomas Fox only as Tossy, adding that she did not know in May 2016 that his name was Thomas Fox but she would have seen him around with Mr Keogh.

A cross marks Gareth Hutch shooting scene

On Monday May 23, the day before Gareth Hutch was shot dead, Ms McDonnell said she was alone in the flat and could hear a bit of an argument in the carpark between Mr Keogh and Gareth Hutch. When she looked out the window she saw a man in a cream coat, he was there to buy Ross Hutchs car.

She said as this man was taking his belongings out of his car and putting them into Gars car, Mr Keogh began chasing him around the car with a knife. Mr Fox got out of the car but did not do anything and then Regina told her brother "to come in, she said.

The witness said Gareth Hutch, Ross Hutch and Mr Keogh were in the carpark at the time and that Gareth Hutch and Mr Keogh were having an argument. Ms McDonnell testified that she only knew Gareth Hutch and his cousin Ross Hutch from going in and out of the flats as they lived there.

Mr Keogh then told Gareth Hutch if anything happened to Regina, he was coming after him. He (Mr Keogh) was bulling up, getting angry and going red in the face, said Ms McDonnell. The witness agreed with counsel that she did not think Gareth Hutch had said anything to Mr Keogh, it was all a "one-way conversation".

Ms McDonnell said when she told Regina the fight appeared to be over as the two men were shaking hands, Regina said: No, thats only the beginning.

The witness said Gareth Hutch went up to his flat and a few minutes later Gareth called Regina over to his flat. While there Regina got a phone number for Gareths uncle, Mega. She told Johnny she got the phone number off Gar and after a while he and Tossy came up to my flat, said Ms McDonnell.

Ms McDonnell said Regina gave the phone number to Mr Keogh in her flat, who rang the number straight away. Ms McDonnell said the conversation was loud and she heard Gareths uncle say: Ive nothing to do with them two gob shites.

The witness said that in a phone conversation later that day, Mr Keogh was angry and said: Im going to get him before he gets me, adding that he was referring to Gareth Hutch. The witness said she did not think much of it as she was making tea. Mr Fox was sitting there laughing, she said.

The witness said Regina had asked her on the previous Saturday if she would do something for her brother and if he could sit in her flat for awhile. I said 'For what?', she didnt say anything, said Ms McDonnell, adding that she thought it was a joke but money had been mentioned.

The court heard that after Mr Keogh and Mr Fox left her flat on May 24, Ms McDonnell told Regina she could not let Jonathan sit in her flat as her husband would not like it. Regina replied: Thats the only way it is going to happen, if not Jonathan is going to be shot.

At 8.30pm that evening, Ms McDonnell said she went down to Reginas flat and stayed until later that night. Mr Keogh and Mr Fox arrived but she could not hear what was going on. When she was leaving at 11.30pm, Regina said to Ms McDonnell: They will be up to you. The witness said she made a face at her friend as she didnt understand what she was talking about.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on her door and it was Mr Keogh and Mr Fox. They asked her for baby wipes and she gave them, thinking it was for wiping their hands. Next of all I looked in their hands and saw two guns, they were using the baby wipes to clean them, I was shaking at the door, she said.

Ms McDonnell said they wiped over the black-handled guns and inside the roundy bit and the thing you pull, they wiped all of them. I was just praying they would get out of my house with them, she said.

She said one of the men told the other to make sure not to leave the silencer on or put it on. Ms McDonnell gave them an Aldi bag to put the guns in and they left her flat with the guns in the bag.

Ms McDonnell then rang Regina and told her she did not want them in her house and said she had already told her that. Regina then came up to her flat with a handful of rubber gloves for Ms McDonnell to give to Mr Keogh the next day. Regina put them on the counter and Ms McDonnell told her friend: Its not happening here, my husband won't like it happening here, she said.

On the morning of May 24, Ms McDonnell was in bed when a knock came to the door at 7.30am.

The witness said "the door nearly came in on top of her" when she went to answer it. Mr Keogh was there with another man who she had never met before.

Mr Keogh took the gloves which his sister had left for him, both men put them on and Ms McDonnell put the remaining gloves in her house coat.

I just sat on the chair, I wasnt allowed move, she said, adding that Mr Keogh was running in and out of the sitting room to her bedroom, making sure a car would not get locked in.

She said the other man was smoking cigarettes and Mr Keogh told him not to leave any evidence lying around after he threw one of the cigarette butts in the bin.

The witness said Mr Keogh was in contact with Mr Fox on the phone as he was getting worried sitting in his white van.

Tossy was telling him to hurry up, Johnny was saying they would be up in five minutes and not to leave, she said.

Ms McDonnell said the other man in the kitchen said right Johnny we are on just as Gareth Hutch was coming out of his flat. She said they left the flat and ran after Gareth.

Ms McDonnell went into the toilet and heard Regina screaming a few minutes later so she went downstairs. When she asked Regina what had happened, she said Gar was after getting shot.

Ms McDonnell went back to her flat and was just sitting down when Gardai came in and began to search it. She said she was about to empty an ashtray but they took it off her. She told gardai she had to clean up the flat as she was having a party there. The Garda told her there would be no party as it was now a crime scene.

At the opening of the trial, Mr Burns told the court that the killing of Mr Hutch was not a spontaneous or spur of the moment act but a brutal and callous murder. It was premeditated and a significant amount of planning had gone into it, counsel said.

The prosecution say the three co-accused each had their own part to play in bringing about the death of Mr Hutch.

The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, sitting with Judge Patricia Ryan and Judge Michael Walsh.By Sonya McLean

A corporation tax form submitted on behalf of Michael Lowry's business didn't amount to a hill of beans because it was unsigned, a jury has heard.

The trial has been hearing from Revenue officers in relation to the accused's tax returns for both himself and his company.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that an income tax return for the year ending 2002 was submitted on behalf of Mr Lowry in October 2003 using Revenue Online Service (ROS).

It indicated that the accused had a total income of 151,050, including a public office salary of 69,515 but as he had already paid PAYE for that year, he had no tax liability and had in fact overpaid his tax by 136.

A corporation tax (CT1) form submitted on behalf of his company Garuda Ltd, concluded that it operated at a loss of almost 100,000 for the year ending December 31, 2002 and as such had no tax liability. This form also stated that the company was due a refund of 3,500.

A CT1 form submitted in August 2007 for the year ending 2006 stated that Garuda Ltd had an income of just over 915,000 and a tax liability of 114,000.

Thomas Keating, a retired inspector of taxes who was stationed in Thurles from January 2006 to October 2014 agreed with Patrick Treacy SC, defending Garuda Ltd, that the declaration on the CT1 form received on behalf of Garuda for the year ending 2002, was neither signed nor dated.

He agreed that it should not have been acted upon as it was not signed.

He accepted that the declaration states that the person signing the document agreed that everything in the form, to the best of their knowledge, was correct and complete.

There is no statement made in that document (CT1 form) that any of these boxes are correct and complete because the declaration is unsigned, Mr Treacy said.

It doesn't amount to a hill of beans if the form is not signed, he continued after he quipped that there was a lot of beans mentioned by prosecuting counsel Remy Farrell in his opening address to the jury yesterday.

Again referring to Mr Farrell's opening statement, Mr Treacy asked the witness if he had heard the quotes from yesterday's hearing putting the toothpaste back into the tube or cooking the books not once but twice.

I wasn't in court but I heard it on RTE news, Mr Keating replied.

But when the form is not even signed the lid isn't even taken off the tube....the books weren't even cooked, Mr Treacy submitted.

Mr Keating accepted again that the form was processed without the signature but added that Garuda Ltd received a rebate because of the CT1 form being accepted.

Mr Keating agreed with Michael O'Higgins SC, defending Mr Lowry, that his client's tax agent, BBT Accountants received a letter from Revenue in August 26, 2013 concerning the sum of money that is the core issue of this case.

He accepted that the letter stated that Revenue considered that the sum of Stg 248,624, received in 2002, constituted income for tax purposes. It outlined that he now owed income tax on that, along with levies, penalties and fines, totalling 516,000.

Mr Keating further accepted that a similar letter was issued to Garuda Ltd, as Revenue determined that the company owed PAYE and PRSI on the sum. This letter stated that the company owed just over 510,000, which again included the original tax, penalties and fines.

The witness agreed that Mr Lowry and Garuda had a right to reply and successfully challenged Revenue's findings with the Appeals Commission. The Appeals Commission assessed both Mr Lowry's and Garuda's tax liability at zero.

Mr Lowry (64) of Glenreigh, Holycross, Co. Tipperary, earlier pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to four charges of filing incorrect tax returns on dates between August 2002 and August 2007 in relation to a sum of Stg 248,624 received by his company, Garuda Ltd and one charge in relation to failing to keep a proper set of accounts on dates between 28 August, 2002 and August 3, 2007.

He further pleaded not guilty on behalf of Garuda Ltd to three similar charges in relation to the company's tax affairs and one charge of failing to keep a proper set of accounts on the same dates.

It is the State's case that Mr Lowry's company received Stg 248,624 in commission from Norpe OY, a refrigeration company based in Finland, in August 2002.

It is alleged that Mr Lowry arranged for this payment to be made to a third party, residing in the Isle of Man, and therefore it didn't appear in the company accounts for that year, nor did he declare it as income.

It is further alleged that the accounts were then falsified in 2007 to reflect that the payment was received in 2006.

It was the accountant's version of re-fried beans. The books are cooked in 2002, a sum of money is kept off the books and in 2007, the 2006 books are cooked again to bring the money in without drawing attention to it, Mr Farrell told the jury in his opening address.

Mr Farrell told the jury that it is the State's case that a sum of Stg 248,624 received by Mr Lowry's company and not declared to Revenue, would have amounted to 88% of the company's certified gross profits for the year.

The trial continues before Judge Martin Nolan and jury of eight men and four women.By Ann O'Loughlin

A woman now in her sixth week in jail over contempt of court orders directing her to leave a 1m south Dublin property subject of possession orders has denied a fund's claims she wants a "free ride" by remaining "for nothing" in a valuable property she allegedly broke into in 2014.

The woman, whose two teenage children remain in the property, was jailed by the High Court on April 27 last over contempt of possession orders granted to EBS Ltd in 2015 which were upheld on appeal but stayed to April 2017.

The property is one of six investment properties purchased by the womans estranged partner with loans from the EBS and his solicitors wrote to the lender in 2008 saying none of the properties was a family home.

EBS Ltd got a 9.4m judgment against the man in 2011 over default the loans, secured on the properties.

Beltany Property Finance acquired the loans last year and retained Paul McCann, previously appointed by EBS as receiver over the properties, to deal with them.

The borrower has been adjudicated bankrupt, is alleged to have been a party with the woman in breaking into some of the properties, and was described by the receiver as a "fugitive" from efforts to serve contempt proceedings on him.

Today, the three-judge Court of Appeal, comprising Mr Justice Michael Peart, Ms Justice Mary Irvine and Mr Justice Gerard Hogan, heard the woman's appeal over the contempt orders and reserved judgment to June 25.

The woman, representing herself, said she had been unable to get lawyers as she was told it would cost 60,000 to read back into 87 hearings since 2008 concerning these properties but she was assisted by businessman Jerry Beades.

Her appeal was on grounds including alleged breach of court rules governing service of proceedings and alleged breach of her human and constitutional rights.

She had obtained orders in family law proceedings including for a right of residence in the south Dublin property and, if she complied with the order to vacate, would be surrendering her family law rights, she argued.

When Ms Justice Irvine said the courts have already decided her family law rights sit behind those of the receiver, the woman said she would not consent to surrender those rights, was in "a twilight zone" and jailing her would not solve the problem.

It was "very disingenuous" of lawyers for the receiver to claim she wanted a free ride when she was doing her best to raise monies to pay the "vulture fund", she argued. The dispute should be resolved by mediation but the fund refused to listen.

Opposing the appeal, Rossa Fanning SC, for the receiver, said the woman has no entitlement to the properties and was engaging in calculated defiance of court orders because the carrot was a 1m house in south Dublin for free.

She wants to steal or appropriate a 1m property and pay nothing for it.

The woman is "far from a victim" and is trying to create a legal situation where she does not have to comply with a court order, he said. If the courts were to license such behaviour, there would be a large queue of similar applicants stretching down the quays to OConnell Street.

It was accepted she had had a stay until April 2017 concerning this property and the children have written to the receiver seeking that their mother be let come home, he said.

The receiver and fund are very sensitive to the fact the children are in the property and did not want to see the woman remain in custody. However, they wanted her to accept she is bound by the 2015 possession order and to undertake to leave the property after which the receiver would transfer her belongings to a nominated address "and we can all move on".The prime minister of Greece says his country has reached an agreement with the country's northern neighbour to end a 27-year dispute over Macedonia's name that has kept the former Yugoslav republic out of Nato.

Alexis Tsipras said a deal had been reached that would give Macedonia a different name that would be used domestically and internationally.

Mr Tsipras did not immediately reveal what that name will be.

Since Macedonia's independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, Greece has argued that the young country's name implied a claim to the territory and ancient heritage of Greece's northern region of Macedonia - birthplace of ancient warrior king Alexander the Great.

Previous administrations in Macedonia's capital, Skopje, resisted demands to change or modify the name.

The dispute poisoned relations between the two neighbours, and the United Nations appointed a special envoy to mediate.

Resolving the dispute would see Greece lift its objections to Macedonia's accession to Nato and the European Union.

In Skopje, the opposition party VMRO-DPMNE, said Macedonian prime minister Zoran Zaev had informed party leader Hristijan Mickoski that he had "achieved a solution with Greece".

Mr Tsipras's comments came shortly after a much-anticipated phone call with Mr Zaev.

"A short while ago we reached an agreement with the prime minister of the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia on the disagreement our two countries have," Mr Tsipras told President Prokopis Pavlopoulos.

"We have a good agreement that covers all the preconditions the Greek side had set," he said, adding that Macedonia would revise its constitution for the name change and that the deal "secures the historic heritage of ancient Greek Macedonia".

Greece is to ratify the deal in parliament after Macedonia has made the necessary changes to its constitution, Mr Tsipras said.

The compromises to resolve the name issue have faced dissent in both countries, threatening to split Greece's governing coalition and provoke a rift between Macedonia's prime minister and president.

Greek opponents of the deal - which will reportedly rename the Balkan republic as North Macedonia - say it would not go far enough.

Defence minister Panos Kammenos, whose right-wing Independent Greeks party is Mr Tsipras's governing coalition partner, said he would oppose an agreement in a parliamentary vote, meaning the left-wing prime minister will need to seek support from political opponents.

In Skopje, President Gjorge Ivanov said earlier in the day that he remained opposed to a constitutional change that would be likely to be included in the draft deal, to provide an assurance that the name change was permanent and binding for domestic and international use.

European Union and Nato officials welcomed the deal, with Nato's secretary general Jens Stoltenberg saying the "historic agreement" was testament to many years of patient diplomacy.

He urged the two prime minsters to finalise the agreement, saying: "This will set Skopje on its path to Nato membership."

"And it will help to consolidate peace and stability across the wider Western Balkans."

European Council president Donald Tusk tweeted his "sincere congratulations" to Mr Tsipras and Mr Zaev, saying: "Thanks to you the impossible is becoming possible."

EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini and Johannes Hahn, commissioner for EU enlargement, said they looked forward to accession negotiations beginning with Skopje in June.

PANew lending to property investors has fallen to its lowest level in over two years, as banks run the ruler over prospective borrowers more carefully and house prices fall in Australia's two biggest cities.

Official figures on Tuesday showed the value of new loan approvals to investors was at its lowest since the start of 2016, and economists expect there will be further slowing in the mortgage market.

New mortgage lending is expected to slow further, as banks make more stringent loan assessments. Credit:Wayne Taylor

The Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed the value of new loans to investors dropped 0.9 per cent in April, and 15 per cent in the past year. Loans to investors helped turbocharge Sydney and Melbourne's property market in the boom of recent years, but Tuesday's figures show bank lending to this part of the market has slowed markedly from its peak.

ANZ economist Daniel Gradwell said the proportion of total new lending going to investors fell to 42 per cent, the lowest since 2012, led by NSW and Victoria. This compares with a peak of 55 per cent in May 2015.Australian pipelines giant APA's share price has soared after it received a $13 billion takeover offer from a Hong Kong-based consortium of power utility and infrastructure companies aiming to take control and split up the pipeline monopoly.

CKI, originally known as Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings, and Power Assets Holdings have made an all-cash offer of $11 a share for APA. The offer is 33 per cent more than APA's Tuesday closing price of $8.27.

APA's Wallumbilla gas plant in Queensland. Credit:Roslyn Budd

APA Group shares soared as much as 24 per cent after the bid was made public. It traded 21 per cent higher at $10 today.

Based on the indicative price of $11 cash per stapled security, the APA board considers that it is in the best interests of APAs security holders to engage further with the consortium, APA said, opening up its books to the bidders for due diligence. CKI Deputy Managing Director Andy Hunter said the consortium "welcomed" the move.Tech company Unlockd is entering voluntary administration in the middle of a heated legal stoush with Google, months after speculation the company was heading for a debut on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Unlockd, whose app allows consumers to get discounts on their telecommunications services by watching advertisements when they unlock their phone screen, has slammed the search giant for its demise.

Unlockd chief executive Matt Berriman launched the freemium-model app in 2016.

The Australian start-up was backed by high-profile investors when it launched, including Lachlan Murdoch, former Seven managing director Peter Gammell and Catch of the Day founders Hezi and Gabby Leibovich. The freemium ad-supported phone plan company signed a deal with US-based Boost Mobile worth up to $100 million in 2016.

But by early-2018, around the time of a mooted initial public offering, Unlockd hit a snag when Google said it had breached some of the companys policies and would therefore be restricted from AdMob and the Google Play Store.True Love Story. The Song Company

Yellow House. June 5



Displaying its trademark ability to inform and delight, the Song Company's latest program is a semi-theatrical exploration of the legacy of one of the greatest poets and composer of the so-called Ars Nova (New Art), Guillaume de Machaut.

Fourteenth century Western music was noted for innovations in the rhythmic notation sometimes leading to pieces that sound contrived, angular and lumpy.

But Machaut never forgot the lyrical and expressive dimension. His virelais rondeaux and ballades are charming, while his more structured polyphonic works, including his groundbreaking Mass of Notre Dame, use the techniques of the Ars Nova to create invigorating textures of fascinating complexity.

This program, in medieval French and English directed by Leonie Cambage, followed a largely epistolary love affair between the aging Machaut and the younger poet Peronelle d'Armentieres, recorded in a lavishly illustrated book of poems, letters, songs and pictures, Le Voir Dit  the True Story.Ever since I was little, I've been addicted to game shows. So much so, I decided to apply to be a contestant and fulfil a childhood dream of pushing giant red buzzers and putting my trivia skills to the test.

It can also be the difference between winning thousands of dollars on a game show, or going away empty handed. That's what I found out when I took the plunge as a contestant on The Chase.

After waiting for what seemed like a small eternity after my application, I finally got the call up and flew to Melbourne to tape the show. Upon arriving, I met my fellow contestants Brad, Margaret and Cat, who would join me on the team. Despite having met each other for the first time only a few hours ago, we would have to work together in one of the most nerve-wracking environments.

Before we were able to step onto the set, we were first given the "How To Be A Good Game Show Contestant 101" run down by the producers. Their advice: don't give one word answers to host Andrew O'Keefe, showcase your personality, and if you don't know the answer, always have a guess; you might even be right.

After a trip to hair and make-up (yes, that included the guys as well), and a wardrobe check, we had to nervously wait in the green room for the previous episode to finish taping. If you want to imagine how it feels before you walk onto a game show set, picture the nervousness of every job interview and first date combined and add the excitement of a child about to open their Christmas presents. It wasn't that I was only nervous about just getting a question wrong, I was more worried about embarrassing myself on TV and inadvertently becoming a meme in the process.

The Chase Australia's chasers Credit:Channel 7

Finally, it was time to tape the show, but before we could answer any questions, we had to get the most awkward task out of the way: introducing yourself to the audience by staring down the barrel of the camera, while trying to smile as much as possible. Surprisingly, this simple task was the most difficult part of the whole afternoon.Billionaires including Teslas Elon Musk, Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg and Virgins Richard Branson are some of the latest flag bearers of a universal basic income.

It's not a new idea, but it has regained attention as a way to fight inequality that could worsen under the new gig economy, and especially automation.

A universal basic income is a periodic no-strings attached cash payment that aims to cover peoples basic needs regardless of their economic circumstances or whether or not they work.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg supports the idea of a universal basic income. Credit:Bloomberg

In late April, Finland decided to end its experiment with giving some of its citizens free cash.An accused murderer "feared for his life" when his alleged victim came at him with a knife, a court has heard.

Milan Urlich, 29, has been accused of murdering Andrew Carville.

Milan Urlich, 30, claims he grabbed Andrew Carvilles wrist, spun him around, and put him in a choke hold.

"I squeezed  cause he still had the knife," Milan Urlich told an ACT Supreme Court jury from the witness stand on Tuesday.

"I let go of him when he dropped the knife."Police have labelled the abduction and sexual assault at knifepoint of an 11-year-old girl in Newcastle a "horrendous" and "worrying" crime, as they hunt for her assailant.

The girl was walking to school through Hudson Park in Adamstown Heights just after 9.15am on Tuesday when she was attacked, Detective Chief Inspector Paul Jacob said.

"An 11-year-old girl was approached from behind by a male offender and attacked, threatened with a knife, sexually assaulted, placed into a car [and] driven to another location in bushland where she was further offended against," he said.

The chief inspector, from the Child Abuse and Sex Crime Squad, said the girl was released at Kotara Station about five hours later, just before 2.15pm. She then walked the 1.5 kilometres home, and police were called.Driver-protection barriers will start being installed on Brisbane buses from July 1.

The installation of the barriers was a finding of the Bus Driver Safety Review that the state government ordered in September 2015.

Brisbane City Council has announced it will install bus driver protection barriers from July 1,2018. Credit:Glenn Hunt

One month after the review was ordered Manmeet Sharma died during an unprovoked attack while he was behind the wheel of a Brisbane City Council bus.

In May 2017 the council released its own independent review, completed by Aussafe Consulting, into the death of Mr Sharma, which found a driver barrier could be helpful depending on the nature of the incident.UPDATE: A Gold Coast school has gone into lockdown for the second time in one day after more threats were reportedly posted online against students.

Messages sent to parents after a Gold Coast school went into lockdown twice on June 12, 2018. Credit:Facebook / Candice Sneyd

Parents were sent a message from Upper Coomera State College at midday saying the school had come out of lockdown after police investigated a reported threat.

The school went out of lockdown, but sent another update to parents at 1.25pm saying lockdown had been re-initiated as a precautionary measure.

Police did not comment.The decision to slash Queensland's First Home Owners Grant scheme in the state budget was bluntly rejected as a real mistake by Queenslands two senior housing sector bodies.

The budget also came under fire from the Electrical Trades Union, which said Queensland jobs have not been prioritised.

Both the Housing Industry Association and the Master Builders Association of Queensland seriously questioned the decision to reduce the grant from $20,000 to $15,000.

Potential home owners apply for the grant to raise the money they need for a deposit on a new home, townhouse or unit, if it is valued at less than $750,000.Accused Bourke Street driver Dimitrious Gargasoulas has been diagnosed with schizophrenia but experts are divided on whether the illness would affect his fitness to stand trial for murder, a jury has heard.

The investigation hearing to determine his competency began on Tuesday in the Supreme Court of Victoria, where a jury was presented with divergent opinions about Mr Gargasoulas' current state of mind during opening addresses by the prosecution and defence.

The 28-year-old, who appeared in court in a grey jumper and black pants, remained silent during the proceedings.

Accused Bourke Street driver Dimitrious Gargasoulas arrives at the Supreme Court on Tuesday. Credit:Penny Stephens AAP

The fitness investigation will see four medical experts called to testify about Mr Gargasoulas mental state this week. The defence needs to prove beyond the balance of probabilities that Mr Gargasoulas is unfit.A Catholic priest who presides over two parishes in Melbourne's south has been ordered to take leave while he is investigated for allegedly breaching child safety laws.

Archbishop Denis Hart has asked Father Paul Newton, the priest of St Kevin's in Ormond and St Patrick's in Murrumbeena, to take a period of administrative leave while parishioners' concerns are looked into.

A Catholic priest has been asked to step aside from two parish while alleged breaches of child safety laws are investigated

In a letter to parishioners, Archbishop Hart said the concerns related to alleged breaches of the Archdiocese's code of conduct, child safety legislation and related matters.

"In order for the investigation to be conducted in a fair and just manner, it is important that Father Newton be given the time and opportunity to respond to these allegations," he wrote.An assistance program for West Australian grandparents who care full-time for their grandchildren has been extended for 12 months after the state government was accused of being mean for axing it.

Annual funding of $125,000 for the Wanslea Family Services-administered scheme, which helps grandparents whose own children are struggling with problems including substance abuse, was due to end on June 30.

Community Services Minister Simone McGurk announced a one-year reprieve in parliament on Tuesday, saying there were 3500 officially recognised grandcarers in WA and more in informal arrangements.

There are 3500 officially recognised grandcarers in WA Credit:Michel O'Sullivan

Opposition spokesman for child protection Nick Goiran welcomed the news, but said the support should be extended for longer.Chinese-owned mining companies could skip a $529 million bill for environmental damage caused by an iron ore mining project in Cape Preston, in WAs Pilbara, a report from Clive Palmers mining company Mineralogy has found.

Mr Palmer signalled urgent legal action in the WA Supreme Court to halt mining at the Sino Iron and Korean Steel projects until environmental obligations were met.

Sino Iron site. Credit:Glenn Hunt

Mineralogy was to act as trustee of the $529 million fund to ensure the site could be restored at the end of the mines estimated 25-year life.

But it has commissioned from mining rehabilitation expert Mike Slight that it says confirms rehabilitation funds have gone unpaid.The union movement will intensify its campaign on penalty rates in the next three weeks to highlight an imminent cut to conditions, as it uses the issue to mobilise voters against the Coalition ahead of five federal byelections next month.

ACTU national secretary Sally McManus will take the campaign to the key Tasmanian electorate of Braddon in a bid to put pressure on the government while holding Labor to its pledge to reverse the controversial cuts to penalty rates which are due to take effect from July 1.

The campaign is backed by polling for the peak union body showing that two thirds of voters support arguments for new laws to overturn cuts to penalty rates by the industrial umpire.

ACTU national secretary Sally McManus will unveil the campaign on Wednesday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The ACTU will announce the plans on Wednesday in another display of its campaigning power in key electorates, where it calls on volunteers to doorknock households and hand out how-to-vote cards at elections.The doctors who examined Wissam Jadiri when he came to Australia by boat in 2013 detected his elevated liver enzymes right away. But it took more than four years, countless flights and threats of a federal court case for the 41-year-old Feyli Kurdish asylum seeker to get treatment for hepatitis C.

"They told me because you dont have visa, because you detainee, we cant give you medication," he says. "This is not fair [that] they treat me like that, in a country like Australia."

Feyli Kurdish asylum seeker Wissam Jadiri, who is on Christmas Island, now receives hepatitis C medication.

Mr Jadiri is far from alone. A new report by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre has identified the "routine denial" of antiviral treatment to people in immigration detention, and accused the federal government of failing to fulfil its common law duty of care.

It also identified a "failure to properly physically and psychologically treat suicidal asylum seekers" and the misuse and overuse of handcuffs and mechanical constraints, particularly on mentally ill asylum seekers.Anthony Albanese says Victorians have been punished for voting Labor Credit:James Brickwood

Victoria is still being shortchanged on seven major infrastructure projects, including the airport rail link, according to Labor's infrastructure spokesman Anthony Albanese.

Victorians were being punished for electing a Labor government, Mr Albanese said, in a press conference where he lashed the federal governments minimalist funding for the state, despite a recent detente between the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Premier Daniel Andrews over infrastructure spending commitments.

Mr Albanese said just 9.1 per cent of the total funding required had been committed in the latest budgets forward estimates, which goes up to 2021-22.Victorian Liberal leader Matthew Guy has urged his cash-strapped party to offload its Exhibition Street headquarters, arguing it has no business holding onto a lazy asset in the middle of the CBD.

The Liberal Party is weighing up two offers of more than $30 million for an office building it owns at 104 Exhibition Street, more than 40 years after it bought the building for a reported price of $576,000.

The Liberal Party headquarters at 104 Exhibition Street. Credit:Chris Hopkins

The offers are being considered as the party awaits a Federal Court decision on Thursday in its lengthy dispute with its biggest benefactor, the Cormack Foundation, over who controls a near $70 million fund.

A decision in the Cormack Foundations favour would leave the Liberals reeling, two years after former state director Damien Mantach was jailed for stealing $1.55 million from the party and less than six months before the state election.Washington: Selina Vickers' weekend trip to Rhode Island was as cheap as she could make it. She shelled out $US143.60 for a train ticket from her home in West Virginia to Providence, where the Democratic National Committee's rules and bylaws group was meeting.

She paid just $US68.07 for an Air B&B in Cranston, Rhode Island, a short commute from Providence. Once there, Vickers did what she always did at DNC meetings - she took notes, recorded video, and made sure that the party was committing to reform its primary rules.

Michael Flynn (centre left) next to President Vladimir Putin at an event celebrating RT in Moscow. Jill Stein, 2016 US Greens candidate, is seen with her back to camera. Credit:AP

A few days later, Vickers was accused of being a Russia-backed agent of chaos, working to destabilise the Democratic Party from within.

The DNC's current argument over how to reform its primaries achieved a special kind of absurdity on Monday when longtime DNC member Bob Mulholland asked whether Vickers' appearances at meetings were paid for by Russians. Mulholland, who often cc's reporters on his memos about the rules debate, speculated over the weekend that "someone is picking up her expenses" and that this was evidence that "the Putin operation is still active."White House trade adviser Peter Navarro apologised for suggesting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau deserved a "special place in hell" for a perceived breach in protocol against US President Donald Trump.

"My job was to send a signal of strength," he said at a Wall Street Journal conference in Washington on Tuesday. "The problem was that in conveying that message I used language that was inappropriate."

Citing Chinese philosopher Confucius, Navarro said: "If you make a mistake and don't correct it, that's a mistake."

Navarro, a supporter of tariffs to help reduce the US's trade deficit and a longtime critic of China, turned his anger to Canada over the weekend as a G7 meeting hosted by Trudeau ended in disarray and trade threats. After leaving the summit early, Trump tweeted he was pulling US support from a joint statement and he accused Trudeau, the summit's host, of being weak and dishonest during a news conference.Latest News Spending surge felt across several industries as NSW reopens  CBA Even luggage stores are experiencing an 830% increase

SocietyOne inks warehouse funding deal with Westpac Big Four bank steps in to provide personal lender with $200m warehouse

A customer-owned bank has announced the appointment of a new chief risk officer, with experience across Australia, Canada and the United States.

Heritage Bank, based in Toowoomba, has welcomed Kerry Beebe into the newly created role.

Beebe has 30 years experience in the financial industry in Australia, Canada and the US. She has worked with major banks Westpac and NAB, with state government departments and broker aggregators, and in non-bank lending roles.

Most recently she was regional chief risk officer (CRO) of North America for Computershare.

Heritage Bank CEO Peter Lock said Beebes appointment was a major addition to the banks senior management team

He said, Heritage is placing an increasing emphasis on managing risk as an essential enabler of our business.

We have created the CRO role as a stand-alone position, and added it to our senior executive group, as an indication of the importance we place on the risk function.

I am delighted to welcome a risk executive of Kerrys calibre to Heritage. Her extensive experience in risk, compliance and internal audit will add significantly to our capability in this increasingly important area of our business.

Beebe said she looked forward to leading the risk function to help Heritage shine above its competitors.

She added, Im thrilled to be joining Heritage Bank. What attracted me about Heritage was its community focus as a customer-owned institution, the courage to change that is evident, and the vision of the organisation to become the Best Bank possible.

Beebe is based in Heritages Toowoomba Head Office and took up the role on 5 June.

Related stories:

International exec joins customer owned bank

Bank senior executive fills chief customer officer role

Customers want trust, but do they also want brands?Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC

Human rights should have no party affiliation.

That summed up Councilman Justin Brannans stand on the fate of pizza delivery man Pablo Villavicencio Calderon, who federal officials locked up and are threatening to deport after Fort Hamilton Army Base personnel did a background check on him and found out he was ordered to leave the country on his own earlier this decade.

Speaking on the latest edition of Brooklyn Paper Radio, Brannan said the lines being drawn  Republicans Dan Donovan and Marty Golden claim the Army workers were just doing their jobs by holding Calderon, and comments posted on our story previewing the show fell along party lines  are the result of a commander-in-chief who has normalized the us vs. them agenda.

When you have a president who wants to build a wall instead of actually fixing a broken immigration system, this is what you get, Brannan said. To me this isnt a Democrat or Republican issue. Its about a guy who was mistreated when he came into my district, and I want to do the right thing here and get him the help that he deserves.

A federal judge recently postponed the deportation of Calderon, an undocumented immigrant delivering food for a restaurant in Queens  the latter being a point of contention for our editor.

So why is Fort Hamilton ordering pizza from Queens? DiMiceli asked the councilman. You cant swing a dead cat without hitting a great pizzeria here in Bay Ridge.

When Brannan claimed that the driver had made deliveries before, and that this may have been a catering job, DiMiceli persisted.

So do they have a catering contract with a pizzeria in Queens? he asked.

That I cant answer, Brannan said.

Also on the show, DiMiceli and co-host Anthony Rotunno spoke with reporter Julianne Cuba about her ground-breaking work covering the death of Netfaly Ramirez, who was run over by a private garbage truck last year. Cuba obtained the case file through a Freedom of Information Law request, and has been dutifully going through it with a fine-toothed comb.

Listen in now to find out what she has learned so far.Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC

These youngsters learned to walk out.

Kids at a Crown Heights charter school capped off weeks of studying gun violence in the United States with a protest march on Friday  but the adolescent activists didnt walk alone, according to one student.

It was effective because we actually got people from the community to come and walk with us, said Starasia Bethune, a seventh-grader at Launch Expeditionary Learning Charter School on Dean Street between Troy and Schenectady avenues.

Dozens of locals and faculty flanked some 175 seventh and eighth graders on the roughly 1-mile march from their learning house to Restoration Plaza on Fulton Street between New York and Brooklyn avenues in nearby Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Many youngsters waved signs and wore bright orange shirts  similar to those donned by demonstrators who marched across the Brooklyn Bridge for common-sense gun-law reform earlier this month  during the protest, which educators okayed ahead of time so that nobody would be marked absent like some kids who walked out of borough schools earlier this year in a nationwide call for legislative change.

We choose as a school to leave today, because were fed up with gun violence, said Launch social-studies teacher Lindsay Herz. Teachers, students, and administration together decided this issue is important enough.

The charter schools sixth-to-eighth grade classes supplement their traditional curriculum in subjects including literature, writing, social studies, and science with so-called expeditionary learning, hands-on studies of real-world problems designed to foster practical skills and a deeper understanding of certain issues.

And this spring, for the second year in a row, Launch seventh graders expeditionary learning focused on the topic of gun violence, according to Herz, who said students in her social studies class learned how a culture of toxic masculinity can lead to dangerous behavior, while in writing class they crafted science-fiction tales exploring a future free of senseless firearm fatalities.

In almost every class students are looking at gun violence from different perspectives, and trying to find solutions, the teacher said.

The walkout culminated the students various lessons, and kids got to apply what they learned to help make it happen by posting fliers about the event inside local businesses, creating the signs they carried at the march, and even drafting materials circulated to spread word about the demonstration, Bethune said.

I wrote the press release, the seventh-grader said. I looked at examples to learn how to write one. It was actually fun.

Reach reporter Colin Mixson at cmixs on@cn gloca l.com or by calling (718) 260-4505.Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

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Digital EditorUF Online partners with Discover Financial Services, fully funding employees seeking select bachelors degrees

Discovers nearly 16,500 U.S.-based employees may seek admission to the University of Florida Online bachelors degree in business administration and if they are admitted, the company will cover tuition, and required fees, books and supplies for eligible employees.

The University of Florida today announces a second major partnership with one of the nations top employers to support future Gators that wish to earn their UF bachelors in business administration fully online.

Known as The Discover College Commitment, the Discover Financial Services employee benefit will cover tuition and required fees, books and supplies needed to complete select online degrees at one of three universities  the University of Florida Online, Wilmington University, a private, nonprofit university in Delaware, and Brandman University, a private, nonprofit university in California. The benefit has no tenure requirement so employees can start participating as soon as they want regardless of how long they have been with the company, including new employees on their first day.

We look forward to partnering with Discover Financial and providing this opportunity for their employees to pursue a degree through UF Online, said UF Provost Joe Glover. Programs such as Discover Financials go to the heart of UFs mission of making educational opportunities as accessible as possible and are especially valuable for people who wish to remain in the workforce while they pursue that degree.

Jon Kaplan, vice president of training and development and Chief Learning Officer at Discover, noted some of the reasons behind the program. Investing in our employees and their futures will not only make us a stronger company, but have a lasting positive impact on those who might otherwise never get the chance to attend college, he said. We will continue to cultivate an environment that encourages employees to have the professional development they seek because the company values their skills and contributions.

This new partnership between UF Online and Chicago-headquartered, Discover Financial Services follows on the heels of the UF Online and Walmart partnership announcement announced May 30. These new employer partnership are now possible via the UF Online Employer Pathways Program, demonstrating what is possible when leadership and investment from the private sector combine with the versatility of a large, public university.

Realizing new partnerships with leading employers underscores our mission at UF Online to welcome students seeking an alternative to the campus experience yet also seeking a true university degree of high value, said Evangeline Cummings, assistant provost and director of UF Online. The value of a UF degree will now be within reach for so many future Gators that may have been previously unable to attend due to financial or logistical constraints. Generous and ongoing support from employers like Discover will make it even more likely that these students will succeed and thrive in their UF education.

Kaplan added: Unlike a number of other large companies with degree-focused education-assistance programs, The Discover College Commitment Program combines full-ride funding toward the cost of a select bachelors degree with no limit on the amount of assistance an employee can receive, and our employees are eligible for this benefit on day one of employment. Working with select quality schools that yield positive results will also help our employees improve their chances of achieving a brighter financial future.

The UF Online Employer Pathways program enables companies to partner with a top public university that has a robust online learning community and set of valuable online bachelors degrees. UF Online is therefore able to serve qualified students that previously found a UF degree financially out of reach and students ultimately stand to benefit the most.

The financial investment by these companies is just incredible but beyond the financial benefits, future UF students will be pursuing their online degree with a receptive employer that is not only aware of their studies but directly in support of them. UF Online looks forward to partnering with additional forward-thinking companies to ultimately help students thrive as they earn a degree and continue to work full-time, Cummings said.

Launched in 2014, with ongoing support from the Florida legislature, UF Online provides greater access to the strong academics at UF, offering online pathways to 20 online bachelors degrees all designed and taught by the very same UF faculty that teach on UFs main campus in Gainesville, Florida. Overall UF is consistently ranked among the nations top universities: No. 9 in U.S. News & World Report Top Public Universities (September 2018). UF also is one of only six universities in the country with colleges of medicine, engineering, law, agriculture and veterinary medicine located on the same campus and one of 17 schools that are designated land, sea and space grant institutions.

For more information about the UF Online Employer Pathways Program visit https://ufonline.ufl.edu/admissions/employer-pathways.

For more information about the Discover College Commitment program, including eligibility requirements, please visit www.mydiscoverbenefits.com/keyword/education-assistance.A month after signing the biggest e-commerce deal in the world, Walmart and Flipkart are facing roadblocks that could drastically change the contours of the transaction. If the Competition Commission of India (CCI) suggests structural changes in the Walmart-Flipkart deal, as indicated by officials, there could be three options before the American retail giant, sources said.

One of the options for Walmart could be to not accept the structural changes suggested by the fair trade regulator, and back out of the deal. The second option could be to renegotiate the deal at a lower valuation. ...The condition of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was admitted to the AIIMS with urinary tract infection, lower respiratory tract infection and kidney issues, is stable today, the hospital said.

The 93-year-old leader was admitted to the hospital yesterday.

In a statement, the AIIMS said, "His condition is stable. He is responding to treatment and is on injectable antibiotics. All his vital parameters are stable. He will continue to be in hospital till the infection is controlled".

A team of doctors, under the supervision of AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, evaluated his condition sometime back, a source said.

He continues to remain in the ICU of the cardio-thoracic centre of AIIMS, the source said.

Yesterday, the hospital said Vajpayee, who has been ailing for long, was admitted for routine check-up and investigations.

In a statement issued at 10.45 pm yesterday, the AIIMS said Vajpayee was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection.



ALSO READ: fans in UP hold prayers for his speedy recovery

A host of leaders including Prime Minister visited the patriarch at the hospital yesterday.

Modi met the doctors and enquired about the well-being of Vajpayee. He also met his family members, according to an official statement issued yesterday.

veteran L K Advani, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, party chief Amit Shah, Health Minister J P Nadda, Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan, Vijay Goel and Congress president Rahul Gandhi were among those who paid a visit to the ailing leader yesterday.

The BJP, yesterday, said in a statement that Shah had a detailed discussion with the doctors about Vajpayee's treatment and also met the former prime minister's family members at the hospital.

Vajpayee was thrice elected the prime minister between 1996 and 1999 and is the only non-Congress prime minister to complete the full term of five years, from 1999 to 2004. As his health deteriorated, he had slowly withdrawn himself from public life and was confined to his residence for years.The Central government will soon take some effective measures to tackle the security challenged being posed by terrorists, militants and also individuals propagating child pornography using platforms, an official said on Monday.

Union Home Secretary on Monday discussed over such measures to be taken against malicious content appearing on in a high-level meeting held in the Home Ministry, the Home Ministry official said.

"The meeting discussed effective measures to be taken by the law enforcement agencies to tackle the security challenges being posed by terrorists, militants and also individuals propagating child pornography using the platforms," the official said.

It was also discussed how coordination can be enhanced among the law enforcement agencies, Department of Telecom, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) to "block and remove malicious content under section 69 and 79 of the IT Act".

In the meeting, the official said, it was decided that law enforcement agencies will closely coordinate with the ministry to ensure that the action to block the content on social media platforms is taken in a timely manner.

"This will be followed by a meeting with the representatives of social media platforms for compliance," he added.A bipartisan group of about a dozen influential lawmakers today said the recent Indian decision to increase tariff on apples from 50 per cent to 80 per cent would hurt growers of the fruit in America.

The lawmakers also alleged that India was abusing rules of the (WTO).

On May 28, India notified the WTO that it plans to raise its tariff before June 21 on apples from the already very high level of 50 per cent to 80 per cent.

India describes this increased tariff as retaliation for the US Section 232 tariffs on aluminium and steel.

"In our view, India, like China and other countries, is abusing WTO rules by unilaterally retaliating in this way without authorisation, and we urge you to confront such abuses," a group of about a dozen Congressmen from State alleged in a letter to US Trade Representative (USTR)

"As the second largest market to date this season, an 80 per cent tariff on apples entering India would have a grave impact on Washington's growers," the lawmakers said.

For this season, more than 7.7 million boxes valued at more than $118.3 million have been shipped to India.

"We understand that around one million cartons of apples are currently on container ships en route to India. It is worth noting that this action will have a disproportionately high impact on the growers of Red Delicious which has composed nearly 90 per cent of Washington's apple exports to India this season,"

"India is the number one market for Washington's Red Delicious apples this season. With so much at stake, we urge the administration to make it a priority to prevent this additional 30 per cent tariff from going into effect," the lawmakers said, urging the USTR to take up the matter with India.

Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu is in the town for meetings with Lighthizer and other officials of the US government, lawmakers and members of the industry.

The letter dated June 11 was among others signed by lawmakers Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Dave Reichert, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, Suzan DelBene, Senator Maria Cantwell and a bipartisan group of Members of Congress from State.

On June 5, in response to the administration's decision to impose steel and aluminium tariffs on several key allies, including Mexico, Mexico announced it will impose tariffs on a range of US agricultural products, including potatoes and apples.

Last year, State potato growers exported over $37 million in frozen potatoes to Mexico.

And as the top export destination for apples, valued at approximately $215 million last season, Mexico is currently the second largest market for Washington's Red Delicious apples.

In fact, this season, Washington's apple growers have shipped over 10 million cartons of apples to Mexico, making up 27 per cent of apple exports.

"As our trading partners take steps to restrict their markets to American exports, we urge the Administration to address these retaliatory actions that are harming our communities, constituencies, and local economies," the lawmakers wrote.

"The impact of these retaliatory actions on Washington's thriving agricultural industry would not only significantly affect the agricultural industry, but also workers, families, and small businesses throughout the state," they said.

The lawmakers urged the administration to make it a priority to negotiate a solution that shields "our speciality crop growers from retaliatory actions" in the form of tariffs or other barriers to trade.

Among other signatories are Senator Patty Murray, Congressmen Rick Larsen, Jamie Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, Derek Kilmer, Adam Smith, and Denny Heck.A special court in Mumbai on Tuesday issued non-bailable warrant against diamantaire and his family members in the over $2 billion Punjab Bank fraud case after taking cognisance of a charge sheet filed by the last month.

The ED had last week moved the special court seeking warrants against the accused persons.

The non-bailable warrants (NBWs) were issued by Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) judge Salman Azmee against and 10 others, including his family members.

The ED had last month filed a 12,000-page chargesheet in the $2 billion Punjab Bank (PNB) cheating and fraud case against and 23 others, including his father Deepak Modi, sister Purvi Mehta, brother-in-law Maiank Mehta, brother Neeshal Modi and another relative Nehal Modi.

The ED has charged the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the over Rs 130 billion PNB scam case.

Nirav Modi is said to have left the country before criminal cases were lodged against him.

In a meeting held between Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and UK Minister of State for Countering Extremism, Baroness Williams in Delhi yesterday, the UK side confirmed the presence of Nirav Modi in Britain.Two police personnel were killed and three others were injured in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's district on Tuesday.

The police revealed that an exchange of fire took place after attacked a police guard post, at a court complex, in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

The area has been cordoned off and a search operation is underway.

In a separate incident, attacked a Central Reserve Police Force party with grenades at Janglat Mandi in Four men were reportedly injured in the attack.

All the injured were rushed to the hospital.

More details are awaited.The UK may link the extradition process of fugitive diamantaire NiravModi and liquor baron Vijay Mallya with the signing of a much-delayed agreement that will facilitate deportation of over 75,000 Indians who are allegedly illegally staying there, officials said on Tuesday.

The issue of the final signing of the memorandum of understanding on illegal immigrants was raised by UK Minister of State for Countering Extremism Baroness Williams during her talks with Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju here on Monday.

During the hour-long talks, Williams stressed the need for formal signing of the MoU to enable the return of illegal Indian migrants within a month of their detection by the British authorities, an official privy to the development said.

The Indian side raised the issue of extradition of Nirav Modi, Mallya and others to face law here.

"We afraid they may link the process of extradition of Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya and others with the signing of the MoU," the official said.

In the meeting between Rijiju and Williams, the UK side confirmed the presence of Nirav Modi in Britain.

Rijiju had signed a draft agreement on the issue of illegal immigrants in London on January 10 while the formal MoU was supposed to be inked during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UK in April.

However, New Delhi has delayed the signing of the final agreement, apparently due to the concerns raised by certain quarters in the government, another official said.

Rijiju signed the draft agreement following the approval of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Modi late last year.

Another official said this was perhaps one of the few instances when India delayed formalising a bilateral agreement despite signing the draft deal.

The range of concerns include fear of mass deportation, a consent clause and possible security breaches.

According to British authorities, who have been pressing consistently on returning illegal immigrants, the largest group of such people in the UK is from India.

Around 5,000 Indians voluntarily returned to India in 2017 and around 700 were deported.

The consent clause is whether a person's approval is sought before the process to ascertain his or her nationality is started.

India wants this clause, which will give relief in certain cases, but the UK is apparently not keen as this would effectively be making an exemption for a person staying illegally in Britain.

New Delhi is concerned that a large number of Indians can be sent back without any humanitarian considerations.

Besides, India has also made it clear that it will accept those Indians whose Indian nationality is established after verification within a fortnight.

India will not accept those whose nationality could not be verified as physical features of the citizens of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal are similar to Indians, the official said.

The UK has assured India that the agreement is merely codifying the existing immigration rules and it has similar deals with Nigeria, China, Pakistan and Ghana - countries with a large number of citizens living illegally in Britain.

According to the initial agreement, the British authorities will first identify the illegal migrant, the Indian authorities will be informed and then the verification will be done by police agencies back home.

If the claims of the British authorities are found to be correct, then travel documents will be readied and the person deported by the UK authorities. This process will have a timeline of one month, the official said.

While the UK claims that number of illegal migrants is between 75,000 and 100,000, Indian agencies believe only 2,000 Indians are overstaying there.

Nirav Modi is at the centre of a money laundering case linked to the over Rs 13,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud.

India is also pushing for the extradition of liquor tycoon Mallya, who is on trial for the UK court to rule if he can be extradited to India to face charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crore.In-flight connectivity is expected to be available within a year, Telecom Minister said today even as a joint meeting of DoT and civil aviation officials to discuss "operational details" is to be held in about 10 days.

Telecom firms, airlines and in-flight connectivity providers are expected to attend the meeting, the date for which is yet to be finalised.

In-flight connectivity aims to enable calls and internet services during flights in the Indian airspace.

"There will a meeting with the Secretary Civil Aviation Ministry, me, and the operators. We are fixing the date...maybe in another 10 days or so, we will meet," Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan told reporters here.

Earlier, while speaking at the conference on four years of the government, Sinha said that 'in-flight services' could become operational in one year.

"The Telecom Commission has already decided on in-flight connectivity, and in the next one year, we may be in a position to provide in-flight connectivity," he said.

The Telecom Commission -- the highest policy making body of -- had on May 1 cleared a proposal for allowing in-flight connectivity, already available in most of the developed markets.

While giving its nod, the Telecom Commission had agreed with most of the recommendations of the sector regulator on 'in-flight services' except one pertaining to foreign satellites and gateways.

While telecom regulator Trai had recommended permitting use of foreign satellites and foreign gateways for mobile communication on aircraft too, the Telecom Commission went by the view of Committee of Secretaries (CoS) that only Indian Satellites and Indian gateways be allowed.

Sundararajan said that the operational aspects still needed to be discussed in detail and the upcoming meeting will deliberate on the same.

"The discussions on the operational model will entail questions like who will be investing in infrastructure, who will be providing the services. There is no standard model...we will have to see what is suitable in the Indian context," Sundararajan said.

Last week, Trai had stuck to its stance that foreign satellites and gateways should be used to provide such services.

Sundararajan said that since CoS have favoured only Indian Satellites and Indian gateway, any change or review of the decision will have to be taken back to CoS.

"We will have to take a view," she said.

Globally, many airlines are already offering wi-fi for passengers, but they currently have to switch off the facility when they enter the Indian airspace. Availability of wi-fi is also expected to provide local airlines an additional source of revenues amid stiff competition in the fast-growing Indian aviation market.

AirAsia, Air France, British Airways, Egypt Air, Emirates, Air New Zealand, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways and Virgin Atlantic are among 30 airlines that already allow mobile phone use on aircraft.

A separate category of licensees - in-flight service providers - will be created for offering such services, and licence fee for such niche providers will be pegged at Re 1.



(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.)If the US chooses eventually to reward North Koreas good behaviour, there can be no better candidate than it for shifting production out of China, combining disciplined workforce with very low wages The first grainy images to come out of the historic Kim-Trump summit indicate that while nothing concrete has been reached, there are 4 focus areas: First, establishment of regular bilateral relations, possibly formal; second, establishing a stable peace in the Korean peninsula; third, working towards complete denuclearisation of the peninsula; and fourth, help retrieve the ...

Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal. They do not reflect the view/s of Business Standard.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says US President Donald Trump has reassured him that he will raise the issue of abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korea at his summit with Kim Jong Un.

Abe spoke with Trump over the phone on Monday after returning from the G7 summit in Canada.

Abe told reporters that the US president briefed him on the latest situation ahead of his summit with the North Korean leader. Abe said they closely coordinated their policies.

Abe said Japan, the US and South Korea share a basic policy. He also expressed hope that the summit will be a historic and major step toward peace and stability in northeast Asia. - NHKon Tuesday said the adjustment of over Rs 7.90 billion deposits of Religare Finvest, held as security for loans taken by two other firms, is legal and it is fighting the case in the court appropriately.

Further, the bank said that Religare Finvest had filed a suit against its Janpath Branch in the Delhi High Court, disputing the said adjustment and it is defending the same.

The bank, in its financial statement for 2017-18, had informed about adjustment of third party deposits of over Rs 7.90 billion.

The said deposits relates to Religare Finvest and the same were held as security for the loans extended to RHC Holding and Ranchem Pvt Ltd. On account of default in clearing the loans, the said deposits were closed and the proceeds were adjusted to clear the said loan loans, the bank said in a regulatory filing. The lender said it had received legal opinion suggesting that adjustments of deposits against loans are lawful.

Now, Religare Finvest has filed a suit in CS. (COMM) .940/2018 against our Janpath Branch before the High Court Delhi, disputing the said adjustment and the same is being defended appropriately by the bank, it added.

In May-end, Religare Enterprises had informed about certain of its subsidiary Religare Finvest (RFL) with (LVB) saying the lender through a letter had purported to allude to certain loans disbursed by the bank to third parties allegedly in consideration of security of the RFLs (FDs) with LVB.

By means of this letter, LVB also purported to call upon RFL to execute the security documentation in connection with the alleged loans, it had said, adding it was informed expressly to the bank that RFL was not the party to any loans that were allegedly sanctioned by LVB to any third party.

Religare had also informed that the subsidiary RFL has filed a suit for recovery of the FDs aggregating to Rs 7.9 million appropriated by the bank before the

Shares of closed flat at Rs 117.45 on BSE today, while Religare Enterprises ended 1.22 per cent down at Rs 52.55 apiece.

(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.)State-run lender on Tuesday said the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has enhanced supervisory arrangements on its Hong Kong branch while "assessing implications of the capital positions" of the lender.

"..we have to inform you that the Hong Kong Monitory Authority while assessing the implications of capital position of our bank as on 31 March 2018, has enhanced the supervisory arrangements on our Hong Kong branch," it said in a regulatory filing.

In fact, the bank's capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR) had declined to 8.69 per cent at the end of March quarter from 11.27 per cent at the end of December quarter of 2017-18.

The HKMA, the de facto central bank of Hong Kong, is responsible for maintaining monetary and banking stability.

According to the filing, the branch should maintain the high-quality liquid asset in Hong Kong equivalent to 100 per cent of unpledged deposits.

"ALHBHK ( Hong Kong branch) should not proactively solicit customer deposits in Hong Kong. However, transactional deposits such as pledged deposits for commercial loans would be excluded from this supervisory arrangement," the filing said.

According to supervisory arrangements imposed by HKMA, the branch should maintain a position of 'net due to' its head office, other branches and any direct or indirect subsidiaries and associates of the bank.

"ALHBHK should not incur additional non-bank credit exposures," the filing added.

The bank's latest annual report said its Hong Kong branch had earned operating profit of Rs. 905 million and net profit of Rs 448.6 million in the financial year 2017-18.

In the last fiscal, the bank's international business stood at Rs 128.71 billion and recorded a negative year-on-year growth of (-) 8.91 per cent on account of 12.82 per cent year-on-year drop in overseas advances.

In fact, under the capital adequacy guidelines stipulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the lender is required to maintain a CRAR of 9 per cent with minimum Common Equity Tier I (CET1) of 5.5 per cent as on 31 March 2019.

In fact, the had last month imposed additional restrictions on under prompt corrective action (PCA) framework.

The lender was asked to restrict the expansion of risk-weighted assets (RWA), reduce exposure to high-risk loans and restrict accessing or renewing wholesale deposits.

The lender had posted a net loss of Rs 35.09 billion in the March quarter of 2017-18.In a move to instil discipline among large borrowers with working capital facility, the Reserve Bank of India has mooted a proposal that at least 40 per cent of the sanctioned limit should be a term loan component. For borrowers with an aggregate fund-based working capital limit of Rs 1.5 billion and above from the banking system, a minimum level of loan component of 40 per cent shall be effective from October 1, 2018, the RBI said in draft norms placed on its website.

Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

We, however, have a request.



As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.



Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.



Digital Editorpraised the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as historic and called for "full denuclearisation" to resolve tensions on the Korean peninsula.

The fact that the two leaders "can sit together and have equal talks has important and positive meaning, and is creating a new history," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters.

"The crux of the peninsula nuclear issue is a security issue. The most important, difficult part of this security issue is for the United States and North Korea to sit down to find a way to resolution via equal talks," Wang said.

"Resolving the nuclear issue, on the one hand, of course, is denuclearisation, full denuclearisation. At the same time, there needs to be a peace mechanism for the peninsula, to resolve North Korea's reasonable security concerns."



Beijing is Pyongyang's sole major ally and main trading partner, but it has backed a slew of United Nations sanctions to punish North Korea over its nuclear and missile tests.

Despite tensions, the Cold War-era allies have sought to mend ties recently, and Kim borrowed an Air plane to travel to the landmark summit in Singapore.The US has a surplus of $20 billion with China and $1.4 trillion with the rest of the world. Thats not a normal trade balance, of course, where the U.

S. registered an annual deficit of more than $330 billion with China and about $550 billion with the world last year, but an "aggregate sales surplus" which measures both direct trade and the sales of multinational companies, according to research by Deutsche Bank AG. Just looking at the goods and services trade deficit is misleading and doesnt capture the true size of US business interests, according to ...A prominent Bangladeshi writer and publisher was dragged out of a shop and shot dead by unidentified attackers in central Bangladesh, ending a lull in the killings of secular bloggers and activists in the Muslim-majority country.

Shahzahan Bachchu, 60, an outspoken proponent of secular principles and owner of a publishing house 'Bishaka Prokashoni' that specialised in publishing poetry, was gunned down in his ancestral village Kakaldi in Munshiganj district on Monday by five assailants.

Bachchu had gone to meet friends at a pharmacy shop near his home before iftar, when the five attackers on two motorcycles came into the area. They blasted a crude bomb outside the pharmacy, creating panic, the Tribune reported.

They then dragged Shahzahan out of the shop and shot him, a senior superintendent of police was quoted as saying by the daily.

Although no group has claimed responsibility, police officials from the counter-terrorism department are investigating the murder as a possible targeted attack by Islamist extremists.

Bachchu had previously received threats from extremist groups due to his outspoken support for secularism



Bachchu was a former district general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh and was known as a free-thinking writer, His publishing house Bishaka is based in Dhaka's Banglabazar area.

Deaths of secular writers, bloggers, online activists and a publisher in attacks by suspected Islamist militants shook Bangladesh for months after the murder of atheist writer and blogger Avijit Roy in on February 26, 2015.

Avijit's publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan was also hacked to death on October 31 the same year.

Militant groups claimed responsibility for most of these attacks and the law enforcers arrested many radical Islamists in connection with the attacks.President Donald Trump shook hands with Kim Jong-un of North Korea on Tuesday and offered a major concession during the first summit meeting between their nations, a momentous step in an improbable courtship between the worlds largest nuclear power and the most reclusive one. Brash, impulsive leaders who only a few months ago taunted each other across a nuclear abyss, Trump and Kim set aside their threats in a gamble that for now, at least, personal diplomacy can counteract decades of enmity and distrust. Emerging from a day of talks in Singapore and speaking to reporters ...Toyama Prefectural Police have arrested eight men over the alleged gang rape of a woman at a residence in Toyama City on Sunday, reports the Sankei Shimbun.

Between around 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., Keisuke Muranaka, a 31-year-old company employee living in Imizu City, and the other seven suspects are alleged to have worked together in pinning down the woman, aged in her 20s, inside the residence and sexually assaulting her.

Some of the suspects, who have been accused of coerced intercourse, admit to the allegations. "We all sexually assaulted her against her will," one of the suspects said, according to the Toyama Chuo Police Station.

However, they deny criminal intent, saying the sexual activities were done after receiving consent.

According to police, the suspects are all acquaintances. Prior to the incident, the suspects called out to the woman in the street. They then took her to a residence of one of the suspects.

- tokyoreporter.comThe White House restricted journalists' access to parts of President Donald Trump's summit with Kim Jong Un today despite long-standing arrangements intended to ensure the public is kept fully abreast of key presidential moments, such as the first meeting in history with a North Korean leader.

Under standard rules agreed to by the White House and the press corps, a full pool of reporters travels with the president at all times and is allowed at any meetings where press access in granted, even if space is limited. The group includes representatives from various forms of media such as TV, print and photos who then pool the information they gather with other news outlets that are unable to be present because of space.

During the photo-op at the start of Trump's one-on-one meeting with Kim, text reporters for newswires The Associated Press, Reuters and Bloomberg were kept out of the pool, as were the designated representatives for radio and the foreign press corps. Although a television cameraman and sound technician were allowed in, the TV networks' editorial representative responsible for relaying information to colleagues about what occurs or is said during the photo-op was not.

Some, but not all, were later allowed in for the photo-op of Trump's larger meeting with Kim and aides from both countries.

No independent journalists were allowed in for another photo-op at the start of a working lunch meeting involving Trump, Kim and top aides. U.S. journalists learned that the lunch was underway only when footage from inside was displayed on a video feed provided by summit host Singapore.

"AP is troubled by the decision to curb media access at the Singapore summit," said Lauren Easton, AP's director of media relations and a spokeswoman for the news cooperative. "It is a disservice to the public, which deserves prompt, accurate and complete reporting on what may be one of the president's most consequential meetings." The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about why the full pool was not permitted to cover the events.

(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.)Shares of Usha Martin hit a 52-week high of Rs 33 per share, up 12% on the BSE after the company announced on Monday that its board has decided to explore the sale of its steel business. The board of directors of the company decided to explore the sale of its steel business in order to achieve the objective of deleveraging the company, Usha Martin said in a regulatory filing on Monday after the market hours.

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Digital EditorBollywood actor Armaan Kohli, who is accused of assaulting his girlfriend, was arrested by Mumbai police on Tuesday.

Last week, a case was registered against Armaan Kohli at Mumbai's Santacruz police station for allegedly physically assaulting his girlfriend.

The victim, who accused the actor of assault, was hospitalised in Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital.

Armaan and his girlfriend were said to be in a live-in relationship since 2015. They met through a common friend and soon started dating.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday held a party committee meeting, wherein various topics including the prospect of an early election and functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were discussed.

Naidu was in favour of the 2019 General Elections and the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections being conducted before May 2019.

During the meeting, EVMs was also a much-discussed topic.

"The party leaders should be careful with EVMs. Party cadre should be on full alert. The central government is taking all systems including Election Commission into its control. There is a possibility of misusing the EVMs. Party should be very keen in this regard," said state Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu in his address.

Agreeing with Yanamala's comments, Naidu said that it was very easy to tamper with electronic gadgets and that the possibilities of misusing EVMs were very real.

"One should give a serious thought about alternative or solution for the problem. There are suspicions about the functioning of EVMs at the level. Even in developed countries, ballot system is being used. TDP has always been opting for the ballot model only. We will make this a debatable point at the level and will take care to safeguard the democracy," he added.

The chief minister also indicated that a third 'Dharma Porata Sabha' will be held at Rajahmundry on the banks of river Godavari this month (one meeting was held in Tirupati and another one in Visakhapatnam.) against the Central Government over special category status

Naidu is planning to conduct one such meeting in all the 13 districts before the elections, with the last one scheduled to be held in Amaravati.

While lashing out at the Bharatiya Janata Party, he said that the party was provoking regionalism.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today met with officials from Kia Motors India, who informed him that by January 2019, the first 'made in India' car will be ready.

The officials of Kia Motors India presented a brief progress report of the various modules of the project in Anantapur.

Other parts of the project include the Engine Shop, the Head Office, Manual Transmission, Seats, Coil Centre, Test track and the township with residential buildings.

The Chief Minister directed officials from the industries department to ensure that there is real-time updation of the physical progress of the project.

He also spoke to the collectorate office of Anantapur through video conference and urged them to resolve land acquisition issues.

He also congratulated all officials for making sure that the project is ahead of schedule.

Kia Motors India and AP State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) will start a Basic Training Course in the automobile sector on June 20.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Members of the All Assamese Students Association in New Delhi recently held a prayer meet in memory of Abhijeet Nath and Nilutpal Das, who were lynched in Assam's Karbi Anglong District last week.

Both were killed because villagers thought they were child abductors.

Public outrage over the lynching has been at its peak, with demonstrators across the state demanding justice for the families of Nath and Das.

Condemning the death, the students' association urged the government to punish the culprits as soon as possible.

The prayer meeting was held at the Arts Faculty, North Campus, Delhi University, and was attended by a large number of students and professionals.

Subhrajyoti Duarah, a member of the association, said, "We all Assamese Students Association members insist for immediate punishment of the perpetrators. The action taken by the administration so far is unfortunate. We are really ashamed and afraid to extend an invitation to people to visit Assam which is no longer safe for its own people. This is something most saddening."

Duarah added that the comments made by the District Commissioner of Karbi Anglong were also very unfortunate and demanded that he apologise.

Karbi Anglong Deputy Commissioner Mridul Kumar Mahanta faced flak on social media for his 'irresponsible' and 'insensitive' statements over the lynching of two youths of Guwahati at Kangthilangso, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Dokmoka police station

He said then, "They should have informed the police before going to Panjuri village. Why did they not inform police before going there? So far we know, the incident took place in the night. This apparently shows that they were there till night. I don't think they did a right thing by staying there till night."

Debashish Kashyap, Vice President of AASA, told ANI, "We want justice and we don't want any communal riots in Assam, neither we are against any community. At the same time, we urge the youths not to take any action that would harm the social fabric of the state. I believe an immediate probe by police should be carried out on the matter and more particularly on the officials of the district.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, met with Canada's Special Envoy to Myanmar Bob Rae and assured him of addressing the visa issue pertaining to foreign relief workers working in Rohingya shelter camps in Bangladesh.

"The government is cautiously dealing with the matter as many foreign nationals are working in the Rohingya camps after coming to Bangladesh with tourist visa," Hasina's press secretary Ehsanul Karim quoted Hasina as saying, as per The Dhaka Tribune.

Hasina further underscored that her government is aware that many foreign nationals in the guise of relief workers are trying to infiltrate in Bangladesh.

"This may lead to child and women trafficking, sexual abuse, terrorism," she added.

She further asserted that to resolve the issue a special category visa will be issued to the relief workers.

The Bangladeshi PM later recalled historical relations between Bangladesh and Canada since Bangladesh's independence, adding that the two countries can further work on strengthening cooperation.

Rohingyas are a Muslim minority ethnic group in Myanmar, who are considered as illegal immigrants as opposed to citizens of the country.

Due to a surge in violence in western Myanmar last year, over 700,000 Rohingyas fled the country to escape the military's action. Presently, they are languishing in Bangladeshi refugee camps.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Even as a court in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra framed charges against Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his derogatory remarks against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Tuesday, the latter pleaded "not guilty."

The charges against Gandhi were framed under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 499 and 500.

RSS activist Rajesh Kunte had earlier moved the court against Gandhi over his statement made at an election rally in March 2014, wherein he blamed the RSS for Mahatma Gandhi's assassination.

On April 23, Gandhi's lawyer had filed an application for exemption from appearance in the court.

In September 2016, Gandhi withdrew his petition filed in the apex court, challenging the case, saying he would face the trial.

The top court had refused to interfere with criminal proceedings pending against him in a trial court.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Japan has put another satellite into orbit to gather intelligence for national security purposes.

An H2A rocket carrying the intelligence-gathering satellite lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima, southern Japan, at 1:20 PM on Tuesday. It put the satellite into orbit some 20 minutes later.

The Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which carried out the launch, cited security reasons for not disclosing launch details, such as the altitude of the satellite release.

The de-facto reconnaissance satellite is designed to capture images of the Earth's surface from hundreds of kilometers up.

Japan operates optical and radar satellites. The optical type use high-performance cameras to take images during the day, while the radar satellites take photos at night and in bad weather using radio waves. The latest launch was of a radar-type satellite.

The Japanese government uses the satellites to monitor North Korea's missile-launching facilities and to assess the extent of damage in disasters among other things.

Japan now has 8 intelligence-gathering satellites in orbit. Six are in operation. An optical-type satellite launched in February is currently being prepared to go into operation.

Together, the satellites ensure every part of the Earth is covered at least once a day.

The government plans to increase the number of reconnaissance satellites in orbit to 10. - NHKNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un said 'Coming here was not an easy thing', as per NHK News.

This statement is in reference to his one-on-one meeting with US President Donald Trump which took place at a resort island of Sentosa in Singapore.

Earlier in the day, the two leaders arrived at the hotel along with their respective motorcades. They were accompanied by their respective officials.

Further, President Trump and Kim shook hands and then posed for a photograph at the entrance of the venue which was decked up with flags of the US and North Korea.

The meeting came after months of deliberations between two countries over the time and venue of the summit.

In spite of Kim threatening to call off the summit talks following the 'Max military drills' and Trump announcing to call off the event, citing "tremendous anger and open hostility" from North Korea as the reason, the historic summit finally culminated successfully.

In April, the reclusive country made an announcement that it would end all nuclear and long-range ballistic missile tests, saying that it no longer needed them.

In May, Trump cancelled the meeting with Kim, blaming hostility and anger displayed by North Korea regarding the US-South Korea 'Max Thunder' military drills.

The deadlock regarding the fate of the summit broke after Vice-Chairman of the North Korean ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee, Kim Yong Chol visited the White House along with a letter written by Kim and met the US President.

On June 1, the US President said that the US-North Korea summit was back on track.

Earlier, the US President has expressed keenness about his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and called it a "one-time opportunity".

"Great to be in Singapore, excitement in the air!" Trump tweeted on Monday.

Interestingly, four years ago, Trump had dismissed the very idea of visiting North Korea, tweeting, "No interest, last place on Earth I want to go to."

This Singaporean summit follows decades of tough diplomatic wrangling on North Korea by the past US administrations, most of which were a failed attempt.

Trump, a while back said he was happy with the meeting and the two leaders, now share an excellent relationship.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that Congress and other opposition parties will defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre in the 2019 general elections.

Addressing a rally in Mumbai, Rahul said that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be wiped out in the upcoming Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh assembly elections.

"They (BJP) has recently lost in Karnataka and has barely saved themselves in Gujarat. They will be wiped out in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and Congress and other opposition parties will defeat them in the General Elections of 2019," said the Congress president.

Rahul also took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi by saying that he does not respect his 'guru' and senior BJP leader L. K. Advani.

"LK Advani has been the guru of Prime Minister Modi, but I have seen in events that PM Modi does not even respect his guru. Today I feel very sad for Advani ji. The Congress party has given him more respect than Modi Ji," he added.

Rahul also claimed that it's his party which can defeat the ideology of the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

He said, "A senior politician told me that he has been fighting against the Congress for the past 50 years and it is after 50 years that he realised that if there is any party which can keep the country safe it is the Congress. Only Congress can defeat the ideology of BJP and RSS."

This is Rahul's first visit to Maharashtra after taking over as Congress chief.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A case of criminal contempt was filed in Uttarakhand High Court in Tuesday against Justice Lokpal Singh for allegedly using inappropriate language against other lawyers including a former judge and a woman lawyer.

The petition was filed by a lawyer C.K. Sharma, who has requested the court to take suo motu cognisance in the matter.

As per reports, Justice Singh humiliated Sharma in an open court and threatened to send him to jail.

On January, the Uttarakhand High Court lawyers staged a protest against Justice Lokpal Singh for making personal remarks on them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Tibetian spiritual leader The Dalai Lama is in the "best of the health", confirmed spokesperson of the Central Tibetan Administration, Sonam Dagpo on Tuesday giving rest to rumours surrounding the former's health.

"The news is fake. His Holiness The Dalai Lama is in best of health. And... I think recently he was very active in giving teachings to the students and also meeting Indians and the international community in Dharamsala. He also attended so many local events in Dharamsala itself. Now his holiness Dalai Lama is Lithuania. He'll be giving teachings and public talks there," Sonam Dagpo told ANI.

Dagpo added that Dalai Lama is delivering talks and giving sermons to devotees all over the busting the reports that the spiritual leader had prostate cancer and is undergoing treatment in the US.

Earlier on Monday, a media report suggested that the Tibetan leader "is suffering from prostate cancer and has been undergoing treatment in the US for the last two years," adding that it has "advanced well into the last stages."

The 82-year-old spiritual leader is on an 11-day tour of Lithuania and Latvia at the moment. He is a frequent traveller but his restricted movement over the past couple of months fueled the speculations about his health.

The Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. After a rebellion against the Chinese rule in 1959, the spiritual leader had exiled himself in India and has since been living mostly in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamsala. The Nobel laureate's supporters operate a government-in-exile and promote Tibet's autonomy by peaceful means.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Crime Branch of Delhi Police will now investigate the rape case against self-styled godman Daati Maharaj.

Daati Maharaj has been accused of raping a disciple inside Shani Dham two years ago.

The woman registered the case in Fatehpur Beri police station on Sunday. It was later transferred to District Investigation Unit (DIU).

Daati Maharaj has been booked under Indian Penal Code, sections - 376, 377, 354 and 34.

The woman has alleged that she didn't file a complaint earlier as she felt intimidated by the self-styled godman. She also said she raped repeatedly even in Gurukul Ashwasan, Bal Gram, Sojat, Pali (Rajasthan).

On Monday, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal sought a police protection for the women.

Maliwal wrote a letter to the SHO of Fatehpur Beri police station, requesting him to look into the matter and provide immediate protection to the victim.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The United States President Donald Trump said that the denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula will start "very, very quickly."

Asked if the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to denuclearise, Trump said "absolutely", quoted CNN.

Trump praised Kim saying, "I learned he's a very talented man. I also learned he loves his country very much." Kim is a worthy negotiator and he had developed a "very special bond" with Kim, Trump added.

In response, Kim said he wanted to express gratitude to Trump for making the meeting happen.

"We had a historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind," Kim said through a translator.

The two leaders, after their working lunch and walk around Capella, signed a joint, comprehensive but unspecified agreement.

The US delegation including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Chief of Staff John Kelly and National Security Adviser John Bolton, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, and National Security Council senior director for Asia Matt Pottinger joined the two leaders for working lunch.

Trump also said he would like to invite Kim to the White House.

Standing again in front of the US and North Korean flags, where they started the historic day, Trump and Kim shook hands one final time.

Trump will depart for the United States at around 7 p.m. from the Paya Lebar Airbase, after holding a press conference at 4 pm.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday blamed the State Government for spiritual leader Bhayyuji Maharaj's death.

Singh told ANI, "He (Bhayyuji Maharaj) was worried about illegal mining in the Narmada by the Shivraj Singh Chauhan-led government and was offered the post of minister to shut his mouth. He rejected the offer and had told me about it on call."

Bhayyuji Maharaj allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a revolver at his Indore residence on Tuesday.

The spiritual leader, whose original name was Udaysingh Deshmukh, had a strong following in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and was known to have political connections with the state leaders. He announced his retirement from public life in 2016.

He was associated with key leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress Party and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for a long time.

Bhayyuji earned attention in 2011 when he had a dialogue with anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare on the Lokpal Bill when the latter was on an indefinite hunger strike and refused to discuss the bill with the Centre.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) organised a seminar, 'Terrorism in South Asia; Challenges for the West', during the world's largest German Congress conference in the field of Crime Prevention.

The seminar was held in Germany on Monday.

The event was hosted in collaboration with the Federal State of Saxony, the city of Dresden and the Crime Prevention Council of Saxony.

The topic of this 23rd session was 'Violence and Radicalism - Current Challenges for Prevention'. The seminar was moderated by the Research Analyst of EFSAS Yoana Barakova.

The seminar was arranged under the conference's Annual International Forum (AIF).

It was established to address the international audience with the aim to add an international perspective to the German Congress and share experiences in crime prevention, terrorism and radicalization on an international level.

A Kashmiri writer and Director of the EFSAS, Mr Junaid Qureshi, delivered a lecture and elucidated the remarkable expansion of terrorist forces in the region and challenges for the West while thoroughly discussing the origins of the issue and its geopolitical nature.

Qureshi, during his speech, said that the multi-layered dimensions of international terrorism have clearly demonstrated the blurring of lines between internal and external security and between the domestic and international aspects of counter-terrorism policies.

The Director of EFSAS explained that local grievances and socio-political dynamics are exploited by terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, ISIL, Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taibah, the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban.

Explaining the nexus between religious extremism in South Asia and radicalization in the West, Qureshi said that many terrorist organisations have stronghold in South Asia or individuals inspired by these organizations as they have made explicit threats to attack the West and have also claimed responsibility for such attacks.

He told that a large number of these terrorists have themselves confessed to have undergone psychological and military training in terrorist camps in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The Director of EFSAS solidified his remarks by citing examples of terrorist attacks having a nexus with South Asia.

He cited instances of the 9/11 attacks, where the militants were trained at Al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, Umar Patek involved in the 2002 Bali bombings, was found hiding in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in early 2011; The key connection between Al-Qaeda's central leadership and the 2004 Madrid train bombings network, Amer Azizi, a Moroccan, received training in a military camp in Afghanistan and travelled from Pakistan to Spain in 2003, to finalise the bombing preparations.

Qureshi further emphasised on the perilous interlink between terrorism in South Asia and the West by highlighting the terrorist attack of December 2015 in San Bernardino California, perpetrated by a married couple of Pakistani descent and the New York City subway attack by a 27-year-old Bangladeshi born lone wolf terrorist in December 2017. He further added that in the attacks on Mumbai in 2008, which killed more than 160 people.

Qureshi said that these and other attacks in Europe have exposed the deficiencies in counter-terrorism policies across the continent which have left Europe and, in the case of David Headley, South Asia, particularly vulnerable.

He concluded by saying that there is a critical need in raising awareness across Western countries and offering practical guidance and training on addressing terrorism and violent extremism that originates from South Asia, which has seen an increase in recent years.

The seminar was attended by Security Officials, Government Agencies, Policy-makers, Human Rights Activists, Scholars, Academicians and Students.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's condition is stable and is responding well to the treatment, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) said on Tuesday.

Dr. (Professor) Aarti Vij said in a statement, "Former Prime Minister Vajpayee's condition is stable. He is responding to treatment and is on injectable antibiotics. All vital parameters are stable. He will continue to be in hospital till infection is controlled."

Vajpayee is currently undergoing treatment for urinary tract at AIIMS.

Union environment minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Monday said the health condition of Vajpayee was fine, adding there was nothing to worry about.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited AIIMS to meet the ailing former prime minister, where he interacted with Vajpayee's family members and also spoke to doctors and inquired about his health.

The Prime Minister was at AIIMS for about 50 minutes.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Minister of Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) founder and general secretary Vaiko and BJP President Amit Shah too visited the hospital to meet Vajpayee.

The 93-year-old Vajpayee was the first ever person from the BJP to have become the nation's prime minister.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)As Myanmar remains 'very slow' in creating conditions for the safe return of Rohingyas from Bangladesh, international pressure are mounting afresh on the country.

According to the Dhaka Tribune, a diplomat said, depending only on bilateral mechanisms to resolve the Rohingya crisis, no result has been reached till now.

On June 6, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, and UNDP, the UN Development Programme, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Myanmar government in Nay Pyi Taw.

The MoU aims at creating conducive conditions for the repatriation of refugees and for creating improved livelihoods for all communities living in Rakhine State.

Human Rights Watch has asked the UNSC to immediately refer the situation in Myanmar to the ICC.

During the first week of May, senior diplomats from the 15-member UNSC visited refugee camps in Bangladesh to see the situation of the more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar military abuses since August 2017.

Last month, the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Operations (ECHO) had provided $2.6 million to United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to ensure that both the Rohingya refugees and local Bangladeshis who live alongside them, can live in a safe and protective environment free from gender-based violence (GBV).

More than 700,000 Rohingya refugees are languishing in Bangladeshi refugee camps after fleeing a brutal Myanmar army campaign launched in August last year.

The United Nations had said the scorched-earth operation, which had left hundreds of villages burned to ash in Myanmar's Rakhine state, amounted to 'ethnic cleansing'.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The US Assistant Secretary of State on Cultural Affairs, Marie Royce, will visit Taiwan's capital Taipei to attend a ceremony opening a new building housing the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), widely acknowledged as the de facto American embassy to Taiwan.

There have also been expressions of support for Taipei from United States officials and lawmakers in the face of growing pressure from Beijing, which has lured away Taiwan's allies and blocked the island's participation in worldwide events.

Washington gave up official diplomatic ties with Taipei in 1979 to recognise Beijing, but it remains the island's most powerful ally and top arms supplier.

Also in attendance were Rep. Gregg Harper and Marie Royce, the US assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs.

"AIT's new home is a tangible symbol that reflects the strength of our ties", said Royce.

Geng said the ministry urged the United States to uphold the "one China" policy and avoid damaging China-U.S. relations, as well as "peace and stability" in the Taiwan Strait. "China needs to make early preparation", the tabloid said.

Asked about whether there would be higher levels of American officials coming to Taiwan for the official start of operations at the AIT's new office complex expected in September, a move that will likely face protest from China, Moriarty said as of now, the institute has not had any specific plans.

"Taiwan authorities on the many partnerships and exchanges between the United States and Taiwan".

Despite the Western-styled decoration, with American flags flying around, the dedication ceremony was actually infused with Taiwanese and American traditions.

Yet, as NPR's Rob Schmitz explains, Washington has been creeping steadily closer to Taiwan under the Trump administration.

"I think Taiwan-U.S. relations have improved in appearance, not in substance", said Chen I-hsin, an emeritus professor of diplomacy in Taiwan.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said the new building was a reaffirmation of commitment to a "vital relationship" between the USA and Taiwan.

"By treating one another with dignity, sincerity, and respect, we would accomplish great things", said the president.

Royce is a wife of Republican Ed Royce, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, a politician who has promoted several pro-Taiwan bills, including the Taiwan Travel Act, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports.

After the drape covering the facade of the new building was pulled off, the ceremony was left with one last activity.

"The opening tomorrow of the new AIT headquarters shows how important our relationship is to the USA", the Republican lawmaker from MS said.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday criticised Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues for protesting at the Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's office since yesterday.

Speaking to ANI Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay said, "Kejriwal has failed to deliver on all his promises- be it security for women, CCTV installations, unemployment and many more. He never brought development in the city, nor in the statehood issue. Just because he didn't do anything for the capital, he has always blamed the Centre for it."

"Kejriwal always has an issue with someone or the other- like Lieutenant Governor, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Instead of planning for development, he has only accused the government," Upadhyay added.

Kejriwal, along with senior ministers- Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai have been camping in the Raj Niwas, the official accommodation-cum-office of the Lieutenant Governor, since Monday evening.

He also claimed the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers working for Government of Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) were "only working on important files" and "not responding to Ministers' calls and messages, and not attending our meetings".

They have asked Baijal to direct the IAS officers to end their strike and take action against officers who have allegedly struck work for four months.

However, GNCTD refuted the allegation and said, "We wish to reiterate and clarify that such reports are baseless and false. All Officers, including IAS Officers, in GNCTD are working with full vigour and dedication. Files are being disposed of and dealt with regularly as per rules. There is no question of any Officers in GNCTD being on strike."

It further added that OIAS officers are regularly attending office while senior officers are also conducting field inspections on regular basis and submitting their report to the Department of Administrative Reforms.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India on Tuesday welcomed the historic summit that took place between United States President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore.

"This is a positive development. India has always supported all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy. We hope that the outcomes of the U.S.-DPRK Summit will be implemented, thus paving the way for lasting peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula," a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) read.

The MEA statement added, "We also hope that the resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue will take into account and address our concerns about proliferation linkages extending to India's neighbourhood."

The meeting came after months of deliberations between two countries over the time and venue of the summit.

Both the leaders signed a joint agreement, according to which Kim committed for 'complete denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula', as per media reports.

Prior to the signing of the comprehensive document, both the leaders had a working lunch and walked around Capella, where they held a bilateral meeting in the morning.

Despite Kim threatening to call off the summit talks following the 'Max military drills' and Trump announcing to call off the event, citing "tremendous anger and open hostility" from North Korea as the reason, the historic summit finally culminated successfully.

Trump has departed for the US from Singapore's Paya Lebar Airbase aboard Air Force One, after holding talks with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un.

He's headed back to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, with brief stops in Guam and Hawaii first, CNN reported.

Trump's departure followed the press conference that the US president addressed after the summit.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Police in the Australian state of Victoria has issued a warning about an unnamed Pakistan-based ISIS-linked extremist, who reportedly discussed bombing key Melbourne landmarks, including the Queen Victoria Market.

Maintaining that this ISIS supporter poses a serious risk to public safety, Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Ross Guenther was quoted by The Age, as saying that more than 100 Australians are at risk of associating with that extremist or others as they currently live in and near conflict zones.,

Assistant Commissioner Guenther was further quoted, as saying that Victoria Police is not yet clear whether the plotter has contacted anyone on Australian soil.

A foreign terror plot to blow up Melbourne landmarks including the Queen Victoria Market was uncovered by a British family of "amateur jihadi hunters" who were in contact with the foreign fighter earlier this year.

Assistant Commissioner Guenther said while Melbourne was a very attractive target to ISIS affiliates, police were closely monitoring more than 200 persons of interest.

"We received information earlier this year. It was online communication between a person believed to be in the Middle East and an individual in Britain posing as an extremist," The Age quoted Assistant Guenther, as saying.

"That person did provide instructional advice to the individual in the UK, believing them to be living in Melbourne. The information was ultimately shared with our law enforcement security parties who assessed that information and concluded it posed no credible threat to Victoria," he added.

The terror plan discussed online between parties in the UK and Pakistan was to plant a "sequence of bombs" in the market and then drive the car, fitted with another bomb, into a crowded corner of the building before blowing up the vehicle.

The plot was hatched over the encrypted messaging service Telegram.

Assistant Commissioner Guenther said it was not uncommon for such instructional material to be in circulation.

Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the council is working with police to ensure the public's safety.

Australian Federal Police declined to comment.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Lahore Registry of the Pakistan Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday dismissed convict Imran Ali's appeal against the death sentence awarded to him for allegedly raping and murdering a six-year-old girl in Kasur.

Ali's appeal was rejected by a three-judge bench, comprising Justices Asif Saeed Khosa, Manzoor Ahmed Malik, and Mansoor Ali Shah.

The bench upheld the death penalty which was earlier given to him by an anti-terrorism court (ATC), Geo TV reported.

The minor, a resident of the Kasur district of Pakistan's Punjab province, was kidnapped on her way to a tuition centre on January 4.

Five days after her disappearance, she was found raped, dead and buried in a garbage dump near Kashmir Chowk.

According to the initial post-mortem report, the minor was strangled to death after being raped multiple times.

This incident incited huge protests in Kasur and other major cities of Pakistan.

In February, an ATC in Pakistan framed charges against Ali, the man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting seven other minors. It indicted Ali and started regular proceedings after the accused refused to accept the charges levelled against him in the challan submitted by the police.

Ali appealed to the Lahore High Court saying he did not do anything and pleaded for the verdict to stand "null and void."

Ali was sentenced to death for the murder, rape, and kidnapping of the minor under Section 7-ATA.

ATC Judge Sajjad Ahmad recorded statements of at least 20 prosecution witnesses, including the minor's father and brother.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a joint agreement, according to which Kim committed for 'complete denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula', as per media reports.

A while back, Trump said that the denuclearisation process for North Korea is starting "very, very quickly."

Trump praised Kim saying, "I learned he's a very talented man. I also learned he loves his country very much." Kim is a worthy negotiator and he had developed a "very special bond" with Kim, Trump added.

In response, Kim said he wanted to express gratitude to Trump for making the meeting happen.

"We had a historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind," Kim said through a translator.

Trump also said he would like to invite Kim to the White House.

Prior to the signing of the comprehensive document, both the leaders had a working lunch and walked around Capella, where they held a bilateral meeting in the morning.

Earlier in the day, the two leaders arrived at the hotel along with their respective motorcades. They were accompanied by their respective officials.

Further, President Trump and Kim posed for a photograph as the entrance of the venue was decked up with flags of the US and North Korea.

The meeting came after months of deliberations between two countries over the time and venue of the summit.

In spite of Kim threatening to call off the summit talks following the 'Max military drills' and Trump announcing to call off the event, citing "tremendous anger and open hostility" from North Korea as the reason, the historic summit finally culminated successfully.

Standing again in front of the US and North Korean flags, where they started the historic day, Trump and Kim shook hands one final time.

Trump will depart for the United States at around 7 p.m. from the Paya Lebar Airbase, after holding a press conference at 4 pm.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)United States President Donald Trump after meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his one-on-one meeting with Kim was 'very, very good' and they have an 'excellent relationship', as per media reports.

The much-awaited summit between Trump and Kim took place in Singapore today.

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met at a resort island of Sentosa along with their respective translators.

Earlier in the day, the two leaders arrived at the hotel along with their respective motorcades. They were accompanied by their respective officials.

Trump and Kim shared a historic handshake as they meet for the first time. The two clasped hands for a long while as they posed for photos in front of a row of U.S. and North Korean flags.

The meeting came after months of deliberations between two countries over the time and venue of the summit.

In spite of Kim threatening to call off the summit talks following the 'Max military drills' and Trump announcing to call off the event, citing "tremendous anger and open hostility" from North Korea as the reason, the historic summit finally concluded successfully.

Trump will depart for the United States at around 7 p.m. from the Paya Lebar Airbase.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Congress on Tuesday alleged that Madhya Pradesh Government's pressure led to spiritual leader Bhaiyyuji Maharaj's alleged suicide.

The Congress further demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter.

"Madhya Pradesh government had put pressure on him (Bhaiyyuji Maharaj) to accept privileges and support the government, which he refused to do. He was under a lot of mental pressure. CBI probe should be done," Congress media committee chairman Manak Agarwal told ANI.

Bhayyuji Maharaj allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself at his residence earlier today. He was admitted to Bombay Hospital in a critical condition.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Makrand Deoskar said that all aspects of the case are being investigated.

"A suicide note and pistol have been seized. All aspects of the case are being investigated. Family members will also be questioned," Deoskar noted.

Also, Deputy Inspector General of Police Harinarayanchari Mishra said, "We have seized the suicide note. In the suicide note, he has mentioned mental tension but the reason for the tension is not known as yet. We are investigating the case."

Bhayyuji, whose real name is Udaysingh Deshmukh, had a strong following in Maharashtra and was known to have political connections with the state leaders. He announced his retirement from public life in 2016.

He was associated with key leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress Party and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for a long time.

Bhayyuji earned attention in 2011 when he had a dialogue with anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare on the Lokpal Bill, when the latter was on an indefinite hunger strike and refused to discuss the bill with the Centre.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar on Monday filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate from Taxila and Rawalpindi to contest upcoming elections on July 25.

As reported by the Dawn, Nisar, who has been associated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), while speaking to media appeared miffed with the party for choosing 'politically orphan' people over him and said that he would no longer be working for the party.

He further made a scathing remark at ousted Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz, who is going to fight elections from the Karachi constituency.

Nisar said, "These Sharifs will not able to show their faces anywhere if I decide to open my mouth" and that he had been silent all this while because of his 34-year association with the Sharifs.

Continuing his attack on the father-daughter duo, Nisar said, "An opponent of Aurat Raj (women holding political office) has now imposed his daughter on the party."

Talking about whether he would be joining PML(N) opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaaf (PTI) in the future, Nisar said: "While there might be ten faults within the PTI, there are more than 100 flaws in the N-league."

This comes after former federal information minister Pervaiz Rashid said that only those would be considered for award of party tickets who have formally applied for it and were appearing before the board.

Meanwhile, Maryam Nawaz uploaded a video showing PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif appearing before the parliamentary board to qualify for a party ticket.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)No agreement was reached during the meeting held between Bank and a four-member Pakistan delegation on May 21-22 on Indus Water Treaty.

The 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 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.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has been facing charges in the Avenfield properties case has said that no lawyer is willing to take his case.

Sharif's lawyer Khwaja Haris on Monday terminated his legal services to Nawaz and his family in corruption cases, citing inability to appear before accountability court on weekends.

Haris also stated that the Supreme Court had 'dictated on completing the trial within a month, which was not possible.'

Nawaz and his family are facing three corruption cases filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

If the verdict in the corruption references came before Pakistan's general elections it would amount to desecration of the law.

"My fundamental rights are being violated as I am being deprived of the services of a lawyer," Dawn quoted Sharif as saying.

He also claimed that because of the strict conditions set by the apex court, no lawyer was willing to take up his case.

Sharif complained that the accountability court had changed its decision regarding consolidated hearing.

He was also critical of former military dictator retired General Pervez Musharraf. "How a dictator who abrogated the Constitution is being pampered!" he said.

Sharif, his sons Hasan and Hussain, daughter Maryam, son-in-law Capt (retd) Mohammad Safdar and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar are facing multiple corruption references in the accountability court.

The court then asked Sharif if he would engage a new lawyer or convince Advocate Haris to take back his application, he sought some time from the court to respond.

After that the court adjourned the proceedings till today.

The trial for the corruption references had started on September 14, 2017. The cases filed against the Sharifs are in connection with the Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment, offshore companies including Flagship Investment Ltd, and Avenfield properties of London.

While the Sharif and his sons are accused in all three cases, his daughter and son-in-law are involved only in the Avenfield reference.

The Pakistan Supreme Court had, on July 28 last year, disqualified Sharif from holding the office of the prime minister and asked the National Accountability Bureau to file references against the Sharif family in connection with corruption cases.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Trump and Kim arrived not long ago on Singapore's Sentosa Island, the site of their unprecedented summit.

Mr Trump later said the USA would suspend its military exercises that have infuriated North Korea, which analysts see as an apparent concession. The missiles flew back into to their launchers, and a science-fiction like version North Korea took its place - one of crane-dotted skylines, crowded highways, computerized factories and drones, all presided over by a waving, grinning Kim.

Trump also reaffirmed the tight US-Singapore relations by reassuring PM Lee that he was "his friend".

While the discussions between the two leaders were no doubt serious, people have also been talking about a joke from the President that seemed to fall flat on its feet.

Mr Kim's itinerary was reported in detail, which is a rarity for the state's media, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

"Featuring President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un in a meeting to remake history", the narrator concluded, as Korean words flashed on a black background: "It is going to become a reality?" Children skipping through Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang, North Korean flags waving between images of Egyptian pyramids, the Taj Mahal and the Lincoln Memorial. And I said instead of doing that you could have the best hotels in the world right there.

The credit on the video said it was produced by Destiny Pictures, which disrupted the morning of Mark Castaldo, who owns a Los Angeles-based production company with the same name, albeit with a different logo than the one in the video.

When Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong visited the worldwide media center for the summit at F1 Pit Building on Sunday, he said it will cost the city state "around 20 million Singaporean dollars" (W16.1 billion, US$1=W1,078) to host the "historic summit". "I'm so happy", he said. Be the hero of his people?. "Think of it from a real estate perspective".

At times, the video appeared to address Kim directly, suggesting he could make a choice that would open North Korea to new investment and step into a starring role in a moment in history with Trump.

What if? The future remains to be written.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that sanctions should be revisited if North Korea complies with Security Council demands for denuclearization.

"I think he wants to de-nuke, without that, there's nothing to discuss". The US forces in South Korea, meanwhile, told Stars and Stripes magazine that it had not received updated guidance on cessation of training exercises, and "will continue with our current military posture until we receive updated guidance". I never started it for no money.

Japan, the chief US ally in the region, got none of what it wanted - Kim made no promise to address the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea, and he offered no limits on his ballistic missile programs.

Rodman said he was "naive when I went over there".A Special PMLA court here on Tuesday issued a non-bailable warrant against billionaire businessman Nirav Modi in connection with multi-crore Punjab Bank (PNB) scam.

According to media reports, Nirav, the Indian billionaire jeweller who is at the centre of an alleged multi crore bank fraud, has fled to the UK where he is claiming political asylum.

Yesterday, the Central Bureau of Investigation said that it does not have confirmation on the whereabouts of Nirav yet.

"The moment his whereabouts are confirmed further action will be taken," a CBI sources said.

For those unversed, the PNB detected the multi-crore scam, wherein Nirav and his uncle-cum-business-partner Mehul Choksi had allegedly cheated the bank to the tune of USD 2 billion, with the purported involvement of a few employees of the bank.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pakistan Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa left for Kabul to meet President Ashraf Ghani, on Tuesday.

As per Geo News, the invitation to Bajwa was extended by the Afghan president, DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor tweeted.

"Pakistan wishes to see the National Unity Government and US/ NATO succeeding to bring peace in Afghanistan," Pak military spokesperson wrote on twitter.

Pakistan's President Mamnoon Hussain on Sunday said that Pakistan and Afghanistan will work together to draft a detailed strategy for establishing peace in Afghanistan.

Hussain said this at a session of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Qingdao.

"Pakistan and Afghanistan are working on a comprehensive strategy on a bilateral basis to establish peace in Afghanistan," Hussain said.

Pakistan's president appreciated Afghanistan for announcing a ceasefire with the Taliban, calling it a positive move.

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani had earlier announced a ceasefire with the Taliban starting from the 27th of Ramzan (June 12) to the fifth day of Eid-ul-Fitr (June 19).

In response to Ghani's announcement, the Taliban on Saturday declared a three-day ceasefire over the Eid holiday, two days after the Afghan government announced the ceasefire.

This is the first time the Taliban has agreed to a ceasefire since the US invasion in 2001.

Hussain concluded his speech by urging the leaders to take measures for capacity building and skill development of the youth in member states.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A four-hour hostage standoff in Paris came to an end with the police arresting the armed man and freeing those held.

The Paris Police Prefecture said that there was "a police intervention" underway in an advertising agency in the Rue des Petites-Ecuries in the 10th arrondissement of the French capital, CNN reported.

Two hostages were held after which the police launched an evacuation operation to help bring them out of the building.

The police described the accused as an "unstable person" and confirmed that he did not seem to have any connection with any terrorist outfit.

Further, the motive of the accused has also not been disclosed yet.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Russia's Ambassador to India Nikolay Rishatovich Kudashev on Tuesday welcomed the historic summit that took place between United States President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore and hoped that the agreements reached will be implemented.

"In my take we could welcome this development. Hopefully the agreements and understandings reached in Singapore would stay and would be implemented," Nikolay Rishatovich Kudashev, Russian Ambassador to India told ANI on the Trump-Kim Summit.

He also noted that earlier in the day, for the first time, External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj paid a visit to the Russian Embassy on Russia National Day and addressed the audience.

It is pertinent to mention that Russia National Day is celebrated on June 12. On this day, in 1991, Russian parliament formally declared Russian sovereignty from the Soviet Union. The holiday was officially established in 1992.

Meanwhile, the Trump-Kim Summit has been welcomed by India, UN secretary general Antonio Guterres and South Korea's President Moon Jae among others.

UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, hailed the summit and urged "all concerned parties to seize this momentous opportunity" and reiterating his readiness to "fully support the ongoing process."

According to the statement issued by the Blue House, South Korea's presidential office, President Moon Jae said that a successful summit would be a "great gift" to the whole

Both Trump and Kim signed a joint agreement, according to which Kim committed for 'complete denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula', as per media reports.

Prior to the signing of the comprehensive document, both the leaders had a working lunch and walked around Capella, where they held a bilateral meeting in the morning.

The meeting came after months of deliberations between two countries over the time and venue of the summit.

Trump departed for the US from Singapore's Paya Lebar Airbase aboard Air Force One after holding talks with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un.

He's headed back to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, with brief stops in Guam and Hawaii first, CNN reported.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hours before the meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was to take place on Tuesday in Singapore's Capella Hotel, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said it was a "sleepless night" for him.

Speaking ahead of a weekly cabinet briefing, Moon added that he hoped that the North Korea-US summit would be a success and open a "new chapter" for establishing long-lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

"I, along with all our people, sincerely hope that it will be a successful summit that will open a new era of complete denuclearisation, peace and a new relationship between South Korea, North Korea, and the United States," Moon was quoted by Yonhap News Agency as saying.

The South Korean President and his cabinet ministers delayed their weekly briefing for over 10 minutes to watch Trump and Kim meet face-to-face at the Capella Hotel in Singapore, where the two leaders shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, as they posed for photos in front of a row of US and North Korean flags.

However, Moon noted that a single summit would not be sufficient for a successful denuclearisation.

"The deep-rooted hostile relationship and the North Korean nuclear issue cannot be resolved in one single action in a meeting between leaders. Even after the two leaders open the dialogue, we will need a long process that may take one year, two years or even longer to completely resolve the issues," Moon further said.

An official of the South Korean presidential office later said that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit South Korea on Wednesday to brief Moon on the outcome of the US-North Korea summit, as per the report.

The South Korean President has expressed hope that he will hold a summit with Kim and Trump soon, in a bid to establish a permanent peace treaty to formally end the over six-decades-long Korean War.

The two Koreas technically remain at war as the Korean War ended with an armistice agreement and not a peace treaty.

Earlier, Moon in an unexpected telephonic conversation with Trump, expressed hope regarding the US-North Korea summit, saying a successful summit would be a birthday gift for the US President.

As reported by the Strait Times, he further said that it was only the beginning of what was likely to be a years-long process of denuclearising North Korea.

The summit between Trump and Kim is underway in Singapore where the former said his one-on-one meeting with Kim was 'very, very good' and they have an 'excellent relationship'.

On the other hand, Kim said he is willing to work in close cooperation with Trump.

Both leaders then held an extended bilateral meeting, and have now begun their working lunch.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Spiritual leader Bhayyuji Maharaj allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself at his residence here on Tuesday.

Earlier, he was admitted to Bombay Hospital in a critical condition.

Jayant Rathore of the Indore Police told media, "He had shot himself in the head."

Bhayyuji, whose real name is Udaysingh Deshmukh, had a strong following in Maharashtra and was known to have political connections with the state leaders. He announced his retirement from public life in 2016.

He was associated with key leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress Party and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for a long time.

Bhayyuji earned attention in 2011 when he had a dialogue with anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare on the Lokpal Bill, when the latter was on an indefinite hunger strike and refused to discuss the bill with the Centre.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president M.K. Stalin and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday expressed their concerns on former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's health and wished him a speedy recovery.

On Monday, Vajpayee was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and is currently undergoing treatment.

Taking to Twitter, Stalin said that he was saddened to hear Vajpayee's health and wished him a speedy and full recovery.

"I was saddened to hear about former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji being admitted to AIIMS. On behalf of DMK President Thalaivar Kalaignar and DMK party, I wish Vajpayeeji a speedy and full recovery back to normal health," Stalin wrote on the micro-blogging site.

Naidu also inquired on Vajpayee's health and prayed for a speedy recovery.

"I spoke to the officers in Delhi on the health of Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Praying to God for his speedy recovery and his return to home with good health," Naidu tweeted.

Earlier today, AIIMS said that Vajpayee's condition was stable and is responding well to the treatment.

Dr. (Professor) Aarti Vij said in a statement, "Former Prime Minister Vajpayee's condition is stable. He is responding to treatment and is on injectable antibiotics. All vital parameters are stable. He will continue to be in hospital till infection is controlled."

Many political leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi, visited the ailing former prime minister at AIIMS.

The 93-year-old Vajpayee was the first ever person from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to have become the nation's prime minister.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Meteorological Centre, Lucknow, on Tuesday night issued a warning of thunderstorm, accompanied with dust storm, in parts of Uttar Pradesh in the next three hours.

As per officials, Gonda, Basti, Faizabad districts, along with other adjoining areas of the state, will be affected.

Parts of Kolkata experienced heavy rainfall today.

Parts of the state experienced thunderstorm and rain earlier this week.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)President Donald Trump on Tuesday evening departed for the United States (US) from Singapore's Paya Lebar Airbase aboard Air Force One, after holding talks with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un.

He's headed back to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, with brief stops in Guam and Hawaii first, CNN reported.

Trump's departure followed the press conference that the US president addressed after the summit.

"I think this meeting was good for US as it was for North Korea. Only a person who hates Donald Trump would say that I have agreed to make a big commitment. Yes, it was a big commitment to meet Kim. But, it was good for us," Trump said.

"It is a great day and one of the greatest moments in the history of the world," Trump added, "We are prepared for the new history. We are ready to write new chapters. The past does not to have defined future."

The meeting came after months of deliberations between two countries over the time and venue of the summit.

Both the leaders signed a joint agreement, according to which Kim committed for 'complete denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula', as per media reports.

Prior to signing of the comprehensive document, both the leaders had a working lunch and walked around Capella, where they held a bilateral meeting in the morning.

Despite Kim threatening to call off the summit talks following the 'Max military drills' and Trump announcing to call off the event, citing "tremendous anger and open hostility" from North Korea as the reason, the historic summit finally culminated successfully.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)United States President Donald Trump's top economic advisor Larry Kudlow, who was involved in the recently-culminated G7 summit, suffered a heart attack on Monday(local time).

Trump took to Twitter while on his way to Sentosa Island to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to inform about Larry Kudlow's health.

"Our Great Larry Kudlow, who has been working so hard on trade and the economy, has just suffered a heart attack. He is now in Walter Reed Medical Center" Trump tweeted.

Kudlow was admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)China's embassy in Hanoi has warned its citizens to be careful, referring to the protests as "illegal gatherings" that had included some "anti-China content".

On Sunday, protesters in the central province of Binh Thuan threw petrol bombs and bricks at police and damaged local government offices and vehicles, state media reported.

"The Chinese embassy in Vietnam is paying close attention to the relevant developments and reminds Chinese citizens in Vietnam to pay attention to security when traveling", the notice said.

Molotov cocktails and rocks were lobbed at the People's Committee Headquarters in south-eastern Binh Thuan province, where police said 102 people were held.

In May 2014, China's move to send an exploration oil rig into waters contested with Vietnam triggered deadly anti-China riots and clashes at sea between coast guard boats from the two nations.

It is believed that a particular provision in the draft law on SEZs that would allow foreign investors to lease land for 99 years was the primary triggering factor for the protests.

The chairwoman of parliament, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, said that people's opinions "will always be heard".

Social media have shared photos and videos of the demonstrations.

A local police officer in Tuy Phong District in Binh Thuan province said traffic on Highway 1 through the area was moving early Monday after it was blocked by the protesters for more than 10 hours.

Ho Chi Minh City police said Monday that workers of Taiwanese textile company Pouyuen had been instigated into striking work and protesting the bill on SEZs.

"The bill is created to give a strong boost to the development of three special administrative and economic units, including Van Don in Quang Ninh province, Bac Van Phong in Khanh Hoa province and Phu Quoc in Kein Giang province, and room for institutional experiments", the government said.

Vietnam said in May past year it planned to open three special economic zones that offer investors greater incentives and fewer restrictions than available in the country at present.

Vietnam is among several countries in the region that have claims in the South China Sea, through which an estimated Dollars 5 trillion in trade passes each year.

The decision was made after the National Assembly and the government took into account many aspects of the issue which caught interests and gathered a lot of ideas from local legislators, people of all walks of life and voters nationwide.

The protests come at a time of rising tensions over the disputed South China Sea, almost all of which is claimed by China.The United States is willing to provide security to North Korea in exchange for denuclearisation, as announced a day before the Singaporean summit.

While addressing a press conference held at JW Marriott Hotel in Singapore on Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the US could offer North Korea "unique" security in return for a complete denuclearisation.

As reported by the Straits Times, Pompeo further said that the sanctions would remain until "verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation" was achieved.

Noting that North Korea previously confirmed its willingness to denuclearise, he said that the US was "eager to see if those words prove sincere" and that pre-summit talks between the US and North Korean officials continued in Singapore on Monday.

Pompeo further hinted at giving immunity to North Korea as he said that the US would ensure "that denuclearisation isn't something that ends badly for them (North Korea)."

He also claimed that denuclearisation would mean a "bright and better future" for the North Koreans.

The guarantees provided against denuclearisation would be "different and unique" as compared to the earlier ones, Pompeo added.

This would include expanding access to foreign investment and other economic opportunities for North Korea.

Contradicting the reports of the unscientific dismantling of the North Korean nuclear sites, Pompeo said that a team of experts - from the military, Department of Energy and members of the intelligence community covering North Korea - was meeting over the last three months to plan denuclearisation.

He further said that a day before the summit, US President Donald Trump called Japanese and South Korean Presidents Shinzo Abe and Moon Jae-in respectively.

It has been speculated that during the summit Kim is likely to ask for immunity against sanctions.

This came hours after a working lunch between Trump and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at Istana, Singaporean presidential house.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)President Donald Trump on Tuesday assured that the United States (US) will cease holding "war games" on the Korean Peninsula.

His assurance followed the historic summit that took place with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un earlier this morning in Singapore.

"Under the circumstances that we're negotiating a very comprehensive complete deal I think it's inappropriate to have war games ... It is something that (North Korea) very much appreciated," CNN quoted Trump, as saying in a news conference in Singapore after the summit.

The US maintains around 30,000 troops in South Korea, as well as a base for Air Force fighter plane squadrons. Exercises, in particular, involve planes and ships coming in from elsewhere, mostly notably from the island of Guam, in the Western Pacific, the report said.

"The war games are very expensive; we paid for a big majority of them, we fly in bombers from Guam," the US president noted.

Both the leaders signed a joint agreement, according to which Kim committed for 'complete denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula', as per media reports.

Prior to the signing of the comprehensive document, both the leaders had a working lunch and walked around Capella, where they held a bilateral meeting in the morning.

The meeting came after months of deliberations between two countries over the time and venue of the summit.

Despite Kim threatening to call off the summit talks following the 'Max military drills' and Trump announcing to call off the event, citing "tremendous anger and open hostility" from North Korea as the reason, the historic summit finally culminated successfully.

Trump will depart for the US at around 7 p.m. from the Paya Lebar Airbase.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)President Donald Trump on Tuesday assured North Korea that the United States (US) will lift the sanctions slapped on the reclusive nation, after it's certain that nuclear missiles are "no longer a factor".

"The sanctions will come off when we are sure that nuclear missiles are no longer a factor. I am looking forward to take them off," Trump said in a press conference in Singapore after the talks with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un ended.

"We signed a very comprehensive document today and I think when he (Kim Jong-un) lands in North Korea he will start the process soon," he added.

Both the leaders signed a joint agreement, according to which Kim committed for 'complete denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula', as per media reports.

"It is a great day and one of the greatest moments in the history of the world," Trump added, "We are prepared for the new history. We are ready to write new chapters. The past does not to have defined future."

Prior to the signing of the comprehensive document, both the leaders had a working lunch and walked around Capella, where they held a bilateral meeting in the morning.

The meeting came after months of deliberations between two countries over the time and venue of the summit.

Despite Kim threatening to call off the summit talks following the 'Max military drills' and Trump announcing to call off the event, citing "tremendous anger and open hostility" from North Korea as the reason, the historic summit finally culminated successfully.

Trump has departed for the US from Singapore's Paya Lebar Airbase aboard Air Force One after holding talks with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un.

He's headed back to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, with brief stops in Guam and Hawaii first, CNN reported.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The very recent volcanic eruptions in Guatemala and Hawaii have left the world in a state of shock with their ensuing devastation.

However, the concern is emerging as more of a global concern.

According to a study conducted by the Florida State University, global climate change, fueled by skyrocketing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, is siphoning oxygen from today's oceans at an alarming pace - so fast that scientists aren't entirely sure how the planet will respond.

Their only hint is to look to the past.

In a study, researchers did just that - and what they found brought into stark relief the disastrous effects a deoxygenated ocean could have on marine life.

Millions of years ago, scientists discovered, powerful volcanoes pumped Earth's atmosphere full of carbon dioxide, draining the oceans of oxygen and driving a mass extinction of marine organisms.

"We want to understand how volcanism, which can be related to modern anthropogenic carbon dioxide release, manifests itself in ocean chemistry and extinction events," said study co-author Jeremy Owens. "Could this be a precursor to what we're seeing today with oxygen loss in our oceans? Will we experience something as catastrophic as this mass extinction event?"

For this study, an international team of scientists set out to better understand today's oxygen-deprived oceans by investigating the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE), an interval of global oceanic deoxygenation characterised by a mass extinction of marine organisms that occurred in the Early Jurassic Period.

"We wanted to reconstruct Early Jurassic ocean oxygen levels to better understand the mass extinction and the T-OAE," said Theodore Them, who led the study. "We used to think of ocean temperature and acidification as a one-two punch, but more recently we've learned this third variable, oxygen change, is equally important."

By analyzing the thallium isotope composition of ancient rocks from North America and Europe, the team found that ocean oxygen began to deplete well before the defined time interval traditionally ascribed to the T-OAE.

That initial deoxygenation, researchers said, was precipitated by massive episodes of volcanic activity -- a process not altogether unlike the industrial emission of carbon dioxide we're familiar with today.

"Over the past 50 years, we've seen that a significant amount of oxygen has been lost from our modern oceans," Them said. "While the timescales are different, past volcanism and carbon dioxide increases could very well be an analog for present events."

When the atmosphere is suffused with carbon dioxide, global temperatures climb, triggering a cascade of hydrological, biological and chemical events that conspire to sap the oceans of oxygen.

Scientists have found evidence that several hundred thousand years before the T-OAE, volcanoes flooded Earth's atmosphere with carbon dioxide, helping to set in motion the sequence of events that would ultimately result in oceanic deoxygenation and widespread marine life extinction.

While researchers have long surmised a link between volcanism, loss of oxygen, and mass extinction, this study provided the first conclusive data.

"As a community, we've suggested that sediments deposited during the T-OAE were indicative of widespread oxygen loss in the oceans, but we've never had the data until now," Them said.

Prehistorical examples of carbon dioxide deluges and suffocating oceanic deoxygenation provided a lesson in how Earth systems respond to a variable climate.

This analysis of the T-OAE, and the onset of deoxygenation that preceded it is another in a lineage of reports that presage a bleak future for oceans with diminishing levels of oxygen.

"It's extremely important to study these past events," Them said. "It seems that no matter what event we observe in Earth's history when we see carbon dioxide concentrations increasing rapidly, the result tends to be very similar: a major or mass extinction event. This is another situation where we can unequivocally link widespread oceanic deoxygenation to a mass extinction."

The study appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday said he is willing to work in close cooperation with the United States President Donald Trump.

Kim said, it will be challenging, but he's willing to do it, The Straits Times reported.

The much-awaited summit between Trump and Kim took place in Singapore today.

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met at a resort island of Sentosa along with their respective translators.

Earlier in the day, the two leaders arrived at the hotel along with their respective motorcades. They were accompanied by their respective officials.

Trump and Kim shared a historic handshake as they meet for the first time. The two clasped hands for a while as long as they posed for photos in front of a row of U.S. and North Korean flags.

The meeting came after months of deliberations between two countries over the time and venue of the summit.

In spite of Kim threatening to call off the summit talks following the 'Max military drills' and Trump announcing to call off the event, citing "tremendous anger and open hostility" from North Korea as the reason, the historic summit finally concluded successfully.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Government has taken measures in recent past to bring in more transparency in data releases. It would like to present a proper perspective on these issues so that the end users and public at large become aware of the processes involved in generation of these estimates.

Labour Bureau conducts two major surveys on employment scenario i.e Annual Employment-Unemployment Survey (EUS) and Quarterly Employment Survey. So far, five Annual Employment-Unemployment Surveys have been conducted by Labour Bureau and reports on all five surveys have been released. The field work of Sixth Annual Employment Unemployment Survey (2016-17) has been completed and data entry validation work is in progress. The report pertaining to 6th Annual EUS is to be completed by September, 2018.

On the recommendations of Task Force on Employment, chaired by Dr. Arvind Panagariya, the then Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog the Annual Employment Unemployment Survey has been replaced by Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) being conducted by Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI). The Periodic Labour Force Survey would not only have annual data on employment-unemployment on rural sector but will also have quarterly data on employment-unemployment on urban sector based on larger sample size.

Therefore, the corresponding AEUS data set would be comparable.

The Quarterly Employment survey (New Series) is an enterprise based survey, carried out with an objective to measure relative change in employment situation over successive quarters for the establishments having 10 or more workers. The QES has several limitations and 'some of the important ones include i.e (i) enterprise data of the 6th Economic Census (January, 2013 - April, 2014), therefore, does not include the new units which have been added after April 2014 and (ii) takes into account the enterprise having more than 10 workers and does not cover employment in establishments having less than 10 workers. As a result, the QES effectively, captures the employment size of about 2.40 crore workers only as against the total workforce of about 47 crore.

Therefore, the Government has constituted a Technical Committee under the Chairmanship of former Chief Statistician Prof. T. C. A Anant to look into the above aspects and submit its report at the earliest.

The Employees Provident fund Organization (EPFO), a statutory organization under Ministry of Labour & Employment has commenced releasing of payroll data on monthly basis. Under Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana, 46.36 lakh new employees covering 58,400 establishments have been enrolled under PMRPY and an amount of Rs. 855 crore has been spent.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hong Kong stock market closed higher on Tuesday, 12 June 2018, on Tuesday, 12 June 2018, following he modest gains on Wall Street overnight and as US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a 'comprehensive' deal aimed at the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. Market gain was, however, limited ahead of major central bank policy meetings. The U. S.

Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan will all hold meetings this week. The Hang Seng Index rose 0.13%, or 39.36 points, to close at 31,103.06. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, also known as the H-share gauge, climbed by 0.3% to 12,206. Turnover increased to HK$87.7 billion from HK$77.4 billion on Monday.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The stock is quoting at Rs 1262.4, flat on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. Infosys Ltd is up 31.8% in last one year as compared to a 12.86% spurt in NIFTY and a 33.92% spurt in the Nifty IT.

Infosys Ltd gained for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 1262.4, flat on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.51% on the day, quoting at 10841.9. The Sensex is at 35649.95, up 0.47%. Infosys Ltd has risen around 6.15% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty IT index of which Infosys Ltd is a constituent, has risen around 2.97% in last one month and is currently quoting at 13775.1, up 0.51% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 28.14 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 34.93 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark June futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 1229.45, down 0.17% on the day. Infosys Ltd is up 31.8% in last one year as compared to a 12.86% spurt in NIFTY and a 33.92% spurt in the Nifty IT index.

The PE of the stock is 17.27 based on TTM earnings ending March 18.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)For the FIRST TIME EVER, JoJo will be touring around the bow-tiful east coast of Australia, stopping in at Sea World on the Gold Coast, Westfield Parramatta in New South Wales, the Eastland Shopping Centre in Victoria! JoJo will perform three of her hit songs LIVE and to show off the latest in JoJo couture in her very own fashion parade at each stop along the way!The best part about her tour is that parents dont have to stress about forking out the big bucks to pay for tickets because two of her three shows are free.Sea World on the Gold Coast, Sea World on the Gold Coast, Sea World Drive, Main Beach, QLDMonday 2nd July 2018 at 10:30 amEntry requires the purchase of a ticket to Sea World. CLICK HERE to buy now!Eastland Shopping Centre, 175 Maroondah Hwy, Ringwood, VictoriaTuesday 3rd July 2018 at 10:30 amFREEWestfield Parramatta, 159  175 Church St, Parramatta, NSWSaturday 7th July 2018 at 10:30 amFREEI'm so excited to be coming to Australia and cant wait to meet and perform for my Siwanatorz. Its going to be so much fun! JoJo said in a statement.Shes famous for her vibrant big bows but during her tour shes going to debut her new song High Top Shoes as well as performing her other hit songs.The 15-year-old will also showcase her range of products from fashion to sleepwear, stationary, toys and accessories which means plenty of new hair bows.JoJo is renowned for spreading positivity and anti-bullying messages, particularly via her song Boomerang, which has attracted 526 million views on YouTube.On top of that shes a famous face for Australian Nickelodeon viewers as the hype girl ofShes also starred in in her own docustyle specialand featured alongside Jace Norman () in TV movie, as well as guest starred throughoutseason three.For more information about Nickelodeon's "JoJo Siwa Live Show and Fashion Parade" tour, visit nick.com.au/jojo For the latest Nickelodeon events in Australia and New Zealand, visit events.nick.com.au "JoJo Siwa Live Show and Fashion Parade" is brought to fans by Nickelodeon Experiences.Do you want to win a VIP family pass to JOJO SIWA at Sea World? For your chance to WIN head to nick.com.au/jojo From The Sydney Morning Herald If you've seen lots of little girls wearing really big bows in their hair recently, that's the JoJo Siwa effect. You may have never heard of the 15-year-old YouTube sensation but you soon will.She is in Australia for a tour of shopping malls and theme parks, arriving at the Gold Coast on Friday. Expect some Beatlemania-style hysteria, but this time from tween girls.Her first public appearance in Australia will be on the red carpet at the Logie awards on Sunday. She'll be performing in a free concert at Westfield Parramatta next Saturday, July 7.To say she is popular in her market is an understatement. Dancing since she was two, she is a Dance Moms alumnus who has taken on a social media life of her own.The American teenager has 6.7 million subscribers to her YouTube channel, which has had an incredible 1.4 billion views. JoJo has 7 million followers on Instagram.JoJo is also a two-time Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award winner and "regularly collaborates withNickelodeon on a global consumer products range including her eponymous bows, apparel,accessories, home, toys, party and publishing goods''.Nickelodeon Australia and New Zealand general manager Ben Cox was thrilled to see her tour the eastern seaboard.She is such a fun, energetic role model for kids and lives and breathes the Nickelodeon spirit,through her upbeat songs to her stance against bullying, he said.JoJo's all-important "merch'' includes said brightly coloured bows. Some schools - including in Canberra - have banned the bows for not being part of the uniform. We had a Q and A with the teenage influencer. There were lots of exclamation marks! But we didn't get an answer to the all-important question of how many bows she had sold in Australia.Hi JoJo, what made you decide to tour Australia at this time?I havent been to Australia in four years, so Im super excited to be back!What are you most looking forward to seeing in Australia?When I was here a few years ago we got to feed kangaroos and hold a koala. That was a lot of fun, so I want to do that again and also check out some of the beaches.I heard you had a movie and even a line of trampolines in the works. Can you tell me about those?I have so many new projects coming up! I have more books, TV shows, music, everything! Its going to be a great year!I have a seven-year-old daughter and we have read Jo Jo's Guide to the Sweet Life . (She even named her cat Bow Bow!) You've spoken a lot about ignoring the haters and being yourself. Where did you get that strength from to be yourself and be resilient?Aww! I love that! Honestly, its hard to deal with the haters, but something that has helped me is not to focus on the haters and to focus on the nice people!I read you are going to be on the red carpet for the Logies which are like our Oscars? Do you have a special bow or outfit picked out yet and can you tell us about it?I cant say much about it cause I want to keep it a surprise, but its gonna be really sparklyWhy do you think some people on YouTube succeed and others don't?I dont think that people dont succeed, I think that it takes time! Everyone will have their time to shine!Miranda Sings appears in your new video for High Top Shoes - what makes your friendship work as Miranda is probably the opposite of you?!Miranda and I are best friends, but she doesnt want anyone besides us to know that! But Miranda is a character who is played by Colleen Ballinger who in real life is my best friend! Colleen is so talented and the way her creativity comes to life in the Miranda character is amazing!I saw you have been in contact with Dance Moms' Abby Lee Miller during her cancer battle. What did she say during your visit? What has she meant for your career?Yes, I have been with Abby recently. She is not good, but she is getting better. She was happy during our recent visit and we were happy to see her doing so well! Abby has taught me so much from little things like table manners to big things like how to work with adult executives.I know some schools in Australia have banned young girls from wearing Jo Jo bows because they are so popular but not part of the uniform. Do you have anything to say on that?I think that kids need to listen to their teachers and principals, but at the same time, I think that the fact that my bows are so popular is unbelievable!What would you like to do when you are an adult? Will you still be an entertainer? How do you cope being in the public eye from such a young age?I would love to be a pop star! I think going on tour, having lots of songs and music videos would be super cool.Former Canberra Times journalist Claire Low is now editor of tween girl bible Total Girl and has her finger on the pulse of all things JoJo."JoJo has a massive fanbase and a passionate one at that - you get concerts of screaming tweens, all decked out in oversized JoJo Bows," Claire said."JoJo went from Dance Moms to mega stardom in the tween crowd by being dazzlingly energetic and accessible in her own way. She is clearly talented, with inimitable style."And the style is lucrative - unlike, say, Selena Gomez, you can easily buy into her world if you're a kid. JoJo bows are an insane phenomenon. She's taken something simple and fairly widespread - hair bows, specifically, the cheerleader type of bow - and managed to turn this into an empire that's going to also include fashion and homewares."JoJo DOES sell copies of a tween mag (not just for us - see Teen Boss magazine for their JoJo cover). So I think she's ubiquitous and if you're a kid, she probably has something you like (vlogs with physical comedy; bubblegum pop music, dancing, bright, fun fashion...). She has a big platform via Nickelodeon."She is also VERY aware of her young audience - recently on Instagram she posted a pledge to always be safe and appropriate for kids. Parents love that. So for someone who's still a young teen, she's doing pretty darn well!"--Ends--Kridhan Infra rose 3.90% to Rs 93.30 at 11:13 IST on BSE after the company announced that its associate company Vijay Nirman Company has won a new order worth Rs 180 crore.

The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 11 June 2018.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 183.30 points, or 0.52% to 35,666.77.

On the BSE, 40,000 shares were traded in the counter so far compared with average daily volumes of 42,000 shares in the past two weeks. The stock had hit a high of Rs 105 and a low of Rs 92.80 so far during the day. The stock hit a record high of Rs 142 on 5 January 2018. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 68 on 28 June 2017.

This order encompasses structural work for connectivity to the Visakhapatnam Port Road in Andhra Pradesh. The Rs 180 crore order is to be completed within 15 months.

Kridhan Infra (KIL) currently owns approximately 41% stake in Vijay Nirman Company (VNC) and hence, VNC operates as an associate company of KIL.

Kridhan Infra's proforma order book after consolidation of VNC in India and Swee Hong in Singapore, stands at Rs 3200 crore as on 31 March 2018, of which, VNC contributes to almost 80%.

On a consolidated basis, net profit of Kridhan Infra declined 85.33% to Rs 3.39 crore on 2.85% decline in net sales to Rs 177.16 crore in Q4 March 2018 over Q4 March 2017.

Kridhan Infra is an infrastructure solutions company. The company is one of the pioneers in introducing the concept of ready-to-use steel for the construction industry in India.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Investments and demand are set to grow strongly and capacity utilization is building up. These positive sentiments were universally expressed at a meeting of the National Council (NC) of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The economy is in a sweet spot right now as the adjustment process regarding major reforms of the past few years is largely stabilised and industry is ready for a fresh phase of investment while capacity utilization builds up, said Mr Rakesh Bharti Mittal, President, CII. Rs 50,000 crore worth of investments have been recently announced, noted the CII release.

A CEOs opinion poll held showed that 82 percent of the CEOs expect GDP growth to be higher than 7.00 % for the year 2018-19, with 10 percent of them expecting growth to be above 7.5%.

Industry is looking forward to GDP growth rate picking up to close to 8% over the next couple of years. Fiscal prudence, able macroeconomic management, and strong reforms process have set a sound foundation for growth, said Mr Mittal.

82% of respondents expect capacity utilisation to increase in the coming year from the current 74%. 92% of CEOs polled expect further increase in consumption demand also during 2018-19. This implies surge in investments, going forward. In fact, as per 60% of CEOs, private investments are set to increase during the coming year.

On job creation, 56% of the CEOs polled expect jobs to increase during 2018-19 and just 18% believe that job creation will be maintained at the current levels.

On the international trade front, while CEOs expect exports to increase, imports are also expected to increase, thus leading to increase in trade deficit. 55% of respondents believe exports growth will pick up in 2018-19 over the pace of 9.9% in 2017-18. Imports are expected to grow faster than the rate of 21.2% as in 2017-18, stated 63% of the CEOs. Increase in trade deficit is thus expected by 61% of participants to go up.

Exports registered 10% growth over 2017-18 as the global economy is recovering and we expect the momentum to pick over the current year. Going forward, we must leverage stronger overseas demand and shifting global value chains through trade facilitation and competitive products, said the CII President.

The CII lauded the landmark policy of Fixed Term Employment which has recently been extended to all sectors. Fixed Term Employment represents a consensus of industry, trade unions and government and is expected to change the industrial relations landscape, said Mr Mittal.

In the manufacturing sector, the overall opinion of CII members was that demand is healthy, although input costs are rising.

CEOs noted good performance across sectors such as automotives, white goods, steel, cement, and capital goods. In the ICT sector, CEOs stated that the outlook is 'good' and that manufacturing of smartphone components is set to go up, indicating upward local value-addition.

Mr Mittal said Most manufacturing sectors are firing up now, with automotives, FMCG, electronics and chemicals leading the way. Rural demand can be expected to remain resurgent on the back of normal monsoons as forecast, while public spending on infrastructure is boosting prospects for capital goods and downstream sectors.

Regarding the infrastructure sector, CEOs stated that there is a 'discernible pick-up' now as compared to a few years ago. 'Many sectors have 3x order books, while cement is seeing month-on-month growth of 17-23%,' observed CEOs at the meeting. It was noted that this is an outcome of strong government spending in the infrastructure sector, especially roads and highways.

In the mining sector, sustained growth is expected for the next two-three years as the government is taking action to address the mining slowdown which has arisen due to issues in the coal sector. However, with many mine leases set to expire in 2020, there is need for auctions to take place quickly, pointed out CII members.

IT CEOs said that strong demand is coming from the US and the EU, with large digitisation contracts and the sector could expand by 10%. Other services sectors too are expected to be buoyant.

Auctions in the renewable energy sector are taking place and fresh bids are coming up in solar and wind energy. As 120 gigawatts of capacity is to be built up, $120 billion worth of investments can be expected and India can emerge as a manufacturing hub, observed the CEOs from the sector.

The agriculture sector requires investments, market reforms, land lease and contract farming options, and boost to productivity. Investment in agri value chains will also yield results for farmers. Other areas that need to be pursued include food processing, agri exports, and development of Farmer Producer Organisations, as per participants at the CII NC meeting.

The CEOs felt that credit and capital availability is of concern especially for the MSME sector. Bank loans could remain 'sluggish' for the next two-three years, and recapitalization of public sector banks is an imperative, going forward. They also pointed to rising raw material and fuel costs as a key challenge.

In exports, the performance of non-oil, non-gold products reflect a lack of competitiveness which needs to be addressed urgently, according to CEOs.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Taliban on Tuesday launched several attacks against Afghan security forces, officials said, killing at least 25 people as militants captured Kohistan district on the first day of a unilateral ceasefire announced by the government.

The insurgents attacked security checkposts in the northeastern Badakhshan province where 14 people died. In southeastern Ghazni, five people were killed; in the northern Sar-e-Pul, there were six casualties, coinciding with the halt in offensive operations by the Afghan armed forces, Efe news reported.

On June 7, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had announced the government's first unilateral ceasefire in 17 years to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan, suspending its offensive operations against the Taliban.

Badakhshan governor's spokesperson Javid Baidar said that the insurgents, who announced a three-day ceasefire for Eid, had taken advantage of the unilateral truce to capture Kohistan district.

The spokesperson said that Kohistan's governor Abdul Rahman Panah was killed in the attack along with an unknown number of security force members.

An official of the local administration told Efe that the governor and 13 members of the security forces were killed, while another 16 were wounded in the assault.

In Ghazni, the Taliban attacked the headquarters of the government of Muqour district using an explosives-laden vehicle, killing five people and wounding another 26.

In the third attack in Sar-e-Pul, dozens of armed insurgents captured two checkposts of the Afghan armed forces, officials said. Afghan Defence Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Radmanish said that six people were killed during the clashes.

The Taliban have only claimed the attack on Sar-e-Pul.

--IANS

soni/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Actress Ariel Winter has paid tribute to her friend and fellow actor Jackson Odell, who was found dead.

"The Goldbergs" actor was found unresponsive at his home in San Fernando Valley, California last week. He was 20.

While no foul play is suspected, his death is now under investigation by a Los Angeles county coroner and an autopsy should be completed in the next couple of days, reports aceshowbiz.com.

"Modern Family" actress Winter, who had known the star for several years and worked with him on an episode of the hit show, paid tribute to Jackson in a post on Twitter.

"Devastated to hear about the passing of Jackson Odell. I knew Jackson since we were 12 years old, and he even appeared in an episode of 'Modern Family'," she wrote.

"We didn't talk much as we entered into our high school years, but I'm glad I got to spend time with him before his end. Very hard for me to hear about anyone passing away, but someone so young really saddens me. Sending love to his family and friends," Winter added.

"The Goldbergs" actor Charlie DePew also paid tribute to Odell on Twitter: "RIP Jackson Odell. I'm so happy that I got to know you. You were a true talent and an even truer person."

Odell also appeared in shows "Arrested Development" and "iCarly". He was also a songwriter who had contributed a number of original songs to the soundtrack of romantic drama "Forever My Girl".

--IANS

dc/rb/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Bangladeshi writer was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Munshiganj district, police said.

Shahzahan Bachchu, owner of Bishakha Prokashoni, was killed on Monday by four persons on two motorcycles at his ancestral village of Kakaldi, reports bdnews24.

Known as a free-thinking writer, the 55-year-old former general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh's Munshiganj district unit died on the spot.

Bachchu's daughter Durba Zahan said in a Facebook post that his father was shot twice.

Deaths of secular writers, bloggers and online activists in attacks by suspected Islamist militants shook Bangladesh for months after the murder of Avijit Roy in Dhaka on February 26, 2015.

Avijit's publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan, who ran Jagriti Prokashoni, was also hacked to death in October the same year.

Militant groups claimed responsibilty for most of these attacks. The motive behind the Monday killing was not immediately clear.

--IANS

ksk/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Bhaiyyuji Maharaj, a Madhya Pradesh based self-proclaimed spiritual guru, shot himself on Tuesday and has been admitted to a private hospital in Mumbai in critical condition, police said.

"Bhaiyyuji Maharaj has shot himself at his residence at Khandwa Road here," Indore's Deputy Inspector General Harinarayanachari Mishra said.

The reason behind the attempted suicide is not known, he said.

Mishra said Maharaj had been admitted in a hospital in Mumbai. "His condition is critical. Doctors are monitoring the situation," the officer said.

--IANS

hin-akk/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A new telecom policy is likely to be in place by July 2018, Communications Minister Manoj Sinha said on Wednesday.

"By July-end I am hopeful that the Cabinet approval will come for the National Digital Communications Policy," Sinha told reporters here.

He was holding a press meet to share the achievements of the Department of Telecommunications and Department of Posts in the last four years.

The government on May 1 had released the draft National Telecom Policy 2018 aiming to attract investment of $100 billion in the Digital Communications sector by reforming the licencing and regulatory regime in the country along with promoting the ease of doing business.

The draft National Digital Communications Policy focusses on provisioning of broadband for all, creating 4 million additional jobs in the digital communications sector and enhancing the contribution of the digital communications sector to 8 per cent of India's GDP from around 6 per cent in 2017.

It also plans to propel India to the Top 50 nations in the ICT Development Index of International Telecommunication Union from 134 in 2017, enhancing New Delhi's contribution to global value chains and ensuring digital sovereignty.

Talking about the last four years, Sinha said: "When we took over telecom department it had challenges like trust deficit. The sector was in turmoil. In the last four years we have brought in transparency and good governance."

Asked about the present turmoil in the industry due to merger and consolidation resulting in job losses, Sinha said: "Consolidation is happening across the world. India is not out of that. After consolidation there will be major four to five players in the market."

Assuring that this was a passing phase and the turmoil would subside, the Minister said though there were some job losses, many new jobs had been created as well.

Talking about some important projects of the government, Sinha said "in-flight connectivity" services were likely to start within a year.

It is learnt that Communications Ministry officials will be meeting their counterparts in Civil Aviation Ministry in a week to discuss this matter.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said his Ministry will bear 50 per cent of the cost of an upcoming Rs 860 crore bridge across the Mandovi river near Panaji.

The Goa government is facing a cash crunch, and following a personal request from Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, the Central government decided to bear a part of the expenses.

Gadkari, who was in Goa to inspect ongoing work at the multi-span beam bridge, also said the Mumbai-Goa highway project would be completed before March next year. "The effort is to inaugurate it before March next year," he said.

The Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping said Parrikar had initially requested him to allow the BJP-led Goa government to build the National Highway bridge by assuring him that the state would fund the structure, instead of the central authorities.

"I asked him not to do it as the liability will increase. Parrikar had said he will figure it out," Gadkari said at a function here.

The Minister further said that some months ago, Parrikar met him again and requested his Ministry to fund 50 per cent of the cost towards the bridge as the state was suffering from financial difficulties, to which the Central Ministry officials objected.

"But because of Parrikar's insistence, we have overruled the department and the Central government has now decided to fund 50 per cent of the expense for the bridge," Gadkari said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Renting furniture gives access to various utilitarian products without the burden of buying them and investing a hefty amount on them. For starters, choose the furniture according to your lifestyle, read the descriptions carefully and read reviews on the website and the products you plan to rent, suggest experts.

Sidhant Lamba, Founder at Fabrento, and Neerav Jain, CEO of Cityfurnish, suggest how to go about it:

* Security and reliability: Ensure that the shopping site you are renting furniture from, is secure and reliable. Check the previous users feedback and rent quality furniture to avoid mishaps.

* Ensure fast and safe delivery: Since the concept of renting furniture is focussed to provide you a hassle free experience, ensure that the online furniture rental brands are delivering it in time. You might not like to find some furniture pieces broken or damaged while you try to place it in a proper location in your living space. Do check the condition of furniture before installing them in your house.

* Ideate before you choose: Check your room and ideate accordingly what are the things that you need to rent and would you be able to maintain it. Choose the furniture according to your lifestyle, like If you have children try to avoid furniture with sharp edges, or if you have pets avoid leather or Glass based furniture.

* Choose the best: Renting furniture online, gives immense options to choose the best. Check all the options carefully and read the descriptions. Check the available sizes as per your room and then go for the one that is most suitable.

There are all the information for the user about flexibility and convenience in the form of tenure to choose product range, custom add-on items, relocation and upgrade and even swap of items.

* Terms and conditions: Read about the shipping and return/exchange policies carefully. Online shopping helps provide all the information in from of you. Check the after service your site provides and read all the terms and conditions carefully.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Beijing, June 12 A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson has expressed hope that the Group of Seven (G7) will follow the trend of the times and play a constructive role for peace, security and common development.

"The members of the G7 are important developed countries. We hope that their cooperation can follow the trend of the times and the member states can shoulder their due responsibilities, make contributions, and play a constructive role in safeguarding international peace and security, and promoting common development of all countries," spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a daily press briefing on Monday.

Geng's remarks came after media reports contrasting the rift of the G7 summit with the success of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Qingdao summit, Xinhua reported.

China continues to maintain that countries should develop ties based on principles including mutual respect, equality, and non-interferences in internal affairs, and that multilateral cooperation should be open, inclusive, and not targeting any third party, Geng said.

China is committed to fostering a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice, and win-win cooperation, and building a community with a shared future for humanity, he said, adding that the holding of a series of large-scale international conferences including the SCO Qingdao summit was part of the efforts toward this.

Geng said China is willing to continue working with the international community including the G7 members toward this goal.

The G7 includes the seven leading industrialized countries, namely Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)China on Tuesday said that sanctions against Pyongyang could be eased if it complies with the UN resolution, after US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un pledged to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea is reeling under the crippling UN economic sanctions for firing off ballistic missiles and conducting nuclear tests. Pyongyang's defiance last year had frustrated its sole ally Beijing, which gave a go-ahead to the punishing sanctions against the reclusive state.

"The Security Council's resolutions also have relevant stipulations. It is said that in accordance with the compliance of the DPRK side and the development of the situation, the Security Council will consider relieving or lifting sanctions on the DPRK," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shunag said.

"Sanctions are not an end. The Security Council should support the current efforts and contribute to the political settlement of the Koran Peninsula issue," Geng added.

He said Beijing had implemented the sanctions adopted by the Security Council "comprehensively, accurately and strictly".

Earlier in the day, Trump and Kim had a historic meeting in Singapore during which they pledged for the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

The animosity between North Korea and the US dates back to 1950 when Pyongyang invaded the South, prompting Washington to fight by the side of Seoul.

The North was backed by China and Russia in the Korean War until an armistice was put in place in 1953.

North Korea said it built up its arsenal because it feared invasion by Washington and Seoul. China has been Pyongyang's ally since then.

Beijing has a strategic interest in keeping the Peninsula calm as it fears that war between Pyongyang and Washington would trigger an influx of North Korean refugees into its border.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The opposition Congress in Meghalaya on Tuesday suffered a setback after its party members from South West Khasi Hills district's Ranikor block resigned en masse and joined the ruling National People's Party while the local legislator is likely to follow suit.

Former Public Works Department Minister Martin M. Danggo, who is the sitting Congress legislator from Ranikor assembly constituency, is expected to resign as member of the state assembly and from the Congress.

The resignations came in wake of the refusal of the previous Congress government headed by Mukul Sangma, now the Leader of Opposition, to the local demand to upgrade the Ranikor Community and Rural Development Block to a Sub-Division.

Ranikor, bordering India-Bangladesh border, is around 121 km from Shillong

Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, who attended a meeting at Ranikor, recognised that the demand of the people for creation of a Sub-Division was a "genuine" demand and assured his government would fulfil it at the earliest.

During the meeting, the Congress block unit was dissolved by its President and General Secretary and all members welcomed by the state NPP President W.R. Kharlukhi in presence of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, who is also the National President of NPP.

Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, Home Minister James K. Sangma, C&RD Minister Snaiwbhalang Dhar and others were also present.

Danggo, who hosted the public meeting on behalf of the people of Ranikor, expressed his confidence in the leadership of Conrad Sangma and said that he foresees a brighter future for Meghalaya under his leadership.

"I am thankful to the Chief Minister for his assurance to accept our memorandum and demands. I assure him that I will resign from Congress party as and when the date for the inauguration of the new Civil Sub-Division is made," he said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Actor Varun Dhawan says that it is high time Indians stop looking at the West for heroes as we there are a number of legends within their own country.

Varun was here at the launch of author Amish's book "Suheldev and The Battle of Bahraich", based on story of Raja Suheldev, a legendary but forgotten hero and an unforgettable battle which kept the Turks at bay for almost 170 years.

"It's the time when we should celebrate our Indian heroes and not look at the West to look up to heroes. Around 20 to 25 per cent of our population is made up of tribes and castes and that's not really been represented in books or our literature as much or in films for that matter," said Varun in a statement to IANS.

"Amish is doing a great job by actually representing it. He is doing a better job than politicians by writing about a hero. When you read the book and when you see the landscape of how he describes the world, your imaginations just run wild," added the "Main Tera Hero" actor.

Amish's popular novel "The Immortals of Meluha" is being adapted for the big screen. Filmmaker Karan Johar has obtained the rights for an adaption of the popular book. The English rights of the same have gone to an undisclosed American producer.

If "Suheldev and The Battle of Bahraich" is adapted into a film, Varun says he would want to be a part of it.

"I thought when can a movie be made out of this. Can I be a part of it or will I be very short for it? I was very fascinated with the backdrop of the book. It tells the story of a hero," he said.

Asked whose life would he want to play out in a film if given a chance, Varun said: "Honestly when someone offers me to do a biography, I get scared. I don't want to do it most of the times because I feel all the fictional characters I am playing are like biographies but only to me.

"If I had to do a biography on someone, it would be on my father's life. Sometime in the future I would like to enact his young and old days. Probably till the time he had me," said Varun.

"Suheldev and The Battle of Bahraich" will release on July 23.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Goa Tourism authorities on Tuesday described the drowning of three tourists from Maharashtra on Monday as "unfortunate", but added that tourists should be cautious about swimming in the rough seas, especially during monsoon.

"The incident is unfortunate, can't do anything about it. But we cannot keep an eye on every one. Goa has a 105-km coastline. We already issued a warning against swimming in the rough seas," Goa Tourism Development Corporation Chairman and BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral told reporters here.

"Swimming in the sea at 5 a.m., especially in the monsoon, is not right. There were red warning flags on the beach, which means you cannot swim in the sea. Tourists should enjoy, but with precautions."

Three tourists from Maharashtra's Akola district drowned and two are missing after a group of 14 ventured into the sea early on Monday. Efforts to trace the missing tourists are on.

Private beach management agency Drishti Marine, which deploys lifeguards on popular Goa beaches, last week issued a warning against swimming in the sea on account of rough currents.

Cabral also said that the Tourism Department would consult with the private agency to work out a mechanism through which such tragedies could be averted, but added that unless tourists are responsible, such incidents cannot be avoided.

"We will check with Drishti, how we can avoid such incidents. If we block people (access to the beach), then it is an issue about rights of the people," he said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The European Union's top diplomat on Tuesday hailed the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore as a crucial step towards a diplomatic solution to de-escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Federica Mogherini, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, said the meeting between Trump and Kim demonstrated that diplomacy paved the way forward to peace in the region, Efe news reported.

"The ultimate goal, shared by the entire international community and as expressed by the United Nations Security Council, remains the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula," according to the press statement released by Mogherini's office.

"The joint statement signed by the US and North Korea) leaders today gives a clear signal that this goal can be achieved," it added, thanking South Korean President Moon Jae-in for his leadership in laying the groundwork that led to the summit.

Following the landmark summit in Singapore, Trump announced that the US would end its practice of staging war games on the Korean Peninsula in exchange the complete denuclearisation of North Korea, which Kim has said he would fulfil.

"Chairman Kim has before him an opportunity like no other to be remembered as the leader who ushered in a glorious new era of prosperity for his people," Trump told reporters.

Tuesday's summit in Singapore, aimed at addressing the possible denuclearisation of North Korea, is the first between the two countries' heads of state after nearly 70 years of confrontation in the wake of the Korean War (1950-1953), and 25 years of failed negotiations and tensions over the North Korea's nuclear programme.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In new documents released by Facebook to answer questions raised by two Senate committees probing social media privacy, the social networking giant has admitted that it allows advertisers to target users based on their "interests" and "behaviors".

When Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared before the US Congress in April, he faced several questions from lawmakers. But his in-person testimony left them with several lingering questions.

Now, Facebook has followed up with 500 pages of answers to written questions from two Senate committees, The Verge reported on Monday.

In the documents, Facebook answers questions about the several issues for which it has come under intense scrutiny in recent times - including issues related to Cambridge Analytica data leak scandal, ad targeting and moderation policies.

Responding to a question raised by a 2016 ProPublica investigation that revealed that advertisers could use "ethnic affinity" marketing categories to potentially discriminate against Facebook users in the areas of housing, employment and credit, in violation of federal law, Facebook said it does not offer targeting "based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity".

But it did say that it offers "targeting options -- called 'interests' and 'behaviors' -- that are based on people's activities on Facebook, and when, where and how they connect to the Internet".

Interestingly, the social network also said that it offers what it calls the "multicultural affinity segments" -- groups of people whose activities on Facebook suggest they may be interested in content related to the African American, Asian American or Hispanic American communities.

For example, if a person "likes" Facebook Pages with the words "African American" in

them or likes Pages for "Historically Black Colleges and Universities", that person may

be included in the African American multicultural segment, Facebook explained, underlining the cautios tone it maintained while answering the questions.

Facebook answered many questions regarding its policies in the documents, but many of them appeared evasive.

When asked whether it tracks "every IP address ever used when logging into Facebook", the social network did not provide a simple yes or no answer.

Instead, the company pointed to a vague "retention schedule", The Verge report said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)With food stalls lining the streets, devotees queuing up outside eateries and plates full of food passed among families and friends, the whole of Kolkata turns into a giant food court during Durga Puja. While the five-day festivities get over in the wink of an eye, the city now has its maiden Durga Puja-themed restaurant ready to serve gastronomes round the year.

Dashabhuja, near the city police headquarters at Lalbazar, connects Bengal's most delightful celebration with its inhabitants' most delightful indulgence -- Durga Puja and the festive Bengali cuisine.

The elegantly-lit eatery, decorated with colourful overhead canopies and various forms of the goddess Durga, simulates the feeling of sitting in a marquee while pampering the taste buds. The sound track of rhythmic dhak beats, an inseparable part of the Puja rituals, and several Puja-themed hangings and artefacts add to the festive ambience.

The menu comprising authentic Bengali platters, gives prominence to Puja dishes starting from bhog (community feast of food items offered to the Goddess first) of khichdi, bhuni khichdi and labda (mixed vegetables) to the lavish spread of mutton curry, luchis (a type of puri), chanar paturi, rice, and payesh or the Bengali version of kheer.

Along with the Puja-specific main course, the mouth watering variety of "Pujor Misti" or the sweets offered to the goddess Durga, such as chandrapuli, narkel naru, balushai, etc., are also served in the eatery round the year.

According to the restaurant owner, an artist associated with designing prominent community puja pandals or marquees for the last three years, the eatery is a perfect amalgamation of his dream and the family business.

"My dream is to design the themes for Durga Pujas while we have been running restaurants as part of our family business. So in my new project, I thought of connecting the two. This is the first of its kind project that would let you soak in the carnival spirit of the puja in Bengal -- throughout the year," said Sayak Raj, the owner, who also designed three prominent community pujas last year.

Raj also revealed he was in conversation with a number of city artisans and sculptors, who would be making the Durga idols for some of the most popular pujas this year, and plans to install artefacts designed by them in his eatery.

"I wish this restaurant to be an archive of the Durga Puja celebrations in Bengal so that visitors from other states and countries can get a glimpse of our heritage and culture surrounding this festival. We are planning to decorate the interior with the miniatures of Durga idols to be installed in some of the prominent pujas in the city this year," he said.

The restaurant, inaugurated by veteran Bengali actor Barun Chanda and legendary Indian classical dancer Uday Shankar's daughter and actress Mamata Shankar barely a month ago, has created a buzz among food enthusiasts in the city and received significant celebrity presence.

"We have also requested some popular committees to provide us with their Puja theme songs so that we can play them in our restaurant all year long -- along with our signature theme music," the owner added.

FAQs:

* Where: Dashabhuja, 3rd Floor, Old Court House Corner building

* Timings: 12. p.m. to 10 p.m. (lunch), 7.30 p.m. to 11 p.m. (dinner)

* Price: Meal for two at Rs 800-1000 plus taxes

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)French security forces detained the man who took hostages in central Paris and rescued all of the captives safe and sound, the interior minister said.

"The individual has been arrested and the hostages are out of danger," Gerard Collomb wrote on Twitter, praising police, especially the elite BRI unit, for their "professionalism and responsiveness."

The incident began around 4 p.m. on Tuesday in the offices of an unspecified media organization, an Interior Ministry spokesman told EFE, adding that the perpetrator took at least three people captive.

French police sources told EFE earlier that there was no indication the hostage-taker's motive was terrorism.

Online publication Actu17 said that the hostage-taker claimed to be in possession of two bombs and had asked to speak with the Iranian ambassador in Paris and with the French government.

Other press accounts said that the perpetrator was armed with a knife.

--IANS

tsb

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A man from Jharkhand was arrested from West Bengal's Burdwan railway station for molesting a French woman in a train, police said on Tuesday.

The incident took place on the Jamalpur-Howrah Express late on Sunday.

"Arshad Hussain, a resident of Jharkhand, was arrested on Monday for molesting a French national on the Jamalpur-Howrah Express. He has been sent to police custody till Thursday," a Government Railway Police (GRP) officer told IANS.

According to the GRP, the woman, travelling with a fellow French national from Bihar's Jamalpur to West Bengal's Howrah with unreserved general tickets, was molested after she went to take the seat offered by Hussain, who was about to de-board.

"The two French nationals were sitting in the corridor of a sleeper compartment as they did not have reservations. Hussain, who was about to get down at Pakur station in Jharkhand, offered the woman his seat but molested her taking advantage of darkness," he said.

However, the officer refused to confirm whether Hussain is a railway employee.

According to police, fellow passengers caught Hussain following the incident and handed him over to the Railway Protection Force personnel in the train. He was handed over to the GRP in Burdwan station later.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A raid by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials on an industrial unit in North Goa's Bicholim sub-district in the wee hours of Tuesday and confiscation of ketamine, a banned party drug, has triggered a war of words between the Congress and the ruling BJP in Goa.

The Congress alleged that the industrial unit, which was raided for illegal manufacture of ketamine, is operated by a state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionary, but the BJP rejected the allegation, calling it "foolish and baseless".

"The factory owner is one of the leading figures in BJP and is influential in the area, due to the support he has been getting from his mentors in Panaji.

"The seizure has clearly exposed his nexus with the drug lobby in the state, which has percolated down to the villages from its traditional bastion of tourist-frequented coastline," state Congress chief Girish Chodankar alleged in a statement issued late on Tuesday.

Chodankar said the BJP-led coalition government in Goa has never been keen on cracking down on the drug menace in the coastal state.

The DRI officials have been tight-lipped about the Tuesday's raid, which lasted several hours.

The BJP, however, in a strong rebuttal called the allegations made by Chodankar as "foolish and baseless".

"That is a ridiculous statement by Congress party. Neither BJP nor its officials are involved in such activity. The Congress is in the habit of making such scandalous and unsubstantiated allegations. It is foolish and baseless," BJP's South Goa MP Narendra Savoikar told reporters.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The death toll from the eruption of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala on June 3 has increased to 114 after another four bodies were found, according to authorities.

Conred national disaster coordinator brigades, firefighters, army troops and international experts - aided by surviving local residents - on Monday entered so-called "Ground Zero" in the community of San Miguel Los Lotes, in Escuintla province, which was buried under volcanic ash and devastated by pyroclastic flows, reports Efe news.

Using picks and other tools, along with some heavy machinery, recovery brigades found the four bodies in the ruins of the village and under the tonnes of volcanic material.

The victims appeared to be members of a family.

The area reeks of sulfer and recent rains have hardened the pyroclastic flows of volcanic material that have moved down the mountain's slopes.

Authorities say there is zero possibility of finding any survivors in the devastated areas.

Conred said that because of rainy conditions, search operations were suspended on Monday but will resume on Tuesday.

Insivumeh also reported that volcanic activity within the mountain continues, including frequent and abundant emanations of ash and gas and up to nine explosions per hour, activity that is causing repeated avalanches of fine ash and other material along the southeastern flank.

Health Minister Carlos Soto said that the more than 4,000 people being housed in shelters are being attended to by private organisations such as the Rotary Club.

According to volcanologists, eruption records of Fuego, one of the country's most active volcanoes, dates back to 1542.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday wrote to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on the current water shortage of about 60 million gallons per day (MGD) in the national capital, saying it is just about 6.7 per cent of the total treatment capacity of more than 900 million gallons per day (MGD).

This can be resolved easily through internal actions of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), Khattar said.

In a demi official letter sent to his counterpart as a reply to his last month's letter, Khattar said: "I am told that complete facts are perhaps not being presented before you. You may like to pose a simple question to your officers as to which of the following three calculations maximise Delhi's water entailment from Haryana.

"These are: (a) worked out as per share and allocation of Delhi; (b) worked out as per orders of the Supreme Court; and (c) worked out as per orders of the Delhi High Court."

"The task of maintaining a particular level of Wazirabad pond has to be performed by the DJB itself. After operationalisation of Carrier Lined Channel, Haryana is giving entire supply at Delhi Contact Point Bawana itself.

"We have acceded to request of the Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources to supply 120 cusecs through Diversion Drain-8 for the current summer only," said the Haryana Chief Minister.

"Delhi must make its own arrangements from the next year onwards as no supplies would be made through Diversion Drain-8 by Haryana on account of reasons explained in detail in our reply before the Supreme Court," he added.

Khattar also pointed to the controversial stance of the Delhi government by referring to demi official letter written by Kejriwal on May 16.

"We have been discharging all our obligations set forth by Upper Yamuna River Board in terms of share and allocation of water to Delhi. Despite the consequent adverse impact on drinking water supplies to thousands of our villages and several towns, we have never reduced the supply to Delhi. In fact, currently we are supplying 120 cusecs over and above our obligations," said Khattar.

Kejriwal had written letters to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Khattar, seeking supply of the same amount of water as the neighbouring state has been doing for 22 years.

He also expressed worry that disruption in water supply by Haryana would affect the functioning of the Chandrawal water treatment plant, which supplies water to VIP areas of Delhi, including Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament and embassies.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hundreds of locals in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district on Tuesday attended the funeral of a policeman killed by militants in Pulwama.

Hundreds of men, women and children came out to attend the funeral of constable, Ghulam Hassan Wagay, in his ancestral Wohlutra village of Rafiabad area in Baramulla where he was buried.

Wagay and another policeman were killed in Pulwama by militants, who also took away the service rifles of the two slain policemen.

The attack occurred during the holiest Muslim night of 'Shab-e-Qadra' when Muslims the world over engage in prayers seeking penance for their sins.

The attack has been widely condemned and the turning out of people in such large numbers to mourn the death of the policeman stands out as proof of the public response to it.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India on Tuesday welcomed the meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore, the first ever summit-level meeting between the two sides.

"India welcomes the United States-DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea or North Korea) summit held in Singapore," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

Describing the meeting as a "positive development", it stated: "India has always supported all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and We hope that the outcomes of the US-DPRK Summit will be implemented, thus paving the way for lasting peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula."

Following the historic meeting in Singapore earlier on Tuesday, Trump and Kim signed a "comprehensive" document, vowing to forge a new partnership and reverse decades of American policy toward the rogue regime.

Trump said he had invited Kim to the White House and that the US' relationship with North Korea will be different from the past.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An Indian-origin man who is the head chef of a popular Indian restaurant here is facing criticism for his "anti-Islam tweet".

Michelin-star chef Atul Kochhar of the Rang Mahal restaurant at the JW Marriot Marquis hotel received flak after taking a dig at actress Priyanka Chopra for her tweet over a "Quantico" episode that portrayed Hindu nationalists as terrorists, the Khaleej Times reported on Tuesday.

"It's sad to see that you have not respected the sentiments of Hindus who have been terrorised by Islam over 2,000 years. Shame on You (sic)," Kochhar tweeted on Sunday.

He later deleted the tweet and put out an apology, saying the "major error" was "made in the heat of the moment on Sunday".

"There is no justification for my tweet ... I fully recognise my inaccuracies that Islam was founded around 1,400 years ago and I sincerely apologise. I am not Islamophobic, I deeply regret my comments that have offended many," he wrote.

JW Marriot hotel distanced itself from the chef's comments.

"We are aware of the comments made by Chef Atul Kochhar. We would like to stress that we do not share the same views as stated in the remark, nor is it a representation of the culture of diversity and inclusion that we pride ourselves on at the hotel," the hotel tweeted on Monday.

The anti-Islam tweet created a furore on the social media, with twitterati calling for firing the chef.

Responding to the hotel's tweet, a Twitter user, Irena Akbar, said: "But now that there is a clear clash of values (your tolerance vs his bigotry), how can you carry on such a relationship? His contract should be snapped."

Popular commentator and Arab journalist Khaled Almaeena tweeted: "You (Kochhar) have offended me... As a person who loves India its people no matter what their caste or creed. As a secular and liberal, it truly is a horror statement."

Some residents have said that they would boycott the restaurant.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A man, who had brutally murdered a juvenile hawker here last year to overawe a rival gang, has been arrested, police said on Tuesday.

In June 2017, Sunil Bihari murdered the juvenile while extorting money to prove his supremacy against his rival gang headed by Sunil Teja, said Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Alok Kumar.

Bihari brutally murdered the juvenile with a knife, and then smashed his head and body with bricks and stones, wrapped the body in a blanket and threw it near Sheela Cinema bridge, he added.

The accused, a proclaimed offender, who has also been involved in crimes of robbery, pick pocketing, and drug trafficking, was arrested from Pandav Nagar here on June 7.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)World-famous designer Christian Louboutin has won a legal battle to protect his brand's distinctive red soles.

In 2012, Louboutin sued rival firm Van Haren for selling high-heeled shoes with scarlet soles, reports bbc.com.

Under EU law, companies cannot trademark common shapes of products such as the soles of shoes and Van Haren argued that applying red to a shoe sole came under the law and, as a result, Louboutin did not have trademark protection.

However, the European Court of Justice said shape trademarks do not apply to Louboutin's red sole, reports bbc.com.

Louboutin first designed his trademark shoe in 1993, using an assistant's red nail polish.

The luxury brand said it "warmly welcomes" the judgement.

"For 26 years, the red sole has enabled the public to attribute the origin of the shoe to its creator, Christian Louboutin. This case will now be referred back to The Hague Court which is expected to confirm the validity of the red sole trademark," said a statement from the company.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Greece has reached a deal on the name of its northern neighbour, which called itself Macedonia at the break-up of the former Yugoslavia.

After 27 years of talks - and many protests - they have settled on the name Republic of North Macedonia, or Severna Makedonija in Macedonian.

Greece had objected to the name Macedonia, fearing territorial claims on its eponymous northern region.

It had vetoed the neighbour's bid to join Nato and the European Union.

The new name will now need to be approved by the Macedonian people and Greek Parliament, BBC reported.

Under the deal, the country known at the United Nations as Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Fyrom) will be named Severna Makedonija, or Republic of North Macedonia.

Its language will be Macedonian and its people known as Macedonians (citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia).

Significantly, they agreed that the new name would be used both internationally and bilaterally, so that even the 140 or more countries that recognise the name Macedonia will also have to adopt North Macedonia.

They also agreed that the English name could be used as well as the Slavic term.

The name Macedonia already belongs to a northern region of Greece that includes the country's second city Thessaloniki. By adopting the same identity in 1991, the new Slavic nation infuriated many Greeks, who suspected their northern neighbour of territorial ambitions.

The new Macedonians did not help matters when they named the main airport in the capital, Skopje, after Ancient Greek hero Alexander the Great, as well as a key motorway running from the Serbian to the Greek border.

During the 4th Century BC, the Macedonia of Alexander and his father Philip II before him ruled all of Greece and much beyond it.

Only partly. Greece argues that Macedonia is an intrinsic part of Hellenic heritage. The ancient capital of Aigai is close to the modern Greek town of Vergina, while Alexander's birthplace is in Pella. As part of the deal, it is made clear that the people of North Macedonia have no relation to ancient Greek civilisation and their language is part of the Slavic family, unrelated to ancient Greek heritage.

But while Alexander remains a powerful symbol, recent territorial disputes over Macedonia are far more serious.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar's security has been increased as the "BJP workers continued to obstruct" his tour to tribal dominated areas in Dhalai district since Monday, police said on Tuesday.

Sarkar, now the Leader of Opposition in Tripura, accompanied by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Chief Whip in the assembly and former minister Tapan Chakraborty and party legislator Pravat Chowdhury, went to the tribal dominated areas in Dhalai district on Monday to see the crisis of food, rural jobs and other scarcities there.

"We have deployed huge additional security forces for Sarkar and other leaders' visit to Gandachara and nearby areas. Like Monday, some people were shouting slogans against Sarkar on Tuesday also," Dhalai district police chief Sudipta Das told IANS.

A CPI-M leader, accompanying Sarkar, said that the ruling BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and IPFT (Indigenous People's Front of Tripura) workers continued the protest on Tuesday against the former Chief Minister's visit to the tribal inhabited areas.

"CPI-M Chief Whip in Lok Sabha on Monday talked to Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb over phone on the issue and after that yesterday's (Monday) obstruction by BJP-IPFT workers was withdrawn," a CPI-M statement said here on Monday night.

It said: "BJP-IPFT workers undemocratically creating blockade against the opposition leader and other CPI-M legislators' visit to the interior areas to prevent the exposure of huge crisis of food and other basics in the tribal populated areas."

"Already, two tribals died due to starvation related diseases in Dhalai district. Hundreds of people are going to neighbouring Bangladesh for their survival. Rural jobs under the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) are almost stopped. The BJP government remained mute spectator," the CPI-M statement said.

The BJP, however, denied that any of its workers was involved in blockading Sarkar's tour.

"During the regime of CPI-M-led Left Front, people did not see the faces of Left leaders in the interior areas. Now the common people are agitating against their No BJP worker is involved in the obstruction to Sarkar's visit to different areas of Dhalai district," BJP spokesman Mrinal Kanti Deb told the media.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan says his character Mauji in the film "Sui Dhaaga" is inspired from comic character Suppandi.

Varun essays a tailor and an office peon in the film.

On the books he likes to read, Varun said: "I read a lot of biographies... I've read one on Dev Anand. I love reading 'Suppandi'. I used to read that a lot during my childhood. Even the characters I do, like right now I am playing this character of a tailor Mauji in 'Sui Dhaaga'...there is more to him than just being a tailor as he is a peon in a shop as well. Mauji is very inspired by Suppandi."

The actor spoke about it as he unveiled the cover of Amish's latest book "Suheldev and The Battle of Bahraich" on Monday.

The book, assisted by Vikas Singh, is the first with which Amish has introduced Writer's Center in India. It will be published under Amish's brand new series titled "Indic Chronicles".

Varun said Shashank Khaitan, director of his next film "Rannbhoomi", is a fan of Amish's works. However, he said they will not steal his ideas, and will take permission if required.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Russian Foreign Ministry has said that the historic meeting of the leaders of North Korea and the United States is a step further toward an all-round political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issues.

Earlier on Tuesday, North Korea's top leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump held an unprecedented summit in Singapore and signed a joint statement after their meeting.

Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, while Kim reaffirmed his commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"We believe that the normalization of U.S.-DPRK relations, the pursuit of which is reflected in the final joint statement of the parties, is an integral part of a comprehensive settlement of the Korean Peninsula issues, including nuclear," the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

It also welcomed Trump's statement following the meeting about the inappropriateness of conducting military exercises during negotiations, as the cessation of provocative actions is a necessary step toward reducing tensions and building trust, according to the statement reported by Xinhua.

For its part, Russia will continue to make active efforts to safeguard the political and diplomatic process around the Korean Peninsula, particularly exploring possibilities of multilateral consultations, the ultimate aim of restoring a peace and security mechanism that addresses concerns of all interested parties, the statement said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)President Ram Nath Kovind will embark on an eight-day three-nation tour from June 16 that will see him going to Greece, Suriname and Cuba, it was announced on Tuesday.

Briefing the media here, Subrata Bhattacharjee (Central Europe) in the External Affairs Ministry, said that Kovind will reach Greece on June 16 at the invitation of Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulus.

He will hold a meeting with Pavlopoulus as well as with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Leader of the Opposition Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Kovind will also meet Indian and Greek CEOs and deliver a speech on "India and Europe in a Changing World" at the Hellenic Foundation for Europe and Foreign Policy, a leading Greek think tank.

According to Bhattacharjee, India-Greece bilateral trade stands at $530 million and some Indian companies are also present in the infrastructure, pharmaceutical and steel sectors in that central European nation.

With Greece being home to a 12,000-strong Indian diaspora, Kovind will also interact with members of the community.

From Greece, Kovind will leave for Suriname on June 19 in what will be the first ever visit by an Indian head of state to that South American nation.

Partha Satpathy, Joint Secretary (Latin America and Caribbean), said that Kovind's visits to Suriname and Cuba are a reflection of New Delhi giving more importance from this year to ties with Latin America.

Last month, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu visited Guatemala, Panama and Peru.

While in Suriname at the invitation of President Desi Bouterse, following official talks, some agreements are expected to be signed, including on health and information technology. India will offer some lines of credit as part of development assistance.

With 37 per cent of Suriname's population being people of Indian origin, Kovind will also lay the foundation of a Vivekananda Cultural Centre.

Most of these Indian-origin people are descendants of indentured labour brought to work in sugarcane plantations, the first batch of whom arrived in 1873.

On June 21, Kovind will participate in activities as part of the International Yoga Day.

From Suriname, he and his delegation will leave for Cuba which again will be the first ever presidential visit from India to that country.

Satpathy said that both India and Cuba are important partners in the global South-South cooperation.

He said that Kovind will interact with Cuba's new leadership under President Miguel Diaz-Canel.

Four agreements are expected to be signed, including in the areas of biotechnology and traditional and alternative systems of medicine.

Kovind will conclude his visit on April 23.

According to Press Secretary to the President Ashok Malik, this will be Kovind's fourth and last foreign visit in the first year of his presidency. In all, he will have visited 10 countries.

During the visit, the President will be accompanied by Minister of State for Steel Vishnu Deo Sai, two members of the Lok Sabha, Dinesh Kashyap and Nityanand Rai, and senior officials.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)President Ram Nath Kovind will embark on an eight-day, three-nation tour from June 16 that will see him going to Greece, Suriname and Cuba, it was announced on Tuesday.

Briefing the media here, Subrata Bhattacharjee, Joint Secretary, Central Europe, in the External Affairs Ministry, said that Kovind will reach Greece on June 16 at the invitation of Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulus.

He will hold a meeting with Pavlopoulus as well as with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Leader of the Opposition Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Kovind will also meet Indian and Greek CEOs and deliver a speech on "India and Europe in a Changing World" at the Hellenic Foundation for Europe and Foreign Policy, a leading Greek think tank.

According to Bhattacharjee, India-Greece bilateral trade stands at $530 million and some Indian companies are also present in the infrastructure, pharmaceutical and steel sectors in that central European nation.

With Greece being home to a 12,000-strong Indian diaspora, Kovind will also interact with members of the community.

From Greece, Kovind will leave for Suriname on June 19 in what will be the first ever visit by an Indian head of state to the South American nation.

Partha Satpathy, Joint Secretary (Latin America and Caribbean), said that Kovind's visits to Suriname and Cuba are a reflection of New Delhi giving more importance from this year to ties with Latin America.

Last month, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu visited Guatemala, Panama and Peru.

While in Suriname at the invitation of President Desi Bouterse, following official talks, some agreements are expected to be signed, including on health and information technology. India will offer some lines of credit as part of development assistance.

With 37 per cent of Suriname's population being people of Indian origin, Kovind will also lay the foundation of a Vivekananda Cultural Centre.

Most of these Indian-origin people are descendants of indentured labour brought to work in sugarcane plantations, the first batch of whom arrived in 1873.

On June 21, Kovind will participate in activities as part of the International Yoga Day.

From Suriname, he and his delegation will leave for Cuba which again will be the first ever presidential visit from India to the Caribbean island country.

Satpathy said that both India and Cuba are important partners in the global South-South cooperation.

He said that Kovind will interact with Cuba's new leadership under President Miguel Diaz-Canel.

Four agreements are expected to be signed, including in the areas of biotechnology and traditional and alternative systems of medicine.

Kovind will conclude his visit on June 23.

According to Press Secretary to the President Ashok Malik, this will be Kovind's fourth and last foreign visit in the first year of his presidency. In all, he will have visited 10 countries.

During the visit, the President will be accompanied by Minister of State for Steel Vishnu Deo Sai, two members of the Lok Sabha, Dinesh Kashyap and Nityanand Rai, and senior officials.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The contrasting events that transpired in the cities of Quebec and Qingdao over the weekend signalled the immediacy of the changing world order. At the meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced nations in Quebec, Trump went beyond expectations in ensuring that multilateralism sees its early demise while some 10,000 kilometres away in the coastal city of Qingdao, new beginnings were made at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as if to negate all that was undone across the Pacific.

It is evident that Trump attended the G7 in protest. He made no amends with his allies over escalating tariff wars but, instead, upped his threats. He arrived late for meetings, lashed out at other leaders and left early. He even pulled out of the joint statement and later berated his hosts over Twitter. After the meeting of Trump with Kim Jong-un, the US might be on better terms with North Korea by the end of this week than it is with its allies.

By isolating himself so completely, Trump has possibly killed the G7 as the US was the power holding the group together. Currently, it is the only platform for the Western countries that acts as a steering committee for the world economy. There was a reason that the second-largest economy of the world, China, was kept out of the group. Without America's support, G7 will find it impossible to survive. The power vacuum can only be filled by China and it is doing so, quite effectively.

Snubbed by the US, Europe has been rolling out the red carpet for China by enthusiastically participating in its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and other such multilateral and bilateral efforts. The SCO was yet another successful attempt by China to strengthen regional ties; this time in Central Asia. The group that started off as the "Shanghai 5" in 1996 (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia and Tajikistan), mainly for ensuring regional security, has evolved into the SCO that now includes India and Pakistan within its fold and espouses a global vision with a strong economic mandate. The regional grouping accounts for about 40 percent of the world's population and 20 percent of its GDP.

By contrast, the G7 countries account for only 10 percent of the world's population but 50 percent of its GDP. Yet, the SCO nations presented a more promising front this weekend. They stood for everything the G7 could not. While the industrialised nations were engaged in personality clashes, the Asian grouping was more proactive in engaging in dialogues of regional cooperation and development. In a veiled dig at the US for withdrawing from the Iran deal, Hassan Rouhani was also given a warm welcome at the SCO and the Asian leaders even promised to try and save the deal from meeting a premature end.

It is sometimes naively believed, or rather hoped, that the withdrawal of America from the established global economic order is merely a passing phase and as Trump moves out of office, the idea of multilateralism will somehow revive itself. But it needs to be understood that Trump is not acting on his own accord. His voters have strongly come to abhor the idea of globalisation and free trade. They believe that they have been short-changed in the entire process and will not vote for anyone who promises to revert to the old days. So, the establishment of the Asian century is inevitable.

India, on its part, can have a greater role to play in this new world order. To its credit, the country has been at the forefront engaging vigorously with numerous world powers and regional groupings. However, its emergence as a global power will depend on its ability to decisively influence multilateral processes. For instance, India has remained steadfast in its opposition to China's Belt and Road Initiative. At the SCO, Prime Minister Narendra Modi even remarked that India would welcome any connectivity projects that respect the sovereignty of other nations. But, expectedly, New Delhi finds itself alone in its opposition to the project. India lacks the economic heft to sway multilateral agreements in its favour. That remains its Achilles heel.

The changing world order presents an opportunity for India to make its mark on the world stage. It needs to expedite the resolution of its economic shortcomings. It has the benefit of being the biggest democracy in Asia and leverage it to its advantage. Surely, if India could present a viable alternative to China, the European nations would prefer siding with a liberal democracy than an iffy autocracy.

(Amit Kapoor is chair, Institute for Competitiveness. The views expressed are personal. Chirag Yadav, senior researcher, Institute for Competitiveness, has contributed to the article)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Saturdays will be different in government schools of Rajasthan from the new academic session, with special sessions on life of distinguished personalities, moral lessons, quizzes and patriotic songs to make the students "culturally and morally strong".

The Department has included these proposed extra-curricular activities in its annual calendar.

According to the calendar, biographies of distinguished people will be read out by their teachers or headmasters on first Saturday while stories giving moral lessons and inspiration will be read on second Saturdays.

The third Saturday of the month has been fixed to listen to sermons of saints, the fourth for quiz programmes while fifth will have plays on moral values and the students will also be singing patriotic songs.

According to state Minister Vasudev Devnani, this initiative will develop moral values in students which will ensure they become good human beings and good citizens of India.

A senior official meanwhile told IANS that the initiative has been taken to develop moral values in school children which is declining at a fast pace.

"We want them to learn how family as an institute remains united no matter what the circumstances are. The senior citizens of the family once were guiding lights of the family and kids used to enjoy their story-telling sessions.

"Hence we are trying to bring in same values for young generation," he added, saying that opposition blames them for "saffronising" the but this is what is needed at this point of time.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday condoled the death of Madhya Pradesh-based spiritual guru Bhaiyyuji Maharaj, who committed suicide by shooting himself at his residence in Indore.

"The untimely and unfortunate death of Bhaiyyuji Maharaj is a tragic moment for us. His death is a great loss for the society. We pray for peace to the departed soul and strength for his family and us to bear the grief," Bhagwat said in a statement released by RSS.

The 50-year-old guru, who had prominent followers from different political parties and was recently given the status of a Minister of State by the state government in a controversial decision which he had declined, died after he was admitted to a hospital in a critical condition.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Samsung has filed a motion with the US District Court in San Jose, California, to appeal a verdict that asked the South Korean giant to pay Apple $539 million for copying patented iPhone designs - a legal battle that dates back to 2011.

Samsung thinks the verdict is wrong and wants a refund of some damages already paid, CNET reported on Monday.

It asked a court last week to either dismiss the judgment or retry the case in which the damages were decided, the report said.

Samsung was given the $539 million penalty last month as it was found infringing on five patents with Android phones it sold in 2010 and 2011.

The legal dispute between the two tech giants dates to 2011 when Apple sued Samsung. This led the South Korean tech giant to countersue the Cupertino, California-headquartered Apple in the same year, according to a report in The Korea Herald in May.

Samsung lost the case in 2012. It was ordered to pay the US tech giant more than $1 billion for infringing on three of Apple's design patents related to mobile devices -- the quick links to phone numbers, the slide-to-unlock feature and the auto-correct function.

Under the US patent law, infringement of a design patent can result in a plaintiff receiving total profits made through the product.

Samsung's lawyers appealed the case, bringing down the compensation of $1 billion to $400 million in 2015 at the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

In an attempt to limit the compensation to profits attributable to a specific component patent in question, Samsung then appealed the lower court's ruling to the Supreme Court.

The South Korean tech behemoth argued that component design could be just a small part of a smartphone whose technologies involve more than 200,000 patents.

In late 2016, the US Supreme Court agreed with Samsung and ordered the two tech giants to negotiate a date for a retrial to settle the award money for Apple, the The Korea Herald report said.

The new appeal against the $539 million verdict suggests that the seven-year-old legal battle between the two tech giants is far from over.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hundreds of schools and colleges were shut on Tuesday due to heavy rainfall in Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru districts in Karnataka as the southwest monsoon advanced vigorously, officials said.

"Schools and colleges in four taluks (sub-districts) of Chikkamagaluru have been given a holiday for the safety of students as heavy rains have been inundating several low-lying areas," an official from the Chikkamagaluru Deputy Commissioner's Office told IANS.

Some areas of Chikkamagaluru district in Malnad region, about 280 km from here, have received very heavy rainfall measuring up to 13 cm till Tuesday morning, the Bengaluru centre of India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on its website.

River Bhadra, which originates from Chikkamagaluru, was seen overflowing and flooding the low-lying areas along its course.

Schools and colleges were also closed in parts of coffee-growing Kodagu district, about 270 km from here which has witnessed heavy monsoon over the last few days.

"Holiday has been declared for educational institutions in the low-lying taluks of the district. Though most of the district is receiving moderate to heavy rainfall, the district administration is constantly monitoring the situation to take necessary measures," an official from Kodagu district's Deputy Commissioner's Office said.

The pilgrim town of Bhagamandala in Kodagu district received rainfall as high as 17 cm, according to the IMD's data on Tuesday morning.

The coastal districts of Uttara Kannada and Dakshina Kannada and interior districts of Hassan and Shivamogga also continued to receive moderate to heavy rains leading to flooding of roads and affecting normal life.

The rains, accompanied by gusty winds, wreaked havoc uprooting trees and snapping power lines over the past week.

"Owing to the heavy rains, train service from Bengaluru to Karwar in Uttara Kannada has been diverted via Palakkad in Kerala," Deputy General Manager of South Western Railway E. Vijaya told IANS.

Bus services to the districts have been largely unaffected but were plying with delays, officials said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A move that would have given MPs the power to stop Britain leaving the European Union (EU) without a deal was rejected in the House of Commons.

By 324 votes to 298, MPs on Tuesday rejected an amendment by the House of Lords that would have guaranteed lawmakers a meaningful vote on a Brexit deal.

The vote was a major victory for Prime Minister Theresa May and her government who feared success for the amendment would have tied their negotiating arm, Xinhua reported.

The House of Commons is debating a crucial bill to pave the way for Britain to exit the EU next March.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, along with a dozen BJP leaders from Rajasthan, will be in Delhi to attend a meeting called by party President Amit Shah on Wednesday, said BJP state incharge and national vice president Avinash Rai Khanna.

Speaking to IANS, he confirmed on Tuesday that crucial issues related to the assembly elections would be discussed in the meeting.

When asked about the pending issue of appointment of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s state president, he said there were fair chances of getting a new state unit chief in this meeting.

Everything related to the party, its working and the challenges facing it would be discussed in this meeting to be chaired by Shah, he added.

Both the central and state party leaderships have been unable to build a consensus on any name to head the party in the state after Ashok Parnami resigned from the post on April 16.

The names proposed by the central BJP leadership were reportedly not approved by Vasundhara Raje and her team, while those suggested by her have not been accepted by the central leadership.

Party sources confirmed that besides Vasundhara, veteran leaders including Arjun Meghwal, Om Mathur, Bhupendra Yadav, state Home Minister Gulabchand Kataria and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Arun Chaturvedi, among others, are likely to attend the meeting.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Ill admit that if you look closely enough  OK, maybe you dont even have to look all that closely  youll see dust bunnies. And sand tracked in on the porch. Oh, yeah, and fingerprints on the windows.

So, in other words, my house is not quite spotless.Identifying differences in behavioural patterns of foreign and domestic tourists, the need for politeness while addressing erring sea bathers and taking special care of women beachgoers are some of the takeaways from a training module booklet developed for Goa's lifeguards.

The training module has been developed as part of the skill development programme for the beach sentinels.

The programme was launched on Tuesday by Goa Tourism Development Corporation chairman Nilesh Cabral and officials from Nestle, India and Drishti Marine, a private beach management agency, which is in-charge of deploying lifeguards on popular beaches in the coastal state.

Making a distinction between dealing with foreign and domestic tourists, the module says there is an inherent difference while dealing with domestic and foreign tourists vis-a-vis "behavioural, convincing powers", etc.

The training booklet also says there was a need to understand the culture of the domestic tourists while dealing with them.

Lifeguards in Goa have in the past often had to deal with unruly tourists, both domestic and foreign, over inebriated behaviour and defiance of swimming norms on beaches, which includes wading into no-swim zones.

The training booklet which is also expected to help develop lifeguards' soft skills, also asks lifeguards to speak to women with "respect and decency" while approaching them.

Speaking to the media at the launch of the training module, Cabral said: "Goa attracts a large number of tourists annually. It is due to such large volumes of tourists, that upgrading the skills of those who manage the beaches becomes even more important. We are happy that Nestle India and Drishti are taking this initiative to help improve tourist experiences on our beaches".

Goa attracts more than six million visitors every year, half a million of whom are foreign nationals.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena appointed seven new non-cabinet ministers which included two new state ministers and five new deputy ministers, it was announced on Tuesday.

Ruling United National Party (UNP) MP Ranjth Aluwihare was sworn in as state minister of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs while UNP legislator Lucky Jayawardena was sworn in as state minister of Hill Country, New Villages Infrastructure and Community Development.

UNP legislator Ajth Mannapperuma was sworn in as Deputy Minister of Environment while Angajan Ramanathan of United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) was sworn in as Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Xinhua news agency reported.

K. Kader Masthan of the UPFA was sworn in as Deputy Minister of Resettlement, Rehabilitation, Northern Development and Hindu Religious Affairs while Edward Gunasekara was sworn in as Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Wayamba Development.

Nalin Bandara of the UNP was sworn in as Deputy Minister of Public Administration and Management, Law and Order.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee kept a distance from the Ram temple movement and in private conversations objected to its agitational stance, according to a new book titled "Shades of Saffron: From Vajpayee to Modi" by seasoned journalist Saba Naqvi.

The book, said to reveal "hitherto unknown aspects" about the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), points out that Vajpayee openly admitted to "being irritated by questions about the Ram temple in Ayodhya".

But Naqvi, who has had the first-hand experience of covering the BJP for well over two decades, contends that "the building of a grand Ram temple was a core issue that the BJP couldn't afford to ignore".

"Vajpayee therefore made a subtle change in tack and said that it was no longer necessary for a BJP government to enact a legislation to build a temple at Ayodhya," Naqvi writes in the book, published by Westland.

"We will resolve the issue through dialogue -- the same way we resolved the Azadari dispute between the Shias and Sunnis of Lucknow. A law will not be needed," Vajpayee, who is currently undergoing treatment for urinary tract infection at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) here, is quoted as saying in the book.

In this context, Naqvi explains that it is fascinating that the "issue is again central to the BJP as it heads for the 2019 general elections" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the helm.

"There are still legal constraints on the party's desire to build a 'magnificent Ram temple at Ayodhya' and the same path is again being trod almost two decades later by some individuals like Sri Sri Ravishankar who's trying to get stakeholders to resolve matters," Naqvi notes in the 284-page book.

She also points out that several informed people on both sides say that the long-awaited verdict on the disputed land "could be delivered in 2018", before the general elections.

"What's more, in May 2017, the Supreme Court of India also revived criminal conspiracy charges against senior BJP leaders L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti for bringing down the Babri mosque," she adds.

In the context of Ram mandir, the book also touches upon an earlier conversation between the author and late Kushabhau Thakre, who became party president of the BJP in 1998.

"'Can anyone think about India without Ram?' he once asked me, but added with utmost honesty that 'We can only implement our ideology if we have the strength to do so. Yeh sab hamara karyakram hai, lekin shakti nahin hai' (All this is in our agenda but we lack the strength to pursue it)," Naqvi recalls in the book.

Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had earlier told IANS that the best solution to the festering Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute is an out-of-court settlement under which the Muslims gift the land to the Hindus for building a grand Ram temple.

--IANS

ss/nir

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India's tea exports grew by about 6.5 per cent to 79.72 million kg during the January-April period of 2018 as compared to 74.89 million kg exported in the corresponding period last year.

According to data from the Tea Board of India, in April tea export was up marginally to 14.5 million kg as against 14.33 million kg exported in the year-ago month and in value terms, export during the month was stagnant at Rs 277.6 crore as compared to Rs 277.71 crore in April 2017.

In value terms, tea exports for the first four months of the current calendar year, stood at Rs 1,524.92 crore, up by about 5.3 per cent from Rs 1,447.74 crore in the year-ago period.

In volume, tea exports to CIS countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and others, were at 20.46 million kg in the January-April period of 2018, down from 22.28 million kg in the same period of last year.

Exports to the UK also fell to 3.03 million kg in the period under review, as against 3.73 million kg in the year-ago period while exports at 2.95 million kg to Germany during the period were also down from 3.3 million kg exported in the corresponding months of 2017.

However, tea exports to Iran went up to 8.94 million kg in the period under review, from 7.18 million kg in the year-ago period.

As much as 4.89 million kg of tea was shipped out to Egypt during the first four months of current year, up from 2.94 million kg in the year-ago period.

Tea exports to Pakistan stood at 5.03 million kg in the period, as against 3.31 million kg exported in the corresponding months of 2017.

India's tea exports to China during the period were up at 3.04 million kg.

--IANS

bdc/ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India's estimated tea production fell by 7.21 per cent to 85.74 million kg in April 2018 from 92.41 million kg produced in the year-ago month, according to data from the Tea Board of India.

According to provisional data from the Board, in April, tea exports were up marginally to 14.5 million kg as against 14.33 million kg exported in the year-ago month and in value terms, the month was stagnant at Rs 277.6 crore as compared to Rs 277.71 crore in April 2017.

Estimated production data suggested the fall in absolute term during April was due to drop in the crop production both in north (which also covers the east and northeast India) and south India.

In north India, Assam's production for the month was marginally up to 45.65 million kg as compared to 44.24 million kg produced in the corresponding month of 2017 while West Bengal's production for the month stood at 15.73 million kg, down by nearly 20 per cent from 19.6 million kg produced in the same month of 2017.

Taking Assam, West Bengal and others together, the estimated crop during the month under review in north India decreased by nearly four per cent to 63.28 million kg as against 65.86 million kg produced in April 2017.

In south India, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, the tea production was at 22.46 million kg in April 2018 as against 26.55 million kg produced in same month last year.

Small growers produced 38.04 million kg in April as against 43 million kg produced by them in the year-ago month.

Moreover, India's tea exports grew by about 6.5 per cent to 79.72 million kg during the January-April period of 2018 as compared to 74.89 million kg exported in the corresponding period last year.

In value terms, tea exports for the first four months of the current calendar year, stood at Rs 1,524.92 crore, up by about 5.3 per cent from Rs 1,447.74 crore in the year-ago period.

In volume, tea exports to CIS countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and others, were at 20.46 million kg in the January-April period of 2018, down from 22.28 million kg in the same period of last year.

Exports to Britain also fell to 3.03 million kg in the period under review, as against 3.73 million kg in the year-ago period while exports at 2.95 million kg to Germany during the period were also down from 3.3 million kg exported in the corresponding months of 2017.

However, tea exports to Iran went up to 8.94 million kg in the period under review, from 7.18 million kg in the year-ago period.

As much as 4.89 million kg of tea was shipped out to Egypt during the first four months of current year, up from 2.94 million kg in the year-ago period.

Tea exports to Pakistan stood at 5.03 million kg in the period, as against 3.31 million kg exported in the corresponding months of 2017.

India's tea exports to China during the period were up at 3.04 million kg.

--IANS

bdc/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The US will end its joint military exercises with South Korea, but sanctions on Pyongyang will remain in place, President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday.

Trump's statement came after he signed an agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un which included a pledge to work towards a "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula".

The US leader said he believed his North Korean counterpart would live up to the agreement. But "in the meantime the sanctions will remain in effect".

He said he would push for North Korea to denuclearize as "fast as it can mechanically" but added it could take a long time. "Scientifically you have to wait certain periods of time... But once you start the process, it means it's pretty much over."

Trump said the process would start "very soon" and added sanctions would be removed "when we are sure the nukes are no longer a factor".

He also said he would stop the joint military exercises with South Korea, which North Korea describes as a "preparation for war". The President also described the military exercises as "too expensive".

Trump said he hopes to eventually withdraw US forces from South Korea, but said "that's not part of the equation right now.

"I want to get our soldiers out. I want to bring our soldiers back home... But that's not part of the equation right now. I hope it will be eventually."

Trump said he had agreed to stop the "war games" because he considers them "very provocative" and said it would save the US "a tremendous amount of money".

"We've done exercises for a long period of time, working with South Korea... They're tremendously expensive. South Korea contributes but not 100 per cent. We have to talk to many countries about treating us fairly. The war games are very expensive, we pay for a big majority of them."

He added: "We're negotiating a very complicated deal... I think it's inappropriate to have war games."

Trump said the summit marked a "great moment in the history of the world" and stressed that denuclearization would be verifiable by international and US experts.

The leaders have agreed to have follow-on negotiations led by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a senior North Korean official.

Trump said he had invited Kim to visit the White House at "the appropriate time" and that the North Korean leader had accepted his invitation.

He said that Kim told him that North Korea was "destroying a major missile engine testing site". The commitment was not included in the joint declaration the two men signed, but Trump said: "We agreed to that after the agreement was signed."

Trump said he was confident that Kim will live up to the document that they both signed. "I don't think they have ever had the confidence in a President they have right now for getting things done."

He also praised Kim "ability to run a country at a young age". "He is very talented," Trump said.

Asked about a possible second summit with Kim, Trump told reporters that while one hasn't been set up yet. "We'll probably need another summit or meeting."

--IANS

soni/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Urjit Patel was on Tuesday grilled by parliamentarians over challenges being faced by the banking sector, including the huge number and size of bad loans and frauds like the one in Punjab National Bank even as he said that the situation has improved and the central bank has taken some measures to strengthen the banking system.

Patel, who was called by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance for questioning in relation to these issues, answered questions for over three hours.

He appeared along with the Deputy Governors and deposed under the topic "Banking Sector in India issues, Challenges and the Way Forward including Non-Performing Assets in banks and financial institutions"

The meeting was chaired by Congress leader Veerappa Moily and attended among others by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Some members of the committee also sought to know about the reasons for recent instances of ATMs running out of cash and NPA crisis and bank frauds (Nirav Modi).

Sources present in the meeting told IANS that Patel briefed about the current situation and said it has improved with regard to the issue of the Non Performing Assets (bad loans). The RBI has taken some measures to strengthen the banking system, he said but pointed out that the RBI did not have sufficient powers to discipline Chairmen of banks or change members of their Boards.

Patel had earlier given a written submission about what are the corrective measures that have been taken.

Sources said that Patel informed that measures adopted by the RBI to tackle the crisis include prompt corrective action (PCA) framework, implementation of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and a new resolution framework.

An MP said that Patel did not give any reply to some questions on demonetisation.

Citing reports of experts on the notes in circulation, which was earlier stated to be around Rs. 17 lakh crore, has now increased to Rs 18.5 lakh crore, a member sought to know from Patel that cash supply getting reduced, it was going up contradicting the purpose of the demonetisation.

Patel claimed the IMF and World Bank have praised its regulatory role.

About the latest situation on the notes in circulation, Patel is reported to have said said that the RBI would give the answer later.

Another member said people have lost trust in the banking system and everybody is withdrawing cash while ATMs are depleted. "People are putting the money somewhere else which is going to be a run on the bank," he is believed to have said.

Responding to the query, the RBI Governor said, "everything is fine".

He was also asked about Punjab National Bank and he was told that LoUs were going from "Nirav Modi to Nirav Modi" which the banks are supposed to inspect.

One another member told the Governor that RBI was not fulfilling its obligations to the people to which Patel said he will reply to these questions later on.

The next meeting of the committee will be held on June 19.

--IANS

sid-bns/vsc/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)RBI Governor Urjit Patel, who was on Tuesday grilled by parliamentarians over challenges being faced by the banking sector including the huge number and size of bad loans and frauds like the one in Punjab National Bank, sought more powers for the central bank to oversee Public Sector Banks (PSBs).

Patel, summoned by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance for questioning in relation to these issues, said that the situation has improved and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has taken some measures to strengthen the banking system.

He appeared along with the Deputy Governors and deposed under the topic "Banking Sector in India issues, challenges and the way forward including Non-Performing Assets in banks and financial institutions".

The meeting was chaired by Congress leader Veerappa Moily and attended by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh among others.

Answering questions for over three hours, Patel said that the RBI "needs more powers to oversee PSBs", sources present in the meeting said.

A source told IANS that Patel briefed about the current situation and said it has improved with regard to the issue of the Non-Performing Assets (or bad loans).

The central bank has taken some measures to strengthen the banking system, Patel said but pointed out that the RBI did not have "sufficient powers" to discipline Chairmen of banks or change members of their Boards.

During the meeting, sources said, the Governor faced tough questions from lawmakers on bad loans, bank frauds, cash crunch and other issues.

Some members of the committee also sought to know about the reasons for recent instances of ATMs running out of cash and NPA crisis and bank frauds (Nirav Modi).

Patel had earlier given a written submission about the corrective measures that have been taken.

Sources said that Patel informed that measures adopted by the RBI to tackle the crisis include prompt corrective action framework, implementation of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and a new resolution framework.

An MP said that Patel did not give any reply to some questions on demonetisation.

Citing reports of experts on the notes in circulation, which was earlier stated to be around Rs 17 lakh crore and has now increased to Rs 18.5 lakh crore, a member said that this was contradicting the purpose of demonetisation.

About the latest situation on the notes in circulation, Patel is reported to have said said that the RBI would give the answer later.

Another member said people have lost trust in the banking system and everybody is withdrawing cash while ATMs are depleted. "People are putting the money somewhere else which is going to be a run on the bank," he is believed to have said.

In response, the RBI Governor said, "everything is fine".

He was also asked about Punjab National Bank and told that LoUs were going from "Nirav Modi to Nirav Modi" which the banks are supposed to inspect.

Another member told the Governor that RBI was not fulfilling its obligations to the people to which Patel said he will reply to these questions later.

He also said the International Monetary Fund and World Bank have praised its regulatory role.

The next meeting of the committee will be held on June 19.

--IANS

bns/him/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Militants of the so-called "Free Syrian Army" with the assistance of U.S. military special operations forces are mulling a fake chemical attack in Syria, the Russian military said.

The intelligence was confirmed by three independent channels in Syria, said Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov in a statement on Monday.

A Xinhua report quoted Igor as saying that the Free Syrian Army militants have brought chlorine cylinders to a settlement in the Syrian province of Deir al-Zour to fake a chemical attack by the Syrian government troops against civilians.

A video of the staged attack, after it is disseminated in the western media, will serve as a new pretext for the US-led coalition to strike Syrian targets and justify an offensive by militants against Syrian government forces on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, he said.

The ministry said it is intolerable to use such a provocation to destabilize Syria, Konashenkov said.

The United States, along with Britain and France, launched joint airstrikes on military targets in Syria on April 14, in response to what they said was the Syrian military's use of chemical weapons in Douma, a then rebel-held town in Eastern Ghouta near the Syrian capital of Damascus on April 7.

However, Russia said that no traces of the chemical attack had been found and that the event was staged.

--IANS

tsb

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) cleared Sun Pharma Industries Ltd of the issues it raised in December 2015 after inspecting its Halol facility in Gujarat, said the Indian drug maker on Tuesday.

"The agency (USFDA) concluded that the inspection is closed and the issues contained in the December 2015 warning letter have been addressed," said the city-based drug firm in a regulatory filing on the BSE.

The US regulator inspected the Halol plant on February 12-23 and sent its Establishment Inspection Report (EIR) to the leading company.

"This is an important development for us, as we remain committed to following the highest level of quality and 24x7 cGMP compliance at all our manufacturing facilities globally," said Sun Pharma Managing Director Dilip Shanghvi in the filing.

As the world's fifth largest generic drug maker, Sun Pharma has a global presence with 41 production units, research and development centres and multi-cultural workforce across six continents.

The company's blue-chip scrip of Re 1 face value gained Rs 5.50 to close at Rs 540.50 per share on the BSE at the end of Tuesday's trading as against the Monday's closing price of Rs 535 and opening rate of Rs 535.90.

--IANS

fb/him/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The US has imposed sanctions against six men for their involvement in human trafficking and smuggling of migrants in Libya in a case first exposed by a CNN undercover investigation.

The US Treasury on Monday announced financial restrictions placed on the six men as a result of the CNN probe that documented how the men profited from the smuggling and exploitation of migrants and refugees in a network that spanned Africa.

The US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said the images seen in the report of people being sold as slaves in Libya "shocked our conscience".

Monday's sanctions, which include blocking their assets, come not long after the UN Security Council slapped sanctions on the group on June 7 as part of a Dutch-led initiative, which was also supported by the US, UK, France and Germany.

The men are accused of leading criminal networks that traffic vast numbers of vulnerable migrants through Libya to Europe.

One of them is a commander with the Libyan Coast Guard. He is accused of using firearms to deliberately sink boats carrying migrants.

Another is accused of having longstanding links with the Islamic State (IS), according to UN documents obtained by CNN.

Others in the group are accused of selling migrants as "sex slaves" and being responsible for some of the worst migrant boat accidents in the Mediterranean.

The sanctions imposed will freeze the six men's financial assets including personal bank accounts and the revenue from their global business activities.

They will also be subject to strict travel bans.

Each year, tens of thousands of people pour into Libya -- the final transit stop before a short but dangerous sea voyage across the Mediterranean to Europe.

For those involved in the smuggling and trafficking networks, it has been a lucrative and exploitative business with revenues in the billions, according to the European Migrant Smuggling Centre (EMSC).

In 2015, migrant smuggling networks made between $5-7 billion trafficking people bound for Europe, according to a 2017 EMSC report.

--IANS

ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The US on Tuesday inaugurated a new de facto embassy in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties with the island and amid growing tension with China.

The unveiling of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) was attended by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen and Premier William Lai, Efe news reported.

"AIT's new office complex is a testament to the strong US commitment to Taiwan, the close and cooperative ties between our people and the enduring friendship between the US and Taiwan," AIT Chairman James Moriarty said in a statement posted on the Institute's website.

"The friendship between Taiwan and the US has never been more promising," Tsai said.

The AIT building, spread over 6.5 hectares (16 acres) of land, costs around $250 million and will employ more than 500 people and would be protected by US Marines.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce and Congressman Gregg Harper also attended the inauguration.

Earlier in the day, Beijing reacted sharply to the inauguration and said the presence of US representatives at the inauguration may pose as an interference in China's internal affairs.

"We urge the US to redress its wrong doings and avoid damaging China-US ties, peace and stability," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said, adding they have already filed a formal complaint with the US over its relationship with Taiwan.

China argues that Taiwan is part of the People's Republic and insists countries can only have official diplomatic relations with the mainland and not Taiwan.

--IANS

soni/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee continued to be at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here for a second day on Tuesday undergoing treatment for urinary tract infection and is said to be stable.

"His condition is stable. We will get the update on his health around noon," said a hospital official. There is no talk about his discharge any time soon.

Vajpayee, 93, was admitted to AIIMS on Monday for examination. It triggered VIP visits including that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

"Vajpayee was admitted at AIIMS for investigation and evaluation. He has been diagnosed with a urinary tract infection for which appropriate treatment has been closely monitored and treated by a team of doctors," AIIMS media and protocol division Chairperson Aarti Vij said.

A team of senior doctors under the supervision of Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS, is conducting the tests on Vajpayee, who is bed-ridden for many years. Guleria, a pulmonologist, has been a personal physician to Vajpayee for long.

On Monday, the BJP said in a statement: "As per the advice of doctors, Vajpayeeji has been admitted in AIIMS for routine check-ups and investigations."

Modi called on Vajpayee on Monday evening and interacted with his family. He spoke to doctors and enquired about Vajpayee's health. Modi was at AIIMS for about 50 minutes.

Gandhi was the first to visit the hospital to check on Vajpayee's health. Health Minister J.P. Nadda also visited, followed by Amit Shah and Modi.

On Tuesday, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu enquired about Vajpayee's health.

Vajpayee, who was Prime Minister briefly in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004, had retreated from active over the last decade due to failing health.

--IANS

mgu/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)With former Prime Minister admitted to the in Delhi, his admirers and BJP activists on Tuesday held prayers at different places in Uttar Pradesh.

While a special 'havan' was conducted in Kanpur by party workers for his speedy recovery, BJP and Vishwa Hindu Mahasangh members took part in a 'Deerghayu Yagya' at Gonda.

Special pujas were organised at Balrampur, from where he started his political career, said a well-wisher.

Vajpayee, 93, who was Prime Minister briefly in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004, is battling a urinary tract infection and respiratory disorders for which he is admitted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. His condition is said to be stable.

Vajpayee was elected to the from Lucknow five times.Actor Vinit Kakar has wrapped up shooting for "Mahakali - Anth Hi Aarambh Hai". He will soon meet his family in Canada.

"My character Madhu has been killed. I have wrapped up shooting for the show. It was fun being a part of the mythological show," Vinit said in a statement.

He will soon travel to Canada to meet his family after eight years.

"I'm really excited," he said.

Vinit has also featured in shows "Vighnaharta Ganesh" and "Sankatmochan Mahabali Hanumaan".

-*-

'Ishqbaaaz' actor wants to play a hero

Actor Hiten Meghrajani, who essayed the role of Rehaan in the show "Ishqbaaaz", now wishes to play a hero.

"Rehaan will be one of my most special roles. It was a character with grey shades but people loved me and appreciated me. The show has given me a platform to explore my acting skills and earn my fandom," Hiten said in a statement.

"But now I wish to play a hero in a show," added the actor, known for shows like "Love By Chance" and "Fear Files".

-*-

My role in 'Naagin 3' very challenging: Puneett

Actor Puneett Chouksey says his role in the new show "Naagin 3" is a challenging one.

"My role in 'Naagin 3' is really challenging and special to me. I am open to playing more challenging roles. They can be positive or negative," Puneett, who has acted in shows "Saath Nibhana Saathiya" and "Nagarjuna-Ek Yoddha", said in a statement.

"The character of Adi (in 'Naagin 3') is totally different from what I'm off-screen. But I enjoy playing Adi as it's very interesting. He has different shades and moods," he added.

--IANS

nn/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said his ministry was working on a cruise route from Mumbai to Bali, Indonesia, via Kochi and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

"Hundreds of thousands of Indians travel to Bali. They can travel from Mumbai by cruise. This will become a big tourism attraction. One lakh tourists from our country travel to Singapore by cruise. Our effort is to develop cruise tourism here," Gadkari told reporters on the sidelines of a government function in Panaji.

The Minister also said that a convention of travel and tourism operators was being organised in Mumbai to discuss development of the holiday cruise industry along the Western coast.

Speaking about an ambitious sea plane initiative, Gadkari said: "All rules have been formalised by Air Traffic Control authotorities for sea planes. It will be finalised this month".

--IANS

maya/ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)On a recent visit to Rome  one of my favourite cities in Europe  we quite literally went broke. With the children in tow, we visited the Vatican, the Colosseum, did two sound and light shows, the Villa Borghese in addition to a couple of other museums and paid smaller entrance fees for four at god knows how many other spots.

Essentially at most places in Rome, if an entry or viewing fee is chargeable, it is charged. Barring the Trevi fountain, the Spanish steps and a couple of squares like the Piazza Navona where one can devour Berninis work for free, almost every ...Nagpur was the dead centre of undivided India. The British set up a zero-mile marker there.

Although the present-day centre of India is a degree north and a degree east of it in remote Madhya Pradesh, for a brief while last week the Maharashtra city was the epicentre of political India, thanks to a meeting there between two ageing gentlemen, one past his even titular prime and the other very much at the apogee of his influence. We were treated to two discourses on live television, one delivered in Marathi-accented but fluent Hindi, the other in Bengali-accented and stumbling ...Enhanced trade, river-water sharing and improved relations with China were the visible takeaways from Prime Minister Narendra Modis attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Chinese port city of Qingdao over the weekend. Behind the pageantry and photo-ops that captured the first attendance by Indias head of government at the summit after the country became a full SCO member in June 2017 were signs of other gains that will be invaluable in the longer run.

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Digital EditorTrading your old car, laptop or mobile phone, is one of the easiest ways to get rid of the old asset and upgrade to a new model. But what do you do if you wish to move from your 2BHK apartment to a 3BHK? Experts say real estate developers are sitting on an unsold stock finding it difficult to sell properties because of the paucity of buyers.

The situation worsens when it comes to individual sellers who want to upgrade their homes but do not have any infrastructure backing and end up selling the property at a loss. Taking a leaf out of the automobile and the electronics goods ...Former presidents Pranab Mukherjee and Pratibha Patil, ex-vice president Hamid Ansari and several opposition leaders are likely to attend an Iftar being hosted by Congress president on Wednesday.

Gandhi has invited a host of opposition and senior party leaders to the Iftar, the first ever to be hosted by him as Congress chief.

Senior Congress and opposition party leaders are likely to attend the Iftar at a local luxury hotel here, according to sources.

Sources said leaders of all like-minded non-BJP parties, which have been holding parleys on key issues, have been invited for the event.

For this will be the first occasion to host an Iftar after he took charge of the Congress.

The party did not hold Iftar, which marks the customary breaking of the day-long fast in the holy month of Ramzan, during the past two years and its last Iftar was in 2015.

The then Congress president Sonia Gandhi had hosted the feast at that time.

The party conventionally invites leaders of all faiths to the event as also top diplomats.

This year's Iftar will be keenly watched for the presence of opposition leaders at a time when the Congress is positioning itself as the centre of opposition unity ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The party's decision to resume Iftar comes days after President Ram Nath Kovind decided to discontinue the feast traditionally held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Sources said Telangana Chief Minister and TRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal have not been invited for the event.

Prior to 2016, the Congress used to host Iftar in one way or the other. When the party was in power, the then prime minister Manmohan Singh used to organise the event.

Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi used to host Iftar until the party decided to skip the event in 2016 and 2017.

The resumption of Iftar comes at a time when the Congress is seen to be pursuing a policy of soft Hindutva as evident in Rahul Gandhi's several recent temple visits.Congress president will appear before a court in the adjoining Thane district on Tuesday in connection with a filed against him by a (RSS) worker.

Gandhi arrived in Mumbai this morning on a two-day visit to Maharashtra.

He will appear before the court at Bhiwandi in Thane at 11 am today, a Congress leader earlier said.

The court had on May 2 asked Gandhi to appear before it today to record his plea in the filed by RSS worker Rajesh Kunte in 2014.

Kunte had filed the case after watching Rahul Gandhi's speech at an election rally in which he had claimed that the RSS was behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi.

"The RSS people had killed (Mahatma) Gandhi," the Congress president had allegedly said in the rally.

During his two-day visit to Maharashtra, is also expected to address party workers and interact with its corporators in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Tomorrow, he is scheduled to meet the kin of Dadaji Khobragade, the rural inventor who revolutionised rice farming, at Chandrapur in Vidarbha, before returning to Delhi.

Khobragade, 78, died earlier this month after a prolonged illness.

Contrary to media reports, Rahul Gandhi's itinerary doesn't mention any meeting with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, the leader said.

"Top leaders (of both the parties) can meet any time. But no such meeting is on the agenda today," he said.

"Rahulji will appear before the court in the morning, address party workers in the afternoon and interact with Congress corporators about Mumbai's civic issues," the leader added.At least 10 people were killed and several others injured in incidents of lightning strike in West Bengal with heavy monsoon rains triggering floods in Mizoram, even as heat wave conditions prevailed in north India.

The Meteorological (MeT) department has forecast light to moderate rains in some parts of northern India.

In West Bengal, four persons were killed in lightning strikes in Bankura district, three in Hooghly district, while one death each was reported from West Midnapore, Birbhum and North 24 Parganas districts, officials said.

Heavy monsoon rains triggered flood in Lunglei and Aizawl district of Mizoram. Over 1,000 people were evacuated to safer places in the two districts due to the flood. State School Education department declared holidays for today and tomorrow for all schools due to heavy downpour, officials said.

Scattered rains occurred at isolated places in the mid and higher hills of Himachal Pradesh. The MeT has forecast rains or thundershowers at isolated places in the mid hills over the next six days, rains or thundershowers in the lower hills and rains or snow in the higher hills from June 15.

Heat wave conditions continued unabated in most parts of Punjab and Haryana, with Amritsar and Patiala sizzling at 42.8 degrees Celsius, making these as the hottest places in the region. The MeT has forecast light to moderate rains at isolated places in the region after two days.

In the national capital, hot and humid conditions continued to prevail with the mercury settling at 41.7 degrees Celsius, even as the weatherman forecast dusty winds towards the night.

Heat wave conditions have abated in parts of Rajasthan where pre-monsoon showers brought down day temperatures by a few degrees.

The highest temperature was recorded at 43.8 degrees Celsius in Jaisalmer followed by Sriganganagar, which registered a maximum of 43 degrees Celsius.

The is likely to remain dry in Uttar Pradesh, with Kanpur registering as the hottest place in the state at 44.8 degrees Celsius. The MeT forecast rains or thunderstorm are very likely at isolated places over the eastern parts of UP on June 14.

In Jammu, the weatherman has forecast dry for the next three days, indicating rise in the temperatures across the region. The city recorded a high of 39.6 degrees Celsius.

SquallywindsverylikelyalongandoffGoa, Karnataka, Kerala,Tamil Nadu,Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal coasts.Sea condition is likely to remain rough to veryroughovertheseareas.Fishermenareadvisednottoventureintotheseareas, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic said today that a Burundian peacekeeper was killed and several government soldiers were wounded in separate attacks over the weekend.

The mission said today that armed elements attacked a UN patrol in Bambari on Sunday, killing one peacekeeper and wounding another.

The UN mission also said members of the armed group Unity and Peace in the Central African Republic attacked a troop convoy heading from Ouaka prefecture to Bangassou in the southeast on Sunday.

Defence Minister Marie Noelle Koyara said two soldiers and a Russian instructor were wounded. She said five attackers were killed.

The defence minister called for armed groups to honour an accord meant to facilitate the deployment of security forces to protect civilians.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the attack in Bambari, saying the latest death brought to five the number of peacekeepers killed in targeted attacks in the Central African Republic since January.

Guterres reiterated "that attacks against United Nations peacekeepers may constitute a war crime and that sanctions can be applied against the perpetrators" and urged authorities in the African nation "to spare no effort in investigating and identifying the perpetrators so that they can be swiftly brought to justice," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The secretary-general reaffirmed his "unwavering support" to the UN mission and its efforts to protect civilians, Dujarric said.

The Security Council issued a statement that "condemned in the strongest terms" the attack on the peacekeeping patrol. It said council members also reiterated their support for the peacekeeping mission.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Sixty-two persons have so far been arrested from different parts of Assam in the brutal killing of two men in Karbi Anglong district and spreading rumours and hate messages on social media that fuelled the sensational incident.

Two friends - Nilotpal Das (29) and Abhijeet Nath (30) - were on Friday pulled out of their vehicle at Panjuri in Karbi Anglong district and beaten to death by a group of irate villagers, who suspected them to be child-lifters.

The incident was recorded by locals on their mobile phones and circulated on social media.

Protests continued across the north eastern state over the dastardly incident.

Two persons were today arrested, taking the tally of the number of arrests in the case to 26.

Also, 13 persons were arrested today for misuse of social media in connection with the killing of the duo, taking the tally of such arrests to 36, an Assam Police spokesperson said.

Seven persons each were arrested from Nagaon and Karbi Anglong districts, six from Sonitpur and three each from Kamrup Metropolitan and Darrang, he added.

Besides, two each from Biswanath, Sadiya and Dhubri have been arrested, while one each from Hojai, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh and Barpeta districts were arrested in connection with spreading rumours on social media, the official said.

The crackdown on the misuse of social media was launched by the police after initial investigations suggested that messages posted on social media about child-lifters entering the state from outside may have led to the lynching episode.

The police have also issued an advisory asking people to refrain from spreading rumours on social media.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Mukesh Agarwal is monitoring the situation on the spot and also the search operations by security forces.

Meanwhile, the Assam government announced to introduce an awareness programme in all development blocks and panchayats of the state in the wake of incidents triggered by rumours and superstition.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal asked the authorities to frame modalities and a roadmap to implement the awareness programme 'Sanskaar' at all levels, in coordination with local bodies, women organisations and media persons.

"Assam is known all over India for its unique hospitality and people coming from all over the country must feel an ambience of friendliness where ever they go in the state," a release quoting the chief minister said.

RTI activist and peasant leader Akhil Gogoi expressed shock over the incident and demanded a CBI probe into the episode.

Earlier in the day, parents of Nilotpal Das urged people to desist from politicising the issue.

"We are grateful to all for extending their support to us in this hour of grief but we appeal to maintain peace and calm," they said in a statement issued here.

During the day, protests took place in some places in the state with agitators blocking a road at Hojai by burning tyres.

They demanded exemplary punishment to the culprits.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An 80-year-old teak wood table previously used by Singapore's Chief Justices played a part in today's historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The two leaders and their delegations sat at the historic table during the delegation-level meeting at Capella Singapore hotel in Sentosa Island.

Later, Trump and Kim signed a joint statement at the 4.3 m-long table, designed in 1939 by local craftsmen for the Supreme Court.

The table is on loan to the US Embassy for the summit, and is usually on display on the Chief Justice's chamber on the third floor of the Singapore National Gallery, The Straits Times reported.

The table has witnessed milestones in local history such as the appointment of Singapore's first Asian Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin in 1963.

The Chief Justice, the highest post in Singapore's judicial system, would use the table in the daily administration of the court from when the court opened in 1939, until it was vacated in 2005 for a new Supreme Court building behind it.

The table is made up of a single piece of teak wood imported from the region, which rests on two bases as support, with ventilation slits on the sides of the bases.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)As US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un held their historic summit in Singapore today, a wary China made out a case for lifting of UN sanctions against Pyongyang and highlighted its central role in working out a new peace mechanism for the Korean Peninsula.

Trump and Kim today held a comprehensive and in-depth dialogue in Singapore on the issues related to the establishment of new relations between the two countries and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

The North Korean leader agreed to work toward "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula" in return for security guarantees from the US as Trump wrapped up his historic summit which he described as "honest, direct and productive."



"We believe that this is the only correct direction for resolving the peninsula issue. That is to say, it should be solved through dialogue, through peaceful means," Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said soon after Trump and Kim began their meeting.

He said "to solve this problem, of course, we need to achieve denuclearisation and complete denuclearisation", Trump's main demand that North Korea should dismantle its nuclear weapons programme.

"At the same time, we must also establish a peninsula peace mechanism and resolve the reasonable security concerns of North Korea," Wang said.

Highlighting the central role for China, which is a close ally of North Korea, the Chinese Foreign Minister said, "I don't think anyone would doubt the unique and important role China has played in this process, and it will continue to play.

China had provided its aircraft to Kim to travel to Singapore. There is also speculation that the North Korean leader would visit Beijing on his way back from Singapore or will soon apprise Chinese President Xi Jinping about his talks with Trump.

Kim has already visited China twice to meet Xi, ahead of his meeting with Trump, to ally apprehensions of striking a deal with Washington on the back of Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang denied Trump's allegation that Beijing, in the last few months, has relaxed implementation of sanctions in the last few months, saying the UN Security Council resolutions on imposing sanctions on North Korea also provides for relaxing or suspending them, if situation improves.

In his post-summit press conference, Trump alleged that China was relaxing sanctions at its North Korean border as the situation improved.

The US President also said that sanctions will remain in place until Pyangyong halts and dismantles its nuclear programme.

"China has been following UNSC sanctions comprehensively and strictly observing obligations. There is no question about that," Geng said, refuting allegations of relaxing sanctions.

"About the lifting of the sanction, UNSC resolutions have relevant stipulations. It is said that in accordance with the compliance of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (the official name of North Korea DPRK) and development of the situation the UNSC will consider relief or lift the sanctions on DPRK.

"Sanctions are not endless. We believe the UNSC should support the current diplomatic efforts and contribute to the settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue," Geng said.

He also emphasised China's central role on the Korean Peninsula issue in establishing any future peace mechanism, saying that Beijing is a signatory to Korean Armistice Agreement of 1953 which ended the Korean war.

"Regarding the peace mechanism, I want to say China is an important party to the Korean Peninsula affairs and also signatory to the Armistice treaty. We have the responsibility and obligation to play role in making the transition from treaty to peace mechanism and continue to take part in this process and make contributions in realising denuclearisation in upholding the peace stability of Korean Peninsula, Geng said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In an effort to pacify party legislators disgruntled over denial of ministerial berths in the coalition government, two AICC Secretaries today met Congress MLAs here and heard their grievances.

AICC secretaries Manickam Tagore and Vishnunath met about 10 MLAs at senior Congress leader H K Patil's residence for about six hours, where legislators are said to have conveyed their feelings.

"Today the two AICC secretaries came and discussedwith us... a few more MLAs those who were not in the city have to meet them. Tomorrow they are likely to talk to them also," Patil told PTI.

He said the meeting lasted for about six hours. After tomorrow's discussions, the AICC secretaries would inform the decision makers of what was discussed, he said.

There is growing discontent among newly electedCongress lawmakers who were left out during the Cabinetexpansion, with many openly expressing dissatisfaction andholding separate meetings.

The disquiet that had come out in the open soon after the cabinet expansion last week has considerably gone silent in the last two days, following efforts by the party leadership to pacify upset MLAs.

Asked what he has he decided or asked for, Patil,without revealing much, said "the discussion itself is halfcomplete, let it be over."



During the weekend, Patil had visited his constituencyin Gadag, where his supporters have been demandingMinistership for him.

Recently another party MLA and former Minister M B Patil, who has emerged as the leader of a group of dissident MLAs, was called to Delhi, where he met Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An air raid on a village in northeast Syria held by the Islamic State jihadist group killed at least 10 civilians including three children today, a Britain-based monitor said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes on Tal al-Shair in the northeastern province of Hasakeh were carried out by the US-led coalition fighting IS in Syria and neighbouring Iraq since 2014.

There was no immediate confirmation from the coalition of the strike, the latest in a series of raids to have reportedly caused civilian casualties in the area in past weeks.

Tal al-Shair lies in a small pocket still held by IS fighters near the Iraqi border in the south of Hasakeh, where a Kurdish-Arab alliance backed by the coalition has been battling the jihadists in recent days.

According to the Observatory, a coalition air strike last week killed 11 civilians in the same IS-held area, and another 12 lost their lives in coalition raids on June 1.

The coalition told AFP it was carrying out an investigation into the June 1 allegation.

Earlier this month, it admitted to nine more civilians deaths, bringing to 892 the total number of civilians it acknowledges to have killed since it intervened in Iraq and Syria.

Other monitors like the Observatory and Airwars say the toll is much higher.

The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on sources inside Syria, says it determines whose planes carried out strikes according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions involved. IS has lost most of the cross-border caliphate it declared in 2014.

In Syria it was pushed back by separate offensives -- one by Russia-backed regime troops and another by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces alliance.

But the jihadists still hold slithers of eastern Syria and have a presence in the vast Badiya desert running from the centre of the country to the border with Iraq.

More than 350,000 people have been killed in Syria's war since it started in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests.

It has since spiralled into a complex conflict involving world powers and foreign jihadists.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The ED is expected to file a fresh chargesheet in the Aircel-Maxis case on 13 June, pertaining to the role of former Finance minister P Chidambaram's son Karti in the deal, official sources said on Tuesday.

The chargesheet called the prosecution complaint in the (ED) parlance is expected to be filed before the court of special judge O P Saini. It is expected to underline the role of Karti and others, they said.

The agency has questioned and recorded the statement of Karti in this case at least twice, under the Prevention of Act (PMLA).

Karti was questioned for the first time by the ED in connection with the case which is related to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval granted in 2006 in this case by his father.



READ MORE: Aircel-Maxis: ED questions for over 6 hours in second round

The ED claims that an alleged payment of Rs 2.6 million was made by Aircel Televentures Limited to ASCPL, a firm allegedly linked to Karti, within a few days of this approval, the agency had claimed.

It said it is investigating "the circumstances of said approval granted by the then Finance minister (Chidambaram)".

approval in the Aircel-Maxis case was granted in March 2006 by the senior even though he was competent to accord approval on project proposals only up to Rs 6 billion and beyond that, it required the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), the ED said.



"In the instant case, the approval for of $800 million (over Rs 35 billion) was sought. Hence, was competent to grant approval. However, approval was not obtained from CCEA," it had alleged.

The agency said its probe revealed that the case of the said was "wrongly projected as an investment of Rs 1.8 billion so that it need not be sent to the to avoid a detailed scrutiny".

It has also claimed that a firm, CMSPL, promoted by Karti and P Chidambaram's nephew A Palaniappan received a sum of about $200,000 from the Maxis group allegedly for procuring a legal compliance software.

The agency said probe revealed that the "software was designed only for use in India and hence, was of no use to a Malaysian company."



READ MORE: questions P in INX Media case: A timeline of events



In September last year, the ED had attached assets worth Rs 11.6 million of Karti and the firm allegedly linked to him in connection with this case.

The ED, in 2016, had filed a chargesheet in this case against former Telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi Maran and four others.

However, the court had later discharged them last year in both the ED and the case pertaining to the Aircel-Maxis deal.

The two agencies subsequently had appealed against this order before the

The ED today questioned P Chidambaram for the second time in this case.Another suspect has been arrested in connection with the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, police said today but denied speculation about him being the assassin.

The Special Investigating Team (SIT) of Karnataka police probing Lankesh's killing said it has arrested 26-year- old Parashuram Waghmare from Sindhagi in Vijaypura district of the state.

Waghmare was produced before the 3rd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's court here which remanded him in SIT custody for 14 days for further interrogation, an official release said.

Inspector General of Police B K Singh, who heads the SIT, told PTI that nothing has emerged during the probe so far to suggest that Waghmare had shot Lankesh.

"No. That thing has not come in our investigation," he said amid speculation in the media that Waghmare could be the assassin.

Waghmare's is the 6th arrest in connection with the killing of Lankesh, whowas shot dead in front of her house here on September 5 last year. Lankesh was known for her strong views against hardline Hindutva.

"His role in the conspiracy and other details will be revealed later as it would affect the investigation at this stage," the SIT release said.

Waghmare was said to have links to right wing groups.

The SIT had earlier arrested five people-- K T Naveen Kumar alias Hotte Manja, Amol Kale, Manohar Edve, Sujeeth Kumar alias Praveen and Amit Degvekar.

Naveen Kumar is from Maddur in Mandya district of Karnataka, while Kale and Degvekar are from Maharashtra. Edve and Sujeeth Kumar are also from Karnataka.

Naveen Kumar, who had founded the Hindu Yuva Sena, was the first to be caught in Bengaluru while attempting to sell ammunition.

The other four were arrested for planning to kill Kannada writer K S Bhagawan, also known for his anti-Hindutva stand. It was while probing this case that the police suspected their role in Lankesh's assassination.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Six top lawmakers from the opposition Democratic party today demanded that any potential deal with North Korea be subject to Congressional oversight.

"Regardless of what happens in the hours ahead, the administration must consult with Congress on North Korea. Any potential deal must be subject to Congressional oversight," the Democratic leadership in the US House of Representative said in a joint statement.

The Congress, they said, had insisted on robust monitoring under the Iranian nuclear deal and should demand nothing less with regard to North Korea. The Democratic Obama administration then had bypassed the Congress.

According to the Democratic lawmakers, the USNorth Korea summit is a historic opportunity to build a more secure, stable Korean peninsula and to reassert American leadership in Asia.

"We all want to see diplomacy succeed with North Korea indeed, diplomatic engagement is the only way to deal with this crisis," they said.

"Support from our partners and an international consensus will be essential to a successful outcome to high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang," the lawmakers said.

A deal that preserves the status quo in terms of North Korea's nuclear capability while trading away US ability to counter their nuclear aggression and proliferation and allow them global market access by removing sanctions is unacceptable, they warned.

The lawmakers said that the tough negotiation necessary to achieve an agreement that leads to lasting peace will require the support of allies.

Democratic lawmakers also expressed deep concern over the administration's sidelining of diplomacy and undermining of American leadership on the global stage.

"We have no confirmed Ambassador to South Korea, no Assistant Secretary for Asia, and no senior official focused on North Korea. The Administration has sought deep cuts to our international affairs budget and senior State Department officials have fled to the exits," they said.

"Most recently, with his behaviour at the G-7 summit, the President alienated our closest friends at a time when the United States should be affirming the western alliance as the cornerstone of global security," the Democratic leadership in the House said.

However, Democratic Senator Joe Donnelly, member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, supported Trump and his administration's stated goal of "complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization" of the Korean peninsula.

"I continue to believe we should utilise all available tools economic, diplomatic, and military in order to give our country the best chance for a successful outcome that makes Hoosier families and America safer," he said.

Senator Orrin Hatch said that to achieve lasting peace in the region, the US must demand that North Korea not only surrender its nuclear weapons but also "cease its human rights abuses".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said Artificial Intelligence will create more jobs and help in bridging the gap between the rich and the poor.

The technology could also help in facilitating the reach of health services to remote areas, he said.

Fadnavis was speaking at a panel discussion on Governance and Artificial Intelligence with Vice Premier of Quebec Dominique Anglade in Montreal.

Dismissing the fear of losing jobs due to artificial intelligence, he said, "On the contrary, it will create even more jobs and not just that, it will repair and solve many problems. Artificial intelligence has the power to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor."



Fadnavis said that due to the information asymmetry in India between the rich and the poor, he proposes to use artificial intelligence tools for access to basic services.

"Health services can be provided in remote villages using artificial intelligence-powered diagnostic tools like retinal photography and its transmission via internet to centrally located doctors," he said.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an area of computer science that emphasises the creation of intelligent machines that work and react like humans.

The chief minister also spoke about the death of several farmers in the state's Yavatmal district last year while spraying pesticides in their fields.

Start-ups were now showing a way out by using drones and artificial intelligence for the purpose, he said.

The chief minister also spoke about the use of technology in service delivery and to bring sustainability in the era of climate change.

"Technology is like a horse, one has to take control of it and ride it. Once you start riding it, it will be at your service," he said, while elaborating the government's role as a facilitator in the use of technology.

The Maharashtra government also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Fonds de recherche du Qubec - Nature et Technologies, to form an international working group on agriculture for crop disease eradication, use of artificial intelligence for agricultural technologies and soil management.

Fonds de recherche du Quebec - Nature et Technologies is a nature and technologies researchers group under the Government of Qubec and a combination of various universities.

Fadnavis also attended a Canada-India Business Council (CIBC) reception hosted by its CEO Kasi Rao at Quebec.

Along with the potential and growth story of Maharashtra in all sectors, Fadnavis spoke on how a 'third Mumbai' is in the offing with the new urban agglomeration between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.

The chief minister also spoke about the first smart industrial corridor and AURIC smart city.

Aurangabad Industrial City (AURIC) is a greenfield smart industrial city being developed across nearly 7,900 acres as part of Shendra Bidkin Industrial Area. It is collectively a part of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC).

"India and Maharashtra are progressing and expanding with more opportunities. It is time to once again think to invest with the same energy in Maharashtra," Fadnavis said, appealing Indian investors from Canada to visit, invest and explore the state.

Maharashtra will become a trillion dollar economy by 2029 but the government intends to achieve it by 2025 as Prime Minister Narendra Modi envisages to make India a 5 trillion dollar economy, and the state has the biggest role to play in this process, Fadnavis said.

He was replying while being interviewed by Perrin Beatty, the president and CEO, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, on 'leading the global growth in an era of competitive federalism'.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An artwork by a peon has been selected as the cover of the Railway Ministry's booklet of achievements.

Shyam Sundar (35), working as a peon with the East Coast Railway headquarters in Bhubaneswar, was first spotted by a



Delhi-based ministry official when he won top honours at an inter-railway painting competition recently.

The cover, which was the centre of attention at Railway Minister Piyush Goyal's press conference yesterday, shows Mahatma Gandhi disembarking a train with people greeting him at the gate.

The booklet highlights the government's latest project - commemoration of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary.

"I have been working as a peon for the past 10 years and this is my moment!" said Sundar, who was felicitated by the minister in the national capital yesterday.

The artist said the final painting that made it to the



10 inch x 10 inch cover was his third entry, as the two sample sketches drawn by him were rejected.

"In the first one I sent, Gandhiji and the crowd were looking at the camera, so it was not selected. In the second one, Gandhiji's face was not clear, but I got it right in the third attempt. It was all done and approved in one night because we were working on a tight deadline," Sundar, a graduate in art and craft from Utkal University of Culture, Bhubaneswar, said.

The booklet highlights the achievement of railways in the last four years and is sent to all public representatives.

An excited Sundar added, "The railway minister shook my hand and said that the painting was beautiful. It was a moment of pride for me".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Assam government plans to



introduce an awareness programme in all development blocks and panchayats of the state in the wake of incidents triggered by superstition and rumours, including the lynching of two persons in Karbi Anglong district recently.

A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal here last evening, an official release said today.

Two friends - Nilotpal Das (29) and Abhijeet Nath (30) - were on Friday pulled out of their vehicle at Panjuri in Karbi Anglong district and beaten to death by a group of irate villagers, who suspected them to be child-lifters.

The incident was recorded by locals on their mobile phones and circulated on social media.

A total of 24 people have been arrested in connection with the assault.

Sonowal asked the authorities to frame modalities and a roadmap for implementing the awareness programme 'Sanskaar' at all levels, in coordination with local bodies, women organisations and media persons.

"Assam is known all over India for its unique hospitality and people coming from all over the country must feel an ambience of friendliness where ever they go in the state," the release said quoting the chief minister.

Giving details of the investigation process, a police spokesman said a man was picked up this morning from Karbi Anglong district during a search operation for his involvement in the lynching episode.

Five others were also apprehended today from Diphu town of Karbi Anglong district for misuse of social media in connection with the incident, he said.

"Those arrested from Diphu town were involved either in recording the incident on mobile phones or circulating the video clip on social media with statements and comments to incite hatred between communities," the spokesman said.

The crackdown on the misuse of social media was launched by the police after initial investigations suggested that messages posted on social media about child-lifters entering the state from outside may have led to the lynching.

The police have also issued an advisory asking people to refrain from spreading rumours on social media.

Meanwhile, RTI activist and peasant leader Akhil Gogoi today demanded a CBI probe into the episode and accused the RSS-BJP of "indulging in politics" to divert peoples' attention from "real issues".

"What has happened is an unbelievable ghastly act. Strangely, the government has formed an SIT headed by the Karbi Anglong SP, who was responsible for jurisdiction of the area where the crime took place. It will be a mockery of probe. We demand a CBI enquiry into the case," Gogoi told PTI.

The RSS and the BJP are indulging in "politics of superstition and rumours", he said.

"The saffron parties are the ones spreading rumours and communally polarised fake These two youths have become the victims of such rumours spread through social media," Gogoi added.

Earlier in the day, the parents of Nilotpal Das urged people to desist from politicising the issue.

"We are grateful to all for extending their support to us in this hour of grief but we appeal to all to maintain peace and calm," they said in a statement issued here.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Assam government plans to



introduce an awareness programme -- 'Sanskar'-- in all development blocks and panchayats in the wake of incidents triggered by superstition and ignorance including the lynching of two persons in Karbi Anglong district.

A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal here last evening, an official release said today.

"Assam is known all over India for its unique hospitality and people coming from all over the country must feel an ambience of friendliness where ever they go in the state," the release said quoting the chief minister.

Sonowal asked authorities concerned to frame modalities for the programme and a suitable roadmap to implement the programme at all levels of the state so that any unfortunate situation does not arise due to superstitions.

The chief minister also informed parents of the two youths, who were killed in Karbi Anglong district on Friday on the suspicion of being child lifters, about the programme.

The parents advocated the need for generating awareness throughout the state so that society could be empowered to prevent recurrence of such an incident in future, the release said.

They also expressed their willingness to participate in such programmes if the need arises, the release added.

Assam Science Technology and Environment Council (ASTEC) would be the nodal agency and the programme would involve all deputy commissioners, superintendents of police and all government departments concerned in a district, the release said.

Local bodies, womens' organisations, voluntary organizations, media persons, leading citizens, academicians, MPs and MLAs from ruling and opposition parties would be



stakeholders of the programme, the release said.

Social activist Birubala Rabha, who has been tirelessly fighting against witch-hunting, will also be involved in the programme.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union minister and RPI leader Ramdas Athawale today lambasted opposition parties for doubting the genuineness of a letter suggesting a Maoist plot to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said the opposition should not play over the issue of national security.

"There are many issues you can politicise. But the opposition should not politicise this issue as it is related to national security," Athawale said at a press conference here in North Maharashtra.

He was responding to a query about some leaders' remarks on an alleged Maoist letter recovered from a person arrested in connection with the violence at Bhima-Koregaon near Pune in early January.

The purported letter allegedly mentioned of a plan to "assassinate" Modi in "another Rajiv Gandhi-type incident", the police had told a court.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar had questioned the authenticity of the letter and said the BJP was playing a "threat letter card" to gain sympathy.

Questioning the veracity of the threat letter, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram had said it is "unverified", and noted it was government's duty to provide foolproof protection to the prime minister.

Athawale justified of the arrest five people, including a lawyer and a woman professor, in connection with the January 1 caste clash that had left one person dead.

The Dalit leader said the police have enough evidence to link them to the Naxal movement.

However, Athawale disagreed with the police claim that organisers of Elgar Parishad, an event held on the eve of the violence, had incited the clash.

Asked about the state government's "inaction" against right-wing leader Sambhaji Bhide, accused of inciting the riot, Athawale said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has told him the police had no evidence against him.

The RPI leader mocked at Bhide's claim that a number of couples were blessed with sons after eating mangoes from his orchard.

The government should take action against Bhide for his "inflammatory" and "absurd" statements, he said.

Asked if the reservation policy will take a hit by the Centre's decision to allow lateral entry of professionals as joint secretaries in the government, Athawale said he did not know about it.

"I will look in the matter," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A monitoring committee, which is mandated by the court to identify and seal unauthorised constructions in Delhi, today claimed in the Supreme Court that civic bodies have refused to carry out sealing drive on the ground that amendments in Master Plan of Delhi-2021 were not finalised yet.

Master Plan of Delhi-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 floor area ratio (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.

The matter was mentioned before a vacation bench of justices U U Lalit and Deepak Gupta which said it would hear the issue on June 14.

Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, who is assisting the top court as an amicus curiae in the sealing matter, mentioned the issue before the bench and referred to the apex court's May 15 order which had said that the monitoring committee would continue with its duties and responsibilities.

He placed before the bench a report of the monitoring committee and said that government authorities have said that since the amendment in the Master Plan of Delhi-2021 was not finalised, they would not allow sealing to go on.

Kumar said that on June 8, the monitoring committee had inspected some areas in South Delhi and asked authorities concerned of South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to take action against some unauthorised structures.

"They (authorities) said we will not seal them," he said.

To this, the bench asked him to serve the copy of the report to the counsel appearing for the Delhi government, the Union of India as well as SDMC and said that the matter would be heard on June 14.

Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, who is appearing for Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in the matter, said that he would inform the DDA about it.

The monitoring committee, comprising K J Rao, former advisor to the Election Commissioner; Bhure Lal, chairman of Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority; and Major General (Retd) Som Jhingan, was set up on March 24, 2006, by the top court.

The court had on May 24 rejected the Centre's plea seeking modification of its order in which the DDA was asked to invite suggestions from the public on amending the Master Plan of Delhi-2021.

The top court had on May 15 accepted DDA's action plan in which it had listed out steps including launching of an interactive website and a smart phone application to enable the public register their grievances regarding illegal constructions and given the authority 15 days time to make it operational.

The DDA had also proposed to fix responsibility on officials in cases of illegal construction activities in the national capital and violation of the master plan and building bye-laws.

In its five-page action plan, the DDA had earlier said that it intends to check all ongoing and future unauthorised constructions in the city under the supervision of a special task force which was constituted on April 25 following an apex court order.

The court had on March 6 stayed any "further progress" in amending the Master Plan of Delhi-2021 to protect unauthorised construction from ongoing sealing drive in the national capital, sternly observing that this 'dadagiri' (bullying tactics) must stop.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The fortnight long state-wide awareness campaign against child sexual abuse in Odisha came to an end here today.

The campaign was launched on May 28 to create awareness among the people as the state witnessed a number of incidents of minor rape cases.

The police felt that only awareness could prevent the incidents as above 90 per cent of the accused persons in the minor rape cases were known to the victims or their families.

The vans titled 'Paree Pain Katha Tiye (A word for little angel) led by the Odisha Police in collaboration with UNICEF, had started its journey from the state capital on May 28.

The 15 Paree Express covered all the 30 districts of the state, said Director General of Police, R P Sharma at the valedictory function held here.

People from all regions and communities whole heartedly participated in the programme, the DGP said.

Though the intensive two weeks campaign comes to end today, the mission will continue in different forms, he said adding the police has chalked out programme for this purpose which will be implemented in coming days.

Women and Child Development Minister Prafulla Samal, Tourism minister Ashok Panda, Finance minister S B Behera and representatives of Unicef attended the function.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Authorities have asked hoteliers in Himachal tourist hub McLeodganj to deposit their licensed weapons with the police to ensure that government workers are safe during a drive against illegal structures.

The unusual direction follows a shooting last month at a similar demolition drive in Kasauli, where a hotelier allegedly killed assistant town planner Shail Bala Sharma and PWD employee Gulab Singh.

Kangra Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kumar has now issued a notification under section 144 of the Indian Penal Code, asking hotel owners and their staff in McLeodganj to deposit their firearms so that a Supreme Court-ordered demolition drive is conducted smoothly.

The IPC section bans joining an unlawful assembly with a weapon. A violation can lead up to two years in prison.

The DC has asked hoteliers in Mcleodganj and neighbouring Bhagsunag, Dharamkot and Naddi areas to act immediately.

He said illegal construction was already being cleared as directed by the Supreme Court.

The step was being taken to maintain law and order and to prevent an incident like the one in Kasauli, Kumar said.

Shail Bala Sharma was supervising the demolition of unauthorised construction at Kasauli's Narayani guest house on May 1, when its owner Vijay Singh allegedly shot her.

Public Works Department employee Gulab Singh succumbed to his gunshot injures later.

The Kangra DC said the firearms shall be kept in safe custody at McLeodganj police station till the next orders.

There are around 140 illegal constructions in Dharamshala, officials said. Some hoteliers have started demolishing their illegal structures on their own.

The water and power connections of such hotels have already been disconnected, discouraging tourists.

Upper Dharamshala Hotel Association general secretary Sanjeev Gandhi said the arrival of tourists this season is much reduced.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Spiritual guru Bhaiyyu Maharaj, who allegedly killed himself in Indore today, enjoyed a large following among politicians.

When Bhaiyyu Maharaj, whose real name was Udaysinh Deshmukh, was injured in a road accident in 2016, among those who came to meet him were RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and then Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel.

This was an indication of the tremendous clout and fan following the 50-year-old model-turned-spiritual guru had among politicians, many of them from Maharashtra.

Bhayyu Maharaj was one of the five 'saints' to whom the Shivraj Singh government of Madhya Pradesh had granted Minister of State (MoS) rank in April. However, he had refused to accept it, saying "a post holds no importance for a saint".

Past visitors to his 'ashram' at Indore, where he was based, included well-known personalties like Narendra Modi, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Pratibha Patil, Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.

Former Maharshtra Chief Minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said Bhaiyyuji Maharaj would be remembered for the social work he did in the state.

"A lot of political people used to meet him. He was a spiritual person who motivated people to do good. He visited Maharashtra frequently and met a lot of people and was also involved in social work here," Chavan said in his condolence message.

Born in 1968 in a family of agriculturists at Shujalpur in Madhya Pradesh, Bhaiyyu Maharaj was invited by Modi when he undertook 'sadbhavna fast' as Chief Minister of Gujarat.

In 2011, the then UPA government had deputed him as a mediator to persuade social activist Anna Hazare to call off his fast at the Ramlila ground in Delhi over the Lokpal issue.

Last year, the self-proclaimed spiritual guru courted controversy on his wedding day after a woman, who claimed to be an actress, accused him of "cheating" on her and termed him a "trickster".

Bhaiyyu Maharaj married Dr Ayushi Sharma, a native of Shivpuri, in Indore last year, a year after announcing his intention to take 'sanyas' from public life.

His first wife Madhavi died in 2015.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Bhim Army, which hit headlines after the Saharanpur riots of 2017, is making quiet inroads in Uttar Pradesh to oust the BJP and the RSS in the next Lok Sabha elections.

Though the Bhim Army claims it is a group working towards social emancipation and not a political party, it has made it clear that it will appeal in favour of those who are in a position to trounce the BJP and the RSS in the next general elections.

"We are not a political party but followers of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar who are working for uplift of deprived sections of society, especially Dalits. We are against the BJP and the RSS as they indulge in communal politics," Bhim Army president Vinay Ratan Singh told PTI.

"The communal politics of the BJP and the RSS gives strength to casteism and communalism and leads to fight for supremacy in society," Singh said in an interview.

"In the coming elections, we will create an awakening against the BJP and the RSS and make appeal in favour of those in position to trounce them," he said.

These appeals, he said, will be at the personal level and should not be construed as the Bhim Army taking a plunge into politics.

Singh, who has been working to ensure the release of Bhim Army's founder Chandra Shekhar from jail, said people need to know as to how the BJP government has been working "arbitrarily" and putting people behind bars and imposing the stringent NSA against them.

Claiming that the arrest of Chandra Shekhar after the Saharanpur caste riots in 2017 catapulted the popularity of the Bhim Army, Singh said the outfit's reach has grown "manifold" and today it has presence in almost all states.

"We are working at the ground level on like literacy, prohibition and bringing back those who left schools ...issues which otherwise go unnoticed by political parties" he stressed.

The Bhim Army was in the last year when it defied the denial of permission to hold a protest rally in Delhi.

Thousands of Dalits swamped New Delhi's Jantar Mantar area, protesting against the Uttar Pradesh government's alleged silence on the Saharanpur caste-based riots.

The Dalit leaders spearheading the protest had reportedly approached the Delhi Police for permission to hold an assembly of around 15,000 Dalits from Uttar Pradesh to protest "selective" police action against Dalits in Saharanpur violence.

However, the infuriated leaders decided to go ahead with their agitation after the administration denied request.

The Bhim Army had also invited the ire of BSP president Mayawati, who had described it as "a product of BJP" to dent her Dalit vote bank.

Mayawati had alleged that Bhim Army members used to "extort money" from people on the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar by calling themselves "BSP's well-wishers" and had also appealed to people to celebrate such occasions only under BSP banner.

Interestingly, during the recent Kairana Lok Sabha bypoll, the Bhim Army had made an appeal to voters in favour of the opposition candidate who managed to get Dalit support there despite Mayawati remaining silent.

Bhim Army activists move from village to village working among the people, especially Dalits at the grassroot level earning them considerable acceptance and popularity in the western parts of the state, he said.

"After the arrest of Chandra Shekhar, there have been calls from all over the country to us and we have expanded our area of work to several states," Singh said.

The Bhim Army is presently working to seek the release of Chandra Shekhar 'Ravan', who has been in jail on charges of engineering caste riots in Saharanpur last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Bihar cabinet today approved a proposal to rechristen "Bihar Excise Service" as Bihar Prohibition Service" in view of the New Excise Policy, 2015 that enforced complete ban on sale and consumption of liquor in the state.

The cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also gave its nod to rename "Bihar Excise Non-Gazetted Cadre" as "Bihar Prohibition Subordinate Service".

The meeting accepted proposal of the Prohibition, Excise and Registration Department in this regard,Cabinet Secretariat department's Principal Secretary Arun Kumar Singh told reporters.

The prohibition law is enforced in the state for past over two years by this department.

The cabinet also gave green signal to Home department's proposal to upgrade and establish a full fledged rail police stations at Hajipur and Sitamarhi under Muzaffarpur rail district, Singh said adding the two places at present have rail police posts.

It approved creation of 43 and 38 different posts for the newly upgraded rail police stations at Hajipur and Sitamarhi respectively, he added.

The meeting also okayed setting up a private university- AI Karim University- in Katihar district of the state.

"Under the provisions of Private University Act, Al Karim University had made an application to the education department for approval to set up and run a private university at Katihar. The department, which found the application as per norms, granted recognition to Al Karim University to run it as private university," Singh said.

The state cabinet also provided go ahead for construction of multi-purpose Muhane river medium irrigation scheme at an estimated cost of Rs 143.80 crore, he said.

The scheme would not only provide irrigation facility but would also help in water conservation, flood control besides providing transportation facility, Singh said adding that four dams, 20 inlet and 22 outlet would be constructed under the scheme which will be ready by December 2020.

A total of 20 agendas of various departments were taken up at the cabinet meeting.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A political slugfest involving the ruling AAP and opposition BJP and Congress ensued over Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues sit-in that continued today at the L-G office here.

The BJP and the Congress slammed Kejriwal, terming his 'dharna' at the L-G office a "mockery of democracy" and a "drama".

Leaders and workers of the AAP gathered at Kejriwal's residence to extend support to their leader and said a march will be taken out from the CM House to the Lt Governor (L-G) office tomorrow by the party's MPs and MLAs.

AAP legislators held a meeting in the evening to discuss their future course of action in view of the continuing sit-in by their leaders.

"A march will be taken out by AAP MLAs and workers from the CM House to the L-G office at 4 pm tomorrow," party leader Pankaj Gupta said after the meeting.

The police have heavily barricaded the road leading to the L-G office where Kejriwal and his colleagues stay put. The AAP leaders and workers will protest there after the march.

Kejriwal has raised three demands before L-G Anil Baijal seeking his direction to end the "strike" by IAS officers, punishment to officers who have struck work and approval to his government's doorstep ration delivery scheme.

This is a fight for the rights of the people of Delhi, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh told reporters outside the chief minister's residence.

"At the instance of Narendra Modi (prime minister), the Lt Governor has crippled the Delhi government. We will not keep quiet now and fight till the end," Singh asserted.

Delhi AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said IAS officers of Delhi were on a strike although they denied it in a press statement yesterday.

Citing rules, he said even "slowing down" work and not attending meetings called by ministers was a form of strike.

"Over a dozen show-cause notices and memos have been sent to the officers, but the situation is the same. They are shying away from openly admitting their strike because they will lose their jobs since the rules do not permit it," he said.

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari alleged that Kejriwal was creating an "illusion" like he did in 2013 in view of the approaching Lok Sabha elections.

"Making mockery of Democracy, No Work only Drama (sic)," Tiwari tweeted.

The Delhi BJP will stage a protest at Chief Minister Kejriwal's residence tomorrow over the water crisis faced by the people in Delhi, he said.

President of Delhi Congress Ajay Maken also sought to corner Kejriwal, saying the AAP leader was unable to exercise his existing powers and was creating "drama" over the so-called strike by IAS officers and full statehood.

"Is it not Kaliyug, that a chief minister whose attendance in the Delhi assembly is just 10 per cent and who does not go to his office is complaining of non-cooperation of IAS officers," Maken told reporters.

Kejriwal and his party "lack" ideology that is why he said he will campaign for the BJP if more powers are given to the Delhi government, he alleged.

"This proves our contention reiterated by us that both the parties are hand in glove and the AAP is the B team of the BJP," Maken said.

He also slammed the Kejriwal government for raising questions on 18 issues, including those related to education, health and water supply, and alleged that it has "failed" on these despite requiring no additional power or sanction from the Centre.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)BJP candidate Suresh Dhas today won the Maharashtra Legislative Council election from the Osmanabad-Beed-Latur local bodies seat.

The former Maharashtra minister defeated NCP-backed Ashok Jagdale by a margin of 74 votes, an election official said.

Of the 1003 votes polled, Dhas got 526 votes, while Jagdale polled 452 votes, an official release said. Altogether 25 votes were declared invalid, while a voter opted for the None of the Above (NOTA) option.

Counting of votes was held today for seat, where biennial elections, along with five other Legislative Council seats, were held on May 21.

While counting of votes for those five seats was held on May 24, the process for Osmanabad-Beed-Latur local bodies seat was deferred due to a court order on suspension of some local bodies members in Beed district.

In the results declared for the five local body seats on May 24, the BJP and the Shiv Sena had won two seats each, while the NCP retained one.

The ruling BJP and the Shiv Sena had contested the polls in alliance. The opposition Congress and the NCP had also tied-up for the biennial polls.

Apart from Amravati, the BJP bagged Wardha-Chandrapur- Gadchiroli local bodies seat.

The Shiv Sena won the Nashik and Parbhani-Hingoli local bodies seats.

The NCP retained the Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat but lost the Nashik seat to the Sena.

The Congress fared poorly in all the three seats it contested -- Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadhchiroli, Parbhani-Hingoli and Amravati.

With today's result, the BJP's tally in the 78-member Upper House has increased to 19, while the NCP's tally is 21. Congress has 17 and Shiv Sena 11 members in the House.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A British man, accused of conspiring targeted killings of RSS leaders in Punjab, will have to face law in India, Union minister Kiren Rijiju is believed to have told his UK counterpart Baroness Williams.

During an hour-long meeting here yesterday, Rijiju is said to have conveyed to Williams that Jagtar Singh Johal is suspected to be one of the conspirators in carrying out targeted killings of seven RSS, Shiv Sena and Dera Sacha Sauda leaders between January 2016 and October 2017, an official said today.

The visiting minister has been told that Johal will have to face law in India for his alleged role in the crime in Punjab, the official said.

The National Investigation Agency, in a charge sheet filed in a court in Punjab's Mohali on May 4, had claimed that Johal was involved in the funding of the conspiracy to kill Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) leader Ravinder Gosain in Ludhiana last October. Johal is currently in a jail in Punjab and other cases against him are under various stages.

Rijiju told Williams that regular consular access is being provided to diplomats of the British High Commission to meet Johal and so far 11 consular visits have been facilitated.

All legal avenues are available for Johal and his lawyers to pursue his case through India's independent judicial system, the Union minister of state for home told his British counterpart.

India has been maintaining that Johal, a citizen of the UK, has become a rallying point for Sikh groups in Britain. There was also a debate in the UK Parliament on Johal's issue and providing the consular access to him.

Since Johal's arrest, a false, slanderous and orchestrated media campaign has been initiated by militants and their sympathisers as well as radical elements based in Britain and other Western countries against the Punjab government and the Punjab Police, another official said.

There were instances when Punjab Police officers received death threats targeted at them and their family members from such elements over phone, WhatsApp and various social media platforms, the official said.

During his meeting with his UK counterpart recently, NSA Ajit Doval had even suggested that one can approach the National Human Rights Commission, which is an independent body with investigative and judicial powers, to look into allegations of mistreatment.

Johal had claimed that police threatened to shoot him and set him alight with petrol, according to the British media reports.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A popular Indian-origin chef in the United Arab Emirates has landed in a controversy after he allegedly posted an anti-Islam tweet, triggering calls for his sacking, a media report said today.

Atul Kochhar, a Michelin-Star chef well known here for his Rang Mahal Indian restaurant at the JW Marriott Marquis hotel, received flak after taking a dig at Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra for her tweet over an episode in American television series 'Quantico' that purportedly portrayed Hindu nationalists as terrorists, the Khaleej Times reported.

"It's sad to see that you (Priyanka) have not respected the sentiments of Hindus who have been terrorized by Islam over 2000 years. Shame on You (sic)," Kochhar tweeted. He later deleted the tweet and apologised for the "major error" that was "made in the heat of the moment on Sunday", the paper said.

"There is no justification for my tweet ... I fully recognise my inaccuracies that Islam was founded round 1400 years ago and I sincerely apologise. I am not Islamophobic, I deeply regret my comments that have offended many," Kochhar tweeted yesterday.

The anti-Islam tweet created a furore on social media, with twitterati calling for firing the chef. Popular commentator and Arab journalist Khaled Almaeena tweeted: "You (Kochhar) have offended me..As a person who loves India its people no matter what their caste or creed. As a secular and liberal, it truly is a horror statement."



Some said they would boycott the restaurant. "Chef celebrity showed his true colours. I won't eat here after reading the racist tweets by the head chef," a UAE resident posted on his Facebook page.

"I have cancelled my wedding anniversary meal for next month at your restaurant. You knew exactly what you meant as you tweeted that message," another Twitter user added.

JW Marriot hotel, however, distanced itself from the chef's comments. "We are aware of the comments made by Chef Atul Kochhar. We would like to stress that we do not share the same views as stated in the remark, nor is it a representation of the culture of diversity and inclusion that we pride ourselves on at the hotel," the hotel tweeted yesterday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Newly elected Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez will pay his first overseas visit to Morocco in keeping with a diplomatic tradition that makes the North African country the first foreign trip for Spanish PMs.

Moroccan and Spanish media are already talking of a planned visit by the new Spanish PM to Morocco, saying that diplomatic services between the two countries are preparing for the trip.

Morocco is a close economic and security partner for Spain. The two countries managed to strengthen their ties despite pending disputes over two Spain-colonized cities in Northern Morocco.

Sanchez, 46, a former economics professor, managed to unseat his conservative predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, through a no-confidence vote held last week in protest against corruption within Rajoys party.

Spains new socialist PM has appointed 11 women and six men to his cabinet.

Barcelona-born Meritxell Batet will be tasked with handling the Catalan independence crisis in her new role as territorial minister, while the former European parliament president Josep Borrell will be the new Foreign Minister.The probe in an encounter in which four criminals were shot dead in south Delhi's Chhatarpur area on Saturday will be carried out by the Delhi Police's Crime Branch, a senior officer said here today.

Gangster Rajesh Bharti and three of his associates -- Sanjeev alias Sandeep Vidroh, Umesh alias Don and Viresh Rana alias Bhiku -- were killed, while eight police personnel were injured in the encounter.

One of the gangsters, Kapil, who was injured in the encounter, is currently undergoing treatment at the AIIMS Trauma Centre and is stated to be out of danger.

The case was transferred from the district police to the Crime Branch yesterday for a thorough investigation, said a senior police officer.

Bharti and Vidroh had escaped from the custody of Haryana Police around a year-and-a-half ago.

Bharti's gang, also referred to as the "Kranti Gang", was mostly active in Haryana, but in the last one year, they had committed crimes in Delhi too.

The Delhi Police's Special Cell had been tracking the gang for the last six-seven months. On Saturday, it was learnt that the gang members would be coming to Chandan Hola village in Chhatarpur and a team of the cell's Northern Range, comprising 30 personnel, was stationed on the route they were expected to take while leaving from a farmhouse, where they had assembled.

The gang members, numbering around eight, were spotted coming from the farmhouse in two cars -- a Ford Endeavour, bearing a Haryana registration number, and a Hyundai i-20. They were asked by the police team to surrender, but they started indiscriminately firing at the police personnel, the officer said.

The police retaliated and four persons were shot dead, while Kapil sustained injuries and was admitted in the AIIMS Trauma Centre. The others managed to escape.

More than 100 rounds were fired by the gang members and the Delhi police's Special Cell in the shoot-out, police said.

Officers are waiting for Kapil's condition to improve so that they can ascertain the identity of the others who were accompanying him and the reason for which they had gathered at the farmhouse, the police said.

The farmhouse owner, Sanjeev, is at large. It is still not clear whether he was accompanying the gang members at the time of the encounter. The seized Ford Endeavour car belongs to him.

Bharti and Vidroh were carrying rewards of Rs 1 lakh each on their head, while Umesh was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000, the police said, adding that there were murder and extortion cases against them.

The police had recovered 40 fake number-plates of vehicles from the Hyundai i-20 car, the ownership of which is yet to established.

In the last one month, the gang had committed criminal acts in south Delhi, including robbing two Toyota Fortuner SUVs from the Vasant Kunj area on May 18 and 19.

In July last year, the gang had killed a man in Dwarka and left pamphlets behind, claiming that they were members of the Rajesh Bharti gang. Vidroh was wanted in connection with that case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Kolkata-based Dream Gateway Hotels, part of realty Jain Group, will raise Rs 30.51 crore through its maiden public offer by early July to fund expansion, a top company official said today.

The company currently owns only one hotel, Holiday Inn Airport Kolkata, and the entire proposed proceeds will be invested in the existing 137 room property for further expansion following excellent response since unveiling of this property, Dream Gateway Hotels director Shrayans Jain said here.

The company is going ahead with the proposed fixed price IPO issue despite pricing expectations were much lower at Rs 90 per share against previous expectations of Rs 140 per share.

"We have arrived at the pricing of Rs 90 per share based on the feedbacks by the Merchant bankers. That (Rs 140/share) price was based on aspiration at that point of time," Jain Group ED Rishi Jain said.

The shares would be listed on the BSE SME platform issuing fresh 32.21 lakh shares of Rs 10 each to investors and additional 1.7lakh shares to market maker at a price of Rs 90 per share.

In BSE sme platform, market maker is a must for each company to offer liquidity to the investors.

The expansion will be adjacent to the existing property of Kolkata and will add another 90-100 keys at an additional cost of Rs 70-75 crore.

The dilution by the promoters post fresh issue will be 28 per cent, Jain said. The group owns 100 per cent now.

The revenue from Holiday Inn Kolkata is projected at Rs 80 crore in 2018 up from close to just under Rs 30 crore in 2017. The projection for 2020 is Rs 129 crore.

The company said it proposes to develop two other hotels in Siliguri and Durgapur and for which land is already in place.

Total additional Rs 240 crore, is lined up in these two proposed hotel properties to create total 180 rooms. Construction of the Siliguri Holiday Inn hotel is expected to begin by end of this year, Jain said.

Intercontinental Hotels Group owns the management contract for Kolkata hotel and the same operator is expected for the next two properties, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The authorities at a reputed north Kolkata college has expelled two of its students and sacked a non-teaching staff member in connection with an alleged stripping incident on campus.

The decision to dismiss the second-year students and the staffer was taken by St Paul's Cathedral College yesterday on the basis of report submitted by a seven-member committee that probed the incident, a spokesman said today.

A first-year student, who claimed to be a member of the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) unit of the college, had alleged that he was "stripped naked" and "filmed" on the premises on May 17.

In the FIR, the student had named the two expelled students, the sacked non-teaching staff and another outsider.

The video clip of the incident, which went viral on social media, showed the student pleading for mercy even as he was forced to remove clothes in front of a group of people.

The college spokesman said the committee, consisting of faculty members, examined the footage of the incident before submitting its report to the authorities.

The panel also proposed measures to increase security on college premises, including installation of CCTV cameras and restricted entry after 5pm, he told reporters.

The report has been forwarded to the Higher Department of the state government, he added.

West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee had said on an earlier occasion that "strict action" would be taken against the accused in the case if the charges against them were proved.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for allegedly disrespecting their "gurus", on Tuesday said he was the first one to visit ailing former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in hospital.

The Congress leader's statement, at a rally here this evening, came even as the condition of Vajpayee, 93, admitted to the AIIMS in Delhi with urinary tract infection, lower respiratory tract infection and kidney issues, was reported stable.

Lauding Vajpayee, Gandhi told a gathering of Congress booth-level workers that the opposition party respected the BJP stalwart since it believes "he had contributed towards the country".

Attacking Modi, Gandhi said the Congress fought and defeated the BJP, led by Vajpayee and Advani, in 2004 and 2009 general elections.



ALSO READ: I'm not guilty: Rahul Gandhi to court in defamation case filed by RSS

"But the Congress party's culture is to respect others. The prime minister talks about Hindu religion but forgets the important teaching of our religion about respecting the guru (mentor)," Gandhi said.

"The prime minister doesn't even respect his guru at official functions. It's me, the Congress party and its ideology which accords him due respect. Even when Vajpayee is ill in hospital, I was the first to visit him as Congress believes he has contributed to the country," Gandhi said.The first meeting of the Congress-JD(S) coordination committee for Karnataka will take place in Bengaluru on June 14, during which the coalition partners will take forward their common minimum programme.

JD(S) secretary general Danish Ali said the members of the committee will meet, at 4 pm on Thursday, to ensure coordination in the new Karnataka government.

"The meeting, to be attended by leaders of both Congress and JD(S,) will discuss the common minimum programme (CMP) of the coalition and on various other crucial issues," he told PTI.

Besides Ali, the meeting will be attended by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, former chief minister Siddharamaiah and All India Congress Committee General Secretary in-charge for Karnataka K C Venugopal.

The five-member committee was formed at the time of government formation by the two parties, which entered into a post-poll alliance.

The allies are yet to hold discussions on appointment of new chairmen for boards and corporations in the state and discussion on the issue is likely to take place in the meeting.

Ali said the leaders of the coalition parties would also hold discussions to chalk out future strategy in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Madhya Pradesh Congress unit today demanded a CBI inquiry into the death of spiritual guru Bhayyu Maharaj, claiming that he was under pressure to work for the BJP government in the state.

The 50-year-old model-turned-spiritual guru, who had a large following among politicians, allegedly shot himself at his residence here, the police said.

Talking to PTI, state Congress media department chief Manak Agarwal said, "Bhayyuji Maharaj had refused to accept ministerial rank granted by the Madhya Pradesh government.

"I had spoken to him some days back and Bhayyuji Maharaj had told me that he was under pressure from the BJP government to work for them," he said.

The Congress leader demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the spiritual guru's death.

"The spiritual guru was under a lot of mental pressure. A CBI probe should be conducted to clear all doubts related to his extreme step," Agarwal said.

Additional Director General (ADG), Indore Range, Ajay Sharma said, "Bhayyu Maharaj shot himself on his right temple in a room bolted from inside at his residence in Silver Spring Township".

Sharma said a notepad was found in his room on which he had purportedly written, "Somebody should be there to handle duties of family, I am leaving, too much stressed out, fed up".

The people close to the spiritual guru claimed that it was his own handwriting, but the police will verify the same through experts, he said.

The exact cause behind the extreme step will be known after a detailed probe, he said.

Indore Collector Nishant Warwade said circumstances under which he committed suicide were a matter of probe.

Bhayyu Maharaj's first wife, Madhavi, passed away in November 2015. In April last year, he had married Dr Ayushi Sharma, a native of Shivpuri. He has a daughter from his first wife.

As the about Bhayyu Maharaj's suicide spread, a large number of his supporters gathered in front of the Bombay Hospital where the 'godman' was rushed after he shot himself.

Bhayyu Maharaj was one of the five 'saints' to whom the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh had granted Minister of State (MoS) rank in April. However, he had refused to accept it, saying "a post holds no importance for a saint".

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan paid tribute to Bhayyu Maharaj and described him as a "confluence of culture, knowledge and service".

He tweeted, "My tribute to saint Bhayyuji Maharaj, The country has lost a person who was a confluence of culture, knowledge & service. Your thoughts will motivate society to follow the path of serving humanity.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken today dismissed the sit-in by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues at LG office as a "drama" to distract public attention from "failures" of his government.

Kejriwal has proved he is "unable" to use the powers bestowed on him as Chief Minister and is creating "drama" over so called strike by IAS officers and full statehood, he said.

"Is it not Kaliyug, that a chief minister whose attendence at Delhi Assembly is just 10 percent and who does not go to his office, is complaining of non cooperation of IAS officers," Maken told reporters.

Kejriwal and his party "lack" any ideology and that is why he said he will campaign for BJP if more powers are given to Delhi government, he said.

"This proves our contention reiterated by us that both the parties are hand in glove and AAP is B team of the BJP," Maken said.

He also slammed the Kejriwal government's raising questions on 18 issues like education, health and water supply, and alleged it has "failed" on these despite requiring no additional power or sanction of Centre.

"Entire Delhi is severely hit by water crisis although Kejriwal himself is chairman of Delhi Jal Board. No new hospitals came up in three and half year rule of his government, drop out rate at government schools has increased while enrolments have gone down," he alleged.

He also attacked the AAP government over its demand for LG's approval to the doorstep ration delivery scheme.

"Kejriwal and his ministers are crying hoarse over ration. However the fact is that the number of beneficiaries of public distribution system has gone down from 33.5 lakh during Congress regime to 15 lakh now," he claimed.

Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, Labour Minister Gopal Rai and Health Minister Satyendar Jain spent the night at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's office to press for their three demands.

They have asked Baijal for direction to IAS officers to end their "strike", action against officers who have struck work for "four months" and approval to doorstep ration delivery scheme.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Gujarat High Court today ordered the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to consider giving job on compassionate ground to the sister of a man languishing in Pakistani jail on the charge of being an Indian spy.

Kuldeep Yadav has been languishing in a Lahore jail since 1994 on charge of being an Indian spy.

The division bench of Justices M R Shah and A J Kogje ordered the MHA to consider giving a job to Kuldeep's sister Rekha Yadav within a month on compassionate ground as an exceptional case, after checking her educational qualification.

Rekha Yadav had moved the HC seeking its direction to the Centre to provide her job on the ground that her brother was employed with the Border Security Force (BSF) before he was apprehended by the Pakistani Army on the charge of being an Indian spy.

Nikunt Raval, the lawyer representing the Centre, told reporters that the division bench read the operative part in which it ordered the MHA to consider appointing Rekha on compassionate grounds, even as the detailed order was awaited.

He said the central government had maintained in its submission that there is no evidence like buckle number or record in recruitment to suggest that Kuldeep Yadav was employed with the BSF.

Kuldeep Yadav, who hails from Ahmedabad, was accused by Pakistan of being an Indian spy, and has been languishing in a jail in Lahore.

The Indian High Commission in Islamabad had informed his family members through a letter dated February 1, 2007, that he was kept in Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore.

In a subsequent letter to his lawyer M K Paul, Kuldeep had revealed that he was caught by Pakistan authorities on March 23, 1994 and kept in detention for three years. After that, a military court sentenced him to 25 years in jail and he was shifted to Kot Lakhpat jail.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Delhi court has refused to grant bail to a man found carrying slaughtered cow meat, saying the act has the "potential to disturb peace" and "communal harmony".

Special Judge Kamini Lau dismissed the bail application of Central Delhi resident Mohd Naushad after considering the "seriousness of the issue".

The court also noted that the co-accused are still at large.

"The allegations involved are with regard to recovery of slaughtered cow in a car which has the potential to disturb peace and adversely affecting communal harmony arousing religious sentiments in society," the court said.

"The co-accused are still at large. Keeping in view seriousness of the offence, no ground is made out. The bail application of the accused Mohd Naushad is hereby dismissed," the court added.

According to the prosecution, Naushad was apprehended by the police on April 3 near Kishan Ganj railway station here while he along with two others was seen pushing a car towards Azad market in Central Delhi.

As the policemen approached them, they fled but the police managed to catch hold of Naushad.

On further checking, the officials found slaughtered cow meat, including head and legs, inside the car, police said.

Naushad, in his bail application, had denied all allegations and said that he has nothing to do with the case and the recovery of the cow meat was planted by the police.

He sought bail, saying the investigation in the case has been completed and the charge sheet has been already been filed. He said he has been under judicial custody since April 3.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Kim and Trump. Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Just six months after trading threats about their respective nuclear buttons, President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met in Singapore on Tuesday morning (Monday night in the U.S., which is 12 hours behind). It was the first-ever meeting between the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea.

Trumps decision to leave Singapore 15 hours ahead of schedule raised new doubts about the two nations ability to make any substantive progress, and it seems they were warranted. The meeting produced several great photos, but few specific commitments on denuclearization. Heres a moment-by-moment recap of the meeting.

9:58 a.m. ET: Rubio Not Sold

Should be skeptical of any deal with #KJU Limits to future strategic weapons instead of eliminating current program not an acceptable outcome. Hope Im wrong but still believe they will never give up nukes & ICBMs unless believe failure to do so triggers regime ending reaction  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 12, 2018

One more thing about KJU. While I know @potus is trying to butter him up to get a good deal, #KJU is NOT a talented guy. He inherited the family business from his dad & grandfather. He is a total weirdo who would not be elected assistant dog catcher in any democracy.  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 12, 2018

9:32 a.m. ET: Trump on Kim: He Loves His People

President Trump showered Kim Jong-un with praise just after meeting with the North Korean dictator, calling him very smart with a great personality. But he wasnt done. In an interview with Voice of Americas Greta van Susteren hours later, Trump went even further, declaring that Kim loves his people and brushing off concerns about his well-documented history of human-rights abuses.

As Jonathan Chait notes, Trumps comments can be interpreted as a kind of praise; the words rough and tough are Trumpspeak for the kinds of brutality he considers necessary.

Trump had previously said he spoke about human rights during the meeting with Kim relatively briefly.

8:52 a.m. ET: Experts Note Similarity to Previous North Korean Promises

An American president sitting down with a North Korean dictator may have been unprecedented. But as many commentators pointed out, the language of the agreement the two leaders released seemed familiar  and not in a hopeful way.

Remember when they remade the movie Karate Kid 25 years later? Thats what this is: pic.twitter.com/QVZMB3X6Sj  Vipin Narang (@NarangVipin) June 12, 2018

8:24 a.m. ET: South Korea Confused by Trumps War-Games Comment

At his solo press conference this morning, President Trump vowed to discontinue joint military exercises with South Korea, which he called provocative, as a concession to Kim Jong-un. But he apparently hadnt consulted his allies before making this bold declaration, as evidenced by South Koreas response:

South Korean Blue House spox: At this moment, the meaning and intention of President Trump's remarks requires more clear understanding.  Elise Hu (@elisewho) June 12, 2018

A spokesman for U.S. forces in Korea told the military newspaper Stars and Stripes that the command had received no updated guidance on execution or cessation of training exercises. The next one is scheduled for August.

6:07 a.m. ET: Trump Says He May Be Wrong About Kim

Trump closed his freewheeling press conference by saying he and Kim will probably need another summit to discuss North Koreas plans for denuclearization, though were much further along than I would have thought.

He said he really believes Kim is serious about denuclearization, but acknowledged he may be mistaken. He said he may stand before you in six months and say, Hey, I was wrong, adding, I dont know that Ill ever admit that.

Trump says in 6 months he might find out he was wrong about Kim Jong Un but wont say so. I dont know that Ill ever admit that. Ill find some kind of excuse.  Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) June 12, 2018

5:58 a.m. ET: U.S. Will Suspend Military Exercises With South Korea

At a solo press conference, President Trump revealed a big concession to Kim that wasnt included in the document the two leaders signed: the U.S. will discontinue its joint military exercises with South Korea, which have long riled the North.

When questioned on his repeated praise for Kim, and failure to address North Korean human-rights abuses that led to the death of U.S. college student Otto Warmbier and many others, Trump defended his remarks, saying Kims rise to power shows hes very talented. He also said Otto did not die in vain, claiming his death is what sparked the summit.

2:37 a.m. ET: What Trump and Kim Committed To

Though both leaders have departed, the text of the statement they signed still hasnt been released. Journalists resorted to zooming in on photos of the text:

ZOOM IN ON THE TEXT: "President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." pic.twitter.com/vXBeIMP81i  Conor Finnegan (@cjf39) June 12, 2018

Four points of the Trump-Kim Declaration:



1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.  Jonathan Cheng (@JChengWSJ) June 12, 2018

2. The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.  Jonathan Cheng (@JChengWSJ) June 12, 2018

3. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.  Jonathan Cheng (@JChengWSJ) June 12, 2018

4. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.  Jonathan Cheng (@JChengWSJ) June 12, 2018

2:16 a.m. ET: This Is Just the Beginning, According to Trump

Trump, as Kim departs, tells CNNs @JayMcMichaelCNN they will meet many times.  Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 12, 2018

2:12 a.m. ET: Trump Heaps Praise on Kim

When asked what surprised him most about Kim, Trump answered, Great personality and very smart. Good combination. He added, I learned hes a very talented man. I also learned that he loves his country very much.

1:51 a.m. ET: Trump and Kims Signing

Trump called the document very comprehensive and historic, but its text still hasnt been released.

"You will be seeing everything in just a little while, the letter that we are signing is very comprehensive, and I think both sides will be very impressed by the results," President Trump says https://t.co/3Ua7REo4Iv pic.twitter.com/2xazxwTlLU  CBS News (@CBSNews) June 12, 2018

1:31 a.m. ET: Trump and Kim to Pledge to Keep Up Momentum

A U.S. official told CNN that Trump and Kim will only be agreeing that the talks made progress and they should keep the diplomacy going. So there wont be any surprise announcement on denuclearization, but there will be commemorative Trump pens:

In Singapore, a desk has been set up in the Capella Hotel with two chairs and two pens. The pens are black and inscribed in gold. The inscription appears to be Donald Trump's signature.  Julian Borger (@julianborger) June 12, 2018

1:20 a.m. ET: Trump Shows Off His Ride

Trump took Kim over to the Beast and let him take a look inside.

Kim Jong Un getting a quick glimpse inside the Presidential limo #TrumpKimSummit pic.twitter.com/N53czBtIxr  Oliver Hotham (@OliverHotham) June 12, 2018

1:18 a.m. ET: Trump Teases Signing

During a post-lunch walk, President Trump said: We had a really fantastic meeting. A lot of progress. Really very positive. I think better than anybody could have expected  Top of the line. Really good.

Then he said he and Kim are going to a signing, but ignored questions about what that meant.

Trump and Kim walk and talk after lunch. Trump says theyre signing something. pic.twitter.com/TVOlMCxjDf  Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 12, 2018

12:04 a.m. ET: Trump Jokes With Photographers

Before sitting down for lunch, Trump quipped to photographers, Very nice, getting a good picture everybody so we look nice and handsome and thin? Kim did not look amused, but its possible he was confused. According to the pool report, he smiled when he sat down.

First moments from the #TrumpKimSummit working lunch:



Trump addressed the assembled press:



"Getting a good picture of everybody, so we look nice and handsome" pic.twitter.com/CEdOoZy0xp  Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) June 12, 2018

11:30 p.m. ET: Trump and Kims Lunch

About two hours into the summit, Trump and Kim are chatting during their working lunch. Heres the menu:

Here's the menu for the working lunch between @realDonaldTrump / Kim Jong Un and the U.S./North Korean delegations --> pic.twitter.com/WDT1CZFgZE  Alex Mallin (@alex_mallin) June 12, 2018

10:20 p.m ET: Solving The Big Dilemma

During the expanded meeting, Trump reiterated that its been an honor to meet with Kim, said well solve the big problem, the big dilemma, that until this point has been unable to be resolved, and shook Kims hand again.

President Trump to Kim: "It's a great honor to be with you, and I know we'll have tremendous success together. We'll solve the big problem, the big dilemma, that until this point has been unable to be solved." https://t.co/4p3cbEAVk2 pic.twitter.com/9rPd7UN0OW  NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) June 12, 2018

9:59 p.m. ET: Trump Pronounces Kim Relationship Excellent

After meeting with Kim privately for about half an hour, Trump declared that they have an excellent relationship.

According to the White House press pool, after his initial meeting with Kim, Trunp said, very, very good. Excellent relationship.  Hunter Walker (@hunterw) June 12, 2018

Now theyre sitting down with their respective advisers. John Bolton, who angered the North Koreans by talking about the Libya model for denuclearization, is at the table.

Expanded bilat has begun: pic.twitter.com/YTwUl3Yt88  Eliana Johnson (@elianayjohnson) June 12, 2018

9:51 p.m. ET: Trump and Kim Talk Privately

The two leaders have been talking behind closed doors for about half an hour. Afterward, theyre set to hold a bilateral meeting with their advisers.

9:43 p.m. ET: Officials Meet

The U.S. delegation  which includes White House chief of staff John Kelly, National Security Adviser John Bolton, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo  met with their North Korean counterparts as Trump and Kim talked. The two teams were reportedly scrambling on Monday to come up with a post-summit statement that both leaders could agree to.

9:31 p.m. ET: Meanwhile, in Dennis Rodman News

Kims old pal Dennis Rodman, who is also in Singapore, spoke to CNN sporting a MAGA hat and a potcoin.com shirt. He got emotional when describing the reaction to his first meeting with Kim. He said the presidents secretary (meaning White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders) reached out to him today and said, Donald Trump is so proud of you.

Dennis Rodman is crying on CNN. pic.twitter.com/xgn1oxlaWI  Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) June 12, 2018

Dennis Rodman to @ChrisCuomo: "And when I first met Kim Jong-Un, I was more like -- I didn't know what to expect. You know, I didn't know who he was. I didnt know what he represented. I didnt know if he was someone important." pic.twitter.com/jdaiktvGTF  Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) June 12, 2018

Reminder to people hating on the Dennis Rodman interview: Jim Clapper said TONIGHT that he long advocated for Rodman to play a more formal role in talks with North Korea.



Jim Clapper. The former Director of National Intelligence.  Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) June 12, 2018

9:17 p.m. ET: Trump and Kim Shake Hands Again

A second handshake is offered by Pres. Trump once the two leaders are seated. #11MSNBC #SingaporeSummit pic.twitter.com/4RmD7UytL2  11th Hour (@11thHour) June 12, 2018

9:13 p.m. ET: The First Remarks Between Trump and Kim

Trump predicted that he and Kim will have a terrific relationship, and said its his honor to sit down with the North Korean dictator.

Kim told reporters, via a translator, It was not an easy path here. Theres a history of holding onto our ankles, meaning someone was acting as dead weight, and it appeared there were times that there were unfortunate practices where they were trying to block our eyes and our ears, but weve overcome everything and come to this place.

.@POTUS Donald J. Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the #SingaporeSummit. pic.twitter.com/L3BcOPP26J  Department of State (@StateDept) June 12, 2018

9:05 p.m. ET: The Trump-Kim Handshake

The summit has officially begun, with Trump and Kim shaking hands and posing for photographs.

.@POTUS Donald J. Trump meets North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore. #SingaporeSummit pic.twitter.com/CWhiLO4dAa  Department of State (@StateDept) June 12, 2018

Amateur body-language analysts noted that Trump is being more physical than Kim.

.@maddow on the Trump-Kim handshake: "It's at least a lot of touching ... It's the president touching Kim Jong Un a lot. It's not mutual ... There's a lot of gesturing and touching ... there's a lot of smiling by the president."  Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 12, 2018

What did @kevcirilli make of Trump's body language with Kim? "He looked like he was getting on better with Kim Jong Un than with German Chancellor Angela Merkel or Prime Minister Justin Trudeau" #tictocnews #TrumpKimSummit pic.twitter.com/6zATFQygrz  TicToc by Bloomberg (@tictoc) June 12, 2018

9:00 p.m. ET: Trump and Kim Arrive

The two leaders are at the site, with Kim arriving at 8:55 p.m., and Trump showing up five minutes later.

BREAKING: Kim Jong Un has arrived at the Capella hotel, location of summit with Pres. Trump. https://t.co/36eXPDHgUs pic.twitter.com/jLjaVFVXuh  ABC News (@ABC) June 12, 2018

.@POTUS arrives at Capella hotel, site of summit with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un. pic.twitter.com/8arwWYnGtr  Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) June 12, 2018

Good color from the foreign pool reporter: According Korean media, Kim arrived at the summit venue 7 minutes earlier than Mr. Trump to show respect. Its cultural, The young one should arrive earlier than the elder one. #TrumpKimSummit  Elise Hu (@elisewho) June 12, 2018

8:41 p.m. ET: Trump Adviser Larry Kudlow Suffers Heart Attack

While headed to the Kim summit, Trump broke the news that Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, has suffered a heart attack. The 70-year-old, who was not on the North Korea trip, was active in Trumps feud with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau over the weekend.

Our Great Larry Kudlow, who has been working so hard on trade and the economy, has just suffered a heart attack. He is now in Walter Reed Medical Center.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2018

8:13 p.m. ET: Trump Heads to Meeting With Kim

Various administration Twitter feeds posted footage of Trump departing his hotel and heading to the summit with Kim on Singapores Sentosa Island. The two leaders are expected to meet at 9 a.m. local time on Tuesday, or 9 p.m. Monday ET.

.@POTUS Trump departs the Shangri-La Hotel for today's historic #SingaporeSummit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. pic.twitter.com/H7TT2oYHWK  Department of State (@StateDept) June 12, 2018The Crime Branch of Delhi Police will take over the probe into the complaint of a 25-year-old woman that she was raped by a self-styled godman and his disciples on several occasions, the police said today.

The woman filed a complaint against Daati Maharaj, a self-styled godman, at the Fatehpur Beri police station in south Delhi on Sunday. The case was transferred from the district police to the Crime Branch today, they added.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Alok Kumar confirmed that the case had been transferred even though they were yet to receive the official orders.

The woman had told police that she was a disciple of the self-styled godman for a decade, but after she was raped by him and two of his disciples, she returned to her native place in Rajasthan.

She also alleged that a female disciple of the godman would force her into his room and if she refused, would tell her that other disciples too slept with him, the police said.

The woman also alleged that she was sexually abused in the ashrams of the godman in Delhi and Rajasthan and named two male disciples of Daati Maharaj.

She fled from one of the ashrams two years ago and had gone into depression.

After she recovered from her trauma, she narrated her ordeal to her parents, who approached the police and a case was registered.

Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal had met the woman and said she should be given police protection.

"Met girl who alleged rape by Dati Maharaj in his ashram. The girls story is simply horrifying and it appears that she has gone through the utmost torture. She has a threat to her life. Issued notice to Delhi Police to immediately provide her protection. Dati Maharaj should be immediately arrested!" Maliwal tweeted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues, who spent the night at the lieutenant governor's office, today dug in their heels with Health Minister Satyendar Jain beginning an indefinite hunger strike to press for their demands.

The AAP government's demands include a direction to IAS officers to end their "strike", action against those who have struck work for "four months". It has also asked the L-G to approve the proposal for doorstep delivery of rations.

"Satyender Jain starts indefinite fast," Kejriwal tweeted from the office of lieutenant governor Anil Baijal.

Jain began his fast from the L-G's office at 11 am.

Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, Development Minister Gopal Rai and Jain met Baijal at 5.30 pm yesterday and have since stayed on.

There is heavy police deployment as AAP leaders and workers have been trying to reach the L-G's office since last night.

With police barricading the area, AAP leaders, MLAs and workers have been staging a sit-in outside the chief minister's residence, about two kilometres from the L-G Secretariat.

Sisodia said on Twitter that that the chief minister and his three ministers have been sitting in the 'waiting room' of the L-G's office for 18 hours. But the L-G was adamant on his decision that he will neither get the officers' strike called off nor get the file of doorstep delivery of ration cleared, he said.

The L-G's office slammed Kejriwal's sit-in, saying it was one more "dharna without reason".

A statement, issued by Baijal's office last evening, stated that the L-G was "threatened".

In the morning, a letter, signed by Kejriwal, Sisodia, Rai and Jain, was sent to Baijal. It asked him to take all necessary steps to end the "strike" by IAS officers, including issuing written orders that proceedings would be initiated against all officers who do not return and "if necessary, ESMA may be invoked".

According to the government, IAS officers have been on strike since the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash and are boycotting meetings with AAP ministers, affecting public work.

However, the officers association has claimed that nobody is on strike and no work has been affected.

"Handed him this letter. LG refuses to take action. LG is under constitutional duty to act. Left wid no option, we have politely told LG that we will not leave till he acts on all points.

"We hv come out of his chamber n sitting in his waiting room (sic)," Kejriwal tweeted last evening after he along with his three ministers started their sit-in.

The AAP government and the bureaucracy have been at loggerheads since the alleged assault on Prakash by AAP MLAs at Kejriwal's residence on the intervening night of February 19-20.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The National Green Tribunal has slammed municipalities in Uttar Pradesh for failing to manage discharge of untreated sewage water into the Ganga river saying it appears that " and public health do not fall on their priority list".

A bench headed by acting NGT Chairperson Justice Jawad Rahim refused to agree with the submission that 'nagar palikas' were facing financial crunch as the state government has not released any money.

"It appears that and public health do not fall on priority list of all these respondents...," the bench observed.

The counsel appearing for the municipalities of Mirzapur, Fatehpur, Chunar and Bhadohi told the bench that they have filed statement of the action taken and the reason for non compliance is that the state government has not released the funds.

"Be that as it may, we note it with regret that except procrastination of this proceedings on one pretext or other the 'nagar palikas' concerned have shown least regard regarding compliance of the direction of the tribunal and hence, we direct the commissioners and chief officers of each of the 'nagar palikas' together to be present on the next date of hearing with an affidavit sworn to detailing action taken for compliance to the direction issued by the tribunal or nature of compliance," the bench said.

The matter was listed for next hearing on July 27.

The tribunal had earlier asked the Uttar Pradesh government to reply why environmental compensation should not be slapped on it for its "intentional" non-compliance of statutory obligations regarding discharge of untreated sewage water into the Ganga.

While issuing a show cause notice to the state government, the NGT had earlier said " and public health does not fall in its priority list" as it was "undisputed" that no action was taken by the state pollution control board and municipal bodies to prepare an action plan on cleaning the river.

The UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) and municipal bodies of Mirzapur, Chunar, Bhadohi, Fatehpur, and Hastinapur were issued show cause notices asking why environmental compensation should not be imposed on them as they had failed to prepare the plan despite directions issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The NGT was hearing a plea of the CPCB seeking directions to the UPPCB and the CEOs of these five municipal councils to "prepare a plan of action to clean river Ganga and water bodies, ground water and soil in a time-bound manner and recover the cost of preparation and execution of such plan of action from the polluters".

Advocate Balendu Shekhar, appearing for the CPCB, had said the respondents (UPPCB and five municipal councils) had failed to provide adequate sewage network and install sewage treatment plants for effective treatment of sewage discharged into the river.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)DoT and the civil aviation ministry officials will meet within 10 days to discuss "operational details" of in-flight connectivity, cleared recently by the Telecom Commission.

The meeting - the date for which is yet to be finalised - will also be attended by telecom companies, airlines and in-flight connectivity providers, Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan told reporters here.

She was speaking on the sidelines of a Communications Ministry conference to highlight the achievements of the government in the last four years.

"The discussions on the operational model will entail questions like who will be investing in infrastructure, who will be providing the services. There is no standard model...we will have to see what is suitable in the Indian context," Sundararajan said.

Telecom Commission - the highest policy making body of Department of Telecom (DoT) - on May 1 had cleared a proposal for allowing wider in-flight connectivity that is now available in most of the developed markets.

The decision will pave the way for travellers to use internet and voice services on mobile phone during flights in the Indian airspace.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The (ED) on Tuesday seized 11 plots of land in Patna worth Rs 447.5 million, attached by the agency in the name of a firm linked to RJD chief Lalu Prasad's family, as part of the IRCTC hotel money laundering case.

The central probe agency was allowed to take possession of the seized assets by a designated PMLA authority recently.

Officials said possession documents were notified and a huge notice board, bearing the signature of Assistant Director of the Delhi zonal office-I, was today put up at the contiguous plots, measuring about three acres, in Danapur near the Bihar capital.

The action has been undertaken under section 8 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, they said.

The central probe agency had provisionally attached the plots, valued at Rs 447.5 million(market rate), in December last year under the PMLA, in connection with the IRCTC hotel allotment case.

The authority, in its recent order, had said that the assets were "involved in money laundering."



The land pieces are in the name of Delight Marketing Co Pvt Ltd, now Lara Projects LLP, whose managing partner is Lalu's wife Rabri Devi, partners are his sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, and Meridian Construction India Limited promoted by Abu Dojana, an MLA of the former Bihar Chief Minister's party -- the Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD).

When the attached these assets last year, a shopping mall was supposed to come up on these plots. It also had recorded the statements of Rabri Devi, Tejashwi, the former deputy chief minister of Bihar, and others in the case.

In July last year, the agency registered a case against Lalu Prasad, his family members and others under the provisions of the PMLA.

Before this, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered a criminal first information report and conducted multiple searches on the properties of Lalu Prasad and others.

The CBI FIR alleged that Lalu Prasad, during his tenure as the railway minister in UPA-I government, handed over the maintenance of two Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) hotels to a company in 2004 after receiving a bribe in the form of a prime land in Patna through a 'benami' company owned by Sarla Gupta, the wife of Prem Chand Gupta, a former Union minister and an RJD MP.

The registered its criminal case based on this CBI FIR.

Others named in the CBI FIR include Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar (both directors of Sujata Hotels), Delight Marketing Company and the then IRCTC managing director P K Goel.

The CBI FIR was registered on July 5 in connection with favours allegedly extended to Sujata Hotels in awarding a contract for the upkeep of the hotels in Ranchi and Puri and receiving premium land as "quid pro quo".

The accused can appeal against this order, issued by the authority, before the Appellate Tribunal of the Act.Edelweiss Alternative Asset Advisors (EAAA), a subsidiary of Edelweiss group, today said it plans to raise up to Rs 2,000 crore through an onshore fund to invest in stressed and distressed assets.

This EISAF II Onshore Fund, which is part of a Singapore-based global fund, EISAF II, will include Rs 1,000 crore green shoe option.

"The fund's investment mandate is centered around acquisition of non-performing debt from banks or financial institutions, funding companies for debt settlements, working capital financing and acquisition of stressed companies going through insolvency proceedings under the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT)," Edelweiss group chief executive (global wealth and asset management), Nitin Jain, said in a release.

The fund will be focusing on assets with established infrastructure, viable business models and cash flow generation potential, its manager Amit Agarwal said.

Edelweiss group's asset reconstruction company, Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company (EARC), has an asset under management of over Rs 4,41,000 crore.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today opened a new gas pipeline that will pump Caspian gas from energy-rich Azerbaijan across Anatolia to Europe for the first time.

The USD 8.5 billion Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) is one of several mega projects being showcased by Erdogan as he heads to keenly-fought elections on June 24.

The TANAP pipeline connects with the South Caucasus Pipeline which pumps gas from the vast Azerbaijani Shah Deniz 2 field in the Caspian, via Azerbaijan and Georgia, to Turkey.

The pipeline is then to link to the west with the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) which will pump the gas through Greece and Albania to Italy.

Taken together, the entire project is known as the Southern Gas Corridor which is costing some USD 40 billion to build and was inaugurated in late May.

The system -- backed by the EU and United States -- will allow Azerbaijan for the first time to pump its gas direct to Europe while bypassing Russia.

Erdogan inaugurated the pipeline at a ceremony attended by leaders including Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in the Turkish region of Eskisehir southeast of Istanbul, one of 20 provinces in Turkey the pipeline passes through.

"TANAP is the latest fruit of a shared vision," Erdogan said at the opening ceremony, describing the pipeline as part of a new "energy Silk Road".

The leaders then watched as the final section of the pipeline was lifted into place and then turned a wheel to allow the gas to flow.

The Turkish leader is battling a tightly fought contest for presidential and parliamentary elections, boasting at rallies nationwide of his ability to deliver on big projects.

During Erdogan's over 15 years in power, first as premier and then as president, Turkey has seen a massive revamp of infrastructure with new high speed rail lines, roads and the Bosphorus in Istanbul spanned by one new bridge and two undersea tunnels.

He is touting a daring new plan to build a Panama-style shipping canal in Istanbul as boasting that a brand new airport for the city is near complete.

The 1,850 kilometre TANAP will initially pump 2 billion cubic metres of gas annually for use in Turkey, rising to 6 billion. By 2019 another 10 billion cubic metres of gas will be delivered into Greece for use in Europe.

A majority 58 per cent in the TANAP project is owned by Azerbaijan through state energy firm SOCAR. Turkish state energy firm Botas and British energy giant BP have minority stakes of 30 per cent and 12 per cent respectively.

But rights activists have slammed the Southern Gas Corridor projects, saying its Western backers are turning a blind eye to rights violations in Azerbaijan under the rule of Aliyev.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The EU today praised the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a "crucial and necessary step", indicating that denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula could be achieved.

"This summit was a crucial and necessary step to build upon the positive developments achieved in inter-Korean relations and on the peninsula so far," the EU's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

Mogherini stressed that the aim of the international community remained "the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula" -- a longstanding formulation that implies Pyongyang allowing inspections and not rebuilding any weapons it gives up.

"The joint statement signed by the US and DPRK leaders today gives a clear signal that this goal can be achieved," Mogherini said, using an abbreviation for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

But Trump and Kim's joint statement omits the words "verifiable and irreversible", leading some observers to question whether it amounted to any new commitments from Pyongyang.

The US leader said there would be further meetings and Mogherini said the EU stood ready to "facilitate and support the follow-on negotiations and other steps".

Tensions between the EU and US are running high over a series of disagreements on major international issues, including Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and his decision to slap tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)French President Emmanuel Macron today accused Italy of "cynicism and irresponsibility" over its refusal to take in hundreds of migrants stranded on a rescue ship in the Mediterranean.

Macron told a cabinet meeting that under maritime law, "in cases of distress, those with the closest coastline have a responsibility to respond," spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said.

"If a boat had France as its closest coast, it could land," Griveaux said. "France has done its bit, but what is unacceptable is the behaviour and political instrumentalisation of the Italian government."



Successive Italian governments have accused their European partners of leaving the country to cope on its own with an influx of 700,000 migrants from Africa since 2013.

But Griveaux accused the new far-right/populist government in Rome of lacking solidarity after it refused to allow the migrant rescue boat Aquarius to land with more than 600 people on board.

"You can't create a precedent that will enable one European country to offload onto other European countries," he continued. "We need to show solidarity which Italy has not shown."



The new Italian government has pledged to deport hundreds of thousands of people living in the country illegally and stop boats carrying migrants from landing on its shores.

Macron has faced criticism from some leftist opposition parties and members of his own Republic on the Move party for not offering to take in the 600 people on board the Aquarius.

Spain has offered to take them in, which Macron praised during the cabinet meeting.

A spokesman for Macron's Republic on the Move party earlier said the Italian government's policy was "sickening."



"The position, the line of the Italian government is sickening. It's unacceptable to play with human lives which is what is happening at the moment," Gabriel Attal told the Public Senat channel.

"I'm a spokesman for the party, not the government, but I can't imagine that France will not play a role in finding a humanitarian solution for this boat," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Naveen Kumar scored a phenomenal 491 marks out of 500 to top Haryana School Education Board's class XII exams but his family's elation has now given way to dejection as the state government awarded a co-topper while "ignoring" the Hisar lad's achievement.

Kumar, and a girl student, Heena, scored identical marks to emerge toppers. Soon, after Heena was awarded Rs four lakh but no such honour was accorded to Kumar, according to his father.

"If the Haryana government presented a cheque of Rs four lakh to Heena, then why was a boy ignored," Kumar's father Ran Singh, who works as a compounder at a private clinic, told PTI.

Kumar, who has two elder sisters, resides in Hisar's Shiv Colony. According to Ran Singh, the boy scored 1,554th rank in the NEET exam under OBC category.

"He is keen to pursue studies...with the marks in NEET he will easily get good medical college in India in the first counselling its," said Ran Singh with evident pride.

However, the family cannot stop asking why Kumar was "ignored" when his co-topper was honoured. Interestingly, Heena also hails from Hisar.

"The state government gave Rs four lakh to co-topper Heena and ignored my son," said Ran Singh. The proud father feels that by not even taking his son's achievement into consideration, the state government "insulted" Kumar.

Haryana School Education Board Chairman Jagbir Singh sought to clarify that Kumar's family did not make any request for financial aid as was done by Heena.

Singh said it was the government's duty to reach out to a student if he or she was in need of help.

Ran Singh, however, was not impressed.

"I am not aware of any policy of the state government to honour meritorious students...But if they can honour a girl why is a boy ignored," he asks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Even before deciding to run for public office, Abigail Spanberger had to ask her former employer for special permission to declassify her past work.



The CIA, after all, has strict rules about how spies can talk about their clandestine experience on resumes and with civilians after they leave.



Spanbergers work as a CIA case officer took her around the world. She developed assets and worked with sources, gathering intelligence to fight terrorism and pursue nuclear nonproliferation.



She told ABC News people on the campaign trail have asked her outright if she had been an assassin.



During a during a phone interview last week, she laughed out loud when we asked the obvious follow-up question: Were you an assassin?



Definitely not, she said.



Spanberger is running in Virginias 7th Congressional District. She faces another Democratic contender in the partys primary Tuesday.



She is one of a record number of women running for Congress this year, many of them new to politics and bringing with them a wide range of careers and expertise. Like Spanberger, a notable number of women running this cycle have backgrounds in traditionally male-dominated and rather hardcore fields.



I knew that running for office would be incredibly difficult. You have people hitting you from all sides, Spanberger said. With the background that I have, I knew that I could handle that.



Spanberger is one of at least seven women running for Congress this year who previously worked in the CIA or State Department. Another two dozen female military veterans are running as well.



When it comes to some of the subconscious biases that people might have about whether a woman is strong enough, knowing that I am former CIA, knowing that I used to carry a weapon every day, that I was law enforcement, that that might mitigate some of those questions of, Oh can she handle it, Spanberger told ABC News on the phone.



She has talked with voters about balancing life as a mother and career intelligence officer, often abroad and unable to tell her family her exact location for a few days at a time. It becomes a shortcut to assuage concerns that people have about women candidates that they dont seem to have about men candidates, she said.



According to Rutgers Universitys Center for Women and American Politics, an eye-popping 455 women filed to run for Congress this election cycle, far surpassing the previous record set in 2012, when 298 women ran. Five months into this primary season, after 21 states have voted, 116 women have won their primaries and will be on general election ballots in the fall.



Currently, 107 women serve in the House and Senate and make up 20 percent of the total members of the U.S. Congress.



I think ideally Congress should be a reflection of our country, Elaine Luria told ABC news on the phone.



Luria is running for Congress in a Virginia district just an hour away from Spanberger.



She served 30 years in uniform, mostly forward-deployed at sea as a Navy commander and nuclear engineer.



I think when Congress matches the way rest of our country looks, we will get closer to meeting the needs of all the people around the country, Luria went on.



Having served in the military, and in a lot of cases have been the only woman or the most senior woman  I know what a difference it makes the more women you have at the table, she said during the interview. I can definitely speak from my own experience in a very male-dominated profession that bringing more women into an organization broadens perspectives and makes it a stronger organization. And the same thing goes for diversity.



While deployed to the Middle East on the USS Enterprise, Luria oversaw eight nuclear reactors and was responsible for training all 700 nuclear operators onboard. She ended her career with a job very women have had in the military: commanding a combat-ready unit of 400 sailors.



At the Naval Academy, Luria was a classmate of Amy McGrath.



Last month, McGrath, a retired Marine Corps captain and fighter pilot, made headlines when she beat a well-known and well-liked former mayor of Lexington in her Democratic Party congressional primary in Kentucky.



It is really exciting to see so many women run. As women candidates it has been a great opportunity for women to support other women, Luria told ABC News.



Luria pointed out, however, that not all female candidates seeking public office this year have military or intelligence backgrounds.





Susie Lee, for example, is on the ballot in Tuesday's primaries in Nevada.



Lee is an education nonprofit director, who previously worked to build after-school programs and fight high school drop-out rates.



In Iowa last week, Cindy Axne, a small business owner with experience in nonprofit development and community activism, sailed through her Democratic primary. That state currently has an all-male delegation in the House of Representatives but will have two female Democratic candidates on the ballot in November.



In Illinois, Lauren Underwood, a nurse and former health care advocate under President Barack Obama, beat five other men in a crowded Democratic primary in March.



The strength and success of female candidates was perhaps best on display this spring and summer in Pennsylvania. The state is currently the largest one without any female representatives in Washington, D.C., but in the fall, seven women will be on the ballot in congressional races having all won their primaries.



While Democratic female candidates outnumber Republican ones by more than three to one, according to Rutgers Universitys Center for Women and American Politics, several Republican candidates also have military or intelligence experience.



In North Dakota, for example, Tiffany Abentroth, is a decorated Marine, who served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.



North Dakotas primaries are also Tuesday.





Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Larry Kudlow at a press briefing on June 6, 2018. Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Larry Kudlow, the top White House economic adviser, has suffered a heart attack and is being treated at Walter Reed Medical Center.

President Trump announced the news while heading to his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Our Great Larry Kudlow, who has been working so hard on trade and the economy, has just suffered a heart attack. He is now in Walter Reed Medical Center.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2018

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement that it was a very mild heart attack, and Kudlows doctors expect he will make a full and speedy recovery.

Kudlows friend Stephen Moore, of the Heritage Foundation, told Politico that he believes he will be okay. He was burning the candle at both ends, Moore said.

Kudlow replaced Gary Cohn as director of the National Economic Council in March, and hes thrown himself into promoting Trumps trade policies. Kudlow, who is a smoker, had reportedly told people he was surprised at how stressful the job was, partly due to White House infighting.

Colleagues told the New York Times that they had been concerned about Kudlows health because he appeared tired and unusually frail during preparations for the G7 summit. He traveled to Canada along with the president, and then played a key part in Trumps feud with Justin Trudeau, angrily denouncing the Canadian prime minister on the Sunday shows.

Kudlow hadnt been responding to colleagues calls and emails on Sunday, and he was home sick for part of the day on Monday. Kevin Hassett, the chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, called Kudlow the salt of the earth, and a true patriot, on Monday night, adding, Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family tonight.A farmers' body today demanded that sugar mills should pay an interest of 15 per cent on delayed payment of sugarcane dues, which have crossed Rs 22,000 crore this year.

The government's Rs 7,000 crore bailout package announced recently for the cash-starved sugar industry will benefit mills and not farmers, the Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (RKMS) said.

Sugar mills are incurring losses as prices have fallen below the production cost on account of record output of 31.5 million tonnes in 2017-18 season ending September as against the annual domestic demand of 25 million tonnes.

"The crisis of payment is carrying on year after year irrespective of sugar prices being high or low. This is due to the fact the statutory penal clause of payment of interest of 15 per cent per annum for delay in payment beyond 15 days is not invoked by the states," RKMS convenor V M Singh told reporters here.

The states have to invoke the clause and ensure the mills clear sugarcane dues to farmers at the earliest, he said.

"The fall in sugar prices can never the criteria for non-payment of cane dues. When the sugar prices were high, did mill owners make timely payment? ...the mill owners are used to diverting the funds to other business," Singh said.

Singh further said that RKMS had challenged the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to waive interest payment of Rs 2,000 crore for 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 as mills were making losses and could not afford to pay the same.

The Allahabad High Court in its order dated March 9, 2017, had quashed the UP government's decision and directed the state government to take decision within four months, he said.

"But the government (of UP) has not done anything in the past 15 months and a contempt petition against the Cane Commissioner has been filed," Singh said.

By announcing Rs 7,000 crore package to the sugar sector, the RKMS said that the central government has given impression to farmers that the money will take care of their cane dues.

"But the reality is different," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Fears mounted over Pakistan's economic stability before elections this summer as the caretaker government pledged today to stem the current account deficit by using rapidly dwindling foreign currency reserves.

There is growing speculation that the country will have to seek a loan package from the International Monetary Fund following the elections, for the second time since 2013, amid fears of a balance of payments crisis.

"We have to finance this gap of the trade deficit of $25 billion by depleting our reserves. There is no other option," caretaker Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar told a press conference.

"This is a major worry which our government is facing." The announcement came hours after the central bank devalued the rupee by 3.7 per cent, the third devaluation since December.

A caretaker government was installed last week as the country prepares to head to the polls in late July, in what would be only the second democratic transfer of power in Pakistan's 70-year history.

The country relies heavily on imports and has struggled for decades to increase exports, with chronic power shortages and creaky infrastructure hampering growth. It is also saddled with a heavy public debt -- 70 per cent of GDP, according to Akhtar -- along with a yawning fiscal deficit.

The economy grew by 5.8 per cent during 2017-18, missing a government target by two per cent, according to documents from the finance ministry.

Pakistan, plagued for years by a bloody homegrown Taliban insurgency, has been battling to get its shaky economy back on track and end the energy crisis crippling industry.

Confidence has grown slightly in recent years, with security improving and the IMF claiming in October that the country has emerged from crisis after completing the bailout programme.

The growth in GDP comes amid structural reforms, an improved energy sector and China's ambitious multi-billion dollar infrastructure project -- the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor -- linking its western province of Xinjiang to the Arabian Sea via Pakistan.

However fears remain about Pakistan's ability to repay the Chinese loans, with much of their terms shrouded in secrecy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Promoters of Fine Organic Industries, a chemicals firm, is planning to divest 25 per cent stake to raise around Rs 700-800 crore through initial public offering (IPO), a merchant banking source said.

The offer for sale will see divestment of up to 7,664,994 equity shares by the existing shareholders, according to the draft prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).

"The Shah family and other promoters of the company are selling 25 per cent holding in the firm to raise around Rs 700-800 crore in the soon-to-be-launched IPO later this month," the source said.

The 48-year old company held entirely by the promoters family had filed draft papers with markets regulator Sebi to float the IPO in February.

It has three manufacturing facilities in the suburbs of the megapolis, including Ambernath, Dombivli and Badlapur, with a total installed capacity of about 64,300 tonnes per annum (tpa).

The company is expanding its Ambernath facility by adding capacity of 32,000 tpa at a cost of Rs 130 crore, which we plan to fund 30 per cent from equity and 70 per cent from debt, as per the prospectus.

It is also looking at investing Rs 55 crore in setting up Fine Zeelandia facility in Mumbai in association with Dutch family-owned Zeelandia International, a part of the Royal Zeelandia group, it said.

Meanwhile, as part of the global expansion plans, it is also setting up a joint venture firm named FineAdd with the German partner Adcotec, to own and operate a 10,000 tpa facility in in Leipzig, Germany, which will be operational by Q3 FY20, according to the document.

Fine Organic will own 50 per cent and Adcotec will own the other 50 per cent, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The lawyer of activist Teesta Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand today told the Gujarat High Court that an FIR registered against the couple for allegedly misappropriating Rs 1.44 crore government fund was "completely false".

Senior counsel Mihir Thakore was making a submission on behalf of Setalvad and Anand in an anticipatory bail plea moved by them in the case.

Justice J B Pardiwala will continue the hearing tomorrow.

Setalvad and Anand had moved the high court after a local court rejected their anticipatory bail plea in the case.

The high court had extended their protection from arrest till June 13.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had granted them protection from arrest till May 31.

In his submission today, Thakore said Setalvad and Anand have been fully cooperating with Ahmedabad crime branch which is investigating the case.

The duo are accused of misappropriating the fund granted to them by the Union HRD Ministry between 2010 and 2013.

Thakore said the crime branch issued notice to Setalvad and Anand on March 30 asking them to appear before it in person on April 1.

The notice was issued after a complaint was lodged by Raees Khan Pathan, a former aid of Setalvad.

The senior counsel further said that his clients appeared in person before the crime branch on April 6 and provided the investigating officer with details of bank accounts as well as literature in question besides the documents regarding the government records for grants.

Thakor maintained that the FIR should not have been lodged in Gujarat as the matter pertains to funds which were meant to be used in Maharashtra for the purpose of education under HRD Ministry's Sarva Siksha Abhiyan.

The sessions court had earlier rejected pre-arrest bail of Setalvad and Anand saying that the conduct of the two does not inspire confidence and that the FIR does not fall in the category of "exceptional case".

Opposing their pre-arrest bail plea in the sessions court, the city crime branch had said the investigation was at a sensitive stage and that the accused duo are capable of influencing evidences against them if not arrested.

According to the crime branch, the Sabrang Trust NGO of Setalvad and Anand misused the money granted by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development between 2010 and 2013 for educational purposes, for their "personal and political cause".

The crime branch had said that the couple published literature and pamphlets that spread communal hatred.

Setalvad had pitched for funds 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 in April granted a temporary relief to Setalvad and Anand by extending their interim protection from arrest and transit anticipatory bail granted to them by the Bombay High Court from May 2 to May 31.

The apex court had said that Setalvad and Anand would not be arrested till May 31, but before that they would have to approach the competent court in Gujarat which will decide the matter on merits.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former BJP MP from Faridabad, Ramchandra Bainda, breathed his last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the national capital today.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has expressed grief over Bainda's demise.

In his message, Khattar described Bainda as a seasoned politician who worked for the upliftment of people belonging to the weaker sections of the society.

Bainda was associated with a number of social, cultural and literary organisations engaged in the upliftment of the downtrodden, he said.

The chief minister conveyed heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved family and prayed that the departed soul rest in peace.

Born on February 7, 1946 in village Khabra Kalan, district Hisar, Bainda was elected from the Faridabad parliamentary constituency for the 11th, 12th as well as the 13th Lok Sabha between 1996 and 2004.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)France is increasing its military presence in the Indo-Pacific region, sending warships through the South China Sea and planning air exercises to help counter China's military build-up in disputed waters.

In late May, the French assault ship Dixmude and a frigate sailed through the disputed Spratly Islands and around a group of reefs that China has turned into islets to push back against Beijing's claim to own most of the resource-rich South China Sea.

"Our patrol involved passing close to these islets to obtain intelligence with all the sensors it is possible to use in international waters," the Dixmude's commanding officer, Jean Porcher, told reporters in a video interview.

Writing in The Wall Street Journal, a researcher from the Hudson Institute think-tank who was onboard, said that "several Chinese frigates and corvettes" tailed the French vessels.

Porcher said the ship maintained "cordial" radio contact with Chinese military vessels, "which were present in the area until we left". So far the United States has taken the lead in confronting China over its territorial claims in the South China Sea, which are contested by several neighbours, particularly Vietnam.

But France, which along with Britain is the only European nation to regularly send its navy into the region, has also waded into the dispute, sending its ships into the South China Sea three to five times a year.

In August, the air force will stage its biggest-ever exercises in southeast Asia as part of a strategy to mark France's presence in a region that is home to 1.5 million French citizens in the country's overseas territories.

Three Rafale fighter jets, one A400M troop transporter and a C135 refuelling tanker will fly from Australia to India, with several stop-offs along the way. The sea and air operations follow a visit by President Emmanuel Macron last month to Australia, where he spoke of the need to protect the Indo-Pacific region from "hegemony" -- a veiled reference to Beijing's growing might.

He stressed that France, which will be the last country in the EU after Britain leaves the bloc to have territories in the Pacific, did not want to antagonise China.

But a "strong Indo-Pacific axis" was needed to ensure respect for freedom of navigation and aviation in the region, he told Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Stretching out on a sofa in the lieutenant governor's office or spending the night in the open on a bitterly cold January night, Delhi Chief Minister it seems is the politician who can never change his activist stripes.

The (AAP) chief, who today hunkered down for a second night at Lt Governor office with three of his colleagues to press for their demands, including a direction to IAS officers to end their "four-month" strike, homes in on the most unorthodox ways to make his point.

Kejriwal, who has been chief minister for two stints, once from December 2013 to February 2014 and now from February 2015, began his first term, not in an office car but in his trademark, somewhat battered, blue Wagon R and insisting that he did not want security.

In December 2013, during his 49-day stint, the RTI activist turned politician boarded the metro from Kaushambi Station, where he stayed at the time, to take oath as Delhi chief minister at a public event at Ramlila Maidan, underscoring that he was an "Aam aadmi" politician, cut differently from the others.

The following month, in January 2014, he and members of his cabinet spent the night outside Rail Bhawan, close to the draughty greens of India Gate, to demand action against policemen who allegedly refused to cooperate with then Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti during a raid on a suspected drug and prostitution racket in South Delhi.

Photographs of him huddled under a quilt in the cold were circulated widely, not just in India but elsewhere in the world.

During the protest, he was seen doing his office work from the street side with files being brought to him.

When the cold got too much and it started raining, Kejriwal's wife Sunita insisted that he move. So he did, inside his trusted blue Wagon R.

The deadlock was broken when then L-G Najeeb Jung urged him to call off the protest and sent over some hot paranthas from his kitchen, opening the door for negotiations.

In October 2012, just after he announced the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party, activist launched an agitation for water and electricity against the then government for inflated power bills.

Under the campaign, and his supporters clambered on an electricity pole to restore the power connection of a labourer, who claimed that he got a bill for Rs 15,000 and his connection was disconnected because he couldn't pay up.

Kejriwal, who first came into the limelight during the movement for a Lokpal bill, has often gone on a hunger strike in the past, notwithstanding his tenuous health.

And now, in May 2018, Kejriwal, who once famously said that he was an anarchist, has chosen to sit on 'dharna' at the lieutenant governor's office, to demand that Baijal give him and his ministers a hearing. This time, his Health Minister Satyender Jain has embarked on an indefinite hunger strike.

The AAP government's demands include a direction to IAS officers to end their "strike" and action against those who have struck work for "four months". It has also asked the L-G to approve the proposal for doorstep delivery of rations.

Sources said the chief minister, who is a diabetic, had to take insulin during the sit-in and get special food from home.

Their demands may or not be met but the unconventional situation has certainly made people sit up and take notice, transforming what would otherwise be a routine Delhi matter into an issue of interest.Therapeutic use of a popular gene editing technique may inadvertently increase the risk of cancer, according to a study.

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and the University of Helsinki in Finland say that more studies are required in order to guarantee the safety of these 'molecular scissors' for gene-editing therapies.

CRISPR-Cas9 technique is a molecular machine first discovered in bacteria that can be programmed to go to an exact place in the genome, where it cuts the DNA.

These precise 'molecular scissors' can be used to correct faulty pieces of DNA and are currently being used in clinical trials for cancer immunotherapy in the US and China.

"CRISPR-Cas9 is a powerful tool with staggering therapeutic potential," said Bernhard Schmierer, a researcher at Karolinska Institute.

"Like all medical treatments however, CRISPR-Cas9-based therapies might have side effects, which the patients and care-givers should be aware of," Schmierer said.

New trials are expected to be launched soon to treat inherited blood disorders such as sickle cell anaemia, researchers said.

The new study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, found that therapeutic application of the genome-editing tool may, in fact, increase the risk of cancer.

In one of the studies, scientists found that use of CRISPR-Cas9 in human cells in a laboratory setting can activate a protein known as p53, which acts as a cell's 'first aid kit' for DNA breaks.

Once active, p53 reduces the efficiency of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing. Thus, cells that do not have p53 or are unable to activate it show better gene editing.

However, lack of p53 is also known to contribute to making cells grow uncontrollably and become cancerous.

"By picking cells that have successfully repaired the damaged gene we intended to fix, we might inadvertently also pick cells without functional p53," said Emma Haapaniemi from Karolinska Institutet.

"If transplanted into a patient, as in gene therapy for inherited diseases, such cells could give rise to cancer, raising concerns for the safety of CRISPR-based gene therapies," Haapaniemi said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Nearly 80 Portuguese-era bridges in Goa are in a dilapidated condition and their repair work would be taken up immediately, a state minister said today.

The Goa government had last year begun an audit of all the Portuguese-era bridges in the coastal state.

The exercise was taken up after the bridge across Sanvordem river in South Goa district, had collapsed in May last year, killing two people.

"We have identified 80 bridges, most of them small culverts, which are in a dilapidated condition," Goa Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Sudin Dhavalikar told reporters here.

All the bridges identified so far were in North Goa district while the audit was yet to be taken up for such structures located in South Goa, he said.

"It will take one more year to complete the audit of all bridges in the state," Dhavalikar said.

The bridges found to be in a bad condition would either be reconstructed or repaired immediately depending on the requirement, he said.

"We are conducting an audit all the bridges that are more than 30 years old," the minister said.

The state government had last week begun the process of formulating a policy to conserve and protect the Portuguese-era structures in the state and to give a new lease of life to them.

State Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai had chaired a meeting of the conservation committee formed by his department to discuss the issue.

According to him, a comprehensive policy would be tabled during the next session of the Legislative Assembly.

Sardesai had said the policy will also decide on providing financial help to these structures.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)With wheat procurement touching an all time high of over 35 million tonne (MT) this year, the government is planning to hire extra storage to stock the grain before monsoon hits north and central India.

Food Corporation of India (FCI) is the government's nodal agency for procurement and distribution of wheat and rice.

FCI along with state agencies has bought record 35.19 MT of wheat in the 2018-19 marketing year (April-March) on the back of bumper crop. These agencies together have foodgrain storage capacity of around 80 MT.

"There is more stock. We will have to make arrangement to store wheat. We are looking at alternatives. We are thinking of hiring the storage space," a senior food ministry official told PTI.

Because of record procurement, some quantity of wheat is kept in cover and plinth (CAP) storage in states like Punjab and Haryana. This needs to be shifted to a safe place before rains approach.

As per the FCI data, total wheat procurement has exceeded the target of 32 MT set for this year in view of record output.

Procurement in Punjab has risen to 12.69 MT in the current marketing year from 11.70 MT in the previous year, while in Haryana it has increased to 8.7 MT from 7.43 MT.

Wheat purchase in Madhya Pradesh has increased to 7.28 MT from 6.72 MT in the year-ago period. Similarly, wheat procurement rose in Uttar Pradesh to 4.80 MT from 3.26 MT earlier.

In Rajasthan, wheat purchase was lower at 1.51 MT as against 1.62 MT a year ago.

While procurement process is completed in Punjab and Haryana, it is underway in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Although wheat marketing year runs from April-March, the bulk of procurement is done in first three months. FCI and state agencies undertake purchase at the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

As per the third projection, wheat output is estimated at record 98.61 MT in the 2017-18 crop year(July-June).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Are you provoked? Photo: Kevin Lim/The Strait Times/Handout/Getty Images

President Trumps historic summit with Kim Jong-un has already yielded one significant, verifiable concession  from the United States, to the North Korean regime.

We will be stopping the war games, Trump announced at a post-summit press conference, referring to the joint military exercises that the American and South Korean armed forces perform each year.

The president went on to suggest  both at the press conference, and in an interview with ABC News George Stephanopoulos  that he sees the suspension of those exercises as a favorable development for the United States in its own right.

You know, I wanted to stop the war games, I thought they were very provocative, Trump told Stephanopoulos. But I also think theyre very expensive. Were running the country properly; I think theyre very, very expensive. To do it, we have to fly planes in from Guam  thats six and a half hours away. Big bombers and everything else. I said, Whos paying for this? I mean, who pays, in order to practice.

Trumps concession initially caught Seoul off guard. In a statement to Bloomberg, the office of South Korean president Moon Jae-in said, At this point, we need to know President Trumps exact meaning or intentions. However we think that it is crucial to pursue various solutions for better dialogue.

Still, it is unlikely that Moon was troubled by Trumps gesture. Just weeks ago, Moon asked Trump to cancel one scheduled military exercise, so as not to disturb negotiations then proceeding between Seoul and Pyongyang.

Regardless, the presidents concession  and the language with which he conveyed it  ruffled some feathers in Washington.

Unfortunate @realDonaldTrump spoke of US-RoK exercises as provocative war games. Also troubling he spoke of removing US troops w/o reference to reducing NK conventional mil threat. And suggestions he did not inform RoK govt in advance, if true, would be latest blow to an ally.  Richard N. Haass (@RichardHaass) June 12, 2018

And, on one level, the foreign-policy Establishments grievances are understandable: Trumps suspension of the war games was not matched by any analogous gesture from Kim  or, at least, not a public one. Pyongyang did reaffirm its firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. But North Korea has long expressed that commitment, and in much the same spirit that American presidents used to tout their fond desire to see a world without nuclear weapons. The complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, in Kims view, would require the total and verifiable elimination of Americas capacity to strike his nation with a nuclear weapon. His statement did not indicate that he is willing to be the first to disarm.

But the outrage over Trumps use of the word provocative is less well-founded. Yes, that is the sort of language North Korea uses to describe the exercises. But if Mexico and China regularly staged simulated wars with the United States just off the coast of the the Atlantic, would anyone really hesitate to call such actions provocative? What if such exercises were being conducted less than 7o years after China had destroyed nearly all of Americas cities and towns  and killed approximately 1 million of its people  in a three-year bombing campaign?

Seperately, it is not clear just how significant Trumps concession actually was. According to Lucas Tomlinson of Fox News, the United States will continue to conduct joint military exercises with Japan, and nuclear-capable B-52 bombers will continue performing training flights in Guam.

Ultimately, whether the summit in Singapore was successful depends on what problem one wished it to solve. If you believe that the primary threat posed by North Koreas nuclear program was that America might instigate a mass-casualty war to combat it, then Trumps meeting with Kim was a diplomatic breakthrough: The president appears to have brokered a peace agreement with himself  in exchange for forgoing the thrill of war, Trump has given himself the opportunity to claim that his deal-making skills allowed him to succeed where his predecessors failed.

If the primary threat is the existence of the North Korea nuclear program, then were in the same place we were last week; except that the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam might now save a little bit of money on its jet fuel expenses.

Update: The confusion expressed by South Korea over what Trump meant, exactly, by stopping the war games was echoed in the United States. Colorado Senator Cory Gardner tweeted that Vice President Mike Pence had told him regular readiness training with South Korea would continue; Pences Press Secretary denied he had said any such thing. Gardner then clarified his comments, confirming that the U.S. and South Korea would indeed scuttle their biannual war games, but not cease all military cooperation.

.@VP went on to say while this readiness training and exchanges will occur, war games will not 2/2 https://t.co/cc6jwRw8zG  Cory Gardner (@SenCoryGardner) June 12, 2018

Its good to see that everyones on the same page.The new telecom policy is expected to be cleared by the Union Cabinet by the end of next month, Communications Minister Manoj Sinha said today.

"I am hopeful of getting Cabinet approval on NDCP (6x increase in public spending from Rs 9,000 crore in 2009-14 to Rs 60,000 crore in 2014-19 (actual +planned) by end of July," he said while talking about the achievement of the government in the last 4 years.

The government has recently issued the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) which aims to provide access to every household with download speed of 50 Mbps, attract investment of around Rs 6.5 lakh crore in the sector and create 4 million new job opportunities with a few years.

"When this government came to power, the sector was in turmoil. There was trust deficit among stakeholders which we have reestablished now," Sinha said.

On the Department of Posts (DoP), he said that it is waiting for approval of Reserve Bank of India to start 650 branches of India Post payments Bank which will be connected with all 1.5 lakh post office branches gradually and create India's largest banking network.

He said his ministry is working to create a separate insurance company under DoP.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)NAFED chairman Vaghjibhai Boda today indicated that two major incidents of fire that gutted groundnut worth Rs 31 crore since February in Gujarat could have been a conspiracy to hide corruption in procurement.

The Gujarat government has been denying any sabotage in the two incidents.

National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) chairman Vaghjibhai Boda said the state-government agencies, not NAFED, are directly involved in procuring groundnut from farmers.

His comments came in response to state Agricultural minister R C Faldu's remarks that groundnut was procured by the NAFED and that the state government had no role in procurement.

Groundnut worth Rs 3 crore, stored at a rented warehouse in Shapar industrial area near here, had gutted in fire last month.

In February, groundnut worth Rs 28 crore were gutted in fire at a godown in the Gondal taluka in Rajkot.

Boda said NAFED, a central nodal agency, was not directly involved in purchasing groundnut and has designated GUJCOT (Gujarat state co-operative cotton federation limited) to carry out procurement through its network in Gujarat.

Similarly, the warehouses for storage of procured groundnut were hired by another state agency - GSWC (Gujarat State Warehousing Co-operation), he told reporters here.

"We at NAFED has followed norms and guidelines. But, unfortunately, these local agencies (GUJCOT, GSWC) have not followed the Central agency's guidelines while hiring warehouses, resulting in fire destroying huge stock of groundnut," Boda added.

Responding to Faldu's remarks, Boda said the minister was misinformed.

"It is wrong to say that NAFED was responsible. His remarks are far from the truth. Either he was not given proper information about this issue or he has not studied the matter," he said.

The NAFED chief also indicated that warehouses might have been intentionally set on fire to hide the alleged corrupt practices in procuring groundnut.

"There is no doubt that some businessmen worked in connivance with those who worked at the groundnut procurement centres to siphon off good quality stock and then deposit sub-standard stock back at warehouse in gunny bags with NAFED logo" alleged Boda.

"I can not digest the claims (of police) that fire was caused due to some kind of accident. I firmly believe that such incidents happened out of malafide intentions of some people," he alleged.

Reacting to NAFED chairman's claims, Congress leaders reiterated their demand for an inquiry by a sitting judge of the high court or supreme court.

"It is now clear that warehouses were intentionally set on fire to hide large scale corruption in procuring groundnut. It was a conspiracy by the BJP government to save its people who were involved in this racket. NAFED chairman today gave approval to what we have been saying since day one," said Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly, Paresh Dhanani.

State unit Congress president Amit Chavda alleged that the BJP government played a key role in setting these warehouses on fire to hide corruption.

Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Nitin Patel said it might be possible that some people "may have tried to misuse the system".

"However, majority of the groundnut purchased from farmers is of good quality. Even NAFED have started the process of selling the groundnut in the market," Patel told reporters in Ahmedabad.

Following today's developments, Gujarat BJP president Jitu Vaghani said the state government is taking adequate steps in this regard.

"If needed, our government will take some more steps. We are in no mood to spare the guilty" Vaghani told reporters in Gandhinagar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today said that the state government would consider the demand put forth by Yoga guru Ramdev regarding constituting a Yoga aayog.

Ramdev today called on the chief minister here regarding International Yoga Day (IYD) and said that he would assist in the preparations on June 21, an official spokesperson said.

He appreciated the chief minister for promoting yoga and establishing vyayamshala in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Police today arrested a wanted criminal carrying a reward of Rs 25,000 on his head from near a bridge on outer bypass of Jhajjar road in this district and seized a country-made pistol from him.

Rakesh Mokharia, a former national level wrestler, was declared "most wanted" by Rohtak Police in the 2017 Balbir murder case, the police said.

Acting on a tip-off that Mokharia, carrying an illegal weapon, was roaming near the bridge with an intention to commit a criminal offence, a police team rushed to the spot and arrested him, they said.

A case was registered against the accused at Shivaji Colony Police Station, the police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Madras High Court today ordered a fresh preliminary inquiry by the DVAC into a complaint that Tamil Nadu minister K T Rajendra Balaji had amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.

A bench of justices M Sathyanarayanan and R Hemalatha observed that the preliminary inquiry already carried out by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) was not properly conducted and directed the agency to launch the probe afresh by taking the check period from 1996 to 2018, February.

"This court, on a thorough perusal, appraisal and consideration of the materials placed before it, is of the considered view that the preliminary inquiry has not at all been done properly and therefore, it is to be done once again by fixing the check period from 1996 onwards," it said.

The bench, which went through the report of the earlier preliminary inquiry filed by the DVAC, observed that the order was being passed in public interest and also in the interest of purity of administration.

The order was passed on a petition filed by one Mahendran, seeking a direction to the DVAC to conduct a detailed inquiry on the basis of a complaint against the dairy development minister.

Noting that Rajendra Balaji was currently a minister, the court ordered that the fresh inquiry be conducted by an IPS officer of the rank of superintendent of police, to be nominated by the DVAC director.

It ordered the DVAC director to submit periodical status reports before the court on the progress made during the preliminary inquiry. The first report should be filed in a sealed cover on August 3, it added.

The court noted that though Rajendra Balaji was the vice-chairman of Thiruthangal Municipality in 1996, the DVAC had restricted its inquiry to the check period between 2011 and 2013, when he was a minister in the previous AIADMK government.

The preliminary inquiry ought to have been conducted from 1996 as the local body position he held was also a public office, it said.

The petitioner claimed that Rajendra Balaji, in his election affidavit filed with his nomination papers for the 2011 Assembly polls, had declared that he was not an income-tax assessee and that he did not have a PAN card.

But now, he had purchased properties worth crores of rupees at various places in the state, he alleged.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Madras high court today observed that the government alone could not be faulted for students, who failed to clear exams like the NEET, committing suicide.

The other stake-holders, particularly the parents, who put enormous pressure on the children to score high marks in exams, were also to be blamed, it said.

In its oral observations, the court also asked the politicians not to glorify or give political colour to cases of suicide by those who failed to clear the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

Justice N Kirubakaran made the observations on a contempt plea filed by lawyer A P Suryaprakasam, seeking to punish the authorities concerned for their "wilful disobedience" of the August 24, 2017 order of the court, directing the state to take immediate steps, including providing counselling to students, to prevent such incidents.

Wondering as to what had happened to the appeal of the court to politicians and film actors who were asked to involve themselves to advise and ask the children not to take the extreme step, the judge said it was not going to treat the present petition as a contempt plea.

He directed the government to file its response within two weeks.

The petitioner has submitted that in spite of specific directions to the government to give counselling to those children and parents, who have been frustrated owing to the "unreasonable deprivation" of medical education to the poor and rural students by the introduction of the NEET, the authorities had failed to follow the directions.

The failure to implement the court's directions had resulted in two more deaths of students, who failed to clear the NEET this year, he has submitted.

Two teenage girls of Tiruchirappali and Thiruvannamalai districts committed suicide recently as they were upset over their failure to clear the NEET.

Opposing the plea, Additional Advocate General Manishankar submitted that the government could not be blamed for such incidents.

The two suicides were unfortunate, but the government had already initiated several steps to help the students clear the NEET, he said.

It had only been a year since such initiatives were implemented and it would take some time for the results to show, he added.

The petitioner had approached the court even without trying to know what the government had done so far, he said, contending that the contempt plea was totally unwarranted and not maintainable.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The popular hill station of Nainital



has shut its doors to tourists arriving in vehicles, with authorities putting up houseful banners at various points on the outskirts of the resort town.

The move comes after the Uttarakhand High Court reprimanded authorities for poor traffic management in the town.

Instead of welcome boards, tourists coming to the hill townare now greeted by "Nainital Houseful" banners in Hindi at allapproach roads to the tourist hotspot including Bhimtal Crossing,Kathgodham Police Chowki Crossing andNariman Crossing.

The banners were put up at these points yesterday as authorities were having a tough time managing traffic,Nainital traffic police in-chargeMahesh Chandra said.

He saidthere are 12 parking lots in Nainital which can accommodate nearly 2000 four-wheelers together but the town has been witnessing arrival of 3,000 to 4,000 tourist vehicles per day.

"Traffic scene literally goes out of gear when 'weekend tourists' from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh pour in," he said.

"In a situation like this we had no choice but to urge tourists to leave their vehicles beyond the limits of the town," he said.

Tourist vehicles are being stopped temporarily in city's outskirts like Kaladunghi, Narayan Nagar, Roosi Bypass and so on.

"This is only meant to ease up congestion. Nainital. Traffic personnel are coordinating with each other to ensure the situation doesn't become chaotic, Chandra said.

The Uttarakhand High Court had yesterday asked the Nainital district administration to explain within a week why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against it for failing to implement its orders meant to improve traffic management in the tourist town.

A division bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Lokpal Singh issued the notice while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Nainital-based activist Ajay Singh Rawat in 2012.

In April this year, the high court had asked the state government to ensure that those coming to Nainital in their own vehicles should make advance arrangements for parking vehicles.

Drivers in Nainital feel construction of bigparking spaces in and around the tourist town is the only way out.

They also said there should be a ban on movement of tourist vehicles within Nainital for local sightseeing.

They can go to tourist spots outside Nainital in their vehicles, but not in the city because this adds to congestion, they said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hungary's stridently anti-immigration Prime Minister Viktor Orban welcomed today the new populist Italian government's refusal to allow an aid ship with 629 rescued migrants on board to dock in its ports, saying he hoped it would bring about a change in the EU's migration policy.

"Finally! I let out a huge sigh of relief!" Orban said at a meeting with his Slovak counterpart Peter Pellegrini.

"I was tired of hearing for years on end that the maritime borders can't be protected! I am now convinced that what was lacking wasn't the capacity, but the will," he continued. "We assure the Italian government of our complete support," he said, adding that he hoped Italy's stance "can bring a change to Europe's migration policy".

Anti-migrant messaging played a large part in the campaign which saw Orban win a landslide victory in elections earlier this year.

A total of 629 migrants -- including pregnant women and scores of children -- are currently crammed on to the Aquarius ship after being rescued off the Libyan coast on Saturday and Sunday.

The Spanish government has stepped in to offer the boat safe harbour but it could be another three to four days before it is able to land, according to the charity that runs the ship.

Slovak PM Pellegrini similarly backed the Italian government's action, saying: "We have to stop the policy which consists of saving everyone who throws themselves in the water: the coastguard or the police saves them and all of a sudden they've got onto EU territory."



Slovakia is soon to take over the rotating presidency of the Visegrad Group of four Central European countries and explained that Hungary's anti-immigration stance "is the position of the other Visegrad countries and of 90 percent of the populations of our countries and for this reason our point of view will not change".

While holding out the possibility that Visegrad countries could contribute towards more border protection or helping migrants in their country of origin, Pelligrini repeated their rejection of any migrant quota system, saying: "We refuse to let migrants enter our country".

This may in future set up a clash with the new Italian government's desire to overhaul the EU's Dublin regulations, which mean asylum seekers must submit their applications in their country of arrival.

Italy wants to replace this with an automatic system of compulsory distribution of asylum seekers throughout the EU.

Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), the junior partner in the ruling coalition, also congratulated the new Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of the xenophobic Lega Nord.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog welcomed today the statement issued by US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the end of their summit in Singapore.

"I welcome today's Joint Statement of President Trump of the United States and Chairman Kim of the DPRK at the Singapore Summit which includes the DPRK's commitment towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in a statement.

"The IAEA stands ready to undertake any verification activities in the DPRK that it may be requested to conduct by the countries concerned," the statement adds.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog said today it stood ready to help verify any future agreements between the US and North Korea over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme.

In a statement, Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, welcomed the statement issued by US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the end of their summit in Singapore, "which includes the DPRK's commitment towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula".

"The IAEA will closely follow the negotiations to be held between the two countries to implement the outcomes of the US-DPRK Summit," the statement added.

"The IAEA stands ready to undertake any verification activities in the DPRK that it may be requested to conduct by the countries concerned." Last week Amano said the IAEA would be ready to restart inspection work in North Korea "at short notice, within weeks, not months" if a political agreement were reached, adding that the agency would be able to mobilise "many" staff if needed.

In 2009 Pyongyang expelled IAEA inspectors from its Yongbyon nuclear site and has since refused to allow IAEA inspections on its territory.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Screengrab from the classic, screwball comedy Trump Goes to Singapore (2018, USA). Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images

In its darker moments, the Trump presidency resembles a heavy-handed, Bush-era satire of how fascism would come to America. In lighter moments, however, it looks and sounds more like a comedy of errors.

Donald Trumps performance at his summit with Kim Jong-un in Singapore fell into the latter category. In the context of a diplomatic spectacle  that appears to have reduced the probability of imminent nuclear war  it was almost possible to take pleasure in the farce that American politics has become. At various points Monday night, it was hard not to suspect that the unfolding events had been dreamed up in a (baked-out) Hollywood writers room:

What if a seedy, celebrity real-estate developer was mistaken for the president of the United States? And, like, he has to fake his way through a historic diplomatic summit? And hes not even willing to prepare. Could we work in a random, C-list cameo? Maybe Dennis Rodman is there to, uh  promote a cryptocurrency specifically designed for buying weed? BluntBucks. CanniBitCoin. PotCoin!

Anyhow, here are the five funniest things that our punch line of a president said in Singapore.

Its worth thinking about Americas nuclear stand-off with a totalitarian dictatorship from a real-estate perspective.

They have great beaches, the president said of North Korea at a post-summit press conference. You see that whenever theyre exploding their cannons into the ocean. I said, Boy, look at that view. Wouldnt that make a great condo? You could have the best hotels in the world right there. Think of it from a real-estate perspective.

President Trump says North Korean beaches could make a great location for condos, they could also have great hotels pic.twitter.com/cZhhhTV72x  CNBC (@CNBC) June 12, 2018

It is possible that the deal I just made was a mistake. If that proves to be the case, I will lie and pretend that it wasnt.

I think hes going to do these things, Trump said. I may be wrong  I dont know that Ill ever admit that, but Ill find some kind of an excuse.

You can tell that the North Korean people love Kim Jong-un by how enthusiastically they demonstrate their support for him in state-mandated rituals.

His country does love him, Trump told ABC News George Stephanopoulos. His people, you see the fervor. They have a great fervor. Theyre gonna put it together, and I think theyre going to end up with a very strong country, and a country which has people  that theyre so hard working, so industrious.

You can tell that Kim Jong-un is talented because he consolidated power by having many members of his family murdered when he was only a young man.

He is very talented. Anybody that takes over a situation like he did at 26 years of age, and is able to run it and run it tough, I dont say it was nice or I dont say anything about it, he ran it  very few people at that age, you can take one out of 10,000 probably couldnt do it.

Some of the biggest winners of this summit (at which the United States signaled it would give North Korea economic relief in exchange for denuclearization, regardless of its human-rights practices) were the tens of thousands of North Koreans imprisoned in labor camps.

Asked about those trapped in Kims network of gulags, Trump replied, At a certain point I believe he is going to do things about it. I think they are one of the great winners today. That large group of people that you are talking about. I think they will be one of the great winners as a group.BSP supremo Mayawati today accused the Narendra Modi government of "insulting" the judiciary as she slammed the central dispensation's "tendency to demean" one of the important pillars of democracy.

"The malicious behaviour of the executive with the judiciary is not right. And it is an indication of the Centre's opinionated and arbitrary character," she said in a statement.

"It is unfortunate as it is the judiciary alone which is a ray of hope for the people of the country and the opposition, as BJP governments at the Centre and states are working against the pious intention of the Constitution," she said.

The BSP chief's response came after Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad stated yesterday that the executive was not committing a "cardinal sin" by seeking reconsideration of some proposals made by the Supreme Court collegium on the appointment of judges.

Referring to allegations that the Centre was stalling appointments to the Supreme Court and the 24 high courts, Prasad said neither the law minister nor the law ministry was a "post office" which would only process recommendations of the collegium on the appointment of judges.

Mayawati said if the BJP ministers were unable to respect the judiciary, they should at least refrain from insulting it.

"If the Union Law Ministry is not a post office, it has no right to become a police station, as the same has not been guaranteed by the Constitution.

"This should be modestly accepted by the government of Narendra Modi, and an improvement in behaviour brought



vis-a-vis insulting the judiciary. This will be in the interest of the nation," she said.

The Modi government had came under attack when it returned to the collegium its recommendation to elevate Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice K M Joseph to the Supreme Court, citing seniority and regional imbalance.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has launched a nationwide movement to eradicate the social taboo associated with sexual health.

Dr Ravi Wankhedkar, the IMA national president, stressed the importance of the initiative and said that sex still being a taboo, doctors across India needed to break all the barriers and clinical inertias.

This is the first-of-its-kind initiative launched by the IMA for over three-and-a-half lakh doctors to motivate them to dispel the taboo associated with this subject.

must be imparted at school to dispel the taboo associated with this subject. Increasing awareness among schools and colleges by various means will also be a part of this agenda.

The plan of action of this initiative is to hold pan-India educational programmes and also adopt schools and colleges to educate one and all -- students, teachers and parents -- by holding lectures, seminars, symposia, conferences and dialogues.

Plans are also afoot to hold fellowship course and national conferences.

"IMA also proposed a plan of action to increase the awareness amongst the medical fraternity to change their mindset and attitude towards the taboo subject of sexual health, Wankhedkar said.

As a pilot project, a 12-month fellowship programme in clinical sexology has also been started for doctors who are MD and above and proposes to start similar courses for MBBS doctors with at least 5 years of experience.

An e-bulletin has also been planned to be released that will contain all the necessary information about the various events related to sexual health all over the country and abroad, carrying the basics of sexual history taking and counselling tips.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)At least 27 doppler radars would be soon commissioned across the country covering coastlines and major cities which would provide severe weather warning to stake-holders as much as six hours in advance, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said in Panaji today.

"Providing information in advance about thunderstorms like the one recently reported in Bihar and Bengal helps in reducing the damage and loss of lives," IMD Director General K J Ramesh told reporters.

He said the thunderstorm reported on May 2 caused casualties. "However, the agencies put their acts together and when the thunderstorm hit again on May 7 in parts of Bihar and Bengal its impact could be reduced," Ramesh said.

The DG said doppler radar is an important system as far as round-the-clock weather surveillance is concerned.

"Very soon, 27 doppler radars would become functional across the country. They will cover important coastlines and some of the important cities including Nagpur, Bhopal, Hyderabad and others," he added.

Ramesh said the Indian Air Force is also trying to activate the radars in places like Udhampur in Punjab, Jodhpur in Rajasthan and in Coimbatore.

"Soon we will have very good coverage of doppler radars combined with satellites to provide accurate weather information," the DG added.

With the network of such radars, the IMD can monitor severe weather development in any part of the country and can alert the disaster management agencies.

"The information would be advanced as much as four to six hours. Such advanced warning can help the areas that are likely to be affected with severe weather. The information can be sent across the country alerting all the agencies which are dealing with the disaster management.

"The warnings can be given about severe weather phenomenon like a thunderstorm or heavy rainfall," he said.

Ramesh said the messages alerting about severe weather would be sentalmost four to six hours in advance to disaster management authorities so that they can respond to the situation well-prepared.

"The messages would also be relayed to various other stake-holders," he added.

The DG recalled that during the last month the frequency of thunderstorm in North India was noticed specially in the first fortnight.

"The activity was witnessed in Bengal and Bihar because of which a lot of damage was caused. So using that opportunity of thunderstorm of May 2, the agencies put up their acts together by the time a second thunderstorm was witnessed on May 7," he stated.

"The disaster management authority had alerted all the agencies working together closely and disseminated the information and alerted the people to take safety precautions so that damage can be minimised," Ramesh recalled.

From May 2 to May 7 we could improve upon ourselves and reposition ourself and work closely with the disaster management authorities, he said.

"In near future, things will improve for better and more information and more areas will come under the radar range. North West Himalayas would also be covered with the augmentation of radar.

"Similarly, wherever there are gaps, radars would be commissioned in next two to three years," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India today welcomed the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, calling it a positive development.

In its reaction, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) at the same time hoped that any resolution to the North Korean "peninsula issue" will address New Delhi's concerns about Pyongyang's proliferation linkages with India's neighbourhood, seen as an apparent reference to Pakistan.

India has been pressing for a probe into North Korea's proliferation linkages with India's neighbourhood.

"India welcomes the United States-DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) Summit held in Singapore. This is a positive development. India has always supported all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy," the MEA said in a statement.

Trump and Kim signed a "very comprehensive" document after their summit in Singapore.

After the talks, the US president said that the process of denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula will begin "very soon" and the North Korean leader promised to leave the past behind.

"We hope that the outcomes of the US-DPRK Summit will be implemented, thus paving the way for lasting peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula," the MEA said.

It further said, "We also hope that the resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue will take into account and address our concerns about proliferation linkages extending to India's neighbourhood."



Trump and Kim had a one-on-one meeting followed by an expanded meeting including their top aides and a working lunch at Capella Singapore hotel in Sentosa Island after months of diplomatic twists and turns.

"We're signing a very comprehensive document, and we've had a really great time together, a great relationship," Trump said while signing the document along with Kim at the end of the summit - the first between a sitting US president and North Korea's top leader.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India today welcomed the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a "positive development" and hoped that any resolution on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula will address its concerns over Pyongyang's nuclear proliferation linkages.

Soon after Trump and Kim signed a "comprehensive" document promising to end seven decades of hostilities between the two countries, the External Affairs Ministry said India supports all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy.

"We also hope that the resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue will take into account and address our concerns about proliferation linkages extending to India's neighbourhood," it said in a statement, in an apparent reference to North Korea's alleged nuclear proliferation linkages with Pakistan.

India has been pressing for a probe into Kim regime's proliferation linkages so that those responsible for it be held accountable.

Following their summit in Singapore, Trump and Kim pledged to denuclearise the Korean peninsula and work for finding a peaceful resolution to seven decades of hostilities between the two countries.

"India welcomes the US - DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) Summit held in Singapore. This is a positive development. India has always supported all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy," the External Affairs Ministry said.

After the talks, the US president said that the process of denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula will begin "very soon" and the North Korean leader promised to leave the past behind.

"We hope that the outcomes of the US-DPRK Summit will be implemented, thus paving the way for lasting peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula," the ministry said.

Trump said, "We signed a joint statement that is an unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of North Korea."



According to some media reports, Pakistan had secretly supplied North Korea with nuclear enrichment technology when A Q Khan headed the country's nuclear programme.

They said Pakistan supplied vital machinery, drawings and technical advice to North Korea, allowing Pyongyang to enrich uranium as early as 2002.

In April, Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in had held a historic summit to bring lasting peace in the Korean Peninsula.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Budget carrier IndiGo is launching a direct flight from Kolkata to Dhaka in August and bringing Jorhat in Assam under its network.

The airline, in a statement, also announced a new service between Bengaluru and Raipur and increasing the frequency of flights to other destinations, putting the total number of new flights to 16.

From August 1, the airline will kick off a new daily service between Kolkata and Dhaka, departing at 4.40 pm and arriving there at 6.10 pm (local time). In the return direction, the flight will depart from Dhaka at 7.10 pm (local time) and arrive Kolkata at 8 pm, the statement said.

The new flight between Kolkata and Jorhat will leave at 9.55 am and arrive there at 11.35 PM. The return flight will leave at 1 pm from Jorhat and arrive in Kolkata at 2.45 pm. The flight is being introduced under the regional connectivity scheme.

IndiGo will connect Bengaluru with Raipur on every Tuesday. The flight will leave Bengaluru at 5 am and arrive at the Chhattisgarh capital at 6.50 am. In the return direction, the flight will leave Raipur at 7.20 am and arrive Bengaluru at 9.10 am, the airline said in the statement.

From August, the airline will operate a fourth flight between Bengaluru to Vizag and Jaipur and a fourth flight between Kolkata and Patna.

IndiGo, which has a fleet of 153 Airbus A320 and six ATR aircraft as of March 31, offered 1,086 peak daily flights during the first quarter and connected 42 domestic and eight international destinations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Baroness Williams, the UK's Minister of State for Countering Extremism, today said the world faced unprecedent threat from extremists and that the Internet was enabling them to spread their ideologies and gave them access into every family.

Britain will "act decisively" to disrupt extremist activity where its legal thresholds are broken and where individuals cross the line by inciting hatred or violence, she said.

She, however, noted that the UK did not consider extremism and terrorism as the same thing.

"Of course, extremists use narratives to tragically radicalise young Britons to join terrorist groups like Daesh (ISIS). But radicalisation into terrorism is not the only harm of extremism," she said.

Williams was delivering an address at an Observer Research Foundation (ORF) conference on "Tackling Insurgent Ideologies".

She said extremists also use their "twisted narratives" to justify hatred and division, spread intolerance, isolate communities and erode the rights of women and minorities.

"The threat we face from extremists is unprecedented. The Internet is enabling them to spread their ideologies at a pace and scale never seen before. It also gives them access into every family home," she said.

While defining extremism, she termed it as the vocal and active opposition to the UK's fundamental values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.

Noting that countering extremism was complex, she said it was necessary to balance the rights of individuals to practice a faith, or their right to have free speech.

Citing the instance of Scottish nationalism, she said that "law abiding campaigning and nationalism is acceptable in our democracy".

A referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom that was carried out in 2014, saw an over-whelming majority rejecting it.

Elaborating on the UK's counter-extremism strategy, she said her country's approach is based on four pillars, which includes vigorously countering extremist ideology, actively supporting mainstream voices, disrupting the most harmful extremists and building more cohesive communities.

"Let me be clear, this is not about limiting free speech or about enforcing British values overseas. This strategy is about ensuring that individuals' freedoms, such as the right of women, or minorities, to take a full part in society, are protected," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Internet and messaging services were today restored in Garo Hills, where an alleged social media post against the indigenous people of the region sparked a row here four days ago, a district official said.

Local people, along with NGOs volunteers, had stormed the office of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) last Friday, demanding the removal of its forest advisory committee chairman Sofiur Rehman, after an anti-Garo post, allegedly from his Facebook account, went viral on social media.

An elected member of District Council of Balachanda from the BJP, Rehman has dismissed the allegations, saying his social media account has been "hacked".

In the past too, the NGOs had objected to Rehman's appointment to the council as he was not a native of the region.

The shutdown of messaging services did not "go down well" with local people, who felt the matter had been escalated beyond "reasonable understanding", the district official added.

Meghalaya had been experiencing tense situations in its various pockets over the past two weeks.

In Shillong, violent clashes between Khasis and Sikhs in Punjabi Lane area had prompted the administration to impose curfew on the city.

A top official said yesterday that curfew would remain in force in the state capital for the next few days, in line with the directions of the state government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Iran's intelligence ministry has said it had arrested 27 members of a "terrorist network" suspected of planning attacks last week to coincide with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The group plotted to "carry out terrorist operations in Tehran and some other important cities," the ministry said yesterday in a statement on its website.

"They published pictures in cyberspace threatening the honourable nation of Iran with revenge and murder."



It said the attacks were due to take place last week during the Qadr festival and on Jerusalem Day, held each year in solidarity with the Palestinians.

A large number of weapons and ammunition were confiscated, the ministry added.

Iran is a key target for Sunni jihadists, who see its Shiite majority as apostates. Iran has also directly fought the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda in Iraq and Syria.

Its Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday they had fought off three attempts by "terrorist groups" to infiltrate from neighbouring Iraq in recent days, leaving several dead.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Canadian patriotism on display during 2017s 150th anniversary celebrations are being revived and intensified by Donald J. Trump. Photo: Mark Horton/Getty Images

As any American who has spent time in Canada knows, our Neighbors to the North are for the most part very nice and civil people, sort of like a nation of Iowans. But beneath the surface, there is a perpetual simmering resentment of cultural, economic, and political domination by the Colossus to the South, the not-so-civil United States. The U.S. is often perceived in times of cross-border tension as an arrogant and ignorant bully. So when the U.S. is actually led by a proudly arrogant and ignorant bully who is treating Canada contemptuously, the reaction from Prince Edward Island to the Yukon is going to be intense.

Even before Trump blew up the G7 summit Canada hosted and tweeted nastygrams at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his decision to impose tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum products caused an immediate backlash, as this June 7 summary of public opinion reported:

The decision by US President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum has caught public attention in Canada in a way that few trade issues ever have  and Canadians are mad. 58% strongly oppose Mr. Trumps action against Canada and another 21% oppose the US tariffs. Whats more, Mr. Trump has managed to unite Canadians to an extent that few issues do: opposition to the US tariffs is roughly 80% in every part of the country. Conservative voters are 82% against Mr. Trump on this issue, NDP voters 80% and Liberals 87%.

Reaction to the counter-measures announced by the Canadian government has garnered a lot of support across the country. 41% strongly support the steps taken by the Prime Minister and another 30% support those actions. Only 19% are opposed.

Support for the retaliatory measures is 69% in Alberta and higher everywhere else. Among Conservative voters, 65% support the retaliation and 27% oppose it. Among NDP and Liberal voters support is 79% and 84%.

But Trumps very Trumpian post-G7 attack on Trudeau as dishonest and weak, compounded by even wilder media attacks on the prime minister from Trump aides, absolutely enraged Canadians, who defended Trudeau even as he (shrewdly) kept a low profile, as Reuters reports:

Canadas House of Commons on Monday unanimously condemned the personal attacks on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by U.S. President Donald Trump and his surrogates as the famously polite nation simmered over the weekend broadsides by its U.S. ally.

The prime ministers silence on Monday came in sharp contrast to a roar of disapproval among Canadian politicians, who banded together across party lines to denounce Trumps attack and praise the bilateral and trading relationship between the two neighbors.

While the agreement of legislators who are normally opposed on most fronts was remarkable, the anger also spread to pundits, officials, celebrities and ordinary citizens as Canadians vowed consumer boycotts of American goods and brainstormed insults of Trump on social media.

Indeed, theres even a sense that Trump has carelessly triggered a watershed moment in Canadian political history, as National Post columnist John Ivison suggested:

Something strange and wonderful has been sparked by @realDonaldTrump's dishonourable comments about this country. I think it might be a Canadian identity.  John Ivison (@IvisonJ) June 10, 2018

More immediately, Trump has done a lot to strengthen the weak Justin Trudeau. As another columnist, the Globe and Mails Margaret Wente, explained, the whole country is for the moment in his corner:

Not everyone in Canada is a fan of Justin Trudeau. But hes our guy. And when the biggest bully on the block tries to push our guy around, we know whose side were on. Even people who normally revile everything that Mr. Trudeau stands for have rallied to his side.

Canadas Conservatives continue to support the Prime Ministers efforts to make the case for free trade, tweeted Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer.

We will stand shoulder to shoulder with the Prime Minister and the people of Canada, tweeted Doug Ford, the liberal-loathing premier-designate of Ontario.

Its unclear how long this solidarity will last. Canadas next regularly scheduled national election is in October of 2019 (it could, under their system, be called earlier). Trudeaus Liberals won a majority of seats in the House of Commons in 2015, but have been more or less running neck and neck with the Conservatives in recent polling. The perceived need to display a united front against the U.S. in the apparently. oncoming trade war will obviously help Trudeau, while its near-unanimity may limit the partisan advantage he derives from it. Ultimately Canadians understand their economic destiny is tied to the U.S. in ways that make their country the likely loser in any protracted conflict. But lets just say that if Trumps party receives a spanking in the 2018 midterms, some of the loudest cheers will come from north, as well as south, of the border.Union minister Nitin Gadkari said here today said that certain issues, including hurdles being faced in land acquisition, were affecting the schedule of road projects.

He said timely completion of a project was important for its cost-effectiveness.

"There are some problems in maintaining the time schedule. We need cooperation of the state government to tackle them. Land acquisition for these projects is a big task," he said.

Gadkari was in Goa to chair the two-day long meeting, which ended today, to review the ongoing projects undertaken across the country by the Ministry of Road Transport and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

"We are taking a review of 1,200 projects of over 27,000 kms of length and costing more than Rs 7-8 lakh crore," the Minister for Roads, Highways and Shipping said.

According to him, the ministry was trying to see how to maintain the schedule of every project.

"The ministry expects cooperation from all stakeholders to complete land acquisition in time. Timely completion of any project is important for the cost effectiveness," the minister said.

Gadkari said that at some places, there are also delays due to the environment clearances.

"Some of the problems in completing the projects are because of the state governments and some because of central government's different departments. We are trying to make it as early as possible," he said.

Talking about the projects in Goa, Gadkari said a retired official has been made in-charge of land acquisition.

"We have to strengthen his hands. I suggest that we take some retired people, whose salaries would be taken care of by the NHAI, to speed up the land acquisition process," he said.

Gadkari denied that the absence of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar led to delays in the implementation of infrastructure projects in the state.

"Our (Goa) ministers are very competent. They are giving good cooperation," he said.

He said the Goa government has completed all the formalities required to start the projects.

"In the absence of Parrikar, all the people are behaving very responsibly and they are cooperating with us. We don't have any problem," he added.

Gadkari said the work on third bridge on Mandovi river near Panaji has been going on at a fast pace.

"This would be the third longest cable-stayed bridge in the country. The first one being Worli Bandra Sea Link project in Mumbai," he said.

"Another bridge over Zuari river on Panaji-Margao highway will be the world's iconic project," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Two policemen guarding the court complex in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district were killed today in a militant attack.

The militants opened fire at the police picket guarding the district court complex in Pulwama town in the early hours, a police spokesman said.

He said the cops retaliated the firing. In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, two cops were killed.

Following the incident, the area has been cordoned off and further details are awaited.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A court here, hearing the Kathua gang rape-and-murder case, today issued directions for bone ossification test of one of the accused to determine his age after the defence counsel moved an application last week for treating him as a minor citing his matriculation certificate, lawyers said.

District and Sessions judge Tajwinder Singh issued the directions after hearing the arguments and counter-arguments over the issue of the age of Parvesh Kumar alias Mannu, one of the eight accused in the brutal rape-and-murder case of an eight-year-old nomadic girl in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir in January, the lawyers said.

The Government Medical College hospital in Jammu would constitute a board to conduct bone ossification test of the accused to determine his age at the request of Senior Superintendent of Police, Crime Branch, R K Jalla, special public prosecutor J K Chopra said.

The court directed Jalla to supervise the medical examination and submit the report on July 2, a day after the court reopens after a 16-day summer break.

While seven of the accused including Kumar are facing trial in the court here on the directions of the Supreme Court, the eighth accused in the case is facing trial in a juvenile court in Kathua district.

His fate was yet to be decided after the crime branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Police contested his claim that he was a minor.

Kumar's lawyers moved an application in the court last week pleading before it that he be treated as a juvenile and produced his matriculation certificate which showed his date of birth as February 22, 2000 in support of the demand.

However, the prosecution objected to it and moved a supplementary application to seek a medical opinion after arguing that the accused was a major for all purposes and requested the court to take into consideration Supreme Court judgments in serious offences of this nature, the special public prosecutor told PTI.

He said there was only a difference of one month and a few days in his becoming a major and the date of the occurrence of the crime January 10.

Kumar's lawyer Ankur Sharma argued that matriculation certificate was sufficient to prove the age of the accused. He said they had already submitted the matriculation certificate, state subject certificate and the verification report from the school authorities concerned.

The trial in the case began on May 31 with the seven accused being produced before the district and sessions judge after the Supreme Court transferred the case from Jammu and Kashmir to Pathankot in Punjab for a fair trial following a plea by the victim's family.

While transferring the case from Kathua to Pathankot, about 30 km away, the apex court directed day-to-day in-camera trial in the case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In a major breakthrough, a Bengaluru-based key CPI (Maoist) operative, who was allegedly acting as a spokesperson of the outlawed outfit and engaged in propaganda through social media, has been arrested by the Chhattisgarh Police, an official said today.

The Maoist operative, Abhay Devdas Nayak alias Lodda (34), was rounded up from the Delhi airport on June 1 and was later arrested, the official said.

He had links with senior Maoist leaders active in the country and abroad, and also with some Maoist sympathisers, including those recently arrested by the Pune Police in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence, the police official said.

"Abhay, who was under the scanner of the Bastar police and the State Intelligence Branch (SIB) for the last one-and-a-half years, was rounded up from Delhi airport on June 1," Inspector General (IG) of Police (Bastar range) Vivekananda Sinha told PTI.

He was brought to Bastar district headquarter Jagdalpur on the same day. He will be in police custody till tomorrow and will be presented in court, the IG said.

"During a search of his residence in Bengaluru, police have seized laptops, pen drives, a hard disk, Maoist literature and several diaries which confirmed that Abhay was associated with some Maoist leaders and sympathisers overseas as well as in India," he said.

"He was in touch via e-mails with alleged over ground Maoist cadres such as JNU alumnus Rona Wilson and retired Nagpur University professor Soma Sen, who were recently arrested by the Pune Police in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence that took place in January.

"He was also in touch with former Delhi University Professor G N Saibaba and Maoist leaders like Gudsa Usendi, Vikalp (Dandakarnya Special Zonal Committee), Sashi Patnaik from Odisha and others," Sinha said.

The official said Abhay's name first surfaced as a Maoist spokesperson early last year after an IED was recovered in the Darbha region of Bastar along with some Maoist literature and pamphlets.

The recovered Maoist pamphlets were issued by Abhay along with another Maoist spokesperson Vikalp, following which police had launched a search for him, he said.

"Abhay, who is tech-savvy, was active on social media while keeping his identity confidential. He had been allegedly propagating the Maoist ideology through his writings, press releases and articles on the social media platforms," he said.

"He had been using social media platforms to attract the youth towards the outlawed outfit though his anti-national, anti-government and anti-police posts," Sinha claimed.

The SIB and Bastar police had been jointly keeping an eye on him for the last one-and-a-half years, during which it found that he had visited at least 15 foreign countries, such as Belgium, United Kingdom, France and Russia in February and May in 2017



He had also travelled to socially and financially backward countries, which are part of the Co-ordination Committee of Maoists Party and Organizations of South Asia (CCOMPOSA), he said.

"On the request of the Bastar police, a look-out notice had been issued against Abhay in May 2017 and when he returned to India on June 1 after spending about a year abroad, he was held in Delhi," the IG said.

His interrogation revealed that during his studies, he was influenced by literature of Karnataka state committee secretary of CPI(M) Saket Rajan and his activities following which he had gone through Maoist literature thoroughly.

"During the same period, he came in contact with Maoist sympathisers and over-ground Maoist cadres," he said.

In view of the technical expertise of Abhay and his ideological knowledge and the ability to spread the ideology through social media, he was assigned the responsibility of propaganda bureau of Maoists, the IG said.

"He was earlier issuing press releases in the name of spokesperson 'Aazad' and later 'Abhay'. His signature is being examined," he said.

Abhay had also visited Bastar twice and the possibility cannot be ruled out that he had met senior Maoist leaders active in the region, he said.

The detailed investigation revealed that Abhay had commenced a micro-finance company in 2008 and started a blog named 'India Micro Finance.com' to cover up his nefarious activities, he said.

Abhay was also made the member of CCOMPOSA after his propaganda turned successful and yielded results. He had allegedly created a virtual group for maintaining coordination between Maoist organisations active in South Asia and propagating Maoist ideology, the official said.

"He was allegedly getting funds for these activities and huge transactions were reported from his bank accounts, which are now under the scanner," the IG said.

Investigations and documents recovered so far reveal that Abhay had been instrumental in promoting Maoist ideology and spreading anti-country and anti-government contents in social media, he said.

"During the interrogation, he has disclosed crucial information about over-ground Maoist operatives, which will facilitate the arrest of cadres functioning in urban areas," the IG said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)North Korean leader Kim Jong-un today pledged to work toward the "complete denuclearisation" in return for security guarantees from the US as Donald Trump wrapped up his historic summit with outcomes that could ease tensions and reshape the geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific region.

Yesterday's conflict does not have to be tomorrow's war, Trump said following more than four hours of intense talks with Kim, which he described as "honest, direct and productive."



Trump said Kim reaffirmed his commitment to denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and also agreed to destroy a missile engine test site.

We are ready to write a new chapter between our nations, Trump told reporters after the much talked about summit - the first between a sitting US president and North Korea's top leader.

He also announced that he would halt US military exercises in South Korea, something widely seen as a concession as Pyongyang has long claimed they are invasion rehearsals.

The president, however, said the sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear tests will remain for now.

Trump and Kim conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new relations between the two countries and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, according to a joint statement signed by Trump and Kim.

"President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), and Chairman Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula," the statement said.

It said the two sides committed to recovering POW/MIA (prisoners of war and missing in action) remains including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

The document was signed after the two leaders had a one-on-one meeting, with translators only, followed by an expanded meeting including their top aides and a working lunch at Capella Singapore hotel in Sentosa Island after months of diplomatic twists and turns.

"We signed a joint statement that is an unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of North Korea," Trump said.

He said the US is 'prepared to start a new history' with North Korea.

"Kim told me that North Korea has already destroyed a major missile engine testing site," he said, without elaborating on it.

In response to a question about denuclearisation, Trump said, "We're starting that process... very quickly."



Trump said there will be a meeting next week to go over the details of the denuclearisation process.

"We are working with the regional countries on getting this deal going. We are sitting with (National Security Advisor) John Bolton next week to go over the details, to get this stuff done. We are working with South Korea, Japan, China to a lesser extent," he said, while addressing an hour-long press conference.

When asked about North Korea's future economic model, Trump said it is for the country and its people to decide. He pointed out the real estate potential of its "great beaches" which can be seen on missile test footage.

Earlier, Trump said the summit went "better than anybody could have expected."



"We have decided to leave the past behind," Kim said through a translator, after signing the statement. "The world will see a major change," he added.

Trump said he was very proud of what took place today and the two leaders would "take care of a very dangerous problem for the world."



The 71-year-old Trump said he has developed a "very special bond" with 34-year-old Kim.

Trump said Kim is "a very talented man" and he will invite him to the White House at the "appropriate time", and he will also travel to Pyongyang at a certain time.

Earlier this morning, the summit began with the two leaders arriving separately at the luxurious hotel.

They walked towards each other, stood face to face for the first time and shared a 12-second handshake against a backdrop of American and North Korean flags. They then appeared to share a few light-hearted words as they walked down a corridor to the hotel's library.

The two leaders held one-on-one meeting for around 45-minutes with just translators present.

According to North Korean media, Kim actually arrived at the venue 7 minutes earlier than Trump to show respect as it's cultural, the young one should arrive earlier than the elder one. The red tie that Trump wears may also show some respect to Kim as well, it's the colour that North Koreans like.

Later, they held delegation-level talks.

Kim was asked at least three times if he would give up his nuclear weapons. In response, he just smiled.

"There will be challenges ahead but we will work with Trump. We overcame all kinds of skepticism and speculation about this summit and I believe that this is good for the peace," Kim said.

After the delegation-level meeting, Trump joined Kim for a working lunch which had a mix of Western and Asian dishes, such as Korean stuffed cucumber and beef short rib confit with some Haagen-Dazs ice cream to top things off.

The two leaders then took a post-lunch stroll in the courtyard of the hotel.

On the eve of the summit at Sentosa, the US had offered "unique" security guarantees to North Korea in return for a "complete, verifiable and irreversible" denuclearisation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Amid a tug of war with the AAP dispensation, Lt Governor Anil Baijal did not come to office today, even as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his three cabinet colleagues kept waiting for him at the L-G Secretariat to discuss their demands.

Sources said Baijal had meetings in the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry and other places, and this was why he could not come to office today.

Kejriwal along with his deputy Manish Sisodia and two other ministers -- Gopal Rai and Satyendar Jain -- had met the Lt Governor (L-G) at 5.30 pm yesterday and since then, they have stayed put at the L-G office.

Sisodia took to Twitter at 5.24 pm, saying, "L-G Sahab, chief minister and three ministers have been waiting for you in your waiting room for 24 hours, hoping that you (L-G) will do something (on our demands) while one minister is on hunger strike."



"What is your compulsion? Can't you (L-G) issue an order asking IAS officers to end your strike for the people of Delhi?" Sisodia tweeted in Hindi.

However, the L-G office provided tea and snacks to the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues during the day. Food was allowed from outside.

Last night, the chief minister, who is a diabetic, had to take insulin during the sit-in and got "specific food" from his home.

The cabinet ministers have been demanding that the L-G issue a direction to IAS officers to end their "strike" and take action against officers who have struck work for "four months".

IAS officers have been on strike since the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash and are boycotting meetings with AAP ministers due to which public works are getting affected, according to the government.

However, the officers association claimed that no officer is on strike and no work has been affected.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Three former employees, including an advocate, of a software firm were today arrested here for allegedly extorting Rs 15 lakh from a 40-year-old company official by threatening to slap a complaint under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, police said.

S Ramesh, advocate, M Sanjeev Kumar and M Kiran, who had woked as analysts at the IT firm, were arrested based on a complaint lodged by the man, who was a senior manager in the company.

The three, who were dismissed from the company later, had nursed a grudge against Kiran for not promoting them, Police Commissioner Mahesh MBhagwat said.

In September last year, Kumar and Kiran had called the senior manager to a hotel and allegedly beat him up and threatened him of implicating him under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and demanded Rs 15 lakh from him, he said.

The manager had given the money in two installments to the three accused and later resigned his job under pressure from them.

Then, he lodged a complaint with the police who after investigation arrested the three persons and recovered Rs 15 lakhs from them, Bhagwat added.

The three have been booked under IPC sections 384 (extortion), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) 506 (criminal intimidation).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An 18-year-old man was allegedly hacked to death by a person in a moving bus near Dawadi village in Khed tehsil in the district, which left other commuters shocked, police said today.

The incident took place on Tuesday morning and the accused has been arrested, police said.

The accused had allegedly circulated the photos and personal information of the deceased's sister on the social media, a senior police officer with the local crime branch said.

"The family of a girl had recently registered a case of molestation against the suspect, who is their relative, for allegedly posting her pictures along with some obscene content on a social networking site," the officer said.

According to him, the suspect was angry and wanted to take revenge.

"On Tuesday morning, the deceased boarded the bus at Dawadi bus stand. The suspect was already inside the bus. As the vehicle started moving, the suspect came from behind and started attacking the deceased with a sharp weapon.

"The sudden act left the fellow passengers shocked, who started screaming, which prompted the driver to stop the bus," he said.

The moment the bus came to a halt, the suspect got down and escaped.

"We have registered a case against the suspect, who is related to the family of the deceased and a manhunt has been launched to trace him," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Days after the Special Cell of the Delhi police shot dead four suspected criminals in Chhatarpur, it nabbed a man carrying Rs one lakh reward on his head following a shootout in Greater Noida today, the police said.

The nabbed accused, Krishan Pal, was injured in gun fight, while his accomplice managed to flee, they added.

Gangster Rajesh Bharti and three of his associates -- Sanjeev alias Sandeep Vidroh, Umesh alias Don and Viresh Rana alias Bhiku -- were killed, while eight police personnel were injured in the Chhatarpur encounter on Saturday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 30-year-old man, wanted in several criminal cases including the killing of a juvenile hawker near New Delhi railway station last year, was arrested here, the police said today.

The accused, identified as Sunil Bihari, was arrested on June 7 from east Delhi's Pandav Nagar, following a tip-off, they added.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to killing the juvenile hawker near New Delhi railway station, and also admitted that he was operating a gang on the Delhi-Mumbai rail route that was involved in committing robbery, pickpocket and drug trafficking, Alok Kumar, joint commissioner of police (Crime) said.

He used to recruit teenagers in his gang to commit crimes on board trains and in the area around the platforms.

In June 2017, Bihari killed the juvenile hawker while extorting money to prove his supremacy against a rival gang. He brutally killed him using knife, bricks and stones, he added.

He had been declared a proclaimed offender in the case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Police has arrested Makerere University researcher Dr. Stella Nyanzi on allegations of inciting violence.



According to Kampala metropolitan police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigire, Nyanzi was arrested today, Tuesday together with her an unidentified driver and passenger.



Owoyesigire says the driver who has declined to reveal his identities to the police, was arrested for a traffic charge. He alleges that the driver failed to comply with traffic regulations and inconsiderate use of motor vehicle and obstruction of the road.

Dr Stella Nyanzi

Owoyesigire says that Nyanzi incited violence as she caused chaos around Naguru. The three are currently being held at Jinja road police station.



Nyanzi, however, says she and some members of her group had been invited by the deputy inspector general of police, Sabiiti Muzeyi for a meeting at Naguru police headquarters. However, she was denied entrance and later rounded up.



"I have parked my car across the entrance to the police. If I do not go in, I need the deputy IGP to come and chase me away in person. I am in my car playing loud music." Nyanzi said earlier in her social media post.



Nyanzi, alongside a group of youths named, 'The Alternatives' have since last week been protesting against the rampant kidnap, sexual abuse and murder of people especially women victims.



Last week, the group held a protest at Naguru police headquarters and parliament of Uganda where they demonstrated carrying coffins and placards.Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah today said militants "will only have themselves to blame" if security forces hit them harder than before after the Centre's peace initiative ends.

On May 16, the Union government directed security forces not to launch counter-terror operations during Ramzan but said they reserve the right to retaliate if attacked.

"With the militant organisations doing their best to make sure the ceasefire is a failure they will only have themselves to blame if the security forces come back at them even harder when the ceasefire ends," Abdullah tweeted.

He was reacting to the two militant attacks in south Kashmir's Anantnag and Pulwama districts in which two policemen were killed and six other security personnel were injured.

Abdullah said those who killed the policemen in Pulwama "deserve nothing but eternal flames of hell".

"And that too on the night of Shab-e-Qadr. The killers of these police personnel deserve nothing but the eternal flames of hell & that is where they are destined to find themselves. Condolences to the families of the deceased," he said on Twitter.

In Anantnag, six Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans sustained minor injuries in a grenade attack by terrorists.

Shab-e-Qadr (night of power and blessings) is the 27th night of the holy month of Ramzan when Muslims throng mosques to offer nightlong prayers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A minor girl was allegedly raped by three men in Balasore district, police said today.

The girl, a class 9 student was returning home alone after tuition yesterday evening when the three men allegedly raped her at Kasaba Jaypur village, they said.

The girl informed her mother about the incident and the family lodged a case at the police station.

The police have nabbed one of the three accused, who allegedly sexually assaulted the girl, a police officer said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Congress president Rahul Gandhi today accused the Narendra Modi government of creating hatred and division in the society and betraying farmers as well as youth in the country.

He also alleged that Modi was a "chowkidar" only for a handful of industrialists and not the common man.

Addressing a convention of Mumbai booth-level Congress workers here this evening, he said that the prime minister feels that he can run the country only with his speeches.

"But now, if you observe him closely, there is fear in his voice. There is even more fear in Jay Shah's father (Amit Shah)... and that is why he is going here and there," he said in an apparent dig at the saffron party's 'contact for support' campaign.

Gandhi expressed confidence that the Congress and the rest of the opposition parties will defeat the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

"In the last four years, the Modi government has created hatred and division in the society. Farmers and youth have been betrayed," he said.

"But the youth will have to be given jobs and farmers' interests need to be protected. The prime minister asks what the Congress has done during it rule... Congress didn't threaten and crush anybody. The party did not divide people over caste, religion and colour.

"Congress just saw if the individual was an Indian and it stood by him. Congress united the country," he said.

Gandhi said the BJP scraped through the Gujarat assembly polls and suffered a defeat in the Karnataka elections.

"Now, the party will not be seen after the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The opposition led by Congress will defeat the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls," he claimed.

He said a senior opposition leader recently told him that only the Congress could protect the unity and diversity of India.

"The senior leader told me that he had spent 50 years of his political life fighting against the Congress. But now he has realised that in the battle of ideologies, only the Congress could defeat the BJP and the RSS ideology," he said.

When the voices in the audience asked if the leader was L K Advani, Gandhi said, "No it's not Advani."



He said the country had suffered due to the policies of the BJP in the last four years.

Taking a swipe at Modi, Gandhi said the Congress had fought and defeated Advani in 2004 and 2009 elections and Atal Bihari Vajpayee earlier. "But the Congress party's culture is to respect others. PM talks about Hindu religion, but forgets that the important teaching of our religion about respecting the guru (teacher)," he said.

"The prime minister doesn't even respect his guru at official functions. It's me, the Congress party and its ideology which accord him the due respect.

"Even when Vajpayee is ill in hospital, I was the first one to visit him, since the Congress believes he has contributed to the country," he said.

Describing the booth workers as "senapatis" (generals) of the party, he said at the convention that he will ensure that their respect and interests are protected.

"Ask anybody if candidates for Gujarat polls were parachuted from elsewhere. Ask Karnataka Congressmen whether or not their views were considered during the selection of candidates. The party belongs to you and it is your responsibility to protect and propagate the party ideology." he said.

Gandhi also asked the workers to talk to people about promises of Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts, 2 crore jobs annually and good price for farm produce and how the Modi government's decisions like demonetisation, GST rollout had hurt them.

"Talk to people about Doklam, Rafael deal, scams of Piyush Goyal, Jay Shah," he said adding that the Mission Shakti programme is aimed at empowering the party worker and is working well in Rajasthan.

Taking a dig at the media, he said, "Write sometimes about Rafale deal, Doklam. I know you and your higherups are under pressure. When the UPA was in power, you wrote about us openly and criticised us fearlessly."



Gandhi said he plans to create a wall in the new party headquarters in Delhi with the names of matryrs, who laid down their lives for the country, written on it.

"When Savarkar was writing mercy petitions to the British, Congress men and women were serving jail terms," he said.

Gandhi began his 30-minutes long speech with a couple of sentences in Marathi: Majha sarvanna namaskar. Apan sagle kase aahat. (My greetings to you. How are you all?)



Earlier today, the Congress chief appeared before a court in Bhiwandi town in neighbouring Thane district in connection with a defamation case filed against him by an RSS worker.

Talking to reporters outside the court, he took a swipe at Modi's radio programme 'Mann ki Baat' and said the prime minister does not speak about 'kaam ki baat' like providing employment to youth or safeguarding farmers.

"Let them (the BJP and the RSS) slap as many cases as they want against me. Ours is a fight of ideology. We will fight them and win," Gandhi said.

On May 2, the court in Bhiwandi had asked Gandhi to appear before it today to record his plea in the defamation case filed by RSS worker Rajesh Kunte in 2014.

Kunte had filed the case after watching Gandhi's speech at an election rally in which he had claimed that the RSS was behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Congress president Rahul Gandhi today said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not keep his assurance of providing jobs to two crore youth in a year.

Addressing a Congress workers' rally here, Gandhi also targeted the Modi government on a range of issues, as he tried to enthuse the party's booth-level workers ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP-led government did not provide jobs to two crore youth in a year as was promised by Modi in the run up to the 2014 general elections, Gandhi said.

The Congress leader observed that China has been providing jobs to 50,000 youth per 24 hours. "However, the BJP-led government gives jobs to 450 youth in the same span," he said.

"(Modi had said) the prime minister will give jobs to 2 crore youth in a year. And in the Lok Sabha, his minister said unemployment is the highest in last eight years in India," Gandhi said.

"The BJP-led government wrote off Rs 2.5 lakh crore loans of India's richest 15-20 people but a similar demand by farmers to waive off their debt was ignored," he said.

"(Union finance minister Arun) Jaitley ji says it is not their policy to waive of loans taken by farmers," Gandhi said.

On the government's 'Make in India' initiative, the Congress president said it is the farmers who ensured 'Make in India' happens through their blood and sweat.

"Farmers will compete with China if you strengthen them a little bit," Gandhi said.

Earlier today, the Congress leader slammed Modi for "not talking" about employment for youth and farmers and said that his fight was against the government's policies.

Gandhi, who appeared before a court in Bhiwandi town here in connection with a defamation case filed against him by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker, also dared the BJP and the RSS to slap as many cases on him as they wanted to.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)North Korea's state media lauded Singapore today as they highlighted Kim Jong Un's visit to some of its top tourist attractions.

A few hours ahead of his historic summit with Donald Trump -- the first encounter between a leader of the isolated, nuclear-armed North and a sitting US president -- Kim took a break from preparations for a waterfront stroll.

He was accompanied by the city-state's foreign and education ministers -- with whom he posed for selfies -- and surrounded by officials as police held back pursuing reporters.

But images of the young leader are carefully controlled and managed in the isolated North, and travelling media from Pyongyang enjoyed close access to their leader.

No fewer than 14 images of his visit to the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) hotel, casino and convention centre and other sights were printed on the front page of the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper.

It showed him smiling on the MBS' rooftop Sky Park observation platform, adding he "learned about the social and economic development" of Singapore.

Other pictures showed onlookers taking pictures of Kim, who has made only two previous trips beyond the Korean peninsula as leader, both of them to China. Praising Singapore's "clean and beautiful" environment, Kim vowed to "learn a lot from the good knowledge and experience of Singapore in various fields in the future," the newspaper added.

The fulsome praise for another country is unusual for the media in the impoverished North, which generally do not show detailed images of affluent foreign countries.

The bright lights of the Singaporean cityscape are a notable contrast to Pyongyang, much of which remains dimly lit at night despite Kim overseeing a number of prestige development projects during his rule.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)NASA scientists have successfully received a transmission from the Mars Opportunity rover - a positive sign despite the worsening dust storm that has left science operations on the red planet suspended.

Data from the transmission let engineers know the rover still has enough battery charge to communicate with ground controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the US.

The transmission received this week was especially good considering the dust storm has intensified in the past several days. A dark, perpetual night has settled over the rover's location in Mars' Perseverance Valley, NASA said in a statement.

The storm's atmospheric opacity - the veil of dust blowing around, which can blot out sunlight - is now much worse than a 2007 storm that Opportunity weathered.

Opportunity's team has requested additional communications coverage from NASA's Deep Space Network, a global system of antennas that talks to all the agency's deep space probes.

This latest data transmission showed the rover's temperature to be about minus 29 degrees Celsius.

One saving grace of dust storms is that they can actually limit the extreme temperature swings experienced on the Martian surface. The same swirling dust that blocks out sunlight also absorbs heat, raising the ambient temperature surrounding Opportunity.

Engineers will monitor the rover's power levels closely in the week to come. The rover needs to balance low levels of charge in its battery with sub-freezing temperatures. Its heaters are vitally important to keeping it alive, but also draw more power from the battery.

Likewise, performing certain actions draws on battery power, but can actually expel energy and raise the rover's temperature.

The rover has proved hardier than expected by lasting nearly 15 years, despite being designed for a 90-day mission.

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter first detected the storm on June 1. As soon as the orbiter team saw how close the storm was to Opportunity, they notified the rover's team to begin preparing contingency plans.

In a matter of days, the storm had ballooned. It now spans over 18 million square kilometers and includes Opportunity's current location at Perseverance Valley.

This is not Opportunity's first time hunkering down in bad weather: in 2007, a much larger storm covered the planet. That led to two weeks of minimal operations, including several days with no contact from the rover to save power.

The project's management prepared for the possibility that Opportunity couldn't balance low levels of power with its energy-intensive survival heaters, which protect its batteries from Mars' extreme cold.

It is not unlike running a car in the winter so that the cold does not sap its battery charge. There is a risk to the rover if the storm persists for too long and Opportunity gets too cold while waiting for the skies to clear.

Ultimately, the storm subsided and Opportunity prevailed. The Martian cold is believed to have resulted in the loss of Spirit, Opportunity's twin in the Mars Exploration Rover mission, back in 2010.

Despite this, both rovers have vastly exceeded expectations: they were only designed to last 90 days each. Opportunity is in its 15th year; the team has operated the rover for more than 50 times longer than originally planned.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)National Conference (NC) leader Devender Singh Rana today accused the BJP of resorting to making false promises and indulging in rhetoric with an eye on next year's Lok Sabha polls.

He also claimed the saffron party was not taking care of Jammu region's interests.

With 2019 (parliamentary) elections coming closer, the BJP flock has begun hovering around the politically sagacious people of Jammu with false promises and dreams, Rana, who is NC's provincial president, alleged at a party function here.

He claimed the BJP had already generated discontentment among youth and was "fully exposed" for playing with the sentiments of Jammu people.

The BJP had been hammering discrimination and invoking Jammu pride for six decades of its wilderness in the opposition but once getting into the cradle of power in partnership with equally opportunistic PDP, it has left the people in lurch and pushed the youth to deprivation, Rana alleged.

He claimed the BJP had lost the moral right of claiming to be the champions of the Jammu cause. He said the people of Jammu are feeling let down as the entire system of governance has gone haywire.

"Soaring prices are breaking the backbone of poor, utility services are in a shambles, grievance mechanism is in complete disarray and all sectors of development are suffering inertia. Same is true about implementation of welfare schemes, he alleged.

To divert the attention from its alleged failures, the BJP has again embarked on "hoodwinking" people by shifting blame to other parties, he alleged.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Nepal Army Chief Gen Rajendra Chhetri has returned home after a six-day official visit to India.

Gen Chhetri visited India at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Gen Bipin Rawat.

During the visit, the Nepal army chief held talks with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the defence secretary, national security advisor, the navy chief and other high-level military officials, according to a press release by Nepal Army headquarters.

Such high level military visits would further strengthen friendly relations existing between two armies and help deepen mutual cooperation and promote bilateral interests between them, the Nepal Army said.

Gen Chhetri was also the Chief Reviewing Officer at a training programme at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated US President Donald Trump after his summit today with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and said Washington's policy on Iran was also succeeding.

"I commend US President Donald Trump on the historic summit in Singapore," Netanyahu said in a statement.

"This is an important step in the effort to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons." The Israeli leader said Trump had "also taken a strong stand against Iran's efforts to arm itself with nuclear weapons and against its aggression in the Middle East.

"This is already affecting the Iranian economy," he added.

The United States withdrew last month from the Iran nuclear deal reached between world powers and the Islamic republic in 2015.

The other parties to the deal -- Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia -- have vowed to stay in the accord, but appear powerless to stop their companies pulling out of Iran for fear of US penalties.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is for civilian uses only, but its opponents, notably the US and Israel, accuse it of seeking to build an atomic bomb.

The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly said that Iran is complying with the accord.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The is expected to be cleared by the Union Cabinet by the end of next month, Communications Minister said today.

"I am hopeful of getting Cabinet approval on NDCP by end of July," he said while talking about the achievement of the government in the last 4 years.

The government has recently issued draft of the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) 2018 which aims to provide access to every household with download speed of 50 Mbps, attract investment of around Rs 6.5 lakh crore in the sector and create 4 million new job opportunities with a few years.

Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said that the draft of the policy will be placed before the Telecom Commission -- the apex decision making body at the Department of Telecom -- in its meeting scheduled for June 29.

The commission is also likely to discuss net-neutrality and framework for roll-out of new technology machine-to-machine communications.

"When this government came to power, the biggest challenge in telecom was that the whole sector was a victim of trust deficit, there was turmoil. In last four years we have restored confidence, brought transparency and established good governance," Sinha said.

He cited the government's efforts in ease of doing business, broadband for all and progress on the BharatNet project to connect all gram panchayats to underscore the achievements of his ministry.

DoT special secretary N Sivasailam said that there has been increase in public spending by six times, from Rs 9,000 crore in 2009-14 to Rs 60,000 crore in 2014-19, which includes both actual and planned expenditure.

In last three years investment in the sector has crossed Rs 3 lakh crore, from both government and private firms, which is one-third of Rs 9 lakh crore spend on the sector till date, he said.

Sivasailam said work is on to roll out 4,072 mobile towers with an outlay of Rs 7,330 crore by 2020, setting up of over 10 lakh wifi hotspots in rural areas over and above 25,000 wifi hotspots of and 7000 e-choupal with outlay of Rs 10,000 crore.

The government is also working on Rs 2,250 crore submarine and mobile network connectivity in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands and Rs 10,834 crore project for connectivity in the north eastern states.

The DoT also said that it has completed 90 per cent of optical fibre roll out for about Rs 24,000 crore dedicated communication network for Defence forces.

Sinha said that till date no work of such scale has taken place in the country for to expand connectivity in the country.

"I expect IFC (in-flight connectity) service should be in place in a year," he said.

He said that proactive policies of the government over the last four years have led to a sharp fall in mobile tariffs and a "marked improvement" in the call drop situation, while stressing that the Centre will not hesitate from taking tough decisions to maintain the "success story" of the telecom sector.

Sinha also sought to allay apprehensions around job losses in the sector, saying that new opportunities in telecom have spawned new jobs, and termed consolidation in the sector as a global phenomenon.

The minister was also quick to rise to the defence of telecom PSUs Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) saying that the two companies are making all-out efforts to improve service quality, despite the "handicap" of not having 4G spectrum in an intensely competitive market.

The minister said that everything with respect to hiving off land from Tata Communications, erstwhile VSNL, has been approved and in 2-4 month the entire process will be complete.

A telecom ministry official, on the sidelines of the event, hinted that the government may not auction spectrum in E and V bands -- which can transmit data with speed of over 1000 mbps and is used for backhaul.

The official pointed out that globally such spectrum is not auctioned, and Trai too had recommended allocation of the 'backhaul' spectrum bands without auction.

On the Department of Posts (DoP), he said that it is waiting for approval of Reserve Bank of India to start 650 branches of India Post payments Bank which will be connected with all 1.5 lakh post office branches gradually and create India's largest banking network.

He said his ministry is working to create a separate insurance company under DoP.

(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.)Former inspector general of police (IGP) Gen Kale Kayihura is under arrest. Kayihura was picked up today from Lyantonde by army officers led by deputy chief of defence forces Lt Gen Wilson Mbadi and flown to army headquarters in Mbuya.

While authorities in the army and police don't confirm or deny that the former top cop, sacked by President Yoweri Museveni in March this year is under arrest, we have learnt that Kayihura has been blocked twice by the state from leaving the country - in what appears to be orders from top most commanders to place the former top cop under house arrest.

A statement from army spokesperson Richard Karemire today states that yesterday June 12, a helicopter was dispatched to Lyantonde by "Chief of Defence Forces, Gen David Muhoozi to take him from there, but on arrival, Gen Kale Kayihura had travelled to Mbarara and so it had to return to Entebbe Airforce Base."

According to Karemire, today June 13, a helicopter has been sent back to Kashagama, Lyantonde where Kayihura has been staying since March 15, 2018 after handing over as IGP. Karemire says the helicopter has safely returned to Kampala with Kayihura on board.

A close associate who spoke to The Observer said, much as they had heard the rumour of house arrest for some time, Kayihura had treated it as not a serious threat until last month when he was blocked from travelling to Germany for treatment.

Kayihura had reportedly secured a medical visa but his bosses refused to clear his travel. He then attempted to travel to South Africa from where he would connect to Germany but still he got blocked at the airport.

Gen Kale Kayihura addressing the media when he was still IGP

Yesterday, operatives believed to be the elite forces, SFC in an operation to arrest Kayihura stormed Courtyard international hotel and Sky blue hotel in Lyantonde where Kayihura is said to be a regular reveller. It is not immediately clear if the hotels search was after finding Kayihura was found missing from his country home in Lyantonde.

Kayihura was sacked as IGP by President Museveni in March this year. He was sacked alongside then Security minister Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde.

According to a source, President Museveni is said to have sanctioned Kayihura's arrest after several intelligence reports suggested that the former police chief was behind the rampant kidnaps and killings across the country.

The once powerful top cop could face murder charges in Ugandan courts. Since last week, security forces have been planning the operation to arrest the former police chief and at the same time on how to dismantle the crime preventers force which is said to be an extension of the mafia network he had created in the police force.

According to a source close to the Presidency, by the time of his sacking, Kayihura had created a network of mafias within the police.

The arrest and eventual confession of a one Abel Kitagenda, a former Flying Squad operative over the murder of former police spokesperson Andrew Felix Kaweesi offered credence to the intelligence information that linked the former IGP to the murders, the State House source said.

Kitagenda was recently arrested by the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) upon return from Canada where he'd reportedly fled to following the murder of Kaweesi last year.

Investigators established that at the time of the shooting, Kaweesi's car was clearly put to a stop and the handbrake engaged, meaning at the time of the shooting, the car had come to a complete stop otherwise, naturally, the car would have veered off the road.

According to sources close to the Kaweesi murder investigations, the unsuspecting Kaweesi must have been waved down by someone he knew - hence asking his driver to stop. It is at this point that the shooting began may have taken place. Kitagenda reportedly tried to secure a new passport under different names, raising suspicions from the security agencies.

When it was finally decided to get Kayihura arrested, SFC operatives first gathered information on Kayihura's possible location before setting off for Lyantonde. Sources both in State House and Lyantonde said that the plain clothed SFC soldiers acted discreetly to avoid public attention.

At Sky blue hotel and Courtyard hotel in Lyantonde, the soldiers introduced themselves to the hotel staff but didn't go into details of their mission.

Kayihura predicted his sacking and arrest as early as last year. Addressing the 23rd annual general meeting of local governments in September 2017 at St Peters Technical Institute Mubende , Kayihura said The president was criticising us that we have failed to stamp out crime...If we are to prevent crime, we must address the root causes of crime in society, Kayihura said.

These songs of police this, police that...Kayihura alemeddwa [has failed]Okay, Kayihura can be sent to Luzira [prison] but I tell you, if you dont address the problems in society, even if you put I dont know who, whoever you put there [as IGP], the problems of crime will not be solved, he said then.NSE Nifty rose by 55.90 points to close at four-month high of 10,842.85 on sustained buying mainly in pharma, FMCG, PSU banks, energy and IT sectors amid positive sentiment from global equity markets.

Sentiment on domestic bourses was boosted by upbeat Asian stocks after the US President Donald Trump signed a deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

Overseas, most European stocks fell as investors awaited the Brexit vote in the House of Commons for further direction.

The Nifty 50 index rose 55.90 points, or 0.52 percent, to close at 10,842.85, its highest closing level since February 1. It moved in a range of 10,856.55 to 10,789.40 in day trade.

On the sectoral front, pharma climbed by 2.58 per cent followed by PSU banks 2.33 per cent, fast moving consumer goods 0.88 per cent, energy 0.73 per cent, IT 0.62 per cent, infra 0.61 per cent, bank 0.58 per cent, finance service 0.55 per cent, private bank 0.40 per cent and realty 0.41 per cent.

On other hand, metal fell by 0.43 per cent.

Major index gainers were Lupin, Dr Reddy, SBIN, IndusInd Bank, Hindustan Unilever, Hero MotoCorp and Adani ports and Special Economic Zone



Losers included, Bharti Airtel, Hindalco, Eicher Motors, Coal India, UPL, Grasim and ONGC.

The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market was positive, a total of 1,038 scrips advanced and 752 declined while 89 remained unchanged. Total securities that have hit their price band were 209.

Turnover in the cash segment rose to Rs 27,770.94 crore from Rs 26,706.03 crore as on Monday.

A total of 13,014.71 lakh shares changed hands in 1,08,11,731 trades. The market capitalisation of listed firms on the NSE stood at Rs 1,47,90,850.69 crore.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari today offered a symbolic apology to the deceased winner of the 1993 democratic election that was annulled by the military.

The apology comes as Buhari is campaigning for a second term in office after making history in 2015 as the first opposition candidate in the country to unseat a sitting president.

Nigeria, which ended military rule in 1999, has suffered from a series of military coups since winning independence from Britain, including one led by Buhari in 1983.

Buhari ruled as military head of state until 1985, when he was toppled by General Ibrahim Babangida.

While in office, Buhari, a 75-year-old former general, has worked to assure Nigerians he is committed to democracy.

Wealthy businessman Moshood "MKO" Abiola was coasting home to victory when the results of the election were voided by military dictator Babangida.

"I tender the nation's apologies to Chief MKO Abiola," for the cancellation of the June 12, 1993 election, Buhari said during an event in honor of the politician who died in July 1998.

While observing a minute's silence in memory of Abiola and other pro-democracy heros who died during the struggle, Buhari said "Nigeria will no longer tolerate such perversion of justice."



The government said that from next year, June 12 would be a public holiday and commemorated as "Democracy Day" instead of May 29, the date marking Nigeria's return to civil rule in May 1999.

Abiola, a Muslim businessman from the Yoruba-dominated southwest, was arrested in 1994 for declaring himself president.

He died mysteriously on July 7, 1998 as talks got under way for his release.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari today said his ministry was working on a cruise route from Mumbai to Bali in Indonesia, via Kochin and the Andaman and Nicobar islands, to boost cruise tourism.

"I have met a minister from Indonasia. We have initiated the idea of having cruise from Mumbai to Andaman Nicobar via Goa and Kochin. The ships can go up to Bali, Indonesia. Indians usually visit Singapore or Bangkok. They can go there directly on a cruise from Mumbai," the minister told reporters.

Gadkari is on a two-day visit to Goa to attend a meeting of Highways department officials to review the ongoing works across the country.

Gadkari also said the work to widen the Mumbai-Goa highway will be completed by March 2019.

"The work on all the packages on the Mumbai-Goa highway has begun. The work on tunnels has also started. We want to complete the entire road by March next year except a tunnel at Kashedi Ghat in Maharashtra," he said.

Gadkari said the refurbished highway would be an "engineering marvel" and motorists could enjoy a scenic drive.

The four-lane highway expansion project has been delayed for several reasons, including lack of permission to cut trees. Once completed, the drive from Goa to Mumbai will be just six-hour-long.

Gadkari appealed to common people, politicians, and NGOs to adopt highways by planting trees along them.

"I appeal to all members of public, MLAs, MPs and NGOs to come forward and plant trees along the highways. They should plant the trees and adopt them," the Union minister said.

Gadkari said he had spoken to Rajya Sabha MP Narayan Rane, who hails from Sindhudurg district in neighbouring Maharashtra, about tree plantation and the latter has assured to implement the same in Sindhudurg taluka.

The minister said the Goa-Mumbai waterway was now opened up for regular boat service.

"We have opened up the Mumbai Goa waterway for boat service. Initially, there were some technical problems for this service, which are fixed now," he said.

A private shipping company had recently announced its service connecting Mumbai to Goa.

"The successful trial of the ship was also conducted. The service is right now on hold because of monsoon. It will restart after two months post monsoon," Gadkari said.

The cruise service between Mumbai and Goa is likely to become operational in September this year.

Gadkari said the Central government always encouraged cruise tourism.

"Mumbai gets 80 cruise ships. We have constructed a state-of-the-art terminal for ships. Goa also gets a number of cruise vessels. We expect that in the next five years 950 cruise vessels will be calling the Goa port," he said.

Gadkari said he would address a workshop of tour and travel companies in Mumbai for which Goan operators are also invited.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today maintained there was no discontent within Congress now over denial of ministerial berths and expressed confidence that no party MLA would join hands with the BJP.

Confident about the Congress-JD(S) coalition government completing its full five year term, Siddaramaiah, who is also leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), said, "There is no one who is dissatisfied... everyone is satisfied now."



Pointing out he has had talks with everyone who were reportedly unhappy over not becoming a minister, including M B Patil, he said "how much ever BJP tries to entice our MLAs, no one will go."



There was growing discontent among newly elected Congress lawmakers who were left out during the June 6 cabinet expansion, with some openly expressing dissatisfaction and holding separate meetings.

The disquiet that had come out in the open soon after the exercise has gone silent in the last two days following efforts by the party leadership to pacify upset MLAs.

Responding to BJP state President B S Yeddyurappa's comments that several Congress leaders are eager to join his party, Siddaramaiah said Yeddyurappa's words have no value.

"He (Yeddyurappa) himself doesn't know what he is talking about," he told reporters in Mysuru, as he hit out at the BJP, accusing it of trying to entice Congress MLAs with money and posts.

He said the coalition government's first coordination committee meeting is scheduled for June 14.

Siddaramaiah, who heads the coordination committee that has the responsibility to oversee smooth functioning of the coalition government, said the agenda has not yet been prepared.

"I will look into it once I go to Bengaluru tomorrow," he said.

Stating that he hasn't spoken to Congress President Rahul Gandhi yet regarding the issue of new Karnataka Pradesh Congress President, the former chief minister, in response to a question, said he would go to New Delhi after completing pending work here, including his nature care treatment.

Siddaramaiah said he was confident of the government completing its term, adding the public mandate was for five years.

"Only thing is that a coalition government had to be formed as the public verdict was not in favour of one party," he said.

To a question on Kumaraswamy's comments about rampant corruption in the system, Siddaramaiah said: "I don't know where he has seen (corruption), if he has seen let him stop.... When he has come to know where corruption is, let him stop."



Stating that corruption starts with transfers, Kumaraswamy had yesterday said there are middlemen in the corridors of Vidhana Soudha (the state secretariat) for this purpose who claim the Chief Minister and Ministers are with them.

Not wishing to react on Kumaraswamy's statement that he was made Chief Minister on Congress' insistence, he said "I haven't spoken to him, so I cannot react."



The former Chief Minister also termed reports about his contesting the coming Lok Sabha election as a "creation of the media".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The West Bengal government today told the Calcutta High Court that there is no provision for giving jobs on compassionate ground in municipal bodies of the state.

Parul Das (nee Barui) and 13 others, whose father or mother died while working at Kulti Municipality in the state, moved the high court seeking direction to the state government to give jobs to them on compassionate ground.

Government pleader Joyotosh Majumdar submitted on behalf of the state before Justice Debangshu Basak that except in the Panchayat department, there is no scheme for appointment of dependents of staff who died in harness in any state undertaking or municipal body.

All the petitioners are working on daily wage basis at Asansol Municipal Corporation. They are former workers of Kulti Municipality before the merger of the municipality and formation of Asansol Municipal Corporation, their lawyer Uday Shankar Chatterjee said.

The petitioners have been working on daily wage basis for different periods ranging from four years to eight years, he said.

Hearing in the matter was adjourned by the court till June 20.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)No central bank nominee should be on the boards of public sector banks (PSBs) to avoid "any conflict of interest", RBI Governor said on Tuesday while briefing a over fraud case.

The central bank is discussing the matter of RBI nominee director with the Finance Ministry, he told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, according to sources who were present in the briefing.

Patel on Tuesday appeared before the panel, whose members include former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to brief it on mounting non-performing assets (NPAs), recent frauds in banks, and other issues.

He categorically said that the primary and collective responsibility to contain frauds in the banks rests with its board, according to the sources.

Emphasising on the director's role, Patel in a written reply to the panel said the main role of any director on the bank's board, including nominee director, is to ensure that the bank is managed efficiently and professionally.

Patel was responding to the queries of the MPs on the governance issues in and Axis Bank, and also questions related to Rs 130 billion fraud at the Punjab National Bank perpetrated by diamond trader

The proposals coming before the board and its committees are consistent with normal banking practices, guidelines of the government, RBI and are not violative of any law, he said.

"RBI nominee directors should be distanced from management committee of the board (which takes credit decisions), to avoid any conflict of interest and the RBI nominee should not be on the boards of the PSBs," he noted.

He further said that the separation of the post of Chairman from that of the CEO/MD, in the nationalised banks, has been done with a view to strengthening the independence of the board and enhancing its oversight over the management.

Highlighting the need for implementation of Nayak committee report, he said it will go long way in improving the role of the boards of the nationalised banks.The Odisha government has decided to install lightning sensors across the state so that people can be warned about possible lightning strikes to save them, an official said today.

An early lightning warning system is required as lightning strikes have claimed at least 18 lives in the state, in the last three days, Odisha's Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) B P Sethi said.

"We can get information about lightning 45 minutes prior to lightning strike. The state government will make arrangements to send the information to the people through mass media," Sethi said.

This will help people to move to safer places, Sethi said.

The state will sign a MoU with a US-based lightning analysing system company this week, the official said.

The company, called Earth Networks, will install the lightning sensors at various places across the state, the SRC said.

The SRC said the lightning senors would be installed in high-rise buildings and multipurpose shelters.

On an average, 419 people have been killed in lightning strikes in the state each year, for the last three years, a state government official said, adding, it has become a cause for concern for the Odisha government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)At least five policemen were killed by a suicide bomber using a military Humvee in Afghanistan's eastern Ghazni province, an official said today.

Arif Noori, governor's spokesman in Ghazni, said 26 others, including a district governor and 18 police, were wounded in the attack in Muqar district.

The Humvee was taken earlier from Afghan forces by Taliban fighters in a separate attack, said Noori.

Also today, the Islamic State group in a statement claimed responsibility for Monday's attack outside the Rural Rehabilitation and Development Ministry as employees were leaving work, killing 12 people.

According to Afghan officials, more than 30 others were wounded in the attack that took place in the capital Kabul.

The Taliban have agreed to a cease-fire coinciding with the three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The holiday is set to begin later this week. The IS affiliate is not included in the cease-fire.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 19-year-old son of a farmer was killed allegedly over panchayat election enmity in Bhadoda village in the district, police said here today.

The body of Monu was found with injuries in the fields yesterday, they said.

The police have booked former village head Jaykar Singh, his two sons Ravi Kumar and Ashu and one other Prem Singh for the killing, said SP (city) Ombir Singh.

All the accused were absconding, the SP said.

The security was tightened in the village after the incident and extra police force has bee been deployed as a precautionary measure, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Over 1,600 complaints related to air fares and refunds have been registered by with the government in the last 18 months, reflecting the collective disquiet among the passengers about ticket cancellations and high prices.

Data released by the Ministry of Civil Aviation from the revamped AirSewa app also show that between November 26, 2016, and June 5 this year, close to 2,000 grievances about flight delays and 902 grievances about check-in and boarding were received.

However, with the help of the app, a one-source window providing all types of aviation related solutions, 95 per cent of the complaints were resolved, the ministry said, but did not elaborate on steps taken to resolve the issues.

The ministry tweeted, "99% of 2,189 registered grievances in airports category & 95% of 6,551 grievances in airlines category were resolved between 26th Nov'16 and 5th June'18. By ensuring prompt redressal of customer complaints, #AirSewa is improving passenger experience (sic),"



It also provided a breakup of passenger-related complaints in the airport and the airline sector.

The 1,640 complaints related to ticketing fare and refunds assumes significance as the the ministry has last week unveiled the draft citizen charter, which, once implemented, enables passenger with domestic air ticket to cancel the ticket or amend spelling mistakes within 24 hours without paying any cancellation charge if the flight is four days later.

While some airlines are understood to have objected to this norm, a few others, such as Vistara, said that they have already implemented it under its flexi fare scheme.

It has sent a mail to ticket booking agents recently to make them aware of the zero cancellation fees.

The finer details of the citizen charter is believed to have been deliberated between the airlines and the ministry during a recent interaction with the stakeholders.

According to the ministry, during the 18 month period, 315 complaints about seating areas in airports and 295 complaints about cleanliness and hygiene were reported by AirSewa app.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)"Somehow we have developed this large contingent of know-it-all baseball fans who bay like wounded coyotes at any mention of wins, losses, RBI or batting average. I never know whether I should blame myself for this or not.." (Bill James)Pakistan's powerful Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa today met with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul, where the two discussed wide range of issues including peace efforts in the strife-torn country, checking the rise of ISIS and terror activities along their shared border.

Bajwa returned here after the day-long visit to Kabul, where he had a one-on-one meeting with President Ghani, according to a statement by Pakistan Army.

"The discussions encompassed wide range of issues especially the ongoing efforts for reconciliation in Afghanistan, measures needed to check the rise of ISIS and the issue of terrorists taking benefit of the porous border to indulge in terrorism, smuggling and drug trafficking, being often networked together," it said.

Bajwa also congratulated Afghanistan authorities on recent peace initiatives during the holy month of Ramadan and Eid and wished that these steps gained more permanence leading toward an enduring peace.

He said the recently-agreed Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Stability (APAPPS) was expected to bring more cooperation and coordination between the two countries.

Referring to the border fencing with Afghanistan, he said it would help check terrorism but not pose any hurdle for people on both the sides.

Ghani shared contours of his vision about regional development, efforts to extend ongoing temporary ceasefire and steps related to creating conditions for reconciliation.

The Pakistan Army chief also had meetings with Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and Commander Resolute Support Mission (RSM) General John Nicholson, the statement said.

Talking to Nicholson, Bajwa said that Pakistan desires that US and NATO Forces must succeed and leave behind a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, according to the statement.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pakistan Supreme Court today rejected an appeal of a convict for raping and killing a six-year-old girl and upheld his death sentence in a crime that drew nationwide condemnation and led to widespread protests across the country, according to a media report.

A three-judge bench at the Lahore registry, comprising Justices Asif Saeed Khosa, Manzoor Ahmed Malik and Mansoor Ali Shah, rejected convict Imran Ali's appeal, upholding the death penalty handed to him by an anti-terrorism court (ATC), Dawn reported.

The ATC gave him four counts of the death penalty, one life term, a 7-year jail term and Rs 41 lakh in fines.

The four death penalties were for kidnapping, raping and murdering the six-year-old girl, and for committing an act of terrorism.

Ali faces further charges in the cases of at least seven other children he attacked five of whom were murdered in a spate of assaults that had stoked fears a serial child killer was on the loose, the report said.

He had appealed to the Lahore High Court against the sentence but his appeal was dismissed.

The six-year-old girl went missing on January 4 and was found dead in a trash heap in Kasur on January 9. Her rape and murder had sparked outrage and protests across the country.

The heinous nature of the crime had seen immediate riots break out in Kasur in which two people were killed while the incident became a rallying cry for an end to violence against children.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury today underlined the need for all parties to join hands for checking the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"We aim at the consolidation of anti-BJP vote ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls," he told reporters here.

Buoyed by the opposition's success in the recently held by-elections, Yechury said the opposition should counter the BJP first with alliances at the state level.

Meanwhile, NCP state unit president Ramesh Dixit met Yechury to discuss the current political situation in Uttar Pradesh, including an alliance of non-BJP parties.

"Both the NCP and CPI-M will be part of any such alliance in the state to counter BJP," Ramesh Dixit said later.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Press Council of India (PCI) is likely to issue an advisory to the media to abstain from using the word 'Dalit' in their reports, a source said.

The move comes days after the Bombay High Court asked the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry to consider issuing a direction to the media to stop using the word 'Dalit', following a circular which advised government officials against using the word.

The I&B Ministry will ask PCI to study the judgment of the court after which an advisory on the issue is expected by the council, the source said.

The source said that the PCI, which will take a call on the issue, is expected to issue an advisory in a months time.

Last week, the Nagpur bench of the high court, while hearing a PIL, said, "As the central government has issued necessary directions to its officers, we find that it can also issue suitable directions as per the law to respondent no. 2 (Press Council) and the media to refrain from using the same word."



The court was informed that the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment had issued a circular on March 15, advising the central and state governments to avoid the word 'Dalit' and instead use the term "person belonging to Scheduled Caste".

The PCI is the regulatory body for print media in the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Though the contents of the joint statement by US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have not yet been made public, alert photographers made it easy for journalists world over.

After the the two leaders signed the statement, Trump in his usual act displayed the document to the media sitting in front.

The image of the document which was taken in a burst mode was immediately put online.

Trump will be holding a press conference later in the day during which he will brief the media about the outcome of the summit, the first-ever between a sitting US president and North Korean leader.

"President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula," it reads.

The two leaders signed a "very comprehensive" document after their historic summit today, with the US president saying that the process of denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula will begin "very soon" and the North Korean leader promising to leave the bitter past behind.

The two leaders had a one-on-one meeting, with translators only, followed by an expanded meeting including their top aides and a working lunch at Capella Singapore hotel in Sentosa Island after months of diplomatic twists and turns.

The landmark summit marked the first stage in a process that the US, Japan, China and South Korea hope will lead to denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Political leaders cutting across the party lines expressed shock over the death of spiritual guru Bhaiyyu Maharaj, who allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself in Indore today.

"Learnt about the death of spiritual guru Shri Bhaiyyuji Maharaj. I had personal relationship with him. His untimely death is saddening. My humble tributes," Union minister Nitin Gadkari tweeted.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed similar sentiments and hailed the spiritual guru for the "huge work" he did for the deprived in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

Fadnavis said farmers and tribals were at the centre of Bhaiyyu Maharaj's activities.

"Bhaiyyu Maharaj's work towards land reforms, water conservation, farmers (welfare) and education of children will always be remembered. Tributes to him!



"Am part of mourning of his big family and followers," the chief minister said on Twitter.

Hailing Bhaiyyu Maharaj for carrying forward the legacy of spirituality in Maharashtra, Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said the of his death was "shocking and unbelievable".

"The untimely death of Bhaiyyuji Maharaj, who was ever smiling, enthusiastic and one giving energy, is saddening. #RIP #BhaiyyujiMaharaj," the Congress leader said on Twitter.

His party colleague and former state chief minister Prithviraj Chavan remembered the spiritual leader for his social and political work, which he said was aimed at helping the common people.

"A lot of political people used to meet him. He was a spiritual person, who motivated people to do good. He visited Maharashtra frequently and met a lot of people and was also involved in social work here," Chavan said in his condolence message.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik also expressed grief and observed that the spiritual leader had taken part in several social works in Maharashtra and MP.

"May his soul rest in peace," Malik said on the micro-blogging site.

The 50-year-old spiritual leader allegedly shot himself at his home in Indore, police said.

Bhaiyyu Maharaj, whose original name was Uday Singh Deshmukh, was one of the five 'saints' to whom the Shivraj Singh government in Madhya Pradesh had granted Minister of State (MoS) rank in April.

However, he had refused to accept it, saying "a post holds no importance for a saint".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Political leaders cutting across party lines expressed shock and grief over the "untimely" death of spiritual guru Bhayyu Maharaj, who allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself in Indore today.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari tweeted that he learnt about the death of the spiritual guru, with whom he had a "personal relationship".

"His untimely death is saddening. My humble tributes," Gadkari said in the tweet.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed similar sentiments and hailed the spiritual guru for the "huge work" he did for the deprived in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

Fadnavis said farmers and tribals were at the centre of Bhayyu Maharaj's activities.

The CM said his work towards land reforms, water conservation, farmers (welfare) and education of children will always be remembered.

"Tributes to him! Am part of mourning of his big family and followers," Fadnavis said on Twitter.

Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray also expressed "pain" over Bhayyu Maharaj's demise.

"May his soul rest in peace. Can't believe the still," he wrote on the micro-blogging site.

Lauding Bhayyu Maharaj for carrying forward the legacy of spirituality in Maharashtra, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said the of his death was "shocking and unbelievable".

The "untimely death" of Bhayyuji Maharaj, who was "ever smiling, enthusiastic and one giving energy is saddening", the Congress leader said on Twitter.

His party colleague and former state chief minister Prithviraj Chavan remembered the spiritual leader for his social and political work, which he said was aimed at helping the common people.

"A lot of political people used to meet him. He was a spiritual person, who motivated people to do good. He visited Maharashtra frequently and met a lot of people and was also involved in social work here," Chavan said in his condolence message.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik observed that the spiritual leader had taken part in several social works in Maharashtra and MP.

"May his soul rest in peace," Malik tweeted.

The 50-year-old spiritual leader allegedly shot himself at his home in Indore, police said.

Bhayyu Maharaj, whose original name was Uday Singh Deshmukh, was one of the five 'saints' to whom the Shivraj Singh government in Madhya Pradesh had granted Minister of State (MoS) rank in April.

However, he had refused to accept it saying "a post holds no importance for a saint".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)President Ram Nath Kovind will embark on a seven-day, three-nation tour this weekend in his maiden visit to Europe and Latin America as the head of the state.

The president will visit Greece, Suriname and Cuba.

In the first-leg of the trip, Kovind will visit Greece from June 16-19, said Subrata Bhattacharjee, Joint Secretary (Central Europe) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

On June 17, Kovind will pay a visit to the sites of historical and archeological importance, participate in a community reception and address the Indian diaspora in the European country.

Nearly 12,000 Indians live in Greece.

On June 18, the president will meet his Greek counterpart Prokopis Pavlopoulos. He will also meet Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Greek's Leader of Opposition. On the same day, Kovind will visit Phaleron Commonwealth War Cemetery.

The visit to the cemetery is significant as 74 soldiers of the then undivided India, who lost their lives in the II World War in Greece, were laid to rest here.

In the evening, the president will attend a banquet hosted by the Greek president.

On June 19, last day of his stay in the European country, Kovind will attend India-Greece CEO's breakfast meeting. He will also give a talk on 'India and Europe in the Changing World' at a think tank in Athens.

Greece has supported India's bid in three export-control regimes of Missile Technical Control Regime (MTCR), Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group, with both the countries having a robust cooperation.

Three agreements are also expected to be signed between the countries during Kovind's visit, Bhattacharjee said.

This is also the 40th year of establishment of diplomatic relations with India.

Kovind will be in Suriname, his second leg of the visit, between June 19 to 21.

The president will hold discussions with his Surinamese counterpart Desire Delano Bouterse. This will also be Kovind's first visit to any Latin American country after assuming office.

His trip to the continent comes after Vice President Venkaiah Naidu's visit to Guatemala, Panama and Peru last month.

"The visit of the president is a build up from the attention the Government of India and the MEA has been giving to the Latin American region," said Partha Satpathy, Joint Secretary (Latin America and Caribbean).

Suriname has been celebrating 145 years of arrival of Indian diaspora to the country and Kovind's visit coincides with the celebration.

Kovind and Bouterse will also take part in the International Yoga Day event on June 21.

The two sides are expected to sign 7-8 agreements, including in the areas of elections, health, medicines, IT and preservation of archives.

Suriname will also handover the Instrument of Ratification of the International Solar Alliance.

India is expected to extend the Line of Credit in the areas of solar power and maintenance of Chetak helicopters, which Suriname purchased in 2015.

Kovind will be in Cuba from June 21-22, where he will hold talks with newly elected Cuban President Miguel Diza-Canel Bermudez. This will be the first visit of an Indian president to Cuba since the 1959 Cuban revolution.

"This will be the fresh line of close interaction with the highest leadership in Cuba," Satpathy said.

The Indian president will also lay a wreath on the grave of Fidel Castro, former president of Cuba.

Four MoUs are expected to be signed between India and Cuba in the field of biotechnology, homeopathy and medicinal plants.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Several left-wing activists have heckled and disrupted a televised Independence Day speech by the Philippine president and called him a "traitor" amid criticism of his handling of territorial disputes with China.

President Rodrigo Duterte halted his speech Tuesday during the commotion and calmly watched from a historic balcony in Kawit town south of Manila as police pulled the protesters away. He asked law enforcers to deal with the protesters "with maximum tolerance" as the audience, which included ambassadors, waited.

He later resumed his speech, which focused on his battle against illegal drugs and corruption.

Duterte has come under fire from critics who say he has been far too soft on China over contested South China Sea territories. Officials say his approach has fostered talks and won concessions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Long before food tech became a catchword, Sandipan Mitra, Co-founder and CEO of HungerBox, a business-to-business (B2B) food tech start-up, started an online food ordering company in 2007 and named it HungryBangalore.com. It was just like Zomato and Swiggy are today. But he and his co-founder never thought of life beyond Bangalore. When Indian Angel Network (IAN) came on board with its investment, they advised Mitra to change the brand name to HungryZone.com.

The business continued for a couple of years before UK-based Just Eat group set its sight on this start-up to enter the Indian market. After a few negotiations, the deal was closed but Mitra continued to work with Just Eat India. Food tech industry was still in infancy, and Mitra travelled extensively across Europe to understand how the food tech industry was evolving in other markets. Just Eat was present in 26 cities, including Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, and was directly competing with Zomato. "We had a war with Zomato. They were doing listings. Zomato used to say that nobody orders food in India. We used to say that online food ordering is the future. Today, Zomato has survived because of online food ordering," says Mitra.

Around 2012, the smartphone market began to explode, and that completely changed the food tech sector. Mitra recalls that he started 2013 with 100 per cent orders coming from the web, and by the time the year ended, 50 per cent orders shifted to apps. "That was a pivotal year for all of us," he says.

Sensing the huge opportunity in the Indian market, Foodpanda approached Just Eat India with a proposal to acquire them. In April 2015, they bought over Just Eat India in an all-cash transaction. After selling the business to Foodpanda, Mitra stayed with the company for some nine months heading its B2B segment, a fairly underrated and relatively low-visibility area within the food tech space.

He met a plenty of large companies to understand the need of food tech in this space. "The B2B foodtech has not changed for the past 30-40 years. Gone are the days when people used to have cafeteria food once a day. Today, you have minimum twice a day," he says.

Mitra realized that B2B food tech is different from B2C (business-to-consumer) segment, and his offering has to be completely customizable and scalable. With that learning, he quit Foodpanda to start his own venture HungerBox. In September 2016, HungerBox claims to have launched India's first 100 per cent digitalised cafeteria with a client called FirstSource.

How does it work? In India, cafeterias in corporate campuses are highly inefficient. HungerBox, which is promoted by K. Ganesh's GrowthStory, began pitching the idea of digitalising cafeterias at various large companies. The first few months were difficult. The detractors pointed out the nexus between the junior administration staff and food vendor that could possibly kill the business. There was a backlash from vendors because it was talking about bringing in transparency and processes.

"We approach CXOs and explained to them that F&B (food and beverages) is the second-most important service provided by employers - after transport. We told the companies that they have to bite the bullet," says Mitra.

The first step was to launch company-specific apps that allow employees to book their food (at the office cafeteria) online. People use apps for everything - booking for cabs, movies, bus ticket and other things. The benefit of online is to save the amount of time that otherwise gets wasted in ordering food offline.

Each app is loaded with features. It displays menus of each vendor (each office typically has a bunch of vendors). There's an option of food preferences (right at the top of the user interface) that's curated for each employee based on their order history. Based on aggregated data, vendors are also informed about the preferred food menus. Since the menu changes every day, HungerBox has a call centre team - that can speak in nine languages - that picks up the menu from each vendor. The app shows the waiting time at each vendor, and employees are asked to rate vendors which, in turn, compel vendors to duke it out with each other to improve their ratings. And last but not the least, the app supports payments from 51 banks, major commercial wallets and meal cards (like Sodexo).

"There's something called pay later feature wherein employees can clear their dues twice a month. That's largely mimicking the offline habit of eat-now-pay-later," Mitra says.

In about 22 months of its existence, HungerBox has bagged 69 corporate clients including Qualcomm, Microsoft, Accenture, CapGemini, Genpact, ABB, Amazon and McKinsey in nine cities. It works with 564 partner vendors, and manages 165 cafeterias in nine cities churning out close to 2 lakh transactions a day. The company charges commissions from vendors - about 10 per cent on the overall food sales - and claims to be operationally profitable.

"The vendor is a big beneficiary of our platform. There are estimates of 18-22 per cent pilferages in corporate cafeterias because most of the transactions are done through cash. We help in curtailing pilferages," says Mitra adding that the next phase of growth is going to come from tapping demand in hospitals and schools. "We are planning to add new verticals. There's a separate sales and marketing team and P&L (profit and loss) accounts for each of the nine cities that we operate in."

While doing his graduation, Mitra worked as a part-time waiter at a fast food outlet in Bangalore. Today, he's leading a start-up that has a revenue run-rate of about Rs 180 crore. "My dad still calls me bawarchi," he quips. For him, life seems to have come full circle.Congress president Rahul Gandhi today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of insulting his "mentor" L K Advani despite Hinduism teaching how a "guru" was the most important person in an individual's life.

Addressing a rally of party workers here, Gandhi said Modi did not treat his guru (Advani) with respect even at official functions.

"Everybody knows who is the guru and mentor of Modi -- L K Advani. But the Prime Minister doesn't accord respect to him even at official functions. It is me who follows protocol and I am always with him (Advani) during (such) events," he said.

"Today I feel very sad for Advani ji. The Congress party has given him more respect than Modi ji has," he said.

The Congress president said his party fought and defeated Advani in 2004 and 2009 parliamentary elections. "Now it is the Congress and our party's ideology which give respect to Advani," Gandhi said.

Gandhi said he was the first to pay a visit to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee after his hospitalisation yesterday. "We believe Vajpayee has contributed to the country," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Congress President Rahul Gandhi today pleaded not guilty in a defamation case filed against him by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker in a court here.

Gandhi arrived at the court in Bhiwandi at 11.10 am amid heavy security cover and was greeted by hordes of people raising slogans in his support.

Inside the court, when Judge A I Sheikh, read out charges against him, Gandhi said, "I am not guilty."



The court had on May 2 asked Gandhi to appear before it today to record his plea in the defamation case filed by RSS worker Rajesh Kunte in 2014.

Kunte had filed the case after watching Rahul Gandhi's speech at an election rally in which he had alleged that the RSS was behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi.

"The RSS people had killed (Mahatma) Gandhi," the Congress president had allegedly said in the rally.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Congress President Rahul Gandhi will face trial in a defamation case filed against him by an RSS worker, with a court here in Maharashtra today framing charges against him even as he pleaded not guilty.

The 47-year-old Congress leader appeared before civil judge A I Sheikh in Bhiwandi, who read out the charges levelled against him and also the statement of the complainant Rajesh Kunte.

Kunte had filed the case in 2014 after watching Gandhi's speech at an election rally in which he had claimed that the RSS was behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi.

After reading out the complaint against Gandhi, the judge asked him, "Do you accept the charges?"



To this, Gandhi replied, "I plead not guilty."



The court then proceeded to frame charges against the Congress leader under IPC sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation).

Under section 500, a person found guilty of defamation faces simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.

The court fixed August 10 as the next date of hearing, when the actual trial will begin.

Emerging from the court, Gandhi said if need be, he would be present in the court again.

"Let them (the BJP and the RSS) slap as many cases as they want against me. Ours is a fight of ideology. We will fight them and win," he told reporters outside the court.

On May 2, the court had asked him to appear before it today.

Gandhi, who arrived in Mumbai this morning, reached the magistrate's court at 11.05 am amid heavy security cover and was greeted by supporters who raised slogans in his favour.

He was accompanied by Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan and some other party leaders.

In the court room, Gandhi's counsel Narayan Iyer and the complainant's lawyer Dharghalkar argued over the issue of the submissions made by Gandhi in the High Court where he had submitted the transcript of his speech made during the said election rally at Bhiwandi on March 6, 2014.

The issue of taking it on record in this court was hotly debated and remained inconclusive.

"As per the charge, you (Gandhi) on March 6, 2014, in a rally held for elections at Bhiwandi, Thane, defamed the organisation to which the complainant belongs," the judge said while reading out the charge.

"Your speech, which was telecast on channels and also published in newspapers, damaged the reputation of the complainant and his organisation and you thereby committed an offence under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," he said.

The judge also read out Gandhi's remarks which he had made at the rally and were cited by the complainant.

Gandhi left the court at 12.15 pm.

"On the next date of hearing, the court is likely to pass an order on whether certain documents, including the transcript of the video recording of Gandhi's speech submitted by the complainant, can be admitted as evidence or not," Iyer said.

Gandhi is not required to appear before the court on the next date of hearing, he said.

The court today also allowed an application filed by Gandhi last month seeking a summons trial, which would mean detailed recording of evidence, instead of a 'summary trial'.

While trials in such cases are normally held summarily, Rahul Gandhi filed an application last month seeking for it to be conducted as a 'summons trial'.

"A summary trial is short and will be completed by just submitting the written arguments. We have sought for a summons trial which would go into the in-depth recording of the evidence," Iyer said.

"The case relates to historical facts and hence, we need to rely on several documents and would like to record the evidence of experts," he said.

After the court proceedings got over, Kunte said, "I have full faith in the court and I am sure justice will be delivered."



Rahul Gandhi had earlier moved the Supreme Court seeking quashing of the case.

The apex court had in July 2016 said he should not have resorted to "collective denunciation" of an organisation, and would have to face trial if he did not express regret for his remark.

The Congress leader had declined to accept the suggestion and expressed willingness to face the trial.

In the court room today, Gandhi and the complainant sat at the extreme corners for about one hour while their counsels were examining the documents.

At one point of time, the SPG officials got annoyed as Gandhi was made to use a toilet, which was in dilipidated condition, instead of taking him to the bar room washroom.

Kunte, on the other hand, alleged that the police had given special treatment to Gandhi while he and his counsel were whisked away and subjected to a thorough checking before they entered the court room.

The road leading to Bhiwandi had huge hoardings which said, 'Rahul Gandhi, Sangarsha Karo'.

The hoardings were later pulled down due to the model code of conduct in place for the MLC elections scheduled for June 25.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Congress President Rahul Gandhi will tomorrow meet the family of late Dadaji Khobragade, the rural inventor who revolutionised rice farming, in Chandrapur in Vidarbha, party sources said today.

Khobragade, 78, died earlier this month after a prolonged illness.

"Rahulji will meet Khobragade's kin in his village Nanded in Chandrapur district in the morning," a senior party leader said.

"He will also address a chaupal meeting in the village after meeting the rural inventor's kin before returning to Delhi," the leader added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Rajasthan minister Gulab Chand Kataria today said the state government will write to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for speeding up the process of granting Indian citizenship to Pakistani migrants in the state.

The process is really slow and majority of cases are pending. I will write a letter to the Union home minister to get the process expedited at the central level. There is also a lack of coordination between the state committee and the Union home ministry which should be addressed, Kataria said after holding a meeting with state officials here.

The state home minister informed that there were close to 14,000 Pakistani migrants living in Jodhpur alone.

The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has given its report on 800 papers (applications), but the migrants are still waiting for the citizenship because the process is too slow, he lamented.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Home Minister Rajnath Singh today asked the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) to work towards imparting training in soft skills to all policemen in the country.

Singh conveyed this while reviewing here the progress of establishing Central Detective Training Institutes (CDTI) at Jaipur and Chandigarh. The two institutes will function under the BPRD.

The Home minister also urged for the identification of exceptional police officials at the district level who could be role models for others.

Singh stressed on imparting training skills to prevent cyber crimes and meet the challenges of the changing crime scenario.

The Home minister was given a presentation by Director General of the BPRD A P Maheshwari on the ongoing activities and future projects of the organisation.

A decision has been taken to set up the Centre for Correctional Administration at the recently inaugurated Central Academy for Police Training (CAPT) at Bhopal.

Separate centres for training in prosecution and traffic technologies will also be set up at CAPT, Bhopal.

The Home minister appreciated that the BPR&D has set up a web-portal named e-USTAAD where all the training manuals, presentations and course material have been made available for users. A mobile application is also being developed on these lines.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)RBI Governor Urjit Patel today made a strong case for more powers to effectively regulate public sector banks (PSBs) as lawmakers asked him tough questions over increasing bad loans and frauds.

As per sources, Patel also informed the Standing Committee on Finance that RBI is in communication with the government for discontinuing the practice of appointing RBI nominees on boards of PSBs to avoid to any conflict of interest between the regulator and regulated entities.

Patel was asked about bad loans, bank frauds, cash crunch and other issues, said sources.

They also said he assured the panel members that steps were being taken to strengthen the system.

Regarding PSBs, Patel told the panel that RBI has "inadequate" control over them and asked for more powers to regulate them.

RBI has cited at least 10 areas where it has no control over PSBs. These include, power to remove chairman, director or CEO of a state-owned banks and impose restriction on common directors on PSB boards.

There are 21 state-owned banks, including State Bank of India.

The gross non performing assets (NPAs) or bad loans of PSBs stood at Rs 7.77 lakh crore at end-December 2017. The total NPAs of all banks (including private) was a whopping Rs 8.99 lakh crore.

Patel also told the panel, headed by veteran Congress leader M Veerappa Moily, that there should be no central bank nominee on the boards of PSBs, sources said.

The central bank, he said, was discussing the matter of RBI nominee director with the finance ministry.

He categorically said that the primary and collective responsibility to contain frauds in the banks rests with its board, according to the sources.

Emphasising on the director's role, Patel in a written reply to the panel said the main role of a director on the bank's board, including nominee director, is to ensure that the bank is managed efficiently and professionally, sources said.

Patel was asked questions regarding governance issues in ICICI Bank and Axis Bank.

The proposals coming before the board and its committees are consistent with normal banking practices, guidelines of the government, RBI and are not violative of any law, he said.

"RBI nominee directors should be distanced from management committee of the board (which takes credit decisions), to avoid any conflict of interest and the RBI nominee should not be on the boards of the PSBs," he noted.

Sources further said the RBI governor also answered queries regarding the USD 2 billion fraud allegedly committed by diamantaire Nirav Modi and his associates at PNB.

According to sources, Patel said it was impossible to look after each and every branch of a bank in terms of an audit.

He further said that the separation of the post of Chairman from that of the CEO/MD, in the nationalised banks, has been done with a view to strengthening the independence of the board and enhancing its oversight over the management.

Highlighting the need for implementation of the Nayak committee report, he said it will go long way in improving role of the boards of the nationalised banks.

Sources further said that some members of the committee sought to know about the reasons for recent instances of ATMs running out of cash and why enough steps were not taken to tackle banking frauds.

Patel told the panel that steps were being taken to strengthen the banking system. "We are confident that we will be able to tide over the crisis," a source quoted the governor as saying with respect to the NPA situation.

On an optimistic note, he said, Patel informed the committee that after implementation of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), the situation on the NPA front has been improving.

Sources also said panel members put questions to Patel about final amount of the cash returned to the banking system post demonetisation, but they did not get satisfactory answer.

The RBI Governor also said that the revised framework for NPA identification issued on February 12 would provide sufficient time to banks to put in required resolution plan.

"Thus the revised framework seeks to shorten the time period between manifestation of a financial distress in a borrower and decisive action to resolve the same," he reported said in a written reply.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Reserve Bank needs more powers to oversee public sector (PSBs), Governor told a parliamentary panel on Tuesday amid mounting bad loans in state-run lenders.

The governor, who appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Finance, faced tough questions from lawmakers on bad loans, bank frauds, cash crunch and other issues, according to sources.

Sources said the governor assured the members that steps were being taken to strengthen the system.

Regarding PSBs, he told the panel that the has "inadequate" control over them.

The governor asked for more powers to control the government-owned banks, said sources present at the meeting.

There are 21 state-owned banks, including State Bank of India.

Their combined losses crossed a whopping Rs 873 billion in 2017-18 fiscal, topped by scam-tainted which took a hit of nearly Rs 123 billion.

Of the 21 state-owned banks, only two banks, Indian Bank and Vijaya Bank, posted profits during 2017-18. Indian Bank posted the highest profit of Rs 125,899 million and Vijaya Bank's profit was Rs 7,270 million in the fiscal.

Gross non-performing assets (NPA) of the entire banking sector stood at Rs 8.31 trillion at end-December 2017.

Sources further said the governor also answered queries regarding the $2 billion fraud allegedly committed by diamontaire and his associates in the PNB.

According to sources, Patel said it was impossible to look after each and every branch of a bank in terms of an audit.

Some members of the committee, headed by senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily, sought to know about the reasons for recent instances of ATMs running out of cash and why enough steps were not taken to tackle banking frauds.

Patel told the panel that steps were being taken to strengthen the banking system. "We are confident that we will be able to tide over the crisis," a source quoted the governor as saying with respect to the situation.

On an optimistic note, Patel informed the committee that after implementation of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), the situation on the front has been improving.War profiteers, terror financiers and drug traffickers sanctioned by the US in recent years have used Dubai's real-estate market as a haven for their assets, a new report released today alleges.

The report by the Washington-based Center for Advanced Defense Studies, relying on leaked property data from the city-state, offers evidence to support the long-whispered rumours about Dubai's real-estate boom. It identifies some USD 100 million in suspicious purchases of apartments and villas across the city of skyscrapers in the United Arab Emirates, where foreign ownership fuels construction that now outpaces local demand.

The government-run Dubai Media Office said it could not comment on the report. For its part, the centre known by the acronym C4ADS said Dubai has a "high-end luxury real estate market and lax regulatory environment prizing secrecy and anonymity above all else." That comes as the US already warns that Dubai's economic free zones and trade in gold and diamonds poses a risk.

Dubai, an Arabian Peninsula entrepot, long has been a favourite port of call for those skirting the law. Gold smuggling into India served as one of the emirate's most lucrative trades for the decades after the pearling industry collapsed. Guns, drugs and other illicit cargo also moved through the city-state.

"The permissive nature of this environment has global security implications far beyond the sands of the UAE," the center said in its report. "In an interconnected global economy with low barriers impeding the movement of funds, a single point of weakness in the regulatory system can empower and enable a range of global illicit actors."



The properties in question include million-dollar villas on the fronds of the man-made Palm Jumeirah archipelago to an apartment in the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. Others appear to be one-bedroom apartments in more-affordable neighborhoods in Dubai, the UAE's biggest city.

Among the highest-profile individuals named in the report is Rami Makhlouf, a cousin of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad and one of that country's wealthiest businessmen. The US has sanctioned Makhlouf, who owns the largest mobile phone carrier Syriatel, for using "intimidation and his close ties to the Assad regime to obtain improper financial advantages at the expense of ordinary Syrians."



Makhlouf and his brother, also sanctioned by the US, own real estate on the Palm Jumeirah, according to the report. They also have ties to two UAE-based free-zone companies. The UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms led from oil-rich Abu Dhabi, has opposed Assad in his country's yearslong war.

The UAE also opposes Hezbollah, the Lebanese political party and militia group backed by Iran. However, C4ADS' report identified at least one property directly linked to Lebanese businessmen Kamel and Issam Amhaz, who the US sanctioned in 2014 for helping Hezbollah "covertly purchase sophisticated electronics" for military drones. The report identified another nearly USD 70 million in Dubai properties owned by two other shareholders in Amhaz's sanctioned firms.

Separately, the report identified some USD 21 million in real estate still held by individuals associated with the Altaf Khanani money laundering organization, a Pakistani ring that aided drug traffickers and Islamic extremists like al-Qaida through its currency exchange houses.

The report identified Dubai properties owned by Hassein Eduardo Figueroa Gomez, a Mexican national indicted in the US for importing mass quantities of chemicals needed to make methamphetamine. It also identified properties owned by two Iranians previously sanctioned for their work on Iran's missile program.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Livid residents of Zanskar in the tourist hotspot of Ladakh region in Jammu and Kashmir have threatened to call a complete shutdown in the picturesque valley if their demands for round the clock power supply, better roads and telecom services aren't met within a week.

The threat comes amidst peak tourist season as schools in northern part of the country are shut due to summer vacation. The region is equally popular amongst foreign tourists.

According to Ladakhi Budisht Association Zanskar (LBAZ), which advocates the cause of Zanskar region of Ladakh, the state government has failed to provide them basic facilities.

"If the demands are not fulfilled within a week's time and government fails to reciprocate, we will call for a shutdown of Zanskar region for a week and commence a hunger strike in Kargil, President of LBAZ, Tsewang Chostar said today.

Chostar said the region was facing major power and connectivity crisis.

Mobile networks are only available for six to seven hours in a day. Despite repeated requests, nothing has been done by the authorities, he said.

The visiting domestic and foreign tourists too are hassled due to poor or no connectivity, he said.

The power situation is equally miserable and most of the people are forced to have dinner by the candlelight, he added.

Due to the power outages, small scale industries, offices, restaurants and other establishments have been hit hard during tourist season.

Chostar lamented the delay in completion of Chader road and the work on Nymo-Padam-Darchak highway, which he said was going on at snail's pace.

The LBAZ has submitted a memorandum to the state government including Chairman of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil seeking immediate redressal.

Chostar also lashed out at the Central government, accusing it of neglecting the region.

"Government of India talks about digital India, but unfortunately Zanskar, which has a huge land mass, is totally dependant upon one BSNL tower which remains off most of the times, Chostar said.

The region is known for its tourist destinations yet, not even a single tourist infrastructural project has been granted by the Centre, he said.

He also called upon the government to ensure preservation of ancient monuments which are slowly vanishing from Zanskar area due to step-motherly treatment by the government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)McDonald's 15 outlets in North and East India region have recorded highest ever sales in May. This happened despite the long-drawn dispute between McDonald's and its Indian franchise for North and East region Connaught Plaza Restaurants (CPRL) - a Delhi-based company run by Vikram Bakshi.

According to a report in the Economic Times, the sales are up anywhere between 2 and 17 per cent across restaurants in Delhi, Kolkata, Gwalior and Lucknow. "In terms of sales, this is an all-time high since the opening of these restaurants," CPRL MD Vikram Bakshi told the ET.

Speaking on the current dispute and its impact, Bakshi said: "The numbers prove that the consumer doesn't care about the controversy. There is nothing different or unique being done other than staying with the basics, which is ensuring regular supplies, quality of product and service. All this despite the situation and conditions not being perfect for operating the restaurants."

The fight between McDonald's and Bakshi began in 2013 after fast food giant removed Bakshi as the Managing Director of CPRL. The National Company Law Tribunal later reinstated him and also refrained McDonald's from interfering in the functioning of CPRL besides appointing an administrator to oversee the smooth functioning of CPRL.

The battle which gained momentum after Bakhshi's ouster turned ugly when McDonald's India terminated the franchise agreement of 169 outlets last year in August. As per the termination notice served by the US-based fast food company, these restaurants were barred from using McDonald's brand name, trademark, design, operating and marketing practices and policies, food recipes and specifications after September 5, 2017.

Bakshi remained adamant, stating that he will continue to use the McDonald's brand for the restaurants despite the franchise agreement being terminated. Both the parties are now fighting out their case in various legal forums including NCLT, NCLAT and Delhi high court. Bakshi continues to operate the outlets.

While Bakshi maintained that he would continue to run the outlets, McDonald's issued a warning to customers against eating at any of its North and East Indian region. In an e-mail statement to Quartz, McDonald's India spokesperson said: "Since the termination of the franchise agreement, MIPL has not been able to verify if the unauthorised McDonald's restaurants operated by CPRL in north and east India are complying with applicable McDonald's standards, including those pertaining to supplies, operations and safety standards, and quality required for McDonald's products."Rose McGowan was indicted by a Virginia court on a felony charge of possession of cocaine, legal documents confirm.

The 44-year-old actor-turned-activist was not present in the courtroom in Loudon County when the verdict was announced, according to local station WTOP.

She will also miss her trial which is set for today.

If convicted, the "Charmed" alum could face up to 10 years in prison.

In November, McGowan pled not guilty after cocaine was found in a wallet belonging to her that was left behind on her January 2017 flight to Washington for the Women's March.

Interestingly, her arrest warrant did not come to light for another nine months and not until after the publication of two damaging reports detailing decades of sexual misconduct by embattled producer Harvey Weinstein, whom McGowan has accused of raping her.

Weinstein had settled a lawsuit with McGowan in 1997 regarding the same.

The actor's lead attorney, Jim Hundley, did not respond to a request for comment.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.): Red-faced over open criticism by its leaders on the decision to forego the Rajya Sabha seat in favour of KC(M), Congress in Kerala today put a gag on its leaders from airing their opinions in public.

The KPCC at its meeting here also resolved to implement a code of conduct to end controversial statements from party leaders and workers "that will demean the party" and take stern action against those violating the guidelines.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President M M Hassan said that the meeting authorised him to prepare the code of conduct.

The meeting,he said,viewed with seriousness the criticism over the RS seat being allotted to Kerala Congress (M) and assured that any decision on such issues in future would be taken collectively after discussions with others.

Hassan said that he and opposition leader in the assembly Ramesh Chennithala informed the meeting that the decision to give the seat to KC(M) was taken with a view to strengthen UDF.

The June 7 decision of the Congress to hand over the lone RS seat to KC-M as a condition for its return to the Front after it snapped ties two years ago had triggered strong protests from a section of party leaders in the state.

Congress leader and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien and former KPCC Chief V M Sudheeran were in the forefront in attacking the decision, which, they alleged, had been taken without taking the party into confidence.

Sudheeran and Kurien had stated that the decision lacked transparency and was taken by Chandy, Chennithala and KPCC Chief M M Hassan without any consultations in the party.

Polling for the biennial election for three Rajya Sabha seats from the state is scheduled for June 21.

These seats will fall vacant on July 1 when the terms of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien of the Congress, C P Narayanan of the CPI-M and Joy Abraham of Kerala Congress end.

Mani is currently the lone Kerala Congress (M) member in the Lok Sabha.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hollywood star Rupert Everett has revealed he lost on "three or four" big films because of his sexual orientation.

The "My Best Friend's Wedding" star called the film industry "aggressively heterosexual, which treats gay artistes as "second-class citizens".

"There's tons of roles that I haven't got for lots of different reasons, some of them probably for not being a good enough actor or doing a lousy audition, all that counts. But there were three or four big films, when I was successful, that the director and the other actors wanted me to be in and that I was absolutely blocked from by a studio, just for the fact of being gay. That does absolutely happen," Everett said in an interview with the Press Association.

"That does absolutely happen. But at the same time it has been the making of me as well. The struggle that has forced me to have has been great, in a way. I think my career as a writer would not have happened if I had been heterosexual, active, working non-stop," he added.

The 59-year-old actor, who will next be seen playing Oscar Wilde in "The Happy Prince," said the problems he faced in Hollywood helped him to relate to his role as the gay Irish writer.

"My position of working in this aggressively heterosexual milieu of show business has definitely made me feel kind of parallel (to Wilde). Of course, I haven't been put in prison and subjected to hard labour and I haven't died from it but I have been constantly on the back foot, really, in my career as a gay actor.

"...For gay performers there is no, or very little, back and forth. In other words, the straights can play all the gay characters they want but the gays don't get much of a chance to play any straight characters because, as far as this status quo is concerned, we are still gay and no matter how macho you are, they will just still think of you probably as a gay," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Writer Ryan Murphy said he wants to headline a talk show on Netflix.

The 52-year-old scribe, known for series such as "Glee", "American Horror Story", "American Crime Story" and most recently "Pose", says he would like to have a David Letterman-like show for the streaming service, People magazine reported.

"I want my own talk show. Just me and one of the people that I love," Murphy said while talking about the show "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman", which aired this January.

The writer made headlines early this year when he signed a major deal with Netflix worth USD 300 million.

Murphy already has his first two Netflix series - comedy "The Politician" and drama "Ratched" in the pipeline.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Retail sales of platinum jewellery continued to grow in India, Japan and the United States, even outperforming gold in some areas, a top industry official said.

"We saw India, US, Japan market for platinum jewellery grow in three out of four key markets in 2017," Platinum Guild International (PGI), CEO, Huw Daniel said.

"The trend is tied to a robust global economy and historically low platinum prices," he told PTI.

According to Platinum Guild International, MD, Vaishali Banerjee, as per the fifth annual report of Platinum Jewellery Business Review, a strong consumer retail sales was reported in United States, Japan and India in 2017.

Banerjee said the outlook was "strong " given that new branded segment, Platinum Love Bands and Platinum Evera were getting embedded in India's culture and the business opportunity that platinum offers to retailers was "incremental and sustainable."



On the projected growth of sales of platinum in India, she said, it was looking positive and expected a 25-30 per cent growth.

"We believe to continue with this growth momentum in coming years."



Responding to a query on the profile of the customers purchasing platinum, she said, "The rarity of the metal and the distinct emotional positioning has made the preferred choice of millennials to celebrate significant milestones.""Platinum Love Bands accounted for 60 per cent of retail sales, and there was a growing preference for bracelets, chains, pendants for occasions..," she noted.

Platinum jewellery designs are a perfect blend of "contemporary and traditional" influences which 'millennium audience' prefers. The designs address the desire to stay exclusive and distinctive, she said.

"We started the men's marketing programme with bands and today it is extended to chains and bracelets," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 42-year-old sarpanch of Lambra village was allegedly beaten to death by a fellow resident following a dispute over plantation of trees, police said today.

Davinder Singh was seriously wounded when Manmohan Singh, alias Mohni, of his village allegedly assaulted him with a wooden stick last night, they said.

Singh succumbed to his injuries at a local civil hospital today, police said.

Station House Officer of Bulhowal police station, Yadwinder Singh, said there was some dispute between Singh and Manmohan over plantation of some trees near the house of the latter.

A case under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code was registered in the Bulhowal police station in this connection and police is searching the accused.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)"The Message", Syrian-American director Moustafa Akkad's epic film about Prophet Mohammed, will be screened for the first time in Saudi cinemas on Thursday -- four decades after an initial ban.

"Knowing that there were so many difficulties... , now that they're showing it in the theatres I couldn't be happier," Akkad's son told AFP.

The 1976 film has been widely-watched in the Arab world since its release. But it was banned in the land of Islam's holiest sites and boycotted by conservatives for its depiction of the prophet and his companions.

"It caused a lot of controversy and there were a lot of obstacles put in its way," said Akkad's son, Malik Moustafa Akkad, noting it remains banned in Kuwait.

Saudi Arabia lifted a longstanding ban on cinemas last year, part of an easing of social restrictions pushed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi theatres will now screen a restored version of the 1976 epic, produced from the film's original negatives.

"Even if you've seen the film, you've never seen it look this good," said Akkad's son. The late director "always intended it to be a big-screen event. And that's the way to see it", he added.

Profits from the screenings will support a scholarship fund for filmmakers from the region to study at Moustafa Akkad's alma mater, the University of Southern California.

The Aleppo-born director perished with his daughter in the 2005 Amman hotel bombings claimed by Al-Qaeda that cost dozens of lives.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A major tragedy was averted today as security forces detected and destroyed an IED in the Awantipora area of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

A foot patrol of security forces detected an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by militants at Kanjinag this morning, a police official said.

A bomb disposal squad was summoned to the spot and the IED destroyed, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)BJP president Amit Shah today met former Lokayukta of Madhya Pradesh Justice PP Naolekar and former Supreme Court judge Justice DM Dharmadhikari here as part of his party's "contact for support" campaign ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

During the meeting, Shah spoke about the achievements and initiatives of the Modi government in the last four years.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, BJP state unit chief Rakesh Singh and some other party leaders accompanied Shah during this meeting.

As part of the campaign, Shah has been meeting personalities from diverse fields.

The Assembly election in Madhya Pradesh is also scheduled in November this year.

Earlier in the day, Shah performed puja on the banks of river Narmada.

He also held a meeting with the party leaders in the hotel at Bhedaghat which lasted about three hours.

He also addressed the party's social media volunteers.

The police arrested about 30 women workers of the Congress when they tried to show black flags while Shah was on his way to the venue of the BJP's Election Management Committee meeting in a hotel in Bhedaghat, DIG, Jabalpur, Bhagwant Singh Chouhan, said.

He added that a woman, identified as Jyoti Singh, was also detained when she breached Shah's security ring in a bid to meet the BJP president.

Jyoti Singh is estranged daughter-in-law of a woman BJP MLA and both are embroiled in a legal battle over the property, a BJP leader said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union minister and RPI (A) leader Ramdas Athawale today appealed to the Shiv Sena not to break its alliance with the BJP, saying any such act will result in electoral losses for it.

The Dalit leader also asserted that his own party's alliance with the the BJP remains intact.

The Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment said the Shiv Sena will suffer in elections if it quits the BJP-led NDA.

"If the Sena does not ally with the BJP, it will suffer in upcoming elections," he said, addressing a press conference here in North Maharashtra.

The Rajya Sabha MP said he will speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and persuade him to talk to Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on continuing the alliance between the two saffron parties.

The Sena and the BJP are part of the governments at the Centre and also in Maharashtra.

Sena has earlier announced that it will contest all future polls alone.

Last week, BJP president Amit Shah had called on Thackeray in Mumbai and the meeting was seen as an effort to reduce the tension between the bickering allies.

Asked about the rising incidents of atrocities on Dalits in the country, Athawale blamed them on the existing social system and maintained that the government was not responsible for such cases.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Last week, Videocon Industries was admitted by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for insolvency proceedings. The first homegrown consumer durable company in India owes a consortium of banks led by the State Bank of India around Rs 39,000 crore. According to Bloomberg, the beleaguered company is casting the blame on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Supreme Court and the Brazilian government for its financial woes. The report added that Videocon has also filed an appeal to wrest back control.

In a regulatory filing yesterday, Videocon attached a copy of the NCLT order where it has also pleaded its case. "Learned counsel [on behalf of Videocon Group] has also highlighted that the Corporate Debtor [Videocon Industries Limited] had always cooperated with the Bank Authorities in timely repayment of loan in the past, but at present the default has happened because of the unexpected and unforeseen circumstances," said the court order.

The first of these unforeseen circumstances to be listed is the Supreme Court's decision to cancel 156 2G licences of various telecom operators. The Group has alleged that the "telecom business was victimised" by the ruling and as a stakeholder Videocon too was badly affected. "The Group had suffered huge losses in telecom business on account of cancellation of license, which resulted into non-payment of bank liabilities," read the order. Next on the list is the Brazilian government, because red tapism on their part in granting sanctions to Videocon's joint venture with Brazil Petroleum Limited resulted in "heavy losses".

Even Modi's surprise demonetisation decision finds mention. "The Learned Counsel has also informed that [Videocon Industries] was in the business of manufacturing and supply of cathode ray tube televisions," said the court order, adding that Videocon was the only player boasting considerable profit margins. That is till demonetisation, on account of which suppliers were unable to provide the raw material, which in turn caused a sharp decline in the business and Videocon "was constrained to close that business".

The report added that the company's shares, which have plunged a whopping 96 per cent over the past five years, was trading at Rs 7.56 apiece on the BSE today.

Meanwhile, a response from Videocon states, "...in the notification filed by Videocon on the exchanges, Videocon has not blamed Honorable PM Narendra Modi for the its debt pile and has only pointed towards demonetisation for increased challenges in business."Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena today inducted seven new ministers in his government, including a Tamil who is the only elected representative of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party from Jaffna, the capital of Northern district.

Two state ministers and five deputy ministers were sworn-in by Sirisena at a function at the Presidential Secretariat, amid an internal bickering within the unity government.

Angajan Ramanathan, of the Sirisena-led Sri Lanka Freedom Party from Jaffna, was appointed as a deputy minister.

The main Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance, had last week objected to Ramanathan being appointed as the deputy Speaker of Parliament.

Five out of the seven ministers appointed today are from Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe-led United National Party (UNP).

Sirisena and Wickremesinghe are involved in a political tug of war since mid February when the President asked the Prime Minister to step down.

The expansion is being seen as a reward to the UNP back benchers, who stood by Wickremesinghe when no trust motion against the premier was brought by the united Opposition in Parliament in early April.

With today's swearing-in, the number of state ministers and the number of deputy ministers has increased to 22 each.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Three more prosecution witnesses in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati alleged fake encounter cases today turned hostile in a special CBI court in Mumbai, taking the total number of such witnesses to 65.

The three witnesses, comprising a woman, her neighbour, and a Rajasthan Police personnel deposed before special CBI judge S J Sharma.

Among the witnesses, Muni Devi, whose husband had rented their house in Bhilwada to Tulsiram Prajapati, had earlier told the CBI that Sameer (an alias used by Prajapati as per the CBI) was staying as their tenant for 10-15 days prior to his arrest in November 2005.

Devi was declared hostile by the CBI which told the court that Prajapati was arrested immediately after his arrival from Hyderabad and was not staying as a tenant.

Another witness declared hostile by the CBI was Devi's neighbour Shankar Singh Rathod.

Rathod had earlier said that he had seen the police taking Tulsiram Prajapati along with them from Devi's house on November 26, 2005.

However, the CBI claimed Prajapati was arrested on November 29, 2005.

Third witness Chandu Lal, who was then a constable at Police Lines in Udaipur, had told the CBI that he had handed over the daily arms and ammunition entry register for the period between January 29, 2016 and August 25, 2008 to the CBI.

He had stated that he had made an entry about arms and ammunition issued to ASI Narayan Singh, who was deputed to escort a prisoner.

However, Lal today said he was not aware of the contents of the register, following which he was declared hostile.

Sohrabuddin, a suspected gangster, was killed in an alleged fake encounter by the Gujarat Police in November 2005.

Prajapati was also allegedly killed in a similar manner by the Gujarat and Rajasthan police in December 2006.

Of the 38 people charged by the CBI, 15 people have been discharged by the court.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Spiritual guru Bhayyu Maharaj Bhayyu Maharaj, who had refused to accept ministerial rank granted by the Madhya Pradesh government over two months back, today allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself here, police said.

"Bhayyu Maharaj has committed suicide by shooting himself," Indore's Deputy Inspector General (DIG) H C Mishra said.

He shot himself at his home, Mishra said.

A large number of his supporters gathered in front of the hospital where the 50-year-old 'godman' was rushed after the shooting incident.

Bhayyu Maharaj, whose original name was Uday Singh Deshmukh, was one of the five 'saints' to whom the Shivraj Singh government of Madhya Pradesh had granted Minister of State (MoS) rank in April.

However, he had refused to accept it, saying "a post holds no importance for a saint".

Prior to becoming the spiritual guru, he had done a modelling stint, his disciples said.

He enjoyed a large following among politicians and film stars.

Mostly all Mahrashtra Chief Ministers including the incumbent, Devendra Fadnavis and former President Pratibha Patil used to pay obeisance to him.

When India Against Corruption (IAC) movement led by Anna Hazare was at its peak some years back, he had negotiated with the agitators to break their fast.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Spiritual guru Bhayyu Maharaj, who had refused to accept ministerial rank granted by the Madhya Pradesh government over two months back, today allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself here, police said.

"Bhayyu Maharaj has committed suicide by shooting himself at his home," Indore's Deputy Inspector General (DIG) H C Mishra said.

Another top police officer told PTI, "He shot himself on his right temple in a room bolted from inside. His body was brought out by breaking the door of the room and taken to hospital, where he was declared 'brought dead'."



The exact cause behind his extreme step would be known after a detailed probe, he said.

The officer said a notepad was found in his room on which he had purportedly written, 'Somebody should be there to handle duties of family, I am leaving, too much stressed out, fed up'.

The family members of the spiritual guru claimed that this was his own handwriting but the police will verify this through experts, the officer said.

Deshmukh's first wife, Madhavi, had passed away in November 2015. Later in April last year, he had married Dr Ayushi Sharma, a native of Shivpuri. He has a daughter from his first wife.

The body of Bhayyuji Maharaj, whose original name is Uday Singh Deshmukh, was taken to Government MY Hospital for post-mortem.

Indore Collector Nishant Warwade said under what circumstances he committed suicide is a matter of investigation and only after that there will be clarity.

As the reports about the incident spread, a large number of his supporters gathered in front of Bombay Hospital where the 50-year-old 'godman' was rushed after the shooting incident.

The saint is very popular in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh because of his spiritual and social works.

Bhayyu Maharaj was one of the five 'saints' to whom the Shivraj Singh government of Madhya Pradesh had granted Minister of State (MoS) rank in April. However, he had refused to accept it, saying "a post holds no importance for a saint".

Prior to becoming the spiritual guru, he had done a modelling stint, his disciples said.

He enjoyed a large following among politicians and film stars.

Most of Maharashtra leaders, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, former chief minister late Vilasrao Deshmukh and former President Pratibha Patil used to pay obeisance to him.

Narendra Modi, as Gujarat Chief Minister, had invited him to end his three-day Sadbhavana Upwas (Goodwill Fast) in September 2011 at Ahmedabad. This high profile Spiritual Guru had offered juice to Modi to end his fast.

When India Against Corruption (IAC) movement led by Anna Hazare was at its peak some years back, he had negotiated with the agitators to break their fast.

While paying tribute to Bhayyuji Maharaj, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister tweeted, "My tribute to saint Bhayyuji Maharaj, The country has lost a person who was a confluence of culture, knowledge & service. Your thoughts will motivate society to follow the path of serving humanity.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A judicial officer today sat next to a pile of garbage in a market here, lying uncleared for weeks, prompting the civic authorities to swing into action and remove the waste within hours.

Sub-judge and Secretary of the Ernakulam district legal services authority A M Basheer resorted to the direct action after he was informed by traders at the busy Ernakulam Vegetables and Fruits market that the garbage had been lying for more than a month.

Basheer, who was on an inspection to the market to check shops functioning without licences, took a chair from one of the outlets and sat next to the pile of waste, insisting that he would leave the place only after the rubbish was removed.

The move of the sub-judge was informed to the corporation authorities by the police.

The civic authorities rushed and arranged for clearing the garbage.

Later, Basheer told reporters that he took the step as he came to know of the health risk posed to the students of a school in the neighbourhood.

Sources said the corporation had decided to initiate disciplinary action against its officials whose alleged apathy created the problem.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Drug major Sun Pharmaceutical Industries today said it has received establishment inspection report (EIR) from the US health regulator for its Halol facility in Gujarat.

The company has received EIR from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for the inspection conducted at the Halol facility during the period February 12-23, 2018, Sun Pharma said in a filing to BSE.

"The agency concluded that the inspection is now closed and the issues contained in the warning letter issued in December 2015 have been addressed," it added.

Commenting on the development, Sun Pharma MD Dilip Shanghvi said, "This is an important development for Sun Pharma. We remain committed to following the highest levels of quality and 24x7 cGMP compliance at all our manufacturing facilities globally."



In February, the USFDA had issued three observations after inspecting the facility. The company had said it was preparing the response to the observations.

Sun Pharma had received a warning letter from the USFDA over violation of manufacturing norms in its facility at Halol in Gujarat in end of 2015.

This followed inspection of the facility in September 2014 by FDA inspectors.

Shares of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries today closed at Rs 540.50 per scrip on BSE, up 1.03 per cent from its previous close.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Tractors and Farm Equipment (TAFE) today said it has entered into a collaboration with UK-based Harper Adams University for development of advanced technological, agronomic and educational solutions for delivery of sustainable food production around the world.

The collaboration will include joint research projects and programmes, joint publications and staff exchanges, the company said in a statement.

"This collaboration will provide opportunities for developing a range of advanced training skills, learning and the promotion of international technology transfer and exchange," TAFE President & COO T R Kesavan said.

The areas of research will focus on agriculture, engineering and technology development programmes on autonomous farming and energy efficient implements, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems and sensor technologies, among others.

The partnership will also include working together on 'the Hands free hectare project' to be implemented at JFarm India TAFE's adaptive agriculture research centre, it added.

Engineers from TAFE have moved into the new Agri-EPI Centre on the Harper Adams University campus to work on the centre's first major research and development project.

Harper Adams University engineering lecturer, Kit Franklin said,"We at Harper Adams have been building contacts with TAFE for the last 18 months...Along with the completion of the project, I hope the team will get a flavour of British agriculture, helping them to return with fresh new ideas".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Provisional tea exports to Pakistan during the three-month period from January to April 2018 has increased to 5.03 million kilograms (mkgs) as compared to the actual figure of the previous corresponding period of 3.31 mkgs.

Total provisional exports during the Jan-April period of 2018 stood at 79.72 mkgs, up from 74.89 mkgs during the previous corresponding period, according to Tea Board data.

Total value of exports in rupee terms during the three month period of 2018 touched Rs 1525 crore as compared to Rs 1448 in 2018 crore with respective unit prices being Rs 191.28 per kilo and Rs 193.23 per kilo.

Total exports to CIS countries during the three-month period of 2018 was lower at 20.46 mkgs from 22.28 mkgs in previous similar period.

Other major importers included Iran, UAE and Egypt where the provisional exports data for the three-month period showed an increase, according to the data.

Total tea production during April 2018 showed a decline at 85.74 mkgs as compared to 92.41 mkgs in April 2017.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Three people, including two police officers, were killed and several others wounded in an armed assault on a police post in remote northern Nicaragua, police said today.

The Central American country has been wracked by weeks of violence which have killed more than 130 people in predominantly urban protests against the government of President Daniel Ortega.

Police said "15 hooded individuals attacked with firearms the police post at Silao Paraska," in Mulukuku municipality in the Caribbean north of the country.

Two police officers were killed, two wounded and one kidnapped by the armed group, while one of the gang was killed and two wounded, the statement said.

Authorities called on protesters to "respect public and private property and the right of people to move freely throughout the territory." The policemen were named Dixon Soza, 43, and Carlos Zamora, 36. Police gave no motive for the attack.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)IVADO and Next AI, two artificial intelligence (AI) accelerator firms in Quebec, a predominantly French-speaking province in eastern Canada, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Maharashtra to set up AI clusters in the state.

During Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' visit to Middle East, Canada and the US to attract investments into the state, IVADO has signed a collaboration agreement with the Department of IT, Maharashtra for setting up an AI accelerator in the state. IVADO and Maharashtra also signed a Letter of Intent to become part of the World Organization on AI. Next AI too has signed an agreement with the government of Maharashtra's Department of Information Technology to set up a joint AI accelerator to promote 50 AI start-up units in the state. IVADO and Applied AI Research Institute of Mumbai, launched in February, will work together to set up AI clusters in Maharashtra in conjunction with IIT Mumbai, said sources.

Canada based IVADO acts as a facilitator of professionals and academic researchers to develop cutting-edge expertise in data science, operational research and artificial intelligence and creates opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaborations between specialists, partners, researchers and students in its network. NextAI is a global innovation hub for AI related venture creation and technology commercialisation and has access to up to $200,000 in capital, world-renowned faculty and scientists, a network of Canada's top business leaders and entrepreneurs and cutting edge AI tools, said sources.

Speaking at a panel discussion on the topic in Quebec, Fadnavis said that Maharashtra was the first state in India to come out with a comprehensive cloud policy that has enabled the entire government to take steps to shift its operations to cloud and take advantage of the capabilities of cloud computing. In this direction, the government has come out with the first fintech policy in India that includes incentives to start-ups, fintech registry etc. Additionally, the IT department of the state government has also embarked on the use of blockchain in some key areas such as land registry, healthcare, transport, etc.

Meanwhile, the delegation from Maharashtra has also got investment commitments in ports, infrastructure and urban housing, including slum redevelopments projects, from the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) key decision makers and business leaders.The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership has called an extended core committee meeting next week to evaluate its pancahayat poll results and decide its strategy for the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will address the meeting scheduled to be held on June 21, party sources said.

"This will be the first extended core committee meeting of the party after the panchayat polls. There will be assessment of the panchayat results and accordingly steps would be taken," a senior TMC leader said.

The TMC scripted a resounding victory in the 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.

Senior leaders will also discuss the present political situation in the state and the country, and will also spell out its line of action for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2019.

"Our party is planning to play a bigger role in national So it is necessary to win a large number of seats from the state," the leader said.

Changes at various levels of district leaderships are also likely to be made at the meeting.

The party is also likely to decide the fate of those panchayat members of previous term who had not been given tickets this time.

They would likely to be given important posts in the party to avoid dissidence and infighting, the leader said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Accusing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of "unleashing terror" in Junglemahal area, the West Bengal unit of the BJP today said people there would give a "befitting reply" to the ruling party in next Lok Sabha polls.

The TMC is trying to "terrorise" Junglemahal people as they had voted against the party in the Panchayat polls, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said.

"The ruling party is trying to suppress the voice of the people," Ghosh told reporters.

The Junglemahal area, comprising forested areas of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura districts, disturbed the TMC's near-sweep trend in the polls, with the BJP bagging a chunk of the panchayat seats in the region.

The TMC is trying to "wipe out" every sign of opposition from West Bengal, Ghosh alleged.

"Our workers are being killed every day. But we will continue our democratic fight till we end the misrule of the TMC government, he said.

Taking a dig at the TMC's recent comment about winning 42 Lok Sabha seats in next general elections, Ghosh said the ruling party should calculate after keeping aside the four parliamentary constituencies of Junglemahal - Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, Medinipur.

Once hit by Maoist insurgency, the three districts of Junglemahal had witnessed violent clashes during the panchayat polls.

Ghosh yesterday met family members of two partymen, who were allegedly killed in the violence.

Days after the results of panchayat polls were declared, two BJP activists - 35-year-old Dulal Kumar and 20-year-old Trilochan Mahato - were also found hanging under mysterious circumstances in Balarampur area of Purulia district.

Demanding a CBI inquiry into the two incidents, the saffron party alleged that the deaths were "political murders" committed by the TMC, a charge denied by the ruling party.

BJP national president Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Purulia on June 27 to hold meetings with district leaders.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam today charged DMK with instigating government employees, who are on a fast, pressing several demands.

DMK members staged a walkout, accusing the government of not coming forward for talks with the employees.

After meeting the protesting government employees, opposition leader in the assembly M K Stalin demanded that Chief Minister K Palaniswami hold talks with them and implement their demands.

Stalin, also the DMK working president, after meeting employees affiliated to Joint Action Committee of Tamil Nadu Teachers' Organisations- Government Employees' Organisations (JACTTO-GEO) referred to their demands, including implementing the old pension scheme.

Congress Legislature Party leader K R Ramasamy and the lone IUML member K A M Mohammed Abubacker backed Stalin's demand.

After explaining various steps the government took and the pay hike given to them, Panneerselvam sought cooperation of the government employees.

He sought the support of the leader of the opposition and other opposition parties over this issue.

Stalin reiterated that talks should be held with the employees and he expected a reply from the Chief Minister.

To this, Panneerselvam said "he (Stalin) has spoken in a way instigating them..he has told them that this government (AIADMK) will not do it (fulfill your demands) and that only they will do it after coming to power."



Blaming the government for not holding talks like during the Tuticorin issue, Stalin said since the "government is not coming forward for talks we are staging a walkout."



Blaming the government for not holding talks like during the Tuticorin issue,Stalin said "since the government is not coming forward for talks, we are staging a walkout."DMK, Congress, and the IUML member followed suit.

Panneerselvam reeled out statistics saying that about 70 per cent of the State's tax revenue is spent on salaries and pension for government employees, including teachers (12 lakh employees and 7.42 lakh pensioners).

About 24 per cent is spent on paying interest for loans secured to fund development work and only the remaining six per cent (along with the Central devolution of Rs 41,600 crore) is used to fund various welfare projects, he said.

"If the administrative expenditure is exceedingly high, it will not be possible to allocate funds for projects. All responsible government employees are well aware of this."



If government employees functioned by understanding this factor, "we can together do good to the people," he said.

Panneerselvam also referred to various benefits for the employees, including implementing increase in salaries (effective October 1, 2017, which entailed an additional expenditure of Rs 14,719 crore) and gratuity (to Rs 20 lakh from previous Rs 10 lakh).

He said a panel was looking into employees' grievances on pay anomalies and added that another committee set up to explore possibilites of reverting to the Old Pension Scheme was also set to submit its report.

Addressing pay anomalies and reversion to the old pension scheme are among the demands of the employees.

Panneerselvam said the Adiseshiah panel was set up only to examine ways to cut down revenue expenditure and not to downscale the strength of government employees.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami said it was wrong to say that talks were not held on the Tuticorin issue. He said talks were held for as many as 14 times by Tuticorin district authorities.

On the demands of the government employees, he said only on the receipt of reports filed by the committees to go into such issues whatever possible will be done.

Last month, a proposed march to the Secretariat byy government employees to press for their demands, including implementation of the 'old pension scheme', was foiled by police who detained 7,500 protesters, a move which drew flak from opposition parties.

They had held similar protests beginning last year over such issues.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Following are the top stories from the northern region at 4.45 pm



SRINAGAR DES8 JK-OMAR



Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah today said militants "will only have themselves to blame" if security forces hit them harder than before after the Centre's peace initiative ends.

NAINITAL DES5 UKD TRAFFIC NAINITAL



Nainital: The popular hill station of Nainital has shut its doors to tourists arriving in vehicles, with authorities putting up houseful banners at various points on the outskirts of the resort town.

LUCKNOW DES4 UP-BHIM ARMY-INROADS



Lucknow: The Bhim Army, which hit headlines after the Saharanpur riots of 2017, is making quiet inroads in Uttar Pradesh to oust the BJP and the RSS in the next Lok Sabha elections.

JAMMU DES9 JK-FIR-TELECOM



Jammu: An FIR has been registered against major telecom players Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio for reportedly carrying out unauthorised digging and damaging 62 km of roads in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir.

CHANDIGARH NRG10 HR-GOVT SERVICE-AGE



Chandigarh: The Haryana government has raised the upper age limit of entry into government service from 40 to 42 years, an official spokesperson said today.

LUCKNOW NRG7 UP-BJP-CYBER SENA UP BJP



Lucknow: The UP BJP has geared up to prepare its "cyber sena" for the 2019 Lok Sabha election, with the party hoping to have around 2 lakh such trained social media experts across the state within the next three months.

EXPECTED STORIES



Chandigarh: A Haryana school education board class 12 topper is dejected as another student with the same marks has been given a cash prize by the state govt while ignoring him.

Chandigarh: Punjab's finance department unearthed Rs 19.29 crore embezzlement of public funds.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)US President Donald Trump spoke over phone with two of his closest allies -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Moon Jae-in of South Korea -- ahead of his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the White House said.

In two separate readouts of the phone call, held on the eve of the Singapore meeting, the White House said Trump agreed to consult with them before his summit meeting with Kim.

"The two leaders (Trump and Abe) discussed recent developments ahead of today's summit with North Korea and agreed to consult closely following the meeting," the White House said today.

Trump spoke with Moon to discuss recent developments ahead of the North Korea summit.

"The two leaders vowed to continue their close coordination following President Trump's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore," said a readout of the phone call.

In Singapore, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters that the US is aiming for a comprehensive, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization on the Korean peninsula.

"We're prepared to take actions that will provide them sufficient certainty that they can be comfortable that denuclearization isn't something that ends badly for them. Indeed, just the opposite: that it leads to a brighter, better future for the North Korean people," he said.

"The United States has been fooled before -- there's no doubt about it. Many Presidents previously have signed off on pieces of paper, only to find that the North Koreans either didn't promise what we thought they had or actually reneged on their promises," Pompeo said in response to a question.

The Trump administration, he said, is going to ensure that they set up a system sufficiently robust that they are able to verify outcomes of the summit.

"It's only once the 'V' happens that we'll proceed apace. That's what's been missed before. We can go back to Reagan, 'trust but verify'," he said.

"At the end of the day, both countries are going to have to come to have sufficient trust in each other and to do the verification that each country needs that we've provided the things that are called for that we commit to in the various documents that we sign, both tomorrow, if we sign a document and if we sign subsequent documents," Pompeo said.

He added that the two countries need to ensure that they take the actions necessary to follow through on those commitments.

"And when we do, we'll have a verified deal. If we can get that far, we will have had a historic change here in Southeast Asia, North Asia, and all around the world," he added.

Pompeo said over three months, an inter-agency working group of over 100 experts across government has met multiple times a week to address technical and logistical issues associated with dismantling North Korea's weapons programmes.

"On the ground in Singapore, we have a team that includes the President's senior most expert in weapons of mass destruction who can cover any technical needs that the meetings may present. Any suggestion that the US somehow lacks the technical expertise across government or lacks it on the ground here in Singapore is mistaken," the top American diplomat said.

North Korea, he said, has previously confirmed to the US its willingness to denuclearize.

"And we are eager to see if those words prove sincere. The fact that our two leaders are sitting down face to face is a sign of the enormous potential to accomplish something that will immensely benefit both of our peoples and the entire world," he said.

Trump believes that Kim has an unprecedented opportunity to change the trajectory of our relationship and bring peace and prosperity to his country, he said.

"We are hopeful this summit will have set the conditions for future productive talks. In light of how many flimsy agreements the United States has made in previous years, this President will ensure that no potential agreement will fail to adequately address the North Korean threat," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, host of the historic Trump-Kim summit, today hailed as a "dramatic step forward" the agreement signed between the leaders of the United States and North Korea.

In identical letters to US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Lee congratulated them on the successful conclusion of the summit, adding that Singapore is honoured to be the host.

At the summit held in Singapore, Trump and Kim signed a document in which North Korea committed to "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula" in exchange for US security guarantees.

"It is a crucial first move in the long journey towards lasting peace and stability on a denuclearised Korean Peninsula," Lee wrote in both the letters.

To Trump, the prime minister also said that he looks forward to welcoming the US President again in Singapore in November for a state visit.

To Kim, he wrote: "I hope you have enjoyed your stay in Singapore, including the walk at Marina Bay, and I look forward to meeting you again in the near future."



Later, in a Facebook post, Lee also thanked Singaporeans and the people who worked on the summit, the first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.

"You did an outstanding job, making sure each component of the Summit was well taken care of," Lee wrote. "Thanks also to Singaporeans for showing the world what we can do. Thank you all!"



Singapore spent over USD 15 million, mostly on security, to ensure an incident-free summit between Trump and Kim.

The summit was covered by nearly 3,000 journalists.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un signed a "very comprehensive" document after their historic summit today, with the US president saying that the process of denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula will begin "very soon" and the North Korean leader promising to leave the past behind.

The two leaders had a one-on-one meeting, with translators only, followed by an expanded meeting including their top aides and a working lunch at Capella Singapore hotel in Sentosa Island after months of diplomatic twists and turns.

"We're signing a very comprehensive document, and we've had a really great time together, a great relationship," Trump said while signing the document along with Kim in the presence of media at the end of the summit - the first between a sitting US president and North Korea's top leader.

It was unclear what the document was about but Trump said the public will find out soon.

In response to a question about denuclearisation, Trump said, "We're starting that process... very quickly."



"We have decided to leave the past behind," Kim said through a translator, at the signing table. "The world will see a major change," he added.

Trump said he was very proud of what took place today and the two leaders would "take care of a very dangerous problem for the world."



The 71-year-old Trump said the summit worked out far better than expected and he's developed a "very special bond" with 34-year-old Kim.

"We'll meet again, we'll meet many times," said Trump when asked whether the two leaders will meet again.

He said Kim is "a very talented man" who "loves his country very much".

Trump said he "absolutely" will invite Kim to the White House.

As they exited the room, Trump and Kim patted each other on the back.

Earlier, the summit began with the two leaders meeting at the luxurious hotel.

They walked towards each other, stood face to face for the first time and shared a 12-second handshake against a backdrop of American and North Korean flags. They then appeared to share a few light-hearted words as they walked down a corridor to the hotel's library.

Trump and Kim are the first leaders of their respective countries to meet, marking the culmination of months of diplomatic wrangling and negotiations.

In brief remarks to the media before the start of their meeting, Trump hoped that the historic summit would be "tremendously successful."



Kim then said there were a number of "obstacles" to the meeting taking place in Singapore today.

"We overcame all of them and we are here today," he told reporters through a translator. Trump responded, "Thank you very much".

The two leaders held one-on-one meeting for around 45-minutes with just translators present.

According to North Korean media, Kim actually arrived at the venue 7 minutes earlier than Trump to show respect as it's cultural, the young one should arrive earlier than the elder one. The red tie that Trump wears may also show some respect to Kim as well, it's the colour that North Koreans like.

Later, they held delegation-level talks.

Kim was asked at least three times if he would give up his nuclear weapons. In response, he just smiled.

"There will be challenges ahead but we will work with Trump. We overcame all kinds of skepticism and speculations about this summit and I believe that this is good for the peace," Kim said.

After the delegation-level meeting, Trump joined Kim for a working lunch which had a mix of Western and Asian dishes, such as Korean stuffed cucumber and beef short rib confit with some Haagen-Dazs ice cream to top things off.

As the two men entered the room, photographs were taken, with Trump joking about wanting to get a "beautiful picture" in which he looked good.

The two leaders then took a post-lunch stroll in the courtyard of the hotel.

On the eve of the summit at Sentosa, the US had offered "unique" security guarantees to North Korea in return for a "complete, verifiable and irreversible" denuclearisation.

Sentosa is a popular tourist island a few hundred metres off the main island of Singapore.

The US insists it will accept nothing less than complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres today hailed as "important milestone" the agreement reached between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, appealing to the global community to back the complete denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula.

After the summit in Singapore, Kim pledged to work toward the "complete denuclearisation" of the Korean peninsula in return for security guarantees from the US, as Trump wrapped up the meeting with outcomes that could ease tensions and reshape the geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific region.

A statement issued by Guterres' spokesperson said he welcomed the summit as an "important milestone in the advancement of sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula."



But the UN chief also cautioned that the road ahead requires "cooperation, compromise and a common cause".

"Implementing today's and previous agreements reached, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions, will require patience and support from the global community," he said.

He urged all parties concerned to seize the "momentous opportunity" and reaffirmed his readiness to "fully support" the ongoing process.

Guterres had yesterday said that peace and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula must remain the clear and shared goal of the meeting.

Trump and Kim today had a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on issues related to establishing "new" relations between the two countries and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, according to a joint statement signed by them.

"Yesterday's conflict does not have to be tomorrow's war," Trump, 71, said following more than four hours of intense talks with Kim, 34, which he described as "honest, direct and productive."



He also announced that the US will stop conducting military drills with South Korea after the historic summit, something widely seen as a concession as Pyongyang has long claimed they are invasion rehearsals.

The summit is seen by North Korea as a way of bringing legitimacy to a nation long regarded as a pariah.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)WhatsApp has added another feature to its growing list of tweaks made to the instant messaging application. The company has added a new "forwarded" tag on messages that will be forwarded. WhatsApp in India is mostly used as way to forward texts, daily greetings. In fact, according to a report by Wall Street Journal released in January this year, one in three Indian smartphone users suffered from lack of storage mainly due to forwarded good morning texts and pictures.

With this new update, the forwarded messaged will be tagged on both, the receiver and sender's end. With this new tag in place, the message will lose its ingenuity and may eventually hamper the steady stream of morning texts and pictures in your WhatsApp inbox.

Another great advantage of this feature will be the ability to skim through forwarded messages and read the texts sent personally. Group chats on WhatsApp get particularly crowded with forwarded texts and images. This new feature will let the receiver distinguish original messages from forwarded ones.

It's not clear if WhatsApp will eventually help with organizing these forwarded texts in stacks, like what it did with images but such a feature could enhance the usability of the app.

The feature is currently only rolling out to Android users subscribed to WhatsApp's beta program. The feature can be accessed on version 2.18.179 Beta. iOS and Web users have not received any such update. However, it should make it to all platforms in a few months time. The new feature cannot be turned off like the 'blue tick' feature on the instant messaging platform.

During Facebook's F8 Conference earlier this year, the company claimed that WhatsApp will be getting a group calling feature which can be used by up to four people at a time. WhatsApp's stable application will get this video calling feature in the coming months. Another addition to the list of features will be the support for stickers.

WhatsApp is also reportedly working on a feature that will allow users to chat without even opening the application. To start with, the company has reportedly bought a new domain 'wa.me', a shortlink for the web link api.whatsapp.com'. The URL will give users access to chat by simply adding a contact number - type wa.me/phone number - on their mobile phone, reported India Today. For now, the feature is available on Android with WhatsApp's version 2.18.138. Once you type the URL along with the mobile number, you will have to click on the send message option.US President today showed off the interiors of his presidential limousine nicknamed "The Beast" to North Korean leader as they strolled around the Capella hotel after the summit here.

As the two leaders strolled around the grounds where they are having their first-ever historic summit, they walked up to the eight-tonne bulletproof limousine.

was seen gesturing before a Secret Service agent to open the door and the leaders look in. Kim could be seen smiling as the two stood chatting and Kim peeked inside.

US Presidential limousine 'Beast' is based on Cadillac DTS. It has an 8-inch thick body armour plating and 5-inch thick bulletproof windows which insulate the President from all sorts of threats including chemical attacks.

Its doors weigh similar to those on a Boeing-757 aircraft. The car runs on shred and puncture resistant Kevlar-reinforced tyres with steel rims underneath which ensure that the vehicle does not come to a halt even if its tyres get damaged.

Even the fuel tank is covered with a special foam that negates any possibility of an explosion.

Apart from acting as a security shield for the President, the imposing vehicle has also been used to make political statements by successive Presidents.

'The Beast', based on a Cadillac DTS is the first Presidential limousine not to have a specific model name.

The vehicle is an amalgamation of features sourced from different vehicles under the General Motors brand with its chassis, doors, headlights, side mirrors and door handles having different origins.As the tussle between the AAP government and the Lieutenant Governor (LG) escalates, the vexatious issue as to who enjoys supremacy over Delhi has always been a bone of contention.

The Delhi High Court ruled that the national capital remains a union territory with the LG as its "administrative" head. But the AAP government was not impressed and took the matter to the apex court which set up a five-judge constitution bench.

The top court had heard the matter for 15 days and had reserved its verdict on December 6 last year on appeals against the high court's 2016 verdict which had held that the LG enjoyed primacy in governance.

However, the ongoing power tussle between the Delhi and Centre, represented by LG Anil Baijal, is refusing to die down as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers sat on dharna and spent yesterday night at the LG's office to press for their demands including issuance of a direction to IAS officers to end their "strike".

It is noteworthy that the high court, in its verdict, had extensively dealt with constitutional scheme and other laws relating to Delhi and had held that it becomes manifest that Delhi continues to be a union territory even after the Constitution (69th Amendment) Act, 1991 inserting Article 239AA making special provisions with respect to Delhi".

Dealing with the scope of powers, it had held that the Delhi government was mandated under the Constitution to communicate its decisions to the LG even in the case of the legislative powers of the assembly to make laws.

A law passed by the assembly will come into effect only when the LG does not take a "different view", it had said.

On the authority to set up Commission of Inquiry, the high court had held that any such order would be "illegal" if they are passed "without seeking the views/concurrence" of the LG.

The high court had also not allowed the Delhi government's plea to oppose Centre's notification to exclude central government employees from the purview of its Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB).

It had held that service matters fall outside the purview of Legislative Assembly and Centre's May 21, 2015 notification barring the ACB from proceeding against Central government employees was "neither illegal nor unconstitutional".

The high court had not approved of the AAP government's decision to appoint its nominees as directors on the boards of private discoms saying it lacked LG's sanction.

It had termed as "illegal and unconstitutional" the policy decision of the city government empowering the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission to impose fine on discoms in the event of disruption of power supply on the ground that the LG was not on board.

The AAP government's decision to revise stamp duty rates for sale and transfer of agriculture land was also struck down on the same ground.

Dealing with Article 239AA, which deals with Delhi, it had said the position of the LG was different from Governors of states and the LG may act in his discretion with regard to all the matters in respect of which he is required to act in his discretion 'by or under any law'.

It is not possible to hold that the LG is bound to act only on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, it had held.

Referring to the Delhi's transaction of business rules, the high court had said it was always open to the LG to "differ with the decision of the Council of Ministers, in which event, he has to follow the procedure as prescribed" under the rules.

It, however, had held that the city government that the LG will have to act on its aid and advice in appointment of special public prosecutors.

The verdict was assailed by the Kejriwal government in the top court saying that it possessed both legislative and executive powers in administering the national capital.

The five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra is yet to deliver the verdict.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Two Bangladeshi nationals, living at a village here illegally for the past 12 years, have been arrested, police said today.

The duo, identified as Vinod and Malan Haldar, living at Gadrauli village in the Kotwali Dataganj police station area, were arrested yesterday, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ashok Kumar said.

The matter came to light during police verification for their passport applications, the police officer said.

They had arrived here 12 years ago and the woman, Malan Haldar, had got married to a man, Ranjit, who had been living here, the SSP said.

The woman's husband said that he was a native of Ashok Nagar area in Kolkata, but he too was under scanner.

Both Vinod and Malan had acquired houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna and were living there. Besides, they also have Aadhar card, voter ID and bank accounts in their names. All the documents have been seized, the SSP added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)British and American pharmaceutical giants AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly today said they were ending a large clinical trial of a treatment for Alzheimer's that they had been developing together.

The decision to scrap the phase III clinical trial comes as a major setback in the race to find a cure for the disease, which is the most common form of dementia and affects millions of people around the world.

"We are saddened by this outcome as our researchers are working tirelessly to find a solution for the many people who are impacted by this devastating disease," Menelas Pangalos, executive vice president of AstraZeneca said in a statement.

"We won't give up on finding a solution for Alzheimer's patients," Daniel Skovronsky, president of Lilly Research Labs added. The two firms had announced a partnership to develop a new drug aimed at combatting Alzheimer's in 2014.

They were working on two treatments, one for patients of early Alzheimer's disease, the other for those with mild Alzheimer's disease dementia. Both treatments used a so-called "inhibitor" targeting an enzyme called BACE.

According to the statement, an independent data monitoring committee ruled that both the treatments "were not likely to meet their primary endpoints upon completion and therefore should be stopped for futility".

The statement also said the discontinuation of the trials was not expected to have any financial impact on the firms' outlook for 2018.

Health systems in Western countries are struggling to deal with Alzheimer's as it is costly to treat sufferers of the incurable disease which leaves them increasingly reliant on assistance.

US pharmaceutical behemoth Pfizer announced in January it was pulling out of neuroscience research entirely. Swiss giants Roche and Axovant, as well US firm Merck have all tried to come up with the solution to Alzheimer's.

According to the World Health Organization, some 50 million people around the world have dementia, with Alzheimer's contributing around 60-70 percent of the cases. The number of patients is expected to double by 2030 and to triple by 2050 if no cure is found.

"Although dementia mainly affects older people, it is not a normal part of ageing," the WHO says on its website. "Dementia has a physical, psychological, social, and economical impact, not only on people with dementia, but also on their carers, families and society at large," it adds.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The United Nations mobilised today to avert a "fierce, bloody battle" for a key port in Yemen that provides a lifeline for food, medicine and other vital supplies.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with Yemen's foreign minister at UN headquarters in New York amid warnings that an attack on rebel-held Hodeida was imminent.

Guterres said his envoy Martin Griffiths was locked in "intense negotiations" with Yemen's rebel Huthis, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to find a "way to avoid the military confrontation in Hodeida." During his meeting with Yemen's new Foreign Minister Khaled Alyemany, Guterres stressed that "everyone should redouble efforts to find a political solution and avoid a fierce, bloody battle for Hodeida," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The United Nations pulled all of its international staff out of Hodeida early today.

For the past two weeks, Yemen government troops backed by the coalition have been closing in on Hodeida, which they claim is being used by Huthi rebels to smuggle weapons.

The Security Council met behind closed doors at Britain's request after London told aid agencies on the ground that it had received a warning from the United Arab Emirates of an imminent attack.

The United Nations has warned that up to 250,000 people were at risk if the coalition moves ahead with an all-out offensive to take the Red Sea port.

UN aid chief Mark Lowcock said an attack on Hodeida would be "catastrophic" and that aid agencies were hoping to "stay and deliver" in Yemen, which the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Yemen relies on imports for 90 per cent of its food, and 70 percent of the imports transit through Hodeida, Lowcock told reporters after briefing the council.

Griffiths, who briefed the council by video conference from Amman, has revived a year-old plan to turn over Hodeida port to a neutral party, diplomats said.

Following the closed-door council meeting, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, who is council president this month, called for de-escalation and said the top UN body would be "closely" following developments.

"We are hoping for the efforts of the special envoy to bring a positive resolution. We left it in his hands for the time being," Nebenzia told reporters.

The council did not specifically call on the coalition to refrain from attacking Hodeida and diplomats said there had been much discussion over the president's statement to the press.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had spoken with Emirati leaders and urged them to work with the United Nations but his statement fell short of warning the coalition against launching an all-out offensive.

"I have spoken with Emirati leaders and made clear our desire to address their security concerns while preserving the free flow of humanitarian aid and life-saving commercial imports," he said.

Griffiths is set to present on June 18 a new peace plan for Yemen, but he has warned that military action could derail that effort.

Eleven humanitarian aid agencies, including Oxfam and Save the Children, separately urged British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to threaten to cut off British support to the coalition if it attacks Hodeida.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The UP has geared up to prepare its "cyber sena" for the 2019 Lok Sabha election, with the party hoping to have around 200,000 such trained social media experts across the state within the next three months.

At a recent meeting of the members and office bearers of the IT cell of UP BJP, vice-president of the saffron party's state unit, JPS Rathore, said, "For the upcoming general elections to Lok Sabha in 2019, we are preparing cyber sena across the state, and at every polling booth, there has to be a cyber yodhaa (cyber warrior)."

The IT kaaryakartaas (IT cell workers) of the party had come from different parts of the state.

"The internet and social media have become an effective and efficient tool to take various welfare measures to the masses. They have also evolved as a viable medium to communicate the party's thoughts to the masses. The party is mulling to prepare an army of 150,000 to 200,000 trained workers across the state," Rathore told PTI.

Rathore exuded confidence that the "trained workers will be ready in the next three months. "

When asked whether this army has been made specifically for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rathore said, "The party always remains in an election mode. As soon as one election gets over, we start preparations for the next. Election preparation and creative work for the organisation continue simultaneously."

He said that keeping in mind the parliamentary elections, social media can play an important role in spreading awareness among people who are 18-year-old or more to enrol themselves as voters.

"For the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, we have to constitute a social media team at every polling booth, which will become an example for other state units of the party," he told the IT cell workers.

Social media will be extensively used for implementation of various programmes pertaining to the organisation, social integration and dissemination of information pertaining to various schemes of the Centre and state government, he said.

Rathore also said that the trained workers will be used to link new voters with the party. "They will make efforts to ensure that names of genuine voters are in the voter's list, and that no fake voter's name exists on the voter list," he said.

Head of IT cell of UP Sanjay Rai while interacting with the IT workers of the party said, "Cyber warriors have to approach every citizen with a new strategy, while ensuring that information pertaining to various schemes, policies and achievements of the Centre reach the voters."

He also said that efforts should be made to reach to various educational institutes and link students supporting the through NaMo app and with the state party unit's IT cells.

"The creative thoughts of the students must be used for expansion and development of the party," Rai said.

The UP BJP's IT cell chief also said that party workers can enrich themselves through the NaMo app, and also spread awareness among people in their vicinity.

"Camps will also be organized to link new supporters through NaMo app," he said, d adding that the re-constitution of the IT cell is likely to be done by July 10.

Anoop Gupta (secretary of UP BJP) said that the IT department will be strengthened for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and it will be made more hi-tech.Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik today asked the state government to take action over the reported damage to the bungalow vacated by former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, calling it a serious matter involving the taxpayer's money.

In a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Governor said reports about the damage at 4, Vikramaditya Marg, were doing the rounds in the media and among the common people.

He said this was a "serious matter".

"The residences allocated to the former chief ministers belong to the Estates department and their maintenance is done through the taxpayers' money," he wrote.

"The state government needs to take proper action as per the rules into the damages caused to the state's property," Naik said.

The bungalow was vacated by the Samajwadi Party leader in compliance with a Supreme Court order that former chief ministers were not entitled to any government accommodation in Lucknow.

Video clips and photos had shown damage to a cycle track, on walls after air-conditioners seemed to have been removed and to the floor of what appeared to be a badminton court at the vacated bungalow.

Yadav had then said it was an attempt by the Bharatiya Janata Party to defame him.

The Governor also called the Estates department officials and was told that videography had been done at the houses vacated by the former chief ministers.

After the video clips surfaced, estates department official Yogesh Kumar Shukla had said officials will check the inventory of fittings provided at the bungalow.

The department will serve a notice if there was any damage done intentionally or if there was anything missing, he had said.

The SP had termed the video clips as an attempt to tarnish Yadav's image, saying his popularity was continuously growing after the defeat of the BJP in recent bypolls.

It asked why the bungalows vacated by other former chief ministers were not shown.

As the two parties sparred, the BJP had said the damage at the bungalow reflected Yadav's frustration.

Following the SC order, the UP estates department had issued notices to six former chief ministers - Narayan Dutt Tiwari, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Kalyan Singh, Mayawati, Rajnath Singh and Akhilesh Yadav.

Barring Congress veteran N D Tiwari, who is ailing in Delhi, all of them have now handed over their official bungalows.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The US government agency that oversees immigration applications is launching an office that will focus on identifying Americans who are suspected of cheating to get their citizenship and seek to strip them of it.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director L Francis Cissna told The Associated Press in an interview that his agency is hiring several dozen lawyers and immigration officers to review cases of immigrants who were ordered deported and are suspected of using fake identities to later get green cards and citizenship through naturalisation.

Cissna said the cases would be referred to the Department of Justice, whose attorneys could then seek to remove the immigrants' citizenship in civil court proceedings. In some cases, government attorneys could bring criminal charges related to fraud.

Until now, the agency has pursued cases as they arose but not through a coordinated effort, Cissna said. He said he hopes the agency's new office in Los Angeles will be running by next year but added that investigating and referring cases for prosecution will likely take longer.

"We finally have a process in place to get to the bottom of all these bad cases and start denaturalising people who should not have been naturalized in the first place," Cissna said. "What we're looking at, when you boil it all down, is potentially a few thousand cases." He declined to say how much the effort would cost but said it would be covered by the agency's existing budget, which is funded by immigration application fees.

The push comes as the Trump administration has been cracking down on illegal immigration and taking steps to reduce legal immigration to the US.

Immigrants who become US citizens can vote, serve on juries and obtain security clearance. Denaturalisation the process of removing that citizenship is very rare.

The US government began looking at potentially fraudulent naturalisation cases a decade ago when a border officer detected about 200 people had used different identities to get green cards and citizenship after they were previously issued deportation orders.

In September 2016, an internal watchdog reported that 315,000 old fingerprint records for immigrants who had been deported or had criminal convictions had not been uploaded to a Department of Homeland Security database that is used to check immigrants' identities. The same report found more than 800 immigrants had been ordered deported under one identity but became US citizens under another.

Since then, the government has been uploading these older fingerprint records dating back to the 1990s and investigators have been evaluating cases for denaturalisation.

Earlier this year, a judge revoked the citizenship of an Indian-born New Jersey man named Baljinder Singh after federal authorities accused him of using an alias to avoid deportation.

Authorities said Singh used a different name when he arrived in the United States in 1991. He was ordered deported the next year and a month later applied for asylum using the name Baljinder Singh before marrying an American, getting a green card and naturalizing. Authorities said Singh did not mention his earlier deportation order when he applied for citizenship.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Sri Lankan government minister today hailed the US and North Korean leaders' summit in Singapore as an "example" to the world.

"Despite all foul talks world shall salute both #trump & #kim for setting an example for talking over warring," tweeted Mano Ganesan, a minority Tamil leader and minister of national integration and languages, as he praised US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for engaging in negotiations.

Trump and Kim today met for an unprecedented summit aimed at normalising bilateral ties and complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

Sri Lanka has condemned North Korea's nuclear tests and earlier this year urged Pyongyang to fully implement a UN Security Council resolution on the issue.

Sri Lanka and North Korea have no resident diplomatic missions. The North Korean embassy here was shut down in 1971 following suspicions of alleged support extended to the Marxist JVP rebellion in April that year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)President Donald Trump today said the US will stop conducting military drills on the Korean peninsula, after his historic summit here with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

"We will be stopping the war games which will save us a tremendous amount of money," Trump told reporters, adding he had agreed to stop the "war games" because he considers them "very provocative".

The US president also said he wants to withdraw American troops stationed in South Korea, like he had promised during his election campaign.

"I want to get our soldiers out. I want to bring our soldiers back home," Trump said, adding "But that's not part of the equation right now. I hope it will be eventually".

Trump's assertions could alarm South Korean conservatives who have urged him not to jeopardise their country's security.

The US and South Korea are security allies, with about 30,000 American troops based in country to defend it from its northern neighbour, which launched an invasion in 1950.

They hold joint military exercises every year that anger North Korea which has long demanded an end to the drills and frequently responds with volatile steps of its own, leading to a spike in tensions.

"I think it's very provocative. Under the circumstances we are negotiating a complete deal," Trump said, adding "It is inappropriate to have war games. Number one, we save money. A lot. Number two, it is really something they very much appreciated".

The move appears to be based on the 'freeze for freeze' proposal mooted by China, under which North Korea would stop nuclear and missile tests in exchange for a halt to the military exercises.

Kim has earlier declared a moratorium on testing, saying North Korea has completely developed its nuclear arsenal.

Trump and Kim today met for an unprecedented summit aimed at normalising bilateral ties and complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Three men robbed valuables worth Rs 27 lakh from a jewellery shop in Rohini today by holding the employees captive, the police said.

The accused came inside the showroom on the pretext of buying jewellery. They held the employees captive, threatened to shoot them and decamped with valuables, they said.

They even took the digital video recorder of the CCTV cameras, the police said.

The shop employees told the police that the accused had visited the outlet last week also on the pretext of buying jewellery, but had then said that they would come back later.

Police are probing whether the accused were also involved in another robbery in northwest Delhi's Adarsh Nagar, in which a jeweller was shot dead in front of his son.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)On the occasion of World Day Against Child Labour today, the Ministry of Women and Child Development said it had expanded ChildLine -- the nationwide emergency helpline for children in distress -- to 435 locations and key railway stations, calling it a contributing factor towards curbing the menace of child labour.

It said ChildLine received 1.8 crore calls every year since 2014.

"We have expanded childline to 435 locations and key railway stations, it's a great contributing factor in curbing child labour," the Ministry tweeted.

The ministry also urged people to join its movement against child labour.

"Child labour is an offence. Period. Join our movement and pledge #iStandAgainstChildLabour," the ministry said.

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi also urged people to be part of the ministry's campaign against child labour.

"Let's put an end to this social evil. Be a part of @MinistryWCD's campaign," she said in a tweet.

Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi also promoted the initiative of the ministry.

"Take the pledge. #iStandAgainstChildLabour," Satyarthi tweeted.

World Day Against Child Labour was first launched in 2002 aiming to raise awareness and activism to prevent child labour.

According to a UNICEF study, in 2011 child labour constituted for 13 per cent of the workforce in India at 10.2 million.

"India's 2011 census showed that there were more than 10.2 million economically active children in the age group of five to 14 years 5.6 million boys and 4.5 million girls Eight million children were working in rural areas, and 2 million in urban areas," the UNICEF report said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has assured his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal of additional water to the national capital this summer if Delhi withdraws all cases related to their water dispute.

Delhi will get an additional 150 cusecs up to June 30 if it takes back cases in the National Green Tribunal and the Delhi High Court, Khattar wrote to Kejriwal.

Replying to a letter from Kejriwal, Khattar said Haryana had been supplying about 1,050 cusecs of water from the Munak canal when Delhi decided to drag Haryana into multiple litigation.

Upon a request from Water Resources secretary, Haryana then started releasing an additional 150 cusecs from Munak, so that about 100-120 cusecs may be received at Wazirabad, he said.

We have decided to extend the period of release of this additional water via DD-8 up to 30 June, 2018 subject to the condition that Delhi withdraws all cases from the NGT and Delhi High Court," Khattar said in a demi official letter released here by Haryana government.

It said multiple litigation was waste of time and energy and added, "I hope that in case of litigation by private persons, you would defend Haryana's stand of Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) being the correct forum for deliberations and decision-making on such issues."



Khattar said the national capital's claimed shortage of 60 million gallons per day (MGD), can easily be resolved by Delhi Jal Board (DJB) itself, saying the agency had a total water treatment capacity of 900 MGD.

"We have acceded to request of Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) to supply 120 cusecs through DD-8 for the current summer only, he wrote.

Delhi must make its own arrangement from the next year onwards as no supplies would be made through DD-8 by Haryana on account of reasons explained in detail in our reply before the Supreme Court," he added.

"We have been discharging all our obligations set forth by Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) in terms of share and allocation of water to Delhi, he said, while pointing at the acute shortage of water in Yamuna.

He said despite the adverse impact on drinking water supply to thousands of Haryana villages and several towns, the state had never reduced the supply to Delhi.

In fact, presently we are supplying 120 cusecs over and above our obligations, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 11-member Naval team, including two women officers from the Eastern Naval command here, reached the peak of the 6,250-metre high Mount Mentok Kangri on Rupshu plateau in eastern Leh on June 10, the Navy said today.

The expedition, launched in end-May, included a trek for a week from Tsokar lake, crossing high passesranging from 4,800 metres to 5,400 metres and reaching base camp at 5,300 metres, a Navy release said.

The team scaled the summit after 11 hours of climbing that included scaling a 70-degree wall of around 350 metres, traversing through a glacier amid occasional snowfall, it said. The group, which undertook yoga practice en route as a run-up to the International Yoga Day being celebrated onJune 21, was led by commander Amit Kumar, the release said.

They were assisted by three Sherpas and established six camps en routewith the summit camp pitched at 5,450 metres making a 800-metre near-vertical climb with deep crevices and long rocky moraines, it further said.

Then, the team ascended a near vertical rock/ice slope before unfurling the national flag andthe Naval ensign atop the peak, the release added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Yemen's president is to hold talks in Abu Dhabi today as he attempts to repair relations with the United Arab Emirates, which has increasingly sidelined him in its three-year military intervention.

President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi is making the rare visit on the advice of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, where he lives in exile, Yemen's government-run Saba agency reported.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE sent troops to Yemen in 2015 with the stated goal of restoring Hadi to power after he fled the country as Huthi Shiite rebels overran most of the country.

But Hadi's close relations with the Muslim Brotherood-dominated Islah party have infuriated Abu Dhabi, which has swung its support behind secessionists who want to restore the pre-1990 independence of south Yemen.

With UAE backing, in January the secessionists overran the main southern city of Aden where Hadi's government has its headquarters.

UAE forces and their allies have also occupied several other key ports and islands, including the strategic Arabian Sea archipelago of Socotra, where Saudi Arabia too deployed troops last month as part of a deal to appease Hadi's government.

The rift between Hadi and Abu Dhabi had largely overshadowed the war gainst the Huthi rebels who still control the capital Sanaa and much of the north.

But last month UAE troops launched a joint offensive with Hadi's forces and their Saudi allies against the rebel-held Red Sea port of Hodeida.

The city, which has a population of some 600,000, is the entry point for 70 per cent of Yemen's imports, the vast of majority of them desperately needed food, and there has been mounting UN and Western pressure for a halt to the potentially bloody assault.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Yes Bank's shareholders today approved raising up to USD 1 billion in core capital through multiple routes.

They also approved the re-appointment of Rana Kapoor as the chief executive and managing director for three years, subject to final approval from the Reserve Bank of India, a late evening statement from the private sector lender said.

"The shareholders have approved through special resolution to raise capital aggregating up to USD 1 billion by way of issue of shares (QIP/ADR/GDR/FCCB)," it said.

All the 13 resolutions put up at the meeting, for which the media was not allowed, were approved by the shareholders, the bank statement said.

Other resolutions include appointment of Subhash Chander Kalia as non-executive non-independent director, and R Chandrashekhar and Pratima Sheorey as independent directors for five years each, it said.

The resolution for re-appointment of Ajai Kumar as the non-executive, non-independent director was also approved.

In a special resolution, the shareholders approved a proposal to borrow/raise funds in Indian/foreign currency by issue of debt securities up to a total amount of Rs 30,000 crore and raise the total borrowing limit of the bank to Rs 1,10,000 crore, it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)By Julia Symmes CobbBOGOTA (Reuters) - Investors in Colombia's oil and mining sectors have much at stake in Sunday's presidential race with the frontrunner pledging business-friendly measures to revive production while his leftist rival wants to end reliance on petroleum and coal, the country's top exports. Leftist candidate Gustavo Petro, a former member of the M-19 guerrilla group, has promised to overhaul state-run oil firm Ecopetrol SA , the South American nation's biggest company, to refocus it on renewable energy. Ecopetrol is responsible for about 60 percent of Colombia's ...By Foo Yun Chee and Olof SwahnbergBRUSSELS/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Deutsche Telekom is set to face a four-month investigation by EU antitrust regulators into its bid to buy the Dutch business of Swedish peer Tele2, two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.The move by the European Commission underscores its hard line against telecoms deals in markets where the number of players would be reduced from four to three and there are fears of consumers being hit with higher bills.Stiff opposition from the EU competition enforcer scuppered a plan by TeliaSonera and Telenor to merge their ...By Rania El GamalDHAHRAN, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Saudi Aramco plans to boost investments in refining and petrochemicals to secure new markets for its crude, and sees growth in chemicals as central to its downstream strategy to lessen the risk of a slowdown in oil demand. Aramco, the world's biggest oil producer, is expanding its footprint globally by signing downstream deals and boosting the capacity of its plants, ahead of an initial public offering next year - the largest IPO in history.The state oil giant is moving ahead with multi-billion-dollar projects in China, India and Malaysia ...India is set to miss a December deadline to acquire land for a Japan-backed $17 billion bullet train project following protests by fruit growers, government officials said, likely delaying one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's most ambitious projects. Modi's office is now monitoring the project week-to-week, as Indian officials seek to reassure Tokyo that the hurdles can be overcome through intense negotiations with sapota and mango growers in Maharashtra. Protests, backed by local politicians, have flared up in recent months against attempts to secure sections of a ...NEW YORK (Reuters) - Morgan Stanley Chief Executive Officer James Gorman called the bank's fixed-income group its "most attractive business" on Tuesday at a conference the Wall Street firm held in New York.Despite being one of Morgan Stanley's smallest divisions, Gorman said, it has enormous incremental upside. Last year, the bank set a target to produce $1 billion in quarterly fixed-income revenue, on average, each year.Gorman, who is also chairman of Morgan Stanley, added the U.S. bank will move 400-500 employees out of the United Kingdom to other European nations as a result of Britain's ...Oil markets were stable on Tuesday amid cautious optimism over the outcome of a summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore. Movements in crude markets were also limited ahead of a meeting between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and some of its allies on June 22 that may determine the crude production policy of several major producers. Brent crude futures were trading at $76.45 per barrel at 0355 GMT, little changed from their last close. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $66.16 a ...WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has approved a possible $930 million sale to India of items in support of a proposed direct commercial sale of six AH-64E Apache helicopters, a Pentagon agency said on Tuesday.The items include 14 T700-GE-701D General Electric Co engines, radar equipment, night vision sensors, navigation systems and ammunition, among other items, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement. Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Co are also contractors for the sale, it said. (Reporting by Eric Walsh; Editting by Susan Heavey)(This story has not been ...By Kanupriya KapoorJAKARTA (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures dropped more than 1 percent to their lowest in nearly two years on Tuesday, weighed down by the government's decision to maintain an export tax for July and due to lacklustre demand.The benchmark palm oil contract for August delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange dropped 1.44 percent to 2,326 ringgit ($583.25 per tonne by the close of trade, the lowest since August, 2016. Prices dropped as low as 2,323 ringgit during the day and trading volumes stood at 59,383 lots of 25 tonnes each.Malaysia, the world's ...State-run Maharatna company Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd is in the preliminary stage of talks with various global lithium ion battery manufacturers to set up a manufacturing unit in the country.

Heavy Industries minister Anant Geete on Tuesday said the PSU will have a 20 percent stake in the project while the partner will have a majority stake. Like many countries in the world, India has also embarked on electrifying its transport sector.

"We have made it clear that we want to go for 100 percent electric mobility. To do that effectively we need to produce the batteries here," Geete said. "Right now, all the batteries are imported from China. Even the plans for assembling the batteries that are underway now will see the cells being imported from China. But we want even the cells to be manufactured here. That is what BHEL will look to do."

The government had launched an over-arching FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles) scheme in March 2015 to spur purchase and usage of electric vehicles in the country that expired in March but has been extended till September this year. Under this scheme, the government has given financial support to 186,431 electric or hybrid vehicles worth Rs 256.93 crore. Further, a grant of Rs 280 crore has been sanctioned for nearly 500 electric buses in 9 major cities in the country.

A revised version of the scheme, FAME 2, is under works where a much bigger corpus of Rs 9,300 crore for 5 years has been proposed. Out of this Rs 1000 crore would be for incentivising charging infrastructure in the country, which is cited as a major hindrance in proliferation of electric vehicles in the country.

"Discussion for FAME 2 are ongoing and we have sought feedback from the industry. This will go on for at least two more months but we will be ready with the new scheme by September," Geete said. "For FAME 1 we got only Rs 795 crore for 2 years. FAME 2 will get a much bigger corpus."

"The biggest success of Make in India programme is in the auto sector. It is one of the largest in the world that accounts for over 7.1 % of India's GDP and contributes nearly 22 % of India's manufacturing GDP," he added. "Already it has become a manufacturing base for all global car makers. Even though BS VI fuel is not available in the country right now, manufacturers are producing such vehicles in the country and exporting to other markets around the world."Digital payments giant Paytm is planning to launch point-of-sales (PoS) machines at merchant outlets across the country, the Economic Times today reported. So far, the e-commerce company was using QR codes to conduct offline transactions. But now the company is opening card payments at merchant locations as well.

"The idea is to offer users all forms of digital payments. What Paytm is doing through UPI encouraging bank-to-bank transfers, this is something similar where they are entering into all forms of digital payments through PoS," the report cited a source as saying.

"Paytm already has QR payment facilities, but in locations where people prefer card payments, it will deploy card-reading devices. But QR codes will remain the zero cost method for the merchant," the source further told the business daily.

With this move, Paytm will be competing with some of the major merchant acquirers in the PoS business such as HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank and State Bank of India.

According to the report, Paytm is trying to bring in both traditional PoS terminals as well as mobile PoS terminals. Traditional PoS terminals work on GPS or landline while mobile terminals work through a smartphone.

Last year in May, Paytm launched its own payments bank with the aim of doubling its customer base to 50 crore by 2020. Paytm saw a phenomenal rise after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's shock ban of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes in November last year resulted in cash crunch and boosted use of its electronic wallet.

Earlier this month, the digital payments major informed that it has crossed an annual gross transaction of USD 29 billion. Paytm said that about seven million offline merchants accept payments through Paytm QR. About 50 per cent of all Paytm transactions are made by users in tier II cities and beyond.

Paytm spokesperson recently said that the company will continue to expand the digital payments ecosystem in the country and enable small merchants to accept payments digitally. "We are committed to continued investments in our existing businesses, and to building new ones to make India a cashless nation," the spokesperson had reportedly said.Billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi, who is at the centre of the over Rs 13,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud, has been on the run since January. He has since been spotted in Dubai, Hong Kong, Belgium, New York and London. But is the noose finally beginning to tighten around him?

According to top officials, a visiting United Kingdom delegation has now confirmed that Modi is currently in their country. The admission comes on the heels of news reports that the diamantaire-turned-fugitive was trying to claim asylum in the UK from what he calls "political persecution".

The Minister of State for Countering Extremism in UK's Home Office, Baroness Williams, also assured Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju of Britain's full cooperation in the Indian government's efforts to expedite the extradition of Modi, liquor baron Vijay Mallya and several others.

"I had a very useful meeting with UK Minister Baroness Williams. We discussed about India-UK joint efforts to deal with terrorism and extremism. We also agreed to cooperate in the matters of extradition and sharing of information," Rijiju told reporters after the hour-long meeting in the capital yesterday.

"We have put across the government of India's demands that anybody who is wanted by Indian agencies or an Indian court, we seek the cooperation from the UK authorities (on extradition). The [UK] minister has assured to give full cooperation whether it is Vijay Mallya case or Nirav Modi or anybody," he added.

"UK authorities have confirmed Nirav Modi's presence in Britain," an official privy to the meeting said. According to a statement issued by the Home Ministry, the MoS conveyed to Williams that Britain should not be viewed as a safe haven for men wanted by the law of the other country for various offences.

Furthermore, allaying concerns over prison conditions in India, Rijiju said there are absolute safeguards against human rights violations in Indian prisons, the statement added.

Letter Rogatories (LRs) in the cases lodged against Modi by the Enforcement Directorate, the CBI and the Income Tax Department were sent to the UK Central Authority (UKCA) on March 19, April 14 and April 15, respectively. For the record, LRs are requests from a court of one sovereign nation to a court of another sovereign nation for judicial assistance.

The UKCA has forwarded these LRs to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) for execution and conveyed that action would be taken on implementation of the ED LR. The ED and the SFO have since entered discussions on the way forward.

India is also pushing for the extradition of Vijay Mallya, who is on trial at the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London to rule if he can be extradited to India to face charges of and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crore.

Last month, at a case management conference hearing held at the request of his lawyers, the judge scheduled closing submission by the defence on June 21 and closing submission by India on July 26. The hearing for final arguments in the case has been deferred to July 31.

This is not the only legal battle that Mallya is currently fighting. There is also the fight to unfreeze his assets. On May 8, the Queen's Bench Division of the commercial court in England's High Court of Justice dismissed his plea to overturn a worldwide order freezing his assets and ruled that Indian banks were entitled to recover their funds from his assets in the UK.

This was a major victory for the consortium of 13 banks led by SBI that had filed the lawsuit. The last date for lodging an appeal against this decision by Mallya in the UK Court of Appeal was May 30. He appealed on May 29. So the lenders will have a wait longer to celebrate.

With agency inputsThe fast-tracked plans for the much-hyped bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad now risk getting derailed by vociferous protests over land acquisition. Citing government officials, a Reuters report claims that the Japan-backed $17 billion project is likely to miss its December deadline to acquire land due to protests by fruit growers in Maharashtra. Protests, backed by local politicians, have flared up in recent months against attempts to secure sections of a 108-km stretch, which is around one-fifth of the entire bullet train corridor. This threatens the government's hope of advancing the project's completion target by a year to 2022, the 75th year of India's independence.

So Modi's office is now monitoring the project week-to-week, as Indian officials seek to reassure Tokyo that the hurdles can be overcome through intense negotiations with the sapota and mango growers in the state, who are reluctant to part with their land.

"I've worked hard for three decades to develop this plantation, and they are asking me to hand over this land," said sapota farmer Dashrat Purav, 62, who owns an orchard in Palghar. He also told the news agency that he would sell his land only if at least one of his two unemployed sons was promised a government job.

"Land acquisition for any project is complex in India", said Dhananjay Kumar, spokesman for the National High Speed Rail Corp Ltd that is overseeing the project. This is not the only big-ticket project that is struggling to acquire land currently. The planned $44 billion refinery to be run by a consortium including Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil producer, is in the same boat. With tens of millions of farmers tilling small holdings in the country, protests against land acquisitions are de rigueur.

Two senior officials with the state-run Indian Railways told the news agency that failure to procure the bullet train land by the deadline would delay disbursal of soft-loans by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a government development body, which is reviewing the project next month. Japan is majority-funding the train project through a 50-year loan.

A JICA spokeswoman said that India must create relocation plans for local residents and make them public in order to enter into a loan agreement covering the main part of the bullet train project. "It is possible that it takes time to sign a contract as India takes proper and careful measures in line with JICAs guidelines for environmental and social considerations," she added.

The report added Indian officials have sought a meeting this month with transport ministry officials in Tokyo to assuage Japan's concerns. A Japanese transport ministry official, who deals with the bullet train project, said that Indian officials had told them that they can manage the land acquisition. "We will continue to work together with the Indian government to bring this project forward with an aim to start operation in 2023," the official said.

Ashwani Lohani, chairman of the Indian Railway Board, said the issues with farmers were not insurmountable. A source told Reuters that in order to sweeten the deal for people opposed to selling their land, Indian Railways has thrown its weight behind NHSRCL, pledging funds from its own welfare scheme to build schools and community halls. Furthermore, the government has reportedly offered to buy land at a 25 per cent premium to the market value. Farmers are, in addition, being offered resettlement dues of Rs 5 lakh or 50 percent of the land value, whichever is higher.

However, local political opposition in Palghar, ahead of a general election next year, has fanned the protests. Opponents say the bullet train is wasteful and the money would be better used upgrading the country's rickety rail infrastructure. Farmers have even threatened a hunger strike.

Last week, farmers and local activists disrupted a public hearing conducted by NHSRCL, its second attempt to hold such an event in less than a month. The first one last month was also cut short by protests. "In coming weeks, we will intensify the protests," Nilam Gorhe, a spokesman for Shiv Sena, told the agency. The regional party that has an on-off relationship with Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, has been backing the local protesters.

Will the Modi juggernaut be able to cross this hurdle on time? There's certainly a lot riding on the project. The government also hopes to generate hundreds of jobs through the train project, and hence is pushing hard to finish it on time. Modi has also called the project crucial for his pet Make in India campaign aimed at lifting the share of manufacturing in India's $2 trillion economy.

Japanese companies such as Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Corp, JFE Holdings, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toshiba Corp and Hitachi are likely to supply at least 70 percent of the core components of the rail line.

With Reuters inputsFormer Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was admitted to AIIMS on Monday following complaints of lower respiratory tract infection and kidney issues, is stable and can be discharged today. In medical bulletin issued Monday late night, AIIMS said: "Former Prime Minister Shri AB Vajpayee has been admitted in AIIMS today for examination and management. He is stable. A team of Doctors under the supervision of Dr Randeep Guleria, Directors are conducting tests."

Former Prime Minister Vajpayee was brought to AIIMS for a routine monthly check up. However, the team of doctors under the supervision of AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria decided to keep him in the ICU and put him on a dialysis.

In a late night bulletin, AIIMS said: "Former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee was admitted today at AIIMS, New Delhi for investigation and evaluation. He has been diagnosed with a urinary tract infection for which appropriate treatment has been closely monitored and treated by a team of doctor."

A host of leaders including PM Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, LK Advani, Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and were among the list of leaders who visited the ailing BJP leader. Prime Minister Modi interacted with family members of Vajpayee. He also spoke to doctors and inquired about the health of Vajpayee. PM Modi was at AIIMS for about 50 minutes.

The former BJP stalwart has been visiting the premiere medical institute for few years for regular monthly check ups. Usually visits lasted for around 7-8 hours, but this time doctors decided to admit Vajpayee.

After meeting the former prime minister, Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said: "He is fine, there is nothing to worry about." BJP leader Vijay Goel said Vajpayee had a urine infection and is being treated for that. "I have complete hope that he will be able to go home tomorrow (Tuesday)," he said after visiting Vajpayee at AIIMS on Monday.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump shook hands, smiling cautiously at the outset of their historic summit in Singapore on Tuesday, in which they will look for ways to end a nuclear standoff on the Korean peninsula. "Nice to meet you Mister President," Kim said moments later as he sat alongside Trump, against a backcloth of North Korean and US flags, beaming more broadly as the US President gave him a thumbs up.

With cameras of the world's press trained on them, Trump and Kim built an initial atmosphere of friendship. "I feel really great. We're going to have a great discussion and will be tremendously successful. It's my honour and we will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt," Trump said.

"It was not easy to get here....There were obstacles but we overcame them to be here," Kim replied.

Trump and Kim were due to hold a one-on-one meeting that could last around two hours, before they are joined by other officials and have lunch together. Should they succeed in making a diplomatic breakthrough, it could bring lasting change to the security landscape of Northeast Asia, in a similar way to how the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 changed Europe.

With destiny calling, Trump was the first to arrive at the colonial-era Capella Hotel on Sentosa, a resort island off Singapore's port with luxury hotels, a Universal Studios theme park and man-made beaches.

While Trump and Kim search each other's eyes and words for signs of trust or deceit, the rest of the world will be watching, hoping that somehow these two unpredictable leaders can find a way to defuse one of the planet's most dangerous flashpoints.

In the hours before the summit began Trump expressed optimism about prospects for the first-ever meeting of sitting US and North Korean leaders, while US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo injected a note of caution whether Kim would prove to be sincere about his willingness to denuclearise.

Officials of the two sides held last-minute talks to lay the groundwork for the summit of the old foes, an event almost unthinkable just months ago, when they were exchanging insults and threats that raised fears of war.

Staff-level meetings between the United States and North Korea were going "well and quickly," Trump said in a message on Twitter on Tuesday. But he added: "In the end, that doesn't matter. We will all know soon whether or not a real deal, unlike those of the past, can happen!"

The combatants of the 1950-53 Korean War are technically still at war, as the conflict, in which millions of people died, was concluded only with a truce.

On Tuesday morning, Pompeo fed the mounting anticipation of diplomatic breakthrough: "We're ready for today." Pompeo told reporters the event should set the framework for "the hard work that will follow", insisting that North Korea had to move towards complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation.

North Korea, however, has shown little appetite for surrendering nuclear weapons it considers vital to the survival of Kim's dynastic rule. Sanctions on North Korea would remain in place until that happened, Pompeo said. "If diplomacy does not move in the right direction ... those measures will increase." He added: "North Korea has previously confirmed to us its willingness to denuclearise and we are eager to see if those words prove sincere."

The White House said later that discussions with North Korea had moved "more quickly than expected" and Trump would leave Singapore on Tuesday night after the summit, rather than Wednesday, as scheduled earlier.It's hard to find companies in India who can match the privileges of public sector units (PSUs). Air India's recent tender to raise Rs 1,000 crore short-term loans is a shining example of what an organisation can do if it's backed by the government.

The document inviting bids for a one-year loan says that "banks are requested to submit their financial bids which should be linked to MCLR/GSEC (marginal cost of funds based lending rate/government security) rates latest by 4pm of June 13, indicating the amount of GOI-guaranteed short-term loans that they are willing to offer and the all-inclusive rate for the loans." The document further says that "Air India reserves the right to repay/refinance the loan during the tenure of the loan without any pre-payment penalty or requiring any notice period."

The wording of the tender reflects an attitude that only a PSU can carry. To say the least, AI is a loss-making airline which already has an outstanding debt of Rs 48,781.3 crore as on March 2017. The only thing that AI can possibly brag about is its EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation)-level profitability for the past three years till 2016/17. For instance, the national airline posted EBITDA profits of Rs 2,096 crore in 2016/17. For the same financial year, its net losses stood at Rs 5,765.2 crore. With crude prices remain at elevated levels; the profitability of the airline sector has started to come under pressure.

In a fair world, banks would scoff at such tender but AI is not an ordinary enterprise. The airline is fully owned by the government, and therefore its loans, unquestionably, are backed by the government too. Despite its bad financial condition, the banks might not be apprehensive in lending to AI because the government always has taxpayers' money at its disposal even if AI is unable to pay back the loan on its own.

Last October, AI has sought proposals from banks for "urgent" working capital loans worth Rs 1,500 crore, and received money from Bank of India.

But why does AI need short-term loans? The purpose is not mentioned in the document but several reports suggest that the airline has been going through a severe cash crunch over the past few months. AI has delayed employee salaries for three months in a row, and is reportedly seeking Rs 2,000 crore of additional funds from the government. As part of its 10-year turnaround plan starting 2012, the airline has already spent over Rs 26,000 crore out of Rs 30,231-crore bailout package.

The government has recently failed to attract bidders for selling its 76 per cent stake in AI. Sources say that due to the disinvestment process, plans to raise loans were put on hold as banks were cagey about lending to the carrier. With the disinvestment process in limbo, AI is seeking fresh loans to keep operations running.

One can only imagine the plight of a private sector company as leveraged as AI asking for a loan. And here's a loss-making PSU inviting bids as if banks need AI more than AI needs banks!RBI Governor Urjit Patel on Tuesday told a parliamentary panel headed by senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily that it's impossible for the central bank to monitor all 1.16 lakh commercial bank branches across India. He said the banks need to improve their internal control system to tackle issues related to frauds and other challenges like asset quality and rising non-performing assets. He said PNB, in its compliance report to the RBI, furnished wrong information on safety measures adopted by the public sector lender.

Patel, however, assured the panel that the NPA crises would be resolved soon as steps were being taken to boost the banking sector.

On the issue of accounting of losses from Rs 14,000-crore PNB fraud involving diamond merchant Nirav Modi, the RBI governor told the Parliament panel that the primary responsibility of risk management rests with the board of directors of Punjab National Bank. He apprised the panel that in case of the PNB scam, all lines of defence had failed, which led to a fraud with such a large value.

He said the RBI had warned the banks to scale up their monitoring process against similar frauds in other banks. The PNB had furnished a compliance report on safety mechanism to the RBI, which turned out to be factually incorrect. "PNB submitted factually false compliance on safety mechanism advised by the RBI," he said.

He also apprised the committee that from 2015 to 2018, as many as 15,000 bank frauds have been reported, which accounted for Rs 75,000 crore.

Interestingly, losses of public sector banks have touched a staggering Rs 87,370 crore during the financial year ended on March 31, 2018, with the fraud-hit Punjab National Bank leading the pack as the biggest loss-maker. Of the 21 state-owned banks, only two banks, Indian Bank and Vijaya Bank, posted profits during 2017-18. All 21 banks had together posted a net profit of Rs 473.72 crore in 2016-17.

The central bank also submitted a background note on the condition of the entire banking sector to the committee, in which it noted that the banking sector was facing major challenges due to stress in asset quality and mounting bad loans, which adversely impacted profitability of banks.

The RBI said the total stressed advances ratio for scheduled commercial banks improved marginally to 11.54 per cent on December 2017 compared to 11.61 per cent in March 2017.In an incident that has gone viral on social media, a Nigerian man honored his father by burying him in a brand new luxury BMW car costing $66,000. Azubuike, a resident of Anambra, Nigeria, kept the promise he made to his ailing father by burying him in a luxury car which was used as a coffin.

A Facebook post with a photo of the scene has been turning heads on social media and has been shared more than 22,000 times. The incredible photo shows a six feet deep pit accompanied with a flashy silver BMW.

The incident has received mixed reactions from netizens. Some have hailed the act as a tribute, few have called it a show off.

Locals of the poor Ihiala village in Mbosi, Anambra, were severely displeased and said the money could have been put to better use. "Buy the car for your parent while he is still alive, and bury them with a decent coffin, but this is just being foolish and showing off," commented a Facebook user.

Few others on social media even vowed to dig up the luxurious gift and drive off with it.A popular Indian-origin chef in the United Arab Emirates has landed in a controversy after he allegedly posted an anti-Islam tweet, triggering calls for his sacking, a media report said on Tuesday. Atul Kochhar, a Michelin-Star chef well known in the Emirates for his Rang Mahal Indian restaurant at the JW Marriott Marquis hotel, received flak after taking a dig at Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra over an episode in American television series 'Quantico' that purportedly portrayed Hindu nationalists as terrorists, the Khaleej Times reported.

"It's sad to see that you (Priyanka) have not respected the sentiments of Hindus who have been terrorized by Islam over 2000 years. Shame on You (sic)," Kochhar tweeted. He later deleted the tweet and apologised for the "major error" that was "made in the heat of the moment on Sunday", the paper said.

"There is no justification for my tweet... I fully recognise my inaccuracies that Islam was founded round 1400 years ago and I sincerely apologise. I am not Islamophobic, I deeply regret my comments that have offended many," Kochhar tweeted yesterday.

The anti-Islam tweet created a furore on social media, with Twitterati calling for the chef's sacking. Popular commentator and Arab journalist Khaled Almaeena tweeted, "You (Kochhar) have offended me... As a person who loves India its people no matter what their caste or creed. As a secular and liberal, it truly is a horror statement (sic)."

Some said they would boycott the restaurant. "Chef celebrity showed his true colours. I won't eat here after reading the racist tweets by the head chef," a UAE resident posted on his Facebook page.

"I have cancelled my wedding anniversary meal for next month at your restaurant. You knew exactly what you meant as you tweeted that message," another Twitter user added.

JW Marriot hotel, however, distanced itself from the chef's comments. "We are aware of the comments made by Chef Atul Kochhar. We would like to stress that we do not share the same views as stated in the remark, nor is it a representation of the culture of diversity and inclusion that we pride ourselves on at the hotel," the hotel tweeted yesterday.It was announced today that eBECS will invest in the creation of 100 new tech jobs in Ireland. eBECS specialises in delivering Microsoft business applications and first established operations in Ireland in 2016 serving its clients across the UK and Ireland.



The new jobs are spread across Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs) and both their graduate and return to work programme. eBECS Ireland offers the flexibility for their employees to work from home/anywhere within Ireland. Their returnship programme reaches out to those who perhaps have significant business skills, but have been unemployed for at least 18 months, so gives them a chance to re-enter the market.



Speaking at the launch, Minister for Business, Enterprise & Innovation, Heather Humphreys said, "I am delighted to see the creation of 100 highly skilled new jobs by eBECS. Its unique business model, whereby the staff can work from home, means staff can be based anywhere in the country. This is a really exciting, innovative, company which is paving the way for more flexible and family friendly forms of working and I wish them well for the future."

Source: www.businessworld.ieOn 25 May, the General Data Protection Regulation came into effect, toughening restrictions on how businesses handle data of users from the European Union. Understandably, many businesses have appeared eager to avoid the high fees of non-compliance. The penalties can reach 20 million or 4% of a violating companys annual turnover, depending on which is larger.

Many businesses might consider attempting to cushion themselves against such risks by taking out extra insurance. However, a recent study has revealed that, while insurance can help companies pay for various expenses arising from non-compliance with GDPR, those charges directly arising from the new rules are not generally eligible for such coverage in 20 of 30 European jurisdictions.

The UK: not quite the special case that might be expected

One particularly interesting point is that of the United Kingdom. Though the country is currently negotiating its much-publicised exit from the EU, the GDPR pertains to any business that handles EU citizens data. For this reason, the looming Brexit is largely irrelevant to the subject; many companies that are based in the country or do business there remain likely to be affected.

In fact, UK-based businesses that are careless with data could soon face much steeper fines due to the new legislation. Before GDPR entered force, the largest fine levelled by the countrys Information Commissioners Office for such negligence was 400,000 against the telecoms company TalkTalk in 2016, as pointed out by The Sun.

A patchwork of insurance availability for GDPR violators

Furthermore, it looks like UK-located businesses are among those unlikely to have insurance at their disposal for countering the direct financial impact of GDPR fines. In a report on its website, the law firm DLA Piper admits that only two of the countries researched in a recent study definitely offer insurance for GDPR fines. Those countries are Finland and Norway, leaving UK firms out in the cold.

Meanwhile, in another eight of the scrutinised jurisdictions, the picture is unclear. DLA Piper, itself largely based in the UK, admits that, in these settings, specific details around individual cases, for example the conduct of the insured and whether the fine is classed as criminal, will need to be considered. Though GDPR administrative fines, as the report also notes, are civil rather than criminal, European Member States are allowed to impose additional penalties of their own.

However, UK firms can still contend with related costs

It should still be noted that, if a UK business is found to have broken a GDPR rule, this could hit them with further monetary ramifications on top of what the GDPR fine would already impose. The good news is that such extra expenses could indeed be covered by insurance.

UK-based businesses could benefit from taking precautions now, before they allow a GDPR violation to happen on their watch. For example, they could source cyber liability insurance cover from the nationally-based broker Be Wiser to compensate themselves for income lost during recovery from a data breach. They can learn more from guidance on the brokers website.About Me Scott Because prophetic scriptures are found throughout the bible, it is obvious that a comprehensive, systematic approach would be useful, if not necessary, for the understanding of prophecy. Past prophecies have been fulfilled in a literal manner, as confirmed by the dating of these writings and historical records of confirmation. These past prophecies also serve as a model of how to interpret future prophecies. A literal view of prophecy clearly indicates a certain sequence of events will occur within a single generation, concluding with the Tribulation and Second Advent and these events will be obvious. The prophetic signs appear to be present in this generation and we believe these signs are revealed in the news from around the world. View my complete profileA mine exploiting the Kamoa-Kakula copper discovery in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is operated by a joint venture which includes Canada's Ivanhoe Mines. Photo: VCG

State-owned Citic Metal Co. Ltd. is set to become the biggest shareholder in Canadas Ivanhoe Mines, giving China access to some of the worlds richest copper reserves in sub-Saharan Africa.

Citic Metal will purchase a 19.9% stake in Ivanhoe for CAD$723 million ($556.9 million), becoming its largest shareholder. It will also provide a US$100 million interim loan, the Vancouver-based miner said in a statement.

Citic Metal, a subsidiary of Chinas largest conglomerate, Citic Ltd., is Ivanhoes second Chinese investor, after privately listed Zijin Mining Group Ltd. acquired a 9.9% stake through a subsidiary in 2015.

Citic Metal said the investment was largely motivated by Ivanhoes development of strategic projects in southern Africa, including a platinum mine in South Africas Bushveld Complex, and the Kamoa-Kakula copper discovery in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which Ivanhoe reckons may be the worlds fourth-biggest copper reserve.

China has become a major investor in African mining in the last decade, initially to increase its access to raw materials to support of the governments massive infrastructure development program. Chinese companies invested $31 billion in sub-Saharan mining ventures in the 10 years up to 2017, according to data from the American Enterprise Institute.

The slowdown in Chinas economic growth and plummeting copper prices at the start of 2016 led analysts to predict the end of Chinas mining investment boom. Yet overseas mining investment has continued as the governments priority shifted from infrastructure to high-end industries such as electric vehicles as part of its Made in China 2025 program.

In May 2017, China Molybdenum Co. Ltd. bought Freeport-McMoRan Inc.s $2.65 billion stake in the Tenke Fungurume mine, another major copper deposit in Congo. In 2015, Sichuan Hongda Group Co. Ltd. acquired a $2.7 billion a stake in the Mchuchuma coal and Liganga iron ore projects in Tanzania, which came online last year. Global prices of copper, which is used in electric-vehicle charging ports, have rebounded, with Goldman Sachs forecasting prices will hit $8,000 per ton this year as supply fails to match demand.

While it holds abundant mineral reserves, Congo remains a challenging environment for miners. In May, President Joseph Kabilas government signed a new law revising existing mining contracts and increasing royalty payments. Foreign investors face extreme policy uncertainty in the DRC, where an unstable government faces security, political and economic crises, said Sam Stratford, an analyst with AKE International. While multinationals have been reluctant to invest in the country, Chinese companies hope to have more leverage with Kinshasa as the government seeks Beijings largesse.

China has invested heavily in sub-Saharan Africa, including $82.86 billion in power infrastructure and $94.51 billion in transport in the last 10 years, according to the American Enterprise Institute. President Xi Jinping tripled Chinas previous funding commitments for industrialization, agricultural modernization and public health programs to $60 billion at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2015. It is expected that even larger sums will be offered when the forum meets in Beijing this September.

Contact reporter Ke Dawei (davidkirton@caixin.com)news, latest-news

People driving down Flemington Road in the early hours of Tuesday morning caught a glimpse of the first light rail vehicle to hit the tracks, ahead of testing with energised wires. At 5km/h, the tram was dragged from its Mitchell depot minutes before midnight towards Nullarbor Avenue in Gungahlin. Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris and Canberra Metro chief executive Glenn Stockton were among those waiting out in the cold for several hours for the light rail vehicle to emerge. An equipment failure delayed its departure, and one worker was overheard joking the tram must have still been on the boat from Spain. I think the keys are coming on the next boat, another quipped. As specialist machinery towed the tram along the tracks, members of the Canberra Metro team embraced one another, saying: I told you we could do it. The vehicle had special foam on the sides to test the tilt of the track, while the brakes also got a good workout. More checks will be carried out on the Gungahlin stretch of the track; the wires will be electrified on Tuesday night. It followed an attempt last Thursday to energise the lines that was thwarted by a technical issue with the substation. The light rail will undergo months of testing to iron out any bugs ahead of the service starting in December. Initially, most of the testing will take place at night, as construction of the track and stops continues during the day. Light rail project manager Meghan Oldfield said eventually testing will occur during the day as the light rail runs to timetable, trialling its signals, stopping at each stop and opening the doors. "That's probably something we have to make sure is communicated well to the public, it could be confusing otherwise," she said. But before then, the light rail has to pass baseline testing. During the first stage of testing, a diesel-powered unimog cleans the track by running over it repeatedly. In the second stage, technicians electrify the overhead wires and substations near the track, and do final checks on the power system for each light rail vehicle. The final stage involves low-speed checks of the rail alignment, with the tram travelling between 5 and 10 kilometres per hour. Drivers will then test the brakes of the vehicles, from speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour. The 12-kilometre track is divided into four segments, with testing at the northern end line of the network beginning first. For now, ongoing construction means it's too dangerous to electrify the lines during the day. The overhead wires can carry up to 750 volts of electricity, and will cause fatal injuries if touched. Because of the time it takes to electrify and de-energise the wires at the beginning and end of each night shift, testing is likely to continue to be late at night for the next little while, Ms Oldfield said. However the tram will be stabled between the depot and Nullarbor Avenue during the day, so anyone who doesn't want to go out late at night to see it can check it out. Meanwhile, Canberrans are being warned about the potential dangers during the testing period. Although the clearance is six metres, truck drivers should ensure their loads dont touch the wires when crossing intersections. Drivers are also warned to keep an eye out for oncoming light rail vehicles and not to queue across tracks. Pedestrians should be vigilant near the tracks as the light rail vehicle can move quickly and quietly, and cyclists should cross the tracks at a right angle to stop their wheels getting stuck in the groove.

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/bb22b494-08f3-40b1-8f22-b1cb74c852c9/r0_278_5472_3370_w1200_h678_fmax.jpgnews, latest-news

An investigation into the conduct of Australian Public Service Commissioner John Lloyd could be dropped upon his retirement on August 8. The Public Service Act allows for inquiries into an alleged breach of the APS Code of Conduct by an agency head, an APS employee or former APS employee, but does not explicitly allow for former agency heads to be investigated. The bill was amended in 2012 to include the term "former APS employee". At the time Minister Chris Evans told parliament the amendment aimed to make it "less attractive for employees who are under investigation to resign before a finding is made, as many employees in this situation currently do". In reality investigations fall by the wayside if the employee under investigation resigns during the process. The 2017 State of the Service report said that in approximately 15 per cent of the 596 Code of Conduct investigations in the previous year, an employee's resignation led to either the investigation being discontinued or no sanction being applied after a breach was found. According to the report, in 14.26 per cent of cases, or around 85 individuals investigated, a breach of the Code of Conduct was found, but no sanction was applied because the employee resigned before a decision could be made. In 1.34 per cent of cases, or around eight individuals, the investigation was discontinued before a finding could be made because the employee resigned. Acting merit protection commissioner Mark Davidson told a Senate estimates committee last month that he was yet to make a decision on whether to begin an investigation into Mr Lloyd. In the letter to the committee, Mr Davidson said he had originally decided to delay the decision so it could be referred to a permanent merit protection commissioner when appointed. Mr Davidson would not comment this week on whether he had made a decision on whether to launch an investigation into Mr Lloyd. Mr Davidson also did not comment on whether investigations in general were continued if the subject of allegations resigned. Minister assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service Kelly O'Dwyer announced on Friday that Linda Waugh had been appointed to the role of merit protection commissioner, to commence a five year term on June 25. A spokeswoman for Ms O'Dwyer said the government had not yet made a decision on John Lloyd's replacement, or if the position would be advertised. The government is considering arrangements for a new appointment, she said. New ACT Labor senator David Smith has written to the minister, calling the recruitment of a new commissioner "a valuable opportunity to appoint someone who will carry out the functions of the position with integrity and impartiality". Mr Smith said leadership in the public service should "[embody] the values expected throughout the service". John Lloyd announced that he would retire from his role as Public Service Commissioner last week, but denied that the decision had been influenced by the possibility of an investigation into an alleged breach of the code of conduct. He had been under pressure over his connection to the right-wing think tank the Institute of Public Affairs, after it was revealed at Senate estimates in October that he had sent an email to a member of the IPA with an attachment detailing provisions in public service agreements he described as "generous". Throughout questioning in Senate estimates and in interviews since his resignation, Mr Lloyd has maintained that he did not act improperly in his contact with the think tank.

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/379ef5f9-4917-4505-a9e9-df9c6fbf9f2c/r0_292_5568_3438_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg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.Bank of Baroda (BOB) has released an employment notification calling out for aspirants to apply for the post of Probationary Officer (PO). Those interested can check out the eligibility, salary scale, how to apply and the complete details of the government job here. The application process is through a 9months course conducted by the bank. Selected candidates can earn up to industry standards. The last date to apply for the government job is July 2, 2018.

IBPS Recruitment 2018 For 10190 Officers

BOB Recruitment 2018 Vacancy Details

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Post Probationary Officer (PO) Organisation Bank of Baroda (BOB) Number Of Vacancies 600

Educational Qualification Graduate degree from a recognised university Age Limit 20 to 28 years Skills Required Banking skills Salary Scale Industry standards Job Location Mumbai Industry Banking Experience Not required Course Fees INR 345000 Application Fees INR 100 Application Start Date June 12, 2018 Application End Date July 2, 2018

Also Read: SBI Recruitment 2018 For Research Analysts: Earn Up To INR 50 Lakhs!

How To Apply For BOB Recruitment 2018

In order to apply for BOB Recruitment 2018, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log on to the BOB official website.

Step 2: Click on the Careers tab on the home page.

Step 3: Click on the tab that reads Current Opportunities.

Step 4: Against Recruitment of Probationary Officers through Admission to Baroda Manipal School of Banking click on the link that reads, Final Advertisement.

Step 5: The detailed advertisement will be displayed on the screen. Read the details carefully. Follow the instructions given there to apply.

Click here to read the detailed official notification.Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has released an employment notification calling out for aspirants to apply for the post of Scientist. 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 80000 per month. The last date to apply for the government job is July 7, 2018.

Indian Navy Recruitment 2018 For Drivers: Earn Up To INR 81100!

DRDO Recruitment 2018 Vacancy Details

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Post Scientist Organisation Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Educational Qualification First class bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering Maximum Age Limit 28 years Skills Required Research skills Salary Scale INR 56100 to INR 80000 Job Location India Industry Defence Experience Desirable Application Fee INR 100 Application Start Date June 16, 2018 Application End Date July 7, 2018

Also Read: Ministry Of Defence Recruitment 2018 For Tradesman Mate

How To Apply For DRDO Recruitment 2018

In order to apply for DRDO Recruitment 2018, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log on to the DRDO recruitment official website.

Step 2: Click Expert Registration button on the home page.

Step 3: The registration form will be displayed on the screen.

Step 4: Enter your details in the fields provided.

Step 5: Upload your photograph and signature.

Step 6: Verify your phone number with an OTP.

Step 7: Click Submit.

Documents Required

1. Self-attested testimonials

2. Passport size photographs of yourself

3. Your signature

4. Valid GATE score

5. Scanned declaration and signature

Click here to read the detailed official notification.West Bengal Public Service Commission (WBPSC) has released an employment notification calling out for aspirants to apply for the post of Fire Operator. 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 27800. The last date to apply for the government job is July 3, 2018.

SKPSC Recruitment 2018 For Commercial Tax Inspectors

WBPSC Recruitment 2018 Vacancy Details

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Post Fire Operator Organisation West Bengal Public Service Commission (WBPSC) Educational Qualification Class 10 graduate from a recognised board in the state Skills Required Knowledge in Bengali or Nepali Age Limit 18 to 27 years Salary Scale INR 5400 to INR 27800 Job Location West Bengal Industry Civil services Experience Minimum one year experience in fire fighting in any government department along with ITI certificate in relevant field Selection Process Endurance test, written exam and viva voce Application Fees INR 110 Application Start Date June 13, 2018 Application End Date July 3, 2018

Also Read: UPSC NDA And NA II Application Process Open: Apply Before July 2, 2018!

How To Apply For WBPSC Recruitment 2018

In order to apply for WBPSC Recruitment 2018, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log on to the WBPSC official website.

Step 2: The list of recruitment notifications will be displayed on the screen.

Step 3: On the home page, under LIVE APPLICATION, click on the application link that will be active from June 13, 2018.

Step 4: The application form will be displayed on the screen. Enter your details in the fields provided.

Step 5: Submit it and complete the application process.

Click here to read the detailed official notification.Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB), which is one amongst the top management business schools in India, has introduced innovative education. The institute, which is a leading graduate school of management in Asia, has collaborated with many universities across the world to offer many exchange programs.

With a motto to spread high-quality digital learning, IIM Bangalore has launched Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) besides MicroMasters program on various topics. Here are the top 10 free online courses one can pursue after acquiring the minimum basic requirements.

1. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Candidates will learn about the applications and benefits of CRM. They will also learn the importance of bonding and building loyalty with customers besides building long-term customer relationships. This is a six-week course and one has to devote at least 3 to 5 hours per week. A registered candidate can pay $49 USD (approx. INR 3302) for a verified certificate.

2. Innovation and IT Management

Managing IT field requires a lot of decision-making skills. Enrolled candidates will learn about the digital networks and security, crowd management and ethical aspects of IT. This is a four-week course and one has to devote at least 2 to 4 hours per week. A registered candidate can pay $50 USD (approx. INR 3370) for a verified certificate.

3. Strategy and the Sustainable Enterprise

One will be provided with ample of information about the tools and techniques to integrate sustainability into their business strategies. This is a five-week course and one has to devote at least 2 to 4 hours per week. A registered candidate can pay $50 USD (approx. INR 3370) for a verified certificate.

4. Entrepreneurship: Do Your Venture

The course will help candidates develop entrepreneurial ideas with a concept ''Do Your Venture''. One will learn about the common paths chosen by successful entrepreneurs. They will also learn about the tools to successfully launch a venture. This is a six-week course and one has to devote at least 3 to 4 hours per week. A registered candidate can pay $150 USD (approx. INR 10108) for a verified certificate.

5. Strategic Management

In strategic management, registered candidates will learn about the industry and competitive analysis besides resource and competency analysis. This is a five-week course and one has to devote at least 4 hours per week. A registered candidate can pay $150 USD (approx. INR 10108) for a verified certificate.

6. Accounting For Decision-Making

Understanding of the financial statements and analysis of financial statement attract candidates to this course. Using the accounting information to plan and control your business will also be explained. This is a seven-week course and one has to devote at least 4 to 5 hours per week. A registered candidate can pay $150 USD (approx. INR 10108) for a verified certificate.

7. Marketing Management

The course will be on the basic concepts of marketing and marketing strategy. The 4Ps of marketing will be explained in detail. This is a nine-week course and one has to devote at least 2 to 4 hours per week. A registered candidate can pay $150 USD (approx. INR 10108) for a verified certificate.

8. Corporate Finance

Candidates will learn about the role of corporate finance in an organisation. They will also learn about the role of financial markets in financing firms. They even learn about the capital budgeting tools such as payback period and internal rate of return. This is a five-week course and one has to devote at least 3 to 5 hours per week. A registered candidate can pay $150 USD (approx. INR 10108) for a verified certificate.

9. People Management

One will gain an overview of what it takes to be an effective people manager. They will acquire the managerial experiences through case studies. This is a six-week course and one has to devote at least 2 to 4 hours per week. A registered candidate can pay $150 USD (approx. INR 10108) for a verified certificate.

10. International Business Environment and Global Strategy

Candidates will learn about the factors such as social, political, economic and institutional that affect the business environment and global strategies. One will learn about how the companies' strategies are affected by the environment. This is a three-week course and one has to devote at least 2 to 4 hours per week. A registered candidate can pay $50 USD (approx. INR 3370) for a verified certificate.

The courses mentioned above are self-paced ones and there is no set schedule. The course material will be sent as soon as the course begins. There are no specific dates for completing the assignments and exams. If you are aiming for a certificate, following a schedule is required. These courses are available on the official website of IIMB.

What Are The Advantages Of Opting For Online LearningEve Byrd remembers a conversation she had with a nursing student in Liberia several years ago. A faculty member for a Carter Center program to credential nurses for mental health disorders, Byrd and her student nurse had just finished seeing a patient and were discussing the case.

The student asked, "Once I diagnose this person, who will take care of her?" In response, Byrd just looked at the student, whose eyes widened as she said, "I will." "It was a remarkable moment," Byrd said. "It hit home to both of us that without the program and what we were doing, there wasnt anyone to take care of the individuals with psychiatric illnesses and epilepsy."

Byrd, D.N.P., M.P.H., who became director of the Carter Center's Mental Health Program in early 2017, has spent many years caring and advocating for people with mental illnesses. In Liberia, she taught nurses about how to recognize and treat mental health disorders in a country that had just one psychiatrist in 2010. But most of her career has been in Atlanta, Ga., where she worked as a psychiatric nurse in hospitals, homes, and clinics, learning firsthand about the needs of people with mental illnesses.

"It's one thing to say you understand," Byrd said. "But it's another to have worked directly with someone who has been evicted or can't get the right supports or has lost someone to suicide or overdose," she said.

Although Byrd's career has grown to include more and more administrative and leadership roles over time, she was always able to hold on to her clinical practice, something she values. "When people share with me their challenges related to a behavioral health condition, it is a privilege," she said. "It is a time when people can be the most vulnerable."

Byrd sees the stigma of mental illnesses as a major barrier to good care and believes that better health policy will go a long way toward improving resources for those who need them. "Unfortunately, in the United States we spend a lot of time and resources to rework a broken system of care," she said. In contrast, Liberia  even with its lack of infrastructure  is building a system the right way the first time with mental health services embedded with primary care.Photo: Contributed

UPDATED: 4 p.m.

The suspect and victim vehicles of today's shooting have been found.

No suspects have been located.

The incident remains under investigation.

ORIGINAL: 2:56 p.m.

A vehicle was shot at Monday afternoon in Kamloops.

At about 1:25 p.m. police responded to a report of a person inside a vehicle who shot a firearm at another vehicle at the intersection of McGill Road and Summit Drive.

Both vehicles fled the scene as soon as the shots were fired.

The suspect vehicle is described as a black pick-up Escalade with an Alberta license plate.

There appeared to be two people in the vehicle, both wearing bandanas covering their faces.

The victim vehicle is described as a small silver car. One or more of the windows were damaged by the gunfire.

Police arrived on scene and flooded egress routes in an attempt to locate the vehicles.

No suspects or victims have been located at this time.

Kamloops police ask anyone who saw the incident or either the suspect or victim vehicle to contact RCMP at 250-828-3000.

If you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.How do you deal with the loss of privacy, fan demand, and the pitfalls of success? In the Globo Reporter...Cement by sea

Published 12 June 2018

Moving cement by sea is a difficult business, often requiring dedicated vessels fitted with specialist equipment. Shipowners and operators also have to manage freight rate fluctuations, new environmental regulations and what happens when there are not enough ships to go round. By James Johnston, Braemar ACM Shipbroking, UK.

As a somewhat specialised cargo, cement does not get a lot of attention in the dry bulk market. However, beyond the big three  coal, iron ore and grain  cement and clinker account for around 11 per cent of the remaining bulk trades moved by sea today (see Figures 1 and 2).

To continue reading this story and get access to all News, Articles and Video sections of the CemNet.com website, please Register for a subscription to International Cement Review or LoginPakistan's cement exports to benefit from PKR depreciation

12 June 2018

Cement exports from Pakistan are likely to benefit from the Pakistani rupee depreciation against the US dollar as reported in foreign exchange markets.



According to Elixir Securities Pakistan, the rupee has depreciated by 3.9 per cent during the day to PKR121 against the greenback, from last week's close of PKR116.5. Historically the local currency has depreciated in spurts, with today's move being the third one to date in FY18, following depreciations in December 2017 and March 2018, taking the cumulative depreciation to 15 per cent over the ongoing fiscal year (compared to flattish performance during FY15-17).



Pakistan's cement industry has recorded a growth of 16.8 per cent in cement exports in April 2018 in terms of the rupee. The country exported 404,898t of cement at PKR2.21bn during the period. This trend is likely to continue.

Published underSuhar Cement to add new grinding capacity

12 June 2018

Suhar Cement is expected to start its new cement grinding operation later this year. The new facility, featuring a cement mill with a capacity of around 240tph. The project is being developed as partnership with Sohar Cement (holding 70 per cent of the equity) and UAE-based Fujairah Cement Co (owning the balance 30 per cent of the equity) at Suhar Industrial Estate in northeastern Oman.



This would be Oman's third cement mill after Oman Cement and Raysut Cement. The new Suhar cement plant, along with a flurry of new cement projects planned in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Duqm, is part of Oman's plans to ramp up domestic cement production cement by 2021.



The Suhar plant has been delayed by the absence of a paved road to provide suitable access to the site and by a lack of power availability to the site.



Another cement project in Oman

Al Wusta Cement Co LLC a joint venture company of Oman Cement Co and Raysut Cement Co is planning to build cement plant in Duqm, Oman. The plant's current capacity would be 5000tpd of cement, which is expected to be increased. Consultants have already submitted a draft of their feasibility study into the project.



According to last year report of the National Program for Enhancing Economic Diversification (TANFEEDH), it has been planned to increase the local production of cement by setting two new gray cement plants, a white cement plant and two cement grinding facilities.



Increasing the local production of cement

Currently, the Oman is dependent on imports for just over half of its cement demand  a trend that is expected to be reversed with the mega investments planned in Duqm and Suhar, according to experts.



Cement consumption in the Oman has increased from 2.7Mt in 2006 to 9Mt in 2015, with 54 per cent of local consumption being imported from the UAE. As for the other 46 per cent, it is produced by local Omani companies such as Oman Cement LLC (23 per cent), Raysut and Al Madinah (21 per cent).

Published underHeidelbergCement updates financial targets and strategic priorities

ICR Newsroom By 12 June 2018

HeidelbergCement presented its Vision 2020, updating financial targets and strategic priorities for the three-year period starting 2018 at its Capital Markets Day 2018 in Bergamo, Italy. The group aims to increase free cash flow generation to around EUR6bn during this period, driven by further efficiency gains and potential market upsides as well as a reduction in financial costs and disciplined capex spending, said the company in a statement.



HeidelbergCement expects to benefit from market improvements as core markets in southern and eastern Europe as well as emerging countries recover and enter an expansion phase in the current economic cycle. In total the company expects an organic EBITDA growth of around five per cent annually over the three-year period.



Furthermore, the cement producer plans to further improve its asset base by active portfolio management. The business in existing geographies will be strengthened through a selective M&A strategy, which could include increasing vertical integration. It also aims to reduce complexity and risk by disposing of non-core businesses, idle assets and high-risk or limited-growth potential market positions. As a result of such disposals HeidelbergCement forecasts proceeds of around EUR1bn-1.5bn, which will then finance EUR1.5bn-2bn growth capex.



The company will also implement digital platforms to drive savings of more than EUR200m in operations, maintenance, logistics and purchasing.



Dr Bernd Scheifele, Chairman of the Management Board, commented: We have grown the company with the successful integration of Italcementi and increased shareholder returns by raising our dividend to new record levels. Our successful business model is based on the most advanced vertical integration, a simple structure focussed on three core business lines and a de-centralised, lean organisation with strong local teams. As such, we have a compelling strategy in place which clearly differentiates us from our competitors and we remain the industry leader in business excellence and cost efficiency. HeidelbergCement is well positioned to capitalise on its strengths in the current business cycle. Over the next three years, we intend to significantly increase our free cash flow with the clear commitment to building shareholder value.

CFO, Dr Lorenz Nager, added: We have strong cash generation potential not only from operations but also from financial cost reductions and disciplined capex management. We intend to continue with our progressive dividend strategy based on affordability and sustainability, deleverage our balance sheet and optimise our asset portfolio.

Published underTwo thousand years of Christianity in Syria could be wiped out by the very forces Western governments are supporting, an Anglican vicar has claimed.

Rev. Andrew Ashdown, who has made ten trips to Syria since 2014 and is studying for a PhD in relations between Christians and Muslims there, also accused Western nations and Western church leaders of neglecting Syrian Christians.

Rev. Ashdown travelled to Syria in April with a group that included Anglican Canon Giles Fraser, Baroness Cox, Bishop Michael Langrish and Dr. Erica Hunter, an expert on Middle Eastern Christianity from London Universitys School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). The group was criticised for not cancelling the visit, which took place hours after British, French and American pilots carried out an airstrike on alleged chemical weapons facilities run by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The airstrike, near Homs, was ordered in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack and was backed by EU foreign ministers.

Addressing an audience at SOAS, Rev. Ashdown said many Syrians viewed Christians as vital for maintaining the balance in Syrias pluralist society. He quoted a Muslim writer in Damascus, who had told him: I speak to you as a Muslim. Go back to your country and tell your country not to worry about us Muslims, but tell your country to worry about the Christians, because if your country gets rid of Assad and militants win this conflict, Christians will be destroyed in Syria. And Syria will be destroyed. And next will be Europe.

The speakers challenged the stance of Western governments that have wanted Assad to step down as a pre-condition to peace talks, and are backing Sunni rebel groups believed to be moderate and pro-democracy. However their stance against Assad, who is backed by Russia, has softened as the war has dragged on. A spokesperson from the UK Foreign Office told World Watch Monitor on 8 June that the UK is committed to using diplomatic means to achieve a political settlement that  provides stability for all Syrians and the wider region, adding: There needs to be a transition to a new, inclusive, non-sectarian government that can protect the rights of all Syrians and unite the country.

I speak to you as a Muslim. Go back to your country and tell your country not to worry about us Muslims, but tell your country to worry about the Christians, because if your country gets rid of Assad and militants win this conflict, Christians will be destroyed in Syria. And Syria will be destroyed. And next will be Europe.

Although Assads record on human rights has been widely criticised, he is seen as a defender of the countrys non-Sunni minorities, including the various Christian communities, who were believed to make up ten per cent of Syrias population before the start of the civil war.

However speakers took issue with binary portrayals of the war as pro-democracy Islamists versus pro-Assad minorities, noting that some Sunnis remained committed to their Christian neighbours, while Christians are not unanimous in their support for Assad.

Rev. Ashdown cited examples of Muslims defending Christians and showed the audience a slide of him with a group of fighters from Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia group backed by Iran, who had protected a monastery while it was near the frontline with IS. He said they told him: We will give our lives to protect the Christians in Syria, because without the Christians in this land, Syria will not be Syria.

Many Muslims are appalled by what is done in the name of Islam by extremist groups, he continued. Our support for the militant extremists has contributed to the length of violence and the extent of the conflict.

He showed a slide of a fifth-century church from the town of Maaloula, which had been a seat of Christian learning before the war. He said the church was smashed and desecrated by the rebels that our government supports. Although the church has been restored, he said its ancient icons have been stolen. Rev. Ashdown later clarified to World Watch Monitor that residents told him the attackers operated together and included the Free Syrian Army, which has received backing from the US, the Al Farouq Brigades, Jabhat al-Nusra, Jaish al-Islam, Ahrar al-Sham, Jabhat Islamiyya, Jathat Tahreer al-Qalamoun, and Ahfad al-Rasoul.

Rev. Ashdown described the rebel forces who have held parts of Damascus, including the suburb of Eastern Ghouta, as extremist militant fighters who were being supported by the West, and said there had been shelling on both sides. The Christian quarter has been a particular target, with churches and schools regularly being targeted, and shelling often being timed when schools were coming out and the streets were at their busiest, he said, adding that 11,000 civilians have been killed in central Damascus since the start of the war, and that 2,500 of them were children.

Baroness Cox said Syrian support for Assad had increased in the face of religious extremism but summed up the dilemma of Syrians who do not side with the Islamists. She quoted a woman in an internally displaced people (IDP) camp in Latakia who had fled Islamist terrorists. The woman told her that her husband and 25-year-old son were captured and killed as they tried to flee, adding: We die from shellings on both sides, but on one side we die from shellings, and on the other we die from shellings and beheadings, and we dont want the beheadings.

Dr. Nazir-Ali said he deplored all the violence  whether committed by Assad or the groups trying to overthrow him. He called for a transitional administration to arrange for elections under international supervision. He warned that a violent overthrow of the regime by Islamist forces could be disastrous for minorities such as Christians, as occurred in parts of Iraq overrun by Shia and Sunni militias. The vast majority of Syrians do not want an Islamist regime. A Salafi state  would put an end to Syrias rich tapestry, which would be as great a tragedy as has happened to its neighbour, Iraq, he warned.

Religious-freedom charities Open Doors International and Middle East Concern are campaigning for Christians in Iraq and Syria to be guaranteed equal citizenship, dignified living conditions and a prominent role in reconciling and rebuilding society.

The post Christianity in Syria is under threat from forces the West is supporting appeared first on World Watch Monitor.

Photo: A badly damaged Greek Orthodox church in the old quarter of Aleppo

Photo courtesy: Open Doors International

Publication date: June 11, 2018Nice to meet you, Mr. President. With these words, Kim Jong Un shook hands with Donald Trump as the two made history in Singapore.

Before the summit, the sitting heads of the United States and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea had never met. The summit began last night at 9 p.m. ET (9 a.m. Tuesday morning in Singapore) and lasted for four hours. The two met before a row of alternating US and North Korean flags, then sat down for a thirty-eight-minute, one-on-one meeting.

Their top advisers then joined them for another two hours of talks. The delegations concluded by sharing lunch together. Afterward, Mr. Kim announced, The world will see a major change.

Were going to have a great discussion

Mr. Trump told reporters at the outset of the summit, Were going to have a great discussion. Its my honor and we will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt. Mr. Kim added that old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles in our way forward, but we overcame all of them and we are here today.

The two signed a joint statement in which President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The document makes four specific statements: (1) the two nations will commit to establish new relations; (2) they will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula; (3) the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula; and (4) the two nations commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

According to the agreement, the US and North Korea commit to hold follow-up negotiations led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a high-level DPRK official at the earliest possible date to implement the outcomes of the summit. The two nations will cooperate for the promotion of peace, prosperity, and the security of the Korean Peninsula and of the world.

Mr. Trump later told reporters that he and Mr. Kim would meet again . . . many times. He added that he would invite Mr. Kim to visit the White House.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Perhaps the most important outcome was to open a channel between Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim and set the stage for more high-level negotiations over thorny issues like the pace of North Koreas denuclearization and a verification process that the declaration says are slated to begin as soon as possible.

A very important event in world history

At a press conference following the summit, Mr. Trump called the meeting a very important event in world history. He said he looked forward to lifting economic sanctions once nukes are no longer a factor and agreed to stop US-South Korea war games.

Of course, next steps in this process are crucial. In 2005, North Korea made a similar promise to denuclearize, but those negotiations failed and the regime conducted its first nuclear test a little more than a year later.

Mr. Pompeo said Monday that the US was prepared to offer different, unique security assurances to Pyongyang this time, perhaps alluding to a peace treaty and other guarantees. At the press conference, Mr. Trump added, I want to get it completed, because if we dont get the ball over the goal line, it doesnt mean enough.

The president also stated that he and Mr. Kim discussed human rights at length and claimed that one hundred thousand people in North Korea gulags will benefit from their meeting. As I have written before, this is a pressing issue of special concern for Christians.

North Korea has been ranked the most oppressive place in the world for Christians across the last sixteen years. Up to seventy thousand believers are in concentration camps; more than 75 percent do not survive. Believers must keep their faith secret even from other family members.

However, their numbers are growing, and their faith is strong.

An invitation to intercession

In Origin Story: A Big History of Everything, historian David Christian notes, We can never see the world directly in all its detail; that would require a brain as big as the universe.

The good news is that we serve an omniscient Creator and King. His will for us is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2) and his banner over us is love (Song of Solomon 2:4). In a conflicted world filled with broken people, the only hope of true peace is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

The Singapore Summit is his invitation to intercession.

Lets join together in prayer for those leading the peace process to have wisdom, patience, and fortitude. Lets pray for the oppression of Christians to cease and for North Korean believers to worship freely. Lets pray for Kim Jong Un and his leaders to know Christ personally and for a great spiritual movement in their country.

Such outcomes seem beyond the reach of human capacity because they are. But David Platt is right: Nothing is impossible for the people of God who trust in the power of God to accomplish the will of God.

Lets remember that the Singapore Summit occurred on June 12, the thirty-first anniversary of President Reagans speech at the Brandenburg Gate. There he challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Tear down this wall! Two years later, the Berlin Wall fell.

Abraham Lincoln: It is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God . . . and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.

Photo: As White House Chief of Staff John Kelly (L) looks on, U.S. President Donald Trump waves goodbye while departing a press conference following his historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un June 12, 2018 in Singapore.Trump described his meeting with Kim as 'better than anyone could have expected.'

Photo courtesy: Win McNamee

Publication date: June 12, 2018

For more from the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, please visit www.denisonforum.org.

Do you want to live a life in whole-hearted pursuit of loving God and others?

Read today's First15 at www.first15.org.J. D. Greear stepped out of the 2016 election for president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in the third round of voting. But today, it only took one ballot for thousands of delegates to elect him to the helm.

Greear, a 45-year-old whose North Carolina megachurch has become a missions juggernaut, beat out former seminary head and SBC statesman Ken Hemphill by a margin of 69 percent to 31 percent at the 2018 annual meeting in Dallas, becoming the denominations youngest president in 37 years.

Several pastors and fellow leaders cheered his election, saying Greears victory signals a new day in the SBC and leaves them optimistic about the future.

Hemphill tweeted out his congratulations shortly after Tuesdays announcement, saying that Greear will make a fine president.

Though the position is largely a symbolic, visionary leadership roleSBC churches are autonomous, and much of the major denominational decision-making happens within independent SBC agenciesSouthern Baptists are looking to Greear during a tumultuous time.

God is stirring in the SBC. He has exposed a startling amount of sin in our midst. He has shaken many of our foundations. And I actually think thats good news, because whom the Lord loves, he chastens, the newly elected president wrote. He is inviting us, I believe, into an era of unprecedented effectiveness for the Great Commission, if we repent.

Americas largest Protestant body is now grappling with yet another year of steady declines, plus unprecedented pressure to address the treatment of women and incidents of abuse within its churches.

Christianity Today profiled Greear and his Summit Church in its June issue, and the pastor also spoke about his calling in a 2016 episode of CT podcast The Calling.

Much of Greears presidential platform focused on renewing church planting and personal evangelization among Southern Baptists, including better engagement with young people in churches.

Hes seen as somewhat of a bridge-builder between generationsand between younger, Reformed and Calvinist leaders and traditionalists who believe in an Arminian view of salvationhaving studied at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) under one of the most historically prominent leaders in the denomination, Paige Patterson. (In recent weeks, as controversy surrounded Pattersonforcing him out of seminary leadership and off the annual meeting agendaGreear has had to make his own statements condemning abuse and addressing the backlash against his mentor.)

What Greears backers see as a fresh approach to ministry, critics worry represents a betrayal of denominational values. For example, the Gen X pastors church doesnt contain the word Baptist in its name.

Hours after his election, the Summit Church pastor spoke to the delegation alongside Atlanta pastor Dhati Lewis about engaging in multicultural and racial dialogue.

We need to recognize the leadership gifts of brothers and sisters of color that God has placed in our midst and embrace their leadership, Greear stated in January, naming diversity one of his top priorities should he be elected president. This should have happened a long time ago, but in this new era we desperately need their wisdom and influence.

Greear takes over as president in the midst of the 11th consecutive year of Southern Baptist decline.

With 15 million members, the SBC is in no danger of losing its position as one of Americas top denominations, second in size only to the Roman Catholic Church. But it has lost 1.3 million members since 2006, according to the denominations Annual Church Profile (ACP) released this month.

Baptisms have also dropped by over a quarter in the past decade, down to 254,000 last year. (Only about three-quarters of churches report their figures to the ACP, so it doesnt offer a full picture of the denomination but still indicates major trends and is taken seriously by leaders.)

Only a few measures in this years ACP, which the bloggers at SBC Voices deemed a statistical release weepfest, showed promising growth. After dropping to a 20-year low the year before, worship attendance is finally on the upswing, rising 2.3 percent in 2017. In addition, the SBC added another 270 churches.

Also, giving to the Cooperative Programthe funding mechanism for SBC entitieshas exceeded projections by nearly 3.6 percent so far this fiscal year, raising $132.6 million. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, which goes to international missions, also saw a similar bump in 20172018, rising 3.75 percent to $142.7 million.

When Southern Baptists are facing a secularizing American culture, some people are tempted to panic about that. J. D.s not panicked, Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, told CT earlier this year. Hes been reaching secularized people with the gospel for a long time, so hell be a very able spokesperson for leading the denomination.The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has a lot to talk about at its two-day annual meeting kicking off today in Dallas. This year, amid the standard business of elections, entity updates, worship sets, and messages, leaders of Americas largest Protestant body have brought unprecedented attention to the women in its churches and its pastoral response to abuse.

2018 also marks the 100th anniversary of women attending the SBC annual meeting as messengers. At least two proposed resolutions up for consideration directly address the role of women in the complementarian denomination. But unofficially, the conversation is much bigger than that.

Many have awaited this national Southern Baptist gatheringthe first since what some have deemed the #MeToo movements entry into evangelicalismas grounds to engage an issue its leaders can no longer downplay.

At the start of the year, Southern Baptists watched as a decades-old, unreported sexual assault at a Houston Baptist congregation led to the resignation of two pastors, including the perpetrator Andy Savage, who went from being infamously applauded by his congregation to apologizing for his past immorality in a matter of weeks.

Months later, Executive Committee president Frank Page vacated the SBCs top leadership role over an inappropriate relationship. And in recent weeks, longtime SBC figurehead Paige Patterson was forced out of his presidency at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary over his mishandling of abuse allegations after weeks of controversy over his past remarks toward women.

Like Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Al Mohler, who wrote last month that judgment has now come to the house of the Southern Baptist Convention, prominent leaders have pushed each other to speak and act during this public reckoning for their movement.

The world is watching. We need to convey to the world that we care for women more than we care for our positions of power, said Austin pastor Matt Carter, speaking Monday on a panel on abuse in the lead-up to the conference. The church has hidden behind those power structures for too long.

A pastor who oversaw Savage stepped down this year from Carters church, The Austin Stone, after the allegations became public. Carter appeared alongside Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission president Russell Moore and Bible teacher Beth Moore, who last month called out sexism in the SBC in a viral open letter.

The popular author and speakerherself an abuse survivorcommended Carter and Russell Moore for their resolute positions on reporting allegations to authorities, offering more resources for women to seek counsel, and spotlighting the stories of women who have undergone abuse.

But she also acknowledged the barriers that keep victims from trusting the church, even as leaders grow more open and more eager to help.

In every case of abuse or assault is a misuse of power  it has turned on her and has done her wrong, she explained. By the time youre in a church context, shes already intimidated by power. Especially if there are not female voices, its just exaggerated the fear she might not be understood or not be heard.

As they attempt to assure that the women within their denomination will be trusted and cared for, Southern Baptist leaders have been forced to recognize that this hasnt always been the case.

Sinful men have in Scripture and the history of the church wronged women, abused women, silenced women, objectified women by ungodly comments and ungodly acts, preyed on women, left women unprotected, failed to report injustices and evils committed against women to civil authorities established by God, and failed to act out of the overflow of the image of Christ, reads one popular resolution submitted for todays meeting, written by Jason K. Allen, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Allens submission, entitled On Affirming the Dignity of Women and the Holiness of Ministers, condemns comments and behaviors that disrespect women within the denomination and calls for better responses to misconduct.

Especially as we reel from events of recent days, the value of women inside the SBC needs to be proclaimed from the biggest stages weve got, said Sarah Short, whos attending the meeting from the Summit Church in North Carolina. (Her pastor, J. D. Greear is running for SBC president). Our brightest and most revered leaders need to say it with their mouths and our convention needs to adopt it as a resolution. Its time.

Another line of the draft text states, To the shame of the Southern Baptist Convention and the very obscuring of the glory of God, a number of Southern Baptist leaders, professors, and ministers have since our last annual gathering sinned against the Lord and against women by their ungodly behavior and language.

In addition to the backing of dozens of current and past presidents, prominent pastors, and entity heads, the resolution has been applauded by Southern Baptist womenincluding some of the original signatories of a viral letter condemning Pattersons stance toward women.

These strong, clear, biblical words are desperately needed by the church, said Karen Swallow Prior, a Liberty University professor and an ERLC research fellow. If the words are followed by action, both at the annual meeting this week and in every congregation, I have great hope that this will be a significant turning point for the SBC that will make for our denomination a more biblical, more solid, and more vibrant future.

Similarly, Kelsey Hency, the Southern Baptist editor in chief of Fathom Magazine, agreed that Allens resolution goes beyond offering lip service to the current SBC controversy and doesnt read as an attempt at a well-timed PR move, but as an effort to move the SBC closer to Christlikeness.

Update: Among 16 resolutions passed by the SBC delegation on Tuesday were measures acknowledging womens involvement in the SBC, condemning abuse, and upholding the dignity of ministers; though they addressed women and the climate of sexual misconduct, they did not contain the exact language proposed by Allen. The adopted resolutions similarly stated:

We deplore, apologize, and ask forgiveness for failures to protect the abused, failures that have occurred in evangelical churches and ministries, including such failures within our own denomination.

Biblical headship blesses, honors, and protects wives and children and does not require them to submit to sin or to abuse.

We call upon pastors, ministry leaders, entity leaders, and denominational representatives to pursue moral and sexual purity in all relationships before God and with others and to guard their life and doctrine scrupulously.

Florida pastor Dean Inserra told The Tennessean that statements or resolutions are not enough, particularly in the wake of the Patterson controversy, and that he also wants to see new approaches from fresh leadership. I think it begins by refusing to be in denial that theres a serious problem, Inserra said. As a convention as a whole, theres a culture problem.

#MeToo was also the focus of an ERLC panel held on the eve of the annual meeting that included Kimberlee Norris, a sexual assault trial attorney and the co-founder of Ministry Safe, which trains organizations to prevent and monitor for sexual abuse.

During the panel, pastor and former SBC president James Merritt encouraged leaders to make their churches safe places where women can feel comfortable reporting abuse. (As CT previously reported, nearly 9 in 10 pastors believe their church is already a safe place for women to come forward in cases of domestic violence, and Baptists are the denomination most likely to offer victims financial resources or a place to stay if they are in need, according to a LifeWay Research survey.)

Last night, Merritt also defended the idea of womens leadership on the denominational level, saying A woman can be the president of the Southern Baptist Convention. I dont see anything in the Bible that prohibits that.

His suggestion follows Texas pastor Dwight McKissic, who wrote last week that this would be an apt time for Southern Baptists to have a woman such as Beth Moore in the presidential role.

Within the convention hall in Dallas, Southern Baptists stand by their complementarian stance on gender, which upholds marital submission and reserves lead pastor positions for men, while acknowledging the need for better treatment of women and celebrating their contributions to the church.

The Tennessean reports that a motion may be proposed during the meeting to change SBC bylaws to explicitly bar women from the presidency. (Going into the meeting, both candidates up for the job this year were men.)

Concerns surrounding abuse in the denomination have led some, including author and advocate Mary DeMuth, to organize a prayer rally outside of todays event in Dallas. DeMuth, who signed the Patterson letter (which did not challenge complementarianism), said she was encouraged by Allens resolution.

He recognizes the beautiful image-bearing nature of both men and women, specifically names abuses upon women (silencing, abusing, objectifying, preying), repents of cover-up and other egregious actions on behalf of SBC churches along the same lines as Daniel 9, and rightly recognizes the evil behind the marginalizing and exploitation of women, she told CT.

Reading this resolution ignited a spark of hope that, perhaps, my denomination is willing to reexamine their hearts in relating to over half of their congregations.

The women were less excited about the proposed Resolution on the 100th Anniversary of Women as Messengers to the SBC, which honors the first messengers (Kathy Litton and Susie Hawkins) and thanks God for women who have contributed in biblically appropriate ways through discipleship, missions, education, evangelism, service, leadership, and working for advocacy and justice.

I could never imagine such a statement being seen as necessary to be made regarding men, said Prior. If one replaced the word women with men throughout the document, the ludicrousness of such a resolution would be immediately clear. That such a resolution is needed for women is itself a sad commentary on the status of women in the SBC of late.As a missiologist, I read the #MeToo movement through the lens of world history. When I scroll through news stories about sexual violence and abuse against women, and as I listen to my students and friends speak about their experiences of harassment and abuse, I hear echoes of the past. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the people who suffered the most were women, children, and the poor, and in the 21st century, the people who suffer the most are still women, children, and the poor.

The contemporary global church, then, is facing a significant decision: How are we going to respond to the continuing abuses against women in the church and in society at large?

As we consider our involvement, Christian activists who came before us can teach us some valuable lessons. The fiery female evangelists and missionaries of the 19th century, in particular, have always captured my attention. Women like Sojourner Truth, Pandita Ramabai, Amy Carmichael, and Shi Meiyu inspire me to follow Jesus with courage, passion, and zeal. During a time period when women were praised for their delicate manners, petite frames, and soft-spoken dispositions, these womens fearless dedication to social justice and equity was anything but polite. They understood that following Jesus included participating in Gods active love for the voiceless and marginalized.

Although these four women lived during the same time period, they came from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds, worked in different countries, and had distinct ministries and professional callings.

Despite these differences, each reformer shared four key characteristics in common:

First, they were women of prayer.

Prayer is a consistent motif in the stories of these remarkable women. It informed their fervor for social justice, and as such, they each considered their ministries to be a natural extension of their love of God.

Sojourner Truth (17971883), for example, is often remembered for her personal courage, support of womens rights, and rebuke of the practice of slavery in the United States. Less emphasis, however, has been placed on her dynamic and heartfelt life of prayer. Truth, born Isabella Baumfree, was one of at least ten children born to Betsey and James Baumfree, both slaves in New York State. During her life, Truth faced innumerable personal hardships. Born into slavery, Truth was sold to four different slave owners, forced to marry a fellow slave, beaten severely, physically neglected, and forced to fight the US legal system in order to free her son, who had been illegally sold across state lines. In the midst of these hardships, she prayed.

Truth first learned about God from her mother, Betsey, who often gathered her children together and talked to them about the only Being that could effectually aid or protect themGod. She recalled her mother explaining to them, My children, there is a God who hears and sees you.  He lives in the sky  and when you are beaten, or cruelly treated, or fall into any trouble, you must ask help of him, and he will always hear and help you.

As Truth began speaking publically on behalf of the abolitionist movement, women, and the poor, she continued her regular practice of calling on God in prayer. Having never learned to read, she asked people to read and re-read the Bible to her. Empowered by the Word of God and her own prayer life, she fearlessly campaigned for the equal dignity and rights of all human beings.

Second, they were women of action.

Along with prayer, these four women responded to the pain around them with decisive action.

Ramabai Dongre Medhavi (18581922), more widely known as Pandita Ramabai, fought for female education and the rights of child brides and young widows in her homeland, India. These issues were close to Ramabais heart for personal reasons. Her own mother was a child bride who married her father at age nine, and Ramabai herself gained the unenviable status of a Hindu widow when her husband died after only 18 months of marriage. Having witnessed firsthand the struggles of Indian women, she dedicated her life to advocating for the voiceless in her community.

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When Ramabai and her daughter became followers of Jesus in 1883, she intensified her social justice efforts. In reflecting on her visit to a rescue house for women in London, she wrote that Christ was truly the Divine Savior he claimed to be, and no one but He could transform and uplift the downtrodden women of India.

Although Ramabai often used the written word to encourage reform, she also was a woman of action. In 1889, she founded Sharada Sadan (House of Wisdom), a non-religious school for young Hindu widows. Two years after the severe famine of 1896, she opened the Mukti (Salvation) orphanage and Christian school specifically for female survivors of the famine. Additional houses for the elderly, young boys, and the blind were later added, and in all, over 2,000 people were given food, housing, and access to education and medical assistance at the Kedgaon campus. Ramabais ministry embodied the love of God in word and deed.

Third, they were women of perseverance.

All four of these women embodied fearlessness in the face of lifes challenges. Their paths were not easy.

After a dramatic encounter with God in her early teens in Belfast, Ireland, Amy Carmichael (18671951) dedicated her life to the gospel and in 1894, joined the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society in India. When she first moved to Dohnavur in Southern India in 1901, she couldnt have foreseen what was to come: a ministry called Dohnavur Fellowship, where hundreds of girls would call her Amma (mother).

On March 6, 1901, when seven-year-old Preena (which means Pearleye) showed up on her doorstep, Carmichael had only heard rumors about the young girls held as ritual prostitutes in the local Hindu temples. Although buying and selling children was illegal in India, the underground trafficking of young girls had become a prevalent practice. My name is Pearleyes, Preena said to Carmichael when they first met, and I want to stay here always.

Preena became one of the first temple girls to be welcomed into the Dohnavur Fellowship. Despite resistance from local temple workers and even fellow missionarieswho initially refused to believe the horrific stories of abuseby 1913, the Dohnavur Fellowship was caring for over 130 children, many of them girls and infants who were rescued from sex trafficking. In reflecting on her steadfast commitment to serving God in India, Carmichael said: If one is truly called of God, all the difficulties and discouragements only intensify the Call.

Finally, they were women of courage.

In addition to embodying lives of prayer, action, and perseverance, these four women also challenged unjust social systems. Shi Meiyu (18731954) first learned about courage from her parents, who made the extraordinary decision not to bind their young daughters feet, a widespread practice in China at the time. Believing that Meiyu would never marry due to her unbound feet, her Christian parents sent their teenage daughter to pursue a medical degree in the United States.

When Meiyu (also known by her English name, Mary Stone) returned to her hometown of Jiujiang in 1896, she was both a qualified physician and a newly appointed Christian missionary. Fighting to dispel the colonial myth that Chinese women were helpless and in need of foreign support, she politely declined a position in the American-run missionary hospital and instead, at the age of 24, cofounded a Chinese-led dispensary to serve local women and children. Beyond providing comprehensive health care for her patients, she endeavored to elevate the social standing and sense of self-worth of female staff and patients.

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As her medical practice grew, Meiyu founded a nursing school to meet the increasing demands of the hospital, which in 1915 was treating more than 25,000 patients a year. By the 1930s, over 200 nursing students were enrolled in the school. Trained as nurse-evangelists, each student took courses in religious studies and was encouraged to pray with patients. In 1918, Meiyus evangelistic spirit led her to cofound the Chinese Missionary Society, which was established to train and send Chinese missionaries to remote regions in China.

Today, as we navigate the harsh realities of abuse against women and children, we can learn significant lessons from these four women and their countercultural lives. They made conscious decisions to address the injustices in their communities. They chose to pray. They chose to act. They chose to persevere. They chose to have courage. As we determine our response to the current sexual abuse crisis, may we embrace the words of the prophet Micahwho reminds us to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with [our] God (6:8). Let us also find the courage to be change-makers, advocating for Gods justice and mercy in tangible and concrete ways.

Sarita D. Gallagher is associate professor of religion at George Fox University. She is author of Abrahamic Blessing: A Missiological Narrative of Revival in Papua New Guinea (Pickwick, 2015) and co-author of the upcoming book Breaking Through the Boundaries: Gods Mission from the Outside In (Orbis, forthcoming 2019).Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

Any concerned, Christian parent is committed to training his or her child to be obedient to the Lord and His Word. From the earliest of ages we inundate our children with Bible verses, we make sure that they faithfully attend church, and we seek to instill in them Bible truths that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.

I wonder, however, whether Christian parents are really training their children fully. Do we realize how, exactly, our children are influenced and what is influencing them? It is my fear that most Christian parents do not recognize that before a child can even comprehend facts, his affections and imagination are already being shaped. In fact, I would suggest that most Christian parents never really even consider the moral imaginations of their children. Sure, we say we are targeting their hearts, and by teaching them biblical truth their hearts are certainly influenced.

But do we realize that a child's heart is shaped far before he or she has the capacity to comprehend truth? In other words, far before a child can comprehend his need to love the one true and living God, far before he or she can comprehend the concept of a god at all, the child learns how to love. Far before a child can comprehend his need to fear and reverence God, the child learns how to fear and reverence. Far before a child can comprehend his purpose to worship God, the child learns how to worship.

What happens with most parents, though, who see only the need to teach their child's head, is that in order to teach such truths, they are willing to use almost whatever means necessary to do so. So they use puppets to teach Bible stories, never realizing that their children are learning to view biblical truth as something light and trivial. Or they use cartoons to teach moral lessons, never realizing that their children are learning to view morality as something silly or "adventurous."

This problem is seen most acutely with children's music. Christian parents, educators, and publishers have the noble goal of teaching their children about God, his Word, and how to obey him rightly, but they set such truth to irreverent, trivial, or even downright banal music, forgetting that far before their children learn these truths, they must learn how to express themselves rightly toward those truths. I do not question the noble motives of these people for an instant. But I do question their understanding of how children are taught to worship.

Children learn to worship God primarily through participating in rightly ordered worship. Children learn to love God by first learning how to love. Children learn to reverence God by first learning how to reverence. Children learn to fear God by first learning how to fear.Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

Sometimes we're not as different as we think we are. Sometimes we're not as polarized as mainstream media would like us to be. Sometimes we just need to stop labeling and start listening.

This past weekend the Western Conservative Summit (WSC) held a powerful conference exploring and extolling ways of fortifying freedom. I was invited to speak to hundreds of youth at Colorado Christian University and had an amazing time navigating through some of today's toughest social issues. I encouraged students to be factivists, not activists. I also keynoted at the main conference and was honored to receive a standing ovation when I shared my story of being conceived in rape, yet adopted and loved.

But sometimes we don't have a captive audience willing to listen to what we have to say. Trust me. I know from many personal experiences as a public speaker. I'll never forget a lecture at Harvard where I "debated" with a professor who knew nothing about the topic being discussed (abortion's disproportionate impact in the black community). Student activists in the auditorium would rather curse than converse. Too often, hostility and venom convince some that their cause and their tactics are unassailable.

Then, there are times, when reason breaks through as clarity and civility prevail.

That happened right outside of the Colorado Convention Center where the WCS was being held (see video here). Throngs of demonstrators gathered to protest the Summit and some of the keynote speakers. They were marching against the NRA, school shootings, President Trump, and some GOP legislators.

It seemed it was going to be just another one-sided exercise of free speech. Don't get me wrong, I'm a staunch defender of the First Amendment and people being able to express their singular point of view (especially after being sued by the NAACP for simply parodying their name). But something even better happened.

Conference attendees came out to peacefully engage the protesters. Charlie Kirk, Candace Owens and a group of Turning Point USA student leaders appeared on the scene...and everything changed. Candace and Charlie immediately, and calmly, engaged the young man in charge of the demonstration. Tay Anderson, President of #NeverAgain Colorado, was welcoming. He and Turning Point USA are definitely on opposite sides of the political spectrum on gun issues. But they talked. They listened to each other. Candace and Charlie praised him for engaging with them in such civil dialogue.

Some of the marchers tried to shout down their conversation. I watched in amazement as I witnessed a rare act of courage and leadership during protests like this. Tay challenged the marchers to engage in conversations instead of shouting chants. He invited people to listen, to watch, to hear what the other side has to say. I was so impressed by Tay's calm confidence. I may not agree with him on Second Amendment issues, the roots and remedies of school shootings and police brutality, but we can agree on the most important thing. We're all just human, and we need to connect.

The gun protest immediately transformed into civil group discussions all along the marching route. It was a beautiful thing. People began to see each other as fellow human beings instead of abstract objects of opposition. "Dialogue is what keeps democracy going," one of the protesters exclaimed. And the dialogue was civil and powerful and personal.

At one point, one of the more vocal protesters asked me about my shirt, which declared "Life Has Purpose" with an outline image of a child in utero in the 'O'. She shared her heartbreaking story of being raped multiple times and how painful it was that she was called a 'murderer' when she left the abortion facility. (I turned off the camera at that point out of respect for her privacy). I told her although abortion kills an innocent human life and is violence against both mother and child, it's not my approach to call her a 'murderer'. I asked her if she had received counseling. I told her she deserves healing, which can't come from abortion. She cried as she described how she felt punished by rape and condemned for her actions. I explained that I am the other side of the story. I'm not the rapist's child and that I prayed that my life could be proof that something beautiful can still arise from the horror and violence of rape. I told her she is precious and expressed hope that her abuse has ended. She said she went to Planned Parenthood for an abortion, but her assaults were never reported. (See LiveAction's incredible docuseries on how Planned Parenthood repeatedly fails to report rape and aids abusers). I explained that Planned Parenthood refuses to protect young women like her when they fail to report rape, ensuring that the rapist never gets punished. She agreed. I talked about how rape is always exploited to justify all other abortions. She agreed. I showed her compassion, listened to her story, and didn't dismiss her with a mantra or label. She felt like someone cared enough to listen and thanked me for being willing to talk.

I was moved by those moments outside that convention center. I was reminded that, as passionately as we fight for what is right, we can never stop being willing to listen to others' stories, others' hurts, others' motivations. Those experiences don't change truths that are immutable, but they can change the way we view others with whom we adamantly disagree. Sometimes speaking the truth in love also requires truly listening with love.

Originally posted at theradiancefoundation.orgEmail Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

Reclaiming Jesus is a document signed by some leading progressive evangelicals which, as Jim Wallis, founder and President of Sojourners, claims is meant "to change the narrative about both politics and faith."

Bishop Michael Curry, who delivered a sermon for the nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, is one of its most popular backers.

Curry told the Miami Herald. "Maybe, the Spirit is helping us to reclaim Christianity, not as ideology, not as anybody's political party  Jesus can't be bought  but to re-center Christianity and to have it named and heard as grounded in the teachings of Jesus who said, 'Blessed are the poor, blessed are the poor in spirit,' the Jesus who taught us, 'Love God and love your neighbor.'"

However, Curry, as well as his other liberal cohorts, speak, as a former chaplain to the Queen said, of "amorphous love without judgment."

After carefully reading the Reclaiming Jesus statement, I am struck with how seemingly sweet it sounds, but it's only saccharine sweet. It's appealing to the undiscerning, but it's really just a white-washed tomb full of dead men's bones. It's merely socialism with a religious veneer. Though it claims to be non-political, non-partisan, it's actually an effort to start a movement away from President Trump, away from conservative public policies, and away from theologically conservative evangelicalism. It is, in fact, the same liberal theological mush that has been stunting the growth of, splitting, and destroying mainline churches for several decades.

Dr. Robert Jeffrees, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Dallas, told OneNewsNow that its signers make Karl Marx look like a conservative. "I think as you lift the veil, what this really is is one more attempt by the Never-Trump Christians to try to diminish or take away the very positive things that are going on."

Christian apologist Alex McFarland faulted the statement's implication that Scripture demands open borders.

McFarland told OneNewsNow, "I pray that people will not be mislead by the religious lingo sprinkled throughout this document and by the either accidentally or intentionally crafted logical fallacies that permeate this very unsettling tome called Reclaiming Jesus."

McFarland rightly argues the statement is a "misstatement of the Gospel."

I especially take umbrage with Statement Six of the document where signers contend that the "America First" philosophy is a "theological heresy for followers of Christ." Statement Six, in my estimation, is an assault on patriotism  something that belittles and disparages it as a religious duty.

God forbid!

Benjamin Rush, one of our nation's founding fathers who attended the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence, and served as the Surgeon General of the Continental Army, said:

"Patriotism is as much a virtue as justice and is as necessary for the support of societies as natural affection is for the support of families. The Amor Patriae [love of one's country] is both a moral and a religious duty. It comprehends not only the love of our neighbors but of millions of our fellow creatures, not only of the present but of future generations. This virtue we find constitutes a part of the first characters in history. The holy men of old, in proportion as they possessed a religion were endowed with a public spirit. What did not Moses forsake and suffer for his countrymen! What shining examples of Patriotism do we behold in Joshua, Samuel, Maccabeus, and all the illustrious princes, captains and prophets amongst the Jews! Saint Paul almost wishes himself accursed for his countrymen and kinsman after the flesh. Even our Savior himself gives a sanction to this virtue. He confined his miracles and gospel at first to his own country."

Many of the clergy who signed the Reclaiming Jesus statement are sincere, except they are sincerely wrong! Jude wrote of such religious leaders, referring to them as "clouds without water, carried along by the wind; fruitless trees in autumn, twice dead after being uprooted" (v. 12).

The late Dr. Lorraine Boettner, the well-known Presbyterian theologian, teacher, and author has written, "True religion and true patriotism have always gone hand in hand, while unbelief, doubt, and liberalism have invariably been accompanied by socialism, Communism, radicalism and other enemies of free government."

Boettner further describes many of these preachers as having "abandoned the Gospel of salvation for the Social Gospel and the Bible for the writings of 'Saint Karl Marx.'" They are religious leaders, he says, who "wave the red flag in times of peace and the white flag in times of war."

Reclaiming Jesus is the antithesis of the efforts to reclaim America for Christ. Without realizing it or intending it, Reclaiming Jesus actually works hand in hand with the nefarious forces determined to destroy us from within and without. Does not the Bible say "the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light"? (Luke 16:8)

We should flee from these leaders.Chinese Christians are facing a new wave of persecution  and they're standing strong

A new book reveals an astonishing story of church growth in China against a background of persecution. Author Paul Hattaway is interviewed for Christian Today.

In China, paramilitary officers have used explosives and heavy machinery to destroy churches, reflecting tensions between Christians and the Communist Party. What is your view on the significance of this?

Firstly, the destruction of church buildings in China has never been a major concern for believers there. At most, it is symbolic of true persecution. As one senior church leader told me after the government cut down thousands of crosses from atop churches in recent years, 'Cutting crosses off buildings is preferable to cutting the heads off our necks!'

Over the years, there have always been ebbs and flows to persecution of Christians in China, with seasons of intense suffering followed by more relaxed times. The current situation feels very different, however, and has been launched by the president himself. Unless God intervenes, the current brutal crackdown may be just the beginning of years of dark trials for believers in China.

As the BBC recently highlighted in a short video, a major difference this time is the use of remarkably invasive technology and AI (Artificial Intelligence) to control and identify anyone the government deems a threat, including Christians who gather for worship.

Another difference this time is that the registered Three-Self churches are also being targeted in many places. For decades, some China-watchers have condemned the illegal house churches for not registering, saying they brought persecution on themselves, and that if they registered they could worship freely. In recent years this has become increasingly untrue, with hundreds of registered churches being shut down and many pastors arrested.

Could you expand on what has been happening to Christians in China in recent months?

On February 1, China implemented a range of new policies that were passed last year. Many of them are draconian, and in preparation for the changes, thousands of churches throughout the country stopped meeting together in large congregations, and broke down into tiny home groups of no more than four or five believers. In that regard, things are heading back to how they were in the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and '70s. Believers in some provinces have already told us things there are 'just like in Mao's day'.

This is hard for some Western Christians to accept. Many have been duped into thinking persecution is a thing of the past in China, along with other deceptions they have been told, such as that there are plenty of Bibles available for all Christians today. Many people have mistakenly thought that economic reforms equals the collapse of Communism. In fact, while China has accumulated wealth and emerged as a major player on the world stage, the underlying dark spirits of atheistic Marxism have not disappeared, and the coming years are likely to be very difficult for Christians throughout China, with even more oppressive laws on the agenda.

What characteristics about the Chinese regime make persecution of Christians such a prevalent issue?

Actually, whenever I have met Chinese church leaders over the past 30 years, they rarely want to talk about persecution. It is just a part of the gospel to them and is to be expected for any true follower of Jesus Christ. Indeed, they marvel if Christians are NOT persecuted constantly, as it is contrary to what the Bible teaches, eg 2 Timothy 3:12: 'Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.'

What the Chinese house church believers do like to share are stories of how God's kingdom has grown from a few million in 1949 when China became Communist, to more than 100 million believers today. They love to testify of the marvelous works the Holy Spirit is doing throughout the land, as he transforms broken lives and entire communities. That is also what our ministry is about. We don't focus on persecution, apart from seeing it as a necessary factor for revival. A cursory look at where the church is growing fastest around the world today will quickly reveal that the faith grows where it is under the greatest pressure, while in those countries where there is no persecution the church has generally been dying a slow death.

How would you rate persecution of Christians in China compared to the rest of the world?

There are many factors behind persecution of believers in China, but first and foremost it is Satan who inspires such attacks out of hatred for those who reflect God's light. Many Chinese continue to view Christianity as a 'Western religion' and thus equate it to imperalism. From some of his comments, it appears President Xi is one person who holds such a view.

For decades, however, the church in China has grown by millions of members each year. This startling growth has baffled the Communist Party, who assumed that religious adherence would wither and die. They didn't count on a living Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit transforming millions of people's hearts, so that millions are willing to do whatever it takes to spread the gospel, even if it costs their lives.

Naturally speaking, persecuting believers in China today makes no sense. The followers of Christ have proven they are the best citizens China has. They are generally more ethical and moral, they work hard, and they are patriotic. They really are light and salt to their communities, which is why so many people have come to the faith over the past 50 years.

There is an interesting story in an ancient Chinese book about a man named Bian He.

Bian He found a large stone which was actually an unpolished piece of jade. He presented it to the emperor, who saw nothing but a large stone, thought he was being tricked, and ordered Bian He's left foot to be chopped off. Bian He later sent the same gift to the next emperor, who also saw only a stone and ordered his right foot to be chopped off. When a third emperor came to the throne, Bian He held the jade in his arms outside the palace gates and wept aloud for three days and nights. The emperor sent someone to investigate, then ordered the stone to be polished. Only then did they discover a beautiful jade inside it.

One day China (and many other nations) will realise that the Christians they oppress, whom they suppose to be ignorant lumps of worthless stone, are actually the polished jewels sent by God to bring the blessing of Christ's salvation.

Could you tell us about your forthcoming book, Shandong: The Revival Province?

Shandong, The Revival Province is the first book in The China Chronicles series, published by SPCK. They have produced a beautiful book that will hopefully be treasured by all who read it.

I hope the whole series will greatly encourage, inspire and challenge Christians around the world as they read about how God has brought about the largest revival (numerically speaking) in the history of Christianity.

I have found that many believers have heard of the extraordinary explosion of Christianity in China under Communism. Few, however, know how it has occurred. I have been privileged to conduct hundreds of interviews with Chinese church leaders, who have provided many insights into how phenomenal growth occurred in the furnace of intense persecution. As a result, much of the material in the books has never been published before. They are pleased their testimonies will be shared and not forgotten, and their prayer is that the Lord Jesus will be glorified and God's children strengthened in the faith.

I hope The China Chronicles books will not only be read by those with an interest in China but by all Christians, as there is much we can learn and admire about how the Church in the world's most populated country has stood firm through decades of struggle and have seen entire communities transformed by the living God.

Paul Hattaway, a native New Zealander, has served the church in Asia for most of his life. He is an expert on the Chinese church and is the author of ' The Heavenly Man', 'An Asian Harvest', 'Operation China' and many other books. He and his wife Joy are the founders of Asia Harvest, which supports thousands of indigenous missionaries and has provided millions of Bibles to Christians throughout Asia.

His book 'Shandong: The Revival Province' is published by SPCK, price 9.99.Heidi and Rolland Baker ask for prayers amid increasing terrorist attacks in Mozambique

A Christian ministry operating in Mozambique has requested prayers due to increasing terrorist attacks in a number of villages in recent weeks.

Iris Global, a ministry founded in 1980 by Heidi and Rolland Baker, released a statement on June 10 saying a group of extremists have been carrying out attacks in the northern part of the country since October last year, but the attacks have "intensified in frequency and brutality" in the past few weeks.

"Each attack has involved killing and burning houses. People were beheaded in at least six villages, two of which are within two hours drive of our Pemba base. Villagers are fleeing for their lives, carrying nothing with them, and have become refugees in the bush or on offshore islands," said the statement, which was also posted on the ministry's Facebook page.

On Sunday, the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (IHOPKC) asked followers to pray for the ministry after Heidi Baker made an urgent prayer request to the organization.

"We got a call from Heidi Baker late last night from Pemba, Mozambique She asked IHOPKC to pray for them urgently," Mike Bickle of IHOPKC wrote.

"She has to move 250 students out of Pemba to Johannesburg in next few days. Roads have been closed off in Pemba. Military are trying to protect the areas but cannot get in," he continued.

Laura Taranto, executive assistant to Heidi Baker, said in a statement to CBN News that there had been no attacks in the city of Pemba, where the ministry operates. However, several attacks have been carried out in a nearby village.

Joy Ercoli, the vice president of operations of Iris Global, told CBN News that the Mozambique government has decided to cancel the visas of students belonging to the ministry's International Harvest School as a security measure.

The ministry said in its statement that it will continue its work in Mozambique despite the threat of attacks.

Taranto said that the international students will be transferred to a school in South Africa, but Mozambique pastors in training will remain in the school in Pemba.

Heidi and Rolland Baker moved to Mozambique in 1995 and started an orphanage that cared for 80 children. The ministry now provides care for more than 10,000 children with help from a network of more than 10,000 churches and Christian ministries, covering all 10 provinces in Mozambique.

In the past eight years, Iris Global has helped plant around 2,000 churches among the Makua people.Open Doors: Remember North Korea's persecuted Christians

Persecution watchdog Open Doors has called for a renewed focus on the plight of Christians in North Korea following the meeting between US president Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un.

The country is number one on Open Doors' World Watch List of places where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Christians are severely persecuted and tens of thousands are held in harsh conditions in labour camps.

Zoe Smith, head of advocacy at Open Doors UK & Ireland, said: 'Open Doors estimates that around 70,000 Christians are interred in prison and labour camps, facing unimaginable torture, inhumane and degrading treatment purely because of their faith. The systematic persecution of Christians is just one of many heinous human rights violations perpetrated by the North Korean regime. If true change is to come to that country  and we hope it will  any further negotiations must confront the desperate human rights situation.'

The summit is being widely hailed as a success, though a joint statement issued afterwards contained few details about how progress toward denuclearisation might be achieved.

'It is unclear if further negotiations will lead to the end goal of denuclearisation,' Anthony Ruggiero, senior fellow of Washington's Foundation for Defence of Democracies think tank, told Reuters. 'This looks like a restatement of where we left negotiations more than 10 years ago and not a major step forward.'

The document also made no mention of the international sanctions that have crippled North Korea's economy for pursuing its nuclear weapons programme.

During his news conference afterwards, President Trump referred to the influence on the meeting of American student Otto Warmbier, who was released from North Korean custody in a vegetative condition and died shortly after his return to the US. 'Without Otto, this would not have happened,' Trump said.

He also said the subject of Christians in North Korea had been discussed and indicated that he was hopeful of change.

Speaking via Open Doors, John Choi (not his real name), a North Korean who escaped from the country and works as a human rights advocate in the UK, said: 'I hope that if there is economic advancement it will pave the way for more freedom for the people of North Korea, freedom of thought, opportunity and religion. I think this is likely to take 25 to 30 years but I also hope in light of Trump's comments today it will be much quicker than that.'

He added: 'This is the beginning of the process. The first steps have been taken. Trump hasn't clearly spoken about the human rights issues. But he has spoken about denuclearisation. Hopefully denuclearisation will lead to more money available to feed the everyday citizens of North Korea and provide them with a better life.

'President Trump said that the human rights issues are a continuing process. I am glad it is now on the agenda. But Kim Jong-un has to be committed to it too. Kim Jong-un has not yet referred to the prison camps or religious freedom. This is an ongoing process and I will continue to advocate and pray for it.'UK Home Office rejects asylum bid of Christian family fleeing persecution in Pakistan

A Pakistani Christian family that has been living in the UK for six years is being forced to return to their home country after the Home Office turned down their application for asylum.

Maqsood Bakhsh and his family left Pakistan in 2012 after he says he received death threats from radical Muslims because of his Christian faith.

According to The Independent, the Home Office has rejected the family's asylum bid multiple times because officials do not believe that their lives would be in danger if they are sent back to Pakistan.

Bakhsh, who lives with his wife Parveen and their sons Somer and Areebs in north Glasgow, is now appealing to the prime minister for help after they were notified that they have already exhausted the application process and no longer have the option to appeal.

'Prime Minister, please help us because I do not understand why the Home Office keep rejecting us,' Bakhsh said, as reported by The Independent.

'They keep telling us that some parts of Pakistan are safe for Christians. It is true that lots of Christians live in Pakistan but once you have been targeted by Islamic extremists who know your name and your face, it is impossible to live,' he continued.

The Bakhsh family left Pakistan after two men accused of blasphemy were killed outside a court in 2010.

According to the BBC, Pastor Rashid Emmanuel, 32, and Sajid, 24 were charged with blasphemy, which is punishable by death in Pakistan, after they were accused of writing a pamphlet that criticized the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Bakhsh claimed that the people who were responsible for killing the two men had also threatened to kill him and his family because they believed that he was in league with the victims.

He said that four of his friends had been killed by radical Muslims, while another relative is currently serving a life sentence because of the country's blasphemy laws. 'My nephew was kidnapped last month and no one knows what has happened to him,' he added.

Paul Sweeney, MP for Glasgow North East, has been in discussions with the Bakhsh family and is planning to call attention to their situation in the House of Commons.

After the case was highlighted by the Church of Scotland, officials at the Home Office said they would contact the family to discuss their plight, the BBC reported.

Bakhsh, who worked as a data analyst in Pakistan, has been unable to work in Scotland because of his immigration status.

'Not being able to use our talents and abilities to make a contribution to this great country has been very hard and frustrating for us,' he said.A centrepiece of the artists celebrated 1877 series capturing the dynamism of metropolitan Paris, the work from The Collection of Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass led Christies Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale on 20 June in London

The modern age of steam trains, iron bridges and extended public transport networks was perfectly captured by Monets series of atmospheric paintings. The subject would turn out to be Monets last artistic confrontation with modernity: not long after, he would abandon scenes of modern life and turn to pure landscape painting.

Between January and March 1877, in a short period of intense creativity, Claude Monet (1840-1926) executed a series of 12 canvases depicting the Gare Saint-Lazare, the oldest railway station in France. By 1870 the station was handling more than 13 million passengers per year.

This superb painting describes Monet at his Impressionist best, capturing in quick, bold brushstrokes the energy of metropolitan Paris as described by the sound and fury of the steam trains as they left the Gare Saint-Lazare, says Christies Global President Jussi Pylkkanen.

In the Gare Saint-Lazare series Monet depicted the station from a variety of different positions, at different times of day and in different atmospheric conditions  marking the first occasion on which the artist committed himself to the pursuit of a single subject through a sequence of variations. This would come to be one of the defining aspects of Monets practice for the rest of his career. In April 1877, Monet included several of the Gare Saint-Lazare canvases in the Third Impressionist Exhibition.

Before he executed La Gare Saint-Lazare, Vue exterieure, Monet had been living and working in Argenteuil, just outside Paris. Based in rural Montgeron in the summer of 1876, he returned to the capital in the new year eager to capture the bustling urban landscape. Monets friend, the artist Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894), rented him a small ground-floor apartment near the station; just three months later, the series was complete.

Of the 12 Gare Saint-Lazare paintings, today only three remain in private hands. The remaining nine are in public institutions, including the Fogg Museum, Massachussetts; the Art Institute of Chicago; the National Gallery, London; the Musee Marmottan, Paris; and the Musee dOrsay. Three of these museum works are currently included in Monet & Architecture, a pioneering show at Londons National Gallery which examines the central role architecture played in many of the artists compositions.In the 1940s and 1950s a new wave of artists flocked to the Cornish fishing town, convinced that colour is the only direction for paintingVendors at the Houston Summer Boat Show that starts Wednesday expect a lot of buyers eager to replace watercraft lost during Hurricane Harvey.

I really think that at this show, well see quite a big tick up of people  that are finally getting ready to be able to get their life back together, SMG Boats general manager Daniel McCormick said.

A 16-year veteran of the boat show, McCormick said Conroe-based SMG Boats helped recover peoples displaced boats after Harvey struck the region in late August. But he said many owners already had been affected by the property damage from the Tax Day flood the year prior.

They both inflicted some pain on boat owners and people around these waterways that flooded, he said. Theres people who are still just trying to get their homes put back together.

Texas Tige, another boat dealership from Conroe exhibiting at the boat show, also put resources and manpower into helping customers retrieve their boats in Harveys aftermath. General manager and owner Brandon Raymonds shop has been busy ever since. He estimates a $100,000 revenue increase due to storm-related business.

But he was quick to credit other, non-Harvey reasons such as an improving economy. He knows landscapers and swimming-pool builders who also are enjoying success.

Theyre rocking and rolling right now, Raymond said.

SMG will feature 36 boats at this years show at NRG Center and Texas Tige will exhibit jet skis and luxury pontoon boats.

Houston Boat Show president Ken Lovell said many of those who attended Januarys boat show had not yet received their insurance money from Harvey. He expects many of the 20,000 to 25,000 attendees at the summer event will be ready to spend.

More Information Houston Summer Boat Show When : Wednesday-Sunday Where : NRG Center More information : houstonboatshows.com See More Collapse

Its an excellent time to purchase a boat. Everything is on sale that we have out here, Lovell said, noting markdowns available as dealers clear out inventory to make way for 2019 models.

The convention floor will feature approximately 500 boats from 30 or so dealerships within a 75-mile radius of Houston. Some 170 other vendors will offer such wares as fish and tackle, lures, rods and reels, ice chests, apparel and accessories and general outdoor activity merchandise.

Were expecting a big crowd out here, Raymond said. We should be busy making dreams come true.

jose.gonzalez@chron.com

twitter.com/jrgzztxMark Mulligan/Houston Chronicle

The Small Business Administration's local office has partnered with the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council, the two organizations said Monday.

The goal is helping Houston's minority community to open and grow small businesses.Exxon Mobil is joining the race to build out pipeline networks that stretch hundreds of miles across Texas to deliver crude oil from the booming Permian Basin to refining and port hubs near Houston.

Exxon Mobil said Tuesday it plans to create a joint venture with Houston's Plains All American Pipeline to construct a multibillion-dollar pipeline stretching from west of Midland to the Houston and Beaumont areas that would carry oil and condensate.

Plains and Oklahoma-based Magellan Midstream Partners recently expanded their BridgeTex oil pipeline, which has served as the major artery from West Texas to the Houston region. Permian oil production, however, is at a record high and rapidly rising and the lack of pipelines are creating bottlenecks that hamper the pace of growth and create discounts to Permian-produced oil.

RELATED: Exxon Mobil plans to triple Permian production, invest $2 billion in west Texas

Earlier this year, Exxon Mobil said it plans to triple its oil and gas production in the Permian by 2025, while also spending more than $2 billion on transportation and terminal upgrades in west Texas, including expanding its crude oil terminal in Wink.. This joint venture pipeline with Plains would originate in Wink.

Last year, Exxon Mobil agreed to spend up to $6.6 billion to buy the Permian acreage of Fort Worth's prominent Bass family to more than double its Permian acreage holdings.

Houston's Enterprise Products Partners just completed its 416-mile Midland-to-Sealy crude pipeline into the Houston area. Most of the other major crude pipeline projects are directed toward Corpus Christi, where the port is becoming a hub for petroleum exports.

Plains, which currently owns the only major pipeline that runs from the Permian to Corpus Christi, also plans to complete a pipeline system - Cactus II - by late 2019.

As for other projects, San Antonio-based EPIC Midstream Holdings is moving forward with the 730-mile EPIC Crude Oil Pipeline projects to carry oil and natural gas liquids from the Permian to Corpus.

Likewise, Houston's Phillips 66 said it is moving forward with its planned Gray Oak Pipeline to carry crude from West Texas to Corpus Christi, Sweeny and Freeport.

But the Houston company Buckeye Partners recently canceled its proposed South Texas Gateway oil pipeline from West Texas to Corpus and the Houston Ship Channel.Lilis Energy has swapped 1,500 acres of West Texas land in the Delaware Basin.

The swap, which is with an undisclosed company, adds more than 100 operated locations that target multiple oil and gas zones in the Wolfcamp and other parts of the Delaware Basin, which is part of the larger Permian Basin oil field. The land is located in Winkler and Loving countries.

The transaction is expected to close in the next 45 days.

The company said the traded acreage was in non-operated sections. Lilis Energy says it now has more than 19,000 acres in the Permian Basin.

Other companies have large projects in the Delaware Basin, most notably Apache Corp. Its Alpine High development is believed to hold 15 billion barrels of oil and gas underneath 350,000 acres in Reeves County.Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter appear in Oceans 8. Photo: Barry Wetcher - Warner Bros. Pictures - Village Roadshow Pictures / Barry Wetcher - Warner Bros. Pictures - Village Roadshow Pictures

Editors note: This piece includes some spoilers for the movie Oceans 8, so read at your own risk.

There is a scene toward the end of The Princess Diaries in which Mia Thermopolis, the soon-to-be princess of Genovia played by Anne Hathaway, apologizes to her love interest by using M&Ms to write SORRY on a pizza. The thought of chocolate candies on gooey cheese is enough to churn stomachs, but Mias is a sweet gesture  and one that we probably owe to the actress herself.

Hathaway hasnt had it easy since playing Fantine in 2012s Les Miserables, a film whose media tour sparked the creation of the so-called Hathahaters. They called out her earnest theater-kid personality, claiming the perception of her irritating-ness is pretty widespread. She began her Oscar acceptance speech in 2013 with It came true! and they responded, Why are you so annoying? Howard Stern even vented on-air about his anti-Hathaway feelings to James Franco. (Yes, the guy whose corpse-like presence during the 2011 Oscars forced his co-host, the determined actress, to work extra hard.)

Everyone sort of hates Anne Hathaway, and Ive explained that I do, too, and I dont even know why sometimes, Stern said. Shes just so affected (and) actressy that even when she wins an award shes out of breath.

If Hathaways greatest crime is caring too much, then she doesnt deserve any of this treatment  and that belief boosts her already delightful performance in Oceans 8 as Daphne Kluger, a neurotic and narcissistic actress who wears the six-pound diamond necklace at the center of the movies heist. Daphne pouts when things dont go her way, and a simple mention of her Met Gala hosting duties is enough to send her into a tizzy. The often wide-eyed character is a clever parody of Hathaways perceived persona that doubles as a final nail in the Hathahate coffin.

One of the first women that Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) and partner-in-crime Lou (Cate Blanchett) recruit for the job is the nearly bankrupt fashion designer Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter). She just has to dress Daphne for the Met Gala and persuade her to wear the $150 million necklace, they say, and all of Roses financial woes will be resolved.

Hathaway puts her Oscar-winning acting chops to good work when Daphne wears the necklace for the first time. She sits in front of a mirror following a mid-fitting tantrum  perhaps a campy rendition of what went on before Hathaways infamous dress swap  and strokes her collarbone while gazing at the reflection. Rose tells Daphne she has the best neck in the business, a remarkably odd compliment that turns out to be exactly what the actress needed to hear.

Scenes like this lead viewers to doubt Daphnes intelligence, which makes the big twist  and realization of why this movie isnt called Oceans 7  all the more fun. She reveals to Debbie and Lous recruits that she was in on the successful scheme, having deduced that something was up early on in the planning process. In a larger sense, Daphnes self-referential quality proves that Hathaway, too, is in on the joke  and if meme culture has taught us anything, its that jokes die the minute their subject joins in. This time, thats a good thing.

We can all finally go back to treating Hathaway as we did in the pre-2013 era, when the term Hathahaters would have produced few, if any, Google search results. She was Americas princess, having slipped into the role for The Princess Diaries. She was (and still is) an actress with incredible range: A charming, then bitter cowgirl in Brokeback Mountain, a sardonic addict in Rachel Getting Married. And finally, she was someone who didnt have to put up with strangers irrational hatred of her, something that she told Jezebel last year she still gets asked about.

Hathaway is passionate about what she does, a perfectly acceptable trait she shares with Daphne, who responds to a character saying he loves his job with a smile and I love mine, too!

Comrades, prep your apology pizzas.An international cyber-crime sweep by local and federal law enforcement has resulted in the arrests of 11 Harris County-area residents accused of operation fraudulent business transactions, according to an FBI news release.

The operation  known as Operation Wire Wire  involved multiple law enforcement partners including the FBI Houston Cyber Task Force, the Houston Police Department, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

The eleven suspects arrested locally during the operation face money laundering charges, stated the release.

According to the release, those arrested includes Katera Baldwin, Adedayo Ojo, Denise McAdams, Amarachukwu Onyeneke, Oghenemairo Adolor, Oluwatomiwa Odebode, Omotayo Arogundade, Monsurat Ashimi, Gbenga Fadipe, Julius Choima, and Bolade Duyilemi.

Their ages were not immediately available.

The international sweep ran from January to early June 2018 and culminated in two weeks of focused law enforcement activity in the United States and Nigeria, according to the FBI.

Business email compromise schemes, also known as CEO impersonation schemes, target businesses working with foreign suppliers.

Foreign citizens who perpetrate these scams are often members of transnational criminal organizations which originated in Nigeria but have spread throughout the world, stated the FBI.

"The devastating effects of BEC and EAC scams on domestic victims impact not only the individual but the global economy. Scammers have stolen millions of dollars from individual victims and honest, enterprising businesses around the world," stated FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Perrye K. Turner. "To avoid becoming a victim of BEC and EAC scams, verify the authenticity of any email you receive."

In 2017, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received complaints from 1,258 victims within the state of Texas with losses of more than $53 million.

The FBI encourages all individuals who believe they have fallen victim to a scam to report it to the FBI using www.IC3.gov.Dear Abby:

My boyfriend and I have been dating for a year and a half. We are planning on moving to California together in a few months.

I flew to Monterey to job hunt, and he is supposed to be flying in soon. However, last night I found out he and his buddy went to a strip club. My boyfriend knows Im uncomfortable with him going to strip clubs, and he assured me that they would not be going when we spoke on the phone earlier in the evening.

He says Im controlling and childish for being angry at him. I told him its either me or the strip clubs  mostly just to see how he would react. His response was that freedom of choice is very important to him. I even went as far as to say if he feels the need to go to strip clubs, then I would start stripping on the side to spite him.

Im tempted to cancel his ticket to California. I dont want him flying here if we are just going to fight. Is this situation worth the cost of a relationship? How do I deal with someone so stubborn to the point he cant see when hes in the wrong? Abby, he is in the wrong, isnt he?

Choice Is Clear

Dear Choice:

A wise woman chooses her battles carefully. If your boyfriend spent more than an occasional evening hanging out in strip clubs, I can see why it would be a deal breaker. But unless you left something important out of your letter  like the fact that he did more than look  it doesnt appear that he does.

You escalated the situation and you shouldnt have. However, if you feel so strongly about strip clubs, perhaps you should consider finding another man to spend your life with because it really isnt possible to control the actions of another adult.

Dear Abby:

My 33-year-old daughter recently moved back home after failing to finish a graduate program. I discovered she was an alcoholic a few years ago and encouraged her to get treatment. She was in an outpatient recovery program and making progress, but recently relapsed.

Before her relapse, her dad and I helped her to buy a business, which is not doing well. Her employees quit, and she lost a lot of income. She started going to AA meetings, and hired some people she met who attend and live in a halfway house.

I regret helping her, and I now realize I must stop all interactions with her. She has a huge sense of entitlement and does not appreciate my help. I feel I have failed as a parent and hope I can move past this and work through my depression. Any advice you can offer is welcome.

Best Mom I Can Be

Dear Best Mom:

You have not failed as a parent. Your daughter has an addiction. Her addiction is not your fault. Substance abusers have been known to fall off the wagon on their road to sobriety, and this is what happened to your daughter.

It would be helpful for you to talk about your depression with a licensed mental health professional who is familiar with addictions, and to attend some Al-Anon meetings. Because you feel your relationship with your daughter has reached the point that she can no longer live with you, tell her she must make other living arrangements and set a date for her to move out. Do not do it in anger. In fact, it may be better for both of you.

DearAbby.com

Dear Abby

P.O. Box 69440

Los Angeles, CA 90069

Andrews McMeel SyndicationMorgan Lindsay was selected from more than 20,000 women as one of 10 models for Khloe Kardashian's high-end jean brand. She'll be featured in Kardashian's Good American #GoodSquad Summer Campaign.

"I was so excited to be chosen," says the 19-year-old Lindsay, who is a student at University of Houston. "Since I was a child, I've known what I was meant to do in my lifetime and that is to be a model and actress."The Bellaire Fire Department has chosen one of its own for its new fire chief.

BFD Shift Commander Deacon Tittel has served with the department for 18 years and is slated to begin his new role July 7 after current Fire Chief Darryl Anderson retires July 6. Anderson has been chief since 2005.

Anderson announced his retirement in February, and the chief position posted a month later. Bellaire City Manager Paul Hofmann said 41 candidates applied, 12 from the Houston area. Tittel was the only candidate from BFD. Hofmann said 10 of the candidates were given questionnaires written by BFD staff members.

The questions were open-ended, providing an opportunity for the candidates to describe their experience with fire and [Emergency Medical Service] response, communications, fire prevention strategies, treatment protocols, etc. Hofmann said.

Once the questionnaires were reviewed, three finalists were selected for interviews. Tittel, 40, said he thought he was a strong candidate for the job.

I felt like I was a competitive candidate due to my qualifications and experience going into the process. Being an internal candidate and having an understanding of not only the department but the city, I felt was very beneficial, Tittel said.

Hofmann said Tittel was offered the job for several reasons.

Deacon was set apart by his experience with the Bellaire Fire Department, his experience with managing multiple emergency incidents during his time here, his experience as an emergency management trainer, his leadership skills, communication skills and in general what everyone around here thinks of him, Hofmann said.

As chief, Tittel said he wants to strengthen his departments community outreach as well as revisit the new hire process and orientation once they are brought on. His first plans, he said, include naming a shift commander to fill his current position, working on filling the departments upcoming lieutenant vacancy as well as bringing on a new firefighter/paramedic. Tittel said he also wants to build a network with area fire chiefs to have available for questions, guidance and partnerships.

With hurricane season heating up, Tittel said his department must be ready to face storms, whoever is chief, and that the city of Bellaire is prepared to face another storm through learning from past situations.

Tittel has a bachelors in emergency management from West Texas A&M University and said that education and his years on the job have prepared him well for being chief.

Over the 18 years I have worked my way through the chain of command. Each level that I promoted through, I was able to learn not only that position but had the opportunity to learn the next step above, Tittel said. Chief Anderson has always encouraged our department to seek out education and learning opportunities. He also provided me the opportunity to be involved in the citys Emergency Management Operations, which falls in line with my education.

tracy.maness@hcnonline.comNRG Energy, the biggest electricity seller in Houston, has teamed up with a solar power provider to develop 25 megawatts of solar projects that NRG hopes will attract environmentally-sensitive commercial and industrial customers.

NRG is betting that solar installations provided by Cypress Creek Renewables of Santa Monica, Calif., will serve as the foundation for NRG to sell renewable energy plans to large businesses. The solar sites are expected to reduce about 37,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, which is like taking 7,000 cars off the road.

Last week, NRG announced its first customer was Sysco, the Houston-based food distribution company, which signed a 10- year renewable energy agreement with NRG. Three solar installations including one near Houston and two near Dallas are expected to meet most of Sysco's energy needs in Texas.

The deal between Cypress Creek and NRG comes just months after NRG unloaded its renewables business as part of a strategy to move away from solar and wind energy production and back to its roots of coal and natural gas-fire production. NRG sold its renewables business for about $1.8 billion after its wind and solar energy investments weren't as profitable as shareholders had hoped.

This time around, NRG is going to essentially outsource the production of solar power. Cypress Creek was a one-time competitor of NRG, but now Cypress Creek will buy the land, build the solar installations and sell the power to NRG.

NRG will package it as green energy to customers who want sustainability, said Robert Gaudette, president of business solutions at NRG Energy.

"They get marketing opportunities and pointing opportunities to the solar farm," said Gaudette.

Cypress Creek will own and operate the facilities and deliver the electricity generated to NRG and its customers under power purchase agreements. Customers can obtain fix-priced, multi-year contracts and receive naming rights to designated solar facilities.

NRG is based in both Houston and Princeton, N.J., and owns several retail electricity companies including Reliant Energy, Cirro Energy, Green Mountain Energy Co. and Pennywise Power.

RELATED: Electricity prices expected to skyrocket this summer

Cypress Creek and was founded four years ago. It has 2,300 megawatts of solar projects operating in a dozen states (One megawatt can power about 200 Texas homes on the hottest summer days). The company has raised $2 billion for project development, according to its website.WASHINGTON - With southern politicians lining up against oil drilling off the Atlantic coastline, oil lobbyists are making another push to change their minds.

The American Petroleum Institute has recruited Jim Webb, the former secretary of the navy and Democratic senator from Virginia, and Jim Nicholson, the former Secretary of Veterans Affairs under the George W. Bush administration, to try and sway some of their former colleagues.

"That's why we're doing this. A lot of people who used to be lined up on this have taken on a more negative attitude, primarily as a result of that big tragic oil spill," Nicholson said, referring to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion.

Their bipartisan campaign - named Explore Offshore and including "100 community organizations" - comes as governors from Virginia to Florida are either opposing or expressing concerns about President Donald Trump's plan to expand drilling off the Atlantic coast, including South Carolina Republican Henry McMaster.

Webb and Nicholson are aiming at converting a bipartisan, centrist audience, arguing that advances in technology have made offshore drilling safer and the potential economic and energy security gains outweigh the risks.

"We need to get the total facts back out in front of the people. Then we can have the debate," Webb said. "When people come to understand the impact on national security and energy independence, they will become much more receptive."

But many worry not only about the impact on tourism and the ocean, also on the U.S. military, which operates a massive Navy base in Virginia. Earlier this year, Virginia Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner sent a letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis expressing concern that drilling could interfere with military exercises in the Atlantic, something many within the Department of Defense have already said.

Webb, the former navy secretary, said there was a way to coordinate with the military to avoid interference on the part of oil companies.

"These are issues that can be properly negotiated," he said.OPEC emphasized the deep uncertainty over the strength of demand for its oil just a week before contentious talks on whether to raise production.

Theres a wide forecast range for how much crude the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries needs to pump in the second half of the year, its research department said in a monthly report. With a range of uncertainty of 1.7 million barrels a day, demand could either be significantly higher, or slightly lower, than OPECs current output.

Looking at various sources, considerable uncertainty as to world oil demand and non-OPEC supply prevails, said the report, published by OPECs secretariat in Vienna. This outlook for the second half of 2018 warrants close monitoring.

OPEC and its allies will debate whether to revive halted output when they gather in Vienna next week. Saudi Arabia and Russia have said they want to raise supplies to prevent high prices hurting economic growth, but opposition among other producers is growing.

Demand Uncertainty

The cartels main forecast, mostly unchanged from last months report, indicates that more of its crude would be needed to fully satisfy global demand. However, the group also gave unusual emphasis to the uncertainty in this estimate.

An average of 33.34 million barrels a day is required from the groups 14 members in the second half of 2018, considerably higher than the 31.87 million they pumped last month, the report showed. Output from Venezuela continues to slump amid an economic crisis, slipping to 1.39 million barrels a day in May.

Yet the report also said that downside risks might limit the demand outlook as economic growth slows in major economies, fuel subsidies are withdrawn and consumers switch from oil to natural gas. It also highlighted the potential for even faster output growth from rival producers including the U.S., Canada and Brazil.

OPEC uses the top end of the forecast range for its base-case estimate, the report showed. If demand for its crude turns out to be at the lower end, OPECs current output would already be slightly higher than the market requires.

Despite the uncertainties, Saudi Arabia and Russia appear to already be in the process of increasing production, unwinding almost 18 months of supply restraint.

Saudi Arabia told the organization it had raised output above 10 million barrels a day last month for the first time since October, the report showed. Russia boosted crude supply to the highest in 14 months in the first week of June as some companies breached their caps, said a person with knowledge of the matter.

2018 Bloomberg L.P.Submitted

Get your taste buds ready for a feast you will want to experience!

The Dayton Chamber of Commerce is hosting their annual Taste of Dayton Expo on Thursday, June 14, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Dayton Community Center, 801 S. Cleveland St. in Dayton.A mansion built on Galveston Island just after the Civil War, surviving the devastating 1900 hurricane along the way, will begin a new life as an boutique bed-and-breakfast destination later this summer.

Investor group GTX Ventures bought the property last year and soon began to transform it into a boutique bed-and-breakfast. Austin's Shannon Eddings, whose work has been seen on HGTV and various interior design magazines, went to work on the home adding her modern flair to its eight themed rooms.

OLD G-TOWN: Vintage pictures of Galveston, Texas' underrated jewel

The Carr Mansion was built in 1866 by Lewis W. Carr in a Greek Revival style, which was very popular. Just four years later he sold the home to Texas Governor Richard Coke, who used it as a summer home until 1876, according to the Carr Mansion's official website.

Horace Sloan and Jane Austin Sloan, sister of Texas founding father Stephen F. Austin, lived in the home with her husband from 1876 until 1889. Just before the turn of the 20th century it finally got indoor plumbing and electricity.

BEACH HISTORY: Galveston beaches from the 1900s to today

After the great storm the home was raised eight feet. It changed hands over the years and served stints as a private residence, church house, and a boarding home. By 1998 it was restored and later turned into the Mermaid & Dolphin Boutique Inn where its been a wedding venue and event center. It's location within blocks of The Strand and the Seawall has been a plus.

For Eddings working on the mansion was a dream project.

"It combined two of my passions, history and design, and got me seriously interested in 1800's Texas architecture. It was exciting to juxtapose the historic woodwork and molding of the place with the clean-lined, contemporary furniture and lighting," Eddings said this week.

Photos of the renovation above show a melding of 19th century Galveston Island with its 21st century counterpart.

"I worked to honor the intrinsic beauty of the old home while maintaining the comfort of a current, modern lifestyle. It truly makes for a one of a kind space, something that can be hard to come by these days."

Houston native Clay Carter, lead investor on the Carr Mansion project, has fond memories of visiting Galveston and the Strand with family.

"One of the values that drove me to revitalize this house is a desire to be a part of good things being redeemed and resurrected," Carter said this week. "We're thrilled to be able to breathe new life into this beautiful, historic home and provide memorable experiences to tourists and the Galveston community."

Bookings for the Carr Mansion will open up July 9, according to a mansion representative, with nightly pricing varying depending on room choice and scheduling. A grand opening party will be held on Saturday, July 7 and its open to the public.

Craig Hlavaty is a reporter for Chron.com and HoustonChronicle.com.







The current meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim, we must never forget, is about Korea above all. She was a unified country under the Choson dynasty from 1392 until 1910 when imperial Japan annexed her. After World War II two American colonels found the 38th parallel on a map, and suggested it mark the limit of Soviet advance, a suggestion that all adopted, which led to the sort of division common in the Cold WarEast and West Germany, North and South Vietnam, for example. Both of those countries are now united. Korea is not.





Therefore the real agenda of the talks, for the Koreans at least, who are the primary players in fact if not in the news, is somehow to advance reunification. This is a headache of a problem, but one that is never far from the minds of the people of the peninsula. This is in spite of the familiar nomenclature that distinguishes North Korea from South Korea, or in Chinese gives the two distinct country names (Chaoxian for the North, Hanguo for the South), a status quo that is dangerous while satisfying no one.





Mr. Kim, clearly the prime mover for these talks may understand, that to bring such unification closer, North Korea must somehow re-situate herself in the international community. That means creating a situation where she is a balance point among several countries. This will involve extracting herself from near total dependency on China the price of which is pervasive Chinese control; drawing closer to her non-Communist Asian neighbors, to the United States, to Russia, and above all to South Korea. If this feat can be accomplished, then Pyongyang will no longer be the captive of larger great power competitions, which means it is able to reduce tension with the South.





In other words, this meeting is not about nuclear disarmament or security guarantees, though they will form much of its substance while receiving disproportionate media and analytical attention. A more accurate appraisal is that the meetings are about repositioning the Korean peninsula politically so that its two halves can gradually draw closer together as the single nationality they are.





Heresy, it may seem, to say this is not about nuclear disarmament. Consider, though: North Korea is a nuclear power but a relatively minor one. Her threat to the United States is small (though to South Korea, very large). It is puzzling that even though North Koreas ability to land even one nuclear bomb on the United States is to be doubted, China could in an hour fire hundreds, most of which would find their target, leaving our country in ruins. Yet do we speak constantly of the Chinese nuclear threat? Do we insist on Complete Verifiable Irreversible Disarmament (CVID) as a precondition or even talking to China or placing an embassy in Beijing? Absolutely not.





This bias against North Korea, this higher bar than even for China, makes no strategic sense. It is perhaps only explicable by an American conviction that Pyongyang is uniquely demented and evil and dangerous, while China (which tested a rocket carrying a live nuclear warhead in 1966) is by comparison sober sane and responsible, so not a worry. This caricature is of course preposterous. Chinas recent international behavior, claiming and so far keeping, more territory than did Hitler at his peak, gives the lie to any idea of Chinese responsibility or even rationality. North Korea is a hellish country, but so is China, and far more dangerous.





July 13 of 2017 I wrote for Geopoliticus Why We Must Recognize North Korea, arguing that we needed an embassy in Pyongyang so therefore should immediately and unconditionally recognize them and get on with the kinds of discussions for which embassies are designed. One of our most eminent Korea specialists told me that this was complete out of the box thinking. Many agreed with him. But radically innovative, out of the box? To have an embassy in a foreign capital? That is simple and long-standing diplomatic convention. Right now we have embassies in every foreign capital I believe, save (for reasons difficult to explain) Teheran, Taipei and Pyongyang. In Taipei we have a a functional equivalent; in Teheran an American interests section in the Swiss embassy, but nothing comparable in Pyongyang, though the Swedes help out.





No matter what follows the meeting, for Mr. Kim to sit down with Mr. Trump will be, in reality, the equivalent of diplomatic recognition, and even if all flounce out in anger, I hope an embassy will follow nevertheless. The fact of the meeting will be a huge victory for what I believe is Mr. Kims instinct to reposition his country, as well as for us, to whom it will become regularly accessible.





We must, however, realize that our military demands are unrealistic. Our focus should be on reducing the threat to the South. This process has many possible dimensions but one is to eliminate the thousands of artillery so near they can make Seoul a lake of fire. By the same token, we should ensure that South Korea is strengthened, not weakened, by our actions.





CVID is certainly impossible. After Ukraine gave up her nuclear weapons under the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances of 1994, in return for worthless security guarantees from the U.S., Russia, and Britain, only to see Crimea occupied, no nuclear state will ever abolish their nuclear capacity.[1]





Furthermore, the demand is completely unverifiable. North Korea is a few thousand square miles bigger than Pennsylvania, with no one knows how many hundred miles of tunnels, underground cities, and so forth through the bedrock. Could Pyongyang conceal hundreds of nuclear bombs, launchers, etc. out of sight underground? Of course they could, just as we could certainly conceal similar armaments within greater New York City, so that even an occupying army could not find them. Even if North Korea turns over truckloads of nuclear equipment at the conclusion of the talks, which seems unlikely, we have no way of knowing what remains. I defy anyone to describe a way. Challenge inspections? Over 46,000 square miles surface and God only knows what underground? So the demand can never be met, though it could derail progress. It should be abandoned.





The practical solution is to demand only what we can verify. We can independently detect nuclear missile tests. Likewise test firings of missiles. Although we impose no such conditions on China, if Mr. Kim feels he is now well enough armed to deter any adversary, he might agree to such a regime, which would perhaps limit further development.





We should also ask against whom the North Korean deterrent I have described is truly aimed? My answer is China, a country that is culturally and ethnically completely distinct to Korea, which it has invaded repeatedly in the past. I do not believe North Korea has any other real target, but if she does, ordinary deterrence should prevent use. China, however, loses a great deal of influence if she can no longer menace North Korea, as military intervention would lead to genuine nuclear retaliation.





My argument, then, is one I have long been making. Let us not impale ourselves on impossible conditions, but rather take a long view, in which we aim to promote ultimate peaceful re-unification of Korea into a powerful state, not under Chinas thumb.[2] This, rather than impossible denuclearization, is the true interest of both the region and the United States.





A united Korea would be about 85,000 square miles, nearly the size of the United Kingdom, and have a population of about 75,000,000, substantially more than France. She would be a major power in the region and just as importantly an independent power, not the pawn of any great power. It is likely, however, that if these events occur, the new Korea would align herself with the market economies of the region.





Again, this would be to the benefit of all, far preferable to the time bomb we have had since the 1953 armistice (but no peace treaty) that ended fighting in the Korean War. We must not be distracted from this goal by endless fruitless argumentation about a nuclear threat that is dwarfed by Chinas or Russias, which we have never made a condition for diplomatic relations. Our goal should be the same as what I guess Kims to be: for starters, freedom from Chinese handcuffs. Unification is an issue for the two Koreas, as long as it is peaceful.





Given the political and policy communitys long preoccupation with the dread North Korean Threat my ideas may seem out of the box yet again. But consider the time already wasted on this issue, above all the endless plans for disarmament going back to the agreed framework of 1994, with its thousands of hours wasted in discussion, infinity of steps to nowhereand of course its failure.





Yet consider the advantages achievements of my proposal would confer. First, Korea would be restored to normal country status. Having seen some normal countries as well as China, Mr. Kim may have a better sense of what that would mean than did earlier members of his dynasty. Remember that Kim Il Sung (1912-1994) came of age in an era when even Europeans and Americans thought that Communism was a superior economic system, destined to overtake the West. That North Korea should be so poor now compared to the south completely violates those expectations, as the leaders and people of the North are doubtlessly aware.





Finally, let us consider the new strategic geography that would be created by the outcome I suggest we seek. The Korean peninsula, with its multiplicity of harbors on both coasts, completely dominates sea approaches to Tianjin, the port of Beijing, as well as flanking the entire Chinese coast to the south. It also dominates Vladivostok, the great Russian port whose name literally translated means ruler of the East. Given all of this, it is perhaps not surprising that other players are struggling for seats at the table. China, perhaps at her wits end, is volunteering a fighter escort for Mr. Kims plane at it passes through Chinese airspace.[3]





But it is not necessary to pass through any Chinese airspace on such a flight, though as the crow flies, one brushes over Eastern China for a while. Swing a bit further East, however, and one is in international air space over international waters. Were I Mr. Kim, that is the route I would choose.





To sum up, then, we must understand that from the point of view of geopolitics, the meeting is a success if it leads to a genuine opening with North Korea while aiding her in what I hypothesize is her hope to reposition herself politically in the region. Her interest, and ours and the regions, is that she cease to be a Chinese vassal, and in the longer term, improve relations with South Korea. She shows every sign of being willing to accept a nuclear cap, which is all we need. To demand from her what we do not demand of China or Russia, thus sinking the talks, would be foolish and short-sighted.





Far better that we be realistic about weapons, by realizing that they are not really the issue. The issue is the future of the Korean peninsula. China has long assumed that North Korea was so dependent on her that she could use her strategically in ways harmful to the Koreans themselves. If that Chinese lock can begin to be broken, then we will account the talks a success, regardless of the less important military issues that we allow to blind ourselves to the real stakes.





About the author:





*Arthur Waldron is a Senior Fellow in FPRIs Asia Program and has been the Lauder Professor of International Relations in the Department of History at the University of Pennsylvania since 1997.



Not In Our City, a Katy-based group fighting human trafficking, is partnering with the creative team working on a film project in California to promote its cause.

And, its the result of a network of family and friends. Michele Winkler, a Baines Middle School teacher in Fort Bend Independent School District, is friends with Alicia Maroney, who founded NIOC with Angie Goeke. Winklers son, Alex Winkler, who lives in Los Angeles, is composer of the musical score as well as associate producer for the film What Daphne Saw. His girlfriend Lizz Marshall wrote the script and will direct the movie after funds are raised on Seed and Spark. Visit www.seedandspark.com/fund/what-daphne-saw#story for information.

Set in the future, the film portrays a world in which criminals are reprogramed to be silent servants, explained Marshall. Daphne is one such servant. Placed in a house with a wealthy man whom she is supposed to serve without question, she unravels secrets in his home, said Marshall.

I would like people to walk away from the film knowing that Daphnes world is not much unlike our own, said Marshall. We see signs of abuse everywhere; Not just people like Daphne go through it. Trafficking is something all around us  subtle and nonsubtle. Its not just people who look like villains who can be monsters, she said.

When she announced the partnership with NIOC on Facebook, Marshall wrote, in part, It is estimated that 100,000 to 300,000 Americans under 18 are lured into the commercial sex trade every year. She invites readers to join the fight against trafficking and lists https://notinourcity.net for more information.

In turn, NIOCs website is seeking funds to help fund the moviemaking project. Goeke, Not In Our Citys CEO, said that the nonprofit is helping to raise $5,000 by offering to match donations totaling $2,500. As of June 5, 60 percent of the $8,300 goal had been raised with 222 followers on Seed and Spark.

In addition to social media blasts about the film, NIOC will be working with Marshall to develop its virtual reality project to promote awareness of trafficking. We have yet to agree what that will look like, said Goeke, who added the group will use Marshalls ability to storytell and her film experience for the project.

Not In Our City also has applied for a Valero grant to fund an afterschool program, she said. This summer the group is looking for schools to sign up to be part of the program. The nonprofit also is looking to partner with church youth groups. Both church and school groups when participation reaches a specified level could become part of NIOCs readiness certified program which recognizes they now have some tools to protect themselves against traffickers and their tactics, said Goeke. The group also is looking for volunteers to help deliver its message to school and church programs. Visit https://notinourcity.net for information and to participate.

That website address will be included as part of film credits for What Daphne Saw, according to Marshall and Alex Winkler.

If they meet the June 15 fundraising goal, filming could start in late August or early September, said Marshall, who starting writing the script about a year ago but found the current climate with The #MeToo movement and reports of sexual abuse coming from Hollywood the right time to tell the story. She would like to take the completed film on the festival circuit.

I hope it (the film) is a call for action, said Marshall, that people make the connection between Daphnes world and the real world.

While Winkler said he was aware of human trafficking, he thought it was a much smaller problem until he began research for this project.

When I read the script and saw it deals with the issue, it hit hard emotionally, he said. While he doesnt believe human trafficking is getting the attention it should as the No. 2 highest grossing crime behind drug trafficking  Winkler also talks of making a movie that people want to see.

First off we need to entertain people and tell a story thats memorable, said Winkler, who graduated from Elkins High School and the University of Houston. Lots of short films just about issues do not have a strong story. But thats not the case with What Daphne Saw, according to Winkler.The Fort Bend Junior Service League has begun its membership drive for the 2018-19 League year.

Provisional membership is available to women ages 21 to 50 years. Recruitment efforts are in full force and there is still time to join. FBJSL is hosting multiple events throughout the summer to learn more about the organization and becoming a member.

Informational meetings will be held:

June 14 at 9:30 a.m. at The Perfect Latte in Richmond.

June 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Pablos Mexican Kitchen in Richmond.

July 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Lupe Tortilla in Sugar Land.

July 26 at 9:30 a.m. at Bean Here Coffee in Missouri City.

Aug. 9 at 9:30 a.m. at Bean Here Coffee in Missouri City.

Visit www.fbjsl.org for additional information.

FBJSL members will have the opportunity to provide direct service to the following agencies: Child Advocates of Fort Bend, Lunches of Love, Houston Museum of Natural Science-Sugar Land, GiGis Playhouse, Reining Strength, and Fort Bend Childrens Discovery Center. Members also may choose to serve on the Sugar Plum Market committee or as an advisor for the Fort Bend Teen Service League (FBTSL), a mentoring project of FBJSL.

FBJSL is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, to developing the potential of women and to improving the Fort Bend County community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable as well as providing an atmosphere of friendliness, goodwill and camaraderie for all members. For more information about joining FBJSL, email newmembers@fbjsl.com.Peach season in Texas typically starts in mid-May and goes through August, which means that it's officially in swing.

To celebrate one summer's favorite fruits, Blue Bell is bringing back a seasonal favorite: Peaches and Homemade Vanilla ice cream.Southern Methodist University uncovered quite a few gems when a team on campus began digitizing a Dallas station's news footage for archives -- one of which was a segment that involved Bill O'Reilly interviewing a Jeff Dunham puppet.

In a vintage clip recently digitized from 1974 by the G. William Jones Film & Video Collection, a 14-year-old Dunham can be seen with puppet "Monty" on his knee as reporter O'Reilly earnestly interviews him.

LONE STAR REPPING: Texas celebrities: Where they are really from

Dunham, then a practicing ventriloquist for half his life, told O'Reilly about the breathing exercises needed to use the 23 puppets he had amassed and speaking without moving his lips.

He was named one of the best junior ventriloquists in the country around the time of the story's airing. His family's social position in Dallas (his father was a real estate appraiser) meant that he got to perform in front of high profile Dallasites like Dallas Cowboys players and other bigwigs in the area.

The Dallas-native, now 56, later became an international touring hit with the troupe of ventriloquist puppets with characters like terrorist skeleton Achmed, purple "woozle" Peanut, the crotchety Walter, and trailer park dweller Bubba J satisfying crowds all over.

Dunham is currently on tour and not able to comment on the video directly but one of his representatives, Ebie McFarland, said Monday that the video shows that the passion for his craft has always run deep.

SPEAK UP: Here's what celebrities have to say about Texas

For O'Reilly, the WFAA-TV gig was a stepping stone for a job in Denver in the late '70s before making his way to the New York City market by 1980. He would later find super stardom on cable news.

The team at SMU began digitizing WFAA-TV news footage back in October and throwing it onto YouTube in beautiful living color soon after to the delight of North Texas residents. The footage spans from 1960 to 1978.

Craig Hlavaty is a reporter for Chron.com and HoustonChronicle.com.MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexico's Attorney General's Office says another person has been arrested for alleged involvement in last year's killing of respected journalist Javier Valdez.

The suspect's full name was not provided Wednesday, but federal prosecutors said he was already in custody in the western state of Baja California on unrelated charges.The last day of school ended Teresa Tere Regalado Brodowskis 34-year career as a school crossing guard in Pasadena.

I felt like a bullfighter, and my stop sign was my red cape, said the Mexico City-born immigrant, 68, who became a U.S. citizen in 1990.

Brodowski loved her job safely helping children cross Jenkins Road to get to and from Pomeroy Elementary School, 920 Burke Road.

Career ended by knee

However, she said, I had to retire when my knee said, No more.

A host of family and friends surprised Brodowski with a celebration at the school on May 30, said her daughter, Jennifer Slaughter of Pasadena.

If I had a bad heart, it would have given me a heart attack, Brodowski said. I had no idea they would do that to me, but it was very nice.

The oldest of six children, Brodowski was 6 years old when she moved with her family from Mexico to East Chicago, Indiana, where her father worked in steel mills.

I still remember not understanding (English) in school. I was really good in math, but not so good in grammar, she said. But nobody interpreted for me. My cousins told me, You have to learn (English); so they would only speak to me in English.

Ironically, said Brodowski, I have no past in Indiana. Every house, every school, every library I went to has been torn down.

In 1968, she married Jack Brodowski of Whiting, Indiana.

We lived happily ever after, she said. I was on my honeymoon until the day he died, almost two years ago.

In 1977, the couple moved to Pasadena.

My sister was living here, Tere Brodwoski said. One day we were talking on the phone, and she said, Hear the birds chirping? All we had was snow; so we decided to move. Good weather brought me here.

With her husband working as an electrician in area chemical plants, Brodowski said, I didnt have to work, but a friend told me they were always hiring crossing guards. I thought I would work a little bit, to pay my Foleys bill, but I ended up staying.

Tapped by vehicle

Slaughter said before Brodowskis last day, She crosses the children of children she crossed long ago. Shes everybodys grandma.

Her first five years, Brodowski was employed by the Pasadena Police Department, but in November 1989, she said, We were turned over to Pasadena ISD.

Brodowski braved the elements and dodged speeding cars that didnt stop, but only once in 34 years did she get hit by a vehicle.

It just tapped me, she said. All I did was push the child out of the way.

In addition to crossing children, Brodowski said, I even crossed horses, people riding horseback in the afternoon. I also crossed dogs and cats.

Her hours were 6:30-8:30 a.m. and 2:30-3:30 p.m., and she was making $18 an hour when she retired. Entry-level pay for substitutes is $11 an hour, with the pay rising to $14 with a permanent position, she said.

Among the people on Jenkins Road who might miss Brodowski the most could be strangers, she said.

People I didnt know would talk to me out of the blue. I got a lot of confessions. Many times, I just listened. I advised some to go find a counselor or to get some literature. A lot of people asked me for directions. I was a GPS.

About retirement, Brodowski said, I havent felt it yet because Ive always had summers off. I will feel it in September. I will get my pool ready to get it going, and I will probably take a trip, to Disney World or something like that.

Don Maines is a freelance writer who can be reached at donmaines@att.netJordan Ranch continues to expand, welcoming a new builder to its roster and four new models to its model home park.

Houston-based Chesmar Homes is the newest builder to offer homes in the Fulshear community. Homes, ranging from 1,800 to more than 2,800 square feet, are priced from the $250,000s to the $320,000s. Five floor plans offer up to four bedrooms, island kitchens, covered patios, and two-car garages. Designs will be showcased in the Chesmar model home slated to open on June 16 at 30726 Sonora Ridge.

Todd Barrow, vice president of sales for Chesmar, said home buyers will enjoy a different buying experience as all design choices are made at the time of purchase.

At Chesmar, our aim is to make every home purchase a pleasurable experience for our customers. Barrow said. There is no design center to travel to and no pressure to up-sale. With everything handled at the time of contract, the process is streamlined, decreasing the length of time necessary to get their home started. Thats exciting news for most new home buyers.

The new model joins two recently opened by Lennar. Both models feature the builders new Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Smart Home Designs.

Lennar is proud to offer smart homes, powered by Ruckus Wireless, to provide coverage in every room with no dead spots, said Camille Delgado, marketing coordinator for Lennar.

Lennar provides $10,000 worth of smart home features such as smart locks, video doorbells and smart thermostats as standard. An Amazon Show and an Amazon Dot are included in the package allowing Alexa to control the devices.

In addition to smart home features, buyers will have the option of adding a multi-generational suite to homes in the builders Texas Reserve collection. Homes are priced from the $316,000s. The second model showcases designs in the Fairfield collection, priced from the $220,000s.

David Weekley Homes opened its second model in the community in April. The new model highlights floor plans for homes situated on 45-foot homesites. The seven designs are priced from the $240,000s and range from 1,700 to 2,600 square feet. The builder also offers homes priced from the $330,000s situated on 70-foot homesites.

Steve Sams, general manager for Jordan Ranch, said this is an exciting time for the community.

From the beginning, we have prided ourselves on attracting nationally recognized builders, Sams said. These new models represent even more choices for buyers. The models arent the only new things opening this year. Soon, residents will be cooling down at our resort-style pool and lazy river. It just demonstrates how much Jordan Ranch has grown.

For more information about Jordan Ranch, visit www.jordanranchtexas.com.Less than a month after a mass shooting at Santa Fe High School, located about 70 miles south of Montgomery County, officials with the Conroe Independent School District are considering a plan to add 46 officers to the districts police department over the next two years.

The proposed plan came days after Texas Gov. Gregg Abbotts called on school districts across the state to address school safety. The renewed calls for school safety arose after the May 18 incident where a 17-year-old Santa Fe High School student is alleged to have killed 10 people and injured another 13 people.

The new group of officers, if approved, could cost the district a total of $3.2 million. The cost is estimated to cover the funding of not only the personnel, but also extra equipment, two leadership positions at a total cost of $250,000, training and three new vehicles, according to preliminary district estimates.

The safety and security plan was addressed by Conroe ISD Chief Financial Officer Darrin Rice at a June 5 district board meeting during a preliminary budget workshop. The goal is to have one police officer at each campus, according to district officials.

For personnel only, the district would pay $2.5 million for the additional 46 police officers, $301,300 for the new equipment, roughly $9,000 for training and $165,000 for three vehicles. The total cost in the safety and security budget is not set in stone, as everything could change throughout the summer, district officials added.

Conroe ISD Superintendent Dr. Curtis Null said the conversation about adding police officers is not a new issue, and he explained the thought of upgrading security started years ago when school safety began to become more of a priority.

Weve asked (Chief William Harness) and (Sgt. Matt Blakelock) to go back and look at what would be the cost associated with increasing the number of police officers in the district to allow us to have officers at every campus, Null said.

On May 30, Abbott unveiled his school safety plan with 40 recommendations, including the need to make schools safer by immediately (increasing) law enforcement presence at schools.

The CISD police department currently has 62 police officers who are spread across 61 campuses in a 348-square-mile area, which encompasses The Woodlands, Shenandoah, Oak Ridge North and Conroe. The district is growing, with two new campuses by the beginning of the upcoming school year and two others by the beginning of the 2019 school year, making the new total 65 schools in the district.

Under the districts plan, the addition of the 46 new police officers would be spread over the next two years, with 15 to 20 officers joining the department each year, Harness said.

Rice said he believes the CISD Board of Trustees has done a good job in protecting the students of the district.

One thing you have do is provide a safe and secure place for students to go to school, so that the constituents know that their kids are safe in our buildings, Rice said. I think our board has done a really good job of that. Currently, with all of our vestibules that we've (constructed) in our schools, (potential intruders) have to go through several layers before to get into the school. We've done a lot of that up front.

As far as adding police officers at every school, Rice said, that's going to really be a board decision.

They asked for the information, Rice said. $3.2 million is a lot of money and I think they will make the best decision they based off receiving that information.

Conroe ISD Board of Trustees President Melanie Bush said shed love to see an officer on every campus, as well as a (Licensed Professional Counselor) on every high school and junior high campus.

The issues we are facing (are) societal issues that manifest themselves on the school campus, Bush said. Hurting people hurt people. Its a fact. So we need to work with our families and other organizations on our community to help those that are hurting. We need to work to identify and get treatment for mental illnesses at a younger age.

Trustee Scott Moore said he believed the district needed to add more police officers to the district.

How many officers and what we can afford is still under discussion, Moore said in regards to the June 5 budget workshop. We were only presented with the estimate for 46 new officers last week. We have not had a chance to fully explore that, or any other option.

Moore said student safety was of the utmost priority for the district.

We want to do anything we possibly can to protect every single person in our facilities, Moore said. I think additional police officers is a piece of that. I dont think its the only piece. Whatever we decide to do will be done with the best interest of our students, faculty and staff in mind while continuing to be the trustworthy stewards of our resources and the taxpayers money.

Trustees Datren Williams and Scott Kidd declined to comment on the issue due to the district budget discussions being in such an early stage.

During the budget workshop, Bush said that having metal detectors at every door was not a realistic option due to funding and not enough staff on hand.

Moore echoed Bushs statement, saying the detectors were too expensive.

There are dozens of exterior doors, Moore said. To purchase metal detectors for each door and to pay security personnel to staff those devices is cost prohibitive. The idea of metal detectors is not off the table. We have to examine every available option and determine which one provides the best use of tax payer money while providing the highest level of security to our students and staff.The general elections are less than a year away in India. If the Congress declares that its prime ministerial candidate will be Rahul Gandhi (and it may not be), expect to hear more jibes by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) about the Congress prime ministers seat being reserved for the dynasty.

The irony is that the dynasty has not always ruled the Congress; indeed, whenever dynastic impulses have manifested themselves, they have not worked for the Congress. Anyone who cannot see this  whether a critic, admirer or self-styled dynast  is wrong.





The recent defeat of the Congress in the Chikmagalur constituency of the Karnataka assembly is just one illustration of this fact. By invoking Indira Gandhis return to Parliament after her win from Chikmagalur in 1978  following her defeat in the general elections of 1977  Rahul (and Sonia) Gandhi mistakenly called on prospective voters to elect the Congress just as they had supported my grandmother Indira. Voters disregarded the appeal.

Does this suggest that Rahul and Sonia are caught in a political and social time-warp and that their political leadership is out of sync with reality? Since Indira recovered her political fortunes from Chikmagalur 40 years ago, a new generation has been born in India. Its aspirations cannot be the same as those who revived Indiras political career.





In Chikmagalur this time, the dynastic leitmotif came wrapped in further irony: B.L. Shankar, the Congress candidate, was a Janata Dal member in 1978, when Indira was trying to get re-elected to parliament after her defeat in 1977. He then filed a legal petition labelling Indira as a traitor because of the Emergency and sought to debar her from contesting. Why did the present Congress leadership think that Shankar, who changed sides, could steer the Congress to victory in Chikmagalur in 2018?





By playing on the Indira theme, they wrongly highlighted the importance of the dynasty and handed Narendra Modi a political stick to beat the Congress with.





In fact, since Independence, neither India nor the Congress have been ruled by a dynasty. Certainly, when it comes to India, apart from Jawaharlal Nehru (who always won), Indira, Rajiv (as prime ministers) and Sonia (as party president) won and lost elections on steam that was their own, even if in 1984 fate presented Rajiv with the opportunity to benefit from public sympathy over the assassination of his mother.





Nor did the dynasty always lead the Congress party. During his 14-year premiership, Nehru was Congress president only from 1951 to 1954. Indira was not Congress president during her first term as prime minister (1967-77) but only after 1979  and during her second term (1980-1984).





Indiras rise was not dynastic. She gained a lot of experience as a politician and social worker during the national movement and after independence. After Nehrus death, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri appointed her minister for information and broadcasting. She acquitted herself well in that post. Following Shastris death in 1966 she became prime minister because she defeated Morarji Desai in a free and fair party election.





Rajiv Gandhi entered parliament by contesting  and winning  an election in Amethi in 1981. Persuaded by Zail Singh to take over the premiership after Indiras assassination, he won a huge parliamentary majority one month later, in December 1984, to confirm his position as prime minister. Like Indiras, his premiership was not dynastically guaranteed and he was voted out of office in 1989.





Sonia became party president in 1998  eight years after Rajivs death. That does not reflect a dynastic succession. Sonias Congress came to power six years later. Winning 145 seats but emerging as the largest single party, the Congress created the UPA ruling alliance with some other parties. After the 2009 general elections the Congress-led UPA formed the next government. Manmohan Singh headed both the UPA governments as prime minister. He was repeatedly undermined by Sonia as party president. Then, in 2014, the Sonia-Rahul Congress won only 44 seats. This was the partys worst-ever performance in a national election and raised questions about its political future.





Sonia Gandhi retired as party president in December 2017, having served for a record 19 years. She was succeeded by her son Rahul. The dynasty may appear conspicuous in the case of Rahul. Young Indians want to live in a meritocracy. Rahul is surely aware that his anointment as Congress president by his mother  and his expressed readiness to become prime minister in 2019  are hardly in sync with popular aspirations. In contrast, the political rise and survival of the politically experienced Indira always hinged on election results.

At another level, the vitality of Jawaharlal Nehrus Congress party depended on strong grassroots organisation and vibrant inner-party democracy. Nehrus four-anna Congress became the largest independence movement in world history and led India to freedom from British imperialism.





After 1947, the broad all-India appeal of Nehrus Congress rested in part on the inclusion of strong regional leaders with grassroots bases. In contrast, Indira, Rajiv and Sonia prevented powerful regional leaders from surfacing in the Congress. That explains why the Congress has lost several state elections since 2012. In Chikmagalur, a local Congressman admitted that the party lacked popular local leaders with a strong social base to match the BJPs deft social-engineering politics.





As in the past, voters will not care a fig for the so-called dynasty in the elections of 2019. They will want a principled and effective Congress leader who can meet their aspirations for better social and economic life chances by strengthening communal harmony, intellectual and political freedom through the rule of law and accountable democratic governance.





Indias most far-reaching economic reforms  which created the international perception of India rising  were initiated in 1991 by Narasimha Rao as Congress prime minister. He was never a dynast.





Can the Congress assure voters that it will provide them with the best prime minister if voted to power in 2019?



SINGAPORE, June 12: President Donald Trump and North Koreas Kim Jong Un concluded an extraordinary nuclear summit Tuesday with the U.S. president pledging unspecified security guarantees to the North and Kim recommitting to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.





Meeting with staged ceremony on a Singapore island, Trump and Kim came together for a summit that seemed unthinkable months ago, clasping hands in front of a row of alternating U.S. and North Korean flags, holding a one-on-one meeting, additional talks with advisers and a working lunch.





Both leaders expressed optimism throughout roughly five hours of talks, with Trump thanking Kim afterward for taking the first bold step toward a bright new future for his people.





Trump added during a free-flowing news conference that Kim has before him an opportunity like no other to bring his country back into the community of nations if he agrees to give up his nuclear program.





Trump announced that he will be freezing U.S. military war games with its ally South Korea while negotiations between the two countries continue. Trump cast the decision as a cost-saving measure, but North Korea has long objected to the drills as a security threat.Trump acknowledged that the timetable for denuclearization is long, but said, once you start the process it means its pretty much over.





The president acknowledged that U.S. intelligence into the North Korean nuclear stockpile is limited, probably less there than any other country, he said. But we have enough intelligence to know that what they have is very substantial.





Trump sidestepped his public praise for an autocrat whose people have been oppressed for decades. He added Otto Warmbier, an American once detained in North Korea, did not die in vain because his death brought about the nuclear talks.





Trump said Kim accepted his invitation to visit the White House at the appropriate time.





Light on specifics, the document signed by the leaders largely amounted to an agreement to continue discussions as it echoed previous public statements and past commitments. It did not include an agreement to take steps toward ending the technical state of warfare between the U.S. and North Korea.





The pair promised in the document to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula and to repatriate remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action during the Korean War.Language on North Koreas bombs was similar to what the leaders of North and South Korea came up with at their own summit in April. At the time, the Koreans faced criticism for essentially kicking the issue of North Koreas nuclear arsenal down the road to Tuesdays Trump-Kim summit. Trump and Kim even directly referenced the so-called Panmunjom Declaration, which contained a weak commitment to denuclearization and no specifics on how to achieve it.





The formal document signing followed a series of meetings at a luxury Singapore resort.





After the signing, Trump said he expected to meet many times in the future with Kim and, in response to questions, said he absolutely would invite Kim to the White House. For his part, Kim hailed the historic meeting and said they decided to leave the past behind.





In a moment that would never happen in North Korea, reporters began yelling questions to Trump and Kim after they signed the document, including whether they had discussed the case of Otto Warmbier, the American college student who suffered brain damage while in North Korean custody and died in June 2017, days after he was returned home to Ohio.





In the run-up to the meeting, Trump had predicted the two men might strike a nuclear deal or forge a formal end to the Korean War in the course of a single meeting or over several days. But in the hours before the summit, the White House unexpectedly announced Trump would depart Singapore earlier than expected  Tuesday evening  raising questions about whether his aspirations for an ambitious outcome had been scaled back.





The meeting was the first between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader.





Aware that the eyes of the world were on a moment many people never expected to see, Kim said many of those watching would think it was a scene from a science fiction movie.





After meeting privately and with aides, Trump and Kim moved into the luncheon at a long flower-bedecked table. As they entered, Trump injected some levity to the days extraordinary events, saying: Getting a good picture everybody? So we look nice and handsome and thin? Perfect.





Then they dined on beef short rib confit along with sweet and sour crispy pork.





And as they emerged from the meal for a brief stroll together, Trump appeared to delight in showing his North Korean counterpart the interior of The Beast, the famed U.S. presidential limousine known for its high-tech fortifications.





Critics of the summit leapt at the leaders handshake and the moonlight stroll Kim took Monday night along the glittering Singapore waterfront, saying it was further evidence that Trump was helping legitimize Kim on the world stage. Kim has been accused of horrific rights abuses against his people.





Its a huge win for Kim Jong Un, who now  if nothing else  has the prestige and propaganda coup of meeting one on one with the president, while armed with a nuclear deterrent, said Michael Kovrig, a northeast Asia specialist at the International Crisis Group in Washington.





Trump responded to such commentary on Twitter, saying: The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the U.S., say the haters & losers. But he added our hostages are back home and testing, research and launches have stopped.





Giving voice to the anticipation felt around the world as the meeting opened, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday he hardly slept before the summit. Moon and other officials watched the live broadcast of the summit before a South Korean Cabinet meeting in his presidential office





The summit capped a dizzying few days of foreign policy activity for Trump, who shocked U.S. allies over the weekend by using a meeting in Canada of the Group of Seven industrialized economies to alienate Americas closest friends in the West. Lashing out over trade practices, Trump lobbed insults at his G-7 host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trump left that summit early and, as he flew to Singapore, tweeted that he was yanking the U.S. out of the groups traditional closing statement.





The optimistic summit was a remarkable change in dynamics from less than a year ago, when Trump was threatening fire and fury against Kim, who in turn scorned the American president as a mentally deranged U.S. dotard. Beyond the impact on both leaders political fortunes, the summit could shape the fate of countless people  the citizens of impoverished North Korea, the tens of millions living in the shadow of the Norths nuclear threat, and millions more worldwide.





Alluding to the Norths concerns that giving up its nuclear weapons could surrender its primary deterrent to forced regime change, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters that the U.S. was prepared to take action to provide North Korea with sufficient certainty that denuclearization is not something that ends badly for them.





He would not say whether that included the possibility of withdrawing U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula, but said the U.S. was prepared to take what will be security assurances that are different, unique, than Americas been willing to provide previously.



To celebrate Bush's birth we've collected some of his best quotes from a lifetime of public service in the slideshow above...

Former President of the United States George H.W. Bush is celebrating his 94th trip around the Sun today at his home in Kennebunkport, Maine.

According to the Associated Press, he's spending his special day with his son George W. Bush and several other family members at the family compound. Bush used to celebrate his birthday with a jump out of an airplane but his skydiving career ended after his 90th birthday in 2014.

Over his time of public service, the elder Bush has given numerous speeches and interviews, able to motivate and humor various crowds. Some of his best lines are quoted endlessly. One of his most notable phrases "Read my lips: no new taxes" went viral before going viral was a thing.

SOCK GAME ON POINT: George H.W. Bush wears socks with books in touching tribute to late wife, Barbara Bush

Bush was a released from a Maine hospital a week before his birthday after he was admitted for low blood pressure and fatigue. Spokesman Jim McGrath told The Associated Press on the occasion of his release that Bush is "back to his old self" and looking forward to a summer with family and friends.

No word yet if he will make a return to the air for his 95th birthday in 2019.

Craig Hlavaty is a reporter for Chron.com and HoustonChronicle.com.The Houston branch of an organization seeking tighter gun control marked the second anniversary of the Pulse nightclub massacre on Tuesday by protesting outside of Sen. Ted Cruz's office downtown.

About 15 people from March for our Lives participated in a 12-minute "die-in" on the sidewalk outside of the lawmaker's office at 808 Travis, honoring the 49 people who were killed June 12, 2016, at a gay nightclub in Orlando.

The mission of the group, created after a different massacre in Florida - the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School - is to change the nation's gun laws, organizers said. The organization is primarily led by students, although several adults came to support the protest.

"There's this general fear that it's going to happen to us. Why wouldn't it? It's happening everywhere else, " said Madie Lake, 16-year-old Conroe High School student and organizer with March for Our Lives. "There are too many students who fear for their lives walking into high school and they shouldn't have to."

Others echoed her sentiment and also spoke of the shooting last month at Santa Fe High School, where a student opened fire, killing 10 people.

A DEDICATION: Houston gospel singer Billy Dorsey honors Orlando victims with 'Pulse'

Thirteen-year-old London Delgado, of Santa Fe, said she knew some of those killed.

"I came here for them to know that I'm fighting for them," said London, who lives in Santa Fe.

Patricia Garris, 67, has been a long-term advocate and said she has been protesting in front of Sen. Cruz's office every Tuesday since January 2017 for changes in gun legislation. She is concerned that representatives like Cruz are not taking action.

"Cruz has more concern for donors and donations than his constituents," Garris said. "He is one of the highest recipients of NRA money and is really, one of the top senators who has been bought and paid for by the NRA."

The senator could not immediately be reached for comment.

Gun control has received little traction at the state and national level. On the state-level, there have been pushes for "red-flag" gun laws that would withhold guns from those who have proven to be violent and the White House issued a statement in March that urged state legislatures to support "extreme risk protective measures."

FOLLOW THE MONEY: Here's how much the NRA has given Texas Congress members

Protesters like Benjamin Hernandez, who is seeking the 9th Congressional District in Texas, a seat currently held by Democrat Al Green, also expressed his frustration about the lack of action in Congress.

"In the span of 90 days in this country, we had two mass gun shootings," Hernandez said. "Yet Congress did nothing. At minimum we should have a conversation. We should have a debate. Putting up your hands and saying we can do nothing is not an option."

The local 'die-in,' - where participants simulate being dead - was part of a nationwide observance of the anniversary of the Pulse shooting, with protests scheduled outside the offices of local lawmakers. The 12 minutes mark the approximate number of people who have died in a mass shooting since the Pulse killings, organizers said.When federal prosecutors last month walked through the 7,000-square-foot Houston estate of Alsie Cluff Jr. and Marian Annette Cluff, founders of the Varnett charter school network, they found the married couples mansion virtually empty, down to missing bathroom mirrors and towel racks.

Appliances, artwork, chandeliers, furniture and televisions were all gone, either donated or sold. The recipients included charitable organizations, such as Goodwill and a Baptist church, but also the couples son, their real estate agent and unnamed victims of Hurricane Harvey.

The walk-through confirmed prosecutors suspicions that the Cluffs, who have admitted to siphoning $2.6 million their charter school and hiding the money from the Internal Revenue Service, were getting rid of their assets ahead of their sentencing scheduled for Friday. Thats when a judge is expected to deliver the couples restitution bill: $4.4 million.

FOR SALE: Charter school founders, facing restitution in embezzlement case, drop price on mansion

In an emergency motion filed last week, prosecutors alleged the Cluffs violated terms of their plea agreement by disposing of their assets before sentencing without prior government approval, prompting them to seek an order barring the couple from selling any more items. U.S. District Court Judge Melinda Harmon granted the motion Tuesday, and ordered a freeze on some of the Cluffs assets.

The allegations mark another twist in the case of the Cluffs, who were indicted three years ago on charges that they scammed taxpayers and parents of their 1,600-student charter school, using the money to fund a lavish lifestyle. Marian Cluff pleaded guilty to mail fraud and conspiracy to commit tax evasion, agreeing to a maximum possible prison sentence of 10 years. Alsie Cluff pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit tax evasion, with a three-year maximum possible sentence.

Prosecutors are not seeking to void the plea agreement. Rather, the issue was whether the Cluffs would sell off more assets.

The Cluffs lawyer, Dan Cogdell, took issue with the governments characterization of the couples actions, arguing they sold no assets of significance. Cogdell said the Cluffs had agreed to stop selling items even before Harmon granted prosecutors motion Tuesday.

The Cluffs have done everything in their power to not only abide by the conditions of release but fulfill their unprecedented willingness to make complete restitution on or before sentencing, Cogdell wrote in an email.

It is possible the Cluffs could pay full restitution in the next several weeks, even without the sold home assets. The Cluffs already have set aside $1.6 million for restitution, and they are hoping to sell their Riverside Terrace mansion soon. In court filings, Cogdell wrote the Cluffs have received one low offer on the property, which is listed at $2.5 million, and expect to receive other offers in the next week.

The Cluffs have other valuables. Their assets include a trust valued at about $830,000, an annuity contract account totaling about $642,000, hundreds of thousands of dollars in farm equipment, jewelry valued at $58,000, three luxury vehicles and two trucks, according to financial statements filed by the couple. The trust is the listed owner of a 73-acre ranch with a 4,628-square-foot living space, located about 100 miles northeast of Houston. Alsie, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in April, and Marian now live on the ranch, Cogdell wrote in court records.

Susan Klein, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, said it is relatively rare for prosecutors to seek to void plea agreements, particularly if any alleged violations of the deal are minimal or short-term.

Normally, its the defendant who has buyers remorse, who says, Maybe this isnt such a good deal, said Klein, who said she was not familiar with details of the Cluffs case.

The Cluffs founded the Varnett school in 1984 as a private institution, converting it to a taxpayer-funded charter network in 1998. Marian served as the networks board president, principal and superintendent, while Alsie worked as vice president and treasurer.

In 2013, the Texas Education Agency found the Cluffs engaged in pervasive conflicts of interest and spent extravagantly on cruises, airplane tickets and spa services. In 2015, prosecutors accused the couple of embezzling $2.6 million from the school, including $1 million from parents who provided money for field trips and fundraisers. The Cluffs admitted to the scheme and agreed to repay the $2.6 million, plus $1.8 million in unpaid taxes, penalties and interest.

Cogdell sought to delay Fridays sentencing, citing the ongoing property sale negotiations and Alsie Cluffs health. Harmon denied the request Tuesday.When Houston ISD trustees meet in closed session on Thursday, they will have a major  and unexpected  item on their agenda: whether to appoint Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan as the districts permanent leader.

It was a surprising addition to the boards agenda, one that caught several trustees off-guard this week. Board members had given no public indication they immediately wanted to name a permanent replacement for Richard Carranza, who left to become chancellor of New York City public schools in March. Some trustees were not expecting any movement on a superintendent search until August, when HISD learns whether it will receive major state sanctions due to chronically underperforming campuses.

LOW ON OPTIONS: HISD gets partial Harvey accountability waiver, still faces state sanctions

As a result, it was not immediately clear Tuesday whether trustees seriously are considering the immediate promotion of Lathan, or if they are planning preliminary backroom discussions about retaining her. HISD Board President Rhonda Skillern-Jones, who sets the meeting agenda, declined to comment on the item Tuesday, other than to note trustees must disclose topics for consideration before meetings.

In interviews Tuesday, four trustees said they did not know why Lathans permanent appointment was on the agenda.

The lack of clarity sets the stage for a closely-watched board meeting this week, as HISD continues to navigate the fallout from Carranzas departure and the looming possibility of losing local control over its school board.

By placing the item on Thursdays agenda, trustees could discuss Lathans appointment behind closed doors, return to open session and vote to retain her permanently. The agenda item reads as follows: Consider and approve appointment of Interim Superintendent of Schools as Superintendent of Schools, and proposed contract terms. State law generally requires school boards to name a lone finalist for superintendent, then wait 21 days before voting to finalize the selection.

Several trustees, however, expressed reservations Tuesday about moving so swiftly. They noted HISD has been criticized for a lack of transparency in recent months, particularly after a raucous school board meeting in April ended with the room cleared and two people arrested.

In order to rebuild public trust and transparency, we do need to involve the public, HISD Trustee Elizabeth Santos said. Our constituents and employees deserve that.

Following Carranzas abrupt departure from HISD, trustees chose Lathan, the districts chief academic officer, to fill the superintendent position indefinitely. Since her appointment, Lathan has engendered vocal support from many HISD principals and a couple trustees, while also drawing criticism for recommending HISD surrender control over 10 low-performing schools to a charter school network with several academic and financial red flags. The move would have delayed state sanctions  either a state takeover of HISDs locally elected school board or the forced closure of long-struggling campuses  for at least a year.

Trustees have not established a process for identifying a permanent superintendent or shown significant urgency for finding Carranzas replacement during the past three months. Under typical circumstances, trustees likely would have started a national search.

However, the threat of state sanctions  namely, the possible board takeover  has significantly complicated HISDs plans.

The district likely will know in August whether four chronically underperforming campuses will meet state standards this year, staving off potential penalties. If any one of the four falls short, the Texas Education Agency could replace HISDs school board with nine new trustees, who could choose their own superintendent. That uncertainty makes it unlikely an outside candidate would agree to become HISDs permanent superintendent before August.

HISD Trustee Sergio Lira, who called the agenda item about Lathan kind of surprising, said he expected a superintendent search to gain steam later in the summer.

That was my feeling and understanding, that we were just going to wait until August, once everything settles with the TEA, Lira said.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Immigrant HISD students overcome obstacles  and Harvey  for diplomas

Trustee Sue Deigaard said she did not know why the Lathan item was placed on Thursdays agenda, but she is willing to hear out trustees who advocate for retaining Lathan permanently.

Im not going to make a decision on whether or not I think this is a good idea until I really understand better the intention behind this and the interests of my colleagues, Deigaard said.

Trustee Anne Sung echoed calls for more public discussion before moving to appoint Lathan.

"Unless I'm given a very strong reason otherwise, I think part of our responsibility is to do a national search," Sung said.City of Houston employees who pick up trash and staff libraries, parks and myriad city offices will get a 6 percent raise over three years if the workers and the city council ratify a preliminary deal Mayor Sylvester Turners administration has struck with union leaders.

Houstons roughly 12,500 municipal workers  a designation that excludes police officers and firefighters, who negotiate labor contracts separately  will get a 3 percent raise in the fiscal year that starts July 1, another 2 percent next year and 1 percent the year after that. That 1 percent bump in fiscal 2021 could rise to 2 percent if property and sales taxes exceed a specified threshold.

Our goals of raising salaries for our civilian employees and creating a bargaining unit inclusive of employees serving city council and the offices of the mayor have been achieved, Turner said in a news release Tuesday.

READ MORE: Turner pushes back on criticism over spending as council OKs $4.9B budget

Turner said the annual budget the council adopted last week includes funding for the raises in the coming fiscal year. The budget included $224 million for base pay for civilian workers in the general fund and also included $13.2 million for compensation contingency, one line item from which raises could be funded.

Both of those figures, however, omit thousands of municipal employees paid through the utility and airport systems, outside of the general fund.

Melvin Hughes, president of the Houston Organization of Public Employees, said he anticipates leaving voting open for a few weeks as union members ratify the agreement.

Im proud and I think my members would say the same, Hughes said Tuesday. We know things have been tight but dealing with the administration, theyre appreciative of our hard work weve done for the city. For the most part, Im happy with the way everything came down. Its a raise thats needed because our insurance is going to be going up.

The last HOPE contract, struck in 2015, focused on increasing wages at the bottom of the city pay scale, raising the hourly minimum wage for municipal workers from $10 then to $13.55 today.

READ MORE: Houston city secretary: Firefighters have enough signatures on pay parity petition

The Turner administration also is negotiating a new contract with the police union, whose current deal expires at the end of the year.

The firefighters union, meanwhile, continues to pursue a lawsuit against the city over stalled contract talks. Firefighters have been without a contract for almost four years and have received just a 3 percent raise since 2010.

The city secretary determined in May that a petition firefighters submitted last summer seeking pay parity with police contained enough valid signatures to trigger a referendum election, but it is unclear when the item will appear before voters.

mike.morris@chron.com

twitter.com/mmorris011AUSTIN  As the statewide slate of Democrats joined hands in a unity salute recently at the venerable Scholz Garten pub near the State Capitol, Jack Greiner, a self-identified Blue Dog Democrat, applauded mildly and shook his head.

Never really heard of any of them, said the 66-year-old, retired state employee, who has recently been block-walking and canvassing for a state House candidate, hoping to unseat a Republican. Other than some House and congressional seats, Im not sure what it would take to win statewide. Its been a long, long time.

Twenty-four years, to be exact.

As Texas two major political parties prepare for their state conventions  the Republicans meet in San Antonio this week, the Democrats next week in Fort Worth  their paths to victory for statewide races in the November mid-term elections appear as far apart as the parties themselves.

Cash-strapped Democrats are charging ahead with a new, low-budget comeback strategy of convincing volunteers to excite their neighbors and create a blue wave at the polls in a year without a presidential race to get voters to turn out.

The days of spending tens of millions of dollars on the governors race appear to be gone. The Democratic nominee has raised less so far than many state Senate candidates who face little or no competition in their re-election bids.

By contrast, cash-flush Republicans are mounting a more traditional get-out-the-vote efforts with television, radio, social media and statewide block-walking to enthuse their voters, at a time when their well-known and generally popular incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott has raised more than $45 million.

Political experts predict that Democrats running for statewide office this year, especially for governor, will likely set record lows for money spent. Weve never seen a governors race like this in years and years, said Mark Jones, a Rice University political scientist who studies gubernatorial politics in Texas.

For their part, Democratic Party officials insist their strategy is a winner. Donald Trump promises to be a millstone of various measure for Republican candidates, they argue, even in Trump-friendly Texas. By focusing average Texans on the issues that upset them  such as the bathroom bill and the ban on sanctuary cities  there is a much better chance more will turn out to vote against GOP incumbents, they say.

Were concentrating on getting Texans talking to the other people in their communities, people they know and people they can relate to, about issues that really matter in their lives  the cost of health care, overcrowded schools, the fact that theyre stuck in traffic every day, things they are angry and frustrated about, said Manny Garcia, deputy executive director of the Texas Democratic Party. This will be why they get out and vote for Democrats this year.

The party has a historically diverse statewide ticket: a young El Paso congressman running for U.S. Senate, a lesbian former sheriff for governor, an African-American entrepreneur for comptroller, a Hispanic energy lawyer for land commissioner, a female rancher for agriculture commissioner, along with a white accountant and lawyer running for lieutenant governor and attorney general. The slate is designed to highlight Texas changing demographics and appeal to more voters.

It is also designed to appeal to progressives in the party who have complained that statewide candidates have been too conservative. This is the first unity ticket the Democrats have put together in 20 years, said former state Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower, a leading progressive.

But without millions to match the Republican largesse, most of the candidates acknowledge they have a hard slog ahead.

Im getting good at fighting uphill battles, and Im not going to stop, said Lupe Valdez, who likes to tell how the daughter of migrant farm workers became the first Latina sheriff of a major county in the United States. The Republicans keep saying we cant win, but we can.

Matt Mackowiak, a Republican consultant, echoes GOP officials who think the Democrats strategy will likely end up like 2014 when former state Sen. Wendy Davis spent more than $40 million and lost to Abbott by 20 percentage points. Democrats failed to win any statewide offices.

Texas is not a retail state, it is a media state, and you have to do TV, radio, direct mail, social and direct voter contact to get good name identification and get elected. Period, he said. (The Democrats) have got to hit a lot of triples to make a showing statewide this year, and it sure seems they havent even been able to find the aluminum bat yet.

Even so, U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke of El Paso has proudly called his crusade against Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, the least sophisticated campaign youll ever see. He has raised more than $13 million, more than all the other Democrats running for statewide office put together  including Valdez. Perhaps not surprisingly, his campaign has attracted the most public buzz.

If we had more money, we could get the word out more, said Mike Collier, a Kingwood accountant running to unseat Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. But we have one thing the Republicans dont: Momentum, in a year when the Republicans cant explain away the problems they have created in this state.

Charline Best, 48, a small businesswoman and staunch Republican in Williamson County, hopes that Collier is wrong. But she realizes that the Texas electorate has changed significantly in recent years as tens of thousands of new residents have relocated to the Lone Star State. Add to that the many Republicans disgusted with Trump who might stay home in November and the fact that Democrats seem to be mobilized in congressional and statehouse races.

Put me down as Republican and concerned, she said. Democrats say they are for average hard-working Texans, but their policies are just the opposite. My fear is while we outnumber Democrats by lots, that too many of us will stay home.

Greiner, the lifelong Democrat, has similar concerns.

I hope this year works for us, Greiner said, echoing the sentiments of others in the 200-person crowd in largely Democratic Austin for an event billed as a statewide kickoff for Democrats. But history tells me you have to have money and organization, lots of it, to win statewide.

mike.ward@chron.comCapt. Michael Bingham has called Meyerland home for 11 years, and he has been stationed in the area for three out of the 16 years that hes served with the Houston Fire Department.

The image of Meyerland underwater haunts him. Its my neighborhood, he said. It was definitely heart-wrenching to see my neighbors walking through water.

At one point, he saw a firetruck stuck on the West Loop, with water up to its roof. To see that was just an eye-opener  how high it got,  he said. Its not something mentally you can be ready for.

Today, the neighborhood feels a bit like a ghost town. None of the homes have people in them because theyre being worked on, he said.

The night Harvey arrived in Houston, Bingham was as prepared as possible. It didnt hit when they said that it would, he recalled. But when it hit, it hit hard and quick.

Bingham and his fellow firefighters went to work immediately. They headed to a parking lot at the intersection of West Loop 610 and West Bellfort. Residents made their way to the area, and the firefighters transported them to safety.

The crew was there until 2 a.m. By the time they were ready to shut down the operation, their firetruck was trapped in the parking lot. The crew slept in the vehicle, waiting for water to recede.

The next day, Bingham and his fellow firefighters waded through chest-high water, climbing up 610, to help get people out of helicopters and into trucks where they could be taken to shelters.

Eventually, a group of citizens showed up with eight airboats, Bingham said. The four firefighters in his crew took the boats to a three-story apartment complex where a number of people were stranded. They evacuated the whole place, then they moved on to help more residents stuck in their homes.

We went to neighborhoods off Stella Link, Bingham said. They just kept sending us addresses.

Around 4 a.m., the firefighters had to be rescued themselves to get back to the station, Bingham said

Monday, Aug. 28, was his son Ashers birthday. I was hoping to get home, but I was one of the last ones relieved, he said.

When he finally made it home, Bingham had worked for three days straight. Many firefighters in the city had a similar experience.

My story is no different, he said. Some guys worked four days, some worked five. You didnt have time to think; you were just exhausted.

His house did not flood, so he felt called to help those whose homes were damaged, from a co-worker with 9 feet of water in his house to strangers who asked for assistance on social media. I needed to help people. They lost everything, he said.

Firefighter Rick Rivera has worked with Bingham for three years. Captain is a stand-up guy, a give-the-shirt-off-your-back type of person,  he said. Everything we did, he would do first to make sure it was safe for us. He was looking out for us.

houstonheroes@chron.com.



Imphal : One hardcore militant of United Tribal Liberation Army (UTLA) was killed during a gun fight with Assam Rifles troops in Manipur on Sunday night, officials said on Monday.





According to the reports, based on intelligence input about presence of a militant group at Kuran Madrassa Ahmedabad area under Jiribam police station, the troops of 37th Assam Rifles had launched operation at the area.





While the Assam Rifles troops reached, the militants hiding at the area started firing and heavy rounds of bullet exchanged from both sides.





One militant was killed on spot and security personnel had arrested two other militants.





A top official of Assam Rifles said that, two militants of the group had managed to escape from the area with the help of darkness.





Security personnel had recovered one pistol and one M-16 rifle, several rounds of live ammunition, cash and other war likes stores from the encounter spot.





Following the encounter, top official of Manipur police and Assam Rifles had rushed to the area and launched massive operation to nab the fled militants.



El Paso congressman and Senate hopeful Beto O'Rourke traveled to Texas' border on Tuesday to witness firsthand the separation of families under the Trump administration.

In a video detailing his day in McAllen, O'Rourke said he met with a mother and her 7-year-old daughter in custody at one of the nation's busiest border patrol stations.

"Within the next, perhaps, 24 hours they were going to be separated and I don't know that [the] mother and her child knew that at the time," O'Rourke said.

According to O'Rourke, the duo traveled 2,000 miles from Honduras before turning themselves in to a border patrol agent.

During their meeting, O'Rourke said the image that stuck in his mind the most was the young girl gripping her mother's hand as tightly as possible.

LATEST: Texas border agents tell migrant moms they'll bathe their kids. Instead, they separate them.

"The mom was just desperate, she could not help but cry the entire time she was talking with us," he said. "She was anxious, she didn't know what was next, she had just survived this many weeks journey ..."

O'Rourke also toured a migrant processing center where parents had already been separated from their children.

"They were in essentially very large cages, pods, cyclone fences 10-feet high with netting on the top," he said. "Polished concrete floors, it's just a gigantic warehouse where hundreds of kids and adults are kept divided by age, families no longer together."

Despite the conditions he saw, O'Rourke said border patrol agents were "doing their best" and noted that the facility was "spotless." He said detainees had access to television, meals and laundry services.

John Moore/Getty Images

John Moore/Getty Images

FOX INTERVIEW: Dan Patrick compares separating immigrant families to child protective services

Lastly, O'Rourke visited an immigration detention center run by a private prison corporation.

There, he met with a man who fled violence in Honduras with his 12-year-old daughter.

"He was crying the entire time," O'Rourke said of their meeting.

The Honduran man told O'Rourke that prior to his separation from his daughter he was given no explanation as to what was going to happen to her.

"As the father of an 11-year-old and a 9-year-old and a 7-year-old," O'Rourke said, "I can only imagine the terror that they felt and the fear that they have  even right now  not knowing where the other is."

The practice of separating migrant families began in April when Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new "zero-tolerance" policy prosecuting 100 percent of illegal border crossings.

SALARY REVEALED: What running detention centers for immigrant children pays

"If you are smuggling a child, then we will prosecute you and that child will be separated from you as required by law," Sessions said announcing the new policy. "If you don't like that, then don't smuggle children over our border."

Roughly 10,000 migrant children are currently in custody, according to a headcount by the Department of Health and Human Services in May.

Last week, the controversial policy caught the attention of the United Nations with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights calling the separations an "arbitrary and unlawful interference in family life" and a practice that "runs counter to human rights standards and principles."

Fernando.ramirez@chron.com

Twitter.com/fernramirez93Flatiron School, where Facebook will send its scholarship recipients to learn software engineering, is celebrating its grand opening this week in Houston. Classes will begin next month.

Flatiron received more than 400 applications for its first local cohort, and it selected 15 students whose classes are paid for by $250,000 in scholarships from Facebook.

MORE: Facebook providing scholarships for Houstonians to attend coding boot camp

"Across every job and industry, one thing is clear: literacy in tech is a prerequisite for being successful today and in the future," Bob Eury, president of Central Houston, said in a statement. "This makes programs like Flatiron School's even more critical to the success of Houston and downtown by developing the next generation of talent that will fuel innovation, whether in energy, technology, healthcare or professional services."

Flatiron's launch events include a free, beginner-level workshop for the military community. In this 2-hour session on Tuesday evening, participants will learn how to build a webpage with HTML and CSS.

Wednesday evening will have a women in tech panel, and the official launch party will be Thursday evening. City Councilwoman Amanda Edwards and Rebekah Rombom, from Flatiron, will be giving remarks.

Flatiron School was acquired by WeWork in October. Its coding boot camp in Houston will be in the downtown WeWork location.

Get more tasty tech news at TechBurger. And follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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Subscribe to the Chronicle for regular access to TechBurger stories and to be able to comment.Today, organizations can do more with their data than ever before. Advances in networking over the past decade and the evolution of storage and compute over the last several years have unlocked an entirely new universe of possibilities and outcomes. But new, unique challenges have emerged alongside these opportunities. Organizations require a means of simplification and holistic insight to build a truly strategic infrastructure. For many, that journey begins with having Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) at the heart of their IT strategy.

Its been an interesting journey throughout history when it comes to innovation. When Henry Ford pioneered the assembly line in 1913, the result was previously unattainable personal freedom for the average consumer  and an extra weekend day all because human beings made it easier to build a car. A little over 100 years later, were building cars that drive themselves. Todays tech has the potential to propel a truly unprecedented level of achievement both for business and humanity. Software is the vehicle and data is the oil.

But to capitalize, this disruptive potential must be effectively harnessed to hold value. Along with the explosion of data, weve seen an explosion of tech created to store, move and process that data  public and private clouds, NVMe-based storage arrays, containers and of course, SaaS. Every organization  of any size  must be strategic in how it deploys and manages these tools together to best serve its specific data needs. At Pure Storage, we call this a data centric architecture  essentially the idea that every technology integrated into your infrastructure should be optimized for turning data into value. Weve seen a growth in software as an engine for agility and transformation, but its true value is extracted from the data it holds and generates. For SaaS to be truly data-centric, it has to work seamlessly with other applications and technologies.

One thing is for sure: SaaS adoption and usage is only going to increase in the enterprise, which can become problematic if SaaS usage grows without a purposeful data strategy. This is a common pitfall weve observed with SaaS apps being deployed without a deeper integration and data centricity. Organizations are faced with a few critical questions: How do you extract data from dozens of standalone applications into one central data hub? How do you take that data and make fundamental changes to your business? All of this leads to an ultimate point for how SaaS should be viewed in enterprises in the time ahead - is your software strategy data centric?

Our marketing organization, for example, uses more than 65 applications to execute campaigns and measure performance. That means 65 separate sources of data, all of which have to be accessed within the corresponding application. The only way to understand whether a new application has added value, or how its performing, is to collate that data into one place where it can provide a clear picture of organizational performance and needs. In order to get the most value from your data, think about a strategy for how youll get critical data off of these applications into a central repository.

To fully optimize on your SaaS footprint, ensure your applications integrate and communicate. Correlate business connections and outcomes, and identify the applications generating data that can help achieve those outcomes. Finally, find a means of extraction for that data, and establish a central hub or data lake that helps turn insight into innovation.

With the right approach, organizations can extract true value from a SaaS footprint that will continue to grow.

Yousuf Khan is the CIO of Pure Storage. Visit https://www.purestorage.com/evolution.html to learn more about the intersection of data, intelligence, and AI.Imagine yourself at a party where everyone is having great time. Suddenly someone turns on the lights, and everyone looks around. What do they see? One huge mess  which up till this point had not been visible. In terms of business transformation be it Lean, Agile or Adaptive, this putting on of lights represents the key challenge. It is about letting all in the organisation see, in the clear light of day, the mess or waste that their company is continuing to create.

The biggest challenge with business transformation is not just about turning those lights on, it is about keeping them on - and then resisting all cries to have them turned off again. When the horrible mess first comes into full view, the temptation is for managers to not want to even look at it, let alone start to deal with it. There may be tricky questions from their own managers: didnt you know this mess was there? didnt you do anything about it? And then the conclusion might be drawn: You cant be a good manager.

All business has costs, but waste is optional

So, what is to blame for ineffective working practices and the resultant waste? The reasons are many and complex and very rarely down to managers on their own.

Lets start by asking what do we mean by waste? Waste can simply be defined in terms of its opposite  value. While costs are inevitable for all businesses, waste is optional. When a company is creating value and nothing but value, there is no waste. However, no system is that efficient and there will always be some waste which is uneconomical to remove. But a large percentage of organisational waste, anything from 50% to 70% - based on most studies- when removed, provides a healthy return on investment while contributing to competitiveness.

And this is why we turn the lights on. And while those lights are on, it is important that all can see the mess for what it is. It will almost certainly be a lot bigger than anyone had imagined, and leaders need to be prepared for that. They also need to be prepared to forgive, because if they dont, the waste will simply go back underground.

Keeping the lights on means focusing not on the people, and not on the waste, but rather on the causes of the waste. If time and resources are spent only on cleaning up the mess, things will get dirty again very soon. The endgame here is to understand and deal with the institutional practices and structures that are endemic to the creation of institutionalised waste.

Consider the example of the company that has defined and laid down strict policies and procedures. Managers are busy keeping their plates spinning and making things tick along. But then comes a competitor with a disruptive product. Suddenly everything has to change, and managers must set more plates spinning. But they physically cant do it. Plates are smashed because the manager has been overburdened with an impossible task.

In this kind of culture where managers have to maintain control by knowing everything that is going on  not actually possible  any admission of waste is an admission of failure. So of course, the temptation is to deny the existence of any waste.

Thats where the money is

It is said that when renowned US bank robber Willie Sutton was being marched into the courthouse for trial, a reporter stuck a microphone in his face and asked: Why did you rob banks? Back came the wry reply: Because thats where the money is. Theres a similar stark answer for todays business organisations. Putting the lights on your business shows the mess and where the money is.

When we look at a business, we dont just see with our own eyes. We see through the eyes of the culture of the business. And the best way to find out about this is through our staff. They, after all, are the ones who must walk around the broken plates to avoid cutting their feet. We need to learn from our staff what value we are delivering to our customers, and therefore our business.

The goal is to produce maximum value for minimum waste. But before we can even start to think about how efficient we are being, we must evaluate how effective we are being. In simple terms, we need to ask: Is what we are doing any good? If we dont spend most of our available resources answering this key question, we will just end up processing waste more efficiently, and this is what companies can end up doing as a matter of routine  institutionalising the production of waste.

As soon as we are sure that the product we are making is nigh on what the customer really wants, then we can begin to look at efficiency. But our priorities must always be effectiveness first, second, third, fourth fifth and maybe efficiency 22nd!

Waste  a case study

There is a common perception in the IT industry that maintenance has value. But this is not true. Why? Because maintenance is nothing more than a pre-emptive response to failure. If we didnt know something was going to fail, we wouldnt need maintenance. If something breaks and we fix it, we call that waste. But what is the difference between that and maintenance, where we fix something before it breaks?

In the dim and distant days of my childhood we had a man who would come and work on our black and white television. My parents had a maintenance agreement with the TV company, so he would come and work on our set. But TVs dont have maintenance agreements any more. And cars dont have maintenance agreements any morel because they dont break down during the course of their life cycle. When that cycle is over, they simply get replaced.

Putting the lights on is about seeing the reality of the situation. I once spoke to a head of maintenance about the work she had been doing scheduling repairs to equipment. She was devastated when the lights went on and she came to the realisation that for all these years she had not been restoring value. Her job had been to institutionalise waste.

Dismantling and rebuilding the corporate architecture

Inappropriate corporate structure is perhaps the biggest waste of them all, because it stifles any attempt at a culture shift. The process of turning on the lights takes vision and it also takes courage, but the rewards, in terms of value delivery, are profound.

This story, "Turn on the lights! The key challenges for businesses transformation" was originally published by CIO .



Guwahati : Security forces had apprehended a militant belonging to banned outfit group ULFA (I) in Arunachal Pradesh.





Kohima based Defence PRO Colonel Chiranjeet Konwer said that, based on specific intelligence about presence of a militant at Phaneng village involved in the recent abduction of Dinanath Upadhyay alias Gopal Prasad, the security forces swiftly launched an operation in conjunction with Assam Police and apprehended a ULFA(I) militant.





Post spot interrogation the nabbed militant was identified as Babu Basumatry alias Hemkanta.





The militant has been actively supporting ULFA(I) activities and has been conducting Extortion and recruitment for the group.





The militant was implicated in recent recruitment of a female militant Kashmira Mech of the outfit and abduction of Dinanath Upadhyay, manager of Radha Chetia Tea Estate. The prompt and bold action by the battalion resulted in successful apprehension of the militant, ridding the locals of the menace created by him, the Defence PRO said.





The security forces has been carrying out aggressive operations in the South Arunachal Pradesh and this apprehension has struck a blow to the extortion activities being carried out by the militant of the group in the area.



An illegal alien was arrested last week at a Brooklyn army base while delivering pizzas, and politicians and activists across New York State are crying outrage. Pablo Villavicencio, an Ecuadorian ordered to go home in 2010, was stopped at the gate of Fort Hamilton and asked to provide identificationnormal procedure at military bases. He couldnt produce anything but a New York City municipal ID card, and a background check revealed his deportation order. He was detained and turned over to ICE for removal. He remains in an ICE detention facility in New Jersey, though his deportation has been stayed.

Advocates have picked up on Villavicencios claim that he never signed a release permitting the Army to run a background check and that somehow his rights have been violated. New York governor Andrew Cuomo wrote to the local ICE field director, calling attention to conflicting reports about whether demand for identification comported with the established security protocols at the base and whether Villavicencio needed to provide any identification, because he was already known there, based on previous deliveries he had made to the facility. The governor also questions whether the deliveryman was targeted because of his perceived ethnicity.

These are all red herrings. The salient fact, reported by no media outlet, is that Villavicencio was an unlicensed driver attempting to enter a federal installation. New York State, unlike a dozen jurisdictions around the country, does not license unlawful residents to drive. Any guard worthy of the designation should be curious as to why someone driving a car onto a military base would be unable to produce a license. Indeed, most domestic military bases advertise that civilians entering the grounds must undergo background checks and present government ID. Security is very tight.

Driving without a license in New York State is a crime, punishable with a fine and possibly a 15-day jail sentence. Illegal aliens are frequently arrested for unlicensed driving, as is well known. Such stories are a staple of the Spanish-language press and also appear in the New York Times. Tens of thousands of illegal aliens across America have wound up in deportation proceedings as a result of traffic stops. And possessing a valid drivers license is widely understood to be the basis for operating a motor vehicle.

Villavicencio offered the sentry at Fort Hamilton his idNYC card, a form of municipal identification introduced in 2015 by the de Blasio administration. The idNYC card was designed as a form of official government identification available to all residents of the five boroughs, whether here lawfully or not, to facilitate entry into school and government buildings, for interactions with the police, or for financial transactions. It is not valid for buying alcohol or tobacco products, and holders are warned that it cannot be used for airline travel. About 1 million New Yorkers have acquired the card.

Villavicencio appears to have taken for granted New York Citys sanctuary policy, which strictly observes a dont ask, dont listen approach to alienage, and from one perspective it is hard to blame him. Elected officials tout the virtues of illegal immigrants on a constant basis, and never stop reminding them that they belong here as much asif not more thananyone else. Federal immigration authorities have been barred from New York Citys jails, police stations, and probation offices, and advocates are furious that ICE can enter courthouses on city-owned land. Mayor de Blasio has argued that drunk driving by illegal immigrants is a minor offense that should not lead to deportation, as long as no one is hurt.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, speaking after the arrest of Villavicencio, expressed confusion about the limits of municipal jurisdiction. As a sanctuary city, we need to be clear for those federal locations, what are you requiring of people entering the location, he said, bemoaning the fact that immigrants were told they would have some form of living in this city without harassment. But neither Adams nor Cuomonot to mention Mayor de Blasio or Senators Charles Schumer or Kirsten Gillibrand, all expressing outrage about the arrestbothered to mention that Villavicencio was breaking the law by driving without a license, as he apparently did every day.

Moreover, no one has pointed out that Villavicencio, though possessing a New York City resident identification card, doesnt live in New York City. He resides in Hempstead, on Long Island. Did he live here previously and then move, in which case the card isnt accurate, or did he obtain it fraudulently, by using a friends address? We probably wont find out, because the answers might contradict the picture that elected officials and the liberal press paint of hard-working illegals who came here for a better life, delivering the pizzas that Americans wont deliver.

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesThe government has reaffirmed its commitment to bring social impact investment into the mainstream in a response to an industry-led report.

In November, an advisory group led by Elizabeth Corley, vice chair of Allianz Global Investors, produced a report with 53 recommendations for government, industry and umbrella organisations to help grow the social impact investing market.

Today, the government has issued its response, welcoming the report and has committed to work with the investment and savings industry to support the launch of further social impact investment funds.

It pledges to work closely with regulators and statutory bodies to ensure that [] social impact is considered in regulatory frameworks and understanding.

The government says it has an aspiration that pension schemes could, if they chose to, target a minimum percentage allocation towards investments that have an explicit social or environmental purpose.

It says local government secretary James Brokenshire is considering how social impact investment might help tackle homelessness and provide housing for vulnerable people.

The government also said there is a need to promote the social and environmental responsibility of UK businesses.

It has already committed to reviewing the social investment tax relief in 2019.

'Brimming with potential'

Tracey Crouch, civil society minister, said: By utilising the wealth of experience within the financial services industry, we can expand social impact investing to help build a society that works for everyone.

Even if you have a small amount of savings, or a pension pot, you should be able to invest in the issues you care about.

I want to thank Elizabeth Corley and the Advisory Group. I look forward to continuing to work with the wider industry to expand social impact investment.

John Glen, economic secretary to the treasury, said: Investing can and should be a force for good, and its vital that industry and government work together to make it easy for people to invest in the causes they care about.

Social impact investing is brimming with potential and we are encouraging firms to develop products to meet the rising demand, while championing the industrys potential to make a real difference to peoples lives.

The government will provide a progress update in winter 2018.

Civil Society Media's Charity Finance Week is taking place from 8-12 October, and features the Charity Finance Summit. Find more information on what is taking place throughout the week, see here.The Charity Commission has said that more than 3.8m raised in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire last year has still yet to be distributed by charities.

The Charity Commission sent its latest charitable funds update on Grenfell Tower yesterday afternoon. It shows that 24.5m has been distributed.

Some 25.5m has been received by distributing organisations and 2.8m is still being held by the original fundraiser.

The one-year anniversary of the fire, which killed 72 people, will be on Thursday 14 June.

British Red Cross has distributed nearly 7m

According to the Commissions update, the British Red Cross has nearly donated all of the more than 7.3m it fundraised in response to the Grenfell fire.

As of yesterday, the British Red Cross have distributed over 6.9m of the funds it raised. The Kensington & Chelsea Foundation have distributed over 5.1m of the more than 6.8m raised, while the Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund and the London Community Foundation have distributed in excess of 6.3m of the more than 6.9m it raised.

Some of the smaller fundraising campaigns have succeeded in distributing all the money they raised, including the more than 1.3m raised by the Community Shield Match Funds and the over 1.9m raised by Art for Grenfells Sotheby Auction.

Writing in a blog for Civil Society News, Mike Adamson, chief executive of the British Red Cross, said: "In 2017, the generous British public helped us raise an incredible 284.5m for people in crisis, a record figure.

The income growth is largely due to our role in raising money for the people affected by last summers domestic tragedies. The Manchester Arena bombing, London Bridge attack and the Grenfell Tower Fire took place within three weeks in 2017.

Generous donations from the public, global stars and many businesses enabled us to raise 28m for the victims and their families. 100 per cent of this funding went to those affected.The corridors of the MAGNET center at New York Universitys Tandon School of Engineering buzzed with an excitement reminiscent of childhood science fairs. Booths decorated with monitors and gadgets lined the halls for The New York City Media Labs first-ever Fake News Horror Show, held June 7 and 8. The event, equal parts lecture series, workshop, and art show, had attracted a crowd that seemed as concerned with probing the problem of fake news and rampant misinformation on the internet as they were fascinated by the dystopian, gallows humor of it all. Think doomsday preppers, but media.

The show brought together computer scientists and technologists, counterterrorism experts and media researchers to probe the multi-headed beast that is fake news. There was a talk given by historian Matt Jones, a professor of contemporary civilization at Columbia University, that laid out the long history of misinformationfrom propaganda to perception management (a defense term). Media Matters visiting fellow Melissa Ryan, who edits Ctrl Alt-Right Delete, a newsletter that tracks the alt rights movements on the internet, hosted a panel spelling out the role activists play in helping to combat organized disinformation campaigns. J.D. Maddox, a consultant and counterterrorism expert, gave a talk laying out how the Global Engagement Center, a division of the Department of State, is handling the problem of misinformation and propaganda from terrorist groups and foreign governments around the world. Among others.

ICYMI: Cable news coverage of Trumps summit with Kim Jong Un goes off the rails

The conference strongly demonstrated the tangled relationship technology, and all those who work to advance it, has with misinformation: From Facebook, an easy target of derision, to Adobe, whose development of an audio prototype that convincingly mimics speech fascinates and terrifies.

But reporters deep in the belly of the daily news cycle remained largely on the periphery of the conversation. Instead, the horror show kept technology and politics in its crosshairs. So where do journalists, the target of frequent attacks from the highest rungs of government in America and abroad, fit into that equation?

Often, theyre the unwitting victims. Several workshops held on Friday afternoon demonstrated the threat that deep fake photos and videos pose for news organizations and their consumers. Computer scientists Vishal Misra, a professor at Columbia University and Siwei Lyu, with SUNY Albany, offered a few solutions that news organizations and consumers alike can use: Signatures embedded into photos that could let editors and readers see what edits were made to an image and photography training that teaches people to study how the light hits multiple subjects in an image, revealing whether or not it has been spliced together. These tools, what Lyu called technology forensics, amount to a kind of visual fact-checking. Such an added step could prove crucial as news organizations become increasingly reliant on photos and video of breaking news uploaded to social media websites like Twitter and then broadcast nationwide, often without verification.

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Despite the inevitable gloom of a conference focused on the worst parts of media, booths designed largely by students from various digital media programs combined art and engineering to criticize, poke fun at, and offer solutions for a way forward.

At one display, attendees played a mad libs style game to create their own fake news pulled from snippets of real articles published in The New York Times. Nouf Aljowaysir, a student with NYUs interactive telecommunications program, designed a trio of partisan Twitter bots that users could feed information to, real or fake, and then watch them argue over it publicly on Twitter. Representatives from VettNews and Newscheck gave demos of browser apps intended to help readers discern the credibility of news sites.

Ivy Huang, a student at NYU, offered commentary on how even real journalists at credible news outlets can distort the truth. Working with a classmate, she designed what looked like the typical front page of a newspaper, featuring real news stories on the Brock Turner rape trial, OJ Simpson, and Monica Lewinsky. But as you move your head from side to side, or closer to the display to read the text, it becomes distorted, physically blocking you from seeing the whole story. Words like swimmer and Stanford appear over the Turner story, and an image of the controversial 1994 cover image of Simpson in Time magazine covers the Simpson story. Near the Lewinsky story, viewers see just one phrase: All her fault.

All the content is reliable, but you still get the wrong news, says Huang.

At a display designed by Utsav Chadha, Mithru Vigneshwara and Rushali Paratey, all recent NYU graduates, visitors were asked to look at a stream of broadcast news reports displayed on three monitors. The stories were arranged topically, and came from a variety of outlets including CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and RT. Viewers were asked to study the stories and pick out the fake story. But heres the catch: They were all stories that aired on real news stations. Its the assumption that one of them hadnt that was the real fake news.

The real horror is not knowing what to believe, says Chadha, who pointed out that one consequence of hysteria around fake news is the growing air of suspicion of credible news outlets that can, ironically, block consumers access to truthful information. Lets challenge everything about fake news by putting out real news, he said.

The responsibility to solve the fake news problem likely involves multiple actors. But host Justin Hendrix, executive director of the NYC Media Lab, isnt so sure working reporters should play an active role in this resistance.

Im not sure the extent to which it is the responsibility of journalists to fight misinformation, he says. [Their] role is to put good information out. The onus is on the technology companies.

ICYMI: Looking for a journalism job? Heres what hiring managers at WashPo, NPR and others are looking for

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Alexandria Neason was CJRs staff writer and Senior Delacorte Fellow. Recently, she became an editor and producer at WNYCs Radiolab.Last weeks column about old Associated Press stylebooks and how they have changed or not stirred a lot of passion from readers. But except for the 1970 and 2018 stylebooks, none of the other ones mentioned were actually stylebooks as we think of them today: a guidebook for word usage and consistency. For the AP, the techniques involved in producing the news and getting it on the wires demanded more attention than the content.

So, more from the AP Corporate Archives, this time focusing on language itself.

In 1951, the AP introduced The Writing Handbook, whose simple goal, the foreword said, is to make Associated Press writers better writers. It discusses the readability studies of Dr. Rudolf Flesch, and notes that News writing has the highest degree of readability when it informs the reader clearly and quickly, completely and interestingly. It continues, using the universal he to represent the reader: Every leadand every subsequent paragraphshould be clear, incisive and interesting, so that he will be impelled to continue. We must not delay him with wordiness, confuse him with imperfect sentence structure or discourage him with dull, technical phraseology. (Sound familiar?)

RELATED: New AP Stylebook guidelines, influenced by #MeToo, hurricanes, and online polls

The 36-page booklet then talks about overwriting (Nothing strains an editors patience more than unnecessary words), including advice like this: An adjective can create a redundancy: x x x died of SEVERE burns today x x x (who dies of a scorched finger?). On leads, it advises Long, cluttered leads come from writers who try to put the whole story into one breath-taking sentence. And, in the section about sentences, a favorite for many editors today: It is natural to expect news writers to understand sentence structure. Yet, undeniably, some do not. Awkward, inept or ambiguous phrasing provides the strongest evidence. The words are all there, perhaps, but in the wrong order.

On technique, the focus is on jargon, bureaucratic language and story structure. What is good organization? the booklet asks. Any form that has impact. It advises: Work out the most interesting arrangement. Forget the traditional five Ws if an offbeat technique will hook the reader and entertain him while you inform him.

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The Writing Handbook was issued again in 1959, but by then, the AP was also issuing what it formally called a stylebook. The many blank pages in the 68-page Associated Press Style Book from 1953 and its foreword acknowledge the impermanence of language: The English language is fluid and changes incessantly. What last year may have been very formal, next year may be loosely informal.

The APs advice on capitalization, abbreviations, punctuation, and numerals has remained relatively unchanged, though much is now described in greater detail. Its advice on titles gives the perfect example of what weve called adjectival pileup: bargain basement ribbon clerk Jane Doe or Yankee rookie southpaw pitcher Blank. (The 2018 stylebook examples are much simpler: astronaut John Glenn, movie star John Wayne, peanut farmer Jimmy Carter.)

Back then, the AP preferred employe to employee, and it explained the reason for not doubling consonants in words like totaled, canceled, and kidnaped. The consonant is not doubled when the accent in a derivative falls upon an earlier syllable than the primitive. Got that? The explanation became simpler in the 1970 stylebook: A consonant is not doubled when the accent falls on an earlier syllable. The current stylebook doesnt even try to explain; it just lists the words with the constants that arent doubled.

In 1953, the three-page Religious section had just one mention of Judaism (There is no national or international name for the Jewish Church) and none of Islam or any other non-Christian religions. The 2018 stylebook, by contrast, has a 26-page Religion section with more than 200 entries, from abaya to Zionism. (The 1960 stylebook mentions the Koran and the Talmud, and has more complete listings of other religions and their organizations.)

Punctuation was simpler in 1953, taking up only five of the pamphlet-sized pages (the 2018 stylebook has 11 pages). The apostrophe, in particular, has gained in prominence (or confusion): It had three simple entries in 1953, including this one on possessives: Usually the possessive of a singular noun not ending in s is formed by adding the apostrophe and s; in the plural ending with s or ce the apostrophe only is added. In 2018, the apostrophe takes up two full pages, nearly all of that on possessives.

Has language gotten more complicated? Or have we gotten less familiar with it? Theres no question that the world has gotten more complicated, and that guidance on language needs to keep up with that. But the growth of the AP Stylebook every year is an indication that people are looking for more guidance, or rules, and that it fills a void.

We could continue getting our geek on, but instead, next week we will look at how New York Times style has changed. Spoiler alert: Its gotten more complicated, too.

ICYMI: Unexpectedly, newspaper axes cartoonists works

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Merrill Perlman managed copy desks across the newsroom at the New York Times, where she worked for twenty-five years. Follow her on Twitter at @meperl.Media deserts, ghost newspapers, parachute coverage that only dips into communities in moments of tragedy or disaster: Discussions about the crisis in local news tend to be framed in terms of absence, and as many local news outlets close or are gutted by their owners, this is understandable. There are clearly structural problems funding and sustaining local news. But in speaking with Philadelphians about how they get news about their communities, some alternate narratives emerge: stories of existing channels of communication and of places where a wealth of local knowledge circulates, albeit unevenly.

Over the past several months, wefour fellows at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism explored two different areas in the Philadelphia metro area: Germantown, a majority African-American neighborhood in northwest Philadelphia, and Montgomery County, a sprawling, majority-white, politically divided suburb of Philadelphia. From November 2017 to February 2018, we conducted a study examining residents news practices and attitudes toward media. We then organized a series of workshops for study participants, community leaders, and journalists to generate ideas to address the challenges raised by the study. We asked them, How can journalists and community members build trust and have more constructive, collaborative relationships?

Workshop participants reminded us that community information needs sometimes have little to do with the priorities of traditional media. Several people suggested connecting residents to each other through newsletters or other kinds of online and offline outreach. And participants from communities that felt misrepresented emphasized the responsibility of legacy media to learn the history of communities and work to repair relationships

This effort follows the model first tried by Tow Center for Digital Journalism fellows Andrea Wenzel and Sam Ford in Kentucky.There, a research study followed by a workshop led to the development of several engaged journalism pilot projects, such as a community contributors program that reimagined the rural tradition of society columnists. We knew these specific projectswhich were built on community traditionswould not directly suit the needs a neighborhood in Philly. But we wanted to explore whether the process of assessing community needs and then engaging members to address them was portable, and what would emerge from transposing it to urban and suburban Philadelphia.

A participatory process

For two Saturdays in a row, our research team organized workshopsfirst in Germantown, then in Montgomery County. At both, we gathered area residents, leaders of community organizations, local business associations, representatives of universities and student media, and journalists from local newspapers, public and community radio, and television.

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We began each workshop sharing key findings from the focus groups, story diaries (in which participants logged stories that captured their attention and how they shared them on and offline for a week), and interviews we conducted with residents. These included reflections from Germantown residents, whose distrust of media long preceded post-2016 concerns around disinformation and partisan coverage. Study participants attested that their community received too much disproportionately negative coverage (particularly coverage of crime), but not enough nuanced coverage of issues that affect them personally such as education, gentrification, jobs, and transportation. They attributed inaccurate coverage, such as referring to a crime taking place on Germantown Avenue as being in the Germantown neighborhood when it wasnt, to a lack of experienced journalists and a lack of journalists from their communityas well as to sinister and deliberate financial or political motives.

In Montgomery County, study participants put a greater emphasis on local news gapswith several referencing the consolidation of ownership of several local newspapers and a resulting thinning of local coverage. They also reflected partisan patterns in what constituted trust. While most emphasized a need for accuracy, right-leaning participants put greater emphasis on the need for media to strike a respectful tone to be trustworthy.

Despite their differences, there were commonalities between the residents wishlists in both areas. These included wanting more coverage that explored attempted solutions to local problems and constructive initiatives in the community, opportunities for media to work with communities to create coverage, and an openness to media facilitating discussion on community issues.

To help us brainstorm how these wishes could be fulfilled, we invited leaders of engaged journalism and solutions journalism initiatives around the US to join our workshops. We heard lessons learned from representatives of Free Presss News Voices, the Listening Post Collective, Your Voice Ohio, and Resolve Philadelphia. We then transitioned to small groups with combinations of journalists and community stakeholders to brainstorm ideas that would respond to concerns and push toward possible interventions.

Connecting to community

As participants brainstormed possible ideas that might help strengthen the connection between communities and media, there were a few recurring themes. One potential advantage in both areas was the power of existing informal networks: This included neighborhood Facebook groups and community newsletters, as well as community organizations, churches, and historical societies.

In Montgomery County, one participant ran a newsletter about community happenings to which several other participants subscribed. She explained that, after setting up tables at local farmers markets, they now had a 4,000-person-strong mailing list.

Newsletters and other non-traditional media were also referenced in the Germantown session. One participant suggested that journalists needed to pay more attention to the value of connectors:

A lot of news goes on underground. There are people who know about it, but it doesnt get distributed in ways that those of us who are actually working in the media see, and how do we get plugged into those networks? How do those networks plug into us? Thats where the role, thats where connectors can come in, and our challenge is to sort of like find them, get them involved, or at least willing to share.

A Montgomery County participant similarly suggested, There are people who know what the issues are that the journalists could connect with, and they already have that deep knowledge. In Montgomery County, considerable discussion was devoted to the question of whether citizens could fill the gap of coverage of local council and school board meetings. As a local newspaper reporter explained, given his mandate of coverage in a shrunken newsroom, it was impossible for him to be at every meeting. Participants suggested possible adaptations including collaborating with an area college and/or a local civic group such as the Rotary Club to train citizens and students to do basic reporting, or possibly exploring citizen documenting models a la City Bureau.

ICYMI: In Pittsburgh, editors wont let an editorial cartoonist criticize Trump

Several participants discussed the need to train and support citizen journalists. As a Montgomery County participant said:

You have to support residents. Maybe thats giving them information so that they can, so they know that there even is an issue in their community. Enable them so that they can work towards solutions. Connect them with media and with other folks who would be interested.

Participants discussed a range of possibilities around training and payment for community contributors.

In both locations there was an emphasis on valuing the communication resources already present in communities. From local influencers and connectors to community organizations, participants pointed to a range of ways community members were stepping up to share information that mattered at the hyperlocal level, if not necessarily to city-wide media. However, they also argued that this information did not circulate evenly within communities and there was a need to make connections between these resources to expand access to community information.

In addition, as larger news outlets looked to connect with community members, a media representative suggested they should take care not to restrict themselves to a limited number of self-appointed spokespeople: We have to keep going deeper in terms of our sources.

A lot of news goes on underground. There are people who know about it, but it doesnt get distributed in ways that those of us who are actually working in the media see, and how do we get plugged into those networks?

Fair & contextualized representation

Another theme, particularly in Germantown, was that media outlets needed to not only represent their community more fairly and in a less stigmatizing waybut also in a way that acknowledged history and context. As one community member argued, a journalist should step correct when they come to Germantown. Another added:

We cant talk about where were going now and what were going to do in the future without always grounding ourselves in the history. Because if you do thatyoure starting in the middle without the context.

For example, coverage of issues such as gentrification should include how a place became what it is todayacknowledging a history of racist housing policies and practices.

A media outlet representative suggested that journalistic practices at times contributed to a neglect of history:

READ: With Bundy story, the national media slowly learns how to cover the American West

Journalists sometimes have a habit of going and talking to sources because [they] know what side [those sources are] on. We dont leave room for [the source] to share the perspective for history We say, but we hear youre against this. What are your thoughts on this issue? So, just by that approach to reporting, weve already created a gap as opposed to giving someone an opportunity to tell their story.

Another participant noted how a lack of veteran reporters in a newsroom contributed to this history gap. Participants shared ideas for addressing the gap, ranging from holding community history roundtables, to connecting new reporters to existing community groups and historical centers, to getting personal stories from elders at senior centers.

Accountability conversations

A considerable measure of conversation in both communities focused on how to connect residents of those areas to one another, allowing them to access the basic community information they needed to participate in civic and social life. At the same time, there was a recognition of the power and influence of larger regional legacy media, such as the Philadelphia Inquirer, local television networks, and other city-wide outlets. As one community advocate pointed out regarding the stigmatization of Germantown, hyperlocal news can do a lot about trying to change those perceptions, but it is legacy media that shapes the narrative.

A participating journalist suggested that legacy outlets were genuine in wanting to build better connections with communities: I think they need to do a better job of telling people that, and sort of explaining that theyre on this road, and they understand that they, you know, kind of need to repair relationships particularly in communities like Germantown. She suggested that this might be assisted through two-way channels of communication that focused on accountability:

So, talking, getting feedback, trying to do your reporting better. Then coming back again, you know, six months later and saying, how did we do? What can we do better? Where did we screw up? So, having that kind of continuous dialogue.

Next Steps

Following these two workshops, we shared our findings at the Northeastern Society for Professional Journalists conference held in Philadelphia. There, workshop participants representing WHYY, Resolve Philadelphia, and community advocates from Germantown and Montgomery County reflected on how to strengthen relationships between communities and media.

These workshops were just a first step. Initial conversations between journalists and community advocates are beginning to explore possibilities to create projects that increase communication and deepen understanding between media and communities. These may include creating structures for regular accountability conversations, using engagement platforms to connect existing community influencers and organizations, and creating training and community outreach collaborations between universities, media and community stakeholders.

The path forward is certain to be a bumpy one given the histories and power dynamics that must be navigated, and the contemporary structural and financial challenges facing local journalism. That said, in these two communities, many participants recognized that news media and communities can be on the same team, even if they havent historically behaved that way. And a good starting place is recognizing and building connections between existing communication assets.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Andrea Wenzel, Anthony Nadler, Melissa Valle, and Marc Lamont Hill are fellows at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism. Andrea Wenzel is an assistant professor at Temple Universitys Klein College of Media and Communication. Anthony Nadler is an assistant professor of Media and Communication Studies at Ursinus College. Melissa M. Valle is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology and the Department of African American & African Studies at Rutgers University-Newark. Marc Lamont Hill is the Steve Charles Professor of Media, Cities, and Solutions at Temple Universitys Klein College of Media and Communication. Thanks to Kamika Bennett of Rutgers University-Newark for research assistance.A Minnesota man has taken a lawsuit against his father all the way to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

The high court this week clarified a state law on public access for hunting, clearing the way for Corey Ouradnik to sue his father, Robert Ouradnik, over a deer hunting accident.

According to court documents, his father doesnt allow anyone outside of his immediate family to hunt on his 40 acre land, and has posted at least one No Trespassing sign to deter non-family members. He excluded extended family, his sons friends and members of the general public from hunting on his land. His father built five tree stands for deer hunting. When he initially built them, he affixed the boards to the trees with nails. In 2012, he began to replace the nails with 6-inch screws, but did not have enough screws to re-fasten every board. Some boards remained affixed by nails.

On November 10, 2012, while climbing into one of the deer stands Corey Ouradnik grabbed a board that was still secured by nails. The board came loose and he fell 16 feet to the ground, breaking both his legs and his left foot. His recovery took multiple surgeries and left him with a six-figure medical bill.

The district court had granted a partial summary judgment on behalf of his father, citing that he was entitled to immunity under Minnesotas Recreational Use Statute. With this decision, the son could only pursue recovery under the trespasser exception to the statute. Corey Ouradnik appealed the decision and the Court of Appeals reversed district courts decision holding that the

Recreational-Use Statute did not apply because his father didnt offer his land for use by the

public. Minnesotas high court reaffirmed the appeals court decision.

The Supreme Court found that:

Minnesotas Recreational-Use Statute, Minn. Stat.  604A.20.27 (2016),

does not apply to private land that is not used by the public for beneficial recreational

purposes. A landowner who gave permission to only his immediate family to use his private land for recreational purposes, and excluded others, does not qualify for the duty-of-care and liability limitations in the Recreational-Use Statute.

The Star Tribune reports his attorney, Matt Barber, says the lawsuit is all about recovering insurance money. He says Minnesota requires people who are injured to sue the person who injured them if they hope to recover a payment.

Read the decision.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Former Broadspire Exec Joins MedRisk as Executive Vice President of Business Development

Penn.-based MedRisk named Kenneth Martino, CPCU executive vice president of Business Development. His responsibilities include identifying and evaluating business development opportunities both domestically and internationally, including analyzing competitive and market trends, developing and managing strategic partnerships, acquisition identification and integration and organic growth strategies.

Martino brings over 35 years of experience in workers compensation and managed care to the position. He is the former president and CEO of Broadspire Services, Inc. He started his career with Travelers Insurance Company in management positions within systems, underwriting, claims, and managed care. Martino also spent time at The Hartford as part of its third-party administrator, Specialty Risk Services, where he served as senior vice president of Account Management and chief financial officer before joining Broadspire.

PURE Announces Executive Promotions

The PURE Group of Insurance Companies, which includes Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange, the policyholder-owned property and casualty insurer designed for high net worth individuals and families, announced two new executive appointments: Michael Taylor has been promoted to chief claims officer and Jason Metzger has been promoted to head of Risk Management. They will both join the companys Executive Committee, reporting directly to president and chief executive officer Ross Buchmueller.

Taylor joined PURE in 2016 as deputy claims officer, bringing with him more than 30 years of insurance industry experience, including executive roles at AIG and CNA. He began his career at Allstate Insurance.

Metzger joined PURE in 2013 following a decade at Progressive, where he served in multiple leadership roles. During his tenure at PURE, he has overseen broker distribution and led business development for the New York Metro Region in a general management role.

Monica Ningen appointed President & CEO of Swiss Re Canada

Monica Ningen has been appointed president & CEO of Swiss Re Canada & English Caribbean, effective 1 July 2018. She succeeds Veronica Scotti, who has been named chairperson Global Partnerships.

Ningen has more than 20 years of experience in the re/insurance industry, starting her career at E.W. Blanch, a reinsurance broker. She joined Swiss Re in 2006 when Swiss Re acquired GE Insurance Solutions. Since that time, she has held several leadership roles in Property Underwriting, most recently as head of Property Underwriting US & Canada.

She will be based in Toronto and plans to relocate there with her family in early August.

Veronica Scotti joined Swiss Re in 1999 as part of the Fox Pitt Kelton acquisition. Prior to her role in Canada, she held several leadership positions in Client Markets. She will relocate to Zurich with her family in early August.President Donald Trump said Friday that he was inclined to support a bipartisan effort in Congress to ease the U.S. ban on marijuana, a proposal that would dramatically reshape the nations legal landscape for pot users and businesses.

The federal ban that puts marijuana on the same level as LSD and heroin has created a conflict with about 30 states that have legalized pot in some form, creating a two-tiered enforcement system at the state and federal levels.

The legislation would ensure states have the right to determine the best approach to marijuana within their borders, but some U.S. restrictions would remain, including sales of non-medical pot to people under 21.

The proposal introduced Thursday has support from members of Congress from both parties, including Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado.

I support Senator Gardner. I know exactly what hes doing, Trump told reporters in Washington, when asked about the legislation. Were looking at it. But I probably will end up supporting that, yes.

The presidents remarks place him in conflict with his own Justice Department and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who staunchly opposes marijuana. He lifted an Obama administration policy and freed federal prosecutors to more aggressively pursue cases in states that have legalized marijuana.

Asked about the measure in an interview with Colorado Public Radio, Sessions said, Well see how far it goes and how much support there is.  My view is clear: The federal law remains in effect nationwide, just as it does for heroin and cocaine.

The proposals prospects in Congress were unclear.

Gardner, who heads the Senate Republicans campaign arm, is close to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The Kentucky Republican has consistently opposed legalizing marijuana but has called hemp and marijuana two entirely separate plants.

The bill would amend the definition of marijuana in federal drug law to exclude industrial hemp, which like marijuana is part of the cannabis plant family but doesnt contain the THC that gives pot users the high. Hemp produces the non-intoxicating cannabinoids, or CBDs, that have become a health rage and a lucrative crop in Kentucky and other states.

Despite his comments, Trump has sent mixed signals on the drug: While campaigning for president, he pledged to respect states that legalized marijuana, but he also has criticized legalization and implied it should be stopped.

I dont think anyone would make a bet on the long-term validity of an offhand remark by the president that he probably would support something, said Kevin A. Sabet, head of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a nonpartisan group opposed to marijuana legalization. I think hell find out soon from  victims of marijuana addiction and impaired driving that this is not as popular as Cory Gardner is leading him to believe.

Trumps remarks Friday echo a promise that Gardner said he received privately from the president in April to support legislation protecting the marijuana industry in states that have legalized the drug.

Gardner said the measure would ensure U.S. authorities respect the will of voters in each state, whether laws provide for legalization or prohibition.

He said in a statement released Thursday that the federal government is closing its eyes and plugging its ears to spreading legalization.

Another co-sponsor of the measure, Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, said in a statement that Washington needs to get out of the business of outlawing marijuana.

California, home to one in eight Americans, launched the nations largest legal marijuana marketplace on Jan. 1 but thousands of businesses that have been licensed are still facing the threat of federal prosecution.

A major problem stemming from the federal ban: Major banks have been reluctant to do business with marijuana companies, fearing it could lead to prosecution. In California, for example, paying taxes and other transactions are often carried out in cash, sometimes in vast amounts.

(Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi in Denver and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed.)

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.A dozen wildfires that burned thousands of homes in Californias wine country and killed at least 15 people last October were started by Pacific Gas & Electric power lines and utility poles, state fire officials said.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection released its investigation Friday for some of the wind-driven fires that ravaged Mendocino, Humboldt, Butte, Sonoma, Lake and Napa counties.

SANTA ROSA, CA, Coffey Park in Santa Rosa, California, where wildfires completely destroyed a neighborhood. Photo by Dominick Del Vecchio  Oct 11, 2017

Falling trees and tree limbs hitting power lines were the most common cause, but one fire erupted after PG&E tried to re-energize a downed line, investigators found.

In eight fires there was evidence of alleged violations of state law by the utility and those cases have been referred to county prosecutors for review, according to the forestry department.

PG&E has been trying to duck responsibility for the fires, blaming everything from climate change to local fire departments and the states liability laws, Patrick McCallum, co-chair of a coalition of people affected by the wildfires, said in a statement.

He said Cal Fires report puts the blame where it belongs  squarely on PG&E, confirming it was responsible for many of the fires that devastated so many lives.

As victims, we see the report as an important step toward rebuilding and recovery, McCallum said.

The dozen blazes were part of the deadliest series of wildfires in California history, which killed 44 people, destroyed 8,800 structures and forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate. About 11,000 firefighters from 17 states and Australia helped battle the blazes.

Nearly $1.5 billion was spent fighting fires and on recovery north of San Francisco in October, including debris removal and infrastructure repair

The destruction prompted $10 billion in insurance claims.

Hundreds of homeowners and relatives of those killed have sued PG&E, which has sought to raise rates to cover possible judgments.

PG&E said in a statement that the company believes its overall programs met our states high standards for maintaining electrical equipment. The utility said it inspects its 2 million power poles regularly and prunes about 1.4 million trees a year.

But years of drought, extreme heat and 129 million dead trees have created a new normal for our state that has increased the number of large wildfires and the length of the wildfire season, the utility said.

Climate change and the so-called new normal do not ignite fires. The Cal Fire findings today show that suspected negligence by PG&E did, said state Sen. Jerry Hill, a Redwood City Democrat, a longtime critic of the utility.

In March, PG&E announced it would start switching off power to minimize sparks in vulnerable areas during times of extreme fire danger. PG&E and some other state utilities previously have resisted such a measure, arguing that cutting off power carries its own risks, including to patients dependent on electrical equipment.

In one fire in Mendocino County last fall, investigators said Potter Valley experienced wind speeds up to 67 mph, causing many tree branches to fall, triggering numerous 911 calls reporting fires, according to Cal Fires report.

An arc from a conductor was witnessed along with the start of a vegetation fire, the report said. A second fire also was from an overhead conductor. The two sparked a third, merged, and burned 10 miles (16 kilometers), the report said.

A responding firefighter said the smoke was blowing sideways and he had to veer around numerous tree branches to get to the fire.

Another property owner told Fire Captain Specialist Eric Bettger that he saw a flash to the east and saw the conductors come down.

He said the fire crossed the road within seconds, Bettger said.

Sen. Bill Dodd, a Democrat who represents the Napa area, called the reports findings disappointing and deeply concerning. He has introduced legislation that would require electric utilities to update wildfire plans to determine when they need to cut power to lines during harsh weather and boost infrastructure.

Cal Fire investigators are still probing other fires in October and December, including the deadliest blaze in Napa and Sonoma Counties, which PG&E has argued was started by wires belonging to a private homeowner.

(Associated Press writer Amanda Lee Myers contributed to this report from Los Angeles and Thompson contributed from Sacramento.)

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.AKRON, Ohio - Akron City Council has approved amended legislation that will create a registration program to help track and monitor vacant buildings in Akron.

All council members present voted in favor the legislation, with Ward 2 Councilman Bruce Kilby not in attendance.

Akron joins more than 500 cities in the country with similar programs. The intent is to keep empty buildings from negatively affecting neighborhoods' economic stability by increasing crime and posing safety hazards, according to the city. The registration is also hoped to boost the appeal of viable buildings and make it easier to match them with the needs of prospective buyers.

The original legislation gave owners 30 days to register and levied a fee of $400 per building.

Under the amended measure, owners of empty buildings must register within six months of the structure becoming vacant, and pay a fee based on the building's size -- $300 per year for buildings under 10,000 square-feet, and $500 for buildings larger than 10,000 square-feet.

To establish regulations, city council planning committee met with several different community groups for input, including the Akron-Cleveland Association of Realtors, said At-large Councilman Jeff Fusco.

"The biggest takeaway is that this is on a per-complaint basis," Fusco said. "It's not like we're going to go out and actively seek vacant buildings."

With at least 500 known vacant buildings in the city, some properties are a concern and already on the city's radar, he said.

The program will be managed by Akron's Neighborhood Assistance Department, which will be authorized to inspect the buildings. Owners not in compliance with safety regulations and the program's requirements would face fines, prosecution and ultimately demolition.

The city also established a five-member appeals board with at least one realtor and one person with a background in community development. The appeals board will hold hearings and have the ability to modify or dismiss enforcement actions.

A second phase of the vacant building program is already under consideration by city council, Fusco said.

In the upcoming phase, the city will announce a plan to pay for building demolition, which typically costs far more than the program's fees will cover, he said. Further complicating matters, owners of distressed buildings sometimes are behind in their taxes and live out of state, which makes recouping demolition costs tough.

Still, city council has some ideas for a program to pay for demolition.

"I think there's a path we can take to get to that, but it's going to take a lot work," Fusco said.

Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com's Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A federal jury found a Rocky River entrepreneur guilty Tuesday of misusing hundreds of thousands of dollars collected from employees and for pilfering an employee retirement plan.

C. David Snyder, 65, collected close to $860,000 for payroll taxes from his employees in 2010 and 2012 while he was chairman, president and CEO of Attevo, a now-defunct technology consulting company based in Cleveland. While the money was meant for the IRS, Snyder never paid the government its taxes.

Snyder also embezzled more than $126,000 from a 401(k) and profit-sharing retirement plan he created for Attevo employees in 2009. Ruralogic, a Bryan-based company where Snyder served as chairman and primary shareholder, was added to the plan in 2010. Snyder did not pay contributions and loan repayments withheld from employee wages, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Snyder has been involved in the Cleveland business community for a few decades and was a prominent Democratic fundraiser. He is currently the president and CEO of the technology consulting company Realscape Group.

It took the jury less than an hour to find Snyder guilty of embezzling from an employee pension fund and five counts of failure to pay taxes in the trial that began in late May. The jury acquitted him of two tax charges.

U.S. District Judge Benita Pearson in Youngstown will sentence Snyder on Oct. 9. He is free on bond.

Larry Zukerman, Snyder's attorney, declined comment.

In 2011, Snyder agreed to a monthly payment plan on behalf of Attevo to go towards the company's unpaid payroll taxes. The company made 10 payments totaling $483,500 and then made no further payments, investigators say.

Prosecutors said Snyder lived a lavish lifestyle while he was committing financial crimes. He paid $20,000 a month to rent a home in Lakewood and a vacation home in Chautauqua, New York. He also had leases on four cars.

Snyder also used Attevo's credit card to buy women's clothing at Ann Taylor, Nieman-Marcus and other high-end stores. He bought beauty supplies at Oro Gold in Las Vegas and traveled to resorts in Florida. He used some of the money to renovate a pool and spa, authorities say.

When he was indicted in December, Snyder's attorney at the time said Attevo fell behind on its taxes during the Great Recession in 2008 and 2009, as the company suffered from financial issues at the time.

His attorneys also tried to argue that Snyder personally paid back the money taken from the retirement plans, but Person did not allow testimony on that. The money was paid back through a settlement with the U.S. Labor Department.

Snyder used to be the chairman of the now-closed Crooked River Brewing Co. and is a former Ohio University board member.

If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments section.Re: John Quigley piece concerning Iran nuclear program.

According to Professor John Quigley Iran's nuclear weapons program, undertaken secretly by the Mullah regime in violation of Iran's obligations under the non-proliferation treaty (signed by the Shah to enable Iran to get technical assistance in developing nuclear energy), was and is a response to the threat of Israel. Israel's nuclear program preceded the existence of the non-proliferation treaty, was developed without outside help, and was a response to the ceaseless hostility and acts of war of its Arab neighbors (and not of the Shah's Iran). Israel and Iran had comparatively good relations until the advent of the Mullah regime, which immediately assumed a posture of extreme hostility and menace toward Israel.

If the professor wants to find an excuse for Iran's program he should look to Iraq, which under Saddam Hussein in 1980 launched a war of aggression against Iran and which had its own secret nuclear program. In 2003, Iraq ceased to be a nuclear threat (or any threat) to Iran, and any excuse for Iran's program dissolved.

Glenn Schreiber,

North OlmstedNo immigration reform is complete without Congress formally declaring War on identified Drug Cartels operating in North America. If Congress formally declared War, then the (Barbary) pirate-like soldiers of drug cartels--gang members--could be contained here in the United States with the legal status of POWs. Such containment of gang members by the U.S. government would help stem the flow of innocent humanity fleeing Central America due to ongoing violence, with its associated economic uncertainty. Economic uncertainty robs people of hope for the future in their home place with their family, be it Central America or inner-cities in the United States.

The United States Congress needs to finally reassert itself; Congress needs to finally take responsibility for necessary military action close to home. Congress's funding of worldwide military action without taking responsibility for it by declaring War is immoral. Repatriating gang members back to Central American countries that lack the institutions to handle these gang members' U.S. acquired sophistication is immoral. Better a just war than an unjust immigration policy.

Ann Malone,

ClevelandAKRON, Ohio - A motorist struck and killed a bear Tuesday morning on Interstate 77 near Vernon Odom Boulevard, according to Akron police.

Lt. Rick Edwards said police responded to a 911 call at 5:18 a.m. about a black bear on the inside of the median.

"It was still moving when I just passed it," the 911 caller said. "It looks like it got hit, but it's still moving."

A second caller said the bear looked dead.

The driver who hit the bear did not remain at the scene of the collision, Edwards said. No one has reached out to authorities to say that they hit the bear.

Bear activity in Ohio tends to peak during the summer months.

The black bear was 225 pounds and probably about four years old, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. It was tagged by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

This is likely the same black bear that has been seen over the past month in several communities throughout northeast Ohio, according to the ODNR.

"Bear activity began May 12 in the Mantua area and went west of there over the next few weeks," ODNR spokeswoman Jamey Emmert said. "Then it continued southward to Amish Country, to Holmes County, and then there were reports in the Wadsworth area, and today it was hit in Akron."

The bear was 225 pounds and probably about four years old, according to the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

Emmert said it was unusual for the bear to come from Pennsylvania and make it as far west as Akron. "There's too many people, and they usually go back."

A Westlake man hit and killed a bear on the Ohio Turnpike last month in Trumbull County.

The Division of Wildlife estimates that Ohio's bear population is 50 to 100 bears. Most of Ohio's black bears weigh between 125 to 250 pounds and are juvenile male bears. Young bears will often travel long distances in search of new habitat and are most likely to be seen by or interact with humans.

"We have bear activity peak in northeast Ohio around this time of year every year, the summer months," Emmert said.

Emmert encourages people to report bear sightings and to take photos at a safe distance, if possible.CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cuyahoga County Council is considering legislation that would establish a commission to hear discrimination complaints, including complaints related to sexual orientation and gender identification.

The legislation, introduced Tuesday, would establish a three-person Cuyahoga County Commission on Human Rights. The members would be attorneys and would have the authority to levy fines if they determine discrimination has occurred.

Money collected from those fines would be used to fund efforts to provide education and awareness regarding the problems and effects of prejudice, intolerance, bigotry and discrimination.

The legislation was introduced by County Executive Armond Budish, County Council President Dan Brady and Council members Dale Miller and Michael Houser.

The legislation will be heard by council's Committee of the Whole.

"This is an important step forward in our quest to make sure that all residents have equal access to justice and that they feel safe and supported," Budish said in a news release. "You can say that you support equal rights for all, but until there is legislation that supports this, it isn't a reality."

The proposed ordinance supports current protections against discrimination based upon race, color, religion, military status, national origin, disability, age, ancestry and gender. It adds sexual orientation and gender identification to that list.

The protections target equal access and opportunities to employment, housing, and public accommodations.

Luis Cartagena, the county's inclusion officer, would serve as executive director.CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cuyahoga County Council President Dan Brady and Council member Michael J. Gallager have written a letter accusing the administration of County Executive Armond Budish of misleading council about nursing services at the county jail.

The letter, sent Thursday states that false information was presented to council's Public Safety & Justice Affairs Committee at a hearing last month and called on Budish to conduct a review of county leadership at the jail.

"Although we may not agree on the number of nurses needed for each shift at each facility, we know there were many false statements and inaccuracies presented to the committee, which is inexcusable," Brady and Gallagher wrote. "As we have learned [from] past experience, this issue is a matter of life and death for those in the county's custody and we cannot have county officials making false statements, either privately or publicly."

Budish, in a written response to Brady and Gallagher, did not directly address their call for a leadership review. He did, though, defend the level of care provided in the jails.

"Of course, I share your interest in ensuring that the prisoners in our custody are provided high-quality medical care," Budish wrote back on Friday. "It is my understanding that, in fact, at all times the prisoners have been receiving high-quality medical care."

Brady's and Gallagher's letter does not name the person they believe presented false information to the committee. Brady could not be reached for comment on Monday. A spokeswoman said he wanted the letter to speak for itself.

You can read both letters below. Mobile users click here.

In addition to reviewing the jail's leadership, Brady and Gallagher recommended that Budish's administration hire enough nurses to staff three county jail sites 24 hours a day.

"If necessary, council will provide additional appropriation to hire nurses for these three facilities," the letter states.

And Brady and Gallagher reaffirmed that council would oppose any attempt to privatize health care at the jails.

"Council rejected your proposal [last fall] and fully restored funding to keep MetroHealth in the County Jail because MetroHealth has done and continues to do an outstanding job running the medical unit since 2013, when council and the previous administration brought MetroHealth in to provide healthcare for inmates," their letter states.

In his response, Budish chided Brady and Gallagher for not speaking with him face to face.

"I am surprised that you chose to communicate your concerns through a letter, since my office is just down the hall from you. However, since you decided to write a letter, I am compelled to respond in kind," Budish wrote. "We would be happy to engage in further conversations, preferably in person."

At the May 22 committee hearing, witnesses placed the blame for the nursing issues in the jail on county Director of Corrections Ken Mills.

The MetroHealth system handles medical care at the jail, but the county is responsible for hiring nurses. Six nursing positions remain vacant at the county's main jail, while temporary staff fill two nursing positions at the newly re-opened Bedford Heights facility.

At the hearing, Mills and MetroHealth staff acknowledged that the county pays nurses about $6 or $7 an hour less than comparable positions elsewhere, making it difficult to attract candidates for the jobs in a region where nurses are in high demand.

Mills had made an emergency funding request to the Board of Control on May 14, when he asked for money to temporarily staff Bedford Heights with nurses until permanent positions could be filled.

Mills told the committee that nurses were lined up to work at the Bedford Heights jail, but each backed out for various reasons, including a below-average pay rate.

Follow me on Facebook.CLEVELAND, Ohio - Family Unity Day, one of the largest summer festivals in the city for more than a decade, will not return for 2018.

The decision was made by Ward 2 City Councilman Kevin Bishop, who was elected last November to succeed the festival's founder, Zack Reed.

Bishop said in an interview that he considers the event worthwhile, but he doesn't want to divert ward funds from other important projects.

The day-long festival, typically held on a Saturday in July, was first organized in 2004 by Reed and in more recent years has drawn crowds approaching 20,000 to Luke Easter Park.

But times have changed.

Reed left City Council in 2017 to challenge Mayor Frank Jackson's re-election. Bishop was elected to succeed Reed in a reconfigured Ward 2 that no longer includes Luke Easter Park. The park is now part of Ward 4, the result of redistricting.

Ward 2 has areas of high poverty and joblessness, and Bishop said he cannot justify using his ward's funds for a festival that benefits a much broader population.

"It was a citywide event," he said.

Reed, who previously had said he hoped the festival would continue, now envisions resurrecting it next year.

"My hope is we can get around the table and convince the public sector and the private sector that this event is done for the community to make the community healthy," Reed said in an interview. "In the stressful times we live in, you have to have some outlets."

The event typically costs $120,00 to $125,000, according to Reed. In the past, about $40,000 of that came from public support -- casino tax revenues, block grants, in-kind donations from the city and corporate sponsorships.

Reed also committed a day of free public services that each member of council gets annually. Created by then-Mayor Michael R. White, the free-service program allows a council member to designate an event at which the city will cover the cost of police, sanitation and other city services.

For the Unity Day event, that's important, Reed said. Most significantly, the city picks up the tab for police, who work security at the festival, he said.

The most expensive year was 2014, when the headliner act for the event was the O'Jays, Reed said.

Community development corporations in Mount Pleasant and Union-Miles neighborhoods supported that 2014 festival, along with support from outside nonprofit organizations and several corporate sponsors.

Ward 2 will host two other smaller festivals this summer, Bishop said.

The first, a jazz concert featuring local musicians, is scheduled for July 5 at Luke Easter Park.

A Ward 2 Community Festival is set for Aug. 25 at Gawron Park, on Harvard Avenue at East 136th Street.sacw.net - 12 June 2018

How advent of Hindutva Supremacism has accelerated arming of Hindus for sectarian violence

( Note : To be published in a report by aA nhada on four years of Modi government)

Introduction

Like every exclucivist ideology/organisation/formation which claims to be centered around a particular religion - may it be Islamism, Zionism, fanatic Buddhism - Hindutva has always entertained a dream of preparing/arming its followers to fight the others and slowly albeit not so silently moving closer to usher into its dreamland of Hindu Rashtra. Its ideologues/leaders have been candid enough to point out to the faithfuls the internal enemies and ways to deal with them or exterminate them. All these preparations dotted by regular drills, games and other militant exercises serves as a counter to the the much publicised notion by the same people that Hindus are Cowards 1 or "Islam was spread through the sword" which has been an item of belief for the Hindutva fundamentalists.

A cursory glance at history - preindependence as well as later - is witness to the way in which it had been engaged in doing it surreptiously/not so surreptiously in very many ways. To fulfill its long cherished dream, pioneers of the movement had felt no qualms even in keeping themselves aloof from the anti-colonial struggle and focussing themselves on strengthening unity of their people. It was the same period when a proper military school was established by Dr B S Munje, mentor of Dr Hedgewar and one of the founders of RSS which was aimed 2"..to bring about military regeneration of the Hindus" much on the lines of the The Balilla institutions an idea conceived by Mussolini for the amilitary regeneration of Italya3

Perhaps it is one of the most inglorious chapters in their own history that Savarkar, leader of the Hindu Mahasabha, had gone to the extent of mobilising Hindus to join the British military - when the broad masses of the people in this part of the subcontinent had risen in unison over the historic Quit India movement. The Hindutva supremacists were thus engaged in strengthening British efforts to suppress the rising tide of peopleas movement. Savarkar, the pioneer theoretician of the project of Hindu Rashtra preferred to tour India then asking Hindu youth to join the military with a call to aMilitarise the Hindus, Hinduise the nationa.

The logic was simple. Whenever the Britishers would leave then this militarised Hindus would be able to take over the destiny of the nation.

Partition and the accompanying riots/pogroms provided these forces - much like their Islamist counterparts across the border- enough opportunity to flex their muscles and engage proactively in the mayhem that followed after that. The same modus operandi continued in post-independence times as well.

Commissions appointed by governments to look into riots in post-independence India have been consistent in underlying the alleged role of the local level cadres of the Hindutva Brigade. Scholars of communal conflicts who have observed /studied Hindu-Muslim riots in post-Independent India have also talked about emergence of ainstitutionalised riot systemsa in which the organizations of militant Hindu nationalism are deeply implicated.4 e.g. The demolition of Babri Mosque by hordes of Hindutva Supremacist forces - which completed twenty five years - was also a very organised affair - which was cloaked under aspontaneity of the massesa by interested quarters. e.g. The video magazine aNewstracka had then sent a team of reporters on the infamous day.

The recordings captured Hindu leaders, including .., exhorting the crowd that the masjid must be destroyed and a temple built. .. Rehearsals of demolition teams practising with ropes, pick-axes and boulders were recorded by Newstrack. The images included Bajrang Dal leader .. in khaki shorts adirectinga with a whistle...5

The idea of discipline and penchant for military type action is even visible in co-travellers on the Hindutva path. Remember what Justice Srikrishna commission - which was formed to look into Mumbai riots in Dec 1992 and Jan 2013 - had said about Bal Thackeray. It had unambiguously stated that Thackeray alike a veteran general commanded his loyal Shiv Sainiks to retaliate with organised attacks against Muslimsa . 6

Interestingly relative newcomers on this path - who want to turn India into Hindu Rashtra - seem more explicit. Organisations like Sanatan Sanstha and Hindu Janjagruti Samity (SS and HJS) - where destruction of evildoersa is an integral part of aspiritual practicea and where thisadestructiona is to be done at aphysical and psychological levela, seekers ( called aSadhaks) are also provided with training in arms a rifles, trishuls, lathis and other weaponsa to facilitate this aDharm Krantia (religious revolution) .7 A very important text in the training of the seekers/ Sadhaks is aTexts on Defencea where seekers of divine kingdom are also imparted training with air rifles ( Vol 3 H a Self Defence Training, Chapter 6, Page 108-109)8

In fact, Shadow Armies a recent book by veteran political journalist Dhirendra K Jha, 9 takes a close look at burgeoning of such fringe organizations such as the Sri Ram Sene, the Hindu Yuva Vahini, the Sanatan Sanstha and the Hindu Aikya Vedi apart from few affiliated organisations of the RSS itself which according to the author stir up trouble, polarize communities, incite violence in the name of Hindutva. It is common knowledge that there is a very symbiotic relationship between the BJP and these Shadow Armies. They have accompanied BJPs steady advance over the last three decades from two Lok Sabha seats in 1984 to 282 in 2014.

With the ascent of Hindutva Supremacism at the centre all these efforts have received a tremendous boost and they have further developed ways to put the faithfuls further on a militant/radical/violent path.

The advent of the vigilante mobs has been an outcome of this changed/charged ambience only.

1.

Lynch India or Normalisation of Vigilante Violence

A mob of 200 to 250 people in Panijuri village beat to death Nilotpal Das, 29, and Abhijit Nath, 30, who had arrived from Guwahati to see a nearby waterfall, on Friday night. Officers have blamed the killings on "fake news" circulating across social media for the past few days about child kidnappers from outside Assam being on the prowl across the state.10

As we go to the press, Assam and one of its districts Karbi Anglong is in the news for the killing of Nilotpal Basu and Abhijit Nath by a mob of 200 to 250 people in a village Panijuri, Karbi Anglong. Reports are also coming in which tell that retaliatory violence has also occurred where people from Karbi Anglong have come under attack elsewhere.

Any close watcher of the unfolding situation knows that such incidents are no exception these days. Some time back Tamil Nadu was in the news for killing of innocents by agitated mob over a fake whatsapp messages about child kidnappers. Vigilantism has become a new marker of the new India which is much talked about by the present rulers.

An idea about the spurt in vigilante violence could be had from these figures which show how cow related crimes - which form the most important constituent of such violence - that led to deaths have shot up. Remember 97 per cent of these attacks occurred after 2014 and 84 % of those killed in these attacks were Muslims.

|Year|Killed11|

|2010 |0|

|2011|0|

|2012|1|

|2013|1|

|2014 |3|

|2015|12|

|2016 |24|

|2017|37|

The characteristic features of this unfolding violence are evident to even laypersons.

The violence is such that victims can be easily turned into areal perpetratorsa and the perpetrators are projected as amartyrsa. Remember killing of five dalits in Dulina, Jhajjar supposedly for skinning a dead cow in the year 2003 when a thousand strong mob had thrashed the hapless group in front of police station and in the presence of senior officers of the administration and the police had alodgeda a case against the dead persons for aprovoking the people.a

Another important thing to remember is that there is nothing spontaneous about it. Despite outward packaging of a sudden outrage, all such actions are well organised affairs, where the perpetrators know it very well that their public display of violence or even its recording or sharing it with a larger audience via social media etc is not going to have any impact on them. If anyone has any doubts about the planning which goes into it one can have a look at the a judgement of Punjab Haryana high court regarding the self-proclaimed acow protectora vigilante groups which it delivered two years back or report of Director General of Police, Gujarat during Una movement wherein the officer had castigated network of such cow vigilante groups in no uncertain terms and called for action against them. 12

Laxity of the police and the administrative machinery has rather become a common feature of such violence. While the mob attacks the victims under whatever pretext it can think of, the police - the most visible of the stateas arm - normally turns a mute spectator or at times even prods the attackers. One can have a cursory glance at the spate of such killing incidents which were reported across India in the initial years of this regime to understand the dynamic and also comprehend the growing anormalisation of brutality

To name a few, lynching of two young men near Latehar after their brutal torture near Latehar, Jharkhand by cow vigilantes ; killing an adolescent near Udhampur who was sleeping in truck by throwing petrol bomb under the suspicion that the truck was carrying beef ; near riot like situation which emerged in Palwal, Haryana because of cow vigilantes attack on a truck carrying meat or the way two transporters were fed cow dung laced with urine when they were found transporting cattles for sale near Gurgaon. Scan the internet to watch the avaloura of these fanatics and you will find scores of such criminal attacks on innocents. ..and how there has been no action against them from the law and order people. 13

Normally religious minorities, dalits along with dissenting voices of various kinds happen to be the usual targets of such violence. It is a different matter that with the spiralling of such violence people from majority community are also coming under attack as witnessed in the latest killings in Karbi Anglong.

Media, which is called as awatchdog of democracya seems to have largely abandoned its critical role and barring exceptions it thus either maintains silence over such incidents of organised violence or remains content in presenting a majoritarian viewpoint or even at times provokes people to join the aoutragea.

Judiciary, which is reported to be custodian of the constitution, is also found to be wanting on this front.

Even if it is not possible immediately to comprehend the whole dynamic but it is worth noting how a vigilante mob slowly merges into the state and vice versa and how the much cherished rule of law is put on its head or how the state aoutsourcesa work of silencing dissident voices to such mobsters.

Analysing the reasons for vigilantism, scholar Christophe Jaffrelot dissects the vision and role of the RSS which has always intended to transform society from within, by instilling its own sense of discipline into it, which it thought was required for defending Hindus more effectively. For him as the Hindu Nationalists, do not want the state to prevail over society and want the society to regulate itself, as per the emphasis on social order and aharmonya or hierarchy, that is suggested in the Hindutva ideology, the fact that the vigilantes ado the joba is very convenient for them. 14

Vigilante violence - aided, abetted by leaders/organisations - or emerging on its own could be just considered tip of the iceberg where the larger question to address is how this preparation/arming of people is on or how today propagators/peddlers of this exclucivist ideology feel emboldened with change in regime at the centre.

2.

Time to Militarise Hindus ?

Would it be possible to imagine that leader of any organisation openly declaring that her/his people/activists have the ability to prepare an aarmya in three days , can be deployed on the front within three days, questions the ability of the security forces for quick operations, and does not face any legal hassles ?

A lesser mortal would have been definitely hauled up for such aaAnti-nationala act.

Well, nothing of that sort happened when the numero uno of RSS Mohan Bhagwat made similar claims in a speech in Muzaffarpur, Bihar which caused tremendous uproar in the country. 15 Forget any hassles what one witnessed was unbelievable. A minister of the government rushed to Bhagwatas defence. 16

The clarification of sorts provided by the Akhil Bharatiya Prachaar Pramukh of the RSS, Manmohan Vaidya, about this controversial statement added further insult to injury :

a..[B]hagwat ji had said that if a situation arises and the Constitution permits, Indian Army would take six months to prepare society, whereas swayamsevaks can be trained in three days as swayamsevaks practise discipline regularly. ..a 17

While debate continued around the aAnsulta heaped by the RSS Supremo on the army, one was bit surprised over the candidness with which Mohan Bhagwat spoke , frankly admitting what goes on within this abiggest cultural organisation in the worlda. In fact there are rare occasions when you get to hear such clear cut statements from people associated with it. e.g. Not very many people would remember today that when involvement of Hindutva fanatics in terror acts had made headlines, and RSS had found itself on the defensive, Mohan Bhagwat had made this significant statement talking to RSS members in Surat

..of the majority of the people whom the government has accused (in various blast cases), a few had left voluntarily and a few were told by the Sangh that this extremism will not work here so you go away...18

No doubt a combination of strict discipline, military type of training and action against the Athera pervades the broad universe of Hindutva organisations.

Could it be said that Bhagwatas claim was aa slip of tounguea or was an empty boast made to boost the morale of its cadres or he was serious about it.

While one can debate the timing of the statement, but nobody can say that he did not mean what he said or is ignorant of what he meant.

Reports galore where affiliated organisations of RSS - namely Bajrang Dal, Durga Vahini - are seen imparting training supposedly for self-defence which also involves rifle training 19

Gone are the days when only lathi wielding Swayamsevaks of the Sangh use to march on streets on VijayaDashami /Dusshera as part of their route marches called Path Sanchalan in their lexicon, reports keep appearing here and there how some of these volunteers or volunteers of other affiliated organisations join these programmes with swords, pistols and rifles as well these days 20and have no qualms even firing in air to communicate their message. 21

And of late, armed processions of Hindutva volunteers/supporters under the pretext of religious celebrations, have become quite common in large parts of north India - which have caused spurt in communal tensions at various places.

Such armed processions as part of religious celebrations remind one of the stock in trade trick of every type of fundamentalist where it tries to transplant religious symbols and rituals from the sphere of the sacred to the soil of the profane. This helps to create an illusion of religious legitimacy to what is is essentially a political use of the faith system in operation called religion. Burning crosses carried by the infamous Ku Klux Klan - a Christian terrorist organizations in the United States, which advocates extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, anti-immigration and anti-communism -, the use of the noble concept of Jihad by the Fassadi terrorist or the likes of Al Qaeda ; or the conscious use of the image of Ram via-a-vis the Ayodhya temple movement by the Hindutva brigade illustrates this exercise.

3.

From Trishul Deekshas to Armed Processions

All societies have traditions, a set of myths, symbols and practices passed down from generation to generation, which provide a certain degree of comfort that comes from familiarity. Societies undergoing rapid change, however, do not have the luxury of enjoying the psychological comfort that real traditions can provide because the social patterns for which the tradition made sense no longer exist. These societies end up inventing atraditionsa, quite like museum shops amanufacturea antiques.a 22

If Trishul Deekshas - the distribution of sharp edged tridents to people - under the guise of religious ceremonies - was popularised in the early years of the millenium, when the Vajpayi led NDA government was at the centre, today these efforts have moved a step ahead and we have been witness to armed processions to celebrate religious festivals.

For example, the manner in which the Hindu festivals of Ram Navmi and Hanuman Jayanti are being increasingly used by affiliates of the RSS to foment communal tension is for everyone to see.

This year it lead to conflagrations in Bhagalpur and Aurangabad, accompanied by tension in several other districts. Tension was also witnessed in many parts of UP, Rajasthan and Maharashtra although no large scale violence occurred. While in Bhagalpur - which was witness to one of the worst communal riots in 1989 - a procession led by son of a Union Minister, where provocative slogans were reportedly raised, culminated in rioting, in Aurangabad also a Ramnavmi rally which was taken out through a Muslim majority area culminated in rioting and curfew had to be imposed. Districts like Gaya, Siwan and Kiamur also reported communal tension as a result of provocative processions on Ram Navmi.

As reported elsewhere lot of planning had gone in to make these religious sounding processions more effective.

Distribution of swords, CDs and pen drives - containing Islamophobic songs - were already completed so that they could be played on loud speakers during the Rama Navami processions

Sample one of these provocative songs which was already distributed and was to be played on loud speakers during the procession.

aPakistan mein bhejo ya qatleaam kar dalo, aasteen ke saanpon ko na dugdh pilakar paloa

Jis din jaag utha hindutva to yeh anjam bolega, topi wala bhi sar jhuka kar Jai Shri Ram Bolegaa

aDur hato Allah walon, kyun janmabhoomi ko ghera hai, masjid kahin aur banao tum, yeh Ram Lalla ka dera haia

aSun lo mullon Pakistani, ghusse men hain Baba Barfania 23

What was worth underlining that all these songs were uploaded on YouTube more than a year ago and had already fetched millions of views.

The author further adds that highly-placed officials in the state had told him that around 2 lakh sharp-edged weapons were consigned to the affected districts from outside the state. Sword sellers in Sonepur fair had run out of stock just two days after the fair was inaugurated, which could mean that preparations for the violence have been going on for a long time. If sources are to be believed, these were imported from outside and distributed across the districts for free. One businessman from Patna had alone placed an order for 50,000 swords from a supplier in Meerut, in Uttar Pradesh. 24

Few commonalities in all such processions could be easily deciphered :

Armed Processions under the name of local Puja or celebration committee

Insistence on taking rowdy processions

Shouting anti-Muslim slogans

trying to enter Muslim majority areas without permission

clashing with police

Much like Bihar, West Bengal also witnessed flare up of communal tension in different districts in the aftermath of these religious processions. Armed processions which were carried out in different parts of the state on the occasion resulted in communal tension in Purulia district, Raniganj, Burdwan district leading to few deaths. 24-Parganas district and Murshidbad district also witnessed communal tension where rioters carrying saffron flags and arms not only vandalised property on a large scale but also tore down freedom fighter and former education minister Maulana Abdul Kalamas statue.

If Trishul Deeksha was used as a religious symbol in the early part of 21 st century, with growing strength at the political and social level, this symbol has been replaced with armed religious processions by the same Hindutva right. Of course, nobody can miss the difference in the two. It is worth emphasising that the civil society groups in Rajasthan did not limit themselves in aexplaininga the heightened communal mobilisation because of Trishul distribution but with organisations liked PUCL leading from the front even pressurised the then Gehlot government - thru petitions and public protests - not only to bring the VHP Trishul under the purview of the Arms Act but also prosecute VHP leaders like Togadia who had been making communal hate speeches in the Trishul distribution ceremonies and otherwise.

While Trishul Deekshas in different parts of the country had prompted a strong secular response - which ultimately led to inclusion of trident distribution under arms act - and the arrest of Praveen Togadia, the then leading light of the Hindutva brigade, we are yet to see any comparable response to this orchestred and planned attempts at communal polarisation via religious processions.

It is now history how slowly this campaign to distribute Trishul also lost steam n with exit of BJP from the centre not much was heard about it. Is not it time today to rally our voices so that the ongoing turmoil vis-a-vis armed religious procession could be controlled/reined in and all such forces of equality. progress and justice are strengthened.

Notes/ References

1. https://francoisgautier.me/2013/02/10/are-hindus-cowards/

2 Apart from Dr Hedgewar, and Dr B S Munje, Dr L V Paranjpe, Dr B B Thalkar and Baburao Savarkar - V.D. Savarkaras brother were present at the inaugural meeting of RSS on Vijaya Dashmi - Ref : Page 16, Khaki Shorts and Saffron Flags, Tapan Basu, Pradip Datta, Sumit Sarkar, Tanika Sarkar, Sambuddha Sen,

3. It is aimed

a..to bring about military regeneration of the Hindus and to fit Hindu youths for undertaking the entire responsibility for the defence of their motherland. ... to educate them in the aSanatan Dharmaa, and to train them ain the science and art of personal and national defencea (aCentral Hindu Military Education Society,a NMML, Munje Papers, subject files, n 24, 1932-36)

In one of the first exhaustive writeup aa Hindutvaas foreign tie-up in the 1930s: Archival evidencea in Economic & Political Weekly, January 22, 2000 Marzia Casolari ( http://www.epw.in/journal/2000/04/special-articles/hindutvas-foreign-tie-1930s.html) had provided details of Dr Munjeas tour of Italy, his meeting with Mussolini and his impressions of The Balilla institutions an idea conceived by Mussolini for the amilitary regeneration of Italya and his resolve to to develop similar institution with aaour institution Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha

India and particularly Hindu India need some such institution for the military regeneration of the Hindus: so that the artificial distinction so much emphasised by the British of martial and non-martial classes amongst the Hindus may disappear. Our institution of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh of Nagpur under Dr Hedgewar is of this kind, though quite independently conceived. I will spend the rest of my life in developing and extending this Institution of Dr Hedgewar all throughout the Maharashtra and other province

( From Munje Diary, http://www.frontline.in/cover-story/moonje-mussolini/article6756630.ece)

This military school had come under scanner when investigations started to unearth the sprawling network of Hinduva terror when it was discovered that premises of this school were used for holding military style training camps for band of fanatics. Reports had appeared in a section of the press that a[t]here are leads of some Hindu leaders from Bangladesh having attended the training camps held at the Bhonsala Military School, a(outlook 23 Nov 2008).

4. http://www.paulbrass.com the_ production_ of_ hindu_ muslim_ violence _in _ contemporary _india_16681.htm

5. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/saw-this-liberhan/story-ALJ1Ynv7TIZIrBYZs3VdEO.html

6. https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19980817-srikrishna-panel-report-indicts-shiv-sena-chief-bal-thackeray-for-role-in-1993-mumbai-riots-826921-1998-08-17

7. http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/history-background-of-sanatan-sansthas-war-on-evildoers/

8. For further details see : https://kafila.online/2008/07/03/spiritual-as-communal/

9. Juggernaut Books, 2017

10. https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/in-assam-2-men-out-to-capture-night-sounds-lynched-on-suspicion-of-being-236590

11. (https://thewire.in/communalism/cow-vigilantism-violence-2017-muslims-hate-crime; http://data.indiaspend.com/hate-crime)

12. https://countercurrents.org/2017/06/05/who-loves-mob-violence-unfolding-hindu-rashtra-in-slow-motion/

13. https://countercurrents.org/2016/08/25/dalit-uprising-and-after-why-hindutva-would-not-be-the-same-again/

14. http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/over-to-the-vigilante-gau-rakshak-cultural-policing-beef-ban-4653305/

15. What Anand Sharma, spokesperson of the Congress said was more scathing. Demanding Bhagwatas apology and a response from PM on this remarks, it said how the statement itself and the clarification provided smacked of a dangerous mindset.

aWhat the RSS chief has said is deeply disturbing and unacceptable. It amounts to insulting the Indian Army. Mohan Bhagwatas statement about mobilising RSS supporters like an Army also means he talking about RSS running a private militia. We have already seen the dangerous consequences of such private militia in Afghanistan, in the form of IS in Syria and in many African countries such as Angola. We will not allow such a design in India,a

//economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/62882144.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

In India, all this takes place within a discourse of Hindu-Muslim hostility that denies the deliberate and purposive character of the violence by attributing it to the spontaneous reactions of ordinary Hindus and Muslims, locked in a web of mutual antagonisms said to have a long history. In the meantime, in post-Independence India, what are labelled Hindu-Muslim riots have more often than not been turned into pogroms and massacres of Muslims, in which few Hindus are killed. In fact, in sites of endemic rioting, there exist what I have called ainstitutionalized riot systems,a in which the organizations of militant Hindu nationalism are deeply implicated. ..

(http://www.paulbrass.com/the_production_of_hindu_muslim_violence_in_contemporary_india_16681.htm)

16.http://indianexpress.com/article/india/kiren-rijiju-defends-mohan-bhagwat-trinamool-congress-calls-him-minister-of-sangh-5061058/

17. (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/rss-clarifies-on-mohan-bhagwats-statement-over-army/articleshow/62882144.cms)

18. (aNo place for radicals in RSS, says Bhagwata, The Indian Express, Delhi, 11-01-2011, p. 3 quoted in https://www.countercurrents.org/shamsul200113.pdf)

19. https://www.newsgram.com/durga-vahini-a-self-defense-program-for-hindu-women-in-india ; https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/j-k-girls-turn-up-in-huge-numbers-at-durga-vahini-training-camp-for-self-defence-exercise-325387.html

20. (http://www.dailypioneer.com/STATE-EDITIONS/bhopal/uproar-over-arms-display-assembly-adjourned.html; https://sikhsiyasat.net/2014/10/07/brandishing-revolvers-and-other-weapons-rss-activists-march-in-jaitu-town-of-faridkot/)

21. (http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/arms-on-show-at-rss-rally/266804/)

(https://newsclick.in/dissecting-communal-riots-bihar-two-lakh-swords-and-plenty-hateful-songs)

22. Meera Nanda, The God Market, How Globalisation is Making India More Hindu

23. https://newsclick.in/dissecting-communal-riots-bihar-two-lakh-swords-and-plenty-hateful-songs

24. https://newsclick.in/dissecting-communal-riots-bihar-two-lakh-swords-and-plenty-hateful-songsEAST CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Investigators are searching for a man they identified as one of four people suspected of stripping metal from a home shortly before it exploded Sunday in East Cleveland, police said.

Investigators believe the scrapping operation caused the home on East 125th Street near Forest Avenue to fill with natural gas before it exploded, killing one of the suspected scrappers and critically injuring another, police said Tuesday at a news conference.

"It seems like the source of [the explosion] was from the interior of the house," East Cleveland police Chief Michael Cardilli said at the news conference.

The State Fire Marshal and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are still trying to determine the official cause of the explosion. Dominion Energy Ohio said in a statement that crews inspected gas lines on the street and determined they were not damaged.

Tracey C. Brooks, 27, was killed and Craig M. Kelly, 51, was critically hurt in the explosion, authorities said. The explosion shook neighbors' homes, leaving at least four uninhabitable and damaging roughly 100 more, officials said.

A third suspect in the scrapping operation was taken into custody Monday and remains jailed at the East Cleveland Police Department. The man, who authorities identified as the driver of a van used to transport the metal, has not been charged with a crime, police said.

Investigators on Tuesday announced they are searching for a fourth man suspected in the scrapping. Christopher Glenn, 50 -- who also has not been charged with a crime -- has not been seen since the explosion and may be hurt, police said.

The East Cleveland Police Department released Glenn's photo and asked anyone who sees him to call its detective bureau at 216-681-2162.

Authorities have not found the van used in the scrapping operation, police said. The only description of it is a white, paneled van, East Cleveland Sgt. Scott Gardner said.

It's likely the group was involved in other scrapping incidents in the area, but investigators have not yet connected them to any other incidents, Gardner said.

Kelly was convicted in 2010 of breaking into a vacant Cleveland building to steal copper, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to breaking into the building and was sentenced to six months in jail.

The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office is reviewing the East Cleveland case to determine if anyone will face criminal charges related to the explosion, police said.

The home was recently sold to a new owner who planned to perform $10,000 in renovations before using it as a rental property.

Cardilli said Tuesday that a person-of-interest taken into custody after the explosion has been ruled out as a suspect. She could still face charges from unrelated scrapping incidents, he said.

To comment on this story, visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments page.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cleveland man threatened to send nude photos to the wife and business partners of a Minnesota businessman that he met for a sexual encounter at a downtown Cleveland hotel, according to police.

David Cox, 31, is charged with extortion, a third-degree felony. He is not in police custody and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

The exchanges between Cox and the man began in the early morning hours of May 30. The Minnesota man told police that he was in town for business and was staying at the Marriott hotel in the Key Bank Tower.

He messaged back and forth with Cox through the popular gay dating app Adam4Adam, according to police reports. He eventually gave Cox his phone number and his hotel room number.

Cox, however, didn't show up for three hours and the man told Cox he no longer wanted to meet up with him, according to police.

Cox showed up anyway. The man told police Cox "was nothing like the pics he showed me on the site" and that Cox refused to leave, according to police reports. Cox went into the bathroom came out naked, police reports say.

The two men "engaged in a consensual sex act," according to court records. At some point, the Minnesota man said he became unnerved and wanted the interaction to stop, according to police reports.

"I was scared," the man told police. "I acted like I was [okay] with everything and finally said stop, no more."

The man gave Cox $40 because Cox said he had bought drugs. The Minnesota man said he didn't want any and told Cox to leave.

Cox left but later called the man and demanded $50. The man refused, but Cox returned to the hotel room about 5 a.m. May 31 and demanded $20 for parking, according to police.

Later that day, Cox called and emailed the man demanding more money. The man told police he paid Cox $270.

Cox kept sending the man emails demanding more money. He emailed the man on June 5 and said he would post the photos of the man on the man's wife's Facebook page and email his clients at 9 a.m. that day unless the man paid him $1,500.

Cox, using the same email address, sent a request for the cash through the online money exchange site Paypal requesting the $1,500 from the man, according to police reports.

Cox was convicted in 2010 of aggravated theft after he stole $800 from an elderly woman in North Royalton. He was initially sentenced to two years on probation. He violated the terms of his probation and was sentenced to one year in prison.

To comment on this story, please visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments page.EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A 50-year-old man sought in connection with a deadly East Cleveland house explosion was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Cleveland, police said.

Cleveland police officers arrested Christopher Glenn after they caught him trying to sell a water heater on the streets, East Cleveland Detective Commander Scott Gardner said. East Cleveland detectives took custody of Glenn, who is now in the East Cleveland jail, Gardner said.

Detectives do not believe the water heater was taken from the home that exploded Sunday on East 125th Street near Forest Grove Avenue, Gardner said.

Investigators said Tuesday that they believe a scrapping operation caused natural gas to fill the home before it exploded.

The explosion killed Tracey C. Brooks, 27, and critically injured Craig M. Kelly, 51, authorities said. It shook neighbors' homes, leaving at least four uninhabitable and damaging roughly 100 more, officials said. Neighbors described it as sounding "like somebody dropped a bomb."

Another suspected in the scrapping, a 50-year-old man, is also in custody at the East Cleveland jail, police said.

Glenn was arrested hours after police released his photo and asked the public to help locate him.

The East Cleveland Police Department on Tuesday identified Kelly, Brooks, Glenn and the 50-year-old man as suspects accused of stealing metal from the home that exploded. No criminal charges have been filed in connection with the incident.

The home was recently sold to a new owner who planned to perform $10,000 in renovations before using it as a rental property.

Kelly, Glenn and the 50-year-old man have criminal histories that include convictions for break-ins, according to court records.

To comment on this story, visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments page.Christopher Glenn

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio - A Cleveland man suspected of stripping metal from an East Cleveland home that exploded Sunday previously stole a furnace and water heater from a house on the same street, according to court records.

The house the 50-year-old man looted in 2014 is located just four blocks from the home that exploded Sunday on East 125th Street near Forest Grove Avenue, according to police reports and court records. Investigators said Tuesday that they believe a scrapping operation caused natural gas to fill the home before it exploded.

The explosion killed Tracey C. Brooks, 27, and critically injured Craig M. Kelly, 51, authorities said. It shook neighbors' homes, leaving at least four uninhabitable and damaging roughly 100 more, officials said. Neighbors described it as sounding "like somebody dropped a bomb."

The East Cleveland Police Department on Tuesday identified Kelly, Brooks, the 50-year-old man and Christopher Glenn, 50, as suspects in the scrapping operation.

No one has been charged in connection with the scrapping or the explosion, police said, but the 50-year-old man is in custody at the East Cleveland jail.

Investigators are still searching for Glenn, who has not been seen since the explosion and may be hurt, police said. East Cleveland police released Glenn's photo and asked anyone who sees him to call the department's detective bureau at 216-681-2162.

Kelly, Glenn and the 50-year-old man have criminal histories that include convictions for break-ins, according to court records.

The 50-year-old man was arrested Nov. 5, 2014, when Cleveland police officers found a water heater and a furnace in his van. They determined he stole the items from a home on East 125th Street near Osceola Avenue, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court records say.

Craig Kelly

The man pleaded guilty to breaking-and-entering and was sentenced to two years of probation, court records say. He later violated his probation and was sentenced to eight months in the Lorain Correction Institution.

The man was also sentenced to eight months in prison for a 2002 conviction for aggravated assault, court records say. Details of that case were not immediately available.

Glenn's criminal history stretches back to at least 1987 and includes convictions for robbery, burglary, theft and receiving stolen property, according to court records.

Glenn was arrested Sept. 11, 2014 for stealing building supplies from a home on Lakeview Avenue near Castlewood Avenue, according to a police report. The home is located a half-mile from the home that exploded Sunday.

He was sentenced to two years of probation for the break-in, court records say.

Glenn was later arrested Aug. 8, 2016 for breaking a man's hand while stealing a bicycle in University Circle, according to a police report. He pleaded guilty to robbery and was sentenced to two years of probation.

Kelly was convicted in 2010 of breaking into a vacant Cleveland building to steal copper, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to breaking into the building and was sentenced to six months in jail.

Brooks' criminal history includes three misdemeanor convictions for solicitation, according to Cleveland Municipal Court records.

The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office is reviewing the East Cleveland case to determine if anyone will face criminal charges related to the explosion, police said.

The home was recently sold to a new owner who planned to perform $10,000 in renovations before using it as a rental property.

To comment on this story, visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments page.EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office has identified a woman killed Sunday in an East Cleveland house explosion that also critically injured a man.

Tracey C. Brooks, 27, died when a house exploded on East 125th Street near Forest Grove Avenue, the medical examiner's office said.

Authorities have not determined the cause of the house explosion. The Ohio Fire Marshal and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting in the investigation.

Brooks and Craig Kelly, 51, were in the house when it exploded, authorities said. Kelly remains in MetroHealth's burn unit in critical condition, a hospital spokesman said Tuesday.

Investigators have not determined why they were in the house, which was recently sold to a new owner who planned to perform $10,000 in renovations before using it as a rental property.

Kelly was convicted in 2010 of breaking into a vacant Cleveland building to steal copper, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to breaking into the building and was sentenced to six months in jail.

The explosion leveled one house and shook neighbors' homes, leaving at least four uninhabitable and damaging dozens more, police said. Neighbors described it as sounding "like somebody dropped a bomb."

Dominion Energy Ohio said in a statement Monday that crews inspected gas lines on the street and determined they were undamaged. Crews are still inspecting gas lines in the home itself, the statement said.

Investigators took a person of interest into custody at the East Cleveland Police Department, but she has not been charged with a crime, police said.

East Cleveland police Chief Michael Cardilli on Monday declined to say if she is a suspect in the explosion. He also would not say why she was identified as a person of interest.

To comment on this story, visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments page.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For every dollar that a student puts into an education at one of Ohio's 14 public colleges, they could earn $4.60 more in future earnings, according to a new report.

The research, released Tuesday, calculates the rate of return on investment for taxpayers in the state as well as students. Emsi, a labor market analytics firm, created the report with support from the Inter-University Council of Ohio, an association of public colleges.

Read the full study in the document viewer at the bottom of this post.

The group announced the launch of Forward Ohio in May, which aims to increase investment in the state's public colleges and reaffirm the value of higher education.

There were two parts to the new report -- an economic impact study and an investment analysis. The economic impact study looks at the job creation and spending that public colleges in the state generate. The investment analysis takes the amount of money spent on public education and estimates how much taxpayers and students get back.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

What do students get back?

In calculating return on investment for students, the report used the $3.7 billion spent by students in fiscal 2016 to 2017 for tuition, fees, supplies, and interest on student loans, but also the money that they sacrifice by not working during college. That totaled about $2.5 billion.

Emsi calculates the rate of return at about 13.1 percent for investing in a college education. For comparison, stock market returns average around 10 percent, according to Nerd Wallet.

The increased future earnings from higher education are based on predicted earnings of $55,700. This is based on the average earnings of a worker in Ohio at the midpoint of their career who has earned a bachelor's degree, according to the report.

It's a $16,200 difference from getting an associate's degree, and a $21,600 difference from a high school diploma.

These numbers come from Emsi, which includes workers not included by state data such as the self-employed, and which also uses benefits and employer contributions. These are generally higher than what you see in state data.

What do taxpayers get back?

Taxpayers invest around $2.1 billion to support public universities. Researchers factored in the amount of money saved through students making enough money to not need public services as well as the higher salaries of graduates and the estimated benefits to the state's businesses.

After that, the total benefit to taxpayers was about $8.4 billion. That puts the return on investment at about 8.6 percent.

These numbers seem to be dependent on students staying in-state after graduation.

How much money is spent in Ohio by public universities?

The report shares some numbers about how much spending is related to public universities in Ohio. These numbers include:

$1.4 billion in operations spending

$248.7 million in construction spending

$3.7 billion in research spending

$76.2 million in student spending

$29.8 billion in visitor spending

Numbers were calculated using data from fiscal 2016 to 2017. When you look at the spending numbers, keep in mind these are reported in added income, not sales. This means that it cuts out costs associated with producing goods and services.

What impact do public universities have on the state economy?

The report claims Ohio public universities are responsible for $42 billion added to the state economy, which would be about 6.7 percent of the state's gross state product.

It also states that the universities or students supported one out of 12 jobs in Ohio.

Where these numbers come from is a little tricky. That $42 billion factors in all the spending by universities, students or visitors.

It also adds in clinical spending, which includes operations and spending by clinics and medical centers related to public universities, as well as start-up and spin-off company spending, which includes operations and spending by businesses created by the universities.

The $42 billion also includes alumni impact, which estimates the amount money spent on employing students that graduated from the state's public universities. This analysis is complicated, relying on estimating the amount of students historically still employed in the state, their increased wages from attending college and what it could have cost to get the same jobs filled by students from outside the state.

So why does this matter?

As universities scramble to address student affordability concerns and to make sure students still want to attend college, Forward Ohio is trying to create a united front for higher education.

"Investing further in our public universities is the only way we will meet workforce needs of the future," Cleveland State University President Harlan Sands said in an emailed statement through a university spokesman. "For Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, investing in Cleveland State means more qualified and well-prepared graduates stay in Ohio and attract economic development and capital investment."

In a phone interview Monday, University of Akron interim president John Green said the study answers questions about whether or not spending money on public universities is worth it, especially as the schools battle for funding from the state.

"We have the opportunity to speak to lawmakers in an information age," he said, going on to say higher education is even more valuable as manufacturing jobs require more training and education than in the past.

The Inter-University Council and Forward Ohio represent Ohio's 14 public colleges: Northeast Ohio Medical University, University of Akron, Kent State University, Central State University, Shawnee State University, Bowling Green State University, Ohio State University, Ohio University, Wright State University, Cleveland State University, Youngstown State University, Miami University, the University of Toledo and the University of Cincinnati.WASHINGTON, D. C. - North Korea exports slave labor, threatens other nations with nuclear weapons, launches global cyber attacks, and detains foreigners in harsh conditions. The regime of its leader, Kim Jong Un, has one of the world's worst human rights records.

But after meeting with Kim in Singapore on Monday, President Donald Trump pledged that he'd suspend U.S. military exercises with South Korea and said he believes Kim will start dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

"My meeting with Chairman Kim was honest, direct, and productive," Trump told reporters. "We got to know each other well in a very confined period of time, under very strong, strong circumstances. We're prepared to start a new history and we're ready to write a new chapter between our nations."

Ohio lawmakers on Tuesday expressed hope that Trump's meeting with Kim would help ease nuclear tensions, but warned that Trump shouldn't ease pressure on North Korea until he sees results and noted that North Korea has a long track record of stalling.

"We all want these negotiations to succeed, and I'm glad the President had a positive meeting with Kim Jong Un," said a statement from U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat. "But we've heard empty promises from the North Koreans before, so we must continue to hold them accountable with tough sanctions until we see proof the North Koreans are taking real steps to dismantle their nuclear weapons program."

Several, including Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, used the opportunity to reprise their dismay with North Korea's treatment of Cincinnati college student Otto Warmbier - who died in 2017 after its government imprisoned him for more than a year.

Portman released a statement that said he supports a direct dialogue between the United States and North Korea and hopes current negotiations achieve those goals, but warned that North Korea previously "used talks to stall while continuing its nuclear and missile programs, and empty promises cannot buy any more time.

"For nearly 18 months I worked to help secure the release of Otto Warmbier," Portman's statement continued. "Nearly one year ago, I joined Fred and Cindy Warmbier in Cincinnati as they welcomed Otto home from North Korea, and it's a constant reminder to me about the evil nature of this regime. Following this historic summit I remain skeptical but hopeful that this new dialogue can translate into meaningful progress. I strongly believe that the president's maximum pressure campaign must remain in place until North Korea truly changes course and ends its dangerous nuclear weapons program."

Here's what other Ohio politicians had to say about the historic meeting:

Ohio Gov. John Kasich:

"Americans welcome the fact that President Trump has begun discussions with Kim Jong Un of North Korea. But we must remain vigilant. The Singapore arrangements are long on form and short on substance and leave much to be done. North Korea has a history of misleading the West and backing away from agreements. Many previous attempts have failed. Promises from North Korea don't matter; we should not back off our economic and political pressure until there is a verifiable agreement and implementation has begun. None of this came out of the talks in Singapore, yet President Trump's sudden decision to end US - ROK joint exercises blindsided our principal ally in the region and some of our own military commanders. We must take great care in the coming talks with North Korea and remain clear-eyed about our chances of reaching a solid, substantive agreement that Pyongyang will actually honor. We should also not forget Otto Warmbier, a victim of North Korean cruelty, and insist that human rights be a central part of any future discussions or negotiations."

Wadsworth GOP Rep. Jim Renacci:

"Coming from the business world, where we have to take bold steps to see results, I applaud our President for spearheading the United States' participation in the #SingaporeSummit. However, this is just the beginning of negotiations, and we must never waiver (sic) on our demand for the 100%, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea. Peace in the Korean Peninsula can only be achieved once this happens, and I am hopeful this summit marks the beginning of a path toward that reality."

I am cautiously optimistic that this summit was a step towards making the world safer. However, I continue to remain skeptical about Kim Jong Uns commitment to denuclearization. The U.S. and our allies must work together to verify any action taken by North Korea.  US Rep. Mike Turner (@RepMikeTurner) June 12, 2018

Niles Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan:

"Diplomacy should be the cornerstone of any foreign policy. Backed by a strong military, diplomacy is essential to our efforts to build a safer, more prosperous world. That diplomacy, however, must be carried out wisely and in cooperation with our allies. I share the Administration's goals of complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the North Korean regime. Regrettably, it seems that we have nothing today to show for our efforts other than a toothless statement and the same promises that the North Korean regime has already given and broken many times over to previous presidents. On the other side, the North Koreans were given legitimacy on the world stage, and a compulsive assurance from President Trump that the U.S. would suspend joint military exercises with South Korea. This concession from Trump to North Korea is deeply concerning. The President would do well to remember who our friends really are. I feel no discomfort expressing my unease at the flowery language the President used again and again with Kim Jong-Un, who is perhaps the world's worst human rights abuser, just days after disrespecting some of our closest allies."

Congratulations to @POTUS on the historic summit with North Korea! This is an important step towards greater peace and prosperity for the whole world.  Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) June 12, 2018

Marietta GOP Rep. Bill Johnson:

"I applaud President Trump and those on his team working tirelessly to address the real and growing North Korean nuclear threat. The strategy used by previous administrations, both Republican and Democratic, clearly did not work, and it was time for a new approach. I'm hopeful that real progress was made in Singapore - the past does not have to dictate the future. And, I am heartened to see that President Trump will be keeping the strict sanctions in place on North Korea until the actions of Kim Jong-Un match his words."TOLEDO, Ohio -- A 16-year-old male was found dead in a driveway Monday morning after a shooting in the north side of the city, reports say.

According to WTOL Channel 11, the victim has been identified as Kenneth Veley.

WTVG Channel 13 reports that residents of the neighborhood where the shooting occurred say they heard several shots late Sunday night. Police responded but did not find a victim.

A woman found the victim in the driveway of her home at about 9 a.m. Monday.

"We are determining now if this occurred between the houses of where the victim was shot or did he run here from somewhere else," Lt. Kevan Toney tells WTVG.

WTOL reports bullet holes could be seen in the side of a car at the scene.

The shooting remains under investigation. WTOL reports this is the 21st homicide in Toledo this year.

To comment on this story, visit Monday's crime and courts comments page.CLEVELAND, Ohio - Remember Jon Heavey? He's the Rocky River doctor who threw more than $1 million into a campaign to run for governor only to be booted from the Democratic ballot over disqualified signatures.

Well, he's still trying to run for governor.

Heavey said he filed signature petitions before the May 8 primary with the secretary of state's office to run as an independent candidate in November.

"At this point, it's a matter of principle as much as anything," Heavey said. "I'm trying to prove that putting democracy first and putting citizens first is still a part of how our politics work."

However, in a bit of deja vu, Heavey's quest to get on the ballot may again be over before it's started.

Pat McDonald, director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, said like last time, there are numerous irregularities with the signatures Heavey submitted.

"We're noticing many signatures are not genuine, which means that the signature is not the same signature we have on file," McDonald said. "Also, we are seeing a large amount of not-registered voters, which means that they are just made-up names. There is no name on record of the voter in our database."

So, basically, a repeat of the primary.

The first time Heavey filed to run, he used paid collectors to gather signatures. He gathered them in about a week.

County boards of elections found errors with the signatures and Heavey was kicked off the ballot. He sued, but lost his case before the Ohio Supreme Court.

This time, Heavey again used paid collectors to gather the signatures for his nonpartisan run. He gave them a longer time to gather them -- about a month.

McDonald said the validation rate for Heavey's signatures was around 26 percent. Around 14,000 of Heavey's 16,000 signatures were from Cuyahoga County. At that validation rate, he would only have about 3,640 signatures of the 5,000 required to get on the ballot, making it unlikely he will reach that threshold with only 2,000 signatures remaining.

Heavey is scheduled to have a meeting with McDonald on Wednesday to look over the signatures as they are being reviewed. McDonald said he will present his findings at a full board meeting on Thursday before sending the results to the secretary of state's office.

Heavey said he anticipated the board will reject the majority of his signatures, once again leaving him off the ballot. He anticipated having to file another lawsuit.Rotunda Rumblings



Husted rolls: A divided U.S. Supreme Court, in a highly anticipated decision, sided with Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, upholding his method for purging Ohio voters from the rolls, cleveland.com's Sabrina Eaton reports. The 5-4 decision said Ohio's removal process, which is triggered when a voter fails to cast a ballot for two years, does not violate the National Voter Registration Act. While Husted called the decision "a victory for election integrity," Chris Carson, president of the League of Women Voters of the United States, predicted the ruling would "fuel the fire of voter suppressors across the country."



Purging the purge process: Kathleen Clyde says she'd get rid of the process of purging voters flagged after not voting for two years. Clyde, a Democratic state representative from Kent, told cleveland.com's Jackie Borchardt that many states maintain clean voter rolls without doing what Ohio does. Her Republican opponent Sen. Frank LaRose released a statement supporting the court's decision.



Canceled: The state canceled a planned $1.1 billion Medicaid cut to Ohio hospitals, which was supposed to go into effect July 1. Greg Moody of the Ohio Office of Health Transformation tells cleveland.com's Laura Hancock that an uptick in the economy and reshuffling of Medicaid funds made the cancellation possible. The Ohio Hospital Association said it met with state officials, showed them financial information and how vital Medicaid is to their bottom line.



Badgering over badges? Black female lawmakers say they're being stopped and questioned by Cap Square security more frequently than their male colleagues, Hancock reports. Ohio Legislative Black Caucus President Rep. Stephanie Howse is calling for bias training.



Big bill: "The law firm helping FirstEnergy's power plant subsidiary avoid the crush of accumulated debt through bankruptcy protection has billed the company nearly $4 million -- for one month's work," reports John Funk of The Plain Dealer. A big chunk of the money billed by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Field is connected to lobbying, Funk reports.



De-Meh-crats: New polling in the special-election race for Ohio's 12th Congressional District shows Democratic enthusiasm so far isn't where it needs to be for Danny O'Connor to upset Republican Troy Balderson on Aug. 7. As cleveland.com's Jeremy Pelzer writes, the Monmouth University survey found Balderson with a 10-point lead among potential voters. The poll also did not find high levels of interest in the race among Democrats, as seen in other recent special elections where Democratic candidates won or stayed competitive in GOP-leaning districts.



Help from the Veep: Vice President Mike Pence will come to Ohio to host a fundraiser Friday for Balderson, Politico reports. "National Republicans are starting to engage in the contest in Ohio, fearful of another special election loss in a red seat," Alex Isenstadt and Elena Schneider write.



Balderson to donate ECOT contributions: Balderson's campaign announced Monday he will give to three non-profits $10,000 in contributions from Bill Lager, founder of the now-shuttered Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow charter school. Balderson has come under fire from Democrats for the contributions, made by Lager to Balderson's previous legislative campaigns.



Pot preview: What will Ohio's highly-regulated legal marijuana farms look like? Borchardt went to Illinois to find out. See photos and video from one of PharmaCann's cultivation facilities in Illinois. The company plans to build a similar facility in Buckeye Lake, just east of Columbus.



Conflict? The Associated Press reports that if Democrat Steve Dettelbach is elected as Ohio attorney general in November, he could be faced with a decision on whether to recuse himself from the state's lawsuit against opioid manufacturers. An AP review revealed that Dettelbach "has professional ties to a lawyer for one of five pharmaceutical companies sued by the state."



No hurry: There's no rush to go to court on the pending Ohio gerrymandering lawsuit, with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling from other states expected this month, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine office said in a brief Monday. The ACLU, meanwhile, wants to get moving on the case, which was filed May 23, asking that things get started on Friday, with a goal for a trial in February 2019.



Courtroom competitors, conference colleagues: One of the main sponsors of Ohio's ninth annual opiate conference is Dublin-based Cardinal Health, which is being accused in a lawsuit by DeWine's office of allowing more opioids into the state than was medically necessary. DeWine's office is also a sponsor of the conference, which is taking place Monday and Tuesday in Columbus.



Warren approved: Theresa Gasper, U.S. Rep. Mike Turner's Democratic opponent in Ohio's 10th Congressional District, has been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.



Full Disclosure



Five things we learned from Sen. John Eklund's May 15 financial disclosure statement. Eklund is a Republican from Munson Township, in Geauga County.



1. He reported earning $100,000 or more as an attorney for Calfee, Halter and Griswold last year. He earned $65,560 as a lawmaker in 2017, according to the Ohio Treasurer's office.



2. Eklund has a pension with the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. He has a pension and an equity account with his law firm.



3. At some point in 2017, he owed at least $1,000 each to American Express, EnerBank, Kohl's, Bank of America, Discover, Visa, Chase, Loft, Home Depot and KeyBank.



4. He reported receiving a $6,489.60 mileage reimbursement from the Senate and $344.50 from the Republican Senate Campaign Committee.



5. The Republican Senate Campaign Committee also paid for at least $100 worth of Eklund's food and beverages in 2017, he reported.



On the Move



Sarah Clamp is joining U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci's campaign for U.S. Senate as deputy campaign manager. Prior to joining Renacci for Senate, Clamp managed the Jenkins for Senate campaign in West Virginia, among other campaigns.



Leslie Shedd was named the Renacci campaign's senior communications adviser. She has previously worked as vice president of communications for the National Restaurant Association, as well as deputy campaign manager and communications director for Kathy Szeliga's Senate campaign in Maryland, among other campaigns.



Birthdays



Rep. John Barnes



Straight From The Source



"As children, these people didn't choose to come to America -- and as adults they've followed the rule of law, raised families, worked hard and contributed to society - making America stronger. Enough games. Let's get this done."



- Gov. John Kasich, tweeting Monday afternoon. He's referring to the so-called Dreamers who were brought to the United States illegally as children. A group of congressional Republicans could force a vote on immigration this week.

Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.STRONGSVILLE, Ohio -- The Strongsville school board has unanimously approved the first of two resolutions that would place a new 7.9-mill operating tax on the Nov. 6 ballot.

The resolution declares the tax levy necessary. In May, district officials said that, without the new tax, Strongsville schools would start deficit spending in 2019 -- meaning that expenses would exceed revenues and the district would need savings to balance the budget -- until district savings are wiped out in 2022.

"Columbus has forced our hands," board member George Grozan said at the June 7 board meeting, referring to state funding cuts to local school districts under Gov. John Kasich. Strongsville schools officials said state funding has dropped from $8.6 million to $3.6 million annually over the past 13 years or so.

Grozan said the money was "stolen" from the district by state politicians.

Also, Cleveland Clinic, which has a Strongsville office in front of SouthPark Mall, was recently awarded property tax-exempt status retroactive to 2012. That means the district will lose another $400,000 in annual property taxes and must refund the Clinic $2 million in past taxes.

"It's a shame we are in this position," Grozan said.

Board member Duke Evans said the levy would increase his own property taxes significantly, but urged voters to approve the measure. He said failing schools would lead to declining property values.

"If you vote against this levy, you are voting against the value of your own home," Evans said.

Board member Richard Micko said Solon voters passed a new 8.4-mill operating tax in May. He said Solon is similar to Strongsville, in that both cities have strong industrial bases, yet both school districts have faced financial binds.

In Solon, the new levy will add about $242 a year in taxes for each $100,000 of assessed property valuation. In Strongsville, the additional annual amount would be $276, according to district officials.

Micko said that even if the levy passes, Strongsville's overall tax rate would still be lower than those in several other Northeast Ohio communities.

Board member Jane Ludwig said the district needs the money to maintain good educational programs, not to go on a spending spree.

"We will continue to tighten our belts, but it (the tax increase) is necessary," Ludwig said.

Board President Carl Naso said the district cannot save enough money to overcome state funding cuts.

The new tax would generate about $11.3 million a year for operating expenses, such as teachers' salaries. The money could not be used for building repairs or capital improvements.

If voters approve the new tax, a 2002 five-year levy, which voters last renewed in 2016, and a 2007 continuous levy, which is permanent, would both remain in place. Those levies generate a total of $17.1 million every year, according to the district.

Schools Superintendent Cameron Ryba recommended that the new tax be continuous or permanent.U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met face-to-face Tuesday morning for their highly anticipated summit. After hours of talks, the U.S. president said he was heading toward "a signing" with Kim, but there was no immediate indication of what sort of agreement would be signed. The summit began with the two men briefly shaking hands and taking a photo side-by-side, then moving to another room, where they sat and made brief statements for the press. "We're going to have a great discussion and, I think, tremendous success. It will be tremendously successful. And it's my honor," Trump said. "We will have a terrific relationship  I have no doubt," the president added. For his part, the North Korean leader said, "It was not easy to get here. The past worked as fetters on our limbs, and the old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward. But we overcame all of them, and we are here today," according to a translation provided by the White House. Trump responded: "That's true." Following those comments, the two leaders began what was said to be a one-on-one meeting, with only translators in attendance.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L) shakes hands with US President Donald Trump (R) at the start of their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images

They then made a brief appearance together at a balcony exposed to cameras, and then headed into a larger bilateral meeting. With delegation members on opposing sides of the table, Trump delivered another message to Kim. "Mr. Chairman, it's a great honor to be with you, and I know we'll have tremendous success together and we'll solve a big problem  a big dilemma  that until this point has been unable to be solved, and working together we'll get it taken care of," Trump said before reaching for another handshake with his North Korean counterpart. After hearing Kim's response, Trump added: "We will solve it, we will be successful, and I look forward to working on it with you. It will be done." Later in the day, the two men walked out of the meeting together, and Trump addressed the media. "It's going great. We had a really fantastic meeting, a lot of progress, really very positive. I think better than anybody could have expected  top of the line, really good," the president said. "We're going right now for a signing," he added, walking away from the assembled media.

First such meeting in history

It was the first time that sitting leaders of the countries have met, and it came after years of bluster and threats from Pyongyang  and from Trump  that have raised fears of war. Of note, many analysts have argued that any recent U.S. leader who had wanted to meet with Kim or his father before him could have done so, because North Korea sought the legitimization of such an event. Trump is giving Kim's regime that opportunity, but the U.S. team has also said it is resolute in its goal for Tuesday's summit: North Korea's total and verifiable denuclearization.

American officials have dangled relief from stringent international sanctions or even economic aid if the hermit regime were to acquiesce. Beyond those benefits, North Korea is understood to want guarantees about the future of its autocratic regime and the security of its borders. Washington is hoping the bilateral discussions will be the first of many with Kim's government, eventually leading to the country surrendering its nuclear capabilities. That weapons program has become a threat to neighbors South Korea and Japan  and more recently, even for the U.S. mainland. For decades, Pyongyang has sought to depict the United States as an imperialist aggressor for its role in the Korean War, while simultaneously blaming Washington for North Korea's dire economic condition. The isolated country has long said it's justified in seeking nuclear weapons in light of an "extreme and direct nuclear threat" from the United States. Tuesday's meeting is seen as a diplomatic breakthrough, even if some experts have said the summit is a strategic mistake on Washington's part, since it allows Kim to appear as an equal to Trump.

What will North Korea demand?

Experts predict little in terms of concrete results from the summit. In the past, Pyongyang has said it may denuclearize only if certain conditions were fulfilled. Those include terminating America's military presence in South Korea as well as ending the U.S. regional nuclear umbrella, a security arrangement in which Washington promises in-kind retaliation on behalf of close allies if they are attacked with nuclear weapons. Washington has said its troops in South Korea would not be up for discussion during the Tuesday summit. Such a withdrawal could have major implications for Asia.

President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L) as they sit down for their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty ImagesIHOP changed its name to IHOb last week in a move that confused customers.

While many loyal pancake lovers thought the "b" might mean "brunch" or "breakfast," the restaurant chain announced on Monday that the "b" actually stands for "burgers."

"Changing the name, even if it's a little bit gimmicky, does bring traffic and attention to the stores," Stephen Anderson of the Maxim Group told CNBC on "Closing Bell" Monday.

But the name change isn't permanent. The same day the meaning behind the "b" was revealed, the chain restaurant announced in a press release that the move was "just for the time being." The marketing strategy will promote the seven new burgers that the restaurant is adding to its menu.

Meanwhile, signage at the company's flagship restaurant in Hollywood, along with its Twitter handle, have been changed to reflect "IHOb."

The company tweeted about its new name as well.

TWEET

"This is a measure that's being done to increase the afternoon and evening traffic," said Anderson, an equity research analyst at Maxim.

He pointed out that the pancake house is well known for its morning fare, with more than 50 percent of its customer base coming in for breakfast items.

"They're not about to advance in that business," he said.

"It's the people who come in after 11 a.m., who may not necessarily want a Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity," Anderson said of a popular pancake offering at the restaurant. "They want something else. Burgers and sandwiches are very close to what IHOP has done traditionally."

The International House of Pancakes has actually been serving burgers since 1958 when the restaurant first opened  although most people don't realize it.

And the burger business is a fast-growing one, increasing about 3 percent to 3.5 percent a year.

"This is where IHOP is staking its claim to get more incremental traffic," Anderson said. And "IHOb" might be a clever way to do it.

In fact, this tactic has been done before  and it worked. In 2008, Pizza Hut, owned by parent company Yum Brands, temporarily changed its name at select U.K. locations to "Pasta Hut," in an effort to promote its pasta dishes.

"It met with similar mixed opinion, but in the 12 months after they used [the name] "Pasta" they had sales increase by 1 percent," Anderson said.

Dine Brands, parent company of IHOP, rose more than 2.5 percent Monday.The family-owned winery, Signorello Estate, on Napa's Silverado Trail is left in ruins by the Atlas Fire on October 11, 2017 near Napa, California.

Shares of PG&E fell more than 4 percent Monday after Cal Fire blamed the electric utility's equipment for several major Northern California wildfires in October that resulted in fatalities and the loss of thousands of structures.

It comes as there are discussions going on in the state legislature to create a disaster fund for investor-owned utilities that would increase the insurance levels for extreme events such as wildfires. California has a history of power company lines becoming the sources of fires.

In a statement issued late Friday, Cal Fire said its investigators determined that a dozen wildfires in six counties, including the Nuns, Redwood and Atlas fires, were caused by PG&E's "electric power and distribution lines, conductors and the failure of power poles." It follows the state agency's announcement last month that four other wildfires in last year's so-called October Fire Siege were due to "trees coming into contact with power lines."

The insured losses from the October wildfires statewide are estimated at nearly $10 billion, according to the California Department of Insurance. There were numerous fatalities and extensive loss of structures during the so-called wine country or North Bay wildfires.

"California is one of the only states in the country where the courts have applied inverse condemnation liability to events associated with investor-owned utility equipment," PG&E said in a statement Friday. "This means PG&E could be liable for property damages and attorneys' fees even if we followed established inspection and safety rules."

In trading Monday, PG&E stock sank more than 4 percent on nearly triple its average daily volume. The stock has fallen more than 40 percent since the October wildfires.

More than 20 investigators from Cal Fire have been involved in probing the cause of October's devastating wildfires in Mendocino, Butte, Humboldt, Sonoma, Lake and Napa counties. However, Cal Fire continues to investigate the cause of October's so-called Tubbs fire in the wine country.

The Tubbs fire was blamed for half of the North Bay fire's 44 fatalities and the destruction of more than 5,600 structures.

A Cal Fire spokesperson told CNBC on Monday there is "no timeline" on when the investigation report will be issued on the Tubbs fire.

Damage from the Tubbs fire in Santa Rosa could exceed $7 billion, according to some insurance estimates quoted Monday in a report from Morgan Stanley. The Tubbs blaze destroyed entire neighborhoods such as Coffey Park and Fountaingrove.

"The $10 billion number is assuming everybody files a lawsuit and they collect the claims that are within it," said Patrick McCallum, a lobbyist with McCallum Group who lost his Fountaingrove home in the Tubbs fire in October and heads a coalition of about 6,500 displaced residents and trial attorneys called "Up From the Ashes."

McCallum is opposing PG&E's attempt to reform liability rules in the state. "I don't see the votes right now to do liability reform in the legislature," he said.

The plan to create a relief fund could be funded in part by the state with money from the cap-and-trade program. Utilities also would pay into the fund, which could operate similarly to the state's not-for-profit, privately funded and publicly managed earthquake authority.

PG&E also has been pushing the state to reform the current inverse condemnation rules that allow utilities to be held liable for significant damages in disasters such as wildfires. The utility said in a statement Friday that reforming the rules "would not absolve utilities from responsibility. Anyone harmed by these tragic wildfires has the ability to pursue a negligence claim in court."

PG&E didn't respond to a request for comment Monday.

In March, California Gov. Jerry Brown suggested that lawmakers should "update liability rules and regulations for utility services," citing extreme weather and climate change. He noted that eight of the state's most destructive wildfires have taken place in the past five years.

Overall, more than 11,000 firefighters from 17 states and Australia were on the lines during the peak of the October wildfires in Northern California's wine country.

Attorneys who specialize in wildfire lawsuits say PG&E  the largest investor-owned utility in California  could be on the hook for billions of dollars in damages in the deadly Northern California wildfires.

"The largest investment risk they have is wildfire," said Eric Ratinoff, a Sacramento attorney representing about 200 families in the wine country fires. "Yet they are just not proactive but talk a good game."

There are state regulations requiring strict vegetation management practices by utilities such as PG&E and they include standards for keeping vegetation clear of power lines.

"We look forward to the opportunity to carefully review the Cal Fire reports to understand the agency's perspectives," PG&E said in a statement Friday. "Based on the information we have so far, we continue to believe our overall programs met our state's high standards."

According to the San Francisco-based utility, the company "meets or exceeds regulatory requirements for pole integrity management, using a comprehensive database to manage multiple patrol and inspection schedules of our more than two million poles."

PG&E said it maintains an "industry-leading" program involving vegetation management that includes inspecting and monitoring each and every overhead electric transmission and distribution line every year, and sometimes several times. It estimated it prunes or removes around 1.4 million trees every year.

Cal Fire said Friday the dozen wildfires linked to PG&E equipment include the so-called Redwood fire in Mendocino County that started Oct. 8 and burned more than 36,500 acres. There were nine fatalities linked to this blaze, which Cal Fire said "started in two locations and was caused by trees or parts of trees falling onto PG&E power lines."

Another wildfire Cal Fire linked to PG&E is the so-called Atlas fire, started Oct. 8 in Sonoma County, and responsible for charring more than 51,600 acres, destroying 783 structures and killing six people. The state fire agency said it determined the Atlas blaze started in two locations, including one when "a large limb broke from a tree and came into contact with a PG&E power line" and a second when "a tree fell into the same line."

PG&E equipment was linked to five other fires, including the Norrbom, Adobe, Patrick, Pythian and Nuns fires, according to Cal Fire. It said those blazes merged in Sonoma and Napa counties and burned nearly 57,000 acres, destroyed 1,355 structures and were blamed for three fatalities.People watch the news on television at a train station in Seoul, South Korea. Chung Sung-Jun | Getty Images

Tuesday's meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could alter Asia's security situation regardless of whether the leaders reach an agreement. First, the heart of any potential deal is centered on the definition of denuclearization. Pyongyang has previously said it may only dismantle nuclear weapons if Washington removes its 28,500 troops from South Korea  an unsettling prospect for Asian allies that rely on America's defense commitments. Alternatively, a failure to come to some sort of deal on June 12 could bolster U.S. appetite for preemptive strikes against the North  a situation at least as upsetting.

If a deal is struck

If Kim agrees to a staged disarmament  a process under which his regime relinquishes nukes in exchange for concessions such as a reduced U.S. military presence on the Korean Peninsula or sanctions relief  the pace and timing will be key. If disarmament is way off in the future, "there's probably little impact" on Asia, but if it's scheduled for the next five years and accompanies an influx of cash for the North Koreans as well as a weakening of the U.S.-South Korean security alliance, "that might make Japan worried," said Sharon Squassoni, former director of policy coordination at the State Department's nonproliferation bureau and currently a research professor at George Washington University.

U.S. soldiers have been stationed in the South since the 1950s and a potential withdrawal is of major concern for neighboring Japan. Still, earlier this month, American Defense Secretary James Mattis said U.S. troops wouldn't be part of initial negotiations with Kim's government even though that has long remained a North Korean prerequisite for peace. But any withdrawal from South Korea would raise the possibility of the world's largest economy next closing down its military bases in Japan, analysts at the International Institute for Strategic Studies said. Moreover, staged disarmament could leave South Korea and Japan "exposed to the North's shorter-range missiles" with the rogue state's threat likely boosted by a stronger domestic economy, the note continued.

"Any agreement that removes the North Korean nuclear threat from the United States, but leaves Japan and South Korea vulnerable to a North Korean attack would be cause for concern," echoed Troy Stangarone, senior director at Korea Economic Institute, a Washington-based think tank. There's some hope among Japan, Taiwan and certain Southeast Asian nations that a reduction of American forces in South Korea could result in a reordering of U.S. deployments to better counter China's maritime assertiveness, the IISS note said. But there's "no guarantee" of that happening, it continued. Rather, a troop reduction would "send a signal to the rest of the region that the United States was a waning presence rather than a source of stability," said Stangarone. During the 1970s, the U.S. withdrew some forces in South Korea in a move that prompted Seoul to develop national defense capabilities that included a brief clandestine nuclear weapons program. "We would certainly want to avoid that outcome," warned Squassoni.

If no deal is struckIt is almost exactly two years since British citizens voted in a referendum on membership of the European Union. The relatively narrow vote in favor of Brexit stunned Britain's political class, and that shock remains well represented in the current parliament, where a majority of today's sitting lawmakers voted against a departure from the world's largest trading bloc.

The vast and complex piece of domestic British legislation that is designed to transform a multiplicity of European rules into the U.K. statute books is known as the EU Withdrawal Bill. And after more than 250 hours of parliamentary debate and legislative ping-pong back and forth between both chambers in Westminster, the lower House of Commons has begun the latest series of debates and votes on the bill.

A majority of so-called peers who are eligible to vote in the Upper House, the Lords, have made it clear that they are not happy with aspects of the legislation that Prime Minister Theresa May's government has proposed. And so during their most recent debate, or reading, of the bill, they pushed for 15 different amendments. Starting this afternoon and continuing into tomorrow, members of the Commons will vote on these amendments. They can vote for or against them, they can choose to tweak them, or they can choose to try to replace them with different language that is intended to have a similar or identical impact.On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon ruled that AT&T could buy Time Warner with no conditions attached, denying a U.S. Department of Justice antitrust challenge to the deal. The DoJ could still appeal, but assuming it doesn't, here's what happens next.

AT&T will move quickly to complete its $85 billion deal for Time Warner. AT&T has said it intends to close less than a week after a deal is approved, allowing for a short process by the appeals court to order a stay.

Time Warner

CEO Jeff Bewkes will transition out of his job, collecting millions on his way out as part of a change of control employment package. The Time Warner brand will go away, following last year's extinction of Time Warner Cable.

Comcast

Comcast plans to kick off a bidding war on Wednesday with Disney to buy some Twenty-First Century Fox assets, which include cable networks, 39 percent of British satellite TV provider Sky Plc and Indian media conglomerate Star, according to people familiar with the matter. While there's no guarantee a Comcast-Fox tie-up would pass regulatory approval, Comcast would feel good about its chances.

Fox

Rupert Murdoch will become a wealthier man. Comcast intends to bid about $60 billion in cash, topping Disney's $52 billion all-stock offer.

Disney

Disney will have to decide if it's willing to improve its offer for Fox. Disney could decide to both raise its offer and change the mix of assets from all stock to cash-and-stock.

CBS and Viacom previously put pencils down on negotiating a merger that controlling shareholder National Amusements has been pushing for. Now, both companies could theoretically have some other options, such as selling to Verizon, Charter, or a combined Sprint/T-Mobile, down the road.

Verizon

Verizon now has a clear opening to buy a large content company to compete with AT&T. This could be CBS, Viacom (or a combined CBS-Viacom), Discovery or something else. But Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam told CNBC last month that buying a large pay-TV company is "not our strategy," and the naming of successor Hans Vestberg, currently Verizon's CTO, suggests the company is more concerned with rolling out 5G than copying AT&T.

Charter

Charter will also have a clear path forward to buying a content company if it wants to go down that road. Charter may also find negotiations with Time Warner a bit more challenging if the government argument turned out to be correct and AT&T threatens to hold back Time Warner programming if it doesn't get higher programming fees.

Discovery

Liberty Media Chairman and Discovery shareholder John Malone has long speculated about rolling up smaller content companies and potentially combining them with a cable or wireless provider. He owns stakes in Discovery, Lionsgate and Charter, among other companies. An approved deal may push him further in the direction of mass consolidation among his assets, if not others.

Sprint and T-Mobile, which announced plans to merge in April, will likely argue that AT&T will get even bigger and stronger as a competitor as they try to persuade U.S. regulators to allow a merger. Deal approval could also lead to an acquisition of a content company several years from now, although integration hurdles and capital spending on a combined company's network would probably take precedence.



Record homicide levels have cost Brazil R$450bn ($120bn) in lost productivity over two decades  a sum almost equal to the Marshall Plan, the US second world war aid package for Europe, a government study revealed on Monday.

The report from Brazil's presidency places a few of the country's states on par with some of the world's most murderous countries, including Honduras. It said the overall economic cost of crime between 1996 and 2015 jumped to an equivalent of 4.4 per cent of gross domestic product annually  about three times that of some European countries.

"Violent crime has not eased in the interim: if anything, it worsened. It is very likely that the overall economic burden of criminal violence steadily increased," said Robert Muggah, research director at the Igarape Institute, a security think-tank in Rio de Janeiro that contributed to the report. "Brazil is confronting a full-blown public security crisis, but spending on crime control has been both ineffective and inefficient."

The findings are likely to underline public concern about a deteriorating security situation in the country as Brazil faces what is expected to be its most unpredictable election in decades in October. Alarm over rising crime has helped boost support for Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right politician and former army captain, who is leading polls with pledges to crack down on crime and loosen gun controls.

The report by the Brazilian government was released days after government think-tank IPEA and the Brazilian Forum on Public Security (FBSP) revealed in a study that the country's homicide rate exceeded 30 per 100,000 in 2016 with 62,500 murders, the highest ever recorded, and about 30 times more than in Europe. Between 2006 and 2016, 553,000 people were killed in Brazil, said the IPEA/FBSP study, more than in the seven-year Syrian civil war, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Experts such as Mr Muggah acknowledged it was difficult to render precise comparisons between Brazil and other countries because of the different ways in which the economic costs of crime were measured.

Nonetheless, a recent study on the costs of crime by the Inter-American Development Bank revealed that the regional average in Latin America was 3.55 per cent of GDP in 2014, compared with 3.78 in Brazil in the same year; 2.75 per cent in the US; 2.55 per cent in the UK; 1.87 per cent in France; and 1.34 per cent in Germany.

Monday's report found that annual public and private expenditure on security almost tripled during the reporting period. While there was a minor dip in murders between 2003 and 2007, killings continued to climb during most of the period.

Analysts warn the number of killings could rise further if Mr Bolsonaro is elected president in the October election. Renato Sergio de Lima, director of the FBSP, said Mr Bolsonaro through his rhetoric came across as a Brazilian version of Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines, who has declared open season on criminals.

"Brazilian society is extremely violent," said Mr de Lima, adding that with Mr Bolsonaro's urging "the chance of violence exploding is very high".

More from the Financial Times:

Brazil's central bank in firepower test with currency speculators

Brazilian political turmoil boosts demand for Treasuries

Brazil stocks get whacked as real hits 2-year lowThe agreement between President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un in Singapore represents a "big day" for China, two former U.S. diplomats told CNBC on Tuesday.

"China would love American troops to be gone from the Korean Peninsula," Wendy Sherman, a former undersecretary of state for political affairs, said in a "Squawk Box" interview.

In her role, Sherman oversaw several bureaus, including East Asia, the Near East, South and Central Asia.

"China understands that this discussion is not just about North Korea, it's about the future of Northeast Asia," added Sherman, who was a special advisor to former President Bill Clinton. "China wants to be in charge of it."China suggested on Tuesday that sanctions relief could be considered for North Korea, after U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. China has signed up for increasingly tough U.N. sanctions against its isolated neighbor following Pyongyang's repeated nuclear and missile tests, but has always said sanctions should be accompanied by talks for a political resolution.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with China's President Xi Jinping, in Dalian. KCNA | Reuters

China is North Korea's most important economic and diplomatic backer, despite its anger at Pyongyang's sabre rattling. Speaking in Beijing following Trump and Kim's signing of a joint statement at the end of their historic summit in Singapore, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang reiterated that China has always strictly abided by all U.N. resolutions on North Korea. "The U.N. Security Council resolutions that have been passed say that if North Korea respects and acts in accordance with the resolutions, then sanction measures can be adjusted, including to pause or remove the relevant sanctions," Geng told a daily news briefing. "China has consistently held that sanctions are not the goal in themselves. The Security Councils actions should support and conform to the efforts of current diplomatic talks towards denuclearising the Korean Peninsula, and promote a political solution for the peninsula." Beijing has key strategic interests when it comes to North Korea, and has long feared that a collapse of its isolated neighbour could push waves of refugees into northeastern China, or that nuclear war on the Korean peninsula could contaminate swathes of the country.

North Korea also serves as a valuable buffer state between China and U.S. forces in South Korea. Speaking earlier in the day also in Beijing, the Chinese government's top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, said China hoped the United States and North Korea can reach agreement on a peace deal. "We hope that the two countries' highest leaders can dispel interference, establish mutual trust, overcome difficulties and can reach a basic consensus on promoting and achieving the denuclearization of the peninsula and promoting and establishing a peace mechanism for the peninsula," Wang told reporters. "Of course, we are willing to see all relevant sides making positive efforts on this. China will continue to play our constructive role," he added.President Donald Trump's plan to end joint military exercises with South Korea is a bad idea, former Defense Secretary William Cohen told CNBC.

"We canceled the TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership," he said. "We're pulling our troops out of South Korea eventually."

"The signal is being sent [to the world] ... that you're on your own," Cohen said on "Closing Bell" Tuesday.

The military exercises are an annual event held in South Korea, in which the U.S. has historically participated, that both nations say are intended to deter North Korea.

The reclusive nation to the north, meanwhile, has previously expressed disapproval of the exercises, saying they are a preparation for war.

Trump agreed to end the exercises during Tuesday's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore. Some critics say it's too big a concession.

But Trump later said in a press conference that he would end what he referred to as the "war games" not as a concession but because they are too expensive.

"It will save us a tremendous amount of money," Trump said. "The amount of money we spend on them is incredible."

Cohen said the exercises are expensive, but pointed out that it's more expensive to be ill-prepared for military conflict or to lose a war.

"We lost thousands in battle in the Korean conflict because we were ill-prepared and not well-trained or well-equipped," he said.

"Yes, it's very expensive to be in shape, to be ready to defend our country and our allies in the region," Cohen said. "To point out how expensive it is misses the point of what strategic deterrence is and how it protects U.S. interests as well as those of South Korea."

Meanwhile, representatives from South Korea were conspicuously absent from the summit.

John Rutledge, chief investment officer at Safanad, a financial firm, said the summit was a complete slap in the face to South Korea "because the president of South Korea was not in the room when they did this."President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a deal on Tuesday committing the two leaders to establishing new ties "in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity."



The agreement, which the two leaders signed at the historic nuclear summit in Singapore, has been criticized for being short on detail. Among the four points the two leaders agreed to was the "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," which experts have said has a different meaning to North Koreans than it does to Americans.



But experts say the next steps in the negotiating process will be key to the deal's implementation.

More coverage on the Trump-Kim nuclear summit:

Read the full text of the Trump-Kim agreement here

Trump says North Korea will keep its promises, and the US will stop war games

US stock futures flat after Trump-Kim summit ends

"It is the steps that follow  or lack thereof  that will determine if this meeting was a success or failure," Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, told CNBC.



YJ Fischer, who worked on nuclear weapons policy at the State Department under former President Barack Obama, said, "The most important thing is what comes next."

Below, 14 experts weigh in.

Catherine Dill, senior research associate, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies

"The most important thing to consider is that working out the details is the hardest part. The 4-point agreement is quite vague, likely intentionally, and now the crucial part that comes next is developing an implementation plan with concrete steps. Supposedly Pompeo and Bolton will continue to meet with North Korean officials in coming weeks to work out the details. After Trump's remarks in the press conference about suspending U.S.-ROK exercises, the U.S. will need to carefully manage the alliance relationship with Seoul as well."



R. Scott Kemp, director of the MIT Laboratory for Nuclear Security and Policy

"This is a perfect outcome. While some may complain that the agreement is devoid of actionable substance  this is fine. Neither Trump nor Kim were in a position to discuss details. A realistic agreement will probably take years to hash out, as there is much to learn about North Korea's program first. The Trump-Kim statement of principles is exactly what is needed to get started."

Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association

"The document Trump and Kim signed is a mediocre reiteration of North Korea's past commitments to denuclearize. It is far too soon to characterize this vague, aspirational pledge as a success or a failure. The critical question is what comes next? It is imperative that this summit is not a one-off meeting and that it jump starts a process that trades concrete actions to reduce and roll back North Korea's nuclear program in return for security assurances. In the follow-on negotiations, the Trump administration should focus on closing the gap between the United States and North Korea on the definition of denuclearization and laying out specific, verifiable steps that Pyongyang will take to reduce the threat posed by its nuclear weapons. It is the steps that follow  or lack thereof  that will determine if this meeting was a success or failure."

Steve Andreasen, the director for defense policy and arms control on the National Security Council staff from 1993 to 2001

"The Trump-Kim summit, along with renewed North-South diplomacy, has at least given pause to war. We can always hope for more and more faster, but the reality of where we are today with North Korea is simply this: A new process of dialogue and negotiation will take time. It will be fluid and unpredictable. We will learn more as negotiations unfold that will inform our judgments about what can and cannot be achieved. More likely than not, there will be agreements in stages  and in each case, more than one way to achieve our vital interests, including diluting North Korea's threat to the U.S., South Korea and Japan and avoiding a devastating war on the Korean Peninsula."



James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

"I support diplomacy to reduce the risk of a war, and I would much rather that Trump and Kim exchange civil words rather than nuclear threats. That said, this summit was a farce. The language on denuclearization was weaker than in previous agreements involving North Korea, and Trump appears to have made significant concessions on US-ROK joint exercises without getting anything concrete in return."

Steven Pifer, nonresident senior fellow in the Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Initiative at the Brookings Institution

"This was a good summit for Mr. Kim. He got a sit-down with the American president and, apparently, a suspension of military exercises. Whether this was a good summit for Mr. Trump and for U.S. security interests depends on future steps. Mr. Kim committed 'to work toward' complete denuclearization if the Korean Peninsula. What that means in reality remains to be seen."



Togzhan Kassenova, Nuclear Policy Program fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

"When you strip all the theatrics, there is not much substance to celebrate. Only if the follow-on engagement results in something tangible  North Korea's firm commitment to denuclearization, ways to verify it, and a strict timeline with the milestones, would we be able to say the summit was worth it. As of this very moment, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has a reason to feel pleased with the summit. President Trump doesn't."



Sergey Radchenko, professor of international relations at Cardiff University

"For the moment I think there's too much excitement here for no good reasons. Of course it's great that the two leaders have met ... But in the long term I would say that trust in North Korea to fulfill its obligations or to stick to the letter of agreement is not a very reliable prospect."

YJ Fischer, former assistant coordinator for Iran nuclear implementation at the State Department

"I think the most important thing for readers to be considering going forward is that this was the first step in what is going to be a long process.The vagueness of the statement signed by President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un indicates just how much work there is still is to be done. The two sides still need to agree on principles of disarmament, a timetable for implementation, and stringent verification measures -- or put another way, all the hard work remains to be done.

"The fact that so little was achieved is OK. Diplomatic processes such as these take time. President Reagan and Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev took three years and three high-level summits to reach an arms control agreement. President Nixon's meeting with Chinese leader Mao Zedong was important but it took six more years until relations were normalized with China.

"The most important thing is what comes next. It would be a mistake to rush to schedule a White House level summit between Trump and Kim anytime soon. Instead Secretary of State Mike Pompeo should continue the meetings at his level to reach agreement around the key issues. The Pompeo level meetings don't need to solve everything but the next time Trump and Kim meet there should be a greater foundation for the framework of an arms control agreement.

"The Trump administration should also use this time to work closely with the players in the region, including Japan and especially China and South Korea. Trump touted the success of his 'maximum pressure.' Well the era of maximum pressure is over because China and South Korea want reduced tensions and greater economic collaboration with North Korea. If Trump changes his tune on North Korea, he is unlikely to have China and South Korea with him. That's why it's essential that Trump ensures the three countries stay closely aligned."

Laicie Heeley, editor-in-chief of foreign policy magazine Inkstick, and host of the podcast Things That Go Boom

"The summit was an exercise in pageantry that one can only hope will lead to meaningful progress down the road. At this point, unfortunately, the Kim regime has not agreed to additional concessions, leaving the details of its previously stated commitment to 'denuclearization' to be worked out down the road. And while both leaders will tout the success of the summit at home, Kim walks away at a clear advantage, having met as a nuclear-armed equal with the president of the United States and been guaranteed a 'freeze for freeze' agreement the U.S. had previously eschewed. That said, Trump didn't give up the farm, as many feared he would. While his characterization of joint military exercises as 'provocative' was unnecessary and plays, once again, into Kim's narrative, the step to freeze such exercises is easily reversed. For now, the two countries remain engaged in amicable diplomacy, which is far preferable to talk of 'fire and fury' and 'dotards' on Twitter.



"Now, the real work begins. Trump and Kim have agreed only in principle to real progress. First and foremost, the two leaders must agree to a clear, shared, and detailed definition of denuclearization. Diplomacy is a long, hard path, but worth the effort. I hope to see the Trump administration continue to engage in a constructive way."



Frank N. von Hippel, senior research physicist and professor of public and international affairs emeritus at Princeton University's Program on Science and Global Security

"There is not much for a nonproliferation expert to say yet because there are no specifics, but I am glad we are negotiating rather than making nuclear threats.

"I do think that a deal is possible but also that it will be a long time before we see the DPRK fully eliminate its nuclear and missile capabilities.

"That is not a technical judgement  technically it could be done relatively rapidly with full DPRK cooperation  but politically, DPRK's nuclear capability is its main asset and it is hard to see it giving that away before there are a lot of other changes.

"In that regard, I think that suspending the annual US-ROK wargames is a good move on Trump's part. Those games were very aggressive and included nuclear threats. We can maintain readiness in less scary ways."



Sharon Squassoni, former director of policy coordination in the State Department's Nonproliferation Bureau

"The statement gets the relationship off the ground. Secretary Pompeo and his North Korean counterparts will take up four baskets of issues in the future: diplomatic relations, security and peace on the Peninsula, denuclearization and efforts to recover POW/MIA remains. Trump and Kim made personal commitments to security assurances and denuclearization but the statement didn't say how, why or when.

"There was no reference to a peace treaty, which will be a tricky effort, but it will likely be part of the follow-on negotiations. And, there was no reference to complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization. Thankfully, this suggests a more practical approach to reducing the risks from Kim's nuclear weapons. However, the linkage of denuclearization to the Kim-Moon summit document could mean that the United States might be kept at arms-length in that process. Of course, South Korea has to play a key role in building peace and security on the Korean peninsula, but the nuclear weapons that Kim worries about are American."

Eunjung Lim, assistant professor at the College of International Relations at Ritsumeikan University

"The statement was reaffirming the Panmunjon Declaration [between North and South Korea], and explicitly clarifies the DPRK as the subject who should commit to work towards 'complete' denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Since the 1992 Joint Declaration of Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, South Korea has removed every nuclear weapon, which means that the remaining task is for North Korea. That is why, I think, this specific sentence is tremendously important."

Richard Nephew, adjunct professor and senior research scholar at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy

"Setting aside the implications of Trump's apparent decision to cancel future U.S.-ROK military exercises due to their 'provocative' nature and expense, the summit largely conformed to my expectations.

"One fear I had in advance of the summit was that Trump and Kim would commit to continue negotiating directly at their level, which would have created the real risk of inadvisable U.S. concessions with respect to the technical aspects of the DPRK nuclear program. Consequently, the most important element of the statement that Trump and Kim signed was the delegation to Pompeo and 'a relevant high-level DPRK official' to continue the negotiations, ensuring that there will be a reversion to more technical and detailed talks.

"Any realistic resolution to the DPRK nuclear and missile threat will require complex negotiations regarding any restrictions and dismantlement activity to be undertaken, verification measures, and sanctions relief.

"This will take time and the process needs political space in both countries. The tasks now, especially in light of the exercises decision and de facto moratorium on new sanctions, are all reassurance and coordination on the content of the actual agreement to be negotiated. This is the most important next step, since the exercise decision and its casual, offhand announcement are going to terrify our allies in the region and beyond."

 CNBC's Weizhen Tan and Yen Nee Lee contributed to this report.

The development is a sea change for a company that has stood out from rivals by limiting its past activity out of concern it would be accused of market manipulation. Exxon now aims to trade around more of its growing energy assets to get the best prices for its products and increase earnings, according to an employee familiar with the matter.

Exxon Mobil is pushing deeper into energy trading, building a global cadre of experienced traders and beefing up risk-management systems to lift profit, according to executive recruiters and people familiar with the business.

Expanded trading could add hundreds of millions of dollars to annual earnings from its own buying and selling of crude and fuels, but also comes with problems, including higher risk. Exxon expects to add 1 million barrels per day of output over the next several years as new oilfields and refinery expansions kick in, giving it more assets to trade.

Exxon last year retained John Masek, a former trader at Swiss-based Glencore, the world's second-largest buyer and seller of petroleum, to consult on gasoline trading. Earlier this year, it poached four gasoline market specialists from refiner Phillips 66.

This month, Exxon hired former BHP Billiton trader Nelson Lee as an international crude trader, the people familiar with the matter said. In 2014, Lee orchestrated BHP's first-ever crude exports by maintaining the lightly refined oil met criteria for an exportable product. The deals helped usher in the end to a U.S. prohibition on crude exports more than a year later.

The company has also added crude, products, and liquefied natural gas specialists to London and Singapore offices. It recently hired Paul Butcher, a trader who has worked at BP, Glencore, and Vitol, to advise on North Sea markets and accounting for trading transactions.

"Paul is known for being a very aggressive, old school crude trader. Exxon would have never hired a risk taker of that scale in the old days. The fact that he is consulting them shows they are considering changes in trading very seriously," said a trading house executive who knows Butcher.

Phillips 66 declined to comment on the employee departures.

Exxon spokesman Scott Silvestri referred questions about its trading business and recent hiring to regulatory filings, which note the historical use of financial derivatives and geographic scale to manage commodity price risks.

Chief Executive Darren Woods wants to increase Exxon's profit and appetite for risk at a measured pace, according to people who deal with Exxon. The U.S. operation runs from a trading floor at its Spring, Texas campus that has expanded to as many as 70 workers who will handle everything from Canadian crude to gasoline, jet fuel and diesel.

"Trading has been a virtual four-letter word at Exxon," said Ehud Ronn, a University of Texas finance professor who studies energy and financial risk management. Exxon has drawn most top managers from engineering backgrounds, not financial services. "A change in their trading policy would indeed be transformational."

Exxon has long lagged behind rivals BP, Chevron, and Royal Dutch Shell, which have created trading units that occasionally generate more profit than their refining businesses.

Woods faces pressure from Exxon investors to lift shares that trade at the same price as 10 years ago. He promised shareholders this year that he can double profit and increase its oil and gas output by 25 percent by 2025.

The company's expanded focus on trading brings challenges including added risk from options, swaps and other derivatives, and developing risk-management and compensation systems for the larger business. Exxon has focused on hedges that allow it to get the best prices for its products and protect it against price shifts as its cargoes move to markets.

Exxon has held talks with at least two developers of risk-management software, Enuit and Allegro Development Corp., people familiar with the discussions said. Both offer packages that manage logistics and measure financial exposure. The companies declined to comment on their discussions with Exxon, according to spokespeople.

Exxon has also put company veteran managers in charge of overall trading and risk controls at its Spring, Texas, floor, one person familiar with its operations said, to avoid potential losses as it expands trading.

"We've heard whispers in the market about this for a few years, so it's great to see them finally hiring commercial talent externally," said an executive recruiter familiar with some of the recent hires but who was not directly involved.Facebook denied building eye-tracking software in its response to questions from Congress released Monday but said if it ever did build out the technology, it would take privacy into account.

The social media company holds at least two patents for detecting eye movements and emotions, which it said "is one way that we could potentially reduce consumer friction and add security for people when they log into Oculus or access Oculus content." Oculus is a virtual reality platform that Facebook bought in 2014.

The company provided a written response to unanswered questions from Congress on its data use, privacy policy and its ad-based business model. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was asked about its technologies and potential uses by lawmakers during an appearance before Congress in April.

"Right now we're not building technology to identify people with eye-tracking cameras," Facebook said in its written response. "If we implement this technology in the future, we will absolutely do so with people's privacy in mind, just as we do with movement information (which we anonymize in our systems)."

Facebook is still dealing with the fallout from reports of widespread data mishandling and abuse of sensitive user information, spurred by revelations that research firm Cambridge Analytica improperly accessed user information on as many as 87 million people.

The company has overhauled its privacy policies and vowed to be more transparent with users, investors and regulators going forward.

 CNBC's Arjun Kharpal contributed to this report.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.

In 2013, Facebook bought an Israeli app developer called Onavo, whose service helps consumer protect their mobile data while browsing. Now, the company has told legislators that it does not connect data from Ovavo to individual users' Facebook profiles, while acknowledging it does use Onavo data to see what people are doing in other products and improve its own products accordingly.

Congress asked Facebook about Onavo in written questioning following CEO Mark Zuckerberg's congressional testimony in April, which came in response to the Cambridge Analytica data-sharing scandal. On Monday, the company submitted hundreds of pages of answers to those questions.

Legislators wanted to know if Facebook uses traffic data collected from Onavo to "monitor the adoption or popularity of non-Facebook applications." They also asked whether Facebook has used Onavo data in deciding whether to acquire companies or develop a particular product, and whether it links Onavo traffic information to profile data from its core services, "including for analytic purposes."

In its response to Congress, Facebook said it "does not use Onavo data for Facebook product uses, nor does it append any Onavo data or data about individuals' app usage to Facebook accounts."

However, while personal information isn't used, Facebook does look at Onavo's broad data sets to see what types of products are popular and how customers are using them.

The company said it tells Onavo customers on the first screen they see that the product is owned by Facebook and that Facebook uses what it learns to help improve its offerings."Will your practice take my insurance?" is the wrong question to ask your doctor.

More than 20 states have legislation to protect users from "balance billing," or out-of-network costs that can run into the thousands.

Colin Anderson | Getty Images

When it comes to managing health-care expenses, having insurance is only part of the battle. That's because, even with coverage, individuals run into higher costs in the form of high deductibles, out-of-network fees and additional expenses related to testing that may not be useful. Carolyn McClanahan, an M.D. and director of financial planning at Life Planning Partners in Jacksonville, Florida, discussed the best ways for patients to rein in those costs at the American Institute of CPA's Engage conference in Las Vegas on Monday. Workers with family insurance coverage paid average premiums of $5,714 in 2017, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Yet there is more to paying for medical expenses than just footing the premium for your policy. "Health-care plans will look the same, but if one costs more, often it's a difference in the network that's covered," said McClanahan. "A lower cost plan has a narrower network, but you will pay out of network costs if you go elsewhere." These are the levers you can use to manage your expenses.

1. Ask questions

It's no longer enough to ask your doctor's receptionist, "Will you take my insurance?" "When you're making an appointment, don't ask if you're covered under your plan," said McClanahan. "Everyone will take your insurance." Your doctor's office may accept your insurance, but that won't spare you from a surprise bill weeks later if he or she is out of your network, McClanahan said. The correct question for your doctor's receptionist is, "Are you in my network?" Be sure to document who gave you the answer and the date so that you're prepared to fight back if you get a bill that says otherwise, McClanahan said. Speak up when your doctor recommends tests and prescriptions. Ask questions such as: "Is the testing facility in-network?" or "Are the doctors evaluating the tests in-network?"

When you're making an appointment, don't ask if you're covered under your plan. Everyone will take your insurance. Carolyn McClanahan MD and director of financial planning, Life Planning Partners

Don't be shy about asking your doctor for an explanation if he or she recommends that you undergo a test. Learn more about the test and find out how the results will affect the approach to treatment. "If they can't provide a clear answer, ask, 'Is this test really necessary?'" said McClanahan. Finally, curb costs on prescriptions by asking whether your medication is covered under your plan and if a cheaper version is available. Sometimes it's cheaper to pay cash for your medication than to claim it on your insurance, McClanahan said. She suggested digging up drug price information on GoodRx.com and comparison shop. "Know the benefits and risks, how long will you be on medication, and what are the alternatives to the medication prescribed," McClanahan said.

2. Know your coverage

Ron Levine | Stone | Getty Images

Understand what your policy covers, including the details on out-of-pocket maximums, deductibles and co-insurance. Get familiar with your state's laws against "balance billing"  a practice in which insurers only partly cover an out-of-network cost and leave consumers to pay the remainder, which can be thousands of dollars. More than 20 states have some kind of legislation on the books to protect consumers from balance billing, according to the Commonwealth Fund. When you are admitted to the hospital in the event of an emergency, write on all of your paperwork that you will only permit in-network care, said McClanahan. Be sure to take a photo of this document or make a copy of it. "Once you get the bill, if they charge you for out-of-network care, you have ammunition," McClanahan said.

3. Reach out to your regulator, if you must

Hero Images | Getty Images

If balance billing is illegal in your state and you receive a massive out-of-network bill, be sure to reach out to your doctor first, as it may be an error. Pull in your insurer to help. If neither your doctor nor your insurer will help you address the bill, then it's time to contact the regulators, said McClanahan. That means you should reach out to your state medical board and your state's insurance department. If your insurance plan is self-funded  one in which your employer assumes the financial risk for providing your health-care benefits  then you should contact the U.S. Labor Department's Employee Benefits Security Administration.

4. Document everythingJINAN, China  On a smoggy afternoon, huge log carriers and oil tankers thundered down a highway and hurtled around a curve at the bottom of a hill. Only a single, unreinforced guardrail stood between the traffic and a ravine.

The route could make for tough driving under any conditions. But experts are watching it for one feature in particular: The highway curve is paved with solar panels.

"If it can pass this test, it can fit all conditions," said Li Wu, the chairman of Shandong Pavenergy, the company that made the plastic-covered solar panels that carpet the road. If his product fares well, it could have a major impact on the renewable energy sector, and on the driving experience, too.

More from the New York Times:

When solar panels became job killers

Trump's first major trade fight with China could be over solar panels

To protect US solar manufacturing, trade body recommends limits on imports

The experiment is the latest sign of China's desire to innovate in, and dominate, the increasingly lucrative and strategically important market for renewable energy. The country already produces three-quarters of the solar panels sold globally, and its wind-turbine manufacturing industry is also among the world's largest.

The potential appeal of solar roads  modified solar panels that are installed in place of asphalt  is clear. Generating electricity from highways and streets, rather than in fields and deserts packed with solar panels, could conserve a lot of land. Those advantages are particularly important in a place like China, a heavily populated country where demand for energy has risen rapidly.

Because roads run through and around cities, the electricity could be used practically next door to where it is generated. That means virtually no power would be lost in transmission, as can happen with projects in outlying locations. And the land is essentially free, because roads are needed anyway. Roads must be resurfaced every few years at great cost, so the installation of durable solar panels could reduce the price of maintenance.

Solar roads could also change the driving experience. Electric heating strips can melt snow that falls on them. Light-emitting diodes embedded in the surface can provide illuminated signage to direct drivers to exits and alert them to construction and other traffic hazards.

Now, such roads are finally becoming viable. Prices have fallen drastically in recent years  thanks in large part to soaring Chinese production, a solar panel costs a tenth of what it did a decade ago. Road builders in China even want to design solar roads that can wirelessly recharge electric cars running on them, emulating a recent American experiment.

China's leaders in solar road development are Pavenergy and Qilu Transportation. The two companies are working together here in Jinan, in Shandong Province, with Pavenergy making panels for Qilu, a large, state-owned highway construction and management company that operates the highway.White House aides, ripping Canada's prime minister over trade disputes at the G-7 gathering, vowed not to let him paint President Donald Trump as weak before his nuclear summit. In reality, Trump weakened his own hand at both the G-7 and his sit-down with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. His conduct was unprecedented because Trump's approach to the presidency  applying a narrow definition of America's self-interest according to his personal whims  is unprecedented. And there was no sign of the muscular outcome Trump aides craved. "It has been," said longtime U.S. diplomat Nicholas Burns, "a bad week for American strength around the world." At the G-7, Trump riled economic allies by pressing ahead for protective tariffs. He demands concessions from friendly democracies based on immediate economic benefit. Before that gathering, he called for re-admission of Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin to the G-7 club. Afterward, he attacked the host prime minister as "weak"; offended by Justin Trudeau's refusal to acquiesce, he warned that will cost Canadians "a lot of money."

Trump invoked the same economic benefits in Singapore. He granted Kim's wish to suspend U.S. military exercises with South Korea, noting "we'll be saving a tremendous amount of money." Candidate Trump touted negotiating skill as his foremost credential for the presidency. Approaching the summit, he reveled in talk he could win the Nobel Peace Prize. His eagerness did not produce concrete results. The document he and Kim signed, calling for peace on a denuclearized Korean peninsula, contained neither a timetable nor details of any kind. It was less specific than earlier statements by Kim's predecessors.

Trump praises Kim

After meeting the brutal ruler, who has starved North Koreans and ordered the assassination of his own family members, Trump sidestepped asserting American values on freedom and human rights. He praised Kim as a "very talented" young man who took over his country and has "run it tough." Summit stagecraft, featuring American flags arrayed side-by-side with North Korean flags, depicted the dictator as the president's peer. Trump told ABC's George Stephanopoulos that North Korea's impoverished people, who lack freedom to dissent, feel "a great fervor" for Kim. Like Trump insisting Canada runs a trade surplus with the U.S. when data show the opposite, calling Kim a beloved leader sounds disconnected from reality. Yet he found a personal basis for their "very special bond" in Kim's praise for him. "He said openly  that he knows no other president could have done this," Trump told Stephanopoulos. "I think he trusts me, and I trust him." For foreign policy analysts, the good news was that the summit took place. Gritty negotiations toward denuclearization displace, at least for now, threats of armed conflict. "Jaw-jaw is better than war-war," said ex-Obama aide Tony Blinken, quoting Winston Churchill. "Trump should be applauded for that." Republican loyalists dismissed the idea that Trump surrendered concessions at all. "In the words of John Lennon, 'Give peace a chance,'" said GOP Rep. Bradley Byrne of Alabama. "We gave up nothing, unless you think a suspension of joint exercises with South Korea is something  which as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I don't." South Korea's request for clarification signaled that Seoul views the joint exercises differently. And the fact that President Moon Jae-In got no advance word of the suspension shows what Trump, in both high-level meetings, plainly has given up. Since the U.S. triumphed in World War II, its leaders have embraced a broad conception of national self-interest. It viewed strength at home  economically and otherwise  as intertwined with the strength of democratic friends abroad. It accepted America's obligation, as the world's leading power, to sustain international alliances based in part on common values. When Trump was 14 years old, an earlier president facing a Cold War with the Soviet Union described the obligation memorably. "We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty," John F. Kennedy declared. Six decades later, Trump's "America First" doctrine little values those alliances or the strength the U.S. derives from them. He wants money back.

WATCH: Did Trump get played by Kim Jong Un?President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement at the conclusion of Tuesday's historic summit. Here's what it says, according to a photo of Trump's signed document:

Joint Statement of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the Singapore Summit

President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a first, historic summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018.

President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new U.S.-DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.Banks are holding steady on Tuesday ahead of three key central bank meetings. The charts have two market watchers split on how best to trade the financials in a busy week of monetary policy decisions.

The regional banks look like the best play to Chris Verrone, head of technical analysis at Strategas Research Partners. Verrone says recent activity in the KBW regional banking index suggests a bigger breakout ahead.

"When you look at the group especially over the last number of weeks, while the bigger ones have struggled, the smaller ones have actually acted fantastic here," Verrone told CNBC's "Trading Nation" on Monday. "This group has essentially been consolidating for the better part of the last year-and-a-half, just coming out of this base and, most importantly, it's doing it in relative terms as well so these are six-month relative highs for regionals."

The KBW index is up 8 percent in the year to date with gains picking up speed since April. The broader XLF financial SPDR ETF is flat in 2018.

"We think that sends a positive message for names like KeyCorp, SunTrust. All good charts. We think you own them here," said Verrone.

How the banks and broader markets move next depends on how those central banks swing this week, starting with the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, says Bill Baruch, president of Blue Line Futures.

"When the Fed hikes rates on Wednesday, if they are more hawkish than expected we could see some of the other parts of the market, some of the other sectors, stumble and the banking sector could be a pillar," Baruch said on Monday's "Trading Nation."

The Federal Open Market Committee is expected to announce a 25-basis-point rate hike on Wednesday afternoon following its two-day meeting. Fed chairman Jerome Powell's statements after the meeting hold more weight as investors dissect how hawkish or dovish the new central bank leader might be in coming months.

The European Central Bank and Bank of Japan release their own policy decisions on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

"I'm watching J.P. Morgan and Bank of America," said Verrone. "When they closed before the Italian crisis over Memorial [Day] weekend, that closing level on May 25 has been a tough one to get out above and stay out above, so watch those levels."

J.P. Morgan and Bank of America are up 3 percent so far this month.Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary, defended the lumber tariffs. "Anti-dumping and countervailing duty determinations provide the domestic industry with relief from dumping and improper subsidies," he said in a statement to The New York Times last week. "Price fluctuations from other factors are not part of the calculus."

Those tariffs, which took effect last year, combined with other factors to drive up the price of lumber in the United States. As a result, the anti-dumping and countervailing duties, as the tariffs are officially known, have added to the cost of housing in the United States at a time when homes are becoming less affordable. The Trump administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum, and any others that follow, could also contribute to rising costs for businesses and consumers.

Long before the sharp clash with Canada at the Group of 7 meeting this weekend, the Trump administration imposed tariffs on lumber imports from Canada, which American home builders use in large quantities. The United States Commerce Department contended that Canadian companies were selling lumber into the United States at unfair, subsidized prices.

Look no further than the lumber that goes into many houses in the United States.

Want to better understand what may happen in the United States economy as President Trump pursues his combative trade policies?

Tariffs might be expected to push up the price of a good to a certain level, but in this case, the price of Canadian lumber kept rising.

The cost of 1,000 board feet of western Canadian lumber is up nearly 80 percent over the past 12 months, including about 40 percent this year, according to data from Random Lengths, a publication that covers the lumber market.

What caused this unusual rise? Paul F. Jannke, a principal at Forest Economic Advisors, a firm that analyzes the lumber market, said that the tariffs had contributed to the ascent. But, he added, a reduction in the supply of Canadian lumber, caused by recent rail slowdowns and tree disease, played a big role. Mr. Ross, in his statement, noted these causes.

"The prices have gone up by much more than the tariffs because of supply and demand factors," he said. "The purpose of the tariffs was to level the playing field for the Americans."

In the first quarter of 2018, the United States imported 3.07 billion board feet of Canadian lumber, down 15 percent from 3.63 billion board feet a year earlier, according to data from Forest Economic Advisors. Also, Canadian lumber imports in the first quarter were equivalent to 36 percent of United States domestic lumber production, down from 42 percent in all of 2017.

Is this evidence that the tariffs have priced the Canadians out of the United States market, allowing American producers to fill the gap? Probably not. The declines in Canadian shipments are more the result of tree disease and the slower rail transportation than tariffs, Mr. Jannke said. Also, United States lumber production does not appear to be growing at a faster rate. In the first quarter, it was up 3 percent over a year earlier. In 2017, it grew at a 4.4 percent annual rate. It will take a long time for American producers to add a significant amount of new capacity, Mr. Jannke added.

Large Canadian lumber producers have done well financially despite the trade friction. The stock of West Fraser Timber, a big Canadian producer, has gained 53 percent in the last 12 months, and its 2018 first-quarter earnings rose 60 percent from a year earlier.

"The tariffs did not constrain Canadian production nor was that their purpose," Mr. Ross said in his statement. "Their purpose was to protect the U.S. lumber industry from subsidized softwood lumber dumping. These tariffs will be most beneficial to the U.S. producers in the next down cycle. In an up cycle, everyone benefits."

But such words may not satisfy United States home builders, who are grappling with the much higher lumber prices while other costs  like wages  are also going up.

"We've had conversations with the White House, Secretary Ross directly and the U.S. trade representative," said Jerry Howard, chief executive of the National Association of Home Builders. "We are trying to sound the alarm here."

Despite the rise in housing prices, the number of homes being built has not picked up to the levels of past upswings.

In the past 12 months, monthly housing starts, expressed at an annual rate, have averaged 1.24 million units, well below the 1.96 million average units from 2003 through 2005.

For now, many home builders are passing on their higher costs to home buyers. In recent months, executives from publicly traded home builders have told their shareholders that they expect to maintain their profit margins even as their costs rise.

The profitability of home builders has not escaped Mr. Ross's notice. "Home prices have risen by much more than the increase in lumber prices, and this is reflected in the strong profit margins of the home builders," he said.IHOP got quite the buzz over the weekend as it teased major changes to its iconic brand, including swapping the last letter in its acronym from a "P" to a "b."

However, the company won't be actually changing its name to "IHOb." In fact, the whole thing was a marketing stunt introducing the restaurant's new line of burgers, which the company hopes will lure in diners during lunchtime.

The campaign went viral on social media, garnering the commentary of fellow restaurant brands as well as celebrities. However, buzz may not matter if the brand can't bump up its sales.

"Too many PR people and marketing professionals think of buzz as a real metric, and it doesn't matter how many impressions you get, how many retweets, how much you drive the conversation, how long you are trending, if it doesn't equate to sales," Dan Hill, CEO of Hill Impact, told CNBC. "The real metric will be do they sell more burgers? Do they get more traffic? Do they get new people to come to their restaurants?"

Traffic has been on the decline for the pancake chain for the last 10 quarters and its same-store sales only recently saw positive growth for the first time in seven quarters.

While IHOP has been able to get customers through the door early in the morning and late at night, it hopes that these new burgers will lure in diners during the pivotal lunch hour.

"It's trying to move into the lunch/dinner category, but that means that it will now have to blur its identity as a breakfast place," Rosalind Chow, an associate professor of organizational behavior and theory at Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business, told CNBC via email. "That's a difficult place to live as a company; you risk losing clientele who valued your old identity and not attracting new clientele with your new identity."

"However, IHOP probably wouldn't be doing this unless it needed to expand market share," she said. "They need more bodies in the room than what breakfast/brunch can provide. So, they need to diversify their offering in some way."

Lunch represents 33 percent of total food service industry traffic, according to The NPD Group. However, lunch sales have been in a decline over the last few years, as more workers eat their midday meal at their desks.

"Yes, it's off brand, because people know [IHOP] for pancakes, but there are also opportunities to extend to other foods and increase the amount of times someone might come there on a monthly basis," Eric Schiffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, told CNBC.

Schiffer called the marketing campaign "click bait on steroids," but praised it for garnering so much attention and free publicity.

"This was a brilliant marketing stunt that didn't grossly undermine the credibility of IHOP and in the end will lead to people considering it for additional items and, at the same time, they got probably several hundred million dollars of free publicity," he said.

However, IHOP's marketing tactics didn't impress Hill. He called the campaign deceitful for making it sound like the company was doing a full rebrand, when it was just gearing up to promote one product.

"It's the same decor, same environment and same services," he said. "Are [customers] really going to feel like there was much of a change?"

Customer expectations aren't the only thing the chain has to worry about. IHOP is entering a highly competitive and crowded space with this new burger line.

Burger chains are fighting for customer loyalty and are discounting their food, swapping out frozen patties for fresh beef, adding unique ingredients between the buns, and even catering to vegetarians and vegans with meat substitutes.

IHOP's line of burgers, in comparison, is pretty standard fare. New additions include a mushroom and Swiss topped burger, one with jalapenos and pepper jack cheese, and one covered in BBQ sauce and crispy onion rings.

Schiffer said he expects the brand will be able to innovate with new flavors once its burger line launches and customers begin to associate IHOP with lunch.

"I would not be surprised if over time IHOP began to inch into the market share of burger chains," he said.The potential opening up of North Korea's economy following its peace overtures with the United States Tuesday could mean massive commercial opportunities, according to investment mogul Mark Mobius.

Infrastructure and mining present the first points of interest for Mobius, the longtime executive chairman of Templeton Emerging Markets Group and founder of Mobius Capital Partners, who pointed to North Korea's population of 25 million as a boon for investors if it were to be added to South Korea's market of 50 million.

"That means a much bigger market, and to me the most exciting thing is the opportunity to have a bridge between South Korea, China and Russia. Because then you would be able to have railroads and roads going north through North Korea into these huge nations," he told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe." "It's a tremendous opportunity."

President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made history in Singapore during the first ever summit between sitting leaders of the two countries and longtime adversaries. The document signed at the meeting's conclusion promised to pursue peace and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, though few specifics were provided, and no mention of timelines or a particular definition of "denuclearization."

Still, Trump has offered to lift economic sanctions on the North that have for decades kept it locked out of international markets, though he told press that they remain in place for now.U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said special counsel Robert Mueller 's team must hand over the names to Manafort's lawyers by Friday.

The individuals and groups whose names Manafort demanded are ones who allegedly acted as unregistered foreign agents at his behest.

A judge ordered prosecutors Tuesday to tell ex- Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort the identities of key figures in the criminal case against him.

That is the same day Manafort is due in court on a request by Mueller to revoke his $10 million bail and jail him because of his alleged efforts to tamper with potential witnesses against him.

Manafort is accused  among other crimes  of acting as an "unregistered agent of a foreign principal," as part of his lobbying work for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine.

Prosecutors claim Manafort also led others, "including former senior foreign politicians," to act as unregistered foreign agents for entities that included Ukraine's government.

Manafort's lawyers in April had asked for the names in order to prepare for trial in September before Jackson in federal court in Washington, D.C.

In agreeing with that request Tuesday, Jackson noted that Manafort needs to "prepare for a complex trial with a voluminous record within a relatively short period of time."

She added Manafort "should not have to be surprised at a later point by the addition of a new name or allegation."

But the judge rejected requests from Manafort's lawyers for details about other claims. Those include allegations Manafort lied to the Justice Department and caused someone else to make a false statement.

A spokesman for Mueller and Manafort's lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Manafort, who has pleaded not guilty, is facing multiple criminal charges, including conspiracy to launder money and making false statements.

Last week, Mueller's office also accused him of trying to tamper with potential witnesses by sending them encrypted messages. Manafort's lawyers have denied that.

Manafort's associate, Rick Gates, earlier this year pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States and making a false statement. He is awaiting sentencing.

Manafort is scheduled to go on trial July 24 in federal court in Virginia on charges linked to the ones he faces in Washington.A pedestrian walks in front of an AT&T location in New York.

In his ruling approving AT&T's bid to purchase Time Warner, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon advised the Department of Justice to not try and contest the ruling, which was unexpected, according to an analyst.

"I think the biggest surprise here is Judge Leon advising the DOJ not to try to contest this ruling," Craig Moffett told CNBC.

"That is a very real rebuke of the DOJ here," said Moffett, founder of MoffettNathanson, a research firm, said Tuesday on "Closing Bell."

The $85.4 billion deal comes with no conditions and changes ownership of cable channels such as HBO and CNN.

The ruling also comes with wide-ranging implications about what will be allowed in future mergers. A section of the Clayton Antitrust Act prohibits mergers and acquisitions when the effect "may be substantially to lessen competition, or to tend to create a monopoly."

The Department of Justice released a statement after the decision, saying, "We are disappointed with the Court's decision today. We continue to believe that the pay-TV market will be less competitive and less innovative as a result of the proposed merger between AT&T and Time Warner. We will closely review the court's opinion and consider the next steps in light of our commitment to preserving competition for the benefit of American consumers."

Moffett said the win wasn't easy for AT&T, and since the company is so large Time Warner will only account for about 15 to 20 percent of the telecommunication company's revenue.

"Getting Time Warner would be good for AT&T's income statement, but bad for AT&T's balance sheet," Moffett said. He pointed out that AT&T is one of the most indebted companies in the world  about $249 billion in debt. Buying Time Warner will not ease this burden.

"That's a risky proposition," Moffett said.

Former AT&T Chairman and CEO David Dorman agreed it was a big bet, but one that he said, "makes a lot of sense."

"AT&T is betting on the media business being a complementary business," Dorman said Tuesday on "Closing Bell."



"They understand offering products to customers is a dumb pipe," he said. "It's not as exciting as offering applications on that pipe."

Shares of AT&T fell about 2 percent in after-hours trading. Meanwhile, Time Warner stock was was up about 5 percent.

The Department of Justice declined to comment and AT&T did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

DisclaimerDaniel Kahneman, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, said Tuesday financial advisors still play a major role in the finance world  despite recent technological disruptions in the industry  as they act as therapists for investors.

As an advisor, you have to find out "what the client's needs are, what the client's capabilities are in terms of taking risks," as well as their dreams and fears, Kahneman, known for his work in behavioral economics, said in a keynote at the Morningstar Investment Conference in Chicago. "When bad things happen, you have to be there. [Clients] need to have a sense that there's someone that they trust and has their interests in mind and who knows what they want."

In recent years, the financial industry has been disrupted by technological advances that have led to job losses as well as lower fees for advisors. One of the biggest disruptions has been the rise in so-called robo-advisors, which provide financial advice to investors with next to no human interaction and at a far lower price.

Robo-advisors are also growing at a very fast rate, surpassing $200 billion in assets under management last year, according to BackEnd Benchmarking, which releases quarterly data on robo-advisors. Other major wealth management firms have developed their own internal versions of robo-advisors.

Still, Kahneman said, "There is a hand-holding function" for advisors which is "very important." Kahneman won the Nobel in 2002 for his work in behavioral economics.

The Nobel laureate also said he is researching "unsystematic errors," which refer to random mistakes made by individuals or a group of people.

"During my career, I've done a lot of work on systematic errors that people make," Kahneman said. "In recent years, I've become more convinced that there is something more important than systematic error. That's unsystematic error. We call that noise."

Kahneman gave an example of two insurance underwriters presented with the same case in a study to illustrate his point. In theory, there should be about a 10 percent difference between the two estimates provided by the underwriters. However, that difference totaled 50 percent.

"There's a lot of noise when making a decision. Not in the decision itself, but in the making of the decision," he said. "It is possible that an algorithm, and even an unsophisticated algorithm, will do better because the main characteristic of algorithms is they're noise-free. You give them the same problem twice, you get the same result. People don't."But when the brothers opened Tankfarm's brick-and-mortar locations, their management styles clashed  and their business suffered. Tankfarm's two retail locations made only $29,000 total in profit in 2017.

Tankfarm & Co. is a men's clothing company in Southern California run by two brothers: John and Mike Anderson, who also run a successful  and profitable  apparel design and supply company that produces clothing sold by retail giants like Nordstrom and Urban Outfitters.

In order to run a successful small business, chances are you'll need to open yourself up to outside opinions and resist the urge to micromanage every last detail. That's one of the lessons that self-made millionaire and entrepreneur Marcus Lemonis has to impart on one small business owner on Tuesday's season 5 premiere of CNBC's "The Profit."

And what's at stake is more than just business  it's about family too. John and Mike run the retail and supply businesses, while their father, Rick, operates the family's clothing screen printing shop, which was founded by his father.



A third brother, Ricky, previously worked there, until he passed away from cancer in 2016. Now, John and Mike want to keep their family business intact so they can eventually pass on equity in the company to their own kids (John has two daughters and Mike has three sons), as well as Ricky's children.

"We're gonna build this thing and they're gonna work for us. That's our dream," John tells Lemonis.

"Any time you meet people that are rich in family tradition ... those are the underpinnings of good business partners," says Lemonis.

Still, "I always anticipate that there's going to be some level of tension and some level of arguments and a difference in philosophy," with family-run businesses, Lemonis tells CNBC Make It.

And that's what he found.

To make sure there's a business for future generations, Lemonis tells the brothers that they need to close one of the retail locations (the lease is up anyway) and redesign the layout of the remaining store that will become their focus.

During the process, it becomes clear that John's management style is part of the problem, when his inner control freak comes out amid the changes.

Lemonis describes their process as "broken" after watching John cut off brother Mike mid-sentence, when talking to a client about a complaint.

"Certain things come down to respect," Mike tells John later in the episode. "It's like you want to be my boss sometimes, where I'm like, 'Dude, we're partners.'"

"Both of you, get your s--- together, and figure out how to coexist and have mutual respect," Lemonis tells the brothers.

But after Lemonis invites Mike's wife  who runs her own successful apparel store that pulled in $1.3 million in revenue in 2017, more than Tankfarm's two stores combined  to take charge of the redesign at the Anderson brothers' store, John refuses to go along with most of the changes.

"I don't like having outsiders come in and be like, 'No, do this, do this, do this,'" John tells Lemonis about why he couldn't handle watching someone else take control of the store's redesign.

"I think you really need to work on letting things roll off your back a little bit more," Lemonis tells him.Roughly 60 percent of weekends since December have seen a 5 percent move or higher over a weekend, and 82 percent of weekends have had at least a 3 percent move in either direction, according to data from CoinMarketCap.com.

A man walks past a bitcoin ATM in Vilnius, Lithuania. Ints Kalnins | Reuters

For bitcoin traders, key times to buy or sell often come at the least opportune time to be behind a computer monitor: Saturday night. Some of the digital currency's steepest price swings have happened over a weekend. Bitcoin hit its all-time high near $20,000 on a Saturday in December, and dove to a recent two-month low this Sunday. Roughly 60 percent of weekends since December have seen a 5 percent or higher price move over a weekend, and 82 percent of weekends have had at least a 3 percent move in either direction, according to data from CoinMarketCap.com. Low liquidity, and limited bank hours have made it all the more challenging for U.S. traders to capitalize on these weekend price swings. Mark Newton is one analyst on-call during odd hours. The former Morgan Stanley technical strategist has notifications on his phone through the Coinbase trading app, and had been watching for alert when bitcoin hit $7,345 before he cut his losses. This Saturday, bitcoin fell, his Coinbase app lit up, and Newton clicked the sell button. "Rule no. 1 is you don't pick losses, you don't sit there and try to defend a bad position  it's not emotional," said Newton, president and founder of Newton Advisors. "We're seeing above average volatility on weekends with it moving dramatically up or down."

Newton works with hedge funds and other firms to provide crypto technical analysis. He gave clients the heads up Sunday that a key "stop loss" milestone had been triggered. It's possible bitcoin's price dive was accelerated by hitting that level, which forced a wave of selling by multiple traders, he said. Others attributed the 10 percent sell-off Sunday to news of a hack in South Korea and a Wall Street Journal report about U.S. regulators investigating potential price manipulation at exchanges. Over the weekend, world's largest and most valuable cryptocurrency plunged below to a two-month low of $6,647.33, according to CoinDesk.

Low volume

While the hack and Wall Street Journal report may have fired the starting gun, the major price drop happened later that afternoon. Volumes rose roughly 25 percent around in the early afternoon on the East Coast, according to CoinMarketCap.com. Around the same time, bitcoin prices dropped sharply. That pattern, according to eToro analyst Matthew Newton, could have been the result of a large sell order. "That serious uptick in volume around 6 pm BST was when you saw that really violent move downward," said Matthew Newton, U.K.-based analyst at eToro. "It certainly seems to have accelerated the drop." For bitcoin, 24-hour trading dollar volume has fallen by more than 60 percent this year after starting the year above $12 billion, according to CoinMarketCap. "Whales," or holders of large amounts of bitcoin, have a massive influence in the market  and can be even more influential when trading volume is low on weekends. About 1600 wallets, or accounts, hold roughly 28 percent of that total bitcoin in existence, according to data from BitInfoCharts. One of these whales placing a large buy or sell order on weekend can have an especially drastic effect on an already "thin" market, eToro's Newton said.

Bank hours

One reason trading tends be be thinner on weekends is because most people don't have access to their bank accounts. Bitcoin trading happens 24 hours a day, 7 days a week while banks are typically open 40 hours a week. When time is not a concern, people use bank transfers to purchase bitcoin and save on purchasing fees. Most cryptocurrency exchanges will charge about a 4 percent fee for card cryptocurrency purchases. Some exchanges like Coinbase and eToro support credit cards for deposits or withdraws in fiat currencies. But that's not an option on other exchanges like Gemini or Kraken. In order to fund your account with U.S. dollars on those exchanges, you have to link a bank account and initiate a Bank Transfer (ACH) deposit or wire transfer. Buying the dips, or making money off of these swings on a weekend requires using a debit card, or trading one cryptocurrency for another. That becomes tricky for some hedge funds, who are used to trading in and out of fiat currency.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday signed an agreement that "reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

That may sound promising, but many experts warned ahead of the historic summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump that North Korea likely has a different understanding of what denuclearization entails.

For the U.S., the term means North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons  but Pyongyang may agree to do so only if certain conditions are fulfilled.

Possible conditions include ending the American military presence in South Korea. It may also mean scrapping the U.S. regional nuclear umbrella, an arrangement under which Washington promises to retaliate if its allies are attacked with nuclear weapons.While most of us can look forward to perfectly uneventful online shopping experiences, experts say it is important to take precautions against the likes of Borker.

"He told me I shouldn't have f----ed with him because he has all my personal information and my credit card information. He said, 'You don't know who you screwed with. I'm going to get you.' By the time I got off the phone, I was in tears, shaking," she said.

"Then he started stating that he knew where I lived, and I was just terrified," she said.

Sisco eventually paid the fee, but Borker would not let up, e-mailing her at all hours.

"He stated in an e-mail to me that he was giving me the finger," she told "American Greed." "I stated, 'God bless him," because in my mind he was just a miserable person. And then he just started calling me a Jesus freak."

In Boston, customer Shonnett Sisco became concerned when the designer glasses she ordered arrived without a promised certificate of authenticity. When she sought to return them, Borker demanded a $50 restocking fee, to which Sisco objected.

"Right after I sent that last e-mail saying I didn't want to pay that cancellation fee, my cellphone rang," New York customer Maura Selneck told CNBC's "American Greed." "He started insulting me as soon as I answered the phone. He proceeded to call me a f---ing valley girl, telling me that I was just a stupid b----."

But Borker went beyond just selling knockoff glasses. Some customers never received their orders even though their credit cards had been charged. Those who dared to complain or ask for a refund found themselves on the receiving end of exorbitant "restocking" or "cancellation" fees. And if they objected, things got even worse.

Then there is the counterfeit eyewear sold online by New York businessman Vitaly Borker, who pleaded guilty in 2011 to running an $18 million scam, only to continue running the scheme from prison, as well as after his release in 2015. Borker pleaded guilty to three additional fraud counts in March.

She said some of the most common items involved in scams include pets and pet supplies, cosmetics, clothing and health care.

"Most online shopping scams are essentially ordering a product and never receiving the product, so you've paid money and you've received nothing in return," said Melissa Trumpower, director of programs and operations at the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust , the educational arm of the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

How much has the internet changed the way we shop? Nearly $1 in every $10 we spend on retail goods is now spent online, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. That percentage has nearly doubled in just the last five years. But even as we become more and more comfortable with the process, experts warn the internet is still fraught with risks.

Check it out

Just as you would not want to buy a designer watch from the back of a van in a dark alley, do not buy items online from a seller you have not checked out.

One place to start is by searching the Better Business Bureau's online directory, which can tell you if the business is accredited, and whether the BBB has received complaints.

"You can check to see if they're even in the database," Trumpower said. "If not, that's a concern. You can also do a general Google search which will pull up a lot of information about that company and that website."

But take search results with a grain of salt.

Borker initially benefited from a loophole in Google's algorithm  which the search company said it has since closed  in which even negative reviews boosted a business' search results. The more traffic  good or bad  the higher his company would show up on the page. Even though Google said it changed its algorithms after the New York Times exposed Borker in 2010, you still should not simply go with the first link that comes up in a search for a product category.

Similarly, beware of online reviews, which can be gamed.

"If there's all positive feedback and nothing negative, that may be a red flag," Trumpower said.

In addition to checking the Better Business Bureau listings, the Federal Trade Commission said to make certain the website includes a physical address and a phone number, and verify them. That way you have a place to contact should things go bad.

"Anyone can set up shop online under almost any name," the agency said on its website.

And if you get a pop-up or email while browsing asking for your financial information, stop right there, the FTC said. "Legitimate companies don't ask for information that way."

Credit where credit is due

Experts agree that one of the best ways to protect yourself when shopping online is to pay with a credit card.

"It's traceable," Trumpower said. "If somebody comes to you and asks you to wire money or to use a prepaid gift card that's a huge red flag and I would not do that."

Most credit card companies will protect you in a dispute with a seller. And the federal Fair Credit Billing Act protects you against things like unauthorized charges, or charges for items you did not receive. Under the law, your credit card company can generally only hold you responsible for the first $50 in charges you did not authorize. Many companies will not hold you responsible for any unauthorized charges, and most offer protections if you are not satisfied with your purchase.

Sense of security

Once you are satisfied that the business you are dealing with is legitimate, do not let your guard down. Be sure to protect your banking and credit card information when purchasing online. Never enter credit card information on a website that does not have the letters "https" at the start of its URL or address.

"That indicates that it's actually a secure transaction and they're protecting your information," Trumpower said.

And never provide payment information via email, the FTC said.

"Email is not a secure method of transmitting financial information like your credit card, checking account, or Social Security number," the agency's website cautions.

Not that you should be sharing your banking information, your Social Security number, or your birthday with any online merchant.

"Those are things that are not typically needed by a business and you should be very wary if they ask for that," Trumpower said.

It is the same reason you should avoid the temptation of posting on social media about your purchase.

"A lot of scammers are going to several different sites and they're gathering information to understand who you are, who your friends are, what you like to do," she said. "The more that they understand about you, the more powerful it is later for them to come back and try to follow up and do a scam."

Complaint department

If you still find yourself the victim of a scam, or even a purchase you are unhappy with, do not hesitate to complain.

"People are embarrassed when we get scammed, and you shouldn't be embarrassed," Trumpower said. "If you are the victim of a scam, be sure that you take the time to go online and report it, because what that does is it gives us a lot more data so that we can prevent this from happening to other people."

The Better Business Bureau has a special website that allows you to report and track scams and learn about new ones in real time.

You can also file a formal complaint with the FTC, which regulates internet commerce. Or contact your state's attorney general's office. Each has a consumer protection division or can direct you to the appropriate agency in your area.

Doing your own due diligence  and alerting others if you see a problem  can stop the next Borker from robbing you blind.

See just how far Vitaly Borker would go to avoid giving customers their money back, on an all-new episode of "American Greed" on Monday at 10 p.m. ET/PT only on CNBC.Seattle city officials voted on Tuesday to repeal a new tax measure on large companies following mounting pressure from Amazon and other local businesses.



Sitting in front of a raucous crowd, including many who opposed the repeal, the Seattle City Council members voted 7 to 2 in favor of overturning the law, which was just passed four weeks ago.

The so-called head tax, designed to help fund the city's effort to solve its homelessness problem, would have charged companies with more than $20 million in annual revenue $275 per full-time employee every year. The city was expecting to raise roughly $48 million a year through the new tax measure.

Some of the largest Seattle-based companies, including Amazon and Starbucks, sharply criticized the law and formed a coalition to launch the No Tax On Jobs campaign that would have put a repeal referendum on the November ballot.

Amazon temporarily stopped construction of an office building in downtown Seattle to protest the decision, and more than 100 local businesses signed an open letter last month to oppose the new law.

Amazon's spokesperson said in a statement that the repeal is "the right decision for the region's economic prosperity."

The coalition said through its spokesperson that it's glad to see the "Seattle City Council has heard the voices of the people loud and clear and are now reconsidering this ill-conceived tax," according to the Associated Press.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan issued a statement on Monday acknowledging the city's decision to repeal the head tax proposal.

"It is clear that the ordinance will lead to a prolonged, expensive political fight over the next five months that will do nothing to tackle our urgent housing and homelessness crisis," Durkan said in a statement. "We heard you."

The controversy is Amazon's latest tussle against state and government tax policies.

Amazon is in a tax fight with a number of states, including South Carolina, on how to charge sales tax on products sold by third party sellers on its marketplace. Last month, Amazon also said it would block shoppers in Australia from buying from its international sites after the country said it would impose tax on products shipped into the country.

And then there's Amazon's plan for its second headquarters, which has has created a bidding war from cities and states offering tax breaks and incentives to win the bid.Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee want to interview White House advisor Ivanka Trump as part of the committee's investigation into Russian interference, according to a Buzzfeed article published Tuesday.



Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said he wanted to question the president's eldest daughter over "two separate national security questions," Buzzfeed said.

An unnamed source familiar with the matter told Buzzfeed that Senate Democrats had wanted to interview Ivanka Trump "for a while." The source added that she is not a central figure in the investigation, and so the committee has prioritized other interviews.

A representative for Ivanka Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Wyden's chief of staff and communications director were not immediately available to comment.



The heightened interest follows reports that Trump attempted to connect one of her father's associates to a Russian weightlifter in 2015 who touted an unsubstantiated and unclear connection to Russian President Vladimir Putin.



That weightlifter, Dmitry Klokov, reportedly offered to set up a meeting between President Donald Trump and Putin to help facilitate the construction of the 100-story Trump World Tower Moscow, whose construction was later abandoned.



Klokov told CNBC on June 6 that he had never met Ivanka Trump and denied offering to set up the meeting. Peter Mirijanian, a spokesperson for Trump's lawyer, told CNBC that Trump did not know Klokov, but did receive an "unsolicited email from his wife," which she passed on to Michael Cohen, Trump's lawyer and fixer who is currently under federal investigation in New York City.



The other matter Wyden said he wanted to question Trump about was the Chinese government's May decision to award her company a number of trademarks in the country.



The timing of the decision raised questions about potential conflicts of interest, coming at the same time that Trump's father announced a plan to resuscitate Chinese telecom giant ZTE.



Abigail Klem, the president of the Ivanka Trump brand, said in a statement that the trademarks were filed in the "normal course of business."

It does not appear that Ivanka Trump will have an interview scheduled soon. The unnamed source told Buzzfeed that Republicans on the committee "aren't wild about" the idea. Caitlin Carroll, communications director for Richard Burr, R-N.C., the chairman of the committee, declined to comment.Small business optimism rose in May to its highest level in more than 30 years, helped by all-time highs in some key index components, the National Federation of Independent Business said Tuesday.

Expectations for business expansion and reports of positive earnings trends hit record highs, while expectations for strong increases in real sales reached their highest since 1995.

Reports of compensation increases also hit their highest in the history of the index.

Small businesses account for about 40 percent of total hiring and are a good indicator on overall economic activity, Joseph Lavorgna, chief economist for Americas at Natixis, said in a note Tuesday.

The percent of firms in the NFIB survey expecting higher real sales tends to lead GDP by one quarter, which indicates second quarter growth should pick up to at least 3 percent, Lavorgna said.

Source: NFIB, BEA, Haver Analytics, Natixis

The U.S. economy grew at a 2.2 percent annualized rate in the first quarter, according to the second estimate from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

"Small business owners are continuing an 18-month streak of unprecedented optimism which is leading to more hiring and raising wages," NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg said in a statement. "While they continue to face challenges in hiring qualified workers, they now have more resources to commit to attracting candidates."

Overall, the small business optimism index's reading of 107.8 in May marked an increase of 3 points from the prior month and the second-highest level in the index's 45-year history. The record high hit in 1983 is just 0.2 points more at 108.0.

"The new tax code is returning money to the private sector where history makes clear it will be better invested than by a government bureaucracy," a commentary in the NFIB report said. "Regulatory costs, as significant as taxes, are being reduced."

Small business optimism index (1986-2018)

Source: National Federation of Independent Business. Data collected on a monthly basis since 1986, quarterly since 1973.US President Donald Trump (2nd R) and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (2nd L) sign documents as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) and the North Korean leader's sister Kim Yo Jong (L) look on at a signing ceremony during their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018.

With the ink barely dry, the much-anticipated agreement signed by President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un quickly drew hard-hitting criticism for being short on specifics, especially on what denuclearization really means.

A photo of the document, which Trump deemed "very comprehensive," revealed that North Korea will work toward "complete denuclearization," among other points that the two leaders agreed on. But many experts expressed dismay and disappointment at the accord.

Andrew Gilholm, director of North Asia analysis at Control Risks, called the statement "brief and vague" and said it lacked any detail or new commitments.

"It is likely to be criticized by many observers who object to Trump dealing with Kim without tangible North Korean commitments to real, rapid denuclearization, although such commitments were never a realistic expectation," he told CNBC via email.

Parag Khanna, a senior research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, told CNBC he didn't think the declaration contained an actual definition of denuclearization, suggesting a convergence between the two sides. Even before the agreement was signed, most experts believed that denuclearization meant different things to both leaders. To Trump, this would mean no nuclear weapons in North Korea, while for Kim, it's about having no U.S. troops in South Korea.

Andrei Lankov, a professor at Kookmin University in Seoul, said the agreement has "zero practical value."

"The U.S. could have extracted serious concessions, but it was not done. N.Korea will be emboldened and the U.S. got nothing," he tweeted.

Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at think tank Heritage Foundation, called it "very disappointing."The Korean conflict "will soon end," President Donald Trump said Tuesday following a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. "Adversaries can indeed become friends," Trump said. At the end of their historic meeting at the luxury Capella hotel on Singapore's Sentosa island, the first ever between leaders of the two nations, Trump and Kim signed an agreement to work toward complete denuclearization and a lasting "peace regime" on the Korean peninsula. The document, which Trump deemed "very comprehensive," says the two sides commit to hold follow-up negotiations and to cooperate to develop bilateral relations. Asked about what the agreement meant for North Korea's denuclearization, Trump said "we're starting that process very quickly  very, very quickly." There was no mention of sanctions in the document, but Trump said after the summit those penalties on Pyongyang would remain in place until "the menace of nuclear weapons" is removed. He also fended off questions about dealing with a dictator of a brutal regime in which dissent is not tolerated and opponents are killed. "I think he liked me and I like him," Trump told Voice of America's Greta Van Susteren in an interview. "And I understand the past and, you know, nobody has to tell me, he's a rough guy. He has to be a rough guy or he has been a rough person. But we got along very well. He's smart, loves his people, he loves his country. He wants a lot of good things and that's why he's doing this." Pressed by Van Susteren about human rights abuses, Trump said: "Look, he's doing what he's seen done, if you look at it. But, I really have to go by today and by yesterday and by a couple of weeks ago because that's really when this whole thing started. " A photo of the document Trump signed revealed that the leaders of the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea agreed on these four points: 1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity. 2. The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. 3. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. 4. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified. Read the full text of the document here. In addition to those elements, the document says Trump "committed to provide security guarantees" to North Korea, an apparent reference to the authoritarian government's longstanding concern that the ultimate American goal is regime change in Pyongyang. To follow up on the agreement, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, national security advisor John Bolton and other members of the U.S. team will be "getting together" with North Korean officials next week to work out details of their agreement, Trump said. He added that he and Kim will "probably" need another meeting, but one hasn't been set. "Mike, our whole team has to get to work and get it completed because, otherwise, we've done a good job, but if you don't get the ball over the goal line, it doesn't mean enough," Trump told his secretary of State at the conclusion of Tuesday's news conference.

No more war games

Trump also announced that the United States will be stopping the war games it conducts with South Korea. Doing so "will save us a tremendous amount of money  unless and until we see that the future negotiation is not going along like it should," Trump told reporters. "Plus I think it's very provocative." He also took a dig at South Korea, implying that the U.S. ally doesn't pay enough for those exercises: "That's certainly a subject that we have to talk to them about." Seoul's presidential office told The Associated Press it was trying to discern the exact meaning and intent of Trump's comments. The president said he would eventually like to see the full withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Korean peninsula. Still, Trump emphasized during his postsummit press conference that the U.S. had not yet agreed to reduce any military capabilities: "We're not reducing anything."

"I think our whole relationship with North Korea and the Korean peninsula is going to be a very much different situation than it has in the past. We both want to do something, we both are going to do something, and we have developed a very special bond," Trump said at the signing ceremony. "This is going to lead to more and more and more." Many experts expressed dismay at the agreement, however. Beatrice Fihn, executive director at the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons  a civil society coalition that was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize  said on Twitter the agreement is flawed because Kim did not explicitly agree to nuclear disarmament. "[T]his all looked more like a big welcome party to the nuclear-armed club," she said. Vipin Narang, an MIT expert focusing on nuclear proliferation and strategy, tweeted that the U.S. guarantee of security and North Korea's pledge to work toward denuclearization were "a vague meaningless pledge in exchange for a vague meaningless guarantee." Trump repeatedly insisted during his news conference, however, that North Korea would make real and meaningful moves toward denuclearization. "You can't ensure anything. All I can say is they want to make a deal," Trump said in response to a question about whether North Korea could be "all talk, no action." "I just feel very strongly, my instinct, my ability or talent, they want to make a deal," he said. "I think he's going to do these things. I may be wrong, I mean, I may stand before you in six months and say, 'Hey I was wrong," Trump said of Kim. "I don't know that I'll ever admit that, but I'll find some kind of an excuse." China, North Korea's longtime patron, took a decidedly positive tone on the agreement. The fact that both leaders can sit together and converse has significant meaning and creates new history, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters, according to Chinese news media.

'Very worthy, very smart'

After the signing of the document, Trump declared to the assembled media at the summit that Kim was a "very worthy, very smart negotiator." "We had a terrific day and we learned a lot about each other and about our countries," Trump said, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the North Korean dictator. "I learned he's a very talented man. I also learned he loves his country very much." That comment from Trump elicited a question during his postsummit press conference North Korea's brutal rule, including the killings of Kim's uncle and half-brother. "He is very talented: Anybody that takes over a situation like he did at 26 years of age and is able to run it and run it tough  I don't say he was nice," the president said. Trump has appeared largely unconcerned about the implications of feting an authoritarian leader suspected of ordering the public assassination of his half-brother with a nerve agent, executing his uncle by firing squad and killing U.S. college student Otto Warmbier. But without Warmbier's death, the meeting with Kim may not have happened, Trump said: "Otto did not die in vain." The U.S. president said human rights did come up during the talks, albeit briefly.

The summit began with the two men briefly shaking hands and taking a photo side by side, then moving to another room, where they sat and made brief statements for the press. "We're going to have a great discussion and, I think, tremendous success. It will be tremendously successful. And it's my honor," Trump said. "We will have a terrific relationship  I have no doubt," the president added. Kim said: "It was not easy to get here. The past worked as fetters on our limbs, and the old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward. But we overcame all of them, and we are here today," according to a translation provided by the White House. Trump responded: "That's true." Following those comments, the two leaders began what was said to be a one-on-one meeting, with only translators in attendance. They then made a brief appearance together at a balcony exposed to cameras, and then headed into a larger bilateral meeting. With delegation members on opposing sides of the table, Trump delivered another message to Kim.

US President Donald Trump (2nd R) and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (2nd L) sign documents as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) and the North Korean leader's sister Kim Yo Jong (L) look on at a signing ceremony during their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. Saul Loeb | Getty

"Mr. Chairman, it's a great honor to be with you, and I know we'll have tremendous success together and we'll solve a big problem  a big dilemma  that until this point has been unable to be solved, and working together we'll get it taken care of," Trump said before reaching for another handshake with his North Korean counterpart. After hearing Kim's response, Trump added: "We will solve it, we will be successful, and I look forward to working on it with you. It will be done." Later in the day, the two men walked out of the meeting together, and Trump addressed the media. "It's going great. We had a really fantastic meeting, a lot of progress, really very positive. I think better than anybody could have expected  top of the line, really good," the president said.

First such meeting in history

It was the first time that leaders of the countries have met, and it came after years of bluster and threats from Pyongyang  and from Trump  that have raised fears of nuclear annihilation. Many analysts have argued that any recent U.S. leader who had wanted to meet with Kim or his father before him could have done so, because North Korea sought the legitimization of such an event.

President Donald Trump (R) gestures as he meets with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L) at the start of their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images

Trump gave Kim's regime that opportunity, but the U.S. team also said it is resolute in its goal for Tuesday's summit: North Korea's total and verifiable denuclearization. American officials have dangled relief from stringent international sanctions or even economic aid if the hermit regime were to acquiesce. Beyond those benefits, North Korea was understood to want guarantees about the future of its autocratic regime and the security of its borders. Washington has hoped the bilateral discussions would be the first of many with Kim's government, eventually leading to the country surrendering its nuclear capabilities. That weapons program has become a threat to neighbors South Korea and Japan  and more recently, even for the U.S. mainland. For decades, Pyongyang has sought to depict the United States as an imperialist aggressor for its role in the Korean War, while simultaneously blaming Washington for North Korea's dire economic condition. The isolated country has long said it's justified in seeking nuclear weapons in light of an "extreme and direct nuclear threat" from the United States. Tuesday's meeting was seen as a diplomatic breakthrough, even if some experts have said the summit is a strategic mistake on Washington's part, since it allows Kim to appear as an equal to Trump.

Trump addressed that argument in his postsummit news conference, saying "I gave up nothing, I'm here: I haven't slept in 25 hours, but I thought it was appropriate to do because we have been negotiating literally around the clock." "We haven't given up anything other than, you're right, I agreed to meet," he said in response to a reporter's question. "And I think the meeting was every bit as good for the United States as it was for North Korea." "It's not a big deal to meet," he added.

What was expected?President Donald Trump highlighted Republican Rep. Mark Sanford's extramarital affair Tuesday as he boosted the South Carolina congressman's challenger.

In a tweet sent only a couple hours before primary election polls close in the state, the president endorsed Sanford's opponent, Katie Arrington. Seizing on Arrington's attack line in the race, Trump contended the congressman "has been very unhelpful" to his agenda and "nothing but trouble."

"He is better off in Argentina," the president added. The sentence alludes to the former South Carolina governor's disappearance in 2009. While he claimed to be hiking the Appalachian Trail, he was really in the South American country visiting a woman with whom he was having an affair.

Trump tweet

A president campaigning against a sitting member of Congress from his own party is rare. Sanford's campaign did not immediately respond to a request to comment.

It is unclear how much of an effect Trump's endorsement could have on the South Carolina 1st District GOP primary, as polls close at 7 p.m. ET. The GOP primary winner in the Republican-leaning district will be favored in November's general election.

Allegiance to Trump has played an important role in both House and Senate primaries in red pockets of the country. State Rep. Katie Arrington has made supporting the president a centerpiece of her campaign.

"It's time to turn the page on the Mark Sanford era. It's time for a new Republican voice in Congress. It's time for a conservative who will work with President Trump, not against him," she said in a recent television ad.The Trump-Kim Summit in Singapore may have accomplished many things. But President Donald Trump is perhaps the biggest winner, political scientist Ian Bremmer told CNBC.

"Trump clearly gets what he wants more than the United States does," Bremmer said on "Power Lunch" Tuesday. "Trump wanted to make history. He wanted to do something no other president could do. He wanted to say, 'This was about me, and I made this happen.'"

"It's probably the biggest thing he's accomplished since he's become president, so far, in foreign policy," said Bremmer, who is president and founder of Eurasia Group, a political risk research and consulting firm.



Trump's visit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un on Tuesday was the first time a sitting U.S. president has met with a leader of the reclusive nation.

The five-hour meeting ended with the North agreeing to an "unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

But critics are wondering if this will actually happen.

Before the summit, Sung-Yoon Lee, an expert on the Koreas, said Trump was "being played" by the North Korean leader and that Kim's intention was to buy time in order to continue working on his nuclear program.

"North Korea says all the time that economic reform and the capitalist influence from abroad is poison," Lee said on "Power Lunch" Tuesday.

Still, North Korea fears its lack of capital investments, said Nicholas Burns, former U.S. ambassador to NATO and former undersecretary of state for political affairs under President George W. Bush. This might be a way for the West to negotiate with the hermit nation.

"They don't have normal trade," Burns said on "Squawk on the Street" Tuesday. "They don't have an economy compared to South Korea."

"North Korea is trying to break out of its political isolation," he said. "They're not going to get that from the United States, South Korea, Japan, unless they now agree to some major compromises and reductions in dismantlement of their nuclear facilities. But I don't think they want to do that either.""I learned he's a very talented man. I also learned that he loves his country very much," the president said Tuesday when asked what he took away from meeting Kim. In a separate interview with ABC News , he said the North Korean people have a "great fervor" for Kim  something North Koreans often have to show or face punishment.

Trump pulled back from criticizing Kim as he did during a speech before the United Nations last year. The communist dictatorship has been condemned worldwide for the political prisons, assassinations and starvation in the country. The president's comments and face-to-face meeting with Kim have sparked criticism that he could legitimize or embolden North Korea's regime.

The U.S. president and North Korean dictator met in Singapore on Tuesday, signing a historic agreement committing to a process of "complete denuclearization." The statement excluded some key details about what denuclearization would mean or how it would be accomplished.

President Donald Trump praised Kim Jong Un repeatedly following their nuclear summit Tuesday, a sharp reversal from when he publicly eviscerated the North Korean regime for human rights abuses last year.

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference after his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018.

Pressed during a news conference about North Korea's brutal rule, including the killings of Kim's uncle and half-brother and the malnutrition of its people, Trump reiterated that he thinks the 34-year-old dictator is "talented."

"Well he is very talented. Anybody who takes over a situation like he did at 26 years of age and is able to run it, and run it tough  I don't say 'he was nice' or I don't say anything about it," Trump said.

Trump further told Voice of America that Kim has been a "rough guy," but called the dictator a "smart" man who "loves his people." When pressed about how Kim could love his people based on his rule, Trump responded that "he's doing what he's seen done."

Trump also stressed that he believes he has "helped" the estimated 120,000 people in North Korean prison camps by starting the process of potentially normalizing relations with Pyongyang. Trump said there's "not much [the president] can do right now" about the prisons but he hopes Kim will address it "at a certain point."

Responding to another question about human rights abuses, Trump said "it's a rough situation over there." He added that "it's rough in a lot of places, by the way."

Trump's comments Tuesday were a far cry from his speech to the U.N. in September. During a speech in which he said, "Rocket Man" Kim "is on a suicide mission," he slammed the regime's practices.

"No one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the well-being of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea," Trump said at the time. "It is responsible for the starvation deaths of millions of North Koreans, and for the imprisonment, torture, killing and oppression of countless more."

In September, he also called out North Korea for "deadly abuse" of Otto Warmbier. The American student died last year shortly after returning to the U.S. from extended detention in North Korea.

Trump said Tuesday that Warmbier "did not die in vain" and "had a lot to do with us being here today."Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Melina Mara | The Washington Post | Getty Images

Top Republican lawmakers acknowledged Tuesday that the Trump administration has work to do to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons, despite dictator Kim Jong Un's pledge to pursue "complete denuclearization." Notable GOP lawmakers applauded the summit in Singapore between Kim and President Donald Trump, calling it an important step toward peace in Asia. However, they warned that Pyongyang has proven reluctant to give up its nuclear ambitions in the past despite similar pledges. Republican lawmakers showed caution about North Korea's willingness to dismantle its nuclear weapons and suggested Trump still faces a long process to get a concrete commitment. Some experts told CNBC that Trump and Kim's agreement appeared vague and leaves possible sticking points between Washington and Pyongyang. Those potential disagreements include the definition of denuclearization.

Before departing Singapore, Trump repeatedly said he believes Kim will give up his nuclear and missile programs. The president thinks North Korean officials "want to make a deal" to get the international community to remove damaging economic sanctions. Still, Trump acknowledged he "may be wrong" about the prospects of a firm agreement, even if he may not admit it. Top Senate and House Democrats cheered the dialogue but worried Trump made concessions without getting firm commitments in return. They contended that Trump elevated the dictator's regime simply by meeting him, but did not move far enough toward a peace deal in the process.

Republicans want Trump to keep up "maximum pressure"

On Tuesday morning, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the summit a "historic first step in an important negotiation." He stressed that ongoing talks "will test whether we can get to a verifiable deal which enhances the security of Northeast Asia, our allies and of course the United States." "If North Korea does not prove willing to follow through, we and our allies must be prepared to restore the policy of maximum pressure," the Kentucky Republican said on the Senate floor. "Maximum pressure" refers to the package of economic sanctions designed to get Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambitions. Trump said Tuesday that sanctions will stay in place until "the menace of nuclear weapons" is removed. The president recently stopped using the maximum pressure term "because we're going into a friendly negotiation," he said Thursday. House Speaker Paul Ryan noted Tuesday that "we must always be clear that we are dealing with a brutal regime with a long history of deceit." In a statement, the Wisconsin Republican said "only time will tell if North Korea is serious this time." "The road ahead is a long one, but today there is hope that the president has put us on a path to lasting peace in the Korean Peninsula," he said.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) Aaron P. Bernstein | Reuters

Several Republicans in the GOP-controlled Senate echoed McConnell in saying denuclearization is not a done deal. Multiple senators urged the Trump administration not to let up on economic sanctions amid ongoing talks. If Trump decides to structure the deal as a treaty, the Senate will have to approve it. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker worried nothing significant came out of the summit. In a statement, the Tennessee Republican said, "It is difficult to determine what of concrete nature has occurred." Observers "should be skeptical of any deal" with Kim, Sen. Marco Rubio added. In a tweeted statement, the Florida Republican said he believes Pyongyang "will never give up nukes & [intercontinental ballistic missiles] unless they believe failure to do so triggers regime ending reaction." @marcorubio: Should be skeptical of any deal with #KJU Limits to future strategic weapons instead of eliminating current program not an acceptable outcome. Hope I'm wrong but still believe they will never give up nukes & ICBM's unless believe failure to do so triggers regime ending reaction The document Trump and Kim signed on Tuesday does not call for a change of leadership in North Korea. In a statement, Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., said, "Today's summit must be followed by multiple meetings to test North Korea's promises of denuclearization, which they have made in the past and then repeatedly violated." Pyongyang has violated previous commitments in the 1990s and 2000s not to develop nuclear weapons.

Schumer sees 'great fear' Kim will not follow through

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Joshua Roberts | ReutersMichael Cohen exits a hotel in New York in April. Jeenah Moon | Reuters

President Donald Trump's long-time lawyer Michael Cohen has been telling pals he expects to be arrested soon, according to new reports Tuesday. A Vanity Fair article also quoted an ex-White House official saying that "Trump should be super worried about Michael Cohen" deciding to cooperate with federal prosecutors against the president. "If anyone can blow up Trump, it's him," the source told Vanity Fair about Cohen, who is under criminal investigation by federal prosecutors in New York City. Both Vanity Fair and the New York Daily News cited sources as saying Cohen has told friends he believes his arrest is imminent.

Cohen told Vanity Fair in a text message, "Your alleged source is wrong!" The stories about Cohen were published a day after a key deadline  without any action by either Cohen or Trump  for objections to be raised about files seized from Cohen in April by the FBI. A legal source told CNBC that the failure of either Cohen or Trump to make any objections suggests they fear the public disclosure of "devastating" facts contained in a handful of files. Cohen, 51, has not been charged with any crimes. Neither his lawyer Stephen Ryan nor the White House immediately responded to requests for comments. Prosecutors are looking at Cohen's business dealings, as well as his having paid porn star Daniels $130,000 on the eve of the 2016 presidential election in exchange for what she has said was her silence about an alleged affair she had with Trump.

A question of privilege

Files related to Daniels were among those seized in the FBI's April 9 raids on Cohen's Manhattan home and office and the hotel room where he had been staying. On the heels of those raids, Cohen, Trump and the Trump Organization asked federal Judge Kimba Wood to prevent prosecutors from having the files reviewed by a so-called taint team. That team, composed of prosecutors unconnected to Cohen's case, would have reviewed his files and withheld items protected by attorney-client privilege from the prosecutors investigating him. Such privilege normally precludes information related to it being used against a person who had the privilege. Wood agreed to appoint a former federal judge, Barbara Jones, as a special master for Cohen's case. Jones and her own team have been reviewing the seized files, while at the same time lawyers for Cohen and Trump have been looking at them for the purpose of raising claims of privilege. Last week, Jones said that out of more than 639 items consisting of more than 12,500 pages that she had reviewed, she agreed that 14 items are privileged or partially privileged. Jones also said that she found that three items flagged by Cohen and Trump's lawyers "are not" privileged. Wood had given attorneys for Cohen and Trump until Monday to raise any objections they had to Jones' findings. She later rejected their request to be allowed to file their objections under seal. As of Tuesday afternoon, no objections had been made to Jones' determinations about privilege.

Devastating disclosure?"We fly in bombers from Guam. I said when I first started, I said, where do the bombers come from? Guam. Nearby. I said, 'Oh great, nearby, where is nearby?' Six and a half hours. Six and a half hours. That's a long time for these big massive planes to be flying to South Korea to practice and then drop bombs all over the place and then go back to Guam," Trump said.

Trump also noted that flying U.S. Air Force bombers in regional training missions is another drain on resources.

"We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money," Trump said in his hour-long news conference following the Singapore summit. "The amount of money that we spend on that is incredible," he added.

President Donald Trump promised North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that he would halt U.S.-South Korea military exercises , saying they are "provocative" and "tremendously expensive."

For the last 14 years, the U.S. Air Force's B-1B Lancer, B-52 Stratofortress and B-2 Spirit bombers have continuously rotated through Guam in an effort to show American commitment to allies in the region.

Trump says the bomber flights are "very expensive."

According to estimates that the U.S. Air Force provided CNBC, the B-2 has an operational flight cost of $130,000 an hour and the B-1B operates at $95,000 an hour.

As the U.S. and North Korea negotiate a nuclear deal, "I think it's inappropriate to be having war games," Trump said. "Number one, we save money. A lot. And number two, it really is something that I think they [North Korea] very much appreciated."

Trump's move falls out of step with the Pentagon, which has maintained that the joint exercises are routine, purely defensive and vital to maintaining readiness on the Korean peninsula.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

But retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, who served as an advisor to the Second Republic of Korea Army during his military career, noted that suspending drills in North Korea's backyard is not unprecedented.



"As a goodwill gesture, we suspended the drills around the Olympics and that produced positive results that, in part, helped lead to yesterday's summit," Davis, a senior defense fellow for Defense Priorities, told CNBC.

"We give up nothing by suspending these drills, and we don't lose one ounce of military capability. No one said anything about American military stopping their training, South Korea military stopping their training, it's only that the joint drills will be suspended, and suspended means they can be turned back on if conditions change," Davis added.

As of yet, the Pentagon has not updated guidance for U.S. troops slated to participate in the bilateral Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises later this year.

Ulchi Freedom Guardian, one of the largest military exercises in the world, ran for 11 days last year and involved 17,500 Americans and 50,000 South Korean troops.South Korean Marines move into position on a beach during a joint landing operation by US and South Korean Marines in the southeastern port of Pohang, Korea.

Official Washington was roiled on Tuesday afternoon by competing interpretations of President Donald Trump's loosely worded agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, to halt U.S. military exercises in Pyongyang's backyard.

Speaking to Republican senators at their weekly lunch Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence reportedly downplayed the president's startling announcement that the bilateral drills with South Korea would be suspended.

But some senators, like Colorado Republican Cory Gardner, heard in Pence's words a reassuring commitment that the White House would not abruptly cease its multi-layered military training and preparedness drills in the region. This appeared to contradict the president's assertion earlier, however, that the United States "will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money."

When Gardner told reporters after lunch what Pence had said, the vice president's office came out swinging, accusing Gardner of recounting a "false" version of Pence's comments.

But rather than rescind his statement, Gardner instead appeared to double down, tweeting out that Pence "was very clear: regular readiness training and training exchanges will continue."

Which prompted the vice president's spokeswoman, Alyssa Farah to release similar tweets, pushing back on Gardner.

TWEET

At the root of the misunderstanding were the president's own comments, which were vague as to what exactly he meant by "war games." What's more, a document signed by both Trump and Kim did little to help clarify what Trump was committing to do.

And throughout the summit, Trump emphasized the emotional rapport he felt had with Kim, and avoided questions about the specifics of what either country was actually agreeing to do.Basking in the afterglow of his apparently constructive meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, President Donald Trump said that he'd soon like a "real deal" with the U.S.' other long-time enemy Iran.

Speaking to reporters following a historic meeting with Kim, at which the regime's leader signed an agreement that appeared to commit to the "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Trump said he hoped relations could also improve, in time, with Iran.

"I hope that, at the appropriate time, after the sanctions kick in  and they are brutal what we've put on Iran  I hope that they're going to come back and negotiate a real deal because I'd love to be able to do that but right now it's too soon to do that," Trump said.

Relations between the U.S. and Iran started to sour as soon as Trump was elected to the presidency in November 2016, having called an accord to limit Iran's nuclear capabilities  brokered by his predecessor, Barack Obama, and other world powers  a "terrible deal."

Trump followed through on a threat to withdraw the U.S. from the deal in May and said sanctions would be re-imposed on Iran.

Penalties to be re-imposed by August 6 include sanctions on Iran buying or acquiring U.S. dollars, trading gold and other precious metals, sanctions on its sale, supply or trade of metals such as aluminum and steel, as well as sanctions on issuing Iranian debt and its auto sector.

Further sanctions to come later this year will affect Iran's shipping, financial and oil sectors.

Needless to say, the sanctions are expected to damage Iran's economy, with Trump himself describing the sanctions as "brutal" on Tuesday. He added though that a decline in confidence might make the country's officials think about negotiating another deal with the U.S.

"On the Iran deal, I think Iran is a different country now than it was three or four months ago. I don't think they're looking so much to the Mediterranean, I don't think they're looking so much at Syria like they were, with total confidence, I don't think they're so confident right now," he said.

Not long after Trump and Kim's agreement was announced, Iran warned North Korea not to trust the U.S. president who, it said, could cancel their denuclearization agreement within hours.

"We don't know what type of person the North Korean leader is negotiating with. It is not clear that he would not cancel the agreement before returning back home," Iran's government spokesman, Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, said, according to Reuters who quoted the IRNA news agency.Uber unveiled a smaller version of its ride-hailing app on Tuesday, in a bid to appeal to emerging market customers.

The revamped app, called Uber Lite, takes up just 5 megabytes of storage, and has a 300-millisecond response time, according to the company, speeding up the process of booking rides.

Uber Lite is currently only available in India but the start-up said it plans to roll the app out to more countries later this year.

It's aimed at areas with slower internet speeds and users with limited mobile data plans. Uber said that the app would show users a selection of popular pickup locations if their network connection or GPS location tracker is slow. Users will also be able to tap popular destinations rather than manually type them out.Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump greet attendees waving American and Chinese national flags during a welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on Nov. 9, 2017. Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The battle between China and the United States to be the world's most powerful nation could be the century's defining moment for financial markets, according to one strategist. Market players on Tuesday were digesting news of an accord between North Korea and the United States, which aims to work toward complete denuclearization and a lasting "peace regime" on the Korean Peninsula. The historic agreement is being scrutinized by analysts and traders to understand what this moment means to the world and financial markets. But according to Jane Foley, the head of foreign exchange strategy at Rabobank, the wider picture should include China's relationship with the U.S. "I think it's been very clear we've had this power struggle or are in the midst perhaps of a power struggle between the U.S. and China, played out, of course, through trade," Foley told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe."

"We've previously understood that perhaps China have liked North Korea to be in place as a sort of a buffer between itself and the West, what does this (Tuesday's agreement) mean going forward?," Foley wondered. "This power struggle  is perhaps the biggest event for the markets really, of the decade, maybe, probably of the century," she added. Over the past few months, the U.S. has imposed new tariffs on Chinese products in an attempt to reduce its trade deficit with the country. China has prepared retaliatory measures but both countries have been holding diplomatic talks to try to reach a compromise over their trade links.

China has been a long-standing ally of North Korea and is an important trading partner and a major source of food and energy. "(China) has helped sustain Kim Jong Un's regime, and has historically opposed harsh international sanctions on North Korea in the hope of avoiding regime collapse and a refugee influx across their 870-mile border," the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank, argued in an article earlier this year. As the relationship between the U.S. and North Korea gets closer, China could feel threatened and potentially change its attitude toward the U.S. "I think our whole relationship with North Korea and the Korean Peninsula is going to be a very much different situation than it has in the past. We both want to do something, we both are going to do something, and we have developed a very special bond," President Donald Trump said at the signing ceremony Tuesday.Futures were flat this morning after President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed what's being called a comprehensive denuclearization agreement. Stocks have been on a positive roll recently, with the major averages all up for six of the past seven sessions. (CNBC)



* Cramer tries to decode Trump's trade strategies with 5 new theories (CNBC)

Mainland Chinese stocks led Asian market gains today after the highly anticipated meeting in Singapore of Trump and Kim. The Shanghai Composite climbed 0.9 percent in its best day since May 31. The index reached its highest level in two days.

Market attention is likely to shift quickly from the summit to key economic data and the start of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting. The Fed will release its interest rate decision tomorrow afternoon, and the central bank is widely expected to raise rates this time around. (CNBC)

The government will be out with the May Consumer Price Index at 8:30 a.m. ET, with consensus forecasts on Wall Street calling for a rise of 0.2 percent for both the headline number and the ex-food and energy inflation rate. (CNBC)

It's an extremely light day for corporate earnings, with retailer Lands' End (LE) among the few releasing numbers this morning. H&R Block (HRB) will release its quarterly numbers after today's closing bell. (CNBC)President Donald Trump spoke with reporters on Tuesday after meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

The president's comments follow the first ever meeting between the leaders of the United States and North Korea, as the two countries worked to secure an agreement on the rogue nation's nuclear weapons program. Trump and Kim signed a document outlining the four main elements of a "peace regime."

The path to Tuesday's summit has been unconventional.

Last year, amid escalating North Korean missile tests, Trump warned the country that "they will be met with fire, fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before."

On Thursday, the president described the summit as a "friendly negotiation," and said he would consider inviting Kim Jong Un to the United States for further talks. The president later said he would know "within a minute" whether Kim Jong Un was serious about denuclearizing.

Read more:

Trump says North Korea will keep its promises, and the US will stop war games

Trump heaps praise on Kim Jong Un months after calling him out for human rights abuses

Why North Korea's Kim Jong Un will never surrender his nukesUntil recently, the focus of efforts to contain North Korea's nuclear threat centered on halting further development of Pyonyang's ability to deliver a nuclear warhead over long distances.

But a flurry of successful missile tests in the last few years gave new urgency to the U.S.-led effort to eliminate North Korea's nuclear weapons infrastructure and led to the historic summit between Trump and Kim.

Since Kim's grandfather, Kim Il-sung, first established a missile test site in 1984, North Korea's long-range missile development has come in fits and starts.

Missile testing paused for four years after Kim Jong Il succeeded his father in 1994, and then picked up again in 1998 with a high-profile launch that prompted the Clinton administration to hold talks with North Korea that resulted in a missile testing moratorium. In 2006, North Korea resumed missile testing with another 15 launches over the next three years.



Testing began again in 2011 after Kim Jong Un assumed power and picked up substantially in 2014, when missile launches became much more frequent and used test sites in a number of new locations. Since 2011, Kim has fired more than 90 missiles and conducted four nuclear weapons tests, according to the database. That's more than all the tests conducted during the years his father and grandfather were in power.



The latest burst of testing ended with the successful launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile that many weapons analysts believe could reach anywhere in the Unites States.But this scam complicates even that strategy.

With our phone lines saturated with robocalls, many people only pick up if they recognize the number.

Lluis Gene | AFP | Getty Images

Rebecca Schulte, 24, was at her apartment in West Hollywood, California, when she received a call from a familiar area code. She picked up. "I'm on the side of the road, there's been a really bad car accident," a man said. He told her he'd found her number in the injured man's phone. Rebecca knew her father had been driving, and in a panic she asked if it was him: "Is it Brian?" "Is your name Brian?" she could hear the man ask.

If this problem isn't solved, we're getting close to the death of the phone call. Jonathan Nelson director of product management at Hiya

He told her it was. "He's bleeding a lot," he added. Then, the man told her that if she didn't send him money immediately he would let her father die. "I stopped mid-sob," she said. She suspected it was a scam and hung up. Still, many people do end up sharing financial information over the phone. More than $9 billion was lost from phone scams in 2017, up from $7.4 billion in 2015, according to a company that tries to combat such issues, Truecaller. More than 7 million complaints were filed with the National Do Not Call Registry last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission. "Phone scams are one of the big problems right now," said Adam Doupe, associate director of the Center for Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics at Arizona State University. "They're much more effective than email scams." The growth of the phone scam is, in part, thanks to a new tactic these criminals are using that makes people more likely to answer their calls, and then trust them once they do. Scammers are increasingly spoofing phone numbers to make them look familiar to you. They might use your area code or the first six digits of a friend's phone number. Half of all phone scams today use this tactic of digit spoofing, according to a recent analysis by Hiya, a phone spam protection company.

Now most people's primary line of defense against these dangerous calls  to simply not pick up the phone if they don't recognize the number  is being challenged. "One of the key flaws in the current telephone system is this fact that spammers can spoof the caller ID," Doupe said. He said older people are especially at risk. "The phone is their main form of communication," he said. "When they get a scam call, they're more likely to take it at face value."The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission formMicrosoft has quietly told customers that it will stop participating in the online support forums devoted to consumer questions about Windows 7 and a host of other products.

The announcement, which Microsoft posted over the weekend to several of the affected support forums, said the change would take place next month.

"Effective July 2018, the Microsoft Community forums listed below will shift support scope and Microsoft staff will no longer provide technical support there," the identical messages stated. "There will be no proactive reviews, monitoring, answering or answer marking of questions."

Along with Windows 7, the other products covered by the mandate include Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 RT, Office 2010 and Office 2013, the Security Essentials antivirus program and the early Surface and Surface Pro 2-in-1 devices.

In some of the messages, Microsoft asserted that the stoppage impacts "products that reached end of support," even though software such as Windows 7 and 8.1 have years left before they're officially retired.

The discussion forums, which are under umbrella site dubbed "Microsoft Community" located at the URL answers.microsoft.com, primarily consist of peer-to-peer questions and questions. But Microsoft employees do post in the threads, providing clarifications, solutions to problems, and in some cases, mea culpas for screw-ups.

The Microsoft commentary, considered the "official" line from the company on the subject under discussion, is what will be dropped in July.

Other forms of support, including security updates, will continue until the Redmond, Wash. company's schedule - called the support lifecycle - says the affected products end their run. Support lifecycle dates for Microsoft products can be found by searching this database.

And as Susan Bradley pointed out, the TechNet collection of business-oriented support discussion forums will remain unchanged. "Keep in mind that the focus of the answers.microsoft.com venue is consumer, not business," Bradley wrote in an email reply to a request for comment. "Business posters should still go over to the TechNet forums."

Bradley is known in Windows circles for her expertise on Microsoft's patching processes: She wrote for years on the topic for the Windows Secrets newsletter and moderates the PatchMangement.org mailing list, where IT administrators discuss tradecraft. Her "Patch Watching" column now appears on AskWoody, the site where Computerworld columnist Woody Leonard holds court on updating Windows and Office.

The withdrawal from the support forums took Bradley by surprise. "I had an 'Uh, hang on. Windows 7 is still supported until 2020, so what gives?' moment this weekend," she said upon seeing the announcement.

Her take on the reason for the change?

"Remember that Microsoft's fiscal year end was June 30. So, I see this as a reallocation of resources," Bradley said. "As a bean counter, I understand the decision. [But] as a person still with Windows 7 [PCs] under my control, it doesn't reflect the reality of the use of the product."

Others saw different motivations behind the change. Chris Goettl, director of product management for security at Ivanti, suggested that it is another in a long series of moves to make older versions of Windows and Office less attractive, and so spur customers to adopt Windows 10, Office 365 and other newer software. "It's less than subtle," Goettl said in an interview, speaking of the latest in the campaign.

He added that the pull-back is a hint that Microsoft has no intention of giving an inch on Windows 7 support, which is set to expire Jan. 14, 2020. "For real, they're saying they won't extend support past 2020," Goettl said. "They're telling everyone 'this is happening' and that customers shouldn't hold out hope that they're playing chicken."

Even though Microsoft did not bow to pressure four years ago to extend the support deadline for Windows XP, some continue to believe that it might, when Windows 7's time is up, if large numbers of customers are still running the 2009 operating system. "They're not bluffing," Goettl asserted, citing this move as the latest proof.

Neither Bradley nor Goettl believed that Microsoft would follow up by also walking away from the discussion forums on TechNet, the portal for IT administrators. "I'd be surprised," said Goettl. "Those [people] are the real customers."

But Microsoft's economizing will affect corporate customers, even though individuals pose the bulk of questions as well as provide answers on the affected forums. "The only concern I have is the feedback loop after Patch Tuesday," admitted Bradley. "I still see trending issues start in the consumer venues, so my concern is that a patching issue will occur, and it will not be identified as quickly."Withdrawal Bill debates in Commons today and tomorrow are crucial for Brexit and for May

Its a critical 48 hours of votes  FT

Its judgement day for May  Daily Express

Heres a guide to the key amendments  The Times

And heres an assessment of the parliamentary arithmetic  Guardian

The votes will be nailbiting  Daily Mail

Theresa Mays resolve will be tested like never before this week, as MPs devote the next two days to debating the key Brexit bill which will shape the UKs future relationship with the European Union. The EU Withdrawal Bill, which, when passed into law, will determine how the UK leaves the bloc, is due to be debated in the Commons on Tuesday afternoon. Over the course of the following 36 hours, MPs will debate 15 amendments, many of which, if passed, could fatally undermine the Governments negotiating position and leave Mrs Mays hold on power hanging in the balance. Focus on the Bill has intensified in recent weeks after hostile amendments were passed by peers in the House of Lords. Senior Brexiteers have labelled them wrecking amendments because they threaten to fundamentally alter the legislation to the extent that it no longer reflects its original intention, or the Governments position.  Daily Telegraph

Editorials:

The bill is much more than a technical document  The Times

It was supposed to be a straightforward piece of legislation  Daily Express

MPs must respect our decision  The Sun

Comment:

They are blundering near the precipice  Polly Toynbee, Guardian

>Today: ToryDiary: The real meaning of the meaningful vote

Tory Remainer MPs reach breathing space compromise with May over amendment

Pro-European Tory MPs handed Theresa May a stay of execution last night after they signalled that they would not use a crunch vote to demand that Britain remain in a customs union with Europe. In a compromise brokered after hours of talks, a leading Tory rebel said that she would drop her support for a Lords amendment to the governments flagship Brexit bill that would force ministers to negotiate a customs union with Brussels. Instead, a fresh amendment is expected to be tabled  backed by the rebels  that will commit Britain to negotiating a new customs arrangement with the EU. However, in a sign that the compromise had only bought time for the government, Nicky Morgan, the former education secretary, said that pro- Europeans could still vote against the government on the issue in future unless the prime ministers plan for a customs partnership was successful. Weve given her a breathing space, a bit of time, she said.  The Times

She pleaded for loyalty  Daily Express

Letwin brokered the deal that headed off rebellion  Daily Telegraph

>Today: Henry Newmans column: Navigating the EU Withdrawal Bill through unamended without a majority is nightmarish  but possible

May issues final plea at 1922 Committee meeting

She tells them to think of the nation  The Sun

Theresa May has issued a final plea to Conservative Brexit rebels not to undermine her negotiating clout with Brussels by voting against the government on the EU withdrawal bill as it returns to the House of Commons on Tuesday. The prime minister faces a knife-edge result on an amendment to give parliament a meaningful vote on the final deal as Tory remainers threatened to support the change, brought in by peers, and Labour rallied all but its most pro-Brexit MPs behind it.  The prime minister told Tory MPs at a meeting of the backbench 1922 Committee, attended by ministers including chancellor Philip Hammond and Brexit secretary David Davis, that defeats over the Brexit bill would undermine her negotiating position with Brussels. We must think about the message parliament will send to the European Union this week. I am trying to negotiate the best deal for Britain, she told the packed room.  Guardian

>Today: MPsEtc: Yesterdays 1922 Committee meeting: It was like a meeting of the Russian Parliament.

McKie: May has succeeded in uniting the party  against her

Theresa May was, yet again, calling for unity last night, while addressing the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs. She has already succeeded in uniting the party. Unfortunately for her, its not the EU Withdrawal Bill that has brought them together, but their shared conviction that the Prime Minister is rubbish at her job. Although that judgment is undoubtedly correct, and shared by party members  a survey for Conservative Home last week found that two-thirds of them wanted Mrs May gone before the next election  she was still right to urge MPs to fall into line.  Herald

Heres why the rebels must get behind May  William Hague, Daily Telegraph

We must restore the bills original purpose  David Lidington, Daily Telegraph

Britain has a great opportunity  Tony Abbott, The Sun

Labour faces bitter split over Norway-style approach

Labour MPs with Leave constituencies write to Corbyn warning him against model  Daily Telegraph

Labour will be plunged into a bitter Brexit split tomorrow as over 70 MPs defy the leader and vote in favour of Britain taking a Norway-style EU membership. Despite a last-minute plea from Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer, Europhile Labour MPs vowed to support a Lords amendment calling for membership of the European Economic Area. At the same time as many as 10 Labour MPs could side WITH the Government to back Theresa Mays Brexit plans and ensure they pass. Led by Caroline Flint, the Brexit-backing MPs have sent a stinging letter to Jeremy Corbyn urging him not to bow to pressure from pro-EU colleagues.  The Sun

Comment:

May will fail to deliver the Brexit Britain needs  Keir Starmer, Guardian

Meanwhile, Daviss meeting with Barnier ends in frustration

They were coming from different places  The Sun

The UK timetable is under pressure  FT

And both Italy and Malta refuse to let ship carrying migrants dock

David Davis returned from Brussels empty-handed on Monday after Michel Barnier rejected major parts of Britains backstop customs plan to avoid a hard border in Ireland. Mr Davis told the European Unions chief Brexit negotiator that work needed to speed up on preparing the future UK-EU trading relations in the hour long meeting in Brussels, which ended in frustration over the vexed issue of the Irish border. It is like we are coming from two different places at the moment, one well-placed EU source told The Telegraph.  Daily Telegraph

The fate of 629 migrants on a rescue ship in the Mediterranean was in the balance last night amid fears of mutiny. Italy and Malta have both refused to let the vessel dock and charity workers said the passengers were becoming increasingly anxious and desperate. The rescuers had initially shielded the migrants from the knowledge that they were stranded in international waters. But, faced with a barrage of questions, they last night told them why they had been stuck at sea since Saturday night. Pictures showed humanitarian workers desperately trying to calm tensions on board the Aquarius as food supplies dwindled. The situation threatens to spark a fresh EU migration crisis  with Italy vowing to turn away boats carrying migrants from Africa.  Daily Mail

More Brexit

Future divorce bill disputes to be ruled on by ECJ, against Daviss assurance  The Times

Leavers have a Russian problem  Hugo Rifkind, The Times

Hammond to raise 10bn extra tax for NHS, as May to allow in more foreign doctors

Review on highly-skilled migrants has not yet reported  Guardian

May: my initial response to Grenfell disaster was not good enough

Philip Hammond is preparing to raise up to 10 billion in extra tax to help to boost the NHS on its 70th birthday. Theresa May is also to lift a cap on skilled workers from outside the EU that blocks foreign doctors from coming to Britain. The move will precede the expected announcement next week of a package of measures to improve the health service. The prime minister has promised a multiyear funding settlement for the NHS to address long-term financial needs, which were highlighted this winter when thousands of nonemergency operations were postponed. Precise figures are being negotiated, but health experts calculate that the NHS faces an annual 20 billion funding gap by 2022 because the ageing population is placing greater demands on services.  The Times

A year ago on Thursday, 70 people lost their lives as Grenfell Tower was engulfed in a fire so ferocious it shocked Britain to the core. The 71st victim, baby Logan, was stillborn just a few hours after his parents fled the choking fumes. Pily Burton, rescued from her flat on the 19th floor, passed away seven months later. It was a tragedy unparalleled in recent history and, although many people did incredible work during and after the fire, it has long been clear that the initial response was not good enough. I include myself in that. The day after the disaster I made the first of a number of trips to the site, thanking the firefighters for their work and holding a short meeting with the team in charge of the response.  Evening Standard

More Conservatives

Johnson backs bridge to unite mainland Britain and NI  Daily Telegraph

APPG led by Clarke calls for inquiry into UK role in human rights abuses  Guardian

And other parties

Phillips calls for lifting of online trolls anonymity  Guardian

DUP defence spokesman calls for amendment to new counter-terror legislation  Belfast News Letter

Trump and Kim form a very special bond

Kim vows to destroy all his nukes  The Sun

Meanwhile, May says meeting Trump was difficult, but that Britain will stand by communique  Guardian

Though she sides with Trudeau over tariff war  The Sun

Kim Jong-un declared the beginning of a new era of relations with the United States, after what Donald Trump described as the forming of a very special bond between the North Korean leader and US president. At the end of their first summit meeting in Singapore, the two leaders signed a document that Mr Trump said was very impressive  although no details of its contents were immediately available. Today we had a historic meeting, Mr Kim said, as the two men sat side by side at the signing table. We have decided to leave the past behind, and we are about to sign a historic document.  The Times

>Today: Videos: WATCH: That Trump & Jong-Un handshake

>Yesterday: International: Trump  a mad dog strategy, or just a mad dog?

News in BriefJudy Terry is a marketing professional and a former local councillor in Suffolk.

When I met up with Suffolks Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC), Tim Passmore, recently, he shared his ambitions for making the county an even safer place, given changing needs of the various communities and different types of crime now emerging, from a rise in gangs and rural theft, to safeguarding and protecting intellectual property.

With a budget of 121.8m, covering a population of 742,000, 42 per cent living in rural areas, across 1500 square miles, including 60 miles of coastline with 3 major ports and 29 marinas, this is an area also especially vulnerable to illegal immigration and drug smuggling.

In particular, the Commissioner is concerned about young people, suggesting we need prison reform to address reasons why youngsters take to crime, leading to their incarceration: too many of these youngsters are illiterate, were in care or come from abusive families, or have mental health issues, he explains. We have to break the cycle, giving them a second chance, and encourage them to take responsibility for themselves, but with the right support, and we have a range of initiatives, working with business, local authorities and charities.

A flagship policy is the renewed focus on volunteering, strengthening links with communities, enhancing services and freeing up Police Officers and PCSOs to concentrate on policing tasks.

Particularly successful is the Volunteer Police Cadets. First introduced in 2011, numbers have grown to 170 across eight cadet units, including three working in partnership with emergency services. We have a target of 200 by 2020, explains Cadet Co-Ordinator, Kelly Cole, who loves her role, its great to develop young people, giving them the support which may not otherwise be available. As a volunteer on horseback she knows how important it is to engage with the community, helping people by using my local knowledge to spot and report any suspicious incidents or damage during my daily ride either alone or with friends.

Cadets can join their local unit between ages 13 and 16, remaining a cadet until age 18. Key to the scheme is the fact that any young person is considered, she says:

Previous offending is not a barrier, and we try to accommodate cadets with special needs who are supported by their own carer. We run a continuous recruitment programme, sustaining numbers and a fair gender balance across the units, and currently have a healthy waiting list.

Key aims are to:

Reduce youth vulnerability to crime and social exclusion, through enhancing ability to contribute and achieve through appropriate training;

To develop the leadership skills required in the jobs market, which also contribute to good citizenship;

Promote a practical interest in policing/emergency services, and potential careers in the sector, whilst encouraging a sense of adventure and independence.

As Ambassadors for the Constabulary and Fire Service, cadets are issued with uniforms and equipment, and each has a tailored personal development and training programme, receiving certificates as they achieve specific milestones. An annual parade is followed by awarding certificates of merit and Cadet of the Year.

Cadets attend weekly meetings designed to develop general policing knowledge, with a range of speakers from the Dog Unit and Traffic, to presentations on Cyber Crime and personal safety (when parents are invited), and the Prison Service. Mental Health issues are also highlighted, encouraging young people to become dementia friends, and learn sign language. We want to give our cadets the skills to engage with the wider community, explains Kelly:

A wide range of activities, including sport, are also organised at weekends and during school holidays. We want our cadets to have fun as they build confidence, rising through the ranks to Deputy and Senior Cadet. When they reach 18, some cadets then take on volunteer leadership roles for their units, alongside police officers, PCSOs and special constables.

The Volunteer Police and Emergency Services Cadets are self-funded and rely largely on a small contribution of weekly sub monies. The level of subs is currently set at 3 per week. One Cadet Unit was luckily enough to recently be awarded a grant from their local council in the sum of 400, to support the development of each Volunteer Police Cadet within the Stowmarket group.

However, councillors seem to be missing an opportunity to use some of their Locality money. As a councillor working with my Local Neighbourhood Team and the Fire Service in Ipswich, I provided funding to establish a very successful youth project dubbed Fireflies, which significantly reduced arson on a local heath by providing young people with cycles to patrol the area regularly.

In the meantime, Tim Passmore summarises his passion for this and other projects:

As a parent, I know how important it is that young people feel valued. It gives them confidence and ultimately gives them the courage to take responsibility for their lives. I believe our Volunteer Cadets understand that, which is why they want to join up; they also want to have fun, meet new people, and explore their abilities in responding to challenge.

Suffolks PCC is full of energy and ideas, so I will be exploring his other initiatives, from the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy and Stay Safe Online, to Positive Futures, Inspire Suffolk and Fresh Start  New Beginnings, as well as Lighthouse Womens Aid, in a future article.The now-former Justice Minister has long been unhappy about Brexit, tweeting in January that it should be guided by evidence, not dogma  and being hauled in for an interview without coffee by the Chief Whip in consequence. There would be a serious question over whether a government could legitimately lead a country along a path that the evidence and rational consideration indicate would be damaging, he had also tweeted. He had poked a toe over the line of collective responsibility.

That he has leaped over it altogether will do nothing to calm Number Tens nerves about this afternoons vote, given the timing. Is he acting alone? Will more resignations follow?

We wonder. Lee is an energetic, driven figure who tends not to beat about the bush. Read his defence of hospital closures on this site from 2014, and you will see that he likes to speak his mind. That ease with being a minority is consistent with him having acted alone, but we will see. At one point during the later Cameron years he was touted as a future leader, making it briefly into our monthly survey before one of its periodic culls.

His argument in a nutshell seems to be that he backed Remain, still thinks Brexit is wrong, none the less believes it should happen  but that the outcome that is emerging will be neither fully to leave the EU, nor fully to stay.

So the Government now needs a confirmatory mandate. In other words, a second referendum. He says that he will support a meaningful vote this afternoon. That may encourage others to do so too. We find his line of argument a bit convoluted, but heres the key section from his statement, available in full on his website, which will help you to make up your own mind.

         

If, in the future, I am to look my children in the eye and honestly say that I did my best for them I cannot, in all good conscience, support how our countrys exit from the EU looks set to be delivered.

As a Member of Parliament, I also have a major responsibility to my constituency of Bracknell. In extensive consultations with local employers, both large and small, I have been warned that they expect Brexit as it is currently being pursued, whatever the negotiated settlement, will damage their business. I have spoken to people, many of whom have lived, worked and raised their family here, whose fears for their futures I am not always able to allay. Regrettably, it seems inevitable that the people, economy and culture of my constituency will be affected negatively, and I cannot ignore that it is to them that I owe my first responsibility.

Sadly, from within government I have found it virtually impossible to help bring sufficient change to the course on which we are bound.

I voted to remain in the European Union and have not changed my view that continued membership would have been the better strategic course. Even so, I believe that it would be impossible and wrong to seek to go back to how things were before the referendum. We cannot and should not turn back the clock.

However, as the negotiations are unfolding, two things are becoming clear.

 The practicalities, logistics and implications of leaving the EU are far more complex than was ever envisaged and certainly more complex than the people were told in 2016. The UK is not going to be ready in time, neither is the EU, and both would suffer from a rushed or fudged agreement.

 The outcome that is emerging will be neither fully to leave the EU, nor fully to stay. This is not an outcome for which anyone knowingly voted. In my view, this raises the important principle of legitimacy: I do not believe it would be right for the Government to pursue such a course without a plan to seek a confirmatory mandate for the outcome. And I believe that Parliament should have the power to ask the Government to adjust its course in the best interests of the people whom its Members represent.

In my medical experience, if a course of treatment is not working, then I review it. I also have a duty to get my patients informed consent for that action.

If Brexit is worth doing, then it is certainly worth doing well; regardless of how long that takes. It is, however, irresponsible to proceed as we are, so we should:

 recognise that the UK and EU are not ready for Brexit and pause, extend or revoke Article 50 so that we do not leave before we are ready.

 re-engage with our European and international friends to talk about how to achieve the aims that we share for the future in ways that respect individual countries interests and sovereignty. Since 2016, electorates in many countries across Europe have expressed similar concerns to those that we expressed in the referendum and so much is changing, and will continue to change, across the whole of our continent.

 empower our Parliament so that its role is not limited to making fake choices  such as between a bad deal and a cliff-edge no deal. Our Parliament should be able to direct our Government to change course in our interests. In all conscience, I cannot support the Governments decision to oppose this amendment because doing so breaches such fundamental principles of human rights and Parliamentary sovereignty. A vote between bad and worse is not a meaningful vote. And I cannot bring myself to vote for it in the bastion of liberty, freedom and human rights that is our Parliament.

When the Government is able to set out an achievable, clearly defined path  one that has been properly considered, whose implications have been foreseen, and that is rooted in reality and evidence, not dreams and dogma  it should go to the people, once again, to seek their confirmation.Henry Newman is Director of Open Europe.

Today and tomorrows debates in Parliament mark another crucial point in the Brexit process. For what was once known as the Great Repeal Bill  but is now more prosaically called the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill  returns to the Commons after its battering in the Lords. Its still not clear if the Government will be able to hold off every amendment, in particular the one regarding a so-called meaningful vote. But the Withdrawal Bill will pass, eventually repealing the European Communities Act while providing crucial legal certainty, and taking the UK another step closer to the EUs exit door.

Meanwhile in Brussels, events here are being followed very closely. Michel Barnier, the EUs Brexit lead, and his team pay a great deal of attention to the minutiae of British politics, even if they occasionally misread them. Losing votes in the Commons this week would make things harder for the Prime Minister at the European Council meeting towards the end of the month. It bears repetition that probably the single biggest factor complicating Brexit negotiations is the absence of a clear Government majority and defeats rub salt into that sore.

Conversely, if the Bill passes smoothly, Theresa May will head to Brussels with the wind in her sails, as Dominic Raab eloquently put it on Sunday. Of course, many of the issues in these debates  questions of a customs union and the Single Market, for example  will be back before too long. But the Government will have demonstrated it can pass contentious bills through Parliament. Fortunately the mood music from Prime Ministers address to the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee sounded positive.

Delivering parliamentary business without a majority is nightmarish. Before the 2015 election there were widespread predictions of a hung parliament. I was then a Cabinet Office adviser and the Civil Service spent the election period game-planning almost every scenario of coalition or supply and confidence, practically ignoring a potential Tory majority which then of course resulted. Luckily they did practice clapping a Prime Minister into Downing Street (yes!), so things were all ready for David Cameron on the morning of 8th May after his return from the Palace.

At the time I read David Steels A House Divided, which brilliantly captures the problems of minority governments. So no-one should envy the position of Julian Smith, the Chief Whip, who must be having to deploy all his sangfroid to keep the broad tent of the Conservative Party together. Nor that of Andrea Leadsom, the Leader of the House, who is faced with the difficult challenge of juggling the many pieces of Government legislation.

The recent decision by Labour to abstain on a Withdrawal Bill amendment to keep the UK in the Single Market is crucial. Although Labours alternative amendment, which seeks full access to the internal marketwith no new impediments to trade and common rights, is basically impossible (while leaving the EU), the politics are what counts. Opposition parties can promise unicorns and not be held to account. Labour have ensured that there will be no amendment to this Bill forcing the UK to stay in the Single Market.

And last night a welcome compromise emerged from Oliver Letwin (master broker of the Cameron-era) to see off another amendment. That amendment would have required the Government to set out a statement of how it was seeking to secure a customs union with the EU. While that amendment would only bind the Government in a limited way, it would have sent an unfortunate symbol to Brussels. The Commission would see little need to engage seriously with any UK proposal on trade or the Irish border. Yesterdays compromise  signed by a collection of MPs spanning from Nicky Morgan and Stephen Hammond on one side, to Bill Cash and Jacob Rees-Mogg on the other  firmly kicks the customs union can down the road. The issue is deferred, not resolved.

The most significant amendment still in play relates to the so-called meaningful vote. This is intended to put Parliament in the driving seat of the negotiations. It is constitutionally unprecedented. Some of its defenders try to argue that it should be supported because Brexit was about parliamentary sovereignty and taking back control to Parliament. But that argument rests on a misunderstanding.

Parliamentary sovereignty is the principle that Parliament is the supreme legal authority. Besides making law, Parliament is responsible for scrutinising the Government, and controlling public expenditure and taxation. But Parliamentary sovereignty does not entail making Parliament the Executive. Nor does it mean Parliament should run international affairs or direct negotiations.

But the amendment on a meaningful vote isnt really about protecting parliamentary sovereignty any more than the Gina Miller legal challenge resulted from a preternatural interest in the use of the royal prerogative. This amendment is intended to put no deal out of reach of Theresa May. It would therefore limit the Governments ability to negotiate effectively. However the amendment would have a much more profoundly damaging result than just limiting the Governments manoeuvring space. If this amendment passes, Brussels will have every incentive to give Britain the worst possible deal and no incentive to make sensible compromises.

The Government has an extraordinarily difficult task ahead. Delivering Brexit would be hard enough in normal circumstances. The hung Parliament only adds to its complexities. Back in March 2017, MPs passed the Article 50 legislation with a large majority, giving the Government the power to start the Brexit process. Its perfectly reasonable, and desirable, for the Commons to play an important role in Brexit  scrutinising the Government and holding them to account  but they cannot usurp the Executives role. Its for the Prime Minister and her ministers to conduct the negotiations.If the Commons wants to vote against any Brexit deal that the Government reaches with the EU, it will find a way of doing so. If it also wants to direct Ministers to then seek to join the EEA, it will be able to do so too. If it wants to instruct the Government to try to postpone or rescind Article 50, it will be able to do so instead. Theresa May could of course in such circumstances try to defy MPs, notwithstanding the Fixed Terms Parliament Act, and look to hold a general election. Or she could resign as Conservative leader, hold the fort in Downing Street for the course of a leadership election, and await the arrival of a Prime Ministerial replacement.

But in the last resort, the Commons has the whip hand  as it would if such an election returned an anti-Brexit or pro-EEA majority to the green benches. A Government in lieu amendment today implicitly acknowledges that MPs may reject any Brexit deal that May brings back from Brussels, and perhaps attempt to join the EEA or even stop Brexit altogether. As a Commons Library note makes clear, this amendment grants Parliament a legally guaranteed veto over the Withdrawal Agreement. If it vetoed the agreement, MPs could then do anything they liked, or try to.

The Lords amendment it seeks to replace is different. As the Library note points out, it also offers the prospect of such a veto, but this would be exercised before any agreement is concluded rather than after it is ratified. In other words, it creates the conditions for the Commons to take control of the negotiation  to give direction, to borrow the language of the amendment. Pro-Remain wags will claim that this represents MPs taking back control. But one cant take back something one has never had: as the note says, this procedure would be constitutionally unprecedented. (Dominic Grieve has tabled an alternative which contains elements of both approaches.)

Under our system, the legislature holds the executive to account. It does not seek to act as the executive itself. Britains side of the negotiation is confusing enough with Downing Street, four major departments of state, and the best part of 25 ministers trying to run it (plus Olly Robbins, of course). Chaos would come again were it be placed in the hands of all 650 members of the Commons.

You may ask why Viscount Hailsham, who drew up the amendment, and his supporters in the lower House are proposing this novel procedure. The answer takes us back to where we started. They arent content to wait until an agreement is ratified before seeking to overturn it  and perhaps attempt to join the EEA instead, or else maybe cancel Brexit altogether.

Rather, as Henry Newman points out on this site today, they want to cramp the Prime Ministers room for manouevre now. In particular, they want to head off the possibility of her returning from Brussels with no deal at all. They are not content to wait. But it follows that by reducing the odds of no deal, they would thereby weaken Mays negotiating hand, and strengthen the EUs.

This is the real meaning of the meaningful vote. It is rare for MPs to spurn the chance to boost their own power. But Conservative ones should recognise that the Hailsham amendment takes them into very deep constitutitional water indeed. More directly and simply, it also seeks to send the Prime Minister naked into the negotiation chamber. Up with that they should not put  whatever view they later take of any deal she brings back, if there is one; whatever course they might then decide to pursue.CORNWALL & GLENGARRY, Ontario  The Raisin Region Conservation Authority (RRCA) recently released a report card on water quality for the first time in over 10 years. The overall grade was a C, derived from specific scores: C+ in forest conditions, a C in wetland conditions and a C in pollution.

Several evaluation methods were used during the report, like the Benthis score, which examines invertebrate species in river beds.

E-Coli and Phosphorus were the two main pollutants found in the water. These pollutants can be found in manure and fertilizer. They are known to contribute to harmful algae growth.

Chris Critoph, Manager of Environmental Services with the RRCA, suggested that farming and agricultural practices are the primary culprit of water pollution in the area.

Although there are other contributors (wildlife, faulty septic systems, urban runoff, industrial pollution, etc.) agriculture is the primary land use in our area and primary source of our water quality issues, said Critoph.

According to Critoph, the RRCA has been working with landowners to prevent run-off nutrients from entering the water. These efforts include fencing cattle out of tributaries and providing them with alternative watering sources to avoid defecation in the water. They have also been updating manure containment facilities.

We have been working with landowners to plant buffers along the shorelines of the various tributaries, said Critoph. This provides a filtering function for nutrient rich run-off off of agricultural land. So, when theres a rainfall event on a field that has been fertilized, or manure has been spread, it will have a high nutrient content that will flow into the river. If we have a buffer established, it will help filter out those nutrients before they flow into the river.

Critoph explained a buffer usually consists of approximately 15 ft of natural vegetation. The RRCA works with landowners to develop customized shoreline plans. Native species of shrubs, trees and perennials, like dogwood and willow, are often used as they hold the bank together and fight erosion.

Critoph and Jeff Ridal, the Executive Director and Chief Research Scientist at the St. Lawrence River Institute acknowledge that the water quality of the St. Lawrence River is generally better than the water flowing from the tributaries. Studies show the high nutrient content flowing from the creeks isnt successfully mixing into the St. Lawrence River, but is instead hugging the shoreline. This matter is a concern to the RRCA and the River Institute.

According to Ridal, there is a low level of harmful algae, a cyanobacteria which produces toxins, present along the shoreline. This algae is aggravated by high temperatures and is currently an issue in the Great Lakes. It can be particularly dangerous for wildlife and small pets.

Despite the C grade, and a loss of forest cover and wetland cover, the tributary water quality has steadily improved in the last few years. Recent research from the University of Waterloo indicates that water quality levels can take up to 15-20 years to reflect the status of forest cover and wetlands in the area. Given the current state of forest cover and wetlands, Critoph predicts the water quality will see a decline in years to come if it correlates with this trend.

We have to be diligent and have to keep monitoring, said Ridal.CORNWALL, Ontario  Truffles Burger Bar posted on their Facebook page on Monday afternoon, June 11, 2018, that they had been victims of a break-in at 3 a.m. that morning.

This morning at 3am, two guys broke into our restaurants and stole laptops, iPads, cash, liquor and one of our fine menus (as a trophy I would imagine), the Facebook post reads. If you have any information or recognize the person in the picture please contact us. This has to stop. Its become an annual event and affects multiple other businesses in the downtown core.

In a Facebook message to Cornwall Seaway News Truffles Burger Bar stated that they had contacted the police.

Cornwall Seaway News reached out to the Cornwall Community Police Service to comment on the story and to ask if any other businesses had recently been broken into downtown, but they did not immediately respond to our request.CORNWALL, Ontario  Council rejected a motion on Monday, June 11, 2018 that an Integrity Commissioner be hired to investigate the behaviour of Councillor Mark MacDonald.

In late April, Councillor Claude McIntosh asked that Councillor MacDonalds behavior be investigated after he sent emails to council members, including himself, in which he called McIntosh a possible liar.

MacDonald made the comments in the context of the City budget deliberations that were ongoing at the time. MacDonald, McIntosh, and others had signed a pledge at the last municipal election to not raise taxes, something that McIntosh now says does not live up to the realities of governance.

McIntosh asked that MacDonalds behaviour be reviewed by the Provincial Ombudsman, the Ombudsman however, does not investigate such matters, so the City could have to hire an Integrity Commissioner.

We have a Code of Conduct, but we dont have any way of enforcing the Code of Conduct, said McIntosh. If I had been offered an apology, I would have declined it. If we can do that in an email, then I could stand here and tell Councillor Murphy what I thought of him and get away with it, McIntosh went on to say.

First of all, I would like to apologise if I hurt anybodys feelings, replied MacDonald.

MacDonald said he read the Code of Conduct and looked for how he might have violated it.

If I did violate something, then show me exactly where because I couldnt find that I did, he said. I was told by Councillor Clement to choose my words carefully and I did. I think it is a colossal, colossal waste of time and money.

City Clerk Manon Levesque referred Councillor MacDonald to Section 17.5 of the Code of Conduct which outlines the professional language that a Councillor was expected to use in their communications.

I think we are expected to live up to a certain standard here, said Councillor Elaine MacDonald. There is no place for ad hominem comments. I think when you use terms like that, you violate a civil code that supersedes our own simple code of conduct. We arent talking about the sensitivity of an individual, we are talking about the right or wrongness of an action.

A recorded vote saw the motion to hire an Integrity Commissioner fail with five votes in favour, four against and one abstention.CORNWALL, Ontario  Cornwall City Council and the Library Board accepted deals negotiated and ratified by four councils of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) representing City of Cornwall librarians, paramedics, inside and outside workers.

The ratification of this deal by the unions employer ends a strike that began on May 16.

All negotiations have been ratified by council, said City of Cornwall Mayor Leslie OShaughnessy.

OShaughnessy said that all workers were expected to be back on the job on Tuesday, June 12, 2018. He did say that some services might still be affected as things return to normal.

We welcome our workers back and we hope to move forward together in a very positive way, OShaughnessy said.

CUPE spokesperson Andrea Addario said that the four local councils had ratified the deal earlier in the day.

The four CUPE locals who have been on strike in Cornwall have each ratified their tentative agreements, Addario said in a statement to the medis on Monday. Assuming City Council and the Library Board both ratify from managements side today, people will return to work on Tuesday.

The Mayor announced during the council meeting on Monday night that Council had indeed ratified the deal.SOUTH STORMONT, Ontario  Wales Rd., also known as County Rd. 12 will be closed starting Wednesday, June 13, 2018.

The road will be closed as the Wales Rd. bridge is replaced. The bridge replacement is the second phase of the project to replace both the Avonmore Rd. bridge and the Wales Rd. bridge.

Traffic on Wales Rd. was already reduced to one-lane on Monday and Tuesday. On Saturday, June 16, Hwy 401 will be closed in both directions starting at 10 p.m. and continuing until 6 a.m. the next day. Traffic will be re-routed via Dickinson Rd. and Moulinette Rd.

The Avonmore Rd. project was finished at the beginning of June, after nearly three months of delays.

The Wales Rd. bridge replacement is projected to be finished at the end of 2018.

According to the Ministry of Transportation Ontario, the total cost of the contract was $6.95 million.Hewlett Packard Enterprise has named Jennifer Temple, a 25-year communications veteran who was most recently senior vice president of corporate communications at Wells Fargo, as its new chief communications officer.

In an internal memo announcing Temple's appointment, HPE CEO Antonio Neri called Temple a great "cultural fit" for HPE. "She understands the importance of partnership and is an advocate for building collaborative cultures," said Neri. "She has an innovative spirit, and her track record proves that she has a bias for action."

Before joining Wells Fargo in 2012, Temple was an executive vice president for Hill + Knowlton Strategies, where she worked as an advisor on "corporate reputation, executive advocacy and competitive and market positioning" for a number of Silicon Valley companies including HP and LinkedIn. "During her time with H+K, Jennifer served as the global account lead for Hewlett-Packard, so she understands our legacy, rich heritage and culture of innovation," said Neri.

[RELATED: HPE CEO Neri: Next Initiative Is The Ultimate 'Competitive Advantage' In Fast-Moving Market]

Neri said Templewho will take the reins on July 9will lead the global communications team as the company continues to "shape the narrative about HPE and our impact" on companies and industries powered by HPE technology. "She joins us at an exciting inflection point for our company, and she will inherit a strong communications function that has built great momentum," said Neri.

Temple replaces Henry Gomez  a key player in the transformation of HPE  who stepped down as executive vice president June 1 with his responsiblities as chief marketing officer and chief communications officer then split into two roles. Jim Jackson, HPE senior vice president of marketing, was promoted to chief marketing officer last month.

"I strongly believe that communications is a bedrock function for our company and is critical to ensuring our ongoing success," said Neri. "Therefore, Jennifer will report directly to me and global communications will become its own corporate function. Marketing and Communications will continue to partner very closely as we shape HPEs brand and reputation, but the functions will operate separately. "

Temple joined Wells Fargo in 2012 in a newly created post to oversee executive and internal and external communications for the consumer lending business. Her role was expanded in 2015 when she took on communications oversight of the wealth and investment management business and again in 2017 when she took on responsibility for managing communications for the corporate risk and enterprise information technology organizations

Temple also previously worked as a vice president of corporate communications for Bank of America, senior director of marketing communications for Newport Beach real estate company Irvine Company and assistant press secretary for former California Governor Pete Wilson.

Neri singled out Temple's extensive expertise spanning "corporate and financial communications, media relations, employee communications, executive advocacy, product marketing, brand positioning, crisis and issues management, and public affairs."

Kelly Ireland, founder and CEO of Orange, Calif.-based CB Technologies, an HPE Platinum partner , No. 243 on the 2018 CRN Solution Provider 500, said Temple's strong communications background will be key to driving HPE's success in the future.

"Strong communications is critical to succeeding in the IT industry today especially in the channel," said Ireland. "At CB Technologies, we make sure we are driving the innovation technology discussion with our clients."

CB Technologies, in fact, will be featured at HPE Discover next week with regard to its role in innovative breakthrough solutions centered on HPE Aruba Refinery of the Future and HPE GreenLake.The closely-followed debate over the so-called "landmark" merger between AT&T and Time Warner is slated to come to an end on Tuesday when the decision regarding whether the two can come together will be announced.

If the $85.4 billion deal is indeed given the green light by a federal judge, solution providers believe that carriers could shift their focus to media content, perhaps at the expense of their foundational connectivity and networking services.

"Every [telecom] is going to think they need a content provider now," said Patrick Oborn, co-founder of Sandy, Utah-based master agent Telarus.

[Related: Further Telecom M&A Hinges On Outcome Of AT&T-Time Warner Deal, Partners Say ]

AT&T first announced its intent to acquire media giant Time Warner in 2016. The Department of Justice sued to block the deal, and the six-week long court battle began in March. U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon is expected to either approve or deny the deal on Tuesday, giving the two companies until June 21 to complete the $85.4 billion deal, if approved.

The Justice Department has argued that an AT&T-Time Warner tie-up would hurt competition, and give AT&T room to raise prices on its customers. Dallas-based AT&T didn't expect a challenge on its vertical acquisition -- a deal that would combine two companies that don't directly compete against one another. AT&T has said that the merger will allow it to better compete against the likes of Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google as the content and video market transforms.

Separately, both AT&T and Time Warner are large carriers that have been historically hard to work with, and combined, the two companies aren't likely to create positive changes for consumer or business users, like encourage competition or lower prices, according to one telecom agent partner who asked not to be named.

"In my opinion, a merger would be terrible," the solution provider executive said. "It's two big carriers that are already hard to deal with, so I'm not sure what processes they'd put in place to make things better. I think they're moving in the wrong direction, especially because AT&T already owns DirecTV."

Solution providers said that the content-focused merger could distract AT&T from focusing on its bread-and-butter connectivity portfolio.

"[AT&T] has made a really good push this year, focusing on the channel, so it makes us a little nervous if they aren't going to be focusing on their core networking business, which is what partners are selling," said Shane Stark, director of vendor and channel relations for Clive, Iowa-based solution provider Carrier Access.

A spokesperson for AT&T declined to comment on the proposed merger's potential impact on the channel.

On the other hand, Rickie Richey, CEO of AT&T Platinum Partner Exchange reseller partner Altaworx, believes that the deal could give partners access to new selling opportunities, such as TV services.

From a channel standpoint, partners run the risk of being diminished by industry consolidation. The value of a solution provider that is often bringing together multiple offerings across several providers could decline as the market shrinks, Carrier Access' Stark said.

"Businesses come to us because we can give them more options and they dont have to deal with the carriers themselves. Consolidation isn't good for us as we try to bring multiple solutions to the table [and] help customers through the weeds," he said. "The less possibilities, the easier it is for customers to figure it out on their own."

Because the so-called vertical deal is focused on obtaining content from a provider in a different market, the transaction, if passed, shouldn't negatively impact business in the channel, Richey said.

"It's not as if AT&T is buying Verizon," Richey said.Quark Expeditions today signed an agreement with Croatias Brodosplit to build a new expedition ship for polar operations, set to launch in 2020.

The 200-passenger ship was designed by LMG Marin in close cooperation with Quark Expeditions, the company announced.

The 13,000-ton ship will feature twenty zodiacs as well as four embarkation points for landings, as well as two helidecks.

It is one of more than two dozen new expedition ships set to debut between now and 2022, according to the 2018 Expedition Market Report.

This ship will be more than just a ship  it will be an unrivalled operational base for polar expeditions," said Andrew White, Quark Expeditions President, Our guests travel with Quark to maximize their expedition experience, push their boundaries and experience the magic of the polar regions. With this new ship, in the hands of the most experienced expedition team in the industry, we will get you off the ship and into nature further, faster and safer than ever before.

Going further was a key consideration in the ships design, driving optimization of fuel, water, provisioning and waste handling systems to deliver an exceptional 40-day operational capability.

This extended range, in combination with the helicopters, will make destinations such as the Ross Sea and the remote western Antarctic Phantom Coast safely accessible.

Incorporating a wide array of groundbreaking safety systems, the ship will feature thirteen fully redundant critical systems, twin propellers powered by four engines in two separate engine rooms, and even a fully operational emergency bridge. And, unique to Quark, all expedition operations will be run by Quark Academy-trained expedition staff, the company said.

Quark Expeditions only operates in the polar regions - the most unforgiving areas of the world, so safety is our top priority." added White. Thats why we created Quark Academy to ensure the highest level of training in the industry and why, when we designed this ship, we included cutting-edge safety features and made no compromises for non-polar operations.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).BRIDGEPORT  Edwin Rios said business has been good since he opened his Puerto Rican restaurant, La Bodega Del Mofongo, on the East Side four months ago.

Ive been blessed, Rios said. A lot of people come to eat.

He thinks a lot more customers will find the location  tucked in a brick building where Congress, Knowlton, Williams and Pulaski streets and Crescent Avenue all converge, when a new Congress Street bridge is built across the Pequonnock River re-connecting that neighborhood to downtown.

The buildings that make up Bridgeports urban core are easy to see from that side of the water. But since the old Congress Street span  a drawbridge  got stuck in the open position in 1997, traffic has had to take the long way around.

Rios watched Monday afternoon as a crowd of elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., and Mayor Joe Ganim, gathered a short walk from his front door at the closed bridge entrance to announce progress in the ongoing rebuilding effort.

Himes said the House of Representatives recently passed legislation he and city officials had sought that declared that section of the Pequonnock non-navigable, meaning the original drawbridge can be replaced with a cheaper fixed structure.

So the price tag went down significantly, Himes said.

This could be a big difference in business, a happy Rios said.

Still, Himes noted, there was a reason no ribbons were being cut or Champagne bottles popped open in celebration.

While this is a big step forward, it aint done yet, Himes cautioned.

The bill next must pass the U.S. Senate.

I dont have any reason to think it will get hung up in the Senate, Himes said, but he added his predictions about Senate business have been off before.

And then the city, which has budgeted $12 million toward a new bridge, needs the federal government to approve an $8 million grant to cover the balance of the $20 million cost.

Both Himes and Ganim had pledged in the past to fight for the Congress Street rebuild, and with the former running for re-election and the latter running for governor and, if that fails, re-election, Mondays event could be considered a signal to voters that both men were still focused on the issue.

If you ask people what is it we need to do in Bridgeport ... its rebuilding this bridge, Ganim said. We have businesses located a stones throw away that kind of feel like theyre cut off from the downtown.

The neighborhood seems to need the infusion of traffic. There are some seemingly thriving businesses, like Rios, and it is also home to Bridge Academy charter school. But there are also empty buildings and a strip bar.

The case for a new Congress Street Bridge is not just an economic one. Fire Chief Richard Thode, who was also present Monday, has argued a new bridge will cut down on emergency response times to the East Side.

Councilwoman Maria Valle, who represents the East Side with Council President Aidee Nieves, noted the bridge is important to the elderly and disabled residents living in the 14-story, 240-unit Harborview Towers low-income housing development a few blocks away.

I used to cross this bridge when my mother and I would do our shopping downtown on Saturday, Nieves recalled. I know what not being connected to downtown meant to us.Remote setups give startups and small businesses the luxury of operating from anywhere in the world with a team of remote employees, in addition to eliminating a large monthly expense. They can be great -- many companies thrive using this setup and Ive run a remote setup for years, but as Im currently pivoting my company, it requires that I transition to a physical office.

Im converting a new industrial shell into an office/warehouse combination that will allow us to store and fulfill all of the new consumer brands we are launching and do all of the marketing in-house as well. Its been both exciting and overwhelming. During this period Ive encountered some realities of transitioning from a remote organization to a physical office.

1. Talent recruitment must be locally focused.

I have some great designers and developers that I use who are located all over the world. While they can still be utilized for some projects, I need to hire the best local talent to handle immediate needs. If a package manufacturer needs an art file edited quickly in order to make a print deadline, we cant wait until the next day -- it needs to be done on the spot.

The same applies to Facebook advertising and AdWords team members, social media marketers and customer service reps -- everything now must be in-house to support the new direction and anticipated hyper-scaling.

Related: 50 Work-From-Home Jobs Paying as Much or a Lot More Than the Average American Salary

2. Team-building and work-life balance becomes a top priority.

Personally, I struggled with work-life balance in the beginning, and I am very vocal about those struggles. I was afraid that if I wasnt working 24/7 I would lose momentum and fail. I was very wrong.

It wasnt until I learned how to unplug from the business and have a life outside of the business, that I truly gained momentum and started to accomplish my goals. With an entire team in-house, team building in and out of the office will become a priority, as will promoting a healthy work-life balance.

Team members as well as the company becomes most profitable when the quality of everyones work-life balance is at an optimal level. Life and work, after all, are to be enjoyed, and having struggled with this in the past I need to lead by example from the beginning.

3. Commercial office space comes with more financial responsibilities and potential issues.

During the process of looking at industrial office space, two things became very apparent -- its a big commitment and some of these spaces come with potential issues. The more build-out you require, the longer the lease. The older the space, the more potential issues down the line.

Did you know there are multiple categories of commercial water damage? Well there are, and several properties had leaks and water spots -- something I wanted no part of. This is the primary reason that I gravitated toward a brand new industrial development. Not only is it a blank canvas to create my ideal office and warehouse, but it also eliminates a lot of potential issues and headaches down the road.

Related: 5 Full-Time Jobs You Can Do to Make Money Online or From Home

4. It requires additional staff to fully manage.

While some positions and tasks can still be handled by remote team members, and in-house team members will likely have the opportunity to work at least one day a week remotely, a physical office requires some additional positions.

We now have dedicated hours of operation, and the front door and reception area need to be open during those hours in order to receive deliveries and send out daily shipments. A remote operation doesnt require a happy smiling face to greet delivery drivers, while a physical office does. So, I am now currently on the hunt for someone to fulfill this duty.

5. A local brick-and-mortar operation is more attractive to local investors.

Ive always been a fan of bootstrapping, and up until this point I have never taken on an investor. Im not actively seeking that option, but having a physical location makes landing a private investor much more doable, if that ever becomes a desire.

While out networking in Miami Ive run into a few people that were interested in what we had in the works, and in terms of scalability, an investment drastically speeds up that process. Fom talking to local investors, its become apparent that they really like the idea of having the operation under one roof.

Related:

5 Lessons I've Learned While Transitioning From Working at Home to a Physical Office

How to Ensure Positive Vibes to Your Employees When at Work

How This Flower Delivery Company's Office Encourages Creativity



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reservedWhen President Bill Clinton struck a landmark deal with North Korea in 1994, the isolated nation agreed to take a variety of specific steps that included freezing and later dismantling its nuclear program, as well as opening its facilities to international inspectors.

When President George W. Bush forged a deal in 2005, North Korea promised to abandon all of its nuclear weapons programs and return to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

On Tuesday, when President Donald Trump unveiled his agreement, he excoriated past presidents for failing to make the issue a "priority" and hailed his own document as "very, very comprehensive."

But scholars say the joint statement signed by Trump and Kim Jong Un reduces North Korea's commitments to just one sentence: a pledge to "work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

"It is the most watered-down joint statement concerning these two nations ever," said Sung-Yoon Lee, a North Korea expert at Tufts University.

In many ways, Trump's whirlwind negotiations with the North Koreans defy comparisons. Instead of months or years of low-level talks culminating in a landmark accord, Trump agreed to a face-to-face meeting with Kim at the outset, before either side had even agreed on a broad definition of denuclearization.

The Trump administration is also dealing with a North Korea that has a much more sophisticated nuclear weapons program, with more powerful warheads and more accurate intercontinental ballistic missiles.

That arsenal has given Kim more leverage at the negotiating table, but Trump has done little to dampen expectations for what he can achieve.

"My whole life has been deals. I've done great at it," Trump said. ". . . I just feel very strongly, my instinct . . . they want to make a deal."

By meeting with Kim in Singapore on Tuesday in front of thousands of journalists and photographers, Trump has already given the regime a carrot it long sought, and he threw in an additional concession by suspending U.S. military exercises with South Korea.

In return, Trump received a vague promise from Kim to work toward denuclearization and a commitment to return the remains of American service members lost in North Korea during the Korean War more than 60 years ago.

Efforts by previous presidents committed Pyongyang to far more detailed and specific restrictions, though the deals all ultimately failed.

"This new commitment to denuclearize is actually more vague and even weaker than the 2005 six-party joint statement and the 1992 inter-Korean Joint Denuclearization Declaration," said Duyeon Kim, a research fellow at the Korean Peninsula Future Forum, describing two major diplomatic statements.

During the Clinton administration, the landmark disarmament deal known as the Agreed Framework was hatched in October 1994 and ended months of saber-rattling after Pyongyang withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. At the time, North Korea had begun turning its nuclear fuel into warheads. But under the deal, the regime froze its nuclear activities and agreed to dismantle nuclear facilities in return for oil and two light-water nuclear reactors for electricity. The deal imploded in 2002 when Washington accused Pyongyang of secretly developing a nuclear program through the use of enriched uranium.

As written, the Agreed Framework, a more-than-950-word document, required far more North Korean concessions than Trump's 350-word document, including the admission of international inspectors and the freezing of reactors, experts said. But Trump's joint statement falls short even when compared with smaller, piecemeal agreements made before the 1994 accord.

It also demands less than the Bush administration's six-party talks, the 2003 negotiations involving the United States, North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia. Those on-again, off-again discussions lasted until 2008, and involved North Korean steps to pause its nuclear activities and shut down parts of its nuclear complex in exchange for economic benefits and security guarantees. The talks ultimately imploded over differences on a verification regime, and North Korea formally withdrew from the negotiations after it launched a long-range rocket, prompting international outrage.

Still, those talks tried to nail the regime down to more specific concessions, including a 2005 commitment to abandoning "all nuclear weapons and existing programs and returning, at an early date," to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Bruce Klingner, a North Korea expert at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said the denuclearization pledge in the Trump statement is "diluted from the six-party talks provision, and there was no mention of North Korea moving towards complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization, as the administration had hinted."

Supporters of Tuesday's agreement say it serves as a starting point for more meaningful discussions.

"The Singapore summit communique is a good but minimal basis upon which to negotiate further detailed action steps on denuclearization and creating a 'peace regime' on the Korean Peninsula," said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association. "The real test of 'success' will be whether the two sides can transform the bold commitments into concrete, steady progress in the weeks and months and years ahead."

Others take a more dim view, pointing out that the first two bullet points - committing to a new relationship with Pyongyang and a "stable peace regime" - benefit only the North Koreans.

" 'New U.S.-DPRK relations' and 'peace regime' meet North Korea's needs, while Kim Jong Un simply reiterated a prior commitment in the Panmunjom Declaration to 'complete denuclearization,' " said Scott Snyder, a Korea expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.

He emphasized, however, that the Trump administration is still working toward a final deal.

"It marks the beginning rather than the culmination of a process," said Snyder.

Critics of the joint statement say the United States walked into a trap that will spell the end of the "maximum pressure" campaign designed to isolate and extract concessions from Pyongyang.

"It's a victory for North Korea, in having initiated an open-ended, drawn-out negotiation process that ensnares the U.S. into not enforcing sanctions," said Lee.

But Lee said the brittleness of the agreement might make it easy for Trump to abandon.

"This hollow, nonbinding joint statement allows Trump to walk away from it, because there's nothing to walk away from," said Lee. "The question is, will Trump have the fortitude to admit he was duped?"WASHINGTON  Apart from a few perfunctory words of praise for President Trump meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, Connecticuts Democratic congressional delegation saw little to like in the aftermath of the historic summit in Singapore.

Many people like me  historic supporters of diplomacy  are hesitant to criticize Trumps foray into nuclear diplomacy, said Sen. Chris Murphy, who is on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Nevertheless, no one should hold back from continuing to savage the directionless, counterproductive foreign policy of this administration just because diplomacy, done right, is almost always worth supporting.

Trump hailed his first-ever meeting between a U.S. president and North Korean leader as a great moment in the history of the world.

People thought this could never take place, Trump told reporters after the meeting. It is now taking place. Its a very great day.

We have a long way to go, but I applaud the president for keeping the conversation going, said Rep. Jim Himes, a member of the House intelligence committee. Thats important.

But Himes criticized Trump for not highlighting the monstrous behavior of the North Korean regime and praising someone who could only be described as a murderer.

Asked by a reporter whether he brought human rights up with Kim Jong Un, Trump replied: Yes, it was discussed. It will be discussed more in the future.

After the meeting, the White House issued a joint statement agreed to by Trump and the North Korean leader that covered improved relations, lasting peace, recovery of POW/MIA remains from the Korean War, and commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Trump said in response to a question that Yeah, well be verifying North Korean compliance with whatever denuclearization deal emerges.

Inspectors will be drawn from both U.S. and international ranks, he said.

The president raised some eyebrows by announcing the U.S. would no longer participate in military exercises with its South Korean allies, calling them expensive, provocative and inappropriate.

He also said that while he ultimately wants to withdraw the 32,000 U.S. troops in South Korea, thats not part of the equation right now.

Trump said he won a commitment from Kim Jong Un to destroy a missile engine testing site. Neither agreement was among the four points in the joint communique.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal called the summit a a symbolic spectacle.

Without a firm timeline or verification guarantee for denuclearization, the pomp and circumstance of yesterdays summit cannot secure a lasting and stable peace on the Korean Peninsula, he said. Suspending military exercises in South Korea and talk about American troop withdrawals seem premature, a concession that could prove damaging to relationships with critical allies.

Murphy and Rep. Rosa DeLauro criticized Trump for dissing Americas closest allies at the G-7 summit in Canada before rushing off to Singapore to embrace a historic foe.

Insulting our allies diminishes our leadership in the world, DeLauro said. Diplomacy remains the only route to resolve the tension between the United States and North Korea, given the inherent risks of using military force.

On Monday, Murphy introduced an amendment to the defense-authorization bill that would prohibit Trump from starting a preemptive war against North Korea without an imminent threat or express authorization from Congress.

dan@hearstdc.comWASHINGTON  Sen. Richard Blumenthal spoke in unison with three other Democrat lawmakers on Capitol Hill Tuesday when he said Donald Trumps immigration policies are ripping apart families.

His argument comes on the heels of a House scramble to garner 218 signatures for a vote later this month on bills addressing the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which President Trump canceled last year.

Blumenthal, D-Conn., joined three Democratic lawmakers here urging passage of legislation to prevent immigrant families from separation at the border.

He applauded the call of Sen. Dianna Feinstein, D-Calif., for a bill that would protect families at the border, saying its necessary to pass in the face of an administration that is so lawless.

Never did any of us think that the United States of America would make its official immigration policy split and scatter families, Blumenthal said.

Democratic and moderate Republican House representatives in favor of debating the four DACA-relief bills collected close to the requisite number of signatures so far, but staunch Republicans opposed to the Obama-era program are doing everything they can to bring the movement to a halt.

If the discharge petition did not reach its 218 required signatures by Tuesday, the legislation likely would not hit the House floor until July - the third time debate about the bills has been pushed since Trump nixed the program in March.

The House would take a queen of the hill approach in debating a DACA measure, meaning the bill that acquires the most votes would be adopted by lawmakers.

On Capitol Hill Tuesday, Blumenthal blasted the Trump administration for a new policy that disqualifies victims of domestic abuse and gang violence from seeking asylum in the United States. The senator said the policy is hideous and nauseous because, in his view, it does not uphold American values.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions made the ruling Monday, sparking concern among advocates who said the policy will endanger people seeking asylum.

People will suffer, and the blood will be on Jeff Sessions hands, Blumenthal said.

Blumenthal also filed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act on Tuesday to bar the Trump administration from modifying military housing for children separated from their immigrant parents, citing four military bases that may be detaining children.

Its unclear what type of bill Democrats and Republicans would agree upon for debate in the House, but lawmakers in favor of reviving the DACA program have said theyre willing to be flexible with Republicans about the legislation.

Sarah.roach@chron.com Spotlighting lower-court divides over AEDPA's savings clause and consideration of sentencing errors | Main | Brennan Center provides a "Final Analysis" of crime in big cities in 2017 

The title of this post is the headline of this recent editorial from the Newark Star-Ledger. Regular readers likely know I take a shine to this opinion piece because of my recent work on a recent article, "Leveraging Marijuana Reform to Enhance Expungement Practices," which call for jurisdictions to take an expansive approach to expungement when moving forward with marijuana prohibition reforms. Here are excerpts from the editorial:

Even as New Jersey is poised to legalize marijuana, the cops are still arresting tens of thousands of people annually, mostly minorities, just for having a little pot. Many can't find work because of the stigma.

Jo Anne Zito was rejected for a job at Godiva chocolates because of a low-level marijuana possession charge, she told lawmakers last week. So, as we contemplate legalizing recreational weed, we need to ask: Does it make sense that people like her still won't be able TO get work at a candy store?

No. We can't legalize marijuana, yet continue to force them to "walk around with a scarlet letter," as Assemblywoman Annette Quijano (D-Union) put it. The answer is expungement. But the current debate is far too limited.

Quijano introduced a bill to allow those caught with a little pot to apply to have their records cleared; advocates argue they shouldn't have to initiate that onerous process, the state should do it automatically. None of this goes far enough.

We need to think big. We need to admit this was a mistake in the first place, and that a lot of decent people were caught up in the dragnet. So, sparing only those who possessed small amounts is really just a first step.

We need to expunge the records of those caught with more than just a little pot. And we need to expunge the records of low-level dealers as well, if a judge approves, as long as they didn't commit more serious crimes like selling to minors, carrying guns, or committing acts of violence.

Aside from cleaning these records, we need to release those currently imprisoned on such charges. Does it make sense to hold thousands of people behind bars for selling weed, while the government allows sales outside the prison walls?...

All states that have legalized pot have only done so for certain amounts. Anyone arrested for possessing more gets a ticket, rather than a criminal charge. Yet if our expungement policy is modeled to match, those previously charged with having any more pot can't get that wiped from their records. They will continue to be barred from employment, even as people who buy heaps of it after legalization are merely ticketed. That needs to be fixed. Expunging high-level dealing charges is likely impossible, for political reasons. But we should at least include intent to sell and lower level distribution and growing charges.

Granted, this is not without risk. A guy who pled down to a marijuana charge from money-laundering, for example, shouldn't get out of doing his time, or a criminal record. But we could include prosecutorial review, as a bill moving through California's legislature would. It requires the state to automatically dismiss any old marijuana charges, yet prosecutors would sift through the higher-level cases and contest them if necessary. California already allows many past pot charges to be dismissed or reduced based on a defendant's petition, although they might still surface if you apply for a government job.

Yes, it's a huge undertaking to expunge all these convictions retroactively, especially if our state does so without requiring a petition. But we derailed hundreds of thousands of lives with needless marijuana prosecutions, and nobody helped those people get jobs or find housing. Now we are saying it never should have happened. So let the state overcome the logistical hurdles, too.Domino's

If youre worried Americas notoriously pothole-ridden streets will crumble unchecked after the recent $1.5 trillion tax cut, just order a pizza and hope for the best. Dominos, it what is apparently much more of a publicity stunt than an infrastructure initiative (yet is still more innovative than the typical state highway department) has revealed a paving for pizza partnership to repair potholes in towns where it sells pizzas.

Potholes, cracks and bumps in the road can cause irreversible damage to your pizza during the drive home from Dominos, the eatery warns. We cant stand by and let your cheese slide to one side, your toppings get un-topped, or your boxes flippled. So were helping to pave in towns across the country save your good pizza from these bad roads.WESTPORT  What was supposed to be a fun family trip upstate to the Baseball Hall of Fame ended in tragedy this week for a Westport family.

Perrin Delorey, a Greens Farm Elementary School fourth-grader, died Monday from injuries sustained in a two-vehicle collision just about 30 miles outside Cooperstown, N.Y., on Sunday.

New York State Police are still investigating the cause of the fatal crash.

On Tuesday, Westport Superintendent of Schools Colleen Palmer broke the news to the school community with an email to parents.

It is with significant sadness that our school community has experienced the sudden loss of fourth-grade student Perrin Delorey. Perrin passed away yesterday after being involved in a car accident on Sunday, June 10, 2018. As a school community, we express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Perrin, Palmer wrote. I send this note out with a heavy heart that we have lost such an amazing little boy who was loved by so many and who exuded life in all he did. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Around 3 p.m. Sunday, New York troopers were called to Route 20 in Sharon, N.Y., on reports of a head-on collision. Police said it appeared the driver, Perrin Deloreys father, James C. Delorey, 49, was heading eastbound in a 2016 Mini Cooper when he crossed the center line and crashed head on into a vehicle traveling westbound.

Both James Delorey and his front-seat passenger, Perrin Deloreys mother, Angela H. Ryan, 47, were taken to the Albany Medical Center Hospital. James Delorey, senior vice president of research at public affairs firm Global Strategy Group, was released from the hospital the same day of the crash. Ryan was released on Tuesday.

The driver of the other vehicle, 63-year-old Mohawk, N.Y., native Sherman W. Day, was last listed in serious condition with head and neck injuries. A second occupant was uninjured.

Perrin Delorey, 10, was in the backseat of the Mini Cooper and suffered serious head and internal injuries. He was also transferred to Albany Medical Center Hospital and was on life support following the accident.

Police said the accident is under investigation by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Collision Reconstruction, and the uniform patrol, and retracted an original statement that said Perrin was not wearing a seatbelt.

After an autopsy, we can say that there was a seatbelt in use and he was properly restrained, said New York State Police Troop G Public Information Officer Mark J. Cepiel, on Thursday.

According to the family friend, the Deloreys have made arrangements to donate their sons organs.

The 10-year-olds passing has left many in the community stricken with grief.

Certainly the Greens Farms school community and the whole public education structure is in the process of doing anything they can to address not only the familys needs, but the communitys needs, to comprehend and deal with Perrins death. As a town, well do everything and anything necessary to ease the pain of this terrible loss, said First Selectman Jim Marpe. But the reality is this will take a long time.

An after-hours open house was hosted Tuesday at Greens Farms Elementary School, where Perrin Delorey was in fourth grade, to provide support and comfort for students and parents of GFS. In addition, a parent informational session on how to talk to children about grieving and loss was scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Long Lots School.

Jeffrey Brill, president of Westport Little League Baseball and Softball, issued a statement to the little league community on Tuesday.

I have gotten to know Perrin very well over the years while coaching him in baseball, basketball and soccer. Wearing number 5 on the Cubs this season, Perrin embodied the ethos and spirit of Little League. He exuded the team player concept and was committed to working hard to help his team. Awarding him a game ball earlier in the season, and seeing his face in the moment, was a highlight of the coaches and players season, Brill wrote. He added that the fourth-grader was the most improved player this season.

According to Brill, Deloreys mother informed the coach that Perrin would be missing the teams Saturday playoff game to see the Hall of Fame. Brill encouraged the family to take the trip, promising that Delorey would play in the AA baseball teams next game.

If we can take anything away from this senseless tragedy, it is that life can be transient and fragile, and one should relish every moment with ones loved ones on the field and off the field, his coach said.

justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1; 203-842-2586East Coast Cannabis markets are getting ready to expand in a major way. In recent weeks, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, Florida, and even New York have been showing signs of progress. For many budding east coast cannabis entrepreneurs, this momentum has been a long-time coming.

The excitement was palpable earlier this month at the Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition (CWCBE) in New York City. Thousands of entrepreneurs and industry experts descended on the Big Apple to attend the marijuana expo and educational networking trade show for the legalized cannabis and hemp industries.

As founder of New Yorks largest cannabis meetup group, High NY, Ive been working to educate New Yorkers about cannabis since 2014, soliciting experts from all over the world to come to New York and share their knowledge.

I caught up with two such experts at CWCBE: Christian Hageseth, founder and CEO of Denvers Green Man Cannabis, a retail and grow operation well-known for its connoisseur grade craft cannabis, and for ONE Cannabis, a cannabis business franchise. And Chloe Villano, founder of Denver-based Clover Leaf University. Licensed by the Colorado Department of Higher Education, Clover Leaf conducts vocational training for thousands of people all over the world.

Below Hagaseth and Villano share what they've learned running successful cannabis businesses in Colorado.

Be patient

Temper your enthusiasm, Hageseth said. Ive been part of legal cannabis businesses in nine states, shortly after each first legalized marijuana. For seven out of nine states, the rollout was significantly delayed and enrollment of medicinal patients was much lower than expected. Massachusetts is a perfect example. They took a while to get to where they are and are gaining speed, but the industry there is still so far from its true potential.

While encouraging entrepreneurs to be optimistic about the business opportunities, he also cautions you to be realistic and pragmatic in your approach, as it may take a few years before new markets get their feet on the ground. A lot of people think theyre going to get rich quick [in cannabis]. But, in reality, you are not going to be an immediate cash flow business, Hageseth added.

Related: 8 Ways Practicing Patience Radically Increases Your Capacity for Success

Raise more capital than you need

Villano recommends that you always raise more money than you think you need and dont expect business to come easily. In fact, expect everything to go wrong, because the regulations will change often and your plan will become obsolete.

Don't be first

Hageseth advises to let others take the lead. There is a difference between pioneers and settlers. Pioneers got arrows and settlers got land, he said. Im much more interested in being a settler in the cannabis industry. You dont know how regulators or banks are going to react as legalization changes, so its beneficial to not be the first to market.

Seek experienced partners

Partner with people who have industry experience to guide you and provide valuable advice along the way. The cannabis industry is unlike any other, so finding someone who has a deep amount of vetted contacts, as well as experience owning or operating a successful dispensary or grow is a great competitive advantage.

Having someone who understands your business and is available to help resolve specific challenges is invaluable, Hageseth said. I wish I could have paid someone $100,000 and five percent of my revenue to not make all the mistakes Ive made. I would have saved myself so much trouble and would be millions of dollars ahead.

He advises to be willing to pay for the right partner or the right advice. For example, there are ways to structure your entity and design your corporate governance that can significantly reduce frictions when it comes to scaling your business, remaining compliant, and paying your taxes.

An experienced partner should clue you into this as well as other important variables that can greatly impact the bottom line. Villano vehemently cautioned to avoid bad partnerships! The fastest way for your cannabis business to fail is by taking on the wrong partner.

Related: When It Comes to Corporate Partnerships, Remember These 5 Relationship Tricks

Find a lawyer and accountant with cannabis experience

Marijuana is a tricky business to navigate. Its in your best interest to find an accountant who has been through an IRS audit or two with a marijuana company. If you dont file your taxes the right way from the start, your business can get very far behind, Hageseth said.

Your business will greatly depend on the legislation in your market, so work with a lawyer who is well versed in several cannabis markets and regulatory frameworks in order to best protect your business, Villano added.

Become a cannabis expert

Since the cannabis industry is nascent, many people are coming in from all different industries with several ideas of ways to incorporate something they know really well into an industry they know nothing about. Just because something worked in another industry, doesnt guarantee it will translate in cannabis. Although it seems straightforward, take time to learn about the cannabis plant, culture, and community before entering this industry.

Those who dont know history are destined to repeat it, Villano told me with a smile. And those who dont know about cannabis are going to struggle as cannabis entrepreneurs.

Related: 3 Big Things You Need to Know Before Charging Into the Legal Marijuana Business

Related:

10 Secrets to Starting Your Own Small Business

$0 to $1,000 in a Day: The Marketing Method You Must Use to Grab People's Attention

3 Trends to Know Before Starting a Restaurant



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reservedGoing to college has always been a dream of mine. I did not always know that it was something I could actually attain on my own. I have grown up in Bridgeport. I see so much here that needs to be improved significantly. I now know that I will be one of the people who will make that improvement happen.

In Bridgeport, kids are not being pushed to their full potential and this makes them less prepared to take on the challenges of the real world. The schools I attended up until 7th grade did not push me enough. I got high honors, but I was not where I needed to be.

I come from a family of Jamaican immigrants who lacked knowledge about the ways in which the education system in the United States works. So, I did not have a lot of support at home in figuring out how to navigate my journey to college. All of this made me question whether my dreams were possible.

But there is also so much that makes me proud of who I am, where I come from, and what Bridgeport has to offer. I am proud that my Jamaican immigrant family taught me to be an independent young woman despite issues that arise. Im also proud of the resilience Ive witnessed among my family members through the struggle of adapting to a completely different country and making the best of it.

I am proud to have gone to a Bridgeport public charter school - Achievement First - and then onto its high school in New Haven, the #1 school in the state of Connecticut according to U.S. News & World Report. I look around at my classmates, kids like me, minorities and from Bridgeport, who are going to schools like Harvard, UConn and the University of Rochester. And I know that growing up in Bridgeport has molded me into a community-driven young woman who is determined to make change in her home city, and many other cities like Bridgeport one day.

Growing up in Bridgeport, and learning more about my city, has pushed me to become a student advocate and push my peers. Oftentimes, students dont recognize that they have a voice and can bring change, so my friends and I created the Student Advocacy Club at our school to hold rallies and get more involved in the community. This is just one step.

Bridgeport is my city, and it has so much potential. Not enough people are putting in the work to improve it. One of my primary goals after pursuing higher education is to come back to my city and form a nonprofit organization that works closely with students to ensure they are getting all the help they need to pursue higher education, because Bridgeport kids are just as capable as any other kids in the world. There is no better way to show that, nothing more impactful, than kids like me going onto college and coming back to help make the city of Bridgeport what it deserves to be.

In the fall, I will be attending Bates College, a liberal arts institution located in Lewiston, Maine. I plan to major in sociology or psychology. I also plan to be a model for students of Bridgeport who come from immigrant families and have a dream to go to college and succeed in life. After that, I will be back in Bridgeport making a difference. The city made us who we are, and so we must make it what it must become.

Daniah Foster lives in Bridgeport, and is a 2018 graduate of Achievement First Amistad High in New Haven.Ukraine Detects A Cyber Attack On A NATO Member

Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) agents have thwarted a cyber attack on a diplomatic office of a NATO member state. Hackers attempted to gain access by unauthorised use of an information resource of a state enterprise of the Ukrainian Health Ministry.

SBUs press center said on June 5 that law enforcers documented violations of information security and use of automated systems by Health Ministry enterprise officials.

The violations allowed illegal access to the enterprises information and telecommunications systems, leading hackers to exploit the opportunity to launch an attack on a foreign diplomatic office.

The SBU said that based on the results of the inspection, the Health Ministry leadership had decided to dismiss the general director of the state enterprise.

He was declared a suspect in committing a crime under Article 363 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of the rules for the operation of computers). The pretrial investigation is continuing.

Neither the NATO member state nor the state enterprise of the Health Ministry was named in the report.

Kyiv Post:

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NATO Could Go To War In Response To A Cyber Attack:

Which Countries Are Ready For Cyberwar?:Shandong, as a large agricultural province in China, possesses beautiful landscapes and many advantages that make it the perfect province to pioneer rural modernization in China.

In Shouguang, Shandong, a group of young people, referring to greenhouse vegetable planting as "greenhousing", cited the 7th-generation greenhouse technology as a wonder of rural modernization, with which the monitoring and operation of light, temperature and humidity, water and fertilizer irrigation and other indicators can all be completed on a phone.

Shouguang agricultural products logistics park [Photo/WeChat account: weifangfabu]

Cui Yulu, secretary of the Party branch of Cuilingxi village in Daotian town, Shouguang, said that in recent years, new, advanced technologies have been increasingly exploited by the "second generation of greenhouse households". Not only has the cost of growing vegetables been reduced by about 20 percent, but the output has increased by 15 percent.



Shouguang is a town of vegetables. In the 1990s, winter greenhouse cultivation technology was used to address the lack of fresh vegetables in winter in northern cities. Now, with continuous innovation, the city remains the harbinger in the vegetable industry.

Since the reform and opening up of the province and China in general, Shandong has experienced significant progress in rural modernization, with its integration of trade, industry and agriculture, and the industrialization of agriculture exerting a powerful demonstrative effect. Shandong's total agricultural output value, added value, and total exports are among the top 8 in the country.

Today, Shandong province accounts for six percent of the country's arable land and one percent of freshwater resources, and contributes eight percent of grain output, nine percent of meat production, 12 percent of fruit production, and 13 percent of vegetable production. The total agricultural exports accounts for 24 percent of that of the entire country.

The 40 years of diligence has endowed Shandong with a rich heritage of rural revitalization. The province has proposed to take practical actions to build a Qilu model and strive for a new era for all-around rural revitalization.

Visitors looking at vegetable displays during a recent agricultural product exhibition in Weifang, Shandong province. [Photo by Zhao Yuguo/China Daily]Cette annonce nest plus disponible et aucune proposition ne peut etre transmise.

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT- PROJECT ASSISTANT a Djibouti

Vacant Position: Project Assistant

Number of position: 1

Duty station: Djibouti office

Duration of period: 6 months

Deadline for Application: 19 June 2018



The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a non-governmental, humanitarian organization with 60 years of experience in helping to create a safer and more dignified life for refugees and internally displaced people. NRC advocates for the rights of displaced populations and offers assistance within Shelter, Education, Food security, Legal Assistance, Camp Management Water, Sanitation and Hygiene sectors.

Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has been implementing projects for Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees in Djibouti, since 2013 in supporting the Refugees in Ali Addeh and Holl-holl, whilst assisting Yemeni refugees at the Markazi Refugee Camp in Obock



NRC seeks to recruit competent persons to fill the positions of Project Assistant in WASH/Shelter.

The Project Assistant will be responsible in the implementation of the project activities in assigned area.



Job Description

1.Participate in needs assessments and survey on a need basis.

2.Participate in site selection and preliminary planning and design.

3.Assist and provide inputs in preparation of Bill of Quantities and technical drawings for both WASH and shelter infrastructures.

4.Work with the OIC, shelter officer, and the WASH coordinator in the supervision of all NRC infrastructure projects (WASH and Shelter) in the assigned location

5.Provide technical and supervisory support to contractors/technicians and community artisans in the assigned projects

6.Monitor, evaluate and recommend improvements in the project and materials based on observations and discussions with the shelter, WASH staff and the contractors

7.Represent NRC in the community meetings, WASH/shelter or emergency response meetings in close collaboration with the OIC, shelter officer and WASH coordinator.

8.Coordinate and participate in planning and execution of workshops& Trainings

9.Prepare and submit scheduled reports as per M&E reporting matrix

10.Supervise the construction and rehabilitation of latrines, drainage and other relevant Sanitation facilities and ensuring the highest quality, WASH standards and as per specified technical drawings

11.Prepare material estimates for construction and repair of WASH facilities.

12.Preparation of reports, technical guidelines, drawings and other strategic documentations if WASH or Shelter officer is absent.

13.Closely work with community leaders, community mobilizes and other part of the community on the regular supervising, assessing and identifying WASH/Shelter needs

14.Contribute to the development of NRCs Country strategy and action plan

15.Attend to any other reasonable assignment as may be requested by the supervisor from time to time

Qualifications

Minimum of 4 years of relevant experience supervising WASH/Shelter infrastructure sites and community work in rural and urban areas

 in a humanitarian/recovery context;

Diploma in civil Engineering or technical certificates in masonry, plumbing and carpentry with relevant technical work experience

Report writing skills

Experience of working with Refugee/Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) related issues would be preferred

Hands on experience working on WASH and Shelter infrastructure sites

Familiarity with international minimum standards of Hygiene, Sanitation and shelter service delivery (i.e., SPHERE) is an advantage

Computer literacy in word processing and spreadsheets is required,

Familiarity with AutoCAD, GPS, ArcGIS and Google Earth is strongly desirable

Knowledge, Skills & Personal Attributes

Must be willing to work as a team member, take direction, and share technical skills with colleagues and counterparts

Excellent team supervisory skills in a multi-cultural environment

Ability to manage conflicting priorities

Excellent communication (spoken and written) skills

Good accuracy, precision and attention to detail

High integrity and confidentiality

Good negotiation skills

Applications should be submitted to NRC office in Djibouti at Gabode VI, near Sharaf Hotel or shared by address email: recruitment.djibouti@nrc.no with subject Project Assistant.

Interested candidates who meet the above criteria are invited to bring:

-Cover letter

-Updated curriculum vitae

-Photocopies of the most relevant certificates/testimonials, available telephone number and contact details of 2 work-related reference of employers.

- Uncompleted document will not be accepted.

Only the short-listed candidates will be contacted.

The Norwegian Refugee Council is an equal opportunity employer, with no discrimination in terms of sex, age, religion, ethnic origin or political affiliation and you never have to pay to apply with NRC.



Emplois & Services, Emplois

12 juin, 2018

570 vues au total, 0 vues cette semaineKid-friendly Halloween fun planned across the county

A roundup of activities received at the Daily American for Halloween this yearIndias participation in the Qingdao summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on June 9 and 10 as a full member calls for an appraisal of the importance of the organisation and its relevance to Indias interests.

The SCO is not a pan-Asian organisation and, to that extent, its political, economic and security dimension is partial in the larger Asian context. Economically dynamic Asia, eastwards of Bangladesh, does not contribute to its agenda and a dialogue on building a regional security architecture in Asia in which ASEAN is playing a central role are outside its scope.

Central Asia

That China, Russia and now India are SCO members and together their political, economic, military, demographic and cultural muscle is huge, does not necessarily give uniqueness to the organisation. Russia, India and China are already together in a three-country format (RIC) since 2002 and in the BRICS forum since 2006.

If the RIC and BRICS forums have not been able to shape international governance to the extent desired, it is unclear how the addition of four Central Asian countries  Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan  in the SCO format will give them this capacity.

The Central Asian member states are land-locked, demographically small and relatively undeveloped economically (though some are rich in hydrocarbon resources which are of special interest to China). While geographically the SCO forms a cohesive block inside continental Asia, Turkmenistans absence as a full member is a fault line, not to mention the serious divisions amongst these states. Apart from Chinas energy hunger, these states are important for Chinas connectivity projects with Europe.

Russia has accepted the reality of Chinas economic power and its growing political clout. It is not only reconciled to Chinas expanded role in states that were once part of the Soviet Union, it seeks to benefit from Chinas investment in infrastructure in Russia itself and has proposed cooperative linkages between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Eurasian Economic Union.

US/EU sanctions on Russia have, besides, given Moscow little choice but to deepen ties with China, which is reflected also in the Russia-China joint management of the SCO. The absence of Western powers does not also give any special character to the SCO, given that the BRICS forum too excludes them.

The SCO is important for India in several ways. As the second largest and rising Asian power, India has a natural interest in any grouping in its neigbourhood. In SCOs case, we have a mutual interest in a stronger partnership with Central Asian states, be it in the economic domain, especially energy transportation, unfeasible at present because of the Pakistan factor. We have a political interest in preventing Pakistan from excluding us from the region and of partially balancing Chinas preponderant role there.

Our concerns about the spread of terrorism and religious extremism in this area, largely from Pakistani territory, and its fall-out for our own security are real. We also need Russian understanding for any active Indian role in the region. The declaration issued at the end of the Qingdao summit exposes the limits of the organisation and Indias expectations from it. The declaration is full of high-sounding principles, which is of course normal in such multilateral texts where consensus on platitudes is easy to reach.

Shanghai spirit

The claim that in accordance with the Shanghai spirit, the SCO acts as one of the most influential participants in the modern system of international relations, setting an example of close and fruitful cooperation in building a more equitable and balanced world order based on an equal, cooperative, indivisible, comprehensive and sustainable security, ensuring the interests of each and every state in accordance with the norms and principles of international law seems overblown.

The declaration speaks of mutual respect of territorial integrity, the inviolability of borders, non-aggression, a peaceful settlement of disputes, the non-use of force or threat of force, and other universally recognised norms of international law aimed at the maintenance of peace and security, principles that China does not observe in its relations with India or in the South China Sea.

That the member states reaffirm their resolve to including to turn mutual borders into borders of lasting peace and friendship, sounds ironical in the context of Pakistans long-standing approach to its differences with India.

Pakistan angle

India has not subscribed to the declarations paragraph on non-proliferation. The elaborate paragraphs on countering terrorism are rightly worded (The member states intend to continue exchanging information on individuals involved in terrorist activities and prevent the activity and cross-border movement of foreign terrorists and terrorist groups), but this will not deter Pakistan from continuing to sponsor terrorism against India, given that it ignores such commitments also in the SAARC context.

The paragraph on Afghanistan excludes any reference to the Taliban, probably at Indias instance. Most importantly, India has not endorsed Chinas BRI, which other member states have, despite Chinas sensitivities and the developing Modi-Xi equation with an agreement to hold another informal summit between the two in India in 2019.

Modis plenary statement had pre-figured this as he focused on Indias commitment to enhance regional connectivity but laid out our definition of it which challenges the modalities of the BRI. Contrary to expectations he did not target Pakistan on terrorism as frontally as he could in that setting but did so indirectly by raising the issue in relation to Afghanistan.

(Courtesy of Mail Today)

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Read MoreSmexyBooks is so happy to welcome author Minerva Spencer to the blog.

WELCOME MINERVA!!

Minerva Spencers debut historical romance, Dangerous, releases June 26, 2018.

My Journey Down Romance Road . . .

I read my first romance novelTHE DEVIL ON HORSEBACK, by Victoria Holtin seventh grade. I still remember how deliciously shocking the philandering hero was and how I stayed up all night to finish the book.

I was hooked.

I ripped through all the Holts in the library and ordered the ones the library didnt have through the mail (yes, thats how we did it in those days. . . .)

I worked my way through Mary Stewart, Phyllis Whitney, and a few others, but then life happened I drifted away from romance.

Over the next thirty years, I picked up a couple of history degrees, taught history on the college level, became a lawyer, left lawyering, and moved to Taos and bought a bed and breakfast (Worst. Job. Ever.)

By the end of 2013, Id closed my b&b and was taking some time to figure out what was next. I was forty-five.

To give you an idea of where I was at mentally after closing my business, I often compare my time operating a b&b to being held hostage for eight years. I needed comfort badly so I turned to Victoria Holt and re-read her books.

When I worked my way through Holt I wanted more. Thats when I discovered Georgette Heyer (I know, I know, what rock had I been living under?!) I blew through her books and still wanted more. By then Id realized there was a whole world of romance out there I hadnt even known existed. That should have been a good thing, but I found it daunting and overwhelming: where did a person start?

Luckily my library utilizes Overdrive and part of the service is recommendations based on what youve checked out.

And thats when I discovered Tessa Dare. . . .

Once I connected with a modern author of historical romance things got a lot easier when it came to finding new authors. I engaged in an orgy of reading: Elizabeth Hoyt, Madeline Hunter, Mary Balogh, Theresa Romain, and dozens of others.

I dont know how many books I read before coming up with my first idea, but I do remember the day I came up with it. I was driving my husband to the airport, which is a six-hour round-trip from where we live.

That three-hour drive after dropping him off was when my first book was born. We live in the boondocks and the only radio stations were talk-radio or pop music so I drove home in silence. By the time I stumbled out of my car three hours later my book was written. At least in my head.

Those early days of writing were heady timesI once wrote sixty pages in a single dayand I had the first draft of my book after a couple of months: a 182,000 word monster of a first draft!

I knew how to write, but I had no idea when it came to the actual business of writing. Apparently, publishing houses werent looking for 182K word books.

Rather than cut the first book down to size I decided to start on book two and do a better job of coloring within the lines, so to speak. Besides, I didnt want to editI wanted to write. Book two came out just as fast as book one andlo and beholda character in book two demanded his own book. So then I wrote book three.

While I was writing book three I had an idea for a science fiction/Regency romanceso I moved on to that. And then another, and another.

I really dont recall how many books I had either finished or partially finished by the time one of my two wonderful beta readers (the two best things that ever happened to my writing) told me it was time to query one of these books.

Id discovered contests by then and had enjoyed a measure of success, winning first place with four of the five books I entered. But which one to query? By the time I began to consider querying (late 2016) I had all but re-written my 182K monster and had three polished and completed novels ready to go.

It turned out that writing a query letter was more difficult than writing an actual book. I worked on letters for all three books andfive months laterended up with a decent query for DANGEROUS, the second book in my debut series, The Outcasts. DANGEROUS takes place contemporaneously with BARBAROUS (the 1st book) so I knew it wouldnt be a problem to switch the order of the books if necessary.

Anyhow, DANGEROUS was an interesting book to write because I knew exactly who both the hero and heroine were at the start of the book. Usually, I have a solid idea of only one of my lead characters and the other develops as the story goes along. But Lady Euphemia Marlington (Mia) had been part of the storyline in book one and I just fell in love with her. And Adam, the Marquess of Exley, was a damaged alpha just begging for a woman like Miaeven though he didnt know it yet. The Outcasts series grew out of my fascination with the age of piracy in the Mediterranean. These pirates werent the arrgg cute Pirates of the Caribbean, type of pirate. Corsairs were slavers and kidnapping Christians was big business in the Med. Some historians claim corsair victims number in the millions in the years between 1500-1900. Just think of all those untold stories!

In DANGEROUS I wanted to write a harem story where the harem was not the focal point of the book. Instead, I wanted to showcase my heroine: Mia is a pragmatic, intelligent, and persistent woman who bends but does not break. I especially wanted to stay true to the historical era in the sense Mia would have had no psychological support from outside. If she was going to survive, her strength would all need to come from within.

Anyhow, Im what writers call a pantser, which means I write by the seat of my pants. I never have an outline or even a sentence to guide me along my writing journey. The characters really do reveal themselves to me as my fingers move over the keyboard. That can be a wonderful experience but it can also be a chaotic one. Some days the characters behave like ill-trained puppies running in all directions. It isnt unusual for me to write ten pages one day and need to cut twenty pages the next.

My ending for DANGEROUS was an example of that. The first ending I wrote was completely different than the final version. I have to admit I knew something was wrong with my original ending but I didnt want to start pulling threads and cause the entire story to unravel. The official term for that is: writer laziness. It wasnt until a contest judge commented on it (based on her reading of a synopsis, by the way!) that I realized just how poorly the ending fit the rest of the story. There was no way around it; I needed to throw that ending away and write a better one.

You know those items in your closet you never wear but you refuse to throw away; the ones you hang on to and try on once a year? You keep them because, even though they dont fit quite right, you paid a lot of money for them and refuse to let them go. You keep thinking: who knows, maybe Ill lose weight, maybe my bust will miraculously become smaller, or bigger, or whatever. Ill just hold on to them, hoping. . .

Let me tell you, Gentle Reader, its painful to throw away writing, but sometimes making that difficult decision is the difference between a story and a just a lot of words.

So I cut and rewrote the last fifty pages.

It was a lot like getting rid of a too-small pair of jeans: yeah, they were expensive designer jeans, but I was never going to make them fit.

So that is the story of my writers journey and also a bit about my debut novel, DANGEROUS, in a nutshell. Im a big believer in the adage it is never too late to try something new. It wasnt easy starting a new career at forty-five, but Im grateful I gave it a shot!

Minerva Spencer

DANGEROUS

Historical Romance

June 26, 2018

Kensington Zebra

SUMMARY

What sort of lady doesnt make her debut until the age of thirty-two? A timeless beauty with a mysterious pastand a future she intends to take into her own hands . . .

Lady Euphemia Marlington hasnt been free in seventeen yearssince she was captured by Corsairs and sold into a harem. Now the sultan is dead and Mia is back in London facing relentless newspapermen, an insatiably curious public, and her first Season. Worst of all is her ashamed fathers ultimatum: marry a man of his choosing or live out her life in seclusion. No doubt her potential groom is a demented octogenarian. Fortunately, Mia is no longer a girl, but a clever woman with a secretand a plan of her own . . .

Adam de Courtneys first two wives died under mysterious circumstances. Now there isnt a peer in England willing to let his daughter marry the dangerously handsome man the ton calls The Murderous Marquess. Nobody except Mias father, the desperate Duke of Carlisle. Clearly, Mia must resemble an aging matron, or worse. However, in need of an heir, Adam will use the arrangement to his advantage . . .

But when the two outcasts finally meet, assumptions will be replaced by surprises, deceit by desireand a meeting of minds between two schemers may lead to a meeting of heartsif the secrets of their pasts dont tear them apart . . .

Minerva Spencers writing is sophisticated and wickedly witty. Dangerous is a delight from start to finish with swashbuckling action, scorching love scenes, and a coolly arrogant hero to die for. Spencer is my new auto-buy!

New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Hoyt

Readers will love this lusty and unusual marriage of convenience story.

New York Times bestselling author Madeline Hunter

Smart, witty, graceful, sensual, elegant and gritty all at once. It has all of the meticulous attention to detail I love in Georgette Heyer, BUT WITH SEX!

RITA-award winning author Jeffe Kennedy

Here is a little teaser from DANGEROUS

In short, Sir, I would like a marriage without emotional entanglement.

The marquesss eyebrows, his only expressive feature, crept up his forehead as if he had a difficult time imagining something as foreign as an emotionnot to mention becoming entangled by one.

They took each others measure before she broke the silence. What of you, my lord? Why do you wish to marry? It does not sound as if your two experiences with marriage were felicitous. Mia did not mean to be cruel, but she needed to know what he wanted and why he was here tonighta place he clearly wished not to be.

I need an heir. His pupils flared until his eyes were almost black as if he were imagining the process of getting an heir. With her.

Interview

 Where did you get the idea?

My heroine, Mia, was a minor character in another book and pretty much demanded her own book. I really liked her playful, clever, and driven personality and knew she would need a strong hero; somebody who was able to deal with her scandalous past. Adam had been hanging out in the back of my mind for awhile and I decided he was the perfect hero for Mia: a man with a dangerous reputation and even more scandalous history!

 Whats the story behind the title?

Im terrible at two things when it comes to my books: character names and book titles. I usually just want to get on with the business of writing the book and ignore anything else. I named the books in this series, DANGEROUS, BARBAROUS, and SCANDALOUS. I felt sure they would get changed to something more descriptive, but my editor liked them!

 No spoiler, but tell us something we wont find out just by reading the book jacket.

Well, the cover just shows you a hot guy and pretty woman. But the book is about second chances. My protagonists are older than the typical romance couple: she is 32 and he is 37. They both have adult children and theyve both had prior marriages that have not been easy.

 Tell us about your favorite character.

I LOVE Mia and Adam, but Id have to say my favorite character is Martin Bouchard. He is an escaped slave from New Orleans who has done well from privateering and has an out-of-control personality. He has his own book in the series and gets roles in all the other books.

 If you could spend a day with one of your characters, who would it be and what would you do?

Id love to go shopping with Mia. She has a zest for life and fun that even seventeen years in a harem could not suppress.

 Are your characters based on real people, or do they come from your imagination?

None of them are real people although there are characteristics that have come from people I know. For example, Martinwho I mentioned aboveis definitely a lot like my father, who was a gruff, iconoclastic French-Canadian and had the type of personality that attracted people in drovees.

 How long did you take to write this book?

This one came pretty easymaybe a couple of months. But then I decided to re-write the entire last quarter of the book. The second ending came out almost perfect on first draftalmost like it wanted to be on the page.

 What kind of research did you do for this book?

I always do tons of research and then use very little of it. This book takes place in England, at sea, and in the port city of Oran, in modern Algeria. I probably spent the most time researching sailing vessels and times and then just ended up reaching out to author Bernard Cornwell to settle my questions. He told me some good rules of thumb for calculating sailing times. Thanks Mr. Cornwell!!

 What did you remove from this book during the editing process?

TONS. I type fastover 100 wpm. With the exception of one book, I usually end up with about 20,000 works to cut. I cut out extra characters and many scenes that were good, but just unnecessary.

 Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Pantser all the way. Sometimes I might just have a character, sometimes an event, I never know. And then I sit down and see who shows up on the page. Some characters tell their story and keep their distance, some seem to want to hang around.

 What is your favorite part of your writing process, and why?

That first rush of writing, when I cant type fast enough to get the story on the page.

 What is the most challenging part of your writing process, and why?

When I try and make characters do something they dont want to do. I know it sounds weird, but sometimes I just cant force them to behave. Usually I let them take me on a journey and then see if that works. Most of the time it does, thankfully.

 Can you share your writing routine?

I write 7 days a week from 7:30-2:30.

 Have you ever gotten writers block? If yes, how do you overcome it?

Not so much a block, but an inability to tell the real story. So then I end up writing 20 pages and then cutting 20 pages.

 If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

I only started writing 5 years ago, so its not like Im a really seasoned writer when it comes to managing the ups and downs. I guess the thing I would have liked to know off the bat was how to trust my judgment. But I think that is something you cant know until youve screwed up a few times.

 How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

Hmmm. Well, I guess Ive completed about 11 books and have another 10 or so that are somewhere around the 50%-75% mark.

 Do you have any writing quirks?

I dont like to listen to writing gurus/self-help speakerspeople who try and tell you how to write. Writing is very personal and I feel like somebody else trying to impose their method on me just screws with my mojo. I REALLY enjoy hearing about other writers processes, however.

 What did you do before you began writing fiction?

I was a college history teacher, criminal prosecutor, and B&B operator before I began writing.

 How did you get into writing?

I had just closed my B&B after 8 years and was really depressed. I hated operating a B&B and felt drained after we closed it. My husband told me to take a break and think about what I wanted to do. I got an idea for my first book and then sat down and wrote it in about a month and a half. And I was hooked.

 What do you like to do when youre not writing?

We still live in our B&B, so I have a huge 9 bedroom/10 bathroom/11 fireplace house that needs constant maintenance. Over the years I became an expert on boilers, adobe, and dozens of other repairs. I spend a lot of time fixing things

 Apart from novel writing, do you do any other kind(s) of writing?

Not anymore. I used to write legal documents when I was a lawyer, but I no longer practice law.

 Share something about you most people probably dont know.

I am an excellent roller skater and was asked years ago to join a roller derby club. I declinedthose women are mean!

 Which book influenced you the most?

This is a HARD question! Ill just say the book that immediately came to mind, Kurt Vonneguts BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS. I know it is not his best, but it was the first of his I read. I was just blown awayand still amby his writing and his mental process.

 What are you working on right now?

Im working on book 4 in The Outcasts Series. The title is NOTORIOUS and it features a character you will meet in DANGEROUS Mias son, Jibril.

 Whats your favorite writing advice?

Just write. You can edit later.

-Do you write in any other genres?

Yes, Ive written a detective novel, a contemporary fantasy, and a science fiction duology. Ive also written a childrens book which is being published by crowdfunding.

 The book youre currently reading

THE PINK CARNATION by Lauren Willig.

BUY LINK

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07638G525/

BIO

Minerva Spencer is a Canadian transplant who now lives in the mountains of New Mexico. She began writing in 2013 after closing her 8-room bed and breakfast (a subject she will never write about. . . ) Minerva has been a criminal prosecutor, college history professor, and bartender, among many other things.

She currently writes full-time and operates a small poultry rescue on her four-acre hobby farm, where she lives with her wonderful, tolerant husband and many animals.

When Minerva isnt writing or editing shes playing with birds and dogs or doing a little DIY.

DANGEROUS Minervas first book in her Regency Era trilogy, The Outcasts, will be published by Kensington Press June 26, 2018, and BARBAROUS, October 30, 2018.

Minerva is represented by Pamela Hopkins of Hopkins Literary Associates.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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Ltd., Inter-Continental Hotels Corporation, Inter-Continental Hotels Corporation de Venezuela C.A., Inter-Continental Hotels of San Francisco Inc., Inter-Continental IOHC (Mauritius) Limited, Inter-Continental Management (Australia) Pty Limited, InterContinental (Branston) 1 Limited, InterContinental (PB) 1, InterContinental (PB) 2, InterContinental (PB) 3 Limited, InterContinental Berlin Service Company GmbH, InterContinental Brasil Administracao de Hoteis Ltda, InterContinental Gestion Hotelera S.L., InterContinental Hotel Berlin GmbH, InterContinental Hotel Dusseldorf GmbH (Germany), InterContinental Hotels (Puerto Rico) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, InterContinental Hotels Group (Australia) Pty Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (Canada) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (Espana) SA, InterContinental Hotels Group (Greater China) Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (India) Pvt. Ltd, InterContinental Hotels Group (Japan) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (New Zealand) Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (Shanghai) Ltd., InterContinental Hotels Group Customer Services Ltd., InterContinental Hotels Group Healthcare Trustee Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group Operating Corp., InterContinental Hotels Group Resources Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group Services Company, InterContinental Hotels Group do Brasil Limitada, InterContinental Hotels Italia S.r.L., InterContinental Hotels Limited, InterContinental Hotels Management GmbH, InterContinental Hotels Nevada Corporation, InterContinental Management AM LLC, InterContinental Management Bulgaria EOOD, InterContinental Management France SAS, InterContinental Management Poland sp. z.o.o, InterContinental Overseas Holding Corporation, Intercontinental Hotels Corporation Limited, KG Benefits LLC, KG Gift Card Inc., KG Liability LLC, KG Technology LLC, KHP Washington Operator LLC, KHRG 11th Avenue Hotel LLC, KHRG 851 LLC, KHRG Aertson LLC, KHRG Alexandria LLC, KHRG Alexis LLC, KHRG Allegro LLC, KHRG Argyle LLC, KHRG Austin Beverage Company LLC, KHRG Baltimore LLC, KHRG Born LLC, KHRG Boston Hotel LLC, KHRG Canary LLC, KHRG Cayman Employer Ltd., KHRG Cayman LLC, KHRG DC 1731 LLC, KHRG DC 2505 LLC, KHRG Donovan LLC, KHRG Employer LLC, KHRG Goleta LLC, KHRG Gray LLC, KHRG Gray U2 LLC, KHRG Hillcrest LLC, KHRG Huntington Beach LLC, KHRG King Street LLC, KHRG La Peer LLC, KHRG Miami Beach LLC, KHRG Muse LLC, KHRG NPC LLC, KHRG Onyx LLC, KHRG Palladian LLC, KHRG Palomar Phoenix LLC, KHRG Philly Monaco LLC, KHRG Pittsburgh LLC, KHRG Reynolds LLC, KHRG Riverplace LLC, KHRG SFD LLC, KHRG Sacramento LLC, KHRG Savannah LLC, KHRG Schofield LLC, KHRG Sedona LLC, KHRG State Street LLC, KHRG Sutter LLC, KHRG Sutter Union LLC, KHRG Taconic LLC, KHRG Tariff LLC, KHRG Texas Hospitality LLC, KHRG Texas Operations LLC, KHRG Tryon LLC, KHRG VZ Austin LLC, KHRG Vero Beach LLC, KHRG Vintage Park LLC, KHRG WPB LLC, KHRG Wabash LLC, KHRG Westwood LLC, KHRG Wilshire LLC, KHRG Zamora LLC, Kimpton Hollywood Licenses LLC, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group LLC, Kimpton Phoenix Licenses Holdings LLC, Kimpton Sedona Licenses LLC, Louisiana Acquisitions Corp., MH Lodging LLC, Mercer Fairview Holdings LLC, PML Services LLC, PT SC Hotels & Resorts Indonesia, Pollstrong Limited, Powell Pine Inc., Priscilla Holiday of Texas Inc., RM Lodging LLC, Regent Hotels and Resorts, Resort Services International (Cayo Largo) L.P., SBS Maryland Beverage Company LLC, SC Cellars Limited, SC Hotels International Services Inc., SC Leisure Group Limited, SC NAS 2 Limited, SC Quest Limited, SC Reservations (Philippines) Inc., SCH Insurance Company, SCIH Branston 3, SF MH Acquisition LLC, SPHC Group Pty Ltd., SPHC Management Ltd., Semiramis for training of Hotel Personnel and Hotel Management SAE, Six Continents Corporate Services, Six Continents Holdings Limited, Six Continents Hotels Inc., Six Continents Hotels International Limited, Six Continents Hotels de Colombia SA, Six Continents International Holdings B.V., Six Continents Investments Limited, Six Continents Limited, Six Continents Overseas Holdings Limited, Six Continents Restaurants Limited, SixCo North America Inc., Solamar Lodging LLC, Southern Pacific Hotel Corporation (BVI) Ltd., Southern Pacific Hotels Properties Limited, Universal de Hoteles SA, White Shield Insurance Company Limited, and World Trade Centre Montreal Hotel Corporation.PIMCO Global Stocksplus & Income Fund is a closed ended balanced mutual fund launched and managed by Allianz Global Investors Fund Management LLC. The fund is co-managed by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC. It invests in fixed income and public equity markets across the globe. The fund uses a long/short strategy to invest in securities by using financial derivatives such as options. It invests in mortgage-related, government, corporate and other debt securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers and emerging market bonds. The fund invests in investment grade securities with a low- to intermediate-average duration. It invests in stocks of companies across diversified sectors. PIMCO Global Stocksplus & Income Fund was formed on April 30, 2003 and is domiciled in the United States.

Read More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.Avient Corp. engages in the business of thermoplastic compounds. It specializes in polymer materials, services, and solutions with operations in specialty polymer formulations, color and additive systems, plastic sheet and packaging solutions and polymer distribution. The firm is also involved in the development and manufacturing of performance enhancing additives, liquid colorants, fluoropolymers and silicone colorants. It operates through the following segments: Color, Additives and Inks; Specialty Engineered Materials; and Distribution. The Color, Additives and Inks segment provides custom color and additive concentrates in solid and liquid form for thermoplastics, dispersions for thermosets, speciality inks, plasticols, and vinyl slush molding solutions. The Specialty Engineered Materials segment makes polymer formulations, services, and solutions for designers, assemblers, and processors of thermoplastic materials. The Distribution segment distributes engineering and commodity grade resins, including PolyOne-produced solutions, principally to the North American, Central American, and Asian markets. The firm's products include polymer distribution, screen printing inks, and thermoplastic elastomers. Its services include IQ design and color services. The company was founded on August 31, 2000 and is headquartered in Avon Lake, OH.

Read MoreCroda International Plc creates, makes, and sells specialty chemicals in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America, Asia, and Latin America. The company operates in four segments: Personal Care, Life Sciences, Performance Technologies, and Industrial Chemicals. It offers adhesives; crop protection additives and adjuvants, seed enhancement and animal health chemicals, chemical bio-stimulants, and specialty additives for agricultural films; and lubricant additives, coatings and polymers, vehicle cleaning chemicals, and products for automotive textiles and fibers, as well as specialty additives for plastics, and battery and catalyst industries. The company also provides specialty ingredients for self-tanning, color cosmetics, bath and shower, deodorants, anti-perspirants, depilatories, men's grooming, and oral hygiene, as well as skin, hair, sun, body, and baby care applications; construction chemicals and bitumen additives; dietary supplements; and advanced materials, and polymer additives for electronics and devices. In addition, it offers chemistries, emulsifiers, fuel and power generation additives, and polymer additives; food additives; specialty polymer additives for furniture and wood applications; household, industrial, and institutional cleaning products; lubricants; oleochemicals; and packaging, print, and paper chemicals. Further, the company provides paints and coatings; active pharmaceutical ingredients; thermal management products; plastic and rubber products; skin health products; hygiene and industrial nonwovens, botanical extracts, tissues, and textile auxiliaries; and water treatment chemicals. Additionally, it offers bio-based phase change materials for buildings and ventilation, clothing and healthcare, electronics and devices, food and refrigeration, energy storage and recovery, temperature controlled packaging, and vehicles and automotive applications. The company was incorporated in 1925 and is headquartered in Goole, the United Kingdom.

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.Rock band The 1975 were part of a crowdfunding project to give London its first LGBT community center.

The band donated 16,000 ($21,369) towards the projects 50,000 goal, according to Gay Star News. Organizers reported on the page that they had 8,000 before the bands donation.

When a friend of mine sent me the link, I was quite surprised that such a good idea had not yet raised enough to get over the threshold, The 1975 frontman Matthew Healy said to The Observer. You might wonder why it is needed, and even ask yourself what exactly is everyone still scared of, but sadly, I think stigma still exists even in London and we still have some way to go.

The project has nearly 100,000 with a few days to go, according to the centers crowdfunding page. Organizers are looking to raise 100,000 as a stretch goal to add on to the project.

We cannot tell you how excited and grateful we are to have got this far already, organizers wrote on the crowdfunding page. The support this project has received - both in donations and love - has confirmed just how needed the London LGBTQ+ Community Centre truly is. With your help, by stretching our target, were going to get a whole lot closer.British Ambassador to the U.S. Kim Darroch on Friday urged Commonwealth countries that have yet to decriminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations to do so.

We just urge all of our friends and partners in other countries around the world to move on as we have done to make their societies more open, more liberal, to embrace anti-discrimination in relation to the LGBT community as we have, Darroch told the Washington Blade during an interview at the British Embassy in D.C. It just makes your society a better place.

These are individuals after all who contribute massively wherever they are, he added.

The Blade spoke with Darroch before the embassys annual Pride reception, which took place less than two months after Prime Minister Theresa May said she deeply regrets colonial-era laws criminalizing consensual same-sex relations the U.K. introduced in Commonwealth countries.

Discriminatory laws made many years ago continue to affect the lives of many people, criminalizing same-sex relations and failing to protect women and girls, said May in a speech she gave at the Commonwealth summit in London on April 17. I am all too aware that these laws were often put in place by my own country. They were wrong then, and they are wrong now. As the U.K.s prime minister, I deeply regret both the fact that such laws were introduced and the legacy of discrimination, violence and even death that persists today.

A judge on Trinidad and Tobagos High Court on April 22 struck down the countrys sodomy law.

Three LGBT people in Barbados on June 6 filed a lawsuit with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights that challenges their countrys sodomy law. Activists in India, Kenya and other Commonwealth countries continue to challenge colonial-era statutes that criminalize consensual same-sex sexual acts.

She was absolutely right to do it, Darroch told the Blade, referring to Mays speech. It was a courageous statement, but it was very clear and very firm and I agree with it completely.

Darroch touts LGBTI rights progress in U.K.

Laws that pardoned gay and bisexual men who were convicted under homophobic statutes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland took effect in 2017. The Scottish Parliament on June 6 unanimously approved these pardons for gay and bisexual men in Scotland who were prosecuted under anti-gay laws.

Queen Elizabeth II in 2013 posthumously pardoned Alan Turing, a pioneering mathematician who was convicted of gross indecency in 1952 for having a relationship with another man.

Darroch told the Blade the U.K. now has some of the strongest anti-discrimination laws on the planet.

There are currently 45 openly lesbian, gay and bisexual MPs in the U.K. Darroch also pointed out same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in England, Scotland and Wales since 2014.

In that context, I think its exactly right for the prime minister to have said what she said, he said, referring to Mays speech. Im proud to represent a government that does that kind of thing.

Darroch acknowledged nowhere is perfect when the Blade asked him about what more the British government can do to combat discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

He said support for Pride marches in the U.K. is pretty extraordinary and it is remarkable having the armed forces in full uniform supporting them. Darroch nevertheless noted consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized in more than 70 countries.

Men convicted of consensual same-sex sexual activity in Iran, Saudi Arabia and a handful of other countries face the death penalty. Darroch told the Blade the British governments participation in Pride events around the world and its Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy are among the ways it is urging countries to repeal their sodomy laws.

Darroch on Saturday marched in the Capital Pride parade alongside the British Embassys float.

We do quite a lot now internationally to support the cause that is something we strongly believe in, he told the Blade. We pride ourselves as being an open and liberal society and thats the kinds of things that we do domestically that we should also being doing overseas.

Darroch welcomes Bermuda marriage ruling

Darroch spoke with the Blade two days after Bermuda Supreme Court Chief Justice Ian R. C. Kawaley ruled a law that rescinded marriage rights for same-sex couples in the British island territory is unconstitutional.

Darroch said the ruling is a good thing.

The Domestic Partnership Act  which Gov. John Rankin signed in February amid strong strong opposition from LGBTI activists in Bermuda and their supporters around the world  took effect on June 1. A spokesperson for the British Foreign Office told the Blade late last year the issue was a matter for the territorys government to decide.

Kawaleys ruling will not take effect for six weeks. The Bermuda government has yet to formally appeal it.Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.



Two astronauts and a cosmonaut are racing toward the International Space Station today inside the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft.

The new Expedition 56-57 trio comprising Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineers Serena Aunon-Chancellor and Alexander Gerst are due to arrive Friday at 9:07 a.m. EDT when they dock to the Rassvet module.

NASA TV will begin its live coverage of the rendezvous and docking of the new crew at 8:15 a.m. NASA TV will then be back on the air at 10:30 a.m. when the new crew opens the hatches at 11:05 a.m. and enters their new home in space where they will live for the next six months.

Waiting to greet their new crewmates are station Commander Drew Feustel and Flight Engineers Ricky Arnold and Oleg Artemyev who have been onboard the orbital laboratory since March. All six Expedition 56 crew members will gather in the Zvezda service module for a welcoming ceremony with family and mission officials back on Moscow. Next the crewmates will begin familiarizing themselves with station systems and safety procedures.

In the meantime, Feustel and Arnold are moving ahead with preparations for next week's spacewalk to outfit the station's Harmony module with new enhanced high definition television cameras and wireless communications gear. The duo organized spacewalking tools and gear, recharged spacesuit and camera batteries and reviewed procedures for the 6.5-hour excursion planned for June 14. The new cameras will improve the view of approaching commercial crew vehicles for dockings in the future. The new wireless equipment will enable data transmission from payloads mounted on the outside of the Columbus and Kibo modules.

On-Orbit Status Report

Soyuz 55S status: 55S successfully launched yesterday at 11:12:39 GMT. The vehicle is progressing toward a nominal docking to the ISS tomorrow at 8:07 CDT (13:07 GMT).

Food Acceptability: A crewmember completed a Food Acceptability questionnaire today. The Food Acceptability investigation seeks to determine the impact of repetitive consumption of food currently available from the spaceflight food system. Results will be used in developing strategies to improve food system composition to support crew health and performance on long duration missions.

Atmosphere Space Interaction Monitor (ASIM): ASIM Low Energy Detectors (LED), also called Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride (CZT) crystals detectors, are not responding as expected in daylight. As part of the on-going ASIM commissioning, science teams requested use of the Mobile Servicing System (MSS) to illuminate the foil covering the detectors and therefore check the response from a known light source. This afternoon, robotics ground controllers will position and configure the MSS to provide the requested illumination. During this task, they will also capture pictures of ASIM from different angles to identify/detect any potential damage or contamination to the instrument.

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparations: Today the crew continued configuring EVA tools and equipment needed during the upcoming US EVA #51 Node 2 External Wireless Communications (EWC) planned for June 14th. They charged GoPro batteries, performed a Rechargeable EVA Battery Assembly (REBA) checkout, and reviewed detailed procedures in the EVA Briefing Package. A procedures conference with ground-based EVA specialists completed today's EVA activities.

Today's Planned Activities:

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

Acoustic Monitor Data Transfer and Stow

HRF 2 Troubleshoot Disconnect

Regeneration of Micropurification Unit () 2 Cartridge (start)

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Tool Configuring

Review TV Coverage procedure Hatch Opening in MRM1 and Expedition 56 Arrival.

On-Orbit Hearing Assessment (O-OHA) with EarQ Software Setup and Test

Wetlab Software Check

Inspection and video recording of , 1, 2 Fan Installation Location.

Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool for Windows (WinSCAT) Test

IMS Tagup (S-band)

Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis

Vacuum Cleaning 1 and 2 air ducts in DC1

INTER-MAI-75. HAM Radio Hardware Activation

 Configuration for MRM1

SEPARATION. Distillation in manual mode.

WRM wasterwater bus QD09 checkout and video/photo documentation

Comm reconfig for nominal ops

Water Resource Management (WRM) Resupply Tank (RST) Pumping Init

HRF2 Supply Kit Inventory

 maintenance

Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill

Resupply Tank (RST) Pumping Terminate

Extravehicular Activity Glove Logistics

IMS Update

Photo TV EVA Go Pro Battery Charging

Food Acceptability Questionnaire

Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Sample Data Record

Charging EVA Camera D4 Battery

Rechargeable EVA Battery Assembly (REBA) Installation

INTERP-MAI-75. Equipment deactivation and cleanup

Rechargeable EVA Battery Assembly (REBA) Powered Hardware Checkout

CQ outfitting for the arriving crew

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Procedure Review

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Procedure Conference

Completed Task List Activities:

None

Ground Activities:

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

BCC Checkout mode configure

SSRMS Operations

HRF2 Rack Update

Three-Day Look Ahead:

Friday, 06/08: 55S docking, BIOLAB glove exchange, EVA tool config, EVA GoPro setup, ISS Safety Briefing, Plant Habitat -1 Science Carrier Install

Saturday, 06/09: Weekly Housekeeping, Crew Off Duty, ISS Crew Handover

Sunday, 06/10: Crew Off Duty, ISS Crew Handover

QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group:

Component - Status

Elektron - On

Vozdukh - Manual

[] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - Off

[] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - Off

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - Standby

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - Idle

Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - Process

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) - Standby

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - Full Up

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Off

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.Three new Expedition 56 crew members were welcomed aboard the International Space Station today.

Hatches between the space station and Soyuz opened at 11:17 a.m. EDT, marking the arrival of Expedition 56 Flight Engineers Serena Aunon-Chancellor of NASA, Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency), and cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos.

The Soyuz MS-09 carrying the trio launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 7:12 a.m. Wednesday, June 6. They joined Expedition 56 Commander Drew Feustel and Flight Engineers Ricky Arnold of NASA and Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos aboard the orbiting laboratory.

The crew members are also being greeted by family and friends who watched the docking and hatch opening from the Russian Mission Control Center outside Moscow.

On-Orbit Status Report

Soyuz 55S Docking: The 55S vehicle completed a nominal docking to the ISS at 8:01 CDT (13:01 GMT). The 55S Crew, Sergey Prokopev, Alexander Gerst and Serena Aunon-Chancellor, returned ISS to 6-crew operations after hatch opening at 10:18 CDT (15:18 GMT). Late this afternoon, the entire ISS crew conducted a Safety Briefing to familiarize the new Soyuz crew with potential hazards and available safety measures on-board ISS; they reviewed the Emergency Equipment in the 55S Soyuz and practiced utilizing various emergency egress routes in the new station configuration.

Plant Habitat-1: Today the crew installed Science Carrier #1 into the Plant Habitat Facility. Photographs of each quadrant of the Science Carrier and of the final configuration of the Science Carrier inside the Growth Chamber were taken. The crew injected water into the distribution system. Plant Habitat is a fully automated facility that will be used to conduct plant bioscience research on the ISS. The space environment is stressful for all living organisms. Understanding how plants respond will help crews on future missions successfully grow plants for food and oxygen generation. The Plant Habitat-1 investigation compares differences in genetics, metabolism, photosynthesis, and gravity sensing between plants grown in space and on Earth. This investigation is expected to provide key insights on major changes occurring in plants exposed to microgravity.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID): The crew installed ten RFID Logistics marker tags in PMA-1 today. RFID Logistics aims to utilize RFID enabled tags on hardware throughout the ISS to assist in the tracking of the hardware as it is moved around the ISS.

Atmosphere Space Interaction Monitor (ASIM): ASIM Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride (CZT) crystal detectors, are not responding as expected in daylight. As part of the on-going ASIM commissioning, science teams requested use of the Mobile Servicing System (MSS) to illuminate the foil covering the detectors and therefore check the response from a known light source. Overnight, robotics ground controllers positioned and configured the MSS to provide the requested illumination. They captured pictures of ASIM from different angles to identify/detect any potential damage or contamination to the instrument.

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparations: Today the crew performed a Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) gas check, swapped out EVA GoPro camera equipment, and set up the EVA GoPro camera for EVA. The crew continued configuring EVA tools and equipment needed during the upcoming US EVA #51 Node 2 External Wireless Communications (EWC) planned for 14th.

Today's Planned Activities:

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

ISS HAM Radio Power Down

Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue GN2 Check

EVA GoPro Setup

Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain

Gas Analyzer Activation in Soyuz 738

COLUMBUS Bay 1, 2, 3 clean-up

 maintenance

MSG LAN Cable Check

Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill

Plant Habitat Science Carrier Installation #1

MPEG2 Multicast Test via Ku-band (Activation/Deactivation of TV data and MPEG2 Multicast controls)

 configuration for Soyuz 739 docking to MRM1. Comm check with Soyuz 739 in RSA-S/G2

Biolab Glovebox Gloves Exchange

Preparation for Soyuz 739 Docking

Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT)

Activation of TV Data and MPEG2 Multicast Monitoring Equipment

Monitoring Soyuz 739 Rendezvous with ISS (MRM1)

Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Fill

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Tool Configuring

Comm reconfig after Soyuz 739 docking

Soyuz 739 - MRM1 Interface Leak Check

MERLIN Desiccant Swap

Cold Atom Lab Fiber Inspect

Disconnecting -153 TV Camera from MRM1 TV System

Environmental Health System (EHS) - Intravehicular Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (IV-TEPC) Relocate

Radio Frequency Identification Logistics Marker Tag Installation in Node1 and US LAB

Soyuz-MRM1 Hatch Opening,

Handover of Increment 55S Crew

Space suit and glove drying for Soyuz 738 crewmembers

Arrival Private Medical Conference (PMC)

Comm reconfig for nominal ops

ISS HAM Radio Power Up

Transfer of Atmosphere Purification Filter Assembly -2 from Soyuz 738  to MRM1

Soyuz 739 post-docking safety briefing

Plant Habitat Water Refill

Soyuz 739 Deactivation

Connecting TV Camera -153 to MRM1 TV System

Stowage of Soyuz space suits and gloves after drying

Soyuz 739 Transfers and IMS Ops

MATRYOSHKA-R. Transfer and Setup of Passive SPD Assemblies.

CALCIUM. Transfer of Calcium-  from Soyuz and Setup in MRM1

CALCIUM. Experiment session 1

Completed Task List Activities:

None

Ground Activities:

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

System configuration to support docking

Lab CDRA Activation

N3 CDRA to Standby

Plant Habitat Support

Three-Day Look Ahead:

Saturday, 06/09: Weekly Housekeeping, Crew Off Duty, ISS Crew Handover

Sunday, 06/10: Crew Off Duty, ISS Crew Handover

Monday, 06/11: CSA Blood, EHS Water Samples, EMER Role&Resp, EVA Prep (Doug Rvw, Proc Rev/Conf), GRIP, Exercise Handover, Frost Foam Correction. MT translation WS4 to WS3

QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group:

Component - Status

Elektron - On

Vozdukh - Manual

[] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - Off

[] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - Off

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - Operate

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - Standby In Progress

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - Idle

Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - Process

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) - Standby

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - Full Up

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Off

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.This global map of Mars shows a growing dust storm as of June 6, 2018. The map was produced by the Mars Color Imager (MARCI) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. The blue dot indicates the approximate location of Opportunity.

NASA engineers received a transmission from Opportunity on Sunday morning -- a positive sign despite the worsening dust storm.

Data from the transmission let engineers know the rover still has enough battery charge to communicate with ground controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Science operations remain suspended.

Sunday's transmission was especially good news considering the dust storm has intensified in the past several days. A dark, perpetual night has settled over the rover's location in Mars' Perseverance Valley. The storm's atmospheric opacity -- the veil of dust blowing around, which can blot out sunlight -- is now much worse than a 2007 storm that Opportunity weathered. The previous storm had an opacity level, or tau, somewhere above 5.5; this new storm had an estimated tau of 10.8 as of Sunday morning.

Opportunity's team has requested additional communications coverage from NASA's Deep Space Network, a global system of antennas that talks to all the agency's deep space probes.

This latest data transmission showed the rover's temperature to be about minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 29 degrees Celsius). One saving grace of dust storms is that they can actually limit the extreme temperature swings experienced on the Martian surface. The same swirling dust that blocks out sunlight also absorbs heat, raising the ambient temperature surrounding Opportunity.

Engineers will monitor the rover's power levels closely in the week to come. The rover needs to balance low levels of charge in its battery with sub-freezing temperatures. Its heaters are vitally important to keeping it alive, but also draw more power from the battery. Likewise, performing certain actions draws on battery power, but can actually expel energy and raise the rover's temperature.

The rover has proved hardier than expected by lasting nearly 15 years, despite being designed for a 90-day mission.

Science operations for NASA's Opportunity rover have been temporarily suspended as it waits out a growing dust storm on Mars.

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter first detected the storm on Friday, June 1. As soon as the orbiter team saw how close the storm was to Opportunity, they notified the rover's team to begin preparing contingency plans.

In a matter of days, the storm had ballooned. It now spans more than 7 million square miles (18 million square kilometers) -- an area greater than North America -- and includes Opportunity's current location at Perseverance Valley. More importantly, the swirling dust has raised the atmospheric opacity, or "tau," in the valley in the past few days. This is comparable to an extremely smoggy day that blots out sunlight. The rover uses solar panels to provide power and to recharge its batteries.

Opportunity's power levels had dropped significantly by Wednesday, June 6, requiring the rover to shift to minimal operations.

This isn't Opportunity's first time hunkering down in bad weather: in 2007, a much larger storm covered the planet. That led to two weeks of minimal operations, including several days with no contact from the rover to save power. The project's management prepared for the possibility that Opportunity couldn't balance low levels of power with its energy-intensive survival heaters, which protect its batteries from Mars' extreme cold. It's not unlike running a car in the winter so that the cold doesn't sap its battery charge. There is a risk to the rover if the storm persists for too long and Opportunity gets too cold while waiting for the skies to clear.

Ultimately, the storm subsided and Opportunity prevailed. The Martian cold is believed to have resulted in the loss of Spirit, Opportunity's twin in the Mars Exploration Rover mission, back in 2010. Despite this, both rovers have vastly exceeded expectations: they were only designed to last 90 days each. Opportunity is in its 15th year; the team has operated the rover for more than 50 times longer than originally planned.

Full dust storms like this one are not surprising, but are infrequent. They can crop up suddenly but last weeks, even months. During southern summer, sunlight warms dust particles, lifting them higher into the atmosphere and creating more wind. That wind kicks up yet more dust, creating a feedback loop that NASA scientists still seek to understand.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and two other NASA spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet --Odyssey and MAVEN -- routinely support rovers on the ground.

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.With innovative products such as chili pepper oil and plantain wine, a Rwandan agri-processing enterprise is gaining global attention.

Rwandan entrepreneur, Sina Gerard, set up a small shop in the Rulindo district of north-east Rwanda in 1983, selling fresh and baked goods produced on his family farm. Ten years later, after saving enough from this initial enterprise, he registered his own agri-processing company called Urwibutso  meaning something to remember in tribute to the baked doughnuts he used to sell. Today, the company employs 280 full-time staff and works with over 3,000 local farmers who supply the company with produce for processing.

Urwibutsos centrepiece is Akabanga  a chili pepper oil that is sold throughout Rwanda and has gained global attention, with export of the product beginning in 2003. The company produces 127 t of Akabanga annually, 15% of which is sold to export markets. Kenya and Uganda comprise the products main export markets within Africa, while exports outside of the continent are shipped primarily to Europe and the Middle East.

Aside from chili pepper oil, Urwibutso has significantly diversified its output, establishing commercial production of cereal-based flour, yoghurt, packaged peanuts, and banana and plantain wine. The entrepreneurs push for innovation has also encouraged local farmers to diversify their crops, producing non-staples such as apples, grapes and strawberries, which Urwibutso uses for processing  providing a stable market that helps to stimulate the local agricultural economy. Currently, the company is working on concentrated juice for the European market, Gerard explains.

Urwibutso provides local farmers with free seeds, fertiliser and training in best agricultural practices, through five full-time agronomists employed by the company. I work with all the farmers in this village. I make a profit out of their sweat, so I had to find a way of giving back to them, says Gerard.PFRDA has sent two more proposals to the ministry - auto enrolment for APY and raising the maximum age bar to enter the scheme to up to 50 years.

New Delhi: The government is considering a proposal to raise the pension limit under Atal Pension Yojana (APY) to up to Rs 10,000 per month from the existing slab of up to Rs 5,000, a top official said today.

There is a need to increase the value of pension under APY, Madnesh Kumar Mishra, Joint Secretary, Department of Financial Services (DFS), said at a conference organised by PFRDA.

"We have seen the proposal (sent by PFRDA) of increasing the pension value to (up to) Rs 10,000 per month and it is under our active examination," Mishra said on the sidelines of the event.

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Chairman Hemant G Contractor said the proposal has been sent to the finance ministry with an aim to increase the subscriber base of APY.

"Currently, we have five slabs of pension from Rs 1,000-5000 per month. There have been a lot of feedback from the market asking for higher pension amounts because many people feel that Rs 5,000 at the age of 60 years, 20-30 years from now, will not be sufficient.

"We have placed this proposal with the government that it should be increased to up to Rs 10,000," Contractor said.

PFRDA has sent two more proposals to the ministry - auto enrolment for APY and raising the maximum age bar to enter the scheme to up to 50 years.

Currently, the age of entering APY is from 18-40 years but an increase in the same by another 10 years- from 18-50 years - will help in expanding the subscriber base, he added.

The subscriber base of APY is 1.02 crore. PFRDA added about 50 lakh new subscribers under the scheme in 2017-18 and hopes to add another 60-70 lakh in the ongoing financial year, Contractor said.No central bank nominee should be on the boards of public sector banks (PSBs) to avoid "any conflict of interest", RBI Governor Urjit Patel on Tuesday said while briefing a parliamentary panel over Nirav Modi fraud case.

New Delhi: No central bank nominee should be on the boards of public sector banks (PSBs) to avoid "any conflict of interest", RBI Governor Urjit Patel on Tuesday said while briefing a parliamentary panel over Nirav Modi fraud case.

The central bank is discussing the matter of RBI nominee director with the Finance Ministry, he told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, according to sources who were present in the briefing.

Patel on Tuesday appeared before the panel, whose members include former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to brief it on mounting non-performing assets (NPAs), recent frauds in banks, and other issues.

He categorically said that the primary and collective responsibility to contain frauds in the banks rests with its board, according to the sources.

Emphasising on the director's role, Patel in a written reply to the panel said the main role of any director on the bank's board, including nominee director, is to ensure that the bank is managed efficiently and professionally.

Patel was responding to the queries of the MPs on the governance issues in ICICI Bank and Axis Bank, and also questions related to USD 2 billion fraud at the Punjab National Bank perpetrated by diamond trader Nirav Modi.

The proposals coming before the board and its committees are consistent with normal banking practices, guidelines of the government, RBI and are not violative of any law, he said.

"RBI nominee directors should be distanced from management committee of the board (which takes credit decisions), to avoid any conflict of interest and the RBI nominee should not be on the boards of the PSBs," he noted.

He further said that the separation of the post of Chairman from that of the CEO/MD, in the nationalised banks, has been done with a view to strengthening the independence of the board and enhancing its oversight over the management.

Highlighting the need for implementation of Nayak committee report, he said it will go long way in improving role of the boards of the nationalised banks.The Bulletin includes Second Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement for the Year 2018-19, a speech by the Top management, an Article and Current Statistics.

New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India on Monday released the June 2018 issue of its monthly Bulletin. The Bulletin includes Second Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement for the Year 2018-19, a speech by the Top management, an Article and Current Statistics.

The article is on 'Performance of Private Corporate Business Sector: 2016-17 to Q3:2017-18'. According to a press release, this article reviews the performance of the private (non-financial) business sector on the basis of financial statements furnished by the listed non-government non-financial companies.

Major highlights:

A turnaround in sales growth of the corporate sector took hold in 2016-17 and has extended into the current year so far.

The cost of raw materials of the manufacturing sector continued to rise at a fast pace and showed no sign of easing till Q3: 2017-18.

Low capacity utilisation in the manufacturing sector led to significant deleveraging as well as lower investments in fixed assets, with companies preferring investments in financial and liquid assets during 2016-17.

A stark contrast was observed in the performance of heavily indebted companies in the manufacturing vis-a-vis the rest of the sample.New Delhi: The new telecom policy is expected to be cleared by the Union Cabinet by the end of next month, Communications Minister Manoj Sinha said on Tuesday.

"I am hopeful of getting Cabinet approval on NDCP (6x increase in public spending from Rs 9,000 crore in 2009-14 to Rs 60,000 crore in 2014-19 (actual +planned) by end of July," he said while talking about the achievement of the government in the last 4 years.

The government has recently issued the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) which aims to provide access to every household with download speed of 50 Mbps, attract investment of around Rs 6.5 lakh crore in the sector and create 4 million new job opportunities with a few years.

"When this government came to power, the sector was in turmoil. There was trust deficit among stakeholders which we have reestablished now," Sinha said.

On the Department of Posts (DoP), he said that it is waiting for approval of Reserve Bank of India to start 650 branches of India Post payments Bank which will be connected with all 1.5 lakh post office branches gradually and create India's largest banking network.

He said his ministry is working to create a separate insurance company under DoP.Salman Khan, along with his upcoming release Race 3, is also gearing up for the Da-Bangg tour which is to be held in USA and Canada soon.

For the same, he, along with his leading ladies Sonakshi Sinha, Katrina Kaif and Daisy Shah, held a press conference on Sunday night.

While Salman did the Boom Floss challenge at the conference, his leading ladies were seen catching up amidst the tours rehearsals.

The Dabangg girls in conversion #KatrinaKaif pic.twitter.com/JEL0d6tMlP  Katrina Kaif Online (@KatrinaKaifFB) June 11, 2018

Some photos of Katrina from her rehearsals too made the rounds of the internet. See them here:

The Da-bangg tour, starting from 22nd June, is scheduled to go on till 8th July, post which Salman will go back to shooting for Bharat and Dabangg 3 simultaneously.Mumbai: Actor Varun Dhawan believes making historical films in the country is a double-edged sword as everyone is offended with everything nowadays.

Varun launched author Amish Tripathi's first book in Indic Chronicle series Suheldev & The Battle Of Bahraich.

Also read: Video: Varun, Aditya request help from KJo as rains stranded them at Kalank shoot

Asked whether actors were wary of choosing historical films, Varun told reporters, "Unfortunately, this is a double-edged sword in our country. Certain sections become upset or they say, 'We were not consulted before this happened'."

The actor said Amish, who has written the book on Shiva and Ram, told him that he never faced any trouble over his interpretation.

Also read: World Environment Day: Varun, Kangana, Alia do their bit to beat plastic pollution

"I think when you do it from a good space and clean heart, 90 per cent of the times no one will be offended. But in 2018, everyone is offended with everything. Someone might see my shoe lace is open and take offence with it that I came to launch a book with my shoe laces open," Varun added.

The actor said he would not shy away from exploring the subject if a good script comes his way.

"No, not really. I think if you are fearful, then you can't achieve greatness. You have to take on fear head on. That's what Amish has been doing, 20-25 per cent of our population is tribal and different castes, and it is not represented that much in our literature or films."

Also read: 'Dhadak looks awesome': Varun, Alia, other stars welcome sparkling Janhvi, Ishaan

Historical films have always been a tricky subject for Bollywood filmmakers and most recently Sanjay Leela Bhansali faced a lot of trouble before the release of his film Padmaavat.Doctors suggest that everyone should take a more subtle approach to discussing mental health with men. (Photo: Pixabay)

The world is still reeling from the news of Anthony Bourdains suicide, but experts warn he is just one of many men whose suicides and struggles with mental illness go overlooked.

Studies show that men suffer more from depression but are less likely to seek help.

Anthony Bourdain often spoke openly about his own depression and fight to stay sober, but his fame and fortune may well have disguised even deeper troubles.

Experts are now saying that the tragedy of his death ought to serve as a wake up call to men that their mental health is just as crucial to their survival as their physical health is.

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control released its latest suicide data, revealing that nearly 45,000 people committed suicide in 2016.

Among the leading theories for why suicide is so much more prevalent among men than women is that men are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol.

Speaking to Mail Online, Dr Jonathan Gerkin, a University of North Carolina psychiatrist said that societal norms have not conditioned men to be reflective about or accept their own emotions. Experts say that this can lead them to a profound sense of loneliness.

Dr Gerkin further added that the isolation happens to men who are not 'lucky to encounter more acceptance, or be raised in a family that encourages it, or to be exposed to it in therapy.'

In turn, by adulthood, many of the opportunities have passed them or they have been taught seeking help is not a masculine behaviour.

This leaves them unsure where to even begin when they are confronting mental health issues.

The doctor suggests that everyone should take a more subtle approach to discussing mental health with men.

In the case of men's mental health and suicide ideation, some of the warning signs include 'feeling hopeless, trapped, burden to society, start withdrawing from people, having severe mood swings, drinking a lot more.Bengaluru: A half-naked armed gang of thieves is on the prowl and creating panic in areas near Bannerghatta, prompting the district police to form teams to track down the thieves. The criminals carry weapons to threaten their victims.

The gang, which roams around in underwear late at night in search of their target, has been caught on the CCTV camera of a house when they entered its compound. As the CCTV visuals went viral, terrified villagers approached the Bannerghatta police and filed a complaint.

Around 4 am on June 7, a three-man gang jumped over the compound wall of the house on Bannerghatta Main Road holding machetes and knives. The police said that the burglars were probably reconnoitring the area, but did not attempt any burglary.

As the burglars tried to break CCTV cameras at some houses and did not succeed, they have been caught in multiple CCTV cameras in the area.

The police, who have registered the complaint, said that they have procured the CCTV footage from the house and nearby areas to track the movement of the burglars. The burglars, who wear only their undergarments and cover their faces with towels, also seem to have applied oil on their bodies to escape if anyone tries to catch them, the police said.

The police suspect that the gang members may not be locals and may have come from other states. The police said that they are probing the incident and will soon arrest the burglars.

Guard at mart assaulted

A security guard was allegedly attacked and shot at in Ulsoor on Monday afternoon after two men armed with weapons attacked the guard on the pretext of asking for a job at a liquor mart.

The police said that the victim, Rajesh, hails from Assam. Rajesh was at work at a liquor mart at Haralur in Bellandur when the incident occurred around 2.30 am on Monday.

The police said that two men approached him on the pretext of asking him about a job vacancy at the mart as guard. When Rajesh said that he didnt know about any vacancies and asked them to leave, they allegedly attacked him with iron rods.

In his complaint to the police, Rajesh stated that a cab driver was a witness to the incident but did not come forward though he was screaming for help. The assault was captured on the CCTV camera installed at the liquor store and the police are investigating on the matter.Lucknow: In a shocking incident, Union minister Anupriya Patel became a victim of eve-teasing in Uttar Pradesh.

According to reports, Ms Patel, minister of state for health and family welfare and a member of the Apna Dal party, was in Mirzapur district which is also her parliamentary constituency on Sunday, to participate in various public programmes. She was returning to Varanasi in the night when three youths in a car started hurling indecent comments at her and chased the ministers vehicle.

Initially, the minister ignored them but the youths, who were in a car without a number plate, continued to misbehave the ministers security personnel tried to chase them. The youths disappeared only to reappear again a few minutes later. But when the young men who were in a car without a number plate did not mend their ways, the minister's security personnel in the cavalcade began chasing them. They disappeared for some time, only to reappear later and continue hurling dirty comments.

Ms Patel realised that the situation was going out of control and informed the Varanasi police and other senior officials.

The three men were soon nabbed as the police set up roadblocks on the route.George Leager's Slick Tony was a 1:53.4 winner in the first leg of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund stakes for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings Monday at Harrington Raceway.

In the first of two divisions, Transitioning Joy came away with the early lead from his rail post position with Evolution Tour in the pocket. Favourite Slick Tony (Russell Foster) settled in third early before a first over grind to three-quarters where he would go toe-to-toe with Transitioning Joy through the stretch in a game battle in which the former prevailed narrowly. Evolution Tour was third.

It was the 12th win in 16 career starts for the son of No Spin Zone who is trained by his owner. He paid $3.60.

The second DSBF split featured a field of six with Don Marine's Cinder Block pursuing a sixth straight win. That win streak would come to an end, courtesy of a huge first-over brush and crush by Bay Pond Racing's America First ($10, Jeff Fout), who was a 1:55 winner.

The Roddys Bags Again colt made an aggressive charge at the front runners near the three-quarters and drew away from the field. GWT rallied for second while Cinder Block, the early leader, faded to third.

Trained by Fout, it was the third career win for America First.

(Harrington)The meeting of Council of Ministers, being held after a gap of seven months, comes in the backdrop of the recent setback in by-polls conducted in many states. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will review the progress of his governments flagship schemes and the agenda for the last year of the current NDA rule at a meeting of the Council of Ministers on Wednesday.

According to sources, the meeting will be held in Parliament House. All ministers have been asked to attend the crucial meeting.

The meeting of Council of Ministers, being held after a gap of seven months, comes in the backdrop of the recent setback in by-polls conducted in many states.

Sources said the meeting may also deliberate on farm distress and the governments efforts to provide relief to them through various initiatives announced in the Budget like 1.5 times higher MSP than the cost of production.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Yojana, Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Start-up funding scheme, Mudra Yojana among others schemes will be reviewed in the meeting.Yogi from Gujarat, Prahlad Jani, is referred to as 'Mataji' by his devotees. (Photo: ANI)

Mehsana (Gujarat): A yogi from Charod village in Gujarats Mehsana is known as breatharian  a person who lives on air by the internal community. The 85-year-old Prahlad Jani claims to have spent over seven decades of his life without food or water.

Still fit, the octogenarian, who wears red clothing and is referred as "Mataji" has aroused the curiosity of scientists from across the world who are left totally stunned by his unusual way of living.

Prahlad Jani has been subjected to various medical examinations by scientists who were intrigued by his way of living and wanted to dig deeper into the matter.

Among the many eminent scientists who carried a study on him was former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

Tests were also conducted on the plants in his ashram, but scientists and the doctors were unable to connect the dots and explain Prahlad Janis way of life.

An observational study was conducted on Prahlad Jani by Defence Institute Of Physiology And Allied Sciences (DIPAS) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in 2010, where Jani was observed in strict isolation and under continual video monitoring for 15 days.

He was taken out for MRI, Ultrasound, X-Ray and exposure to sun under continuous video recordings. Periodic clinical, biochemical, radiological and other relevant examinations were also conducted.

The conclusion of the study was that Prahlad Jani "has some extreme form of adaptation to starvation and water restriction as evident from serum Leptin and Ghrelin levels that have been estimated."

"Mataji", who is devoted to Goddess Amba, says he meditates and that's what gives him the energy to carry on.

Disciples visit his ashram - Ambaji - from far various corners of world. They visit Prahlad Jain with their problems and he assists them without charging any fee.

One of the disciples from Chitrakut in Uttar Pradesh said, "I have heard a lot about him, and today when I visited his ashram, I experienced immense peace."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other influential political leaders have visited his ashram to seek his blessings.The purpose of the tour is to strategise ways to help BJP win the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, particularly finding the right formula to capture seats the party lost in 2014, party leaders said. (Photo: File/ANI)

Jammu: BJP chief Amit Shah will visit Jammu and Kashmir later this month to chalk out the strategy for 2019 Lok Sabha polls, a party leader said.

Amit Shah will pay tribute to BJP ideologue Shyama Prasad Mukherjee at a memorial in Punjab's Lakhanpur area on June 23, he said.

"BJP chief Shah will visit Jammu on June 23 in connection with the 'Balidan-Divas' of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. During the visit, he will also chalk out the strategy of the party in JK for 2019 elections," BJP state chief Ravinder Raina said.

Ravinder Raina said Amit Shah will first visit Shyama Prasad Mukherjee's memorial at Lakhanpur and pay tributes before arriving in Jammu.

Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, founder of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, had died under mysterious circumstances in the Srinagar jail on June 23, 1953.

The purpose of the tour is to strategise ways to help BJP win the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, particularly finding the right formula to capture seats the party lost in 2014, party leaders said.

The BJP chief will review the performance of the PDP-BJP coalition government, assess the working of the organisation, development projects and security situation and issues relation refugees and migrants during his visit, they said.

The first and foremost purpose of his visit to chalk out a poll strategy besides infusing fresh enthusiasm among the party leadership and cadres, Raina said.

Amit Shah will also address a seminar of intellectuals organised by the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Foundation, Raina said.

He will address the core group of the party and review organisational matters at an executive meeting and give direction for future goals, he said.

Amit Shah will discuss matters pertaining to refugees, including PoK and west Pakistan, migrants and border people affected by the shelling from Pakistan, he said.

"Our aims to win all the seats in J&K and prepare ground for victory of the party in next Assembly polls to achieve mission 44 plus to have BJP CM," Raina said.Congress President Rahul Gandhi waves as he arrives to attend a booth level meeting with his party workers, in Mumbai on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI)

Mumbai: Emphasising that the Congress has the culture to respect even the rival leaders, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said he was the first to visit ailing Atal Bihari Vajpayee at AIIMS in New Delhi after the former prime minister was admitted for kidney infection.

Congress party fought against Vajpayees government, but when he was sick it was we who first visited him. This is the ideology of Congress party, we respect our opponents, the Congress president told while addressing grassroot workers of his party at an event in Mumbai.

It was after Rahul Gandhis visit to AIIMS on Monday evening that seniors BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah made a visit to AIIMS to meet 93-year-old ailing former Prime Minister.

Rahul Gandhi also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ignoring BJP senior leaders. The Congress president stated that the Prime Minister does not respect his mentor L K Advani and claimed that the grand old party has given the BJP stalwart more respect than Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself.

L K Advani has been the guru of PM Modi, but I have seen in events that PM Modi does not even respect his guru. Today, I feel very sad for Advani ji. The Congress party has given him more respect than Modi Ji, Rahul Gandhi said at the event.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was Prime Minister briefly in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004, had taken a back seat from active politics over the last decade due to deteriorating health conditions. In a statement, AIIMS said Atal Bihari Vajpayee was admitted for investigation and evaluation and that he has been diagnosed with a urinary tract infection.

Also Read: Atal Bihari Vajpayee admitted to AIIMS with kidney issues, undergoing dialysis

In his speech, Rahul Gandhi also exuded confidence that Congress will defeat the BJP in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections and insisted that his party with the support of the other opposition parties will be victorious in the 2019 general elections.

They (BJP) have recently lost in Karnataka and have barely saved themselves in Gujarat, they will be wiped out in Rajasthan, MP and Chhatisgarh and Congress and other opposition parties will defeat them in the general elections of 2019, Rahul Gandhi said.

Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi, the BJP accused the Congress president of practising the lowest form of politics and said it was bizarre to see the president of the countrys oldest party stoop to such a low. BJP spokesperson Anil Baluni claimed that it was clear that the Congress president has no link with Indian values as he keeps violating political and social norms.

Baluni referred to Congress leaders criticism of former President Pranab Mukherjee for attending an RSS event, and said the country had seen how the party treated one of its veterans. He also claimed that Congress leaders had torn to pieces clothes of its then president Sitaram Kesari and thrown him out of his office.

The Congress president is practising the lowest form of politics. He is violating our social and political norms. He does not even seem to know the kind of politics he is doing. The country is watching how the president of the oldest political party is behaving, Baluni said.

"Rahul Gandhi has been trying to advise BJP on how to respect senior leaders, he should first of all answer on his ill-treatment to their own senior leaders, like P V Narasimha Rao and Pranab Mukherjee," Baluni added.

(With inputs from agencies)Bengaluru: Will the city be free of dangerous and deadly potholes? After his maiden meeting with BBMP, BDA and BWSSB officials on Monday, Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister G. Parameshwar promised Bengalureans that all the 6,000 potholes in the city will be filled in the next 10 days.

He told reporters that around 1,200 potholes will be given priority as they are over one square metre in width and are dangerous. These potholes will be filled using 'Python' machines. "Pythons" have been in the eye of a storm as the pothole-filling work executed by these machines is substandard.

On a query on the substandard work executed on some TenderSure roads where water stagnates, Mr Parameshwar said he will blacklist such contractors. "Lack of coordination between BBMP and traffic police officials has led to traffic-related problems in the city. Since both departments are under my control, I will ensure proper coordination," he said.

Encroachment eviction plan

As monsoon has been predicted to be above normal this year, there are fears that many areas in the city could be flooded. Mr Parameshwar directed officials to prepare a blueprint in the next 10 days to crack down on drain encroachments across the city. "Encroachers will be dealt with firmly and the BBMP will not bow down to any pressure," he said. To stop flooding in the city, particularly the low-lying areas, short-term and long-term plans will be drafted. Officials will be held responsible if they fail in their duty, he warned.

BBMP chief missing

BBMP Commissioner Maheshwar Rao was conspicuous by his absence during Bengaluru Development Minister Dr G. Parameshwar's inspection of both Kaggadasapura and Bellandur lakes. It was the lower rung officials who took directions and orders from the minister.

Garbage contractors temporarily call off protest after assurance from Dr G

Garbage contractors, who had left the city in a mess refusing to collect garbage, called off their strike temporarily on Monday. They gave an ultimatum of one week to Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister Dr G. Parameshwar, who held a closed-door meeting with them to settle pending bills of Rs 220 crore. Protesting contractors said that garbage will be cleared from Tuesday morning.

Garbage contractors went on a flash strike on Monday over pending bills. The contractors said that BBMP officials repeatedly refused to settle their bills for the past five months. Also, service tax of 10 per cent is being deducted from their bill by the civic body. Now, the contractors have been served demand notices by the Service Tax Department for around Rs 200 crore for 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17.

BBMP Garbage Contractors' Association president Balasubramanyam said, "We have been facing a lot of issues due to some top BBMP officials. The officials refuse to clear our bills and reject them without giving any valid reasons. We complained to BBMP officials repeatedly, but nothing happened."

Even after keeping bills without settlement, officials proposed to settle only Rs 76 crore out of Rs 220 cr, he said. "Mr Parameshwar assured us that the entire pending amount of Rs 220 crore would be cleared. We have withdrawn our protest for a week after his statement," he said.Chennai: Rubbishing the opposition from some quarters to the Rs 10,000 crore Chennai-Salem greenfield highway, Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Monday asserted it would boost economic growth and its gains far outweighed other factors.

The 277.3 km long eight-lane greenfield project connecting Chennai and Salem under the Centres Bharatmala Pariyojana scheme, will stimulate growth like the Mumbai-Pune and Delhi-Agra expressway projects, he told the Assembly in a detailed statement.

The proposed highway will cut distance by over 60 km and bring down the travel time by half (it will be only about 2 hours and 15 minutes between Salem-Chennai) and lead to an annual saving of `700 crore worth of fuel, the CM said.

He said compensation for land would be paid as per the new land acquisition law and would be a minimum of Rs 20 lakh per hectare, for concrete houses it will be Rs 340 per sq ft and for a coconut tree it is Rs 40,000. Allaying fears, he listed out various benefits that the highway would bring in and appealed to the public to extend cooperation.

Stating that quality roads were crucial for economic growth, he said the greenfield highway will propel industrial growth, and lead to increase in Per Capita Income and GDP.

The chief minister was replying to Leader of the Opposition M K Stalin (DMK) and his party member I Periyasamy who raised the road project issue vis-vis opposition to it from some quarters including the Left parties. Stalin referred to concerns over environment and apprehension that large tracts of farm and forest lands will be affected in five districts and wanted the government to seek the views of local people before going ahead. He also said coming up with new road projects or acquiring land for it was not wrong but in view of the opposition, a solution should be found by holding consultations with people.

CM Palaniswami said the Mumbai-Pune and Delhi-Agra expressways led to industrial growth in Pimpri-Chinchwad and Greater Noida regions respectively. So too, the Salem expressway, sanctioned by the Centre after much persuasion, will open out new opportunities for industrial growth in the backward regions of Tiruvannamalai and Dharmapuri districts, he said. The CM also said apprehensions that the project would affect environment, mineral resources, farm, and forest lands, were unnecessary. For the greenfield highway only about 1,900 hectares of land will be acquired and not several thousand hectares of land and out of this, about 400 hectares are government owned poramboke lands, he said.

The proposed expressway goes through only 49 hectare of forest land (falling in towns including Chengalpet, Arani, Polur, Chengam and Harur) corresponding to 9.955 km out of the total length of 277.30 km. In respect of about 3.1 km of forest land for Salem bypass section of the green highway, a tunnel will be constructed to ensure that forests were not affected, he said adding no hindrance would be caused to wildlife also.

On both sides of the highway, about 3 lakh tree saplings will be planted and only a small number of trees will be felled. The task of preparing a Detailed Project Report has been entrusted with a private firm, he said, adding other works including measuring required lands and acquisition were on. n P5

At present, to reach Salem in western Tamil Nadu from Chennai, it will take about five hours either through Chennai-Bengaluru (via Vellore/360 kms) or Chennai-Madurai (via Ullundurpet/350 kms) highways, he said, adding that the two highways have traffic density more than their respective capacities and it would only increase further. If the existing highways were to be expanded, it would require 2,200 hectares of land and demolition of about 40,000 houses and industries.

On the other hand, the new highway will ease traffic in the two highways towards Tamil Nadus Western districts, Karnataka and Kerala and also lead to significant drop in accidents, he said.

The Chief Minister said, since he hailed from Salem unnecessary accusations, were being made. About Rs 75,000 crore worth of road projects for Tamil Nadu were under the consideration of the Centre, he added.'The BJP-led government wrote off Rs 2.5 lakh crore loans of India's richest 15-20 people but a similar demand by farmers to waive off their debt was ignored,' Congress President Rahul Gandhi said. (Photo: ANI | Twitter)

Mumbai: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not keep his assurance of providing jobs to two crore youth in a year.

Addressing a Congress workers' rally in Mumbai, Rahul Gandhi also targeted the Modi government on a range of issues, as he tried to enthuse the party's booth-level workers ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP-led government did not provide jobs to two crore youth in a year as was promised by PM Modi in the run up to the 2014 general elections, Rahul Gandhi said. The Congress leader observed that China has been providing jobs to 50,000 youth per 24 hours.

"However, the BJP-led government gives jobs to 450 youth in the same span," he said.

"(Modi had said) the Prime Minister will give jobs to 2 crore youth in a year. And in the Lok Sabha, his minister said unemployment is the highest in last eight years in India," Rahul Gandhi said.

"The BJP-led government wrote off Rs 2.5 lakh crore loans of India's richest 15-20 people but a similar demand by farmers to waive off their debt was ignored," he said. "(Union finance minister Arun) Jaitley ji says it is not their policy to waive of loans taken by farmers," Rahul Gandhi said.

On the government's 'Make in India' initiative, the Congress president said it is the farmers who ensured 'Make in India' happens through their blood and sweat. "Farmers will compete with China if you strengthen them a little bit," Rahul Gandhi said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Congress leader slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "not talking" about employment for youth and farmers and said that his fight was against the government's policies.

Rahul Gandhi, who appeared before a court in Bhiwandi town in Mumbai in connection with a defamation case filed against him by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker, also dared the BJP and the RSS to slap as many cases on him as they wanted to.

Also Read: Modi govt only for rich: Rahul Gandhi slams PM, dares BJP, RSS to sue himDoctors doing normal Health Check up of SatyendarJain at LG House as he is on Anshan since Tuesday morning. (Photo: Twitter | @ArvindKejriwal )

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues, who spent the night at the lieutenant governor's office, on Tuesday, dug in their heels with Health Minister Satyendar Jain beginning an indefinite hunger strike to press for their demands.

The AAP government's demands include a direction to IAS officers to end their "strike", action against those who have struck work for "four months". It has also asked the L-G to approve the proposal for doorstep delivery of rations.

Read: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on protest again, this time in Lt Governor's waiting room

Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, Development Minister Gopal Rai and Jain met Baijal at 5.30 pm on Monday and have since stayed on. After spending the entire night, Kejriwal released a video on Tuesday and said that the AAP ministers had "no option" but to stage a sit-in at the L-G's office as Lt Governor Anil Baijal was not paying heed to the Delhi government's demands "despite several requests".

Also Read: Delhi CM Kejriwal, ministers sit-in at Lt Governors office continues overnight

It was the first time in the history of Delhi that the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues spent the night at the L-G's office to press for their demands, sources said. The move drew criticism from the BJP's local unit who termed the sit-in as a "mockery of democracy". "Making mockery of Democracy, No Work only Drama (sic)," Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said on Twitter.

Also Read: BJP's Manoj Tiwari calls Kejriwal's protest at L-G office 'mockery of democracy'

However, the AAP maintained that their fight will continue and they will not get "bogged down" till their demands are met. "Modi and L-G are not allowing us to work for the betterment. L-G is orchestrating the strike by the IAS officers," AAP leader Sanjay Singh said.

Leader of opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta called Kejriwal's sit-in a way to "shirk work". "Delhi's maalik (owner) Kejriwal and company are protesting inside an air-conditioned room. Delicacies are being served to them from outside, while the city's reeling under a water crisis. They are only concerned about politics and not about people's issues," he said on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal, tweeted from the LG's office, "Satyender Jain starts indefinite fast". Jain began his fast from the L-G's office at 11 am.

Satyender Jain starts indefinite fast  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 12, 2018

On Monday night, the chief minister, who is a diabetic, had to take insulin during the sit-in and got "specific food" from his home, the sources said. "My dear Delhiites, good morning. Struggle continues," Kejriwal tweeted at 6.27 am from the L-G's office.

A number of AAP MLAs, party's leaders and workers have also camped near the L-G's office and the police have barricaded the area. In the video statement released by him, Kejriwal said that the AAP ministers have staged a sit-in for the people of Delhi so that their work does not get affected.

According to the AAP government, officers have not been attending meetings with the ministers and not picking up their calls due to which the people's work was suffering. Officers have gone on a "partial strike" since the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash on the intervening night of February 19-20, it said.

In the video message, Kejriwal said that he and his ministers have been requesting the L-G since February 23 to issue directions to the IAS officers to end their "strike", but the Lt Governor was not paying heed to their demands. "Yesterday, we again met him (Baijal) and told him that he will go from here (L-G office) only after getting our demands fulfilled," he said.

WATCH



Full Video Message of Delhi CM @ArvindKejriwal from Raj Niwaspic.twitter.com/Te84CsSrGb  AAP Ka Mehta (@DaaruBaazMehta) June 12, 2018

The chief minister said, "We are not sitting here for ourselves, but we are sitting here for you (Delhiites) and for schools, water, mohalla clinics so that the people of Delhi could get facilities." Kejriwal alleged that some of the officers told him that the L-G's office was "orchestrating" the "officers' strike" that is why Lt Governor does not want bureaucrats to end their strike. The L-G's office slammed Kejriwal's sit-in, saying it was one more "dharna without reason". A statement, issued by Baijal's office last evening, stated that the L-G was "threatened" to summon officers and issue directions to them to end their "strike" immediately. In the morning, a letter, signed by Kejriwal, Sisodia, Rai and Jain, was sent to Baijal, asking him to take all necessary steps to end the "strike" by the IAS officers, including issuing written orders, that all those officers who do not return to work will be proceeded against and "if necessary, ESMA may be invoked".

However, the officers association has claimed that no officer is on strike and no work has been affected. "Good Morning @LtGovDelhi Sir! Delhi CM and 3 ministers are still waiting in your waiting room since yesterday evening. We hope today you'll get time from your busy schedule to resolve these three issues . Till then we are waiting...," Sisodia tweeted.

Good Morning @LtGovDelhi Sir! Delhi CM and 3 ministers are still waiting in your waiting room since yesterday evening.

We hope today you'll get time from your busy schedule to resolve these three issues . Till then we are waiting.... pic.twitter.com/q4SAZOZMvC  Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) June 12, 2018

"Handed him this letter. L-G refuses to take action. L-G is under constitutional duty to act. Left wid no option, we have politely told LG that we will not leave till he acts on all points. We hv come out of his chamber n sitting in his waiting room (sic)," Kejriwal tweeted on Monday evening after he along with his three ministers started their sit-in.

Handed him this letter. LG refuses to take action. LG is under constitutional duty to act. Left wid no option, we have politely told LG that we will not leave till he acts on all points. We hv come out of his chamber n sitting in his waiting room pic.twitter.com/UwsVqqU69g  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 11, 2018

The AAP government and the bureaucracy have been at loggerheads since the alleged assault on Prakash by AAP MLAs at Kejriwal's residence on the intervening night of February 19-20.Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee continues to remain in the ICU of the cardio-thoracic centre of AIIMS, a source said. (Photo: File/PTI)

New Delhi: The condition of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was admitted to the AIIMS in the national capital with urinary tract infection, lower respiratory tract infection and kidney issues, is stable on Tuesday, the hospital said.

The 93-year-old leader was admitted to the hospital on Monday.

In a statement, the AIIMS said, "His condition is stable. He is responding to treatment and is on injectable antibiotics. All his vital parameters are stable. He will continue to be in hospital till infection is controlled".

A team of doctors, under the supervision of AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, evaluated his condition sometime back, a source said. He continues to remain in the ICU of the cardio-thoracic centre of AIIMS, the source added.

Read: Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee admitted to Delhi's AIIMS, says BJP

On Monday, the hospital said Vajpayee, who has been ailing for long, was admitted for routine check-up and investigations. In a statement issued at 10:45 pm, the AIIMS said Vajpayee was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection.

A host of leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the BJP patriarch at the hospital on Monday. PM Modi met the doctors and enquired about the well-being of Vajpayee. He also met his family members, according to an official statement.

BJP veteran L K Advani, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, party chief Amit Shah, Health Minister J P Nadda, Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan, Vijay Goel and Congress president Rahul Gandhi were among those who paid a visit to the ailing leader on Monday.

Also Read: Vajpayee undergoing dialysis, leaders visit in AIIMS to meet former PM

The BJP, on Monday, said in a statement that Shah had a detailed discussion with the doctors about Vajpayee's treatment and also met the former prime minister's family members at the hospital.

Vajpayee was thrice elected the prime minister between 1996 and 1999 and is the only non-Congress prime minister to complete the full term of five years, from 1999 to 2004.

As his health deteriorated, he had slowly withdrawn himself from public life and was confined to his residence for years.Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami averred that the Tamil Nadu government will ensure the Cauvery Water Management Authority implements the Supreme Court order and facilitates the release of Cauvery water to the State.

Taking pot shots at the opposition DMK which has been staging agitations for the constitution of the Cauvery Management Board (CMB), Mr. Palaniswami dared the DMK to convince its ally the Congress in Karnataka to nominate members for the CMA immediately.

Three States including Tamil Nadu have already nominated their members to the Authority. Karnataka alone has not complied. You can ask your ally, the Congress which has formed government with JD (S) to immediately nominate its members for the Authority, Mr. Palaniswami said in the Assembly on Monday. At this DMK deputy leader Duraimurugan said I think both of us have come to the stage where we dont have to speak to Karnataka.

Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal, recalled the efforts of late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa in ensuring Tamil Nadus rights prevail on Cauvery, said the issue has been resolved, thanks also to her initiatives.

Deputy Speaker of the Assembly Pollachi V. Jayaraman lauded the efforts of late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa in retrieving Tamil Nadus rights on Cauvery.

The policy note on Public Works Department and Irrigation tabled in the Assembly by the Chief Minister hailed the implementation of the Cauvery order as a historic achievement, and said due to the efforts of government of Tamil Nadu and the intervention of the Supreme Court, the final order of the tribunal was notified in the Gazette of India.

DMK cadres boycott CMs reply

The opposition DMK boycotted Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswamis reply to the debate on the demand for grants for the Highways and Minor Ports and PWD (Irrigation) departments held by him, after the Assembly Speaker declined to revoke the expunging of a remark made by leader of the opposition and DMK working president M. K. Stalin.

Stalin made certain remarks while speaking on the Chennai-Salem Green Expressway Corridor, leading to the Speaker P. Dhanapal expunging them. He made a vain bid to draw the attention of the Speaker to revoke the expunging order and following this the Treasury Benches reacted. The Speaker insisted that only a word from his speech had been removed.

Later, Leader of the House and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, maintaining that there was no practice of revoking the ruling of the Speaker, appealed to Mr. Dhanapal to expunge the entire conversation on the subject.

Protesting, Mr. Stalin announced that his DMK is boycotting the Chief Ministers reply and staged a walkout, accompanied by his party legislators.Lather Up, Stay Hungry and Wes Delight, all impressive winners in last weekends eliminations, headline a field of 10 for the $1 million Pepsi North America Cup on Saturday, June 16 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The 35th edition of Canadas richest harness race, showcasing the finest three-year-old pacers on the continent, will head postward at 10:40 p.m. (EDT) and will be broadcast live on TSN2 from 10:00  11:00 p.m. (EDT). The winner of the Pepsi North America Cup earns $500,000. This years edition marks the 18th anniversary of Pepsis sponsorship of the race.

Post positions were drawn today at Woodbine Mohawk Park, with Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Connor Carrick as the guest drawmaster.

A total of 29 three-year-old pacers competed over three $50,000 eliminations last Saturday to determine the field for this years race. The top-three finishers from each division, plus a fourth-place finisher drawn by lot, qualified for the $1 million final. To view the replays and for complete analysis of the elims, click here.

The group of 29 entered in this years eliminations was the highest turnout since 2010.

Elimination winners earned their connections the right to select their post position for the final. Nineteen of the 34 Cup winners won their elimination.

The results of the post draw appear below.

2018 Pepsi North America Cup

(Post  Horse  Driver)

1  St Lads Neptune  Jody Jamieson

2  Stay Hungry  Doug McNair

3  Wes Delight  Corey Callahan

4  Lather Up  Montrell Teague

5  American History  Yannick Gingras

6  Lost In Time  Scott Zeron

7  Done Well  Tim Tetrick

8  Nutcracker Sweet  David Miller

9  Hayden Hanover  Andy Miller

10  Hitman Hill  Brett Miller

Lather Up (PP4), an Ohio-sired son of Im Gorgeous, was the fastest elimination winner, as he shot up the inside to win his elim by nearly three lengths in 1:49.2 for trainer Clyde Francis and driver Montrell Teague.

A homebred for owners Gary & Barbara Iles, Lather Up is undefeated in five starts this season and currently holds a record of nine wins and 11 top-three finishes from 12 career starts. The bay colt holds a pair of track records in the state of Ohio and enters the Pepsi North America Cup with $167,100 in career earnings.

The combination of Francis and Teague will be looking for redemption in this Saturdays $1 million race after they finished second with superstar Wiggle It Jiggleit in the 2015 Cup.

Teague understands the pressure that is on him and Lather Up following their dazzling elimination performance.

Adds more pressure (winning an elimination). I mean, you always got to figure out the next trip thats going to be next week, said Teague. You got to make sure the horse is healthy, make sure I do my job, make sure he does his job. I had the best horse in 2015 and I got beat, so you never know.

Stay Hungry (PP2), last years Breeders Crown champion, came from third-over on the final turn to power by rivals in the lane and win his elimination in 1:50 for trainer Tony Alagna and driver Doug McNair.

A son of Somebeachsomewhere, Stay Hungry was one of the winter-book favourites for this years Cup after having won six of nine starts and being named Canadas top two-year-old pacing colt at the OBrien Awards. His trainer Alagna won the 2013 Cup with Captaintreacherous, while reinsman McNair, last years driver of the year in Canada, will be seeking his first Cup in what will be his third attempt.

It feels good (winning an elimination), said McNair following last Saturdays victory. Thats always what you dream of when youre growing up watching the race, so to be in the race and have one thats legit and low odds is a great feeling.

Stay Hungry has won seven of 11 career starts and earned $588,760 for owners Brad Grant, Woodbines leading owner, and the late-Irwin Samelman.

Wes Delight (PP3) split rivals late to prevail victorious in the tightest finish of last Saturdays eliminations for trainer Mark Harder and driver Corey Callahan. The son of Bettors Delight stopped the timer in 1:50.2 for his fifth win in six starts this season.

I was kind of worried I wasnt going to get any room, said Callahan following the elimination. But (American History) went on enough I could sneak out there and this little horse is so gritty, he just loves to win.

Owned by Rick Phillips, Deena Rachel Frost and Mark Harder, Wes Delight has had a powerful start to his three-year-old campaign. He was competitive in his rookie season, in which he won three of 11 starts.

The Harder trainee has made more starts (17) than any other horse in this years Cup.

Wes Delights career totals sit at eight wins and $232,573 earned going into Saturdays $1 million race.

Trainer Brian Brown, who won last years Cup with Fear The Dragon, has a chance at a repeat with Done Well (PP7). The son of Well Said finished second to Stay Hungry to suffer his first loss in six career starts.

Jimmy Takter has won nearly all the sports biggest races, but the Pepsi North America Cup has yet to come his way after five previous attempts. The Hall of Fame trainer will send out Nutcracker Sweet (PP8), who finished second by a neck to Wes Delight, and Lost In Time (PP6), the fourth-place finisher that drew in.

Lost In Time captured last years Metro Pace at Woodbine Mohawk Park and was named the Dan Patch Award winner as the top two-year-old pacing colt in the U.S.

A pair of husband-wife, driver-trainer teams will compete in this years Pepsi North America Cup.

Jody and Stephanie Jamieson will send out Ontario-sired gelding St Lads Neptune (PP1), who finished second to Lather Up in his elimination. Jody is a two-time Cup winning-driver, having won in 2007 with Tell All and 2011 with Up The Credit.

Andy and Julie Miller team up to compete with Hayden Hanover (PP9), a third-place finisher in last Saturdays eliminations. The New Jersey-based Millers have had a good run with Hayden Hanover, as the son of Somebeachsomewhere has recorded two wins and 11 top-three finishes from 14 career starts.

Stay Hungry may grab the headlines, but trainer Alagna is another trainer in this years race with two entries. American History (PP5) finished third, beat less than a length, in the elimination won by Wes Delight. The son of American Ideal has won four of eight starts and is tied with Lather Up for the fastest career mark (1:49.1) in this years field.

Driver Brett Miller will sit behind Hitman Hill (PP10) in Saturdays race and will hope to change his luck and capture his first Pepsi North America Cup. The 44-year-old driver has finished second in three different editions of the Cup and will be making his seventh appearance in Canadas richest race.

A son of American Ideal, Hitman Hill was nearly perfect in his rookie season, as he won six of seven starts. The Chris Oakes trainee is winless in three starts this season.



(L to R) Jody Jamieson, Connor Carrick and Doug McNair pose for the cameras at Woodbine Mohawk Park during the 2018 N.A. Cup Post Position Draw (Michael Burns)

The North America Cup stakes record is 1:47.4, set by Thinking Out Loud in 2012 and equalled in 2016 by Betting Line. Hall of Famer Bettors Delight holds the record for the largest margin of victory, four and half lengths in 2001.

The list of past Cup winners is a whos who of Standardbred greats, including Jate Lobell (1987), Precious Bunny (1991), Presidential Ball (1993), Cams Card Shark (1994), Gallo Blue Chip (2000), Rocknroll Hanover (2005), Somebeachsomewhere (2008) and Captaintreacherous (2013).

The shortest-priced winners in Cup history are Jate Lobell and Presidential Ball at $2.70, while Goalie Jeff, in 1989, provided the biggest upset, as he returned $93.60 for a $2 Win bet.

The Cup was raced at Greenwood Raceway from 1984-03, followed by Woodbine Racetrack from 1994-2006. The North America Cup was moved to Mohawk in 2007 and this years edition marks the first Cup since the renaming to Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The Cup night card will offer three Pick-4 wagers, including an All Stakes Pick-4 with a $100,000 guaranteed pool, comprising of Races 9 through 12. There will also be a mandatory payout on the Jackpot Hi-5.

The North America Cup undercard features the $415,000 Fan Hanover for three-year-old pacing fillies, $370,000 Roses Are Red for pacing mares, $250,000 Armbro Flight for trotting mares, $266,000 Goodtimes for three-year-old trotters and the $100,000 Mohawk Gold Cup Invitational for older pacers.

Post time for the first of 15 races on the Pepsi North America Cup card is 6:30 p.m.

To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Mohawk, click the following link: Saturday Entries  Woodbine Mohawk Park.

(Woodbine Entertainment)But the officials claim they are struggling to access the Dharani website to correct errors.

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Raos pet project, the Dharani website that offers property registration services along the lines of core banking services to ensure transparency and check corruption, has crashed even before its full launch.

The land data of the entire state has been uploaded on Dharani after purification of records was done in all districts recently. However, over 3.5 lakh errors have come to light after new pattadar passbooks were distributed to landowners, in the names, survey numbers, extent of land, etc.

Revenue officials have been asked to correct the errors on Dharani and issue new pattadar passbooks by June 20. Revenue officials in all districts are struggling to access the website to correct errors.

Due to technical glitch, the website could not be opened for two weeks. Vexed with this, the revenue staff led by tahsildars is protesting in mandals and demanding more time for corrections, or fixing the technical issues in Dharani.

The Chief Ministers Office is directly monitoring the progress of correction of errors with district collectors. The collectors who are under pressure to meet the deadline are forcing the tahsildars to complete the task. WIth the technical glitch affecting the work, the tahsildars are facing the wrath of higher-ups.

The tahsildars have joined hands saying that they are being held responsible for no fault of theirs, and have threatened to forego their one-month salary bonus announced by the CM in appreciation of completion of purification of land records drive in record 100 days.

Deputy CM and revenue minister Mohd Mahmood Ali held meetings with senior officials to resolve the issue. Technical experts were called for the meeting who assured to resolve issues in Dharani within a week.

The Dharani website has been facing a technical glitch due to which the online property registration system could not be launched in time. We are hopeful of launching Dharani in a week and the website will be accessible to general public and government staff, he said.Chikkamagaluru: The heavy rain forced schools and colleges to shut in four taluks of Chikkamagaluru and two taluks of Hassan district on Monday. Classes will resume on Tuesday depending on the weather forecast. Seeing the heavy rain, Chikkamagaluru Deputy Commissioner, Sreerangaiah ordered closure of schools and colleges in Sringeri, Mudigere, Narashimaraja Pura and Koppa taluks. In all, 500 schools closed in the four taluks on Monday for the safety of the primary school children , who could find it hard to commute back and forth from them in the rain. However, with the rain receding by afternoon the office of the Deputy Director of Public Instructions (DDPI) said the schools could resume on Tuesday, but it depended on the orders of Mr Sreerangaiah. As many as 400 schools in Sakleshpur and Alur taluks of Hassan shut for the day following heavy rainfall on the orders of Deputy Commissioner, PC Jaffer. The officials concerned will review the situation on Tuesday before taking a decision on resuming the schools and colleges. A private school in Sakleshpur which functioned as usual despite the orders of the deputy commissioner, received a warning from the Block Education Officer that it would be held responsible for any untoward incident involving its students on account of the rain.

The school management , however, said many children had already come to school in the rain and so it decided to work as usual.

Showers cause landslides in Hassan

A landslide following heavy rain in the Western Ghats brought mud, boulders and trees crashing down on railway tracks between Yedakumari and Kanagavalli stations in Sakleshpur, Hassan, bringing all train services on the route to a halt on Monday.

The landslide was reported at at least two different spots between Yedakumari and Kanagavalli, according to railway officials.

Passengers travelling on the Yeshwanthpur-Mangaluru train had to be get off at Hassan railway station and their fares were partially reimbursed as they could no longer go on owing to the landlside.

They were later allowed to continue their journeys for free to various destinations in Hassan, going by a railway official. Another train from Mangaluru to Yeshwanthpur via Sakleshpur was diverted to Bengaluru via Palaghat and Coimbatore owing to the landslide in Sakleshpur.



Fortunately for the passengers, locals noticed the landslide blocking the tracks in the Ghats at around 8.30 am and informed the railway officials, who rushed to the spot to clear the debris.



An official said it would take about eight hours for the staff to clear the tracks as the rain had not stopped. The rain hasn't stopped but our staff are at work to clear the route, he added.



Another railway official explained that landslides were common in the region, which received heavy rainfall. Every year at least a couple of incidents are reported on this route. It is beyond our control and passengers have to regretfully put up with the inconvenience, he added.Palghar (Maharashtra): The government is likely to miss a December deadline to acquire land for a Japan-backed USD 17 billion bullet train project following protests by fruit growers, officials said, likely delaying one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's most ambitious projects.

PM Modi's office is now monitoring the project week-to-week, as officials seek to reassure Tokyo that the hurdles can be overcome through intense negotiations with sapota and mango growers in Maharashtra.

Protests, backed by local politicians, have flared up in recent months against attempts to secure sections of a 108-km (67-mile) stretch, which is around one-fifth of the entire bullet train corridor connecting Mumbai with Ahmedabad, the largest commercial city in PM Modi's home state of Gujarat.

"I've worked hard for three decades to develop this plantation, and they are asking me to hand over this land," sapota farmer Dashrat Purav, 62, said as he showed his orchard in the town of Palghar, a three-hour-drive north of Mumbai.

"I haven't worked hard to surrender land for the project. I did that for my children."

Purav said he would sell his land only if at least one of his two unemployed sons was promised a government job.

Protests against land acquisitions are common in India, where tens of millions of farmers till small holdings. A planned USD 44 billion refinery to be run by a consortium including Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil producer, is also struggling to secure land in Maharashtra.

"Land acquisition for any project is complex in India," said Dhananjay Kumar, spokesman for the National High Speed Rail Corp Ltd (NHSRCL) that is overseeing the project. "Here also we are facing difficulty because of so much resistance."

Failure to procure the bullet train land by the deadline would delay disbursal of soft-loans by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a government development body, which is reviewing the project next month, said two senior officials with the Indian Railways, declining to be named.

A JICA spokeswoman said that the government must create relocation plans for local residents and make them public in order to enter into a loan agreement covering the main part of the bullet train project.

"It is possible that it takes time to sign a contract as India takes proper and careful measures in line with JICA's guidelines for environmental and social considerations," she said.

To assuage Japan's concerns, officials have sought a meeting this month with transport ministry in Tokyo, one of the officials said. The government wants the project's completion target to be advanced by a year to 2022, the 75th year of India's independence.

A Japanese transport ministry official who deals with the bullet train project said that Indian officials had told them that "they can manage" the land acquisition.

"We will continue to work together with the Indian government to bring this project forward with an aim to start operation in 2023," the official said.

'Not insurmountable'

Japan is majority-funding the train project through a 50-year loan. Japanese companies such as Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Corp, JFE Holdings, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toshiba Corp and Hitachi are likely to supply at least 70 per cent of the core components of the rail line, sources told Reuters in January.

PM Modi has called the project crucial for his pet "Make in India" campaign aimed at lifting the share of manufacturing in India's USD 2 trillion economy. The government also hopes to generate hundreds of jobs through the train project, and hence is pushing hard to finish it on time.

To sweeten the terms for people opposed to selling their land, Indian Railways has put its weight behind NHSRCL, pledging funds from its own welfare scheme to build schools and community halls, one of the officials said.

Ashwani Lohani, chairman of the Indian Railway Board, said the issues with farmers were not insurmountable.

The government has offered to buy land at a 25 per cent premium to the market value, the two government officials said.

Farmers are also being offered resettlement dues of 500,000 rupees (USD 7,409) or 50 per cent of the land value, whichever is higher.

However, local political opposition in Palghar, ahead of a general election next year, has fanned the protests. Opponents say the bullet train is wasteful and the money would be better used upgrading the country's rickety rail infrastructure. Farmers have threatened a hunger strike.

Last week, farmers and local activists disrupted a public hearing conducted by NHSRCL, its second attempt to hold such an event in less than a month. The first one last month was also cut short by protests.

"In coming weeks we will intensify the protests," said Nilam Gorhe, a spokesman for Shiv Sena, the ruling BJP's estranged ally.US President Donald Trump said, 'We signed a joint statement that is an unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of North Korea.' (Photo: AFP)

New Delhi: India on Tuesday welcomed the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un as a "positive development" and hoped that any resolution on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula will address its concerns over Pyongyang's nuclear proliferation linkages.

Soon after Trump and Kim signed a "comprehensive" document promising to end seven decades of hostilities between the two countries, the External Affairs Ministry said India supports all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy.

Read: Kim vows full denuclearisation, Trump guarantees security at historic meet

"We also hope that the resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue will take into account and address our concerns about proliferation linkages extending to India's neighbourhood," it said in a statement, in an apparent reference to North Korea's alleged nuclear proliferation linkages with Pakistan.

India has been pressing for a probe into Kim regime's proliferation linkages so that those responsible for it are held accountable.

Following their summit in Singapore, Trump and Kim pledged to denuclearise the Korean peninsula and work for finding a peaceful resolution to seven decades of hostilities between the two countries.

Also Read: North Korea sanctions remain for now, may lift them in future: Trump

"India welcomes the US - DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) Summit held in Singapore. This is a positive development. India has always supported all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy," the External Affairs Ministry said.

After the talks, the US president said that the process of denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula will begin "very soon" and the North Korean leader promised to leave the past behind.

"We hope that the outcomes of the US-DPRK Summit will be implemented, thus paving the way for lasting peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula," the ministry said.

Trump said, "We signed a joint statement that is an unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of North Korea."

Also Read: Here's what Trump and Kim Jong Un ate during lunch over denuclearisation talks

According to some media reports, Pakistan had secretly supplied North Korea with nuclear enrichment technology when A Q Khan headed the country's nuclear programme.

They said Pakistan supplied vital machinery, drawings and technical advice to North Korea, allowing Pyongyang to enrich uranium as early as 2002.

In April, Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in had held a historic summit to bring lasting peace in the Korean Peninsula.Hyderabad: The nearly century-old Mississippi aircraft hangar, which served as a bus station for long at Gowliguda, is rusting. The hanger, imported from Butler Manufacturing Company in the 1930s, served as a first bus depot of the Nizams Road Transport Department.

The old CBS hangar is part of the rich heritage of transport of the Nizam era. It was the first pre-fabricated structure to be installed in Hyderabad, said historian M.A. Qayyum. It was later converted into a full-fledged bus station till the new one was constructed on the Imliban side of the river Musi, he said.

The hangar is not well taken care of. The metal surface has got damaged extensively and chunks have ripped off. The roof, too, has developed big cracks, said heritage activist S,Q. Masood.

Intach member Anuradha Reddy said the structure was originally meant for the maintenance of aircraft. The seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, utilised it for his fleet of public transport buses manufactured by Albion Automotive of Glasgow. The huge aircraft hangar was brought by sea, transported to Hyderabad and reassembled at Gowliguda. A similar was installed at the Begumpet airport for aircraft, she said.

Ms Reddy said that the poor maintenance of the Gowliguda hanger had resulted in its poor condition. There were three big hangers imported over a period of time. The one at the Gowliguda was the biggest while two others were installed at Ranigunj, she said.Neeru Randhawa alleged that actor Armaan Kohli grabbed her by the hair and banged her head against the floor. (Photo: File)

Mumbai: The Mumbai police today arrested Bollywood actor Armaan Kohli for allegedly physically assaulting his girlfriend and live-in partner Neeru Randhawa who is a fashion stylist.

A case was registered against Armaan Kohli last week at the Santacruz police station.

Also Read: Bigg Boss' actor Armaan Kohli assaults live-in girlfriend, badly injures her, booked

According to reports, the couple had a fight over financial issues on June 3, and in a fit of rage, Armaan Kohli pushed Neeru Randhawa down a flight of stairs. Neeru Randhawa also alleges Armaan Kohli grabbed her by the hair and banged her head against the floor.

The fashion stylist suffered head injuries and was hospitalised in Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital.

"I got around 15 stitches on my head and it's a very deep wound. The surgeon says that after the surgery also the scar will remain on my face for life time," Neeru Randhawa said last week after being discharged from hospital.

Neeru Randhawa added that Armaan Kohli threatened her to not go public. "Everyone knows what kind of person he is. I am not afraid of anyone now."

Armaan Kohli and Neeru Randhawa have been in a live-in relationship since 2015. They met through a common friend and soon started dating.

Armaan Kohli was launched by his father and veteran filmmaker Rajkumar Kohli in 'Virodhi' (1992). After that he starred in films like 'Jaani Dushman' (2002) and 'LOC: Kargil' (2003).

Armaan Kohli also participated in 'Bigg Boss' in 2013 during which he started dating actor Tanishaa Mukerji. The two, however, parted ways due to alleged differences in temperament and personality.Siddaramaiah, who is also leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), said, 'There is no one who is dissatisfied... everyone is satisfied now.' (Photo: Twitter | @siddaramaiah)

Bengaluru: Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday maintained there was no discontent within Congress now over denial of ministerial berths and expressed confidence that no party MLA would join hands with the BJP.

Confident about the Congress-JD(S) coalition government completing its full five year term, Siddaramaiah, who is also leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), said, There is no one who is dissatisfied... everyone is satisfied now.

Pointing out he has had talks with everyone who were reportedly unhappy over not becoming a minister, including M B Patil, he said: how much ever BJP tries to entice our MLAs, no one will go.

There was growing discontent among newly elected Congress lawmakers who were left out during the June 6 cabinet expansion, with some openly expressing dissatisfaction and holding separate meetings.

The disquiet that had come out in the open soon after the exercise has gone silent in the last two days following efforts by the party leadership to pacify upset MLAs.

Responding to BJP state president B S Yeddyurappas comments that several Congress leaders are eager to join his party, Siddaramaiah said Yeddyurappas words have no value.

He (Yeddyurappa) himself doesnt know what he is talking about, he told reporters in Mysuru, as he accused the BJP of trying to entice Congress MLAs with money and posts.

He said the coalition governments first coordination committee meeting is scheduled for June 14.

Siddaramaiah, who heads the coordination committee that has the responsibility to oversee smooth functioning of the coalition government, said the agenda has not yet been prepared.

I will look into it once I go to Bengaluru tomorrow, he said.

Stating that he hasnt spoken to Congress president Rahul Gandhi yet regarding the issue of new Karnataka Pradesh Congress president, the former chief minister, in response to a question, said he would go to New Delhi after completing pending work here, including his nature care treatment.

Siddaramaiah said he was confident of the government completing its term, adding the public mandate was for five years.

Only thing is that a coalition government had to be formed as the public verdict was not in favour of one party, he said.

To a question on Kumaraswamys comments about rampant corruption in the system, Siddaramaiah said: I dont know where he has seen (corruption), if he has seen let him stop.... When he has come to know where corruption is, let him stop.

Stating that corruption starts with transfers, Kumaraswamy had on Monday said there are middlemen in the corridors of Vidhana Soudha (the state secretariat) for this purpose who claim the chief minister and ministers are with them.

Not wishing to react on Kumaraswamys statement that he was made chief minister on Congress insistence, he said I havent spoken to him, so I cannot react.

The former chief minister also termed reports about his contesting the coming Lok Sabha election as a creation of the media.Shiv Sena's comments come after Maharashtra police claimed Maoists were plotting assassination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Devendra Fadnavis. (Photo: File)

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government's claim about a Maoist plot to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi was today questioned by the BJP's ally Shiv Sena, saying that the claim "does not seem to be legitimate".

As a high-level meeting presided by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh decided to strengthen the security of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP slammed opposition parties for claiming that the plot could be a publicity ploy and said it was the "lowest point of insensitivity and politics".

Read: Rajnath Singh reviews PM's security after assassination plot unearthed

NCP chief Sharad Pawar alleged the BJP was playing the "threat letter card" to gain sympathy.

Also Read: BJP trying to garner sympathy: Sharad Pawar on PM Modi assassination plot

The comments came against the backdrop of a claim by Maharashtra police that Maoists were plotting assassination of the Prime Minister and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The police, after arresting five people with alleged Maoist links last week, had said that a letter was seized from the house of one of them in which there was a suggestion about assassinating PM Modi in "Rajiv Gandhi-type incident".

Also Read: Maoist plan afoot to kill PM Modi Rajiv Gandhi style, Pune cops tell court

"The plot to assassinate them (PM Modi and Maharashtra CM Fadnavis) seems mysterious and the story of a horror film," said an editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamna'.

Quoting contents of the purported Maoist letter, the editorial said, "Modi has succeeded in forming governments in 15 states. If this continues, the organisation will be in trouble. And thus, Modi should be eliminated. All this was revealed by the police, which seems laughable."

It said the issue is being milked for political purpose, adding, "this conspiracy does not seem to be legitimate, is what being said by the experts."

The Shiv Sena said PM Modi's security is as strong as Mossad (Israel's intelligence agency) and it is virtually impossible for anybody to penetrate it.

Earlier, Sharad Pawar raised doubts over the veracity of the threat letter.

"The BJP has realised that they are losing the popular support. In order to gain sympathy, the BJP is now playing the threat letter card. However, I am sure that the people will not fall prey to such tactics," he said at a function in Pune.

"I have spoken to a senior retired police officer who told me that when such letters come they do not go to media but to the security agencies which make sure that adequate security measures are taken," the former chief minister said.

Fadnavis hit out at Pawar, saying he was not expected to "stoop to this level". In a tweet in Marathi, Fadnavis said that "Pawar ji should play politics of the nation and not politics of hatred."

Questioning the veracity of the threat letter seized by police, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said it is "unverified", and noted that it was government's duty to provide foolproof protection and security to the Prime Minister.

"I do not think you should take all these unverified letters as though they are official documents. Such letters will float about," Chidambaram told reporters when asked about the threat letter.

"It is the business of the government to offer and provide complete protection to the Prime Minister of India...So let the Government take whatever measures it has to take to provide complete foolproof protection and security of the prime minister. We are all interested in the security of the PM of India," the former union home minister told reporters in Delhi.

Union minister Prakash Javadekar said everybody should have condemned such an attempt, more so as India has lost two prime ministers to violence.

"People are still not sensitive," the BJP leader said at a news conference in Delhi.

Javadekar said instead of questioning those who wrote the letter opposition parties were questioning as to how it came to the fore.

"This is the lowest point of insensitivity and politics".

Home Minister Rajnath Singh held the high-level meeting in which National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Director Intelligence Bureau Rajiv Jain were present to review the security in the wake of inputs about threat to PM Modi's life.Multiple media houses have raised questions on Iftar invite to Pranab Mukherjee on behalf of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over former presidents recent visit to RSS event.(Photo: File/AFP)

New Delhi: Former president Pranab Mukherjee will attend the Iftar hosted by Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi on June 13.

Iftar marks the customary breaking of the daylong fast during the holy month of Ramzan.

Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala said Mukherjee was invited by the Congress chief for the event and he has readily accepted the invite.

The ex-president had raised quite a few eyebrows with his recent visit to the RSS headquarters. The visit had left several Congress leaders and his own family members miffed and anguished.

"Multiple media houses have raised questions on Iftar invite to Pranab Mukherjee on behalf of Congress president. Congress president has extended an invite to Pranab Mukherjee and he has graciously accepted. Hope this will set to rest unwarranted speculation," Surjewala said.

He tweeted saying Mukherjee had attended the last Iftar organised by then Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

"To set the record straight, May I point out that Pranab Dada had attended the last Iftar get-together organised by then Congress President, Sonia Gandhi too. Bereft of unwarranted issues, let compassion and friendship for all guide us in the holy month of Ramadan," he said.

Rahul Gandhi will play host at this year's Iftar scheduled to be held at a luxury hotel in the city. It will be the Gandhi scion's first Iftar event after taking over the reins of the party.

The Congress had given its Iftar ritual a miss in the last two years.

The party conventionally invites leaders of all faiths as well as top diplomats to the event.Was Dorothy Day a 'Dissenting Catholic?'

Contact: Kevin Wandra, 404-788-1276, KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com SAN FRANCISCO, June 12, 2018 / Standard Newswire / -- A woman recognized by name by Pope Francis in 2015 who "shaped fundamental values which will endure forever in the spirit of the American people," Dorothy Day was a force in her time, advocating for the poor and living out the social justice teachings of the Catholic Church. But many people saw her  and still do today  as challenging the Catholic Church on its teachings of social justice. But Day was an obedient servant and demonstrated the Church's love of the poor, which professor Terrence C. Wright details in his new book, DOROTHY DAY: AN INTRODUCTION TO HER LIFE AND THOUGHT.Wright, Ph.D., an associate professor of philosophy and director of the pre-theology program at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, uses many of Day's own writings to reveal her love of the Catholic faith and will to live out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy through her founding of the Catholic Worker Movement.In DOROTHY DAY, Wright addresses the misconceptions about what many have noted to be dissent from the Catholic Church. In reality, Day, whose cause for possible canonization is sponsored by the Archdiocese of New York, was a faithful servant to the Church's teachings on everything from sexual morality to social justice. Battling a dark period in her life, in which she had an abortion and attempted suicide, Day let the love of Christ penetrate her heart and converted to the Catholic faith.She went on to become a founder of the Catholic Worker Movement with the help of Peter Maurin, and lived in intentional poverty with her own daughter, Tamar, in their hospitality homes, performing corporal and spiritual works of mercy. DOROTHY DAY explores her life with a brief biography but focuses more on her thinking and commitment to her faith."Dorothy Day was a woman passionately committed to the truth about the dignity of the human person and to justice for the cause of the oppressed," said Mother Dolores Hart, O.S.B., author of The Ear of the Heart: An Actress' Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows. "I highly recommend this book about her inspiring life that shows the light of her strong faith in Christ shining in the darkness of human misery."For more information, to request a review copy or to schedule an interview with Terrence Wright, please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com ) of Carmel Communications.New Delhi: Days after the Bombay High Court asked the Union information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry to consider issuing a direction to the media to stop using the word Dalit, the Press Council of India (PCI) is soon likely to issue an advisory on the issue.

Sources stated the I&B ministry is expected to ask the PCI, which is the regulatory body for print media in the country, to study the Bombay high court judgement. Following this, an advisory on the issue is expected.

The Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court had, last week, asked the Union I&B ministry and the PCI to issue directives to the media to abstain from using the word Dalit in reports.

The court order stated the Central government/state governments and its functionaries would refrain from using the nomenclature Dalit for the members belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as the same does not find mention in the Constitution of India or any statute.

Sources stated the I&B ministry is unlikely to issue any advisory on its part and is expected to ask the PCI to take a call on the issue. It is understood that the PCI advisory on the issue is expected within a month.

The Centre had also recently issued an advisory, in which the use of Dalit was barred in official communication. In the March circular, the government had asked all state and Central government departments to avoid the nomenclature Dalit.Thiruvananthapuram: The state government is planning to procure two crossover utility vehicles (XUVs) to beef up the security of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Delhi. The request for the XUVs was raised by Finance Minister Thomas Isaac during the discussion on supplementary demands for grants in the Assembly on Tuesday. The minister also sought permission for six Innova cars for the security of VIPs, including ministers. The total expenses would come to Rs 75 lakh.

The announcement came close on the heels of the recent admission by the minister that the financial crunch experienced by the state was due to the heavy dependence on credit. The high security cover to Mr Vijayan had come up for criticism from various quarters. There are reports that the Intelligence agencies have advised him to use bullet-proof cars in view of security threats.

Recently, former state police chief T. P. Senkumar, who had attended a meeting convened by Mr Vijayan, had advised him against the heavy security cover. Mr Senkumar told him it was distancing him from the people and hence he should opt only for the ring-round and some necessary security cover and avoid the ambulance on his convoy.Thiruvananthapuram: Indian Space Research Organisation is ready to transfer its Li-ion (Lithium-ion) cell technology to the industry on a non-exclusive basis to establish a production facility in the country. The cell supports zero-emission policy and will accelerate India's electric vehicle industry. Li-ion cell technology is currently the most leading battery system used in a variety of portable gadgets like mobile phones, laptops and cameras, apart from industrial applications and aerospace.

The ISRO now uses the technology in rockets and satellite launches. But it is not feasible to rectify any discrepancies in the event of facing any shortcoming before the launch. An ISRO official said they would transfer the technology to those who successfully respond to the Request for Qualification (RFQ). Usually when it comes to ground applications like in cars, it is easy to repair in case of any quality deterioration," an official at the ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre here told DC.

"But we have decided not to give the technology to a single party, but multiple parties. An RFQ to qualify and shortlist suitable industries in India are available on VSSC, ISRO and NITI Aayog websites. The RFQ comes at a price of Rs 25,000 and a security deposit of Rs 400,000. VSSC will be providing month-long training to the shortlisted companies. Interested applicants shall attend a pre-application conference on July 13. Those suitable industries who have to pay security deposit will be adjusted against the technology transfer fee of Rs 1 crore.Bhopal: Model-turned-godman Bhayyuji Maharaj, who had many veteran political leaders and Bollywood actors as his followers, on Tuesday allegedly shot himself dead in the study room of his daughter at his residence, Silver Spring, a famous address in Indore.

The self-styled spiritual leader shot himself in his right temple from a licenced pistol at around 12.15 pm. He was rushed to the Bombay Hospital in Indore where doctors declared him dead.

His family rushed to the room where he confined himself after hearing gunshot. The room was closed from inside. The family members broke open the doors to find him in a pool of blood. They then rushed him to the hospital, deputy inspector general police Hari Narayan Mishra said.New Delhi: The UK may link the extradition process of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi and liquor baron Vijay Mallya with the signing of a much-delayed agreement that will facilitate deportation of over 75,000 Indians who are allegedly illegally staying there, officials said on Tuesday.

The issue of the final signing of the memorandum of understanding on illegal immigrants was raised by UK minister of state for countering extremism Baroness Williams during her talks with Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju here on Monday.

During the hour-long talks, Williams stressed the need for formal signing of the MoU to enable the return of illegal Indian migrants within a month of their detection by the British authorities, an official privy to the development said.

The Indian side raised the issue of extradition of Nirav Modi, Mallya and others to face law here. We afraid they may link the process of extradition of Nirav, Mallya and others with the signing of the MoU, the official said.

New Delhi is concerned that a large number of Indians can be sent back without any humanitarian considerations.VIJAYAWADA: AP BJP president Kanna Lakshminarayana on Monday alleged that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had planned to assassinate BJP president Amit Shah in Tirupati when he went to the Tirumala temple with his family.

Everybody saw that stones were pelted at Amit Shahs vehicle, but DGP Malakondaiah couldnt, he said, recalling the DGPs statement that only a stick struck the car.

Speaking at the BJPs Maha Dharna here on Monday, Mr Lakshmina-rayana alleged that TD cadre and the police had planned to attack the house of BJP MLC Somu Veerraju.

Whoever questions the TD government or Naidu, the police is registering cases against them. The police is forcing them to hold the TD flag. If not, they are threatening them with severe punishment, the AP BJP president said.

He said the TD government was corrupt in every aspect. 300 pages are not enough to write all their corrupt practices, he said.

He said Mr Naidu travelled in special flights and stayed in seven-star hotels.

He alleged that there was corruption in constructing the temporary secretariat at Velagapudi, pooling land for the capital Amaravati and even in the construction of toilets in villages.

He alleged that Mr Naidu had cheated Kapu, Boya, Vaddera, fishermen and Rajakulu people in the name of reservations.

Knowing that you cheated Vajpayee, Narendra Modi welcomed you into the NDA. He assumed that you may have changed with age. But you have not changed, he alleged.

The TD, however, rejected all allegations. Do you have any evidence for your allegation, asked TD AP president Kimidi Kala Venkata Rao and said the TD had not given a call for a protest during Mr Shahs visit.Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar (right) addresses media persons in Hyderabad on Monday as state Congress leader J. Geeta Reddy looks on. (Photo: DC)

Hyderabad: Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has expressed concern over the attacks on Dalits in India. She said such attacks are the order of the day and the number is increasing day by day.

She was speaking to the media on Monday and claimed that Dalits are treated like slaves in this country.

The former Speaker said that the BJP led go-vernment at the Centre has failed to protect the SC/ST Atrocity Act in the wake of Supreme Court judgement on SC and ST atrocity cases.

She also criticised the TRS government and said that the expulsion of MLAs from the Assembly is totally undemocratic and the murder of democracy in broad daylight.

I know very well the guidelines of the House, and that the expulsion of MLAs is totally agai-nst the Constitution, she said.

She said that before the elections, the TRS had promised that after coming to power it will make a Dalit the Chief Minister, but after coming to power the party sacked deputy chief minister T. Rajaiah who comes from the Dalit community.

She said Telangana achieved statehood after a number of struggles but today the situation is very disappointing. The administration is like a dictatorship and there is no freedom of speech for people in the state.

She said that Dalits are tortured in Nerella by the sand mafia and the state government has failed to protect the rights of poor Dalits. The Congress party will not be a silent spectator but will fight for justice to Dalits in the state, she said.

TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that Meira Kumar is a senior parliamentarian and did much to ensure separate statehood and passage of the AP Reorganisation Bill in the Lok Sabha.

Congress to speaker: end expulsion

A Congress delegation met Assembly Speaker S. Madhusudana Chary on Monday and registered its protest at the High Court judgement revoking the expulsion of two party legislators not being implemented even after 50 days.

The delegation comprising CLP leader K. Jana Reddy, TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and party MLAs and leaders presented a memorandum to the Speaker on the issue. The Speaker told them that he would take a decision after considering the issue.

Speaking to mediapersons after submitting the memorandum, Mr Jana Reddy said the government was following undemocratic policies. It had not responded to the High Court order even after 50 days. The order was delivered on April 18, revoking the expulsion of Congress legislators Komatireddy Venkata Reddy and S.A. Sampath Kumar.

Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy said if the government did not implement the order, they would take it up with the President and make it an issue at the national level. What is the secret behind delaying restoration of our membership after the High Court judgement, Mr Venkata Reddy said.

Mr Chary was upset with legislator A. Revanth Reddy questioning him over the non-implementation of the HC order. At one stage, the Speaker told the Congress delegation that he would leave the meeting.Mysuru: Supporters of KPCC Working President, Dinesh Gundurao staged a protest in a unique manner by polishing the shoes of people here on Monday to express their disappointment over him being denied a Cabinet berth.

While indirectly hinting that the entire family of Mr Gundurao had served the Congress party, they urged the co-ordination committee of the coalition government headed by former CM Siddaramaiah, and the AICC to give him the post of KPCC president or higher education minister.

The protest was organised under the aegis of the Dinesh Gundurao Abhimanigala Balaga at Agaram Rangaiah circle on Narayanshasthri Road near Sadvidya School here. Speaking to mediapersons, Dinesh Gundurao Abhimanigala Balaga president, Vinay Kanagal, said, Former CM late Gundurao (Dinesh Gunduraos father) has strived with his efficient administration to build a model state.

In the same manner, Mr Dinesh Gundurao too has served as a sincere party worker for the past two decades by effectively handling different responsibilities given to him by the Congress party. And as KPCC working president and KPCC youth wing president, he has interacted with leaders and youth from all communities and has strived for the development of the state.

He even sacrificed his minister post and worked as KPCC working president as per the high commands directive. But in the present coalition government, he has not been made a minister. As a good organiser and peoples representative, his selfless service must be recognised, he said.Hyderabad: The Telangana government on Monday recognised all government employees unions, which were recognised by the government of undivided AP.

The recognition comes after employees unions protested over a circular issued by the TS government last week stating that none of the government employees unions had the government recognition.

The leaders of recognised unions get on-duty facility even though they engage in union activities. Besides, they are also exempted from transfers.

After five years, the TS government recently lifted a ban on general transfer of employees and transferring all employees who completed five years of service in existing locations.

With no government recognition all these days, the union leaders feared their transfers. After they took up the matter with Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday, he directed officials to issue clarification.

Accordingly, chief secretary S.K. Joshi issued a circular granting recognition to the unions.Bengaluru: Janata Dal (S) supremo and former prime minister, H.D. Deve Gowda might not have made his presence publicly felt when it came to the selection of ministers for the JD(S)-Congress coalition government but he is very much active behind-the-scenes, playing a dominant role in the selection of office staff of the newly appointed JD (S) ministers.

In the coalition set-up, the JD (S) got 12 cabinet berths of the total 34 ministerial posts including the CM post and the Congress, 22. Besides Chief Minister, H.D. Kumaraswamy and his brother H.D. Revanna, the JD(S) has nine ministers in the coalition government and has kept one slot vacant.

A few Karnataka Administrative Service(KAS) officers and assistants, ostensibly from the Vokkaliga community to which the former PM belongs, are making a beeline for Mr Deve Gowdas residence in Padmanabhanagar to get his nod and secure much sought after postings with the JD (S) ministers. Such officers usually play a pivotal role in administrative matters and often serve as a via media between people keen on solving problems or getting things done, and the minister himself.

One of the reasons why Mr Gowda reportedly got involved in the selection of office staff is that many of the JD (S) ministers are new to administration and do not know the nuances of governance. Things have also been complicated by the fact that the JD(S) has bene out of power for more than a decade.

"So, if the staff attached to the minister are qualified and dedicated, the possibility of the ministers making mistakes or blunders can be avoided. So, he(Mr Deve Gowda) is reportedly checking the antecedents of some of the officers, those shortlisted by him might be taken on board by the ministers," the sources added.Contact: Jill Farrell, Judicial Watch, 202-646-5188



WASHINGTON, June 11, 2018 /Standard Newswire/ -- Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton hailed today's Supreme Court decision upholding efforts by Ohio, which are part of an historic settlement with Judicial Watch, to maintain accurate voting rolls. Fitton noted:

This is a clear victory for the citizens of Ohio and America who want clean and fair elections. Dirty voting rolls can mean dirty elections. Today's Supreme Court decision should send a signal to other states to take reasonable steps to make sure that voters who died or moved away no longer remain on their voter rolls. Leftists opposed to election integrity suffered a big defeat today. Frankly, this and their other assaults on clean election measures suggest the organized left and their politician allies want to be able to steal elections if necessary. This is also a big institutional win for Judicial Watch, because it means that our current settlement agreement with Ohio...Mumbai: Congress president Rahul Gandhi pleaded "not guilty" in a defamation case filed against him by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker in a Bhiwandi court on Tuesday. The Bhiwandi magistrate framed charges under section 499 (defamation) and section 500 (punishment) of the IPC against him. Mr Gandhi stood in the witness box while magistrate A.I. Shaikh read out the charges and the complaint and asked him if pleaded guilty or not. The court then accepted Mr Gandhi's application to run a summons trial in the case. The next hearing will be on August 10. A person found guilty of defamation under section 500, faces simple imprisonment for a term, which may extend to two years, or a fine, or both..

During a rally in Bhiwandi in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Mr Gandhi had allegedly said,"The RSS people killed Gandhiji and today their people (BJP) talk of him They opposed Sardar Patel and Gandhiji." He was then sued for his comments and in 2016, he was granted bail by the Bhiwandi court.

On May 2 this year, Mr Gandhi's lawyer Narayan Iyer had moved an application asking for a summons trial and not a summary trial. In a summons trial, the court will need to go through all the evidence, books and historical references pertaining to Mahatma Gandhi's assassination. At that time, the complainant Rajesh Kunte did not object to the application. However, on Tuesday, Kunte moved another application in which he wanted the acceptance of a transcript of Mr Gandhi's alleged speech. But Mr Gandhi's lawyer refused to accept the transcript.

The complainant's lawyer Nandu Phadke informed the court that after filing a complaint in Bhiwandi court, Mr Gandhi had moved the Bombay high court to quash the FIR.

At that time, his petition copy contained his alleged speech transcript. Therefore, Mr Phadke requested the court that Mr Gandhi should accept the said transcript as evidence.

Mr Iyer told Deccan Chronicle that Kunte's lawyer wanted that they should accept all the documents of the high court petition. "So we said to the court that we are ready to accept petition copy and affidavit of Rahul Gandhi, but we will not accept other documents as evidence."The most difficult part of the Ramzan suspension of operations by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir is not the execution on ground but the decision on whether this should continue beyond Ramzan. Thats what led home minister Rajnath Singh to visit the state over two days last week to get a first-hand idea of the situation. The ministers affable personality and reputation as a moderate makes him the ideal leader for this. The BJPs partner in J&K, the PDP, obviously justifies the extension but opinion in Jammu and across much of the BJPs nationwide support base is different. The factors which play a role in the security situation and the socio-political environment need deeper than peripheral analysis. Along with the positive optics of the home ministers visit, the first issue at stake is the fact that in New Delhi there is no consistency in the thought process on issues like continued suspension of operations, talks with the separatists or Pakistan and peace overtures. What analysts are increasingly finding is that with a foreign policy reset under way, its dynamics still uncertain, internal security policies too will be in flux.

Obfuscation may be the better part of discretion for some time. Through this thought process, the suspension of operations and its extension may be the starting point for the development of positives and sustenance of options over a longer time. Theres no doubt that while suspension of operations hasnt led to peace and tranquility, its virtual rejection by all also hasnt led to any earth-shattering turbulence. It actually acted as a trigger for a reiteration of the LoC ceasefire, called for by Pakistan obviously as a part of its policy reset. With elections due in Pakistan next month, and J&K lower on the radar there, a fairer chance will be available for the new government to reexamine its own policies in keeping with ground realities. Its all about being pragmatic and giving peace a chance if there is no undue exploitation of the situation by the terrorist groups. The short spate of grenade attacks and planned violence after the Friday prayers created a sentiment against any further suspension, which is what the extremists want. However, the security forces did well to limit the perception that such incidents would lead to a mass upsurge. Local sentiments by and large remained muted and in favour of the suspension, with mothers reportedly saying they slept well for the first time in years. It is peoples pressure, more than that from the security forces or the government, that changes things.

The governments at the Centre and the state will have to keep two reports by the J&K CID in perspective while considering their decision. Both reports, which leaked in the media, had different responses. The first gave extensive data to determine that South Kashmirs terrorism, essentially local, is driven by the killing of local terrorists; it is their funerals which generate deep sentiments among youth from the vicinity of their villages or the encounter spot. The takeaway from this fairly exhaustive report is that the pipeline of local terrorists can be maintained interminably even as effective operations continue. The thinking in New Delhi, no doubt driven by further analyses of this report, is that alongside operations theres a need for much more to calm and cool the environment and prevent generation of passions. If with suspension of offensive operations the levels of violence remain lower, it may give a chance to the authorities to be more proactive in their softer options of youth empowerment, better governance and political outreach. To its credit, the government demonstrated snippets of its organising skills during the home ministers J&K visit and the media reporting of this possibly made a difference  sending the message of what J&K was missing for lack of peace.

The suspension of operations was really a last-minute decision in mid-May, and gave the state government little time to plan, execute and demonstrate what peace could bring in its wake. The separatists and the terror groups, a little surprised by the government initiative, also couldnt reorganise themselves. If any justification for the extension has to be sought, it lies here  that perhaps it needed more time for peace to be given a chance. At the outset in mid-May I had argued that the decision to suspend operations should have included the period of the Amarnath Yatra, which would give sufficient time for the actual realisation of the effect. However, the J&K CM did have a valid point that the situation with all its challenges needed to be handled with small steps. If the home minister does recommend extension and the Centre accepts it, it will be up to the state government to convert this opportunity into greater prospects for peace through better governance, more outreach to the people and communication to those opposed to the very idea of India. All this forms a part of strategic communication, on which much greater focus has to be placed.

The second aspect of the J&K CIDs report  that religious radicalisation is a myth and that many of those who decided to pick up the gun had essentially Hanafi Sunni origin or Sufi leanings  needs deeper analysis. Believing the current narrative without debate may lead the government to incorrect deductions and actions. During the height of the ISIS (Daesh) crisis in the Middle East, most of those who became religiously radicalised were non-Muslims, let alone being Hanafi or Maliki Sunnis. The original ideological orientation of an individual has little bearing here. Counter radicalisation and de-radicalisation programmes must form part of the package of measures during the extended suspension if the final decision is in that direction. With very successful counter-infiltration in the last few weeks strategically, it is one of those junctures when a decision could be a make-or-break one. Considering what is on in terms of reset of relations with major countries, a positive turn in J&K with new initiatives could well send out an important message of change being in the air; hopefully only for the better.Notwithstanding the massive scepticism among American and other Western specialists and experts about the true gain from the Singapore summit of US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday, it is hard to play down the significance of the first meeting between a sitting US President and a leader of North Korea, a nuclear weapons and ICBM-wielding power that threatens not just close US allies, South Korea and Japan, which are its neighbours, but the American mainland itself. The sceptics concede history has been made. But they say the key points in the joint declaration signed between Mr Trump and Mr Kim are not new, and that the DPRK has reneged in the past on agreements on the same points reached with the Americans.

The US leader was also criticised for ending military exercises, which he called wargames. He said these were very expensive to hold and were provocative when he was seeking ways to get back on a peace track with the North. Asked at his post-summit press conference if he had not placed North Koreas leader on an equal footing with the US President and needlessly raised his status, Mr Trump said he differed with such a perspective. He said he considered it an honour to make every effort for peace, and said de-nuclearisation topped his agenda.

Mr Trump underlined he had every faith that Mr Kim would deliver on his promise. A lot of background work had already been done, he insisted. He said US sanctions against DPRK would remain until a point was reached when Washington was confident North Korea had scaled back its nuclear weapons capability to the stage from which it would find it hard to revive the programme even if it wanted to. The difference between Mr Trump and his predecessors is that they faced a DPRK that did not possess proven ICBM capability  meaning missiles to deliver the bomb to the US mainland. As such, the incumbent President has found it expedient to go partly on the trust quotient in the expectation that Mr Kim would welcome the chance to exchange nuclear weapons for massive economic aid. Any de-nuclearisation, including in the Korean peninsula, is a long-drawn-out process by its very nature.

That can be said to have kickstarted. Mr Trump now expects Mr Kim to immediately take some encouraging steps upon returning to Pyongyang. The Americans, as well as South Korea and Japan, which face the North Korean missiles, will doubtless wait to see what he actually does. China too will be relieved if DPRK gave up the bomb, Mr Trump noted. In short, if positive signs emerge, important economic and political changes may be expected in the entire region. Credit goes to the summiteers for having brought us close to ending the final remnants of the Cold War in the East.Americas President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will go down in history for making a fresh chunk of it. Whatever emerges in the coming weeks and whether the deal self-aborts or not, the sun did rise in the west and set in the east on Tuesday. Of course, it was a given that Mr Trumps detractors would immediately poke holes in the agreement signed between the two leaders in Singapore. They say the deal is one-sided and that Mr Kim is nobodys fool to agree to complete de-nuclearisation, if the US will not remove itself from the neighbourhood simultaneously. They also point to the seeming hypocrisy in Mr Trump praising Mr Kim as a bright young man, while pushing the lid of crippling sanctions only tighter down on impoverished North Korea. But sour grapes are always unpalatable for those who dont know what to make of them. Mr Trump and Mr Kim seem to have a recipe  and no matter how tart it tastes, nobody can take that away from the two men.

South Asian social media commentators, however, are asking a different question. Perhaps sensing a common denominator between the much-mentioned unpredictability of both protagonists in Singapore this week and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who too has been given to flamboyant, out-of-the-box gestures and initiatives on the foreign policy front over the past four years, theyre wondering: Can India and Pakistan do a Trump-Kim over Kashmir? Setting aside the new, cacophonic brands of both rabidly intolerant secularists and nationalists, there are many reasons why the expectation is off the mark. North Korea may be the site and venue of the worst pogroms upon its own people and the alienated product of a debilitating war, that left the Korean peninsula divided and thousands killed 70 years ago. Pyongyang has indeed attacked ships, slugged shells at South Korean border villages with civilian populations and bullied many of its neighbours with the sense of power and dread that nuclear weapons endow their owners and potential victims with, respectively.

South Korea may be a US ally, but it is not the United States, represented by the man who shook hands with Mr Kim Jong-un on Tuesday. It is hardly conceivable that Mr Trump or any US President would have displayed the same bonhomie and shaken the hand of Osama bin Laden on the heels of the 9/11 attacks in the United States, in which thousands of civilians were killed. Instead they pursued and killed him and tossed his body into the sea. Also remember what happened to Libyas Col. Muammar Gaddafi and Iraqs Saddam Hussein, despite much talk of breakthroughs. Pakistan, on the other hand, borders India and makes plenty of maleficent use of that proximity. It has made cross-border terrorism a state policy, ostensibly to free Jammu and Kashmir. Former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee did undertake a famously well-meaning trip across the border to shake hands with Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif in early 1999. Nobody knew, of course, exactly what was taking place up in Kargil at the very same time, amply aided and abetted by Pakistans own armed forces. The infiltration of dozens of armed terrorists trained and supported by Pakistan culminated in the Kargil war just months later.

The list of attacks executed by the likes of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and other globally proscribed Pakistani terrorist-citizens is too long to accommodate here. These criminal groups are now seeking and may well be given political legitimacy in Pakistans general election next month. Given these experiences and be it Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi or any other Indian politician, a handshake with a Pakistan government that supports terror or  worse  with a terrorist-turned-elected MP like Hafiz Saeed remains completely unthinkable. Then there is the inherent difference in the core issues. North Korea has maritime claims and disputes in the Yellow Sea and Sea of Japan and the peninsula has, like India and Pakistan, the disputed Northern Limit Line. In other words, Pyongyangs territorial squabbles too are with its immediate neighbours  mostly US allies, but not with the United States over some part of sovereign US territory itself. Pakistan claims Indias J&K, has come to the negotiating table on several occasions but has reneged time and again by keeping up the flow of terror to slaughter civilians in India. Even if cross-border terror is miraculously halted, its hardly likely any Indian head of government, no matter how mercurial, would commit political hara-kiri by extending a hand, as long as that territorial claim over J&K alone exists.

US President Donald Trump relished his big day in Singapore and was unusually garrulous at his press conference. As far as he is concerned, the agreement seems a win-win. But it leaves most of the steep, uphill climb to Kim Jong-un himself. Its Mr Kim who has reportedly agreed to denuclearise, not the United States, which will merely tone down its regional military exercises. Its South Korea and Japan who will bear the expenses for Mr Kim to dismantle his nukes, not the American people. And its Mr Kim who will have to convince his people to grin and bear crippling US sanctions for the many months and years it will take to do so. The North Korean leader will have to convince his starving and angry people that the man who turned the tap off is really an honourable man who will surely come through on Americas promises, that so far remain undefined. India is far from impoverished. And  buffered by many global powers including the US, which pumps money into whichever country it needs for its own pursuits  neither is Pakistan.

If Indias cold-shouldering the South Asian regional grouping Saarc hasnt caused much damage to Pakistan (conversely bringing the other members closer to Islamabad and mulling the inclusion of China instead), Indias most crippling sanctions will not either. Neither has Indias attempt to circumvent Pakistan to trade directly with Afghanistan via Irans India-built port of Chabahar caused too many ripples in the region, with Iran even inviting Islamabad to use its facilities. Finally, theres the question of mediation, interlocution, third-party hosts, call it what you will. The optics of the Trump-Kim meet were all about the two portly leaders alone. But it is common knowledge that from Sweden  the only Western country to have kept diplomatic relations with North Korea  to Japan, from China to South Korea (with Russia now eager to join the party), many countries have played major and minor roles in making Tuesdays historic meeting take place at all.

If there is one single concept that New Delhi will never agree to, it is the involvement of a third party or country  other than Kashmirs elected representatives and perhaps in due course its separatist-minded organisations  in talking Kashmir to Pakistan. The essential conflict between Pakistan and India is not, after all, over the two nations nuclear programmes, information about which is reportedly exchanged as per international norms on a fairly frequent basis. It is over a territorial claim, a large and vital piece of land that belongs, both historically as well as through various global and bilateral agreements, to India. No matter how glamorous the international spotlight on a given Indian leader may be, New Delhi will never concede an inch, let alone go the extra mile.From anecdotal and documentary evidence before us, one can say without any hesitation that Noida and Greater Noida are not only the most lucrative postings anywhere in India but the centrifugal force that drives the Uttar Pradesh governments black economy. Its said a winning strategy sometimes requires a sacrifice or two. King to rook two is famously known as castling in chess (castling means when the king moves two squares towards a rook, the rook moves to the square at the other side of the king), and it epitomises whatever happens in UPs political economy. While the political pivot rests in Lucknow, the states economic centrifuge comes from Noida and Greater Noida. Over the years, this fact has always been unknown  how much do the errant Noida/Greater Noida milch cow officials keep for themselves and what share do they pass upstream to ministers and others after the investigative agencies crack down on them. What boggles the mind is how these officials create wealth for themselves and their masters. While the incoming assault from probe agencies is feral, the overall prognosis is increasingly negative as the bottomless pit simply doesnt dry, as governments come and go. Take the recent case of junior engineer Brijpal Singh Chaudhury, nailed and now suspended. As per I-T officials, the emergent details are a handful: disproportionate assets worth Rs 200 crores (channa badam for that neck of the woods), two wives with children having identical names  one living with him at his Noida Sector 27 bungalow and the other in his Faridabad bungalow.

The I-T officials found Chaudhury also owns houses in Sector 50 and 51 in Noida. Two separate teams conducted inspections of those premises and found some documents. The I-T department is scanning his bank accounts and money transactions. Chaudhury joined government service as a junior engineer in 1981. He was president of the Noida Employees Association in the early 1990s and is known for his strong political and social connections. Now, imagine the size of the Noida Authority economy and the leakage and slippages flowing from it. Five SUVs with identical 6666 numbers, 25 properties in Noida, Faridabad, Pilkhua and Modinagar, including a hotel and a company. Extrapolate this Rs 200 crores and think of what kind of payoffs must have been made upstream and down the line. Nobody can appropriate such wealth and not share it with a powerful political cabal that provides shelter. This is endemic to the Noida/Greater Noida Authority and can be viewed as a microcosm of corrupt India.

At the very kernel of the Noida economy, designated as an SEZ, are vast swathes of land which have been distributed through a system of cronyism to builders to create wealth. Pertinently, in late 2016, the rising heft of Noida as part of a burgeoning NCR was validated when the latest Oxford Economics data crowned the Delhi Extended Urban Agglomeration (EUA)  comprising Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad  as Indias economic capital, with a GDP of $370 billion. Delhi EUA dislodged Mumbai EUA by a narrow margin  the former economic capitals GDP fell short of Delhis by $2 billion  though Mumbai, due to its smaller population, posts better per capita income. While there may be a host of reasons why Delhi is now the nations hub of economic activity, given the vast leaps the national capital region has taken in terms of improving physical infrastructure, this was also probably expected. The fortunes of Noida SEZ, ironically called Gautam Buddha Nagar district, changed when Noida was carved out in 1976. A fortnightly magazine in its survey stated that Noida was ranked the best city in UP and the best city in the housing sector in India in 2015. Today, Gautam Buddha Nagar is the preferred destination for the IT industry and banking, finance, pharma and media companies.

A study by Assocham says the districts advantages include its proximity to Delhi, good infrastructure, top educational institutions and skilled manpower. In terms of prosperity, Gautam Buddha Nagar is again perched at the top, mainly because of three parameters  per capita spending (rank 1), per capita GDP (rank 1) and percentage of households earning less than Rs 75,000 annually (rank 2). As for the employment rate, the district ranks 35; it ranks 19th on the parameter of bank credit per person. Gautam Buddha Nagar is closely followed by Ghaziabad. Lucknow, with a higher proportion of households earning over Rs 75,000 annually, finds itself in the third spot. This shows Noidas rising heft. Now, we can understand why repeated transgressions take place in this neck of the woods, Brijpal being the latest. In my immediate previous avatar as editor of a New Delhi-based daily, our investigations led to the enormous wealth that Yadav Singh had accumulated. My investigative team unearthed a staggering malaise, which confounded readers and arguably helped the probe teams to draw a bead on him. The CBI arrested him in February 2016.

However, in May 2017, an RTI response revealed the Akhilesh Yadav government had paid Rs 21.15 lakhs as fee to senior Supreme Court lawyers engaged to save suspended Noida chief engineer Yadav Singh from facing a CBI probe in graft and money-laundering cases. Citing the response to her RTI plea, activist Nutam Thakur states: As per the RTI information provided by Surendra Pal Singh, special secretary (law), four senior lawyers were engaged by the previous Akhilesh Yadav government. Kapil Sibal was given a fee of Rs 8.80 lakhs, Harish Salve Rs 5 lakhs, Rakesh Dwivedi Rs 4.05 lakhs and Dinesh Dwivedi Rs 3.30 lakhs, taking the total to Rs 21.25 lakhs. Yadav Singh case: Yadav Singh was engineer-in-chief of the Noida Authority, Greater Noida Authority and Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority. Raids conducted by the I-T department in November 2014 revealed he owned assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, that he acquired between 2002 and 2014. His links with Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party leaders are being probed.

He was suspended by the UP government in February 2015 and a one-member judicial commission was set up to probe into the multi-crore case. He was arrested in February 2016. The CBI registered FIRs against Singh for allegedly misusing his official position for awarding contracts in breach of norms. The CBI chargesheet makes a startling revelation on how Yadav, the son of a government civil contractor, did not have a B.Tech. degree until 18 years of his service, but continued to have a free run in Noida during successive SP and BSP governments. Over the years, he acquired 44 properties, including several shops, plots, agricultural land in Agra, Noida, Greater Noida, Delhi, Nainital and Ghaziabad. The chargesheet has pegged the expenditure of the family between 2004 and 2015 at Rs 13.31 crores, when the total income was Rs 4.51 crores. Neera Yadav case: The Supreme Court in August 2017 upheld the conviction of former UP chief secretary Neera Yadav in the 1994 land allocation scam for illegally allocating plots to herself and her two daughters during her tenure as chairperson and CEO of Noida. An FIR was lodged against Yadav and others on the direction of the Supreme Court which on January 20, 1998 directed the CBI to conduct a probe against her for abusing her position in allotment and conversion of plots in her and her daughters name.

It was alleged that she entered into a criminal conspiracy with the then Noida Authority DCEO Rajiv Kumar, to change land use of a plot which was earmarked for a guesthouse and even increased its area in violation of norms. It was alleged she got two plots allotted in the names of her two daughters, knowing fully well that rules in Noida permitted only one plot of land to one family. The malfeasance is obviously deep-rooted with linkages right to the top. The Noida Authority Board takes all its important policy decisions and has top bureaucrats as its members. The CAG has sought details of all the board meetings that had taken place in Noida since 1976 and has started its audit.Huawei patent case reflects the growing attractiveness of China as a quick and effective forum for intellectual property disputes.

A smartphone patent fight between Huawei and Samsung could reach a global resolution through a ruling by a Chinese court, a development that reflects the growing attractiveness of China as a quick and effective forum for intellectual property disputes.

The size of the U.S. market and the strength of the countrys independent judiciary have historically given its courts the final say in most big cross-border patent disputes. Legal experts say U.S. courts pre-eminence in intellectual property matters has helped foster a culture of innovation that China wants to emulate.

The case is being closely watched because it has set up a clash between the two judicial systems, with a U.S. judge instructing Huawei not to enforce a ruling it won against Samsung in China, said Erick Robinson, a Beijing lawyer who previously was Qualcomm Incs Asia patent director.

This has never happened before, at least not on this scale, Robinson said in a recent interview.

Huawei filed lawsuits in both the United States and China in 2016, alleging Samsung used its cellular communications technology without authorization and has unreasonably delayed entering into a licensing agreement. Samsung has denied the allegations and accused Huawei of seeking "grossly" inflated licensing fees.

In January, the Intermediate Peoples Court of Shenzhen, China, outpaced a federal court in San Francisco, ruling for Huawei and issuing an order blocking Samsungs Chinese affiliates from manufacturing and selling 4G LTE smartphones in China.

If the order goes into effect, Samsung would face great pressure to settle because it has large plants in China and has sold millions of phones there, said Robinson.

Huawei and Samsung both declined to comment.

Richard Vary, a lawyer in London and former head of litigation for Nokia, said Chinese courts have risen from being the fourth or fifth jurisdiction a global company would consider for patent litigation.

Now it is the second after the U.S. and has perhaps even moved up ahead of the U.S. so that now you consider it your key forum, Vary said.

The judge hearing the parallel U.S. case in April ordered Huawei not to enforce the Shenzhen courts ban because it would essentially force Samsung to accept Huaweis demands for licensing fees, with impacts percolating around world.

But several legal experts said that may not be Huaweis call since the Chinese courts can enforce the ban against Samsung directly. Robinson said the U.S. court may have even made such an outcome more likely, as its seemingly extraterritorial order could anger the Chinese government.

Both the Shenzhen and San Francisco decisions are under appeal, so a direct conflict between the two judicial systems could still be averted.

China's courts are under Communist Party control, and Gaston Kroub, a patent lawyer in New York, said the lack of judicial independence is still the biggest obstacle to Chinese courts' broader acceptance.

He noted some could see bias in the Shenzhen courts decision for Huawei, which is headquartered in the city.

But a party committee directly under Chinese President Xi Jinping in November called for impartiality and predictability in patent cases to encourage innovation in the economy.

Speed is a big advantage of Chinese courts, which, unlike their U.S. counterparts, sharply limit the volume of documents parties can seek from each other.

You get a really quick adjudication of claims and they do it in a really smart way, said David Pridham, chief executive of Texas-based patent consultancy Dominion Harbor.

Kroub said Chinese courts are also more willing to issue harsh injunctions like the one the Shenzhen court handed down in the Huawei-Samsung case, whereas U.S. courts prefer to award damages. Such powerful relief could appeal to companies under certain circumstances, he said.

I could cripple competitors by shutting down their manufacturing, said Kroub.

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.Rating:

New lifestyles create new medical problems which require constant monitoring. Sticking a thermometer under a child's tongue is something our grandparents have done for ages. Monitoring blood pressure and pulse rate is a more recent necessity and lakhs of sufferers from chronic hypertension have learned to use a cuff or wrist-based electronic BP apparatus, thus avoiding a visit to a clinic. Diabetes is now so widely prevalent that home glucometers sell in lakhs and provide at least, a rough guide one's blood sugar levels. So far so good  but the last frontier and the big challenge of DIY tests remained: the electro cardio graph or ECG which is a crucial test of one's cardiac health.

ECGs are messy  all those wires stuck to your torso, and that sticky paste.... Visiting a clinic was unavoidable  as was the expense which is around Rs 150-250. Not anymore.

In a disruptive innovation, Hyderabad-based Smartron has launched a wrist wearable, called the tband, that for the first time in India, offers users the ability to capture their ECG  as well as BP and heart rate. You may ask: How can an ECG which conventionally measures with 12 leads squeezed into a tiny watch sized device with no leads. The answer is advancing technology which uses a tiny bio sensor connected to three electrodes on the device, which measure the electrical activity much like the conventional ECG. The makers point out that the device is not a substitute for a lab ECG administered by a technician. But in many cases, it will provide a quick guide  and a trace that you can send via mobile phone to your doctor  that may help to decide: Is that a heart attack building up, or a case of 'gas'?

Similarly, the tband, uses an optical sensor, to measure the heart rate. BP is measured by combining the data provided by the ECG and heart rate sensors using what is called Pulse Wave Transit Time (PWTT) and unlike cuff-type instruments it doesn't put a stress on the heart. A built in 100mAh battery ( which can be charged, using the magnetic charging dock provided) keeps the device going for 2-3 days and an OLED display lets you toggle through the various functions.

One caution  the tband needs to be calibrated for each user with his or her normal readings. The mobile app allows you to set up different user profiles and also displays the ECG trace which can be messaged to your medical adviser.

Like most smart wrist wearables the tband also tracks activity, monitors sleep, measures distance covered, calories burnt.... but these seem almost mundane compared to the trishul of clinical measurements it can perform. Squeezing all this functionality into such a tiny device, was a huge technology challenge and involved months of development by Smartron engineers who also harnessed research at some leading academic centres abroad, explains Co-founder and President Rohit Rathi. The tband is available at Flipkart and is compellingly priced at Rs 4,999.

IndiaTechOnline

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.Singapore/Mumbai: Following his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, US president Donald Trump said the two countries are prepared to start a new history. We are ready to write new chapters. The past does not have to define future, Trump said.

Addressing a press conference, Trump thanked Kim Jong Un for taking a bold step for a bright future of his people adding that his talks with the North Korean leader were honest, direct and productive.

Showering praise on the North Korean leader, Trump said, "It takes a lot of courage to give up weapons and take to the path of peace. All credit to him. Kim Jong Un is a very talented guy who has been able to take this challenge at the age of 26 and be able to manage it as well as he has."

"No one thought this would be possible, but today we are seeing it happening before our eyes. We all dream of a Korea where all Koreans (north and south) live together in harmony," Trump added.

Saying that anyone can make war, but only the most courageous can make peace, Trump added: Chairman Kim has before him an opportunity like no other to be remembered as the leader who ushered in a glorious new era of prosperity for his people.

Also Read: Kim vows full denuclearisation, Trump guarantees security at historic meet

Calling his meeting with Kim one of the greatest moments in the history of the world, Trump said that the two countries signed a very comprehensive document today adding "I think when he (Kim Jong Un) lands in North Korea he will start the denuclearisation process soon".

When asked about Kim Jong Un's denuclearisation plans, Trump said, "Kim Jong Un is very serious about the denuclearisation and has already destroyed a missile testing facility and have agreed to destroy another one. He seemed very sincere to move on."

On the issue of sanctions imposed on North Korea, Trump said, "The sanctions will come off when we are sure that nuclear missiles are no longer a factor," adding that he is looking forward to lifting them off.

Trump further said that US will stop holding military exercises on the Korean peninsula, adding: "We will be stopping the war games and it will save us a lot of money."

Responding to a question over inviting Kim Jong Un to the White House, Donald Trump it will be done at the "appropriate time".

Donald Trump said that the issue of human rights was discussed with Kim Jong Un.

I believe its a rough situation over thereWe did discuss it today, pretty stronglyWell be doing something on it. Its rough in a lot of places, by the way, Trump added.

When asked if bringing back the remains of US soldier died during the Korean war was on the agenda. Donald Trump said, "When we entered the room for discussions, we did not have bringing back the remains on the agenda. It was on my mind since many people had mentioned and requested for it. After the intense discussion, at the very end I just happened to mention that it would be a very nice gesture for the US to get back the remains".

Trump further said he (Kim Jong Un) could have said let us discuss it in the next meeting, but no, he immediately said it makes sense and agreed to do it right away. For the thousands and thousands, I guess way over six thousand that we know of in terms of the remains, they'll be brought back".

Earlier in the day, Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un made history Tuesday, becoming the first sitting US and North Korean leaders to meet and shake hands, as they seek to end a tense decades-old nuclear stand-off.

Also Read: Historic Summit: Trump predicts terrific relationship with Kim Jong Un

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised to leave the past behind and work toward "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula" in return for security guarantees from US President Donald Trump as they signed a joint statement wrapping up their historic summit in Singapore.

Trump and Kim conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new relations between the two countries and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, according to the statement.

After the delegation-level meeting, Trump joined Kim for a working lunch which had a mix of Western and Asian dishes, such as Korean stuffed cucumber and beef short rib confit with some Haagen-Dazs ice cream to top things off.

Also Read: Here's what Trump and Kim Jong Un ate during lunch over denuclearisation talks

As the two men entered the room, photographs were taken, with Trump joking about wanting to get a "beautiful picture" in which he looked good.

The two leaders then took a post-lunch stroll in the courtyard of the hotel.

The meeting at a luxury hotel in Singapore's Sentosa island came after months of diplomatic twists and turns.

The United States hoped the summit will pave way for complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula while North Korea saw the opportunity to get itself recognised as a player on the world stage.'We hope the summit will be a success and bring us a complete denuclearisation, peace and a new era' in relations between the two Koreas and the United States, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said. (Photo: AP)

Seoul: South Koreans erupted in applause Tuesday as Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un met for what local media billed as the "talks of the century".

As the historic first meeting between a sitting US president and North Korean leader began in Singapore, images of Trump and Kim exchanging handshakes and warm words drew jubilant reactions in Seoul and hopes for a new beginning with Pyongyang.

"We hope the summit will be a success and bring us a complete denuclearisation, peace and a new era" in relations between the two Koreas and the United States, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said.

Moon, whose earlier meetings with Kim had paved the way for the Singapore summit, smiled and applauded alongside his cabinet ministers as they watched live-streamed scenes from the summit at the presidential Blue House.

He has spent "a sleepless night" with excitement ahead of the meeting, his office said.

The English language Korea Times welcomed the meeting as a step towards ending tensions on the Korean peninsula, which has been divided between the communist North and democratic South for nearly 70 years.

Since the 1950-53 Korean War, South Korea has grown into one of the most prosperous countries in Asia, while the isolationist North has suffered a stagnant economy and alarmed its neighbours with its increasingly sophisticated nuclear weapons programme.

"The two leaders are certainly under great pressure to make the talks of the century a success," the editorial said.

"We hope today's summit will make a breakthrough to open a new era of peace and prosperity."

Elsewhere scores of people were glued to TV screens at the Seoul railway station, cheering and clapping in response to Trump and Kim's cordial greetings.

Jung A-im, a university student, said she was moved while watching the landmark meeting.

"Looking at the two leaders shaking hands, I thought... 'I am living in a historical moment'," she told AFP.

Many others watched live footage of the summit on their phones.

"A great shift in world history is in the making," one Internet user said in a comment response to a news story.

But others were sceptical of Pyongyang's intentions, citing earlier attempts to improve relations that later foundered.

"Kim Jong Un's agreement to meet Trump means he's having a hard time (from sanctions). But we're giving him a chance to survive again after we did so with Kim Jong-il," wrote another, referring to previous peace overtures to the North Korean leader's father.A popular Indian-origin chef in the United Arab Emirates has landed in a controversy after he allegedly posted an anti-Islam tweet, triggering calls for his sacking, a media report said on Tuesday.

Atul Kochhar, a Michelin-Star chef well known here for his Rang Mahal Indian restaurant at the JW Marriott Marquis hotel, received flak after taking a dig at Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra for her tweet over an episode in American television series 'Quantico' that purportedly portrayed Hindu nationalists as terrorists, the Khaleej Times reported.

"It's sad to see that you (Priyanka) have not respected the sentiments of Hindus who have been terrorized by Islam over 2000 years. Shame on You (sic)," Kochhar tweeted. He later deleted the tweet and apologised for the "major error" that was "made in the heat of the moment on Sunday", the paper said.

"There is no justification for my tweet ... I fully recognise my inaccuracies that Islam was founded around 1400 years ago and I sincerely apologise. I am not Islamophobic, I deeply regret my comments that have offended many," Kochhar tweeted yesterday.

The anti-Islam tweet created a furore on social media, with twitterati calling for firing the chef. Popular commentator and Arab journalist Khaled Almaeena tweeted: "You (Kochhar) have offended me..As a person who loves India its people no matter what their caste or creed. As a secular and liberal, it truly is a horror statement."

Some said they would boycott the restaurant. "Chef celebrity showed his true colours. I won't eat here after reading the racist tweets by the head chef," a UAE resident posted on his Facebook page.

"I have cancelled my wedding anniversary meal for next month at your restaurant. You knew exactly what you meant as you tweeted that message," another Twitter user added.

JW Marriot hotel, however, distanced itself from the chef's comments. "We are aware of the comments made by Chef Atul Kochhar. We would like to stress that we do not share the same views as stated in the remark, nor is it a representation of the culture of diversity and inclusion that we pride ourselves on at the hotel," the hotel tweeted yesterday.Waters for US Senate Turns in Over 14,000 Signatures

Contact: John Russell, 757-254-4813, JRussell@mattwaters.com RICHMOND, Va., June 12, 2018 / Standard Newswire / -- Libertarian candidate Matt Waters announced today that his campaign was preparing to turn 6,000 additional signatures from registered Virginia voters, bringing the total number of submitted signatures submitted to over 14,000.The Virginia Board of Elections requires candidates running statewide to turn in 10,000 signatures, 400 from each of Virginia's eleven congressional districts."We're elated at the activism in the grassroots, and the commitment made by so many to place this campaign on the ballot, to take part in the debate that will shape the future of this country," Waters said."This is a major early accomplishment for the campaign, it is a show of strength, and telling that so many Virginians are fed-up with the two party system," Waters said.Chief among the concerns Waters cites is the staggering $21 trillion in debt the federal government has accrued.As senator, Matt would seek to restore liberty to the American people by limiting the size and scope of the federal government. As bloated as the U.S. Government is, he knows it will require tough decision-making in order to undo the irresponsible fiscal decisions of the past."Which is more important, being forced to pay for the failed War on Poverty, the failed War on Drugs, the failed War on Terror, and unconstitutional and ineffective federal departments, or keeping more of our hard-earned money?""Virginia's motto, 'Sic Semper Tyrannis' is emblazoned upon our state flag. And my campaign for U.S. Senate will fly under the banner of Virginia, 'Thus Always to Tyrants.' The tyrant today is no king, it is a massive welfare-warfare state funded by taxpayers. I am calling on Virginians to help me abolish the income tax, cut and privatize current federal programs, including bringing U.S. troops home from South Korea, Japan, and dozens of other countries, as well as closing multiple federal departments."For more information visit MattWaters.com or email John Russell JRussell@mattwaters.comTwo policemen were killed and six security personnel injured in twin-pre dawn attacks on security forces in south Kashmir districts of Pulwama and Anantnag on Tuesday.

Senior Superintendent of Police (Pulwama) Mohammad Aslam Choudhary said three policemen, guarding a government building, were attacked by militants in Pulwama town during the early hours of Tuesday.

Two policemen were killed and another suffered injuries in the attack, Choudhary told DH. The injured policeman Manzoor Ahmad has been shifted to SMHS hospital in Srinagar for treatment. The deceased have been identified as constables Ghulam Rasool and Ghulam Hassan.

Sources said the militants, after carrying out the deadly attack, decamped with two service rifles of the slain cops. The area has been cordoned off and a search operation has been launched to nab the assailants.

Earlier, five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were injured in a grenade attack by militants in neighbouring Anantnag district.

Militants hurled a grenade on CRPF party at Janglat Mandi in Anantnag. Five CRPF personnel suffered minor injuries," a police spokesman said

He said all the injured were shifted to hospital for treatment where their condition is stated to be stable

Since May 17, after New Delhi announced a unilateral ceasefire, during the holy month of Ramzan, militants have carried out dozens of attacks on the security forces' installations, police patrols and on the houses of political leaders. Several security personnel have been killed while dozens have been injured.

The latest attacks took place on the holiest Muslim night of 'Shab-e-Qadar' when devotees pray for penance and peace. The prayers started around 10.30 pm on Monday and culminated around 4 am on Tuesday.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh last week, after his two-day visit to the state, said that the Center will soon take a decision whether to extend Ramzan ceasefire in Jammu & Kashmir after reviewing and assessing the security situation of the state.Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will be going on tour.

The couple, who just finished their honeymoon, will visit Australia, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga and New Zealand this fall, according to Kensington Palace.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will undertake an official visit to Australia, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga, and New Zealand in the Autumn



The tour will fall on the occasion of @InvictusSydney 2018. pic.twitter.com/BWlU14WM66  Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) June 10, 2018

The duke and duchess previously announced they would visit Australia at the Invictus Games in Sydney. The Paralympic-style event will take place Oct. 20-27. The royal couples tour will happen during that same time frame.

As CNN reported, Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games in 2014.

The couple will visit the other countries because they are a part of the Commonwealth of 53 nations tied to the United Kingdom, according to People magazine.

Both Prince Harry and Markle will work closely with the Commonwealth in the future.

Australia Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said in a statement the country is excited to see the couple, according to CNN. He said Australians will treat them with great warmth and excitement.

"The Duke of Sussex has become a champion for war veterans around the world, including in Australia. His attendance, alongside The Duchess of Sussex, will be a wonderful highlight for the more than 500 competitors and thousands of spectators," Turnbull said in a statement.

Royal couples have often visited these countries. Prince Charles and Princess Diana, for example, toured Australia and New Zealand after they were married.WILLARD, Box Elder County  When Gay W. Pettingill of Willard came out of the Navy after World War II, he had $1,800 and a decision to make: He could purchase land or a car.

He said I can buy this little piece of ground up there or a convertible, his wife Helen Pettingill, 87, recalled of that decision more than 70 years ago. I said Oh, buy the convertible. You know what we got? Eight acres of rocks.

I said No, I think were going to invest in farming, Gay Pettingill, 91, added as he sat reminiscing about the early years of Pettingills Fruit Farm in Willard with his wife and two of their children, Steven Pettingill and Jean Davis. Its an investment that wont run away from you. The ground is a permanent deal.

But I really wanted that shiny red convertible, Helen Pettingill said, and the family laughed.

That was 1947 when Gay Pettingill purchased his first "eight acres of rocks." In the years since, the Pettingills have raised both crops and family, yielding many a crop of cherries, peaches, melons, tomatoes, raspberries and much more as their children worked beside them, through both the good times and the bad.

Today, the farm has blossomed to 165 acres  still family owned and operated  along what has become affectionately known as Utahs Famous Fruit Way.

Located an hour north of Salt Lake City, multiple farms comprising hundreds of acres of orchards and row crops line U.S. Highway 89 in Willard and Perry, making Utah's Famous Fruit Way.

It is some of the choicest ground, Gay Pettingill said of the land along the Wasatch Range.

People travel from near and far to enjoy vine-ripened tomatoes, sweet melons and juicy peaches grown along the Famous Fruit Way. Georgia may be known as the Peach State, but Bryan Jorgensen knows better. He grew up in Brigham City but has lived in Kingston, Georgia, for 22 years.

There is no comparison, Jorgensen said. The peaches that you do see in the store that claim to be Georgia peaches, they are nowhere near the size of what you see from Steve (Pettingill's) place.

Jorgensen often flies his plane from the Peach State to the Beehive State to visit family and also the Pettingills.

As he travels across the county, Jorgensen will take a box of peaches and share them with the people who service his plane.

They were just going crazy over these peaches, he said. They never tasted a peach like this.

Shirley Derrick from Bethesda, Maryland, also travels with peaches. She said she tries to visit Utahs Famous Fruit Way every year.

Ive carried peaches home every single year, and my family holds their breath until I get home, Derrick said. The fruit is the best Ive ever had in my whole life. From the tomatoes to peaches and watermelon and cantaloupe, all the way down to the milk shakes.

Jorgensen and Derrick arent the only people to travel from far away to Willard and Perry.

Randy Lemon of Grammys Fruit and Produce said he is amazed by the number of people who come from out of state to purchase fruit and vegetables.

Its one of Utahs wonders, Lemon said of the widespread popularity of the fruit way.

His mom, Helen Jane Lemon, 92, goes by the name of Grammy to her grandchildren. When the time came to name the fruit stand, a daughter-in-law suggested they name it after Helen Jane, and the name Grammy has stuck.

I love it, Helen Jane Lemon said. I really thought that was neat, so I appreciated it.

Helen Jane Lemon and her husband, Roy, who passed away in 2001, began the fruit stand in the 1950s. Circumstances led the family to the dairy business, and then after about 35 years, the Lemon family established Grammys Fruit and Produce in 1988. What began as 12 acres has expanded to 57 acres of fruit and vegetables around Helen Jane Lemons home.

It started as a very small adventure, Randy Lemon said with emotion in his voice.

Randy Lemon's day is similar to the Pettingills. A work day consists of 10-12 hours, with product picked in the early morning and on the shelf ready to sell by the time the stand opens. Then it's back to the field for another picking and restocking of the shelves in the afternoon.

Those long days are tiring with a lot of hard work, but Randy Lemon said it is a rewarding lifestyle.

Theres a lot of satisfaction when you see your fruit stand full of quality produce and a parking lot full of people who have big smiles on their faces, Helen Jane Lemon said.

For those who are planning to visit Utah's Famous Fruit Way, Randy Lemon suggested that people check the Facebook pages or call the fruit stands to see what is in season. The fruit stands in Willard and Perry are expected to open next week. Also, bring cash, stop to eat at Maddox Ranch House in Perry and make a day of it, he suggests.

In my opinion the fruit way itself is a scenic byway, Randy Lemon said. The Highway 89 along the foothills of Willard and Perry looking out over Willard Bay is a beautiful drive with the best, highest quality produce that I believe you'll find anywhere in the state.SALT LAKE CITY  Creed Bratton is best known for playing a fictional version of himself on the NBC sitcom The Office, but the ever-mysterious and eccentric Dunder Mifflin employee is as much a storyteller filled with bizarre anecdotes in real life as he is on the beloved show.

Hes also a musician at heart, but the 75-year-old musician/actor recognizes that his 9-season run on The Office is what allows him to fulfill his music dream night after night  a dream hell live out Thursday night when he performs at the Complex in Salt Lake City.

I wouldnt be here now performing for you guys, doing these concerts, if it werent for The Office,' Bratton told the Deseret News from the road. The Office made it possible for me to do this, so Im so grateful for that show in so many ways to continue my career.

Bratton, a California native, said he hasnt performed in Utah since the late '60s, during his days as a member of the folk-rock group The Grass Roots. Bratton, who grew up in a musical family and began playing guitar professionally at 17, was with the band for two years during its heyday, experiencing the success of the top-10 hit Lets Live for Today in 1967.

And while most people who attend Brattons shows come out of love for his quirky Office character, the musician said a few older people do know him from his days with The Grass Roots and he gives those fans some of the hits because it wouldnt be fair otherwise.

It was also when he joined The Grass Roots in 1967 that he changed his name to Creed Bratton. The name change is a curious story the musician tells in a nonchalant, offbeat manner similar to his Office character. Although his birth name was Williams Charles Schneider, Bratton became known as Chuck Ertmoed when his mother remarried a man named Sam Ertmoed (Bratton was 2 years old when his birth father died in World War II).

Kids are cruel, Bratton said. Theyd put their finger down their throat like theyre throwing up when they said my last name, so I didnt have a lot of self-esteem because of that name.

Fast-forward several years to when Bratton is a young musician in Europe. After a night of drinking, he and some people came up with a list of more suitable names for the hopeful actor.

Next morning  I wake up and sitting there next to the bed is a crumpled up tablecloth, Bratton said. Id brought the tablecloth from the restaurant and all these names are there. Most of the names crossed out, (but) one circled with little stars all around it saying Creed Bratton. I went, What a great name! So I cut around it with my knife that I carried and I put it flat on the bottom of my rucksack.

Bratton didnt give the name much more thought until about a year-and-a-half later in 1966, when he was visiting his then-girlfriend in Los Angeles and the name fluttered out from his rucksack. This time the name stuck, and he signed on to The Grass Roots as Creed Bratton, eventually legally changing his name.

Bratton continued to perform music and did some acting, but it wasn't until he wrote the role of Creed Bratton for the 2005 NBC show "The Office" that fame finally found him. Soon, a name written on a tablecloth became associated with one of "The Office's" most eccentric characters  a hard title to earn considering the competition.

(Fans) loved the character," Bratton said. " I didnt think much about it at the time because I was so busy trying to do the job right, but now Im really starting to appreciate that he was a very funny character. And so weird.

Theres one scene from The Office in particular that got Bratton laughing at his own character  a moment from a fourth season episode titled Survivor Man that he watched on a plane years later. In the episode, Dunder Mifflin manager Michael Scott runs off to see if he has what it takes to survive in the wilderness, putting Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) in the manager position for the day and leaving him with the task of planning a birthday party for multiple coworkers  Bratton included  who have strange requests.

I made myself laugh  I made me laugh, Bratton said. "Thats pretty weird.

Bratton will include several tales from his Office days with his Salt Lake audience Thursday, including a performance of his original song All the Faces that was featured on The Office finale. Bratton included the song on his seventh and latest album, While the Young Punks Dance.

Theres much Bratton shares in common with his outlandish Office character: his real name, his love of scuba diving and alfalfa sprouts and his time as a hippie rock n roller in the '60s.

But when it comes to his characters embellishments, things get a little foggy.

One thing Bratton cant  or wont  say for certain is whether or not he is the Scranton Strangler.

Do I have bodies buried somewhere? Probably, probably. Did I sell laminated IDs to college students? Of course, of course I did. Do I remember everybody? No, of course I dont.

But Bratton will likely remember those who come out Thursday night and support him in a music career Office fandom has rekindled.

I still think about the show because it was 9 seasons and we loved each other, Bratton said. It was a great experience for an actor, for me. I was just about 60 by the time that happened, and it was a life changer.

If you go 

What: "An Evening of Music and Comedy With Creed Bratton"

When: Thursday, June 14, 8 p.m.

Where: The Complex, 536 W. 100 South

How much: $19.50

Web: thecomplexslc.comST. GEORGE  A Mormon motorcycle club is currently holding its biennial gathering in southern Utah where about 125 members from across the country are riding together through scenic parts of the region.

The Temple Riders are celebrating the club's 30th anniversary through Wednesday with the "Color Country 'n' Spires" rally, the Spectrum reports.

Bart Howell, the national director of the Temple Riders Association, says a highlight of the rally, which began Friday, is when the group stops at Bryce Canyon National Park and takes part in community-based service projects and regular park duties.

The group rode through the area Saturday and has another organized ride scheduled for Tuesday.

The riders plan to break up into smaller groups to keep from imposing on drivers along the route.SALT LAKE CITY  Jeff Rasmussen, deputy director of the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation, has been named the divisions new director.

Rasmussen has served as the divisions interim director since March, when former director Fred Hayes died unexpectedly at his home in Heber City. Rasmussen has more than 25 years of experience with state parks and has served as the divisions deputy director since 2012.

Rasmussen began his parks career in 1992 as a park ranger at Antelope Island State Park. He was later assigned to Palisade State Park, where he served as park ranger for five years. In 1998 he became the assistant park manager at Yuba State Park and was later promoted to park manager in 2002. Prior to his assignment as deputy director, Rasmussen served as manager of the north region overseeing the parks in that area.

Rasmussen came to Utah to attend BYU where he earned his bachelors degree in geography and a minor in natural resources.Disagreements between Catholic bishops in Germany about plans to give Communion to Protestants have spilled out into the wider Roman Catholic Church.

Last Monday (June 4), the Vaticans doctrine chief, Archbishop Luis Ladaria, informed senior members of the German Catholic hierarchy that the pope believes their plans to make it easier for Protestant spouses of Catholics to receive Communion are not ready to be published. The letter signaled that top leaders in Rome were not prepared to let these guidelines become accepted practice in the German church  at least not yet.

The dispute highlights Pope Francis plans to move the church away from obsessing over doctrinal purity while giving bishops on the ground more decision-making power.

Archbishop Ladarias letter was a surprise to many, given that Pope Francis in 2015 seemed to suggest to a Lutheran woman married to a Catholic that she could receive Communion after consulting her conscience. It also followed a summit in Rome last month at which the pope told the German bishops to find an agreement on the matter that was as unanimous as possible.

While two-thirds of the German bishops agreed with the Communion plan, seven of those who opposed the move, including a cardinal, appealed to the Vatican.

For now, the German proposals to loosen restrictions on who can receive Communion have been stalled. The row highlights the delicate balance Pope Francis faces as he tries to widen the Catholic Churchs doors while avoiding damaging internal disagreements. He is already facing bruising criticisms over plans to allow divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Communion.

Even so, Pope Francis is not shying away from controversial issues. On Friday, a Vatican document appeared to open up the debate over allowing married men to be priests, while calling for official roles for women to serve in the church.

These proposals are targeted at South Americas Amazon region, where priests are scarce and communities are unable to attend Mass for weeks on end. But like the German Communion question, they could set precedents with global implications. The challenge for Pope Francis is how the church makes these decisions as a whole while accounting for unique local circumstances.

Since his election in 2013, the pope has dealt with difficult issues by starting a direct discussion about them. Make a mess, he once told young people in Brazil at the beginning of his papacy.

On the question of whether Protestants can receive Communion, many Catholic theologians have called for a loosening of restrictions that bar Christians from non-Catholic traditions.

In Germany, as in the United States, the population includes a large number of mixed marriages  Catholics married to Christians from other traditions. Many German non-Catholics regularly attend Mass with their spouses and want to receive Communion. Current rules, however, bar Protestants from doing so except within tightly prescribed circumstances.

Paul Murray, a Catholic member of the AnglicanRoman Catholic Dialogue Forum and professor at the University of Durham (UK), says that Catholic guidelines have long allowed for exceptional receipt of Communion, such as on the day of their marriage or at a childs baptism.

The German bishops, feeling emboldened by the popes wish to empower local leaders, devised a pastoral plan to loosen restrictions. They reportedly proposed that Protestant spouses could receive Communion if they affirm the churchs faith, are in serious spiritual distress and express a hunger for Communion.

The majority of the German bishops are agreeing with those who understandably claim that such inter-church marriages are themselves an exceptional circumstance, and that any occasion of sharing together in a Catholic celebration of the Eucharist should be viewed as a proper exceptional circumstance for joint reception, Murray said.

This is pastorally and theologically sound: as with each Catholic Eucharist, devout inter-church marriages both celebrate a real presence and reality of communion in Christ and anticipate the fulfilment of such communion.

Murray noted, however, that this requires some Catholic rethinking of the boundary markers. But, he added, This should not be used as a reason for a continuing failure to recognize the exceptional, indeed prophetic, character of inter-church marriages.

German cardinal Reinhard Marx is president of the German Bishops Conference and supports the Communion plan. He is in Rome this week (June 11-13) to meet with the pope and his council of cardinal advisers. Marx is reportedly planning to raise the matter with Vatican officials and said he was surprised by Ladarias letter.

But his attempts will likely face resistance inside the Vatican. In his letter, Archbishop Ladaria said the pope was blocking the German bishops plans for now because their proposals touch on the fundamentals of church teaching and law. The letter signals that the Vatican believes such matters need to be discerned by the whole church, not just one countrys bishops.

For Catholics, Communion is the source and summit of Christian life. It involves receiving the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ under the appearances of bread and wine. Transubstantiation, the belief that the bread and wine are Christs actual body and blood, sets Catholics apart from other Christian traditions. It is a doctrine that Western Christendom fought over during the Protestant Reformation.

While Catholics see Communion as a sign of church unity, it is also understood as a means to achieving unity. For that reason, many would like Christians from other traditions to be admitted in some circumstances as a foretaste of when all Christians are visibly united.

Pope Francis has called for Christians to put the divisions of the past behind them. Hes made some bold gestures, such as visiting Sweden to mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation last year. On June 21, he will visit the World Council of Churches in Geneva.

The letter stalling the Germans Communion proposals was not a definitive no. Archbishop Ladaria noted that its up to local bishops to work out the exceptional circumstances for Protestants to receive Communion. He also said there could easily be new global guidelines on the topic.

We must journey and continue: not with the enthusiasm of running ahead to reach coveted goals, but walking patiently together, under the gaze of God, Pope Francis told a delegation of Lutherans visiting him in the Vatican last Monday (June 4).

Walking together is one of the popes favorite mantras. When dealing with tense theological debates inside the church, he is putting equal weight on both words.SALT LAKE CITY  The U.S. Senate race between Mike Kennedy and Mitt Romney might be described as a tale of two candidates.

Theres the one everyone knows but who maybe doesnt know Utah. And theres the one who knows Utah but nobody knows. One comes with a national spotlight, the other a searchlight.

Take a couple days on the campaign trail last week.

As a two-time presidential candidate, Salt Lake Olympics leader, former governor of Massachusetts and successful venture capitalist, Romney is in demand as a public speaker.

On a recent Wednesday morning at Weber State University, he dispensed life advice to 340 high school students, the majority of whom are too young to vote, participating in Girls State, a program aimed at developing leadership and promoting civic responsibility in young women.

In response to a girl's question about how to deal with criticism, Romney told the teenage crowd: "Ignore the idiots."

"The people who are critical and get on social media and throw shade at you, those are the idiots," said the man who has thrown a fair amount of shade at President Donald Trump.

That afternoon, Romney, 71, gave the keynote speech at the Utah Innovation Technology Summit luncheon at the Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek attended by a who's who of Utah, including Gov. Gary Herbert, LDS Church President Russell M. Nelson and several GOP legislative leaders.

"It's unusual to be talking about my past, but that's why I was invited, not talking about my future or a candidacy, but instead talking about things I've done in the past," he said.

Over the weekend, Romney mingled with his former presidential running mate U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the ritzy Stein Eriksen Lodge at Deer Valley Resort where he held his annual political retreat.

Romney did travel to all 29 of Utah's counties before the state Republican Party convention and eats with voters in diners and at lunch counters. He holds "Mondays with Mitt" in parks where serves up his favorite meat, hot dog, and Twinkies.

But the public profiles of the two candidates couldn't be more stark. Someone wants a selfie with Romney wherever he goes. Kennedy is the guy people ask to take the photo.

While Romney hobnobbed with some of the business and political elite at Deer Valley last Friday, Kennedy was scheduled to meet with residents at two senior living centers in Sandy.

But when a reporter arrived at Cedarwood at Sandy, no one knew anything about the event. Apparently the Kennedy campaign canceled after the facility couldn't guarantee a large audience.

"He's not going to win anyway," said a woman in the lobby who said she watched the Kennedy-Romney debate last month.

The campaign also pulled from its calendar a meeting at Sunrise Senior Living in Sandy later that afternoon.

But in the evening, Kennedy, 49, talked to a dozen people, including two campaign workers and his wife, at the Payson Senior Citizen Center. He described growing up in poverty in Michigan, not "power and privilege," a direct inference to Romney, who also grew up in Michigan. He answered a few questions about health care and education.

Afterward, he said the "granular" nature of the campaign has been "really fun." He said he wants people to know him and who they're getting when they vote. Kennedy said he'd leave it to voters as to whether they think Romney is giving them the same thing.

"Right now, I'm here and he's in Park City, so there's a distinction there," he said. "But he does what he's doing and I'm doing what I do. I really do believe that personal touch is a big part of this campaign."

Kennedy's attempt to draw some national attention backfired. His apology to a Texas pastor for Romney calling him a bigot on Twitter didn't go over well with many Utahns. Romney called the apology "inexplicable."

Romney's big name, however, didn't win over enough delegates to the state GOP convention to avoid a primary runoff. In fact, Kennedy bested him, 51 percent to 49 percent, leaving both short of the 60 percent needed to win the nomination outright.

Conservative Republicans at the convention have forced popular Utah politicians into primaries in the past only to be crushed at the polls.

Romney has a 43-point lead in a UtahPolicy.com poll that came out near the end of May, a survey Kennedy calls a "practice test" that he doesn't believe reflects current voter attitudes. The winner of the June 26 GOP primary election faces Democratic Salt Lake County Council member Jenny Wilson. Mail-in ballots went out last week and early primary voting starts Tuesday.

Both candidates have ads on TV, sometimes appearing back to back. Romney, the self-proclaimed deficit hawk fighting to stop the national debt. Kennedy, the guy picking up the can instead of kicking it down the road.

Meantime, Kennedy continues to pound away at what he sees as the fundamental difference between himself and Romney.

"I understand this place," the Utah House member from Alpine said. "I dont need a travelers guide to get a sense of whats going on around here."

Kennedy points out that's he's a longtime Utah resident who practices medicine, started a business and served in the Legislature.

"All Id say is I am who I am. Im a doctor, hes not. Im a state legislator, hes not. Ive lived here and raised my family here," he said after a televised debate with Romney last month.

Romney said his business experience, service as a governor and 10 total years in Utah brings a different dimension to the race.

"I think those advantages will be helpful," he said. "To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, 'I won't let my opponent's youth and inexperience outside Utah become an issue in the campaign.'"

Romney said he's already received suggestions from several Republican senators on what role he might play in the Senate, particularly having been a former presidential nominee. He said he has campaigned with 40 GOP senators and has a personal relationships with some that could lead to collaborating on legislation.

Kennedy said he's knows Utah and Romney knows Washington. He said he doesn't know anyone in the Beltway and, therefore, doesn't owe anyone anything. Romney's strength is actually his weakness, Kennedy said, adding it wouldn't take him long to get to know people in Washington if elected.

Kennedy also has jabbed Romney about flip-flopping on issues such as gun rights and illegal immigration.

"When it comes to what people can say versus what they have done, theres a difference. I believe my record is consistent and my opponent isnt as consistent on those things," he said.

Romney said what Kennedy calls inconsistencies in his record are actually consistencies.

"Im running for Senate with the same policies I had when I was running for president," Romney said. "Utahns can rely on those consistent policies."



Early voting begins

While most of the election is being conducted by mail, in-person early voting opens Tuesday in some places and runs through June 22. Polling information can be located at vote.utah.gov People can still register to vote in person at a county clerk's office or online until June 19. New registrants or unaffiliated voters can affiliate at the polls with either party in order to vote in the primary.SOUTH SALT LAKE  City and county officials ceremoniously broke ground Monday on an $5.9 million expansion project that aims to cut wait times for the Utah Transit Authority's S-Line.

"This project will result in decreased wait times for the streetcars by 25 percent, or five minutes," Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams said. "Might not sound like a lot, but when you're waiting for the train to get to work, that makes a big difference."

The S-Line, open since 2013, has provided a single-track streetcar path between South Salt Lake and the Sugar House area. The new project adds nearly $6 million to the S-Line's original $37 million price tag.

Salt Lake County recently approved $4.5 million for the new double track, which will extend the established passing track by two blocks, from 500 East to 300 East.

Currently, a new streetcar will arrive every 20 minutes along the seven-stop S-Line. UTA expects to cut five minutes off that time without adding any more streetcars. The line currently uses two streetcars.

McAdams broke ground with South Salt Lake Mayor Cherie Wood, state Sen. Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake City, and other local leaders Monday morning, kicking off the construction project that is expected to finish in December.

The increased growth in the area, and the growing popularity of the S-Line, prompted city and county officials to start such a development.

About 40,000 people use the S-Line in a given month, and that number is slowly but steadily increasing, according to Steve Meyer, UTA interim executive director.

"It's growing because of projects like this," Meyer said.

Meyer, an engineer, stepped into the position after UTA President and CEO Jerry Benson's termination in April.

Once the UTA adds the double track, Meyer expects to see a boost of ridership on the S-Line, drawing prospective commuters who may have held back relying on the streetcars due to the current headway time.

"When you get to 15 minutes and below you don't really have to think about your schedule," Meyer said. "When you walk out to the track's line, you know there's going to be a train there. If I just missed it, there's going to be another one in 15 minutes."

Mark Isaac, a principal with Pinyon8 Consulting, has worked on five developments along the S-Line since 2012. Recently, he is working on the new Shopko site in Sugar House, adding residential and office space. He has also provided consultation for the The Zeller apartment building, which is built right in front of Monday's groundbreaking site.

"We are changing the way people live along the Wasatch Front. We used to be a big commuter city," Issac said. " That's all occurring because the state, the county and the locals invested in the infrastructure first. And now the developers, the money behind the development, are betting on and investing on the capacity to move people and change the way people live."

According to Isaac, that is a bet to make. He said seven residential projects are being built along the S-Line corridor.

"That's just the start," Isaac said.

Isaac said air quality improvements were also on his mind for the project, an opinion shared with the Wasatch Front Regional Council.

The council provided $1.9 million for the expansion project out of a fund that is specifically meant for air quality improvement. The group is an association of governments with elected officials from Box Elder, Davis, Morgan, Salt Lake, Tooele and Weber counties.

"Providing transportation choices to residents in this area, and connecting with the rest of the region's transportation system, will help improve our air quality," said Executive Director Andrew Gruber, "by giving people a choice to take transit, or to bike, or to walk, or maybe if they want to, leaving that car at home."

Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski also announced Monday the start of the citys road construction season. Ten projects, with a combined investment of $5.5 million, are scheduled to "upgrade underground utility lines and roadway safety features and replace obsolete pavements," according to city's announcement.

Gladiola Street (3400 West) will undergo the most substantial facelift, according to Mike Reberg, director of Salt Lake City's Department of Community and Neighborhoods. Four blocks along the avenue will be receiving concrete, costing $3.9 million.

These projects will help us maintain a road network that is safe and sound for years to come, Matt Cassel, the city engineer, said in a press release. While we realize construction delays and detours will be an inconvenience for travelers, we are committed to working safely and expediently to get in, get out and stay out once we get the job done.SALT LAKE CITY  A parole officer who was criminally charged for shooting a man at a Main Street intersection last year now faces a civil rights lawsuit in federal court.

Joseph A. Gomez claims Andrew O'Gwin, an Adult Probation and Parole officer, shot him without justification and made up a story to bring criminal charges and other allegations against him.

O'Gwin's actions were malicious and reckless showed a callous indifference to Gomez's life, according to the lawsuit.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill found in April that O'Gwin was not legally justified in shooting Gomez. He charged O'Gwin with aggravated assault, a second-degree felony, in 3rd District Court, saying the evidence does not match the officer's version of events.

On May 13, 2017, O'Gwin was stopped in an unmarked police car at the intersection of 4500 S. Main waiting to make a turn when he said Gomez "hopped out of the vehicle, threw something at my window  and he hit my vehicle again. I drew my weapon" and fired, charging documents say.

O'Gwin told investigators that Gomez punched the drivers side window and struck his car drivers side window as "hard as he could" with an "object" in his hand three times.

O'Gwin fired five rounds, hitting Gomez three times in the chest, torso and arm. Gomez survived the shooting. O'Gwin, who had been assigned as Gomez's parole officer a month earlier, apparently didn't recognize him before the shooting.

According to the lawsuit, Gomez was smoking a cigarette in the passenger side of a car when ash dropped into his lap. To avoid getting burned, the lawsuit says, Gomez, who was unarmed, stepped out of the car to let the ash drop to the ground.

Gomez did not throw anything or beat on O'Gwin's window, the lawsuit says.

Utah Department of Corrections Executive Director Rollin Cook said in April the department stands behind O'Gwin and questions Gill's conclusion.

Gomez, who had recently been released from prison, was sent back for an alleged parole violation as authorities assumed that assault charges would be filed against him, defense attorney Karra Porter said in April. He was released from prison about seven months later when no charges were filed.

The lawsuit seeks an unspecified dollar amount for damages.SALT LAKE CITY  The day before the Salt Lake City Council was expected to consider a resolution to support the revival of a failed sales-tax hike for transportation in Salt Lake County, Mayor Jackie Biskupski issued a statement saying now is not the time.

"While I strongly support investing in Salt Lake City's street and transit needs, I do not believe it is the right time for Salt Lake City to support the quarter-cent sales tax increase currently being considered by the Salt Lake County Council and city councils across the region," Biskupski said late Monday.

It is not the time for #SLC to support the #SB136 county sales tax increase. I support funding for transportation, but any tax increase should be done after public engagement & with strategic plans, as we have done w/ our local funding options. Full stmt: https://t.co/qYLPidKCBO  Mayor J. Biskupski (@slcmayor) June 11, 2018

SB136, the massive transportation bill the Utah Legislature passed this year, granted counties the power to revive the $58 million, 0.25 percent tax hike shot down by Salt Lake County voters in 2015. After grappling over what to do with that power, the Salt Lake County Council in April passed an ordinance leaving the decision up to city leaders.

If councils for cities, towns and metro townships representing 67 percent of Salt Lake County's population adopt resolutions supporting the tax, the increase will automatically go into effect under the county ordinance, which gives cities a deadline of June 22 to signal support.

Several municipalities across the county have already passed resolutions of support  including Millcreek, Midvale, South Salt Lake, South Jordan, Taylorsville, Murray, Holladay, Alta, Emigration, Kearns, Magna and White City  but the tax hike may hinge on Salt Lake City's position, since the capital represents the largest share of the county's population.

The Copperton Town Council approved a resolution last month opposing the resolution, while some leaders from Riverton, Herriman and West Jordan have expressed reluctance to support the tax hike, but haven't yet voted.

In her statement, Biskupski noted that she supported Salt Lake City's recently passed half-penny sales tax hike  allowed as part of the law relocating the Utah State Prison to the city's northwest quadrant  to pay for streets, police, affordable housing and transit, as well as the opportunity to ask voters to support an $87 million general obligation bond this November to also pay for infrastructure projects.

"I strongly believe the support the city has received for these funding options exists because of the comprehensive plans we have developed and the robust public engagement we underwent," Biskupski said. "It is also important to recognize, the difference between 'no' and 'not right now.'

"While the Legislature left it to the counties to activate this sales tax increase, they also provide a path for cities to take action, a path which puts more control of the funding into the hands of local communities," Biskupski added.

Biskupski called for the city to "take the time necessary to launch our local plans and coordinate with regional partners" to fund future transportation needs "in a strategic manner."

But Tuesday will be the Salt Lake City Council's last chance to vote on a resolution, under the county's deadline, to implement the tax hike with a revenue split of 40 percent to the Utah Transit Authority, 40 percent to cities and 20 percent to counties.

If the county does not impose the tax by June 2020, however, SB136 allows individual cities to act on their own, with no revenue going to the county. Cities with transit service  like Salt Lake City  would have the option to enact it through a vote of their councils, with 50 percent of its revenue to go directly to cities and 50 percent to UTA.

Salt Lake City Council Chairwoman Erin Mendenhall has previously said she expects the council to pass the resolution.

Monday, Mendenhall said Biskupski's statement was "not a surprise," noting that council members have been "aware for several weeks" about the mayor's "reluctance" to support the tax hike.

Mendenhall said she's not sure how Tuesday's vote will go, but she stood firm on her belief the city could benefit from all the transportation dollars it can get. If it passes, Salt Lake City would reap about $5 million a year from the county tax hike, she said.

"I'm unaware of any other city in the state that has (as) current and thorough analysis on roadway conditions as Salt Lake City does," Mendenhall said, referring to a city study that found two-thirds of the city's streets are rated poor or worse. "So there's no question that we need the money."

Mendenhall noted Tuesday's meeting will be "complicated" because the council will also be in the process of concluding its annual budget process, so "there's a lot of nuance in politics" that can play out.

"We'll have to see how it shakes out in the votes tomorrow," she said.SALT LAKE CITY  The Salt Lake Tribune announced Monday it has nixed its long-running partnership with local CBS affiliate KUTV and struck a deal with KSTU Fox 13.

A joint press release from Fox 13 and the Tribune describes the agreement as "a new, expansive content-sharing partnership" that "will begin cross-promoting stories, collaborating on newsgathering and highlighting the best coverage of both news organizations online, in print and on the airwaves."

An email to Tribune subscribers on Monday, signed by editor Jennifer Napier-Pearce, let readers know they could expect to see Tribune reporters appearing on Fox and that bylined stories from the Fox affiliate reporting staff may be appearing in the paper's print and digital products. The paper laid off 34 employees in May citing the need to enact drastic cost-cutting measures in the face of ongoing declines in print circulation and advertising revenues.

Sources close to the deal said the Tribune's decision to jump from KUTV, a station owned by Sinclair Broadcasting, to KSTU, currently owned by Chicago-based Tribune Media but slated for sale to 21st Century Fox, was not connected to recent criticisms leveled at Sinclair, but was motivated by more opportunities for exposure during Fox 13's 10 1/2 hours of daily news programming.

Sinclair made news in March when a video assembled by website Deadspin highlighted a scripted statement that was read by numerous anchors on Sinclair-owned stations, including KUTV in Salt Lake City.

Although the press release Monday touted the TV station as "the state's top-rated local news television station," a recent story by the Tribune following the May 2018 ratings sweeps underscored that top-rating claims are squishy at best and really come down to "how and when you measure viewership."

According to May 2018 Nielsen data, Fox 13 trails other local outlets in evening news viewer demographic groups. In the important "late news" category  which is at 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. depending on the station  Fox 13 held the No. 2 slot behind KSL-TV (No. 1) for viewers aged 18-49; the No. 2 spot behind KSL-TV (No. 1) for viewers aged 25-54; the No. 3 spot behind KUTV (No. 2) and KSL-TV (No. 1) for viewers aged 35-64; and the No. 3 spot behind KUTV (No. 1) and KSL-TV (No. 2) for number of households reached.

Poynter Institute reporter Kristen Hare, who covers the ongoing transformations of local news, told the Deseret News that partnerships between print/digital news publications and television news outlets are not new and reflect, in most cases, practical reality.

"These partnerships recognize that if our newsrooms are going to cover our communities effectively, they need to employ all the ways there are to reach people," Hare said. "It's impractical for people who work in words to transfer story telling to video, and vice-versa. Video has become very important in helping build audiences and contributing to newsrooms making money."

The Deseret News continues to be the largest circulation newspaper in the state for Sunday circulation and, together with its KSL broadcast and digital partners, maintains the largest news gathering operation in the state.Feelings of goodwill abound from the first-ever meeting between a North Korean leader and a president of the United States. While the signed agreement has many sweeping generalizations and no language specifying verification or compliance, many are cautiously optimistic about the possible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. But Americans cannot let that feeling blind them to the harsh reality of Kim Jong Uns dictatorship.

By some estimates, 130,000 people are imprisoned in North Korea because of their religion or political opinion. Conditions in these prisons are so bad an investigation by the International Bar Association War Crimes Committee said Kim should be prosecuted for as many as 10 separate crimes against humanity.

One member of the panel that conducted that investigation was a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp in World War II. He told the Washington Post Kims prison camps are as bad, or worse, than what the Nazis set up during the war. Survivors who escaped have described starvation, torture, rape, forced abortions and death.

None of this was expected to be a topic of discussion between President Donald Trump and Kim on Tuesday. Some experts even cautioned it makes sense to build a relationship first before exploring this topic.

We disagree. The sooner Mr. Trump confronts Kim about this dreadful situation, the better. Human rights reforms must be a part of any potential disarmament agreement that results from talks.

The reason for that is practical as well as humanitarian. Inspectors would have a hard enough time verifying a disarmament pact without worrying that the North Korean officials they encounter fear being sent to the Gulag for giving honest answers.

More importantly, however, the United States owes as much to the world, and to its traditional role as a beacon for liberty. As Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch wrote this week in an op-ed for Fox News,  by staying silent on this matter, we display a lack of seriousness about our intentions for North Korea and for the future of the Korean Peninsula. We also show a lack of seriousness about ourselves and our history, having faced but remained silent amid such crimes against humanity in the past.

President Trump has drawn attention to North Koreas human rights record in the past, including at his speech last year to the United Nations.

Diplomacy is to be applauded, and a process leading toward peace is always worth pursuing. However, dictators seldom change their hearts, and Kim undoubtedly frets over maintaining his power, which is built on intimidation, torture and fear. But if any nation has the clout to confront those practices and stand up for the thousands who are suffering, it is the United States. The opportunity must not pass.SALT LAKE CITY  Three men face felony charges after an attempted burglary and shooting at a home resulted in one of the men being accidentally shot in the head by his friend, according to police.

Daniel Alberto Gonzalez, 25, of Salt Lake City, Ricky Joseph Arriola, 25, of Salt Lake City, and Julius Michael Navanick, 26, of West Valley City, were charged in 3rd District Court on Monday with one count apiece of aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony; two counts of felony discharge of a firearm, also a first-degree felony; and 15 counts of felony discharge of a firearm, a second-degree felony.

On June 7, Cesar Hernandez was inside his home near 500 N. Redwood Road when the front door to his living room was kicked in and "three males immediately started shooting," according to charging documents.

One man was shooting while walking into the apartment, one man stood in the doorway while shooting and a third man was standing outside and shooting into the apartment, charges state.

Hernandez was shot once in the arm, according to the statement.

When police responded to the area on the report of gunshots, an officer found Navanick, who had been shot in the back of the head. A handgun was found on the sidewalk within inches of Navanick, police said.

According to police, Gonzalez said he did not mean to shoot Navanick, who was his friend, but Navanick walked in front of Gonzalez's gun. He survived.

Gonzalez and Arriola were found with the help of witnesses who saw the suspects leave the scene and surveillance camera footage, police said.

Police located a gun in a planter at the home where Gonzalez and Arriola were taken into custody. A second gun was also found about 230 feet from that home, according to police.

Gonzalez, Arriola and Navanick are each described in court documents as "documented gang members."

In 2011, Gonzalez pleaded guilty to felony discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony, according to court documents. Arriola pleaded guilty to attempted possession or use of a controlled substance, a second-degree felony, in 2012, court documents state.SALT LAKE CITY  Heres a look at the news for June 12.

MUST-READ NEWS MORNING:

Trump, Kim meet in historic summit

President Donald Trump and North Koreas Kim Jong Un met for the first time Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

The two leaders met at a Singapore island resort, where the two discussed the future of North Koreas nuclear weapons program.

Trump and Kim signed a new document in which Trump pledged "security guarantees" to North Korea, while Kim said he remained committed to "complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

The agreement didn't hold many specifics. It mostly reiterated previous public statements the two leaders have shared.

Read more.

Wildfire season begins in Utah

The Trail Mountain Fire in Orangeville, Emery County, has already destroyed cabins and burned through 2,600 acres after it started last week, according to the Deseret News.

Five helicopters, 11 fire engines and 259 firefighters all worked to take down the blaze, which was 10 percent contained by Monday night.

Jason Curry, public information officer with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, told the Deseret News that lack of rain and last winters low amount of snow could lead to a worse than average wildfire season.

"It doesn't look like there's much rain on the forecast so absolutely things are going to pick up, get busier, and be more busy than we have been thus far," he said.

Read more.

Romney vs. Kennedy: A tale of two campaigns

The Deseret News has a new article out today that delved into the differences between the two campaigns of Mitt Romney and Mike Kennedy, both vying for an open U.S. Senate seat in the state of Utah.

Theres the one everyone knows but who maybe doesnt know Utah. And theres the one who knows Utah but nobody knows. One comes with a national spotlight, the other a searchlight, the Deseret News reported.

Romney, for example, spoke at the Utah Innovation Technology Summit in downtown Salt Lake City last Wednesday. That was after he spoke at Weber State University earlier that day and after he spent time with Washington, D.C., leaders like U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan over the previous weekend.

Then theres Kennedy, who spoke to maybe 12 people at the Payson Senior Citizen Center.

Read more.

Creed Bratton from 'The Office' to perform in Utah

Creed Bratton spoke with the Deseret News ahead of his performance at the Complex in Salt Lake City Thursday night.

Bratton, who is mostly known for his fictional character Creed Bratton (same name), told the Deseret News it was The Office that catapulted him into stardom.

I wouldnt be here now performing for you guys, doing these concerts, if it werent for The Office,' Bratton told the Deseret News from the road. The Office made it possible for me to do this, so Im so grateful for that show in so many ways to continue my career.

Bratton said his favorite scene in the show came during season 4 in the episode Survivorman.

Read about that scene at the Deseret News.

AROUND THE WEB:SALT LAKE CITY  Utah Rep. John Curtis said Tuesday he's hopeful North Korea will follow through on a commitment made to a "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula, following a summit meeting with President Donald Trump.

"There are some early signs that give us reason to think this might be different than what we've seen in the past. But (there's) lots of suspicion and lots of, I just think, this absolute need to verify and get assurance that it's not just talk," Curtis said.

The newest member of Utah's all-Republican congressional delegation also said Trump deserves credit for sitting down with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore to talk about ending that nation's nuclear weapons program.

"Certainly, we're optimistic and, quite frankly, I applaud the president for putting us in this position," Curtis, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the Deseret News in an interview from Washington.

Curtis said Trump has "taken tons of criticism for his approach. Everybody has been very critical of him and yet, here he is, the first president to meet face to face with Kim and start the discussion and have an agreement of the direction."

Rep. Chris Stewart, on his way to receive a classified briefing as a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said the historic meeting between the two leaders likely accomplished as much as was possible.

"I think anyone that expected more than that probably didn't understand just how complicated this is going to be. It will take years for North Korea to denuclearize and for us to verify that," Stewart said.

He said he understands what goes into carrying out such an agreement because of his participation as a U.S. Air Force pilot in a verification team for the SALT II treaty between the United States and the then-Soviet Union limiting nuclear weapons.

At this point with the agreement with North Korea, Stewart said "it's not that we don't know the details. It's that the details don't exist yet. We have a very broad framework. From that, it will take a lot of work."

He said the promise that North Korea and its leaders could become more prosperous by giving up its nuclear program is "one of the bigger carrots" America has and could lead to better conditions in one of the world's most repressive regimes.

But Stewart said this wasn't the time to focus on human rights abuses within North Korea.

"Not at this point. This was a summit about one thing, and that was denuclearizing and reducing the threat from the North Korean military and the regime," he said. "Hopefully, we'll get to a point we can talk about that."

Utah Rep. Rob Bishop, who taught government and history in high school before coming to Congress 15 years ago, said the results of the summit that ended with a signing ceremony Tuesday were "much better than anticipated."

Bishop said in an interview with KSL Newsradio, however, "there is a long way it has to go before anything that is lasting and permanent takes place, and there are all sorts of possibilities of things blowing up for whatever reasons."

Still, he compared making changes in a divided Korean Peninsula to the reunification of Germany in 1990, a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall in Communist-controlled East Germany.

Because North and South Korea "are so starkly different, well, we're going to have to see how that works out. But then again, I never thought I would see Germany reunited in my lifetime, so anything's possible."

He credited Trump's nontraditional approach to negotiations with getting results. Trump had taken to Twitter less than a year ago to threaten Kim with "fire and fury" over North Korea's nuclear missile development.

The way Trump "has gone about things has maybe broken up some of the stalemate and we are closer to a lasting peace on this peninsula than we have been since (President) Eisenhower in 1953," Bishop said.

He said Hill Air Force Base, located within the 1st Congressional District that he represents, has "played a major role" in the United States' military protection of South Korea.

Rep. Mia Love said in a statement Tuesday she was "encouraged, yet cautious" that the summit in Singapore would result in lasting peace between North and South Korea and commended Trump "for not accepting the status quo."

Love said "any final agreement should be strong, specific and verifiable" and that the only acceptable path forward as negotiations continue is complete and verifiable denuclearization.

"We must not forget North Koreas history of a brutal regime and a long history of deceit," she said. "While we remain hopeful, we must continue to apply maximum economic pressure until North Korea proves it is serious about this new relationship."

Sen. Orrin Hatch, who is retiring after serving 42 years in the Senate, said it was too soon to label the summit either a success or a failure, calling this "one of the most complex geopolitical situations of the last hundred years.

Hatch said in a statement that Trump's opening to begin a longer-term engagement with North Korea on a range of issues that "must begin from a strong position reflecting our core priorities, which include North Korea's complete denuclearization."

Also at the top of that list, Hatch said, must be North Korea's human rights abuses.

"I believe it to be a moral and political mistake to confuse North Koreas potential arms concessions with any potential change in its character or course," he said. "To achieve lasting peace in the region, we must demand that North Korea not only surrender its nuclear weapons. It must also cease its human rights abuses.It may be that time in your life where you begin to question your value as an employee rather than the boss. It happens to all of us. We dream of working for ourselves and our goals, rather than someone elses. We might toy with the idea that we could create something incredible with our own two hands, some money invested, and some sweat equity. The biggest challenge is to decide between entrepreneurship or being a franchisee. These two things are polar opposites and have their own outcomes.

Take A Look At Franchising

Some people are not that keen on a big risk, these people are best suited to invest in a franchise. Franchises are ready-made businesses that you make a small investment in. You dont set the rules, you manage the location and keep it running in line with the business model and mission statement. The hard part is figuring out the best franchises to own. We recommend that you align yourself with a company that does well already, the mission statement is something you support, and you have a legitimate interest in the business. It wouldnt make much sense to open a burger joint if you are a vegan!

Entrepreneurs Are A Different Breed

Entrepreneurs truly feel a bit different. They have an idea that they want to see come to fruition. They want to create all the rules. They want to control everything from business location to the hours of operation. And they are willing to risk everything to make that happen. Even still, there are two types of entrepreneurs. There are those that want to build their very own business from the ground up and others who want to buy businesses. The ones who look for existing businesses may search online to find those that are for sale. The ones building their business from the beginning may post about their services or products online to attract more people to their company. Entrepreneurship has been around since the dawn of time. Someone discovers a need, has the talent to fill that need, and makes it happen.

Which One Is Better?

The short answer is neither. They fulfill two different needs and cannot be compared. Entrepreneurs are born every day and they work hard to build their business and gain loyal consumers. They are the risk-takers who arent swayed by naysayers discouraging them. Even if they fail the first time around, they will find a way to make it happen in a different manner. The franchise for an entrepreneur is too limiting and still has someone they have to answer to above them. Franchisees see it a lot different and want to make a minimally risky adventure and yet they desire to be the boss. They like the model because they dont have to spend a lot of time building their image, they rely on the previous success of the company. Because of this reasoning, franchise opportunities are rapidly growing and arent left to just the fast food industry. Entrepreneurship also still rules the business sector over major corporations. Recent studies show that there are 22 million individually (no employees) ran small business, 6 million small businesses with employees, and 18,500 large corporations in the US. No wonder we desire to be our own boss!

The real question you have to answer is, how much risk you are willing to take and what kind of business do you want to run? When you know those two things, you will be able to make the best decision for yourself.UTAH STATE PRISON  Elizabeth Smart abductor Wanda Barzee could remain in state prison until 2024, though her lawyer says she has served her time and should already be free.

Barzee, 72, unexpectedly refused to attend a parole hearing Tuesday and has also refused to undergo a psychological evaluation, which the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole requires for a decision on her early release because she pleaded guilty and mentally ill.

Elizabeth Smart did not appear at the hearing, which lasted about three minutes, where victims typically get time to speak to the board. Smart later posted on Instagram that she arrived at the prison after the hearing was over due to a "silly mix-up."

In the post, Smart called it good news that Barzee was not released but said she finds it troubling that she could be out in six years or less.

"I do not think Im a vindictive or vengeful person, if change were truly possible in her case then perhaps parole/release could be justified," she wrote "But I have recently learned that she is still carrying around a manuscript called 'The Book of Immanuel David Isaiah' and is reading from it."

Smart wrote that the manuscripts contains "revelations" Brian David Mitchell says he received from God to kidnap her and six other young girls to become his wives, along with other "highly disturbing and dangerous ideas."

"This is proof to me that she hasnt changed, and if the prior 15+ years hasnt changed her, I dont see how the future years will," Smart wrote.

Mitchell and Barzee were convicted in one of the state's highest profile crimes ever when they kidnapped a 14-year-old Smart from her home in 2002. Mitchell, 64, is serving a life sentence in a high security federal prison in Tucson, Arizona.

Barzee was sentenced in 2010 to 15 years in federal prison for her role in the kidnapping. She also pleaded guilty and mentally ill in state court to the attempted kidnapping of Smart's cousin, Olivia Wright, a few months after Smart was taken, and received a one-to-15-year state prison term.

Judges agreed to run the two sentences concurrently because Barzee cooperated in the federal prosecution of Mitchell. She was transferred to the Utah State Prison in April 2016 after being held in a federal prison in Texas.

Scott Williams, Barzee's attorney, said after the hearing Tuesday that Barzee has already served more than 15 years, including time in custody after her arrest. The plea agreement never contemplated her coming back into state jurisdiction, he said.

Barzee's release date is set for Jan. 29, 2024.

"I'm trying to understand how the state of Utah thinks they can hold her more than 15 years on a 15-year sentence maximum," he said. "I didn't ever expect Wanda Barzee to come back to the Utah State Prison, and in my opinion, neither did any of the representatives of the state of Utah or the United States government that I negotiated with."

Greg Johnson, parole board administrative services director, said the board would look into Williams' questions about the state's calculation of Barzee's sentence and release date.

"We always want to make sure we review information and that we're making decisions based on accurate statements as well as that we're functioning within the limits of the law," he said.

Barzee finished her federal sentence and was transferred to Utah on a detainer to serve out the state term, Johnson said. The state credits her for time in jail before her conviction and in the Utah State Hospital, but "stopped the clock" during her time in federal prison, he said Tuesday.

Yet when she was sentenced on May 21, 2010, Barzee was given credit in federal prison for the seven years she had been in custody, but was not given any credit for time served in her state sentence.

Johnson said if Barzee continues to refuse a mental health evaluation, she could be in prison until 2024.

"Given the history, I have some ideas about what might be going on," Williams said. "There's been other circumstances where Ms. Barzee's mental illness has impacted the ability to move examinations and assessments forward."

He said he hasn't talked to Barzee for more than a year and doesn't know her mental state.

Ed Smart, Elizabeth Smart's father, also arrived after the hearing ended. He said it's up to health care professionals to determine whether Barzee should be released.

"To me, hearing and seeing what Ive seen, it's Barzee as usual," he said.

Ed Smart said he recently heard from a reliable source that Barzee "still follows Mitchell, carries around his little bitty bible and her refusal to come today seems like it's just an indicator that she is still of the same mindset she was back at the time she took Elizabeth."

In her Instragram post, Elizabeth Smart said she would continue to pray that Barzee "will never be a threat to myself, my family, or any vulnerable person ever again.

"A lot can happen between now and the years to come so in the meantime I will continue to make my family my priority, working to advocate and protect victims and children, and live my life the best way I know how."SALT LAKE CITY  Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes is praising a 26-page ruling from a federal judge in Georgia that exempts Utah and 10 other states from a controversial regulation involving water.

Utah was among an 11-state coalition that filed for a temporary injunction to halt implementation of the so-called Waters of the United States rule, or WOTUS, because of its expansion of regulatory oversight.

"We are encouraged that the federal district court has agreed with the merits of our challenge. The WOTUS rule vastly and unnecessarily expands federal regulatory powers in a way that threatens the sovereignty of states, the liberty of citizens and the viability of businesses," said Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes in a statement released Tuesday.

"The federal government has no business regulating ponds in our backyards or the water hazards on every back nine. I'm proud of the work Utah contributed to this case. This is a victory not only for our state, but for all who believe that the role of the federal government should be carefully limited and clearly defined."

In the late Fridayruling, Judge Lisa Godbey Wood from the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Georgia agreed with the states' contention that implementation of the 2015 rule will cause irreparable harm.

"An injunction of the WOTUS rule favors the public interest," she wrote, noting that farmers, homeowners and small-business owners will need to devote time and expense to obtaining federal permits  all to comply with a rule she predicts will likely be invalidated.

The rule's actual implementation is not until 2020, but it is being challenged in the courts and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency indicated it is reconsidering the rule.

Wood said the rule, by expanding the Clean Water Act to include certain waters not previously regulated, usurps state sovereignty.

"Once the rule takes effect, the states will lose their sovereignty over certain intrastate waters that will become subject to the scope of the Clean Water Act," she wrote. "Loss of sovereignty is an irreparable harm."

Farmers and ranchers worried the reach of the EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on navigable waters could be extended to ditches and farmyard ponds.

In July, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt visited Utah and toured a ranch as part of a review of the rule.

At the time, he said regulating dry creek beds and puddles would impact land use across the country.

Federal courts have now issued injunctions against the rule in 24 states.Pakistans Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar has suspended a number of taxes and service charges related to prepaid mobile top-up cards.

The countrys Supreme Court described the tax deductions as exorbitant, with Nisar stating: PKR38.08 ($0.33) is deducted on a prepaid mobile card of Rs100. This is illegal. All taxes deducted on top-up cards will be suspended from 13th June.

Taxes on top-up cards in Pakistan account for as much as 42% of their total cost. Users are obliged to pay a federal excise duty as well as a withholding tax and a service fee. The Supreme Court is now pushing for a clear path towards deducting taxes on top-up cards, with Justice Ijazul Ahsan calling for a clear policy on levying tax.

Nisar was critical of the law relating to withholding taxes, calling it imperfect and noting that withholding taxes cannot be levied on a labourer who earns Rs100 a day. How can we collect [taxes] from daily wage earners? In May, the court invited input from operators and Pakistans attorney general to determine whether such taxes should indeed be legal.

Pakistans steep levies on mobile services are a longstanding bugbear for the countrys mobile operators. A 2015 World Bank report pegged Pakistans telecommunications taxes as among the highest in Asia, while its levies on corporate profits are some of the highest in the world.

The government of Pakistan reacted to this in May 2017with some tax cuts, although given the longstanding complaints from both operators and trade association the GSMA, the relief was slight. Federal excise duty was lowered to 17% from 18.5%, and the withholding tax for mobile was reduced from 14% to 12.5%.

The suspension as it stands may only be in effect for 15 days pending a more detailed implementation plan from Pakistans Federal Board of Revenue. Pakistan has around 150 million mobile connections according to the latest data from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.Satellite firm Intelsat has been a driving force in delivering connectivity to the African continent  particularly to remote regions better suited to satellite coverage than traditional infrastructure.

Following the announcement of a remote coverage agreement with Vodacom Business Nigeria, Developing Telecoms' Editor James Barton spoke to Intelsats Regional VP of Africa Sales, Brian Jakins, to discuss the companys activities on the continent.

Can you tell me more about the Vodacom Business Nigeria deal and the benefits it delivers?

Intelsat has been serving Vodacom for years on an international basis. One of the projects we worked on is the installation of a network of 800 rural sites in DRC connected to Intelsat 28. Vodacom Business Nigeria, one of their business units, was interested in how we drive business efficiency with Intelsat EpicNG, as three of them are serving Africa at the moment (including Intelsat 35e). We were able to demonstrate the platforms higher throughput and efficiency, both into Nigeria and beyond borders.

They needed a solution that would give the right sort of coverage, but they were also considering the business cost while looking at using their installed base. With Intelsat, Vodacom benefit from high efficiencies using C- and Ku-band and a greatly reduced total cost of ownership. Intelsat EpicNGs backward compatible design and open architecture allow them to use their existing hardware or select the appropriate hardware when seamlessly migrating their existing network onto the high throughput platform, resulting in minimal capex investment and operating costs.

Intelsat will also help Vodacom as they continue to expand, since we have 26 satellites over Africa including three Intelsat EpicNG satellites.

Is satellite better positioned to deliver connectivity only in remote areas?

Satellite plays a critical role in providing high quality services to enterprises in traditional remote regions, but also in urban and suburban areas. For instance, there is constantly construction underway in Lagos and there is some fibre instability as a result. The advances weve made have helped, and today satellite is a key complementary technology in urban and suburban areas.

Whether it is bringing connectivity to the oil and gas sector or to tropical regions, ensuring a quality of network to end-users is crucial. If youve followed the Africa telecom landscape, enterprises want to innovate and connect as quickly as possible and having a partner like Intelsat provides redundancy and facilitates growth.

A key issue is the ease of deployment and this is getting better. Smaller kit size enables deployment in areas you couldnt have access to before. Also, Vodacom looked at our roadmap to the future when selecting Intelsat 35e. They looked at what we have, and where we are going. Intelsat EpicNGs open architecture provides scalability and flexibility - weve invested in key technologies like flat-panel antennas from Kymeta, and weve been building towards interoperability of LEO and GEO networks. These advancements make it simpler to connect to satellite and we are therefore well positioned to deliver solutions that respond to Vodacoms current and future requirements.

Which technologies do you think could pose the greatest threat to satellite in the future?

Satellites are uniquely positioned to economically and competitively deliver broadband infrastructure, supporting a diverse range of business segments for the benefit of consumers - even in rural areas lacking critical infrastructure - so I dont think that satellite will be threatened, it will get stronger going forward.

In fact, satellite is likely to be the threat - it will play a key role in a hybrid environment that combines fibre, wireless networks and satellite, serving customers at all levels. Thats why weve partnered with OneWeb: our plans for fully integrated GEO-LEO services mean that we provide customers with a Technology Roadmap to the Future. The hybrid GEO-LEO end-user access terminals were working on furthering our vision to lower the cost and improve the accessibility of satellite-based broadband, thereby making it available to more markets.

At the end of the day, the end-user experience is key and satellite provides high quality services to enterprises and end-users. Some regions are still transitioning to 3G and 4G, but as 5G network deployments begin to accelerate, satellites position will be strengthened since the satellite sector has a particularly important role to play in quickly delivering services to users  from dense urban areas to remote geographies. The development of low-cost, easy-to-deploy remotes that integrate satellite capabilities into the terrestrial equipment providers will be critical.

Does the development of terrestrial networks have an impact on the cost?

The Intelsat EpicNG design is groundbreaking, with the satellites aimed at delivering higher performance, better economics, and simplified access. Cost is an important factor and EpicNGs higher performance enables to reduce the cost per-bit for operators. Intelsat EpicNG is complementary to a ground infrastructure; ground efficiencies are also important as they make it affordable from the African perspective.

Do you think initiatives like Googles Project Loon will threaten satellites relevance to rural connectivity?

Countries are looking for the best solution to connect. Lots of them have expectation to develop traffic and a hybrid solution that seamlessly integrates different technologies will enable them to succeed. While lot of technologies are coming, satellite will be involved, working with others, and Intelsat is well-positioned to respond to the growing needs.

The Internet is a tremendous, undisputed force for economic growth and social change, and everyone wants to connect remote regions. Satellite connectivity is the easiest way to deliver Internet services to the most people in the shortest possible time frame in infrastructure-poor rural and remote areas. It is also becoming more cost-efficient, as the combination of technology improvement with innovations in the ecosystem and service models help to expand internet access affordably. For instance, as the expense of terrestrial buildouts often cannot be justified in remote regions that lack electrical infrastructure, a full-service, solar-powered solution such as Intelsat Mobile Reach Solar helps MNOs expand networks in a cost-efficient manner, while addressing the challenges associated with deployment, cost and operating challenges.

Could you tell me some Africa-specific examples where satellite proved to be the most effective connectivity solution?

Intelsat worked with the UNHCR in Ghana to connect a refugee camp of 2,000 people. The combination of Intelsats traditional satellites and Intelsat EpicNG helped overcome some very specific challenges to this effort. For the UNHCR, Intelsat offered the assurance of easier access to satellite technology and enhanced performance to coordinate aid efforts; for the refugees, it meant staying in touch with their families. Intelsat has also partnered with Coca-Cola to establish Wi-Fi access at certain retail facilities in rural areas, enabling personal and commercial connectivity for citizens.Samsung has filed a motion with the US District Court in San Jose, California challenging a US court ruling that asked it to pay $539 million to Apple for copying patented iPhone designs. The South Korean tech giant said that the verdict given in May was not supported by any evidence.

The jurys verdict is excessive and against the weight of the evidence on each and every issue identified above, and  the evidence supports a verdict of no more than $28.085 million, the motion said. Samsung has also demanded a refund of $145 million awarded to Apple in an unrelated patent infringement case relating to multi-touch. It argues that since the patent was later invalidated, Apple must reimburse the sum paid.

Now Apple has until June 21 to respond to Samsungs motion and a hearing on the response has been scheduled for July 26.

Under the US patent law, infringement of a design patent can result in a plaintiff receiving total profits made through the product. On the similar lines, Samsungs motion argued the article of manufacture found to have infringed Apples patents should have been specific components, not the whole phone.

In a legal battle that dates back to 2011, the two technology giants have been at loggerheads since Apple sued Samsung for allegedly infringing on five patents with Android phones it sold in 2010 and 2011. The South Korean conglomerate was found liable in the initial verdict in 2012 and was asked to pay over $1 billion to the Cupertino-based giant for infringing on three of Apple's design patents related to mobile devices -- the quick links to phone numbers, the slide-to-unlock feature and the auto-correct function.

Samsung's lawyers appealed the case, bringing down the compensation of $1 billion to $400 million in 2015 at the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The company argued that component design could be just a small part of a smartphone whose technologies involve more than 200,000 patents.

In late 2016, the US Supreme Court agreed with Samsung and ordered the two tech giants to negotiate a date for a retrial to settle the award money for Apple. To this, Apple filed a countermotion and in May, after four days of deliberation, the court sided with Apple, ruling that Samsung must pay the iPhone maker $539 million in damages for copying Apples products.

"We're grateful to the jury for their service and pleased they agree that Samsung should pay for copying our products. This case has always been about more than money. Apple ignited the smartphone revolution with iPhone and it is a fact that Samsung blatantly copied our design. It is important that we continue to protect the hard work and innovation of so many people at Apple," Apple had said at that time.

Displeased with the verdict Samsung had said that the decision flies in the face of a unanimous Supreme Court ruling in favour of Samsung on the scope of design patent damages."

It said that the company would consider all options to obtain an outcome that does not hinder creativity and fair competition for all companies and consumers.

A recent report by market research firm Counterpoint Research stated that Samsung climbed back to the top in the premium smartphone segment in India with over 50 per cent market share in the first quarter of 2018. OnePlus remained at the second position with 25 per cent market share and Apple at the third spot with 20 per cent share in India's premium smartphone category.Hyundai Motor India Rolls out Fastest 8 Millionth Car in 19 Years 6 Months

Hyundai Motor India said it had sold its eighth millionth car with the roll out its New 2018 edition of the CRETA SUV, within 19 years and six months of its operations in India.

See: Last week, its Japanese rival Maruti Suzuki announced having sold 20 million cars in 34 years and five months since it began making the iconic Maruti 800 in December 1983 ( Maruti sets production record of 20 million cars in under 36 years ).

Since inception, Hyundai Motor India, the second largest manufacturer of passenger cars and the largest exporter since inception, has sold 5,300,967 units in the Indian market and 2,703,581 units exported globally.

Hyundai rolled out its first millionth car, its popular tallboy, Santro, in 2006, just eighth years after commencement of commercial production in 1998. Thereafter, production picked up momentum, with the next million milestone being achieved within an average of 18 -19 months.

In the financial year 2017-18, it sold 5,36,241 units.

Y.K Koo, managing director and CEO, Hyundai Motor India Limited, said, Evolution of a Revolution is Hyundais DNA... with the achievement of 8 millionth milestone, Hyundai is the only manufacturer to achieve this feat in the shortest span of time."

Hyundai Motor India entered into the Indian market in 1998 with innovative and first tall boy design, Santro, equipped with multi-fuel Injection and Bharat stage - II technologies.

The Santro sold over 1.85 million units worldwide from the Hyundai India manufacturing plant. With the commitment to bring-in the best technology to Indian customers, CRDi (common rail direct injection) technology was first brought-in by Hyundai and was launched in year 2002 with the sedan Accent CRDi. The success of two models was followed by many global premium brands  Sonata, Terracan, Elantra and Getz.

As Indias largest passenger car exporter since inception, HMIL forms a critical part of HMCs global export hub. In the year 1999, Hyundai Motor India started its journey by shipping 20 Santros to Nepal. Today Hyundai Motor India has significantly contributed 40 per cent of passenger vehicle exports from India with a volume of 2.7 million vehicles since the year 1999. Hyundai Motor India currently exports to over 88 countries across Africa, Middle East, Latin America and the Asia Pacific.Stir by Palghar's fruit growers threatens to delay Modi's bullet train

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet project, the $17-billion Japanese-aided bullet train project connecting the countrys commercial capital Mumbai with another Ahmedabad, looks set to miss a December deadline for land acquisition following protests by fruit growers.

Now, in the wake of a stir by fruit growers in Maharashtras Palghar district, government officials are worried of the impact of the delay on project execution and are monitoring the progress on a weekly basis.

Indian officials also sought to reassure Tokyo that the hurdles can be overcome through intense negotiations with sapota and mango growers in Maharashtra.

Protests, backed by local politicians, have flared up in recent months against attempts to secure sections of a 108-km stretch, which is around one-fifth of the entire bullet train corridor connecting Mumbai with Ahmedabad.

"I`ve worked hard for three decades to develop this plantation, and they are asking me to hand over this land," sapota farmer Dashrat Purav, 62, said as he showed his orchard in the town of Palghar, a three-hour-drive from Mumbai.

"I haven`t worked hard to surrender land for the project. I did that for my children."

Purav said he would sell his land only if at least one of his two unemployed sons was promised a government job.

"Land acquisition for any project is complex in India," said Dhananjay Kumar, spokesman for the National High Speed Rail Corp Ltd (NHSRCL) that is overseeing the project. "Here also we are facing difficulty because of so much resistance."

Any delay in project execution would delay disbursal of soft-loans by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a government development body.

A JICA spokeswoman said that India must create relocation plans for local residents and make them public in order to enter into a loan agreement covering the main part of the bullet train project.

"It is possible that it takes time to sign a contract as India takes proper and careful measures in line with JICA`s guidelines for environmental and social considerations," she said.

Meanwhie, Indian officials have sought a meeting this month with transport ministry officials in Tokyo, with a view to get the project execution deadline extended by a year to 2022.

A Japanese transport ministry official who deals with the bullet train project said that Indian officials had told them that "they can manage" the land acquisition.

"We will continue to work together with the Indian government to bring this project forward with an aim to start operation in 2023," the official said.

Japan is funding the bullet train project through a 50-year loan. Japanese companies such as Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Corp, JFE Holdings, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toshiba Corp and Hitachi are likely to supply at least 70 per cent of the core components of the rail line, according to a Reuters report.Dogs can detect agricultural diseases early

A study out of Florida International University evaluates the use of scent-discriminating canines for the detection of laurel wilt-affected wood from avocado trees. Julian Mendel, Kenneth G. Furton, and DeEtta Mills have ferreted out a possible solution to a serious issue in one corner of the horticultural industry, and then ascertained the extent to which this solution is effective.

Deeta Mills

The results of this study are presented in their article, An Evaluation of Scent-discriminating Canines for Rapid Response to Agricultural Diseases, published in the latest issue of HortTechnology.

Laurel wilt disease has resulted in the death of more than 300 million laurel trees in the United States alone. One affected plant is the commercially important avocado tree, the second-largest tree crop in Florida behind citrus.

This disease has had a devastating effect on the industry in South Florida in past harvest seasons, and two larger avocado industries in Mexico and California are naturally worried that this disease, if it hits their crops, could spread fast enough to destroy their seasons.

Once affected by laurel wilt disease, trees succumb soon after infection. Once external symptoms are evident, this disease is very difficult to control and contain as the pathogen can spread to adjacent trees via root grafting. Until now, there has been no viable, cost-effective method of early diagnosis and treatment.

Laurel wilt is the consequence of an invasive species  the redbay ambrosia beetle originally from Asia, which was inadvertently introduced into the United States in untreated wooden packing material.

But as with so many ailments, early detection can be instrumental in deterring a widespread infection. The use of scent-discriminating dogs has shown to offer the avocado industry legitimate signs of hope in their fight against the spread of such a profit-crusher throughout their groves.

Three dogs were trained and studied for their ability to detect the early presence of laurel wilt by scent. At present, canines are extensively used in law enforcement and forensics in the location of missing persons, explosives, drugs, weapons, and ammunition. More directly applicable, dogs have demonstrated the ability to detect invasive species of spotted knapweed, brown tree snakes, desert tortoises, and various cancers.

The highly sensitive canine olfactory system is capable of detecting odour concentrations at exceedingly minute 1 to 2 parts per trillion. The authors believe it likely, with properly directed training, that these dogs could use their natural talents to service the protective needs of the potentially ailing avocado industry.

During the course of the study, 229 trials were performed, and only 12 of those yielded false alerts. It was observed that dogs are indeed capable of high levels of relevant performance, even in harsh weather conditions such as high heat and humidity. The study provided proof that dogs can detect agricultural diseases such as laurel wilt and can be a powerful management tool if the disease is caught in its earliest stages.

About the valuable service provided by these dogs, Mills adds, "It is the best 'technology' so far that can detect a diseased tree before external symptoms are visible. The old saying that 'dogs are man's best friend' reaches far beyond a personal bond with their handler and trainer. It is depicted in their excitement every day as they deploy to the groves. Man's best friend may even help save an industry."The Donegal Road Safety Working Group, has issued a road safety appeal to everyone attending the Joule Donegal International to 'Keep the Race in its Place'.

The three-day event which attracts tens of thousands of spectators begins on Friday.

The rally enthusiasts are predominantly young men, and we want to get the message directly to this at risk group who follow the sport says Brian ODonnell, Road Safety Officer with Donegal County Council.

Just like any other sport, there is a time and a place for Rally driving. Its important to know that all rally events are well marshalled and take place in a highly controlled environment. The drivers are specially trained and must wear special personal protective gear. Along with this, the cars are specially prepared for the purpose of rallying.

Large numbers are expected to attend the Donegal Rally, and we want to emphasise the importance of safety, both on the rally course and on the open road. Anyone attending the rally will be getting the message that safety always takes precedence above everything else. The Keep the Race in its Place message reminds people to only watch the stages from designated safety zones, never to enter prohibited areas, at all times to strictly adhere to the speed limits, always wearing your seatbelt, and never drive after consuming alcohol or drugs.

Unfortunately there are also those who arrive for the weekend who have no interest in the rally and are only intent in causing trouble for the Gardai and ordinary members of the public who use the roads. This is a great opportunity to again showcase what Donegal has to offer visitors from other parts of the country with large numbers due to arrive for the weekend. We want everyone to enjoy the weekend and do not want to see the weekend turn into a tragedy for any family or community and we would encourage all fans to drive with care. Please keep the race in its place.

Inspector Michael Harrison said: The Donegal International is the biggest motor sport event in the Republic of Ireland it is an event that attracts large crowds of spectators and visitors to the County. An Garda Siochana will have an operation in place to police the Rally and we ask all those attending to comply with any requests made by Gardai policing the stages, the operation is about keeping the event safe for all attending and participating. We appeal to all those coming to the Donegal to drive safely and not engage in any unsafe driving, please enjoy the weekend and Keep The Race in its Place.

The tragedy that occurred at the weekend has left a family and the local community devastated. A young boy has tragically lost his life and our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this very sad time.Mazda has answered the call for more power from its popular roadster.

The Japanese maker released details of its 2019 MX-5 that sees output increase from both 1.5- and 2.0-litre variants with a 700rpm higher rev ceiling.

A press release published for the roadsters home market reveals it will also bring new interior and exterior features with a mild bump in safety and technology when it launches there mid-next month.

The larger 2.0-litre engine sees a significant boost in power with new pistons that prevent knocking at higher air-fuel ratios and larger diameter intake and exhaust runners for improved combustion. Further changes include lighter valves and a lighter flywheel that increase redline from 6800 to 7500rpm that will make a louder noise and nicer note through an improved high-flow muffler.Occupants of social housing who are in significant rent arrears risk being evicted from their homes if they do not pay, an official from Louth County Council has said.

As it stands, the local authority are owed just under 5 million in rent arrears from social housing and in response to a number of queries from councillors at last weeks Dundalk Municipal District meeting, Director of Services Frank Pentony laid bare the situation for all.

If you are in a council house, you pay rent. Theyre not free. The council will take action, including eviction, if necessary, he said.

Its not a free house. You are expected to pay rent. When that money is not received, it reflects on the money we can spend.

Following on from an initial query from Councillor Anne Campbell, colleagues Maeve Yore and Emma Coffey requested further information and break-downs in relation to rent arrears, but Pentony said designating staff resources to compiling reports when it should be concentrating on collection was inadvisable.

We discuss this every month. The members ask for more information but when members ask for more additional information, that takes up time of staff that are chasing arrears.

Conor Keelan replied, The matter keeps getting raised because it is a pressing issue. Pentony argued that while requests for total transparency was fair enough, he queried what impact it had on tenants in arrears.

In response to Councillor Yores question about how many tenants were set up on direct debit plans, council officials refused to reveal the figure. However, they did describe some individual arrears as horrendous.

Sinn Feins Edel Corrigan agreed that resources could be better used but said, These are social houses for people who cant afford private accommodation. Its not their fault.Councillors at Ardee Municipal Districts monthly meeting have sent their condolences to the family and friends of murdered Dunleer teenager  and urged anyone who has information to go to the Gardai immediately.

The 18-year-old was murdered on Saturday, May 26th in the Mid-Louth town and Gardai have been investigating the circumstances of his murder ever since.

The DkIT Hospitality student was badly beaten and strangled at Shamrock Hill off the Ardee Road before his body was discovered by a walker at 8am.

Speaking at last Thursdays meeting, Colm Markey described his murder as an exceptional situation.

It's very, very hard for everyone in the community. He couldnt have been a more quiet, harmless guy, Markey said. The reaction of the last 10 days speaks volumes of the local community and how close-knit it is.

I appeal again for anyone with any information to come forward. We dont want this hanging over the local community any longer than it has to.

I want to express my own sympathies to the family and pay tribute to the community for how they reacted.

Liam Reilly said Camerons murder came at a dark time for the country, so soon after the tragic deaths of Jastine Valdez and Ana Kriegel.

It was a tragedy. Modern Irish society is not a nice place at the moment. Dolores Minogue described speaking to residents in Dunleer about the dark cloud and devastation that will be there for months and years to come and praised parish priest Father Murtagh for being a huge strength.

Both new Ardee Municipal District Cathaoirleach Pearse McGeough and Tom Cunningham urged anyone with information to come forward and help Gardai with their probe. Id urge anyone who knows anything to come forward and not to be afraid, Cunningham said. It needs to be settled and settled quickly.

Cameron was laid to rest in Dunleer on Monday, June 4th, with over 1,000 people in attendance at St Brigid's Church. Speaking at his funeral, parish priest Fr Michael Murtagh said, The whole parish community has been shocked, stunned and deeply saddened. This is unprecedented.The New Frontiers Entrepreneur Development Programme Phase 2 launch took place recently at Dundalk Institute of Technology.

New Frontiers is Enterprise Irelands Entrepreneur Development Programme for early stage start -ups and is delivered at a local level by the Regional Development Centre in Dundalk in conjunction with Invent at Dublin City University.

Phase 2 brings together 15 ambitious start-ups from Louth, Monaghan, Meath, Cavan and North Dublin with a single vision - to grow and scale a business that will trade internationally.

Over the next 6 months the businesses, who operate in a wide range of sectors, some already trading with employees, will receive intensive business training, financial support and mentorship from Enterprise Ireland as well as having full access to the research facilities and expert panels of both DkIT and DCU Invent.

With a total of 53 applications being received, the 15 start ups recruited had to undergo a rigorous selection process to secure their place on the programme. The volume of applications received demonstrates that entrepreneurship is still very much a career path for many in the North East.

The New Frontiers Programme is an excellent platform to develop, test and grow a fledgling start-up idea while also gaining advice and support from mentors, industry experts and peers on the Programme, Enterprise Ireland's Regional Director Aidan McKenna said. I wish each participant every success.

"In many cases, this is the point where many participants take the leap of faith to work full-time on their ideas and fully embark on the entrepreneurial journey. I wish each participant every success and would like to congratulate them on successfully securing a place on Phase 2 of this years Programme.

New Frontiers, which is now in its seventh year, is run nationally in 16 locations across Ireland. To date, the DkIT programme, which is run in collaboration with DCU Invent has supported 263 entrepreneurs assess the viability of their business idea via Phase 1 of the programme, with 63 of those progressing onto Phase 2.

Businesses supported by the programme now export to 59 countries around the globe.The internationally acclaimed Louth Contemporary Music Society are bringing a much-anticipated music festival titled 'The Book of Hours' to Dundalk from June 22nd to June 23rd.

Book of Hours is a music festival devoted to beautiful, profound music by contemporary composers from across the globe.

The original Book of Hours was a collection of prayers and private devotions, the lay persons way of following the Divine Office of the monasteries.

Most often associated with wealthy Roman Catholics in the Middle Ages, Books of Hours were remarkably varied. Kings and queens owned personally commissioned sets, illuminated in gold leaf, while paper versions were sold to merchants, and gifted to housewives, and children. Collections would be annotated, amended, handed down to generation after generation.

No two Books of Hours were alike, but the function remained the same: to illuminate the day with moments of the divine.

Over two days in June, Louth Contemporary Music Society aims to do just that with its own Book of Hours, a music festival devoted to beautiful, profound music by contemporary composers from across the globe.

As well as new works from Salvatore Sciarrino (Italy) Gerard Pesson (France), and Michael Pisaro (USA), the festival will also spotlight contemporary female composers, including new works from Karen Tanaka (Japan), Galina Grigorjeva (Estonia/Ukraine), Linda Buckley (Ireland) and Rebecca Saunders (UK/Germany), with Tanaka and Pisaro travelling to Ireland for the first time to hear their music performed.

A truly international music festival, it will feature five concerts over the two days including Arvo Part's sublime Stabat Mater, Gavin Bryars' iconic and deeply moving Jesus blood never failed me yet, plus Linda Buckley's hauntingly beautiful work Revelavit, Wolfgang Von Schweinitzs KLANG and selections from the works of Hildegard Von Bingen.

The festival opens on Friday with the presentation of the prestigious Belmont Prize for Contemporary Music by Gabriele Forberg-Schneider of the Forberg-Schneider-Stiftung to Eamonn Quinn, Artistic Director of Louth Contemporary Music Society. The Belmont Prize honours innovation, daring, and courage in music and is awarded every two years. It is one of Europes largest artistic awards, with a prize of 20,000. Previous winners include composer and clarinetist Jorg Widmann, pianist Marino Formenti, New Yorker music critic Alex Ross, and violinist Carolin Widmann.



FRIDAY 22 JUNE 2018

Belmont Prize Ceremony

7.30pm, The Oriel Centre at Dundalk Gaol

Presentation of the prestigious Belmont Prize for Contemporary Music by Gabriele Forberg-Schneider of the Forberg-Schneider-Stiftung to Eamonn Quinn, Artistic Director of Louth Contemporary Music Society.

Night Prayer

8pm, The Oriel Centre at Dundalk Gaol



Gothic Voices will perform a programme of mediaeval and contemporary works in the intimate setting of Dundalk Gaol. Karen Tanaka, Linda Buckley and Michael Pisaro have all written new works to mark the occasion. The programme will open with the numinous beauty of Linda Buckleys Revelavit.

Tickets 10 available from www.eventbrite.ie



SATURDAY 23 JUNE 2018

Morning Prayer

1pm, The Chapel, St. Vincents School, Jocelyn St Dundalk



The Flemish string trio Goeyvaerts Trio will play a beautiful programme of Wolfgang Von Schweinitzs hallucinatory work for string trio and

ring modulator, KLANG auf Schon Berg La Monte Young in Just Intonation tuning. This promises to be a magical transportive concert in a beautiful resonant setting.

Tickets Free but attendees are asked to register www.eventbrite.ie



Daytime prayer

3pm in Dundalk Gaol

The incredibly talented and internationally lauded composer Rebecca Saunders comes to Louth for the first time for a specially curated performance of her music including the world premiere of her James Joyce inspired work, O, Yes & I. The performers include Carol Robinson, Juliet Fraser, Helen Bledsoe and Severine Ballon

Tickets Free but attendees are asked to register www.eventbrite.ie



Evening Prayer

5pm in St.Nicholas Church of Ireland, Dundalk

This concert features the world premiere of a new work by Salvatore Sciarrino for solo flute, performed by the incredible Matteo Cesari, one of Sciarrinos closest collaborators. Additionally the programme will feature the piano music of Gerard Pesson, performed by Pascale Berthelot including the world premiere of a new work for piano.

Tickets Free but attendees are asked to register www.eventbrite.ie

Night Prayer II

8pm in St.Nicholas Church of Ireland Dundalk

Saturdays evening concert ends the festival with Arvo Parts 1985 work, Stabat Mater, performed here in Just Intonation tuning by the Goeyvaerts Ensemble, adding new shining depths to this spare, devotional masterpiece. Additionally the Ensemble will also perform a new LCMS commission, Chant, from Galina Grigorjeva. Severine Ballon also performs Karen Tanakas gorgeous The Song of Songs. The concert ends with a version of Gavin Bryars' haunting, ethereal Jesus Blood, the UK composer leading a festival ensemble  including young musicians from Music Generation Louth  in a perfect end to the festival.

Tickets 10 available from www.eventbrite.ie



Additionally Kate Molleson will interview a number of the composers at 7pm in the side chapel of St. Nicholas Church of Ireland.

Funded by the Arts Council, Create Louth, Forberg-Schneider-Stiftung and Ernst von Siemens Music FoundationAustralian education technology company, OpenLearning, has reached a massive milestone. The company recently completed an $8.5M series A capital raise, valuing the company at $33.5M, and bringing its total funding to $13.7M since it launched five years ago.

Led by two public listed Malaysian companies, Prestariang Berhad, Malaysias technology and talent platform innovator, and Paramount Corporation Berhad, a top tier education and property company, and backed by a number of Australian investors, including its chairman, Clive Mayhew, Robin and Susan Yandle, Telstras Muru-D, former CEO of Zip Industries, Michael Lee, and local angel investors.

CEO, Adam Brimo, said the capital raise was testament to OpenLearnings proven track record and validates the OpenLearning platforms ability to improve student learning outcomes, increase student engagement, attract off-campus students and generate new revenue for universities and vocational colleges.

This funding will enable OpenLearning to solidify its position in Australia and Malaysia, and launch new products and services for our 1.3 million students, 38 university partners and 36 vocational education providers, while we look to expand into more countries in Southeast Asia, said Brimo.

OpenLearning provides higher education institutions with a full-service solution that includes its social learning platform, expertise in designing online courses and a global marketplace for attracting new students.

I would like to personally thank our entire team and our early investors for their hard work, passion and dedication to building an innovative learning platform and an impact-driven company that is solving the fundamental challenges in higher education: access and quality. Were honoured to have the support of visionary Australian and Malaysian investors who understand the opportunity for education technology in the region, said Brimo.

As Australias third largest export, international students contribute about $28 billion to the Australian economy each year.

OpenLearnings chairman, Clive Mayhew, welcomed the new investors .

Its so pleasing to see Australian based technology companies expanding overseas both operationally and through its investor base. OpenLearning has always been a global provider, by adding overseas investors contributes to this global focus and positions us well for the next level of growth, said Mayhew.

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What we do about fake news today could have a major impact on our future. Two new initiatives -- a concerted effort by Apple and a massive educational effort called the "Pro-Truth Pledge" -- could help eliminate much of the fake news BS that is really messing up the United States at the moment.

On another front, President Donald Trump's plan to meet with Kim Jong-un, the supreme leader of North Korea, reminds me a bit too much of a pivotal meeting between Carly Fiorina, who was CEO of HP at the time, and Steve Jobs, who was then CEO of Apple. Fiorina and HP were badly damaged by that encounter, and I'm more than a little worried that something similar could happen to Trump and the U.S.

I'll close with my product of the week: the new second-generation Ryzen processor from AMD.

Fake News

It amazes me how incredibly gullible most people seem to be at the moment. Some of the stuff ordinary people have been doing literally can be suicidal. Take the avoidance of vaccinations, for instance, which sprang from theories that have been debunked. I wonder how much resistance to immunizations may have contributed to the latest flu epidemic, when some schools closed for days at a time because so many students and teachers got sick.

Or consider the insane raw water trend. This hit home because I had to be walked out of the mountains while on survival training after drinking from a stream and getting both really bad dysentery and an infection that could have cost me a foot. The stuff appears to be the latest fad in Silicon Valley at the moment.

For some perspective, watch this clip about raw water -- and listen closely to the background discussion between the supporter and the detractor. This is from The Daily Show, so it is also funny -- until you realize raw water really could make someone sick or possibly even kill a person with a compromised immune system.

Another trend rolling through the valley is based on the meritocracy concept. Intel's CEO is a big believer, but he isn't alone. It seems really intelligent until you look it up and find out that the term isn't related to good management practices but instead is meant as a satirical reference to an idiotic practice in the 1950s. Annoying for me is the fact that meritocracy has been undoing much of the progress toward eliminating forced ranking by replacing it with yet another abusive system that only weakens the firms that practice it.

One of the key takeaways from the book Technically Wrong is that meritocracy has been destroying tech firms -- and the quality of their products. Basically, it is used by people in power to justify misuse of that power.

The mount of false information being handed to the public has reached insane levels. Check out this chart that compares the current president's lies to the previous president's. Even if President Obama's lies were undercounted, as PolitiFact suggests, the people are never the winners in a competition like this.

Our country already fought one war based on a lie. There were no WMDs in Iraq, and the Bush administration tried to cover that up so aggressively that it outed its own CIA agent, as the recent Scooter Libby pardon reminded us.

Every time I consider the subject of fake news, I recall this scene in A Few Good Men. The death of a serviceman was being obstructed by false evidence based on the belief that we can't handle the truth. This has become so bad in Silicon Valley that there is real concern that some have drifted away from reality completely.

Apple's Move

Part of the problem with fake news is the combination of declining revenues to news services with a near-rabid focus on getting clicks. There is so much clickbait out there that it has become almost impossible to avoid it. The only way to correct this, it seems, is to create a paid service with a focus on truth.

Apple has been working on curating a set of news services that have been maintaining a comparatively high level of journalistic integrity. However, the big element is to condition consumers to pay for news again, so that the quality of the content is the overriding driver -- not getting users to click on a piece in the ever-more-desperate hope that they also will read and act on an ad.

Is it an absolute fix? No. Even these news services have been fooled from time to time. Still, Apple has put its significant brand behind it, and I think it's a step in the right direction.

The Pro-Truth Pledge

The Pro-Truth Pledge is a far bigger effort that is also more grassroots. It asks all of us to make a pledge to cite sources, check facts, and stop being a major part of the problem. Ceated by a group of social scientists, the effort is organized by a group of nonpartisan volunteers and connected to the Rational Politics project (a group of folks fighting post-truth politics).

The concept is based on some interesting published behavioral science research that determined that existing methods of ensuring truth in politics don't work.

Trust in mainstream media has dropped, while trust in social media has increased. This is so bad that during the last election the top 20 fake stories were far more widely shared than the top 20 true stories. That reflected our collective move toward fooling ourselves aggressively.

One reason I think Facebook, Google, and other sources of fake news eventually will be nationalized is because they have been able to mislead us so easily. This fake news proliferation on social media has gotten so bad, as this BFSR study showcases, that it necessitated the creation of the Pro-Truth Pledge as a national-level intervention.

The pledge asks folks to commit to 12 behaviors:

Verify: Fact-check information to confirm it is true before accepting and sharing it.

Balance: Share the whole truth, even if some aspects do not support my opinion.

Cite: Share my sources so that others can verify my information.

Clarify: Distinguish between my opinion and the facts.

Acknowledge: Acknowledge when others share true information, even when we disagree otherwise.

Reevaluate: Reevaluate if my information is challenged, retract it if I cannot verify it.

Defend: Defend others when they come under attack for sharing true information, even when we disagree otherwise.

Align: Align my opinions and my actions with true information.

Fix: Ask people to retract information that reliable sources have disproved even if they are my allies.

Educate: Compassionately inform those around me to stop using unreliable sources even if these sources support my opinion.

Defer: Recognize the opinions of experts as more likely to be accurate when the facts are disputed.

Celebrate: Celebrate those who retract incorrect statements and update their beliefs toward the truth.

An effective way to address confirmation bias, according to the BFSR paper, is to have people research a position they agree on. Requiring them to use references opens the door to their discovering for themselves that their false belief lacks foundation, which encourages them to change their minds.

On the Pro-Truth Pledge site, there is an interesting section under the heading "What is the Impact of the Pro-Truth Pledge?" The response highlights the methods used to change the minds of influencers by helping them debunk for themselves the fake news that previously fooled them. It's an interesting read.

This reminds me of one of my favorite books, True Enough: Learning to Live in a Post-Fact Society, by Farhad Manjoo. It does a better job than most, pointing out just how often we aggressively help fool ourselves and how often and painfully our leaders are fooled. It is a really interesting read.

Wrapping Up: Trump and Jong-un

We are surrounded by fake news, and the president appears to believe a lot of it. A major upcoming event, a planned summit meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un, reminds me of a meeting that took place years ago between Carly Fiorina and Steve Jobs under somewhat similar conditions. (I got the inside story from HP after the fact.)

Jobs had gotten wind that HP had an MP3 player that was as good as or better than the iPod. He called Fiorina with an offer: Rather than take a risk on your own product, license the iPod and sell it instead. (Apple never does that.) Jobs promised to grant Fiorina a series of concessions in exchange for HP staying out of the market for five years. Those concessions never were granted, the HP iPod failed, and Apple continued to dominate the segment. Jobs effectively took Fiorina to the cleaners because she didn't see the lie.

President Trump has been desperate for some good news. Jong-un has been hinting at promising something he never promised before, and North Korea historically has had issues with keeping promises. I think this is the same pattern that undid Fiorina -- but the result this time, rather than a crippled HP, could be a crippled U.S.

It might help if the folks in the White House were to take the Pro-Truth Pledge and follow its 12 steps in advance of the meeting. I'm not holding my breath, though, and I am starting to wonder if I should prepare for nuclear winter.

By the way, as I was finishing this, I ran into a story about how researchers at George Mason University have come up with a plan for a fake news vaccination. Anyone know how to sign up the president?

It is fascinating that as Intel's CEO has driven the company into decline, at least with regard to influence (here's one example), the efforts of AMD's CEO have helped it to rise. This provides a sharp contrast between two executives that could help ensure that boards make better CEO choices in the future.

In this leadership gap, AMD has launched a new processor that by itself is as good as anything Intel has. With AMD's superior graphics, it is far better than anything Intel can do without Nvidia's help.

2nd Gen AMD Ryzen Processor

The AMD Second Generation Ryzen is wrapped with a set of cool features that appeal to system builders like myself in particular. One of the most interesting is a feature that automatically speeds up the processor when you put on a better cooler. Another allows you to overclock with protections that effectively prevent a black screen. Finally, there is a feature that allows you to use a large, cheap magnetic drive along with a small SSD to get disk performance that rivals an SSD at a far lower cost.

I still love my PCs, and this new Ryzen part represents a decent performance and feature jump in the family. However, it also represents a legitimate alternative to Intel, which under its current CEO, has become a bad actor. We have choice. I think it's best to choose from firms that want to do us good rather than harm. AMD is in the former category, and Intel is in the latter right now, so as a result, the new Second Generation Ryzen is my product of the week.

Rob Enderle has been an ECT News Network columnist since 2003. His areas of interest include AI, autonomous driving, drones, personal technology, emerging technology, regulation, litigation, M&E, and technology in politics. He has an MBA in human resources, marketing and computer science. He is also a certified management accountant. Enderle currently is president and principal analyst of the Enderle Group, a consultancy that serves the technology industry. He formerly served as a senior research fellow at Giga Information Group and Forrester. Email Rob.



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Facebook and other social networks appear to have crossed the line with respect to privacy and censorship. Facebook has been accused of helping one side while hiding the other side in many important debates. It has been accused of exposing the personal information of its users, violating their privacy. These perceptions are problems that must be fixed. What's the next step? How can we go from the status quo to living under rules that everyone will accept?

That depends largely on whether those who write the rules really understand the problems from every point of view -- users and companies, right and left. However, it's possible that nothing much really will happen. The controversy may quiet down, and these issues may disappear under all the other noise of the industry.

The latest Facebook circus seemed to end with CEO Mark Zuckerberg's congressional testimony, which was very interesting to watch. It was fascinating to see Zuckerberg describe how Facebook works, to acknowledge some of the far-reaching problems that needed to be solved, and to express his company's desire to play a role in that process.

It was quite evident from the questions they asked that many members of Congress were confused about some of the basics. A number of them asked questions that revealed they had no idea what Facebook or other social media companies were, much less what they do.

It was clear that those elected officials were not heavy Internet users. How can we expect the U.S. Congress to craft legislation to save us from problems like invasions of privacy and censorship if they don't understand many of the issues surrounding modern technology?

Let Facebook Help Write New Rules

Perhaps the social networks themselves should play a key role in determining how to protect users' privacy and avoid censorship. The aim is not to hurt the growth of social networking companies -- it's just to make their offerings fair and safe for every user. Their participation is one slice of the rule-making pie.

I do believe the executives who run the social networks are good people. I also believe they are vitally interested in protecting the growth potential of their companies. However, we all look at the world through one prism or another. The problem is that what one thinks is right and good is wrong and bad in the view of someone else.

Social Media's Explosive Growth

I want company executives to participate, but I also want the involvement of intelligent and unbiased third parties who understand the industry. The companies must be free to innovate and grow. Users must be free from censorship and guaranteed privacy. Both sides are important.

Users' rights have been abused -- something that should not occur in America. One side should not be able to exercise undue influence in an effort to control the way we think. We need a balance of ideas in the public square if we are to continue to succeed going forward.

The social media sector is still new. It has been around only for a decade, yet it has seen an explosion of growth and change. There were no social media companies prior to a decade ago. Today, there are more than we can count.

What will social media look like 10 years from now? It will be very different. To have a good tomorrow, we must make sure we protect user privacy and eliminate censorship today.

Protecting Privacy and Avoiding Censorship

It's great the way social media weaves us all together and lets us communicate in new ways with people we never would have been in contact with before -- either around the block or on the other side of the country or the world.

Artificial intelligence offers one possibility for addressing social media's problems, but it must be developed without bias. Even AI can be a problem if its behavior is programmed by people who lean one way or the other.

If AI can be completely objective, then it might be a solution. Once it is implemented -- and that won't be for a while -- we'll need to make sure it can't be hijacked by one side of a debate. Keeping AI neutral will be an ongoing challenge that we'll have to meet with checks and balances.

Changing Sides

As people grow and mature, it's natural to change sides about some issues. When I was 20 years old, I thought about the world differently than I did at 40. That's one reason it's important not to shut down one way of thinking. It's important to listen to both sides and adapt at your own pace.

Remember, we all think we are right. However, those on the other side think they are right too. Who is the judge? That's the problem. There is no answer -- just debate. That's the way it always has been.

Social networks can be great at creating a local, regional, national or worldwide stage for an ongoing debate. They can provide a way for us to improve the world by understanding each other better.

Looking forward, we have a lot of ground to cover. While social networks are great, we need to fix the problem areas and keep them neutral and safe. We need to protect users from loss of privacy and from the imposition of censorship.

We are at the beginning of a long trek with no endpoint. If we are lucky, we will find a path that will lead to continuing protection for users and continued growth for companies.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ECT News Network.

Jeff Kagan has been an ECT News Network columnist since 2010. His focus is on the wireless and telecom industries. He is an independent analyst, consultant and speaker. Email Jeff.

When researchers set out to investigate the structure, growth and age of Africa's iconic baobab treesthe largest and longest-living flowering trees in the worldthey received a devastating surprise. Many of the oldest, largest baobabs were dead or dying.

The final study, published in Nature Plants Monday, reported that nine of the 13 oldest and five of the six largest African baobabs had entirely or partly died during the research period from 2005 to 2017. The oldest was 2,500 years old.

"It is definitely shocking and dramatic to experience during our lifetime the demise of so many trees with millennial ages," study co-author Adrian Patrut of the Babes-Bolyai University in Romania told AFP.

The researchers studied every known large African baobab in Africa, on islands off its coast or outside Africa for a total of more than 60 trees. All of the dying trees were found in the southern African countries of Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Namibia.

Baobabs survive the dry Savannah by storing water in their large trunks, but researchers thought conditions were now getting too dry even for them.

The cause of the trees' deaths was unknown, but was not attributed to disease, and the deaths of the oldest trees coincided with an uptick in mortality in other mature baobabs. The researchers therefore hypothesized that the impact of climate change on Southern Africa was to blame.

"We suspect this is associated with increased temperature and drought," Patrut told BBC News.

The researchers also found that baobabs are always multi-stemmed: They grow new stems as they age the way other trees sprout branches. Of the endangered old and large trees, four had seen all stems collapse and topple entirely, while six had seen only some of their stems collapse and die.

The report also memorialized the oldest, largest and most famous trees to die.

The oldest, Panke, was a sacred tree in Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe. At around 2,500 years old, it was not only the oldest baobab, but the oldest angiosperm, or flowering tree, in the world.

The largest, the Platland tree or Sunland baobab, was also probably the most visited and promoted tree in Africa. It had a total wood volume of 501 cubic meters (approximately 17,692.6 cubic feet) and was also the largest angiosperm. It was located in the Limpopo province of South Africa.

The most famous, the Chapman baobab, was located in Botswana's Makgadikgadi Pans. It was named for South African hunter James Chapman who visited it in 1852.

Baobabs are important to the ecosystems and cultures of Southern Africa. They provide nesting sites for birds, according to BBC News, and AFP reported that both animals and humans eat their fruit. Humans also boil their leaves for food and medicine and use the bark for rope, baskets, hats and cloth, AFP noted.A new industry is taking off in Alaska, as innovators help oil companies compensate for the irony that climate change is making oil exploration harder on the increasingly less frozen permafrost, NPR reported Monday.

Ed Yarmak, for example, heads a company called Arctic Foundations that makes metal tubes filled with a refrigerant called thermosyphons. These are then partly buried in permafrost, where they pull heat from the ground.

"To be honest, climate change is pretty good business for our company," Yarmak told NPR. "We're in the business of making things colder."

Yarmak said he had been selling the tubes to oil companies since the 1970s, but that business has only picked up with global warming, which is moving at double the speed in Alaska as it is in the rest of the country, according to NPR.

Josh Kindred, who worked representing oil companies for the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, acknowledged the contradictions of the oil companies' predicament, victims of a problem their actions helped to cause.

"It is ironic, and it's challenging for a state that is so dependent on resource extraction but is also really feeling the impacts of climate change," Kindred said.

Kindred said Alaska was too reliant on oil revenue to consider stopping operations.

But many oil companies are hesitant to admit that climate change is posing problems. Companies NPR reached out to for comment chose not to be interviewed.

Warming temperatures cause challenges for the industry because it builds pipelines and buildings on top of permafrost, and those structures become less stable when that permafrost melts.

"[T]he doors start to stick, the sheet rock cracks, the floor isn't level any more. Things aren't the way that they planned them," Yarmak explained.

Structural integrity isn't the only thing threatened by melting permafrost. Global warming also means the tundra is freezing two months later than it did in the 1980s, and companies aren't allowed to build the ice roads needed to transport equipment for exploration until the ground is frozen.

Brian Shumaker has developed a way for companies to get the most exploration time possible. He created a thermometer that can be stuck into the permafrost and attached to a solar-powered box that sends temperature readings to the Internet via satellite, so that oil companies can move as soon as they know the ground is cold enough. He sells them through his company Beaded Stream.

"Usually with our technology we can get folks out there days to weeks early," Shumaker told NPR. "It translates into huge cost savings."By Dan Zukowski

When searing black lava from fissure 8 slid into the Pacific Ocean at Kapoho Bay on June 3, it had been five weeks since the collapse of the Pu'u 'O'o crater, along the eastern rift zone of the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island. Toxic, acid-laden steam billowed high above boiling waves. Within 36 hours, the bay became paved over by lava, creating a new coastline almost a mile out and destroying shallow-water coral reefs and tidepools.

"It's been an absolute loss," said marine biologist Misaki Takabayashi of the University of Hawaii at Hilo. The area was popular with snorkelers for its easy access and intense beauty. Takabayashi described the view as floating above a colorful coral reef set against stark black basalt. "When people would go, they were in awe," she told me.

The name Kapoho derives from the Hawaiian word poho, meaning a depression or hollow. Those dips in the seafloor created the Wai'opae Tidepools, part of which were protected by the state as a Marine Life Conservation District. Takabayashi's team had been studying those for 12 years. They are now gone as well.

Pu'u 'O'o, 2,300 feet up on Kilauea, has been erupting continuously since 1983, delighting tourists and repeatedly inundating landscapes and communities downstream with destructive lava flows. The current event has been associated with some 12,000 earthquakes, the largest a 6.9-magnitude shaker on May 4. More than 20 separate fissures in the Earth have opened.

Kilauea is the prime attraction of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that saw more than 2 million visitors last year. Now, most of the park is closed indefinitely.

Park roads are cracked and covered with ash from eruptions that have shot up 10,000-foot-high plumes. The Hawaii Volcano Observatory, Jagger Museum and emergency operations center have all experienced considerable earthquake damage. The entire park is without running water.

It's too dangerous near the crater for park staff to go out and monitor the impacts on wildlife and native plants. Rhonda Loh, chief of natural resources management for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, responded to my questions by email. "There's potential for impact to all birds from ash and volcanic gases. Respiratory issues are a concern, as are impacts to food resources from ash."

Among the worries is the endangered nene, also known as the Hawaiian goose, the official state bird. Hawaiian honeycreeper birds, rare Ka'u silversword plants, and native 'ohi'a and koa forests may also be at risk. Nesting season for the nene has passed, so they may have moved away from the ash plume, Loh said.

Another concern are the indigenous white-tailed tropicbirds (koa'ekea), which nest in the crater walls at Halema'uma'u. "On May 25, as many as 25 koa'ekea were counted flying around the billowing gray ash cloud at Halema'uma'u following large ash explosions triggered by a shallow magnitude 4.0 earthquake," Loh said. Spring being mating and nesting season, these birds could still be parenting their eggs and chicks. "But it's hard to say for certain," she added.

Outside the national park, habitat destruction has come from ashfall, lava flows, and wildfires sparked by burning lava.

Green Lake, a 400-year-old freshwater lake in Kapoho, evaporated in just a few hours on June 2. "That was a very nice lowland, freshwater pool area, so it undoubtedly was housing some native species," said David Smith, an administrator with the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. "The lava just poured straight into it and filled it up."

The path of destruction continued into the 1,514-acre Malama Ki Forest Reserve. As much as two-thirds of the reserve has been hit by lava flows and fires. "It was a fairly unique lowland native forest," Smith explained.

Lava fountains erupt from fissure 8, sending a river of molten rock seven miles down to the ocean. U.S. Geological Survey

A June 6 explosion within the Halema'uma'u crater sent ash and gas 10,000 feet above sea level. U.S. Geological Survey

Laze plumes rise from the lava delta that has formed over Kapoho Bay. U.S. Geological Survey

The Hawaii 'amakihi and 'apapane, two species of honeycreepers, called the forest home. Although neither are endangered species, these lowland populations possessed an unusual ability to resist avian malaria and avian pox, diseases spread by nonnative mosquitoes. Upland populations of these same birds often succumb. A press release from the natural resources department stated that these disease-resistant subpopulations "may no longer persist, rapidly decline, or become further fragmented and/or contract in range."



The eruption came with risks to human health and property as well. More than 600 homes have been lost, making this latest event Hawaii's most destructive in modern times. Communities have been wiped out and others severely damaged. The towering gray plumes rising from the volcano contain sulfur dioxide. When it reacts with sunlight, oxygen and water, it creates vog, which can cause respiratory problems.

Laze (lava haze) forms when molten lava meets seawater, as in Kapoho Bay. The reaction creates hydrochloric acid and tiny slivers of volcanic glass, which is present in the steam columns rising from the water. Laze can irritate skin and eyes and cause breathing difficulties.

The leading edge of the lava flow in the ocean is now nearly a mile wide, said the U.S. Geological Survey in a June 8 media call. It was a habitat for Hawaiian green sea turtles, a genetically distinct species. Hawaii News Now reporter Mileka Lincoln reported seeing dead fish and sea turtles floating on the water on June 6.

Many Hawaiians see the hand of Madame Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes, at work. It is "she who shapes the sacred land." And, as David Smith reminded me, "It seems harsh, but it's part of a continual renewal process. It's how the Hawaiian Islands are formed."

No one knows how long this eruption will last. When it does calm down, officials from Hawaii's natural resources department, scientists from the National Park Service, and researchers from the University of Hawaii will get to work evaluating the changes wrought by Madame Pele.

Speaking of what was once Kapoho Bay, Misaki Takabayashi told me, "The land is brand-new, and there will be another coral reef soon enough." Still, she looks at the role humans will play in this. "We are very much a part of the landscape, and we have responsibilities to take care of the next coral reef that's going to sprout out of this."

Reposted with permission from our media associate SIERRA Magazine.ExxonMobil and Plains All American Pipeline announced Tuesday a joint pursuit to construct a multi-billion dollar pipeline that will transport more than 1 million barrels of crude oil and condensate per day from the oil-rich Permian Basin to the Texas Gulf Coast, the Houston Chronicle reported.

The proposed pipeline will stretch hundreds of miles from both Wink and Midland, Texas to delivery points in Webster, Baytown and Beaumont, Texas, a news release from the companies stated.

Despite governments around the world enacting measures to reduce carbon emissions to help fight climate change, the latest oil market forecast from the International Energy Agency (IEA) makes it clear that the world is yet to turn its back on fossil fuels.

Production in the Permian shale field in western Texas has been booming. According IEA's Oil 2018 forecast, global oil production capacity is expected to grow by 6.4 million barrels a day (mb/d) to reach 107 mb/d by 2023. Much of that growth is led by the U.S. due to oil produced from fracking the Permian, where output is expected to double by 2023.

However, there is currently not enough pipeline capacity to retrieve Permian oil, causing regional oil prices to deflate.

But that bottleneck has opened up opportunities for pipeline developers in the region. Exxon said in January it plans triple Permian production to 600,000 oil-equivalent barrels by 2025, and spend more than $2 billion on transportation infrastructure to support its Permian operations.

Houston-based Plains All American Pipeline is investing $1.6 billion in Permian expansions, but other pipelines are also in the works, according to Motley Fool. Epic Midstream has proposed a 440,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) crude oil pipeline in the region, so has Magellan Midstream Partners, which has proposed a 600,000 bpd pipeline.By Terri Hansen

The Supreme Court affirmed the treaty rights of tribal nations in Washington state Monday in a case that also confirms the treaty rights of tribes throughout the West. By ruling to leave in place a lower court decision mandating that the state of Washington replace salmon blocking culverts with passable ones, the court upheld the treaty rights of tribes to have sustained access to their First Foods: salmon.

The tribes in Washington state are rejoicing.

"It's a fantastic day for Indian country," Willie Frank, the son of Billy Frank Jr., said this morning. Billy Frank Jr. was the Nisqually activist whose activism helped bring about the landmark Boldt Decision which, in 1974, reaffirmed the rights of tribes in Washington state to harvest salmon and co-manage them alongside state managers. More than 50 years later, his son Frank said the recent court decision helped build on the legacy of that original ruling.

"It's a great day for our salmon, our tribes, and our treaty rights," he said. "In 2018 the Supreme Court still recognizes that our treaties are the supreme law of the land. It's not just a piece of paper that was signed in 1855. We never gave up these rights. We reserved these rights in exchange for most of the land in western Washington."

The justices tied 4-4 in affirming a Ninth Circuit Court ruling in favor of the tribes in a case that has been brewing since 2001, with treaty tribes in western Washington and the Yakama Nation in eastern Washington challenging the state to remove or repair impassable road culverts that block salmon from returning to their historic spawning habitat.

The main question, however, was whether treaties signed in 1854 and 1855 guaranteed there would always be enough fish to provide 21 western Washington tribes with a "moderate living." The Ninth Circuit Court gave a qualified "yes" to the question, and now, the Supreme Court has affirmed that decision.

"Today's ruling shows that our treaties are living documents," Lorraine Loomis, chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission said in a statement. "They are just as valid today as the day they were signed."

The 21 tribal governments had based their culverts case on a 1997 report prepared by the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife and the state Department of Transportation that said: "Fish passage at human made barriers such as road culverts is one of the most recurrent and correctable obstacles to healthy salmonid stocks in Washington."

But Washington's attorney general Bob Ferguson had argued to the Supreme Court that the tribal governments failed to make "any specific showing that those culverts have significantly diminished fish runs or tribal fisheries, or that replacing them will meaningfully improve runs."

He also argued the Ninth Circuit decision would force state taxpayers to pay for problems largely created by the federal government and would not benefit salmon. He said the state had no "treaty-based duty to avoid blocking salmon-bearing streams." The Ninth Circuit disagreed, stating: "The Indians did not understand the Treaties to promise that they would have access to their usual and accustomed fishing places, but with a qualification that would allow the government to diminish or destroy the fish runs."

Today is a great day for salmon, tribes, treaty rights and everyone who lives in western Washington, Loomis said. "We honor the wisdom of our ancestors who signed the treaties and those like Billy Frank Jr., who fought so hard for the survival of the salmon and for our treaty-reserved rights to be upheld."

Loomis said the ruling means more salmon for everyone. "It will open hundreds of miles of high quality salmon habitat that will produce hundreds of thousands more salmon annually for harvest by Indians and non-Indians."

Frank said that the tribe's stewardship of the salmon and the waters and natural resourcesstewardship that includes fighting this court casebenefits everyone, both humans and nonhumans, in western Washington. This includes the orcas who rely on salmon and whose numbers are dwindling because of the loss of some populations of salmon in the state, he said.

"Today's decision marks seven generations of conflict in our struggle to fully exercise and protect the Pacific Northwest salmon resource the way our ancestors envisioned when they signed the treaties and ceded millions of acres of land across Washington," Fawn Sharp, president of the Quinault Indian Nation said.

"It is my prayer and sincere hope we can now rise above a century and a half of conflict, litigation, bloodshed, and heartbreak toward a new chapter of political, cultural, and environmental justice and reconciliation for the benefit of all of Washington," she said.

Reposted with permission from our media associate YES! Magazine.The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced it found the largest continuous oil and gas deposit ever discovered in the U.S. The Wolfcamp shale sits in West Texas and contains 20 billion barrels of oil and 16 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

Map of the Midland Base and Wolfcamp shale site. USGS

According to the USGS, technically recoverable oil in the Wolfcamp shaleusing modern-day horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturingcould yield three times as much as the Bakken Shale in North Dakota.

The Wolfcamp shale, in the Permian Basin, alone could supply the entire petroleum needs in the U.S. for nearly three years. The U.S. is already the world's largest petroleum and natural gas producer.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), "In today's oil world, anybody who can produce oil sells as much as possible for whatever price can be achieved." U.S. natural gas production is expected to grow to more than 40 trillion cubic feet by 2040, double the 2010 volume.

Projected U.S. natural gas production. U.S. Energy Information Administration

Despite current low oil prices, oil companies are engaged in a land rush to lock up acreage in the Permian Basin, which spreads across West Texas and parts of New Mexico. Its unique geological structure allows for very long horizontal drills. Some are already nearly two miles out from the wellhead, and more, possibly longer drills are planned. The record is a well in Ohio with a lateral drill 3.5 miles long.



The Permian is currently producing two million barrels of oil a day and has as many active oil rigs as the rest of the U.S. combined. There are already 3,000 horizontal wells drilled in the Wolfcamp shale, and that is expected to grow following the release of the new USGS numbers.

But, not everyone is happy about this new discovery.

Filmmaker Josh Fox told EcoWatch, "This is not good news for anyone except people who wish to rush the demise of civilization due to global warming. If the USGS discovered underground millions of rabid red ants, or zombies waiting to be unearthed to eat human flesh, or a dormant volcano underneath Manhattan the implication would be that we should definitely keep those things safely in the ground. That's exactly what we have to do with this oil if we don't want climate change to destroy the future."

Alan Septoff of Earthworks agrees. "This announcement is bad news on three fronts," he said. "First, because it signals the endangerment of one of Texas's most special places, Balmorhea Springs, which are fed by groundwater endangered by fracking. Second, because we know we can't extract previously announced oil reserves without guaranteeing catastrophic climate change. And third, because it suggests another boom bust cycle seen around the countrywhere the boom benefits shareholders the most and the bust hurts the community the most."

Texas isn't the only place where more drilling is planned.

The federal Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program is currently in development on its next five-year plan, covering 2017-2022. The draft plan currently calls for 10 leases in the Gulf of Mexico, where the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster released 4.9 million barrels in 2010.



Three sites in Alaska are included in the draft plan: Cook Inlet, Beaufort Sea and Chuckchi Sea. But, with a more fossil-fuel friendly administration coming to Washington, oil companies are looking to exploit even more of the 49th state, including the environmentally-sensitive Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

All of this runs up against the global carbon budget. A study published in Nature determined that a third of the world's oil reserves and half of its gas reserves need to stay unused in order to meet the target of 2 degrees Celsius of warming. "We show that development of resources in the Arctic and any increase in unconventional oil production are incommensurate with efforts to limit average global warming to 2 C," wrote the London-based researchers.

In support of those finding, the Sierra Club, 350.org, Greenpeace and many other organizations launched the "Keep It in the Ground" campaign to "avoid the worst impacts of climate change."

"The fact is, oil corporations will have to use increasingly extreme and dangerous methods to get at fossil fuels that no one will need," Greenpeace researcher Jesse Coleman told EcoWatch. "On top of that, scientists say the climate can't handle the carbon pollution these extreme extraction projects would produce. Spending capital and resources on these 'new' fossil projects doesn't make sense any way you cut it."



Methane emissions and other pollutants are also a concern from increased extraction of oil and gas. According to the Texas Observer, "Every hour, natural gas facilities in North Texas' Barnett Shale region emit thousands of tons of methanea greenhouse gas at least 20 times more potent than carbon dioxideand a slate of noxious pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and benzene. The Aliso Canyon leak was big. The Barnett leaks, combined, are even bigger."

With increased drilling, west Texans may experience more than just increased oil and gas production. A study released in September proved the link between wastewater injection from fracking operations and a series of earthquakes that struck Texas between 2012 and 2013.

In January, 11 earthquakes struck Irving, Texas, in 24 hours. On Nov. 6, a 5.0-magnitude earthquake shook the oil hub town of Cushing, Oklahoma, damaging buildings and causing evacuations.

"Instead of blindly allowing destructive fracking to continue in our communities, we should extend statewide fracking bans, like the one in New York, and moratoriums, like the one in Maryland, that will keep dirty, climate-polluting fossil fuels like fracked gas in the ground and invest in truly clean, renewable sources of energy that don't come with the threat of poisoned drinking water and climate disaster," Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, concluded.(Photo:  Sean Hawkey / WCC)A statue of liberty and a polar bear in a public stunt during the UN climate talks COP21 in Paris in 2015.

Church-backed groups and international Christian organizations have expressed dismay at U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that the United States will withdraw from the Paris accord on climate change saying it flies in the face of Christian values.

Faith groups across the spectrum said the action by Trump is irresponsible and will hit poorer people hard. Trump also rasied the ire of many world leaders and those concerned about the future of planet earth, commiting what amounts to an act of 21st century heresy.

All but two countries, Nicaragua and Syria, signed the agreement. But Trump in making his announcement to the world said the deal puts the United States at a disadvantage.

"The United States will withdraw from the Paris climate accord," Trump said June 1, "but begin negotiations to re-enter either the Paris accord or an entirely new transaction on terms that are fair to the United States."

The Paris accord had several ambitious goals. Signatories agreed to do their part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and keep the world's temperature to just 1.5 degrees Celsius above what it was before industrial production took root.

When the U.S. President met Pope Francis at the Vatican, last week, "it was as if they were members of different species, so far apart in values and style that the actual content of what separated them proved elusive," commented The New Yorker on June 2.

"Francis slyly presented Trump with a gift, though, that...defines their opposition as absolute. The gift was a copy of his encyclical on climate change, 'Laudato Si.' Trump politely promised to read it. Sure," noted the magazine.

"This is a tragedy, missing an opportunity to show real, accountable leadership for the future of humanity and our common home," said World Council of Churches general secretary, Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit.

"This is a decision that is not morally sustainable - and not economically sustainable either. The struggle for climate justice has to continue."

The ACT Alliance, the Lutheran World Federation and the World Council of Churches, are calling for a prioritization of climate justice as US President Donald Trump issues executive order withdrawing the US from the Paris Climate Agreement.

They expressed deep dismay at this development, which goes against global commitments to address climate change.

The three faith Christian bodies actively contributed the development of the Paris agreement, welcomed its outcomes and the commitments of the nations of the world to it.

"Only 18 months ago global leaders welcomed the landmark Paris Climate Agreement for taking into account the immediate needs of countries most severely affected by the impacts of climate change.

"The move by the President of the United States today flies in the face of ethics and Christian values," said Rudelmar Bueno De Faria, ACT Alliance General Secretary.

Lutheran World Federation general secretary, Rev. Martin June said, "Addressing climate change equals protecting human beings, their workplaces and the economies of the world.

The LWF will continue to promote climate justice, as an issue of intergenerational justice, in the conviction that creation is not for sale." says Martin Junge, LWF General Secretary.

As global temperatures continue to rise, severe floods, droughts and superstorms are becoming more and more commonplace. It is the most vulnerable people who are hit first.

The poorest countries will be hit twice more: first by unwillingness to curb US carbon emissions, and then by a planned decrease in climate finance to support people in adapting to the impacts of climate change and towards a transition to clean energy for poor countries.

The implementation of the Paris agreement is the only way for the human family to turn away from the threat of global warming. ACT, LWF and WCC affirm their commitment to climate justice and call on the nations of the world to stand by the commitments of the Paris Agreement.

'DANGEROUS AND MORALLY REPREHENSIBLE'

Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued a statement on behalf of the Reform movement saying the announcement was "an abdication of responsibility to address global climate change and is both physically dangerous and morally reprehensible.

"The decision disregards vitally important environmental efforts to protect both our planet and the population, with consequences that will reverberate for generations," wrote Pesner, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.

"Reneging on the agreement diminishes U.S. leadership and undermines longstanding alliances, placing an undue burden on other nations to address climate change."

American Jewish World Service, which advocates for people in developing nations, said such countries would bear the brunt of the severe storms, flooding, droughts and famine that a scientific consensus regards as the already apparent signs of the effects of man-made global warming.

"The longer the U.S. denies climate change and fails to take responsibility for its outsized contribution to global warming, the greater the risk posed to the entire world, especially the poorest people on Earth," said Robert Bank, president and CEO of AJWS, in a statement.Coroner calls for changes after death of baby



Noble's Hospital

The Coroner of Inquests for the Isle of Man is calling for the Department of Health and Social Care to make a number of changes following the death of a baby.

The nine-month old boy died at the age of nine months after suffering a brain injury through asphyxia at birth.

John Needham told the court that the failures that led to the death amounted to neglect.

The boy was a twin and was born 40 minutes after his sibling, during which time he suffered an acute episode of cerebral hypoxic ischaemia.

Mr Needham said guidelines relating to multiple births weren't followed properly, and that opportunities were missed by the medical team.

The Coroner wants the Department to introduce a checklist for use by staff involved in the labour and delivery of twins, as well as ensuring locum staff have access to hospital policies.

He also wants guidelines to be updated so all deliveries of twins take place in theatre on the labour ward.

Mr Needham added a catch all recommendation, calling for the DHSC to ensure this case isn't forgotten and doesn't happen again regardless of shrinking budgets, cost cutting or staff changes.Rose McGowan is facing up to 10 years in prison for cocaine possession. The actress and activist's legal troubles began in November of last year.

She's Being Targeted For Her Work

Charmed alum McGowan was indicted by a grand jury Monday for possession of a controlled substance, according to court records published online from the state of Virginia.

Her attorney spoke to PEOPLE about the charges, suggesting there may be something more sinister at play here.

"Rose steadfastly maintains her innocence. These charges would have never been brought if it weren't for her activism as a voice for women everywhere," he maintains.

McGowan's lawyer assured the publication that he and his client would be fighting the charges with a strong defense.

The Scream star was arrested back in November on foot of a warrant, issued in February of last year, for possession of a controlled substance.

She turned herself in, getting arrested and booked on the spot before being released on a $5,000 bail. McGowan is facing up to a decade in prison for the class 5 felony.

It's All Just A Big Conspiracy

The original investigation was launched after traces of narcotics were found in the actress's personal belongings. McGowan allegedly left her wallet behind on a United flight, which arrived in Washington on Jan. 20. Cops reportedly found several small bags of cocaine in her wallet.

Her lawyer claims McGowan immediately reported the wallet missing after disembarking her flight, but there was a five-hour gap in time when anybody could have accessed it and planted the drugs on her.

McGowan, one of the most vocal accusers against disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, suggested on social media that her arrest was part of a conspiracy aimed at shutting her up.

"Are they trying to silence me? There is a warrant out for my arrest in Virginia. What a load of HORSES-," she tweeted at the time.

Weinstein, for his part, vociferously denies all allegations against him. He was charged last month with rape and a criminal sex act involving two other women and was seen smiling for the cameras as police took him away.

No trial date has been set for McGowan as of yet and the activist continues to be a vocal supporter of the #MeToo movement.

She was one of the first women to come forward with allegations against Weinstein and maintains that his team is attempting to damage her credibility with false charges.2018-06-12

Maeci

In September 2003, the eleven initial Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) partners met in Paris to adopt the Statement of Interdiction Principles, which to date has been endorsed by 105 States.

The Statement of Interdiction Principles commits all participating countries to establish a more coordinated and effective basis through which to impede and stop shipments of WMD (weapons of mass destruction), delivery systems, and related materials flowing to and from States and non-State actors of proliferation concern, consistent with national legal authorities and relevant international law and frameworks, including the UN Security Council.

The need for a global effort to counter the proliferation threat has never been so high since the interdiction in 2002 of a shipment of ballistic missiles being smuggled from North Korea to Yemen aboard the motor vessel So San, which contributed to increasing overall awareness of the threat of the proliferation of WMD and their delivery systems, and to the creation of the PSI.

In the Middle East, where regional tensions remain high and armed conflicts continue  such as in Syria, ridden with conflict since 2011, and Yemen  risking the further undermining of regional balances, it is now known that ballistic missiles, components, and technologies are being provided to regional State and non-State actors. These transfers are highly destabilizing and could have serious and unpredictable consequences if they continue. The continued use of chemical weapons in Syria underlines the need to combat WMD proliferation in the Middle East. It is therefore essential for the international community as a whole to act to bring an end to the transfer by land, sea, or air of WMD, their delivery systems and related materials to State and non-State actors of proliferation concern.

As United Nations Member States and endorsing States of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), it is up to us to fulfill wholly our obligations pursuant to UN Security Council resolutions, to take advantage of the additional measures authorized by these resolutions, and to continue implementing our commitments under the PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles.

Concerning transfers of WMD, their delivery systems and related materials in the Middle East, we note the many existing prohibitions or restrictions on such transfers under international law, including:

1. Concerning transfers of items and technologies linked to WMD delivery systems, including missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), to or from Iran, we note the following provisions of Annex B of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015), which:

(i) call upon all States to facilitate full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by inspecting all cargo to and from Iran, in accordance with their national authorities and legislation and consistent with international law, in their territory, including seaports and airports, if the State concerned has information that provides reasonable grounds to believe that the cargo contains prohibited items, including WMD-related items or technology, and to cooperate in inspections on the high seas with the consent of the flag State;

(ii) state that States are totake the required actions, in accordance with the resolution and guidance provided by the Security Council, with respect to items the supply, sale, transfer, or export of which is being undertaken contrary to the provisions contained in the JCPOA or [the Annex].

We encourage all PSI-endorsing countries, in accordance with their national legislation, to seize and dispose of such items (such as through destruction, rendering inoperable, storage or transferring to a State other than the originating or destination States).

It is possible for each State conducting an inspection operation to report the details of that inspection to the UN Secretary-General.

We also note that States must obtain permission in advance from the Security Council for the supply, sale, or transfer to or from Iran of items and technologies categorised under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) or that the State determines could contribute to the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems. In this context, we undertake, within the limits of our resources and in accordance with our national legal authorities and relevant international law and frameworks, to interdict any such item or technology, wherever such transfer has not been approved by the UN Security Council.

Moreover, for European States, we recall our obligation pursuant to Decision 2010/413/CFSP of the Council of the European Union to prohibit any transfer to Iran by our nationals, through our territory, or using vessels or aircraft under our jurisdiction, of items listed by the MTCR.

2. Concerning transfers of arms, including missiles and UAVs, to the Houthis and their allies in Yemen, we note the arms embargo imposed by UN Security Council Resolution 2216 (2015) against designated individuals and entities and the provisions of this Resolution concerning inspections. We note that these provisions supplement the Statement of Interdiction Principles and reaffirm our determination to implement them through the following measures, in compliance with national and international rules:

(i) Inspect, in our territory and our seaports and airports, cargoes destined for Yemen, if we have information that provides reasonable grounds to believe the cargo contains items the supply, sale, or transfer of which is prohibited;

(ii) Seize and dispose (such as through destruction, rendering inoperable, storage, or transferring to a State other than the originating or destination States for disposal) of items the supply, sale, transfer, or export of which is prohibited under this resolution;

(iii) Report interdictions carried out in this framework to the 2140 Committee;

(iv) Prohibit our nationals, individuals under our jurisdiction, entities within our territory or under our jurisdiction, from transferring items to the Houthis and their allies the supply, sale, or transfer of which are prohibited under a Security Council resolution.

3. Concerning the transfer of arms  including missiles and UAVs  to Lebanon, we note the applicable Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 1701 (2006), which calls upon the Government of Lebanon to prevent the entry in Lebanon without its consent of arms or related materiel. We undertake to exercise particular vigilance, as PSI-endorsing States, regarding shipments destined for non-state actors in Lebanon, the delivery of which would not be compatible with Resolution 1701 and for which we have grounds to believe that they contain WMD, their delivery systems or related materials. In such circumstances, we are prepared to take the steps required to obstruct or stop these transfers, within the resources available to us, in accordance with national and international law and with the aim of preserving the stability and security of Lebanon and the wider region.

4. Concerning transfer of arms, items, and technologies relating to WMD, delivery systems and related materials to or from Syria, we note Resolution 2118 (2013) endorsing the decision of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons requiring the destruction of all of Syrias stockpiles, capacities and facilities. We condemn in the strongest possible terms the continued use of chemical weapons in Syria, whether by the regime or by non-State actors. The use of chemical weapons by the regime violates Syrias obligations under UNSCR 2118 and the Chemical Weapons Convention. This situation requires united determination by all states to send a clear message and respond firmly to such contravention of these key international non-proliferation measures.

Moreover, for the countries concerned, we underline that the European Union as well as several States endorsing this statement have established sanctions regimes against Syria. The EU sanctions regime, which is governed in particular by Decision 2013/255/CFSP, prohibits the export to Syria of items and technologies that could be used for the purposes of internal repression, and the import from Syria of arms and related materials of any type whatsoever.

5. Concerning the proliferation of WMD, their delivery systems and related materials by North Korea to the Middle East, we reaffirm our determination to fulfill the commitments made in the PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles and are determined to implement all UN Security Council resolutions concerning North Korea, and particularly Resolutions 2375 and 2397. The proliferation of WMD and their delivery systems is a global phenomenon that knows no border and witnesses ever more active efforts by proliferators to circumvent existing non-proliferation measures. We are concerned by recent reports from the UN Panel of Experts that North Korea has supported Syrias illegal chemical weapons programme as well as its ballistic missile programme; this would be in breach of multiple Security Council resolutions. As such, we undertake to exercise particular vigilance concerning transfer and trans-shipment of cargoes that could be of North Korean origin, including towards Middle East actors. We reaffirm our determination, in cases where we have reasonable grounds to believe that a shipment is in breach of prohibitions on export to or from North Korea, to implement the measures set out in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. We also restate our view that, whilst engagement begins with North Korea, all UN Member States must ensure the full and robust implementation of all relevant UNSCRs until North Korea abandons all its WMD and ballistic missile programme in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner.

6. Concerning transfer of WMD, their delivery systems and related materials to non-State actors, in any capacity, we note Resolutions 1540 (2004) and 2325 (2016) requiring that all States shall refrain from providing any form of support to non-State actors that attempt to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery. All States are therefore obligated to adopt appropriate effective laws and internal control procedures to this end. As United Nations Member States and PSI-endorsing States, we reaffirm our commitment to UNSCR 1540s latest programme of work and continue to support broader implementation efforts of the aforementioned controls. We continue to exercise particular vigilance concerning possible transfers destined for non-State actors and stress our readiness to intercept and carry out necessary inspections of cargoes that are suspected to contain WMD, delivery systems, or related materials intended for non-State actors, in accordance with our national authorities and relevant international law and frameworks.

As PSI-endorsing States, we remain determined to counter the proliferation of WMD, delivery systems and related materials, including by supporting and ensuring enforcement of the UN Security Council resolutions applicable to such transfers from or to States and non-State actors in the Middle East, in order to contribute tangibly to strengthening international peace and security.

We call upon all UN Member States to implement all aspects of the applicable UN Security Council resolutions and undertake to take into account any evolutions brought to them.



Signed by: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK.CHICAGO--With aging comes deteriorating vision. At SIGGRAPH 2018, attendees will have the chance to test a new computational system that effectively mimics the natural way the human eye corrects focus, specifically while viewing objects that are closer rather than farther away.

This particular inability to focus clearly on nearby objects is called presbyopia, and everyone could have a varying degree of this problem as they age. A team of Stanford University researchers has developed a system that automatically corrects this mechanism. Dubbed Autofocals, the system externally mimics the natural accommodation response of the eye by combining data from eye trackers and a depth sensor, and then automatically drives focus-tunable lenses. While there are a variety of vision correction options to address this problem, most solutions, to date, fall short of delivering users the natural vision quality of their youth.

"A lot of presbyopes have had time to get used to their corrections, through progressive lenses, monovision, etc., but they still spent the majority of their lives being able to refocus their eyes," says Nitish Padmanaban, lead author of the study and electrical engineering PhD candidate at Stanford. "We want to restore that experience."

Padmanaban and collaborators, including Robert Konrad, PhD candidate at Stanford, and Gordon Wetzstein, assistant professor of electrical engineering and of computer science at Stanford, will demonstrate Autofocals at SIGGRAPH 2018, held 12-16 August in Vancouver, British Columbia. The annual conference and exhibition showcases the world's leading professionals, academics, and creative minds at the forefront of computer graphics and interactive techniques.

Building on previous advances made in the area of automated vision correction, Autofocals' focus-tunable eyewear for presbyopia correction incorporates eye trackers and a depth camera with a sensor fusion algorithm designed to jointly and effectively make use of both in one complete system.

The team evaluated Autofocals on 24 users, ages 51 to 81, across a set of visual performance tasks: visual acuity (sharpness of eyesight), contrast sensitivity, and letter matching. In this introductory study, users experienced better visual acuity at nearer distances when compared to monovision and progressive lenses methods, while not sacrificing 20/20 visual acuity at any distance. Monovision is the use of one contact lens that corrects only distance vision in one eye, and another lens that corrects only near vision in the other eye. Progressive lenses are popular eyewear lenses that offer focus correction at varying strengths and distances. Preliminary results also indicated that users did not experience a sizable difference with respect to contrast sensitivity and letter matching, and the majority felt the prototype worked more effectively than their own corrective lenses.

"While the technology is still in its early stages, several of the presbyopes who've tried our system genuinely wanted to have a working version for themselves," notes Padmanaban. "Vision is such an important sense for all of us that every improvement counts for a lot in terms of quality of life."

At the SIGGRAPH demo, those who suffer from presbyopia will get started by calibrating the eye trackers on the Autofocals device, after which they should be able to simply look around and have different objects automatically pop into focus. For younger attendees, a separate focus-tunable lens will be made available to them so that they can experience firsthand some sense of the problem that Autofocals is attempting to address.

In future work, the researchers might explore improving the eye-tracking component; specifically, digging deeper into developing a calibration-free or calibration-on-the-fly eye-tracking capability. Current user experience now entails having to calibrate the eye trackers each time the device is worn or when they slip off the wearer's face, for example. Other improvements could be made to the device itself, with respect to design aesthetics and practical use.

"One could imagine that as this technology improves," adds Padmanaban, "you could have a single pair of glasses for your entire life."

###

About ACM, ACM SIGGRAPH, and SIGGRAPH 2018

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field's challenges. ACM SIGGRAPH is a special interest group within ACM that serves as an interdisciplinary community for members in research, technology, and applications in computer graphics and interactive techniques. SIGGRAPH is the world's leading annual interdisciplinary educational experience showcasing the latest in computer graphics and interactive techniques. SIGGRAPH 2018, marking the 45th annual conference hosted by ACM SIGGRAPH, will take place from 12-16 August at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, B.C.

To register for SIGGRAPH 2018 and experience the Autofocals demo, visit s2018.siggraph.org/attend/register.In the United States, as well as in most of the developed world, people spend about 90 percent of their time indoors. In homes, workplaces, schools and every indoor environment, we are impacted by the air we breathe and the surfaces we touch, as well as by the constantly changing influence of the indoor environment around us. A new, unique study will analyze these chemical interactions with the tools used for studying outdoor air pollution with the hope of learning what role they may play in human health.

"HOMEChem is a deep, multifaceted field study into how indoor chemical compounds may interact and transform throughout a normal day of activities like cooking, cleaning and even during family gatherings" says Marina Vance, PhD, principal investigator, assistant professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder. "We expect to answer important scientific questions on the chemistry of indoor environments in a real-world experimental setting."

The month-long project, called HOMEChem (House Observations of Microbial and Environmental Chemistry), incorporates measurements from more than 15 research groups from 13 universities. Experiments are taking place inside the University of Texas' one-of-a-kind UTest House facility.

"The UTest House is a premanufactured home that has been retrofitted for experimentation," says Atila Novoselac, Ph.D., professor, Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering University of Texas at Austin. "The house is exceptionally flexible but it still took two months to adjust, reconfigure, and build the logistical support for the HOMEChem experiments."

"This is a first-of-its-kind, multidisciplinary field experiment," says Paula Olsiewski, PhD, Chemistry of the Indoor Environments program director, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. "It's exciting to see engineers, chemists and microbiologists working together on the frontier of scientific inquiry."

The HOMEChem experiment is centered around three science questions:

What are the sources of chemical oxidants in the indoor environment, and how are they impacted by changes in light conditions and human activities? Examples of chemical oxidants are hydroxyl radicals (OH), nitrate radicals (NO3-), and ozone (O3), which are very reactive.

What are the main sources of organic compounds in the indoor environment? How does the physical and chemical transformation of organic compounds from gaseous state into particulate phase (also known as "secondary organic aerosol") and other chemical compounds present in minute amounts (also known as trace gas species) change in response to human activities

What are the sources of indoor reactive nitrogen species, and to what extent is their presence indoors influenced by outdoor pollution?

HOMEChem researchers are from the University of Colorado Boulder; Colorado State University; the University of Texas at Austin; Drexel University; Syracuse University; Indiana University Bloomington; the University of Toronto; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of California, San Diego; the University of Massachusetts; Harvard University; Washington University in St. Louis Engineering; and The College of William & Mary.

Instruments being used during the experiment have been loaned by Handix Scientific, Airmodus, Airboxlab, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

"The HOMEChem teams have set up trailers around the UTest House equipped with some of the most sophisticated instruments available, specifically designed to detect oxidants, the vast diversity of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and particulate matter," says Delphine Farmer, PhD, principal investigator, associate professor, Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University. "Each measurement will provide one piece of the puzzle that describes the chemistry of indoor environments; together, these clues will begin to reveal a picture that can help us better understand this complex chemistry."

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The HOMEChem field study is funded by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in its Chemistry of Indoor Environments program. To follow the field experiment in real time, follow @IndoorChem and #HOMEChem on Twitter.Psychedelic drugs may have mind-altering powers in the physical sense, too. A new study, published June 12 in the journal Cell Reports, found psychedelics, specifically DOI, DMT, and LSD, can change brain cells in rats and flies, making neurons more likely to branch out and connect with one another. The work supports the theory that psychedelics could help to fight depression, anxiety, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"These are some of the most powerful compounds known to affect brain function, it's very obvious to me that we should understand how they work," says senior author David E. Olson, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine at the University of California, Davis.

The idea that depression stems from imbalanced brain chemistry remains popular, but recent studies have revealed evidence that depression manifests as structural changes in brain circuits or atrophy in parts of the brain. This doesn't mean neurons die off during depression, but that neurites retract. Neurites are the sections -- either axons or dendrites -- of a neuron that project out to bridge the gap between two neurons at the synapse to facilitate communication.

"One of the hallmarks of depression is that the neurites in the prefrontal cortex -- a key brain region that regulates emotion, mood, and anxiety -- those neurites tend to shrivel up," says Olson. These brain changes also appear in cases of anxiety, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

In their paper, Olson and colleagues tested psychedelics from the amphetamine, tryptamine, and ergoline drug classes. In both test tube and animal experiments, the psychedelics showed functional and structural changes like those promoted by ketamine in cortical neurons. Psychedelics increased both the density of dendritic spines and the density of synapses. Some psychedelics tested, including LSD, proved to be more potent and efficacious than ketamine in promoting neurite growth.

The researchers did not do any human experiments, but experiments in both vertebrates and invertebrates showed psychedelics produced similar effects across species. This indicates the biological mechanisms that respond to psychedelics have remained the same across eons of evolution and that psychedelics will likely have the same brain growth (neural plasticity) effects in humans.

Olson and colleagues also set out to test how these psychedelics promoted neural plasticity, meaning they explored which biological pathways psychedelics activate that lead to neural growth. Ketamine's neural plasticity effects were previously shown to be dependent on a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). When the researchers blocked BDNF signaling, psychedelics lost their ability to promote neurite growth. BDNF binds to a receptor, called TrkB, that is part of a signaling pathway that includes mTOR, which is known to play a key role in the production of proteins necessary for the formation of new synapses. When the researchers experimented by inhibiting mTOR, it also completely blocked the psychedelics' ability to promote neurite growth. Olson thinks identifying the signaling pathways at play in psychedelic-induced brain changes will help future research identify compounds that could be developed into depression treatments.

"If we fully understand the signaling pathways that lead to neural plasticity, we might be able to target critical nodes along those pathways with drugs that are safer than ketamine or psychedelics," says Olson.

Although most psychedelics aren't considered to be addictive in the same way that cocaine is, they do produce hallucinations. Olson doesn't expect psychedelics to become prescription drugs for depression. "But a compound inspired by psychedelics very well could," he says.

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This study was supported by the University of California (UC) Davis Department of Chemistry, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine, a UC Davis Provost's Undergraduate Fellowship, a UC Davis MIND Institute IDDRC grant, an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, and grants from the National Institutes of Health.

Cell Reports, Ly et al.: "Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity." https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(18)30755-1

Cell Reports (@CellReports), published by Cell Press, is a weekly open-access journal that publishes high-quality papers across the entire life sciences spectrum. The journal features reports, articles, and resources that provide new biological insights, are thought-provoking, and/or are examples of cutting-edge research. Visit: http://www.cell.com/cell-reports. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com.Every time we send an e-mail, a tweet, or stream a video, we rely on laser light to transfer digital information over a complex network of optical fibers. Dozens of high-performance lasers are needed to fill up the bandwidth and to squeeze in an increasing amount of digital data. Researchers have now shown that all these lasers can be replaced by a single device called a microcomb.

A microcomb is an optical device that generates very sharp and equidistant frequency lines in a tiny microphotonic chip. This technology was developed about a decade ago and is now reaching a maturity level that enables new applications, including lidar, sensing, timekeeping and of course optical communications.

The soul of a microcomb is a tiny optical cavity that confines laser light in space. Therefore, this technology provides a fantastic playground to explore new nonlinear physical phenomena. These conditions have now been utilised by researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, in cooperation with researchers at Purdue University, USA. Victor Torres Company, Associate Professor at Chalmers, is one of the authors of a paper that was recently published in the journal Nature Communications.

"We observed that the optical frequencies of the microcomb interfered destructively over a short period of time, thus providing the formation of a wave inside the cavity that resembled a 'hole' of light. The interesting aspect of this waveform is that it yielded a sufficient amount of power per frequency line, which was essential to achieve these high-performance experiments in fiber communication systems", says Victor Torres Company.

The physical formation of these "dark" pulses of light is far from being fully understood, but the researchers believe that their unique properties will enable novel applications in fiber-optic communication systems and spectroscopy.

"I will be able to explore these aspects thanks to the financial support of the European Research Council (ERC)", says Victor Torres Company. "This is a bright start to better understand the formation of dark pulses in microresonators and their potential use in optical communications. The research could lead to faster and more power-efficient optical communication links in the future."

The results are the fruit of a collaborative effort between researchers at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University, who fabricated the samples, and the group of Professor Peter Andrekson at the Photonics Laboratory at Chalmers, which hosts world-class experimental facilities for fiber-optic communications research.

"Our findings do not represent the first demonstration of a microcomb in fiber communications, but it is the first time that the microcomb has achieved a performance compatible with the strong demands of future communication systems", says Peter Andrekson, who is also one of the co-authors of the paper.

The main author is Attila Fulop, who defended his doctoral thesis "Fiber-optic communications with microresonator frequency combs" at the Photonics Laboratory in April.

"Working with the microcomb and this experiment has been a great experience. This proof-of-concept demonstration has allowed us to explore the requirements for future chip-scale data transmitters while at the same time proving the potential of this very exciting dark pulse comb technology", he says.

###DURHAM, N.C. -- Efforts to address social inequalities in income, education and employment opportunity can be boosted simply by the manner in which that inequity is presented, according to new research from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.

If you benefit from an inequity, how you handle the situation could depend upon how it is described to you, Professor Ashleigh Shelby Rosette found.

Her study tested people's willingness to surrender part of a bonus at work as a way of studying the presentation of an unjust imbalance or inequity.

"The manner in which you frame inequity or privilege, whether it's focused on the self - my unearned privilege -- or focused on the other - his or her unfair disadvantage - can influence the extent to which you want to rectify it," Rosette said.

"When attempting to influence individuals who are in a position to help rectify financial and social inequity, the way in which you phrase it makes a difference," Rosette said.

Previous research had found framing inequity as a group advantage made members of the group more likely to support efforts to address the inequity. But Rosette found the opposite is true for individuals.

"We show that at the individual level, when you tell a person that what they have received is unearned," Rosette said, "it triggers self-serving biases and they become less likely to rectify the inequity."

The study, Framing advantageous inequity with a focus on others: A catalyst for equity restoration, is newly published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. Rosette worked with Christy Zhou Koval of Hong Kong University, who received her Ph.D at Fuqua.

The researchers asked 199 white participants to imagine they were sales associates who were to receive a performance bonus. They were told an audit had found company policy had assigned sales opportunities unfairly based on race. Then they were given the opportunity to share some or all of their bonus.

Participants who were told a specific black colleague had been unfairly disadvantaged by the policy were willing to give up more of the bonus than those told they had been given an unfair advantage because they were white. They also gave up more than the participants who were told that all white personnel were undeservedly advantaged, or that all black employees were unfairly disadvantaged. A second study replicated the results.

"When we frame inequity as a person's undeserved privilege, that person tends to justify their status by talking down the other party, describing the colleague as lazy or incompetent. This disparagement then justifies their decision not to share their rewards even though they were unfairly distributed in the first place." Rosette said. "Simply by changing the framing and presenting inequity as another person's undeserved disadvantage, we find people are more interested in addressing it and are less likely to blame the other person."

The findings suggest that understanding how people think about the disadvantages of others may be just as important as understanding how people think about their own advantages - especially when the goal is to encourage behaviors and policies to redress the imbalance.

"It's two sides of the same coin," Rosette said. "How you look at it determines whether you are willing to address inequity. Our findings suggest the focus should be on the disadvantages bestowed upon the other person, rather than the unearned privileges that accumulate to the self."

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CITATION: "Framing advantageous inequity with a focus on others: A catalyst for equity restoration," Ashleigh Shelby Rosette and Christy Zhou Koval. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, May 2018.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2018.03.002On-site pathology testing is allowing remote Australians to receive effective emergency medical treatment close to home, while saving millions according to researchers.

In a research study funded by the Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF) Australasia, a Flinders University research team assessed both the medical and cost benefits of using on-site pathology testing, or Point-of-Care-Testing (POCT), for acute medical care in six remote health clinics in the Northern Territory over a six month period.

The Flinders study is one of the first projects in the world to quantitatively evaluate the clinical and economic benefits of POCT in a remote setting, according to Project Coordinator Ms Brooke Spaeth and Chief Investigator Professor Mark Shephard from the International Centre for Point-of-Care Testing at Flinders University.

"Up to now, we had very little hard research data to support the cost benefits of using POCT, it was mostly anecdotal," said Ms Spaeth.

"We now have proof that the POC technology improved the clinical and operational outcomes for acutely ill patients in remote communities in the Northern Territory," she said.

"It also reduced the need for medical evacuations by up to 35% in the clinical conditions investigated, which has led to significant cost savings for Territory healthcare system."

The research team evaluated the use of a POCT for 200 patients suffering from acute chest pain, acute diarrhoea or acute renal failure.

The investigator team including Flinders' Head of Health Economics, Associate Professor Billingsley Kaambwa, found that having access to POCT avoided the medical evacuation of 60 patients which, when extrapolated Territory-wide, resulted in estimated total cost savings of $21.75 million per year. Access to POCT also enabled early diagnosis, treatment and appropriate evacuation for 21 patients.

The benefits of POCT extended even further for Indigenous communities, according to Dr Rodney Omond, who collected the medical data for the study as the Senior Rural Medical Practitioner - Education & Training and Clinical Director for Low Acuity Medical Retrievals, Top End Health Service, Northern Territory Department Health.

"Patients in remote Indigenous communities experience a greater sense of isolation if they are removed from their community and put in hospital," said Dr Omond.

"Having the ability to remain in community for medical care is important for Indigenous Australians and that's what we've shown POCT is allowing us to do, which is quite significant as a culturally appropriate outcome," he said.

"As a doctor working in remote communities, I value POCT because it gives me vital information for making timely decisions about patient care.

"POCT means we can now investigate, diagnose, stabilise and monitor often very sick patients in a medical emergency and, as we showed in this study, provide early treatment for critically ill patients who require evacuation."

POCT was first introduced to remote health centres in the Northern Territory in 2008. Other Australian states have also adopted the technology in rural hospitals, enabling local health professionals to perform a range of pathology tests, with results available in two to 10 minutes.

EMF Chair Dr Anthony Bell said the research team showed that investing in innovation could lead to improvements for rural and remote patients and the healthcare system.

"EMF was pleased to be able to fund this important research, which demonstrates the value of adopting POCT in rural and remote health centres," said Dr Bell.

"This research will hopefully lead to the wider adoption of POCT and better healthcare for all Australians."

###

The EMF grant was jointly sponsored by an anonymous philanthropic donor and Zoll Medical Australia.

The results from this research were recently published online in the international journal ClinicoEconomics and Outcomes Research.Extreme events - such as heat waves, droughts, floods, fires and storms - are made worse by human activities. For example, past civilizations, such as the Maya and Mesopotamians, apparently exacerbated the droughts that caused their demise through deforestation and agricultural practices similar to our own. These events challenge populations, communities, and ecosystems, as well as our human health and living conditions. The ability of ecosystems to respond depends on how resilient they are, a characteristic also undermined by land-use practices that increase effects of extreme conditions. Clearly, the sustainability of ecosystem services - the benefits that people derive from nature and natural capital - and human well-being depends on ecosystem resilience to extreme events. The following selected sessions and events at the Annual Meeting delve into this year's meeting theme.

Organized Oral Sessions

Pastoralism in the 21st Century: Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Adaptations (OOS 4)

Monday, August 6: 1:30 PM-5:00 PM; Room 344

Pastoralism (the practice of raising of livestock) occupies 30% of Earth's land area and contributes to the livelihoods of 2 billion people. Pastoral systems typically exist on lands characterized by scarce and varying resources- conditions that are likely to be intensified by warmer temperatures and altered precipitation associated with climate change. The session will discuss climate change as the 'breaking point' for the pastoral lifestyle, fundamental plant resource responses to climate change, strategies that are being employed to adapt to climate change, and how previous pastoral activities have impacted current and future sustainability.

Ecophysiology of Drought Resilience and Recovery (OOS 16)

Wednesday, August 8: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM; Room 346-347

Drought events present opportunities to study how plants respond to and recover from climate extremes. A key to forecasting these dynamic effects on plant communities is understanding their mechanistic (physical) responses to both sustained and sudden or severe stressors. However, major uncertainties remain in how and when plants may experience reversible versus irreversible shifts in resilience. This session seeks a better understanding of drought constraints on future terrestrial ecosystems. Topics include technology and methods, drought ecophysiology, hydraulic safety, phloem transport, photosynthesis gain versus hydraulic risk, tree-ring based mortality warning signals, and plant water uptake.

Symposia

Exploring Links between Cities and Surrounding Landscapes: Can Cities Enhance Regional Resilience and Biodiversity in an Era of Climate Change and Extreme Events? (SYMP 6)

Tuesday, August 7: 1:30 PM-5:00 PM; Room 350-351

The ecological and evolutionary dynamics - as well as conservation, planning, and stewardship activities - that occur in cities can influence biodiversity in the surrounding ecosystems. This discussion will address how unique conditions in cities may bolster regional resilience and facilitate recovery from extreme events. It will address five main themes: urban evolutionary dynamics and adaptation, population dynamics, landscape heterogeneity, socio-ecological linkages, and ecological design and planning. Topics include biodiversity and ecological resilience in Silicon Valley, urban green spaces, gene flow in urban infrastructure and socioeconomics, environmental stewardship practices and networks, and modeling extreme event scenarios in US and Latin Cities.

Advancing Coastal Ecological Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation (SYMP 15)

Thursday, August 9: 1:30 PM-5:00 PM; Room 350-351

Coastal areas are increasingly vulnerable to climate change impacts of storm surge flooding, erosion, and sea level rise. There is demand for new strategies for greater climate resilience and coastal process management amidst new urban development in low-lying coastal areas. Advancing the resiliency and stewardship of these areas requires critical involvement from ecologists and extensive research into design and planning. Coastal cities and towns like New Orleans, with their heavily populated, low-lying waterfront settlements, are ideal sites for exploring climate change adaptation strategies that incorporate management for wetland hydrology, deposition, and erosion and other critical functions. This symposium brings together an interdisciplinary group of coastal and wetland ecologists, land planners, and landscape architectsto discuss the strategies and challenges of land development for climate change adaptation of coastal systems.

Field Trips

How is Ecological Understanding Informing Protected Area Management in the Rapidly Subsiding Freshwater Wetland Landscape of the Mississippi Delta? (FT 5)

Sunday, August 5: 8:00 AM-4:30 PM; Lobby E, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

Expert ecologists will provide an orientation to this New Orleans' major river delta landscape, its geological and human management history, and the major challenges in protecting and conserving essential ecological and environmental values in these predominantly freshwater coastal wetland ecosystems. Following an introduction at the Barataria Preserve Visitor Center, the trip will visit the estuarine edge of the Preserve via swamp tour boat. Participants may be able to get out onto a floating peat marsh and (later) walk to the edge of a bald cypress swamp. After lunch at a picnic area on the natural levee ridge of the Mississippi River distributary, the trip will explore bottomland hardwood forests growing on higher elevation terrain and bald cypress swamps inhabiting natural levee backslopes. Ecologists with long-term research programs in the park will lead these trail walks. In addition to enjoying these lush wetland ecosystems and their abundant biota, the trip will visit one of the park's elevation and hydrology dynamics monitoring stations, and will learn about other ongoing research and monitoring programs.

Green Infrastructure and Extreme Events in the New Orleans Urban Ecosystem (FT 6)

Monday, August 6: 8:35 AM-12:30 PM; Lobby E, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

Since its founding 300 years ago, New Orleans has constantly negotiated its relationship to water through the use of pumps, canals, and levees - grey and blue infrastructure that work to move rain and floodwater out of the city's unique topography. Since the catastrophic flooding during 2005's Hurricane Katrina, city officials have slowly begun designing and implementing large-scale green infrastructure projects. These initiatives are intended to capture precipitation during intense rainfall, relieving pressure on the city's aging and problem-prone municipal drainage system. Retaining water on the landscape may also decrease soil subsidence, a critical problem for a city that is largely below sea level. Further, these interventions are slated for implementation on large tracts of vacant urban land, abandoned in Katrina's aftermath. Public health concerns over mosquitos, rodents, and invasive vegetation represent serious challenges in the design and maintenance of the projects. This fieldtrip brings ESA members to multiple urban sites where major green infrastructure projects have been implemented or are under construction. Led by local urban ecologists engaged in the design and monitoring of the projects, participants will also meet with city officials and project designers working toward an understanding of the promise and limits of green infrastructure in a city known for its water management dilemmas.

Special Sessions

Two Sides of the Coin: Conversations on Resilience between Planners, Designers, and Ecologists in Louisiana (SS 20)

Monday, August 6: 10:15 AM-11:30 AM; Room 346-347

This Louisiana-centric special session will discuss the difficult questions about how ecosystem services can be delivered at the scales of the region/watershed, the city, and the site of the state's coasts. Researchers and policy-makers or managers can sometimes talk past one another due to the different goals, timeframes, and terminology across practice and research. This session is designed to straddle these divides and provide a space to compare and contrast experiences working on urban development projects and to discuss potential integration. Examples from coastal Louisiana will not only serve as focal points of conversation but also demonstrate the national relevance of key challenges in this area at regional, city, and site scales.

Inspire Sessions

The Role of Ecologists in Disaster Management (INS 20)

Wednesday, August 8: 3:30 PM-5:00 PM; Room 244

Ecological communities are often structured by the variability and predictability of key environmental drivers. Although disturbance regimes (extreme events that disturb the ecosystem) are key subjects for nearly every ecological sub-discipline, ecologists tend to play an indirect role in the management of natural hazards and disasters. It is unsurprising that ecological study is of secondary priority in the immediate aftermath of life-threatening disasters; yet, failure to learn from exceptional events may subject communities to greater risks from future occurrences. This session explores the current and potential roles of ecological knowledge in response to a diversity of natural disturbances (e.g., flood, fire, drought). Case studies are presented from investigators working in ecologically, geographically, and socio-politically diverse systems to create contrast in the approaches and experiences of disaster management.

5-10 August 2018

Ecologists from 50 U.S. states, U.S. territories, and countries around the world will converge on New Orleans, Louisiana this August for the 103nd Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America. Up to 4,000 attendees are expected to gather for thousands of scientific presentations on breaking research and new ecological concepts at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center August 5th - 10th, 2018.

ESA invites press and institutional public information officers to attend for free. To apply, please contact ESA Public Information Manager Zoe Gentes directly at zgentes@esa.org. Walk-in registration will be available during the meeting.

The Ecological Society of America (ESA), founded in 1915, is the world's largest community of professional ecologists and a trusted source of ecological knowledge, committed to advancing the understanding of life on Earth. The 9,000 member Society publishes five journals and a membership bulletin and broadly shares ecological information through policy, media outreach, and education initiatives. The Society's Annual Meeting attracts 4,000 attendees and features the most recent advances in the science of ecology. Visit the ESA website at http://www.esa.org.

Contact: Zoe Gentes, 202-833-8773 ext. 211, zgentes@esa.orgSEATTLE (June 11, 2018) - A breast cancer patient dealing with anxiety, depression or mood swings could soon be encouraged by her oncologist to learn meditation techniques, join a yoga class or put music to therapeutic use. Today, The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), published its endorsement of integrative therapy guidelines recently established by the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO).

The SIO guidelines were reviewed by an ASCO expert panel co-chaired by Dr. Gary H. Lyman, an oncologist with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, and Dr. Lorenzo Cohen of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

The full guidelines appear online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Some of the key recommendations include:

Music therapy, meditation, stress management, and yoga are recommended for anxiety/stress reduction.

Meditation, relaxation, yoga, massage, and music therapy are recommended for depression/mood disorders.

Meditation and yoga are recommended to improve quality of life.

Acupressure and acupuncture in addition to anti-nausea medications are recommended for reducing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

Glutamine is not recommended for improving nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy.

Acetyl-L-carnitine is not recommended to prevent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy because of a possibility of harm.

No strong evidence supports the use of ingested dietary supplements to manage breast cancer treatment-related adverse effects.

"Patients undergoing and surviving breast cancer treatment naturally want to use every tool available to them to enhance the effectiveness of treatment and improve their quality of life," Lyman said. "Our goal is to help cancer care specialists and their patients make appropriate individualized treatment decisions - evaluating the current medical literature on complementary therapies to determine what works, what doesn't work and what might actually be harmful instead of helpful. The guidelines should be seen only as that - guidelines - because each patient's case is unique, and there's nothing more important than the judgment of an independent, caring professional. There is a considerable lack of information on the benefits and harms of many integrative therapies in oncology and further rigorous research of such methods is greatly needed."

ASCO's expert panel said recommendations may be subject to change as additional scientific evidence is compiled, and although ASCO generally endorsed the SIO recommendations, the panel brought attention to several areas of discussion, including safety concerns about mistletoe, sometimes taken to improve quality of life, and ginseng, sometimes taken to counter fatigue. Certain forms of ginseng could have estrogenic properties, but more research is needed to evaluate risk in patients with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.

###Study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology shows patients treated with Lutathera have prolonged functional health-related quality of life compared to patients treated with hormone therapy alone

TAMPA, Fla. - Midgut neuroendocrine tumors are a rare type of cancer that develops in the small intestine and colon. Roughly 12,000 people are diagnosed with this disease each year. In January, the United Stated Food and Drug Administration approved Lutathera, a first-of-its-kind peptide receptor radionuclide therapy. The injection consists of a somatostatin analog combined with a radioactive isotope that directly targets neuroendocrine tumor cells.

Dr. Jonathan Strosberg, head of Neuroendocrine Tumor Program at Moffitt "Treatment options have been limited for patients with neuroendocrine tumors and toxicities of treatment can often outweigh the benefit. Our studies have shown Lutathera is an effective option to treat tumor progression and also provide patients with a better quality of life," said Jonathan R. Strosberg, M.D., head of the Neuroendocrine Tumor Program at Moffitt Cancer Center.

The Journal of Clinical Oncology published new data from the NETTER-1 clinical trial highlighting the impact of Lutathera on patients' quality of life. Strosberg notes the importance of this issue, given the relatively long durations of treatments and overall survival compared to other malignancies. The results showed that treatment with Lutathera provides significantly longer time to deterioration of quality of life for patients compared to those treated with octreotide LAR alone.

Patients in the study were given questionnaires every three months until tumor progression. Quality of life was measured by global health status, physical functioning, role functioning, fatigue, pain, diarrhea, disease-related worries and body image. The time of deterioration was defined as the period of time from the patient's first questionnaire response until their quality of life score declined ten or more points.

Patients treated with Lutathera reported improvement in many of the typical side effects, such as fatigue, pain and diarrhea. Differences in the median time to deterioration were 28.8 months versus 6.1 months for global health status, and 25.2 months versus 11.5 months for physical functioning.

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The NETTER-1 clinical trial is supported by Advanced Accelerator Applications, a Novartis company.

Media Availability: Dr. Strosberg and a patient are available for interviews; please contact Kim Polacek, 813-745-7408 // Kim.Polacek@moffitt.org.

About Moffitt Cancer Center

Moffitt is dedicated to one lifesaving mission: to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer. The Tampa-based facility is one of only 49 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt's scientific excellence, multidisciplinary research, and robust training and education. Moffitt is a Top 10 cancer hospital and has been nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report since 1999. Moffitt devotes more than 2 million square feet to research and patient care. Moffitt's expert nursing staff is recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center with Magnet status, its highest distinction. With more than 5,700 team members, Moffitt has an economic impact in the state of $2.1 billion. For more information, call 1-888-MOFFITT (1-888-663-3488), visit MOFFITT.org, and follow the momentum on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.NEW YORK, JUNE 11, 2018 - The Human Vaccines Project, a nonprofit public-private partnership focused on decoding the immune system to improve human health, today announced its first international scientific hub through a partnership with Telethon Kids Institute. Based in Perth, Western Australia, Telethon Kids Institute is recognized as a world leader in addressing the health of pediatric and indigenous populations.

Telethon Kids brings extensive and complementary scientific capacity to the Project. As one of Australia's leading systems biology centers, with a team of almost 600 dedicated researchers and support staff, the organization is focused on discovering how and why childhood diseases develop, and aims to prevent and cure them through better therapies and interventions. Telethon Kids also engages with global researchers in low-resource settings including extensive collaboration with researchers in Papua New Guinea.

"Telethon Kids is a rapidly growing research institute in Australia that brings exceptional expertise to the Human Vaccines Project," said Wayne Koff, PhD, president and CEO of the Human Vaccines Project. "The Institute's knowledge in pediatrics and indigenous populations will enhance our efforts toward better vaccines and immunotherapies, as well as our work towards a universal flu vaccine."

The research institute will also join other leading academic, industry, nonprofit and government organizations as a partner of the Project's Universal Influenza Vaccine Initiative (UIVI), a nonprofit partnership that will conduct comprehensive clinical research studies to determine how the human immune system prevents and controls influenza - with a goal of accelerating the development of a universal flu vaccine that works across multiple populations and strains. Since Australia's influenza season is opposite that of the Northern Hemisphere, this collaboration creates an opportunity for clinical studies to continue throughout the year.

"Partnering with the Human Vaccines Project will advance our shared mission of someday wiping out infectious diseases globally," said Jonathan Carapetis, PhD, director of the Telethon Kids Institute. "We are extremely grateful to our funding partners at Perth Children's Hospital Foundation for helping enable this innovative partnership. It's so important to be working towards a longer-term solution for diseases such as influenza where children are at higher risk of infection and death, and exploring new approaches that will increase our knowledge and ability to create next-generation vaccines and immunotherapies."

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About the Human Vaccines Project

The Human Vaccines Project is a nonprofit public-private partnership with a mission to decode the human immune system to accelerate the development of vaccines and immunotherapies against major global diseases. The Project brings together leading academic research centers, industrial partners, nonprofits and governments to address the primary scientific barriers to developing new vaccines and immunotherapies. Support and funders for the Project include the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Michelson Medical Research Foundation, GSK, MedImmune, Illumina, Johnson & Johnson/Janssen, Pfizer, Moderna, Boehringer Ingelheim, Aeras, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, University of California San Diego, The Scripps Research Institute, J. Craig Venter Institute and La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology. To learn more, visit http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org and follow @HumanVacProject on Twitter. For media inquiries, contact Kierstin Coatney at Kierstin@gga.nyc.Children who attend school with many kids from violent neighborhoods can earn significantly lower test scores than peers with classmates from safer areas, according to a new Johns Hopkins University study.

In schools where more kids have a high exposure to violence, the study found, their classmates score as much as 10 percent lower on annual standardized math and reading tests. The findings, which demonstrate how urban violence and school choice programs can work together to spread "collateral damage," appear today in the journal Sociology of Education.

"Exposure to neighborhood violence has a much bigger impact that we think it does," said the lead author, Johns Hopkins sociologist Julia Burdick-Will. "It seeps into places that you don't expect. It can affect an entire school and how it's able to function."

Burdick-Will studied students who attended Chicago Public Schools from 2002 to 2010, analyzing administrative data from the school system, crime statistics from the Chicago Police Department and school surveys from the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research. She looked at five cohorts of students who were freshmen between the fall of 2002 and 2006, and followed each student for up to four years.

She found high school students in Chicago public schools experience, on average, about 70 violent crimes a year within a few blocks of their homes. Children with high levels of exposure to violence, however, often experienced double that.

The crimes included homicides, sexual assaults, aggregated and simple batteries, aggravated and simple assaults, and robberies.

About half of the students studied were African American and about a third were Hispanic. Schools with students who experienced high levels of neighborhood violence, however, were more than 94 percent African American.

Because Chicago offers students the option of attending school anywhere in the city, students often commute to schools across town. Students from nearly every neighborhood attend nearly every school. This means that the experience of violence that Chicago students face where they live does not necessarily remain in their neighborhood, but is taken with them all over the city where they attend school.

Previous research shows that children living in violent neighborhoods experience trauma that makes them more difficult to teach and is related to an increased likelihood of high school dropout and low test scores as well as depression, attention problems, and discipline issues, says Burdick-Will. What hasn't been studied in the past is that students who are in the same classes as these children also don't learn as well, scoring as much as 10 percent lower on annual tests, she found.

It's possible these effects build over time, she says.

"This is just one year -- we don't know what the cumulative effects are," Burdick-Will said. "If you score 10 percent lower in just one year, you're that much less prepared for the next year. Ten percent less growth in a year is a pretty big deal."

Chicago's crime rates are comparable to those in Baltimore, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Houston and Miami, and it is possible that schools in those cities have similar issues, Burdick-Will says.

"Dealing with urban violence has ripple effects we're only starting to understand," she said. "We can't think about violence as something happening to kids in an isolated part of the city where I don't live. That's just the tip of the iceberg. High crime rates may be concentrated in specific areas, but their effects can be felt in schools all over the city."

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This work was supported by the Institute for Educational Sciences, the Population Studies and Training Center at Brown University, and the Hopkins Population Center.East Hanover, N.J., June 12, 2018. The New Jersey Commission on Spinal Cord Injury Research has awarded four grants to scientists at Kessler Foundation. The grants, which exceed $1.5 million, fund diverse studies aimed at expanding knowledge of learning deficits after spinal cord injury, developing new tools for cognitive assessments, identifying types of neuropathic pain, and studying brain activity during exoskeleton-assisted walking. In May, the Commission announced a total of $3 million in grants to successful applicants from qualified research organizations in New Jersey.

"These grants enable us to continue to expand the scope of our research in spinal cord injury," said John DeLuca, PhD, senior vice president for Research and Training at Kessler Foundation. "We will look more deeply into secondary conditions that may be complicating recovery after spinal cord injury, such as cognitive deficits and neuropathic pain," he explained, "and gather basic knowledge of the effect of exoskeleton-assisted walking on brain-muscle connections. The goal of these varied endeavors is the same - to translate our advances into improved rehabilitative care that enables individuals with spinal cord injury to participate fully at home, in their communities, and in the workplace."

Two individual research grants were awarded. Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, received a three-year grant for $557.782 for her study, "Examining behavioral and neural aspects of implicit procedural learning performance in individuals with spinal cord injury". Dr. Chiaravalloti is director of Neuropsychology, Neuroscience and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Research, and project director of the Northern New Jersey TBI Model System. Jeanne Zanca, PhD, MPT, received a three-year grant for $595,446 for her proposed project, "Informing identification of neuropathic pain phenotypes in people with spinal cord injury." Dr. Zanca is senior research scientist in Spinal Cord Injury Research, and an investigator with the Northern New Jersey Spinal Cord injury Model System.

Two of the awards were exploratory research grants. Silvana L. Costa, PhD, received a two-year grant for $194,306 to study, "Using eye-tracker based cognitive assessments to examine cognitive functions in spinal cord injury". Dr. Costa is associate research scientist in Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research; her postdoctoral research was funded by a Switzer Research Fellowship, and the inaugural Hearst Foundation Fellowship. Soha Saleh, PhD, received a two-year grant for $199,998 for her pilot study on the use neuroimaging to study brain-muscle connectivity, "Cortical control of walking; brain plasticity following exoskeleton training in incomplete spinal cord injury. Dr. Saleh is a research scientist in Human Performance & Engineering Research.

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Funded by New Jersey Commission on Spinal Cord Research grants CSGR18IRG013, CSCR18IRG014, CSCR18ERG004, CSGR18ERG028

About the New Jersey Commission on Spinal Cord Injury Research

The New Jersey Commission on Spinal Cord Research, whose members are appointed by the Governor, was established on September 13, 1999, with the passage of the "Spinal Cord Research Act" by the New Jersey State Legislature. The Commission's mission is to ensure that the people of New Jersey receive the utmost attention and benefit in our nation's fight against spinal cord injury and disease through its promotion of research into the treatment and cure. The Commission was created to encourage and promote significant, original research projects in New Jersey through the funding of approved research projects at qualifying research institutions in the State. In addition, the Commission maintains, in conjunction with the New Jersey Department of Health, a central registry of all persons who sustain spinal cord injuries.

About Kessler Foundation

Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research that seeks to improve cognition, mobility and long-term outcomes, including employment, for people with neurological disabilities caused by diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Kessler Foundation leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. For more information, visit KesslerFoundation.org.

Contact, Carolann Murphy, PA, cmurphy@kesslerfoundation.org, 973.324.8382Ribosomes are the cell's protein factories. Researchers from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich have now structurally characterized late stages in the assembly of the human small ribosomal subunit, yielding detailed insights into their maturation principles.

Proteins provide the crucial structural elements of all cells and mediate the executive functions required for cell survival. In most cell types, specific sets of proteins must be produced constantly and in widely different amounts. In order to carry out this vital task, the cell must ensure that it has enough of the complexes required for the synthesis of proteins - the ribosomes. Eukaryotic (i.e. nucleated) cells can produce ribosomes in enormous numbers, although each consists of about 80 proteins and 4 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs). Moreover, some 200 other proteins known as biogenesis factors are necessary to ensure that the assembly process takes place without a hitch, and that all components of the functional ribosome find their proper places in its complex architecture. Researchers at LMU's Gene Center, led by Professor Roland Beckmann, have now determined, at high resolution, the three-dimensional structure of several assembly intermediates that are formed during the later stages of ribosome formation in human cells. Their data reveals in detail how the ribosomal RNAs are progressively folded to provide the necessary binding sites for the cognate ribosomal proteins. The findings are reported in the latest issue of the leading journal Nature.

Ribosomes are made up of two subunits, the small and the large, which are assembled separately and interact to form a single functional unit only when needed. Production of both subunits begins at the site of synthesis of the rRNAs in the cell nucleus. The rRNAs are transcribed as larger precursors, which serve as a scaffold during the assembly process and are cleaved and trimmed during ribosome maturation. After the initial steps in assembly, the immature subunits are transported from the nucleus into the cytoplasm. In eukaryotes, the mature small subunit contains one rRNA and about 30 proteins, while the large subunit is made up of three rRNAs and approximately 50 proteins. "Everything we know about the assembly of eukaryotic ribosomes derives from studies on simple organisms such as baker's yeast," says Michael Ameismeier, a PhD student in Beckmann's group and, together with Jingdong Cheng, joint first author of the new paper. "We have used cryo-electron microscopy to determine the structures of intermediate forms of the small ribosomal subunit isolated from human cells."

The structures that have now come to light provide insights into a highly complex process. "In fact, we were able to characterize not just one precursor but to visualize the structures of five states of assembly. We were then able to order these structures into a chronological sequence, and analyze how they differ from one another," Ameismeier explains. The earliest structure in the sequence still originates from the cell nucleus. The other four are successively formed following export of the first precursor to the cytoplasm. The succession of precursors reveals that maturation of the small ribosomal subunit proceeds in several defined steps. "The assembly sequence is controlled by biogenesis factors, such as RRP12 and PNO1." And the whole operation is completed when NOB1, an endoribonuclease enzyme, cuts the rRNA at a specific site. The mature small subunit can then bind to the large subunit, in association with a messenger RNA that provides the blueprint for protein synthesis.

###A study led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators has identified a critical role for a protein called Kruppel-like factor 9 (Klf9) in the brain's response to stress, which has implications for protecting against the effects of stress in conditions like major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In their paper published in Cell Reports, the team describes finding that blocking the effects of Klf9 before but not during or after the induction of stress protected mice from the detrimental effects of stress on brain-cell structures called dendritic spines and on the animals' subsequent behavior.

"We have identified a stress-responsive transcription factor, Klf9, levels of which in the hippocampus mediate the detrimental effects of chronic stress on neuronal connectivity and fear responses," says Amar Sahay, PhD, of the MGH Center for Regenerative Medicine (https://www.massgeneral.org/regenmed/default.aspx) and Department of Psychiatry(https://www.massgeneral.org/psychiatry/), senior author of the report. "Our colleagues at Columbia University Medical Center, led by Dr. Maura Boldrini, also found this factor to be elevated in the hippocampus of women with major depressive disorder who had been exposed to serious stressful events."

Traumatic, stressful events trigger the release of stress hormones including the steroids called glucocorticoids, sustained release of which can alter the structure of the hippocampus - the brain structure in which memories are encoded. These alterations, which have been seen in the brains of individuals with PTSD, have been shown to impair the brain's processing of stressful memories, potentially generating fearful responses to innocuous stimuli. Among hippocampal alterations are changes in the number and structure of dendritic spines, small protrusions from neurons that receive signals from adjacent cells and transmit them through the neuron. But little has been known about the stress-responsive transcription factors that regulate dendritic spine remodeling.

Previous studies have indicated that acute stress induces Klf9 expression, and the factor is known to be elevated in a hippocampal structure called the dentate gyrus of individuals with major depression. To investigate the potential role of Klf9 in the stress-induced remodeling of dendritic spines and the fear response, the investigators developed a genetically engineered strain of mouse in which Klf9 expression in the hippocampus can be silenced. While their experiments showed that Klf9 expression was increased in the hippocampus and adjacent structures by acute stress - induced by physically restraining mice for several hours - that elevation did not continue when stress became chronic, after the restraint protocol was repeated for 10 days.

In animals in which Klf9 was not silenced, two stress-induction protocols had different effects on males and females. Daily treatment with the glucocorticoid corticosterone for five weeks altered the fear response in males - leading them to "generalize" fearful memories into situations different from those in which they had learned to expect an unpleasant sensation - but not females. The chronic restraint protocol increased fearful responses in females, but not in males. Silencing of Klf9 expression prior to either stress protocol blocked both of those sex-specific responses to chronic stress and also prevented the enlargement of dendritic spines that was observed in stress-exposed Klf9-expressing mice, both males and females. However, Klf9 silencing after the initial, gender-specific stress protocol did not prevent altered fear responses after stress-induction was repeated in either males or females.

Previous studies of hippocampal tissues from patients with major depression had found elevated Klf9 expression but had not investigated the possible impact of sex, depression treatment and recent events. The Columbia team, led by Maura Boldrini, MD, PhD, analyzed tissues from 12 individuals with untreated major depression who had died suddenly - 10 by suicide - and also had experienced serious, stressful events soon before their deaths. Klf9 expression was increased in the dentate gyrus of women but not men, and how much it was increased depended on the severity of the recent stressful event.

"Although it is known that women are more prone to major depression and PTSD, little is known about the molecular bases of sex differences underlying vulnerability and resilience to stress and stress-related psychopathologies," says Sahay, who is an associate professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a principal faculty member of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (https://hsci.harvard.edu/) (HSCI). "Our study begins to illuminate the role of Klf9-dependent modulation of neural circuitry as one potential mechanism. A greater understanding of how Klf9 exerts these effects - which we hope to pursue - may identify treatment targets that confer resilience to stress for both women and men."

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Antoine Besnard, PhD, of the MGH Center for Regenerative Medicine (CRM) and HSCI, is lead author of the Cell Reports paper. Additional co-authors are Tomer Langberg, Sally Levinson, Duong Chu and Cinzia Vicidomini, PhD, MGH-CRM and HSCI; and Kimberly Scobie, Andrew Dwork, Victoria Arango, PhD, Gorazd Rosoklija, John Mann, MD, Rene Hen, PhD, and David Leonardo, MD, PhD, Columbia University Medical Center. Support for the study includes National Institutes of Health (NIH) Biobehavioral Research Awards for Innovative New Scientists (BRAINS) grant R01 MH104175 and NIH Grants 1R01 MH111729 and MH83862.

Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH Research Institute (http://www.massgeneral.org/research/about/overview.aspx) conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the nation, with an annual research budget of more than $900 million and major research centers in HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular research, cancer, computational and integrative biology, cutaneous biology, genomic medicine, medical imaging, neurodegenerative disorders, regenerative medicine, reproductive biology, systems biology, photomedicine and transplantation biology. The MGH topped the 2015 Nature Index list of health care organizations publishing in leading scientific journals and earned the prestigious 2015 Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service. In August 2017 the MGH was once again named to the Honor Roll in the U.S. News & World Report list of "America's Best Hospitals."New York, NY - Multilingual students, who speak a language or more than one language other than English at home, have improved in reading and math achievement substantially since 2003, finds a new study published in Educational Researcher by Michael J. Kieffer, associate professor of literacy education at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development.

This new research debunks a common myth that multilingual students and English Learners have made little progress in academic achievement in recent years, and that U.S. schools continue to fail these students.

"Educators and policymakers have been misled by traditional ways of looking at achievement data for English learners," said Kieffer. "When we look at the broader population of multilingual students, we uncover remarkable progress."

Kieffer and the study's co-author, Karen D. Thompson of Oregon State University, analyzed National Assessment of Educational Progress data from 2003 to 2015. The data demonstrated that although all students' scores improved, multilingual students' scores improved two to three times more than monolingual students scores in both subjects in grades four and eight. There is little evidence that these trends can be explained by cohort changes in racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, or regional composition.

The research also demonstrates that multilingual students are about one-third to one-half of a grade level closer to their monolingual peers in 2015 than they were in 2003. The data cannot identify the specific sources for the change in achievement, but suggests that a bundle of policy changes which occurred between 2003 and 2015 may have moved schools in the right direction in serving multilingual students.

"Despite the dominant perception that these students have made little academic progress in recent years, our findings indicate there is real evidence of progress for this population," said Thompson, the study's co-author and an assistant professor in OSU's College of Education. "Students are showing what they know."

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This research was supported, in part, by grants from the Spencer Foundation, the William T. Grant Foundation and the Institute of Education Sciences in the U.S. Department of Education.

About the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development

Located in the heart of New York City's Greenwich Village, NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development prepares students for careers in the arts, education, health, media and psychology. Since its founding in 1890, the Steinhardt School's mission has been to expand human capacity through public service, global collaboration, research, scholarship, and practice. To learn more about NYU Steinhardt, visit steinhardt.nyu.edu.WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- A new study shows how veterans with PTSD may benefit physiologically from using service dogs.

This study, led by the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, is the first published research to use a physiological marker to define the biobehavioral effects of service dogs on veterans with PTSD.

The findings were published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, and they may be significant as scientific evidence of potential mental health benefits experienced by veterans with PTSD who have service dogs.

The study was co-funded by the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) and Bayer Animal Health. The research was led by Maggie O'Haire, assistant professor of human-animal interaction in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and Kerri Rodriguez, human-animal interaction graduate student, with the help of K9s For Warriors, an accredited nonprofit organization that provides veterans with service dogs. The study also was in collaboration with the Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research at the University of California, Irvine.

"Our long-term research goal is to quantify how service dogs may affect the health and well-being of military members and veterans with PTSD," O'Haire said. "This study compared a group of veterans with PTSD who had a service dog to a group on the waitlist to receive one. Our previous research suggests that the presence of a service dog reduced clinical PTSD symptoms and improved quality of life. In this study, we wanted to determine if those beneficial effects also included changes in the physiology of stress."

"We chose to focus our assessments on cortisol as it is a biomarker centrally involved in the stress response system," said Rodriguez, lead author on the paper. In this way, the study seeks to improve the understanding of the potential mechanisms for how and why a service dog may help this population.

Cortisol can be measured non-invasively in saliva, which enabled the veterans to collect samples themselves at home immediately after waking up in the morning and about 30 minutes later. This allowed researchers to look at how much cortisol was being produced during the morning. The magnitude of the "cortisol awakening response" has been extensively studied and is used as a metric of the effects of chronic and acute stress. Non-PTSD, healthy adults experience an increase in cortisol after waking up.

"We found that military veterans with a service dog in the home produced more cortisol in the mornings than those on the waitlist," Rodriguez said. "This pattern is closer to the cortisol profile expected in healthy adults without PTSD. Having a service dog was also associated with less anger, less anxiety, and better sleep."

O'Haire says, though, while this finding is important, it should be taken in context.

"These findings present exciting initial data regarding the physiological response to living with a service dog. However, the study did not establish a direct correlation, on an individual level, between cortisol levels and levels of PTSD symptoms, and further study is needed. It is important to keep in mind that service dogs do not appear to be a cure for PTSD," O'Haire said.

The next step, already underway, involves a large-scale National Institutes of Health clinical trial in which the researchers are studying veterans with and without service dogs over an extended period of time. "Our research team will be able to look at morning cortisol levels both before and after getting a service dog to see how these physiological effects manifest over time," O'Haire said. "The longitudinal nature of this clinical trial should bring about a better understanding of the interrelationships between physiological and behavioral processes, PTSD symptoms, and service dogs."

She also emphasizes that the participation of veterans in the studies should not be taken for granted. "We are most grateful to the military veterans and their families who have participated in the research thus far," O'Haire said. "We are honored to be collaborating with these individuals to advance the science behind our interactions with animals and how they affect human lives."

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ABSTRACT

The Effect of a Service Dog on Salivary Cortisol Awakening Response in a Military Population with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Kerri E. Rodriguez, Crystal I. Bryce, Douglas A. Granger, Marguerite E. O'Haire

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.04.026

Recent studies suggest a therapeutic effect of psychiatric service dogs for military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but are limited by self-report biases. The current study assessed the effect of PTSD service dogs on the salivary cortisol awakening response (CAR) and arousal-related functioning in a population of military veterans with PTSD. Participants included 73 post-9/11 military veterans with PTSD including 45 with a service dog and 28 on the waitlist to receive one. Saliva samples were collected on two consecutive weekday mornings at awakening and 30 minutes later to quantify the cortisol awakening response (CAR) and its area under the curve (AUCi) in addition to standardized survey measures of anxiety, anger, sleep quality and disturbance, and alcohol abuse. There was a significant main effect of having a service dog on both the CAR and the AUCi, with individuals with a service dog exhibiting a higher CAR and AUCi compared to those on the waitlist. Results also revealed that those with a service dog reported significantly lower anxiety, anger, and sleep disturbance as well as less alcohol abuse compared to those on the waitlist, with medium to large effect sizes. Although those with a service dog reported significantly less PTSD symptom severity, CAR was not significantly associated with PTSD symptoms within or across group. In conclusion, results indicate that the placement of a PTSD service dog may have a significant positive influence on both physiological and psychosocial indicators of wellbeing in military veterans with PTSD. Although clinical significance cannot be confirmed, a higher CAR/AUCi among those with a service dog may indicate better health and wellbeing in this population. Future within-subject, longitudinal research will be necessary to determine potential clinical significance and impact of individual differences.The state of the Arctic Ocean is 'new and unusual'

An international research team led by Takuji Waseda, a professor of the University of Tokyo, Japan, has found an increase in high waves and winds in the ice-free waters of the Arctic Ocean, a potentially dangerous navigational tipping point for the "new and unusual" state of the waters.

The research was conducted as part of an Arctic region research project, called the Arctic Challenge for Sustainability (ArCS). The project umbrellas eight themes, each focused on a different aspect of environmental improvement and sustainability in the Arctic. Through the encompassing research themes, the project has mobilized almost all of the polar scientists in Japan.

"Forecasting of waves and estimating the chance of sea spray icing on a ship is very important for safe navigation under the new and unusual state of the Arctic Ocean," said co-author Jun Inoue, an associate professor of polar science at the National Institute of Polar Research, a part of the Inter-University Research Institute Corporation Research Organization of Information and Systems (ROIS) in Tokyo, Japan.

Inoue led the first theme of the ArCS project, which focused on studying the predictability of weather and sea-ice forecasts. The first theme of the project also looks into how users of the weather forecasts participate in providing related data to further improve such predictability.

Their results were published in Scientific Reports in March 2018.

Researchers used the ERA-Interim reanalysis, a global atmospheric data collection system, to examine nearly four decades of emerging trends of increasingly extreme waves. They directly measured waves with buoys in the Arctic Sea in the summer of 2016 to validate the results predicted by the ERA-Interim reanalysis.

They saw an increase in both winds and high ocean waves, as expected since a few million square kilometers of the sea's ice covering has melted in the past forty years.

The larger the ice-free water area, the greater the probability of encountering a large wave, according to Waseda, which has potentially grave implications for the shippers navigating through the Northern Sea Route, as well as for the coastal populations.

"As the entire Arctic Ocean is expected to be ice free by 2050, the wave height is projected to increase correspondingly," Inoue wrote. Ice in the Arctic continues to melt, removing the windbreaks from the ice and allowing waves to grow.

"The gradual change in wave heights and frequency over the ice-free Arctic Ocean would influence not only... the business strategy of the [shippers] using the Northern Sea Route, but also on the local life near the coastal region," Inoue said.

Coastal erosion would also increase with the height and frequency of waves, according to Waseda.

"We need a skillful surface wind speed forecast to predict wave heights," Inoue said. Such a tool would help people on ships, and the coasts better prepare for the turbulence and potential flooding

Inoue pointed to the Polar Prediction Project, of which he is a steering committee member, coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization. The project is running the Year of Polar Prediction, an aggregated forum for scientists to better forecast weather and climate conditions in the polar regions.

###

This work was supported by the Arctic Challenge for Sustainability Program of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Technology.

The rest of the research team includes Adrean Webb of the University of Tokyo at the time of data collection and currently of the Disaster Prevention Research Institute at Kyoto University in Japan; Kazutoshi Sato of the Arctic Environment Research Center at the National Institute of Polar Research, who is currently at the Kitami Institute of Technology in Japan; Alison Kohout, of the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand; Bill Penrose and Scott Penrose, both of the P.A.S. Consultants Pty Ltd. in Australia.

For more information about the Arctic Challenge for Sustainability (ArCS), please visit https://www.arcs-pro.jp/en/project/collaborated/01.html,

About the Research Organization of Information and Systems (ROIS)

The Research Organization of Information and Systems (ROIS) is a parent organization of four national institutes (National Institute of Polar Research, National Institute of Informatics, the Institute of Statistical Mathematics and National Institute of Genetics) and the Joint Support-Center for Data Science Research. It is our mission to promote integrated, cutting-edge research that goes beyond the barriers of these institutions, in addition to facilitating their research activities, as members of inter-university research institutes.

The coordination of these institutions, facilitated by ROIS, will contribute to opening new areas of research and performing integrated transdisciplinary research. This framework will allow a holistic approach to the complex issues of life, earth, environmental and social sciences, including the generation of large-scale and heterogeneous data from observations, measurements and experiments, knowledge extraction from these data, the discovery of scientific truths, technological advancements in database construction and implementation. We will also widely share with the community, the outcomes, resources and research platforms necessary for new frontiers of research.

Informatics methodologies utilized to elucidate complex systems, research, and development related to advanced usage of databases and networks, in addition to the operation of databases and networks will also enable us to serve as an information platform that will support the rapid and effective development of research both in Japan and abroad.OAK BROOK, Ill. - Blood flow changes in the brains of children, adolescents and young adults with chronic kidney disease may explain why many face a higher risk of cognitive impairment, according to a study published online in the journal Radiology.

Prior research has linked chronic kidney disease, a condition characterized by the loss of kidney function over time, with lesions in the brain's signal-carrying white matter and deficits in cognitive performance. While chronic kidney disease in adults is frequently associated with age-related disorders such as hypertension and diabetes, the disease in childhood often occurs congenitally, yet still affects brain development and cognitive function.

"It's not clear if the brain problems from kidney disease seen in adults are secondary to the hypertension produced by the disease," said coauthor John A. Detre, M.D., professor of neurology and radiology, director of the Center for Functional Neuroimaging in Radiology and vice chair for research in neurology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. "In our study, we wanted to look at patients with early kidney disease, before they've experienced decades of high blood pressure. In doing this, we could separate the kidney disease effects from those of chronic high blood pressure."

Dr. Detre and colleagues assessed blood flow in the brains of 73 pediatric kidney disease patients, average age just under 16 years, and 57 similarly aged control participants. The researchers used arterial spin labeling, an MRI technique that can noninvasively quantify blood flow in the brain.

Patients with kidney disease showed higher cerebral blood flow compared with controls in certain brain regions -- a surprising finding, considering that decreased cognitive performance is generally associated with decreased blood flow in the brain, such as in aging and dementia. There are a couple of possible reasons for this unusual phenomenon, Dr. Detre said.

"It may indicate compensatory hyperactivity, in which the brain regions are working extra hard to maintain performance," he said. "Another possibility is that there's a disturbance in the regulation of blood flow in these patients."

White matter cerebral blood flow and blood pressure were also correlated, suggesting that kidney disease patients have problems with cerebrovascular autoregulation, the process that controls blood pressure in the brain. This type of dysfunction could potentially lead to white matter injury, according to Dr. Detre.

"Chronic kidney disease appears to affect brain physiology and function even early in the disease," he said. "This study gives us clues about what changes in brain physiology might underlie cognitive changes."

Among those changes were differences in blood flow between patients and controls in areas of the brain that correlated with cognitive problems in the patients. Compared with controls, kidney disease patients had cerebral blood flow differences in the default-mode network, the network of brain regions active when a person is not focused on a particular task. Patients with low executive function, or skills related to planning, organizing and paying attention, had significant differences in cerebral blood flow compared with controls.

The findings point to cerebral blood flow measurements with arterial spin labeling as a potentially valuable tool in characterizing cerebrovascular function in chronic kidney disease -- an important area of research given the associations between kidney disease and neurological function, and the significantly increased risk for transient ischemic attack and stroke in even mild chronic kidney patients.

"Cerebral blood flow is a critically important physiological parameter that you can measure in just a few minutes with arterial spin labeling," Dr. Detre said. "This technique provides a noninvasive way of quantifying cerebral blood flow that doesn't require use of contrast agent, which is contraindicated in patients with kidney dysfunction."

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"Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Children and Young Adults with Chronic Kidney Disease." Collaborating with Dr. Detre were Hua-Shan Liu, Ph.D., Erum A. Hartung, M.D., Abbas F. Jawad, Ph.D., Jeffrey B. Ware, M.D., Nina Laney, B.A., Allison M. Port, B.A., Ruben C. Gur, Ph.D., Stephen R. Hooper, Ph.D., Jerilynn Radcliffe, Ph.D., and Susan L. Furth, M.D., Ph.D.

This project is supported by a Commonwealth Universal Research Enhancement grant with the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Radiology is edited by David A. Bluemke, M.D., Ph.D., University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wis., and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. (http://RSNA.org/radiology)

RSNA is an association of over 54,200 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)

For patient-friendly information on brain MRI and pediatric imaging, visit RadiologyInfo.org.Doctors are increasingly fighting cancer by stimulating patients' immune systems. SNSF-supported researchers have now discovered a method for predicting the likelihood of treatment success.

Doctors are increasingly fighting cancer by stimulating patients' immune systems. SNSF-supported researchers have now discovered a method for predicting the likelihood of treatment success.

Immunotherapy changes a patient's immune system to allow it to attack cancer cells and either destroy them or at least keep them from growing. But the therapy only works for a minority of patients. Researchers supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) have now discovered how to better predict who will respond to the therapy and who will not.

Unmasking tumours

The key is a protein known as PD-1, which sits on the surface of human immune cells. Until recently, PD-1 was regarded as their Achilles heel because cancer cells attach to the protein, thereby protecting themselves from immune system attack. "It's as though the tumour were wearing camouflage", says project lead Alfred Zippelius, Deputy Head of Medical Oncology at University Hospital Basel. Immunotherapy blocks the attachment site so the immune cells can "see" the cancer again.

An international research group led by Zippelius has now shown that immune cells with the most PD-1 are best able to detect tumours (*). In addition, these PD-1-rich cells secrete a signalling compound that attracts additional immune cells to help fight the cancer. "Therefore these patients have a better chance of responding to immunotherapy", says Daniela Thommen, first author of the study, who is currently at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam on an SNSF mobility fellowship.

Increasing the success rate

At present, still only a fraction of patients respond to immunotherapy. "If we could tell from the outset who the therapy will work for, we could increase the success rate. That would reduce side effects and also lower costs", says Zippelius.

The new findings will enable researchers to develop a practical tool that could ultimately help doctors to decide which patients will benefit from a simple immunotherapy approach and which will require more intensive treatment - for example a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. For that to happen, researchers must first find a way of distinguishing patients based on the amount of PD-1 in their immune cells.

Immunotherapy is becoming increasingly important. "What's revolutionary about it is that some patients may remain cured after years of treatment - even in the case of tumours that have otherwise proved resistant to therapy", says Zippelius. In the meanwhile, University Hospital Basel has set up its own tumour board (a group of doctors with different specialities) for immunotherapy.

###

The project is a collaboration between the Department of Medical Oncology and the Department of Thoracic Surgery at University Hospital Basel, the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam as well as the Department of Pathology at the Cantonal Hospital Baselland in Liestal and the Roche Innovation Center Basel.

(*) D. S. Thommen et al.: A transcriptionally and functionally distinct PD-1+ CD8+ T cell pool with predictive potential in non-small cell lung cancer treated with PD-1 blockade. Nature Medicine (2018).

DOI: 10.1038/s41591-018-0057-z

(Available to journalists in PDF format from the SNSF: com@snf.ch)

Career funding at the SNSF

TheSwiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provides targeted funds for young researchers in Switzerland. The objective is to promote earlier scientific independence for the researchers and to strengthen Switzerland's position as a leading research location.

From 2007 to 2010 Daniela Thommen was the recipient of an MD-PhD fellowship for a second doctorate in natural sciences, and since 2016 of an Advanced Postdoc.Mobility grant (replaced by Postdoc.Mobility) for a research stay at the Netherlands Cancer Institute.

Alfred Zippelius was supported by an SNSF Professorship (replaced by Eccellenza) from 2010 to 2013 and since then has held a clinical professorship at the University of Basel.(Philadelphia, PA) - Proteins commonly known as BRCA - short for BReast CAncer susceptibility gene- serve a critical role in cellular DNA repair, but when mutated they allow genetic errors to replicate, facilitating cancer development. If the BRCA repair system is disabled in cancer cells, the cells simply turn to backup repair mechanisms and adapt to alternative repair pathways, a survival mode that also underlies their ability to evade targeted drug therapies.

Now, new research by scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM) shows that it is possible to eliminate at least two backup repair mechanisms at the same time using two targeted therapies. The strategy effectively narrows down the number of secondary repair pathways available, helping to ensure cancer cell eradication.

The novel approach, described June 12 in a paper published in Cell Reports, is named dual synthetic lethality, so-called because cancer cell death is induced by two drugs targeting distinct DNA repair pathways at the same time. "Cancers cells have multiple ways of protecting themselves from death," explained senior investigator Tomasz Skorski, MD, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and Associate Professor at the Fels Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Biology at LKSOM.

Tumor cells that carry BRCA-deficiency mutations frequently rely on DNA repair mediated by a protein known as PARP1. Clinically, PARP1 inhibition can significantly improve progression-free survival in patients with cancers involving hereditary BRCA mutations.

Over time, however, the effectiveness of PARP1 inhibition declines, and cancer relapses. According to Dr. Skorski, this happens because targeting one pathway is not enough. "The tumor cells eventually escape PARP1 inhibition by activating another backup to the BRCA-mediated repair pathway," he said. "Our previous work had suggested that RAD52-dependent pathways are a likely escape route, which led us to see whether simultaneous inhibition of both PARP1 and RAD52 could trigger more effective lethality."

Dr. Skorski's team first tested their idea in a series of experiments in BRCA-deficient solid tumor and leukemia cell lines in vitro. Using an experimental RAD52 inhibitor, they were able to show that RAD52 blockade enhanced synthetic lethal effects in cells treated with the PARP inhibitor olaparib, a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration. For all tumor types, the dual treatment completely eradicated BRCA-deficient tumor cells.

The simultaneous targeting strategy was then tested against BRCA-deficient tumors in mice, in which the researchers recapitulated the effects of BRCA deficiency in breast cancer and in acute and chronic myelogenous leukemia. They found that dual inhibition exerted strong effects against tumors in vivo, showing greater activity than either agent alone.

Importantly, the teams' experiments showed, both in vitro and in vivo, that normal cells, with normal BRCA activity, are unaffected by the dual treatment. "Normal cells continue to use BRCA-mediated repair as their primary DNA repair pathway and do not rely heavily on PARP1 or RAD52," explained Katherine Sullivan-Reed, a graduate student in Dr. Skorski's research laboratory and first author on the new paper. Leaving normal cells relatively unharmed helps limit the severity of side effects patients may experience with targeted cancer therapy.

The new research provides a foundation for pursuing the development of a clinically viable drug to inhibit RAD52, as well as the development of a screening test specifically for patients who carry tumors displaying BRCA-deficiency.

In the near-term, Dr. Skorski's team also plans to continue investigating alternative DNA repair pathways, which are essential for tumor cells but expendable in normal cells. "One of our primary goals is to find additional targets to kill cancer cells, without increasing toxicity," he added.

###

Other researchers contributing to the multi-center, multi-national study include Elisabeth Bolton-Gillespie, Yashodhara Dasgupta, Samantha Langer, Micheal Siciliano, Margaret Nieborowska-Skorska, and Morgan Moore, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Fels Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Biology, LKSOM; Kritika Hanamshet and Alexander V. Mazin, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia; Elizaveta A. Belyaeva and Mariusz A. Wasik, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania; Andrea J. Bernhardy and Neil Johnson, Molecular Therapeutics Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center; Jaewong Lee and Markus Muschen, Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute, Monrovia, Calif.; Huaqing Zhao, Department of Clinical Sciences, LKSOM; Peter Valent, Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Hematology and Hemostaseology, Ludwig-Boltzmann Cluster Oncology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria; Ksenia Matlawska-Wasowska, Division of Pediatric Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center; Smita Bhatia, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama Birmingham; Ravi Bhatia, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama Birmingham.

The research was funded by National Institutes of Health grants R01 CA186238, R01 CA188347, P30 CA056036, R01 CA214799, and F31 CA203161 and by the Drexel Coulter Program Award and U.S. Department of Defense grant OC130212.

About Temple Health

Temple University Health System (TUHS) is a $2.1 billion academic health system dedicated to providing access to quality patient care and supporting excellence in medical education and research. The Health System consists of Temple University Hospital (TUH), ranked among the "Best Hospitals" in the region by U.S. News & World Report; TUH-Episcopal Campus; TUH-Northeastern Campus; Fox Chase Cancer Center, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center; Jeanes Hospital, a community-based hospital offering medical, surgical and emergency services; Temple Transport Team, a ground and air-ambulance company; and Temple Physicians, Inc., a network of community-based specialty and primary-care physician practices. TUHS is affiliated with the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, and Temple University Physicians, which is Temple Health's physician practice plan comprised of more than 500 full-time and part-time academic physicians in 20 clinical departments.

The Lewis Katz School of Medicine (LKSOM), established in 1901, is one of the nation's leading medical schools. Each year, the School of Medicine educates approximately 840 medical students and 140 graduate students. Based on its level of funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Katz School of Medicine is the second-highest ranked medical school in Philadelphia and the third-highest in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to U.S. News & World Report, LKSOM is among the top 10 most applied-to medical schools in the nation.

Temple Health refers to the health, education and research activities carried out by the affiliates of Temple University Health System (TUHS) and by the Katz School of Medicine. TUHS neither provides nor controls the provision of health care. All health care is provided by its member organizations or independent health care providers affiliated with TUHS member organizations. Each TUHS member organization is owned and operated pursuant to its governing documents.The 'fiery death' of brain cells during multiple sclerosis can be blocked by an anti-inflammatory drug

Researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a unique process of brain cell death that affects the cells that are most vulnerable in multiple sclerosis (MS).

After identifying the process called pyroptosis, or fiery death, the researchers were able to block the enzyme in the brain that is responsible for it, using a drug that could potentially treat MS.

"This could be a game changer, because we discovered a fundamental mechanism by which brain cells are damaged in MS that couples inflammation with neurodegeneration," said Chris Power, a neurologist, lead author of the study and co-director of the UAlberta MS Centre. "The drug is already known to be safe in humans."

MS is a common disease of the brain and spinal cord that affects people in the prime of their life. There is currently no curative treatment for MS and its cause remains unknown. On average, 11 people with MS are diagnosed daily and Alberta has one of the highest rates of the disease in the world.

The publication of the study in PNAS marks the first molecular analysis of pyroptosis in the human brain. Pyroptosis is a type of programmed cell death that is associated with inflammation, but its role in MS was previously unknown. Importantly, Power's lab was able to show pyroptosis in both brain tissues from MS patients and in lab models of MS.

"The study's findings make a key contribution to the MS field in identifying a novel mechanism that contributes to progression in MS," said Karen Lee, vice president of research at the MS Society of Canada. "The MS Society of Canada is encouraged by the results of this study and what it means for people living with MS--hope for another avenue through which treatment options can be explored to stop MS in its tracks."

Power's lab found that the drug known as VX-765 protected oligodendrocytes, the cells that insulate nerves in the brain and are susceptible to damage in MS. VX-765 is currently in clinical trials for epilepsy.

"We think this drug would break the cycle of neurotoxic inflammation and thus prevent future loss of brain cell in MS," said Brienne McKenzie, first author on the study and a PhD student in the U of A's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry.

Power and his team believe identifying this mechanism also opens the doors to new indicators for monitoring disease progression of MS, which has been challenging since symptoms can vary widely between patients.

"Existing MS treatments work to reduce inflammation, but there is nothing that targets the brain cells themselves," said Avindra Nath, clinical director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. "This paper identifies a clinically relevant novel pathway that opens the doors to new therapeutic targets that prevent cell damage."

The study was a collaboration with a laboratory at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, DC. The MS Society of Canada and the University Hospital Foundation provided funding support for the research.

"The University Hospital Foundation is proud to be a long-time supporter of Dr. Power's groundbreaking research. Along with our generous donors, I congratulate Dr. Power on his discovery, and look forward to his future success," said Joyce Mallman Law, president of the University Hospital Foundation.

###

The study Caspase-1 inhibition prevents glial inflammasome activation and pyroptosis in models of multiple sclerosis was published in PNAS on June 12, 2018.The decision to acknowledge sponsorship of an attack is often linked to whether the attacker hopes to draw attention to a cause or to actually influence events, says political scientist Evan Perkoski

The decision to claim credit for a cyberattack on a government or institution depends on both the goals of the attack and the characteristics of the attacker, according to a study co-authored by a UConn political scientist that is one of the first to look into the voluntary claiming of cybersecurity operations.

The type of attacker - whether a state or a non-state actor such as a terrorist group - determines whether credit is claimed for a cyberattack and how it is communicated, according to the study, "Rethinking Secrecy in Cyberspace: The Politics of Voluntary Attribution," forthcoming in the Journal of Global Security Studies. Co-authors of the study are Evan Perkoski, assistant professor of political science at UConn, and Michael Poznansky, assistant professor of political science at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Affairs.

Among the findings of the study:

Both states and non-state actors face similar decisions in the lifecycle of a cyberattack, yet the characteristics of each can cause their strategies to diverge, "particularly with the optics of credit claiming."

While most research treats cyber operations as distinct from more traditional elements of state power, states "may be able to leverage their cyber assets to achieve many of the same goals most frequently pursued with conventional forces."

The decision to privately or publicly acknowledge sponsorship of an attack may provide "crucial information about both their motives and identity."

Perkoski says that in developing the study, a distinction was drawn between cybercrime and cyberblackmail because "they are inherently different forms of cyber operations with different goals in mind."

He notes that typically the goal of cybercrime is personal or financial gain, which does not follow the same logic as states operating against other states in cyberspace. In the case of cyberblackmail, the attacker wants the victim to know something was stolen, such as when North Korea hacked into the servers at Sony following the release of "The Interview," a film about assassinating its leader, Kim Jong-un.

"They hacked into Sony servers, stole certain information, and said we want you to do X or we'll release this information," Perkoski says. "It was a form of pretty basic blackmail. It's not operating on the same kind of pattern of state-on-state or non-state-on-state intervention in cyberspace. In that case, you only want to communicate with the person you've hacked and let them know you have this material. It's a different dynamic than a state trying to coerce an opponent to give up their nuclear arms program."

The researchers began their collaboration studying cybersecurity several years ago while they were both fellows at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Perkoski is a specialist in political violence and terrorism, while Poznansky studies clandestine and covert interventions.

Perkoski says the alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election fits into the study's findings. Russian operatives reportedly hacked into the Democratic National Committee computers to obtain emails from the Hillary Clinton campaign, and then used social media trolls to sway public opinion toward Donald J. Trump's campaign.

"Russia wouldn't get as many benefits from claiming their operation," he says. "They're not looking to get attention for their message or cause. They're really looking to influence the way events might unfold. Because it's unclear, it makes it hard for the U.S. to take a hard stance against them. You can always play devil's advocate and say maybe it wasn't Russia, as President Trump has said. Maybe it was some guy in his basement hacking on his own. In that case, it makes sense that Russia doesn't want to claim credit, to limit possible escalatory dynamics."

One of the challenges in confirming clandestine state-sponsored activities is that it may only be possible from classified documents. Perkoski says scholars are still learning important details about historic events with the release of classified documents decades after the events occurred, such as the recent release of documents concerning the controversial 1961 U.S. invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs.

"When we think about what's happening with the U.S. and Russia, Iran, and North Korea and their cyber operations, it may be another 30 or 40 years until we know what's really going on," he says.

Perkoski says the study helps to clarify the fact that not all cyber operations are inherently anonymous, and that actors may claim credit for them, which then opens the door to using cyber tools as almost traditional instruments of state power. At the same time, there is no firm understanding of how non-state actor groups operate in cyberspace.

"We know a lot about how terrorists and insurgent groups come together, and what sustains them, but we don't have a theory of any of this stuff for a hacking organization and whether they follow the same paradigms or not," Perkoski says. "How do you defeat a militant organization or a hacking collective like Anonymous when they're all spread out around the world, they operate in states that don't have extradition treaties with the United States, and they might even operate in some states that give them de facto immunity? We know, for instance, that some Russian hackers don't get support from the government, but they allow them to operate freely because they're operating in Russia's own interest. That raises a lot of questions about understanding these groups."

At the same time, Perkoski says, as advances in cybersecurity improve the ability of government and law enforcement agencies to track hackers, terror groups and militant organizations are moving away from technology.

"There was a period when government agencies were quite effective at using these tools to their advantage and gaining information. Now I think you're seeing militant groups respond to that and go more low-tech, to avoid some of those weaknesses," he says. "Look at how the U.S. found Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. It wasn't through hacking or satellite imagery. It was by tracking a courier going to his house and meeting with other guys who would go back to Afghanistan. It was very much traditional signals intelligence that the CIA has been using for 50 to 60 years."

###Building on previous work, the new project will encourage village communities to earn a living from sustainably-harvested natural resources in the country's rain forests and resist deforestation

THE tropical rain forests of South West Ethiopia are a precious, but vulnerable environment. They can be safeguarded if local communities are able to earn a living from sustainably-harvested natural resources, such as wild coffee and honey. The University of Huddersfield has played a key role in enabling this, and a new 374,000 award from a UK Government initiative will extend the scope of the project.

Now, Ethiopian products such as forest fruits, peppers, wild chillies and cardamom could come to market, meaning a better livelihood for villagers so that they continue to resist destructive redevelopment and illegal settlement.

Professor Adrian Wood is a member of the Centre for Sustainability, Responsibility, Governance and Ethics at the University of Huddersfield's Business School. He and his colleagues and partner organisations in Ethiopia have earned a succession of substantial grants so that they can support communities in developing a system known as participatory forest management in these Ethiopian rain forests.

It means that local communities are trained to organise themselves in order to take responsibility for the maintenance and development of the forest. A study has shown that rates of deforestation are more than 14 times lower in these community-managed forests than outside.

The latest funding award comes from the UK Government's Darwin Initiative, which has already provided backing for a project led by Professor Wood that focussed on wild coffee as a valuable commodity.

"We now have 100,000 hectares of tropical rain forest under management by the communities - but for forests to be maintained by communities there has to be some value for them," said Professor Wood.

"In 25 per cent of those hectares, there is wild coffee - a valuable product. But in 75 per cent of the forest there is no coffee, so there is a need to find other non-timber products that can be marketed sustainably in order to make the management groups in those areas agree that it's worthwhile to maintain their forest."

Products that could be marketed include Ethiopian cardamom - milder than the Indian equivalent, said Professor Wood - and wild chillies - "small, but very dynamic!"

There are also long peppers that are used as a spice and the project will investigate the use of Ethiopian forest fruits in jams. The forest mahogany tree - locally named the luya - yields seeds that are used in southern Africa to make a highly-valued face cream that so far has not been developed from Ethiopia. Now, the project will investigate its international potential and the harvesting of luya seeds could provide greater opportunities for women in forest communities.

The Darwin Initiative funding of 374, 420 over two years and nine months will enable the recruitment of two more Ethiopians to join the six-strong project technical team already in place in the country, backed up in the UK by members of Huddersfield's Centre for Sustainability, Responsibility, Governance and Ethics. Research Project Manager Matt Snell pays regular visits to Ethiopia, where long-standing partners include the Ethio Wetlands and Natural Resources Association.

Training will be an important element in the new project. It is vital that forest products such cardamom and other spices are properly dried so that they can be successfully marketed by the project's commercial partners.

"We are trying to develop the value chains for these forest products, to get more money to the communities and improve their livelihoods," said Professor Wood.

###

*THE Darwin Initiative is a UK government grants scheme that helps to protect biodiversity and the natural environment through locally-based projects worldwide. Since its establishment in 1992 it has funded 1,068 projects. The University of Huddersfield project - titled "Non-timber forest product micro-enterprises for competitive forests and livelihoods in Ethiopia" - was one of 32 successful applicants for funding in 2018. It was the sixth-largest grant awarded. The current issue of the Darwin Initiative's newsletter includes an article from Professor Wood and Matt Snell describing the existing wild coffee project.Travellers carrying standby antibiotics take them more often than those travelling without such drugs. Having antibiotics packed in the bags allows their use - against recommendations - also for mild and moderate diarrhoea, i.e. cases not requiring medication.

Increasing antimicrobial resistance, primarily caused by excessive and uncontrolled use of antibiotics, is a globally recognized severe threat to human health. Returning home, approximately every third traveller to the tropics carries intestinal multiresistant bacteria. The risk of having contracted such bacteria is doubled by taking antibiotics during the journey.

Seeking means to avoid unnecessary antibiotic use, a study was carried out jointly by the University of Helsinki, the Helsinki University Hospital, and the Aava Travel Clinic, aiming to identify factors increasing antibiotic use among travellers.

"To cut down unnecessary antibiotic use, the underlying factors need to be explored," says Anu Kantele, professor at the University of Helsinki and the project lead.

The study comprised 316 prospectively recruited subjects who had contracted travellers' diarrhoea during their visit to the tropics. Of the 316 participants, 53 had brought stand-by antibiotics from Finland. The most common reason for antibiotic use was diarrhoea, the most prevalent disease among travellers to the tropics, followed by respiratory infections.

As risk factors associated with use of antibiotics, the study identified carriage of stand-by antibiotics, vomiting, diarrhoea disrupting or preventing daily activities and contacts with local health care at the destination.

Of those carrying vs not carrying stand-by antibiotics 34% vs 11% resorted to antibiotic therapy. Severe diarrhoea was treated with antibiotics similarly in the two groups, yet carriers of stand-by antibiotics also used them for mild and moderate diarrhoea. "According to the Finnish guidelines, antibiotics should be used for diarrhoea patients with a high fever or an exceptionally severe disease or deteriorating condition, or if they have an underlying disease which may become aggravated," says Kantele.

"In other words, antibiotics should only be used to treat severe diarrhoea, whereas for mild and moderate disease fluid therapy and non-antibiotic drugs suffice." Rather than the severity of diarrhoea, the factor determining recourse to antibiotics was travellers' subjective experience of disturbance of daily activities.

"Physicians in Finland and elsewhere should give up routinely prescribing antibiotics against travellers' diarrhoea," Kantele concludes.

###Robert J. Myerburg, M.D., professor of medicine and physiology, and the American Heart Association Chair in Cardiovascular Research at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, contributed an editorial to the Journal of the American Medical Association placing in perspective some of the conclusions in new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) regarding the use of electrocardiogram screening for cardiovascular disease risk.

The USPSTF is an independent, volunteer panel of national experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine. Its recommendations statement was accompanied by a separate evidence report. The two articles and Myerburg's editorial will be published online at 11 a.m. on June 12. The USPSTF statement recommends against rest and exercise electrocardiogram (ECG) screening of asymptomatic adults at low risk for cardiovascular disease events, defined by cardiovascular risk profiles, because of the unlikelihood of it resulting in any improvement in health outcomes. It further states that current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms associated with testing intermediate- and high-risk patients.

Myerburg agrees in part with the recommendation for low-risk asymptomatic patients, but points out that statistics derived from large population groups do not necessarily apply to individual patients. Furthermore there is a difference between screening based on routine ECGs at the time of annual preventive care visits, and a small number of repeat ECGs recorded periodically.

"It is not yet clear whether there is value to a single random resting ECG retained in the records of middle-aged adult patients, which may serve as a baseline for comparison when these patients present with nonspecific symptoms at a later time," he wrote in his editorial. For higher-risk patients, he believes clinicians should be focusing more on the power of "treatable risk factors" such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, cigarette smoking, and hypertension, as well as the contribution of family history. Based on the USPSTF statement, when and how often to obtain screening ECG tests should be based on the magnitude of individual risk score and the physician's clinical judgement.

"The problem of individual risk prediction remains a major challenge in clinical practice," said Myerburg. "In many of the studies estimating population risk, the effect size associated with statistically significant risk profiling is insufficient to make reliable statements about individual risk. This limitation also remains a challenge for the future."

As for USPSTF's concern about risk from ECG testing itself, such as adverse outcomes from unnecessary catheter interventions, "there is less concern about this as a risk-vs.-benefit question as physicians are educated about when to intervene," said Myerburg. "The diagnostic test is of less concern. Therefore, this issue is largely related to education regarding the need for intervention, as opposed to the resting or exercise ECGs themselves."

Another benefit of testing is the potential discovery of inherited diseases and conditions, such as a genetic trait known as long QT interval syndrome, which is linked to sudden cardiac arrest and the structural inherited diseases such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

"Data from Italy suggest that patients with unrecognized or untreated long QT interval syndrome have a 13 percent mortality rate between infancy and age 40 years," he said. "Early recognition and effective therapies can have favorable impacts, and a single screening ECG may be sufficient."

Finally, Myerburg suggests testing special populations, such as competitive athletes undergoing pre-participation evaluations.

"This is a controversial area in the United States, although generally accepted elsewhere," he said. "It is similar to the genetic disorders, in that the probability of identification of disease is low because of the prevalence rates, but the potential for adding years of quality life by prevention is large."

Myerburg points out the need for further research.

"As new knowledge about the subtleties of risk and risk prediction emerge from future research, reevaluation of the potential value of these procedures may lead to appropriate reclassification of risk," he said. "The sciences contributing to medical practice are dynamic, and today's valid conclusions may be modified by future information."

###Recipe for the perfect balance of breaks and repairs in our genome could help fight cancer and brain ageing

New discovery gives insight into chemotherapy resistant cancers such as rhabdosarcoma - the most common soft tissue cancer in children

Findings could have significant implications in brain ageing which has an effect on memory and cognitive function

Scientists at the University of Sheffield have discovered what keeps the perfect balance of breaks and repairs in our DNA - something which could help improve the success of chemotherapy and combat neurodegeneration associated with ageing.

Our genome, where precious genetic information is stored, is challenged with thousands of breaks every day.

Cells possess an army of proteins that search for, detect and fix these breaks to maintain genome integrity, but little is known about how the cell fine-tunes the level of response in these repair factories to suit each and every repair event.

The level of proteins in our cells is controlled by synthesis and degradation. Cells get rid of proteins when not needed by attaching a small peptide called ubiquitin.

The new study, led by Dr Sherif El-Khamisy at the University of Sheffield's Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, has revealed an enzyme called UCHL3, which controls DNA repair by removing ubiquitin marks from TDP1 - a DNA repair protein. The findings also have implications in brain ageing which has an affect on memory, cognitive function and learning.

An overexpression of UCHL3 causes less ubiquitination of TDP1 and increases its protein level, which is found in chemotherapy resistant cancers such as rhabdosarcoma - the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children, which has a debilitating effect on the muscles, tendons and cartilage.

Too little UCHL3, however, was found to cause more ubiquitination of TDP1 reducing its level in neurological diseases such as ataxias - a group of disorders that affect co-ordination, balance and speech.

Dr El-Khamisy said: "This study identifies UCHL3 as a novel therapeutically druggable target where suppression of its activity can improve cancer treatment, whereas encouraging and fuelling its activity can combat neurodegeneration.

"Defective DNA repair is a common theme in a number of neurological disorders including motor neuron disease and dementia. Finding novel approaches to fuel the cell's ability to repair genomic breaks may hold promise in improving treatment of a broad range of neurological diseases."

The five-year study is funded by a Wellcome Trust Investigator Award to Dr El-Khamisy and involved collaborations across departments at The University of Sheffield and internationally.

The full study is published today (12 June 2018) in the journal Cell Reports.

###

For further information please contact: Amy Huxtable, Media Relations Officer, University of Sheffield, 0114 222 9859

Notes to editors

The University of Sheffield

With almost 29,000 of the brightest students from over 140 countries, learning alongside over 1,200 of the best academics from across the globe, the University of Sheffield is one of the world's leading universities.

A member of the UK's prestigious Russell Group of leading research-led institutions, Sheffield offers world-class teaching and research excellence across a wide range of disciplines.

Unified by the power of discovery and understanding, staff and students at the university are committed to finding new ways to transform the world we live in.

Sheffield is the only university to feature in The Sunday Times 100 Best Not-For-Profit Organisations to Work For 2018 and for the last eight years has been ranked in the top five UK universities for Student Satisfaction by Times Higher Education.

??Sheffield has six Nobel Prize winners among former staff and students and its alumni go on to hold positions of great responsibility and influence all over the world, making significant contributions in their chosen fields.

Global research partners and clients include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Unilever, AstraZeneca, Glaxo SmithKline, Siemens and Airbus, as well as many UK and overseas government agencies and charitable foundations.

The Wellcome Trust

Wellcome exists to improve health for everyone by helping great ideas to thrive.

The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation, both politically and financially independent. They support scientists and researchers, take on big problems, fuel imaginations, and spark debate.

For more information please visit: https://wellcome.ac.uk/home

The Lister Institute of Preventative Medicine

The Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine was founded in 1891 and is one of the UK's oldest medical charities.

Originally a Research Institute developing, and subsequently producing on a commercial scale, vaccines and antitoxins it has over the years adapted to the changing research environment; always seeking to support research in an innovative way. Take a look at our heritage and find out more about us.

Today, from its endowment funds, it is a grant-giving charity whose principal award is the Lister Research Prize Fellowship. The Institute has sought to retain the 'Lister family' tradition and remains in touch with all its former and current Fellows.

For more information please visit: http://www.lister-institute.org.uk/Swiss animal protection groups have collected more than 115,000 signatures calling for the obligatory castration of cats that go outside. The aim of the petition is to curb the number of stray cats and reduce unnecessary suffering.

The Network for Animal Protection (NetAP) and Tier im Recht (TIR) handed in the petition, backed by more than 150 organisations, to parliament on Tuesday.

They estimate that 100,000-300,000 stray cats live in Switzerland. One of the main causes of the stray-cat problem is that owners of free-roaming house cats dont always neuter them, with the result that these cats mate with strays, producing offspring.

The animal welfare groups explained in a statement that if cats multiply excessively, large colonies of cats will quickly form in a tight area, leading to hygiene issues and the spread of disease. Many animals would die a painful death because they wouldnt receive any medical care or wouldnt find enough food.

This uncontrolled breeding also leads to countless unwanted animals ending up in animal shelters. Whats more, above all in rural areas, unwanted kittens are sometimes drowned or killed in other ways involving suffering, according to the statement.The record-low unemployment rate of 2.4% is expected to lead to a shortage of skilled professionals. Some industries and businesses are already feeling the squeeze.

Last May, 110,000 people were registered as unemployed  18% less compared with the previous year. The situation has improved particularly for young people (15- to 24-year-olds) and those over 50.

In the hospitality industry, its already very difficult to find enough staff. Thats why we are hesitant to dismiss unsuitable employees, because we know it will not be easy to replace them, a Lausanne restaurant owner told swissinfo.ch.

Some cantons in central Switzerland, such as Obwalden, have an unemployment rate of less than 1%, forcing businesses to decline orders.

Nationwide, the list of occupations affected by a labour shortage includes the IT industry, law, metal processing, mechanical engineering, transport, construction and the health sector.

Within IT, the situation is likely to change somewhat after Nestle announced it would cut 580 IT jobs in Switzerland.

Acute shortage

Oliver Adler, chief economist at Credit Suisse, said in an interview with the French-language newspaper La Tribune de Geneve that half of all companies looking to fill vacancies were already affected by the lack of skilled workers.

Adler is the author of the study Strategies for coping with the skilled labour shortage, which surveyed 90,000 small and medium-sized Swiss companies.

He found that the shortage was a very important factor in determining the success of a business.

A quarter of the businesses Adler surveyed had even suffered from an acute shortage, he said.

Negative impact

A general, nationwide shortage of skilled workers would have a particularly negative impact on Switzerland as a business location, Adler said.

It is possible to recruit staff from abroad, and there are currently over 320,000 registered cross-border commuters working in Switzerland.

But on July 1 this year, measures against mass migration will come into force. These are the result of a vote on a popular initiative in 2014 and will make it harder for companies to employ workers from abroad.

It will oblige companies to inform regional employment services about any job vacancies in sectors with an unemployment rate of more than 8% before advertising them in other countries.French President Emmanuel Macron blasted Italy on Tuesday for "irresponsibility" after it turned away a rescue boat carrying African migrants, exposing deep tensions in the European Union over the issue.

The decision by Italy to stop the Aquarius rescue boat landing on its shores at the weekend with 629 migrants on board has created the first serious clash between the countrys new populist government and its EU partners.

During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Macron accused Italys leaders of cynicism and irresponsibility and said they had broken international maritime law by refusing the boat the right to dock.

In cases of distress, those with the closest coastline have a responsibility to respond, spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said in unusually harsh criticism by Paris of its southern neighbour.

In response the Italian government said it would not accept hypocritical lessons from countries that have preferred to look the other way on immigration, apparently a reference to French reinforcements at its border with Italy.

For years, Italy has pleaded with its EU partners for help with a massive influx of arrivals from Africa that has seen 700,000 people cross the Mediterranean and land in the country since 2013.

Under existing rules, countries where migrants first arrive are required to process their asylum requests, placing the burden on Italy in particular, as well as fellow southern countries Greece and Spain.

EU leaders have set an end-of-June deadline for an overhaul of these so-called Dublin rules, but talks have been deadlocked for two years and there is little sign of a breakthrough.

 Political ping pong 

Attempts to distribute refugees around the blocs 28 member states have consistently failed, with the surge in migrants fuelling anti-immigration, far-right political parties across Europe.

We cannot continue the political ping pong on who is finally responsible for shouldering the responsiblity of migration or protecting external borders, because we all are, EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said on Tuesday in Strasbourg.

The new government in Rome, which includes the far-right League party, came to power pledging to stop the boats and carry out mass deportations that could see hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants expelled.

Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, the League leader, said last week that he would not let Italy become Europes refugee camp.

 EU foundations at risk? 

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel faced serious pressure on Tuesday from conservative allies in her coalition to take a firmer line on immigration which would also see migrants turned back at the border.

Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, from Merkels Bavarian allies CSU, cancelled plans to present his master plan which was expected to propose toughening controls.

Merkel has resisted this because it would shift the problem to Germanys neighbours  Austria in particular and she has pleaded for burden-sharing and a new EU force to police the blocs external borders.

Ill tell you bluntly: if we cannot come up with a response to the migration challenges the very foundations of the EU will be at stake, she warned last week.

Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have consistently either refused outright or resisted taking in refugees under a contested EU quota system.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban welcomed Italys decision, offering Rome his complete support.

I am now convinced that what was lacking wasnt the capacity, but the will to halt migrant arrivals along the Mediterranean coast, Orban said in Budapest after meeting his Slovak counterpart Peter Pellegrini.

He added that he hoped Italys move can bring a change to Europes migration policy  an issue sure to figure prominently at a June 28-29 summit in Brussels.

EU members were supposed to be unveiling a blueprint for reforming and deepening links between the 19 countries that share the euro currency.

Macron has pushed for greater integration, but the creation of a new eurosceptic and far-right government in Rome had been expected to complicate efforts even before Tuesdays flare-up.

A spokesman for Macrons Republic on the Move party said earlier that the Italian governments policy was sickening.

The position, the line of the Italian government is sickening. Its unacceptable to play politics with human lives which is what is happening at the moment, Gabriel Attal told the Public Senat channel.

The 629 migrants on board the Aquarius ship  including pregnant women and scores of children  were heading for Spain on Tuesday after being rescued off the Libyan coast over the weekend.

Spains new Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stepped in on Monday, offering the boat safe harbour in the eastern port city of Valencia.

He said there was a moral obligation to help to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe.

burs-adp/js/bocHungary's stridently anti-immigration Prime Minister Viktor Orban welcomed Tuesday the new populist Italian government's refusal to allow an aid ship with 629 rescued migrants on board to dock in its ports, saying he hoped it would bring about a change in the EU's migration policy.

Finally! I let out a huge sigh of relief! Orban said at a meeting with his Slovak counterpart Peter Pellegrini.

I was tired of hearing for years on end that the maritime borders cant be protected! I am now convinced that what was lacking wasnt the capacity, but the will, he continued.

We assure the Italian government of our complete support, he said, adding that he hoped Italys stance can bring a change to Europes migration policy.

Anti-migrant messaging played a large part in the campaign which saw Orban win a landslide victory in elections earlier this year.

A total of 629 migrants  including pregnant women and scores of children  are currently crammed on to the Aquarius ship after being rescued off the Libyan coast on Saturday and Sunday.

The Spanish government has stepped in to offer the boat safe harbour but it could be another three to four days before it is able to land, according to the charity that runs the ship.

Slovak PM Pellegrini similarly backed the Italian governments action, saying: We have to stop the policy which consists of saving everyone who throws themselves in the water: the coastguard or the police saves them and all of a sudden theyve got onto EU territory.

Slovakia is soon to take over the rotating presidency of the Visegrad Group of four Central European countries and explained that Hungarys anti-immigration stance is the position of the other Visegrad countries and of 90 percent of the populations of our countries and for this reason our point of view will not change.

While holding out the possibility that Visegrad countries could contribute towards more border protection or helping migrants in their country of origin, Pelligrini repeated their rejection of any migrant quota system, saying: We refuse to let migrants enter our country.

This may in future set up a clash with the new Italian governments desire to overhaul the EUs Dublin regulations, which mean asylum seekers must submit their applications in their country of arrival.

Italy wants to replace this with an automatic system of compulsory distribution of asylum seekers throughout the EU.

Austrias far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), the junior partner in the ruling coalition, also congratulated the new Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of the xenophobic Lega Nord.

FPOe Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache said on Facebook that under Salvini illegal migration is not being tolerated anymore, adding: Great!Privacy Settings

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NOTE: These settings will only apply to the browser and device you are currently using.The Portuguese Foreign Minister today welcomed the meeting in Singapore between US President Donald Trump and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un, which he referred to as a diplomatic victory.

Portugal thinks that it is good that the summit has taken place, it means that the logic of diplomacy has prevailed over the logic of confrontation, and secondly, it is good that the two leaders have committed themselves to two very important elements, said Augusto Santos Silva.

The minister said the de-nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula was, an essential condition for the peace and lasting security of this peninsula, and security guarantees and supports the economic development of North Korea.

In a reference to Antonio Guterres, Silva added, As the Secretary-General of the United Nations said, development is another dimension of peace and security.

Portugals Foreign Minister emphasised, not only the extraordinary role of the President of South Korea and South Korean diplomacy, but also the attitude of China, Japan and Russia that contributed to this outcome.

In his initial statement, Trump said he gave security assurances to the Korean Peninsula and in return received the promise of a total de-nuclearisation of the North Korean weapons programme.

Only the bravest can make peace, said Trump who considered that the negotiations went very smoothly but warned a second meeting with his North Korean counterpart is needed.

Phil Robertson, the Human Rights Watch deputy director for Asia, commented that the complete absence of references to the human rights issue, in the document that came out of the conference between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump, left him and his colleagues deeply desolate with the enormity of the missing theme.An all party resolution is being drafted by Portugal's Foreign Affairs Committee to question the licensing of a uranium mine over the border in Retortillo, Salamanca.

Calling for an environmental impact assessment of the mining project, mainly because the mine is in an area through which a stream flows and ends up in a tributary of the Douro, the mine is opposed by environmentalists in both countries.

The Portuguese Environment Agency already has stated that the Spanish mine is, likely to have significant environmental effects in Portugal because it is close to the border and that the river Yeltes, a tributary of the Douro, may become contaminated.

At the end of May, 2018, the Portuguese Ministries of the Environment and of Foreign Affairs said that Spain gave Portugal, detailed information on the mining project and ensured that Portugal will be involved in the process.

Portugal also has received additional reports from the Ministries and other responsible entities and both parties have committed to review and improve bilateral consultation procedures, including through the definition of objective criteria for gauging potential cross-border environmental impacts of future projects.

Spain and Portugals governments also have expressed their willingness to negotiate a Memorandum of Understanding on radiation protection and nuclear safety in order to facilitate the exchange of information on licensing, surveillance and control of nuclear and radioactive facilities.

Environmentalists fear this waffle and the diplomatic niceties that are being followed will serve only to enable the Portuguese government to show that it has made every effort while bowing to pressure from Spain whcih fully intends to license the mine.

The European Commissions president, Jean-Claude Juncker, already has bullied Portugal into dropping a cross-border complaint over expansion plans for Spains Almaraz nuclear power station and is likely again to use the same tactics.

 algarvedailynews.com

The above content produced by swissinfo.ch is not intended for commercial use and may not be republished by third parties either wholly or in part.Monday, June 11, 2018

When a funeral director picks up a deceaseds body at home, a nursing home, or sometimes even a hospital, some make a thoughtful gesture of leaving a flower on the persons recently-vacated bed or pillow. Some use fresh flowers, others may use artificial (but long lasting) flowers.

This Dear Abby letter writer brings up a powerful consideration for funeral directors. If youre giving bereaved families flowers, should they be fresh or fake?

DEAR ABBY: My brother-in-law died a month ago and was cremated by the local affiliate of a prominent funeral home. To make it easier for my sister, I accompanied her to the mortuary to pick up her husbands remains. I walked in alone, and as I returned to the car with his urn, a young funeral home employee in a black suit and scuffed shoes followed me. Through the window of the car, he presented my sister an artificial red rose and said, Were sorry for your loss.

My sister and I were appalled by the insincerity of this gesture, and I called and told the funeral home director that the sentiments were as phony as the rose. He said, I thought it was a great idea, and couldnt understand our reaction. Were we wrong?  RESENTING PHONY SENTIMENTS

DEAR RESENTING: Yes, you were. When people are grieving, emotions are sometimes raw, so Im not going to scold you. However, your response to the young man was ungracious. All that needed to be said was, No, thank you.

The Doyenne of Death says:

I agree with Dear Abbys response. Most good funeral directors do everything they can to help grieving family members. Presenting a flower when picking up cremated remains, even if its an artificial red rose, is a caring gesture.

Perhaps it was the youth of the employee? The fact that his shoes were not polished? The idea that the rose was artificial, even though it would not fade as live roses do?

We need to remember clients pick up on the smallest details. Unfortunately, this family misinterpreted the funeral homes intentions. Your thoughts? Comment below!

Share this:San Antonios La Prensa has shut down, less than two months after its publisher and owner announced the bilingual publication would be transitioning to digital-only this summer.

Publisher and owner Nina Duran announced the decision in a Facebook post Monday afternoon.

After serving the community for 29 years, La Prensa de San Antonio has closed its print and digital doors, Duran said in the post. Ive enjoyed every step of this journey and knew this was a possibility when I returned as publisher in 2016. Ultimately Im so happy I was able to provide jobs to people who I consider family for two more years. Looking back, I dont regret a single thing.

Duran couldnt immediately be reached for comment.

It is heartbreaking, said Ramiro Cavazos, CEO and president of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. We support La Prensa and they have been an institution in our city for many years. I think its just indicative of what were seeing in the marketplace  this big shift occurring not just in print but in all kinds of media.

In an interview in April after some editorial staffers were terminated, Duran emphasized that the newspaper was not closing its doors.

We will not go down without a fight, she said at the time.

Duran had taken over as its editor-in-chief and announced La Prensa would be shifting to digital-only in July.

I am trying my best to save a legacy that my father created, she told the San Antonio Express-News.

Florentino  Tino Duran and his wife, Amelia, restarted La Prensa in 1989. The publication was founded in 1913. He retired in 2016 and and died a year ago after battling Alzheimers disease.

After returning as publisher, Nina Duran cut the papers monthly overhead to about $60,000 from $146,000. The paper had a staff of nine, including two in editorial.

The company was in bad shape, she said in April. Its in better shape now.

La Prensa published each Sunday and printed a special edition each month, she said. It ceased publishing on Wednesdays in October. It had struggled with rising print costs and fallout from businesses trimming their advertising dollars.

I live at peace with this decision as I continue to grow Bean & Chisme (a web show) and HeartFire Media (a marketing firm) with my business partner Samantha Najera, Duran said in the Facebook post. Only great things are to come as we move forward.

pdanner@express-news.netTourists would wind up paying slightly higher hotel bills if local hoteliers and tourism officials succeed in getting the city to create a fee they say is necessary to keep San Antonios nearly $14 billion hospitality industry competitive.

The San Antonio Hotel and Lodging Association and Visit San Antonio, the former Convention and Visitors Bureau that is tasked with promoting the city to travelers, want to create a tourism public improvement district that covers the entire city and is aimed at funding promotion efforts for the local tourism industry.

Under the proposal, hotel guests would pay 1.25 percent on top of the existing 16.75 percent occupancy tax on stays at hotels and lodging facilities with more than 100 rooms. Officials estimate the fee would bring in $10 million during the first year if its enacted.

The City Council is slated to take up the proposal for a preliminary vote at its June 21 meeting.

San Antonio hoteliers share of the Texas hotel market has shrunk in the past seven years, ceding ground to hotels in Houston, Austin and Dallas. During the same period, the Alamo Citys tourism marketing dollars remained flat. Those two factors pose a threat to the citys $13.6 billion tourism industry, which employs about 130,000 people, officials say.

We know that an increased budget for Visit San Antonio is going to be beneficial for everybody, said Liza Barratachea, president and CEO of the San Antonio Hotel and Lodging Association. We believe that their opportunity to grow their sales and marketing dollars and their sales and marketing reach is going to benefit us because its going to drive demand. Weve seen the proof in that in other communities.

In 2010, San Antonio controlled 11.3 percent of the Texas hotel market, according to STR, a company that tracks the hospitality industry. By 2017, that figure had dropped to 10.1 percent as Austin, Dallas and Houston made gains.

That 1.2 percent decrease translated to a loss of 1 million room-nights last year, officials say.

Despite the growing competition, local funds for tourism promotion have been stagnant for at least five years. The need to raise more revenue led what then was the citys Convention and Visitors Bureau to become the nonprofit Visit San Antonio in 2016.

Of the 16.75 percent occupancy tax guests currently pay, with 7 percent goes to the city, 6 percent to the state, 2 percent to the Convention Center and 1.8 percent to Bexar County.

For comparison, Austin tourists pay a 15 percent tax on their hotel stays, including the state tax and a 9 percent city tax. Dallas hotel tax rate includes the state tax, 7 percent city hotel tax and a 2 percent tax collecting by the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District. Houston hotel guests pay 17 percent of their bills toward hotel occupancy taxes collected by the city, Harris County, Harris County Sports Authority and the state.

Visit San Antonios budget is about $25.5 million, according to a presentation recently made to the citys Economic and Workforce Development Committee. Last year, Visit San Antonio started a membership program for local hotels, attractions and restaurants thats expected to add another $1 million to the organizations coffers.

That puts San Antonios tourism marketing budget behind Houstons $35 million and Dallas $37.2 million along with Nashville, Chicago, Denver and Orlando, the presentation noted. Austins budget for marketing itself as a tourist destination is $20.2 million.

Enacting the district and fee would push San Antonios marketing budget into the range of $30 million to $33 million, said Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit San Antonio.

The organizations first two priorities would be to grow its existing marketing plan and to find events and meetings to fill the convention calendar in 2019 and 2020, Matej said.

We want to be able not only continue in our existing markets  that we have to be aggressive in because theres other people trying to get into our existing markets  but it also would afford us to have a voice in new markets and take strategic risks to identify new markets to penetrate, Matej said.

The move to create the tourism improvement district comes amid a reduction in state funding.

Last year, lawmakers in Austin cut the states tourism funds in half  from $67.7 million in 2015 to $34 million to market Texas as a travel destination and conduct research about the states tourism economy through 2019.

To make up for lost funds, legislators implemented a cost-sharing initiative that authorizes Gov. Greg Abbotts office to seek matching funds in the form of gifts, grants and donations from the hospitality industry, local governments and nonprofits.

Matej said she couldnt immediately quantify the impact of the state budget cuts, but added: We cant take our chances.

The proposed district would be divided into two zones: one encompassing downtown and the other covering the rest of the city. Hoteliers from both zones would sit on a board directing Visit San Antonio on investment strategies affecting their respective zones, according to the presentation.

If council members give their tentative approval next week, the proposed districts supporters would have to gather signatures from more than 60 percent of San Antonios hoteliers in order to move forward. There are about 350 hotels throughout the city.

A final council vote is expected in mid-September, with a projected launch date set for October.

San Antonio would join three other Texas cities that already have tourism public improvement districts. Dallas, Arlington and Fort Worth each have districts that charge a 2 percent fee for hotel stays.

Dallas district has been a key driver of dramatic growth in hotel room and convention bookings since enacting its tourism public improvement district in 2012, said Phillip Jones, Visit Dallas president and CEO. Hotel occupancy tax revenue grew about 42 percent within five years while the city added at least 32 hotels, which Jones attributed to the district.

Joshua Fechter is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | jfechter@express-news.net | Twitter: @JFreportsThe first thing that grabs your attention as you enter the Beacon Hill home of ceramic artists Jennifer Datchuk and Ryan Takaba  well, aside from the spirited chihuahuas Scooter and Frances  are the Chairman Maos.

The couple, married in 2012 at the Southwest School of Art, where they both teach, has collected more than a half-dozen of the Oscar-size statues of the late Chinese leader over the past few years during trips to China. The Maos are all in various guises, such as Mao the farmer and Mao the ping-pong champion.

Chinese would never have these in their homes. They are Chinese propaganda art. Theyre these little narratives, telling stories, said Datchuk, 38, who is half Chinese and deals with issues of gender and ethnicity in her artwork, primarily made of porcelain. I am taking a group of students over (to China) next month, and Ill get some more. Theyre made by this one family for the tourist market.

Mao has become such a pop cultural icon now, added Takaba, 42, whose ceramic vessels, sometimes incorporating cut flowers, reflect his Hawaiian heritage. In these sculptures, hes sort of this adorable father figure, as in, Oh, he meant well. Theyre like Chinese precious moments. Any time we travel, whether its China or the Netherlands, we try to bring back pieces of ceramics that are relevant to the history of that country.

Related: Dog parks offer off-leash time and a place to play

After studying at Kent State University in Ohio, Takaba and Datchuk came to San Antonio and in 2010 bought their 1917, 1,300-square-foot, Sears Craftsman bungalow, with its gabled roof and mature palm tree and huge cactus out front.

We lived on West Magnolia just a couple of blocks away, and we finally found this house, Datchuk said. It was an older home, which is what we wanted, but it had good bones, as they say. We looked at so many crappy houses, and then moved to one just two blocks away.

Visitors enter directly off the porch into a large, airy space that encompasses the living and dining areas, with longleaf pine floors and 10-foot ceilings. Its immediately apparent that this is the home of artists, with works by friends, such as photographer Mark Menjivar and ceramist Diana Kersey prominently displayed, as well as collections of kitschy knickknacks such as the Mao figures and Lucky Cat (Japanese maneki-neko) figurines, on built-in shelves flanking a fireplace on the long west wall.

Theres lots of natural light coming in. The house just has really good energy, said Chris Castillo, 33, the residency and archives associate at Artpace, who has housesat for Datchuk and Takaba on several occasions. And the neighborhood is very friendly. Id take Scooter out for a walk and there would be people out on the porches, playing music or talking.

Three bedrooms and the bathroom are off a central hall on the east side of the house. The master bedroom in back was probably a screened porch at one time, Takaba said; it has windows on three sides of the room.

I like looking out on our backyard. Its very secluded for an urban area, he said.

I think our house seems very big when its just the two of us and the dogs, Datchuk said. But when people come over, its tiny.

The house is a stones throw from busy railroad tracks, and it vibrates on its foundation when a long train goes by.

Were now in a quiet zone, so the trains cant blow their horns at every intersection, which they used to do, Takaba said. Thats made a big difference.

Most of the furniture in the house, Datchuk said, is rescued, except for a new bright blue davenport  very midcentury modern made by Joybird Furniture.

That was our big purchase, she said. I guess were interested in comfort. We appreciate the handmade life, and we want to have our work and our friends work around us. When we moved here, we were at the beginning of our careers, and we didnt have any money, so most everything is used, found on the street or secondhand.

Read more: New Braunfels: Your guide to shopping, dining and hotels

Adds Takaba: We work a lot, so we were always in the studio or one or both of us was traveling for work, for an exhibition or a residency. So, its nice to come home to this house.

An art studio, complete with kiln, has taken shape in what was the garage over the past few years. It has allowed the couple to spend more time at home.

Thats where we spent our money, was in the studio, Takaba said. It was just the rough shell of the garage, but we both needed space to concentrate on our work.

It really changed our lives when we moved our studio from the school to home, Datchuk said. Now we can work late and stumble in to bed.

One of the things that impressed Castillo when he first stayed at the house was the plates and cups in the kitchen cabinets, which are from IKEA, by the way.

All the everyday china is handmade by friends of theirs who are ceramicists, he said.

Opening up a cabinet with 30 or 40 coffee cups, Datchuk begins telling the story behind a few. They are from old classmates, former students, artist friends and colleagues. Two Bizen ware cups from Japan, very dark and rusty looking, are their latest additions, bought for each other for their recent sixth anniversary.

Its a relatively affordable way to collect art, Datchuk said. And its like having coffee with a friend every morning.

Takaba and Datchuk have an incredible inventory of art, books, mementos and trinkets that make the house unique, said Celeste Wackenhut, a friend who is curator at French & Michigan, a local design firm.

Each object tells its own story, has its own meaning or purpose that ultimately serves as a fantastic feedback loop to their own artwork and life, she said.

Steve Bennett is a San Antonio freelancer.The San Antonio Food Banks annual program to provide children with free meals during the summer began last week and is scheduled to continue through Aug. 24.

The Summer Meals program targets people under the age of 18 who may have received free or reduced lunch during the school year. Organizations that partner with the food bank are distributing food at locations mostly in Bexar County  and at a few places outside the county  including apartment complexes, schools, clinics and clubs.Our indicted Attorney General Ken Paxton is back to being the only statewide official in the country under indictment.

 Justin Nelson on May 29, 2018, in a tweet

The Austin lawyer nominated by Democrats for state attorney general saw big-as-Texas significance in Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens announcing plans to resign.

Nelson said in a tweet posted the day that Greitens announced hed resign on June 1: The Missouri Governor under indictment just quit. This means our Indicted Attorney General Ken Paxton is back to being the only statewide official in the country under indictment. Texans can make their decision to fire Indicted Ken Paxton in November."

Greitens, a Republican, revealed hed resign weeks after being charged with felony computer tampering for allegedly using a list of donors to his charity, The Mission Continues, to raise campaign donations. As recapped by St. Louis Public Radio, that indictment occurred after KMOV-TV reported that the governor had had an extramarital affair and had allegedly taken a photo of the woman without her consent while she was bound and semi-nude. The governor, the woman said, then threatened to make the picture public if she talked about it.

Paxton, a former state legislator running for a second term as Texas attorney general, was indicted on charges of securities fraud in the summer of 2015 though the case has been mired in a dispute over how much several appointed prosecutors will be paid.

So, does Greitens move make Paxton the only statewide official in the U.S. under indictment?

We inquired into how Nelson reached his conclusion. By email, Sean Haynes of his campaign provided a spreadsheet listing statewide elected positions in all the states and followed up with a campaign document that Haynes said shows web searches conducted for indicted statewide officials in the 50 states. Over several months, Haynes said by phone, Nelson and campaign aides searched online for news reports or other indications of indictments of state officials before concluding that aside from Paxton and Greitens, no statewide elected officials were under indictment. The document indicates specific searches for the word "indicted" and the names of officials in each state across 14 job categories, starting with governor.

Along with Paxton, the document indicates, an Oklahoma official was under indictment in 2016-17. Joy Hofmeister, Oklahomas elected state superintendent of public instruction, was indicted in November 2016 for allegedly raising campaign donations illegally and coordinating attack ads against her predecessor before the 2014 Republican primary, the Associated Press reported. But those felony charges were dropped Aug. 1, 2017, according to a news story in the Oklahoman. That story also quoted Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater saying the charges might be restored, "pending further investigation."

Haynes also pointed out an August 2017 arrest in Arizona leading Joe Hart, Arizonas elected mine inspector, to be accused of domestic violence after a fight with his nephew, the Arizona Republic reported. We followed up with the Kingman, Arizona, police department whose deputy chief, Rusty Cooper, replied by email that the misdemeanor charge against Hart was later dismissed by the city attorneys office.

Next, we searched for indictments of statewide officials in news stories compiled by the Nexis news database in 2017-18--and found no indications of indicted statewide officials beyond Paxton.

We also reached out to the Associated Press, Governing magazine, the Almanac of American Politics and entities including the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Council of State Governments, the Center for Public Integrity, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the Institute for Corruption Studies at Illinois State University. No one said its researchers tracked indicted officials across the land.

Our inquiries otherwise turned up a statewide elected official recently acquitted of criminal charges and another perhaps at risk of more scrutiny.

CNN reported in January 2018 that after U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., was acquitted of charges alleging Menendez had accepted bribes in return for political favors, the Justice Department planned to seek dismissal of remaining charges against him. That dismissal happened Jan. 31, 2018, according to a legal document emailed to us by Haynes.

An AP editor, Tom Verdin, responded to us by noting that a federal judge in April 2018 found Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state, in contempt of court for failing to carry out the courts orders in an elections matter. Perhaps Kobach is in hot water. Still, the APs news story on that finding by U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson quotes Moriah Day, a spokeswoman for Kobachs campaign for governor, saying the secretary of states office would appeal Robinsons decision.

Matt Welch, a spokesman for Paxton's campaign, had no comment on Nelson's claim.

Our ruling

Nelson tweeted that Paxton, his November foe, is back to being the only statewide official in the country under indictment.

We didnt find an authoritative database or research effort bearing out this statement. But interviews of experts and searches of news stories using the Nexis database didnt yield contradictory information.

We rate this claim True: The statement is accurate and theres nothing significant missing.The United States is not directing enough attention to cybersecurity, former President Bill Clinton told an audience at the Tobin Center on Monday during a tour promoting his book, whose theme is just that.

The former presidents latest appearance on a set of speaking engagements to tout his work with novelist James Patterson and their fictional thriller, The President is Missing, diverged for the most part from the tours earlier headline-grabbing focus on his behavior prior to the #MeToo movement.

Instead, Clinton, 71, offered his assessment of cybersecurity and Republican candidate Donald Trumps 2016 victory over his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

At one point, Bill Clinton linked the two topics.

I believe cyber threats comprise substantially more than 5 percent of the likely assaults, Clinton said, referring to the small chunk of the U.S. defense budget devoted to countering such threats.

I'm also concerned that, because (Russian President) Vladimir Putin was personally running this campaign to help President Trump and hurt Hillary, that whether people believe this is a problem or not may depend entirely on who they voted for. And that would be a terrible mistake.

When the conversation reached the topic of sexual harassment and assault, moderator Cynthia Teniente-Matson, president of Texas A&M University-San Antonio, asked Clinton how leaders can create environments free of harassment or discrimination.

What you have to ask yourself is, do you believe most people want to do the right thing? I do. Do you believe most people have done some sort of an inventory about whether they've ever done anything or said anything dumb or stupid or wrong? I do, Clinton said. I think there's been a lot more work thinking about this and searching about it in both men and women than you might think.

So, what we need now is organized efforts to deal with this, root and branch, and develop a world in which everybody feels respected and treated fairly and (the) freedom to walk down the street ... free of people who are trying to diminish them in any way.

The book tours recent media appearances have detoured into his history of what today would be considered #MeToo-related transgressions. He grew defensive over questions on NBCs Today show about his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, saying he did not owe Lewinsky a private apology - he has apologized to her publicly - but later told Stephen Colbert the comments were not my finest hour.

On Monday, much of the conversation centered on the process of co-writing the novel.

We wrote and edited by hand, both of us, two old guys, Clinton said. Teniente-Matson was quick to note the irony of writing about cybersecurity by hand.

He acknowledged some parallels exist between himself and the protagonist, a U.S. president, but he shut down the idea that they are intended to be the same person, saying, He's not me. He's his own character.

Clinton also fielded questions about how to reverse worsening national education trends. He said the U.S. should copy successful models more often, have really strong principals, and  a recruiting system for good teachers, Clinton said. And you might as well pay them.

Jasper Scherer is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | jscherer@express-news.net | @jaspschererThe first time the deputy was charged with domestic violence, the case went nowhere.

In January 2016, Bexar County Deputy Andrew McDermotts girlfriend told police he had twisted her arm and repeatedly struck her in the face in front of another witness. Months later, after taking over the case from San Antonio police, the Bexar County Sheriffs Office filed an assault/bodily injury charge against one of its own.

The Bexar County District Attorneys Office later dismissed the case.

Last week, McDermott again was charged with domestic violence, this time accused of cutting the same woman with a knife. Already on administrative leave at the sheriffs office, he was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood did not return a call requesting comment on Monday.

Late Monday, his office released a statement: The case was rejected as a result of the victim consistently being uncooperative with our office and the arresting agency who initially investigated the incident. There were repeated attempts to secure her cooperation by phone and mail. Ultimately, the case was rejected when it became apparent we would not have the cooperation of the complainant.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar revealed the dismissal of the earlier charge last week, mulling out loud at a news conference that he might refile it. On Monday, he signaled his determination to do just that, provided hes not stymied by a statute of limitations.

Read more: 'Pattern of behavior' cited in arrested deputy

If Im still within the statute, yeah, Ill refile it, Salazar told me. I think that if theres a case like this, when at some point it was important enough to arrest someone on, and at some point it was important enough to file on, that concerns me. Now, they may have found new information that we werent privy to at the time of the arrest.

Salazar, who took office last year, said he doubted the dismissal was a case of prosecution favoring law enforcement.

I know Nicos got a Public Integrity Unit that works alongside mine, he said. I dont think thats whats occurring here. I think from time to time victims might not cooperate. I dont know if thats what occurred here.

The sheriff added that agencies can prosecute domestic violence cases even when the victims are uncooperative.

McDermott already had left a house on the far West Side when police responded to a call of domestic violence there in January 2016. An officer noted in a police report that the female victim had visible injuries, including redness to the chin and left arm.

She told police shed fought with her boyfriend over a cell phone she wanted back. He had grabbed her arm and twisted it, then hit her in the face three times, she said. A witness in the house had seen the entire incident, she added.

Read more: Attorney defends deputy against claims of racism, violence

When a technician arrived to take photos of the womans injuries, she stated she didnt want to get (the suspect) in trouble and was conflicted on what to do because of his job, the report stated. (She) later changed her mind and photos were taken.

The sheriffs office later took over the case from the San Antonio Police Department, filing the charge against the deputy with the district attorneys office in June 2016. It was unclear on Monday when the DAs office dismissed the charge; no record of the case existed in the Bexar County clerks files.

About two years later, McDermott and the woman again were scuffling over a cell phone. According to Salazar, the deputy tried to cut the phone out of the womans pocket with a knife and cut her arm instead.

The revelation of the earlier dismissal came on the heels of another controversy in LaHoods office, spurred by a prosecutors dismissal in April of a driving while intoxicated charge against a prominent businesswoman. Former Assistant DA Jacob Kemmy said he unilaterally dismissed the charge against Catherine Amato because he believed the officer who arrested her made false statements in both a police report and an affidavit for a search warrant.

LaHood later refiled the DWI charge, and Kemmy resigned under pressure.

Like drunken driving, domestic violence is a scourge in Bexar County, one that can foreshadow other crimes and prove fatal to its victims.

Prosecutors should dismiss only when justified.

bchasnoff@express-news.netIn an era when many stage companies are struggling to hold on to audiences, Milfords Pantochino Productions sold out all of its performances this season.

The company has broken the childrens theater mold with sophisticated, original takes on fairy tales and other stories often aimed at children, but done by Pantochino with such flair that adults have been known to show up at the theater without any kids in tow.

(The name of the troupe is derived from Panto, the traditional British family theater genre that bends popular childrens stories with modern music and current references, and Chino, the Milford theaters monkey mascot.)

Weve always steered away from the childrens theater label, artistic director Bert Bernardi explains. That isnt what we have ever done. I didnt see a lot of children at (the companys most recent show) Italian Wedding Soup. I think with that one we dialed back to (the tone of) a 1970s TV sitcom.

Pantochino is an outgrowth of the work that Bernardi did at Bridgeports Downtown Cabaret Theatre for many years before he created his own company in 2010. What has set his work apart from other childrens and family theater companies is the fact that Bernardi has only staged new material, almost all of which he has written himself.

Bernardi has two crucial partners in designer Jimmy Johansmeyer and composer Justin Rugg, who are responsible for the look and the sound of the shows.

Theres some pressure in doing an all-original slate but what we hear all the time is, Thanks for doing something I havent seen before, the artistic director reports.

Adults bringing their kids to what DCT called its childrens theater unit wound up loving the sharp, pop music-laced shows. Since the establishment of his own company, and the move to Milford, the growth of a more diverse audience has continued.

In addition to its family musicals, Pantochino also produces Nite Spot Nights at the Milford Center for the Arts, featuring top Manhattan cabaret and club artists. Bernardi is thrilled that New York theater and cabaret legend Charles Busch will bring a show to Milford next season.

The Pantochino audience has grown to the point where the Milford Arts Council will be giving the company more dates next season to accommodate the growing demand for tickets.

We probably could have run Italian Wedding Soup another month, Bernardi notes.

Milford has been so welcoming to us, Bernardi adds. Not only the people, but the city. The Chamber of Commerce gave us a special Award of Distinction for Cultural Contribution...so that now we can speak to anyone and everyone in town.

Pantochino will open its fall season with the world premiere of a new musical based on the hit Netflix series Beatbugs, which follows five bugs in Strawberry Fields  all to the accompaniment of new versions of Beatles songs.

I saw that it was coming out as a stage play and made a call to someone I know at the licensing company. I met with the writers and the producers and I think its a great match, Bernardi says of being the first presenter of the show.

Pantochino is also soliciting submissions for a special weekend next March devoted to the development of new musicals. The company is calling it POW  short for Pantochino Original Works. The submission period began on June 1 and will run through December. (Details can be found at pantochino.com).

The artistic director says he would like to find new material by other writers. I dont want us to become the Bert Bernardi Theater. Ive told Jimmy that I cant write everything forever. Im looking forward to just working as a director on Beatbugs. 

Pantochino is still looking for its own home, but Bernardi is pleased that the Arts Council will be giving the company more dates for shows next season. The venue next to the Milford train station is used for a wide variety of live events and gallery exhibits throughout the year.

When I ask Bernardi how his company has managed to fill every seat while other theaters struggle, he says, I dont know that theres a formula. Ive gotten that question before and I think part of it is being very lucky. People have followed along from the days in Bridgeport.

I do have to say that we take pride in every aspect of a performance. Jimmy is an amazing designer  he learned in Bridgeport how to make the most for very little.

The artistic director also cites his house composer Justin Rugg as a key element in Pantochinos success: His music is something else. Ive been watching him grow as a composer for the past seven years and I think hes going to go much further than this.

jmeyers@hearstmediactpost.com;

Twitter: @joesviewUPDATE: 10 a.m.

Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti fell short in his signature drive to qualify for the August primary ballot as a Republican candidate for governor. But he said he has not ruled out a run as an independent candidate.

We fell short of the mark so we decided that we wouldnt futher burden the overburdened registrars of voters with the very complex system they have to deal with, Lauretti said Wednesday morning. We lost two weeks and I think that made a big difference in the number of signatures we were able to garner. The convention process is an inside baseball game and unless youre an inside player its a tough sell.

Lauretti said he collected about 8,500 signatures. He needed 9,081 to qualify and candidates traditionally collect a surplus as its common for some to be disqualified.

Hes not going quietly though. Lauretti slammed the field of candidates whove qualified for the Republican ballot, including frontrunners Mark Boughton and Tim Herbst.

Unlike most or some of the other candidates I have a base and I have a record and they dont and if they do have a record its not a good one, Lauretti said. Herbst has been working at this for four years and Boughtons been working at it for 12, and Ive been doing my job and getting results for the people of the state of Connecticut.

Original story:

All over Connecticut, candidates trying to petition their way to the mid-August primaries delivered hundreds of pages of signatures to local voter registrars to beat a 4 p.m. deadline Tuesday.

In Bridgeport, Guy Smith, of Greenwich, a former liquor industry executive, strolled into the Bridgeport Government Center shortly after 11 a.m. delivering 114 pages of petition signatures. Next he was on his way, in a black Ford Suburban, to New Haven and Hartford in his attempt to qualify for the Democratic primary for governor.

Everything about running for governor is hard and everything about Connecticut is hard, Smith said on the sunny sidewalk before walking in with a bulging manila folder. There was no expectation that it was going to be easy. The petitions are indeed hard because the rules are very convoluted and different from other states. Its more difficult in Connecticut than other states.

Democrats need to present 15,458 valid signatures of registered party voters, while Republicans, with smaller statewide enrollment, need 9,081. Candidates need to plan for an many as 20 percent being disqualified, due to clerical errors and possibly unregistered voters signing their names. The registrars have seven days to validate them and send them to Secretary of the State Denise Merrill for a final verdict before the end of the month.

Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti, who did not begin the petitioning campaign until after he failed to get the required 15 percent support among delegates to last months GOP convention, said it was easier to collect $100 each from 3,000 people to qualify for the public-financing program than it was to convince enough delegates to support him.

Ive been a successful public servant for 27 years and our party doesnt acknowledge it, Lauretti said.

Speaking Monday night in a phone interview, Lauretti said that it was an insider game that resulted in Danbury Mayor Mark Boughtons endorsement, while Tim Herbst, former Trumbull first selectman, and Steve Obsitnik, a tech entrepreneur from Westport, reached the convention thresholds to automatically qualify for the primary.

Other Republican hopefuls petitioning their way onto the gubernatorial ballot include businessmen David Stemerman, of Greenwich, and Bob Stefanowski, of Madison. If all Republicans qualify, Connecticut could have a six-way GOP primary.

Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, another Democrat who hopes to petition his way to challenge Ned Lamont for the gubernatorial nomination, held an afternoon news conference in Hartford to cap off his petition campaign, which yielded more than 32,000 signatures.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCTUNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.  A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held June 8 to mark the official opening of Penn States rebuilt and renovated Agricultural Engineering Building, which houses the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

The recently completed $44 million project resulted in a 93,500-square-foot building containing new research and teaching laboratories, classrooms, collaborative teaching/learning spaces, a senior capstone project design lab, offices, a green roof, and a state-of-the-art shared fermentation facility.

The building was designed by EYP, an architecture and engineering firm with offices throughout the U.S. and Europe.

The project was the first at Penn State to use the integrated project delivery approach, which brings together owners, contractors and designers to foster collaboration and capitalize on available expertise.

The original building, constructed in 1938 with a large addition completed in 1968, was designed by Charles Klauder, one of the leading collegiate Gothic architects of his time.

The building has needed significant upgrades to meet energy and safety standards as well as the evolving needs of the department, faculty, students and collaborators across the University.

It retains much of the character of the original Klauder design, blending the old with the new.

Ceremony

Rick Roush, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, presided over the 11 a.m. ceremony, which also included remarks by Penn State trustee and ABE alumnus Keith Masser, professor and head of agricultural and biological engineering Paul Heinemann and Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations O. Richard Bundy III.

The ceremony provided an opportunity to recognize representatives from CSL Behring, which made a $4.92 million gift to help fund the shared fermentation facility.

The facility will focus on workforce development and foster interdisciplinary research with the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State, other colleges and institutes, and industry partners.

Penn State officials also acknowledged representatives from Germany-based Sartorius Stedim Biotech, which donated equipment for the shared fermentation facility.

These gifts and more are part of A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence, the Universitys fast-paced, $1.6 billion campaign.

New facility

Facilities rarely make or break a faculty members career, said Albert Jarrett, a three-time Penn State ag engineering alumnus and professor emeritus of agricultural engineering.

But when your facilities are 80 years old, having been built in 1937 when tillage, baling and combining were important agricultural engineering research topics, it is nice  and important  to see the completion of modern teaching, research and extension facilities that will serve this department and its students for the next 80 years.

The new amenities are expected to help attract top faculty members and students to the ABE department, which has programs in natural resource engineering and management, biological process engineering and bioproducts, and agricultural engineering and production.

Faculty members already have begun moving into their new spaces; the first classes in the renovated building will take place this fall.Major agroforestry trials should be established during the EU withdrawal period to improve agricultural productivity and environmental protection, according to a report.

Government support for farmers seeking to integrate trees and agriculture should also be trialled, according to the policy document Agroforestry in England: Benefits, Barriers and Opportunities launched today (12 June) by the Woodland Trust and Soil Association.

Agroforestry, the combination of trees and shrubs with agriculture, involves rows of trees through arable crops like wheat, dotted through pasture like parkland, or planted close together to provide cover for plants and animals.

Combining trees and farming can increase productivity, diversify farm businesses, protect soils from erosion, store carbon, increase habitat for pollinators and act as a natural flood defence.

The report, which follows on from last years agroforestry conference, was launched at the All Party Parliamentary Group for Agroecology, hosted by Baroness Miller and Kerry McCarthy MP.

The government has been recommended by the report to make on-farm tree planting and management central to the UKs new environmental land management scheme, rewarding the "public goods" delivered as a result.

Defra Secretary Michael Gove announced earlier this year that farmers will receive payments for public goods once the UK leaves the EU, such as access to the countryside and planting meadows.

The governments proposals will see money redirected from direct payments under the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) to a new system of paying farmers public money for public goods.

'Break the divide'

The report goes on to recommend the government to trial new agroforestry projects that test support mechanisms, including advice and funding.

It also calls for a "new generation" of farm and forestry advisors to be trained and funded to "break the divide" between forestry and agriculture, and for trees to be placed in the upcoming Agriculture Bill to recognise their role.

Woodland Trust Chair of Trustees Baroness Barbara Young, said agroforestry has the potential to deliver on a wide range of policy objectives in England, yet barriers are preventing widespread adoption.

Supporting agroforestry would be a win-win for productivity, environmental protection and agricultural resilience and we strongly believe the government should adopt the recommendations in our report to make agroforestry a priority for the future of farming, she said.

Sam Packer, policy officer at the Soil Association said government must take "immediate action" on agroforestry so it can side alongside productive farming.

Agroforestry must become a central part of new farming and land management policy, clearly defined and supported in the Agriculture Bill.The Look out, Look up electricity safety campaign for this year will soon commence as the harvest season approaches.

The message for agricultural workers will be to appreciate the dangers and take extra care when working close to power lines at one of the farming calendars busiest times of the year.

Agriculture can be a dangerous profession and accidental contact with overhead power lines is one of the hazards farmers face when theyre working outdoors, particularly when theyre tired.

One person dies per year in the agricultural industry when working too close to overhead power lines, according to the campaign.

In addition, there were also 1,140 near-miss incidents involving machinery and equipment contacting overhead electric power lines where serious injury or death was a possibility in the last five years.

Farming machinery has become bigger and taller over the years and dangers can occur during ploughing, using irrigation pipes and ladders, loading or unloading vehicles, using combine harvesters, tipper wagons or trailers in fields and stacking materials.

'Life-changing'

UK Power Networks, which delivers electricity across the UK, is asking farmers and agricultural workers to be vigilant when working out in the fields.

Education adviser Ros Forbes said: Electricity is very useful but also potentially dangerous and an electric shock can result in life-changing injuries or even death.

Our main advice is to always be extra vigilant and have a good look up and around to see what power lines are around you. When youre tired and engrossed in your work it can be easy to miss the hazards before its too late.

Mr Forbes added: Being at Cereals again is a fantastic way for us to personally meet farmers and agricultural workers in huge numbers and deliver a safety message which could one day save their life provided they take simple precautions.

Near fatal incident

The dangers of overhead power lines has been highlighted in a hard-hitting story which nearly claimed the life of a Cornish father and farmer.

Ian Davey had a near fatal incident when a snap decision during combining had life changing consequences.

Arriving at the field with his tractor and trailer to collect the grain from the combine, Ian found that he had five minutes to spare and decided to tip the trailer into the air, facing it into the sun to dry the floor and help prevent the grain from getting wet.

Unbeknown to him, the trailer had touched the power line and, as he got out of the tractor cab, stepping on to the ground and holding the metal door, 11,000 volts of electricity shot through him.

an said: Farming can be a dangerous occupation, and there is so much to do that we rush  but that is when accidents happen. The trailer I was in had touched a power line and, as I stepped out of the tractor cab holding the metal door, 11,000 volts shot through my body.

I was literally stuck to the spot, he said. It was about three or four minutes after that when the front tyre of the tractor caught fire. Even though the power hadnt killed me, if I hadnt managed to break free then the fire would have.

The power surge dislocated my shoulder and shattered my arm. Doctors told me that it looked as though somebody had smashed the bone with a sledgehammer.

It took almost leaving behind my two children and wife to mean Im now careful and cautious on the farm, always thinking twice before doing anything. Things could have been different for me had I known the advice within Look Out Look Up!.

He added: If the campaign helps even one farmer avoid a potentially fatal contact with an overhead power line, then it is absolutely worth it."

Safety tips

 Check the location of underground electricity cables and overhead electricity power lines on your land

 Contact UK Power Networks for plans showing where electrical equipment is and add it to your farm map

 Tell visitors, contractors or casual workers about the presence of electricity cables and lines

 Look up when loading or unloading vehicles, using tipper wagons, trailers or stacking materials

 Be extra careful when ploughing, using irrigation pipes, ladders and combine harvesters

 UK Power Networks 24hr emergency helpline is 105 or 0800 3163 105.Germany has recalled some 73,000 eggs contaminated with the chemical fipronil, following news that millions of eggs were found contaminated with the insecticide in the Netherlands last year.

The Agriculture Ministry of the state of Lower Saxony has today (12 June) confirmed that approximately 73,000 eggs due to be sold across six German states are contaminated with the insecticide.

Officials said the eggs had come from an organic farm in the Netherlands, and were delivered to a packing centre in the district of Vechta, in Lower Saxony between 17 May and 4 June.

German agricultural officials have insisted there is no risk to human health.

Millions of eggs were withdrawn from sale and laying hens were culled last year following the discovery that the banned substance had been used in the Netherlands and Belgium in a treatment for red mite, an ectoparasite of poultry.

Last year's fipronil scandal led to more than 100 farms being shut down in the Netherlands, where the crisis emerged and eggs and products containing eggs being withdrawn from stores across Europe, including the UK.

However, although foods were taken off shelve in the UK, investigations found no evidence of fipronil on British farms.

Even so, the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) said it was introducing an approved list of pesticides that could be used on farms.

The Council urged retailers, processors and food service companies to play safe and buy UK eggs.

Andrew Joret, Chairman of the British Egg Industry Council, said: Unfortunately, we are not surprised by these developments as we have been concerned for some time that the initial issues following the product recalls we saw last year have not been thoroughly resolved.

With the extent of the issue unclear, we are asking the Food Standards Agency to take decisive action to protect UK food businesses, and are calling for random testing of all imported eggs and egg products.

Mr Joret added: Food businesses should protect themselves by specifying British Lion eggs and egg products, which are produced to the highest standards of food safety, and reassure their customers by using the British Lion mark on pack.Harper Adams University has entered a new international collaboration with India-based Tractors and Farm Equipment (TAFE) to progress agricultural technology.

The collaboration will see the development of new solutions for the delivery of sustainable food production around the world.

TAFE, the worlds third largest tractor manufacturing company in terms of volume, has become the first business to take up residence in the Agri-EPI Centre Newport Hub, on Harper Adams University campus, to commence a major research and development project.

Agri-EPI Centre is one of the four national Centres for Agricultural Innovation created as part of the 17.7m UK government investment from the UKs Strategy for Agricultural Technologies to help provide engineering and precision agriculture solutions for the agri-food industry.

The centres will help the UK turn agricultural innovation into commercial opportunities for UK businesses, encourage inward investment and improve farming practice.

Autonomous farming

The collaboration between TAFE, HAU and Agri-EPI will include joint research projects and programmes, publications and staff exchanges.

Research will be focused on agriculture, engineering and technology development programmes on autonomous farming and energy efficient implements, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and sensor technologies along with the Hands Free Hectare (HFH) project that will be implemented at JFarm India; TAFEs adaptive agriculture research centre.

TAFE President & COO, Mr T R Kesavan said: TAFEs collaboration with Harper Adams and the Agri-EPI Centre is a reaffirmation of TAFEs commitment to its vision of Cultivating the World as it aims to combine integrated farming techniques with precision agriculture and engineering to develop sustainable farming models that work for both marginal and large farms.

This collaboration will provide opportunities for developing a range of advanced training skills, learning and the promotion of international technology transfer and exchange.The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike.

We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve.Salman's A Lucky Man

A source reveals, "A big network has joined hands with superstar Salman Khan for the very first time. This development has come close on the heels of a similar deal on Salman's recent blockbuster film Tiger Zinda Hai."

Wait, What! Did Salman Just Break Aamir Khan's Record?

"Salman's Race 3 has broken the record of Dangal by acquiring the highest satellite rights for a Bollywood film ever. The satellite rights of Race 3 has been sold for a whopping Rs. 130 crores. All the production cost of the film have been recovered from the money minted through satellite deal, thanks to the massive fan following and popularity of superstar Salman Khan," the source went on to reveal.

Race 3 Is Going To Be Action-Packed Affair

Salman Khan's Race 3 has taken action to a new level with its high octane sequences and with its extensive shooting schedules in exotic locations including Thailand, Abu Dhabi as well as Mumbai.

Action In Race 3 Is Not About Special Effects

Talking about the action in Race 3, Salman had earlier revealed, "The whole action team that came onboard for Race 3 is brilliant. Tom Struthers, who directed the action scenes of Tiger Zinda Hai and other Hollywood films including Dunkirk, got his whole team and they are number one in their work. Tom and his team were surprised to see that we got to destroy so many cars and we tried all of them on their top speed. The action in Race 3 is not about dinky cars or special effects. We blew up pretty much everything we bought."

Did Salman Just Hint At Race 4 Happening?

Recently while speaking to TOI, the superstar said, "A single person in the film cannot do anything. Salman Khan alone cannot do anything in the film until the director, writer, star cast don't support. Every person who was part of the film was so interested and dedicated that we had the most beautiful experience in this film, so now we are thinking of making Race 4'."The Most Embarrassing Moment

"I went very far and there was this other person who was having the similar problem and he was behind anotherlimestone. And, we both stared at each other, we both knew we were hiding. And it was the most embarrassing emotion."

Shhhhh! Let's Keep It A Secret

"He stared at me and I stared at him and we were both in squat positions and I was like, 'I am gonna die' because he found the limestone, as did I, and we both thought we won't tell anyone."

Karan Johar Continued To Say...

"But, it was a very bad attack that I had. I couldn't help it. The vanity van was two kilometers away. Yeah, so. It's called Far Fara dessert, where we shot that part. And it has my remains for life now."

Sooraj Hua Madham

after hearing about Karan Johar's most embarrassing moment, the way we see Sooraj Hua Madham is not gonna be the same again, folks!Pooja Tried To Duck The Question

She was quoted as saying, "You got to ask Alia! You can ask me about my personal life. You cannot ask me about my sister's personal life because I ain't telling, darling!"

Taking Rumors With A Pinch Of Salt

Choosing to clear the air, Pooja went on to add, "Like I took rumours about me. What was true didn't bother me. What was not true didn't bother me."

It's Her Time To Enjoy The Sun

Speaking about Alia, the actress quipped, "And she is a Bhatt after all, and a much-improved Bhatt in that sense. I think that this is her time in the sun."

It's Alia's Personal Life

"We should just let that young girl be and enjoy her life because I think she is doing her job of entertaining India and the world really well. So, what she does or does not do in her personal life is really her problem."

Pooja Doesn't Want To Interfere Much

"How she chooses to lead her life is her problem. My father and me have a different approach to it. She has a different approach to it. So, I think we should just let people be who they are," the actress went on to add.While the whole world watched the meeting between the President of the United States, Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore negotiating peace in the Korean peninsula, Rishi Kapoor was at it again with his tweets and this time, praised Kim Jong Un and calling Donald Trump a clown. He took to Twitter by saying,

"Salute to a (33)year old Korean getting an American President(71 years) meeting. Kim, you have balls! Trump, Happy Birthday(14th June)from Stormy Daniels and me! USA, when you elect a Clown, expect a Circus! YO!"

This is not the first time Rishi Kapoor has made fun of Donald Trump. During the presidential elections in 2016, he supported Hillary Clinton for President and said "Donald Duck is no option." Rishi routinely made fun of Trump since then at every opportunity he got and it's clearly evident with his latest tweet that he'll support a dictator like Kim Jong Un over democratically elected Donald Trump any day.

Flashback Pictures! When Salman Khan & Sanjay Dutt Were Like Brothers

Not just Rishi Kapoor, a lot of Bollywood stars had previously taken aim at Donald Trump as well. From Priyanka Chopra to Sonam Kapoor and Ileana D'Cruz, they've all shown their distaste towards him. Even Hollywood celebrities mock Trump at every given opportunity from award shows to interviews and through tweets.

Is Amy Jackson A Lesbian? Her New Picture Has Fans Confused!'The Da-Bangg Tour'

Soon after the release of Race 3, Katrina Kaif along with Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonakshi Sinha, Daisy Shah and Maniesh Paul will fly to the US for their international dance tour and currently, Katrina is working really hard for the same.

Katrina Leaves No Stones Unturned To Make The Show Spectacular

Nowadays, Katrina's Instagram posts are all about her prep work for the dance tour. The lady is doing rehearsals day and night to make the show spectacular and we also hear Katrina is getting a huge amount for the same.

Katrina Paid Rs 12 Crore!

Yes, you read it right! Reportedly, Katrina Kaif will be paid Rs 12 Crore for her dancing act during the entire The Da-Bangg tour, which will go on for one week.

Katrina Takes The Major Chunks After Salman

After Salman, it's Katrina, who will be getting huge amount of money for the tour. We hear Jacqueline will be paid around Rs 8 Crore, while Sonakshi will take home Rs 6 Crore, which is a pretty good amount!

Katrina's Special Act

"Be it belly dancing, aerial aerobics or hip hop , Katrina has done it all. For the Dabangg tour in Canada & the US she is planning a special live acrobatic act , which requires a lot of focus and also requires her to work on her flexibility." a source close to the actress reported a daily.

Yasmin Has Planned A Special Workout Regimen For Katrina

Speaking about the same, Yasmin was quoted as saying, "I have designed a special Pilates workout for her, which is specific to her dance moves. It is essential to build her muscle strength so that she can pull off acrobatic dance moves effortlessly."

Are You Excited?

On a related note, Katrina Kaif will be performing to some of her most popular chartbusters like 'My Name Is Sheila' Kamli', Kala Chashma', and Swag Se Swagat' amongst others. The Da-Bangg shows will kick off at Minnesota from June 22 onwards.

Katrina On The Work Front

On the professional front, Katrina Kaif was last seen in Tiger Zinda Hai and she will be next seen in Aamir Khan's Thugs Of Hindostan and after that, in Shahrukh Khan's Dwarf along with Anushka Sharma.

Katrina Kaif has also signed a movie opposite Varun Dhawan, which will be a dance flick. The makers have not revealed much details about the film yet!Masha Maximova

Masha Maximova is a Ukrainian beauty who is currently working all around the world for photoshoots.

Dream Girl

She's a model which every photographer dreams to shoot. She's so picture friendly and photogenic all the time.

Miss Ukraine?

If she ever runs for Miss Ukraine, we're sure she'll end up winning the crown!

Beauty Contest Winner

Even without the Miss Ukraine title, Masha Maximova is a beauty contest winner all by herself!

Dream Come True

She wanted to be a model right from her childhood days and is currently living the life!

Always Top Class

She shoots only with the best photographers and no wonder the quality is such top class.

Superhot Body

Despite deeply loving to eat food, Masha Maximova has still maintained a superhot body.

Natural Beauty

The best part about Masha is that, she's a natural beauty and has not undergone any type of surgery.

Just Chilling

The beautiful model Masha, revealed that she prefers chilling at home, and isn't much of a party animal.

Peace & Calm

She also loves walking the streets of the city she visits, as that brings her peace and calmness.

A Big Movie Buff

Masha is also a big fan of movies and binge watches them most of the time.

God Is Wonderful

Masha is very religious and believes that God is the one who is bringing all the good things in her life.

Wanted: A Good Husband

She prays to God that she needs a good husband, and also wants to make babies and settle down as a mother.

Follow Her On Instagram Below

Do follow Masha Maximova on Instagram below to look at more stunning pictures!The controversial Sri Reddy recently grabbed plenty of attention when she lashed out at Nani and claimed that he was the reason she could not participate in Bigg Boss Telugu Season 2. In a hard-hitting interview given to a leading daily, she also claimed that the 'Natural Star' had promised to help her bag supporting roles but never kept his promise.

"I've known Nani for the last four years. He used to come to my house and promised me that he will get me roles in films as a second lead. Not only has he not kept his promise, he's now even taking away the opportunity which came to me," she added.

Now, Nani has responded to these allegations and said that he will take legal action against the lady. The MCA actor also made it clear that he will not be commenting on the issue again.

"I am NOT going to join the filth by reacting. I am NOT going to give them what they want. Initiated legal action, legal notice has been despatched for filing defamation cases. The fact that someone can randomly pick up names who are soft targets and spread such absolutely baseless nonsense and think that they can actually get away with it, disturbs me! I'm not worried about me, I'm worried for us and the society we live in. And for those very few who still publish all that crap for a few clicks and views... have some shame. You all have families. The irony is that I even to say this. There won't be a comment from me on this ever again," he added. (sic)

Well, this is quite a strong response and is bound to ruffle a few feathers. It will be worth watching if Sri Reddy reacts to Nani's strong comments.

So, do you think that Nani's handled the situation correctly? Tell us in the space below.SINGAPORE, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

ONB Technologies, that operates under the name 21North, a vehicle assistance company announced that Europ Assistance Group, a Paris-based global assistance firm invested multimillion dollars.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/702630/21North_EA_Logo.jpg )



(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/702631/21North_App.jpg )

>

Praveen Surendiran, Managing Director, ONB Group said, "We are excited about our partnership with Europ Assistance. Our ambition is to establish our business in various international markets leveraging Europ Assistance's global presence. We are currently delivering services to 35,000 vehicles / month and projected to reach 100,000+ vehicles by the end of 2018."

"Our endeavor is to enhance experience of every vehicle user in using, maintaining and managing their vehicles and assist dealer partners achieve increased revenue, higher efficiencies and optimize P&L to deliver sustainable service. We will invest to build a stronger product and tech capabilities to deliver services repeatedly in six-sigma fashion," he added.

Benoit Chaumette, CEO Asiaof Europ Assistance Groupsaid, "We are pleased to be formally engaged in a partnership with 21North. Their services provide a significant value proposition to Automobile OEMs, Dealerships, Workshops, and end Consumers by solving major pain and frustration points. We have invested in ONB based on our confidence in team, technology, operations capabilities, and their strong domain knowledge. With this partnership and expansion of product and solution capabilities, we are a step closer to completing our transformation into a Vehicle Ownership Lifestyle Assistance ("VOLA") Company in Asia."

About Europ Assistance:

Founded in 1963, Europ Assistance http://www.europ-asssistance.com, the inventor of assistance, supports over 300 million customers in 208 countries thanks to our network of 750.000 approved providers and 37 assistance centres. Our mission is to bring people from distress to relief - anytime, anywhere. We provide roadside assistance, travel insurance & assistance, personal assistance such as senior care, digital identity protection, telemedicine and Conciergerie. The vision of our 7.530 employees is to be the most reliable care company in the world.

Europ Assistance is part of the Generali Group, one of the world's leading insurers.

About ONB Technologies / 21North :

ONB Technologies / 21North (http://www.21north.in) is a path breaking concept in the Auto After Sales Industry; aimed at solving the perennially existing problem of vehicle owners sacrificing valuable personal time in managing their vehicle needs. 21North empowers dealers and workshops with technology solutions to deliver superior customer experience and achieve critical business performance metrics with consultative approach.

Media Contact:

Kathie Gao Cheng

+65-97860780

kathie@21north.sg

DUBLIN (dpa-AFX) - Ryanair Holdings Plc. (RYA.L, RYAAY) said that it has signed its second cabin crew union recognition agreement with Unite the Union, who will now be the representative body for Ryanair directly employed cabin crew in the UK. This agreement follows Ryanair's first cabin crew recognition deal with the Italian ANPAC/ANPAV unions. The cabin crew recognition agreement follows extensive negotiations with Unite the Union and covers the UK market, which accounts for about 25% of Ryanair's fleet. Ryanair said it looks forward to working with Unite the Union and its Ryanair (Cabin Crew) Company Council to conclude an early CLA for Ryanair's directly employed cabin crew based in the UK. Ryanair's Chief People Officer Eddie Wilson said, 'We are pleased to sign this cabin crew recognition agreement with Unite the Union in the U.K. This is a further sign of the progress Ryanair is making with trade unions since our December 2017 decision to recognise them. We hope to announce further agreements over the coming weeks, in those countries where unions have approached these negotiations in a practical and positive manner. We are making less progress in some smaller countries where minor issues (such as days off for union officials) are unnecessarily delaying agreements.' 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.ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN / ACCESSWIRE / June 12, 2018 / Freedom Holding Corp. (OTC PINK: FRHC) (the "Company") has announced its subsidiary LLC IC Freedom Finance, headquartered in Moscow, Russia, has completed the acquisition of Nettrader Brokerage Company ("Nettrader"). According to data published by the Moscow Exchange, LLC IC Freedom Finance is now, in terms of the number of its registered clients, the 8th largest retail securities broker in Russia.

The acquisition adds approximately 16,000 clients across Russia to the LLC IC Freedom Finance client base. These clients will now enjoy the added client consulting services provided by LLC IC Freedom Finance. Currently, there are only about 1.4 million securities trading accounts in Russia which has a population of 146 million people. However, LLC IC Freedom Finance is adding nearly 1,000 new clients per month as Russian investors are becoming more interested in the investment markets and market regulators are continuing to take steps to strengthen the securities industry in the country by increasing the capital requirements of securities brokerage firms.

LLC IC Freedom Finance also expands its investment technology assets with the acquisition of Nettrader. Company CEO, Timur Turlov stated, "With this acquisition we have acquired the Tradernet trading platform, which adds to our Company's already robust array of technology that is dedicated to expanding our clients' power and convenience when accessing the securities markets, providing reliable access to their account information and ready access to our client service teams. I am pleased to announce that our IT personnel have been able to integrate the Tradernet platform into our systems and we are looking forward to providing these tools to all our valued clientele."

OTC Market Group, Inc. operates the world's largest electronic marketplace for broker-dealers to trade unlisted stocks, including the Pink Open Market. Investors will be able to view Real Time Level II stock quotes for the Company at http://www.otcmarkets.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking" statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results or performance and involve risks, assumptions, and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the events or results described in, or anticipated by, the forward-looking statements. Factors that could materially affect such forward-looking statements include certain economic, business and regulatory risks and factors identified in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release and the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

The OTC Markets Group, Inc. has not approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.

CONTACT:

usoffice@freedomholdingcorp.com

SOURCE: Freedom Holding Corp.Halloween fun, for adults! The Lapeer Optimist Club held its annual Nightmare on Nepessing Halloween costume party fundraiser for adults Saturday evening under a tent in front of the...

Murder suspect found guilty LAPEER  Lydell Dukes, 40, of Detroit will be sentenced Nov. 22, and will likely spend the rest of his life in a Michigan prison...

Hands-on lesson in fire safety The Hadley Twp. Fire Dept. visited students at Murphy Elementary School on Pratt Road in Metamora Township on Monday to provide children instructions in fire...BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HBGRF.PK), a German precision mechanical engineering company, reported Tuesday that it is on track to meet medium-term targets. These include an increase in Group sales to around 3 billion euros, an operating result or EBITDA of 250 million euros to 300 million euros, and a net result after taxes of over 100 million euros. The company sees moderate growth in sales and net result after taxes in financial year 2018/2019, with significant progress with digital transformation. According to the firm, the moderate growth in sales, combined with efficiency enhancement measures, including initial savings from the recently initiated operational excellence program, should allow an EBITDA margin excluding restructuring result in the range of 7 to 7.5 percent in the 2019 financial year. CEO Rainer Hundsdorfer said, 'As announced at the last Annual Accounts Press Conference, Heidelberg is well on the way to achieving its goal of once again becoming the lighthouse of the industry. Our digital transformation will continue systematically in financial year 2018/2019. Both our new subscription model and the new digital presses remain in high demand. Given that this will have a substantial impact on our sales and result from 2019/2020 onward, we can confirm our medium-term targets.' 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.LINKOPING, Sweden, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- International medical imaging IT and cybersecurity company Sectra (STO: SECT B) has completed the unique nationwide telepathology solution in the Netherlands, PIE. The final part of the solution, which enables automatic upload of all images connected to a case, has now been approved and released. Pathology laboratories all over the Netherlands can connect to the solution and share digital pathology images to carry out consultations and revisions, and participate in expert panels. The solution will thus play a key role in improving cancer care in the country.

"Together with UMC Utrecht, we have been testing the functionality of automatic upload of all images connected to a case. What impresses me the most is the ease of use and few clicks required," says Konnie Hebeda, Pathologist at Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc).

The solution is cloud-based and enables sharing of digital pathology images on a national scale. Being able to easily share pathology images for consultations, revisions and panel discussions will help to reduce lead times, decrease inter-observer variation and improve the overall quality of diagnosis.

The project is the first of its kind in the world and was initiated in 2017 by the Dutch Society for Pathology (NVVP) and the nationwide pathology network Foundation PALGA. It has been implemented by Sectra, together with the subcontractors Deutsche Telekom Healthcare and RAM Infotechnology.

Meet Sectra at Maastricht Pathology 2018

Discuss the project and experience Sectra's digital pathology solution at the Pathology Congress at Maastricht Pathology 2018 in the Netherlands, June 19-22. Book a meeting with Sectra at the congress to learn more.

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Torbjorn Kronander

CEO and President

Sectra AB

+46(0)705-23-52-27

Marie Ekstrom Tragardh

Executive Vice President Sectra AB and President

Sectra Imaging IT Solutions

+46(0)708-23-56-10

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/sectra/r/sectra-successfully-completes-unique-nationwide-telepathology-solution-in-the-netherlands,c2545012

The following files are available for download:Bernard Charles to present his vision on Industry Renaissance

Former Amazon Executive John Rossman to keynote on digital disruption

GE Current, MG McGrath, Arrivo and Bell among customers to present

Event to be held June 19-21 at Marriott Copley Place in Boston

Dassault Systemes (Paris:DSY) (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) will focus on the economy of the future and the Industry Renaissance based on new ways of living, working, interacting, innovating and creating new business at its annual 3DEXPERIENCE Forum North America, held June 19-21 at the Marriott Copley Place in Boston. Attending senior executives will hear from market leaders who are transforming their businesses into social enterprises through digitalization and integrating business platforms throughout their organizations. John Rossman, a former Amazon executive who launched the company's Marketplace, will keynote the event with a discussion about digital disruption, Making the Digital Leap Lessons from Amazon.

"Successful companies that aim to disrupt their markets and industries need to be laser focused on the customer experience and innovation," said John Rossman. "I look forward to sharing the principles for leadership that I learned and used at Amazon with the attendees of the 3DEXPERIENCE Forum."

John Rossman is the author of bestselling books The Amazon Way: 14 Leadership Principles Behind the World's Most Disruptive Company and 10 Principles for Every Leader from the World's Leading Internet of Things Strategies. Rossman is an expert at crafting and implementing innovative and digital business models and capabilities. He is currently a Managing Partner at Rossman Partners, a consulting firm helping clients compete in the digital era.

"Industries across North America are going through a digitalization renaissance being driven by platforms and the merging of the real and virtual worlds. Businesses of all sizes are jumping at the chance to seize this advantage. New companies like Tesla and Joby Aviation, are disrupting the automotive and aerospace industries. During the Forum speakers from companies in a variety of industries, GE Current, MG McGrath, Arrivo and Bell, will discuss how they are using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to meet their business goals," said Dean Marsh, Managing Director North America, Dassault Systemes.

During the two day event, attendees will hear from Dassault Systemes executives and customers including:

Bernard Charles, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, Dassault Systemes

Bruno Latchague, Senior Executive Vice President, Americas, Dassault Systemes

Florence Verzelen, Executive Vice President, Industry Solutions, Marketing, Global Affairs and Communications, Dassault Systemes

Olivier Ribet, Vice President, Industries, Dassault Systemes

Dean Marsh, Managing Director North America, Dassault Systemes

Al Bunshaft, Senior Vice President, Americas Global Affairs and Academia, Dassault Systemes

Craig Platt, VP Technical Product Management, Digital Technology, GE Digital

Mike McGrath, President, MG McGrath

Dr. Knut Sauer, Co-founder, Arrivo

Charles Marsh, Chief of Design Tools and Standards, Bell

The3DEXPERIENCE Forum will feature cross-industry breakout tracks with a lineup of industry trailblazers, technology leaders and customer presentations that will empower attendees with ideas on how to transform their businesses. Additionally, attendees will have hands on experiences with the latest technologies and industry solution experiences from Dassault Systemes in the 3DEXPERIENCE Playground.

Social media:

Connect with Dassault Systemes on Twitter Facebook LinkedIn YouTube Blog

For more information:

To register for Dassault Systemes' 3DEXPERIENCE Forum visit: http://namforum.3ds.com/

Dassault Systemes' 3DEXPERIENCE platform, 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock Up and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions: http://www.3ds.com

About Dassault Systemes

Dassault Systemes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, provides business and people with virtual universes to imagine sustainable innovations. Its world-leading solutions transform the way products are designed, produced, and supported. Dassault Systemes' collaborative solutions foster social innovation, expanding possibilities for the virtual world to improve the real world. The group brings value to over 220,000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, in more than 140 countries. For more information, visit www.3ds.com.

3DEXPERIENCE, the Compass logo and the 3DS logo, CATIA, SOLIDWORKS, ENOVIA, DELMIA, SIMULIA, GEOVIA, EXALEAD, 3D VIA, BIOVIA, NETVIBES and 3DEXCITE are registered trademarks of Dassault Systemes or its subsidiaries in the US and/or other countries.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180612005215/en/

Contacts:

Dassault Systemes

Press

North America

Suzanne MORAN, +1 781-810-3774

suzanne.moran@3ds.com

or

Greg SABEY, +1 781-810-3790

greg.sabey@3ds.comThe "MyMobility" Allianz App delivers an excellent customer experience and improved conversion rates with personal interactive video

Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE:PBI), a global technology company that provides commerce solutions in the areas of ecommerce, shipping, mailing, and data, has announced that client Allianz Global Digital Factory has won the coveted German Dialog Award for their "Digital Onboarding Solution" which leverages the Pitney Bowes EngageOne Video solution.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180612005381/en/

Digitization is a primary focus of the Allianz Group and the task of the Allianz Global Digital Factory is to provide excellent client experiences by focusing on customer journeys.

"We build simple engaging customer experiences. In this case, it was about sparing our clients from stress when they have issues with their car. We wanted to provide them with relevant information and service offerings. Our 'MyMobility' App is delivering exactly that," said Stephan Kock, Product Owner of the Motor Claims Customer Journey in Allianz Global Digital Factory. "EngageOne Video helped us create a unique experience for our customers which resulted in an exceptionally high acceptance rate of our app. Today, nearly 45% of those who watched "their" personalized video downloaded the app."

Every new Allianz client that purchases or renews auto insurance receives an email as part of their individual onboarding package. This package includes a video with the client's agent contact details, many more personalized components, and a V-Card (electronic business card). The video summarizes the scope of coverage of their insurance policy and provides the download link to the MyMobility app. Click here to watch the video.

"The video easily conveys the advantages of the app to the clients which also facilitates future interactions between the client and Allianz for the benefit of both parties," explains Andy Berry, Vice President EMEA at Pitney Bowes. "And on top of that, Allianz now has a scalable solution which also improves compliance."

The advantages of the video are:

1. It explains the highlights of the individual insurance policy in an engaging way when compared to a text-based contract schedule.

2. It conveys a unique customer experience created in real time using individual client data available in the moment when the link is clicked.

3. It delivers higher download rates for the Allianz App that were not being achieved through either static videos or traditional distribution.

4. It provides measurable feedback on use and downloads.

5. It is the entry point for a wide selection of other digital offers.

6. It leads to an improved client satisfaction enabling a new direct communication channel that previously was dominated by the insurance agent.

Xaver Woelfl, Chief Digital Officer and Board Member of Allianz Group Austria, says: "'My Mobility' meets customer needs of today: convenient, simple, fast and personalized. The app becomes increasingly popular amongst our customers as well as our sales representatives. This is how we want to create not merely customer satisfaction, but rather customer enthusiasm."

"Having first been launched in Austria, it is now also live in the United Kingdom for retail and fleet customers as well as for Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty for General Aviation in Germany. In the meanwhile the 'MyMobility Allianz' app has become the 'Allianz OneApp', because it has evolved to all lines of business and includes many more services," explains Stephan Kock. "And, there is huge interest also from other countries."

Click here to learn more about EngageOne Video.

About Allianz Global Digital Factory

Allianz Global Digital factory enables Allianz companies to digitize and strengthen customer ties, delivering reusable, customer-validated results. The solutions are scaled to serve the diversity of their customers across the globe. Visit Allianz Global Digital Factory to learn more how they build simple engaging customer experiences.

About Pitney Bowes

Pitney Bowes (NYSE:PBI) is a global technology company providing commerce solutions that power billions of transactions. Clients around the world, including 90 percent of the Fortune 500, rely on the accuracy and precision delivered by Pitney Bowes solutions, analytics, and APIs in the areas of ecommerce fulfillment, shipping and returns; cross-border ecommerce; presort services; office mailing and shipping; location data; and software. For nearly 100 years, Pitney Bowes has been innovating and delivering technologies that remove the complexity of getting commerce transactions precisely right. For additional information, visit Pitney Bowes, the Craftsmen of Commerce, at https://www.pitneybowes.com/us

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180612005381/en/

Contacts:

Pitney Bowes Deutschland GmbH

Astrid Schuler

Poststrae 4-6

64293 Darmstadt

06151 5202 208 +49170 924 7817

Astrid.schueler@pb.com

or

Pitney Bowes, Inc.

Emily Simmons, 203-351-6860

Emily.simmons@pb.comLISBON, Portugal and LUANDA, Angola, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Portuguese-Angolan fashion designer with the only showroom for global female celebrities.

Rose Palhares is the fashion designer in charge of the only space dedicated to fashion at the major event of international television. Set to take place in Monaco on June 15-19, the 58th edition of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival is at the forefront in showcasing the highly talented actors and actresses associated with many of the most successful programs and series of global television channels.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/704358/Rose_Palhares.jpg )



Originally created by Prince Rainier III of Monaco, and now under the Honorary Presidency of Prince Albert II of Monaco, the Festival has, for more than half a century, presented the very best of television from around the world. Celebrities, producers, directors, writers and heads of studios, networks and digital platforms gather in June every year to attend series launches, premier screenings, conferences, press activities, public events, VIP meetings and signing sessions.

Attending for the first time, Rose Palhares will present, at the 58th Monte-Carlo Television Festival, a collection of dresses for global female actresses of television networks who are nominees in each category.

Rose Palhares, General-Director and founder of the brand with her name, highlights: "The collection I have designed sees the independent, elegant, sophisticated and resistant Woman. Consequently, my garments must highlight such identity coherence through the lace, fabric print, organza and African fabrics."

Born in Angola and also holding the Portuguese nationality, Rose Palhares has a degree in fashion design from a university in Brazil, and has received many awards: Creator of the year at Moda Luanda (2017 and 2013), described by Vogue Italy (2016) as Most Interesting Designer. She was distinguished as Fashion Diva ofAngola (2017), International Designer of the Year at the Angola Fashion Week 2015, Woman of Merit by the GMA-Grupo das Mulheres Africanas (African Woman Group) and "one of five designers to follow closely in the years ahead" by Elle South Africa (2016).

Present in Portugal (Lisbon) and Angola (Luanda), the brand Rose Palhares features tailor-made fashion and ready-made clothing.

More information

http://www.rosepalhares.com | https://www.facebook.com/RosePalhares/ |http://www.instagram.com/rosepalhares/?hl=pt

WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - H&R Block Inc. (HRB), a global consumer tax services provider, is set to release its fourth-quarter results after the bell on Tuesday, June 12, 2018. The results are likely to reflect overall tax return volume growth, and improving client trajectory.



Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect the company to post earnings of $5.27 per share on revenue of $2.34 billion for the quarter. Analysts' estimate typically exclude certain special items.



Year-Ago Numbers:



* Revenues - $2.33 bln * Net income from cont. ops. - $786.6 mln * EPS from cont. ops. - $3.76 * Adj. Income from cont. ops. - $787.0 mln * Adj. EPS - $3.76



For fiscal year 2018 through April 19, 19.9 million returns were prepared by or through H&R Block in the U.S., a 2.6% increase over fiscal year 2017.



'Our goal this fiscal year was to continue improving our client trajectory, which we achieved, with growth in DIY and improved performance in Assisted,' said Jeff Jones, H&R Block's president and chief executive officer.



The improvement in Assisted resulted from the company's strong promotional offerings which included an enhanced Refund Advance no-interest loan, Free Federal 1040EZ offer, and Half Off promotion. Assisted returns decreased 0.6% for fiscal 2018, which compares favorably to the 2.5% decline for fiscal year 2017. The company also reported an increase in net average charge, which was in line with expectations.



DIY online returns rose 10.4%, driving overall DIY growth of 7.9%, reflecting continued product improvements, enhanced partnerships, the H&R Block More Zero promotion, and new self-employed offering. Additionally, net average charge increased due to favorable mix.



Based on these results, H&R Block expects to deliver revenue growth and margins consistent with its prior outlook.



Among other players in the field, CBIZ Inc. (CBZ) reported strong first-quarter revenue growth as well as improved margins, bolstered by strong demand for its core services, a high level of optimism among its clients regarding the general business climate, new consulting and planning engagements related to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, and improved results from a number of project-oriented businesses. The company posted first-quarter income from continuing operations of $35.8 million or $0.64 per share compared to $25.0 million or $0.45 per share for the same period a year ago. Revenue for the quarter rose 10.2% to $266.1 million from $241.5 million last year.



Another peer, Intuit Inc. (INTU) reported third-quarter net income of $1.20 billion or $4.59 per share versus $964 million or $3.70 per share last year. Total net revenue increased to $2.9 billion from $2.5 billion last year. Also, Intuit raised its fiscal 2018 revenue outlook range to $5.915 billion - $5.935 billion, GAAP earnings target to $4.50 - $4.52 per share, and non-GAAP EPS range to $5.51 - $5.53 per share.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.deLondon (ots) - Rabobank, a premier global food and agribusiness bank, is bringing FoodBytes!, it's food and agriculture pitch-competition-meets-networking-event to London for the first time on Thursday 13 September at One Marylebone. The event will see 20 game-changing startups pitch to an audience of hundreds of investors, industry leading corporates and other startups; all pioneering the future of food and agriculture.First launched in San Francisco in 2015 as part of Rabobank's Banking for Food (B4F) strategy, FoodBytes! provides a platform for entrepreneurs to access mentorship and connections to grow their businesses. The B4F strategy is part of the bank's 'Growing a Better World Together'mission which aims to feed the world sustainably by 2050 by addressing global food waste and loss, sustainable agriculture and stability of the food chain and nutrition. FoodBytes! has attracted over 3,500 attendees and received over 1,400 applications from 35 countries. More than 210 companies make up the FoodBytes! alumni community, including Europe-based startups Impact Vision, Koupe and Novolyze.Pitch applications for FoodBytes! London are now open. Startups across Europe that demonstrate product innovation, commercial viability, traction and a focus on sustainability are encouraged to apply here before Sunday 1 July at 11:59PM GMT.The two-day event begins with a mentorship workshop on Wednesday 12 September for selected startups led by experts on fundraising, PR, branding, consumer trends, legal and go-to-market strategy.Lisa Sohanpal, Founder of Nom Noms World Food and member of FoodBytes! alumni commented: "The opportunities coming my way as a result of participating in FoodBytes! are continuous and endless. I can't thank Rabobank enough for the amazing support, connections, network and partners."FoodBytes! London is supported by presenting sponsor ADM - a specialty ingredients provider to food and beverage companies looking to get to market quickly with products consumers love. Supporting sponsor, British dairy company Dairy Crest manufactures market-leading food brands including Cathedral City cheddar, as well as specialised ingredients for use in the infant formula, human nutrition and animal feed markets. Community partner organisations include Food + Tech Connect, HAX, The Kitchen, Dishy Media, Shake Up Factory, YFood, Food Evolutions, Future Food Institute, RebelBio and Thought for Food.Apply to pitch at FoodBytes! London before Sunday 1 July at 11:59PM GMT. Tickets to attend are now on sale here.Keep up with the FoodBytes! action by following on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, or view curated content via the hashtags FoodBytes and London.Notes to Editors:FoodBytes! By RabobankFoodBytes! is a next-generation pitch competition that aims to discover the most ground-breaking food and agriculture startups and provide them the mentorship and connections they need to grow. Since launching in 2015, 210 startups have pitched on the FoodBytes! stage, 1,400 startups have applied from 35 countries and more than 3,500 people have attended events in North America, Europe and Australia.FoodBytes! is part of Rabobank's Startup Innovation initiative and is led by a global team based in New York City and Utrecht, The Netherlands. Rabobank is a leading global food and agriculture bank, providing sector expertise, strategic counsel and tailored financial solutions to clients across the entire food value chain. Rabobank believes that sustainability and innovation are critical in promoting a thriving food and agricultural industry that will feed the increasing global population, a key focus of its Banking for Food vision to grow a better world together by 2050.Pitch applications: http://ots.de/4Y3IdT Tickets: http://ots.de/WQ7RPPOriginaltext: RaboDirect Deutschland digital press kits: http://www.presseportal.de/nr/117892 press kits via RSS: http://www.presseportal.de/rss/pm_117892.rss2For press information, interviews or photography, please contact: Melanie Rawlings melanie@mrawcomms.co.uk +44 (0) 7388 662 147Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 12, 2018) - Sienna Resources (TSXV: SIE) (OTC Pink: SNNAF) ("Sienna") is pleased to announce that is has approved an extended sampling and geophysical program on the Slattberg nickel-copper cobalt project in Sweden. Samples of stream sediments, soil and glacial till will be collected in areas where magnetic anomalies have been identified. These magnetic anomalies occur in areas where the highest historic stream sediment cobalt and nickel anomalies occur. The historic data was collected during 1970's era sampling programs, but were never followed up on. The focus of the ongoing programs is to identify additional high priority drill targets for the Project.

Recently Sienna announced plans for a downhole EM survey on the property. The EM survey is an ideal exploration tool to utilize at the Slattberg project due to the highly conductive nature of the cobalt-nickel-copper mineralization. The intent of the EM surveys will be to identify conductive anomalies in the immediate vicinity of the drill holes that were not intercepted in the initial holes. This may generate a new series of prioritized drill targets for immediate follow-up, and will also help constrain the geometries of known bodies of mineralization on the project.

Jason Gigliotti, President of Sienna states, "The initial results of the drill program were encouraging but further target definition is still ongoing. The current work programs should enable us to prioritize the next phase of drilling. We will focus the next phase on the highest cobalt centric locations as we are now able to work on these areas as the snow melt has now afforded us this ability. The EM surveys and new sampling work should provide multiple high priority drill targets, which we plan to test this summer. We look forward to a very active second half of 2018 as we still cash reserves to cover the plan work programs."

About Sienna Resources Inc.:

The Slattberg Cobalt-Nickel-Copper Project consists of three adjacent exploration permits comprising approximately 12,733 contiguous acres.

Slattberg is located 25 kilometers northwest of Falun, Sweden. Slattberg is a historic mining camp hosting cobalt-nickel-copper rich massive sulfide mineralization that occurs within a two kilometer belt of historic nickel-copper mines. The Project contains drill defined massive sulphide mineralization that extends to ~100 meters in depth, and remains open for expansion at depth and along strike. The Project is accessible year round, with nearby rail, power and 5 smelters in the Nordic region. At least 16 historic mines are located on the property, with historic operations dating back to the late 1800's.

Mineralization at Slattberg is hosted by 1.8-1.9 Ga (Svecofennian) supracrustal rocks (metavolcanics and metasediments) located along the southwestern flank of a large gabbroic intrusive complex. The historic mines are positioned along an east-west trend of massive sulfide occurrences developed in and around a similarly oriented body of "leptite". This is a local term used to describe rhyolitic/felsic tuffaceous rocks commonly associated with sulfide mineralization in Bergslagen. Mafic and ultramafic rocks also occur in and around the mine workings.

Sweden is at the forefront of an exploration and development boom in the mining industry. The country's favorable business environment includes a low corporate income tax rate, a proactive geological survey, and broad public support for export-led resource extraction. Sweden has a long history of mining, and is host to some of Europe's largest active mines.

The technical contents of this release were approved by Greg Thomson, P. Geo., a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

If you would like to be added to Sienna's email list please email info@siennaresources.com for information or join our twitter account at @SiennaResources

Contact Information

Tel: 1.604.646.6900

Fax: 1.604.689.1733

www.siennaresources.com

info@siennaresources.com

"Jason Gigliotti"

President, Director

Sienna Resources Inc.

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 press release.Norges Bank - Form 8.3 - Inmarsat Plc

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: Norges Bank (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. N/A (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:

Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree Inmarsat PLC (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken:

For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure Opening Disclosure

08/06/2018 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?

If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A" Yes

Echostar Corporation

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: EUR 0.0005 ordinary Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 7,034,108 1.53 (2) Cash-settled derivatives: (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:

TOTAL: 7,034,108 1.53

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.

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

(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security Product descriptione.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"



(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"



(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO

Date of disclosure: 12/06/2018 Contact name: Joanna Niedzialek Telephone number: +4724073047

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 atmonitoring@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 atwww.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.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.President of Bangladesh Dairy Farmers Association Imran Hossain speaking at a prAss conference at the Jatiya Press Club on Tuesday to meet various demands of dairy farmers.Principal Consultant Francine Westergaard Leads European Region

OAK BROOK, Illinois, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Joint Commission International (JCI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Francine Westergaard, MSN, RN, MBA, as JCI's principal consultant in the European Region. She will serve as the first point of contact for current and prospective clients seeking advisory services and technical assistance in this rapidly expanding region.

Westergaard first joined JCI in 2007. Most recently she was principal consultant for the Middle East Region. Her expertise includes operational assessment using JCI standards as a reference for high-quality care and patient safety initiatives. Her past international experience consists of consultation and education for major hospitals, health care systems and ministries of health in the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. She has more than 30 years of nursing experience as a practitioner, educator, administrator and researcher, including leadership positions in both hospital and ambulatory care settings. She holds master's degrees in nursing education and business administration.

Westergaard is an expert in organizational assessment, education and project design, management and implementation, which guides her work in the European Region as new organizations and long-term clients seek accreditation.

"I understand the dynamics of complicated health care organizations and bring with me solutions from inpatient and outpatient settings," Westergaard said. "We all share the same clinical challenges and concerns. Universally, our goal is to improve patient outcomes and quality of health care."

Marwa Zohdy, PhD, CJCP, vice president of Global Consulting Services for JCI, said she is excited to welcome Westergaard to the European team.

"She brings a great wealth of expertise in quality and patient safety, as well as a global network of providers she has assisted with in large-scale improvement efforts," Dr. Zohdy said. "Her practical experience and background in nursing education will help organizations maintain international patient and safety practices."

With nearly 200 accredited organizations in 21 countries across Europe, Westergaard's commitment to education will assist this growing community with advancement opportunities.

Educational Opportunities

Westergaard has debuted a monthly webinar series for health care professionals on quality improvement standards, tips for successful accreditation preparation planning and JCI accreditation. She also is among the lead faculty for an education event, focused on improving the quality and safety of patient care, coming to Prague in September 2018.

Monthly Webinars: 20 June, 18 July, 15 August, 26 September, 3 October, 21November 2018

For more information and to register, visit http://info.jcrinc.com/2018-JCI-Pathway-Webinar-Registration.html.

Prague Foundations of Accreditation: 5-7 September 2018

For more information and to register, visit www.jointcommissioninternational.org/prague-foundations-of-accreditation-sept-2018/

About Joint Commission International

Joint Commission International (JCI) was established in 1994 as a division of Joint Commission Resources, Inc. (JCR), a wholly controlled, nonprofit affiliate of The Joint Commission. Through international accreditation and certification, advisory services, publications and education programs, JCI extends The Joint Commission's mission worldwide by helping improve the quality of patient care. JCI works with international health care organizations, public health agencies, health ministries and others in more than 100 countries. Visit www.jointcommissioninternational.org for more details.

Media contact:

Katie Looze Bronk

Corporate Communications

(630) 792-5175

kbronk@jointcommission.org

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/701739/The_Joint_Commission_Francine_Westergaard.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/118169/joint_commission_international_logo.jpgVancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 12, 2018) - Sunniva Inc. (CSE:SNN) (OTCQX: SNNVF) ("Sunniva" or the "Company"), a North American provider of cannabis products and services, is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary CP Logistics, LLC's Sun-Oil Facility has secured an additional extraction contract with Cali Gold, a leading and legacy California cannabis brand. Under the terms of the agreement, the Sun-Oil Facility will provide Cali Gold with high quality, ultra-purified manufactured distilled oil products to be utilized within vaporization cartridges. The agreement is for a 12-month term that may be renewed for an additional 12 months at the request of Cali Gold at the expiry of the initial term. Sunniva, via ownership of its wholly-owned subsidiary Full-Scale Distributors, LLC, and through its brand, Vapor Connoisseur, will also provide Cali Gold with specialized vaporization hardware and accessories.

Cali Gold is a legacy cannabis brand born in Berkeley, California, specializing in high-end chocolates. The Cali Gold THCA Chocolate Bar was awarded 1st place in Edibles List Magazine. Cali Gold looks to Sunniva's quality expertise at scale to introduce 10-15 new products in the next six months. "We are very excited to expand our product line and feel that Sunniva is the right manufacturing partner for Cali Gold," said Daniel Hood, CEO and Founder.

The operational Sun-Oil Facility, located one mile from the Sunniva California Campus in Cathedral City, will produce over 600,000 filled vaporization cartridges a month at capacity, and Sunniva intends to execute additional white label contracts with other leading brands. The Sun-Oil Facility is licensed for both volatile and non-volatile extraction enabling Sunniva to produce all forms of extracted products.

About Sunniva Inc.

Sunniva, through its subsidiaries, is a vertically integrated cannabis company operating in the world's two largest cannabis markets - Canada and California - where we are committed to delivering safe, high-quality products and services at scale. Our vision is to become the lowest cost, highest quality cannabis producer in the markets we serve by building large scale purpose-built current Good Manufacturing Practice ("cGMP") designed greenhouses, offering better quality assurance with cannabis products free from pesticides, providing better patient and doctor access to cannabis education and sourcing better therapeutic delivery devices. Sunniva's management and board of directors have a proven track record for creating significant shareholder value both in the healthcare and biotech industries.

Sunniva operates through its wholly owned subsidiaries:

CP Logistics, LLC ("CPL") - Through CPL, Sunniva has commenced construction of the Sunniva California Campus, state-of-the-art, purpose-built greenhouse facilities in Cathedral City, California. The Sunniva California Campus is planned in two phases and has been cGMP designed. Phase 1 is designed to be 325,000-square feet and Phase 2 will be 164,000 square feet. At this facility, it is estimated 30% of all product will be used for higher margin extracted products and all products will be produced free from the pesticides commonly used within today's industry. As the facility is not complete, revenue and costs are not known, therefore, profitability cannot be assured.

Sunniva Medical Inc. ("SMI") - SMI is building the Sunniva Canada Campus, 740,000 square feet of purpose-built cGMP designed greenhouse facilities in British Columbia. The facility will produce pesticide free products and will convert trim to extracted products such as cannabis oil. The oil can be used for drug delivery formats such as capsules, dissolvable strips, vaporization cartridges, tinctures and creams. As the facility is not complete, revenue and costs are not known, therefore, profitability cannot be assured.

Natural Health Services Ltd. ("NHS") - NHS owns and operates a network of 7 clinics in Canada specializing in medical cannabis under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations. NHS connects patients with safe and effective medical cannabis products through Licensed Producers ("LPs"). NHS has in-house physicians and nurse practitioners specializing in the endocannabinoid system providing expert consultation, education, and recommendations for patients. NHS' proprietary technology infrastructure assists physicians, patients and LPs to comply with the rules of Health Canada. NHS has more than 150,000 active medical documents outstanding and 95,000 active patients.

Full-Scale Distributors, LLC ("FSD") - FSD, through its brand, Vapor Connoisseur, is a provider of custom, private-label vaporizers and accessories. FSD currently serves the needs of over 80 brands in the North American marketplace. Vapor Connoisseur is recognized for its high quality and innovative vaporization devices. Products are tailored to client needs, ensuring both safety and reliability and FSD will continue to provide these services in coordination with the supply from both Sunniva Campuses.

For more information please visit: www.sunniva.com

Neither 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.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, statements regarding Sunniva's plan to cultivate, produce and distribute a broad range of solutions focused on patients' needs and Sunniva's plans, timing and estimates for its facilities, are "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, events or developments to be materially different from any future results, events or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the risk factors included in the Sunniva's continuous disclosure documents available on www.sedar.com. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Although Sunniva has attempted to identify important risk factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other risk factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements. Sunniva assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, even if new information becomes available as a result of future events, new information or for any other reason except as required by law.

Contact Information:

Dr. Anthony Holler

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Investor Relations Contact:

George Jurcic

Manager, Investor Relations

587-430-0680

ir@sunniva.com

Corporate Communications Contact:

NetworkNewsWire (NNW)

New York, New York

www.NetworkNewsWire.com

212.418.1217 Office

Editor@NetworkNewsWire.comPre-Stabilisation notice

12 June 2018

Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.

European Stability Mechanism (ESM)

0.75% EUR 1.5bn senior, unsecured Tap due 2027

Stabilisation Notice

Commerzbank AG (contact: Daniela Olt-Farrelly; telephone: +49 69 13623492) hereby announces that the Stabilising Managers named below may stabilise the offer of the following securities in accordance with Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2273/2003 implementing the Market Abuse Directive (2003/6/EC).

The security to be stabilised: Issuer: ESM Guarantor (if any): none ISIN EU000A1Z99B9 Aggregate nominal amount: EUR 1.5 billion Description: Senior, unsecured increase due 15 March 2027 Offer price: tbc Other offer terms: Coupon 0.75%; denoms  0.01 and multiples thereof, settlement 19 June 2018, ISIN EU000A1Z99B9 Stabilisation: Stabilisation coordinator:

Stabilising Managers: Commerzbank AG

BofA Merrill Lynch

HSBC Stabilisation period commences 12 June 2018 Stabilisation period expected to end on: No later than 30 days after the proposed issue date of the securities Existence, maximum size and conditions of use of over-allotment facility. The Stabilising Managers may over-allot the securities to the extent permitted in accordance with applicable law.

In connection with the offer of the above securities, the Stabilising Managers may over-allot the securities or effect transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the securities at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail. However, there is no assurance that the Stabilising Managers will take any stabilisation action and any stabilisation action, if begun, may be ended at any time Any stabilisation action or over-allotment shall be conducted in accordance with all

applicable laws and rules.

This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction.

This announcement is not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any other jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.

ENDLANZHOU, China, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 7, representatives of Shenyang 23 institutions of higher learning signed up for "One Belt And One Road" university alliance at Lanzhou University. At the same time, the alliance announced that the preparation work of "Shenyang alliance branch" would be led by Northeastern University.

"One Belt And One Road" university alliance was established in 2015. 170 universities have joined the alliance, and Lanzhou University serves as the secretary-general's unit.

In recent years, "One Belt And One Road" university alliance has made a great contribution to improving comprehensive communication and cooperation in education, science and technology, culture and other fields among the universities along the belt and road, which has formed a great influence and a leading demonstration effect on the countries along the belt and road.

Shenyang is the main framework of "six corridors and six roads" in the construction of "One Belt And One Road", and Shenyang is also the Northeast Passage's important node of "China, Mongolia and Russia" economic corridor.

Shenyang municipal government organized Shenyang universities to join the alliance and started the preparation for the establishment of Shenyang alliance branch. The Shenyang universities will host a series of theme forums and communication activities about the construction of "One Belt And One Road", the development of economic corridor between China, Mongolia and Russia, the improvement of Northeast Asia and the revitalization of northeast China's old industrial base. The Shenyang alliance branch will also serve regional economic and social development and explore the establishment of the "northern channel" for international talent training.LONDON, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Multi-asset firm invests in innovative ways to access new financial technologies, providingopportunities in the Blockchain and cryptocurrency universe

Private equity firm Berkeley Assets has acquired global investment and advisory service Cryptech, a Blockchain organisation which provides investment opportunities to individuals and institutions who want to explore the technology.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/704610/Berkeley_Assets_Cryptech.jpg )



The acquisition comes at a time when Cryptech has expanded its reach globally, attracting interest from investors across the world who are eager to explore the opportunities to achieve substantial short term growth in the technology, trading in cryptocurrencies as well as investing in innovative start-up companies that are creating Blockchain technology solutions to revolutionise businesses globally.

With offices in Dubai, UAE and London, UK, Cryptech invests in ideas and start-ups that are utilising Blockchain as well as actively trades the top four cryptocurrencies in the world, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple and Litecoin, utilising a two-pronged strategy to deliver consistent gains across cryptocurrencies and blockchain.

Cryptech experts offer in-depth knowledge of Blockchain technology and its uses, allowing them to identify leaders and opportunities in the market, and provide intuitive due diligence for cryptocurrencies by recognising trends and spikes in demand.

Mike Clark, Partner at Berkeley Assets, said: "Our acquisition of Cryptech makes perfect sense because Berkeley Assets has a history of investing in firms which lead from the front, show innovation and are forward thinking.

"While technology makes up the smallest sector of our business model, because it represents a higher risk compared to our core focus of tangible assets, we made the decision to invest because it is essential to establish the right opportunities in order to provide the maximum benefit to our clients."

Berkeley Assets has appointed Omar Jackson as a new Partner to head up the Cryptech business, who brings a wealth of experience in the world of Blockchain. He said: "Blockchain has become a new buzzword in business and for good reason. We believe the true long term value lies in the technology that is underpinning cryptocurrencies.

"We have seen Blockchain being used in myriad applications across all industries, serving to radically transform the way businesses interact with customers and suppliers, and offering unseen levels of efficiency and security for all concerned."

Berkeley Assets is an off-shore multi-asset company with investments in real estate, hospitality, logistics and technology. Investing in both property development projects and bridging and development finance projects, the company develops a diversified portfolio of existing and new to market concepts and businesses as part of a low-risk, yield-based strategy.

Justin Quan, Senior Associate at Berkeley Assets, said: "We have built a reputation of successful returns and smart investments, by consistently offering clients reliability and credibility. As a low risk organisation, we were initially not in favour of cryptocurrencies as an area for investment, however, with Omar's experience combined with our due diligence into the sector, we have seen its true value and understand the short to medium-term gains that are possible.

"Even when it comes to advising on long-term gains, we are committed to ongoing research and investment into the technology behind Blockchain."

The adoption of Blockchain has been a sweeping global trend for governments and leading organisations alike. Given the added benefits to security and transparent access to information, international organisations as UPS, FedEx, Mastercard, Microsoft and Dell have all been quick to implement the technology.

Now, as investment banks implement ways to capitalise on cryptocurrencies, they too are investing in the technology behind the coins, valuing its power to transform traditional systems in which business is done. Cryptech believes that global financial and innovation hubs such as Dubai and London are primed to cement their lead as international centres for the technology, and they want to galvanise government agencies and their projects, ensuring their success.

Jackson added: "Blockchain technology offers investors the potential to be involved in huge growth businesses where billions of dollars of wealth can be generated. In the last 12 months we have watched as Blockchain start-ups have raised billions in capital and the world's biggest banks and venture capitalists are heavily focused on investing in Blockchain-based business models at early stages, believing that these companies will achieve huge valuations in the short to medium term."

"We believe that Blockchain offers the biggest opportunity in technology since the internet boom of the 1990s and like the internet, the technology is difficult to explain in simple terms but the potential applications are so wide and far reaching that they cannot be ignored."

Cryptech offers clients a minimum investment option of USD$1,000/GBP1,000 which can be completed digitally in multiple currencies, allowing funds to be traded within and invested from the company's corporate account. This paves the way for investors with a range of understanding on Blockchain to gain a foothold and benefit from early stages of cryptocurrencies and the underlying technology, a right that has previously been mainly accessible to financial institutions and HNWIs only.

After 12 months, clients can request to redeem their capital back with the maximum returns the team generated.Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 12, 2018) - SilverCrest Metals Inc. (TSXV: SIL) (OTCQX: SVCMF) ("SilverCrest" or the "Company") is pleased to announce new drill results for the Granaditas Vein and initial delineation of its high-grade footprint on the Las Chispas Property (the "Property") located in Sonora, Mexico. The Company first drilled two holes in the Granaditas Vein in 2017 (see news release dated October 19, 2017) and re-commenced drilling of this vein in early 2018. The compilation of these new drill holes outlines the high-grade footprint (see attached Figures). This vein is parallel to the Babicanora and Babicanora Norte veins and is approximately 400 metres southeast of Area 51, which is the highest-grade mineralized area of the Babicanora Vein having average resource grades greater than 1,000 grams per tonne ("gpt") silver equivalent ("AgEq", defined below). There are 23 known epithermal veins on the Property, including 11 which have drill-intersected high-grade mineralization and consist of the Babicanora, Babicanora Footwall, Babicanora Norte, Las Chispas, Giovanni including La Blanquita, William Tell, Varela, Granaditas, Luigi and Amethyst veins. Five of the 23 veins have been included in the maiden resource (refer to "Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Las Chispas Property, Sonora, Mexico", effective February 12, 2018 and amended May 9, 2018).

N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng and CEO, remarked, "With this confirmed discovery of continuous high-grade mineralization in the Granaditas Vein, we continue to increase our near-surface high-grade footprint in the district. In early 2017, the Company received from a local rancher a historic map showing the location of the Granaditas Mine that was operated by the Spanish in the early 1800's. Up until receipt of the map, the location of the mine was unknown and documented as a lost Spanish mine. Historic reports show that approximately 3 million ounces of silver were mined from the Granaditas Vein to a depth of 90 feet where water was encountered. SilverCrest drilled below this depth and intercepted high-grade mineralization using the same geologic controls as other high-grade veins in the district. It is our intention to further drill test the Granaditas, Babicanora Norte, Babicanora, Babi Sur, Luigi and other veins during the next couple of months and include the results in the proposed updated resource planned for Q3 2018."

The most significant result for this release was returned from Hole GR18-04, which intersected 1.8 metres (true width) grading 12.14 grams per tonne ("gpt") gold and 1,440.3 gpt silver, or 2,350 gpt silver equivalent ("AgEq", based on 75 (Ag):1 (Au) calculated using long-term silver and gold prices of US$18.50 per ounce silver and US$1,225 per ounce gold, with average metallurgical recoveries of 86.6% silver and 98.9% gold), including 0.4 metres grading 9,183 gpt AgEq. The following table summarizes the most significant drill intercepts (uncut, undiluted) for the Granaditas Vein:

Hole ID From

(m) To

(m) Drill intercept

(m) True

Width

(m) Au

gpt Ag

gpt AgEq*

gpt GR17-02 138.9 140.6 1.7 1.5 3.63 190.1 462 incl. 139.9 140.6 0.7 0.6 8.16 387.0 999 GR18-04 133.3 135.3 2.0 1.8 12.14 1,440.3 2,350 incl. 133.8 134.3 0.5 0.4 47.50 5,620.0 9,183 GR18-09 165.9 167.3 1.4 1.3 3.24 338.9 582 incl. 166.4 167.3 0.9 0.8 4.86 498.0 863 GR18-11 179.4 180.6 1.2 1.2 1.23 114.0 206 Weighted Average 1.5 5.69 595.7 1,022

Note: all numbers are rounded.

*AgEq based on 75 (Ag):1 (Au) calculated using long-term silver and gold prices of US$18.50 per ounce silver and US$1,225 per ounce gold, with average metallurgical recoveries of 86.6% silver and 98.9% gold.

previously announced intercept (refer to news release dated October 19, 2017).

All assays were completed by ALS Chemex in Hermosillo, Mexico, and North Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Results for drill holes GR18-05, 07, 08, and 10 are below the Company's cutoff of 150 gpt AgEq and outside the Granaditas Vein high-grade footprint. Hole GR17-01 intercepted 0.5 metres (true width) grading 0.95 gpt gold and 103.0 gpt silver, or 174 gpt AgEq. Hole GR18-03 intercepted 0.5 metres grading 0.92 gpt gold and 56.6 gpt silver, or 126 gpt AgEq. Hole GR18-06 intercepted 1.5 metres grading 0.48 gpt gold and 86.7 gpt silver, or 145 gpt AgEq.

The Granaditas Vein consists of southeastward plunging high-grade mineralization similar to the adjacent Babicanora and Babicanora Norte veins. Mineralization consists of a 0.5 to 1.8 metre wide banded quartz-argentite-pyrite vein, dipping at an estimated 75 southeast. Conceptually, since the vein is near the southeast extension of the highest-grade footprint of the Babicanora Vein (Area 51), shared future underground infrastructure is conceivable and convenient.

A hanging wall vein (unnamed), approximately 40 to 80 metres southeast of the Granaditas Vein, was also drill intercepted with the following initial results:

GR18-03 intersecting 0.5 metres grading 0.5 gpt Au and 97 gpt Ag, or 134 gpt AgEq;

GR18-04 intersecting 0.5 metres grading 1.81 gpt Au and 149 gpt Ag, or 284 gpt AgEq;

GR18-07 intersecting 0.5 metres grading 2.39 gpt Au and 421 gpt Ag, or 600 gpt AgEq; and

GR18-09 intersecting 0.5 metres grading 2.94 gpt Au and 294 gpt Ag, or 514 AgEq.

The Company plans to further drill test this hanging wall vein in Q3, 2018.

The high-grade footprint in the Granaditas Vein currently measures approximately 150 metres long by 100 metres high by 1.5 metres in average true width, grading an estimated 5.69 gpt gold and 595.7 gpt silver, or 1,022 gpt AgEq (see attached Figures) and is open in most directions. Further drilling for potential expansion of the high-grade footprint at the Granaditas Vein is ongoing and additional assays will be reported once compilation is complete.

The Company continues with its Phase III drill program of expansion drilling on several new and partially-drilled high-grade mineralized veins. A remaining 4,000 to 5,000 metres of drilling are planned up to the end of July cutoff for updated resource inclusion. Other ongoing site work includes continued underground mapping and sampling on the Las Chispas Vein, drilling test wells for site water, permitting for various additional work, and review of the maiden resource model for optimization and update.

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, and CEO for SilverCrest, who has reviewed and approved its contents.

ABOUT SILVERCREST METALS INC.

SilverCrest is a Canadian precious metals exploration company headquartered in Vancouver, BC, that is focused on new discoveries, value-added acquisitions and targeting production in Mexico's historic precious metal districts. The Company's current focus is on the high-grade, historic Las Chispas mining district in Sonora, Mexico. SilverCrest is the first company to successfully drill-test the historic Las Chispas Project resulting in numerous discoveries. The Company is led by a proven management team in all aspects of the precious metal mining sector, including taking projects through discovery, finance, on time and on budget construction, and production.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. These include, without limitation, statements with respect to: the strategic plans, timing and expectations for the Company's exploration, rehabilitation and drilling programs of the Las Chispas Property, including drilling test water wells, permitting for various work, and optimizing and updating the Company's resource model; information with respect to high grade areas and size of veins projected from underground sampling results and drilling results; and the accessibility of future mining at the Las Chispas Property. 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: the conditions in general economic and financial markets; availability of skilled labour; timing and amount of expenditures related to rehabilitation and drilling programs; and effects of regulation by governmental agencies. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of risk factors including: the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities; the interpretation of drilling results and other geological data; receipt, maintenance and security of permits and mineral property titles; environmental and other regulatory risks; project cost 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.



Figure 1: Long Section (Inclined) of Granaditas Vein Las Chispas Property, Looking Southwest



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1 please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1467/35207_silvercrest2.jpg





Figure 2: Las Chispas District with Babicanora Plan Map, June 2018



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1467/35207_silvercrest4.jpg





N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng

Chief Executive Officer

SilverCrest Metals Inc.

For Further Information:

SilverCrest Metals Inc.

Contact: Michael Rapsch, VP Corp. Comm.

Telephone: +1 (604) 694-1730

Fax: +1 (604) 357-1313

Toll Free: 1-866-691-1730 (Canada & USA)

Email: info@silvercrestmetals.com

Website: www.silvercrestmetals.com

570 Granville Street, Suite 501

Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3P1

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Innovative Open Source Platform Being Contributed to New Cognida Foundation

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / June 12, 2018 / Leading information technology company, Windmill Enterprise, today will reveal at the World Blockchain Forum, its Cognida Platform and associated Cognida Network. The platform and network employ a blockchain agnostic approach in establishing enterprise identities, permissions and security policies on a blockchain, and enforce security policies wherever enterprise digital assets connect to a network. Cognida's technology is being contributed to the open source Cognida Foundation, a US-based non-profit organization that will be governed by its members.

As data and digital assets move increasingly to the cloud, enterprises are facing more and more complex security challenges, particularly when it comes to properly protecting data and securing remote digital assets. Cognida will deliver a platform where enterprises can establish secure and trusted service relationships utilizing a choice of blockchain solutions.

"We are committed to bringing multiple blockchain technologies to enterprises across every sector, offering solutions that address growing enterprise security challenges," said Michael Hathaway, Co-Founder, Windmill Enterprise. "With the launch of the Cognida Network as well as the Cognida Foundation, we will equip companies with the tools to secure digital assets and shared information in the enterprise and in the cloud. This establishes a blockchain secured service layer that runs on top of the Internet, enabling trusted service relationships to be established, and putting the enterprise in control of who has access to what."

Cognida's technology will allow enterprise IT administrators to enforce their security policies and establish trusted connected relationships by owning and controlling their data, even when sharing with service providers and third parties. The Cognida platform will provide solutions that are streamlined to comply with emerging regulatory policies, such as the May 2018 General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU.

"In the current GDPR environment, with newer enterprise privacy controls needed, along with IoT security requirements, enterprise expectations for end-to-end privacy controls will continue to grow," said Akshay Sharma, principal analyst, neXt Curve, and recent author of the Contextually-Aware Mobile Security as a Service: The Key to IoT Security and GDPR Compliance & Readiness with Blockchain whitepaper. "Within next generation networks, service providers and enterprises alike need a solution for applying policy management across multiple secured interconnections. This will ensure a seamless experience, with privacy controls, across legacy subscriber, device, and application databases, as well as blockchain deployments, supporting newer policy and key management."

The Cognida Network, expected to go live July 20th, is a service network layer, designed to help enterprises utilize blockchain technology to maintain control and ownership of their digital assets and data.

Michael Hathaway, Co-Founder of Windmill Enterprise, will be discussing Cognida in more detail at the World Blockchain Forum in New York City during a Keynote speech on June 12 from 4 - 4:15 pm ET. The World Blockchain Forum is Keynote's newest event, in partnership with The North American Bitcoin Conference, taking place from June 11 - 13 at Metropolitan West.

About Cognida

The Cognida Network and its open source platform enable enterprises to more securely manage connected devices, systems and shared information using blockchain agnostic technology. Cognida's technology was developed by Windmill Enterprises and is being contributed to the Cognida Foundation, a US-based, non-profit organization that will be governed by its members. Learn more at http://www.cognida.network.

About Windmill Enterprise

Windmill Enterprise was co-founded by Michael Hathaway of Information Xchange, Inc, and Bing Byington of CareConnex. It is a Delaware C corporation and the initial developer of Cognida, an open source platform enabling enterprises to more securely manage connected devices, systems and shared information using blockchain agnostic technology. Windmill is a founding member of the Cognida Foundation. Learn more at www.windmillenterprise.com.

Media Contact

Grace Keith

Caliber Corporate Advisers

grace@calibercorporate.com

202.294.2529

SOURCE: Windmill EnterpriseWASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crude oil prices fell Tuesday morning amid indications that Saudi Arabia is ramping up production. Saudi Arabia boosted daily oil output in May to the highest level since October, according to Bloomberg. The Saudis and Russia are reportedly going to announce an output increase at their upcoming meeting. WTI light sweet oil was down 13 cents at $65.97/bl. Markets continue to assess the historic meeting between the U.S. and North Korea. 'The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new US-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity,' according to a docusment released by the White House. 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.Meeting on OSV held at DU



An orientation on International Committee of the Red Cross and Experience Sharing on Other Situations of Violence (OSV) programme was held at Dhaka University.

The International Committee on Red Cross (ICRC) and Dhaka University

Journalists' Association (DUJA) jointly organised the event on the tenth instant at Abdul Matin Virtual Class Room on the campus.ICRC prevention and communication manager Anna Schaaf, journalist Julfikar Ali Manik, ICRC communication officer Raihan Sultana, DUJA president ARM Asifur Rahman and its general secretary Mahmudul Hasan Nayon were, among others, present on the occasion.

Anna Schaaf said ICRC is working throughout the world, including Bangladesh, independently and neutrally ensuring humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence. Julfikar Ali Manik, correspondent of the New York Times in Bangladesh, shared his experience on reporting and gathering news on a crisis situation or violence.Award Based on Evaluation by Comprehensive B Impact Assessment

DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / June 12, 2018 / AmeriCann, Inc. (OTCQB: ACAN), Today AmeriCann, an Agricultural-Technology company that is developing the next generation of sustainable, state-of-the-art cannabis cultivation properties, was recognized for creating the most positive impact for its workers based on an independent, comprehensive assessment administered by the nonprofit B Lab. Honorees are featured on B the Change, the digital Medium publication produced by B Lab, at bthechange.com/bestfortheworld.



AmeriCann is honored in the Best For Workers list, which includes businesses that earned a Workers score in the top 10 percent of more than 2,400 Certified B Corporations on the B Impact Assessment. The assessment measures a company's impact on its workers, community, customers and the environment. To certify as B Corporations, companies like AmeriCann must complete the full assessment and have their answers verified by B Lab.

AmeriCann was the first public cannabis company in the world to earn the prestigious B Corp certification when it did so in 2016.

"To be recognized as one of the best from a group of such exceptional companies is a real honor," stated AmeriCann president Tim Keogh. "The cannabis business is projected by many to be the fastest growing in the world. One of our goals is to serve as a model for what is possible in this emerging industry by setting the highest standards for social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency."

The Workers section of the B Impact Assessment assesses the company's relationship with its workforce. It measures the overall work environment within the company by assessing management/worker communication, job flexibility, corporate culture, training, compensation and worker health and safety practices. Honorees scoring in the top 10 percent set a gold standard for the high impact that business as a force for good can make on employees around the world.

The 185 Best For Workers companies come from 58 different industries and 20 countries. B Lab simultaneously released separate lists recognizing B Corporations as Best For The World Overall impact, Best For Environment, Best For Customers, Best For Governance and Best For Community, which can be found at bthechange.com/bestfortheworld. In the fall, B Lab will release the "Best For The World: Changemakers and the Best For The World Funds" lists.

AmeriCann is developing sustainable cultivation and processing facilities for the regulated cannabis industry. AmeriCann's flagship project, the Massachusetts Medical Cannabis Center, located 47 miles south of Boston, MA, is a state-of-the-art greenhouse project that will consist of a number of planned phases for multiple tenants in the Massachusetts medical marijuana market.

About AmeriCann

AmeriCann (OTCQB: ACAN) is a publicly traded Agricultural Technology (Ag-Tech) company that is developing a new generation of sustainable, state-of-the-art medical cannabis cultivation and processing properties.

AmeriCann, Inc. is a Certified B Corp, an acknowledgment of the company's commitment to social and environmental ethics, transparency and accountability. AmeriCann became the first public cannabis company to earn this respected accreditation. More information about the Company is available at: www.americann.co , or follow AmeriCann on Twitter @ACANinfo.

About Massachusetts Medical Cannabis Center (MMCC)

The Massachusetts Medical Cannabis Center is approved for nearly 1,000,000 square feet of medical cannabis cultivation and processing in Freetown, Massachusetts. The state-of-the-art, sustainable, greenhouse project will consist of multiple planned phases for tenants in the Massachusetts medical marijuana market. Voters in Massachusetts approved legalizing the adult use of recreational marijuana in November of 2016. The state is on track to open the first cannabis storefronts for Adult-Use by July 1, 2018, making Massachusetts the first state in the Northeast to legalize adult-use cannabis.

AmeriCann's Cannopy System uniquely combines expertise from traditional horticulture, lean manufacturing, regulatory compliance and cannabis cultivation to create superior facilities and procedures. The company is planning to replicate the Cannopy platform in additional states.

The first phase of the MMCC project consists of 30,000 sq. ft. of cultivation, processing and research facility.

About Solanna

AmeriCann has developed and owns "Solanna", a new comprehensive line of nutraceutical-grade cannabis infused products. AmeriCann has created the brand, packaging concepts and invested significantly in Standard Operating Procedures and Good Manufacturing Practices to ensure safety, consistency and efficacy across the product offering.

The intellectual property for Solanna will be licensed by AmeriCann to regulated cannabis businesses and will initially focus on providing healthier alternatives to smoking that include:

Capsules

Topical lotions and balms

Sublingual tinctures

Oral dissolving film

Trans-dermal applications

The Company plans to expand the product line to include edible products, health drinks, and branded concentrates. The products are designed to allow consumers to manage dosage through micro-dosing and to improve efficacy by incorporating blends of other plants, essential oils and other supplements that enhance and compliment the benefits of cannabis.

The Solanna line of products will be offered exclusively through AmeriCann's Preferred Partners.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") (which Sections were adopted as part of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Statements preceded by, followed by or that otherwise include the words "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "prospects," "outlook," and similar words or expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "should," "would," "may," and "could" are generally forward-looking in nature and not historical facts. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any anticipated results, performance or achievements. The Company disclaims any intention to, and undertakes no obligation to, revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, a future event, or otherwise. For additional uncertainties that could impact the Company's forward-looking statements, please see the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-1, which the Company recently filed with the SEC and which may be viewed at www.sec.gov.

Contact Information:

Corporate

AmeriCann, Inc.

1550 Wewatta St.

Denver, CO 80206

(303) 862-9000

info@americann.co

www.americann.co

@ACANinfo on Twitter

Investors

Hayden IR

hart@haydenir.com

(917) 658-7878.



SOURCE: AmeriCann, Inc.PHOENIX, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / June 12, 2018 / Jeremy Feakins, CEO of Ocean Thermal Energy Corporation (OTCQB: CPWR), recently spoke with Everett Jolly on the "Stock Day" podcast, about the company's groundbreaking work.

Over 800 million people currently do not have access to safe water. Ocean Thermal Energy Corporation hopes to combat this problem by developing Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) plants in areas with the greatest need. In addition to creating clean, consistent, and sustainable energy, a byproduct of this method of energy generation is the production of an abundance of fresh water. For communities otherwise lacking clean water access, these supplies can be used for drinking, agriculture, and fish farming. CEO Jeremy Feakins stated, "There are no noxious chemicals or environmental impacts from the energy that we produce."

The company is currently working on the OTEC EcoVillages project in the US Virgin Islands. The USVI's Public Services Commission recently granted the company regulatory approval, meaning that once zoning approval clears, the company will be able to begin building its qualified facility. Feakins believes that this project is monumental. "When we've finished with OTEC EcoVillages, which is two years in the making, this will be the world's first community that is completely carbon neutral. There [will be] no emissions from OTEC EcoVillages. The power will be supplied sustainably; the water will be [produced] the same way. At OTEC EcoVillages, we will introduce examples of fish farming and agriculture, and a bottled water facility. OTEC has already done all of these things, but providing for the needs of an entire community will be a world first. It's a great vision because everybody knows that we really need to do something like this to prove to the world that OTEC can, in fact, provide clean power, clean water, in a totally sustainable manner." Representatives from the company are also in talks with government officials and business leaders in the Philippines to implement this technology on a wide scale. They are expecting news on this endeavor in the not too distant future.

Ocean Thermal Energy Corporation is different from other sustainable energy companies because its technology allows for energy production 24/7. "We don't need the wind to blow or the sun to shine to create our electricity," Feakins said. OTEC's production of clean drinking water allows for great development potential, and could better the lives of millions of people.

The company is currently in pre-revenue stages, and trades on the OTCQB at 20 cents per share. "Stock Day" host Everett Jolly believes that this is a great opportunity to get involved and stay ahead of the curve.

To learn more about OTEC technology and the company's sustainability efforts, listen to the full interview at the link below.

https://upticknewswire.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Uptick-Network-CPWR-Interview-6-11-18.mp3

About Ocean Thermal Energy Corp.

OTE is a Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based company that designs and develops deep-water hydrothermal clean-energy systems which produce fossil-fuel free electricity through Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), and environmentally friendly cooling through Seawater Air Conditioning (SWAC) without the use of fossil fuels. An important part of the technology is the production of large amounts of water for drinking, aquaculture, agriculture, and economic development.

OTE's technology is ideally suited to tropical and subtropical regions of the world -- where about 3 billion people live. It utilizes the natural temperature differential in oceans to generate base-load, 24/7, clean, non-polluting electricity, as well as alternative, energy-efficient cooling systems and fresh water, the latter of which is essential for the entire world, particularly developing communities.

For additional information regarding OTE, please visit the company's website at www.otecorporation.com.

Contact

Ocean Thermal Energy Corporation

Becky Cooper, Marketing Director

(717) 299-1344

Safe Harbor Act

This press release includes "forward-looking statements " within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ from expectations, estimates, and projections and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect, " "estimate, " "project, " "budget, " "forecast, " "anticipate, " "intend, " "plan, " "may, " "will, " "could, " "should, " "believes, " "predicts, " "potential, " "continue, " and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expected results.

About Uptick Newswire and the "Stock Day" Podcast

Uptick Newswire is a private company reaching out to the masses to keep investors and shareholders involved and up to date on company news, and bringing transparency to under-valued, undersold micro-cap stocks of the market, and is the sole producer of the Uptick Network "Stock Day " Podcast. The Uptick Network "Stock Day " Podcast is an extension of Uptick Newswire and has recently launched the Video Interview Studio located in Phoenix, Arizona.

Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Uptick Newswire encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/.

SOURCE: Ocean Thermal Energy CorporationCalgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - June 12, 2018) - FluroTech Ltd. (TSXV: TEST), ("FluroTech" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the initial trading of company shares under the symbol TEST on the TSX Venture Exchange.

In addition, the Company is also pleased to announce the appointment of Rex H. Kary as Chief Operating Officer of FluroTech. Rex will be responsible for overseeing all operational functions including the commercialization of the Company's first product line, CompleTest, while balancing growth of market share and enhancing shareholder value.

"The addition of Rex is part of FluroTech's commitment to commercialize its cannabis testing technology commencing the summer of 2018" said Danny Dalla-Longa, FluroTech's CEO and co-founder. "We are excited to continually be able to attract highly skilled executives as we build out our marketing and production operations while delivering our first product lines to market".

Rex brings three and a half decades of executive experience, successfully building early stage companies to become industry leaders through a disciplined corporate process that focuses on a consistently high level of service to all customers while expanding market reach, production capacity, and continued development of a litany of products and service options. Rex's business activities have encompassed the majority of Canada and the US, acting in various roles as a producer, marketer, purchaser and seller of products. Often his responsibilities included the negotiation and implementation of multi-jurisdictional transactions with long-term agreements for the purchase and sale of a company's current and future years of production.

The line of products that will be developed under the CompleTest brand in 2018 include Portable Testing Devices, Desktop Testing Devices, and Test Kits for Heavy Metals, THC/CBD potency, and Pesticide - Chemical contaminates.

It is expected the company will launch its marketing program to licensed producers with direct sales of the portable and desktop testing devices for heavy metal and potency tests this summer.

About FluroTech

FluroTech is a technology and marketing company whose core business is focused on the commercialization of new technologies in the cannabis industry. FluroTech's proprietary spectroscopy-based technology allows for the testing and identification of organic and inorganic compounds contained within biological samples derived from cannabis plants. Using the technology that was developed at the University of Calgary in conjunction with the University of Alberta, FluroTech has developed a two-part solution comprising an instrument called the CompleTest and consumable testing kits.

To learn more, visit www.FluroTech.com

About CompleTest

CompleTest is FluroTech's flagship brand and product line. CompleTest is a portable, cost-effective, state-of- the-art cannabis testing device. It provides quick, accurate, and consistent testing results. It's designed for cultivators, dispensaries and anyone with a vested interest in consumer safety to test the quality and safety of their cannabis products and to optimize potency yield.



Contact Information

FluroTech Ltd.

Alistair Ross Technology Centre

Suite 111, 3553-31 Street NW

Calgary, AB T2L 2K7

info@flurotech.com

Danny Dalla-Longa

403.680.0644

danny@flurotech.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information generally refers to information about an issuer's business, capital, or operations that is prospective in nature, and includes future-oriented financial information about the issuer's prospective financial performance or financial position. The forward-looking information in this news release includes disclosure about the future performance of the Company.

The Company made certain material assumptions, including but not limited to prevailing market conditions and general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties to develop the forward-looking information in this news release. 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.

Actual results may vary from the forward-looking information in this news release due to certain material risk factors. These risk factors include, but are not limited to, adverse market conditions and regulatory and other risks associated with the medical cannabis industry in general. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of material risk factors and assumptions is not exhaustive.

The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information in this news release, unless it is required to do so under Canadian securities legislation.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of this release.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

IRVING (dpa-AFX) - Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) said that the Liza Phase 1 development is continuing to rapidly progress, with the commencement of development drilling offshore Guyana.



Exxon Mobil noted that development drilling began in May for the first of 17 wells planned for Phase 1, laying the foundation for production startup in 2020. The company and its co-venturers have so far discovered estimated recoverable resources of more than 3.2 billion oil-equivalent barrels on the Stabroek Block.



Liam Mallon, president of ExxonMobil Development Company said, 'We are well on our way to producing oil less than five years after our first discovery, which is well ahead of the industry average for similar projects. The Liza development and future projects will provide significant economic benefits to Guyana.'



Exxon Mobil said that Liza Phase 1 is expected to generate over $7 billion in royalty and profit oil revenues for Guyana over the life of the project. Additional benefits will accrue from other development projects now being planned.



Liza Phase 1 involves the conversion of an oil tanker into a floating, production, storage and offloading or FPSO vessel named Liza Destiny, along with four undersea drill centers with 17 production wells. Construction of the FPSO and subsea equipment is under way in more than a dozen countries.



Liza Destiny will have a production capacity of 120,000 barrels of oil per day. A second FPSO with a capacity of 220,000 barrels per day is being planned as part of the Liza Phase 2 development, and a third is under consideration for the Payara development. Together, these three developments will produce more than 500,000 barrels of oil per day.



The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres, or 26,800 square kilometers. Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is operator and holds 45 percent interest. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30 percent interest and CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25 percent interest.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.deTinyclues, provider of a leading AI-first Marketing Campaign Intelligence solution, today announced Road Scholar as a new customer, reinforcing its presence in the United States. Road Scholar is an American not-for-profit educational travel organization for adults. Every year, more than 100,000 participants experience Road Scholar's educational travel adventures. This leading travel organization plans to use Tinyclues' AI-first solution to optimize their communication strategy and find future participants for the more than 2,000 unique programs the organization offers annually.

"We offer educational adventures to over 150 destinations worldwide, along with a broad variety of niche program types from archaeology to landscape photography. As a not-for-profit on a tight budget, we believe our communication campaigns can be optimized using artificial intelligence, helping us better target people at just the right time with just the adventures they'll want," said Steve August, VP Market Analytics at Road Scholar. "We have partnered with Tinyclues to be more efficient, while improving our ability to send highly relevant email communications to participants in a timely manner. We look forward to increasing enrollments and further enhancing our long-term loyalty and retention."

Road Scholar's challenge is growing its educational programs and the number of people who travel with the organization, while avoiding over-soliciting customers. August continues, "AI-first targeting is the key. We can no longer rely on behavioral segments or someone's purchase history. Tinyclues will accurately identify the individuals who are really interested in each particular adventure, enabling us to be even more customer-centric. We want our messages to draw attention and generate enrollments rather than going unnoticed in people's busy inboxes."

Large B2C organizations seek to maximize sales and customer experience, but marketing teams know that relentlessly increasing campaign volumes or relying on instincts or arbitrary segments is not the answer. Tinyclues offers marketers a new and unique AI-first experience where they directly input their campaign ideas and business goals and, within minutes, build the best action plan. Its unique deep learning capabilities optimize omni-channel campaigns for any type of offer, when manual efforts can take days and be subject to a significant amount of guess work.

"Brands are swiftly adopting Tinyclues as they recognize it can offer a unique experience for marketers, allowing them to easily align their campaign ideas with their business goals," said David Bessis, founder and CEO of Tinyclues. "We welcome Road Scholar to our growing list of U.S. customers and are excited that they have chosen our AI-first campaign intelligence solution to help them fulfill their mission more efficiently and increase their participant engagement."

About Tinyclues

Tinyclues is the leading AI-first Marketing Campaign Intelligence solution enabling companies to generate additional revenue through intelligent campaign targeting and planning. Tinyclues' solution uses Deep Artificial Intelligence to identify future buyers for any promoted item, even in the absence of recent intent. Companies like Brandalley, Cdiscount, Club Med, Corsair, Fnac, Global Hotel Alliance, Lacoste, La Redoute, Manor, OUI.sncf, Rue du Commerce, Sarenza, Vente-privee, Vestiaire Collective and more are using Tinyclues to optimize and orchestrate more than 600 million messages per month across channels such as email, mobile push notifications, direct mail, call centers and Facebook to generate quantified and sustainable additional revenue. Tinyclues has been listed as a Vendor to Watch in Gartner's 2017 Magic Quadrant for Digital Marketing Analytics and as a Cool Vendor in Gartner's 2018 Cool Vendor in Multichannel Marketing report.

For more information, visit http://www.tinyclues.com

Twitter: @tinyclues

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180612005916/en/

Contacts:

Tinyclues

Caroline Tailleferd, +33 6 11 64 87 37

caroline.tailleferd@tinyclues.comOYSTER BAY, New York, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. manufacturing sector is projected to lose the most jobs (-736,400) of any sector over the next decade. While this rate of loss is notably less than in the preceding period (2006 to 2016), factors affecting future projections are expected to be more heavily influenced by automation-enabling technologies. The popular misconception is that these automation-enabling technologies - e.g., robotics, machine learning, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) - will yield an overall net decrease in employment, rather than a re-appropriation of roles and responsibilities.

However, a B2B technology survey of 455 U.S.-based companies across nine vertical markets announced ABI Research, a market-foresight advisory firm providing strategic guidance on the most compelling transformative technologies, found that 67% of manufacturing respondents did not have IoT solutions in operation. Of those, 74% were either investigating, assessing, or planning to deploy such solutions in the next 12 months. Survey results show that while a lot of the activity in non-connectivity categories are relatively simplistic deployments, industrial IoT (IIoT) applications share a common propensity for automation enablement: 35% of respondents in manufacturing are assessing AI, and 47% have either deployed or plan to deploy robotics solutions in the next 12 months.

"Most products are still assembled by human hands, monitored by localized systems, and inspected manually," said Ryan Martin, Principal Analyst at ABI Research. "Digitizing these processes amplifies the value-and payback profile-of balancing IT and OT asset availability with existing operational improvement projects. Transformative technologies like robotics, ML, and AI may substitute specific tasks previously carried out by humans, but they will also allow those professionals to focus on new tasks - and these new tasks will, by nature, redefine the core skills associated with the occupation at hand."

Amazon's use of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in Prime fulfillment centers is a great example; contrary to the popular belief that the use of robotics would eat jobs, there are instances where net-new hires increased as result of overall efficiency improvements in e-commerce throughput.

There are countless examples of this kind of technology-driven industry turnover in practice.

Walmart, the world's largest nongovernmental employer, is using robots from Bossa Nova Robotics to scan shelves for out-of-stock items, check prices, and identify missing labels for a near-real-time view of which areas of the store need most attention. Here, shelf-scanning technology are used in combination with robots to help associates with repeatable, predictable, and manual tasks so they can focus on better serving the customer. Lowe's has a similar implementation with Fellow Robots, but for greeting and leading customers to the desired product; and Volvo Trucks is working with Uber Freight to eliminate inefficiencies in downstream logistics (due to wait time and/or the mix of short-haul versus long-haul trips) by coordinating load pickups and drop-offs with local truckers, changing the nature of not only trucking but also intermodal logistics.

"The introduction and wider availability of self-service analytics, machine learning, and AI simply helps level the playing field by focusing the conversation on how to supplement-rather than supplant-today's employees, putting the lens on the job itself rather than the organization or environment in which it resides," concluded Martin.

These findings are from ABI Research's Smart Workforces: Transformative Technologies for New Employment Paradigms report. This report is part of the company's Smart Manufacturing research service, which includes research, data, and Executive Foresights.

About ABI Research

ABI Research provides strategic guidance for visionaries needing market foresight on the most compelling transformative technologies, which reshape workforces, identify holes in a market, create new business models and drive new revenue streams. ABI's own research visionaries take stances early on those technologies, publishing groundbreaking studies often years ahead of other technology advisory firms. ABI analysts deliver their conclusions and recommendations in easily and quickly absorbed formats to ensure proper context. Our analysts strategically guide visionaries to take action now and inspire their business to realize a bigger picture. For more information about ABI Research's forecasting, consulting and teardown services, visionaries can contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific or visit www.abiresearch.com.

Contact Info:

Global

Deborah Petrara Christopher Leary Tel: +1.516.624.2558 Tel: +1.516.624.2544 pr@abiresearch.com pr@abiresearch.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/276887/abi_research_logo.jpgVancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 12, 2018) - Chantrell Ventures Corp. (TSXV: CV.H) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that, subject to regulatory approval, it has arranged a non-brokered private placement of up to 5,400,000 shares at a price of $0.05 per share, for gross proceeds of $270,000. All shares will be subject to a four month hold period. The proceeds of the private placement will be used for general working capital and to assist in conducting due diligence of potential business opportunities.

In addition, the Company announces that, subject to all requisite and regulatory approvals, it will grant options to acquire 950,000 common shares of the Company, to directors, officers and consultants of the Company. These options will vest immediately and are exercisable at a price of $0.055 per share for a period of five years.

For more information please see the Company website at www.chantrell.ca.

Further Information Contact:

For further information please contact Paul Parisotto President, CEO, CFO and Director at 416.874.1702.

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 press release.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws and regulations, including statements regarding the future activities of the Company. Forward-looking statements reflect the current beliefs and expectations of management and are identified by the use of words including "will", "anticipates", "expected to", "plans", "planned" and other similar words. Actual results may differ significantly. The achievement of the results expressed in forward-looking statements is subject to a number of risks, including those described in the Company's management discussion and analysis as filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities which are available at www.sedar.com. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements.

This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy the securities in any jurisdiction. The common shares will not be and have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or applicable exemption from the registration requirements.NEW YORK, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Suitsupply, the European men's fashion brand renowned for its expertly crafted garments and its dedication to men's tailoring, officially opened the doors to its 100th international store in Boston. Suitsupply lives by the mantra of "Don't just fit in, find your own perfect fit." In an industry where conformity is standard, Suitsupply's non-conformist approach to its products, tailoring, marketing and its stores offers a fresh and exciting perspective.

Suitsupply was founded in 2000 as a vertically integrated, direct-to-consumer brand that offers customers high-quality products at attainable prices. Since its founding, Suitsupply has consistently grown 20% year-over-year. While the brand started as a webstore, Suitsupply soon after expanded into brick-and-mortar. It created spaces where customers could feel the brand's products and have alterations made by in-store tailors while they wait. Suitsupply was able to expand upon this unique format by choosing attractive spaces with attractive economics not typically sought after by retail brands. This approach - along with the brand's characteristic flair and elegant selection of clothing - has yielded success for the company.

Suitsupply's 100th store exemplifies the brand's continued commitment to creating destination shopping experiences. Suitsupply Boston spans 9,000-square-feet and is the Company's 37th store in North America. In 2017 alone, the company opened 27 new stores in major metropolitan centers around the globe. In 2018, Suitsupply has already opened locations in Sydney, San Diego, St. Louis, Helsinki, Stockholm and Boston. The company plans to open its first store in Frankfurt - and its sixth in Germany - this summer. Moving forward, Suitsupply will continue to expand its physical footprint and grow its in-store and online business across North America, Europe and Asia. The company sees significant opportunity worldwide and expects the business will continue to grow.

Fokke de Jong, Suitsupply's Founder and Chief Executive Officer, said, "The opening of our 100th location is a milestone for Suitsupply. We've built a global brand that excites customers. In a time when many brands are closing stores, we believe there is more growth ahead of us than behind us. People are drawn to Suitsupply because of the energy and flair we bring to tailoring. They want to experience our brand and product both in person and online. We're excited for the future and see much opportunity ahead."

About Suitsupply

In an industry where fast fashion dominates and craftsmanship is quickly disappearing, Suitsupply introduces a better option, one where no attention to detail or quality is ever spared. They have received widespread accolade from the likes of GQ, Esquire, and, perhaps most notably, a Wall Street Journal blind test that rated a US$600 Suitsupply suit in a first- place tie with a US$3,600 Armani.

Founded in Europe in 2000 by Fokke de Jong, Suitsupply has since expanded into cities such as Milan, London, Zurich, Amsterdam, New York, Toronto, Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong. In addition to their expanding brick- and-mortar locations, Suitsupply maintains a strong online presence, allowing them to bring their style and top-tier service to all over the world.

Suitsupply Boston

240A Newbury Street

Boston, MA 02116

boston@suitsupply.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/643934/Suitsupply_Logo.jpg

PYONGYANG (dpa-AFX) - In the biggest ever breakthrough for peace on the Korean peninsula as well as restoration of bilateral ties, the United States and North Korea have agreed to halt two major defense deterrents that posed the biggest threat to each other.



North Korea committed to work towards 'the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.' In return, the U.S. has given assurance to North Korea that it is ready to stop 'provocative and expensive' war games with South Korea.



The commitments were the main outcome of the historic meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that took place in Singapore on Tuesday.



In the first ever meeting between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader, the two sides signed an agreement that promises 'new relations' between Washington and Pyongyang.



The highly anticipated summit between leaders of the two rival countries began at the Hotel Capella on Singapore's Sentosa Island with a 40-minute talk, accompanied only by interpreters.



The White House described the meeting as 'a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new U.S.-DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.'



The leaders then issued a joint statement, which says, 'The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity; The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula; Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula; and The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.'



The two sides decided to hold follow-on negotiations led by the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a relevant high-level North Korean official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the summit.



After having lunch with Kim, Trump addressed the media and announced details that were not mentioned in the signed agreement.



He said the U.S. would suspend 'provocative' war games it holds with South Korea and that he wanted to see U.S. troops withdraw from the South.



The U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises were a major irritant in ties between the United States and North, with Pyongyang criticizing the war games as a rehearsal for invasion.



However, Yonhap reported that U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said it had received 'no updated guidance' yet related to the regular exercises with South Korea.



Trump told reporters that Kim had agreed to 'verified' denuclearization' - a key U.S. demand before the summit.



He also said that North Korea promised to destroy a key missile engine testing site, without specifying its location.



Notably, the president made it clear that sanctions on North Korea will remain in effect until denuclearization happens.



Trump added that he held discussions with Kim on human rights and religious freedom in North Korea and the issue of Japanese abductees.



The United States delegation for the bilateral meeting included Pompeo, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, and National Security Advisor John Bolton.



White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, and National Security Council Senior Director for Asia Matt Pottinger joined them for a working lunch.



After the conclusion of the summit, Trump returned for the United States.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.deCopyright  2021 New Nation. All Rights Reserved by thedailynewnation.comThe improvement in the air quality of China's cities caught the country's home environment purification market off-guard. Chinese ecommerce giant JD's new approach augurs a transformation of the industry, setting the stage for a comeback that addresses the new challenges

BEIJING, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Long periods of unhealthy air conditions due to smog have been a consistent feature of China's urban landscape, with such conditions having become most persistent since 2013, spurring the rapid growth of the country's indoor air purification market. However, as the Chinese government's efforts to control air pollution have intensified, notable periodic improvements were achieved in 2017, with the environment quality showing demonstrative improvement across many of China's cities. This has presented itself as a challenge to the air purification industry after many years of rapid growth. The key players have been looking for a new approach to revitalize the beleaguered sector.

The 2018 air purification industry summit sets the stage for a comeback

JD.com, Inc., the largest retailer in China's air purification industry, shoulders the responsibility of leading industry development and creating a new sales scenario. On May 25, 2018, the retailer brought together more than 40 leading air purification industry players across China, including Philips, Blueair and Honeywell, for the aptly named 2018 JD Air Purification Industry Development Summit.

In view of the current challenges facing the industry, participants at the forum openly exchanged opinions and discussed how to best implement JD's advantages in big data and sales channels as well as its open empowerment strategy across the country's various air purification brands under what is being referred to in China as the era of "unbounded retail" (defined as "using all available offline and online channels to create a positive seamless experience for the consumer"), putting in place the elements that could lead to an entire new cycle of growth and development for the air purification industry.

What was made abundantly clear during the summit was that consumer trends are indicating without a doubt that "one solution fits all" is no longer a viable strategy, as consumers are breaking down into categories or groups, each with their own set of expectations and demands. JD and its air purification brands need to move beyond all traditional thinking in terms of product portfolios, rethink strategies in order to meet the varying expectations from each category of consumer, and make use of JD's "empowerment" strategy to reshape the traditional framework of "people, goods and markets", jointly creating an entirely new experience for consumers when it comes to the topic of air purification.

As a result, JD launched the JD June 2018 Air Feast campaign together with several major air purification brands, marking the official beginning of a new effort to leverage the "unbounded retail" trend that links online and offline with a focus on optimizing each touch point with the consumer as well as the end-to-end customer experience.

The culmination of the JD June '18 Air Feast campaign - the opening of the JD Air Restaurant

On June 8th, the opening ceremony of the JD Air Restaurant was held in Beijing's 751 art district and attracted wide attention across multiple market segments, reflecting the success of the campaign. The opening ceremony represented a new method and new attempt to leverage the concept of unbounded retail and the integration of online and offline channels, with the goal of delivering an entirely new sensory experience to consumers.

An AI-powered robot, dubbed "L'il Luo", was the attention getter at the event, engaging with audience members without a moment's hesitation throughout the festivities. Luo's song and dance routine ended with a well-earned round of applause from the audience. In addition, a master in the art of traditional ventriloquism, an intangible cultural heritage going back to the Song Dynasty, delivered a natural voice ventriloquism performance, going beyond the boundaries of the senses to let the air be "heard", drawing the attention of attendees to the importance of clean air and a healthy living environment. The performance was a turning point in terms of the atmosphere of the opening ceremony. Awareness of the June '18 air purification campaign was further raised through an online live broadcast, arousing curiosity about the air restaurant.

Online and offline linkage of the air restaurant unlocks new opportunities for unbounded retail

The JD Air Restaurant - a restaurant that serves air rather than food - drew attention at first simply as a result of the curiosity factor, with many attendees wanting to sample the available fare. Based on an extremely simple design concept, the air restaurant consists of five special spaces: a bar counter, a dining area, a film and television area, a shopping area and a kitchen area, with a distinctive air bottle bar design and air experience bottle design that drew the most attention from the participants.

In the interactive experience segment, the air restaurant menu offered six exclusive air meals: Air at 300 feet above the clouds, Air from a pristine environment, Air from the "science and technology" cuisine, Air over a flat boat while out on the open water, Air from the arctic - a precursor to romance, and Air infused by seawater visited by salmon. Participants can experience the clean air through a special suction device, enjoying the air meal in much the same way that a succulent food meal would be enjoyed, while, at the same time, watching the video to enhance the enjoyment of the selected air delicacy, fully experiencing the sensory air feast.

Similar to what would be experienced through the online channel, users who order offline can also enjoy the discount price on offer during the June '18 campaign. The follow-up launch of the air restaurant H5 gave potential shoppers the opportunity to explore the kitchen of the air restaurant and discover the production secrets of the air meal, enabling them to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of clean air and air purification products. The event was the culmination of a comprehensive marketing campaign through the linkage of online and offline efforts.

The kick-off of unbounded retailopens up a new era for the air purification industry

The new shopping scenario has arrived. JD's air feast campaign has proven to be a successful attempt by China's air purification industry to rethink the methodology for stimulating market demand, and sets the framework by which, given the current market environment, the transformation of product, marketing promotion and strategy leading to a market transition can take place. It not only removes the boundary between product experience and consumption, but also integrates the new marketing model created by online and offline marketing channels in the new era characterized by unbounded industry, channel, demand and experience, successfully launching the journey into the next era - the industry's 2.0 era.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/703937/JD_Air_Restaurant.jpgLAKE MARY, FL / ACCESSWIRE / June 12, 2018 / Dixon Ticonderoga Company excitedly announces its latest corporate partnership with Orlando Science Center and its Teacher Professional Development program. Orlando Science Center provides educators from Pre-K to 12 with STEM training that they can use in their own classrooms. Dixon Ticonderoga Company is an avid supporter of schools and educators across the nation.

Dixon Ticonderoga Company has been in the writing business since the late 1700s and has most notably been a key player and sponsor of educators and students. Through partnerships with organizations including the Kids in Need Foundation, Dixon Ticonderoga Company continues to encourage and support kids and educators to be successful. As a partner for Orlando Science Center's Teacher Professional Development program, Dixon Ticonderoga Company will grow and foster STEM programs at Orlando Science Center by providing funding for classes including Soldering, Introduction to 3D Printing, Coding Resources for the Preschool Environment and more.

Orlando Science Center is a major supporter of STEM in the Central Florida school system. Orlando Science Center has provided 182,000 students the opportunity to learn more about STEM through field trips, summer camps and hands-on classes. Recently, Orlando Science Center debuted its latest exhibit, New KidsTown that introduces 0- to 7-year-olds to STEM. A huge goal of Orlando Science Center is being a STEM outlet and resource to kids from their early learning years and all through their secondary education.

Dixon Ticonderoga Company is thrilled to be a corporate partner with Orlando Science Center for the 2018 to 2019 year and is looking forward to supporting STEM programs in Central Florida.

Media Contact:

Libby Snedaker

Phone: (407) 829-9000 x131

Email: lsnedaker@dixonusa.com

SOURCE: Dixon Ticonderoga Company

PYONGYANG (dpa-AFX) - The agreement reached between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a historic summit meeting in Singapore evoked mixed response in US political circles.



While Vice President Mike Pence praised Trump for his steadfast leadership on the world, Republican Senator Marco Rubio has been skeptical of the deal.



'While I know @potus is trying to butter him up to get a good deal, KJU is NOT a talented guy. He inherited the family business from his dad & grandfather. He is a total weirdo who would not be elected assistant dog catcher in any democracy,' said the Senator from Florida.



Pence, a die-hard supporter of Trump, was one of the first respondents. 'With the success of the SingaporeSummit, the world is one step closer to peace on the Korean Peninsula', he said on Twitter. 'This historic summit is a tribute to the steadfast leadership of @POTUS on the world stage and an important milestone on the path to a nuclear free Korean Peninsula, according to him.



Democrats turned heavily on the President over the engagement with the Korean leader.



House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi released a statement highly critical of Trump.



'Apparently, the President handed Kim Jong-un concessions in exchange for vague promises that do not approach a clear and comprehensive pathway' towards the goal of nuclear non-proliferation, she says.



'In his haste to reach an agreement, President Trump elevated North Korea to the level of the United States while preserving the regime's status quo,' Pelosi added.



In the opinion of Sen. Chris Murphy, 'Kim's gulags, public executions, and planned starvation, are legitimized on the world stage' through this deal.



'U.S. gives up one of our biggest negotiating chips - military exercises. North Korea ends up backtracking on previous promises on denuclearization,' said the Senator from Connecticut.



'This is an abdication of American leadership. Just embarrassing', Brian Schatz said on his Twitter account.



'In less than a week President Trump has turned our relationship with the western world upside down, and he developed what appeared to be a true friendship with one of cruelest despots on the planet. 'America First' is undermining our values and our interests,' said the lawmaker from Hawaii.



According to Richard N. Haass, the pro-Republican former president of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Singapore summit statement is 'essentially aspirational: no definitions of denuclearization, no timelines, no details as to verification. What is most troubling about all this is that the US gave up something tangible, namely, US-RoK military exercises, in exchange'.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.deRegulatory News:

In accordance with Article L.233-8 II of the French Commercial Code (Code de Commerce) and Article 223-16 of the General Regulations of the Autorite des Marches Financiers (French Financial Markets Authority), Axway Software (Paris:AXW) hereby informs its shareholders that, as of May 31, 2018:

Total number of its shares is 21,222,196.

Total number of voting rights including suspended voting rights (gross or theoretical voting rights) is 34,356,796. This total is the base used for declaring crossing of thresholds by shareholders (as provided for in the final paragraph of Article 223-11 of the General Regulations; the total number of voting rights is calculated according to the total number of shares with voting rights, including shares whose voting rights have been suspended).

This total is the base used for declaring crossing of thresholds by shareholders (as provided for in the final paragraph of Article 223-11 of the General Regulations; the total number of voting rights is calculated according to the total number of shares with voting rights, including shares whose voting rights have been suspended). Number of exercisable voting rights is 34,330,336.

Disclaimer

This document is a translation into English of the original French press release. It is not a binding document. In the event of a conflict in interpretation, reference should be made to the French version, which is the authentic text.

About Axway

Axway (Euronext: AXW.PA) unlocks digital experiences by connecting individuals, systems, businesses and customer ecosystems with digital infrastructure solutions. AMPLIFY, Axway's hybrid integration platform, connects data from any device anywhere, expands collaboration, fuels millions of apps and supplies real-time analytics to build customer experience networks. From idea to execution, Axway's expertise in API management, secure file exchange and B2B/EDI integration have solved the toughest data challenges for more than 11,000 organizations in 100 countries. To learn more, visithttp://www.investors.axway.com/en

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180612006098/en/

Contacts:

Axway

Investor Relations:

Arthur Carli, +33 (0)1 47 17 24 65

acarli@axway.com

or

Press Relations:

Sylvie Podetti +33 (0)1 47 17 22 40

spodetti@axway.comIvanti Recognises Partners for Outstanding Performance and Significant Contributions as they Help Customers Better Manage and Secure their Digital Workplaces

MADRID, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ivanti, the company that unifies IT to better manage and secure the digital workplace, today announced recipients of its 2018 Partner of the Year Awards, EMEA. Awards were presented yesterday during a ceremony held during Ivanti Interchange18 in Madrid.

"Ivanti is pleased to honour the success and passion of its partners as they deliver on our vision to break down IT silos and unify IT through increased visibility and automated processes," said James Anderson, Area Vice President, EMEA Channel, Ivanti. "Our Partners of the Year have made significant contributions to our business growth and provide impressive passion and expertise to our mutual customers."

"We're delighted to win this award from Ivanti," said Mukesh Gupta, CEO & Founder, e92plus. "It represents our continued and successful partnership. We're seeing rapid revenue growth with Ivanti and look forward to the future with the Unified IT roadmap."

"Blue Turtle Technologies has a long history partnering with Ivanti and its former brands; we are extremely grateful for the EMEA IT Service Management Partner of the Year award," said Tom Erlank, Business Unit Head, Blue Turtle. "A great accolade to our team who works tirelessly to make us successful."

"Ivanti continues to demonstrate their commitment to the channel with the resources, partner eco-system collaboration and programs that help us to build a thriving practice around their solutions to unify IT," said Pascal Stam, Alliance Manager, Comparex. "We are honoured to be recognised with two Ivanti awards: EMEA Partner of the Year and EMEA Identity Partner of the Year."

"Softcat is delighted to be named the Ivanti EMEA Security Partner of the Year," said James Baker, Alliances Director, Softcat. "Ivanti is delivering the products our customers need to help unify their IT and security operations for the improved management and security they need for their digital workplace."

The 2018 Ivanti Partner of the Year Awards, EMEA, are as follows:

EMEA Partner of the Year - Comparex

EMEA UWM Partner of the Year - Computacenter

EMEA ITSM Partner of the Year - Blue Turtle

EMEA UEM Partner of the Year - Invent

EMEA Identity Partner of the Year - Comparex

EMEA Security Partner of the Year - Softcat

EMEA Distributor of the Year - Dupaco

EMEA Security Distributor of the Year - E92

EMEA Services Partner of the Year - Easy Desk

EMEA Consultancy Partner of the Year - IT Value

EMEA Partner Sales Person of the Year - Harry Krueger , Invent

EMEA Partner Project of the Year - TUV Nord

The Ivanti Partner Program, which was enhanced earlier this year with expanded enablement resources for diverse partner types features programs for managed service providers (MSPs), Expert Solution Providers (ESPs) and Consultancy Partners, alliance partners and distribution partners.

For more information on the Ivanti Partner Program visit https://www.ivanti.com/en-US/partners.

Ivanti: The Power of Unified IT.

Ivanti unifies IT and Security Operations to better manage and secure the digital workplace. From PCs to mobile devices, VDI, and the data center, Ivanti discovers IT assets on-premises and in the cloud, improves IT service delivery, and reduces risk with insights and automation. The company also helps organizations leverage modern technology in the warehouse and across the supply chain to improve delivery without modifying backend systems. Ivanti is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has offices all over the world. For more information, visit www.ivanti.com and follow @GoIvanti.

Copyright  2018, Ivanti. All rights reserved.

Press Contacts:

Helen Carroll

Ivanti

+44 1344 407005

helen.carroll@ivanti.com

Kerry Rothery

Say Communications for Ivanti

+44 2089 716400

ivanti@saycomms.co.uk

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/613276/IvantiLogo_Logo.jpgMUNICH, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Companies stay responsible for their products after selling them and have to monitor how they prove themselves in the field. Information on product monitoring is hard to find although this monitoring obligation has become crucial due to the internet, the increasing complexity of products and regulations as well as global production and sales activities. Therefore, Consline AG now offers product-monitoring.com, a new, comprehensive information platform on this subject. Besides basic definitions and industry-specific online sources, the platform provides information on experts, literature and events. News from the field of product monitoring and product/manufacturer's liability complete the information offered.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/704789/Consline_Product_Monitoring_Website.jpg )



(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/704790/Consline_Product_Monitoring.jpg )



product-monitoring.com addresses managers from product development, quality and after sales departments as well as product safety officers and safety experts.

A look into the new Yellow Print on Product Integrity issued by the German Association of the Automotive Industry VDA shows how important Consline's new information platform is e.g. for car manufacturers: This topic is explicitly mentioned in the chapter on market monitoring of this publication.

Consline AG (http://www.consline.com) is a pioneer in the field of complete and precise monitoring of customer voices and company information online. Since 1999 Consline has been supporting companies in improving products, services and campaigns as well as legally compliant product monitoring. The CIMS (Consline Intelligence Management System) developed by Consline is based on a unique combination of state-of-the-art web technology, Artificial Intelligence, qualified employees and international industry knowledge.

Press contact:

Dorothea Brauer

Consline AG

Leonrodstr. 68

80636 Munchen

Germany

Tel.: +49-89-306-3650

Email: contact@consline.com

Internet: http://www.consline.com

BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - The European markets ended Tuesday's session with mixed results, but remained little changed overall. Investors were in a cautious mood ahead of the Brexit vote in the House of Commons and tomorrow's policy decision from the Federal Reserve.



Investors are unsure what to make of the results of the historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump and Kim signed a joint statement pledging to work together to 'build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.'



However, the agreement fell short on some key details. The language of the agreement does not spell out how the denuclearization will be verified.



The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index advanced 0.04 percent. The Euro Stoxx 50 index of eurozone bluechip stocks decreased 0.13 percent, while the Stoxx Europe 50 index, which includes some major U.K. companies, lost 0.04 percent.



The DAX of Germany dropped 0.00 percent and the CAC of France fell 0.38 percent. The FTSE 100 of the U.K. declined 0.43 percent, but the SMI of Switzerland finished higher by 0.20 percent.



In Frankfurt, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen sank 9.02 percent. The precision mechanical engineering company announced that it is on track to meet medium-term targets.



Luxury carmaker BMW slid 0.09 percent after unveiling vehicles sales figures for May.



In Paris, Carrefour rallied 3.13 percent. The food retailer is partnering with Google to make groceries available on the U.S. search engine's new dedicated shopping site in France.



Casino Guichard-Perrachon jumped 1.76 percent. The supermarket company aims to sell non-core assets worth about 1.5 billion euros ($1.77 billion) by early 2019 to reduce debt.



In London, British American Tobacco dropped 1.77 percent after releasing its first-half trading statement.



AstraZeneca fell 0.65 percent. The pharmaceutical firm announced that it will discontinue global clinical trials for lanabecestat, a treatment for Alzheimer's disease.



German investor confidence declined more-than-expected in June to its lowest level in over five-and-a-half years, survey data from the Centre for European Economic Research or ZEW showed Tuesday. The ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment for Germany shed 7.9 points in June to stand at minus 16.1 points, the Mannheim-based think tank said. Economists had expected a score of -14.



The UK unemployment rate remained unchanged at the lowest level since 1975, the Office for National Statistics reported Tuesday. The ILO jobless rate remained at 4.2 percent in the three months ended April, but down from 4.6 percent a year ago. This was the joint lowest since 1975.



A report released by the Labor Department on Tuesday showed another modest increase in consumer prices in the U.S. in the month of May. The Labor Department said its consumer price index rose by 0.2 percent in May, matching the increase seen in April as well as economist estimates.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.deTORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / June 12, 2018 / SQI Diagnostics Inc. (TSX-V: SQD; OTCQB: SQIDF), will be presenting at this year's MicroCap Conference on June 21st in Toronto, Canada.

"We are pleased to be presenting at this key conference," said Andrew Morris, CEO of SQI Diagnostics. "This conference gives us the opportunity to share with the investment community the significant commercial progress made in the past year with our diagnostic and pharma customers."

Please join us for our company presentation on June 21, 2018 at 2:00 pm.

ABOUT SQI DIAGNOSTICS

SQI Diagnostics is a life sciences and diagnostics company that develops and commercializes proprietary technologies and products for advanced microarray diagnostics. The Company's proprietary microarray tests and fully-automated systems are designed to simplify protein and antibody testing workflow, increase throughput, reduce costs and provide excellent data quality. For more information, please visit www.sqidiagnostics.com.

CONFERENCE OVERVIEW AND STRUCTURE

The MicroCap Conference is an exclusive event for investors who specialize in small and microcap stocks. It is an opportunity to be introduced to and speak with management at some of the most attractive small companies, learn from various expert panels, and mingle with other microcap investors.

The MicroCap Conference will take place in Toronto at the Sheraton Centre Hotel on June 21st. Registration will begin on Thursday at 7:00 AM and will last until the evening. These days will be jam-packed with company presentations, 1-on-1 meetings, roundtables, expert panel discussions, and plenty of time to network with other investors over food and drinks.

REGISTRATION FOR INVESTORS

To request free registration, please go to our website (www.microcapconf.com), and click the "Registration" button

PARTICIPATING COMPANIES

For our most updated list of companies, please go to our website (www.microcapconf.com/toronto)

PLATINUM SPONSOR

Proactive Investors

News Compliments of ACCESSWIRE

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Please visit: www.microcapconf.com/toronto

Or, contact Ashley Allard at ashley@microcapconf.com

SQI INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT:

Andrew Morris

Chief Executive Officer

416.674.9500 ext. 229

amorris@sqidiagnostics.com

Patricia Lie

VP Finance and Administration

416.674.9500 ext. 277

plie@sqidiagnostics.com

SOURCE: SQI Diagnostics Inc.Stroke is treatable

Life Report :



Speakers at a roundtable discussion on Saturday said stroke is treatable. There is a treatment called rt-PA therapy. This medicine is now available in Bangladesh. People have lack of knowledge to identify stroke and heart disease. If stroke occurs the patients need to take to stroke centre not other hospital which causes delay to start his treatment.

They pointed out lack of awareness, delay to reach the patient to hospital and delay in recognition of stroke symptoms and delay in door to needle time (DNT) as the major causes of death of stroke patients.

Daily 'Bangladesh Post' and Impulse Hospitals Dhaka jointly organized the roundtable meeting styled "Stroke: Mass Awareness & Immediate Treatment" at the seminar hall of Impulse Hospital, Tejgaon in the capital.

Begum Kamrun Nahar, Principal Information Officer (PIO), Abul Kalam Azad, Director General (DG), Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) attended the roundtable as designated discussants. While addressing Begum Kamrun Nahar, Chief Information Officer of Press Information Department said, prevention is still remaining in dark side. We have to work on healthy living. She suggested starting campaign with preventive sides. Media has vast coverage in the country, she said to take advantage of 1966 print media, 378 iptv, 29 on air television, 85 foreign televisions, 12 FM stations, 28 community radio and others to spread the awareness across the country.

She also urges the director general of health to use his 64 districts civil surgeon to this regard.

Prof Dr Abul Kalam Azad, director general of health service said, we collect data from all government hospital of the country and what we come to know is most of the patient that died is due to stroke. Modern treatment is available which is good news but we have to think how can we take this treatment to common people's door steps.

About high price of medicine he said, once in the country heart ring was too expensive but now a days it has come to a reasonable level which can be afforded by all. May be in the coming days we will be able to bring stoke price under common people reach.

About awareness building the director general said, we have a digital platform which number is 16263 through which we provide prescription of Tk 3 crore each year. I will use this helpline to provide stroke awareness.

Speakers said stroke is the second leading cause of death and most common cause of adult disability globally. The incidence of stroke is increasing in the developing world. It is a medical emergency where every minute counts and it is estimated that 2 million brain cell die in every minute.

Editor of daily 'Bangladesh Post', Sharif Shahab Uddin presided over the roundtable meeting while Managing Director of Impulse Hospital Dhaka, renowned ENT Specialist of the country, Prof Dr Zaheer Al-Amin delivered address of welcome.

Senior Consultant, Impulse Hospital, and Associate Professor, Department of Neuro medicine, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) presented the keynote paper on the occasion on the stroke management, its treatment and awareness issues.

Chief Medical Officer of MilVik in partnership with Robi Axiata Dr Anwarul Mamun Ex Pro-VC, BSMMU Prof. Anisul Haque, Advisory Editor, Bangladesh Post Shahnoor Wahid, COO, Impulse Hospital Dr Dabir Uddin Ahmed, Communication Specialist, ICT Division Ajit Kumar Sarker also took part in open discussion in the roundtable meeting.

Laying importance on urgent and timely treatment for stroke, Dr Md. Shahidullah Sabuj in his paper said some 1.9 million neurons die every minute after stroke.

He said Acute treatment has two options - Medical Therapies and Revascularization and needs urgent measures because what he said is 'Time is Brain'.

He said stroke is a disease of brain and also a medical emergency. Stroke occurs when there is loss of blood and oxygen to a part of brain. FAST symptoms can indentify stroke.

F for Facial drooping: A section of the face, usually only on one side, that is drooping and hard to move.

A for Arm weakness: The inability to raise one's arm fully.

S for Speech difficulties: An inability or difficulty to understand or produce speech. T stands for Time: If any of the symptoms above are showing, time is of the essence; call the emergency services or goes to the hospital.

"Stroke is a major cause of disability and death worldwide. In 2015, the latest Lancet report shows, cerebrovascular disease or stroke remains the leading cause of all deaths in Bangladesh, followed by ischemic heart disease", he mentioned.

He observed that treatment is given for limiting cellular injury, reperfusion, reventing systemic complications, and preventing neurologic complications. Rehabilitation is given for limiting cellular Injury. Medication is essential for blood thinner, cholesterol reduction and blood pressure control.

Replying a query about treatment, keynote speaker said thrombolysis and Thrombectomy mentioning that only 5-8.5 percent of stroke patients get the opportunity to receive this therapy.Supporting development and sharing of best-practice approaches for project delivery and asset operations

(from ACHEMA, World Forum for the Process Industries) Siemens' Process Industries and Drives and Digital Factories divisions are teaming up with Bentley Systems' Bentley Institute to establish a Process Industries Academy that will support the companies' joint vision for cloud services and digital workflows in engineering and operations. The Process Industries Academy will help organizations to better understand and develop an effective digital strategy across all aspects of the asset lifecycle, based on the practical experience and knowledge of the industry's leading experts.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180612006205/en/

The Process Industries Academy helps organizations develop digital strategy best practices based on practical knowledge from industry experts. (Photo: Bentley Systems)

With recent fluctuations in the oil, gas, and global energy markets, and the subsequent impact on related process manufacturing sectors, established ways of working in the process industries are now being challenged across the entire project lifecycle. Fewer capital investments in greenfield projects, and an increased focus on optimizing productivity, performance and utilization of existing assets, have prompted the process industries to examine new ways to increase competitiveness and operating revenues.

An optimal approach to project delivery and asset performance addresses the interactions and balance between an organization's capabilities, its people, the underlying business processes and methods, all coupled with the latest technology, to consistently improve its business outcomes.

Based on the experience and knowledge of the industry's leading experts, the Process Industries Academy will provide sessions focusing on real-world examples of the key aspects of a digital approach to capital project delivery and asset operations. Participants will discover how developing a clear digital strategy for improved collaboration, communication, and coordination between project teams creates an ideal environment to optimize information creation and digital workflows.

Eckard Eberle, CEO, Process Automation, Process Industries and Drives Division, Siemens AG, said, "The Process Industries Academy supports the development of industry best-practice approaches, while respecting the culture and traditions within today's process industries. Our shared vision for the academy is to offer a practical, effective means for asset owners, decision makers, and program and project managers to understand the interactions and balance between teams, processes, and technologies so they can see improved project delivery and asset performance."

Alan Lamont, vice president of Digital Advancement Academies for Bentley Systems, said, "The Process Industries Academy will offer industry professionals an environment to learn and share practical insights about business process improvements enabled by technology, so they can educate and equip their teams to be more productive and achieve the best outcomes. With academy sessions, we hope to help participants to develop a better understanding of their role and the benefits across the asset lifecycle, with practical, real-world examples of "Going Digital" to advance capital project delivery and asset operations."

Process Industries Academies will be situated in the following locations to support the global process industry:

Karlsruhe, Germany at Siemens' Process Automation World

Houston, Texas, U.S. in Bentley's Digital Advancement Academy

Shanghai, China at Siemens' Process Industry Center of Excellence

The first academy session is scheduled for November 14, 2018 in Karlsruhe at Siemens Process Automation World. A half-day preview of the Process Industries Academy will be featured during Bentley's Year in Infrastructure 2018 Conference in London on Monday, October 15.

Caption and image link: The Process Industries Academy will help organizations develop a digital strategy based on practical experience and knowledge from leading experts.

Attribution: Photo courtesy of Bentley Systems

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for 170 years. The company is active around the globe, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world's largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a leading supplier of efficient power generation and power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. With its publicly listed subsidiary Siemens Healthineers AG, the company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2017, which ended on September 30, 2017, Siemens generated revenue of 83.0 billion and net income of 6.2 billion. At the end of September 2017, the company had around 377,000 employees worldwide. www.siemens.com

Bentley Institute advances the infrastructure professions by encouraging and supporting going digital. Its initiatives advance and attract current and future infrastructure professionals through continuous learning about technology solutions, as well as project delivery and asset performance best practices. Bentley Institute's Digital Advancement Academies facilitate an environment and a culture of innovation via awareness sessions, forums, and targeted seminars and working groups, helping to ensure that all project collaborators fully understand the digital processes, standards, and deliverables expected for successful project outcomes. www.bentley.com/learn

Bentley Systems, Incorporated is a global leader dedicated to providing engineers, architects, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators with comprehensive software solutions for advancing infrastructure. Founded in 1984, Bentley has more than 3,500 colleagues in over 50 countries, and is on track to surpass an annual revenue run rate of $700 million. Since 2012, Bentley has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions. www.bentley.com

Bentley and the Bentley logo are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. All other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180612006205/en/

Contacts:

Bentley Systems, Incorporated

Press Contact:

Jennifer Maguire

+1 610-458-2695

jennifer.maguire@bentley.com

Follow us on Twitter:

@BentleySystems

or

Siemens AG

Evelyne Kadel

evelyne.kadel@siemens.com

+49 211 69161003Democratization of Smart Factory Through Virtual Prototyping on Cloud

Regulatory News:

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180612006260/en/

From left to right: Will Jiang, VP Executive Committee Office Director, CSI Wei Chen, Director of Central Research Institute, CSI Peiran Ding, Director of Electric Vehicle Center of Competence, ESI Group Bob MA, SVP, CSI Christopher St.John, COO ESI Group Dr. Yuhong Chen, Chairman CEO, CSI Grace Cui, COO ESI China Yan Ju, President of Central Research Institute, CSI Shengyong Sun, VP of IIG New Service PoC, CSI (Photo: Business Wire)

ESI Group (Paris:ESI), leading innovator in Virtual Prototyping software and services for manufacturing industries, and Chinasoft International, the largest software and information technology service provider in China, formalized a strategic cooperation agreement to upgrade the manufacturing capabilities of the Chinese manufacturing industry in accordance with the ambitions expressed in "Made in China 2025".

The Industry 4.0 revolution brings the Chinese manufacturing industry to a new paradigm. As the largest manufacturer in the world, this shift for China is strategic and will require large investments and changes. The adoption of new technologies to foster and secure the competitiveness of industries and solutions that enhance and control the performance of products in service is a necessity. Sharing and providing access to these technologies across all industries is strategic for the country.

From engineering to manufacturing and maintenance, ESI Virtual Prototyping solutions are a key component of the Industry 4.0 transformation with the Product Performance Lifecycle approach allowing the management and control of the performance of the product in service and in its operating environment. As the key provider of cloud computing, big data analytics and internet platforms in China, Chinasoft International is ready to make full use of its products and services to democratize this revolution.

Bob Ma, SVP of Chinasoft International states: "The signature of this strategic cooperation is a crucial step for Chinasoft towards its goal of becoming a major player in the national construction of 'Made in China 2025'. We are deeply convinced of the bright future of our cooperation given our complementary strengths and the extraordinary opportunities in the market."

Christopher St John, COO of ESI Group comments: "We are excited to sign this agreement and work together to influence and create the future of manufacturing in China based on a common vision and sense of urgency. ESI solutions, based on an exceptional knowledge of the 'physics of materials', enables the creation, fabrication and the maintenance of the product "right first time", reducing or eliminating physical prototypes. Democratization of those solutions through Chinasoft's strong integration capabilities in smart manufacturing will greatly benefit China, the world's leading manufacturing country."

Together, ESI Group and Chinasoft will work to transform the Chinese manufacturing industries. The strategic cooperation agreement signed includes multiple cooperation plans.

Facing the opportunities brought by "Made in China 2025" and "Internet Plus Advanced Manufacturing Industry" programs, Chinasoft International will support the major Chinese government deployment efforts by integrating and delivering Virtual Prototyping solutions on its "JointForce" ITS cloud platform as well as the "Honeycomb" intelligent industrial internet platform. It will accelerate the popularization of disruptive ESI solutions and especially those dedicated to virtual manufacturing.

ESI Group and Chinasoft will collaborate to create in China a new ecosystem of industry and research institutes for smart manufacturing to promote Hybrid TwinTM and Virtual Manufacturing solutions to foster innovation.

About ESI Group

ESI Group is a leading innovator in Virtual Prototyping software and services. Specialist in material physics, ESI has developed a unique proficiency in helping industrial manufacturers replace physical prototypes by virtual prototypes, allowing them to virtually manufacture, assemble, test and pre-certify their future products. Coupled with the latest technologies, Virtual Prototyping is now anchored in the wider concept of the Product Performance LifecycleTM, which addresses the operational performance of a product during its entire lifecycle, from launch to disposal. The creation of Hybrid TwinTM, leveraging simulation, physics and data analysis, enables manufacturers to deliver smarter and connected products, to predict product performance and to anticipate maintenance needs.

ESI is a French company listed in compartment B of Euronext Paris. Present in more than 40 countries, and addressing every major industrial sector, ESI Group employs about 1200 high-level specialists around the world and reported annual sales of 135 million in 2017.

For further information, go to www.esi-group.com.

Follow ESI

About Chinasoft International

Chinasoft International Limited (CSI, HKSE: 00354), founded in 2000, is an industry leader in globalized software and information technology services with branches in 28 cities across China and 18 cities around the world. CSI draws upon its complete ecology of industrial resources and provides multi-field technological services such as cloud computing, big data and etc. to help clients tackle challenges and accomplish digital transformation. The main business of CSI includes consulting, solutions and technological services targeting major clients and industries; online and offline operation of internet software crowdsourcing services centered on the self-owned ITS cloud platform "JointForce"; IT education and training system composed of ETC, the offline training center, EEC, the experience center and Zker, the online study community.

For almost 2 decades, CSI has served the Fortune 500 enterprises as well as the large and medium-sized companies, covering telecommunication, government, manufacturing, finance, public service, energy and many other industries. In 2017, CSI achieved RMB10 billion in both market value and serving capacity with number of employees surpassing 50 thousand.

For further information, go to www.chinasofti.com.

Follow CSI on Wechat

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180612006260/en/

Contacts:

ESI Group

Press

Celine Gallerne+33 1 41 73 58 46

or

Corporate communication

Florence Barre, + 33 1 53 65 14 51

or

Chinasoft International

Press

Laura Wang, +86 10 8286-1666 Ext. 2230

or

Corporate communication

Yuehong Zhou, +86 10 82861666 Ext. 8508Regulatory News:

The Combined General Meeting of Sopra Steria Group (Paris:SOP) shareholders took place in Paris today, 12 June 2018 and was chaired by Pierre Pasquier, Chairman of Sopra Steria Group.

All 40 resolutions submitted by the Board were approved.

Among the resolutions adopted at the Meeting, Sopra Steria Group shareholders, validated the payment of a dividend of 2.40 per share in respect of 2017, with an ex-date of 3 July 2018, which will be payable as of 5 July 2018.

Below, the results of the vote are available on the company's website: http://www.soprasteria.com/en/investors/investors-relations/shareholders-meetings

Disclaimer

This document is a free translation into English of the original French press release. It is not a binding document. In the event of a conflict in interpretation, reference should be made to the French version, which is the authentic text.

Number of shares with voting rights 20,524,328

Number of shareholders attending the Meeting or being represented or voting by post 622

Number of shares attending the Meeting or being represented or voting by post 20,983,829

Participation rate in percentage of exercisable voting rights 80.55%

Ordinary General Meeting in favor abstention against

Hour Resolution Vote Vote Vote

15:28:42 1 Approval of the individual financial statements for the financial year ended 31 December 2017; approval of non-deductible expenses. 20,980,338 99.98% 509 <0.01% 2,982 0.01%

15:29:04 2 Approval of the consolidated financial statements for the financial year ended 31 December 2017. 20,980,732 99.99% 169 <0.01% 2,928 0.01%

15:29:26 3 Appropriation of earnings and determination of the dividend. 20,777,952 99.02% 43 <0.01% 205,834 0.98%

15:29:47 4 Approval of agreements governed by Article L. 225-38 et seq. of the French Commercial Code. 16,790,927 80.02% 220 <0.01% 4,192,682 19.98%

15:30:11 5 Approval of items of compensation paid or alloted in respect of financial year 2017 to Pierre Pasquier, Chairman. 20,919,589 99.69% 617 <0.01% 63,623 0.30%

15:30:34 6 Approval of items of compensation paid or alloted in respect of financial year 2017 to Vincent Paris, Chief Executive Officer. 17,776,513 84.72% 99 <0.01% 3,207,217 15.28%

15:30:56 7 Approval of the principles and criteria for the determination, distribution and allocation of items of compensation for the Chairman. 20,907,372 99.64% 189 <0.01% 76,268 0.36%

15:31:18 8 Approval of the principles and criteria for the determination, distribution and allocation of items of compensation for the Chief Executive Officer. 20,738,140 98.83% 179 <0.01% 245,510 1.17%

15:31:39 9 Setting of directors' fees at 500,000. 20,769,416 98.98% 79 <0.01% 214,334 1.02%

15:32:02 10 Reappointment of a Principal Statutory Auditor. 20,912,588 99.66% 232 <0.01% 71,009 0.34%

15:32:24 11 Authorisation granted to the Board of Directors, for a period of 18 months, to allow the Company to buy back its own shares pursuant to Article L. 225-209 of the French Commercial Code. 20,956,243 99.87% 172 <0.01% 27,414 0.13%

Extraordinary General Meeting

15:32:47 12 Authorisation for the Board of Directors, for a period of 26 months, to retire any shares that the Company may have acquired under the terms of share buyback programmes and to reduce the share capital accordingly. 20,776,464 99.01% 49 <0.01% 207,316 0.99%

15:33:11 13 Delegation of powers to the Board of Directors, for a period of 26 months, to decide to increase the share capital, with preemptive rights for existing shareholders, by issuing ordinary shares and/or securities giving access to equity and/or entitling the holder to an allotment of debt securities issued by the Company, up to a maximum of 40% of the share capital. 20,583,736 98.09% 151 <0.01% 399,942 1.91%

15:33:41 14 Delegation of powers to the Board of Directors, for a period of 26 months, to decide to increase the share capital, without preemptive rights for existing shareholders, by issuing ordinary shares and/or securities giving access to equity and/or entitling the holder to an allotment of debt securities issued by the Company, in the context of public offerings, up to a maximum of 20% of the share capital, falling to 10% of the share capital in the absence of priority rights. 20,622,189 98.28% 259 <0.01% 361,381 1.72%

15:34:11 15 Delegation of powers to the Board of Directors, for a period of 26 months, to decide to increase the share capital, without preemptive rights for existing shareholders, by issuing ordinary shares and/or securities giving access to equity and/or entitling the holder to an allotment of debt securities issued by the Company, by way of a private placement as provided for in paragraph II, Article L. 411-2 of the French Monetary and Financial Code, up to a maximum of 10% of the share capital. 20,303,963 96.76% 654 <0.01% 679,212 3.24%

15:34:35 16 Determination of the issue price of ordinary shares and/or securities giving access to equity and/or giving the right to an allotment of the Company's debt securities for up to a maximum of 10% of the share capital a year in the context of an increase in the share capital without preemptive subscription rights for existing shareholders. 20,396,355 97.20% 284 <0.01% 587,190 2.80%

15:35:09 17 Delegation of powers to the Board of Directors, for a period of 26 months, to decide, with or without preemptive rights for existing shareholders, to increase the number of ordinary shares and/or securities giving access to equity and/or entitling the holder to an allotment of debt securities to be issued by the Company, up to a maximum of 15% of the initial issue. 19,920,062 94.93% 741 <0.01% 1,063,026 5.07%

15:35:36 18 Delegation of powers to the Board of Directors, for a period of 26 months, to issue ordinary shares and/or securities giving access to equity and/or entitling the holder to an allotment of debt securities issued by the Company, without preemptive rights for existing shareholders, in return for contributions in kind, up to a maximum of 10% of the share capital. 20,559,296 97.98% 181 <0.01% 424,352 2.02%

15:36:03 19 Delegation of powers to the Board of Directors, for a period of 26 months, to issue ordinary shares and/or securities giving access to equity and/or entitling the holder to an allotment of debt securities issued by the Company, without preemptive rights for existing shareholders, in return for shares tendered to a public exchange offer, up to a maximum of 10% of the share capital. 20,630,472 98.32% 3,103 0.01% 350,254 1.67%

15:36:35 20 Delegation of powers to the Board of Directors, for a period of 26 months, to decide to increase the share capital by capitalising premiums, reserves, earnings or other amounts that may be capitalised. 20,983,298 >99.99% 230 <0.01% 301 <0.01%

15:36:59 21 Delegation to be given to the Board of Directors, for a period of 18 months, to issue share subscription warrants to be allotted to the shareholders free of charge in the event of a takeover bid, up to a nominal amount equal to the amount of the share capital. 13,505,412 64.36% 213 <0.01% 7,478,204 35.64%

15:37:29 22 Delegation of powers to the Board of Directors, for a period of 26 months, to decide to increase the share capital, without preemptive subscription rights for existing shareholders, via issues to persons employed by the Company or by a company of the Group, subject to enrolment in a company savings plan, up to a maximum of 3% of the share capital. 20,973,713 99.95% 122 <0.01% 9,994 0.05%

15:37:54 23 Authorisation for the Board of Directors, for a period of 38 months, to allot free shares to employees and officers of the Company and companies in the same Group, up to a maximum of 3% of the share capital. 19,846,506 94.58% 206 <0.01% 1,137,117 5.42%

15:38:27 24 Amendment to the stipulations of Article 14 of the Articles of Association concerning Directors' terms of office and the introduction of procedures for staggering Directors' terms of office. 17,353,629 82.70% 194 <0.01% 3,630,006 17.30%

15:38:53 25 Change in the age limit associated with the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors and corresponding amendment to Article 15 of the Articles of Association. 20,434,447 97.38% 315 <0.01% 549,067 2.62%

15:39:20 26 Appointment of Jean-Bernard Rampini as a Non-Voting Director for a term of two years. 15,061,134 71.77% 2,574 0.01% 5,920,121 28.21%

Ordinary General Meeting

15:39:47 27 Reappointment of Pierre Pasquier as a Director 16,455,005 78.42% 117 <0.01% 4,528,707 21.58%

15:40:10 28 Reappointment of Eric Pasquier as a Director 17,288,977 82.39% 228 <0.01% 3,694,624 17.61%

15:40:35 29 Reappointment of Sopra GMT as a Director 16,092,697 76.69% 159 <0.01% 4,890,973 23.31%

15:40:57 30 Reappointment of Astrid Anciaux as a Director 20,711,845 98.70% 164 <0.01% 271,820 1.30%

15:41:18 31 Reappointment of Eric Hayat as a Director 16,049,316 76.48% 173 <0.01% 4,934,340 23.51%

15:41:39 32 Reappointment of Solfrid Skilbrigt as a Director 20,711,843 98.70% 183 <0.01% 271,803 1.30%

15:42:01 33 Reappointment of Jean-Luc Placet as a Director 20,544,542 97.91% 335 <0.01% 438,952 2.09%

15:42:21 34 Reappointment of Sylvie Remond as a Director 20,862,541 99.42% 2,953 0.01% 118,335 0.56%

15:42:44 35 Reappointment of Marie-Helene Rigal-Drogerys as a Director 17,383,941 82.84% 2,936 0.01% 3,596,952 17.14%

15:43:06 36 Reappointment of Jean-Francois Sammarcelli as a Director 20,737,019 98.82% 3,052 0.01% 243,758 1.16%

15:43:28 37 Reappointment of Jessica Scale as a Director 20,881,751 99.51% 619 <0.01% 101,459 0.48%

15:43:53 38 Appointment of Javier Monzon as a new Director 20,857,961 99.40% 2,548 0.01% 123,320 0.59%

15:44:15 39 Appointment of Michael Gollner as a new Director 20,880,861 99.51% 680 <0.01% 102,288 0.49%

BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - Senate leaders have agreed to attach an amendment to a must-pass defense spending bill that would essentially kill the Trump administration's agreement to end crippling sanctions on Chinese telecom giant ZTE Corp.



Senators Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., applauded the inclusion of their amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act responding to the national security threat posed by ZTE.



'ZTE has repeatedly violated U.S. law and represents a threat to our national security - Congress cannot and will not allow the Administration to let ZTE off the hook in the interest of Chinese jobs,' Van Hollen said in a statement.



He added, 'I'm pleased that our bipartisan proposal will be included in the manager's amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, and I appreciate my colleagues on both sides of the aisle working together to protect American interests and national security.'



The amendment would restore penalties on ZTE for violating export controls and prohibit government agencies from purchasing or leasing telecommunications equipment or services from the Chinese telecom giant.



The inclusion of the amendment in the NDAA comes just days after Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced an agreement lifting an order that banned ZTE from buying American products.



The agreement included a $1 billion fine against ZTE and forced the company to replace its board of directors and executive team and install a U.S.-chosen compliance team.



Ross banned ZTE from buying Americans products in April, claiming the company made false statements about employee disciplinary actions related to the illegal shipping of telecom equipment to Iran and North Korea.



Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said including the amendment to undo the ZTE deal says 'loudly and in a bipartisan fashion that the president is dead wrong to back off on ZTE.'



'The fact that a bipartisan group of senators came together this quickly is a testament to how bad the Trump administration's ZTE deal is and how we will not shy away from holding the president's feet to the fire when it comes to keeping his promise to be tough on China,' Schumer said.



The House previously passed its version of the defense bill without the ZTE language, meaning the two versions of the bill would need to be reconciled.



President Donald Trump, who has previously highlighted the fact that ZTE buys a tremendous amount of equipment from American companies, could still veto the bill.



However, Cotton argued that a presidential veto is unlikely, noting the NDAA includes 'many other critical priorities.'



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.deVancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 12, 2018) - Lara Exploration Ltd. (TSXV: LRA) ("Lara" or the "Company"), is pleased to report results of its surface chip channel sampling program to evaluate polymetallic brecciated feeder structures and related mantos mapped at its newly acquired Puituco Project, located in the Huancavelica Department of Central Peru. A total of 63 samples were collected across vertical brecciated structures and two related low-angle mantos that extend into the limestones. The best intervals (see table below) were sampled across Manto-2 where a series of roughly horizontal channel samples PUI-022 to PUI-030 averaged 4.65% zinc, plus 4.86% lead and 37 g/t silver over 42.6 metres; and PUI-031 to PUI-034 averaged 4.73% zinc, 2.6% lead and 16 g/t silver over a thickness of 17.3 metres (slightly oblique to the stratigraphy).

Samples Type Width m Zinc % Lead % Silver g/t PUI-012 to PUI-015 Breccia 20.0 5.72 2.19 14.55 PUI-016 to PUI-021 Manto-1 30.0 4.74 1.42 3.30 PUI-022 to PUI-030 Manto-2 42.6 4.65 4.86 37.20 PUI-031 to PUI-034 Manto-2 17.3 4.73 2.60 16.37 PUI-035 to PUI-038 Manto-1 20.0 4.88 1.33 2.03 PUI-039 to PUI-040 Breccia 8.4 6.73 5.03 9.34 PUI-042 to PUI-043 Manto 7.8 6.86 4.02 5.26 PUI-047 to PUI-049 Breccia 15.0 6.25 1.95 60.63 PUI-059 to PUI-060 Manto 10.4 3.67 4.16 20.19

Lara's 400-hectare Puituco property was acquired at government auction in late 2017 and is the core to a larger claim block, with the surrounding areas mostly won by the Peruvian subsidiary of BHP and now defined as their Kenita Project. The Puituco property lies to the north of the Riqueza project, being explored by Inca Minerals in JV with South32. Mining activity in the district includes Minera IRL's Corihuarmi high sulphidation epithermal gold mine and the past-producing Bethania polymetallic mine, that lie on the same trend to the northwest of Puituco.

Mineralization at Puituco is hosted by Cretaceous-age limestones of the Jumasha Formation, which have been cut by Tertiary-age intrusives, with a diorite stock mapped to the SW of the sampled area and an andesitic sill extending into the property from the north. Mineralization comprises hydrothermal breccias filling NE-SW oriented tension structures (related to a major regional structure, the NW-SE oriented Chonta Fault) and related mantos, where fluids have been driven laterally into the limestone beds and recrystallized and brecciated them. Geological observations indicate that both Manto 1 and 2 are approximately 20m thick. The vertical orientation of the mineralization and its relationship with the intrusives, indicates potential for the presence additional mantos deeper in the sedimentary sequence and for a larger porphyry intrusive at depth driving the system.

Please visit the Projects section of the Company website at www.laraexploration.com to view sample location maps, photographs and sections.

Quality Control and Qualified Person

The 63 rock channel samples were collected by Lara's consultant AFC Logistics S.A.C. and delivered by them to the ALS Peru S.A. laboratory in Lima. The samples were typically cut over 5m widths (range 0.5m to 7.4m) by hand or by electric jack-hammer, depending on the rock hardness. The samples were analyzed by 33 element ICP for base metals and silver and 50g fire assay for gold. Ore grade samples for zinc, lead and silver were reanalysed with a four-acid digest and AAS finish. Standard, blank and duplicate samples were analysed for QAQC purposes and all reported in-range.

Michael Bennell, Lara's Vice President Exploration and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has approved the technical disclosure and verified the technical information in this news release.

About Lara

Lara is an exploration company following the Prospect Generator business model, which aims to minimize shareholder dilution and financial risk by generating prospects and exploring them in joint ventures funded by partners. The Company currently holds a diverse portfolio of prospects and deposits located mostly in Brazil and Peru. Lara's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "LRA".

For further information on Lara Exploration Ltd. please consult our website www.laraexploration.com, or contact Chris MacIntyre, VP Corporate Development, at +1 416 703 0010.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

-30-First ScreenX Screen Coming to Kuwait This Year

KUWAIT and LOS ANGELES, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- At CineEurope this week, CJ 4DPLEX announced a new partnership with KNCC (Kuwait National Cinema Company) to bring ScreenX - the world's first multi-projection system that provides a 270-degree panoramic film viewing experience within a theatre setting - to the Middle East. This partnership will bring the very first ScreenX screen to Kuwait. CineEurope takes place from June 11-14 in Barcelona, Spain.

Kuwait National Cinema Company was established in 1954 as the first cinema operator in the GCC. KNCC operates under the Cinescape brand, which is renowned for its high quality ambience that treats guests to an unforgettable experience. KNCC is a pioneer in state-of-the-art cinematic experiences and technologies by leading on innovation as one of its strategic pillars. The partnership with CJ4DPLEX to introduce ScreenX in Kuwait pushes KNCC's vision forward by offering guests a revolutionary cinematic experience that they won't soon forget. This partnership follows KNCC bringing CJ 4DPLEX' 4DX technology to the Middle East in 2016.

"We are proud to once again join forces with CJ 4DPLEX, whose efforts have been key in the success of 4DX in Kuwait. This new and exciting ScreenX partnership not only solidifies an already strong relationship, but paves the way to many more collaborations in future market-leading innovation. We are beyond excited to see what the future holds," said Khaled Al Marzooq, Business Development Manager of KNCC.

"Through this new partnership, the ScreenX footprint continues to expand into new markets, following earlier rollouts from Asia and Europe to the Americas," said Byung-Hwan Choi, CEO of CJ 4DPLEX. "This expansion of ScreenX into the Middle East builds on the region's positive momentum, and positions it strongly as the cinema industry moves into the future."

Media contacts

The Lippin Group for ScreenX and 4DX

Matt Biscuiti, matt@lippingroup.com, +1-212-986-7080

Kevin Broderick, kevin@lippingroup.com, +1-323-965-1990PERTH, Australia, June 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC) is the Peak Industry Body for the Australian Beekeeping Industry in Australia, representing honey producers, packers, pollinators, queen bee breeders, and equipment manufacturers and suppliers.

AHBIC has recently provided funding to the Australian Manuka Honey Association (AMHA) to assist in its objectives of protecting and promoting the global appeal and awareness of Australian Manuka honey.

Trevor Weatherhead, Executive Director of AHBIC, said, "At present, a New Zealand group is trying to trade mark the term 'Manuka Honey' globally. The suggestion that only honey from New Zealand can be described as 'Manuka' is not credible and is strongly refuted by the Australian honey industry." He added, "Leptospermum scoparium is believed to have originated from Tasmania. Since beekeeping was introduced into Australia, we have had a long history of producing and selling Manuka from Australia for many years."



With over 80 species, Australia is home to the largest diversity of Leptospermum plants in the world while New Zealand has only one species (Leptospermum scoparium). Native Leptospermum plants are found throughout Australia.

AMHA Chairman, Paul Callander, commented, "We would much prefer to work with New Zealand in partnership than argue about a descriptive term. As long as Australia is allowed to use the term 'Australian Manuka', we have no issues and would work with New Zealand to co-fund a global marketing campaign regarding the health benefits of Manuka from both Australia and New Zealand."

On the subject of the group in New Zealand applying to restrict other countries from using the term 'Manuka honey', Mr Callander said, "Interestingly, the US IP office has now twice rejected the NZ application on the basis that 'Manuka' is a descriptive term only, indicating the honey is derived from Leptospermum - regardless of the region."

-End-

About the Australian Manuka Honey Association

Formed in October 2017, the AMHA was initiated by a group of Australia's leading Manuka honey exporters, including ASX listed Capilano Honey Limited, Berringa, ManukaLife Pty Ltd, Blue Hills Honey and Honey Australia. AMHA is now the leading national body for the protection and promotion of Australian Manuka honey.

In the short time since incorporation, the Association has:

formulated (through its highly credentialled Scientific Advisory Board) Criteria for Defining Australian Manuka Honey , detailing the Association's robust, scientifically based international guidelines that benchmark true Australian Manuka;

, detailing the Association's robust, scientifically based international guidelines that benchmark true Australian Manuka; developed a Mark of Authenticity for display on members' tested and approved products, providing consumers with confidence that each jar purchased is authentic Australian Manuka honey, and

assembled a panel of industry authorities including leading scientific experts, the Honeybee Cooperative Research Centre, Australian Government Intellectual Property Officials, the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council and Australia's dedicated honey packers to lead the charge in protecting Australia's right to promote its native Manuka honey.

Australian Manuka Honey Association

Protecting and promoting the global appeal and awareness of

Australian Manuka honey.Baba Ramdev-promoted Patanjali Ayurved and Adani group on Monday submitted their revised bids to acquire to bankruptcy-hit firm Ruchi Soya

New Delhi: Baba Ramdev-promoted Patanjali Ayurved and Adani group on Monday submitted their revised bids to acquire to bankruptcy-hit firm Ruchi Soya as lenders of the edible oil firm have decided to hold a fresh round of resolution process to maximise asset value, said sources.

The Committee of Creditors (CoC) of Ruchi Soya, which has decided to conduct Swiss challenge method to maximise the asset value of the bankruptcy-hit firm, is expected to open the bids tomorrow, they added.

When asked about the development in the bidding process, Patanjali spokesperson SK Tijarawala said: "We have submitted our revised bids".

CoC in its meeting held on 30 May had set the stage for an aggressive bidding between the two suitors for Ruchi Soya to maximise the value of the assets, sources said, adding that the CoC in consultation with the independent evaluator has decided to adopt a Swiss challenge method.

Under the Swiss challenge system, which is now used by various government wings for tenders, lower bidders are given chance to match the highest bidder and if matched then the highest bidder is asked to improve its bid.

Earlier, Patanjali had emerged as the highest bidder with an offer of around Rs 4,300 crore and has a commitment of Rs 1,800 crore capital infusion into the company, sources said, adding that Adani Wilmar, which sells edible oils under Fortune brand, has made a bid of around Rs 3,300 crore.

An Executive Committee comprising of representatives from IDBI, SBI, Stanchart and Corporation Bank will conduct the Swiss challenge and conclude the process by mid-June.

Apart from Patanjali and Adani, companies that had shown interest in acquiring Ruchi Soya were Wilmar, Emami Agrotech and Godrej Agrovet.

Patanjali Ayurveda already has a tie-up with the Indore-based Ruchi Soya for edible oil refining and packaging and it wants to further expand into cooking oil business.

Ruchi Soya, facing the insolvency proceedings, has a total debt of about Rs 12,000 crore. The company has many manufacturing plants and its leading brands include Nutrela, Mahakosh, Sunrich, Ruchi Star and Ruchi Gold.

In December 2017, Ruchi Soya Industries Ltd entered into the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) and Shailendra Ajmera was appointed as interim resolution Professional (IRP).

The appointment was made by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on the application of the creditors Standard Chartered Bank and DBS Bank Ltd, under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.The government has set up a technical committee under former chief statistician TCA Anant to bring in more transparency in jobs data calculation and presentation, the labour ministry said on Monday

New Delhi: The government has set up a technical committee under former chief statistician TCA Anant to bring in more transparency in jobs data calculation and presentation, the labour ministry said on Monday.

The government has taken measures in recent past to bring in more transparency in data releases, it said in a release.

"It (the ministry) would like to present a proper perspective on these issues so that the end users and public at large become aware of the processes involved in generation of these estimates, the release said.

"Therefore, the government has constituted a technical committee under the chairmanship of former chief statistician TCA Anant to look into the above aspects and submit its report at the earliest," the labour ministry said.

The Labour Bureau conducts two major surveys on employment scenario -- Annual Employment-Unemployment Survey (EUS) and Quarterly Employment Survey (QES).

The Bureau had so far conducted five annual Employment-Unemployment Surveys and the reports on all five surveys have been released.

The field work of sixth annual Employment-Unemployment Survey (2016-17) has been completed and data entry validation work is in progress, the ministry said.

It said the report pertaining to the sixth survey is to be completed by September.

On the recommendations of Task Force on Employment, chaired by Arvind Panagariya, the then Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, the Annual Employment Unemployment Survey has been replaced by Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) being conducted by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI).

The labour ministry said the Periodic Labour Force Survey would not only have annual data on employment-unemployment on rural sector but will also have quarterly data on employment-unemployment on urban sector based on larger sample size.

Therefore, the corresponding data set would be comparable, it added.

The Quarterly Employment Survey (new series) is an enterprise based survey, carried out with an objective to measure relative change in employment situation over successive quarters for the establishments having 10 or more workers.

The QES has several limitations like it takes into account those enterprises having more than 10 workers and does not cover employment in establishments having less than 10 workers.

So, the QES, effectively, captures the employment size of about 2.40 crore workers only as against the total workforce of about 47 crore.

The Employees Provident fund Organization (EPFO) has also commenced releasing of payroll data on monthly basis.

Under Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana, 46.36 lakh new employees covering 58,400 establishments have been enrolled under PMRPY and an amount of Rs 855 crore has been spent, the ministry said.Billionaire jeweller and alleged PNB fraud mastermind Nirav Modi is reportedly living in Mayfair, London

Days after it was reported that fugitive jeweller Nirav Modi fled to the UK and sought asylum there, fearing "political persecution" back home, sources close to the diamantaire have dismissed the claim, according to a media report.

The unnamed sources, on Tuesday, said Modi, accused of colluding with others to defraud the Punjab National Bank (PNB) of nearly $2 billion, doesnt need asylum as he is a Singapore passport holder, reported CNN-News18.

The sources, who confirmed that the absconding diamantaire is living in Mayfair, London, said Modi will fight his legal battle from the UK, according to the news channel.

#EXCLUSIVE | Reports about Nirav Modi applying for asylum in UK are incorrect. Technically Nirav doesnt need asylum, he is a Singapore passport holder. His current location is Mayfair, London: Sources close to Nirav | @Zakka_Jacob with more details. Input: @manojkumargupta pic.twitter.com/SIk8CuURGe  News18 (@CNNnews18) June 12, 2018

The United Kingdom, on Monday, confirmed that Modi was in their country, top officials said.

Earlier on Monday, India reportedly told the United Kingdom that the UK should not be viewed as a safe haven for wanted criminals of other countries.

That message went out after news of Modi seeking asylum in the UK surfaced in the British press.

The message was clear: India respects the courts and will pursue legal procedures in Britain to bring back those wanted, and that New Delhi expects the cooperation of the UK government in such matters.

UK Minister Baroness Williams, who met Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju in New Delhi, assured the Indian side that Britain will extend it's full cooperation to India in the latter's efforts to extradite Modi, liquor baron Vijay Mallya and others.

On Sunday, The Financial Times reported that Modi was in London trying to seek asylum from what he called "political persecution".

The ministry of external affairs told the FT that the Indian government was waiting for the country's law enforcement agencies to approach them before pushing for an extradition, which has thus far not happened.

With inputs from agenciesWhen Baahubali got Tamannaah Bhatia and DJ Snake chatting

Actors have fans. And even actors are fans. That's how Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) star Tamannaah Bhatia got to interact with a musician whom she admires and took up his dance challenge.

The French artist William Sami Etienne Grigahcine aka DJ Snake has a strong fan following in India, and he is fond of India, too, which is why he shot two of his popular tracks - Lean On and Magenta Riddim - in the country. What caught everyone's attention sometime back is the social media conversation between DJ Snake and Tamannaah.

Recalling it, she says, "He's such a talented artist. I had so much fun talking to him via Twitter. I missed meeting him when he was in India to shoot for his song. The fact that he liked Baahubali is what got us talking and then the dance challenge followed."

It started with Tamannaah sending DJ Snake a copy of Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017), when he was shooting for Magenta Riddim in Telangana, Hyderabad, as she couldn't meet him. The disc jockey, who enjoyed the film, tweeted about it; Tamannaah also tweeted about liking his new song. The friendly banter went on, until he presented her with the dance challenge, and asked her to match steps with Magenta Riddim. Tamannaah accepted the challenge, and her moves impressed Snake, who later shared the video and wrote: "From Paris to Bollywood..." and tagged the actor. The video went viral.The RBI governor Urjit Patel, who appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Finance, faced tough questions from lawmakers on bad loans, bank frauds, cash crunch and other issues

New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) needs more powers to oversee public sector banks (PSBs), Governor Urjit Patel told a parliamentary panel on Tuesday, amid mounting bad loans in state-run lenders.

The RBI Governor, who appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Finance, took some tough questions from lawmakers on bad loans, bank frauds, the recent cash crunch and other issues, according to sources.

Sources said the governor assured the members that steps were being taken to strengthen the system.

Regarding PSBs, he told the panel that the RBI has "inadequate" control over them. The governor asked for more powers to control government-owned banks, said sources present at the meeting.

There are 21 state-owned banks, including the State Bank of India (SBI).

Their combined losses crossed a whopping Rs 87,300 crore in the 2017-18 fiscal, topped by scam-tainted Punjab National Bank (PNB) that took a hit of nearly Rs 12,283 crore.

Of the 21 state-owned banks, only two banks, Indian Bank and Vijaya Bank, posted profits during fiscal 2017-18. Indian Bank posted the highest profit of Rs 1,258.99 crore and Vijaya Bank's profit was Rs 727.02 crore.

Gross non-performing assets (NPA) of the entire banking sector stood at Rs 8.31 lakh crore at the end of December 2017.

Sources further said the RBI Governor also answered queries regarding the $2 billion fraud allegedly committed by diamantaire Nirav Modi and his associates at the PNB.

According to sources, Patel said it was impossible to look after each and every branch of a bank in terms of an audit.

Some members of the committee, headed by senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily, sought to know about the reasons for the recent instances of ATMs running out of cash and why enough steps were not taken to tackle banking frauds.

Patel told the panel that steps were being taken to strengthen the banking system. "We are confident that we will be able to tide over the crisis," a source quoted the governor as saying with respect to the NPA situation.

On an optimistic note, Patel informed the committee that after the implementation of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), the situation on the NPAs front has been improving.Arvind Kejriwal and three other Delhi ministers have been protesting in the waiting room of the L-G's house since Monday evening.

The self-proclaimed anarchist is back in action in the national capital. The only difference this time around is that he is not sweating it out in the sun or shivering in the cold but is enjoying the comfort of the waiting room of the Delhi lieutenant governor's office.

On Monday evening, Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal, along with three of his most trusted ministerial colleagues  Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain and Gopal Rai  occupied the visitors waiting room of Lieutenant Governor (L-G) of Delhi Anil Baijal's home and let the world know through Twitter that he had found a new way to take a break from his official work and stage a sit-in protest. His tweets and re-tweets fired at regular intervals suggested that he was enjoying his newly-minted style of protest or self-imposed confinement  lying on a sofa in an air-conditioned room, or relaxing on a couch with both feet up on the table.

Kejriwal happily shared tweets of his party workers complimenting his undying spirit, juxtaposing photographs of dharnas from yesteryears and ones from Monday evening. He has been getting the food of his choice but has not asked for fresh clothes yet, an insider said. Three of the leaders protesting did not skip their meals, but Delhi heath minister Satyendra Jain began an indefinite fast to make the L-G yield to their demands.

However, in their Twitter game, Kejriwal and Sisodia found more than a match in their former friend and rebel party colleague Kumar Vishwass stinging satirical tweet. It should be noted that Vishwas still has many followers in the Aam Aadmi Party. They may not be in important positions, but they fill the ranks of the mass of party volunteers.

   --        ,         -        -   

     - --               Dr Kumar Vishvas (@DrKumarVishwas) June 12, 2018

The last time Kejriwal staged a rather infamous dharna  in 2014 before Republic Day celebrations at Rail Bhawan near Delhi's Vijay Chowk  he had demanded the removal of a few station house officers and assistant commissioners of police. It was here that he had proclaimed: Yes, I am an anarchist. Yes, I create chaos. Despite being newly elected then, he had made other famous statements, even questioning the need to celebrate Republic Day. Kejriwal had said he had come prepared to stage a protest for at least 10 days.

On Monday, the Delhi chief minister had sought an appointment with L-G Baijal when he had gone to meet him with three of his ministers. They had demanded that all serving IAS officers be immediately summoned and ordered to end their three-month strike by invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act. They also want action against the guilty officials.

In reality, there is no strike as all. The officers have been coming to office. However, since AAP MLAs allegedly assaulted Chief Secretary of Delhi Anshu Prakash in the chief ministers house in Kejriwal and Sisodia's presence, IAS officers of all ranks decided not to be at the beck and call of ministers and also not to meet ministers alone in their chambers.

Kejriwal and company have threatened that they will not end the protest or leave their self-imposed confinement at the L-G's house till their demands are met. One need not be an astrologer to predict that this stalemate may not end anytime soon.

When all else fails, blame Modi

Meanwhile, the chief minister and his core team are back at doing what they do best  blaming everything on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After a lull of a few months  after he suffered losses in the Punjab polls and the Delhi by-elections, as well as Kapil Mishra's revolt when he had stopped holding Modi responsible for anything unfavourable  Kejriwal is now back to targeting Modi. He endorsed his trusted colleague Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh's statement that the L-G was a mere puppet, playing at the whims of mastermind Modi.

It is true that the Delhi administration came to a standstill on 11 April when the chief secretary was allegedly assaulted. The Kejriwal government has made no sincere attempt to address the concerns of the officials. Instead, AAP leaders have made several counter allegations against the aggrieved officials.

It is interesting to note that Kejriwal returned to his blame game and agitation politics after he was done with his daily mafinama (apologies) to various leaders, including Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, road transport minister Nitin Gadkari, Congress leader Kapil Sibal's son Amit Sibal as well as the Delhi Police for his "thulla" remark. The list could go on, but he really went back to his old game after Minister of Finance Arun Jaitley accepted his apology and decided to drop his civil and criminal defamation cases against Kejriwal.

Now, with Kejriwal in confinement at the L-Gs house, other AAP leaders and workers, including MLAs and Delhi ministers, have been asked to assemble at the chief minister's official home to show solidarity with their protest and be on alert. They cannot join the four at the L-G's house because the area has been barricaded.The Assam government plans to introduce an awareness programme  'Sanskar'  in all development blocks and panchayats in the wake of incidents triggered by superstition and ignorance including the lynching of two persons in Karbi Anglong district.

Guwahati: The Assam government plans to introduce an awareness programme  'Sanskar'  in all development blocks and panchayats in the state, in the wake of incidents triggered by superstition and ignorance, including the lynching of two persons in Karbi Anglong district.

A decision to this effect was made at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal in Guwahati on Monday evening, an official release said on Tuesday. "Assam is known all over India for its unique hospitality, and people coming from all over the country must feel an ambience of friendliness wherever they go in the state," the release said, quoting the chief minister.

Sonowal asked the concerned authorities to frame modalities for the programme and a suitable roadmap to implement it at all levels of the state so that no unfortunate situation arises due to superstitions.

The chief minister also informed parents of the two youths, who were killed in Karbi Anglong district on Friday on the suspicion of being child lifters, about the 'Sanskar' programme. The parents advocated the need for generating awareness throughout the state so that society could be empowered to prevent the recurrence of such an incident in future, the release said. They also expressed their willingness to participate in such programmes if the need arises.

The Assam Science Technology and Environment Council will be the nodal agency, and the programme will involve all deputy commissioners, superintendents of police and concerned government departments in a district. Local bodies, womens' organisations, voluntary organisations, media persons, leading citizens, academicians, MPs and MLAs from ruling and Opposition parties will be stakeholders of the programme.

Social activist Birubala Rabha, who has been tirelessly fighting against witch-hunting, will also be involved in the programme.17:16 (ist)

Bhaiyyu Maharaj enjoyed large following among politicians

Bhaiyyu Maharaj, who allegedly killed himself in Indore, enjoyed a large following among politicians. When Bhaiyyu Maharaj, whose real name was Udaysinh Deshmukh, was injured in a road accident in 2016, among those who came to meet him were RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and then Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel.This was an indication of the tremendous clout and fan following the 50-year-old model-turned-spiritual guru had among politicians, many of them from Maharashtra.

Bhayyu Maharaj was one of the five 'saints' to whom the Shivraj Singh government of Madhya Pradesh had granted Minister of State (MoS) rank in April. However, he had refused to accept it, saying "a post holds no importance for a saint". Read more.A Bhiwandi framed charges against Rahul Gandhi under Section 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code in the RSS defamation case.

A court in Bhiwandi in Maharashtra's Thane district framed defamation charges against Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday in a criminal defamation case filed by RSS worker Rajesh Kunte.

According to ANI, the charges were framed under sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code. Rahul Gandhi pleaded not guilty. Under section 500, a person found guilty of defamation faces simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both. The court fixed August 10 as the next date of hearing, when the actual trial will begin.

Addressing the media after leaving the Bhiwandi court, Rahul accused the government filing cases against him, but not having answers on rising unemployment and saving farmers. "This is a government for the rich. The media shows the bright side. The prime minister does not speak on the issue like unemployment and protection of farmers. He doesn't have answers to rising fuel prices. They keep putting cases on me. They can keep doing so; it doesn't matter. This is my fight for ideology. We will fight them and win," he said.

According to CNN-News18, the judge, while reading out charges, said Rahul defamed the complainant's organisation RSS through his remarks during a rally in 2014. The judge said that the Congress chief harmed RSS' reputation.

Kunte had filed the case after the Congress president's speech at an election rally, in which the latter had alleged that the RSS was behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. He had also said the Hindutva organisation opposed Sardar Patel.

Rahul had moved the Supreme Court in 2015 seeking a stay on Bombay High Court's order dismissing his plea for quashing the defamation case. In 2016, the court said Rahul must either apologise or face trial for his remarks. "You can't make wholesale denunciation of an organisation," the top court had said.

The Gandhi scion, who arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday morning for a two-day visit to Maharashtra, reached the magistrate's court at 11.05 am amid heavy security cover and was greeted by supporters who raised slogans in his favour.

He was accompanied by Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan and some other party leaders. In the court room, Rahul's counsel Narayan Iyer and the

complainant's lawyer Dharghalkar argued over the issue of the submissions made by Gandhi in the High Court where he had submitted the transcript of his speech made during the said election rally at Bhiwandi on 6 March, 2014. The issue of taking it on record in this court was hotly debated and remained inconclusive.

"On the next date of hearing, the court is likely to pass an order on whether certain documents, including the transcript of the video recording of Rahul's speech submitted by the complainant, can be admitted as evidence or not," Iyer said. Rahul is not required to appear before the court on the next date of hearing, he said.

The court also allowed an application filed by Rahul last month seeking a summons trial, which would mean detailed recording of evidence, instead of a 'summary trial'. While trials in such cases are normally held summarily, Rahul Gandhi filed an application last month seeking for it to be conducted as a 'summons trial'.

"A summary trial is short and will be completed by just submitting the written arguments. We have sought for a summons trial which would go into the in-depth recording of the evidence," Iyer said.

"The case relates to historical facts and hence, we need to rely on several documents and would like to record the evidence of experts," he said.

After the court proceedings got over, Kunte said, "I have full faith in the court and I am sure justice will be delivered."

Rahul had earlier moved the Supreme Court seeking quashing of the case. The apex court had in July 2016 said he should not have resorted to "collective denunciation" of an organisation, and would have to face trial if he did not express regret for his remark.

The Congress leader had declined to accept the suggestion and expressed willingness to face the trial.

At one point of time, the SPG officials got annoyed as Rahul was made to use a toilet, which was in dilipidated condition, instead of taking him to the bar room washroom. Kunte, on the other hand, alleged that the police had given special treatment to Gandhi while he and his counsel were whisked away and subjected to a thorough checking before they entered the court room.

The road leading to Bhiwandi had huge hoardings which said, 'Rahul Gandhi, Sangarsha Karo'. The hoardings were later pulled down due to the model code of conduct in place for the MLC elections scheduled for 25 June.

He is expected to address party workers at 2.30 pm on Tuesday in Mumbai's Goregaon area as part of 'Project Shakti', which aims to empower ground-level workers and facilitate two-way communication. Later on Tuesday, he is also scheduled to interact with Congress corporators in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

With inputs from PTIJusty Alex, who is also from Delhi and is pursuing her Masters in social work, says, 'The most affected are the Dalit Christians, who face double the discrimination.'

New Delhi: With the 2019 general elections around the corner, several in the Christian community feel that another tenure for the current government will legitimise crimes against them and other religious minorities.

Recently, Open Doors, a Christian mission, enlisted 50 of the most unsafe countries for Christians, in which India was ranked 11th. The report published by Open Doors reads, "Because Hindu radicals view Christians as outsiders, they are experiencing increased persecution. These radicals are intent on cleansing the nation of both Islam and Christianity and employ violence to this end. Usually, converts to Christianity experience the worst persecution and are constantly under pressure to return to Hinduism."

The report further says, "Campaigns known as Ghar Wapsi (or homecoming) are used to get Christians to denounce their newfound faith. These converts are often physically assaulted and sometimes killed for refusing to deny Christ. The government continues to look away when religious minorities are attacked, indicating that violence may continue to increase in the coming years."

Issue more about caste than religion?

Tehmina Arora, who hails from Delhi and is an Indian representative of the Alliance Defending Freedom, says, "Christians are often blamed for trying to convert people by force or inducement, even though we form a minuscule population. Many new converts don't share their new faith because they fear violence, either from their families, society or anti-social elements."

"Many Christians, especially those who live in smaller towns and villages, are vulnerable," she adds.

A study on violence against Christians by ADF  which recorded incidents of physical violence, threats/intimidation and restrictions on religious assembly received via the United Christian Forum helpline  shows that between January and April 2018 alone, there were 155 incidents. Last year, 242 incidents were recorded, and 216 were recorded in 2016. This is only a fraction of what the community is experiencing, she says, as many cases don't get reported.

Responding to the question about the insecurities Christian community have, Father of Immanuel Marthoma Church (popularly known as ATS Green Church) Abraham Mathew says that hate crimes against Christians are increasing. "This has been a reality since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or other fringe elements commit crimes, and feel safe under this government," he says.

Adding to this, Father Mathew says that his community is in panic, and they are worried that the government won't take care of them. "We have participated in India's struggle for freedom, we were at the front during many agitations, take for example North East and Kerala. However, we are still seen as 'anti-nationals'  this is a serious problem," he says.

Shibli Peter, who works with Dalit Christians through a platform called Centre for Social Studies and Culture, says, "Majority of the Christian population is Dalits and tribals, and they are being continuously threatened. Hindutva outfits are launching campaigns such as ghar wapsi to attack and threaten them and convert them to Hinduism against their will, since the basic agenda of the RSS is to go against conversion." He further says, "Interestingly, the issue is political. If you look at caste structure, Dalits and tribals form the majority, and for the RSS, it's important to retain them to continue their rule. I think this is more about caste than religion."

Justy Alex, who is also from Delhi and is pursuing her Masters in social work, says, "The most affected are the Dalit Christians, who face double the discrimination."

'Deliberate attempt to demonise Christians'

Earlier in May, the archbishop of Delhi, Anil Cuotto, wrote a letter addressed to all the parishes and religious institutions under the Archdiocese of Delhi to pray for the country and its political leaders as the general elections inch closer. He wrote that the turbulent political atmosphere right now is threatening the principles of the Constitution as well as the secular fabric of the nation. This received a lot of backlash from the right wing, who called it religious interference.

Anil Barghese, a Christian resident of Kailash Colony, says, "The BJP and RSS wanted to create a fuss about the archbishops letter due to elections. They should know that in all churches in India, every Sunday, we pray for all our political leaders, its in our liturgy and written in our prayers. I think more bishops should come out with similar letters." He adds, "People part of churches are also voters, and you cannot isolate them."

Defending Archbishop Anil's letter, Father Mathew says that it was a personal one, and people should be vigilant enough to see what is happening in India. "A believer in democracy will see how it's unnecessary to say that churches are against the BJP. Why it is so that a temple priest can become a politician, but a Christian priest cannot have an opinion?" he questions.

Justy expresses her concern over the upcoming elections. She says, "Next year is a crucial one, especially when it comes to India's much-celebrated secularism, which is at stake in the hands of the current government. Since 2014, there has been an evident rise in the crimes against religious minorities. From vandalizing churches to mob lynching  we have seen it all in the past four years. Another tenure for the current government will further legitimize atrocities against minorities."

Shibi says it's a deliberate attempt by the RSS and BJP to demonise Christians and present them as outsiders and enemies. "This is being done to polarise the majority for the 2019 elections. Wherever Christians are in significant numbers, they are being made into enemies," he concludes.

(Anwarul Hoda is a New Delhi-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters)The woman filed a complaint against Daati Maharaj at the Fatehpur Beri Police Station in South Delhi on Sunday. The case was transferred from the district police to the Crime Branch on Tuesday.

New Delhi: The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police will take over the investigation into the complaint of a 25-year-old woman that she was raped by a self-styled godman and his disciples on several occasions, the police said on Tuesday.

The woman filed a complaint against Daati Maharaj at the Fatehpur Beri Police Station in South Delhi on Sunday. The case was transferred from the district police to the Crime Branch on Tuesday.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Alok Kumar confirmed that the case had been transferred even though they had yet to receive the official order.

The woman told the police that she had been a disciple of the religious leader for a decade, but after she was raped by him and two of his disciples, she returned to her hometown in Rajasthan.

She also alleged that a female disciple of the godman would force her into his room, and if she refused, would tell her that other disciples, too, slept with him, the police said.

The woman also alleged that she was sexually abused in Daati Maharaj's ashrams in Delhi and Rajasthan, naming two of his male disciples.

She fled from one of the ashrams two years ago and had gone into depression, the police said. After she recovered from her trauma, she narrated her ordeal to her parents, who approached the police, and a case was registered.

Chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women Swati Maliwal met the woman and said she should be given police protection.

"Met girl who alleged rape by Daati Maharaj in his ashram," Maliwal tweeted.

"The girl's story is simply horrifying, and it appears that she has gone through the utmost torture. She has a threat to her life. Issued notice to Delhi Police to immediately provide her protection. Daati Maharaj should be immediately arrested!"Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has come up with yet another issue against the lieutenant-governor.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has come up with yet another issue against the Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal. If it was the issue of installation of CCTVs a month ago, this time it is his demand to direct IAS officers to end four-month-long strike which was the reason why he chose to protest at the L-Gs office since Monday night.

Kejriwal and four of his cabinet colleagues have stayed put at the lieutenant-governor's office since Monday, and demanded that IAS workers in the Delhi Government be directed to call off their strike. Kejriwal, along with Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai, continued their protest.

"The chief minister and his colleagues have been staying put in the lieutenant-governor's office since Monday evening and would continue to stay until the lieutenant-governor directs the IAS officers to call off the strike," said AAP leader Arunoday Prakash.

Significantly, hours before Kejriwal went to meet Baijal on Monday, he said in press conference, The Centre and the Prime Minister's Office are continuously trying to stop the Delhi government from functioning. There have been repeated attempts to stop the development works initiated by the Delhi government.

He also said that it is for the first time in history that IAS officers have been on strike for four months.

The services come under the lieutenant-governor. As per rules, the IAS officers cannot call strike. We have made repeated appeals to the lieutenant-governor to direct them to call off the strike, Kejriwal said.

He added that the appeals made to the lieutenant-governor over the past four months have borne no fruit as the IAS officers continue to strike, and development works under the Delhi government have ground to a total halt.

The AAP-led government in Delhi and the IAS officers in the state dispensation had a major face-off in February after the Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash alleged physical assault by ruling party MLAs at the chief ministers residence. Kejriwal accused IAS officers of going on a "continuous strike" after the incident.

Soon after the meeting with Baijal on Monday, Kejriwal tweeted:

4 of us met Honble LG-myself, Dy CM, Satender Jain,Gopal Rai. We presented following demands- 1. IAS officers on strike in Del for 4 months. Direct them to return to work 2. Punish those IAS who struck work for last 4 months 3. Approve doorstep delivery of rations  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 11, 2018

Handed him this letter. LG refuses to take action. LG is under constitutional duty to act. Left wid no option, we have politely told LG that we will not leave till he acts on all points. We hv come out of his chamber n sitting in his waiting room pic.twitter.com/UwsVqqU69g  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 11, 2018

Significantly, the sit-in protest in Baijal's waiting room continued through the night and further intensified with Jains announcement that they would fast until their demands are fulfilled.

Certainly, the protest by four cabinet ministers in Delhi came like a bolt from the blue for the lieutenant-governor's office, which has neither undertaken any measures to force them to leave nor decided to fulfill any of their demands.

But the sit-in protest is unlikely to help the AAP government in Delhi politically as it is seen more as a political drama than a sincere effort to solve the issues at hand.

Kejriwal has declared Baijal an agent of the Centre and has also accused him of hindering Delhis development at the Centres behest. When alternative options are available to achieve an objective, a protest is seen as nothing but political posturing.

If the chief minister really wanted the officers to work, he could have filed a petition in the high court against the strike. What is the point in disturbing the work in lieutenant-governors office by holding a protest in it when a legal remedy is available? asked Ashok Agarwal, a Delhi High Court advocate.

Agarwal also said it is shameful on the part of the chief minister to disturb day-to-day affairs of the lieutenant-governors office.

The AAP has claimed the Delhi government has proof that the officers are on strike. We have minutes of meetings, attendance sheets of meetings and memos served to these officers for stalling the works of the people, said Saurabh Bhardwaj, chief spokesperson of the Delhi government. Bhardwaj also said that according to rule 7 of their code of conduct, the IAS officers are acting illegally.She who flows calmly  that might be the meaning of the beautiful-sounding name Mandakini, but the Mandakini river in Chitrakoot  filled with muck, filth, puja debris, and even a corpse or two, as we learnt last weekend when the body of a 10-year-old girl was fetched out of it  would, we reckon, be flowing anything but calmly.

She who flows calmly  that might be the meaning of the beautiful-sounding name Mandakini, but the Mandakini river in Chitrakoot  filled with muck, filth, puja debris, and even a corpse or two, as we learnt last weekend when the body of a 10-year-old girl was fetched out of it  would, we reckon, be flowing anything but calmly.

A tributary of the river Alaknanda, which eventually joins the Bhagirathi to become what we know as The Ganga, the Mandakini River is considered sacred in Chitrakoot, a district with deep religious resonance, given its deep associations with Lord Rama himself. Like all holy rivers in the country, this one too is damned precisely because it is a holy river. The Ganga, for instance, the holiest of them all, has been flagged as one of the worlds ten rivers on the verge of extinction, according to the World Wildlife Fund. And the 65-odd kms long Mandakini, besides being polluted, is also drying up today.

We spoke with the local mahant Prem Puri, who used the word pavitra often, and told us that he bathes quite regularly in the Mandakini. He shrugged at us mentioning pollution, Bade bade sant mahatma bhi nahaate hain ismein (Even wise old saints bathe in it), and added, Yes, it might make us fall sick. Par ab kya karein? (But what can we do about that?)

The Mandakini is a lifeline not only for Chitrakoot, but as an important water source for the 20 adjoining villages in the district, the river provides sustenance to many. Jugnu Khan, a local peer of ours in the media frat, is clear about the situation. Standing at the river bank, he says, This is the river that is giving us all drinking water. Some might be using water filters and R.O.s, some might be using more backward methods of water filtration, and some might be getting water from the pipelines provided by the water department, but this is the water that is nourishing all of us. Khan is quite certain of where the lack is, and places great faith in policies, If only this river can also get attached to one of the governments flagship programmes on the river, such as Namami Gange, we would see a difference. Namami Gange is a great policy. He is also certain that given the districts religious linkages, this is a possibility.

But Khan might only be indulging in wishful thinking, at several levels. Namami Gange, the national mission to clean and rejuvenate the Ganga, launched by Prime Minister as a flagship programme of the BJP government, which covers approximately 87 ghats in Uttar Pradesh, is all but set to miss its March 2019 deadline. Recent talk has even hinted at some Adani muscle and might taking over the project, even as Nitin Gadkari (in) famously remarked that people would be blaming Modi himself, if the policy should fail.

People in Chitrakoot, meanwhile, have been volunteering in a bid to do their best to save Mandakini. Nadi Safai and Nadi Shanti candle-lit vigils and marches have been a common occurrence at both the rural and kasbah levels in several pockets of the district. The issue itself is a widely-covered one, with national-level, Hindi-language media local reps reporting and writing about it often  keeping both the religious tourism and pollution angles in mind.

There have been efforts at the district authority level. Vishak G. Iyer, Chitrakoot District Magistrate, told us about the mapping drive that is currently underway, wherein source points are being marked and recorded across the length and breadth of the Mandakini  a task undertaken as MNREGA work. Iyer tweets about the river often, and shares an ambitious plan, We are in the process of forming the Mandakini sena. This army will comprise a cadre of volunteers, from across fields, such as social activists, local activists, gram panchayat members, the youth, and anyone else who wishes to save the river, and they will be enlightened and then activated with the sole purpose of protecting the Mandakini.

We started water conservation work in Mandakini river, Chitrakoot district, UP in the first week of May through Mnrega, to revive the dried up river bed. Happy to share the initial results (before and after pics) @CMOfficeUP @bjpdrmahendra @ChiefSecyUP @IASassociation @UPGovt pic.twitter.com/LQdjbxaLAt  Vishak G Iyer (@vishakg) May 26, 2018

And while nets to catch the remnants of a recently-concluded prayer at the ghats have sprung up at a few places across the river in Chitrakoot we notice, a driven attempt to preserve this lifeline seems unlikely. As Shivram Baran Phalhari, a local who lives close to the ghat, says, the anger in his voice apparent, When its time for a photo-op, they quickly clean up the area thats going to be in the photo. Thats all Ive seen happen.

Khabar Lahariya is a women-only network of rural reporters from Bundelkhand.The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh on Tuesday made another arrest in the case.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh made another arrest on Tuesday.

According to CNN-News18, the suspect, Parashuram Wagmare was taken into custody. The channel also reported that Wagmare was allegedly trying to plan another killing in a manner similar to the murder of Lankesh.

The SIT also reportedly told the court that Wagmare is "directly involved" in the case. ANI further reported that Wagmare was arrested from Sindagi, Karnataka, and has been sent to police custody for 14 days for further interrogation.

Sources in the SIT earlier told PTI the same gun was used to kill Lankesh and rationalist MM Kalburgi in Karnataka.

Kalburgi, 77, was shot dead at his home on 30 August, 2015, in Dharwad, Lankesh, 55, was killed on 5 September, 2017 in Bengaluru.

The SIT members had mentioned the same gun theory but this is the first time it has openly contended that Kalburgi's murder was the handiwork of the same gang that killed Lankesh.

The bullets in both cases "have been fired through a single country made pistol chambered for 7.65 mm caliber pistol cartridges," a source said quoting a report. The report also pointed out that the scratches formed by the firing pin on the bullets tallied among themselves.

Lankesh, who was known for her strong anti-Hindutva stand, was shot dead in front of her house, triggering a nationwide outrage.

With inputs from PTI'Vishwaroop 2' vows thrilling ride

Kamal Hassan's brainchild, 'Vishwaroop 2' trailer is out now and it promises a thrilling ride.

Aamir Khan released the Hindi version of the trailer, while Shruti Haasan and Jr NTR released the Tamil and Telugu version respectively.

The trailer features Kamal Hassan as an agent. It also has a lot of nail-biting action scenes.

Sharing the trailer, Aamir Khan wrote, "Dear Kamal Sir, congratulations to you and to the entire team of Vishwaroop 2! Wishing you all the very best. Love and respect always. Aamir." The movie also stars Pooja Kumar, Andrea Jeremiah, Rahul Bose and Shekhar Kapur.

Written, directed, and produced by Hassan himself, the film has been shot in two languages, Hindi and Tamil. The film is also being dubbed in Telugu. The flick will hit the theaters on August 10.In its lateral hiring announcement, the Modi government left out the defence ministry.

The government's announcement inviting private sector professionals to apply for 10 vacancies for joint secretaries in key ministries has been praised as massive, historic, path-breaking and similar such adjectives. In its notification on lateral hiring on Sunday, the Centre had invited "talented and motivated Indian nationals willing to contribute towards nation-building to join the government at the level of joint secretary", also specifying the expertise required and other criteria they need to meet.

Applicants above 40 years of age, with 15 years of work experience and expertise in the fields of revenue, financial services, economic affairs, agriculture, road transport, shipping, environment, new and renewable energy, civil aviation and commerce are eligible to apply till 30 July. The Department of Personnel and Training said in its notice that the candidates can be government officials at an equivalent level of any state or Union Territory as well as individuals at comparable levels at public sector banks, autonomous bodies, universities and research institutes.

Those from the public sector will be appointed on deputation, but candidates from the private sector will be hired on a contract basis. Selected candidates will be hired on three-year contracts and paid between Rs 1.44 lakh and Rs 2.18 lakh per month. Their contracts could also be extended based on their performance, and once hired as a joint secretary, they can enjoy perks such as government accommodation and vehicle.

The timing of the announcement indicates that the decision was made with the 2019 elections in mind. Administrative reforms should have begun in 2014, but no steps were taken beyond replacing the Planning Commission with NITI Aayog. In March 2017, Union minister Jitendra Singh had revealed that there was a shortage of more than 1,400 IAS officers  for 6,396 posts, only 4,926 were hired. An official notification released at the same time had also indicated that the government planned to hire only 980 officers, the lowest in the past five years.

Given the shortage of bureaucratic staff, the lateral recruitment of 10 joint secretaries is by no means a massive move as is being propagated. The process should have been extended across the board to fill the vacancies and bring in professionals from in all ministries.

The Opposition has criticised the governments announcement on lateral hiring, alleging that it was aimed at filling bureaucratic posts with individuals who look at the government favourably, even though this is not the first instance of lateral recruitment. The government had opted for lateral hiring in the 1980s, albeit mostly in the IT sector. Later, there were lateral inductions at higher levels, as well. For example, Sam Pitroda was made the chairman of the National Knowledge Commission (2004-2009)  a high-level advisory body to the prime minister that had submitted some 300 recommendations on 27 focus areas. In 2010, Pitroda founded the National Innovation Council and also served as an advisor to the prime minister with the rank of a Cabinet minister on public information, infrastructure and innovation.

Another example of lateral hiring could be of Arun Singh, who was brought in as an advisor to former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh with the rank of a minister of state by the government of the earlier National Democratic Alliance. When former defence minister George Fernandes stepped down from the post after what is known as the 'Coffingate', Jaswant Singh took over the defence portfolio, too. Arun Singh was deeply involved in restructuring the defence establishment and strategising on key issues, but he quit eventually because of the Opposition's allegations that were suspected to be encouraged by bureaucrats in the defence ministry.

What is surprising is that the Narendra Modi government completely left out the defence ministry in lateral hiring announcement, even though it had vehemently denounced the United Progressive Alliance for the sector. Ironically, the current government has done little to reform the defence ministry, despite its bureaucrats stymieing Modis pet 'Make in India' initiative. Also, instead of going after the defence estates, which the Controller General of Defence Accounts had recommended disbanding in 2010 for rampant corruption, the Modi government has empowered it further.

The British, who never trusted Indians, called services headquarters 'attached offices' in the 'Rules of Business' of the government and made the defence secretary responsible for the country's defence, which has not changed since Independence. In 1947, the Imperial Civil Service (ICS) included 322 Indians and 688 Britons, most of whom returned to England. The ICS was divided between India and Pakistan, and what remained with India was renamed the Indian Administrative Service  with the same idea of keeping services at arm's length and divided. To their joy, Nehru deemed the military an anathema that he was willing to disband, even saying that our Chinese friends could guard the North East Frontier Alliance  now Arunachal Pradesh. The question of the minister of defence or defence secretary giving strategic advice did not arise as they lacked the basic understanding of military matters. When Nehru made the strategic blunder of stopping the Indian Army from pursuing fleeing Pakistanis in 1948 and went to the United Nations, giving Pakistan the border with China it never had, the IAS sat mute or maybe applauded. Sadly, even though several scholars have pushed to have the defence ministry restructured and replaced with the Department of Defence, the government has made no such move.

The inner circle of the Bharatiya Janata Party has assessed that bureaucrats who detest Modis CEO-type functioning and fear that he may go after them had engineered the current political scenario that is making the party edgy. This worsened after the defence ministry briefed Modi on the unaccountability of the bureaucrats in the ministry. The Modi government must take the blame for failing to undertake administrative reforms, but the IAS is a closed group and perhaps Indias most powerful union, which the government does not seem to want to annoy. This is why negligible action is taken against bureaucrats, beyond retiring a few.

The lateral hiring induction move will not upset the IAS as some of the 10 vacant posts will be filled by employees from state or Union Territory governments. Anyway, these joint secretaries will report to additional secretaries from the IAS, and bureaucrats will have a say in their selection. While the move is a good initiative  besides being good for publicity  it is a case of too little, too late.

The author is a veteran lieutenant general.India said it has lodged a strong protest with Islamabad over any 'action to alter the status' of territories illegally occupied by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir and asked it to vacate all such areas

New Delhi: India said it has lodged a strong protest with Islamabad over any "action to alter the status" of territories illegally occupied by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir and asked it to vacate all such areas.

It was reacting to the changes to the 'Azad Jammu and Kashmir Interim Constitution' (13th Amendment) Act, 2018, which abolished the AJK Councils' administrative and financial powers, reducing it to an advisory body.

It was clearly conveyed that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir, which also includes the "so-called Azad Jammu and Kashmir" is an integral part of India by virtue of its accession in 1947, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a a statement.

"Any action to alter the status of any part of the territory under forcible and illegal occupation of Pakistan has no legal basis whatsoever, and is completely unacceptable.

"Instead of seeking to alter the status of the occupied territories, Pakistan should immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation," the statement said.

Earlier this month, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) dominated a joint sitting of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Council approved the amendments to the AJK Constitution.

Last month, India had summoned Pakistan's deputy high commissioner Syed Haider Shah and lodged a strong protest over Islamabad's latest move relating to administrative authority over the Gilgit-Baltistan region, saying any action to alter the status of any part of the territory under its "forcible and illegal occupation" has no legal basis.

The MEA had said it conveyed to Shah that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir, which also includes 'Gilgit-Baltistan' areas, is an integral part of India by virtue of its accession in 1947.

Through its order on 'Gilgit-Baltistan' on 21 May, Pakistan prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi seized more authority from the local council to deal with the affairs of the region.Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday strongly condemned the killing of two policemen in a pre-dawn terror attack at Pulwama.

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday strongly condemned the killing of two policemen in a pre-dawn terror attack at Pulwama.

In a statement, the chief minister termed the act as "highly reprehensible" as it was committed on a night when Muslims were seeking forgiveness from God, an official spokesman said.

Such incidents have the potential of depriving the people of the gains of peace moves like suspension of security operations and dialogue offer by the state and Centre, she said.

The chief minister asked the people to stand guard of the positivity generated by these peace moves on the ground which has given them ample relief and ease.

Mufti also conveyed her sympathies to the bereaved families of the slain policemen while praying for peace to the departed souls.

Former chief minister and National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah alsostrongly condemned the attack.

A Jammu and Kashmir Congress spokesperson described the killings as "dastardly and inhuman act".

The spokesperson said the killings deserved condemnation by every section of the society. He claimed the situation in the Valley had worsened due to wrong policies adopted by the state as well as the Centre.

Two policemen guarding the court complex in Pulwama district were killed on Tuesday in a terror attack. Militants opened fire at a police picket guarding the district court complex in Pulwama town in the early hours, a police spokesman said.

He said the policemen retaliated but were killed in the ensuing exchange of gunfire.Implementing the Rythu Bandhu scheme by plugging leakages and extending it to all those who till the land would have promoted farmers welfare.

K Chandrashekar Rao's Rythu Bandhu scheme of providing Rs 8,000 per acre per year as cash support amounts to providing a Rs 1,000 crore-bonanza for absentee landlords like real estate developers, urban rich etc. The actual tiller is ignored, while the landowner is benefited.

In a state that has a high incidence of tenancy farming, this scheme is bound to have huge leakages. Besides, the tardy implementation of the Forest Rights Act is depriving tribals and traditional forest dwellers, who do not possess ownership rights on the land they cultivate, of the benefits of the scheme. Many other sections of poor cultivators, whose land rights are not yet settled despite the revision of revenue records, also couldn't avail the benefits of the Rythu Bandhu scheme. Such leakages raise questions over the very intent of the scheme. They would make one wonder if the scheme is aimed at providing solace to farmers reeling under indebtedness, or is a master strategy to garner votes through cash distribution by official channels in an election year.

At a time when agriculture is becoming a negative economic proposition, such schemes would certainly lead to benefit. Even if the scheme benefits 60 percent of the farmers, it would mean a lot for the welfare of the peasantry.

Experts estimate that the Rs 4,000 capital support per season per acre would meet 10 percent of the production cost with regard to paddy cultivation in a wetland area and 30 to 40 percent of production costs in the case of pulses grown in dryland areas.

The nomenclature of the scheme itself indicates that it is for tillers, not landowners. In a society where land to the tiller still remains an unfulfilled slogan, there is a fundamental difference between a land tiller and landowner.

Agriculture is a cash-intensive sector. The market prices of agricultural lands are at significant variance with the official prices, making such lands vulnerable for the parking of unaccounted incomes. Besides, agricultural income does not attract any tax in India. Experts on black economy, thus, acknowledge the fact that a large amount of black money is parked in agricultural lands. This created a vast class of absentee landlords, people who are farmers on paper but actually do not engage in any agricultural operations, and are not exposed to the vicissitudes of the agrarian economy.

Some of these absentee landlords give their land for tenant farming, collecting fixed tenancy fees irrespective of natural and market shocks to the cultivator.

It is estimated that tenancy farming accounts for 15 to 20 percent of total land under cultivation in Telangana, though accurate estimates are difficult to obtain as most of the tenancy farming is not recorded.

These tenant farmers bear the brunt of nature and the market, besides the exploitation of the landowner. However, the Rythu Bandhu scheme excludes the tenant farmers, who constitute the most vulnerable section of the peasantry.

In fact, in recent decades, there has been a massive appropriation of agricultural lands, especially due to the expansion of real estate. Land has become a major speculative source of investment. The real estate developers, the resort and farmhouse owners, private education mafia, and many individuals who have a huge surplus and unaccounted income bought vast tracts of agricultural land. Some of these tracts are not even under tenant cultivation. Most of these lands remain fallow. Even non-resident Indians invested heavily in agricultural land. All these categories of landowners do not contribute anything to the agricultural growth. Rather, they impede agrarian growth by keeping land not under cultivation. However, as they are all owners of agricultural land on record, the Rythu Bandhu scheme benefits them too. The Rythu Bandhu scheme, in the manner in which it is now implemented, does not link the capital support to whether or not crops are raised on the land.

Thousands of acres of land are under benami ownership as several people have capitalised on the loopholes in the land ceiling Act. However, these benami landowners are also getting capital support. This not only legitimises the violation of law but also encourages the further flow of black money into agricultural lands.

According to rough estimates, such misuse of this scheme amounts to as high as at least Rs 1,000 crores per season. The scheme is implemented in two agricultural seasons in a year. Instead, this money can be spent on providing work for landless agricultural labourers in the lean season for agriculture.

Tribals and traditional forest dwellers cultivate about six lakh acres of land in the state. The erroneous assumption is that these tribals have denuded forests. The fact is that there are no forests on these lands, though they are categorised as forest lands in the records. Further, thousands of acres are under dispute between revenue and forest records. These land titles have still not been settled, despite the latest round of revision of land records.

Poor farmers have been cultivating endowment lands, government barren lands etc for generations. Yet, they do not have land titles.

As per the law, non-tribals cannot own lands in scheduled areas. This is aimed at preventing alienation of tribal lands. Thus, thousands of acres of tribal lands are under cultivation by non-tribals. There are many non-tribal poor people among such cultivators of tribal lands. The law rightly prevents the transfer of tribal land to non-tribals. However, the Rythu Bandhu scheme can be extended to such non-tribal cultivators of tribal lands, without detriment to the interests of tribals, till the settlement of such alienated lands is completed.

The government may have many legal hurdles in according land title rights to tenant lands, forest lands, endowment lands, disputed lands, etc. However, the benefits of the Rythu Bandhu scheme can be extended by identifying those who till the land at the village level in the gram sabha. Such beneficiaries can easily be identified at the village level.

Despite such leakages, estimates suggest that at least 60 percent of the Rythu Bandhu funds are really reaching the actual farmers. This is fairly high as per Indian standards of public administration. Therefore, no one would oppose the scheme, though it is beyond doubt that it has been formulated in view of the elections. The fact that the scheme was not implemented in the past four years and advertised across the national English media further gives credence to the possibility that the intent behind it is political. However, implementing the scheme by plugging the glaring leakages and extending it to all those who till the land would have gone a long way towards promoting farmers welfare, independent of the critical rhetoric around such schemes.Dr Kafeel Khan's brother, who was shot at by unidentified assailants, was referred to KGMC hospital in Lucknow on Tuesday after his condition deteriorated.

Gorakhpur: Dr Kafeel Khan's brother, who was shot at by unidentified assailants, was referred to KGMC hospital in Lucknow on Tuesday after his condition deteriorated. Dr Kafeel Khan is an accused in the BRD Medical College case related to the deaths of 63 children.

His brother Kashif Jameel was shot at on Sunday night when he was returning home on his bike near JP Hospital in Humayunpur north area, with three bullets hitting him. One bullet had hit him in the neck and another on the upper arm and he underwent surgery at a private hospital in Gorakhpur.

According to the hospital, 35-year-old Kashif Jameel's surgery was done by RV Dubey and the bullets were removed. He has been referred to trauma centre at KGMC. Kashif Jameel is an engineer by profession and married just a year ago. Dr Kafeel Khan accused police of making unnecessary delay in his brother surgery,

Police intentionally delayed the surgery and wasted three golden hours. Police have denied the allegations.

Senior Superintendent of Police of Gorakhpur Shalabh Mathur said that the district hospital referred the injured to the BRD Medical College but the family members insisted on carrying out the surgery at a private hospital of their choice. Local Congress leaders went to the private hospital to see Kashif Jameel and also met his family. Syed Iqbal, a local Congress leader, raised the question on the law and order situation in the state. "I appeal for proper and speedy investigation and strict action against the culprits," he added.As someone who has worked in the private sector for more than five years, I was elated reading the notification regarding 'Lateral Recruitment to Senior Positions in Government of India'

"For every apparent blessing contains the seeds of danger  every area of trouble gives out a ray of hope  and the one unchangeable certainty is that nothing is certain or unchangeable."

- John F Kennedy

As a young citizen who has worked in the private sector for more than five years, I was elated after reading the notification issued by the Government of India's Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India regarding 'Lateral Recruitment to Senior Positions in Government of India' for two reasons. First, it was a much-needed shift from the conventional civil services, that suffer a colonial hangover and encourage inertia. Second, it provides middle-aged professionals a chance to be a part of nation-building and contribute to a better tomorrow for India.

Not corporatisation of Indian bureaucracy

Anyone who is trying to sell the narrative that this is the "corporatisation of bureaucracy" has clearly missed the point. Like every nation, whether emerging or developed, engages with experts and consultants for subject matter expertise, India has always reached out to experts who have excelled in their respective fields, to seek their guidance and support in policymaking.

- Indira Gandhi rewarded her special assistant Rajinder Kumar Dhawan  who started as a stenographer  with the rank of joint secretary in the Central government.

- Rajiv Gandhi reached out to Sam Pitroda, a telecom engineer by training, to see India through the telecommunication revolution. Pitroda served as the advisor to the prime minister on his technology mission. He was also the founding chairman of India's Telecom Commission. He also served as advisor to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, carrying the rank of a Cabinet minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovation.

- Siddhartha Shankar Ray, a veteran Congress leader, former Chief Minister of West Bengal and former Governor of Punjab was appointed India's Ambassador to the United States in 1992.

- Some of the best performing governors of the Reserve Bank of India were economists, with a body of relevant work behind them.

> Sir Osborne Smith, first Governor of RBI (1935-1937) was a professional banker who served for 20 years with the Bank of New South Wales and 10 years with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

> Of the 22 RBI governors in Independent India, only 10 have been from civil services. Even the Planning Commission, now NITI Aayog has had the privilege of hosting some of the best brains, who were not career bureaucrats.

To clear the air, hiring lateral recruits is not corporatisation by any stretch of the imagine for three reasons. First, the power to make laws continues to be with elected representatives, and thankfully there is no corporate intervention when the electorate casts its votes.

Second, we need to appreciate the difference between regulation and administration. In the truest sense, the role of a bureaucrat is to administer the laws and ensure social support reaches the last-mile beneficiary. This once again steers clear of any corporate influence.

Last, but not least, in the age of a vigilant media and active citizenry equipped with technology at any given point of time, it is impossible for a civil servant to influence any policy that will favour a particular corporate and get away with it, without the invisible hand having its origins in the galleries of legislature. Even the Nirav Modi or 2G scam is alleged to have had tacit support from multiple lobbies, and isn't just the handiwork of a few civil servants.

Bid to encourage nepotism is an overstretch

Personally, I am rather amused to come across influencers and supposedly well-read individuals who have interpreted the Government of Indias initiative for lateral recruitments as an invitation for nepotism and induction of like-minded individuals, who will then play by the lobby. This is an overstretch and an outcome of absolute lack of knowledge regarding the functioning of Indian bureaucracy. For the greater good of naysayers and deliberately misguided minds, here are a few clarifications:

- As stated earlier, civil servants dont make laws. They just facilitate ministers by providing data, research, and documentation. The ultimate decision lies with elected representatives, who are much smarter than their disposition often suggests.

- To address the concerns of an ideological takeover, it must be acknowledged that every individual cultivates a certain ideology. In a democracy like India, where the government is elected every five years, at some point in a civil servant's life, s/he is bound to serve a government that is in alignment with personal ideology. However, this doesn't stop the civil servant from delivering during the other terms.

- It is outrageous to underestimate the intelligence of a sitting civil servant by assuming s/he follows the instructions from superiors, without batting an eyelid, even when s/he is ideologically aligned to the establishment. At the same time, it is naive to believe that lateral entrants will be mere ideological stenographers or mouthpieces of corporates. I'd urge the cynics to meet some seasoned civil servants turned politicians like Yashwant Sinha, Hardeep Puri, Ajay Kumar, who have delivered at both ends of the spectrum and glean their honest opinion. At the same time, share a conversation with private sector hawks-turned-politicians like Jayant Sinha whose experience in the corporate makes them apt for crisis management, strategic decision-making and deal with failures without becoming distraught.

Revolving door policy: Babus are not indispensable

The 'revolving door' policy refers to a system, similar to the private sector, where public servants can join, quit (take a sabbatical) and re-join the services based on available vacancies and skill sets of the applicant, without age or experience-related restriction. This ensures that officers in service have the freedom to take up assignments of their choice and pave the way for their professional growth based on personal preferences. This not only helps the officers nourish their careers, but also maintains a fluid talent pool that prevents the germination of any sort of bureaucratic nexus.

The Narendra Modi government has taken sustained steps to eventuate increased efficiency and transparency within the bureaucratic system. For example, a decision of the government of the day to introduce a 360 performance review and move beyond Annual Confidential Reports for performance assessment of civil servants is also a welcome step directed towards weeding out non-performers.

For decades now, babudom has had its way through governance lapses, seated on the sheer lack of accountability that their jobs repose in them. Do you remember any civil servant who was named, shamed and blamed for a fiduciary scam or collapse of a bridge? No  they are usually transferred and the file is closed.

It is high time we agree that civil servants are not irreplaceable and a one-time examination success cannot be a lifelong insurance to livelihood. India is a competitive nation, where meritocracy and consistent delivery is a non-negotiable clause  both within and outside the governance regime. I am hopeful, that we will eventually see India through civil service reforms. As the next step, let us open doors for lateral entry at public sector banks and government enterprises.A special court in Mumbai on Tuesday issued non-bailable warrant against diamantaire Nirav Modi and his family members in the over $2 billion Punjab National Bank fraud case after taking cognisance of a charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate last month.

Mumbai: A special court in Mumbai on Tuesday issued a non-bailable warrant against diamantaire Nirav Modi and his family members in the over $2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case after taking cognisance of a charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate last month.

The Enforcement Directorate had last week moved the special court seeking warrants against the accused persons.

The non-bailable warrants (NBWs) were issued by Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) judge Salman Azmee against Nirav Modi and 10 others, including his family members.

The Enforcement Directorate had last month filed a 12,000-page chargesheet in the multi-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) cheating and fraud case against Nirav Modi and 23 others, including his father Deepak Modi, sister Purvi Mehta, brother-in-law Maiank Mehta, brother Neeshal Modi and another relative Nehal Modi.

The Enforcement Directorate has charged the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the over Rs 13,000 crore PNB scam case.

Nirav Modi is said to have left the country before criminal cases were lodged against him.

In a meeting held between Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and UK Minister of State for Countering Extremism, Baroness Williams in Delhi on Monday, the UK side confirmed the presence of Nirav Modi in Britain.Rajasthan minister Gulab Chand Kataria on Wednesday said the state government will write to Union home minister Rajnath Singh for speeding up the process of granting Indian citizenship to Pakistani migrants in the state.

Jaipur: Rajasthan minister Gulab Chand Kataria on Wednesday said the state government will write to Union home minister Rajnath Singh for speeding up the process of granting Indian citizenship to Pakistani migrants in the state.

The process is really slow and majority of cases are pending. I will write a letter to the Union home minister to get the process expedited at the central level. There is also a lack of coordination between the state committee and the Union home ministry which should be addressed, Kataria said after holding a meeting with state officials.

The state home minister informed that there were close to 14,000 Pakistani migrants living in Jodhpur alone. The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has given its report on 800 papers (applications), but the migrants are still waiting for the citizenship because the process is too slow, he lamented.Union minister and RPI (A) leader Ramdas Athawale appealed to Shiv Sena not to break alliance with BJP, saying any such act will result in electoral losses.

Jalna: Union minister and Republic Party of India (A) leader Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday appealed to Shiv Sena not to break its alliance with the BJP, saying any such action will result in electoral losses for it.

The Dalit leader also asserted that his own party's alliance with the BJP remains intact. The Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment said the Shiv Sena will suffer in elections if it quits the BJP-led NDA.

"If the Sena does not ally with the BJP, it will suffer in upcoming elections," he said, addressing a press conference in north Maharashtra.

The Rajya Sabha minister said he will speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and persuade him to talk to Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on continuing the alliance between the two saffron parties.

The Sena and the BJP are part of the governments at the Centre and also in Maharashtra. Sena has earlier announced that it will contest all future polls alone. Last week, BJP chief Amit Shah had called on Thackeray in Mumbai and the meeting was seen as an effort to reduce the tension between the bickering allies.

Asked about the rising incidents of atrocities on Dalits in the country, Athawale blamed them on the existing social system and maintained that the government was not responsible for such cases.The executive was not committing a 'cardinal sin' by seeking reconsideration of some proposals made by the Supreme Court collegium, Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

New Delhi: The executive was not committing a "cardinal sin" by seeking reconsideration of some proposals made by the Supreme Court collegium on the appointment of judges, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Monday amid charges by the Opposition that the government was stalling appointments to the higher judiciary.

He also said that the judiciary had enough "foresight and statesmanship" to settle differences within it and urged the political class to remain "immune" from the issue.

The law minister also made a veiled attack on the Congress, claiming that parties which had lost in elections were using courts to hit out at the ruling party through "sponsored litigation".

Referring to allegations that the government was stalling appointments to the Supreme Court and the 24 high courts, Prasad said neither the law minister nor the law ministry was a "post office" which would only process recommendations of the collegium on the appointment of judges.

The government had come under attack when it returned to the collegium its recommendation to elevate Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice KM Joseph to the Supreme Court, citing seniority and regional imbalance.

He said the government respected the verdict of the Supreme Court to quash the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act which sought to give the executive a larger say in judicial appointments.

"But I wish to make it very clear that the law minister or the law ministry is not a post office. This fact, I would like to very gently highlight. Even in the collegium system... created by the three judgments of 1993, 1998 and 1999, the right of the government has been acknowledged to seek a reconsideration and also to give inputs," he said addressing an event.

He said reports that by seeking a reconsideration, "we are committing a cardinal sin" is not correct.

"We have a constitutional role... we shall continue to respectfully and gently convey our views. Obviously, the collegium has to take a call," Prasad said.

Referring to appointments in the high courts, he said the years 2014 and 2015 were "lost" in the "NJAC battle" when appointments were stalled due to a lack of procedure.

Through NJAC, the government had sought to overturn the over two-decade old collegium system of judges appointing judges.

"In 2016, we appointed 126 high court judges, which was the highest number in the last 30 years. Since 1989, an average, 79 to 82 judges were appointed (per annum)," he said.

Prasad said, in 2017, 117 high court judges were appointed and till now 30 high court judges have been appointed. He said 30 additional judges were also made.

"And the things which are being processed, I am pretty sure, that the highest number of 126 appointments will be surpassed when 2018 ends," he said, adding that appointments were being fast-tracked.

He also said that the government's commitment for a robust judiciary is "complete and total".

In an opaque reference to the differences between the chief justice of India and four senior-most judges of the top court which came out in the open earlier this year, he said, "If there are differences in the judicial system, let us trust the foresight and statesmanship of the judiciary to settle it."

"I am pretty sure that there is enough foresight and statesmanship among the judiciary to settle the issue of differences, if any. I would urge the political process to remain as immune from this process as possible. Judges will come, judges will go, but the institution of judiciary has to remain. And we must respect their institutional integrity," he said.

Without naming it, he also hit out at the Congress for allegedly using courts to settle political scores.

"I would urge the political processes, political parties that we have enough space to settle our differences in the popular franchise. But those who have lost popular franchise should not make courts the centre of their political design through sponsored litigation. That will be a sad day for the country," he said.

He had used similar expressions while attacking the Congress in the past over the case related to the death of judge BH Loya.

In April, Prasad had accused the Congress of running the country through courts based on "half-baked, false and sponsored litigations". He had then alleged that the Congress used the death of Loya as a political tool to settle scores with the BJP.Take urgent steps to prevent further landslides in hill region

AT least 11 people have been killed in separate incidents of landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in Rangamati and Cox's Bazar. Among the deceased, 10 were killed in Naniarchar upazila of Rangamati and one in Maheshkhali upazila of Cox's Bazar, as per a local daily report.

In Naniarchar, landslides in Boro Kul Para, Hati Mara and Siyalli Para took place early today, triggered by non-stop rain since Sunday. Naniarchar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Muhammad Abdul Latif confirmed the casualties and their identities. Further rescue works are underway.

In Cox's Bazar, Badsha Mia, 35, was buried alive around 6:00am in Moheshkhali upazila, our local staff correspondent reports quoting Pradip Kumar Das, Officer-in-Charge of Maheshkhali Police Station. The body has been handed over to the family. The district administration has offered Tk 20,000 as aid to the family. It is to be noted that last year, during the monsoon, Bangladesh's most devastating series of landslides in a decade killed at least 170 people, 120 alone in Rangamati.

Man-made causes contributed largely to the recent landslides in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and a political commitment is required to address those causes for averting disaster in the region .The formation of a comprehensive hill land use policy and construction code for building infrastructure, including roads, in the hilly districts is needed to avert future disasters.

Hill cutting, unauthorised human settlements, deforestation, faulty infrastructure construction and change in agricultural and forest activities are the main man-made causes behind the landslides. Natural causes like heavy rainfall, effects of earthquake and climate change are also to blame. Without addressing the man-made causes, it would be impossible to prevent disasters like the landslides that left 11people dead. To do this coordination among the relevant agencies to address the matter must be established.

So political commitment is a must to ensure that man made causes don't exist. Trees must be planted adequately. A storm water drainage system is necessary in the region to ease water flow beside roads. Eviction of vulnerable human colonies from the hilly areas to avert loss of lives in landslides is another need, but those evicted must be rehabilitated properly.

But the government must also take adequate post disaster steps. They must properly equip the fire service and civil defense for rescue operations in the region. Construction of more shelters in the three hilly districts -- Rangamati, Bandarban and Chattogram, is also a must to handle post disaster scenarios.





IANS

Samsung has filed a motion with the US District Court in San Jose, California, to appeal a verdict that asked the South Korean giant to pay Apple $539 million for copying patented iPhone designs  a legal battle that dates back to 2011.

Samsung thinks the verdict is wrong and wants a refund of some damages already paid, CNET reported on 11 May.

It asked a court last week to either dismiss the judgement or retry the case in which the damages were decided, the report said.

Samsung was given the $539 million penalty last month as it was found infringing on five patents with Android phones it sold in 2010 and 2011.

The legal dispute between the two tech giants dates to 2011 when Apple sued Samsung. This led the South Korean tech giant to countersue the Cupertino, California-headquartered Apple in the same year, according to a report in The Korea Herald in May.

Samsung lost the case in 2012. It was ordered to pay the US tech giant more than $1 billion for infringing on three of Apple's design patents related to mobile devices  the quick links to phone numbers, the slide-to-unlock feature and the auto-correct function.

Under the US patent law, infringement of a design patent can result in a plaintiff receiving total profits made through the product.

Samsung's lawyers appealed the case, bringing down the compensation of $1 billion to $400 million in 2015 at the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

In an attempt to limit the compensation to profits attributable to a specific component patent in question, Samsung then appealed the lower court's ruling to the Supreme Court.

The South Korean tech behemoth argued that component design could be just a small part of a smartphone whose technologies involve more than 200,000 patents.

In late 2016, the US Supreme Court agreed with Samsung and ordered the two tech giants to negotiate a date for a retrial to settle the award money for Apple, the The Korea Herald report said.

The new appeal against the $539 million verdict suggests that the seven-year-old legal battle between the two tech giants is far from over.Spiritual leader Bhayyu Maharaj, who had refused to accept ministerial rank granted by the Madhya Pradesh government over two months back, on Tuesday allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself.

Spiritual leader Bhayyu Maharaj, who had refused to accept ministerial rank granted by the Madhya Pradesh government over two months ago, allegedly committed suicide on Tuesday. He shot himself in the head with a revolver at his Indore residence.

"He shot himself on his right temple in a room bolted from inside. We had to break the door to bring him out. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared brought dead," a police officer told PTI. The exact cause behind his death would be known after a detailed investigation, the official said.

Bhayyu's body was taken to the state-run MY Hospital for post-mortem and it will be kept at the Bombay Hospital on Tuesday night.

The spiritual leader's last rites will be held in Indore from 10 am to 12 pm on Wednesday, Bhayyuji's close aide and former head of his ashram Sharad Pawar alias Mausa ji said.

The spiritual leader is survived by his second wife Ayushi Sharma, who he had married in April 2017, and a daughter from his first wife Madhavi. Madhavi had passed away in November 2015.

As the reports about the incident spread, a large number of his supporters gathered in front of Bombay Hospital where the 50-year-old spiritual leader was admitted after the shooting incident. Bhayyu is very popular in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh because of his spiritual and social works. The spiritual leader also enjoyed a large following among politicians and celebrities. Several Maharashtra leaders, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, former chief minister late Vilasrao Deshmukh and former president Pratibha Patil have been known to visit the deceased spiritual leader.

Moreover, the high profile spiritual guru had offered juice to Narendra Modi in 2011 to end the then Gujarat chief minister's fast. Modi had invited him to his three-day Sadbhavana Upwas (Goodwill Fast) in September 2011 at Ahmedabad. Bhayyu was also at the forefront when India Against Corruption (IAC) movement, led by Anna Hazare, was at its peak in 2011-12. He was reportedly asked to mediate between the government and Hazare and he even negotiated with the agitators to convince them to break their fast.

Bhayyu, whose original name was Uday Singh Deshmukh, was also one of the five 'saints' to whom the Shivraj Singh government of Madhya Pradesh had granted Minister of State (MoS) rank in April. However, he had refused to accept it saying, "a post holds no importance for a saint". Prior to becoming a spiritual guru, he had done a modelling stint, his disciples said.

Politicians offer condolences

Political leaders cutting across the party lines expressed shock over Bhayyu's death. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was among the first few to offer his tributes to Bhayyuji. "My tribute to saint Bhayyuji Maharaj, The country has lost a person who was a confluence of culture, knowledge & service. Your thoughts will motivate society to follow the path of serving humanity," Chouhan tweeted.

"Learnt about the death of spiritual guru Shri Bhaiyyuji Maharaj. I had a personal relationship with him. His untimely death is saddening. My humble tributes," Union minister Nitin Gadkari tweeted. Fadnavis expressed similar sentiments and hailed the spiritual guru for the "huge work" he did for the deprived in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

Fadnavis said farmers and tribals were at the centre of Bhayyu Maharaj's activities. "Bhayyu Maharaj's work towards land reforms, water conservation, farmers (welfare) and education of children will always be remembered. Tributes to him!

"Am part of mourning of his big family and followers," the chief minister said on Twitter. Hailing Bhayyu Maharaj for carrying forward the legacy of spirituality in Maharashtra, Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said the news of his death was "shocking and unbelievable".

"The untimely death of Bhaiyyuji Maharaj, who was ever smiling, enthusiastic and one giving energy, is saddening. #RIP #BhaiyyujiMaharaj," the Congress leader said on Twitter.

Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan remembered the spiritual leader for his social and political work, which he said was aimed at helping the common people.

"A lot of political people used to meet him. He was a spiritual person, who motivated people to do good. He visited Maharashtra frequently and met a lot of people and was also involved in social work here," Chavan said in his condolence message.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik also expressed grief and observed that the spiritual leader had taken part in several social works in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. "May his soul rest in peace," Malik said on the micro-blogging site.

Madhya Pradesh Congress demands CBI probe

Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh Congress demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the death of Bhayyu, claiming that he was under pressure to work for the BJP government in the state. Talking to PTI, state Congress media department chief Manak Agarwal said, "Bhayyuji Maharaj had refused to accept ministerial rank granted by the Madhya Pradesh government. I had spoken to him some days back and Bhayyuji had told me that he was under pressure from the BJP government to work for them," he said.

Indore police begins investigation

Additional Director General (ADG), Indore Range, Ajay Sharma said that a notepad was found in his room on which he had purportedly written, "Somebody should be there to handle duties of family, I am leaving, too much stressed out, fed up". The people close to the spiritual guru claimed that it was his own handwriting, but the police will verify it through experts. Indore Collector Nishant Warwade said circumstances under which he committed suicide were a matter of investigation.

With inputs from PTI and 101 ReportersChief Minister Vasundhara Raje, along with a dozen BJP leaders from Rajasthan, will be in Delhi to attend a meeting called by party President Amit Shah on Wednesday, said BJP state incharge and national vice president Avinash Rai Khanna.

Jaipur: Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, along with a dozen BJP leaders from Rajasthan, will be in Delhi to attend a meeting called by party President Amit Shah on Wednesday, said BJP state incharge and national vice-president Avinash Rai Khanna.

Speaking to IANS, he confirmed on Tuesday that crucial issues related to the Assembly elections would be discussed in the meeting.

When asked about the pending issue of appointment of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s state president, he said there were fair chances of getting a new state unit chief in this meeting.

Everything related to the party, its working and the challenges facing it would be discussed in this meeting to be chaired by Shah, he added.

Both the central and state party leaderships have been unable to build a consensus on any name to head the party in the state after Ashok Parnami resigned from the post on 16 April.

The names proposed by the central BJP leadership were reportedly not approved by Vasundhara Raje and her team, while those suggested by her have not been accepted by the central leadership.

Party sources confirmed that besides Vasundhara, veteran leaders including Arjun Meghwal, Om Mathur, Bhupendra Yadav, state Home Minister Gulabchand Kataria and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Arun Chaturvedi, among others, are likely to attend the meeting.Arvind Kejriwal said residents will want the BJP to leave the city if it did not grant Delhi full statehood.

Surprising all present in the Assembly on Monday, Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal announced that his Aam Aadmi Party would campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the 2019 General Election if the Centre granted Delhi full statehood.

We will make sure that each and every vote from Delhi goes in your favour, Kejriwal said in the House. We will campaign for you. If you don't grant Delhi statehood, residents of Delhi will put up boards saying BJP leave Delhi.

I want to tell BJP that if before 2019 Elections, Delhi is granted statehood. we'll make sure that each & every vote from Delhi goes in your favour, we'll campaign for you. If you don't do so Delhi residents will put up boards saying 'BJP leave Delhi': Delhi CM in Assembly pic.twitter.com/C22uLu9PSf  ANI (@ANI) June 11, 2018

The chief minister made the statement on Monday right before the Delhi Vidhan Sabha unanimously accepted a resolution on full statehood for Delhi. The resolution calls on the Ministry of Home Affairs to introduce a Bill in Parliament to grant Delhi full statehood. As a union territory, Delhi only has partial statehood, and the AAP government does not have control over land, the Delhi Police and law and order, which remain under the control of the Centre. The AAPs argument has been that an elected government cannot be without any power.

The AAP has been fighting for years to have Delhi granted the status of a state, alleging that the lieutenant governor, who represents the Central government in Delhi, hinders the functioning of the region and works on the behest of the Centre to block the AAPs initiatives. Since coming to power in the city, the AAP has been at loggerheads with the lieutenant governor. Just on Monday, Kejriwal and other ministers began a protest at Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijals office  a protest that continued on Tuesday  demanding an end to a strike of IAS officers in Delhi.

During his speech appealing to the BJP on Monday, Kejriwal also reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his promise before the 2014 elections to grant Delhi statehood. "We will have to fight for the development of Delhi, our childrens future, the chief minister said. I want to tell Modiji that he had promised full statehood status to Delhi-ites before the last Lok Sabha elections. I want to ask him whether it was a jumla (election rhetoric).

Kejriwals appeal to the BJP also comes at a time when there has been speculation of an alliance between the Congress and AAP for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The Delhi chief ministers offer to the BJP surprised many also because Kejriwal has never held back in his criticism of the saffron party and its policies.

On Sunday, the AAP chief had announced a campaign to press for full statehood for Delhi, as part of the partys campaign for the 2019 elections. L-G, Delhi Chhodo (L-G, Quit Delhi) is the slogan party workers will raise across the city till their demand is met.Former prime minister and veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee has not only been a daft politician but a maverick orator as well.

Former prime minister and veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee has not only been a deft politician but a maverick orator as well. From speaking with elan in the Paliament to using humour and wit to tackle questions on a tricky issue like Kashmir, Vajpayee has always used the gift of gab to manoeuver through the hearts of the masses. Here is a look back at some of his most memorable and historic addresses:

When he defied all odds and brickbats to go ahead with the Pokhran-II nuclear test

"Today, at 3.45 pm, India conducted three underground nuclear tests in the Pokhran range. These tests conducted today were with a fission device, a low-yield device and a thermonuclear device. The measured yields are in line with the expected values. Measurements have also confirmed that there was no release of radioactivity into the atmosphere. These were contained explosions like the experiment conducted in May 1974. I warmly congratulate the scientists and engineers who have carried out these successful tests," Vajpayee said in his media address post the success of the tests.

And when he spoke in the Lok Sabha defending the nuclear tests

"We have been the victims of three attacks. This fate should not repeat. We are not getting ready to attack anyone. We don't have that intention. I was asked about the connection between Pokhran-II and the Lahore bus service. They are two sides of the same coin  the strength of our defence and the hand of friendship  the hand of friendship through honesty." Vajpayee asserted that India had to be fully self-reliant in matters of national security" as he reminded his critics: "Vah purusharth ke prakateekaran ke liye nahin tha (We did not do it to boast our valour). Rather, he said that India's policy was to "have a minimum and credible deterrent so that no external power will ever dare threaten us".

Even when India was hit with economic sanctions by the United States of America and several other western powers including Japan, Vajpayee stood firm to give out a clear message to the world. "We knew that India would have to face some difficulties. But we were also confident that Indians would overcome these difficulties with courage and determination. Economic sanctions could not stop Indias progress. We have never taken any decision, nor shied away from taking any decision, under foreign pressure", he boldly remarked in the Parliament.

When he announced his resignation in the Loks Sabha post the fall of his 13-day government in 1996

"You want to run the country. It's a very good thing. Our congratulations are with you. We will be completely involved in the service of our country. We bow down to the strength of majority. We assure you that till the time the work that we started with our bare hands in national interest is not completed, we shall not rest. Respected Speaker, I am going to the president to tender my resignation", Vajpayee remarked as he read out his speech which was titled 'Here comes my resignation, Mr Speaker'. His confidence was evident as he came back to form the government two year later 1998 and again in 1999 after the AIADMK withdrew its support to the NDA.

While addressing a joint session of the US Congress in 2000

"As we talk with candour, we open the doors to new possibilities and new areas of cooperation in advance in democracy, in combating terrorism, in energy and environment, science and technology and international peacekeeping. And we are discovering that our shared values and common interests are leading us to seek a natural partnership of shared endeavours. India and the United States have taken a decisive step, away from the past", Vajpayee had said.

"The dawn of the new century has marked a new beginning in our relations. Let us work to fulfil this promise and the hope of today. Let us remove the shadow of agitation that lies between us and our joint vision. Let us use the strength of all that we have in common to build together a future that we wish for ourselves and for the world we live in", Vajpayee asserted in a firm and straight address which was a marked contrast from his soft candour.

His Independence Day address from the Red Fort in 2002

"My dear countrymen, on this independence anniversary, we have a message - to come together, to work hard together to realize the dreams of our country. Our aim may be as high as the endless sky, but we should have a resolve in our minds to walk ahead, hand-in-hand, for victory will be ours. Come, let us strengthen this resolve with the cry of 'Jai Hind'. Join me in raising the slogan - Jai Hind. Jai Hind. Jai Hind. Thank you", Vajpayee said.HD Kumaraswamy said that Congress had insisted that he become chief minister, though his father and JD(S) supreme HD Deve Gowda asked someone from that party take up the top post.

Bengaluru: Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy said on Monday that Congress had insisted that he become chief minister, though his father and JD(S) supreme HD Deve Gowda asked someone from that party take up the top post.

"When Congress leaders said they want to make me the chief minister, he (Deve Gowda) said his (Kumaraswamy) health is not good... he has twice undergone treatment... let someone from your side become the chief minister," Kumaraswamy said.

The Congress leaders did not agree and pressurised him to become the chief minister "and have given it to me", he said.

Earlier Gowda had also said he had offered to support a Congress-led government in Karnataka after the fractured verdict in the Assembly polls, but the latter insisted on Kumaraswamy becoming the chief minister.

Stating that Sringeri Jagadguru (pontiff) asked him to stop corruption during his recent visit to the mutt, Kumaraswamy said he has been thinking of how to go about it, looking at the situation at Vidhana Soudha (state secretariat) He said he had told the pontiff he could try and stop it at his level and try his best to do it, but it was not easy to bring about a completely corruption free adminstration.

Noting that corruption starts with transfers, Kumaraswamy said there are middlemen in the corridors of Vidhana Soudha for this purpose, who claim chief minister and ministers are

with them.

"I'm hearing about all this. Looking at these things I told my father this morning that I'm scared.. how to run this government... Where to correct things, whether I will get a badname from people...he told to take it as a challenge," he added.The JD(S) has been allocated portfolios which are generally considered as revenue generating: Finance, excise, public works, power, tourism, education, transport, general administration department, intelligence, planning and statistics, and information.

Mandya: In the run-up to Assembly elections in Karnataka in May, Janata Dal (Secular) president HD Kumaraswamy pitched himself as a leader of the farmers. Kumaraswamy campaigned aggressively around agrarian issues and dangled the pie that farm loan waiver has become in Indian politics.

Therefore, it came as a surprise that JD(S) ministers failed to secure any of the key portfolios that address farmer issues such as irrigation, agriculture or rural development. In fact, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy kept as many as 11 portfolios but none of them had to do with agriculture or rural issues.

Earlier this week, the Kumaraswamy cabinet in Karnataka inducted 25 ministers: 14 from the Congress, nine from JD(S) and one each from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party (KPJP).

The JD(S) kept the portfolios which are generally considered as revenue generating: Finance, excise, public works, power, tourism, education, transport, general administration department, intelligence, planning and statistics, and information.

Animal husbandry and fisheries, minor irrigation, horticulture and sericulture are the only portfolios with JD(S) that directly relate to farmer issues. The Congress is in charge of over 20 ministries, including irrigation, agriculture, sugar industry and rural development.

Disappointment writ large

Shambhunahalli Suresh, president of Mandya district unit of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS), said that there was disappointment in the farming community as many were viewing the portfolio allocation as JD(S) reneging on its promise.

Before elections, JD(S) claimed to be the party of farmers and villagers, but it has not managed to get portfolios that are directly related to agriculture and rural sector. Instead, its leaders lobbied to secure revenue-generating portfolios, he said.

Mandya, a drought-hit district, witnessed 400 farmer suicides since 2012, according to figures from the department of agriculture.

Suresh claimed that in the same period, at least 100 sericulture growers ended their lives after import of silk from neighbouring countries hit their trade and they were unable to repay crop loans.

While in the Opposition, Kumaraswamy was vocal in blaming Siddaramaiah-led Congress government for not managing the severe drought that affected the state for the past few years, and for failing to prevent farmer suicides. Suresh added, There were expectations that Kumaraswamy would keep agriculture and related portfolios.

During campaigning, Kumaraswamy spoke about issues that affected the rural electorate. He talked of Mahadayi water dispute, Cauvery water sharing issue and Kalasa Banduri canal project between Karnataka and Goa. He promised that his party would waive off farmer loans within 24 hours of coming to power.

His promises worked: The party won 38 seats in the Assembly elections with a majority of the votes from rural areas. Priya Ramesh, a social activist from Srirangapatna, said, Wherever he visited, Kumaraswamy promised to uplift farmers. He even shed tears at public places when speaking on issues related to farmers. But now his party has taken plum portfolios.

Some of the voters anger has spilled on to social media. Mahadeva, a resident of Kallahalli village in Mandya, said, Memes and messages on social networking sites are being shared on how voters have been duped.

Manjula, a resident of Kothathi village in Mandya, said farmers were also upset after the state government slashed the procurement price of milk by Rs two per litre from 1 June. This was an anti-farmer move which has hit nearly 24 lakh milk producers across the state, she said.

JD(S) said it was aware that there was some resentment among the populace after the portfolio distribution. A senior party functionary said, We have seen the messages being circulated on social media. The party will try to balance this by securing chairmanships of major boards and corporations that are directly linked to farmers and rural Karnataka.

'JD(S) has chief minister'

JD(S) members in Mandya said the party was committed to uplifting farmers and the rural community. The JD(S) said that Kumaraswamy recently convened a meeting of the farmer leaders in Bengaluru and assured them that he would fulfill his poll promises, including loan waiver.

D Ramesh, president of Mandya district Janata Dal(S), said, So what if JD(S) does not have agriculture, rural development and other major portfolios directly related to the agricultural sector? It has the chief minister to control and monitor all developments.

Another JD(S) member said that the party had chosen portfolios that would help it boost its urban voter base ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Congress spots opportunity

The Congress sees an opportunity in its coalition partner's reluctance to handle portfolios related to rural issues. Former minister and Congress district unit president for Mandya MS Atmananda said, Our ministers have portfolios such as agriculture, rural development, housing, social welfare, labour among others. All of these are considered public welfare portfolios. The Congress will happily utilise the opportunity to serve the society as it has been doing for decades.

Listing the achievements of the former Congress government, M Mahesh, councillor of Mandya City Municipal Council, said it spent over Rs 10,000 crore to repair waterways across Mandya district and also repaired crest gates of the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) reservoir with the financial assistance of the World Bank.

The Congress government spent more than Rs 40,000 crore to address irrigation woes. Hundreds of lakes were rejuvenated through the Kere Sanjeevini programme. Through schemes such as Krishi Honda and Pashu Bhagya, online trading of agricultural produce were introduced by Siddaramaiah. Housing schemes were rolled out for the benefits of the poor among other measures, he said.

Other political experts said that time was ripe for the government to initiate measures to help drought-hit farmers. KRRS leader Jayaram, who is from Pandavapura said, The state has been blessed with good pre-monsoon showers. The government should take advantage of this by initiating measures such as rejuvenation of lakes, increasing water storage capacity and providing quality seeds and fertilisers to farmers.

Deena D'Silva is a Mandya-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reportersBJP candidate Suresh Dhas on Tuesday won the Maharashtra Legislative Council election from the Osmanabad-Beed-Latur local bodies seat.

Mumbai: BJP candidate Suresh Dhas on Tuesday won the Maharashtra Legislative Council election from the Osmanabad-Beed-Latur local bodies seat. The former Maharashtra minister defeated NCP-backed Ashok Jagdale by a margin of 74 votes, an election official said.

Of the 1,003 votes polled, Dhas got 526 votes, while Jagdale polled 452 votes, an official release said. Altogether 25 votes were declared invalid, while a voter opted for the None of the Above (NOTA) option.

Counting of votes was held on Tuesday for the seat, where biennial elections, along with five other Legislative Council seats, were held on 21 May.

While the counting of votes for those five seats was held on 24 May, the process for Osmanabad-Beed-Latur local bodies seat was deferred due to a court order on the suspension of some local bodies members in Beed district.

In the results declared for the five local body seats on 24 May, the BJP and the Shiv Sena had won two seats each, while the NCP retained one.

The ruling BJP and the Shiv Sena had contested the polls in alliance. The opposition Congress and the NCP had also tied-up for the biennial polls.

Apart from Amravati, the BJP bagged Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli local bodies seat. The Shiv Sena won the Nashik and Parbhani Hingoli local bodies seats. The NCP retained the Raigad Ratnagiri  Sindhudurg seat but lost the Nashik seat to the Sena.

The Congress fared poorly in all the three seats it contested  Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadhchiroli, Parbhani-Hingoli and Amravati.

After the result, the BJP's tally in the 78-member Upper House has increased to 19, while the NCP's tally is 21. Congress has 17 while Shiv Sena has 11 members in the House.The ruling BJP and the Shiv Sena had contested the polls in alliance. The opposition Congress and the NCP had also tied-up for the biennial polls. Apart from Amravati, the BJP bagged Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli local bodies seat.

Mumbai: In a setback to the NCP, the party turncoat and BJP nominee Suresh Dhas won the Maharashtra Legislative Council election from the Osmanabad-Beed-Latur local bodies seat on Tuesday. The former Maharashtra minister defeated NCP-backed Ashok Jagdale by a margin of 76 votes, an election official said.

Dhas' victory is seen as a jolt to Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde (NCP) who is at loggerheads with his estranged cousin sister and BJP minister Pankaja Munde.

Of the 1003 votes polled, Dhas got 527 votes, while Jagdale polled 451 votes, an official release said. Altogether 25 votes were declared invalid, while a voter opted for the None of the Above (NOTA) option. The quota of votes required for win was 490 votes.

Interestingly, out of the total 1,005 votes, the BJP and Shiv Sena collectively had just 367 votes whereas the NCP and the Congress had 527 votes while the MIM and others had 92 votes. The difference between the votes polled by Dhas and Jagdale indicates that 76 corporators had cross-voted in Dhas' favour.

"Some wearing the watch on their hands have cross-voted for me," Dhas said alluding to the election symbols of the Congress (Hand) and the NCP (clock).

Dhananjay Munde alleged the BJP used all possible means and government machinery to ensure victory of its candidate. Counting of votes was held today for the seat, where biennial elections, along with five other Legislative Council seats, were held on 21 May.

While counting of votes for those five seats was held on 24 May, the process for Osmanabad-Beed-Latur local bodies seat was deferred due to a court order on suspension of some local bodies members in Beed district. In the results declared for the five local body seats on 24 May, the BJP and the Shiv Sena had won two seats each, while the NCP retained one.

The ruling BJP and the Shiv Sena had contested the polls in alliance. The opposition Congress and the NCP had also tied-up for the biennial polls. Apart from Amravati, the BJP bagged Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli local bodies seat.

The Shiv Sena won the Nashik and Parbhani-Hingoli local bodies seats. The NCP retained the Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat but lost the Nashik seat to the Sena.

The Congress fared poorly in all the three seats it contested  Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadhchiroli, Parbhani-Hingoli and Amravati. With Tuesday's result, the BJP's tally in the 78-member Upper House has increased to 19, while the NCP's tally is 21. Congress has 17 and Shiv Sena 11 members in the House. The JD(U) and PRP have one member each while there are six Independents.

The BJP would stake claim to the post of deputy chairman of the Upper House as it has two more members than the Congress, a party leader said.Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar said seat-sharing will be discussed and decided within the NDA when elections come and 'there is no discontent' in the ruling alliance.

Patna: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said seat-sharing will be discussed and decided within the NDA when elections come and "there is no discontent" in the ruling alliance, as he distanced himself from reports about his party demanding 25 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in next general elections.

Kumar sought to put the blame on political leaders trying to seek "publicity" by making out of turn statements in newspapers, TV channels and on social media.

"You can see all of us working together. There is no discontent. The problem is, today newspapers have more pages than before, news channels run 24X7 and then there is social media where anybody can say anything without worrying about backing a claim with facts," he said.

Speaking to reporters, the JD(U) leader also sought to distance himself from assertions by some leaders that his party be acknowledged as "big brother" in the coalition comprising BJP, LJP and RLSP within the state.

"When elections come, all things, seat-sharing included, will be discussed and decided. This is not the time. Though some people may go on issuing statements for publicity, these have no substance (inmein koi dam nahin hai)," Kumar said.

He was speaking on the sidelines of Lok Samvad, a public interaction programme where common people of the state are given an opportunity to come up with suggestions for improving governance.

He was talking to reporters in presence of a number of his cabinet colleagues, including Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, as also ministers Mangal Pandey and Prem Kumar.

The chief minister, who returned to the BJP-led coalition in 2017 after leaving the Grand Alliance comprising RJD and Congress as part of which he had fought and won the 2015 assembly polls, was responding to the political controversy that had erupted last week after some JD(U) leaders demanded Nitish being made "face" of the NDA in Bihar.

Reacting to the demands, BJP leaders had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the face of the NDA in the country while Nitish was its leader in Bihar.

The demands by JD(U) leaders for making Nitish face of the NDA in Bihar and his party "the big brother" in the coalition was also seen by some as a tactical position for getting a lion's share in the seat-sharing arrangement. This prompted another alliance partner RLSP to say that the next Lok Sabha elections as well as the state Assembly polls should be fought under the leadership of its chief Upendra Kushwaha, who is also a Union minister.

A former JD(U) leader, Kushwaha had formed the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party after falling out with Nitish Kumar.

Kushwaha also skipped a get-together of top NDA leaders in Bihar on Thursday last week though he claimed that he did not attend the function because of unavoidable personal reasons.

An Iftar party hosted by Kushwaha on Sunday was not attended by Nitish, Sushil Modi and leaders from the LJP, which further fuelled talks of discontent within the NDA in Bihar.

Before Kumar walked out of the NDA in middle of 2013 over elevation of Narendra Modi as prime ministerial candidate, the JD(U) and BJP had together fought Parliamentary elections in Bihar in 2005 as well 2009. In those elections, JD(U) had fielded candidates on more number of seats vis-a-vis the saffron partner.

But, in 2014 general election riding on popularity of Narendra Modi, the NDA won 31 out of a total 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. While BJP bagged 22 seats, LJP of Union minister Ramvilas Paswan 6 and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party of Upendra Kushwaha 3. JD(U), which had fought the 2014 polls alone, could manage only two seats.

With Kumar's return to the NDA in July 2017, a raging debate has been triggered within the coalition now on seat-sharing between the four partners.Family accuse 4 unidentified attackers for murdering publisher Bachchu



The family of slain publisher Shahzahan Bachchu have started a case naming four unidentified people as suspects over the murder of the free-thinking writer in Munshiganj.

Bishakha Prokashoni owner Bachchu's second wife 'Afsana' initiated the charges at Sirajdikhan Police Station on Tuesday, OC Md Abul Kalam said.

Quoting witnesses, police said four assailants on two motorbikes shot Bachchu dead at Kakaldi, his ancestral village, on Monday afternoon.

The 65-year-old former president of Munshiganj unit of the Communist Party of Bangladesh received threats from religious extremists for his writings on the social media, people close to Bachchu said.

He was also the acting editor of locally published weekly Amader Bikrampur. A team of Counterterrorism Unit of Police from Dhaka visited the scene along with other top police officials of Munshiganj on Monday night.

Police are yet to name any suspect.It has been an unwritten code of Indian democratic polity that you dont play politics over health and such other personal and sensitive matters of a leader of another party.

On Monday evening it appeared to be a humanitarian gesture on the part of Rahul Gandhi to visit an ailing Atal Bihari Vajpayee in New Delhis AIIMS. However, in less than 24 hours, the Congress president made his visit to see the former prime minister a political issue.

It has been an unwritten code of the Indian democratic polity that you dont play politics over health and such other personal and sensitive matters of a leader of another party. Thats why no party ever questioned or publicly talked about the nature of Sonia Gandhis illness. Rahul is a self-declared prime ministerial aspirant for 2019 and thus it becomes supremely important for him to understand how to treat such a sensitive issue.

During his address to Congress workers at Goregaon in Mumbai on Tuesday, Rahul said that he was the first one to visit the former prime minister at the hospital indicating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and rest of the BJP leaders do not have respect for elders like Lal Krishna Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

He began by saying Modi talks about Hindu religion but in "our religion position of guru is supreme. Guru is the provider of knowledge. Who was the guru of prime minister? LK Advani (he stressed this) but he is not given any respect at functions.We fought against Advani and defeated him in 2004 and 2009. Unki raksha kaun karta hai (who protects him?) Congress party and its ideology Who fought against Vajpayee, we fought but when he is ill I went first to see him in the hospital because I am a sepoy of Congress party."

It should be noted that Rahul made these remarks about "protecting" LK Advani and taking care of Vajpayee on a day when charges were framed against him by a court in Bhiwandi in a defamation case for calling RSS the killer of Mahatma Gandhi.

Advani and Vajpayee, the two tallest swayamsewaks of RSS rank surely do not need Rahul's protection and sympathy. If Rahul had cared to talk to Advani about social and political proprieties, he would have known that the very first task which Advani handled or was assigned by Vajpayee after assuming office of the home minister and prime minister respectively on 19 March, 1998 was to fly to Thiruvananthapuram to attend the funeral of veteran Left leader EMS Namboodiripad.

As for visiting Vajpayee at AIIMS first, Rahul can claim that he scored a political brownie point over Modi and BJP president Amit Shah or even over Advani but while doing so he clearly forgot that unlike him, many others are closely aligned with Vajpayee for decades and are in touch with his family and doctors. They were advised by the doctors and family to "not to disturb" the senior leader till the initial tests were done and it was advisable for them to visit AIIMS only after doctors and family got a clear picture of the situation. However, by Monday evening the former prime minister's position had become relatively stable. But Rahul, as is clear now, had other intentions.

On Rahuls second contention of respecting elders and guru, he clearly had no recall value of how his mother Sonia and her coterie publicly humiliated and thrown out the then Congress president Sitaram Kesri from the party.

Rahul supposedly had two political gurus: Digvijaya Singh and Pranab Mukherjee. Singh, whose word during Rahuls apprenticeship as Congress' number two was kind of law in the party, is now trying hard to find a footing in the party's organisational structure. Once Rahul became Congress president, Singh began walking on foot for weeks on what he called Narmada Yatra as he was divested of one charge after another. The two-time Madhya Pradesh chief minister is now adjusted in the role of a marginal player in the state to work under Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

His other guru, Mukherjees position is no better. Senior Congress leaders vied against each to criticise the former president on his decision to attend an RSS function in Nagpur last week. Of all the Congress leaders critising Mukherjee, the most vehement was Ahmed Patel. It is no secret that Patel acts or speaks at the behest of Sonia. Thus Patels tweet against Mukherjee could be taken as a command performance, done at the behest of the Gandhi family. The Congress' top family has not taken a contrarian position on the subject either.

More so, the anger against Mukherjee was such that an iftar invitation to be hosted by the Congress party on 13 June was sent only as an afterthought following intense media scrutiny.Shiv Sena and NCP chief Sharad Pawar mocked and questioned government's claim that Maoists were plotting to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mumbai: The ruling Bhartiya Janta Party's (BJP) ally Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar have mocked and questioned Maharashtra government's claim that Maoists were plotting to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi, terming it as "laughable" and a story of a horror film.

While the Shiv Sena said the claim "does not seem to be legitimate", Pawar said the BJP was playing the "threat letter card" to gain sympathy.

The comments came over a claim by Maharashtra police that Maoists were plotting assassination of the prime minister as well as Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The police, after arresting five people with alleged maoist links last week, had said that a letter was seized from the house of one of them in which there was a suggestion about assassinating Modi in "Rajiv Gandhi-type incident".

"The plot to assassinate them (Modi and Fadnavis) seems mysterious and the story of a horror film," said an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamna', while noting that a letter purportedly suggesting this has come to light.

It said the issue is being milked for political purpose.

Quoting contents of the purported Maoist letter, the editorial said, "Modi has succeeded in forming governments in 15 states. If this continues, the organisation will be in trouble. And thus, Modi should be eliminated. All this was revealed by the police which seems laughable."

It added, "This conspiracy does not seem to be legitimate, is what being said by the experts."

On one hand, Naxalites plan to procure M-4 assault rifles along with four lakh rounds of ammunition and on the other hand, leave behind an assassination plot as evidence, the editorial wondered while referring to the police claim.

The Sena said that Modi's security is as strong as Mossad (Israel's intelligence agency) and it is virtually impossible for anybody to penetrate it.

Similarly, Fadnavis has converted the state secretariat into a "fortress", where the movement of common man has become difficult, it said.

In remarks laced with sarcasm, the Sena said Modi and Fadnavis should be provided with elaborate security cover so that they live even if "it is okay if lakhs of people die" (in Naxalite attacks).

Earlier, Pawar raised doubts over the veracity of the threat letter.

"The BJP has realised that they are losing the popular support. In order to gain sympathy, the BJP is now playing the threat letter card. However, I am sure that the people will not fall prey to such tactics," he said at a function in Pune on Monday.

"I have spoken to a senior retired police officer who told me that when such letters come they do not go to media but to the security agencies which make sure that adequate security measures are taken," the former chief minister said.

Fadnavis hit out at Pawar, saying he was not expected to "stoop to this level".

"It is very unfortunate that Sharad Pawar ji is raising doubts about the communication seized by the police which reveals the plot to assassinate PM Narendra Modi ji. He is the leader of our nation and not just of a political party," Fadnavis tweeted last night.

It is very unfortunate that Sharad Pawar ji is raising doubts about the communication ceased by the police which revels the plot to assassin Hon PM @narendramodi ji.  Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) June 10, 2018

"@PawarSpeaks is not expected to stoop down to this level. Police has all the evidences and truth will prevail," his tweet further stated.

In a tweet in Marathi, Fadnavis said that "Pawar ji should play politics of the nation and not politics of hatred."The TMC leadership has called an extended core committee meeting next week to evaluate its panchayat poll results and decide its strategy for the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

Kolkata: The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership has called an extended core committee meeting next week to evaluate its panchayat poll results and decide its strategy for the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

TMC supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will address the meeting scheduled to be held on 21 June, party sources said.

"This will be the first extended core committee meeting of the party after the panchayat polls. There will be an assessment of the panchayat results and accordingly steps would be taken," a senior TMC leader said.

The TMC scripted a resounding victory in the rural polls bagging more than 85 percent of the seats, while the BJP came a distant second, emerging as the main Opposition in the state.

Senior leaders will also discuss the present political situation in the state and the country, and will also spell out its line of action for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2019.

"Our party is planning to play a bigger role in national politics. So it is necessary to win a large number of seats from the state," the leader said.

Changes at various levels of district leadership are also likely to be made at the meeting.

The party is also likely to decide the fate of those panchayat members of the previous term who had not been given tickets this time.

They would likely to be given important posts in the party to avoid dissidence and infighting, the leader said.Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray said 'they shall see', responding to Sharad Pawar's appeal to build a common platform to fight 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Mumbai: A day after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar appealed to all "like-minded" parties to build a common platform to fight the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) in 2019 polls, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said "they shall see".

However, after news channels played up his remarks saying 'Thackeray has indicated that he would consider Pawar's offer to join the Mahagathbandhan', the Sena chief issued a clarification stating he had made the remarks in a lighter vein to get rid of reporters.

Thackeray termed the reports attributed to him as "totally false".

"Some private news channels have exaggerated my comments," a clarification issued by Sena quoted Thackeray as saying.

The Sena said when Thackeray was leaving after attending a meeting of Sena workers on upcoming legislative council elections at Rangasharda hall in Bandra, he spotted some reporters from electronic media who were blocking his path while seeking his reaction on Pawar's remarks.

The Sena president initially said that it was not right to talk while on the move and that he would speak later, according to the clarification.

"However, the media persons from private news channels stood in Thackeray's path and insisted on his reaction. To get rid of them Thackeray said in a jest that 'let offers come from everyone then we will see' and walked away," it said.

Sena said some news channels began flashing news that Thackeray had stated that he would consider the NCP chief's offer of joining the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance).

"The news is totally false and Thackeray has no intentions to this effect (to accept Pawar's proposal),"the Sena said.

Speaking about building a common platform against the BJP before 2019 polls, the NCP chief on Monday said in Pune, "All like-minded parties should come together. The NCP has already taken a lead to reach out to such parties".

Pawar also said that he was appealing to "all the like-minded parties barring the BJP" to approach Chief Election Commissioner for discarding Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and bringing back the old system (of paper ballot).

However, Pawar didn't take name of Shiv Sena.

The Sena, a bickering constituent of the BJP-led NDA government, has been repeately saying that the party would contest the upcoming polls on its own strength.

A day after Amit Shah called on Thackeray at the latter's residence in Mumbai on 6 June, Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said his party's decision to contest the next Lok Sabha elections solo cannot be changed by the BJP president.Reuters

US authorities said on 11 June that 74 people had been arrested in a global crackdown on email fraud scams, in which criminals have attempted to steal billions of dollars from businesses and individuals.

The cases involve a growing type of fraud known as business email compromise that targets employees with access to corporate finances. The fraudsters send emails that appear to be from trusted corporate executives or vendors, which instruct targeted employees to wire funds to accounts controlled by criminals.

The same groups also ran similar scams targeting individuals, including real-estate buyers and the elderly, the bureau said.

Nearly $2.4 million was seized in the six-month operation dubbed Operation Wire Wire and about $14 million in fraudulent wire transfers was recovered, according to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Of those arrested, 42 were in the United States, 29 in Nigeria, and the others in Canada, Mauritius, and Poland, the FBI said.Indo-Asian News Service

Japan on Tuesday launched a surveillance satellite to monitor North Korea's military installations and take pictures of areas affected by natural disasters.

According to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the radar satellite was launched using an H-2A rocket from the space centre in Tanegashima, Kagoshima prefecture, reports Efe news.

The agency confirmed that the rocket flew as planned and the data collection satellite separated correctly.

Radar satellites capture radio waves reflected from the ground and are capable of taking images even at night and without being affected by extreme weather conditions.

The Japanese government now has four of this kind in orbit as well as two optical reconnaissance satellites.Overdrive

Kawasaki India has opened bookings for the 2018 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R. The minimum booking amount is Rs 3 lakh and customers can reserve their ZX-10R at any Kawasaki dealership in India.

The 2018 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R is expected to be launched in India by the end of June 2018 or early July 2018. The company has chosen to ditch the CBU route and instead will assemble the ZX-10R at its Chakan facility near Pune. The kits will be imported from Japan. Kawasaki is looking to price the bike at a competitive price, lower than the cost of the outgoing ZX-10R. The CKD assembly is what will help it achieve this.

The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R is powered by a 998 cc, liquid-cooled, inline-four cylinder engine that develops 197 PS and 114 Nm. The ZX 10R has been widely regarded as one of the most capable litre-class bikes in the world. We rode the previous iteration a couple of years ago, in India, and were impressed by how well it performed.

This year, Kawasaki also launched the Ninja ZX-10R SE in markets outside India. Among the list of updates is the addition of electronic suspension which are said to have a significant advantage over the standard Showa suspension on the ZX-10R. We hope that Kawasaki brings the SE version to India some time later.

The Japanese manufacturer currently assembles the Z250, Ninja 300, Z650, Ninja 650, Versys 650 and Ninja 1000 in India.In Asia and the Korean peninsula, many have welcomed the diplomacy in recent months after a year of mounting tension, threats, and name-calling.

Tokyo: South Koreans cheered, Iran warned that President Donald Trump should not be trusted, and China said it may be time to discuss lifting sanctions on North Korea, as Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held an unprecedented summit on Tuesday in Singapore.

Around Asia and the world, many have welcomed the flurry of diplomacy in recent months between the two adversaries after a year of mounting tension, threats, and name-calling. Hopes for peace on the long-divided Korean Peninsula, however, remain tempered by the many failed attempts in the past.

"The United States and North Korea have been in a state of antagonism for more than half a century," Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said. "Today, that the two countries' highest leaders can sit together and have equal talks, has important and positive meaning and is creating a new history."

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang later said that UN sanctions against North Korea could be suspended or lifted in accordance with the North's actions. "We believe the Security Council should make efforts to support the diplomatic efforts at the present time," he said.

Trump said at a post-summit news conference that he has held off from imposing additional sanctions, but that the US would remove sanctions that are in place when the North's nuclear weapons "are no longer a factor."

Iran, meanwhile, reminded Kim that Trump should not be trusted because he could nullify any nuclear deal with North Korea, just as he pulled out of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.

Fars news agency quoted government spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht as saying, "We are facing a man who revokes his signature while abroad."

South Korean president Moon Jae-in said he "could hardly sleep last night" in anticipation of the meeting and expressed hope for "complete denuclearization and peace."

Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe welcomed Kim's written commitment to complete denuclearisation in an agreement signed with Trump at the end of their meeting in Singapore.

New Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, on a visit to Tokyo, said that "both sides must be prepared to give in certain issues if they expect to reach a good conclusion."

India's foreign ministry said in a statement that it hoped for complete implementation of the agreement signed in Singapore, "thus paving the way for lasting peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula."

At a train station in Seoul, the South Korean capital, people cheered and applauded as televisions screens broadcast the Trump-Kim handshake live.

"I really, really hope for a good outcome," said Yoon Ji, a professor at Sungshin University in Seoul. "I am hoping for denuclearisation and a peace agreement and also for North Korea's economy to open up."

Some questioned whether Kim would fully relinquish the weapons he may see as his only guarantee of survival.

"I am still not sure whether the North is willing to denuclearise or not," said Jo Han-won. "We never knew much about the North Korean regime and it's hard to distinguish what's true and what's false."

China, which provided a Boeing 747 that flew Kim from Pyongyang to Singapore, wants to ensure its interests are preserved in any negotiations, namely that they don't result in a unified Korea that is pro-American.

Hu Xijin, the editor of influential Communist Party newspaper Global Times, said that he was "truly happy for this moment." He dismissed as cynical those Chinese internet users who asked if Beijing had been marginalised in these talks.

"I think these people really grew up in negative energy," he wrote on his Sina Weibo microblog.

Japan's largest newspaper, the Yomiuri, printed a one-page "extra" edition in both Japanese and English that was distributed for free in major cities, 90 minutes after the meeting began.

Passers-by outside a Tokyo train station snapped up 500 copies in a flash, excited to have a souvenir of the historic event. They generally welcomed the meeting as a good first step but wondered if any progress would be made on the fate of Japanese abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.

"My biggest concern is the abduction issue, then the nuclear and missile," said 70-year-old retiree Tomoaki Kenmotsu. "I have no idea how much the abduction issue is being taken up at the summit, but I hope it will be a good start for that issue too."

Shinzo Abe thanked Trump for raising the issue with Kim and said that "Japan will deal firmly with North Korea face-to-face" to resolve it.

The hard work remains to come, said Momoko Shimada, a 20-year-old student: "After the handshake and political show will be the real action. I believe that won't be easy."Bangladeshi writer-publisher Shahzahan Bachchu shot dead by unidentified attackers in Bangladesh, ending the lull in the killings of secular bloggers and activists in the country.

Dhaka: A prominent Bangladeshi writer and publisher was shot dead by unidentified attackers in central Bangladesh, ending the brief lull in the killings of secular bloggers and activists in the Muslim-majority country.

Shahzahan Bachchu (60), an outspoken proponent of secular principles and owner of publishing house Bishaka Prokashoni that specialised in poetry, was gunned down in his ancestral village Kakaldi in Munshiganj district on Monday evening by five assailants.

Bachchu had gone to meet friends at a pharmacy near his house before iftar when the five attackers on two motorcycles arrived. They detonated a crude bomb outside the pharmacy and created panic, the Dhaka Tribune reported. They then dragged Bachchu out of the shop and shot him, a senior superintendent of police was quoted as saying.

Although no group has claimed responsibility for the murder, police officials from the counter-terrorism department are investigating the murder as a possible targeted attack by Islamist extremists.

Bachchu had previously received threats from extremist groups for his outspoken support for secularism. He was a former district general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh and was known as a free-thinking writer. His publishing house is based in Dhaka's Banglabazar area.

Deaths of secular writers, bloggers, online activists and a publisher in attacks by suspected Islamist militants shook Bangladesh for months after the murder of atheist writer and blogger Avijit Roy in Dhaka on 26 February, 2015. Roy's publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan was also hacked to death on 31 October the same year. Militant groups claimed responsibility for most of these attacks, and law enforcers arrested many radical Islamists in connection with the attacks.SOFIA (Reuters) - A Bulgarian military helicopter crashed at an air base near the southern city of Plovdiv during a routine exercise late on Monday, killing the two pilots and injuring a crew member, the defence ministry said on Monday. The Russian-made Mi-17 was around 50 meters above the Krumovo base when it fell at about 8.30 pm local time (1730 GMT), the ministry said, adding it was investigating

SOFIA (Reuters) - A Bulgarian military helicopter crashed at an air base near the southern city of Plovdiv during a routine exercise late on Monday, killing the two pilots and injuring a crew member, the defence ministry said on Monday.

The Russian-made Mi-17 was around 50 meters above the Krumovo base when it fell at about 8.30 pm local time (1730 GMT), the ministry said, adding it was investigating.

Last July, a military helicopter crashed into the Black Sea off the Bulgarian coast during tactical drills, killing an officer and injuring two others.

(Reporting by Tsvetelia Tsolova; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.Khaleda can take treatment at CMH: Asad



Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan has proposed to take BNP chief Khaleda Zia to Dhaka's CMH for medical tests, hours after her family sought permission from the home ministry to take her to the United Hospital.

Inspector General of Prisons Syed Iftekhar Uddin told reporters on Tuesday morning: "Jail authorities decided to take her to BSMMU, but she is not willing to take treatment there."

Following the IG prisons' statement, a BNP delegation on behalf of Khaleda's family went to the Home

Ministry, seeking to transfer her to the United Hospital.

After receiving the application, Khan said: "We will propose to take Khaleda Zia to the CMH [Combined Military Hospital] for best treatment in line with the jail code."

"If she wants to go there, we can arrange medical tests for her. We will try our best for her treatment."

On a question, Khan said: "The Bangabandhu Medical University and CMH are better than any private hospital. Specialist doctors are there. Moreover, the CMH has played a role in many crisis moments. Considering this, we will offer treatment at the CMH."

According to the IG prisons, Khaleda prefers to take treatment at the United Hospital.

On a question whether there is any scope for considering the application for the treatment at the United Hospital, Khan said, "I do not think no more argument is needed for this."

"If Khaleda Zia or her family rejects the proposal of taking treatment at the CMH, we'll take next steps as per the situation."

The BNP has long been demanding the government to take 73-year-old Khaleda to the United Hospital for medical tests.

On June 5, she had a fall, prompting renewed pressure from the BNP to get her the best treatment.The images from the historic summit between US president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have begun to flood social media timelines. The full details of what went on behind closed doors between the two leaders are still awaited.

The images from the historic summit between US president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have begun to flood social media timelines. The full details of what went on behind closed doors between the two leaders are still awaited.

But as the leader of one the world's oldest and largest democracies meets the infamous authoritarian, the outcome is anyone's guess. The meeting has, however, served to underline two things: It has provided a degree of legitimacy to the North Korean regime, that the supreme leader of North Korea is meeting the president of the United States, a global superpower, is certain to grant domestic and international political legitimacy to Kim Jong-un's regime.

Two, the remarkable rapprochement between the two leaders, within a year of threatening each other with missile attacks, has served to underline the importance of personalities in international relations. After decades of hostile relations, the US president has managed to pull off a remarkable feat. The turnaround in ties can largely be attributed to how Trump has traversed his equation with Kim.

Personalities in foreign policy making are largely understudied and undervalued. An individual decision-maker usually interacts with the constraints of the international system, and domestic political structures to make the final choices. While the pushes and pulls over the national and international environments are important variables to decision-making, it ultimately boils down to individual personalities on when, how and what decisions are finally taken. In case of the Trump-Kim relationship, the personality of Trump had a significant role to play in the run-up to the summit.

Trump has maintained a transactional, profit-seeking outlook on issues of foreign policy. This was made evident from his decision to impose steep tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, triggering a potential trade war with China, his constant criticism of US allies for 'not doing enough', his withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and his refusal to endorse the G7 statement.

His America-first policy has laid great emphasis on non-intervention, increasing trade protectionism, bringing back jobs to America and reducing the influx of migrants and refugees to the American mainland. America-first is ideologically driven by the president's old school conservatism coupled with his business acumen in maximising his options.

A flexibility with choices has also been reiterated by the president as his preferred modus operandi on numerous occasions. Trump is also well known for his boastful style with a flair for populist promises, self-endorsement, and a search for moments that can make him look heroic in the international arena. Most of Trump's policies, therefore, bear a hallmark of his personal qualities. The yin and yang of his equation with Kim read somewhat similar.

Within a year, Trump has gone on from threatening Kim with fire and fury to a one-to-one meeting in Singapore which culminated with the signing of an agreement. The military options available to the Trump regime were limited from the very beginning. After threats were issued from both sides, the paradox of nuclear weapons ensured that the military threats fizzled out quickly.

This, coupled with South Korea's decision to better ties with the North, might have pushed Trump to look for a rapprochement that could bring him back to the limelight. It becomes pertinent to point out that Trump was the first to take credit for the end of the seven-decade war in the Korean Peninsula, announced earlier this year after the historic meeting between the leaders of the North and South.

This is in line with Trump's desire for grand gestures that would make him stand out. This personal quality of Trump, along with his value-for-money approach is also largely responsible for the other numerous U-turns that the American foreign policy has witnessed.

His equation with North Korea is guided by his instincts of seeking a solution to the long-standing crisis: Either militarily or diplomatically, that can serve to alter the course of US-North Korea relations and etch his name in US history.

The key to understanding Trump's foreign policy decisions, therefore, lies in figuring out the probability of a given set of outcomes depending on what they can do for his personal reputation. Trump may be an important test case in analysing what personalities can do for foreign policy decision-making given how individualistic and personalised diplomacy is being used by leaders at the very top to create some more space for policymaking.US president Donald Trump can certainly claim a victory in the fact that he got one of the most recalcitrant regimes in the world to come and sign a deal.

The summit of the year has just finished, accompanied by the din of clicking shutters, as cameramen recorded what is probably the least winsome twosome that ever got together. US president Donald Trump can certainly claim a victory in the fact that he got one of the most recalcitrant regimes in the world to come and sign a deal that promises to denuclearise the Korean peninsula.

The term denuclearise is, however, a very complicated term, particularly since the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has a full hand in terms of the missile and nuclear capability. But the first step has been taken, and with it will come a series of other changes that could lead to a shift in the history of the peninsula and that of the countries around it.

The agreement between the two leaders is now out. Its a short one, and simply commits the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to denuclearisation and the US to provide security guarantees, unspecified as to its extent. The media will undoubtedly have a field day criticising its lack of specificity. But this is really all that is required from a presidential-level meeting. Besides, it contained one line, that committed the DPRK to the Panmunjom Declaration.

That document is fairly detailed and includes among other things, a joint liaison office with resident representatives of both sides in order to facilitate close consultation between the authorities, a series of military measures to bring down tensions, and to carry out disarmament in a phased manner. That is the most sensitive document of all, even more than any forthcoming agreements on verification. It depends heavily on South Korea keeping its head and not responding to probable North Korean needling. Thats going to be very difficult to implement, and even more difficult to predict in terms of its sustainability.

Meanwhile, as Trump stated clearly, the US gave up nothing at all. The 32,000 troops in South Korea will remain as also the 50,000 odd troops in Japan. So will US sanctions, with the president referring to another tranche of actions that was being held in reserve. Thats a lot of things that will continue until North Korea takes the first steps to start the process.

In short, all that the US president gave the 26-year-old dictator was a photo opportunity of the decade, and a chance to turn his country into another Seoul. The naysayers will hate it, but this is truly a Trump victoryfor nowand if he chose to call Kim and his parents his friends, thats part of his negotiation style. The Canadians may not like it, but his constituency will.

Most the questions addressed to the US president during the presser immediately after the summit were on the issue of verification of future denulearisation. The US has a long experience of verifying arms control agreements from the 1970s, and technology has improved immensely since then. It's as well to note that Japan and South Korea as well as China itself will probably also be watching.

Pyongyang will want something in return at each step, and heres the surprise. Trump said that the bill will be footed by the South Koreans and the Japanese. The US apparently is done with paying for others' security. That was a surprise, and has yet to be elucidated. Trump is also looking at saving money on expensive war games. This is a president that is a careful housekeeper. And his abiding line is that hes not letting anyone rob the American people. All of that will sell very well with his voters, even if it's not true. The US has never been one for freebies.

Theres one thing the US president didnt seem to get. He wondered aloud why an agreement with the DPRK had not been reached sooner. That shows a lack of understanding of just how "talented" his favourite world leader is. Chairman Kim waited until he had a working, effective capability to not only hit Japan (not to mention South Korea whom he can flatten) but also US territory with an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

This is a smart man whos read his arms control history. The US has never, ever done a good deal with a country that has questionable capability. One only has to look at the Iran negotiations to get that clear. Besides, its a good idea when negotiating, to do it with a full hand. And North Korea has a very full hand indeed. None of that is going to go anywhere without hefty economic assistance, and a lot of time, with many a slip likely, that could jettison the whole deal.

Meanwhile, true success will be reached when each player in this complicated game can claim a victory of its own. The fact remains that the first leader Chairman Kim met was President Xi Jinping of China. At the calm and very controlled meeting, Kim looked anything but happy, unlike his beaming smiles alongside the US president. He was sent across Chinese airspace in an aircraft loaned by Beijing, probably loaded with listening devices. This agreement had President Xis fingerprints all over. The question is what the quid pro quo is likely to be, and is something that will be of central concern to every country, including India.

The most sensitive negotiations are yet to come, and most of it will be held in secret, with Japan and South Korea among others. The weapons inspections teams have to be set up and the issue of abducted Japanese dealt with. North Korea is still one of the most secretive places on earth, and it's unclear whether there is any threat to Kim himself. After all, the country has paid a very great cost to build up this nuclear arsenal.

And finally, there is the largest question of all. To whom will a largely reunited Korea turn? It would be ironic if the peace deal of the decade would be the pace setter for another war for influence on the peninsula. Only time will tell. Meanwhile, Trump can take a bow, while his negotiators make sure that the applause doesnt die down.US President Donald Trump addresses the media in Singapore and started his speech with, 'We are ready to write a new chapter in US-North Korea history.' 'Trump calls Kim talks 'honest, direct and productive.' 'We got to know each other well in a very confined period of time under very strong, strong circumstances.'

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Trump-Kim Summit Latest Updates: US President Donald Trump said, "We are probably going to need another summit." He added that he will visit Pyongyang "at a certain time."

Trump said that he will invite Chairman Kim to the White House "at an appropriate time," and that Kim has accepted the invite.

Trump addresses the media in Singapore and started his speech with, "We are ready to write a new chapter in US-North Korea history." Trump calls Kim talks "honest, direct and productive." "We got to know each other well in a very confined period of time under very strong, strong circumstances," says US president.

Trump says there is now a hope that the Korean War can be brought to a formal end. "It will soon end. The past does not have to define the future." "Chairman Kim has before him an opportunity like no other to be remembered as the leader who ushered in a glorious new era of prosperity for his people," says Trump.

Reports have claimed that North Korea in the "comprehensive document" signed by Kim and Trump, has committed to complete the process of denuclearisation in the Korean Peninsula. The document still has not been made public.

#BREAKING Kim commits to 'complete denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula' in joint text  AFP news agency (@AFP) June 12, 2018

Trump and Kim signed a joint agreement, which the US president dubbed as an "important document." However, details related to the document are still sketchy. "We're signing a very important document, a pretty comprehensive document," Trump said addressing a roomful of reporters who were waiting. He said he would discuss it "at great length" at the news conference at 4 pm, and indicated it would be made available publicly.

Kim said that he wanted to express gratitude to Trump for ensuring that this meeting happened. "We had historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind and we are about to sign the historic document. World will see the change," Kim said.

President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un addressed a limited number of journalists after a morning of meetings with each other. Trump said, "A lot of goodwill went into this." Kim said, "It's time to leave past behind and the world will see major change."

Reporters asking questions of Trump and whether the statement is a deal is to secure denuclearization: "We're starting that process quickly, very very quickly," Trump says. Then says reporters need to wait "a little while" for further details. Trump declined to specify what exactly the leaders would be signing. Trump said after emerging from hours of talks with Kim on Tuesday in Singapore that "we're going right now for a signing."

Trump and Kim came together for a momentous summit Tuesday that could chart a course for historic peace or raise the specter of a growing nuclear threat. Kim called the sit-down was a "good prelude for peace" as Trump pledged that "working together we will get it taken care of."

In a meeting that seemed unthinkable just months ago, Trump and Kim met with staged ceremony at a Singapore island resort. Before the watching world, they strode toward each other and clasped hands warmly before a row of alternating U.S. and North Korean flags. The duo then moved into a roughly 40-minute one-on-one meeting, joined only by their interpreters, before including their advisers for additional talks.

Trump and Kim are expected to have a working lunch at around 11.30 am (Singapore time) (9 am IST). Here is the expected summit schedule for the rest of today (all times Singapore  2 and a half hours ahead of India).

11.30 am: Trump and Kim to have a working lunch

4 pm: Trump will hold press conference

6.30 pm: Trump departs from Capella en route to the airport

7 pm: Trump departs Singapore en route to Washington via Guam

After a 41-minute one-on-one session, US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the two leaders are currently discussing bilateral ties, reports have said. Trump is sounding optimistic about his ability to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program after a lengthy one-on-one meeting with Kim. Trump said Tuesday at the beginning of expanded discussions with aides from both countries that "We will solve a big problem" and "a big dilemma."

He talked about the pair achieving tremendous success together and predicts that it will be successful. It will be done. It was hard to hear the president and Kim over the constant clicking of camera shutters, and it remains unclear precisely what he was referring to.

After the historical handshake, Trump and Kim are onto their 45-minute one-on-one session at the Capella Hotel at Sentosa Island. Trump and leader Kim shared a historic handshake as they meet for the first time. The two clasped hands for a long while Tuesday as they posed for photos in front of a row of U.S. and North Korean flags. Trump then directed Kim to walk down a hallway, where they briefly spoke.

It's the first ever meeting between a sitting U.S. president and North Korean leader. Trump and Kim arrived not long ago on Singapore's Sentosa Island, the site of their unprecedented summit. It's aimed at settling a standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal.

According to the latest reports, both the leaders have reached Sentosa Island. Kim is meeting Trump at the Sentosa Island in another half an hour. Local media earlier reported that Trump and Kim will meet at Capella Hotel at 9 am today. The two leaders are expected to leave their hotels at 8 am (IST 5.30 am) separately, Channel News Asia reports. According to latest reports, Trump has left the Shangri-La Hotel.

They came with scores of aides, bodyguards and diplomats in tow: Donald Trump from Washington, Kim Jong Un from Pyongyang. But for the better part of an hour, the two men will square off one on one, alone but for a pair of interpreters, raising concerns about the risk of holding such a monumental meeting with barely anyone to bear witness.

After greeting each other for the first time Tuesday in front of reporters, the American president and the North Korean leader will seclude themselves on Singapore's Sentosa Island for roughly 45 minutes while their entourages wait nearby. The intimate huddle will precede a larger meeting and a working lunch attended by Trump's chief of staff, national security adviser and secretary of state, the White House said, along with some of their North Korean counterparts.

For better part of an hour, Trump and Kim will square off one on one, alone but for a pair of translators. That's raising concerns about the risk of holding such a monumental meeting with barely anyone to bear witness.

Trump and Kim will meet on Singapore's Sentosa Island for roughly 45 minutes while their entourages wait nearby. The huddle will come before a larger meeting and a working lunch attended by top advisers to the president and their North Korean counterparts.

After a sudden and welcome turn to diplomacy following last years threats, insults and fears of warremember fire and fury and dotard?Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un are ready to shake hands, sit down face-to-face and ... do what exactly? Some observers insist that its the beginning of the complete denuclearisation of North Korea. No, no, say others, you need to manage your expectations. This is just an elaborate get-to-know-you session, albeit between the two most famous leaders in the world, and nuclear armed at that.

Actually, says another group, there will indeed be disarmament, a peace treaty ending the Korean War and North Koreas emergence as a contributing member of the international community: But just not right now.

Whatever the results, it will be one of the more unusual summits in recent history as a flamboyant, often erratic US president gets a close-up look at a hereditary socialist despot who sits on a nuclear weapons programme.

Heres a look at how Tuesdays first-ever meeting between the leaders of North Korea and the United States might turn out:

What does success look like?

Success in Singapore would see Kim making a bold decision to exchange his nukes for economic support and security assurances, according to Ryan Haas, an Asia expert at the John L Thornton China Center. Both leaders would offer clear, specific, unequivocal statements outlining a dismantlement of North Korean weapons, an inventory and removal of all nuclear fuel and an opening up to UN nuclear inspectors.

Trump has faced intense pressure to win something similar to this.

A group of Opposition Democratic lawmakers in the United States said in a statement that if Trump, a Republican, wants approval for a deal that allows an easing of sanctions on North Korea, he needs to get the permanent dismantlement and removal of every single one of North Koreas nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, end all military nuclear fuel production and missile and nuclear tests, and persuade Pyongyang to commit to robust compliance inspections including a verification regime for North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

This is a very high bar and probably unrealistic after one meeting. Laboriously negotiated past nuclear deals, considered breakthroughs at the time, broke down on North Koreas extreme sensitivity to allowing in outsiders to look at whether theyre dismantling their nuclear facilities, many of which are thought to be hidden.

While a summit between Trump and Kim would be historic, it is unlikely to be decisive. This is not the fault of either Trump or Kim, but rather a reflection that intractable, decades-long strategic challenges rarely-if ever-get resolved in single encounters, Haas writes.

Should we lower our expectations?

Probably. In fact, Trump has been doing quite a bit of this lately.

What was initially portrayed by the White House as a summit meant to completely rid the North of its nuclear weapons is now being cast as a chance to start a dialogue and for Trump the dealmaker to look into the eyes and take the measure of his nuclear-armed antagonist.

Ferial Saeed, a former State Department official, writes that the summit will be a getting to know you meeting, plus. That means, lower your expectations, and that the president is likely to lean toward keeping his own counsel and eschew a script. The plus refers to discussions on ending the Korean War.

China, both Koreas and the United States would have to sign off on any legally binding treaty, so it is unlikely Kim and Trump will do more than express an intention to end the war.

Trump, after meeting recently with a North Korean envoy at the White House, said the summit will likely be part of a process.

I told them today, take your time. We can go fast, we can go slowly, Trump said. That is an extraordinary offer of flexibility, considering (North Korea) poses a direct security threat to the United States, according to Saeed.

In part, these lowered expectations are a reflection of the extreme skepticism among many that the North can be persuaded to give up a nuclear programme it has stubbornly built over the decades, often in secrecy and despite intense sanctions, international condemnation and widespread suffering among its people.

There is no chance to make North Korean leaders ... surrender their nuclear weapons, Andrei Lankov, a Korea expert at Seouls Kookmin University, wrote recently on a Washington-based Asia newsletter. They see denuclearisation as a collective suicide (and they are probably right). However, now there are good chances to push North Korean nuclear/missile programme back, for many years perhaps, and keep it that way for some time.

What if the summit fails?

If things fall apart, it could be because Trump presents Kim with a hard-and-fast binary choice: Relinquish nuclear weapons and live in peace and prosperity, or cling to them and risk the impoverishment of your people and the safety of your regime, Haas said.

But a failure on Tuesday doesnt necessarily mean a return to the animosity of 2017. Thats in part because of South Koreas diplomatic outreach to the North, which was highlighted by two summits this spring between the rivals leaders.

If Trump and Kim fail in Singapore the result may be to enhance North Korean dependency on Seoul and Beijing as safety valves against the prospect of renewal of U.S.-(North Korea) confrontation, according to Scott Snyder, a Korea expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. This circumstance in and of itself provides a new buffer against the prospect of military escalation in Korea that was not present at the end of 2017.Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un signed a 'comprehensive' joint document at the Singapore Summit.

For all his bluster and rhetoric about being the world's "best dealmaker", Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States, has been upended by a man half his age on a historic occasion that failed to create history. Watching the US president labour at a subsequent news conference to prove that he got more than he conceded, Kim Jong-un might be tempted to stifle a smirk. The North Korean leader achieved all he set out to achieve in return for some promises that are spectacularly thin on specifics.

Given the Kim regime's chequered past, this wasn't really a surprise. What should worry the world is that a delusional Trump has sold his bargaining chips really cheap in exchange for some bragging rights about how heas the first sitting US president to hold a meeting with a North Korean leaderhas been instrumental in moving the world away from the precipice of nuclear war to lasting peace through dialogue.

The problem lies in the gulf of difference between what Trump has managed to achieve as opposed to what he believes he has achieved. This is, after all, a president whose stint at the White House has been marked by an inversion of all diplomatic norms to the extent that treaty allies and strategic partners are getting used to his tongue-lashings, while murderous dictators heading adversarial nations are being treated with fulsome praise and back-slapping. This impulsive, personality-driven diplomacy, where trust assumes greater significance than verification and rigour, might work on occasions but more often than not is likely to fall short of achieving policy goals.

There is no doubt that in itself, the Singapore Summit will go down as one of history's momentous turnarounds. As Kim rightly said: "It was not easy to get here. The past worked as fetters on our limbs, and the old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward. But we overcame all of them, and we are here today."

The fact that it was held after a period of heightened tension following North Korea's repeated testing of nuclear devices and intercontinental ballistic missile systems adds to the significance.

Yet, the documented solution that was reached after a series of talks and a whole lot of choreographed handshakes and posing for the camera has a strong sense of deja vu. Even if we are to assume that Kim has a higher motivation compared to his predecessors in achieving a denuclearised Korean Peninsula and some sort of normalcy in the bilateral ties between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)as North Korea is officially knownwith the US, there is no guarantee that Trump will show the necessary commitment and rigour to make the deal work.

On the other hand, regardless of what has been written and signed on paper, the world has been witness to repeated instances of duplicity from North Korea on upholding commitments that were more detailed and specific than what has been arrived at in Singapore. So, when Trump tells a room full of journalists that the North Korean leader has shown his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and will get started as soon as he lands in Pyongyang, even the most die-hard optimist might struggle to believe it.

The text of the joint statement reads: "Reaffirming the 27 April Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula." It adds that "president Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un commit to implement the stipulations in this joint statement fully and expeditiously. The United States and the DPRK commit to hold follow-on negotiations led by the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and a relevant high-level DPRK official, at the earliest possible date to implement the outcomes of the US-DPRK summit."

The statementapart from being vague, generic and devoid of any timelinesis more a declaration of intent than a roadmap for step-by-step denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. There are no specifics on dismantling the nuclear test sites in North Korea and destroying existing arsenal, and no commitment towards giving up missile tests.

Trump wants the world to believe that Kim will act in good faith, and insisted during the press conference that he "feels" and "thinks" that the North Korean dictator is more eager than him to get rid of the nuclear arsenal.

"I know when somebody want's to deal... I just feel, my instinct, my talent I think he wants to make a deal. We will know very soon because the negotiations are continuing," Trump said at the presser in Singapore. On being asked why he did not get a commitment to complete verifiable, irreversible denuclearisation, Trump said there was not time to get to that. "I'm here for one day. The process is now going to take place."

North Korea's sketchy track record

In his unshaken trust in Kim's intentions, Trump's ignorance of North Korea's past conduct is evident. The joint declaration on the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula in 20 January, 1992, stated: "The South and the North shall not test, manufacture, produce, receive, possess, store, deploy or use nuclear weapons" and "shall use nuclear energy solely for peaceful purposes", "shall not possess nuclear reprocessing and uranium enrichment facilities" and both nations "in order to verify the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, shall conduct inspections of the objects selected by the other side and agreed upon between the two sides"

In 1993, the US and DPRK released a joint declaration agreeing to give assurances "against the threat and use of force, including nuclear weapons; peace and security in a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, including impartial application of full-scope safeguards, mutual respect for each other's sovereignty and non-interference in each other's internal affairs; and support for the peaceful reunification of Korea".

Following the six-nation talks in Beijing on North Korea's nuclear weapons in 2005, the six-party joint declaration read: "The six parties unanimously reaffirmed that the goal of the six-party talks is the verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner."

In between these solemn declarations, the North Koreans have developed a new generation of more powerful nuclear bombs and tested intercontinental ballistic missiles that are believed to be capable enough to target US mainland. On being asked about the possibility of Kim gaming the US again, Trump's reply left the journalists in splits but did little to allay concerns.

Trump says in 6 months he might find out he was wrong about Kim Jong Un but wont say so. I dont know that Ill ever admit that. Ill find some kind of excuse.  Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) June 12, 2018

However, Trump seems to have got at least one thing right: His assessment of the 34-year-old Kim as a "very smart", "very talented" bloke and a "hard negotiator" is not far off the mark. In return for the promises of denuclearisation, Kim got Trump to stop the war games with South Korea because they are apparently "too expensive and provocative". The US president even hinted at removing US troops from South Korea: A key demand of North Korea and even China.

"The war games are very expensive; we paid for a big majority of them, we fly in bombers from Guam That's a long time for these big massive planes to be flying to South Korea to practice and then drop bombs all over the place and then go back to Guam. I know a lot about airplanes, it's very expensive," he said at the post-summit news conference.

While Trump was busy insisting that he was a winner, dictator Kim, who runs a brutally repressive regime in a poverty-ridden nation, emerged from the summit as a "world leader" in his own right and even managed to legitimise North Korea's stature as a nuclear-armed nation. No prizes for guessing who cut the better deal.US president Donald Trump fired off a volley of tweets on Monday venting anger on NATO allies, the European Union and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau in the wake of a divisive G7 meeting over the weekend.

US president Donald Trump fired off a volley of tweets on Monday venting anger on NATO allies, the European Union and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau in the wake of a divisive G7 meeting over the weekend.

The escalating clash over trade between Washington and some of its closest global partners cast a cloud over Trump's efforts to make history in nuclear talks in Singapore on Tuesday with Kim Jong-un of North Korea, one of America's bitterest foes.

Having left the group of seven summit in Canada early, Trump's announcement that he was backing out of the joint communique torpedoed what appeared to be a fragile consensus on the trade dispute between Washington and its top allies.

"Fair trade is now to be called fool trade if it is not reciprocal," said Trump, who flew from Canada to Singapore on Sunday to prepare for the first-ever summit between a US and North Korean leader.

"Sorry, we cannot let our friends or enemies take advantage of us on trade anymore. We must put the American worker first!" he said.

The communique, which had appeared to have papered over the cracks that surfaced so uncharacteristically at the G7, said the leaders of the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Italy, Germany and Japan were agreed on the need for "free, fair, and mutually beneficial trade" and the importance of fighting protectionism.

"We strive to reduce tariff barriers, non-tariff barriers and subsidies," the statement said, which came despite Washington appearing intent on taking more punitive steps on trade.

Trump's extraordinary outburst on Monday against NATO allies, the European Union and Canada appeared aimed at striking a chord with voters who support his 'America First' agenda. At the same time, however, it put Trump in the position of going into a crucial summit at odds with countries he needs on his side to pressure North Korea to move toward dismantling a nuclear arsenal that threatens the US.

"Not fair to the people of America! $800 billion trade deficit," he said. "Why should I, as President of the United States, allow countries to continue to make massive trade surpluses, as they have for decades, while our farmers, workers and taxpayers have such a big and unfair price to pay?"

It was left to Trump's aides to figure out how to explain Trump's airing of grievances against trading partners instead of focusing on his coming talks with Kim, which the president's supporters hope will provide him with a major foreign policy win.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo praised European countries for helping to bring about the North Korea summit, alluding to their enforcement of sanctions against Pyongyang. He expressed confidence that US' relations with other G7 countries would continue to move forward, despite the weekend clash in Canada.

"There are always irritants in relationships," Pompeo told reporters. He dismissed as "ludicrous" the notion that Kim would decide he could not trust the US because of the G7 dispute.

White House spokesman Raj Shah said Trump was "rattling the cages right now on trade", insisting there was no reason to believe there would be any negative fallout for the North Korea summit. "These are really unrelated baskets of issues," Shah said.

But one US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged, "The timing for all this is not very good at all."

The prospect that Trump could be moving towards an even greater protectionist trade policy is likely to chill financial markets worried about tit-for-tat escalation that could lead to a full-blown global trade war.

"Business confidence, and subsequently capital spending, is at risk if this tension continues through the summer," said Tai Hui, JP Morgan Asset Management's chief market strategist for Asia Pacific. "This could cast a long shadow over global growth, which has rebounded in recent weeks after a soft start to the year."North Korea's state media, referring to the drills, recently demanded that Washington 'stop the acts of threatening its dialogue partner by force.'

President Donald Trump on Tuesday rocked a region and suggested the upending of decades of US defence posture on the Korean Peninsula when he announced that he was stopping annual US-South Korean military drills and wants to remove the 28,500 US troops stationed in the South as a deterrent against North Korean attack.

The stunning, almost offhand comments, made during a news conference hours after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, contradicted countless previous declarations by US political and military officials over the years that the drills are routine, defensive and absolutely crucial.

Trump has now essentially adopted the standard North Korean line, calling the military exercises a "provocative" drain of money and announcing they would stop while he continues talks with Kim, whom he repeatedly praised as a solid negotiating partner.

His statement was quickly portrayed by critics as a major, unreciprocated concession to a country that only last year was threatening Seoul and Washington with nuclear war.

It also seemed to leave officials in South Korea, where the presence of US troops has long been described as necessary to maintaining peace on the peninsula, and possibly even the US military in Seoul, completely off guard.

Seoul's presidential office told The Associated Press that it was trying to parse Trump's comments. The South Korean military seemed similarly surprised.

"At this current point, there is a need to discern the exact meaning and intent of President Trump's comments," Seoul's Defense Ministry said, adding that there have been no discussions yet with Washington on modifying drills set for August.

US forces in South Korea said it has "received no updated guidance on the execution or cessation of training exercises" and will continue to coordinate with South Korean partners and maintain the current posture until it receives an updated guidance from the Department of Defense or the Indo-Pacific Command.

Trump's comments will be questioned by many in South Korea and beyond, with some seeing in them an effort by North Korea to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington.

North Korea regularly calls the military exercises provocative preparations for a northward invasion, and many of the scariest standoffs in recent years on the Korean Peninsula have happened when the drills were being staged. Outside analysts believe the North objects to the drills because it must spend precious resources on its own war games and troop movements. North Korea also insists that the US troop presence in the South, as well as its nuclear "umbrella" over allies Seoul and Tokyo, are part of America's "hostile" policy toward the North.

"I want to bring our soldiers back home," Trump said, although he added that it's "not part of the equation right now." Then he said: "We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should. But we'll be saving a tremendous amount of money. Plus, I think it's very provocative."

The comments could fundamentally change the way the United States, whose alliance with Seoul was forged after a 1950 surprise attack by the North started the Korean War, operates in South Korea.

Trump's announcement that the US would stop military exercises, his description of those drills as "provocative" and his suggestion that he wants to pull US troops out at some point are "all things that Trump is putting on the table as concessions, all in exchange for some vague promises by the North Koreans," said Paul Haenle, a former China director at the White House National Security Council in the Barack Obama and George W Bush administrations.

Annual military drills between Washington and Seoul have been a major source of contention between the Koreas for years, and analysts have wondered whether their continuation would hurt the inter-Korean detente that, since an outreach by Kim in January, has replaced last year's insults and threats of war. North Korea last month broke off a high-level meeting with Seoul over South Korea's participation in a two-week military exercise with the United States.

North Korea's state media, referring to the drills, recently demanded that Washington "stop the acts of threatening its dialogue partner by force."

Since the 1970s, the United States and South Korea have held a major summertime exercise called Ulchi Freedom Guardian that involves tens of thousands of troops. There are also annual springtime drills. Drills called Team Spirit, one of the largest annual military manoeuvres in the world at the time, were held from 1976 until 1993, when, after North Korea agreed to dismantle its existing nuclear facilities, the exercises were cancelled and have not been held since.

Moon Seong Mook, a former South Korean military official, said Trump's comments on the drills confirmed what many in South Korea had feared all along  that North Korea would attempt to drive a wedge between Washington and Seoul and gain substantial concessions from an unconventional US president who thinks much less of the traditional alliance than his predecessors.

"The core of the US-South Korea alliance is the US troops stationed in South Korea and the joint US-South Korea military drills, but the American military presence in South Korea wouldn't mean much if the militaries don't practice through joint drills," said Moon, now a senior analyst for the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy. "I am concerned that the summit between Trump and Kim will prove to be a setback in the global efforts to denuclearise North Korea and also introduce instability in the alliance between Seoul and Washington."The death toll from the eruption of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala on 3 June has increased to 114 after another four bodies were found, according to authorities.

Guatemala City: The death toll from the eruption of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala on 3 June has increased to 114 after another four bodies were found, according to authorities.

Conred national disaster coordinator brigades, firefighters, army troops and international experts  aided by surviving local residents  on Monday entered so-called "Ground Zero" in the community of San Miguel Los Lotes, in Escuintla province, which was buried under volcanic ash and devastated by pyroclastic flows, reports Efe news.

Using picks and other tools, along with some heavy machinery, recovery brigades found the four bodies in the ruins of the village and under the tonnes of volcanic material. The victims appeared to be members of a family.

The area reeks of sulfer and recent rains have hardened the pyroclastic flows of volcanic material that have moved down the mountain's slopes. Authorities say there is zero possibility of finding any survivors in the devastated areas.

Conred said that because of rainy conditions, search operations were suspended on Monday but will resume on Tuesday.

Insivumeh scientific agency also reported that volcanic activity within the mountain continues, including frequent and abundant emanations of ash and gas and up to nine explosions per hour, activity that is causing repeated avalanches of fine ash and other material along the southeastern flank.

Health Minister Carlos Soto said that the more than 4,000 people being housed in shelters are being attended to by private organisations such as the Rotary Club. According to volcanologists, eruption records of Fuego, one of the country's most active volcanoes, dates back to 1542.A man who, police say, shot at an officer before barricading himself in a Florida apartment killed the four children he had been holding hostage before killing himself.

Orlando: A man who shot at an officer before barricading himself in a Florida apartment killed the four children he had been holding hostage before killing himself, police said on Monday.

Orlando police chief John Mina said at a press conference that the suspect, who was identified as 35-year-old Gary Wayne Lindsey Jr, was found dead in a closet when officers entered the apartment nearly 24 hours after the standoff began.

Mina said officers tried to offer one of their phones to Lindsey, whose phone had bad service, and saw that one of the children had been killed. Authorities entered the apartment around 9 p.m. hoping to rescue the others but all were found dead.

The children with Lindsey ranged in age from 1 to 11, Mina said. The Orlando Sentinel reported two of them were Lindseys children and two belonged to his girlfriend, who called the police on Sunday.

Officers responding to a domestic violence report were fired upon, police said. Officer Kevin Valencia was shot and was in critical condition but is expected to survive, Mina said. One officer was able to return fire. Valencia is in his late 20s and has been with the police department since 2016, Mina said.

Court records show Lindsey, 35, had an extensive criminal history involving arson, battery, and theft. He was on probation for several charges including arson. Judy Pepper, who lives in the apartment complex, told the Sentinel that she had fallen asleep on the couch when she heard four loud gunshots.

It just went, Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop, Pepper said. She looked out the window and saw three people carrying a police officer onto the grass. She said other officers arrived, cut open his shirt and appeared to be putting bandages on his neck. Then, they put him in a patrol car and sped away.

Officers evacuated other residents of the complex in the middle of the night. They were later taken to a hotel. The standoff also disrupted the routines of residents who lived in neighboring apartment communities.

About five blocks from the apartment, two police squad cars blocked the entrance to the street. Residents of the neighbouring apartment complexes had to show identification and be escorted by the police. Several firetrucks lined the road.By Elizabeth Piper and Andrew MacAskill LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May faces a showdown in parliament on Tuesday with lawmakers who want more power to challenge an eventual Brexit deal, testing both her authority and her plans for leaving the European Union.

By Elizabeth Piper and Andrew MacAskill

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May faces a showdown in parliament on Tuesday with lawmakers who want more power to challenge an eventual Brexit deal, testing both her authority and her plans for leaving the European Union.

On the first day of votes that could further complicate her tortured negotiations to quit the EU, parliament will debate a demand for a "meaningful vote" on any agreement May negotiates with Brussels before leaving the bloc next March. Such a vote would give the lower house more power to set the government's "direction" if the house rejects the agreement.

It will be the first major test after the upper house, the House of Lords, introduced 15 major changes to her Brexit blueprint, the EU Withdrawal Bill, including that on the "meaningful vote".

Underlining the fear that some of her Conservatives could vote against the government, May addressed her own lawmakers at a meeting of its 1922 Committee in a last-ditch appeal for them to unite around her plans to leave the EU.

"If the Lords amendments are allowed to stand, that negotiating position will be undermined," she told them, adding that she was confident that "I can get a deal that allows us to strike our own trade deals while having a border with the EU which is as frictionless as possible".

Her appeal was cheered and applauded.

Parliament will also debate other amendments handed down by the House of Lords, including a challenge to the government's plan to put March 29, 2019, or 'Brexit Day', into law and an attempt to toughen a commitment to ensure a frictionless border between Northern Ireland and the neighbouring Irish Republic, which will remain in the EU.

On Wednesday, parliament will also consider a challenge to her commitment to leave the EU's single market and customs union, which will transform Britain's future trading relationships for many years to come.

FRANTIC LOBBYING

The House of Lords defeated the government 15 times in earlier votes, offering parliament the chance to put pressure on May and her government to change tack on Brexit.

If she is defeated in the House of Commons, it will be yet another blow to a prime minister whose authority has been challenged several times since she lost the Conservative Party's majority in an ill-judged election last year. She now relies on the support of a small Northern Irish party.

Party officials have been frantically lobbying to convince lawmakers who have threatened to vote against the government to stay in line, using arguments ranging from the threat of being turfed out by a government led by opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to losing leverage in Brexit talks with the EU.

Ministers and other lawmakers have been told to make sure they will be in parliament for the votes.

"There have been lots of meetings, we are keen to engage with all members of the parliamentary party," May's spokesman said. "And I imagine that there will be (more)."

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.Special allocation for non-MPO edn instts

M M Jasim :

The government is going to grant special allocation for the non-MPO educational institutions including madrasa in the proposed budget.

A total of Tk 500 crore will be given for the non-MPO educational institutions to bring them under MPO list, the Education Ministry sources said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina may announce the allocation in the Parliament soon.

Secretary (Secondary and Higher Education Division) of the Education Ministry Md Sohrab Hossain said, there is good news for the non-MPO educational institutions. But they have to be patient.

"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina may give the allocation from her personal fund. That is why, the teachers must wait until the budget is passed in the Parliament. It will not be wise to continue their agitation," the secretary said.

The ministry sources said, Tk 15,000 crore has been allocated for the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) this year. Of them, the PMO will give Tk 500 crore for non-MPO educational institutions, Tk 400 crore for the increment of the teachers and Tk 186 crore as the Boishakhai allowance. But the government did not mention it in the budget due to political reason.

Meanwhile, non-government teachers continued their sit-in programme for the third consecutive day on Tuesday in the capital for inclusion of their institutions in the Monthly Pay Order (MPO).

The teachers under the banner of Non-MPO Educational Institutions' Teachers and Employees Federation gathered in front of the National Press Club at about 10:00am as part of sit-in programme which was foiled by police on Monday.

The teachers staged the demonstration as Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid did not take any initiative to fulfill their demand, said Golam Mahmudunnabi Dollar, President of the federation.

During the demonstration, the teachers declared their rejection to the education minister's assurance where he said the non-government teachers would be gradually enlisted for the subvention even if there is no allocation in the budget.

Asim Kumar Baral, an agitated teacher, said that the education minister assured them several times and it was the 27th time they came to Dhaka to raise their demand.

'We thought that the finance minister would allocate money for them in the budget. But it is so frustrating that he did not even mention about the issue in the proposed budget,' he added.

Federation General Secretary Binay Bhushan Ray along with other federation leaders was also present during the sit-in programme.

The teachers, who called off their last round of movement following prime minister Sheikh Hasina's assurance, have started their latest movement on Sunday amid police intervention.Iran's intelligence ministry has said it had arrested 27 members of a 'terrorist network' suspected of planning attacks last week to coincide with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Tehran: Iran's intelligence ministry has said it had arrested 27 members of a "terrorist network" suspected of planning attacks last week to coincide with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The group plotted to "carry out terrorist operations in Tehran and some other important cities," the ministry said on Monday in a statement on its website.

"They published pictures in cyberspace threatening the honourable nation of Iran with revenge and murder."

It said the attacks were due to take place last week during the Qadr festival and on Jerusalem Day, held each year in solidarity with the Palestinians. A large number of weapons and ammunition were confiscated, the ministry added.

Iran is a key target for Sunni jihadists, who see its Shiite majority as apostates. Iran has also directly fought the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda in Iraq and Syria. Its Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday they had fought off three attempts by "terrorist groups" to infiltrate from neighbouring Iraq in recent days, leaving several dead.It's not been an easy time for Justin Trudeau. His relationship with the US and US president Donald Trump worsened, while his eyebrows came off

It's not been an easy time for Justin Trudeau. The Canadian prime minister hosted a difficult G7 summit in Quebec last week, where the already uneasy relationship he shared with US president Donald Trump worsened considerably. Trump called Trudeau "meek, dishonest and weak", while top US economic advisor Larry Kudlow said Canada "stabbed us in the back".

In all of this, he also had to deal with an eyebrow that seemed to have a mind of its own. Perhaps surprised at the swift worsening of ties with a long-time friendly neighbour, Trudeau's eyebrow arched and disassociated itself from the rest of the prime minister's being.

It was, as it often happens, caught by Twitterati.

Justin Trudeau wears fake eyebrows... that fell off after he met with Trump st G-7. Art of the Deal Chapter 19: Brow beating. pic.twitter.com/HuIlSCD4DV  Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) June 10, 2018

Social media swiftly set about trying to uncover the mystery of the unhinged eyebrow. Some felt the eyebrow was "scared".

The Trump curse scared Justin Trudeau's eyebrow off his face. pic.twitter.com/JM4vv3TQ1q  Mike (@Fuctupmind) June 11, 2018

Some compared Trudeau's eyebrow to Trump's hair.

I can understand people joking a little about Trumps hair. It is pretty ridiculous, but Trudeau plastering on fake eyebrows at such an important event is insanity. How could his handlers even allow him to do this ? This is worse than his India trip.  Brian Hickman (@SwankybTN) June 11, 2018

Some others said it's all probably just an optical illusion.

I can't believe this has to be said, but Justin Trudeau obviously didn't have a "fake eyebrow" falling off during his press conference with Emmanuel Macron. It's a trick of the light. When looking down, the shadow makes his left brow look weird. When looking up, it looks normal pic.twitter.com/Xnlaol0MvR  ishmael n. daro (@iD4RO) June 10, 2018

Some felt victimised.

I will never forgive Twitter for making me Google Justin Trudeau eyebrows at 2 a.m.  Melissa Martin (@DoubleEmMartin) June 10, 2018

Whatever it was, however, it was all over the news. So much so that it was not only a different entity, it very soon had its own Twitter handle.

Introducing Trudeau's Eyebrow, the Twitter profile:The joint statement released by the two  that may or may not be final 'comprehensive agreement' of the summit  appears to carry 'complete denuclearisation' as a key theme

US president Donald Trump and Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un met at last on Tuesday on Singapore's Sentosa Island. The duo appeared to be all smiles with descriptions like "historic", "major change" and "terrific" being thrown around liberally, albeit, largely by Trump. The joint statement released by the two  that may or may not be final 'comprehensive agreement' of the summit  appears to carry 'complete denuclearisation' as a key theme.

The relevant text reads: "Reaffirming the 27 April, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula".

Certainly, getting Kim to reiterate his resolve to denuclearise is a positive step, but what remains to be seen is the 'how' and 'when' of the whole deal. Considering the disdainful view taken by Trump towards the Iran-P5+1 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action of 2015, it is assumed that Trump will look for a more stringent agreement with North Korea. However, there's a major difference between Iran in 2015 and North Korea in 2018.

While Tehran was still in the process of developing nuclear weapons, Pyongyang already has them and has demonstrated that it possesses the relevant missiles to deliver nuclear payloads."North Korea's overall nuclear program is more advanced and more widespread. It is also believed to be partly hidden underground, making it harder to understand and almost impossible to fully disable in a military strike. All those factors give Kim more negotiating leverage than Tehran had during the (Barack) Obama years," Politico notes.

Essentially, Trump will likely have to make a lot more concessions with North Korea, which has in the past threatened the US with those very nukes, than the US, UK, France, Germany, China and Russia did with Iran.

Bear in mind also that Iran  an oil-exporting country  was keen to see sanctions lifted, something that would revive international trade. A far less developed North Korea is likely to have far greater demands.

What's in it for Kim remains to be seen, but as The New York Times points out, "If Trump were to abide by his own critique of the Iran pact, any deal with North Korea should eliminate the material, warheads and missiles it already has and, just as important, its ability to produce more  forever."

The article elaborates that any deal with Pyongyang must contend with its "egregious activities" such as "providing weapons and technology to unsavory regimes like Bashar al-Assad's in Syria and maintaining the worlds worst gulag State".

Negotiations to finalise the terms and conditions of the JCPoA  dubbed by Trump as the "worst deal ever"  took around 18 months. Given the facts that first, North Korea is far more advanced in terms of nuclear weaponry than Iran, and second, that what Pyongyang wants in return for denuclearisation isn't clear, this deal appears likely to take a lot more negotiation and hard work to iron out.Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un will square off one on one, alone but for a pair of interpreters, raising concerns about the risk of holding such a monumental meeting with barely anyone to bear witness.

Singapore: They came with scores of aides, bodyguards and diplomats in tow: Donald Trump from Washington, Kim Jong-un from Pyongyang. But for the better part of an hour, the two men will square off one on one, alone but for a pair of interpreters, raising concerns about the risk of holding such a monumental meeting with barely anyone to bear witness.

After greeting each other for the first time Tuesday in front of reporters, the American president and the North Korean leader will seclude themselves on Singapore's Sentosa Island for roughly 45 minutes while their entourages wait nearby. The intimate huddle will precede a larger meeting and a working lunch attended by Trump's chief of staff, national security adviser and secretary of state, the White House said, along with some of their North Korean counterparts.

Word of the private tete-a-tete on Monday immediately unleashed a torrent of criticism on social media from national security veterans. After all, having aides present in high-stakes meetings  especially ones with adversaries like the leader of North Korea  provides a president with a modicum of protection, ensuring there are staffers on hand to take accurate notes.

Absent a detailed historical record and corroborating witnesses, the president's interlocutor could potentially leave the meeting and misrepresent what transpired, creating a he-said-he-said showdown that could turn into a major headache for the US leader.

"Bad idea," tweeted Paul Haenle, a former China director at the White House National Security Council in the Obama and George W Bush administrations. "I could see Trump giving up a lot for very little in return."

Barry McCaffrey, a retired US Army general, called the one on one an "unacceptable danger to US national security." He took to Twitter to say that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis should oppose the meeting "in writing."

"NSC should have TRANSCRIPT of all interactions with brutal, nuclear armed dictator," McCaffrey wrote, referring to the National Security Council. At stake, he said: "America's security."

Yet despite the apprehension, there is established precedent for presidents meeting privately with foreign leaders  including foes  with only interpreters as witness. Note-takers are not essential: In the past, interpreters have fulfilled that role by drawing on their contemporaneous translation notes to provide an official, historic record.

Former president Barack Obama was known to occasionally hold impromptu chats with leaders on the sidelines of major global summits with only their interpreters at their sides. Early in Trump's presidency, he raised eyebrows when he met with Russian president Vladimir Putin during a conference in Germany with only a Kremlin interpreter present.

At former president Ronald Reagan's first meeting with then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Geneva, Switzerland, in November 1985, the two men met alone with only trusted interpreters.

Only 15 minutes had been allotted for the discussion, but it went on for a full hour.

What's more, the official US "memorandum of conversation," or "MemCom," of that meeting was written by the longtime US Russian-to-English interpreter Dmitri Zarechnak, according to a copy of the document posted by the National Security Archive at The George Washington University.

The MemCom identifies Reagan and Gorbachev and their translators, Zarechnak and Yuri Uspensky, as the only participants.

One question left unanswered ahead of the Kim Jong-un summit: Who will translate for Trump?

The White House wouldn't release any names ahead of Tuesday's summit. But at Pompeo's two meetings with Kim in Pyongyang earlier this year, the interpreter role was filled by Andrew Kim, a Korean-American and former CIA Seoul station chief. Pompeo brought him back to the CIA in 2017 to run the Korea Mission Center that has played a central role in the run-up to the summit.

Andrew Kim was spotted by an AP reporter on Monday afternoon at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, where Trump is staying. For whatever reason, he wasn't listed as a member of the official US delegation to the Kim summit.Paris on Tuesday defended its decision not to offer safe harbour to the stranded migrant ship Aquarius after local leaders on Corsica proposed opening one of their ports to the vessel.

Paris: Paris on Tuesday defended its decision not to offer safe harbour to the stranded migrant ship Aquarius after local leaders on Corsica proposed opening one of their ports to the vessel.

Corsican leaders Gilles Simeoni and Jean-Guy Talamoni, the top politicians on the French Mediterranean island, tweeted their offer on Tuesday morning as uncertainty grew over the fate of the 629 people on board the ship.

But the central government in Paris criticised the gesture by the Corsican nationalists.

"(Simeoni) is taking a position without having any responsibility which is easy," junior Europe and foreign affairs minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne told Sud Radio.

"What does international law say? They need to go to the port that is safest and closest. And we can see that Corsica is not the closest or the safest. Given the boat's location, it is between Italy and Malta," he added.

Both Italy and fellow EU member Malta have refused to accept the migrants who are now heading for the Spanish port of Valencia after the new socialist government in Madrid agreed to take them in.

Italy's hardline immigration policy under its new populist government could have knock-on effects in neighbouring France, where president Emmanuel Macron has also tightened immigration laws to crack down on illegal arrivals.

Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini  who is also Deputy Prime Minister  has promised to deport hundreds of thousands of economic migrants, warning that Italy would not be "Europe's refugee camp".

The country has been the main point of entry in Europe for migrants and refugees arriving from Africa in recent years, with 700,000 crossing the Mediterranean since 2013, often from war-wracked Libya.

Italy policy 'sickening'

Any increase in arrivals in France would ring alarm bells for Macron who has worked hard to close down migration routes from Africa amid strong anti-immigration sentiment in France.

But a spokesman for Macron's Republic on the Move party said the Italian government's policy was "sickening." "The position, the line of the Italian government is sickening. It's unacceptable to play politics with human lives which is what is happening at the moment," Gabriel Attal told the Public Senat channel. "I'm a spokesman for the party, not the government, but I can't imagine that France will not play a role in finding a humanitarian solution for this boat," he said.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen called for the boats to "return where they came from" and said charities rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean were "the accomplices of the people-trafficking mafia."

Eric Ciotti, a prominent hard-right minister from the Opposition Republicans party, also called on the government to take a tough line on the Aquarius.

"No French port, not Corsica, not Nice, not Marseille," he told CNews.

"Of course we should save lives, naturally it's a priority and Europe must act. But the obvious solution is returning to the Tunisian coast or to the Libyan coast," he said.(Reuters) - Qatar on Monday officially filed a complaint at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also known as the World Court, arguing that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has violated the United Nations treaty that forbids racial discrimination. Qatar asked the court to grant provisional measures barring the United Arab Emirates from various actions it says discriminate against Qataris in UAE, including limiting their freedom of speech and movement, inciting hatred against them, shutting down local offices of Qatar's state-funded Al Jazeera television station and blocking transmission of Qatari media outlets. http://bit.ly/2sNbA72 The court's registry confirmed it has received the complaint, the first step in a dispute which the court may hear.

(Reuters) - Qatar on Monday officially filed a complaint at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also known as the World Court, arguing that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has violated the United Nations treaty that forbids racial discrimination.

Qatar asked the court to grant provisional measures barring the United Arab Emirates from various actions it says discriminate against Qataris in UAE, including limiting their freedom of speech and movement, inciting hatred against them, shutting down local offices of Qatar's state-funded Al Jazeera television station and blocking transmission of Qatari media outlets. http://bit.ly/2sNbA72

The court's registry confirmed it has received the complaint, the first step in a dispute which the court may hear.

Qatar cited violations of the 1966 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination as the basis for the court's jurisdiction.

UAE officials could not immediately be reached for comment late Monday.

The court typically will solicit opinions from both sides as to whether it has jurisdiction over a dispute before it considers the merits of a case, a process that often takes years. The ICJ is the UN's court for resolving disputes between nations.

(Reporting by Toby Sterling in Amsterdam and Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; editing by Bill Berkrot)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.By Dmitry Zhdannikov LONDON (Reuters) - The government of Qatar took the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations' International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday, accusing it of human rights violations as a result of a boycott enacted last year. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a boycott on Qatar in June 2017, severing diplomatic and transport ties with the tiny, rich state, accusing it of supporting terrorism

By Dmitry Zhdannikov

LONDON (Reuters) - The government of Qatar took the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations' International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday, accusing it of human rights violations as a result of a boycott enacted last year.

The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a boycott on Qatar in June 2017, severing diplomatic and transport ties with the tiny, rich state, accusing it of supporting terrorism.

Doha denies that and says the pressure is aimed at stripping it of its sovereignty.

"As set forth in detail in Qatar's application to the International Court, the UAE led these actions, which have had a devastating effect on the human rights of Qataris and residents of Qatar," the government said in a statement.

UAE's minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, in a post on Twitter, dismissed the claims as another of Doha's "lies."

The Qatari government said the UAE enacted a series of measures that discriminate against Qataris, including expelling them from the UAE, prohibiting them from entering or passing through the UAE, ordering UAE nationals to leave Qatar, and closing UAE airspace and seaports to Qatar.

Qatar said it believed the actions were in violation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) - including discrimination on the basis of nationality - of which the UAE and Qatar are both signatories.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt are not signatories of the CERD convention.

The complaint http://bit.ly/2sNbA72, filed by Qatar late on Monday, accuses the United Arab Emirates of discriminating against Qataris in UAE by limiting their freedom of speech and movement, inciting hatred against them, shutting down local offices of Qatar's state-funded Al Jazeera television station and blocking transmission of Qatari media outlets.

Qatar is asking the court to order the UAE to take steps to comply with its obligations under the CERD, ceasing and revoking the measures and restoring the rights of Qataris.

It also requested that the UAE make reparations, including compensation, but provided no details of the amount it might be seeking.

The court's registry confirmed late on Monday it received the complaint, the first step in a dispute which the court may hear. The court typically solicits opinions from both sides as to whether it has jurisdiction before considering the merits of a case, a process that often takes years.

(Reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov; Additional reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Leslie Adler)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.Heavy rains have caused severe structural damage to camps in Bangladesh hosting over one million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, the UN has said

United Nations: Heavy rains have caused severe structural damage to camps in Bangladesh hosting over a million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, the UN has said.

Some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar's Rakhine State to Bangladesh since August last year when the army launched a violent crackdown, resulting in a major crisis in neighbouring Bangladesh. So far, more than 9,000 have been affected and the number is expected to rise as the monsoon rains, which lashed the camps for the last two days, continue, the UN's International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said.

More than 30,000 camp residents are still living in areas considered to be at high risk of deadly flooding and landslides, it said. "The situation in the camps is growing more desperate with every drop of rain that falls," said Manuel Pereira, the IOM's Emergency Coordinator in Cox's Bazar, the district in south-east Bangladesh where the refugees have settled.

"You have close to one million people living on hilly, muddy terrain with no trees or shrubs left to hold the ground in place. People and their makeshift shelters are being washed away in the rains," Pereira said. For months now, UN agencies and their partners have been warning of the threat posed by the monsoon season, which runs from June to September.

The rains began on Saturday and within 24 hours, incidents including landslides, water logging, extreme wind and lightning strikes were recorded. The IOM said it is "working against the clock" to secure road access and drainage, and to improve preparations for more heavy rain to come. The UN agency and its partners are also ensuring that the refugees will continue to receive assistance such as access to water, sanitation and health.

However, it warned that risks remain huge, given the vast size and the nature of the makeshift camps. The Rohingya is a Muslim minority community in Myanmar, where most citizens are Buddhist. The majority of those in Bangladesh began arriving in the wake of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state which began last August.

An agreement signed last week between the Myanmar government and UN agencies is expected to pave the way for scores of Rohingya to return home, once their safety and rights are guaranteed. It will also allow the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to access the Rakhine state.

Myanmar and Bangladesh have reached a deal on the return of hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas. According to the agreement, that was finalised in Myanmar's capital Nay Pyi Daw, a two-year deadline has been set for the repatriation of the Rohingyas.The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has assumed even greater importance with the entry of India and Pakistan, the United Nations has said.

United Nations: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has assumed even greater importance with the entry of India and Pakistan, the United Nations has said, asserting that the bloc's expanded range of activities will have implications for peace and stability across the region.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain to the eight-member grouping.

Prime Minister Modi and Pakistan President Hussain attended the summit for the first time after both countries were admitted as members of the Beijing-based Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in 2017.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, in her remarks to the plenary session of the 18th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of Member States of the SCO in China's Qingdao city on Sunday, had said that the world now needs a recommitment to multilateralism.

"With the accession of India and Pakistan, representing the first formal expansion since 2001, the SCO is assuming even greater importance and your expanded range of activities will have implications for peace, stability, and prosperity across the region and far beyond.

"You represent more than half of humanity and you are playing a growing role in shaping the global agenda, based on cooperation and dialogue," Mohammed said on Monday.

She said regional and international threats to security and stability, from transnational crime to climate change to violent extremism and terrorism, cannot be resolved by any one country alone.

"Only our joint commitment, firmly grounded in respect for human rights and the rule of law, will build and strengthen the cooperation needed to respond to such challenges," Mohammed said.

To ensure fair globalisation, it must be ensured that nations are able to have the necessary domestic resources and capacities to steer their economies and development agendas towards common goals, as outlined by the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Climate Agreement, she said.

The Deputy Secretary-General stressed that openness and partnership between countries can make a critical contribution to strengthening security and bringing about prosperity.

"It is encouraging to see positive regional dynamics in Central Asia and closer interaction among countries," she said, adding that the Belt and Road Initiative is promoting connectivity, economic prosperity and diplomatic ties across the region.

Over the past four years, several major joint infrastructure projects have been completed in SCO member states that have improved conditions for cross-border cooperation and boosted development capacity, such as the Peshawar-Karachi motorway project in Pakistan and Kazakhstan's Astana light rail project, Mohammed said.

"The soon-to-be completed 9,400-kilometre Lianyungang-Kazakhstan-Russia-Saint-Petersburg road corridor, on the other hand, is set to become the major transport axis connecting the Eurasian continent," she added.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.By John Geddie and Jack Kim SINGAPORE (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on Tuesday would show if a 'real deal' could happen, as both sides sought to narrow differences over how to end a nuclear standoff on the Korean peninsula

By John Geddie and Jack Kim

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on Tuesday would show if a "real deal" could happen, as both sides sought to narrow differences over how to end a nuclear standoff on the Korean peninsula.

While Trump was optimistic about prospects for the first-ever meeting of sitting U.S. and North Korean leaders, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo injected a note of caution, saying it remained to be seen if Kim was sincere about his willingness to denuclearise.

Officials of the two sides held last-minute talks to lay the groundwork for the summit of the old foes, an event almost unthinkable just months ago, when they were exchanging insults and threats that raised fears of war.

Staff-level meetings between the United States and North Korea were going "well and quickly," Trump said in a message on Twitter on Tuesday.

But he added: "In the end, that doesn't matter. We will all know soon whether or not a real deal, unlike those of the past, can happen!"

After a flurry of diplomatic overtures that eased tension, the leaders are headed for a history-making handshake that U.S. officials hope could eventually lead to the dismantling of a North Korean nuclear programme that threatens the United States.

The combatants of the 1950-53 Korean War are technically still at war, as the conflict, in which millions of people died, was concluded only with a truce.

On Tuesday morning, Pompeo fed the mounting anticipation of diplomatic breakthrough: "We're ready for today."

Trump will hold a one-on-one meeting with Kim on the resort island of Sentosa, before they are joined by officials and have lunch together, the White House has said.

While Trump and Kim shake hands, searching each others eyes and words for signs of trust or deceit, the rest of the world will be watching, hoping that somehow these two unpredictable leaders can find a way to defuse one of the planet's most dangerous flashpoints.

"I just think it's going to work out very nicely," Trump said on Monday, although gaps remain over what denuclearisation would entail.

Pompeo told reporters the event should set the framework for "the hard work that will follow", insisting that North Korea had to move toward complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation.

North Korea, however, has shown little appetite for surrendering nuclear weapons it considers vital to the survival of Kim's dynastic rule.

Sanctions on North Korea would remain in place until that happened, Pompeo said. "If diplomacy does not move in the right direction ... those measures will increase."

He added: "North Korea has previously confirmed to us its willingness to denuclearise and we are eager to see if those words prove sincere."

The White House said later that discussions with North Korea had moved "more quickly than expected" and Trump would leave Singapore on Tuesday night after the summit, rather than Wednesday, as scheduled earlier.

Kim is due to leave on Tuesday afternoon, a source involved in the planning of his visit has said.

One of the world's most reclusive leaders, Kim visited Singapore's waterfront on Monday, smiling and waving to onlookers, adding to a more affable image that has emerged since his April summit with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in.

The Swiss-educated leader, who is believed to be 34, has not left his isolated country since taking office in 2011, apart from visiting China and the South Korean side of the border Demilitarised Zone, which separates the two Koreas.

Just a few months ago, Kim was an international pariah accused of ordering the killing of his uncle, a half-brother and scores of officials suspected of disloyalty.

'CHANGED ERA'

The summit was part of a "changed era", North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency said in its first comments on the event.

Talks would focus on "the issue of building a permanent and durable peace-keeping mechanism on the Korean peninsula, the issue of realising the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and other issues of mutual concern", it added.

Ahead of the summit, North Korea rejected unilateral nuclear disarmament, and KCNA's reference to denuclearisation of the peninsula has historically meant it wants the United States to remove a "nuclear umbrella" protecting South Korea and Japan.

Trump spoke to both South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday to discuss developments ahead of the summit.

For Kim, the authoritarian leader of militarised state that has shunned contact with the outside world, the ultimate goal aside from security guarantees would be freedom and support to develop an impoverished economy.

For Trump, achieving a momentous foreign policy success would cement his place in history, and give his presidency a boost just months ahead of congressional mid-term elections.

Many experts on North Korea remain sceptical Kim will ever completely abandon nuclear weapons, believing his engagement aims to get the United States to ease crippling sanctions.

"The process could be doomed before it begins," said Kelsey Davenport of the Arms Control Association, adding that a common understanding of denuclearisation was key to success.

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Christophe Van der Perre; Additional reporting by Soyoung Kim, Dewey Sim, Aradhana Aravindan, Himani Sarkar, Kim Coghill, Robert Birsel, Miral Fahmy, Joyce Lee, Grace Lee, Matt Spetalnick and David Brunnstrom in Singapore and Christine Kim in Seoul; Writing by Matt Spetalnick and Clarence Fernandez; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.13 killed in landslides in hill dists

At least 13 people were killed in a landslide triggered by heavy rains in Rangamati on Tuesday.

Staff Reporter :

At least 13 people have been killed in landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in Rangamati and Cox's Bazar districts causing panic to people living in the hill slopes of more such incidents. The dead includes one from wall collapse in Shariatpur, police and local administration sources confirmed the deaths.

Refugee camps at Teknaf are also facing danger from heavy downpour in stormy weather. International Organization for Migration (IOM) issued warning for safety of Rohingya refugees taking shelter in camps escaping from Myanmar.

Locally over three lakh people are marooned at Pakua and Chokoria upazila of Cox's Bazar where 30 thousand homes in 25 unions have been submerged. At Khagrachari several hundred families moved to disaster shelters voluntarily to avoid mishaps following the death of several people from landslide in the hills.

Among landslides death 11 were killed in Naniarchar upazila of Rangamati and one in Maheshkhali upazila of Cox's Bazar, our local correspondents report.

Met Office has issued alert for heavy rains and stormy weather in Chottogram division as

maritime ports of Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to keep hoisted local cautionary signal No-3 as deep convection is continuing over the North Bay and adjoining coastal area of Bangladesh.



Monsoon is strong over North Bay of Bengal. Squally weather is likely to affect the maritime ports, North Bay and adjoining coastal areas of the country, Met Office said it making the forecast of heavy downpour and stormy weather in the next 24 hours in Barisal, Chottogram and Sylhet division.

Heavy rainfall specially has taken the big tolls in Tekhnaf, Ukhia, Chokoria and Pekua upazilas. Electricity supply remained disrupted in those areas as the 33 KV transmission lines of Rural Electrification Board has been snapped due to tree uprooting at many places.Rohingra refugee cams at Cox's Bazar is facing threat of inundation and muddy homes and chaos if heavy rainfall continues. Meanwhile 200 refugee shelters at Ukia and Tekhnaf have been destroyed and damaged by heavy railfall.At some other places over 50 refugee shelters became inundated from heavy rainfall, secretary of Kotupalong-2 refugee shelters Mohamamd Nur told the media yesterday.Heavy monsoon rains that began on Saturday have caused severe structural damage to Cox's Bazar Rohingya refugee camps, said the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Monday calling for early measures to protect the tent people.The landslide in the hills took place in Naniarchar's Boro Kul Para, Hati Mara and Siyalli Para took place in the early hours of Tuesday, triggered by non-stop rain since Sunday.Four of the victims were killed in Darmachandpara, while four members of a family in Boro Poolpara and three in Hatimara in the upazila, said Tridip Kanti Das, member of Rangamati Parbotto Zila Parishad.In Boro Kul Para, those killed were Surendra Lal Chakma, 48, his wife Rajjo Debi Chakma, 45, and their daughter Sonali Chakma, 9, and another boy Rumen Chakma, 12.In Hati Mara, two of the three killed were identified as Rita Chakma and Riten Chakma. In Siyalli Para, Fulo Debi Chakma, Eti Chakma and a two-month-old baby died.Naniarchar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Muhammad Abdul Latif confirmed the casualties and their identities. Further rescue works are underway.In Cox's Bazar, Badsha Mia, 35, was buried alive around 6:00am in Moheshkhali upazila, our local staff correspondent reports quoting Pradip Kumar Das, officer-in-charge of Maheshkhali Police Station.The body has been handed over to the family. The district administration has offered Tk 20,000 as aid to the family.It is to be noted that last year, during the monsoon, Bangladesh's most devastating series of landslides in a decade killed at least 170 people, 120 alone in Rangamati.During that time, experts blamed errant hill-cutting as the main cause of landslides.By Reade Levinson and Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday overturned a grant of asylum to a Salvadoran domestic abuse victim, potentially excluding immigrants seeking refuge from sexual, gang and other forms of violence in their home countries.

By Reade Levinson and Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday overturned a grant of asylum to a Salvadoran domestic abuse victim, potentially excluding immigrants seeking refuge from sexual, gang and other forms of violence in their home countries.

The decision to refuse asylum to the Salvadoran woman, whose former husband raped and beat her for 15 years, narrows who can qualify for asylum when they become victims of criminal activity, as opposed to government persecution.

Sessions' finding followed his unusual move to intervene personally in the case known as the "Matter of A-B-." The woman, who is only identified by her initials, had won an appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals, which had overturned a lower immigration court judge's denial of her asylum petition.

"In reaching these conclusions, I do not minimize the vile abuse that the respondent reported she suffered at the hands of her ex-husband," Sessions wrote in his order.

"I understand that many victims of domestic violence may seek to flee from their home countries to extricate themselves from a dire situation or to give themselves the opportunity for a better life," he continued. "But the 'asylum statute is not a general hardship statute,'" he said, citing an earlier immigration case.

An attorney for A-B, Karen Musalo, called the decision "devastating" and said it had been anguishing for her client.

"You have a woman who barely survived more than a decade of horrific violence, who finally feels that she secured safety ... and now she's thrown into total turmoil again," said Musalo, who directs the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies at the University of California Hastings' law school.

The woman could still potentially appeal the case again to the Board of Immigration Appeals, then a federal appeals court and ultimately the U.S. Supreme Court.

Sessions' decision drew immediate rebukes from dozens of immigration rights advocate groups and lawyers. Some said the decision could have wide-ranging impacts on immigrants fleeing gang violence and gender-based violence, including female genital cutting or honour killings.

"This is not just about domestic violence," said Musalo. "What Sessions is doing is a broader, frontal assault on women's' rights."

Michelle Brane, director of the Women's Refugee Commission's Migrant Rights and Justice programme headquartered in New York, said, Attorney General Sessions decision to limit the reasons why people can claim asylum is a devastating blow to families who come to our country seeking protection and safety.

"This administration continues to swiftly deconstruct Americas moral code and values by doing everything possible to limit access to asylum."

U.S. House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi joined those denouncing the decision.

"The Trump Administrations inhumanity and heartlessness know no bounds," Pelosi said in a news release. "Republicans in the White House have just condemned countless vulnerable, innocent women to a lifetime of violence and even death, just to score political points with their base."

It was not immediately clear how many cases the decision could affect.

Unlike the federal judiciary system, U.S. immigration courts fall under the Justice Department's jurisdiction, and the attorney general can intervene.

In immigration court, certain opinions published by the Board of Immigration Appeals, the highest immigration court, serve to set national legal precedent. However, as the United States' chief law enforcement officer, the attorney general can intercede in its decisions to shape law.

Sessions has been unusually active in this practice compared to his predecessors by exercising his intervention authority to make it harder for some people to legally remain in the United States.

In making his determination, he declared that a decision in a 2014 case before the Board of Immigration Appeals, which allowed victims of gender-based violence to claim U.S. asylum, was wrongly decided and should not have been issued as a precedential decision.

He remanded the case of A-B- back to Judge Stuart Couch in Charlotte, North Carolina, for further proceedings.

An investigation by Reuters last year found that Couch orders immigrants deported 89 percent of the time.

Monday's decision marks Sessions' latest effort to greatly restrict immigration. Cracking down on illegal immigration and tightening legal immigration were major themes of President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

Earlier this year, Sessions declared he would attempt to ensure that every person who crosses the border illegally would be prosecuted, and he has staunchly defended a new policy of separating women and children at the border, including those seeking asylum.

(Reporting by Reade Levinson and Sarah N. Lynch, additional reporting by Mica Rosenberg, editing by G Crosse and Jonathan Oatis)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen inspected Israel's fenced-off border with Egypt on Tuesday for ideas for the U.S. border with Mexico, where President Donald Trump has pledged to build a wall, Israel Radio reported.

By Dan Williams

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen inspected Israel's fenced-off border with Egypt on Tuesday for ideas for the U.S. border with Mexico, where President Donald Trump has pledged to build a wall, Israel Radio reported.

Trump has said the United States needs a wall along its 3,200-km (2,000-mile) southern border to prevent illegal immigrants entering from Mexico and that Mexico should pay for the project. Mexico has rejected that idea and the funding dispute has stirred U.S. domestic dissent.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu angered Mexico last year by publicly backing Trump's call and pointing to the towering, sensor-rigged Egyptian border fence as a possible model. Trump, in turn, has admired Israel's barrier.

Nielsen confirmed her visit in remarks to an international homeland security conference in Jerusalem later in the day.

"Border security is national security. Our Israeli partners know that better than anyone and I was fortunate today to see the incredible work theyre doing to keep their territory and citizens safe, she said.

A U.S. official told Reuters: "She understood the challenges and opportunities that exist there."

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security declined comment. In a June 8 statement, it had said that while travelling in Israel this week Nielsen would "receive an operational briefing on Israeli border infrastructure technology and systems".

The razor wire-lined Israeli fence, which is between 5 meters and 8 meters (15 feet and 24 feet) in height, was erected over three years along the 230-km (143-mile) frontier with Egypt's Sinai desert. It cost Israel around $380 million.

Israel credits the fence with stemming an influx of African migrants and infiltration by Islamic State-linked militants.

In March, Trump signed a federal spending bill from Congress that contained $1.6 billion to pay for six months of work on his wall. He had asked for $25 billion for it.

(Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg/Mark Heinrich)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.The United Nations prepare to avert a 'fierce, bloody battle' for a key port in Yemen that provides a lifeline for food, medicine, and other vital supplies.

United Nations: The United Nations (UN) mobilised on Tuesday to avert a "fierce, bloody battle" for a key port in Yemen that provides a lifeline for food, medicine, and other vital supplies. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with Yemen's foreign minister at UN headquarters in New York amid warnings that an attack on rebel-held Hodeida was imminent.

Guterres said his envoy Martin Griffiths was locked in "intense negotiations" with Yemen's rebel Houthis; Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to find a "way to avoid the military confrontation in Hodeida." During his meeting with Yemen's new foreign minister Khaled Alyemany, Guterres stressed that "everyone should redouble efforts to find a political solution and avoid a fierce, bloody battle for Hodeida," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The United Nations pulled all of its international staff out of Hodeida early in the morning on Tuesday.

For the past two weeks, Yemen government troops backed by the coalition have been closing in on Hodeida, which they claim is being used by Houthi rebels to smuggle weapons.

The Security Council met behind closed doors at Britain's request after London told aid agencies on the ground that it had received a warning from the UAE of an imminent attack.

The United Nations has warned that up to 2,50,000 people were at risk if the coalition moves ahead with an all-out offensive to take the Red Sea port.

UN aid chief Mark Lowcock said an attack on Hodeida would be "catastrophic" and that aid agencies were hoping to "stay and deliver" in Yemen, which the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Yemen relies on imports for 90 percent of its food, and 70 percent of the imports transit through Hodeida, Lowcock told reporters after briefing the council. Griffiths, who briefed the council by video conference from Amman, has revived a year-old plan to turn over Hodeida port to a neutral party, diplomats said.

Following the closed-door council meeting, Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, who is council president this month, called for de-escalation and said the top UN body would be "closely" following developments. "We are hoping for the efforts of the special envoy to bring a positive resolution. We left it in his hands for the time being," Nebenzia told reporters. The council did not specifically call on the coalition to refrain from attacking Hodeida and diplomats said there had been much discussion over the president's statement to the press.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had spoken with Emirati leaders and urged them to work with the United Nations but his statement fell short of warning the coalition against launching an all-out offensive. "I have spoken with Emirati leaders and made clear our desire to address their security concerns while preserving the free flow of humanitarian aid and life-saving commercial imports," he said. Griffiths is set to present on 18 June, a new peace plan for Yemen, but he has warned that military action could derail that effort.

Eleven humanitarian aid agencies, including Oxfam and Save the Children, separately urged British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to threaten to cut off British support to the coalition if it attacks Hodeida.US-backed Radio Free Asia (RFA) has pulled broadcasts from a television channel in Myanmar after the government tried to ban the word 'Rohingya' on its shows.

Yangon: US-backed Radio Free Asia (RFA) has pulled broadcasts from a television channel in Myanmar after the government tried to ban the word "Rohingya" on its shows.

Myanmar labels the persecuted Muslim minority as "Bengalis" as it does not recognise the Rohingya as native to the country, and bristles when the word is used in media coverage.

Radio Free Asia made the decision to stop airing its Burmese broadcasts with local network Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), which airs on state television. The move came after the government told DVB that they could not carry content with the word "Rohingya," referring to RFA's coverage.

The president of RFA Libby Liu on Monday said in a statement posted online that complying with Myanmar's order would be "inaccurate and disingenuous to both our product and our audience." "RFA will continue to refer to the Rohingya as the 'Rohingya in our reports," she said, adding that forbidding the usage was an "Orwellian step".

RFA said it will continue its coverage of Myanmar on radio and social media platforms such as Facebook.

The Democratic Voice of Burma worked in exile during military rule but came back after Myanmar launched political reforms in 2011 that included the abolition of pre-publication censorship. It was one of those handful of companies which recently granted new television licenses by the government and started broadcasting on the state-controlled Myanmar Radio Television (MRTV) channel in April.

Toe Zaw Latt, Myanmar Bureau Chief for DVB, said his office had received an official letter from MRTV complaining about the "controversial" word. "If the government platform doesn't want it, we have to obey," he said, adding that the decision would not affect content carried via satellite or their website.

Aung Hla Tun, the Deputy Minister of Information, told AFP that news outlets can use whatever house style they want, "but when they use our TV, they have to accept ours". "As you know, 'Rohingya' is such a controversial term here," he added.

The stateless Rohingya Muslim community has suffered decades of apartheid-like conditions in largely Buddhist Myanmar, which claims they are illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh.

Some 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh since last August after a military crackdown, which the US and UN have said amounted to ethnic cleansing. Both countries have signed a repatriation agreement but Rohingyas say they do not want to return en masse unless they are guaranteed safety, citizenship and rights.US education department has opened an investigation into how the USCs handled complaints that campus gynecologist sexually harassed students

Los Angeles: The US education department has opened an investigation into how the University of Southern California handled complaints that a longtime campus health clinic gynecologist sexually harassed or abused his patients during pelvic examinations.

The agencys Office for Civil Rights will examine USCs response to reports of such misconduct by Dr George Tyndall that date back to 1990 but were not fully investigated by the university until the spring of 2016, the department said in a statement.

No student should ever endure sexual harassment or abuse while trying to pursue their education, education secretary Betsy DeVos said in the statement.

The university has acknowledged failing to properly act on at least eight complaints that were lodged against Tyndall between 2000 and 2014 but were never brought to light until they were uncovered during the course of an inquiry that USC finally opened in 2016.

Tyndall was suspended at that time and was allowed to quietly resign in 2017 after USCs inquiry concluded that his pelvic examination practices were beyond accepted medical standards and that he had harassed patients.

Disclosure that the university chose not to immediately report Tyndall to the state medical board but did so only eight months later when he sought reinstatement, sparked a huge outcry from students, faculty and alumni.

The furor led university president CL Max Nikias to resign after nearly eight years as head of one of the most prestigious private institutions of higher education in the United States.

His ouster came as USC faced a mounting tide of civil litigation accusing Tyndall of misconduct and the university of complicity and negligence, as well as a criminal investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.

LAPD detectives said in May they were investigating 52 complaints filed by former patients of Tyndall, alleging incidents of misconduct from 1990 to 2016. In addition, a USC hotline and special website has received more than 400 reports from concerned patients, the Los Angeles Times said.

Tyndall, 71, could not be reached for comment by Reuters but has denied any wrongdoing in interviews with the Los Angeles Times, which first reported the scandal.

The education department probe will look at whether the universitys handling of the matter constituted a civil rights violation under Title IX of federal education statutes barring sex discrimination.

The US Supreme Court has interpreted Title IX as requiring schools to respond appropriately to reports of sexual harassment and sexual violence against students.US President Donald Trump on Tuesday addressed the media post his historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

US president Donald Trump on Tuesday addressed the media post his historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Trump announced that indeed the two countries have signed "a comprehensive document" which aims to deliver the message of hope, vision and peace.

Trump said that Kim's decision to agree to a "complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula" is "a bold step" which would lead to a bright new future for his people" and that this summit shows that "real change is indeed possible".

Trump described the meeting as "honest, real and productive" and remarked that both the leaders are ready to write a new chapter between the two nations. "Yesterday's conflict does not have to be tomorrow's war," Trump said adding that it is too soon to expect a total withdrawal of the sanctions and that those will only come off when the US is sure that the nukes are no longer a factor. "I look forward to taking them off", Trump told mediapersons.

"There is no limit to what North Korea can achieve if it gives up its nuclear weapons and embraces commerce to engage with the world," Trump said before announcing that the country has already destroyed a major missile site and this was agreed upon after signing the official document. He further said that he believes that the supreme leader will start the process of denuclerisation "as soon as he lands back".

"Anybody can make war but only the most courageous can make peace," Trump remarked as he told the media that people had thought such a summit would never take place but it has happened and is indeed "a great day in history".

Praising his North Korean counterpart, Trump said, "Kim is very smart, a very good negotiator. He wants to do things." He even praised the people of both the Korean countries by calling them "truly gifted people"

However, when dogged with the question of human rights violations in North Korea, Trump assured the media that the situation is set to change in North Korea and that it was indeed a part of Tuesday's discussions between the two leaders.

On the question of taking back the American Army from the Korean soil, Trump said, "Bringing back soldiers is not a part of the equation right now, at some point, but not right now."

He also regretted the fact that this important negotiation was held up for so long and that no previous US president could see it through. "This should have been resolved a long-time ago but we are resolving it now," Trump said. "They (North Korea) have never had such a confidence in a (US) President that they have right now to go ahead and get things done," Trump remarked. "This should have happened 25 years ago, but the earlier presidents wouldn't have been able to do it even if it was their priority," Trump claimed.

While North Korea might have committed to carry complete denuclearisation on its land, it is only fair to doubt the sincerity in the implementation of this agreement given North Korea's infamous history to retract from such promises, as it did during Bill Clinton's tenure. But Trump sounded confident of Kim keeping his promise this time. "He is gonna live up to the document. He wants to get it done. I believe that," Trump said.

He also said that the US will ensure verification of the whole process by having "its people there".

On being asked about the possibility of his visit to Pyongyang in the near future, Trump said, "Will travel to Pyongyang at the appropriate time, will invite him (Kim) to the White House also at an appropriate time."

He also brushed apart the claims of people who had said that his meeting with Kim was an indication of him 'giving-in'. "Not a big deal to meet, a lot of good things can happen. This is good for America", Trump asserted.

Finally, talking about the consequences of a non-adherence to the commitments made, Trump warned that though he doesn't' want to be threatening as of now, "they know what would happen if they don't follow through", he said nonchalantly.Shinzo Abe welcomed a document signed by North Korea's leader at an unprecedented summit with Donald Trump as a 'first step' towards denuclearisation.

Tokyo: Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday welcomed a document signed by North Korea's leader at an unprecedented summit with US president Donald Trump as a "first step" towards denuclearisation.

Speaking briefly hours after Kim Jong-un and Trump held historic talks in Singapore, Abe also said he was pleased that the US leader had raised the emotive issue of Japanese abducted by Pyongyang.

"Through this US-North Korea summit, Kim Jong-un's intent for complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula was confirmed in writing," Abe told reporters.

"I support this as a first step to the comprehensive resolution of issues concerning North Korea."

Kim and Trump signed a document after their talks in which the North Korean leader reaffirmed his commitment to "work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula", without giving further details.

It made no reference to other weapons capabilities, including the missiles that North Korea has fired over Japan.

The document also refers to the repatriation of the remains of prisoners of war and those killed in conflict, but makes no specific reference to people abducted by North Korea.

The issue of Japanese citizens who were abducted in the 1970s and 1980s to help Pyongyang train its spies has long soured already strained relations between Tokyo and Pyongyang.

The Japanese government has officially listed 17 people as abductees, but there are strong suspicions that dozens more citizens were snatched to train Pyongyang's spies in the Japanese language and culture.

Japan has repeatedly called for the issue to be raised in discussions with Pyongyang, and Trump said at a press conference on this afternoon that he had discussed the issue with Kim.

"I highly appreciate the fact that President Trump firmly touched upon what I told him recently about the abduction issue which is very important to us, to Japan," Abe said.

"I want to hear the details by phone (from Trump). I will continue aiming to resolve concerns such as the abduction, nuclear and missile issues," he added.

Japan has maintained a hardline position on North Korea despite a whirlwind of diplomacy towards Pyongyang in recent months, and has been left largely on the sidelines as South Korea and the United States have held talks with Kim.

Abe has suggested recently he could talk with Kim directly in an attempt to resolve the abduction issue, though there has been no substantive movement thus far on potential talks.

A high-ranking Japanese government official said Tokyo has no plan to provide financial assistance to Pyongyang "unless the abduction issue moves forward", according to public broadcaster NHK.

"From now on, there will be various kinds of bargaining toward a Japan-North Korea summit," the unnamed official said.The United States government agency that oversees immigration applications is launching an office that will focus on identifying Americans who are suspected of cheating to get their citizenship and seek to strip them of it.

Los Angeles: The United States government agency that oversees immigration applications is launching an office that will focus on identifying Americans who are suspected of cheating to get their citizenship and seek to strip them of it.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services director L Francis Cissna told The Associated Press in an interview that his agency is hiring several dozen lawyers and immigration officers to review cases of immigrants who were ordered deported and are suspected of using fake identities to later get green cards and citizenship through naturalization.

Cissna said the cases would be referred to the Department of Justice, whose attorneys could then seek to remove the immigrants citizenship in civil court proceedings. In some cases, government attorneys could bring criminal charges related to fraud.

Until now, the agency has pursued cases as they arose but not through a coordinated effort, Cissna said. He said he hopes the agencys new office in Los Angeles will be running by next year but added that investigating and referring cases for prosecution will likely take longer.

We finally have a process in place to get to the bottom of all these bad cases and start denaturalizing people who should not have been naturalized in the first place, Cissna said. What were looking at, when you boil it all down, is potentially a few thousand cases. He declined to say how much the effort would cost but said it would be covered by the agencys existing budget, which is funded by immigration application fees.

The push comes as the Trump administration has been cracking down on illegal immigration and taking steps to reduce legal immigration to the US. Immigrants who become US citizens can vote, serve on juries and obtain a security clearance. Denaturalisation  the process of removing that citizenship  is very rare.

The US government began looking at potentially fraudulent naturalization cases a decade ago when a border officer detected about 200 people had used different identities to get green cards and citizenship after they were previously issued deportation orders.

In September 2016, an internal watchdog reported that 3,15,000 old fingerprint records for immigrants who had been deported or had criminal convictions had not been uploaded to a Department of Homeland Security database that is used to check immigrants identities. The same report found more than 800 immigrants had been ordered deported under one identity but became US citizens under another.

Since then, the government has been uploading these older fingerprint records dating back to the 1990s and investigators have been evaluating cases for denaturalisation. Earlier this year, a judge revoked the citizenship of an Indian-born New Jersey man named Baljinder Singh after federal authorities accused him of using an alias to avoid deportation.

Authorities said Singh used a different name when he arrived in the United States in 1991. He was ordered deported the next year and a month later applied for asylum using the name Baljinder Singh before marrying an American, getting a green card and naturalizing.

Authorities said Singh did not mention his earlier deportation order when he applied for citizenship. For many years, most US efforts to strip immigrants of their citizenship focused largely on suspected war criminals who lied on their immigration paperwork, most notably former Nazis.

Toward the end of the Obama administration, officials began reviewing cases stemming from the fingerprints probe but prioritized those of naturalized citizens who had obtained security clearances, for example, to work at the Transportation Security Administration, said Muzaffar Chishti, director of the Migration Policy Institutes office at New York University law school.

The Trump administration has made these investigations a bigger priority, he said. He said he expects cases will focus on deliberate fraud but some naturalized Americans may feel uneasy with the change. It is clearly true that we have entered a new chapter when a much larger number of people could feel vulnerable that their naturalization could be reopened, Chishti said.

Since 1990, the Department of Justice has filed 305 civil denaturalization cases, according to statistics obtained by an immigration attorney in Kansas who has defended immigrants in these cases.

The attorney, Matthew Hoppock, agrees that deportees who lied to get citizenship should face consequences but worries other immigrants who might have made mistakes on their paperwork could get targeted and might not have the money to fight back in court.

Cissna said there are valid reasons why immigrants might be listed under multiple names, noting many Latin American immigrants have more than one surname. He said the US government is not interested in that kind of minor discrepancy but wants to target people who deliberately changed their identities to dupe officials into granting immigration benefits.

The people who are going to be targeted by this  they know full well who they are because they were ordered removed under a different identity and they intentionally lied about it when they applied for citizenship later on, Cissna said. It may be some time before we get to their case, but well get to them.When Donald Trump met Kim Jong-un in an exclusive summit in Singapore, the search term 'Where is Singapore' was trending in the United States.

The internet is unbelievably accurate in pointing out what people prioritise or what they actually want to know about a certain issue.

Hilariously enough, over most of Tuesdaywhen United States president Donald Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in an exclusive summit in Singaporethe search term 'Where is Singapore' was trending in the US.

The term 'world map with Singapore highlighted' was also trending across the US.

After the summit, Trump said that the US would end joint military exercises with South Korea, fulfilling a major demand by North Korea that has long claimed they are invasion rehearsals. The president, however, said the sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear tests will remain for now.

Trump and Kim conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new relations between the two countries and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, according to a joint statement signed by Trump and Kim at the end of the summit.

"President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), and Chairman Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," the statement read.

It said the two sides committed to recovering remains of POW/MIA (prisoners of war and missing in action) including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

With inputs from PTIDonald Trump has formed a 'special bond' with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, the US president said at the end of a historic meeting during which the two former foes pledged to meet again.

Singapore: Donald Trump has formed a "special bond" with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, he said Tuesday at the end of a historic meeting during which the two former foes pledged to meet again.

The pair signed what Trump called a "pretty comprehensive" and "very important" document, which spoke of "new US-DPRK relations" and committed Washington to "security guarantees".

However, asked about denuclearisation  the crux of the summit, Trump said "we're starting that process", adding that it would begin "very, very quickly."

For his part, Kim said the two Cold War foes had vowed to "leave the past behind", pledging "the world will see a major change."

The extraordinary summit  unthinkable only months ago  comes after the two nuclear-armed foes appeared on the verge of conflict late in 2017 as they slung personal insults and Kim conducted nuclear and missile tests.

It was the first-ever meeting between sitting leaders of the two countries and was closely watched around the world.

"We'll meet again," Trump said after a signing ceremony, standing with Kim on the verandah where they first met. "We will meet many times."

Trump said he "absolutely" would be willing to invite Kim  whose regime has been criticised for widespread human rights abuses  to the White House.

Earlier, the pair shared warm words and a historic handshake as they sought to confront a nuclear stand-off and enmity stretching back decades.

The two men shook hands for several seconds beneath the white-washed walls of an upscale hotel in neutral Singapore, Trump reaching out to touch the North Korean leader on his right shoulder.

As they sat down for their tete-a-tete, the US leader  who had said he would know "within the first minute" if a deal would be possible  predicted a "terrific relationship" with Kim.

In Seoul, South Korean president Moon Jae-in watched live on television, telling his ministers, he "could hardly sleep last night".

After huddling for around 40 minutes, Trump and Kim were joined by senior advisors before breaking for lunch, where prawn cocktail, short-rib confit, soy-braised cod, and vanilla ice-cream were among the options.

The imagery for the high-stakes meeting was undoubtedly positive and Kim Yong-hyun, professor at Dongguk University in Seoul said: "The atmosphere of the summit looks very good."

"It will be hard for this meeting to agree on specific deals but it carries considerable significance as a starting point," he said.

'Fire and fury'

Some analysts have warned the summit could produce more style than substance and Kelly Magsamen, a former top Pentagon Asia specialist, said: "We'll see if Kim actually gives him anything more than superficial pleasantries and some good TV."

Critics said the mere fact of the meeting meant Trump was legitimising Kim, who critics say runs a police state where human rights are routinely trampled.

"It's a huge win for Kim Jong-un, who now  if nothing else  has the prestige and propaganda coup of meeting one-on-one with the president, while armed with a nuclear deterrent," said Michael Kovrig, Crisis Group senior adviser for northeast Asia.

The warm words and positive optics seemed a different era from when Trump was threatening to rain down "fire and fury" on Pyongyang and Kim attacked Trump as a "mentally deranged US dotard", as he fired off a series of provocative weapons tests.

The Singapore summit is a potentially legacy-defining meeting for both men  comparable to president Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, or Ronald Reagan's 1986 summit with Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik.

But many agreements have been made in the past with North Korea that have later fallen apart.

On the table is the vexed question of denuclearisation -- a word that means vastly different things to the two parties.

It remains far from clear that Pyongyang is willing to give up its nukes  weapons that the regime sees as its ultimate guarantee of survival.

And on the eve of the meeting, aides for both men were still scrambling to narrow yawning differences.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that the United States was willing to offer Pyongyang "unique" security guarantees if it denuclearises.

But the summit was more likely it is the start of a longer process of negotiation. The discussions "will set the framework for the hard work that will follow", Pompeo said.

Click here to follow LIVE updates on US-North Korea SummitEnsure brotherhood

Abdul Muqit Chowdhury :

The spirit of fasting is peace in the family, society, nation and nations in the global perspective. Peace is the core of Islam. The root of the word Islam is 'Silm' meaning 'peace'. So, peace is to be ensured by the members of Muslim community. The whole mankind is under the shade of that peace. The Holy Quran proclaims : "Mankind was one single nation....." (Sura Baqara 2 : Ayat 213, The Holy Quran Translation and Commentary by A. Yousuf Ali) "But (later generations) cut off their affair (of unity), one from another..." (Sura Ambia 21: Ayat 93, Do). The Muslims have set glorious example of liberal outlook and communal harmony in their history. This noble legacy of human brotherhood have been upheld till the present times. Bangladesh is also a land of communal harmony contributing to the solidarity of mankind like other Muslim majority countries. From that outlook, anywhere the people are in communal disaster-aggression, subjugation and oppression,-- whether they be members of Muslim community or not, is our concern.

But the dangerous catastrophe prevalent in the world is of aggressions against and atrocities on the Muslims. Because of this, the Muslims have to find a way out. It is distinct that aggression and oppression on Muslims are let loose because of heinous division and conflict among themselves and the destruction is committed in the name of so-called peace. In this context the Holy Quran calls : "And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves" (Sura Al-e-Imaran 3: Ayat 103.Do). If the Muslims were united according to the Quranic Commandments and the quarrel among Muslims were solved through negotiations it would have been impossible for the aggressive and oppressive alien quarters to create a barbarous situation. The Muslims of Middle East, Myanmar and other parts of the Muslim world or Muslim inhabited areas are victims because of weakness of disunity among Muslims and these people are in the regular process of massacre and ethnic cleansing.

The Holy Quran reveals : "If two parties among/The believers fall into/A quarrel, make ye peace/Between them, but if one of them transgresses/Beyond bounds against the other,/Then fight ye (all) against/The one that transgresses/Until it complies with/The command of God;/But if it complies, then make peace between them/With justice, and be fair:/for God loves those/Who are fair (and just). (Sura Huzurat 49: Ayat 9)

"The Believers are but/A single Brotherhood:/So make peace and/Reconciliation between your/Two (contending) brothers ;/And fear God, that ye/May receive Mercy." (Sura Huzurat 49 : Ayat 10)

Allama Yusuf Ali's comment in this regard : "Individual quarrels are easier to compose than group quarrels, or in the modern world, National quarrels. But the collective community of Islam should be supreme over groups or nations. It would be expected to act justly and try to compose the quarrel, for peace is better than fighting. But if one party is determined to be the aggressor, the whole force of the community is brought to bear on it. The essential condition of course is that there should be perfect fairness and justice and respect for the highest principles ; for Islam takes account of every just and legitimate interest without separating spiritual from temporal matters. The League of Nations fails because these essentials are absent."

And a comment on 'brotherhood' : "The enforcement of the Muslim brotherhood is the greatest social ideal of Islam. On it was the Prophet's Sermon at his last pilgrimage, and Islam can not be completely realist until this ideal is achieved."

Holy Quran reveals : "So lose no heart,/ Nor fall in despair:/For ye must gain mastery/If ye are true in Faith." (Sura Al-e-Imran 3 : Ayat 139.Do)Every day, Wall Street analysts upgrade some stocks, downgrade others, and "initiate coverage" on a few more. But do these analysts even know what they're talking about? Today, we're taking one high-profile Wall Street pick and putting it under the microscope...

"Strong free cash flow" and "oil company" are phrases you don't often find together in the same sentence. In the past, I've cited weak free cash flow -- relative to reported net income under GAAP -- as the No. 1 reason I refuse to invest in ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM), despite the fact that Exxon is one of the most recognized names in the world.

And yet, a funny thing has been happening in the market for oil stocks over this past week. All of a sudden, Wall Street analysts are talking up free cash flow as a reason to buy oil stocks. In fact, they can't seem to shut up about it. Over just the past few days, I've seen free cash flow mentioned prominently in the analyses of Wall Street bankers on no fewer than three separate oil stocks: ExxonMobil, Chevron (NYSE:CVX), and ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP).

Here's what you need to know.

ExxonMobil: The exception that makes the rule

ExxonMobil, for example, is not a horrible free cash flow producer, but it's no shining star, either. Over the past five years, Exxon has generated a combined $47.6 billion in free cash flow (cash from operations minus capital spending), according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. Unfortunately, that's less than half the $108.8 billion in net income the company says it earned under GAAP accounting standards.

Commenting on the company's prospects, last week analysts at Mizuho Securities declined to endorse ExxonMobil stock in a note covered on StreetInsider.com (requires subscription) -- and free cash flow played a part in its reasoning. Exxon is being forced to take "steps ... to correct Tillerson-era missteps," says Mizuho, and these will require Exxon to spend heavily "to chase Permian volume growth, accelerate Asian LNG, [and] push rapid Guyana offshore megaproject development, just to continue standing still over the next year."

As a result, Mizuho doesn't think Exxon will show much production growth before 2020 at the earliest. At the same time, Exxon's free cash flow will be siphoned away to pay for capital investments -- not really a formula for investing success.

Better options: Chevron and ConocoPhillips?

In contrast to Exxon, Mizuho says its "preference within mega-cap energy is Chevron, which has better growth and [free cash flow] dynamics through 2020." According to Mizuho, Chevron stock that sells for $126 a share today could go to $145 within a year, delivering investors a 15% profit in addition to paying a 3.5% dividend that's nearly as good as Exxon's 3.9%.

But even Chevron may not be the best deal in big oil for investors who love free cash flow. Over the past few days, no fewer than three separate analysts have highlighted ConocoPhillips' strong free cash flow.

The first was Mizuho, praising Conoco for its "visible free cash flow and low sustaining capex." No sooner had Mizuho pointed this out, though, than Bernstein chimed in, saying that it had "underestimated the investor demand for a strong FCF growth story" and predicting that Conoco stock would gain 17% over the next year, rising to $82 a share (with a 1.6% dividend yield). Now, today, BMO Capital Markets is joining the chorus with a $78 price target and an outperform rating on Conoco stock.

What BMO likes about Conoco

ConocoPhillips boasts a "robust FCF profile" and "competitive near-term production growth," says BMO. And the analyst agrees with Bernstein that investors are attributing "increased ... importance [to] FCF yield" when valuing oil companies like Conoco, Chevron, and Exxon. Looking out 10 years, BMO argues that Conoco should enjoy "low-single-digit production growth" annually, and even if it needs to spend more on capital investment over this period, it should be able to "sustain FCF through the cycle."

What it means to investors

Investors may be surprised to hear Conoco spoken so highly of on Wall Street. After all, of the three big oil companies discussed so far, Conoco is the only one that's not currently reporting GAAP profits on its income statement. And yet, Mizuho, Bernstein, and BMO are all right. Conoco is generating decent free cash flow -- $2.5 billion both last year and over the last 12 months, according to S&P Global figures, which is a welcome turnaround from the 2014 to 2016 period, in which Conoco burned cash.

That being said, just because Conoco is generating stronger free cash flow than its income statement would suggest doesn't necessarily mean these analysts are right to recommend the stock. With a market capitalization in excess of $81.2 billion, Conoco stock still sells for a hefty 32.5 times trailing free cash flow, and long-term growth estimates for the company hover around only 6%.

Fact is, when valued on free cash flow, even Chevron (at 27.8 times free cash flow) and Exxon (24.4 times FCF) sell for cheaper multiples to FCF than does Conoco -- and they pay bigger dividends, too. Chevron and Exxon may not be cheap, but they're still cheaper than Conoco stock.

So while I applaud Wall Street's decision to finally start paying attention to free cash flow in the oil industry, I fear the analysts have drawn the wrong conclusions from what they're seeing: None of these three companies is cheap enough to buy, Conoco included.Sometimes the markets move in mysterious ways. One great example of this is the oil and gas market right now. Even though we have seen oil prices rise significantly over the past year or so, and they currently hover around $75 per barrel for Brent crude oil, the prices of many companies in this industry are still trading as though oil is $20 less than that.

So we asked three of our investing contributors to each highlight a company they think has a compelling investment case right now in the oil and gas industry. Here's why they selected Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN), Range Resources (NYSE:RRC), and ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM).

Cheap oil with a big-time catalyst

Matt DiLallo (Devon Energy): Oil producer Devon Energy hasn't benefited from the uptick in oil prices this year. Overall, shares of the exploration and production (E&P) company have only increased about 2%, which has vastly underperformed the price of oil -- up 7% this year -- and the average E&P stock -- up nearly 14% as measured by the iShares US Oil and Gas E&P EFT. Because of that underperformance, Devon's stock trades at a bottom-of-the-barrel valuation compared to its peers.

Devon is working to address that valuation disconnect by selling non-core assets and using the proceeds to repurchase shares. Earlier in the year, the company announced a $1 billion buyback program, which it recently boosted to $4 billion after agreeing to sell its midstream business. That repurchase program has the potential to retire 20% of Devon's outstanding stock at the current share price.

That buyback could drive shares meaningfully higher in the coming year given what similar programs have done for rival E&P's. Last fall, for example, Anadarko Petroleum unveiled a $2.5 billion share repurchase program, which at the time was enough to buy back 10% of its outstanding shares. It has since increased its authorization by $500 million and is on pace to repurchase that entire amount by the end of the current quarter. This program has helped drive Anadarko's stock up nearly 60% since last fall -- vastly outperforming Devon Energy -- while the buybacks of other oil producers have also fueled big-time outperformance over the past year. Devon's buyback could prove to be a similar catalyst, making it one of the top oil stocks to buy this month in my opinion.

Too cheap to ignore forever

Tyler Crowe (Range Resources): I'm typically loathed to recommend a company that is focused solely on exploration and production (Note from Matt: He is.). That is especially true of natural gas producers because the natural gas market is so constrained by the ability to move product to places outside the U.S. Even under these less than favorable market conditions, a stock can stick out as incredibly cheap. One stock that sticks out to me right now is Range Resources.

Range's natural gas assets sit on some of the most prime acreage in the Marcellus shale gas formation. The economics of its wells are so good that even at today's benchmark prices of $2.89 per thousand cubic feet, the company is able to generate a decent rate of return. Today, the company's cash costs are around $2.00 per mcf, and that is with high transportation costs because of a lack of takeaway capacity in the region.

Range is by no means perfect. The company's debt profile is a little high for comfort, and the company hasn't had the best reputation of living within its cash flow. However, there are a couple catalysts in the works that should help correct this. One is that Range is looking to sell its non-core acreage in Northern Louisiana that could be incredibly attractive for someone looking to export gas via LNG. The other is new pipelines in the Marcellus region which, according to Range, will reduce its cash costs by another $0.25 per mcf. It also helps that management is saying the right things about growing production within its cash flow. These three things should drastically improve returns and reduce its debt load.

As it stands today, Range trades at less than its tangible book value. Range's prospects will wax and wane with the price of gas, but the plan management has in place should make it able to handle incredibly low gas prices and generate solid returns as pipeline access opens up.

This giant is still on the bargain bin

Reuben Gregg Brewer (ExxonMobil Corporation): Exxon's stock is down around 2% so far this year, while many of its peers are up 10% or more on a relatively strong oil market. Some of the key reasons for Exxon's lagging performance are falling production numbers and a return on capital employed ratio that has fallen in line with the pack after years of above average results. It's been hard to love Exxon lately, but don't get too caught up on these short-term issues.

Exxon has a number of large capital projects in the works that should get production growing again, including offshore drilling in Guyana and Brazil, liquefied natural gas in Mozambique, and production growth plans onshore in the United States. Meanwhile, management plans to take a leading role operating more of its major projects, an area of expertise for the company, which it believes will help push return on capital employed from the current single digit level up into the mid-teens.

The problem is that it's going to take time to shift gears at this $340 billion market cap oil giant. But that's opened up an opportunity for conservative, long-term investors. The price drop being driven by investors thinking short term has pushed the yield up to roughly 4%, the high end of the stock's historical range. And its price to tangible book value is lower than it has been since the late 1980s. If you have faith that Exxon can return to its industry-leading ways, now is a good time to jump aboard.Every day, Wall Street analysts upgrade some stocks, downgrade others, and "initiate coverage" on a few more. But do these analysts even know what they're talking about? Today, we're taking one high-profile Wall Street pick and putting it under the microscope...

Investors in gold stocks are experiencing an up-down day today, as shares of Newmont Mining (NYSE:NEM) surge -- and those of Barrick Gold (NYSE:GOLD) fall back. For this, you can thank the analysts at Morgan Stanley, who chose today to upgrade the former and downgrade the latter.

Want to know what inspired Morgan Stanley to warm up to one and give the other the cold shoulder? Read on.

Upgrading Newmont Mining

We'll start with the "good" news today. This morning, analysts at investment bank Morgan Stanley upgraded Newmont Mining stock from equal weight to overweight. Newmont is showing "stronger execution," and has a "steadier production profile" and a "relatively de-risked project pipeline" than does Barrick Gold, explains Morgan Stanley in a note covered on StreetInsider.com (subscription required). The analyst also believes the company's production reserves will last longer, and generally prefers Newmont's balance sheet over Barrick's. Based on these factors, Morgan Stanley is raising its target price on Newmont Mining stock to $40 a share.

Now, that sounds like good news. Of course, Newmont stock currently sells for about $39, which means that even if everything Morgan Stanley says is right, then an investment in Newmont Mining stock today can only be expected to produce about a 2.5% profit for investors over the course of the year -- which hardly seems something to get excited about.

Downgrading Barrick Gold

The news for Barrick Gold investors is even less encouraging. Rating the stock underweight with a $12 target price (about 9% below where Barrick trades today), Morgan Stanley warns that although "the equity may appear cheap," it could nonetheless remain so and underperform the market. The analyst is using a new valuation method on Barrick's "Tanzania operations," moving away from valuing it based on its "net asset value," and using a "market valuation" instead.

Unfortunately, StreetInsider doesn't provide much more detail than that, but what might such a "market valuation" look like for Barrick stock...and for Newmont?

Valuing the gold companies

Newmont Mining boasts a market capitalization of $20.8 billion and net debt of $900 million on its balance sheet -- thus an enterprise value of $21.7 billion. Barrick, although its market cap is only three-quarters that of Newmont ($15.4 billion), carries $4.2 billion in net debt on its balance sheet, giving Barrick an enterprise value of $19.6 billion. Thus, the market value of both gold companies is actually very similar.

At first glance, the valuations attributed to the companies' assets also look similar. Newmont's enterprise value is about 11% higher than Barrick's, and S&P Global Market Intelligence data show Newmont having 68,470 troy ounces of gold in proved and probable reserves -- 6% more than Barrick's 64,549 troy ounces.

But now consider how the two companies appear when valued on the cash they produce from mining and selling these reserves. Over the past year, Newmont has generated $1.3 billion in positive free cash flow from its business -- much more than its GAAP earnings of $47 million reflect. In contrast, Barrick Gold, despite having a similar market cap and similar reserves, generated half the cash profit that Newmont did -- $689 million.

So yes, it's true that Barrick's stock "may appear cheap" at just 10.7 times earnings (as reflected on Yahoo! Finance) versus Newmont's valuation of 443 times GAAP earnings. But when you compare these two gold stocks based on the actual cash they produce, Newmont really does look like the relative best bargain at 16.7 times free cash flow compared to Barrick's enterprise value-to-free-cash-flow ratio of 28.4.

To that extent, I have to agree with Morgan Stanley's decision to upgrade Newmont Mining relative to Barrick Gold. Newmont, it seems to me, is less expensive that Barrick.

That being said, I have to point out that most analysts who follow these stocks see Newmont growing its earnings at less than 11% annually over the next five years. That may be better than the single-digit growth rates being projected for Barrick, but if you ask me, both of these stocks still look too costly for the relatively modest growth rates that Wall Street is expecting them to produce.

In fact, when you consider that today's guest analyst is predicting only 2.5% profits for buyers of Newmont Mining stock -- the stock it's recommending -- and a loss for investors in Barrick Gold...I kind of suspect Morgan Stanley agrees with me on that point as well.In a recent interview, Matt Booty has provided more information about what he is expecting Undead Labs to work on now that they have shipped State of Decay 2 and are a part of Microsoft Studios.

Unsurprisingly, the head of Microsoft Studios said that Undead Labs is a State of Decay studio, so they are going to work on a State of Decay 3 game as soon as they feel the time is right and likely wont focus on new intellectual properties.

We have two million people playing so far playing State of Decay [2] since the launch; its really gone well for us. Its difficult to make a great game like that, but they kept at it. They made State of Decay 1, its a great game  State of Decay 2 just launched, I love that theyre kind of iterating and building, he said.

When we first started working on the State of Decay, we had a much bigger game, a much more persistent online game, and I know that Undead Labs will get there eventually, but by bringing them into the Microsoft family, I think were able to accelerate that and get us there sooner which is great.

In the case of Undead Labs, we absolutely want to go make State of Decay 3. That is a clear goal. That studio will have some other incubation, theyll work on some things, but this is a State of Decay 3 team.

State of Decay 2 just shipped and has two expansions planned, offered as part of the Ultimate Edition (also complete of the original game remastered for Xbox One), so it will take at least a couple years to learn more about a sequel, we guess.Debates to be held about Georgias occupied territories at European Parliament - GeorgianJournalOnePlus to host first Open Ears forum in India on July 7 News oi-Abhinaya Prabhu Indian OnePlus community members can voice out their feedback at the July 7 event.

After the launch of its latest flagship smartphone, OnePlus appears to be all set to host the first Open Ears forum in India next month. As per the company, the Open Ears forum will be held on July 7 in India and will be focused highly on the device.

OnePlus 6 has a huge user base in India. With the Open Ears forum, the company can provide its users a chance to voice out their opinions and suggestions directly to them. The feedback that they get from the event will help the company shape up the features on its next-generation smartphones. Also, it can rollout appropriate software updates to the devices.

Previous Open Ears forums

Back in September last year, the Open Ears forum was held in London. This forum served as an avenue for the company to meet select members of its user community in order to get feedback and ideas to enhance its portfolio of products and software.

After the forum in London, the company hosted the same in Hamburg and San Francisco in April this year. At Hamburg, the company focused a lot on the camera front while the OxygenOS was the topic of discussion at the San Francisco event.

OnePlus Open Ears forum details

Given that the upcoming forum will be the first one to be held in India, the company started taking applications for 30 attendees it is in plans to get to the event. OnePlus is yet to disclose the venue where the event will be hosted. It has mentioned that the travel and accommodation for the attendees will be arranged by them. This way we can expect the company to listen to the user feedback and bring in necessary changes in the form of software updates or future launches.

Oneplus 6 First Impressions

Interested people can apply to take part in the forum. In order to apply, one has to visit the company's official website. The entries will be accepted until June 12 midnight. The company will contact all those who have applied starting from June 15.

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Sony Xperia XZ2 gets Android P beta 2 update News oi-Sandeep Sarkar The changelog released by Sony mentions a number of bug fixes including the bug which hampered the performance of microphone.

Sony, the Japenese tech giant has recently rolled out an OTA update for Android P Beta 1 users. The company has now released an Android P beta 2 update for its Xperia XZ2 devices. This includes the model numbers H8216, H8266, and H8296). The company has released this update soon after Google had released the second public beta update for Android P (Developer Preview 3). The Sony Xperia XZ2 is among the few of non-Google devices that have the access to Android P beta builds which are currently available for only the original Pixel and Pixel 2 lineup.

The changelog released by Sony mentions a number of bug fixes including the bug which hampered the performance of microphone in which it stopped functioning while making and receiving calls. The latest update also fixes another bug that blocked the users to adjust the volume of the call. As per Sony, a number of connectivity issues were also fixed which included 4g+ crashes, Wi-Fi/ tethering issues along with GPS failing on some of the Xperia Z2 units.

As per Android Police, Sony had allowed the new beta-testers to signup for access via its own website; however, the link for the same is reportedly not functioning at the moment. So for the users who have still not received the update, they will most likely be receiving it soon.

Sony Xperia XZ2 will also receive the features that Google had rolled out with the Android P Beta 2 update. The new update will bounce the API level t0 28 and will also introduce the support for Biometric API, native support for multi-camera configurations and others.

Let's have a look at the specs and features of the Xperia XZ2:

Download YouTube Videos using VLC Player - GIZBOT

The Sony Xperia XZ2 features 5.7 inch IPS LCD 18:9 Full HD+ HDR display with a resolution f 1080 x 2160 pixels. The display gets an added protection by the Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The device is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, coupled with Adreno 630 GPU. Such Platform delivers high speed and performance. There is 4GB RAM and 64GB default memory capacity. This storage can be expanded up to another 400GB with the help of a microSD card.

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Exynos

Samsung uses Exynos majorly for the Asian markets while for Europe and North America, the tech giant makes use of Snapdragon processors. You might be wondering why Samsung does this; the answer lies in the supply chain. Considering the fact that Samsung is largely dominating the smartphone industry around the globe, the in-house production can help reduce the company's dependability on other companies for the supply. This could also help the company with cost-cutting and save some bucks. Also if somehow there is any flaw that could affect the performance of one category of a chipset, then the other processor is readily available to deploy.

The latest list of devices which feature the Exynos SoC includes Samsung Galaxy S9 (Exynos 9 series), Samsung Tab 2 (Exynos) 7 Octa (5433), Samsung Gear Sport Exynos 7 Dual (7270) and others.

Snapdragon

Snapdragon's first product that was made available to the consumers was the QSD8250 CPU. The chipset was released back in November 2007. This also included the first 1GHZ processor for the mobile phones. During the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2013, Snapdragon introduced the first of the Snapdragon 800 series which powers most of the devices nowadays. Since then, a number of CPUs has been introduced in the Snapdragon 800 series, most popular of them are the Snapdragon 835 and Snapdragon 845 which powers the flagship smartphones in today's time.

As mentioned above, Snapdragon CPUs are designed by Qualcomm and powers a whole set of devices available in the market. The latest Samsung devices which feature Snapdragon processors include Samsung Galaxy S9 & Galaxy S9 Plus. Both the devices are the first smartphone that features the latest Snapdragon 845 processor. The other devices which run on Snapdragon processors include Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S, Asus Zenfone, flagship HTC phones and Sony Xperia XZ2 premium.

Lets compare two of the best CPUs from each brand

The difference is in the number of cores: Samsung's in-house SoC uses an octa-core 64-bit chip whereas the Snapdragon is a quad-core chip. In terms of clocking skills, the Exynos cores are clocked at a lower speed when compared to that of Snapdragon.

The Exynos utilizes the cores in a systematic manner, for example, the smaller four cores are assigned to handle lighter task whereas for heavy tasks it deploys the four bigger cores. Interestingly it can also perform Heterogeneous Multi-Processing (HMP) by utilizing individual cores. This is because of the fact that the Heterogeneous Multi-processing is only supported by Exynos LITTLE architecture. To simplify it, HMP is nothing but the ability of the processor to use as few as one 'single' core to perform the lightest task and at the same time, all the eight cores can also be used to meet the demand of heavy tasks. The Exynos chips make use of ARM Mali graphics processor.

The fact to be noted here is that the core activity in LITTLE architecture is highly suitable for power management. This is widely because when all the eight cores are activated at once it brings a noticeable change in the performance of the Exynos processor when compared to that of Snapdragon. Also, off late, the Exynos chips have been performing well as compared to their Snapdragon variants in benchmark tests.

The other major difference is that the Exynos chips make use of Mali graphics processor whereas the Snapdragon uses Adreno GPU. This is a major factor in determining the speed of the processors. The Snapdragon processors are fast when it comes to running graphics rich content whereas the Exynos chipset fires up the apps quickly.

Vivo X21 review

Verdict:

There is only a marginal difference in the performance of both the processors. As we mentioned above the Exynos processors are fast when it comes to loading the apps whereas the Snapdragon processors are fast when it comes to graphics loading. Also, the availability of the chipset also matters as the Exynos chipsets are largely used by Samsung for the Asian region, while the Snapdragon CPUs are used for European and North American market.WhatsApp calls might soon be banned in India to stop terrorist activities News oi-Sandeep Sarkar The Indian government is taking such measure in order to curb the communication which happens between the militants and their handlers.

WhatsApp has become a vital means of communication for the users in India and around the globe. The end-to-end encrypted messaging platform which is available for the users to have a safe and secure platform to communicate. However, it seems that Indian government might soon ban one of the popular features of the WhatsApp.

It is being speculated that the Indian Government might block WhatsApp calling feature. The Indian government is taking such measure in order to curb the communication which happens between the militants and their handlers or associates across the Indian border. The Indian government is said to be working on an outline strategy that can be used to block WhatsApp calling in the affected areas.

The first incident that came to light regarding the usage of WhatsApp for the terror activities was an attack at Nagrota Army camp back in 2016. It was revealed back then that the terrorists were using the WhatsApp messaging platform to communicate with their associates. Following this, the NIA (National Investigation Agency) also found that WhatsApp was also being used as a direction guide across the border.

WhatsApp live location sharing feature to Android and iOS

This comes as a major concern for most of the countries including India. The Indian Home Ministry also held a meeting recently in order to discuss the possible solutions for this issue. In the meeting, some notable dignitaries were present including officials from the MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information technologies, DoT (Department of Telecommunication) along with some of the security agencies from Jammu and Kashmir police.

The government, however, seems to be clueless at the moment as most of the messaging apps that are available today have an end-to-end messaging platform which is impenetrable. However, the Indian government has now decided that it will introduce new policies which will bring the WhatsApp under the Indian jurisdictions. This, in turn, will help the Indian government to curb the spreading of malicious data, keep a tab on terrorist activities and also the distribution of child pornography. The Indian government is also working on developing stringent IT laws to crackdown such criminal activities on the social networking platform.

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Richwood, TX (77531)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low near 60F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low near 60F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.It wasnt practical to send their employees out into the community, so Union Savings Bank brought the community to them.

To help encourage volunteering and build new relationships, the community bank held its first employee Community Fair in the lobby of the Galleria in downtown Danbury where the bank has its main hub. Close to 20 nonprofit organizations set up booths and Union Savings Bank employees strolled through and talked with representatives of the groups.

Union Savings Bank has about 125 employees in the Galleria and another 35 at the branch across the street. A similar event will be held on Wednesday at the banks Park Lane Building location in New Milford, where about 50 people work.

We brought in community partners to talk about their organizations so our employees can find out what they do, Michele Bonvicini, director of community relations at Union Savings Bank, said. We brought the community to the employees because they cant always get out and see the organizations.

The employees dropped raffle submissions into a fishbowl before returning to work. A donation by the bank will be made to the nonprofit of choice in the name of the raffle winner.

Union Savings Banks passion is to enrich the communities where we live and work through volunteerism, charitable contributions and financial guidance, Bonvicini said. Our employees are truly dedicated to this mission and actively donate thousands of hours per year.

Belinda Ireland, who has worked for Union Savings Bank for 28 years, is a longtime volunteer and board member of Interfaith. She encouraged young professionals to donate time to a cause about which they feel strongly.

Its nice that the bank is heavily involved in volunteerism. Volunteering creates a lot of relationships, she said. An event like this makes the opportunities more available. Union Savings Bank is very involved in the community. Were always giving back.

Allison Carballo of Family & Childrens Aid, who tended the groups booth with interns Gina Arconti and Nicole Rossman, noted that four Union Savings Bank employees serve on the FCA board. Susan Giglio of Families Network of Western Connecticut said the bank has had an employee on her board for more than 20 years. Two employees of the bank are on the board now.

Union Savings Bank is definitely very civic-minded, Giglio said. They have been supportive of us for many years.

The nonprofits represented a variety of interests such as arts, human and health services, animal welfare, outdoor recreation and education.

Sharon Nisch, a volunteer with Womens Center, said she was thankful for the opportunity to spread the word about her organization. Womens Center serves the community with prevention, crisis intervention and support services for victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse and other crises.

Its good for us because we want to get our word out. The more people we can see and talk to the better. Union Saving Banks collaboration with the community is great.

Bonvicini noted that the representatives of the nonprofit groups were mingling among each other, demonstrating an unintended benefit to the community partners.

The community partners are talking to each other, too, which is great, she said. They are seeing how they can collaborate with each other, as well.

United Savings Bank was founded in 1866. The Union Savings Bank Foundation, which was established in 1998, distributed more than $140,000 in grants to 14 nonprofits last year.

The writer may be reached at cbosak@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3338Foxwoods Resort Casinos inaugural spirits and cocktail tasting event, which runs Wednesday through Friday, June 20-22, is called The Wonder of the Cocktail, which works its The Wonder of It All slogan into an event name.

The three-day celebration offers guests, as well as food and beverage professionals, the opportunity to taste spirits and wines with global experts, attend master class seminars, and meet some of Connecticuts top chefs.

Christina Clifton, Foxwoods vice president of food and beverage, said she had an idea based on events based around cocktails she had observed in other places.

And I thought it would be perfect for Foxwoods, because most of the time these events are held in cities and they have multiple venues around a city. And we are a city, she said, chuckling, under one roof (with) 9 million square feet so I thought it might be a perfect event to have here where we showcase not only all the different spirits (but) our different venues.

Clifton said the casino is partnering with Brescome Barton to provide such brands as Remy Martin, Campari and McCallum for tastings. For food, such in-house brands as Cedars and Vue 24 will be joined by the likes of partner eatery Red Lantern and (outside eatery) The Cook and the Bear for the Thursday Dine-Around event.

Clifton said Foxwoods is expecting more than just industry folks, of course.

What I thought of was that I could integrate all three components we have on property as far as guests (go)  industry people (mixologists/chefs) and then the general public that comes to Foxwoods frequently and also the player development sector, like our the gaming patrons.

Clifton said the weekday schedule is to allow industry folks, who often work on weekends, to attend.

She said the new event will add to the already-attractive experiences on the Foxwoods property.

There is not an event like this in the Northeast, Clifton said. So having the inaugural event like this at Foxwoods, it is now our event that we can present every year and will attract people from across the nation ... to come here and experience this.

While there are one- or two-day wine and beer festivals, this ones different because its three days and includes seminars ($55) to learn about different spirits and cocktails, Clifton said, showcasing different styles and trends in the mixology world in a place where there are 2,200 hotel rooms for visitors to stay the night.

Servers will talk about the composition of the cocktail and at the dine-around, and each chef will be paired with a mixologist for cocktails that will match their cuisine.

I love food and beverage, the creative side of it, working with chefs, talented people ... and keeping it fresh and changing with the times, said Clifton, who worked at ARIA Resort and other casinos. Food and beverage is constantly changing and oftentimes were the leader of that change and that part to me is a lot of fun, the development part of it.

More Information Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Trolley Line Blvd., Mashantucket. Thursday, June 21-Friday, June 22. Must be 21 or over. 860-312-3000. www.foxwoods.com/cocktail/ See More Collapse

Top events include:

A kick-off cocktail reception, with dueling pianos, said Clifton, will be held Wednesday in the Grand Ballroom from 6 to 10 p.m. (Free with purchase of any other event.)

A Chef Dine Around Tasting Thursday in the same ballroom from 6-10 p.m. Thursday. $75.

A pool party with cocktails and some food Friday from 1 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Fox Tower Pool. $35

The Grand Tasting Friday night from 7-10 in the Grand Ballroom. $125.

jamarante@nhregister; Twitter: @JoeammoSchool's almost out and that means summer vacationbut for a lot of kids "vacation" includes a summer job. From life-guarding to scooping ice cream, kids throughout the ages have made a few extra dollars one way or another.

Columnist Jim Shea mused about those days in a recent piece:

"The only thing worse than having a horrible summer job, of course, was having no job. This brought your mother into the picture. Mothers, universally, seem to have a problem with able-bodied teenagers staying in bed until noon, and even larger issues with giving said slacker spending money.

But the summer job was not just about money. It was also a first glimpse into real life. You discovered things about yourself, about your bosses, about working with the public."

Click through the slideshow to find out where some of our readers spent their summer days working.





But according to a recent WalletHub study, New Haven and Bridgeporttwo of the area's major citiesare not so great for summer job opportunities.

WalletHub compared more than 180 markets in the U.S. across 21 key indicators of employment outlook, affordability and downtime-friendliness. "Our data set ranges from median income of part-time workers to availability of summer jobs to rental price for a one-bedroom property," the site writes.

New Haven came in at number 102 and Bridgeport at number 164. Both cities received low marks for "youth job market," which takes into account factors such as: Availability of Summer Jobs, Availability of Internships, Summer Employment Growth and Labor-Force Participation Rate of Population Aged 16 to 24.

However, both Bridgeport and New Haven did get pretty high marks in the "Social Environment & Affordability" category, which looks at Share of Population Aged 16 to 24, Access to Public Transportation and Commuter Friendliness.

Despite what WalletHub has to say, there are plenty of summer job opportunities in SW Connecticut. A couple summers ago, Hearst polled readers to find out where your first summer jobs were. We know readers have worked at Dunkin' Donuts, Stop & Shop and the Danbury Mall.

We also took a trip down memory lane with some summer job spots that no longer exist like Frances' in Trumbull, Bradlees, Arrow Restaurant in Westport and CompUSA.

But we want to know where your first local job was in southwestern Connecticut. Let us know in the comments where your first job was and in what year, and we will add your job to the slideshow. Bonus points if you send a photo!Back for a second year, students at Riverside School constructed creative creations and arcade-style games as part of the Global Cardboard Challenge this week.

Utilizing valuable STEM skills and creativity, students built projects in groups and then got a chance to tour classrooms to play with other students games.OTTAWA - Canada's House of Commons adopted an unusual unanimous resolution Monday backing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after he was harshly criticized by President Donald Trump, while Americans lent support to their northern neighbor on Twitter through a special hashtag #ThankCanada.

Trump attacked the Canadian leader after withdrawing U.S. approval of the joint communique issued at the close Saturday of the Group of Seven summit in Charlevoix, Quebec. Trump acted following Trudeau's reiteration of Canada's opposition to new U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

After Trump called Trudeau "very dishonest and weak" on Twitter, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro asserted over the weekend that the Canadian prime minister "deserves a special place in hell" for attempting to "stab [Trump] in the back on the way out the door."

Bruce Heyman, who was U.S. ambassador to Canada during President Barack Obama's administration, called on Navarro in a tweet to formally apologize to Trudeau for his "insulting and inappropriate remarks." Joining that view was Nicholas Burns, a former U.S. undersecretary of state under President George W. Bush, who called Canada "the best neighbor we could have."

Burns said that Navarro would have been fired if he had made those sorts of remarks under any other U.S. president and added, "Trump will likely reward him."

Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council who also attended the G-7 summit, countered Navarro by insisting that "there is a special place in heaven for Justin Trudeau," and thanked Canada for "the perfect organization" of the meeting.

On Twitter, Americans used the #ThankCanada and #ThanksCanada hashtags to praise their neighbor. They cited Canada's welcome of transatlantic flights diverted to Newfoundland after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, as well as its role in spiriting U.S. diplomats out of Tehran during the 1979-81 Iran hostage crisis. Some thanked Canada for maple syrup, Leonard Cohen or early adoption of same-sex marriage.

The expressions of support extended beyond Twitter. Actor Robert De Niro, in Toronto for the launch of a real estate venture, apologized to Trudeau for what he called "the idiotic behavior of my president."

In Ottawa, the Canadian House of Commons passed a unanimous resolution backing Trudeau that rejected "ad hominem statements by U.S. officials, which do a disservice to bilateral relations and work against efforts to resolve this trade dispute." The resolution, which is largely symbolic, was presented by a member of Parliament from the left-of-center New Democratic Party and received all-party support, almost unheard of in Canada's highly partisan political atmosphere.

It followed supportive comments by Canadian politicians of all political stripes in defense of Trudeau. They included statements by Doug Ford, the newly elected Conservative premier of Ontario, and Stephen Harper, a former prime minister. The United States and Canada "fighting over our trade relationship when the Chinese have a 4-to-1 imbalance with both of us is in my judgment just the wrong priority," Harper told Fox News.

Mel Cappe, Canada's former ambassador to Britain and onetime head of the federal public service, called on Trudeau to seek a formal apology from Trump for what he called an "unprecedented" attack on a democratic leader.

"Decent people do not belittle or mock their allies or their enemies," Cappe wrote in the Globe and Mail. "Decent people do not engage in name calling. Decent people do not resort to personal attacks when they don't like the outcome of a meeting."

Trudeau had no public comment Monday on the dispute.

"Donald Trump may think that his outrageous behavior is softening up his trading partners but it's not working with Canada," said Roland Paris, a former Trudeau adviser and professor of international affairs at University of Ottawa. "I've never seen Canadians so united."

Despite this unusual demonstration of unity, Paris said, the Trudeau government faces a huge challenge going forward. "The status quo is doing some limited economic damage to the Canadian economy, but preventing further escalation of trade tensions should be the priority."

Doug Porter, chief economist at the Bank of Montreal, said he couldn't recall Canadian-U.S. relations being at such a low ebb: "I've been doing this for over 30 years and I haven't seen anything remotely like this."

Not only is he concerned about the impact on the economy of the disruption caused by the steel and aluminum tariffs but the broader effect of the poor state of bilateral relations and the uncertainty over the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

"What I'm more worried about is the tone of the relationship and what it means for business investment." He said the bank may have to revise downward its forecast for the growth of the Canadian economy in 2018, now at 2 percent, if the situation doesn't improve.

Trump imposed the tariffs on Canada, Mexico and the European Union on May 31, citing imports as a national security threat to the U.S. domestic metals industry.

Economist Dan Ciuriak, in a study for the C.D. Howe Institute, a think tank, said Canada will be hit harder than any other country by the tariffs because it sells more steel and aluminum than do others. He predicted they could mean a loss of 6,000 jobs in Canada and shave off as much as 0.33 percent of gross domestic product.

And there is more damage being done by the clouds that hang over the future of NAFTA, which is inhibiting investment by companies uncertain whether the pact will remain or be scuttled.

"Can you sign a new agreement with Mr. Trump and be sure that it will stay for more than a nanosecond?" Ciuriak told The Washington Post. "The concept of a North American production unit has been damaged for at least a generation."President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivered a joint statement on Tuesday seeking a landmark deal to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. But nestled in the document was a short bullet point that addresses a long-running concern of U.S. veterans groups: the recovery of the remains of thousands of American soldiers who were killed or captured in North Korea during the Korean War.

On Tuesday, the two countries agreed to "commit" to recovering the remains of fallen soldiers, "including the immediate repatriation of those already identified," according to the document.

The statement represents a significant victory for veterans groups who lobbied forcefully behind the scenes for a renewed effort on the recovery of remains in an environment where many non-nuclear issues, including human rights and the return of Japanese abductees, were left unaddressed in the joint statement.

The remains of 5,300 American soldiers who were killed or captured in North Korea during the war remain unaccounted for north of the demilitarized zone, resting in cemeteries, former labor camps and battle sites. From 1990 to 2005, joint U.S.-North Korean search teams repatriated 229 sets of remains. But the cooperation between the United States and North Korea was abruptly suspended in 2005 as political relations deteriorated.

In recent days, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told his negotiating team, led by U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, that the POW issue was important to Trump, and he "instructed Kim to negotiate for it," said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert. Trump, during a news conference on Tuesday, said that he had received "countless" phone calls from Americans asking for help on the issue.

"So many people, during the campaign, would say is there any way you can work with North Korea to get the remains of my son back or father back," Trump said. "I said we don't get along too well with that particular group of people. Now we do. And he agreed to that so quickly and nicely. It was a nice thing."

As Trump headed into his landmark meeting with Kim Jong earlier in the day, a top Defense Department official told families of the missing soldiers that securing the remains and resuming recovery efforts is a top priority for negotiations.

"We are in close communication with the White House, with the Department of Defense and with the Department of State that this mission needs to be part of the dialogue" at the summit in Singapore, Kelly M. McKeague, director of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, told 258 family members who gathered in mid-May in Louisville, Kentucky, for a summit of their own.

"It's a humanitarian mission and one that the North Koreans need to live up to their obligations on, as most nations do," said McKeague, a retired Air Force major general, according to a recording of his speech, as he explained that North Korea and, as of last fall, Cambodia are the only outliers in cooperative recovery efforts with 46 countries. "We continue to enjoy an understanding, at least within the U.S. government, of communicating that to the North Koreans." He said the North Koreans are holding the remains of 200 additional American soldiers.

On Monday, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, which has for years promoted recovery efforts for fallen soldiers, sent a letter to Trump, Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis urging that a repatriation agreement be on the table during the president's negotiations with Kim.

"As the leader of the free world, we urge you to do everything in your power to ensure that those who paid the ultimate price for freedom during the Korean War are finally returned home to their families," Keith Harman, VFW's commander in chief, wrote. He called the return of missing soldiers' remains an unsettled issue of "paramount importance" to the VFW and its 1.7 million members.

More than 35,000 American soldiers died on the Korean Peninsula between 1950 and 1953. The U.S. government estimates that 7,702 remain unaccounted for, with about 2,400 in South Korea.

"We owe a profound debt of gratitude to all U.S. service members, especially to those who gave their lives to uphold America's freedom and values," a State Department official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the meeting said. "Around the world, U.S. embassies and missions work closely with the U.S. Department of Defense to recover those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and to bring them home."

A person familiar with the discussions said the agreement was a surprise given the almost exclusive focus of negotiators on the nuclear issue.

In a normal negotiation, a noncontroversial, humanitarian issues such as finding the remains of fallen soldiers would likely be used as confidence-building measure in advance of a leadership-level meeting. But Trump flipped the script on its head, opening the talks with a meeting with Kim Jong Un and raising the most difficult issues, such as denuclearization, at the outset.

Last week, South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed hope that Pyongyang might allow teams to start recovering the remains of soldiers from the demilitarized zone, the 154-mile long divide between the two countries. More than 120,000 South Korean soldiers who fought in the war remain unaccounted for, many thought to be lost on the North Korean side.

"We will continue efforts to recover the remains of members of the military and police who fell during the Korean War until we find the last remaining person," Moon said in a speech June 6.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, formed in 2015 to bring together disparate recovery efforts across the government, estimates that 82,000 service members from the World War II era through the Gulf Wars are unaccounted for. The majority, almost 73,000, fought in World War II.

American teams had conducted almost three dozen recovery operations in North Korea before President George W. Bush stopped the missions, claiming American' safety was not assured.

"It's no big secret that we're still trying to resolve those cases from Korea," POW/MIA accounting agency spokesman Charles Prichard said in an interview. " In the intervening years, defense officials have continued to do archival research, he said, and to identify remains, with 19 from the Korean conflict so far this fiscal year.

The agency holds regular meetings with families to update them on technology and progress in their cases. The gathering at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Louisville on May 19 drew people from Kentucky, Ohio, Alabama, Illinois, Tennessee, West Virginia and Illinois.

McKeague told the families that his agency's mission has enjoyed growing interest and support from Congress, which boosted its $146 million budget by $50 million this year. Even Russia agreed this year to allow recovery experts to launch a mission to find the remains of World War II soldiers in the vast country, the first effort in 15 years, he said.As North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's translator remarked (seemingly quoting his boss), it was a day straight out of a fantasy or sci-fi movie.

In surreal scenes at a colonial-era hotel on the tropical Singapore island of Sentosa, Kim met for several hours with U.S. President Donald Trump. Just months ago they were threatening to obliterate each other.

There were multiple handshakes, two quick outside strolls, a brief lunch, periodic smiles and some backslapping. Trump repeatedly praised Kim, calling him a "great personality and very smart." Kim was more muted, but thanked Trump for the meeting.

For all the theater, they signed a document short on details. North Korea pledged to "move towards" denuclearization, something it has said before. Trump promised unspecified security guarantees. There was no timeframe, other than an agreement for senior officials to keep talking.

Trump said later in an hour-long briefing that the U.S. would halt war games in South Korea. He said he and Kim agreed on some things that were not in the document.

The fact the meeting happened at all is significant, and Trump arguably broke a logjam. But we're still a long way from a disarmed North Korea.

- Body talk

Trump and Kim looked relaxed and smiling at times, somber and awkward at others. For all Kim's famed ruthlessness, this was a big day for the young leader, while Trump has limited experience in statecraft despite his decades of dealmaking. It's hard to say they formed a lasting chemistry, though at least there seems to have been mutual respect. Trump even let Kim have a peek inside his limo, known as "The Beast."

- Defining denuclearization

Heading into the talks, both sides had very different definitions of denuclearization. The U.S. demanded "complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization," known as CVID, considered the gold standard among arms-control experts. North Korea wanted "complete denuclearization," which also involves the U.S. giving up its nuclear deterrent for Japan and South Korea. In the end, the statement used North Korea's language. When asked why he didn't get CVID, Trump said he didn't have enough time.

- Remembering the dead

Trump scored a win that he's likely to tout with his core supporters, especially in the military: He got Kim to agree to recover the remains of U.S. service members killed during the Korean War, and to immediately repatriate those that have been identified already. Trump also said he thought he helped political prisoners in North Korea's gulags.

- Xi wins big

Score one for China, America's rival. The biggest winner from Trump's meeting with Kim - possibly aside from Kim himself - was President Xi Jinping's government, which had advocated the very process that Trump is now embarked upon. China took the opportunity to call for the UN Security Council to ease sanctions against Kim's regime, though Trump said they would remain for now.

- Pompeo has the ball

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's work is just beginning. He starts a trip Wednesday to Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing to brief those governments on the summit's outcome, which included a suspension of military drills (a concern for allies South Korea and Japan) and a push to keep enforcing sanctions (Trump accused China of loosening border controls). Then Pompeo will continue negotiations with the North Koreans on what "complete denuclearization" actually entails.

- Rock-star welcome

Kim had a week to remember. Besides becoming the first North Korean leader ever to meet with a sitting U.S. president, he received a warm welcome in Singapore. He took selfies and waved to cheering crowds during a late-night tour of the city-state, further legitimizing him on the global stage. All this, and he's yet to give up a single nuclear weapon or missile.I should have been excited as I watched a historic event unfold in Singapore. The summit meeting of Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un held out hope that the last ugly conflict of the Cold War can be brought to a close, alleviating the threat of nuclear war in Asia and possibly opening up the vicious North Korean dictatorship to the world.

For me, the matter is more personal. I lived in South Korea for several years in the 1990s, and I'm forever connected to the peninsula by bonds of family and friends. Seoul, that emblem of prosperity perched near the Demilitarized Zone, is something of a second home.

But it's hard to be optimistic. After more than two decades following Korean affairs, I remind myself that we've been here before. The Pyongyang regime has broken promises to end its nuclear program. Washington has made its share of missteps, too. And while the Trump-Kim meeting was the first by the U.S. and North Korean leaders, it wasn't the first high-level contact: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visited Pyongyang in 2000 for talks with Kim's father, Kim Jong Il. Hopes ran high then, too.

So I keep asking myself: Is this time different?

In most ways, it isn't. Trump supporters argue that his approach has been quite unlike that of his predecessors, and that's why the North has come to the table. At its heart, though, Trump's strategy is more or less identical: Offer to trade nukes for economic goodies, and strangle the regime with sanctions until it agrees.

It's not clear, despite Singapore, that this approach worked. The Kims have endured isolation, poverty, even famines, for decades and aren't easily cowed. There are indications that their economy has improved in recent years, despite sanctions. In 2016, North Korean output may have grown at the fastest pace in 17 years, according to South Korea's central bank.

There is one element that's different: the parties at the table. The U.S. hadn't dealt with Kim Jong Un on the nuclear issue, and while we don't really know what persuaded him to negotiate, we can't assume that he has the same motivations as his father. Some North Korea watchers are convinced the younger Kim truly wants to develop his economy and bring the country in from the cold, and he can't do that without the lifting of sanctions and U.S. support.

Then there's Trump. He's different, too, but not in the way most people think. It's not his "fire and fury" threats and "maximum pressure" campaign that distinguish him from his predecessors. It's his break with Washington's foreign-policy traditions. As we witnessed most obviously at the G-7 summit in Canada, Trump has scant regard for allies, past agreements or international commitments. More, he seems willing to toss into the shredder the foreign-policy guidebook Washington has followed since Truman.

That might make Trump willing to do what no other president in the modern period would to get a deal with Kim, and that may open opportunities with Pyongyang the U.S. has never had. At a press briefing Monday evening in Singapore, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wouldn't say whether the U.S. would offer to pull troops out of South Korea - a long-standing North Korean demand - as part of a nuclear deal. Trump, in his post-summit comments Tuesday, acknowledged he wants to bring the troops home, but said it wasn't part of the equation at the moment.

Still, the fact that this is even being discussed is remarkable. No previous president would have considered so great a deviation from Washington's global security policy.

Kim may have sensed that desire to break with past practice, and that alone may have made negotiations worth a shot from his standpoint. Maybe the North Korean leader can extract concessions that other presidents wouldn't have entertained.

In Trump's quest for "wins," he could be too quick to discard allies like South Korea - and in the process, unravel the security order that has preserved American dominance in Asia since the end of World War II. Kim (and his backer, China's President Xi Jinping) would love to push the U.S. out of the Korean peninsula and weaken its standing in East Asia.

That would leave the door wide open for China to march in. Trump, whether through short-sighted politicking, dearth of knowledge or simple lack of interest, could make a deal that might resolve one security problem while creating a potentially bigger one.

We'll see. Handshakes and smiles aside, it's far from clear where the relationship is heading. The joint document signed Tuesday by Trump and Kim is a masterpiece of diplomatic vagueness that appears to leave undone the hard work of reaching a real, verifiable agreement to end North Korea's nuclear program.

For seven decades, Washington has equated its own interests with the preservation of a U.S. global economic and security system. Trump does not. That may be why this time with North Korea is different. But I'm not sure it's a cause for hope.

- Schuman is a journalist based in Beijing and author of "Confucius: And the World He Created."STAMFORD  A city woman has been accused of beating a pregnant woman on the head with a small pipe during an argument over a text message.

Sgt. Kenneth Jarrett said police were called to Washington Avenue at 11 p.m. Saturday for a report of two women fighting. Jarrett said police determined a 35-year-old pregnant woman backed into a parking space when she was confronted by Regina Wilks.These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.People look at one of the exhibits at Wahkpa Chu'gn Buffalo Jump June 2 during Living History Day. The bison kill site and Living History were both discussed during Monday's monthly meeting of the H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum board, which also oversees Wahkpa Chu'gn.

Monday night, the H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum Board discussed dinosaurs, summer events and the progress of the future Havre History Center.

June 6, a camera crew came to take footage of Montana State University-Northern instructor and paleontologist Vicki Clouse and the dinosaur exhibit at the museum, museum manager Emily Mayer said.

The footage was taken to publicize the Montana Dinosaur Trail, which includes 14 locations, from Bynum to Ekalaka, that people can visit to view the history of dinosaurs in the state.

The board also discussed the fact that the museum has one of only two castings of the skull of the rare stygimoloch dinosaur, which is featured in the new "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" film.

"It is being released on June 22; we should do something with it," said H. Earl and Margaret Turner Clack Memorial Museum Foundation Chair Elaine Morse.

The finalized summer speaker series dates and details were reviewed by the board, including the first one, which will happen this Saturday at 2 p.m. at the museum when Keith Doll will present "Havre and the Great War."

The speech will be free, and iced tea will be served, museum board Chair Judi Dritshulas said.

Saturday, July 21, at 2 p.m. at the Great Northern Fairgrounds, Mayer will present "Sedition in Hill County," and Friday, Sept. 21, during Festival Days weekend, at 7 p.m. Jim Magera will present "Havre at the Turn of the Century."

After Magera's speech, Dritshulas said, a dedication ceremony will be held for Mural Park, a park at Havre Inn and Suites that includes a mural made by Canadian Jim Marshall depicting the Wahkpa Chu'gn Buffalo Jump behind Holiday Village Mall.

"There are going to be flagpoles, two benches and two trees," she added.

The museum board also oversees Wahkpa Chu'gn.

Also during Festival Days, the foundation plans to hold its second Digging Up History event at the fairgrounds, Morse said, adding that last year it seemed to be a popular event where people could dig up real buffalo bones as well as fake bones to get prizes.

The foundation has hosted two work parties at the future Havre History Center where they were able to take down the wall of the Tobacco Room, Morse said.

She added that the foundation members found the cement out front of the building is not solid, but they are considering a "very fair bid" from Korb Construction to work on it as well as building a handicap ramp.

Morse said the foundation members also talked about the Griggs Printing sign that is on the building, saying it is getting weathered and old.

It might be nice to get a large sign that says "Future Home of the Havre History Center," that can be modified to remove the future home part when it is completed, she said, adding that they could possibly take down the Griggs sign and replace it with a new, smaller sign.

The board discussed their Living History Day that was held Saturday, June 2.

"It was a good day," Dritshulas said, adding that there were many activities and lots of kids.

Mayer said they had 53 people do tours of the buffalo jump during Living History Day.

Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson said that during the Hi-Line Cruz'n Association's annual rod run last weekend, visitors asked about Wahkpa Chu'gn and if Faber School is open. He said it may be a good idea to reach out to tourists during events like this, to show them Havre's historical landmarks.

Mayer brought a list of items that community members had contacted her about possibly donating to the museum. The board agreed that items including music festival pictures, a bell from the rural Redwing School and a World War II uniform might make good additions to the museum.Courtesy Photo

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, back center, poses for a photograph with Havre High School students in Washington. Tester met with the students last week while they were visiting Washington through Close Up, an organization that aims to connect students with their elected leaders. Tester answered their questions about education costs, broadband in Montana, and the legislative process. Tester encouraged the students to get involved either at their school or in the community, noting that they are Montana's next generation of leaders.HRD contacted Foodora for comment and a spokesperson said that as the matter is currently before the courts, the company is unable to comment.

However, Foodora will be defending the claims and accusations that have been made against the business, said the spokesperson.

It is alleged that Foodora required each of the workers to have an Australian Business Number (ABN) and sign a contract titled Independent Contractor Agreement on the commencement of work.

The FWO is alleging the three workers were actually employees of Foodora during the relevant period for a range of reasons, including:

* the level of control, supervision and direction Foodora exercised over the workers hours, location and manner of work;

* the requirement for the workers to wear a Foodora-branded t-shirt and use food storage boxes and/or bike racks supplied by Foodora;

* Foodora paid the workers fixed hourly rates and/or amounts per delivery and the workers did not negotiate their rates of pay at any time; and\

* each of the workers was not genuinely conducting their own delivery business, in that they: did not advertise or promote their availability to perform deliveries to the public; did not delegate their delivery duties with Foodora to any other person; and did not have their own customer base, business premises and insurances.A study published in Nature Medicine by a team led by Manuel Valiente, head of the Brain Metastasis Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), shows that the administration of silibinin in patients with brain metastasis reduces lesions without causing any adverse effects. This preliminary trial provides proof of concept that this compound could be a new effective and safe alternative to treat brain metastasis.

We have demonstrated, taking into account all the considerations relevant to a compassionate use trial such as ours, that we can successfully treat brain metastasis, highlights Valiente. This treatment could also be valid for any type of brain metastasis, regardless of the primary tumour that generated it, he added.

One of the biggest challenges in oncology is brain metastasis. It is estimated that between 10% and 40% of primary tumours generate metastasis in the brain, a situation that worsens patient prognosis considerably. Few advances have been made in terms of treatment; currently, brain metastasis is still being treated with surgery and/or radiotherapy. In recent years, some alternatives have appeared in terms of targeted therapies or immunotherapy, but the percentage of patients who might benefit from these therapies is just 20% in the best-case scenario.

The tumour microenvironment as a critical factor in metastasis

The role of the cellular context (microenvironment) in which a tumour develops is becoming increasingly important, not only with a view to understanding how cancer cells grow but also so we can know how to attack them. In the brain, an inhospitable environment for any element that is foreign to it, the role of the microenvironment is as relevant as it is unknown.

Valiente and his group have been studying this aspect for years, focusing in particular on two elements. On the one hand, on a population of cells known as astrocytes, which respond to damage by entering into a reactive state and which are associated with metastasis. And on the other, on the STAT3 gene, which has already been proved to be involved with brain metastasis. As shown in this research, the activation of STAT3 is significant in a subpopulation of reactive astrocytes that are key to establishing a pro-metastatic environment.

When this gene is eliminated from the reactive astrocytes, the viability of brain metastasis is compromised. With this information on the table, Valientes research group used a novel drug screening strategy developed by them called METPlatform. This tool is capable of analysing the relationship between hundreds of compounds and the metastatic cells found in the target organ simultaneously; in this case in the brain.

This strategy allows us to assess experimental drugs as well as those that are already in use for other types of pathologies that might or might not be linked to cancer. We believe that by using METPlatform we can be more efficient in developing new therapeutic options, since we can study the metastatic cell growing in the organ being colonised, explained Valiente.

One of the compounds tested in this preparation was silibinin, whose anti-tumour potential had previously been established by Joaquim Bosch, Head of the Lung Cancer Unit at Catalonias Cancer Institute (ICO-IDIBGI) in Girona, and co-author of this study. In 2016, we reported positive brain responses in two patients with no other treatment options who received silibinin, but we did not know how it worked. Thanks to this research, led by Valientes group, we now understand how it acts at the level of the brain, said Bosch.

A new therapeutic concept with encouraging results

Following the good results obtained by blocking STAT3 with silibinin in mice, the authors established a cohort of 18 patients with lung cancer and brain metastasis for whom compassionate use to this drug was granted in combination with standard treatment. 75% of the patients reacted positively at the level of brain metastasis. Three patients (20%) displayed a total response, and 10 (55%) a partial response. Average survival rate was 15.5 months, whereas in the control group (composed of patients treated for this disease in the same institution during 2015-2016) it was four months.

Our treatment mainly targets the brain environment that has been altered by metastasis. This is a new therapeutic concept, said Valiente. We are also attacking an alteration that is only seen when there is brain metastasis, and which is necessary for its viability, he added.

We have explored whether therapies targeting organ-specific survival mechanisms could be a novel approach to treat brain metastasis, explains Neibla Priego, first author of the study.

In spite of the positive results achieved, further trials must be conducted with this compound before it can be incorporated into clinical practice. Researchers have been trying to launch such trials for months, but so far they have not been able to secure the funding they need in order to do so. This present research describes the first targeted therapy for brain metastasis that acts by attacking its tumour microenvironment. However, more data are needed before it can be incorporated into clinical practice. The 18 patients treated so far indicate that it would be feasible to administer this treatment and that it could be very relevant at a clinical level. Clinical trials, with silibinin or with drugs that act against this target, are crucial if we wish to make this new therapeutic option available to patients, concluded Bosch, head of the clinical study, and Valiente, research director.

Patients with brain metastasis have traditionally been excluded from clinical trials because of their poor prognosis. It now appears that there is a move towards not excluding them given their growing importance in clinical practice. In this regard, we hope that with METPlatform we will be able to help build confidence so that new drugs can be evaluated on these patients, adds Valiente.

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINECO), the Melanoma Research Alliance, Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC), the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), Pfizer, Meda Pharma, Armangue Family, la Caixa Foundation, and the Fulbright Program.



We're a family of seven living in Georgia where Andrew's working as a professor at GSU. You can read more about us hereThe family was targeted as they were leaving Phoenix Park

A one-year-old baby girl was in the back seat of a rented SUV when it was stolen by a crazed junkie.

Gardai have recovered the Nissan Qashqai that was taken from tourists in the shocking knifepoint carjacking.

The parents of the baby are doctors, both aged 32, based in Liverpool, who had been visiting Dublin's Phoenix Park when the crime occurred, at around 11.15pm on Sunday.

The incident happened as the couple were driving out of the park at Conyngham Road, Islandbridge.

As they exited the park, a man approached them and pulled the driver and passenger from the car at knifepoint.

He then jumped into the driver's seat and drove away.

It was only moments later that the hijacker realised there was a one-year-old child strapped into a seat in the back of the vehicle.

He then stopped the car and demanded that the couple take the child out, before driving away.

While no one was physically injured in the hijacking, the couple were said to have been left extremely shaken.

The Herald can reveal that the vehicle was found yesterday morning in the Cork Street area of the south inner city - a 10-minute drive away from where the carjacking happened.

The Nissan Qashqai was being forensically examined last night and a senior source told the Herald that detectives are "confident" that an arrest may be made in the case before the end of the week.

"There is excellent quality CCTV that is being trawled through in relation to this investigation," the senior source said.

Dreadful

"The victims have given a very good description of the suspect, who is believed to be aged between his mid-20s into his early 30s.

"The feeling is that he got freaked out after he committed this dreadful crime and may have believed that someone had seen him, which led him to abandon the vehicle on a road off Cork Street.

"This is clearly the behaviour of someone who has serious drugs issues and an arrest is likely in this case."

Gardai said that they believed the young family were in Dublin for a short holiday.

"Thankfully, this is not a very common crime in Ireland but unfortunately in recent years there have been a number of incidents. But in almost every case, the perpetrator has been arrested and brought before the courts," the senior source added.Developer Belgrove Homes is buying a parcel of land at the Dolphin Park GAA ground in Dublin, the Herald understands.

The ground hosts games for Templeogue Synge Street GAA Club, Kevin's Hurling Club and a number of school teams.

It is expected that Belgrove will seek to build around 150 apartments at the site.

Belgrove, which declined to comment when contacted yesterday, is run by developer Gerry Haughey, previously of Dorville Homes.

It is also working on projects at Blackrock and Upper Glenageary Road in the capital.

Templeogue Synge Street took the ground on an 850-year lease from the Christian Brothers in the early 2000s, and the order is set to benefit from the sale under the terms of the lease.

The sale of the land has caused controversy in the local community, with Kevin's Hurling Club coming out against it.

Templeogue Synge Street issued a statement to members that said the sale was designed to modernise the facilities at the ground.

Needs

It wants to introduce floodlighting for pitches as well as an all-weather facility.

It added that it wanted to ensure that the club is "fit-for-purpose to serve the needs of the area for generations to come".

"The growth of the GAA in recent years means modern facilities are essential to cater for the needs of current and future players and teams," the statement said.

"We are factoring in the needs of all those who currently use the site, including Kevin's hurling club. We enjoy a very good working relationship with Kevin's and all the schools. We do not anticipate any change to Kevin's and the schools abilities to use the site in future years."

The sale is one of a number of recent controversies over the disposal of playing pitches for housing.

The Christian Brothers have been looking to sell playing pitches at Clonkeen College in Deansgrange, in a move that has sparked court action from some members of the board of management.

Last month, a judge criticised the "behaviour and attitude" of the parties. Ms Justice Carmel Stewart said she had "an extremely dim view" of the manner in which both sides had behaved during the dispute.

The judge said that while she accepted both parties believed they had the best interests of the school in mind, she thought they had used improper tactics and had "placed the court in a most invidious position".

There have also been protests about plans to build 500 units on land used as playing pitches by St Paul's College in Raheny.A general operative who drove uninsured while three times over the legal drink- driving limit has been banned from the roads for four years.

Martin Toth (37) was stopped by gardai after they observed him driving in a dangerous manner.

When they approached the vehicle they got a smell of intoxicating liquor from him.

Officers discovered the def-endant was also driving without insurance.

He was arrested and taken to Drogheda Garda Station where he gave a breath sample of 65mg/100ml. The legal limit is 22mg/100ml of breath.

The defendant, of Merchants Quay, Dublin 8, pleaded guilty at Drogheda District Court to driving without insurance, driving while under the influence of alcohol and dangerous driving at Fr Connolly Way, Drogheda, on May 10.

He had no previous convictions.

Homeless

No evidence was heard in the case by Judge John Coughlan once the defendant entered a guilty plea.

However, mitigation was given on his behalf by barrister Ronan O'Carroll, who said the defendant was homeless at the time of the offences and was unemployed.

"He has now found work as a general operative and has found stable accommodation," said Mr O'Carroll.

Judge Coughlan imposed a two-year driving ban for the drink-driving offence and imposed a four-year ban for driving on a road without insurance.

The four-year ban is to run concurrent to the two-year ban, Judge Coughlan ordered.

He also imposed a fine of 75 for the offence of driving without insurance.Those hoping to see Pope Francis when he visits Ireland in August may find themselves scrambling to secure a ticket for a papal event as places will be capped at every venue for health and safety reasons.

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has revealed that those attending the outdoor papal Mass in the Phoenix Park on the afternoon of Sunday, August 26, will have to obtain a ticket and these have been limited to 500,000.

An additional 20,000 places have been been reserved for volunteers, priests, security, medical staff and choirs.

However, there is space for an additional 80,000 kept aside for overflow, as required by health and safety regulations.

Restricted

The Festival of Families, which Pope Francis will attend on Saturday evening, August 25, in Croke Park, will be restricted to 80,000 tickets, while the crowd who will hear the Pope recite the Angelus in Knock will be capped at just 45,000 people.

This is despite the fact that tens of thousands of Catholics from the North are expected to want tickets for Phoenix Park and Knock now that a papal visit north of the Border has been ruled out.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, president of the World Meeting of Families, yesterday explained why registrations were being capped for papal events.

He said when Pope John Paul II came to Ireland in 1979, "There were two words that weren't used - health and safety. We have a very different regime now and rightly so".

He said a very large number of families would be bringing their children to these events and so safety and accessibility had to be prioritised.

Dr Martin highlighted that those who would like to see the Pope without going to Mass could do this as the pontiff travels through the city in a popemobile [car].

"I would like the Pope to see, not just the attractions of Dublin, but the places where people live, the challenge of being a family in Irish society and their many difficulties," Dr Martin said.

It was also confirmed yesterday that Pope Francis will meet representatives of survivors of clerical sexual abuse and former residents of religious-run institutions when he visits.

However, the packed two-day schedule makes no mention in its official itinerary of a meeting between the pontiff and abuse survivors. Dr Diarmuid Martin explained that the official itinerary was "the basic outline" of the places the Pope will visit and the meetings he will hold, and that details of other meetings might be added at a later stage.

He highlighted that in the Pope's journeys to different parts of the world, he has always met with abuse survivors.

"Generally speaking, he has met them quietly to respect their anonymity and we will be looking at the way that that can be done. We will find a way in which the Pope will be able to address the concerns of all of those people," he said.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.Meritus COVID hospitalizations are highest in Maryland

On Thursday, Meritus Medical Center posted the highest number of COVID-19 positive patients of any hospital in Maryland.Reforms and development in a rapidly evolving and growing economy brings with it specific complexities and requirements for additional thought leadership at the policy and implementation stages both on a state-wide basis as well as at the Centre. This is why the recent announcement by the Government of India of opening of ten positions at the joint secretary (JS) level as lateral entries is timely and necessary. India has a huge talent pool, laden with intellectual capital that outpaces any other country in the world. Unfortunately, at the policy and ministerial level, utilisation of the best and brightest has not been enabled at an institutional level. All of that is set to change now. From the time I joined service, there were lateral inductions of sector leaders such as Montek Ahluwalia, Vijay Kelkar, RV Shahi and others. So, while it is not the first time that lateral entries have been attempted, it is certainly the first time that a group of 10 at the joint secretary level is being inducted, out of the more than 450 JS-level positions in the government.

The process must be transparent, objective, and entirely based on merit. This is critical as the first step towards a broad-based institutionalisation of a wider and deeper talent pool focusing on specific skill-sets that fill the existing absence of talent in the government, tailored to the particular sector and enhanced by the industry-specific work experience that the lateral entry admissions will possess. It is also an opportunity to attract and retain the best and brightest from across the world that have a sector perspective and boost the ministry or departments capabilities and proficiency. The UPSC is time-tested and selects the brightest individuals with immense and irreplaceable levels of field experience. Those coming through the UPSC have unique field experiences and comprehend the challenges at the grassroots. Civil servants together with fresh inputs from lateral entrants can provide synergies to policy and implementation like never before. The role of civil servants becomes even more vital since for lateral inductions to get immersed in the government system will entail a steep learning curve. Significant hand-holding by the secretaries onward will be required to make the process effective. Possibly a three-month induction and orientation course at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy may be considered.

There are two outstanding examples at the secretary level of former bureaucrats with industry experience who are in critically important areas and excelling at present. Parameswaran Iyer returned from a position with the World Bank to head the Swachh Bharat Mission as secretary, ministry of drinking Water and sanitation. Similarly, Indu Bhushan, a former bureaucrat and senior official at the Asian Development Bank, was recently appointed as CEO of the landmark Ayushman Bharat Mission.

It is also imperative to allow civil servants and government officials to be placed in the private sector for periods of three to five years at a time. While the UPSC produces outstanding individuals, to make these individuals truly well-rounded, they should have the option to gain experience and specialisations through private-sector placements. Cross-mobility will provide the ultimate synergy. Just as an individual who chose to be an academic, a scientist, an economist, or an entrepreneur for example, and didnt take the UPSC exam now wants to join the government of India, they should be allowed to be inducted laterally in the private sector.

Disruption is taking place in many sectors, and the NITI Aayog has used the skill of industry professionals to great effect. Complementary skills and congenial competition are key aspects. If anything, by bringing in industry experience, it helps create a precedent and template for specialisations, and placement in areas of interest and aptitude. For example, the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is headed by a lateral, a seasoned professional with decades of industry experience in a leading technology consultancy, with a team of young laterals each with industry experience. AIM is today the catalyst for innovation, entrepreneurship and galvanizing the youth for a dynamic tomorrow.

Overall, NITI has a wide array of lateral representation, in areas as diverse as education, health, artificial intelligence, economics, agriculture, data analytics, law, energy, transport, sports, and other growth sectors. This is in many ways the first step towards transforming India.

India is on track to achieve efficiencies and excellence to bring the country up to speed with the rest of the world. Lateral inductions are just one of the many steps taken by the government of India in governance reforms that include outcome-based monitoring, ease of doing business, and digital technology reforms.

Lateral inductions and cross-mobility will bring in a fresh perspective and cutting edge ideas across both sectors as each avails the synergies created. The best and brightest talent must be allowed to bring a vibrancy, expertise and perspective to make India a leader in intellectual human capital. This forward-thinking move by the government sets the ball rolling towards a congenial competition based on merit on both on the private and public side. A free flow of exposure and opportunity will be the difference in integrating progressive reform across the board, as India motors towards a New India in 2022.

Amitabh Kant is CEO, NITI Aayog

The views expressed are personalIt isnt hard to make out a Race film. If men are buff with tonnes of gel on their head, you are likely headed in the right cinematic direction. If beautiful but bent women with names such as Alaisha and Omeesha surround them, it has to be either Race or Race 2 -- dont be worried about that added 2, they were essentially the same film. They begin with a dysfunctional family with enough money to set relatives against each other, soon gravity and sanity-defying stunts kick in, then everybody gets busy manipulating each other and it all ends in yet another giant action set-piece.

In the midst of all this, the directors ensure that if not their characters intentions, at least the setting of the movies are pristine. There are also hummable songs and smart aleck-y dialogues and a masala entertainer is born.

Salman Khan, who enters the Race franchise with Race 3 on June 15, has a lot of expectations riding on his back: apart from being a Bhai film that is bound to rake in crores at the ticket windows, Race is also a franchise that has scored big on its own. How will Salmans entry change the franchise?

Race released In 2008, starring Anil Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif and Sameera Reddy and went on to become one of the top five grossers of the year with Rs 60.83 crore. The film revolved around brothers Ronny (Saif Ali Khan) and Rajiv (Akshaye Khanna). The elder one is a winner and the younger one resents that. He decides to end it all by killing off his older brother, only it doesnt end as he has planned because there are pretty women who have plans of their own. A crooked cop (Anil Kapoor) and the caper was complete.

While the twists and turns in Race were not exactly path-breaking, one could enjoy the style and grace with which the stars carried themselves in the movie. Be it Katrinas beauty, Anils smart takes on every situation or Akshayes shrewdness and unbelievable hatred for his brother, the actors ensured you went along for the ride. While critics had mixed opinion about the movie, the audience mostly loved it, thereby making it one of the top grossers of 2008.

Come 2013 and Saif was back with Race 2 - the second film in the franchise and he returned with a majorly new cast. Only Saif and Anil had been retained in the new movie. Jacqueline Fernandez, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham and Ameesa Patel joined to form the new gang dabbling yet again in betrayal and mind games over money.

Abbas-Mustan retained the main elements of Race - glamour played a major role not just in building the womens character arcs but also those of the men. The action sequences, too, were over-the-top, gravity and logic defying - much like the first film. For those who are quibbling over our business is our business, none of your business dialogue in Salmans Race 3, Race 2 had this gem: Men are many but money is money.

Race 2 went ahead to earn Rs 93.48 crore, despite most critics panning the film. Jacqueline Fernandez gained popularity with her song, Lat Lag Gayi, becoming a chartbuster. For those who found the film hard to digest, there was Anil Kapoors bent cop as the saving grace.

With Race 3, the franchise is likely to enter a new era - it has Salman Khan reportedly in a negative role, it is directed by choreographer Remo DSouza and introduces Bobby Deol and Saqib Saleem to the franchise. Will Race 3 cater to Race franchise fans or break new grounds?

We will get all the answers on June 15.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreBollywood star Salman Khan is all set to take his The Dabangg Reloaded tour to USA and Canada later this June. As Salman, Katrina Kaif, Jacqueline Fernandez, Daisy Shah and other participants prepare for the tour, videos of the rehearsals are going viral and for good reason.

Katrina also shared pictures from the rehearsals and Salman is seen amused and confused in one of these.



Katrina is seen practising sincerely, reminding us yet again why she rules Bollywood. In one of her videos, Katrina is dancing on her hit song, Sheela Ki Jawani. She is reported to be the highest paid member on the tour after Salman Khan. A DNA report quoted a source as saying, Katrina is obviously the biggest star from the lot, after Salman. Plus, shes a terrific dancer. Her final solo act will surprise everyone. Shes being paid around Rs 12 cr for the whole tour (eight shows) whereas Jacqueline and Sonakshi are both getting somewhere between Rs 6 cr to Rs 8 cr. But Jackies remuneration is a little higher than that of Sona.

Jacqueline is also seen practising her moves.

In one of the videos, Jacqueline and Daisy are seen on a stage where Daisy plants a sweet kiss on the formers cheeks.

Earlier, the team held a press conference where Salman, Katrina and Sonakshi Sinha were in attendance.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreTwo businessmen based in Gurugrams Sohna were rescued by the Gautam Budh Nagar police in western Uttar Pradesh on Monday evening after being kidnapped by abductors who left them in an abandoned car after a high-speed chase, the police said.

The chase followed an alert sounded by an employee at a toll plaza who noticed the abducted men in the car, with their hands and legs tied, and heard their calls for help, and called a police control room (PCR) team.

One of our PCR vans was alerted by the employees at Dadri Toll Plaza that a certain car might be carrying abducted persons. The van started chasing the car and at Bilsuri Bypass road in Bulandshahr, we found that the abductors had left the two businessmen behind and fled, said Ajay Pal Sharma, senior superintendent of police, Gautam Budh Nagar.

The abducted men were identified as Siddhartha Jain, 36, who owns a jewellery shop, and Praveen Garg, 42, who runs a cloth shop in Sohna market. Both are residents of Ward 14, in Sohna. We both are friends and we both dabbled in money lending. Small shop owners from villages in the vicinity used to borrow money from us after mortgaging jewellery, said Jain.

The preliminary investigation suggests the two men were abducted by another jeweller named Gaurav Soni, who had borrowed money from them, police said.

The two businessmen had dealings with Soni , a resident of Haryanas Tauru who also owns a jewellery shop. Soni has been identified by Jain as the one who abducted and extorted Jain and Garg.

Soni visited us for a mortgage against jewellery and also took financial help from us. He often visited us for professional reasons and was a friendly man, Jain said.

Jain and Garg were taken by two men in a black Toyota Etios on Monday afternoon and driven through the Kundli -Manesar-Palwal Expressway in Haryana, and then the newly-opened eastern peripheral expressway towards Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh. The PCR team was near the Dadri toll plaza waiting for a VIP convoy when it received a call from Somveer Singh, a security officer at the plaza, at 4.30pm.

The car had stopped a few metres before the plaza and one person stepped out to purchase a ticket. However, the rear gate also opened for a few seconds and I heard a faint cry of bachao, bachao. I immediately informed the police, said Singh.

Manish Kumar, a constable who was part of the team that gave chase, said the police responded quickly to Singhs call. We immediately took a U-Turn from the plaza and started chasing the car. Meanwhile, we alerted the PCR van stationed at Sikandrabad in Bulandshahr. About 15 km from Dadri Plaza, we found the car was stranded at the roadside, on Bilusri Bypass road. The two abductors fled, leaving behind the two abducted businessmen on the rear seat, said Kumar.

On Monday, Soni called Jain and Garg and asked them to come to his warehouse in Tauru for a business deal. They were to receive a payment that has been due for a long time. When Jain and Garg reached the warehouse, they saw Soni and two men drinking. They were offered water and were asked to wait for the payment, Garg said.

Soni and one of his friends returned after ten minutes along with two more men, who looked like bouncers, according to Jain. He has alleged that Soni ordered Garg and Jain be held at gunpoint and be beaten. The other men then beat Jain and Garg with sticks and the butt of a revolver, said Vijay Anand, station house officer, city police station, Tauru.

Jain identified one of the men working with Soni as Hari, another common acquaintance.

Anand said Soni and his men demanded payment from Jain and Garg, and threatened to kill them if they tried to raise an alarm. He [Soni] demanded Rs 5 crore from them and the jewellery they had kept as mortgage, and asked both to return it to him. Soni asked Hari to collect the money and return, said Anand.

At Jains shop, a salesman handed over ?60 lakh worth of gold. Gargs family members gave a bag that had ?1.5 crore worth of gold. The bags were taken by Hari , said Jain. Hari worked for Soni and most of the time, used to be with him during his meetings. Soni had decided to kill both of them [Jain and Garg] as they had identified them [Soni and his associates], Anand said.

Both abducted men suffered injuries. Garg has been admitted to a private hospital in Gurugram and Jain is undergoing treatment at home. No arrests have been made in the case.The Champawat police have arrested two wildlife smugglers from Banbasa and recovered five leopard skin from their possession, the police said on Monday.

One smuggler managed to escape, said Dhirendra Gunjyal, the superintendent of police (SP) of Champawat.

The arrested persons have been identified as Kamal Singh, resident of Katiyani village in Pithoragarh district and Pushkar Singh, resident of Aambag village in Tanakpur of Champawat district. Rajesh, resident of Nai Basti in Tanakpur, managed to run away, Gunjyal said.

The main accused, Kamal, is said to be a constable in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), but the police are yet to ascertain the fact. He allegedly killed the leopards by poisoning them in the forest near Katiyani village.

Gunjyal said that the police had a tip-off that two persons, carrying leopard skin in an Alto car, were moving from Pithoragarh to hand over the contraband to a person in Banbasa. On the basis of the information, police and special operations group (SOG) jointly laid a trap to arrest the smugglers in Banbasa on Sunday. After spotting the car, they signalled it to stop for a search.

During the search, five leopard skin were recovered from the car, Gunjyal said. The police arrested two occupants of the car. But Rajesh, whom the arrested persons were supposed to deliver the contraband in Banbasa, managed to flee, Gunjyal said, adding that the police are on lookout for him.

The skin are of four adult leopards and one of a cub.

Katiyani village and forests falling along the Indo-Nepal border in Pithoragarh district are considered highly sensitive for poaching from both, Indian and Nepalese, poachers.

Earlier, on Friday, two men were arrested with leopard skin and bones from Nainisaini Road in Pithoragarh district. They too had killed leopard from in the forest near Katiyani village.

Earlier, a tiger skin and 8.3 kg bones were recovered from two smugglers in Banbasa on January 31. The smugglers belonged to Lakimpur Khiri district of Uttar Pradesh. They were bringing the skin and bones from Nepal side for delivery at Khatima in Udham Singh Nagar.The Uttarakhand high court on Tuesday asked the central and the state governments and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to explain why the traffic management in mountain state should not be outsourced to an expert agency.

The court asked the respondents to explain within three weeks why authorities here were unable properly manage traffic issues across the state, especially in major cities and tourist places like including Nainital, Dehradun , Mussoorie, and Haridwar.

Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Roorkee-based Akhtar Malik, a division bench of Justices VK Bisht and Alok Singh issued the notices to principal secretary, home; principal secretary, state transport department; secretary, union ministry of road and transport, and NHAI, petitioners counsel Ajay Veer Pundir said.

The HC has also asked NHAI to explain the delay in the widening of NH-58 and what strategy it had for completion of other national highway projects in the state.

Pundi said the PIL is related to delay in completion of NH-58 between Roorkee and Haridwar, which is leading to traffic jams and accidents. The court, however, expanded the scope of the PIL and took cognisance of issues raised in the petition for the whole of the state.

The petitioner has raised the issue of continuous traffic jams on NH 58 between Roorkee City to Haridwar City, its incomplete construction, accidents due to traffic mismanagement, and movement of illegal tractor-trolleys and large trailers on the NH-58.

The petitioner has claimed that passengers including pilgrims who have to visit Haridwar, Rishikesh and Chardham get stuck in traffic jams for an indefinite period and regularly suffer from road accidents, primarily due to plying of illegal vehicles like tractor-trolleys and trailers used by the commercial organizations.

The petition has pointed out that NH-58 is under construction for several years but no construction activities are going on at the road between Roorkee and Haridwar for a long time.

The petitioner pointed out that there were regular traffic jams at several places on the 25-km stretch on the NH-58 but authorities were not paying attention to all such related issues.

Main points raised in the PIL

Between Roorkee to Haridwar, particularly the first 7-km stretch of NH-58, the roads are in a pathetic condition and same has not been repaired for a long time.

Due to the pathetic road condition and unplanned operation of tractor-trolleys and large trailers, traffic gets stuck for hours both during day and night.

Pilgrims have met with accidents and several innocent people have lost their lives and suffered injuries on this road stretch.

Life of people is not safe between Roorkee and Haridwar stretch of NH-58By giving primacy to his loyalists and clipping the wings of those perceived as his opponents, chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, while reshuffling the duties of ministers-in-charge of districts, sent out a clear message that he is the boss.

The reshuffle on Monday was carried out days after the ruling BJP won the bypoll to the Tharali assembly constituency. Incidentally, it was the first election the ruling BJP won under Rawats leadership after he took over as chief minister in March 2017.

The bypoll win gave the former Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) pracharak enough ammunition to assert his supremacy. That is evident from the way he gave additional responsibility to his known loyalist and minister of state (independent charge) Dhan Singh Rawat. The chief minister, however, clipped the wings of senior member of his cabinet, Satpal Maharaj, who is seen as his adversary.

Rawat entrusted Dhan Singh with responsibilities of two districts  Uttarkashi and Tehri. He was earlier monitoring Almora district only. Maharaj who was monitoring Chamoli and Haridwar district will now monitor the affairs relating to the latter.

The former Congressman and spiritual guru who joined the BJP ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls is seen as one of the main rivals of Rawat. Considered close to the RSS, the BJPs ideological fount, Maharajs name was doing the rounds for the CMs post after BJPs landslide win in last years assembly polls.

Like Maharaj, another senior minister and former Congress heavyweight, Yashpal Arya, too came at the receiving end. Arya, who joined the BJP ahead of the 2017 assembly polls, was divested of his responsibilities of Pauri and Rudraprayag districts. A prominent Dalit leader from Kumaon, Arya will now monitor only Dehradun district.

Another cabinet minister, Madan Kaushik, a known Rawat loyalist has been rewarded with duel responsibilities of Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital. He was earlier the in-charge of Dehradun district.

According to political observers, cabinet minister Prakash Pant, seen as yet another political rival of Rawat, has also not benefited much from the reshuffle. This despite the fact that he was made in-charge of Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts while the reshuffle divested him of his responsibilities of Udham Singh Nagar and Bageshwar districts. That, however, is being seen as a raw deal for Pant who hails from Kumaon, but was divested of both the districts that fell in that region. The reshuffle, analysts feel, has weakened his position in that he will not be able to spread his influence in the region he hails from.

Chief ministers aide Darshan Singh Rawat said too much should not be read in the reshuffle. The rejig was carried out so as to speed up development and delivery in the state, he said.Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday continued his sit-in protest at lieutenant governor Anil Baijals office along with three senior cabinet ministers and said he would stay put until the governments demands were met.

The state home minister Satyendar Jain, who is also accompanying Kejriwal, went a step further and announced that he had started an indefinite hunger strike to protest against Baijals inaction.

Kejriwal, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Jain and developement minister Gopal Rai, who had gone to speak to the L-G on Monday evening, never left the building after the meeting. They spent Monday night on sofas in the waiting room -- food was sent for them from their homes and they used the facilities down the corridor from the waiting room -- and said on Tuesday evening that they had no intention of budging.

Kejriwal said he was appalled by the stubbornness of the L-G who, until Tuesday evening, had not agreed to their demands of passing an order declaring the alleged strike by Delhi government bureaucrats as illegal, taking action against them, and approving a file making rations available through doorstep delivery.

I am really appalled at the L-Gs stubborn refusal to end the strike by IAS officers and his justifications for the ongoing strike. I wonder what the Prime Ministers Offices instructions are to him, Kejriwal said on Tuesday.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and the bureaucracy have been at loggerheads since an alleged assault on chief secretary Anshu Prakash at Kejriwals residence on February 19. The government, which denies that Prakash was targeted, has claimed that bureaucrats have been skipping meetings with ministers and working only through written communication since the incident.

On Tuesday morning, Kejriwal released a video in which he was heard saying: Works such as releasing the last instalment of funds for completing the iconic signature bridge, white-washing government schools and disbursing money to private schools for EWS (economically weaker sections) quota are stuck because officers are not attending meetings. They do not answer calls or respond to messages of ministers.

While the L-Gs office did not issue any fresh statement, it had said on Monday that Kejriwal and his colleagues were staging a dharna without reason as there was no strike by the bureaucrats. The IAS officers Association of the Delhi government also said that there was no strike and blamed Kejriwal and his Cabinet colleagues for not making sincere efforts to resolve the differences between the political executive and the bureaucracy.

The officers have a genuine concern and apprehension in attending meetings called by the ministers. They are afraid that they may be physically and /or verbally assaulted. While threats and intimidation were being faced by officers in the last 2-3 years, the assault on the chief secretary was a tilting point, the IAS officers Association said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that the allegations of officers not working made by the AAP were false.

The bureaucrats also said that their objections or reservations on policy proposals or where rules and procedures are being violated is a normal administrative process and cannot be construed as non-cooperation.

Other AAP leaders, not present in the sit-in, have announced that they will would march from the CMs residence to Baijals office at 4 pm on Wednesday. One of them, Atishi Marlena, released a video on social media urging the people of Delhi to join the protest.

The high drama around the L-Gs office was kept alive by party leaders and volunteers throughout Monday night and all of Tuesday as they sat on the street outside the main gate of Raj Niwas.

A portion of road leading to the L-Gs office was blocked by the police with barricades for safety reasons. Several leaders also camped outside the CMs residence, which is about two kilometres away. Tents were set up on the street and workers shouted slogans such L-G Dilli chhodo (L-G, leave delhi) and Kejriwal tum sangharsh karo, hum tumhare saath hain (Kejriwal you fight, we are with you).

In the afternoon, doctors came in to do conduct a health check up of home minister Jain, and declared that he was fine.A meeting between Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal and the Cabinet of the Delhi government turned into high political drama on Monday evening after chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his colleagues refused to leave the L-G office until their demands were met. AAP leaders were inside the L-G office till midnight.

Kejriwal went to meet Baijal to discuss the issue of bureaucrats not attending meetings with his ministers and the scheme for the doorstep delivery of ration. The chief minister, along with his deputy Manish Sisodia and two other ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai, met the L-G and handed him a letter detailing how governance in Delhi was being affected because of officers not attending meetings.

After handing over the letter, Kejriwal and his colleagues decided to stay put at Baijals office until he conceded to pass an order terming the strike by bureaucrats illegal and took action against them.

Handed L-G a letter, but he refused to take action. L-G is under constitutional duty to act. Left with no option, we have politely told the L-G that we will not leave till he acts on all points, Kejriwal tweeted at night.

Baijals office alleged the CM threatened the L-G and forced him to summon the bureaucrats and take action. It was reiterated by the L-G that there is no strike by employees of Delhi government and in his continued interactions with officers, it has been informed that the atmosphere of mistrust and fear continues and no sincere attempts to resolve the differences have been made by the Cabinet, a statement from the L-G house said.

The AAP government and the bureaucracy have been at loggerheads since the alleged assault on chief secretary Anshu Prakash at Kejriwals residence in February. Since then, bureaucrats have been skipping meetings with ministers and have only been working through written communication.

The IAS officers working in the Delhi government, too, issued a statement saying none of the officers has been on strike since the February incident. The secretaries are regularly submitting to the ministers weekly report of the important matters disposed of by their respective departments ..... Copies of these reports are also marked to the CM and the LG. Similarly, all court cases are being attended to, it said.

The government alleged that the protest by officers was masterminded by Baijal. The press release issued by the L-G is clear evidence that he is the mastermind behind the IAS officers strike in Delhi for last three months, which has never happened in free India, said Sisodia.

Until this report was filed, Kejriwal and the other ministers remained at L-Gs waiting room even as Baijal himself left the office to pay a visit to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee at AIIMS. Police presence around the office was heavily increased as around 20 AAP volunteers had gathered outside his office in support of their leader.

The issue of face-off between the cabinet and the bureaucrats was discussed in the Assembly too. Speaker Ram Niwas Goel referred the matter of the bureaucrats not providing answers to around five questions asked by MLAs to the Privilege Committee and directed it to submit its report within a month.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal had said that the Centre was taking undue advantage of his silence by slapping multiple inquiries on projects conceived by the AAP government. He alleged that the Prime Ministers Office is misusing CBI, ACB, IT, ED and the Lieutenant-Governor to derail Delhi governments flagship projects.The Delhi governments demand for full statehood might be gaining steam but experts say the Aam Aadmi Party regime should be careful about what they wish for.

Parliamentary and constitution experts said the demand for full statehood has been examined thoroughly for years and its implementation would mean bifurcation of Delhi and snatching away several privileges it enjoys as the national Capital.

Omesh Saigal, former Delhi chief secretary, said since Delhi is the Capital of India, it shares jurisdictional space between central and state governments. This means that the city has offices, establishments, cantonments and services that are under the Union government.

Since it is not possible for the central government to come under a state governments administrative jurisdiction, it automatically means Delhi has to be bifurcated if one part of it is to receive full statehood.

The Delhi government resolution specifies that areas under the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) will be under the control of the central government.

Not just NDMC areas, they will have to exclude the area around Red Fort because the PM unfurls the tricolour there and also the Delhi airport as foreign dignitaries come on visits. This will be a major revenue loss for the city. Eighty per cent of the Delhi governments revenue is generated from areas such as Connaught Place, Chandni Chowk and offices on Barakhamba Road, Saigal said.

The bifurcation will not just be geographical but division of all services provided to citizens of united Delhithe police, land development authority, water works and all other services.

Delhi will no longer be able to live off the subsidies from the Centre. The state governments budget will implode with liabilities such as payment of salaries of police and pension of all Delhi government employees, currently borne by the Centre.

There are certain privileges residents enjoy and these will be taken away if the status is altered. Delhiites will stand to lose and the only people who will gain will be the political class, said SK Sharma, parliamentary and constitution expert and former secretary Lok Sabha.

Experts said even though the state government has passed the resolution, the process of getting full statehood will not be easy. Though both Congress and BJP have in the last two decades demanded full statehood, the Centre has shown little enthusiasm. Mondays resolution does not hold statutory value. The Centre is under no obligation to agree. At best, the Delhi government can put political pressure on the Centre, Saigal said.The historic summit in Singapore between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader was aptly described by one media organisation as unprecedented and surreal. Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, who were trading insults just a year ago, met for wide-ranging talks and signed a document that talked about the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula but was unusually light on specifics. Some who have much at stake in the Korean Peninsula, such as Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, have welcomed the outcome of the summit but many others remained understandably sceptical.

Trump has defended his decision to engage with the reclusive leader of North Korea, who has been accused of wide-ranging rights abuses and even putting to death members of his family. And in his characteristic style, Trump stunned many by announcing the stopping of annual US-South Korean war games, saying they are provocative and inappropriate as the US and North Korea try to forge a new relationship. Clearly, the one person who emerged stronger from the summit was Kim, whose regime gained some form of legitimacy on the world stage. The man treated as an equal by Trump was the same person who had raised fears of a nuclear war just a few months ago.

The document signed by the two leaders committed Trump to providing security guarantees to North Korea, while Kim merely reaffirmed his commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. Pointing to the complete lack of specifics on how this denuclearisation is to be achieved, analysts were quick to point out that the summit had yielded symbolic, and not tangible, results. Some even noted the language of the document merely picked up from where negotiations had been left more than a decade ago. This clearly is way short of what was expected from Trump, a transactional leader who projects himself as a master of deal-making and has often criticised his predecessors for not doing enough to end the nuclear threat emanating from North Korea. More significantly, the document listed no measures to finally end the war on the Korean Peninsula, where hostilities ended in 1953 with only an armistice.

It is welcome that there will be more talks between the US and North Korea as this will surely reduce the chances of a nuclear confrontation and help to ease the isolation of the regime in Pyongyang, the Trump administration must do much more to tie the North Korean leadership to a verifiable, time-bound and irreversible programme for denuclearisation. Without that, the summit in Singapore could go down in history as just a grand photo-op.At least 40 people have been arrested across Assam so far for spreading rumours about child lifting gangs and hate messages on social media platforms in the aftermath of the brutal lynching of two young men in Karbi Anglong last week, Assam Police said on Tuesday.

More than 70 other people were allowed to go after counselling and making them delete their objectionable posts, police said, adding that most of the arrested are less than 30 years old.

In the lynching case, the police have arrested 25 people. Many others suspected to be part of the mob which attacked the duo are on the run.

In addition to them, police in Karbi Anglong have arrested six people for recording the ghastly act on their mobile phones and circulating it. However, some more involved in circulating the video are absconding, the police said, claiming that there are at least three different video clips of the incident.

On June 8, Nilotpal Das, a Goa-based artist and his friend Abhijeet Nath were lynched by a mob in Panjuri Kachari village on suspicion of being child lifters.

Assam has been buffeted by a spate of rumours on social media platforms like Facebook and messaging apps like WhatsApp in the last few days with fake photographs of child lifters. The rumours have led to many attacks including the ghastly killings in Karbi Anglong.

A fake Facebook profile in the name of Guwahati police commissioner Hiren Chandra Nath was reportedly used to spread hate messages and fake news prompting Assam Police to issue a clarification that the senior official is not active on social media.

We have been receiving a lot of support from the general public where people are coming forward, scanning the social media sites and sharing objectionable posts with us, a senior official said familiar with the matter said.

The Assam Police has also announced a WhatsApp helpline for people to share information about objectionable content on social media.

As the protesters took to the streets on Monday, demanding justice for Das and Nath, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced an awareness programme called Sanskar to fight superstitions.

With Assam Science Technology and Environment Council as the nodal agency, the programme will cover all deputy commissioners, superintendents of police, elected representatives, civil society and journalists in all districts.

Sonowal, in a conversation with the fathers of the two victims informed them about the programme, the government said in a statement.Aminul Haque Laskar  Assams sole Muslim BJP legislator  has received a letter threatening him with dire consequences unless he resigns from the party in 15 days, police said on Tuesday.

Laskar, an MLA from Sonai in Cachar district, received the handwritten letter on Saturday. Two bullets of a .32 pistol were taped to the missive, written in Bengali with red ink. The letter was posted from Karimganj on May 22, and I received it on June 9. It accused me of siding with the BJP despite being a Muslim, the 52-year-old politician said.

The letter was reportedly sent by the Barak Valley unit of the Save Secure and Development Protection Force of Muslims, a hitherto unknown organisation.

The letter also accused me of not opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill-2016 when the joint parliamentary committee came to Barak Valley for hearings in May, said Laskar, adding that it could have been sent by illegal business syndicates or land mafia groups that have been affected by the state governments policies.

Assam is witnessing protests against a proposed bill that seeks to grant citizenship to religious minorities from neighbouring countries. There are fears that such an action would lead to an influx of Hindu Bangladeshis into the state.

Laskar has registered a complaint against unidentified people at the Silchar police station. The state government has also enhanced the MLAs security cover in view of the threat.

The letter warned Laskar of dire consequences unless he resigned from the BJP within 15 days. We have launched an investigation, and hope to arrest those responsible for sending the letter soon, said Indrajit Chakraborty, in-charge of the Silchar police station.

Laskar had defeated the Congress partys Anamul Haque by a margin of over 5,500 votes to win the Sonai seat in 2016. He was the only Muslim candidate of the seven propped by the BJP to emerge victorious in the assembly election.Xinhua/Lu Rui via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Nearly one year before President Donald Trump's historic handshake with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un on Tuesday, the president painted a very different picture of the "brutality" of the Kim regime following the release of an American student who was in a coma.



Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old who attended the University of Virginia, was evacuated to a medical center in Cincinnati in an unresponsive state on July 13, 2017, after close to a year and a half in captivity.



Warmbier, who was on a five-day tour of North Korea, was arrested and accused of stealing a propaganda poster. He was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.



A family statement issued on the eve of his release said that they had just learned of the coma one week before, and expressed joy at the prospect of being reunited.



"We want the world to know how we and our son have been brutalized and terrorized by the pariah regime in North Korea," the statement read. "We are so grateful that he will finally be with people who love him."



Six days later, Warmbier would be dead.



North Korea claimed he slipped into a coma after contracting botulism and taking a sleeping pill shortly after his sentencing.



Warmbier's detainment lasted until a special envoy sent by Trump secured his release almost 17 months after his arrest.



Doctors from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where Warmbier was taken, said he suffered from injuries related to cardiopulmonary arrest and was in a state of unresponsive wakefulness, adding that scans showed extensive loss of tissue in all regions of his brain and that they found no evidence of botulism.



After Warmbier passed, Trump sent his condolences to the family and condemned "the brutality of the North Korean regime" in a statement.



The Warmbier family has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against North Korea, claiming the regime tortured and killed their son.



Otto's parents, Cindy and Fred, were recognized in January at Trump's first State of the Union -- a moment that brought tears to Cindy's eyes. His parents reiterated their commitment to exposing North Korea's human rights violations at a U.N. symposium May 3.



"We are trying to build a pathway that leads directly to Kim and his regime to force them to be answerable for their actions," Fred said.



As Trump sat next to Kim Jong Un Tuesday during the summit in Singapore, a reporter asked the president for comment on Warmbier.



Trump, who was signing a joint document with the North Korean dictator at the moment, did not respond to the query.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, 93, is stable and will continue to be hospitalised till his infection is controlled, according to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

He is responding to treatment and is on injectable antibiotics. All vital parameters are stable, said AIIMS in a statement.

The former PM was taken to the hospital for evaluation on Monday and was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection.

He is being monitored by a team of five doctors and is in the Intensive Care Unit in the Cardio-Neuro Centre of the hospital to prevent any further infections.

The entire ICU floor has been cordoned off and security around the building has been beefed up.

There also has a chest congestion, which is expected at his age, said an AIIMS employee. He also has pre-existing condtions of diabetes, hypertension, and impaired kidney function.

Vajpayee is under the care of AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria, a pulmonologist and his personal physician. The team also includes nephrologist Dr Soumita Bagchi, cardiac surgeon Dr SK Chaudhary, and gastroenterologist Dr Pramod Garg.

Spoke to Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS yesterday night and enquired about health of Former Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji. Doctor told me that Shri Atal Ji is being given treatment appropriately with utmost care. #Vajpayee, vice president Venkaiah Naidu said in a tweet on Tuesday.

Former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda, senior BJP leader Murali Manohar Joshi, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, Union minister for food processing industries Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, minister of state for health Ashwini Kumar Choubey and BJP MP Kalraj Mishra and former MP Ashwani Kumar were among those who visited Vajpayee on Tuesday.

BJP Yuva Morcha performed a hawan outside AIIMS for the long life of Atalji, said Pankaj Jain, treasurer of the Delhi unit.Amid concern that protests against Fridays lynching of two youngsters could turn ugly, the parents of one of the victims have appealed to people to stay calm while seeking justice.

Nilotpal Das, 29, a sound engineer and musician, and Abhijeet Nath, 30, a businessman, were lynched to death by a group of villagers in Karbi Anglong district on Friday on suspicion of the duo being child abductors.

At least 40 people have been arrested across Assam so far for spreading rumours about child lifting gangs and hate messages on social media platforms in the aftermath of the brutal lynching.

The gruesome murder, videos of which were posted on social media platforms, has led to demonstrations seeking justice and also fears that a particular community could get targeted.

The victims, both from Guwahati, were attacked by a mob of Karbi and Bodo tribals near Panjuri Kachari village, nearly 200km from the capital, when they were returning on their SUV after visiting the picturesque Kangthilangso waterfall.

At this time of grief we appeal to all sections of people not to indulge in low-level politics over the incident which has shamed Assamand also not to fall for rumours, Nioltpals parentsGopal Chandra Das and Radhika Dasappealed in advertisements placed by the state government in newspapers.

Rumours on social media about a gang of child abductors from outside the state have led to several incidents of innocents being targeted by mobs in recent days. Fridays incident was also triggered after someone spread the rumour that the victims had abducted a child who was being held captive in their SUV.

This incident was carried out by miscreants. We wish that all those who were involved get strict punishment. At the same time, we also want that no innocent is harassed, the appeal read. Police have arrested 25 people until Tuesday for their involvement in the brutal murders of the two men.India on Tuesday joined countries around the world in welcoming the epochal summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ,who pledged to work towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

But, in an oblique reference to Pakistan, a statement by the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said New Delhis concerns about Pyongyangs nuclear proliferation linkages with Indias neighbourhood should be addressed.

India welcomes the United States-DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea) Summit held in Singapore. This is a positive development. India has always supported all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy, the MEA said in a statement.

We hope that the outcomes of the US-DPRK Summit will be implemented, thus paving the way for lasting peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula, said the MEA.

We also hope that the resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue will take into account and address our concerns about proliferation linkages extending to Indias neighbourhood, it added. India has been urging an investigation into the linkages between North Koreas nuclear programme and the proliferation network in its neighbourhood.

After their summit at the Capella Singapore hotel on Sentosa Island,Trump and Kim signed a comprehensive document, with the US president saying the process of denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula will begin very soon. Kim promised to leave behind an often bitter past.

India, like Singapore, the venue of the historic meeting, enjoys good ties with both the US and North Korea. New Delhi has held that it wouldnt either prune or close its mission in North Korea, resisting US pressure to slash its diplomatic presence in Pyongyang.

The Trump-Kim summit was no doubt an epochal event. The joint statement implicitly links denuclearisation to new US-DPRK relations and to mutual confidence building (that) can promote the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. So the summit begins a long process of bargaining, said strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney.

Bharat Karnad, a national security expert and a member of the first National Security Advisory Board of Indias National Security Council, where he participated in the Nuclear Doctrine Drafting Group, doesnt agree. The summit showed Kim as a shrewd negotiator on the world stage. It wouldnt be easy to expect that North Korea would give up its nuclear programme and stockpiles. They will string the US along till the year-end, he said.

Trumps declaration that the US would stop war games with South Korea is the first step in the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, said Chellaney.

Trump and Kim have committed to denuclearisation of the entire Korean Peninsula. Such a nuclear-weapons-free zone will demand concessions by the US, Seoul, Beijing and Moscow. Trumps suspension of war games is a first step, said Chellaney.

After the summit, Trump announced that he was putting an end to the annual US-South Korean military drills and that he wants to remove the 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against a potential North Korean attack.

Trump has pulled off something that could make him a man of history and strengthen his America First project -- howsoever unpalatable the thought is that Trump might become a winner in the overall bargain, said MK Bhadrakumar, a former diplomat and commentator.India on Tuesday welcomed the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, calling it a positive development.

In its reaction, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) at the same time hoped that any resolution to the North Korean peninsula issue will address New Delhis concerns about Pyongyangs proliferation linkages with Indias neighbourhood, seen as an apparent reference to Pakistan.

India has been pressing for a probe into North Koreas proliferation linkages with Indias neighbourhood.

India welcomes the United States-DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea) Summit held in Singapore. This is a positive development. India has always supported all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy, the MEA said in a statement.

Trump and Kim signed a very comprehensive document after their summit in Singapore.

After the talks, the US president said that the process of denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula will begin very soon and the North Korean leader promised to leave the past behind.

We hope that the outcomes of the US-DPRK Summit will be implemented, thus paving the way for lasting peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula, the MEA said.

It further said, We also hope that the resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue will take into account and address our concerns about proliferation linkages extending to Indias neighbourhood.

Trump and Kim had a one-on-one meeting followed by an expanded meeting including their top aides and a working lunch at Capella Singapore hotel in Sentosa Island after months of diplomatic twists and turns.

Were signing a very comprehensive document, and weve had a really great time together, a great relationship, Trump said while signing the document along with Kim at the end of the summit -- the first between a sitting US president and North Koreas top leader.A magistrate court in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra, framed charges against Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday in a criminal defamation case filed against him by an RSS worker.

Gandhi has been accused of defaming the RSS by purportedly blaming it for Mahatma Gandhis assassination at a rally in 2014.

The magistrate charged Gandhi under sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code.

After reading out and explaining the charges to him, the court asked Gandhi if he wanted to plead guilty, to which he responded by pleading not guilty.

The Congress president was allowed to leave court after these proceedings and greeted the crowd waiting outside.

Speaking to the media outside the court premises, Gandhi said, Let them (the BJP and the RSS) slap as many cases as they want against me. Ours is a fight of ideology. We will fight them and win.

Gandhis lawyer Narayan Iyer said, The court agreed to our plea to convert the case into a summons trial (from a summary one). The next hearing is scheduled on August 10.

The summons or detailed trial is one in which where there is a detailed recording of evidence in the case, as against a summary trial, which is based on a summary of the evidence recorded by the court.

In a summons trial, Iyer said, the applicant can demand the recording of witness testimonies, and both defence and prosecution can produce evidence they possess.

While speaking to reporters, Gandhi slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not talking about employment for youth and farmers. Our fight is against the policies of the prime minister. Farmers are frustrated and the prime minister does not talk about employment for youth. This government is only for the rich, Gandhi told reporters.

He also took a swipe at Modis radio programme Mann ki Baat and said the prime minister does not speak about kaam ki baat like providing employment to youth or safeguarding farmers.

The defamation case against Gandhi was filed by RSS worker Rajesh Kunte, 43, on March 6, 2014 over the Congress presidents speech at a rally in Bhiwandi. Kunte alleged that Gandhi had indirectly suggested that RSS workers killed Mahatma Gandhi.

Acting on Kuntes complaint, the magistrate court had on July 11, 2014, summoned Gandhi to face trial.

On March 10, 2015, the Bombay high court turned down Gandhis plea to quash the defamation case and refused to give him more time. Gandhi then moved Supreme Court with a special leave petition seeking permission to challenge the high court decision. He later withdrew the petition, expressed his willingness to face trial and said he would not apologise.

Gandhi has appeared in the same court on couple of occasion over the past three years.

(With PTI inputs)In the adivasi village of Manachamba, Maharashtra, hooked to a solar microgrid since January, a gaggle of five women shyly list their newfound freedoms. Their evening kitchen work, formerly done on a kerosene-lit mud lamp, now happens under a bright bulb. This means fewer accidents, and more time. Thanks to the solar-lit streetlights, they can go out in the early hours of the morning without fearing snakes and scorpions. Children can study longer and into the night. They dont have the money now, but the hope is they will soon have a fan, and then, a mixer-grinder. And they speak for long hours to their distant families over their fully charged phones.

According to Debojit Palit, of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), based on surveys in the Sunderbans region, a major factor influencing the inclusion of women in the family decision-making process is one simple change  greater access to mobile phones. Before they got electricity, women were dependent on the men for charging their phones in markets.

In Karnataka, thanks to a predominance of chutneys on the menu, the grinder gets top priority, says Sameer Nair of Gram Oorja. According to activist Sunanda Patwardhan, in the adivasi hamlets of Mokhada, Jawhar, the ability to install an electric pump for water and a UV filtration device has reduced illnesses by 80%. And for widowed or abandoned women, along with the elderly, the village collectively pays a cover charge and subsidises their tariff, reduced to around Rs 15 a month.

Twenty-one-year-old Manisha Anand Tawad from Tundepada manages the fenced-in solar microgrid for her hamlet. The energy committee unanimously elected her because she is meticulous. She maintains records of the 30 households meter readings, ensures cattle, children and villagers dont venture near it, and even makes collections. A few villages away, the grid is caked with dust, and left untended by its male caretaker. It will have reduced capacity; hers wont. Confident and efficient, she is just one of a growing number of women taking charge of microgrids.

Lydia Powell, energy and climate change expert with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), says women have traditionally formed part of the disadvantaged subgroups shut out of the electrification access.

The driver for electrification in India was never households, it was always food production, for irrigation pumps in fields, so it was always out of womens reach. If you look at living rooms, the utilities that men use  appliances, televisions, mobiles they are in the 21st century for the most part, but kitchens, where women are located, have remained in the 19th century, she said.

Palit attributes the rise of women as microgrid managers to institutional interventions by organisations such as Gram Oorja and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, which now have an estimated 1,000-1,200 microgrids in densely forested areas  the highest penetration in India  men remain largely in charge. One state that beats the norm is Bihar, where women in self-help groups (SHGs), sparked by the Jeevika programme, naturally take over.

According to Jeevikas CEO Balamurugan, the largest impact of SHGs has been building confidence and decision-making capability. This reflects in the solar grid management as well.

This also has to do with male pattern labour migration, which occurs on large scale here, leaving a substantial number of left-behind women (the term is rejected by experts who choose not to see them as victims), but the subject of study by Dr Anamika Priyadarshini at Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Patna, in collaboration with Adithi, a local womens organisation observing the phenomenon in areas such as Sitamarhi).

The new upgrade in womens access to electricity tells a new story about the primary beneficiaries of last-mile electrification. The first impact is on the home, on childrens studies, on the kitchen, on domestic affairs  time of sleeping, eating, waking up, and the efficiency of household chores.

But these activities are largely viewed as womens work.

If women are able to take control of microgrids, it is not because any hierarchical changes have occurred within households, Powell says, but because of the international or corporate donor component that pushes for gender equality and makes women the most important beneficiaries of electricity.

Independent microgrids require villages or hamlets to form committees that take charge of the grids. Where institutions insist on womens representation, they take the posts of president, treasurer and registrar.

However, the one or two men on the panel, typically young, are recruited to go and make bank deposits, file complaints, run errands, and so on.

In remote villages, with NGO-formed panels, this women-driven exercise is more equitable and visibly empowering. However, in the larger panchayats, which require state-mandated womens representation, there can be tokenism. Here, women may hold posts, but are often overruled by the men. In hamlets that are remote, economic activity is minimal, thanks to basic kilowatt capacity. The grids do not run irrigation pumps for the fields, or commercial machinery yet. This leaves the men disinterested in their operations.

Aparna Katre, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota at Duluth, and a social entrepreneurship researcher, and Arianna Tozzi, a researcher in renewable and sustainable energy and gender, were looking at the sustainability of Gram Oorjas work when they discovered an emerging pattern in womens engagement.

They studied 24 grids and 40 solar water pumping cases. In some, the village energy committee was fully operated by women (in Gumla, Jharkhand and one site in Jawhar).

In others, women had about 40-50% representation, held key positions in the committee and were actively involved in decision-making processes. In other cases, women participation in governance was either symbolic or missing.

We also found that in the first case the governance was more effective as regards timely decisions, conducting periodic meetings, seeking inputs from the villagers, with billing and collections, and maintaining records, Katre said.

Katre finds that institutional intervention has provided that key push for 50% representation of women and typically begins during the early stages of mobilisation. The arguments presented to the villagers are those of equity and women benefit equally if not more from the electricity and water supply, and therefore must be responsible for its governance. Of course, this is not a rule and therefore we found lot of variation. The decision of the nature and extent of womens involvement was ultimately that of the entire village. What we found interesting was that the role of plant operator was officially with men. However, since men migrate seasonally for labour work, the role was being performed by a woman, often the plant operators wife. Here, the gendered perceptions of the role were almost non-existent, Katre said.

According to the researchers findings, access to basic electricity got children got 0.7 hours a day to study, women reported improvement in indoor air quality, the improvement in eyesight and respiratory diseases was 60%, the women surveyed felt 92% safer, children felt 85% safer, accidents reduced by 67%, women felt 83% more connected with the outside world, and community activities in the village rose 34%. Once electricity was sufficient to install water pumps and filtration devices, health and sanitation improved 95-96%.

In Bihar, United National Development Programme (UNDP) environment officer Deepak Kumar has been touring Jeevikas solar microgrids in Badal Bigha, and Barsha Pippara villages in Tankuppa.

Here, women have been going beyond maintenance of the grid to actively negotiating and reviewing pricing slabs. They supervise and recommend the installation of solar drip irrigation pump sets.

Transparency is one of the key factors that influences operations here, says Kumar. Women keep discussions open to the village, are meticulous about maintaining records, and work towards the larger good of the community, looking at raising incomes.

This leads to less bias in distribution and greater efficiency in hiring technical labour.

At Barsha Pippara, which is in a Naxal-prone belt, Central Economics Limited installed a plant as part of its CSR project that reaches 200 households with two centralised powerhouses of 15KW each. Here, consensus has been hard to come by, with the menfolk arguing that they shouldnt have to pay for government electricity, and no agreement has been reached on minimal charges.

Without the intervention of women, Kumar says, the grid wouldnt have become operational and sustainable.

With 50% representation in local self-government, women self-help groups in clusters are working to invite stakeholders in solar microgrid installation and have set up incubation centres. But institutional intervention alone doesnt explain rising involvement. Women are efficient and acquire the expertise and technical skill to manage grids. There is a paradigm shift at the Gram Panchayat level. They manage, monitor and marshal not only solar microgrids but the surplus power generated and transmitted to the central grid. They are working to set up solar micro-irrigation pumps, solar roof-tops and other forms of renewable energy generation. They understand the dynamics of profit and commercialisation. I find the SHGs bringing out the innate entrepreneurial spirit in women he said.

Women have also proven vital to the long-term sustainability of microgrids. In villages considered Indias first solar grid models, such as Dharnai, where microgrids were set up by Greenpeace and were subsequently connected to the conventional grid as well, villagers often distanced themselves when free or subsidised electricity access ended.

Kumar says that without the sense of community ownership, models for microgrids, no matter how high-functioning, are bound to eventually fail.

Women are the key factors in holding together communities, over political, social, caste rifts, and mobilising the current.

If thats not true power, then what is?A UK judge has ordered the declassification of documents that are expected to shed further light on Britains involvement in Operation Bluestar in 1984, dismissing the governments argument that the move could damage diplomatic ties with India.

Judge Murray Shanks, who presided over a three-day hearing of the First Tier Tribunal (Information Rights) in London in March, on Monday ruled that a majority of the files relating to the period must be made public and rejected the UK governments argument that declassifying the Downing Street papers would damage diplomatic ties with India.

The judge, however, did accept that one file marked India: Political, from the UKs Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), could contain information that relates to British spy agencies MI5, MI6 and GCHQ (government communications headquarters) and therefore the cabinet office was entitled to rely on a technicality that exempts such material from the freedom of information (FOI) request appeal.

We recognise that the period we are concerned with was a highly sensitive one in Indias recent history and the strength of feeling it continues to evoke it should also be remembered that the fact that 30 years has gone by is bound to have reduced any prejudice that may have resulted from release of the withheld material, the judgment notes.

The FOI appeal was handled by KRW Law on behalf of freelance journalist Phil Miller, who has been investigating the exact nature of the then Margaret Thatcher led governments assistance to the Indian Army operation at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

In 2014, UK government documents declassified under the 30-year rule to make such material public had revealed that British military advice was given to Indian forces prior to the Bluestar.

Then British PM David Cameron had ordered a review into this discovery, named as the Heywood Review, which led to a statement in Parliament declaring that Britains role had been purely advisory and the advice provided by the countrys Special Air Service (SAS) had limited impact in practice.

But Miller, the author of Sacrificing Sikhs: The need for an investigation report released last year, says only full transparency would reveal the exact nature of Britains involvement.

After nearly four years of asking for disclosure of these files, it is a great victory for a judge to rule that more transparency would not harm diplomatic ties or risk national security, said Miller, who is disappointed that one file has been left out due to a loophole relating to the countrys intelligence agencies.

It is no wonder that many in the Sikh community are calling for a public inquiry, as only that would have the power to disclose all relevant material, he added.

The files that must now be released in full include papers on UK-India relations from 1983 to 1985  covering a meeting between Thatcher and Indira Gandhis adviser, LK Jha, the situation in Punjab, Sikh activities and the assassination of Indira Gandhi in October 1984.

The UK Cabinet Office has been given time until July 11 to appeal against the First Tier Tribunals decision. Alternatively, it must make the relevant documents available to Miller for his research by July 12. The cabinet office said it would be issue its response in due course.Jammu and Kashmirs former chief minister Omar Abdullah said on Tuesday that the militants would be to blame if the security forces hit them hard after the unilateral ceasefire is withdrawn.

With the militant organisations doing their best to make sure the ceasefire is a failure they will only have themselves to blame if the security forces come back at them even harder when the ceasefire ends, he said in a tweet, referring to the killings of two policemen by militants in Pulwama district on Tuesday and a grenade attack on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Anantnag on Monday that left 10 troopers injured.

He also condemned both the attacks, saying that these happened prior to the holiest Muslim night of Shab-e-Qadr.

And that too on the night of Shab-e-Qadr. The killers of these police personnel deserve nothing but the eternal flames of hell & that is where they are destined to find themselves. Condolences to the families of the deceased, he said in another tweet.For the children of head constables Ghulam Hassan Wagay and Ghulam Rasool Lone, this Eid will be a never-ending wait for their fathers to be home.

The policemen, who had promised to be home for the biggest Muslim festival, were killed when a group of militants attacked a guard post at the district court in South Kashmirs Pulwama on Tuesday morning.

Why did you break your promise, Papa? Why did you leave us alone? Didnt you say I will be home for Eid, said Wagays son as relatives tried to console him. Wasnt your neck hurting? Let me massage you. The video of the boy mourning his father was widely shared on social media.

Wagay, who was in his 40s and came from Rafiabad in Baramulla, is survived by his wife and three sons, aged 22, 19 and 13.

Lone, like his colleague Wagay, had plans for Eid, which will be celebrated on Friday or Saturday, once the moon is sighted. He had called me last evening, saying keep kids ready I will take them home and who knew we will have to see this in the morning, Lones brother-in-law Mohmmad Yusuf, who lives in Srinagar, said on Tuesday.

Lone, who hailed from Lolab Kupwara, leaves behind a young family. His sons are aged 12 and seven and the daughter is nine. His wife is a homemaker.

Thousands of people, including women and children, attended the two funerals. There was widespread anger and a debate if militants should target policemen involved in non-combat operations.

Its very rare that we policemen visit our home during Eid or Diwali but this time these cops got to visit their homes on Eid but in body bags. Heart wrenching, Baramulla SP Imtiyaz Hussain tweeted.

The fact that the attack came on Shab-e-Qadr, the night of blessings in during Ramzan, added to the anger.

Peoples Democratic Party leader Naeem Akhtar questioned the silence of separatists. Repeat of shameful lynching of DSP Ayub Pandit on his anniversary. Perpetrators worst enemies of Kashmir, its people, Islam. Stupid to think guns looted after killing humans will arm them enough to fight any successful war. Silence? @MirwaizKashmir, he tweeted.Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Chhattisgarh on Thursday and Madhya Pradesh later this month to inaugurate development projects and address a public meeting in the states which are due for assembly elections at year-end.

The visits are expected to give a fillip to the BJPs push to retain power in the two states, which go to the polls a few months ahead of the general election.

Modi will on Thursday dedicate to the nation the modernised and expanded plant of the state-run steelmaker SAIL in Bhilai, officials familiar with the matter said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate SAILs modernised and expanded Bhilai Steel Plant, Bhilai Chhattisgarh to the nation on 14 June, a SAIL official said.

During his two-hour stay in Bhilai, Modi is also scheduled to inaugurate a new building of IIT and address a public meeting.

All the senior leaders of the party from across the state have been called for this event, Chhattisgarh BJP spokesperson Sacchinand Upasane said. Since BJP president Amit Shah ji has given us the target of 65 plus seats in the state, Modi jis visit will help us accelerate the election campaign, he added.

This is Modis second visit to Chhattisgarh in as many months.

In Madhya Pradesh, the PM will inaugurate the Vikas Parv, a fortnight dedicated to development, on June 23, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.

Modi could give the Swachh City award to the municipal corporation of Indore, which topped the list of clean cities surveyed under the central governments cleanliness campaign, official sources said.

He is expected inaugurate an irrigation scheme and address a rally in Rajgarh as well, official sources said.

Reacting to the news of Modis planned visits, Chhattisgarh Congress spokesperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi said: They know they are losing Chhattisgarh, MP and Rajasthan and hence Modi ji is frequently visiting these states. An internal survey had found that the BJP would lose Chhattisgarh by a huge margin and that was the reason why Modi and Amit Shah had taken over the campaign, he said.

However, Madhya Pradesh BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal said the PMs visit was only about development projects. We cant help if Congress sees politics in PMs programmes all the time, he said.The Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) will build a QR100-million ($27 million) substation to cater to the power requirements of Qatar Rail's Doha Metro Project, a media report said.



The power station at Al Waab City is part of the 12th phase of the electricity transmission network expansion project in the country, reported the Gulf Times. Work on the station started 30 months ago, it said.



Two other stations at Lusail and Ras Abu Fontas have already been commissioned and works are in full swing in Al Bidda and Western Doha, Kahramaa president Essa bin Hilal Al Kuwari was quoted as saying in the report.



Al Bidda station includes car parking areas and is expected to be functional in the second half of 2019.



"Doha Metro stations have been prioritised in awarding projects and the highest technological requirements are in place at the stations to ensure uninterrupted supply of power for the operations of the metro," Al Kuwari said.



Al Kuwari also noted that Kahramaa was able to achieve a major milestone of 1,860,000 accident-free hours on the work site at Al Waab before the commissioning of the project.The government may have called for outside talent for top jobs on Sunday but the external affairs ministry gave it a shot two years ago though in a limited manner and for junior positions.

Around 12 such officials, hired as subject experts, are attached with the policy planning and research division of the ministry but they dont have decision-making or administrative powers, which are extended to officials who come on deputation from other departments.

It is a good beginning for the MEA (ministry of external affairs). Now that the government is planning to hire joint secretaries through lateral entry, so what the MEA started as an experiment is gathering momentum, said Prof Richard Hey, a Lok Sabha member who is part of the parliamentary standing committee on external affairs.

It was on the suggestion of the parliamentary panel, which is headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, that the ministry allowed lateral entry  opening up government positions to talent from private sector, academics and public sector.

The panel has been calling for the expansion of the foreign service to meet staff shortage as India spreads its diplomatic outreach.

We need change in bureaucracy. Even the British whose system we inherited (have) made it more attuned with the changing times, said Hey.

But everyone is not in agreement.

The question that first comes to my mind is this. How will the hiring be done for these positions of joint secretaries? We did have lateral entry even at secretary level and that was when it was clear that the domain knowledge of that particular person should be utilised. They were made on case-to-case basis, former cabinet secretary KM Chandrashekhar said.

The ministry was not planning to take people from outside, including from academia or private sector, in decision-making roles as of now, officials said.

It could in some way defeat the larger objective of lateral entry. All but one of Indias ambassadors in all major world capitals are from the foreign service. A noted exception is the Indian envoy to Saudi Arabia. Ahmad Javed is from the Indian Police Service.

One of the reasons the parliamentary panel pushed for lateral entry was shortage of staff. Brazil has 1,200 people in foreign service, China 6,000 people, and the US 20,000.

I am not saying we can be like the US or even like China. But 800 is far too modest a number and it needs to be increased, Tharoor had said 2017, making a case for expanding the diplomatic staff.

The parliamentary committee had noted there were only 770 Indian foreign service personnel against a sanctioned strength of 912.

The committee was of the view that the size of Indias diplomatic corps is inadequate considering the tasks and challenges before the ministry and nation.

You need some people now to make up for your efficiency. So, we can think about lateral entry and facilitating the entry of NRIs, Tharoor, also a former minister of state for external affairs, had said.Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of insulting his mentor LK Advani, drawing criticism by the BJP that the country is watching how the chief of the oldest political party is behaving.

Addressing a rally of party workers in Mumbai, Gandhi said Modi did not treat his guru (Advani) with respect even at official functions despite Hinduism teaching how a guru was the most important person in an individuals life.

Everybody knows who is the guru and mentor of Modi -- LK Advani. But the Prime Minister doesnt accord respect to him even at official functions. It is me who follows protocol and I am always with him (Advani) during (such) events, he said.

Today I feel very sad for Advani ji. The Congress party has given him more respect than Modi ji has, he said.

The Congress president said his party fought and defeated Advani in 2004 and 2009 parliamentary elections. Now it is the Congress and our partys ideology which give respect to Advani, Gandhi said.

Also Read: He will also run away: Rahul Gandhi takes a dig at Narendra Modi

Gandhi said he was the first to pay a visit to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee after his hospitalisation on Monday. We believe Vajpayee has contributed to the country, he said.

Reacting to Rahul Gandhis allegations, the BJP said he was practising the lowest form of politics and that it was bizarre to see the president of the countrys oldest party stoop to such a low.

BJP spokesperson Anil Baluni claimed it was clear that the Congress president has no link with Indian values as he keeps violating political and social norms.

Baluni referred to Congress leaders criticism of former president Pranab Mukherjee for attending an RSS event, and said the country had seen how the party treated one of its veterans.

Congress leaders had torn to pieces clothes of its then president Sitaram Kesari and thrown him out of his office, Baluni said as he cited alleged mistreatment of former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao by his party to make his point.

Rahul Gandhi should not lecture us political values, he said.

The Congress president is practising the lowest form of politics. He is violating our social and political norms. He does not even seem to know the kind of politics he is doing. The country is watching how the president of the oldest political party is behaving, Baluni said.Congress president Rahul Gandhi will appear before a court in the adjoining Thane district on Tuesday in connection with a defamation case filed against him by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker.

Gandhi arrived in Mumbai this morning on a two-day visit to Maharashtra.

He will appear before the court at Bhiwandi in Thane at 11 am today, a Congress leader earlier said.

The court had on May 2 asked Gandhi to appear before it today to record his plea in the defamation case filed by RSS worker Rajesh Kunte in 2014.

Kunte had filed the case after watching Rahul Gandhis speech at an election rally in which he had claimed that the RSS was behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi.

The RSS people had killed (Mahatma) Gandhi, the Congress president had allegedly said in the rally.

During his two-day visit to Maharashtra, Rahul Gandhi is also expected to address party workers and interact with its corporators in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

On Wednesday, he is scheduled to meet the kin of Dadaji Khobragade, the rural inventor who revolutionised rice farming, at Chandrapur in Vidarbha, before returning to Delhi.

Khobragade, 78, died earlier this month after a prolonged illness.

Contrary to media reports, Rahul Gandhis itinerary doesnt mention any meeting with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, the leader said.

Top leaders (of both the parties) can meet any time. But no such meeting is on the agenda today, he said.

Rahulji will appear before the court in the morning, address party workers in the afternoon and interact with Congress corporators about Mumbais civic issues, the leader added.IAS officers in Uttar Pradesh have objected to the central governments decision to induct specialists at the joint secretary level through lateral recruitment, saying appointments done that way could be manipulated.

The UP IAS Association will convene a meeting of its executive committee soon to discuss the issue, said association secretary Alok Kumar.

Although most senior IAS officers in service refuse to speak on record on the issue, lateral entry into the bureaucracy remained a point of discussion among them in Lucknow on Monday.

We have strong reservations about the Union governments move. We are not saying that there is no talent outside the government or all the government officers are very talented. But the way the government proposes to make appointments may be manipulated, said a senior UP government officer who did not wish to be named.

No independent agency like the Union Public Service Commission is going to carry out the selection of 10 joint secretaries. There will be no examination and government has kept the powers of selection/appointment to itself. This raises serious doubts and may lead to selection of favourites, said another officer.

Other points being raised by the officers include the governments decision to fix a three-year term for such appointments. Why will any genuinely talented person join the government for three years? There is a clause of three-month notice to remove such an appointee. How can an officer work in a forthright manner and advise boldly with such a provision? asked the officer.

Other officers mention conflict of interest or the appointee serving the interest of the sector with which he/she has been working. Any such appointee may not be able to work independently or impartially. An appointee may work for some vested interests and may go back, said another officer, adding surprisingly the government has not come out with any reservation for these 10 posts.

Retired IAS officers have also opposed the move and say it will only attract persons with a narrow approach.

I dont think its a good move. Those working in the private sector do not have experience of working in variety of fields. Anybody having experience of selling toothpaste or working in a specific field cannot be useful to work as joint secretary with the central government. Experienced personnel from other central services and even from the PSUs are already appointed to senior posts in government. There is no point in bringing those having a narrow vision or limited experience, said former chief secretary Alok Ranjan.Angry villagers in Harinagari area of Uttarakhands Bageshwar district set a forest on fire Monday evening after a leopard killed seven-year-old boy.

The boys half-eaten body was found in the nearby forest area on Tuesday morning.

A crowd of over a thousand gathered in the village due to which the foresters could not go into the affected area during the night, forest officials said.

RK Singh, divisional forest officer (DFO) Bageshwar said Deepak, son of Diwan Ram, had stepped out of his house on Monday evening when the leopard attacked and dragged him towards the forest. He said the boys mother was cooking at that time when she heard Deepaks cries. The angry villagers later set the forest on fire and we couldnt go into the affected area. A crowd of over a thousand people gathered in the village. They demanded immediate compensation for the family of the victim and shooting of the leopard by the forest officials, he said.

He later told the media that eight to nine hectares of the forest land were razed in the fire and that it had been decided that the man-eater leopard would be shot.

Singh said Deepaks family would be provided with a compensation of 3 lakh.

This is not the first such incident in the area this year. In March, the same leopard is suspected to have killed a four-year-old child, said Singh.

Singh said that given the fact that the leopard had killed two children this year, he immediately sought permission from the principal chief conservator of forests to declaring the leopard a man-eater.

Principal chief conservator of forests (Wildlife) DVS Khati said, given the human loss due to the leopard , he had given permission for destroying the leopard.

A team of shooters from Almora will soon reach Bagheshwar to kill the leopard, he said.Angered by Rajasthan cabinet minister Kiran Maheshwaris reference to Rajputs as barsaati chuhe (monsoon rats), a Rajput leader indirectly threatened the minister saying rats could bite anything, even ears and noses.

Maheshwaris statement came when she was asked by media persons about the Kamal ka phool, hamari bhool campaign being carried out by a mix of communities clubbed under the Sarva Samaj Sangharsh Samiti.

Maheshwari said those spearheading the campaign were barsaati chuhe and the BJP was not bothered by them.

Addressing a press conference, Rajput Karni Sena national president Mahipal Makrana said that such a statement was not expected from Maheshwari who is the states higher education minister. He said the Rajput community would give a reply in the coming assembly elections.

The Rajput community constitutes about 8% of the population and hold sway on 30-35 assembly seats.

Rats are known to nibble and bite everything, even ears and noses, said Makrana.

Maheshwari won the last assembly elections with the help of these rats. We will teach her a lesson in the coming elections. There are 40,000 Rajput voters in her constituency (Rajsamand).

Makrana said the Rajput community holds women in high regard but will not tolerate women who insult the community.

Last year, the Karni Sena had spearheaded protests against the film Padmaavat for depicting Queen Padmavati and the Rajput honour in a poor light. Actor Deepika Padukone had played Queen Padmini of Chittor. Makrana had then threatened to chop off Padukones nose for insulting Padmini.

The Rajput community has initiated the anti-BJP campaign for disregarding the community. Jaipur Rajput Sabha president Giriarj Singh Lotawara said the BJP government has ignored the Rajputs which have nurtured the party from infancy.

He said the party has been ignoring the Rajput communitys demands which include reservation.

In 2008, Raje had promised reservation to Rajputs under OBC but the government has gone back on its promise, said Lotawara.

He said there are other issues to which the BJP has not paid heed. Among these are withdrawal of false cases against Rajput leaders for violence in the aftermath of Anandpal Singh encounter in Sanwarad village, a CBI probe in the Chatar Singh Sodha encounter in Barmer, and withdrawal of the Rs4 crore service tax levied on the Rajput Sabha.BJP chief Amit Shah will chair a meeting of Rajasthan BJP leaders in New Delhi on Wednesday. The name of the new state BJP president is also likely to be announced after the meeting that will be attended by chief minister Vasundhara Raje apart from senior party leaders and some state ministers, sources said.

The Rajasthan BJP core committee members and some other leaders will be part of the meeting. Discussions will focus on preparations for the Assembly as well as Lok Sabha elections, a BJP leader said. Raje reached Delhi on Tuesday afternoon and other leaders too were expected to reach by Wednesday morning.

BJP national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav, BJP national joint general secretary V Satish, BJP national vice-president Om Mathur, Rajasthan party in-charge Avinash Rai Khanna, partys organisation secretary in Rajasthan Chandrashekhar and former state BJP president Ashok Parnami will be attending the meeting among others.

The state BJP has been headless for nearly two months due to a tussle between Raje and Shah over the appointment. Sources said that instead of Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, some consensus candidate could be appointed as the next Rajasthan BJP president.

Parnami had put in his papers on April 16 in what was being seen as an attempt by Shah to bring changes to the Rajasthan unit and make it battle ready for the Assembly elections. However, disagreement between Shah and Raje over the replacement has not only created an unprecedented situation but also affected the partys poll preparations.

Shah addressed a meeting of BJP workers from the Jaipur Rural Lok Sabha constituency last Friday where he focused on the achievements of the Narendra Modi government and asked the workers to ensure that the victory chariot continues to roll in Rajasthan. However, Shah had not mentioned any achievements of the Raje government.

The central leaders had also carried out an internal assessment after the by-poll rout that has shown that the voters are upset with the Raje governments performance.The Congress appears to be adopting a wait and watch policy on the issue of a likely alliance with the major opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal, in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

A senior Congress leader said the party will keep an eye on the possible alliance between the SP and the BSP.

The Congress will come into the picture only once the SP and BSP decide to come close. The Congress will align only if it gets a respectable number of seats, said the leader.

But, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Raj Babbar said he was not aware of any developments on an alliance.

We have no information on any talks about an alliance. The Congress high command has also not given us any instructions about any alliance, he said.

After the SP-Congress alliance failed to make an impact in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, a section of partymen has opposed any understanding with the SP. Instead, they favour an alliance with the BSP. The SP and BSP had joined hands for the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha by-elections and the Congress was not taken into confidence.

The Congress was not left with any option as the SP and the BSP announced their understanding after the last date for withdrawal of nominations in Gorakhpur and Phulpur. Yet, the Congress favoured united opposition candidates in by-election to the Kairana Lok Sabha and the Nooorpur assembly seats. The party will like major opposition parties to join hands ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. For that, the SP and BSP have to reach an understanding and offer a respectable number of seats to other parties, the leader said.

A formal announcement may not have been made about fielding joint candidates in Kairana and Noorpur, but the Congress decided to extend support in the interest of opposition unity to defeat the BJP. Senior Congress leader Imran Masood actively campaigned for the Rashtriya Lok Dal candidate in Kairana, said the leader.

Congress president Rahul Gandhis statement that the entire opposition is getting together in six months to a year in New Delhi has raised hopes of like-minded parties coming together. Senior party leaders have also indicated state- specific alliances and a grand alliance at national level.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi have very good relations. BSP chief Mayawati will also not like to displease the Congress that will be a larger partner at the national level. So, the SP and BSP will have to take the Congress and RLD along if they want to pose a real challenge to the BJP. We hope something will work out in coming months, said another leader.

Opposition unity will be put to test when these parties begin discussing seat-sharing for 2019 polls, he said.The Samajwadi Party (SP) appears averse to taking Congress on board as a prime alliance partner in UP for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The partys reluctance stems from the failure of the SP-Congress alliance to make an impact in the 2017 UP assembly polls and the success of the SP-BSP understanding in Gorakhpur, Phulpur, Kairana and Noorpur by-elections.

Although SP chief Akhilesh Yadav continues to call Congress national president Rahul Gandhi a lifelong friend, he has not negotiated with the Congress since the 2017 debacle. He also did not hold talks with the Congress ahead of the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha by-polls though he struck an alliance with the BSP, Peace Party, NISHAD Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).

Unaware of secret negotiations between the SP and BSP, the Congress had fielded candidates for the both Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats. While the BSP-backed SP wrested both seats from the BJP, Congress candidates lost their deposits in both places.

Akhilesh also took Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Mahan Dal on board for the Kairana LS and Noorpur assembly by-polls. The Congress decided not to field any candidates there. The results again went against the BJP.

Congress or no Congress, if the SP and the BSP stay together, they dont need any other across- the-state ally. We can have different sub-partners in different regions, like Peace Party and NISHAD in Gorakhpur and Phulpur by-polls in eastern UP or RLD in Kairana and Noorpur by-polls in western UP, said a close aide of Akhilesh Yadav.

Since the by-election results, Akhilesh Yadav has often emphasised he is prepared to make sacrifices to make the alliance with the BSP work.

He has also said, no one respects her (Mayawati) more than he does. But not even once has he said anything about the Congress.

At press conferences, to any question about the Congress, Akhilesh just repeats We are lifelong friends.

After the by-poll victories, SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav appreciated his son Akhilesh for striking the alliance with arch-rival Mayawati.

But he maintained his old stance on the Congress by saying: The Congress doesnt exist in UP beyond two seats (Rae Bareli and Amethi). Mulayam had criticised Akhilesh for joining hands with the Congress in 2017, both before the polls and after the results.

The SP-BSP arithmetic of Muslims plus Dalits plus backwards is formidable. If they stay together, then they really wont need any other big partner, said Prof SK Dwivedi, former head of Lucknow Universitys political science department.

While Akhilesh has kept the Congress guessing about about its role in any partnership in UP, Samajwadi Party has declared that it will contest all the 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh. The SP is also likely to contest all the 90 seats in Chattisgarh. Both these states, along with Rajasthan, are due to go to polls in November.

Akhileshji is due to tour Madhya Pradesh on July 19 and 20, said Rajendra Chaudhary, the SP state spokesperson.

Chaudhary also said: Now, people are looking at the Samajwadi Party as an alternative to the BJP and want the SP to turn into a national party.

In MP, the Congress has allied with the BSP. But the SP is gong it alone there on finding alliance terms unsuitable.

A senior SP leader said: Nothing can be foretold in politics. We thought Congress will be the obvious alliance choice for SP for the 2019 polls but what wasnt obvious has happened. The SP and the BSP have allied. You never know what might happen till the Lok Sabha polls. But one thing is certain, Akhilesh will not field any candidates in Rae Bareli and Amethi as a traditional gesture to Congress MPs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi there.The brother of Dr Kafeel Khan  a paediatrician suspended from Gorakhpurs BRD Medical College last year  was referred to the King Georges Medical University in Lucknow on Tuesday, two days after unidentified people shot at him on the night of June 10.

Kashif Jameel (34) was shifted after his condition deteriorated after surgery at a private hospital. Referred to the trauma centre, KGMU, Lucknow, for treatment, read Kashifs discharge certificate, which also mentioned injuries on the upper arm, neck and chin.

Kashif was accompanied by Kafeel and another brother, Adeel Ahmed.

Meanwhile, Kafeel accused the police for putting the life of his brother in danger by indulging in extended medico-legal processes and wasting crucial time when every second was precious.

Soon after he was shot at, Kashif himself called the circle officer (crime), superintendent of police (crime) and senior superintendent of police to inform them of the attack. In spite of his injuries, Kashif hired an auto rickshaw and reached a private hospital, Kafeel said in a video posted on the social media.

Kafeel went on to accuse the police of deliberately delaying the surgical procedure. We lost four golden hours due to police insensitivity. My brother was crying with pain and blood was oozing out of his wounds, but (the stone hearts of) these cops didnt melt, he alleged. Despite the immediate need to remove the bullets, the superintendent of police (crime)  accompanied by a heavy police force  first took Kashif from the private hospital to the district hospital and then to the BRD Medical College. BRD authorities sent Kashif back, stating that all the medico-legal procedures had already been conducted at the district hospital. He was then taken to the private hospital, where he was operated on.

Senior superintendent of police Shalabh Mathur denied the charges levelled by Kafeel. He was referred to BRD from the district hospital, where he was rushed for medico-legal procedures. However, his family chose a private hospital for treatment, he said.

Kafeel is out on bail after serving eight months in jail in connection with the death of over 30 children due to alleged oxygen shortage at the BRD Medical College between August 10 and 11 last year.Out of a total amount of Rs 5.06 crore realised as penalty from those indulging in child labour across the state in the last 22 years, only 1.42% of the fund has been utilised for the welfare and rehabilitation of the rescued children.

Lucknow-based child rights practitioner Umesh Kumar Gupta says that the apex court issued directives in 1996 asking the labour authorities to realise a penalty of up to Rs 20,000 from those found indulging in child labour. This amount was then supposed to be deposited in the welfare fund constituted at the district level. The interest earned from these funds was also supposed to be used for welfare of child labourers, but due to the lacklustre approach of authorities, a major portion of this fund has been lying unutilised for the last 22 years, he adds.

According to a response to an RTI application filed by me, deputy labour commissioner Dilip Kumar Singh informed that over  5.06 crore was collected as penalty from 75 districts of the state between December 12, 1996 and March 2018. But only 7.18 lakh, which is merely 1.42 per cent of the total collected money, was utilised for the welfare of rescued child labourers across all districts, said Gupta.

According to Gupta, the RTI response revealed that not a single person has been penalised for child labour in Shamli, Shambhal and Mainpuri in the last 22 years and only Rs 5,000 and 14000 were collected from Amethi and Sant Kabir Nagar districts respectively in the same duration. The situation gets worse when it comes to utilisation of the amount realised as penalty because the funds have not been spent at all in at least 56 districts since 1996, revealed Gupta.

The authorities, however, blame absence of specific guidelines or any government order for the poor utilization of funds.

State nodal officer and coordinator for child and bonded labour Mohd Rizwan Ali said there are several obstructions in utilising the funds due to the absence of specific guidelines.

He also stressed on the need for relaxation in guidelines on the utilisation of funds. Giving an example he said that according to the court guidelines, the interest earned from the penalty collected after rescuing the child labourer should be used for the welfare of that particular child. However, penalty collection takes times as people often move courts when served notices and the child becomes an adult by the time the penalty is realised and the amount keeps lying unutilised, he emphasised.

As several crore rupees are lying unutilised, the authorities should be allowed to use them in a collective form for the welfare and rehabilitation of rescued child labourers, he added.

He went on to say that senior government officials have been requested several times to approach the court and get specific guidelines and relaxations. He further said social organisations working to eliminate child labour could also approach the court in the matter.Volunteers on Sunday removed 600 kilos trash left by picnickers at Palasdhari waterfall near Karjat in Raigad district.

For the past two years, members of the non-governmental organisation Environment Life have been cleaning up areas around waterfalls in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) where revellers leave trash. Sundays clean-up yielded 600kg of trash -- of which 90% was discarded alcohol bottles and the rest was plastic trash.

HT had reported in August that the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) had said that cleaning the waterfalls that are thronged by tourists during monsoon was important. The agency had said it had directed state government bodies to conduct an enquiry and take action regarding trash, especially alcohol bottles, being dumped at waterfalls located close to the city. But the volunteers said MTDC had done nothing to improve the situation in these areas.

Glass bottles dumped near these waterfalls are both dangerous for tourists and local residents as they can lead to injuries, as well as destroy the aesthetic beauty of these places. We were shocked to find hundreds of alcohol bottles, plastic plates, spoons, glasses, packaged drinking bottles and so on. They were all branded products, which means they were left by the educated and affluent class. This is unacceptable behaviour and shameful on our part as citizens, Dharmesh Barai, head coordinator, Environment Life.

Prior to Sundays clean-up, the NGO had removed 5,120kg of trash from eight waterfalls around the city. Located three kilometres from Karjat railway station, Palasdhari waterfall gets thousands of tourists, especially during the monsoon season due to its close proximity to Mumbai (65km). These waterfalls dry up after the monsoon.

In August 2017, then principal secretary, state tourism and culture department, Maharashtra, Nitin Gadre had said it was citizens efforts to ensure these areas remained cleaned. He had directed the home department, urban development department, village development department, MTDC Mumbai, water resources and sanitation department and revenue and forest department, to work in tandem to remove garbage from these areas under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan scheme.

It is disappointing that a year after issuing such directions, the government has completely ignored the situation on ground. This tarnishes the motivation for us as a team for carrying out such activities in the future, said Barai.

Tourism secretary promises action

When HT spoke to VK Gautam, principal secretary, state tourism and culture department, Maharashtra, he asked for pictures and details of all the clean-ups so far in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The responsibility of safety and cleanliness at these spots (waterfalls) belongs to the village panchayats. It is the responsibility of the local civic body to ensure that this trash is properly collected, segregated and dumped at designated sites. However, I will be taking stock of what is happening at each of these locations. I can promise you we will take this up on priority, he said.Contrary to the revised forecast by the weather bureau, Mumbai stayed sunny through the day on Monday, with light rain in the evening.

Last Monday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the north Konkan region, which includes Mumbai, could witness heavy to very heavy rain with isolated extremely heavy rainfall from June 8 to 10. It also asked citizens to avoid going outdoor over the weekend. While Mumbai and surrounding areas received heavy to very heavy rain on Saturday, there was negligible rain on Sunday. The bureau then revised its forecast for Monday to a few spells of rain and thundershowers.

From 8.30am to 5.30pm on Monday, Colaba recorded 0.4mm rain, while Santacruz received drizzles. At 33 degrees Celsius, the day temperature was three degrees above normal, while the night temperature was 28 degrees Celsius, 1.5 degrees above normal. The weather bureau re-revised its forecast on Monday evening. One or two spells of rain and thundershower over the city is expected over the next 48 hours [from Monday], the forecast read.

The major monsoon activity has shifted from the west coast to the eastern part of the country as a result of cyclonic circulation (weather system) over the Bay of Bengal, said KJ Ramesh, director general, IMD. Now, moderate to isolated heavy rain is expected along the Konkan coast, but Mumbai can expect light to moderate rain.

Globally, mega cities have weather models that issue accurate rain warnings from a day to a few hours in advance. IMD needs to adjust its model, said Johnny Joseph, who was the municipal commissioner in 2005, when Mumbai flooded after receiving 944mm rain in more than 24 hours. We are running weather models twice a day to understand the variability of the monsoon. As soon as we realised the change, we issued warnings and revised them, said Ramesh.

From June 12, a high pressure will build up over the north Arabian Sea. It will push dry air from the Gulf countries towards India, killing the rain, said Akshay Deoras, independent meteorological advisor to the government. Meanwhile, the IMD said the monsoon arrived in Buldhana, Amravati, Nagpur and Gondia on Monday.Santacruz police on Tuesday apprehended 46-year-old actor-producer Armaan Kohli at a farmhouse in Lonavla. Police said Kohli was absconding after he allegedly assaulted his live-in partner, Neeru Randhawa, and she landed in hospital on June 3.

According to the police, Kohli was hiding at various farmhouses in the state.

Kohli was tracked down to a farmhouse in Lonavla, said a police official.

Teams were formed to track him since he escaped and his location was being tracked. He stayed at various places in Solapur, Mawal, Pune before Lonavla, the official further said.

According to a source, the police staff that went in search of Kohli to different locations were carrying his photograph.

When they showed his photo to some locals at Lonavla, they identified the actor.

They helped the police in tracking Kohli to the farmhouse, from where the team brought the actor to Mumbai on Tuesday evening.

The police had received a call from a hospital on June 3.

After reaching the hospital, police officials saw Randhawa receiving treatment for her injuries.

The police had recorded Randhawas statement after which they said it was clear that Kohli had allegedly assaulted her during an argument.

After a case was registered with the police, a team was formed to investigate into the matter.

Speaking on June 3, a senior police officer from Santacruz police station had said, The argument was over a financial issue.Political leaders cutting across party lines expressed shock and pain at the news that self-styled guru Bhaiyyu Maharaj committed suicide in Indore on Tuesday afternoon.

Maharaj, originally Uday Singh Deshmukh, counted some of the countrys top politicians across parties and celebrities among his followers. Deshmukh was popular with high-profile political leaders from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

His followers include Nitin Gadkari, Uddhav Thackeray , Pankaja Munde, Sunil Tatkare, former president Pratibha Patil, and many others.

Union minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari expressed his sorrow over Maharajs demise and said, I got to know about the death of spiritual guru Bhaiyyuji Maharaj. I had a personal relationship with him. His untimely death is saddening.

Also Read: Bhaiyyu Maharajs journey from textile model to Rolex-sporting spiritual leader

Former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said that Maharaj motivated people to do good deeds. A lot of politicians met him regularly. He visited Maharashtra and was involved in a lot of social work for the people of this state. He was a spiritual person who motivated people to do good, Chavan said.

Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sunil Tatkare, who was a follower of Bhaiyyu Maharaj, said he was shocked to hear the news. I was his follower for over 15 years. It is really shocking to know that he is no more among us. It is a personal loss, Tatkare said, adding that he had looked to the spiritual guru for advice on many occasions.

Members of the Thackeray family are also known to be close to Maharaj. In Shiv Sena circles it was known that the guru had been consulted by the family regarding the funeral of founder Bal Thackeray in 2012. Party chief Uddav Thackerays son Aaditya expressed shock at the news and said that he does not have words to express himself. Later he tweeted: Deeply pained and in complete shock to hear about Bhaiyyu Maharaj ji. May his soul rest in peace. Cant believe the news still.

Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil hailed Bhaiyyu Maharaj for carrying forward the legacy of spirituality in Maharashtra.Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be in Bhiwandi on Tuesday where a local magistrate court is likely to frame charges against him for purportedly defaming the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) by blaming it for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

He [Rahul Gandhi] will be present as framing of charges is a crucial stage after which the trial will begin, said Narayan Iyer, Gandhis lawyer. Iyer said he had moved the Bhiwandi court to convert the summary trial into a summon trial in April, 2018. Iyer had told the court that Gandhi wanted to put forth detailed evidence as they seek to record comprehensive evidence which does not happen during summary proceedings. Before the charges are framed, the court will hear our application, said Iyer. On March 6, 2014, a local RSS worker, Rajesh Kunte, 43, filed the defamation case against Gandhi over the latters speech at a rally in Bhiwandi, Thane. Kunte alleged that Gandhi had indirectly suggested that RSS workers killed Mahatma Gandhi. The RSS people killed [Mahatma] Gandhi, Gandhi had said at the rally.

Acting on Kuntes complaint, the magistrate court had on July 11, 2014, summoned Gandhi to face trial. On March 10, 2015, the Bombay HC turned down Gandhis plea to quash the defamation case and refused to give him more time.

Gandhi then moved the Supreme Court with a special leave petition seeking permission to challenge the HC. He later withdrew the petition, expressing willingness to face the trial and said he will not apologise.A special court on Monday convicted a 24-year-old labourer for groping a girl in Goregaon (east) four years ago when she had stepped out to relieve herself with two other women.

As per the prosecution, the girl was 10 years old at the time of the incident in June 2014. The girl, her mother and another woman had gone to defecate on an open ground near a cowshed in Goregaon (east) around 9.40 pm. While she was awaiting her turn, the prosecution claimed, the labourer appeared on the spot and touched her inappropriately. The suspect was identified as Venkatesh Devendra and was soon arrested by the police.

The prosecution examined six witnesses including the mother of the victim in support of its case against Devendra. One witness told the court that the girl bit the accused mans hand when he tried to shut her mouth and lift her.

The defence advocate argued that the prosecution could not prove the age of the girl who was harassed and owing to darkness at the time of the incident, she could not verify the identity of the man who groped her.

The court accepted the defences plea, seeing merit in the claim that a bonafide certificate showing the girls year of birth was not proper proof of her age and it could not be ascertained that she was a minor when she was harassed. Therefore, the accused was acquitted of the charges levelled under section 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

But the court convicted Devendra under section 354 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) for outraging the modesty of a woman. Special judge AD Deo said, Considering the evidence on record, I am of the view that act of accused is an offence under section 354 A of IPC. Though the charge 354A is not specifically framed against the accused, but the evidence on record shows that the act of the accused falls under section 354A(i) of IPC.

Under this section, the convicted person is sentenced to a maximum period of one year in jail but since Devendra had already spent three years in jail as an undertrial, the court , following its sentencing, ordered him to pay a fine of 5,000.It beggars belief that the Maharashtra police, which has not been able to crack the killings of Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare five and four years after their respective murders by some motorcycle riders, should now be able to uncover a plot by some Dalit activists to assassinate Narendra Modi in a Rajiv Gandhi type of killing. It pushes the seams of credibility that that plot was outlined in a letter to each other, left conveniently lying around for the police to discover in searches at their homes so that they may implicate themselves in a crime of such dastardly proportions.

Firstly, when Maoists wiped out the entire Congress leadership in Chhattisgarh exactly five years ago, no intelligence agency had any clue. Secondly, Maoists ambush with mines, they rarely indulge in suicide bombings. And then there is the fact that Maharashtra DGP, Satish Mathur, has denied that the police has leaked or made any letter viral on social media and yet it is being widely circulated on all platforms. If that letter is genuine, there has been a clear security breach within the state police that it should be on social media before they have put it in the public domain.

But what is a dead giveaway about the alleged lack of its authenticity is that the Dalit activists greet each other with Red Salute. Even the Maharashtra police would know that the preferred greeting of Dalits is Jai Bhim. Even if they are left-leaning, their Ambedkarite proclivities are far stronger than any commitment to leftism. And committed left workers never would say Red Salute. Lal Salaam is what they say and understand. Red Salute seems like the imagination of a mechanical translator who has no clue about the Indian and left ethos in the country  like the time I had to edit a vacuous translators gems like Indian Peoples Party for the Bharatiya Janata Party or, even better, when a particular person was described as Development God Priest. That needed some head-scratching before I realised the name was simply Vikas Deopujari. Obviously, the translator was using Google rather than his own intelligence and I think that is what has happened with this letter, too. Even so, if the letter was written in Marathi or Hindi and translated with the Google tool, Dalit and left activities would know to change back Red Salute to Lal Salaam. So now, I am very suspicious about the origins of the letters and the conspiracy hatched.

But why I am not surprised at the conspiracy is because I have known for years that at least in Vidarbha, which is thick with both Ambedkarites and Naxalites, the police have been attempting to link Dalit activists to Maoists in Gadchiroli for years. And yet, never have they been able to uncover any Maoist plots to kill even their own police officers before they have been mine-trapped in the jungles and blown to bits. In the few successes they have had in trapping Maoists, none have been established as Dalit activists. Moreover, among those arrested is an activist who has been contesting zilla parishad and panchayat samiti elections in Gadchiroli, which the Maoists do not believe in. They have also been winning those elections in the face of threats by Maoists for participating in the democratic process goes against their grain. Dalits, however, are fiercely committed to the democratic process; it is part of their DNA simply because of Dr BR Ambedkars association with the Constitution of India.

So it is silly that the police authorities did not consider all the discrepancies in their theories before linking Dalits to Maoists. Dalit activists are naturally left-leaning because of the nature of their struggle against right-wing bigotry and upper caste discrimination over the centuries. But to attribute sinister motives to them just because they were sympathetic to the Bhima-Koregaon movement, I believe, is going too far, at a time when the Pune police have access to video footage of those riots and know very well who the provocateurs were but are unable to take action because those perpetrators are covered by political patronage.

There are too many holes in the police theory for anyone to believe the linkage between Dalit activists and Maoists. And while the letter conspiracy case by the police is already falling apart and may not stand up in court, the political fallout of selectively framing Dalit activists could be very, very huge indeed.Congress president Rahul Gandhi arrived in Mumbai early Tuesday morning to attend court at Bhiwandi in connection with a defamation case filed against him, after which he will address a rally of booth-level party workers and officebearers.

State Congress leaders, including state president Ashok Chavan, leader of Opposition in state Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, vice-chairman of legislative council Manikrao Thakre, All India Congress Committee general secretary state in-charge Mohan Prakash and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, welcomed him at the Mumbai airport.

On his way to Bhiwandi court, Gandhi was welcomed by Congress workers as he passed through Thane; he greeted party workers by slowing down his car.

After attending court at 11am, Gandhi will head to Mumbai Exhibition Centre in Goregaon (east) to address the rally. Later, at 6pm, he is scheduled to meet Mumbais Congress corporators at MCA club in Bandra-Kurla Complex, and then a meeting with state-level leaders on Tuesday night.

Rahulji will blow the election bugle in Mumbai on Tuesday. State leaders will discuss many issues with him, including candidates for the forthcoming legislative council elections to the alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party [NCP] and other smaller parties, and the strategy for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. They are also expected to ask for his dates for the division-wise rallies to be held across the state, said a senior leader, who did not wish to be named.

On Wednesday, Gandhi will go to Maharashtras Chandrapur district to visit the family of late Dadaji Khobragade, an award-winning paddy farmer who invented many varieties of paddy. He will fly from Mumbai to Nagpur on Wednesday morning and take a chopper from Nagpur to Nanded village, where the Khobragades live. Later, he will address a farmers chaupal (village meeting) there before flying back to Delhi in the evening.

The defamation case, in which the court is likely to frame charges against Gandhi on Tuesday, was filed by RSS worker Rajesh Kunte in 2014, after Gandhi allegedly made a statement linking the RSS to Mahatma Gandhis assassination. He has appeared in the same court on a couple of occasions over the past three years.A magistrate court at Bhiwandi on Tuesday framed charges against Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) defamation case. He has been accused of defaming the RSS by purportedly blaming it for Mahatma Gandhis assassination at a rally in 2014.

The magistrate charged Gandhi under sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code.

After reading out and explaining the charges to him, the court asked Gandhi if he wanted to plead guilty, to which he responded by pleading not guilty.

The framing of charges is the first step towards commencement of a trial.

The Congress president, who was allowed to leave court after these proceedings, came out and greeted the crowd waiting outside. Speaking to the media outside the court premises, Gandhi said that charges have been slapped against him and that he would face the trial.

He also criticised the central government, saying that 10 to 15 rich people are running this country... Narendra Modi does not speak about rising fuel prices.

The court agreed to our plea to convert the case into a summons trial [from a summary one]. The next hearing is scheduled on August 10, said Narayan Iyer, Gandhis lawyer.

The summons or detailed trial is one in which where there is a detailed recording of evidence in the case, as against a summary trial, which is based on a summary of the evidence recorded by the court. In a summons trial, Iyer said, the applicant can demand the recording of witness testimonies, and both defence and prosecution can produce evidence they possess.

On March 6, 2014, a local RSS worker, Rajesh Kunte, 43, filed the defamation case against Gandhi over his speech at a rally in Bhiwandi. Kunte alleged that Gandhi had indirectly suggested that RSS workers killed Mahatma Gandhi. Acting on Kuntes complaint, the magistrate court had on July 11, 2014, summoned Gandhi to face trial. On March 10, 2015, the Bombay high court turned down Gandhis plea to quash the defamation case and refused to give him more time. Gandhi then moved Supreme Court with a special leave petition seeking permission to challenge the high court decision. He later withdrew the petition, expressed his willingness to face trial and said he would not apologise.

Gandhi has appeared in the same court on couple of occasion over the past three years.Thuraya Telecommunications Company, a leading mobile satellite services operator, is showcasing its latest solutions and products at this years Eurosatory Defence exhibition in Paris, France.



Visitors can engage with senior officials from Thuraya, who will answer questions on Thurayas defence portfolio that includes the recently launched Thuraya Aero and Thuraya tracking and monitoring service and terminal.



Fahad Kahoor, director of Market Development, Government and NGO, Thuraya, said: Eurosatory is a vital event for those working in the defence and security arena and specifically in the European market which is one of our priority markets. The portfolio were showcasing is a combination of mission-critical, purpose-built products and solutions that meet key sector requirements.



Thuraya boasts a range of products particularly suited to the government and military sector, including a growing suite of rugged, compact terminals that are innovative, easy to install and maintain, and are simple to set-up for LAN or wireless connectivity.



They are fast, lightweight, compact, easily deployed, highly flexible and interoperable for all operations. Government and defence users can benefit greatly from the purpose built Thuraya IP Commander or the Thuraya IP Voyager or Thuraya MCD Voyager among others.



Thurayas M2M portfolio is also well suited for government customers. The Thuraya T2M-Dual terminal is a mobile, dual-mode device for superior machine-to-machine (M2M) communications and remote asset tracking and monitoring. It ensures the safety of assets through allowing the simultaneous collection of data from multiple points including location information, data from external sensors and peripheral devices, and input gathered from vehicle or heavy equipment CANBus.



It is designed to allow for the integration of any third-party applications and has several built-in smart features such as geo-fencing, network selection based on least cost routing and internal battery backup. The service supports on-the-move M2M/IoT applications seamlessly on satellite and GSM networks, allowing for optimized connectivity based on the best available network, and is built to withstand harsh environmental conditions.



Our defence portfolio was developed to meet the needs and requirements of military and defence operators, Kahoor said. We are currently pitching T2M to the government sector, because its unique features can assist them in remotely managing and securing their assets.



Also on display is the Thuraya Aero, which caters to the growing demand for in-flight connectivity. Developed as an in-flight communications system, it supports steady Internet access, voice calls, text messaging, and real-time, secure data link communication, high-speed data applications such as video streaming for ISR & SAR missions, on board small to medium-sized planes, as well as rotary wing aircraft.  TradeArabia News ServiceResidents of 200 buildings in south Mumbai have teamed up with citizens association and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to dispose of all the plastic waste before the June 23 deadline on the use of various kinds of plastic.

A three-day plastic waste collection drive will be held this weekend in municipal ward A (consisting of parts of Fort, Ballard Estate, Colaba and Marine Drive), to collect trash plastic from 200 buildings in the area.

The people in our area wanted to dispose plastic, but they didnt know whom to approach. If they would dispose it with their waste, it would go back to the landfills and we didnt want that to happen, said Aditi Jain, vice-president, Cuffe Parade Residents Association (CPRA).

Jain added that they will now be informing people in the area about the collection schedule, so that they can dispose the plastic waste in the van provided to them by the BMC.

This will led to an increase in awareness among the residents, because while informing them after the plastic disposal, resident associations will also speak to them after the problems caused due to plastic and about the plastic alternatives available, said Kunti Oza of Oval Cooperage Residents Association (OCRA).

The residents also approached former Member of Parliament Milind Deora to get their area free of plastic. Speaking at the launch of #quitplasticmovement at the World Trade Centre on Monday, Deora said that apart from the collection drive, a competition would be held, where the waste collected by these societies will be measured and the society disposing the maximum amount of plastic would be acknowleged on social media.

Kiran Dighavkar, assistant municipal commissioner, said that apart from sending collection vans in these areas, the civic body would be providing vans on call service to societies across the city.

Those who want their plastic to be collected, can call us on the toll free no 1800 222 357, and we will provide with a collection vehicle. All the waste collected will be disposed of scientifically or recycled. We have already collected 137 tonnes of plastic from across the city in a month, and hope to collect more ahead of the June 23 deadline, said Dighavkar.The Shahu Nagar police in Dharavi arrested a 40-year-old man on Monday for pretending to be a policeman and duping a 68-year-old retired nurse of a gold chain worth 60,000. He has been identified as Ganesh Kumar Jaiservar.

The incident came into light when the woman told police sub-inspectors Wasim Shaikh and Tukaram Dige from the patrolling team of Shahu Nagar police station that two people, moving around in safari suits, had fled away with her gold chain.

The police succeeded in nabbing one of them but the other managed to flee away. The chain has been recovered.

Jaiservar is a Dharavi resident and works as a real estate agent. The complainant, Vanita Dhanavde, said the incident took place between 11 and 11.30am when she was returning from a hospital located in Mahim East and was looking for a medical store.

DB Thorat, senior police inspector, said, Two men wearing safari suits and black shoes approached the complainant. They told her that they are policemen and that there are robbers in the area targeting senior citizens and children. The men told Dhanavde to remove her jewellery and hand it over to them so they could keep it safe.

The complainant claimed that she was probably hypnotised for five minutes, due to which she gave her chain to the men, the officer said.

A week ago, a similar incident had taken place near the police station, following which the police had increased patrolling between 10am and 12pm.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ONThe Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has just launched its campaign for full statehood for Delhi. While the struggle for statehood is as old as the Indian republic, it had never acquired the political tenour that it has now. In the last three years, the AAP government in Delhi has been fighting a pitched battle against the Bharatiya Janata Party -led government at the Centre on its demand for statehood. Not only has AAP drafted a statehood bill and sought public opinion, it has moved the highest court for its intervention.

While there is no harm in aspiring for statehood, a long history of flip-flops by governments of every hue at the Centre suggests that it is like chasing a chimera. When in the opposition, political parties make statehood as their top electoral agenda but take complete U-turn once in power. For instance, the Congress Party, in power both at the Centre and in Delhi between 2004 and 2013, showed no interest in the subject. As for the BJP, the original party for statehood that took trouble to introduce a bill in 2003, it has gone back on its promise under the current leadership.

Globally, Delhi is not an exception. A survey of major national capitals which I undertook shows that with the exception of Tokyo and Berlin, an overwhelming majority of national governments have serious reservations even on granting autonomy, let alone statehood for capital cities. Given that national capitals house critical infrastructure such as parliament, presidential estates, defence and foreign missions, most governments maintain strategic control over the citys critical services like land and public order. The uncomfortable truth is that central governments lack complete trust in the ability of city governments. Even in Berlin, the most autonomous city-state, the federal government fears that anarchist from the far right or extreme left may capture the city-state. For similar reasons, the US Congress has not ceded to the four-decade long demand for statehood to Washington D.C. Curiously, a large section of citizenry in some capital cities like Canberra favours greater integration with the federal government. They fear gaining statehood may end generous state subsidies available for the national capital.

Even so, Delhi is too big a city to be left in the manner that it is now. With a population over 17 million, it leaves all other national capitals (except Tokyo) far behind. According to the latest United Nations projection, Delhi is likely to emerge as worlds largest metropolis by 2035. With a projected population over 43 million, Delhi urban agglomeration will be bigger than many large and medium-sized countries such as Canada and Malaysia. This calls for urgent rethinking on existing governance arrangements in the national capital region. Considering statehood is not a feasible option in the current political climate, the sensible thing that the AAP government can do is to press for genuine autonomy and greater clarity on its functional jurisdictions. This will help it put up a decent show and fulfil the expectations of its electorate.

First, the Delhi government should press for power-sharing in areas that really matter for a city government such as land, law and order and services. It is shocking that an elected government representing a population larger than many Indian states practically has no say in critical matters of land, policing, and transfers and appointments of its own officials. Not even Washington D.C, the most constricted capital territory, has such a limited mandate. Global trend suggests that many national governments apprehensive of sharing power have gradually begun ceding authority to the national capital governments. Delhi is the lone exception.

Second, AAP should fight for a decisive say over the citys municipal bodies. Delhi is the only capital city where the elected government has no organic link with the municipal body, contrary to global best practices.

Finally, with overlapping and contested jurisdictions, it is imperative to institutionalise dispute resolution as has been adopted by national capitals around the world. The existing system of referring disputes to the President is a flawed one, lacking credibility and invariably favouring the national government. In short, it is time for the Delhi government to get real on statehood and play its cards smartly.

Niranjan Sahoo is Senior Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, Delhi.

The views expressed are personal.The first anniversary of the Doklam standoff calls for reflection on Chinas strategy of territorial revisionism and Indias response. The Doklam Plateau, like the South China Sea, illustrates how China operates in the threshold between peace and war. Just as China has made creeping but transformative encroachments in the South China Sea without firing a single shot, it has incrementally but fundamentally changed the status quo in Doklam in its favour since ending the 73-day troop standoff with India.

Doklam exemplifies Chinas broader recidivism in the Himalayas. China is still working to redraw Himalayan boundaries nearly seven decades after it gobbled up Tibet, an action that led to its occupation of the Switzerland-size Aksai Chin plateau. Aksai Chin fell to what has since become Beijings favoured frontier-expansion strategy  salami slicing. This involves a steady progression of actions short of war that camouflage offense as defence and help change facts on the ground.

The latest victim of Chinas salami slicing is one of the worlds smallest countries, Bhutan, which has just 7,500 military personnel. In the past nine months, China  by steadily expanding its troop deployments through new permanent military structures  has gained effective control of much of Doklam, which Bhutan regards as its own territory. Previously, there were no permanent military structures or force deployments on this uninhabited but disputed plateau, which was visited by nomadic shepherds and Bhutanese and Chinese mobile patrols other than in the harsh winter.

Satellite images since last autumn show how rapidly China has expanded its military footprint in Doklam, wreaking environmental degradation in a once-unspoiled place. Chinas new control there precludes India intervening again at Bhutans behest.

So, just as China is now capable of controlling the South China Sea in all scenarios short of war with the US, to quote the admiral in charge of Americas Indo-Pacific naval forces, Beijing today is in a position to call the shots across the Doklam Plateau other than the site where the standoff with India occurred. But right next to the standoff site, located at the plateaus southwestern corner, China has built military fortifications and facilities overlooking Indian positions.

Yet there is no debate in India on how Doklam was lost. Although the defence minister in March grudgingly admitted Chinas construction of helipads and other military structures in Doklam so as to maintain troop deployments even in the severe winter, New Delhi has tried to obfuscate the increasing Chinese control of the remote plateau so as not to dilute the victory it had sold to the world last summer.

To be sure, India has no territorial claim to any part of Doklam. Also, with Thimphu and New Delhi revising their 1949 treaty in 2007, India has ceded its right to guide Bhutans foreign policy. But, as underscored by the Indian Armys presence in Bhutan, India still has an implicit obligation to defend Bhutans territorial integrity. Last summer, it intervened as Bhutans de facto security guarantor, driven by the threat to its own security from the Chinese attempt to construct a military road to the strategic Jampheri Ridge, overlooking Indias most vulnerable point  the Chicken Neck.

But, a year later, it is apparent that an India increasingly mired in domestic politics has failed both to defend Bhutans territorial sovereignty and to thwart the Chinese threat to its Chicken Neck. Satellite images show China is building an alternative road from eastern Doklam toward the Jampheri Ridge. So, despite blocking a road construction last summer in Doklams southwest, India finds its Chicken Neck looking vulnerable again. China, with its extensive new all-weather military infrastructure and forward-deployments in Doklam, is now capable of executing deep incursions into Indias Siliguri Corridor.

Against this backdrop, the silence in India on a fundamentally changed scenario is troubling. The silence indeed is reminiscent of the way Beijing captured Aksai Chin in the mid-1950s while India was chanting the Hindi-Chini bhai bhai mantra. Today, in the absence of an effective strategy against Chinas stealth aggression in the Himalayas and its growing inroads in Indias maritime backyard, an increasingly defensive New Delhi has sought to make peace with Beijing.

Make no mistake: the main Doklam lesson is that Indias perennial preoccupation with domestic political issues, coupled with its reactive mode due to absence of strategic thinking, allows China to seize the initiative in the Himalayas. More fundamentally, Doklam illustrates that while India may be content with a tactical win, China has the tenacity and guile to outfox its rival and win at the strategic level.

Brahma Chellaney is a geostrategist and author

The views expressed are personalAround 15 years ago when I started visiting the Maoists in forests of Chhattisgarh, to write a book, the Maoist middle rung leaders would tell me that implementing Adivasi self rule can be the logical culmination of their movement. Of course, the Maoist top leadership maintained their official line that capitalism will collapse under its own weight within 50 years and that will be the time to try out the experiments being carried out in the forests of Chhattisgarh in big way. But what happens to the adivasis who are fighting with you?

The Maoist movement was on ascent in those days, when thanks to a disastrous experiment by the government called Salwa Judum, hundreds of adivasis joined the Maoist ranks to make it a bottom-heavy movement. Today all those middle rung leaders have reached retirement age which means the adivasi cadres will not have any effective leadership soon.

Almost all the adivasi Maoists are Gondi speakers. Most of them cannot speak any other language. The top adivasi Maoist leader in Chhattisgarh is Venkatesh ( not real name). He heads the South Bastar division. He decided to join the Maoists after a forest guard slapped his brother for cutting a tree in the forest.

There are no adivasis in the Maoist Central Committee or Polit Bureau though they constitute most of the fighting force. Not many new urban faces joined the Maoist party after 1990s. Most of the Adivasis who make up 99% of the movement today are uneducated and are fighting to save their forest, land and dignity. Though they parrot some lines about Maoism but what they are actually fighting for can be gained if we can implement the Constitution. For example, rules have not been framed for an act called PESA specially written for Adivasi areas even after 20 years of it being passed in Parliament.

Can Maoists lead the adivasis to ensure that the laws made for them are implemented? If they give up their guns, there is a real possibility that government may sit across the table with them for talks and give them an adivasi autonomous council in Central India. We have quite a few examples from North East India where such experiments have been tried with varying degree of success.

The Maoists came to Chhattisgarh to hide. They had felt that the revolution will take root places like Bengal, Bihar and Telangana and that the adivasis did not have political consciousness. Thanks to political lessons from the Maoists now we see movements like Patthalgudi in Bastar. Maybe they can transform this newly-acquired political consciousness into adivasi self-rule, a form of genuine democracy which can deliver rights to a majority of them in the future.

Shubhranshu Choudhary is a former BBC journalist

The views expressed are personalIn probably a first-of-its-kind order, a 78-year-old farmer of Majat village in Mohali was held guilty of violating the ban on stubble burning after harvesting crops.

Sohan Singh was convicted and released on probation for a period of three months, which means he will not be confined but remain under court supervision. The court of judicial magistrate Aman Sharma, Kharar, also imposed a fine of 200 on him.

A slew of orders by the Punjab government, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banning stubble burning have been issued after cities in the north, including Delhi, were choked because of hazardous pollution levels due to fields being set afire.

Singh was booked on November 5, 2016 after a police party, including investigating officer head constable Krishan Kumar, came upon stubble burning in a field near Dharakala village, and on enquiring found Singh to be the land owner.

Pleading for leniency, Singh said he was his familys breadwinner.

On June 4, 2018, judicial magistrate Aman Sharma, while holding Singh guilty, said, Keeping in view the age of convict, his antecedents and gravity of offence, this court deems it a fit case where ends of justice would meet if the convict is released on probation. More so, the ultimate goal of criminal jurisprudence is that every offender shall be provided chances of reformation.

The court ordered that the farmer remain on probation for three months after furnish personal bonds of 30,000.

Burning issue

To check the burning of wheat residue, PPCB in 2017 imposed fines of 1.7 lakh on farmers in 198 cases of fire, while in 2018 a fine of 2,500 was imposed as 29 cases of fire were reported from Mohali district.Actors obliging to fan demands often lead to heartwarming tales. One such moment came in for a die-hard Kamal Haasan fan, Jayaraj, who would have never thought his wish to meet his idol would get fulfilled in this lifetime.

Hailing from Choolaimedu, Chennai, this fan collects old clothes and sells them in Moore market complex to earn his living. In a YouTube video, posted by a Tamil channel, Jayaraj had once spoken about how he looks up to Kamal Haasan the politician as much as he loves and admires Kamal Haasan the actor. He also admitted that despite all that he could do, his attempts to meet the actor had been futile so far.

According to a source close to Haasan, it was only recently that he got to watch this video after someone forwarded it to him and he was so touched by this fans gesture that he decided to meet him. After watching the video, Haasan sir requested to make arrangements for the fan to come and meet him immediately. Finding Jayaraj wasnt easy, as hes always on the move to earn his living and it took us a few days to trace him. The videos anchor got in touch with Jayarajs relatives and then they informed Haasan sirs digital team, says the source, adding that Jayaraj finally met Haasan at his party office on June 8.

The source also shares that Jayaraj was awestruck and speechless at the sight of his idol. He became teary eyed when Haasan sir put his hand around his shoulders and spoke to him like a long-lost friend. He also asked Jayaraj if he had food and he replied that he generally has food by 3pm. Haasan sir graciously said, come here and eat when you feel hungry, this is like your home too, adds the source.

Interact with Monika Rawal Kukreja at Twitter/@monikarawal

ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktopActor Siddharth Jadhav seems to be very happy right now. The Ye Re Ye Re Paisa actor is thrilled that he will once again work with director Rohit Shetty after 14 years, when he acted in Golmaal: Fun Unlimited (2006). This time around, Siddharth will share the screen with Ranveer Singh in Simmba. Speaking about the film, Siddharth says, I am very happy to be working with Rohit again. After Golmaal, Rohit offered me a few more of his films, but I was already committed to my Marathi films projects and theatre. However, this time, things fell in place and I am doing his next film.

The actor feels that Rohit is a gem of a person. Over the years, I have seen him evolve as a film-maker. But he hasnt changed as a person. He is still the same genuine person. He respects everyone around him and is great to work with, Siddharth says, adding that he will play the role of a policeman, named Inspector Tawade.

The film will also see the actor sharing screen space with actor Ranveer Singh for the first time. When asked how it was to work with Ranveer, Siddharth says, He is full of energy and very cooperative. He has a lot of positive energy, which reflects on the sets and in our work too.

ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktopTourists reached out to feel the heat from the still-smoldering lava, tossed sticks to see them burst into flames or watched a guide toast marshmallows on hot rocks as they hiked on Guatemalas Pacaya volcano, which days earlier had spewed lava.

From the peak of Pacaya they had a clear view of the nearby Volcano of Fire, which erupted on June 3, emitting a fast-moving avalanche of super-heated muck that killed at least 110 people and left about 200 missing.

I would encourage people to come and see the beauty of the place; theres nothing necessarily to fear, said Maximilian Penn, a chef from New York gazing at the breathtaking view. Its just important to have an understanding of whats going on here. Its a dangerous place, so you should have respect.

Volcano tourism is the life blood of villages like San Francisco de Sales, perched near Pacayas peak, and for locals it is a question of learning to live with a generous monster. Pacaya is the main tourist draw as it is more accessible while also offering a clear view of the Volcano of Fire.

Silvia Sazo, one of the few female tour guides at Pacaya, saw her own home destroyed by a 2010 eruption. Her family rebuilt in the same place, and there are still spots on the ground near her house where vapour and heat stream from the ground. You can put eggs, corn and chayotes in the ground, and they cook, she said. We dont have anywhere else to live. ... This is our way of life.

The Fuego Volcano continues to release ash and smoke more than a week after a violent eruption, as seen from the village of San Miguel Los Lotes, in Escuintla Department, about 35 km southwest of Guatemala City. (AFP)

The Pacaya volcano began having effusive eruptions in 2006 while the deadly blast of ash and rock from the Volcano of Fire was an explosive eruption.

Although locals dont use the scientific terms, they know the difference: Explosive eruptions of ash, gas and rock can easily kill, while effusive eruptions  lava flows  can be interesting for tourists to look at. Some volcanos have both types, and Pacaya had an explosive blast in 2010 that killed a reporter and two locals.

But there is always danger with both types, including the emission of toxic gases, notes John Stix, a professor at the earth and planetary sciences department at McGill University in Canada. I think anyone who visits an active volcano needs to appreciate that there is some risk involved, and the risk increases as one gets closer to the active vent or crater, Styx wrote.

Gilberto Rosales, from the nearby village El Rodeo, motions towards the Volcan de Fuego, or Volcano of Fire, as he retells how he saw the lava flow during it deadly eruption, while he passes through the devastated hamlet of San Miguel Los Lotes, Guatemala. (AP)

Which, in far less scientific terms, is what locals say. We dont worry about the lava, we worry about the crater from which explosive eruptions come, said Sazo.

Residents who depend on Pacaya for their livelihood have learned to respect and read the volcano, like park maintenance worker Juan Francisco Alfaro, who lives in the nearby hamlet of Patrocinio. We are always alert. You dont wait, you go if there is an explosive eruption, Alfaro said.

Many carefully watch the colour of the plumes coming from the crater: White is OK, but black means danger. We have a lot of respect for it, Alfaro said. One sees what happened to San Miguel Los Lotes, which was destroyed by the Volcano of Fire eruption.

Jose Quezada, who has guided tours for 18 years, estimates half the people in San Francisco de Sales earn a living from volcano tourism. Over time, we have learned to live with the volcano, he said. You dont fool around with the volcano.

A nun prays while touring an area affected by the eruption of the Fuego volcano at San Miguel Los Lotes in Escuintla, Guatemala. (REUTERS)

Each day, Quezada gets reports from residents who have hiked up the mountain earlier in the day about where it is safe to take tour groups. Going to the summit and peering into the crater is no longer allowed. If there is a change in the volcano, a change in its activity, we return immediately, he said.

Tourists come to Pacaya for the altitude, cool weather, stunning views and singular experience of seeing the force of nature. The altitude  the volcanos are the only geographic features rising off the steamy plains  is one reason why many people live in villages like San Francisco de Sales. It is perfect for growing coffee, but after a plant disease wiped out coffee trees, people recently began planting avocados.

Coffee is no longer profitable after we got coffee rust, said farmer Roberto Mijango. Were only getting paid $18 for a 100-pound sack (46 kilograms) of coffee berries. The fertiliser costs more than that. But the three- and four-year-old avocado trees wont bear enough fruit to support the farmers for another few years. So without the tourism income, the villages around Pacaya would be impoverished.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for moreDirector Pooja Bhatt has come to the defence of Priyanka Chopra, who was recently criticised for a controversial episode of her show, Quantico, in which Hindu nationalists were depicted as terrorists.

When Priyanka Chopra makes a mark for herself Internationally we claim her achievements as our own & then threaten to ban her films & make her apologise for a work of fiction that has been created by someone else. Can we please attempt to be larger than that? Pooja, who directed Jism 2 in 2012, wrote on Twitter on Monday.

When Priyanka Chopra makes a mark for herself Internationally we claim her achievements as our own & then threaten to ban her films & make her apologise for a work of fiction that has been created by someone else. Can we please attempt to be larger than that?  Pooja Bhatt (@PoojaB1972) June 11, 2018

In the episode, Priyanka, an FBI agent, foils a terrorist plot by spotting a rudraksha - prayer beads - on the perpetrator, identifying him as a Hindu. Hindu nationalism, as well as the violence in Kashmir - which was the central issue of the summit targeted by the terrorist in Quantico - have been controversial topics in India.

Supporters of Hindu Sena, a right wing Hindu group, burn posters of Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra during a protest, in New Delhi. (REUTERS)

On Sunday, after days of mounting criticism online, Priyanka tweeted an apology. Im extremely saddened and sorry that some sentiments have been hurt by a recent episode of Quantico. That was not and would never be my intention. I sincerely apologise. Im a proud Indian and that will never change, she wrote.

Im extremely saddened and sorry that some sentiments have been hurt by a recent episode of Quantico. That was not and would never be my intention. I sincerely apologise. I'm a proud Indian and that will never change.  PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) June 9, 2018

Priyankas statement came two days after the ABC network absolved her of having anything to do with the shows plot. ABC Studios and the executive producers of Quantico would like to extend an apology to our audience who were offended by the most recent episode, The Blood of Romeo. The episode has stirred a lot of emotion, much of which is unfairly aimed at Priyanka Chopra, who didnt create the show, nor does she write or direct it. She has no involvement in the casting of the show or the storylines depicted in the series.Quantico is a work of fiction. The show has featured antagonists of many different ethnicities and backgrounds, but in this case we inadvertently and regrettably stepped into a complex political issue. It was certainly not our intention to offend anyone, the network said in a statement.

Quantico was cancelled by ABC recently due to dwindling ratings. The show will go off air after concluding its third season. Priyanka has twice won the Peoples Choice Award for her performance in the show.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreDP World Sokhna has welcomed the first vessel from Maersks enhanced ME6 service, the M/V AS California, connecting the Mediterranean and Europe with Sokhna.



The service combines the cost and efficiency benefits of DP World Sokhna with increased access to the Mediterranean and Europe, and beyond. The first call originated from the Mediterranean passing through the Suez Canal before arriving at Sokhna to discharge European and Mediterranean cargo destined for Egypt.



Ajay Singh, CEO of DP World Sokhna, said: The international shipping industry is developing at a rapid pace to meet the needs of markets around the world. We are pleased to welcome the inaugural vessel from Maersks enhanced ME6 service. Maersks international presence and knowledge of global trade closely mirrors the expertise and global footprint of DP World as a leading enabler of global trade and an integral part of the supply chain.



To celebrate the enhanced service, DP World Sokhna Assistant commercial manager Usama Amin and customer service manager Mustafa Yousef, both presented a commemorative plague and flower bouquet to the captain of the M/V AS California, Nawrot Ireneusz.



With a significant presence in both high-growth and mature markets, DP World operates an international network of 78 marine and inland terminals in 40 countries across six continents, employing over 36,000 employees.



DP World Sokhna is situated at the heart of the vitally important East-West trade route just below the southern entrance to the Suez Canal, strategically located to handle cargo transiting through one of the world's busiest commercial waterways.  TradeArabia News ServiceAn air raid on a village in northeast Syria held by the Islamic State jihadist group killed at least 10 civilians including three children on Tuesday, a Britain-based monitor said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes on Tal al-Shair in the northeastern province of Hasakeh were carried out by the US-led coalition fighting IS in Syria and neighbouring Iraq since 2014.

There was no immediate confirmation from the coalition of the strike, the latest in a series of raids to have reportedly caused civilian casualties in the area in past weeks.

Tal al-Shair lies in a small pocket still held by IS fighters near the Iraqi border in the south of Hasakeh, where a Kurdish-Arab alliance backed by the coalition has been battling the jihadists in recent days.

According to the Observatory, a coalition air strike last week killed 11 civilians in the same IS-held area, and another 12 lost their lives in coalition raids on June 1.

The coalition told AFP it was carrying out an investigation into the June 1 allegation.

Earlier this month, it admitted to nine more civilians deaths, bringing to 892 the total number of civilians it acknowledges to have killed since it intervened in Iraq and Syria.

Other monitors like the Observatory and Airwars say the toll is much higher.

The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on sources inside Syria, says it determines whose planes carried out strikes according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions involved.

IS has lost most of the cross-border caliphate it declared in 2014.

In Syria it was pushed back by separate offensives -- one by Russia-backed regime troops and another by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces alliance.

But the jihadists still hold slithers of eastern Syria and have a presence in the vast Badiya desert running from the centre of the country to the border with Iraq.

More than 350,000 people have been killed in Syrias war since it started in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests.

It has since spiralled into a complex conflict involving world powers and foreign jihadists.President Donald Trump and North Koreas Kim Jong Un concluded an extraordinary nuclear summit Tuesday with the US president pledging unspecified security guarantees to the North and Kim recommitting to the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

Meeting with staged ceremony on a Singapore island, Trump and Kim came together for a summit that seemed unthinkable months ago, clasping hands in front of a row of alternating US and North Korean flags, holding a one-on-one meeting, additional talks with advisers and a working lunch.

Both leaders expressed optimism throughout roughly five hours of talks, with Trump thanking Kim afterward for taking the first bold step toward a bright new future for his people.

Trump added during a news conference that Kim has before him an opportunity like no other to bring his country back into the community of nations if he agrees to give up his nuclear programme.

Trump announced that he will be freezing US military war games with its ally South Korea while negotiations between the two countries continue. Trump cast the decision as a cost-saving measure, but North Korea has long objected to the drills as a security threat.

Trump acknowledged that the timetable for denuclearisation is long, but said, once you start the process it means its pretty much over.

Trump sidestepped his public praise for an autocrat whose people have been oppressed for decades. He added Otto Warmbier, an American once detained in North Korea, did not die in vain because his death brought about the nuclear talks.

Trump said Kim accepted his invitation to visit the White House at the appropriate time.

Light on specifics, the document signed by the leaders largely amounted to an agreement to continue discussions as it echoed previous public statements and past commitments. It did not include an agreement to take steps toward ending the technical state of warfare between the US and North Korea.

The pair promised in the document to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula and to repatriate remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action during the Korean War.

Language on North Koreas bombs was similar to what the leaders of North and South Korea came up with at their own summit in April. At the time, the Koreans faced criticism for essentially kicking the issue of North Koreas nuclear arsenal down the road to Tuesdays Trump-Kim summit. Trump and Kim even directly referenced the so-called Panmunjom Declaration, which contained a weak commitment to denuclearisation and no specifics on how to achieve it.

The formal document signing followed a series of meetings at a luxury Singapore resort.

After the signing, Trump said he expected to meet many times in the future with Kim and, in response to questions, said he absolutely would invite Kim to the White House. For his part, Kim hailed the historic meeting and said they decided to leave the past behind.

In a moment that would never happen in North Korea, reporters began yelling questions to Trump and Kim after they signed the document, including whether they had discussed the case of Otto Warmbier, the American college student who suffered brain damage while in North Korean custody and died in June 2017, days after he was returned home to Ohio.

In the run-up to the meeting, Trump had predicted the two men might strike a nuclear deal or forge a formal end to the Korean War in the course of a single meeting or over several days. But in the hours before the summit, the White House unexpectedly announced Trump would depart Singapore earlier than expected  Tuesday evening  raising questions about whether his aspirations for an ambitious outcome had been scaled back.

The meeting was the first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.

Aware that the eyes of the world were on a moment many people never expected to see, Kim said many of those watching would think it was a scene from a science fiction movie.

After meeting privately and with aides, Trump and Kim moved into the luncheon at a long flower-bedecked table. As they entered, Trump injected some levity to the days extraordinary events, saying: Getting a good picture everybody? So we look nice and handsome and thin? Perfect.

Then they dined on beef short rib confit along with sweet and sour crispy pork.

And as they emerged from the meal for a brief stroll together, Trump appeared to delight in showing his North Korean counterpart the interior of The Beast, the famed U.S. presidential limousine known for its high-tech fortifications.

Critics of the summit leapt at the leaders handshake and the moonlight stroll Kim took Monday night along the glittering Singapore waterfront, saying it was further evidence that Trump was helping legitimize Kim on the world stage. Kim has been accused of horrific rights abuses against his people.

Its a huge win for Kim Jong Un, who now  if nothing else  has the prestige and propaganda coup of meeting one on one with the president, while armed with a nuclear deterrent, said Michael Kovrig, a northeast Asia specialist at the International Crisis Group in Washington.

Trump responded to such commentary on Twitter, saying: The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the US, say the haters & losers. But he added our hostages are back home and testing, research and launches have stopped.

Giving voice to the anticipation felt around the world as the meeting opened, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday he hardly slept before the summit. Moon and other officials watched the live broadcast of the summit before a South Korean Cabinet meeting in his presidential office

The summit capped a dizzying few days of foreign policy activity for Trump, who shocked US allies over the weekend by using a meeting in Canada of the Group of Seven industrialized economies to alienate Americas closest friends in the West. Lashing out over trade practices, Trump lobbed insults at his G-7 host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trump left that summit early and, as he flew to Singapore, tweeted that he was yanking the US out of the groups traditional closing statement.

The optimistic summit was a remarkable change in dynamics from less than a year ago, when Trump was threatening fire and fury against Kim, who in turn scorned the American president as a mentally deranged US dotard. Beyond the impact on both leaders political fortunes, the summit could shape the fate of countless people  the citizens of impoverished North Korea, the tens of millions living in the shadow of the Norths nuclear threat, and millions more worldwide.

Alluding to the Norths concerns that giving up its nuclear weapons could surrender its primary deterrent to forced regime change, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters that the US was prepared to take action to provide North Korea with sufficient certainty that denuclearisation is not something that ends badly for them.

He would not say whether that included the possibility of withdrawing US troops from the Korean Peninsula, but said the US was prepared to take what will be security assurances that are different, unique, than Americas been willing to provide previously.

The North has faced crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions as it has advanced development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Pompeo held firm to Trumps position that sanctions will remain in place until North Korea denuclearises  and said they would even increase if diplomatic discussions did not progress positively.After all the hype, all the vows to tackle whats perhaps the worlds most urgent crisis, President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un fell short of the kind of deal the US president himself has long said is needed to settle the Norths decadeslong pursuit of nuclear weapons.

For months, Trump has been railing against presidents past, accusing them of an inexcusable failure to solve the nuclear threat emanating from the North. On Tuesday, he patted himself on the back for signing a comprehensive pact with Kim paving a path toward denuclearization, but the contours appeared far weaker than even his predecessors failed deals.

Rather than a detailed statement filled with concrete restraints on the North, the document seemed to amount mostly to a restatement of long-assumed principles and an agreement to keep talking. And Trump made dramatic on-the-spot concessions to Kim that his own advisers had urged him against, including a halt on provocative US-South Korea military exercises and an admission he could be willing to withdraw US troops from South Korea in the future.

These are all things that Trump is putting on the table as concessions, all in exchange for some vague promises by the North Koreans, said Paul Haenle, a former China director at the White House National Security Council in the Obama and George W Bush administrations. He called the language in the joint statement weak, vague and worrisome.

Also read: Full text of the Trump and Kim joint statement

In the document, signed with great fanfare by Trump and Kim in Singapore, Kim committed to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Trump said that process would be starting very soon, adding that once it starts, its pretty much over.

Not so simple. Kim has made the denuclearization pledge before. In his April agreement with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the language was similar, with the two vowing to achieve a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula through complete denuclearization.

To be sure, the fact the US and North Korea are now on speaking terms, with a prominent display of nascent rapport among their leaders, augurs a lowering of tensions that likely reduces the chances of a nuclear confrontation in the short term. There will be many in Seoul and Tokyo who are relieved that Washington and Pyongyang are talking up friendship, not potential war.

To that end, there could be something to the notion that if two warring enemies can truly start dealing with each other in fundamentally different ways, then there could be future movement on the nuke issue. North Korea is a top-down nation, and Kims word is law. The North Koreans and Americans also decided to hold more talks and likely another leader-to-leader summit, Trump said, an acknowledgement that the issue wont be resolved in a single day.

Yet line up all the bold claims Trump and his lieutenants made ahead of Tuesdays summit, and its clear that the end result, at least where nukes are concerned, dont hit the mark. Thats especially striking after last years exchange of threats and insults between Trump and Kim, just as North Koreas torrid weapons testing had many fearing a renewal of the Korean War.

There was irony in the fact that Trump and Kim made direct reference in their agreement to the so-called Panmunjom Declaration between Moon and Kim, with its weak, reheated commitment to denuclearization that lacked specifics at how the rivals would get there. Similarly, there was nothing specific on nukes in Tuesdays declaration  and no joint affirmation of the goal of complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement that Trumps aides had previously made the litmus test for success.

Since taking office, Trump has repeatedly indicted his predecessors for their handling of North Korea, which launched its atomic program in the 1960s and began producing bomb fuel in the early 1990s. Past administrations have also used a combination of sanctions and diplomacy to seek denuclearization, and have yielded some results that failed to endure.

President Bill Clinton reached an aid-for-disarmament deal in 1994 that halted North Koreas plutonium production for eight years, halting growth in what was then a very small atomic arsenal. In his final months in office, he also contemplated a summit with then-North Korean leader Kim Jong Il  Kim Jong Uns father  as the two sides negotiated on also limiting the Norths missile program but ran out of time in office.

George W. Bush took a tougher stance toward North Korea, and the 1994 nuclear deal collapsed amid suspicions that the North was running a secret uranium program. But Bush, too, ultimately pursued negotiations. That led to a temporary disabling of some nuclear facilities, but talks collapsed because of differences over verification.

President Barack Obama made tentative efforts to resume those talks but made little headway. Independent experts estimate North Korea now has enough fissile material for 20 to 60 bombs, and it has tested missiles that could potentially deliver a nuclear weapon to the U.S. mainland.

Trump and Kim? Their document reads like this: Reaffirming the April 27, 2018, Panumunjom Declaration, the DPRK (North Korea) commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Also missing from the document was something Trump signaled ahead of the summit that could be a major get: language committing to end the Korean War, which was stopped by an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula still technically in a state of war. The closest Trump and Kim got was a vow to join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

All this leaves Trump open to criticism that he has given Kim what he has long wanted  recognition, respect and legitimacy on the world stage as an equal  without getting anything substantive on nukes in return.A popular Indian-origin chef in the United Arab Emirates has landed in a controversy after he allegedly posted an anti-Islam tweet, triggering calls for his sacking, a media report said on Tuesday.

Atul Kochhar, a Michelin-Star chef well known here for his Rang Mahal Indian restaurant at the JW Marriott Marquis hotel, received flak after taking a dig at Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra for her tweet over an episode in American television series Quantico that purportedly portrayed Hindu nationalists as terrorists, the Khaleej Times reported.

Its sad to see that you (Priyanka) have not respected the sentiments of Hindus who have been terrorized by Islam over 2000 years. Shame on You (sic), Kochhar tweeted. He later deleted the tweet and apologised for the major error that was made in the heat of the moment on Sunday, the paper said.

There is no justification for my tweet ... I fully recognise my inaccuracies that Islam was founded round 1400 years ago and I sincerely apologise. I am not Islamophobic, I deeply regret my comments that have offended many, Kochhar tweeted yesterday.

The anti-Islam tweet created a furore on social media, with twitterati calling for firing the chef. Popular commentator and Arab journalist Khaled Almaeena tweeted: You (Kochhar) have offended me..As a person who loves India its people no matter what their caste or creed. As a secular and liberal, it truly is a horror statement.

Some said they would boycott the restaurant. Chef celebrity showed his true colours. I wont eat here after reading the racist tweets by the head chef, a UAE resident posted on his Facebook page.

I have cancelled my wedding anniversary meal for next month at your restaurant. You knew exactly what you meant as you tweeted that message, another Twitter user added.

JW Marriot hotel, however, distanced itself from the chefs comments. We are aware of the comments made by Chef Atul Kochhar. We would like to stress that we do not share the same views as stated in the remark, nor is it a representation of the culture of diversity and inclusion that we pride ourselves on at the hotel, the hotel tweeted yesterday.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)China pitched for the lifting of sanctions imposed on North Korea on Tuesday, soon after US President Donald Trump and North Koreas Kim Jong un pledged to work towards denuclearising the Korean peninsula.

The UN Security Council resolutions that have been passed say that if North Korea respects and acts in accordance with the resolutions, sanction measures can be adjusted (whether for pausing or removing them), foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at the regular ministry briefing on Tuesday.

Although China is North Koreas key economic benefactor, it had also imposed sanctions on the isolated country after its government tested nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

China has consistently held that sanctions are not a goal in themselves. The security councils actions should support and conform to the efforts of current diplomatic talks towards denuclearising the Korean peninsula, promoting a political solution, said Geng.

The meeting between Trump and Kim was of great significance and had created history, he added.

Earlier in the day, state councillor and foreign minister Wang Yi said China was hoping that North Korea and the United States manage to reach a consensus on denuclearisation. We hope that the two countries highest leaders can dispel interference, establish mutual trust, overcome difficulties and reach a basic consensus on promoting and achieving denuclearisation of the peninsula, besides promoting and establishing a peace mechanism, Wang told reporters. We hope to see all relevant sides making positive efforts on this. China will continue to play a constructive role.

Wang said any consensus should also take North Koreas reasonable security concerns into account. I think nobody can doubt the extremely unique and important role China has played (here). And it will continue to play this role, he added.Following is the chronology of key events leading to a historic summit today between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un:

March 7, 2017: President Trump says the nuclear threat from North Korea has entered a new phase, a day after Pyongyang test-launched four ballistic missiles towards Japan.

April 26, 2017: The Trump administration briefs US Congress on its North Korea policy and releases a statement that calls for increasing sanctions pressure on North Korea and working with allies and regional partners on diplomacy.

Read: Live updates of historic US-North Korea summit

April 27, 2017: Trump warns that a major major conflict with North Korea, and said that he is seeking a diplomatic solution to the issue.

May 24, 2017: Trump refers to Kim as a madman with nuclear weapons who could not be let to run loose.

June 1, 2017: The US imposes sanctions on individuals and entities linked to North Koreas nuclear and missile programmes.

July 4, 2017: Pyongyang test fires a long-range missile into the Sea of Japan, with some experts stating the missile could potentially reach Alaska, a US state located in the northwest extremity of North America.

August 9, 2017: Tension rises as North Korean threatens to fire ballistic missiles near US Pacific territory of Guam.

September 19, 2017: In his first address to the UN General Assembly, President Trump threatens to totally destroy North Korea.

September 21, 2017: President Trump issues an executive order imposing additional sanctions on entities that facilitate financial transactions and trade with North Korea.

September 21, 2017: Kim responds to Trumps UN speech with an unprecedented statement under his own name, calling Trumps behaviour mentally deranged and asserting that a frightened dog barks louder.

November 20, 2017: President Trump officially designates North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism.

December 22, 2017: The UN Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 2397, imposing additional sanctions on North Korea, including cutting refined petroleum imports by nearly 90 per cent.

January 1, 2018: Kim announces in his annual New Year address that North Koreas nuclear forces are capable of thwarting and countering any nuclear threats from the United States.

February 23, 2018: President Trump announces new sanctions against North Korea, targeting the countrys shipping, trading companies and vessels.

March 8, 2018: The United States and North Korea announce that their leaders plan to meet before June to discuss nuclear disarmament on the Korean peninsula.

March 25, 2018: Kim makes first visit to China to meet President Xi Jinping.

May 8, 2018: Kim makes second visit to China to meet President Xi.

May 8, 2018: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo travels to North Korea to meet Kim in preparation for the US-North Korean summit.

May 9, 2018: North Korea releases three American detainees as a goodwill gesture ahead of a possible summit between Trump and Kim.

May 10, 2018: President Trump announces he will meet Kim Jong-un on June 12 in Singapore to discuss the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

May 15, 2018: North Korea cancels talks with South Korea scheduled for the next day and threatened to cancel the Trump-Kim summit, citing discontent with US-South Korean joint military drills.

May 24, 2018: North Korea reports that it destroyed its nuclear testing site at Punggye-ri.

May 24, 2018: In a letter to Kim, Trump cancels the US-North Korean summit scheduled for June 12, citing tremendous anger and hostility displayed by Pyongyang.

May 25, 2018: In response to Trumps letter, Kim Kye Gwan, North Korean first minister of foreign affairs, states that North Korea has the intent to sit with the US side regardless of ways at any time.

June 1, 2018: President Trump takes a U-turn and confirms that he would meet Kim for a historic summit in Singapore on June 12 and that it will be the beginning of a process.

June 10, 2018: Trump and Kim arrives in Singapore for the first meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.

June 11, 2018: Mike Pompeo says US is offering unique security guarantees to North Korea in return for a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation.

June 12, 2018: President Trump and North Korean leader Kim meets for a historic face-to-face summit.Taliban fighters killed a district governor in northern Afghanistan and kept up the pressure to seize control over some parts of Faryab province, ignoring the temporary ceasefire announced by the government that came into effect on Tuesday.

Last week Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had announced for the first time an unconditional ceasefire with the Taliban, coinciding with the end of the Muslim fasting month.

In response, the Afghan Taliban announced a surprise three-day ceasefire over the Muslim Eid holiday in the middle of June.

The governments eight-day ceasefire started on Tuesday and the Talibans three-day ceasefire will start on Friday.

The Taliban has not stopped their attacks. Insurgents killed Abdurrahman Panah, the district governor of Kohistanat district in Faryab province.

At least eight Afghan security officials have been killed in the ongoing clashes, two officials said.

Javed Bedar, spokesman for Faryab province confirmed the death of a district governor and that the district centre had fallen to Taliban.

We know that the ceasefire has been announced but we have the right to defend ourselves, said Bedar, adding that they were seeking immediate reinforcements.

In Ghazni, a southern province, insurgents placed a Humvee vehicle car bomb near the house of a district governor on Tuesday.

Mohammad Arif Noori, spokesman for the provincial governor in Ghazni, said the Taliban fighters hit the first checkpoint of a district governor houses compound that left five Afghan security forces dead and 26 others injured, including the district governor.

Fighting was also underway in Sar-e-Pul, a northern province where the insurgents had captured two checkpoints.

At the onset of the ceasefire Pakistans army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa arrived in Kabul to meet President Ghani.

Afghanistan has blamed Pakistan for giving assistance to the Taliban and other insurgent groups. Pakistan has denied the accusations.

Pakistan wishes to see a national unity government in Kabul and US/NATO succeeding to bring peace in Afghanistan, Asif Ghafoor, the official spokesman Pakistans Armed Forces tweeted.

Ghani in February offered recognition to the Taliban as a legitimate political group in a proposed political process that he said could lead to talks to end more than 16 years of war.

The Taliban have rejected the offer.PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said the summit between the US and North Korea was an example that could be emulated by India and Pakistan, though he insisted a bilateral dialogue should begin with the issue of Kashmir.

Hours after President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un signed a document that committed their countries to work for the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, Sharif said India and Pakistan could take steps similar to those taken by the US and North Korea to return from the brink of a nuclear flashpoint.

(The) Singapore Summit between USA & North Korea should set a good precedent for Pakistan & India to follow. Ever since the start of Korean War, the two nations have been at odds with one another; both threatening to use military force with their nuclear arsenals facing each other, he said in a series of tweets.

If the United States and North Korea can return from the brink of a nuclear flashpoint, there is no reason why Pakistan and India cannot do the same, beginning with a dialogue on Kashmir whose heroic people have resisted and rejected Indian occupation, he added.

India and Pakistan have not held any substantive talks for almost a decade after the 2008 Mumbai attacks sent bilateral ties into a tailspin. Though Shehbaz Sharifs brother, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, attended his Indian counterpart Narendra Modis swearing-in ceremony in 2014, the two sides were unable to put their ties back on an even keel.

Though Modi made a surprise visit to Lahore to meet Nawaz Sharif in December 2015, the momentum in ties was disrupted by a series of terror attacks on Indian military facilities the next year that were blamed on Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Ties were hit further by frequent exchanges of fire on the Line of Control. A string of meetings and contacts between the National Security Advisers and an agreement by the Directors General of Military Operations last month to fully implement the 2003 ceasefire helped bring things under control along the LoC.

Shehbaz Sharif, who is tipped as the PML-Ns prime ministerial candidate for the July 25 general elections, called for comprehensive peace talks in our region. The international community must focus on the peace process in Afghanistan and dialogue between India and Pakistan over Kashmir should also resume, so that the long-festering Kashmir dispute is resolved in accordance with UN resolutions, he added.Iran warned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday against trusting U.S. President Donald Trump, saying he could cancel their denuclearisation agreement within hours.

Tehran cited its own experience in offering the advice to Kim a month after Washington withdrew from a similar deal with Iran.

Trump and Kim pledged at a meeting in Singapore on Tuesday to work towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula while Washington committed to provide security guarantees for its old enemy.

We dont know what type of person the North Korean leader is negotiating with. It is not clear that he would not cancel the agreement before returning home, Iranian government spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht was quoted as saying by IRNA new agency.

Nobakht questioned Trumps credibility. This man does not represent the American people, and they will surely distance themselves from him at the next elections, he said.

As well as pulling the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, Trump disowned on Saturday a joint communique issued by Group of Seven leaders, just hours after he had left their summit for the meeting with Kim.

Trump has said would be open to striking a new nuclear accord with Tehran. However, he says the existing deal negotiated under his predecessor Barack Obama had failed to address Irans ballistic missile programme.

On top of this, he also cited the terms under which international inspectors can visit suspect Iranian nuclear sites and sunset clauses, under which limits on the nuclear programme start to expire after 10 years.

Trump has insisted any deal with North Korea should include irreversible and verifiable denuclearisation.

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman also advised North Korean leaders on Monday to exercise complete vigilance in their negotiations with the United States.

We are not optimistic about these talks ... The United States, especially Mr Trump, has undermined international agreements and has unilaterally withdrawn from them, Bahram Qasemi said.

Trump has also decided to pull the United States out of the Paris climate change accord.

Washington will reimpose a wide array of Iran-related sanctions after the expiry of 90- and 180-day wind-down periods, including measures aimed at the oil sector and transactions with its central bank.

Other remaining signatories of the deal - Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia- have criticised the U.S. exit and are still trying to salvage the accord.Donald Trumps handshake with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on Tuesday marked a historic moment  the first meeting ever between a sitting US president and the leader of North Korea.

The US presidents often-awkward handshakes with world leaders have sparked ridicule but many hope the one with Kim  the culmination of months of dramatic diplomacy  will lead to durable peace on the Korean peninsula.

Here are some other handshakes that shook the world:

The Koreas: Kim-Moon (2018)

On April 27, 2018, as the world held its breath, Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in reached across the Military Demarcation Line that divides the two Koreas and shook hands, the result of a remarkable thaw on the peninsula sparked by the Winter Olympics earlier this year.

South Korean president Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un about to shake hands on their first ever meeting at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, South Korea, on April 27, 2018. (Reuters)

Kim then stepped over the border for a summit with the South Korean president, making him the first leader from Pyongyang to set foot in the South since the Korean War ended in an armistice 65 years ago.

The two leaders agreed to pursue permanent peace and the complete denuclearisation of the divided Korean peninsula.

US, Cuba: Obama-Castro (2013)

At a memorial service for Nelson Mandela on December 10, 2013, US President Barack Obama made headlines when he shook hands with Cubas Raul Castro, the first such public greeting between leaders of the bitter neighbours after decades of enmity.

Within months there was a rapid thaw. Full diplomatic relations were restored in July 2015, followed by once-unthinkable steps to mend ties.

Cubas Raul Castro shakes hands with then US president Barack Obama during a meeting in Revolution Palace, in March 2016. (AP)

Obama visited Cuba in 2016  the first such trip by an American president in 88 years.

Washington also relaxed its decades-long embargo on the communist-ruled island, and US airlines resumed direct flights to Havana in November 2016.

N. Ireland: Elizabeth II-McGuinness (2012)

In a landmark moment in the Northern Ireland peace process, Britains Queen Elizabeth II met Martin McGuinness, a former top commander in the paramilitary Irish Republican Army during the many years of bloody hostilities with British forces.

The IRA wanted an end to British rule in the province, and for it to be merged with the Republic of Ireland. McGuinness later became one of the figures that helped negotiate an end to the violence.

Then a deputy first minister of Northern Ireland, McGuinness shook hands with the Queen during her June 27, 2012 visit to the province.

It was a gesture towards reconciliation that would once have been unimaginable, with McGuinness militant past and British security operations still a source of anger for many.

Israel, Palestinians: Arafat-Rabin (1993)

After months of secret negotiations in Norway, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat stood in the South Lawn of the White House on September 13, 1993 to witness the signing of the Oslo Accords.

And then, in one of the most dramatic moments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with US president Bill Clintons arms stretched around both leaders, Arafat and Rabin shook hands.

In this December 10, 1994 file photo, PLO chairman Yasser Arafat, Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres and Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin show their shared Nobel Peace Prize awards to audience in the Oslo City Hall. (Reuters )

The abortive process granted autonomy to the occupied Palestinian territories without creating a separate state.

Rabin was assassinated two years later by a Jewish extremist opposed to the peace process, which faltered in the years that followed.

Egypt, Israel: Sadat-Begin (1977)

In what is widely considered a major turning point in the recent history of the Middle East, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat arrived in Israel on November 19, 1977 on a historic visit  the first by an Arab head of state to the Jewish nation.

Images of Sadat shaking hands with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin during the visit were transmitted around the world. The visit led to the first Arab-Israel peace treaty and the formal end to the state of war that had existed between the two countries for 30 years.

Sadat paid for it with his life: he was assassinated by Islamists in 1981.Dubai Watch Week and Christies have confirmed that they will be hosting the first international Horology Forum in London on September 11 and 12.



The first edition of the Horology Forum took place at the inaugural Dubai Watch Week in 2015, providing a space for intellectual discussion between leading watch curators, pioneers, authors, historians, collectors, brands and industry professionals.



An original concept created by Dubai Watch Week, the Horology Forum is designed to foster free-flowing conversation covering a broad spectrum of industry topics. It is the first edition of its kind in partnership with Christies and is expected to attract a growing number of visitors from the global watch community as it gains international momentum.



Melika Yazdjerdi, director of Dubai Watch Week and senior marketing and communication director, Seddiqi Holding, said: We are delighted to announce the first international Horology Forum alongside our partner Christies. Dubai Watch Week aims to connect the international watch community and increase appreciation for the art of horology. We are committed to establishing our position on the worlds horological map by creating alternative platforms for education and networking.



John Reardon, senior vice president of International Head of watches at Christies, said: The exchange of ideas and academics of leading voices in the watch world is pivotal to the future of our field and the Horology Forum has proven time after time to be the leading platform globally in a non-biased open dialogue on all things horological. Christies is honoured to open its doors and host this exciting educational event with all our friends from Dubai Watch Week.



The Horology Forum promises to engage and educate attendees as panellists discuss current topics and trends focusing on the generational gap in the industry. The panels are set to bring together renowned watchmakers, industry icons and collectors to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and share their expertise and insights on some of the most debated and trending topics in the horology industry.



The schedule including more information on panel topics and speakers will be revealed in due course. - TradeArabia News ServiceScore one for China, Americas rival. Americas friends, Japan and South Korea, didnt do so well.

The biggest winner from President Donald Trumps summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un -- aside from Kim himself -- was unquestionably the government of President Xi Jinping, which had been advocating the very process that Trump has now embarked upon.

In talks with Kim on Tuesday in Singapore, Trump committed to an open-ended negotiating process and said the U.S. would also suspend military exercises with South Korea. Given that North Korea has halted missile and nuclear tests, that amounted to the dialogue and suspension-for-suspension model that China has advocated for years.

For good measure, Trump again called Xi a close friend and thanked him for Chinas role in strengthening sanctions against North Korea. Xis presence hung over Tuesdays talks: Chinas leader met twice with Kim in recent weeks and an Air China Ltd jet ferried the North Korean ruler to Singapore from Pyongyang on June 10 ahead of the summit.

Trumps diplomacy sends all the wrong messages to China, North Korea and Russia, said Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. If the U.S. is prepared to make this promise to a brutal dictator, then how trustworthy is he going to be in maintaining a security commitment to his allies?

See a video on how the U.S. and North Korea can proceed on denuclearization

Xis pre-summit meetings with Kim helped restore ties that had been frosty since both leaders took power around the same time about six years ago. The neighbors, which fought together during the Korean War, had grown apart last year after China backed United Nations sanctions crimping North Koreas energy imports and sources of foreign cash to pressure it to halt its nuclear and missile tests.

Japan, the chief U.S. ally in the region, got none of what it wanted -- Kim made no promise to address the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea, and he offered no limits on his ballistic missile programs. Neither the U.S. nor the South Korean government would confirm that the Trump administration warned President Moon Jae-in ahead of time about the decision to suspend exercises.

We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, Trump said during a post-summit news conference. He even adopted North Koreas language for the exercises, calling them very provocative.

Trump, Kim Pledge Commitment to Peace While Offering Few Details

Trumps upside-down calculus, which allowed strategic adversaries China and North Korea to gain at the expense of steadfast allies, echoed the tussle that erupted at last weeks Group of Seven meetings in Quebec. Following the G-7, he backed out of a joint communique signed by the six other members, and insulted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as weak and dishonest for criticizing U.S. tariffs.

With the summit over, it now falls to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to assuage any concerns Japanese and South Korean leaders have with what happened. Pompeo flies to Seoul on Wednesday for meetings with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts before heading to Beijing for a few hours to do the same with Chinese leaders.

Trump has said repeatedly that Tuesdays summit was only the start of a process and that the U.S. would not ease up pressure on the North -- including a crippling sanctions regime -- until its goal of North Koreas complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization is reached.

But that language wasnt mentioned in a joint declaration signed by Trump and Kim, and no timetable was set for North Korea to eventually give up nuclear weapons. That marked a significant walk-back from previous statements by U.S. officials, who had said they wanted a quick process and a significant show of good will from the North.

South Korea, meanwhile, appeared to have been blindsided by Trumps change of heart on war games. U.S. officials couldnt confirm that Trump had told counterparts in Seoul about the plan to suspend military exercises, which North Korea has long regarded as a threat.

Trump Gave Kim a Summit But Left With Little to Show for It

A spokesman with Moons office, who asked not to be identified to discuss internal deliberations, said the government was still trying to understand Trumps exact meaning or intentions with the military freeze. At the same time, the spokesman didnt condemn the decision, and Seoul has repeatedly pressed for a cautious approach to North Korea rather than the hasty agreement that Trump and Pompeo had originally pursued.

If the goal is to begin to unravel the U.S.-Japan and U.S.-South Korea alliances, then this is the way to launch the process, said Evans Revere, a former U.S. diplomat in South Korea. The U.S. has yielded major concessions -- the summit itself and the end of our defensive military exercises -- in return for what appears to be a vague and undefined premise from the North Korean leader.

Trump rejected the idea that the U.S. was the loser in the talks. We havent given up anything, he said. The meeting was every bit as good for the United States as for North Korea.

Chinas Jumbo Jet Diplomacy Shows Influence in Trump-Kim Talks

China, meanwhile was effusive about the talks, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi saying the two sides were creating a new history. He spoke before Trump and Wang announced the U.S. was suspending the military drills.

China of course welcomes and supports this, Wang said of the talks. Because this is the goal we have hoped for and have been working for.

While China opposes North Koreas nuclear weapons, it also wants to prevent a collapse of Kims regime or war on the Korean Peninsula. Any instability -- or alternatively, a deal that leads to a U.S.-aligned unified Korea -- potentially could put American troops on its border.

In China, Pompeos biggest task will almost certainly be to make sure the government holds up its end of the bargain enforcing the sanctions regime which the U.S. bolstered in recent months and which Trump credits for bringing Kim to the negotiating table.

But soon after the announcement, China was already hinting at the prospect of sanctions relief. Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that sanctions should be revisited if North Korea complies with Security Council demands for denuclearization.

Sanctions are a means, not an end, Geng said. We believe the Security Council should make efforts to support the current diplomatic efforts.

--With assistance from Kanga Kong and Andy Sharp .

To contact the reporter on this story: Nick Wadhams in Singapore at nwadhams@bloomberg.net.Donald Trumps dramatic meeting with North Koreas leader may have been choreographed to look like a Nixon-goes-to-China moment, but the summit appears to have failed to secure any concrete commitments by Pyongyang for dismantling its nuclear arsenal.

Although Trump was quick to declare success for the unprecedented summit with Kim Jong Un marked by handshakes and smiles, experts said a joint statement signed in Singapore seemed mostly to rehash old broken promises made by Pyongyang to successive U.S. administrations.

That suggested that any lasting benefit to Trump on the world stage or at home will depend on whether, in the next stages of negotiations, he can turn the summits made-for-TV script into tangible progress toward Pyongyangs nuclear disarmament.

Trumps supporters, who relish his unconventional diplomatic style, are likely to hail the summit as a foreign policy win for the president over one of Americas most bitter long-time foes even as he feuds with Washingtons closest allies after leaving an economic summit in Canada in disarray over the weekend.

On the domestic front, Trump is likely to tout his diplomatic engagement with North Korea as proof he is working to protect the United States as part of his America First agenda, although the summit did not appear to yield specific safeguards against Pyongyangs long-range nuclear missiles.

Fellow Republicans, however, could attempt to use the summit to bolster their contention that American voters should allow them to retain control of Congress in pivotal congressional elections in November.

Many experts remained sceptical that Kim will ever give up his nuclear weapons, even though Trump insisted the process of denuclearisation will start very, very quickly.

Unfortunately, we do not know if Kim has made a strategic decision to denuclearise and it is unclear if further negotiations will lead to the end goal of denuclearisation, said Anthony Ruggiero, senior fellow at Washingtons Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank. This looks like a restatement of where we left negotiations more than 10 years ago and not a major step forward.

Trump may be credited with creating a positive atmosphere around the talks in Singapore, where a day of bonhomie in front of the cameras contrasted sharply with last years exchange of insults and threats with Kim that raised fears of war.

But, with the summit ending only with the signing of a statement of intent and offering no timetable for action, questions remained about whether the meeting has produced enough results to boost his international image and domestic standing over the longer term.

COMPLETE DENUCLEARISATION

Trump and Kims joint pledge to work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula was widely interpreted as failing to convince North Korea to accept Washingtons definition that calls for Pyongyang to get rid of its arsenal. North Korea historically has called for the removal of the U.S. nuclear umbrella over South Korea and Japan.

There is almost nothing of significant substance - or even new  in this document. It is a list of aspirational goals, said Evans Revere, a former U.S. negotiator with North Korea. This is a win for North Korea, which seems to have yielded nothing.

This comes at the same time that Americas traditional allies are reeling from a divisive summit of the Group of Seven major industrialised nations last week.

Other sources of friction include Trumps withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, which has drawn criticism internationally, his administrations feuding with China over tariffs and stumbling efforts to rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada. A federal investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election also hangs over his presidency.

Despite all this, Trumps support from his right-wing political base remains strong, and his followers are likely to trumpet the outcome of the North Korea summit as the president achieving something his predecessors could not.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that the U.S. negotiating team delivers for Americas swagger.

Trump himself scoffed at the sceptics earlier on Tuesday. The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the U.S., say the haters & losers, he tweeted.

But the last three presidents secured commitments from North Korea on denuclearisation that North Korea later reneged on.

Although Trump insisted at a post-summit news conference that I think he really wants to de-nuke, the president was only able to cite a single unwritten pledge from Kim  to close a missile engine facility. Trump said, however, that he was willing to stop joint U.S.-South Korea military drills, a key demand from Pyongyang.

Mintaro Oba, a former U.S. State Department diplomat specialising in the Koreas, said the summit was more about style and symbolism.

It looked good on camera, Oba said, adding that it would still be a relief to the region that relations remain on a positive trajectory.

But analysts said it was a far cry from the breakthrough that President Richard Nixon scored with his visit to communist China in 1972 that ended decades of estrangement between Washington and Beijing.

Trump insisted at a post-summit news conference that this was the start of a process and that sanctions would remain in place until Kim takes concrete steps toward denuclearisation.

But analysts said with the easing of tensions, China and South Korea were not likely to continue fully enforcing the tough measures needed to make sure North Korea makes good on its latest promises.

Joseph Yun, the State Departments former North Korea negotiator who resigned earlier this year, expressed concern about a slippery slope where Pyongyang would soon say youre my friend  Why not ease sanctions?The US State Department mistakenly made Singapore part of neighbouring Malaysia in a note issued in connection with Tuesdays North Korea-U.S. summit and published on its website, sparking snide comments on social media.

US President Donald Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday for the first ever summit between leaders of the old foes, at a hotel in the city state of Singapore.

The mistake came in a transcript of a briefing U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave on Monday. It gave the venue as JW Marriott, Singapore, Malaysia. The error was rectified later to remove the reference to Malaysia.

Well, US State Department still thinks Singapore is in Malaysia, said Twitter user @BrioS_BRxV.

Just 53 years and a bad break-up off.

The island of Singapore was once part of Malaysia but they separated acrimoniously in 1965, clouding diplomatic and economic dealings for years.

Trump planning to facilitate a Malaysia-Singapore reunification summit anytime soon? asked another Twitter user, @boblskee.

Malaysias the Star newspaper reported the error in post on its Facebook page with the title How to offend Singaporeans and Malaysians at the same time.

The post was shared nearly 700 times and drew almost 300 comments.

US must go back to School, said Facebook user Jimi Leong.US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met in Singapore on Tuesday in a historic US-North Korea summit that could lead to peace between the two countries that have technically been at war for 68 years or end in new recriminations.

The two leaders warmly shook hands for around 13 seconds in front of a row of alternating US and North Korean flags. They then moved into a roughly 40-minute one-on-one meeting, joined only by their interpreters before including their advisers for bilateral talks and a working lunch.

Trump and Kim concluded the extraordinary US-North Korea summit by signing a comprehensive document in which the US president pledged security guarantees to the North and Kim reiterated his commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Here are the live updates:

7.15pm: Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, host of the historic Trump-Kim summit, hails as a dramatic step forward the agreement signed between the leaders of the United States and North Korea.

In identical letters to US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Lee congratulates them on the successful conclusion of the summit. It is a crucial first move in the long journey towards lasting peace and stability on a denuclearised Korean Peninsula, Lee writes in both the letters.

5:46pm: Malaysia will re-open its embassy in Pyongyang, the prime minister said, more than a year after the assassination of the North Korean leaders half-brother in Kuala Lumpur triggered a diplomatic row, reports AFP.

5.04pm: China pitches for the lifting of sanctions imposed on North Korea, soon after US President Donald Trump and North Koreas Kim Jong un pledged to work towards denuclearising the Korean peninsula.

4.50pm: Sri Lankan government minister for national integration and languages, Mano Ganesan, hails the US and North Korean leaders summit in Singapore as an example to the world. Despite all foul talks world shall salute both #trump & #kim for setting an example for talking over warring, tweets Mano Ganesan, as he praises US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for engaging in negotiations.

4.38pm: US President Donald Trump flies out of Singapore after a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Shortly before Air Force One takes off for Guam, where en route for Hawaii and Washington he is expected to greet US troops, Trump says there was nothing more we could have done in the talks with Kim.

4:35pm: UNs nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says the agency is ready to help verify any future agreements between the US and North Korea over Pyongyangs nuclear weapons programme.

4:20pm: Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov approves Trump-Kim meeting, saying: The mere fact of the meeting between the leaders of the United States and North Korea is positive ... We are following the comments that both sides are making but we have not seen the document yet, well see, Lavrov was quoted as saying

4pm: Iran warns Kim not to trust Donald Trump, saying he could cancel their denuclearisation agreement within hours. We dont know what type of person the North Korean leader is negotiating with. It is not clear that he would not cancel the agreement before returning back home, Irans government spokesman, Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, was quoted as saying by IRNA new agency.

3.58 pm: Russia has a positive assessment of the deal between Trump and Kim, but the devil is in the detail, TASS news agency quotes deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying.

3.56 pm: US president Donald Trump leaves Singapore after summit with North Korea.

3.39 pm: Singapore agreement will end Cold War, South Korea president says. Leaving dark days of war and conflict behind, we will write a new chapter of peace and cooperation, Moon said in a statement released by his office. We will be there together with North Korea along the way.

3.15 pm: Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang says the country welcomed and supported efforts by North Korea and the US to reach consensus on denuclearization and establish a mechanism for peace.

2.50 pm: India says it welcomes the US- North Korea summit held in Singapore.

This is a positive development. India has always supported all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy: MEA

2.49 pm: To me its a very important event in world history. To be really true to myself, I have to add I really want to get it completed. If you dont get the ball over the goal line, it doesnt mean enough: Donald Trump

2.47 pm: Japan PM hails Trump-Kim agreement as first step towards denuclearisation.

2.46 pm: Trump says Justin Trudeaus comments after G7 row will cost Canada a lot of money.

2.46 pm: I really believe he (Kim Jong Un) will do it (denuclearise North Korea): Trump

2.45 pm: As an example, they have great beaches, Trump says about North Korea, You see that whenever they are exploding the cannons into the ocean. I said, Boy look at that view. Wouldnt that would make a great condo? I said, Instead of doing that, you could have the best hotels in the world. Think of it from a real estate perspective.

2.43 pm: Were probably going to need another summit, says Donald Trump

2.39 pm: I do trust Kim Jong Un, says Donald Trump.

2.28 pm: North Korea did a great thing by going to the Olympics: Trump

2.25 pm: I gave up nothing. Im here. I havent slept in 25 hours, but I thought it was appropriate to do, says Donald Trump.

2.20pm: Trump says follow-up US-North Korea talks to take place next week.

2.18 pm: I dont want to be threatening: Trump in reply to question if North Korea doesnt follow through with the declaration.

2.13 pm: Donald Trump says that as long as talks with North Korea are ongoing, I believe its inappropriate to be conducting war games.

2.10 pm: Scientifically, it takes a long time [to denuclearize]...But once you start the process, the good thing is they cant make them: Donald Trump

2.06 pm: Trump says human rights was discussed with Kim Jong Un.

I believe its a rough situation over thereWe did discuss it today, pretty stronglyWell be doing something on it. Its rough in a lot of places, by the way, says Trump.

2.03 pm: At a certain time I will (be travelling to Pyongyang)And I will be inviting Chairman Kim, at the appropriate time, to the White House: Trump

1.57 pm: Sanctions will remain in effect in North Korea: Donald Trump.

The sanctions will come off when we are sure that the nukes are no longer a factor, says Trump. I hope it is soon... at a certain point I look forward to taking them off.

1.56 pm: President Donald Trump says he will be ending joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea.

We will be stopping the war games and it will save us a lot of money, says Trump.

I think its very provocative, he says.

US President Donald Trump speaks at a press conference following the historic US-North Korea summit in Singapore on June 12. (AFP Photo)

1.53 pm: Trump says that North Korea has agreed to destroy a major missile engine test site, which wasnt included as part of the written declaration.

1.50 pm: Anyone can make war, but only the most courageous can make peace: Donald Trump

Chairman Kim has before him an opportunity like no other to be remembered as the leader who ushered in a glorious new era of prosperity for his people, says Trump

1.50 pm: We got to know each other well in a very confined period of time under very strong, strong circumstances: Trump

1.48 pm: Past doesnt have to define the future... We have shown that real change is possible: Trump

1.47 pm: Want to thank Chairman Kim for taking the first bold step toward a bright new future for his people...Meeting with Kim was honest, direct and productive: Trump

1.45 pm: Its a place with tremedous potentional, between China and North Korea: Donald Trump on North Korea

1.34 pm: Trump tweets a video comprising of montages from the meeting with Kim Jong Un.

1.30 pm: Trump to participates in a media availability shortly.

12.20 pm:The United States and North Korea have been in a state of antagonism for more than half a century, says Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi. Today, that the two countries highest leaders can sit together and have equal talks, has important and positive meaning, and is creating a new history.

12.07 pm: Four points of the Trump and Kim joint statement:

1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new US-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.

2. The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

3. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

4. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

The signatures of US President Donald Trump (L) and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (R) are seen on a document held up by Trump following a signing ceremony during their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12. (AFP Photo)

11.55 am: Trump-Kim document commits US to security guarantees, reports AFP.

11.43 am: Kim Jong Un leaves Singapores Sentosa island after meeting with Donald Trump.

11.33 am: Trump, Kim Jong Un shake hands, exchange farewells without interpreters as Singapore summit ends.

11.27 am: Donald Trump says Well meet againwell meet many times.

I learned hes a very talented man. I also learned that he loves his country very much, says Trump.

Donald Trump on what he learned about Kim Jong Un at #TrumpKimSummit: "I learned hes a very talented man. I also learned that he loves his country very much." https://t.co/3wIUQv11tD pic.twitter.com/ho3FjepreJ  CNN (@CNN) June 12, 2018

11.19 am: Trump says We have developed a very special bond and absolutely willing to invite Kim Jong Un to the White House.

11.15 am: Were very proud of what took place today... I think our whole relationship with North Korea and the Korean Peninsula is going to be a very much different situation than it has in the past, says Trump.

11.13 am: We are starting that process very, very quickly, says Donald Trump on response to question if there was an agreement to denuclearise North Korea.

11. 12 am: We had a historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind and were about to sign a historic document. The world will see a major change. I want to express my gratitude to President Trump for making this meeting happen, says Kim Jong Un as he signs document along with Donald Trump.

11.09 am: Were both very honoured to sign the document: Donald Trump

11.09 am: Were signing a very important document, a pretty comprehensive documents, says Donald Trump.

10.35 am: President Trump and Kim Jong Un will sign an agreement to acknowledge the progress of the talks and pledge to keep momentum going, a US official tells CNN.

10.25 am: Donald Trump shows Kim Jong Un interior of presidential limousine known as The Beast as they stroll during summit.

10.13 am: Trump hails really fantastic meeting with Kim, says a lot of progress made.

Its going great, Trump tells reporters, with Kim at his side. We had a really fantastic meeting. A lot of progress. Really very positive, I think better than anybody could have expected. Top of the line. Really good.

10.12 am: : Trump, with North Koreas Kim Jong Un, announces they will sign unspecified document shortly.

10.10 am: Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un working lunch concludes.

JUST IN: Trump tells the press the #TrumpKimSummit is "going great. A really fantastic meeting. A lot of progress. Really very positive. I think better than anybody could have expected. Top of the line. Really good." https://t.co/072wqZFyqD pic.twitter.com/brHX6JmUFP  CNN (@CNN) June 12, 2018

9.30 am: Getting a good picture everybody? Mr. Trump asks photographers ahead of the lunch. So we look nice and handsome and thin? Perfect.

9.26 am: Donald Trump, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sit down at long, rectangular table for working lunch in Singapore.

9.20 am: Japans Yomiuri newspaper prints a special edition in both Japanese and English that was distributed for free in Tokyo one hour after the meeting began, reports AP.

9.15 am: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un will be served a working lunch that combines the flavours of East and West.

What Trump and Kim will eat at their first lunch together https://t.co/93IkVcILIU pic.twitter.com/w54jYZGZxQ  CNN (@CNN) June 12, 2018

8.20 am: Three South Korean protesters outside the Capella Hotel are demanding Kim Jong Un free the remaining hostages from the Korean war, reports South China Morning Post.

7. 50 am: I too spent a sleepless night. I, along with all our people, sincerely hope that it will be a successful summit that will open a new era of complete denuclearization, peace and a new relationship between South Korea, North Korea and the United States, says South Korean President Moon Jae-In, reports Yonhap news agency.

This is the second meeting after 45-minute one-on-one talks between the two leaders with only their interpreters.

7.29 am: After their first meeting, Kim is heard telling Trump through a translator: I think the entire world is watching this moment. Many people in the world will think of this as a scene from a fantasy...science fiction movie, reports to Reuters.

We overcame all kinds of scepticism and speculations about this summit and I believe that this is good for the peace...I believe this is a good prelude for peace. says Kim.

7.28 am: Donald Trump predicts that he and Kim Jong Un will solve a big problem, a big dilemma.

7. 26 am: Trump says one-on-one meeting with Kim Jong Un was very, very good, says they have an excellent relationship.

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands over a table during their meeting at Capella Hotel in Singapore on June 12. (AP Photo)

7. 25 am: Trump, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walk together along balcony after one-on-one meeting.

7.23 am: Closed-door meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un concludes, reports CNN.

7.15 am: Go into the meeting with Kim Jong Un with your heart on the table, and focus on the future: Former NBA star Dennis Rodman advice to Donald Trump as he appears on TV channel CNN .

Rodman is one of the few westerners to have met the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang. The former star has made five trips to North Koreas capital since Kim took power and flew into Singapore on Monday for the historic summit.

7.10 am: Video of Donald Trump shaking hands with Kim Jong Un.

VIDEO: Watch the historic handshake between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, and see AP's latest coverage of the summit here: https://t.co/YHO5cCtD2D pic.twitter.com/RRbQBVofEc  The Associated Press (@AP) June 12, 2018

6.50 am: Closed door meeting between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump underway, reports TV channel CNN.

6.46 am: Kim Jong Un says we came here after overcoming all the obstacles.

He says there will be challenges ahead but vows to work with Trump.

Kim says through an interpreter: It wasnt easy for us to come here. There was a past that grabbed our ankles and wrong prejudices and practices that at times covered our eyes and ears. We overcame all that and we are here now.

6.43 am: Trump says, we will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt.

I feel really great. Its gonna be a great discussion and I think tremendous success. I think its gonna be really successful and I think we will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt, Trump responds when asked how he felt in the first minute.

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands ahead of their meeting at Capella Hotel in Singapore on June 12. (AP Photo)

6.40 am: Nice to meet you Mr President, says Kim Jong Un as he sits down alongside Donald Trump.

6.39 am: Trump, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pose for photographs together at summit site in Singapore.

6.36 am: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un shake hands as historic summit begins.

The historic handshake lasts for 13 seconds, Trump reaches out to touch Kims shoulder, looking down at the shorter man as he spoke.

6.27 am: Kim Jong Un steps out of limousine at venue for summit.

Singapore: Kim Jong Un's convoy arrives on Sentosa island where the North Korean leader will hold a summit with US President Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/mrVZ61d2lg  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

6.16 am: Ahead of summit, Donald Trump tweets that his top economic advisor Larry Kudlow has suffered a heart attack.

6.07 am: Trump is scheduled to meet Kim for the first time at 9 am local time (6.30 am IST)

6.05 am: The two leaders are expected to share a handshake before they meet alone with a pair of interpreters for roughly 45 minutes while their entourages wait nearby.

6.04 am: Kim Jong Uns convoy arrives at summit venue. His black armored limousine with two large North Korean flags is surrounded by police vehicles, their lights flashing, and other black cars.

5.50 am: Donald Trump arrives at Capella Hotel on Singapores Sentosa Island, a resort island off Singapores port with luxury hotels.

Singapore: US President Donald Trump at Sentosa island where he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in a summit pic.twitter.com/x4hmjECZMK  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018The husband of a 49-year-old woman from Suffolk county in Britain walked out on their 25-year-old marriage after she chose her 30 rescue dogs over him.

Mike Haslam, 53, gave Liz the its me or the dogs ultimatum to his wife after he was fed up of dogs invading their home. Liz refused to compromise and let go of her dogs. She instead asked him to pack his bags.

I havent seen or heard from him since. I thought after 25 years, he should know giving up the dogs was not what my intentions were, the mother of one said, according to stories.swns.com.

Liz and Mike got married in January 1991 and have a 21-year-old son, Ollie. Liz was 16 when she left home to move in with Mike after finishing school.

He just got to the point where he had enough and he wanted to slow down. But I wasnt prepared to give it all up. So he decided to go, and obviously, that was his choice, said Liz.

Liz said she grew up with dogs for most of her life. Her mother bred West Highland Terriers and her father owned an animal food business. She started a boarding kennel business seven years ago in Barnham, Suffolk. Eventually, she founded BedforBullies  which rescues Bull Terrier dogs  and began fostering pooches.

We just drifted more and more apart. He was heavily into his work and it left me with nothing to do. I didnt want to be a work widow so I buried myself in my dogs. He knew from the moment that we got together what I was all about. I dont know what he expected, Liz said.

Mike told Liz he was going and that he had made alternate accommodation arrangements.

Liz is fostering 30 rescue dogs, including five deaf dogs and two with only one eye, who require constant care and she ends up spending 18 hours per day helping them. A few of them are ex-fighting dogs, one suffers from brain damage and other defects, according to boredpanda.com.

It is a very deliberating job, you cant have a day off. I dont sit down till 11:30pm at night so you cant just go on holiday. And I cant just turn around and say I am not going to do it anymore, it is my responsibility, I took the dogs in I cant just stop.A prominent Bangladeshi writer and publisher was dragged out of a shop and shot dead by unidentified attackers in central Bangladesh, ending a lull in the killings of secular bloggers and activists in the Muslim-majority country.

Shahzahan Bachchu, 60, an outspoken proponent of secular principles and owner of a publishing house Bishaka Prokashoni that specialised in publishing poetry, was gunned down in his ancestral village Kakaldi in Munshiganj district last evening by five assailants.

Bachchu had gone to meet friends at a pharmacy shop near his home before iftar, when the five attackers on two motorcycles came into the area. They blasted a crude bomb outside the pharmacy, creating panic, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

They then dragged Shahzahan out of the shop and shot him, a senior superintendent of police was quoted as saying by the daily.

Although no group has claimed responsibility, police officials from the counter-terrorism department are investigating the murder as a possible targeted attack by Islamist extremists.

Bachchu had previously received threats from extremist groups due to his outspoken support for secularism

Bachchu was a former district general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh and was known as a free-thinking writer,. His publishing house Bishaka is based in Dhakas Banglabazar area.

Deaths of secular writers, bloggers, online activists and a publisher in attacks by suspected Islamist militants shook Bangladesh for months after the murder of atheist writer and blogger Avijit Roy in Dhaka on February 26, 2015.

Avijits publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan was also hacked to death on October 31 the same year.

Militant groups claimed responsibility for most of these attacks and the law enforcers arrested many radical Islamists in connection with the attacks.In their first moments of meeting each other, US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un both sought to project a sense of command but displayed some anxiety at the start of their high-stakes summit in Singapore.

Body language experts said that in the 13 seconds or so the US president held on to the hand of Kim for the first time, he projected his usual dominance by reaching out first, and patting the North Korean leaders shoulder.

Not to be outdone, Kim firmly pumped Trumps hand, looking him straight in the eye for the duration, before breaking off to face the media.

It wasnt a straight-out handshake, said Allan Pease, an Australian body language expert and author of several books on the topic, including The Definitive Guide to Body Language.

It was up and down, there was an argy-bargy, each one was pulling the other closer. Each guy wasnt letting the other get a dominant grip, he told Reuters by telephone from Melbourne.

Trump and Kim are meeting in Singapore for historic talks aimed at finding a way to end a nuclear standoff on the Korean peninsula. Should they succeed, it could bring lasting change to the security landscape of Northeast Asia, like the visit of former US President Richard Nixon to China in 1972 led to the transformation of China.

Trump and Kim shake hands during their meeting at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Singapore. (AP)

Ahead of the meeting, Trump had said he would be able to work out within the first minute whether his North Korean counterpart was serious about making peace.

Projecting authority comes easily to Trump, who as a global leader, businessman and former television personality is well-versed in using body language effectively. He also has a height advantage over Kim.

While both men walked to the library where they held their first face-to-face meeting, Trump sought to ease any tension in the air by chatting to Kim, and letting him walk slightly ahead.

Trump, however, maintained control over the chat by patting Kim, and using his hand to guide him, who is almost half his age, into the room.

Kim also patted Trump, in an attempt to assert control. He mainly looked down, listening, as Trump spoke, but did look up at several times during the conversation.

Donald Trump was talking in conciliatory terms, almost submissive, but his body language was clearly saying I am in charge here, Pease said.

If you didnt know who these people were, youd say the big guy was the father and the little guy is the son.

Desire for dominance

Karen Leong, Managing Director of Singapore-headquartered Influence Solutions, said Trump did not display any of the hostility seen at the G7 summit in Canada last week, during which the US leader blasted allies including the European Union and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over trade.

A photograph showing Trump sitting with his arms folded as German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks was seen as defining the acrimonious nature of those talks.

Still, Trumps desire for dominance was on display.

Whenever theyre shaking hands, you can see the whites of their fingertips  these two guys are alpha males, Leong said.

They both want to show dominance and that is why theres this bone-crushing handshake.

North Korea's Kim Jong Un shakes hands with US President Donald Trump at the summit. (AFP)

However, Leong said both found it difficult to conceal their nervousness once they were seated, with Trump displaying a slanted smile, and fidgeting with his hands and Kim leaning and staring at the ground.

Trump is a gambler and hes gambling on being able to rein in North Korea like a parent does to naughty child, Leong said. This contrasted with Kim, who had comparatively less to lose, having already scored a major win through Trumps agreement to meet him.

Kims first major interaction with the international community also betrayed a sense of awe and wonder as he faced the rapid fire shutters of photographers in the opulence of the Singapore luxury hotel where the meeting took place.

Kim looked a bit like a kid in a theme park: not intimidating, excited and a bit nervous, Pease added.US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shook hands and smiled as they started a historic summit on Tuesday, just months after they traded insults and threats of nuclear war.

For both men, the summit, the first between leaders of North Korea and the United States, is likely to be a defining moment of their careers.

The meeting would have been unthinkable last year when tensions spiralled in the region over North Koreas nuclear and missile programmes as it raced towards the goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States.

Read: Live updates of the historic US-North Korea meeting in Singapore

In this image made from video provided by Host Broadcaster Mediacorp Pte Ltd, US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sit together for their meeting at Capella Hotel in Singapore, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. (Host Broadcaster Mediacorp Pte Ltd via AP)

Trump vowed to prevent that happening and threatened North Korea with fire and fury like the world has never seen. He mocked Kim as little rocket man on a suicide mission.

Kim denounced the US president as the mentally deranged US dotard who would be tamed ... with fire.

But once North Korea conducted an underground test of a thermonuclear bomb last September, Trump began taking Kim more seriously.

Trump can look back to President Richard Nixons 1972 trip to China, when the ardent anti-communist defied conventional wisdom to meet Chairman Mao Zedong, irrevocably shifting the Cold War balance and setting China on a path to opening up.

Trump and his senior officials have in recent weeks been referring to Kim as Chairman.

For Trump, cutting a deal to end the North Korean nuclear threat with his approach to Kim, in defiance of the US security establishments long-held ways of dealing with the North, would be a success unmatched by any predecessors.

It would justify his supporters faith in his art of deal-making and allow him to repudiate the naysayers with a foreign-policy success he will be able to hail. Some supporters have said he could win the Nobel Peace Prize.

For Kim, about half Trumps age and representing the third generation of North Koreas ruling dynasty, the summit affords both him and his long-isolated country the international legitimacy his father and grandfather could only dream of.

North Korea has faced years of economic sanctions over its nuclear and missile programmes since it conducted its first nuclear test in 2006.

US President Donald Trump walks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018. (REUTERS)

Trump model

Trump and Kim could agree on a declaration to end the 1950-53 Korean War, the fire in which his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, forged the North Korean state. The war was concluded with a truce, not a peace treaty, but a treaty will also have to include China, which was party to the armistice.

The young Kim is reviled as an international pariah over the 2017 murder in Malaysia of his half-brother, and the execution of hundreds of officials, including his uncle, for suspected disloyalty.

But he will win legitimacy with the handshake.

A successful summit could also herald momentous changes in the security landscape of northeast Asia, in a similar way to how the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 changed Europe.

For China, peace on the Korean peninsula would benefit regional development, especially that of its northeastern rustbelt.

While China has broadly supported the summit, it will want to protect its interests. North Korea has always been a useful buffer between China and US forces in South Korea.

Japan will also be watching with ambivalence - happy to see the sabre-rattling ending but worried its security might be sacrificed in Trumps rush to neutralise the North Korean threat to the United States.

Three weeks ago, the summit seemed doomed.

Trump said on May 24 he was scrapping it after threats by North Korea to pull out over what it saw as confrontational remarks by US officials demanding unilateral disarmament.

North Korea had earlier criticised US national security adviser John Bolton, who had called for North Korea to quickly give up its nuclear arsenal in a deal that would mirror Libyas abandonment of its programme for weapons of mass destruction.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was deposed and killed by NATO-backed militants in 2011 after halting his nascent nuclear programme and North Korea has long rejected any suggestion of a Libya model.

Trump later dismissed the Libya model. Instead his spokeswoman, Sarah Sanders, spoke of the President Trump model.

Hes going to run this the way he sees fit, Sanders told Fox News.President Donald Trump proclaimed Tuesday that his momentous summit with North Koreas Kim Jong Un had gone better than anybody could have expected and announced that the leaders planned a signing ceremony shortly. He offered no details on what was being signed.

Meeting with staged ceremony on a Singapore island, Trump and Kim concluded a summit that seemed just unthinkable months ago, clasping hands before a row of alternating US and North Korean flags, holding a one-on-one meeting, additional talks with advisers and a working lunch.

After the lunch, Trump announced the signing ceremony but provided no details, saying only: Were going to be announcing that in a couple of minutes.

At a meeting that could chart the course for historic peace or raise the specter of a growing nuclear threat, both leaders expressed optimism. Kim called the sit-down a good prelude for peace and Trump pledged that working together we will get it taken care of.

For all the upbeat talk, it was an open question what, if any, concrete results the sit-down would produce. In advance of their private session, Trump predicted tremendous success while Kim said through an interpreter that we have come here after overcoming obstacles.

Aware that the eyes of the world were on a moment many people never expected to see, Kim said many of those watching would think it was a scene from a science fiction movie.

In the run-up to the meeting, Trump had predicted the two men might strike a nuclear deal or forge a formal end to the Korean War in the course of a single meeting or over several days. But in the hours before the summit, the White House unexpectedly announced Trump would depart Singapore earlier than expected  Tuesday evening  raising questions about whether his aspirations for an ambitious outcome had been scaled back.

Giving voice to the anticipation felt around the world, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday he hardly slept before the summit. Moon and other officials watched the live broadcast of the summit before a South Korean Cabinet meeting in his presidential office

The meeting was the first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.

After meeting privately and with aides, Trump and Kim moved into the luncheon at a long flower-bedecked table. As they entered, Trump injected some levity to the days extraordinary events, saying: Getting a good picture everybody? So we look nice and handsome and thin? Perfect.

Then they dined on beef short rib confit along with sweet and sour crispy pork.

And as they emerged from the meal for a brief stroll together, Trump appeared to delight in showing his North Korean counterpart the interior of The Beast, the famed US presidential limousine known for its high-tech fortifications.

Critics of the summit leapt at the leaders handshake and the moonlight stroll Kim took Monday night along the glittering Singapore waterfront, saying it was further evidence that Trump was helping legitimize Kim on the world stage as an equal of the US president. Kim has been accused of horrific rights abuses against his people. During his stroll, crowds yelled out Kims name and jostled to take pictures, and the North Korean leader posed for a selfie with Singapore officials.

Trump responded to such commentary on Twitter, saying: The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the US, say the haters & losers. But he added our hostages are back home and testing, research and launches have stopped.

Trump also tweeted: Meetings between staffs and representatives are going well and quickly ... but in the end, that doesnt matter. We will all know soon whether or not a real deal, unlike those of the past, can happen!

The summit capped a dizzying few days of foreign policy activity for Trump, who shocked US allies over the weekend by using a meeting in Canada of the Group of Seven industrialized economies to alienate Americas closest friends in the West. Lashing out over trade practices, Trump lobbed insults at his G-7 host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trump left that summit early and, as he flew to Singapore, tweeted that he was yanking the US out of the groups traditional closing statement.

As for Singapore, the White House said Trump was leaving early because negotiations had moved more quickly than expected but gave no details. The president planned to stop in Guam and Hawaii on the way back to Washington.

The unfolding summit was a remarkable change in dynamics from less than a year ago, when Trump was threatening fire and fury against Kim, who in turn scorned the American president as a mentally deranged US dotard. Beyond the impact on both leaders political fortunes, the summit could shape the fate of countless people  the citizens of impoverished North Korea, the tens of millions living in the shadow of the Norths nuclear threat, and millions more worldwide.

Alluding to the Norths concerns that giving up its nuclear weapons could surrender its primary deterrent to forced regime change, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters that the US was prepared to take action to provide North Korea with sufficient certainty that denuclearization is not something that ends badly for them.

He would not say whether that included the possibility of withdrawing US troops from the Korean Peninsula, but said the context of the discussions was radically different than ever before.

I can only say this, Pompeo said. We are prepared to take what will be security assurances that are different, unique, than Americas been willing to provide previously.

The North has faced crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions as it has advanced development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Pompeo held firm to Trumps position that sanctions will remain in place until North Korea denuclearizes  and said they would even increase if diplomatic discussions did not progress positively.

Experts believe the North is close to being able to target the entire US mainland with its nuclear-armed missiles, and while theres deep skepticism that Kim will quickly give up those hard-won nukes, theres also some hope that diplomacy can replace the animosity between the US and the North.US President Donald Trump said the recent G7 spat-dominated meeting in Canada was good, but in the same breath warned the host country would pay for the comments of its prime minister.

I had a very good meeting with the G7, Trump said, rejecting suggestions the summit was a failure. But he also said that critical comments from Justin Trudeau would cost Canada a lot of money.

An escalating clash over trade between Washington and some of its closest global partners had loomed over Trumps historic summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday.

At a news conference, Trump recounted his recent tough exchanges with Trudeau, and said the Canadian leader must not have realized that Trump had televisions on Air Force One, allowing him to monitor Trudeaus news conference at the end of the G-7 summit.

The US president had left a weekend Group of Seven summit in Canada early, announcing he was backing out of a joint communique and torpedoing what appeared to be a fragile consensus on the trade dispute between Washington and its main allies.

Trump, who had criticised Trudeau after the G7 meeting in Canada on the weekend, said the United States had a big trade deficit with Canada, and a little balance was needed.US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged on Tuesday to work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula while Washington committed to provide security guarantees for its old enemy, reported Reuters.



The two leaders had a one-on-one meeting, with translators only, followed by an expanded meeting including their top aides and a working lunch at Capella Singapore hotel in Sentosa Island after months of diplomatic twists and turns.



"We're signing a very comprehensive document, and we've had a really great time together, a great relationship," Trump said while signing the document along with Kim in the presence of media at the end of the summit - the first between a sitting US president and North Korea's top leader.



Trump committed to provide unspecified security guarantees to Kim as the two nations agreed to establish new relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.



The US President said he expected the denuclearisation process to start very, very quickly. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean officials would hold follow-up negotiations at the earliest possible date, the statement said.



But the agreement, which appeared to echo the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration signed between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, offered no specifics about how the two sides would reach these goals, while also leaving complete denuclearization undefined.



At a signing ceremony, Trump said the two sides had developed a special bond, while Kim, sitting beside him, called the summit a historic encounter where we decided to leave the past behind.



The world will see a major change, Kim said through a translator.

"I think our whole relationship with North Korea and the Korean peninsula is going to be a very different situation than it has in the past," Trump said at the conclusion of the landmark summit, which culminated in formal signing ceremony.



What precisely was agreed upon during the nearly five-hour summit was not initially clear as the two leaders sat next to each other and autographed documents in leather binders, reported CNN.



Asked by reporters asked if the agreement was the starting point for a process that would begin the denuclearization of Korean Peninsula, Trump said that such steps would happen very, very quickly.

Majority of the world leaders have welcomed the move with China asking for the immediate lifting of sanction against North Korea.



China "welcomes and supports" talks between North Korea and the US to reach consensus on denuclearisation and establish a peace mechanism, said Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang.



"The UN Security Council could consider suspending or lifting sanctions against North Korea if Pyongyang is in compliance with UN resolutions and making progress in diplomatic negotiations," he added.



Geng later told reporters in Beijing: "Sanctions are not an end. We believe the Security Council should make efforts to support the diplomat efforts at the present time."



Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe welcomed Kim's written commitment to complete denuclearisation.



"We see this as a step in a comprehensive resolution," Abe said in Tokyo.



Abe added that he "would like to thank the president (Trump) for raising the abduction issue," referring to Japan's demand that Pyongyang release any remaining Japanese people it abducted to train its spies.



South Korean President Moon Jae-in vowed to write "new history" with North Korea, praising Kim's decision to hold the summit with the US.



"Leaving dark days of war and conflict behind, we will write a new chapter of peace and co-operation," Moon said in a statement released by his office. "We will be there together with North Korea along the way," he added.



Moon's comments came after earlier caution from the presidential office, saying it was seeking clarity after Trump pledged to stop joint military exercises with Seoul.



"At this point, we need to find out the precise meaning or intentions of President Trump's remarks," a Blue House spokesman said.



Russia too hailed the deal between Trump and Kim, but sarcasticaly said "the devil is in the detail."



Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS news agency that Russia was ready to assist in implementing the deal - to work towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula - and hopes settling the nuclear crisis will unblock normal economic co-operation.



Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also approved of the meeting, Interfax reported.



"The mere fact of the meeting between the leaders of the United States and North Korea is positive ... We are following the comments that both sides are making but we have not seen the document yet, we'll see," Lavrov said.



However, the Iranian government warned the US president could nullify any nuclear deal.



The semi-official Fars news agency quoted government spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht as saying: "We are facing a man who revokes his signature while abroad."



"We don't know what type of person the North Korean leader is negotiating with. It is not clear that he would not cancel the agreement before returning back home."



The US pulled out of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran in May



The European Union, meanwhile, has welcomed the historic deal said the summit demonstrated that diplomacy paved the way forward to peace in the region.



"The ultimate goal, shared by the entire international community and as expressed by the United Nations Security Council, remains the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula," Federica Mogherini, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, said in a statement.



"The joint statement signed by the US and DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) leaders today gives a clear signal that this goal can be achieved," she added.



UK hailed it as an important step towards the stability of a region vital to global economic growth.



"We welcome that President Trump and Kim Jong Un have held a constructive summit. There is much work to be done and we hope that Kim continues to negotiate in good faith towards complete verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation," Foreign Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement.Beef ribs and sweet and sour pork: US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will be served a working lunch that combines the flavours of East and West during their historic meeting in Singapore on Tuesday.

A menu released by the White House showed the two leaders will sit down to starters that include prawn cocktail and avocado salad, a Southeast Asian-flavoured green mango salad dish with honey lime dressing and fresh octopus, as well as oiseon, a Korean dish of stuffed cucumber.

Main courses include beef short rib confit, served with potato dauphinois and steamed broccoli; sweet and sour crispy pork and fried rice with an XO chilli sauce as well as a Korean dish called daegu jorim, which is a soy braised cod fish with radish and Asian vegetables.

For dessert, Trump and Kim and their delegations would have a choice of dark chocolate tartlet ganache, Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream with cherry coulis and tropezienne, a cream-filled pastry.Bahrain-based Conserving Bounties, a local non-profit organisation, and the Bahrain Supreme Council for Environment have partnered to spread awareness regarding the issue of food wastage and to strengthen their impact within the local community.



The two entities signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the First Conserving Bounties Partners Forum, which was sponsored by BMMI and Downtown Rotana.



The sponsorship of that event is just the latest collaboration between the BMMI Group and Conserving Bounties. BMMI has successfully partnered with the local non-profit throughout the past year, in an effort to meet the groups sustainability commitment of achieving zero waste and to further contribute to the local communities in which it operates.



Conserving Bounties specialises in providing meals to families and individuals in need in Bahrain by managing the logistics of food collection, meal preparation, packing and redistribution. With current estimates counting around 10,000 meals wasted in Bahrain daily, the collaboration between Conserving Bounties and the BMMI Group highlights a commitment to help battle staggering food waste in the Kingdom.



Through its Alosra Charitable Foundation, BMMI has invested BD50,000 ($131,400) with the society to set up Bahrain's first soup kitchen. Furthermore, the BMMI Groups fully owned subsidiary, Alosra supermarket, participated through six of its stores in Conserving Bounties initiatives. The supermarket donates bakery and ready-made sandwiches to be collected from the stores every day, helping serve several neighbourhoods across the Kingdom.



Conserving Bounties has delivered more than 170,000meals up to date. The non-profit distributes 500 meals a day, providing healthy food for 300 families in Bahrain and more than 3,000 labours. As of April of this year, Alosra has contributed 40,500meals to the initiative.



Being a responsible corporate citizen is at the core of how business is done at the BMMI Group, said head of Corporate Communications and Marketing, Yasmine Elizabeth Mohammed.



We are always on the lookout for opportunities to add real value to the communities in which we operate, said Yasmine.



With our heavy involvement in the food industry, it made complete sense to partner with Conserving Bounties and to play our part in helping tackle the problem of food waste. We look forward to continuing our collaboration, and following the successful partnership with Alosra, we plan to extend our support through our other businesses in the future, she added.



At Alosra, we take it up as our responsibility to tackle this issue by identifying the best solution for redistributing resources to those in need in the most efficient manner, said Jaffar Al Asfoor, general manager of Food Retailing and Production.



It is also up to us, both as businesses and as individuals, to make small changes in the way we source and purchase produce, and in how we shop and eat by improving meal planning, food storage, promoting a culture of eating leftovers and contributing towards making a difference, he added.



The Conserving Bounties Societys CEO Thawra Al Dhaen said: We are delighted to partner with BMMI and we highly value their support. Such contributions are critical to the sustainability of our voluntary activities and it guarantees the development of our organisation.



Moreover, these contributions help us in achieving our goals of reaching the maximum number of beneficiaries across the Bahrain. Therefore, we really look forward to increasing the collaboration between Conserving Bounties and the BMMI Group, said Thawra.  TradeArabia News ServiceRenovation

12 June 2018

Belmond unveils its new look for Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge in the Chobe National Park, following a full redesign.

Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge, one of Belmond's three safari experiences in the heart of Botswana, reopens this June as a timeless explorers' lodge, connecting its guests to nature. Surrounded by abundant flora and fauna, the lodge includes 12 tented rooms, spa, lounge, bar, open deck with pool, firepit, and hidden wildlife observatory overlooking the watering hole, a first in the area.

BREAKFAST WITH ELEPHANTS

The lodge's unique hidden observatory allows guests to connect with the wildlife at eye-level, giving them a front row seat on nature's drama. From first light to dusk, lions, elephants, cheetahs, hyenas, and antelope gather for a refreshing drink.

To celebrate the reopening of the lodge, Belmond has commissioned acclaimed wildlife photographer Stephan Tuengler to capture the playful spirit of the animals in the Savute region, one of the world's true natural wildernesses. The very essence of Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge is to allow guests to experience timeless exploration in the heart of wild Africa.

AN EXPLORERS REMOTE RETREAT

The Savute region has long been associated with some of the world's greatest explorers, including David Livingstone, who arrived in the area in 1851 to observe and document the dramatic surroundings of one of Africa's greatest wildlife habitats.

Belmond's tented oasis, set beside the mysterious Savute Channel, will offer an exploratory base for guests in the heart of the national park. The newly designed interiors by Inge Moore of Muza Lab are visually calming yet dramatic, filled with rich textures and colors that reflect the earthy and dynamic surroundings. The contemporary lounge and bar connects with the open deck and the eye is drawn straight to the vast view across the plains. Curved and textured rattan chairs with leather detailing and furniture made of local materials fill the public spaces, allowing guests to sit, relax, and document their memories following daily safari adventures.

Bedrooms feature writing desks and impressive four-poster beds. Vibrant pops of color can be found throughout the rooms as well as in the bathrooms, contrasting with the natural tones of the savannah.

Respecting the nature and the wilderness of the region, sustainable design features include the removal of all concrete; the use of eco-friendly composite bamboo decking in the principal areas; and the lodge will function on a 95% solar grid system.

Prices start from $970 per person per night, based on double occupancy. Rates are fully inclusive with two daily game drives, all meals, drinks, laundry, insurance, park fees and VAT. For bookings, visit belmond.com or call 0845 077 2222.Press Release

12 June 2018

London UK/Spokane WA -- At Magnuson Worldwide, America's fastest growing hotel brand, we are proud to announce the addition of the Ticaboo Lodge Lake Powell to the new By Magnuson Worldwide Collection.

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The Ticaboo Lodge Lake Powell is located minutes from the shores of Lake Powell, in the spectacular Grand Circle Region, making it the perfect base camp to explore the wonders of this region. Fishing, boating, ATVing, hiking and exploring opportunities can be found in the red rock canyons and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

The newly renovated Ticaboo Lodge offers a refreshing outdoor swimming pool, picnic areas with BBQ grills. This pet friendly Ticaboo Lodge provides boat, ATV, kayak and razor rentals for a fun day on Lake Powell, and a relaxing on site restaurant and lounge to unwind.

Thomas Magnuson, CEO of Magnuson Worldwide says: "We are delighted to be welcoming the team at Ticaboo Lodge to the Magnuson family."Supplier News

12 June 2018

EyeforTravel's new report series into behavioural analytics is looking at what makes customer tick and how travel brands can use data techniques to improve every part of their sales process. In the first report in the series, Understanding the Travel Consumer, EyeforTravel alongside leading travel brands, is opening up the data processes and techniques necessary to drive insight. Core to this is how to treat the data itself. Here are some key pieces of advice from the report that can help you to unlock the potential in your data.

Concentrate Data

In the report, every travel brand featured advocated consolidating data into centralized systems. This is because it then becomes easier to drive reporting, analytics, automation, and personalization from a single source.

For car hire company Hertz, they realized that they needed a 'golden record' for each customer. Ricardo Rangel, senior director of data architecture at Hertz defines this "a single, well-defined version of all the data entities in an organisation."

First, they had to pool their data before they could run it through a customer matching engine, which has "the capability of searching, indexing and giving back the information about that customer." Layered on top of this is an "application network" that interfaces across the business to provide a wide variety of services via Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), from alerting about a flat tire or issue with a particular model of car, to giving customers their preferred car type.

NH Hotels moved their property management system, central reservations system, customer relationship management and revenue management solution to the same database and Eurail has one "data warehouse" accessible to all employees via desktops or mobile phones.

Travel digital marketing expert at McKinsey & Co Del Ross advises looking at your needs and budget  especially for smaller firms  working with a third-party specialist, and holding your data remotely in the "cloud". "Storage space, speed, access, and security are all important considerations in data strategy," he advises. "These factors combine to make cloud sourcing more compelling. Using the principle, 'only do what only you can do,' brands should capitalize on the technical expertise of specialty service providers and invest their resources into analytics and gathering actionable insights."

However, Maria Gomez Bada, manager of analytics and data insights for HomeAway.com, points out that "If you have data internally, you will always have more actions on the data and be able to get more insight. If you have it externally, it's probably cheaper short-term but you have a black box."

Ask What Are You Asking?

When it comes to data, it is easy to get lost and find yourself tied up in a tide of requests and dead-ends that don't lead to actual improvement. The key is to define the requirements in crystal clear terms before setting out. "What we learned  was that we needed to understand the question or the problem that we were trying to solve and our audience so that we could structure the dashboards to serve them," says Priti Dhanda, director of revenue management analytics at Hyatt. "The properties had very different requirements to the above property people. So, a key goal was how do you use the same data and answer questions for the different audiences?"

Deploy First, Test Later

If you're looking to expand your organization's data analytics then the experts in the report recommend getting solutions set up and operating so they can be tested and perfected rather than trying to build a great system from the outset. "It doesn't need to be perfect [on release] and then we continue to improve it," says Dhanda. "If we just focus on building that most perfect solution, we would never get there, and we would still be thinking and trying to get even a sample out."

The testing of systems then becomes critical. "In the CRM space, we test absolutely everything," said Darrin Rowe, director, customer insights & loyalty at Greyhound Lines speaking at Smart Travel Data North America 2018. "It's an A/B test for every single thing we do. So, thinking about creative, thinking about copy and subject lines. There's no magic bullet here, it's just a ton of A/B testing and figuring out what resonates with our customers."

According to Steven Consiglio, product performance manager at Booking.com, his organization has found that "It is impossible to even have hypotheses turn out to be accurate in our findings," which makes testing vital to uncover those unintuitive findings. Therefore, on their site, "The amount of different site experimentations is countless. The experimentation is ever-present."

Visualize for Success

Visualization is critical for data-led analysis. As the quantity of data exponentially increases, visual means are frequently the only way to comprehend and extrapolate meaning. Furthermore, data has been found to be far more convincing than just presenting the bald numbers, making it vital for gaining buy-in from colleagues.

"Visualizing does not need to be difficult  it turns difficult content and relationships into understandable information," says Ina Hoppe, data analyst and systems development manager at Leonardo Hotels. "Pre-think what you want to show, or you will draw sophisticated dashboards no one will use. Ask your teams what they want, and keep it simple," a sentiment that harks back to Dhanda's advice when creating a project.

Let the Law Lead

"I think data is the future of everything that we do and we're scraping the surface," says Alessandra di Lorenzo, Chief Commercial Officer, Media and Partnerships at lastminute.com group. "We must never as companies, even as individuals, underestimate the power of data and the importance of managing that data in a compliant way that doesn't damage the company's relationship with customers. My answer is [to] probably get some help if you're not very big, because it's tricky and even the big players are still learning."

This is now all the more vital as the European General Data Protection Regulation has come into force and means that customers must agree explicitly to all uses for their personal data, that data must be protected, and they can delete it.

Practical solutions brands can take to comply and still have a strong set of customer data include separating and anonymizing data. Amer Mohammed, head of digital innovation at Stena Line ferry firm says it now splits data into two copies: The first is anonymized, the second is personal. "In the marketing you have personal data where you can identify the individual, in the second we have anonymous, aggregated data," he told the EyeforTravel Smart Travel Data Summit 2017. "If a customer asks us to delete their data, we only delete the first one. The second we use to get to know our customers." This allows them to continue drawing conclusions whilst protecting the data and allowing customers to delete it easily.

Click here to download the Understanding the Customer report, part of EyeforTravel's Behavioural Analytics Report Series. This report features insights from:Supplier News

11 June 2018

The Rainmaker Group (Rainmaker) has partnered with The Maho Group, operating the Sonesta Resorts in St. Maarten, to assist them in their re-opening phase and recovery in the wake of the impacts from Hurricane Irma. By providing revenue and profit analytics as well as pricing optimization for group and transient business, Rainmaker will assist Sonesta's aim of bringing tourism back to St Maarten and building the fastest possible path back to financial stability.

Mike Cowles, CEO of Rainmaker, said "We are very excited to work with such a great group of people at Sonesta to leverage our capabilities to give them guidance on pricing as the St Maarten hotel market regains stability. Rainmaker's revintel, grouprev, and guestrev solutions will work together to provide real-time visibility and recommendations for per room and per person pricing that is at the core of the All-Inclusive model. This partnership is one of the key steps we're taking to expand our presence in the Caribbean and All-Inclusive markets."

"Partnering with Rainmaker is an exciting move for us," said Eliska Hesova, Director of Revenue & Business Development. "We are grateful for the assistance and the level of commitment Rainmaker showed us in the Irma aftermath and look forward to the benefits of an automated best-in-class revenue management solution. With the support of Rainmaker's products behind our pricing decisions, we are committed to coming back stronger, offering our guests the Limitless All-inclusive vacation experience at the best possible price and being part of the tourism recovery in St Maarten."

Rainmaker's groundbreaking revenue and profit optimization product suite includes:

guestrev , an intuitive and easy-to-use revenue management solution that analyzes total guest value across a hotel or casino property to forecast and price rooms;

, an intuitive and easy-to-use revenue management solution that analyzes total guest value across a hotel or casino property to forecast and price rooms; grouprev an innovative group pricing solution that streamlines the process of responding to group RFPs by analyzing historical data, future demand, and price sensitivity to recommend the best pricing for group business;

an innovative group pricing solution that streamlines the process of responding to group RFPs by analyzing historical data, future demand, and price sensitivity to recommend the best pricing for group business; revcaster , a powerful rate shopping tool that gives hoteliers access to real-time actionable market data, so that rates can be set against the competitive landscape; and

, a powerful rate shopping tool that gives hoteliers access to real-time actionable market data, so that rates can be set against the competitive landscape; and revintel, an intuitive business intelligence solution that improves day-to-day revenue management by mining various data sets and providing deep insights at a granular level.

About Rainmaker

Rainmaker is the hotel revenue and profit optimization cloud. The company partners with hotels, resorts and casinos to help them outperform their revenue and profit objectives. Rainmaker's cloud-based solutions for transient and group pricing optimization, forecasting, and revenue-centric business intelligence are designed to help hoteliers streamline operations, enhance revenue optimization processes, improve lead performance, and drive guest bookings. Recognized as one of the top privately held companies in the United States, Rainmaker has been named to Inc. 5000's 'Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies' for the last seven years and to the Atlanta Business Chronicle's list of '100 Fastest Growing Companies in Atlanta'. Rainmaker serves hospitality customers throughout the world from its corporate headquarters in Alpharetta, Ga. and from offices in Las Vegas, Portland, Ore., and Singapore. To learn more about Rainmaker and its suite of hotel revenue and profit optimization solutions, visit www.LetItRain.com.

About Sonesta Hotels

Sonesta St. Maarten Resorts feature a duo of stunning oceanfront limitless all-inclusive properties including the family-friendly Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, Casino & Spa, and the luxury, all suites adults-only Sonesta Ocean Point Resort. Both properties boast several dining options, multiple pools, extensive wedding, events and meeting facilities, Casino Royale and the signature Serenity Spa, accompanied by other resorts facilities such as the Logo Shop, Nexus tour desk, Hertz rental car and state-of-the-art gym with dedicated fitness and wellness activity programs. Sonesta is a growing, global hospitality brand with 80+ properties in 7 countries, centered on a dedication to delivering a guest experience that provides more than just a place to stay. For more information, visit www.sonesta.com/stmaarten or call 1-800-SONESTA.

Media Contacts:

Dana Glaze, The Rainmaker Group, +1 470-440-2041, [email protected]

Andria Mitsakos or Erika Vives, AMPR, +1 954 294 4710, +1 917 859 7269, [email protected], [email protected]Press Release

12 June 2018

Eugene, Or. - AJ Capital Partners announced today that it has acquired the Hilton Eugene in Eugene, Oregon. The hotel will continue to operate as Hilton Eugene until year end, after which, it will begin a comprehensive renovation to convert to Graduate Eugene, part of the Graduate Hotels collection. The hotel will remain open during renovations and will be completed in summer 2019. The 12-story, 275-room hotel is in downtown Eugene and walking distance to University of Oregon's campus. AJ Capital selected Starwood Property Trust, Inc. to provide financing for the project.

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Ideally located on 6th Avenue in the heart of downtown Eugene, the hotel is just steps from Eugene City Hall, the Hult Center for the Performing Arts and some of the best shopping and dining the city has to offer. The hotel is easily accessible to University of Oregon's campus, Autzen Stadium, Matthew Knight Arena and Hayward Field.

Created for travelers who seek memory-making journeys, Graduate Hotels are a well-curated, thoughtfully crafted collection of hotels that reside in the most dynamic university-anchored cities across the country. Every property celebrates and commemorates the optimistic energy of its community, while offering an extended retreat to places that often played host to the best days of our lives. There are currently 11 open and operating hotels across the U.S. and an additional seven hotels under development slated to open by 2020.

"It is with great pleasure that we announce the acquisition of the Hilton Eugene," says Tim Franzen, President of Graduate Hotels. "This is a perfect example of our strategy of investing in hotels located in the hearts of truly unique and multidimensional university-anchored markets from coast to coast. We look forward to introducing Graduate Eugene, and our signature style of hospitality, to the Eugene and University of Oregon communities next summer."

The hotel will undergo a comprehensive renovation to convert it to Graduate Eugene, which will touch all guestrooms, common areas, the restaurant and the hotel's 30,000 square feet of flexible meeting and events space.

For more information on Graduate Hotels, please visit www.graduatehotels.com.Chance The Rapper held his monthly Open Mike Event in Chicago Monday night, where local high schools come to share, express, and network with like-minded individuals usually over poetry and art. Well on Monday, Chano from 79th had a very special treat for students who attended, and that was surprising fans by bringing out friend & collaborator Childish Gambino.

My next guest needs no introduction Chance says on the mic before Gambinos This Is America starts playing over the speaks and the kids erupt in excitement. Rushing the stage from their seats, kids were screaming & going nuts as Donald Glover walked out from behind the stage and grabbed the mic to perform his very powerful new platinum-single. He even got into character and hit em with the dance moves from the video as well which is awesome.

However with Chance and Gambino together in the same city, fans are already wondering about their joint project. While the two have been teasing their project for years, Gambino said back in March that their work is sounding "amazing," but hopefully they can link up furthermore Monday night and cook up some more material.

For now though, check out the fan-captured performance of Gambino coming out tonight in Chicago to perform This Is America (below).Pizza is already an internet sensation. The culinary icon that is revered as godly, based on the reveling of its ever-growing fandom, has received a big boost from one of its most notorious pushers. Domino's Pizza is bringing new meaning to the term "street cred". The corporate chain is healing the streets, literally. Construction workers have been deployed to fill the potholes in Milford, Delaware. Yes, this is for real. No, they do not use their product as the filling. This effort is said to be inspired by the chain's desire to protect your pies from the violence of pothole-riddled roads. The dangers of such a trek include, but are not limited to, untopped toppings, flipped pies and lopsided filling.

ABC reports the company's statement: "Potholes, cracks, and bumps in the road can cause irreversible damage to your pizza during the drive home from Domino's. We can't stand by and let your cheese slide to one side, your toppings get un-topped, or your boxes get flipped. So we're helping to pave in towns across the country to save your good pizza from these bad roads."

The city's manager, Eric Norenberg, has officially expressed gratitude for the company. He publicly acknowledges the city budget's lack of funds for the issue and his appreciation for the restaurant's initiative.

If you're thinking, "Wait, I love pizza and my city's roads are also shite," reach out to get the hookup. Any American city can be nominated for this street healing by entering its postal code on pavingforpizza.com. The selected cities will receive funding for repairs.

Extending this to Canada would be blessed. Have you ever been to Montreal?It seems within the past few months, more and more movies have focused on the curation of their soundtracks. Netflix's "Bright" OST brought together artists like A$AP Rocky, Migos, Machine Gun Kelly and more. This year alone, both Kendrick Lamar's curated Black Panther: The Album and the Future produced soundtrack for "Superfly" delivered some major bangers. Now, the upcoming movie "Uncle Drew" has shared some promising singles and the tracklist is looking great. They've already released several cuts off of it including A$AP Ferg's "Harlem Anthem," "1942" with G-Eazy, YBN Nahmir and Yo Gotti as well as "Cocky" with A$AP Rocky, Gucci Mane and 21 Savage. Now, they unleash a new cut featuring French Montana and Remy Ma.

French Montana and Remy Ma join forces on their new track, "New Thang." The song was produced by Harry Fraud, who's worked with French on some of his most notable street bangers in the past. Fraud delivers a funky, horn section with some 808's rockin' in the back. French Montana holds down the first verse and the hook before Remy comes through second verse.

The "Uncle Drew" soundtrack drops this Friday and includes appearances from Logic, Wiz Khalifa, GoldLink, 2 Chainz as well as the film's star Kyrie Irving.

Quotable Lyrics

Might pull up with one, maybe two thangs

Got my old school joint and my new thang

Got my Carolina joint, that's my blue thang

Got my Chinese joint, that's my Wu-TangIt's been a little over a month since Meek Mill was released from prison, after spending five months locked up without bail over a probation violation. Now that he's been freed, Meek decided to give thanks to those who worked day and night to have him released from his imprisonment.

According to Page Six, Meek took his around 30 person legal team out for an expensive dinner at Tao Downtown in New York City, where he and his guests likely dined on the $34 lobster pad thai or the $91 wagyu rib-eye teppanyaki.

While the private dinner was apparently punctuated by a gift of champagne for every member of the legal team, as an additional thank you from Meek. On Sunday, Meek made a dramatic entrance to his set at this year's Summer Jam music festival, riding on stage and popping a wheelie on a 4-wheeler ATV, a direct reference to the stunt that originally violated his probation and landed him in prison in the first place.

Meek reportedly referenced this in his thank you speech at the dinner, saying "Last time I was in New York with a motherfucking bike, I lost my freedom. This time, we not going back to jail."

While seeing Meek celebrate his freedom is very uplifting, he still has a long way to go before he's out of trouble. His fight to rid himself of Judge Genece Brinkley is still ongoing, and he's still working to have his original conviction overturned.

In the meantime, he'll continue to live his life to the fullest.Prysmian Group, a world leader in the energy and telecom cable systems industry, said it has acquired US-based General Cable to set up a giant company in the energy and telecom cable sector with global headquarters in Milan, Italy.

Based in Kentucky, US, General Cable is a leader in the development, design, manufacture, marketing and distribution of aluminum, copper and fiber optic wire and cable products for the energy, communications, transportation, industrial, construction and specialty segments.



The new organisation combines the strengths of both Prysmian and General Cable and is based on centralised governance and integrated management of global businesses, clear responsibilities for results, a focus on efficiency and technological innovation and a customer-centric approach enabled by teams dedicated to key customer accounts, said Prysmian in a statement.



With sales of over 11 billion ($13 billion), the new Group will employ approximately 30,000 people at 112 plants and 25 reseach and development (R&D) centres in over 50 countries, it added.



With the General Cable acquisition, the shift in the balance of the weights of the various geographical areas is significant: North America will now account for approximately a third of the groups sales, with the North American head office located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, and 23 plants throughout the region with about 5,800 employees, said the statement from Prysmian.



The integration with General Cable enables further expansion of the range of technologies and products offered by Prysmian Group, stated the Italian group.



Announcing the takeover, Prysmian Group CEO Valerio Battista said: "We are proud to have established our second home region in the US, contributing to the development of the country's economy with our best technologies and expertise."



"Today, we begin to operate as a single team with shared objectives, integrating the two companies cultures, business segments, geographical markets, production facilities and staff functions. Protecting our business and creating value: these are our priorities," stated Battista.



According to him, the new organisational matrix model is structured along three lines: the Groups centralised functions, which aim at fostering the creation of a highly integrated "One Company; the regions, which ensure proximity to the market; and the business areas (Energy, Telecom and Projects), which are responsible for product and cross-selling strategies.



"With the aim of identifying and retaining top talent, we conducted a thorough selection process based on the best people for the job principle, ensuring equal opportunities to people from Prysmian and General Cable," noted Fabrizio Rutschmann, the chief human resources officer.



"The result is an international management team composed of 450 people who from the outset have been given clear responsibilities and precise objectives," he added.-TradeArabia News ServiceNBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal made an appearance on "The Ellen Show" yesterday where he revealed how he became an early investor in Google thanks to his brief stint as an impromptu babysitter.

According to Shaq, when he first got to Los Angeles around 1993 or 1994, he was at a Four Seasons Hotel playing with another guest's children sitting at the next table. That's when The Diesel was offered the chance to invest in Google pre-IPO, which resulted in a massive pay day a few years later.

"I'm actually babysitting the guy's kids while he's in a meeting," Shaq tells Ellen. "So after the meeting, he says, 'You know what? You're good with kids, I like you, I'm going to bring you in on this investment.' And it was called Google. He said, 'You know, in the future, you're going to be able to type on your phone, search engine this, do this, boom, boom, boom, you should invest.' "I invested, and then a couple years later, I got a really big return," he adds.

Shaq has made a number of profitable financial moves since then, including investments in Apple, 24 Hour Fitness, Five Guys and nightclubs in Las Vegas, according to CNBC. Additionally, O'Neal has also partnered with Krispy Kreme and hopes to one day own 100 stores.

Despite all of his lucrative business ventures, Shaq tells Ellen that his six kids won't be touching any of his money until they have two degrees.

"My most famous rule is, in order to touch any of my cheese, you have to present me two degrees," he says. "Cheese means money. So, their father's very successful. So as a father, I'm not going to give them handouts. They have to get a bachelor's and a master's," O'Neal adds.

Check out the footage of Shaq's appearance on "The Ellen Show," below.Tekashi 6ix9ine is getting ready to hit the road this week overseas for the European leg of first headlining tour, and it appears he taking his trolling antics with him. TMZ was able to get their hands on Tekashis tour rider, showing what he wants for every stop of the tour, and interesting enough the "Gummo" rapper apparently is requesting a particular Chief Keef album.

Aside from the usual fried chicken and meat tray requests, Tekashi is asking to have a copy of Chief Keefs Bang 3, Pt. 2 in all his dressing rooms. Why he would want such a particular album is unknown, but its probably not to show love and will be some sort of troll. Tekashi & Chief Keef have had heated exchanges on social media recently, with Sosa even getting shot at in NYC earlier this month. Luckily the bullet missed Keef, and no one was harmed.

As for the sweets on Tekashis rider, he asks for a fitting 69 bags of Skittles, chocolate chip cookies, 3 packs of Trident gum, 1 large bag of Twizzlers and 2 bags of Peanut M&Ms. Nowhere does TMZ report that he asks for maybe some fruit or bottled water or anything remotely healthy for that matter. It seems to me if the streets don't get to him, diabetes eventually will.

[Via]Valee has been busy spending 20 thou down Florida, delivering one of the most memorable songs called "Miami" since Will Smith blessed dance floors during the years preceding the Willennium. The G.O.O.D Music signee has steadily found his profile rising, given his proximity to 2018-defining Kanye West; since the arrival of Yeezy's new seven song canon, many have been quick to revisit the seminal GOOD Job, You Found Me with a new set of eyes. While not quite operating under the same criteria as Ye's new wave batch, GOOD Job comes close with a valiant six tracks. Unfortunately, none of them featured Ye taking on a producer's role.

However, it can't help but feel like we're on the verge of something special. Talks of a seven-track CyHi album have already kicked off, with Kanye reportedly reaching out to The Prynce for some preliminary plotting. My own personal theory is that a Ye produced Kid Cudi solo album feels inevitable, and would make a notable addition to phase two of the Yeezy sonic universe. Not to mention Big Sean and Valee, who seem poised to be likely beneficiaries of Kanye's reinvigorated creative spirit.

Case in point, Valee took to Twitter to answer an inquisitive fan (tweet seen below), directly addressing speculation about his upcoming project. Admittedly, his response is indeed open for interpretation, as is the case with most emoji-based replies. Behold, the reply: seven sneeze emojis. What does it mean? Sound off below.F or Texas A&M University senior Kate Wright, the path to a career in agricultural economics is starting with a summer internship at the center of it all: Capitol Hill.

Thats where details of the next five-year farm bill and international trade policy are being hammered out on topics ranging from food stamps, immigrant work visas and farm subsidies to food labeling and regulations on fertilizers and pesticides  and for a constituency that may not agree about what should be done.

As a suburban girl who cultivated a fascination with futures markets and planting decisions as a member of FFA in Helotes, shed be hard-pressed to find a headier post: working for the House Agriculture Committee, led by fellow Texan Mike Conaway.

Ive really just been soaking in what each day brings, Wright said of her first days being surrounded by Washington, D.C., the power players.

Wright is one of 11 A&M interns chosen for this summers Agricultural and Natural Resources Policy internship program, which places agricultural students with Texas congressional members and national lobbying organizations such as the National Association of Wheat Growers and the National Turkey Federation.

The program sends A&M students to Washington each semester.

Students chosen to participate in the ANRP internship in D.C. have a unique opportunity to stand on the sidelines of history, while also helping shape the direction of agriculture policy in our country, Conaway, R-Midland, said in an email.

I feel like some students dont have that kind of background, so they dont get to learn just how special agriculture is, Wright said. For me, its a very interesting, very powerful, very impactful career path, as well as it is a way of life.

Its a highly competitive program in an industry drawing fewer and fewer students even as more and more agricultural career paths open up worldwide. According to AgCareers.coms Enrollment and Employment Outlook Survey, fewer than 1 percent of students are in an agricultural major. In 2013, there were more than 56,000 career openings in the industry but only 29,000 graduates.

A good portion of those jobs are in Washington, where rural district U.S. representatives and lobbyists for commodities such as cotton and beef come up against those fighting against them in areas such as farm supports and genetically modified feed. Recent battles have been on the trade front.

Farmers and ranchers are wary of tariffs that while favorable to some manufacturers may prove to be devastating to those who depend upon agricultural exports.

For example, the punitive tariffs that Mexico levied on pork recently are already causing losses for a $20 billion annual industry.

Mexico is U.S. porks largest export market, accounting for nearly a quarter of all shipments. With some 60,000 producers centered mostly in Midwestern states, Oklahoma and North Carolina, Mexicos trade experts know that the counterpunch for tariffs on aluminum and steel will hit a big part of President Donald Trumps voting base.

The tariff battles come amid off-again, on-again fears that negotiations for an updated North American Free Trade Agreement will fall apart, ending the duty-free status that has made Mexico and Canada robust buyers.

The National Association of Wheat Growers, which has taken an ANRP intern each semester for a good part of the programs 28-year history, represents another commodity group that has been nervous about recent trade moves.

China is looking at imposing a 25 percent tariff on wheat, and so that is very concerning to us, said Chandler Goule, who completed an ANRP internship some 20 years ago with the wheat group, is now its CEO.

China and Mexico are among the top importers of U.S. wheat, and Goule isnt counting on his growers to get a pass. As of Friday, the commodity appeared to have been spared from retaliatory tariffs from NAFTA partners, but growers were continuing to anxiously watch developments.

Back in 1998, Goule thought it would be fun to spend a semester in Washington and learn a little bit about how things worked.

Honestly, leaving Texas was not even on my agenda. I was going to be a large-animal veterinarian like every other animal science major, he said.

During his internship, his eyes were opened to all the federal regulations that affected farmers and ranchers. What to him had been dull visits with his dad to fill out paperwork at the Natural Resource Conservation Service and what is now the Farm Service Agency became policy that could be affected by voices such as his.

He returned to Texas for his final semester and after graduation immediately went back north.

While searching for his first-time job, he lived off Holiday Inn points hed accumulated thanks to an internship with Syngenta, then found a boarding house. But hed learned his way around during his internship and had honed his speaking skills through Four-H Club competitions, so it didnt take long to get that first job.

I didnt know that you could come to Washington and take two of my favorite things  talking and agriculture  and turn it into a career, he said.

The ANRP program started in 1990 with a request from then-U.S. Rep. Greg Laughlin. The A&M graduate had called his alma mater looking for an agricultural economics student who could help him and his staff. It grew from there and now is supported by a list of individual and organizational donors such as the Plains Cotton Growers, Farm Credit Bank of Texas and Texas Farm Bureau.

The internship pays for the students apartments and tries to prepare them for life in D.C., from offering tips for shopping on a budget to lending professional clothing from an A&M career closet.

Program director Stephanie McMillen came through the program herself, going from living in a horse trailer near campus to the urban bustle of Washington.

Though she grew up in a Republican home, she was matched with a Rio Grande Valley Democrat.

My mom was totally excited but totally worried, you know, that I was going to be, like, indoctrinated into the other party and it was going to be the end of the world, she said.

But it was great to see another point of view from what I had been hearing growing up and to see that its not necessarily black or white, that it was a gray.

lbrezosky@express-news.net

twitter.com/lbrezoskyCrude edged up in New York after OPEC's second-biggest producer, Iraq, joined other members in resisting a push to boost oil supplies.

Futures in New York gained as much as 0.9 percent, while Brent was little changed. Prices had swung lower following signals that Saudi Arabia and Russia may increase output to offset losses from producers such as Venezuela. However, Iraq, Iran and Venezuela have since said they oppose such a move. OPEC is set to meet in Vienna later this month.

"Overall, where we're at, is continuing to call into question just what the ultimate outcome will be of the OPEC meeting," said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capita LLC. "The opposition that you're seeing from several OPEC members has given the market some pause about continuing to sell off here."

Citigroup Inc., in a note on Tuesday, said a boost by the group's four main producers is "inevitable," with such a move reviving about 500,000 barrels a day of halted output.

The debate has rolled out as OPEC on Tuesday emphasized deep uncertainty over the strength of demand for its oil in its monthly market report.

There's a "wide forecast range" for how much crude OPEC needs to pump in the second half of the year, its research department said wrote. With a range of uncertainty of 1.7 million barrels a day, demand could either be significantly higher, or slightly lower, than OPEC's current output.

West Texas Intermediate crude for July delivery rose 26 cents to $66.36 a barrel at 10:13 a.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Total volume traded was about 20 percent below the 100-day average.

Brent futures for August settlement slipped 19 cents to $76.27 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The global benchmark traded at a $9.97 premium to WTI for the same month.

Meanwhile, U.S., crude stockpiles probably fell 1.5 million barrels last week, according to a Bloomberg survey ahead of the release of Energy Information Administration data on Wednesday. At the same time, inventories at the biggest U.S. storage complex in Cushing, Oklahoma, decreased 900,000 barrels last week, according to a forecast compiled by Bloomberg.

The industry-funded American Petroleum Institute will release its weekly tally of inventories later on Tuesday.

Other oil-market news:

Gasoline futures rose less than 1 percent to $2.1058 a gallon.

Bonny Light for June and July loadings have been deferred by 2-7 days, according to a revised loading programs seen by Bloomberg.

The U.S. and North Korea agreed to seek complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula following a historic summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, yet the accord set no deadline and left the path to disarmament undefined.

--With assistance from Tsuyoshi Inajima and Grant Smith.

2018 Bloomberg L.P.Millions of dollars in additional federal money may soon flow to the Port of Corpus Christi's project to widen and deepen its ship channel to allow tankers to leave the port with larger loads of crude from Texas oil fields.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said another $23 million has been added to the corps' 2018 work plan for the Port of Corpus Christi's ongoing $327 million channel deepening project.WASHINGTON - Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the powerful Republican chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said she had "concerns" with the Department of Energy's plans to bail out financially struggling coal and nuclear plants to stop any more from closing.

"In my view [the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission] should be pointing the way on policy improvements that address grid vulnerabilities, while reaffirming our commitment to competition in wholesale power markets," she said. "We must increase the light and lower the heat in policy debates."

The comments came during a Senate oversight hearing to examine FERC's approach to overseeing the nation's energy infrastructure, with all five commissioners testifying. But the White House's unprecedented moves towards invoking its national security powers to manage the nation's power grid were taking center stage.

RELATED STORY: Perry's grid plan blocked by FERC

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., ranking member on the committee, called Energy Secretary Rick Perry's effort last year to have FERC to raise rates for coal and nuclear plants - something the commission rejected - a "radical proposal."

"Not only is the underlying policy wrong, but it is a threat on your independence and oversight to be directed this way," she said.

Under questioning from senators, some FERC commissioners showed doubts about the track taken by the White House.

"I'm a little concerned about the narrative that's being put out there," said Commissioner Robert F. Powelson. "We're going to need all these resources, but I don't think its appropriate to put FERC in the arena of creating moral hazards in these markets. These markets are working hyper efficiently."

Other commissioners warned that while the shift away from coal and nuclear power had so not caused any problems with reliability, there were no guarantees.

"We shouldn't assume that good fortune will continue," said Commissioner Neil Chatterjee. "I think it's important we and our partners in federal government remain vigilant in ensuring the reliability of our bulk power system."

FERC is in the middle of a review of the power grid to see what impact the growing number of coal and nuclear plant closures might have, and whether new natural gas plants and solar and wind farms could pick up the slack.

If they found the shift risked increasing the number of blackouts, they could adjust the federal policies that govern the nation's wholesale power markets to aid coal and nuclear. The White House has said faster action is needed, and Murkowki herself urged the commissioners to move quickly.

"It is critical for you all to engage," she said. "Frankly as one concerned about this issue for years now, I find it it unfortunate that prior commissions did not lead more effectively."University of Houston Chancellor Renu Khator has pushed back against parts of the House's bill overhauling federal higher education policy in a series of letters to lawmakers, records show.

She wrote that, in its current form, the bill could exacerbate student debt and add to UH's administrative burdens.

House leaders will soon assess how many votes are locked down for the bill, which is called the PROSPER Act, Politico reported Tuesday morning. Democrats and some higher education groups have protested the bill, which they say pares back financial aid for students.

That appears to be Khator's main criticism of the bill. In early May, she sent letters to more than 30 elected officials, including Rep. Kevin Brady, a Republican from The Woodlands, Rep. Al Green, a Houston Democrat, and Rep. Ted Poe, a Humble Republican.

FEDERAL LAW: Texas colleges, universities brace for hard changes

The act's elimination of the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant and the graduate PLUS loan gave Khator pause, she wrote, arguing that it could exacerbate student debt.

"Our universities serve many low-income and first generation college students who depend on these programs to attend college," she wrote in letters obtained by the Houston Chronicle. "Eliminating these programs may discourage them from attending; increase their debt-load; or force them into the private loan market where rates are often higher."

She also said disbursing financial aid weekly or monthly would challenge students' ability to pay for expenses up front and would also add to UH's administrative costs.

KHATOR'S CLIMB: An ambitious president. A Houston university set on change. And the 10 years that elevated them both

She said in the letter that she supported making a mobile phone application for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and a bonus for the Pell Grant that could encourage students to take more credits.

"Similar incentives for academically at-risk students have been proposed or implemented at Texas public universities with great success," she wrote.

Politico reported Tuesday that California higher education systems protested the bill earlier this week and that Senate lawmakers likely would not take up the House's legislation.The design writer and architecture critic Alexandra Lange's new book, "The Design of Childhood" (Bloomsbury; 416 pp.; $27) can send you into the past. As Lange tells the story of LEGO and the Tripp Trapp chair and the philosopher John Dewey's ideas for classrooms, you think of your own childhood. What were your favorite toys? Where did you play? What was your elementary school like?

But the book isn't interested in nostalgia. Showing us successful model after successful model, Lange wants us to examine the schools and playgrounds and neighborhoods we have built in our own cities. Are they good enough for our children? Have they been designed to help them be healthy and curious and safe?

Here's a conversation with Lange about her fascinating book.

Q: You organize the book from the small to the large, exploring the toys that children play with to the classrooms they spend time in to the parks they grow up enjoying, showing along the way that our environment is our "third teacher," as Loris Malaguzzi described it. What have you learned that that environment should be teaching our children?

A: I learned that environment can teach our children practically everything!

Blocks teach lessons about structure, about gravity and about cooperation. Group exercises like building the Brooklyn Bridge out of blocks (which they do at Manhattan's City and Country School) become opportunities to learn history and connect children's activities to the city they live in.

One of the most interesting threads I followed was about blocks in the digital space, as in Minecraft, and how children collaborate to build worlds online in parallel to lessons they learn about working together in a classroom.

Playrooms, which become popular in the postwar era, are shown in with open shelves to encourage children to put their own things away (maybe), and color-coded drawers to encourage organization. Long before grown-up taste went modern, kid spaces were thought to be better without ornament, so that children could fill in the blanks with their own imagination.

Playground equipment is designed to create successive challenges, so as children get older they have bigger things to climb, but this only works if parks departments plan for all ages and don't weed out equipment that moves for maintenance reasons.

Diane Cowen

Children have been proven to learn geography and orientation much more easily as pedestrians or cyclists, rather than being driven around in the back of the car, so they need safe opportunities to explore their block, their neighborhood and eventually their town on their own. Physically exploring your environment is a process parallel to child development, and at every stage adults can put tools (sometimes literal tools, as in junk playgrounds where kids build their own fun) in kids' hands and say, What do you want to make? Where? Who with? rather than setting out a task bounded by time and materials.

Q: Though it might seem as though designers are as responsive to the needs of children as ever, you argue that "our built environment is making kids less healthy, less independent and less imaginative." How so?

A: The built environment, the emphasis on safety, the emphasis on academic learning in American culture today, provides children with fewer opportunities to challenge and express themselves. Movements like Free-Range Parenting address this through legislation, but we also need to build freedom of movement for the most vulnerable back in. It will make that freedom more equitable, as well as more communal.

Q: One part of the built environment that had a much different effect is the Crow Island School, which was finished in 1940 in Illinois. You argue that it was one of the most influential schools built in the 20th century. What are the lessons from the design of that school that we can still learn?

A: Crow Island School in Winnetka was designed by a very young Lawrence Perkins, founder of the architecture firm Perkins+Will, in collaboration with Eliel and Eero Saarinen. But just as important were his clients, Carleton Washburne, the superintendent of the Winnetka schools, and Frances Presler, the school's director of creative activities.

Perkins spent weeks observing children in classrooms at other Winnetka schools and absorbing the educators' ideas about what school should be: a home-like place, that included both direct instruction and hands-on work, and was connected to the outdoors.

Perkins+Will

Crow Island classrooms have big window seats that look out on the landscape, with storage for blocks under the bench. The halls have wood panels that serve as pin-up boards. The furniture, which was made in Works Progress Administration workshops, is all scaled down to kid-size.

Few postwar schools were as beautifully made as Crow Island, but you see its influence in finger-shaped plans with outdoor space for each classroom, in classrooms set up for different types of daily activities and in schools that are sensitive to kids' needs for orientation and a sense of belonging, putting the kindergartens near the front door, or giving older kids a separate playground.

Q: A more contemporary example of successful design for children is Governors Island, you write. You quote a woman who once supposedly whispered to Leslie Koch, the president of the Trust for Governors Island, "Don't tell anyone, but I let my kids run free here." What works on Governors Island?

A: Not every public park can have a setting as spectacular as Governors Island, which sits just off the southern tip of Manhattan and is reached by ferries from the Battery and Brooklyn. That separation alone makes it feel like a mini-vacation out of the city.

But the redesign of the southern half of the island by landscape architects West 8, with Mathews Nielsen, builds on that separation to introduce topography and play for all ages on what was flat landfill. There are almost no cars, so parents need not worry about traffic. There's a bicycle loop around the outer edge of the island that's great for new riders. There's an artificial hill with a view of the Statue of Liberty to climb up, and another hill with the longest slide in the city to go down.

Timothy Schenck

There are all these things to do, but they aren't separated by age, or fences, or ticketing, there are long sight-lines from one to the next, there are lots of lawns to flop down on in between, there are food trucks if you don't want to pack a picnic.

It really does aspire to the status of everyone's summer-to-fall backyard.

Q: One theme that emerges over the course of the book is freedom, independence, one that is often illustrated by the "popsicle test," which wants children to be able to walk on their own  safely!  from their home and back with one in less than five minutes. That rule hints broadly at the idea of neighborhoods that are dense and walkable. But what else should urban designers be thinking about to make for cities that have the needs of children in mind?

A: Safety really is the first concern, and not overdramatized fears of kidnapping, but real fears about kids being hit by cars. Cars today are bigger, they are moving faster, and cities keep adapting streets to allow more of them. The popsicle test points in the opposite direction, where the smallest, most vulnerable bodies should be a priority. That means street designs that put pedestrians first: long lights, protected sidewalks and bike lanes, daylit intersections or even the shared streets known as "woonerfs" where the whole street is a shared sidewalk through which cars may pass.

That can also mean gradations of open space, from small private yards, to communal lawns or courtyards, to those soft-edged streets leading to schools, or transit stops, or bigger public parks.

There's been some talk recently about the "missing middle" in housing, between high-rises and single-family homes, and I think that is a great opportunity to build denser, family-friendly housing around historical patterns like bungalow courts, or rowhouses, or courtyard houses.

Density breeds connectivity, which breeds spaces in which kids can meet, and be passively observed, without a parent setting up a playdate or leaving the house. I really loved the 1970s-era developments in False Creek South, in Vancouver, which prioritize the courtyard, but many cities have their own vernacular versions of this idea  Los Angeles has glamorous courtyard apartments with fountains  dating back to the early 20th century.

In city government these planning issues are too often spread between different departments, so school building lags way behind new housing, or new housing is built next to roads that are wildly unsafe for kids to cross to a park or a school.

My hope would be that, going forward, agencies could coordinate around the constituency of families, as it is clear from demographic patterns that more people with kids want a walkable lifestyle. This is a big ask, but the economic argument is there, as are physical examples in Vancouver and Toronto of such recent planning.

Allyn West runs Gray Matters. You can find him on Twitter at @allynwest and send him an email at allyn.west@chron.com.

Get the Gray Matters newsletter. It really does aspire to the status of everyone's summer-to-fall backyard.My depression was like that scene in the "The Ring" where Samara is at the bottom of the well and looks up to watch the heavy stone lid slowly slide over the top.

It eclipsed all light and removed me utterly from anything outside that well. When you're at the bottom of that well and the light is fading, you cannot feel the love that people profess. It just doesn't reach you. You hear voices, but the words don't mean anything.

Let me tell you. Your suicidal friend has moved past depression, through despondency, to despair. She can't hear what you are saying. Platitudes disconnected from action are not only not helpful, they hurt.

Call this phone number. Reach out if you're in pain.

I can't reach out. I am not calling anyone. I need someone to notice and come get me. Words aren't enough to save someone.

So many people love you.

Depression creates a reality in which you know that you are garbage. You are sure of it. When you hear loving, caring words, they feel like a cruel joke. "If you only knew who I really am," I thought, "you'd never say that you love me." I felt like a fraud.

Think of your kids.

You are so utterly certain of your own malignant worthlessness and ineffectiveness that you believe your children are better off without you. It might seem illogical. But your former rational functioning has been replaced by a mindset that processes everything through a prism colored by the pain you've caused.

To those of us who have known moments where we simply wished not to be, it seems logical. When you can't make yourself go to work, or cook for your kids, or get out of bed, or clean your house or even clean yourself, it is not a stretch to believe that, in that state, your children are better off without you.

RELATED: It's not just Spade and Bourdain: Suicide rates increasing in America

Years ago, when I was truly on the edge of giving up, I had a few friends who forced me to do the most rudimentary tasks. For a few minutes, this got me out of the hell of my own head.

A particularly wise friend would take time out of her workday, and she would call or text me every 30 minutes or so. "Did you brush your teeth?" she would ask. "Did you shower?"

And the one phrase that, I swear, saved my life: "Did you wash your ass? Don't worry about what comes after that. Just wash your ass."

Sadly, I had not for several days. Her words were the right words. Here's why.

She invested time and called or texted repeatedly. She gave me tasks that forced me to move and clean myself up  at least I would be less disgusted with myself. She held me accountable.

After cleaning up, I had a few minutes of semi-clarity. No, it did not make me well. But it made me not want to cease existing long enough to get a ride to a crisis center. I checked my newly clean ass in and got help.

Another friend picked me up there after a few days. Once I could see some light, I could start to ask for help and feel that I was worth helping.

But when you can't see that light, you can't ask for that help. No reassurance about your value to others or yourself can be heard. Words cannot convince you otherwise. Words cannot draw you out of this state.

You need to be pushed to actions, accountability and direct connection to others. What you need is for someone to see how very badly you're doing and intercede. Invest time. Invest effort. Create action and movement.

This is the rescue gurney that can reach the bottom of your well.

RELATED: As we talk about guns, we have to talk about youth suicide

For the next year or so after, I struggled daily just to be OK. To hell with happy  I just wanted to be OK. Those close to me checked in on me. Made sure I socialized. Held me accountable  because they loved me.

In many cases, accountability equaled love.

I know it's messy. It's uncomfortable. Depressed people in crisis are sometimes no fun. It took months for me to be myself  or to begin reconstructing a new self.

People carried me when I couldn't.

This is what we have to do. Decide to spend an afternoon having no fun, but maybe saving your loved one. Call your friend and make her brush her teeth. Call around and get resources for her. She can't make those calls herself. Show up and bring coffee and donuts and watch her eat. Give her a ride to the hospital. Tell her you'll watch the kids for a couple days. Offer to feed the cats when she's away.

And make sure she washes her ass.

Christina Szejk writes specifications at an international architectural firm. She is buoyed by her roles as a mom, a Steeler fan and an intrepid traveler with friends all over the country looking out for her.

Get the Gray Matters newsletter. It can reach the bottom of your well.SNC-Lavalin, a leading project management company, said it has signed an exclusive agreement with Florexx International Investments for the extended basic engineering and subsequent design and delivery of an advanced topping refinery in the UAE.

A Dubai-based group, Florexx International Investments is an integrated bio, green, and renewable energy investment and development company. It has been established and created as a conglomerate platform for all its investments and development activities worldwide.

SNC-Lavalin said as per the deal it will carry out the initial basic engineering, masterplanning, process technology evaluation and selection to support project financial investment decision approvals, expected in the third quarter.



Once the project proceeds to the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) phase, the Canadian construction giant will carry out the complete design and delivery of the refinery, working alongside Emirati contractors to maximise in-country value.



Advanced topping refineries use distillation columns to separate crude oil into different petroleum products, including naphtha, diesel, kerosene and fuel, said the company in a statement.



The inside battery limits (ISBL) scope of the agreement between SNC-Lavalin and Florexx includes construction of a 100,000-barrels-per-day (bpd) capacity refinery complemented by non-process technical and non-technical buildings and support infrastructure.



On the contract win, Christian Brown, the president for oil and gas at SNC-Lavalin, said: "This project is an important addition to the work that we do in the UAE, further boosting our extensive capability in providing end-to-end solutions in the downstream oil and gas market."



"It is also contributing to the growth of our business in the region and our continued focus on adding value to all seven emirates," he added.-TradeArabia News ServiceImmigrants fleeing domestic violence or gangs in their homeland are ineligible for asylum in the United States in virtually all cases, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Monday in a closely watched decision that reverses years of rulings by immigration courts and affects thousands of cases.

Sessions decision overturns a 2014 ruling by the Board of Immigration Appeals in the case of a woman who had fled Guatemala with her three children after her husband repeatedly raped her. The board had said she was a member of a social group  Guatemalan women abused by their husbands in a country with a macho culture  and may be able to prove that her government would not protect her.

Many women from Central America have relied on that ruling to apply for asylum, and victims of gang violence have cited similar decisions in their asylum applications.

But Sessions, whose Justice Department includes the immigration courts, said there are no legal grounds in almost all cases for victims of domestic violence, gang violence or other harm inflicted by private parties unconnected with the government to establish eligibility for asylum.

The asylum statute does not provide redress for all misfortune, he said. The mere fact that a country may have problems effectively policing certain crimes  such as domestic violence or gang violence  or that certain populations are more likely to be victims of crime, cannot itself establish an asylum claim.

Doctors Without Borders, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization that provides medical aid to refugees, called Sessions ruling a death sentence for many of its patients.

Asylum, the right to remain in the country, requires proof that an immigrant faces persecution because of his or her race, religion, nationality, political views or membership in a particular social group. It includes private abuses that the home government is unable or unwilling to control.

In the 2014 case, Sessions said, the Guatemalan womans husband attacked her not because she was a member of a purported social group  women who are unable to leave their abusive spouses  but because of his preexisting personal relationship with the victim. He said it was also doubtful that Guatemalan society views these women, as horrible as their personal circumstances may be, as members of a distinct group in society rather than as victims of individual abusers.

Likewise, Sessions said, gangs may attack people who have money or property, or simply because they are in the area, but that does not mean the victims are targeted as members of a social group. And the failure of local police to respond to a report from an individual crime victim does not necessarily mean that the government is unwilling or unable to control crime, any more than it would in the United States, he said.

He also criticized the Department of Homeland Security, under President Barack Obama, for conceding many of the issues in the 2014 Guatemala case. In a later case he took over from the immigration courts, involving a woman from El Salvador who said police did nothing to protect her from beatings and rape by her husband, Sessions ordered a new hearing before an immigration judge who had previously ruled against her  and who, according to lawyers in the case, has rejected more than 90 percent of the asylum applications he has considered.

I do not minimize the vile abuse that (the woman) reported she suffered at the hands of her ex-husband or the harrowing experiences of many other victims of domestic violence, Sessions said. But the asylum statute is not a general hardship statute.

Sessions decision is binding on immigration courts, but could be challenged in the federal appeals court in Richmond, Va. In a separate decision last month, he barred immigration judges from putting deportation cases on hold, a common practice when immigrants need time to gain legal status or have been found to be low priorities for removal.

Response from advocates for immigrants to Mondays decision was swift and angry.

I think the decision is devastating for the thousands of woman, and families, that are fleeing both domestic violence and gang violence, said Jeremy McKinney, an attorney in Greensboro, N.C., and secretary of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He said Sessions had distorted the established legal definition of social group and had inappropriately prejudged probably most of the asylum claims that are pending in our courts.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez called the decision heartless and said the Trump administration was attacking some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

But Jeremy Carl, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, said Sessions had brought sanity into a much-abused element of immigration law.

Bob Egelko and Hamed Aleaziz are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com, haleaziz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko @haleazizThe founding superintendent of Houston's Varnett charter school and her husband have been indicted on charges of embezzling more than $2.6 million intended to benefit impoverished students, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

Marian Annette Cluff and Alsie Cluff Jr., the school's former facilities manager, are expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Johnson this week on the 19-count indictment returned late Wednesday, according to a statement from federal authorities.

The Cluffs, who resigned in 2014, are accused of opening four "off-books accounts," kept secret from the school's office manager, external accountant and income tax preparer, the statement said. Specifically, they embezzled more than $1 million from "money orders" that parents submitted for school field trips and fundraisers such as books fairs and carnivals, and hid money from vendors, insurance companies and federal agencies, according to the authorities.

The couple also failed to pay taxes on the money and are charged with evading nearly $852,000 in federal income taxes, the statement said.

"Today's indictment alleges that these school officials abused their positions of trust to steal funds from the very ones they promised to serve  the children who attended the Varnett Public School," said Neil Sanchez of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Inspector General.

The Texas Education Agency proposed revoking Varnett's accreditation after an agency investigation found wrongful spending, but proceedings have not taken place and the school continues to operate, said spokeswoman DeEtta Culbertson.

Dan Cogdell, a Houston attorney representing the Cluffs, said the couple was aware of the federal investigation and already has repaid a "significant" amount of money to the school.

"There were certainly errors in judgment made," Cogdell said. "They've acknowledged that, but at the end of the day they're going to do everything they can to make the situation correct."

According to Varnett's 2014 audit, submitted to the Texas Education Agency, $1.5 million had been recovered from the former superintendent as of Jan. 8, 2015, and remained in a trust account per an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice.

The school's new superintendent, Margaret Stroud, thanked parents for trusting the school with their children. The school operates three campuses that serve roughly 1,600 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.

"We are disheartened to learn of the allegations; however, we are moving forward and will focus on the four principles of our core beliefs: high student achievement, safety, respect, and common decency," Stroud said in a statement. "We are proud of our students' and employees' accomplishments over the past school year, and we are excited to continue our successes in the 2015-2016 school year."

Stroud retired from the Houston Independent School District in 2005 after her son got district consulting contracts, the Houston Chronicle reported at the time.

In the new indictments, Annette Cluff also was accused of ordering the school's maintenance and landscaping contractor to submit false invoices totaling more than $115,000. She then ordered him to return the money by writing her personal checks and later lied to the FBI and said the money was for a loan, authorities said.

"We take allegations such as these very seriously," U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson said in the statement. "If proven guilty, those found to have taken funds intended for the benefit of students for their personal benefit will be held accountable for their actions."

They are charged with conspiracy, mail fraud, tax evasion and obstruction of justice. If convicted of mail fraud or obstruction of justice, each faces up to 20 years in person. The other charges carry a five-year federal prison sentence. And they could face a $250,000 fine.

The Houston Chronicle reported in 2012 that the Cluffs had prospered while putting their relatives on the payroll, while also forming companies to run transportation and rent facilities to the school. Varnett's 2011 audit said the school paid the two companies $2 million in one year.

Charter schools are funded by taxpayers, but unlike traditional public school districts, they are not overseen by publicly elected boards and are exempt from various state regulations.The founders of two Houston charter schools have prospered while putting their relatives on the payroll and doing business with their own private companies at taxpayers' expense.

The state generally has a hands-off approach to publicly funded charter schools, but a Texas Education Agency spokeswoman confirmed last week that agency staff was reviewing possible problems at the Varnett and Rhodes schools.

The Varnett founder, superintendent and campus director, M. Annette Cluff, employs her husband and daughter at the school, and the three earned a combined salary of $514,708 this academic year, TEA data show. Cluff also formed a private bus company that transports the students and controls a for-profit corporation that rents facilities to the school. Varnett's 2011 audit says the school paid the two companies $2 million last year.

The TEA has withheld the accreditation of Varnett since March during a review of unspecified issues. Rhodes, the other school under review, maintains its accreditation.

Charter schools are funded by taxpayers, but unlike traditional public school districts, they are not overseen by publicly elected boards and are exempt from various state regulations. Bans on nepotism don't apply to charters that have earned acceptable academic ratings for two of the last three years. Varnett and Rhodes meet the academic exemption.

Rhodes' founder and superintendent, Michelle Bonton, has employed five relatives over the last few years, according to interviews and records. She also started her own bus company that contracts with the school and runs a for-profit day-care center on the campus. The school board president sells T-shirts and other promotional items to Rhodes, and her husband formerly was paid rent for leasing the school space for off-site board meetings.

"The majority of charter schools are dedicated to education," said Henry Levin, a professor of education and economics at Columbia University's Teachers College, who has studied the national landscape. "But a minority view them primarily as a business that entitles them to use the school for real estate and other transactions to enhance profit."

Varnett, which serves about 1,730 students, received more than $13.5 million in state revenue last year, and Rhodes, with 595 students, received more than $2.1 million, according to their 2011 audits and TEA data.

Most of the children are black or Hispanic and come from low-income families.

Varnett's rapid growth

Annette Cluff, 64, ventured into the Houston education scenein 1984, opening a private elementary school because she disliked the existing options for her young son.

A decade later, the Texas Legislature authorized the creation of charter schools, allowing nonprofit entities to apply for state funding in hopes that the campuses would innovate and drive traditional public schools to improve.

Cluff won approval to start her charter school in 1998. Initially, she planned for a small elementary charter school, serving up to 300 at-risk students, according to her application.

Today, Varnett has almost six times as many students on three campuses. Cluff draws a salary of $264,600 this year, placing her among the highest-paid superintendents in Texas while serving far fewer children, according to TEA data. By comparison, the principal of Houston's Lamar High School, which has twice as many students, makes $127,200.

Cluff's husband, Alsie Cluff Jr., earns $175,166 as facilities and operations manager. The couple's combined salaries have increased 32 percent in three years, TEA figures show. In 2011 they bought a new inner-Loop home, now appraised at $1.39 million.

Alsie Cluff Jr. also serves on the charter school's governing board. Employees of charter schools with acceptable academic ratings are permitted, under state rules, to serve on the board.

"It think it's fair to say that charter boards don't receive nearly the public scrutiny that traditional school district boards do," said TEA spokeswoman Debbie Ratcliffe.

"Their meetings tend to be poorly attended, and their boards are often much smaller than your standard ISD school board."

Tracy Young, a vice president of the Texas Charter Schools Association, noted that charter boards have stricter guidelines than other nonprofit boards.

"The charter school boards must hold open meetings and are transparent and accountable to taxpayers," she said.

Pete McConnell, a spokesman for Varnett, said Cluff was the only person who could answer questions and was unavailable because she was out of town on school business for the next two weeks.

Seven-figure payments

Payments to Cluff's other companies - Texas School Bus Company and Varnett Academy Inc., which rents facilities to the school - have risen from six figures over the last several years to seven figures in 2011, audits show.

Varnett's spending on transportation accounts for 8 percent of its budget, costing $632 per pupil - well above the state average of 3 percent and $240 per student, according to the most recent TEA data from 2009-10.

When Cluff applied to start her charter school in 1998, she reported it would be housed in a facility owned by Varnett Academy Inc., a for-profit corporation. Cluff noted that she was the founder and 100 percent shareholder of that business.

The lease agreement shows that Cluff signed as both the landlord and the tenant. The annual rent for the building on Clematis Lane was $24,000 at that time.

The TEA's Ratcliffe said she could not comment on Varnett's lease deal, but said the state generally wants charters to have an "arms-length arrangement" with landlords and pay fair market value.

In June 2008, the Varnett school paid $917,500 for land and a building it had been renting from Cluff's for-profit entity. About a year later, Cluff's corporation bought the administration building - it's unclear if this is the same building the company had sold - from the school for $594,024, according to Varnett's 2009 audit. The school then leased the building from Cluff's company for $17,623 a month, the audit said.

Varnett has received numerous accolades. The east campus earned the National Blue Ribbon Award in 2010 for student achievement. In 2007, the Texas House passed a resolution honoring Cluff for winning a local service award.

Rhodes opened in 2007

Bonton, a former public school teacher and counselor, won state approval to open the Rhodes charter school in 2007. As superintendent and principal, she earns $135,000 this year, according to the TEA. She also reported she expects to earn an extra $100,000 from her grant-writing efforts this year.

Bonton's employment contract authorizes a 10 percent commission on grants she obtains for the school.

Bonton said she has waived the provision in some cases, such as accepting $39,000 - 3 percent - for a federal magnet school grant she helped the school land in 2010.

Bonton, 45, also formed a bus company, Ellis Industries, which the school paid $107,007 last year, according to its audit. Bonton confirmed that her daughter, son and brother-in-law work at Rhodes in various roles, her father drives her school bus, and two other relatives formerly worked at the school.

Bonton said she hires her relatives because they are qualified and because they believe in her and the school.

Rhodes also has paid thousands of dollars to a promotional items company owned by the school board president, Sonia Jordan. Bonton said she has been friends with Jordan for more than 20 years.

The school reported Jordan would receive $31,000 in salary this school year, plus an estimated $10,000 for her company. Bonton said Jordan was serving as the parent involvement coordinator in addition to her role as board president.

Rhodes formerly paid Jordan's husband, Marcellus, to lease a house he owned, using it to hold school board meetings. The annual rent was $1,000 for two years and then increased to $2,500.

Bonton said the board met at the house, about 18 miles south of the school, because it was centrally located for board members.

The meetings must be open to the public under state law. The off-campus board meetings and lease payments stopped late last year, Bonton said.

The Rhodes campus also houses a for-profit day-care center owned by Bonton. She said she did not pay rent for a period of time, instead contributing in-kind with an employee who assisted at Rhodes, but began paying $750 a month at the urging of the school's auditor.

ericka.mellon@chron.com

twitter.com/e_mellonFaced with a $4.4-million restitution bill stemming from an embezzlement case, Varnett charter school founders Marian Cluff and Alsie Cluff Jr. have dropped the list price of their south Houston mansion by $1 million in an effort to sell the estate faster, court records and online listings show.

The Cluffs, a husband-and-wife duo who admitted to embezzling $2.6 million in school-related funds and failing to disclose the money on federal tax returns, are seeking buyers for their six-bedroom, 7,000-square-foot estate as they try to pay back the government and local victims. After originally listing their Riverside Terrace mansion at $3.5 million, the Cluffs gradually have dropped the price to $2.5 million  still the most expensive listing in a 2.5-mile radius, according to the Houston Association of Realtors website.

The couple, who founded the 1,600-student Varnett school network in 1984, pleaded guilty last year to single counts of mail fraud and conspiracy to commit tax evasion after investigators discovered the embezzlement scheme. More than $1 million of the $2.6 million came from parents, who gave school officials money meant for field trips and fundraisers, according to a plea agreement. Investigators said other Varnett employees were not aware of the scheme. In addition to paying back the $2.6 million, the Cluffs agreed to pay $1.8 million in unpaid taxes, penalties and interest.

In a court filing ahead of a sentencing originally set for Friday  it since has been rescheduled for mid-June  lawyers for the Cluffs said the couple already has set aside $1.6 million for restitution. The Cluffs have consistently manifested their desire to pay full restitution before sentencing, with plans to sell their 1.95-acre estate and hand over the proceeds, their lawyers said.

Two years after the home went on the market, it still has not sold. In a court filing last week, the Cluffs lawyers said that partially is due to the publicity surrounding it, citing a May 2016 article by the Houston Chronicle about the listing. The filing does not cite any evidence that media coverage has contributed to the home remaining on the market.

Harris County officials appraised the Cluffs property at $1.7 million in 2016 and 2017. It was listed at $1.6 million in 2011 shortly before the Cluffs bought the estate. It is not clear what upgrades, if any, the Cluffs have made to the home since 2011.

The Cluffs lawyers, Dan Cogdell and Cordt Akers, wrote in court filings that the couple dropped the list price to $2.5 million as a gesture to show their serious intent to sell the home as quickly as possible. Attempts to reach Cogdell and Akers were not successful Wednesday.

The Cluffs originally founded the Varnett school as a private institution, converting it to a taxpayer-supported charter network in 1998. The organization has received about $11 million to $13 million in state funding annually over the past several years. Marian Cluff served as the networks board president, principal and superintendent, and Alsie Cluff Jr. worked as vice president and treasurer.

Prior to their indictments, the Cluffs engaged in pervasive conflicts of interest and questionable governance practices, a Texas Education Agency investigation found. The couple also received salaries that were significantly higher than average for leaders of similar-sized schools. In 2013-14, the final year with available compensation data for the couple, Marian Cluff earned $266,400 in salary and benefits, while Alsie Cluff Jr. received $184,000.

Terms of the plea agreement call for a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison. Federal prosecutors did not object to delaying the Cluffs sentencing as they try to sell their home.

jacob.carpenter@chron.com

twitter.com/chronjacobAUSTIN - The demographic elements that make the 7th Congressional District in Houston one of the hottest midterm elections in the nation also run through a neighboring area that has some Democrats dreaming of picking up not one, but two Republican-held congressional seats in Harris County this year.

While the 2nd Congressional District has not received anywhere near the focus of national Republicans or Democrats as the neighboring 7th, the similarities in the districts changing demographics - particular the growth of non-white and college educated voters - has Democrats optimistic as they anticipate a national wave election that could sweep Democrats back into power on Capitol Hill.

Both districts have slightly more women then men, nearly identical median ages (35) and median household incomes ($72,000). According to U.S. Census data, both have about 98,000 black residents and about 245,000 Hispanic residents.

But there is one big factor so far keeping the 2nd from becoming a hot race like the battle between Democrat Lizzie Pinnell Fletcher and Rep. John Culberson, a Houston Republican, in the 7th District: Trump.

In 2016, both the 7th and 2nd saw less support for President Donald Trump than what Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney received four years earlier. Romney won over 60 percent of the vote in both districts against President Barack Obama in 2012. But in 2016, Trump won 52 percent in the 2nd Congressional District and just 47 percent of the vote in the 7th, where Culberson has faced few serious challengers.

Those 5 percentage points mean everything to national forecasters who say Trumps performance in the 7th revealed a major problem for Republicans. There are 20 seats in the House held by Republicans that Clinton won in 2016.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Culbersons response to Harvey under political attack

But Democrats say the demographic changes, and the 2016 results, show something is happening in the 2nd Congressional District that could make it go blue in a big Democratic wave  if there is one  in 2018.

We can win the seat, said Todd Litton, the Democratic nominee who has lived in the shadows of the Rice University Medical Center for most of the last two decades. This is a very winnable seat.

Litton, a director of an education non-profit, said the higher education levels and growing diversity in the district make it competitive. He said those changes prompted him to run for Congress even before incumbent Rep. Ted Poe announced he would retire and create an open seat in the 2nd, which meanders from West Houston north to Atascocita and Humble.

District 2 is rapidly changing and we have a strong candidate in Todd Litton, adds Amanda Sherman, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee which is beginning to pay more attention to the race.

At the end of March, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi showed her support for Litton, sending $7,000 through a political action committee and her campaign account.

Even Republican Dan Crenshaw, who won the GOP nomination easily last month, is trying to keep his supporters from becoming complacent.

It is not time to rest, Crenshaw warned his supporters on election night.

Days later he was on Fox News Channels popular Fox & Friends program warning viewers from assuming he has the race locked up.

Of course its not over, we still need help going into November, Crenshaw said.

The Economist was the first major publication to list the 2nd Congressional District as one of the nations toss-up races based on demographic trends last week. Other national political forecasters, though, say they arent sold yet. Dave Wasserman, a political analyst with the Cook Political Report in Washington D.C., doesnt have the 2nd on his watch list at all.

While District 2 and 7 have similar minority populations, voter data shows that Hispanic voters in southwestern sections of the 2nd tend not to vote as much. He said that is particularly important in the 2nd because of strong voting in Kingwood and other sections of northwest Harris County that are more Republican.

Democrats will need more of their voters going to the polls to be competitive, he said.

Another key group will be college graduates. In the 2016 election, the Pew Research Center found college graduates backed Clinton by a 9-point margin (52 percent to 43 percent), while those without a college degree backed Trump 52 percent to 44 percent. According to Pew, it was the widest gap recorded between college graduates and non-college graduates in exit polls dating back to 1980.

OPPONENT: Is Dan Crenshaw the secret weapon for GOP with Millennials?

In the 7th, just over 50 percent of the district has a bachelors degree - the second highest percentage in the state. But the 2nd District isnt far behind, with just over 40 percent of the district with bachelors degrees, the sixth highest in the state. Litton said the high education level in the 2nd district makes him optimistic heading into November.

Litton has also proven he can raise money - a key to any congressional race. While Creshaw raised about $640,000, he spent most of that trying to win his primary against 8 other Republicans. He entered May with less than $150,000 in his campaign account, according to Federal Election Commission records. Litton raised about $540,000 and still had more than $240,000 in his account after defeating four other Democratic primary opponents.A new state report blasts the Varnett charter school in Houston for millions of dollars in questionable spending - including cruises, first-class airfare, spa services and deals that enriched the superintendent.

An investigation by the Texas Education Agency also found that school officials conducted business out of public view, holding board meetings via phone or far from the main office - at a New Orleans hotel, for example, and on a Carnival cruise ship.

Conflicts of interest were pervasive at The Varnett Public School, the report found, noting that Superintendent M. Annette Cluff employed family members and owned a bus company and a real-estate entity that made money off the school. The Houston Chronicle reported on the relationships last year.

The school denied wrongdoing in a written response from Houston attorney Rusty Hardin.

"We vigorously dispute any suggestion that our client or its principals have ever acted with unlawful intent," Hardin wrote to the Texas Education Agency. "Having said that, we acknowledge where innocent mistakes have been made by our client and recognize the possibility of improving some of our client's business practices."

Sanctions weighed

Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams is weighing sanctions against the school, which could include closure. The investigative report also is being sent to the U.S. Department of Education as state investigators questioned $5.2 million worth of federal funds the school received from 2009 through 2011.

"This is very serious," DeEtta Culbertson, a spokeswoman for the Texas Education Agency, said Tuesday. "We're talking a substantial amount of money."

As a charter school, Varnett is publicly funded but is free from some state regulations. Nepotism rules, for example, are looser for charters than for traditional public schools.

Cluff, the superintendent, founded the school. She earned a salary of $264,600 in fiscal 2011, according to the state, higher than leaders of some larger school systems. Varnett has three campuses and about 1,700 students.

As superintendent of HISD, the state's largest district, Terry Grier earns a base salary of $300,000.

Cluff's husband, Alsie Cluff Jr., serves as Varnett's facilities and operations manager, and their children have worked for the school.

The couple owns a private bus company that contracts with the school. Varnett's transportation costs topped $980,000 in 2010, the state report said. In addition, the Cluffs benefited from a $1 million lease agreement between the school and their own real estate company.

State auditors also found that school funds were used to reimburse the Cluffs for numerous questionable charges. They include more than $132,000 for hotels, cruises and travel packages; nearly $44,000 at restaurants; and more than $3,000 on tickets for Broadway, Las Vegas and Disney on Ice shows, according to the report.

Reimbursed themselves

Instead of having a school credit card, the Cluffs used a personal American Express card and reimbursed themselves, the report said.

Hardin said in his response that a personal charge may have gone unnoticed accidentally.

"It is and has always been The Varnett Public School's policy to correct any accounting errors through a full reimbursement," he wrote.

Hardin and a spokesman for Varnett could not be reached late Tuesday.

Auditors with the Texas Education Agency first visited Varnett for the investigation in March 2011, but the agency did not issue its final report until this month.

Culbertson, the agency spokeswoman, said the review required a lot of time and a change in agency staff may have contributed to a delay.AUSTIN  Dozens of parents, teachers and students demanded that state lawmakers keep guns out of schools and reject legislation that would arm more teachers and other school staff.

In the wake of the mass shooting at Santa Fe High School, Gov. Greg Abbott released dozens of recommendations to bolster school safety. Many aspects of the plan included adding more law enforcement officers in schools and arming school teachers and staff through state programs that provide training.

But many students and parents voiced opposition to arming staff at the Senate hearing Tuesday, telling lawmakers that more guns in schools is the wrong approach to addressing school shootings.

Students have the right to go to a safe school, said Neil Loewenstern, a high school teacher in Austin. More guns will not make schools safer  I dont want a gun in my classroom, and I will not work in a school where a teacher has a gun.

Gaelila McKaughan, a sophomore at Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin, said she has never felt safe during a lockdown drill. She said lawmakers should focus their resources violence prevention programs and on training law enforcement to more effectively respond to mass shooting.

Its not a teachers job to sacrifice their lives for their students, McKaughan said.

The Senate Select Committee on Violence in Schools and School Security is hosting several hearings to discuss Abbotts proposal and other ideas for strengthening school safety. Tuesdays hearing focused on the plan to increase armed officials in schools. The committee asked several school and law enforcement officials to talk about their experiences with armed officials in schools.

We cant fool ourselves into believing that law enforcement is the only appropriate response to a person who shows up with a gun, hellbent on murdering people, said Jim Skinner, the Collin County Sheriff. Because of that, I am of the opinion that if a person is properly trained and qualified, we ought to have some kind of provision to put armed people in our schools.

Schools in Texas already have several options for arming staff members, including the Texas School Marshal Program. Teachers and staff participating in the program receive 80 hours of training on how to respond to an active shooter. Its unclear how many staff members are armed in schools through the program because the numbers are not public.

But Abbott and others want to expand the program and modify rules already on the books. Teachers who go through the Marshal Program, for example, cant carry the gun on their person, and must lock the gun up.

Craig Bessent, an assistant superintendent at Wylie ISD, said there are school marshals in his schools. He said the teacher keeps the gun locked up, and students do not know that he is armed. He told lawmakers that he is in favor of allowing the Marshals to conceal and carry their guns.

Some school officials have testified in the past two days that arming teachers puts them at risk of getting shot if law enforcement is responding to a mass shooting. Police would not take the time to question if that staff member is authorized to have a a gun because they are trained to shoot anyone with a gun in a school. Bessent said school marshals are aware of that response.

Thats a risk we take, we know that, Bessent said.

The state also has a guardian program that allows armed teachers in school with school board approval. Kim Vickers, the executive director of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, said he has many concerns with the guardian program because it only required 16 hours of training, but there is no oversight on the type of training the participants receive. Lawmakers voiced support during the hearing to strengthen the requirements of that program.

Alejandra Matos covers politics, immigration and education policy. Follow her on Twitter. Email tips to alejandra.matos@chron.com. Subscribe to the Texas Take politics newsletter.Sri Lankas second international airport, Mattala International Airport, has been left without a single scheduled flight this year after its remaining carrier Flydubai suspended flights to the facility on June 8, said a report.



The airport, located 250km away from the capital Colombo, was built at a cost of over $200 million, financed mostly by loans from China, said a report in Gulf News.



Spread over 12,000-sq-m with 12 check-in counters and two gates, it is capable of hosting more than a million passengers each year. However, the airport only received some 35,000 passengers in 2017, rendering it virtually "empty".



Even Sri Lankas national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines stopped flying to Mattala in 2015 saying the move saved them $18 million annually.



Mattala will however remain an emergency alternate landing location for flights heading into Colombo International, the report said.A Texas teacher has been sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to an improper relationship with a 15-year-old student, the Dallas Morning News reports.

Katherine Ruth Harper, 28, was arrested in March 2017 after Trophy Club police received an anonymous tip that the 7th-grade English teacher had a sexual relationship with a student at Tidwell Middle School in Roanoke.Its bad enough that Harris County officials have wasted $6 million in taxpayer money to defend an unconstitutional bail system that has long freed the rich and let the poor languish in jail.

Now theyre wasting our time with a new kind of injustice: ridiculous allegations hurled at the countys respected Chief Public Defender Alex Bunin.

Today, instead of addressing truly urgent matters  the upcoming multibillion-dollar bond election in response to Harvey, perhaps, or what to do about the flood-prone criminal courthouse  the Harris County Commissioners Court plans to mull the fate of Bunin following an investigation by County Attorney Vince Ryans office.

NEWS: Harris County defense lawyers rally in support of public defender under investigation

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EDITORIAL: By our count, 76 contested judicial races are on the Harris County ballot  so start studying now

Ryan is looking into whether Bunin improperly leaked juvenile court records to plaintiffs suing the county in the bail lawsuit, and whether he allowed a non-county employee, bail reform advocate Jay Jenkins, to use county resources.

Precinct 3 Commissioner Steve Radack told the Chronicle that he wouldnt rule out firing Bunin. We cant rule out that Radack has too much time on his hands.

Bunin, a former federal public defender who came to Houston nearly a decade ago to build the Harris County PDs office from scratch, has done nothing but further the cause of justice here. Bunin has won national recognition and secured a $350,000 Justice Department grant to train and mentor court-appointed attorneys.

Bunin maintains he did nothing wrong. He told the editorial board that the names of some juveniles were included in one email he sent, but those werent court records and the law doesnt prohibit their disclosure. He said he allowed Jenkins work space, but the county benefited more.

ALSO: Texas can't afford to give criminals Get Out of Jail Free card

He was giving us resources. He was like our liaison with community leaders, Bunin said.

Bunins only crime seems to be doing his job, to advocate for his clients  the countys indigent defendants  even when it meant opposing the policies of his employer. Bunin had long argued that depriving defendants attorneys at bail hearings violated due process rights, and a federal judge agreed.

The county cannot tell us that because they have a position in a lawsuit, that we can put that above and beyond our clients needs, Bunin said.

He isnt the only county official to speak out against an unconstitutional system. Hes the only one who isnt elected, which leaves him vulnerable to retaliation.

In fact, were all vulnerable if Radack and Ryan are allowed to punish a dedicated public servant for his integrity. Let Bunin get back to the work he was hired to do. And commissioners, we suggest you do the same.Both during and after the Obama administration's Iran deal negotiations, there was no greater champion of tough congressional oversight than then-Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan. Now, Congress should follow Pompeo's model by doing everything possible to encourage, cajole or pressure President Donald Trump not to make a bad deal with North Korea.

Trump has made clear that he's not interested in Congress' "advice" as he prepares to sit down with Kim Jong Un. But the summit is just the beginning of a long, diplomatic process, and concerned lawmakers in both parties are torn over Congress's role. Now secretary of state, Pompeo is Trump's top negotiator and congressional liaison. But in 2015, Pompeo helped lead the congressional effort to pick apart President Barack Obama's Iran deal, expose its secrets and keep up the pressure on Tehran.

RELATED: The Doomsday Clock continues to tick in North Korea

Two months before the Iran deal was struck, Pompeo publicly called on Congress to play a huge role. He was one of only 25 House members to vote against the bill giving Congress the ability to review the Iran deal, because he thought it was too weak.

"It is unconscionable for Congress to grant such sweeping power to any president - but we are not allowing Obama to lift sanctions on Iran no matter what terrible deal he agrees to with Ayatollah Khamenei," Pompeo said while negotiations were ongoing. If Obama struck a bad deal, he hoped "Congress will have the will to stop him."

RELATED: North Korea isn't the biggest problem in Asia

After the deal was signed, Pompeo traveled to Vienna with Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., to investigate the secret side deals struck between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Pompeo introduced new sanctions bills on Iran, because - according to him - Obama's deal failed to address Iran's human rights violations and support for terrorism. Pompeo also said going against Obama's Iran deal was a political win.

"The American people get who the Iranian regime is. The American people will reward elected officials who do the right thing," Pompeo told me at the time.

That's the same Mike Pompeo who now is leading direct negotiations with the Kim regime largely outside public and congressional view. Pompeo is promising any treaty with North Korea will be submitted to the Senate for verification. But that could be months or years away, if it happens at all.

RELATED: North Korean regime can't be swayed through diplomacy

When some Democrats, led by Senate Minority Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote Trump a letter last week defining what they think a good deal looks like, Trump lashed out, tweeting, "We don't need his advice!" But Schumer said Congress "must act as a check," adding that lawmakers shouldn't remove sanctions if the agreement doesn't meet standards.

In 2015, Republicans said Obama's "wild vacillations" on Iran were a cause for concern. Trump's actions on North Korea are at least equally concerning. Trump's on-again, off-again, on-again summit is just one example of his haphazard, risky approach. The administration won't say what it might give Kim in terms of security assurances, including the possible drawdown of U.S. troops in South Korea.

There's no clarity - and apparently no agreement with North Korea - on what "denuclearization" means, whether missiles will be included in any deal and which ones, whether North Korea will agree to real dismantlement or real verification, and what exactly needs to happen before giving some economic relief.

FROM SOUTH KOREA'S AMBASSADOR: With North Korea, this time is different

Inside the Democratic caucus, some progressive members favor backing off to give Trump space to maneuver. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof called the Schumer letter "childish" and his tactics "obstructionist." Joe Cirincione, president of the nonproliferation advocacy organization Ploughshares Fund, accused Schumer and his gang of "playing politics."

But Democrats attacking Democrats for demanding that Trump strike a strong deal is counterproductive, argued Mieke Eoyang, vice president of Third Way's National Security Program. Democrats should embrace the role of "bad cop" and push for strong measures - at the very least to strengthen Trump's hand.

"NK may not agree to what Iran agreed to, but why not ask? Or have it in the mix, since Senate Dems not actually at the table," she tweeted. "Someone should be willing to set a bold goal here, since Trump certainly isn't."

THIESSEN: Trump needs to be clear about one thing in meeting with Kim Jong Un

Of course, the situations in Iran and North Korea are different. But Congress's responsibility to hold the administration's feet to the fire is the same. There are several things Congress can do to exert oversight, demand transparency and push Trump toward the best possible deal, whether he likes it or not. If they wait until there's a treaty to sign, it may be too late to have any real influence.

Last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking Democrat Eliot Engel, N.Y., and Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, introduced a bill to require the administration to regularly update Congress on North Korea's illicit programs and their progress.

Lawmakers can also restrict funding to implement any agreement or restrict any economic assistance Trump promises to Kim. Trump may need congressional sanctions waivers to help North Korea with economic development. He would definitely need Congress to fund a potential U.S. embassy in Pyongyang.

RELATED: The other risk from Trump's talks with North Korea

All of this will surely bring charges from Trump and his allies that lawmakers are usurping the president's power, attacking Trump because they don't like him, or ruining a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for peace. These charges are misguided.

By Pompeo's own logic, only the strongest oversight and transparency can give Congress and the American people confidence that the U.S. government is properly safeguarding their national security. If the deal stands up to the scrutiny, great. If not, at least the administration will be forced to publicly explain and defend the trade-offs and risks.

Congress must put on its big-boy pants and do its job. Trump needs the oversight. And if he continues to complain about it, lawmakers should point him to the man who set the precedent - his own secretary of state.

Josh Rogin is a columnist for the Global Opinions section of The Washington Post. He writes about foreign policy and national security. Rogin is also a political analyst for CNN. He previously worked for Bloomberg View, the Daily Beast, Foreign Policy, Congressional Quarterly, Federal Computer Week and Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper.When he rolls into Houston, all Michael Muchmore wants is 15 minutes parked in the shade  in more than a dozen locations around the city.

Sometimes, if the place and the time are right, hell have a doughnut as well.

In the backseat of Muchmores rented Buick are four Samsung Galaxy S9 smartphones velcroed to a pair of wooden boards. As he drives, then sits and waits, the devices talk to towers for each of the four big cellular companies, testing the quality of their signals. Muchmore is one of nine PCMag.com employees who drive the nations biggest cities for an annual cell-service quality survey called Fastest Mobile Networks.

5G: Federal 5G network is panned by FCC and industry

A lot of time is spent sitting in nondescript parking lots, said Muchmore, who normally writes about business software for PCMag. Houston is the third stop on a circuit that also includes Dallas, Austin and New Orleans.

Theres good news, and some surprises, as to how Houston compares and which carrier is the zippiest in town in the ninth Fastest Mobile Networks survey, which is now live at PCMags website.

Now Playing: Michael Muchmore of PC Magazine explains how he tests mobile network speeds. Video: Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle

For this years survey, Muchmore and his colleagues around the country visited most of the countrys big cities between May 1 and May 23. Exceptions include San Antonio, for example, due to driving times and distance.

In each city, the drivers try to make stops in variety of neighborhoods scattered across each locale. Thats particularly challenging in Houston because the city is so spread out, Muchmore said.

To save time, we limit our stops inside the (Sam Houston Tollway). Unfortunately, that means we miss a lot of key locations, he said.

Coming soon: 5G promises Houstonians faster internet, more choice

For example, although he tries to hit the cell phone waiting lots at major airports, Bush Intercontinental Airport is not included because its north of the the Tollway. He did stop at Hobby Airports cell lot, though.

On this years visit to Houston, Muchmore made 15 stops, in locations ranging from tony River Oaks to NRG Stadium to Jacinto City to working-class Sunnyside. There was a heavy concentration of stops on the near west and southwest sides, though that could be partly explained by picking up a Houston Chronicle reporter for a ride-along.

We try to be as inclusive as we can, but someone always says, Why didnt you test in my neighborhood? Muchmore said. Unfortunately, we cant be everywhere.

As he drives, each of the four smartphones in the back seat are running a custom version of a popular speed-testing app made by Ookla, which is owned by PCMags parent company, Ziff-Davis. The app runs constantly, whether the drivers are parked or moving. As they drive between cities, the app is checking the cellular performance of carriers in rural areas.

All this data is then sent to PCMags headquarters in New York City, where lead mobile analyst Sascha Segan crunches the numbers in a database. There are 120,000 data points each year, Segan said, requiring a huge amount of computing power.

The 4G networks of AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon are tested for multiple factors: maximum and average download and upload speeds; percentage of downloads over 5 megabits a second; reliability; and average ping, or latency.

PCMag used Galaxy S9s this year because the newer smartphones have the ability to work on the carriers fastest networks. For example, they are among the few devices that can talk to AT&Ts 5G Evolution network which, despite the 5G in its name, is really an accelerated version of 4G data service.

RELATED: AT&T expands its 5G Evolution service to more than 100 new cities

In Houston, T-Mobile took top honors, as it did last year. All four carriers did well on reliability. The biggest surprise, Segan said, was in the category of download speeds.

Sprint had the fastest download speeds, Segan said, but its network is extremely asymmetrical. Their uploads are so much slower than the competition, theyre not in the running to be the winning carrier.

Houston came in second in Texas cities for overall speeds, behind Dallas, which is a big telecom hub and home to AT&Ts corporate headquarters.

Speaking of AT&T, Segan said it did best between cities in the state.

Across rural Texas, AT&T is pretty much the default carrier, he said.

Dwight Silverman is the technology editor for the Houston Chronicle and the grillmaster for the TechBurger tech news site. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

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.In a culture that places tremendous value on celebrity, personality and anything culinary, its not surprising that Anthony Bourdains greatest talent was one that many people tended to overlook. He was a storyteller.

During his time as the host of Travel Channels No Reservations and The Layover, as well as CNNs Parts Unknown, Bourdain used each episode to weave a story that, above all else, had a point, a message, a lesson. Often it was something that he learned from the experience that he could pass on to viewers  something deeper than Isnt this place neat? which was (and still is) the deepest lesson of most Travel Channel programs.

Some lessons were stated plainly, others were in subtext or they revealed themselves over the course of a TV season. Below are some of what we learned about travel from Bourdains shows. (Disclaimer: I didnt know Bourdain. I met him twice, briefly, and we grew up in the same town in New Jersey. What follows is based entirely on the content of his travel shows.)

A place is more about its people than its monuments or museums: As a chef, Bourdain spent a predictable amount of time in restaurants and kitchens, but the most important element of any episode was, for lack of a better description, the cultural Sherpa. There was always a local chef, celebrity, blogger or longtime compatriot who could explain what Bourdain  and the world  needed to know to appreciate the place. And, of course, how and where to eat the most relevant dishes. Monuments and museums that are the staple of most travel coverage were rare here, less relevant.

Courtesy of the Travel Channel

Context is crucial: You cant understand whats great about an extraordinary place unless you also understand the not-so-terrific side. Whether it was the Dracula tourism in Romania or an excruciating eternity in a tourist cave in Jamaica, Bourdain rarely shied away from the negatives of a place. They are part of the whole story. Any travel writer, blogger, influencer or TV host who offers only the positive side is giving you a brochure or a greeting card  and he or she should be working for Hallmark instead.

RELATED: Seattle through Anthony Bourdain's eyes

Youll learn more by slowing down than by speeding up: In the first No Reservations episode, Bourdain spends the entire last 3 minutes of the show sitting in a bistro in Paris, slowly noshing on a ham sandwich and sipping coffee. In so many words, the message is that hes learning more about Parisian culture in the simple no-impact ritual of relaxing and savoring than if he tried to visit more landmarks and attractions. It would become a theme in many episodes thereafter.

Theres more to Africa than safari animals: Western media has a shallow tendency to cover Africa solely through its wild animals. Everyone wants to write about seeing a cheetah in the wild or feeling the thundering migration of wildebeest. But there are far fewer travel stories-posts-shows that cover a major city in Africa the same way the media would approach a European city. During his tenures on Travel Channel and CNN, Bourdain produced episodes in nearly a dozen African countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Congo, Namibia and Senegal. Most focused on the music, food, art and history of the local culture  through conversations with people  instead of just on elephants, lions, giraffes or rhinos.

Great experiences require being open to them: In travel, its too easy to get wrapped up in snobbery, whether about food or anything else. In an essay he wrote for Bon Appetit (republished last week at MSN.com), Bourdain said his father believed that the setting and the companionship during a meal was just as important as the food itself. Perhaps the most important life lesson he passed on was: Dont be a snob. Its something I will always at least aspire to  something that has allowed me to travel this world and eat all it has to offer without fear or prejudice, Bourdain wrote. To experience joy, my father taught me, one has to leave oneself open to it.

The big picture: At the end of most of Bourdains TV episodes, he tended to impart what he learned from the experience and the place. Often the lesson was about more than the destination covered in the episode. Bourdains style dared viewers to ask themselves not What did I see? but What did I learn? Not just about the place but about travel, about the world, about yourself. Its the difference between experiencing and sightseeing. Every place teaches us something, we just dont always know what it is. If you ask the question after one trip, every trip thereafter you may start to see the patterns, the lessons.

ALSO: Industry professionals remember Anthony Bourdain

That travel isnt about living in a postcard: At the end of a particularly emotion-filled No Reservations episode in Malaysia, Bourdain is conflicted about where to go from there, physically and philosophically. The journey changes you. It should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, your consciousness, your heart and on your body. You take something with you and, hopefully, you leave something good behind.

Spud Hilton is a San Francisco Chronicle travel editor. Email: shilton@sfchronicle.com. Twitter and Instagram: @SpudHilton.UAE national carrier Etihad Airways will cease all operations to Bangladesh's capital city Dhaka from October 1, a report said.



The airline did not confirm the reason behind its decision but will, however, continue to serve Dhaka through its codeshare partner Jet Airways via Mumbai, said a report in The Dhaka Tribune citing a letter from the carrier.



Etihads first service to Dhaka kicked off on May 4, 2006, and till date the carrier has flown more than 1.5 million passengers to and from Bangladesh.



The airline is also scheduled to suspend its flights between Abu Dhabi and Perth, Australia and Edinburgh, Scotland from October 1, 2018, the report said.Most recently, a Nordic company has been the latest to take up the pet perk. Musti Group, pet supply chain in the Nordic countries, will be giving employees three days of paid leave to look after a new pet. Which will undoubtedly come in handy, considering 90% of employees have at least one furry friend at home.

Pets always come first in everything we do, and thats why Pawternity leave is a natural step in developing our culture, David Ronnberg, CEO of Musti Group, explains.

Adopting a pet is a significant decision and changes everyday life considerably. We want to support our employees during their first days with their new family member and ensure that they can enjoy those precious moments to the fullest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IDfh1mVCZU&feature=youtu.be

And whilst Pawternity leave is gaining momentum in European countries, does it have a place in Canada? Shoppers Drug Mart allows employees to take an allocated amount of bereavement days off following a loss in the family  which does extend to a pet.The amended code is a sea change for small-scale fishers in Philippines

by Dennis Calvan

June 12,2018 | Source: Rappler

Along the shores of Tanon Strait, in the municipality of Amlan in Negros Oriental, coastal fishers used to compete with commercial boats that regularly raided their waters and depleted their fisheries. These days, they are looking to the future with more optimism, after the community organization decided to boost law enforcement in the resource-rich Tandayag Marine Sanctuary.



Our efforts in guarding our marine protected area has been a huge help, as no one dares to enter the sanctuary anymore. Our members are happy because they can now catch bigger fish outside the no-take zone, said Virgilio Aviso, chairman of the local fishers association. When our children and grandchildren grow up, they will also benefit because our fisheries will provide them with livelihood.



Appreciating fisherfolks



The fishers from Amlan are some of the more than 1.8 million registered fishers in the Philippines who depend on the sea for their daily sustenance and income. As consumers, we depend on them for the delectable seafood that we buy in the market and cook for our families. The luxury that we enjoy, however, hardly translates into sufficient income for them. In 2015, the government declared the fisheries sector as the poorest of the poor, with 34% of fishers living below the poverty line. (READ: PH oceans in crisis: The sad state of small fisherfolk)



May 31 is celebrated in the Philippines as National Fisherfolk's Day, a small token of recognition compared to their huge contribution in providing food security and economic wealth. Aside from low income, they also face the persistent challenge of low fish catch due to overfishing, often by large-scale fishers using harvesting techniques that destroy marine habitats.



To address this problem, the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) pushed for the passage of Republic Act No. 10654, which amended the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998. The revitalized law follows science-based policies in making decisions on fisheries management. Violators face stiff penalties, with the DA-BFAR hoping to achieve voluntary compliance instead of making arrests.



Challenges



However, having a good law is one thing and enforcing it is another, as local government units and municipal fishers continue to confront challenges in managing nearshore fisheries. (READ: 8 guidelines to make small scale fishing more sustainable)



First, commercial fishing is prohibited within the 15-kilometer span of municipal waters, and yet, unauthorized fishing by large vessels is still prevalent in areas where enforcement is weak. As fish catch dwindles and fishing operations become very expensive, more commercial fishing vessels are abandoning the deep sea and venturing closer to productive coastal waters, to the detriment of municipal fishers.



Second, illegal fishing techniques such as the use of Danish Seines and Modified Danish Seines (locally known as hulbot-hulbot), cyanide, and dynamite continue to threaten our remaining marine habitats. Hulbot-hulbot is particularly destructive as a fishing gear, indiscriminately dragging everything at the bottom of the sea including coral reefs and seagrass beds. These fishery habitats are critical, as they serve as spawning and breeding grounds for fish and other marine life. Without corals and seagrass, mature fish have no safe haven to breed and replenish their populations.



Third, warmer oceans and sea level rise due to climate change have made it difficult for fishers to catch fish like they did in the past. Extreme weather events are preventing them from going out to sea for a considerable length of time, so they are suffering loss of income due to fewer fishing trips. For many years, I worked with various local government units and fishing communities in the country as executive director of the NGOs for Fisheries Reform, the largest network of non-government organizations pushing for better fisheries management. From this collaboration, Community-Based Coastal Resources Management (CB-CRM) has emerged as the most successful approach in securing fishing rights in municipal waters.



We facilitated the formation of fisherfolk organizations that served as the grassroots base for community-led resource management. The partnership between government and fishers organizations is paving the way for the creation of managed access areas for small-scale fishers using proper gear, often around sanctuaries with high marine biodiversity that are designated as no-take zones to allow recovery of fish populations.



The important role of fisherfolk as resource managers has long been overlooked, and local government units are learning that giving fishers preferential rights in municipal waters through an ordinance is a big incentive in protecting the fisheries. Consequently, fishers like Aviso in Amlan are beginning to see improvement in the volume and variety of fish catch. (READ: Every Filipino has a role: Taking care of our oceans and seas). Fisherfolk are the reason why we as consumers, both locally and abroad, are able to satisfy our appetite for tuna and all kinds of seafood. Its time that we finally give considerable attention to them.

Theme(s): Coastal Ecosystems and Threats, Communities and Organisations, Fisheries Development and Aquaculture, Fisheries Resources.Sri Lankan government needs to ban bottom trawling immediately to save the diminishing ocean resource

by Buddhika Ranadheera

June 12,2018 | Source: Daily Mirror

Oceans cover two thirds of worlds surface, and over 7.6 billion people directly or indirectly benefit from oceans around the world. Global fishery production is ever expanding, and according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), fisheries and aquaculture assure the livelihoods of 10-12 percent of the worlds population. Ocean resources can boost the growth of a countrys economy, but human activity also takes a toll on ocean health. Therefore, fishing needs to be carried out at sustainable levels, or fish stocks will deteriorate from overfishing and collapse. According to the World Wildlife Federation, if the world keeps fishing at its current pace, there will be no more fish left to eat by 2048.



Sri Lanka is no exception to these statistics. One third of the population is living in the coastal belt, and many livelihoods are dependent on fishing. According to the Sri Lanka Export Board, the fisheries sector has generated approximately 2.4 million direct or indirect jobs for Sri Lankans. As per the Centre for Environmental Justice, fish is the source of protein for 2.5 million people living in coastal communities, and it provides more than 50 percent of the countrys animal protein requirement. According to the 2016 Central Bank report, the fishing industry generates 1.6 percent of the Gross National Income. With a dependence on fish products for protein and a growing population, demand for fish is great in Sri Lanka as well. But even though it is necessary to expand the countrys fishing industry, it needs to be carried out at sustainable levels and with healthy practices.



Sri Lanka and its bodies of water



Sri Lanka is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, and the surrounding waters provide it with ample access to a vast variety of ocean resources. Many landlocked nations depend on countries like Sri Lanka for marine resources including fish, ornamental fish, and seaweeds. With the lifting of the European Union ban on Sri Lankan fish exports, seafood exports to the EU have expanded significantly. According to the Central Bank report, fish exports to the EU increased by 23.1 percent to a total of 2,540 metric tons in 2016. There is a great demand for Sri Lankan seafood and Tuna in the US, Japan, and the EU. Apart from fish for consumption purposes, global demand for Sri Lankan ornamental fish is also high in the US, Japan, and EU markets.



According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Sri Lanka has territorial waters extending 12 nautical miles (nm) beyond the coastline, covering an area of about 21,500 sq km. Additionally, Sri Lanka controls another band of water called the contiguous zone, which extends up to 24 nm from the end of the territorial. In addition, the country enjoys rights to an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) that extends up to 200 nm from Sri Lankas shores and encompasses an area of about 510,000 sq km. Therefore, Sri Lanka has right to a body of water and its resources that is approximately seven times as large as the islands landmass. Apart from those external water bodies, Sri Lanka also has 2905 km2 of inland water bodies. Given the enormity of both internal and external water resources, Sri Lanka is a country with high potential to be self-sufficient in seafood as well as to expand its export market.



Threats to Sri Lankas fishing industry



On one hand, Sri Lanka is not taking full advantage of its territorial waters to boost the economy; on the other hand, the current fishing industry is full of malpractices that destroy its own future. Fish stocks are affected by illicit fishing and illegal fishing methods, including banned nets, pair trawling, spear fishing, and dynamite fishing. Pair trawling or bottom trawling sweeps the entire ocean bed, thereby destroying the ecosystems, eggs, and breeding grounds of fish. This method catches not only the expected fish but also corals and marine life inhabiting the corals. The resulting bycatch is often wasted, resulting in imbalances in the ecosystem and rendering the entire industry unsustainable.



In addition, spearfishing in Sri Lanka targets the grown coral fish and has thus become a major threat to the existence of some of the endangered coral fish. The existence of these grown coral fish is vital to the survival of the coral reefs, as the coral fish devour fish that eat corals. Therefore, the biological imbalance generated by spearfishing will deplete the corals.



Moreover, small scale fishermen also use traditional illegal fishing gear called Hambili, Laila, and Surukku which affect the livelihood of fishermen and have contributed significantly to reduce the fish catch. All these fishing nets destroy the rich marine resources while also posing a threat to the mangrove environment. As the eye of these nets are smaller, tiny fish are also getting caught, which deprives bigger fish of food and thereby posing a threat to the sustainability. Dynamite fishing is another menace to the sustainability of the fishing industry. Dynamite is thrown at an identified fish school, resulting in stunned and dead fish floating to the top where they can easily be caught. This dynamite fish is not good for consumption, as it contains explosives and has been in contaminated water for a considerable time, and instead poses a threat to corals and other marine species.



Besides these unsustainable fishing methods, poor fisheries management and large scale post-harvest losses due to poor handling are the major barriers on the way forward for Sri Lanka. Approximately 25 percent of the catch is wasted in the storage process of Sri Lanka due to unavailability of proper storage facilities in the fishing fleets as well as the ports.



Solutions for a healthy catch



For Sri Lanka, the proper handling of the catch as well as adequate storage facilities are vital in harnessing the full potential of the industry. The Fisheries Ministry should provide proper facilities to the fishermen, including harbour and storage facilities. Improved roads and infrastructure also ensure the transportation of fresh fish with minimum wastage. Technical know-how on proper fish packing procedures will also improve the quality of the fish and make them feasible for the export market.



The Fisheries Ministry should introduce new regulatory mechanisms for fishing methods and gear and enforce new regulations when issuing licenses to fishermen. Moreover, the government should ban bottom trawling and patrol Indian fishermen entering the waters of Sri Lanka, as their method of pair trawling destroys the sea bed. The Fisheries Ministry along with the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency banned the Laila and Surukku nets in 2016. Providing fishermen with environmental-friendly nets with larger rings would be a bold step towards protecting the oceans. However, there is still a regulation under the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act that allows bottom trawling.



Eventhough an amendment to the fisheries and aquatic resources bill was tabled in Parliament to ban bottom trawling and dynamite fishing, it has not been implemented so far. The government needs to ban bottom trawling immediately to save the diminishing ocean resources. Moreover, the government should also introduce methods to reduce the bycatch or the catch of untargeted fish caught in the nets and dragged along for miles, as most of the fish simply die before reaching the shore. In addition, the Government should close certain areas for fishing to allow the damaged marine resources to recover.



Hence, for a sustainable fishing industry, several factors are essential, including a conducive environment, the availability of coral reefs, sand bars, and unpolluted internal and external water bodies to provide breeding grounds for marine species. It is the responsibility of everyone, not only fishermen, to protect ocean habitats and marine life to ensure that marine resources will still be available for future generations.

Theme(s): Fisheries Resources.Maldives fish exports up nearly 80 percent

June 12,2018 | Source: Maldives Independent

The value of fish exports rose to MVR368 million (US$24 million) in April, up from MVR208 million in the same period last year, statistics from the Maldives Customs Service show. Thailand was the top exporting country, representing half of total exports during the month. Other major destinations included Germany, England, United States of America and France.



The value of imports also increased by 16 percent in April with goods worth more than MVR3.25 billion. The top importing countries were the United Arab Emirates in first place with 21 percent, followed by Singapore (13 percent) and China (12 percent). Reflecting the import growth, total revenue from tariffs and other fees and fines rose 31 percent compared to last year. Customs collected a total of MVR262 million last month, up from MVR200 million in April 2017. According to the central banks annual report, the fisheries industry performed strongly in 2017 with the volume of exports growing by 55 percent in annual terms and amounting to 72.0 thousand metric tonnes.



This growth was largely propelled by a rise in the export volumes of frozen skipjack and frozen yellowfin tuna, the report explained. A significant increase in export volumes of canned or pouched tuna also contributed to higher fish export volume in 2017. Fish purchases registered a remarkable growth of 42% in annual terms and amounted to 76.6 thousand metric tons in 2017, which was driven by a significant rise in skipjack tuna purchases, coupled with moderate growth in yellowfin tuna purchases.



Skipjack and yellowfin tuna collectively accounted for 98 percent of total purchases made by fish processing companies. The share of the high-value bigeye tuna has fallen during the past two years. In late 2017, local fish processing companies increased purchasing prices for the first time since July 2014, reflecting the upward trend of skipjack tuna prices in the international market. Yellowfin tuna prices remained relatively volatile throughout the year, starting at MVR67.5 per kilogram in January 2017 and closing at a lower price of MVR62.5 per kilogram in December 2017, the central bank noted.

Theme(s): Fisheries Development and Aquaculture, Communities and Organisations, Fisheries Resources.TCN News

Several community organizations in the Boston area came together on the evening of June 8 to protest the arbitrary arrests of Surendra Gadling, Rona Wilson, Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut and Sudhir Dhawale by the Pune police in their alleged relation with Bhima-Koregaon violence.

We are appalled to learn the recent developments of the arrests of the Dalit rights activists and progressive intellectuals in India. Surendra Gadling, Rona Wilson, Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut and Sudhir Dhawale are all people who have spoken about the rights of the Adivasis and Dalits. It is shameful that the Indian government is arresting them for a service they are rendering to society, said the press statement released after the protest.

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Moreover, the protestors also issued a press statement over the arrest of Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan, the founder of Bhim Army.

The statement said, Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan, a firebrand leader of the Bhim Army who has galvanized the repressed Dalits, Adivasis and Muslims to fight against the terror state of Brahminical Hindutva imposed by the RSS led BJP government in the Uttar Pradesh is incarcerated in the jail for over a year under the arbitrary National Securities Act (NSA) by the state even after Allahabad High Court struck down all allegations against him as being politically motivated.

Protesting organization said that the Uttar Pradesh has turned into a dangerous fiefdom ever since Ajay Kumar Bisht aka Yogi Adityanath has been made the Chief Minister. A corrupt and inefficient administration instead of providing basic services to the people is busy intimidating young couples, protecting rapists and arresting all dissenting voices. It is horrifying that 12-year-old Dalit boys have been arrested on the charges of murder on the day when Dalit organizations called for a Bharat bandh on April 2, said the statement.

Protestors raised demand to try Milind Ekbote and Shambhaji Bhide, the prime accused in the Bhima Koregaon violence earlier this year. The current BJP government is blatantly subverting democracy by letting the actual perpetrators of violence in Bhima Koregaon roam freely and arresting others who actually contributed to the peaceful nature of the protest. It further said, We have seen the Maharashtra state government run by a Brahminical order unleash brutality on the Dalit youth after Bhima Koregaon.

The protestors condemned the repression by the Indian government and demand the immediate release of these activists working for Dalit, Adivasi, Muslim, and other minority communities to build an egalitarian and progressive India. We will alert the international community and the United Nations about such repressive state of affairs in India, said the statement which was read at the protest march of the coalition of the progressive organizations in the New England area at the Harvard Square on June 8.By Poornima Marh, TwoCircles.net

Sakina, born and brought up in Mumbai, is a teacher. She lives in Bangalore with her family. She says We shifted to Bangalore 10 years back because of work. When I shifted here I did a beautician course, and also worked in the spa for some time. I was not very happy with this profession, so I quit. I really wanted to work with children, so I took up the teaching profession. I started teaching in Koramangala in Planet Kids School. I was finding it a little difficult to commute, as I was put up in Richmond Town. So I transferred to Planet Kids in Shanthinagar, near my house. I also teach in madrassa, an Islamic school in Shanthinagar. There I met a friend of mine who asked me if I was interested in doing a Montessori course. She said you can do the course, after which they will interview you and you can start teaching in the school.

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Sakina now teaches at ILM Montessori. About the Montessori way of teaching she says I joined last year in June. I am very happy teaching here. This school was like a divine help for me. Montessori has a totally different approach of teaching, when compared to the conventional way of teaching. Initially it was a challenge for me to adjust with this way of teaching. It has a very good impact on the teachers as well as the children. It develops their thinking capacity, because there are no textbooks. Everything is through the material and practical learning. It automatically develops the way you look at things, the way you think. In the process they learn how to solve their issues. We are just as a guide for them. They dont call us maam or teacher, but address us as aunty or didi. Its a fun way of learning for both the kids and for us.

When I asked her why Ramadan is special for her, she said fasting is a very spiritual thing, like the whole process, its not about keeping yourself away from food, but also keeping yourself away from all the negative thoughts and deeds. Giving up on materialistic pleasures, getting to know the world and yourself. I dont know exactly how to put it in words. Its a way of totally reforming oneself. In this month there are many habits that we develop, that we can continue throughout the year. So if you continue a habit for 30 days, you can continue it for the rest of the year. I started fasting when I was 7 years old. It is a really great feeling of breaking fast with your family.

TCN Series: Ramadan 1439Imperial Valley News Center

First Lady Melania Trumps Visit to Fords Theatre

Washington, DC - First Lady Melania Trump attended Fords Theatre Sunday evening as Honorary Chair of tonights annual gala in tribute to former President Abraham Lincoln.

The First Lady delivered remarks at the end of the nights performances thanking Fords Theatre and the performers for a wonderful evening. She also congratulated the recipients of this years Lincoln Medal  an annual award given to people who have exemplified the legacy of President Lincoln through their achievements and bodies of work.

I was honored to be part of such a special evening, said First Lady Melania Trump. Tonight reminds all of us about the power the arts have in cultivating the American voice. Thank you to Fords Theatre Society for tonight, and your continued dedication to education and leadership in the artsthe impact they have on society is invaluable and something we will continue to cherish throughout time.Support for Vulnerable Minorities in Iraq

Washington, DC - This Administration has made the protection of Iraqs diversity of faiths and its threatened religious minorities a top and unceasing priority. Those who survived genocide, crimes against humanity, and other atrocities, as well as those who perished as a result of these acts, deserve nothing less.

In October, President Trump directed the United States Government to provide innovative and more direct aid to communities in the Nineveh Plains and western Nineveh in Iraq.

While progress has been made, more must and will be done. Our commitment to these vulnerable communities is steadfast.

All available U.S. resources are committed to implementing the Administrations vision for the protection of these threatened people, and to ensuring the help we promised arrives before it is too late.

Underscoring this effort, at the Vice Presidents direction, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Mark Green will travel to Iraq in the coming weeks to identify methods to better facilitate aid to these vulnerable people. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and Consulate in Erbil look forward to working with Administrator Green.

The State Department will continue to work with USAID and others to help protect minorities and other vulnerable communities around the world.Need help? I loved finding MyMorningRoutine.com, which posts a successful person's morning routine each week, including mine. You can also find Arianna's and Ryan's (though mine is best--for me, that is; it's surprising how each routine fits each person).

You see into their intimate lives. You can mix and match what works for you.

Here are seven questions I asked co-author Benjamin Spall, along with his answers.

How many readers do you have and what's your search rank?

We have approximately 12,000 newsletter subscribers, and a few thousand more through various feeds.

We've had the number-one search rank for "morning routine" and "morning routines" since about six months after we launched the website.

Sounds like you tapped into latent demand. When and how did you start the project?

We started the site in late 2012, and then the book was accepted in early 2017. We worked on it for the next year or so before it was released in May of this year.

As some background to the website, my co-founder (and now co-author) Michael Xander came to me in late 2012 with the idea of creating an interview series in which we ask people to describe, and elaborate on, their morning routines.

I had just read a book called The Power of Habit by New York Times journalist Charles Duhigg, so I was all in on the idea. It took us about three weeks to turn it into something tangible. Michael designed and coded the site. I interviewed a couple of friends to be our first two weeks of interviews, and we were off.

Did you expect it to grow? Your ranking suggests your page played a role in the growing attention to morning routines. Do you think it did?

We didn't not expect it to grow, but we certainly didn't think it would become as big as it did.

Funny as it may sound, given what a popular topic morning routines has since become, back in 2012 and 2013 the idea of optimizing your morning routine wasn't talked about nearly as much. I can't say for sure that we played a role in the attention that morning routines are now getting, but I'd like to think our site, and the book, helps show people that there's not just one right way to start your day.

Interviewing people about their mornings for so long has shown us that it's possible to have a regular morning routine without being rigid and regimented about it. We feel that this is something that most books and articles telling you how to "hack" your morning routine miss.

On the personal side, what's the balance between working on the project and your other work? Is it a distraction, inspiration, or something else?

This has changed over time. When we first started the site, and for around the next two years after that, the site was a side project that Michael and I both spent probably three to four hours a week on, aside from big launches, such as design overhauls. In our third year, we got serious about reaching out to bigger names to interview, so this took up more time, and then when Portfolio/Penguin contacted us to write the book, this again brought the whole project more into the forefront of our lives.

All this said, at every point over the past five and a half years, working on this project has been a huge inspiration for our work. It's been challenging at times (as anyone who has worked on something for this long will attest), but we wouldn't have it any other way.

What motivates you on the project--are you an entrepreneur, are you having fun, are you driving personal growth, or something else?

I can't speak for Michael, but for me the main motivator is all the connections I've made as a result of working on the site, and now the book, as well as knowing that what we're doing makes a real, if small, difference in people's lives.

People's mornings can be intimate and vulnerable to share. How do you lead people to open up? Do you get feedback from readers?

This is exactly right. In the acknowledgments section of our book, we thank everyone we've ever interviewed for their "willingness to share details of this most intimate time of day with us."

I think that's part of it. Not everyone we've contacted for interviews about their morning routine has agreed--not even close. While some people have told us that they feel like they don't have much of a routine, and then go on to share in amazing detail their very impressive routine all the same, whenever someone told us that they would rather not share, we've never pushed them.

Did compiling all the routines for the book and seeing them together reveal patterns or what works beyond what the site does?

Absolutely!

The book gives you a peek into the lives of busy, successful people, and makes it simple to replicate what they do. A potential failure of our marketing for the book is that we interviewed a bunch of people exclusively for the book--over half of the 64 interviews are brand new and will never be published on the website--but we didn't do a great job of getting this across.

To your main point, at the end of each chapter (the interviews are dispersed between chapters focusing on different parts of your morning routine; from morning workouts, to morning meditation, to how to keep up your routine when traveling) we have an "Over to You" section.Perfec-Tone began when Lila Pinder came to the Bahamas and saw that the people around her were uncomfortable in their skin but had no solutions to their skin concerns. My agency has been working with Lila's son Arron, now the company's CEO, since April of last year to help the 30-year old business rebrand to connect with its younger market. I spoke with Arron about what it takes to rejuvenate an established skincare brand.

LM: Let's start by giving me a snapshot of you and the company.

AP: I am Arron Pinder, CEO of Perfec-Tone and the son of Lila Pinder, our Director of Skin Services. Perfec-Tone is a family-operated business that provides global consumers access to professional skin care products & services. Being a family business, we focus on ensuring that our branding message is open, welcoming and personalized. We believe that our staff and clients are not just stakeholders, but family. This mentality is what drives us and differentiates us from everyone else.

LM: Tell me about the history of Perfec-Tone.

AP: This all started with my mother, Lila. She first studied nursing and skin care in England, where she met my dad, Allan Pinder, and together they moved to the Bahamas in the late seventies. She noticed that a large sector of Bahamian residents had skin care needs that weren't being met. So, in 1980, she started her own skin care business, which was then called, "Lila's Skin Care."

After studying pre-medicine and business administration with economics, I joined my mother's business to innovate the marketing, technology and operational aspects to ensure that the Perfec-Tone brand stood out amongst our local and global competitors.

LM: What is your favorite part of growing this brand?

AP: For me, the best part of growing Perfec-Tone is the creative aspect. My team and I are always bouncing around ideas and strategies that can innovate all facets of the business. It is truly rewarding when you are able to watch your ideas being implemented and coming to life.

LM: What was the inspiration behind the aesthetic/branding?

AP: Minimalism. For us, great skincare is simple. While we provide professional services, we always want to make skin care instructions easy for our clients. By our branding, you can tell that Perfec-Tone is elegant, yet simple and fun. We do not try too hard to stand out or gain trendy attention, because as a business, we are secure in who we are and the quality of service we offer.

LM: What brands are you currently obsessed with?

AP: I'm currently following Coca-Cola and Apple's branding. I love that their brands focus more on the feeling of their products instead of technical aspects such as ingredients or material.

LM: We've seen so many trends in beauty and skin care come and go. What is here to stay and what are ones that you'd avoid?

AP: This is so true! I would say gold and charcoal masks are the current fads in beauty. I feel as though the trend of moving away from animal-testing and toward more green beauty products is here to stay--especially when it relates to skin care.

LM: What is your take on the future of Perfec-Tone? New product lines? What's next?

AP: We're definitely planning, short-term, to expand our product line to provide body washes, treatment lotions and body acne mists. Our long-term vision is to also include "all products skin." By that, I am referring to skin-friendly foundations, makeup brushes and perhaps lip treatments.By Auqib Javeed, TwoCircles.net

Photo courtesy: Sana Irshad Mattoo

Srinagar: June 11, 2010, is now etched into the memory of the Kashmir conflict; a day that marked a generational shift in how Kashmiris opposed Indian rule. The Baton of resistance against Indian rule was handed over to a new generation. The day marked a beginning of a famous 2010 summer intifada in which streets of Kashmir-mostly in Srinagars downtown- became battlegrounds between pro-freedom youth and government forces. The street stamina was overpowered by state stamina by coming down hard on the protesters, resulting in the death of 120 Kashmiris, mostly youth.

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The first casualty of 2010 summer was a teenager: Tufail Mattoo. The lone son of his family, Mattoos name is a synonym to the bloody summer. The son of a handicraft businessman- Mohammad Ashraf Mattoo, Tufail was killed by government forces tear gas shell that hit his head. Mattoo senior handed over a Rs 10 note to his son as bus fare when he was going to a tuition centre. Tufail was preparing for a medical entrance test. Mattoo didnt know that the Rs 5 coin that was with Tufail would remain as souvenir for him and his son wouldnt return.

He was at home when some neighbours rushed to him with the news that shattered his life, forever: his son had been killed.

Tufail was hit by a teargas shell fired at him from a close range by the J&K police on June 11, 2010, near Gani Memorial Stadium about 8 km from his home in Saidakadal.

His skull was bust open with the tear gas shell and he died on the spot with the five-rupee coin in his right hand. Tufails death led to widespread protests triggering months long anti-India summer uprising during which men in uniform killed nearly 120 people, mostly youth.

Witnesses in the locality said the police started chasing Tufail when they saw him. As he began to run, the police fired a teargas shell at him hitting him in the head. He died, instantly.

The autopsy of Tufail also confirmed that he was killed by a teargas shell which damaged his brain and skull, busted the police claims that it was a case of mysterious death.

The then Chief Minister of J&K state, Omar Abdullah, appointed a retired judge Justice ML Koul to probe the civilian killings of 2010. The Koul Commission report was handed over to the present Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in December 2016 in which it was recommended that a CBI enquiry should be ordered in Tufails case. The report has not been made public, however.

In December 2012, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the J&K Police, which had first investigated the case, had also closed the investigation by declaring culprits untraced.

On the eighth death anniversary of Tufail, who is buried in Martyrs graveyard Eidgah, people from all walks of life came and paid tributes to him.

In February 2015, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court ordered a fresh probe into Tufail Mattoo killing. It was after Amnesty International called on Jammu and Kashmir Government in June 2013 to reopen the investigation into 2010 killing of Tufail Mattoo.

On the long-drawn battle of Mattoo, political commentator Gowhar Geelani maintained that the trigger that led to the 2010 summer uprising was the extra-judicial killings in Machil in which three civilians were lured for a job and killed in fake encounter by Indian army along the Line of Control (LoC).

Later, a young teenage student Tufail Mattoo became a reference point. His killing by government forces in a way was a paradigm shift in seeing a new generation of Kashmir at war with the state and the idea of India in Kashmir. And the government at war with a new generation. A new generation which has a new vocabulary, that way it was pretty significant in Kashmir narrative, he said.

Geelani said that denying justice in Tufail Mattoos case is a telling commentary on how India operates in Kashmir and how brazenly it shields perpetrators and gives a free license to armed forces to commit rights violations, and also encourages the guilty personnel to believe they can get away with anything.

An FIR was filed 11 days after Tufail was killed after the family had run from pillar to post and pleaded with the magistrate to order police to do it.

I dont see any progress in the case, the reason is police havent done a fair and proper investigation and when police are themselves involved in the crime how can one expect a fair investigation, said noted human rights activist and lawyer Parvez Imroz. Tufails father is a brave man who is fighting for the justice for last eight years but you have to understand that government forces are enjoying impunity in the state of Jammu and Kashmir where they get easily, he added.

Human rights activist Khurram Parvez said that Tufail Mattoo was brutally killed at a time when the anger was already brewing up among the people against the killing of three innocent Kashmiris in a fake encounter by Indian Army. In Srinagar city, such kind of killing also took place after a long time where a child who was coming back from tuition centres was killed by government forces so this killing became the news and people in large number came on roads to protest against the forces repression in Kashmir.

Everybody thought that there is no one safe in Kashmir and at that point of time it led to a huge public mobilisation, he added.

Ashraf has attended more than 50 court hearings in past 8 years and he has lost all hopes on Judiciary. I tried my best to give the opportunities to the state government for delivering justice by arresting the culprits but unfortunately they, in turn, shield them and they not only murdered the justice but their so-called democracy as well, they have been doing it in Kashmir since three decades.

Khurram observed that since 2010 the street protest continues in Kashmir. Whenever there is the killing of a civilian or even we can see when a militant is being killed in an encounter people start protesting in a large number. The uprising is ongoing.

The protest trend is not according to calendar given by Hurriyat (Conference) now; the trend is according to the killings be it a civilian or a militant, he added.

There is no will shown by the side of the government to investigate any crime whether its killing of Tufail Mattoo, rapes, torture and disappearances. They are reluctant to provide justice to the people, therefore, they are not allowing any investigation which means there is complete unwillingness of Government of India and from the state government to allow process of justice, they dont allow these processes to function as a normal process where accountability can be created so they have given absolute impunity to armed forces and there is no deterrence and therefore these crimes are getting repeated again and again, he maintained.

So, his killing was actually the trigger that became the reason for the summer uprising, he added.

Noted journalist and editor Najeeb Mubarki said that Kashmir is a cotton balefire, where enforced normality never douses the smouldering embers and which only needs a spark to rage once again.

Tufails killing in 2010 was one such spark, there have been others since and, given the fact of neither the political conflict being resolved or even the killers being ever given punishment, unfortunately, there will be other such sparks in the form of killings or other abuses. But Tufail also became a symbol, that of Kashmiri youngsters being killed by a brutal military regime calling itself a democracy and of a younger generation becoming the spearhead of resistance against the state of utter brutality, said Mubarki.

Ashraf said, When 120 youth were killed after my sons killing, the parents of those youth decide not to fight the case because they were aware that they will not get the justice from the government. I decided to fight the case as I was believing and I was a staunch supporter of democracyToday when they meet me, I told them that your decision of not fighting the case was right as justice seems to be elusive to me as well, he said.

Referring to notes from his sons case file, Ashraf said that it takes a lot of time for the common people to even register an FIR.

Our application was rejected by the Police and they accepted it only after courts direction and when it comes to probing, they do it in a way that culprits are saved and the court hearings are stretched so long that the victim gets exhausted and he ultimately gives-up the case he explained.

Investigation in Kashmir is a cruel joke; they do it to hush-up the case that is why I rejected the recommendations of the Justice Koul Commission of Inquiry, which had recommended a CBI investigation into the killing, he said.

I am the father of the victim and the points I had raised in my letter before the (Koul) commission were not even touched and thus the real perpetrators had been let off, he alleged.

He is buried at two places, his body is buried at martyrs graveyard in the old city and the fragments of his brain that lay scattered on the ground were gathered by locals and buried nearby. This haunts me all the time, says Ashraf.Within the past few days, Ikea, Royal Caribbean, and SeaWorld have all announced that they will ban one of the most common things in our lives: plastic straws and bags. Why? Because plastic -- more than 8 million tons a year -- is increasingly finding its way into the planet's oceans, and is being ingested by the plants and animals that live there. As you can imagine, this causes all sorts of problems.

One of these problems was dramatically illustrated after the discovery of a dead pilot whale on a Thailand beach a couple of weeks ago. When the whale was autopsied to determine the cause of its death, 80 plastic bags were found in the animal's stomach.

According to SeaWorld's announcement of its new policy, all 12 of the company's theme parks have already removed single-use plastic straws and single-use plastic shopping bags. Says Jon Peterson, manager of rescue operations at SeaWorld Orlando,

"We've seen first-hand the horrific damage that plastic pollution causes to animals. Some studies have indicated that more than half of sea turtles out in the wild ingest some form of plastic. In fact, just this week, we performed surgery on a rescued sea turtle who became ill from ingesting plastic and other ocean debris."

Cruise line Royal Caribbean will phase out plastic straws by January 1, 2019, and Ikea just announced that it has set a goal to completely eliminate single-use plastic straws and bags by January 1, 2020.

As part of our commitment to people + planet, all single-use plastic products will be eliminated from our range globally by Jan 1, 2020. We will also phase out single-use plastic items in customer and co-worker restaurants and bistros. Learn more: https://t.co/Phem2nX6St pic.twitter.com/HD17J8Pdo3 -- IKEA Canada (@IKEACanada) June 8, 2018

Says Lena Pripp-Kovac, sustainability manager for Inter IKEA Group,

"The problem of plastic pollution is complex, with no single solution. To drastically reduce plastic pollution, a range of actors, such as policymakers, politicians, other businesses and consumers, all need to contribute to the change. We are determined to play our part and take responsibility in the areas where we can make a difference."

Based on my own experience, there is definitely a trend toward the use of paper straws and away from plastic ones. I have been to several restaurants lately that only offer paper straws, and I expect this trend to increase in the coming months and years. Starbucks and McDonald's are already experimenting with paper straws in the UK, so it's probably just a matter of time before they become ubiquitous for all large restaurant chains internationally.Kevin Abosch wanted to turn himself into a coin. Why? Because he sold a photograph of a potato. Lets back up.

Abosch, 48, is an Irish conceptual artist and photographer who lives in New York. He is also interested in the blockchain, the technology best known for its use in virtual currencies like bitcoin and ether. The strange culture surrounding these cryptocurrencies is increasingly making its way into art, in works that explore value, decentralisation and the buzz around digital money.

Which brings us back to Potato #345, a photo that made headlines around the world after Abosch said it was purchased by a European businessman in 2015 for 1m. On the one hand, the attention generated by the sale was exciting, he said. On the other hand, the focus shifts from the artistic value to monetary value of the work  and for most artists the art is an extension of the artist, so you yourself start to feel commodified, Abosch says. In order to sort of control that, I began to think of myself as a coin.

Abosch turned to the blockchain, which essentially records a series of transactions across a large, open network of computers. The ethereum blockchain allows coders to create virtual tokens, which can be transferred between users. They are not always currencies, exactly, but something like them.

Making a deposit: Abosch having blood taken to make his series IAMA Coin (Kevin Abosch)

Abosch created 10 million tokens in January. But I didnt want to just make these 10 million pieces of virtual art, he says. I wanted them to be connected to my body.

So he had six vials of his blood drawn. He stamped the contract address  a long string of numbers and letters indicating where the tokens effectively live on the blockchain  onto 100 pieces of paper, in blood. And he called the project IAMA Coin. He says he believes that he has successfully connected my physical body to the virtual works in such a way that he sees the art as pieces of me.

Michael Connor, the artistic director of Rhizome, a centre affiliated with the New Museum that aims to foster digital-born art and culture, says that he has seen a flurry of crypto-related projects in the past year.

Blockchain seems like it has some sort of potential to offer a different economic logic that structures society, and so a lot of artists are interested in the social implications of blockchain and crypto, he says

Blood money: the cryptocurrency contact address is stamped using the artists body fluid (Kevin Abosch)

Aboschs works  and how they are bought and sold  capture some of the strange ethos of the world of cryptocurrency. A former tech executive recently paid more than the price of a real Lamborghini for a neon sculpture Abosch made of a blockchain address that symbolised Lamborghinis.

The piece, YELLOW LAMBO (2018), made news much like Aboschs potato photo did. (The marriage of conceptual art, capitalism and the internet is a reliable generator of How can this be? headlines.) The work is a reference to a half-serious joke in the crypto community about using profits to buy Lamborghinis.

I became familiar with #lambo as a declaration of success-identity  and because I always think in terms of how to distil emotions around value, I wanted to explore that, Abosch says. He created another token, called YLAMBO, and turned its address into a physical sculpture in yellow neon. This sculpture then sold for $400,000 at a San Francisco art fair to Michael Jackson, the former chief operating officer of Skype.

The meta-weirdness around the purchase of the art is at the heart of the questions Abosch wants to explore.

You meet people in the crypto world who throw millions into coins backed by nothing, but dont understand how a piece of art has any value, he says. Then you meet people in the art world who dont understand why you would invest money in art that has no physical manifestation. Thats where it gets exciting for me.

He has a foot in both the art and tech worlds, and experiments with their intersection. As he works, Abosch has been wearing an electroencephalogram, or EEG cap, which can measure electrical activity in the brain. He wrote in an email that this is an attempt to understand to what extent ego is engaged or how it colours work, particularly when Im photographing humans.

Money is the root of all evil: Potato #345, a 2010 photograph that sold for 1m (Kevin Abosch)

He added: I have a sense that my ego is disengaged at the moment I press the shutter release, but this is just a theory.

Some of Aboschs work has no visual presence whatsoever. Forever Rose, although inspired by a photograph of a flower, exists only as a single blockchain token that sold to 10 people in February for a total of $1m. Abosch says this seems to him the purest form of art its the idea, without the baggage of a vessel.

He says wryly: When I get pushback sometimes from people, I suggest they might have an unhealthy relationship with the material.

To some, these projects might seem like stunts. But the art world is starting to take them seriously. An extension of Aboschs IAMA Coin, titled Personal Effects, recently showed at the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia. And at a recent Rhizome conference, Seven on Seven, three crypto projects were unveiled, Connor says. In one, two artists played with the idea of uploading a religion onto the blockchain.

I think that its such a weird field at the moment, so art is evolving really quickly in response to it, Connor says.

Abosch, meanwhile, is tokenising Manhattan. For a soon-to-be-unveiled project, he has created 10,000 blockchain tokens for every street in Manhattan, then printed the contract addresses on a 6ft tall map. This month, collectors will be able to buy the tokens, or virtual artworks, for a few dollars each. More projects are on the way.

Whatever this is, Abosch says, Im right in the middle of it.

 The New York TimesThe 50th anniversary of Rosemarys Baby hits something of a coincidental date, being in such close proximity to the release of one of this years biggest horrors, Ari Asters Hereditary  a film whose own entanglement with the occult paints it as a clear thematic descendant of the 1968 classic, but also as a marker of how inspirational Roman Polanskis chiller has become for those first jumping into the horror genre.

Hereditary star Alex Wolff has said the film was essentially sold to him as Rosemarys Baby meets Ordinary People, while Aster himself has confessed a desire to make the film, his feature debut, one which honours an older tradition, looking back to some of the films which made a powerful impact on him, including Dont Look Now, The Innocents and Rosemarys Baby. But Aster isnt alone here.

Jordan Peele has said that his directorial debut, the Oscar-winning Get Out, found a source of inspiration in the social message of both Rosemarys Baby and 1975s The Stepford Wives, both adapted from novels by Ira Levin.

Theyre entertaining movies, theyre creepy and twisted and kind of darkly funny, but theyre about gender, he noted. From those movies, I knew you could sort of be entertaining but also carry a perspective. And have the audience see through someones eyes.

When John Krasinski first dipped his toe into horror for this years A Quiet Place, he marked as inspiration a string of classics  Hitchcock movies, Jaws, Alien, Rosemarys Baby  and a few recent outings: Get Out, The Witch, The Babadook.

Alice Lowe also named Rosemarys Baby, The Shining and Dont Look Now as the traditional sources which influenced her directorial debut Prevenge  another heroine dealing with a supernaturally nightmarish pregnancy, though here compelled to become a serial killer by the demands of her unborn child.

The poster for Darren Aronofskys mother!, even, so directly referenced the theatrical poster for Rosemarys Baby that it sparked a huge amount of speculation that it was secretly a direct remake.

(Paramount Pictures (Paramount Pictures)

B-movie legend William Castle, best known for the likes of House on Haunted Hill and 13 Ghosts, was the first to chase after the rights to adapt Ira Levins novel of the same name  an interest sparked before it had even been published.

However, Paramounts Robert Evans agreed only to purchase the rights on the stipulation Castle would not be the one directing, having deemed the material too lofty for a man famed for his cheap, ghoulish scares. Instead, Evans looked to Polanski, the European director whose work fascinated him, having recently completed work on Repulsion.

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While Polanskis cinematic legacy is deeply difficult, conflicted, and complex  in 1979, he pleaded guilty to statutory rape, before fleeing the country and never facing conviction  Rosemarys Baby unavoidably remains one of the most important milestones in the genre, one of the earliest iterations of what weve now come to consider as the modern horror film.

A film born out of the fall of the Motion Picture Production code and its strict censorship, alongside the death of Universals monsters: a new era which brought horror into the home, shifting the lens towards more grounded, domestic settings. Its the leap between Draculas castle to New Yorks Bramford apartment building.

However, whats interesting to see is how Rosemarys Baby has seemingly superseded Hitchcocks Psycho as the go-to early influence for filmmakers  despite its release in 1960 largely branding it as the first modern horror film.

Hitchcocks classic, in many ways, ignited the slasher genre, but its since been largely engulfed in influence by the films it spawned, such Halloween or Friday the 13th.

Psycho certainly helped shift the mood away from the monstrous fable towards something more strictly psychological, but Rosemarys Baby found a new lease of life for gothic horrors grand metaphors, transplanted now into the modern world: in a bustling city, or the idealised American marriage.

Exactly as Rosemarys Baby begins, within the domestic bliss of Guy (John Cassavetes) and Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow)  that prescribed by the Sixties, in which a doe-eyed Rosemary dotes on her husband at every opportunity, expecting little in return.

Those traditions, of course, soon become a trap. As a pregnant Rosemary becomes increasingly controlled by those around her  her husband, her obstetrician, her neighbours  the full-on supernatural terror, in the reveal shes a mere pawn in the scheme to birth Satans child, acts as the most extreme exaggeration of truth: womens bodies are a constant battleground for control by others, whether they be politicians or satanists.

A theme which, depressingly, has never lost its relevance, but was born also out specific historical circumstances. Polanskis adaptation stayed faithful to the point of preserving much of Levins dialogue intact; its underlying themes, too, which were concocted in a world in which womens reproductive health had started to become a central political issue.

In 1960, the first oral contraceptive in the US was approved by the FDA. 1965s Griswold v. Connecticut ended state laws that could restrict access to the pill. In 1975, Roe v. Wade legalised abortion nationwide. As womens reproductive rights progressed, however, conservative Christianity inevitably reacted in fury: its within this tension that Rosemarys Baby finds its otherworldly power.

Gender and horror have always remained linked, and recent years have seen a growing cultural interest in the metaphorical implications of witchcraft, from Anna Billers reclamation of the narrative in 2016s The Love Witch, to Robert Eggers The Witch in 2015, which delved into its long history of fear and oppression.

Yet, the way in which Rosemarys Baby uses horror to reflect contemporary and social concerns has a far wider-reaching appeal, which may explain why its such a cornerstone for filmmakers today. Peeles Get Out, for example, uses a similar technique of pushing the everyday experience of racism by black Americans to a point of supernatural exaggeration, as represented by the sunken place.

The metaphors of modern horror, however, are written largely within an atmosphere of acute paranoia; an uncertainty in what is truth, and what is fiction. This is what tortures the familial unit at the centre of Hereditary, or Daniel Kaluuyas gas-lit Chris in Get Out.

And its key to the effectiveness of Rosemarys Baby, which drew its notes heavily from the world around it. In the shadow of JFKs assassination, the Vietnam War, the growing civil rights movement, the counterculture generation had begun to seriously question its elders, to question established structures, to challenge the message of collective unity spouted by the post-Second World War economic boom.

A divide directly reflected in Rosemarys Baby itself, as the coven of satanists are all elders to the young, optimistic Woodhouses. Although, ironically, it was the rising distrust in conventional religion which spawned renewed interest in the black arts and witchcraft; in 1966, Anton LaVey founded the Church of Satan.

Paranoia is no less central to modern society, newly aggravated by advancing technology and the constant fear we are being watched, surveyed, and documented by our phones  though, in truth, we usually are. Another thing to distrust, however, and its no wonder that Charlie Brookers Black Mirror series, which gives sci-fi a distinctly horror edge, has found such immense popularity.

Fifty years down the line, Rosemarys Baby remains a prevailing influence because of what it helped establish within the genre: a way to communicate everyday horror through supernatural metaphor, a way to capture the fears of a generation like lightning in a bottle. Filmmakers, in short, have returned to it so faithfully as an influence because of what it has to teach them: the modern language of terror.Fast and Furious co-stars Gal Gadot and Dwayne Johnson are set to re-team for the upcoming action flick Red Notice.

Rawson Marshall Thurber, who previously worked with Johnson on Central Intelligence and Skyscraper, will helm the movie.

Universal Pictures purchased rights to the movie, Deadline reporting that studio won a heated multi-studio bidding battle that ended in this years biggest package deal so far.

The publication details how Thurber flew to London, where Gadot has been working on Wonder Woman 2, to get the actor on board. She will reportedly play a brilliant and mysterious figure in the art world.

Johnsons role remains under wraps, as does the premise, although Red Notice will apparently be a globe-trotting action comedy featuring another leading male actor, yet-to-be announced.

27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Show all 27 1 /27 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Black Panther Released: 12 February 12 February Director: Ryan Coogler Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Forest Whitaker, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 The Greatest Showman Released: 1 January 1 January Director: Michael Gracey Cast: Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Darkest Hour Released: 12 January 12 January Director: Joe Wright Cast: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Mendelsohn 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri Released: 12 January Director: Martin McDonagh 12 JanuaryMartin McDonagh Cast: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Caleb Landry Jones > Twentieth Century Fox 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Coco Released: 19 January 19 January Director: Lee Unkrich ,p>Cast: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Renee Victor 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Downsizing Released: 19 January 19 January Director: Alexander Payne Cast: Matt Damon, Christopher Waltz, Jong Chau, Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Early Man Released: 26 January 26 January Director: Nick Park Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, Timothy Spall 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Fifty Shades Freed Released: 9 February 9 February Director: James Foley Cast: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Kim Basinger 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Maze Runner: The Death Cure Released: 9 February 9 February Director: Wes Ball Cast: Dylan O'Brien, Thomas Brodie Sangster, Kaya Scodelario, Giancarlo Esposito, Aidan Gillen 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 The Shape of Water Released: 16 February 16 February Director: Guillermo del Toro Cast: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlbarg, Doug Jones 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Annihilation Released: 23 February 23 February Director: Alex Garland Cast: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Lee, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Oscar Isaac 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Dark River Released: 23 February 23 February Director: Clio Barnard Cast: Ruth Wilson, Mark Stanley, Sean Bean 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Red Sparrow Released: 2 March 2 March Director: Francis Lawrence Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Jeremy Irons 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Tomb Raider Released: 16 March 16 March Director: Roar Uthaug Cast: Alicia Vikander, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Dominic West, 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 A Wrinkle in Time Released: 23 March 23 March Director: Ava DuVernay Cast: Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Zach Galifianakis 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Pacific Rim: Uprising Released: 23 March 23 March Director: Steven S. DeKnight Cast: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Roman J Israel, Esq Released: 23 March 23 March Director: Dan Gilroy Cast: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo Columbia Pictures 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Isle of Dogs Released: 30 March 30 March Director: Wes Anderson Cast: Bill Murray, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Scarlett Johansson 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Ready Player One Released: 30 March 30 March Director: Steven Spielberg Cast: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Avengers: Infinity War Released: 27 April 27 April Director: The Russo Brothers Cast: Robert Downey, Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Josh Brolin 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Untitled Han Solo Film Released: 25 May 25 May Director: Ron Howard Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Released: 8 June 8 June Director: J.A. Bayona Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pine, B.D. Wong, Toby Jones 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Deadpool 2 Released: 1 June Director: David Leitch 1 JuneDavid Leitch Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Zazie Beetz, Josh Brolin 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Ocean's 8 Released: 22 June 22 June Director: Gary Ross Cast: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Anne Hathaway, Olivia Munn, Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna, Matt Damon 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Ant-Man and the Wasp Released: 29 June 29 June Director: Peyton Reed Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Soldado Released: 29 June 29 June Director: Stefano Sollima Cast: Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Jeffrey Donovan, Catherine Keener, Matthew Modine 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 The Incredibles 2 Released: 13 July 13 July Director: Brad Bird Cast: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Samuel L. Jackson

Thurber and Johnson will be hoping to prove themselves a bankable duo with Skyscraper, out later this year, while their buddy-cop movie Central Intelligence made $217 million from a $50 million budget.

Meanwhile, Johnson continues to be the most bankable Hollywood star in the world, the action movie Rampage currently being the seventh-highest grossing movie of 2018. Last years Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle also became a high-grosser, falling just short of $1 billion globally.Vince Vaughn was arrested Sunday morning (10 June) on suspicion of drinking under the influence (DUI).

The 48-year-old  best known for the movies Dodgeball, Hacksaw Ridge, and Wedding Crashers  was stopped at a DUI checkpoint outside of Los Angeles by police.

Manhattan Beach Police Department confirmed they took the actor into custody on charges of drink driving and resisting arrest.

An officer told CNN that Vaughn was not "fighting with officers, but more of delaying the investigation" and that: "There was no officer use of force or anything like that."

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 publication also reports that an unidentified male passenger travelling with Vaughn was also arrested, on charges of obstructing officers and public intoxication.

Both men were taken to Manhattan Beach Police Department and left later on Sunday after their bail was posted. Vaughn's mugshot has since been released to the public.

Vaughn has previously had a run-in with the law. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he was arrested for assault back in 2001 following a bar brawl in Norht Carolina, in which fellow actor Steve Buscemi was stabbed. the charges against Vaughn were later dropped.

You would think by now that people would know better than to ask me what I have been doing with my time, says The The frontman Matt Johnson, reciting the words of the poet John Tottenham. And you would think by now that I would have come up with an answer that would silence them.

Its been 16 years since The The last toured; the interregnum less a conscious withdrawal as a bewildered answer to voter apathy. As is often the case these days, absence has only made hearts grow fonder. The Royal Albert Hall is teeming, perhaps because Matt Johnsons poetic polemic is suddenly au courant once again. The Tory government he railed against during the 1980s has returned and redoubled its efforts in brutalising the underprivileged, meaning the words of this political sage and musical visionary are as relevant as ever.

"Sweet Bird of Truth" about war in the Middle East - released four years before Operation Desert Shield - brings the first real cheers of recognition. "Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)" with its prescient Islam is rising, the Christians mobilising line, is frenetic with a swagger that suggests these shows are more than just nostalgia.

"The Beat(en) Generation" is given some nocturnal swing treatment in keeping with last years Radio Cineola trilogy. The 24 songs played span from 1981s "Bugle Boy" to last years "We Cant Stop Whats Coming", none of it misplaced.

Meanwhile, three songs played together are about family lost; his mother and his brothers, Andy Dog and Eugene. And the show tonight and the tour is dedicated to his father, who died while the band were en route to Stockholm late last week: Unless you die young, he points out, then you are bound to lose people.

In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Show all 20 1 /20 In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Alex Turner Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent In pictures - Arctic Monkeys at the Royal Albert Hall Photo by Aaron Parsons The Independent

Despite this sombre shadow hanging over proceedings, The The sound very much like a band revitalised, and possibly one that intends to record new material. In the meantime, surprise highlights arise from the slightly overlooked 1993 album Dusk, with a rambunctious "Dogs of Lust" and a moving rendition of Johnsons Fassbinder riposte "Lost Is Stronger Than Death".

The The may have arisen from the post-punk scene of Some Bizarre in the early years, but his velvety tonsils on the latter are more rock and soul than existential blues and oddly reminiscent of George Michael: Johnson may not have sung publicly for years, but theres little doubt hes been practising his scales in private.Update: Leslie Grantham has passed away at the age of 71

Former EastEnders actor Leslie Grantham is reportedly in critical condition and fighting for his life.

The 71-year-old, famous for playing Dirty Den Watts in the BBC soap, has returned to the UK from Bulgaria where he had been living and is being closely monitored by doctors.

A representative for the actor has confirmed Grantham is very poorly and asked for the actors privacy to be respected.

According to The Sun, Grantham has been visited in hospital by close friends in the industry.

Grantham left the UK after splitting with his wife of 31 years, Jane. In 2010, he spent time in Bulgaria filming TV series The English Neighbour.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 15 October 2021 A person lays flowers at the scene near the Belfairs Methodist Church in Eastwood Road North, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where Conservative MP Sir David Amess has died after he was stabbed several times at a constituency surgery. A man has been arrested and officers are not looking for anyone else PA UK news in pictures 14 October 2021 A red deer stag during rutting season in Bushy Park, Richmond, south west London, which is home to over 300 red and fallow deer PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2021 Police officers detain a man as Insulate Britain activists block a roundabout at a junction on the M25 motorway during a protest in Thurrock Reuters UK news in pictures 12 October 2021 The aerial climate installation by Swiss artivist Dan Acher 'We Are Watching' is unveiled at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh PA 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

Grantham shot to fame while playing Watts in EastEnders, originally from 1985 to 1989.

A 1986 Christmas Day episode of the soap drew in an audience of more than 30 million viewers, who watched as Grantham handed over divorce papers to his on-screen wife, Angie. The character was apparently killed off in 1989 but Grantham made a shock return to Albert Square in 2003.

Additional reporting by agencies.Gin-lovers, hold onto your juniper berries: a shortage of your favourite spirit could be on the horizon thanks to Brexit.

According to the Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA), the governments recently-unveiled doomsday no-deal scenario - which predicts severe food shortages within two weeks of leaving the European Union - would have adverse effects on juniper supplies, making the nations favourite tipple significantly harder to produce.

British distillers rely on EU shipments for a whole host of botanicals including juniper, most of which come from the Mediterranean.

Other gin ingredients, such as orange and lemon peel, angelica root and liquorice, are also typically imported.

If the no-deal scenario unfolds as predicted, a source told The Sunday Times that in the second worst-case scenario Dover would be critically-affected and would "collapse on day one", meaning gin distillers would not have access to the imported goods they rely on that typically arrive via the British port.

There are now more than 315 distilleries in the UK producing the juniper-based spirit, which was officially crowned at Britains favourite spirit in an annual poll by the WSTA in 2017.

More than 55 million bottles of gin were sold last year, the WSTAs latest market report reveals, meaning the possibility of a shortage is likely to break the hearts of many.

Miles Beale, chief executive of the WSTA said that the consequences of the no-deal scenario could have a catastrophic impact, particularly on smaller, independent gin distillers, as these establishments may not have the resources required to stockpile reserves to produce their craft gins.

The British gin industry is a great example of a booming trade that could be severely hampered if the so called Brexit Armageddon scenario strikes, he said.

The whole of the UK wine and spirit trade relies on the frictionless movement of goods in and out of the UK. We have been warning our members to prepare for the worst for the last 18 months. Government seem to have only just woken up to facing the bleakest outcome.

Dan Szor, founder of the Cotswold Distillery in Stourton added that small businesses like his will struggle to remain afloat if the doomsday scenario strikes.

If we are faced with a trade dead-stop at customs it is going to cause chaos at UK ports, he said.

We need clarity from government so that we can start to make a plan. At Cotswold Distillery we rely on juniper berries from Macedonia - and it comes into the UK via Calais.

Without juniper there is no gin. Juniper grows wild and the success of the harvest is very much weather dependent, if we have a bad season and distillers are being forced to stockpile and I can see a juniper war kicking off.

He added that its not just independent distilleries that will feel the brunt of Brexit in this scenario, given that juniper is fundamental to the spirit's production, regardless of the scale of the producers.

If juniper is in short supply, Szor believes millions of gin lovers will suffer, bound to a life of gin-less gin and tonics.It may be Scotland's most popular drink, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone north of the border who'd describe the ubiquitous Tennent's as a craft beer.

Despite the reputation that precedes it, the Scottish staple has been found among other craft beers listed on a bar menu in Murcia Spain - and it is baffling people on Twitter.

Robbie Pye uploaded the photo proof to the social network, where he wrote: Theyre selling Tennents in Murcia as a craft beer in a hipster bar.

Recommended Craft beer snobs are about to evolve into something even more annoying

The photo in question shows Tennents proudly displayed alongside a Belgian IPA, Ricote Valley, and an American IPA Murcia LAB.

A craft beer is typically considered a beer made in a traditional or non-mechanized way by a small brewery - which is the opposite of the large commercial brewing operations at Wellpark, Glasgows longest-running beer production site, that creates the beloved Tennents.

Surprisingly, Spain isnt the only country to hype up the lager - Pyes post prompted other people to share their Tennents finds, with one man reminiscing on having to shell out 9 (8) for the beer in Milan a few years back.

Another shared their account of finding the lager on a Chicago beer menu, where it was described as tasting rather sweet with earthy tones and selling for almost $6.

However, it could be that Tennents next-level marketing skills may have something to do with the international popularity of the Scottish beverage.

Although the beer is rated at just 3.19 out of five on beer-rating website Beer Advocate, the marketing team knows how to keep their customers amused.

The poshest beers Show all 10 1 /10 The poshest beers The poshest beers Budweiser Budweiser, famous for its bullfrog adverts, came in 5th. 38 per cent of those who buy the beer are middle class. Spencer Platt/Getty Images The poshest beers Peroni Italian beer Peroni topped the list, as 50 per cent of its customers are middle class Jason Carter Rinaldi/Getty Images for Peroni The poshest beers Heineken Dutch beer Heineken came second. 45 per cent of its customers are middle class. Getty Images The poshest beers Kronenbourg 1664 Tastemaker Alex James joins the celebrations of the 350th anniversary of the first Kronenbourg brewery at Le Cafe Du Marche Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for Kronenbourg The poshest beers Beck's Beck's, a German beer, came 4th with 38 per cent of its customers being middle class The poshest beers A Belgian beer, Stella Artois came 6th with 36 per cent Mark Renders/Getty Image The poshest beers 35 per cent of the customers of Dutch beer Grolsch are middle class Piutus/Flickr CC The poshest beers Fosters lager Australian beer Fosters came in 8th. 33 per cent of its customers are in the AB social group GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images The poshest beers Carling 31 per cent of Carling customers are middle class Graeme Robertson/Getty Images The poshest beers Carlsberg came join last with Carling, with 31 per cent. Niklas Morberg/ Flickr CC

In one notable Twitter exchange, a customer looking for a low-calorie Tennents lager or a Tennents lite was informed that they do, in fact, sell a version.

We do, mate - its called a half-pint, the brand wrote back.The next major Tesla software update will give all versions of the electric car "full self-driving features," chief executve Elon Musk has announced.

In response to comments on Twitter from Tesla owners about suggested features, Mr Musk said the update would fix issues with the system understanding lane merging and go even further.

"That issue is better in latest autopilot software rolling out now and fully fixed in August update as part of our long-awaited Tesla Version Nine," Mr Musk said.

"To date, autopilot resources have rightly focused entirely on safety. With V9, we will begin to enable full self-driving features."

All Tesla vehicles are already equipped with the hardware to give them full self-driving capabilities, such as cameras and sensors, however the current software means they are only semi-autonomous.

According to the electric car maker's website, full self-driving capability delivers a safety level "substantially greater" than that of a human driver.

"The system is designed to be able to conduct short and long distance trips with no action required by the person in the driver's seat," Tesla's website states.

"All you will need to do is get in and tell your car where to go. If you don't say anything, the car will look at your calendar and take you there as the assumed destination or just home if nothing is on the calendar."

Subsequent tweets from the Tesla CEO suggested the new Tesla Roadster  the company's most expensive electric car  would feature an improved top speed that would make it outperform gas vehicles "on every performance metric".

The cherry-red Tesla Roadster on the Falcon Heavy, a beefed-up version of SpaceXs workhouse Falcon 9 rocket (Space X)

The billionaire claimed the Roadster would become the world's quickest production car, capable of going from 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds.

Mr Musk has previously criticised media coverage of his company, which he says unfairly reports accidents involving Tesla vehicles disproportionately more than accidents involving vehicles not equipped with self-driving capabilities.

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There have been a number of accidents in recent months involving Tesla cars, including a fatal collision in California in March.

"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 the past year get almost no coverage," Mr Musk said on Twitter last month, in response to an article in The Washington Post.

"What's actually amazing about this accident is that a Model S hit a fire truck at 60mph and the driver only broke an ankle. An impact at that speed usually results in severe injury or death."Three-quarters of the British public think doctors should be able to prescribe cannabis for medical purposes. Wider interest has followed recent media reports about children such as six-year-old Alfie Dingley, whose seizures have been dramatically reduced after being given cannabis products  often by travelling abroad for treatment, or illegally sourcing or importing from countries such as the Netherlands.

Senior politicians have expressed a desire to help children with serious illnesses, but provision of individual cannabis licenses and legal exemptions on a case-by-case basis does not help the many thousands of other people across the UK who also say that cannabis helps them.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Drug Policy Reform recommended improving access to medical cannabis through a dedicated regulatory body.

However, a new system that would licence and regulate herbal medical cannabis products would require a rethink of how medicines are approved in the UK.

How the system works

There are currently only four cannabis-based medicines in Europe that have been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). All are pharmaceutical products, such as oral sprays, containing defined active components, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) in specific amounts  they are not herbal cannabis preparations.

To receive marketing authorisation, manufacturers are required to present evidence of efficacy and safety, and offer well-defined products for specific conditions that are produced, processed and packaged to high standards. This is an expensive and lengthy process that can cost millions of pounds.

Although the Bedrocan company in the Netherlands has received certification for the quality of production of its herbal cannabis materials, none have received marketing authorisation as medical products because they have not been submitted for review in accordance with licensing criteria.

The problems in testing medical cannabis

Medical cannabis challenges scientific norms and the regulation of medicines. The evidence-based medicine approach, where medicines and practices are evaluated and recommended on the basis of high-quality experimental and economic evidence  rather than anecdote and industry marketing  has led to the identification and availability of many important medical treatments.

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When medical cannabis is tested against traditional evidence-based principles, it does not fare as well as might be popularly believed. Reviews of scientific evidence show promising findings for some, but not all, conditions for which cannabis is considered a treatment  and this evidence is difficult to untangle.

Cannabis products show general success in reducing seizures, for example, but the best evidence is from studies of pharmaceutical-grade CBD in the treatment of rare forms of childhood epilepsy  and not the whole plant itself. Studies of whole plant products are difficult to interpret because of differences in product composition, dose and administration regimes, and the lack of long-term follow up.

Most medical cannabis patients in the UK are not using pharmaceutical grade products, but are instead smoking, vaping or consuming illicitly grown herbal cannabis products to self-treat a wide variety of conditions, many of which will not have been formally diagnosed. It is therefore difficult to know how to translate scientific findings into practice.

In contrast, there is a clear support from patients, the public and some professional healthcare bodies for medical cannabis. Advocates point to benefits reported by patients, and the long history of folk medicine to argue for its safety and efficacy.

Campaigners argue that herbal cannabis is denied to patients because of the laws prohibiting recreational use and the inflexibility of medicines regulations that are set up to evaluate tightly defined pharmaceutical products.

The evidence-based medicine brand has also been criticised as being too focused on large randomised controlled trials to generate evidence and discounting professional expertise, to the detriment of individualised responses to patient needs.

An exceptional product?

Suggesting that cannabis should not be subject to the same standards of evidence as other medicines and should bypass current regulatory processes is a radical move that positions cannabis as an exceptional product. An evidence-based approach is particularly valued in publicly funded healthcare systems such as the NHS where the majority of the financial burden is borne by taxpayers.

In England and Wales, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) reviews clinical and economic evidence on new pharmaceuticals in order to decide which should be recommended for use in the NHS. Changing the law to allow healthcare providers to prescribe herbal cannabis products to patients would respond to patient demand  but without a new regulatory system those treatments would not be subject to the same level of scrutiny as other medicines prescribed in their practice.

International regulators have tried to address this. Herbal cannabis products are available on prescription in several countries. But regulatory models are internationally diverse and many systems are not easily translated to the UK because of differences in healthcare funding and access to medicines.

In Germany, doctors are only allowed to prescribe government-approved cannabis products on a compassionate basis to severely ill patients with specific illnesses who have not benefited from other treatments. In contrast to more tightly regulated systems, in the USA the boundaries between medical and recreational cannabis have been blurred and cannabis has been presented as a panacea for many diverse conditions and wellbeing needs.

Medical cannabis is both an emotional issue and technical challenge. A plausible case can be made for changing the law and allowing patients access to medical products. However, this requires more than an act of Parliament and presents a fundamentally different way of thinking about what a medicine is, and how patients should get access.

For now, the UK government is considering the option of a cannabis oil trial for epilepsy sufferer Alfie Dingley, who currently has to travel 450 miles to the Netherlands for the treatment.

Harry Sumnall is a professor in substance use at Liverpool John Moores University. This article first appeared on The Conversation (theconversation.com)New Look has slashed prices in a bid to combat plummeting sales months after entering a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) to stay afloat amid the worsening high street crisis.

The retailer said 80 per cent of its products will be sold for 20 or less in a return to value-led fast fashion, after reporting an 11.4 per cent drop in sales for the year to 24 March.

This included an 11.7 per cent drop in UK sales and a 19.2 per cent decline in sales from its website. However third party e-commerce sales, via outlets such as Asos, grew 15.5 per cent.

The group reported a 7.3 per cent fall in revenue, to 1.35bn, and posted an operating loss of 74.3m.

In March, New Looks creditors approved a CVA to reduce rents on its store network, which the retailer said would lead to savings of 40m, and the company closed 60 UK branches, putting almost 1,000 jobs at risk.

Last year was undoubtedly very difficult for New Look, with a well-documented combination of external and self-inflicted issues impacting our performance, said Alistair McGeorge, executive chairman of the retailer.

Since November, we have focused on making the necessary changes to get the company back on track and reconnect with our customers. Our turnaround plan is now well under way and we have already made substantial operational improvements to help stabilise the business, reduce our fixed cost base and put us in a better position to drive future full price sales.

We have started the new financial year with a much cleaner stock position and are now seeing green shoots emerge.

Mr McGeorge added: We still have more work to do to restore long-term profitability but I am confident we are now better placed to achieve this than we were when I returned to the business over six months ago.

Trading conditions will remain tough in the year ahead but further operational efficiencies, and a resolute focus on our core strengths and heartland customer, will help to ensure we remain on the right track.

The UKs high street retailers have been engulfed in a struggle to stay afloat since the beginning of the year, with a number of household names collapsing, including Toys R Us and Maplin.

In the past week, House of Fraser has announced plans to shut more than half its UK stores and discount chain Poundworld has fallen into administration.Mothers who decide not to breastfeed their child must be respected for their choice, midwives are being told.

New advice from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) stresses new mothers should be given appropriate support if they make an informed decision to bottle feed.

The guidance still says babies should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months, in line with advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

But the RCM acknowledges some mothers struggle to start or carry on breastfeeding, and says the decision is a womans right.

Chief executive Gill Walton said: Evidence clearly shows that breastfeeding in line with WHO guidance brings optimum benefits for the health of both mother and baby. However, the reality is that often some women for a variety of reasons struggle to start or sustain breastfeeding.

The RCM believes that women should be at the centre of their own care and, as with other areas of maternity care, midwives and maternity support workers should promote informed choice.

 A Town called Alice: The Liberian Midwife With 1000+ Babies Named After Her

If, after being given appropriate information, advice and support on breastfeeding, a woman chooses not to do so, or to give formula as well as breastfeeding, her choice must be respected.

The National Childbirth Trust has previously warned that women can face judgment or feel guilty about the decisions they make when it comes to feeding their baby.

But the RCM says it recognises that some women cannot or do not wish to breastfeed.

They must be given all the advice and support they need on safe preparation of bottles and responsive feeding to develop a close and loving bond with their baby, Ms Walton added.

Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. The study, conducted by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers as infants, but then fall behind by the time they hit their teenage years Getty Health news in pictures Cycling to work could halve risk of cancer and heart disease Commuters who swap their car or bus pass for a bike could cut their risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests  but campaigners have warned there is still an urgent need to improve road conditions for cyclists. Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 per cent and cardiovascular disease by 46 per cent, according to a study of a quarter of a million people. Walking to work also brought health benefits, the University of Glasgow researchers found, but not to the same degree as cycling. Getty

We know that every woman wants the best for her baby, and we want to be able to empower our members to support women to be the best they can be and enable them to make decisions that are right for themselves and their babies.

The organisation also says those who choose to breastfeed need more support and should not feel guilty of embarrassed about breastfeeding in public.

Research has found breastfeeding can have long-term health advantages, with children less likely to develop diabetes or become obese later in life.

However, the UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world.

A recent report found just over a third (34 per cent) of babies are receiving any breast milk at six months, compared with 62.5 per cent in Sweden.

Additional reporting by PAA 12-year-old boy who uses a cannabis-based medication to control his severe epilepsy suffered his first seizures in months last night, hours after his prescription was confiscated by customs officials.

Billy Caldwells mother, Charlotte, yesterday accused the government of signing Billys death warrant after returning from Canada with a six-month supply of the medicine only to have it confiscated on arrival.

She twice met policing minister Nick Hurd MP and had previously told a press conference she hoped the minister would return his medicine as any seizure could be life-threatening.

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

Sharing a video of Billys seizure at 1am this morning, Ms Caldwell urged her followers on the Keep Billy Alive Facebook group to email Mr Hurd and plead for him to relent.

The last time he had a seizure was several months ago, and even then it was because he wasnt well anyway and had a bug at the time, a spokesperson for the family told The Independent.

But so far the Home Office has refused to budge. A spokesperson said it is sympathetic to the rare situation Billy and his family face but it is unlawful to bring the controlled substance into the country.

The medication is administered three times a day, and prior to Billy starting this treatment he could have as many as 100 seizures in 24 hours.

Since he was first prescribed the cannabis oil medication, Tilray, while in America in 2016, he has gone the best part of a year with no seizures.

Last year Billy became the first person in the UK to receive an NHS prescription for medical cannabis, with the support of his GP. But last month the Home Office intervened to order his doctor to halt the prescription or risk losing his licence.

The cannabis oils main component is the substance cannabidiol (CBD), which can be licensed as a medicine in the UK. But it also contains small amounts of THC, the psychoactive component responsible for causing the high in recreational forms of the drug, which is enough to have it classed as a Schedule 1 controlled substance in the UK seen as having no medical value.

It can be prescribed in Canada, which also recently legalised recreational cannabis use, for the treatment of epilepsy and Ms Caldwell has also said it has helped with Billys autism.

Recommended Medical cannabis and the challenge for regulation of medicines

The family are campaigning for reform of the laws around medical marijuana use to help Billy and many other children and families who have intractable epilepsy and other conditions that could benefit.

A Home Office spokesperson said: The Home Office is sympathetic to the rare situation that Billy and his family are faced with.

The policing minister met Ms Caldwell and advised her that despite these extremely difficult circumstances, it is unlawful to possess Schedule 1 drugs such as those seized at the border [yesterday] morning without a licence.

The minister urged the family to explore licensing options with the Department of Health Northern Ireland.Psychedelic drugs like LSD and ecstasy ingredient MDMA have been shown to stimulate the growth of new branches and connections between brain cells which could help address conditions like depression and addiction.

Researchers in California have demonstrated these substances, banned as illicit drugs in many countries, are capable of rewiring parts of the brain in a way that lasts well beyond the drugs' effects.

This means psychedelics could be the "next generation" of treatments for mental health disorders which could be more effective and safer than existing options, the study's authors from the University of California.

In previous studies by the same team, a single dose of DMT, the key ingredient in ayahuasca medicinal brews of Amazonian tribes, has been shown to help rats overcome a fear of electric shock meant to emulate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Now they have shown this dose increases the number of branch-like dendrites sprouting from nerve cells in the rat's brain.

These dendrites end at synapses where their electrical impulses are passed on to other nerve cells and underpin all brain activity. But they can atrophy and draw back in people with mental health conditions.

One of the hallmarks of depression is that the neurites in the prefrontal cortex  a key brain region that regulates emotion, mood, and anxiety  those neurites tend to shrivel up, says Dr David Olson, who lead the research team.

These brain changes also appear in cases of anxiety, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder and stimulating them to reconnect could help to address this.

The research, published in the journal Cell Reports today, looked at drugs in several classes including tryptamines, DMT and magic mushrooms; amphetamines, including MDMA; and ergolines, like LSD.

In tests on human brain cells in the lab, flies and rats, it found these substances consistently boosted brain connections.

This figure shows the effects of three psychedelics, DMT, LSD, amphetamines (DOI) and one control (VEH) on neurons in the prefrontal cortex (Ly et al)

Dr Olson compared the effects to ketamine, another illicit drug which represents one of the most important new treatments for depression in a generation, and found many psychedelics have equal or greater effects.

A ketamine nasal spray is being fast-tracked through clinical trials after it was shown to rapidly relieve major depression and suicidal thoughts in people who cannot be helped by other treatments.

However its use has to be weighed against its potential for abuse, and its ability to cause a form of drug-induced psychosis.

The rapid effects of ketamine on mood and plasticity are truly astounding, said Dr Olson. The big question we were trying to answer was whether or not other compounds are capable of doing what ketamine does.

Taking the ayahuasca hallucinogenic drug - in pictures Show all 7 1 /7 Taking the ayahuasca hallucinogenic drug - in pictures Taking the ayahuasca hallucinogenic drug - in pictures A Yage ceremony in La Calera, Colombia. Yage, a mixture of the Ayahuasca hallucinogenic liana and a psychoactive bush, attracts many people in Colombia, who seek to participate in a traditional indigenous ritual of spiritual and physical healing impossible to realize in many countries where these plants are considered drugs. Taking the ayahuasca hallucinogenic drug - in pictures A man laying on a carpet after drinking yage - mixture of the Ayahuasca hallucinogenic liana and a psychoactive bush - during a ritual in La Calera, Colombia. Taking the ayahuasca hallucinogenic drug - in pictures Taking the ayahuasca hallucinogenic drug - in pictures Taking the ayahuasca hallucinogenic drug - in pictures Taking the ayahuasca hallucinogenic drug - in pictures Taking the ayahuasca hallucinogenic drug - in pictures

People have long assumed that psychedelics are capable of altering neuronal structure, but this is the first study that clearly and unambiguously supports that hypothesis."

The fact that many of these drugs seem to mimic the groundbreaking benefits of ketamine opens up an array of new treatment options, which may be less open to abuse, if these drugs can make it to clinical trials.

Dr Olson said: Ketamine is no longer our only option. Our work demonstrates that there are a number of distinct chemical scaffolds capable of promoting plasticity like ketamine, providing additional opportunities for medicinal chemists to develop safer and more effective alternatives.

The news that yet more banned substances could help tackle serious and debilitating disease comes as the UK Home Office is embroiled in a row over medicinal cannabis in treating epilepsy.

After months seizure-free, 12-year-old Billy Caldwell had a seizure last night after airport customs officials confiscated his prescription from Canada.

Billy had previously had the UKs only NHS medical cannabis prescription, for an oil which banished seizures that used to strike 100 times a day, but the Home Office intervened to block his GP from prescribing it.A man who attempted to sell the sexual services of a fragile teenage girl via text message, has been jailed.

Adam Banks, from Wigan, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison and received a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

The 33-year-old messaged the girl repeatedly on social media and arranged for her to meet four men for sex before his arrest, Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard.

His constant messages became increasingly explicit, police said, adding that he manipulated her by using money as an incentive because she wanted to leave her home in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester.

He convinced her to send him inappropriate images and contacted men by text message offering to sell her services.

On one occasion he met the teenager in his car before telling her she had to meet four men later in the week.

After someone close to the victim raised their suspicions with police, officers from Greater Manchester Police arrested Banks in Leeds before the planned meetings.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 October 2021 A red deer stag during rutting season in Bushy Park, Richmond, south west London, which is home to over 300 red and fallow deer PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2021 Police officers detain a man as Insulate Britain activists block a roundabout at a junction on the M25 motorway during a protest in Thurrock Reuters UK news in pictures 12 October 2021 The aerial climate installation by Swiss artivist Dan Acher 'We Are Watching' is unveiled at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh PA 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

He admitted at an earlier hearing to two counts of arranging the sexual exploitation of a child, three counts of distributing indecent images of a child and one count of making an indecent image of a child.

Banks manipulated this vulnerable girl preying on her need for money. He sent sickening explicit texts to other men detailing the services she could offer, all the while knowing how young and fragile she was," said Detective sergeant Jennie Morrison.

He took pleasure in arranging to sexually exploit this girl and gained disgusting sexual gratification from images he convinced her to send. I want to praise the victim for her strength throughout this investigation and specialist officers have supported her through this ordeal.Seven people have been arrested in dawn raids as part of a crackdown on an alleged county line drug dealing network that sent heroin and crack from east London to Suffolk.

More than 80 police officers swooped in Newham, Essex and in Suffolk in the early hours of Tuesday, and held five men and two women aged between 19 and 39.

Gangs operate so-called county lines by receiving calls from customers in far flung places and using teenage couriers to take them drugs.

Often a vulnerable person in the delivery area will have their home taken over by dealers to store and sell drugs.

It is claimed a gang based in Newham, which had been monitored by police since March, sent heroin and crack cocaine to the Ipswich area.

World's 10 deadliest street drugs Show all 10 1 /10 World's 10 deadliest street drugs World's 10 deadliest street drugs Whoonga Whoonga is a combination of antiretroviral drugs, used to treat HIV, and various cutting agents such as detergents and poisons. The drug is widely available in South Africa due to South Africas high rate of HIV sufferers, and is believed to be popular due to how cheap it is when compared to prescribed antiretrovirals. The drug is highly addictive and can cause major health issues such as internal bleeding, stomach ulcers and ultimately death Getty World's 10 deadliest street drugs Scopolamine Scopolamine is a derivative from the nightshade plant found in the Northern Indian region of South America (Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela). It is generally found in a refined powder form, but can also be found as a tea. The drug is more often used by criminals due its high toxicity level (one gram is believed to be able to kill up to 20 people) making it a strong poison. However, it is also believed that the drug is blown into the faces of unexpecting victims, later causing them to lose all sense of self-control and becoming incapable of forming memories during the time they are under the influence of the drug. This tactic has reportedly been used by gangs in Colombia where there have been reports of people using scopolamine as way to convince victims to rob their own homes World's 10 deadliest street drugs Heroin Founded in 1874 by C. R. Alder Wright, heroin is one of the worlds oldest drugs. Originally it was prescribed as a strong painkiller used to treat chronic pain and physical trauma. However in 1971 it was made illegal under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Since then it has become one of the most destructive substances in the world, tearing apart communities and destroying families. The side effects of heroin include inflammation of the gums, cold sweats, a weak immune system, muscular weakness and insomnia. It can also damage blood vessels which can later cause gangrene if left untreated World's 10 deadliest street drugs Crack cocaine Crack cocaine first came about in the 1980s when cocaine became a widespread commodity within the drug trafficking world. Originally cocaine would have attracted a high price tag due to its rarity and difficulty to produce, but once it became more widespread the price dropped significantly. This resulted in drug dealers forming their cocaine into rock like shapes by using baking soda as a way of distilling the powder down into rock form. People were doing this because it allowed for them to sell cocaine at a lower quantity and to a higher number of people. The side effects of crack cocaine include liver, kidney and lung damage, as well as permanent damage to blood vessels, which can often lead to heart attacks, strokes, and ultimately death World's 10 deadliest street drugs Crystal meth Not just famous because of a certain Walter H White, but also because it is one of the most destructive drugs in the world. First developed in 1887, it became widely used during the Second World War when both sides would give it to their troops to keep them awake. It is also believed that the Japanese gave it to their Kamikaze pilots before their suicide missions. After the war crystal meth was prescribed as a diet aid and remained legal until the 1970s. Since then it has fallen into the hands of Mexican gangs and has become a worldwide phenomenon, spreading throughout Europe and Asia. The effects of crystal meth are devastating. In the short-term users will become sleep depraved and anxious, and in the long-term it will cause their flesh to sink, as well as brain damage and damage of the blood vessels World's 10 deadliest street drugs AH-7921 AH-7921 is a synthetic opioid that was previously available to legally purchase online from vendors until it became a Class A in January 2015. The drug is believed to have 80% of the potency of morphine, and became known as the legal heroin. While there has only been one death related to AH-7921 in the UK, it is believed to be highly dangerous and capable of causing respiratory arrest and gangrene World's 10 deadliest street drugs Flakka Flakka is a stimulant with a similar chemical make-up to the amphetamine-like drug found in bath salts. While the drug was originally marketed as a legal high alternative to ecstasy, the effects are significantly different. The user will feel an elevated heart rate, enhanced emotions, and, if enough is digested, strong hallucinations. The drug can cause permanent psychological damage due to it affecting the mood regulating neurons that keep the minds serotonin and dopamine in check, as well as possibly causing heart failure World's 10 deadliest street drugs Bath salts Bath salts are a synthetic crystalline drug that is prevalent in the US. While they may sound harmless, they certainly arent the sort of salts you drop into a warm bath when having a relaxing night in, they are most similar to mephedrone, and have recently been featured throughout social media due to the zombification of its. The name comes from the fact that the drug was originally sold online, and widely disguised as bath salts. The side effects include unusual psychiatric behaviour, psychosis, panic attacks and violent behaviour, as well as the possibility of a heart attack and an elevated body temperature World's 10 deadliest street drugs Purple Drank One of the more unusual drugs around at the moment, purple drank was popularised in 90s hip hop culture, with the likes of Jay Z and Big Moe all mentioning it in their songs. It is a concoction of soda water, sweets and cold medicine, and is drunk due to cold medicines high codeine content, which gives the user a woozy feeling. However it can also cause respiratory issues and heart failure World's 10 deadliest street drugs Krokodil Krokodil is Russias secret addiction. It is believed that over one million Russians are addicted to the drug. Users of krokodil are attracted to the drug due to its low price; it is sold at 20 a gram while heroin is sold for 60. However, krokodil is considered more dangerous than heroin because it is often homemade, with ingredients including painkillers, iodine, lighter fluid and industrial cleaning agents. This chemical make-up makes the drug highly dangerous and likely to cause gangrene, and eventually rotting of the flesh

During the raids three men were arrested, two aged 19 and from Newham and one aged 25 from Tottenham, and searches were carried out at five addresses in Newham and another in Haringey.

In Suffolk, police searched properties in Bond Street and Main Road, Ipswich, and arrested a 39-year-old man and two women, aged 33 and 37, all from the town.

The final suspect, a man aged 25, was arrested by Essex Police in Falcon Avenue, Grays.

Investigators also seized a 10-inch hunting knife, a stolen moped, cannabis and the mobile phone believed to have been used for running the county line.

Detective Inspector Jim McKee, from Scotland Yard's Trident gangs unit, said: Those who run county line drug dealing networks are responsible for exporting violence to towns outside of London and we are committed to relentlessly pursuing and disrupting them.

We believe the disruption of the drug dealing gangs could have a direct impact on reducing the level of violence in London.

 Man facing drugs charges leaps from courthouse balcony-

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Detective Superintendent Richard Turner said the Trident command has worked with police in Newham since July to try to reduce violence in the area, where he said warring gangs were the main cause of bloodshed.

He said: Weve been looking at different groups that we believe are responsible for the violence there, and weve been looking for opportunities to reduce that violence by arresting people for whatever criminal activity we find that they have committed, be that firearms offences, violence offences or, as in this case, drugs supply offences, in order to try and reduce the violence that we see on London streets. And equally in this case, reduce the suffering and the misery that goes hand in hand with Class A drug dealing and the exploitation of those involved in that as well.

The operation comes amid a surge in violent crime.

Nationally, the number of homicides went up 9 per cent in 2017 compared with the previous year, equating to 54 more murders for a total of 653, with cases linked to the Hillsborough disaster and last years terror attacks excluded.

Violence against the person and crimes involving a knife were both up by around a fifth, and gun offences went up by 11 per cent.

In London, Scotland Yard has launched more than 70 murder investigations so far this year, compared with a total of 131 last year.

Press AssociationThe encryption technology that keeps smartphone users private messages safe could be regulated by the government because it is sometimes used by terrorists, the senior inspector overseeing the UKs police forces has claimed.

Firms responsible for instant messaging apps are making life easier for terrorists, paedophiles and organised criminals while frustrating law enforcement by locking out the police, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary said.

Sir Thomas Winsor warned that regulation might become necessary to ensure officers can access information hidden by end-to-end encryption and device passwords.

The more the technology companies devise means of shielding information from legitimate law enforcement, usually backed by a judicial warrant, the more they move themselves to be susceptible to regulation, he told journalists.

It is unsustainable for properly operating judicial processes and law enforcement to be frustrated in the investigation of offences.

Recommended Graduates to become detectives in 12 weeks to tackle major shortage

Encryption, which converts messages into unreadable code, has come under increasing focus in the wake of a wave of global terror attacks.

The Westminster attacker Khalid Masood used the encrypted messaging service WhatsApp to send a last message from behind the wheel, while Isis has evaded international crackdowns by putting out its gory propaganda and communicating with members on Telegram.

Government and law enforcement officials have repeatedly argued that encryption must be weakened, so that messages can be read as they are sent between people. But technology companies and privacy activists have, equally often, pointed out that would also make communications far less secure  allowing them to be read by other governments and malicious hackers.

Encryption is used to keep data secure across the internet, protecting not only private messages but internet banking and other sensitive information. Without it, communications sent by government and military officials could be intercepted as they are sent, theoretically allowing anyone to read them as they are delivered.

Sir Thomas said unbreakable smartphone password protections were also unacceptable, citing the legal battle between the FBI and Apple over accessing the iPhone used by an Isis-inspired mass shooter in San Diego.

If the giants of that world continue to devise ways to frustrate law enforcement then public opinion wont tolerate it, he added.

I think the more people realise the dangerous potential of information which is unjustifiably concealed from law enforcement, be it child abuse, terrorism or serious organised crime, the more they will realise that access to that information is not just desirable, it is necessary.

Asked about privacy and public discomfort over the prospect of police accessing private information held on phones, Sir Thomas said it would be subject to judicial oversight.

In his annual State of Policing in England and Wales report, he said the huge amount of digital data held on phones was causing issues elsewhere in the criminal justice system and driving a wave of high-profile disclosure scandals.

Sir Thomas said the current use of new technology that could speed up investigations was patchy across forces and leaving police far behind where the criminals are, amid efforts to update IT systems and databases.

He called on British police to invest in artificial intelligence to examine phone data, suggesting that the practice should be organised on a regional or national basis rather than by individual forces.

It came after a string of cases collapsed after messages were found by defence lawyers  on devices already examined by police  proving the defendants innocence, while a man was released from prison four years after being wrongfully convicted of rape.

Too many police officers dont understand the disclosure rules and that can lead a perfectly sound case to collapse, an innocent person going through hell or a going to jail, Sir Thomas warned, calling for improved training.

It is important that all in the criminal justice system realise it is there to establish the truth, not just to be a gladiatorial battle where winning is all that counts.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 October 2021 A red deer stag during rutting season in Bushy Park, Richmond, south west London, which is home to over 300 red and fallow deer PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2021 Police officers detain a man as Insulate Britain activists block a roundabout at a junction on the M25 motorway during a protest in Thurrock Reuters UK news in pictures 12 October 2021 The aerial climate installation by Swiss artivist Dan Acher 'We Are Watching' is unveiled at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh PA 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

Resources have been cited as a driver of disclosure issues by both police and lawyers, and forces have been putting pressure on the government for increased funding to deal with a range of mounting demands.

Sir Thomas would not be drawn on whether police forces have enough money to protect the public, but acknowledged a gap between what they are required to do and the resources to do it.

Weeks after Sajid Javid, the new home secretary, pledged to prioritise police funding in an upcoming government spending review, the inspector added: Its not a linear relationship between money, efficiency and the quality of the output  there are many factors at work.

The 43 police forces in England and Wales are currently drawing up their first-ever force management statements, which require chief constables to record current and future demand, and their ability to meet it.

It is not possible to make sound judgements about how use resources if you do not know your demand, Sir Thomas said.

However, some forces are still failing to assess and plan for future demand capability properly and efficiently. Failing to plan properly will compromise public safety.

In many cases, it is troubling how little forces know about demand  particularly demand that comes from hidden crime, such as so-called honour-based violence and modern slavery.

HM Inspectorate of Constabularys annual report found that the dedication of over-stretched police officers was masking a dangerous failure by leaders to deal with current and future crime.

It warned that vulnerable people were being put at risk of serious harm by the inappropriate management of demand.

Sir Thomas said the effectiveness of policing is broadly improving despite financial austerity and the rise of crime but long-running issues were becoming more urgent.

The principal of these is the failure to plan properly, compromising public safety and relying on officers desire to get the job done, he added. This has allowed too slow and too modest a scale of change that is urgently needed.

Almost a quarter of forces are not meeting enough of their demand or are managing it inappropriately, the report found.

Some we found that staff holding thousands of emergency calls in queues, largely because officers were not available to respond to them, it said, adding that some officers were not reassessing the threat after long delays.

Almost all forces in England and Wales are investigating some crimes over the telephone, rather than sending officers in person, and HMIC found that one third were poor quality and almost half were not supervised properly.

They can give a prompt and efficient service but forces must not use as simply a cheap way of dealing with a case, the report said.

Sir Thomas attacked wider public services for allowing a crisis in mental health services for children and young people to worsen serious crime, amid a nationwide rise in stabbings.

This is mainly the job of others such as health, education and social services ... there are many people in the criminal justice system who should not be there, he added.

In too many cases services wait until the child is in crisis before anything is done, and that inevitably brings pressure on police and diverts their pressure and resources to deal with problems that should not have been allowed to develop to that stage in the first place.

He also called for officers and staff to be given proper support and rest days to protect their welfare and the quality of their work.Traces of 29 pharmaceutical drugs have been found in rivers in York.

The compounds included antidepressants, antibiotics and medicines to treat epilepsy and diabetes.

The York University team which conducted the study said although the levels found in the rivers Ouse and Foss were extremely low, there were concerns over the long-term implications of the findings.

The samples included drugs not usually available in the UK and thought to have been brought by Chinese and American tourists.

The researchers behind the findings said some drugs were found in levels higher than previously observed across parts of Europe and Asia.

But they added that two litres of river water would amount to about a millionth of a patients daily dose of one drug.

World's 10 deadliest street drugs Show all 10 1 /10 World's 10 deadliest street drugs World's 10 deadliest street drugs Whoonga Whoonga is a combination of antiretroviral drugs, used to treat HIV, and various cutting agents such as detergents and poisons. The drug is widely available in South Africa due to South Africas high rate of HIV sufferers, and is believed to be popular due to how cheap it is when compared to prescribed antiretrovirals. The drug is highly addictive and can cause major health issues such as internal bleeding, stomach ulcers and ultimately death Getty World's 10 deadliest street drugs Scopolamine Scopolamine is a derivative from the nightshade plant found in the Northern Indian region of South America (Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela). It is generally found in a refined powder form, but can also be found as a tea. The drug is more often used by criminals due its high toxicity level (one gram is believed to be able to kill up to 20 people) making it a strong poison. However, it is also believed that the drug is blown into the faces of unexpecting victims, later causing them to lose all sense of self-control and becoming incapable of forming memories during the time they are under the influence of the drug. This tactic has reportedly been used by gangs in Colombia where there have been reports of people using scopolamine as way to convince victims to rob their own homes World's 10 deadliest street drugs Heroin Founded in 1874 by C. R. Alder Wright, heroin is one of the worlds oldest drugs. Originally it was prescribed as a strong painkiller used to treat chronic pain and physical trauma. However in 1971 it was made illegal under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Since then it has become one of the most destructive substances in the world, tearing apart communities and destroying families. The side effects of heroin include inflammation of the gums, cold sweats, a weak immune system, muscular weakness and insomnia. It can also damage blood vessels which can later cause gangrene if left untreated World's 10 deadliest street drugs Crack cocaine Crack cocaine first came about in the 1980s when cocaine became a widespread commodity within the drug trafficking world. Originally cocaine would have attracted a high price tag due to its rarity and difficulty to produce, but once it became more widespread the price dropped significantly. This resulted in drug dealers forming their cocaine into rock like shapes by using baking soda as a way of distilling the powder down into rock form. People were doing this because it allowed for them to sell cocaine at a lower quantity and to a higher number of people. The side effects of crack cocaine include liver, kidney and lung damage, as well as permanent damage to blood vessels, which can often lead to heart attacks, strokes, and ultimately death World's 10 deadliest street drugs Crystal meth Not just famous because of a certain Walter H White, but also because it is one of the most destructive drugs in the world. First developed in 1887, it became widely used during the Second World War when both sides would give it to their troops to keep them awake. It is also believed that the Japanese gave it to their Kamikaze pilots before their suicide missions. After the war crystal meth was prescribed as a diet aid and remained legal until the 1970s. Since then it has fallen into the hands of Mexican gangs and has become a worldwide phenomenon, spreading throughout Europe and Asia. The effects of crystal meth are devastating. In the short-term users will become sleep depraved and anxious, and in the long-term it will cause their flesh to sink, as well as brain damage and damage of the blood vessels World's 10 deadliest street drugs AH-7921 AH-7921 is a synthetic opioid that was previously available to legally purchase online from vendors until it became a Class A in January 2015. The drug is believed to have 80% of the potency of morphine, and became known as the legal heroin. While there has only been one death related to AH-7921 in the UK, it is believed to be highly dangerous and capable of causing respiratory arrest and gangrene World's 10 deadliest street drugs Flakka Flakka is a stimulant with a similar chemical make-up to the amphetamine-like drug found in bath salts. While the drug was originally marketed as a legal high alternative to ecstasy, the effects are significantly different. The user will feel an elevated heart rate, enhanced emotions, and, if enough is digested, strong hallucinations. The drug can cause permanent psychological damage due to it affecting the mood regulating neurons that keep the minds serotonin and dopamine in check, as well as possibly causing heart failure World's 10 deadliest street drugs Bath salts Bath salts are a synthetic crystalline drug that is prevalent in the US. While they may sound harmless, they certainly arent the sort of salts you drop into a warm bath when having a relaxing night in, they are most similar to mephedrone, and have recently been featured throughout social media due to the zombification of its. The name comes from the fact that the drug was originally sold online, and widely disguised as bath salts. The side effects include unusual psychiatric behaviour, psychosis, panic attacks and violent behaviour, as well as the possibility of a heart attack and an elevated body temperature World's 10 deadliest street drugs Purple Drank One of the more unusual drugs around at the moment, purple drank was popularised in 90s hip hop culture, with the likes of Jay Z and Big Moe all mentioning it in their songs. It is a concoction of soda water, sweets and cold medicine, and is drunk due to cold medicines high codeine content, which gives the user a woozy feeling. However it can also cause respiratory issues and heart failure World's 10 deadliest street drugs Krokodil Krokodil is Russias secret addiction. It is believed that over one million Russians are addicted to the drug. Users of krokodil are attracted to the drug due to its low price; it is sold at 20 a gram while heroin is sold for 60. However, krokodil is considered more dangerous than heroin because it is often homemade, with ingredients including painkillers, iodine, lighter fluid and industrial cleaning agents. This chemical make-up makes the drug highly dangerous and likely to cause gangrene, and eventually rotting of the flesh

The research, published in Water Research and funded by the EUs Seventh Framework Programme, showed seasonal spikes with higher levels of antihistamines found in the summer and higher levels of drugs associated with cold and flu symptoms in winter.

Professor Alistair Boxall, who oversaw the research, said: There isnt any evidence for impact on human health from pharmaceuticals in rivers, but it definitely deserves more investigation.

If you compare the levels found in the study with what a patient takes, then the degree of exposure is very low. For example we saw concentrations of metformin  a drug used to treat diabetes  at around 500 nanograms per litre.

If you drank two litres of this water, you would get about a millionth of a patients daily dose of the drug.

 Drugs taken by millions for incontinence, depression and Parkinsons may increase risk of dementia, finds study

He added: However, it is important to realise these drugs are being emitted continuously into the environment and we will be exposed to them across our lifetime. There is, therefore, a concern that some may be causing harm.

It is a really complex issue to tackle and we dont really have the methods to understand whether long-term exposure to low levels of pharmaceuticals matters or not.

Professor Boxall said there were also questions about the impact of the drug traces on the ecosystem.MPs have won a concession from the government over the future of the Northern Irish border, ensuring there will be no physical "checks and controls" after Brexit.

In a dramatic day of votes on Theresa May's flagship Brexit bill, a bid to give teeth to the prime minister's promise of "no physical infrastructure" on the border was waved through successfully without a vote.

The Northern Ireland border has proved to be a major stumbling block in Brexit talks, amid warnings that checkpoints and cameras could lead to a return to violence.

Recommended Peers defeat government on plan for Irish border after Brexit

The prime minister has previously said she could never allow a hard border on the island of Ireland, but it has proved a tricky balancing act as her DUP allies will not accept any form of customs arrangement that would set Northern Ireland apart from the rest of the UK.

The Lords amendment, tabled by former Tory chairman Chris Patten, compels the government to act in a way that is compatible with the Good Friday Agreement, which brought an end to the Troubles.

It would forbid infrastructure or checks that did not exist before exit day and are not subject to an agreement" between Westminster and Dublin, such as border posts and customs checks.

Cabinet secretary David Lidington said the government agreed with the "spirit" of the amendment, which is effectively "a statement of government policy" and said ministers would allow it to pass with a few tweaks to the legal language.

Speaking in the Lords last month, Lord Patten said: Two of the first murders in the Troubles were of customs officers...It would be shameful if we did anything to make that more likely - it would be a stain on our history."

Taking aim at Brexiteers who accuse the Lords of playing with fire over Brexit, he said: I'll tell you what playing with fire is - blundering into Northern Ireland with a policy which is clueless and deluded with a can of petrol and a box of matches in the other hand.

Welcoming the move, a Labour spokesperson told The Independent: "Labour has repeatedly emphasised that Brexit cannot lead to a hard border in Northern Ireland or any disruption to the North-South cooperation guaranteed by the Good Friday Agreement.

Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines







10 show all Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines

















1/ 10 The Sun, March 9 2016 This wholly false headline merited the first time that IPSO (the press regulator) had to make a ruling under clause 1 of the revised Editor's Code of Practice. Clause 1 makes specific reference to newspapers printing "headlines not supported by the text"

2/ 10 Daily Mail, November 4 2016 In perhaps the most notorious front page of the past few years, the Mail derides the High Court judges who ruled that parliament must have a vote on whether to trigger article 50 and start the Brexit process

3/ 10 Daily Express, November 4 2016 In the Express' take on the same story, they manage to incorporate the Union Jack, allude to First World War propaganda, invoke memories of Churchill and, of course, state "Brexit means Brexit"

4/ 10 The Sun, March 29 2017 The Sun marked the day on which Mrs May triggered article 50 by projecting a huge and terrible pun on to the Cliffs of Dover

5/ 10 The Sun, April 4 2017 Referencing their notorious eurosceptic headline from 1990 (See: Up Yours Delors), the Sun stokes the flames of the brief Gibraltar dispute, a dispute in which Spain, the supposed aggressors, only joined to note that there was "no need for it"

6/ 10 Daily Mail, April 19 2017 This headline followed Mrs May's snap election announcement, which gave the Mail hope that dissenting opinions on Brexit would disappear

7/ 10 Daily Mail, December 14 2017 In recent months, the Mail has often forgone catchy headlines in favour of rambling rants, this is an early example aimed at Tory Brexit rebels

8/ 10 Daily Mail, January 31 2018 This headline (?) takes aim at the Lords over their repeated amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill

9/ 10 The Sun, June 12 2018 On the day that the EU Withdrawal Bill is to be debated in the Commons, the Sun offers two choices to MPs, desperately including all conceivable imagery that might make Brits feel patriotic, which apparently includes the Loch Ness Monster

10/ 10 Daily Express, June 12 2018 On the same day, the Express lets MPs know what the consequences of the vote may be

"The amendment passed in the Lords and accepted today by the government states that there can be no physical infrastructure introduced between Northern Ireland and the Republic following exit day, and that nothing in the act can diminish full North-South cooperation."

Earlier, the government managed to head off a major defeat on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill by offering a last-minute concession to Tory rebels that would give parliament a bigger say on the final deal.Britain could keep frictionless trade with the European Union after Brexit through a combination of both membership of the European Economic Area and a customs union with the EU, Brussels chief negotiator has said.

Michel Barnier said on Tuesday in a meeting with MEPs at the European Parliament that the European Economic Area (EEA) with a customs union was a possible model for a future relationship, and that the two were not incompatible.

Mr Barnier's intimation comes as MPs in Westminster get set to vote on an amendment on Wednesday whether to stay in the EEA, or Norway option, after Brexit  with rebels from both Labour and the Conservatives expected to back the change in Brexit course.

Molly Scott Cato, a British Green Party MEP, said Mr Barnier confirmed to me personally that EEA membership together with customs union is a possible model.

A source close to Mr Barnier confirmed to The Independent that the negotiator had told the MEP that the two positions were compatible, and that details could be worked out.

As currently constituted, the EEA is only open to members of the EU or members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). But EFTA has a coordinated customs policy of its own, meaning also joining both it and maintaining a customs union with the EU could prove difficult. The EEA agreement as it stands would likely need some form of renegotiation to make it compatible with a customs union.

The current agreement also does not cover VAT or agriculture, the latter of which would be particularly important to prevent a hard border in Northern Ireland.

Labour, which wants to stay in a customs union with the EU, has ruled out voting for the EEA amendment partly on that basis. The party has said it wants to retain access to the single market but has suggested it would try to negotiate changes to freedom of movement and state aid rules, as well as a say in how rules are drawn up.

The government is refusing to vote for the amendment and is instead seeking a bespoke deal without freedom of movement, membership of the single market or membership of a customs union. It has not settled on a final customs proposal, with two options, both already rejected by the EU, under consideration by the cabinet.

Mr Barnier has in the past repeatedly said that the UK would have to stay in the single market and a customs union in order to have frictionless trade with the EU after Brexit. But there has been little public detail so far on how this would be achieved. In July he said that the regime of the European Economic Area for Norway, for Iceland, for Liechtenstein still entails a system of procedures and customs controls and that only the combination of the internal market and the customs union guarantees the free movement of goods.

Some rebel MPs are set to defy their party leaders and back the EEA amendment, which was introduced by the House of Lords (PA)

Single market membership removes the need for regulatory checks on products arriving in ports, while the customs union removes the need for checks on rules of origin and customs duties.

Some Brexiteers say staying in a customs union with the EU is not a good idea because it means the UK would not be able to sign its own trade deals with other countries. Those that oppose single market membership say the UK would be bound by rules that it had little say in making. Critics of those positions insist that as a large bloc the EU can obtain better trade deals than the UK on its own, and that British businesses would have to follow single market rules anyway if they wanted to export to their nearest major market.

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

It was clear to me after discussing with Mr Barnier that there is no inherent contradiction between the Lords EEA amendment and Labours policy of staying in a customs union, Ms Scott Cato told The Independent.

This will come as a relief to many Labour MPs who have supported the policy of a Brexit that protects jobs. This can only be achieved by keeping the UK in the single market and a customs union.

If there is anything blocking this model for our future relationship it is red lines drawn up in the UK, and specifically Labours manifesto commitment to end freedom of movement.MPs have criticised bullying and threatening headlines in Brexit-backing newspapers as crucial legislation on Britains withdrawal from the EU returned to the Commons.

Ahead of two days of crunch votes on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill and the possibility of damaging defeats inflicted on Theresa May, the tabloids turned their fire on potential pro-EU rebels in the Commons.

The Suns front page says that MPs have a choice, adding: Great Britain or Great Betrayal.

Rebel Tory MPs could today destroy their prime minister, their government and the Brexit the 17.4m majority voted for, the newspaper continues.

In the end Remainer MPs have a simple choice: trust the people of Great Britain or trigger a shameful betrayal.

The Sun: "Great Britain or Great Betrayal"

In what The Daily Express describes as a warning to all MPs in Westminster, its front page headline adds: Ignore the will of the people at your peril.

The newspaper continues: Their constituents will be watching the votes closely and any betrayal of Brexit will not be forgotten the next time the general election ballot boxes open.

Recommended May set to avoid Commons Brexit defeat after compromise deal

But Luciana Berger, a Labour MP, said editors and owners of British newspapers who believe well be cowed by your threatening headlines can think again.

Tomorrow Ill be voting for what I believe is best for my constituents and the future prosperity of our country.

Labour MP Anna Turley, added: Rupert Murdoch you can get stuffed. Youve been a stain on this countrys character for decades. Im not interested in your bullying. I will do what I believe to be best for the country and people I love.

Chuka Umunna, the Labour MP for Streatham, pointed to both front pages with the comment: These people think they can intimidate and threaten members of parliament. These threats, as Parliament considers the biggest issue facing us since the Second World War, are a real and present danger to our democracy. This is 2018 not the 1930s.

Conservative MP Anna Soubry, one of the leading pro-EU Tory rebels, referred to a quote from Winston Churchill: Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities, because, as has been said, it is the quality which guarantees all others.

The remarks come as Theresa May prepares herself for a potentially bruising 48 hours in the Commons in order to get her flagship Brexit legislation back on track and remove 14 out of 15 amendments added to the bill by peers in the Lords.

Addressing a meeting of the backbench 1922 Committee on Monday, ahead of the key votes, the Prime Minister said: We must think about the message Parliament will send to the European Union this week.

I am trying to negotiate the best deal for Britain. I am confident I can get a deal that allows us to strike our own trade deals while having a border with the EU which is as frictionless as possible.

But if the Lords amendments are allowed to stand, that negotiating position will be undermined.

Ms May looks set to avoid a humiliating defeat on a vote scheduled for Wednesday on the customs union. A number of potential pro-EU Conservative rebels, as well as leading Brexiteers, have now agreed to back a No 10 deal.

Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Show all 10 1 /10 Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines The Sun, March 9 2016 This wholly false headline merited the first ruling by IPSO (the press regulator) under clause 1 of the revised Editor's Code of Practice. Clause 1 makes specific reference to newspapers printing "headlines not supported by the text" Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Daily Mail, November 4 2016 In perhaps the most notorious front page of the past few years, the Mail derides the High Court judges who ruled that parliament must have a vote on whether to trigger article 50 and start the Brexit process Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Daily Express, November 4 2016 In the Express' take on the same story, they manage to incorporate the Union Jack, allude to First World War propaganda, invoke memories of Churchill and, of course, state "Brexit means Brexit" Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines The Sun, March 29 2017 The Sun marked the day on which Mrs May triggered article 50 by projecting a huge and terrible pun on to the Cliffs of Dover Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines The Sun, April 4 2017 Referencing their notorious eurosceptic headline from 1990 (See: Up Yours Delors), the Sun stokes the flames of the brief Gibraltar dispute, a dispute in which Spain, the supposed aggressors, only joined to note that there was "no need for it" Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Daily Mail, April 19 2017 This headline followed Mrs May's snap election announcement, which gave the Mail hope that dissenting opinions on Brexit would disappear Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Daily Mail, December 14 2017 In recent months, the Mail has often forgone catchy headlines in favour of rambling rants, this is an early example aimed at Tory Brexit rebels Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Daily Mail, January 31 2018 This headline (?) takes aim at the Lords over their repeated amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines The Sun, June 12 2018 On the day that the EU Withdrawal Bill is to be debated in the Commons, the Sun offers two choices to MPs, desperately including all conceivable imagery that might make Brits feel patriotic, which apparently includes the Loch Ness Monster Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Daily Express, June 12 2018 On the same day, the Express lets MPs know what the consequences of the vote may be

But the government remains vulnerable to a damaging defeat on a meaningful vote amendment which would hand Parliament a decisive say over what happens next if it rejects a final Brexit deal. A compromise amendment on the issue has been put forward by the pro-EU rebel Dominic Grieve but the government is yet to declare whether they will be supporting it.

Labours Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, wrote in the Guardian on Tuesday: Instead of negotiating for Britain, the Prime Minister is lurching from crisis to crisis, increasing the risk that the talks break down, and we crash out without an agreement. We cannot go on like this.

Sir Keir said a government compromise on a meaningful vote for Parliament at the end of the Brexit process would instead turn it into a meaningless vote if backed by MPs.A Conservative minister has quit his job over the way Theresa May is delivering Brexit, in a blow for the government ahead of critical votes in the House of Commons.

Phillip Lee said the move was due to his intention to back a plan giving parliament power to direct Ms Mays approach, something the prime minister is determined to avoid.

He also went directly against official policy in saying that the government should go to the people, once again for a decision on the final Brexit deal.

The ex-justice minister said he is incredibly sad to be leaving his job, but argued that he could better speak up for his constituents on EU withdrawal once off the government payroll.

Despite demands for unity from Downing Street, Mr Lee received some immediate support from colleagues on the back benches, with his departure even sparking muttering that other junior ministers may walk.

Mr Lee has openly said that he backed Remain in the last referendum and has previously criticised the government, saying that it should focus on evidence, not dogma.

In a series of heartfelt tweets on Tuesday, he wrote: If, in the future, I am to look my children in the eye and honestly say that I did my best for them I cannot, in all good conscience, support how our countrys current exit from the EU looks set to be delivered.

 Gordon Brown: Theresa May could be forced out if she loses key Brexit vote

He went on: When MPs vote on the House of Lords amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill, I will support the amendment which will empower parliament to reject a bad deal and direct the government to re-enter discussions. For me, this is about the important principle of parliamentary sovereignty.

Then, when the government is able to set out an achievable, clearly defined path  one that has been properly considered, whose implications have been foreseen, and that is rooted in reality not dogma  it should go to the people, once again, to seek their confirmation.

His shock departure came as David Davis warned potential Tory rebels that they cannot undo the EU referendum, ahead of a tricky 48 hours in which the government will try to get its Brexit programme back on track.

The Brexit secretary spoke after some Conservatives signalled that they would support an amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill tabled late on Monday by former attorney general Dominic Grieve giving more power to MPs.

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

The Commons begins two days of debate and votes on the bill on Tuesday and Mr Grieves meaningful vote amendment calls for a binding motion to be passed, setting out how to proceed in the event of a no deal Brexit, in which case MPs  and not the executive  would call the shots.

But Mr Davis told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: A meaningful vote is not the ability to reverse the decision of the referendum.

We will put in front of parliament the decision for them to vote ... after that there will be a process of primary legislation to put the actual details of it in parliament, so parliament will actually decide on the application of the detail.

Asked what would happen if they voted against the deal, he said: If they throw it out, well, they throw it out. We will have to go away, think about it and come back and make a statement, which is what I am saying to the house this afternoon.

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The prime minister appeared to have defused a potentially explosive row over the EU customs union on Monday night as Tory pro-Europe rebels Sir Oliver Letwin and Nicky Morgan and Brexiteers Jacob Rees-Mogg and Sir Bill Cash came together to table a separate compromise amendment backing a customs arrangement with the EU.

Ms May set the tone for a tense two days as she warned Tory Remainers that if they defied her and backed Lords amendments to the landmark Brexit legislation it would weaken Britains hand at the negotiating table.

Addressing a meeting of the backbench 1922 Committee on Monday, ahead of the key votes, she said: I am confident I can get a deal that allows us to strike our own trade deals while having a border with the EU which is as frictionless as possible.

But if the Lords amendments are allowed to stand, that negotiating position will be undermined."If, in the future, I am to look my children in the eye and honestly say that I did my best for them I cannot, in all good conscience, support how our countrys current exit from the EU looks set to be delivered.

I voted to remain in the European Union and have not changed my view that continued membership would have been the better strategic course. Even so, I believe that it would be impossible and wrong to seek to go back to how things were before the referendum.

If Brexit is worth doing, then it is certainly worth doing well; regardless of how long that takes.

When MPs vote on the House of Lords amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill I will support the amendment which will empower Parliament to reject a bad deal and direct the Government to re-enter discussions. For me, this is about the important principle of Parliamentary sovereignty.

Then, when the Government is able to set out an achievable, clearly defined path  one that has been properly considered, whose implications have been foreseen, and that is rooted in reality not dogma  it should go to the people, once again, to seek their confirmation.

We must be honest and open at all times with each other and with the public. We must renew our effort to bring the nation back together and proceed in our collective national interest, drawing on the best talent our country has to offer.

We will not change our country overnight  but we can and must hand our children a better legacy.

For me, resigning is a last resort - not something that I want to do but something I feel I must do because, for me, such a serious principle is being breached that I would find it hard to live with myself afterwards if I let it pass."A New Jersey special education teacher has stunned her coworkers by donating $1m to her former school district  seven years after her death.

Genevieve Via Cava taught special needs students in the Dumont school district for nearly 45 years, according to local news reports. When she died in 2011, with no immediate family to speak of, she left the small fortune she had amassed to her students.

Owing to some bureaucratic red tape, however, the district had no idea the money was coming until this April, when they received a check for $1m.

Recommended US teacher of the year hands Trump letters from her refugee students

I wasnt surprised that she was going to be donating something, Dumont school superintendent Emanuele Triggiano told the New York Times, explaining that the teacher had mentioned leaving something to the district before she died.

He added: The surprise was the amount of money she sent to us.

The donation will now go towards one $25,000 scholarship per year, to fund the post-secondary education of a special needs student. The school district's business administrator, Kevin Cartotto, said the money would be placed in a fund that would accumulate interest, hopefully allowing the scholarships to continue for years.

Mr Cartotto told CNN that this was the biggest gift he has seen in his time at the school district.

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. 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Richard Jablonski, a close friend of Ms Via Cava and the executor of her will, said the small fortune the teacher had amassed was likely the result of her scrupulous penny-pinching. A child of the Great Depression, Mr Jablonski said, his friend rarely bought new clothes or took vacations. She even refused to buy the hearing aids she needed later in life.

She was very kind-hearted, sometimes with a rough exterior, but very compassionate deep down, Mr Jablonski told NewJersey.com. She was very loving and won people over with her beautiful smile.

Other remembered Ms Via Cavas dedication to the school district, and how she would still drop in on classes even after retiring in 1990. James Kennedy, another friend, told NewJersey.com she could remember details about her students from years ago, and occasionally even helped them find jobs after graduation.

But Ms Via Cavas students arent the only ones wholl be benefiting from her generosity: According to her attorney, April Savoye, the teacher also left $100,000 each to five more organizations, including the Ramapo Animal Refuge and the Salvation Army.

"Because she had no immediate family of her own, and not even many not-so-distant relatives, it made sense for her to make this donation," Ms Savoye told CNN.Ivanka Trump may want to double check her sources the next time she tweets, after a message about a Chinese proverb led to a frantic - and unsuccessful - search to find its origins.

President Donald Trump's daughter and White House senior adviser posted the message to her Twitter account just before President Donald Trumps historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. She wrote: Those who say it cannot be done, should not interrupt those doing it, attributing the quote to a Chinese proverb.

The only problem? It doesnt appear her tweet actually derived from ancient Chinese scriptures  rather, it may have originated in the United States during the early 1900s.

Ms Trumps tweet to her over five million followers sent countless users on the popular Chinese social media platform Weibo and US-based forum Huaren down digital rabbit holes, along with researchers at numerous news outlets. After hours of searching, it appeared no one had located the original proverb, as multiple experts and historians of East Asian cultures told The Independent they could not confirm its authenticity.

Nothing immediately comes to mind, said Moss Roberts, professor of East Asian studies at New York University. Somewhat related is the description of Confucius: He knows it can't be done, but he keeps trying to do it all the same.

Chen Gao, senior Chinese language lecturer at New York University said that the post led to plenty of jokes from China.

Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Show all 20 1 /20 Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim leave following their historic meeting AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim sign a document committing to peace between their nations, amongst other things EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump holds up a document that both he and Mr Kim have signed AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un The two leaders reach out to shake hands for the first time AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim shake hands as they meet for the first time Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim walk off stage, following their historic meeting Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim take a stroll after their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim interrupt their stroll to talk to the media AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim and Mr Trump look out over a balcony at the Capella hotel, where they held their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump takes questions at the press conference following his meeting with with Mr Kim AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump appreciates the crowd in the press conference following his meeting with Mr Kim Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with Kim Jong Un on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Kim Jong Un travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with President Trump on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim poses for a photo with Singapore's Finance Minister Vivian Balkrishnan and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung ahead of the summit with Mr Trump Twitter/Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump shakes hands with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, meeting on Monday June 11 in the Istana, Singapore's presidential palace AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un At a working lunch on Monday, Singapore's Prime Minister surprised Mr Trump with a birthday cake, in early celebration of his 72nd birthday later in the week EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo answers questions about the summit at a press briefing in Singapore on Monday, June 11 Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US President Donald Trump arrives at the Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore on June 10, two days prior to his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim met on Tuesday June 12 in the Capella hotel on the island resort of Sentosa, just off the south coast of Singapore AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump boards Air Force One following the summit AFP/Getty

Many Chinese started joking about their own Chinese language skills, because they can't think of any old sayings with the English equivalents, Ms G said. Later when people found out the Chinese proverb Ivanka quoted doesn't exist, they didn't take it too seriously... Some said, maybe Ivanka saw it on a fortune cookie, which despite the name isn't of Chinese origin either.

Several Weibo users posted Chinese proverbs that appeared to be at least somewhat similar to the quote in Ms Trumps tweet. It's better to knit a fishnet instead of standing by the river and hoping for fish, one read. Don't give advice while watching others playing a chess game, said another.

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Still, a quick Google search of the quote yields investigative research debunking claims that it was translated from a Chinese proverb. The first link comes from QuoteInvestigator.com, and explores the statement being printed in American newspapers as early as 1903. Meanwhile, researchers have been exploring the quote for decades, often finding claims that it was created by playwright George Bernard Shaw. However, it is unclear whether he ever actually used it in his writings.

Because of the deep, profound and mysterious cultural messages attached to Chinese proverbs, casually referencing them can make one sound wise, Ms Gao said. Chinese proverbs are often presented using simple language, but convey complex ideas. Chinese people welcome and usually give credit to foreigners for their efforts to learn or use Chinese language, even if some quotes are not of Chinese origin.

Others were less than impressed. This was perhaps summed up best by Chinese literature scholar Brendan OKane who tweeted shortly after Ms Trump's post went viral: You can call any old s*** a Chinese proverb on the internet.In 2015, millions of people watched Making a Murderer, a Netflix documentary series about the murder prosecutions of two Wisconsin men. Opinions varied on the guilt of the programs central figure, Steven Avery, who was convicted of killing Teresa Halbach, a 25-year-old photographer.

But many people were made powerfully uneasy by the treatment of Averys nephew, Brendan Dassey, whose videotaped interrogation was among the most gripping parts of the series.

Dassey, 16 at the time, was a study in pathos: hapless, lost, scared, painfully awkward, trusting, susceptible to suggestion and close to if not over the borderline of intellectual disability.

Recommended Making a Murderer series to show different side to Steven Avery case

Two investigators feigning fatherly concern fed Dassey crucial details and elicited a halting, mumbled and contradictory confession. On the strength of that confession and almost nothing else, Dassey was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for raping and murdering Halbach.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court will consider whether to hear Dasseys appeal.

The court has long said that the greatest care must be taken in making sure confessions obtained from juveniles are voluntary. Dasseys case could allow the justices to assess whether that command was taken seriously by courts in Wisconsin, which refused to suppress his confession.

It could also allow the justices to consider mounting evidence that false confessions from juveniles play a role in a disproportionate share of wrongful convictions. According to one study, 42 percent of exonerated juveniles had falsely confessed, compared with 8 percent of adults.

Dassey was interviewed for hours without a lawyer, a parent or any other adult who might have been alert to his interests. But the investigators who questioned him assured him that he had nothing to fear from them

Timeline: Steven Avery's convictions Show all 5 1 /5 Timeline: Steven Avery's convictions Timeline: Steven Avery's convictions 1985: Steven Avery is falsely convicted of raping a Penny Beernsten She was jogging along the shore of Lake Michigan when she was threatened with a knife and attacked. Ms Beernsten identified Avery as her rapist from a line-up that did not include the actual attacker. AFP/Getty Images Timeline: Steven Avery's convictions 2003: Conviction overturned Avery's 32-year prison sentence was overturned after DNA testing by the Wisconsin Innocence Project proved his innocence and found a hair from Gregory Allen. He was convicted of the rape and Avery was released. Timeline: Steven Avery's convictions 2004: Avery files federal lawsuit against Manitowoc County police A Wisconsin Department of Justice investigation found police had committed no criminal offences or ethics violations, sparking a lawsuit from Avery seeking $36 million compensation. Timeline: Steven Avery's convictions 2005: Avery is arrested for Teresa Halbach's murder His Avery Auto Salvage business was the freelance photographer's last appointment of 31 October. She was reported missing four days later and police later found her car, bones, teeth and belongings at the site. Avery pleaded not guilty but was sentenced to life in prison in 2007. Timeline: Steven Avery's convictions 201: Netflix releases Making a Murderer The 10-episode documentary came after Avery's conviction was upheld in a 2011 appeal.

Yeah, were cops, were investigators and stuff like that, but not right now, said Tom Fassbender, a special agent with the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Im a father that has a kid your age, too. I want to be here for you. Theres nothing Id like more than to come over and give you a hug.

The investigators teased out contradictory statements from Dassey, steering him towards their theory of the case.

They knew, for instance, that Halbach had been shot in the head, though this fact had not yet been made public. What followed was like a game of 20 Questions.

Something else was done, said Mark Wiegert, an investigator with the Calumet County Sheriffs Office. Something with the head.

Dasseys first try: Avery had cut off Halbachs hair.

His second try: Avery had punched her in the head.

His third try: Avery had told him to cut Halbachs throat.

At this point, Dassey gave up. Thats all I can remember, he said.

But the investigators were not done. All right, Wiegert said. Im just going to come out and ask you. Who shot her in the head?

Thus prompted, Dassey said that he did, referring to his uncle.

Asked why he had not mentioned that shocking assertion earlier, Dassey said, Because I couldnt think of it.

By the end of the interrogation, Dassey had confessed to gruesome crimes. Then he asked if he could return to school in time for a sixth-period class. He had a project due.

When his mother asked him how he had been able to answer the investigators questions, he said he had guessed. Thats what I do with my homework, he added.

Dassey and his family were completely overmatched by the criminal justice system. In a call to his mother from jail, for instance, Dassey said he had been told that some of his statements had been inconsistent. He did not know what the word meant, so he asked his mother. She did not know, either.

A Wisconsin appeals court upheld Dasseys conviction. But a federal judge and a divided three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in Chicago, ruled that Dasseys confession should have been suppressed. Without the confession, Judge Ilana Rovner wrote for the majority, the case against Dassey basically evaporated, as no one ever found a single hair, a drop of blood, a trace of DNA or a scintilla of physical evidence linking Dassey to this crime.

The full 7th Circuit reversed the trial judges decision by a 4-3 vote, saying that Dassey could not overcome barriers in a 1996 federal law that makes it hard for federal courts to grant relief to people convicted in state courts.

In dissent, Chief Judge Diane P. Wood wrote that this was a travesty of justice.

Dassey is represented by Seth P. Waxman, who served as U.S. solicitor general in the Clinton administration and later helped persuade the Supreme Court to abolish the death penalty for juvenile offenders.

Put simply, Waxman wrote in his petition seeking review in the new case, Dassey v. Dittmann, No. 17-1172, the interrogators took advantage of Dasseys youth and mental limitations to convince him they were on his side, ignored his manifest inability to correctly answer many of their questions about the crimes, fed him facts so he could say what they wanted to hear, and promised that he would be set free if he did so. The resulting confession was more theirs than his.

The Supreme Court seldom agrees to hear cases merely to correct errors in a single case, even ones with grave consequences. But a supporting brief filed by scores of current and former prosecutors urged the justices to hear Dasseys appeal in light of the attention Making a Murderer had drawn to his confession.

It affected the way everyday Americans view our justice system, the prosecutors wrote.

The New York TimesBarack Obama has reportedly been meeting with 2020 presidential hopefuls in his Washington DC office the past few months.

The former president has supposedly held one-on-one meetings with several potential Democratic candidates including Joe Biden, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, Politico reported.

Mr Obamas office has not yet responded to a request for comment, but multiple people who have been briefed on the secretive sit-downs informed the news site of the private sit-downs.

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President Donald Trumps predecessor is seen as a leader in the party more so than Hillary Clinton given the contentious nature and Democratic disappointment of the last election. He had steered clear of creating direct conflict with Mr Trump until the commander-in-chief decided to violate Mr Obamas signature foreign policy achievement: the Iran nuclear deal.

Mr Obama wrote a scathing Facebook post explaining why the deal was necessary and why it was a serious mistake on the part of his successor.

However, with the midterm elections looming in November and presidential campaigns expected to ramp up afterwards the party is looking to its leaders for direction.

Mr Obama even met with former Democratic candidate and now Independent party Senator Bernie Sanders during the series of meetings, Politico reported.

Mr Sanders had been seen as a figure who would push Ms Clinton more to the left on her platform during the 2016 election. There was some chaos however, after he held his ground on congratulating Ms Clinton on receiving the partys nomination and did not immediately encourage his supporters to follow suit for the sake of party unity.

Obama discussed his views on the differences between idealism and practicality, and Sanders responded with his, the site reported.

However, the pair did not discuss a possible bid by the 76-year-old Mr Sanders in 2020.

His meeting with Ms Warren was not the warm, friendly one many may expect. The former head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, had confronted Mr Obamas acceptance of $400,000 to speak on Wall Street after leaving the White House, citing concerns about the influence of money in politics.

Mr Patrick has been a longtime friend of the Obamas and sits on the board of the first couples foundation as well. He is seen as another hopeful given his successes as governor and relationships in Washington.

Mr Biden is expected to make an announcement on whether he will run once again for president after the midterms.A recent study by state regulators has found 150 instances of health violations in more than a dozen shelters in Texas where immigrant unaccompanied children are housed after they are detained for trying to enter the United States illegally  or after they are separated from their families.

The findings, first reported by The Houston Chronicle, pulls to violations registered over a two-year space of time when investigators noted violations including lack of supervision, lack of timely medical care and for giving children medicine they were allergic to.

The shelters are operated by Southwest Key Programs, a private contractor hired by the US Officer of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), and which runs 16 of the 35 shelters open in Texas.

There were 2,600 children in Southwest Keys care last month.

A spokesman for the group has told media that these violations account to less than 1 per cent of the overall standards that inspectors reviewed.

The issue of child detention has become an increasingly contentious issue in the US, where high profile reports have led to concerns about the way the United States treats immigrant children.

People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Show all 16 1 /16 People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Chicago, Illinois, February 16, 2017. Theopolis Waters/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Washington, DC, U.S., February 16, 2017. Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. The crowd, which grew to well over a thousand participants, marched from the Austin City Hall to the Texas State Capital. Across the country hundreds of restaurants and eateries are closing for the day to protest President Trump's immigration policies and to highlight the contributions of immigrants to U.S. business and life. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants AUSTIN, TX - FEBRUARY 16: Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Chicago, Illinois, February 16, 2017. Theopolis Waters/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Chicago, Illinois, February 16, 2017. Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. The crowd, which grew to well over a thousand participants, marched from the Austin City Hall to the Texas State Capital. Across the country hundreds of restaurants and eateries are closing for the day to protest President Trump's immigration policies and to highlight the contributions of immigrants to U.S. business and life. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. The crowd, which grew to well over a thousand participants marched from the Austin City Hall to the Texas State Capital. Across the country hundreds of restaurants and eateries are closing for the day to protest President Trump's immigration policies and to highlight the contributions of immigrants to U.S. business and life. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants High school student Kathia Suarez holds up a sign as she protests with others outside the Grayson County courthouse in downtown Sherman, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017. LM Otero/AP People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants High school senior Vicky Sosa holds a sign outside the Grayson County courthouse in downtown Sherman, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017. In an action called "A Day Without Immigrants," immigrants across the country are expected to stay home from school, work and close businesses to show how critical they are to the U.S. economy and way of life. LM Otero/AP

That has included reports last month that the US had lost nearly 1,500 children who had arrived in the United States alone, seeking shelter from violent circumstances at home. The Department of Health and Human Services has argued that it is not their responsibility to keep track of children who are placed with sponsors of family in the United States, and that it is possible that those families might move or otherwise attempt to go off the grid to avoid deportation risk.

Other issues have popped up recently with reports that US immigration forces have begun to regularly separate families arriving at the border, pulling children from their parents  and in some cases they have even allegedly done so without notifying the family members what is happening.

The practice of removing children from their families at the border has been pushed for by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has argued that doing so is an attempt to dissuade future migrants from attempting to cross the border with their children. The uptick in separations appears to be the result of a policy implemented last month seeking further prosecutions of these types of cases.

While immigration and civil rights groups have called the practice inhumane, and that it violates protocols for treating immigrants and asylum seekers, the Trump administration has been supported by Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who said that the measures are unavoidable.

Democrats, however, have introduced legislation that would curb family immigration separation for families arriving at the US-Mexico border.

A request for comment sent to the ORR was not immediately returned.Donald Trump has claimed that North Koreans held in the regimes gulags were among todays winners as he heaped praise on Kim Jong-un.

In language that struck many as appearing close to gushing, the US president said the North Korean leader is very talented. As apparent evidence of this, he pointed to Mr Kims rise to power while he was still in his 20s.

Asked if was betraying the tens of thousands of prisoners held in the countrys forced labour camps, he said: Not much I can do right now. I think at a certain point hes going to do something about it.

 'The world will see a major change' Kim Jong-un and Trump sign document

He added: I think they, I think they are one of the great winners today  that large group of people that youre talking about. I think ultimately they are going to be one of the great winners as a group.

Earlier, the US leader had said he wanted to thank Chairman Kim for taking the first bold step towards a bright new future for his people.

On a day when human rights campaigners used the occasion of the summit to highlight North Koreas notoriously poor record on the treatment of its citizens, the US president was asked to explain why he believed the 34-year-old leader was very talented.

He responded: Well, he is very talented. Anybody that takes over a situation like he did at 26 years of age and is able to run it, and run it tough  I dont say it was nice, or I dont say anything about it  very few people at that age, you can take one out of 10,000, probably.

Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Show all 20 1 /20 Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim leave following their historic meeting AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim sign a document committing to peace between their nations, amongst other things EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump holds up a document that both he and Mr Kim have signed AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un The two leaders reach out to shake hands for the first time AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim shake hands as they meet for the first time Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim walk off stage, following their historic meeting Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim take a stroll after their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim interrupt their stroll to talk to the media AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim and Mr Trump look out over a balcony at the Capella hotel, where they held their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump takes questions at the press conference following his meeting with with Mr Kim AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump appreciates the crowd in the press conference following his meeting with Mr Kim Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with Kim Jong Un on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Kim Jong Un travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with President Trump on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim poses for a photo with Singapore's Finance Minister Vivian Balkrishnan and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung ahead of the summit with Mr Trump Twitter/Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump shakes hands with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, meeting on Monday June 11 in the Istana, Singapore's presidential palace AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un At a working lunch on Monday, Singapore's Prime Minister surprised Mr Trump with a birthday cake, in early celebration of his 72nd birthday later in the week EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo answers questions about the summit at a press briefing in Singapore on Monday, June 11 Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US President Donald Trump arrives at the Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore on June 10, two days prior to his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim met on Tuesday June 12 in the Capella hotel on the island resort of Sentosa, just off the south coast of Singapore AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump boards Air Force One following the summit AFP/Getty

While the US leader appeared to be at best casual about the implications of celebrating an authoritarian leader suspected of ordering the public assassination of his half brother with a nerve agent, executing his uncle by firing squad and allowing US college student Otto Warmbier to fall into an irreversible coma, Mr Trump said without Mr Warmbiers death, his meeting with Mr Kim may not have happened.

He said: Otto did not die in vain.

Mr Trump said the issue of human rights did come up during the talks, albeit briefly. It was discussed relatively briefly compared to the denuclearisation, but they will be doing things. I think he wants to do things.

He said he believed that while they had touched on human rights, the issue would be raised again as the two countries continued their dialogue.

I think he wants to get it done. I feel that very strongly, he added.

Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watchs Asia division, said there was not a trace of human rights mentioned in the document signed by the two leaders. If there is nothing in writing, it does not exist, he said. Trump can say they discussed it, but we dont know.

He said there was a network of different prison camps in North Korea, including short-term and long-term labour camps. He said there was also a separate category for political prisoners  considered traitors  who were sent to the mountains. He said there believed to be between 100,000-120,000 such political prisoners.

These are people who are sent there and worked to death, he said.The US Treasury department has issued new sanctions on Russian individuals and companies, saying they are suspected of conducting cyberattacks on the US and allies.

Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a statement the US is engaged in an ongoing effort to counter malicious actors working at the behest of the Russian Federation and its military and intelligence units to increase Russiaas offensive cyber capabilities.

Three individuals and five companies have been put on sanctions list by the agency for directly contibut[ing] to improving Russia's cyber and underwater capabilities through their work with the [Russian Federal Security Service] and therefore jeopardize the safety and security of the US and allies, Mr Mnuchin explained.

Recommended Kremlin hoping World Cup will bring Russia out of isolation

Being put on sanctions lists prohibits any American citizens from doing business with the people or entities as well as placing a block on all property the Russians and companies own that would be subject to US law.

Moscow has not yet responded to the latest round of sanctions in what has become a back-and-forth between the two countries over a variety of matters from North Korea, recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital, Syria, and amid the FBI investigation into whether President Donald Trumps 2016 campaign team possibly colluded with Russian officials.

Mr Trump has denied any collusion with Russian officials from his campaign team and has called the investigation a witch hunt.

 Theresa May disagrees with Trump on Russia rejoining G7

Treasury also said Russias efforts to "malign and destabili[se] cyber activities" included the NotPetya attack last year, which spread across Europe, Asia and the Americas. The malware crippled computers in Ukraine in an alleged attempt to disrupt the countrys financial system.

The White House blamed Russia for the attack this past February, saying it caused billions of dollars in damage and was part of the Kremlin's campaign to destabilise the country where it seeks to assert control over territory.

The attacks also included assaults on the US energy grid and on internet routers and switches, the Treasury said.

The latest sanctions also target Russias underwater capabilities, the agency said since undersea cables carry the majority of the worlds telecommunications data.

The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images

The designated companies are Digital Security, ERPScan, Embedi, Kvant Scientific Research Institute, and Divetechnoservices.

Divetechnoservices' offerings include the design, manufacture and supply of professional diving equipment, wrecking and underwater work, according to its website. The firms general director Aleksandr Lvovich Tribun; its program manager, Oleg Sergeyevich; and Chirikov and Vladimir Yakovlevich Kaganskiy, the company's owner are the individuals who were named on the list.

Russias federal security service, known by the acronym FSB, had already been hit with sanctions by the administration of Barack Obama in 2016, in part for its cyber operations surrounding the 2016 election.

In March 2018, the Trump administration also slapped sanctions on 19 individuals - including the personal chef of President Vladimir Putin - and five entities for cyber attacks that targeted the US power grid, including nuclear facilities, and stretched back at least two years.

Moscow has denied any attempts to hack into other countries infrastructure systems.Donald Trump has celebrated a Supreme Court decision that clears the way for thousands of voters to be purged from the electoral rolls.

The president welcomed the great news that senior judges ruled the state of Ohios aggressive voter registration policy did not breach federal law.

The battleground state begins removing citizens from its rolls if they have not voted in the last two years.

Recommended Supreme Court rules Ohio can purge thousands from its voter rolls

Opponents of the law say the intention is to purge people from the rolls, particularly minorities and the poor, who tend to vote Democratic.

They argued in court that the policy breached the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, a federal law prohibiting states from purging voters from their rolls if they fail to cast a ballot.

But Supreme Court judges voted 5-4 to uphold the policy, in a decision split on liberal-conservative lines.

Following the ruling, Mr Trump tweeted: Just won big Supreme Court decision on Voting! Great News!

The court ruling comes ahead of mid-term elections in a key state that has oscillated between Republican and Democrats.

Ohio secretary of state Jon Husted, a Republican, said the judges decision was a victory for election integrity.

This decision is validation of Ohios efforts to clean up the voter rolls and now with the blessing nations highest court, it can serve as a model for other states to use, he added.

In most states, the process of removing voters from the rolls begins only after they have missed two or more federal elections.

In Ohio, the state election board automatically sends notices to registered voters who have not voted in the last two years. If they fail to respond to the notice, and does not cast a ballot for the next two years, they are automatically expunged from the rolls.

The policy disproportionately purges African-Americans and other minorities, who tend to vote less in mid-term elections compared to white people.

According to Reuters, at least 144,000 people were removed from the rolls under the policy in recent years.

Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Show all 29 1 /29 Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump acknowledges the audience after taking the oath of office as his wife Melania (L) and daughter Tiffany watch during inauguration ceremonies swearing in Trump as the 45th president of the United States on the West Front of the US capital in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jim Bourg: "This photo was shot with one of two remote cameras. The cameras were monitored and triggered remotely and the pictures were transmitted to clients worldwide within minutes of being taken." Reuters/Jim Bourg Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Obama farewell address - 10 January 2017 US President Barack Obama wipes away tears as he delivers his farewell address in Chicago on 10 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "In his final days in office, Obama made a visit home to Chicago. As he spoke from the stage to his wife and daughter in the audience, he became emotional when he talked about what they had sacrificed during his time in office. I turned from photographing the Obama women embracing to find him onstage wiping away tears." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 A combination of photos shows the crowds attending the inauguration ceremonies to swear in U.S. President Donald Trump at 12:01pm (left) on January 20, 2017 and President Barack Obama sometime between 12:07pm and 12:26pm on January 20, 2009. Reuters/ Lucas Jackson/Stelios Varias Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Liberty Ball - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend the Liberty Ball in honour of his inauguration in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "What I see when I look at this picture is the end of a very long day, not to mention weeks and months of preparation by many photographers, editors and network experts and the beginning of everything since." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception - 22 January 2017 US President Donald Trump greets Director of the FBI James Comey as Director of the Secret Service Joseph Clancy (L), watches during the Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception in the Blue Room of the White House on 22 January, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "I have covered the White House for 16 years and normally either the President or the pool is in position when an event starts. In this case the President was not where anyone expected him to be. In fact, he was almost blocking the door when the pool came in. We had to scramble to find a position without bumping him or the furniture as he greeted and thanked members of law enforcement for their security efforts during the inauguration. Luckily, he greeted FBI Director James Comey a few seconds after the pool had made its way into the room." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Private phone calls to world leaders - 28 January 2017 US President Donald Trump, is joined by his staff, as he speaks by phone with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in the Oval Office on 28 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Very early in the Trump administration, weekends were as busy as weekdays. On Trump's second Saturday the official schedule said he would be making private phone calls to a number of world leaders including Russia's Vladimir Putin. I arrived early and, before sitting down at my desk walked up to Press Secretary Sean Spicer's office. He, too, was just taking his coat off. I gingerly made the suggestion that previous administrations had sometimes allowed photos of such phone calls through the Oval Office windows on the colonnade. To my mild shock, he didn't even think about it twice. "We'll do it!" he said. In truth, I really only expected the Putin call, but we were outside the windows multiple times throughout the day as the calls went on." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway - 27 February 2017 Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway (L) attends as US President Donald Trump welcomes the leaders of dozens of historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in the Oval Office on 27 February, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "We're often asked how much access we have to the Trump administration, and the answer is we have an awful lot. President Trump himself is very comfortable in the spotlight, and his aides are similarly unfazed by cameras. In this instance, senior advisor Kellyanne Conway was so comfortable in our presence she seemed not to consider the optics of kneeling on a Oval Office sofa to take pictures with her phone." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Angela Merkel heads to Washington - 17 March 2017 Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump hold a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House on 17 March, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Chancellor Merkel made one of the earliest important visits of any US allies to meet Trump in his first months in office. When world leaders give joint news conferences they don't always tend to give each other their full attention - but Merkel watched Trump intently at several key moments, and here seemed particularly rapt." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump welcomes truckers to the White House - 23 March 2017 President Trump reacts as he sits on a truck while he welcomes truckers and CEOs to attend a meeting regarding healthcare at the White House on 23 March, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "The White House organised a listening session with truckers and CEO's of major American companies, regarding healthcare reform. An 18-wheeler tow truck was parked on the South Lawn of the White House and as Trump welcomed the truckers someone invited the him to come and sit in the driver's seat. Trump jumped into the cab and started yelling and pretending to drive - creating one of the most memorable pictures of the year. A lesson learned, always be prepared for the unexpected." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 6 April 2017 US President Donald Trump talks to journalists members of the travel pool on board the Air Force One during his trip to Palm Beach, Florida on 6 April, 2017. Carlos Barria: "During the many trips to President Trump's residence in Florida it is usual to see the president coming to the back of the plane to chat with journalists. During one of the trips to the so called 'Winter White House', Trump had a long talk with reporters while the Air Force One entertainment system was playing one of the latest Star Wars movies. As I was listening to Trump talk I was also looking at the movie waiting for a part of the movie to frame the mood of the day. Of the many scenes, I choose the one with Darth Vader." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump speaks during an interview with Reuters in the Oval Office of the White House on 27 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "A day before President Trump's hundred days in office I was part of the team that interviewed the commander-in-chief in the Oval Office. I was only allowed to photograph Trump during the last five minutes of the interview. The time was very tight so I had to move fast as I had pictures in mind that I wanted to shoot. I walked into the Oval Office and saw that the President had printed maps of the country showing areas in red where he won. I raised my hands holding my camera as high as possible to get the best view of the scene using a 16mm wide angle lens." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump reacts as he arrives at Harrisburg international airport, before attending a rally marking his first 100 days in office in Pennsylvania on 29 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to celebrate his hundred days in office with a victory rally. He was in friendly territory as he won with a big difference over his opponent Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, during the November elections. As usual when the commander-in-chief arrives local residents gather to greet him. This time a small group of military personnel attended the arrival. Surrounded by secret service agents Trump walked from the Air Force One and raised his hand in a sign of victory as the crowd cheered him on." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 2 May 2017 White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer (L) and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus watch as US President Donald Trump presents the U.S. Air Force Academy football team with the Commander-in-Chief trophy in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on 2 May, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "Covering the White House does not just mean covering the President. White House staffers are an important part of the story and their relationship with the President and each other is an indicator of how things are going in the West Wing. The tendency is to focus exclusively on the President once an event starts but I always try to look around to see how people are reacting as things unfold." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Secret Service - 4 May 2017 Secret Service agents use a presidential limousine as cover from spraying water as US President Donald Trump lands via Marine One helicopter in New York on 4 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "The best part of any trip to New York City with the sitting US President is the helicopter ride into Manhattan. The ride out at night can be stunning. Here, Secret Service agents protect themselves from the spray from the East River as Trump lands on the helipad." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures NATO Summit - 25 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump wait the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron (unseen) before a lunch ahead of a NATO Summit in Brussels on 25 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "One of the best parts of travelling overseas for White House coverage is the chance to see the U.S. president in different environments and (literally) a different light. Here, Trump and his wife came out of the shadows to greet France's President Macron." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump meets Putin at G20 summit - 7 July 2017 US President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany on 7 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "On July 7, I witnessed one of the most important meetings of President Trump's first year in office. Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Germany. The world's eyes were on these two leaders after speculation about Russian interference during the 2016 US elections. We entered the room for less than two minutes, where I took dozens of pictures. But there was this very interesting moment when Trump extended his hand to Putin for a handshake. Putin paused for a second and looked at Trump's hand. That was the picture that I was looking for, a little moment that seemed to say a lot." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures First lady - 8 July 2017 First lady Melania Trump chats with US President Donald Trump during their return from Germany at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on 8 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "After President Trump's trip to Germany he arrived back at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. First Lady Melania Trump said goodbye to Trump as she was heading off in a different direction that day. While chatting a breeze blew Melania's hair up in the air." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Made in America product showcase - 17 July 2017 Vice President Mike Pence laughs as President Donald Trump holds a baseball bat as they attend a Made in America product showcase event at the White House on 17 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "This summer the White House organized an event to showcase 'Made in America' products. All kinds of exhibitors brought their products as the President and Vice President toured the event. One of the companies was Marucci Sport, a manufacturer of baseball bats based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As Trump approached a table full of baseball bats, photographers at the event, including me, rushed to get a good angle hoping that he would pick up a bat. As we predicted, he did. He took one and joked around as though he was hitting something hard. The only thing closer to him right there, was the media." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 25 July 2017 Former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski says hello to reporters as he and White House advisors including Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci accompany President Trump for an event celebrating veterans at AMVETS Post 44 in Ohio, July 25, 2017. Jonathan Ernst: "The most visible person in any White House is naturally the President, followed by the press secretary. But there are also the staff who support them. For those of us covering the Trump administration, there seem to be more compelling figures in the West Wing than ever before. It's crucial to know who's who and why they're important. When I raised my camera and back-pedalled ahead of the group to take this image Lewandowski gave me a hello. I liked the photo, but had no idea it would go a little bit viral, especially since Scaramucci, who was the biggest mover and shaker that week, was hidden back in the pack. But I guess the image catches a glimpse of what it's like to be a West Wing staffer on the road." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Campaign rally - 3 August 2017 US President Donald Trump arrives at a rally in West Virginia on 3 August, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Huntington for one of his usual campaign rallies. While members of his family spoke to the crowd he was waiting under a black curtain to be introduced. Suddenly he walked onto the stage, one of the first frames that I took was of his hand. I set my exposure for the light on the stage hoping to create this dark background and it worked." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Staring into the solar eclipse - 21 August 2017 Without his protective glasses on, US President Donald Trump looks up towards the solar eclipse while viewing with his wife Melania and son Barron at the White House on 21 August, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "On a day when everyone, and I mean everyone, was told not to look at the eclipse without protective glasses, Trump, President of the United States, couldn't help himself." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Harvey - 2 September 2017 US President Donald Trump poses for a photo as he and first lady Melania Trump help volunteers hand out meals during a visit with flood survivors of Hurricane Harvey at a relief centre in Houston, Texas on 2 September, 2017. Photohrapher Kevin Lamarque: "Trump, eager to deliver the image of a hands-on response to Hurricane Harvey, made this visit to a relief centre and obliged this woman with a selfie as Melania continued to work." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House - 15 September 2017 Donald Trump welcomes 11-year-old Frank Giaccio as he cuts the Rose Garden grass at the White House on 15 September. Frank, who wrote a letter to Trump offering to mow the lawn, was invited to work for a day at the White House along the National Park Service staff. Frank was so focused on his task that he did not notice the President arrive to surprise him. He took his father jumping in to grab his attention and point Trump out. Photographer Carlos Barria said: The image of Trump shouting at a kid who is mowing his lawn might have many interpretations in today's politically polarized United States. But for me it was just a kid who loved what he was doing, to the point he almost appeared to ignore the President." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Take a knee - 27 September 2017 A man kneels with a folded U.S. flag as the motorcade of U.S. President Donald Trump passes him after an event at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., September 27, 2017. In September, soon after Trump had made comments condemning NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, he made a day trip to a rally in Indianapolis. Jonathan Ernst managed to capture a man on one knee with a tri-folded flag and was able to use a portion of the sign on the building he was kneeling in front of to track the man down and tell his story in full. US Army veteran Marvin Boatright wanted to send a message against social injustice. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Maria - 3 October 2017 President Donald Trump throws rolls of paper towels into a crowd of local residents affected by Hurricane Maria as he visits Calgary Chapel in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 3 October, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "During an afternoon visit to Puerto Rico for President Trump to survey damage from Hurricane Maria and greet some of its victims, Trump made a stop at a church where food and supplies were being distributed. Among the items were paper towels and Trump, apparently caught up in the moment, decided to distribute some of the rolls." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Jared Kushner - 1 November 2017 White House Senior adviser Jared Kushner sits behind President Trump during a cabinet meeting in Washington on 1 November, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "The role of Jared Kushner has gone through a series of changes. He began front and centre as a high profile adviser, but as time has passed and issues surrounding him have surfaced, he has become more of a background figure." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump in China - 9 November 2017 Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands after making joint statements at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 9 November, 2017. Photographer Damir Sagolj: "It's one of those "how to make a better or at least different shot when two presidents shake hands several times a day, several days in row". If I'm not mistaken in calculation, presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump shook their hands at least six times in events I covered during Trump's recent visit to China. I would imagine there were some more handshakes I haven't seen but other photographers did. And they all look similar - two big men, smiling and heartily greeting each other until everyone gets their shot. But then there is always something that can make it special - in this case the background made of US and Chinese flags. The first time it didn't work for me. The second time I positioned myself lower and centrally, and used the longest lens I have to capture only hands reaching for a handshake." Reuters/Damir Sagolj Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 10 November 2017 US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One to depart for Vietnam from Beijing Airport in Beijing, China, November 10, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "There is a Reuters photographer in the tight pool covering the US president for every appearance he makes 365 days a year. This was just one of 32 images of mine that were transmitted on the Reuters wire of President Trump visiting China and Vietnam that day. You never know when a sudden interaction, a gust of wind or a unique facial expression will lead to a striking image that grabs peoples' attention." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures ASEAN handshake - 13 November 2017 Donald Trump registers his surprise as he realises other leaders, including Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte and Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, are crossing their arms for the traditional "ASEAN handshake" as he participates in the opening ceremony of the summit in Manila on 13 November, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Having covered a few ASEAN summits, I knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. Not everyone in the room knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. A lot was written about this unscripted moment, and what deeper meaning it might have. The simple truth is that sometimes in life there are unscripted moments." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

The state said the policy was necessary to keep its voter rolls accurate and up-to-date. It maintains voters given plenty of opportunities to keep their active status and that the rules adhere to federal law requiring states to maintain accurate voter records.

But Larry Harmon  an Ohio-based software engineer  disagreed. The US Navy veteran voted in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections, but not in the 2012 presidential election or the 2010 and 2014 mid-terms.

When Mr Harmon tried to vote against a state ballot initiative to legalise marijuana in 2015, he found he had been kicked off the state voter rolls. The next year, he joined the suit against Mr Husted in an attempt to end the policy.

In 2016, the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati ruled in Mr Harmons favour. The appeals court said Ohios rule violated the Voter Registration Act by using his failure to vote as a trigger for sending the change-of-address notice.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the policy would have kept more than 7,500 people from voting in the November 2016 election had appeals court not overturned it.

Ohio then took the case to the Supreme Court, where judges voted to uphold the policy on Monday.

The ACLU called the decision a a setback for voting rights.

Democrats and voting rights groups have expressed concerns that other states may be emboldened by the ruling and adopt more aggressive tactics to kick voters off the rolls.

Oklahoma, Georgia, Montana, Oregon, Pennsylvania and West Virginia all have have laws similar to those of Ohio that are not enforced so strictly.Donald Trump has said the US will stop joint military exercises with South Korea, saying it will save "a tremendous amount of money" and noting the war games are "very provocative", in what appears to be a major concession to North Korea following his summit with Kim Jong-un.

Speaking in a press conference after Mr Kim left Singapore, the US president said the "war games are very expensive", adding that the US pays "a big majority of the expenses for them".

He complained that the US flies bombers from Guam to South Korea for "six or seven hours" for the exercises, saying he "knows a lot about planes" and that was "a long time for these big massive planes to be flying to South Korea to practice and then drop bombs all over the place". Mr Trump owned an airline, Trump Shuttle, from 1989 to 1992.

Follow the latest updates on the Trump-Kim summit fallout here

Mr Trump said his second motivation for stopping war games with South Korea was that it was inappropriate now that talks had begun with North Korea.

"I think it is very provocative," he said. "You have a country that is right next door."

Mr Trump appeared to suggest that he had not yet discussed stopping the war games with South Korea itself, saying it was something "we have to talk to them about".

South Korea's presidential office said in a statement that it was trying to establish what Mr Trump meant by his announcement. A Blue House spokesperson told NPR: "At this moment, the meaning and intention of President Trump's remarks requires more clear understanding."

In a glowing statement which did not mention the issue of war games, South Korea's president Moon Jae-in said he wanted to write "new history" with North Korea, and praised Kim Jong-un for attending the Singapore talks.

"Leaving dark days of war and conflict behind, we will write a new chapter of peace and cooperation," Mr Moon said in a statement released by his office. "We will be there together with North Korea along the way."

Mr Trump's comments on the expense of the joint exercises risks opening up yet another rift with an established ally. He said: "South Korea contributes but not 100 per cent, which is certainly a subject that we have to talk to them about also, and that has to do with the military expense and also the trade.

"So we're doing that. We actually have a new deal with South Korea in terms of the trade deal but we have to talk to them. We have to talk to many countries about treating us fairly."

The comments echo Mr Trump's previous complaints about Nato countries failing to pay their way for the military alliance, and his falling-out with G7 leaders in Canada over trade links.

Earlier, Mr Trump and North Korea's Mr Kim concluded an extraordinary nuclear summit Tuesday with the US president pledging unspecified "security guarantees" to the North and Kim recommitting to the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula."

Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Show all 20 1 /20 Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim leave following their historic meeting AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim sign a document committing to peace between their nations, amongst other things EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump holds up a document that both he and Mr Kim have signed AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un The two leaders reach out to shake hands for the first time AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim shake hands as they meet for the first time Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim walk off stage, following their historic meeting Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim take a stroll after their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim interrupt their stroll to talk to the media AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim and Mr Trump look out over a balcony at the Capella hotel, where they held their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump takes questions at the press conference following his meeting with with Mr Kim AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump appreciates the crowd in the press conference following his meeting with Mr Kim Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with Kim Jong Un on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Kim Jong Un travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with President Trump on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim poses for a photo with Singapore's Finance Minister Vivian Balkrishnan and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung ahead of the summit with Mr Trump Twitter/Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump shakes hands with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, meeting on Monday June 11 in the Istana, Singapore's presidential palace AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un At a working lunch on Monday, Singapore's Prime Minister surprised Mr Trump with a birthday cake, in early celebration of his 72nd birthday later in the week EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo answers questions about the summit at a press briefing in Singapore on Monday, June 11 Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US President Donald Trump arrives at the Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore on June 10, two days prior to his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim met on Tuesday June 12 in the Capella hotel on the island resort of Sentosa, just off the south coast of Singapore AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump boards Air Force One following the summit AFP/Getty

Mr Trump acknowledged that the timetable for denuclearisation is long, but said, "once you start the process it means it's pretty much over."

Mr Trump sidestepped his public praise for an autocrat whose people have been oppressed for decades. He added Otto Warmbier, an American once detained in North Korea, "did not die in vain" because his death brought about the nuclear talks.

Mr Trump said Mr Kim accepted his invitation to visit the White House at the "appropriate" time.

Additional reporting by agenciesPakistans Supreme Court has upheld a death sentence for a man who killed eight children.

Mohammad Imran's victims included a seven-year-old girl whose rape and murder sparked nationwide condemnation earlier in the year.

The court order issued on Tuesday took place months after Mr Imran challenged the death sentence he was issued with in February. He claimed his trial was not fair.

He still has the right to seek clemency from President Mamnoon Hussain.

Mr Imran was arrested in January after he raped and killed seven-year-old Zainab Ansari and threw her body into a rubbish dump in the city of Kasur in eastern Punjab province.

The death sparked widespread protests at the time.

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

His arrest shed light on seven more killings - spurring Pakistanis to call for him to be publicly executed.

A three-member bench stated that as regards the sentences passed by the trial court against the petitioner which sentences had subsequently been upheld and confirmed by the High Court Lahore, we may observe that the crimes committed by the petitioner were absolutely horrendous and barbaric and the same had been committed with a minor and innocent girl aged about 7/8 years.

The petitioner had not only deceitfully kidnapped her but had also brutalised her by committing sodomy and rape with her and had then ultimately killed her mercilessly.

In January, Zainabs father Ameen called on the government to publicly punish the perpetrator.

If the culprits are punished publicly then it will serve as a deterrent for preventing similar cases, he said.

Additional reporting by Associated PressAs Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un began their talks about world peace, there was just a single woman in the room - the US presidents translator.

While several women were due to take part in a working lunch the two leaders were to hold at the Capella hotel on the Singaporean island of Sentosa, when Mr Trump and Mr Kim completed their 45-minute one-on-one talks and moved to their extended bilateral meeting, Mr Trumps US State Department translator, Dr Yun-Hyang Lee was the only woman in the room.

According to a pool report, as the two leaders walked to the second floor at the opposite building, they waved their hands and approached the deck for 13 seconds. When Mr Trump was asked about how the meeting was going, he answered: Very very good! When Mr Kim was asked about denuclearisation, he just smiled and said nothing.

The participants in the extended bilateral meeting were from the North Korean side Mr Kim, North Korean vice chairman Kim Yong Chol, North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong Ho, former foreign minister Ri Su Yong, and the teams translator. The US team consisted of Mr Trump, national security adviser John Bolton, secretary of state Mike Pompeo, Chief-of-staff John Kelly and Ms Lee.

For the working lunch, due to feature Green mango kerabu with honey lime dressing & fresh octopus and beef short rib confit, served with potato dauphinois and steam broccolini, the US delegation was to be joined by White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, US ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kin, and Matthew Pottinger, deputy assistant to the president for Asian affairs.

 Comments from Trump and Kim Jong-un at historic summit in Singapore

The North Korean delegation was joined by four additional participants, including two women. They were No Kwang Chol, minister of Peoples Armed Forces, Ms Choe Son Hui, vice-minister of foreign affairs, Ms Kim Yo Jong, first deputy director, Central Committee of Workers Party of Korea and Han Kwang Sang, director of the Central Committee of Workers Party of Korea.

Mr Trump said it was an honour to meet Mr Kim. In addition to shaking hands with him several times, he flashed him a brief thumbs-up.

Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Show all 20 1 /20 Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim leave following their historic meeting AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim sign a document committing to peace between their nations, amongst other things EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump holds up a document that both he and Mr Kim have signed AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un The two leaders reach out to shake hands for the first time AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim shake hands as they meet for the first time Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim walk off stage, following their historic meeting Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim take a stroll after their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim interrupt their stroll to talk to the media AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim and Mr Trump look out over a balcony at the Capella hotel, where they held their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump takes questions at the press conference following his meeting with with Mr Kim AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump appreciates the crowd in the press conference following his meeting with Mr Kim Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with Kim Jong Un on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Kim Jong Un travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with President Trump on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim poses for a photo with Singapore's Finance Minister Vivian Balkrishnan and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung ahead of the summit with Mr Trump Twitter/Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump shakes hands with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, meeting on Monday June 11 in the Istana, Singapore's presidential palace AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un At a working lunch on Monday, Singapore's Prime Minister surprised Mr Trump with a birthday cake, in early celebration of his 72nd birthday later in the week EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo answers questions about the summit at a press briefing in Singapore on Monday, June 11 Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US President Donald Trump arrives at the Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore on June 10, two days prior to his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim met on Tuesday June 12 in the Capella hotel on the island resort of Sentosa, just off the south coast of Singapore AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump boards Air Force One following the summit AFP/Getty

In turn, Mr Kim said: There will be challenges ahead.

He was later heard telling Mr Trump through a translator: I think the entire world is watching this moment. Many people in the world will think of this as a scene from a fantasy...science fiction movie.

Asked by a reporter how the meeting was going, Mr Trump said: Very good. Very, very good. Good relationship.

Mr Kim also sounded positive about the prospects. According to the Associated Press, he said: We overcame all kinds of scepticism and speculations about this summit and I believe that this is good for the peace.They came, they saw, they shook hands and exchanged warm words and simply by meeting, they made history.

But as Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un departed from Singapore, having talked for more than four hours and apparently agreed to work towards denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, it was unclear whether the two countries were on a path to securing a genuine peace deal, or had in essence engaged only in a glorified photo-opportunity.

In a press conference after the working sessions had concluded, Mr Trump sounded optimistic and thanked the 34-year-old North Korean leader for taking the first bold step towards a bright new future for his people. Earlier, Kim said the leaders had decided to leave the past behind and he vowed: The world will see a major change.

Yet though the two men signed a document that was seen by the media pledging to work towards getting rid of nuclear weapons, the details it contained were thin. Shortly before he boarded Air Force One to leave for the US via Guam, President Trump said the US would verify North Koreas denuclearisation. Were going to have to check it. We will check it. Total and complete, he said.

Trump said he had decided the US should halt military operations on the Korean peninsula, in what would represent a major concession by Washington. China and Russia had proposed such a freeze for a freeze, or dual suspension, in November, but the US leader then rejected the proposal out of hand.

If implemented, the halting of the joint military exercises would be one of the most controversial moves to come from the summit.

We will be stopping the war games which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should. But we'll be saving a tremendous amount of money, plus I think it's very provocative, Mr Trump said.

That being said, by the time Trumps plane left Singapore US military forces in South Korea had not received any direction to cease joint military drills. USFK [US Forces Korea] has received no updated guidance on execution or cessation of training exercises  to include this falls scheduled Ulchi Freedom Guardian, US Forces in Korea Lt Col Jennifer Lovett said, in a statement..

His announcement was a surprise even to President Moon Jae-in's government in Seoul. The presidential Blue House said it needed to find out the precise meaning or intentions of Mr Trump's statement, while adding that it was willing to explore various measures to help the talks move forward more smoothly.

 Donald Trump gives Kim Jong-un video showing the opportunities of a North Korean-US partnership

Critics of President Trump said he had given up a lot while receiving little in return. While the summit had given legitimacy to Kim, on whom Trump appeared to lavish praise, the US president had barely raised the issue of human rights. In a bizarre moment, President Trump responded to a question on whether he had betrayed those held in North Koreas gulags by claiming the tens of thousands of such individuals were among the days biggest winners.

Reaction in the US Congress were mixed, but caution seemed the prevailing theme. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell called the meeting a "major first step," in U.S.-North Korea relations, but not a decisive one if North Korea does not follow through.

"The next steps in negotiations will test whether we can get to a verifiable deal," Mr McConnell said on the Senate floor. He added, "We and our allies must be prepared to restore the policy of maximum pressure."

Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Show all 20 1 /20 Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim leave following their historic meeting AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim sign a document committing to peace between their nations, amongst other things EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump holds up a document that both he and Mr Kim have signed AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un The two leaders reach out to shake hands for the first time AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim shake hands as they meet for the first time Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim walk off stage, following their historic meeting Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim take a stroll after their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim interrupt their stroll to talk to the media AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim and Mr Trump look out over a balcony at the Capella hotel, where they held their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump takes questions at the press conference following his meeting with with Mr Kim AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump appreciates the crowd in the press conference following his meeting with Mr Kim Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with Kim Jong Un on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Kim Jong Un travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with President Trump on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim poses for a photo with Singapore's Finance Minister Vivian Balkrishnan and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung ahead of the summit with Mr Trump Twitter/Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump shakes hands with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, meeting on Monday June 11 in the Istana, Singapore's presidential palace AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un At a working lunch on Monday, Singapore's Prime Minister surprised Mr Trump with a birthday cake, in early celebration of his 72nd birthday later in the week EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo answers questions about the summit at a press briefing in Singapore on Monday, June 11 Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US President Donald Trump arrives at the Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore on June 10, two days prior to his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim met on Tuesday June 12 in the Capella hotel on the island resort of Sentosa, just off the south coast of Singapore AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump boards Air Force One following the summit AFP/Getty

Democrats were openly sceptical, saying Mr Trump had already given up some American leverage by committing to halting US military exercises with South Korea.

"President Trump has granted a brutal and repressive dictatorship the international legitimacy it has long craved," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said. He pointed out that the Trump-Kim agreement does not define what denuclearization would mean. If nothing else happens, Mr Schumer said the meeting amounts to "purely a reality show summit."

Later, as Mr Trump's plane landed in Guam to refuel, Mr Trump told reporters that he trusted Mr Kim and that he believed the North Korean leader was sincere about his desire for denuclearisation.

I can only tell you that from the time Ive (dealt) with him, which is really starting 90 days ago," Mr Trump said. "I think he wants to get it done".

Whether Mr Trumps gamble has paid off will only be seen in the coming days and weeks. The president said his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and national security adviser John Bolton would be following up with Pyongyang next week to press North Korea's commitment to start denuclearisation.

But what precisely does that mean?

By committing to work 'towards' the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, Kim has conceded no more than he did in the 27 April Panmunjom Declaration signed with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, said Alison Evans, deputy head of Asia Pacific country risk for analysts IHS Markit.

Rather, the statement implicitly recognises North Korea as a de facto nuclear weapons state. This lends North Korea, and specifically Kim, legitimacy at home and abroad.

Critics fear that the US has been here before, most notably in 1994 and 2003, when the North Korean regime vowed to give up its weapons programme in return for an easing of sanctions, only to see the nation renege on the deal.

It may be that Trumps gamble will end up going south. But as the two leaders shook hands and talked on Tuesday in Singapore  something that months ago would have seemed inconceivable  it was hard not to feel it was a risk worth taking.Experts and at least one former US ambassador have cast doubt on Donald Trumps meeting with Kim Jong-un and the presidents weird claim to have rapidly developed a very special bond with the dictator.

The historic summit between the pair was described as theatre and a show, and a former senior general expressed concern that Mr Kims profile had been raised significantly without a major concessions on his part.

Gen In-Bum Chun, deputy commander of South Koreas First Army until 2016 and now a senior adviser to the Korea corporate members of the Association of the US Army, said the show put on by Mr Trump was very exciting.

But he said he still needed to see detail of North Koreas intention to commit to comprehensive, verifiable, irreversible dismantlement of its nuclear arsenal.

Economic incentives for Pyongyang should come after denuclearisation, he said, but at the same time, humanitarian activities and humanitarian aid can, I think, be inserted as incentives.

There is a very big possibility, as well as a danger, and it might not even be intentional by Kims design that the dictator could emerge from the summit with his reputation strengthened even if he does not stick to any agreement, Gen Chun added in an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme before details of the signed document were public.

Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia, tweeted: How does one develop a very special bond after a few hours of meeting? Thats really weird to me with anyone, but with a North Korean dictator?

When detail of the document signed by Mr Trump and Mr Kim became known  including that Pyongyang had committed to work toward complete denuclearisation of the peninsula  Mr McFaul added: It means our negotiators achieved nothing new  not one new concession in exchange for legitimation [sic] of North Korean dictator.

It was a similar commitment to that made by Mr Kim to Moon Jae-in of South Korea in the Panmunjom Declaration earlier this year.

Experts have previously told The Independent that Washington and Pyongyang have very different definitions of denuclearisation. One former US State Department official said that, to the North Koreans, it meant the removal of the threat posed by us, not them  referring to the thousands of US troops posted in South Korea and the so-called umbrella of other forces in the region.

Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Show all 20 1 /20 Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim leave following their historic meeting AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim sign a document committing to peace between their nations, amongst other things EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump holds up a document that both he and Mr Kim have signed AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un The two leaders reach out to shake hands for the first time AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim shake hands as they meet for the first time Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim walk off stage, following their historic meeting Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim take a stroll after their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim interrupt their stroll to talk to the media AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim and Mr Trump look out over a balcony at the Capella hotel, where they held their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump takes questions at the press conference following his meeting with with Mr Kim AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump appreciates the crowd in the press conference following his meeting with Mr Kim Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with Kim Jong Un on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Kim Jong Un travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with President Trump on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim poses for a photo with Singapore's Finance Minister Vivian Balkrishnan and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung ahead of the summit with Mr Trump Twitter/Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump shakes hands with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, meeting on Monday June 11 in the Istana, Singapore's presidential palace AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un At a working lunch on Monday, Singapore's Prime Minister surprised Mr Trump with a birthday cake, in early celebration of his 72nd birthday later in the week EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo answers questions about the summit at a press briefing in Singapore on Monday, June 11 Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US President Donald Trump arrives at the Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore on June 10, two days prior to his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim met on Tuesday June 12 in the Capella hotel on the island resort of Sentosa, just off the south coast of Singapore AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump boards Air Force One following the summit AFP/Getty

John Nilsson-Wright, a Cambridge lecturer and senior fellow at Chatham House, said Mr Kims public confidence enhances a sustained public relations win for a #DPRK press operation that hasnt put a foot wrong since [the] Pyeongchang Olympics.

[It is] what we should expect from the theatre state, he added in a tweet. He called the summit the triumph of style (albeit aspirationally worthy) over substance.

In the document signed on Tuesday, the US and North Korea also agreed to recover and repatriate the remains of soldiers missing and captured during the Korean War; establish new relations; and build a lasting and stable peace.

Mr Trump said the meetings, held on Singapores Sentosa Island, went better than anybody could imagine.

Asked during his final appearance with Mr Kim what surprised him most during their encounter, he said the dynastic dictator had a great personality and was very smart, which he described as a good combination.Donald Trump has announced an end to US "war games" around North Korea, causing confusion around the world.

The result has stunned many onlookers  including, it seems, both the US military and the South Korean government.

It marks a major change in US policy, and a considerable concession to North Korea.

Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone Show all 30 1 /30 Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone Farmer works in a field Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone Women soldier walk on the street Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone A female soldier guards railway Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone A general view of platform of Pyongyang Railway Station Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone Students stage a protest against South Korea and the US in Pyongyang Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone Students rehearsal for celebrating the 70th birthday of Workers' Party of Korea Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone People enjoy the cool at the carriage door Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone A general view of countryside Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone Korean People's Army soldier rest on the rail 2015 Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone A little boy begs food on the platform in Hamhung Railway Station in Hamhung 2015 Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone Children swim in a river in noon Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone People cross a railway crossing 2015 Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone A boy collects corn cob beside a railway Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone A customs officer is seen on the train No.100 from Moscow to Pyongyang at Tumangang railway station in Tumangang Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone A customs officer checks a passenger's mobile device on the train to Pyongyang Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone A railway station in Tumangang Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone A general view of the railway station in Tumangang Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone Kids pass by Tumanggang railway station in Tumanggang 2015 Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone A general view of Tumangang Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone A general view of Tumangang - a small town located at North Korea and Russia border Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone A train carriage on it's way to Pyongyang is delayed for a day and half due to military transportation in Tumangang Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone A customs officers talks to a passenger at Tumanggang railway station in Tumanggang Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone A little girl walks on the street in Tumanggang 2015 Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone An elderly man is seen in Tumangang Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone Kids go to school in morning in Tumangang 2015 Getty Images Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone Life in North Korea captured with a mobile phone

As such, it could be a central part of the new announcements, which include a range of agreements between the US and North Korea.

What are war games?

They are military exercises on a huge scale: involving tens of thousands of troops and the vast amounts of military equipment they would use in a real situation.

The US has traditionally said the exercises are intended only to be defensive, and they shouldn't be seen as a provocation. But Donald Trump called them "very provocative" during a press conference, reflecting the generally held opinion that they are intended as displays of strengths towards North Korea.

The drills have already been winding down a little in recent months.

The US completely halted them during the Winter Olympics in South Korea. That followed growing displays of its might in the run-up to the tournament, but was done to ensure that security forces could focus on the tournament itself, US officials said.

It started them again after, though they were somewhat subdued when compared with the heights of US displays of power against North Korea.

Why do they happen?

They are ostensibly about ensuring that the forces are ready for any real military operations they might be asked to conduct. But they are also about sending a message: making clear how prepared those forces are, and how disastrous any attack would be.

(Cancelling them, too, undoubtedly has some of the same effect: it means that North Korea will be safer, but it also is a clear message they should feel safer.)

Why are they being called off?

Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested that a large part of the reason is the budget, calling the exercises "expensive". The war games are very expensive, we pay for the majority of them, he said during a news conference.

During the same conference he said that he "knows a lot about airplanes", and had used that knowledge to understand just how expensive the missions were.

But there is of course another reason, too. North Korea has repeatedly cited the exercise as part of the reason why it feels it needs to build up its military arsenal  and so it seems likely that committing to stop them might have been a central part of attempting to convince Kim Jong-un that there is no military threat, and to encourage him to commit to denuclearisation.

Why does that matter?

Aside from their military use, the exercises are a point of pride for South Korea and the US, and opposing them has a similar function for North Korea.

Calling them off is a considerable step for Mr Trump to take, given the importance they have taken on in recent years. Given how much store has been set by them among US military officials, and how upset North Korea has been by them, stopping the exercises looks like a considerable capitulation.

How has the world reacted?

Largely with confusion.

Both the US military and the South Korean government seemed to suggest they weren't aware of Mr Trump's plans and didn't know exactly what it would do about them.

Stars and Stripes, a news organisation that closely covers the US military, said that senior officials hadn't yet received any instructions to stop any ongoing exercises. "In coordination with our [South Korean] partners, we will continue with our current military posture until we receive updated guidance from the Department of Defense ... and/or Indo-Pacific Command," spokeswoman Col. Jennifer Lovett told the newspaper in an email.

The South Korean government said that it was working to understand what Mr Trump was talking about. "At this moment, we need to figure out president Trump's accurate meaning and intention," it said in a statement.A rescue boat loaded with hundreds of refugees which has been stranded in the Mediterranean Sea after Italy and Malta refused to allow the boat to dock, is unable to make the journey to Spain where the government has said it can land.

Bad weather in the area is forecast to get worse, making the three-to-five-day voyage dangerous, according to French humanitarian group SOS Meiterranee France.

According to the organisation, 629 migrants have been taken on board the Aquarius rescue boat, including 123 unaccompanied minors and seven pregnant women.

On Monday evening the group put out a message which read: Reaching Spain would take several days. With 629 people on board and weather deteriorating, the situation could become critical.

Priority must remain the safety of all survivors. It is the responsibility of the Italian maritime authorities to find a safe and fast solution for the 629 people aboard the #Aquarius.

The boat was refused entry to Italian ports after Italys interior minister Matteo Salvini, who is also leader of far-right party Lega Nord (Northern League) said that all Italian ports were closed the Aquarius. In a Facebook post he called on Malta to take in the vessel.

He said: Malta takes in nobody. France pushes people back at the border, Spain defends its frontier with weapons. From today, Italy will also start to say no to human trafficking, no to the business of illegal immigration.

But the new Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, who took office just over a week ago, then said Spain would allow the rescue vessel to dock in the city of Valencia, where the rescued migrants and refugees could finally disembark. Despite the offer, it now looks unlikely the boat will attempt to reach Spain.

Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Show all 7 1 /7 Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants arriving in Italy on MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie DeardenI Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie Dearden Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants undergoing health checks after disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie Dearden Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants undergoing security checks after disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie Dearden Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants being fingerprinted after disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie Dearden Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants being fingerprinted after disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie Dearden Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily A man being taken to hospital from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie Dearden

The Aquarius patrols the sea route between Libya and Italy. According to the UN there have been more than 30,000 sea arrivals of refugees in the Mediterranean so far this year.

This number has been decreasing dramatically in recent years. In October 2015 alone there were 221,454 sea arrivals in the area.

A spokesperson from Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), said in an earlier statement: MSF is concerned that again politics are being placed above peoples lives. The priority must be the importance of the well being and safety of the people on board.Italy has attracted condemnation for its refusal to take in more than 600 refugees who have spent over three days stranded on a rescue ship in the Mediterranean.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Italy was acting irresponsibly and not meeting its obligations under international maritime law.

His partys spokesman Gabriel Attal went further, telling Public Senat TV: The Italian position makes me vomit.

He added: Its totally unacceptable to play petty politics with human lives as is happening now.

The Italian government has dismissed the criticism. It is rich coming from them, said deputy prime minister Luigi Di Maio.

Hundreds of exhausted refugees, including 123 unaccompanied minors and seven pregnant women, who have been stranded on the Aquarius off the coast of Sicily, are now to be picked up by two Italian navy ships and taken through what are forecast to be stormy seas to Valencia in Spain, after the countrys new prime minister Pedro Sanchez unexpectedly agreed to let them dock.

The Aquarius is a rescue ship operated by NGOs SOS Mediterranee and Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without borders).

A spokesperson for Medecins Sans Frontieres told The Independent: Having the Aquarius sail to Spain means a longer period of time out of the search and rescue area off the coast of Libya, and hence a reduced rescue capacity at sea.

It is estimated it will take three to four days to reach Valencia, and then the boat will have to be refuelled and restocked somewhere which takes about half a day.

Migrants on an Italian Coast Guard boat are transferred from the Aquarius to Italian ships (AP/SOS Mediterranee) (AP)

They estimated the boat wont be back on search and rescue missions until at least the middle of next week, meaning it will be out of action for as long as 10 days.

Over 35,000 refugees have crossed the Mediterranean so far this year, and almost 800 are estimated dead and missing. On average around 220 people a day are thought to leave North Africa on boats bound for European countries including Spain, Italy and Greece.

On Tuesday an American naval vessel went to the aid of an inflatable boat sinking off the coast of Libya, rescuing 41 people and collecting 12 bodies, according to Reuters.

The US navy ship called for assistance from German charity Sea Watch, which is currently operating the only charity rescue vessel off the Libyan coast, while the Aquarius is out of action.

A spokesman for Sea Watch said: This shows what happens when there are not enough rescue assets at sea.

Recommended Stranded migrant boat unable to reach Spain as weather worsens

This shipwreck shows that we are needed, they added, saying the American vessel called Sea Watch because theres just nobody else out here. Were the only asset at the moment.

The Aquarius was refused entry to Italian ports after Italys interior minister Matteo Salvini, who is also leader of far-right party Lega Nord (Northern League), said all Italian ports were closed to the ship. In a Facebook post, he called on Malta to take in the vessel.

He said: Malta takes in nobody. France pushes people back at the border, Spain defends its frontier with weapons. From today, Italy will also start to say no to human trafficking, no to the business of illegal immigration.

But the new Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, who took office just over a week ago, said Spain would allow the rescue vessel to dock in Valencia, where the rescued refugees could finally disembark.

At a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Mr Macrons spokesman Benjamin Grivaux said France welcomed Spains humanitarian gesture, and added that France doesnt want to set a precedent that would allow some European countries to breach international laws and rely on other EU member states.

Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Show all 7 1 /7 Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants arriving in Italy on MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie DeardenI Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie Dearden Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants undergoing health checks after disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie Dearden Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants undergoing security checks after disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie Dearden Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants being fingerprinted after disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie Dearden Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants being fingerprinted after disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie Dearden Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily A man being taken to hospital from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie Dearden

Aloys Vimard, head of the Medecins Sans Frontieres rescue mission, told the Radio 4 Today Progamme earlier: There were 629 people on board for more than three days. These people are sick, and for more than 36 hours we have been in international waters between Malta and Sicily. Now the situation is stable.

We have received supplies from the Italian authorities  some bread and fruit. People are asking us where are we going? What will happen to us?

A Medecins Sans Frontieres spokesperson told The Independent the situation in the Mediterranean was the product of a broken asylum system.

In an email, they said: Italys decision to close its ports to MSF appears to be aimed at triggering a reaction from European member states, and to put higher on the agenda of EU member states their failure to provide relocations for people who seek asylum in Italy as the entry point in the EU under the Dublin regulations.

Vulnerable people who have been exposed to abuse in Libya and are traumatised by their experience should not be used as political pawns for pressing EU member states to fix the Dublin system. Political considerations are being prioritised over the safety of hundreds of vulnerable people.

They added: The current stand-off in the Mediterranean Sea appears to be less about search and rescue at sea and more about the lack of European States responsibility sharing for asylum-seekers, and lack of intra-EU relocations  in other words, a broken asylum system.

The Italian governments stance was backed by Hungarys right-wing nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orban, who is a friend of Mr Salvini and has promoted a fiercely anti-immigrant platform.

It was so depressing to hear for years that it is impossible to protect maritime borders, Mr Orban told reporters in Budapest. Willpower has returned to Italy.The government of Macedonia has struck an agreement with Greece to change the countrys name, bringing an end to a long-running dispute between the two nations.

Greece has long objected to the use of the name Macedonia because it was shared by the ancient Greek kingdom ruled by Alexander of Macedon, and is also used by an adjacent Greek region.

As a result of Greeces objections Macedonia was only admitted to the UN under the provisional name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia after it gained its independence in 1991 from the break-up of Yugoslavia.

Recommended Macedonia to rename airport to make peace with Greece

Successive Greek governments have threatened to block Macedonias entry to the European Union and Nato under its original constitutional name. Macedonia is a candidate state for EU membership.

Under the deal the countrys name would be changed to the Republic of Northern Macedonia, to reflect the existence of the Greek region of Macedonia on the other side of the border and the cultural claim Greeks see over it. The name would be used both internally by the government and externally when conducting foreign affairs.

The accord was finalised during a phone call between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev on Tuesday, and in return for the name change Greece would lift its vetoes on the country joining the EU and Nato.

Both countries parliaments need to ratify the deal, and Macedonia is expected to hold a referendum on the issue. Nationalists in both countries are opposed to compromise and could yet derail the accord. The agreement is set to be formally signed on Saturday at Lake Prespa, which straddles the countrys border, and that of neighbouring Albania.

There is no way back. Zoran Zaev, prime minister of Macedonia

The name change will be implemented not only in the country's international relations but also domestically, Mr Tsipras said in a televised press conference, while Mr Zaev, speaking separately, told his countrymen: There is no way back. The PM called on the opposition to back the name change and said it would guarantee access to the EU and Nato.

In Greece, the right wing Independent Greeks party, which is in Mr Tsipras's governing coalition partner, has said it would oppose the agreement in a parliamentary vote  meaning the left wing prime minister will need to seek support from political opponents.

Negotiations, which have been on and off for decades, have intensified in recent months under the oversight of EU, US, and German diplomats.

Ancient Macedonia was the cradle of warrior king Alexanders empire, but under the Romans the province of Macedonia was expanded to include territory spanning Macedonia, as well as Bulgaria and Albania.

Some Greeks have accused Macedonians, who speak a Slavic language, of appropriating aspects of Greek culture. An eight-storey high statue resembling Alexander in the Macedonian capital of Skopje caused a fuss in 2011. Macedonian authorities insist that the statue is of a warrior on a horse rather than the ancient Greek hero.

As a goodwill gesture preceding the deal, in February of this year the Macedonian government renamed Skopje's airport, which was previously known as Skopje Alexander the Great Airport, to Skopje International Airport.

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 a joint statement, EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn said: We wholeheartedly congratulate Prime Ministers Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev for their determination and leadership in reaching this historic agreement between their countries, which contributes to the transformation of the entire region of south-east Europe.

This achievement belongs to the leaders of the two countries and their teams, but first and foremost it belongs to all the citizens of both countries, and of Europe as a whole.

They added that they expected the European Council to endorse the European Commissions recommendation to open accession negotiations with the EU candidate state. The European Council will next meet later this month.Police have rescued at least two hostages and arrested a man in central Paris after a four-hour standoff.

The hostage-taker demanded to be put in touch with the Iranian Embassy to deliver a message to the French government, authorities said.

More than a dozen heavily-armed officers, firefighters and rescue workers were stationed outside the building where the hostages were being held.

The area was evacuated and the street, rue des Petites Ecuries, was cordoned off while negotiations were in progress.

France's interior minister later said the hostage-taker had been arrested and the hostages freed.

"The individual has been arrested and the hostages are out of danger," Gerard Collomb said on Twitter.

There were no immediate details on the age, appearance or nationality of the hostage taker.

"His demands were really vague and incoherent," said an interior ministry official. "The negotiator had difficulty understanding."

Police in riot gear surrounded the entrance of a building in central Paris where a man is believed to be holding two people hostage (AP)

Police said there was no indication of a terrorist motive, but sources had told Reuters the man had demanded to be put in touch with the Iranian embassy to deliver a message to the French government.

One source said the attacker, who appeared to be brandishing a fake weapon, had doused two hostages in petrol.

They said the hostage-taker also initially hit one person, who was able to escape.

Local media said a pregnant woman was also able to escape.

Yves Lefebvre, a police union official, said the hostage-taker also claimed he had an accomplice outside the building with a bomb.

Police swept vehicles in the area with a device but found nothing, he added.

Video on BFM-TV showed a demining device for bombs at the scene.

Police officers at the scene of an hostage-taking in Paris (AP)

It comes after a series of attacks claimed by Isis in France.

Last month, a man shouting Allahu akbar killed a 29-year-old man and injured four others in Paris, before he was shot by police, in an Isis-claimed attack.Scandal-plagued Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again been questioned by police in connection with one of three corruption cases which continue to dog his political career.

Police interviewed the premier at his Jerusalem home on Monday night over his alleged dealings with communications company Bezeq Telecom, as a handful of protesters calling for his resignation demonstrated on the street outside.

The incident is the third time Mr Netanyahu has been questioned in connection with a corruption investigation known as Case 4000, which alleges Walla  a news website owned by Bezeq  gave Mr Netanyahus government favourable coverage in exchange for regulatory benefits.

 Turkey and Israel humiliate each others envoys in an escalating diplomatic tiff

The prime minister is not named in the investigation. He has denied all allegations of wrongdoing in Case 4000 and two other investigations, which he says are part of a witch hunt against him and his wife Sara by left wing media.

Earlier this year, police announced they had enough evidence to recommend indicting Mr Netanyahu on corruption charges regarding the other two investigations, which involve the alleged acceptance of inappropriate gifts from wealthy supporters and trying to bribe a newspaper publisher for favourable coverage.

Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Show all 22 1 /22 Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Supporters of Difa-e-Pakistan Council a coalition of right wing Islamic parties, burn an effigy of US President Donald Trump, during a protest in Quetta, Pakistan EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Israeli police scuffle with a Palestinian protester outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City Getty Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protesters burn pictures of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu following Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Gaza City AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Israeli forces disperse Palestinian protesters outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City on 7 December 2017 AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Supporters of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), an Islamic organization, chant slogans as they burn Israeli and US flags during a protest against Donald Trump in Peshawar REUTERS Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinians paint an 'X' over the face of a picture of US president Donald J. Trump which was painted on the Israeli separation wall in Bethlehem EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protestors burn the Israeli flag and a poster of US President Donald Trump in Gaza City AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Supporters of a Pakistani religious party rally against Donald Trump in Lahore AP Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protesters burn the US and Israeli flags in Gaza City AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital A poster depicting U.S. President Donald Trump is burnt during a protest against Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the West Bank city of Ramallah REUTERS Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Israeli forces detain a Palestinian protester during clashes that followed protests against US President Donald Trump recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Hebron AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protesters burn an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump AP Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protesters shout slogans against Donald Trump EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital A Palestinian protester wears a Guy Fawkes mask used by the anonymous movement during clashes with Israeli troops in Hebron AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian demonstrators clash with Isralei troops during protests AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Supporters of a Pakistani religious party chant anti-American slogans during a rally in Islamabad, Pakistan AP Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Pakistanis burn a representation of the U.S. flag during a protest rally in Hyderabad AP Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Young Palestinian women look on as smoke billows from burning tyres as fellow Palestinian demonstrators clash with Isralei troops AFP/Getty Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Protesters burn a picture of U.S. President Donald Trump at a protest in Islamabad REUTERS Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Protestors shouts slogans against US President Donald Trump as they hold Palestinian and Turkish flags during a protest near the US Embassy in Ankara, Turkey EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protestors put their feet over a picture of US president Donald Trump during a protest in the West Bank City of Nablus EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Pakistani protesters burn tires at an anti-Donald Trump rally in Multan AP

The attorney generals office is still deciding whether to formally indict the prime minister. Police have recommended the politician face charges twice before, in 1997 and 2000, although on both cases prosecutors decided not to take action.

Mondays questioning is believed to have centred on the testimony of former Netanyahu ally, Communications Ministry head Shlomo Filber.

Mr Filbers decision to turn states witness in February, after the leaders former chief of staff Ari Harrow made the same move last August, have been widely perceived as turning points in the investigations.

Despite such developments in the police investigations, Mr Netanyahu has faced little in the way of public scrutiny: opinion polls show his popularity has risen in the past few weeks.

The favourable ratings are believed to be a reflection of recent successes such as the USs withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, the opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem and tough action on Iranian forces in Syria and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.Iran has told North Korea's Kim Jong-un not to trust US President Donald Trump after the pair's historic meeting, warning the American leader could cancel the agreement before returning home.

The US and North Korean leaders met for the first time, for a landmark summit in Singapore on Tuesday in which they pledged to work towards the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

Iran, however, cast doubt on the USs reliability as a diplomatic partner, citing its own experiences after the Trump administration withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)  the Iran nuclear deal  last month.

Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un react during their summit at the Capella Hotel (Reuters)

We don't know what type of person the North Korean leader is negotiating with. It is not clear that he would not cancel the agreement before returning home, Iranian government spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht was quoted as saying by IRNA news agency.

This man does not represent the American people, and they will surely distance themselves from him at the next elections, he said.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Bahram Qasemi also poured scorn on diplomatic efforts, advising the North Korean leadership to exercise complete vigilance in its dealings with Washington.

President Trump has insisted a final agreement with North Korea must include total nuclear disarmament of the rogue state, with international inspections to verify progress, in return for US security guarantees.

 Iranian lawmakers burn US flag in parliament while chanting 'Death to America'

The US leader and his North Korean counterpart hailed the initial talks as constructive.

The view from Iran, however, is sceptical.

[Iranians] will see [the summit] as little more than a publicity stunt that legitimises both Mr Trump and Mr Kim, Dr Roham Alvandi, a professor at the London School of Economics, told The Independent.

Iranians will ask: Why is the United States willing to negotiate with North Korea, a nation with a nuclear arsenal, while refusing to pursue detente with Iran, a country that has no nuclear weapons and has agreed to strict international safeguards on its civilian nuclear programme?

During a lengthy media conference in Singapore, Mr Trump said that following the successful talks with North Korea, the US would be open to a new, real deal with Iran over its nuclear ambitions.

In May, the US pulled out of a landmark 2015 deal agreed between Tehran and world powers that lifted crippling international sanctions in return for curbs on Irans nuclear programme.

It is unlikely, however, Iran would return so quickly to the negotiating table, said Dr Sanam Vakil, a fellow at Londons Chatham House.

Iran has a wide variety of strategies that are predicated on a variety of timelines to deal with the Trump administration, she told The Independent.

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 Korea deal and any new Iran deal would be maybe similar in structure, but the context is very different.

With Pyongyang, China and Japan are keen on a changed North Korea. When it comes to Iran, regional powers Israel and Saudi Arabia dont trust Tehran enough, and dont want any Washington concessions.

The current terms of the JCPOA draw down will expire in November.

The remaining signatories to the deal  Iran, the UK, France, Germany, Russia and China  are scrambling to pressure other governments  such as India and Turkey  as well as the private sector, to save the deal.Down a narrow cobbled street in Mons, a small medieval town in south Belgium, there is an archive where it is claimed all the worlds knowledge is held  on paper.

At least, that was the original premise of the Mundaneum, also known as the paper Google, the proto-Wikipedia and even the precursor to the internet.

Going back a step to the late 19th century, two Belgian lawyers shared the noble goal of collecting the worlds information and classifying it with their revolutionary system: the Universal Decimal Classification, still used all over the world today.

One was Henri La Fontaine, one of pacifisms most important figures: an obsessive, bearded vegetarian with two failed marriages and a Nobel Peace Prize. La Fontaine was also a passionate bibliographer and part of a movement for peace through international law with his work for the League of Nations (forerunner to the United Nations).

The other was Paul Otlet, the mysterious pioneer of technology and documentation. He has been recognised as the father of information science, with his 1934 plans for a global computing network  electric telescopes  which would allow people to search through millions of documents. He named it reseau, which means network or web.

The two men saw the project as the pinnacle of Otlets idea of a utopian world city. Forging relationships between Europes intelligentsia by compiling knowledge, they hoped to create a global unity, transcending borders and fostering peace.

From this intersection of knowledge, documentation and pacifism emerged the original Mundaneum in Brussels in 1910. Since 1998, the project has been based in Mons, Wallonia (the French-speaking Belgian region).

At first glance, its underwhelming. The tiny museum is hidden down an unassuming alley, and entering through the foyer of the central hall its hard to conceive of the behemoth archive project beneath your feet: more than 12 million 3in x 5in index cards and documents. Thats 6km (3.7 miles) of knowledge.

Head of archives Stephanie Manfroid shows us some of the oldest cards  including a few categorised as erotica (its unsurprising to discover that if the idea of the internet was born here then it already included porn).

The Mundaneum is also a landmark in the intellectual and social fabric of Europe. Delphine Jenart, deputy director of the Mundaneum, explains: European heritage is key in the message we convey about the Mundaneum.

According to Jenart the project is the historical symbol of peace through culture in Europe and a monument to European cooperation during the Belle Epoque (the Beautiful Era is a period in Western history generally held to date from the 1870s to the outbreak of World War One).

Sadly, it also stands as a symbol for how and when that peace failed. The proto-computer utopian project was to remain forever unfulfilled, overtaken by the events of history.

During the interwar period, the Mundaneum hosted meetings about non-engagement, conscientious objection and even communism  which wasnt looked on too kindly by the government, which closed the project down in 1934.

When Germany invaded Belgium in 1940, the Mundaneum was partially destroyed and much of the material lost. As Manfroid says ruefully: This period was not good for pacifism.

The museum lay neglected and almost forgotten until 1974, when it was rediscovered by an Australian student and relocated to a 1930s art deco department store in Mons, reopening in 1998.

In 2016 it became the first Belgian site to be granted the European Heritage label by the European Commission for its role in the construction of European identity, and Mons was recognised as European capital of culture in 2015.

The whole world in your hands... founders of the Mundaneum aspired to catalogue all the knowledge (Mundaneum / Frederic Raeven)

These days the institute functions as a museum, exhibition and lecture space, with a vast underground archives centre. As well as the original index cards and the founders collections, the archives hold newspapers, postcards, posters and journals, which seek to capture past eras and cultures.

The archives are also divided into three major thematic sections: feminism, anarchism and pacifism. As Manfroid explains: Those ideas are very present in the development of the institution in the past and today.

We share this history to help awareness of being citizens of our own country, but also citizens of a changing world, an extended world.

But the political nature of the project is still very much at the forefront: the walls of the main central hall are covered in depictions of borders and divisions, with distressing photographs of immigration controls and not-so-subtle references to Trumps wall.

Jenart adds: Its also a place where we debate the information society and the information age.

Thats evident in their most recent exhibition, A world of codes and ciphers, which traces the history of the art of creating and breaking encryption: from Egyptian scribes and ancient Iraqi potters, to Alan Turing and the workers at Bletchley Park  even displaying a 100-year-old enigma machine.

An art installation, by Valerie Cordy and La Fabrique de Theatre, is a visual representation of the dark web, with different screens following her exploration of the internets underbelly.

She plays with the expectations that the dark web is solely a force for evil, showing sites dedicated to promoting human rights, knowledge and creativity alongside more anticipated discomforts like guns, drugs and military footage. White, grey and black hats; cybercriminals, punks, terrorists and hacktivists: all were represented.

In 2012 Google formally paid tribute to the Mundaneum and made a partnership with its archive centre. On 9 June, the International Day of Archives, the catalogue opened to the public.

In some ways, says Jenart, as the project gets more and more international attention, the dreams of global outreach of the founders have been fulfilled.

Travel essentials

Getting there

Catch the Eurostar to Brussels Midi, then a direct 50-minute train to Mons.

Staying there

The Dream Hotel is a four star renovated 19th century chapel in the historic centre. Doubles from 98, room only.

Mons Youth Hostel is ultra-modern accommodation set at the steps of the Gothic belfry; from 9 for a single bed in a shared room.

More information

Rue de Nimy 76, 7000 Mons

Open Monday-Friday from 9am to noon and 1pm to 5pm; access to reading room on prior request.

For more information, visit the Wallonia Belgium Tourism and Mundaneum websites.

Click here for easyJet discount codesThe time you need to arrive at an airport depends on where youre flying from and to and who youre flying with.

Most airports tend to have their own guidelines on when to turn up based on the size of the airport and the time its expected to take to check-in, pass through security and find your way to the gate.

London Heathrow

London Heathrow recommends arriving three hours prior to departure for long-haul and El Al flights, and two hours prior to departure for UK and European flights.

London Gatwick

London Gatwick advises long-haul passengers and those on European flights to arrive around three hours prior to departure. Those flying within the UK or Ireland are advised to arrive two hours prior to departure.

London Stansted

London Stansted suggests checking in a minimum of two hours before the scheduled departure time of your flight.

Manchester Airport

Due to road works around the airport and the on-going Manchester Airport Transformation Project, Manchester Airport is currently advising passengers to leave additional time for their journey to the airport, in order to have checked in and be ready to go through security at least two hours prior to departure.

London Luton

Luton Airport states that check-in desks and bag drop facilities will open two hours prior to flight time and that the airline will close the boarding gate approximately 40 minutes before the scheduled departure time.

Edinburgh Airport

Edinburgh Airport recommends that passengers check-in a minimum of one hour prior to scheduled departure time for UK and Ireland (including Channel Islands) flights and two hours before scheduled departure time for international flights. Those travelling on EI AI flights are required to check-in three and a half hours prior to departure.

Smaller airports with fewer flyers and quicker check-in and security processes may require less time, however.

London City Airport, for example, has just one terminal and is frequently used for business trips where passengers want to be in and out of the airport as quickly as possible. Its website boasts that passengers can be from front door to gate in 30 minutes and encourages travellers to save time by checking in online prior to their arrival or to use one of the self-service machines to check-in.

Checking in online is something offered by almost all airlines; if you know youre going to be tight on time, its also worth paying a little extra for priority boarding.

All airports advise passengers to check their airline tickets or documents for instructions regarding check-in times and to contact their airline directly if they are unsure.

Arrange your travel to the airport ahead of time and check closer to departure for any strikes or road works that may affect your journey.

While waiting around in an airport terminal can be tiresome, its worth sticking it out rather than running the risk of missing your flight. If youre late, your flight can  and will  take to the air whether youre on board or not.A ghost town in Californias remote Inyo Mountains could be yours for less than $1m.

The nineteenth century mining town, Cerro Gordo, comes with over 300 acres of land, mineral rights and 22 structures, including a historic hotel, chapel, saloon, museum and bunkhouse.

The town has 22 structures (ghosttownforsale.com)

Priced at $925,000, the historic town was the first major mining camp south of the Sierra Nevada and served as the silver thread to Los Angeles, being partially responsible for its growth and economic development.

After being held in private hands for decades, the family who owns it were reported to have simply said it felt it was the right time to sell it.

The site has been extremely well protected from diggers, artefact looters, and Mother Nature herself. Restoration has been undertaken on most of the buildings, and the rest are in a state of protected arrested decay, reads the listing on the specially devised website for the sale named ghosttownforsale.com.

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While there are no conditions attached to the purchase of the property, real estate agent Jake Rasmuson said one would hope that some of the history would be maintained and that it would still be open to the public.

According to the towns website, Mexican miners who scoured the region in search of silver before it became a profitable mine named it Cerro Gordo, which means Fat Hill. In 1865, a mining site began operation nearby, attracting legions of prospectors to the town.

In 1868, a businessman named Mortimer Belshaw brought the first batch of silver to Los Angeles before building a toll road to support the growing industry. A year later, the mine was the biggest producer of silver and lead in California.

It was eventually abandoned in the 1880s following a fire and the declining cost of silver.

A report about the restoration of the site claimed that in the 1860s and 70s, Cerro Gordo saw one murder a week. In the same report, the propertys previous owner said that the only sound around is the whistle of the wind blowing through all the bullet holes in every building up here.

History buffs and those tempted to recreate their own Wild West experience can contact Bishop Real Estate in Bishop, California, for more information.Senator Chuck Schumer called the recent Singapore meeting between US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un purely a reality show summit.

Other Congressional Democrats and Republicans are not exactly celebrating what the White House labelled a historic step towards peace in the Korean peninsula and touted the agreement for future talks as a major victory which previous administrations were not able to achieve.

Mr Schumer pointed out that the definition of denuclearisation has not yet been set between the parties, adding that Mr Trump has granted a brutal and repressive dictatorship the international legitimacy it has long craved.

Recommended Iran warns North Korea not to trust the US over historic summit

Senator Mark Warner, head of the Senate intelligence committee continuing to investigate Mr Trumps 2016 campaign team for alleged collusion with Russian officials, was none too happy with the summit delivering Mr Kim exactly what he wanted.

He said the leader, accused of keeping up to 130,000 prisoners in labour camps and a slew of human rights violations as told by defectors, walked away from Singapore with...the pomp, circumstance and prestige of a meeting with the President of the United States  while making no specific commitments in return.

Fellow Democratic Senator Chris Coons added that the TV handshake summit was a dream come true for the young, isolated leader. He received legitimacy on the world stage, an invitation to the White House, no concessions on human rights, and no clear concessions on a timeline or a process for getting rid of his nuclear weapons programme, Mr Coons noted.

 Singapore Summit 2018: Donald Trump says North Korea will 'dismantle missile test site'

But, criticism was not limited to the opposition, which has been the case of late on many of Mr Trumps foreign policy moves.

Even fairly reliable Trump ally Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not echo the White Houses optimistic and positive language. He said that though the summit was a major first step it does not mean much if Pyongyang does not follow through with total denuclearisation.

Mr McConnell warned that the US must be ready and willing to re-apply the maximum pressure campaign of harsh sanctions like those imposed by the United Nations on oil and gas, textiles, and seafood.

The next steps in negotiations will test whether we can get to a verifiable deal, he said on the Senate floor.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, another relatively staunch ally of the administration, echoed his Senate counterpart when he said that only time will tell if North Korea is serious this time.

Democrats were critical of Mr Trumps perceived concession of halting joint US-South Korea military exercises in the region without a similar public concession from Mr Kim.

 Trump will 'absolutely' invite Kim Jong-un to White House following historic summit in Singapore

Last month North Korea had cancelled scheduled peace talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in over the military drills, which involved fighter jets, calling it a provocation and a rehearsal for [an] invasion of the North.

They had also threatened to call off the summit with the US over the exercises as well and Mr Trumps announcement appeared to be a concession of American leverage in the negotiations to get Mr Kim to halt development of his nuclear weapons programme.

Congress members were also critical of the fact that Secretary of State Mike Pompeos language regarding the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula was not included in the joint statement signed by the president and Mr Kim.

Mr Trumps security guarantees was also vague and unmatched by North Korea. Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair and Republican Senator Bob Corker said in a statement he is glad the leaders were able to meet but that it is difficult to determine what of concrete nature has occurred.

Mr Corker noted he look[s] forward to having Mr Pompeo appear before the committee in order to carry out its oversight responsibilities.

Marco Rubio, Republican Senator and a sometimes-critic of Mr Trump since being personally attacked while running for president against him in 2016, tweeted that he realised Mr Trump would have to butter him up to get a good deal from Mr Kim, the regime leader is not a talented guy.

He inherited the family business from his dad & grandfather. He is a total weirdo who would not be elected assistant dog catcher in any democracy, he tweeted, echoing an insult Mr Trump has used and making some wonder whether he was referring to the president or Mr Kim given both the leaders backgrounds.Its all sorted, or so the government tells us. Dont worry about Brexit and all the legislative changes it entails, ministers say: the law protects LGBT people from prejudice and will quickly snuff out any future attempt to harm people on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

After all, we have the Equality Act 2010 which, to all intents and purposes, puts the prohibition on discrimination against LGBT people on the same footing as gender or race. Theres also the Human Rights Act 1998 and the related case law that shows how UK courts and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg can protect LGBT people. With all this protection available, surely it doesnt matter if the Government gets rid of the EUs human rights framework post Brexit.

Well, as things stand well have to hope so, because thats David Davis plan. When we leave the EU well retain all EU law except the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Show all 8 1 /8 The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Post-Brexit immigration workers sorting radishes on a production line at a farm in Norfolk. One possible post-Brexit immigration scheme could struggle to channel workers towards less attractive roles - while another may heighten the risk of labour exploitation, a new report warns. PA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Customs union A key point in the negotiations remains Britain's access to, or withdrawal from, the EU customs union. Since the referendum there has been hot debate over the meaning of Brexit: would it entail a full withdrawal from the existing agreement, known as hard Brexit, or the soft version in which we would remain part of a common customs area for most goods, as Turkey does? No 10 has so far insisted that Brexit means Brexit and that Britain will be leaving the customs union, but may be inclined to change its position once the potential risks to the UKs economic outlook become clearer. Alamy The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Northern Ireland-Irish border Though progress was made last year, there has still been no solid agreement on whether there should be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To ensure borderless travel on the island, the countries must be in regulatory alignment and therefore adhere to the same rules as the customs union. In December, the Conservative Partys coalition partners, the DUP, refused a draft agreement that would place the UK/EU border in the Irish Sea due to its potential to undermine the union. May has promised that would not be the case and has suggested that a specific solution would need to be found. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Transition period Despite protests from a small number of Conservative MPs, the Government and the EU are largely in agreement that a transitional period is needed after Brexit. The talks, however, have reached an impasse. Though May has agreed that the UK will continue to contribute to the EU budget until 2021, the PM wants to be able to select which laws made during this time the UK will have to adhere to. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the UK must adopt all of the laws passed during the transition, without any input from British ministers or MEPs. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Rights of EU citizens living the UK The Prime Minister has promised EU citizens already living in the UK the right to live and work here after Brexit, but the rights of those who arrive after Brexit day remains unclear. May insists that those who arrive during the transition period should not be allowed to stay, whereas the EU believe the cut-off point should be later. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreement (with the EU) Despite this being a key issue in negotiations, the Government has yet to lay out exactly what it wants from a trade deal with the EU. Infighting within the Cabinet has prevented a solid position from being reached, with some MPs content that "no deal is better than a bad deal" while others rally behind single market access. The EU has already confirmed that access to the single market would be impossible without the UK remaining in the customs union. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreements (internationally) The Government has already begun trying to woo foreign leaders into prospective trade agreements, with various high profile state visits to China, India and Canada for May, and the now infamous invitation to US President Donald Trump to visit London. However the UK cannot make trade agreements with another country while it is still a member of the EU, and the potential loss of trade with the world's major powers is a source of anxiety for the PM. The EU has said the UK cannot secure trade deals during the transition period. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Financial services Banks in the UK will be hit hard regardless of the Brexit outcome. The EU has refused to give British banks passporting rights to trade within the EU, dashing hopes of a special City deal. However according to new reports Germany has suggested allowing trade on the condition that the UK continues paying into the EU budget even after the transition period. Getty

Yet the reality is that in the absence of an express, open-ended prohibition on sexual orientation discrimination, such as that contained in the EU Charter, gay, lesbian and bisexual people will remain at risk from harm. And while the government tell us we have nothing to worry about, its not a great many years since being LGBT meant experiencing institutional prejudice on a daily basis. The memories are very clear and very real for many.

Recommended David Davis mocked after attacking EU charter he previously praised

Its true that the European Convention on Human Rights (which is the basis of our Human Rights Act) and other human rights treaties ratified by the UK have been interpreted to mitigate discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The specific words dont appear however. The Charter is different  it contains an explicit prohibition on discriminating against someone because of their sexuality. That means whenever EU law is in play the Charter applies and if you are gay, lesbian or bi you cannot be discriminated against.

For anyone who remains in any doubt about why the governments proposal to ditch the Charter matters, recent court cases throw the issue into sharp relief.

Last Monday, the US Supreme Court held that the issue to be resolved in a case where a baker had refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding was the way in which the baker was treated by the local state-run human rights commission, as opposed to addressing the underlying discrimination. This was possible because, in the absence of sexual orientation protection at the federal level, the US Supreme Court was able to twist the case and make it about something which it wasnt.

Contrast this with the judgment of the European Court of Justice handed down the following day. That court, the EUs highest, decided that the term spouse, for the purposes of EU free movement rights, must include a married same-sex partner. In this case, where the judgment was underpinned by the EU Charter, the prohibition on LGBT discrimination necessarily formed the backdrop. This fundamental principle is therefore a tenet of EU law because of the Charter.

And then last Wednesday came the decision from the Bermuda High Court reinstating equal marriage there. That Court found that the legislature couldnt simply remove same-sex marriage and replace it with something different, and by implication lesser (domestic partnerships). This was because Bermudas constitutional framework expressly forbids discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Therefore, marriage could not be denied a gay or lesbian couple.

Recommended Theresa May urges divided Tory MPs to back her in key Brexit votes

As it happens, the UK Supreme Court is also considering a gay cake case at the moment. Arguments have already been heard and it seems inevitable that the baker will lose because the law at the moment requires that people are protected on the basis of their sexual orientation. The root of that protection is, yes, the EU Charter.

Nowadays we take LGBT equality more or less for granted, but the truth is that if the Charter is lost  or, indeed, deliberately jettisoned by our present government  the chances of our courts following the path of the US Supreme Court and down-playing discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation will inevitably increase.

Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade Show all 8 1 /8 Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AFP/Getty Images Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AFP/Getty Images Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP

The Equality Act is, after all, just an Act of Parliament; its scheme can be easily altered. New laws could be passed enabling bed and breakfast owners to discriminate against gay men and lesbians. Catholic adoption agencies might just lobby hard enough to persuade a future government that they shouldnt be required to allow LGBT people to adopt. The old, easily forgotten ideas about gay rights not amounting to equality might become fashionable once again. And then where will we be?

On Wednesday the House of Commons will consider the amendments of the House of Lords in relation to the EU Withdrawal Bill and the Charter specifically. The House of Lords opposed the Government and voted to retain it. If the Commons overturns the Lords amendment and the Charter is rejected, LGBT people in the UK will be less protected and therefore more vulnerable. The Charter is a vital bulwark against the dilution of LGBT rights and should be regarded as such.

What do we want Britain to look like after Brexit? Was the decision to leave the EU a vote against human rights? Was it a vote against the LGBT community? If the Charter goes it will feel like it, and before too long we may start to live out the grim consequences.Lets hope Kim Jong-un doesnt go nuts on his plane home and pull out of the communique he just signed with Donald Trump in Singapore. Maybe call Trump meek and dishonest for saying a few things to reporters the North Korean doesnt appreciate.

Like making clear that the total and complete evisceration of his regimes nuclear weapons capacity must be the goal of the process started at the summit. Presumably, Kim had understood that already, though, in which case all will be well and the Singapore communique will stand. Trump can behave like that, leaving summits, because he is Trump. No one else can.

After his own meticulously choreographed G7 summit was so rudely sabotaged, Justin Trudeau may secretly have been aching for a debacle in Singapore. Trump haters everywhere, including in the US, perhaps harboured the same notion. In which case they will have been disappointed.

True, the presidents critics will find plenty to grizzle about. Trump reminded us that there is no occasion he will not grace with his own special brand of crassness. Only he would see defusing the worst security crisis the world has seen in decades as a property development opportunity. They have great beaches, he mused openly. You see that whenever theyre exploding their cannons into the ocean. I said, Boy look at the view. Wouldnt that make a great condo?

And theres certainly room to nitpick. In the negative column feel free to note that barely any specifics were agreed on how to reach that goal of denuclearisation. When will it start and when will it be concluded? How will the rest of the world verify that North Korea is fulfilling its side of the bargain? How will it make sure the regime cant reverse course and rearm? Hey Donald, you didnt like the Iran deal because it wasnt sufficiently airtight? Good luck with this one.

And, yes, if you weigh the concessions made by both sides, it looks suspiciously like Kim came out on top. Trump in particular made the rather astonishing commitment to end all joint military exercises with South Korea. They were tremendously expensive, he noted, and presumably thought it a gesture Kim would appreciate. Well, no doubt, but its less clear what Seoul is thinking right now. Or the roughly 30,000 US troops currently on the peninsula. Or Japan.

Trump, once again, comes off as a kind of seat-of-pants amateur. There are complaints that the final communique appeared to have been drafted too hastily. No doubt it was. But this is the Trump we have come to know. He was universally ridiculed on the campaign trail in 2016 for similar reasons. How could the American people possibly elect this bouffant buffoon?

Of course, he could have lost the race with Hillary Clinton. He sort of did. And there is absolutely no reason to be sure this dance he has engaged in with Kim wont end with him flat on the floor and the world back in nuclear dread. Yet, the music is playing and we should be very glad of it.

Remember where we were just nine months ago. After a long stretch of firing increasingly potent long-range missiles hither and thither, Pyongyang had begun openly to speak of exploding a nuclear device above ground. There was talk of it being able to strike the US coast. Washington was raising the spectre of military action to stop it. And Trump was in the UN calling Kim little rocket man.

Some say the biggest gift of all from the US side was allowing Kim even to appear alongside a leader of the free world, maybe invited him to the White House one day, because it legitimises him or some such thing. Trump will have nothing of that and he is right. What does it even mean except to suggest that American presidents have special privileges with the gods? We do not forget the cruel dictator that Kim is with an estimated 120,000 political prisoners in his inhuman gulags.

But lets take what we can get. We are no longer on the brink as we feared we were last autumn. Even the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano, has given his welcome to a joint statement just issued that includes a North Korean commitment, towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. His agency, will closely follow the negotiations to be held between the two countries to implement the outcomes.

In his first post-summit interview, with Sean Hannity of Fox, Trump looks back at that how he insulted Kim at the UN podium, his warnings of fire and fury if the regime didnt end its belligerence and driving down with a set of sanctions harsher than any previously attempted. I think without the rhetoric we wouldnt have been here, he said. I really believe that. You know, we did sanctions and all the things you would do. But I think without the rhetoric... I think the rhetoric  I hated to do it, sometimes I felt foolish doing it  but we had no choice.

Trump feeling foolish? Dont believe it. He knew what he was doing. It was a risky strategy for certain, and the rest of the us watched in amazed horror. It was bad enough that we had a crazy man in Pyongyang. Having a second one in Washington DC was a recipe for calamity.

But where his predecessors had done everything possible to avoid bringing the North Korean crisis to a head, Trump was taking precisely the opposite tack. He would force Kim into the open one way or another. It was bold and risky. But as of right now, at least, not so crazy after all.Justin Trudeau, Canadas prime minister, has been the suave man of global politics ever since he swept to power in 2015. Emmanuel Macron may be trying to give him a run for his money in the cool stakes, but few would say he has come close to taking Trudeaus crown.

Now, however, the Canadian charmer appears to be casting himself in a different role, donning the guise of the strongman in the trade battle with Donald Trump. So can Trudeau beat the US president at his own game, or will he be forced into retreat by his brutish southern neighbour?

For a while it seemed as if the G7 summit, hosted by Trudeau in Quebec at the weekend, had gone rather better than expected. President Trump might have sulked and bragged his way into the meeting, surprising everyone with his call for Russias readmission, but in the end it appeared that the seven world leaders had reached a sort of consensus. They might have agreed to disagree about climate issues, but on Russia and trade a form of words was found to which everyone could sign up.

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

However, when Trudeau used a press conference on Saturday (after Trump had departed the G7 in favour of his meeting with Kim Jong-un in Singapore) to indicate that he would retaliate against US tariffs on aluminium and steel, Trump went ballistic  as Trump does. Americas endorsement of the G7 communique was rescinded, while Trudeau found himself on the receiving end of a Trumpian Twitter barrage. All of a sudden, the pair are firmly at loggerheads.

White House advisors followed up with further attacks. Peter Navarro told Fox News that Trudeau would find a special place in hell, while Larry Kudlow, Director of the US National Economic Council, claimed Trudeau had double crossed the US, warning that Potus is not going to let a Canadian prime minister push him around Trump has begun the new week with further attacks, not only targeted at Trudeau but at European leaders too (notably returning to the subject of Nato funding, where he is  as it happens  on better ground than with trade).

Given that Canada had already announced retaliatory tariffs against the US at the end of last month, Trudeaus advisers are right to say that the comments made by the prime minister on Saturday really just repeated what he has said before. Trumps decision to withdraw his signature from the G7 communique was plainly, therefore, a piqued response to being  as he saw it  attacked by Trudeau in public. And while it was astonishing by the standards of usual diplomacy, it was also typical of this president.

In that context, it is reasonable to assume that Trudeau took a calculated risk by his remarks, knowing that an explosive reaction from a mid-transit Trump was eminently possible. It is also not difficult to understand the reasoning.

Standing up to Trump is, for Trudeau, likely to be vital to his chances of re-election in next years federal elections, for which recent opinion polls have not looked overly promising. Going on the attack against a bully who is regarded unfavourably by most Canadians is, in short, almost certainly a vote winner.

Whats more, Trudeau will have known that in any fight against Trump  and for Canadians, US tariffs are especially worrisome  his allies in Europe (and Mexico for that matter) will have his back.

He also knows that, despite the bombast, the most likely way to get Trump to the negotiating table on trade is to avoid the kind of meekness and mildness that the US president accused him of showing during the G7 talks.

After all, much as Trump wishes to present his upcoming talks with North Koreas leadership as a triumph of American diplomacy, there is a much stronger case for arguing that it has been Kims manoeuvres  including his combative part in the pairs extraordinary social media exchanges  that have brought about the potential for denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula; and perhaps even the slow modernisation of the North on terms that suit the latter and that will enable him to maintain his hold on power (not least by showing his generals that he has not been forced into talks).

Similarly, while relations between the US and Russia are not consistently positive it is plain that Trump respects Vladimir Putin, that other renowned strongman-style leader.

Canadians may be stereotyped for their polite manners and mild attitude to life; but for Trudeau, standing up to Trump makes sense  both from a diplomatic perspective, and for domestic, political reasons. Now he only has to hold his nerve (and his nose).Foreigners are easy to blame; oil conglomerates for the devastation of West African land, IMF demands for the impoverishment of Arab nations, Western powers for the invasion of Middle East lands and the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Muslims. Lebanon was always blaming foreigners for its tragedies: it was always the Israelis or the Syrians or the Americans or the UN who were the culprits. And all of the above is true. Many Lebanese still refer to their civil war as the war of the others.

But for once in the Middle East, it is a single Arab nation  Lebanon  which is solely responsible for the destruction of its heritage, its land and its mountains. The mass plundering of rock and sand to build monstrous high-rise apartment blocks and private villas, and the subsequent violation of the countrys landscape, the subject of an Independent investigation last week, is down to the greed and hypocrisy of the Lebanese  and the Lebanese only.

But what on earth produces this kind of mass insanity? Or mass national suicide? Its certainly not exclusive to Lebanon. If we look closer to home, Brexit might be a good example. Or the election of a madman as president of the United States. The worlds willingness to overheat the planet for profit is a form of humanity-suicide if ever there was one, second only to the nuclear war with which we still threaten each other. But theres something particularly poignant about little Lebanons case  with its history and castles and magnificent food, its rivers and lakes and its educated and gifted people and (more or less) its mountains  which put it firmly under the microscope of psychopathic behaviour.

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

This weekend, just a couple of days after The Independent drew international attention to the mass destruction of Lebanons mountains and ravines, it was suddenly revealed that one of the few still-unspoiled mountains ranges  in the north of the country around Akoura, with its precious crags and ancient forests of juniper trees  may also be torn apart by bulldozers and quarriers. Villagers thought they had prevented such plans until their own municipal council president, Mansour Wehbe, was reported to have said in LOrient-Le Jour, the French-language Lebanese newspaper, that he intended to turn some of the mountainside into a tourist lake and a sporting area, that the rocks taken from the land  more than 1,800 metres in altitude  would be sold and that protestors were merely distilling their venom on Facebook.

Indeed, asked about a plan to sell rocks to a private company for possible use in a government dam, Wehbe was reported to have said that he had the right to sell stones to whom I want and, asked about details of the sale and purchase, apparently replied: Thats none of your business. One of the Lebanese ecological movements replied bluntly that the countrys forest laws were being ignored and that the project was a free-of-charge suicide for Akoura. Another critic pointed out that artificial lakes have no use at this altitude and no one has ever seen a sporting area at a height of 1,700 metres. Wehbe, thinking perhaps that his earlier statements were a public relations disaster, then agreed that there would be a further study of the quarry project.

And so here we go again. Further study. More enquiries. A wider investigation. But when the whole of Lebanon is being consumed by the stone and sand merchants, who needs a study of the countrys act of collective suicide? Walid Jumblatt, the Lebanese Druze leader, another of those former warlords who have emerged as imaginative opponents of their countrys despoliation, responded to The Independents revelations by tweeting that not only the mountains are endangered but natural [sea] shores are privatised and old buildings demolished and rivers of trash are pouring into the sea. Fortunately Mount Hermon is safe because of war. Hermon stretches down to the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights  and its true that old front lines protect birds and wildlife and forests. Whos going to quarry rock in a minefield?

Yet its the psychology behind all this that baffles me. Many years ago, in the kidnapping era of Lebanons civil war, I was approached at a post office in Tyre  where I was trying to send a report to London by telephone  by a huge and heavily armed man with a large beard. Do you know what is the problem of Lebanon? he asked grimly. No, I answered, all bashful smiles and obsequiousness. Then he boomed: MR DOLLAR! And yep, I guess he was right. Wasnt that what the first class passengers on the Titanic were discussing just before their ship hit the iceberg. But its something more than that. Many have an eye for the main chance, taking advantage of friends and neighbours for private gain  while still regretting the outcome of their own actions. Thats why everyone involved in the destruction of Lebanon bemoans the catastrophic consequences of their own actions. If only the laws were enforced, they implied, they wouldnt be tempted to break them. Oil companies might say the same. If only there hadnt been so much immigration (or if the Tory party hadnt decided to wreck the UK to solve its internal differences), Britain wouldnt have voted to leave the EU. If the elites hadnt governed America for so long, a lunatic would not be in the White House.

What all this comes down to, of course  in Lebanons test-tube suicide pact  is that wisdom and morality is displaced by national self-harm when reason gives way to the basic emotions of race, anger and money. The Lebanese civil war was a sectarian conflict, detonated by political frustration and greed for other peoples land and property  ethnic cleansing, we would call it in Bosnia a few years later  and so Lebanons self-destruction today is in some ways a continuation of that terrible struggle between 1975 and 1990, but this time without the involvement of foreigners. Thats why only the Lebanese can be blamed for their folly today  and only the Lebanese can prevent their further self-destruction.

Take a trip to Damascus, by the way, and drive up the old international highway towards Homs as I regularly do. Youll see even more cold-blooded quarrying and hacking and gouging at the great mountain chains on the eastern side of the anti-Lebanon range. Yes, there are foreigners aplenty in the Syrian conflict. But heaven knows what happens to Syrias mountains when that war ends.Autarky, or total economic self-sufficiency for a single community, has been the dream of a diverse range of political movements since the dawn of industrialisation.

19th century utopian socialists, like the French Fourierists, believed it would liberate them from the social alienation of capitalism.

In Mein Kampf, Hitler, obsessed by Germanys defeat in the First World War, ranted about the need for national self-sufficiency and the Third Reich actually went to great lengths to achieve this, particularly in agriculture.

Stalin, too, severed historic trade ties with the West, making a mighty push for total economic independence of the Soviet Union in steel and energy supplies in his Five Year Plan of 1928. Mao Zedong tried to emulate this in China with the Great Leap Forward in the 1950s.

Post-independence India was heavily influenced by a nationalistic vision of autarky, inspired by Gandhis injunction: It is the patriotic duty of every Indian to spin his own cotton and weave his own cloth.

But the modern nation that has come closest to realising economic autarky is North Korea.

Juche, or self-reliance, has been the official state ideology of North Korea since the end of the Korean War in 1953, when it was imposed by the Communist dictator Kim Il-sung.

And it has turned out to be not a dream, but an all-encompassing nightmare. Juche has delivered not prosperity and happiness, but destitution and a unique form of misery.

The divergent paths of North Korea and South Korea over the past 65 years make up one of the great natural experiments of economics. While the North shut itself off from global trade, the South embedded itself in the global economy, becoming an export powerhouse.

Having been roughly equal in 1952, GDP per capita in the South is today estimated to be 18 times larger than in the North. The health metrics are even more astonishing. Life expectancy is now 12 years lower in the North than in the South. Almost a third of children under five in the North are estimated to be under-developed due to malnutrition, versus just 2.5 per cent in the South.

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

Kim Il-sung promised that his economic policies would inspire in his people an ardent love for their native place and their motherland. Instead, the country is held together only by a brutal, totalitarian regime run by his descendants.

Donald Trump has billed his trip to Singapore to shake hands with (and to give the thumbs-up to) Kims corpulent grandson as a historic meeting.

The historic symbolism was certainly towering. Here was the leader of the worlds last hermit kingdom standing face-to-face with the leader of the free world.

But symbolism can disguise reality.

Even in its own terms, juche is a sham. The North Korean state relies on energy and food imports from neighbouring China. Beijing props up Pyongyang, its old communist ally from the 1950s, mainly because it fears the economic and humanitarian fallout from the regimes collapse.

The wider world pays special attention to the histrionic posturing of the kleptocratic Kim family because they have, at enormous cost to the malnourished population, successfully developed nuclear weapons.

North Korea is not economically self-reliant in any meaningful sense; it is a beggar-bully state.

And, on the other side of this summit, appearances are deceptive. Alas, this is no normal American president, no worthy inheritor of the mantle of Roosevelt, Kennedy and Reagan. Trump has more sympathy with the autarkic ideology of the Kim family than he does with any of august predecessors of the past century.

Upon his inauguration, Trump declared that protection will lead to great prosperity and strength. Those words might have come out of the mouth of Kim Il-sung.

Richard Nixon went to China in 1972 to meet another brutal communist dictator, Mao. For all his crookedness, Nixon at least believed in the merits of free trade and and paid lip service to the importance of American moral leadership. Not so Trump.

The Trump administrations preposterous and insulting claim that steel imports from Americas allies in Canada, Mexico and Europe represent a threat to US national security is another move that might have been lifted directly from the Kim family playbook.

History shows that autarkic impulses tend to be closely associated with authoritarianism and national aggression.

The great fear is that what went down in Singapore this week was less a historic encounter of ideological opposites, than a meeting of vicious and dangerous minds.Kim Jong-un is a man who has recently exploded the mountain under which his nuclear testing facility is hidden, and among his first words to a United States president, that the former head of the FBI will not rule out has been filmed paying Russian prostitutes to urinate on a Moscow hotel bed, were that people will think this is like something out of a science fiction movie.

That no one in Pyongyang is brave enough to shift the Austin Powers trilogy out of the science fiction section of the supreme leaders DVD collection is not the real story here, and indeed Austin Powers is not even the right reference.

The grand purpose of Tuesdays events were to move North Korea safely back within the jurisdiction of Team America: World Police, via an event so heavily garbed in historical grandeur that the world might not notice Americas police chief is a showbiz personality first and an animated puppet second.

Trump could hardly have done more to be on his best behaviour, but his best is nevertheless several leagues below the worst of anyone else ever to hold his office.

When, for example, he joked to the TV cameras to make us look thin and handsome, so high were the stakes, so exalted the occasion that events briefly managed to escape the strong gravitational pull down to the familiar weird place to which Trump sought to drag it.

It was clear, in the news conference at the end, that the president was doing his level best not to say anything stupid but he is simply not clever enough to do so. His descent to the Trump everybody knows and is horrified by began moments after the start, when he described Kim Jong-un as a very talented man.

Asked about North Koreas appalling human rights record, in which more than 100,000 people are thought be kept in enforced labour camps, and public executions have been carried out in which political prisoners have been strapped to the turrets of anti-aircraft turrets and exploded into the sky, he claimed: He took over his country at the age of 26, and he ran it tough. He ran it tough.

Later he would tell another questioner on the subject of North Koreas human rights record, I know more about it than you do. By the end he claimed to have one of the great memories of all time and issued further warnings on trade tariffs to Justin Trudeau and the European Union.

Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Show all 20 1 /20 Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim leave following their historic meeting AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim sign a document committing to peace between their nations, amongst other things EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump holds up a document that both he and Mr Kim have signed AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un The two leaders reach out to shake hands for the first time AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim shake hands as they meet for the first time Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim walk off stage, following their historic meeting Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim take a stroll after their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim interrupt their stroll to talk to the media AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim and Mr Trump look out over a balcony at the Capella hotel, where they held their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump takes questions at the press conference following his meeting with with Mr Kim AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump appreciates the crowd in the press conference following his meeting with Mr Kim Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with Kim Jong Un on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Kim Jong Un travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with President Trump on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim poses for a photo with Singapore's Finance Minister Vivian Balkrishnan and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung ahead of the summit with Mr Trump Twitter/Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump shakes hands with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, meeting on Monday June 11 in the Istana, Singapore's presidential palace AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un At a working lunch on Monday, Singapore's Prime Minister surprised Mr Trump with a birthday cake, in early celebration of his 72nd birthday later in the week EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo answers questions about the summit at a press briefing in Singapore on Monday, June 11 Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US President Donald Trump arrives at the Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore on June 10, two days prior to his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim met on Tuesday June 12 in the Capella hotel on the island resort of Sentosa, just off the south coast of Singapore AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump boards Air Force One following the summit AFP/Getty

We were also treated to a bizarre Hollywood pastiche movie trailer, entitled Destiny Pictures Presents... which appeared to present to Kim Jong-un the choice of liberalisation of his countrys economy and politics or face war.

On this evidence, it does genuinely appear to be the case that Trump believes it can be through his concerted pressure that Kim Jong-un can lead North Korea in the direction of a liberalised, developed future, one with beach hotels and condos and trains and everything.

If North Korea is to be liberated the horrors the world will see will be reminiscent of scenes at the end of the Second World War. If North Korea is to have any kind of bright future it is scarcely worth repeating that the Kim Jong dynasty can, of course, have absolutely no part in it.

More to the point, the rest of the world, from China, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, Iran and everywhere in between are, for the first time in generations, having their own serious doubts about the legitimacy of America as the worlds policeman.

That President Trump has, in three days, isolated Angela Merkel, Justin Trudeau and others, and apparently made a new friend of Kim Jong-un, might be rather telling.

When two extreme nationalist madmen come together for a highly unlikely and rather weird summit, history is not ambiguous about the direction of travel from here. The Molotov-Ribbentrop non-aggression pact is the first to spring to mind in a crowded field.

Wherever on the DVD shelf you want to place it  sci-fi, spy movie pastiche or indeed Hammer horror, reality, as ever, is far stranger than fiction.A referendum on the removal of the offence of blasphemy from the Constitution could be held on the same day as the presidential election, the Minister for Justice has said.

Charlie Flanagan was given approval by the Cabinet to hold the referendum in October.

It could be held on the same day as an election for the office of president, and alongside another referendum to remove the part of the Constitution that refers to the womans place in the home.

In terms of Irelands international reputation, this is an important stepCharlie Flanagan

Known as the woman in the home clause, it has been criticised for its sexist language by Irish politicians and activists.

Mr Flanagan said: In terms of Irelands international reputation, this is an important step.

Regrettably, there are some countries in the world where blasphemy is an offence, the punishment of which is being put to death.

In these countries, such laws are not an anachronism but a very real threat to the lives of those who do not share the views of those enforcing the laws.

Such situations are abhorrent to our beliefs and values. By removing this provision from our Constitution, we can send a strong message to the world that laws against blasphemy do not reflect Irish values and that we do not believe such laws should exist.

The decision to hold the referendum around the issue of blasphemy is part of the Programme for Government commitment and is part of a wider number of referenda which the Government has committed to holding.Eoin O Broin marked Eoghan Murphys first year as minister for housing with a mobile billboard (Cate McCurry/PA)

The minister for housing is not up for the job as homelessness continues to surge, a senior Sinn Fein figure has said.

The partys housing spokesman Eoin O Broin marked Eoghan Murphys first year in office with a mobile billboard highlighting the departments failings and how the housing crisis was getting worse under his watch.

The billboard was displayed outside Government buildings in Dublin on Tuesday.

Under Minister Murphy the housing crisis is getting worse - @EOBroin https://t.co/NdjHZjsU2A pic.twitter.com/bQeoJYedIG  Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) June 12, 2018

Mr O Broin called for further investment in affordable social housing and said that Mr Murphys department had an opportunity to change their policies.

I have no confidence in Eoghan Murphy and the wider public has no confidence in him.

Theres an urgent need to change approach, the Dublin Mid-West TD said.

The housing minister faced criticism from other political parties last month after it emerged that almost 600 individuals were removed from the March homeless figures in what was blamed on a miscategorised error.

Mr Murphy previously said that these families were living in social housing or private rental accommodation with state support and had been removed from the homelessness official figures.

As the housing minister marks his first year in office on Thursday, Mr O Broin said that Sinn Fein was seriously considering tabling a no-confidence motion.

He will deliver less real social homes this year than last yearEoin O Broin, Sinn Fein

Mr O Broin continued: The minister is clearly not up for the job.

Tackle the housing crisis, get people out of emergency accommodation and keep people in their homes and start spending the level of money thats required to deliver social and affordable housing for the people who need it.

We have such a significant increase in pensioner homelessness, nobody thought that would be possible.

That child homelessness continues to rise under the minister is a shocking indictment.

He will deliver less real social homes this year than last year.

The public need to know the Government housing plan isnt working and the homeless crisis is getting worse.

The Sinn Fein TD also said that Mr Murphy was to publish the vacant homes strategy that was completed by his predecessor, Simon Coveney, who is now Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Twelve months on and no review, Mr O Broin continued.

The Government is still investing less than what was invested during the boom.

We want to counter the narrative put out by the Government that things are getting better.

The broader public need to know that one of the difficulties with the housing crisis is that it affects different families in different ways and often you dont get the same public anger about the failure of Government policies as you do with other issues.

We dont have to have these figures if we took a much more proactive approach.

What they are doing is not working.

The Department for Housing, Planning and Local Government has been contacted for comment.Online hostel-booking firm Hostelworld has warned markets that it is facing adverse foreign exchange movements and increased competition in Europe.

However, despite the challenges, the company has reaffirmed its expected earnings for 2018.

At its AGM yesterday, the Dublin-listed group said the introduction earlier this year of a free cancellation product had "significantly" improved its product offering, resulting in growth in both volume and average value of bookings on the site.

Commenting on the update, Ross Harvey, analyst at Davy stockbrokers, said he expects the group to report earnings of 23.8m for the financial year 2018, down 10pc on the previous year, reflecting the different accounting treatment for free cancellation bookings.

However, he said this would be cancelled out in 2019. In addition, Mr Harvey said that he expects Hostelworld to experience growth of around 4pc this year.

Yesterday also marked the start date for the group's new CEO, Gary Morrison.

Mr Morrison joins the group from Expedia, where he has worked for the past seven years, most recently as its head of retail operations. Before that, he was in charge of Expedia's EMEA region. He has also previously worked with Google and Motorola.

Commenting on the appointment, Mr Harvey said Mr Morrison had an impressive CV, and would bring to the group considerable experience from the online travel world. Hostelworld notched up 7.5 million bookings last year, with its net revenue rising 8pc to 86.7m.LABOUR leader Brendan Howlin has said Ireland is facing a drift into the inevitability of a hard border on the island following Brexit.

Ahead of a series of crucial votes in the House of Commons today for Theresa Mays government on the issue Mr Howlin called on the Irish Government to make a clear statement on what it will do in the event that we simply drift into the inevitability of a hard exit of Britain from the European Union.

Mr Howlin said he fears endless fudge until we run out of time in relation to the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

The plans published last week by the British Government undermines the idea of a backstop and is instead a countdown to a hard border, he said.

An issue paper published last week by the UK government which proposed keeping the whole of the UK - and not just Northern Ireland - in line with EU regulations until a permanent future relationship can be negotiated, which it proposed would be 2021.

Here we are on the eve of an important June summit... and weve no landing zone. We have further confusion about what the British government want to achieve, he said.

We are now in danger of having a Hard Brexit and the worst of all worlds.

The Tanaiste Simon Coveney will brief the Cabinet today on the status of Brexit negotiations.

Cabinet is also due to get updates on contingency plans being formulated by all departments in advance of Brexit.Cattle in the sheds at Rory McEvoys farm near Mountmellick, Co Laois. Picture Credit:FRank Mc Grath

Lakeland is the first major dairy processor to announce its May milk price.

Speaking on the decision to hold the milk price at 31.78c/L (including VAT), chairman Alo Duffy said while global market conditions remain difficult there has been some improvement in skim markets from a record low base and butter returns continue to carry milk prices.

After a difficult late spring, the farmer owned and controlled Lakeland Dairies Co-operative is committed to paying the maximum possible milk price to our milk suppliers.

Glanbia is also expected to announce its May milk price today.

Farm organisations have called for co-ops to at the very least to hold April milk prices due to improved market outlook in recent weeks.

IFA dairy chairman Tom Phelan said that co-op boards meeting to consider May milk prices must leverage the improved market returns of the last number of weeks to ensure at the very minimum that the totality of the April pay-out  base price plus support is maintained for May milk supplies.

Both Arla and Friesland Campina have announced June milk price increases. Arla increased by 1c/kg, which translated into a 1.15p per litre increase for UK supplier members, while Friesland Campina upped their guaranteed price by 0.25c/kg, Mr Phelan said.

The IFA representative stated that Friesland Campina expect European milk purchasers to increase prices further.

Gerald Quain of ICMSA pointed out that dairy markets are continuing to improve and should translate into positive returns to dairy farmers in the coming months.

We think the increased demand for SMP [skim milk powder] from intervention and the lack of any negative impact on price is quite significant, Mr Quain said.

The speculation that the European Commission is ready to move to two sales of SMP each month shows the renewed interest and demand within the market for dairy products resulting from spring peak failing to hit the production highs expected, he said.A group of landowners in Northern Ireland have secured High Court permission to challenge the approval of a 200m cross-border electricity line in Ireland.

They were granted leave to seek a judicial review of the decision to give the green light to the north-south interconnector.

A judge held that an arguable case had been established on claims that a senior civil servant wrongly agreed to the scheme in the absence of a minister.

Proceedings have now been put on hold until the Court of Appeal determines the legal power of permanent secretaries to take decisions without a functioning executive at Stormont.

Up to 6,000 people who own land or live along the proposed route of the pylons and lines are attempting to have the planning permission quashed.

In January the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland announced it was giving the go-ahead for the Northern Ireland section of the overhead scheme between Tyrone and Meath.

But a group formed under the name Safe Electricity A&T (SEAT) allege the move was unlawful.

Their lawyers contend that a development of such regional significance needed to be signed off by a minister.

In a separate case last month the High Court held that a permanent secretary did not have power to approve a 240m waste incinerator at Mallusk on the outskirts of north Belfast.

That ruling is being appealed in an attempt to clarify the authority of civil servants without a functioning executive.

However, based on the current legal interpretation, the Department accepted SEAT has established an arguable case at this stage on the constitutional point.

Counsel for the Department also stressed the urgency surrounding the interconnector scheme, claiming: "The lights could go out in 2021 if this project doesn't proceed."

The overall initiative to join electricity grids in the two jurisdictions has also approved in the Republic of Ireland.

It will involve 85 miles of overhead cables and lead to new pylons being built.

Business chiefs have backed the joint scheme between the System Operator for Northern Ireland (SONI) and EirGrid in Ireland to reduce costs and ensure electricity supplies.

But residents in border areas who objected to the interconnector instead wanted undergound cables for health an environment reasons - an option dismissed as unfeasible.

SEAT's challenge is centred on approval for more than 100 towers and high-voltage transmission lines.

They also claim the scheme lacks the scientific certainty required under a habitats directive that no harm will be caused to wildlife.

Ruling on the preliminary stage, Mr Justice McCloskey confirmed he was granting leave to seek a judicial review on the ministerial point.

He added that it was "abundantly clear" proceedings should now be stayed until the Mallusk incinerator case is determined.

"The Court of Appeal have given it enormous priority and they are hearing it in a couple of weeks," he stressed.

"Any stay of these proceedings is going to be a pretty short one."IDA boss Martin Shanahan has issued a stark warning about Ireland's ability to attract vital foreign direct investment.

Mr Shanahan said Ireland is facing the most competitive environment for some time and that some US businesses have been slower to make decisions about investing here because of Donald Trump's policies.

We have seen a slowing of decision making coming out of the US and our read of that is that US companies are taking stock. They are looking at the new tax rules which theyre now subject to in the US, and they are, as one company put it to me, running the numbers again to see what that now throws out in the context of the new tax regime.

The IDA is the body responsible for encouraging foreign investment into Ireland.

We see all countries large and small vying for these investments. We see them all improving their offering in multiple different ways, Mr Shanahan said.

We also see some moderation in investment into Europe given whats going on in the world. So as well as being a very competitive environment the amount of foreign direct investment to be won may moderate into the future.

Mr Shanahan was speaking as the IDA announced strong results for the first half of the year, with the number of projects won increasing to 139 from 114.

But he said Ireland cannot be complacent about maintaining its competitiveness. That comes after Ireland slid down the rankings in a recent international competitiveness report.The Commercial Court has appointed receivers to take control and sell shares in Dromoland Castle, owned by businessman Dr Anthony O'Reilly, with an estimated net value of 1.9m.

Mr Justice Brian McGovern yesterday appointed Luke Charleton and Damien Murran of Ernst Young as joint receivers over the 8,216 ordinary shares in the luxury Dromoland Castle hotel, representing a 6.8pc stake.

It arises from AIB's continuing efforts to recover monies from a 22m High Court judgment against Dr O'Reilly and two of his investment vehicles in June 2014. The debt arose from a loan facility provided to Dr O'Reilly and guarantees he provided on separate facilities provided by the bank to Indexia Holdings and Brookside Investments.

Dr O'Reilly owes over 16m following the sale of assets including property and land at Shorecliffe House, Glandore, Co Cork, for 1.2m and a house at Castlemartin, Co Kildare, for which Indexia received 7.4m, the bulk of which went to AIB.Shares in Independent News and Media (INM) sold for 1.5m and further reduced the debt.

In May 2015, AIB got a charging order over the Dromoland shares which it says were held by the US bank BNY Mellon National Association.

In an affidavit, AIB's Eamonn Conneely says he believes BNY received substantial sums from the sale of Dr O'Reilly's Bahamas residence in 2016.

Mr Conneely says Dr O'Reilly had pledged the Dromoland shares to BNY but, once the Bahamian home was sold, that debt was repaid. It appears AIB now has first ranking charge over the Dromoland shares, he says. He believes BNY continues to control the O'Reilly shares and will be willing to deliver the share certificate to AIB if the court appoints receivers.

The application to appoint receivers was made by James Doherty SC, for AIB. It was not opposed and there was no appearance on Dr O'Reilly's behalf. As well as appointing the receivers, Mr Justice McGovern made orders directing BNY to deliver up the share certificate and entitling the receivers or AIB to receive payment of any unpaid dividends on the shares.Galway hoteliers Kevin, Frank and Mary Flannery have not given up hope on their plans to construct a 10-storey 'apart- hotel' in an extension to the Ashling Hotel in Dublin.

The plan by the Flannerys' Foxfield Inns Ltd, which includes 31 executive self-contained suites, was last month turned down by Dublin City Council.

However, the Flannerys have now appealed that decision to An Bord Pleanala, stating that it took them five years during a difficult financial period to assemble the various properties to allow the plans to be lodged.

The Ashling Hotel enjoys a buoyant business from its proximity to Heuston Station and the new apart-hotel was to have a new separate entrance to the Ashling.

However, the plan was turned down after city council planners concluded that the proposal does not justify the demolition of the buildings on the site, all of which are of streetscape value and which include No 6 Parkgate Street, which appears in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.

In the appeal, consultants for the hotel firm state that the hotel is a growing business which is short of rooms to meet current demands. The appeal stresses that what is proposed "is not a speculative development as our client has sourced the finances to start the project immediately once a favourable decisions is forthcoming".

The appeal adds: "Our client must be seen as a major investor in the area, and has shown their commitment to its regeneration by their continued investment in its future."

The appeal also states the development is in full compliance with the council's policies for apart-hotels and the area that is in need of regeneration. A decision is due in October.Medical device maker Stryker Corp has made a takeover approach to Boston Scientific Corp, the 'Wall Street Journal' has reported.

It is unclear whether Boston Scientific is receptive to the approach, the paper reported.

Both companies have significant operations in Ireland. Stryker employs around 2,000 staff here at four sites, three in Cork and one in Limerick.

Boston Scientific, headed by US-based CEO Mike Mahoney, employs more than 3,000 in Ireland, which is home to three of its five European plants, in Galway, Cork and Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

Shares of Boston Scientific, which had market value of $44bn (37.3bn) as of last Friday's market close, surged 9pc, while Stryker's were down 3pc on the bid news. Stryker had a market value of nearly $67bn (57bn) as of Friday's close.

"As a matter of company policy, we do not comment on potential M&A," Stryker said.

Boston Scientific did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Boston Scientific lags behind Medtronic and Edwards Lifesciences Corp in the heart valves market and has pinned its hopes on its updated Lotus device, set for launch in 2019, following the withdrawal of an earlier version from Europe last year.

A deal between Stryker and Boston Scientific would be the latest in a series of large acquisitions in the industry, which has been consolidating to win market share and to package sales to hospitals, doctors and health clinics.

Boston Scientific is best-known for its heart devices such as pacemakers and stents. Stryker manufactures orthopedic products such as artificial hips and knees.

Combining the companies would let them wring costs out of efforts to sell products to a similar set of customers, and would give a combined firm more market power.

Many of their largest competitors have already executed large takeovers in recent years.

Mergers by large health insurers have increased pressure on hospitals to lower expenses amid an ongoing debate about the cost of care, especially in the US.

Abbott Laboratories last year bought St Jude Medical, which makes heart devices, for about $25bn (21bn), and then months later completed a takeover of medical testing and diagnostics supplier Alere for about $5bn (4.2bn). Medtronic bought Covidien, which makes surgical products, for about $46bn (39bn) in 2015.

(Additional reporting by Bloomberg and Reuters)Two related companies that operate pharmacies have brought a legal challenge against the HSEs decision not to enter into contracts with them to dispense medicines.

Darastream Ltd and LMR Pharma Ltd have brought High Court proceedings over the HSEs failure to award them community pharmacy contractor agreements, where medicines are dispensed to medical card holders.

In April, the HSE informed the firms that it was not awarding them the contracts.

This was due to concerns it has with regards to two other pharmacies operated by different companies that have the same directors and shareholders as LMR and Darastream, Mary and Jack McPolin.

The complaints include an alleged failure to maintain records and duplicate cross-pharmacy claims  where multiple claims were entered for the same people in different pharmacies.

Yesterday, Mark Harty SC, for the two companies, said the complaints the HSE has with the other pharmacies are disputed.

However, counsel said any issues with those pharmacies should not have influenced the HSEs decision in respect of the pharmacies operated by Darastream and LMR.

The HSEs refusal was unjust, irrational and lacking in proportionality counsel added.

Counsel said that there were concerns for the businesses if they did not secure the contracts.

In their actions, the companies sought an order quashing the HSEs decision not to enter into a contract with the companies. They also seek declarations the HSE has acted outside its powers in refusing to enter into the contracts.

Permission to bring the challenges was granted, on an ex parte (one side only represented) basis, by Mr Justice Seamus Noonan.

The cases come back before the court in July.'Companies with more diverse management teams do better... so go get more women'.

This was the message from Sarah Friar, chief financial officer of tech company Square.

As chief financial officer of Jack Dorsey's $20bn payments company Square, Ms Friar is setting a pace that has helped the company to beat market expectations and triple the share price.

Speaking at the Web Summit's MoneyConf event in Dublin today Ms Friar said that diversity in companies was not increasing with time, and that companies have to really push to implement this change.

"If you want more women you are better off saying 'I'm only going to interview women' and it is amazing how many recruiters will come back and be like 'oh we can't find any' - in the whole world you just can't find a woman? If you just keep pressing them... you have to push to bring diversity in."

Square, which was started by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, has a management team that is 50pc made up of women.

Ms Friar, a native of County Tyrone said that employees will leave if they do not feel that they are working in an inclusive environment.

"You can do all you want to hire people in but if they arrive and it is not an inclusive environment they wont feel like it is the place for them and they aint staying."

Ms Friar also told a packed RDS that there was a lot of space for Square to expand further.

"Today 28 million small businesses in the US dont except electronic payments, in the UK 50pc of small businesses dont, there is a space there, it makes things more convenience for consumers," she said.

In terms of possible future acquisitions, Ms Friar said that the company was "always looking."

"We are looking to Europe, we are always looking a the emerging markets, China is a very different beast, it feels like a more tough market for Western companies to break into."

Today's event was opened by Web Summit CEO Paddy Cosgrave, who said it was "great" to be back in Dublin.

"We have always wanted a reason to come back and MoneyConf is the perfect reason."

The event is being attended by over 5,000 delegates from more than 80 countries.The Web Summit returned to Dublin on this week with its MoneyConf event.

Opening day two of the event today to a packed RDS, Web Summit co-founder and chief executive Paddy Cosgrave said it was "great" to be back in Dublin.

Having famously moved the Web Summit event to Lisbon, Mr Cosgrave told the 5,000 plus delegates that the group has always wanted a reason to come back to Dublin and that "MoneyConf is the perfect reason".

Among the speakers yesterday was Sarah Friar, the Country Tyrone native and chief financial officer of Twitter founder Jack Dorsey's $20bn payments company Square.

In her role at Square Ms Friar is setting a pace that has helped the company to beat market expectations and triple its share price.

She told delegates that diversity in companies was not increasing with time, and that companies need to really push to implement this change.

In addition she said that Square was continuing to expand this year, with the company "always looking" for acquisitions.

"We are looking to Europe, we are always looking a the emerging markets, [however] China is a very different beast, it feels like a more tough market for Western companies to break into."

Among the other notable speakers at the financial technology conference is the cofounder of the cryptocurrency Ethereum, and Kristo Kaarmann the chief executive of Transferwise, a peer-to-peer money transfer service.

Meanwhile Ellen Richey, chief risk officer at Visa warned delegates that consumers are today over sharing online and they need to be much more careful with their information.

Speaking about cyber security and data theft, Ms Richey said that hacking could come from anywhere from an individual to a Nation State.

In advice to those present she said that businesses should isolate and aggressively protect parts of your data that could potentially cripple your company if exposed to a hacking.

"You can protect yourself and the standards are out there to tell you what to do," she said.

Throughout the day Blockchain and crypto currency featured prominently, with a number of discussions on the subjects.

The conference is also playing host to a 'Pitch' event, MoneyConfs start-up competition that brings together promising early-stage start-ups from around the world for a live, on-stage pitching battle.

Under the terms of the Pitch competition, those participating must have received under 3m in funding to date.

During the three day the event, MoneyConf is facilitating a series of pre-scheduled private meetings between investors and start-ups attending the event.A "historic" union recognition agreement has been signed with Ryanair covering hundreds of cabin crew, Unite has announced.

The union said 650 employees operating out of Ryanair's UK bases at Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool, London Stansted, Luton, Manchester and Prestwick airports will have full consultation rights and collective bargaining.

Three Unite representatives will be given paid time off to fulfil their union duties representing members at the company, said the union.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: "This is a historic agreement and a significant step by Ryanair.

"For the first time ever Ryanair's UK cabin crew will have a recognised union in their corner to deal with workplace issues and collectively bargain on pay.

"Over the coming weeks Unite will be seeking similar agreements with the employment agencies which indirectly employ the remainder of Ryanair's UK cabin crew.

"Unite looks forward to building a positive relationship with Ryanair that benefits passengers and workers alike."

Ryanair's chief people officer Eddie Wilson said: "We are pleased to sign this cabin crew recognition agreement with Unite. This is a further sign of the progress Ryanair is making with trade unions since our December 2017 decision to recognise them.

"We hope to announce further agreements over the coming weeks, in those countries where unions have approached these negotiations in a practical and positive manner.

"We are making less progress in some smaller countries where minor issues (such as days off for union officials) are unnecessarily delaying agreements."Former EastEnders star Leslie Grantham is fighting for his life, according to reports (Yui Mok/PA)

Former EastEnders star Leslie Grantham is fighting for his life, according to reports.

The 71-year-old, who played Dirty Den Watts in the soap, is reportedly in a critical condition in the UK having returned from Bulgaria where he had been living.

According to The Sun, Grantham has been visited in hospital by close friends in the industry.

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A representative for the actor asked for his privacy to be respected while a spokeswoman told The Sun: Its true that Leslie is very poorly.

Grantham left the UK after splitting with his wife of 31 years, Jane. In 2010, he spent time in Bulgaria filming TV series The English Neighbour.

Grantham shot to fame while playing Watts in EastEnders, originally from 1985 to 1989.

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A 1986 Christmas Day episode of the soap drew in an audience of more than 30 million viewers, who watched as Grantham handed over divorce papers to his on-screen wife, Angie.

The character was apparently killed off in 1989 but Grantham made a shock return to Albert Square in 2003.Ireland has unveiled ambitious plans for the State's revised global outlook in the face of Brexit and Trump-era shifting geopolitical alliances.

More pertinently, the plans recognise the pressing need for Ireland to have even stronger trade links and investments in lucrative, emerging markets in the East.

Another unmistakeable motivation behind the strategy is the loss to Ireland of the UK leaving the EU; and the ongoing friction and time-consuming drama that is set to continue for some time to come. Building new alliances and links are essential for Dublin.

Today and tomorrow, British Prime Minister Theresa May will urge feuding Conservatives to unite and prevent her government from being defeated in key votes on its main Brexit bill.

A majority of Mrs May's party, and British parliament in general, are against leaving the EU. Yet a cluster of hard-line Brexiteers, including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit Minister David Davis, hold a disproportionate amount of sway.

But well before US President Donald Trump came to power or Brexit happened, a quiet realisation existed that non-binding groups like the G7, G20, or even the all-powerful UN Security Council, no longer represent the world today.

If the permanent members of the UN Security Council were to be selected now, a strong argument would exist for a Muslim-majority country to be represented; and it'd be impossible for countries like India or Brazil not to have a seat.

Similarly, in groups like the G7, where Italy is represented but China is not, there is a clear need to rebalance memberships in line with global reality.

And so it only makes sense that there's been an announcement about new Irish embassies in Chile, Colombia, New Zealand and Jordan, and new consulates in Vancouver and Mumbai, as well as a flagship 'Ireland House' in Tokyo to support the expansion into the Asia-Pacific region.

All of the above notwithstanding, the complete disdain and zero-sum approach by Trump requires a strong rebuttal by Ireland and its allies.

While the makeup of the aforementioned groups is closer to the post-WWII order than to today, the international system of rules and laws - be it in human rights, the laws of war, and the development of free trade policies in the name of prosperity - have by-and-large served the world well.

In fact, the only ones who can rejoice at Trump's latest act of recklessness are those who wants to see the West fail.BRITAIN'S Prince Charles has shaken hands with former IRA bomber and Sinn Fein Stormont Assembly member Gerry Kelly during a visit to Belfast.

Mr Kelly escaped from Northern Ireland's high-security Maze Prison in 1983 while serving a jail sentence for the 1973 bombing of the Old Bailey.

He became a senior republican negotiator ahead of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and has embraced the peace process for decades, serving as a minister in the powersharing executive.

Mr Kelly said: "This is about outreach and it was a deliberate act to come down.

"No better place to do it than north Belfast, a very mixed area often described as a microcosm of the difficulties or characteristics of the whole of the north.

"It is a patchwork quilt of communities."

Expand Close Britain's Prince Charles meets staff and students during his visit to Ulster University in Coleraine, Co Derry, to help celebrate its 50th anniversary. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire / Facebook

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North Belfast was the scene of multiple sectarian killings during the 30-year conflict and part of it was once dubbed "murder mile".

Charles began a two-day trip to Northern Ireland on Tuesday with a recital by the Ulster Orchestra in a 19th century Methodist church in Belfast which is undergoing major restoration.

He has spoken many times about reconciliation in Ireland and has previously met former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, offering condolences on the death of ex-Stormont deputy first minister Martin McGuinness.

The prince's uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten was killed in an IRA bombing during a boating trip near his family holiday home in Co Sligo in the west of Ireland in 1979.

Charles toured Carlisle Memorial Church, which has served as a gateway to north Belfast since 1875.

He was shown around by Fionnuala Jay O'Boyle, patron of the Belfast Buildings Trust which is the custodian of the church. She is also Lord Lieutenant of Belfast.

She said: "An event like today really has gladdened everybody's heart and lifted everybody's spirits."

The church was built by James Carlisle in memory of his two children who died in plagues and epidemics.

Ms O'Boyle added: "At one stage this was seen as the Methodist Cathedral on the island of Ireland, so it is wonderful to see a building of such importance, one that has a place in the hearts of people, come back to life."

School children from across the community, Belfast Royal Academy and the nearby St Malachy's College, met the royal visitor.

Ciaron McKenna, 16, a GCSE pupil from St Malachy's, played the tin whistle as part of his school group.

They performed traditional Irish pieces like She Moved Through the Fair, which Van Morrison popularised.

Mr McKenna said the prince asked if the "ghastly" schoolwork got in the way of music.

He added: "it was a big deal, coming from a Catholic background it is unusual to meet the royals, but it was a good experience and I enjoyed it."

Charles also sampled local craft cheese and beer before moving to his next engagementThe trial of a Cavan child-minder accused of causing serious harm to a 10-month-old baby has opened at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Sandra Higgins (37) of The Beeches, Drumgola Wood, Cavan, has pleaded not guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to the baby at the accused's home on March 28, 2012.

In his opening address, prosecution counsel Kerida Naidoo SC said the jury would hear how the baby girl was admitted to Cavan General Hospital having seizures and looking pale and floppy on that date.

Mr Naidoo said there would be evidence that the baby's injuries included bruising and swelling on her head and face, bleeding on her brain and detached retinas in both her eyes.

He said it was the State's case that these injuries caused a substantial risk of death or impairment to one or more of the baby's bodily functions and that these were inflicted by Ms Higgins.

Counsel told the jury it would hear from multiple doctors who treated the baby as well as an expert in non-accidental injuries to children.

He said that nobody saw Ms Higgins inflict any injuries or shaking but that the prosecution's case centres on background evidence, including in whose care the baby was under. The accused denied any wrongdoing when interviewed by gardai.

The accused, a married mother-of-two, began working as child-minder for the baby's parents full time in November 2011.

Mr Naidoo told the jury there would be evidence that around March 2012, the parents became concerned their child was coming back from the minder's with bumps and bruises.

He said it was the State's case that the baby arrived at the accused's house in fine form about 9am on the day in question, but about 4.30pm Ms Higgins rang the mother to say her child was in A&E.

Mr Naidoo warned the jurors that it was understandable to have sympathy for parties in the trial, but as a jury they had to be dispassionate when analysing the evidence.

Giollaiosa O Lideadha SC, defending, submitted to the court that it was fully accepted that the damage suffered by the baby amounted to serious harm.

Earlier, Judge Pauline Codd warned the jury of seven men and five women not to conduct their own research or discuss the case with others as it would be in contempt of court.

She also told the jury not to be influenced by any media attention or commentary and to base the verdict on evidence heard in court.

Earlier the jurors heard that the case has gone to trial on other occasions and there was media coverage of this but it was crucial that they should not be affected by any of this.

The trial continues and is scheduled to run for three weeks.A FORMER INM head of news has said there was never any silent muttering campaign in the organisation about penalty points whistleblower Maurice McCabe.

Ian Mallon denied that he told the then-Sunday Independent editor Anne Harris in 2014 that there was more to the garda sergeant than met the eye and you know about McCabe and children.

Mr Mallon also denied the words kiddie fiddler or paedophile were ever used in his presence.

He said there were no mutterings about Sgt McCabe and at the time the story would have been openly discussed in the newsroom.

He was giving evidence to the Disclosures Tribunal, which is investigating an alleged smear campaign by senior gardai against Sgt McCabe.

Former Garda press officer Supt Dave Taylor claims he negatively briefed journalists that Sgt McCabe had been investigated over a historic allegation of child sexual assault.

He alleges he was ordered to do so in mid-2013 by then Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan and with the knowledge of then Deputy Commissioner Noirin OSullivan. They both deny his allegations.

While Sgt McCabe was investigated over an allegation made by a woman known as Ms D, the DPP decided in 2007 there should be no charges and what was described in the complaint did not amount to a crime.

Mr Mallon said today he did not know the exact date when he first heard the allegations about Sgt McCabe, but it was via an article by journalist Paul Williams wrote in 2014.

Mr Williams interviewed Ms D, who was claiming garda impropriety in the investigation into her complaint, he recalled.

In his statement to the tribunal, he had said his first knowledge of the complaint concerning Sgt McCabe was in March 2014.

Mr Williams had approached the Irish Independents then-news editor Kevin Doyle to arrange an interview with the young woman.

Mr Mallons role, he told Kathleen Leader BL, for the tribunal, was that he compiled a news list of stories, it was decided where stories went in the group and then it was up to individual editors to decide whether to run a story.

Anne Harris was editor of the Sunday Independent and Claire Grady was Irish Independent editor, he said.

He would not influence editors in any way. He said he did not recall being in any meetings about Mr Williams story or seeing the video of the interview, but if others said he did, that was fine.

When Mr Williams story was published, it did not identify Sgt McCabe.

In his statement, Mr Mallon said that after that story was published, nearly every journalist working in Independent Newspapers was aware of Sgt McCabes identity, knew there was an old allegation of sexual assault on a child and that the DPP had ruled there was no case to answer.

Mr Mallon agreed with Ms Leader that it was a big story and said like any number of stories it would have been openly discussed in the newsroom.

He agreed that the story could have been explosive but said Sgt McCabe was not named in the published article.

Mr Mallon said he utterly rejected a claim by Ms Harris, saying she had rejected it herself in the witness stand as being wrong.

He objected to her use of the term mutterings.

In his statement, he said it was simply nonsense and unrealistic for Ms Harris to suggest that there was a silent muttering campaign ongoing where the allegation was known to all.

In cross-examination, Mr Mallon told Michael McDowell SC, for Sgt McCabe, he had no elevated interest in whether the story would stand up or not.

Mr Mallon said he had the same interest in it as he had in any serious, heavy, public interest story.

He said he formed no view of whether the complaint in the story was true or false and it was far fetched to suggest one would suddenly jump to a conclusion.

Mr Mallon said Ms Harris had said in her first statement that he had been part of a whispering campaign, in her second she had said his involvement had been disproportionate and thirdly she said with regards to Mr Mallon she was wrong.

She then hid under a cloak of freedom of speech, he said.

I have no recollection of a having conversation with her about Sgt McCabe ever, Mr Mallon said.

He was then questioned by Darren Lehane BL, for Ms Harris.

There was no whispering or murmuring about any stories in my view, when I was present, Mr Mallon said.

Mr Lehane asked him if the words kiddie fiddler were ever used.

Mr Mallon said it was not a phrase he liked, he never used it and it was never used in front of him.

Neither was the word paedophile used in front of him, he said.

Tribunal Chairman, Mr Justice Peter Charleton remarked that the word paedophile carried a technical meaning.

Ms Harris said Mr Mallon had said to her you know about McCabe and children, Mr Lehane said.

Mr Mallon said this was absolutely incorrect, and Ms Harris had conceded she got it wrong about me.

Ms Harris retired from INM in 2014. Mr Mallon is now a Uefa communications consultant.

Mr Mallons cross examination continues tomorrow.

Earlier, Dearbhail McDonald, INM group business editor and then-legal affairs correspondent, said she was asked to stress test the draft of the article written by Mr Williams before publication in March 2014.

The article was following the interview he carried out with Ms D, and Ms McDonald was asked for her advice on whether it was legally and factually robust. She also watched the video of the interview.

She was asked by then Group Editor Stephen Rae and reported back to him and Ian Mallon on March 14, 2014, outlining her observations and concerns. Her advice was against publishing, she said. Ms McDonald said she herself was not briefed at all by or on behalf of anyone in the gardai, including Supt Taylor.

In cross-examination, she told John Ferry BL, for Supt Taylor she had no other dealings with the story and never spoke to Mr Williams about it.

She told Fionan OMuircheartaigh, for journalist Alison OReilly, that she saw the video with Mr Rae and Mr Mallon.

Micheal P. O'Higgins SC, for the gardai, put it to her that by her participation, she was party to a smear.

I absolutely and utterly reject that, saying the advice and the role that she played went to ensure that Sgt McCabes reputation was protected.

Ms McDonald said there were material changes between the draft she saw and the article that was ultimately published.

Earlier, Irish Examiner Political Editor Daniel McConnell he could not confirm or deny if the former Garda Press Officer Supt David Taylor had negatively briefed him about Sgt McCabe.

He said his views on journalistic privilege and the protection of sources were similar to his colleague Cormac O'Keeffe, who already gave evidence.

He said he was protecting "the principle" and his position as a journalist, dealing with confidential information.

"I'm not somebody who will sing like a canary, I am someone who will protect my sources," he said.

Mr McConnell said he first became aware of the 'Ms D' allegation against Sgt McCabe after the publication of articles by Paul Williams in the Irish Independent in April 2014.

Before that, in January that year, he had heard what he described as "journalistic chatter" in relation to Sgt McCabe in the run up to the Public Accounts Committee meeting.

He said the chatter was vague, but attacked the credibility of Sgt McCabe.

Tribunal chairman, Mr Justice Peter Charleton, said he was taking it that it could not possibly be the case that Mr McConnell was negatively briefed by Supt Taylor.

Mr McConnell repeated that he could not confirm or deny that.An estimated 40,000 has been spent in the past year on accommodation for a key witness in the Gareth Hutch murder, a trial has heard.

State witness Mary McDonnell had refused to go into the Witness Protection Programme, family liaison officers said.

The Special Criminal Court previously heard Ms McDonnell's evidence would be "important", as the accused had gathered in her home before the murder.

She has been given immunity from prosecution.

Jonathan Keogh (32), his sister Regina Keogh (41) and Thomas Fox (31) have denied the murder of Mr Hutch on May 24, 2016.

Gareth Hutch (36), a nephew of Gerry Hutch, was shot dead as he was getting into his car outside Avondale House flats on North Cumberland Street in Dublin.

It is the State's case that Jonathan Keogh, of Gloucester Place, Dublin 1, threatened to kill Mr Hutch the evening before the shooting, that Mr Fox, of Rutland Court, and Ms Keogh, of Avondale House, were instrumental in planning the murder, and Mr Keogh and another man, Mr AB, were the shooters.

A garda, who cannot be identified, said she was appointed as family liaison officer to the McDonnell family on May 26, 2016.

Her initial concern, following Ms McDonnell's arrest, was the welfare of her two daughters, and her role was to liaise with Tusla.

The garda subsequently sought accommodation for Ms McDonnell and her teenage daughters, and after her release from custody, the family were moved to this new location.

The officer said the family's accommodation and utility costs, as well as any medical or dental bills, have been covered by the Gardai.

This was initially paid by An Garda Siochana's Liaison and Protection Section, but since March 2017, the money had come from the local fund for the North Central Division.

A copy of the costs of relocating the family was handed in to court.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt said, after doing a "quick tot, there was 25,000 to 30,000" going into the fund.

This covered the period March 2017 to May 2018, and was the cost for Ms McDonnell and one of her daughters, the garda said.

The accommodation costs for her second daughter for the same period amounted to 13,647, the court heard.

Cross-examined by Sean Guerin SC, the garda said when she first met Ms McDonnell, she "literally had the shirt on her back".

The garda said bedding, clothing, toiletries and "the cheapest" mobile phones had been bought for Ms McDonnell, at an estimated cost of 150.

The trial continues.GARDAI are attempting to have an anti-social behaviour orders (ASBO) imposed on six people to severely restrict their presence on Dublins OConnell Street and surrounding districts for the next two years.

The five men and one woman, some of whom of no fixed abode, had been issued with summonses in an civil action brought by gardai at Store Street station in Dublin city-centre.

The case was listed before Judge Flann Brennan at Dublin District Court on Tuesday, however, none of the respondents were present for the proceedings.

It is alleged they had already received three or more behaviour warnings from gardai.

Judge Brennan was told the case was listed for hearing but there was a Garda application for an adjournment on the basis that some of their witnesses were not available.

The case will be listed again for mention later this month to set a new hearing date which is expected to be in September when the court will hear evidence and determine whether to grant the Asbo.

The judge also deferred ruling on whether legal aid would be granted.

The Garda application is seeking an order from the court to stop the six people coming into parts of Dublin city-centres north-side between the hours of 7am and 9pm for the next two years.

The area specified in the proceedings are from east to west between Amiens Street and Capel Street and north-south from Parnell Street to the River Liffey.

Failure to abide by an Asbo can lead to a criminal prosecution and a six-month jail term as wend a fine of up to 2,500, the court was told.A journalist who approached the family of the woman who made a sexual assault complaint against Sergeant Maurice McCabe has denied being negatively briefed about the whistleblower.

'Irish Sun' reporter Eavan Murray said she would never have allowed herself to be used as part of any smear campaign.

"No member of An Garda Siochana told me Maurice McCabe was a child abuser," she told the Disclosures Tribunal.

Ms Murray is one of 11 journalists former Garda press officer Superintendent Dave Taylor alleges he negatively briefed about a sexual assault complaint against Sgt McCabe on the orders of former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan.

He claims then Deputy Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan knew what was going on.

Seven of the journalists have now given evidence they received no such briefings.

Four others are due to give evidence this week.

While it is true a woman known as Ms D complained she was sexually assaulted as a child by Sgt McCabe, the DPP ruled out charges in 2007 and found what was described by Ms D did not amount to a crime.

The tribunal heard Ms Murray did not come forward with evidence in response to an initial appeal for information and investigators only learned from the D family of her visit to their home. An initial letter of response to the tribunal said it was not her practice to comment on news gathering activities or sources.

A statement from Ms Murray setting out her position that she was not negatively briefed was only circulated yesterday.

Ms Murray said her feeling at the time was one of fear and that it was "very counter-intuitive" to reveal information.

Supt Taylor claims Ms Murray informed him she was planning to visit the D household before her visit.

Ms Murray says the first time she discussed the matter with him was a number of days after being there.

She said she was assigned to visit the D home by an editor in the 'Irish Sun' after the newspaper learned Irish Independent journalist Paul Williams had "a massive exclusive".

She said she believed she went to the house a few days after Mr Williams in March 2014.

The D family's evidence is that she came to their home before Mr Williams.

Ms Murray said she was shocked when Supt Taylor gave her name to the tribunal.

Ms Murray said her fear was he had named her "to bolster his own story" and she had been proven correct.

Earlier, 'Sunday Times' journalist John Mooney said while he had heard some "catty remarks" he had not been negatively briefed by any garda that Sgt McCabe was involved in child abuse.A JOURNALIST has told the Disclosures Tribunal he heard tittle tattle about penalty points whistleblower Maurice McCabe but has refused to answer questions about whether he was negatively briefed.

Irish Examiner Political Correspondent Juno McEnroe said he would not deny or confirm if former garda press officer, Supt Dave Taylor told him about an allegation of sexual misconduct against Sgt McCabe.

Claiming journalistic privilege, he rejected an accusation that he was playing games with the tribunal, which is investigating an alleged smear campaign by senior gardai against Sgt McCabe.

Another Irish Examiner correspondent, Cormac OKeefe refused to answer questions about what he might have been told about Sgt McCabe, also citing privilege.

Mr McEnroe and Mr O'Keeffe are two of eleven journalists Supt Taylor claims to have negatively briefed about Sgt McCabe between mid-2013 and March 2014.

Supt Taylor alleges he was ordered to do so in mid-2013 by then Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan and with the knowledge of then Deputy Commissioner Noirin OSullivan. They both deny his allegations.

While Sgt McCabe was investigated over a sexual assault allegation made by a woman known as Ms D, the DPP decided in 2007 there should be no charges and what was described in the complaint did not amount to a crime.

Today, Mr McEnroe confirmed that when the tribunal wrote to him in March 2017, a reply was sent by lawyers on his behalf, stating: Please note that Mr McEnroe believes that he does not have any information relevant to the terms of reference of the tribunal.

Mr McEnroe told Kathleen Leader BL, for the tribunal that the letter was sent after he sought legal advice.

I would now like to clarify that it was incorrect, he said, adding that the letter should have stated that he would be claiming journalistic privilege and would not be confirming or denying that he had any information that was relevant to the tribunal.

He now regretted the letter that was sent and wished to correct the record, he said.

By the time he was later interviewed by tribunal investigators, the two former commissioners and Supt Taylor had waived privilege, Ms Leader said.

He accepted he told the investigators that the content of the letter was correct and that he should have taken the opportunity to correct it.

I regret the error of the reply, he said, describing it as a rushed judgement.

He was asked by investigators if he was aware or had any evidence of any attempt made by either former garda commissioners or any other senior members of the gardai to discredit Sgt McCabe by reference to an allegation of criminal misconduct.

He had replied: No I am not.

Mr McEnroe said that remained his position and he took the question to refer to the rank of commissioner or assistant commissioner, but not Supt Taylor.

In relation to Supt Taylor, I cannot answer questions for fear that may be disclosing information that may be relating to a source or sources, he said.

Mr McEnroe said no other journalists or politicians informed him of any attempt to discredit Sgt McCabe by reference to criminal misconduct.

He said he did not not know anything about the sexual allegation against Sgt McCabe until a much later stage, after July 2014.

The tribunal heard Supt Taylor left the Garda Press Office on June 10 that year. Ms Leader put it to Mr McEnroe that Supt Taylor had said he did brief him negatively about Sgt McCabes revenge motivation when he was press officer. Supt Taylor had put this at around January 2014.

Supt Taylor had said Mr McEnroe would not have known about the orchestrated campaign to discredit Sgt McCabe.

Mr McEnroe said he chose not to answer any questions in relation to this.

Chairman, Mr Justice Peter Charleton said it followed that Mr McEnroe was not negatively briefed by Supt Taylor because he was saying he did not know about the allegations until after this time.

I did not say Supt did not brief me, I did not confirm or deny it, Mr McEnroe replied.

It seems to me that you are playing games, Mr Justice Charleton said at one point.

I reject that, Chairman, he replied. I am trying to be as helpful as I can.

I dont think you are being helpful at all, Mr Justice Charleton said.

Mr McEnroe said if he had been told the allegations, he would have been shocked and probably sought to check up on the issues.

Ms Leader said Supt Taylor had narrowed down the time he claimed to have briefed Mr McEnroe to January 2014.

I am not confirming or denying anything, he replied.

Mr McEnroe said he did specifically recall that at the time Sgt McCabe came to Leinster House to appear before the Dail committee, there was gossip, prattle, tittle tattle, that somebody raised a question mark, a doubt around Sgt McCabe and whether he was trustworthy.

Mr McEnroe said he endeavoured to look into that and was satisfied that Sgt McCabe was a credible person.

Ms Leader said in his waiving of privilege, Supt Taylor had identified himself as an anonymous quoted source in two articles written by Mr McEnroe in January and February 2014.

I cannot discuss the identity of sources behind articles, Mr McEnroe said.

He told Paul McGarry SC, for Sgt McCabe that the prattle he heard was when somebody dropped a question mark about Sgt McCabe.

John Ferry BL, for Supt Taylor, said Supt Taylor had said the alleged briefing was done on an opportunistic basis, dropped into conversations.

Mr McEnroe repeated that he was not in a position to go into this.

As a journalist, sources are the bread and butter of our industry, he told Mr Justice Charleton.

He told Mr Ferry the gossip he heard was very minimal and it was at a time when Sgt McCabe was involved in a David and Goliath moment, where he was going up against top brass.

It was in the context of that that it was said to me that maybe there was a doubt about him, Mr McEnroe said.

He told journalist Alison OReillys lawyer, Fionan O Muircheartaigh that disclosing what someone says in confidence could have a negative effect on someones career and his position was the most responsible position to have as a journalist.

Mr O Muircheartaigh put it to him that the opposite was the case.

Irish Examiner Security Correspondent Cormac OKeeffe refused to answer any questions about what anyone other than fellow journalists might have told him about Sgt McCabe.

He told the tribunal he would not say whether he was briefed negatively about Sgt McCabe by anyone in the gardai including Supt Taylor or either of the former garda commissioners, for reasons of journalistic privilege.

When Mr OKeeffe was interviewed by tribunal investigators, he largely refused to answer questions based on a claim of privilege and this remained his position.

Patrick Marrinan SC, for the tribunal, asked him if he had heard any rumours about Sgt McCabes character in 2013 or 2014.

Mr OKeeffe said he would answer the question in relation to gossip.

He said he came to the story late, in 2015, and heard snatches of conversation or bits of gossip.

Mr OKeeffe estimated that he first heard the allegation of a sexual nature, as a rumour, from other journalists between February and May 2014. He was very cautious about this information and what he could do with it. His recollection was not clear about what steps he took.

Asked by Patrick Marrinan SC if he had heard it from anyone other than a journalist, he said: anything that I may have heard that may have come from a source I cannot go into.

In questioning by Mr Marrinan, he said he was concerned about narrowing down sources.

Chairman, Mr Justice Peter Charleton told Mr OKeeffe there were five million people in the country and we are not getting close to revealing a source.

Mr OKeeffe said any action by a journalist that was seen as confirming the identity of a source could have serious consequences for the free-flow of information and a chilling effect.

Mr Marrinan said Supt Taylor was in jeopardy of being condemned as a liar unless you support him.

I personally have nothing to hide, I did nothing wrong, its the principle that is at stake, Mr OKeeffe said, adding that he would not do anything to jeopardise the crucial function of the press.

The tribunal hearing was continuing this afternoon.A 39-year-old nurse sentenced to life in prison for murdering her mother on Christmas Eve has lost an appeal against her conviction.

Greta Dudko admitted killing 55-year-old Anna Butautiene by banging her head against a wall and hitting her over her head with a glass bottle. The Polish native died of blunt force trauma to her head in the home they shared at Station Court Hall, Clonsilla in Dublin.

The Lithuanian mother of one pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to her manslaughter at that address on December 24 2010. The plea was not accepted and she went on trial at the Central Criminal Court where she was found guilty of murder by a majority jury verdict of 11-1.

She was given the mandatory life sentence by Mr Justice Paul Carney on October 22, 2014.

The Central Criminal Court heard that Dudko had developed an alcohol problem at the time, and was on a number of medications. She had been suspended from her job at the start of the month due to intoxication at work, where she had previously been regarded as one of the best nurses.

Her trial also heard that she, her child and her mother had moved out of the home they shared with Dudkos husband just weeks before the murder.

Dudko told detectives that her mother had described her son in law as a beast and encouraged her to leave him.

The deceased had suspected him of being unfaithful to her daughter and Vitalij Dudko admitted in court that she had been correct.

Bringing an appeal against conviction last December, Dudko's barrister, Caroline Biggs SC, said the only issues in the trial were specific intent embracing intoxication and also provocation.

Ms Biggs said the trial judge dealt with the case in an unfair and unbalanced way. She said the trial judge discredited the defence case with interventions and his charge to the jury was unbalanced.

The trial judge told the jury, after cross examination of a GP on Dudko's state of mind, that he hoped they remembered the evidence they were hearing because they weren't going to hear it repeated in his charge. The trial judge said he would be giving the jury the shortest charge he had given in his 23 years in the Central Criminal Court.

The trial judge went on to say just remember all the stuff you're getting now, which wasn't exactly complimentary to the GP's evidence, Ms Biggs said.

Ms Biggs said there seemed to be positive indications throughout the trial that intoxication was of no consequence whatsoever and the trial judge's words could have left the jury with a view that all those questions and answers on intoxication were irrelevant to the defence's case.

Furthermore, Ms Biggs said the suggestion that Dudko had come up with an incredible story was prosecution counsel's assessment.

Ms Biggs focused her appeal on the extent and obligation on a trial judge to, firstly, adequately put the defence case to a jury in a fair and balanced manner, to summarise evidence elicited from prosecution witnesses on cross examination, to marshal evidence relevant to issues raised by the defence and the extent to which it is permissible for a trial judge to comment on evidence elicited in cross examination, among other broadly similar issues.

Dismissing the appeal on all grounds today/yesterday(MONDAY), President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham said the court was not disposed to uphold any grounds relating to the trial judges charge or interventions during the course of the evidence.

As the Court of Appeal has observed in "many other cases", Mr Justice Carneys approach was typically a "very non-interventionist one. He was entitled to make clear at an early stage that intoxication was not a defence, Mr Justice Birmingham said.

That he said he expected his charge to be the shortest that he had ever given was somewhat surprising because, in fact, the charge was not particularly brief and instead followed the usual form.

Mr Justice Birmingham said the Court of Appeal had not been persuaded that the trial judges interventions rendered the trial unsatisfactory. His decision not to rehearse the defence's arguments "did not render his charge unfair".

It was submitted that he should have adverted the jury to the possibility of lies being told by someone who had killed as a result of loss of self-control. Mr Justice Birmingham said the failure to do so did not render the charge so unsatisfactory as to lead to a conclusion that the verdict was unsafe.

Mr Justice Birmingham, who sat with Mr Justice Alan Mahon and Mr Justice John Hedigan, said the court had not been persuaded that the trial was unsatisfactory or unfair or that the verdict unsafe.

The appeal was therefore dismissed.

A further issue was raised in respect of the admissibility of photographs of the deceased at the crime scene.

In pressing for the introduction of photos of the deceased, prosecution counsel stressed that it was not for reasons of "prurience" or to provoke an emotional reaction but to assist the jury in considering Dudko's account of a purported fight which involved the deceased falling naturally and without placement onto the bed. Mr Justice Birmingham said the court was satisfied that the photographs were relevant and therefore admissible.

He said the face of the deceased was pixelated in the photos and the issue was handled with as much sensitivity as was possible in the circumstances.There was some variation in teacher responses to the first of the Leaving Cert Irish papers, on comprehension and composition.

Ruth Morrissey, a TUI subject representative and teacher at St Michael's Community College, Kilmihil, Co Clare, described ordinary level as "quite accessible and student friendly".

Robbie Cronin, an ASTI subject representative, who teaches at Marian College, Ringsend, Dublin, also thought it a "fair" paper, although his students complained about that the aural was "too fast".

But Clare Grealy, of Dublin's Institute of Education, thought it "very testing". She instanced the question about writing to a friend telling them about a new mobile phone which, she said, "would have required a lot of technical vocabulary".

Ms Morrissey and Mr Cronin also thought the aural was quite challenging for higher level students.

But while Mr Cronin described the written paper as "very positive", Ms Morrissey said that while the essays were "broad in terms of themes, they were quite specific in terms of what they wanted".

Ms Grealy agreed that there was a "nice, broad choice of topics" at higher level, but that the wording "was very specific and students would need to have watched this when answering the questions".

Earlier in the day, Leaving Cert higher level Maths Paper 2 presented a greater challenge than Paper 1, according to ASTI subject representative Robert Chaney, of CBS Thurles, Co Tipperary, but the ordinary level paper was "quite accessible".A 38-year-old man was last night continuing to fight for his life after a scrambler motorbike landed on his head in a Dublin park at the weekend.

The victim and his partner (43) were sunbathing in Darndale, Coolock, when the serious incident happened.

Gardai believe that the scrambler drove over the brow of a hill and landed on the man's head. Emergency services were alerted to the scene shortly after 2pm on Saturday, and the injured man was rushed to Beaumont Hospital.

Last night he remained in a critical condition with serious head injuries.

As part of the investigation, gardai have interviewed a 16-year-old boy who was driving the scrambler.

The youth was not arrested by gardai, but has been helping officers with their inquiries into the incident.

Yesterday, a Garda spokesman said that investigators were continuing to appeal for anybody who witnessed the incident, or had any information, to contact Coolock garda station.

Cllr Cian O'Callaghan, a Social Democrats representative for Howth-Malahide, said the incident highlights how the use of scramblers and quads has reached epidemic levels.

"The misuse of quad bikes and scramblers has been allowed to reach epidemic proportions in many communities, including in parts of my own constituency.

"Teenagers are driving these vehicles without any tax, insurance or driver's licences. It's also not unusual to see children as young as seven or eight racing around housing estates and in public open spaces and parks, posing a huge danger to themselves as well as pedestrians and road users," Mr O'Callaghan said.

The local councillor added that parents who allow their children to misuse scramblers should be fined.

"We also need to see legislation to allow gardai to seize vehicles where they are being driven by children, and also to introduce fines for parents who allow their children to misuse quads and scramblers.

"This problem has been passed around various agencies and authorities, and communities are increasingly frustrated that they are not seeing the urgent response needed on the ground," Mr O'Callaghan said.The Leaving Certificate Irish higher level Paper 2 threw up some surprises, but the questions that were asked were straightforward, according to teacher Clare Grealy.

Students shouldnt have any axe to grind, outside the prose question said Ms Grealy, who teaches at Dublin s Institute of Education.

The first comprehension dealt with stories that came from the Census and, while it is a topical topic, it was very historical in content, even referring back to the time of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem.

"Despite this it was a very doable comprehension," she said.

The second compression was on celebrating cultural heritage and the Irish language a topic with which students are familiar, said Ms Grealy.

"It was nice and straightforward; the vocabulary was easy to understand and should have posed no major difficulties."

Ms Grealy said the prose section would have thrown up the greatest surprise of all because "she widely anticipated short story An Gnathrud would not feature".

Instead, there was a question on the film Caca Milis - on one of the characters, Paul - which she described as straightforward.

In poetry, An Spailpin Fanach appeared and Ms Grealy said that "although this is probably the least popular of the five prescribed poems, the questions were very manageable."

In the additional literature section, she said there was a nice, broad choice, ranging from a play to an autobiography, to a novel to poetry.

According to Ms Grealy, the two most popular sections are Question A, An Triail, which focused mainly on characters ; Question F, Danta Breise, which, she said, was very similar to the question that appeared on the same poem in 2012.

Meanwhile, Ms Grealy said the ordinary level paper had a "very student friendly layout" and students she spoke to after the exam seemed happy.

The comprehensions were very topical, one on Ireland today and other about RTE newscaster, Catriona Perry and her time in America.

In Q2, Ms Grealy said the second prose on Dis "was quite tricky and asked students to describe the conversation between Sean and his wife."

And, in poetry, Ms Grealy added that students would have been happy with poems that appeared and the "nice, straightforward question".For the 30 years weve booked with [Irish Ferries] weve never had any issuesbut after this we wont be booking again, said a woman who had to reroute a family holiday for seven after Irish Ferries cancelled all booking on its new W.B. Yeats ferry for the month of August.

Dublin-based Laura Dunne is just one of the up to 19,000 passengers who have had their holiday plans thrown into disarray following the announcement that the new ferry will not be ready for use this summer.

Ms Dunne was planning to travel to France with her parents, her partner, their child, her brother and his partner at the end August, but has had to reroute their entire trip without any help.

We are still doing the whole trip, but out of order. We will have to do a lot more driving and sort out camp sites that we already booked, but we already booked the time off so are definitely going, Ms Dunne told Independent.ie.

Its just really disappointing because we have gotten no response whatsoever. We rang, we emailed, we on hold for an hour and still nothing.

The Irish Ferries customer said she has rebooked all seven members on Brittany Ferries, but believes she was lucky to call ahead, before everyone else tried the same.

Brittany Ferries rebooked the whole group at once which is great, but we were lucky we thought to do that early on or we would be really stuckespecially because theres a big group of us.

Sailings on the new 147m ship were due to start between Ireland, France and the UK from July 30, but have been suspended until September 13, cancelling all bookings up to then.

Irish Ferries regrets to announce that, due to extraordinary circumstances beyond its control, the delivery of the W.B. Yeats has been further delayed by FSG, the company said in a statement today.

FSG  Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft & Co. KG  is the German ship builder commissioned to deliver the new vessel.

A further 2,500 bookings were disrupted last April when Irish Ferries cancelled sailings between July 12 and 29. Following the latest disruption, all Dublin-Cherbourg sailings up to September 13 have been cancelled. The ship is now set to debut this autumn on its Dublin-Holyhead route.

FSG said the setbacks are due to delays in the delivery of interior components for public areas and on the electrical system installation in the hull and deckhouse.

Irish Ferries are offering passengers alternative options to reach their destination including alternate direct sailings to France on the Oscar Wilde, a land-bridge option that involves sailing to the UK from either Dublin or Rosslare and then onwards to France, or a full and immediate refund.

Customers affected by the cancellations are being offered 150 voucherhowever it can only be used to Ireland-France routes next year and not the 2018 season.

Ms Dunne said her mother is extremely upset and feels lied to after calling the company yesterday to confirm the booking and paying the balance for their trip.

She was assured everything was going ahead as scheduled, no issues. We cant even call to rearrange.

We wont be booking in the future so the voucher seems a bit pointless now because well never use it.Vicky Phelan, who will receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Limerick. Picture: Fergal Phillips

The terminally ill woman whose court case began the ongoing cervical cancer screening scandal has said that she believes in the doctor in charge of the inquiry into CervicalCheck.

Speaking on RTE Radio 1's DriveTime programme, Vicky Phelan said that she backed the work of Dr. Gabriel Scally.

"I have faith in what he is doing", said Ms Phelan, adding that she had met with him and that "I know that he trusts my opinion and I trust him".

Earlier Dr Scally had appeared on the same show in the wake of the publication of his first interim report into the scandal.

He admitted the work was "more complex than we could have imagined" and he cited difficulties in obtaining information and the volume of documents the inquiry will have to work on.

'The problem is the volume of information that we're going to have to go through and its availability to us, because it is not yet coming either in quantity I would want it or in the way I would want it', Dr Scally said.

Speaking later, Ms Phelan said: 'I'm not surprised that Gabriel has been stonewalled to be honest, I know he didn't use the term but I certainly would'.

Earlier Dr Scally's first interim report recommended that the 209 women who suffered delayed cancer diagnosis as part of CervicalCheck scandal are to be given one-off payment of 2,000 from the State.

Dr Scallys first report makes six recommendations relating to how best to support women affected by the ongoing scandal and improve the information available to user of the CervicalCheck service.

Aside from the compensation, he now plans to hold "structured conversations" with each of the women impact who wish to have their experience documented.

Dr Scally also recommends:

The Provision of a more comprehensive guide to the CervicalCheck screening programme online.

That the information statements provided to women about the limitations of the tests should be more explicit about the possible reasons why screening might miss abnormalities that are present as these can result in the development of cervical cancer.

That the information for women accompanying the consent form should guarantee that they will have full and open access to their cervical screening record on request.

That the information for women accompanying the consent form should guarantee that should there be a problem or error of any significance with the screening or reporting process, open disclosure of all the details will take place in a timely, considerate and accurate manner.

Minister for Health Simon Harris said the UK expert found the provision of information to women in Ireland who take part in screening tests "is comparable with that available elsewhere and in some respects is better".

"He also found that the process of completing a consent form at the time of screening is a major strength of the Irish programme," the minister said.

"However, he does make a number of important recommendations to improve the information provided to women, including strengthening the statements on the limitations of screening. I will immediately ask the HSE to implement the four recommendations related to this."Scene of the carjacking beside the Phoenix Park. Photo: Google

GardaI have recovered the vehicle stolen in a shocking knifepoint carjacking in Dublin's Phoenix Park.

A one-year-old baby girl was in the back seat of the Nissan Qashqai SUV when the terrifying ordeal happened.

The parents of the baby girl are highly respected doctors, both aged 32 and based in Liverpool.

The family had been visiting the Phoenix Park when the shocking crime occurred at around 11.15pm on Sunday.

The incident happened as the couple were driving out of the park at Conyngham Road, Islandbridge.

As they exited the park, a man approached them and pulled the driver and passenger from the car at knifepoint.

He then jumped into the driver's seat and drove away.

It was only moments later when the hijacker realised there was a child strapped into a seat in the back of the vehicle.

He then stopped the car and demanded that the couple take the child out, before driving away.

While nobody was physically injured in the hijacking, the couple were said to have been left extremely shaken.

The vehicle was found yesterday morning in the Cork Street area of the south inner city - around 10 minutes' drive from where the carjacking happened.

The Nissan Qashqai was being forensically examined by specialist officers last night.

Detectives are "confident" that an arrest may be made before the end of the week as a result of high quality CCTV footage that is currently being examined.

Description

In addition to this, the victims have given a comprehensive description of the suspect, who is believed to be aged in his mid-to-late 20s or early 30s.

Sources say gardai believe the suspect panicked shortly after committing the crime and, as a result, abandoned the car on a road off Cork Street.

Gardai are exploring the possibility the attacker may have a history of drug problems.

A Garda source said this sort of attack is not a common crime, and in most cases the perpetrator has been arrested and brought before the courts.

Gardai at Kevin Street, Dublin, are appealing for anyone who was in the area of Conyngham Road, Islandbridge, late on Sunday and may have seen the incident to contact them.Leo Varadkar presents Enda Kenny with his European of the Year award in the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins

British Prime Minister Theresa Mays cabinet is riven by dissent and lacks credibility, said former Taoiseach Enda Kenny. Picture: PA

Former Taoiseach Enda Kenny launched an uncharacteristically blunt attack on the British political system as he was named 'European of the Year'.

In his first major speech since stepping down as Taoiseach exactly one year ago, Mr Kenny said he is "appalled" by the way Theresa May's government has handled the Brexit negotiations.

He said her cabinet is "riven by internal dissent, lacks credibility and clarity on its most serious challenge in decades".

The Mayo TD was central to the early stages of the negotiations before handing over the reigns to Leo Varadkar.

In his own contribution at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, Mr Kenny spoke more freely than he had ever done while in office.

Mr Kenny said that six months on from what was seen as a major Brexit breakthrough last December, "very little progress has been made".

"The EU continue to negotiate from a unified position," he said.

"British business is afraid to speak out because of the spectre of a Labour government.

"But if this matter is not dealt with, and if negotiations have not been concluded and signed off before the EU Council in October, then we might have a very different outcome," he said.

Mr Kenny also warned about the rise of populism across the world. "Across Europe and the world there is the rise of Us and Them - the impeccable, calm logic of America or Hungary or Italy First," he said.

"But there are still enough who know and celebrate the difference between patriotism and nationalism.

"How aggressive nationalism sets fire to decency, responsibility, memory, even humanity itself."

Meanwhile, a great deal more work needs to be done by the UK if substantial progress is to be made at a crucial EU summit in June, Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney will tell the Cabinet today.

Proposals

Mr Coveney is briefing ministers on the latest state of play on Brexit following last week's proposals from the British government aimed at meeting the demands of the Irish protocol politically agreed last December.

The Irish Government and EU lead negotiator Michel Barnier gave a cautious welcome to the British offering, but also regard it as wholly incomplete.

Specifically, the British plan speaks only to remaining within the EU's customs structure, and for a limited time.

Moreover, it is silent on the important matter of regulatory alignment and the need for Northern Ireland to retain the same rules and regulations on goods crossing the Border in the Irish State which will remain in the EU.

Technical negotiations are ongoing in Brussels but there is little hope Britain will raise its game enough in just a couple of weeks.

"It's been two years and this is only as far as they've come; we're not too optimistic for June, but let's definitely try," said an Irish Brexit source.

Meanwhile, Ireland won't plan for a Border on the island in the event of a hard Brexit, Leo Varadkar said.

The Taoiseach said even if the UK crashes out of the European Union in March 2019, a Border will not be erected.

However, a "no deal" scenario would automatically see World Trade Organisation rules apply.

The Irish State would be obliged to apply and collect tariffs on goods and services in and out of Northern Ireland.

However, Mr Varadkar still insisted that a physical Border is not an option.

"That will just never happen, ever," he said.

"That would be an abrogation of the Good Friday Agreement, a solemn agreement we made 20 years ago, and a legal agreement that is registered with the United Nations, signed by the United Kingdom Government," he added.

In spite of the fact that the 'Irish question' may not be satisfactorily dealt with by June, there is an assumption that the talks will be allowed to progress with the caveat that Ireland remains a key priority for the EU negotiating team.

Mr Varadkar denied that this represented a softening of the Irish position.

"Certainly our position hasn't softened. I'm happy to correct that if that's the impression I gave in any way," said Mr Varadkar.

He reiterated that the deadline for the full completion of the withdrawal agreement is October but Ireland will insist on "real and meaningful progress by the June summit at the end of this month".

However, he raised the possibility of delaying Brexit to allow more time to negotiate the UK's exit deal. Mr Varadkar said extending the March 29 departure date is one of a number of "different scenarios" that could be pursed if a withdrawal agreement fails to materialise in the coming months.

Irish EU Commissioner Phil Hogan also weighed in on the debate, saying: "British public opinion is turning against radical Brexiteers who are blocking a good EU-UK divorce deal."

He struck a very upbeat note on the potential for a change of mood among British business and the general public, who were gradually realising the real threat of chaos after Brexit.

"The tide is finally starting to go out on the high priests of Brexit and not before time," Mr Hogan said.TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar has launched a defence of the place of religion in Irish society, attacking those who want to turn religious people into pariahs.

A day after Pope Franciss confirmed details of a 36-hour visit to Ireland, Mr Varadkar hit out at socialist politicians for trying to push religion out of the public space.

Responding to questions from Solidarity TD Mick Barry, the Taoiseach said he believes in the separation of Church and State.

But he added: When we speak about church and state and while we should always acknowledge the many wrongs done by church bodies in the past  people will know what they are  we should not forget that many religious-based charities and many religious bodies do very good and valuable work today.

Mr Barry had queried whether hospitals with a religious ethos would be obliged to carry out abortions under legislation which the Government is planning.

We have church-controlled schools, church-controlled hospitals and so on. Ireland lags behind and the Taoiseach's Government lags behind.

Where blows have been struck to this arrangement - and we saw a spectacular example recently with the vote for repeal and another in respect of the baptism barrier - the impetus for change has not come from the political establishment, but rather from below, from popular pressure, the Cork TD said.

Mr Varadkar responded that all hospitals would be expected to operate under the laws of the State.

But he went on to claim that parties like the Socialist Party or Solidarity-People Before Profit want to stop funding bodies such as Crosscare and the Society of St Vincent de Paul.

I believe in the separation of church and state but I do not believe in the socialist ideology, which is to push religion out of the public space and to force people who are religious to be ashamed they have religious conviction and to hide them in a corner and to do what they want to do, which is to defund bodies and take public funding away from bodies such as the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Crosscare, Trocaire and Concern, he said.

The policy of socialists is to take away that funding because they do not just believe in the separation of church and state; they want to turn religious people into pariahs, put them in a corner and hide them and take away funding from institutions.Pictured from left to right: Liz and Dave Forde with their kids Ava, Ellie, Cillian, Emer, Gwen and Kyle at home in Kerry. Photo: Domnick Walsh

It's rare that 38-year-old Liz Forde sleeps through the night. Her nine-year-old son Cillian, who has cerebral palsy, epilepsy and is tube-fed, needs 24-hour care.

Her youngest child, Gwen (7) has hyper-mobility syndrome and has been diagnosed with global developmental delay. She has issues in school and is still in nappies.

Another daughter, Ellie (14), has Asperger Syndrome and while she's excelling in school, her condition means she's very particular about what's going on in her life and can get easily frustrated if things don't go according to plan. Liz and her husband David live in Ardfert, Co Kerry and have four other children. While the eldest, Shane (20), has flown the nest, Emer (17), Kyle (12) and Ava (10) are still at home and busy with school and extra-curricular activities.

However, because Cillian is so dependent, Liz says she's constantly trying to make sure her other children get the attention they need.

"As well as being a carer, you also have to be a parent. Cillian has to be lifted and he's getting heavier - it takes two of us to give him a bath and he hates the water.

"I have to make sure my eldest daughter can mind the younger ones when we are busy with that. It's a lot of pressure on her too," says Liz.

She explains that Gwen's condition is also very challenging and they are facing into numerous hospital and medical appointments in the coming months. This means trips to Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin from the family home. Gwen also suffers from serious eczema and is asthmatic. The constant demands of caring meant David, who worked full-time up until fairly recently, had to leave work after Liz herself became ill.

Last August her own health failed and she was hospitalised for three weeks. A mild stroke was diagnosed and while she briefly lost her speech, she says it came back. After intense physiotherapy and occupational therapy, Liz recovered. She says it was a case of "get on with it". "Witnessing what my own kids have to do every day I just said to myself 'get up and cop on'," she says.

"Some days I don't feel like I'm one person any more. I feel like I've turned into an occupational therapist [OT], a physio and a doctor. I went back to study at night to be an SNA [special needs assistant]. The only reason I did it was because I wanted to understand about my own children better. It helped me massively," says Liz.

A typical day in the Forde household starts at 7am and sees Liz clean and change Cillian before putting him in his wheelchair. Cillian attends Nano Nagle School in Listowel and a bus picks him up at home, although it's rare that he attends five days a week every week due to his condition.

In the mornings, Gwen also needs help to get dressed and is on three medications a day as well as daily creams for her eczema. Cillian is on 12 medications a day. Last year, Gwen didn't get a SNA at school and so missed much of the school year. Liz is hopeful an application for an SNA will be successful this year.

There are few weeks when the diary is not busy with appointments for doctors or hospitals, physios or occupational therapists. Getting the kids out to school means getting time to get things ready for dinner and do things like clean the house.

Because of the demands of special needs children at home, Liz says she and David work hard to ensure the other children don't miss out on doing things they love, like GAA or horse riding. Every two weeks either Liz or David take one of the kids on a dinner date or a trip to the cinema. This is not something they can all do as a family, because someone must always be with Cillian.

Last March, the family went on their first ever foreign holiday. It was a trip to Portugal for four days that took two years to plan. Liz's parents went with them along with a suitcase of medication. But Liz says she wouldn't do it again as it was too much pressure.

While Liz says the life of a carer is tough and it's 24/7, she says you have to make the most of the small things in life. Just a few days ago she sat in the sitting room with two of her daughters and they ate ice cream and watched a movie, singing along to the songs in the film. "Those moments are a blessing, that you can sit down and do something like that," says Liz.

She explains that Cillian's condition means they don't know how long he'll be with them. When he was born, he was given a year to live. Liz has made plans for Cillian's death, even though she knows that when the time comes it will be devastating. But she says she had to do this because she doesn't want to be in a panic when the time comes.

"My fear is that it could happen suddenly because he has sleep apnoea. I needed a plan for the kids. The kids need us to be strong. If we have something like a plan it will make it a little bit easier. He's still here and he's meant to be around".

On top of all she does in her own home and with her own family, Liz volunteers with older children with intellectual disabilities every Wednesday night. "People say to me 'are you mad? Don't you have enough at home?' But I enjoy spending time with them. They have their own quirks but they are less difficult than any person I know," she says.

Aside from this evening out of the house, Liz enjoys a walk on the beach sometimes, where she says she can clear her head and talk to herself.

One night a week a nurse is assigned to Cillian. She comes for 10 hours in total. The nurse isn't allowed to stay in the house without Liz or her husband. There is no other respite for the family.

"You have to be there. There is nobody else there to do it. I couldn't do this on my own. David is my rock. We make a good team - people always say that," she says.

"Over the years, I've met people in hospital with Cillian; people who were not lucky enough to take their own kids home. You have a sense of guilt that your child is still alive. I say to myself if this is my path, I'm going to get on with it. But there are times I do get upset and I do cry," says Liz.

In a perfect world she wishes she didn't have to fight so hard for everything. She'd love for a politician to come to her house for 24 hours and watch what she and her family do.

"Come back and tell me it's not a full time job. It's not nine to five, it's 24/7. There's not enough support for carers. The only respite I get is when Cillian goes to school. Who is looking after the carers? We shouldn't have to fight for everything. I'm fighting for Gwen. I am fighting for my son's wheelchair. He's waiting six months for an outdoor wheelchair. He's entitled to it. Why can't the Government just realise families are going through enough. Don't drag them down further," says Liz.

Catherine Cox, spokeswoman for Family Carers Ireland, says families all over the country are struggling to cope, left to their own devices to manage by a State that takes them for granted.

To mark National Carers Week, which runs until Sunday, Family Carers Ireland is trying to raise awareness of the work the country's 355,000 family carers do, day in, day out.

It's estimated that family carers save the Government 10bn in unpaid care each year, collectively providing 6,608,515 hours of care per week.

Cox explains that in this country a so-called postcode lottery can often dictate the kinds of home care people caring for a loved one at home get. "It's fragmented and it's inconsistent as well as being unfair and inequitable. Home care supports are discretionary. There is no State entitlement to home care," she says.

According to Cox, there is no one county where supports are brilliant. She says the reason carers are not out on the streets, banging on the doors of Government, is quite simply because they are flat out caring for loved ones constantly.

As well as lobbying for better supports for carers, Family Carers Ireland has just announced the first ever National Awareness Day for the country's carers to take place on June 21, the longest day of the year.

 For more information check out carersweek.ieWhen Helen Moore's mum was admitted to hospital, the last thing Helen expected was that the frail pensioner would go hungry.

However, when Helen, who is in her fifties, asked hospital staff whether her 92-year-old mother Margaret, known affectionately as Peg, was eating, she was concerned to discover that she wasn't.

Peg - who had dementia and kidney function issues and was being treated for breast cancer - was brought to hospital by ambulance from the family home in Broadstone, Dublin 7 on September 26 last, after discovering she was unable to stand.

"Mum had a bad shake in her hands and needed help with eating and drinking," recalls Helen, managing editor of the Irish Journal of Medical Science.

The following day when Helen visited, she checked with hospital staff about whether her mother had eaten breakfast.

"I was told that she had been offered it but didn't want it. You don't ask a person with dementia if they want to eat - you just feed them! But they had not fed her," says Helen, who came back at lunchtime and fed her mother herself.

During the four weeks Peg was in hospital, until she passed away on October 21, Helen regularly left work to make sure Peg ate a dinner at lunchtime and ate again at teatime.

"I would go up as often as I could, and in the evening I'd come back up with tea and a cake for her," she says, adding, "she became dehydrated and was put on a drip, essentially because no one was available to hold a cup to her mouth and ensure she drank anything.

"I noticed that food was being put in front of elderly patients, left for 20 minutes or so and then taken away," says Helen, who explains that a busy healthcare assistant moved from one patient to the next, trying to help them eat.

"However, she had three or four patients to feed in different wards and she moved from one to the other and didn't get to sit with any patient for any length of time.

"She would put milk in my mother's tea and start her off with a spoon of meat and one of mash and then move to the next patient, promising to come back, but within 20 minutes the food tray would have been removed from my mother's bed.

"I asked why the tray was taken away so quickly. I was told that food becomes contaminated if it is left lying around," says Helen, who believes that if she had not made a point of visiting her mother around mealtimes, she would not have been fed.

"They simply don't have the time. I believe this is happening in all hospitals because of low staffing levels and it's going unnoticed," says Helen, adding, "the food isn't great either. There's a lot of stodge and very little protein."

She believes many hospital staff don't fully understand the needs of dementia patients.

"They don't seem to have any idea how to make sure they were fed," she worries. "I'm telling my story because there might be elderly people in hospital without relatives looking out for them, and they may be quite literally going without food.

"I believe malnutrition might be very prevalent in the hospital setting and nobody is noticing."

Everyone who has dementia is different, explains Tina Leonard, head of advocacy and public affairs with the Alzheimer Society of Ireland.

"Some people can struggle to eat enough throughout the day to meet their nutritional requirements, while others may forget to eat, thinking they have already eaten, or struggle to finish a meal. This can all become more challenging as dementia progresses," she says.

"People with dementia do not always find adjustment easy - particularly when in hospital with an illness.

"They can forget where they are and why they are actually in hospital. As you can imagine, this can be a very distressing and frightening experience.

"For this reason, it is very important that dementia-friendly environments are created in hospitals to ensure people with dementia are eating properly while they are in hospitals."

There is a problem, acknowledges Professor Dermot Power, a consultant at the Mater Hospital, specialist in geriatric medicine, and president of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland - and he's decided to tackle it with a just-launched campaign.

The social media campaign #Dinnertime is about raising awareness of the need to give older patients in the hospital setting, particularly those with dementia, sufficient time and attention to ensure they achieve a good food intake.

"The aim is to increase an awareness of the amount of time and attention that elderly patients need in hospital to ensure they eat sufficiently," says Prof Power, adding that insufficient food intake in the hospital setting is a problem primarily associated with dementia patients.

"It happens because patients with cognition problems are not able to manage and, from personal observation of the day-to-day reality on the wards, we are seeing that while food can be adequate in terms of content and temperature, it's being put in front of patients who may not have either the energy or the cognitive ability to feed themselves.

"Meal trays are being put in front of people who do not have the cognition or the physical capacity to feed themselves so the food is going cold," Prof Power says.

"Staff are often busy doing other tasks and meals are not being eaten.

"What happens to patients in this situation is that their recovery is affected. They can become malnourished and dehydrated, which prolongs their recovery time and their stay in hospital.

"Our hospitals need to become more dementia-friendly, and all staff should have a basic understanding of the needs of dementia," he adds. "They should understand that these patients may lack the insight to know whether they're hungry or be aware that they haven't eaten.

"They need to understand that they are not dealing with someone who is fully in control of their situation and that staff need to observe and assist. People with dementia need to be encouraged and facilitated."

However, says Prof Power, hospitals have become increasingly aware of the problem, and there has been a move to bring those patients with higher needs together in a dedicated environment.

Dementia-friendly initiatives have been carried out in hospitals such as Mercy University Hospital in Cork as part of the Cork IDEAS project which was an initiative to improve and integrate dementia care in the hospital and the community. Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown has also undertaken a Dementia Pathways Project for people with dementia availing of acute services.

"These projects have proved very successful and other hospitals in Ireland should be encouraged to emulate the success of these initiatives to ensure that care for people with dementia in hospitals is always person-centred," says Ms Leonard.

However, Prof Power does not believe there are enough of these facilities available in the Irish hospital network as a whole.

"I don't think the resources are being put into this," he says, pointing out that such facilities would inevitably have a higher requirement for staff, so they are more expensive to run.

Families also need to be aware of this potential problem, he adds.

"There is a lot of lip service paid to the management of old people in hospital but we need to focus on a specific issue like this, which is not about medication management or waiting lists or people on trolleys. This is a relatively simple problem which is about helping people to eat correctly, but the process of addressing it requires extra investment in staff."

* The 'Eating Well with Dementia' booklet is now available from The Alzheimer Society of Ireland - call the Alzheimer National Helpline on 1800 341 341, email helpline@alzheimer.ie, go to alzheimer.ie, or check your GP surgery.

The facts

 The majority of people living with dementia in Ireland are struggling to eat properly, according to research carried out for the Alzheimer Society of Ireland on the relationship between nutrition and the condition.

 The research reveals that 58pc of those surveyed forget, 54pc forget they have eaten and eat again, 51pc find it difficult to finish meals and 36pc feel they are too tired to eat.

 The study found that a majority of survey respondents reported a change in their sense of taste (59pc), smell (56pc) and thirst (52pc). Some 56pc reported greater difficulties chewing, while 44pc encountered difficulty swallowing food.

 The research also highlighted challenges with shopping and cooking. More than 80pc reported that it could be difficult to get to the shops for food, 88pc found shopping confusing.

Tips to help make mealtimes easier for dementia sufferers include:

* Keep the table setting simple

* Establish a routine

* Distinguish food from plate

* Company at mealtimes

* Familiarity is important

* Be flexible around food choices

* Allow sufficient time

* Be flexible to food preferencesAerosols, cleaning products and artificial sweeteners, were all also incorrectly identified as cancer risk factors. (Stock photo)

Many people still believe in cancer myths, according to a study.

Some blame stress, food additives, genetically modified foods and electromagnetic fields as causes of cancer, although these factors have not been proven to have a link to the disease.

However, they had low awareness of a number of known cancer risk factors such as obesity, eating red or processed meat or drinking alcohol.

The study was carried out by Cancer Research UK and surveyed 1,330 people about their beliefs on the causes of cancer.

The findings in the European Journal of Cancer, found that a quarter of people incorrectly believed that using a mobile phone was a risk factor for cancer.

Aerosols, cleaning products and artificial sweeteners, were all also incorrectly identified as cancer risk factors. But they failed to pinpoint known risk factors including, drinking alcohol, not getting enough fruit and vegetables each day, low levels of physical activity and being over the age of 70.

Two in five failed to identify being overweight or obese as a cancer risk factor. "Obesity was also poorly recognised, which is concerning considering it is the second leading preventable cause of cancer," said the study.

Dr Samuel Smith, from the University of Leeds, pointed out: "It's worrying to see so many people endorse risk factors for which there is no convincing evidence. Compared to past research it appears the number of people believing in unproven causes of cancer has increased since the start of the century, which could be a result of changes to how we access news and information through the internet and social media.

"It's vital to improve public education about the causes of cancer if we want to help people make informed decisions about their lives and ensure they aren't worrying unnecessarily," said Dr Smith.Moving into a new house is an exciting time. Often it marks the beginning of a new chapter of your life and is filled with decision making.

After youve chosen that perfect kitchen tile, debated the merits of a 3-seater couch versus a L-shaped sofa and settled on the perfect shade of paint for the bedroom, youll need to make some choices about your utilities.

Moving into a new home is the ideal time to weigh up the pros and cons of different energy sources. There are many things to consider including price, efficiency, your carbon footprint and your homes energy rating. All of these will be affected by the energy you use to fuel your home. There are huge savings to be made by choosing natural gas and switching from another energy source. Homeowners can save 17% when switching from oil, 38% when switching from LPG Bulk, 63% when switching from LPG Tanks and 67% when switching from electricity*.

Not only is natural gas better for your pocket, its better for the environment. Natural gas produces less carbon dioxide than other fuels. In fact, switching to natural gas could lower your carbon emissions by a huge 55%**.

Dont fancy waiting for a chilly house to warm up? With natural gas, your central heating will heat significantly faster compared to electricity. Natural gas does more than just make your radiators nice and toasty; it can also be used to power compatible appliances like tumble dryers, outdoor lighting and cookers.

Gas cookers and hobs allow you to control heat in an instant, plus youll have hot water on tap and you can cosy up in front of a real flame fire. With a constant supply piped directly into your home therell be no more ordering or deliveries, while bulky fuel tanks will be a thing of the past.

New homes can benefit even further from choosing natural gas, by combining it with renewable energy sources like solar PV panels. Theres no doubt that renewable energy is the way of the future, and natural gas is ready to run in tandem with up-and-coming sources. Renewable gas sources are currently in development in Ireland and, when complete, will be complemented by natural gas to create a self-sustainable energy source that is clean and green. This will have the potential to supply up to 20% of Irelands gas needs by 2030.

If youre moving into a new home, then join 688,000 others and make natural gas your first choice. Click here to learn more about the benefits of natural gas for your new home from the team at Gas Networks Ireland.

*SEAI October 2017

** SEAI 2017

Sponsored by:This is the moment when a police officers kindness was captured in a picture as she stood over a snapping turtle trying to cross the road in pouring rain.

The Hammett family went to help, initially holding an umbrella over the woman in Greenbelt, Maryland.

They also returned to their nearby home for shovels to help escort the turtle to safety  and get the officer out of the road.

We spotted a police officer standing in the middle of the road. Her vehicle was parked on the shoulder with the lights flashing, Carolyn BR Hammett told the Press Association.

We thought at first that part of the road must be flooded too, but as we got closer we realised she was standing in the road over something sitting there almost in the middle.

She was completely soaked through and was just smiling this big broad smile.

The rain was pouring down so we turned the car around and saw that she was standing over a large snapping turtle.

My husband jumped out of the car with our umbrella to try to give the officer some relief from the rain.

I quickly realised that I should get back home and grab a couple shovels, which I did, and when I got back I put on my wellies and jumped out of the car.

My husband and I used the two shovels to scoop up the turtle and we carried it through some deep running water off the side of the road, up into the wooded area away from traffic and people.

We just moved her in the same direction that she was headed so as not to confuse her.

The officer said she had called animal control but they never showed up. We thanked one another and we all went on our way.

Greenbelt Police Officer standing guard over a snapping turtle as it crosses the roadway in a pouring rain. Thankful... Posted by Jim Craze on Sunday, June 3, 2018

The first image of the smiling officer was taken by their daughter, Honora Hammett, who was travelling with her parents to a family reunion when they came across the odd scene.

She said it was just like her parents to step in and help.

When we saw the policewoman standing there in the pouring rain it was a beautiful sight to see, and Im happy that even the smallest gestures are being spread with the circumstances the world is seeing right now.

I hope more people will take these little acts and let it become a chain reaction.

Talking about her parents actions, she added: That is what its like to live with them every day. They are so selfless and their end goal is to serve others.U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have released a joint statement after their historic meeting.

Here is it is in full:

Joint Statement of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the Singapore Summit.

President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a first, historic summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018.

President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new U.S.-DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Convinced that the establishment of new U.S.-DPRK relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world, and recognizing that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un state the following:

1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.

2. The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

3. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

4. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

Having acknowledged that the U.S.-DPRK summit -- the first in history -- was an epochal event of great significance and overcoming decades of tensions and hostilities between the two countries and for the opening of a new future, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un commit to implement the stipulations in this joint statement fully and expeditiously. The United States and the DPRK commit to hold follow-on negotiations led by the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and a relevant high-level DPRK official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the U.S.-DPRK summit.

President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have committed to cooperate for the development of new U.S.-DPRK relations and for the promotion of peace, prosperity, and security of the Korean Peninsula and of the world.

June 12, 2018

Sentosa Island

SingaporeDonald Trump yesterday was preparing to tell Kim Jong-un he would not be toppled as North Korea's leader if he agreed to give up his nuclear weapons, as it emerged that Kim had set a deadline of Tuesday for ending the Singapore summit, prompting President Trump to move up his departure from Wednesday, as planned.

In an audacious bid to secure peace, the US president was due to offer "unique" assurances over Mr Kim's safety in a face-to-face meeting in Singapore.

Mr Trump was expected to propose a surge in overseas investment and the lifting of economic sanctions if Mr Kim agreed to denuclearise.

However, he was also planning a stark threat - that the regime would be hit with even tougher sanctions if it rejected America's demands.

Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, conveyed the messages as he laid out America's terms for a deal on the eve of the historic summit.

Mr Pompeo said he was "very optimistic" the meeting would be a success but played down chances of an immediate breakthrough, framing discussions as the start of a process.

Expand Close Donald Trump with Singapores Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Photo: (MCI)/via Getty Images) / Facebook

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Mr Trump was expected to initially meet with Mr Kim alone this morning, except for interpretors, to discuss the possibility of denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula.

The US president said he would know within a minute whether the North Korean leader was serious about giving up his nuclear arsenal.

The summit the first time sitting leaders from both countries have ever met and a remarkable turnaround from last year, when the pair were trading insults and threats.

After one-on-one talks, a wider bilateral meeting with senior advisers from both sides was planned to take place, followed by a working lunch.

The talks are being hosted at the luxury Capella hotel on Sentosa island - just off the coast of Singapore - and are expected to last much of the day.

The meetings come in the wake of last weekend's G7 summit as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said Ireland "stands" with Canada and the rest of the G7 countries following the war of words that erupted between Mr Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"Ireland is always on the side of free trade, it's the reason Ireland has become a wealthy country. We stand with France, Germany, Canada and Japan," he told journalists.

The comments follow a tense and rancorous meeting of the world's top seven economies in Quebec where Mr Trump vowed to press ahead with US tariffs on key allies.

The Taoiseach was speaking at the launch of 'Global Ireland 2025' - the Government's plan to expand the State's international influence in the wake of Brexit and America's apparent slip away from it traditional alliances in the EU and elsewhere.

At the same event, Tanaiste Simon Coveney also described today's meeting between the North Koreans and the Americans in Singapore as "deadly serious". "We've spent a lot of time at the Foreign Affairs Council in the European Union trying to understand how the EU could be supportive of a peaceful transition of the Korean Peninsula," he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Pompeo yesterday gave the clearest outline yet of America's position as he described the incentives and warnings Mr Trump would deliver to Mr Kim.

"The complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula is the only outcome that the United States will accept," he said.

"Sanctions will remain until North Korea completely and verifiably eliminates its weapons of mass destruction programmes. If diplomacy does not move in the right direction - and we are hopeful today it will continue to do so - those measures will increase."

Mr Pompeo added: "President Trump recognises Chairman Kim's desire for security and is prepared to ensure that a North Korea free of weapons of mass destruction is also a secure North Korea.

US and North Korean officials held negotiations in Singapore yesterday in a bid to close the gap between both sides.

A White House spokesman cites the fact that the talks had "moved more quickly than expected" as the reason for the tight window for the meetings.

However, the North Korean leader set a deadline of Tuesday for ending the summit, prompting President Trump to move up his departure to Tuesday instead of Wednesday as planned, Bloomberg News reported last night.

Citing two U.S. officials familiar with the planning, Bloomberg said Trump had been willing to stay longer if negotiations were progressing, but since Kim set definite plans for departure, so did Trump.

The US wants sanctions to be lifted only once North Korea fully denuclearises, while Mr Kim's officials have voiced a preference for benefits to be phased in.

Mr Trump met the Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, thanking his "professionalism" in the summit's planning and expressing hope things could "work out very nicely".

Mr Kim, who like Mr Trump flew into the city-state on Sunday, was not seen for much of yesterday but his motorcade was spotted out in the city.

As well as bringing his own limousine and food, Mr Kim was reported to have brought his own portaloo to avoid his excretions being analysed for insights into his health."

North Korean state news announced the meeting yesterday - the first time the country's people had been told Mr Kim's summit with Mr Trump was definitely going ahead.

KCNA, the North Korean state media outlet, said that a "permanent and durable peace-keeping mechanism on the Korean Peninsula" would be discussed. ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]An Italian court has convicted a Polish man of kidnapping 20-year-old British model Chloe Ayling for ransom in a case that raised the spectre of young women being auctioned off online on encrypted websites.

Lukasz Herba (30) was jailed for 16 years, nine months in Milan.

According to prosecutors, Ms Ayling was lured with the promise of a modelling job last July, but was drugged when she showed up at a mocked-up photographic studio.

She was zipped inside a canvas bag and transported to a secluded farmhouse in neighbouring Piedmont.

There, she was held for six days before Herba released her at the British consulate in Milan, prosecutors said.

In a court declaration, Herba claimed was in love with Ms Ayling and they had concocted the kidnap plot to help her overcome financial difficulties after the birth of her son.Paris' bistros and terraces have launched a campaign to be recognised by the United Nations' cultural agency as a French way of life. AP Photo/Francois Mori

Owners of the bistros and terrace cafes that are integral to the Paris way of life want the "je ne sais quoi" of their establishments to be recognised as of broader value and endangered.

They have launched a campaign to be named by the United Nations' cultural agency as an "intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding".

Unesco has given that status to traditions as varied as a Mongolian camel-coaxing ritual, Iranian sailboat building and the sung prayers of indigenous Peruvians.

Members of a bistro owners association gathered at Le Mesturet in central Paris yesterday.

With its zinc counter, wooden tables and chairs and wine bottles for decoration, it is typical of the kind of establishment people were relaxing outside during the Paris terrorist attacks on November 13, 2015.

The association said the bistros of Paris play a key role in bringing people of all origins, religions, social classes and age together in a cheap, open place to drink a coffee or share a meal.

The bistros are also threatened by increasing rents and competition and their number has dropped by half in the past 20 years, the owners argued.

"Our most beautiful love and friendship stories were often born in bistros and on terraces," said Le Mesturet owner and association president Alain Fontaine.SOS Mediterranees Aquarius has been one the vessels at the heart of the mission to rescue refugees. Photo: Reuters

Spain offered yesterday to take in a rescue ship carrying more than 600 migrants after Italy and Malta refused.

The diplomatic stand-off had left the migrants stranded at sea and revealed the hard negotiating tactics of Italy's new anti-immigrant government.

Italy and Malta immediately thanked Spain's new Socialist prime minister for the offer to receive the SOS Mediterranee rescue ship Aquarius at the port of Valencia.

But it wasn't immediately clear if such a voyage was feasible given the distances involved - the ship is now more than 1,400km (more than 750 nautical miles) from Valencia.

The Aquarius said it had received no instructions yet to head to Spain.

The UN refugee agency, the European Union, Germany and humanitarian groups had all demanded the Mediterranean countries put their domestic politics aside and urgently consider the plight of the rescued migrants, which included children, pregnant women and people suffering from hypothermia.

"The duty of a democratic government is not to look away in a humanitarian crisis," said Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, who also offered her port as a potential solution to the standoff.

Medecins Sans Frontieres, which has staff aboard the Aquarius, said the rescued migrants were stable for now but food and water on the ship would run out by last night.

Some refugees were suffering from water in their lungs as well as chemical burns caused when gasoline mixes with seawater. Seven are pregnant.

But Italy and Malta held firm despite heavy diplomatic pressure, with Italy's new interior minister Matteo Salvini clearly using the high seas drama as a pretext to force the hand of Italy's European neighbours.

Italy has long demanded the EU change its migration policy and make good on promises to accept more refugees, saying Italy has been left alone to coordinate rescues and accept tens of thousands of migrants a year for asylum processing.

"Enough!" Mr Salvini said yesterday. "Saving lives is a duty, but transforming Italy into an enormous refugee camp isn't."

He tweeted: #Chiudiamoiporti. "We're closing the ports."

The migrants had been rescued from flimsy smugglers' boats by Italian maritime ships, cargo vessels and the Aquarius. All passengers were offloaded to the Aquarius to be taken to land.

Italy claimed Malta should accept the Aquarius because it had the safest, closest port to the ship. Malta said Italy co-ordinated the rescues and that it has had nothing to do with it.

Maltese premier Joseph Muscat accused Italy of violating international norms governing sea rescues and said its stance risked "creating a dangerous situation for all those involved".

Spain's new Socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez ordered authorities in Valencia to open the port, saying: "It's our duty to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe and offer a secure port for these people."

But it wasn't clear if the offer would be taken up given the trip would expose the migrants to several days more on the sea.Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un met on a red carpet, dozens of cameras recording their every move, as the world watched the first meeting of a sitting US president and North Korean leader.

Thirteen seconds. That is how long the American and North Korean leaders shook hands at the start of their summit in Singapore.

Smiling, Mr Trump grasped Mr Kims right arm as they shook hands, and then, later, took ahold of Mr Kims left arm as they turned to face the cameras and the world. The backdrop was a row of the two nations flags displayed side-by-side.

Mr Trump predicted that he and Mr Kim would have a terrific relationship as they met face to face for the first time.

After the one-on-one meeting, joined only by interpreters, Mr Trump said he was feeling really great. Were going to have a great discussion and a terrific relationship, he added.

As he and Mr Kim walked together along a balcony to a larger meeting with aides, the president described the meeting as very, very good, saying that the two have an excellent relationship.

Among those joining the leaders on the US side were Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, White House chief of staff John Kelly and national security adviser John Bolton. The North Korean delegation included Kim Yong Chol, a top aide to Mr Kim who recently met Mr Trump at the White House.

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At a train station in Seoul, the South Korean capital, people cheered and applauded as television screens broadcast the Trump-Kim handshake live.

The leaders concluded the summit by signing a joint document in which they committed to working towards the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.Italy has dispatched two ships to help take 629 migrants stuck off its shores to Spain after the new populist government refused them safe port in a bid to force Europe to share the burden of unrelenting arrivals.

The rescue ship Aquarius has been stuck since Saturday in international waters off the coast of Italy and Malta, both of which have refused it entry.

The ship is carrying 629 migrants including 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 children and six pregnant women.

Denying disembarkation to desperate people rescued at sea cannot be considered as a victory"#CentralMed: We are urging European Member States to facilitate immediate disembarkation of 629 people rescued over the weekend and now on board the #Aquarius https://t.co/6fhQsHqN7z pic.twitter.com/67iyP0u9Rj  MSF International (@MSF) June 12, 2018

Aid group Doctors Without Borders, which operates the Aquarius with SOS Mediterranee, urged Italy and Malta to reconsider their refusal to allow the stranded migrants landfall and then safe passage by other means to Spain, which has responded to the plight with an offer of safe harbour.

The aid group warned of severe health risks to a significant number of the passengers.

Italys new anti-migrant interior minister Matteo Salvini is making good on a campaign pledge to close Italian ports to non-governmental organisations that pick up migrants at sea, which he has likened to taxi services for migrant smugglers.

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Mr Salvini, whose League party is part of the populist coalition that took office this month, promised voters that other European countries would be made to share the burden of caring for asylum-seekers arriving in Italy on unseaworthy boats mostly from lawless Libya, while taking particular aim at the aid vessels.

These are all foreign ships flying foreign flags that bring this human cargo to Italy, Mr Salvini told private television La7.

We have hosted 650,000 migrants in recent years alone, all of whom pass by Malta, an EU country, and the government says, Ciao, Ciao, go to Italy. I am happy to have given a small first response.

While Mr Salvini turned away the Aquarius, an Italian coastguard vessel with more than 900 migrants rescued in seven operations is expected to reach Italys shores on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, hundreds of migrants aboard the Aquarius were being transferred to ships operated by the Italian navy and coastguard, which are then to accompany the aid ship to the Spanish port of Valencia.

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Many remained on the deck of the overcrowded rescue ship and were told their safety was at risk for the longer voyage given the forecast of bad weather, said SOS Mediterranee spokeswoman Mathilde Auvillain.

The Italian coastguard said fresh provisions had been delivered to the Aquarius on Tuesday.

Officials in Valencia said they expected the ship to arrive in three to four days, depending on when they depart and weather conditions.

The new Spanish foreign minister said Spains decision in accepting the migrant ship is also meant to push European Union leaders to address the blocs migration policies later this month at an EU summit.

Spain has made a gesture that aims to trigger a European dynamic to stop looking away, allowing one (EU member) to cope with the problem while the rest of us pass the buck, Josep Borrell said.

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The decision to offer a docking port in the eastern city of Valencia had been a personal and direct move by the countrys new prime minister, the Socialist Pedro Sanchez.

Many Spanish regions and cities have offered to provide long-term support to the migrants, said Valencias regional vice president Monica Oltra.

The Red Cross is preparing shelter and medical assistance to meet immediate needs on their arrival.The UN humanitarian agency's top official for Syria expressed concerns yesterday about recent airstrikes in rebel-held Idlib province, warning that "we may have not seen the worst of the crisis" in Syria even after seven years of war.

Panos Moumtzis of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said military escalation could make Idlib's situation "much more complicated and brutal" than other conflict zones in Syria.

Over the past years, tens of thousands of Syrians have been displaced from other parts of Syria into Idlib that borders Turkey. The latest waves of opposition fighters and their families came from eastern suburbs of Damascus known as eastern Ghouta, northern parts of Homs province as well as southern neighbourhoods of the capital that were recently taken by government forces and allies.

Mr Moumtzis' comments came three days after an airstrike on the northwestern village of Zardana killed more than 40 people in one of the deadliest attacks in Idlib province this year.

On Sunday, activists said at least 10 people were killed in airstrikes in Taftanaz, also in Idlib, while five others were killed in nearby towns Binnish, Ariha and Ram Hemdan.

Mr Moumtzis said that 920,000 people were displaced within Syria between January and April, the highest number of any four-month span since the war began.

"With this escalation, with this deterioration, we worry about seeing really two-and-a-half million people becoming displaced more and more toward the border of Turkey if this is to continue," Mr Moumtzis said.

"There is no other location to further move them," he said, adding that also in terms of the humanitarian assessment "we see that more than 80pc of the population of Idlib really is in an extremely vulnerable situation".

OCHA is on "high alert" for possible further displacement among the estimated two-and-a-half million people in Idlib, adding: "There is no place left to go" within Syria.

Wouter Schaap, the Syria director of Care, a leading humanitarian organisation, said the figure of 920,000 people displaced "is shocking, and shows that the war in Syria is far from being over. People are still fleeing bombings and shelling in bigger numbers than ever, and seeking protection and assistance far from home".

Mr Schaap said Care have seen it firsthand this year, when tens of thousands of civilians had to leave their homes in eastern Ghouta and northern parts of Homs province "to find refuge in overcrowded shelters". ( Associated Press)U.S. President Donald Trump blows out a candle on a cake celebrating an early birthday during lunch with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore. (Ministry of Communications and Information Singapore via AP)

US President Donald Trump and North Korean autocrat Kim Jong-un have arrived in Singapore ahead of the big show - an unprecedented meeting between Washington and Pyongyang's leaders that could, if things go well, pave the way for a historic rapprochement and the eventual end of the last major frozen conflict of the Cold War.

While their summit is this week's headline event, the opening act left many observers fearing the worst.

Trump's two-day stop in Quebec for a meeting with the leaders of the Group of Seven industrial nations was exactly the fiasco many feared. On Friday, Trump told reporters that Russia should be welcomed back into the group, which ejected Moscow after its 2014 annexation of Crimea.

On Saturday evening, after leaving early to head to Singapore, Trump said he was pulling out of the summit's joint communique because of comments by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Trump tweeted: "Based on Justin's false statements at his news conference, and the fact that Canada is charging massive Tariffs to our US farmers, workers and companies, I have instructed our US Reps not to endorse the communique as we look at tariffs on automobiles flooding the US Market!

"PM Justin Trudeau of Canada acted so meek and mild during our G7 meetings only to give a news conference after I left saying that, 'US tariffs were kind of insulting' and he 'will not be pushed around.' Very dishonest and weak. Our tariffs are in response to his of 270pc on dairy!"

According to accounts of the G7 meeting, officials from other members of the bloc confronted Trump with a torrent of statistics about the importance of the US-authored international order and the merits of free trade. They watered down the joint communique - scaling back comments on issues of climate and other concerns of the liberal order - in a bid to get Trump on board. But after briefly relenting, he shrugged off these many facts in favour of his feelings, sticking to his protectionist instincts.

A host of analysts argued that Trump's view of global trade (and posturing over Canada's own tariffs) was both misguided and ahistorical. "Right now, the level of tariffs on trade in goods around the world is lower than it has been for 150 years," said Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, to the 'Financial Times', "and that is due to the path of US policy over the last 75 years".

A now-iconic image, first circulated by aides of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, showed a tense scene in which world leaders confronted Trump. The tableau, likened to a Baroque painting, was hailed by Trump's allies and detractors alike.

John Bolton tweeted: "Just another #G7where other countries expect America will always be their bank. The President made it clear today. No more."

Guy Verhofstadt tweeted: "Just tell us what Vladimir has on you. Maybe we can help."

The rancour cemented the impression that Trump is actively unravelling the unity of the West.

"How is it possible to work this way if once you have agreed to something, two hours later the guy decides he doesn't agree with what he agreed with?" said Francois Heisbourg, a former French presidential national security adviser.

"Is there any space for a multilateral order under these circumstances?"

Trump, of course, is not interested in talk of multilateralism. His decision to meet Kim in Singapore is almost entirely drawn from a desire for personal glory. Far more satisfying than a turgid annual summit and the lecturing of other leaders, it's an opportunity to make genuine history and, as Trump himself suggested, perhaps win a Nobel Prize.

In that vein, Trump has a lot in common with his counterpart from Pyongyang. "Thin-skinned alphas, both men are wedded to a go-it-alone leadership style, have a penchant for bombast and are determined to project dominance when they finally meet," wrote my colleague Philip Rucker.

Kim "constantly feels like he has to prove himself and, in that sense, he's going to do what no other North Korean leader has done, and that is command an audience with the president of the United States," said Victor Cha, a national security official in the George W Bush administration and former nominee to be Trump's ambassador in Seoul.

"And for Trump, this is the only diplomacy he's doing in the whole world right now. Everywhere else he's either walking out of agreements or sanctioning countries... this is Trump's only chance to make a mark as a statesman."

But this impulse, experts caution, is precisely what may undermine a lasting agreement.

"This mix of reality TV antics and Trumpian disruption has characterised the entire run-up to the summit, generating endless TV talking-points, but little actual movement on the technical issues," noted Robert Kelly, a professor of international affairs at Pusan National University in South Korea.

"Indeed, Trump's bragging about how he had forced the North Koreans to agree to talks and the speculation about a Nobel almost certainly worsened the negotiations."

Many analysts believe the meeting will be heavy on theatrics and light on substance. The two sides may come up with a statement that includes commitments to North Korean "denuclearisation" and a process that could lead to a formal peace treaty with South Korea.

But scepticism abounds over the possibility of monitoring North Korea's nuclear programme - not to mention Pyongyang's willingness to follow through on its promises. ( The Washington Post)The motorcade of US President Donald Trump travels towards Sentosa for his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in Singapore

Official cameramen follow the motorcade of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un travels towards Sentosa for his meeting with US President Donald Trump, in Singapore

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands ahead of their meeting at Capella Hotel in Singapore. Photo: AP

The motorcade of US President Donald Trump travels towards Sentosa for his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in Singapore

The motorcade of US President Donald Trump travels towards Sentosa for his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in Singapore

The motorcade of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un travels towards Sentosa for his meeting with US President Donald Trump, in Singapore

A motorcade transporting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un drives towards the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island for his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Singapore

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. Photo: AP

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore

U.S. President Donald Trump reaches to shake hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. Photo: AP

US President Donald Trump walks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore

US President Donald Trump sits next to North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un before their bilateral meeting at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore. Photo: Reuters

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walk after lunch at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

U. S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un during their first meetings at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shook hands and smiled as they started a historic summit on Tuesday, just months after they traded insults and threats of nuclear war.

For both men, the summit, the first between leaders of North Korea and the United States, is likely to be a defining moment of their careers.

The meeting would have been unthinkable last year when tensions spiralled in the region over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes as it raced toward the goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States.

Trump vowed to prevent that happening and threatened North Korea with "fire and fury like the world has never seen". He mocked Kim as "little rocket man" on a suicide mission.

Kim denounced the US president as the "mentally deranged US dotard" who would be "tamed ... with fire".

But once North Korea conducted an underground test of a thermonuclear bomb last September, Trump began taking Kim more seriously.

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Trump can look back to President Richard Nixon's 1972 trip to China, when the ardent anti-communist defied conventional wisdom to meet Chairman Mao Zedong, irrevocably shifting the Cold War balance and setting China on a path to opening up.

Trump and his senior officials have in recent weeks been referring to Kim as "Chairman".

For Trump, cutting a deal to end the North Korean nuclear threat with his approach to Kim, in defiance of the U.S. security establishment's long-held ways of dealing with the North, would be a success unmatched by any predecessors.

It would justify his supporters' faith in his art of deal-making and allow him to repudiate the naysayers with a foreign-policy success he will be able to hail. Some supporters have said he could win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Expand Close People gather in the WABar to watch a broadcast on television as U.S. President Donald Trump meets North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the Korea Town section of Manhattan, New York, U.S., June 11, 2018. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly / Facebook

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For Kim, about half Trump's age and representing the third generation of North Korea's ruling dynasty, the summit affords both him and his long-isolated country the international legitimacy his father and grandfather could only dream of.

North Korea has faced years of economic sanctions over its nuclear and missile programmes since it conducted its first nuclear test in 2006.

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'TRUMP MODEL'

Trump and Kim could agree on a declaration to end the 1950-53 Korean War, the fire in which his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, forged the North Korean state. The war was concluded with a truce, not a peace treaty, but a treaty will also have to include China, which was party to the armistice.

The young Kim is reviled as an international pariah over the 2017 murder in Malaysia of his half-brother, and the execution of hundreds of officials, including his uncle, for suspected disloyalty.

But he will win legitimacy with the handshake.

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A successful summit could also herald momentous changes in the security landscape of northeast Asia, in a similar way to how the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 changed Europe.

For China, peace on the Korean peninsula would benefit regional development, especially that of its northeastern rustbelt.

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While China has broadly supported the summit, it will want to protect its interests. North Korea has always been a useful buffer between China and U.S. forces in South Korea.

Japan will also be watching with ambivalence - happy to see the sabre-rattling ending but worried its security might be sacrificed in Trump's rush to neutralise the North Korean threat to the United States.

Three weeks ago, the summit seemed doomed.

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Whatsapp U. S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (Kevin Lim/The Straits Times via AP)

Trump said on May 24 he was scrapping it after threats by North Korea to pull out over what it saw as confrontational remarks by US officials demanding unilateral disarmament.

North Korea had earlier criticised U.S. national security adviser John Bolton, who had called for North Korea to quickly give up its nuclear arsenal in a deal that would mirror Libya's abandonment of its programme for weapons of mass destruction.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was deposed and killed by NATO-backed militants in 2011 after halting his nascent nuclear programme and North Korea has long rejected any suggestion of a Libya model.

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Trump later dismissed the Libya model. Instead his spokeswoman, Sarah Sanders, spoke of "the President Trump model".

"Hes going to run this the way he sees fit," Sanders told Fox News.In this handout provided by the Ministry of Communications and Information of Singapore, U.S. President Donald Trump (R) with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (L) on June 11, 2018 in Singapore, Singapore. Photo by Ministry of Communications and Information Singapore/via Getty Images

President Donald Trump has said he thinks "things can work out very nicely" with North Korea on the eve of his historic summit with Kim Jong Un.

Mr Trump expressed optimism about Tuesday's meeting during a working lunch with Singapore's prime minister Lee Hsien Loong and aides to both leaders.

Mr Trump said: "We've got a very interesting meeting in particular tomorrow, and I think things can work out very nicely."

He also told Mr Lee the decision to hold the summit in the island city-state of Singapore was "made very consciously" and offered thanks.

Mr Trump told Mr Lee that "we appreciate your hospitality and professionalism and your friendship".

US president Donald Trump has said "we will all know soon" whether he can reach a deal with North Korea's Kim Jong Un to end its nuclear programme.

Tweeting hours before the leaders' historic face-to-face summit, Mr Trump said: "Meetings between staffs and representatives are going well and quickly....but in the end, that doesn't matter. We will all know soon whether or not a real deal, unlike those of the past, can happen!"

In another tweet, he added: "The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the U.S., say the haters & losers. We have our hostages, testing, research and all missle launches have stoped, and these pundits, who have called me wrong from the beginning, have nothing else they can say! We will be fine!"

While Trump was optimistic about prospects for the first-ever meeting of sitting U.S. and North Korean leaders, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo injected a note of caution, saying it remained to be seen if Kim was sincere about his willingness to denuclearise.

Officials of the two sides held last-minute talks to lay the groundwork for the summit of the old foes, an event almost unthinkable just months ago, when they were exchanging insults and threats that raised fears of war.

Trump will hold a one-on-one meeting with Kim on the resort island of Sentosa, before they are joined by officials and have lunch together, the White House has said.Donald Trump's chief economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, has suffered a "very mild" heart attack, the White House said.

Mr Kudlow was being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre in Bethesda, Maryland, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters in Singapore.

She said Mr Kudlow was in good condition and "doing well".

Mr Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, had joined President Donald Trump last week in Canada for the meeting of the G7 world leaders.

Minutes before Mr Trump met with North Korea's Kim Jong Un in Singapore, the president tweeted, "Our Great Larry Kudlow, who has been working so hard on trade and the economy, has just suffered a heart attack."

Our Great Larry Kudlow, who has been working so hard on trade and the economy, has just suffered a heart attack. He is now in Walter Reed Medical Center.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2018

On Sunday, Mr Kudlow appeared on CNN to back up Mr Trump's complaint that he had been blindsided by Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau's criticism of his tariff threats.

The meeting, which had been shadowed by the Trump administration's escalation of rhetoric on trade and tariffs, splintered shortly after the president left Quebec and tweeted he was pulling back his approval of a joint G7 statement.

Mr Kudlow previously served in the Reagan administration and emerged as a leading evangelist for tax cuts and smaller government.

The famously pinstripe-suited Mr Kudlow succeeded Gary Cohn, a former Goldman Sachs executive who left the post in a dispute over Mr Trump's decision to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminium.

With Mr Trump's tax cuts already being implemented, Mr Kudlow has been advising a president who pushed to tax foreign imports - a policy Mr Kudlow personally opposes.

Mr Kudlow said he is "in accord" with Mr Trump's agenda and his team at the White House would help implement the policies set by the president.Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un have concluded an extraordinary nuclear summit with the US president pledging unspecified security guarantees to the North and Mr Kim recommitting to the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

Meeting with staged ceremony on a Singapore island, the pair came together for a summit that seemed unthinkable months ago, clasping hands in front of a row of alternating US and North Korean flags, holding a one-on-one meeting, additional talks with advisers and a working lunch.

Both leaders expressed optimism throughout roughly five hours of talks and, speaking at a news conference after the meeting, Mr Trump thanked Mr Kim for taking the first bold step toward a bright new future for his people.

The president said real change is indeed possible and he is prepared to start a new history and write a new chapter between the two nations, adding: The past does not have to define the future.

Mr Trump added during a free-flowing news conference that Mr Kim has an opportunity like no other to bring his country back into the community of nations if he agrees to give up his nuclear programme.

The president announced he will freeze US military war games with ally South Korea while negotiations between the two countries continue. He cast the decision as a cost-saving measure, but Pyongyang has long objected to the drills as a security threat.

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Mr Trump acknowledged that the timetable for denuclearisation is long, but said: Once you start the process it means its pretty much over.

The president acknowledged that US intelligence on the North Korean nuclear stockpile is limited, probably less there than any other country, but added: We have enough intelligence to know that what they have is very substantial.

Mr Trump sidestepped his public praise for an autocrat whose people have been oppressed for decades. He added that Otto Warmbier, an American once detained in North Korea, did not die in vain because his death brought about the nuclear talks.

Mr Trump said Mr Kim accepted his invitation to visit the White House at the appropriate time.

Light on specifics, the document signed by the leaders largely amounted to an agreement to continue discussions as it echoed previous public statements and past commitments.

It did not include an agreement to take steps towards ending the technical state of warfare between the US and North Korea.

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The pair promised in the document to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean peninsula and to repatriate the remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action during the Korean War.

Language on North Koreas bombs was similar to what the leaders of North and South Korea came up with at their own summit in April.

At the time, the Koreans faced criticism for essentially kicking the issue of North Koreas nuclear arsenal down the road to the Singapore summit.

Mr Trump and Mr Kim even directly referenced the so-called Panmunjom Declaration, which contained a weak commitment to denuclearisation and no specifics on how to achieve it.Donald Trump says Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has learned a lesson after criticising him, and it will cost Canada a lot of money.

At a news conference on Tuesday after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the US president recounted his recent exchanges with Mr Trudeau.

He said the Canadian leader must not have realised Mr Trump had televisions on Air Force One, allowing him to monitor Mr Trudeaus news conference at the end of the G7 summit.

He learned. Thats going to cost a lot of money for the people of Canada. He learned, Mr Trump said, wagging his finger. You cant do that. You cant do that.

The president said he was annoyed by Mr Trudeaus comments about not letting Canada get pushed around.

I see (on) the television that hes giving a news conference about how he will not be pushed around by the United States. And I say, push him around? We just shook hands. It was very friendly, Mr Trump said.

The president said he had a good relationship with Justin. I really did.

But he called Mr Trudeau dishonest and weak in tweets following the summit on Saturday.

Trump advisers also took up the attack in appearances on Sundays news shows, levelling more withering and unprecedented criticism against Mr Trudeau, branding him a backstabber unworthy of Mr Trumps time.

Theres a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door, trade adviser Peter Navarro said.

Asked about Mr Trumps remarks in the Canadian parliament on Tuesday, Mr Trudeau said he supports his efforts on North Korea and looks forward to the details of the agreement.

On his comments, Im going to stay focused on defending jobs for Canadians and supporting Canadian industries, Mr Trudeau said before walking away from reporters.

Mr Trump also commented at the news conference on the viral photo taken of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and others standing before him.

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Mr Trump said it was snapped as they waited for changes he had requested to the communique he ended up pulling out of.

He said it didnt look friendly but it was very friendly.U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

The first ever meeting of a US President and a North Korean leader has ended in Singapore and left a seemingly hypnotised world with a wealth of questions and plenty of interesting quotes.

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Kim Jong Un appeared upbeat at the prospects for peace on the peninsula after the summit.

"We overcame all kinds of scepticism and speculations about this summit and I believe that this is good for the peace," he said. "I believe this is a good prelude for peace."

Addressing photographers, the American President said:

"Very nice. Getting a good picture everyone, so we all look nice and handsome and thin...perfect."

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South Korean leader Moon Jae-in was barely able to sleep the night before.

"I too, got little sleep last night," he said. "I truly hope it will be a successful summit that will open a new age for the two Koreas and the United States and bring us complete denuclearisation and peace."

Immediately following the meeting Trump said:

"A lot of progress - really very positive. I think better than anybody could have expected. Top of the line, very good."

He also revealed that:

From the beginning we got along.

If you think that the meeting seems stranger than fiction don't worry so did the North Korean leader.

"I think the entire world is watching this moment. Many people in the world will think of this as a scene from a fantasy...science fiction movie."

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The art of the deal was on show.

You know in the first second. Ok sometimes that doesnt work out, but sometimes it does," Trump said.

I know when somebody wants to deal ... I just feel, my instinct, my talent, he says. I think he wants to make a deal. We will know very soon because the negotiations are continuing, he added.

With reference to the Korean war Trump said.

"The past does not have to define the future... we can replace the horrors of battle with the blessings of peace."

He also said that he discussed the regime's notorious human rights record with the Chairman.

We did discuss it today, pretty stronglyWell be doing something on it. Its rough in a lot of places, he said.

Trump was full of praise for his new-found friend:

"Kim will be remembered as the leader who ushered in a glorious new era of security and prosperity for his people," he said.

And, finally, there may be a visit to the White House on the cards.

Donald Trump also said Kim Jong Un has accepted his invitation to visit the White House sometime in the future. And the American president said he will also visit Pyongyang "at the appropriate time."'A force field against the Keystone XL Pipeline'

Ponca tribes secure return of ancestral land during annual corn planting ceremonyBy Kevin Abourezk

NELIGH, Nebraska  They stuck their hands into the ground, poking small holes into the fine sand and filling each hole with a single seed.

They did this in the Sandhills of northeast Nebraska, more than 100 people standing in a long line stretching from one end of the field to the other. A sweltering sun beat down, and a strong wind blew the trees and grass.

When they finished one section, they moved to the next until the entire field was filled with the seeds of the Ponca peoples sacred red corn. In a few months, many of them will return to harvest the corn and in doing so will help the Ponca people revive their traditional foods and culture.

For the fifth year, farmers, friends, family and Native people planted the Poncas sacred corn on Art and Helen Tanderups land on Sunday. Nearly 200 people filled the couples farm to participate in the corn planting and to celebrate a transfer of land from the Tanderups to the Ponca tribes of Oklahoma and Nebraska.

Indianz.Com Video by Kevin Abourezk: Ponca Plant Seeds of Resistance, Sacred Corn

The Tanderups' farm is located on the Ponca Trail of Tears, the path the tribe took 141 years ago when the federal government forcibly removed them from their land in northeast Nebraska and sent them to live in Indian Territory in Oklahoma. The farm is also along the proposed path of the Keystone XL Pipeline, a controversial project opposed by environmentalists and landowners along its path.

The 1,179-mile pipeline would link the oil fields of Canadas Alberta province to refineries in the United States. Former President Barack Obama rejected the project, but President Donald Trump reversed that decision after gaining office in 2017.

But Nebraska has remained a hurdle for the project , and the Nebraska Public Service Commission didn't approve a route for the Keystone XL until November. However, the route the commission approved wasnt TransCanadas preferred route, and attorneys for the pipelines opponents have argued the commission didnt have the authority to consider anything but the companys originally requested route.

Jane Kleeb, chairwoman of the Nebraska Democratic Party and president of the Bold Alliance, said she is hopeful the Tanderups decision to grant land in the path of the Keystone XL to the Ponca tribes will further complicate the project.

From left: Larry Wright Jr. (Ponca Tribe of Nebraska), Casey Camp-Horinek (Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma), Helen Tanderup and Art Tanderup, and sit at a table on June 10, 2018, in a cornfield near Neligh, Nebraska, before signing a deed handing a 1.62-acre portion of the Tanderup's farm to the Ponca tribes of Oklahoma and Nebraska. Jane Kleeb of Bold Alliance is seen standing next to Wright. Photo by Kevin Abourezk

When TransCanada eventually requests eminent domain over the Tanderup's land, the company also will have to fight the two tribes who now own part of that land as well, Kleeb told those who gathered for the sacred corn planting ceremony on Sunday.

That land transfer not only protects the sacred ground and the certified corn weve been planting, but it also protects the Ponca Trail of Tears and more importantly serves as a force field against the Keystone XL Pipeline, she said.

Before the deed signing Sunday, people ate salads, pulled pork sandwiches and cake and listened to candidates for elected office speak.

Afterward, they jumped on a flatbed trailer attached to a tractor and rode a mile or so to the corn field where the sacred corn was to be planted. An older Native man followed the tractor while beating a drum and singing.

In the corn field, people watched as two Native grass dancers performed to the sound of drumming.

Nathan Phillips of the Omaha Tribe sings and plays drum while following a flatbed trailer carrying people headed to a cornfield to plant seeds as part of the fifth annual Ponca sacred corn planting ceremony on the Tanderup's farm near Neligh, Nebraska on Sunday. Photo by Kevin Abourezk

Nathan Phillips of the Omaha Tribe performs a grass dance at fifth annual Ponca sacred corn planting ceremony on the Tanderups' farm near Neligh, Nebraska on June 10, 2018. Photo by Kevin Abourezk

At a table covered by a buffalo hide, officials for the Ponca tribes of Oklahoma and Nebraska joined Art and Helen Tanderup as they signed the deed for the land.

If you dont know it, you are actually standing right over where they want to dig that trench, Art Tanderup said before signing the deed for 1.62-acre property. Its right here folks. Its right here, and we know its never going to happen. Were going to stop them. Were going to kill that black snake once and for all.

Helen Tanderup then signed the deed, and Casey Camp-Horinek, a councilwoman for the Ponca Nation of Oklahoma , began to sign but then paused, overcome by emotion.

She began to cry, and then thanked God for the day.

My children back here, theyre all named for those who walked this trail youre standing on, and when we call their names, were calling those spirits, and theyre here with us this day, she said.

Larry Wright Jr., chairman of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska , said the deed signing represented yet another step in his peoples long journey home that began with Chief Standing Bears decision to leave Oklahoma with some of his people in 1879 and return to Nebraska.

Even after they made it back to Nebraska, the Ponca peoples fight continued following the federal governments decision to terminate the tribe 54 years ago. The tribe was reinstated in 1990.

When we talk about these issues on eminent domain, the Ponca Tribe is painfully aware of what can happen, how the federal government can make up its mind to erase a nation, to erase a people, Wright said, shortly before signing the deed.

He said his tribe is preparing to purchase nearly 1,800 acres of its ancestral homelands along the Niobrara River, land that includes Standing Bears grave.

One day, well plant Ponca corn there, he said.

Larry Wright Jr. (right) speaks at the fifth annual Ponca sacred corn planting ceremony on the Tanderup's farm near Neligh, Nebraska on Sunday.

Join the ConversationFrom past few months gangster Sampat Nehra has been plotting Salman Khan's murder. He had done a recce and had been planning the execution since months. It all came to limelight after he was arrested.

Sampat Nehra is a sharpshooter, it is being said. He was working with the gang of Hyderabads Lawrence Bishnoi, who had also threatened to kill Salman Khan during his appearance at the Jodhpur court for his alleged role in blackbuck killing case.

BCCL

Sampat Nehra was arrested in Hyderabad by Special Task Force (STF) with Lawrence Bishnois gang of Rajasthan. That is when his plans of killing Salman Khan were revealed. And now, Salman Khans security at his home has been beefed up.

We have enhanced the overall security of Salman Khan. Police will be present around his apartment to make sure no nefarious activity is done by the gang from Rajasthan, a Mumbai Police official confirmed.

The gang has become quite notorious in Rajasthan and has several cases registered against them in Haryana-Punjab belt. According to India Today, the gang is also active on social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp. "We received a tip-off to track social networking apps through a source and accordingly his activities came under surveillance of STF," the report quoted an official as saying.

(Also Read: Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi Openly Threats Salman Khan, Says He'll Be Killed In Jodhpur)Books are amazing in the way they have the power to change the way you look at the world. They give you the opportunity to get lost in another world, learn some lessons from the characters and once you're done reading the very last sentence, you almost feel like you're losing a companion.

Books make for the best companions and that's exactly what you need with yourself while you're travelling. If you have a trip coming up and don't know which book to pick out, don't fret. We've got these suggestions for you:

1. Paper Towns

Written by John Green, here's a great read if you're a wild soul who refuses to settle down and that part of your personality is the reason you love to travel. Quentin is a boy in love with Margo who takes his help for playing pranks on her high school friends who have betrayed her. However, she disappears after that and through the help of some clues, Quentin gets on a journey of finding her. Makes for quite a refreshing read and the end is quite a lesson for us all.

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2. Eat, Pray, Love

A lot of us take a vacation when some major change happens in life and you need time to absorb it all while discovering yourself. Be it a breakup, job change or even just feeling confused about life, Eat Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert is the perfect read. The story revolves around a woman who has just gotten divorced and is trying to discover her own personality. This search for herself takes her to Italy, India and Bali.

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3. The Catcher in the Rye

So many of us stay far away from home and when you're travelling back, we say you get yourself a copy of The Catcher in the Rye. Written by J. D. Salinger, the novel's protagonist will remind you of your own rebellious teenage when you didn't have a worry in the world. The story begins with Holden, the protagonist, getting expelled from his boarding school. He doesn't want to be at home when his parents find out about the expulsion and hence, he embarks on a journey of his own. This one will take you on a rather nostalgic journey.

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4. The Motorcycle Diaries

Here's a classic you need to read if you love not just travelling but doing so on your beasty bike. These are the diaries written by Che Guevara as he travelled across South America on his bike. You should pick this up especially if you've just developed the biker's wanderlust and want to know all about that life.

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5. Mud, Sweat and Tears

A must-read for anyone who loves to travel to the mountains, this is the autobiography of Bear Grylls. He writes quite eloquently of recovering from a broken back and then completing his journey to become one of the youngest climbers to have scaled Mount Everest.

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6. Into The Wild

If you're really into travelling, this is a must-read. The plot revolves around a young boy who was chasing enlightenment. The chase takes him deep into the Alaskan wilderness and while the end is sad, it is a great lesson for those who see travel as a way of finding themselves.

Pinterest

7. The Alchemist

Another philosophical outlook towards the idea of a journey changing your life, Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist follows the journey of a boy who believes there's more to life than his simple, humble life. He follows his dreams which he assumes are guiding him to a treasure. His experiences, the knowledge he gathers and the people he meets truly change his life.The people in Hong Kong left flabbergasted on Wednesday when they saw North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hugging the US President Donald Trump on the streets of Hong Kong. The lookalikes of the two leaders known for being mavericks did make the people of Hong King turn their heads.

Reuters

"Die, America, die," shouted the Kim lookalike, a Hong Kong-based Australian musician who gave only his first name, Howard, as he swaggered in the young leader's trademark black uniform.

Another 66-year-old American Musician, Denis Alan played Trump pouted in reply whole taking the insults done by stride.

Reuters

Alan took thrice the time what Howard to took the guise himself as Kim Jong. Alan took one and half hours to spread layer after layers of orange foundation on his face and getting the hair stylist to affix the tailor-made wig.

While some would call it tongue-in-cheek, the Kim impersonator praised the newly elected president Trump and said that two nationals could finally be friends as finally both the countries are led by dictators.

Reuters

"I think he's a great leader and he's much like me, a dictator," Howard was quoted by Reuters.

"And I think with that in mind he's going to turn the United States into North Korea 2.0. So we're going to be great friends."

Reuters

On New Year's Day, the North Korean leader said his country was close to test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile, which suggested the United States could be in range. "It won't happen," Trump riposted on social network Twitter at the time.

But on Wednesday, the two leaders' lookalikes had only one decree for the people of Hong Kong  no selfies allowed.All eyes were on the historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that took place today in Singapore.

The US is an ally to South Korea, the other half of the Korean Peninsula divided by the Americans and Soviets in 1945. The peninsula was the part of Japanese empire and after its defeat in WW-II, the two powers divided it between North and South Koreas and drew 38 Parallel in between.

afp

The Korean War which started in 1950 between North and South with their Soviet and American allies respectively supporting them stopped in 1953 after five million casualties.

Times changed China became powerful and Soviets fell, the US became lone superpower after Soviet fell in 1991 and all the geo-political events made North Korea a failed state with massive army suspecting an annihilation.

Thus the quest for nuclear weapons which are considered a great deterrent as many states such as the Israel, India and Pakistan acquired them, made North Korea, an enemy of the West.

Here is the timeline of the events since 1970s when North Korea started the nuclear programme.

1. Late 1970s: North Korea begins working on its own version of the Scud missile with a range of 300 kilometres (185 miles). It is test-fired for the first time in 1984.

afp

2. Late 1980s, North Korea started developing Rodong-1 (range 1300 km), Taepodong-1 (2500 km), Musudan-1 (3,000 km) and Taepodong-2 (6700 km) missiles.

3. August 1998: The Taepodong-1 rocket is test fired over Japan is what it called a satellite launch, but the West took it as a missile test.

4. July 2000- The fifth round of talks between the US and North Korea ended without a result after North Korea demanded $ 1 billion a year in return for halting its missile exports.

5. March 2005: Pyongyang ends its moratorium on long-range missile testing, blaming the hostile policy pursued by the administration of the US president George W. Bush.

6. October 2006: North Korea conducts its first underground nuclear test.

afp

7. May 2009, Hermit Kingdom conducted it second nuclear test, several times more assertive and capable then the first one.

8. December 2012, North Korea successfully places an observational satellite into orbit

9. January 2016: After conducting the third underground nuclear test in 2013, in 2016, North Korea claimed to have tested a hydrogen bomb, the claim doubted by most experts in the West. In April of the same, it test a missile which could be launched from the submarine.

10. July 2016, The US threatens to deploy an advanced missile defence system-the THAAD in defence of ally Seoul. In response, North Korea fired a ballistic missile directly into Japans maritime zone for the first time.

11. September 2016: North Korea conducted the fifth nuclear test. And in March 2017 fired four ballistic missiles in what it claimed is capable of hitting US bases in Japan. Next day The US deployed THAAD in South Korea and in May the missile defence system THAAD became operational.

afp

12. May 2017: North Korea fired a ballistic missile that flies 700 km before landing in the Sea of Japan. Analysts say it has a theoretical range of 4,500 kilometres (2,800 miles) and brings the US territory of Guam within reach.

13. July 2017, North Korea tested Hwasong-14, the ICBM which bought Alaska in range. In the same month, it launched another missile with the range of 10,000 km which bought the whole of continental US in range.

14. August 2017, North Korea test-fired another missile over Japan, prompting the Japanese government to warn its people to take cover.

15. September 2017, Kim Jong Un led North Korea conducted most powerful nuclear, sixth in line generating an earthquake of 6.3 magnitudes. The Japanese analysts estimated that device contained 160 kilotons of explosive making it 10 times more powerful than the bomb dropped in Hiroshima in 1945. North Korea also claimed that it has developed miniaturised H-bomb that can be put into a missile.

reuters

16. November 2017: North Korea announces the successful launch of a Hwasong-15 ICBM, which Pyongyang says now puts all of the US mainlands in its missile range.

17. December 22, 2017, The US Security Council unanimously votes to impose new sanctions on North Korea after missile tests, limiting its oil imports and demanding the repatriation of North Koreans working abroad.

18. March 2018, North Korea accepts to freeze nuclear project and start talks with neighbour South Korea.

19. April 2018, CIA director Mike Pompeo, now secretary of state, makes a top-secret trip to North Korea to meet with Kim Jong Un.

20. May 2018, Donald Trump announced June 12 as the date of meeting between two leaders. Hours later North Korea released three US citizens. As a goodwill gesture, North Korea dismantles its nuclear site -Punggye-ri.

afp

And thus, the world has fixed its nerves and eyes on Singapore.The parents of students of Greenwood High School in Bengaluru are protesting after the management allegedly forced them to buy meals from the canteen and barred them from bringing food from home.

This they allege is apart from the 25 per cent annual fee hike the school announced at the beginning of the academic year.

The parents on Saturday staged a protest in front of the school demanding the decision to be withdrawn.

Divya, one of the protesting parent told Indiatimes that the school has been increasing the annual fees arbitrary every year.

"When I got my child admitted here the annual fees was Rs 1 lakhs. Now over the years it has gone up to Rs 3 lakhs for a year," she said.

She also alleged that from this academic year the school has told students that they have to buy meals from the school canteen.

"They are now forcing children to buy food from the school. Students have been told that they cannot bring food from home. But one parent told me that the principal told them that if they pay a sum of Rs 40,000 their child will be allowed bring home food," she said.

The protesting parents are now seeking the help of state chief minister HD Kumaraswamy to roll back the fee-hike which they say is unreasonable.

"It is not just our children or one school. We want the state government and Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy intervene and regulate the fees in all private schools," Divya said.

Following Saturday's protest, the school principal has reportedly told parents that student will be allowed to bring home food and the issue of fee hike will be take up with the management.

This is not the first time in recent days schools in Bengaluru have been accused of overcharging the students.

Baldwin group of schools in the city is now facing an inquiry after parents alleged that the school was forcing them to buy books from a particular vendor.

BCCL

A parents association complained that schools under the group have been collecting money for books and uniforms even before the booklist was published. Parents allege that the school has tied up with vendors who are selling books outside the school on specified dates.

Failure to buy from them by this date spells a late fee of Rs 1,000 per day.

Parents had alleged that the prices in the books have risen by almost 75 per cent from the previous year's Rs 3,500 to around Rs 9.5-10,000.

The school, however, rejected the allegations and said they had not authorised any vendors to sell books.A few months back 27-year-old GC (gentleman cadet) Rajshekhar almost saw his life's dream of becoming an army officer crashing down, in front of his own eyes. This was after he suffered multiple organ failures after collapsing during a routine exercise.

The doctors at Indian Military Academy in Dehradun had ruled out his chances of survival.

PTI

I suddenly collapsed due to dehydration during the pahla kadam exercise in which cadets were required to run a distance of 10km with heavy loads on their back, Rajshekhar recalled.

It had left him confined to the hospital for 40 days, with his kidney and liver suffering 70% damage.

I was admitted at the hospitals intensive care unit (ICU) for 18 days and at the high dependency unit (HDU) for 22 days. The doctors clearly told my trainers that I wont survive, he said.

But Rajshekhar was not willing to give up. Against the advice of his doctors and family, who asked him to quit the course the 27-year-old from Tamil Nadu began working out, slowly regaining his fitness.

After being discharged from the hospital, I started working out in the gym for four hours daily and it paid. I not only survived, but became fit enough to complete the course in time, he said.

And on Saturday Rajshekhar who lost his father at the age of 10 passed out of IMA in Dehradun as Lieutenant in the Indian Army, with his mother and brother as witnesses.

The brave cadet who defied death in his pursuit will now be posted in another challenging area - in Siachen the world's highest battlefield.

In August last year, two Gentlemen Cadets had lost their lives in a span of two days after seven of the trainees at IMA collapsed during a routine 10km run. The two cadets, Nabin Kumar Chhetri and Deepak Sharma had died of multiple organ failures.

The two deaths had raised serious questions about the level of fitness of the candidates selected at the country's premier defence academy.Tesla has been experimenting with self-driving systems for a while now. So far, what weve got is the cars Autopilot system, a sort of cruise control mechanism that maintains the cars speed and lane on highways. Now, CEO Elon Musk is offering something far more.

Over the weekend, a Twitter user had a grievance he wanted to air to Musk over Autopilots current state. In response, Musk stated that the long awaited version 9 of the Autopilot system would fix that. In addition, he revealed it will be rolling out to Tesla owners this August. To date, Autopilot resources have rightly focused entirely on safety, Musk tweeted. With V9, we will begin to enable full self-driving features.

That issue is better in latest Autopilot software rolling out now & fully fixed in August update as part of our long-awaited Tesla Version 9. To date, Autopilot resources have rightly focused entirely on safety. With V9, we will begin to enable full self-driving features.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 10, 2018

The grand announcement puts Musk right on track for the goal he set two years ago, when he promised Tesla owners full self-driving capabilities by 2019. In the meantime, all the cars the company has shipped has had the hardware to support this system. All it requires is for owners to shell out a bit extra for the added feature (meaning approximately Rs 2.02 lakh), and then wait for the update that flips the switch.

Unfortunately, theres no real clarity from Tesla on what full self-driving really entails. Company spokespersons have refused to comment beyond Musks own cryptic tweet. So far, Tesla has been pretty much leading the field in semi-autonomous driving, constantly releasing beta software for owners to test in their cars. While this has been a somewhat risky process, its also helped the company test faster and more efficiently.

The system uses a collection of eight cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and radar transceivers. All of these are synced up to Teslas own computer vision and neural networks to make critical decisions at high speeds. In addition, all the cars learn from each other and improve over time, based on data they all share.

Of course, Tesla doesnt use LIDAR, which is almost a self-driving staple at this point if you consult others like Waymo and Uber in the industry. Since thats the case, perhaps Autopilot 9 wont actually let you take your hands off the wheel and take a nap in your car. Perhaps itll instead stop just short of that, with being able to better recognise street lights, turn signals, and obstructions in the road. That would be great too, it would just be better if Musk could be clear about what exactly it does.WhatsApp is once more on the receiving end of governmental scrutiny, this time thanks to officials in the Home Ministry.

At a meeting in New Delhi yesterday, the ministry expressed its concern over anti-national elements in the country using social media apps to carry out their activities.

In particular, the meeting highlighted the recent arrests of Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists, involved in the 2016 attack on the Nagrota Army camp in Jammu and Kashmir. The terrorists, responsible for the deaths of seven soldiers, reportedly told J&K police that they were receiving instructions from across the border over WhatsApp calls.

As such, the meeting was a forum to discuss how social media sites and apps could be monitored. Not just to prevent terrorists from using them to communicate, but to also stop them using the platform to stir up unrest in volatile areas with rumours and communal content.

Top officials from the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY), the department of telecommunications (DoT), as well as those from security agencies and J&K police, agreed that WhatsApp is the preferred medium of communication for anti-national forces.

reuters

As such, the government is now pondering laws that would compel apps like it to share information with security agencies when demanded.

According to one official speaking to Times of India, security agencies have been struggling with monitoring apps like WhatApp. Because of its end-to-end encryption, theyre unable to crack into the service when investigating possible criminal elements. As such, he cited following the example of some Middle Eastern countries, where both WhatsApp voice and video calling are banned.

Of course, this isnt even the first time the government has debated taking action like this. Back in 2016, a PIL was filed in the Supreme Court to ban the app on national security grounds, but the case was thrown out. Of course, thats likely going to be the play here if any. After all, theres no conceivable way WhatsApp would willingly roll back its encryption even for a limited user base. And theres no reason it should.

With over a billion users, its the companys responsibility to keep customers data safe, even from their own government. Having back doors built in for security agencies is just asking for corruption and religious bias to have people spied without cause. Its the same sort of fight Apple has been having with intelligence agencies in the US for years. Not to mention, WhatsApps parent company Facebook is already in a lot of hot water right now for not keeping personal user data secure. It would be ludicrous for them to consider going down that road again so soon, even to cooperate with a government.

Supposedly, the Home Ministry will be meeting with representatives of various social media platforms, in order to determine a compromise and how to bring them under compliance with local laws.In today's age and time, everyone on the internet can be trolled and subsequently, trended. Even the most influential leaders in the world are not immune. You know, such as the likes of Rahul Gandhi and Justin Trudeau who took the internet by storm this week and we are only on Tuesday today.

Without further ado, let's take a quick look at this week's viral leaders who gave us a lot to talk about.

Rahul Gandhi and his epic 'shikanji' remark

Shedding light on the lack of opportunities available to the country's youth, Rahul shared a rather interesting analogy. He said, "Owner of Coca-Cola sold 'shikanji' in America. The owner of McDonald's used to run a 'dhaba'. The founder of Ford Motors was a mechanic. But have you seen a mechanic become the founder of an automobile company in India?"

bccl

Justin Trudeau and his fake eyebrows

People had a meltdown deciding whether or not the Candian Prime Minister wore fake eyebrows during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron during the G7 summit. As Trudeau answered reporters' questions, many others were caught by a drooping left eyebrow. Footage from the press conference has made its way to the internet.

reuters

Kim Jong-un's bodyguards are at it again

North Korea's Kim Jong-un's bodyguards were seen running yet again in Singapore where the historic Trump-Kim is taking place. The 12 men dressed in black suit and a blue-white striped tie were seen running alongside their leader's Mercedes-Benz limousine.

channel news asia

Yogi Adityanath's bounced cheque

Recently, the UP Board exam topper was invited to Lucknow for a felicitation ceremony where UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath awarded the student with a cheque of Rs 1 lakh. Much to Mishra and his father's disappointment, the bank told them that the cheque had bounced since the signatures didn't match!

pti

There you go. When the leaders are busy giving the trolls so much 'masala', who would ever want to the ditch the internet and live their own life. What's the fun in that?It is only in the times of utter misery do we realize that we are surrounded by our guiding angels everywhere - an autowala that gave you a ride back home without charging, a man who dropped you to your exam centre, a blood donor, the goodness of this world will never cease to surprise you!

In what looks like yet another example of humanity and compassion, a delivery person helped a lost ambulance reach its destination on time. In a post shared by People's Daily, China, the ambulance was on its way to help an injured person on June 4 when it got lost because of failed GPS.

When the ambulance came near the area of a reported injury just after midnight on June 4, we had difficulty in finding its exact location as the GPS was unable to locate accurately in complex alleys. Then we turned to a food delivery man for help, said Shang Chaofan, a doctor from Wenzhou Emergency Medical Center in SE Chinas Zhejiang Province, who posted the video online.

The ambulance then stopped to ask way from this delivery person, who decided to go above and beyond his call of duty to help the distraught driver.

Identified as Lu Hucheng, the man first explained the directions but worried if they'd lose the way again, he decided to guide them through the entire path. One can clearly see in the picture how he drove in front of the ambulance all the way to the destination.

It is because of his efforts that the ambulance reached on time and saved the injured person, who was found to be in a critical state. For him it might have been a matter of few extra minutes, but for the guy who was hurt, it made the difference between life and death.

Sometimes all it takes is a little compassion.The violence whetted by religious fanatics has done unspeakable damage to the society we live in.

But this kid's innocent gesture is almost like a balm to all the wounds left by religious wars. In a tweet that's gone viral Twitter user named @rohansonalkar talks about the moment his daughter naively mixed Hinduism with Islam.

He wrote, My daughter just said that she needs to do the namaz. She bent down in proper Muslim prayer form and started chanting the Gayatri mantra, because that's the only prayer she knows.

My daughter just said that she needs to do the namaz. She bent down in proper Muslim prayer form and started chanting the Gayatri mantra, because that's the only prayer she knows.  Rohan (@rohansonalkar) 9 June 2018

With this one simple act, the kid won a hundred hearts and Netizens were all praises:

#1

What love and what innocence. Love the gesture....!

Thank you for sharing such things in this age of hate and violennce. https://t.co/4cmXxKkGOj  Abhinav Kr. Gupta (@KrAbhinavGupta) 11 June 2018

#2

Children are the purest .. this reminded me of an embarrassing moment of my childhood when I was praying and religiously chanting  agdam bakdam ( a fun song from the animated movie Hanuman ) thinking its a prayer  https://t.co/sYA0jb9KXt  Dan (@DhakkadVaruniac) 11 June 2018

#3

Children are the best kind of humans  https://t.co/rlPbPzBSb8  Nikhil Taneja (@tanejamainhoon) 11 June 2018

#4

This is just so beautiful  https://t.co/1svsdFCiPx  Antique (@AnkitSadaaFilms) 11 June 2018

#5

How adorable! Sometimes it's the children who teach us what we need to know. "Mazhab nahi sikhata aapas mein bair rakhna". https://t.co/A7HgqRGDRi  Sarah Hayat Shah (@SaraHayatShah) 10 June 2018

#6

Absolutely brilliant! 

For all those who ever thought their 'religion' was something more than a set of imprints, this should settle it https://t.co/BIA4IobUmY  Yeah. It keeps changing... (@iamAbhinavKumar) 11 June 2018

This kids innocence is what the world needs right now and it will be a wonderful place to live.For Suhas Kadam, winning the 1 crore lottery was a blessing and an end to all his sorrows, or so he thought.

Facebook/Mumbai Mirror

Kadam who is a helper at a bread manufacturing unit and a part-time vegetable seller thought he won a whopping Rs 1.11 crore in a lottery in Maharashtra. Unfortunately, he was part of a massive racket involving fake lottery tickets worth crores of rupees being sold to unsuspecting customers across the state, reports Mumbai Mirror.

Kadam, a resident of Nalasopara, went to the lottery department to collect his prize but, was told that there were three claimants of the same prize. He was then informed that the prize has already been awarded to the one who had a genuine ticket.

He then filed a complaint at Mahatma Phule Police station in Kalyan, after Vashi headquarters of the State Lottery Department told him that his ticket was fake.

The lottery officials claimed that the tickets are printed inside RBI-controlled units with a unique barcode and hence, cannot be replicated. The police are currently investigating the case and will be recording other claimants' statements as well, states the report.



'Soledad Brother' John Clutchette Has Been Released!

Reportback: Albert Woodfox and Robert King's Event With Angela Davis at UC-Santa Cruz

'This is us': Jena 6 Defendant Theo Shaw Delivers Law School Commencement Address

Louisiana Prisoners Demand an End to 'Modern-Day Slavery'

Torture Awareness Month Organized by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture

Rest in Peace Tiyo Attallah Salah-El

Working for social justice frequently seems to be a glacially slow endeavor. This last week brought a summer thaw and more than a few things have changed.We celebrate and honor the work of Professor Angela A. Bell and the students in her Law and Minorities classes at Southern University for their remarkable efforts in seeing the long delayed parole of John Cluchette through to his release. Please read the article and comments below on this momentous event.Many Angola 3 supporters will remember the case of the Jena 6, yet another troubling chapter in Louisianas racial history. One of Alberts lawyers, Rob McDuff, the amazing Emily Maw of the Innocence Project in New Orleans and Angola 3 supporter Tory Pegram, have continued to work with one of the members of the Jena 6, Theo Shaw, who rose above the massive obstacles and injustices he was faced with to graduate valedictorian of his law class this last week. Congratulations to Theo and best wishes for great success in the future.Less personal but also a great indicator of change a coming is the article on law suits being filed against Angola by prisoners objecting to the prisoner/slave connection.... long overdue! We also want to honor the work of another one of Angola 3s supporters, NRCAT and their excellent work organizing students to protest solitary confinement.Finally, please join us in commemorating the life of Tiyo Attalah El-Salah, a prisoner at Dallas Security Prison in Pennsylvania who passed away this last week. Tiyos life and work came to us through the efforts of Lois Ahrens of Real Cost of Prisons - a special friend to Tiyo and a tireless advocate for so many others. Tiyos passing, much like Hermans back in 2013 reminds us why we can never stop organizing and fighting.To our comrades and allies - we are so grateful for your continued efforts. We hope this newsletter will inspire all of us to keep on keeping on. The good news lifts our spirits and the sad news reminds us that we cant give up!On Wednesday, June 6, 'Soledad Brother' John Clutchette walked out of the prison gates a free man, following Governor Jerry Brown's final approval of a January 12, 2018 decision by the California Parole Board to grant parole to Clutchette.On January 18, we published an interview with Southern University Law Professor Angela A. Allen-Bell detailing Clutchette's case , and which launched an action campaign initiated by Prof. Bell and her students. We extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Prof. Bell, her students, and everyone who took action in support of Clutchette's release!On May 22, Robert King and Albert Woodfox were hosted by the University of California at Santa Cruz, where they spoke on a panel alongside former political prisoner Angela Davis, as well as former prisoner Debbie Kilroy and Professor Craig Haney.As reported on the UC-Santa Cruz website, Davis, a professor in UC-Santa Cruz's History of Consciousness Department for 17 years until her 2008 retirement, argued that "It's helpful to recognize that punishment in the form of imprisonment bears a direct relationship to slavery." The emergence of what's called mass incarceration can be traced back to the 19th century, right after slavery was outlawed, when "free black bodies had to be managed," she said.Woodfox also referred to slavery when he talked about the economic exploitation of prison labor by major corporations. "Every prisoner represents profit," he said. "The irony is that companies will freely use 'slave labor' to produce their products, but if an individual is lucky enough to be released from prison, they won't hire him ... now he's of no value to them."Read the full reportback from the May 22 event here In a recent article, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported on former Jena 6 defendant Theo Shaw's graduation this month from law school, as well as his commencement address. Writer Jarvis DeBerry, reflected:--Read the full Times-Picayune article here A June 8 article by, declares that "People incarcerated at Angola want opportunities for education instead of hard labor in the fields." Bryce Covert, writing for The Appeal reports:--Read the full article here This June, longtime opponents of solitary confinement in US prisons , the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) is stepping up their organizing work by initiating Torture Awareness Month. They are asking for your participation and support.Already this year, the NRCAT U.S. Prisons Program has hosted virtual reality experiences of solitary confinement at nearly 20 college campuses and religious conferences in 2018. In April, Davis & Elkins College, a small college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Elkins, West Virginia, hosted the NRCAT virtual reality solitary confinement experience. This was part of a day-long campus-wide effort to equip students with knowledge and tools to end torture. The students also gathered over 100 names on the NRCAT petition to end solitary confinement, which was sent to the Governor's office..)On Friday, June 8, we received an email about the passing of Tiyo Attallah Salah-El, written by Lois Ahrens from the Real Cost of Prisons Project (RCPP), which we are reprinting below:Switch the Market flag

Open the menu and switch the

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for targeted data from your country of choice.Were committed to board renewal and Johns appointment is part of the reset that is necessary to rebuild AMP as a stronger organisation, said AMPs interim executive chairman, Mike Wilkins.

OSullivan had been a favourite to lead the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) until he took himself out of the running last year following criticism from Labor.

John has significant financial services and governance experience and has, at the highest level, determined and implemented strategy, driven financial, operational and key people decisions and led legal and regulatory risk functions, said Wilkins.

In fact, OSullivan boasts almost 40 years of experience in the legal and financial services sector, including a five-year stint at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia as general counsel.

Most recently, OSullivan was the executive chairman of investment banking and capital markets for Credit Suisse Australia  a role he only stepped out of in February 2018.

His appointment comes amid ongoing unrest at AMP after a wave of senior leaders resigned following allegations the company misled ASIC about the cause of an over-charging scandal.

Former chairman Catherine Brenner and former chief executive Craig Meller both departed the organisation in April, then three more directors followed suit in May.

We continue to work towards appointing further non-executive directors as we strengthen and renew the AMP Limited board, added Wilkins. Were pleased to be welcoming John to the board.

Related stories:

Chubb announces European head successor

Aon predicts worldwide cyber premiums surgeAmTrust Financial Services has announced the appointment of J. Daniel Hickey (pictured) as group chief underwriting officer. Hickey joined the company in July 2017 as executive vice president of business strategy and business development.

Over the last year, Hickey has overseen AmTrusts business strategy planning and business development, identifying and managing key partner relationships and business opportunities. In his new role, he will oversee the companys global underwriting activities.

Prior to joining AmTrust, Hickey served as executive vice president and head of the standard lines business unit at PartnerRe. Hes also served at General Reinsurance Corporation.

Hickey is based in AmTrusts New York City headquarters. He reports to Barry Zyskind, AmTrust chairman and CEO.

Related stories:

AmTrust at Lloyd's has a new space head

AmTrust at Lloyds strengthens cyber team with latest hireThat means Furby  who currently serves as vice president of Chubb Group, as well as division president of commercial property & casualty for the companys international general insurance business  is moving up as Chubb Group senior vice president and Europes regional president. The promoted executive will have overall responsibility for the general management and business results for all Chubb operations in the UK and Ireland and the continent of Europe.

Kendrick, meanwhile, will focus primarily on regulatory matters such as Chubbs Brexit plans before he leaves at year-end. The industry veteran has been in insurance for four decades.

As Chubbs second-largest region, Europe is a core franchise and a significant contributor to the results of our organisation, noted Chubb chair and chief executive Evan Greenberg. Andrew has been part of our company for more than 20 years and a real partner to me and our senior management team. He has done much to lead and build our business and our reputation across the UK and Continental Europe.

His distinguished career has been defined by his leadership, skill, and collegiality. We have been fortunate to have Andrew on our team for so many years. Andrew has earned his retirement, but we look forward to continuing to benefit from his experience, counsel, and energy in the coming months.

As for Kendricks successor, Greenberg has nothing but nice words as well.

David Furby joined our company with Andrew as part of the same 1996 acquisition, and we are delighted that David will now lead our European region, commented the CEO. David has broad, deep, and exceptional industry experience. In his career, he has been a broker, an underwriter for a Lloyds syndicate, managed our reinsurance business, and led our insurance operations on the continent and then our commercial P&C business across our international division.

David has proven hes ready for this important role, and I have every confidence in his abilities and skill as a leader to drive sustained growth and profitability across the UK and continent.

Succeeding Furby, meanwhile, is Timothy ODonnell. The outstanding insurance executive  as described by overseas general insurance president Juan Andrade  currently holds the positions of chief operating officer of commercial property & casualty for overseas general insurance and executive vice president of financial lines.

Meanwhile Jalil Rehman, European Groups chief business operations officer, is leaving Chubb on July 01.

We thank Jalil for his 30 years of service with Chubb and especially for his contributions these past two years to our successful merger-related activities, bringing together the best of ACE and Chubb in the region, said Andrade. We wish him well with his new endeavours.

Related stories:

Chubb to roll out new model for premium collections

Chubb appoints new unit head for Australia and NZGB has launched Dress for your Day, a flexible dress code that allows all GB employees to dress as they see fit  whether it's a classic tee-shirt and jeans, a suit and tie, or even some brave mid-winter shorts!

The insurance broker said the new benefit recognises that everyone works best when they are comfortable at work, and was rolled out after a successful trial by the Innovation and People and Performance teams in its Melbourne branch earlier this year.Late last year, NRMA Insurance notified the agencies that provide an on-site telephone referral service and payments for customers that they will be closing after June 30, 2018, an NRMA Insurance spokesperson told Nyngan Observer. This decision follows changes in the way our customers like to deal with us, in particular their preference for online and the 24/7 customer phone service centre.

Customers of NRMA Insurance in Nyngan have been informed on how they can contact the company, which includes their website, 24/7 customer services centre, and full-service agencies. Meanwhile, clients who wish to make their policy payments in person have been advised to do so at any Australia Post office.

The changes to NRMA Insurance services do not apply to NRMA roadside service and the NRMA Insurance partner repair network, the report said.

Related stories:

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NRMA Insurance urges drivers to drive safely this silly seasonChelgren would keep some of the money and deposit the rest. WJAC said she would then modify accounts and deposits on the computer system to cover her tracks.

An investigation found that the ex-employee may have stolen more than $50,000 since 2014  but she actually admitted to authorities that she had been stealing from Nicklas Insurance over the past 15 years.

She has been charged with several counts of theft and her hearing has been set for June 19.

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Insurance agent faces 30 years after guilty plea

Cops charge man who sued Liberty Mutual over Hooters injuryCommercial entities really need to take the time to develop and invest in catastrophe response and business continuity plans. There are lots of resources out there, including a very good FEMA toolkit called the Ready Business Hurricane Toolkit, that guide business owners through their potential vulnerabilities and how to mitigate and respond to their risks, Isaac told Insurance Business.

First and foremost, businesses need to ensure they have plans around employee safety and evacuation in order to protect their people in the event of a disaster. Then they need to think about their insurance coverage and whether its sufficient, how to mitigate vulnerabilities in their building envelope and surrounding lot, as well as how to keep vital business operations running if theres interruption to a core area or business unit.

There are a few simple things companies can do alongside their plan or while theyre developing a plan in order to mitigate severe weather-related risk, according to Isaac. Businesses can address the hazard of water by taking a step back and assessing the vulnerability of their property during heavy, but not dangerous, rain events. They can watch where water runs, check gutters, windows and roofs, and look out for any pooling or flooding. If any vulnerabilities are discovered, they can repair and reinforce those areas before a more damaging event occurs.

Likewise, businesses can assess the building and surrounding lot for any loose material or instable assets that could potentially become projectiles during hurricane-force winds. Anything physical on the property that could become damaging airborne debris needs to be mechanically reinforced or possibly removed.

When people think about wind-driven rain, lots of companies immediately focus on the roof, Isaac commented. While the roof of a building is very important, they need to think about vulnerabilities in the entire building envelope, including the walls and windows. They should inspect the caulking around all the building openings pre-hurricane season and then fill any cracks to help prevent wind-driven rain getting into the building envelope.

They can also gather flood fighting products like fast deploying temporary flood barriers or sandless sand bags, and temporary pumps or spare pieces of plywood that can be used to board up and reinforce physically damaged areas. If companies preface good business continuity and hurricane preparedness plans by assessing and mitigating their vulnerabilities, then they will be better placed to survive a hurricane event without suffering really damaging losses.

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The factors that put properties in the path of storm surge

Insurers well-positioned for 2018 hurricanes  FitchMalaysia is likely to review a directive to foreign insurers to reduce ownership of their local units by nearly a third as finding domestic buyers for the equity stakes is proving hard, three people familiar with the matter said.

The review may result in the Malaysian regulator putting the requirement in abeyance, the people said.

That would provide respite to foreign firms including Great Eastern Holdings, Prudential, Tokio Marine Holdings and Zurich Insurance by putting off deals worth more than $2 billion that were being thrust upon them.

Foreign insurers have been expanding in Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries in recent years, lured by strong economic growth, rising middle-class income and lower insurance penetration.

But they were caught offguard last year when Malaysias central bank, which also regulates insurers, said it would enforce its 2009 rule setting a 70 percent cap on foreign ownership of local insurance businesses.

The directive had sent foreign insurers in Malaysia, many of whom operate wholly-owned units, scrambling to seal deals to sell 30 percent stakes to local state-linked funds or list the local arms.

The potential review of the directive comes against the backdrop of Mahathir Mohamad becoming Malaysias prime minister last month and Muhammad Ibrahim resigning as the central bank governor.

Two senior officials who were responsible for issues relating to the insurance sector at Bank Negara Malaysia, the central bank, have also resigned in recent months, two of the people said.

One of the sources said stake sale valuations were below expectations of some insurers and they had indicated this to the central bank.

The Malaysian regulator, however, is yet to formally inform insurers about the possible review and could still go ahead with the plan by relaxing some conditions, the two other people said, declining to elaborate.

Bank Negara did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The people declined to be named as the plans were not public yet.

The central bank had said in March measures by some foreign insurers to cut stakes in their local units are in relation to specific commitments that these firms made when they applied for entry into the country.

Local Funds

Citing sources, Reuters reported in March that Prudential and Great Eastern were in talks with pension funds Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (KWAP) and Employees Provident Fund, respectively, to cut their stakes in their wholly-owned local units.

We cannot comment on it as we are still negotiating on the deal, and as far as we are concerned the deadline has not changed, KWAP CEO Wan Kamaruzaman Wan Ahmad told Reuters.

Representatives at Great Eastern, Prudential, Tokio Marine and Zurich declined to comment.

An EPF spokeswoman said the funds discussions were still ongoing.

The regulator is expected to stick to its end-June deadline of getting firms to submit plans to reduce stakes by 30 percent, and a decision on the review is likely to be announced after that, the people said.

Most foreign insurers are struggling to find local investors who could add value to their units and dont have much appetite to do listings in the near-term in dour equity markets, they said.

A small number of large local funds in Malaysia had stoked concern among foreign insurers about competing for the same pool of institutional investors.

Expected management changes at Malaysian state-linked funds after the election are also likely to result in muted responses on their part, especially for deals that dont give them majority control, the people said.

(Reporting by Anshuman Daga and Sumeet Chatterjee; additional reporting by Liz Lee in Kuala Lumpur and Junko Fujita in Tokyo; editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Topics CarriersShares in the Bank of Chile were down on Monday after it confirmed hackers had siphoned off $10 million of its funds, mainly to Hong Kong, though the countrys second-largest commercial bank said no client accounts had been impacted.

The cyber heist is the latest in a string of such attacks, including one in May in Mexico in which thieves used phantom orders and fake accounts to steal hundreds of millions of Mexican pesos out of the countrys banks, including Banorte.

Shares in the Bank of Chile, which is controlled by the Chilean Luksic family and Citigroup, were down 0.47 percent at 100.4 Chilean pesos ($.16) in mid-day trading [on June 11].

Bank CEO Eduardo Ebensperger told Chilean daily La Tercera in an interview on Saturday that hackers had initially used a virus as a distraction, prompting the bank to disconnect 9,000 computers in branches across the country on May 24 to protect customer accounts.

Meanwhile, the hackers quietly used the global SWIFT bank messaging service to initiate a series of fraudulent transactions that were eventually spotted by the bank and canceled but not before millions were funneled to accounts abroad.

The was meant to hurt the bank, not our customers, Ebensperger said.

Ebensperger said a forensic analysis conducted by Microsoft had determined the attack was the work of a sophisticated international group of hackers, likely from eastern Europe or Asia, and that the bank had filed a criminal complaint in Hong Kong.

The bank said in a May financial statement that it would work with insurers to recoup the lost funds.

($1 = 632 Chilean pesos) (Reporting by Felipe Iturrieta Writing by Dave Sherwood; editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Topics CyberAlthough the insurance industry may have had plenty of time to wrap its mind around managing physical property threats, what about the newly growing area of non-physical threats?

Panelists at the 2018 PLUS Cyber Symposium, held in May in Chicago, Ill., discussed how the cyber-related business interruption space differs from traditional, property-related business interruption.

Weve got a lot of weather experience from hundreds of years of tracking that. The insurance industry knows where the wind is going to blow, so from an individual risk standpoint and from a risk aggregation standpoint, insurance companies can manage that, said panelist Jason Glasgow, vice president in the E&O division at Allied World. Nobody knows where the cyber winds are going to blow.

Indeed, cyber attacks were cited as the top threat to businesses worldwide in the Business Continuity Institutes 2018 Horizon Scan Report, with data breaches and unplanned telecom outages ranking second and third in the report.

Since 2011, the study has tracked challenges to business continuity globally by asking survey respondents about perceived threats, which have migrated over the years from adverse weather and political unrest to cyber attacks and data breaches.

However, as non-physical threats become more of a concern for business continuity, the insurance industry will need to address certain gray areas in its coverage of cyber-related business interruption, panelists discussed.

In business interruption, we do see some gray areas on policies, said panelist Catherine Rudow, senior vice president of North America Property and Casualty and senior underwriter of Casualty at PartnerRe. I wonder if as claims start coming in, well start to see the insurance industry figure out where in fact these losses do belong.

Business interruption coverage began in property policies as an add-on with a built-in waiting period of as little as 48 hours to as long as two weeks in some cases to cover the revenue a company would have earned while being down due to physical perils such as fire, flood or power outages, Glasgow explained.

In the cyber world, business interruption coverage functions similarly, although the triggers involve events such as computer system shutdowns due to hacking or a data breach, and the waiting periods can be much shorter  typically a matter of hours, he said.

Recently, cyber-related business interruption has broadened beyond technology simply malfunctioning to include voluntary system shut-downs as preventative measures or anything cyber-related that interrupts a companys ability to function, added Bob Parisi, managing director and cyber product leader at Marsh. As the market has expanded, coverage has begun to separate itself from traditional property policies.

If companies think they are insuring business interruption by buying an additional property policy, they have to realize that theyre not because traditional property policies are retracting and pulling back to accommodate expanding cyber coverage, Parisi said.

As cyber-related business interruption coverage continues to evolve, however, the insurance industry has struggled to understand the exposures, panelists said.

I think were seeing a lot of confusion out there amongst not only organizations trying to quantify their exposure and get their arms around questions of How much are we exposed? What would a potential BI loss look like due to a cyber peril? but also, on the insurance market side of things, it sounds like theres the need for greater clarity as to where these exposures are, said panelist Chris Mortifoglio, senior vice president of Procor Solutions & Consulting.

This is because although the property market has had plenty of time to build deep history and expertise, the cyber market is a relatively new area for insurers.

Property has a lot more ability to support big losses than our cyber product does, Rudow said.

She added that an hour-long loss in property looks different than an hour-long cyber loss because the property market has enough experience to know what questions to ask and more substance regarding how to measure the risk it is taking on involving business interruption.

Whereas [with cyber], were sort of guessing, Rudow said. Where do we manage it and underwrite it? How do we eliminate or change how we trigger our deductible?Its still an area of uncertainty.

Parisi believes that, except when it comes to privacy risk, one of the biggest struggles in terms of cyber is the lack of statistically significant actuarial data to model risk.

Its not necessarily the risk, its the lack of knowledge about the risk, he said. I think a truly effective business interruption modeling tool continues to be somewhat elusive.

However, he stated this is something that he believes will simply take time.

We wont have a large body of claim data for a while  thats just a function of you get 10 years of data for being around 10 years, he said.

Defining Policy Terms

That said, one concern from the start has been a lack of clarity in the way terms are defined in cyber policies, panelists said.

If you look at five cyber polices from five different markets, youll see six different wordings, Parisi said. Theres no consistency.

As a result of the long history in the property underwriting market, there is more specificity when it comes to policies, particularly regarding standard terms such as occurrence or event, Mortifoglio said. In cyber, its less clear, panelists agreed.

Glasgow pointed to an example of a company experiencing two back-to-back outages to demonstrate the challenges around carving out language in cyber policies.

Is [the second outage] another event? Or is it related to the first event? he said. Its much more difficult than if you had a fire in a building that burns down, and thats it  thats the event.

Aggregation Concerns

Beyond policy definitions, adding to the confusion about cyber-related business interruption is the fact that cyber differs from the traditional property market in terms of the potential for aggregation events, panelists explained.

If you have 10 manufacturing facilities, you know very well what those vulnerabilities are. If you operate in the Gulf Coast region, youre concerned about hurricanes. If youre in California, youre concerned about fires. The likelihood of all of your facilities being impacted by one single peril is minimal, Mortifoglio said. With a cyber peril, you now no longer have those physical constraints, and you could be impacted on a global basis across your entire organization.

Indeed, a company could experience a total loss or a 10 percent loss, leading to uncertainty in terms of where the risk could be concentrated, Glasgow said.

The prevalence of organizations utilizing the same major technology companies also adds to the aggregation concern, Parisi said.

There are four or five technology companies that are in every single company out there, but the market seems to kind of turn a blind eye and says, Were going to pretend we dont know thats the aggregation function,' he explained. The market says, We want our insureds to be with best-in-breed technology companies. Well, if you encourage everyone to be with the best-in-breed technology companies, youre funneling everyone into an aggregation position.

Glasgow pointed to an example of the recent Amazon web service outage at the end of February.

I can guarantee myself and every other insurance carrier held their breath when they saw that on the internet and said, This is it. This is the one thats going to be the aggregation event,' he said. Well, it turns out they were down for four hours. No one really had any loss.

Although the impact was minimal, Glasgow said it did teach the industry about resiliency.

It taught us that not only do our insureds all have resiliency, but the companies in question have resiliency in place, and they want to get up and running as quickly as possible, he said. So I think events like that which havent led to losses have informed us as well.

In fact, Parisi said he believes the idea of a total aggregation event is a little far-reaching. This is because technology is used differently within each company, so the risk is always going to be different, he explained.

The concept that you can just kind of tip over is theoretically possible, but I think thats a caution thats a step too far, he said.

He pointed to the Petya and NotPetya attacks of 2016 and 2017 as an example.

That was a huge loss in the billions of dollars going through the cyber and property markets, but it was fairly constrained. The internet didnt tip over, he said.

Data Breach Lessons

With this in mind, there are still valuable lessons in some of the big data breaches of the past couple of years, even for those that werent impacted, panelists agreed.

Petya and NotPetya was a very expensive proof of concept for a variety of industries that had for longest time said they would never have a problem because this wasnt their issue; they didnt take credit cards, Parisi said. But that ability for that piece of ransomware that had malware behind it to shut down multiple industries across the globe and basically break a substantial portion of their hardware is something that we need to question what we learned. Its just as important to figure out what companies did that were in the neighborhood at the time, but didnt get hit.

Rudow said she believes change is already occurring as a result of claims from past breaches, and Mortifoglio agreed.

Some of those events like WannaCry had a fairly significant impact on a relatively small number of U.S. companies,Mortifoglio said. As a result, we have a combination of companies and carriers becoming more aware of these exposures and more aware of the benefits of coverage related to cyber, as well as a lot more requests to buy business interruption coverage.

Rudow added that although the industry doesnt quite have all of the answers yet, it is working through them and will need to continue to adapt in order to find its footing in the future.

By my calculations, we come to market between $3.5-4 billion, so were still very small, Rudow said. Even the NotPetya attacks would have destroyed the market had they been fully insured, and it was a small number of companies that were hit. I think we need to start promoting ourselves, making ourselves attractive and having some scale, so we can handle a large loss when it comes through.

Topics Cyber Profit Loss Tech Market Property Business InterruptionThe Texas Supreme Court in late May ruled that a party to an insurance contract that mandates arbitration of disputes is not required to enter arbitration in a dispute against another party that is not a signatory to the contract.

The high court made that determination in a case involving a dispute over a crop insurance policy that was obtained by the insured through an independent insurance agency.

Jody James Farms, JV purchased a Crop Revenue Coverage Insurance Policy from Rain & Hail, LLC, through the Altman Group, an independent insurance agency, Justice Eva Guzman stated in the courts written opinion.

The policy contains a clause stating that policy disputes that cant be resolved by mediation must submit to arbitration in an effort to settle the argument. The policy at issue defines the parties to the contract as Rain & Hail and Jody James, according to Justice Guzman.

Neither the Altman Group nor any of its employees is expressly named in the policy, and neither the Altman Group nor any of its employees signed the agreement, Justice Guzman wrote.

A dispute arose after Rain & Hail declined to cover a grain sorghum loss suffered by Jody James. The insurer said the claim was denied in part because the insured had failed to provide timely notice of the loss. Rain & Hail asserted other reasons for denying the claim, as well.

According to the written opinion, Jody James claimed it promptly called an Altman Group agent, Laurie Diaz, to report the loss.

Jody James and Rain & Hail ultimately arbitrated the dispute and the arbitrator sided with the insurer, agreeing that Jody James had not provided timely notice of the loss. The arbitrator also determined that Jody James did not state a presentable loss because crops from performing and non-performing farm units were commingled.

After receiving the adverse ruling in arbitration with Rain & Hail, Jody James then sued the Altman Group and Diaz  collectively referred to in the opinion as the agency  for breach of fiduciary duty and deceptive trade practices.

Jody James asserted that the agency failed to timely submit the crop-loss claim, which resulted in denial of coverage and a loss to Jody James of $68,000. Jody James sought to recoup the total amount of the loss plus attorneys fees and interest.

The agency requested that the trial court compel arbitration, which it did despite Jody James opposition.

The arbitrator favored the agency in resolving the dispute, issuing a take-nothing arbitration award, and the trial court upheld that decision, Guzman wrote.

The Supreme Court said it accepted Jody James case because it challenges the arbitrators authority to determine whether a non-signatory can compel a signatory to arbitrate.

Upon review, the justices found that compelled arbitration between the agency and Jody James was wrong because the Altman Group was not signatory to the contract requiring mediation/arbitration in disputes between Rain & Hail and Jody James.

No party may be compelled to arbitrate unless they have agreed to arbitrate or are bound by principles of agency or contract law to do so. Jody James and the Agency did not agree to arbitrate any matternot the question of arbitrability and not the merits of this dispute, the courts opinion states.

The high court vacated the arbitrators take-nothing award and sent the case back to the trial court

Topics Texas AgribusinessInvestopedia 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 Investopedia.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)By Ann O'Loughlin

The Irish Government is to appeal a finding of the European Court of Human Rights that 14 men in Northern Ireland were not tortured when detained by the British Army in the 1970s.

The announcement of the appeal to the European Courts Grand Chamber of a ruling made last March comes the day after a daughter of one of the men, Mary McKenna - whose late father Sean McKenna was one of the detainees known as "the hooded men - brought proceedings against the State.

She had sought an order from the Irish High Court compelling the Government to urgently inform her if the State intends to appeal the finding to the Grand Chamber.

Today, Michael Halleron of Madden & Finucane solicitors for Ms McKenna, said in a statement: I have received a call from the Department of Foreign Affairs to inform me that a decision has been made by the Irish Government to refer the case to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights.

This is a significant decision. A referral to the Grand Chamber allows Ms. McKenna on behalf of her father, as well as the other applicants, another opportunity for the judgement made in 1978 to be revised, insofar as the five techniques on persons interned in Northern Ireland in 1971 constituted inhuman and degrading treatment but not torture," he added.

In 1971 Mr McKenna and 13 other men were subjected to various techniques of interrogation and sensory deprivation practices by the British Army following their detention.

Mr McKenna was released into a psychiatric hospital and died in 1975.

Supported by medical evidence, Ms McKenna believes his death was directly attributable to the treatment he suffered while imprisoned.

The Irish Government brought a case against the UK over their treatment, but the ECHR in 1978 found the men's treatment, while inhuman and degrading, did not constitute torture.

In 2014, after new information was disclosed by RTE that was not previously available to the ECHR that showed the UK knew of the long-term effects the interrogation techniques used on the men would have, the Irish Government requested a revision of the 1978 decision.

Last March the ECHR refused that request.

The Government had until June 20 to seek to have the ECHR's refusal referred to the Grand Chamber, which is the ultimate court of the European Court of Human Rights.

Ms McKenna brought High Court proceedings after being informed by the Minister for Justice that any decision by the Government to appeal the decision would be made on June 19, following a meeting of the Cabinet, the day before the deadline.

Ms McKenna said this was insufficient time to allow her to consider, and if necessary challenge, any decision not to pursue an appeal.

In proceedings against the Minister for Justice and Ireland Ms McKenna, from Newry, Co Down, sought an order compelling the respondents to provide a determination and reasoning on whether they will appeal the ECHR's decision to the Grand Chamber.

The action was brought on grounds including the respondents have not made a decision if they will appeal within a reasonable time.

Mr Justice Seamus Noonan adjourned the matter to Wednesday's sitting of the court.Addressing Irelands economic and social infrastructure deficits should be the priority in Budget 2019 says Dr Sean Healy, Director of Social Justice Ireland.

IRELAND now has the resources to ensure that Budget 2019 addresses social injustice for our people. Priority should be given to tackling the social housing crisis, reforming the healthcare system, and addressing rural and regional challenges, with a focus on resourcing communities. For the first time in years, the Government has the resources to reduce Irelands social and economic infrastructure deficits.

In its latest policy briefing, entitled Budget Choices, Social Justice Ireland says the choices made by governments in their annual budgets have dramatically different outcomes for different groups in society. Despite many welcome developments in the growing economy, the damage done through the economic and budgetary crises of the last decade is still being felt by Irelands most vulnerable.

There are two sides to this story. On one hand, Ireland has recovered and many of the economic fundamentals are positive. On the other, despite this recovery in the economy  now growing at least twice as fast as our European counterparts  800,000 people are living in poverty, the largest proportion of which are children; the housing crisis has removed the most basic of safety nets from those living on the edge; and we still havent found the political courage to say Ireland is a low-tax economy that needs to raise new revenue to fund vital social infrastructure.

Most people want an end to homelessness, social housing shortages, hospital waiting lists, and child poverty. They want the lack of affordable childcare to be addressed, and they want investment in rural broadband. These should be the priority targets of Budget 2019. Social Justice Irelands budget choices for 2019 are based on the values that have delivered for the most progressive societies around the world. Ireland needs to raise its total tax-take to fund a fairer society. Thats a difficult issue.

However, it is not necessary to become a high-tax economy. Budget 2019 has the potential to lift people out of poverty, to deliver a major breakthrough in the supply of social housing, to improve healthcare provision, and to resource communities.

If the Government wishes to address infrastructure gaps, these are some of the proposals for Budget 2019 set out by Social Justice Ireland; they have been costed independently and full details of how they can be paid for are set out in the think tanks Briefing on Budget Choices 2019 (see socialjustice.ie).

Social Housing: 1,250m, in addition to whats already committed in government plans, towards providing an additional 90,000 social housing units.

Healthcare and disability: 1,112m investment, prioritising social and community care, disability, mental health, and Slaintecare.

Rural/Regional Development: 505m to help complete the rollout of high-quality rural broadband, as well as additional investment in rural transport, rural enterprise, retrofitting of houses, and community supports.

Education: 448m investment in areas such as adult literacy, DEIS, skills development, and digital education.

Pensions: A universal pension, financed mostly by reducing tax-breaks that currently favour the better-off.

Social Welfare: 331m, which includes an increase of 6.50 a week on social welfare payments and an increase in direct provision payments.

Children: 180m focused on Early Childhood Care and Education, paternity leave, and affordable childcare.

Official Development Assistance (ODA): An additional 136m, as a contribution towards increasing the aid budget over the next seven years to the UN target of 0.7% of GNI*.

Tax Reform: Budget 2019 should be designed so that it is both economically sound and socially fair. These twin objectives are both realistic and achievable. However, they need to be underpinned by a clear policy commitment and by budget decisions aimed at achieving both.

To this end, Social Justice Ireland proposes a series of tax reforms, including the following:

Standard rate, all-discretionary tax expenditures: 480m;

Standard rate tax break on all pension contributions: 483m;

Remove tax-refund element for R&D tax credits: 168m;

Introduce a minimum effective corporate tax rate: 1,000m;

Equalise excise duty on diesel and petrol: 68m;

Increase accommodation sector VAT rate to 13.5%: 220m;

Increase tax on in-shop and online betting by 3%: 150m.

While the economy is doing well and the wider world marvels at our recovery, a series of crises in this country must be addressed: crises of healthcare provision, social housing, poverty. We need to measure ourselves by how we treat the weakest in our society. By that measure, we are failing.

Budgets can change peoples lives, for better and for worse. Adopting the measures set out above would move this country towards addressing the infrastructure gaps  economic and social  that are becoming more obvious every day.

They would also move Ireland in the direction of becoming a fairer, more equal society.As Brexit negotiations near their end point, Theresa Mays government has been trying to find the balance between two seemingly irreconcilable goals, suggests Nikos Skoutaris of University of East Anglia

The UK aims to leave the single market and the customs union, without returning to a hard border on the island of Ireland

The text of the political agreement , known as the Joint Report, reached between the UK and the EU in December 2017 included a formula to square the circle. It stated that the aim of the future trade negotiations would be to address the challenge of the Irish border through the overall EU-UK relationship.

If the future trade agreement finds it impossible to provide for a frictionless invisible border, then, specific (technological) solutions will apply to Northern Ireland. If the UK and the EU cannot agree on those specific solutions, then either the UK as a whole, or Northern Ireland, will remain aligned to the single market and the customs union after Brexit takes place.

The EU backstop option

That third backstop option was legally codified in a protocol contained in the Draft Withdrawal Treaty in late February. It says that  should no specific solution be found  a common regulatory area comprising the European Union and Northern Ireland will be established and Northern Ireland will remain in the EU customs territory.

May vehemently rejected the plan and said that no UK prime minister could agree to it.

She also pledged to explore workable solutions on the Ireland question.

As time went by, Dublin and other EU capitals underlined the need to see sufficient progress on this issue by the next European Council meeting of EU leaders on June 28 and 29.

The UKs backstop option

Although, the cabinet is still split over how to manage customs arrangements with the EU in the future, on June 7 the British government published its

counter-proposal for a backstop arrangement to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.

The biggest difference between the two backstop proposals is that the UK one applies to the whole country and not just to Northern Ireland. It proposes that the entire territory of the UK and the Channel Islands will remain part of the customs territory of the EU even after the end of the Brexit transition period in December 2020.

Such an arrangement respects the promise of the UK government to ensure that no regulatory barriers will develop between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. It also eases the concerns of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Northern Ireland, on whose support the Conservatives rely for a majority in the House of Commons.

The DUP leader, Arlene Foster, said in early June that she would withdraw her support to Mays government if Northern Ireland was treated differently from the rest of the UK after Brexit.

Although Michel Barnier, the EUs chief Brexit negotiator, initially welcomed the publication of the UKs paper, in a press conference on June 8 he seriously doubted whether the backstop proposal could apply to the whole of the UK, rather than just to Northern Ireland.

I welcome publication of #UK proposal on customs aspects of IE/NI backstop.

We will examine it with 3 questions: is it a workable solution to avoid a hard border? Does it respect the integrity of the SM/CU? Is it an all-weather backstop?  Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) June 7, 2018

To avoid any confusion between the EU backstop & the UK customs paper: I reiterate that our backstop cannot apply to whole UK. 4 freedoms are indivisible. This is not a rejection of the UK customs paper on which discussions continue. #Brexit  Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) June 8, 2018

He argued that such solution raises questions of an a la carte access to the single market, services, goods or people that is unacceptable to the EU.

Beyond customs

The EU backstop option has been rightly criticised for reducing the single market access of Northern Ireland to  goods, including agricultural and electricity.

Regrettably, the UK proposal is even more limited as it explicitly only deals with customs processes and does not engage with issues such as regulatory alignment, agriculture, fisheries and environment that the EU backstop option covers.

The UK government concedes, however, that to uphold its commitments with regard to the Irish border an approach on regulatory standards  will also need to be addressed.

This is because, if there is no regulatory alignment between the two sides of the border, there must be, for example, regulatory checks on sanitary and phytosanitary rules of the various agricultural products that will be crossing to ensure the integrity of the single market. However, the paper contains no indication as to when to expect the UK proposals on regulatory alignment.

An end date

One of the key questions raised by Barnier relates to whether the backstop has a time limit on it.

Leading up to the publication of the UK document, there had been speculation that the UK Brexit negotiator, David Davis, was ready to quit unless the UK backstop proposal was truly time limited.

The document published by the UK states that the backstop option will be only in place until the future customs arrangement can be introduced and that the UK expects this to happen by the end of December 2021.

Notwithstanding the actual feasability of this deadline, the ambiguity of that formulation raises two possible scenarios.

If the UK insists on legally entrenching the deadline of the backstop option, the EU will reject such a suggestion not least because the Irish taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, has made clear that a Brexit backstop cannot be time limited.

Alternatively, the EU may ask for a second backstop option without any time limitations specific to Northern Ireland. This will allow both the UK and the EU to comply with the political commitments undertaken in the December Joint Report.

If the UK accepts that a backstop option is an insurance policy that cannot have a time limitation and the EU does not reject the possibility of a common customs territory with the UK even after the end of the transition, there will be negotiations about the exact obligations that the UK will have to undertake during the period of the backstop. Those may concern the UK contribution to the new EU budget and the supervision of the arrangement by the Court of Justice of the European Union.

In any case, the Irish border might prove the pulling factor that keeps the UK in a close relationship with the EU for the next few years at least. For a region that became famous for its divisions, such a role is almost a historical irony.

This article was written by Nikos Skoutaris of University of East Anglia and was originally published on The Conversation

Read the original article here.In recent years, the greening of Courtmacsherry Bay has been a regular summer phenomenon due to elevated nitrate levels. The extensive algae growth is primarily due to untreated domestic waste discharges along with agricultural runoffs.

Irish Water said the scheme will bring significant environmental, health, and economic benefits to residents of Courtmacsherry and Timoleague. Construction is expected to be completed within 18 months.

For almost two decades, locals have campaigned vigorously for the proper treatment of wastewater being discharged, at some points untreated, into the estuary which is a designated special protection area for up to 20,000 waterbirds yearly. Over 12 non-breeding species are associated with the bay.

Traffic disruption, however, is expected on the main 3.6km route between the villages where construction works will include a new wastewater treatment plant in Courtmacsherry village and a new wastewater pumping station in Timoleague.

Upgrade works to two existing pumping stations at Courtmacsherry are also planned along with the demolition of an existing septic tank at St Josephs Terrace in the village and the provision of a rising main along the coastal R601 road from Timoleague to Courtmacsherry.

Minister of State Jim Daly turned the sod to officially mark the start of construction in a scheme which will also improve the quality of the bathing waters in nearby Coolmaine.

With tourism and water-based activities playing a crucial role in all aspects of life in the bay, the minister said: The importance of providing effective treatment of wastewater cannot be overstated, both for those who live and work here and for the many visitors to this most scenic part of West Cork.

Michael Tinsley, Irish Waters infrastructure delivery manager, said the practice of discharging inadequately treated wastewater was no longer acceptable.The revelation is contained in a note of a meeting between representatives of Tusla, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Adoption Authority of Ireland on March 13.

At the meeting, the recently revealed 126 illegal birth registration cases marked adopted from birth were also discussed.

However, Tusla also raises concerns about a further 700 cases from St Patricks Guilds records  some of which involve children sent to the USA. The number of cases of concern rose to 748 in later correspondence.

These cases contain evidence of names being changed, payments being made to the agency, and placements of children with no corresponding adoption order. Reference is also made to other matters that indicate irregularities.

The report of the March 13 meeting said: Furthermore, Tusla said that a further examination of the scanned index cards had raised concerns in that some 700 index cards contain references to placements with no Irish adoption order, change of names and other matters that indicate irregularities.

Some of these 700 index cards relate to children that went to the USA.

Tusla also noted that many of the index cards made reference to payments (often 100) being made to the Guild.

Released under Freedom of Information (FOI), the note indicates that Department of Children and Youth Affairs secretary general Fergal Lynch, who was present at the meeting, advised that due to the sensitivity and importance of the matter it had been the subject of an early warning notification to Government through the Department of An Taoiseach.

Tusla then prepared three interim reports for the department on the issue between March and May.

In the first of these on March 23, Tusla stated that 748 cases had been identified as containing out of State placements and other possible anomalies and that these files were being reviewed.

The third interim report, prepared on May 10, states that 611 children were identified as having been sent overseas and that a deeper review and analysis would be required to track the journey of each child from birth to the point where the infant left the jurisdiction.

In a table prepared on May 9 outlining the number of illegal registration cases found, reference is made to this larger tranche of 748 cases.

Alongside the first tranche of 126 cases outlined by Childrens Minister Katherine Zappone at the end of May, Tusla also lists the second tranche of 748 cases which are recorded as Anomalies including Adoptions overseas.

In a presentation for Ms Zappone on May 10, Tusla also revealed that, while dealing with tracing inquiries since it took possession of the St Patricks Guild records in 2016, it had discovered a significant number of suspected illegal registrations  25 such cases as far back as June 2017.

The Irish Examiner has published documented cases of illegal registrations in relation to St Patricks Guild as far back as 2010. In 2015, this newspaper revealed that the AAI informed the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in 2013 that St Patricks Guild was aware of several hundred illegal registrations.

At that time, the department stated that an audit of adoption records was of limited benefit and would yield little useful information.

Meanwhile, Ms Zappone has said the delay in bringing the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2016 into law is due to issues surrounding the natural parents right to privacy.

The legislation will create for the first time a statutory right for adopted people and people who have been the subject of an illegal birth registration to birth certificate information and certain other information.

Ms Zappone held a series of meetings yesterday to brief advocacy groups on the legislation. She will also brief them on the issue of illegal birth registrations.Leo Varadkar has said that more movement is needed from the British government on the Irish border ahead of an EU summit later this month as a paper put forward by British prime minister Theresa May last week is not satisfactory.

Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney will today brief Cabinet on Brexit developments, including contingency plans; work on protecting the Common Travel Area; and efforts to maintain co-operation on the likes of health, education, and social services between Ireland and Britain.

As talks enter a critical period ahead of the Brussels meeting, Mr Varadkar said that even if a deal cannot be reached and Britain leaves the EU in the worst possible manner, no provision will be made for a hard border between Ireland and the North because that will never happen, ever.

We have been making contingency arrangements for some time for a no deal or a hard Brexit, said Mr Varadkar.

But what we are not going to prepare for is a hard border on the island of Ireland because that will not happen under any circumstances and I have made that clear to the prime minister, who shares that commitment and I have also made it very clear on a number of occasions to all of the other EU prime ministers and presidents who understand the position on it.

However, Mr Varadkar did concede that there may be restrictions on trade and customs between Ireland and Britain if a Brexit deal cannot be signed off on and tariffs are introduced.

Mr Varadkars predecessor, Enda Kenny, took a stronger stance when he described the lack of clarity and progress coming from the British government as appalling. He suggested that an extra EU Council should be called ahead of the critical October meeting to ensure a deal can be signed off on.

Speaking as he received the European Movement Irelands European of the Year award in Dublin, Mr Kenny said: I am appalled by what is happening in politics in Britain. The government is driven by internal dissent, lacks credibility and clarity on the most serious issue in decades...

This is so serious I believe that the president of the council should consider either having a meeting before that meeting in October or afterwards, specifically and solely to deal with signing off on what hopefully can be concluded negotiations.

The paper put forward by Mrs Mays government last week was yesterday dismissed by the European Commissions Brexit task force, which said it left key questions unanswered.

Mr Coveney said it was never expected that everything would be resolved ahead of this months meeting of leaders.

Last week was a step in the right direction, he said. We had asked for a paper and proposals in writing to the taskforce coming from the British government. Thats what we got last week. There are elements of that that the taskforce has issues with, and certainly we do too, but its the basis of negotiation.The first examination of a revised junior cycle maths curriculum, being taught to incoming first-year students from this autumn, will take place in June 2021.

As has already happened with English, two maths papers will be replaced with a single two-hour paper under junior cycle reforms.

Brendan OSullivan said algebra is the key first step in many other areas of the subject but he fears it might not get enough attention without a focus on it in exams.

Two years ago, the State Examination Commission (SEC) chief examiner in Junior Certificate maths warned of problems for students at Leaving Certificate if declining basic algebra standards were not rectified.

Most higher-level maths students in the 2015 Junior Certificate had struggled to complete multi-step procedures accurately.

Mr OSullivan said concerns have already been raised about what has happened in English, with no drama question in the first revised Junior Certificate exam last year and no studied poetry or film studies questions for higher- level students last week, and the same might happen with maths.

It is inevitable that there will be large sections of the course that will not be examined. We have seen it already with the English paper this week, with the omission of poetry, he said.

Invariably this will lead to disappointment but, more worryingly, there will be those that will gamble and it doesnt take an expert in probability to know that this will result in big losers.

He said the SEC has an opportunity to address a critical area of difficulty faced by students, as identified in the chief examiners report.

I would call on the SEC to put a section in the two-hour paper where students are guaranteed to encounter algebra, said Mr OSullivan, who teaches at Davis College in Mallow, Co Cork.

There should never be a situation where it is omitted and it would offer peace of mind to students to know that they will encounter this material.

Mr OSullivan said the common criticism of teachers teaching to the exam would actually prove beneficial as there would be a better chance of reversing the decline in skills.

If algebra skills are poor, that will affect you going into different mathematical topics, you need those skills for solving problems, he said.

In areas like trigonometry or co-ordinate geometery, they are the first steps.

Mr OSullivan said predictability need not be a problem if an algebra question was guaranteed, as the SEC has skillfully shown through the years that material can be examined in several ways.Courtmacsherry, Timoleague, and Butlerstown, meanwhile, look likely to be detached from the West Cork electoral area.

The review by the Cork County local electoral areas boundary committee is due to published today.

Fianna Fail TD Michael McGrath and his brother, Cllr Seamus McGrath, in a joint submission, described the decision to split voters in Carrigaline as bizarre and nonsensical.

The pair organised an online petition to have Crosshaven, Fountainstown, and Myrtleville linked to the town, which is over 16km from the city.

A proposal before Cork County Council points to severing the main street as the boundary for the Ballincollig-Carrigaline municipal district and the Bandon-Kinsale municipal district.

In relation to Carrigaline, Cork County Council has stated: It is of paramount importance that this serious anomaly is addressed as a priority as part of the review process. It is essential that this town, which will be one of the key strategic county towns, is reunited and positioned at the core of a newly reconfigured municipal district.

Meanwhile, strong opposition continues in the Seven Heads peninsula over a proposal to move Courtmacsherry, Timoleague, and Butlerstown into the Bandon/Kinsale region.

Submissions claim all three villages and their hinterland have no firm ties with Bandon and Kinsale. Clonakilty, in the West Cork municipal district, has traditionally been their natural hub for all aspects, including schools and commercial business.

Other county council proposals seek the reunification of the twin villages and community of Ballineen and Enniskeane and the Gaelteacht area of Ballingeary.

The council supports the detachment of the Seven Head villages from the West Cork electoral area. Submissions were also received from Mourneabbey, Ballyhea, Watergrasshill, and Kilmichael.

John Paul Phelan, the minister of state for local government and electoral reform, announced the appointment of the committee to review and make recommendations on local electoral areas.They have also vowed to turn up at their next meeting wearing T-shirts supporting the judicial review being sought against the decision.

Standing orders were suspended at a council meeting in County Hall yesterday after Cllr Seamus McGrath raised the issue. He described the decision by An Bord Pleanala to grant Indaver as a devastating blow to harbour communities whod fought against the project for many years.

We need to support the wide community which will be affected. The community will be fighting this hard. It will go into the judicial process which will be hugely costly. We should support the community by wearing the T-shirts, said Cllr McGrath.

Yet again we had an inspector who sat through an oral hearing and went through every scintilla of evidence and recommended it be refused. But board members regrettably overruled him. They didnt sit through one minute of the evidence.

Cllr Mary Rose Desmond described the decision as absolutely disgraceful.

It was the most anti-democratic process I ever witnessed. This is the third time an inspector turned it down. The consequences will be far and wide across Cork. I have very little faith in where the process has gone, she said.

Cllr Marcia DAlton, an environmental engineer, said tens of thousands of people had opposed the Indaver plan. She was wearing one of the T-shirts which objectors CHASE (Cork Harbour for a Safe Environment) are selling to fund their judicial review.

Each inspector said the site was not suitable. We had five weeks of the last oral hearing [the latest of three] and five people overturned the inspectors decision. The plume [from the incinerator] will be the first thing cruise liner passengers will see when they enter the harbour, Cllr DAlton said. This will be going to a judicial review and were determined it will not go ahead.

Cllr Eoghan Jeffers said as a local authority, they were all unified in their opposition to the Indaver plan.

He won unanimous support from colleagues when he said they should ask the Government to reintroduce a levy on incineration.

Cllr Susan McCarthy said the fight against the Indaver project had been going on for 17 years. I am wholeheartedly opposed to this. It is 100% the wrong location. The big thing is what were doing to the tourism potential of this county. Were looking to market Cork as a maritime haven. Were the second largest natural harbour in the world. The communities around it have been entirely disregarded in their opposition.

As part of the debate, councillors read into the record their deep and profound disappointment at An Bord Pleanalas decision.Both had initially claimed journalistic privilege but on the day of their appearance changed their respective positions.

John Mooney from The Sunday Times and Eavan Murray of The Sun both adopted the same positions as their colleagues in The Irish Times, The Star, and the Mail On Sunday.

The tribunal was adjourned for two hours yesterday to consider a statement that had just been provided to the tribunal by Ms Murray. When she gave evidence after lunch, she said she did not initially respond to the tribunal because she did not think she had anything to contribute.

I believed then and I believe now that I was never briefed negatively by Superintendent [David] Taylor [or that] any member of the guards ever told me that he [Sgt McCabe] was a child abuser.

Supt Taylor has claimed that when he was head of the Garda press office, he briefed her and a list of 10 other reporters about Sgt McCabe, portraying him as a child abuser.

He claims to have used an allegation made by the daughter of a colleague of Sgt McCabes in 2006 about an alleged incident eight years previously.

Her father had been in dispute with Sgt McCabe. The garda who investigated it, the chief state solicitor, and the DPP all dismissed the girls allegation. The DPP stated that the allegation wasnt even of a criminal nature.

Supt Taylor claims he used that allegation to smear Sgt McCabe because the sergeant was bringing forward complaints of malpractice within the force.

After making his protected disclosure in September 2016, he provided a list of nine reporters he claimed to have briefed. Later, when presented with evidence by tribunal investigators, he added two more names, including Ms Murray.

Yesterday, Ms Murray gave evidence that she travelled to the home of the girl, known as Ms D, in Cavan in 2014, and met her mother. Supt Taylor says he spoke to Ms Murray before she went up and would have encouraged her to travel, on the basis that any subsequent story would reflect badly on Sgt McCabe.

Ms Murray said yesterday she only spoke to Supt Taylor after she had returned from Cavan.

She says she got the D name from another journalist, and the story about the allegation in her newsroom in The Sun.

Ms Murray told the tribunal that she met Supt Taylor in February of this year.

Supt David Taylor

The superintendent had told the tribunal last month that they didnt discuss the tribunal on that occasion. Yesterday, Ms Murray said that they did discuss the matter at that meeting.

Earlier, John Mooney, crime correspondent for The Sunday Times, also said that he was not briefed negatively by Supt Taylor about Sgt McCabe or any other guard. Initially, Mr Mooney had been claiming journalistic privilege.

He told the tribunal that he first heard of the 2006 allegation from a source other than a guard, but had it confirmed by a garda source.

That story and the allegation and background did not meet any threshold [for publication] in The Sunday Times, so I did not pursue it.

The five crime correspondents have not just dismissed Supt Taylor as a source of any negative briefing but have added that no garda ever approached them and attempted to portray Sgt McCabe as being in any way connected to child sexual abuse.

This would infer that not just Supt Taylor but nobody within the force ever suggested to any of these reporters that Sgt McCabe had questions to answer about child sexual abuse.

In such a scenario, Sgt McCabes complaints of malpractice were not discommoding anybody in the force to the extent that they attempted to blacken his character.

Except, allegedly, for the commissioner, Martin Callinan, who, three witnesses have testified, had portrayed Sgt McCabe to them in the darkest light. Mr Callinan denies this vehemently.

Supt Taylors claims in relation to the crime reporters named in his list are therefore coming up against a brick wall. He has not supplied any specifics about the alleged briefings. When he was asked by the tribunal for specifics, he would only say that he dropped these briefings into conversations with the reporters when interacting with them.

The list he presented is curious, particularly as he added to it only when presented with evidence by the tribunal. Is it possible that there were others who he forgot or neglected to inform the tribunal about? How come he cannot supply any specifics at all about these briefings?

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the response from the reporters is that they have excluded all gardai from any such attempt to blacken Sgt McCabes character using the discredited allegation.

Today, three journalists from the Irish Examiner, who also appear on Supt Taylors list, are scheduled to give evidence.Harry Clifton was arrested by Detective Danny McEnery at a house on Magazine Road, Cork, on Sunday. It was alleged that Clifton had hash under his bed and ketamine under the blanket.

Judge Gerard OBrien had imposed a two-year sentence on Clifton back in November 2016 with 18 months of that suspended for his part in the supply of the synthetic drug N-bomb. Eighteen-year-old Alex Ryan, of Liscahane, Millstreet, Co Cork, died on January 23, 2016, after taking the drug.

The probation service re-entered the case at Cork Circuit Criminal Court because of his failure to co-operate, and the judge gave Clifton a second chance not to have the balance of the sentence activated and to engage again with the probation service. Probation re-entered the case and Clifton failed to appear in court for that re-entry earlier this year.

Judge OBrien said that yesterday Clifton got a chance not once, but twice, against a background where the court came in for what he described as extreme public criticism for the leniency of the approach.

The judge said that what was most alarming was Cliftons lack of insight and that a man had died as a result of his drug activity.

The case had to be re-entered at Cork Circuit Criminal Court by the probation service because of Cliftons failure to show up for appointments and his continued use of cannabis.

Judge OBrien gave Clifton another chance in October 2017 to engage with the Probation Service and put the case back a second time.

Yesterday the judge said he had no option but to revoke the suspension and impose the sentence in full. Clifton now commences the remaining 18 months of his sentence.

Gareth Fleming, defending, said Clifton had not been calculated or cynical in his failure to take the chances but had simply been unable to do so. He said both times the defendant tried to turn his life around but drifted back each time.

At the original sentencing hearing in November 2016, Judge OBrien referred to the young people being in an orgy of drink and drugs consumption.

The investigation took place against the background of Alex Ryans death after he sniffed the synthetic drug at a party in Greenmount, Cork, at the beginning of 2016.

Detective Garda McEnery said the investigation commenced following the admission of several young people to hospital after they had taken a drug at a party in Greenmount. Most of the people at the party were students aged around 20.

One of those young people was Alex Ryan and he died in hospital after ingesting the drug nasally.

Investigations brought drugs squad officers to the door of Harry Clifton, aged 29, whose address at the time was 11 St Finbarrs Place, Probys Quay, Cork, as their information was that the drug had been sourced from Clifton.

Clifton had supplied 12 trips of the drug to others. Through these channels, the drug was brought to the party in Greenmount.

Detective Garda McEnery said Clifton was not a drug addict and his motivation was profit. He had previous convictions for drug possession and cultivation.The annual report for 2017 for the Department and the Defence Forces shows that it received 135 new cases last year, including 118 new personal injury claims.

The report, which has been laid before the Oireachtas, also shows that there was an increase in the amount of money paid out in settlements for issues linked to employment in 2017, compared with previous years.

According to the annual report: The Departments Litigation Branch manages cases taken against the Minister for Defence, including personal injuries claims, judicial reviews, plenary summonses and civil bills. In doing so, the Branch works closely with both the State Claims Agency and the Chief State Solicitors Office.

During 2017, the branch continued to participate on the Risk Management Liaison Group, whose members also include representatives from the Defence Forces and the State Claims Agency. In addition, Litigation Branch managed one complaint made to the Medical Council in 2017.

Total expenditure on all cases during 2017 amounted to 3,767,052.

Of that figure, 3,331,423 related to personal injury, including 1.9m in settlements. Those figures are lower than in the previous two years. There were 346 personal injury cases on hand in the department at the end of 2017.

The amount paid out in settlements by the state solicitors office linked to employment issues last year was 188,820, more than in either 2015 or 2016.

Over the past three years, almost 11.4m has been paid by the department on dealing with litigation.

Other figures in the report included the random drug testing of 1,187 personnel, with 15 positive results, and 66 redress of wrongs applications received last year, of which 19 were withdrawn.

Minister for Defence Paul Kehoe, writing in the annual report, paid tribute to the work of the Defence Forces, citing work ranging from flood relief works, recovery efforts following ex-Hurricane Ophelia, and the rescuing of almost 1,900 people from the Mediterranean by the Naval Service.Anthony Kelleher, aged 44, was arraigned at Cork Circuit Criminal Court yesterday on a charge of assaulting his wife Siobhan Kelleher, aged 39, where it is alleged that he intentionally or recklessly caused her serious harm at the family home in Curraheen, Raleigh North, Macroom, Co Cork, on June 12, 2014.

He replied not guilty to the single charge against him.

A jury of nine men and three women was sworn in to hear the case before Judge Brian OCallaghan at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Alice Fawsitt, prosecuting, gave the jury an outline of what she anticipated the evidence would be in the case but she emphasised the point that the outline was not in itself evidence.

At 18.49 on June 12, 2014, a 999 call was made by Mr Kelleher requesting an ambulance, stating that Mrs Kelleher had fallen down the stairs and was unconscious and that she had her tongue between her teeth and seemed to be bleeding very heavily.

It is alleged this information was on the memo of the call, Ms Fawsitt said.

The prosecution counsel said the memo contained the question from ambulance control: How far did she fall? followed by the answer: Four or five feet.

On the question of what caused the fall the reply was: Drink.

Ambulance personnel arrived at the house.

The paramedics identified the injuries as life-threatening injuries and decided to take her immediately to Cork University Hospital. Ambulance personnel met with a doctor en route to hospital and he attended to Mrs Kelleher on the ambulance journey.

Ms Fawsitt said another doctor at the emergency department of Cork University Hospital later diagnosed a number of injuries, including a blunt force head injury and the injured party was put into an induced coma for some days.

Ms Fawsitt said that when Mrs Kelleher came around, it was established that she had a stroke, a liver laceration, lung collapse, fractured vertebrae, fractures to her left wrist and right little finger, bruising to her left leg, buttocks and both ankles, and abrasions to her forehead.

The prosecution counsel said the hospital became concerned that those injuries were inconsistent with the description of how the injuries were sustained so gardai were contacted.

Arising out of their investigation, the prosecution alleged that Mr Kelleher assaulted her.

Again, Ms Fawsitt said this was an outline of allegations and did not constitute evidence. She said the prosecution would have to produce the evidence to back it up.

Mrs Kelleher was called to give evidence at 3.32pm yesterday.

A moment later, the witness not having arrived in the courtroom, Judge OCallaghan told the jury they could go home and he asked them to return for the resumption of the trial today.

The judge addressed the jurors before they left.

Please dont talk to strangers about the case. I am including Mr and Mrs Google and Mrs Twitter and all their friends. We are confined to what we hear in court, Judge OCallaghan said.Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) maths spokeswoman Elaine Devlin said there was no magic in the air for students faced with a shape described as a Horcrux on the second higher-level maths paper.

She said it was unfamiliar in mathematical terms, even if students were able to recognise it from the Harry Potter movies. Students pointed out on social media that the symbol was the Deathly Hallows, and not a Horcrux.

Sorta has never been saltier than right now when I told her that they called the symbol for the Deathly Hallows a Horcrux on the Junior Cert maths paper  Aoife (@AoifeRyan97) June 11, 2018

Question on my son's Irish Junior Cert Maths paper this morning. Eh no, Mr. Examiner, this is not a horcrux! Cringe! #juniorcert @jk_rowling pic.twitter.com/V38QqABFBF  Helena Maltby (@helmal155) June 11, 2018

Students would look at it on the exam paper and think our teacher never did that with us, said Ms Devlin. The 14-year-olds who worked hard and went in thinking they know their shapes would have found this very off-putting.

In response to a query about the horcrux question, the State Examinations Commission (SEC) said it was happy that students should have been able to answer the question. The Irish Examiner asked if any account would be taken in the marking scheme for teachers correcting the exam of the possible impact of symbol being incorrectly named, in terms of confusion or the time some students might have spent trying to figure it out.

An SEC spokesperson said the question involved a diagram made up of a triangle, a circle, and a line segment.

It is explained in the question exactly how these shapes fit together in the diagram, and the tasks candidates are given based on this diagram are clear and unambiguous, he said,

He said that the diagram was linked to an image from the Harry Potter series of books and films in order to provide a context that might interest students.

In these books, this image is usually referred to as the Deathly Hallows symbol rather than the Horcrux symbol, as it was called in the question, the SEC spokesperson said.

Given the clear manner in which the diagram and the tasks are described, the SEC is satisfied that the contextual information provided will have had no impact on candidates ability to answer the question, he said.

This was one of many questions that Ms Devlin thought was quite difficult, but she also said many questions were straightforward. There was a high degree of literacy skill required and she had serious concern about the use of imperial measures in another question based on pizzas, even if Junior Certificate students are accustomed to pizzas being marketed or sold in 9-inch or 12-inch sizes.

If they had given a conversion rate from inches to centimetres or millimetres, they could have made sense of it. The question was quite demanding anyway, she said.

Ms Devlin concluded that, although there were some nice questions, the exam presented many challenges for higher-level students.

She said ordinary-level Paper 2 also required a high level of literacy. She thought students would have been comfortable with a question about a survey on Netflix and Spotify use, but a co-ordinate geometry question was harder than usual.

The final exam of the current science curriculum was taken by Junior Certificate students yesterday.

ASTI science spokesman John Conneely had no major problems with the higher-level paper other than the scaling-in question based on a graph showing time and distance.

There was a theme of issues around pollution running through a number of sections, and students who had prepared well on gases would have been pleased with the chemistry section.

He said that, for ordinary-level students, the exam was of an expected standard, and a wide range of the course was covered.

For the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI), David Duffy said the higher-level paper expected students to have learned definitions well and be well prepared on experiments, and seemed more theory-based than the ordinary-level exam.

Questions about rotation of a card windmill and about a vacuum flask may have caused difficulty for some students, but well-revised students should be happy with an exam that had no real surprises.

Mr Duffy had similar comments on the ordinary-level exam. He said students who had not revised their experiments well would have had difficulties.Elzbieta Wilk has been able to give investigating gardai some crucial details about the savage assault in their home at Maglin, near Ballincollig, on the outskirts of Cork City early on Sunday, which killed her husband, Mikolaj, 35, and left her with serious injuries to her head, face, and hands.

Gardai said work is ongoing to establish a motive for the shocking attack.

As an autopsy conducted by assistant state pathologist Margot Bolster at Cork University Hospital (CUH) yesterday confirmed that Mr Wilk died from multiple slash injuries, his wife underwent surgery in the same hospital which it is hoped will save three near- severed fingers.

Gardai remained tightlipped last night on the progress of their investigation, but they confirmed that a firearm was recovered during a technical examination of a BMW 3 series car, which was found about an hour after the attack abandoned and burned out at Iniskenny, Ballinora, about 6km from the Wilk home.

Flowers were layed at the scene of the murder

The gun will be subjected to further detailed forensic tests, they said.

It is understood that Ms Wilk has told gardai that at least four men, all wearing balaclavas, entered their home at around 3am on Sunday and viciously attacked her husband, slashing him with machetes several times about the head and upper body. She suffered several slash injuries to her face, neck, and hands as she tried to protect him.

Their two children, a boy and a girl aged under six, were in a back room and woke to hear the attack. They were unhurt and are being cared for by experts.

A Slovakian woman in her 30s who was renting a room in the house escaped through a rear window, before the alarm was raised and the gang fled.

Detectives have conducted door-to-door enquiries and have begun trawling through CCTV footage harvested from premises in the area. They repeated their appeal for anyone who saw anything unusual or suspicious in the Maglin, Ballincollig, Ballinora, or Waterfall areas between 2am and 5am on Sunday, or in the days before, to contact Gurranabraher garda station.

A friend of Ms Wilk, Aga Deryng, who was at Ms Wilks hospital bedside yesterday, said her physical condition has improved.

But her heart will be broken forever, she said.

While members of Mr Wilks family are due to arrive in Ireland today, arrangements are being made for Ms Wilks relations to care for her two children.

More than 6,000 has been pledged to a GoFundMe account set up for the family.Leilani Farha, the UN special rapporteur for adequate housing, also suggested the Government needed to do much more to tackle the issue of homelessness here. The most recent figures published by the Government showed in April there were 9,652 people in emergency accommodation, including 3,689 children.

Ms Farha made her comments at the launch of a new paper by the Simon Communities entitled Making the Case for a Right to Housing in Ireland, and a call from the organisations spokesperson for a broader conversation on enshrining housing rights in the Irish Constitution.

The UN rapporteur was one of the speakers at the event, alongside Emily Logan, the Chief Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and others.

Ms Farha said: Homelessness is a human rights violation and needs a human rights response.

She also said homelessness was an assault on human dignity that puts ones life in the balance and should trigger a human rights concern.

Speaking at an event in Dublin hosted by the Simon Communities of Ireland, the UN Special Rapporteur for Adequate Housing queried how Ireland was going to meet its international human rights commitments when it is on such an unsustainable path.

Ms Farha said she fully endorsed the paper, Making the Case for a Right to Housing in Ireland as she claimed that, without legislation and a strategy that gives it meaning, Ireland will not move forward in a rights compliant way.

She said the current situation here was tragic, but one that could be solved, claiming that an unregulated private sector had been filling the void left by governments, including international investors who, she said, were profit motivated, not tenant motivated.

She said the legislative or a constitutional right to housing was a good starting place.

Niamh Randall, national spokesperson for the Simon Communities, said it was now time for a national conversation on the right to housing in Ireland.

Niamh Randall of the Simon Community

With record numbers trapped in emergency accommodation, on the social housing waiting lists and experiencing hidden homelessness, it is clear the current approach to housing is not working, she said.

A right to housing is not about the State ensuring home ownership for all. This is an unrealistic expectation and a soundbite often used by those who wish to undermine progress on this issue. A right to housing would provide a floor in respect of access to adequate housing for all, obliging the state to reasonably protect and fulfil that right.

In 2014, the Constitutional Convention recommended the inclusion of legally enforceable socio-economic rights in the Constitution including the right to housing. In 2017 the Right to Housing Bill sought to insert a right to housing into the Constitution by amendment to Article 43.

The bill was defeated in the Dail but referred for further consideration to the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform. Today we call on this committee to consider the provisions of this bill urgently making recommendation to Government.Tuesday, June 12th, 2018 (12:43 pm) - Score 2,573

The UK High Court has today granted Cityfibre permission to proceed with its Judicial Review of the Advertising Standards Authoritys decision regarding the use of fibre terminology in broadband ISP advertising, which the operator has often accused of being misleading for consumers.

The debate over what should and should not be considered fibre broadband in UK advertising has been going on since 2008, after the ASA allowed so called slower hybrid fibre or part fibre services (e.g. FTTC, G.fast or HFC DOCSIS networks that combine fibre with slower metallic copper or aluminium cables) to use the same wording as pure full fibre (FTTH/P) ISPs that take the optical fibre all the way to your home or office.

Pure fibre optic ISPs can deliver significantly faster speeds (i.e. theyre technically able to handle multi-Gigabit or even Terabit speeds) and are generally more reliable, while hybrid-fibre services tend to be slower and less reliable. Experiences do vary, depending upon the network setup and length of metallic cable, but generally theres a big difference (Will the real fibre optic service please stand up?).

In the past, few paid attention to this debate, which is partly because FTTP/H networks were tiny, but today operators are in a race to deploy such services out to millions of UK premises (see our summary). As such it has become increasingly important for ISPs to be able to highlight the advantages of a pure fibre line vs a hybrid fibre one. This is naturally made more difficult when your part fibre rivals are allowed to use the same terminology.

Last year the ASA finally, under a lot of pressure, agreed to review the situation but in the end they only recommended minor tweaks (here). In its conclusion the ASA claimed that fibre was not one of the priorities identified by consumers when choosing a package; that consumers did not notice fibre claims in ads and that they saw it as a shorthand buzzword to describe modern fast broadband.

Overall consumers told the ASA that they did not believe they would change their previous decisions, even after the differences between those services and broadband services that use fibre optic cables all the way to the home were explained to them.

Naturally Cityfibre, which has built multiple Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) networks across the UK, disagreed and argued the research and logic that lead to the [ASAs] decision was fundamentally flawed and that it encourages slower hybrid fibre ISPs to continue to mislead consumers. In response the operator began seeking a Judicial Review against such advertising and the High Court has today allowed them to proceed.

Greg Mesch, Founder and CEO of CityFibre, said: The High Court is seeing sense where the ASA failed to: this is the right decision for consumers and our economy. CityFibre challenged the ASAs decision because consumers must not be misled into thinking they can get full-fibre benefits on a copper broadband network  they cant: copper is dead. It is now time to sort out these advertising rules once and for all, and for the Government and industry to get behind the nationwide broadband targets set by the Chancellor. Companies are investing billions because of the transformative connectivity full fibre brings; the Court has a one-off chance to step in and make a difference for consumers before the mis-selling of broadband becomes the next PPI-style scandal.

At the hearing, Cityfibres representatives argued that there were serious limitations in the methodology the ASA used in research it says justifies its decision, and that the findings they presented actually supported the view that the use of fibre was misleading for consumers.

Summary of Cityfibres Claims: * The methodology did not qualify the ASA to make generalisations or to extrapolate its findings to the wider population.

* The demographic selection was not representative and did not take proper account of socio-economic group A.

* The ASAs findings in fact supportive of the view that the indiscriminate and current widespread use of the word fibre is misleading 

- When viewing full-fibre ads, only a minority of participants immediately understood that full-fibre providers offered something different.

- And even after the difference between full and part fibre was explained, two-thirds of respondents were still unable to differentiate between full and part-fibre ads.

The ASA will now have 35 days to prepare their counter case, which should prove to be an incredibly interesting one due to the inherent clash of technology and marketing. Nevertheless, win or lose, it will remain very difficult to unpick something that has long since become established in the consumer subconscious, where the meaning of fibre has been diluted over years of use (or misuse) by slower hybrid (part) fibre services.

Furthermore if Cityfibre wins then this could conceivably place a question mark over Gigabit capable Fibre-to-the-Building (FTTB) providers, such as Hyperoptic, where only a little bit of the overall connection is still technically copper (i.e. cabling inside the building itself). Even Openreach has some slower FTTB solutions that use VDSL2 technology (aka FTT-Basement). France has already taken a very tough line on this (here).

As a side note, ISPreview.co.uk ran a snap poll of 200+ respondents when the ASA announced their decision last year and 83% agreed that only FTTH/P ISPs should be able to use fibre broadband in advertising. Cityfibres action has also received wide support from other full fibre ISPs, such as Gigaclear and Vodafone etc.Tuesday, June 12th, 2018 (7:43 am) - Score 4,296

Cable ISP Virgin Media has launched a new range of specially priced broadband packages and bundles that have been designed for students and offer a 30 day contract. For example, the 54Mbps broadband-only service costs 33 a month, which is the same as the non-student package on a 12 month term.

The needs of a student often arent that different from those of a large family, particularly if you have to share the accommodation with others. In that sense there will often be a demand for premium TV services, superfast broadband speeds, affordability and unlimited usage.

On the other hand a normal consumer will often remain in the same property for several years, while students are usually only in the same place for up to around 9 months of any given year and this may create a problem since most big broadband ISPs sell services based on longer 12, 18 or even 24 month contract terms.

In the past BT and Virgin Media have tried to solve this by offering special 9 month contract terms to students at a special price, but this year Virgin Media has gone one better and made their 30 day rolling contracts available to students and at roughly the same price as normal subscribers would pay for a 12 month term.

As usual subscribers can also expect to receive a SuperHub wireless router, unlimited usage, access to Virgins WiFi hotspots (e.g. London Underground Stations), a v6 set-top-box (on the TV bundle), internet security / parental controls, free UK weekend phone calls (on the phone and or TV bundle) and email. Customers will also be charged a 20 one-off setup fee or 40 for an engineer standard installation (if needed).

Product Monthly Vivid 50 broadband only (average speed 54Mbps) 33 Vivid 100 broadband only (average speed 108Mbps) 38 Vivid 200 broadband only (average speed 213Mbps) 43 Vivid 350 broadband only (average speed 362Mbps) 48 Vivid 50 broadband and phone (average speed 54Mbps) 40 Vivid 100 broadband and phone (average speed 108Mbps). 45 Vivid 200 broadband and phone (average speed 213Mbps) 50 Vivid 350 broadband and phone (average speed 362Mbps) 55 Player TV bundle and vivid 50 broadband (average speed 54Mbps) and phone 48

The new deals will be available to order until the end of October 2018, although many students usually sort out what they need for the coming year during the summer break. One slight problem this morning is that if you follow the link to Virgins student page then somebody has forgotten to link the Compare deals button (i.e. it doesnt work). Hopefully theyll fix that later today.This week, Im at Ciscos annual customer event, Cisco Live, in Orlando, Florida. Cisco remains one of the most powerful technology companies in the market and has never been more relevant. It is the company that provides the technology that largely enables the internet and the cloud, and we currently exist in a connected cloud world. The theme for this years show is Imagine Intuitive.

Lets see where this CEO keynote from Chuck Robbins takes us, as Im writing this real time.

Chaos and Wonder of a Hyper-Connected World

We live in a hyper-connected world; 400 million people over the last year have connected to the internet, and 200 billion new machine-to-machine connections were made. In the next five years, 2.5 billion new connections will be made. This has and will result in a massive increase in complexity, and dealing with that is what the people in this audience with me will be doing. Delivering health care and education to the millions of people who are and will be connected to the internet, responding to disasters by bringing up networking and communications, and improving collaborative networks between people to improve productivity are key to solving the problems we face.

Networks Will Be the Power of the Future

Connecting cities to their citizens, connecting people with peers, and connecting companies and machines to each other will define our future.

The Good Old Days

Robbins went into some depth with regard to how networks are set up today. It made sense when 95 percent of everything we had connected to our own facilities. But that has changed as a result of public cloud implementations, and not one public cloud, but many. With these clouds, software as a service also proliferated, resulting in a need for more infrastructure and solutions to deliver and manage the result.

Todays Secure Virtual Architecture

These changes have resulted in a far more complex structure, one that is secure and virtual. This is one of the areas that has seen impressive advancement. We are at a point where there is software-defined everything and that not only speaks to the complexity of the result, but its fluidity. Together, this represents a potential massive increase in complexity and increases the management difficulty significantly as well, and this creates huge potential security problems. Assuring these new technologies and approaches are secure is baked into Ciscos product and services strategy. But they also showcase the desire and need for end-to-end solutions that keep this complexity and resulting exposures to a minimum.

The Networks Next Act

Executives dont care about the technology, they want the business to move faster, they want instant execution as soon as they develop a strategy. Security concerns need to be mitigated because executives dont want to deal with them, they simply want them taken care of.

Secure, Intelligent, Platform for Digital Business

This leads to Ciscos strategy. It is founded, as you would expect, in the need to do more with the network than ever before. We have to increase the pace of innovation because the changes are coming so quickly, and the threats and opportunities are increasing with them. This will be applied to assure Ciscos customers can take care of their customers so well they wont ever want to leave.

Cisco plans to be the power behind a multi-cloud world, creating solutions for the Google Cloud, Azure and Kubernetes to increase the robust capability that Ciscos customers already have.

To execute this strategy, Cisco needs solid partnerships. One such partnership is with the Google Cloud. Cisco worked with Google Cloud to assure that this service worked as well off-premise as the Cisco Kubernetes service worked on-premise. Robbins introduced Diane Greene, who is CEO of the Google Cloud, to talk about the unbelievable opportunity that this represented for both firms. The goal of the partnership is to find ways to disrupt what customer companies are doing without disrupting operations. I think she means allow the customers to significantly innovate to solve problems without screwing up operations excessively. Kubernetes is one of the fastest growing open source platforms in the world and under heavy use in Google internally, as well. Based on audience feedback, there were a significant number of firms using Kubernetes at the moment. Both executives praised the partnership and the progress they have been making together. Some of the benefits of this partnership are more modern development environments, better focus on the business of the company, increased development speed, for operations and security, it provides a common stable platform to manage and secure.

Reinvent the Network

The next generation of branch networking is upon us. There are huge changes in both products and services. Cisco has worked with one service provider to reach a speed where that provider can update 60K routers a night. Currently, the Catalyst 9000 is the fastest ramping product in Ciscos history, with 50K customers adapting it to date. This product brings together automation, security and analytics to change the operations status quo in organizations where it is deployed.

Unlock the Power of Data

Robbins listed a series of offerings that would help customers access and use the power of the data that exists in their organizations. These products included Business IQ, DNA Assurance, Encrypted Data Analytics (ETA), Kinetic for Industrial IoT, Network Assurance Engine and Tetration.

Security Is Foundational

Were now moving to another set of Cisco products that assure the architecture that spans everything from the network to the cloud. These products include AMP for Endpoints, Cyber Security Insurance, Encrypted Threat Analytics (ETA), FirePower 2100, Stealthwatch Cloud, Talos and Umbrella. With this, Cisco is blocking billions of attacks every day, tens of thousands every second.

Create Meaningful Experiences

This is tied to the collaboration portfolio, which includes Collaboration and Meeting Rooms 4, Hybrid Media Services, Video Mesh and others. Cisco, a communications company at its core, naturally sees collaboration as a strategic opportunity and has an impressive number of offerings in this space. However, I wonder, given that collaboration is more of a behavioral problem to solve than a technical one, whether the technology industry in general should be approaching this differently.

Secure, Virtual Architecture

If 85 percent of your data is off-premise, the technology you use to manage it should likely be off-premise, as well. Cisco is aggressively moving to provide that solution. It highlighted a hospital, Childrens Hospital of LA, which has 30,000 connected devices that have to be secured and managed. Lives depend on this and they use and recommend Cisco as the end-to-end solution, which has helped them assure the related services as a result. They replaced a network that was eight years old and completely inadequate. For instance, just to get a networked machine to work in any room took them months prior to them replacing that aging network with a complete Cisco solution (they werent a Cisco shop before). They partnered with Advance Services to first emulate the environment that Cisco recommended and after that emulation was successful, they rolled aggressively toward deployment.

According to the hospital, the resulting deployment has been extremely successful largely thanks to the relentless support from their CIO. Apparently, they do a substantial amount of research at this hospital and, as a hospital, have massive security requirements. The Cisco solution improved both efforts significantly. This deployment isnt done. One case they shared was of a teenage patent who had only a 20 percent chance of living. He was left alone as his parents lived hundreds of miles away and all he wanted was to play with his PlayStation. Post Cisco, they were able to easily set it up and dedicate a line for his use.

Innovating Everywhere

Robbins moved to talk about innovation in general, not just with product but with process. Cisco created a customer experience organization with a dedicated customer experience officer. These folks are going to focus on improving the customer experience with Cisco products through its entire service life. DEVNET is another new organization designed to help and enable developers; currently, 500,000 developers are registered and using this service.

Commitment to Learning

Cisco realizes it doesnt have enough technical resources to deal with this changing world. It recognizes that with automation and AI, there will be people who will lose their jobs. Cisco is working with other firms, often competitors, to help reskill 1 million of these folks and assure their continued employment while reducing the skills shortfall. On top of that, it has programs like [email protected], Cisco Network Academy, IoT Talent Consortium and the Cybersecurity Scholarship.

Corporate Responsibility

Corporate responsibility has been, to Cisco, a very important area for funding and support. Responding to natural disasters, providing technology to help those with disabilities, providing training in underdeveloped areas to promote development in areas like banking, Ciscos networking academy trained 1.3 million people, aggressively addressing unemployment and potentially reducing crime. The corporate goal is to make the world a better place. Back in 2016, it made a goal of positively impacting a billion people by 2025 and it is on track, with 200 million positively impacted so far through Ciscos efforts. Cisco believes that success is not just defined by financial success but by making the world a better place.

Going forward, the company plans to much more aggressively talk about efforts here to encourage other companies to join in and increase the positive impact on the world.

Wrapping Up: Trying to Combine Doing Well and Doing Good

Like any technology company, Ciscos technology can be used for good or ill. Both would make money and most keynotes end with a pitch. What I think is interesting is that this keynote ended with a promise that Cisco intends to make a positive impact on the world and regardless of what Cisco sells, Cisco wants to make a positive, meaningful difference. It is one of the few companies working to mitigate the coming impact of automation and AI and has aggressively moved to help eliminate homelessness near its corporate headquarters. It remains one of the best examples of a company attempting to do well by doing good and it is setting a powerful example for others as a result. I cant think of a better goal than creating a competition based on positive world change.

In the end, I was struck that we all have choices and that, like Cisco, we should aspire to make our choices so that we help turn the world into a better place.

Rob Enderle is President and Principal Analyst of the Enderle Group, a forward-looking emerging technology advisory firm. With over 30 years experience in emerging technologies, he has provided regional and global companies with guidance in how to better target customer needs; create new business opportunities; anticipate technology changes; select vendors and products; and present their products in the best possible light. Rob covers the technology industry broadly. Before founding the Enderle Group, Rob was the Senior Research Fellow for Forrester Research and the Giga Information Group, and held senior positions at IBM and ROLM. Follow Rob on Twitter @enderle, on Facebook and on Google+The Australian Alliance for Data Leadership has appointed Stephen Porges as its chief executive.

"We're fortunate to gain a CEO with Stephen's deep corporate experience, gravitas and dynamic vision," said chairman Steve Brennen.

"The board and the executive leadership team are confident that Stephen is the best person to lead AADL. We are grateful to Steve Sinha who demonstrated strong capabilities in stepping up to oversee the Associations in the interim."

Porges sits on a number of boards and is chairman of Advara.

He previously worked as CEO of SAI Global, Aussie Home Loans, Newcastle Permanent Building Society, and Proteome Systems. and also as managing director of HSBC Securities in New York.

"I'm incredibly excited to be spearheading our efforts to empower businesses using data in all its various aspects," said Porges.

"Data collection, governance, analysis and use is so critical; however they are typically viewed in a piecemeal fashion.

"Our network of associations with excellence in each of their fields, bringing all aspects of data together, provides incredible value to members. This model is unique globally, and with the future being increasingly data-driven, we are thrilled to be leading the way."

AADL constituent organisations include ADMA, IAPA, DGA, and Digital + Technology Collective (formerly AIMIA).The data breach at human resources outfit PageUp People has resulted in the leaking of names, street addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers among others, the company has said in an update on Tuesday.

Additionally, some employee usernames and passwords may have been accessed, PageUp People chief executive Karen Cariss said, adding that it had used hashing and salting to protect these credentials.

While the company said in its initial announcement that the breach was due to a malware infection, a statement on Tuesday said: "Advanced methods were used to gain unauthorised access to PageUps IT systems in Australia, Singapore and the UK."

This indicates that the breach may have gone deeper into company systems than originally indicated.

"No employment contracts, applicant resumes, Australian tax file numbers, credit card information or bank account information were affected. No data contained in our Onboarding, Performance, Learning, Compensation or Succession Modules was affected," Cariss added.

The breach was announced on 6 June. The company has among its Australian clients the Commonwealth Bank. the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Telstra, NAB, Coles, Aldi, Medibank, Australia Post, Target, Reserve Bank of Australia, Officeworks, Kmart, Linfox, AMP, Asahi, Sony, Newcrest, the University of Tasmania and Lindt.

The breach was noticed on 23 May and five days later investigations showed that client data may have been compromised.

PageUp People's website is hosted by Amazon and appears to run on Microsoft' IIS Web server. There have been many cases where data was left unsecured in AWS buckets and leaked as a result.

Commenting on the breach, Bede Hackney, Country Manager ANZ of security firm Tenable, said: This incident impacting PageUp is a timely reminder of the widespread impact that a single cyber attack can have on multiple businesses.

"As the modern attack surface continues to expand, its critical for businesses to have complete visibility across their environments to ensure they can identify new threats and vulnerabilities."

William Tam, director, Sales Engineering, APAC for Forcepoint, said: "The significance of this breach cannot be understated. While its not the largest breach in recent history, the affected countries span multiple regions, many with their own unique levels of regulatory requirements.

"Given this is the first major breach to happen after the launch of the GDPR, it will be the first example of how action will be taken by the EU. With an investigation now launched, how the Europe Data Protection Board participate in the investigation will be watched closely by many around the world, including the regulatory authorities outside the EU that make up the remainder of the 190 impacted countries (in Australia for example)."

Ashley Watkins, country director, for Trend Micro ANZ, said: News that PageUp have launched an investigation following a potential data breach reminds us that Australian organisations  no matter how big or small  are operating in a new era of cyber requirements.

Historically many companies have taken a complacent approach to data security, but this is starting to change since the introduction of the Notifiable Data Breach legislation earlier this year. The unfortunate reality is that data breaches do happen, so its paramount that organisations pay close attention to their disclosure processes and prioritise transparency with their customers."

Matthew Brazier, regional director ANZ, CyberArk, said: "There are real benefits to instituting more robust security practices, above and beyond the avoidance of fiscal penalties following the introduction of the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme and GDPR. Organisations that take proper care of individuals data will experience benefits to their brands and a greater level of customer trust."The NSA could have access to the code repositories residing on GitHub, which is now owned by Microsoft, if past practices of the Redmond-based software giant are any indicator.

Microsoft announced its acquisition of GitHub on 5 June. The company said at the time that GitHub had about 28 million developers working on 80 million repositories. Microsoft has been one of the bigger code contributors to the site.

The reaction from open-source developers to the acquisition has not exactly been salutary as can be seen from comments on Linux Weekly News.

NSA has direct access to tech giants' systems for user data, secret files reveal: https://t.co/Ton79LT3jB  The Guardian (@guardian) 6 June 2013

The possibility that the data on GitHub could now be accessed by the NSA was raised by researcher Mustafa Al-Bassam.

Five years ago, when the first reports based on documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden were published, Microsoft was listed among the companies that were giving the NSA access to internal information.

The Guardian reported at the time that under the NSA's Prism program, the spy agency had gained direct access to the systems of companies like Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and other tech giants.

BTW, considering that Microsoft was a part of the NSA's Prism program, which does "collection directly from the servers" (NSA's own words), wonder if NSA will be more interested in the source code in GitHub private repos now. https://t.co/cMN1s6dpca  Mustafa Al-Bassam (@musalbas) 7 June 2018

The report was based on a 41-slide PowerPoint presentation, classified as top-secret and not meant to be seen by any US allies, that was said to be used to train operatives on the program's capabilities.

It said: "Some of the world's largest internet brands are claimed to be part of the information-sharing program since its introduction in 2007. Microsoft  which is currently running an advertising campaign with the slogan "Your privacy is our priority"  was the first, with collection beginning in December 2007."

iTWire contacted Microsoft with the following questions:

"Will the NSA now have access to all the code on GitHub as well, as the company is now owned by Microsoft?

"What is Microsoft's policy on sharing code which resided on GitHub?"

The company responded with a one-liner: "Sorry but Microsoft won't be providing comment on this."Sydney, June 12, 2018  In line with its global commitment to sustainability, Fujitsu today announced it has been acknowledged by the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) for demonstrating leadership in sustainability by using the NABERS Energy for data centres rating tool. Per year Fujitsu has saved more than 34 GW hours of electricity and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 30,611 tonnes of CO2-e, representing 33 per cent less than the industry average.

These figures are calculated using the NABERS Energy rating tool, which indicates how energy and carbon emissions are being managed in a data centre compared with the rest of the data centre market. The Fujitsu Australia data centres consistently deliver technology services at lower carbon emissions than the average Australian data centre.

Fujitsu became the first organisation to achieve a NABERS certification for its Noble Park data centre in 2013 and has continued to build on this success. It became Australias first and only technology company to certify and publicly disclose the energy and carbon performance of its entire data centre portfolio using NABERS Energy in 2016.

Mike Foster, Chief Executive Officer, Fujitsu Australia, said, Digital transformation drives demand for data centre capability and also drives the need for innovation in energy efficiency. Our goal is to drive down the impact of the ICT sector through enabling technologies that help reduce the share of emissions produced by the sector. In addition to lower carbon emissions, being energy efficient also delivers business benefits by reducing operational expenses for our customers.

The NABERS ratings are an important way to demonstrate the transparency and commitment with which Fujitsu approaches sustainability. Supporting this sustainability vision and contributing to business efficiency in all areas leads to innovative opportunities to ensure Fujitsu is different, relevant and continues to create new value for customers. At Fujitsu we believe it is crucial to meet our increasing power requirements but not at the cost of our environment.

Fujitsu Australia is striving towards a 2020 target of a 4.5-star NABERS rating across the data centre portfolio and has already achieved a four-star rating across three of its data centres, with the remaining three not far behind. NABERS Energy rating is calculated based on Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), and the results are communicated via a simple 6-star rating scale, where 1-star represents poor performance, and 3-star is average.

Energy Efficiency Council CEO and member of the NABERS National Steering Committee, Luke Menzel, has welcomed Fujitsus commitment to using NABERS to consistently achieve highly efficient data centres:

Fujitsu is the first technology company in Australia to certify all its data centres using NABERS Energy. This gives them a robust baseline it can use to compares energy performance to the industry average, and monitor progress towards its ambitious energy efficiency targets.

Fujitsus leadership is to be commended, and is an example of business acting to drive big savings, both in terms of energy costs and carbon.

With this certification, Fujitsu customers gain the benefits of a clean and efficient data centre with strong environmental sustainability credentials. In future, Fujitsu is looking to extend its best practice initiative to advise customers on how to obtain their own NABERS Energy rating.

Resources:

Read the Fujitsu blog: https://blog.au.fujitsu.com

Follow Fujitsu on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/FujitsuAU

Find Fujitsu on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fujitsu-australia-limited

Find Fujitsu on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FujitsuAustraliaNewZealand

For regular news updates, bookmark the Fujitsu newsroom: https://www.fujitsu.com/au/about/resources/news/

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 140,000 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 4.1 trillion yen (US $39 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. For more information, please see https://www.fujitsu.com.

About Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand

Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand is a leading service provider of business, information technology and communications solutions. We partner with our customers to consult, design, build, operate and support business solutions. From strategic consulting to application and infrastructure solutions and services, Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand have earned a reputation as the single supplier of choice for leading corporate and government organisations. Fujitsu Australia Limited and Fujitsu New Zealand Limited are wholly owned subsidiaries of Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702). See https://www.fujitsu.com/au/.A decision on a smartphone patent tussle between Huawei Technologies and Samsung Electronics that came from a Chinese court could well be accepted globally, despite the fact that Huawei went to both US and Chinese courts to seek a judgment.

Due to the size of the US market and the strength of the US judiciary, the opinions of American courts have generally held sway, Reuters reported.

In this particular case, though Huawei had won a ruling in China, an American judge had told the company not to enforce the ruling.

Reuters quoted Erick Robinson, a lawyer in Beijing, as saying, "This has never happened before, at least not on this scale."

Huawei had accused Samsung of using its cellular communications technology without permission and put off the process of seeking a licensing agreement. Samsung's argument was to deny the claims and accuse Huawei of trying to obtain outsized licensing fees.

The case was decided in January by the Intermediate Peoples Court of Shenzhen which issued an order preventing Samsung's Chinese subsidiaries from making and selling 4G LTE smartphones in China. The judgment was issued long before the San Francisco court that had to also rule on the case issued a verdict.

If the Chinese court's order was followed, then Samsung would be under pressure to settle as it owns large plants in China and sells millions of phones in the country.

In April, when the US case was heard, Huawei was ordered not to enforce the Shenzhen court's ban, because it would mean that Samsung had to accept Huawei's licensing terms and there would be global impacts.

But legal experts told Reuters that the decision may not be left up to Huawei as the Chinese court could enforce the decision on its own.

Robinson said that the fact that the US court was trying to block a Chinese court could backfire and result in exactly the opposite being done.

Both decisions, taken in the US and China, are being appealed.

The advantages provided by Chinese courts are the speed of deciding a matter, because of the restrictions on the amount of paperwork allowed, and the willingness to impose harsh verdicts.There are many issues on the bargaining table, and no single overriding issue this year, though the Sunday delivery issue comes close. Shippers, coping with tight US surface transportation, are hoping for a constructive outcome. "This isnt something we need right now, one shipper said.Summerville, SC (29483)

Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.Reddit Email 70 Shares

Dont wait for the next massacre to start calling out the more insidious violence Palestinians suffer every day.

New York (FPIF )  They just seem  well  less developed, less innovative, less productive than the Israelis.

This was one of the many objections I faced during a recent attempt to secure support for a petition condemning the 12-year siege of Gaza. While it seemed honest, it was also probably influenced by a time-honored propaganda tactic: the celebration of Israels economic and technological achievements in everything from renewable energy to its startup ecosystem, as opposed to the stagnation, corruption, and cronyism of the Arab and Muslim world.

Making the Desert Bloom

Few proponents of this narrative put it quite as bluntly as the cool kids philosopher, Ben Shapiro, did in 2010. Israelis like to build, he wrote on Twitter. Arabs like to bomb crap and live in open sewage. This is not a difficult issue. #settlementsrock.

All the same, there seems to be something inherently appealing about supporting a country that has made the desert bloom. Who can argue with the basic facts? Rationing of oil and food existed in Israel as late as the 1960s; now it boasts the highest density of startups of any country in the world. From 1986 to 2016 its GDP grew by 180 percent. Its unemployment and debt-to-GDP figures make some developed nations look like banana republics.

Compare this with the miserable spectacle of an Egyptian economy 40 percent controlled by its armed forces, a Saudi rentier state sustained by a slave-like, mostly South Asian underclass, or a growing casualty list of failed Iranian development plans and vision documents. Not to mention the Palestinians, whose leaders have often done an impressive job of squandering and misusing large sums of foreign aid money, or paying civil servants not to work as long as they belong to the right political faction.

Redeeming the Soil

In a broad sense, these were the points raised by the man who didnt like my petition. And, like any good political operative, I dodged them: the only question on this piece of paper, I said, is whether we should defend  with our tax dollars and national diplomatic representatives  the self-proclaimed right of the Israeli military to shoot and kill non-violent protesters.

But, notwithstanding my attempt to stay on message, the economic questions do have to be answered. For one thing, they have significant political implications, lying at the heart of Israels national mythology since at least the late 19th century, when early Labor Zionists committed themselves to redeeming the soil through agricultural settlements in Palestine.

In a more concrete way, the economy is not  and never should be  a purely academic curiosity. As our material foundation, it is capable of broadening, constraining, stimulating or destroying the possibilities of human life. It is at the core of our daily struggles and advances. Understanding its dimensions in Israel/Palestine, therefore, is essential to understanding what we vaguely call the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Strangulation Hurts

Thankfully, despite what some officially-anointed experts tell us, the general picture is not particularly complicated.

Israels economic development has been remarkable, and much of it has been driven by the ingenuity of its citizens  but it helps when American aid reaches above 10 percent of your GDP in times when you really need it.

It helps too when you have full control over your borders, airspace, roads, water, schools, and electricity. When you dont have to worry about well-armed, hostile colonists routinely setting fire to your olive trees. When you can go fishing without being shot, threatened, or humiliated by a professional national navy. When you can drink clean water, or plant in clean soil. When your imports and exports are not subject to the arbitrary restrictions of a government whose ministers openly support your mass expulsion.

Many of these inhuman and degrading conditions apply to everyone living in the occupied Palestinian territories. But they are uniquely crushing to the people of Gaza.

Although Palestinian leaders  both in Hamas and Fatah  are far from guiltless, it takes a heavy dose of intellectual casuistry to deflect blame from the de jure and de facto occupying power. Gazas economic catastrophe is not caused by a lack of entrepreneurial spirit or some politicians who cant keep their hands out of the till. It is caused by an occupation regime that has embraced New York Senator (and, incredibly, now Senate Minority Leader) Chuck Schumers call to strangle them economically.

This strangulation has ranged from sinister calculations of near-but-not-quite starvation levels of daily caloric intake for Gaza, to more mundane but equally humiliating micromanagement of Gazas eggplant and tomato exports. Its primary consequence is what Harvards Sara Roy calls a demeaning dependence on humanitarian aid for at least 1.3 million Gazans (70 percent of the strips population).

And this is really the central point about the relationship between the economy and the conflict: its not a question of GDP per capita, aggregate growth, or even the unemployment rate. As any political scientist will not hesitate to tell you, there are too many poor people and not enough wars in the world to sustain the idea that poverty causes war.

In this sense, Gandhis often-quoted claim that poverty is the worst form of violence might not be an empirically sound one. But what we see in Gaza is not just poverty: it is, above all, humiliation. This, of course, can grind people down until they give up. However, it only takes a single outrage  a murder, a beating, an insult  to turn these slowly accumulating grievances into a political explosion. Israel learned this the hard way in 1987 and 2000, as did many Arab dictatorships in 2011.

It is good when we speak out against horrors like those that the Israeli military inflicted on Great March of Return protesters. But calling out the more insidious economic violence that dominates daily life in Palestine comes closer to the essence of the struggle. We cannot wait for the next massacre before we take up this task.Reddit Email 334 Shares

The depths of hypocrisy of the Republican Party in supporting Trumps meeting with the North Korean dictator in Singapore are hard to plumb. This is a party whose leading members adopted the Ostrich Foreign Policy Principle for decades. If you dont like a countrys government or political and economic system, pretend it does not exist.

One of the concerning developments on the internet is that hypocrisy, which was probably the ultimate Cool Meme in the zeroes of this century, no longer rules. Maybe it is just scandal fatigue from the combination of profound corruption and attention deficit disorder characterizing Washington under Trump. But, well, we have to keep on slogging.

There was that time when Sen. Ted Cruz and other Republicans lambasted Obama for visiting Cuba while there were still political prisoners in that country. So the principle is, no talks with leaders who have prisoners of conscience in their jails? Trump has broken that principle every which way from Sunday. Sen. John McCain even compared Obamas handshake with Castro to the Hitler-Chamberlain meeting. Seriously. Thats what he said.

Then there was that time when prominent Republicans slammed Barack Obamas Secretary of State John Kerry for his direct talks with Irans foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Sen. John Barrasso, R-WY and a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said, I have a lot of concerns about Secretary John Kerry and his buddy-buddy relationship with Zarif and other people around the world.

In 2008 when Obama was still running for president, one of his foreign policy advisers, Daniel Kurtzer, went to Damascus and met with Bashar al-Assads foreign minister. Sen. John McCain slammed Obama for the overture to the al-Assad regime: If one of Senator Obamas advisers has been to Damascus, we just wonder how many have been to Tehran.

And, of course, when Barack Obama was running for president in 2008 and pledged unconditional talks with North Korea among other countries, he was pilloried by conservatives the same ones who now demand a Nobel Peace Prize for Trump for meeting with the North Korean president without preconditions.



Bonus video:

Guardian News: President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un meeting in SingaporeReddit Email 180 Shares

Washington (AFP)  US Attorney General Jeff Sessions declared Monday that victims of domestic and gang violence will no longer qualify for asylum, in an effort to stem a flow of illegal immigrant families from Central America.

In a deciding opinion on a case of an unidentified woman from El Salvador who was raped and beaten by her husband for years, Sessions said that asylum seekers must prove that they suffer persecution arising from their membership in a distinct group.

An alien may suffer threats and violence in a foreign country for any number of reasons relating to her social, economic, family, or other personal circumstances. Yet the asylum statute does not provide redress for all misfortune, Sessions said.

Such a group cannot be overly broad or diffuse, Sessions said, overruling a previous asylum decision which accepted married women who are victims of violent relationships as a persecuted group.

The mere fact that a country may have problems effectively policing certain crimes such as domestic violence or gang violence  or that certain populations are more likely to be victims of crime, cannot itself establish an asylum claim.

The ruling came as part of a pushback to the arrival of thousands of migrants from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador over the past year fleeing widespread violence in their country.

Most of them cross the US-Mexico border and immediately turn themselves in to request asylum.

In early May Sessions announced that any illegal border-crossers, including asylum seekers, would first be charged with a crime, and parents and children would be separated.

The policy, meant to be a deterrent, has sparked strong criticism and an accusation from the UN Human Rights Office that childrens rights are being violated by the policy.

 A high burden 

In a speech earlier Monday, Sessions made clear the Trump administrations ongoing frustration with the border situation.

The asylum system is being abused to the detriment of the rule of law, sound public policy, and public safety  and to the detriment of people with just claims, he said.

The vast majority of the current asylum claims are not valid, he added, saying only 20 percent have met asylum standards.

Asylum was never meant to alleviate all problems  even all serious problems  that people face every day all over the world.

Sessions statement set the standard for immigration judges facing a massive surge in cases of undocumented immigrants.

More than 7,800 asylum applications were filed in March alone.

And immigration courts overall face a backlog of about 700,000 cases of all types.

Steve Vladeck, a University of Texas law professor, said a key point in Sessions ruling was that applicants needed to demonstrate that the government condoned the private actions or demonstrated an inability to protect the victim.

Thats quite a high burden, he said on Twitter.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal attacked the decision as shameful, closing the door on women fleeing violence, LGBT refugees, and others.

Todays decision will send untold numbers of refugees to their deaths, he said.

Featured Photo: AFP/File / NICHOLAS KAMM. US Attorney General Jeff Sessions says asylum was never meant to alleviate all problems.TORONTO, June 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gran Colombia Gold Corp. (TSX:GCM) announced today that it produced a total of 18,675 ounces of gold in May bringing the total for the first five months of 2018 to 87,465 ounces, up 27% compared to the first five months of 2017. This brings the Companys trailing 12-months total gold production to 192,461 ounces, up 11% from 2017s annual production of 173,821 ounces and near the top end of the Companys production guidance for 2018 of between 182,000 and 193,000 ounces.

Serafino Iacono, Executive Co-Chairman of Gran Colombia, commented, Continuing focus on our high-grade Segovia Operations is driving our production growth as expected and we are pleased to see that we are trending toward a total of 200,000 ounces of gold for 2018.

At the Segovia Operations, gold production in May amounted to 16,654 ounces, bringing the total for the first five months of 2018 to 77,456 ounces, up 32% compared to the first five months of 2017. This brings the Companys trailing 12-months total gold production from Segovia to 167,362 ounces, up 13% from 2017 fuelled by continuing growth in the Companys mines which represented 95% of the trailing 12-months production. The Company has processed an average of 960 tonnes per day (tpd) in the first five months of 2018 with an overall average head grade of 16.7 g/t, continuing to benefit from high-grade production from its Providencia mine. The Segovia Operations annual gold production is trending toward 175,000 ounces for 2018, above the top end of its 2018 production guidance of 167,000 ounces.

The Companys Marmato mine remained steady, producing 2,021 ounces of gold in May, bringing the total for the first five months of 2018 to 10,009 ounces compared with 10,072 ounces in the first five months of 2017. This brings the trailing 12-months total gold production at the end of May to 25,099 ounces, on par with 2017s annual production and within the Companys guidance range for 2018 of between 24,000 and 26,000 ounces.

The Company also confirmed today that it deposited 1,294 ounces of gold from Mays production, as required under the new 2024 gold-linked notes, into a gold trust account. The Company has established the gold trust account with a Canadian-based financial institution rather than Banque Pictet & Cie SA as originally contemplated in the Trust Indenture dated as of April 30, 2018.

About Gran Colombia Gold Corp.

Gran Colombia is a Canadian-based gold and silver exploration, development and production company with its primary focus in Colombia. Gran Colombia is currently the largest underground gold and silver producer in Colombia with several underground mines in operation at its Segovia and Marmato Operations. Gran Colombia is continuing to focus on exploration, expansion and modernization activities at its high-grade Segovia Operations.

Additional information on Gran Colombia can be found on its website at www.grancolombiagold.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information:

This news release contains "forward-looking information", which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to production guidance and anticipated business plans or strategies. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Gran Colombia to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form dated as of March 27, 2018, which is available for view on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and Gran Colombia disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

For Further Information, Contact:

Mike Davies

Chief Financial Officer

(416) 360-4653

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Toronto, Ontario (FSCwire) - Tartisan Nickel Corp. (CSE: TN, FSE: A2DPCM) (Tartisan, or the Company) is pleased to announce that the Alexo-Kelex nickel-copper-cobalt site reclamation is slated to commence on June 19, 2018.

The Alexo deposit was discovered in 1907, and between the years 1913 to 1919 some 51,851 tonnes grading 4.5% nickel and 0.7% copper was extracted and sent to Sudbury, Ontario, for processing. Then, in 1944, Harlin Nickel Mines shipped 4,900 tonnes of ore grading 4.5% nickel and 0.6% copper. Most recently, Tartisan Nickel predecessor company Canadian Arrow Mines Ltd shipped 6,000 tonnes grading 2.46% nickel, 0.31% copper, and 0.07% cobalt as part of a 10,000 tonne bulk sample permit held at the time, and started the reclamation of the project as part of a Closure Plan approved in 2004 and amended in 2011.

There are two phases to the Tartisan Nickel Corp. site reclamation plan. The first phase concentrates on a general site cleanup with demolition of two wooden shacks and the rationalization of the existing Alexo-Kelex core storage facility, located at the west end of the Alexo pit. The second phase will entail moving the site office trailer offsite as well as the disposal of other pieces of unnecessary equipment. As well, a barrier is planned to prevent access to the Alexo pit highwall and existing rock piles and other areas will be dealt with as outlined in the Closure Plan. As part of ongoing environmental care to be managed by Tartisan Nickel Corp., water quality sampling will continue to occur as per the Closure Plan.

Tartisan Nickel CEO Mr. Mark Appleby said, The Alexo-Kelex reclamation program will make Tartisan Nickel Corp. a full-cycle battery metals company. We have early exploration for copper and gold at the Ichuna project in Peru; advanced exploration for zinc and manganese at the Don Pancho project, also in Peru; and optimization works at the Kenbridge nickel-copper-cobalt project leading to Tartisan Nickel Corp. updating the NI 43-101 Technical Report to be published this year.

The financial assurance of reclamation project success is represented by a bond placed with the Ministry of Northern Development of Mines totaling $258,583.00 plus accrued interest which will be returned to Tartisan when reclamation works have been completed to Ministry satisfaction.

About Tartisan Nickel Corp.

Tartisan Nickel Corp. is a Canadian based exploration and development company which owns a 100% stake is the Kenbridge nickel-copper-cobalt deposit near Kenora, Ontario. The Kenbridge Deposit hosts measured and indicated resources of 7.1 million tonnes of 0.62% nickel, 0.33% copper, and 0.016% cobalt. In total a contained nickel, copper, and cobalt resource of 97.8 million pounds of nickel and 47 million pounds of copper has been defined by previous operators. The Kenbridge Deposit is equipped with a 623m shaft and two exploration sublevels and has never been mined. Mineralization is open at depth, along strike, and along plunge.

In addition, Tartisan Nickel Corp. owns a 100% interest in the Alexo-Kelex nickel-copper-cobalt project near Timmins, Ontario, with historical production of 87,000 tonnes grading 3.06%. Alexo-Kelex is a key property in the Companys Kambalda-type nickel exploration strategy in the Timmins area. Tartisan also owns a 100% stake in the Don Pancho Zinc-Lead-Silver Project in Peru just 9 km from Trevalis Santander mine and owns a 100% stake in the Ichuna Copper-Silver Project, also in Peru, contiguous to Buenaventuras San Gabriel property.

Tartisan also owns a significant equity stake (6 MM shares and 3 MM full warrants at 40c) in Eloro Resources Ltd, which is exploring the low-sulphidation epithermal La Victoria Gold/Silver Project in Ancash, Peru.

For further information, please contact Mr. D. Mark Appleby, President & CEO and a Director of the Company, at 416-804-0280 (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ). Additional information about Tartisan can be found at the Companys website at www.tartisannickel.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Jim Steel MBA P.Geo. is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101 and has read and approved the technical content of this News Release.

Tartisan Nickel Corp. common shares are listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE:TN, FSE: A2DPCM). Currently, there are 98,623,550 shares outstanding (109,547,594 fully diluted).

This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 12, 2018) - SilverCrest Metals Inc. (TSXV: SIL) (OTCQX: SVCMF) ("SilverCrest" or the "Company") is pleased to announce new drill results for the Granaditas Vein and initial delineation of its high-grade footprint on the Las Chispas Property (the "Property") located in Sonora, Mexico.

The Company first drilled two holes in the Granaditas Vein in 2017 (see news release dated October 19, 2017) and re-commenced drilling of this vein in early 2018. The compilation of these new drill holes outlines the high-grade footprint (see attached Figures). This vein is parallel to the Babicanora and Babicanora Norte veins and is approximately 400 metres southeast of Area 51, which is the highest-grade mineralized area of the Babicanora Vein having average resource grades greater than 1,000 grams per tonne ("gpt") silver equivalent ("AgEq", defined below). There are 23 known epithermal veins on the Property, including 11 which have drill-intersected high-grade mineralization and consist of the Babicanora, Babicanora Footwall, Babicanora Norte, Las Chispas, Giovanni including La Blanquita, William Tell, Varela, Granaditas, Luigi and Amethyst veins. Five of the 23 veins have been included in the maiden resource (refer to "Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Las Chispas Property, Sonora, Mexico", effective February 12, 2018 and amended May 9, 2018).

N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng and CEO, remarked, "With this confirmed discovery of continuous high-grade mineralization in the Granaditas Vein, we continue to increase our near-surface high-grade footprint in the district. In early 2017, the Company received from a local rancher a historic map showing the location of the Granaditas Mine that was operated by the Spanish in the early 1800's. Up until receipt of the map, the location of the mine was unknown and documented as a lost Spanish mine. Historic reports show that approximately 3 million ounces of silver were mined from the Granaditas Vein to a depth of 90 feet where water was encountered. SilverCrest drilled below this depth and intercepted high-grade mineralization using the same geologic controls as other high-grade veins in the district. It is our intention to further drill test the Granaditas, Babicanora Norte, Babicanora, Babi Sur, Luigi and other veins during the next couple of months and include the results in the proposed updated resource planned for Q3 2018."

The most significant result for this release was returned from Hole GR18-04, which intersected 1.8 metres (true width) grading 12.14 grams per tonne ("gpt") gold and 1,440.3 gpt silver, or 2,350 gpt silver equivalent ("AgEq", based on 75 (Ag):1 (Au) calculated using long-term silver and gold prices of US$18.50 per ounce silver and US$1,225 per ounce gold, with average metallurgical recoveries of 86.6% silver and 98.9% gold), including 0.4 metres grading 9,183 gpt AgEq. The following table summarizes the most significant drill intercepts (uncut, undiluted) for the Granaditas Vein:

Hole ID From

(m) To

(m) Drill intercept

(m) True

Width

(m) Au

gpt Ag

gpt AgEq*

gpt GR17-02 138.9 140.6 1.7 1.5 3.63 190.1 462 incl. 139.9 140.6 0.7 0.6 8.16 387.0 999 GR18-04 133.3 135.3 2.0 1.8 12.14 1,440.3 2,350 incl. 133.8 134.3 0.5 0.4 47.50 5,620.0 9,183 GR18-09 165.9 167.3 1.4 1.3 3.24 338.9 582 incl. 166.4 167.3 0.9 0.8 4.86 498.0 863 GR18-11 179.4 180.6 1.2 1.2 1.23 114.0 206 Weighted Average 1.5 5.69 595.7 1,022

Note: all numbers are rounded.

*AgEq based on 75 (Ag):1 (Au) calculated using long-term silver and gold prices of US$18.50 per ounce silver and US$1,225 per ounce gold, with average metallurgical recoveries of 86.6% silver and 98.9% gold.

previously announced intercept (refer to news release dated October 19, 2017).

All assays were completed by ALS Chemex in Hermosillo, Mexico, and North Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Results for drill holes GR18-05, 07, 08, and 10 are below the Company's cutoff of 150 gpt AgEq and outside the Granaditas Vein high-grade footprint. Hole GR17-01 intercepted 0.5 metres (true width) grading 0.95 gpt gold and 103.0 gpt silver, or 174 gpt AgEq. Hole GR18-03 intercepted 0.5 metres grading 0.92 gpt gold and 56.6 gpt silver, or 126 gpt AgEq. Hole GR18-06 intercepted 1.5 metres grading 0.48 gpt gold and 86.7 gpt silver, or 145 gpt AgEq.

The Granaditas Vein consists of southeastward plunging high-grade mineralization similar to the adjacent Babicanora and Babicanora Norte veins. Mineralization consists of a 0.5 to 1.8 metre wide banded quartz-argentite-pyrite vein, dipping at an estimated 75 southeast. Conceptually, since the vein is near the southeast extension of the highest-grade footprint of the Babicanora Vein (Area 51), shared future underground infrastructure is conceivable and convenient.

A hanging wall vein (unnamed), approximately 40 to 80 metres southeast of the Granaditas Vein, was also drill intercepted with the following initial results:

GR18-03 intersecting 0.5 metres grading 0.5 gpt Au and 97 gpt Ag, or 134 gpt AgEq;

GR18-04 intersecting 0.5 metres grading 1.81 gpt Au and 149 gpt Ag, or 284 gpt AgEq;

GR18-07 intersecting 0.5 metres grading 2.39 gpt Au and 421 gpt Ag, or 600 gpt AgEq; and

GR18-09 intersecting 0.5 metres grading 2.94 gpt Au and 294 gpt Ag, or 514 AgEq.

The Company plans to further drill test this hanging wall vein in Q3, 2018.

The high-grade footprint in the Granaditas Vein currently measures approximately 150 metres long by 100 metres high by 1.5 metres in average true width, grading an estimated 5.69 gpt gold and 595.7 gpt silver, or 1,022 gpt AgEq (see attached Figures) and is open in most directions. Further drilling for potential expansion of the high-grade footprint at the Granaditas Vein is ongoing and additional assays will be reported once compilation is complete.

The Company continues with its Phase III drill program of expansion drilling on several new and partially-drilled high-grade mineralized veins. A remaining 4,000 to 5,000 metres of drilling are planned up to the end of July cutoff for updated resource inclusion. Other ongoing site work includes continued underground mapping and sampling on the Las Chispas Vein, drilling test wells for site water, permitting for various additional work, and review of the maiden resource model for optimization and update.

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, and CEO for SilverCrest, who has reviewed and approved its contents.

ABOUT SILVERCREST METALS INC.

SilverCrest is a Canadian precious metals exploration company headquartered in Vancouver, BC, that is focused on new discoveries, value-added acquisitions and targeting production in Mexico's historic precious metal districts. The Company's current focus is on the high-grade, historic Las Chispas mining district in Sonora, Mexico. SilverCrest is the first company to successfully drill-test the historic Las Chispas Project resulting in numerous discoveries. The Company is led by a proven management team in all aspects of the precious metal mining sector, including taking projects through discovery, finance, on time and on budget construction, and production.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. These include, without limitation, statements with respect to: the strategic plans, timing and expectations for the Company's exploration, rehabilitation and drilling programs of the Las Chispas Property, including drilling test water wells, permitting for various work, and optimizing and updating the Company's resource model; information with respect to high grade areas and size of veins projected from underground sampling results and drilling results; and the accessibility of future mining at the Las Chispas Property. 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: the conditions in general economic and financial markets; availability of skilled labour; timing and amount of expenditures related to rehabilitation and drilling programs; and effects of regulation by governmental agencies. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of risk factors including: the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities; the interpretation of drilling results and other geological data; receipt, maintenance and security of permits and mineral property titles; environmental and other regulatory risks; project cost 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. Figure 1: Long Section (Inclined) of Granaditas Vein Las Chispas Property, Looking Southwest

Figure 2: Las Chispas District with Babicanora Plan Map, June 2018

N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng

Chief Executive Officer

SilverCrest Metals Inc.

For Further Information:

SilverCrest Metals Inc.

Contact: Michael Rapsch, VP Corp. Comm.

Telephone: +1 (604) 694-1730

Fax: +1 (604) 357-1313

Toll Free: 1-866-691-1730 (Canada & USA)

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: www.silvercrestmetals.com

570 Granville Street, Suite 501

Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3P1

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.International judges Tuesday ordered the interim release of former Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba who was acquitted last week of war crimes after a decade behind bars.

Today the International Criminal Court ordered the interim release under specific conditions for Mr Jean-Pierre Bemba, the tribunal said in a statement.

Taking into account all relevant factors and the circumstances of the case as a whole, the Trial Chamber considers that the legal requirements for continued detention are not met, the court said.

The stocky Congolese politician was acquitted on appeal Friday by the Hague-based court, who said he could not be held criminally liable for crimes committed by his troops in the Central African Republic in 2002-2003.

The surprise decision came after Bemba, 55, had been sentenced unanimously to 18 years in 2016 by ICC trial judges.

It was the longest sentence ever to be handed down by the Hague-based court.

Then, judges found Bemba  nicknamed Miniature Mobutu  guilty on five counts of warcrimes and crimes against humanity committed by his private army during a five-month rampage in the neighbouring CAR.

Bemba had sent his militia, the Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC)  a rebel force that he later transformed into a political organisation  into the DRCongos northern neighbour in October 2002 to quash a coup against the then president, Ange-Felix Patasse.

The trial was the first before the ICC to focus on sexual violence as a weapon of war.

It was also the first to determine whether a military commander bore responsibility for the conduct of troops under his control.

Bembas defence lawyers argued earlier Tuesday at a hearing that he was not a flight risk and that there is no legal or objective justification to separate Mr Bemba from his family for one day longer.

Bembas lawyer Peter Haynes told journalists that the rebel commander-turned-politician planned to travel to Brussels to be reunited with his family.

Bemba has been held for the past decade at the ICCs detention centre, based in a seaside suburb of The Hague.

His interim release relates to a separate case in which he was handed one year in jail and fined 300,000 euros ($350,000) for bribing witnesses during the war crimes trial.

He lost an appeal against that sentence and the ICC is yet to decide on a new jail term, which carries a maximum of five years. Sentencing is due on July 4.

Legal experts had expected Bemba to be provisionally released given the time he has already spent in jail.Key dates of DR Congos Jean-Pierre Bemba, acquitted on appeal on warcrimes charges by the International Criminal Court (ICC), and whose interim release was ordered on Tuesday:

 November 4, 1962: Born in Bogada in the northwest Equateur province, his father was a rich businessman close to former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.

 1997: Leaves Kinshasa when the late rebel leader Laurent Desire Kabila overthrows Mobutu.

 1998: Founds the rebel Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC), backed by neighbouring Uganda and opposed to the Kabila regime.

 October 2002-March 2003: Sends his private militiamen to the Central African Republic to help put down a coup against then president Ange-Felix Patasse. The MLC murder, rape and loot.

 2003: Following the end of the second Congolese war, Bemba becomes vice-president in an interim government.

 2006: Beaten by Joseph Kabila at presidential elections, scarred by political violence.

 2007: Leaves Kinshasa, escorted by UN peacekeepers, after his forces come off worst in clashes with government troops.

 2008: Arrested in Brussels on a warrant of the ICC.

 2010: His trial begins at the ICC.

 June 21, 2016: Sentenced to 18 years by ICC judges after being found guilty of warcrimes and crimes against humanity.

 2017: Sentenced to one year in jail and fined 300,000 euros ($350,000) for bribing witnesses during the trial.

 June 8, 2018: In a surprise decision is acquitted on appeal on the charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. On June 12, the ICC orders his interim release.186 Shares Share

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act, which formally outlaws racial discrimination in the sale and rental of housing. The Act, passed in the wake of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., had, at its core, the goal of affirmatively promoting equitable and integrated housing across the United States.

Earlier this year, however, the current presidential administration announced that it would suspend an Obama-era extension of the Act, one that would require communities to support housing desegregation in addition to barring discrimination.

The administrations actions are in line with prior remarks made by current Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, who has described attempts at promoting affordable, desegregated housing as experiments in social engineering that often make matters worse.

As a physician, Dr. Carson should know better. Rather than making matters worse, policies aimed at alleviating racial disparities in housing represent some of the most effective ways we have of combating structural racism and its attendant health consequences.

The term structural racism (also called institutional or systemic racism) refers to a set of formal and informal policies relegating a certain racial minority to an underprivileged status within society. It functions to preserve the unequal racial status quo through laws, norms, and social institutions.

In the United States, structural racism against blacks is rooted in the practice of slavery. But even after abolition, blacks in the United States have been subjected to various forms of exclusion. And nowhere is this more evident than in the area of housing. Inequalities in where  and how  blacks and whites live persist to this day, and they reflect our countrys deepest racial divides.

The fact is, as a consequence of decades-long, government-sanctioned discriminatory practices in real estate and lending, blacks in many metropolitan areas continue to reside under conditions of persistent segregation and concentrated poverty.

And as many others have written, when it comes to health, your zip code is, in many ways, more important than your genetic code. It is through this lens that we can understand structural racisms relationship to health.

Large-scale studies have revealed, for instance, associations between racial segregation and systolic blood pressure, obesity, and cardiovascular disease  associations that persist even after controlling for family income and neighborhood poverty.

Moreover, black families are more likely to reside in shoddy, poorly-maintained housing. Many black families, as a consequence of where they live, are less likely than the overall population to be able to access critical resources such as clinics and grocery stores. And, as the water crisis in Flint, Michigan illustrates, black communities are exposed to harmful environmental pollutants at alarmingly high rates.

What are the implications of these findings for the medical profession? One answer is that the corrective measures that seem to be recommended most often, such as implicit bias training and increased diversity in the healthcare workforce, dont go far enough.

These interventions, though well-meaning, ignore the historically grounded underpinnings of black-white health disparities in this country. Health is intricately related to place, and in the United States, place is very much related to race.

Its time for clinicians  specialists and generalists alike  to abandon their misguided assumptions. Enduring health disparities between blacks and whites in the United States are not simply the result of interpersonal racism (e.g., prejudiced treatment of a black patient by a white physician). Nor are they, as some continue to believe, due to purported genetic differences between blacks and whites.

They are the result of structural racism.

We must begin to regard residential segregation, inadequate housing, and neighborhood disadvantage as treatable  even preventable  health exposures.

In the clinic, all physicians can implement screening tools to interrogate our patients housing needs. At the state level, physician organizations can lobby for Medicaid to expand its scope to include residential support. And when it comes to deciding how federal research dollars are spent, we must be vocal: channel funds into studies examining the effect of targeted housing interventions on marginalized populations health.

Famed civil-rights activist Stokely Carmichael stated that, compared to other forms of discrimination, structural racism is less overt, far more subtle, less identifiable in terms of specific individuals committing the acts, but is no less destructive of human life.

Longstanding racial inequities in housing constitute a potent form of structural racism with measurable effects on health; the current Administrations political rhetoric notwithstanding, it is incumbent on our profession to work toward dismantling them.

Akshay Pendyal is a cardiologist and can be reached on Twitter @APendyal_MD.

Image credit: Shutterstock.comMike Hosking writes:

Its on days like yesterday I honestly believe that under different circumstances, and with a different temperament, New Zealand First could actually have been a significant political force for good.

What they did in killing Labours three strikes law repeal is being the party that MMP cries out for.

A sensible, middle of the road, ballast against the madness and extremities that some parties are capable of, even if that party in this case was a mainstream so-called middle of the road operation.

Repealing three strikes was pure madness, it misread the problem, it completely misread the public view and it was hopelessly wanting in terms of an answer.

People would have died because of it.

Having fewer people in prison, having a more lenient approach to people being punished for crime, giving bad people the benefit of the doubt more often would have, as sure as night follows day, have led in some way shape or form to carnage among innocents who never deserved it.

We could see it, thank the good lord New Zealand First could see it, and they were able to do something about it.

The real danger of the Labour Party was on show in this thinking  they are obsessed, if not blinded, by hand-wringing ideology.2018 has been quite a year for UP10TION as the group released their first studio album, Invitation, with the title track "Candyland" earlier this year.

In celebration and addition to their first studio the album, the group is partnering up with Studio PAV to embark on their first ever U.S. fanmeet and tour.

UP10TION's First Meet & Live Tour will kick off in San Jose, CA on Jun. 15 and will make stops in major cities such as Chicago, Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles. The tour will conclude in Seattle, WA on Jun. 29.

Compared to typical meet and greets, Studio PAV is making sure the Meet & Live is something fans will never forget by including a fansigning and a "Pick-and-Pose" opportunity where fans will be able to purchase ticket stubs to take photos with a member and pose from a selection made by the group.

Check the UP10TION 1st US Meet and Live Tour Candyland dates below:

 San Jose, CA - June 15, 2018

 Chicago, IL - June 17, 2018

 Dallas, TX - June 19, 2018

 Atlanta, GA - June 21, 2018

 San Juan, PR - June 23, 2018

 New York, NY- June 25, 2018

 Los Angeles, CA - June 27, 2018

 Seattle, WA- June 29, 2018

For more information and updates on UP10TION's tour, be sure to follow Studio PAV on Twitter and Facebook.A striking example of this is discussion in the Armenian parliament regarding situation when fireworks were set off at night in the capital. After people who were responsible for this weren't caught, Prime Minister told chief of the Yerevan police Valery Osipyan: "Do you want to say that someone did this, but we can't find them? Just like we can't catch people responsible for bribes, for burglaries... I'm surprised by this... You must resolve this issue yourself, or I will have to do it for you."

As Armenian blogger Oskan Kocharyan noted, "after this inappropriate and unimportant discussion, there were two questions to answer: If the country's leader is so concerned about fire prevention measures, how could he instruct two MPs from the Yelk bloc to set off firecrackers in the hall of the parliament just two months ago? And if he's is concerned about Yerevan's nightlife, how could he tell people to make as much noise as possible in the streets of the capital for several weeks. And his wife, Anna Akopyan, initiated a noisy night action. Are they the same people? Or maybe there are special times for such things?"

However, what's much more important is the fact that this situation shows that Pashinyan doesn't have competent team, and now politically inexperienced have to resolve issues (and there are a lot of them) that usually don't require such hands-on approach. Discussion about fireworks in the parliament is taking place at the time when Azerbaijan completed military operation in Nakhichevan. Azerbaijani troops took control over huge territory, including M2 highway (Yerevan - Goris), which is strategically important for Armenia.

It's important to note that this is clearly not Azerbaijan's propaganda, since this information was also confirmed by Armenian sources. Editor-in-chief of the Hetq.am website, Edik Bagdasaryan, who criticized recent appointment of Artak Davtyan as head of the Armenian General Staff, notes: "Assigning Artak Davtyan to this post is pretty questionable, especially after what happened in the Nakhichevan section of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the last few days. Azerbaijanis were able to advance and take control over huge territory."

While Azerbaijani television shows footage from liberated territories and says that Azerbaijan returned control over 11,000 hectares of territory, Yerevan's reaction looks pretty strange. How did Armenian military department respond? "Azerbaijani side appealed to Armenia on June 6 and 7, asking to allow several citizens to visit cemetery near the Gyunnut village. Such request was made for the first time. Armenian side, while remaining faithful to humanitarian norms and steps aimed at reducing tensions at the contact line, agreed to allow civilians to visit the cemetery," the Armenian Defense Minister official spokesman Artsrun Ovanisyan said, commenting on photos of Azerbaijanis visiting graves of their relatives in liberated territories, published by Azerbaijani media. The Armenian Defense Ministry's version can't be taken seriously, especially since data from the satellite shows otherwise. One of Armenian bloggers writes that Azerbaijan has decided "use chaos and irresponsibility, shown in all spheres of Armenia's life, and take advantage of this favorable moment. It advanced its positions, so now Armenia suffered its biggest loss of territories in the entire postwar period."The Azerbaijani-Indian agreement of the introduction of a visa free travel regime for for some categories of citizens was approved during today's meeting, Azerbaijan's Milli Mejlis reported.

It was specified that the document provides for the abolition of visas for individuals holding valid diplomatic, official and service passports.

The agreement was discussed in the parliament and then approved.US President Donald Trump and leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un held a historic meeting at a hotel on Singapore's Sentosa island. The two leaders shook hands before departing for a face-to-face meeting.

"We will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt," Trump said in a short comment to reporters.

"Old practices and prejudices were obstacles on our common path forward but we have overcome all of them and are here today," Kim said in his turn.

The two sidea, accompanied only by interpreters, spoke for a little under 40 minutes. The face-to-face meeting was "very, very good," the US leader said after the talks.

"Working together we will get it taken care of," Trump told reporters before the extended format meeting began. The North Korean leader said he is interested in close work with the US president, the Straits Times newspaper reports. "It will be challenging but I want to do that," Kim said.

They were then joined by small delegations of advisors for a working lunch. From Washington the group included US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and security adviser John Bolton, and on Pyongyang's side, Mr Kim's "right-hand man" and former spy chief Kim Yong-chol, and foreign minister Ri Yong-ho.

The extended format meeting, which lasted for about an hour and a half, was followed by a joint working lunch of two delegations.

After the summit the leaders signed a "comprehensive" document, promising a new relationship between the nations. They had been discussing defusing tensions and nuclear disarmament.

The document commits North Korea to work towards "the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula" and promises "new relations" between Washington and Pyongyang.

"President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new US-DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," CNN cited the document as saying.

The US had demanded "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation". There was also a commitment to build "a stable and lasting peace" on the Korean peninsula.

Convinced that the establishment of new U.S.-DPRK relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world, and recognizing that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un stated the following:

1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.

2. The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

3. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

4. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

"I think both sides will be very impressed with the result," Trump said at a signing ceremony with Kim. The US president said more details would be provided at a press conference due shortly.

Trump spoke of a "special bond" with the North Korean leader and said he was "absolutely" willing to invite him to the White House. "We've decided to leave the past behind," Mr Kim said. "The world will see major changes."

Pyongyang and Seoul have technically been at war since the 1950-1953 Korean conflict ended with a truce  and not a peace treaty.Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will not meet with US President Donald Trump like North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, senior Iranian lawmaker Hossein Naghavi-Hosseini said.

He recalled that it was Washington which broke relations with Tehran, withdrew from the JCPOA and re-imposed anti-Iranian sanctions, although the Islamic Republic has fully implemented the agreement.

Hossein Naghavi-Hosseini warned that North Korea should be careful with the US, which authorities do not stick to their promises. "The biggest testimony is their withdrawal from the nuclear deal. After long negotiations and reaching an international agreement, Washington left it," RIA Novosti cited him as saying.Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Russias newly appointed Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin yesteday, expressing confidence that the Armenian-Russian relations will continue to develop and strengthen.

"A new stage began in the friendly and allied relations between Armenia and Russia. Te Armenian government is interested in developing mutual partnership in all areas," the government press office cited Pashinyan as saying.

The head of the government also attached importance to effective cooperation within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to solve existing problems and increase the efficiency of integration processes.

Kopyrkin, in turn, assured that he would make every effort to give a new push to the cooperation of the two fraternal and friendly states, ARKA reported.

The ambassador said he feels a great responsibility in the new position and is ready to cooperate actively with the Armenian government to deepen the ties between the two states. The two sides discussed also a number of other issues, relating to bilateral cooperation.Prague, Jun 12 (AFP) Czech police said today they had charged 60 people with drug trafficking after busting a ring smuggling cocaine and heroin to Australia via the United States and Thailand.

"The group was led by three Vietnamese organisers, one active in the Czech Republic and the other two in other countries," Barbora Kudlackova, spokeswoman for the National Anti-Drug Centre, told AFP.

She said the ringleaders hired mostly impoverished or indebted Czech nationals as couriers.

Working in pairs, the couriers booked a holiday in Australia, flying via the US or Thailand with four suitcases that were swapped during the stopover.

"The drug was hidden in the luggage in a way that prevented its discovery by X-ray or a sniffer dog," said Kudlackova.

Each suitcase contained five kilos of the drug, meaning 20 kilos of cocaine or heroin were smuggled into Australia during each trip.

The gang is suspected of having managed to smuggle more than 700 kilogrammes of drugs.

"In Czech Republic alone, sixty people have been charged so far," police said in a statement, also confirming that one ringleader was in custody.

All face between 10-18 years behind bars if found guilty. Australian police have detained four couriers, three of whom have been sentenced to 7-9 years in prison, said Kudlackova. (AFP) CK

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)Vienna, Jun 12 (AFP) Hungary's stridently anti-immigration Prime Minister Viktor Orban welcomed today the new populist Italian government's refusal to allow an aid ship with 629 rescued migrants on board to dock in its ports, saying he hoped it would bring about a change in the EU's migration policy.

"Finally! I let out a huge sigh of relief!" Orban said at a meeting with his Slovak counterpart Peter Pellegrini.

"I was tired of hearing for years on end that the maritime borders can't be protected! I am now convinced that what was lacking wasn't the capacity, but the will," he continued. "We assure the Italian government of our complete support," he said, adding that he hoped Italy's stance "can bring a change to Europe's migration policy".

Anti-migrant messaging played a large part in the campaign which saw Orban win a landslide victory in elections earlier this year.

A total of 629 migrants -- including pregnant women and scores of children -- are currently crammed on to the Aquarius ship after being rescued off the Libyan coast on Saturday and Sunday.

The Spanish government has stepped in to offer the boat safe harbour but it could be another three to four days before it is able to land, according to the charity that runs the ship.

Slovak PM Pellegrini similarly backed the Italian government's action, saying: "We have to stop the policy which consists of saving everyone who throws themselves in the water: the coastguard or the police saves them and all of a sudden they've got onto EU territory."

Slovakia is soon to take over the rotating presidency of the Visegrad Group of four Central European countries and explained that Hungary's anti-immigration stance "is the position of the other Visegrad countries and of 90 percent of the populations of our countries and for this reason our point of view will not change".

While holding out the possibility that Visegrad countries could contribute towards more border protection or helping migrants in their country of origin, Pelligrini repeated their rejection of any migrant quota system, saying: "We refuse to let migrants enter our country".

This may in future set up a clash with the new Italian government's desire to overhaul the EU's Dublin regulations, which mean asylum seekers must submit their applications in their country of arrival.

Italy wants to replace this with an automatic system of compulsory distribution of asylum seekers throughout the EU.

Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), the junior partner in the ruling coalition, also congratulated the new Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of the xenophobic Lega Nord. FPOe Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache said on Facebook that under Salvini "illegal migration is not being tolerated anymore," adding: "Great!" (AFP) KIS

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)Baghdad, Jun 12 (AFP) Iraq today accused other oil-producing countries of extracting more barrels of crude than agreed by OPEC and its partners, ahead of a meeting of the cartel next week.

"Producers who are or are not members of OPEC have not respected the set target... and the price of petrol has not reached the desired level," said Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaibi.

In order to "reach a fair and consistent price, we need more support, stability and engagement from the producing countries for the agreement" reached in early 2017, he said in a statement.

At the time, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other countries pledged to limit oil output and measures to boost crude prices.

But according to the Russian news agency Interfax, in the first part of June Russia exceeded its daily production target of 10.95 million barrels per day.

OPEC member Iraq is currently producing 4.325 million barrels a day, according to the oil minister Luaibi.

It has often called for measures to be taken to boost oil prices to support its budget, hit largely by the price slump and its three-year war on jihadists.

Iraq supports "the stabilisation of market prices even if our country has experienced wars for 30 years and needs to rebuild itself urgently", Luaibi told reporters today.

"We respect OPEC's decisions," he added.

OPEC and its partners are scheduled to discuss the agreement at a meeting in Vienna on June 22.

"The main issue to be decided (in the Austrian capital) is the stabilisation of the market," said Luaibi.

Asked about the possible impact on the talks of the crisis between arch-foes Saudi Arabia and Iran, the minister said the Iraqis would "meet the Iranians and the Saudis to discuss and try to make sure the market is stabilised". (AFP) CK

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)Benghazi (Libya), Jun 12 (AFP) Forces loyal to Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar said today they are advancing rapidly on the eastern city of Derna, despite troops being hit by suicide attacks.

Haftar has vowed to "liberate" Derna, an Islamist stronghold that is home to more than 120,000 people and the only eastern city outside of his control.

But as his self-styled Libyan National Army continued its offensive on Tuesday, two explosions were heard as suicide bombers hit forces in the southern Shiha district.

Without giving a toll for the attack, LNA spokesman Khalifa al-Abidi said civilians were among the casualties as the roof of a family home collapsed.

Last night, he said, another suicide attack killed two LNA fighters and wounded three.

The LNA was "advancing steadily to liberate a very small remaining pocket before liberating the whole of Derna," he added.

Abidi said "terrorists" were "resorting to suicide attacks after they failed to tackle" the LNA conventionally.

Derna is held by a ragtag alliance of Islamist and jihadist militias, including groups close to Al-Qaeda, hostile to both Haftar and the Islamic State group.

The city is located more than 1,000 kilometres east of the capital Tripoli and around 300 kilometres east of second city Benghazi.

Haftar has struggled to succeed in the fight against insurgents, according to Federica Saini Fasanotti from the Brookings Institution in Washington.

"I am not sure that this operation will bring a quick victory for him in military terms. In social terms it is already a disaster," she said.

Since the start of the offensive on May 7, residents have faced food and medicine shortages, as well as cuts to electricity, water and phone lines. (AFP) CK

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)New Delhi, Jun 12: President Ram Nath Kovind will embark on a seven-day, three-nation tour this weekend in his maiden visit to Europe and Latin America as the head of the state. The president will visit Greece, Suriname and Cuba.

In the first-leg of the trip, Kovind will visit Greece from June 16-19, said Subrata Bhattacharjee, Joint Secretary (Central Europe) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

On June 17, Kovind will pay a visit to the sites of historical and archaeological importance, participate in a community reception and address the Indian diaspora in the European country. Nearly 12,000 Indians live in Greece.

On June 18, the president will meet his Greek counterpart Prokopis Pavlopoulos. He will also meet Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Greek's Leader of Opposition. On the same day, Kovind will visit Phaleron Commonwealth War Cemetery.

The visit to the cemetery is significant as 74 soldiers of the then undivided India, who lost their lives in the II World War in Greece, were laid to rest here.

In the evening, the president will attend a banquet hosted by the Greek president.

On June 19, last day of his stay in the European country, Kovind will attend India-Greece CEO's breakfast meeting. He will also give a talk on 'India and Europe in the Changing World' at a think tank in Athens.

Greece has supported India's bid in three export-control regimes of Missile Technical Control Regime (MTCR), Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group, with both the countries having a robust cooperation.

Three agreements are also expected to be signed between the countries during Kovind's visit, Bhattacharjee said. This is also the 40th year of establishment of diplomatic relations with India.

Kovind will be in Suriname, his second leg of the visit, between June 19 to 21.

The president will hold discussions with his Surinamese counterpart Desire Delano Bouterse. This will also be Kovind's first visit to any Latin American country after assuming office.

His trip to the continent comes after Vice President Venkaiah Naidu's visit to Guatemala, Panama and Peru last month. "The visit of the president is a build up from the attention the Government of India and the MEA has been giving to the Latin American region," said Partha Satpathy, Joint Secretary (Latin America and the Caribbean).

Suriname has been celebrating 145 years of the arrival of Indian diaspora to the country and Kovind's visit coincides with the celebration. Kovind and Bouterse will also take part in the International Yoga Day event on June 21.

The two sides are expected to sign 7-8 agreements, including in the areas of elections, health, medicines, IT and preservation of archives. Suriname will also handover the Instrument of Ratification of the International Solar Alliance.

India is expected to extend the Line of Credit in the areas of solar power and maintenance of Chetak helicopters, which Suriname purchased in 2015. Kovind will be in Cuba from June 21-22, where he will hold talks with newly elected Cuban President Miguel Diza-Canel Bermudez. This will be the first visit of an Indian president to Cuba since the 1959 Cuban revolution.

"This will be the fresh line of close interaction with the highest leadership in Cuba," Satpathy said. The Indian president will also lay a wreath on the grave of Fidel Castro, former president of Cuba. Four MoUs are expected to be signed between India and Cuba in the field of biotechnology, homoeopathy and medicinal plants.Message application WhatsApp is the most commonly used application by every smartphone user. It has left behind the text message service far behind with the smooth accessibility over an internet connection. The WhatsApp calling facility is an additional benefit of the messaging application which only increases its use. But it has been observed that the WhatsApp calling facility is being misused by anti-nationalist camps. The government hence is working upon a measure to block the WhatsApp calling services in insurgency-hit areas such as Jammu and Kashmir. Officials have said that terrorists stay in touch with their handlers across the borders with the help of this calling facility. Messages spread on WhatsApp are also unreliable and contribute to spreading fake news.

The Home Ministry has expressed the concern at the meeting held in Delhi yesterday which was chaired Unionion Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba. The officials said it has been brought to light several times that during encounters terrorists use the calling feature on WhatsApp to contact their associates. As these applications use end to end encryption, it is difficult to intercept all the data.

Our army camp was attacked in 2016 in Jammu and Kashmir's Nagrota. The National Investigation Agency arrested Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists and it was revealed that they were in touch across the borders through a WhatsApp call. These terrorists were getting directions from their handlers on the other side. Almost 7 army men had lost their lives in this terror attack. The NIA recently took custody of the three people arrested by the state police for their alleged involvement in helping the terrorists which included ferrying them from the border and guiding them to the army camp. "WhatsApp calling and messaging have now become the preferred medium of communication for anti-national forces and we are right now clueless about keeping a tab on it. We need a policy where, when it comes to national security, these apps will be forced to share information with the security agencies," an officer was quoted to NDTV.

The meeting was called to discuss how the use of the social media apps needs to be urgently monitored. There is a lot of malicious content that gets posted on social media to spew venom and spread hatred among the people, giving rise to more communal violence in some areas. The meeting also discussed some examples of countries from the Gulf where neither WhatsApp voice or video calling was allowed. The officials from Ministry of Home Affairs plan to work in tandem with Ministry of Telecom to devise local policies and how to ban certain content on social media, especially the fake news.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 12, 2018 04:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).The return of internally displaced persons to the liberated Jojug Marjanli village of Azerbaijans Jabrayil region continues, chairman of Azerbaijans State Committee for Refugees and IDPs Rovshan Rzayev said at a meeting with the head of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Directorate of the British Foreign Ministry, Rupert Ainley.

The State Committee chairman informed Ainley in detail about the work carried out in solving the social problems and improving the living conditions of more than one million IDPs of Azerbaijan, who were expelled from their native lands as a result of the Armenian occupation.

It was noted that President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has taken significant steps to address the social problems and improve the living conditions of refugees and IDPs. Rzayev added that the First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva also carries out consistent and purposeful activities in this direction, as a result of which about 300,000 refugees were provided with new apartments.

He also said that the IDPs from the Jojug Marjanli village, who were temporarily settled in different regions of Azerbaijan, have begun to return to their homes. In the first stage, 50 houses were built in the village, and in the second stage, internally displaced persons were resettled in 50 of the 100 houses built.

Ainley said that the United Kingdom attaches great importance to strengthening strategic cooperation with Azerbaijan and noted that the UK is interested in the implementation of projects related to IDPs in Azerbaijan.

The sides also discussed issues of mutual interest during the meeting.A community group set up to get Brannoxtown National School back up and running has slammed the Archdiocese for the delay in transferring the school over to the management of the Kildare West Wicklow Education Training Board.

Save Our School Brannoxtown (SOSB) is extremely concerned with the delay in the divestment of the school by the archbishop given that the archbishop had indicated a willingness to divest in March.

"A public meeting was held as far back as May 16 when the people of Brannockstown overwhelmingly voted in favour of the appointment of KWETB as patron of the school, said Conor O'Toole of SOSB.

"SOSB understands that the Department of Education is enthusiastic about such an appointment and together with KWETB are anxious that the divestment proceed as quickly as possible so that the school reopens in September. SOSB also understands that representations have been made by Martin Heydon TD to the Department and the Archbishop to expedite the process. It is imperative that the divestment be resolved quickly so that the school is restored to the local community for the benefit of the children of Brannockstown and its hinterland."

Brannoxtown National School closed earlier this year after pupil numbers plummeted. In the end there were no pupils enrolled. Several public meetings were called last Summer and complaints were made about the way the school was previously run.

The Dublin Archdiocese disputed the complaints and said the school had received an excellent 'Whole School Evaluation' report from the Department.

Meanwhile, on June 7 Dep Fiona O'Loughlin said she had discussed Brannoxtown with the Department.

She wrote on her facebook page "During my meeting with the Department of Education and Skills last week we discussed Brannockstown school and its patronage. The Department confirmed that they have accepted the mandate from the Parents Association to change patronage going forward to the Kildare Wicklow Education Training Board (KWETB) and hope to have the changeover complete in time for the next school year. This is great news for the parents and teachers who have been extremely concerned over the future of the school."

SEE ALSO: Ballymore pupil, Colum Doyle sheds locks for children's wig charityMay 4, 2021, 4 AM

The dedication was emceed by news anchors Erin Davisson and Tom Zalaski (WFRV-TV 5, CBS). Photo by Jay Bigalke.

The stamp shows a graphic representation of the 20-star U.S. flag that developed from the 1818 act, which declared that the flag should have 13 horizontal stripes alternating red and white, and a union of 20 white stars on a field of blue. Photo by Jay Bigalke.

Patrick Mendonca, senior director, Office of the Postmaster General and CEO, dedicated the stamp. Photo by Jay Bigalke.

By Molly Goad

Just before the 68th annual Flag Day parade got underway in Appleton, Wis., the city hosted its first stamp dedication ceremony complete with marching bands and the presentation of colors.

The United States Postal Service chose Appleton as the spot to unveil its new American flag forever stamp saluting the bicentennial of the Flag Act of 1818. Appleton is a fitting place to reveal the stamp as it hosts the nations oldest Flag Day parade.

The nondenominated (50) stamp shows a graphic representation of the 20-star U.S. flag that developed from the 1818 act, which declared that the flag should have 13 horizontal stripes alternating red and white, and a union of 20 white stars on a field of blue.

The mayor of Appleton, Tim Hanna, offered a warm welcome and shared his Appleton pride.

It was 10 years ago we had an organization come here, and they were looking for the most patriotic city in the country. It was called America the Beautiful, and they started here, he said. They visited several other communities around the country and they circled back and they said You guys set the bar so high no one even came close. 

Patrick Mendonca, senior director, Office of the Postmaster General and CEO, dedicated the stamp, and thanked Appleton for hosting the ceremony.

For 68 years this parade has honored our flag, celebrated patriots and brought communities together, he said. Events like the Appleton Flag Day Parade demonstrate that even two centuries later, the Flag Act of 1818 is worth celebrating.

Our flag has flown in good times and bad, on the battlefield, and in parades, like the one we will enjoy today, Mendonca said. Lets always remember its history.

Corey Otis, Appleton parade committee member, explained the importance of the 1818 Flag Act. In addition to establishing the design of the flag, the act ensured that when a new state is admitted, a star is added to the flag on July 4th after its admittance.

The Flag Act made sure these changes were automatic, so Congress wouldnt have to do anything. Which, I imagine, was okay with them, he joked.

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The American flag has had 50 stars since July 4, 1960, after Hawaii became the 50th state on Aug. 21, 1959.

Greg Otis, chairman of the Appleton parade committee, also offered remarks, and the dedication was emceed by news anchors Erin Davisson and Tom Zalaski (WFRV-TV 5, CBS).

The patriotic celebration included a presentation of colors by the Scarlet Guard Color Guard, the national anthem performed by the Appleton East Marching Band, and the Pledge of Allegiance.May 3, 2021, 7 AM

British author Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein while in Switzerland in 1816. This 2007 Swiss commemorative stamp highlights the local connection with her novel.

The United States Postal Services 1997 Classic Movie Monsters pane of 20, which had five designs, included a 32 stamp showing Boris Karloff in the 1931 film version of Frankenstein.

Jersey Post reports that the souvenir sheet for its Frankenstein stamp set was produced with a 3D lenticular effect that brings Victor Frankensteins monster to life. The souvenir sheet and eight other stamps have a June 18 issue date.

By Denise McCarty

Jersey Post is issuing eight stamps June 18 retelling Mary Shelleys Frankenstein and is bringing the monster to life on a souvenir sheet.

According to Jersey Post, the souvenir sheet was produced with a 3D lenticular effect that portrays the creature as he is brought to life. The innovative technology allows his eyes to open and close, with electricity flashing on and off around the laboratory.

British novelist Mary Shelleys most famous work was first published anonymously 200 years ago, on Jan. 1, 1818, with the title Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus. Shelley (1797-1851) was 20 at the time, 18 when she began writing it.

In its online biography of Shelley, the British Library summed up the novel: A ghost-writing contest on a stormy June night in 1816 inspired Frankenstein, often called the first true work of science-fiction. Superficially a Gothic novel, and influenced by the experiments of Luigi Galvani, it was concerned with the destructive nature of power when allied to wealth. It was an instant wonder, and spawned a mythology all its own that endures to this day.

Each stamp in Jerseys Frankenstein set depicts a scene from the novel and also includes a quote.

The first stamp, a 50-penny denomination, pictures Victor Frankenstein studying a book in his laboratory. A skull is shown below the denomination. The quote, from chapter 4, is I began the creation of a human being.

The quote on the next stamp, 65p, is from the beginning of chapter 5, I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. The stamp pictures the monster he had created.

Also from the same chapter is the quote on the single 3 stamp in the souvenir sheet, I beheld the wretch  the miserable monster whom I had created.

The chapter continues on the 76p stamp with the monster watching Victor while he sleeps and the quote His eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me.

Although it is not the next stamp according to denomination, the 1.12 stamp is the next one in the telling of the story. The design depicts Victor and the monster standing together on the glacier Montanvert in the Swiss Alps. Remember, that I am thy creature, the monster said to Victor in chapter 10.

In chapter 11, represented by the moonlit scene in the forest on the 82p stamp, the monster is narrating instead of Victor, I was a poor, helpless miserable, wretch.

The monster also is narrating in chapter 16 when he observes the De Lacey family in their cottage, as shown on the 94p stamp. My heart yearned to be known and loved by these amiable creatures, he said.

The 1.38 stamp shows Victor creating a female companion for the monster. However, when he discovers the monster watching him, Victor destroys his second creation. In chapter 20, he tells the infuriated monster, You are my creator, but I am your master; obey!

In the 24th and final chapter, Victor dies on a ship in the Arctic. When the monster finds him, he asks, Where can I find rest but in death?

So-Design Consultants, based in Bristol, England, designed the stamps and souvenir sheet.

Rachel MacKenzie, philatelic marketing manager of Jersey Post, said of the designs, Frankenstein is such a hugely influential novel that to this day, it is still studied in schools and universities all over the world. Our aim was to stay as true to the book as possible, depicting the creature as Shelley describes him, being eight foot tall with yellow eyes as well as yellow skin tightly covering his muscles and arteries and with lustrous, flowing black hair, black lips and prominent white teeth.

Cartor Security Printing of La Loupe, France, printed the stamps in sheets of 10, and printed the souvenir sheet on lenticular, gummed paper.

The United States and at least three other countries have also depicted Frankensteins creation on stamps.

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Two stamps from the United States feature actor Boris Karloff as Frankensteins monster in the 1931 film Frankenstein.

The first is a 32 stamp in the Classic Movie Monsters pane of 20 issued Sept. 30, 1997 (Scott 3170). The second was issued Feb. 25, 2003, in the American Filmmaking: Behind the Scenes pane of 10. This 37 stamp (3772e) shows Hollywood makeup artist Jack Pierce completing the transformation of Karloff into the monster.

Like the United States, Great Britain has pictured the monster on two stamps. In conjunction with the 1997 Europa theme of tales and legends and the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelleys birth, Great Britain issued a 31-penny Frankenstein stamp (Scott 1755).

The 56p stamp in the 2008 issue commemorating classic Carry On and Hammer films (Scott 2584) depicts the poster from the first Hammer Film Productions movie filmed in color, The Curse of Frankenstein released in 1957. In this version, Christopher Lee portrays The Creature, and Peter Cushing is Victor Frankenstein.

Sierre Leone features another Frankenstein film, Son of Frankenstein from 1939, on the 3,000-leone souvenir sheet in its 1997 Classic Horror Movies set (Scott 2035). This was Karloffs third and final portrayal of the monster.

The second was in 1935 in the Bride of Frankenstein. While the Sierre Leone set does include a stamp for this film (Scott 2034i), it depicts Elsa Lanchester, who portrayed Mary Shelley and the monsters bride in a dual role, and not the monster itself.

At least one other stamp mentions Frankenstein by name. On Sept. 6, 2007, Switzerland issued a set of four stamps featuring Swiss settings that inspired British writers. The 85-centime denomination, which shows a black-and-white photograph of the alpine mountain Monc, is inscribed Frankenstein at the top with Mary Shelley and 1818 below it (Scott 1282).

For more information about the new Frankenstein issue from Jersey, visit the website or write to Jersey Philatelic Bureau, FreePost JE793, Jersey Post, Jersey, JE1 1AF, Channel Islands.At least 12 civilians lost their lives when the US-led coalition purportedly fighting terrorism carried out an airstrike against Syrias northeastern province of Hasakah.

The aerial attack targeted Tal al-Shayer village, located in the southeastern countryside of Hasakah, SANA news agency reported.

Last month, the US-led warplanes carried out similar strikes on Hasakah, killing 25 people in al-Fadhel village near al-Shaddadi town in the southern part of the province, located 650 kilometers northeast of the capital Damascus.First vice-president of the European Commission Frans Timmermans warned that Europe must take its destiny "into its own hands".

"I am not one to declare that the rules-based international system, so carefully built up after the Second World War, is now collapsing before our very eyes," he said at the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg on the preparation of the European Council meeting.

"However, it is the first time since 1945 that an American President has not seen it as an American strategic interest to work hard to ensure a vibrant and unified Europe and a robust transatlantic relationship," the official added.

Timmermans explained that this means the EU needs to take its destiny more into its own hands, adding the EU unity "is built upon the Member States that voluntarily and democratically decided to link their destinies and shape their future together."

EU heads of state or government will meet in Brussels on 28-29 June to discuss the most pressing policy priorities for the European Union, including how to move forward with the EUs common asylum system and also to evaluate the progress of the ongoing Brexit negotiations. They are also scheduled to debate the next EU long-term budget, security and defense, innovation and digital Europe and Eurozone reform.Abiding by international law key to settle South China Sea issue Updated: 10:31 - 12/06/2018

Guest speakers at the 3rd Ocean Dialogue on international law

and the South China Sea__Photo: VNS

, , , ,

Two years after the arbitral tribunal ruling in favor of the Philippines South China Sea case and rejecting Chinas so-called nine-dash line, disputes continue to rage even as China and ASEAN formally enter negotiations toward a Code of Conduct framework.However, parties would need to resolutely abide by international law to ensure security and order in the region, Vietnamese and international legal experts, maritime scholars and diplomats agreed at the third Ocean Dialogue held by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) on June 11 in Hanoi.The event, themed International law in the South China Sea, seeks to discuss legal regimes, especially the Hagues ruling, on these resource-rich waters and find cooperation opportunities between the concerned parties.Deputy Director of the DAV Le Hai Binh, in his opening remarks, stressed the role of international law as the backbone of international relations in a fast-changing world, especially with the United States new Indo-Pacific strategy, Chinas efforts to advance its Belt and Road initiative, and ASEANs struggle to build its community."International law ensures that all nations are treated equally, issues are handled with justice, and conflicts are resolved in peaceful ways," Binh said, adding that international law paved the way for negotiations and peace-building between states.Most countries involved in the South China Sea issue have expressly claimed they act according to international law, however, the key challenge emerges as each country has different interpretations and implementations of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Hong Thao, second vice chairman of the United Nations International Law Commission, said the tribunals verdict stating that no low-tide elevations or rocks would grant 12 nautical miles of exclusive economic zone would reduce tensions as it decreases the scope of maritime overlapping between countries.Still, Chinas four-no policy (non-participation, non-recognition of the tribunals jurisdiction, non-acceptance, and non-enforcement of the award) has put implementation of the ruling in temporal deadlock, Thao said.Yan Yan, Chinese international maritime law expert from the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said Chinese non-recognition of the tribunals award also didnt deter its scholars from studying the case, evidenced by the 500-page Critical study of the case, shows the Chinese law community to start to think how we can talk in the language of international law, and thus, create potential grounds for common understanding.She remarked that over the recent decade, the Chinese Governments attitude has changed, "theres no way for us to close the door on negotiations."She said that previously, China was against the internationalization of the South China Sea issue, however, currently, it no longer remains steadfast since it realizes it wont be able to avoid the influence of outside players, countries that are not a direct part of territorial and maritime disputes but have claimed stakes and exercised considerable influence in the area, such as the United States or India.She also suggested an observer mechanism over the South China Sea for these outside players, with certain prerequisites: The observer mechanism will only be considered after the COC has been settled, and that the observers must consent to let the South China Sea issue be resolved between actual claimants and that they have the rights and duties to help with research and conservation efforts in these contested waters.Assoc. Prof. Herman Joseph S. Kraft from the University of the Philippines touched on the cooperation issues, citing Philippines contentious joint-development mechanism with China in the South China Sea.The Duterte administrations deliberate playing down of the tribunal verdict to improve the Philippines relations, especially economically, with China, complicates the situation, he said. How can Dutertes efforts to advance the joint sharing of resources with China in disputed waters be reconciled consistently with the Philippines Constitution and existing laws which state that the use and enjoyment of exclusive economic zones resources are reserved exclusively to Filipino citizens.However, contrary to the Philippines current approach, Vietnams consistent stance has always been that joint-development and settlement of disputes must go hand in hand, Thao stressed.Vietnams approach not only allows public companies to conduct cooperation activities in the South China Sea but also the private sector, Thao said, adding that Vietnamese cooperation with claimants in the sea is more comprehensive as it also extends to oil and gas exploration, environment protection, anti-trafficking and other fields.Delegates also spent time discussing the possibility of setting up an executive council overseeing compliance with treaties and negotiations regarding South China Sea issue, alternative methods in case the tribunal verdict proves to be ineffective, respect for freedom of flight and navigation in the contested sea, and promotion of mutually beneficial cooperation in the region.The Abu Simbel temples sit on the west bank of the Nile River. Shutterstock) (Image credit: WitR

The site of Abu Simbel is one of the most recognizable ancient sites in Egypt. For 3,000 years, it sat on the west bank of the Nile River, between the first and second cataracts of the Nile. However, in a remarkable feat of engineering, the temple complex was dismantled and rebuilt on a higher hill to make way for the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s.

Built in 1244 B.C., Abu Simbel contains two temples, carved into a mountainside. The larger of the two temples contains four colossal statues of a seated pharaoh Ramesses II (1303-1213 B.C.) at its entrance, each about 69 feet (21 meters) tall. The entranceway to the temple was built in such a way that on two days of the year, October 22 and February 22, sunlight shines into the inner sanctuary and lights up three statues seated on a bench, including one of the pharaoh. Historians think these dates mark his coronation and birth. Thousands of tourists typically flock to the temples to watch the phenomenon and participate in the celebrations.

In addition, Abu Simbel has a second, smaller, temple that may have been built for queen Nefertari. Its front includes two statues of the queen and four of the pharaoh, each about 33 feet (10 meters) in height. Each is set between buttresses carved with hieroglyphs.

While the site was built by an Egyptian ruler, and is located within modern-day Egypt, in ancient times the place it was located in was considered part of Nubia, a territory that was at times independent of ancient Egypt.

The waxing and waning of Egypts strength can be traced through its relations with Nubia. When strong kings ruled a united land, Egyptian influence extended into Nubia; when Egypt was weak, its southern border stopped at Aswan, writes Egyptologist Zahi Hawass in his book "The Mysteries of Abu Simbel" (American University in Cairo Press, 2000).

Moving the temple

Abu Simbel survived through ancient times, only to be threatened by modern progress. Because the site would soon be flooded by the rising Nile, it was decided that the temples should be moved. Following the decision to build a new High Dam at Aswan in the early 1960s, the temples were dismantled and relocated in 1968 on the desert plateau 64 meters (about 200 feet) above and 180 meters (600 feet) west of their original site, writes Robert Morkot in an article in the "Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt" (2001, Oxford University Press). The area where they were originally located is now flooded.

Hawass notes that moving the temples was a massive job, one that involved cutting it into pieces between 3 to 20 tons in weight and re-assembling them precisely as they were. It took almost five years, involved about 3,000 workers and cost (in the 1960s) about $42 million. He notes in his book that it was a great success, one reporter present at its completion wrote that everything looks just as it did before; it is enough to make one doubt that the temples were moved at all.

Ramesses II

Ramesses II, sometimes called the great, was a warrior king who tried to expand Egypts territory far into the Levant. He battled another empire called the Hittites at the Battle of Qadesh (also spelled Kadesh) in Syria and also launched campaigns into Nubia.

He bragged about his accomplishments, embellishing Abu Simbel with scenes from the Battle of Qadesh. One image carved in the great temple at Abu Simbel shows the king firing arrows from his war chariot and supposedly winning the battle for the Egyptians. It was a blustery display for a battle that modern-day historians agree ended in a draw. Later, Ramesses II would make a peace treaty with the Hittites and cement it by marrying a Hittite princess, an event marked in a stela at Abu Simbel.

Ramesses II is the most famous of the pharaohs, and there is no doubt that he intended this to be so, writes University of Cambridge Egyptologist John Ray in a 2011 BBC article. Ramesses II, or at least the version of him which he chose to feature in his inscriptions, is the hieroglyphic equivalent of hot air.

But while Ramesses II may have been full of hot air, he did build some magnificent monuments, launching a major building program. Ramesses II consolidated his godly state by building numerous temples in which he was worshipped in the image of the different gods, writes Hawass in his book. And two of the finest temples he built were at Abu Simbel.

Two of the four seated statues at the entrance. All four depict Ramesses II. Shutterstock) (Image credit: ChameleonEye

The Great Temple

Egyptologist Marco Zecchi writes in his book "Abu Simbel, Aswan and the Nubian Temples" (White Star Publishers, 2004) that the larger of the two Abu Simbel temples, the Great Temple, was known in ancient times as the temple of Ramesses-Meryamun which means Ramesses, beloved by Amun (Amun being an important deity in Ramesses IIs time).

Zecchi notes that the four seated statues of the pharaoh, at the entrance, show the ruler wearing a short kilt, nemes headdress, double crown with cobra and false beard. Next to the legs of the four colossi are several smaller standing statues that represent the pharaohs relatives, he writes, these include his wife Nefertari, the pharaohs mother Mut-Tuy, and his sons and daughters. Zecchi notes that at the top of the temple facade is a row of 22 squatting baboon statues. The baboons cry was believed to welcome the rising sun.

The interior of the temple stretches into the mountain for about 210 feet (64 meters). The first room is an atrium made up of eight pillars, four on each side, that Zecchi notes depicts Ramesses II in the guise of the god Osiris. The atrium area includes images and hieroglyphs describing Ramesses IIs supposed victory at the Battle of Qadesh. The atrium also has now empty storerooms on its sides.

Moving deeper into the temple there is a second atrium with four decorated pillars that Zecchi said shows the king embracing various divinities as a sign of his spiritual union and predilection and, at the very back, is a bench where a statue of Ramesses II is seated with three other gods, Ra-Harakhty, Amun and Ptah. Researchers have noted that on two days of the year (October 22 and February 22) all these statues, except for Ptah (who is associated with the underworld), are bathed in sunlight.

The Small Temple

As mentioned earlier, the smaller temple at Abu Simbel has, outside its entrance, four statues of pharaoh and two of his bride, Nefertari. Each statue is about 33 feet (10 meters) tall, a buttress in between each of them. Zecchi notes that the facade also contains smaller statues of the children, oddly the statues of the princesses are taller than those of the princes, a sign, perhaps, that this temple pays tribute to Nefertari and the women of Ramesses IIs household.

The interior of the temple is simpler than that of the great temple. It contains six pillars that show depictions of the goddess Hathor. Zecchi notes that on the back wall of the room are reliefs showing Nefertari in the act of being crowned by the goddesses Hathor and Isis, the queen wearing a head covering that shows the solar disc with feathers between cow horns the same head covering the goddesses are wearing.

Rediscovery

At some point the temples were abandoned and, in the period afterwards, were covered with sand, the great colossi gradually disappearing into the desert. Hawass notes that Johann Ludwig Burckhardt noted the existence of the site in 1813. Then, in 1817, a circus strongman named Giovanni Belzoni uncovered the buried entrance to the great temple.

This entrance, which was precisely aligned with the sun so as to light up three of the statues within for two days of the year, now saw light once again.

Additional resourcesTaylor McGowan, an 18-month-old from outside Chicago, is being called a mini Einstein because her hairlike the late physicistsis wild and sticks up from her head.

The toddler's unruly, and absolutely adorable, hair is the result of a rare genetic condition called uncombable hair syndrome (UHS), which has been reported in only about 100 people globally, according to BuzzFeed. But some researchers think the numbers could be greater, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Some people think that Einstein might have also had the syndrome, but this is just speculation for now, according to Buzzfeed.

So what is uncombable hair syndrome?

This genetic condition is also sometimes known as "spun glass hair syndrome" because people with it typically have hair that's shiny, dry and frizzy, and usually silver, blond or straw-colored. The hair also sticks up from the scalp, and it's difficult to comb, according to a 2016 study published in The American Journal of Human Genetics.

Despite the few confirmed reports of UHS, the condition is "much more common than expected," Regina Betz, a professor at the University of Bonn in Germany and senior author of the 2016 paper, told Live Science in an email. Because the condition typically gets better with age, some adults might have unknowingly had it as a child, according to the NIH. For their next paper, Betz and her team hope to calculate how common UHS is. [Genetics by the Numbers: 10 Tantalizing Tales]

According to Betz, there are no other known symptoms associated with this disorder. Some people with UHS mention problems with their teeth, Betz said, but she thinks "UHS is isolated in most cases." What causes the main symptom, namely the Einstein-hair look, isn't really known, Betz said, but "maybe [it's] because the hair [strand] is not round."

Indeed, children with this condition have hair shafts that aren't circular, but rather flat, triangular or heart-shaped as a result of genetic mutations. Usually, UHS is what scientists call "recessive," meaning a child must inherit one gene that codes for this condition from the mother and one such gene from the father in order to show symptoms of it, according to Betz. But UHS could, in some cases, also be "dominant," meaning it shows up when a gene from only one parent is inherited, according to the NIH.

In the 2016 study, Betz and her team illuminated three genes that were responsible for the recessive cases of uncombable hair syndrome: PADI3, TGM3 and TCHH. All three of these genes were found to be involved in how the hair shaft forms, so mutations in any of them can cause alterations in the shape of the hair shaft, according to the NIH.

Taylor's parents had reached out to Betz to confirm that their daughter had this rare condition because of a mutation in the PADI3 gene, according to BuzzFeed.

Though there isn't yet a treatment for the condition, Betz doesn't really think there needs to be. The family told BuzzFeed that they are now raising awareness of the importance of embracing and celebrating people's unique characteristics. They created a FaceBook page for their daughter called "BabyEinstein2.0" for anyone who wants to learn more about Taylor or her condition.

Originally published on Live Science.Long before there was #MeToo, there was "Speak." Published in 1999, Laurie Halse Anderson's semi-autobiographical novel about rape was a best-seller and later a movie starring Kristen Stewart. It remains revered and controversial, appearing on high school curriculums across the country and on the American Library Association's most-banned-books list.

Now Anderson is stepping up to the microphone again, this time with a little more anger and a little more candor. Her new book, to be published in March by Viking Children's Books, is called "Shout," and in it she writes not only about her own experience as a rape victim but also about the pain and heartache readers have shared with her in the two decades since "Speak" appeared.

In the intervening years, Anderson has addressed untold numbers of young people - in schools and libraries across the country - about sexual assault. She has shared her own experience of being raped at 13, one year younger than the protagonist in "Speak," and how, like her, she kept silent about it. (Anderson waited 25 years before telling a therapist what happened to her.)

Going public has turned Anderson into something of a confessor. "I have not spoken at an event where one or two people haven't come up to me in tears afterward," she said in a phone interview from her home in Philadelphia.

The notes come to her through email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram - even on crumpled pieces of paper handed to her after events. The message is almost always the same: (BEGIN ITAL)Me too. I was assaulted by a boy, my friend, my dad, mommy's boyfriend.(END ITAL)

Anderson typically directs young people to groups such as RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) and encourages them to talk to safe adults. But given the outpour - amplified in part by the #MeToo movement - she felt a need to do more.

"I see my responsibility as helping people move away from 'me too' to 'us too,' " she says - to create a sense of community to combat the isolation that Anderson felt as a young woman and a rape victim. "I hope that some readers will find it and feel less alone," she said. "America's teenagers are hungry for honesty, and they are hungry for hope - and that's what I'm trying to give them."

Anderson began working on "Shout" in October of last year and says that it came more quickly than any of her other books, which include "Chains," a National Book Award finalist; "Wintergirls"; "The Impossible Knife of Memory"; and others, including a graphic novel version of "Speak," published this year. All told, Anderson's books have sold more than 8 million copies. Viking has announced a 200,000 first printing of "Shout."

"When I started 'Shout,' it was just my rage: Why can't we talk about these things?" she says. "Watching these brave people speak up as part of #MeToo just let me take the lid off, and that felt good. It was a second liberation for me."

"Shout" is written in free verse. In the first half, Anderson shares her own experience and how it led to the writing of "Speak." The second half is what she calls a manifesto about "listening to and reflecting on a culture where sexual violence is rampant." The language is sometimes graphic and often empowering:

(BEGIN ITAL)We should teach our girls (END ITAL)

(BEGIN ITAL)that snapping is OK, (END ITAL)

(BEGIN ITAL)instead of waiting (END ITAL)

(BEGIN ITAL)for someone else to break them.(END ITAL)

As such, Anderson's book fits in the growing movement among kid-lit writers to speak out more directly about social issues. Books such as "The Hate U Give," by Angie Thomas, and "Long Way Down," by Jason Reynolds, have led to frank conversations about violence and teens. The #MeToo movement has sparked authors to talk about sexual misconduct in their own ranks. The shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., spurred writers such as Raina Telgemeier toward greater activism.

Anderson expects that "Shout" - aimed at high school students and up - will be challenged just as "Speak" still is by some readers who object to its unvarnished discussion of sexuality and violence. But Anderson, now 56 and a grandmother, is undaunted.

"All of those teenagers were kind to talk to me," she says. "They educated me." She sees "Shout" as a kind of thank-you note to them and a "shot of advice about how liberating it is when you write about what you've been through."

The message, she says, is simple: "I'll walk with you."Prestige TV is so dark that even with your computer screen's brightness turned all the way up during "The Handmaid's Tale," you must squint to find Elisabeth Moss in the gloomy Waterford house. It is so dark that after watching Jonathan Groff examine the psyche of murderous men in "Mindhunter," you may feel inclined to watch puppy videos on a loop. It is so dark that it almost never serves as an outlet for escapism, unless you count escaping to a reality even more fraught than our own.

Bright and colorful, "Sense8" is the antithesis of all that. Or rather, it was. The often bewildering, always entertaining Netflix series has concluded with a feature-length finale that started streaming on Friday and embraces what makes the show's two seasons so unique. Despite its flaws - of which there are many - "Sense8" succeeds in championing empathy and depicting the tenaciousness of the human spirit. It is remarkably inclusive and hopeful.

A refresher, for those who need it: The sci-fi series, created by J. Michael Straczynski and the Wachowski siblings, centers on a "cluster" of eight people across the globe who are connected via their consciousness. They experience each other's pain and joy, can "visit" another sensate no matter their physical location and share abilities like language comprehension or martial arts. The sensates form quick bonds - some tinged with romance - as they hide from and often fight members of a research organization called BPO, which seeks to eradicate their kind.

The structure of BPO is as unclear as the motivations of those who work for it, but that doesn't matter much. "Sense8" thrives when it strays from plot intricacies and instead highlights how the characters respond to the threat. A good chunk of the finale is devoted to seven sensates working to save the eighth of their cluster: Wolfgang (Max Riemelt), a gruff German man who tells the others he isn't worth risking their lives for. Obviously, they disagree.

"Wolfgang, you are," says Kala (Tina Desai), one of the seven and Wolfgang's love interest. "You are. I know what love is because of you."

The line is cheesy but so sincere, which also applies to the rest of the series. Right before "Sense8" ends with a telepathic orgy reminiscent of the one from its first season - there are exceptionally weird perks to the whole shared consciousness thing - we attend the wedding of sensate Nomi (Jamie Clayton) and her girlfriend, Amanita (Freema Agyeman), who begins her vows with: "We live in a world that distrusts feelings."

"Over and over, we are reminded that feelings are not as important as reason," she continues. "That feelings are childish, irresponsible, dangerous. We are taught to ignore them, control or deny them. ... But I know that feelings matter."

"Sense8" just wants us to care about each other.

Some theorize that the show is a metaphor for how we communicate in the digital age. We have the ability to discover what people across the globe feel by simply opening a social media app on our phones. The comparison is especially apt given that the finale only came to be after hordes of the show's loyal fans expressed their disappointment online at Netflix cancelling the show last year.

"Improbably, unforeseeably, your love has brought Sense8 back to life," co-creator Lana Wachowski wrote at the time.

It couldn't have happened to a more diverse show. The main sensates include Nomi, a witty hacktivist in San Francisco; Wolfgang, a safecracker in Berlin; Kala, an emotionally conflicted pharmacist in Mumbai; Riley (Tuppence Middleton), a widowed DJ from Reykjavik; Sun (Doona Bae), a wrongfully imprisoned executive in Seoul; Lito (Miguel Angel Silvestre), a publicly closeted actor in Mexico City; Will (Brian J. Smith), a cop in Chicago haunted by his past; and Capheus (Toby Onwumere), a bus driver and aspiring politician in Nairobi.

"Sense8" avoids tokenizing its characters, which involves giving each sensate a full backstory that helps viewers understand what motivates them. The diversity extends to the cast, too. In addition to most actors being from the same country as their characters, "Sense8" cast Clayton, a transgender actress, in a transgender role.

The finale is bittersweet encapsulation of all that we lose along with "Sense8," a sentiment the writers address through Nomi's wedding vows: "I'm afraid of pretending things will be permanent." But as long as we maintain a sense of optimism, they remind us, we'll all be just fine.A 6-month-old dog might never regrow hair on her back after suffering severe burns after being left out in the sun for days, officials with San Antonio Animal Care Services said.

The thermal burns, also known as solar burns, are essentially equivalent to extreme sunburns, ACS spokeswoman Lisa Norwood said. Graphic photos show a bright red strip of raw skin down the dog's back, where it appears the hair has been burned away.

Molly, a shepherd mix, most likely sustained the burns from several days unprotected in the sun, Norwood said.

"Burns like this take time to appear. They take an animal being consistently and sadly being outside without any protection from the sun for that to happen," Norwood said. "She was outside without any sort of shade, without any sort of shelter from the elements."

Animal Care Services is still investigating the case. Norwood said she does not yet know whether the owners or a good samaritan brought Molly in, and she doesn't know whether any criminal charges will be filed.

RELATED: PETA awards San Antonio Good Samaritan for helping abandoned dogs

Molly spent about two weeks with Animal Care Services receiving veterinary care.

"She's actually been very sweet about it. It's almost like she knows that we're trying to help her," Norwood said. "Taking care of burns can be a very painful process, and as a puppy our concern obviously is: is this going to color the way that she feels about people? Is it going to affect her personality? She's still a young dog."

Throughout the two weeks, she continued to wag her tail and give kisses. She has now been taken in by the Animal Defense League.

Burns as severe as Molly's aren't common, but they do happen every year, Norwood said.

It's generally better to keep animals indoor in the summers, and owners definitely shouldn't leave them in vehicles, she said. Police and Animal Care Services staff are legally allowed to break car windows to rescue an animal in a hot car.

Old dogs, young dogs, dogs with longer hair, and dogs with shorter snouts are particularly susceptible to heat illness, according to Norwood.

"Unfortunately, it's something that we see every summer here in San Antonio. It's not a surprise that it gets hot in the Alamo City, and that's why every summer you start to see messages from Animal Care Services about the importance of providing shade, providing shelter, fresh food, fresh water for pets that are outdoors," Norwood said. "Those things aren't just a good idea, they're the law."

S. M. Chavey is a staff writer for mySA.com.HCM CITY  Low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific has been recognised as the first airline applying the on-line submission of flight plans at 16 airports in Viet Nam by the Civil Aviation Administration of Viet Nam (CAAV).

The airline said in a statement the CAAV accepted their new online plans after a months trial.

It means that pilots could use Ipads from plane cabin to receive data from the airlines flight management centre and send flight plan to the airport, saving valuable time.

It said the application of information technology for the online procedure was made in accordance to strict regulation of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network (AFTN).

Earlier, CAAV approved the utilisation of the area navigation (RNAV) approach procedures and required navigation performance (RNP) that was proposed by the airline.

Jetstar Pacific said new procedure will help reduce the chances of controlled flight into terrain, while increases safety as well as approaching easier to fly.

Last year, the cheap-price ticket airline, in co-operation with community online service company (VietUnion), offered a new cash payment system, Payoo, at 3,000 sites nationwide.

It also launched a check-in service using wireless internet for all its flights, starting this month to ease congestion at airport check-in counters.

Jetstar Pacific, a member of the Jetstar Group, has grown from five aircraft in 2013 to 12 now and flies on 32 domestic and international routes.  VNSA man has been arrested following a pursuit that ended with the fleeing vehicle crashing into Zacate Creek and catching fire, Laredo police said.

At about 3 a.m. Monday, police said officers had attempted to pull over a black Nissan Altima for a supposed traffic violation.A woman was arrested Sunday after she allegedly broke a beer bottle over a bouncer's head, police said.

Jeanette Lopez, 24, was charged with aggravated assault against a security officer.

READ ALSO: 71-year-old woman charged in hit-and-run incident in north Laredo

The case occurred at about 2 a.m. Sunday at TKO, 520 Shiloh Road. A male bouncer told police that a woman assaulted him inside the bar.

Lopez allegedly attacked the bouncer because he escorted her boyfriend out of the bar for intolerable behavior.

RELATED: LPD: Woman sends officer to hospital after striking him with her high heels

Police said they learned that the boyfriend and other friends were "shotgunning" at the bar, or punching holes in beer cans and drinking the beer as it leaks from the can. This game was not allowed inside the bar, police said.

Authorities said that as the bouncer escorted the boyfriend out, Lopez broke a beer bottle on the bouncer's head. Surveillance footage recorded the incident, according to LPD.Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed gratitude toward U.S. President Donald Trump for raising the abduction issue during the U.S.-North Korea summit meeting on Tuesday.

"I highly evaluate that he [Trump] referred [during the summit meeting] to what I had told him about the abduction issue, which is of importance for Japan," Abe told reporters on Tuesday evening. "I thank him for clearly raising the abduction issue."WASHINGTON - Senate GOP leaders blocked a vote Tuesday on legislation that would give Congress veto power over certain presidential tariffs - prompting Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., to accuse his Republican colleagues of being afraid to vote against President Donald Trump.

"'Gosh, we might poke the bear' is the language I've been hearing in the hallways," Corker, who authored the amendment in question, said in a fiery floor speech.

"We might poke the bear. The president might get upset with us as United States senators if we vote on the Corker amendment, so we're going to do everything we can to block it," said Corker, who is retiring at year's end.

The leadership move, which blocked Corker from including his legislation as an amendment on a pending defense bill, probably killed it for good - and with it, Congress's best chance of taking any action to confront Trump on trade. Corker had assembled a bipartisan coalition of more than a dozen senators to sign onto his bill, which would have given Congress veto power over tariffs issued in the name of national security, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other members of leadership had been cool to it all along. McConnell termed it an "exercise in futility" becauseTrump would never sign such legislation.

Tuesday's outcome probably ensures that despite the GOP's longstanding support of free trade, and Republicans' discomfort with many of Trump's protectionist moves, the president will continue to have a free hand as he upends U.S. trade policy established over decades. Corker did not hide his frustration.

"The United States Senate, right now, on June 12, is becoming a body where, well, we'll do what we can do, but my gosh, if the president gets upset with us, then we might not be in the majority," Corker said. "And so let's don't do anything that might upset the president."

Corker's legislation, written in response to Trump's recent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union, would have required congressional approval of so-called "Section 232 tariffs, which are issued in the name of protecting national security. Invoking national security allows the administration to skirt certain processes otherwise involved in levying tariffs. Many in the GOP, traditionally the party of free trade, opposed the tariffs, and some said Trump abused his authority in invoking national security to issue them - especially after the president declared over Twitter that they were actually a response to Canada's tariffs on dairy.

Corker said the ability to cite national security to issue tariffs at will, as Trump is now threatening to do on auto imports, allows the president to "wake up one morning, without going through any of these processes, and decide that on national security grounds he is going to put tariffs in place."

Yet under pressure from the White House, senators had been unwilling to sign on to Corker's bill. Trump brought a group of Republican senators to the White House last week to argue against the need for the Corker legislation, and called other GOP senators individually, including from Singapore as he prepared for the North Korea summit.

However, the stated rationale Tuesday for blocking Corker's bill, which he'd hoped to include as an amendment on the National Defense Authorization Act, involved procedural objections and concerns that its inclusion might slow down completion of the annual defense policy bill.

"I don't want to do anything that is either going to jeopardize the passage of the defense authorization bill or delay the passage," said Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., who is managing the defense bill and offered the objection. Inhofe said he would work with Corker to find another bill that could serve as a vehicle for his amendment "but not to the defense authorization bill. I think this would cause a lot of damage."

Corker dismissed those objections as he went on a tear against his Republican colleagues.

"Gosh almighty," Corker said. Referencing Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican, Corker said, "I heard the senator from Texas, the senior senator from Texas, saying the other day, 'Well, gosh, we might upset the president. We might upset the president of the United States before the midterms.'"

Cornyn's office declined to comment.

Corker, who leads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, concluded by essentially conceding defeat. "I know that no matter what I do, this is going to be objected to," he said.SINGAPORE - As their friendly visit here Tuesday drew to a close, President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un took seats along a flower-adorned mahogany table to sign an oversize sheet of paper.

Before the statesmen was a "very important" and "pretty comprehensive" document, in the words of Trump, who etched his jagged signature onto it with a thick black Sharpie.

Kim was just as grandiose, calling the giant proclamation "historic" as he left his mark, but only after a white-gloved North Korean official had personally inspected and swabbed the pen that had been set for him. Kim's sister then replaced the pen, which bore Trump's signature, with one of her own, attentive to the security and autonomy of the supreme leader.

What exactly the two men signed with a flourish - A peace treaty? An agreement for North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons? A vague claim of momentum between the two countries? - remained a mystery for more than two hours, until Trump revealed it at his finale news conference.

To learn the outcome of the landmark Singapore summit, the world had to stay tuned in. This, after all, was a Donald J. Trump production.

The nearly nine hours the president spent summiting at the flag-adorned Capella hotel here Tuesday overflowed with Trumpian hallmarks, from his choreographed first handshake with Kim on an endless red carpet to the propaganda-style video he played at the start of his victory-lap news conference.

A former television reality-show producer, Trump has long had a thirst for the dramatic and an eye for the cinematic. As he stepped along a grand colonnade to greet Trump for the first time, a dozen alternating American and North Korean flags neatly arrayed behind them, Kim remarked through an interpreter that many people might say the scene was fantastical - like "a science-fiction movie."

As orchestrated as the day was, however, it included plenty of unscripted moments and lighthearted banter, as well. When the two gathered in a dining room for lunch, Trump motioned to the nearby cameramen.

"Getting a good picture, everybody?" the president asked. "So we look nice and handsome and thin? Perfect."

The visibly rotund Kim did not chime in.

They were served an eclectic, multi-course meal with Asian and Western dishes - Korean stuffed cucumber, beef short ribs, pork fried rice, braised cod and, a favorite of the president's, Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream.

As the two leaders took a short walk around the property to work off the meal, Trump showed off his armored stretch Cadillac to Kim. A Secret Service agent held open a door so Kim could peer inside the "Beast," as the presidential limousine is known, but the curious North Korean dictator did not climb inside.

Trump's comments throughout the day were short on details, demonstrating a lack of command over the technicalities of nuclear arms negotiations, but heavy on superlatives. As he told it, the summit was "very historic." Kim was "very talented," "very smart" and a "very good negotiator." The agreement they reached was "very, very comprehensive." The North Korean people were "very gifted." And their country's future is "very, very bright."

As he often does, Trump tried to win his guest's affections. He softened concerns about Kim's record of human rights atrocities by saying "it's a rough situation over there" but adding, "It's rough in a lot of places, by the way."

Trump also spoke euphemistically about Kim's popularity in North Korea, a country where citizens who try to escape are often sentenced to labor camps or executed. "His country does love him. His people, you see the fervor. They have a great fervor," Trump said of Kim in an interview with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos.

Trump described his half-day of meetings with Kim as a singular moment in history and said his approach to North Korea - first with fiery rhetoric and brinkmanship and now with a gentle touch - has saved the lives of tens of millions of people because it staved off a nuclear catastrophe in Seoul, the South Korean capital, which is home to about 25 million people 35 miles from the demilitarized zone with the North.

"This is really an honor for me to be doing this, because I think, you know, potentially, you could have lost, you know, 30-, 40-, 50 million people," Trump said at the news conference.

Trump said he tried to help Kim imagine his country as wealthy and modern, with "great condos" and "the best hotels" on its waterfront - if only North Korea opened itself to the world.

"They have great beaches," Trump told reporters. "You see that whenever they're exploding their cannons into the ocean, right? I said: 'Boy, look at that place. Wouldn't that make a great condo?' And I explained it. I said, 'Instead of doing that, you could have the best hotels in the world right there.' Think of it from a real estate perspective."

To that end, Trump commissioned a film portraying North Korea as some sort of paradise, with gleaming sky-rises, time-lapsed sunrises, high-speed trains, majestic horses running through water and children merrily skipping through Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang. It included a montage of images of Kim Jong Un and Trump waving their hands and flashing thumbs up, as if running mates in a campaign.

The film was reminiscent of Pyongyang's propaganda videos, only it was made in the United States under Trump's direction. It included a credit to Destiny Pictures.

Trump said he had it made to show Kim what his country's future could look like if it abandoned its nuclear weapons and normalized relations with the West. Trump said he played the film on an iPad for Kim during one of their meetings - and, Trump said, "I think he loved it." So the president directed aides to play it on giant screens in the auditorium at the start of his news conference, first a version in Korean and then one in English.

Tuesday's capstone was Trump's news conference, a freewheeling affair that lasted 66 minutes. The president was confident and chummy with reporters, even those he often attacks. He called on CNN's Jim Acosta, a favorite foil, and said with a smirk: "Go ahead. Be nice. Be respectful."

Trump did not utter the words "fake news." A few reporters from conservative outlets, including Jon Decker of Fox News Radio and Emerald Robinson of One America News Network, wished the president "congratulations" before asking their questions.

Trump clearly enjoyed bantering with the press, though his answers lacked some of the substantive detail reporters were seeking. The president's aides seemed to enjoy it less. About midway through, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, who had been jostling in their seats in the front row, could be seen gesturing at White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders as if to enlist her in cutting off the news conference.

But the president kept going and going. As he started to walk out, headed to the airport for the day-long flight home to Washington, reporters shouted out questions about his previously undisclosed first phone call with Kim. Some asked whether there was a recording or notes of the conversation to give the government a record of what the two men said.

"We don't have to verify," Trump said, "because I have one of the great memories of all time. So I don't have to, okay?"

- - -

The Washington Post's Avi Selk in Washington contributed to this report.The Indiana teacher who says he was coerced to resign after clashing against the school district's policy that required he call transgender students by their preferred names has had his resignation approved, according to local news reports.

Teacher John Kluge, who taught orchestra at Brownsburg High School outside of Indianapolis, had taken to calling students by their last names to sidestep the issue, according to WTHR. Self-identified as a Christian, Kluge said that it was against his religious convictions to "encourage" transgender identity, and also a matter of his First Amendment rights.

Kluge, 28, said he had only submitted a letter of resignation at the end of May because district officials had threatened to fire him after telling him he had to start calling students by their first names, WTHR and the Indy Star reported.

"I'm being compelled to encourage students in what I believe is something that's a dangerous lifestyle," he said, according to the newspaper. "I'm fine to teach students with other beliefs, but the fact that teachers are being compelled to speak a certain way is the scary thing."

Kluge had asked to withdraw his resignation letter on May 25, but his resignation was already in process by then, the Star reported.

On Monday night, school officials told an emotional crowd at a school board meeting that Kluge's resignation had been approved, according to Fox 59. Kluge spoke at the meeting as well, saying that he believed he should be able to appeal his resignation.

"I wanted to be able to teach my subject matter with a clean conscience," he said at the podium. "You've approved my resignation without me being able to appeal my resignation."

Dozens of other people spoke at the meeting, with many holding signs in the crowd that said "Trans rights are human rights," and "My pronouns aren't optional." Others held signs like "Justice for John."

Some spoke in support of Kluge, saying that did not believe in the school's transgender naming policy, or saying they were concerned about "reverse bullying," and what they believed was the free-speech restrictions his resignation represented, according to Matthew McClellan, a reporter with ABC affiliate WRTV.

Jeff Gracie says he's disappointed in the school board's decision to terminate Kluge, and that parents were left out of the process when transgender naming policy was enacted.

McClellan also reported that one woman, Laura Sucec, said her son had such a negative experience with Kluge that he dropped out of the orchestra.

"By refusing to call my child by his name because of his beliefs," she said, Kluge "is saying that he knows better what is right for my child than I do."

Her son Aidyn, a sophomore, who has been interviewed previously by reporters, said that LGBT students believed that Kluge's decision to call all students by their last name was a way to deny them respect and personhood.

"I think that Mr. Kluge's religious beliefs have absolutely no place in a public high school," he said. "I think that everybody advocating in support for Kluge needs to think about what it is like to be a transgender person and what it is like to live your life knowing that there are people who would say that you are not an actual human being and actively disrespect you."

He added:

"The process of coming out as transgender within this school system is fair and it is extensive enough that nobody would try to pretend to be transgender to further some sort of personal agenda," he said. "That's not something that happens. I think nobody wants to feel what it feels like to be a transgender person. It is not something that is easy, it is not something that is pleasant. It is something that is taxing and drains energy from you."

Transgender students say that being called by names and pronouns that match their gender identity is critical for their transition and well being, as is having student records that reflect their gender identity. Their advocates also argue that it is required under Title IX, the federal law that bans sex discrimination in schools.

The Obama administration, which found schools in violation of Title IX when they failed to adhere to this, directed public schools in 2016 to call transgender students by their preferred names and pronouns. The administration also directed schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Attorney General Jeff Sessions revoked the directive in early 2017.

Kluge has maintained that the district's policy is a violation of his rights.

"I feel the compelled speech of forcing a teacher to take a side on this very highly controversial topic is a violation of our First Amendment rights," he told WRTV recently.HA NOI  The prices of Viet Nams sticky rice are facing a downward trend due to its over-supply and dependence on a single large market, according to the Department of Farm Produce Processing and Market Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

Although it is now the beginning of the harvest of the summer-autumn crop, the sticky rice farmers are quite passive because they have few orders and few prospective buyers.

The statistics of Viet Nam Food Association (VFA) showed that, in 2017, Viet Nam exported 1.4 million tonnes of sticky rice, mainly to China.

Last year, as Viet Nam was expanding sticky rice production, China also quickly increased sticky rice cultivation. The current inventory of Chinese enterprises is quite large; therefore, promoting the export of sticky rice to Chinas market in the near future is impossible, a sticky rice exporter to China revealed.

Due to the declining demand for sticky rice, its price declined sharply from US$530-540 per tonne in January-February to $460-470 at the moment. The domestic sticky rice price also fell sharply compared to other types of rice.

In contrast, the consumption of fresh rice IR50404 in the last winter-spring crop in the Mekong Delta has been quite "smooth". Domestic supply is not sufficient to meet all export contracts.

Therefore, prices of IR50404 rice in this region have continuously risen, setting the highest record in recent years. In some periods, the price of fresh rice IR50404 in the field was purchased by traders at a price of nearly VN6,000 per kg, up VN1,000 per kg compared with the peak price of 2017. The export price of this type of rice also rose significantly, higher than the price for rice from Thailand, India and Pakistan.

Looking at the contrast between the two types of rice, it is clear that the current crop structure in the countrys largest granary is not yet flexible enough to quickly adapt to meet market demands.

Enhance the competitiveness of enterprises

ang Thi Lien, director of Long An Foodstuffs Company Limited, said that the problem of sticky rice cultivation has been discussed already. In the recent winter-spring crop, as her firm realised it was heavily dependent on the Chinese market, it called for farmers to shift their sticky rice cultivation to high quality rice variety ai Thom 8 and agreed to collect all the output. However, farmers wouldnt follow through, believing that the sticky rice market will recover soon.

According to Lien, warning enterprises is not enough; persuading growers to switch requires the participation of State management agencies as well as support from the press.

In order to avoid the oversupply of sticky rice and the undersupply of other types, MARD should coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the VFA to study the import market and the demand for each type of rice. Then they can provided information to farmers, enterprises and localities to make adjustments before the planting season, she suggested.

An expert in agriculture, Vo Tong Xuan, said market demand varies from year to year. This year, Indonesia and the Philippines are increasing imports, but its not certain that next year they will continue to import. Indonesia, for example, has not been importing rice for the past few years, but suddenly announced its purchase of 500,000 tonnes in early 2018.

Therefore, the Viet Nam Trade Commission in the countries should collect and supply information on the market demand of the host country to the MARD and MoIT for synthesis. From there, it is possible to analyse market demand.

In addition to providing market forecast information, some enterprises said that in order to improve the competitiveness of the rice industry, the State should have appropriate mechanisms and policies for businesses and farmers to actively approach the source of raw materials for export.  VNSSEOUL, South Korea - South Korea's President Moon Jae-in heralded the Singapore summit as a success that has established a path for peace, expressing gratitude to President Donald Trump on Tuesday even after a surprise announcement that the U.S. military will suspend some military exercises with South Korea seen as a threat by the North.

In a statement released by his office, Moon praised the summit as a "great victory achieved by both the United States and the two Koreas."

"I would like to pay my respect to President Trump who achieved a feat that no one else has ever delivered," he said. "Chairman Kim Jong Un will also be remembered as a leader who made a historic moment by taking the first bold step toward the world."

His statement, however, was quick to raise the potential difficulties of the road ahead, reflecting Moon's view that the summit was but the first step in a years-long process to stabilize and denuclearize the Korean peninsula.

Moon has been a cautious but determined broker of peace between the two Koreas, playing a crucial role in keeping contacts alive with North Korea after Trump abruptly canceled the summit late last month. South Korea has led parallel talks with Kim's regime over initiatives that include plans to open a quasi-diplomatic "liaison office" in the North.

But his government was surprised by Trump's announcement following the summit that the U.S. will be suspending military exercises with South Korea, without specifying which of these drills and when this might happen. His government was not informed of the decision prior to the announcement, and the two leaders spoke over the phone only after the summit when Trump was aboard Air Force One leaving Singapore.

In Japan, which had hoped that North Korea would commit to re-opening the issue of abducted Japanese citizens, there was relief that Trump said he had at least raised the issue with Kim.

China issued a hedged statement about the possibility of relaxing sanctions on North Korea -- but saw its preferred approach to U.S.-North Korean relations spelled out virtually intact in the Trump-Kim statement.

Beijing got everything it wanted, wrote Abraham Denmark, director of Asia program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in an email. By halting military exercises with South Korea, Trump "removed a major irritant for Beijing," he wrote.

"I expect Beijing sees itself as a big winner coming out of today's summit," he continued. "But I also suspect that some in China are nervous about the United States and North Korea getting too close. I expect Beijing to accelerate its engagement of North Korea, with high-level political meetings and even economic assistance and infrastructure development. China will make sure that it retains significant leverage and cannot be bypassed or ignored."

A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry said it would consider easing sanctions but only if Pyongyang met conditions laid out in U.N. resolutions.

"China has consistently held that sanctions are not the goal in themselves. The Security Council's actions should support and conform to the efforts of current diplomatic talks toward denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and promote a political solution for the peninsula," spokesman Geng Zhuang said.

China's enforcement of sanctions is a linchpin to keeping economic pressures on North Korea, which has depended on Beijing as a lifeline for trade and assistance for decades.

Lu Chao, a Korea expert at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences in Shenyang, said the statement in Singapore reflected China's demands and goals.

"It's historic progress, and we can believe that the peninsula has begun to start toward peace," he said.

But North Korea's other neighbor in the Pacific, Japan, was left without what it wanted most from the summit -- a clear declaration that North Korea would reopen talks over the abductions of Japanese citizens decades ago.

Japanese leaders appeared satisfied, nonetheless, with what they got: Trump's public promise that he raised the issue with Kim and that the North was "working on that."

Even the vague comment by Trump saved Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, a major political embarrassment after he personally lobbied Trump to champion the issue. "I highly value the fact President Trump mentioned things that I had told him the other day," Abe told reporters. "I'd like to thank President Trump that he raised the abduction issue clearly."

For Japan, the abductions remain a major obstacle to joining the United States and South Korea in the growing engagement with the North.

Leaving the abduction issue off the Trump-Kim statement - as well as any direct mention of human rights abuses by the North - could add political pressures from opponents of Abe, who has built an image as one of the world leaders closest to Trump. Afterward, Trump said he discussed rights issues with Kim but gave no details.

Yoshimasa Suenobu, a professor at Tokai University and a commentator on TV Asahi, said he did not believe Abe expected the abduction issue to be part of any declaration.

"I think it's good enough that President Trump kept his word and mentioned it. Things weren't going anywhere, but thanks to two odd men [Trump and Kim], now they've started moving again," Suenobu added. "So the outcome wasn't the greatest, but Trump did the least he could do."

North Korea has admitted to kidnapping 13 people from Japan in the 1970s and 1980s to train as spies. Pyongyang allowed five of the abductees to return to Japan with their families in 2002, but it insists that the eight others died. Japan suspects hundreds more may have been taken captive.

Trump told reporters that he "absolutely" raised the issue. But he gave no indications of Kim's response or what actions the North might take.

"They are going to be working on that. We didn't put it down in the document, but it's going to be worked on," Trump said in the news conference after the summit.

North Korea has claimed the abduction issue has been "resolved" and accused Japan of trying to disrupt its attempts at outreach to South Korea and the United States. In response, Abe has said Japan will not normalize relations with Pyongyang or offer aid unless a full accounting of the abductions is conducted.

As recently as last week, Abe held meetings with Trump in Washington to ask that the abduction issue be added to the Singapore summit agenda. On Saturday in Canada, Abe called for direct talks with North Korea "to resolve the abduction issue."

Sakie Yokota, mother of abductee Megumi Yokota, told broadcaster NHK that she felt a "miraculous thing happened" in Singapore to possibly revive the abduction issue with North Korea.

Shigeo Iizuka, the head of a group representing abductees' families and whose sister Yaeko was abducted, also told NHK that "the Japanese abduction issue is getting attention again," adding: "We welcome it and have high hopes."

Former abductee Kaoru Hasuike told Fuji News Network he was a little disappointed that the issue wasn't in the joint declaration. "But he said he had mentioned it, so I think we will learn more about it soon," he said. "Since the agreement is signed, Japan should accept it and take this momentum to realize a summit between Japan and North Korea."

Other historical disputes loom over North Korea's eventual normalization in the region, including issues between nominal allies.

South Korean activists have held round-the-clock vigils outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul seeking to keep alive the memory of Korean women used as sex slaves by Japanese forces during World War II. Abe's government also is angered by South Korea's decision to reopen discussions over a 2015 deal that was intended as a "final and irreversible" conclusion to sex slave reparations and other claims.

---

Mahtani contributed from Washington. The Washington Post's Emily Rauhala in Beijing and Yuki Oda in Tokyo contributed.When Robert De Niro stepped up to the microphone at an event in Toronto on Monday morning, he had a few more choice words to say about President Donald Trump.

But unlike the expletive-filled rant that earned him a standing ovation at the Tony Awards less than 24 hours earlier, the Oscar-winning actor instead took a PG approach, apologizing to Canadians for Trump's "idiotic behavior."

"I just want to make a note of apology for the idiotic behavior of my president," De Niro said, his comment prompting loud cheers and claps from the crowd.

The actor was attending a groundbreaking ceremony for a new development in downtown Toronto along with celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. De Niro is a co-owner of the Nobu restaurant business.

After the applause subsided, De Niro reiterated his apology, this time focusing on Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and "the other people" at the Group of Seven summit which took place last weekend.

"It's a disgrace," he said in reference to Trump's recent behavior. "It's disgusting."

Tensions between Trump and Trudeau are at an all-time high after the two leaders disagreed over trade at the summit.

In two tweets that announced the end of U.S. support for the joint G-7 statement, Trump claimed Trudeau made "false statements" during a prior news conference and went on to lambaste the Canadian leader.

"PM Justin Trudeau of Canada acted so meek and mild during our @G7 meetings . . ." Trump tweeted, adding that Trudeau was "Very dishonest & weak."

Echoing Trump's sentiments, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro also spoke harshly about Trudeau on Fox News over the weekend.

"There's a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad-faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door," Navarro said. "And that's what bad-faith Justin Trudeau did with that stunt news conference."

During a news conference Sunday when Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland was asked about Navarro's comments, she responded saying, "Canada does not believe that ad hominem attacks are a particularly appropriate or useful way to conduct our relations with other countries."

In Toronto on Monday, Mayor John Tory, who attended the same event De Niro spoke at, also took note of the actor's Tony Awards outburst, the Toronto Star reported.

"Sir, with regard to the comments in the news today, I have only two words to say: Thank you," Tory said.

After the ceremony, Tory said many Canadians related to De Niro's "strongly held views."

"A lot of Canadians would be more than a bit upset at the kind of attitude portrayed towards Canada," he said, referring to what Trump and his advisers have said. "When somebody is taking on Canada, they're taking Toronto on too . . . but you won't hear any f-bombs from me."

De Niro's negative opinions about Trump are nothing new.

In March, he called the president an "idiot" who "lacks any sense of humanity or compassion," People reported.

A month later during the opening night of the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, De Niro referred to Trump as the "lowlife-in-chief," HuffPost reported.

"America is being run by a madman who wouldn't recognize the truth if it came inside a bucket of his beloved Colonel Sanders Fried Chicken," De Niro said.

In an interview with CBC Toronto after Monday's event, De Niro said he is angry and frustrated with Trump's behavior, adding that he has "no choice but to speak out."

"This guy just is a jerk," he said.Catfish is one of Viet Nams major seafood exports with a turnover of US$1.8 billion, and its skin, a waste product, is also being exported starting recently. Photo enternews.vn

HCM CITY  Catfish is one of Viet Nams major seafood exports with a turnover of US$1.8 billion, and its skin, a waste product, is also being exported starting recently.

Research is increasingly indicating that catfish skin has many nutritious substances that are good for health like collagen and gelatin.

While processing, a plant produces five to eight tonnes of catfish skin daily. In the domestic market, it is sold at VN10,000 (0.45 cent) per kilogramme for making animal feed, but since 2017 Co May Enterprise in Mekong Delta province of ong Thap has started exporting it to Singapore for VN22,000  24,000 (around $1).

In Singapore it is made into a snack and sold at VN136,000 ($6) for a small pack of 230g.

The company exports 50 -60 tonnes a month and plans to expand both the production of catfish and export of skin.

It will also carry out research on demand in various markets like the EU, Singapore and Malaysia, and build a plant to make the catfish skin snack.

Catfish processor Vinh Hoan has already built a plant for making 2,000 tonnes collagen a year from the skin.

Each kilogramme of collagen fetches $25 on the global market while catfish skin only fetches $1, a Vinh Hoan spokesperson said.

The company earned $1 million from catfish skin exports last year, and plans to increase this to $5 million this year.

With 2.6kg of catfish only yielding 1kg of fillet, the rest of the fish is considered waste and processing plants have the responsibility of disposing of 700,000 tonnes of it every year.

The spokesperson said: If the waste is taken and processed, it can bring a huge income to enterprises. Otherwise, it would become a burden on the environment.

The price of catfish fillet in the EU and the US is very low at around $2.6 per kilogramme, while the cost of processing has doubled, meaning profits are very low for exporters.

Many are trying to diversify their products mainly targeting the domestic market.

Besides the meat, the fat is processed for oil and the fishs stomach is a popular dish, while other parts are mostly sold for making animal feed.

Some of the other parts can be used to manufacture collagen and bio-fuel.

Processing company Go ang has built a plant to process all catfish wastes and exports them to South Korea, Singapore and China.

But while there are 100 catfish processing plants in the Mekong Delta alone, there are still only a small number of plants processing wastes.

Relevant authorities should [help] increase exports of waste and deal with the environmental aspect, the spokesperson added.  VNSThis week will tell whether President Donald Trump's confrontational approach to Canada and other countries over trade at -- and after -- the Group of Seven summit made any difference to Senate Republicans weighing whether to back legislation curtailing some of his authority.

Early indications are, not much.

Sens. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Patrick J. Toomey, R-Pa., are pressing ahead with their bill to require congressional approval when the president wants to levy "Section 232" tariffs -- that, is tariffs filed with a national security justification -- like those recently imposed on steel and aluminum imports from Mexico, the European Union and Canada. Corker and Toomey want to add the legislation as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, the wide-ranging annual defense policy bill that is currently on the Senate floor.

Corker says developments over the weekend at the G-7 should have increased his colleagues' interest in supporting his and Toomey's legislation. That is, after some friendly encounters at the summit of international leaders in Quebec, Trump announced over Twitter as he departed that the United States would not be signing on to the carefully crafted communique with other nations because of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's comments at a news conference criticizing the tariffs on Canada as "kind of insulting."

"Very dishonest & weak. Our Tariffs are in response to his of 270% on dairy!" Trump fumed over Twitter -- simultaneously insulting Trudeau and giving the lie to the national security basis for the 232 tariffs in the first place.

Trump advisers went on the Sunday shows and tripled down on Trump's comments, as my colleague Damian Paletta put it, with trade adviser Peter Navarro going so far as to say that there's "a special place in hell" for Trudeau.

"There's a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad-faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door," Navarro told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday. "And that's what bad-faith Justin Trudeau did with that stunt press conference."

Navarro's comments did not go over well with Senate Republicans. Orrin Hatch, Utah, told me and Seung Min Kim for our story published Monday night that Navarro "should've kept his big mouth shut," while John Cornyn, Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said that "if Mr. Navarro worked for me, I'd probably give him a stern talking-to."

Corker's view on all of this: "I would think that more people would be inclined to want to support a piece of legislation that allows us to weigh in on any final product. That would be, I think the natural impulse of people who saw what happened," said the Foreign Relations Committee chairman.

And yet, not so much.

There was little evidence as senators returned to the Capitol Monday evening that any minds had been changed among undecided senators. Hatch did say the legislation appealed to him. But Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., said, "I haven't heard a compelling case. The sponsors of the bill need to make that."

More from Cornyn, "I'm for senators getting votes on amendments but the chance of getting a presidential signature on this at this point I don't' think is good, and I don't think having that fight right now is necessary. In the long term, I agree with Sen. Corker about 232, that it should not be used as a pretext for economic protectionism. It should be reserved strictly for national security concerns. But I don't think it's really feasible to get a bill like that passed right now."

Trump has been personally twisting arms against the bill, inviting Fischer and more than a dozen other GOP senators to the White House last week to urge them against it, and calling Toomey from Singapore Sunday night to lay out his justification for imposing the 232 tariffs in the first place -- which didn't seem to sway Toomey.

But in large part GOP senators' stance on the Corker-Toomey bill reflects where they've been on any number of issues since Trump took office: Unwilling to challenge the president. That Corker (who's retiring) and Toomey (who was just reelected) are pushing the amendment at all -- along with about 10 co-sponsors of both parties -- is notable as a rare concrete step to take on Trump. But the measure looks likely to die, which could happen as soon as this week -- either because Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., blocks it from getting a voter, or the bill's sponsors don't get the requisite 60 votes needed to advance it in the Senate.

The defense authorization legislation does, however, contain a notable related element: On a bipartisan basis, senators said Monday they are including language to block Trump's attempt to lift certain restrictions against Chinese telecom giant ZTE, my colleague Karoun Demirjian reports. This came despite an appearance on Capitol Hill Monday evening by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, apparently to try to bat away the provision. Even presuming the language passes the Senate, there's no guarantee it makes it into the final version that must be worked out with the House, which included a milder ZTE provision.

But on the ZTE issue, at least, senators were willing to cross Trump as foreign policy hawks like Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., usually a top Trump defender, decided that going soft on China was too much to stomach.Susan Walsh/Associated Press

In recent weeks, President Donald Trump had brushed off questions about whether he had spoken directly to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

But on Tuesday for the first time, Trump acknowledged that the summit in Singapore was not the first occasion the two had talked.SINGAPORE - President Donald Trump capped a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un here Tuesday by sketching a path to prosperity for the isolated nation. But it remained highly uncertain whether the young dictator would embrace the offer by agreeing to eliminate his nuclear arsenal.

Over the course of nearly five hours at the secluded and opulent Capella resort, Trump and Kim sough to establish what the president called "a very special bond" through a series of intimate meetings, including a stroll that culminated with the president giving the young dictator a peek inside the armored presidential limousine.

Later, the two men sat next to each other to sign a joint declaration pledging to work toward peace and to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

"We're ready to write a new chapter between our nations," Trump said at a news conference, calling his meeting with Kim "honest, direct and productive."

"The past does not have to define the future," he added. "Yesterday's conflict does not have to be tomorrow's war. As history has proved over and over, adversaries can become friends."

Yet despite the bonhomie, the agreement, just over a page long, was perhaps most notable for its lack of details. Kim made no specific commitment to relinquish his nuclear arms and ballistic missiles or a timeline in which he would do so. Rather, he committed solely to abiding by a mostly symbolic agreement he had made during a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in April.

Other highly sensitive matters, including the North's brutal human rights abuses and the economic sanctions imposed by the United States, were left unaddressed. Trump said he would keep the sanctions in place until the North demonstrated tangible steps toward disarmament.

Asked why his negotiating team had failed to lock down specific promises from Pyongyang, Trump protested: "Because there's no time. I'm here one day . . . But the process is now going to take place."

Trump said aides would begin additional talks soon and said he would potentially invite Kim to the White House and be open to a visit to Pyongyang "at the appropriate time." Yet he also acknowledged that disarmament would not come quickly.

"It does take a long time to pull off complete denuclearization. It takes a long time," Trump said. "Scientifically, you have to wait certain periods of time, and a lot of things happen. But despite that, once you start the process, it means it's pretty much over. Can't use them, that's the good news. That's going to start very soon."

The result was a nascent diplomatic breakthrough after decades of hostility, but no guarantee that North Korea would follow through. Trump grounded his optimism in his own confidence that he can read an adversary and that his gamble of attempting personal rapport with an autocrat would pay off.

Trump said Kim agreed to shutter a missile engine testing site and to allow the return of remains of American service members lost in North Korea during the Korean War more than 60 years ago.

Kim, in turn, got at least one major benefit upfront. Trump announced that he will order an end to regular "war games" that the United States conducts with ally South Korea, a reference to annual joint military exercises that are an irritant to North Korea.

Trump called the exercises "very provocative" and "inappropriate" in light of the optimistic opening he sees with North Korea. Ending the exercises would also save money, Trump said.

The United States has conducted such exercises for decades as a symbol of unity with Seoul and previously rejected North Korean complaints as illegitimate. Ending them would be a significant political benefit for Kim - and for China, which has long supported such an outcome - but Trump insisted he did not give up leverage.

"I think the meeting was every bit as good for the United States as it was for North Korea," Trump said.

Though Trump had spent Monday calling South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to consolidate support, Moon's government seemed blindsided by Trump's unilateral decision to end the joint military exercises. A spokesman for Moon said the government needed more information "to understand" Trump's intentions.

At the U.S. military command in South Korea, officials also reacted with uncertainty. Col. Jennifer Lovett, a spokeswoman, said the command "has received no updated guidance on execution or cessation of training exercises."

Those exercises include the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills scheduled for August.

"We will continue with our current military posture" until further notice, she said.

The outcome came after an extraordinary two days in which Trump and Kim arrived on this Southeast Asian city-state in a strikingly lopsided power dynamic - Trump, 71, the leader of the world's richest and most powerful nation and Kim, 34, the ruler of the most isolated and repressive.

Yet it was Kim who stole the show in the hours before the summit, taking a surprise nighttime tour of Singapore's gleaming waterfront, a glass and steel testament to wealth and prosperity that offered a glimpse of what is possible if he chooses to open to the world.

Cheered on by crowds of onlookers, Kim toured the Marina Bay Sands, a three-tower complex with the replica of a cruise ship spanning across the 57th floors, strolled along the architecturally stunning Jubilee Bridge and took a selfie with Singapore's foreign minister.

By the time he arrived at the Capella the following morning, Kim had begun to transform his image and pictures of his tour were plastered on the news pages of his state-run media back home in North Korea. As Trump and Kim approached one another from opposite wings of a makeshift stage, complete with a red carpet and a row of alternating American and North Korean flags, Kim had established himself as an equal, for one day at least, to the most powerful leader on earth.

Trump bristled when asked if he had offered Kim's brutal regime, which has sent up to 100,000 North Koreans to hard labor camps, validation on the world stage.

"I'll do whatever it takes to make the world a safer place," the president responded. "If I have to say I'm sitting on a stage with Chairman Kim and that's going to get us to save 30 million lives, could be more than that, I'm willing to sit on the stage."

But Trump faced skepticism from Democrats and some Republicans, as well as former U.S. officials who warned of past empty pledges from North Korea.

"U.S. gives up one of our biggest negotiating chips - military exercises," Sen Chris Murphy, D-Conn., wrote on Twitter. "North Korea ends up BACKTRACKING on previous promises on denuclearization."

Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., cautioned that the summit "must be followed by multiple meetings to test North Korea's promises of denuclearization, which they have made in the past and then repeatedly violated."

Kim appeared alternately bemused and implacable, speaking through an interpreter and flanked by aides including his sister, Kim Yo Jong, as well as foreign affairs minister Ri Yong Ho and Kim Yong Chol, a vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party.

In a sign that Kim remains paranoid about his personal safety, a North Korean official inspected the pen that was placed in front of Kim to sign the joint declaration with Trump, rubbing it with a gloved hand. When his sister placed the document in front of him, however, she also handed him a different pen to use - and took it back when Kim was done.

"We overcame all kinds of skepticism and speculations about this summit," Kim said, "and I believe that this is good prelude for peace."

"We will solve it," Trump replied. "We will be successful."

Trump came away clearly buoyed by the interactions with the leader of a brutal regime whom the president referred to derisively last year as "Little Rocket Man."

The president opened his news conference by playing, on a pair of movie theater-sized screens, a dramatic, slickly produced video with voice-overs in both Korean and English. The video offered Kim a stark choice between military conflict on the Korean Peninsula and the kind of robust economic development that has turned neighboring South Korea into a wealthy nation.

"Two leaders, one destiny," the narrator proclaims, over images of Trump and Kim, "a story about a special moment in time, when a man is presented with one chance that may never be repeated. What will he choose?"

It was a choice that Trump, who has elevated North Korea to his top foreign policy priority, hoped Kim would consider an easy one, though he showed a moment of self-doubt.

"I think he's going to do these things," Trump said. "I may be wrong. I may stand before you in six months and say, 'Hey, I was.'"

He paused for a moment, then added: "I don't know that I'll ever admit that. I'll find some kind of excuse."

---

The Washington Post's Carol Morello in Washington and Brian Murphy in Seoul contributed to this report.

---

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Video: North Korea's Kim Jong Un and President Trump met for the first time in Singapore on June 12. Here's what the summit looked like in about two minutes.(Jason Aldag,Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

Embed code:The U.S. Senate advanced legislation to restore penalties on ZTE Corp. after President Donald Trump drew sharp criticism for easing restrictions to get the Chinese company back in business.

The Senate voted 91-4 late Monday to begin debate on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including a ZTE amendment that will keep restrictions on the Chinese telecom company despite a reprieve last week from the U.S. Commerce Dept. The provision was included on a list of amendments that is backed by both Republicans and Democrats.

"Great news! Our bipartisan amendment restoring penalties on #ZTE is included in the #NDAA bill the Senate will be advancing to later this evening," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said in a Twitter post before the vote.

Rubio is co-sponsor of the amendment with Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross last week announced the U.S. reached a deal with ZTE that included a record fine, changes to the company's board and management and U.S. compliance officers. He cautioned at the time that the U.S. still retains "the power to shut them down again."

ZTE shares have been halted from trading as the company is caught up in the trade dispute between the world's two biggest economies. Other companies' fortunes are also being buffeted by the back-and-forth in the ZTE case. NXP Semiconductors NV slipped 2.5 percent in early trading Tuesday in New York on news of the restored penalties for ZTE. The move is an indication that the Dutch semiconductor maker won't be approved by Chinese regulators to be bought by Qualcomm Inc. Approval of the $43 billion acquisition is seen as a quid-pro-quo for ZTE's ability to do business in the U.S., where it depends on being able to buy chips and other components to make its networking gear and smartphones.

The U.S. blocked ZTE's access to U.S. suppliers in April, saying the company violated a 2017 sanctions settlement related to trading with Iran and North Korea and then lied about the violations. The telecommunications company announced it was shutting down just weeks after the ban was announced.

Trump has said he reviewed the penalties as a personal favor to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Lifting the sales ban on ZTE was a key demand China made in the broader trade talks with the U.S. to avert a trade war.

The deal has sparked bipartisan pushback, with many lawmakers citing national security as their main concern.

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Sunday likened the deal to "three strikes you're out," referring to two prior violations ZTE committed under the sanctions agreement with the U.S.

Ross briefed senators Monday on the ZTE deal, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, said. Cornyn said after the briefing that it's clear Ross was only dealing with one piece of ZTE problems, namely the company's violations of sanctions related to North Korea and Iran.

The ZTE provision included in the defense bill would amount to a "death penalty," for the company, Cotton said.

Van Hollen said the move is a very good sign for stopping the ZTE deal. "What you are seeing is a bipartisan reaction against letting ZTE off the hook," he said.

The quick action to stop Trump from rolling back the ZTE penalties shows the seriousness of the issue, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement.

"The fact that a bipartisan group of senators came together this quickly is a testament to how bad the Trump administration's ZTE deal is and how we will not shy away from holding the president's feet to the fire when it comes to keeping his promise to be tough on China," Schumer said.

--With assistance from Erik Wasson and Steven T. Dennis .HCM CITY  More than a year after it rolled out support policies to help household businesses become enterprises, only 3,950 out of 250,000 have done so, the HCM City Department of Taxation has said.

Tran Thi Thanh Phuong, director of Phuong Cat Tax Agency, said that tax agencies have offered free tax registration and tax return filing services to new enterprises and household businesses, under the departments programme to support new enterprises.

Free counselling was offered in all districts, including outlying districts like Nha Be and Binh Chanh, she said.

For new enterprises, registration and certain annual fees for the first three years are waived under the 2017 Law on Supporting Small to Medium Businesses.

City authorities have organised 250 counselling and encouragement events to raise awareness among people running household businesses.

But only 3,950 have upgraded their business status, with many others being reluctant to become enterprises since it could entail paying higher taxes and social insurance.

Mac Quoc Anh, deputy director and general secretary of the Ha Noi Small and Medium Enterprises Association, said some of the businesses might also want to remain being household firms since it would help them conceal their true income.

Nguyen Nam Binh, deputy chief of the department admitted that many of the owners may also not be fully aware of enterprise-related regulations and procedures such as enterprises registration and keeping proper records.

Some household firms also find these regulations too complicated and prefer to stay small so that they do not have to deal with enterprise responsibilities such as obligations to employees or implementing regulations on environment, noise reduction or fire fighting, according to Tuoi tre (Youth) and Ha Noi Moi (new Hanoi) newspapers.

Nguyen uc Nghia, head of the HCM City Taxation Agency Club, said tax procedures are too complicated and enterprises often have to hire service providers, adding that the procedures need to be simplified to make them easier for small and new businesses.

Phuong said policies to support small and medium-sized enterprises are not well developed.

According to the department, there are many household businesses that are more than capable of becoming enterprises, including over 420 that employ more than 10 staff, which is illegal according to the current law, 14,800 that use invoices and over 21,000 with monthly revenues of VN50-100 million (US$2,200-4,400).

The city aims to have 1 million enterprises by 2020.  VNSHCM CITY  Viet Nam Vegetable Oils Industry Corporation (Vocarimex) on June 12 said it plans to expand sales to business customers as well as exports this year.

At its annual general meeting in HCM City yesterday the company said through the expansion plan it targets revenues of VN4.8 trillion (US$210 million), a jump of 9 per cent from last year.

Its pre-tax profit target is VN300 billion ($13 million).

Nguyen Thi Xuan Lieu, general director of the company, told the meeting that vegetable oil is not only used in households but also restaurants and industries.

The consumption of oil by the latter category would grow at 8-11 per cent in 2016-22, she said.

The company supplies oil to industrial customers making 11 product categories including instant noodles, dairy, confectionery, and processed foods.

Lieu said Vocarimex is the leading exporter of seasame oil to Japanese market and the company plans to explore more possibilities.

Research will be strengthened to create specific products to meet the demands of various customers. The shipping methods will also be improved to expand exports, Lieu said.

The company reported revenues for 2017 of nearly VN4.4 trillion ($192 million), while profits were VN300 billion ($13 million), or 150 per cent of the target.

Sales to industrial customers grew by 52.6 per cent and exports by 15 per cent.

The company attributed its success last year to a restructure focused on industrial customers and export markets.  VNSHA NOI  VinFast Manufacturing and Trading Company and a Thai company will set up a joint venture on auto body stamping and welding in Viet Nam.

VinFast, a member of VinGroup, and Thailands AAPICO Hitech Public Company signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday to enter into the joint venture.

This is the first joint venture for VinFasts supporting industry complex, which aims to produce the body for the first two models of VinFasts sedan and SUV lines with a total investment of US$60 million, of which 51 per cent will be owned by AAPICO and 49 per cent by VinFast.

AAPICO will be responsible for project management, which includes manufacturing technologies, factory design, and equipment installment. Meanwhile, VinFast will provide the location for the factory and create the best possible conditions for the joint venture to operate efficiently.

The factory will be built on 9.1ha lot in VinFasts supporting industry park in northern Hai Phong City.

Aside from the joint venture, VinFast has also invested US$85 million to buy fittings and molds from AAPICO and will spend $20 million to build the factory.

With the establishment of the joint venture and an investment for the equipment, VinFast will conduct almost all of the stamping and welding of body locally, laying the foundation for increased localisation rates.

With this cooperation model, we believe that there will be many domestic and foreign enterprises involved in the supporting industry in Viet Nam, Nguyen Viet Quang, Vice President and CEO of VinGroup, said. This will be an important step in creating a complete and synchronous ecosystem for the Vietnamese automobile manufacturing industry."

Meanwhile, the President and CEO of AAPICO Hitech Yeap Swee Chuan said his company was honoured to have the opportunity to cooperate with Vingroup and VinFast. He said the joint venture would create a milestone in the history of the automobile industry in Viet Nam, with the first two models of the Vietnamese brand set to be launched in 2019.

AAPICO is one of the leading manufacturers of automotive parts in Thailand. It has networks in India, Europe, the United States, Mexico, and China. Its major customers are Isuzu, Nissan, Ford, and Honda, as well as Mitsubishi.

In June 2017, AAPICO invested US$100 million to buy a 25.1 per cent stake in Sakthi Automotive Group of India in a move to increase global production capacity.  VNSA new proposal for the reimagining of Alamo Plaza promises to transform the historic site in the heart of San Antonio into a place of reverence and learning.

Before people dig into their entrenched positions about this new plan, mulling the merits of the layers of history that have accumulated on and around the site since the 1836 battle, its worth remembering that the existing treatment of the Alamo hardly hits the mark when it comes to reverence or learning.

This needs to change.

Traffic flows over the Alamos historical footprint. Jarring carnival-like businesses that have nothing to do with the Alamo assault the senses. Visitors often spend a few moments at the church of the Alamo and then move on. Is that all there is? Thats their mantra.

The new proposal put forth by the city of San Antonio, the General Land Office and the nonprofit Alamo Endowment would change all of this in positive ways. The vision for Alamo Plaza would restore reverence to this hallowed ground and transform it into a space for learning and reflection. Public events could still occur. The new plan, developed by three out-of-state consultants, is a product of compromise.

Compromise. Thats the magic word in this process. Failure to reach it is the story behind so much that eludes this city and others.

Such compromise is crucial to create a site that better honors this crucial moment in Texas and American history, but also the forces and people that came before and after the battle of the Alamo. The focus must be the battle, but there is a complete story to tell.

Gone is the ghastly proposed glass wall that would have separated visitors from the site. The 1930s Cenotaph would still be moved, but just 500 feet from its location and in a prominent place, greeting visitors as they enter Alamo Plaza from the south.

Planners envision lowering the ground 16 inches to show the base of the church and long barracks. Archaeological remnants of historic outer walls would be revealed through translucent flooring in certain areas. To tell the complete story, a 135,000-square-foot museum complex would be built.

Trees would provide necessary shade that would invite visitors to stay at the site.

Such a vision comes with tough choices including partial closures of roads, moving the Cenotaph and the possible demolition of buildings across the street from the Alamo. This includes the Woolworth Building at 518 E. Houston St., where the first lunch counter in the South was desegregated in 1960.

But though, as many hoped, the project wont result in a 1836 Alamo replica being built, it does restore as much as is practical the 1836 footprint, both substantively and interpretively.

The roads must be closed. Alamo Plaza cannot be reimagined if cars, trucks and buses continue to blast through it. Closing Alamo, Crockett and a portion of Houston streets is crucial to any credible plan that will bring to life the Alamos original footprint as much as possible.

Of course, that traffic would have to go somewhere, and we like the proposed solution. Making nearby Losoya Street open for two-way traffic would likely improve flow and create a much-needed north-south connection across downtown.

We understand the concerns about moving the Cenotaph because of its own historical value and the reverence it expresses for those who fought and died at the Alamo. But it was not part of the battle. An earlier proposal to move the Cenotaph to a pocket park on Market Street drew controversy, but moving it just to the south of Alamo Plaza would give it a position of prominence, highlight its importance and not distract visitors from the Alamo.

This is compromise.

The future of four buildings across the street from the Alamo remain in question. Planners have studied a range of options, including keeping their facades and razing all four buildings. We await further information, but our default position continues to be to restore the site as close to the 1836 footprint as much possible. Should the buildings be razed, planners will need to honor the historical significance of the Woolworth Buildings lunch counter.

This interpretive plan is a much-needed step in that direction, and while we expect more changes with greater public input, it generally merits City Council approval in the fall.Pizza spoils movie

Mike Kirk, Waiwera

Hoyts Cinema, Whangaparaoa, Saturday night. My wife and I sat in our seats for the film The Bookshop. A civilised film, with actors and a script  hence our attendance. Twenty minutes into the film, all is well. Then an usher appears to our right with a box. A flat large box, containing a pizza. Yes, I thought it was a cinema but it turns out we had mistakenly entered a restaurant at teatime (7pm). As the pizza carrying usher could not reach his customer in the middle of our row, he asked us to hand it down to them, via a few other customers who had paid to watch a film in peace, not assist the pizza selling foyer outlet in making money. Yes, this is grumpy old man territory. I have to admit that what I refer to as standards involving a little restraint and reining in ones appetite for a whole two hours (at the risk of starvation) have died a death. License rules all. I must have what I want when I want it  stuff anyone else.

Hoyts was offered the opportunity to respond to this letter, but failed to do so by the papers deadline

Community services

Mark Webb, Hatfields Beach

Pleased to see the Mayor promising that local services will be kept in Orewa (HM June 1). I think it is clear that a facility the size of the Orewa Service Centre is not really needed now  especially when you compare it to meeting spaces and service centres in other areas, which seem to be perfectly adequate. What does niggle though is that local ratepayers paid for it and we are about to see that investment spread throughout Auckland. The best way to give back to this community, in equal measure, would be to ensure that the site is sold to an organisation that can provide a community service. Health services would be ideal.

Residents also see red

Eric Bennett, Red Beach (abridged)

Regarding your article on page 5 of the Hibiscus Matters June 1 edition  it is not only the parents seeing red, it is the residents who live adjacent to the school who are not too happy either. I live in The Boulevard, which is a private road that continues off Lucy Foster Lane adjacent to the back entrance to Red Beach School. On both sides of 9am and 3pm, to drive up Lucy Foster Lane (a narrow road) is to run the gauntlet, with cars parked each side of the road leaving only just enough room for a small vehicle to manoeuvre its way through. Hopefully there will be no need for any emergency services at those times! Thoughtless parents swing their car doors open with no thought for approaching vehicles. It is chaos. Cars even park in our private road and on the footpath even though there is a sign that reads The Boulevard Private Road no exit. What happened to walking? In HMs story, Auckland Transport spokesman Mark Hannan says But we will issue tickets at Red Beach and other schools for unsafe practices In five years living here I have never seen a traffic officer anywhere near Lucy Foster Lane. Another statement  A large number have been ticketed by Auckland transport as a result. About time some tickets were issued in our area for unsafe practices and illegal parking.

The search is on for this memorial to the Whangaparaoa Town Centre cat, after a resident brought this picture of the plaque into Hibiscus Matters, saying he wanted to find out where it had gone. The memorial was originally placed at the Top of the Plaza (where Eddie Law 100% is located). Eddie Law remembers the plaque well and says he suspects it was shifted by Auckland Council and Watercare during refurbishment of the area in 2011. Eddie says that the cat first came to the town centre when there was a butchers shop there. The butcher used to feed the cat, called Gerard, and soon it was waiting for him when he got to work. He got attached to Gerard, and when the butcher left, the owner of the flower stall at the Top of the Plaza, Lou Ramsdale, took over feeding the cat. Eddie says that it was Lou who bought the plaque after the cat died. The cat was well known around the town and must have thrived on all this attention  if the plaque is right, he lived for 23 years. Auckland Council is searching its records to try and find out what happened. In the meantime, if any readers can help solve the mystery of the missing memorial, please email terry@localmatters.co.nzThe Hibiscus & Bays Local Board has named coastal protection work on Orewa Beach as its most important advocacy initiative for 2018/19.

The local board signed off its Local Board Agreement for 2018/19 at a meeting last week  the agreement forms part of Auckland Councils 10-year Budget 2018-28.

The agreement includes advocating for capital funding of $18 million to be allocated by the Governing Body to two phases of coastal protection work. The first phase is for the construction of the seawall at the northern end of the beach, between Kohu Street and Marine View. This project is due to begin formal mediation in the Environment Court  the outcome of which will determine whether or not the seawall will ever be built (HM May 16).

Initial funding for the second phase, a 670m section at the southern end, near the surf club, was approved by Council on May 31. The sum of $200,000 was allocated for a business case.

The local boards other key advocacy initiatives are to bring forward the building of the Penlink Road and to investigate equitable operational funding for community houses, youth and arts centres. A review of the Hibiscus Coast Youth Centre is underway as a first step in this process.

Other priorities for the Hibiscus Coast included in the agreement are reviewing the contestable grants scheme; promoting use of the proposed Gulf Harbour weekend ferry service trial; and facilitating employment opportunities in Silverdale.

Altogether, 1267 written submissions were received on the local boards priorities by the time consultation closed at the end of March.

When it came to regional Auckland priorities, transport was local submitters number one concern, with 48 percent not supporting Auckland Councils regional fuel tax. It was close though, with 44 percent supporting the tax and eight percent indicating other.

Another key concern raised by residents was the environment with 65 percent supporting a targeted rate for cleaning up our waterways and 55 percent supporting the targeted rate to fund environmental initiatives.

A total of 66 percent of submitters support a targeted rate for online accommodation providers.

The Rodney Local Boards priorities included a local project  the development of a masterplan for the future reserve at Green Road in Dairy Flat.

On June 28, the Governing Body will meet to adopt Auckland Councils 10-year Budget, including local board agreements.Whangaparaoas new community constable, Sam Webb, had a career in science in mind when he left school but says quite early on in his biology studies at Canterbury University, he had a change of heart.

The 36-year-old says he has never regretted his decision to leave university and join the Police. His first posting was in Manurewa where he did a mix of front line policing and traffic for five years.

Moving to Auckland Central, he had his first experience of community policing, which included working closely with the homeless population  something he describes as eye opening.

Providing a friendly face, helping and supporting vulnerable people turned out to be the niche within the police force that Sam was looking for and led to his application for the Whangaparaoa Community Constable role, vacated by Jug Price.

He has been relieving in the role for sometime, awaiting his official appointment.

Sam grew up in Hamilton, and moved to the Hibiscus Coast eight years ago. He lives in Stanmore Bay with his wife and two young children  a photo of his family takes pride of place on his office wall.

He enjoys the outdoors, including activities at the beach and in the mountains  currently he is teaching his two and three year old sons to ski at Snowplanet. Recently he spent a week in the Kaimai Ranges on a hunting expedition.

The fact that hes already a local has stood him in good stead as he talks with businesses and community organisations including pre-school groups and the Pippins.

Sam says he will be following Jugs successful formula of getting out and about in the community, walking the beat.

Getting out and being part of the community is what I enjoy most  it makes me smile, he says.THANH HOA  Authorities in the central province of Thanh Hoa have allocated more money to further excavate the Trieu Tuong Mausoleum site.

The mausoleum was built by King Gia Long in 1803 as a place of worship of the ancestors of the nine lords and 13 kings of the Nguyen Dynasty, which lasted from 1802 to 1945. It has special architectural and artistic value.

In the second phase of excavations, scheduled from 2018 to 2019, the excavation team will work on a total area of 4,000sq.m, which is bigger than the 2,800sq.m covered by the first phase. The province has set aside VN42.7 billion (US$1,874) to be spent on expenses for research, relocation support for displaced families, and moving the national highway which runs across the relic site, among others.

The whole site, located in Ha Trung District, the hometown of the Nguyen Dynasty, will be excavated, including the gates facing the four directions, temples, lakes, and wells mentioned in ancient documents.

The project aims to restore the ancient citadel, Trieu Tuong Temple, Gia Mieu Communal House, and Ong Communal House, as well as the Nguyen Huu Family Worship House. It will also provide facilities for tourists visiting the site.

Authorities are expected to complete excavations and rebuild constructions on the inner mausoleum area by 2020.

Many historians consider the site to be a smaller version of the Hue Imperial Citadel. It includes many buildings inside a complex with a total area of 50,000sq.m, surrounded by lakes and brick bridges.

According to documents, two layers of walls surrounded the site like a citadel. The inside space is divided into three main areas. The middle portion is composed of temples dedicated to Nguyen Kim (1468-1545) and Nguyen Hoang (1525-1613), the ancestors of Nguyen kings. The eastern part of the site hosts a temple dedicating to Trung Quoc Cong (General) Nguyen Hoang Du (?-1518), the father of Nguyen Kim, while the western portion was reserved as a residential area for mandarins, soldiers, and families guarding the mausoleum.

The Trieu Tuong Mausoleum Site has deteriorated completely over time, and now only its foundation remains.  VNSPlease allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.

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Support our mission and join our community now.Local News, Business & Finance, Community, Charity & Cause

By Long Island News & PR Published: June 12 2018

The LIHCC was founded in 1988 to advance the business needs of Long Islands Hispanic community.

Mineola, NY - June 12, 2018 - Nassau County Executive Laura Curran recently attended the 13th Latina Hat Luncheon, presented by the Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Inc., which celebrated The Year of the Women. This years luncheon was emceed by Lisa Mateo, host of WPIX 11s Celebrity Taste Maker and keynoted by Dascha Polanco of the Netflix Original series Orange is the New Black.About a year from now, travelers will be able to leave Greenfield on a morning train, make it to Manhattan's Grand Central Terminal in 4 hours, 15 minutes and be assured that there'll be a night train home that same day.

The commonwealth of Massachusetts has an agreement with Connecticut authorities and Amtrak to provide on a pilot basis two extended daily CTrail trains from Springfield with stops in Holyoke, Northampton and Greenfield.

One train will run in the morning and one later in the day -- both north and south -- on the Knowledge Corridor line paralleling the Connecticut River.

The only train traveling north of Springfield now is Amtrak's Vermonter, which runs once a day in each direction.

The pilot project, revealed Tuesday by Gov. Charlie Baker at a news conference in Springfield's Union Station, will cost Massachusetts $1 million a year to operate and is expected to draw 24,000 passengers an year, said Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack.

Pollack said Massachusetts will run the trains for 30 to 36 months and then evaluate usage. Amtrak will provide the rolling stock.

"It's finally happening," said Zane Lumelsky of the advocacy group Trains in the Valley.

Tuesday's announcement came just a few days before CTrail begins service from Springfield south to Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut.

CTrail service will include Amtrak and CTrail trains. Once the pilot trains begin in June 2019, two of the Amtrak trains will extend the CTrail service to Greenfield.

Pollack said passengers won't have to change trains between New Haven and Greenfield.

Also on Tuesday, Baker said the state is moving forward with a study of east-west rail form Boston to Springfield and possibly Pittsfield.

Pollack said that study will take 18 months to complete, and she doesn't yet have price tag for it.

State Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow, has pushed for such a study for years, only to see budget amendments calling for the research fall to Baker's veto pen.

Tuesday, Lesser said he'd still like to pass legislation calling for the study despite the Baker administration's plans to do it anyway.

Baker said his administration was being proactive.

"If it's a good idea, we want to do it," Baker said.

One stumbling block is that CSX owns needed tracks between Springfield and Boston.

The expanded north-south traffic will use the Knowledge Corridor tracks already owned by the state.

But Pollack said the state will have to build bypass tracks so passenger trains can pass the Pan Am Railways freight traffic that already uses the Knowledge Corridor tracks.

The state bought the tracks in 2015 for $17 million from Pan Am Railways. The purchase, made at the recommendation of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, will give the public more control of the corridor, which was rebuilt with $73 million in federal stimulus money, said Tim Brennan, executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

Also, the state must complete new handicapped-accessible platforms in Northampton and Springfield. At Union Station, work has already begun on $8.2 million Platform C project, and MassDOT expects the 18- by 362-foot platform will be completed by November.

Brennan said it will be up to people in the Pioneer Valley to promote the north-south service.SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Charlie Baker spoke before a large audience of business executives and property developers Tuesday at the MassMutual Center, but at times he was talking to just two men.

State Sen. Eric P. Lesser, D-Longmeadow, and State Rep. Joseph F. Wagner, D-Chicopee, each chair the committees reviewing the Baker administration's $610 million economic development bill.

And with less than 50 days left in the legislative session, Baker is antsy to get that bill out of committee, passed by both houses and back on his desk for a signature.

"You guys need to get that done," Baker said as Lesser rose from his chair to acknowledge the governor's request.

The governor spoke at the Western MA Developers Conference, which drew 500 business people, more than the 400 or so who attended the same event two years ago, the last time it was convened.

The bill includes things like apprenticeship tax credits, $75 million for technical education and training and authorization to borrow $300 million that would go to the MassWorks Infrastructure Program.

Lesser said he hopes to get the bill debated and out of his committee in the next week or so.

The current economic development legislation, passed two years ago at the very stroke of the Aug. 1 deadline, has funded projects in Western Massachusetts including $6 million in infrastructure spending in Springfield and $3.5 million for road, street, sidewalk and utility improvements near the Ludlow Mills project in Ludlow.

Baker, who will stand for re-election in November for a second four-year term, ran down a list of economic accomplishments that included cutting the number of people looking for work by 20 or 30 percent in some regions where job growth has stalled.

He touted his administration's work with Springfield-based MassMutual. in February, MassMutual agreed to consolidate jobs here as it closes an office in Enfield, Connecticut.

MassMutual will add 1,500 jobs in Springfield over the next four years, bringing the total number of employees here to approximately 4,500. The company also plans to employ 500 at a new Boston campus.

It's a $300 million MassMutual investment in Massachusetts, with $50 million of that expected to be spent in Springfield on the MassMutual State Street headquarters.

The state promised MassMutual a $46 million tax incentive package.

Baker also spoke of progress with the long-stalled Berkshire Innovation Center project in Pittsfield. The governor announced in March that the final pieces of funding for the $13.7 million project were in place. Funding comes from the state, MassDevelopment, the city, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and others.

"One of the things my administration wanted to do is tackle a lot of these ideas that had been up there in the ether for a long time, but where no one had figured out how to land the plane," he said.HA NOI  A photo exhibition featuring the past and present Con ao Islands opened on June 11 in Long Ho District in southern Vinh Long Province.

Some 500 students and delegates attended the inauguration.

The exhibition is co-organised by Con ao Museum and Vinh Long Province to introduce the Con ao Islands and help local people better understand the islands.

Themed Con ao -- Then and Now, the exhibition displays some 300 photographs that the museum has presented to the province.

Con ao comprises 16 islands and is some 180km from the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

The exhibition offers visitors a chance to learn more about the islands during different periods.

A selection of photographs, under the theme "Con ao Prison -- From 1862 to 1975", focuses on the islands prison that was described as Hell on Earth. Built in 1861 by French colonists, the prison was used to hold political prisoners and others considered especially dangerous by the colonial government. During the American War, the prison was turned over to the Sai Gon regime, which continued to use it for the same purpose.

Another selection of photographs, themed Con ao Islands during the Building and Development Process will offer visitors a panoramic view of the islands, which have emerged as a popular tourist destination with beautiful beaches. at Tham Beach on the island has been listed among the top 10 eco-friendly beaches in Southeast Asia by the United Kingdoms The Independent newspaper in March, 2018.

Two former inmates of Con ao prison, Trinh Van Lau and Nguyen Thi Ha, attended the exhibitions opening ceremony to talk about their time in the prison.

The exhibition also celebrates the 106th birthday of Pham Hung, late Chairman of the Council of Ministers. He was born in Vinh Long Province and was one of the high-ranking Vietnamese leaders imprisoned in Con ao from 1939 to 1945.  VNSNew Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke revealed the streaming service is in talks to offer new episodes of "Lucifer," which was recently axed by FOX.

"I know that international, especially the UK group, was really bullish on that show, I haven't checked in on that today (Thursday), but I heard conversations were ongoing on that yesterday," Salke told Deadline.

Possibly complicating negotiations, Deadline noted, was that Hulu has U.S. streaming video demand rights to the first two seasons of "Lucifer."

Series star Tim Ellis and cast mates have been encouraging fans to make their voices heard on social media.

Actress Lauren German recently told The AU Review, that producers were in talks with a streaming network to save the show and they should hear either way by June 16.

Ellis, who plays Lucifer Morningstar ,who leaves Hell to work with the Los Angeles Police Department. The show regularly touches upon subjects like sin and redemption.U.S. President Donald Trump answers questions about the summit with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un during a press conference at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un concluded an extraordinary nuclear summit Tuesday with the U.S. president pledging unspecified "security guarantees" to the North and Kim recommitting to the "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

Meeting with staged ceremony on a Singapore island, Trump and Kim came together for a summit that seemed unthinkable months ago, clasping hands in front of a row of alternating U.S. and North Korean flags, holding a one-on-one meeting, additional talks with advisers and a working lunch.

Both leaders expressed optimism throughout roughly five hours of talks, with Trump thanking Kim afterward "for taking the first bold step toward a bright new future for his people."

Trump added during a free-flowing news conference that Kim has before him "an opportunity like no other" to bring his country back into the community of nations if he agrees to give up his nuclear program.

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U. S. President Donald Trump stands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un for a photograph at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump announced that he will be freezing U.S. military "war games" with its ally South Korea while negotiations between the two countries continue. Trump cast the decision as a cost-saving measure, but North Korea has long objected to the drills as a security threat.

Trump acknowledged that the timetable for denuclearization is long, but said, "once you start the process it means it's pretty much over."

The president acknowledged that U.S. intelligence into the North Korean nuclear stockpile is limited, "probably less there than any other country," he said. "But we have enough intelligence to know that what they have is very substantial."

Trump sidestepped his public praise for an autocrat whose people have been oppressed for decades. He added Otto Warmbier, an American once detained in North Korea, "did not die in vain" because his death brought about the nuclear talks.

Trump said Kim accepted his invitation to visit the White House at the "appropriate" time.

Light on specifics, the document signed by the leaders largely amounted to an agreement to continue discussions as it echoed previous public statements and past commitments. It did not include an agreement to take steps toward ending the technical state of warfare between the U.S. and North Korea.

The pair promised in the document to "build a lasting and stable peace regime" on the Korean Peninsula and to repatriate remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action during the Korean War.

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North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump prepare to sign a document at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Language on North Korea's bombs was similar to what the leaders of North and South Korea came up with at their own summit in April. At the time, the Koreans faced criticism for essentially kicking the issue of North Korea's nuclear arsenal down the road to Tuesday's Trump-Kim summit. Trump and Kim even directly referenced the so-called Panmunjom Declaration, which contained a weak commitment to denuclearization and no specifics on how to achieve it.

The formal document signing followed a series of meetings at a luxury Singapore resort.

After the signing, Trump said he expected to "meet many times" in the future with Kim and, in response to questions, said he "absolutely" would invite Kim to the White House. For his part, Kim hailed the "historic meeting" and said they "decided to leave the past behind."

In a moment that would never happen in North Korea, reporters began yelling questions to Trump and Kim after they signed the document, including whether they had discussed the case of Otto Warmbier, the American college student who suffered brain damage while in North Korean custody and died in June 2017, days after he was returned home to Ohio.

In the run-up to the meeting, Trump had predicted the two men might strike a nuclear deal or forge a formal end to the Korean War in the course of a single meeting or over several days. But in the hours before the summit, the White House unexpectedly announced Trump would depart Singapore earlier than expected  Tuesday evening  raising questions about whether his aspirations for an ambitious outcome had been scaled back.

The meeting was the first between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader.

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North Korean journalists film the motorcade of North Korea leader Kim Jong Un as they leave the St. Regis Hotel on the way to the Capella Hotel in Singapore, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, where the summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump will take place. (AP Photo/Yong Teck Lim)

Aware that the eyes of the world were on a moment many people never expected to see, Kim said many of those watching would think it was a scene from a "science fiction movie."

After meeting privately and with aides, Trump and Kim moved into the luncheon at a long flower-bedecked table. As they entered, Trump injected some levity to the day's extraordinary events, saying: "Getting a good picture everybody? So we look nice and handsome and thin? Perfect."

Then they dined on beef short rib confit along with sweet and sour crispy pork.

And as they emerged from the meal for a brief stroll together, Trump appeared to delight in showing his North Korean counterpart the interior of "The Beast," the famed U.S. presidential limousine known for its high-tech fortifications.

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People watch a TV screen showing U.S. President Donald Trump meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Critics of the summit leapt at the leaders' handshake and the moonlight stroll Kim took Monday night along the glittering Singapore waterfront, saying it was further evidence that Trump was helping legitimize Kim on the world stage. Kim has been accused of horrific rights abuses against his people.

"It's a huge win for Kim Jong Un, who now  if nothing else  has the prestige and propaganda coup of meeting one on one with the president, while armed with a nuclear deterrent," said Michael Kovrig, a northeast Asia specialist at the International Crisis Group in Washington.

Trump responded to such commentary on Twitter, saying: "The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the U.S., say the haters & losers." But he added "our hostages" are back home and testing, research and launches have stopped.

Giving voice to the anticipation felt around the world as the meeting opened, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday he "hardly slept" before the summit. Moon and other officials watched the live broadcast of the summit before a South Korean Cabinet meeting in his presidential office.

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John Miller, of Manchester, N.H., a former U.S. Army sergeant who served as a forward radio relay operator in Vietnam, watches as President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, while having a beer at the American Legion Post #2 in Manchester on Monday, June 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

The summit capped a dizzying few days of foreign policy activity for Trump, who shocked U.S. allies over the weekend by using a meeting in Canada of the Group of Seven industrialized economies to alienate America's closest friends in the West. Lashing out over trade practices, Trump lobbed insults at his G-7 host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trump left that summit early and, as he flew to Singapore, tweeted that he was yanking the U.S. out of the group's traditional closing statement.

The optimistic summit was a remarkable change in dynamics from less than a year ago, when Trump was threatening "fire and fury" against Kim, who in turn scorned the American president as a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard." Beyond the impact on both leaders' political fortunes, the summit could shape the fate of countless people  the citizens of impoverished North Korea, the tens of millions living in the shadow of the North's nuclear threat, and millions more worldwide.

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U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Alluding to the North's concerns that giving up its nuclear weapons could surrender its primary deterrent to forced regime change, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters that the U.S. was prepared to take action to provide North Korea with "sufficient certainty" that denuclearization "is not something that ends badly for them."

He would not say whether that included the possibility of withdrawing U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula, but said the U.S. was "prepared to take what will be security assurances that are different, unique, than America's been willing to provide previously."

The North has faced crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions as it has advanced development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Pompeo held firm to Trump's position that sanctions will remain in place until North Korea denuclearizes  and said they would even increase if diplomatic discussions did not progress positively.In this May 17, 2018 photo, Samuel Ruggiero, of Erie, Penn., front left, examines the desk where author Louisa May Alcott sat while writing the book "Little Women" at Orchard House, in Concord, Mass. Since "Little Women" was published 150 years ago, the coming of age book has been translated into over 50 languages. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

By The Associated Press

A century and a half before the #MeToo movement gave women a bold, new collective voice, Louisa May Alcott was lending them her own.

Society had far different expectations of women in 1867, when publisher Thomas Niles asked Alcott to write a "girls' story." At a time when women were expected to marry, often did not hold employment and could not vote, Alcott had her doubts about the success of "Little Women."

Since then, the coming-of-age book has been translated into more than 50 languages and made into films, a musical and a recently aired PBS "Masterpiece" miniseries. The novel constantly finds new audiences as women worldwide confront sexual misconduct, misogyny and pay inequity.

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In this May 17, 2018 photo, an illustration and title page to the book Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott, appear in an 1869 edition of the book at Orchard House, in Concord, Mass. Since "Little Women" was published 150 years ago, the coming of age book has been translated into over 50 languages. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Mayela Boeder, 34, of Appleton, Wisconsin, read "Little Women" as a girl and thinks it's still relevant.

"You could say that strong females in literature, TV and every other medium have slowly shaped the minds of modern strong women," she says.

"We grew up with Buffy, Hermione, Katnis, Jo, Lizzie Bennet, Sara Crewe, among others, and so we have almost been groomed to fight for what's right and to not let others take advantage of us."

Alcott drew heavily from her experiences living in poverty with progressive parents Bronson and Abigail Alcott and three sisters in Concord, Massachusetts. Although her transcendentalist father led his family through 30 homes, one stands out as the place where "Little Women" was written: Orchard House.

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Orchard House Executive Director Jan Turnquist is seen at the front door of the Orchard House, where Louisa May Alcott wrote, "Little Women", in Concord, Mass., Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2004. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki)

Alcott was 26 when her family moved into the then-dilapidated house in 1858. The enterprising family turned the tenant farmhouse, once slated for destruction, into a place where Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and other literary neighbors would drop by for intellectual discussions. Bronson encouraged his wife and daughters to join and built Louisa a desk at a time when writing was considered by scientists to be injurious to the female psyche.

Looking back, says Orchard House Executive Director Jan Turnquist, the Alcotts were feminists. "They believed all humans have agency," she says.

She tells of how Louisa May Alcott was the first woman to register to vote in Concord in 1879, when Massachusetts gave women the right to vote in town elections on education and children issues.

In 1880, Alcott and 19 other women attended the Concord town meeting and cast their ballots. In a letter to periodical Woman's Journal, Alcott wrote of voting: "No bolt fell on our audacious heads, no earthquake shook the town."

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In this May 17, 2018 photo, museum visitors stand near a portrait of author Louisa May Alcott by American artist George Healy at Orchard House, in Concord, Mass. A century and a half before the #MeToo movement gave women a bold, new collective voice, Alcott was lending them her own. Her "Little Women" has inspired major motion pictures - and millions of girls - since it was published in 1868. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Alcott did other unconventional things. At 30, she served as a nurse in the Civil War. She traveled alone when most women could not. And she wrote stories that are the equivalent of a modern-day James Patterson thriller at a time when female authors were not popular.

Although there's no evidence Alcott was ever sexually assaulted, she was harassed and had to endure misogyny as an ambitious, unmarried woman.

After writing the first part of "Little Women" in 1868, Alcott received a flood of letters asking if the main character, Jo March, would marry neighbor boy Laurie. Pulitzer Prize-winning Alcott historian John Matteson says, "Her publisher said, 'You have to marry her off,' and wanted the character to marry Laurie."

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This is an undated handout photo of author Louisa May Alcott, famous for the book "Little Women." A newly discovered Alcott manuscript has been found by two Alcott scholars in the stacks of Harvard University library in Cambridge, Mass. The handwritten manuscript entitled "The Inheritance," found in 1994, took two years for the scholars to decipher. (AP Photo/Orchard House)

Alcott was mortified that her mother had to scrape to keep the family going financially. "She knew what a trap marriage could be," Matteson says. "She very much intended not to marry Jo off at all."

Alcott appeased Niles, the publisher, by writing in Professor Friedrich Bhaer, a homely German professor, as a husband.

One of Alcott's goals was to lift her family out of poverty. She took jobs as a teacher, seamstress, writer and, in one instance, a live-in companion for the sick sister of a man named James Richardson.

Instead of having her tend to his sister, Richardson had 18-year-old Alcott do housekeeping and spend evenings listening to him reading romantic poetry. He started slipping suggestive notes beneath her bedroom door and added backbreaking work to her chores as she rejected his advances. She quit, making only $4 for the seven-week stay.

While she hesitates to call that a #MeToo encounter, Turnquist says it was "sleazy and not appropriate," and bordered on sexual harassment.

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Elizabeth Alcott's melodeon sits under her portrait, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2004, in the dinning room at the Orchard House, where her sister Louisa May Alcott wrote, "Little Women", in Concord, Mass. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki)

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In this May 17, 2018 photo, people depart Orchard House in Concord, Mass. Author Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women while living at the house. A century and a half before the #MeToo movement gave women a bold, new collective voice, Alcott was lending them her own. Her "Little Women" has inspired major motion pictures - and millions of girls - since it was published in 1868. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Alcott wrote an essay on the experience, which friend James Field, editor of The Atlantic, assessed and said: "Stick to your teaching. You can't write."

Nevertheless, she persisted.

"She would be so supportive of the #MeToo Movement and equal pay for equal work," Turnquist says.

To celebrate the sesquicentennial, Orchard House will host many events, including a conversational series to discuss the book's modern-day relevance. On the actual 150th anniversary, Sept. 30, it will be read sequentially in parts and videotaped worldwide.

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A drawing by May Alcott, sister of Louisa May Alcott who wrote "Little Women" is seen May's bedroom door at the Orchard House in Concord, Mass. Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2004. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki)WEST SPRINGFIELD - The Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts will celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the conclusion of the month's fast for Ramadan, with an outdoor prayer service Friday, June 15, at Cooks Park, 468 Amostown Road.

Prayers from 9 to 10 a.m. will be led by the society's Imam Wissam Abdul Baki.

West Springfield Mayor William C. Reichelt is scheduled to welcome participants.

A gathering with food and festivities will follow at the center at 377 Amostown Road.

The public is invited to attend the prayer service and reception that follows at the center.

Ramadan is the holiest month for Muslims who represent many different cultures and countries, and the practice of fasting to be closer to God is one of the five pillars of the faith.

Acts of charity, along with prayer and the reading of the Quran, are encouraged during Ramadan which began May 16. An interfaith iftar, a breaking of the fast at day's end, was held at the society's center on May 30.

For more information, call Mohammad Dastigir, society president, (413) 222-3883; Dr. M. Saleem Bajwa, interfaith affairs coordinator, (413) 478-5634; or the center at (413) 788-7546.Students at Northeastern University were evicted from their apartment after complaining that someone drilled peepholes in their bedrooms.

reports that a 20-year-old student and three roommates found at least two holes drilled into bedroom walls in their Queensbury Street home.

Bridget Moran told the station that one of the holes was in her closet, giving a full view of her bedroom.

"That's a place where me and my friends are talking, I'm sleeping, I'm changing," Moran told the television station. "That's just not right that someone can look in."

When Moran complained to the property owners at Alpha Management they "didn't seem like it was a big deal." She has also filed a police report.

Moran and her roommates were served with an eviction notice after complaining about the peepholes.Nurses affiliated with the Massachusetts Nurses Association have voted to ratify a new contract with the Baystate Franklin Medical Center, the parent company, Baystate Health said in a news release Monday evening.

Baystate Franklin President Ron Bryant lauded the agreement calling it a "key step" toward maintaining high-quality health care in Franklin County.

"The final agreement continues our commitment to market-competitive wages and staffing models that provide high-quality care for our community," he said in the release.

Nurses at the Greenfield hospital had been working without a contract for nearly a year and a half when they came to a tentative agreement with Baystate Health management in May.

The new contract includes a ratification bonus for nurses and wage increases, along with new staffing models nurses said allows healthcare workers to better serve their patients.

Nurses had refused to come to agreement with the company due to what they said were persistent staffing shortages that compromised nurses' ability to care for patients.

Baystate Health did not publish the vote totals for the ratification. The Massachusetts Nurses Association has not commented on the vote.HOLYOKE -- Call now instead of waiting was the tip Monday at City Hall from assessors to property owners concerned about getting an accurate valuation of their home or business.

"If they call us to come look at their house, we will go," Assessor Deborah J. Brunelle said in the meeting of the City Council Finance Committee. "We even go to open houses when we can."

In other words, having an inspection done will provide an explanation. And that explanation perhaps can help property owners avoid filing for an abatement upon receiving a bill that reflects the new property tax rate but bears a valuation and a tax bill to which they object, assessors said.

Chief Assessor Anthony Dulude and Brunelle were asked to explain the process used to calculate property values in an order filed by Ward 4 Councilor Jossie M. Valentin.

Property values are based on inspections and sales of similar properties that occurred during the calendar year two years previous. For example, the property values that were determined in 2018 and are considered the current values now are based on inspections and sales of similar properties during the 2016 calendar year.

Assessors visit 2,000 properties a year prompted by sales and permits pulled for renovations, which are ways that properties can come to assessors' attention, they said.

Valentin said she found the explanation helpful. She urged assessors to post as much information online as possible, in English and Spanish.

She also suggested a simple explanation of property valuations be made available online, "Assessment 101," she said.

Generally, the higher a property's valuation, the higher the tax bill the owner will face because the higher the valuation, the more there is to tax.

The City Council set the current tax rate March 20: $19.14 per $1,000 valuation for residential property and $39.70 for commercial property.

The city has 10,044 taxable residential and commercial parcels, Dulude has said.

The value of the totality of property here is $2,097,081,388, an increase of $7,825,255 from the previous $2,089,256,133, he has said.

Check back with The Republican and MassLive.com for more coverage of the property valuation process as discussed in the Holyoke City Council Finance Committee meeting.SPRINGFIELD - A West Springfield man is being held without bail on a murder charge after allegedly gunning down a guest at his 3-year-old nephew's birthday party last month.

Amid unusually tight security, Terrence Montgomery, 23, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Springfield District Court to murder, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building and carrying a firearm without a license.

Two dozen court and city police officers stood guard as Montgomery was led into the courtroom while several members of the victim's family watched from the gallery.

Dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans, Montgomery stared straight ahead as Assistant Clerk Magistrate Danielle Williams read the charges.

At a prosecutor's request, Judge Bruce Melikian ordered the defendant held without right to bail and continued the case for a pretrial hearing on June 19.

Defense lawyer Joan Williams agreed to the detention order, requested by Assistant District Attorney Christopher McDonald, on the condition that her client can request bail later in the case.

The arraignment came ten weeks after Montgomery's younger brother, Christopher, 20, of Springfield, was shot to death on Knox Street after being ambushed by two men wearing ski masks.

Terrence Montgomery is charged in a fatal shooting on May 5 at a birthday party for his slain brother's 3-year-old son. The victim, Paul Finegan, was the Springfield's fifth homicide of 2018.

Montgomery allegedly fled to Laurinsburg, North Carolina, where he was arrested by federal marshals on May 29.

Like his younger brother, Terrence Montgomery has an extensive criminal history. He was arrested in June 2016 after allegedly firing a gun outside the Hampden Juvenile Court House, causing that court and the adjacent Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse to be locked down until the area was secured.

Four firearms charges filed against Terrence Mongtomery were later dropped after three witnesses refused to testify.

The younger Montgomery had a murder charge dropped in 2016, one year after he allegedly gunned down a 22-year-old Springfield man on a Sunday afternoon as they passed each other on a side street off Boston Road.

The case was dismissed after a witness recanted his testimony.CHICOPEE -- An infant was brought to the hospital as a precaution after a house was destroyed by fire Tuesday afternoon.

The fire at 36 Carter Drive was reported at 3:36 p.m. When firefighters arrived about three minutes after receiving the call, the house was already engulfed in flames, Deputy Fire Chief Matthew Cross said.

"No one was injured, that's the important thing," Cross said.

The two residents, their daughter and her infant were inside when the fire started. They were able to escape before firefighters and EMTs arrived, but the child was brought to a local hospital to be examined as a precaution, Cross said.

The fire spread quickly and the house was so engulfed firefighters first attacked the blaze from the exterior for safety reasons, Cross said. After the flames were under control, firefighters did go inside.

The damage to the home was extensive. Both the front and back parts of the home were burned through in the center of the building.

Eighteen firefighters responded. It took them about 45 minutes to extinguish the fire.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by Chicopee fire examiners and the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services.

The two residents cannot return home and will stay with family members, Cross said.

Carter Drive remains closed at the intersection of Granby Road.

The heavy smoke brought out neighbors who offered their sympathy to the family.

Ronald Roy, who worked as a firefighter for nearly 33 years before retiring in 1999, lives on the next street and saw the smoke from his house. He walked over to see if everyone was OK.

"It is too bad. I'm glad no one was hurt," he said.

While there he greeted a few old friends who still work in the department and talked about the improvements in firefighting equipment. When he began working as a firefighter, there were limited air packs available and they had to share in a bad fire, Roy said.

The map below shows the approximate location of 36 Carter Drive:As the number of state troopers accused of abusing overtime programs to pad their paychecks has increased -- from 21, to 30, to 42 -- two major questions remain unanswered.

How much money was at stake? And what steps did the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, which funded Massachusetts State Police Troop E's patrols on the Massachusetts Turnpike, take to ensure its money was being spent responsibly?

While an ongoing probe by State Attorney General Maura Healey's Office has prompted state police to decline comment on the amount of money stolen, records of program funding, audits and MassDOT financial reports could shed light on those questions.

But for months, both MassDOT and state police have failed to explain how much was spent on Accident Injury Reduction Effort (AIRE) patrols, a now-cancelled program to fund overtime traffic enforcement on the Mass. Pike that dozens of troopers allegedly abused.

And for weeks MassDOT has flouted state public records law, failing to give any formal answer to MassLive's requests for financial reports and audits the agency was authorized to create through its 2010 agreement to fund Troop E.

MassLive filed an appeal with the state Supervisor of Records, who on June 5 ordered the agency to respond "without delay." No such response has yet been issued.

MassDOT would not provide any on-record explanation for the delays.

"We are continuing to actively work to fulfill your records request," MassDOT spokesman Patrick Marvin wrote in an email Tuesday.

The two agencies also appear to be in dispute about who is in possession of financial data about the ill-fated overtime program. MassDOT had told MassLive that state police would produce that information, but on Tuesday Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio indicated the opposite.

"My understanding was that [MassDOT] was getting you some records today," Procopio wrote in an email. "It was their funding and they have the responsive records."

Procopio wrote he would check with the department's legal staff about the status of the records.

Massachusetts State Police have been battered by a wave of scandals over the last year, from allegations of a censored arrest report that cost former Col. Richard McKeon his job to revelations about the hiring of a coconspirator in a federal drug case as a trooper.

But the no-show shift allegations have had by far the largest scope and were the target of the most sweeping reforms initiated by Gov. Charlie Baker and new Col. Kerry Gilpin -- including the dissolution of Troop E and the activation of GPS tracking on state police cruisers.

On March 20, 2018, Gilpin announced that 21 troopers had been investigated for allegedly abusing the AIRE shifts. An audit had revealed that troopers had been paid for shifts they did not work, Gilpin said.

Additional troopers were implicated over the following months, as the allegations sparked both a state criminal investigation and a federal grand jury.

In May, MassDOT released a copy of its 2010 memorandum of understanding with the state police, in which the agency agreed to fully fund Troop E, which was responsible for patrolling the MassPike, Boston's Callahan, Sumner, CANA and Ted Williams Tunnels and the Metropolitan Highway System.

The deal included language about financial accountability, requiring MassDOT to produce written reports on its funding of Troop E and authorizing the agency to audit state police requests for reimbursement.

"MassDOT agrees to provide the State Police with a written report demonstrating the approved funding for Troop E operations for the following fiscal year," the agreement says. "MassDOT agrees to provide this report within 60 days prior to the beginning of each fiscal year. The State Police agrees that MassDOT may review and/or audit any and all documents or other materials that form the basis for reimbursement under this MOU."

On May 4, MassLive requested copies of those reports and audits -- and was met with radio silence. The state public records law requires agencies to formally approve or deny requests within ten business days, but MassDOT has still not issued any such communication to MassLive.

Under the public records law, records created or maintained by state agencies are presumed public with limited exemptions, including some personnel information and "investigatory materials necessarily compiled out of the public view by law enforcement or other investigatory officials" whose release would compromise ongoing law enforcement operations.

But financial and budget documents are typically public, and are the exact type of documents the law is designed to illuminate, said Common Cause Massachusetts Director Pam Wilmot, whose organization helped write the state's 2016 update to its public records law.

"It's our government. We need to be able to hold it accountable and see what action has been taken on our behalf," Wilmot said last month in an interview. "Financial records are perhaps the most clear and obvious information that is in the public interest [to be disclosed.]"

After MassLive published a story in May on the delays, the agency did release records of its state police funding, but not about the specific overtime program at the center of the scandal. MassDOT referred MassLive to Massachusetts State Police for that information, which has still not been released.HA NOI  Two years after the arbitration court ruling in favour of Philippines South China Sea case and rejecting Chinas so-called nine-dash line, disputes continue to rage even as China and ASEAN formally enter negotiations towards a Code of Conduct framework.

However, parties would need to resolutely abide by international law to ensure security and order in the region, Vietnamese and international legal experts, maritime scholars and diplomats agreed at the third Ocean Dialogue held by the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam (DAV) yesterday in Ha Noi.

The event, themed International law in the South China Sea, seeks to discuss legal regimes  especially the Hagues ruling  on these resource-rich waters and find co-operation opportunities between concerned parties.

Deputy Director of the DAV, Le Hai Binh, in his opening remarks, stressed the role of international law as the backbone of international relations in a fast-changing world - especially with the United States new Indo-Pacific strategy, Chinas efforts to advance its Belt and Road initiative, and ASEANs struggle to build its community.

"International law ensures that all nations are treated equally, issues are handled with justice, and conflicts are resolved in peaceful ways," Binh said, adding that international law paved the way for negotiations and peace-building between states.

Most countries involved in the South China Sea issue have expressly claimed they act according to international law, however, the key challenge emerges as each country has different interpretations and implementations of the same United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.

Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Hong Thao, second vice chairman of the United Nations International Law Commission, said the tribunals verdict stating that no low-tide elevations or rocks would grant 12 nautical miles of exclusive economic zone would reduce tensions as it decreases the scope of maritime overlapping between countries.

Still, Chinas four-no policy (non-participation, non-recognition of the Tribunals jurisdiction, non-acceptance and non-enforcement of the award) has put implementation of the ruling in temporal deadlock, Thao said.

Yan Yan, Chinese international maritime law expert from the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS), said Chinese non-recognition of the tribunal award also didnt deter its scholars from studying the case, evidenced by the 500-page Critical study of the case, shows the Chinese law community to start to think how we can talk in the language of international law, and thus, create potential grounds for common understanding.

She remarked that over the recent decade, the Chinese Governments attitude has changed, "theres no way for us to close the door on negotiations."

She said that previously, China was against the internationalisation of the South China Sea issue, however, currently, it no longer remains steadfast since it realises it wont be able to avoid the influence of outside players  countries who are not a direct part of territorial and maritime disputes but have claimed stakes and exercised considerable influence in the area, such as the United States or India.

She also suggested an observer mechanism over the South China Sea for these outside players, with certain prerequisites: the observer mechanism will only be considered after the COC has been settled, and that the observers must consent to let the South China Sea issue be resolved between actual claimants and that they have the rights and duties to help with research and conservation efforts in these contested waters.

Setting aside disputes?

Assoc. Prof. Herman Joseph S. Kraft from the University of the Philippines touched on the co-operation issues, citing Philippines contentious joint-development mechanism with China in the South China Sea.

The Duterte administrations deliberate playing down of the tribunal verdict to improve Philippines relations, especially economically, with China, compound the situation, he said. How can Dutertes efforts to advance the joint sharing of resources with China in disputed waters be reconciled consistently with the Philippines Constitution and existing laws which state that the use and enjoyment of exclusive economic zones resources are reserved exclusively to Filipino citizens.

However, contrary to the Philippines current approach, Viet Nams consistent stance has always been that joint-development and settlement of disputes must go hand-in-hand, Thao from the United Nations Law commission stressed.

Viet Nams approach not only allows public companies to conduct co-operation activities in the South China Sea but also the private sector, Thao said, adding that Vietnamese co-operation with claimants in the sea is more comprehensive as it also extends to oil and gas exploration, environment protection, anti-trafficking and other fields.

Delegates also spent time discussing the possibility of setting up an executive council overseeing compliance with international treaties and negotiations regarding South China Sea issues, alternative methods in case the tribunal verdict proves to be ineffective, respect for freedom of flight and navigation in the contested sea, and promotion of mutually beneficial co-operation in the region.  VNSFormer Senate President Stan Rosenberg filed his retirement papers this month and plans to leave his pension to his husband Bryon Hefner if he dies.

Rosenberg, D-Amherst, filed the paperwork with the state Retirement Board on June 6. The paperwork is embedded below.

In the papers, he lists himself as married and Hefner, his spouse, as the beneficiary in the event that Rosenberg dies. They've been married since 2016.

In April, Hefner, 30, pleaded not guilty in Suffolk Superior Court to felony charges of sexual assault, criminal lewdness and the distribution of nude photos without consent.

Before his resignation on May 4, Rosenberg, 68, said he separated from Hefner. Hefner was in treatment for alcohol dependency, according to Rosenberg.

An independent state Senate report found Rosenberg had failed to protect the institution from Hefner, "whom he knew was disruptive, volatile and abusive." After the release of the report on May 2, his colleagues pressed Rosenberg into resigning.

Rosenberg held public sector jobs for almost 38 years and 5 months, including time at UMass Amherst, the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Massachusetts Senate.

He served as Senate president for less than three years. He had served as a state senator since 1991.

State Retirement Board staffers are processing the paperwork and the amount that Rosenberg would regularly receive isn't yet finalized. He is eligible to receive 80 percent of his three highest-earning years, though the monthly figure he expects to receive will be lower since he opted to list Hefner as a beneficiary.

According to information posted the state's website on public pension benefits, "Upon your death, your designated beneficiary will be paid a monthly allowance for the remainder of his or her life. The survivor benefit will be equal to two-thirds of the allowance that was being paid to you at the time of your death."Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey on Tuesday ripped Purdue Pharma and its board members and executives, saying they must pay for the "harm and the damage they've caused" in the opioid crisis that has spread across the state and the country.

Healey's lawsuit against Purdue, filed in Suffolk Superior Court on Tuesday, alleges that the company's drugs killed hundreds of state residents, and singles out OxyContin as an addictive money-maker for the company, which pushed doctors to prescribe the drug.

The lawsuit says an investigation by Healey's office found that 671 people who filled prescriptions for Purdue opioids died from an opioid-related overdose since 2009.

"I'll tell you, it really makes me mad," Healey told reporters after a press conference with Gov. Charlie Baker announcing the lawsuit.

"And the more that I have been out there over the last four years, listening to people all across the state who are dealing with this, the madder I get," Healey continued. "And the more that we've learned through the course of our investigation about what these Purdue executives and board members knew, when they knew it and their absolute willingness to put profits ahead of people really makes me mad."

Healey's lawsuit alleges Purdue "engaged in a deadly and illegal scheme to deceive doctors and patients" and misled them into taking higher and more dangerous doses.

The Connecticut-based company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

But Purdue denied the allegations in the lawsuit in a statement to the Boston Globe.

While they share Healey' concern about the opioid crisis, the company told the newspaper they are "disappointed, however, that in the midst of good faith negotiations with many states, the Commonwealth has decided to pursue a costly and protracted litigation process."

The company added: "We will continue to work collaboratively with the states toward bringing meaningful solutions."

Healey said multi-state settlement discussions will manufacturers and distributors will continue, as will various related investigations.

The investigations into other opioid manufacturers and distributors include Endo, Janssen, Teva, Allergan, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey sues Purdue Pharma over opioid crisisHOLYOKE -- Kathleen G. Anderson will leave after six years as president of the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce July 31 for a job at Holyoke Medical Center, she said Monday.

"The chamber has been probably the most rewarding job of my life. It has been so good to watch businesses grow," said Anderson, 60.

At the hospital, at 575 Beech St., Anderson will be manager of community benefits, she said.

"It's going out in the community, understanding the needs of the different parts of your community. Like going into different senior centers and asking what their needs are. I'll also be working in the Holyoke public schools, having students talk about their interests and needs" Anderson said.

Hospital officials approached her about the job and she decided it was a good fit, she said.

"I was asked to consider the position and when I looked at it, it looked very exciting and intriguing to me and I decided to do it. It was an excellent offer and that helped me make my decision," she said.

As a teenager, Anderson was a "candy-striper," or volunteer, at the hospital, she said.

"I did everything from delivering flowers, to making food in the coffee shop, to feeding patients and changing beds. I'll never forget some of those patients. I remember being in seventh-grade doing that," she said.

Before heading the chamber, Anderson was director of the city of Holyoke Planning and Economic Development Department for six years and led the city's management assistance program for six years before that.

"Kathy is one of the most professional and effective individuals I have had the pleasure of working with over the last seven years," Mayor Alex B. Morse said. "Kathy quickly elevated the impact and relevance of the chamber, and she leaves the organization on great footing.

"She has been a great partner to the city's redevelopment efforts and I have been grateful for her efforts in working hand in hand with the city to encourage business growth. She has also expanded the chamber's impact by helping launch SPARK, the city's entrepreneurship program, and by being an active member of the Holyoke Innovation District's 'Kitchen Cabinet.' "

Marcos A. Marrero, whom Morse appointed as Planning and Economic Development Department director when Anderson left, said Anderson was helpful the moment he took over and has stayed collaborative.

"Her work to help launch and grow SPARK into a strong local entrepreneurship development program has been vital. I will deeply miss working with her in her chamber role but am very happy for her career progression," Marrero said.

Business owners and managers join a chamber of commerce for three reasons, Anderson said: networking, to market their business and to help in creating a good business climate. (see video above)

To that end, the chamber will begin arranging for members of the Holyoke City Council to visit local businesses and learn about their challenges, opportunities and growth possibilities. The first trip for councilors will be to West Side Finishing Co. Inc. at 15 Samosett St., she said.

Anderson said that among her achievements in leading the chamber was to work with The Republican and increase the spread of the chamber's annual business directory. The Republican prints 21,000 copies yearly now and the directories are distributed regionally, up from the 1,000 that were dispersed only in the city when she began, she said.

"People have told me, they stop me in the grocery store and they say, 'I use this as my phone book for Holyoke businesses,' " Anderson said.

Chamber officials praised Anderson and said that while they are happy for her in the career move to Holyoke Medical Center, they are sorry to lose her.

"She's been absolutely wonderful for the chamber," said Margaret Mantoni, chairwoman of the chamber's board of directors. "I've really enjoyed working with her a lot. But you're obviously happy for someone when they can make the next move in their career."

Chamber members have formed a search committee to find a new president.

"We would be thrilled if we could have somebody in place before she leaves, to help with the transition," Mantoni said.

Leading the chamber meant that Anderson was president also of the Greater Holyoke Chamber Centennial Foundation. That part of the chamber focuses on economic development and charitable work, steps to enhance the chamber, said Jeff Sullivan, chairman of the foundation board of directors.

Anderson was pivotal in bringing new businesses into the city, encouraging small businesses, such as with the SPARK program, helping Latino businesses and instilling energy in the chamber, he said.

Anderson had a vision of such improvements when she began as chamber president and she carried it out in helping businesses, a follow through that doesn't always happen, he said.

"She fought a lot of battles. You know, Holyoke's not the easiest place to get permits," Sullivan said.

Anderson is married to Whitney G. Anderson, maintenance administrator for the Holyoke public schools, and they have two sons, Drew, 28, Kyle, 27.A Russell landscaping company, Westfield trucking firm, and Westfield manufacturer agreed to pay $55,000 to settle allegations they illegally dumped solid waste and altered wetlands feeding into the Potash Brook and Westfield River, both state-designated cold water fisheries stocked with trout.

Judgments entered in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston on Monday settle a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Maura Healey alleging that Karen and Russell Mehl, owners of Legend Lawn Care, violated the state's Wetlands Protection Act and Solid Waste Act.

The Mehls allegedly altered or destroyed more than five acres of wetland, more than a half mile of stream bed, and more than four acres of buffer zone by clearing their land and and filling it with 14,000 cubic yards of fill including aluminum oxide, construction and demolition debris, and leaf and yard waste.

Beginning in 2001, the Mehls allegedly cleared forested wetlands and stream banks on their property, which is zoned residential, and filled the areas with concrete rubble, patio block, scrap metal, construction and demolition debris, household waste, and yard waste from Legend Lawn Care.

In 2003, the Mehls allegedly started accepting waste from Micro Abrasives Corporation, a Westfield manufacturing firm. The material was provided by Truck Crane Service, an excavation and trucking company in Westfield, and contained sand and woodchips mixed with aluminum oxide, according to the complaint.

"This settlement highlights and reinforces the need for waste generators and haulers to ensure the proper management and disposal of their waste materials," said Martin Suuberg, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

Micro Abrasives agreed to pay a $10,000 penalty to the state, and Truck Crane Service to pay $45,000, which could be reduced to $25,000 with the completion of its role in the clean-up.

Truck Crane Service and Micro Abrasives Corporation must additionally contribute $25,000 to pay for professional oversight of the cleanup.

The Mehls and Legend Lawn Care must pay to restore the degraded property to its original state. They must place the area -- including other land totaling 34 acres -- under a conservation restriction. They must leave it in its natural state, and open it up to the public, according to a press release from Healey's office.

"Wetlands are vital natural resources for our residents that protect our drinking water supplies and provide flood control and habitats for our wildlife," said Healey in a statement. "They are not dumping grounds. Our office will take action against those who violate the state laws that protect these valuable resources and other laws protecting the public health and the environment."

20180608 - Commonwealth vs. Mehl Et Al by Mary Serreze on ScribdUpdates a story posted Monday, June 11, 2018 at 7:15 p.m.

Officials on Monday night said a Leyden woman died in an afternoon house fire, the Greenfield Recorder reported.

Leyden Police Chief Dan Galvins said the woman's body was found at about 6 p.m. as firefighters searched the rubble of the home at 178 Frizzell Hill Road. Galvins said the house was destroyed.

Authorities have not named the dead woman pending official identification by the medical examiner's office. The woman's husband was notified of the death.

Firefighters were called to house at about 2 p.m. for the report of a structure fire. The Leyden Fire Department received mutual aid from Bernardston, Northfield, Colrain, Turners Falls and Shelburne Falls as well as Brattleboro and Guilford, Vermont.

Massachusetts Department of Fire Services spokeswoman Jennifer Mieth said the state fire marshal was notified of an unaccounted person at the fire shortly after 2 p.m. State fire investigators and the Incident Support Unit were dispatched to the scene.

The map below shows the approximate location of 178 Frizzell Hill Road:SPRINGFIELD -- Police are investigating after a man was shot Monday afternoon as he stood outside a house at 41 Maryland St.

Police responded to the Forest Park neighborhood street at about 3:40 p.m. The victim was transported to Baystate Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries, Springfield police spokesman Ryan Walsh said.

Neighbors said shots rang out just after 3:30 p.m. Witnesses told police a black or dark-colored SUV sped away from the scene. The vehicle may have had New York registration plates attached, they said.

One neighbor, asked to be identified only as Sam, said he heard five shots at about 3:40 p.m. and immediately ran up the street to the scene. He said he counted 11 shell casings on the side of the street opposite the house.

A witness said the victim appeared to have right leg wounds.

The map below show the approximate location of the shooting:Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said Tuesday she supports Gov. Charlie Baker's proposal to overhaul laws on child rapists.

Healey also said she is reviewing the Supreme Judicial Court's invitation to weigh in on the case of Wayne Chapman, a convicted child rapist whose possible release spurred Baker to file new legislation.

Baker's bill requires a court hearing to deal with whether a sexually dangerous person can be released from state custody, a change from current law which calls for a person under "civil commitment," like Chapman, to be released when two qualified examiners say he is no longer sexually dangerous.

Chapman's attorney has criticized the governor and the bill, saying the two examiners who okayed Chapman's release weren't just focused on his age.

The Baker bill, which cannot affect the 70-year-old Chapman, also ups the mandatory minimum for rape of a child with force by someone previously convicted of sexual offenses to life without parole. Rapes of multiple children with force would carry a mandatory sentence of lie without parole.

"The actions of Wayne Chapman are horrifying and just terrible, and my heart goes out to the victims, to the survivors," Healey said Tuesday after a press conference on an unrelated topic.

"But I think it is an important issue and I think it's incredibly important that victims' voices be heard in any process like this," she said in voicing support for Baker's legislation.

"The crimes that we're talking about are horrifying and egregious and we need to make sure that we're doing everything we can, consistent with due process of course, but that we're doing everything we can to make sure victims and families are heard in the process and the process be as thorough as possible, so we get the best result for the sake of public safety," Healey said.

Attorney Wendy Murphy, who is representing several Chapman victims, had called for Healey to weigh in on the case.

Chapman is still inside MCI-Shirley, having been charged with indecent exposure and gross lewdness. He has pleaded not guilty to the new charges.Massachusetts companies are anxious as US leaders in the midst of a trade dispute are lobbing insults at Canada, New England's number one trading partner, Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday.

"There's a tremendous amount of goods and services that go back and forth across that border," Baker told reporters after a meeting with leaders in the Massachusetts House and Senate. "And I've talked to plenty of employers and companies here in the commonwealth that are worried about the lack of clarity associated with that relationship at this point in time."

President Donald Trump over the weekend took off early from a summit in Quebec and called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "very dishonest and weak." White House trade adviser Peter Navarro then followed up by adding that there is a "special place in hell" for Trudeau, who had said at a press conference that Canada would not be pushed around.

Trudeau said that while Canadians are polite, the country is willing impose its own tariffs in retaliation to the ones leveled by the Trump administration.

"I get the fact that temperatures and feelings run high on this stuff, but the most important thing from my point of view is both sides need to recognize and understand how important they are to the other, and get some place on this in a relatively short period of time before people start making decisions that are bad ones for us and bad ones for our colleagues north of the border," Baker said.Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is firing back at convicted child rapist Wayne Chapman's attorney and a psychologist who criticized him for his comments on Chapman.

Attorney Eric Tennen and Dr. Joe Plaud held a press conference on Monday, taking aim at the governor, arguing he is spreading falsehoods after Baker said he believed that the 70-year-old Chapman shouldn't ever be released. Tennen said Chapman served his prison sentence.

According to WBZ, Plaud said Chapman was evaluated by two qualified examiners reviewed Chapman and cleared him for release, and their decision stems from more than just Chapman's age. The examiners determined he was no longer sexually dangerous.

"The governor doesn't know anything about that...and then he piggybacks on that by saying, 'oh, they're just saying it's just because of the age," Plaud said, according to the news station. "It's so easy to say it's just because of one thing, it's never about one thing."

"I'm not spreading falsehoods at all," Baker said after a meeting with legislative leaders at the Massachusetts State House. "My point of view on this is really simple. Which is based on what I have heard people say in court. No one suggests that Wayne Chapman has suddenly turned over a new leaf with respect to his psychological state, but the issue is always about his age."

Baker continued: "And because he is of a certain age, he is no longer a danger to the community. And I've said several times that I think that's a judgment call, and it's a judgment call that I believe should have been reviewed by more than just two people."

Baker has proposed legislation that primarily makes two changes to current state statutes. Under the bill, convicted serial child rapists are given life without parole, and people civilly committed for sexual offenses must go before a panel of five people instead of the current two.

"I think that's a perfectly reasonable way to balance constitutional rights with public safety," Baker said.

If Baker's bill becomes law, it would not have an effect on the Chapman case, but affect similar cases in the future.

"My position on this is pretty clear, which is I don't think Wayne Chapman should be released," Baker added. "But that said, we have a set of statutes and rules in place, and we intend to follow those. And we have followed those."

As his release approached, state corrections officials alleged Chapman exposed himself and touched himself while in his cell.

"And he will be processed appropriately for that crime, just like anybody else would be," Baker said.

Tennen told reporters Chapman is not guilty of the latest allegations.SPRINGFIELD -- Paul "P.J." Finegan never saw it coming.

On a Friday night last month, he was talking to Terrance Montgomery at a birthday party for Montgomery's 3-year-old nephew, according to the police report.

When the conversation turned into an argument, Finegan turned to walk away. Moments later, he fell to the ground, a gunshot wound to the back of his head, the report said.

"Terrance shot P.J. in the head without saying anything," a witness told police, according to the report.

Montgomery, 23, of West Springfield, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Springfield District Court to murder, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building and carrying a firearm without a license.

Two dozen court and city police officers stood guard as Montgomery was led into the courtroom. Handcuffed, shackled and wearing a baggy white T-shirt, he stared straight ahead as Assistant Clerk Magistrate Danielle Williams read the charges.

At a prosecutor's request, Judge Bruce Melikian ordered the defendant held without right to bail.

The shooting took place seven weeks after Terrance Montgomery's brother, Christopher, 20, was gunned down on Knox Street by two men wearing ski masks. No one has been charged in that case.

The party -- held to celebrate the third birthday of Christopher Montgomery's son -- drew a large crowd to 33 Margerie St. in Springfield, with guests gathering in the house and backyard, according to witness statements.

Around 8 p.m., Finegan was in the backyard when his phone rang; he spent the spent the next 10 minutes talking to someone, the report said.

Terrance Montgomery arrived soon after, and walked into the backyard to speak to Finegan. The two men stood face to face, at first talking quietly and then arguing, two witnesses told police.

Finegan turned to walk away, telling Montgomery "that's all he had to say in the conversation," one witness told police.

Montgomery pulled out a large firearm, fired one shot, and then ran. The witness heard Montgomery say 'f--- swag gang," the report said.

When police arrived, Finegan was not breathing and had no pulse. Thirty minutes later, he was pronounced dead at Baystate Medical Center.

Montgomery was arrested in Laurinburg, North Carolina on May 29.

Like his younger brother, Terrance Montgomery has an extensive criminal history.

In June, 2016, he was arrested after allegedly firing a gun outside the Hampden Juvenile Court House, causing that court and the adjacent Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse to be locked down until the area was secured.

Four firearms charges filed against Terrance Mongtomery were later dropped after three witnesses refused to testify.

The younger Montgomery had a murder charge dropped in 2016, one year after he allegedly gunned down a 22-year-old Springfield man on a Sunday afternoon as they passed each other on a side street off Boston Road.

That case was dismissed after a witness recanted his testimony.

To protect two witnesses in the new case, police identify them by numbers instead of names in the arrest report; their names will be revealed later in the case, police said.

Attesting to Montgomery's penchant for violence, he told people before his arrest that "he will not go back to jail, that he will shoot it out with police," the report said.

At Tuesday's hearing, court and police officers outnumbered a small group of Finegan's family, who sat across the aisle from several of Montgomery's supporters.

When the session ended, both sides filed out into the hallway, where more officers were standing guard.

Montgomery is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on June 19.HA NOI -- Viet Nam has carried out seven mass amnesties during the last 10 years with more than 87,000 convicts released early, of which 50,000 were reported to have successfully reintegrated into society and found employment, stated a report presented to the National Assembly during a meeting in Ha Noi on Monday.

Deputy Tran Thi Hien said it is necessary to distinguish between the amended Laws on Amnesty and the countrys general policies on clemency. She advised amnesty laws should be designed to make sure individuals who are truly deserving are included and short listed for early release.

A convict must serve at least half or two-thirds of his or her sentence, and convicts with life sentences must serve at least 16 years to be eligible for parole reviews.

Convicts with corruption charges must return their illicit gains before being considered for amnesty. In handling parole for foreign convicts serving time in Viet Nam, international and bilateral treaties in which Viet Nam is a signatory will be used as a guideline.

Lawmakers also mentioned a common misunderstanding that the countrys mass parole is a by-product of its overloaded prisons and the need to involve the peoples supervision in the parole process.

A majority of deputies voiced their support for a framework in which mass paroles are carried out during the countrys major events and holidays, a practice employed by the State.

Minister of public security To Lam said the countrys amended Laws on Amnesty will reflect the spirit of the 2013 Constitution and the result of a process of collecting feedback and opinions from people from all walks of life as well as various Government agencies and civilian organisations.

The amended version of the law will continue to be reviewed and be presented to the NA during the next meeting.

In the afternoon, the NA discussed the amended Laws on Education. Tuition fees for students in pedagogical universities, quality teaching and training for teachers, and investment in the field of education were the main focus of the amended law.

The countrys education law gives a clear objective for its education sector: to equip young Vietnamese with knowledge and ethical qualities, and to encourage students to reach their full potential and to prepare them for international integration.

Deputy Ngo Thi Kim Yen, however, pointed out that Vietnamese students still have many shortcomings despite their positive academic performance.

Yen noted that Vietnamese students often lack soft skills, real-life experience and are limited in their ability to communicate in foreign languages.

Another issue deputies said must be addressed is the fact that there may be more than one, or in some cases too many textbooks used for the teaching of one subject. While it is a welcome change that schools are now able to choose their own textbooks there is a large gap in price between them. In some cases, certain textbooks are ten times more expensive than their alternatives.

Deputy Thach Phuoc Binh said a large number of public schools prove to be a constant strain on the States budget. He suggested the Government reduce this figure and focus only on those that train students for jobs which are in high-demand by the country. -- VNSOne person is confirmed missing after fire swept through a Frizzell Hill Road residence Monday afternoon in Leyden, the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services confirmed.

Jennifer Mieth, spokeswoman for state Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey, said state fire investigators responded to the fire along with the department's Incident Support Unit.

The fire was reported at about 2 p.m., and Mieth said the fire marshal's office was requested shortly after.

The fire drew mutual aid from Greenfield, Turners Falls, Shelburne and Colrain fire departments.

The incident remains under investigation.

The map below shows Frizzell Hill Road in the Franklin County town of Leyden:VATICAN - Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Chilean Bishop Juan Barros Madrid from his post in the diocese of Osorno.

The acceptance is part of the Church's ongoing narrative in how it has handled its global clergy sex abuse crisis that in this case brought a popular pontiff face-to-face with involved bishops, protesters, victims as well as destroyed documents on his home continent.

Francis had named the 61-year-old Barros bishop of Osorno in 2015 and defended the appointment despite widespread protests that followed in Chile. Barros had long been accused of witnessing and covering up the sexual abuse of minors by a priest who had once mentored him.

All of Chile's 34 Roman Catholic bishops resigned last month following a meeting in Rome during which Francis said the bishops were all collectively responsible for covering up clerical sexual abuse in their dioceses.

A Vatican investigation earlier this year was said to show that documents related to such crimes were destroyed and actions not taken to protect vulnerable children.

Francis, who twice previously had not accepted Barros' offered resignation, then acknowledged that he made "serious mistakes" in judging the case due to "a lack of truthful and balanced information."

He has also met with survivors, including Juan Carlos Cruz who reportedly tweeted that "Today begins a new day for the Catholic Church in Chile and hopefully the world. We hope this is the beginning of the end of this culture of abuse and cover up in the Church. Emotional but great day."

Juan Carlos Claret, spokesman for a group of lay Catholics in Osorno who fought for Barros' removal from office, said it was a "minimum condition" that they had sought from the pope.

"The resignation of these bishops should not dilute their criminal responsibility," he told the news agency Reuters.

"They shouldn't leave their posts to go home; some of them should go to prison. The pope has statements in his possession (from his investigators) that contain allegations of crimes we don't even know about."

Barros has denied the allegations that he covered up the actions of Fernando Karadima, once one of Chile's most popular priests who prepared boys for the priesthood.

Karadima was found guilty in 2011 by the Vatican of sexually abusing several minors during the 1980s and 1990s. The priest who has maintained his innocence was sentenced to a life of prayer and solitude.

The June 11 communique from the Vatican said that Bishop Jorge Enrique Conchua Cayuqueo, a Franciscan and auxiliary bishop of Santiago, will now also serve as apostolic administrator for the Osorno diocese.

In addition to Barros, the communique said Francis accepted the resignation of Archbishop Cristian Caro Cordero of Puerto Montt, naming Fr. Ricardo Basilio Morales Galindo, provincial for the Order of Mercy in Chile as apostolic administrator.

He also accepted the resignation of Bishop Gonzalo Duarte Garcia de Cortazar of Valparaiso, naming Bishop Pedro Mario Ossandon Buljevic, auxiliary bishop of Santiago, as apostolic administrator.

Both men are 75, the age when such resignations are required to be submitted to the pope.SPRINGFIELD -- One of two suspects charged with beating and robbing a Springfield man in front of his family during a botched home invasion has been ruled too dangerous to be released on bail.

Jose A. Davila, 48, of New Britain, Connecticut, will be held for 120 days at the Hampden County Correctional Center under an order issued Friday by Judge William Rota.

The ruling came two weeks after Davila pleaded not guilty in Springfield District Court to 18 charges, including armed assault with intent to murder, home invasion, kidnapping, armed robbery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Davila and an accomplice allegedly forced their way into a Dwight Street apartment on May 18, ordered the husband to lie face down on the kitchen floor, zip-tied his hands and stuck a gun to his head. The victim's wife was down on the floor too, with their two young children, according to the arrest report.

"Where's the money?" one assailant allegedly yelled. "We were sent here to get the money. Give us the money."

When the husband denied having any money, they struck him with a gun and snatched his gold chain and necklace. After more threats, they walked into a hallway where one said, "Something isn't right," the report said.

At that point, the mother grabbed her youngest child and ran to a nearby elementary school, where the staff called 911. Realizing the woman had escaped, the assailants also fled, leading police on a chase across the city to Interstate 91, the report said.

The men bailed out near the Longmeadow line and Davila, sweating profusely after running through swamps and woodlands, was captured several hours later by state and local police.

The second suspect escaped.

Following his arraignment, Davila was held without right to bail for a detention hearing that, after several postponements, was held on June 8. Rather than requesting bail, Davila, represented by attorney Joe A. Smith III, conceded that he met the criteria for dangerousness and was ordered held for 120 days.

Prosecutors can seek to renew the order when it expires.

Davila is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on July 9.When firefighters extinguished the flames that were consuming a house in Tewksbury, a "sophisticated" marijuana growth operation was discovered in the basement, officials said.

The blaze at 11 Herbert St. was put out early Monday morning. No people were injured in the fire, but a family dog died of apparent smoke inhalation, Tewksbury police said Monday afternoon.

Once the flames were extinguished, authorities discovered numerous heat lamps and an irrigation system in the basement, police said.

Tewksbury detectives obtained a search warrant for the home and discovered evidence of more than 180 marijuana plants.

Police arrested Minh Phan, 36, of 11 Herbert St., and Thao Nguyen, 35, of 2 Fisher Terrace, Woburn, for unlawful manufacturing and cultivation of marijuana.

The two were arraigned Monday in Lowell District Court. Bail was set at $5,000 for Phan and $400 for Nguyen, who both are scheduled to return to court on July 27, police said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Fire Marshal's Office and the Tewksbury Fire Department.SPRINGFIELD -- Two city police officers on Tuesday denied aggravated rape charges in Hampden Superior Court.

Patrolmen Joshua Figueroa, 27, and Derrick Gentry-Mitchell, 28, of Springfield, each denied two counts of aggravated rape.

They are free on their own recognizance with a condition that they must stay away from the alleged victim.

They are suspended indefinitely without pay, according to Springfield police spokesman Ryan Walsh.

The charges stem from an alleged incident on March 16, 2017 in Springfield. The officers have been charged in connection with a single alleged victim not identified in court records.

Assistant District Attorney Melissa Doran is prosecuting the case. Gentry-Mitchell is represented by Terrence M. Dunphy and Figueroa is represented by Raipher Pellegrino.AMHERST -- Two University of Massachusetts students have been charged in connection with an April 29 fire that damaged a Main Street apartment complex and sent one man to the hospital with significant injuries.

Laban K. Christenson, 23, of Waltham, and Andrew Ho, 21, of Hyannis, were arraigned Monday in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown.

They are charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, wanton destruction of property over $1,200, burning wood, unlawful possession of fireworks and a miscellaneous fire violation, said Mary Carey, spokeswoman for the Northwestern district attorney's office.

Ho also faces a charge of disconnecting a sprinkler system.

Both are due back Aug. 6 for a pretrial conference. They were released on personal recognizance.

The fire left 20 UMass students without housing less than two weeks before the semester's end.

An initial caller said people were setting off fireworks inside the building.

Amherst Fire Chief Tim Nelson called the fire a "worst-case scenario" because firefighters did not know how many people were in the building.

"It was one of those nightmare situations," he said. "You have multiple floors and multiple occupants and they are college kids and it is three in the morning."

Firefighters found the injured college-aged man as they were trying to figure out if everyone who lived in the building had gotten out. One firefighter heard moaning coming from a third-floor bedroom and thought it might be a dog, Nelson said.

The man, whose name was not released, was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and then transferred to the Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital.

The injured man, who is from Philadelphia, was visiting friends who lived in the apartment where the fire began, Nelson said.SPRINGFIELD - With about 75 supporters behind her, Gisella Collazo on Monday stepped outside the South Congregational Church, her temporary home for the last three months, to go return to her home and family.

As she stepped outside without fear of prosecution, the group sang "Go in peace. May your worries end. Go in peace, my friend."

Collazo, a temporary resident of the church on Maple Street since she sought sanctuary there in March, is being allowed to leave after U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services granted a stay of removal on her case, allowing her to remain in the United States for one year without fear of deportation.

She hopes to use the year petitioning the federal government to allow her to remain in the United States with her American husband and American-born children.

"Today I feel happy because I am able to be back at my house with my family. I will be able to do things independently again, to take my children to the park and to live my life," she said through a translator.

Collazo, a native of Peru who is married to an American citizen and has two children, 11 and 4, who were born in the United States, sought sanctuary in the church in March while under what was described as an imminent threat of deportation. Before she sought sanctuary with the church, Collazo had been fitted with a GPS monitoring device by immigration officials and directed to board a flight within days.

A rise in deportations have come in the wake of Republican President Donald Trump's national crackdown on immigration law violations, including non-violent offenders who have been in the country for several years.

Receiving a stay of removal will prevent immigration officials from seeking to deport her for a year, and will allow her to pursue a change in her status that would allow her to stay in the county legally.

John Mohan, New England public affairs officer for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, confirmed that the stay of removal had been granted. He could not go into specifics about why.

"A Stay of Removal is among the courses of action that the Field Operations Director of ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations has as an option that can be used at his or her discretion on a case by case basis," he said.

The decision represented a victory for the South Congregational Church and the Pioneer Valley Project, which had backed Collazo in her sanctuary effort.

Some 75 people in the chapel inside the church broke into sustained applause when Senior Pastor Tom Gerstenlauer announced that Collazo had been freed "from the bonds of bureaucratic oppression."

Gerstenlauer said the church is pleased that Collazo will now return to the Springfield home she and her husband have made for themselves and their children.

"We are glad the persecution of our sister and her family has ended," he said.

"We remain a community of faith and solidarity with Gisella and her family, and with all who suffer unjust and unfair persecution under a system of imperfect law and incompetent administration."

The church remains committed to helping out - including offering sanctuary - to anyone who finds themselves in the same circumstance as Collazo going forward.

Tara Parrish, director of the Pioneer Valley Project, said this was only Collazo's second time outside the church since the decision. The first was when she traveled to Hartford on Friday afternoon to have the GPS bracelet removed.

"We can all agree this is truly a wonderful day," Parrish said.

"We celebrate as Gizella is able to walk outside without fear. Today we celebrate as Gisella and her family can return to their lives as private citizens."

At the same time, she said, supporters of this effort cannot forget about the many families across the county living under the same fear that immigration policy will force them apart.

"We will continue to do our part to transform our unjust, racist and inhumane immigration system," Parrish said. "We will continue to stand with our undocumented friends and neighbors and lift our collective voices in love, solidarity and justice."

Christine Tetreault, the lawyer for the South Congregational Church, said it is important to note that although Collazo is leaving, the church will continue to provide sanctuary for anyone who needs it in the future.

"This is a chapter, we're not done with the book yet," she said.

"There are still issues hanging out there (with immigration policy) that we have to deal with. It's not getting better; it's getting worse," she said. "I'd love if we never had to do this again, but I think we will have to."

William Newman, head of the Western Massachusetts chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which backed the church, said "This is a great victory for humanity and a great victory for everyone who believes in treating your neighbor as yourself."

He added "We all can take great pride in how the community has stood against the Trump Administration policy of separating parents from their children."A Portland, Maine, police officer who was the first Somali police officer in the state has resigned amid an internal affairs investigation stemming from her arrest at Worcester's Palladium during a Ja Rule and Ashanti concert in January.

Zahra M. Abu, 25, was charged with assault and battery, resisting arrest, trespassing, disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace on Jan. 13. She has been on paid administrative leave since, but resigned Sunday before her department could complete an internal affairs investigation, the Portland Press Herald reported.

Worcester police say in court records that Abu physically assaulted people at the club then grabbed the head of security at the concert asking him, "Who the (expletive) are you?"

She was asked to leave the concert several times but refused, even pushing her friend off of her who was pleading with her to leave, according to police.

Officers continued to warn Abu about her behavior and said she was under arrest. Police say she pulled away from the officers while they tried to place her in handcuffs.

While outside, Abu allegedly told a patron police were racial profiling, reports said.

Abu pleaded not guilty to the charges and has remained free on personal recognizance, according to the Press Herald. She was ordered to stay away from the Palladium.

The newspaper reported that Abu became Maine's first Somali police officer two years ago. She was born in Kenya, where her parents were living in a refugee camp, and moved to Maine when she was 2 years old.President Trump's first remarks after meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong-Un were, for Trump, reasonably low-key. Credit for a straightforward attempt to ease nuclear tension was left to others for the most part.

What happens next will be fascinating. The summit in Singapore forces Trump's deepest haters to confront the unthinkable: that he actually did something they should applaud - and would be applauding if Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama or almost anyone else had done it.

Finding fault this time won't be easy, but we can expect plenty of people to try. To some, it's not about easing nuclear tension, it's about Trump. Because to some, everything is about Trump.

Some will say being duped while others warn it doesn't really solve anything. They will refuse to give credit, not because of what Trump did but because it's Trump who did it.

That is intellectually bankrupt and totally unfair. If it flourishes, it will give the nation's undecided voters their best evidence by far that for all his glaring flaws, Trump's efforts are not being given a fair and objective shake by people more consumed with hating him than looking at the facts.

Anyone who felt a brief sit-down would resolve nearly 70 years of conflict was living a fairy tale. The Singapore summit was a start, not a finish.

If Trump is guilty of anything, it was his overly optimistic outlook about the future of the Korean peninsula. But when progress is made - even if that progress is a set of briefs talks that don't result in worse relations than before - the president should not be blamed for telling the world it went well.

"Can you ensure anything? You can't ensure anything," he said, giving a refreshingly frank appraisal of verification, and a rebuttal to the typical game of pretend that one country can thoroughly monitor the secret doings of another.

"All I can say is they want to make a deal. That's what I do. My whole life has been deals. I have done great at it."

Yes, that was Trump being Trump and he could have left the self-flattery out. Avoiding nuclear annihilation is a different deal than, say, buying property on the Boardwalk.

It's not all about him, it's all about Earth. But those who despise Trump should ask themselves what better course of action they'd have recommended.

When Trump has rattled sabres, he's been blasted as a warmonger. Ignoring North Korea entirely is a diplomatic trick that doesn't make their nukes vanish.

That leaves talking. Obama was willing to talk to Iran, Cuba and other nations known for hostility toward us.

What Trump is doing is no different - except it's Trump doing it. That will make it taste like poison to many people who equated people like Carter and Obama with Gandhi.

The summit was not about North Korean atrocities. It was not about the moral character of Trump or, for that matter, Kim. It was about commencing a dialogue to ease nuclear tensions between two nuke-bearing nations - period.

Yet some media and critics have taken the occasion to highlight North Korea's ghastly human rights violations, as if this were breaking news. The stories are not fake news. The atrocities are real.

But they were also real in 1994, when Carter met with Kim Il-Sung as a liaison for President Clinton. They were real during Obama's eight years in office.

Rarely was the subject of North Korean atrocities, and what the United States could do about them, brought up. Nobody blamed Carter, Clinton or Obama for the horrors in North Korea.

Making issue of them now is a furtive way of implicitly connecting Trump's name to them as a partner in crime. That's disingenuous, dishonest, and patently unfair.

Trump has lately alienated our allies in some needless ways, and even the South Koreans are confused, but it's hard to criticize him for declaring a cessation of Korean war games. They can always be resumed. For now, it's hard to tell the North Koreans or the world that we're serious about a peaceful resolution on the one hand, while continuing those exercises as if the talks had no meaning.

Was Trump duped by a monster who fed the president's ego by telling him what he wanted to hear? Is he the new Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister fooled by Adolph Hitler in 1938?

Time will tell and, despite Trump's upbeat predictions, there is still need for concern. But the same critics who have blasted Trump's diplomatic recklessness must now confront that he actually sat down in serious, face-to-face talks about serious problems with another nation's leader, which is exactly what those critics usually say a world leader should do.

Fair is fair. If the Trump haters invent ways to say otherwise, they will only reveal that their hatred has overcome their sense of reason, leaving the rest of us to wonder why we should take their anti-Trump rants seriously in the future.Former United States diplomats and arms control experts offered mixed reactions Tuesday to President Donald Trump historic meeting with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, arguing that while the summit is a positive step forward, more must be done to end the nuclear threat.

Hours after Trump and Kim issued an agreement, in which the United States committed to providing "security guarantees" and North Korea reaffirmed its "firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," experts praised the White House for going through with the historic summit and pursuing diplomacy.

They, however, raised concerns about the lack of details surrounding the agreement, reports that Trump suspended military exercises with South Korea without first consulting Seoul and the little focus such negotiations have had on human rights issues.

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who also served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and energy secretary, told reporters on an Arms Control Association-organized conference call that he sees the White House's diplomatic and non-military approach to addressing North Korea's nuclear weapons program as a positive.

The former ambassador praised the administration for beginning a process for continued negotiations, but said he'd like to see more specifics when it comes to denuclearization, particularly on inspections and other verification efforts.

"There has to be substantive verification, accountability, transparency and inspections in anything North Korea does," he said. "And that was not part of the declaration or the summit."

Richardson added that the outcome of Tuesday's negotiations did not come as a surprise.

"Unfortunately this is typical of North Korea. They're always wanting you to go first (in negotiations,) then when it's their turn they hold off and tend to never say 'Yes' or 'No,'" he said.

Moving forward, Richardson said he hopes Secretary of State Mike Pompeo -- and no one else from the White House -- takes the lead in negotiations with North Korea, and that officials establish working groups to focus on human rights, missile technology and nuclear weapons issues.

Former Washington Gov. Gary Locke, who also served as the U.S. secretary of commerce and ambassador to China, said he was "very, very pleased" Trump and Kim met, offering that it's a "good beginning for stabilizing tensions on the Korean peninsula and the entire region."

Like Richardson though, Locke said he'd like to see additional details on the United States' agreement with North Korea.

Locke argued that there needs to be more "meat on the bones" for officials to determine whether both sides are on the same page about the definition of "denuclearization" and the pace of such a process.

"Beyond the glow of this initial diplomatic meeting ... we've got to sustain process. We have to get to the next steps. How and where we do that and what we focus on next is unknown," he told reporters.

Thomas Countryman, the former assistant secretary of state for nonproliferation, meanwhile, raised concerns about the impact Trump's decision to suspend military exercises could have on relations with South Korea.

"It concerns me because the entire process can only succeed if us and South Korea stay in closest consultation," he told reporters on the conference call. "This is a step that can easily be reversed ... It's not a positive sign, but it's also not a fatal flaw."

Countryman, who argued that efforts to address Pyongyang's nuclear program will likely take years, said he'd like to see North Korea make a complete declaration of its nuclear arsenal and material inventory, as well as see officials start involving the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Experts and former diplomats were not the only ones raising concerns about the lack of details included in the Trump-Kim agreement.

Several members of Massachusetts congressional delegation also questioned its impact, with U.S. Sen. Ed Markey calling the declaration "the vaguest and least detailed of any signed by North Korea over the past three decades."

Trump and Kim released the agreement after meeting at Sentosa Island in Singapore Tuesday to discuss U.S.-North Korea relations and negotiate an end to Pyongyang's nuclear program.

The leaders agreed to: establish new relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity; join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean peninsula; and commit to recovering POW/MIA remains.

North Korea further agreed to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

Although the White House did not offer many specifics on the agreement, Trump told reporters that the United States "will be stopping the war games" by halting military exercises with South Korea.Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has granted an interview to the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada on the occasion of his State visit to the country and attendance at the G7 Outreach Summit. The following is the full interview at the conclusion of the 44th G7 Summit held on June 8-9, in La Malbaie, Quebec, in which he vowed his support for international cooperation on ocean economy and ecology.

Ocean is an agenda item for this years G7 Leaders Outreach Session. We know that Viet Nam is a coastal country highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Could you please share with us the policies that Viet Nam is pursuing to develop its marine economy and protect the marine environment?

The 21st century is the century of oceans, as the seas and oceans are the habitat and development space for the coastal countries in general and the planet as a whole. Therefore, the development of maritime economy and the protection of the marine environment play a very important role in the sustainable development of coastal countries, including Viet Nam.

Our country has immense potential for marine economy development: a 3,260km long coastline, or one kilometer of coastline for every 100 square kilometers of land, six times greater than the world average. Viet Nam has 1 million square kilometers of territorial waters, endowed with rich and lucrative resources, such as seafood (3 to 3.5 million tons), oil and gas, and other mineral resources. Viet Nam has more than 2,770 islands and islets, and many beautiful bays recognisd as world heritages sites, such as Ha Long Bay, and 125 beautiful scenic beaches, 20 among them are of international standards. These make for enormous potential for the development of maritime tourism.

In addition, Viet Nam is also located in a very important geo-strategic position on the international trade lane connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Five out of ten largest sea lanes in the world pass through the East Sea (a.k.a. South China Sea), accounting for more than 50% of total global shipments. With more than 90 ports, including deep-water international transit ports, Viet Nam boasts excellent potential in the development of sea transport, transit and logistics.

Given such rich potential, marine economy and seaward development have been Viet Nams strategic development orientation for many years. Our vision is to build Viet Nam into a marine-capable country. We have set the target that by 2020, the marine and coastal economic sectors shall account for 55% of our GDP and 60% of gross export.

To realise the above vision and goal, Viet Nam has been implementing many policies, plans and measures to develop the marine economy and protect the marine environment.

First, we have been improving the institutions, policies, legal framework and planning for the sea and islands. The Sea Law, Marine Resources and Environment Law and relevant regulations are being effectively implemented. Viet Nam has acceded to multiple international maritime protocols and agreements in order to create the legal framework for the development of the marine economy.

Second, we are consistently implementing policies pertaining to the research and development and application of marine science and technologies. We are modernising the marine infrastructure to support the marine economy such as coastal roads and the port network. Viet Nam has established a number of competitive marine industries, such as tourism, aquaculture, fishing and seafood processing, oil and gas exploitation and production as well as fifteen coastal economic zones. The export value of seafood in 2017 exceeded $8.3 billion, a record year-on increase of 19 per cent. The figure for the first five months of 2018 amounted to $3.15 billion, up 11 per cent year-on.

Third, we consider the protection of the marine environment and ecology an extremely important, regular and long-term mission. Developing the marine economy concurrently with the protection of the marine environment is Viet Nams consistent position in her marine strategy, the principle being that use and extraction need to go hand-in-hand with protection and renewal, without trading off the environment for economic growth. All development projects must ensure full and effective observance of environment protection regulations. The Vietnamese government encourages businesses within and outside of Viet Nam to invest into the sustainable development of the marine economy, such as marine ecosystem protection, sustainable aquaculture and renewable energy development, treatment of waste discharged into the sea, and enhancing capacity for responding to climate change and rising sea level.

Fourth, we will step up international cooperation and integration, thus making active and responsible contribution to the reinforcement of peace and stability in the seas. Viet Nam supports the effort of the international community that contributes substantially to the maintenance of peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight, and to the protection of the marine environment. Viet Nams consistent policy is to resolve differences and disputes through peaceful means in compliance with international law, in particular the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; respect the diplomatic and legal processes; promote mutual trust; refrain from the use or threat of force; fully and effectively implement the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC); and work towards the early conclusion of a substantive and effective Code of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (COC).

Viet Nam stands ready to promote cooperation with all countries and partners in the development of marine economy, on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and observance of international law towards the common goal of clean, peaceful and stable oceans for the common prosperity.

Viet Nam has been invited by host countries to the 2016 G7 Leaders Outreach Session in Japan, the 2017 G20 Summit in Germany and again to the 2018 G7 Leaders Outreach in Canada. This seems to indicate the growing role and status of the country in the international arena. Could you please give us some ideas about the messages and initiatives of Viet Nam at the 2018 G7 Leaders Outreach Session?

In implementing our foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multi-directionalisation of our external relations, Viet Nam is carrying out active and extensive international integration in a variety of areas. As a trustworthy friend and partner, Viet Nam has been making active and responsible contribution to matters of common interest to the international community at many important multilateral forums, such as the United Nations, ASEAN, APEC and ASEM to name a few. The fact that Viet Nam was invited to join the recent G20 and G7 Leaders Outreach Summits indicates that the international community acknowledges Viet Nams active role, efforts and contributions to the maintenance of a peaceful and stable environment for cooperation and development in the region, the promotion of the shared interests, as well as the settlement of the common challenges of the world and the region.

The agenda of this years G7 Leaders Outreach Session prioritizes discussion on the ocean. This is a matter of existential importance to the survival and development of coastal countries and the planet at large. At the Summit, the leaders of G7 countries and invited countries and international organizations shared their views and ideas on the promotion of international cooperation to enhance capacity in climate change and rising sea level adaptation and response, sustainable extraction of marine resources, and protection of the marine environment and ecology.

The fact that Viet Nam was invited to the G7 Leaders Outreach Session by Canada is both another step forward in the Viet Nam  Canada Comprehensive Partnership established in November 2017, and a testimony to the role, status and efforts of Viet Nam in climate change response, marine economy development and marine environment protection that are acknowledged by the international community.

At this Summit, Viet Nam has provided concrete and responsible inputs to the discussions of many important agenda items, in particular the promotion of serious implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the protection of the marine environment and ecosystem, and the prevention of plastics pollution the oceans where as much as 8 million tonnes of plastics are being added every year. We welcome Canada and G7 countries initiatives to promote cooperation to prevent marine litter, advance gender equality and facilitate womens access to basic resources and services for climate change response.

On our part, Viet Nam suggested that the international community should discuss the possibility of a Global Agreement on the Prevention of Plastic Litter in the Ocean, akin to the Paris Agreement on climate change. In addition, Viet Nam also calls upon the G7 countries to consider establishing an Expanded Cooperation Forum between G7 countries and coastal countries on climate change and rising sea level response and marine environment and ecosystem protection. Such initiatives stem from the urgent need of the international community for the promotion of concrete and effective cooperation in climate change response and marine environment protection, and thus were welcomed and highly regarded by many countries at the Summit.

Viet Nam stands ready to promote cooperation with all countries and partners in implementing the above-mentioned initiatives through concrete and practical programs and projects, for the common sustainable development and prosperity of our planet as a whole.  VNSGov. Charlie Baker's campaign last year paid a vendor to send emails through the Massachusetts Republican State Committee mailing list, records show, illustrating the close ties between the party and the governor.

The issue arises amid a pending lawsuit from Baker's Republican primary opponent over early support of the governor by the party, which has bylaws against helping a candidate in a contested primary.

Democrats, meanwhile, are criticizing Baker for what they say is a potential violation of campaign finance laws.

"It's not appropriate in any shape or form," said former Democratic Party Chairman John Walsh.

Baker's campaign deferred to the state committee to provide a statement. A Baker aide confirmed comments from a committee official who said the firm that sent the emails, the Prosper Group Corporation, was doing issue advocacy related to the governor's work on Beacon Hill before he was officially a candidate.

According to campaign finance filings, Baker -- through his campaign account -- paid the Prosper Group $126,000 between February 2017 and March 2018. The money went to digital consulting, online advertising, website development, fundraising consulting and a retainer.

The Indiana-based company is a national firm focused on crafting digital advertising for Republican groups and candidates. Clients have included Vice President Mike Pence, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

The state committee did not pay any money to the Prosper Group, according to campaign finance filings.

According to Whois.com, which tracks internet domain names, the Prosper Group Corporation registered domain names for Baker's campaign email list and the MassGOP email list. The MassGOP email domain name was registered in February 2017 and renewed in February 2018.

Naysa Woomer, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Republican State Committee, said the Prosper Group sent issue advocacy emails from the committee. Those emails ended in September 2017.

"The emails disseminated the MassGOP's message that supported the policies of the Governor and Republican team," Woomer said.

Baker didn't officially announce his re-election campaign until November 2017. Scott Lively, a Republican pastor known for his activism against gay rights, announced in December 2017 that he would challenge Baker.

After the Boston Globe reported in February that the party was helping Baker gather signatures, the party's executive committee voted to support Baker and not Lively. Under party rules, two-thirds of the party's executive committee can vote to take sides in a primary -- overriding the rule against aiding or endorsing candidates in a contested primary.

Lively has sued the state committee.

According to the state committee, the relationship involving the mailing list ended before Baker and Lively officially entered the race -- so, at that point, the primary was not contested. But Democrats question that argument, and claim the level of coordination was inappropriate.

Kevin Ready is a spokesman for Democrat Jay Gonzalez's gubernatorial campaign. "The level of collusion between the Baker campaign and the MassGOP is unprecedented," he said. "When will Charlie Baker realize that the rules apply to him, too?"

Ready said Baker's hiring of a digital advertising firm to manage the MassGOP email is "likely a state campaign finance violation."

The Office of Campaign and Political Finance does not comment on specific cases. According to state campaign finance rules, there are no limits on contributions between candidates and their state parties. But a transaction does require disclosure of goods or services that go between the candidate and the state party.

In this case, there are no disclosures from 2017 of in-kind donations between Baker and the state committee, either from Baker providing the services of the Prosper Group or from MassGOP sharing its email list.

A long-time Republican Party official said there is always a close relationship between the state party and the top of the ticket. An incumbent governor can fundraise for the party and help party candidates, as Baker has done.

Both Republicans and Democrats say there are ways the party and the top of the ticket can collaborate closely and potentially share resources.

But Walsh said Baker paying a vendor to do work for the MassGOP is essentially "comingling the two parties."

Walsh said when he ran the party under Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, there were "bright lines" between the two entities -- particularly when Patrick was facing a primary challenge. Spending was always kept separate, he said, adding that the party was transparent about the relationship.

"Every dollar Deval Patrick solicited to help the party was disclosed," Walsh said.BOSTON -- Civita Fulchini, an organizer with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1445, rallied outside the Massachusetts Statehouse Monday in support of a $15 minimum wage and the establishment of paid family leave.

"There's nothing that hasn't gone up, from a cup of coffee to your cable, your phone, gas," Fulchini said.

Fulchini said she hopes the issues are decided by the ballot, not the Legislature. "We should have that right to vote on something that's very important, not to help one or the very few but to help all," she said.

With the final signature deadline approaching for November ballot questions, many of the potential questions remain up in the air. Advocates for the questions have until July 3 to file signatures with Secretary of State William Galvin's office to get their questions on the ballot. So effectively, the Legislature has until then to act on the questions, in order to keep them off the ballot.

Questions that would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and establish a mandatory paid family and medical leave program are being pushed by a coalition of unions, clergy and liberal organizing groups.

Business groups have raised concerns about the cost of both of these initiatives. The Retailers Association of Massachusetts is proposing its own ballot question to lower the state sales tax from 6.25 percent to 5 percent.

Both sides have been negotiating to see whether a bargain can be reached. If the Legislature passes one of these policies into law, advocates for the ballot questions could decide not to go to the ballot.

Gov. Charlie Baker has said he hopes a "grand bargain" can be reached to keep the questions off the ballot.

Lewis Finfer, co-director of Massachusetts Communities Action Network and one of the leaders of the coalition pushing for the $15 minimum wage and paid family leave, said negotiators are close to an agreement on paid family leave.

"People feel there's a chance agreement could be reached," Finfer said.

But Finfer said the groups are far apart on the minimum wage and sales tax questions. Finfer said advocates for raising the minimum wage will not concede to the demands of business groups on the level of wages for tipped workers, establishing a lower wage for teenagers and the elimination of time-and-a-half pay on Sunday.

Retailers have been saying for years that the Sunday pay law makes stores less competitive when they are fighting against sales going to New Hampshire or the internet. They note that online retailers, like Amazon, which have warehouses in Massachusetts, have been exempted from the laws. Other "blue laws," like some restrictions on selling alcohol on Sunday, have been repealed.

But labor unions oppose efforts to cut workers' pay. "People who work in retail and grocery have to work a lot of nights and weekends to begin with," said Jim Carvalho, political director of UFCW Local 1445. "They sacrifice Sunday away from families and friends for added compensation."

Asked about the likelihood of the Legislature acting on any of the ballot questions, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop, said the negotiators are "making progress," but "I don't think they're there."

"I'm not sure if any of the advocates feel there is any urgency to come to an agreement because they're all polling so well," DeLeo said. "I don't think they feel the kind of pressure on them to come to some kind of accommodation. If they're polling well, they feel like they can win the vote come November."

A recent WBUR poll found 67 percent of respondents support lowering the state sales tax. A WBUR poll conducted in March found 78 percent support raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, while a November 2017 WBUR poll found 82 percent support paid family leave.

In addition to those questions, a constitutional amendment that would raise the tax rate on income over $1 million has already met all of the requirements for getting on the ballot, and polling shows strong public support for the change.

However, the Supreme Judicial Court heard arguments Feb. 6 on whether the question is legally allowed on the ballot. The court has not yet issued its ruling.

Another question on mandating nurse staffing ratios is also in the hands of the Supreme Judicial Court. Arguments in that case were heard in April.

Also expected to appear on the ballot is the proposed repeal of a transgender anti-discrimination law, which was passed in 2016.Members of Massachusetts' congressional delegation raised concerns Tuesday about President Donald Trump's signed agreement with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, arguing that it lacks details and falls short in addressing current threats.

With the United States set to move forward in its negotiations with Pyongyang following Trump and Kim's historic summit in Singapore, the Massachusetts Democrats urged the White House to work with its allies, clarify the definition of "denuclearization," and verify that pledged actions occur.

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, said although he's encouraged to see the White House directly engage with North Korea, he's concerned about the lack of specifics included in the new agreement between the two countries.

Contending that agreement's text "was the vaguest and least detailed of any signed by North Korea over the past three decades," the senator said he believes Trump "got a weaker deal with fewer commitments than any of his predecessors."

Markey, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's East Asia sub-panel, took specific issue with its failure to define "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" -- something which he said Kim could interpret as relinquishing his nuclear weapons once the U.S. does the same.

"The loopholes in the agreement, it seems, are big enough to fly nuclear missiles through," he said in remarks from the U.S. Senate floor.

Markey urged the White House to take a diplomatic approach to North Korea that front-loads rewards and delays concessions, uses sleight of hand to make irrelevant actions seem meaningful and exploits ambiguity.

He further called on the White House to work with its allies, build U.S. diplomatic capability and infrastructure, focus on the threat at hand and come to Congress.

"To achieve a lasting solution to the crisis, the Trump administration must work with Congress to shape the contours of any future deal. And any final agreement should take the form of a treaty - to be ratified by the U.S. Senate - so as to increase its shelf life," Markey said. "Without following principles like this - and without a clear understanding of our previous diplomatic efforts with North Korea - we could fail."

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, also raised concerns about the agreement reached at the historic summit, calling it a "photo op" that "doesn't change the fact that a nuclear-armed North Korea is a threat to the security of the United States, our allies, and the world."

Noting that the United States is just starting a diplomatic process, the senator argued that it will require patience, experience and close coordination with our allies.

"Generations of North Korean leaders have made and broken promises before -- this administration's success will be judged on whether it can eliminate Kim's nuclear weapons and verify they are gone. ... I want to see the president succeed, but a handshake is no substitute for a binding, verifiable deal," she said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, told The Republican that although he believes diplomatic engagement with North Korea is a good thing, he found it concerning that the president reportedly announced the suspension of military exercises with South Korea without first consulting with Seoul.

"I think it's harmful for the long-term relationship," he said following an event at Union Station. "Our support that was re-enforced by the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans to keep South Korea free on the peninsula, deserves and merits further consideration and consultation."

Congressman Seth Moulton, a Salem Democrat who co-chairs the Democratic Caucus' National Security Task Force, meanwhile, called the summit "an important first move toward averting a catastrophic war on the Korean Peninsula."

But, he said, the statement issued by Trump and Kim "falls far short on specifics."

"Without a timeline for complete denuclearization, specific inspection and verification requirements and a halt to ballistic missile and nuclear development, we are concerned that this agreement is more show than substance," he said in a statement with other task force members. "Those are elements that arms control experts, as well as the Trump administration itself, have explicitly articulated as 'must-haves.'"

Trump and Kim met at Sentosa Island in Singapore Tuesday to discuss U.S.-North Korea relations and negotiate an end to Pyongyang's nuclear program -- the first-ever sit down between a current U.S. president and a North Korean leader.

The daylong summit, which included several closed door meetings, ended with Trump committing to provide "security guarantees" to North Korea and Kim reaffirming "his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," according to the White House.

The leaders agreed to: establish new relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity; join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean peninsula; and commit to recovering POW/MIA remains.

North Korea further agreed to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

Although the White House did not offer many specifics on the agreement, Trump told reporters that the United States "will be stopping the war games" by halting military exercises with South Korea.

"Under the circumstances that we are negotiating a very comprehensive, complete deal, I think it's inappropriate to be having war games," he said of the decision. "So, number one, we save money -- a lot. And number two, it really is something that I think they very much appreciate it."ORHub is a HIPAA compliant, physician-driven digital software company focused on improving profitability and the cost effectiveness of hospitals through real-time smart data and analytics. ORHub provides a cloud-based software solution that captures information before, during, and after surgery, filling a void in the current surgical information infrastructure and providing a method to capture and measure the surgical process: evolving Big Data into Intelligent Digital Data.

In other words, ORHubs software applications allow hospitals and medical device vendors to utilize any web-enabled device to create an anatomical graphic depiction of exactly what occurs during surgery. The application automatically translates the resulting schematic into an intelligent, electronic operative report that links every detail of surgery, including implant location, surgical techniques, product usage, and all clinical parameters to create a dynamically new source of comparative information.

As a result, this is how hospitals and surgeons can make real-time, data driven decisions to improve business profitability and the quality of patient care. We had the opportunity to interview Colt Melby, CEO of ORHub.

Alice Ferng, Medgadget: How did you get involved with the company? Who was the founder and what was the inspiration behind ORHub?

Colt Melby, Chairman & CEO of ORHub: At ORHub, we believe that we all play a vital role in lowering healthcare spend. Our founder, who is a physician himself, was inspired by technology to transform OR economics when he witnessed how burdened his care team was with manual and disparate processes after each procedure which ultimately took time away from caring for patients. He then sought to analyze and automate resource allocation for his procedures, which required numerous steps to account for data registration and information cataloguing at the point of care across the surgical continuum. At that point, he collaborated with Microsoft to develop a cloud-based solution on their HIPAA compliant Azure platform to bring state-of-the-art technology into the operating room and that is how ORHub was born. Each surgical procedure is complex with numerous individuals, departments and vendors involved and ORHub unites the relevant parties to capture data real-time, remove manual errors, remove duplication of efforts and bridge communication gaps. We then partnered with a leading orthopedic hospital to advance their surgical system into the digital era. Through our proprietary scanning technology, we have captured compliant data across 4500 surgeries to date and have proven that providers are able to generate meaningful cost savings per physician per procedure, compress the reimbursement cycle, optimize time savings and create efficiencies across care teams.

Medgadget: Tell me more about ORHub  how does it work? What does the platform look like, and how is it accessed and used? Who uses it? (e.g., Front desk, managers, surgeons, nurses, etc.).

Mr. Melby: Each hospital and team is provided a Microsoft Surface device. When a surgeon schedules a surgery, a medical device rep uses an app to select the implants required for the procedure and schedules them for delivery to the hospital sterilizing department where they are prepared for the OR. At the hospital, a number of Surface devices are charged in a specially designed station outside the OR, ready for use. In the OR, the surgical nurse opens the ORHub app on his/her computer and provides the medical representative with a PIN so the vendor can sign in and access the pre-populated data on the surgical procedure in progress. Each product, implant and surgical process is then scanned onto ORHubs platform and that is how data is captured real-time. At the point of care, users of the platform include the nurses, physicians and medical device representatives. Post-care, users of the data analytics expand to include hospital administration and perioperatives.

Medgadget: What type of data is utilized by the platform, and what types of analyses are performed on the data. Can you share some metrics?

Mr. Melby: The data that is used by the platform include patient demographics, procedure information, materials information, revenue data and outcomes data.

ORHub was founded with value-based care in mind. We collaborated with over 40 surgeons to create a granular and discreet data set that captures what is missing in legacy software for procedures performed and materials used. We then marry real-time data to existing demographic and finance data to get a true apples-to-apples view of similar episodes of care that we can link to ICHOM designed outcomes and determine the efficacy of procedures performed, money spent and quality of patient care. An example, is that ORHub would look at rotator cuff repair as a distinct surgery and record the approach, size of the tear, single vs. double row repair, and differentiate between metal, PEEK, and bio-composite anchors and how many were used. This allows care providers to understand the impact of their choices, and make an informed decision for value.

Since we have automated the surgical process, we now have real-time data that account for all of the materials used for each procedure down to the manufacturers of each product and can benchmark which are used more or less in frequency and determine the reasons why. By all accounts, we can create real-time purchase and delivery orders, which improves inventory management, a large factor in the OR cost equation.

Another favorable outcome as a result of our data analytics is the ability to recognize the disparity between the inputs of CPT and DRG codes per procedure which has enabled administration to compress reimbursement cycles and enhance cash collection cycles.

Medgadget: How are the platform cases decided and how are outcome measures analyzed for significance and efficacy?

Mr. Melby: ORHub is an ICHOM TechHub partner and we utilize internationally recognized outcomes measurements that consider Pain, Disability, Quality of life, Work Status, and Analgesic use to measure the impact that surgery has had on a patient. Measurement is done by the Surgeons clinical office, and they look at a baseline before surgery, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year and 5 years post operation to see how much the operation affected the patients life.

We started with spine cases as it is one of the most complicated procedures with one of the highest revenue points for hospitals but also carries with it the highest expenses. With this detailed outcome information, we can look at patients with similar conditions undergoing surgical care, and group them by improvement to their quality of life and then see if there are any correlations with procedure, materials, length of stay, medications, anesthesia, etc. Over time, we can begin to assign value scores to time and materials spent treating patients. This would be the cost of materials, OR Time, recovery time, and any other drugs, materials, tests or procedures performed on a patient administered with the intent to treat the underlying condition. By comparing outcomes to dollars, we can determine the value of different treatment options and massively reduce unnecessary tests, procedures, and overly expensive materials that do not affect quality of care. We have since expanded from spine into hips and knees, cardiovascular and neurological surgical procedures.

Medgadget: Can you provide examples of the real-time data driven decisions to improve business profitability and the quality of patient care in more specifics? What are these data, which decisions are being made, and how does that improve business or patient care?

Mr. Melby: To our knowledge, the way we capture the data has never been done before in order to obtain the highest level of granularity that is validated by the care team including the surgeon, immediately after the case, not hours or even days later. Our platform provides full transparency across a united platform that link each steward of medicine in the care delivery chain that help to ensure that patients are not given unnecessary materials or levels of care.

Based on our data, we have seen physicians make meaningful changes not only to the products they use, but even the fundamental approach they use when treating specific patients due to data that shows them alternative care paths with either lower cost, superior outcomes, or possibly both.

For example, a group of orthopedic surgeons had never discussed their various approaches to treating a condition together. In looking at a specific operation, there was a massive range of cost on anchors. (Anchors are used to attach soft tissue to bone). This was due to both the number of anchors used, and the material type. On the bottom end, anchors made of metal can cost under $100, while bio-composite anchors that dissolve over time can cost more than $500. Additionally, some surgeons like using as few as two anchors, and some as many as six.

The cost differential between someone using two metal anchors and someone using six bio-composite anchors was nearly twenty-times in material cost alone, not to mention the extra operation time, anesthesia, and other costs linked to recovery. After comparing notes on outcomes, it was clear to this small group that there was no discernable benefit to the patient for twenty times the cost, and over time they began to gravitate towards a practice that was just as effective, but substantially lower in cost. Now our platform can effect behavioral change.

Medgadget: What is lacking in current surgical practice that makes this platform viable? What type of data do you have showing that adoption of this platform is likely in surgical management? Can you provide any data or charts for our readers?

Mr. Melby: While many hospitals are doing heroic things with their legacy systems, they are all aware that the level of information provided by the underlying systems that power their decision-making can be improved upon to achieve greater efficiencies. Surgeons and administration constantly have trouble seeing eye-to-eye on the data they are using to drive optimal care. Physicians see ORHUB as the answer to this issue, and for an audience frequently pushing back on their administration, this is the first-time surgeons as front-line decision makers are actively lobbying their facilities to adopt a value platform. In 2018 alone, we have seen an 87.65% adoption of all surgical cases conducted by our hospitals.

Medgadget: Thank you for your time. Is there anything else you want to share with our readership?

Mr. Melby: For all of us who work in healthcare, it is ingrained in our DNA to solve complex issues including healthcare spend which places a tremendous burden on patients, physicians, care teams, providers and policy makers. Through the use of real-time data and data analytics that push the boundaries of technology today, we can empower providers to make economic decisions without compromising quality of care or clinical outcomes. We are committed to advancing technology to drive optimal performance so that we can better serve our communities.

Link: ORHub homepageThe Global Gene Panel Market is expected to reach an approximate CAGR of ~19% during the forecast period. The rising prevalence of genetic diseases and cancer is the key factor for the market to grow. According to the Cancer Research U.K., in 2012, 14.1 million cases of cancer were diagnosed all over the world, and 8.2 million died due to cancer. It also projected that the number of cancer patients is expected to reach 23.6 million by 2030.

The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as cancer, genetic diseases, and rare diseases, increase in adoption of genetic testing, rising company initiatives, technological advancements, need for efficient prenatal diagnosis, and increasing health awareness are estimated to drive the market during the forecast period. However, factors such as expensive tests, inaccuracy in results, and security concerns of the genes are estimated to restrain the market growth during the forecast period.

The increase in adoption of genetic testing, rising company initiatives, technological advancements such as Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) system, and the need for efficient prenatal diagnosis are important factors influencing the growth of the market. It is estimated that Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) enables to sequence the entire DNA and RNA sequences in order to detect the presence of any mutation in the genome. With these diagnostic benefits of gene panel, the market is projected to grow rapidly.

However, factors such as high cost of testing followed by erroneous results and security concerns for the genetic data are estimated to hinder the market growth during the forecast period.

Global Gene Panel Market  Key Players

Thermo Fisher Scientific (U.S.)

Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Switzerland)

Illumina, Inc.

BGI (China)

Agilent Technologies (U.S.)

Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) (U.S.)

Eurofins Scientific (U.S.)

QIAGEN (Germany)

GENEWIZ

Novogene Corporation (China)

Personalis (U.S.)

GATC Biotech AG (GATC Biotech) (Germany)

ArcherDx (U.S.)

CENTOGENE AG

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Global Gene Panel Market  Regional Analysis

The Americas dominates the global market for gene panel. The increase in the patient pool for chronic diseases, government initiatives for the development of cancer treatment, and presence of strong market players such as Thermo Fisher Scientific drive the market growth in this region. Europe (the U.K., Belgium, France, and the Netherlands) is second in the market owing to the increasing research and development activities for cancer and congenital diseases. Also, the high occurrence rate of cancer in Europe influences the market growth in Europe. According to WHO, there are 3.7 million cases of cancer in Europe every year. Furthermore, Germany is predicted to dominate the European market as there were 2, 24,089 number of deaths due to cancer in 2014. Also, technological advancements coupled with an early diagnosis of cancer is likely to drive market growth for gene panel in Germany. Asia Pacific is expected to observe growth for the global gene panel market owing to the growing prevalence of cancer and increasing health expenditure. The Middle East and Africa with the presence of low-income countries, low healthcare expenditures, and stringent government regulations accounted for the least market share.

Global Gene Panel Market  Segmentation

Global Gene Panel Market, by Product & Service

Test Kits

Testing Services

Global Gene Panel Market, by Technique

Amplicon-Based Approach

Hybridization-Based Approach

Global Gene Panel Market, by Design

Predesigned Gene Panels

Customized Gene Panels

Global Gene Panel Market, by Application

Cancer Risk Assessment Syndrome-Specific Gene Panels High-Penetrance Gene Panels High and Moderate-Penetrance Gene Panels Comprehensive Cancer Risk Panels

Pharmacogenetics

Diagnosis of Congenital Disorders

Other Applications

Global Gene Panel Market, by Region

The Americas

Europe

Asia Pacific

The Middle East & Africa

Research Methodology

Market Research Future research is conducted by industry experts who offer insights into industry structure, market segmentation, assessment, Competitive Landscape (CL), penetration, as well as on emerging trends. Besides primary interviews (~ 80%) and secondary research (~ 20%), their analysis is based on their years of professional expertise in respective industries. Our analysts also predict where the market will be headed in the next five to ten years, by analyzing historical trends and current market positions. Furthermore, the varying trends of segments and categories geographically presented are studied and are estimated based on the primary and secondary research.

Primary Research

Extensive primary research was conducted to gain a deeper insight of the market and the industry performance. In this particular report, we have conducted primary surveys (interviews) with key level executives (VPs, CEOs, Marketing Directors, Business Development Managers, and many more) of the major players who are active in the market. In addition to analyzing the current and historical trends, our analysts predict where the market is headed, over the next five to ten years.

Secondary Research

Secondary research was mainly used to collect and identify information useful for extensive, technical, market-oriented, and commercial study of the global gene panel market. It was also used to obtain key information about major players, market classification, and segmentation according to industry trends, geographical markets, and developments related to the market and perspectives. For this study, analysts have gathered information from various credible sources, such as annual reports, SEC filings, journals, white papers, corporate presentations, company websites, international organization of chemical manufacturers, some paid databases, and many others.

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Major Table of Content

Chapter 1. Report Prologue

Chapter 2. Market Introduction

2.1 Definition

2.2 Scope of the Study

2.2.1 Research Objective

2.2.2 Assumptions

2.2.3 Limitations

Chapter 3. Research Methodology

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Primary Research

3.3 Secondary Research

3.4 Market Size Estimation

Chapter 4. Market Dynamics

Continued.

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Email: salesteam@marketresearchfuture.comA significant growth has been observed in IoT healthcare devices as they make lives a little healthier and a little happier each step of the way. In 2016, over 95% of hospitals were eligible for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive program that have achieved meaningful use of certified health IT. In 2017, most of the IoT initiatives in healthcare were to improve remote monitoring, EHR and tele-monitoring. Large adoption of electronic health records has been the major factor driving the market growth. Additionally, rising investments from major healthcare IT companies and increasing healthcare spending acts as some major motivators for the market. Moreover, rising geriatric population creates demand for remote monitoring and EHR applications.

High costs of IoT healthcare along with lack of skilled professionals towards this technology act as major restraints for the market growth. The reason behind the high cost is the requirement of the installation of software, hardware, training fees, networking infrastructure, &IT support. However, ongoing improvements in the healthcare expenditure and rising demand for IoT healthcare in the developing countries are expected to drive the market growth in developing countries in upcoming years.

On the basis of the geography, IoT Healthcare market is segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and Rest of the World. North America has been predicted to dominate the global IoT Healthcare market due to well established healthcare infrastructure and cohesive government policies. Additionally, APAC will be the fastest growing region during the forecast period due to growing disposable income and increasing adoption of EHR in the developing countries.

The Global IoT Healthcare Market is expected to grow at the CAGR of 16.2% during 2018-2023.

Backbone Labs, Cisco Systems Inc., Honeywell Life Care Solutions, IBM Corporation, and Microsoft Corporation are some of the major contributor in IoT healthcare market. These players adopt various strategies such as partnership, R&D, M&A, product launch, joint ventures and so forth. New applications, product upgrade and improvement in existing technology are some major strategies adopted by the market players. For instance, Orbita is one such company which lets their users create and keep up virtual assistants integrated with major smart technologies to enhance the lives of chronic care recipients and their care providers enabling care providers integrate voice-activated technologies into their environment.

Market Segmentation

Global IoT Healthcare market has been segmented on the basis of component, application and end user. On the basis of component, the market can be further segmented into medical devices, systems & software, service, and technology. Moreover, on the basis of end users, the market is segmented into healthcare providers, healthcare payers, research laboratories and individuals. Global IoT Healthcare market has been segmented on the basis of application into patient monitoring, telemedicine, connected imaging, drug development, fitness and wellness measurement and others.

Global IoT Healthcare market is bifurcated as follows:

Global IoT Healthcare Market Research and Analysis, By Component

Global IoT Healthcare Market Research and Analysis, By Application

Global IoT Healthcare Market Research and Analysis, By End-Users

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The Report covers

Comprehensive research methodology of Global IoT Healthcare Market.

This report also includes detailed and extensive market overview with current market recommendations & key analysts insights.

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 IoT Healthcare Market.

Insights about market determinants which are stimulating the Global IoT Healthcare Market.

Detailed and extensive market segments with regional distribution of forecasted revenues.

Extensive profiles and recent developments of market players.

Table of Content

REPORT SUMMARY MARKET OVERVIEW AND INSIGHTS MARKET DETERMINANT MARKET SEGMENTATION COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE REGIONAL ANALYSIS COMPANY PROFILES

7.1. ALPHABET INC.

7.2. APPLE INC.

7.3. BACKBONE LABS

7.4. CARRE TECHNOLOGIES

7.5. CISCO SYSTEMS INC.

7.6. GE HEALTHCARE

7.7. HONEYWELL LIFE CARE SOLUTIONS

7.8. IBM CORPORATION

7.9. KERITON

7.10. MEDTRONIC PLC

7.11. MICROSOFT CORPORATION

7.12. NAYA HEALTH

7.13. ORBITA

7.14. ROYAL PHILIPS

7.15. SAP SE

7.16. ST. JUDE MEDICAL INC.

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Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Medical devices manufacturers are developing new and innovative products to provide more advance solutions to the dental professionals. Cosmetic dentistry treatment market is growing rapidly because of dissatisfaction and cavities. It is niche market and growing steadily.

Dental implants are replacement of tooth roots. A dental implant is a metal post mainly made up of titanium or zirconium which is surgically positioned into the jawbone beneath the gums. Once these implants are placed into the jawbone, they allow the dentist to mount the replacement teeth over them. The dental implant acts like an artificial root into the jaw so as to hold a replacement tooth or a bridge and it does not affect nearby teeth. Dental implants as an option are for those people who have lost tooth/teeth as a result of a periodontal diseases or an injury.

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Global Dental Implants Market  Overview

The Global Dental Implants Industry is rising with a swift phase; mainly owing to increase in patient population. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2014, around 30% of the older aged (65-74) population globally have lost their natural teeth, around 60-90% of the school children globally and nearly 100% of the adults were believed to have dental cavities, about 15-20% middle aged (35-44 years) adults have found to have severe periodontal disease. Increasing consumer awareness about technology associated with oral health and rapidly increasing population globally leads to the growth of the dental implant market. Dentistry as a branch of healthcare has also further expanded and developed in its sub branches resulting in specialist oral care depending upon the type of treatment required for the oral care. Major specializations are orthodontics, endodontics, prosthodontics, and periodontics

Dental Implants Market Competitive Analysis

Institut Straumann AG (Switzerland),

3M (U.S.),

Osstem Implant (South Korea),

Nobel Biocare (Part of Danaher corporation (U.S.),

Dentsply Sirona (U.S.),

Zimmer Biomet (U.S.),

CAMLOG Biotechnologies AG (Switzerland),

Neobiotech Inc. (U.S.) and Others.

Dental Implants Market Segments:

MRFR has segmented the report into four key dynamics, for the convenience of enhanced understanding;

By Procedures : Comprises Root-form Dental Implants, Plate-form Dental Implants, and other.

By Type of Materials : Zirconium Implant, Titanium Implant, and other.

By End Users: Dental Hospitals & Clinics Market, and Dental Research Laboratories, among other.

By Regions: North America, Europe, APAC and Rest of the World.

Global Dental Implants Market  Regional Analysis

The market of dental implants is much higher in the Americas region. There are huge population which are missing all their teeth in one or both jaws. According to a report published in 2014, by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, government initiated the National Oral Health Plan to improve the quality of life of the Americans. Through this program they were focusing on change in public perceptions, change in policymakers perceptions, and change in health providers perceptions.

Europe is also considered a huge market for dental implants players, owing to presence of huge population affected with oral diseases. Governments are more focusing on educating their public in order to minimize the patients population by educating them about the relationship between mouth and rest of the body.

Asia Pacific and the Middle East and Africa region are considered untapped markets. Whereas, country like India and China of Asia Pacific region are considered as the fastest growing region due to presence of huge population suffering with oral health issues. Japan is well developed country and have well established healthcare system and technology, whereas developing countries are still focusing on new drugs and technology for the treatment of dental implants, this gap between the developed and developing countries will present significant growth opportunity for the dental implants market players in the coming years. Additionally, they are open to adopt new technology and best treatment option from developed countries in order to improve the quality of life for their public.

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Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comAccording to the National Health Service in 2015, an average American is constantly connected via high bandwidth to a vast network of data and sophisticated digital platforms with over 90% of American adults owning a cell phone and 55% having smart phones. Such exploitation of the technology has facilitated the development of mobile phones based wearable heart monitoring devices. Cardiac conditions such as atrial fibrillation (AFib) requires extensive and continuous monitoring. Conventionally, Holter monitoring is exploited for the same. But since the technology is expensive and risks of missing arrhythmias are associated, a number of new and effective technologies for wireless monitoring are devised which has facilitated the market growth.

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According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in 2017, 2.7-6.1 million people in the United States have AFib. Moreover, it is reported that more than 750,000 hospitalizations occur each year in the U.S. because of AFib, accounting to the estimated medical cost for people who have AFib to be about USD 8,705 per person. Such trends in the prevalence of AFib along with high per capita healthcare expenditures in the developed countries and growing geriatric population is estimated to boost the market growth during the forecasted period. However, lack of awareness for the products, low healthcare expenditures in the developing countries and stringent FDA approvals will restrain the market growth during the forecasted period.

Wearable Heart Monitoring Device Market  Key Players

The key players for the global wearable heart monitoring devices market are

Medtronic (U.S.)

Kinetec Products UK Ltd (South America)

Beurer GmbH (Europe)

Medisana AG (Europe)

Briggs Healthcare (U.S.)

Polar Electro (Europe)

SUUNTO (Europe)

Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Europe)

Garmin Ltd. (Europe)

Wearable Heart Monitoring Device Market  Segmentation

The Global Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices is segmented on the basis of products, type, application, and end users.

On the basis of products, the market is segmented electric pulse based, optical technology based, and others. The electric pulse based segment is sub-segmented into chest straps, chest patches and others. The optical technology based segment, by product, is further segmented into smart watches, earphones, and others. On the basis of type, the market is categorised into chargeable, non-chargeable, Bluetooth enabled, and others. On the basis of application, the market is segmented into healthcare, consumer market, and others. On the basis of end users, the market is segmented into hospitals, retail pharmacies, academic institutes, others.

Wearable Heart Monitoring Device Market  Intended Audience

Pharmaceutical companies

Biotechnological institutes

Research and Development (R&D) Companies

Medical Research Laboratories

Market Research and Consulting Service Providers

Wearable Heart Monitoring Device Market  Regional Analysis

The Americas dominate the global wearable heart monitoring devices market. Well-developed healthcare sector and highly developed information technology sector has enabled the Americas to be the regional global leader. Moreover, high prevalence of AFib diseases and increasing healthcare expenditure have boosted the growth of the market in America. Moreover, the presence of developed economies like the U.S. and Canada and global players such as Medtronic, Briggs Healthcare within the regional boundaries fuels the market growth.

Europe has the second leading market in global wearable heart monitoring devices market which is followed by Asia Pacific. A well-developed healthcare infrastructure, huge patient population and government support for research & development will drive the market in the Europe. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market for wearable heart monitoring devices Asia Pacific. Asia Pacific- wearable heart monitoring devices market is majorly driven by India and China owing to a huge patient pool, and continuously developing healthcare sector have fuelled the growth of the market.

The Middle East and Africa contribute the least in the growth of global wearable heart monitoring devices market. The Middle East dominates the market for the Middle East and Africa. Africa holds the least share of the global market due to limited availability of medical facilities and poor economic conditions.

Major Table of Content

Chapter 1. Report Prologue

Chapter 2. Market Introduction

2.1 Definition

2.2 Scope of the Study

2.2.1 Research Objective

2.2.2 Assumptions

2.2.3 Limitations

Chapter 3. Research Methodology

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Primary Research

3.3 Secondary Research

3.4 Market Size Estimation

Chapter 4. Market Dynamics

List of Tables

Table 1 Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Industry Synopsis, 2017  2023

Table 2 Global Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market Estimates and Forecast, 2017  2023, (USD Million)

Table 3 Global Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market by Region, 2017  2023, (USD Million)

Table 4 Global Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market by Products, 2017  2023, (USD Million)

List of Figures

Figure 1 Research Process

Figure 2 Segmentation for Global Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market

Figure 3 Segmentation Market Dynamics for Global Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market

Figure 4 Global Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market Share, By Product 2016

Continued.

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Email: salesteam@marketresearchfuture.comby Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, June 12, 2018

In addition to all of the other ways Twitter has enlivened society (to put it kindly), it has also become the go-to destination for mourning people we never knew personally.

Now, not only do celebrities, newsmakers or other prominent people have to cope with being widely talked about while they are alive (for better or worse), but the chatter is incessant even after they die (although the deceased is probably not aware of it).

For example, I never knew Anthony Bourdain -- not even vaguely in the way journalists sometimes cross paths with TV personalities. I never met him or interviewed him.

Still, it was certainly sad to hear about his death first thing last Friday morning. And then when you heard the cause was suicide, it became even sadder, and also mystifying. Why would a guy like this, who seemed to have everything he could possibly want, kill himself?

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We all wondered the same thing, and many of us discussed Bourdain and his suicide with a close friend, a relative or a spouse (in much the same way we may have talked about the suicide of Kate Spade just days earlier).

But for many people today, the first place they seem to think about for airing their grief, sense of loss or whatever you want to call it is Twitter and/or other social media platforms.

Like so many other things that were once private, grief has now gone public. When public figures die, social media becomes social mourning.

Many people evidently feel that they will be left out of the national conversation if they don't post their two cents under some newly created celebrity-death hashtag.

I first encountered the phrase national conversation about six or seven years ago when my then-editor encouraged me to join Twitter so I could then join the national conversation about TV or whatever TV-related topic I was writing about on a particular day.

I have had a Twitter account ever since. But I have never benefited (as far as I can tell) from the daily habit I formed of posting my TV columns and stories there. I don't even think that editor -- who was so adamant that I join Twitter -- ever even signed up to follow me.

Many times it seems as if this conversation that he imagined is not really a conversation at all. When one scrolls through the many tweets posted to mourn or remember Bourdain, for example, they don't read like a conversation is underway in which people are engaged with each other.

Instead, it often feels as if a lot of individuals are posting their thoughts and feelings not in response to each other, but more as an effort to make sure they get heard on the subject for some reason. Whether or not anyone reads or reacts to their tweets seems to be beside the point.

Thus, you came across random tweets in the aftermath of Bourdain's death in which someone would post a quote from him that he or she found online and then tweet about what an inspiration he was.

Or you get tweets with a photo of Bourdain or perhaps the restaurant he once worked in called Les Halles on Park Avenue in Manhattan. It has been closed for years, but it's still vacant with its old signs still intact, and people have left flowers and notes there in recent days sharing their grief.

Often these days, these outpourings of twitter-grieving also include tweets posted by celebrities in remembrance of the deceased -- although these mourning celebrities often never knew the celebrity who just died, and even admit in their tweets that they never knew the person.

This is also a curious response to someone's death -- as if celebrities believe the rest of the world needs to hear how they are feeling about this deceased person, even if they had no personal connection to the person whatsoever.

To me, much of the Twitter-grieving rings hollow. But I also don't want to be that person who criticizes people too harshly when they are sad or feeling upset. Perhaps a good deal of the Twitter-grieving is sincere and truly heartfelt.

All the same, I can't help thinking that the people who probably are the most aggrieved about Anthony Bourdain's tragic passing are those who really knew him -- family, friends, colleagues, associates and co-workers.

Grief is a very real thing -- serious and important. Social media such as Twitter, however, has a way of taking something serious like grief and making it seem trivial.by Sara Guaglione , June 12, 2018



The Dodo hosted its first event Saturday: an afternoon dedicated to dogs and their owners, sponsored by Samsung.

The Dodo, a Group Nine Media brand focused on animal content, has built a great community online among Dodo fans, so this felt like a great opportunity to bring people together in real life, Yosef Johnson told Publishers Daily. Johnson is senior vice president and head of Group Nines branded content team, The Brandshop.

Over 1,400 people attended the event, called Best Dog Day Ever, in New York Citys Brookfield Place.

The Dodo claims to be the No. 1 animal brand on digital. It attracts over 2.1 billion total monthly video views, and has more than 30 million Facebook followers and 3 million followers on Instagram.

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The Dodo partnered with Samsung, a non-endemic sponsor, to integrate its Galaxy S9 phone into the event last weekend, using its camera features to snap pictures and videos of pets.

The event is part of a broader campaign with Samsung and The Dodo. Twenty videos capturing animals using the Galaxy S9s super slo-mo feature were distributed on The Dodos Facebook and Instagram channels.

While The Dodo may seem to align more obviously with a pet food brand, Samsung "aligns with millennial [audiences] with the new phone in a brand safe way, with fun, heartwarming content, Johnson said of the campaign.

At the event, Galaxy S9 phones were used by Dodo staff to capture dogs participating in different activities: getting professionally groomed, posing for photo shoots with fun props, romping around in ball pit, jumping through an obstacle course and splashing in a pool area for the furry friends.

Shack Shake provided its Pooch-ini ice cream; the Galaxy S9 took slo-mo videos of pets licking up the dog-friendly treat.

The event also had a station to get a new dog tag engraved, and an adoption area featuring Shelter Chic, Social Tees Animal Rescue and Hearts & Bones with dogs looking for new homes.

Dog social influencers were in attendance, and posted photos from "Best Dog Day Ever": Edgar_The_Weiner, an Instagram handle for a particularly cute dachshund, got over 1,000 likes on a slo-mo video of him shaking off at the doggy pools.

In the future, Johnson said The Dodo may create events for other animals. Dogs are just easier to have outdoors, on leashes and around big groups.We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Heres our process.

Over the years, archeologists across the world have unearthed many ancient and medieval skeletons with mysterious holes in their skulls. It turned out that these holes were evidence of trepanation, an ancestor of modern brain surgery. Share on Pinterest Ancient Peruvians may have been better at handling skull perforation procedures than their modern-day counterparts. Evidence of holes being drilled into the skull for medical purposes, or trepanation, has been traced back to the Neolithic period  about 4000 B.C.  and it might have been practiced even earlier. When it comes to the reasons why trepanation was practiced at all, opinions differ. The operation may have been performed for various reasons across civilizations and eras. Some of the trepanations may have been done for ritualistic purposes, but many others were probably performed to heal. In a medical context, research has shown that trepanation was likely used to treat various types of head injuries and to relieve intracranial pressure . Fascinatingly, the most cases of ancient trepanation have been found in Peru, where it was also also seen to have the highest survival rate. A new study, in fact, shows that trepanation performed in the Incan period (early 15thearly 16th century) had higher survival rates than even modern trepanation procedures, such as those that were performed during the American Civil War (18611865) on soldiers who had suffered head trauma. Dr. David S. Kushner, a clinical professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida, alongside world expert on Peruvian trepanantion John W. Verano and his former graduate student Anne R. Titelbaum, explain  in an article that is now published in the World Neurosurgery journal  that trepanation was surprisingly well developed in the Inca Empire. There are still many unknowns about the procedure and the individuals on whom trepanation was performed, but the outcomes during the Civil War were dismal compared to Incan times, says Dr. Kushner. In Incan times, the mortality rate was between 17 and 25 percent, and during the Civil War, it was between 46 and 56 percent. Thats a big difference. The question is how did the ancient Peruvian surgeons have outcomes that far surpassed those of surgeons during the American Civil War? Dr. David S. Kushner

Ancient Peruvians vs. modern Americans The researchers suggest that one reason why skull-drilling practices during the Civil War may have had such dismal outcomes was the subpar hygiene involved in such operations, wherein surgeons used unsterlized tools and their bare  perhaps unclean  hands. If there was an opening in the skull [Civil War surgeons] would poke a finger into the wound and feel around, exploring for clots and bone fragments, Dr. Kushner says of the gruesome practice. At the same time, he admits, We do not know how the ancient Peruvians prevented infection, but it seems that they did a good job of it. Dr. Kushner also believes that the Peruvians may have used something akin to anesthetic to make the procedure more bearable, and his first guess is coca leaves  which have been used for medicinal purposes by Andean populations for centuries. [We still do not] know what they used as [anesthetic], but since there were so many [cranial surgeries] they must have used something  possibly coca leaves, Dr. Kushner surmises, though he concedes that other substances may also have been employed. The fact that the ancient Peruvians were clearly doing something well when it came to trepanation is supported by the evidence of over 800 prehistoric skulls bearing between one and seven precision holes. All of these skulls were discovered along the coasts or in the Andean regions of Peru, with the earliest skulls dated as early as 400 B.C.Advertisement

Her mother too lost her vision due to this eye cancer and her father was visually impaired since birth.is a type of eye cancer which affects the retina of the eye. It is the most sensitive lining of the eye having photosensitive cells and receives the light and sends the signal to the brain via optic nerve, where they are interpreted as images," said Amita Mahajan from Apollo Hospitals."In rare cases, pediatric retinoblastoma can be fatal, though the success rate of treatment is 90 percent," she added.Sampada was four-month-old when she was admitted for chemotherapy at the Delhi hospital under the care of Mahajan.The disease affects children more and rarely occurs among adults, Mahajan said."The total income of the family was Rs 5,000 per month. It was a brave decision on their part to seek treatment for their daughter despite so many hurdles in their way," Mahajan said."We registered Sampada's family with a non-profit organisation and after the discussion with an advisory body, we started providing to-and-fro travel conveyance to the family," Mahajan said.Source: IANSEveryone would agree that each and every picture of Donald Trump has the potential to become a meme. Actually, it's more like Trump in himself is a walking and talking meme so it doesn't really take much effort to make fun of him.

While almost everyone on the internet will never back down from poking fun at all the things Trump says or tweets, I never thought German Chancellor Angela Merkel would be one of them. Intentionally or unintentionally, she shared this hilarious picture from this weekend's G7 summit in Canada.

It looks like as if she's mad at something this cocky little kid did and she's scolding while he looks unbothered. Why do I get a feeling that this is how President Trump behaves in every situation ever?

While there are more pictures from the summit, but the first one is the only one that matters and that's the picture which is being shared by everyone.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and this one is worth like a million funny captions. There's so much potential and people took full advantage of that.

Yes, they can.

Just tell us what Vladimir has on you. Maybe we can help. pic.twitter.com/DLc7YJFXqT  Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) June 10, 2018

It truly is.

This is a Renaissance Painting. https://t.co/vNOJOFLLTl  Pete Forester (@pete_forester) June 9, 2018

See!

This is a Renaissance Painting. https://t.co/vNOJOFLLTl  Pete Forester (@pete_forester) June 9, 2018

Trump does look like the person who would always do this.

When everyone knows you ate the last slice of  but you refuse to admit it. pic.twitter.com/8oJhNh4KaP  Vir Das (@thevirdas) June 10, 2018

It's all about the perspective.

One scene - four different perspectives #G7



1) by Merkel's team 

2) by Macron's team 

3) by Conte's team 

4) by Trump's team  pic.twitter.com/q3qaSfaiQS  Fabian Reinbold (@fabreinbold) June 9, 2018

Message received, loud and clear.

I love that Angela Merkel posted this photo on her Instagram. She knows how to send a message. pic.twitter.com/zYNATIyRjk  Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) June 9, 2018

Chrissy Teigen will never ever let go of an opportunity to make fun of Trump.

baby go wah, want to go home !! https://t.co/CzKAqPXXgJ  christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) June 9, 2018

Iconic.

When Art History comes for you. pic.twitter.com/kCeq9nLqiy  Cameron Bailey (@cameron_tiff) June 10, 2018

That's a little too specific.Every time we come to the conclusion that Kim Jong Un can't get any weirder, he goes right ahead and proves us wrong. Right from the fact that no one knows his birth date, to the fact that his eyebrows are getting shorter by the day, to his hairstyle, he has always managed to involuntarily fascinate the entire world. But this time he went one step ahead and did something that we just can't seem to wrap our heads around. He carried his own toilet to the Singapore Summit. Yes, you read it right.

 Twitter

We bet you're intrigued, just like us. What could possibly be the reason behind someone carrying an entire toilet with them? Well, we got to know the reason and went 'Sh*t!" He doesn't want foreign intelligence to know about his health status by examining his stool samples. In other words, he doesn't want anyone to go through his sh*t to find out sh*t about him (see what we did there?)

 Twitter

This, however, is not the first time he has travelled with a toilet. In fact, toilets have always being engulfed with a layer of mystery when it comes to Kim. Apparently, the North Korean propaganda has made its people believe he doesn't defecate or urinate, ever.

 Twitter

All we can say is that, you do you, Kim. After all, your poop, your rules.Thank you for subscribing!

By signing up to this free newsletter you agree to receive occasional emails from us informing you about our products and services. You can opt out of these emails at any time.The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Kotzias, will meet with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on Wednesday, 13 June, in Moscow. Discussion will focus on bilateral cooperation issues and matters of regional interest, with emphasis on developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Balkans.

Mr. Kotzias will then go to the Moscow State University of International Relations, where he will be awarded an honorary doctorate.

While in Moscow, Mr. Kotzias will meet with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia, and with representatives of major think tanks.BINH THUAN  Deputy Minister of Public Security Nguyen Van Son called for investigation of and strict penalties for leaders of extremist groups who incited crowds to cause disorder at the headquarters of Binh Thuan Provinces Peoples Committee and surrounding areas in the past two days.

During a working session with the authorities of the south-central province on Monday, Son urged them to step up awareness of the schemes and tricks of extremists to prevent the public from being manipulated.

On Sunday afternoon, a group of people gathered and moved from Phan Thiet market to the building of the Peoples Committee in Binh Thuan province to protest against the provisions of the draft law on special administrative-economic units and leasing of land at the units for up to 99 years.

They shouted and jostled police and guards at the building and incited bystanders to attack the police with bricks and stones.

The disorder reached its peak when hundreds of people threw stones at the headquarters of the provincial Peoples Committee. Some even attacked the police with homemade petrol bombs, stones and other tools; destroyed the fence around the building and burnt the sentry box as well as several rooms of the sentry force. They also damaged the fence around some other provincial agencies.

At least 45 police officers were injured, while three cars and 20 motorbikes were burnt.

By Monday morning, 102 extremists were arrested, and the crowds were dispersed.

However, some people continued to throw bricks and stones until Monday afternoon and burnt cars parked at the headquarters of the fire rescue and prevention force at Phan Ri Cua town in Tuy Phong district.

Nearly 100 extremists were arrested on Monday night and many motorbikes were seized. Many of the arrested are drug addicts and criminals. A majority of them are adolescents who confessed to being manipulated and receiving money to carry out the attacks.  VNSHCM CITY  Many doctors at public hospitals in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta are reportedly quitting their jobs to seek opportunities at private hospitals due to low salaries, pressure in the workplace, and a shortage of favourable policies.

The worst-affected localities are Can Tho City and provinces such as Hau Giang, Long An, Vinh Long and Ca Mau that have seen an strongly increase in the number of well-qualified and experienced doctors at public hospitals shifting to private workplaces.

Van Cong Minh, deputy director of Vinh Long Provinces Department of Health, said that last year, up to seven doctors, most of them with post-graduate training, had resigned from Vinh Long Provinces General Hospital.

In the first four months of this year, six doctors quit and more than 10 doctors resigned in the province. Most of the doctors cited personal family circumstance, he said.

Minh said the main reason, however, was dissatisfaction with their monthly income, which they said had not reflected their real contributions.

At Can Tho General Hospital, 33 doctors have resigned, including 14 doctors in 2016, 14 in 2017, and five in the first five months of this year.

Huynh Van Nhanh, deputy director of Can Tho Provinces Health Department, said that some employees had quit for the simple reason of pay because private hospitals had offered them significantly higher salaries.

The situation has been the same in Hau Giang Province, a more remote area in the Mekong Delta.

Phan Thanh Tung, deputy director of Hau Giang Provinces Department of Health, said that 19 experienced doctors had left their job since 2016 because of low incomes and poor working conditions.

Since 2015, in Ca Mau Province, 105 health workers, including 98 doctors and eight pharmacists, have left their jobs at public hospitals, according to the provinces Department of Health.

Many of the doctors have post-graduate degrees with years of experience and had worked at Ca Mau Provinces General Hospital and Cai Nuoc Districts General Hospital.

Nguyen Hoang Vu, chief secretariate of Ca Mau Provinces Health Department, said that public hospital doctors faced low salaries as well as workplace pressure.

A doctor who declined to be named said that a number of well-qualified and experienced doctors quit their jobs in order to be better paid and work in a more transparent business environment.

Solutions

Tran Minh Thiet, director of Nam Can Districts General Hospital in Ca Mau, said: Public hospitals pay wages according to rank and level. For example, new doctors each gets only VN3-4 million (US$130-175) per month, which will increase as they become more senior.

Meanwhile, the wage at private hospitals for skilled doctors could be dozens of millions of Vietnamese ong per month, he said.

Most doctors sent abroad for post-graduate degrees decided to work for private hospitals after they complete their studies.

Dr Bui uc Van, director of Ca Mau Provinces General Hospital, said many public hospitals had no choice but to pay low wages to doctors because of financial restraints. When public hospitals become financially independent in the near future, the salary of doctors are expected to increase.

Huynh Minh Phu, head of the administration department of Can Tho General Hospital, said the hospital would recruit new doctors who will receive 100 per cent salary instead of 85 per cent during their apprenticeship period.

The hospital will also offer specialised training to improve their professional skills.

In the long run, the hospital is expected to have financial autonomy and will improve high-tech services to generate more revenue and increase staff income, according to Phu.

Phan Thanh Tung, deputy director of Hau Giang Department of Health, said it was necessary to reform the current salary policy and provide better medical equipment to improve living standards and working conditions for doctors.

Nguyen Huy Quang, head of the Ministry of Healths Legal Services Department, said that doctors shift from public to private hospitals was easy to understand. Many have to work at medical facilities with crowded patients, and they also face a high risk of medical errors.

Quang said it was time that public hospitals implemented policies to retain talented people and promote training courses for a higher quality workforce.

Mekong Delta, which consists of Can Tho City and 12 provinces, has 123 general hospitals and 37 specialist hospitals.

But all of these facilities lack qualified doctors and other trained personnel, according to figures from the Ministry of Health.  VNSCARO  Although the state is still on track to build a new state hospital in Tuscola County, it is not a fast track.

Its been a year since state officials decided a new 200-bed, psychiatric hospital would be built in Caro, located at 2000 Chambers Road in Indianfields Township.

There is no date for a groundbreaking yet. The schematic design is still being done, said Project Manager David Sprul with the Department of Technology and Management.

The state has budgeted $115 million for the new 200-bed hospital, which includes hiring 100 new employees.

The schematic design is expected to be completed this summer, said Sprul.

It will take time to design the nearly 200,000 square facility that will be built on the same grounds where the current 105-year-old Caro Center sits.

Then, construction can begin.

It is expected to be completed in the spring of 2021, he said.

When Tuscola County officials were faced with the possibility of the new psychiatric hospital being built elsewhere in the state, they launched an informational campaign that garnered support from the Tuscola Intermediate School District, Caro City officials and area residents.

Keeping the hospital locally is a boon for the Thumb area. About 349 people are employed at the Caro Center, and 398 people indirectly make a living from the center. It is estimated the overall economic benefit of the Caro Center locally is $54 million for the area.

Data shows more than 80 percent of the centers patients come from bordering counties, and about a third of the facilitys employees live in the Caro area and more than 70 percent of workers live within 30 miles of the Caro Center.PORT AUSTIN  As part of the annual Kids Day at the Port Austin Farmers Market on Saturday, there will be a special kids fair to encourage activity, healthy choices and safety.

The fair hours are the same as the market hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Fun & Fitness Fair theme is Keep on Moving!

It is being coordinated by the Port Austin Community Players (PACP) along with fair partners and sponsors: Port Austin Farmers Market, McLaren Thumb Region, Port Austin Stompers, Port Austin Fire Department, and Scheurer Hospital.

Returning this year are the popular inflatable activity stations: The moon walk, slide, jousting and obstacle course. These will be located on the east side of the Port Austin Gymnasium, or in the gym. The Port Austin Stompers will oversee a music station featuring dancing activities for all ages, plus hula hoop challenges.

Bike riding is a popular activity with children  and bike safety is a major concern for parents and health care providers. McLaren Thumb Region will have trained volunteers who will properly fit children with bike helmets. Those children who are fitted will be able to take home their new bike helmets. There will be about 350 helmets available.

Joyce Stanek, secretary of the PACP, told the Tribune about 500 kids attend the event.

They like everything, but I think their favorite things are doing the inflatables, and doing the bike helmets is really popular with parents, Stanek said.

If youve got two little kids that are growing like crazy, keeping them in bike helmets can be difficult, she added. "Not to mention, parents learn how to properly fit the helmets."

McLaren will also be giving out healthy snacks and handouts for parents concerning healthy eating.

Scheurer Hospital will have a station set up in the gym where kids will be able to put together a make-and-take first aid kit.

Volunteers from the Port Austin Fire Department will have a fire truck for kids to explore.

All of the fair activity centers are free. Some of the funding for the fair was provided through a grant from Huron County United Way. In addition to all of the activities, children can sign up for special drawings throughout the day at the PACP station in the gym.

Giveaways include special baskets/buckets put together by employees of McLaren Thumb Region  and two bikes donated by McLaren.

Drawings will be at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon. The bike drawing will be at 12:15 p.m.

For more information, contact the Greater Port Austin Area Chamber of Commerce at 989-738-7600.NEW HAVEN  A former Middletown mayor was arrested Tuesday on a criminal complaint charging him with wire fraud stemming from a scheme in which he allegedly embezzled about $490,000 from his former employer, then stole an estimated $457,000 from a family member to repay the employer, according to federal authorities.

Stephen T. Gionfriddo, of Middletown, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah A. L. Merriam in New Haven in the case and was released on $200,000 bond, said the release from the U.S. attorneys office.

Gionfriddo was previously convicted of federal wire fraud and mail fraud offenses in 2006 for embezzling more than $633,000 from clients while serving as their attorney, according to the criminal complaint.

The 67-year-old served on Middletowns Common Council from 1979 through October 2005, and was mayor for six months after Sebastian Garafalo stepped down to assume duties as tax collector in 1993. More recently, Gionfriddo served as head moderator in Middletown for the Republican Party in Middletown on Election Day.

The complaint filed this month alleges that while Gionfriddo, who was disbarred, was working as a paralegal at a law firm in greater Hartford from December 2013 through September 2017, he allegedly made false requisitions for about $377,900 in checks to pay clients expenses. He then allegedly converted these funds for his personal use.

Gionfriddo is also accused of forging the signature of one of the firms partners to fraudulently convert a certificate of deposit of approximately $112,750 to a check, and then converted it for his personal use. In total, he is accused of stealing $490,650 from the law firm, the release said.

The complaint further alleges principals at the firm confronted Gionfriddo about the theft of funds in late September 2017, and he promised recompense. He then allegedly stole from a family member by taking about $45,000 from a checking account and about $217,000 from an online trading account.

He is accused of also causing a hardship withdrawal of $195,000 to be made against his family members defined contribution plan by impersonating his family member on recorded telephone calls with the plans provider and submitting bogus paperwork, the release stated.

The family member Gionfriddo allegedly stole from had returned to the state due to an illness and the man told authorities Gionfriddo had offered to help him. The accused had access to the relatives bank account and mailbox, according to the warrant affidavit. After discovering Gionfriddo has taken more than $45,000 from the relatives checking account, the man cut off his access to the account, court documents show.

It was then his relative discovered the withdrawal from the plan, documents attest. Gionfriddo allegedly posed as his relative to take out the funds, the warrant said.

If convicted of wire fraud, he could serve up to 20 years in prison.

PA 13-21, An Act Concerning Qualifications of Election Moderators, which prohibits people who have been convicted of, or pled guilty or nolo contendere to, any felony involving fraud, forgery, larceny, embezzlement or bribery, or any criminal offense, was passed into law in 2013

The legislation was written by state Rep. Matt Lesser, D-100th.MIDDLETOWN  A city man whose play, Requiem for an Electric Chair, based on his escape from execution in Kinshasa, will premiere in New Haven later this month has been honored with a grant from The New England Foundation for the Arts.

Middletown resident Toto Kisaku is originally from Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His production is the harrowing story of his imprisonment and near-execution there in 2015, before he was granted political asylum in the United States, according to Wesleyan University.

Kisaku is among this years Rebecca Blunk Fund awardees, and will receive an award of $3,000 in unrestricted support for the creation of new work and for professional development, according to a press release.

Kisaku is an award-winning Congolese playwright, actor, director and producer who studied drama at the National Institute of Arts. After establishing the K-Mu Theater in 2003, he spent the next 13 years traveling the world producing and participating in plays, with a focus on going beyond the constraints of daily life and examining how people living in difficult circumstances (poverty, oppressive regimes) can use artistic activities to recreate their environments and improve their lives, the release said.

As an activist, one of his most successful projects as producer and actor was Basalya bazoba, which raised awareness of the law protecting children in Kinshasa and played to more than 150,000 people in and around Kinshasa, the statement said. For this production, he received the 2010 Freedom to Create Prize presented in Cairo, Egypt.

As a U.S. refugee since December 2015, Kisaku is redefining his artistic expression based not only on the drama that his country of origin is experiencing, but also on his experiences in the U.S., a country that has welcomed him with so many surprises, from its humanitarian philosophy to its perspectives on identity and freedom, according to the release.

Requiem for an Electric Chair will premiere at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas June 23.

The performance at Wesleyan July 12 at 7:30 p.m. in Crowell Concert Hall in Middletown, will be a staged, 40-minute reading which will be followed by a 20-minute talk-back with the artist. Kisaku will also talk about his artistic process July 10 at 12:10 p.m. in the Ring Family Performing Arts Hall.

Donations are $10. For information, visit wesleyanuniversitytickets.com.Two veteran Republican lawmakers are fighting $7,000 in fines dating back to the 2014 election, when they criticized Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in campaign mailers.

State Sen. Joe Markley of Southington and Rep. Rob Sampson of Wolcott were ordered this spring to pay $2,000 and $5,000 fines respectively, for what the State Elections Enforcement Commission ruled was an effort to help Republican Tom Foleys challenge to Malloy.

Now, the Alexandria, Va-based Institute for Free Speech has agreed to pursue the case in state Superior Court along with Mike Cronin, a legal adviser for Senate Republicans..

Talking about our opinions of the governor is almost essential campaign speech, Markley said in a Tuesday interview. The case, on a certain level, makes people scratch their heads.

Markley, who won the state GOP endorsement for lieutenant governor last month, said the fines are an unreasonable barrier to political speech.

This policy effectively bans candidates from speaking to voters about one of the most important responsibilities of the office they seek to hold  checking the power of the executive," said Allen Dickerson, legal director of the non-profit institute.

The SEEC did not rule on First Amendment issues, but rather on the question of illegal campaign contributions. It said that Sampson and Markley made illegal expenditures for Foley, who would have had to share the cost of the mailers. The election regulators said that the duo were subject to the discipline because they participated in the public-financing program, which gave Markley $56,814 and Sampson, $27,850.

Sampson, who is seeking Markleys Senate seat, and the senator split the cost of mailers that, while highlighting their achievements in office, also mentioned Malloys tax hike and overall policies. Two more ads from Sampson mentioned the governors policies.

One mailer read Southingtons Tax-Fighting Team! and on the back said Rob and Joe have consistently fought Governor Malloys reckless spending and voted against his budget which resulted in nearly $4 Billion in new and increased taxes for Connecticut residents. It also said Fought the Malloy Tax Hike: As members of the Appropriations Committee, Rob & Joe opposed our states largest tax hike ever, and helped craft an alternative budget that didnt raise a single tax or cut any aid to our community or its seniors.

Markley recalled that about two dozen other Republican candidates had similar complaints against them and settled with the SEEC, but that in August, 2016, he and Sampson refused, and instead looked for support from First Amendment advocates.

The SEEC, which turned down an appeal on March 23, declined comment on the case Tuesday. Attorney General George Jepsens office, which will defend the SEEC, also declined comment, saying lawyers there were reviewing the case, which will be heard next month in New Britain Superior Court.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCTHCM CITY  The HCM City Fisheries Sub-department has selected four ornamental fish farms that meet conditions to produce ornamental fish under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.

The farms, ong Khoi Ornamental Fish Farm and Niem am Me Discus Farm in Cu Chi District, and AMR Farm and Xanh Tuoi Ornamental Fish Farm in Binh Chanh District, produce ornamental fish for sale in domestic and foreign markets.

The ong Khoi Ornamental Fish Farm, which covers 4,000 sq.m in Trung Lap Ha Communes Xom Moi Hamlet specialises in producing neon ornamental fish, tiger barb and rummy-nose Tetra for exports.

The Niem am Me Discus Farm specialises in producing discus ornamental fish.

The sub-department has provided the farms with quality techniques that meet standards and focus on environmental protection, disease prevention, quality of ornamental fish seed and fish feed.

The city has exported 10.5 million ornamental fish worth US$12.7 million this year, up 14.8 per cent in volume and 10.6 per cent in value against the same period last year, according to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The city has exported 60 more fresh water ornamental fish species. Of the figure, more than 40 species have been produced artificially, while the rest are caught from rivers and springs.

Exports of marine ornamental fish, which have high value, account for 1 per cent of the citys ornamental fish exports.

The citys ornamental fish is exported to the EU, Asia, America, and South Africa.

Two ornamental fish trading areas are located on Nguyen Thong Street in District 3 and Luu Xuan Tin Street in District 5.

Vo Thanh Liem, owner of the Da Tuong ornamental fish shop on Luu Xuan Tin Street, who has been in business for many years, said the sector is developing strongly.

Wholesale traders in other provinces and cities in the country are visiting HCM City to buy ornamental fish.

Discus ornamental fish tops the citys list of ornamental fish exports, which has been identified as a key product of the citys agricultural sector.

The city, which is the countrys largest ornamental fish producer, has about 88ha of land devoted to raising ornamental fish in outlying districts, with more than 290 households involved in production.

The Sai Gon Ornamental Creatures Co-Operative in Cu Chi District has worked closely with 80 local ornamental fish farming households to have a stable quantity of ornamental fish for exports.

The co-operative exports about 1.9 million ornamental fish a month.

Nguyen Van Thuy, chairman of the co-operative, said that demand for ornamental fish huge from both domestic and foreign markets.

The hobby of breeding ornamental fish is no longer limited to those with high incomes, as average-income people can now join in the trade, he added.  VNSThis month marks the 50th anniversary of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination, and some interesting footnotes to history have emerged.

One of those footnotes is a condolence letter written by Jackie Kennedy Onassis to Bobby's widow, Ethel Kennedy, according to the Dallas Morning News.PORTLAND  The town has issued a demolition permit for the Elmcrest property, clearing yet another hurdle for the eventual conversion of the 14-acre site into a mixed-use development.

The permit was authorized by Building Official Lincoln White following an inspection and recent review of the site by town officials, a trustee of the Portland Historical Society and representatives of the DeMarco Group. The Rochester, New York-based company will develop the commercial portion of the estimated $30 million-plus project.

The town received a check for the $7,500 fee for the permit. In all, the officials expect to receive $95,000 in various payments as the five-year project moves forward.

The town group included Land-use Administrator Ashley Majorowski and Economic Development Coordinator Mary D. Dickerson. The two have spent much of the past nearly two years intently involved in the review and approval process for the project. But until their visit, Majorowski had never seen the campus from the inside.

Historical Society trustee Claire Frisbie was on hand in the company of a member of the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation to see whether there were architecturally and/or historically significant fittings in several of the older buildings on the property that should be saved.

The society arranged to photograph many of the buildings, Frisbie said in 2009. They were in beautiful shape then. Now, however, what with vandalism and water damage, they have started going downhill, she said.

The DeMarco team was also marking trees to be retained once the demolition starts, Dickerson said. The property is studded with any number of specimen trees.

White and Fire Marshal Raymond S. Sajdak conducted an inspection of several of the buildings on the property to so we knew what we had to start with, White said. We just wanted to clarify what was over there to refresh our memories.

In particular, Sajdak was concerned about the presence of hazardous material that would have to be dealt with during the demolition.

We are first preventers, White said.

In addition, White said he and Sajdak wanted to hold a more generalized discussion with Marco officials about other requirements during the ensuring construction phase.

Michael Laboski, DeMarcos director of safety, and an assistant were present during the tour, arranged by property owner Fred Hassan. The assistant spent much of his time inspecting the interior of various building for the presence of materials commonly used in construction over the past two centuries  some of which are now considered hazardous.

Even as he was inspecting the building, the assistant often remarked on the quality  and beauty  of much of the 19th-century construction that could be found in some of the buildings. The interiors of several of the older structures contained both beauty and extreme wear.

Any number of handmade architectural details were marred by graffiti.

In some places, ceilings had collapsed, loosing hillocks of wet rock-wool insulation that piled up on a floor, while at the same time exposing hand-cut wooden joints.

Some buildings had been visited by raccoons. In one three-story building, the animals left large deposits of scat on a second-floor landing.

In some of the mid- to late-20th-century buildings, Laboski pointed to a series of ragged holes punched into sheetrock walls  the mark, he said, of vandals looking for copper pipes.

Laboksi said he will have dual responsibilities: in addition to identifying hazardous materials that have to be abated, he is also in charge of hiring crews to work the project. Overall, the project will be overseen by Phil Resmondo, who will serve as DeMarcos project superintendent.

As just one indication of his commitment to the project, Resmondo and his wife are moving to area for the next five years to see the project to completion. Coincidentally Resmondos wife recently retired as a professor of architectural history after a 33-year stint at the University of Kentucky.

RELATED: Connecticut's most haunted places

She is excited about being involved in the project, and has made some informed comments about details in some of the buildings.

This place has an interesting history, she said of the campus, adding, The ghost hunters love this place.

Returning to the issue of the demo permit, Resmondo said, while its welcome, It just starts another process.

There are so many moving parts, he said.

Resmondo said he did not expect to begin demolition until around Sept. 1.

Reporter Jeff Mill covers East Hampton, Cromwell and Portland for the Middletown Press. Contact him at jeff.mill@hearstmediact.comHA NOI  The transport ministry has submitted to the Government a list of 17 Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) toll booths built at the wrong location.

Among these, only two booths - La Son-Tuy Loan booth and the booth at the south of the Hai Van Tunnel - have been proposed to be merged with another toll booth or be removed.

The ministry has proposed retaining the location of the 15 remaining booths.

The La Son-Tuy Loan booth and the booth at the south of the Hai Van Tunnel collect toll for the Ca Pass tunnel project.

According to the ministry, the La Son-Tuy Loan booth is located on the La Son-Tuy Loan Expressway, which was under a Build-Transfer investment, and does not belong to the Ca Pass tunnel project, which is why its toll collection is inappropriate.

The ministry is working with the investor to weigh in on the investment efficiency and will propose to the Government the removal of this booth.

The BOT booth at the south of the Hai Van Tunnel will be merged with the north of the tunnel for toll collection of the Ca Pass and Phu Gia-Phuoc Tuong tunnel projects as the two toll booths are located close to one another.

The transport ministry also proposed two options for the Cai Lay booth in Tien Giang province.

The first option is to reduce the toll for all vehicles as well as for people living close to the booth. The second option is to build another booth at the alternative route and collect toll from both the stations.

The ministry and the Tien Giang Provinces Peoples Committee will work with the relevant sectors to make a decision.

Earlier, the Government had ordered a halt in the operations of the Cai Lay booth due to public reaction to its inappropriate location and fee hike.

Among the 17 violating booths, three are not located within the project areas. They include the Cau Rac booth in central Ha Tinh Province, Tao Xuyen booth in central Thanh Hoa and Bac Thang Long-Noi Bai in Ha Noi.

The ministry has proposed retaining these booths and collecting toll until the project capital is paid back.

The transport ministry currently manages 73 out of 88 BOT booths nationwide. Fifty-six toll booths are built within project areas and ensure standard distance with another booth.  VNSCan we talk? Melissa Rivers, the only child of the late comedian Joan Rivers, has listed her posh property in Pacific Palisades, CA, for $6.2 million, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The Fashion Police co-host had purchased the stylish spread in 1998 for $2.35 million, according to property records. Over the intervening years, the Palisades housing market has blossomed, and Rivers would stand to profit handsomely from this sale.

Not to worry, the 50-year-old New York native isnt without a home. The mother of one picked up a lavish $11 million Santa Monica mansion in 2016, according to news reports. The 7,000-square-foot estate is reportedly at the end of a gated cul-de-sac, affording the TV personality primo privacy.

Melissa Rivers' home in Pacific Palisades, CA realtor.com

Living room that opens to the backyard realtor.com

Kitchen with island realtor.com

Master suite realtor.com

Master bath realtor.com

Patio realtor.com

Built in 1953, the Pacific Palisades home blends the formal design of an East Coast traditional with a beachy, West Coast vibe. The six-bedroom home features lots of natural light with walls of French doors and floor-to-ceiling windows that look out to the backyard.

The large kitchen includes a center island with seating, and the family space features both a built-in banquette for casual meals, and a more formal dining area.

The living room opens to the backyard with a patio, pool, spa, and grassy lawn.

The top-floor master bedroom includes a private balcony, and a walk-in closet that doubles as a safe room. The en suite spa bath comes with a vanity, fainting couch, soaking tub, glass shower, and views.

There's also a two-bed, two-bath guest suite on the lower level, and three additional bedrooms on the main floor.

"This home really embodies a unique cross-section of timeless elegance and light-soaked California luxury," says listing agent Laura Brau of Pacific Union. "The location and design coupled with the sweeping views of the Pacific make this the ideal dream home for embracing casual yet chic oceanside living. Its a truly special place."

Rivers hosted the E! show Fashion Police and appeared in the movie Joy, in which she played the role of Joan Rivers. After her mother's untimely death during a medical procedure in 2014, Melissa filed a malpractice lawsuit against the clinic that performed the surgery. In 2015, Melissa wrote a book honoring the comic, titled The Book of Joan. That same year, she sold her mothers New York City penthouse for $28 million.

The post Melissa Rivers Selling Her Posh Pacific Palisades Property for $6.2M appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.Joseph V. Micallef is a best-selling military history and world affairs author, and keynote speaker. Follow him on Twitter @JosephVMicallef.

By all accounts, the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is virtually over -- save for a few mopping-up operations. In December 2017, the Iraqi government declared that, after almost four years of fighting, ISIS had been defeated and no longer controlled any Iraqi towns.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made the same declaration and announced that some Russian troops will soon be withdrawn from Syria, although it does not appear that any withdrawal has yet occurred.

U.S. President Donald Trump has also announced, on several occasions, that he will soon withdraw the roughly 2,000 U.S. troops and special operations forces from Syria, although the Pentagon continues to claim that there is no specific timetable for a withdrawal.

The War Against the Islamic State

According to the Pentagon, ISIS has been expelled from 99 percent of the territory it controlled in June 2014. As of June 2018, ISIS controlled a small triangle of territory south of Deir ez-Zor and to the west of the Euphrates Valley; a pocket in Iraq west of Al Hadar; and a third pocket east of Al Suwar, along the Syrian-Iraqi border.

In addition, much of its senior leadership, including many of its most experienced field commanders, have been killed or captured, although its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, remains at large. His death has been announced on several occasions, most recently by Russian military forces but, in the absence of any confirmation, he is presumed to still be alive.

According to unconfirmed reports, the Pentagon has been given six additional months, possibly longer, to finish final operations against ISIS in eastern Syria. It's estimated that the ISIS militants in the two remaining pockets number several hundred fighters. With little prospect of escape, they are expected to fight tenaciously.

In the meantime, over the month of May, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) renewed their offensive against ISIS militants along the Syrian-Iraqi border. Called Operation Roundup, the operation is designed to capture or kill jihadist fighters in the ISIS pocket that abuts into territory controlled by the SDF in eastern Syria.

At the same time, Iraqi forces have moved in to seal off the Iraqi border area, and Iraqi air forces have launched attacks across a 30-mile front along the Iraq border. French special forces have also been deployed to support the SDF.

The offensive occurred while Turkish military forces and Kurdish militia were at a standoff over Turkish plans to take control of the town of Manbij and while Turkish military units, supported by various affiliated militia units, were taking control of the Kurdish-controlled canton, or district, of Afrin.

The transfer of some Kurdish fighters to Afrin led to a temporary suspension in the SDF's campaign against the Islamic State.

Notwithstanding the above progress, however, Islamic State forces retook some territory in May that had been previously seized by Syrian military forces around the city of Deir ez-Zor. Four Russian soldiers and 43 insurgents were reported killed as a result of those attacks.

There were conflicting reports on the scope of the casualties, however. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights placed the death toll at 76 Syrian Army troops and 25 ISIS militants.

The international coalition against the Islamic State has also made significant progress in shutting down ISIS' propaganda machine. Although these operations are conducted by civilian police forces rather than the military, they are an important component in the continuing war against ISIS.

In April, a joint U.S.-EU law enforcement operation conducted by police forces from the U.S., U.K., Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, France, the Netherlands and Romania took down a range of Islamic State media outlets and the servers they use to distribute their propaganda across the internet.

Among the targets were Amaq, the ISIS media outlet used to broadcast confirmation of attacks, as well as other media channels such as Bayan radio, and the Halumu and Nashir news services. The operation also resulted in identifying domain registrars and domain names used by ISIS as well as the administrators behind its media outlets.

The operation, the third such strike against the Islamic State's internet presence, was the most extensive so far. Notwithstanding its success, however, ISIS has shown a remarkable resiliency and, in the past, has succeeded in restoring its web presence. The cyber war against the Islamic State is as relentless and as long term as the ground war against its militants.

Sitrep: Islamic State

As anticipated by many analysts, the rollback of the territory under its control has not destroyed the Islamic State, but simply caused it to revert back to its roots as an insurgency.

Unlike 2014, however, when its attacks were almost entirely in Iraq and Syria, it is now demonstrating a broad, though usually low-level, attack capability that spans virtually the entire globe.

In May, ISIS militants were implicated in a series of three bombings of Christian churches in Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city. The attacks were a family affair by Dita and Puji Kuswanti and their four children, aged 9 to 18. The attacks, which killed 13 people, were the deadliest since the Bali car bombings that killed 23 people in 2005.

ISIS took credit for the attack, although it is believed the attackers were actually part of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD). JAD is led by Aman Abdurrahman, a vocal proponent of ISIS in Indonesia.

The next day, another family, this time of five people, carried out an attack against a police security checkpoint in Surabaya. Four police officers and six civilians were injured. Four of the five bombers were killed; the fifth, an 8-year-old child, survived the bombing but was injured.

In Libya, ISIS militants staged an attack against the offices of Libya's Electoral Commission in Tripoli, killing at least 13 people. The Islamic State was also suspected in a car bomb attack in Alexandria against Gen. Mostafa al-Nimr, the city's head of security. The attack killed two Egyptian policemen.

Elsewhere, Islamic State militants attacked a voter registration center in central Kabul that killed approximately six dozen Afghanis and several western journalists. The attack occurred within the city's heavily protected ring of steel, where many government offices and foreign embassies are located.

The broad reach of Islamic State was also underscored by the arrest in Brazil of eleven ISIS supporters charged with attempting to organize a jihadist cell, as well as arrests in Australia, South Africa and London.

This pattern of random, small-scale, localized attacks has increasingly become the norm for the Islamic State. These attacks are carried out by militants who have been radicalized by either ISIS or another jihadist organization without any direct support or direction from the leadership of Islamic State. It is not clear to what extent ISIS even has knowledge of these attacks before they are carried out.

When ISIS first declared the establishment of its caliphate, dozens of jihadist movements rushed to affiliate themselves with it and declare their allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Many were formally recognized as "provinces" of the Islamic State regardless of how much physical territory they actually controlled.

Significantly, none of these organizations has renounced its ties to the Islamic State, even as ISIS' territorial reach has been largely rolled back. Moreover, a revitalized al-Qaida has steadily been building out its international network. It has heavily promoted Osama bin-Laden's son, Hamza bin-Laden, as his successor and positioned itself to absorb ISIS supporters into its own ranks.

ISIS has not mounted a significant military operation since the attack on the southern Philippine city of Marawi, on the island of Mindanao, a year ago. The siege, which lasted several months, was carried out by the Maute Group, an ISIS-affiliated jihadist organization.

Maute is a separate organization from the Moro Liberation Front, a jihadist group that has been fighting with the Philippine government for decades and has also voiced support for the Islamic State.

The siege left the center of the city of 50,000 inhabitants largely destroyed and displaced about one-quarter of the town's population. About 1,000 civilians were killed. Even now, a year after the siege was lifted, residents have not been allowed to return home except to retrieve personal possessions.

Concurrently, ISIS has moved aggressively to make up its lost revenues by expanding into the international narcotics trade. ISIS militants have been implicated in the smuggling of marijuana and hashish from the Balkans into Europe.

They are also believed to be challenging the Taliban's control over the Afghan heroin trade, and there are reports they may also be involved in the smuggling of South American cocaine, via West Africa, across the Sahara into Europe.

Every major international jihadist organization is now involved with the illegal narcotics trade and is developing broad links to criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking. This union of terrorism and narcotics, so-called narco-terrorism, is an unprecedented development and one of the defining features of international terrorism in the 21st century.

The Future of Jihadism

There are two key operational texts that explain the jihadist mindset and have underscored the international jihadist movement. Both remain deadly relevant, and both emphasize that jihadism is a long-term struggle against the United States and its allies.

The al-Qaida operational text for jihadists is titled Management of Savagery. The text lays out a strategy of creating or capitalizing on regions of chaos or savagery where political and administrative controls have broken down to establish al-Qaida branches.

Those branches would join together to proclaim a worldwide caliphate that would be triggered by the collapse of the Saudi monarchy and al-Qaida gaining control of the Islamic world's religious capital of Mecca.

It calls for continuing the jihadist struggle against the West, while biding patience until the time is ripe for the establishment of a new caliphate. While violence by militants continues to be encouraged, the group has avoided large, high-profile attacks like the one on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, recognizing that such attacks will only trigger an escalation in the American effort to eradicate the organization.

In al-Qaida's analysis, the Islamic State's declaration of a caliphate was premature as the West had not been weakened sufficiently to permit a caliphate being established and defended from attacks by the U.S. and its allies.

From al-Qaida's perspective, the "regions of savagery" have exploded significantly since the attack in September 2001. At that time, the group was limited to Afghanistan and Somalia. Today, they have been joined by Iraq, Syria, Libya, northern Nigeria, Yemen, and a broad band of sub-Saharan Africa from Mauritania to Somalia. In addition, significant political vacuums have emerged in certain regions of countries like the Philippines, Tunisia and Indonesia.

The ISIS text, called the Fiqh al-Dima or The Jurisprudence of Blood, is a Salafist-inspired work that lays out both the purported Quranic justification of the Islamic State's actions as well as a practical "how-to manual" for jihadists. Termed the jihadist bible, the text is intended to validate the horrific acts perpetrated by ISIS militants, from beheading to the taking of slaves.

The manual openly advocates the "indiscriminate killing of warring infidels" and beseeches its supporters to "kill them, fight them by every means that may snatch away their souls, drive their spirits from their bodies, cleanse the earth from their filth and removing their scourge from mankind, whatever the means may be."

The text was used to indoctrinate and radicalize the 5,000 to 10,000 western Muslims that joined the Islamic State and continues to serve as the basis of ISIS' recruitment and indoctrination. Its call for random, indiscriminate acts of violence has become the pattern of ISIS-inspired attacks around the world.

An Assessment

The fight against the Islamic State is far from over. At the very least, the cyber war to take down its digital presence will continue unabated, ebbing and flowing as each successive attempt by ISIS to re-establish its digital caliphate is taken down by Western police agencies.

While the role of military forces fighting ISIS will likely diminish in the next six to nine months, special operations forces will continue to be involved in supporting anti-Jihadist groups around the world.

The continued growth of ISIS-affiliated militants in Afghanistan may at some point result in a broader U.S. role in fighting ISIS there. It is likely that large-scale, localized attacks, like the siege of Marawi last year, will continue to crop up.

In the meantime, ISIS-inspired, low-level, ad hoc attacks against civilians will continue. Such attacks are difficult to anticipate or prevent. Moreover, they will continue regardless of what happens to ISIS.

They are destined to be an ongoing feature of modern life.

-- The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration.Sailors who refuse the shot can be reassigned while their cases are heard, and will not be promoted or given any other orders...KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany  Air Force housing officials are preparing to move 31 families from two Vogelweh multistory housing complexes as quickly as possible after an apartment ceiling collapse that brought down a fan and lighting fixtures.

Twenty-one Army families and 10 Air Force families living in Buildings 1015 and 1019 will be relocated, officials said Monday at a town hall meeting at the Kazabra Club on Vogelweh. They'll have the choice of moving to a similar apartment on Vogelweh or off base, at government expense.

"There's no imminent danger," Lt. Col. George Nichols, the 86th Civil Engineer squadron commander, told six families at the meeting. But "we recognize a ceiling has collapsed and we need to do something about it."

Nichols did not have any estimates of the cost of repairs.

No one was hurt in the June 5 incident in Building 1015. But civil engineering officials believe the plastic fasteners used to anchor the drywall ceiling to the concrete floor above it may be the reason it didn't hold.

"It's the wrong type of fastener, apparently," Nichols said.

Civil engineer experts found following the collapse that plastic anchors were used to attach the ceiling drywall throughout Building 1015 and in Building 1019.

It's believed the plastic anchors have been in place since 2001, when the two buildings were renovated by the same contractor, officials said.

"The chances of having another (incident) we hope are slim; however, no one knows," Nichols said. The anchors "lasted 17 years  there are so many factors that are unknown as to exactly why it occurred."

Buildings 1015 and 1019 were the only ones known to be renovated at the time by the same contractor, he said. In Building 1016, by contrast, metal ceiling anchors are in place. The contractor has since gone bankrupt and is no longer doing work on base facilities in the Kaiserslautern Military Community, Nichols said.

"We have zero indication that we have this issue systemic across Ramstein, in all 2,000 homes," he said.

The Air Force is consulting with Landesbetrieb Liegenschafts und Baubetreuung, or LLB, the construction management and contracting agency of the state of Rheinland-Pfalz that oversees "the German side of construction" on bases, Nichols said. Officials are going "to explain to them what we think is the issue. They may come out and do their own testing," he said.

Families will immediately be moved to temporary housing on Vogelweh within the next week or so, where vacant units will be outfitted with loaner furniture from the government. They'll have about five days to move personal belongings to the new units, though that time frame could be extended on a case-by-case basis. They can choose to remain in those apartments or move off base.

Officials said Monday that movers would be able to move the rest of their belongings in July. Families also have the option to move their own furniture sooner and get reimbursed.

Army Sgt. Jalessa Knighton is already in temporary lodging. The ceiling collapse occurred in her apartment in Building 1015. She and her 1-year-old son weren't home at the time.

"We were gone for maybe 30 minutes," she said Monday. "We went to the commissary so I could get him some milk and then we came back."

When Knighton returned, "it looked like the ceiling was snapped in half," she said. "I had to turn back around and come back in and make sure I was in the right place."

Knighton, a transportation management coordinator for the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, said that she feels "overwhelmed" but that housing officials have been helpful, ensuring her expenses for temporary lodging are covered. She's moving into a townhouse on Vogelweh later this month.

Other residents of Building 1015 at the town hall Monday said they were home at the time of the ceiling collapse but didn't hear anything.

Khristin Marmolejo, an Army spouse who lives above Knighton, said the last week has been stressful, as she's been alone with her two children while her husband is away on a mission.

"It's very scary, because you never know what's going to happen," Marmolejo said. "It's terrifying, to be honest."

Air Force officials said they gave residents the option of leaving their apartments for temporary lodging but no one chose to do so.

Katryna Camacho, also an Army spouse, said she'd like to see the Air Force provide additional compensation to cover incidental expenses. "If you're moving from one house to another, there's a lot of extra things that you have to do," from additional cleaning to meals out, she said.

She and her family haven't been in their apartment for very long, having received their household goods in February.

"I'd rather move," she said. "I mean, it sucks, but knowing what could happen, I'd probably rather move."ANTANANARIVO  Madagascars president announced Monday that a new government had been appointed following a court ruling which called for a "consensus" administration to resolve a political crisis sparked by electoral reform.

The Indian Ocean nation has been rocked by ongoing anti-government protests that began over new laws that the opposition said sought to bar their candidates from taking part in elections scheduled for later this year.

"The government of (Prime Minister) Christian Ntsay has now been put in place after several rounds of negotiations," President Hery Rajaonarimampianina told reporters at his official residence.

The Constitutional Court had ordered Rajaonarimampianina to form a government of national unity with a "consensus prime minister" to avert a full-blown crisis.

The president said the appointments "respected" the ruling which required the ministries to be allocated to the countrys parties to reflect the composition of parliament after polls in 2013.

However, the ruling triggered fierce debate between the government and the opposition over its interpretation.

Both sides say they hold the majority in parliament, where many legislators have switched allegiances since 2013.

Several key ministries including defence and finance remain in the hands of the presidents HVM party, although others like fishing and tourism have gone to opposition figures under the deal.

On June 4 he appointed non-partisan technocrat Christian Ntsay, 57, as prime minister as part of an agreement with part of the opposition to obey the court ruling.

Ntsay is not a member of any political party and has a reputation as an international expert in labour management and leadership, previously serving as Madagascars tourism minister between 2002 and 2003.

Democratic progress?

"We hope to be able to hold an inclusive election, the results of which will be accepted by all," added Rajaonarimampianina.

"Speaking to the prime minister and the ministers, I say: The eyes of the nation and the whole world are on you.

"You should enhance security -- you will be judged on this."

The large island has a history of chronic instability since the final years of former Marxist military leader Didier Ratsirakas rule. He was voted out in 2001.

Since April 21, hundreds of opposition supporters have occupied the capital Antananarivos May 13 square, initially to protest the presidents proposed electoral reform package.

But after those proposals were overturned by the courts, the protests became a full-fledged movement to oust Rajaonarimampianina. Violence has claimed two lives and left more than a dozen injured.

"Were going to have to work at it, but you can see that the situation is moving towards consensus," said newly appointed tourism minister and opposition MAPAR party lawmaker Jean Brunelle Razafitsiandraofa.

Defence Minister Beni Xavier Rasolofonirina, who kept his portfolio, last month threatened to deploy security forces if political efforts to resolve the crisis failed.

"The challenges that have faced our country have been handled with maturity by all of those involved," said Rajaonarimampianina.

"Today marks Madagascars democratic progress."  AFPKadena Air Base in Japan will resume F-15 Eagle flights in the Pacific this week after a pilot crashed Monday morning.

Officials have cleared the fourth-generation aircraft for flight following inspections, the 18th Wing said in a release Tuesday.

"Senior, experienced pilots and maintainers have reviewed the initial facts and circumstances of the mishap and are confident that the incident does not indicate a problem with the overall safety of Kadena's F-15 fleet," the release said.

"In the last 24 hours, we've inspected all of our F-15s, and we are confident they are safe to resume training," said Col. Richard Tanner, 18th Wing vice commander.

Related content:

The base paused all F-15 flying operations following Monday's crash. The F-15C, assigned to the 44th Fighter Squadron of the 18th Wing, crashed at approximately 6:26 a.m. local time. The lone pilot "successfully ejected" and was rescued by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

Officials on Tuesday said the pilot has been upgraded to "fair condition," according to a post on Kadena's Twitter page.

Safety remains a top priority following the accident, Tanner said. "We have reinforced the importance of safety and adherence to flight regulations with all of our pilots," he said. "Our mission is to defend Japan and maintain regional security. The safety of our pilots, our base population and our surrounding communities remains our top priority as we meet our alliance obligations."

The F-15 pilot was conducting a routine training flight when the crash occurred off Okinawa.

The cause of the accident is unknown. The Air Force has launched an investigation.

So far this year, the Air Force has lost six aircraft in non-combat training accidents, including an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter, T-38 Talon trainer, WC-130 Hurricane Hunter, two F-16 Fighting Falcons -- one from the Thunderbirds demonstration team, and the Kadena-based F-15.

Several of the mishaps have included fatalities.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.OKINAWA, Japan -- An expert Marine Corps diver came to the rescue of a Hong Kong woman who was scuba diving on her honeymoon here, May 20.

Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Scott Dahn was practicing rescue diving at Maeda Point when he saw the woman, Ching-Yi Sze, start to panic.

Dahn, who hails from Herron, Michigan, recalls the incident.

"The female ripped her mask off and looked like she might have been panicking, but I thought maybe they were doing some training, so I kept an eye on it," said Dahn, the training chief for 3rd Maintenance Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. "They put her mask back on, and then I saw her rip out her regulator. That concerned me."

The woman's companions replaced her regulator, but then, "she ripped off both mask and regulator and that's when I hurried up and swam over there," Dahn said.

"I was probably about 30 feet from them," he continued. "Once I got over there, I put the regulator back in her mouth, and they already had put the mask back on. She spit the regulator out and closed her mouth."

Dahn said he put the regulator back into the woman's mouth and held it there.

"I grabbed her arm," he said, "and I signaled to the dive leader that we needed to go up."

Dahn said the group ascended to the surface slowly so no one would get decompression sickness.

'She Was Pale, Her Lips Were Blue'

"Once we reached the surface, I grabbed her low pressure inflator hose and put some air in her buoyancy control device so she would float," he said. "She was pale, her lips were blue, Her eyes were rolled in the back of her head. She was foaming from the mouth. And, she was unresponsive."

The stricken woman was barely breathing, Dahn said.

"So, I proceeded to tow her into shore." he said. "At that point, I thought she might die."

After getting Ching-Yi ashore, Dahn said he carried her on his shoulder up a few flights of stairs. He laid her on her side to prevent choking and removed her gear to calm her. He stayed next to her while his wife, April, contacted emergency services. Meanwhile, he helped the distressed diver breathe through an oxygen tank.

"She was getting better, which was a good feeling, because when we first took her out of the water we were not sure if she was going to make it," Dahn said.

Dahn said he stayed by Ching-Yi's side until the paramedics came. After a short hospital stay, she made a full recovery. A couple days later, she called Dahn to say she wanted to return to Okinawa to thank him.

"I don't know if my husband could find another girl like me," Ching-Yi said jokingly. "I can't express how grateful I am for Scott (Dahn)."

"I was not surprised at all of [Dahn's] actions," said Marine Corps Capt. Taylor Davis, the executive officer for 3rd Maintenance Battalion. "He is a true professional. Dahn is a thoughtful and proactive Marine. His consistent desire to develop his Marines had already earned him the respect of his leaders."

Dahn said he heard his unit plans to give him an award. Yet, he said he already received the lasting reward of a new friend.President Donald Trump said Tuesday that North Korea has committed to returning the remains of the missing from the Korean War, giving hope to the families of more than 7,800 service members that they will finally get a full accounting.

Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to the "immediate repatriation" in a last-minute deal reached at their historic summit in Singapore.

The issue of the missing-in-action had had been pressed on him by the families, and he went into the matter in "great detail" with Kim during their discussions, Trump said at a news conference before leaving Singapore.

"I must have had just countless calls and letters and Tweets, anything you can do -- they want the remains of their sons back," he said of the families.

"They want the remains of their fathers, and mothers, and all of the people that got caught into that really brutal war, which took place, to a large extent, in North Korea," Trump said. "And I asked for it today, and we got it. That was a very last minute. The remains will be coming back. They're going to start that process immediately.

"But so many people, even during the campaign, they'd say, 'Is there any way you can work with North Korea to get the remains of my son back or my father back?' So many people asked me this question," he said.

"And, you know, I said, 'Look, we don't get along too well with that particular group of people.' But now we do. And he agreed to that so quickly and so nice -- it was really a very nice thing, and he understands it. He understands it," Trump said of Kim.

The joint statement signed by Trump and Kim stated: "The United States and the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified."

The general statement on "immediate repatriation" could refer to remains North Korea already has in storage but were never returned after joint recovery efforts were suspended in 2005 amid the political impasse over North Korean provocations and advances in its missile and nuclear programs.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars, which had called for Trump and Kim to address the issue of the missing prior to the summit, hailed the agreement.

"We must have hope that this agreement will finally bring peace to the peninsula and help bring closure to thousands of families of missing American servicemen from the Korean War," Keith Harman, national commander of the VFW, said in a statement. "Now the hard work to bring the initiative to fruition begins."

A joint declaration after the first meeting between a U.S. president and a North Korean leader called the summit "an epochal event of great significance in overcoming decades of tensions and hostilities between the two countries and for the opening up of a new future."

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, whose efforts were crucial in bringing Trump and Kim together, said there would be no turning back on an agreement that held out the prospect for lasting peace on the peninsula.

"Building upon the agreement reached today, we will take a new path going forward. Leaving dark days of war and conflict behind, we will write a new chapter of peace and cooperation. We will be there together with North Korea along the way," Moon said in a statement.

On June 6, South Korea's Memorial Day, Moon said the return of the remains of missing Americans and the estimated 120,000 South Koreans also missing from the 1950-53 war was a top priority for the Trump-Kim summit.

"When the South-North relations improve, we will push first for the recovery of remains in the Demilitarized Zone," the 154-mile-long, 2.5-mile-wide area separating the two Koreas, Moon said.

According to the Defense Department's POW/MIA Accounting Agency, more than 7,800 Americans have not been accounted for from the war, and about 5,300 of that total are believed to have been lost in battle in North Korea or buried at prisoner-of-war camps.

Past recovery efforts have centered on the area around the Chosin reservoir, scene of a horrific battle in the winter of 1950 in which Marine and Army units fought against encirclement by Chinese forces.

"Once we're directed to resume operations in [North] Korea, that's what we'll do," said Chuck Pritchard, a spokesman for DoD's Pow/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).

"When approved by the U.S. government, DPAA is prepared to receive any remains the DPRK are holding as well as to begin discussions on resuming recovery missions in North Korea," he said.

Pritchard said the agency already has personnel on the ground in South Korea working with their South Korean counterparts on recoveries in the South. "We're continuing to work to try to resolve cases from the Korea conflict," he said.

He said the agency periodically meets with the families of the missing from Korea and the Cold War to update them on the status of recoveries; the next meeting is scheduled for August in Washington, D.C.

Thus far this year, the agency has positively identified the remains of 19 service members who were missing-in-action in North Korea, Pritchard said.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.The Air Force Research Lab and BAE Systems are partnering on a program that could help map out future conflicts as they occur.

Sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the research lab awarded BAE a $4.2 million contract for the Causal Exploration of Complex Operational Environments program, BAE said in a release Monday.

The concept uses technologies to "model different political, territorial and economic tensions that often lead to conflicts" and will help "planners to avoid unexpected outcomes," the release states.

"Military planners often conduct manual research and use limited modeling tools to generate models and evaluate conflict situations, which are extremely time consuming and labor intensive," said Chris Eisenbies, product line director of the Autonomy, Controls, and Estimation group at BAE Systems.

BAE said the Defense Department's need is based on the lack of time, expert resources and automated tools available as a conflict emerges.

Related content:

The program will use software that creates an interactive model of a particular environment for military leaders to carve out solutions. The software will be a first-of-its-kind technology called Causal Modeling for Knowledge Transfer, Exploration, and Temporal Simulation, or CONTEXTS.

"To break down these barriers, CONTEXTS will use reasoning algorithms and simulations with the goal to give planners a quicker and deeper understanding of conflicts to help avoid unexpected and counterintuitive outcomes," Eisenbies said in the release.

The program will be developed at the company's facilities in Burlington, Massachusetts, and Arlington, Virginia, the release states.

In November, DARPA awarded BAE another contract to create a virtual lab for commanders to outline potential threats in space, as well as command-and-control simulation, according to Space News.

The project, dubbed Hallmark testbed, will give service members more situational awareness to execute plans as threats in space develop. The contract award was valued at $12.8 million.

The latest contract comes as the DoD continues to prepare for what it calls "the next high-end fight" with a global adversary such as Russia or China.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.Military One Source Resources for Special Needs

The Department of Defense (DoD) has launched the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) 'ROC' (for resources, options and consultations). Available through Military OneSource, it offers additional expertise, specialized support and more ways to connect families with resources, all of which augment the services already provided by the EFMP staff at military installations around the world. Military families can schedule an appointment 24/7 with a Military OneSource EFMP ROC special needs consultant by calling Military OneSource website at 800-342-9647. For more information, families can contact their installation Military and Family Support Center, or visit the Military OneSource website.

For more spouse and family support resources, visit the Military.com Spouse and Family section.An announcement that LinkedIn is giving free Premium accounts to recently PCSed or transitioning military spouses was met with excitement this week by those who are eager to leverage the professional network to land a new gig.

But some were disappointed when they discovered they aren't included. And others were confused because this is a feature they already accessed.

First, in case you missed the news: LinkedIn will be providing a free year of Premium access to military spouses in conjunction with a PCS or within six months of a transition out of the military. They're going to officially open the program in a few months. This offer expands on a current program that gives a free, one year subscription to veterans.

We wanted to clear things up a little on these two different questions, so we hit up the people who know. Here's the deal.

No, Coast Guard spouses aren't included

Coast Guard spouses who read the news were disappointed to learn that, once again, they have been shut out from a benefit given to spouses of other military services. A confusing response sent from LinkedIn added to the chaos. So what's the deal?

The reason is simple, but the implications are not. Like most things, it comes down to funding.

The Coast Guard is not a service of the Defense Department, which manages Military OneSource and receives its funding streams. Instead, it is under the Department of Homeland Security. That means that Coast Guard members and their families do not qualify for Military OneSource benefits. Because this LinkedIn deal is done using the OneSource system for verification among other things, the Coast Guard is not included.

That's a painful pill to swallow, especially since Coasties PCS just like everyone else, often to very remote stateside locations (Kodiak, Alaska, anyone?). Defense Department officials tell us they're working on a way to expand this, but for now it's just the way it is.

Previous free premium was a 'happy accident'

After news of the upgrade was released, some spouses reported that they have had free Premium for a long time. How? By simply emailing LinkedIn customer support and asking for the upgrade.

But that upgrade freebie was never company policy the way the new one is, LinkedIn officials tell me.

"If an upgrade was previously provided to a military spouse, it would have been a happy accident on the part of one of our customer service reps," a LinkedIn spokesperson said.

In short, don't expect that upgrade loophole to continue.This article by Brad Howard originally appeared on Task & Purpose, a digital news and culture publication dedicated to military and veterans issues.

Sometimes you end up drawing the short straw when it comes to military assignment locations. Perhaps you parked in the admin NCO's parking spot. Maybe your quirky office prank on the executive officer went horribly wrong. But whatever the reason, you are going to be PCSing to one of these horrible hotspots, which are all so bad you'll wish you were in Kuwait.

The icy nuclear north

The U.S.'s northern fortress of military strategic solitude, Minot Air Force Base, has long been a prime destination for career-ending mishaps. From misplaced nuclear weapons to security forces losing grenades, this snowy wonderland has "suck" tattooed on its forehead.

The 5th Civil Engineer Squadron removes snow from the flightline before a training sortie at Minot Air Force Base, ND.

The military bayou blues

Lovely Fort Polk in blazing hot Louisiana is about as inviting as the mujahideen, unless you're a tropical disease virus. The fort's Southern gothic landscape matches its history as a prison. At one point it was home for German POWs during World War II. And just like those Germans learned, once you are in, there is no point in trying to escape.

Where the Corps gets crusty

Twentynine Palms, California, sounds like a nice place to take a cheap family vacation. In reality, it is where Marines go to learn to hate the Corps. From sweltering hot weather to a distinct lack of nightlife, it almost makes you forget that there are literal lakes of human waste in this godforsaken hellhole.

U.S. Marines with Combined Anti-Armor Team, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division practice ground fighting.

A chilly northern hellhole hated by all

Welcome to Fort Drum. You will learn to hate this slice of northeastern sensibility located in the mystical hills of Jefferson, New York. As cold as Minot, but without the nukes; perhaps this place could use a little radiation.

Where the wind comes sweeping down the plains

If you drive to the middle of nowhere, then keep driving a little farther, you'll hit Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma, considered by many airmen to be one of the least desired military bases in the nation's vast expanse. Upon landing, assuming you dodged the tornado, you can find exactly one Applebee's to toss your 51-dollar per diem at. Altus started out as a scrapyard for World War II aircraft. But now it's just a scrapyard for your hopes and dreams of being stationed in California.

U.S. Air Force contracting Airmen search for potential improvised explosive devices June 3, 2015.

After much consideration, these are the five bases that should count as a deployment if they manage to survive the next round of base closures. But until that day of reckoning comes, feel free to bribe whoever is in charge of selecting assignments to avoid these locales  and avoid hating the duration of your contract.

Brad Howard enjoys long walks on the beach, and reading non-fiction on the subway. He holds an M.A. in Film from American University, and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He was also in the U.S. Air Force for four years, and complained about it constantly during those four years. Brad has previously worked at the Smithsonian, and interned at The Discovery Channel and The Atlantic Council. brad@taskandpurpose.com

More articles from Task & Purpose:

Old School: Army Recruits Will Again Test On Iron Sights During Basic Training

How Often Do Officers Actually Desert?

Have We Created A Small Class Of Killers?OTTAWA  Canada wants to speed up the ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact to offset the adverse effects of the trade spat erupting with the United States, International Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Monday.

Champagne told lawmakers that ratifying the TPP, which was signed in March without the United States and would link Canada with 10 other nations on both sides of the Pacific, was a "top priority" for the government in Ottawa.

The TPP would take effect 60 days after its ratification by six of the 11 countries involved -- Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

"Were going to move quickly to introduce legislation before the house rises this summer," said Champagne.

Trump has confirmed that the US would be imposing tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum and threatened a similar move against Canadas automotive sector.

He also refused to sign a joint statement endorsing global trade rules at the Group of Seven summit and accused Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of dishonesty.  AFPCommodity List

Mineral List

Rock Types Recorded

Note: this is a very new system on mindat.org and data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!

Select Rock List Type Alphabetical List Tree Diagram

Regional Geology

The mine is 2 kilometres north-east of Bardoc (which consists of three houses on the highway). Just north of the houses a track heads north-east. Another track goes east north-east to a dam. After 2 kilometres along the first track is a 500 metre line of shafts, the southern portion just east of the track, the central bordering the track itself, and the northern section just east of the track again.This was called the Blue Bar line of workings, the Wycheproof the main lease of several along the line of workings. In 1898 it was described as being on the east side of a hill, in diorite country rock. The shaft at 120 foot had been cross cut west to a large auriferous bearing lode, 20 feet wide, with 'sensationally' rich gold, highly mineralised with sulphide pyrites. Gold was able to be washed freely from the rubble.The original prospectors were not found, but the lease was sold toR. Devane, Monaghan and party, in 1896, who then develop the mine for several years. Ore was being carted to a battery at Northam, several hundred kilometres away, east of Perth.The mine was offered in London in 1902, but this appears to have failed. Messenger and party are noted at the mine from 1902 to 1904, and several crushings are processed. A 1903 picture shows a shaft with a rickety canvas and bush wood patio, with no equipment whatsoever at the site. Four men are pictured, one it is assumed Messenger. September 1903, Frederick Radnell (28) was killed in a fall of earth.In 1910, James Wightman had abandoned the Lancashire Hero Gold Mine, and taken up the Wycheproof with the Dudley brothers. They re-named the mine the Golden Eagle. Across 1910 to 1911, several crushings were extracted before the mine was abandoned again.During this initial period the mine had produced 573 tonnes of ore for 793 ounces.The Lanarkshire Company take a working option over the mine across 1934 to 1935. A.J. McGeorge is mine manager. A shaft was sunk, then they abandoned the mine. Late 1938, the New Golden Mile (Cracow) NL take out a 12 month option over the mine, spending 2000 pounds. This also came to nought.The lease was owned from the beginning of 1938 by J.W. Cranston, Tony Mateljan, J.A. Rocke, and F.S. Coxon. GML 2079W and 2155W, Wycheproof and Wycheproof South. The syndicate had crushed 1400 tonnes to 1939, between the option mentioned above for an average 8.5 dwt. The ore was semi sulphide, refractory, and had to be sent to Kalgoorlie for crushing. Little profit had been made on the ore as a result. The ore had been taken from the 150 foot level, the lode or reef averaging 6 foot wide. They had spent 3000 pounds, and employed seven men. 48 acres.The beginning of 1939 Charles De Bernales took out yet another option over the mine, but this was soon abandoned, as his speculating empire began to crumble around him.J. Rocke and party mentioned above crushed 117 tonnes at 18 dwt at the South Kalgurli battery late 1939. The stone came from a depth of 150 foot, the workings opened a length of 400 feet.2 valid minerals.

This geological map and associated information on rock units at or nearby to the coordinates given for this locality is based on relatively small scale geological maps provided by various national Geological Surveys. This does not necessarily represent the complete geology at this locality but it gives a background for the region in which it is found.

Click on geological units on the map for more information. Click here to view full-screen map on Macrostrat.org

mafic extrusive rocks 74248 Age: Archean (2500 - 4000 Ma) Description: Basalt, high-Mg basalt, minor mafic intrusive rocks; some andesite; agglomerate; mafic schist; amphibolite; dolerite; komatiitic basalt; carbonated basalt; basaltic andesite; mafic rock interleaved with minor granitic rock Comments: igneous mafic volcanic; igneous mafic intrusive; synthesis of multiple published descriptions Lithology: Igneous mafic volcanic; igneous mafic intrusive Reference: Raymond, O.L., Liu, S., Gallagher, R., Zhang, W., Highet, L.M. Surface Geology of Australia 1:1 million scale dataset 2012 edition. Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia). [5] Archean intrusive rocks Age: Archean (2500 - 3200 Ma) Comments: Yilgarn Craton Lithology: Intrusive igneous rocks Reference: Chorlton, L.B. Generalized geology of the world: bedrock domains and major faults in GIS format: a small-scale world geology map with an extended geological attribute database. doi: 10.4095/223767. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 5529. [154]

Data and map coding provided by Macrostrat.org, used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License

This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.

ReferencesGrand Rapids Public Schools' Southwest Community Campus fifth-grade students got an opportunity to experience Lake Michigan during a field trip to P.J. Hoffmaster State Park in Norton Shores on Thursday, May 31. For many of the inner-city Grand Rapids students, it was their first time seeing the lake, which is only about 35 miles away. For the fifth year in a row, several classes were able to participate in the field trips made possible through a partnership between GRPS and Open Systems Technologies.

Cory Morse | MLive.com

Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders (from left) Shanny Hernandez, John Matias and Yasmeen Martinez Chaparro, splash in Lake Michigan water during the trip. For many of the inner-city Grand Rapids students (including Shanny and John), it was their first time seeing the lake, which is only about 35 miles away.

Don't Edit

Southwest Community Campus fifth-grade teacher Akasha Starr said the trip was the highlight of the school year for a majority of her students. "They were so excited to just see the water," she said. "Their parents might work a lot, they don't really get out of the city much."

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Cory Morse | MLive.com

Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders (from left) Kaleah Tyler, Itzel Ruiz Orellana and Aleiyah Weathersby look at beach sand during the field trip. It was Itzel's first trip to Lake Michigan.

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Cory Morse | MLive.com

Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders run down a sand dune during the trip.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders (from left) Jennifer Perez Vasquez, Laetitia Nolasco, Isabella Sampedro, John Matias and Yasmeen Martinez Chaparro jump into Lake Michigan during a field trip to P.J. Hoffmaster State Park in Norton Shores on Thursday, May 31, 2018. For many of the inner-city Grand Rapids students (including Jennifer and John), it was their first time seeing the lake. "We were jumping on top of the waves, like if it was a jump rope," said Jennifer.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders walk barefoot into Lake Michigan during the trip.

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Isabela Velasquez Aquilar leads a charge down a sand dune during the trip.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders run up a sand dune during a field trip to P.J. Hoffmaster State Park in Norton Shores on Thursday, May 31, 2018.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-grader Brandon Lee gets sand in his hair while playfully tumbling down a dune during the trip. For many of the inner-city Grand Rapids students (including Brandon), it was their first time seeing Lake Michigan, which is only about 35 miles away. Brandon said it took him a while to get the sand out of his hair at home.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders play in beach sand during the trip. They also used magnets to discover the sand was magnetic.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders (from left) Analicia Encarnacion, Brandon Lee and Dyani Dougherty get down on their hands and knees to feel Lake Michigan water during the trip. It was the first time to the lake for Analicia, Brandon and Dyani.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders touch Lake Michigan beach sand during the trip.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders arrive for a field trip to P.J. Hoffmaster State Park in Norton Shores.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders walk through the woods toward Lake Michigan during the trip.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-grader Lanijah Moore, center, reacts after seeing Lake Michigan near classmates (from left) Itzel Ruiz Orellana, Juliet Aguilar, Isabela Velasquez Aguilar and Alex Aponte during a field trip to P.J. Hoffmaster State Park in Norton Shores on Thursday, May 31, 2018. It was the first time to the lake for Lanijah, Itzel, Juliet and Alex. "I thought we (were going to like just see it, like outside a window," said Lanijah. "I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is so pretty, I can't believe I'm doing this and we didn't have to pay money."

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders (from left) Roben Perez, Carlos Servellon, Joniel Delgado and Jennifer Perez Vasquez wade into Lake Michigan during the trip. It was the first time to the lake for Joniel and Jennifer.

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A Southwest Community Campus fifth-grader feels beach sand during the trip.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders run up to Lake Michigan during the trip.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders (from left) Kaleah Tyler, Itzel Ruiz Orellana, Juliet Aguilar and Isabela Velasquez Aguilar look at Lake Michigan during the trip. It was the first time to Lake Michigan for Itzel and Juliet.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders run up a sand dune during the trip.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders wade into Lake Michigan during the trip.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders (from left) John Matias, Yasmeen Martinez Chaparro, Shanny Hernandez, Miriam Gonzalez Hernandez and Josue Marcelino jump into Lake Michigan during the trip. It was the first time to Lake Michigan for John and Shanny.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-grader Aleiyah Weathersby smiles after walking onto the Lake Michigan beach during the trip.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders gather near Lake Michigan during the trip. Staff from P.J. Hoffmaster State Park also took time to educate the children about the environment.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders (from left) Brandon Lee, Dyani Dougherty, Isaiah Ruiz, Roberto Hernandez Lugo, Lanijah Moore and Itzel Ruiz Orellana check out Lake Michigan during the trip. For many of the inner-city Grand Rapids students (including Analicia, Brandon and Dyani), it was their first time seeing the lake.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders (from left) Carlos Servellon, Jennifer Perez Vasquez, Ashley Galicia Olvera, Isabella Sampedro and John Matias wade into Lake Michigan during the trip. It was the first trip to Lake Michigan for Jennifer, Ashley and John.

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Southwest Community Campus fifth-graders draw hearts in beach sand during a field trip to P.J. Hoffmaster State Park in Norton Shores on Thursday, May 31, 2018. The trip was made possible through a partnership between Grand Rapids Public Schools and Open Systems Technologies.SINGAPORE  US President Donald Trump said he had forged a "good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the start of a historic summit in Singapore on Tuesday, as the two men sought ways to end a nuclear standoff on the Korean peninsula.

"There will be challenges ahead," Kim said, but he vowed to work with Trump. Both men sat against in the hotels library against a backdrop of North Korean and US flags, with Kim beaming broadly as the US president gave him a thumbs up.

With cameras of the worlds press trained on them, Trump and Kim displayed an initial atmosphere of bonhomie.

Both men had looked serious as they got out of their limousines for the summit at the Capella hotel on Singapores Sentosa, a resort island with luxury hotels, a casino, manmade beaches and a Universal Studios theme park.

But they were soon smiling and holding each other by the arm, before Trump guided Kim to the library where they held a meeting with only their interpreters. Trump had said on Saturday he would know within a minute of meeting Kim whether he would reach a deal.

After some initial exchanges lasting around 40 minutes, Trump and Kim emerged, walking side-by-side through the colonnaded hotel before re-entering the meeting room, where they were joined by their most senior officials.

Kim was heard telling Trump through a translator: "I think the entire world is watching this moment. Many people in the world will think of this as a scene from a fantasy...science fiction movie."

Asked by a reporter how the meeting was going, Trump said: "Very good. Very, very good. Good relationship."

Kim also sounded positive about the prospects.

"We overcame all kinds of scepticism and speculations about this summit and I believe that this is good for the peace," he said.

Trump was joined by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Adviser John Bolton, and John Kelly, White House Chief of Staff, for the expanded talks, while Kims team included former military intelligence chief Kim Yong Chol, foreign minister Ri Yong Ho and Ri Su Yong, vice chairman of the ruling Workers Party.  REUTERSJune 12, 2018 / 07:44 PM IST

Vajpayee's condition stable, says AIIMS

The condition of former Prime Minister Vajpayee, who was admitted to AIIMS with urinary tract infection, lower respiratory tract infection and kidney issues, was stable today, the hospital said.

His condition is stable. He is responding to treatment and is on injectable antibiotics. All his vital parameters are stable. He will continue to be in hospital till infection is controlled, AIIMS said in a statement.Donald Trump

"Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate." Former US President John F. Kennedy once said these words as a part of an appeal to the country's arch enemy at the time -- the Soviet Union.

These are wise words, and one can only hope that the Indians engaging in trade talks with the United States are mindful of what they mean and why they're important.

Going by the comments Indian officials have made so far, the government intends to play hardball with the US.

President Donald Trump now occupies the oval office, nearly 60 years after Kennedy spoke those words. And Trump is peeved at India for charging import duty on high-end motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidson.

In February, India had reduced customs duty on completely built motorcycles of all engine capacities to 50 percent. This was a significant reduction in duty, since bikes with engine capacities of 800 cc or lower attracted 60 percent duty earlier, while those with capacities higher than 800 cc attracted 75 percent.

But Trump, who has taken it upon himself to re-negotiate all of US' bilateral and multilateral agreements, has made it clear bringing the duty down to 50 percent barely amounts to anything meaningful. What he wants is for the duty to be cut to zero, which is what Indian companies pay in the US.

If one were to, just for an instant, set aside the protectionist glasses through which we see the world, they would realise that there is nothing wrong with what Trump wants. His duty is to protect US' interests, just like it is our government's duty to protect ours.

India's stand in the negotiation is that it wants to continue having uninterrupted access to the US market under the generalised system of preferences (GSP). GSP provides access to the market at low or zero duty for around 3,500 Indian products.

"We are open to further import duty cut on high-end bikes like Harley-Davidson. But we need assurance that India's market access to the US under GSP will not be curtailed," Indian officials have been quoted as saying.

If this is what the Americans want as well, and if we can achieve it, then it would amount to a massive victory.

India is the largest beneficiary of the US' GSP programme, exporting goods worth $5.6 billion every year. If our access to US gets curtailed, it would impact the revenue of players in the textiles, engineering, gems and jewelry, and chemical sectors.

Now let us flip the coin and take a look at what is at stake for the US. Harley-Davidson has had an assembly unit in Haryana since 2011, from where it supplies both Indian and overseas markets.

The company produces around 10,000 vehicles a year and sells around 4,000 units in the domestic market. These motorcycles are priced between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 50 lakh. Considering an average price of Rs 25 lakh per unit, the company's revenue from India is around Rs 1,000 crore.

Ideally, a reduction in import duty should help Harley Davidson in India, because if the selling prices of its bikes drop, they will start selling more. But Harley Davidson's India business imports kits for only 4 of the 16 products it manufactures here.

In fact, in a media interview, Peter Mackenzie, Managing Director, Harley Davidson India and Greater China, actually said that a reduction in customs duty would not have a major impact, though it was always welcome.

Being in Haryana, Harley Davidson is in a position to meet most of its needs from local vendors. The fact that it not only uses these parts on the bikes it sells in India, but also on the ones it exports to other countries, suggests that the parts would not be inferior in quality.

Clearly, India does not have too much to lose by lowering import duty on imported, high-end motorcycles. We can give Trump what he wants because it would be in our interest to feed his ego, and we would not have to pay heavily to do it. In fact, if things go India's way, our officials can even extract a better deal for the Indian IT sector while they're at it.(Image: Kirloskar's website)

The preconceptions about success and failure often dissipate in the face of case studies of businesses based on real challenges and triumphs. The kind we have been bringing to you in the previous MoneyControl podcasts. These stories are about home grown conglomerates that began from a scratch and adapted to the shifting sands of political and economic climates.

I am Rakesh and today, you are going to hear one such story of another one of such empires, the Kirloskar Group. Currently, the group is headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra and exports to over 70 countries, over most of Africa, Southeast Asia and Europe.

A quick internet research will give you the facts but we want to give you the context of how the flagship and holding company, Kirloskar Brothers Ltd became a case study for success.

Today, the company is India's largest maker of pumps and valves. And also has gone on to undertake construction projects through its subsidiary Kirloskar Construction And Engineers Ltd. The company produces and we quote from information we found on multiple public domains, "engines, Centrifugal Pumps, compressors, screw & centrifugal chillers, lathes and electrical equipments like electric motors, transformers and generators."

But let us begin at the very beginning

Laxmanrao Kirloskar, the founder of the Kirloskar Industries was born on 20th June, 1869, in a village, Gurlahosur in Belgaum District. He began his career as a school teacher and later on, opened, believe it or not, a cycle repair shop in Belgaum. He dreamt of vaster, unrestricted skies and the workshop could not contain his ambition.

Most great adventures begin at the heart of some kind of conflict and it so happened that the Municipality of Belgaum ordered Kirloskar to vacate the area where his workshop was located because a new suburb was coming up in that space. By then the idea of starting a factory had begun to solidify in the pioneer's head and along with the idea came a helping hand out of the blue. The Ruler of Aundh, impressed with him, offered him a loan and Laxmanrao planted his entrepreneurial dream in a virtual waste land close to a railway station.

Legend goes that when Laxmanrao Kirloskar first arrived at the site that was to host his future dreams, he was faced by 32 arid acres overgrown with cacti and overrun with reptiles. But his dream was bigger than the odds and he put together a team of 25 workers, welcomed their families as well and what began as modest factory blossomed into the Kirloskar empire and the Kirloskarvadi township, the second oldest in the country.

The story of the inspiration behind Kirloskarvadi is also interesting. Laxmanrao had read about idyllic industrial townships in Europe and America where communities of workers thrived and when he laid the foundation of Kirloskar Brothers Limited factory in 1910, the establishment of the dream township was inevitable.

But he didn't do it alone and Ramuanna, Laxmanraos brother, oversaw the administration of the township. Laxmanrao had an eye for dormant potential and he proved that with the unconventional choices he made. One Shamburao Jambhekar worked as an engineer, K.K.Kulkarni, an academic drop out took over as the manager and treasurer, and another drop out, Anantrao Phalnikar dabbled successfully with on site engineering jobs. In an almost cinematic tradition of V Shantaram whose film Do Aankhen Barah Haath would years later speak of rehabilitating convicts, Laxmanrao hired two convicted dacoits, to guard Kirloskarvadi!

Setting up a burgeoning business despite practical problems was not the only challenge. It took over two years to convince farmers habituated to wooden ploughs to switch to the iron ploughs made in the Kirloskar factory. The iron ploughs were the first breakout successes of the business and were created by Laxmanrao with the unflinching conviction that agricultural implements adaptive to the Indian topography were the way forward.

He also saw that industrial revolution in a country like India could not remain isolated from the social realities of the time and carried out advocacy against superstitions and the deep rooted problem of untouchability, starting with his township where such exclusionary practices were banned.

Yet, challenges continued to stalk his journey as when during World War I, from 1914 to 1918, the supply of iron totally stopped, putting a spanner in all industrial activity. Interestingly, as always fate took his side and the Maharaja of Solapur in southeast Maharashtra sold the Kirloskar bothers his cannons so that they could be melted down and used to make iron ploughs!

So despite the ebb and flow of fortune, Laxmanrao Kirloskar, continued to do the spade work and grew a considerable harvest and his son Shantanurao Laxmanrao Kirloskar went on to play a key role in the success and development of the company that recorded one of the highest growth rates in history, with over 32,401% growth of assets from 1950 to 1991!

We now begin the next chapter of the Kirloskar saga where the lead player is Shantanurao Laxmanrao Kirloskar

Shantanurao Laxmanrao Kirloskar, the eldest Kirloskar son was born on 28 May 1903 and grew up wanting to stretch the boundaries of the business.

To be able to do that, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in Massachusetts, U.S.. He was incidentally among the first Indians to graduate from MIT.

Kirloskar was a dreamer and an envelope pusher like his father and wanted to go global even though pre independence India was as arid for entrepreneurial aspirations as the land his father had built his business on. He visualised a country free from the burden of colonialism  a country that would need economic self sufficiency as much as military prowess. He visualised India as an economic superpower and in his lifetime, did all he could to achieve this dream.

In 1965, he was awarded Padma Bhushan for his contribution to trade and industry.

But a long journey had preceded this achievement. It was post the chaos of World War II particularly, that the Kirloskar Group helmed by Shantanurao Laxmanrao's vision grew rapidly. In 1946, he established Kirloskar Electric Company and Kirloskar Oil Engines Limited at Bangalore and Pune, respectively.

He is credited with pioneering the manufacture of diesel engines indigenously but the beginning of this enterprise was almost as challenging as when his father had struggled to relocate and establish his business.

Gone were the days of patronising rulers and this India was overrun with red tape and after a long stint of push and pull, Shantanurao Kirloskar got enough land to establish Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd. (KOEL). This was nearly 12 months after an agreement had been signed between the Kirloskars and Associated British Oil Engines Export Ltd. of UK. So yes, the first tentative attempts at overseas partnerships had begun too.

This collaboration, incidentally, was the first of its kind in India. And so, as we told you before, KOEL factory was established in 1946, and soon after, we saw the birth of India's very first vertical high-speed engine. In a way, Kirloskars were becoming habituated to coming up with many firsts. In 1974, in cooperation with Deutz-Fahr of Germany, Kirloskar began manufacturing tractors though they have since stopped tractor production.

Today KOEL also offers engines operating on alternative fuels such as biodiesel, natural gas, biogas and straight vegetable oil (SVO). Their generating sets are branded as KOEL Green Gensets.

When new possibilities beckon, the Kirloskars heed them

It is this ability to think of new possibilities where none existed before and acting upon inspiration in the face of challenges that has made them today a 1.20 billion US Dollars engineering conglomeratecomprising 8 major companies. They reached this point after more than a century of pioneering cutting edge initiatives, products and turnkey services in sectors like power, construction, mining, agriculture,civic utility systems, transport, oil and gas and environment protection.

In 1988, Rajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India released a commemorative stamp marking the Kirloskar Group's 100th anniversary.

Understanding the need for world class managerial talent, in 1991, the Kirloskars founded the Institute of Advanced Management Studies (KIAMS) to train their own inhouse talent and in 1995, the training institute threw open its doors to aspiring managers all over the country.

As the company's profile grew, its span of activities also grew, as did possibilities of controversy as when in March 2007 Kirloskar Brothers Ltd created the worlds largest irrigation project or the Sardar Sarovar Dam project at the behest of the Gujarat Government.

But there were other activities that drew relatively less attention, as when Kirloskar Brothers made canned motor pumps for pumping heavy water deployed at Indian Nuclear Power Plants.

Not many people know either that Kirloskar Brothers Ltd is one of the first pump companies to have an all women operated and managed manufacturing plant at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt Ltd is big feather in the cap of the group and is a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan, for the manufacture and sales of Toyota cars in India. It is currently the 4th largest car maker in India after Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, and Mahindra.

But as it happens in most sagas, the highs come with the lows.

In 2000, Hindu Business Line reported that the then 75-year-old Kirloskar group, which once had 30 companies under its umbrella, had formally split along family lines.

The trouble began post the passing of Shantanurao Laxmanrao Kirloskar, whose primary vision was to keep the family united. After he passed, Vijay Kirloskar, the eldest among the third generation Kirloskars, was made the chairman of the group. Mr. Vijay Kirloskar happened to be the son of Ravi Kirloskar, the last son of Laxman Rao Kirloskar.

The news report claimed that the election of Mr. Vijay Kirloskar as chairman, had created resentment among the Pune wing of the Kirloskar group spearheaded by S.L.Kirloskar's grandsons Atul, Sanjay and Rahul. Vijay Kirloskar had been asked to step down from the post of chairman in what was described as an internal family coup and following this,

all the Kirloskar cousins became chairmen of their own individual companies.

Another version of this story blames the split on the stock market slump that had adversely affected the bottom lines of most of the group's companies.

The much touted joint venture with Toyota also, was not moving ahead because of lack of financial impetus. So this version claims that to solve all of these issues, the family decided to split the business into multiple halves.

In 2009, Mint reported that the three Kirloskar brothersSanjay, Atul, Rahuland their cousin Vikram were restructuring their ownership of the companies they independently managed in the then $2.4 billion Kirloskar group by diluting cross-holdings.

The paper said, "The restructuring of the groupis only the second such in its history since the last one in 2000 when Vijay Kirloskar, uncle of the three brothers and their cousin, parted ways from the group; the settlement saw him taking control of Kirloskar Electric and 15 companiesbegan earlier this year with KBL and KOEL transferring their investments, largely holdings in other group firms, into separate companies."

The transfers were supposedly meant to give shareholders the choice of owning shares in both manufacturing and investment firms.

The restructuring, Mint reported, signified that the three brothers and their cousin would now directly own shares in the firms they manage, rather than through holding companies. This was done to enable them to take independent decisions on fund-raising, joint ventures and diversification. It would also allow them, said the Mint report to better focus on their businesses, bring clarity to shareholders and create fewer succession issues.

Even though we concede and so did business analysts that such decisions were for the long term peace within the family, the reality was still much different from what the founding fathers would have visualised.

That the peace was not permanent was obvious when in April 2018, another Kirloskar family feud hit the headlines.

The Economic Times reported that a feud between the Kirloskar brothersSanjay (60) and Atul (61)over the construction of a gate at their homestead in Model Colony in January, 2017, and we quote, "had escalated into a fight between the matriarch, 82-year-old Suman Kirloskar, and her younger son, Sanjay, with the former claiming that her son had usurped a 10-crore land parcel at the familys Lakaki Bungalow." Sanjay was taken to court by his mother, and how the drama will unfold in the near future is anyone's guess.

What can however not be diluted by all this is the entrepreneurial vision that the company, is founded upon and the story of its growth and origins will continue to inspire generations of dreamers struggling to grow their own legacies in a world not yet ready for them.

The next generation makes its own rules

Sanjay Kirloskar, the grandson of Shantanurao Laxmanrao Kirloskar is the current chairman and managing director of Kirloskar Brothers Ltd. He is a graduate from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago.

And the story goes that when this scion of Indias largest Pump & Valve manufacturing company visited Egypt in the 90s, the receptionist was amused at his last name because in Cairo and in most of Egypt, the name Kirloskar stood for a pump much like Xerox stands for a photo copier in many countries.

And that in a nutshell is what the company stands for  solid brand equity. An equity that has survived many vicissitudes and become synonymous with quality. This is a tall order that future generations of Kirloskars would do well to live up to.Dilip Shanghvi | Founder and MD of Sun Pharmaceuticals: USD 12.8 billion | (Image: Reuters)

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Sun Pharma, India's largest drug maker said on June 12 that it had received the Establishment Inspection Report (EIR) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its crucial Halol facility in Gujarat indicating a closure of inspection.

"The agency concluded that the inspection is now closed and the issues contained in the Warning Letter issued in December 2015 have been addressed," Sun Pharma said in a statement to stock exchanges.

The Halol facility was inspected by USFDA between February 12 and 23.

This is an important development for Sun Pharma. We remain committed to following the highest levels of quality and 24x7 cGMP compliance at all our manufacturing facilities globally, the company said.

The EIR will allow Sun Pharma to restart supplies from the Halol facility to the US.

Prior to the warning letter, Halol was contributing about $400 million in sales, which was nearly 15 percent of the company's total sales. The facilitys contribution later declined to about $250 million. US alone has contributed around 40 percent of Sun Pharma overall sales in FY18.

US revenue growth has fallen 34 percent YoY - as the company is struggling with pricing pressure in that market.

"Sun Pharma's US business has been under pressure since the warning letter, as it has not received any product approval from this facility in three and a half years. The facility contributes 8-10% of US sales for SUNP, currently - down from >15% at the time of warning letter," said Motilal Oswal in its report.

Halol

Xelpros

Elepsia

Vagifem

"Resolution of theissue is critical for the company, as it would provide visibility on key approvals including, etc. We expect incremental sales of USD100 million from this facility post resolution," the report added.Tata Steel

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Tata Steel may be under pressure to rework the deal to merge its European operations with that of Thyssenkrupp after the Germany company's prominent shareholders demanded a compensation to fill a 'valuation gap' in the merger.

Two of Thyssenkrupp's shareholders, Elliott Management Corp and Cevian Capital, have asked the company to renegotiate the terms of the merger, which was signed by the two sides in September last year.

Under the deal terms, both sides would have an equal equity in the merged entity. The merged entity would become the second largest steelmaker in Europe, after ArcelorMittal.

But in the months following the deal, performance of the two entities has differed. A Reuters report said that since the deal was announced, Tata Steel Europe's EBITDA has declined by a fifth on an annual basis. On the other hand, EBIDTA of Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe has risen by a third.

This has prompted several stakeholders to voice their concerns. Elliott in a letter to Thyssenkrupp management said that the deal terms are now unfavourable for the German company. "If the initial terms of the deal are maintained, it represents a shift of about 1.9 billion euros less for Thyssenkrupp," the fund was reported as saying.

The opposition will now add pressure on Tata Steel and Thyssenkrupp as they work to save the merger, which is already delayed.

The merger was initially expected to be completed by the end of June, but the deadline was extended to December. The biggest sticking points are said to over labour agreements on job guarantees.

Unions protest

Separately, labour unions of both companies have also spoken against the merger.

Tata Steel Europe's European Works Council said that it remained unconvinced that the partnership would be of the best interests for employees.

On the other hand, Thyssenkrupp's labour representatives have aired concerns over the viability of Tata Steel Europe's operations.

It also doesn't help that the deal in the current form could let Tata Steel's Dutch plan retain cash flow and the current set up even after the merger is done.salman khan

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On April 5, shares of Mandhana Retail Ventures ended flat at Rs 116 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), even as the Sensex rose by 577 points.

Same day, a Jodhpur court found Salman Khan guilty in the 1998 black buck poaching case.

The connection?

Mandhana Retail Ventures is the global licensee of Being Human merchandise.

Fortunes of the clothing line has tracked the rise, and sometimes the fall, of the Bollywood superstar.

The rise began after Salman Khans second innings started with the success of Wanted in 2009. The success of the movie translated into the success of the apparel brand.

The brand, which is present in 15 countries, is now increasing its footprint. Venturing now into USA, United Kingdom, Far East and Sri Lanka, Being Human is more of Khans swag on the shelves than being just another clothing brand.

It was first launched in France and later ventured into Middle East, Nepal, Mauritius, Nepal and Fiji. The brand already has a global footprint of 500 point of sales in more than 15 countries.

Alongside other countries we are also debuting in Canada at Holts wherein we will showcasing our collection through a pop up at Holts-Canadas leading departmental store. Our goal has always been to be a global brand, said Manish Mandhana, CEO, the Mandhana Retail Ventures.

Mandhana is upbeat about expansion on home ground, too. Being Human would now be available in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets across the country.

Our plan is to tap into new markets such as the North-East, known for its fashion-driven consumers. Apart from this region, we will also be opening stores in Jamshedpur, Bhubaneshwar, Srinagar, Vapi, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Delhi, Guwahati, Noida, Lucknow, Dehradun, Jammu, Raipur, Meerut, Gorakhpur, Gurugram, Cuttack, Imphal, Shillong and Goa this year, added Mandhana.

Additionally, Being Human is also coming up with their organic eco line limited edition capsule collection.

The start

Back in 2007, Salman Khan launched the Being Human Foundation (BHF), a registered non-profit charitable trust that would provide financial support for healthcare and primary education for the underprivileged in India. Textile and garment manufacturing company Mandhana Industries, which was looking for an opportunity to venture into retail, approached Salman Khan and brand Being Human was born with all its merchandise offerings.

In January 2011, Mandhana entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement to design, manufacture, retail, market and distribute all Being Human retail merchandise.

Salman Khans role

Being Human Clothing has definitely benefitted and grown along with Salmans successful career, said Mandhana. Also, interestingly, Mandhana spends very little money on advertisements and promotions. Thanks to Khan who is mostly spotted in Being Human outfits, the brands need no other form of promotions.

The brand that that took off in 2009 at the HDIL Couture Week saw success with every super hit film the star delivered since then. From Dabangg, Ready, Bodyguard, Ek Tha Tiger, Sultan, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Kick, Bajrangi Bhaijan to Tiger Zinda Hai every time Khan took the silver screen by storm fans invested a little more in filling up their wardrobe with Being Human outfits.

As it turns out Khan is closely involved with the designing of Being Human outfits.

We are very glad to have Salman Khans input on every important factor regarding the brand. The brand has been shaped with contributions from both teams working towards a common goal, said Mandhana.

Khan gets an annual royalty of 5.75% from the brand which is used in the education and healthcare initiatives of Being Human  The Salman Khan Foundation.

But has there been no lows? Has the brand never suffered? Of course it has.

Every time Khan was in the news for the wrong reason Mandhana stocks suffered. Mandhana stocks have eroded more than half of investors wealth in 2019, said an NSE expert.

But could there be no recovery? The onus of success is now entirely on the quality and performance of the brand. Salmans level of celebrity status gave the brand its initial push and that sustained with time unlike many other celebrity brands because the stars performance in films but this cannot go on. If the brands research and development team should now work on making their offerings unique so that their success in the market is not subject to the stars personal success and failures, said brand strategist, Saurabh Uboweja.

As for the falling stock prices, brand experts believe being Human will bounce back. While expansions will definitely help the brand get more popular, the success of one of the biggest films of the year - Race 3 - is expected to put Salman right back on the popularity radar making Being Human more desired in the process.Yes Bank

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Yes Bank shareholders have approved the re-appointment of Rana Kapoor as the banks CEO and Managing Director for a period of three years.

The shareholders supported the resolutions for re-appointment of Mr. Rana Kapoor as MD & CEO of the Bank for a further period of 3 years, effective September 1, 2018, with an overwhelming majority. The re-appointment is subject to final approval by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the bank said on June 12.

Post its annual financial results in April, Yes Banks board had cleared Kapoors term for reappointment at the helm until August end 2021.

The approval comes after Yes Bank was hauled by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for reporting one of the highest proportion of differences in bad loan classification for two consecutive years.

In FY17, RBI found divergence of Rs 6,355 crore and in FY16 at Rs 4,177 crore in classification of gross non-performing assets (NPAs) by Yes Bank as compared to the central banks classification. The banking regulator imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 6 crore on the bank for the same.

Meanwhile, Yes Banks loans to a naval engineering company and a chemical firm have been flagged with risks by some analysts.

However, the bank continues to be among highly rated stocks, trading at a premium on the back of its strong profitability and healthy loan and deposit growth.

Yes Bank's stock price jumped over 12 percent in the last one year rising as much as 33 percent during the period.

For the fiscal ending March 2018, Yes Banks annual loan growth was at 54 percent, the fastest across banks in India. It is also the third-most profitable by return on assets among its private sector peers.

Post results, a Motilal Oswal report said, "We believe that while Yes Bank is likely to maintain industry-leading growth, sustained strength in asset quality and consistency in operating metrics are critical for sustained re-rating of the stock. Driven by strong balance sheet growth, CET-1 ratio declined to 9.7 percent, and the bank will raise equity capital in the near term. Net stressed assets have declined to ~1.7 percent of advances. We estimate earnings CAGR of 32 percent over FY18-20E..."

Other approvals at AGM

Shareholders also gave their nod to issuing dividend of Rs 2.7 per equity share of Rs 2 each (i.e. 135 percent) as recommended by the bank's board.

At its 14th AGM, the shareholders approved, through a special resolution, to raise capital aggregating up to $1 billion (approximately Rs 6,700 crore) by way of issue of shares (QIP/ADR/GDR/FCCB).

Similarly, the proposal to borrow/raise funds in Indian/foreign currency by issue of debt securities including, but not limited to non-convertible debentures, medium term notes (MTN) and bonds up to a total of Rs 30,000 crore. The shareholders approved to raise the total borrowing limit of the Bank to Rs 1.10 lakh crore from Rs 70,000 crore.

Among appointments of other board members, the shareholders passed resolutions for the appointment of Subhash Chander Kalia as Non-Executive Non-Independent Director, Rentala Chandrashekhar and Pratima Sheorey as Independent Director for five years and reappointment of Ajai Kumar as Non-Executive Non-Independent Director.

Other approvals by shareholders include re-appointment of M/S BSR & Co LLP, Chartered Accountants, as statutory auditors of the bank.Oil prices were little changed in early Asian trading on Tuesday as markets awaited the outcome of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

Traders also said they were reluctant to take on large new positions ahead of a meeting between producer cartel OPEC and some of its allies on June 22.

Brent crude futures , the international benchmark for oil prices, were trading at $76.40 per barrel at 0117, down 6 cents from their last close.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $66.08 a barrel, down 2 cents from their last settlement.

Crude has been supported by healthy demand and voluntary production cuts led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), but analysts said oil markets were also currently heavily driven by public policy events and statements.

Trump and Kim have arrived at the Singapore-venue for their summit on Tuesday, with the goal to narrow differences over how to end a nuclear standoff on the Korean peninsula.

"This week is all about global developments ... And today marks the potentially momentous meeting between Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in Singapore," said Shannon Rivkin, investment director at Australia's Rivkin Securities.

"Any positive outcome could be good news for markets, even if gold and oil may take a short-term hit," he added.

In oil market fundamentals, however, not all things point to higher prices, with output from the three biggest producers, Russia, the United States and Saudi Arabia on the rise.

Russian production has reportedly risen from below 11 million barrels per day (bpd) to 11.1 million bpd in early June.

In the United States, production has risen by almost a third in the last two years, to a U.S. record of 10.8 million bpd.

"The deluge of U.S. crude production continues to hold the top-side in check," said Stephen Innes, head of trading at futures brokerage OANDA.

Now, top exporter Saudi Arabia - which has so far led OPEC's efforts to withhold supplies - is also showing signs of upping production.

Saudi Arabia has told OPEC that it raised oil output to a little more than 10 million bpd in May, up from 9.9 million bpd in April.

"This fits with the theory that the Saudis and Russians are subtly moving towards a change to the agreement at this month's meeting," McKenna said.

OPEC, together with some non-OPEC producers including Russia, started withholding output in 2017 to end a global supply overhang and prop up prices.

OPEC and its partners are due to meet on June 22 at the cartel's headquarters in Vienna, Austria, to discuss policy.

"Expect more of the same whippy markets driven by rumours and innuendo ahead of June 22 Vienna OPEC meeting," Innes said.The S&P BSE Sensex surged over 200 points while the Nifty50 held on to its crucial support placed at 10,800 levels on Monday. The real action was seen in the broader market which outperformed benchmark indices by rising nearly 1 percent.

Equity markets across the globe including India rose after U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

"As news of the Trump Kim meet trickled down through the afternoon, indices gained strength to once again close at the highest point of the session. FIIs continue to sell whereas the DII s continue to be net buyers. Markets continue the uptrend and are slowly edging back towards previous highs," Nikhil Kamath, Co-Founder, Zerodha told Moneycontrol.

"We continue to remain cautious and would not advocate entering fresh longs at this point, we remain neutral and would wait for further cues before picking a direction at this juncture," he said.

Sectorally, the S&P BSE Healthcare index rose 1.9 percent, followed by the S&P BSE Capital Goods index which gained 1.1 percent, and the S&P BSE FMCG index was up 0.7 percent.

On the losing front, the S&P BSE Metals index slipped 0.56 percent, and the S&P BSE Telecom index dropped 0.3 percent.

The S&P BSE Midcap index rose 0.9 percent, and the S&P BSE Smallcap index rose 0.54 percent.

Top Sensex gainers include stocks like Dr Reddys Laboratories (up 5.2 percent), SBI (up 3.3 percent), IndusInd Bank (up 2.7 percent), and HUL (up 2.4 percent).

Top Sensex losers include stocks like Bharti Airtel (down 1.9 percent), Tata Steel (down 1.5 percent), Coal India (down 1.4 percent), and ONGC (down 1.1 percent).

Stocks in news:

Share price of Fortis Healthcare fell nearly 2.5 percent as company deferred the approval of quarterly and annual financial results for the period ended March 31, 2018.

Shares of Usha Martin touched 52-week high of Rs 33, and closed 5.9% higher after the company decided to explore the sale of its steel business. The company at its board meeting held on June 11 has decided to explore the sale of its steel business in order to achieve the objective of deleveraging the company.

Suven Life Sciences Ltd said that it has received one product patent from each China and US corresponding to new chemical entities for the treatment of disorders associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Shares of Suven Life Sciences rose 1.9%.

Shares of Orchid Pharma Ltd rose nearly 5% after the company said it got EU good manufacturing practices certificate following the inspection of its API manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu.

Share price of Strides Shasun added 3.8 percent after the company received USFDA approval for Oseltamivir Phosphate capsules. The company's wholly owned subsidiary Strides Pharma Global Pte has received final approval for Oseltamivir Phosphate Capsules USP, 30 mg (base), 45 mg (base), and 75 mg (base) from the USFDA (United States Food & Drug Administration).

In other news/Global Update:

European markets hovered around flat terrain after US President Donald Trump signed a historic agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Stoxx 600 was flat with most sectors trading into the black.

Meanwhile, Asian markets closed higher on the back of the landmark meeting between Trump and Kim Jong Un in Singapore. It is also positioning itself ahead of central bank meetings in this week. Nikkei 225 rose 0.33 percent, or 74.31 points, to close at 22,878.35.For tile manufacturers, Q4 FY18 wasnt an exciting quarter. Most obstacles that had marred performance in the past appear to be receding, hence the sector merits attention. So, which stock should investors bet on now?

Tile manufacturers reported muted set of earnings in Q4. Asian Granito outperformed larger peers - Kajaria Ceramics and Somany Ceramics - by reporting strong double-digit volume growth. Realisation took a hit as prices of glazed vitrified tiles softened and increase in fuel prices dented margins. Despite a lacklustre performance, players remain optimistic on volume growth and demand recovery in FY19 as industry reforms and government policies should have a positive impact on organised players.

Of the three listed players, tile volumes of Asian Granito rose 29 percent year-on-year. On account of a large base, Kajaria and Somany posted low single-digit volume growth.

Asian Granitos revenue growth lagged behind volume growth due to decrease in price realisations from both tile manufacturing and natural marble trading segments, while Kajaria and Somany reported a muted topline and bottomline.

Increase in key input prices resulted in a contraction in operating margin and subsequently lower profits for all players.

Realisations for all players suffered as increased competitive intensity from unorganised players (post the Vibrant Gujarat meet in December last year) resulted in prices of glazed vitrified tiles declining 2-3 percent in the quarter gone by. However, prices seem to have stabilised after the correction and the same is expected to continue for the next 3-6 months.

While the cost of raw materials remained largely stable, operating margin came in lower as gas prices rose sharply. Tile manufacturing is a power-intensive industry with natural gas and electricity accounting for 40-45 percent of total costs. The price of natural gas has seen a steep increase of around 23 percent in the past one year. Prices from April-September have been fixed at $3.06 per million British thermal units after the last price revision. The latest 6 percent hike might further dent margins of players by 80-100 basis points as realisations are unlikely to rise given the heightened competitive intensity.

Somany is somewhat immune to gas price movements compared to Kajaria and Asian Granito as its manufacturing plants in Morbi, Gujarat receive state government subsidies. However, higher gas prices will impact its northern plants, which contribute 20% percent to revenue.

All three companies are focusing on increasing dealer presence to increase customer touch-points and shore up sales volumes.

Asian Granito added 200 dealers in FY18 taking its total dealer network to 1,200 at the end of the year. It plans to add another 300 dealers in FY19.

Somany had gross dealer additions of around 600 last fiscal. However, net addition stood at 325 as around 275 dealers exited the system due to Goods & Service Tax-related issues. Overall it has around 2,000 billing points (including dealers as well as sub-dealers) and around 320 exclusive showrooms.

Kajaria added around 150 dealers to its distribution network taking its total tally to 1,400 at the end of FY18. It plans to expand this network at a similar pace in FY19.

While Asian Granito is focusing on increasing its retail presence, Kajaria and Somany are gradually diversifying their business by foraying into sanitaryware and bathware segments.

The tile industry faced a challenging year as performance was impacted by demonetisation, rollout of GST and implementation of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA).

The e-way bill is anticipated to be a game-changer as it will reduce tax evasion from unorganised players and aid market share of organised players. Surveillance measures in the current e-way bill need to be stricter to ensure a higher level of tax compliance and create a level playing field for organised players.

Recovery in real estate (after implementation of RERA) is expected to further spur demand for building products. These players will also benefit from the governments Housing for All (6 crore new houses by 2022) and Smart City mission (development of 100 smart cities).

Anti-dumping duty on Chinese vitrified tiles (valid up to 2022) would further aid organised players like Kajaria, Somany and Asian Granito.

Kajaria enjoys best-in-class operating metrics but current valuations leave little scope for appreciation in the near term.

We remain optimistic on the long term prospects of all three players. But considering the risk-reward ratio, we prefer Asian Granito at current valuations. The company had a stellar volume growth in FY18 and expects to clock 15 percent volume growth in FY19. It continues to expand its retail footprint in an aggressive manner and has increased advertising spends to enhance its brand image. It is also focusing on value-added products to enhance its margin and appointed Vector Consultants to streamline its working capital cycle. Increasing scale, strong free cash generation and declining debt could trigger a re-rating in the stock in line with industry majors: Kajaria and Somany.

Follow @Sach_PalManish Kothari

Ever since the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) announced re-categorisation of open-ended mutual funds in October 2017 into 36 schemes under equity, debt, hybrid etc, funds houses have been restricted from having more than one scheme under each category, subject to certain exceptions. As per a report by The Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), fund houses have launched 12 new close-ended equity schemes in the January to March quarter, leading to growing eagerness among investors to invest in them.

But before you decide to invest in a close-ended mutual fund, here are some important points to keep in mind before arriving at any such investment decision:

Close-ended mutual funds do not have any track record and arent open to investors after their initial offer period. Most agencies do not rank them in their rating exercises. Lack of a track record implies that past performance cannot be reviewed or scrutinised. Such schemes can neither be compared with their peer schemes and benchmarks, nor can their performance be tracked or compared real time. Moreover, sporadic disclosures also make analysis of close-ended funds difficult and lack of scrutiny often leads to complacency for close-ended fund managers.

Unlike open-ended schemes where the performance of the fund is traceable over different market cycles, investors may have to rely on the fund managers past performance and experience when it comes to investing in close-ended schemes.

Close-ended mutual funds involve small sized portfolios. This leads to higher expense ratio for even the smallest of funds, which usually rises to 3 percent per annum. Majority of close-ended schemes have a relatively higher expense ratio than open-ended funds. Although SEBI has placed a limit on the maximum expense ratio chargeable from investors, the slab structure of close-ended fund allows them to charge the highest expense ratio from their smallest sized funds. As the fund size increases, this expense ratio decreases.

Levying high expense ratio on close-ended funds means fund houses can offer higher commissions to distributors and therefore maximize the income of both asset management companies and distributors.

Close-ended schemes do not provide the option to exit funds in case of non-/underperformance of funds in the portfolio. Funds invested in these cannot be redeemed or sold when such a need arises. Due to lack of past records and absence of a facility to exit the fund, the working of close-ended schemes is sometimes referred to as black box as it lacks scrutiny.

Before maturity, the only mode to sell a close-ended scheme bought in demat form is on the stock exchange. On the latter, your fund units would be bought by another investor who is interested in purchasing units of that fund. Moreover, absence of portfolio rebalancing or an asset allocation option adds to the rigidity of close-ended schemes.

Many investors, especially the salaried class, usually prefer regular investments (in the form of systematic investment plans) over lump sum equity investments. This ultimately leads them to investing in open-ended schemes, since close-ended ones dont offer the flexibility of regular investments. Even if a lump sum amount is invested in a close-ended scheme, the concept of rupee cost averaging isnt present if the market trends lower. Performance of close-ended schemes and investor returns are therefore solely dependent on timing of the investment, i.e. the opening and closing dates.

Benefits of investing in close-ended mutual funds

Investors dont sell in panic: Since close ended equity schemes have a specified term such as 36 months, 5 years etc, those aiming to build a corpus without worrying about day-to-day market fluctuation can invest in these schemes. Investors cannot exit whenever the market turns unfavourable. This provides a more stable asset base to fund managers to manage the fund throughout the term.

Moreover, only the opening and closing date of scheme affects returns which an investor would earn.

With a closed-ended fund, the fund manager has the advantage of managing the money pooled without any redemption pressure during the lock-in period. Although investors cannot redeem or sell their schemes, they can exchange them on stock exchange, by selling to a buyer who seems interested in the close-ended fund.

Invest in funds which offer differentiated income/objectives: Another benefit of investing in close-ended funds is that investors are able to invest in funds that offer differentiated objectives/income, which may not be offered in open-market funds or schemes. Close-ended funds can be unique and possess niche strategies which require a finite life and hence need to be properly timed. The strategy could be for a new or different idea meant only for select investors who are willing to look at a different risk profile and invest accordingly in such funds.

How much to invest in close-ended funds?

Ideally, investor should invest 5-10 percent of the desired corpus amount in each close-ended scheme, keeping in mind the risk of timing the investment properly for generating adequate returns on the closing date. Since close-ended funds require lump sum investment, investors should invest small sums in different schemes of close-ended funds, instead of putting the lump sum into a single scheme. But before investing in close-ended schemes, ensure that they offer something unique, when compared to the flexibility and benefits of open-ended funds.June 12, 2018 / 08:26 PM IST / 08:26 PM IST ED seizes Rs 44.75 crore worth of land from Lalu Yadav's family

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized 11 plots of land in Patna worth Rs 44.75 crore, attached by the agency in the name of a firm Lalu Prasad Yadav's family, as part of the IRCTC hotel money laundering case. The central probe agency was allowed to take possession of the seized assets by a designated PMLA authority recently.











June 12, 2018 / 09:57 PM IST That's all for today, readers. Thanks for staying on with our coverage of the day's action. Your enthusiasm encourages us to better our coverage every day. Do come back tomorrow for more news, views and insights.











June 12, 2018 / 09:54 PM IST Yes Bank gets shareholders' nod to raise $1 billion via QIP

Yes Bank today got shareholders' nod for raising USD 1 billion (about Rs 6,700 crore) from various instruments, including Qualified Institutional Placements (QIPs). The shareholders have also approved the re-appointment of Rana Kapoor as its MD & CEO for another three years, effective September 1, 2018, according to a statement by the Bank.











June 12, 2018 / 09:42 PM IST Over 1,200 nominations received for Padma awards

More than 1,200 nominations have been received so far for the Padma awards given for work of distinction and exceptional achievement in different fields. Close to 1,654 registrations have been made on the website, out of which 1,207 nominations or recommendations have been completed since the nomination process was opened on May 1, 2018, the Home ministry said in a statement today.











June 12, 2018 / 09:38 PM IST Kathua rape: Court orders bone ossification test to determine age of accused

A court hearing the Kathua gang rape-and-murder case issued directions for bone ossification test of one of the accused to determine his age after the defence counsel moved an application last week for treating him as a minor citing his matriculation certificate, lawyers said.











June 12, 2018 / 09:18 PM IST











June 12, 2018 / 08:43 PM IST Spain's coach Julen Lopetegui to be next Real Madrid manager

Football team Real Madrid stated that Spain's coach Julen Lopetegui will be the team's manager after the World Cup. The announcement was made on Tuesday, two days before Spain's opening match against Portugal in Russia, according to the Associated Press. Lopetegui will be handed a three-year contractand will replace Zinedine Zidane, who quit after leading Madrid to three straight Champions League titles.











June 12, 2018 / 08:39 PM IST











June 12, 2018 / 08:18 PM IST Sun Pharma receives EIR for its Halol facility

Drug major Sun Pharmaceutical Industries today said it has received establishment inspection report (EIR) from the US health regulator for its Halol facility in Gujarat.The company has received an EIR from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for the inspection conducted at the Halol facility during the period February 12-23, 2018.











June 12, 2018 / 08:02 PM IST









Steady global cues along with a good upmove in pharmaceuticals and banks ensured that the market closed at multi-month highs. The Nifty managed to hold 10,800 on the index.

The day began on a flat note, but a surge in pharmaceutical names later on, led by Dr Reddys, Lupin and Strides Shasun boosted pharma stocks. The Sensex gained over 200 points, while the Nifty also ended above 10,800.

Financial names as well as energy stocks together contributed 35 points to index gains. Meanwhile, among index heavyweights, RIL was the biggest index gainer, while Airtel was the top loser.

The Sensex is up 209.05 points or 0.59% at 35692.52, while the Nifty was up 55.90 points or 0.52% at 10842.90. The market breadth was positive as 1427 shares advanced, against a decline of 1207 shares, while 163 shares are unchanged.

Among sectoral indices, PSU banks, pharmaceuticals as well as FMCG names were the top gainers. Midcap index ended higher by around a percent.

Stocks in the news

Strides Shasun ended 4 percent higher as the firm received an approval from US FDA for flu tablets.

Manappuram Finance closed higher by around 2 percent as investors placed positive bets on the firm ahead of its Board Meeting to consider a fundraising.

Meanwhile, BGR Energy was locked in 20 percent upper circuit after the firm won orders worth Rs 431 crore.

Usha Martin touched 52-week high of Rs 33, rising 12 percent intraday before ending 6 percent higher as the company has decided to explore the sale of its steel business.

A consideration of buyback issue pushed up shares of DCM Shriram, which ended over 12 percent higher.

Global update

European markets hovered around flat terrain after US President Donald Trump signed a historic agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Stoxx 600 was flat with most sectors trading into the black.

Meanwhile, Asian markets closed higher on the back of the landmark meeting between Trump and Kim Jong Un in Singapore. It is also positioning itself ahead of central bank meetings in this week. Nikkei 225 rose 0.33 percent, or 74.31 points, to close at 22,878.35.Cotton

Angel Commodities' report on Cotton

MCX June Cotton edged lower on Monday tracking fall in international prices and technical selling at higher levels. Currently, cotton is trading at 22 months highs in the domestic market as Miller and traders are stocking up cotton for the lean season. Moreover, good export demand from China is also fueling the prices. China buys 500,000 bales of new cotton crop from India to be shipped to China in Nov - Dec. T ill last week, India kharif cotton acreage is 18% lower at 9.96 lakh ha vs 12.18 lakh ha year ago. India's cotton exports are seen rising around 21% on year to 75 lakh bales (1 bale = 170 kg), backed by depreciation in the rupee and higher international prices of the commodity.

Cotton futures are expected trade sideways to higher on report of good physical and export demand, higher exports, diminishing arrivals and expectation of lower sowing expectation in coming season may keep the prices supported.

For all commodities report, click here

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies 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.

Read MoreJune 12, 2018 / 06:54 PM IST

Trump depicts benefits of peace in video played for Kim at summit

Donald Trump today played a Hollywood-style video to Kim Jong-un, which depicted the North Korean leader and the US president as its leading men, showing the prospect of peace, PTI has reported.

The video made a dramatic pitch for the benefits of peace between the two Cold war-era rivals laying out the opportunities that could come with an agreement to eliminate North Korea's nuclear arsenal, a story about "two men, two leaders, one destiny."

Trump played the video in Korean to the North Korean leader and eight aides at their private bilateral meeting, The Straits Times reported.

When asked about the video montage played ahead of the press conference, Trump said: "We had it made... I hope you liked it. I thought it was interesting enough to show... and I showed it to him (Kim) today towards the end of the meeting and I think he loved it," the report said.

The film drew on the "in a world" and "one man, one choice" framing of Hollywood action movies.Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said Artificial Intelligence will create more jobs and help in bridging the gap between the rich and the poor.

The technology could also help in facilitating the reach of health services to remote areas, he said.

Fadnavis was speaking at a panel discussion on Governance and Artificial Intelligence with Vice Premier of Quebec Dominique Anglade in Montreal.

Dismissing the fear of losing jobs due to artificial intelligence, he said, "On the contrary, it will create even more jobs and not just that, it will repair and solve many problems. Artificial intelligence has the power to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor."

Fadnavis said that due to the information asymmetry in India between the rich and the poor, he proposes to use artificial intelligence tools for access to basic services.

"Health services can be provided in remote villages using artificial intelligence-powered diagnostic tools like retinal photography and its transmission via internet to centrally located doctors," he said.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an area of computer science that emphasises the creation of intelligent machines that work and react like humans.

The chief minister also spoke about the death of several farmers in the state's Yavatmal district last year while spraying pesticides in their fields.

Start-ups were now showing a way out by using drones and artificial intelligence for the purpose, he said.

The chief minister also spoke about the use of technology in service delivery and to bring sustainability in the era of climate change.

"Technology is like a horse, one has to take control of it and ride it. Once you start riding it, it will be at your service," he said, while elaborating the government's role as a facilitator in the use of technology.

The Maharashtra government also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Fonds de recherche du Qubec - Nature et Technologies, to form an international working group on agriculture for crop disease eradication, use of artificial intelligence for agricultural technologies and soil management.

Fonds de recherche du Quebec - Nature et Technologies is a nature and technologies researchers group under the Government of Qubec and a combination of various universities.

Fadnavis also attended a Canada-India Business Council (CIBC) reception hosted by its CEO Kasi Rao at Quebec.

Along with the potential and growth story of Maharashtra in all sectors, Fadnavis spoke on how a 'third Mumbai' is in the offing with the new urban agglomeration between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.

The chief minister also spoke about the first smart industrial corridor and AURIC smart city.

Aurangabad Industrial City (AURIC) is a greenfield smart industrial city being developed across nearly 7,900 acres as part of Shendra Bidkin Industrial Area. It is collectively a part of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC).

"India and Maharashtra are progressing and expanding with more opportunities. It is time to once again think to invest with the same energy in Maharashtra," Fadnavis said, appealing Indian investors from Canada to visit, invest and explore the state.

Maharashtra will become a trillion dollar economy by 2029 but the government intends to achieve it by 2025 as Prime Minister Narendra Modi envisages to make India a 5 trillion dollar economy, and the state has the biggest role to play in this process, Fadnavis said.

He was replying while being interviewed by Perrin Beatty, the president and CEO, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, on 'leading the global growth in an era of competitive federalism'.The government is considering imposing restrictions on social media platforms like WhatsApp in Jammu and Kashmir in order to curb their use by terrorists in the region, according to a report by Times of India.

Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba chaired a meeting in which the issue of misuse of social media in the state was brought up.

Social media platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram are increasingly becoming sources of communal unrest in Jammu and Kashmir as terrorists use them to communicate with each other and their Pakistan-based handlers.

A Jaish-e-Mohammad attack at the Nagrota camp in 2016 opened the authorities' eyes to the fact that many apps like WhatsApp are used for the terrorists' internal communication.

Many terrorists had reportedly told Jammu and Kashmir police that they were receiving instructions from their partners across the border through WhatsApp voice calls.

Officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Department of Telecommunications, and Jammu and Kashmir police, met to discuss the expulsion of poisonous content posted by 'keypad jihadis' on social media.

A senior official told TOI that these apps and websites need curbs.

"We are examining how social media applications and messaging services across the board can be effectively controlled (to block or suspend terror-related communication and malicious content). This includes WhatsApp as well as Telegram," the official was quoted as saying.

Due to end-to-end encryption, security agencies have faced many problems in tracking the activity of internet voice calls.

The Home Ministry issued a release in which it said that effective measures will be taken by law enforcement agencies to tackle security challenges that the internet poses in Jammu and Kashmir.

The ministry also talked about how terrorists are using social media platforms in its statement. It said that these apps are being used to propagate child pornography, a separate meeting for which is scheduled soon.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands before the welcoming banquet for the BRICS Summit, in Xiamen. (Image: PTI)

China presented an upbeat picture of the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping at Qingdao, saying they agreed to "cherish" the "positive momentum" generated by their Wuhan meeting and implement the "important consensus" reached at the summit.

Modi and Xi on June 9 held talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the port city of Qingdao. The meeting covered key aspects of the bilateral engagement, reflecting the resolve by the two countries to reset relations and bring back trust in their ties, hit by the Dokalam standoff and several other thorny issues.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang during a media briefing here today said, "The two leaders exchanged views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interests. They also reached important consensus."

"Both leaders believe that their informal summit in Wuhan played a positive role in moving forward the bilateral cooperation," he said, responding a question on Modi-Xi meeting on the sidelines of the just-concluded Qingdao summit of the SCO.

"They agreed that that the positive momentum should be cherished and they should implement the consensus reached in Wuhan," Geng said.

They agreed to implement the consensus in areas of strategic communication and expanding people to people cooperation and move forward bilateral ties, he said.

The meeting was held in cordial atmosphere just like the Wuhan informal summit and it will surely contribute to the sound development of bilateral ties, he said.

The two sides also agreed to have high-level exchanges, formulate new trade goals and establish high-level people to people exchanges led by the two foreign ministries, he said.

Geng highlighted India's decision to expedite approval procedures for the Bank of China's request to set up a branch in Mumbai and agreements on exporting India's rice to China and sharing of hydrological data by Beijing with New Delhi.

During the meeting, Xi and Modi agreed to hold the next informal summit in India next year besides resolving to continue efforts to ensure peace and tranquillity along the border.

On the outcome of the SCO summit, Geng said it "breathed new life to the Shanghai sprit, which is mutual respect which is mutual benefit, equality consultation, respect for diverse civilisations and pursuit of common development."

In the past 17 years the SCO has been growing. This is attributed in the final analysis to the fact that the Shanghai spirit transcended the outdated concepts of clash of civilisations, cold war the mind-set. SCO pursues no isolated and exclusive clubs," he said.

The summit has established new action plan. The Leaders signed and approved 17 documents, six cooperation documents, more than any previous summits of the SCO, Geng said.

The summit also achieved concrete outcomes and made plans for promoting good neighbourliness and friendship, combating three evil forces of separatism, extremism and terrorism, he said.

"To implement this consensus is our priority task for the next phase. As founding member China regards SCO as a priority of its diplomacy. We will work with all member states to implement this consensus and make the SCO more efficient and more stronger and with brighter prospects," he said.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its members last year.Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who has been ailing for long, was admitted to AIIMS today following complaints of lower respiratory tract infection and kidney issues and was undergoing dialysis, hospital sources said.

Earlier, the hospital said that he was admitted for routine check-up and investigations and that his condition was stable.

"He was admitted with complaints of lower respiratory tract infection and kidney issues. He is in the ICU and undergoing dialysis," a source at the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) said.

A team of doctors under the supervision of AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria are conducting tests on the 93-year-old leader, a statement from the hospital said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the BJP patriarch at the hospital.

Modi met the doctors and enquired about the well-being of Vajpayee. He also met his family members, according to an official statement.

The prime minister spent nearly 50 minutes at the hospital, the official statement added.

BJP president Amit Shah, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Health Minister J P Nadda were among those who paid a visit to the ailing leader.

A BJP statement had said that the leader was admitted for routine check-up and investigations on doctors' advice.

The BJP stalwart was the prime minister between 1998 and 2004.

As his health deteriorated, he slowly withdrew from public life and has been confined to his residence for many years.AGRA, INDIA - APRIL 29: Tourists are seen as renovation process continue at Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world, in Agra, India on April 29, 2017. Restoration work goes on its central dome which has become dirtied by pollution in recent year. (Photo by Ahmet zgi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists took to the streets to protest against the installation of the turnstile gate at the western entrance of the Taj Mahal claiming that it blocked the path to a 400-year old temple. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at Taj Mahal has lodged a case against 30 protestors.

As per a report from Hindustan Times, ASI was laying down frames for the installation of turnstile gates and door-frame metal detectors at the western entrance of the Taj Mahal when VHP activists arrived, shouting slogans. They also removed one of the gates.

Ravi Dubey, a senior office-bearer of the VHP and claiming to be the General Secretary of the 400-year old temple was quoted in the report saying, The gate being installed is blocking passage to Siddheshwar Mahadev temple at Basai Ghat alongside the western wall of Taj Mahal. The temple is 400 years old and has been in existence prior to Taj Mahal. So there is no logic in blocking passage to the temple."

Defending his views, he further added, "But ASI officials did not heed to our requests. We dislodged the turnstile gate and will not allow it to be installed at any cost. We will meet the district magistrate on Monday to press our demand.

The report also quoted Prabhat Kumar, Circle officer  Taj security: An alternative passage has been made for access to the temple, but protesters insisted on the old passage on which turnstile gates are being placed.

While ASI officials are yet to release a statement on the issue, a case has been lodged against 30 protestors, including five named persons - Ravi Dubey, Mohit Sharma, Niranjan Pathak, Madan Verma and Gulla  under the sections of Public Property Damage Prevention Act, Criminal Law Amendment Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The Station-in-Charge of the Tajgani police station has mentioned that they are searching for the accused.The topic of extraditing people wanted in India has been an important subject in bilateral relations between India and the United Kingdom.

About two weeks ago, India asked the UK to expedite the extradition process of two economic offenders -- fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya and former Indian Premier League (IPL) chief Lalit Modi -- both of whom are currently in London.

Media reports suggest that even absconding jeweller Nirav Modi, named in the Rs 13,000 crore fraud at Punjab National Bank (PNB) that came to light recently, is seeking political asylum in the UK.

Extraditing these fugitives is not going to be easy, given India's weak track record. India signed an extradition treaty with the UK in 1992, but efforts to extradite both economic offenders and those charged with terrorism have not yielded much success.

In fact, India's only successful extradition request so far was made in 2016, when Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel, an accused in the 2002 Gujarat riots, was extradited from the UK.

A factor that helped India in Patel's case was that he had consented to the extradition, an India Today report said. British Minister for Countering Extremism Baroness Williams said that the UK is using appropriate legal channels to ensure Mallya's extradition.

Other people for whom India has placed extradition requests to the UK are Ravi Shankar, accused in the navy war room leaks case, Tiger Hanif, allegedly involved in the 1993 Gujarat bombing, and Nadeem Saifi, accussed in the Gulshan Kumar murder case.

In the cases of Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya, there is an option outside of the extradition treaty that could help India's cause. A signing of an agreement related to illegal immgration could be used to extradite the two disgraced businessmen.Goa CM Manohar Parrikar

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is in the US for treatment of a pancreatic ailment, will return to the state this week, a senior official said today. Parrikar, 62, has been in the US for treatment since March this year.

"The chief minister will return to the state this week though the exact date was yet to be confirmed," a senior official in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.

He said the CMO was making arrangements for Parrikar's return.

"The chief minister would be arriving from USA to Mumbai and then from there by another flight to Goa," he said.

Before leaving Goa, Parrikar had formed a cabinet advisory committee to guide the state administration on governance and other issues, in his absence.

The committee comprises Sudin Dhavalikar (of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party), Francis D'Souza (of the BJP) and Vijai Sardesai (of the Goa Forward Party).

The MGP and the Goa Forward Party are allies of the ruling BJP in the coastal state.Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his associates on Monday refused to leave Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's residence till their demands were met, and ended up staying there for over 12 hours.

Kejriwal and his associates reportedly slept on a sofa in the Lieutenant Governor's waiting room.

According to a report by The Hindustan Times, Kejriwal's agenda was to discuss the issue of bureaucrats not attending meetings with his ministers, and also to get approved a scheme for doorstep delivery of ration.

The Delhi CM was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and two other ministers -- Satyendra Jain and Gopal Rai.

They met Baijal and handed him a letter that elaborated "how governance in Delhi was being affected because of officers not attending meetings."

After handing over the letter to Baijal, Kejriwal tweeted: "Handed L-G a letter, but he refused to take action. L-G is under constitutional duty to act. Left with no option, we have politely told the L-G that we will not leave till he acts on all points."

However, the Lieutenant Governor's house released a statement saying: "It was reiterated by the L-G that there is no strike by employees of Delhi government and in his continued interactions with officers, it has been informed that the atmosphere of mistrust and fear continues and no sincere attempts to resolve the differences have been made by the Cabinet."Lima : Mark Zuckerberg, chairman and CEO of Facebook, speaks at the CEO summit during the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Lima, Peru, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016. AP/PTI(AP11_19_2016_000287B)

As part of the follow up questions addressed during the data scandal testimony on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the social media giant has claimed that it offered "identical support" to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton during the 2016 US presidential election campaign. The company said in an official report, according to TechCrunch that "everyone had access to the same tools".

The report said that Facebook made the declaration during the data scandal testimony. It was earlier revealed that Facebook had used data of its members to influence the last US presidential elections. However, Zuckerberg denied the rumours in the questioning by Senator Kamala Harris.

There were rumours of Facebook employees being embedded in the Trump campaign. The accusations were levied by a person believed to be have ran Trump's digital campaign. This led to a series of questions including "was Facebook providing premium services to one candidate on how to juice the algorithm or how to target better, etc."

However, the tech firm's official report stated that campaigners did not get to select who from Facebook would advise them and said that the company provided "identical support" and tools to both campaigns. According to Facebook, no one was assigned full-time on either the Trump or Clinton's presidential campaign.

Talking about the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook cleared that their employees did work directly with employees of the UK-based firm.Former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi and her two sons -- Tej Pratap and Tejashwi Yadav -- today said there was no "rift" in the party or the family and "sweetness" prevailed everywhere, as all of them assembled here to show bonhomie while celebrating 71st birthday of Lalu Prasad.

Tej Pratap, the elder son of RJD Chief Lalu Prasad, created a flutter a few days back with a tweet that was seen by many as signalling a rift with his younger brother Tejashwi, though both the brothers have since clarified that they had no differences and both of them were together.

With the controversy hogging media limelight, the family came together at 5, Deshratna Marg bunglaow of Tejashwi Yadav to cerebrate Lalu Prasad's birtday.

"Party aur parivar me koi toot nahi hai... Hamari party me bikhrav nahi hai...Party me kuch khatpat nahi hai (There is neither any dissension nor any rift in the party and the family. There is no fissure or discord in our party)," Rabri Devi told reporters at the birthday venue.

Prasad was sent to a jail in Ranchi after being convicted in three cases of multi-crore fodder on December 23 last, though he is now on conditional bail on medical grounds. In his absence, the party is largely being managed by his wife Rabri Devi and the two sons. Prasad's eldest daughter Misa Bharti is a Rajya Sabha member and mostly stays in Delhi.

The reports about differences between the two brothers began after Tej Pratap went public on Twitter complaining that some people in the party were not listening to him and sought action against elements wanting to create rift between him and his younger brother.

Later, Tej Pratap, who has already dismissed reports of any such rift, once again reiterated his stand, saying, "There is no rift among us... Where is bitterness (karwahat) and which kind of bitterness is it? There is sweetness everywhere (yahan to mithas hi mithas hai)."

Referring to his tweet in which he had expressed his desire to "get Arjuna seated on the throne of Hastinapur and himself return to Dwarka (like Lord Krishna)", Tej Pratap said it (going to Dwarka) was just a "saying" meant to strengthen the party and organisation in other states.

Yesterday also, Tej Pratap, the former Bihar health minister, had dismissed reports of any rift with Tejashwi saying that he wanted his brother to grow and become the prime minister and his blessings will always be with him.

Tejashwi, the leader of opposition in Bihar Assembly, echoed the sentiments expressed by his mother and the elder brother and said "all is well" within the party.

Tejashwi -- who had yesterday urged people not to make a mountain out of a molehill -- parried more questions saying how many times they (RJD leaders) will have to clarify on the issue that everything is fine.

He alleged that BJP leaders and some other parties, which are spreading rumours of rift, are trying to create a divide in his party in order to reap political dividends and "let them be happy" if they derive any mental satisfaction from such acts.Congress president Rahul Gandhi will appear before a court in the adjoining Thane district today in connection with a defamation case filed against him by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker.

Gandhi arrived in Mumbai this morning on a two-day visit to Maharashtra.

He will appear before the court at Bhiwandi in Thane at 11 am today, a Congress leader earlier said.

The court had on May 2 asked Gandhi to appear before it today to record his plea in the defamation case filed by RSS worker Rajesh Kunte in 2014.

Kunte had filed the case after watching Rahul Gandhi's speech at an election rally in which he had claimed that the RSS was behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi.

"The RSS people had killed (Mahatma) Gandhi," the Congress president had allegedly said in the rally.

During his two-day visit to Maharashtra, Rahul Gandhi is also expected to address party workers and interact with its corporators in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Tomorrow, he is scheduled to meet the kin of Dadaji Khobragade, the rural inventor who revolutionised rice farming, at Chandrapur in Vidarbha, before returning to Delhi.

Khobragade, 78, died earlier this month after a prolonged illness.

Contrary to media reports, Rahul Gandhi's itinerary doesn't mention any meeting with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, the leader said.

"Top leaders (of both the parties) can meet any time. But no such meeting is on the agenda today," he said.

"Rahulji will appear before the court in the morning, address party workers in the afternoon and interact with Congress corporators about Mumbai's civic issues," the leader added.DDA Housing Scheme

Global online hotel and home rental marketplace, Airbnb, is expanding its Open Homes programme with a pilot project wherein hosts can list their properties before a disaster happens.

Launched last year, the Open Homes programme, was limited to allowing hosts to provide emergency shelter after disasters, without any charges until now.

Last year, when the Open Homes program was launched, the program connected willing hosts to Emergency Managers. These managers then connected with people who needed emergency housing assistance. The result, people had to wait until a host came forward offering shelter.

Airbnb is also offering an in person preparedness training and recruitment events for hosts and spearheading streamlining of protocols for communicating with local authorities to match up the donated space with those who need it.

At the US Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting in Boston, Airbnb announced the launch of this expanded Open Homes program. The pilot project is being launched in San Jose, California. The San Jose community has already donated 17,000 nights since its launch in 2017.

Here's how it works:

Airbnb Hosts have the ability to opt into listing their homes for $0 by visiting www.airbnb.com/welcome. Hosts are in control of how often they wish to open their homes, how long guests stay, and the causes theyd like to support.

3rd party and internal vetting processes to work with Airbnb. Once approved, Airbnb sets up their agency account with the ability to book on behalf of guests in need. The agencys case managers are educated on how to search for homes being offered at $0. When they find a home that meets the needs of their client, they contact the host to ensure a proper fit.

Moneycontrol News

Non-governmental agencies (NGOs) go throughSingapore will spend about SG $20 million to host the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The Asian country's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said ahead of the talks, "It's our contribution to an international endeavour which is in our profound interest." (Pictured) Trump arriving in Singapore. (Image: Reuters)

Since coming to power in 2011, this is the first that the North Korean leader will meet the president of the US. (Image: Reuters)

The meet comes after an endless talks between Washington and Pyongyang. The Singapore summit itself was briefly cancelled by Trump, but was put back on after a flurry of diplomatic efforts. (Image: Reuters)

The aim of the summit is the denuclearise North Korea in exchange for easing of diplomatic and economic sanctions. (Image: Reuters)

Trump has said that it may take more than one meet to convince Pyongyang to denuclarise. (Image: Reuters)By West Kentucky Star Staff Jun. 11, 2018 | 11:59 AM | PADUCAH

McCracken County Sheriff Jon Hayden has announced that he will retire at the end of June.Hayden first announced that he would not seek re-election in September, and endorsed Capt. Matt Carter as a candidate to replace him. Carter is running unopposed in the November election for Hayden's position. In a statement released Monday, Hayden said Judge-Executive Bob Leeper will appoint Carter to serve out the remaining six-months of his term.Hayden said he made the decision to retire a bit early in part to help save the county money during a state mandated audit required when a new sheriff takes office. Hayden said the audit will be easier and less expensive to conduct at the beginning of the fiscal year.Hayden said he hopes to return to public service at some point in the future, but that he will be concentrating on spending more time with family in the near term.Here is his full statement:

On the Net:2. Oman | This Middle-Eastern nation is the runner-up with positive indicators across the board, except for a slight hitch in obesity and level of depression in the country. (Image: Reuters)

The Sultanate of Oman has relaxed visa rules for Indians, following the footsteps of its neighbours United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, according to a report by The Economic Times.

Oman is planning to grant unsponsored tourist visa on arrival to Indians who reside in or hold valid entry visas for the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Japan and Schengen nations.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

"Oman visa on arrival can also be availed by the spouse (husband/wife) and children of the visa holder of any of these six mentioned countries as long as they are accompanying him/her, even if they do not hold a visa from these countries," the newspaper quoted Oman Tourism as saying in an email to travel agents.

The visa on arrival will be for a one-month period, and will cost 20 Omani Rial. To avail the visa, applicants need make sure their passport is valid for at least six months, and need to have a confirmed hotel accommodation.

UAE also grants visa on arrival to Indian nationals with a valid US Visa, for a minimum of six months. In August 2017, Qatar had allowed citizens of 47 other countries, including India, to stay for up to 60 days without getting a prior visa.

In May, UAE had announced radical changes to its visa regime that could end up helping Indians living in the Middle Eastern nation. It said it would grant 10-year visas for specialists working in fields such as medicine, science and research, among others.

The move is expected to attract talent to UAE. Foreign students will also be able to avail a 5-year visa while 'exceptional' graduates can secure a 10-year visa.

Right now, students are required to apply for a renewal of their visa at the end of each year. The new rules also state that the 10-year visas would be extended to the families of the specialists as well.

UAE is also set to allow foreign companies to own 100 percent of their businesses in the country. At the moment, foreign companies are required to have an Emirati partner to hold a majority stake in any business, unless the business is based in a free trade zone.

This is expected to benefit many Indian businesses and entrepreneurs who may be facing challenges in UAE right now. Most shops and restaurants are outside free trade zones and require a local partner to operate.Amid the buzz about the historic talk between US President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore, many Americans wondered where exactly is the Southeast Asian city-state is located.

The Google search queries for the term where is Singapore escalated in the wake of the much-anticipated meeting. The interest spiked late on June 10 before going down. Again, on June 11- 12 as Trump landed in Singapore, Americans flocked to their internet devices to search for the tiny country.

Search trend for 'Where is Singapore' for last seven days. Source: Google Trends

According to a BBC report, only about 40% of the citizens in the US own passports. That means a vast majority of the Americans have not travelled beyond their borders. Moreover, most of the passports have been issued in last decade.

However, point to be noted, till very recently, Americans could travel to a multitude of neighbouring countries like Canada and Mexico without a passport. But that does not include Singapore.

The lack of knowledge about the Southeast Asian business hub is not surprising given the low concentration of passports.

Since May 10, when the meeting was announced the traffic for people searching for Singapores location has grown compared to the trends shown before the announcement.

Search trend for 'Where is Singapore' for last 90 days. Source: Google Trends

The top five states which are Googling the term are West Virginia, Montana, Alabama, Arkansas and Wyomingall of these states were won by Trump in the US presidential polls 2016.Courtesy Photo

ODESSA -- The University of Texas of the Permian Basin has created a scholarship endowment in honor of a professor who died last year. Chad Vanderford, associate professor of history, died in August from a rare heart condition. He was 43.

His wife, Nichole Rougeau-Vanderford, is a senior lecturer in the university's English department. The couple has one daughter.past daily news Sep 13 (1) Sep 09 (15) Sep 06 (12) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (10) Aug 31 (17) Aug 29 (14) Aug 26 (13) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (12) Aug 19 (21) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (10) Aug 10 (10) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (10) Aug 06 (10) Aug 05 (8) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (14) Jul 29 (1) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (10) Jul 22 (11) Jul 19 (16) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (10) Jul 15 (13) Jul 12 (7) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (11) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (8) Jun 28 (7) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (8) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (9) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (9) Jun 18 (8) Jun 15 (9) Jun 13 (13) Jun 11 (11) Jun 09 (19) Jun 06 (10) Jun 04 (10) Jun 03 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (5) May 30 (5) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (7) May 26 (6) May 25 (4) May 23 (6) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (7) May 19 (9) May 18 (4) May 17 (6) May 16 (5) May 15 (7) May 14 (3) May 13 (3) May 12 (9) May 10 (3) May 09 (7) May 08 (4) May 07 (3) May 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Program met Saturday with U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis to show support for continued and increased funding of the program.

Increased demand by outdoor recreationists and landowners have led Davis, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, to push for an increase in funding for the Voluntary Public Access-Habitat Improvement Program as part of the Farm Bill.

If it wasnt for the voluntary access programs, many hunters in the state would not have experienced their first hunt or their first harvest, said Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Wayne Rosenthal, whose agency implements IRAP. More native plants would struggle; wildlife would struggle to survive. We need these public access programs. Illinois is just one state funded through this; 30states rely on it.

IRAP leases private property and implements habitat improvement plans in return for allowing the public use to the land for specified outdoor activities.

Rochester High school student David Allen has used IRAP property since he began hunting. After taking a hunter safety course, he was introduced to turkey hunting with the help of IRAP staff. After that, he was hooked on hunting and went on to harvest his first deer and duck, all on private property leased through IRAP.

I would not be able to have these experiences without IRAP, Allen said.

The access programs are reliant on private landowners enrolling in the program.

Zane Zaubi of Springfield, who has property in several counties, also has had success with the program. He has been pleased with the land management IRAP staff helped to implement on his land.

It feels as if hes doing some good for the future of the sport, he said. It helps ease the cluster of using public ground. This allows people to go out and use it as their own.

While many landowners worry about liability issues, Zaubi said IRAP has liability coverage that  put me at ease. I know the hunters are safe during this and its a big burden off my shoulders.

Davis is adamant that programs like IRAP throughout the country support outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing and are vital to rural economies because they provide an important economic boost.

We cannot forget people like David Allen because they will become the best conservationists in America and they were grown through IRAP, Davis said, citing what he sees as another benefit of the program.

Davis co-sponsored the portion of the House Farm Bill that asked for an increase from $40 million to $150 million for the Voluntary Public Access-Habitat Incentive Program. A Senate version of the Farm Bill now is under consideration. Details about the amount allotted for VPA-HIP have not been released, but Alex Maggos of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) believes the amount may be less than the $40 million allotted in the 2014 Farm Bill.

TRCP is a national organization that works to secure public access for outdoor recreation, Maggos said. In states such as Illinois, where 95 percent of the land is privately owned, the need for publicly accessible land is high.

And its not just for hunting and fishing, Maggos said. Its for any outdoor recreation.

Davis encouraged citizens to contact their congressmen and women in support of public access funding.

I ask that you look at the access programs and help us move the bill forward, talk to your politicians to make this political fight happen.

At the same time, he is hopeful legislators can, take politics out of the farm bill and work together, to offer solutions  he said, adding that he hopes the House and Senate will work together to pass a Farm Bill that includes increased VPA-HIP funding.

The Natural Resource Conservation Service of the United States Department of Agriculture distributes VPA-HIP funds, and obtaining a VPA-HIP grant is a challenging process, NRCS State Conservationist Ivan Dozier said.

These folks (IDNR staff) put together a wonderful application and were one of only 21 states to make it in the program when it started in 2011, Dozier said. It is very important the program is included in the 2018 Farm Bill proposal. This is an excellent example of a federal-state partnership.

On the federal side, there are broad goals that include habitat improvement and public access, he said. Then, we see the state take the broad goals and turn them into something for communities in an organized way, he said.

Participation in the IRAP program can be done by registering through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website. It now has opportunities for deer, turkey, upland game and waterfowl hunting. There also are sites throughout the state for fishing, kayaking and nature viewing. The program has grown to include more than 17,000 acres in 48 Illinois counties.The third iteration of a U.S.-North Korean rapprochement with a third generation dictator is missing one thing: nuclear brinkmanship.

While applying the maximum pressure of sanctions, President Trump has been willing to engage in one-on-one talks with Kim Jong-Un. On the other hand, Trump is far more confident of averting a nuclear doomsday scenario than any of his predecessors in office. American negotiators today, and in the future, can take comfort that the nations ballistic missile defense system will deter incoming nuclear missiles and with limited collateral damage.

Today, America fights an ideological cold war and minor hot wars with multiple enemies: communists, neo-czarists and jihadists. The emerging missile capabilities of Iran, the declared missile capabilities of North Korea and Pakistan, and the militaries of China and Russia are closing their technological gap with the United States.

Yet, rather than the sound of sirens alerting nuclear-attack drills, Americans are mesmerized by the twitter wars and the gutter humor of hapless comedians. It is the silent, unsung heroes of Americas ballistic missile defense operation that enable us to enjoy our freedoms and our carefree lives.

With a global array of networked ground, sea and space-based sensors for target detection and tracking, an extensive number of warhead interceptors, and battle management capabilities to link those sensors with those interceptors, Americas ballistic missile defense system (BMD) renders our enemies powerless and defangs their nuclear first-strike capability.

For many years, America and its allies have reliably counted on THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense). THAAD is a highly mobile, rapidly deployable system designed to shoot down attacking short- and medium-range missiles during their final or terminal phase of flight. Additionally, the Aegis system, deployed on U.S. Navy destroyers, can shoot down incoming short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. Our regional BMD system has strengthened alliances with treaty allies such as NATO, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and successfully defended Israel in a very rough neighborhood. The possibility of BMD participation has expanded the scope of bilateral cooperation with India.

In a May 2017 test, the GMD (Ground-based Mid-Course Defense) successfully destroyed an ICBM (Inter Continental Ballistic Missile) in space at the apogee of its flight path. Yes, Ronald Reagans promise to America long ago is a reality today! The development delays and the billions of dollars expended are understandable when one considers the complex architecture of sensors and communication-systems, which must all work in unison-timing and with a precision far greater than a Swiss watch.

An ICBM launched from the Kamchatka Peninsula in far eastern Russia, close to the Chinese-North Korean border, can hit Alaska in under 6 minutes and California in under 12 minutes. The GMD, a system of ground-based interceptors, at Fort Greely (Alaska) and at Vandenberg Air Force Base (California), can shoot an Exo-atmospheric Kill Vehicle beyond the troposphere to precisely collide with the ICBM. The EKV is not armed with an explosive; the impact of the collision itself destroys the warhead.

ICBMS launched anywhere from earth can now be diverted and destroyed in outer space without the damage from scattering nuclear debris. Thus, obviated are the hazards of destroying a mid-course ICBM with explosives dropped from an F-16 airplane.

We are reminded to never take liberty for granted. Freedom is not free, we are told. However, we are comforted by the knowledge that our nation cannot be blackmailed by missile-toting rogue regimes.

Indeed, the GMD system in operation is a great day for America and a bad day for Kim Jong-Un.

Sue Ghosh Stricklett is a Washington lawyer specializing in international trade and national security law. She wrote this for InsideSources.com.Churches against LGBTQ are like the ...This week, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia delivered the Democratic Weekly Address. His topic, the Health Care Law.

Kaine was Tuesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words:

Hey everybody, Im Tim Kaine, Senator from Virginia. I wanted to talk about an issue that is critically important to every American health care.

And to share some good news and bad news.

You deserve the peace of mind that if you or a loved one gets sick, that you can get health care when you needed without facing mountains of debt. Because health care is a right, not something reserved for just those who can afford it. That is why I consistently push for reforms to expand access to quality affordable care.

The Affordable Care Act helped us to provide health insurance to millions of Americans, but it wasnt perfect. That is why so many of us have pushed for improvement to the law. It is also why I have been such a vocal advocate for the need for states to expand Medicaid.

In Virginia for years, Republican lawmakers stood in the way of hundreds of thousands of Virginians receiving care while still leaving taxpayers footing the bill. But last years elections in Virginia paved to the way for the state legislature and state officials that were finally ready to write this wrong. I am so proud that last week, the Virginia general assembly cast legislation to expand access to health care for up to 400,000 additional Virginians. This huge accomplishment will help people get the care they need. Our communities will be healthier as a result, and I am so thankful for everyone in Virginia who fought tirelessly to make this happen.

But while Virginia has fought for progress, the Trump Administrations actions over the past year have weakened our health care system across the country, and threatened access to care in Virginia and everywhere.

First, Republicans tried again and again to repeal the Affordable Care Act come which millions of Americans rely on for care. With the help of so many of you who raised your voices, Democrats in the Senate and a few of our Republican colleagues successfully defended the ACA and we protected health care for millions of families. When the Trump administration failed to repeal the ACA, they settled for strategic attacks that increased premium costs for american families. From eliminating the coverage requirement, to reducing the ACA enrollment period, to cutting off cost-saving reduction payments, the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress have repeatedly taken the steps to sabotage health care in America.

A few weeks ago, insurers announced that they are proposing to raise premiums as much as 64% on Virginia families who get their care through the individual market, and most cited the Trump Administrations actions as a reason for these premium increases. We have seen similar announcements from Maryland, New York and Washington.

I will not stand idly by as Virginians are stuck with the painful consequences of the Trump Administrations sabotage. It is very important that we not only act in ways to preserve the ACA, but also act to make it better. We need to pass a bill like the bipartisan Marie Alexander legislation that we have worked on, to stabilize the health care market for the future.

I hope Congress will take up my Medicare X Bill to provide more options for low cost high quality health care in every zip code, boosting competition and bringing down prices. My bill that I have worked on with Senator Bennett of Colorado, would build on the medicare framework, to establish a public insurance plan. This would allow Americans to choose among the existing private insurance plans, or a meaningful public plan. It would be particularly helpful in rural communities across the country, where often, there are limited options and prices are too high.

I hope Senate Republicans and President Trump will finally join Democrats who are asking leader McConnell, to spend the month of August working to pass proposals like these that bring down the price of insurance and prescription drugs for families. We need to continue the recent progress we made in Virginia, and expand access to affordable health care at the federal level.

My Democratic colleagues in the Senate are joined together to do all we can to protect health care. I hope our Republican colleagues will join us in efforts to make health care more affordable and accessible to all. We will keep encouraging the Trump Administration to stop playing games to drive up health care costs for american families. The only way to get health care right in this country is to focus on real solutions that work for folks across the country. It is time to strengthen, not weaken our health care system.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.Sonora, CA  Do not be alarmed if you see smoke today in the area of Camage Avenue near the Tuolumne Utilities District Office.

TUD crews will be cleaning and smoke testing its sewer collection system between 8am-3pm. Officials warn that residents and businesses in the vicinity of Camage Avenue could see some smoke nearby.

TUD reports that smoke testing is the process of injecting artificially produced smoke into a blocked off pipeline segment to see where the smoke emerges. If the sewer main is in good condition, the forced smoke will emerge from manhole lids along the line and house vents on the roof. If the line has defects, the smoke will find the break and try to escape through the break.The Hale County Commissioners Court on Monday agreed to participate in the proposed tax increment financing district in downtown Plainview at a 75 percent level. Thats the same as the citys expected participation.

Commissioners during Fridays work session met with Rachael Foster, project analyst for the City of Plainview, to hear an update on the TIF District. Foster previously told commissioners that the proposed TIF district is covered by Chapter 311 of the Texas Tax Code and is primarily for areas that are underdeveloped. She noted that downtown Plainview is trending along a negative growth pattern (-0.42%) compared to the rest of the city which is trending at 1.5 percent growth.

The district, called a tax increment reinvestment zone, will create a fund that is reinvested in the downtown area to enhance further growth and development. The catalyst for funding is increased tax revenues resulting from the restoration of the Hilton Hotel into the Conrad Lofts.

Foster said with the TIF district, both the city and county will retain taxes based on 2017 assessed values ($3,892,169). When the Conrad Lofts go onto the tax rolls, the increased tax receipts will go into the tax increment fund which will be reinvested in the district. She said the tax base is projected to increase to $16,242,424.

By participating at a 75 percent level, $3 of every $4 in increased tax revenue in the district would go into a special TIF account. The resulting funds will be available for reinvestment back into the district, as determined by a seven-member TIF board. Two board members will be selected by the city, two by the county and one each will represent Main Street, Plainview Downtown Association and Plainview-Hale County EDC.

Baseline assessments will be based on tax valuations on Jan. 1, 2018, and the agreement expires in 30 years, on Dec. 31, 2047.

Foster added that with the TIF being created in 2018, it would begin generating funds in 2019 and continue until Dec. 31, 2047.

In other action Monday, commissioners:

--Tabled action on an interlocal agreement with the City of Hale Center concerning maintenance on CR N on the west edge of the community. County Attorney Jim Tirey will likely draft that agreement.

--Approved the 2019 county holiday schedule: Jan. 1 (New Years), Jan. 21 (MLK Day), April 19 (Good Friday), May 27 (Memorial Day), July 4 (Independence Day), Sept. 2 (Labor Day), Nov. 11 (Veterans Day), Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving) and Dec. 24-26 (Christmas).

--Left the current burn ban in effect.

--Approved the sale of three tax-forfeited trust properties: 504 E. 12th in Hale Center (appraisal $500, bid $153); 2613 Denver, Plainview (appraisal $1,375.33, bid $2,500); and 1801 Galveston, Plainview (appraisal $2,700, bid $3,001).

--Approved the Remote Birth Certificate Access Contract for 2019.

--Approved the purchase of 19 electronic poll books for elections from Knowink through Hart Intercivic for $23,965.

Commissioners met in executive session with Plainview City Manager Jeffrey Snyder for about 30 minutes to discuss various options concerning the future management of the Plainview-Hale County Airport. No formal action was taking following those deliberations.City of Weatherford

FORT DAVIS, Texas (AP)  Officials say a Texas firefighter who was battling wildfires in the western part of the state has died after suffering a medical emergency.

Weatherford Fire Marshal Bob Hopkins tells the Star-Telegram that Andy Loller died Sunday en route to a hospital in Odessa. Hopkins says the 42-year-old Weatherford firefighter had been sent to help fight wildfires burning in the Davis Mountains.I spent the morning after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States of America replying to gracious, heartfelt condolences and reassurances from speechwriting-biz friends in Europe, UK and Canada. They spoke to us as if we'd been kidnapped by this president and his supporters.

Different circumstances, but the sorts of messages Americans received from all over the world after 911: We are so sorry this happened to your country. We stand by you in solidarity. We will survive this, together. And, in this case, with the occasional offer of a place to live should the whole U.S. shit house go up in flames.

I worried, in light of Trump's election, that speechwriters from outside the U.S. would be hesitant to attend the PSA World Conference the following October, in D.C. But a third of our crowd was from outside the U.S.

But Sunday as I watched the morning news shows discuss Trump's assface behavior before , during and after the G7 meeting in Canada I began to wonder if that will be the case this year. We've already got several non-U.S. folks regstered, but our early-bird deadline is this Friday and the conference isn't until October. So it's much too soon to tell what the total international percentage will be.

We're also holding a Military Speechwriting Training at the U.S. Air Force Academy this fall, and I've got an email into a Canadian military speechwriting maven, inviting her to send her folks. I haven't heard back from her yet, and I'm thinking I picked the wrong week to send that email. (With my follow-up, I'll send her this post.)

And we're holding the first-ever Asia-Pacific Speechwriters Conference next February in Sydney, Australia. Though I can make the case that this is the moment that all sensible speechwriters must gather to talk about global rhetoric in the Age of Trump, I'm not exactly leading with the fact that a U.S.-based organization is convening the event. Anyway, I just got off the phone with one of our partners there, and I couldn't detect any anger in her cheery Australian voice.

But I'm honestly wondering whether the sympathy the world once had for Trumpjacked Americans is starting to give way to a desire to take a little break from us, and send a little message to the boss.

As a convener of a global association and as a human being, I'd absolutely hate for that to be the case. And I could surely argue that the best way to defy Trump is to be as little affected by him as possible.

But after a weekend of the Trump Doctrine ("We're America, Bitch"), I really started wondering: Communicator friends from Canada, England, Scotland, Poland, Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Australia, Jordan, Botswana, Mexico (or as I call you, the G15)please tell me:

Has your attitude toward Americans hardened since election day?When Beth Yarnelle Edwards set out to photograph the suburbs of Silicon Valley some 20 years ago, she was spurred by an unshakeable restlessness.

"Everybody seemed to love living here," she said by phone recently. "I thought, I'm going to go investigate. I'm going to have them show me why."

About three years before the turn of the millennium, the photographer found herself 40 years old and living on the Bay Area Peninsula, "high up on this hill where you couldn't access anything but other residences for 3.5 miles." The metaphor was not lost on her. "I felt confined," she said.

Stuck in what felt like suburban purgatory, Edwards decided to take photography classes at the local community college. Success followed, and she embarked upon a series in which she'd investigate her surroundings and those contained within. She called the project "Suburban Dreams."

Edwards' images of girls with crimped hair prepping for a night out and families rushing out the door found their way into magazines, galleries and private collections across the United States and Europe. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others, hold Edwards' photographs in their collections.

About 20 years after she initially set out in the late 90s, Edwards decided to take up the project again by revisiting the families she first photographed. Her initial intention was spurred not by a desire to create a grand treatise on the passage of time, but genuine curiosity.

"I wanted to know how things turned out," she said.

Some of her subjects died, others moved away and lost touch. But many did what most people do: stayed put and grew old. Edwards has rephotographed 14 subjects from the first series thus far.

The new images are aesthetically similar to the originals, their subjects posed in a complementary fashion, but their impact is different when considered beside the originals. A teenage girl chewing gum on her twin bed is a grown-up now, with kids of her own. A boy surrounded by Legos currently works as an IT engineer.

"In the first photo, I had an average life for that time. It was all about friends and school," Erin, the mother, told Edwards in a 2017 interview. "Now my life is all about the children. Having two kids under two takes over in a good way."

The artistic process forces the subject to reflect on who they were then, and who they are today.

"Time flies by quickly," mused Arnette, a new mom at the time of the first photoshoot. Her daughter, an infant in the 1997 image, recently started college.

The initial images told a story that was not intended to be specific to the Bay Area. But it was the cusp of the first Silicon Valley tech boom, and interviewers often wanted Edwards to "make blanket statements" about the people living in the valley, which she refused to do.

"I was never trying to glorify wealth," she says. Her subjects were not "exceptionally rich people," they simply bought into Bay Area housing at the right time, a motif that would figure immensely in her follow-up series.

"It's about being human in a particular location, the general experience of suburban living," Edwards insists.

The transcendence of the series has less to do with the time and place in which the photos were taken, and more to do with a fascination about the lives playing out behind closed doors in well-lit neighborhoods with manicured lawns and uniform architecture. People, Edwards says, are the point.

When interacting with her subjects, Edwards begins not with her camera, but with a series of open-ended questions: If you were together on a Tuesday night, what would you be doing? How would you describe your life as a family?

"I'm good at rooting out all the stuff that's not real," she says.

In her many encounters with American families, Edwards said she often finds her subjects posturing. "They want to look good, they want to look like models."

But a family portrait in one's Sunday best sitting around the grand piano isn't Edwards' idea of artistic truth. She's more interested in creating "something like a genre painting" from the immense ordinariness of daily life.

Edwards' own life has changed much in the two-decade gap between the photographs. She divorced her husband in 2004 and escaped the suburbs for San Francisco.

She lived blissfully in a tiny Noe Valley apartment, attained a masters of fine arts degree and continued taking photographs. Then, in 2014, she remarried and found herself embarking on a new suburban journey. This time, the destination was Burlingame.

In the last decade, she said her feelings on suburbia have changed.

"I'm in this area that's quiet, natural, like being in the woods," she said. It's also just a 15-minute commute into San Francisco, where she still owns the Noe flat.

"Last time, I felt so isolated," she said. "This time, I feel like I have the best of both worlds."

The suburbs continue to be a source of fascination for Edwards. She's begun a new project that has required her to shift the camera lens from the inside of suburban homes to the outside. She calls it "Curb Appeal."

Michelle Robertson is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @mrobertsonsf.Niskayuna

The Cold War-era radioactive waste being stored at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory would be dangerous if it escaped its containment, according to an environmental health expert at the University at Albany.

"This is extremely hot stuff," said David Carpenter, director of the university's Institute for Health and the Environment, after reviewing a U.S. Energy Department report filed in February with the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

According to the report, waste debris from the decade-long demolition of the facility's former Separations Process Research Unit contained materials that have "highly radioactive exposure rates of up to 12 rem/hour."

A person receiving that much radiation in a hour would be the equivalent of getting 6,000 X-rays, or 40 years of normal background radiation in the Capital Region.

Radiation at that level is a health hazard, increasing the risks of cancer and premature death, said Carpenter. DOE has designed part of the storage facility at Knolls as "high radiation areas."

"Clearly there are two threats: First to the staff at DEC and DOE who are legally obligated to inspect it four times a year, and second to the general public should anything happen," said Carpenter, who worked at the Defense Nuclear Agency in the 1970s. "What could happen includes leaks, fires, tornadoes, explosions and, of course, terrorist activities that could release material."

DEC is reviewing a request by DOE to allow the waste to be stored for several more years because of a backlog at an underground government repository in the New Mexico desert for military nuclear waste.

"With appropriate security and controls, these materials are not a danger to the public and are subject to regular inspection, an emergency plan, and other routine management," according to DEC.

The waste could be there through 2021 based on DOE estimates, if the long-term state storage permit is approved, according to DEC.

"The wastes are containerized, shielded with lead, and stored inside Conex boxes (a type of shipping container) in a controlled area posted with signs indicating a high radiation area in accordance with state and federal regulations," the DEC statement continued.

Niskayuna Supervisor Yasmine Syed said she wants a stronger inspection schedule than the quarterly system proposed to the state by DOE.

"I will be conferring with DOE and DEC to increase inspections to occur at least bi-monthly by utilizing remote monitoring devices," said Syed. "I feel that increased inspections are necessary to ensure that the risk to our residents is as low as can possibly be guaranteed."

DOE officials did not provide comment for this story.

A rem is a standard measurement of radioactivity. Smaller levels are measured in millirems, which are one-thousandth of a rem.

Accordingly, 12 rems would be equivalent to 12,000 millirems. An X-ray is 2 millirems, while the average Capital Region resident is exposed to about 300 millirems a year from natural and medical sources.

Called transuranic (TRU) waste, this radioactive material was collected during demolition of Separations Process Research Unit buildings, where nuclear materials were developed for use in the military during the 1950s. There are now 22 shielded containers of SPRU waste in four metal storage containers on the Knolls property, near a rail spur.

Normally, the waste would be shipped to New Mexico, but that underground repository, located in the desert outside of Carlsbad, N.M., cannot accept it because of a backlog since the facility shut down following a 2014 accident when a containment vessel ruptured and spilled radiation.

Called the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the repository is more than 2,000 feet underground to reduce the risk of such spills to the public. It reopened in 2017 after a three-year $500 billion cleanup and renovation.

DOE is now asking DEC for permission to keep the waste in Niskayuna for "several years," although the February DOE "Risk Analysis and Inspection Plan" also contains the phrase "long-term storage."

According to the DOE inspection plan, that schedule is "intended to limit potential radiological dose to any person who may be present ... while providing a mechanism to prevent and detect system malfunctions, equipment deterioration and operator errors, which, if allowed to continue without remedial action, may ultimately lead to a release of hazardous waste constituents to the environment or create a threat to human health."

The DOE plan said that an inspector who performed all quarterly inspections would receive about 15 millirems of radiation, or the equivalent of eight X-rays.

Said Carpenter, "Clearly inspection is important, but the exposure to the inspectors is not insignificant. Ionizing radiation is one of the best known cancer causing agents. It also causes mutations and birth defects, and cumulative exposure causes premature aging and death."

He added, "This is well known as radiation-induced lifespan shortening, where people  and animals  die of a variety of different diseases at younger ages than do unexposed persons."Millions of dollars in additional federal money may soon flow to the Port of Corpus Christis project to widen and deepen its ship channel to allow tankers to leave the port with larger loads of crude from Texas oil fields.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said another $23 million has been added to the corps 2018 work plan for the Port of Corpus Christis ongoing $327 million channel deepening project.

The project is important to the states oil industry, which is producing record amounts of crude and exporting an increasing share of it. In 2017, the Port of Corpus Christi exported over 300,000 barrels of crude oil a day , an increase more than triple the 83,500 barrels a day exported in 2016.

The project, when completed, would allow the port to bring in and fully load larger crude oil tankers, further boosting the ports status as a leading crude oil exporter. Some of the largest crude oil tankers  the one million barrel Suezmax and 2 million barrel VLCCs  are only able to partially load in the port. They then finish loading in the Gulf of Mexico.

The additional money comes on top of $13 million that was approved in the Trump Administrations Fiscal Year 2019 budget for the corps.

As evidence of our positive working relationship with the Army Corps of Engineers, their 2018 Work Plan further moves our most important critical infrastructure project to fruition and will ultimately increase exports of American energy to our allies and trading partners around the world, said the ports CEO Sean Strawbridge.

The channel deepening and widening project has been delayed for years and, when complete, will widen and deepen most of the channel to 530 feet wide and 54 feet deep.

Rye Druzin is a San Antonio Express-News energy reporter. Read more of his stories here. | rdruzin@express-news.net | @druz_journoA German company will make its first foray into the Texas solar industry with a 100 megawatt farm in West Texas.

E.ON said Tuesday its West of the Pecos solar project will be located in Reeves County west of Midland-Odessa and should come online by 2020. The project is expected to provide for 700 jobs and consist of more than 350,000 photovoltaic cells.Illinois is one of 40 states that prohibit concealed weapons on school campuses. That hasnt kept teachers there from turning out in droves for firearms training, spending hours in classrooms and on shooting ranges  receiving lessons, for a change.

Across the state, businesses have begun offering free concealed-carry training sessions to teachers and school staff members, a seemingly uncoordinated response to mass shootings in schools. Many of them are banking on a proposal to allow armed faculty thats currently making the rounds in school board meetings.

In Godfrey, Illinois, Mark Maggos class at Trigger Talent reached capacity just two hours after he posted a notice for it. He has about 40 more people on a waiting list.

Tom Dorsch, director of On Target Range & Tactical Training Center in Crystal Lake, offered his first course on March 24 and now has free, educator-only courses planned throughout the summer. He estimates about 400 educators have signed up.

Mickey Schuch, owner and instructor at Carry Trainer in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, squeezes in teachers who have signed up in his regular courses (ordinarily $500, but many people have their fees covered by sponsorships).

On Sunday, Julie Smith, 54, joined a group of 50 that included teachers, secretaries and even a superintendent, for a training session in Farmer City led by a retired police officer. Smith, a third-grade teacher at Hudson Elementary, has spoken to her husband in the past about carrying a concealed weapon for her personal safety. A gunman at her school, she says, is a constant thought in her mind.

None of us ever want to have to use our guns, she said. All of us want to protect our kids.

Smith said she would like other measures, like funding and action for increasing mental health resources, to happen before changing the state law.

Illinois is relatively new to concealed-carry laws. In 2013, it became the latest state to adopt a law allowing residents to carry concealed firearms in public. Valinda Rowe, a spokeswoman for IllinoisCarry, a gun rights group that advocated the successful 2013 Firearm Concealed Carry Act, is spearheading what it is calling the Student Safety and Protection resolution.

The organization began working on the resolution about a year ago, when school board members began to ask about the legal restrictions on concealed weapons on school grounds, Rowe said. The resolution proposes to allow school board-approved armed and trained administrators, staff and faculty to provide for the safety and protection of students and personnel until law enforcement officials respond to a threat on campus.

Rowe said the organization proposes that applicants go through a rigorous screening process that includes obtaining a license to carry a concealed weapon, completing at least six background checks, learning emergency medical triage, completing three days of additional training that would be specific to schools and having an 83 percent shooting accuracy. (The requirement for Illinois police officers is 70 percent.) Applicants will also need to be individually approved by their school board members.

Pointing to the 10 years it took Illinois to adopt a concealed-carry law, Rowe said she didnt expect the state law to change anytime soon. Still, she added, the conversation is restarted with every school shooting.

The free courses being offered are exciting, she said, because she views it as being prepared. Its kind of a grass-roots effort between parents and school boards that are driving the issue, she said.

Schuch, the Carry Trainer owner and instructor, is also the president of the McHenry County Right to Carry Association, which supports the resolution.

The idea isnt that we want teachers to have guns, he said. The idea is that we want local school boards to be able to decide who is protecting students in schools.

Elliot Fineman, chief executive of the National Gun Victims Action Council, said the response to the Parkland shooting by arming teachers is flawed.

The way to stop the school shootings is to have sane gun laws like other developed countries, he said. Arming teachers is a defensive measure, Fineman said, but preventive measures need to be taken.

On Feb. 14, the day Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Rick Noble, the retired police officer in Farmer City, Illinois, made up his mind to help his community. As owner of Adventure Tactical Training, which specializes in concealed-carry weapons training, he wanted to make sure local educators are prepared.

On Sunday afternoon, with a tornado warning in effect, he guided his trainees in groups of eight out from his garage to have them practice at a shooting range in a steady downpour.

They all really want this training, Noble, 57, said. He estimates that he received 75 to 100 requests after he advertised the free training the night of the Parkland shooting, but had to keep it to just 50.

In addition to conducting training events, Noble has presented the Student Safety and Protection document to seven school boards.

We just want to be a step ahead of the resolution, he said.

Unless we get some quality trained people in there, he added, were not going to be able to stop it.Its official. The Federal Communications Commissions repeal of net neutrality rules, which had required internet service providers to offer equal access to all web content, took effect Monday.

The rules, enacted by the administration of President Barack Obama in 2015, prohibited internet providers from charging more for certain content or from giving preferential treatment to certain websites.

After the commission voted to repeal the rules in December, it faced a public outcry, legal challenges from state attorneys general and public interest groups, and a push by Democratic lawmakers to overturn the decision. The opponents argued that the repeal would open the door for service providers to censor content online or charge additional fees for better service  something that could hurt small companies  and several states have taken steps to impose the rules on a local level.

Still, the repeal was a big win for Ajit Pai, the FCCs chairman, who has long opposed the regulations, saying they impeded innovation. He once said they were based on hypothetical harms and hysterical prophecies of doom.

In an op-ed column published on CNET on Monday, Pai argued that the repeal was good for consumers because it restored the Federal Trade Commissions authority over internet service providers.

In 2015, the FCC stripped the FTC  the nations premier consumer protection agency  of its authority over internet service providers. This was a loss for consumers and a mistake we have reversed, Pai wrote.

Rules repealed

The original rules laid out a regulatory plan that addressed a rapidly changing internet. Under those regulations, broadband service was considered a utility under Title II of the Communications Act, giving the FCC broad power over internet providers. The rules prohibited these practices:

Internet service providers could not discriminate against any lawful content by blocking websites or apps.

Service providers could not slow the transmission of data because of the nature of the content, as long as it was legal.

Service providers could not create an internet fast lane for companies and consumers who paid premiums and a slow lane for those who didnt.

The worries

Many consumer advocates argued that once the rules were scrapped, broadband providers would begin selling the internet in bundles, not unlike cable television packages. Want access to Facebook and Twitter? Under a bundling system, getting on those sites could require paying for a premium social media package.

Another major concern is that consumers could suffer from pay-to-play deals. Without rules prohibiting paid prioritization, a fast lane could be occupied by big internet and media companies, as well as affluent households, while everyone else would be left in the slow lane.

Some small-business owners are worried, too, that industry giants could pay to get an edge and leave them on an unfair playing field.

E-commerce startups have feared that they could end up on the losing end of paid prioritization, with their websites and services loading more slowly than those run by internet behemoths. Remote workers of all kinds, including freelancers and franchisees in the so-called gig economy,could similarly face higher costs to do their jobs from home.

Internet service providers now have the power to block websites, throttle services and censor online content, Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democratic member of the commission who voted against the repeal, said in an emailed statement Monday. They will have the right to discriminate and favor the internet traffic of those companies with whom they have pay-for-play arrangements and the right to consign all others to a slow and bumpy road.

It may not matter

Several states have taken measures to ensure the rules stay in effect. For example, in March, Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington, a Democrat, signed a law that effectively replaced the federal rules. Others, including the governors of Montana and New York, used executive orders to force net neutrality.

As of late May, 29 state legislatures had introduced bills meant to ensure net neutrality, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Still, several of these measures have failed, some are still pending, and not every state has taken such actions.

The argument

The FCC said it had repealed the rules because they restrained broadband providers like Verizon and Comcast from experimenting with new business models and investing in new technology. Its chairman has long argued against the rules, pointing out that before they were put into effect in 2015, service providers had not engaged in any of the practices the rules prohibited.

Americas internet economy became the envy of the world thanks to a market-based approach that began in the mid-1990s, Pai said in a speech at the Mobile World Congress in February.

The United States is simply making a shift from pre-emptive regulation, which foolishly presumes that every last wireless company is an anti-competitive monopolist, to targeted enforcement based on actual market failure or anti-competitive conduct, he said.

In Mondays op-ed, he repeated his argument that the internet thrived without net neutrality rules in place for most of its existence. President Clinton and a Republican Congress agreed on a light-touch framework to regulating the internet. Under that approach, the internet was open and free. Network investment topped $1.5 trillion, he wrote.

Several internet providers made public pledges that they would not block or throttle sites once the rules were repealed. The companies argued that Title II gave the FCC too much control over their business and that the regulations made it hard to expand their networks.

NetNeutrality trending

Democratic lawmakers who are opposed to the repeal took to social media, promising to reinstate the regulations. Barbara Underwood, New Yorks attorney general, noted that lawsuits opposing the repeal were still pending.

The people saying we cant pass the resolution to #SaveTheInternet in the House are the same people who were saying we couldnt do it in the Senate, Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts wrote on Twitter. Ignore them. Just keep fighting.

Still, others cheered the rollback. Brendan Carr, a Republican member of the FCC, said on Twitter: Americans are passionate about the free and open internet. We dont want to be blocked or throttled or have our online experience subject to the whims of an internet provider.

The changed internet

Perhaps the repeal wont change the direction of the internet. On Monday, Farhad Manjoo argued in his New York Times column that by the time Tom Wheeler, an FCC chief under President Barack Obama, handed down rules to protect neutrality in 2015, we had already strayed quite far from the internet of the early 2000s, where upstarts ruled our lives.

Today, the internet is run by giants. A handful of American tech behemoths  Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft  control the most important digital infrastructure, while a handful of broadband companies  AT&T, Charter, Comcast and Verizon  control most of the internet connections in the United States, he wrote.Two separate motorcycle accidents took a San Antonio teen's parents from her, but her boyfriend made sure they were by her side on graduation day.

Icee Villarreal, 18, is a recent John Paul Stevens High School graduate. The teen said the accomplishment is in honor of her parents, Jessica and Victor Villarreal, who she lost in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

Villarreal's boyfriend, Julian Vasquez, wanted to make sure they were watching their little girl walk the stage "from heaven." With the help of his family, he enlarged a photo of Villarreal's parents to surprise her with on the morning of her graduation.

The teen snapped a photo of herself holding the poster-sized portrait and tweeted it. More than 5,000 people responded in the form of likes, retweets and replies, many commenting on how much of a tear-jerker the gift was.

"I'm crying," Twitter user @kaelygomez_2 said. "This is when you know they truly care about you."

RELATED: North Star Mall shoppers mourn 'Kittye,' who was half of San Antonio's favorite love story

Another supporter told Villareal her dad was "probably popping wheelies" for her  a testament to his love of motorcycles. According to San Antonio Express-News archives, the Villarreals were leaders of the Sentinels Motorcycle Club and formed the husband-wife heavy metal band, One of Sixx.

Jessica Villarreal died en route to her 37th birthday at Medina Lake. Exactly a year later, young Icee lost her dad when he was involved in another motorcycle accident on Potranco Road. Both were wearing helmets at the time of their accidents, according to the reports.

Icee Villarreal said she now considers her boyfriend's family her own and they do everything they can to help her honor her parents' memory.

"They always find a way to include my parents in everything I do," she added. "They treat me like I'm their own daughter."

She said his family brought the photo with them to the graduation, but Alamodome staff did not allow it into the venue due to its size. As soon as the teen stepped outside after the ceremony, the photo was waiting to be including in her graduation memories.

Icee Villarreal will be attending Northwest Vista College to complete her basics, then plans on majoring in forensics at UTSA before attending medical school to earn a Ph.D in pathology.

Madalyn Mendoza is a digital reporter for MySA.com. Read more of her stories here.| mmendoza@mysa.com | Twitter: @MaddySkyeNEW MILFORD  The Town Council will have to decide which pieces of a 9.5 mile trail it wants to tackle first to make a decades-long plan a reality.

An $18.6 million trail was presented to the council at Mondays meeting, following up on the initial designs presented by Milone and MacBroom in September.

The overall route hasnt really changed since then, but costs were announced and the project was broken out into 12 smaller phases, compared to the original five. A completed trail would go from the Sega Meadows trail by Boardman Bridge south to the Brookfield town line, passing Youngs Field, Hidden Treasures Park, the John Pettibone Community Center and Kimberly Clark. It could also tie into Lovers Leap State Park.

So far, a quarter-mile piece along Youngs Field has been completed.

Were moving it another step forward, said Tom OBrien, chairman of the bike and trail committee. We recognize the challenges, but dont want it to disappear for another 20 years.

The idea of a contiguous trail along the Housatonic River has been an idea since 1999, but the project stalled in the early 2000s. It was revitalized in 2009 when the town received two grants. The bike and trail temporary committee was established in 2016 and the design was developed for $193,000. Council voted to re-establish the committee Monday, this time with nine members, instead of five.

Thomas Sheil, of Milone and MacBroom, said permits and easements were the biggest challenges facing the trail but estimated it would be easy to get about 75 to 90 percent of the trails easements. Some of the pieces are also expensive, based on the terrain and what structures need to be built. A few pieces call for bridges.

OBrien said the trail wouldnt use town money and instead focus on grants. He and Sheil both recommended building pieces of the trail over time as money became available.

If you visit any other greenway trail, youll find they have gaps, OBrien said.

They recommended the southern two-mile trail that goes to the Brookfield town line, connecting to Harrybrooke Park or connecting the existing Youngs Field portion to downtown.

Sheil advised the council to adopt the plan, which would make it easier to get federal funding.

Most of the council members said they support the idea of the project, but wanted more information about feasibility before adopting it. They also acknowledged it would take a long time to build.

I certainly wont see it in my lifetime, Councilman Walter Bayer said. Its phenomenal, though.

OBrien agreed it would be a long-term project.

This is a long-range roadmap to move forward a dream, he said. These things take time to build.

The New Milford River Trail fits into plans for an even larger network, called the Western New England Greenway, which is expected to go from Montreal to New York City. Connecticuts routes would include the Housatonic Bike Trail, the Still River Greenway and the Norwalk River Valley Trail.The Houston artist that loves to share the beauty of the underwater world now has her work prominently displayed on a billboard near The Galleria.

Artist Janavi M. Folmsbee was one of three artists selected by Houston First Corporation for the Sky Art project that featured prints of local artists work on billboards around the city.

Folmsbees colorful representation of the Houston skyline titled Houston: Beneath Waves, Reaching Greater Heights is featured on the billboard at 2913 W. Loop 610 and Oakshire Drive, across from The Galleria. The billboard went up in mid-May.

A resident of the Heights, Folmsbee has completed 190 scuba dives since she started 11 years ago and said the images she encounters beneath the surface inspire her work.

It's not a lot, but when you think about it, that's around 1,900 hours of being underwater  and 1,900 hours of being with the marine world and surrounded by the most beautiful creatures and unimaginable colors. I got inspired by it right away. Over time, I've seen the progression of change in my art as a result, Folmsbee said.

Folmsbee said she is full-time creative and is usually painting, writing or diving and capturing scenes underwater with her camera. Her art techniques vary from traditional 18th century oil painting to the crystal-like pigments she said she has been using lately.

I look at a canvas, a wall or room as a means to transform a space into my underwater world, so I dont limit my ideas to the process of making my work, she said.

Folmsbee said her favorite part about being an artist is creating pieces that encourage others to preserve marine habitats.

I am grateful that I can give a voice to those who dont have one  the inhabitants of the marine world. I am inspired by the fish and the magical creatures underwater, Folmsbee said. I've been able to use my paintings to help marine conservationists, using art to raise awareness in an unconventional manner.

Folmsbee said she considers diving part of her work instead of a hobby and only takes her camera every second dive, so she can take in and enjoy the environment around her, leaving the rest to imagination and memory.

Her work for marine conservation is important, she said, because in the 11 years she has been diving, she has seen environmental changes, citing how some places she used to need a three-millimeter wetsuit are now too hot to dive in.

Folmsbee said people should care about oceans because it impacts their lives in ways like micro plastic buildup and how the fish they consume are full of plastic and toxins.

There are a million reasons why we should care for our oceans. The main one is because whether we like it or not, it directly affects the well-being of our lives, Folmsbee said.

Brenda Bazan, president and CEO of Houston First Corporation, said Folmsbees work was chosen for the Sky Art project from 125 submissions.

Houston: Beneath Waves, Reaching Greater Heights was selected as the committee loved the vibrant use of color and the beautiful interpretation of the Houston skyline, Bazan said. Janavis art is a beautiful addition to Houstons skyline. We hope Houstonians enjoy the beauty and vibrancy of her art.

Bazan said the billboards were donated by OUTFRONT Media and that HFC hopes to continue the project in future years. She said putting local art on billboards was a way for those driving by to be enriched by the creativity of others in Houston.

We are so fortunate to live in a community that places a high value on the arts  art of all forms  whether its in a gallery, on the side of a building or up on stage. Sharing art in different forms is what makes Houston special and is important to the community, Bazan said. Partnering with OUTFRONT Media has provided another vehicle to deliver art to the community, and were so proud to be part.

For more information about Folmsbees work, visit www.janavimfolmsbee.com. To learn more about Houston First Corporation, visit www.houstonfirst.com.

tracy.maness@hcnonline.comA teenager is facing a felony charge after allegedly shooting another teenager outside a school bus stop near Missouri City in May.

The shooting happened in a small residential area near the Fort Bend Parkway and FM 2234 on May 10.

The victim  an 18-year-old man  was waiting near the intersection of Quail Park Drive and Quail Glenn Drive for relatives to get off a school bus when a fight broke out between his family and another family, according to the Houston Police Department.

DEADLY CRASH: 2 dead in Eastex Freeway HOV wreck

As the group was fighting, detectives say Jevion Pierre, 19, walked down the street and shot the 18-year-old in the stomach before fleeing in a silver vehicle. The teenager was rushed to the hospital and survived.

No one else was hurt in the shooting, police said.

A Fort Bend County grand jury indicted Pierre on a second-degree felony aggravated assault charge Friday, according to HPD detectives. He remains at large.

Anyone with information about Pierre's whereabouts is urged to call HPD's Major Assaults Unit at 713-308-3600 or Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).

Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message.

Jay R. Jordan is a breaking news reporter at Chron.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan.It started with the n-word.

White people had used the racial epithet to demean Teshawn Solomon in the past, he said, but until that point none of them had been a supervisor at his job.

It was 2017 and Solomon was working as a warehouse specialist in Sacramento for Vivint Solar, an energy company that specializes in home automation, security and residential solar energy systems.

Without warning, the supervisor referred to him using the racist language, Solomon recalled.

RELATED VIDEO: Starbucks to Close Stores Nationwide for 'Racial-Bias Education'

On another occasion, another supervisor told him to "reach his black hands out" when he was being handed a box, Solomon alleged. The same supervisor used a banana to humiliate Solomon at one point, according to the African-American father of four.

"Monkeys like bananas," he said, offering Solomon the piece of fruit.

Eventually, Solomon alleged, his white co-workers used cardboard boxes to build a protective fort around their desks. He said the structure was spray-painted with the words "white only" and remained intact for two weeks.

More for you Two black men were arrested waiting at a Starbucks - now the company and police are on the defensive

With the racist incidents piling up, Solomon said he felt increasingly isolated and began to fear for his safety when he was at work.

"I was terrified," the 36-year-old said. "The only other African-American employee was usually at other warehouses, so I was alone, at night, looking over my shoulder, wondering what else could happen to me."

"All I wanted was respect and the dignity of providing for my family," he added.

The alleged incidents of racial harassment are detailed in a lawsuit filed late Monday in California Superior Court in Sacramento County. In the suit, Solomon accuses his former employer of racial harassment and discrimination, both of which are violations of California's Fair Employment and Housing Act. He also accuses Vivint Solar's managers of failing to prevent racial discrimination and actively encouraging him not to take his complaints to the company's human resources department.

Solomon said he knew he would have no opportunity to advance and make a better life for his family if he remained with Vivint Solar. After more than a year with the company, he resigned in March, deciding that he "could no longer tolerate the hostile work environment, brazenly racist conduct, and management's indifference to it," the suit states.

"Management did nothing after I complained," Solomon said. "They didn't hold anyone accountable. People continued joking about the fort for weeks because they knew management didn't care about racism."

Vivint Solar has its headquarters in Lehi, Utah, and employs more than 4,000 people in 21 states.

"We typically have a policy of not commenting on specific personnel matters or pending litigation," Vivint said in a statement released to The Washington Post. "However, in this case, we wish to extend a sincere apology to Mr. Solomon for the deeply concerning and understandably upsetting situation he endured."

"Mr. Solomon's experience was an isolated one and it has been addressed by our HR team to ensure something like this never happens again," the statement added. "Mr. Solomon's experience simply does not reflect the values or culture of Vivint Solar and stands in direct contradiction to our core values as a company."

Responding to Vivint Solar's statement, Solomon's attorney, Corey Bennett, said his client was forced to choose between a "dehumanizing work environment" and unemployment.

"When employees freely use racial slurs on a daily basis, brazenly construct a racist monument in plain sight and are then shielded by management, it is only because the culture allowed it," he said.

Photos taken inside the warehouse and provided to The Post by Bennett appear to show several desks surrounded by cardboard boxes, filing cabinets and stacks of water bottles. Scrawled above the "white only" sign are the words "Inspections Department."

Bennett said the photos were taken by another employee who left the company after complaining about racial harassment and then passed the images to his client, who also took photos of the structure before it was taken down.

Bennett, a San Francisco-based lawyer specializing in employment law, said he is familiar with cases in which minority workers are harassed using nooses or swastikas. But he's never encountered a racist play fort inside a workplace. He called the structure "bizarre."

"If you look at that photo you can get a sense they wanted to make their own little hideout," Bennett said. "I think these people thought they could do whatever they wanted to without any oversight or accountability."

Bennett said his client grew up in Long Beach, California, and spent 12 years in prison before getting out in 2012. Ever since, he said, Solomon has been trying to work hard and "do right by himself and his family." At Vivint, he was responsible for maintaining equipment and assisting with various tasks around the warehouse.

Despite being subjected to racial discrimination, Bennett said, Solomon excelled at his job and was promoted from a part-time to full-time role after six months.

"He thought this company was actually going to be a place he could stay for a while," Bennett added. "As an African-American, he's got to work harder as it is, and as an ex-convict he's got to work that much harder. Then he found himself at a workplace that made his daily life miserable."Score one for China, America's rival.

America's friends, Japan and South Korea, didn't do so well.

The biggest winner from President Donald Trump's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un -- aside from Kim himself -- was unquestionably the government of President Xi Jinping, which had been advocating the very process that Trump has now embarked upon.

In talks with Kim on Tuesday in Singapore, Trump committed to an open-ended negotiating process and said the U.S. would also suspend military exercises with South Korea. Given that North Korea has halted missile and nuclear tests, that amounted to the dialogue and "suspension-for-suspension" model that China has advocated for years.

For good measure, Trump again called Xi a close friend and thanked him for China's role in strengthening sanctions against North Korea. Xi's presence hung over Tuesday's talks: China's leader met twice with Kim in recent weeks and an Air China Ltd jet ferried the North Korean ruler to Singapore from Pyongyang on June 10 ahead of the summit.

Trump's diplomacy "sends all the wrong messages to China, North Korea and Russia," said Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. "If the U.S. is prepared to make this promise to a brutal dictator, then how trustworthy is he going to be in maintaining a security commitment to his allies?"

Xi's pre-summit meetings with Kim helped restore ties that had been frosty since both leaders took power around the same time about six years ago. The neighbors, which fought together during the Korean War, had grown apart last year after China backed United Nations sanctions crimping North Korea's energy imports and sources of foreign cash to pressure it to halt its nuclear and missile tests.

Japan, the chief U.S. ally in the region, got none of what it wanted -- Kim made no promise to address the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea, and he offered no limits on his ballistic missile programs. Neither the U.S. nor the South Korean government would confirm that the Trump administration warned President Moon Jae-in ahead of time about the decision to suspend exercises.

"We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money," Trump said during a post-summit news conference. He even adopted North Korea's language for the exercises, calling them "very provocative."

Trump's upside-down calculus, which allowed strategic adversaries China and North Korea to gain at the expense of steadfast allies, echoed the tussle that erupted at last week's Group of Seven meetings in Quebec. Following the G-7, he backed out of a joint communique signed by the six other members, and insulted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "weak" and "dishonest" for criticizing U.S. tariffs.

With the summit over, it now falls to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to assuage any concerns Japanese and South Korean leaders have with what happened. Pompeo flies to Seoul on Wednesday for meetings with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts before heading to Beijing for a few hours to do the same with Chinese leaders.

Trump has said repeatedly that Tuesday's summit was only the start of a process and that the U.S. would not ease up pressure on the North -- including a crippling sanctions regime -- until its goal of North Korea's "complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization" is reached.

But that language wasn't mentioned in a joint declaration signed by Trump and Kim, and no timetable was set for North Korea to eventually give up nuclear weapons. That marked a significant walk-back from previous statements by U.S. officials, who had said they wanted a quick process and a significant show of good will from the North.

South Korea, meanwhile, appeared to have been blindsided by Trump's change of heart on war games. U.S. officials couldn't confirm that Trump had told counterparts in Seoul about the plan to suspend military exercises, which North Korea has long regarded as a threat.

A spokesman with Moon's office, who asked not to be identified to discuss internal deliberations, said the government was still trying to understand Trump's "exact meaning or intentions" with the military freeze. At the same time, the spokesman didn't condemn the decision, and Seoul has repeatedly pressed for a cautious approach to North Korea rather than the hasty agreement that Trump and Pompeo had originally pursued.

"If the goal is to begin to unravel the U.S.-Japan and U.S.-South Korea alliances, then this is the way to launch the process," said Evans Revere, a former U.S. diplomat in South Korea. "The U.S. has yielded major concessions -- the summit itself and the end of our defensive military exercises -- in return for what appears to be a vague and undefined premise from the North Korean leader."

Trump rejected the idea that the U.S. was the loser in the talks. "We haven't given up anything," he said. "The meeting was every bit as good for the United States as for North Korea."

China, meanwhile was effusive about the talks, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi saying the two sides were "creating a new history." He spoke before Trump and Wang announced the U.S. was suspending the military drills.

"China of course welcomes and supports this," Wang said of the talks. "Because this is the goal we have hoped for and have been working for."

While China opposes North Korea's nuclear weapons, it also wants to prevent a collapse of Kim's regime or war on the Korean Peninsula. Any instability -- or alternatively, a deal that leads to a U.S.-aligned unified Korea -- potentially could put American troops on its border.

In China, Pompeo's biggest task will almost certainly be to make sure the government holds up its end of the bargain enforcing the sanctions regime which the U.S. bolstered in recent months and which Trump credits for bringing Kim to the negotiating table.

But soon after the announcement, China was already hinting at the prospect of sanctions relief. Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that sanctions should be revisited if North Korea complies with Security Council demands for denuclearization.

"Sanctions are a means, not an end," Geng said. "We believe the Security Council should make efforts to support the current diplomatic efforts."

--With assistance from Kanga Kong and Andy Sharp .BEARDSTOWN  Despite city council inaction on a resolution of support for the Beardstown Harbor project, the project continues onward with support from the county, the community and Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Beardstown City Council considered a resolution of support for the project on June 5 but, while Alderman Sally Lael made a motion to bring it a vote, discussion ended with no bid to second Laels motion and no vote was taken.

Beardstown Harbor Development Committee Chairman Kelly Cagle said she felt a misunderstanding led to the inaction.

I believe they didnt have it explained to them correctly, Cagle said. We had one alderman who believed there was a bunch of money tied to this. It was a resolution of support so that we can work toward securing grants.

Beardstown Mayor Leslie Harris offered a similar assessment and has put the resolution on the budget for the councils June 19 meeting.

One thing that they stated is that they want someone from the city council on the Beardstown Harbor Committee and Sally Lael has accepted that position, Harris said. She will be the voice for the Beardstown Harbor Development Committee and any questions the council members have, they can contact Sally or Kelly.  I also have an open-door policy.

A resolution of support does not require a financial commitment; it merely is a formal expression of support for the project.

The Cass County Board of Commissioners recently passed a similar resolution of support for the project, which Cagle said has allowed the committee to move forward with its grant applications.

Cagle and Harris met Thursday with representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who offered their support for the project. Rauner also offered his support for the project during a visit to Beardstown in early June, saying the $1.3 million required for the project was worth the expense when considering the safety and economic benefits.

It isnt that much when you compare it to the states total budget, Rauner said at the time. We should be able to find that money somewhere.

Cagle said shes excited about the support the project has received and is enthusiastic about the grant applications that already have been submitted and those now being drafted. She thanked the community for its support and said she hoped the city would join in supporting the project at the councils next meeting.

I hope they put their support behind the project, Cagle said. Im very passionate about it and I think Beardstown needs this.

Nick Draper can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1223, or on Twitter @nick_draper.A donation request from a local scholarship program prompted city council reflection on how the city should handle such requests in the future.

The Jacksonville Promise, a volunteer program that aims to provide scholarships to students in the local school district, requested $10,000 from the city on Monday to help secure a matching Tracy Family Foundation grant. Chuck Sheaff, Jacksonville Promise Board President, said that a similar program, The Rockford Promise based in Rockford, has provided a massive return in investment.

However, Alderman Jeff Hopkins, while he lauded the program for its efforts, said that he felt like giving such a donation would be setting a precedent.

I have a hard time taking city money and giving it because you start here and then who is going to be next? Hopkins said. Are we going to continue to give money to everybody that comes up with a scholarship?

Alderman Bill Scott suggested that the city consider using gambling funds and noted that an investment in children is a good one. However, Alderman Marcy Patterson also noted that the city had an opportunity to invest in kids when the New Directions Warming and Cooling Center requested funds early in the year and the city had turned them down.

Patterson, as well as several other aldermen, said that they wouldnt be comfortable donating the full amount but might be more comfortable with a smaller amount such as $1,000.

Alderman Lori Oldenettel suggested that the city consider creating a policy when it comes to such donations so as to set clear guidelines for not only future aldermen but also those that would consider approaching the city for funds for such projects.

For the past six months weve been approached quite a few times from different non-profit organizations asking for money, Oldenettel said. It might be something where we step back and establish some type of criteria if its going to benefit the whole community or how much money we should designate annually. I feel like that would provide some structure and guidelines.

The city approved a $1,000 donation with two no votes coming from Hopkins and Travis Richardson.

In other business, the city approved an agreement with the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System to host an Illinois Transportable Emergency Communications System equipment. ITECS, explained Emergency Management Director Phil McCarty, would provide communication services in the event that radio equipment would go down in an emergency.

The equipment, housed within a truck and a trailer, would be stored in Jacksonville and transported to where it is needed in times of crisis. In exchange, Jacksonville, at no cost to the city, would get priority access to the equipment in the event of an emergency.

A proposal for $12,000 from KE Vas Company in Jacksonville was approved for the demolition of the bridge located on Brooklyn Avenue.

Finally, a $50,000 engineering agreement was approved for the replacement of water mains on East State Street to be done alongside improvements that will be coming to the street in the future.

Nick Draper can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1223, or on Twitter @nick_draper.President Donald Trump is aggressively campaigning for Republican Senate candidates around the country and belittling their Democratic rivals, with one notable exception - North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp.

Trump's affinity for Heitkamp, who got a shout-out and a handshake at a recent White House bill signing, has frustrated top Republicans who see winning her Democratic seat as crucial to holding onto their fragile 51-to-49 majority. No one has felt it more acutely than GOP Rep. Kevin Cramer, whom Trump personally recruited to run against Heitkamp.

Upset, Cramer contacted White House Chief of Staff John Kelly to appeal for political help and traded warning shots with Trump's legislative affairs director, Marc Short.

Cramer says he believes Trump is giving Heitkamp preferential treatment because she is a woman. He accused the first-term senator of being insecure and going out of her way to stand near Trump at last month's signing of the banking bill, which Cramer also attended.

"Have you ever watched the video? It's obscene," said Cramer, who in an interview with The Washington Post re-created Heitkamp's movements and the setup of the room.

The tension between the White House and Cramer could have implications for GOP control of the Senate in November's midterm elections and has exposed friction within the White House, pitting the legislative operation intent on securing the support of centrist Democrats against a political team determined to oust them.

The contest also has become a deeply personal test of both candidates' relationship with the president, who won North Dakota by nearly 36 points in 2016. Trump had considered Heitkamp for a Cabinet post and even tried to persuade her to switch parties. This year, the president worked furiously to get Cramer to run after he initially declined. The congressman is expected to win Tuesday's North Dakota Republican primary.

Cramer's unusual chat with Kelly occurred on June 1, two days after he had disparaged Short in a local radio interview, largely blaming him for the way the White House had treated him and questioning Short's abilities.

"If Marc Short was very good at his job, you know, we'd have a repeal and replacement of Obamacare," Cramer said in a surprising display of animosity toward a White House official.

This upset Short, who quickly brought the interview to the attention of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Cramer later called his radio comments a "little shot across the bow" that got the White House's attention. His words also drew some blunt advice.

"I think he's better spending his time focused on his opponent than on a White House staffer who has zero percent name ID in North Dakota. But that's up to him," Short said in an interview.

The behind-the-scenes discussions were described by several people with knowledge of private conversations. A White House spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump has made campaign stops in Indiana, Missouri and Tennessee in recent months, but he has not campaigned in North Dakota and has steered clear of mocking Heitkamp the way he has with other Democrats.

"Heidi, thank you very much, appreciate it," Trump told her last month when he signed the bill to ease restrictions on banks. Heitkamp co-sponsored the measure.

Heitkamp was the only Democratic lawmaker at the May 24 White House event. She was invited by Short. She stood directly to Trump's left; Cramer was behind the president.

"I was standing by the door when people came in and, you know, you kind of fill in from the front to the back," Heitkamp said.

Searching for reasons to explain Trump's friendliness toward Heitkamp, Cramer offered one theory.

"I do think there's a little difference in that she's a woman," Cramer said. "That's probably part of it - that she's a, you know, a female. He doesn't want to be that aggressive, maybe. I don't know."

Heitkamp disagrees.

"Well, that wouldn't explain Claire. I think she's a woman, right?" Heitkamp said, referring to Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., whom Trump has criticized. "That theory falls apart almost immediately."

Short offered an even more pointed response. "Remind me who the president ran against for the presidency," he said, referring to Hillary Clinton.

While White House officials are trying to project unity as the midterms draw near, there is some disagreement about balancing legislative priorities - which often means working with Democrats, given the GOP's slim majority - with winning Senate races. Some argue the campaign is paramount.

"The power of this office and the power of this building is immense, and if you are not maximizing that, then what are you doing?" said one White House official, who, like others interviewed, spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid.

While Cramer's relationship with Short has been rocky, he has formed a close bond with Bill Stepien, the White House political director. He says they talk and text regularly.

Cramer and Short spoke privately last week, a conversation they said improved their relationship. Heitkamp's relationship with Short has appeared cordial, even friendly at times.

"Marc's job is to coax the people that you can't count on, that aren't reliable," Cramer said. "And sometimes the rest of us get taken for granted."

Short said he tries to be straightforward with every member of Congress.

The key to re-election for Heitkamp and the other nine Democratic senators running in states Trump won in 2016 is convincing voters they are bipartisan to win crossover votes without alienating the Democratic base.

Heitkamp is one of just seven Democrats who voted to confirm Trump's pick of Mike Pompeo for secretary of state and one of the six who voted for Gina Haspel to be CIA director. Cramer said Short's team asked him to make supportive statements about the nominees to pressure Heitkamp to back them. This month, Americans for Prosperity, a group linked to conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch, announced a digital ad campaign thanking Heitkamp for her support for the banking bill.

But Heitkamp disagrees strongly with Trump's approach to tariffs and voted against the sweeping GOP tax bill. She is trying to contrast herself with Cramer by branding him a "rubber stamp" for Trump. "I have not been a rubber stamp for either political party," she said.

Cramer is dismissive of Heitkamp's policy straddle.

"She's trying to be like Kevin, except I get to be Kevin," said Cramer, who highlighted his support for the tax bill, which Trump signed into law.

As North Dakota's lone representative, Cramer has triumphed statewide three times, making him well-positioned to oust Heitkamp.

She and the other vulnerable Democrats running for reelection in states Trump won have become friendly as they confront similar obstacles.

"Hey there, sweetcakes!" Heitkamp cheerfully greeted Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., when he popped into an interview she was doing earlier this year at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee headquarters.

"We're the dishwashers of this operation," Donnelly joked about himself and Heitkamp.

In May, Trump held a rally in Indiana, where he called Donnelly "Sleepin' Joe" and touted his GOP challenger, Mike Braun. He has not come up with a nickname for Heitkamp.

For Cramer, the wait for Trump to campaign with him continues.

"It'd be fun to have him out. And I expect he'll come to North Dakota," Cramer said. "He promised me he would."The campaigns of nearly all petitioning gubernatorial candidates say they have passed a hurdle in the race to the governors office and will submit enough valid signatures by Tuesday afternoons deadline to compete in the primary.

Were more confident than ever that well be on the primary ballot in August, as we continue to move forward with the process, said Ted Lorson, spokesman for Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, who is seeking to challenge Ned Lamont, who easily won the Democratic endorsement last month.

Lorson said more than 29,000 signatures will be turned in for Ganim; nearly twice the 15,458 names of registered Democrats required. So far, the secretary of the states office has tabulated 4,938 of them.

Guy Smith, a Democrat and Greenwich businessman, said he will submit about 23,000 signatures and spend much of Tuesday delivering them to voter registrars in towns and cities across the state, who will then have a week to certify the signatures before sending them to the Secretary of the State. Many will mail the results in, said Gabe Rosenberg, spokesman for the secretary of the state, so it could easily take until the end of the month for results to be official.

In an especially dangerous time, I think the 169 registrars and the team in the Secretary of State's office are the bulwark of our democracy, Smith said on Monday. I have had the opportunity to speak with Connecticut Democrats across the state who have enthusiastically signed my petition to be on the ballot. I am thoroughly energized by all of the wonderful people I am meeting as they voice their frustration with Hartford.

On the Republican side, where 9,081 signatures are needed, businessmen David Stemerman of Greenwich and Bob Stefanowski of Madison said Monday they are confident they will exceed the threshold.

Bob Stefanowski is submitting over 15,000 signatures from 154 towns across Connecticut, said Patrick Trueman, his spokesman. We were the only campaign that went almost exclusively door-to-door to thousands of Republican voters and are confident that Bob will be on the ballot in August.

Albert Eisenberg, Stemermans spokesman, said the campaign has collected nearly 20,000 names, from almost all the states town and cities. He said that volunteers, family friends and paid staff participated in the drive for petitions, which required the support of registered Republican voters.

We are very confident we will be on the ballot, Eisenberg said. As far as taking the outsider-candidates onerous track, were glad were doing it. Davids the outsider candidate with a credible plan and were proud to take that message to voters.

Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti, who did not begin his petition drive until after the GOP convention, where he failed to reach the 15 percent delegate support to automatically reach the ballot, said Monday night that he doesnt know how many signatures hes gathered. Its anyones guess, at this point, he said. I havent spent time counting because Im out collecting.

Republican petitioners would challenge Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, the convention-endorsed candidate, as well as Tim Herbst the former Trumbull first selectman, and Steve Obsitnik, a tech entrepreneur from Westport, who qualified for the primary at the convention.NORWALK  Norwalks position of fair housing officer, charged with fighting housing discrimination the city, traces its roots back to 1984, when Norwalk proposed placing an affordable housing development in a largely black neighborhood.

Norwalk native John C. Brittain, a lawyer who got his start fighting for civil rights in Mississippi in 1969 and is now a tenured professor at the University of the District of Columbia, said his background gave him the authority and expertise to realize something was amiss. Federal funds were being used for the project, which he saw as relegating affordable housing to minority neighborhoods.

I smelled a rat, he said.

A professor at the University of Connecticut at the time, he filed a lawsuit against the city in 1984, which he continued to fight after becoming dean of Texas Southern University in Houston even though it meant traveling across the country. In the end, the city, facing the potential loss of federal funds, struck a deal in 1986. Affordable units were built in a largely white neighborhood, and the Fair Housing Advisory Commission and position of fair housing officer were created to guard against future housing discrimination.

The agreement, or consent decree, envisioned the position of fair housing officer as reporting to the Redevelopment Agency, a semi-independent city organization. Some saw the arrangement as a way to shelter fair housing policy from City Hall politics.

The idea was to have a commission that was as independent of the political structure as much as possible, said Heather Rodin, who served in the 80s as one of the early members of the Fair Housing Commission.

The mayor, politically, has many constituents, some of which were subject to litigation in the case, Brittain said. It created conflicts for the mayor  conflicts between fair housing enforcement and other economic and social interests that arent concerned about fair and affordable.

Brittain believes merging the citys fair housing and fair rent into one department with a chief who would report to the mayor would undermine that independence. Some of the result of that change would weaken the fair housing officer, he said. The mayor would either have to negotiate again with the NAACP and others to modify the consent decree or go to court and try to find some legal ground to legally change the consent decree.

His assessment comes as a subcommittee of the Norwalk Common Council considers Mayor Harry Rillings proposal to reorganize city government under seven cabinet-level chief positions.

Brittain is not the only person concerned about how the reorganization, if approved, would affect fair-housing compliance in Norwalk.

The Norwalk chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also isnt on board with Rillings plan to merge the citys fair housing and fair rent departments as part of his proposed reorganization of city government.

I just want to be clear on behalf of the NAACP that theyre not amenable to the citys current proposal, said Nilda Havrilla, managing attorney of the housing unit for Connecticut Legal Services, a private nonprofit corporation representing the Norwalk NAACP. It never has been and, under the federal consent decree, the city simply cannot go forward without the NAACPs consent.

She said the court consent decree, which resulted in the creation of the fair housing officer position as well as the Norwalk Fair Housing Advisory Commission FHAC, has been amended and could be amended again if the parties approve.

But right now, were not in agreement with the proposed plan, Havrilla said. We believe that the fair housing officer would be diluted under the plan thats being proposed.

Her comments came at City Hall on Monday evening as a six-member ad hoc committee of the council continued its review of Rillings proposed reorganization of city government.

The FHAC and position of Fair Housing Officer, occupied by Margaret Suib, were created by a court action in 1986. The city and Norwalk NAACP agreed to a consent decree after the NAACP alleged that the city had engaged in discriminatory housing practices.

Suib and the FHAC operate out of an office in the Norwalk Health Department. The Norwalk Fair Rent and Human Relations commissions work from an office in City Hall next door.

Rilling provided the ad hoc committee his impressions of the recent meeting with Havrilla and representatives of the Norwalk NAACP and citys fair housing department.

We talked about what the purpose of the reorg(anization) was, and it was not to diminish or do away with the fair housing position, but to combine fair housing along with fair rent positions, because people were going to both places, Rilling said. One had a housing complaint. One had a rent complaint and they go back and forth.

He said combining the departments would create a one-stop shop where people could go, whether they had problems with the their rent, landlord or housing discrimination.

We made it clear at that meeting that the consent decree is sacrosanct and it is nothing that we were going to challenge, Rilling said.

He said his administration also looked at the proposed merging of the two departments as an opportunity to make the court consent decree more binding.

Councilman Michael Corsello, an attorney on the ad hoc review committee, asked if the proposed reorganization would require the parties that signed the consent decree to return to federal court.

Answered Rilling: We think that if the parties can agree, we dont have to go back to federal court, as long as the substantive components of the consent decree are not changed.

Mayoral Assistant Laoise King addressed current staffing and proposed staffing under the reorganization. Suib handles fair housing issues from her office in the health department. Working together at City Hall are the director of human relations and fair rent, an attorney who works on fair rent and civil-rights issues, and a program person who helps with fair rent investigations and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.

Under the new organizational structure, there will still be four people doing those same jobs, King said. Were just going to switch around which people are doing the jobs, so that the housing jobs are all focused on one employee doing fair rent and fair housing.Raimundo Atesiano had a statistic to tout at a city council meeting for the tiny village of 3,000 in the middle of Florida's Miami-Dade County.

The Biscayne Park Police Department, of which Atesiano was police chief at the time, had a clearance rate of 100 percent for burglaries, he said at the July 2013 meeting, according to federal court documents.

But the statistics were a fictitious stunt to gain favor with elected officials, according to an indictment filed by Benjamin Greenberg, the United States Attorney for South Florida, which his office announced on Monday.

Atesiano, with the help of two officers from his department, conspired to falsely arrest and charge a 16-year-old for four unsolved burglary cases that year, prosecutors said.

Atesiano and the two former officers, Charlie Dayoub and Raul Fernandez, were charged by federal prosecutors with conspiracy to violate civil rights under color of law and deprivation of the 16-year-old's civil rights. The three could face 11-year sentences in prison if convicted.

The incident began on June 13, when Atesiano told Dayoub and Fernandez that he "wanted them to unlawfully arrest T.D. for unsolved burglaries despite knowing that there was no evidence that T.D. had committed the burglaries," prosecutors said. Dayoub and Fernandez gathered information for the arrest "knowing there was no evidence and no lawful basis to arrest and charge T.D," officials said.

The four burglaries for which the person listed in documents only as T.D. was charged occurred between April and May of that year.

Prosecutors said that Fernandez agreed to write and notarize the four arrest affidavits with "false narratives," and Dayoub signed the affadavits, the indictment said.

Neil Schuster, who was identified by the Miami Herald as Atesanio's lawyer, did not immediately return a request for comment. Fernandez and Dayoub are expected in court later this month, a spokeswoman for the United States Attorney's office said.

The Herald reported that Atesanio surrendered to authorities and appeared in federal court on Monday. He was released on $50,000 bond and has an arraignment scheduled for June 25.

Atesiano has been accused of improprieties in the past. According to ethics forms filed with Miami-Dade County, he was investigated to see if he had exploited his position as police chief to use public funds to repay a personal loan to an officer in his department in 2014. He admitted to drawing up a contract with the employee, in which Fernandez had been named as a witness, but said that it was a joke. Investigators closed the complaint without recommending disciplinary action, after finding insufficient evidence that the loan was ever given.Young people staged "die-in" protests nationwide Tuesday to protest gun violence, aiming to raise awareness on the second anniversary of a mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub that left 49 people dead.

The protest included demonstrations in at least a dozen cities, including Washington, where people gathered on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol, and in Florida, near President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago property. Participants lay motionless on the ground for 720 seconds - one second for every person believed to have been killed in a mass shooting since the Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12, 2016.

"Our bodies will symbolize the tangible effects that lethal legislative inaction has on its citizens," organizers wrote on Twitter.

In Washington, people gathered on the west lawn of the Capitol on a sunny morning, many holding signs, to listen to speakers before taking up positions on the grass, where they posed as dead bodies. Students later went to the offices of senators including Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., carrying a long list bearing the name of every student killed in a school shooting since the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, where 13 people were killed.

"The truth is, kids are scared to go to school," said Marcel McClinton, a student activist from Houston. "This 230 lb. left tackle is scared to go to school, and it's not because of a bully, it's because of a gun."

McClinton rattled off a list of legislative actions the students want to see, including mandatory safe storage laws for guns and stricter background checks.

"I don't want your guns," McClinton yelled, and the crowd yelled it back to him.

Bree Butler, who survived a shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas that killed 10 people last month, said she and others support the Second Amendment but want to see politicians take steps to try to prevent mass shootings like the one at her school.

"No matter how much you want to call us gun-grabbing communitists, that is not what we are fighting for," she said. "We just want to live."

Almost all of the speakers were affected by gun violence in some way. Zion Kelly's brother, Zaire, was killed during a botched robbery last year just a few hundred feet from his home in Washington. Jackson O'Mara attends Great Mills High School in Southern Maryland, where a student brought a gun to school in March, killing a girl and wounding a boy. One of her classmates read text messages that she and her friends sent during the shooting and unfurled the very long sheet of paper that they later brought inside to display for elected officials.

"There's my school," she said, pointing to the sheet.

The die-ins sprung from a wave of student activism that started after a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people in February. Students there immediately became outspoken about their desire to see changes in the nation's gun laws, and they then organized marches around the country, and around the world, on March 24.

Students also have organized events on other anniversaries of mass shootings, such as on April 20, the anniversary of the Columbine shooting, when students organized a national school walkout. After the Santa Fe shooting, in a conservative area of Texas where gun ownership is common, students sought momentum for the cause but took a more cautious approach, steering clear of discussing gun control and instead focusing on "gun safety" as a way to show that they don't want to take guns away from their fellow Texans.

National organizers now are hoping to make registering students to vote their legacy, and have been sponsoring voter drives at their events. The students from Stoneman Douglas, who formed the group March for Our Lives, are now embarking on a summerlong voting drive, crisscrossing the country in a bus.

"Registering to vote is so important," Butler said. "But you know what's more important? Showing up and voting."One man was shot in a drug deal gone wrong at an Ellington-area park Monday night, Houston police said.

Houston police officers arrived at Gulf Palms Park, on 12000 Palm Springs, around 10:30 p.m.San Antonio Express-News file photo

A few sections of streets and trails on the South Side are likely to be closed for part of the day Tuesday as a contractor for the San Antonio River Authority performs the first prescribed burn on the Mission Reach of the river.

Fire can be used to promote growth of native plant species and natural habitat for birds and other wildlife.A tropical wave expected to head towards south Texas is being monitored by the National Hurricane Center for potential development into an organized system, the National Weather Service announced Monday afternoon.

The system, currently in the southwestern Caribbean Sea, was given a "very low" chance of development over the next two days and a 20 percent chance of development Wednesday through Friday, according to Roger Erickson, the National Weather Service's Warning Coordination Meteorologist.Converse City Council accepted the resignation of one council member and voted to dismiss another at its June 5 council meeting, and has until July 5 to appoint successors to both seats.

Absenteeism was at the heart of both matters. Near the end of the meeting, Mayor Al Suarez read Councilman Christopher Boyds letter of resignation. Earlier, council voted 3-2 to dismiss Councilwoman Deborah James for her absences while recovering from a serious heart ailment.

It is with great difficulty and remorse that I write to confirm my decision to resign my status as a councilman for the city of Converse, effective June 5, Boyd wrote.

I have so much in life going on that I feel I am not able to give the city and its citizens the time and attention it deserves without harming my career or my family life, wrote Boyd, first elected to his Council Place 4 seat without opposition in November 2016. I think it is best that I make room for someone whom hopefully will have the same passion and fondness for Converse as myself, but with more time to dedicate.

Prior to the June 5 meeting, Boyd had missed six of the seven previous meetings. His attendance on May 1 marked the first time he had been to a council meeting since Feb. 6, having missed five consecutive meetings between Feb. 20 and April 17.

James had missed six consecutive council sessions since a Feb. 20 meeting when she fell ill and missed a portion of the meeting. James said she was admitted to the hospital two days later, where she remained for seven days while undergoing several medical procedures related to a heart condition.

James sent a March 2 email to Suarez, then-interim City Manager Le Ann Piatt, and City Attorney Felix Arambula stating that she cant attend city meetings (until) I get a release from my cardiologist on April 25. That memo preceded the March 6 meeting, the first of six consecutive meetings she would miss.

The same memo was sent on March 16 and again April 4, the day after her third missed meeting.

That April 3 meeting is significant because the Converse City Charter states under Section 2.12 Forfeiture of Office that a council member shall forfeit his office if he fails to attend three consecutive regular council meetings without being excused by the majority vote of the City Council.

Both Boyd and James missed four meetings in a row  March 6, March 20, April 3 and April 17.

On April 25, James emailed a return to school/work letter to city officials that stated that should could return to her service to the city starting July 1, with no restrictions. The unsigned document came from the San Antonio Army Medical Center cardiology staff.

Last week, council members sparred over the legitimacy of James absences and of the unsigned medical notice she produced. Councilwoman Shawna Russell said that in her familiarity with the medical field, doctors rarely issue important documents like a work release notice unsigned.

Councilman Chris Clark questioned how the council determines an excused or unexcused absence. He said the council did no act on the absences at the time they occurred, and asked if the city could add an item to the agenda that would address absences at meetings. Suarez said Universal City has a spot on its agendas to address council absences, and said its something the city should look into.

James said last Thursday that she was upset by the tone of the June 5 meeting. James said she contacted her attorney, who said her medical rights had been violated.

I have nothing to hide. They arent telling my side of the story, James said. They tarred my reputation (June 5) and dragged me over the coals. I was railroaded, and got the wrong end of the deal.

But James said she will not pursue legal action, having actually prepared a letter of resignation as suggested by her cardiologist, Dr. David Yo.

I have a serious condition that now requires me to wear a heart monitor. (Dr. Yo) suggested I resign from the council until I get better and am healthy enough to serve, James said. They unfortunately painted me in a bad light (June 5). If they would have waited, I would have resigned.

James gave the Northeast Herald a handwritten draft of a letter, dated May 5, in which James states the importance to get my health back in order. I cannot serve the citizens until I can have my health back. I may return at a later date after my health issues have been resolved, the letter states.

James said she never sent the letter to city officials.

Suarez said at the meeting that council hopes to have names of potential council candidates by its June 19 meeting so council can arrange interviews and select candidates at the July 3 meeting, which falls two days before the July 5 deadline for appointing council replacements.

jflinn@express-news.netJudson Independent School District officials are narrowing their search for a new superintendent, and hope to have a new leader in place by mid-July.

Superintendent Carl Montoya announced in February that he plans to retire at the end of the 2018 fall semester. Montoya arrived in Judson in March 2015, succeeding Willis Mackey, who had been at the helm for the previous eight years.

Steve Linscomb, director of communications for Judson ISD, said the school board contracted with Austin-based Walsh Gallegos to conduct its superintendent search, which he said began in April and ran through mid-May.

Two open periods for public comment were held and the district asked for online comments about qualities and traits the public would like to see in a new superintendent. Linscomb said the district received more than 300 suggestions, which were forwarded to Walsh Gallegos.

Six to eight candidates were selected from among the dozens of applicants considered. Interviews are being conducted by Judson school board members, Linscomb said. The board hopes to name a lone superintendent finalist later this month, Linscomb said, which means they could hire a new superintendent by mid-July.

Texas school districts must wait 21 days after naming a lone superintendent finalist before they can officially hire the candidate. This allows districts to conduct thorough background checks and gives the public a chance to review the candidate and speak out prior to the official hiring date.

Linscomb said the school board would like to have new leader in place before the 2018-2019 school year begins. He said its likely the board will ask Montoya, 68, to stay on board for a few weeks to ensure a smooth transition to the new leadership.

At a special meeting Feb. 5, the Judson school board unanimously accepted Montoyas retirement plans. Montoyas contract with Judson, signed in March 2015, was originally set to expire in June, but an extension put its expiration at June 30, 2019, Linscomb said.

By the time he retires, Montoya will have spent nearly four years with Judson and 44 years in education.

Prior to his arrival at Judson, Montoya served for four years as superintendent of Brownsville ISD, and for six years as the superintendent of Aransas Pass ISD. He previously worked as a principal and administrator in Dallas ISD and taught in New Mexico.

In a joint statement with Montoya announcing his retirement, trustees credited the superintendent with helping secure the passage of a pair of major bond referendums that led to the improvement of campus facilities; overseeing the opening of Veterans Memorial High School; and expanding curriculum and programming.

The next Judson ISD board of trustees meeting is June 21 in the ERC board room, 8205 Palisades Drive in Live Oak.

jflinn@express-news.netFor the second year in a row, students from Texas A&M University-San Antonio will travel to Europe during the summer for a study abroad program. Led by several A&M-San Antonio business faculty members, the trip will culminate with our students participating in the European Innovation Academy, or EIA, one of the worlds largest entrepreneurship programs.

More than 15,000 students and faculty from 250 universities in 85 countries have participated in EIA over the years. Hundreds of students from six continents will meet in Turin, Italy, in July for this years competition, where they will work in teams of five to develop ideas for start-ups that address real-world problems. At the end of three weeks, the teams will compete against each other as they pitch their final business concepts to venture capitalists for possible funding.San Antonio police said phone records and witness statements led to the arrest of one of the two suspects tied to a homicide in March, according to court documents.

Kevin Luster, 19, was arrested Monday on a murder charge, according to jail records.

On March 13, 19-year-old Tamaris Taylor was killed in the 1500 block of Upland Road while sitting in his car, police said.

Surveillance footage shows two people arriving at the apartment complex in a Nissan Altima to meet with Taylor, before one of the suspects sneaks around to the passenger side of Taylor's vehicle and fires multiple shots into the car, according to an arrest affidavit.

RELATED: Mugshots: 23 arrested, indicted on child sex charges in Bexar County in May

Paramedics pronounced Taylor dead around 2 a.m., roughly 20 minutes after the shooting was reported, police said.

Witnesses told officers Taylor told them he was heading to meet Luster that night, which police confirmed through phone records, the affidavit says.

When police questioned Luster, he told them the other suspect, identified as Zyshonne Napier, forced him to set up the meeting, according to the affidavit. Napier had allegedly threatened to harm Luster's family.

Luster set up the meeting, thinking that they were just going to rob Taylor, he reportedly told police.

Hours after the shooting, Luster said he received another warning from Napier, warning him not to say anything about the shooting, the affidavit says.

Napier's phone records show him in the area of the shooting on the day of Taylor's death, according to the affidavit.

Luster was arrested on a $150,000 bond, while Napier remains at large. Luster's mugshot was unavailable Tuesday morning, according to jail officials.

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 San Antonio man accused of fatally stabbing his wife was found and arrested Monday night, according to police.

Carlos Martinez, 41, was taken into custody on suspicion of murder, one day after the killing took place.The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office identified the man killed in a drive-by shooting at his home early Monday morning.

Eloy Mendez-Tapia, 34, was fatally shot in his home in the 400 block of Mercedes Street, according to San Antonio police. The Medical Examiner's Office listed the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the head.

RELATED: Affidavit: Phone records tie suspect to fatal shooting of 19-year-old man

Police said 14 bullets were fired into the home from outside.

Witnesses said they saw a dark-colored pickup drive off after hearing.

No one has been arrested in connection to the shooting and the investigation is ongoing.

Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here. | fsabawi@mysa.com | Twitter: @FaresInSADespite receiving a warning from the San Antonio Police Department, a woman repeatedly posted the personal address and phone number of a detective on social media, according to an arrest affidavit.

Dawnette Guerrero, 55, was arrested Monday on suspicion of retaliation.

Guerrero posted the detective's private information on her Facebook and Nextdoor accounts in June, according to the affidavit.

RELATED: DPS helicopter helped SAPD track down man accused of killing his wife

The detective sent Guerrero a certified letter, which she received on June 4, asking her to remove the information for safety reasons, according to the affidavit.

A few days later, the detective reviewed Guerrero's social media posts on Facebook, according to the affidavit. Guerrero had removed the original posts, but published additional posts with the detective's name and address, one with a caption that read "somebody wants to get their ass kicked," police said.

On what appears to be Guerrero's profile she says the detective is harassing her and accuses him of kidnapping her grandson two years ago.

A judge set Guerrero's bail at $15,000, 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AUSTIN  Karen Acuna learned more than just history during a recent course on Mexican-American studies. The 13-year-old found her voice.

It showed me not to be afraid, said Acuna, a seventh-grader at KIPP Camino Academy in San Antonio. We have a voice and we can use it. I am proud to be Mexican-American.

Acuna was one of roughly 50 people who showed up in Austin on Tuesday to protest the name of a new Mexican-American studies high school elective. Republicans on the State Board of Education voted in April to call the course Ethnic Studies: An Overview of Americans of Mexican Descent, drawing the ire of academics, students and advocates, some of whom called the name change discrimination.

Were grateful that they accepted the class, but also its bad that theyre changing the name, said Acuna, who was accompanied by her teacher and a classmate. Its like youre saying youre accepting me, but youre changing my name, youre changing who I am.

The State Board of Education heard more than three hours of public testimony urging the course be called Mexican-American studies, ahead of a meeting Wednesday when the board will delve into course standards. Brownsville board member Ruben Cortez Jr. has said he plans to put forward a name change this week.

Though board members voted unanimously this spring to create the high school elective, they split over what to call it. At the protest, Cortez criticized the board member who proposed the altered course title, David Bradley of Beaumont, calling him the most mean-spirited SBOE member we have.

Bradley wasnt at Tuesdays public testimony because he was traveling for work, he said. In an email, however, Bradley defended the change.

The Name change is for the (Texas Education Agency) Title Only. The content in the document, the local course name used by districts, what is reported, published, is and can be Mexican American Studies. Everyones initiative was to find a compromise that got the course passed. Many board members found the hyphenated American title to be divisive, he wrote. Mr Cortez should learn to say Thank You!

More than half of Texas 5.4 million school-age children come from Mexican or Latino backgrounds. Some schools in Texas already teach versions of the course, including in Houston Independent School District and KIPP San Antonio Public Schools, a charter school network.

Several of those teachers showed up Tuesday and disputed that calling it Mexican-American studies is a problem.

It is not divisive, as you perceive and describe, but it is an identifier of proud Mexican-American people, said Diana Gunnoe, who teaches Mexican-American art appreciation at Southwest ISD in San Antonio. Representation matters.

When we change the name of a people, as this course implies, its going to be received by many as an indignity on their personhood because it implies that somehow being Mexican-American is a threat to the notion of being American, said Douglas Torres-Edwards, the lead writer of HISDs course. We are all Americans here, and ethnic identity should not be a test of what it means to be American.

Allie Morris is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of her stories here. | amorris@express-news.net | @MorrisReportsHarris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday unanimously agreed to place a $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond before voters on Aug. 25, the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey. If passed, the bond would be the largest local investment in flood mitigation since the storm flooded 154,000 homes across the county.

"I think the whole nation is going to be watching us," County Judge Ed Emmett said of the region's approach to flooding post-Harvey. "Everyone is saying Houston, Harris County, the whole region  we have the chance to do it right."

The decision comes after county officials have held just two of around two dozen community meetings to seek suggestions from residents about flood control projects, limiting the county's ability to make major changes to its plans for the funds.

The bond would, over a 10- to 15-year period, fund infrastructure improvements, including home buyouts, a new flood warning system, engineering studies and channel improvements across the county's 23 watersheds.

RAIN GAUGE: Interactive flood maps are now available online for Harris County residents

The Harris County Flood Control District is continuing to hold meetings in each watershed to seek advice from residents about which projects to pursue. Based on input, Executive Director Russ Poppe said, the flood control district may add additional projects. While the bond would allow the county to borrow no more than $2.5 billion, Poppe said more flood mitigation efforts could be funded using the district's regular operations and capital improvement budgets, which total $120 million a year.

The next public meetings are in the Carpenters Bayou Watershed, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at the ML Flukinger Community Center; and Friday in the Cypress Creek watershed from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Raveneaux Country Club.

Emmett last month said the number of projects to be included in the bond issue would be in the hundreds. He has said he hoped to publish a complete list of projects to be funded with bond proceeds by the first week of August, when early voting begins.

Three residents spoke in favor of the bond proposal Tuesday. Belinda Taylor of the Texas Organizing Project said the nonprofit would support the bond only if it includes projects that benefit northeast Houston, around Mesa and Tidwell, in the Greens Bayou watershed.

Taylor also said residents who volunteer their homes for buyouts should be able to move to comparable housing in drier areas.

"Any buyouts ... must leave people with the same kind of housing, no additional debt and in non-flooding neighborhoods," Taylor said.

Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said that a priority for bond funds must be communities that are less likely to benefit from federal assistance. He said that the federal government uses a formula for dispersing disaster recovery money that places a premium on increasing property value rather than assisting the most people, which Ellis says skews unfairly toward wealthy neighborhoods.

Commissioners said if different funding sources become available, such as the state or federal government, the county may not need to borrow the full $2.5 billion. The county will sell bonds on a rolling basis, rather than all upfront, to avoid paying interest on money for which it has no immediate use.

The county's budget analysts estimate that the bond would result in a property tax rate increase of 2 to 3 cents per $100 of assessed home value. Homeowners who are disabled or over the age of 65, and whose property is worth less than $200,000, would pay no additional taxes.

Also Tuesday, the court agreed to receive a grant from the federal government that, when matched with county funds, will pay for around 170 home buyouts in flood-prone areas.

zach.despart@chron.com

twitter.com/zachdespartHILLSBORO, Ohio - The national landscape is rife with Democratic officeholders and candidates who proudly wear the "resist Trump" label. But in Ohio, Sen. Sherrod Brown is not being so bold.

Brown faces a challenge from Republican Rep. James B. Renacci, who made a campaign stop in Hillsboro a few days ago and dropped by the offices of the Times-Gazette. Most observers agree that Renacci's effort to unseat Brown is an uphill battle but not an impossible one. Donald Trump won Ohio by eight points, and Renacci is hitching his candidacy firmly to President Trump's bandwagon. He spent much of his visit to our newspaper touting his relationship with Trump, who endorsed himin the primary.

While an early poll shows Brown with a comfortable advantage, most observers expect the race to tighten come November. Over the weekend, Renacci touted a Trump super PAC poll showing him trailing by just four points. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., recently told the Hill that "I would certainly add Ohio to the list" of possible GOP pickups.

Brown, a former Ohio secretary of state and congressman before his election to the Senate in 2006, is at the left end of the political spectrum for a moderate swing state. So you'd expect the Renacci-Brown matchup to be the usual faceoff between a pro-Trump conservative and an anti-Trump "resistance" liberal.

But that's not how Brown is playing it. News releases from Brown's office in recent months provide examples of the tightrope he's trying to navigate. In mid-March, a subhead on a Brown release on opioid legislation blared, "President's Plan includes Brown Initiatives to Boost Treatment." A few days later, Brown issued a statement saying he "welcomed news that the Trump Administration is taking steps to crack down on China's violation of intellectual property laws," adding, "Earlier this month, President Trump answered Brown's call to crack down on unfair steel imports that have hurt the U.S. steel sector."

The week after, another Brown statement declared the senator "is applauding the Trump Administration's work to renegotiate the Korea-U.S. Trade Agreement and block Korean steel dumping." Similar words of praise and various degrees of agreement with Trump have followed.

To be sure, Brown often includes caveats that make clear his differences with the president. And he is vocal in his opposition to the tax-cut package passed last year and Trump's approach to immigration. But while many Democratic candidates are proud to wear the "resistance" label, Brown wants nothing to do with it.

It was telling that Brown's first attack ad after the primary didn't mention Trump. Instead, the ad - an ad PolitiFact rated "Mostly False"- accused Renacci of being a lobbyist while serving in Congress. And when I asked a Brown spokesman to respond to Renacci's charge that Brown is an obstructionist to all things Trump, he was quick to highlight Brown's work with Trump on issues such as opioids and trade.

Why? Brown understands that many Ohio voters - including his base of blue-collar workers, many of whom support the president - see Trump's actions differently than the liberal national media and Democrats in the coastal blue states do. Rather than Trump abandoning Group of Seven allies, they see the president as finally standing up for the best interests of the United States. Rather than fixating on dwindling evidence of Russian collusion or obstruction of justice, they're focused on the best economy in decades and a North Korean dictator pressured to release prisoners and forced to the negotiating table by the president's hard-line approach.

Statewide races in Ohio usually come down to turnout in the Democratic northern strongholds vs. enthusiasm in Republican southern counties. Can Brown play the occasional game of footsie with the president and still engender the anti-Trump fervor necessary to offset pro-Trump turnout for Renacci? If Brown hopes his occasional agreements with Trump will neutralize the president, he's overlooking a lesson everyone should know by now - Trump will not be ignored. The midterms will be a referendum on Trump, state by state. If the media weren't making sure of that, Trump would.

In Ohio, Renacci is all in with Trump. Brown is trying to keep a toe in the water, but that water could come to a boil very soon.

---

Abernathy, a contributing columnist for The Washington Post, is publisher and editor of the (Hillsboro, Ohio) Times-Gazette.It is strange being in a foreign country and watching American post-World War II leadership  as practiced by presidents such as Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan  collapse into a heap of chaos, ignorance and self-indulgence.

Donald Trumps performance at the G-7 in Quebec  his personal attacks on other leaders, his tariff threats against close allies, his rejection of the joint communique via Twitter  will strike most Americans as just another day at the office for the great disrupter. For Europeans, everything Trump does is a seedy, derelict carnival put on for his political base.

What did the alternative communique consisting of Trumps words and actions convey? That the American president has a level of open animosity toward Canada, France and Germany that is unlike anything weve seen in the modern era. That the traditional leader of the West no longer understands or accepts the concept of the West.

To be an American in Germany these days is to be besieged by earnest, anxious questions about the intentions of Americas president. Germany is a country  because of a unique and horrible history  that provides leadership by standing for a rules-based global order. Since power proved so dangerous, it must be replaced by process. This worldview is especially threatened by Trumps comfort with chaos and rule by impulse.

During the first year of the Trump administration, it was possible to assure concerned foreigners that the president was being constrained by responsible advisers. But now we are seeing Trump unbound: a president increasingly confident in his own damaged instincts, untethered from reality and surrounded by advisers chosen to amplify his insanity.

I lived through a period in the 2000s in which Europeans (and Canadians) often complained about American exceptionalism. It was dismissed as arrogant, messianic and annoying. When Woodrow Wilson came to save Europe with his 14 Points for Peace, the French prime minister complained that God himself had only 10 commandments.

But is post-exceptionalism America really more desirable? The Trump administration has moved toward a more Putin-like foreign policy: oriented toward narrow economic and security interests, dismissive of human rights and humanitarian concerns and tilted toward the cultivation of favorable despots. And this shift has been matched by a changing national self-conception. With a president systematically attempting to undermine sources of authority that check his power  from the media, to the courts, to federal law enforcement  our nation is becoming normal in other disturbing ways.

One effect of this shift away from idealism and universalism is the loss of certain universal ideals that helped bind the Atlantic alliance. The Atlantic Charter, authored by FDR and Winston Churchill, was not just a statement of national war aims but of international commitments  to economic collaboration, self-government and a wider and permanent system of general security. These vows are what turned resistance to Soviet aggression from a necessity into a cause. With these commitments, western countries were a squabbling family. Without them, they are just squabbling neighbors, throwing garbage across the fence.

This is perhaps the largest foreign policy crisis of our time: an American president who has lost the ability to distinguish friends from enemies. Our traditional friends are attacked as freeloaders and cheats. Our real enemies are praised and cultivated  in the case of Russia, allowed to undermine American elections with minimal consequence and sponsored by Trump for readmission to the G-7. Trumps moral blindness has led to strategic turmoil.

America has had weak leaders before. But Trump is operating on a different map. He is actively hostile to the internationalism that defined the western alliance. And he is joined by rising ethno-nationalist forces within Europe itself.

We dont know how this chaos will eventually coalesce. But one thing is certain: The alternative to the free world will be less free.

michaelgerson@washpost.comToo bad that the United States will only talk seriously  and offer assistance  to nuclear nations.

What a lesson! If you have bombs of mass destruction  such as Russia, China, North Korea and, perhaps someday, Iran  then the United States might speak with you.

So, force and the image of destruction get a response, while underdevelopment of big-time weapons stands for little. Want attention from the United States? Build or buy a nuclear bomb or threaten to develop one! It is no wonder that the United States has paid scant attention to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, both Sudans, Yemen, even Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and Mexico, with many cartel-related deaths.

Wars rages in some, with the United States often involved  directly or indirectly  but these conflicts do not receive the same urgent focus as nuclear matters.

Get busy developing nuclear reactors, neglect your lands  and there are more on the list in need of health, water and reproductive assistance  and maybe you will get the attention of the United States!

Where are the leaders who will reverse this madness? Where? Or will citizens finally scream, Enough!

Eugene Novogrodsky, Brownsville

Like a killer app

If someone developed an app that killed at the touch of a button, we would all be outraged and want it banned.

So why do we support the same idea but with gunpowder?

Mark Porter

The S.A. Times

I realize that I am old and forgetful, but for the life of me, I do not remember subscribing to the New York Times.

I understand that economics require you to use outside reporting. Is there absolutely no conservative newspaper you could mix in just for the sake of fairness?

Penelope Talley

Latin and Latinos

You keep referring to anyone who speaks Spanish as Latino instead of Spaniard Mexican, Nicaraugua  etc.

The word Latino is from Latin, which means they could be from France or Italy or numerous other countries since all the countries that had a Latin origin have what are called Romance languages.

I think you need to be more specific in outlining the illegal immigrant so that we dont get confused with all those countries with Latin origins.

Since the 1980s, the influx of illegals has mushroomed, and if you have lived in the United States during that time you would have to assume they came through Mexico.

There was a time when being illegal was not a big deal. I grew up in Houston in the 50s and there was a Mexican restaurant on South Sheperd owned by a gentleman named Leo. He had been in Pancho Villas army. He deserted, came to Houston in the early 1900s, raised his family, started a business. No one cared because he assimilated, and there was no hue and cry for immigration control.

As a 79-year-old conservative, I have zero racism in me and I get mad when the left in this country tries to paint everyone and every situation into their socialistic view of the world. Millions of us are disgusted that we get used in your political arguments when you know nothing about us. I would guess that half of my friends are of some persuasion other than Caucasian, which, of course, the Latin population is a part of.

When the pundits say 12 million illegals are here, double that and you might get close to the real number.

Have you ever noticed an illegal is never standing around with a Need Food sign? It could be because they are doing a job some legal American would be doing except they are doing it for pennies.

John Fredrickson, Canyon Lake

Details important

Re: Rallies set for missing children; Rep. Castro spearheads immigration-policy, front page, May 30:

This pro-illegal immigration article started by saying, The news kept coming: Immigrant mothers and fathers separated from and searching for their children. Nearly 1,500 unaccompanied minors unaccounted for after they left the federal shelter system.

That leaves the impression the administration is heartlessly stealing children from their parents, sending them off to live with strangers, and then carelessly losing track of those young lives. Whats left out of that statement?

1. Those parents knew what might happen and still chose to cross the border illegally with their children.

2. The Trump administration is following laws that were already on the books, but were ignored by some, and has called on Congress to change the laws if they dont like the results.

3. The vast majority of those children were placed with sponsor families that were relatives already in the U.S. but here illegally.

4. The relatives sponsoring the children then moved, without notifying anyone, so they could not be found by federal government authorities and perhaps be deported.

Details, details.

J. David TrawickFor the ninth year in a row PCMag.com has published a survey of cellular data speeds in the biggest markets in the country, and Houston's one of them. Ours is one of three Texas cities checked out annually to see how AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon are doing with their 4G networks.

PCMag staffer Michael Muchmore spent May 18 cruising around Houston, stopping at 15 different locations with four smartphones, each assigned to monitor the network signals for the four major carriers. You can learn more about the process at my story on HoustonChronicle.com.Amid indications that the first round of voting may not produce a clear winner, a section of the civil society in Zimbabwe has started putting together building blocks for a transitional authority  modelled along the lines of the 2009 to 2013 government of national unity (GNU) in which former president Robert Mugabe shared power with his nemesis, Morgan Tsvangirai  the late founder of the MDC.

The Daily News can exclusively reveal that there have been exploratory discussions involving leading opinion leaders in the civil society and liberals across the political divide to prepare the nation for a post-election period in the event that the July 30 poll produces a contested outcome.

This comes as the nation is already debating results from two controversial surveys by the Pan-African Forum Limited (PAFL) and Trends and Insights for Africa (TIFA) that projected an outright victory for President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zanu PF.

PAFL  linked to a Zanu PF apologist, Nyekorach Matsanga  claimed a fortnight ago that Mnangagwa would win 70 percent of the vote if elections were held now, while Nelson Chamisa would only win 24 percent of the vote.

Last week, TIFA gave Mnangagwa 68,5 percent of the vote against Chamisas 19,5 percent.

A more credible survey by the Mass Public Opinion Institute and Afrobarometer has, however, predicted a closely contested presidential race between Mnangagwa and Chamisa, saying the Zanu PF leader, aged 75, could get 42 percent of the vote, while Chamisa, who turned 40 on February 2, could garner 31 percent.

This points to the possibility of a run-off on September 8 since there will not be an outright winner.

According to the Constitution, the winner must get 50,1 percent of the vote and above.

To avoid possible tensions post the July 30 ballot which could inflame a hugely polarised political atmosphere in Zimbabwe, discussions are underway to shepherd the countrys main political actors into a second GNU.

Under the facilitation of academic, Ibbo Mandaza, there were exploratory discussions last week to be continued, depending on the response from the main parties, especially Zanu PF and the MDC.

Mandaza confirmed the development last week.

We have been facilitating the talks since 2015 and, in light of what we think would be a disputed election, we are focusing on a post-election transitional authority so as to bring about peace and reconciliation, and a return a to constitutionalism which includes the army going back to the barracks, he said.

Mandaza said a national transitional authority was the only way forward for Zimbabwe given the disunity among its people and the economic meltdown that the country has been going through in the past two decades.

We are aware that some parties are already talking about a GNU and we will talk to Zanu PF when the time comes. This is a platform where concerned parties are also talking to the region and the international community for re-engagement. We spoke to representatives of all (the) political parties but there were no principals, said Mandaza, without specifying the parties that took part in the talks.

Oxford scholar Philan Zamchiya told the Daily News yesterday that even if Zimbabwe was to get a run-off on September 8, that would not mean another GNU.

There is no such law. Only political considerations can drive Zimbabwe towards a second GNU, he said.

At the moment, I see no such prospects. The military oligarchy buoyed by renewed international support, plagued by internal contradictions and with its hierarchy not feeling so well has a winner take all mentality. Read beneath and beyond. Any post-election GNU talk or signal is insincere, mere carrot dangling and a strategy to reduce the necessary preelection noise from the opposition. So fight like there is no GNU! Thats it, said Zamchiya.

Political analyst Maxwell Saungweme said the forthcoming elections will not be free and fair, adding that time for a free and fair poll had been lost.

A poll is deemed free and fair after looking at the freeness and fairness of the pre-poll period, polling days, and post-polling period, said Saungweme.

So far, the pre-polling period has been marred by hallmarks of elections manipulation if you look just at these factors among many: opaqueness around where ballot papers are printed and how many will be printed; lack of access by now to the biometric voter registration voters roll by the opposition; politicisation and militarisation of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission; existence of the Public Order and Security Act and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act; monopolisation of public media by the ruling party and instances of voter intimidation, including the deployment of soldiers.

Saungweme said there was no need for the military to be deployed in a country not under the threat of war.

So to a critical mind, the factors noted above are more than enough to taint the pre-poll period as uneven and unfree and unfair. So we wait to see the shenanigans and behaviours of players during poll, during vote tabulation and announcement of results and the immediate aftermath of the announcement of the results for us to determine freeness and fairness of the whole election, he said.

 DailyNews

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsPRESIDENT Mnangagwa, the Zanu-PF Presidential candidate on July 30, yesterday made five pledges to Zimbabweans realisable within the next five years if voted into power. He posted the pledges on his Facebook account.

MY PLEDGE TO YOU: In the new Zimbabwe, leaders must be open, transparent and accountable to the people. The promises we make as part of the campaign should be be measurable and concrete, he said.

The promises are on a pledge card and each card has President Mnangagwas signature.

As part of my commitment to accountable and responsible leadership, we have made a pledge card, containing five direct and personal pledges to be realised over the next five years.

Each card has my signature and should be considered a coupon for progress and a certificate of trust between me and you, the people of Zimbabwe. I invite everyone to keep hold of these cards and hold me accountable for these pledges, said President Mnangagwa.

The five pledges are  leveraging the huge investment wave to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in agriculture, mining, tourism, the service sector and new infrastructure projects, have zero tolerance to corruption with anyone found guilty of corruption fired and punished accordingly.

President Mnangagwa is also pledging to develop infrastructure worth of a new Zimbabwe by increasing power generation, constructing new railway network and dualising all major roads.

Further, the President intends to establish a modern and affordable health care system for all by reducing hospital fees by 50 percent, improving supply of critical drugs, guaranteeing free healthcare to all cancer patients and building 78 new hospitals, ensuring one hospital per district.

President Mnangagwa also promised to generate unprecedented educational and employment opportunities for youths and developing empowerment programmes like youth business hub, fostering youth ownership and control of resources, establishing quotas in allocation of stands and houses and mentorship and training programmes.

Zimbabwe holds harmonised elections on July 30.

It is largely a race between President Mnangagwa and Mr Nelson Chamisa.

Election surveys released so far all point to victory by President Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF.

The MDC Alliance has, however, dismissed the findings.

 Herald

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Related Zimbabwe Latest News- Niger state governor has accused his predecessor of executing white elephant projects in the state

- Sani Bello said Aliyu Babangida is to be blamed for the sorry state of infrastructure in Niger

- According to governor Bello, the investments of the past administration "prides itself of suffered on arrival"

The governor of Niger state, Sani Bello, has accused his predecessor, Aliyu Babangida, of the sorry state of infrastructure in the state.

Bello said it is uncharitable and uncivilized for Babangida to have threw caution to the winds by arrogantly accusing him of feeding the people of the state with outright lies and cheap sentiments.

Speaking in Niger state, the spokesperson to Belllo, Jide Orintunsin, said he had never accused his predecessor of not investing for the state.

READ ALSO: Court adjourns Melayes case till July 26 as suspects allegedly deny being given guns by the embattled senator

He alleged that majority of the projects in the state are not only over inflated but some have been misplaced without direct impact on the immediate communities while some were outright white elephant projects.

He added that investments by the past administration "prides itself of suffered on arrival."

Orintunsin said: "It is on record that some of these projects never took off before Dr. Babangida left office on the 28th May, 2015. Especially the well articulated projects on paper by the portfolio carrying investors that invaded the state during the period under review. Sadly millions of Naira of public funds were sunk on the never to take off projects."

"One recalled with regrets the fun fare and the huge budget expended on climbing of Zuma Rock under the disguise of flagging off a tourism project," Orintunsin said.

READ ALSO: There will be thunderstorms, rains on Tuesday, June 12, as NiMet releases weather condition

The failed cable car project linking the rock to the popular Gurara Waterfalls; the half a billion naira burnt on the drawing and feasibility study of the moribund 5-Star Hotel in Minna; the massive Minna City Center project; the conversion of IBB Specialised Hospital to a world class facility and the over inflated New Minna Township Stadium in Maikunkule to mention but a few. One then wonders what proof Dr. Babangida requires.

One is hasten to ask, what is in an investment that has failed to yield dividend years after? How many of such investment took off before the expiration of his term? The irony of it is that the huge expendure on all these non-yeilding projects would have been used to fund infrastructure when the value of naira was appreciably high.

Despite several promises made by the Talba administration to defray all the bonds secured, it is on record that we have to rescheduled repayment till 2021.

One would have expected Dr. Babangida to be the one to keep mute rather than challenging his successor.

Governor Sani Bello wish to reaffirm that his predecessors, especially, ex-Governor Babangida Aliyu was to blame for the sorry state of infrastructure in the state. The immediate past PDP administration indulged in wasteful spending.

Instead of the ex-governor to effect the completion of many people oriented projects of his predecessor, Engr. A. A Kure, majority of which were 70 percent completed were abandoned untill this administration took them up.

Governor Sani Bello will not be distracted by any mischief or cheap blackmail by the immediate past administration. We have a mandate and that is to restore the glory of our dear state," Orintunsin concluded.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arrested and detained the former governor of Niger state, Babangida Aliyu over N2 billion ecological fund.

The former governor was also questioned in relation to the sum of N3.6 billion cash the state realised from the sales of its 16 out of its 26 percent stake in North South Power Ltd.

He was later arraigned by the commission before a Niger state High Court.

The EFCC stage a walk against corruption - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng News- Gang leaders of Offa robbery have been moved back to southwest from Abuja by the police

- The move, according to the police, will enable them in the investigations for the recovery of firearms used in the robbery

- The gang leaders have also reportedly disclosed their hideouts in five states in the southwest to the police

The Nigeria Police Force has moved the key suspects of the April 5, 2018, Offa bank robbery from the police headquarters in Abuja back to the southwest to enable the recovery of firearms used in the deadly robbery.

According to a report by The Punch, the gang leaders have also revealed to the police five hideouts where this firearms are hidden in Kwara, Ondo, Osun, Oyo and Ekiti states.

Legit.ng gathers that those moved to the southwest for the firearms recovery are Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran, Kunle Ogunleye, 35, a.k.a Arrow, and Michael Adikwu.

READ ALSO: Police begin search for methodist priest, 2 others kidnapped by suspected herdsmen

A source who spoke to the press said the gang leaders are assisting police by leading them to places where the firearms are being kept.

The source said: We announced during the press briefing in Abuja that we had arrested 22 suspects and we paraded 15 while seven suspects are helping us in the investigation and recovery of arms in the Southwest.

When we are through with the investigation, we would present all the suspects to the public. Opadokun and others are alive and helping us with the investigation. Reports of their death are false information emanating from the social media.

Police spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, is yet to comment on this.

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Recall that Legit.ng earlier reported that Senate president Bukola Saraki was invited by the police over the deadly robbery that took place at Offa in Kwara state.

The Senate president was invited to answer to allegations surrounding his links to the armed robbers behind the deadly robbery in April.

Jimoh Moshood, the force public relations officer disclosed this in Abuja on Sunday, June 3, while parading 22 suspects in custody for the robbery.

Nigeria News: Offa bank robbery - The untold story (NAIJ EXCLUSIVE) | - on Legit.ng TV

Source: LegitA pretty makeup artist has just been reported dead in Delta state. News has it that the young lady died while returning from a bridal job.

Her death was announced by a fellow makeup artist, who was identified as @otesmakeover o Instagram. She shared pictures of late Omotejoh, CEO of @omopersisglam as seen on Instagram.

That was not all, the young lady disclosed that the deceased died on Saturday, June 10, in Ogahara area of Delta state.

Nigerian makeup artist dies while returning from an N8,000 bridal job in Delta. Source: @otesmakeover/Instagram

READ ALSO: Friend of lady who allegedly jumped from 3rd mainland bridge finally speaks

Pictures of the deceased was shared on Instagram with the caption: RIP Omotejoh who A HARD WORKING MAKEUP ARTIST IN WARRI @omopersisglam who died on her way from a bridal job in Oghara on Saturday, May 10. May your soul rest in peace yet people won't appreciate our services till we meet at Jesus feet.

See post below:

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RIP!

What do you think will happen if women rule the world? (Nigerian Street Interview) | Legit.ng TV - on Legit.ng TV.

Source: Legit- The speaker of the House of Representative, Yakubu Dogara, has been criticised by three chieftains of the APC

- The chieftains from Bauchi, Haruna Rikaya, Wakili Amadi and Zubairu Musa, alleged that the speaker is involved in the plot to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari

- They alleged that Dogara is now indulging in an action capable of overheating the polity

Three chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi state have criticised Speaker Yakubu Dogara for his alleged involvement in the plot to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari.

The politicians, Haruna Rikaya, Wakili Amadi and Zubairu Musa addressed a joint press conference at the NUJ secretariat in Bauchi state, The Sun reports.

Legit.ng notes that the trio described Dogara's act as a selfish one that is not in the interest of the constituents he's representing at the House of Representatives.

READ ALSO: Our decision to recognise June 12 is in national interest - Buhari

According to the trio, since the last election, Dogara has been at loggerheads with the state governor, Mohammed Abubakar, despite the party's efforts to settle their differences.

They said: The Speaker is now indulging in an action capable of not only destabilizing the party but overheating the polity.

Rikaya said: If Buhari could go to Daura to witness the conduct of his wards Congress despite his busy schedules, why cant the speaker come to Bogoro, his local government of origin?"

Reacting to the chieftains, a member representing Tafawa Balewa local government in the state assembly, Aminu Tukur, said that the allegation leveled against Dogara was baseless.

Tukur, who claimed that Dogara was Buharis highest campaign donor in 2015 in Bauchi state, said that the allegation was a move to tarnish the speaker's image.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the National Assembly on Tuesday, June 5, issued a warning to President Muhammadu Buhari, saying he must be held accountable for the actions of his appointees and must be ready to sanction those that carry out any act that will ridicule or endanger the country and democracy.

The National Assembly held a joint session in the chambers of the speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara. Both legislative chambers met behind closed doors to discuss the political tension in the country.

What does Nigeria need right now? (Nigerian Street Interview) | on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ngThe ceremony of the investiture of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR) and the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) honour on late MKO Abiola and late Gani Fawehinmi respectively was attended by many dignitaries in the country including President Muhammadu Buhari and his vice, Yemi Osinbajo.

However, former heads of states,Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida were not in attendance for reasons yet undisclosed.

READ ALSO: LIVE UPDATES: Excitement in Aso Rock as top Nigerians gather for late MKO Abiolas honour

The two ex-presidents, Olusegun and Babangida, have tendered their apologies for failing to attend the grand and all-important event, which took place on Tuesday, June 12, in Abuja.

President Muhammadu Buhari and his vice, Yemi Osinbajo at the award ceremony

The national honours were given to the deceased post-humously and received by their families.

The GCFR award

Meanwhile, the chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC), Humphrey Nwosu, has announced that he will not be able to attend the Tuesday, June 12, posthumous investiture of the winner of the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election, Chief Moshood Abiola as the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR).

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Legit.ng gathered that the federal government had invited Nwosu and key stakeholders in the struggle for the revalidation of the election to the event during which the late human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, will also be honoured posthumously with the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON), alongside Abiolas running mate, Babagana Kingibe.

TODAYS GIST: Democracy Day! What is There to Celebrate? - Nigerians Lament | Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng NewsIn recent times, lots of complains have been made about the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) in Nigeria. Some have claimed that the officials take it upon themselves to arrest anybody without running proper check on them.

A young lady identified as @Tamaradenyefar on Twitter has joined other online users in narrating her own FSARS experience. According to her post, the young lady disclosed that she harassed for wearing bum shorts.

It did not end there but she further added that, after checking their car and found nothing the officers asked why she was dressed indecently.

READ ALSO: Nigerian man recounts how he got slapped by SARS officials because he was carrying a laptop

Her post reads: Had my first SARS experience. Niggas pulled my friend and I in an UBER searched us and found nothing. Next thing they go you are indecently dressed and its against the law. Bruhhhh Im wearing a f*cking T-shirt and shorts and how is that against what smelling law. They sha put us in their VAN and asked us to pay 100k I just looked at the man like ezcuzz me sir, its like you are mad Wo! Last last they collected 10,000 naira. I tried to get a picture of them and a name. They are from Kpanti station Yaba. They asked the UBER guy to end the trip and leave us there. #PoliceIsNotYourFriend. Picture isnt clear but apparently thats their oga Please if you know how or who can take this up let me know. One of them was stupid enough to give us his phone number because he wants to link up later.

See posts below:

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Nawa o!

Emanuella and Mark Angel: Uncle, What If You Found 25 Million Naira? - Street Gist | Legit.ng TV - on Legit.ng TV.

Source: Legit NewspaperIt has just been reported that United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has just given a huge sum of $340,000 (N123 million) to Zambia University in order to educate its students on witchcraft.

The information which was shared on Facebook by Hot FM Zambia, disclosed that the training which was referred to as intangible cultural heritage will commence with the first intake of about 20 students.

The Zambias national commission for UNESCO further disclosed that intangible heritage comprises of practices such as witchcraft, social practices such as expression through music, knowledge, skills-as well as the instruments, objects, artifacts and rituals.

READ ALSO: Winners Chapel member claims dead brother resurrected after praying for 2 hours in Auchi (video)

See post below:

Lusaka Times also disclosed that, the Higher Education Minister Professor Nkandu Luo in 2017 announced that the country should consider research and the study of witchcraft as a science that can be used productively for the benefit of the entire country.

Luo said: I could not help but think of witchcraft when I saw a mobile phone put into a box and it turned into a ladys pant.

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Reacting to the news was the governments spokesperson Kampamba Mulenga, she disclosed that the government was disappointed with media reports suggesting that the study of witchcraft in Zambia will help boost the economy of the country.

Interesting!

Emanuella and Mark Angel: Uncle, What If You Found 25 Million Naira? - Street Gist | Legit.ng TV - on Legit.ng TV.

Source: LegitLegit.ng earlier shared details of a US-based Nigerian lady named Toyin who took her own life by jumping into the lagoon. The news of the deceased spread like wild fire especially after a supposed friend of hers revealed shocking details concerning the events which led to her death.

On June 12, things took another shape when the supposedly dead lady spoke up, refuting the rumours and confirming that she is alive and well. Identified on social media as TKfashion-dallas-tx, Toyin shared photos of herself and revealed she is indeed alive.

In an interview with Daily Trust, she spoke up about the events surrounding her alleged death in which she clarified that all was well with herself and her husband. Witnesses had claimed that she got down from a SUV Ford car before diving recklessly into the lagoon, in her defense, she revealed that her husband who was driving the car, stopped to help someone.

To buttress her point, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) also dismissed all speculations over the incident. Speaking on behalf of the organisation, LASEMA General Manager, Adesina Tiamiyu said: "For the avoidance of doubt, the Agency officials is in touch with the owner of the SUV whose registration is been circulated, who only stopped by to offer assistance."

READ ALSO: Actress Kate Henshaw shows off dance skills at a Lagos wedding

Prior to the revelation, Toyin had shared photos on her social media page and proclaimed she's is alive and well and plans to spend many more years on earth.

The post which left many stunned appeared frivolous and social media users, through comments asked her to share new photos of herself to prove she's truly alive. She responded asking them to wait as she would post more photos.

Read her post below:

Meanwhile, a friend of the rumoured dead lady had earlier claimed she took her life after she got swindled by an older lover of a whooping sum of N10 million. It turns out, all that might have been bogus.

It is being advised that the video circulating on her death be disregarded.

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Woman with 9 Children, 48 Grandchildren, 51 Great Grandchildren Clocks 100 on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit.ngNano-decorations in nature's subsurface water filter (Nanowerk News) When bacteria and viruses get into well water and make people sick, often the contamination comes after heavy rain or flooding. In 2000, more than 2,300 people in Walkerton, Ontario, got sick when, after unusually heavy rains. E. colibacteria found their way to drinking water wells. Seven people died.

The reason appears straightforward  the extra groundwater sweeps the bacteria towards the wells. But at the microscopic level, the issue is more complicated and mysterious. University of Utah geoscientist William Johnson studies how contaminants  including bacteria and viruses  move through groundwater. After years of working on this problem, Johnson has found an answer that could help water managers better prepare for and respond to outbreaks caused by rain and floods.

The answer involves chemistry, physics. . . and a little bit of decorative nanoscience.

Johnson and his colleagues from Columbia University and from Ecuador published their work in Environmental Science & Technology ("Why variant colloid transport behaviors emerge among identical individuals in porous media when colloid-surface repulsion exists").

Experiments (left) and simulations (right) of colloid attachment to a sediment grain under favorable (top) and unfavorable (bottom) attachment conditions.

Molecules, particles and colloids

Groundwater scientists know that to predict how far or how fast a contaminant will move, they first have to understand how well that contaminant sticks to sediment grains along the way. Many contaminants, such as nitrate or arsenic, are small molecules made up of just a few atoms each. But suspended particles (called colloids) including viruses, bacteria and protozoa are thousands to millions of times larger than molecules.

The size difference makes molecules and colloids respond differently to the forces around them, in the same ways that mosquitos and blimps differ in how haphazard their movements are and in their abilities to hide from wind. The actual forces at play between contaminants and sediment surfaces are related to the electrostatic forces between balloons and hair and the van der Waals forces that hold geckos onto ceilings, which are far stronger for colloids than molecules.

Although scientists have a good idea about how molecule-size contaminants move through groundwater, the behavior of colloids is more difficult to pin down because of the size difference.

Because large colloids have limited random motion, their likelihood of hitting sediment grain surfaces in groundwater is actually predictable, similarly to predicting the trajectory of swimmers ejected from a raft in a rapid boulder-filled stream. Some colloids float right through while others, the ones that find themselves on a course headed directly to a boulder, will likely intercept the boulder.

But intercepting the boulder is half the trick of getting out of the water, since after finding a landing spot, a swimmer (or colloid) has to stick the landing. If the colloid and the sediment have opposite electrical charges, the colloids stick when they hit the surface, and their concentrations in the groundwater are predictable since they decrease exponentially with distance from the contamination source.

But in the environment, conditions are usually unfavorable to attachment. Both surfaces tend to be negatively charged and repel each other. Under these conditions, Johnson says, the colloid concentrations have screwy relationships with distances from their source that have, until now, made prediction of transport distances all but impossible.

When conventional measurements of surface properties are used in existing colloid attachment theory, theory judges that no-one sticks the landing, Johnson says. Nothing should ever attach under environmental conditions.

But particles do attach. Sediment can be an effective filter, as shown by many laboratory experiments and field experiments over the past decades. For example, Johnson and his students have run experiments in Ecuador where theyve shown that excavating channels adjacent to mining-impacted rivers coaxes water flow through the gravel bank, which removes up to 95 percent of mercury.

Engineering colloid removal could help protect other water resources as well, but such engineering will require accurate prediction of whether sticking the landing will occur. So, what makes some things stick to sediment (heavy metals in Ecuador) but some things not (bacteria after heavy rains)? Heres where decorative nanoscience come into the story.

Decorative nanoscience

For more than two decades, researchers knew that colloid attachment theory was imperfect because the theory treated both the colloid and the surface as a bulk substance, with the same properties all over. At the nanoscale, though, theres tremendous variation across the surfaces, both in shape and in chemistry. About 10 years ago, researchers at the University of Massachusetts developed a simpler way to represent areas of varying properties on surfaces as akin to decorations on an Easter egg or patches of color on an impressionist painting.

Johnson, his graduate students and colleagues took the concept farther starting in 2014 to try to match this decorative theory to experiments of colloids moving through sediments. Colloids and surfaces, according to the decorative theory, interact over a limited zone of interaction that expands with increased colloid size and expands with decreased ionic strength  the concentration of dissolved ions in the water.

Sticking the landing depends on whether attractive surface domains fill the majority of the zone of interaction, making the interaction net attractive. Amid the balance of attractive decoration size, colloid size, ionic strength and water velocity, the new theory shows how colloids can stick. By varying colloid size, ionic strength and water velocity, Johnsons group found a representation of the decorations that explains colloid attachment under environmental conditions.

But other phenomena also emerged from simulations that now incorporated decorated sediments  phenomena that he and colleagues explored in their new paper. Some colloids attach rapidly and some attach slowly as they sniff around for spots on sediments onto which they can stick their landing, Johnsons simulations show. They also show a range of residence times for colloids as they hang around a sediment surface.

When you stick these residence times into simple relationships for upscaling to predict transport at larger distances, Johnson says, out come the previously unpredictable relationships for colloid concentration as a function of transport distance. Now we can finally predict them.

Notably, a potential explanation of the relationship between heavy rainfall and disease outbreak in groundwater also emerges from the simulations. Groundwater naturally has a higher ionic strength than fresh rain water due to underground water-rock chemistry. But during heavy rain, groundwater can shift to lower ionic strength. The zone of colloid-surface interaction expands, which can flip the overall interaction from attractive to repulsive.

You reduce the ionic strength like you would in heavy rainfall, Johnson says. The zone of interaction expands beyond the attractive nanoscale decoration, the interaction flips from net attractive to net repulsive, and off the thing pops.

Now, Johnson says, water managers have more tools to prevent disease outbreaks like the one in Ontario. For example, we had no transport equations to guide how far you should put a septic system from a drinking water well, Johnson says. Environmental professionals sometimes add particles of carbon or iron to groundwater to enhance cleanup of contamination. They have had no practical design guidance because the theory has failed until recently, Johnson adds. We now have predictive tools to optimize the fluid velocity to deliver iron or carbon particles to their target.On 6 June 2018, the Cooperative Security Division of the NATO International Military Staff (IMS) hosted the annual NATO  African Union (AU) Military to Military staff talks with a delegation from the AU and 30 representatives from other NATO bodies.

The staff to staff talks were co-chaired by Major General Jan Kazimierz Toft, Director of the NATO IMS Cooperative Security Division and Major General Trust Mugoba, Chief of Staff of the African Standby Force and the Chief Military Adviser to the Commissioner for Peace and Security. During his opening address, Major General Toft took the opportunity to stress the importance of a mutually beneficial approach for the future of NATO-AU cooperation as well as the importance of trust in this partnership. For his part, Major General Mugoba thanked NATO for hosting the 5th edition of the Mil-to-Mil talks and pledged to lead the effort to strengthen and enhance the cooperation between the AU and NATO.

The discussions focused on the significant progress made in the last year and reflections on possible areas for future improvements. Particular emphasis was placed on identifying common challenges and threats to both NATO and the AU, and the consequent continued need for complementary strategies and expertise between both parties. To achieve this complementarity, it is indispensable to continue engaging in extensive political dialogue and practical military cooperation to maintain the current momentum of an improving relationship, concluded Major General Toft.

By the end of the proceedings, the participants had formed a common list of actions to be carried out in the coming year and beyond. Both co-chairs agreed to declare the Mil-to-Mil talks a successful exercise in fruitful dialogue and mutual understanding, and recognized the need for concerted planning and action to solve present and future issues of common concern. In his closing remarks, Major General Mugoba invited Major General Toft to a follow-on event in 2019 at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa.

Representatives from the NATO International Staff as well as from NATO Allied Command Transformation, the NATO Strategic Direction South Hub Naples, Allied Joint Force Command Naples and SHAPEs (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) Comprehensive Crisis and Operations Management Centre were also present and took an active part in the discussions.I warmly welcome the agreement reached between Prime Ministers Tsipras and Zaev on a solution to the name dispute between Athens and Skopje. This historic agreement is testament to many years of patient diplomacy, and to the willingness of these two leaders to solve a dispute which has affected the region for too long.

I now call on both countries to finalise the agreement reached by the two leaders. This will set Skopje on its path to NATO membership. And it will help to consolidate peace and stability across the wider Western Balkans.(Natural News) Cyberbullying is becoming more rampant, with experts saying that 40 percent of American adults have experienced some form of online abuse. In fact, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Justice Statistics and Cyberbullying Research Center says that 52 percent of students have been cyberbullied. Yet, this same percentage of teens do not tell their parents they have been cyberbullied.

So why is cyberbullying on the rise?

Brain image studies from neuroscientist Molly Crocketts psychology lab showed that the reward center in peoples brains shifts to high gear when they respond to moral outrage. The behavior makes them feel good, so people tend to express moral outrage again. Challenging social norms entails risks because people may direct their anger on the attacker. But Crocketts lab found that it also boosts the attackers reputation.

Crockett observes that by punishing somebody for violating a norm, that online user would seem more trustworthy. People also believe they are doing good by showing outrage online. This belief is reinforced through tweets, retweets, likes, and other forms of feedback online.

The neuroscientist explains that content which inspires and shows outrage is much more likely to be shared. For instance, theres a 20 percent chance that every moral or emotional word in a tweet will be retweeted.

In social media, unlike in the real world, relationships are largely anonymous. Users can hide behind the cloak of anonymity. The user cannot confront or expose someone personally. Thus, people feel they can express themselves more freely at any time of the day.

Crockett warns that social media platforms could make expressing outrage a habit, which sadly, disregards consequences because the act is only a blind response to a stimulus.

Can online outrage be used for good?

Not everything is negative, though. Online outrage can help marginalized, less-empowered groups to push causes that would otherwise be hard to promote. For instance, moral outrage online has trained the spotlight on sexual abuse of women by men in power.

There is a solution to online antisocial behavior: bots. An experiment found that the level of racist abuse tweeted at black users could be reduced dramatically through bot accounts with white profile images that react to racist tweeters. A usual bot response to a racist tweet could point out that insulting language can hurt people. Promoting a little empathy in such tweets brought down the racist tweets to nearly zero weeks after. Researchers are beginning to learn when to expect the timing of hateful tweets. Thats when they can step in and apply pre-emptive intervention, or delay the posting of a negative tweet.

Cristian Danescu-Niculescu-Mizil, at Cornell Universitys Department of Information Science, says its surprising how ordinary people, not just online sociopaths, can become trolls by posting negative messages online for some time.

The good news is, in spite of the horrible behavior many of us have experienced online, the majority of interactions are nice and cooperative. A recent British study showed that challenging antisemitic tweets are shared more often than the antisemitic ones. Hateful tweets sparked no reactions or were shared only among a small group with similar accounts.

Meanwhile, you dont have to take cyberbullying sitting down. Stay calm. Just block or ignore the trolls, or tell them to stop. Ask family and/or friends for help. Take screenshots and report online harassment to the proper channels. (Related: 5 Tips to Prevent Cyberbullying.)

If social media is to thrive, companies running them must take a cue from behavioral science so social media can foster cooperation, not rancor. This way, this new and powerful communication tool can be used build, not to tear down society.

Read more articles related to cyberbullying at CyberWar.news.

Sources include:

Independent.co.uk

Wired.com(Natural News) The age-old mystery, Are we alone in the galaxy? is now closer than ever before to being solved.

The answer is: Probably not.

In the last few days, Fox News reported a massive discovery regarding Mars: The Curiosity rover put there by NASA found organic molecules on the red planet.

We found organic molecules in rocks from an ancient lake bed, said Jen Eigenbrode, research scientist at Goddard Flight Center in Goddard, Md., at a press conference simultaneously held at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. A variety of molecules were identified, she noted further.

According to the space agency, the rocks are billions of years old. And, while scientists painstakingly attempted to explain that life had not been found on Mars, organic molecules could not have existed in a vacuum. Organic suggests life form.

Whats more, scientists explained that the molecules they discovered could provide additional clues as to what they belong to.

Organic compounds are fundamental to our search for life, said Paul Mahaffy, director of the Solar System Exploration Division at Goddard.

Fox News noted further:

Described as the most technologically advanced rover ever built, Curiosity launched on Nov. 26, 2011. The rover landed on Mars Gale Crate on Aug. 6, 2012, with the goal of determining whether Mars was ever able to support microbial life.

Eigenbrode told reporters that the organic molecules could have come from things that are non-biological, but thats a technical explanation  something she has to say because NASA doesnt have the body of something to show the world.

But a definition of organic notes that it is of, relating to, or arising in a bodily organ  of, relating to, or derived from living organisms.

And, other scientists noted, the molecules were discovered because researchers were specifically looking for signs of life on the planet. (Related: Multiple UFO sightings near the ISS lead some people to believe were being watched by aliens.)

All life that we know of is based on organic molecules, said Eigenbrode. Theres a whole suite of chemical and physical things that we could measure to find signatures of life.

Other signs of alien life

The Curiosity rover has already made interesting life-related discoveries on the red planet. For instance, in 2013 it found a rock sample showing that ancient Mars could have supported living microbes. And, in 2014, the rover measured a tenfold spike in methane, which is an organic byproduct, in the atmosphere surrounding it. And, at that time, the probe detected additional organic molecules in a sample of rock and power collected by its drill.

Scientists confirmed Thursday that the rover is providing them with additional details surrounding Mars methane-laced atmosphere. The machine has discovered a repeatable, identifiable pattern in the methane measurement, Chris Webster, a senior research fellow at NASAs Jet Propulsion Lab, told reporters. He added that this could be key to unlocking the mysteries associated with Mars methane.

Other indications that were not alone have been revealed recently as well.

As The National Sentinel reports, a once-secret report written by the Pentagon in 2009 contained details of contact between carrier-based U.S. Navy F/A-18s and an unidentified flying object off the coast of California in 2004.

The planes, flying from the USS Nimitz, were in contact with the craft repeatedly over a two-week period in November of that year.

The report noted that pilots witnessed a tic-tac shaped object that could travel at ballistic missile speeds and then immediately stop to hover.

Radar operators aboard the Nimitz and one of its escort ships, the USS Princeton, were able to track the object, but they were never able to lock on to it (meaning they could never have targeted the object).

Its not proof of alien life but its the closest thing to it. Kind of like discovering organic molecules on a nearby planet.

Read more about space-related discoveries at Space.news.

J.D. Heyes is also editor-in-chief of The National Sentinel.

Sources include:

TheNationalSentinel.com

FoxNews.com(Natural News) Its no secret that companies like Monsanto do everything in their power to keep the true toxicity of their products under wraps. Big Food, Big Ag, Big Pharma and the like have all been accused of similar tactics across the board. But the lengths to which Monsanto has gone to keep the world from knowing the truth about glyphosate (the star ingredient in its flagship product, Roundup) is truly disturbing.

After the World Health Organizations International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) labeled glyphosate a probable human carcinogen, Monsanto engaged in a covert operation to slam the findings from every avenue  and they recruited a number of partners to help them save face.

Recently released documents provided by US Right To Know (USRTK) show that the biotech firm enlisted over a dozen industry partner groups in their plan to denounce the IARC findings and keep Roundup in the publics good graces. An internal document dated February 2015 describes a detailed plan, in which 20 Monsanto employees were given goals to neutralize impact of decision, engage in regulator outreach, ensure MON POV  and lead voice in who is IARC plus 2B outrage.

Monsanto conspires with industry partners

In the five-page document, Monsanto lists four tiers of industry partners to be used in their preparedness and engagement plan for the IARCs carcinogen rating for glyphosate. The plan, of course, was put in place nearly a month before the IARC publicly released their finding that glyphosate probably causes cancer  which raises substantial suspicions that the biotech giant knew what IARC was going to find.

As Sustainable Pulse reports, Monsantos plan to denounce the IARCs conclusion came from all sides. Step two in Monsantos diabolical plan to deceive the world includes the four tiers of industry partners.

Tier 1 industry partners included agrichemical industry-funded lobbyists and public relations groups:

Biotechnology Innovation Organization is a trade association for the biotech, GMO and pesticide industries.

CropLife International / European Crop Protection Association are trade groups for the pesticide industry. European Crop Protection Association is a member association of CropLife International.

GMO Answers is a crisis management public relations tool run by Ketchum public relations firm and paid for by Monsanto and their biotech brethren, Bayer, BASF, Dow, DuPont and Syngenta.

Tier 2 partners are front groups. Though these sources are often listed as independent, the sad truth is that behind closed doors, they work with the industry on public relations and lobbying efforts:

Genetic Literacy Project  Evidence has shown GLP founder Jon Entine works closely with Big Ag and Monsanto.

Academics (AgBioChatter)  This is actually a private email listserver used by the agrichemical industry and its allies to coordinate messaging and lobbying activities.

Sense About Science  Often cited as independent experts by the MSM, it seems theyre in Monsantos back pocket.

Biofortified  A nonprofit that reportedly works with Big Ag on lobbying campaigns and PR issues.

Academics Review  USRTK has revealed that this is a front group set up by Monsanto to attack Big Ags detractors while keeping the appearance of being independent.

Tier 3 included partners from the food industry. As Sustainable Pulse explains, these groups were used to Alert food companies via Stakeholder Engagement team (IFIC, GMA, CFI) for inoculation strategy to provide early education on glyphosate residue levels, describe science-based studies versus agenda-driven hypotheses of the independent cancer panel.

Groups in the third tier were used to brainwash stakeholders and keep them in favor of glyphosate. In a truly Orwellian effort, Monsanto insinuated that the IARCs find was agenda-driven, while their own approved studies were science-based.

Tier 3 includes:

Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA)  A top trade group for the junk food industry.

International Food Information Council (IFIC)  Funded by the food industry, this group reportedly heads up a coalition of 130 associations that coordinate messaging about GMOs and pesticides.

The Center for Food Integrity (CFI)  Another group funded by Big Food, charged with earning consumer trust by promoting industry-approved messaging about GMOS, pesticides, antibiotic-laden meat and more.

Tier 4 of the plan may be the most covert of them all; even Monsanto didnt include the names of who belonged to the fourth and final tier in their internal documents. Instead, Tier 4 simply reads, Inoculate key grower associations.

Monsantos extensive plan to con the world

This is not just a company trying to protect its interests by disputing the claim that glyphosate causes cancer. This is a massive, well orchestrated attempt to promote disinformation. And these four tiers are only part of the plan; Monsanto has a multi-faceted approach to combating truth with lies, paid-off shills and a host of other tricks.

Step 3 of the master plan is to Address New Allegations, which dictates that Monsanto Respond quickly and publically to new pseudoscience cancer studies, and that they Identify/ request third-party experts to blog, op/ed, tweet and/or link, repost, retweet, etc.

In other words, Monsantos third step was to get third-party people to produce pro-glyphosate, anti-IARC content for the media.

And then, theres Step 4, named, Orchestrate Outcry with IARC Decision. Monsanto wanted Sense About Science and CropLife International to lead industry press releases and discussions as part of their charge to conduct robust media/social media outreach on process and outcome. Another bullet point describes their objective to Push opinion leader letter to key daily newspaper on day of IARC ruling with assistance of Potomac Group.

Step 4 essentially outlines Monsantos plan to control media coverage of the IARC finding and sway the messaging in their favor.

And then theres Step 5: Engage Regulatory Agencies

Step 5s only bullet point states that the objective is to encourage Grower associations/ growers write regulators with an appeal that they remain focused on the science, not the politically charged decision by IARC.

Note how throughout the document, Monsanto refers to the IARCs finds as politically charged, agenda driven and the like. The IARC is part of the World Health Organization; its a team of international experts and belongs to one of the most respected health agencies on the planet. Who is agenda driven here, when Monsanto has literally crafted a multi-pronged approach to obscure the IARCs findings? Check out Monsanto.news to stay current on their latest scams.

Sources for this article include:

SustainablePulse.com

USRTK.orgA medical examiner on Monday identified the 33-year-old woman who died in the four hours she was unmonitored during a psychiatric observation hold.

LaVerne Criner was found dead at San Francisco General at 6 a.m. on June 4. Thats a day after San Francisco police brought her to the hospital on a 72-hour hold.

Sources had told NBC Bay Area that Criner was being treated on a bed in a hallway but no one checked on her from about 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. Criner, whose last known address was in Las Vegas, was last seen after she asked to go to the bathroom. She was ultimately found dead in her bed four hours later.

SFPD homicide investigators and the medical examiners office are investigating what led to her death. In a statement the hospital says the autopsy found no signs of foul play.

Criners death came a week after 75-year-old Ruby Lee Andersen was found dead in the stairwell of an engineering building at the hospital.

Two state agencies  public health and the community care licensing division -- continue investigating the events surrounding Andersons death. She was listed as missing after she failed to return to a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly back on May 19.

Andersen's body was discovered in an engineering building on May 30. Andersen is believed to have died of natural causes. Authorities have replaced the alarms in the stairwell of the engineering building, which were either turned off or were not working. Had they been working, they would have sounded and alerted the hospital security.

CORRECTION (June 12, 6:46 a.m.): A previous version of this story mistakenly reported the incorrect official who identified Criner.

Editor's Note: San Francisco hospital officials dispute Criner was left unattended for four hours, but decline to comment further or give any other details. SFPD says they never suspected any foul play in her death. Their protocol is to send homicide officers to investigate all in-custody deaths.Neighbors of a man accused of deserting the Air Force and assuming a fake identity for 35 years say he was quiet, pleasant and always wore a San Francisco Giants cap.

Residents of the quiet tree-lined street in Daly City, south of San Francisco, said Monday that they were stunned to see news reports identifying their neighbor as William Howard Hughes Jr.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations says Hughes was an officer with top security clearance who disappeared in New Mexico in 1983 and was arrested in California last week.

The neighbors confirmed that photographs of Hughes were the man they knew as "Tim."

"Tim. Just simply, Tim," said Larry Laurel, who lives across the street. "Hes the best neighbor a guy could ever have, around here."

Neighbors said he lived with a woman named Anna and kept to himself aside from talking about the Giants, his favorite team.

"Unbelievable. I mean theres no way, its Tim," neighbor June Dayao said. "He worked as an actuary and is supposed to be retired."

Hughes told authorities after his capture Wednesday that he was depressed about being in the Air Force and decided to leave.

Hughes has been charged with desertion and is being held at Travis Air Force Base. He could face up to five years of confinement, forfeiture of all pay and dishonorable discharge from the Air Force.

NBC Bay Area's Sam Brock contributed to this report.Sunnyvale police officers said for several days last week they were unable to communicate with their dispatch operators.

NBC Bay Area was told the system is now back up and running, but frustrated officers with the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety on Monday sounded the alarm.

"I personally experienced having my radio sign called out by dispatch," said David Meinhardt with the Sunnyvale Public Safety Officers Association. "We did not hear them, and finally on the fifth time it did go through."

Police said the problem was intermittent over a 48-hour period -- beat cops could not hear dispatch and dispatchers could not hear officers.

"Imagine even at a school if there had been an active shooter and we can't communicate with one another to help mitigate that problem," Meinhardt said.

For safety, the department assigned two officers per patrol car to make sure each officer had instant backup. But it also delayed response times because fewer cruisers were on the street.

"It's always frustrating when something doesn't go the way you're expecting to go or the way you're trained to use a piece of equipment," Sunnyvale DPS Capt. Jeff Hunter said. "We take that very seriously."

The glitch also affected the fire department.

After troubleshooting, administrators discovered the outage was likely caused by an off-site human error at the agency that runs the communications system.

Employees were testing new equipment meant to allow different police departments to communicate each other. But after the testing, an employee forgot to reset the system to the original settings.

Officer said they want assurances this will not happen again.

"Not having radio communication is of paramount importance," Meinhardt said. "Our safety and the safety of the public of Sunnyvale and those who visit this city is what we're here to do for those folks. It should be scary for everyone."

The police chief told NBC Bay Area he is waiting for a final report on the error from a local joint power authority, which operates the communication system.Massachusetts has sued the maker of OxyContin over the deadly opioid crisis and has become the first state to also target the company's executives.

Attorney General Maura Healey on Tuesday announced the lawsuit against Purdue Pharma and 16 current and former executives and board members, including CEO Craig Landau and members of the Sackler family, which owns the company.

The suit alleges Purdue misled doctors and patients about the risks of opioids and "peddled falsehoods" to sell more drugs and boost profits.

"I promised to find out what these companies knew and when they knew it and the extent to which they misled patients into think their drugs were actually safe," Healey said. "We found that Purdue misled doctors, patients and the public about their dangerous opioids, including OxyContin."

Healey said the Connecticut-based company's "illegal business model" has left a "path of devastation and destruction."

Multiple states have filed lawsuits against Purdue Pharma for their alleged part in fueling the opioid crisis, but Massachusetts is the first state to name the company's executives personally in their lawsuit.

According to Healey, the investigation showed Purdue Pharma engaged in a multibillion dollar enterprise marketing opioids under the oversight and direction of 16 current and former executives and directors named in the complaint.

"Their strategy was simple. The more drugs they sold, the more money they made, and the more people died," Healey said.

In the past decade, over 670 people in Massachusetts who were prescribed Purdue Pharma opioids have died, according to Healey.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said the lawsuit and identifying those people who died will force Purdue Pharma to "own up to the decisions they made and the wreckage they left behind."



Purdue Pharma issued the following statement in response to the Massachusetts lawsuit.

We share the Attorney Generals concern about the opioid crisis. We are disappointed, however, that in the midst of good faith negotiations with many states, the Commonwealth has decided to pursue a costly and protracted litigation process," the statement said. "We will continue to work collaboratively with the states toward bringing meaningful solutions. We vigorously deny the Commonwealths allegations and look forward to presenting our substantial defenses to these claims.

Last month, the state Department of Public Health said deaths related to opioid overdoses in Massachusetts were on the decline.

For all of 2017, the state reported 2,016 confirmed or estimated deaths, 133 fewer than in all of 2016. The report pointed to an ongoing decline in prescriptions written by doctors for opioid-based medications.

Baker said those numbers reflect the success of a prescription monitoring program implemented by the state.President Donald Trump said his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday "would not have happened" without Otto Warmbier, an American college student who died last year after being imprisoned in a North Korean prison camp, NBC News reported.

Trump's comment came when he was asked about calling Kim "talented" despite his dismal human rights record.

"Something happened from that day, was a terrible thing. It was brutal," Trump said of Warmbier. "But a lot of people started to focus on what was going on, including North Korea. I really think that Otto is someone who did not die in vain. He had a lot to do with us today."

The 22-year-old University of Virginia student was imprisoned in 2016 for allegedly taking a poster from a North Korean hotel while on a tourist visit. He was sent home in a coma exactly one year before the date of the summit and died days later.

We appreciate President Trump's recent comments about our family," Otto's parents Fred and Cindy Warmbier said in a statement. "We are proud of Otto and miss him. Hopefully something positive can come from this.

Seven people were wounded, one of them critically, when gunmen opened fire early Sunday at a childs birthday party in west suburban Aurora.

Shortly after midnight, officers responded to a home in the 300 block of West Park Avenue and found six people suffering from gunshot wounds, according to Aurora police. A seventh person was driven to a hospital after being shot.

Five men  including a 21-year-old, two 22-year-olds, a 25-year-old and a 28-year-old  were among the wounded, police said. The 21-year-old was listed in critical condition. Two women, ages 27 and 30, were also shot. All seven victims are expected to survive.

Several male shooters, who biked or walked to the home, opened fire during the party, police said. An attendee then returned fire, and the group took off north on Grand Avenue.

Roughly a dozen children were found inside the home after the shooting, which appears to have been gang-related, police said.

Anyone with information about the shooting should call Aurora police at (630) 256-5500 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at (630) 892-1000. A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information that leads to any arrests.German leader Angela Merkel said it was "sobering and a little depressing" to see President Donald Trump withdraw from the G-7 agreement via Twitter after leaving the summit early, NBC News reports.

It appeared Trump had agreed a fragile consensus with the other members of the G-7  or Group of Seven, a club of industrialized nations  by agreeing to sign its official communique on a range of issues.

But the president blew that apart with a series of tweets from Air Force One, in which he criticized comments made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who hosted the gathering in Quebec, and told his officials not to sign the communique.

Merkel told German broadcaster ARD on Sunday that Trump's "withdrawal via Twitter is of course sobering and a little depressing."The first official GOP primary debate of the campaign season was cordial and uneventful, by and large.

Some candidates staked out positions that will certainly be raised in conversations among likely Republican Primary voters.

David Stemerman, the former hedge fund manager who handled over a billion dollars worth of assets for clients, advocated for tearing up the states compacts with two federally recognized tribes that operate casinos. The issue has dominated headlines for the past two years, and Stemerman endorsed a commercial option.

He said of MGMs grand vision for a casino in Bridgeport, Heres a private company who doesnt want any subsidy from the government and wants to invest $675 million dollars. He said the states compacts, Its a dated deal. Its out of the money.

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, running for statewide office for the third time, said he would prefer to see Hartford fall into bankruptcy, rather than receive a state bailout to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars over multiple decades.

They need some tough love at this point, Boughton said during the hour long debate.

The debate took place at the Shubert Theater in New Haven and was organized by WTNH and CT Realtors, as part of a series of debates for the primary and general election season.

While Tim Herbst, the former four-term First Selectman from Trumbull, focused on the need for pension reform to ease the burden of unfunded liabilities on taxpayers, and Steve Obsitnik mentioned his plan to create 300,000 jobs over 10 years, a question about the sitting president led to an awkward pause from the candidates.

The question posed asked whether each candidate would welcome the presidents support in the general election, and it drew some noise from the crowd, which ignored the moderators instructions not to clap throughout the evening.

Each candidate provided a similar version of the same answer: each of them would welcome President Trump whom was rejected by Connecticut voters in the 2016 presidential election. Fifty-four percent of voters - or 884,000 - preferred Clinton compared to the 41 percent - 668,000 - voters who supported Trump.

Its going to be critical for the next governor to have a strong relationship with the White House and be able to work with the executive branch for our state and our people, Herbst said.

Obsitnik leaned on his service in the Navy and said he would always welcome the commander in chief.

David Stemerman provided the same line.

And Boughton, the endorsed GOP candidate from the state party said, Of course this debate, this discussion of Connecticuts future is about what the Democrats have done to the state. Were going to keep it focused there, but if the president wants to come to the state to campaign, Lets do it.

Two other GOP candidates for governor, Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti, and former UBS executive Bob Stefanowski, rejected invitations to the New Haven debate.

Signature petitions of registered Republican and Democratic voters are due to the Secretary of the States office Tuesday. Stemerman, Lauretti, and Stefanowski all must submit about 9,000 signatures of registered Republicans in order to secure a place on the August 14 primary ballot. Tuesday is the deadline to submit those to the secretary of the state.Ansonias Board of Alderman and the citys Board of Education agreed upon a settlement Monday night in its budget battle, and Tuesday afternoon they made it legal.

The two parties met in Superior Court in Derby to take their time finalizing the settlement with attorneys.

The settlement involves a one-time deal of the city giving $500,000 to the Board of Education for the current fiscal year, which will be spent on specific items, including special education tuition and payroll expenses.

This settlement is meant to resolve the lawsuit surrounding $600,000 in funding the Board of Education said was illegally cut from the education budget.

The Board of Alderman said they originally allocated that amount to the district without knowing if the district would receive state funding. When the district did get the funding, the $600,000 from the city was taken back.

Lawyers representing both sides held their ground on the conflict, ut said they wanted to resolve the issue for students.

The central allegation in our complaint is that the citys action in taking $600,000 away from the education appropriation mid-year is not allowed under Connecticut law, and while we could fight to the death over that issue, the important thing was to protect the school year and make sure that we could complete it, so thats the nature of compromise," explained Joe McQuade, the attorney representing the Ansonia Board of Education.

This is all about transparency. If, in fact, they need the money, then they need the money, but show us that you need it, and you cant just say it. You gotta question when you have a district with about 2400 students with more than about 440 employees," said Vincent Marino, the attorney representing the City of Ansonia.



Rachel Vogt, an Ansonia mother with a daughter in the school district, said if worse comes to worse, shell consider private education for her daughter.

Vogt said shes disappointed by the school districts and citys lack of communication.

I havent gotten anything in her folder from school about any information, Vogt said, so really, the only information Im really getting is from Facebook and news outlets.

Its not about whats angered me, said Tabitha Darrow, a mother of two in the Ansonia public school district. Its about whats best for our children. And whats best for our children is not to be fighting about the budget at the end of the year.The town of Ledyard is considering whether to allow residents to post homes on Airbnb and other short-term rental sites.

While town officials know renting out homes is nothing new, theyve recently received a handful of complaints regarding short-term rentals. As it stands, short-term rentals are not addressed in town zoning regulations. Anything not listed or otherwise permitted is illegal, according to the way the regulations are currently being interpreted.

So, last month zoning Official Joseph Larkin distributed four letters asking residents to volunteer to stop renting their properties on sites like Airbnb, VRBO and HomeAway. The notices said homeowners had 30 days to comply or could face a cease and desist and/or a citation carrying fines up to $150 per day. But for now, the situation is in a holding pattern until the town looks into what to do next.

In a statement to NBC Connecticut, Liz Burdick, Ledyards director of land use and planning, said in part, This has prompted the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Mayors office to seek a common sense approach to short term rentals and ways to address them either by way of the Ledyard Zoning Regulations or by a Town Ordinance.

Burdick researched how other towns and cities across the state and country handle short-term rentals. She said ideas brought to the Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday will include letting the community self-regulate short-term rentals, writing simple zoning regulations or writing a town ordinance.

Were in a bit of an uncharted territory here and so we just need to create some common sense, good neighbor guidelines, said resident Jon Day.

Day went to Ledyards mayor and other town officials to open the dialogue about short-term rentals in town. Day has rented out his home before and while he wasnt one of the property owners who received a letter, he took his property offline for the time being.

He and many other short-term rental owners came up with ordinances that he plans to present to Ledyard officials this week.

Its really common sense stuff. Its stuff like noise ordinances, parking ordinancesbasically setting out basic expectations of how people should behave, Day said.

Elena Lockett said shes rented her Ledyard home through Airbnb and HomeAway without issue.

At 300 - 400 dollars per night, the guests that I host are professionals and most have young families. The town needs a way to bring in revenue. I pay nearly $9,000 per year in taxes and renting short term is a great way to offset that outrageous bill twice a year, Lockett wrote in an email to NBC Connecticut.

She mentioned the town potentially compromising by asking owners to register or get a permit if they plan to short-term rent. That way officials can monitor how many rentals are on the market and could have a contact if there is an issue with a particular home.

Some rental owners told NBC Connecticut that they have a vetting process for who stays at their homes, renting gives them additional income, people spend money in the area and it helps ensure houses are kept up in town.

Its becoming a nuisance. Weve got cars going up and down the road much faster than our speed limit, we have strangers stopping at different homes looking for the one theyre looking for at 10, 11 oclock at night, Jeanne Hollister said.

Hollister lives on Long Pond Road South and is one of the people who wrote into the town about multiple rentals on her street. She said she and her husband have been bothered by the noise and have concerns about the septic system.

High school kids came down, they were up all night dropping F bombs, husband Ackley Hollister said.

Day said they take all those concerns seriously, and its a policing matter too.

The town will take up the issue at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting Thursday at 7 p.m.Police released footage from the dashboard of a police cruiser as an officer pulls over and snatches up a rogue toddler veering dangerously close to traffic in suburban Chicago.



Naperville Sgt. Anthony Mannino performed the rescue last month, the department said in a Facebook post on Monday.

Mannino found the boy after he escaped his mothers watchful eye, police said. The youngster was running along Route 59.

Thirty-one, trying to corral a 1-year-old boy running across 59 just north of North Aurora, Mannino is heard saying into his radio in the video.

As the squad car comes to a stop, Mannino is heard shouting hey, hey, hey! at the child darting along the road next to a truck carrying a bright red sedan in its bed.

The police sergeant sprints toward the little boy and calms him down.

Youre OK, youre OK, he tells the boy, before asking him his name.

He then picks the child up and walks him back his cruiser.

Luckily, no one was hurt, and we attribute that to Sgt. Mannino's observation while on patrol and quick reaction, placing his squad car and himself between the child and traffic, the department said on Facebook.

The child was reunited with his mother and there were no charges, The Associated Press reported.

Mannino was given the departments Life Saving Award on June 7.

Well done, sergeant, the post reads.The topic of suicide remains front and center following the deaths of two celebrities, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. As Congress works on its budget, there is a new push for more funding for programs that focus on suicide prevention and mental health.

Locally, money for mental health programs remains an issue. In Denton County, mental health advocates have expanded programs, even as public funding remains tight.

At the Denton County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center, and other agencies focused on mental health and suicide prevention, high-profile suicide deaths usually result in more calls for assistance from regular citizens.

"We know it doesn't matter how rich or famous you are," said Phyllis Finley, who oversees suicide prevention efforts for Denton County MHMR. "No one is exempt, and anyone can be at risk."

A fact driven home by the deaths last week of two celebrities whose public personas apparently hid inner despair.

"When that darkness takes over and you're alone in it, it's really hard for people to find their way out," Finley said.

Finley said Denton County MHMR has seen an uptick in the number of people seeking help. Until recently, a help line fielded about 2,000 calls a year. That number the last two years rose by about 1,500. Denton Countys population boom is partly behind the rise, but increased mental health and suicide awareness is also a factor.

"People are reaching out for help more often and knowing the resources are available," she said. "Which is definitely a step in the right direction."

In 2014, providers in Denton County formed a suicide prevention coalition to address the high number of suicides in the area through education, outreach, treatment and other services. The effort takes money -- and Texas ranks near the bottom among states in mental health funding.

"We do the best we can with the amount of money we have," Finley said. "And if you need the help you can get it here."

In 2007, Finley said, Denton County MHMR had just two full-time crisis clinicians who covered the entire county. They rotated being on-call during the overnight hours. Now, that number is close to 30. Ten years ago, the agency had a contract with just one hospital in the county for mental health services. Now, it has five.

In North Texas, and nationally, suicide rates are on the rise. So are calls for help. Finley said of the 22,000 people who reached out to Denton County MHMR since 2007, a relatively low number --15 to 20 -- have ended their own life.

"It's very difficult when that person does not want that help, and we struggle with that," Finley said.

Still, the goal is to bring that number to zero.

Finley said if any good can come out of those recent high profile suicides, they've already led to more discussion. What's needed, she said, is more funding for suicide prevention.

"Unfortunately, when tragedies like these happen and it goes under scrutiny, that sometimes can play in our favor to be able to help more."

Denton County MHMR's Crisis Hotline can be reached at 1-800-762-0157.The Fort Worth City Council is expected to vote Tuesday to spend $85,000 on outside lawyers to defend a lawsuit alleging the city has mishandled the cleanup of toxic chemicals along the Trinity River near the Panther Island project downtown.

A city attorney acknowledges ground water on the property is contaminated with hazardous materials and said the city has a plan to clean it up.

Michael Evangelista-Ysasaga, CEO of a construction company hired to do excavating work on the property, put the city on notice he plans to file a lawsuit.

Evangelista-Ysasaga said his company, PennaGroup, was never told before it started the 2010 project that the dirt contained hazardous chemicals, and his workers immediately complained of headaches and dizziness.

When my guys complained, I was furious, he said.

They encountered what he calls hazardous waste sludge pouring into a trench area at the rate of 33 gallons a minute, he said.

He hired experts to test the soil and found it contained unsafe levels of arsenic and benzene.

It was a big surprise to us. We were deeply disappointed we weren't told about this before we got into this ar"It was a big surprise to us," he said. "We were deeply disappointed we weren't told about this before we got into this areaThe property, behind the police auto pound at 2500 Brennan Ave., was home to oil industry tank farms dating to the 1940s, said assistant city attorney Christa Reynolds.

Those companies are gone and the city has worked since 2009 to clean up the contamination, she said.

Reynolds declined to comment on the lawsuit but did talk about the extent of the contamination and how the city is addressing it.

Its not an issue weve been ignoring, she said.

The city likely will have to spend millions more to clean up the remaining mess, she said, acknowledging the contamination includes arsenic and benzyne.

There is a long-term plan, she said.

The city is working with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to approve a barrier, which would keep groundwater from flowing downstream, she said, adding other possible solutions are being considered.

Evangelista-Ysasaga claims both groundwater and surface water is contaminated and that it is slowly flowing into the nearby Trinity River.

The city attorney disputed that, saying the citys tests show only groundwater is affected and the remediation efforts on the surface water have worked.

(Contaminated) water is not seeping into the river, she said.

However, the contractor showed NBC DFW a trail of rust-colored sentiment flowing from the area where the fuel tanks used to be directly into the river.

The area smelled like diesel fuel.

A steady stream of what appeared to be dirty water also flowed into the river -- even on a hot, dry day.

Reynolds said the city has tested the rust-colored sentiment and found it is not hazardous and added she would ask city crews to investigate the separate flow of water.

Meanwhile, Evangelista-Ysasaga is locked in a separate battle with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over his fees for the project, which he said cost him far more because of the hazardous waste.

A Corps spokesman, Clay Church, declined to comment on the case.

A spokesman for the Trinity River Vision Project, which is also named in the planned lawsuit, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.Master Sgt. J.D. Randolph, of Allen, watched intently last night, as President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un shook hands at a historic summit.

I never dreamed they would be shaking hands, and look like they are buddy buddies, said Randolph.

Randolph fought in the Korean war, and received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. He was injured on the battle field, and returned after being treated.

I personally lost a lot of friends over there, there in the war, and so it makes you wonder if anything will ever be completed, he added.

And while President Trump and Kim Jong Un met, he still has doubts about what will happen next.

You dont trust people, all of a sudden they want to be friends, said Randolph.

Randolph has been very active in Veterans affairs in North Texas. He is President of Korean War Veterans Association Sam Johnson Chapter 270. His medals and certificates line the walls of his den at home. He still holds out hope for the future of the Peninsula.

When we was fighting, we were hopeful we was going to be at peace, said Randolph, adding, I am hopeful. Hopeful that our young people don't have to go over there with another war."Two people were shot early Tuesday morning when they went to meet with someone they found online, who they thought was going to buy an item from them, Dallas police said.

Instead, the "buyer" robbed them and fired at their car, police said.



Police say four people were inside the car at about 12:30 a.m. when they did not feel safe and began to leave the area, police said. That's when two of them were hit by the gunfire. The other two were unharmed.

When the suspect began shooting at them, they drove off -- and met first responders near the intersection of S. Lamar Street and Interstate 45.



The injured victims were taken to the hospital. Their names and current conditions have not been released.

No arrests have been made.

This incident comes just weeks after Dallas Police introduced their first Safe Exchange Zone outside one of their substations in Oak Cliff at 1999 E. Camp Wisdom Road. The city is looking at adding more of them.



Police strongly encourage anyone buying or selling items online to make the exchange in one of those zones, preferably during the day. If the buyer / seller refuses to meet you there, they say you should not go through with the transaction.

What to Know 5 states  Nevada, Virginia, South Carolina, Maine and North Dakota  voted in primary elections Tuesday.

Trump weighed in against GOP Rep. Mark Sanford, an outspoken critic of the president running in South Carolina's 1st District.

Trump went after Sanford via tweet on Tuesday, calling the former governor "very unhelpful to me in my campaign."

President Donald Trump is crediting his Election-Day tweet in part for the defeat of a South Carolina Republican congressman who has been critical of his administration.

Trump tweeted Wednesday that his advisers didn't want him to get involved in the Republican primary, thinking Rep. Mark Sanford "would easily win."

But Trump says Rep. Katie Arrington "was such a good candidate, and Sanford was so bad, I had to give it a shot."

Arrington narrowly defeated Sanford after Trump tweeted that Sanford had been unhelpful, adding, "He is better off in Argentina."

That was a reference to Sanford's surprise disappearance from the state as governor, which he later revealed was to further his affair with an Argentine woman.

Sanford's loss was perhaps the most dramatic result in primaries across five states Tuesday.

He becomes the second incumbent House Republican to lose a primary this year  the latest victim of intense divisions among the GOP in the Trump era.

Sanford's voting record is generally conservative, but his criticism of Trump as unworthy and culturally intolerant made him a target of dedicated Trump supporters who often elevate loyalty over policy.

Arrington blasted Sanford as a "Never Trumper," and Trump tweeted a startlingly personal attack hours before polls closed, calling Sanford "MIA and nothing but trouble ... he's better off in Argentina."

Even for a political figure with no shortage of confidence in challenging party decision-making, the attack was a bold case of going after a sitting member of Congress. It's almost certain to make other Republicans even more reluctant to take him on, even as Trump stirs divisions on trade, foreign policy and the Russia investigation.

Sanford said Tuesday night that "I stand by every one of those decisions to disagree with the president."

Sanford had never lost a political race in South Carolina, and his defeat Tuesday was an abrupt end to a roller-coaster political career. Despite the scandal over the affair, he completed his second term as governor, and voters sent him to Congress two years later.

In her victory speech, Arrington asked Republicans to come together, saying "We are the party of President Donald J. Trump."

Four other states voted Tuesday, including several races that will be key to determining which party controls the House of Representatives next year.

In other races:

IN SOUTH CAROLINA, INCUMBENT GOVERNOR FACES RUN-OFF

Sanford was not the only establishment Republican to face a challenge Tuesday. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a close ally of Trump, was forced into a runoff after failing to muster the required 50 percent vote to win outright.

McMaster, an early supporter of the president's 2016 campaign, had Trump's full endorsement, marked by a weekend tweet.

But while Trump remains very popular in the state, McMaster has been shadowed by a corruption probe involving a longtime political consultant. McMaster received the most votes of the four Republicans running, but will face Greenville businessman John Warren in a second contest June 26.

McMaster, the former lieutenant governor, assumed the governorship last year after Nikki Haley resigned to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

GOP'S 'VICIOUS' VIRGINIA VICTOR

Trump is tweeting that people shouldn't underestimate his loyalist Corey Stewart, who won Virginia's Republican primary to face Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine. The president tweeted Wednesday that Stewart has "a major chance of winning!"

Stewart, known for his ardent defense of Trump and of Confederate symbols, said he plans a "vicious" campaign against Kaine, who has a huge fundraising advantage going into the general election.

Kaine gives passionate campaign speeches, but Trump's tweet calls him a "total stiff."

As Trump's top campaign aide in Virginia, Stewart accused the Republican Party of inadequately defending the candidate after the release of a recording in which Trump bragged about groping women.

Stewart also has called efforts to remove Confederate monuments "an attempt to destroy traditional America."

A HOUSE BELLWETHER IN VIRGINIA

Democratic State Sen. Jennifer Wexton was the clear winner in a six-way primary in a northern Virginia district considered key to the House battleground map this fall, and will challenge Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock.

Democrats in two other districts they hope to retake nominated women: Abigail Spanberger in central Virginia and Elaine Luria in the district that includes Virginia Beach.

In Comstock's district, Wexton was the best-known in the field, and was viewed as the Democratic Party's establishment choice. She had the endorsement of Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam.

Comstock, a moderate Republican who easily beat back a challenge from conservative Shak Hill, is one of the Democrats' top targets in November. The second-term House member's district leans Republican, though Democrat Hillary Clinton received more votes there than Trump did in 2016.

Though Wexton favors a ban on the sale of assault weapons, she defied what has been the tendency in some swing districts to nominate Democrats with liberal profiles on other key issues. She has not called for a single-payer, government-run health insurance system, as some Democratic House primary winners in California, Nebraska and Pennsylvania have.

Democrats need to gain 23 seats to win the majority in the House.

TURNING THE LePAGE

Maine voters are deciding on a successor to term-limited, conservative Republican Gov. Paul LePage. But first they had to wrestle with a new balloting system. Maine on Tuesday debuted its statewide ranked-choice voting , which allows voters to rank candidates first to last on their ballot.

The system insured that counting was slow and winners difficult to call. But businessman Shawn Moody won the GOP nomination after midnight. He maintained a wide lead through the night, but risked not winning the race outright under the new rules.

The Associated Press did not call the Democratic primary as none of the seven candidates was close to the majority needed to be declared the outright winner, so more tabulations are required next week under ranked-choice voting. Last-place candidates will be eliminated and votes reallocated until there is a winner, a process that may take more than a week.

NEVADA, NORTH DAKOTA: SEE YOU IN NOVEMBER

Nevada and North Dakota are home to two of the most pivotal Senate races this year. What they didn't have were competitive Senate primaries.

Nevada Sen. Dean Heller, the only Republican seeking re-election in a state that Hillary Clinton carried in 2016, and Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen sailed through their primaries, and already have begun focusing their criticism on each other in what is expected to be among the most competitive Senate races this year.

There was also the return of Sharron Angle , the conservative who once ominously threatened to "take out" then-Sen. Harry Reid. Angle, who lost to Reid in her 2010 bid for Senate, lost her primary challenge to Rep. Mark Amodei on Tuesday.

Centrist Steve Sisolak won a bruising battle between Clark County commissioners vying to be Nevada's first Democratic governor in two decades. Fellow board member Chris Giunchigliani ran as a progressive, knocking Sisolak for his positive rating from the National Rifle Association in light of the mass shooting in Las Vegas in October. Republican Attorney General Adam Laxalt easily cleared the GOP field.

Nevada election officials blamed new touch-screen voting machines for glitches that affected a small number of voters and delayed the count of ballots in rural Pershing County. In no case were voters unable to successfully cast a ballot, the Nevada Secretary of State's office said.

In North Dakota, GOP Rep. Kevin Cramer will face moderate Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp. She is seeking re-election in a state Trump carried by 36 percentage points in 2016.

BROTHELS ON THE BALLOT

Pimp Dennis Hof, the owner of half a dozen legal brothels in Nevada and star of the HBO adult reality series "Cathouse," won a Republican primary for state Legislature, ousting a three-term lawmaker.

Voters in November will also be voting on closing down brothels in at least one of the seven Nevada counties where they're legally operating, and activists are trying to get the measure on the ballot in another district.

CORRECTION (June 13, 2018, 8:05 a.m. ET): This story has been corrected to reflect that Sanford completed his second term as South Carolina governor and did not resign.

__

Associated Press writers Meg Kinnard and Christina Myers in Columbia, S.C.; Marine Villeneuve in Augusta, Maine; Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine; Alan Suderman in Richmond, Va.; Matthew Barakat in McLean, Va.; Scott Sonner in Reno, Nev.; Michelle Price in Las Vegas; and James MacPherson in Bismarck, N.D., contributed to this report.A man mistaken for an individual wanted in a robbery was wounded in a police shooting in La Puente after a short chase, authorities said Tuesday.

It was later discovered the suspect was not involved in the original robbery call, but was driving a stolen vehicle, police said. No other injuries were reported.

The shooting by a West Covina Police Department officer occurred about 11:30 p.m. Monday in the 1300 block of Sandy Hook Avenue and Los Angeles County Sheriff's detectives are assisting police with the investigation into the shooting, according to Deputy Trina Schraeder with the Sheriff's Information Bureau.

A West Covina Police officer heard a radio call of a robbery that had just occurred and while trying to locate a possible suspect, he noticed an older model Honda being driven at high speed, Schraeder said. The officer believed the vehicle was involved in the robbery and attempted to stop the driver, who led the officer on a minute-long chase into La Puente that ended with a crash at Hacienda Boulevard and Maplegrove Street, she said.

The suspect ran from the vehicle and the officer followed him in his patrol vehicle to the 1300 block of Sandy Hook Avenue, where he tried to arrest the man, Schraeder said. During the attempted arrest, the shooting occurred, she said.

The suspect suffered a non-life threatening wound to the upper body and was taken to the hospital, Schraeder said.The most tangible outcome of Tuesday's summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared to be a commitment to recover the remains of U.S. military personnel missing in action and presumed dead from the Korean War.

In a joint statement signed by the leaders, the countries committed to the recovery of the remains and the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

The statement was otherwise filled with vague aspirational vows for peace and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Washington and Pyongyang agreed to hold follow-up talks at the "earliest possible date" between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a relevant high North Korean official.

Nearly 7,800 U.S. troops remain unaccounted for from the 1950-53 war. About 5,300 were lost in North Korea.

It's debatable whether North Korea's commitment to recovering U.S. war remains could count as a major win for Washington when Pyongyang would be simply returning to what it had been doing for years. Between 1996 and 2005, joint U.S.-North Korea military search teams conducted 33 joint recovery operations and recovered 229 sets of American remains.

But efforts to recover and return the remains have been stalled for more than a decade because of the North's development of nuclear weapons and U.S. claims that the safety of recovery teams it sent during the administration of President George W. Bush was not sufficiently guaranteed.

According to the Pentagon's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, most of the missing Americans died in major battles or as prisoners of war. Others died along the wayside or in small villages. Many of the losses from aircraft crashes also occurred near battle zones or roads connecting them.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars organization urged Trump in a letter last week to "do everything in your power to ensure that those who paid the ultimate price for freedom during the Korean War are finally returned home to their families," Stars and Stripes reported.



North Korea and the United States remain technically at war because the fighting ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. Washington officially broke off the program because it claimed the safety of its searchers was not guaranteed, though the North's first nuclear test, in 2006, was likely a bigger reason. Critics of the program also argued the North was using the deal to squeeze cash out of Washington, calling it "bones for bucks."

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday his country could help in the efforts to find the remains of missing military personnel.What to Know A lesbian couple say they were kicked out of their Uber over the weekend after sharing a kiss while on a trip from Brooklyn to Manhattan

Video captured by the couple shows the driver saying the kiss was 'disrespectful'

Uber said in a statement it is launching an investigation into the episode

UPDATE: Uber Driver's License Suspended for Booting Kissing Women

A lesbian couple says they were kicked out of their Uber after sharing a quick kiss in the back of their car Saturday.

Alex Iovine and Emma Pichl said they were heading from Gowanus, Brooklyn, to a birthday party in the East Village and had pecked while the car was headed over the Manhattan Bridge.

We peck kissed, like I reached across and pecked kissed her, said Iovine. Thats how fast it was thats why I say pecked.

Iovine and Pichl were surprised by what happened next. The driver -- apparently upset that the couple had kissed -- pulled over as soon as he was able, and told them to get out.

It was immediate shock, Iovine said. We couldnt believe something like this was happening.

Iovine whipped out her phone and started recording what became a tense standoff with their driver.

Its illegal, the driver says.

The two women retort, Kissing is not illegal.

The driver then replies, You cant do this in the car. You arent allowed to do this. He goes on to say Its disrespectful.

Iovine and Pichl can then be heard getting upset and threaten to report the driver to both the police and Uber before the video ends.

It turned into anger, which we are not proud of, Iovine said. We were just so overcome with emotions.

Pichl added, Id say if he feels so uncomfortable with two girls pecking in the backseat then he shouldnt be an Uber driver in New York City.

The pair did report the driver to Uber afterward, and the company has launched an investigation and will take the appropriate action.

Uber does not tolerate any form of discrimination, the company said in a statement.

News 4 couldn't reach the driver for comment.

Iovine and Pichl said theyd like an apology from the driver and have decided not to use the service.

Were a little hesitant to get in an Uber again, said Iovine. We made a pact that we will be taking the subway."An Eritrean national who was denied asylum in the United States and was being sent back to his homeland has died in an apparent suicide in a holding area at Cairo International Airport, airport officials said on Saturday.

Zeresenay Ermias Testfatsion was a detainee of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and was being held by Egyptian authorities at the airport, awaiting his return to Asmara, Eritrea, ICE said.

Testfatsion, 34, was found dead on Wednesday in a shower area and his remains were taken to a hospital, ICE said.

Airport officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media, said he was found hanging.

His remains will be transported to Eritrea, ICE said in a statement, adding that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General and the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility were notified.

Homeland Security and the Eritrean embassies in the U.S. and Egypt did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Saturday.

Testfatsion, whose last name is spelled Tesfatsion in court records, had been in ICE custody since February 2017 following his arrest at the Hidalgo, Texas, Port of Entry after he tried to unlawfully enter the United States, ICE said.

Court records show Testfatsion went to the U.S. seeking asylum "for fear of returning to his country."

Testfatsion was ordered deported in October 2017, and after he wasn't deported within 90 days he petitioned to be released, arguing he should not be forced to stay in detention indefinitely because the Eritrean Consulate hadn't taken action in his case.

His petition, dated Jan. 30, says ICE was working on travel documents but had not been able to remove him because the Eritrean government views those who leave the country as traitors, making it virtually impossible for him to get necessary travel documents.

The East African country has a history of being recalcitrant in accepting its deported citizens back from the U.S. In September, the U.S. announced that it would stop issuing certain visas to nationals from Eritrea and three other countries because of their reluctance to accept deportees.

Eritrea is a major source of migrants who say they are fleeing a system of forced military conscription that repeatedly has been criticized by the United Nations and human rights groups. It's unknown why Testfatsion was seeking asylum. A message left with Customs and Border Protection was not immediately returned on Saturday.

Testfatsion's cousin Georgis Gebrendras said she was saddened to learn of his death and the family wants answers. She said family members in Eritrea were at the airport waiting for his arrival when they learned of his suicide.

"The whole family was waiting for him to come home," said Gebrendras, who lives in Orlando, Florida. "I don't know what's going on or why he's dying. Why? Why? What happened?"

During Testfatsion's 16-month detention in the United States, he spent time at centers in Pampano Beach, Florida, and Youngstown, Ohio, court records show. Gebrendras said she doesn't understand how he could take his life while heading home and how officials could let that happen.

"They needed somebody to (be) taking care of him," she said.After all the hype, all the vows to tackle what's perhaps the world's most urgent crisis, President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un fell short of the kind of deal the U.S. president himself has long said is needed to settle the North's decadeslong pursuit of nuclear weapons.

For months, Trump has been railing against presidents past, accusing them of an inexcusable failure to solve the nuclear threat emanating from the North. On Tuesday, he patted himself on the back for signing a "comprehensive" pact with Kim paving a path toward denuclearization, but the contours appeared far weaker than even his predecessors' failed deals.

Rather than a detailed statement filled with concrete restraints on the North, the document seemed to amount mostly to a restatement of long-assumed principles and an agreement to keep talking. And Trump made dramatic on-the-spot concessions to Kim that his own advisers had urged him against, including a halt on U.S.-South Korea military exercises.

In the document, signed with great fanfare by Trump and Kim in Singapore, Kim committed to "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." Trump said that process would be starting very soon, adding that once it starts, "it's pretty much over."

Not so simple. Kim has made the denuclearization pledge before. In his April agreement with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the language was similar, with the two vowing to achieve "a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula through complete denuclearization."

To be sure, the fact the U.S. and North Korea are now on speaking terms, with a prominent display of nascent rapport among their leaders, augurs a lowering of tensions that likely reduces the chances of a nuclear confrontation in the short term. There will be many in Seoul and Tokyo who are relieved that Washington and Pyongyang are talking up friendship, not potential war.

To that end, there could be something to the notion that if two warring enemies can truly start dealing with each other in fundamentally different ways, then there could be future movement on the nuke issue. North Korea is a top-down nation, and Kim's word is law. The North Koreans and Americans also decided to hold more talks and likely another leader-to-leader summit, Trump said, an acknowledgement that the issue won't be resolved in a single day.

Yet line up all the bold claims Trump and his lieutenants made ahead of Tuesday's summit, and it's clear that the end result, at least where nukes are concerned, don't hit the mark. That's especially striking after last year's exchange of threats and insults between Trump and Kim, just as North Korea's torrid weapons testing had many fearing a renewal of the Korean War.

There was irony in the fact that Trump and Kim made direct reference in their agreement to the so-called Panmunjom Declaration between Moon and Kim, with its weak, reheated commitment to denuclearization that lacked specifics at how the rivals would get there. Similarly, there was nothing specific on nukes in Tuesday's declaration  and no joint affirmation of the goal of "complete, verifiable and irreversible" dismantlement that Trump's aides had previously made the litmus test for success.

Since taking office, Trump has repeatedly indicted his predecessors for their handling of North Korea, which launched its atomic program in the 1960s and began producing bomb fuel in the early 1990s. Past administrations have also used a combination of sanctions and diplomacy to seek denuclearization, and have yielded some results that failed to endure.

President Bill Clinton reached an aid-for-disarmament deal in 1994 that halted North Korea's plutonium production for eight years, halting growth in what was then a very small atomic arsenal. In his final months in office, he also contemplated a summit with then-North Korean leader Kim Jong Il  Kim Jong Un's father  as the two sides negotiated on also limiting the North's missile program but ran out of time in office.

George W. Bush took a tougher stance toward North Korea, and the 1994 nuclear deal collapsed under amid suspicions that the North was running a secret uranium program. But Bush, too, ultimately pursued negotiations. That led to a temporary disabling of some nuclear facilities, but talks collapsed because of differences over verification.

President Barack Obama made tentative efforts to resume those talks but made little headway. Independent experts estimate North Korea now has enough fissile material for 20 to 60 bombs, and it has tested missiles that could potentially deliver a nuclear weapon to the U.S. mainland.

Trump and Kim? Their document reads like this: "Reaffirming the April 27, 2018, Panumunjom Declaration, the DPRK (North Korea) commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

Also missing from the document was something Trump signaled ahead of the summit that could be a major "get": language committing to end the Korean War, which was stopped by an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula still technically in a state of war. The closest Trump and Kim got was a vow to "join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula."

All this leaves Trump open to criticism that he has given Kim what he has long wanted  recognition, respect and legitimacy on the world stage as an equal  without getting anything substantive on nukes in return.

Associated Press writer Matthew Pennington contributed to this report.Voters who supported President Donald Trump in 2016 can be expected to cheer his tough stance on trade policy with Canada.

But a close look at U.S. trade data suggests that Trump supporters in states that sent him to the White House are the last ones who should be rejoicing over the prospect of a trade war with Canada, CNBC reported.

The U.S. and its second-largest trade partner moved closer to an outright trade war Sunday, after Trump and top White House advisors lashed out at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.A renewed push for legislation to abolish Pennsylvania's statute of limitations in sex abuse cases will follow the publication of a sweeping grand jury report on allegations of child sexual abuse within six Roman Catholic dioceses around the state, a lawmaker said Tuesday.

Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, said he will be prepared to seek a vote in the state House of Representatives on legislation that carries provisions sought by victims.

The House two years ago overwhelmingly approved Rozzi's legislation to lift time limits for authorities to pursue charges of child sexual abuse and for those onetime child victims to sue their attackers and institutions that covered it up. Rozzi's bill also would have created a two-year window for victims to sue for damages if they are now older than the current legal age limit.

Currently, state law bars onetime-child victims from suing for damages if they have turned 30 and it bars authorities from filing criminal charges if the person making the claim of child sexual abuse has turned 50.

The Senate, however, rejected key provisions, including the two-year window. Rozzi, who has told of his own rape as a 13-year-old boy by a Roman Catholic priest, said he is hoping the grand jury's report changes enough minds for his bill to pass the Senate this time around.

"My instinct was if we really want to get what we need here, the public policy that we believe is best for victims, we have to wait for this report to come out and that's going to give us that leverage to not only move his bill through the House, but to put enough pressure" on Senate leaders, Rozzi said.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro could release results of the two-year investigation later this month. Victim advocates say it will be the biggest and most exhaustive ever by a state.

A grand jury judge, in an 11-page opinion last week in which he rejected a challenge to releasing the grand jury report, said it will carry recommendations to change state laws.

Previously released grand jury reports from investigations into the other two Pennsylvania dioceses  Philadelphia and Altoona-Johnstown  have advocated lifting the statutes of limitations and allowing a two-year window.

The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference and the Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania, which represents for-profit insurers, have opposed allowing a two-year window.

Other states have taken such a step, although some state senators say they believe it to be unconstitutional in Pennsylvania. Advocates say they believe it is constitutional and that courts should be the final judge.

The Senate most recently voted last year to eliminate the statute of limitations in criminal prosecutions. The bill also would remove any time limit for a future victim or a victim who is not yet 30 years old to sue the perpetrator, a co-conspirator or someone who knew of the abuse but failed to report it to authorities.

The Senate bill, however, would not entirely do away with time limits for a victim to sue an institution, such as a church or a school. It caps the victim's age at 50.Inder Verma, one of the world's leading authorities on gene therapy and cancer who was under investigation following sexual harassment allegations, has resigned from his position with the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

The Salk Board of Trustees met Monday to go over the findings of an internal investigation launched in April.

Science magazine had asked for an interview with Salk officials regarding sexual harassment allegations against Verma.

Women at Salk warned female colleagues not to be alone with Verma, Meredith Wadman reported in the Science magazine article.

She spoke with female employees of the institute who described Verma's alleged behavior at company functions including one incident when he walked up behind a colleague and grabbed her breasts.

Verma denied the allegations raised in the Science magazine article.

"Based on the findings of the investigator, the Institute has considered appropriate responsive action," Chair of the Board of Trustees Dan Lewis said in a written statement.

In the week before the board meeting, Verma had "tendered his unconditional resignation," Lewis said.



Verma is one of the leading experts on research to fight brain tumors and lung diseases. He held a position of authority with promotions, hirings and funding decisions within the Salk Insititute.

"This has been a challenging time for the Institute. We have been heartened by the way the Salk community has come together and worked together to face these challenges," Lewis said.

In December, Elizabeth Blackburn announced she would retire from her position as president of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the face of gender discrimination lawsuits filed against the research facility.

Three female Salk professors filed lawsuits alleging gender discrimination when it comes to access to grants as well as salaries and promotions.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Verma was placed on leave as editor of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences because of the lawsuits and the allegations over how the center treats women.President Donald Trump's trade adviser Peter Navarro has apologized for having said there is "a special place in hell" for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Navarro offered the apology at a Wall Street Journal conference Tuesday, the Journal's Gerald Seib tweeted.

Seib quoted Navarro as saying: "Let me correct a mistake I made...In conveying that message I used language that was inappropriate."

Trump was furious after Trudeau had said at the end of an economic summit in Quebec that he wouldn't let Canada be pushed around in trade relations with the United States. He called Trudeau "dishonest" and "weak" in tweets.

His advisers then took up the attack in appearances on Sunday's news shows.

Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," Navarro said: "There's a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump."

Trump's chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on CBS' "Face the Nation" that the Canadian leader "betrayed Trump" ahead of the North Korea summit. The following day Kudlow suffered a heart attack and was recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Trump for his part, said before departing Singapore that Trudeau had "learned" from the mistake of criticizing him, and it's going to cost Canada "a lot of money."

At a news conference Tuesday after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump said the Canadian leader must not have realized that he had televisions on Air Force One, allowing him to monitor Trudeau's news conference at the end of the G-7 summit.

Trudeau, asked about Trump's remarks in Parliament on Tuesday, said he supports the American president's efforts on North Korea and looks forward to the details of that agreement.

"On his comments I'm going to stay focused on defending jobs for Canadians and supporting Canadian industries," Trudeau said before walking away from reporters.States can target people who haven't cast ballots in a while in efforts to purge their voting rolls, the Supreme Court ruled Monday in a case that has drawn wide attention amid stark partisan divisions and the approach of the 2018 elections.

By a 5-4 vote that split the conservative and liberal justices, the court rejected arguments in a case from Ohio that the practice violates a federal law intended to increase the ranks of registered voters. A handful of other states also use voters' inactivity to trigger processes that could lead to their removal from the voting rolls.

Justice Samuel Alito said for the court that Ohio is complying with the 1993 National Voter Registration Act. He was joined by his four conservative colleagues in an opinion that drew praise from Republican officials and conservative scholars.

The four liberal justices dissented, and civil rights groups and some Democrats warned that more Republican-led states could enact voter purges similar to Ohio's.

Ohio is of particular interest nationally because it is one of the larger swing states in the country with the potential to determine the outcome of presidential elections. But partisan fights over ballot access are playing out across the country. Democrats have accused Republicans of trying to suppress votes from minorities and poorer people who tend to vote for Democrats. Republicans have argued that they are trying to promote ballot integrity and prevent voter fraud.

Ohio's contested voter purge stems from an inoffensive requirement in federal law that states have to make an effort to keep their voter rolls in good shape by removing people who have moved or died.

But Ohio pursues its goal more aggressively than most, relying on two things: voter inactivity over six years encompassing three federal elections and the failure to return a card, sent after the first missed election, asking people to confirm that they have not moved and continue to be eligible to vote.

Voters who return the card or show up to vote over the next four years after they receive it remain registered. If they do nothing, their names eventually fall off the list of registered voters.

The case hinged on a provision of the voter registration law that prohibits removing someone from the voting rolls "by reason of the person's failure to vote."

Alito said that the two factors show that Ohio "does not strike any registrant solely by reason of the failure to vote."

Justice Stephen Breyer, countered in his dissent: "In my view, Ohio's program does just that." Breyer said many people received mailings that they discard without looking at them. Failure to return the notice "shows nothing at all that is statutorily significant," he wrote.

In a separate dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said Congress enacted the voter registration law "against the backdrop of substantial efforts by states to disenfranchise low-income and minority voters." The court's decision essentially endorses "the very purging that Congress expressly sought to protect against," Sotomayor wrote.

Richard Hasen, an election law expert at the University of California at Irvine, called the case "a close question of statutory interpretation." Hasen said the lawsuit the court resolved Monday did not involve allegations of discrimination against minority voters, and he suggested the laws in Ohio and other states could be vulnerable to a legal challenge on those grounds.

Civil rights groups said the court should be focused on making it easier for people to vote, not allowing states to put up roadblocks to casting ballots.

"With the midterm election season now underway, the court's ruling demands heightened levels of vigilance as we anticipate that officials will read this ruling as a green light for loosely purging the registration rolls in their community," said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Ohio has used voters' inactivity to trigger the removal process since 1994, although groups representing voters did not sue the Republican secretary of state, Jon Husted, until 2016. As part of the lawsuit, a judge last year ordered the state to count 7,515 ballots cast by people whose names had been removed from the voter rolls.

Husted called the decision "a victory for electoral integrity." He is running for lieutenant governor this November on the Republican ticket headed by Mike DeWine, the current attorney general.

Adding to the tension in the case, the Trump administration reversed the position taken by the Obama administration and backed Ohio's method for purging voters.

Last week, President Donald Trump said he would nominate Eric Murphy, the Ohio lawyer who argued the case on the state's behalf, to a seat on the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A three-judge panel on that court had ruled 2-1 that Ohio's practice was illegal.

Associated Press writers Dan Sewell and Julie Carr Smyth contributed to this report.Maryland election officials are making sure the state voting systems are safe from cyber threats in this years upcoming elections.

To make sure systems are secure, the board fixed some security vulnerabilities identified by the Department of Homeland Security, officials said. Legislators this year also passed measures speeding up the reporting of hacks and requiring more transparency in online political ads.

State Board of Elections officials said unusual activity in election systems was detected in August 2016, but there was no evidence of a hack.



Maryland officials described the unsuccessful attempt to break into its voting systems as a probe  likening it to a would-be burglar wiggling door knobs, but leaving after finding the door locked.

"We havent done anything dramatically different than we did before, because its an ongoing process," said Nikki Charlson, the board's deputy state administrator. "Weve enhanced some of the ways we protect our systems by making it harder to get in."

U.S. intelligence officials have warned Russian meddling similiar to 2016 could happen again. The meddling included foreign attempts to hack into the election systems of 21 different states.

Marylands voting machines were first used in 2016. They had been tested in a federally certified lab and were approved by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the board said.

The machines are never connected to the internet and backed up by paper ballots. Election results are transferred out of the machines onto encrypted thumb drives.

The boards election system got a DHS risk and vulnerability assessment after the 2016 probe, Charlson said. As part of the assessment, the department tried to hack into its systems.

They didnt get in, but they had some recommendations on how we could make it even more difficult, she said.

New Legislation

Prince Georges County Democratic Delegate Alonzo Washington sponsored a pair of bills that were approved in this years legislative session to strengthen election rules.

One bill requires online platforms  such as Facebook, Twitter and Google  to retain and disclose information on online political ads.

Another requires vendors working with the elections board to inform the agency of a breech within four days. It also requires the state administrator of elections to report hacks or attempted hacks to lawmakers within seven days of becoming aware of them.

Washington said legislators did not hear about the attempted 2016 hack on Maryland's election systems until seven months after it happened.

Charlson said her department told the Department of Information Technology soon after the attempted hack, but acknowledged that lawmakers were not informed for much later.

Washington said in a June newsletter to supporters that the pair of bills will improve election safety and transparency in Maryland.

"Because of legislation I proposed, lawmakers and the public will immediately be informed of any 'security incident' involving the states election systems," Washington said in the newsletter.Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart  a devoted supporter of President Donald Trump  is projected to win Virginia's Republican primary for U.S. Senate and promises a "vicious" campaign against U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine.

Democratic State Sen. Jennifer Wexton will challenge incumbent Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock for Virginia's 10th congressional district. The district is key for the Democrats because Comstock is considered one of the most vulnerable incumbents in Congress.

Primary voters picked their favorites to narrow the field of candidates in a GOP Senate contest and nine congressional races, some Democratic and some Republican.

Stewart Wins Republican Nomination for Senate

In the Republican Senate nomination contest, voters were choosing between three candidates vying to challenge incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine.

Stewart was challenged by Nick Freitas, a state delegate; and E.W. Jackson, a minister. All three Republican candidates struggled to raise serious money, and the winner will have a serious cash disadvantage against Kaine, who is expected to have about $25 million for this election.

"I think Freitas is going to have a better shot," Republican voter Tony Patrino said. "He's more level-headed."

Patrick Gordon, 70, a retired Defense Department administrator who lives in Glen Allen, said he voted for Freitas.

"Corey Stewart has run before and he didn't impress me," said Gordon, referring to Stewart's bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination last year.

Kaine, a former governor and vice presidential candidate, is seeking a second term.

Wexton to Challenge Comstock for House Seat

Among the U.S. House primaries, the most crowded was the Democratic contest for the 10th congressional district in northern Virginia.

Six Democrats were on the ballot. Wexton was endorsed by Gov. Ralph Northam. Former Obama administration official Lindsey Davis Stover said she was the only candidate with federal legislative experience. Dan Helmer highlighted his military experience and his academic credentials as a Rhodes Scholar. Paul Pelletier cited his experience as a federal prosecutor handling health care and gun violence cases. Alison Friedman cited her experience at the State Department and in the private sector, fighting human trafficking. Julia Biggins cited her credentials as a scientist.

"Honestly, I had a preference for Jennifer Wexton because she has experience already with the legisative process, her position with NRA falls in line with mine and then having the support of the governor I think is important," Democratic voter Matt Kroetch said.

Kim Eppinstiner said she normally favors a female candidate but this time combat veteran Dan Helmer has impressed her.

"Both my husband and I voted for Dan Helmer," she said.

Comstock's challenger in the Republican primary was Air Force veteran Shak Hill.

Democrat Spanberger to Challenge Rep. Brat

Voters also cast ballots in the Democratic primary for the 7th Congressional District, where former CIA officer Abigail Spanberger defeated Dan Ward, a farmer and former Marine. Spanberger will take on incumbent Republican Dave Brat in November.

Robert Monroe, 53, a video producer, said he voted for Spanberger because he believes she has a better chance of defeating Brat.

"To be honest with you, I voted for her because she is a woman," he said. "To defeat Dave Brat, I think we need to energize the voters, particularly the female voters. I think she will energize that voting bloc, which we need to defeat Dave Brat."

Williams to Challenge Rep. Wittman

Government contractor Vangie Williams defeated won the Democratic primary and will challenge Republican Rob Wittman for the House District 1 seat.

Williams was the only woman in the race, defeating Edwin Santana, a second generation Puerto Rican who is a Marine Corps officer, and John Suddarth, who owns a commercial real estate company and attended West Point.

Wittman was first elected in 2007.

Alexandria Mayor Silberberg Out

Alexandria Vice Mayor Justin Wilson defeated incumbent Mayor Allison Silberberg in the Democratic primary.

Because Alexandria is heavily Democratic, the Democratic primary usually decides the winner in November.

Silberberg was running for a second term. In the last mayoral election, then Vice Mayor Silberberg defeated Mayor Bill Euille in the primary and again in the general election, for which Euille ran a write-in campaign.

Low Voter Turnout

After days of heavy rains in the mid-Atlantic, sunny weather greeted voters on Tuesday.

In Fairfax County, where only part of the county has both a GOP and Democratic primary, fewer than 10 percent of voters had cast ballots by mid-afternoon, and Democrats cast ballots more than twice the Republican rate. Loudoun County also saw more Democratic ballots cast than Republican ballots.

Voters told News4 their views on President Donald Trump are a factor in how they are voting.

"I want to see a candidate that will support our president first and foremost and his agenda," Republican voter Debbie Desteuben said. "That really was most important to me."

"President Trump is a factor," Democratic voter Barbara Dean said. "That means I need to get out and vote at every opportunity because I think what he's doing is absolutely awful."

There were no reports of problems at polling places.

Not all congressional districts have primaries. Some incumbents don't face opponents, and in some cases the parties chose different methods of nominating their candidates.

Polls were open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters were required to bring a photo ID. Valid forms of identification include a driver's license, passport or student ID. A registered voter without an ID could cast a provisional ballot but would have to complete follow-up steps to ensure it's counted.

Anyone not already registered was not allowed to vote. Virginia doesn't allow same-day registration.Virginia voters will make their picks in Senate and House primary contests Tuesday.

Polls will be open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Each voter will need to bring a photo ID. Valid forms of identification include a driver's license, passport or student ID. A voter who forgets ID can cast a provisional ballot but will have to complete follow-up steps to ensure that it's counted.

Anyone not already registered won't be able to vote. Virginia doesn't allow same-day registration.

Here's a look at some key races:

Senate

Republican voters will choose among three candidates to replace incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine, a former governor and vice presidential candidate now seeking a second term in the Senate. They are Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors; Nick Freitas, a state delegate; and E.W. Jackson, a minister.

Stewart and Freitas amped up attacks on each other in the closing days of the race. Stewart is a die-hard supporter of President Donald Trump and has criticized Freitas as being insufficiently loyal to the president. Freitas has accused Stewart of showing poor judgment because of past associations with hate mongers.

Several high-profile Republicans who had expressed interest in running took a pass after an anti-Trump wave crushed Republicans in state-level elections last year.

All three Republican candidates have struggled to raise money, putting the winner at a serious cash disadvantage against Kaine, who is expected to raise about $25 million for this election.

House District 10

Six Democrats are on the ballot for northern Virginia's 10th Congressional District in what should set up a closely watched general election contest against the likely winner of the Republican primary, Rep. Barbara Comstock. She's considered one of the most vulnerable incumbents in Congress.

Hillary Clinton won the district by 10 percentage points, and Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam won by 11. But Comstock easily beat a Democrat in 2016 and has often been critical of Trump.

The Democratic primary front-runner has been state Sen. Jennifer Wexton, who has been endorsed by Northam.

Former Obama administration official Lindsey Davis Stover says she is the only candidate with federal legislative experience. Dan Helmer highlights his military experience and his academic credentials as a Rhodes Scholar. Paul Pelletier cites his experience as a federal prosecutor handling health care and gun violence cases. Alison Friedman cites her experience at the State Department and in the private sector, fighting human trafficking. Julia Biggins cites her credentials as a scientist.

Comstock faces a primary challenge from Air Force veteran Shak Hill.

House District 7

Four years ago, Dave Brat made history by toppling U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the GOP primary. Now Brat is the one with the target on his back.

Two Democrats are fighting for the chance to take on Brat in the general election. Former CIA officer Abigail Spanberger and former Marine pilot Dan Ward are hoping to flip the Republican-leaning district in central Virginia, which Trump won by more than 6 percentage points.

House District 1

Republican Rob Wittman is running for re-election for this seat covering parts of Prince William, Spotsylvania and Stafford counties. Wittman was first elected in 2007.

There are three Democrats seeking the nomination to run against Wittman. Edwin Santana is a second generation Puerto Rican Democrat who is a Marine Corps officer. John Suddarth is a native of Prince William County who attended West Point and owns a commercial real estate company. Vangie Williams, a government contractor, is the only woman in the race.

Alexandria Mayor

Mayor Allison Silberberg is running for her second term. Before that, she served as vice mayor. Silberberg has taken a stand against certain development and is often at odds with the rest of the all-Democratic City Council.

Vice Mayor Justin Wilson is waging an intraparty challenge. He was first elected to the council in 2007. He works for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak).

Because of the heavily Democratic nature of Alexandria, the primary usually decides the winner in November. Republicans will choose their candidate for mayor at a caucus this month.

Alexandria City Council

Twelve candidates are running for six seats. There will be at least two new council members because one incumbent isn't running and Wilson is running for mayor.

The incumbents are Willie Bailey, John Taylor Chapman, Redella "Del" Pepper (seeking her 12th term at age 80) and Paul Smedberg.

The challengers are: Canek Aquirre, Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, Matt Feely, Dak Hardwick, Chris Hubbard, Amy Jackson, Robert Ray IV and Mo Seifeldein.The owners of a company accused of ripping off a local brewery filed for bankruptcy.

Sinistral Brewing Company in Manassas, Virginia, sent $70,000 to SysTech Stainless Works in Ohio for a brew system. After months of waiting, they learned SysTech was going out of business and were told they wouldn't be getting their money back.

Other breweries across the country had similar complaints.

Now SysTech owners Jason and Amanda Spurrell have filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. In the filing, they checked a box estimating their number of creditors between 50 and 99.

Among them is Screech Owl Brewing in West Virginia, which sued SysTech and won a $34,000 judgement.

A brewery in Georgia won a $307,000 default judgement.

Several more lawsuits are pending.

The FBI field office in northern Virginia leads an ongoing criminal investigation.A deer with the grace of an Olympic hurdler trotted through a D.C. Metro station Tuesday morning, startling commuters as they waited for their morning trains.

The transit agency released surveillance video of the incident, which took place about 8:30 a.m. at the Crystal City Metro station.

The deer is seen running along the the platform and tracks without being electrified or hit by a train.

One man looking down at his phone doesn't notice as the animal hops up next to him, then backs away slowly when he finally catches sight of the creature. The deer runs by another passenger waiting for the train, interrupting her as she puts on makeup.



None of the commuters were hurt, according to the tweet from D.C. Metro, which hypothesized that the deer was headed down to Tuesday's Washington Capitals victory parade, along with tens of thousands of others in the D.C. area.

Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said it managed to return safely through a tunnel, according to The Washington Post. He said the deer probably came from a wooded area between National Airport and Crystal City and got into a tunnel that took it to the station.A D.C. firefighter critically injured when he was crushed between two fire trucks while responding to a call thinks someone should be held accountable.

Dane Smothers Jr. said he was getting a hose at row house fire on Capitol Hill in August when He was injured. He had a lung removed. He had surgery on his spinal chord. The side of his skull was crushed, and his ribs were broken. He is blind in one eye and unable to use his left hand. Doctors tell him hell never be the same.

Smothers spent three months in the hospital and underwent nine surgeries.

Im waking up in pain every day, he said. Im living with this, and I dont feel like I did anything wrong. I mean, I wasnt driving the truck. I didnt run through the street. I dont feel like I did anything wrong.

An internal department report cited problems with the way fire trucks were positioned, creating blind spots for the drivers. The report also found the lack of experience of the rookie firefighter was a contributing factor to the accident.

Smothers said he wasnt standing in the street but was standing up on the bumper trying to get the hose from its compartment when a hook and ladder pinned him.

According to a spokesperson for D.C. Fire, the firefighters driving the truck as well as the tillerman driving the rear are on active duty, still driving fire trucks.

But Im out of a career, pretty much, Smothers said.

Smothers and his attorney hope to meet with Fire Chief Gregory Dean to talk about the report.

Dean said hes considering the changes in training and policies recommended by the review panel.

Smothers also said his training at the fire academy felt rushed.

He remains on disability leave but hopes to return to work at the fire department one day in some capacity.A student who threatened his Fairfax, Virginia, high school could spend up to five years in prison for the crime.

Ishmael Harrison, 18, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of making threats.

Harrison, a senior at Fairfax High School, sent several messages threatening the school on Twitter on Feb. 21, Fairfax County police say.

"I have been planning this for months now and now I am going to act. Better watch out Fairfax," one tweet read.

"I'm coming and no one can stop me," another tweet read.

His menacing tweets came just days after a school shooting in Parkland, Florida, claimed the lives of 17 people.

Students reported the threats to the school resource officer.

When police initially interviewed Harrison, they found no evidence of firearms. But as their investigation continued, investigators received new information that prompted them to secure a search-and-arrest warrant for Harrison.

During a search of his home, officers found 200 rounds of ammunition used for AR-15 rifles and video of him shooting at a gun range.

No weapon was ever found.

Harrison eventually turned himself in to police to face charges of threatening to commit serious bodily harm to persons on school property and possession of child pornography. Harrison's mother previously said the photos police found were of a friend who is only a few months younger than her son.

The pornography charge was dropped Monday in exchange for his guilty plea.

Harrison faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 17.Protesters have blocked an intersection in downtown Boston's Post Office Square.

Sky Ranger video from the scene showed the intersection of Franklin and Congress streets being blocked Monday afternoon by a group of protesters sitting in the street holding a banner saying "Poor People's Campaign."

The activists were calling for a higher minimum wage.

It's unclear if there have been any arrests.

The protest annoyed some drivers, but others said they supported the cause.

Click here for our traffic map.A second man has been arrested in connection with Friday's fatal drive-by shooting in Brockton, Massachusetts.

The Plymouth district attorney's office announced that Christopher T. Nogueira, 21, of Taunton was arrested Monday evening in connection with the shooting death of 21-year-old Anthony Baker.

Nogueira will be arraigned on a murder charge in Brockton District Court on Tuesday. It's unclear if he has an attorney.

Twenty-one-year-old Brockton resident Andrew Tymek pleaded not guilty to a murder charge earlier on Monday. During Tymek's arraignment, a prosecutor said described him as a "participant and co-conspirator" in Baker's death.

Authorities said officers responded to 10 Arthur St. Friday evening for a report of a drive-by shooting around 6:14 p.m.

When officers arrived, Baker was found lying unresponsive in the street. Baker was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton where he was pronounced dead.

Through an investigation, Tymek was arrested in connection with Baker's death.

Police told the district attorney's office they do not believe the shooting was random.



According to The Enterprise, Baker was killed as he was coming home to get ready for his sister's wedding rehearsal. The family told the paper they believe he was killed in a fight which centered around a woman.

Baker's death is the seventh murder in Brockton this year.With recreational marijuana use about to become legal in Vermont, several dozen people convicted in Chittenden County under the old rules headed to court in Burlington Tuesday to request those convictions be erased.

"I'm really excited for kind of a second chance," said Casey Bonneau of Burlington.

Bonneau sought that second chance on what was called "expungement day" in the criminal courthouse serving Chittenden County.

People with low-level marijuana offenses could apply to have those crimes erased from their records. The Pennywise Foundation even helped cover paperwork fees.

Bonneau said he wants to shed a misdemeanor pot possession conviction.

"I felt like it was holding me back applying for jobs  even applying for a place to rent," Bonneau said in response to a question from necn about the impact of his marijuana conviction. "Some people don't want to rent to someone who has a possession charge on their record."

Expungement day happened in advance of changes to Vermont law coming July 1.

People 21 and up will legally be able to use recreational marijuana in private, possess up to an ounce of it and grow a few plants at home.

However, pot sales will still be barred, and furnishing marijuana to someone under age will be a crime.

"Since the values of our community are changing, we're kind of going back and trying to repair some of the damage that past policies have done," said Tom Dalton, the executive director of Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform, a non-profit that helped promote the education event in Burlington as well another this past weekend in Windsor County.

Glyn Wilkinson of Shelburne said he came to the expungement day event to have two misdemeanor possession convictions cleared from his record. One of them was from 50 years ago, the 70-year-old said.

Wilkinson added that his past would occasionally haunt him, resurfacing, for example, at border checkpoints when traveling to Canada.

"I'm not a criminal," Wilkinson told necn. "This has been on my record for half a century. Imagine that? Half a century."

"It's heartbreaking to think about the impacts that that had on them at such a young age," Chittenden County State's Attorney Sarah George said of participants in her office's expungement day event  many of whom were convicted of marijuana crimes shortly after high school. "Getting these when you're coming out of high school means no federal funding  no student loans  potentially no college, maybe not as good of a job. It follows you in so many different ways."

George said even if people missed the special expungement day event at the Costello Courthouse, her office will gladly help with paperwork at any time moving forward.

The prosecutor added that she encourages people in other Vermont counties to contact their local state's attorney and ask about having minor marijuana convictions erased from their criminal record.Ahead of the historic summit in Singapore, a small vigil on Boston Common brought out about a dozen people who are hoping for peace and reconciliation in Korea, denuclearization of the peninsula and an end to sanctions.

"I hope this summit could bring something productive, constructive that could bring us some peace," said John Kim, a Melrose resident who grew up in South Korea.

For Keumjoo Armstrong, this is especially personal. Her parents escaped from North Korea in 1951, and she still has family there.

"If North and South Korea are working together nicely, then were going to make a really successful, thriving, economy," said Armstrong, who also grew up in South Korea and now lives in Hingham.

Armstrong said whether people like President Trump or not, everyone should be supporting him as he tries to broker some sort of deal.

But she does worry about the personality traits of both leaders at the table.

"I hope they dont make wrong decisions based on impulsive feelings," said Armstrong.

Kim agrees that there should be bipartisan support for a successful summit.

"Just pray for the summit could bring something important progress," Kim said.A New Hampshire fifth grader is sparking a passionate conversation in her town after going to the school board about bullying.

You first saw the video on NBC10 Boston, when Delanie Marcotte sat down at the Timberlane School Board meeting on June 7 to tell board members about her experiences with bullying at Pollard Elementary School.

Since our story aired, NBC10 Boston received several messages from parents who say their children have been bullied, and that some teachers are turning their heads.

"He was saying I hate my life and I want to die," said Sandown, New Hampshire, mom Erin Cardone.

It still makes her cry when she talks about how her son Brayden was bullied two years ago.

"They would call him fat," Cardone told NBC10 Boston on Monday. "The boys would egg him on and say, 'You should kill yourself, you should kill yourself.'"

He was in fourth grade at Pollard Elementary School in Plaistow, the same school where Delanie Marcotte goes.

"Ive been threatened to get shot in the head by a AK-47 and buried in my backyard," Marcotte told the Timberlane School Board last week.

So when Cardone heard Delanies story, she reached out to NBC10 Boston to tell Braydens story.

Cardone kept track of emails she sent school leaders for the entire school year.

"It was just like everything was ignored," Cardone said.

That summer, she had had enough. Cardone went to Superintendent Dr. Earl Metzler and they decided to put Brayden in a different school and hold him back a year.

"Hes good," she said smiling. "Hes going into middle school and hes excited for that."

Although her little boy suffered bullying for years, Cardone is hopeful that now, with Delanies help, they can change the course for another kid.

"I was very, very proud of that little girl," Cardone said. "I think she opened a door for people to speak out and be more aware."

When we brought these concerns to Dr. Metzler on Monday, he responded in an email that said, "We have a process defined by the law and School Board policy. I am monitoring the process and will participate when appropriate. I have nothing more to add at this time."A man accused of robbing a bank in Peabody, Massachusetts and then fleeing the scene in a taxi cab allegedly told the teller he had a bomb and, "the thing on my chest doesnt have much time, according to prosecutors.

Leo Willwerth, 32, of East Boston, appeared in Peabody District Court on Tuesday and was charged with bank robbery. Willwerth is being held without bail and he pleaded not guilty through a court-appointed lawyer.

State police said the Bank of America on Andover Street was robbed in the middle of the afternoon on Monday by a man claiming he had a bomb.

Police say Willwerth took more than $1,000 from the bank on Monday and also admitted to robbing two other banks in Boston last week.

Police said the suspect took a cab from the North Shore Mall parking lot, located across the street from the bank that was robbed, to Dorchester with a woman.

The taxi was stopped near the South Bay Shopping Center in Dorchester near Interstate 93 and Melnea Cass Boulevard. Police then arrested the suspect, identified Willwerth.

Police said it's unclear if the woman in the cab had a role in the bank robbery, and added she is not currently charged.

A Tri-City Taxi dispatcher for the taxi driver told NBC10 Boston the taxi driver had no way of knowing what he was getting into when he answered the call for a pick-up.

"When we came out of the tunnel, he said, 'What do you think that helicopter is doing up there?' and I said, 'I don't know. Probably an accident,'" said the cab driver, who wanted to be known only as Kevin. "It was a state police helicopter."



"A woman called, but we could hear the man behind her giving her instructions," the dispatcher, who only wanted to be identified as Bob, said.

The dispatcher said they lost contact with the car along Route 1, and were contacted by state and local police during the incident.

The taxi driver was a bit shaken by the ordeal, but Bob the dispatcher said he is otherwise okay.

"He is a seasoned driver, he knows what he is doing out there," the dispatcher said.

The investigation into the robbery is ongoing.

It's unclear if Willwerth has an attorney.Maine voters have plenty of choices Tuesday to replace firebrand Republican Gov. Paul LePage, who has served the maximum two terms allowed.

A field of 11 Democrats and Republicans are seeking party nominations for the opportunity to succeed LePage, who streamlined government, lowered taxes and trimmed welfare but also angered some with his harsh tone and policy decisions.

Voters aren't just selecting their favorite candidates. They will rank the candidates from first to last, using the ranked-choice voting system for the first time in statewide primaries.

The new system is aimed at producing consensus candidates and reducing personal attacks. But it didn't prevent candidates from attacking perceived front-runners: Democratic Attorney General Janet Mills and independent-turned-Republican businessman Shawn Moody.

The system works like this: Voters rank candidates from first to last, and the election is over if one candidate wins a majority. If not, ballots will be shipped to Augusta for additional rounds of voting next week.

The last-place candidate will be eliminated and votes reallocated. There can be as many rounds as necessary until a candidate gets a majority.

Two Democratic candidates, former House Speaker Mark Eves and former Maine Women's Lobby Director Betsy Sweet, urged supporters to rank them first and second on the ballot in hopes of boosting their odds of winning.

Democratic Secretary of State Matt Dunlap was expecting only about 25 percent of Maine voters to cast ballots Tuesday.

LePage, a fiscal conservative who has compared his style to President Donald Trump's, was elected in 2010 in a multicandidate race amid a Tea Party wave of conservatism.

He declined to endorse a candidate, but his family has ties to Moody. LePage's daughter, Lauren, is working for Moody's campaign, and his wife, Ann, endorsed Moody in campaign ads.

The three other Republican candidates are state Sen. Garrett Mason, Mary Mayhew, LePage's former health commissioner, and Republican House leader Ken Fredette.

Moody has cast himself as the "outsider businessman," while Mayhew has pledged to fight for conservative goals, such as reducing dependence on government benefits.

Democratic hopefuls also included Adam Cote, a lawyer and military veteran; Mark Dion, a state lawmaker and former sheriff; Diane Russell, a former state lawmaker; and former Biddeford Mayor Donna Dion.

Maine's 2nd Congresstional District is also up for grabs. Three Democrats are duking it out to unseat two-term incumbent Rep. Bruce Poliquin, a Republican. While the district has traditionally gone for Democrats and President Barack Obama carried it in 2004 and 2008, Poliquin won the seat in 2014 and President Donald Trump won its support in 2016.

Voters will decide between Assistant Maine House Majority Leader Jared Golden of Lewiston, Hampden conservationist Lucas St. Clair or Islesboro bookseller and former selectman Craig Olson.



Independent Sen. Angus King is also facing re-election and has challengers in both the Democratic and Republican parties, though hes expected to win the general.



To find the polling location in your community click here.



Polls open between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Election Day, depending on location. All polls close at 8 p.m.

Clasping hands and forecasting future peace, President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un committed Tuesday to "work toward complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula during the first meeting in history between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader. Yet as Trump hailed the summit's results, he faced mounting questions about whether he got too little and gave away too much  including an agreement to halt U.S. military exercises with treaty ally South Korea.

Meeting with staged ceremony on a Singapore island, Trump and Kim came together for a summit that seemed unthinkable months ago when the two nations traded nuclear threats. The gathering of the two unpredictable leaders marked a striking gamble by the American president to grant Kim long-sought recognition on the world stage in hopes of ending the North's nuclear program.

Both leaders expressed optimism throughout roughly five hours of talks, with Trump thanking Kim afterward "for taking the first bold step toward a bright new future for his people." Kim, for his part, said the leaders had "decided to leave the past behind" and promised: "The world will see a major change."

Light on specifics, the document signed by the two leaders largely amounted to an agreement to continue discussions, as it echoed previous public statements and past commitments. It did not include an agreement to take steps toward ending the technical state of warfare between the U.S. and North Korea.

Trump, holding forth at a free-flowing news conference after Kim departed, said the North Korean leader had before him "an opportunity like no other" to bring his country back into the community of nations if he follows through on pledges to give up his nuclear program, though he also acknowledged that the deal hasn't yet been sealed: "If you don't get the ball over the goal line, it doesn't mean enough."

Trump announced that he would be freezing U.S. military "war games" with its ally South Korea while negotiations between the two countries continue. He cast the decision as a cost-saving measure, but North Korea has long objected to the drills as a security threat.

Both the South Korean military and U.S. Forces Korea indicated they had no advance knowledge of changes to military exercises.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said it would first need to figure out the "exact meaning and intent" of such comments, echoing a stance taken by the presidential office. It had in recent weeks that there were no immediate plans between Washington and Seoul to modify the annual drills despite Pyongyang's anger toward them.

A spokesman for U.S. Forces Korea said it "has received no updated guidance on execution or cessation of training exercises."

Later, a Pentagon spokeswoman said the Department of Defense welcomed the "positive news" from the summit.

"Secretary Mattis is fully aligned with the President and will continue to provide him with options to achieve his stated objective: the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," the statement said.



Trump acknowledged that the timetable for denuclearization is long, but said, "once you start the process it means it's pretty much over."

The president acknowledged that U.S. intelligence on the North Korean nuclear stockpile is limited, "probably less there than any other country," he said. "But we have enough intelligence to know that what they have is very substantial."

Trump brushed off questions about his public praise for an autocrat whose people have been oppressed for decades. He added that Otto Warmbier, an American once detained in North Korea, "did not die in vain" because his death brought about the nuclear talks.

And he said Kim has accepted an invitation to visit the White House  at the "appropriate" time.

The two leaders promised in their joint document to "build a lasting and stable peace regime" on the Korean Peninsula and to repatriate remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action from the Korean War.

Language on North Korea's bombs was similar to what the leaders of North and South Korea came up with at their own summit in April. At the time, the Koreans faced criticism for essentially kicking the issue of North Korea's nuclear arsenal down the road to Tuesday's Trump-Kim summit. Trump and Kim even directly referenced the so-called Panmunjom Declaration, which contained a weak commitment to denuclearization and no specifics on how to achieve it.

The formal document-signing followed a series of meetings at a luxury Singapore resort.

After the signing, Trump said he expected to "meet many times" in the future with Kim and, in response to questions, said he "absolutely" would invite Kim to the White House. For his part, Kim hailed the "historic meeting" and said they "decided to leave the past behind."

In a moment that would never happen in North Korea, reporters began yelling questions to Trump and Kim after they signed the document, including whether they had discussed the case of Warmbier, the American college student who suffered brain damage while in North Korean custody and died in June 2017, days after he was returned home to Ohio.

In the run-up to the meeting, Trump had predicted the two men might strike a nuclear deal or forge a formal end to the Korean War in the course of a single meeting or over several days. But in the hours before the summit, the White House unexpectedly announced Trump would depart Singapore earlier than expected  Tuesday evening  raising questions about whether his aspirations for an ambitious outcome had been scaled back.

Aware that the eyes of the world were on a moment many people never expected to see, Kim said many of those watching would think it was a scene from a "science fiction movie."

After meeting privately and then with aides, Trump and Kim moved into a luncheon at a long flower-bedecked table. As they entered, Trump injected some levity to the day's extraordinary events, saying: "Getting a good picture everybody? So we look nice and handsome and thin? Perfect."

Then they dined on beef short rib confit along with sweet and sour crispy pork.

And as they emerged from the meal for a brief stroll together, Trump appeared to delight in showing his North Korean counterpart the interior of "The Beast," the famed U.S. presidential limousine known for its high-tech fortifications.

Critics of the summit leapt at the leaders' handshake and the moonlight stroll Kim took Monday night along the glittering Singapore waterfront, saying it was further evidence that Trump was helping legitimize Kim on the world stage. Kim has been accused of horrific rights abuses against his people.

"It's a huge win for Kim Jong Un, who now  if nothing else  has the prestige and propaganda coup of meeting one on one with the president, while armed with a nuclear deterrent," said Michael Kovrig, a northeast Asia specialist at the International Crisis Group in Washington.

Trump responded to such commentary on Twitter, saying: "The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the U.S., say the haters & losers." But he added "our hostages" are back home and testing, research and launches have stopped.

Giving voice to the anticipation felt around the world as the meeting opened, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday he "hardly slept" before the summit. Moon and other officials watched the live broadcast of the summit before a South Korean Cabinet meeting in his presidential office

The summit capped a dizzying few days of foreign policy activity for Trump, who shocked U.S. allies over the weekend by using a meeting in Canada of the Group of Seven industrialized economies to alienate America's closest friends in the West. Lashing out over trade practices, Trump lobbed insults at his G-7 host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trump left that summit early and, as he flew to Singapore, tweeted that he was yanking the U.S. out of the group's traditional closing statement.

The optimistic summit was a remarkable change in dynamics from less than a year ago, when Trump was threatening "fire and fury" against Kim, who in turn scorned the American president as a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard." Beyond the impact on both leaders' political fortunes, the summit could shape the fate of countless people  the citizens of impoverished North Korea, the tens of millions living in the shadow of the North's nuclear threat, and millions more worldwide.

Alluding to the North's concerns that giving up its nuclear weapons could surrender its primary deterrent to forced regime change, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters that the U.S. was prepared to take action to provide North Korea with "sufficient certainty" that denuclearization "is not something that ends badly for them."

He would not say whether that included the possibility of withdrawing U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula, but said the U.S. was "prepared to take what will be security assurances that are different, unique, than America's been willing to provide previously."

The North has faced crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions as it has advanced development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Pompeo held firm to Trump's position that sanctions will remain in place until North Korea denuclearizes  and said they would even increase if diplomatic discussions did not progress positively.General Medical Council investigation found GP failed to diagnose deep vein thrombosis

A WELL-known Newbury GP has received an official warning from the medical regulator following the death of a patient.

Dr Graham Stiff was investigated by the General Medical Council (GMC) after one of his patients died from a pulmonary embolism, secondary to an undiagnosed deep vein thrombosis in her left calf.

The GMCs findings state: Dr Stiff had consulted with the patient on several occasions... when her family had repeatedly raised their concern that the patient had a deep vein thrombosis.

Dr Stiff not only failed to adequately assess her swollen ankle, but he did not refer her for further investigation of deep vein thrombosis, and he conducted an ultrasound scan of her leg, despite the fact that he had failed to maintain a record of any continuing professional development in ultrasonography, since 2002.

The findings conclude: This conduct does not meet with the standards required of a doctor.

It risks bringing the profession into disrepute and it must not be repeated.

Whilst these failings in themselves are not so serious as to require any restriction on Dr Stiff's registration, it is necessary in response to issue this formal warning.

The ruling concerns the death of the patient in 2015 and the sanction will now remain on Dr Stiffs record until March, 2019.

The GMC states: Our procedures allow us to issue a warning where we consider it appropriate to register concerns regarding a doctors behaviour or performance, in order to uphold the standards of, and public confidence in, the medical profession.

A warning is one of the lower sanctions  the highest being the striking of a GP from the medical register, barring them from practice.

Dr Stiff works from the Strawberry Hill Medical Centre in Newbury and was one of the medical heroes following the Ufton Nervet rail disaster in 2004 in which seven people died.

He is also well-known for his voluntary work with the local British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS) charity, where he is a trustee.

Strawberry Hill Medical Centre said in a statement: "The circumstances surrounding the case were complex but we cannot comment on them further, though they have been extensively discussed within the partnership and outside in order to try to avoid similar issues occurring in the future.

"Having been this patients general practitioner for many years, Dr Stiff is sorry for and fully understands the distress that this patients death will have caused her family."New research will focus on finding better treatments for minority children with high-risk cancer malignancies -; a group whose outcomes and survival rates are worse than other pediatric patients.

The multi-institutional project, led by University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, will include clinical sequencing of a multi-ethnic cohort of pediatric cancer patients from Ann Arbor, Detroit and Flint. The research will focus on further understanding cancer biology in minority children as well as other factors -; including socioeconomic background and access to care -; which may contribute to disparities in outcomes.

The Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation recently awarded a $592,100 grant for the project, which is a collaboration between Mott and Children's Hospital of Michigan along with support from the Chad Carr Pediatric Brain Tumor Center and Michigan Medicine.

"We have seen tremendous improvement in outcomes of children with cancer, but survival for those with recurrent or metastatic disease remains dismal -; and outcomes are even worse for minority children," says lead researcher and Mott pediatric oncologist Rajen Mody, M.D.

"This research will provide critical insights into the tumor biology of minority children, which will be key to developing innovative therapies. We will also be identifying barriers that prevent minority and underprivileged patients in Detroit and Flint from accessing cutting-edge technology in the cancer field."

Researchers plan to study tumor DNA and RNA along with normal DNA in a diverse population of child and adolescent cancer patients with relapsed or resistant rare tumors. The cohort will comprise 40 percent African-American patients, 10 percent Middle Eastern and 50 percent Caucasian. Patients are being treated in a variety of health care settings, including urban academic (Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit), suburban academic (U-M) and an urban community center (Hurley Medical Center in Flint).

"We will be comparing the biological differences between malignant tumors of majority and minority populations in order to better understand the disparities in outcomes," Mody says.

'All of the potential causes'

Gene sequencing has shown promise in improving understanding of why certain cancers spread and resist treatment. Researchers will analyze patients' tumor DNA/RNA as well as normal DNA to determine personalized cancer drivers, potential novel treatment options, reasons for treatment resistance and metastasis, and individual drug metabolism.

To identify new drug targets, researchers will also study patients' tumor immune composition to predict responses to immunotherapy.

Over the past several decades, overall five-year pediatric cancer survival rates have increased significantly (from 63 percent between 1975 and 1979 to 79 percent between 1995 and 1999). But current data show Hispanic and black children and adolescents have poorer five-year survival rates than their white peers (73-74 percent versus 81 percent).

"We need to look at all of the potential causes of disparities that lead to one group of pediatric patients faring worse than other children," Mody says. "Studying genetic differences that may contribute to outcomes, along with other factors including socioeconomic status and delays in diagnosis, will lay the groundwork for tailoring better treatments for this population.Of all the groups that try to quit smoking, it seems hardest for those who suffer from anxiety and depression. The health effects are jarring: People with mental illness or substance use disorders die about five years earlier than those without these disorders and many of those deaths are caused by smoking cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's why University of Houston psychology doctoral student Brooke Kauffman is targeting that group, creating personalized feedback to help them quit smoking. She's assisted in her efforts by $104,064 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

To address smoking among those who suffer anxiety and depression, Kauffman is examining distress tolerance, the skills needed to help tolerate physical and psychological distress. Although there has been progress in targeting distress tolerance to decrease risk for emotional disorders and facilitate success in quitting smoking, no targeted efforts have focused on addressing distress tolerance in earlier phases of the quit process like in the motivation period or in the phase of pre-cessation (thinking about and preparing for quitting).

So Kauffman will do just that, offering services to patients at the university's Anxiety and Health Research Lab/Substance Use Treatment Clinic.

"We are not targeting treatment seeking people. These patients may not even be thinking of quitting, but we will ask them while they're here for psychological services if they would like to participate in the study," said Kaufman. There is room for 130 patients in the study and individualized, interactive online feedback will await each one.

Depending on what they answer, they will be led to different areas of the survey. For instance, when asked how many cigarettes they smoke each day, their results will be compared to how many cigarettes are smoked by others in the United States or in Texas to compare their habits. This way they get feedback of where they stand relative to other smokers. Interestingly, most people are surprised by their results.

"They also get to enter guesses as to how much others smoke compared to themselves. Typically they think people smoke a lot more than they smoke and when they see that others smoke less, it provides normative feedback that can really open their eyes," said Kauffman who compares the process to reviewing your electric bill.

"When you review your usage on your bill you are often surprised how much electricity you may be using comparative to others and you may try to reduce your electric usage and your bill," she said.

Kauffman believes her study will be increase motivation, confidence and intention to quit while reducing perceived barriers.

"Regarding withdrawal symptoms, we will work with patients to withstand those symptoms and to learn to cope with distress through other means besides smoking," she said. Once thought to be a coping mechanism, smoking can actually increase anxiety.

"When you're going through withdrawal, even for periods between cigarettes, the symptoms can mimic those of anxiety including a racing heart and shortness of breath," said Kauffman.

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disability in the United States (US), contributing approximately 480,000 premature deaths annually.The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified that Paraguay has eliminated malaria, being the first country in the Americas to have done so since Cuba was given this status in 1973.

Macro of mosquito (Aedes aegypti) sucking blood close up on the human skin. Mosquito is carrier of Malaria. Image Credit: PongMoji / Shuttterstock

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General said in a recorded statement, It gives me great pleasure today to certify that Paraguay is officially free of malaria Success stories like Paraguays show what is possible. If malaria can be eliminated in one country, it can be eliminated in all countries.

In 2016, Paraguay was identified by the WHO as one of the 21 nations that had the capability to eliminate malaria by the year 2020. The E-2020 initiative by the WHO was supporting these 21 nations to work towards activities that could help them become malaria free. Some of the countries on this list include Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Belize, Suriname and Mexico.

Dr Carissa F Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), WHO regional office for the Americas said in her statement, I take pride in saying that PAHO has accompanied Paraguay in the crusade of malaria elimination since the beginningThis is a powerful reminder for the region of what can be achieved when countries are focused on an important goal, and remain vigilant after achieving that goal. We are hopeful that other countries will soon join Paraguay in eliminating malaria.

Paraguay is malaria-free, message from WHO Director-General Play

For this feat, Paraguay has a systematic program in place from 1950 to 2011. Malaria was a significant public health challenge in this country with over 80,000 cases being reported a year in the 1940s. Because of the consolidated efforts to curb the mosquito population as well as efforts to prevent spread and recurrence of the disease, the last registered case of Plasmodium falciparum malaria was seen in 1995 and the last registered case of Plasmodium vivax malaria was seen in 2011.

Thereafter a five year place from 2011 was in place to ensure that there were no new cases and the consolidation of the success was maintained. Community education, awareness, vector (mosquito) control, prevention of transmission along with efficient diagnosis and early treatment were emphasized upon. Finally the country could reach a status where malaria is eliminated.

Dr Carlos Ignacio Morinigo, Minister of Health of Paraguay said in a statement, Receiving this certification is a recognition of more than five decades of hard work in Paraguay, both on the part of public sector workers, as well as the community itself, who have collaborated time and time again in order to achieve the elimination of malaria. Reaching this goal also implies that we must now face the challenge of maintaining it. Therefore, Paraguay has put in place a solid surveillance and response system in order to prevent the re-establishment of malaria, the Minister added.

The Ministry of Health in 2016 had launched a 3 year program to improve the first line health workers. This was funded by The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This provided the necessary boost to eliminate malaria. Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund said, Paraguays success demonstrates the importance of investing in robust, sustainable systems for health, and Im very pleased that the Global Fund supported this achievement. We need to remain vigilant and prevent resurgence, but we also need to celebrate this victory.

The final declaration came after the independent Malaria Elimination Certification Panel met in April 2018 and recommended the WHO Director-General certify the country malaria-free. According to the WHO, countries such as Argentina, Algeria and Uzbekistan are next in line to be declared malaria free later in 2018.As the result of a six-year long research process, Fredrick R. Schumacher, PhD, a cancer epidemiology researcher at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and an international team of more than 100 colleagues have identified 63 new genetic variations that could indicate higher risk of prostate cancer in men of European descent. The findings, published in a research letter in Nature Genetics, contain significant implications for which men may need to be regularly screened because of higher genetic risk of prostate cancer. The new findings also represent the largest increase in genetic markers for prostate cancer since they were first identified in 2006.

The changes, known as genetic markers or SNPs ("snips"), occur when a single base in the DNA differs from the usual base at that position. There are four types of bases: adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine (C). The order of these bases determines DNA's instructions, or genetic code. They can serve as a flag to physicians that a person may be at higher risk for a certain disease. Previously, about 100 SNPs were associated with increased risk of prostate cancer. There are three billion base pairs in the human genome; of these, 163 have now been associated with prostate cancer.

One in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetimes.

"Our findings will allow us to identify which men should have early and regular PSA screenings and these findings may eventually inform treatment decisions," said Schumacher. PSA is a blood test used to screen for prostate cancer. It measures the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood. PSA is a protein produced by both cancerous and noncancerous tissue in the prostate.

Adding the 63 new SNPs to the 100 that are already known allows for the creation of a genetic risk score for prostate cancer. In the new study, the researchers found that men in the top one percent of the genetic risk score had a six-fold risk-increase of prostate cancer compared to men with an average genetic risk score. Those who had the fewest number of these SNPs, or a low genetic risk score, had the lowest likelihood of having prostate cancer.

In a meta-analysis that combined both previous and new research data, Schumacher, with colleagues from Europe and Australia, examined DNA sequences of about 80,000 men with prostate cancer and about 60,000 men who didn't have the disease. They found that men with cancer had a higher frequency of 63 different SNPs (also known as single nucleotide polymorphisms) that men without the disease did not have. Additionally, the more of these SNPs that a man has, the more likely he is to develop prostate cancer.

The researchers estimate that there are about 500-1,000 genetic variants possibly linked to prostate cancer, not all of which have yet been identified. "We probably only need to know ten percent to twenty percent of these to provide relevant screening guidelines," continued Schumacher, who is an associate professor in the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at CWRU.

Currently, researchers don't know which of the SNPs are the most predictive of increased prostate cancer risk. Schumacher and a number of colleagues are working to rank those most likely to be linked with prostate cancer, especially with aggressive forms of the disease that require surgery, as opposed to slowly developing versions that call for "watchful waiting" and monitoring.

The research lays a foundation for determining who and how often men should undergo PSA tests. "In the future, your genetic risk score may be highly indicative of your prostate cancer risk, which will determine the intensity of PSA screening," said Schumacher. "We will be working to determine that precise genetic risk score range that would trigger testing. Additionally, if you have a low score, you may need screening less frequently such as every 2-5 years." A further implication of the findings of the new study is the possibility of precise treatments that do not involve surgery. "Someday it may be feasible to target treatments based on a patient's prostate cancer genetic risk score," said Schumacher.

In addition to the work in the new study, which as noted, targets men of European background, there are parallel efforts underway looking at genetic signals of prostate cancer in men of African American and Asian descent.

Source: http://casemed.case.edu/cwrumed360/news-releases/release.cfm?news_id=1297&news_category=8Atherosclerosis, the pathological narrowing of blood vessels, is the underlying cause for the majority of strokes and heart attacks, the major causes of mortality worldwide according to the WHO. For the development of atherosclerosis, a special type of white blood cells called B2 lymphocytes have been suggested to play a crucial role. For their survival, they need the molecule BAFF. It has been shown, that deletion or blockade of the BAFF receptors at the surface of B2 lymphocytes reduces the development of atherosclerosis in mice. Hence, a similar effect was expected when BAFF is directly targeted.

With highly specific antibodies, BAFF can be bound and neutralized. Those antibodies where tested for their effects on the development of atherosclerosis in mice by scientists from CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Medical University of Vienna in collaboration with the University of Cambridge. The results were surprising: instead of reducing atherosclerotic lesion formation in the arteries of the tested mice, the antibody treatment lead to an increased plaque size. The findings were published in Circulation (DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.117.032790).

"We were able to show that B2 lymphocytes were efficiently depleted upon anti-BAFF antibody treatment", senior author of the study Christoph Binder, CeMM Principal Investigator and Professor for Atherosclerosis Research at the Medical University of Vienna, describes the results of the study. "Surprisingly, the plaque size increased, indicating a hitherto unknown role of the BAFF molecule in atherosclerosis. However, in further experiments, we were able to explain these findings."

The researchers found BAFF to have anti-inflammatory properties, which has a positive effect on plaque size and atherosclerosis risk. The newly discovered mechanism is triggered by an alternative BAFF receptor (TACI) on the surface of macrophages, another type of immune cells. It was shown that these cells induce an anti-inflammatory process. This finding may provide important implications for atherosclerosis research and prevention: For example, mutations in the gene for TACI may confer an increased cardiovascular risk.

Source: https://cemm.at/Mothers who 'connect' with their baby during pregnancy are more likely to interact in a more positive way with their infant after it is born, according to a study carried out at the University of Cambridge. Interaction is important for helping infants learn and develop.

Researchers at the Centre for Family Research carried out a meta-analysis, reviewing all published studies in the field, in an attempt to demonstrate conclusively whether there was a link with the way parents think about their child during pregnancy and their behavior towards them postnatally.

The results of their work, which draws data from 14 studies involving 1,862 mothers and fathers, are published in the journal Developmental Review.

Studies included in the meta-analysis examined parents' thoughts and feelings about their child during pregnancy through interviews and questionnaires. For example, in interviews expectant parents were considered to have a 'balanced' representation of their child if they showed positive anticipation of their relationship with the child or showed 'mind-mindedness' - a propensity to see their child as an individual, with its own thoughts and feelings. This was contrasted by parents who had a 'distorted' representation of their child, with a narrow, idealized description of their child, and incomplete or inconsistent descriptions of them.

Once the child had been born, researchers in these studies would observe the interactions between parent and child. One measure they were looking for was 'sensitivity' - the ability to notice, interpret and respond in a timely and appropriate manner to children's signals, for example if the baby was upset.

Combining the results from all 14 studies, the Cambridge team showed a modest association between positive thoughts and feelings about the infant during pregnancy and later interaction with the infant, but only in mothers.

"Studies have shown that parent-child interaction is crucial for a child's development and learning, so we wanted to understand if there were prenatal signs that might predict a parent's behavior," says Dr Sarah Foley, the study's first author, who carried out the research as part of her PhD.

"Although we found a relationship between a mother's attitude towards her baby during pregnancy and her later interactions, this link was only modest. This suggests it is likely to be a part of the jigsaw, rather than the whole story."

Research has also shown that increased awareness of the baby during pregnancy is associated with healthy behaviors during pregnancy, such as giving up smoking or attending antenatal appointments.

While more work is needed to determine what form such interventions might take, options might include the midwife encouraging the mother to think about what her baby may be like, or asking the mother to imagine activities they think she and her baby might like to do together.

"This is a relatively new area of research, but could have important implications for children's development," adds Dr Foley. "We need more research in this area, but hope it will inform new interventions that could help new mothers engage more with their children."

Dr Foley says there may be a number of factors that contribute to low levels of attachment with the baby during pregnancy. These include: previous experience of miscarriage, depression or anxiety, a mother's relationship with her own parents, or cultures in which focusing on the baby is considered inappropriate. However, she says, the paucity of evidence means it is difficult to determine which of these factors would impact on prenatal thoughts about the infant, which might in turn influence the quality of later interaction with the infant.

The study was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.

Researcher Profile: Dr Sarah Foley

"Working with children throws up lots of unexpected and fun moments," says Dr Sarah Foley. "One day you're being splashed whilst standing on a toilet-seat filming bath-times, the next you're catching YouTube-worthy vomiting action shots and being used as a climbing frame by one child to ensure you can film another!"

Sarah has just completed an ESRC-funded PhD at the Centre for Family Research, working with Professor Claire Hughes. She has spent several years at Cambridge now, having completed her undergraduate degree in Social and Political Sciences at St Catharine's College. The Centre, she says, "is an incredibly stimulating academic environment with immense support and lively discussions over cake on a Friday morning!"

Her doctoral research looked at expectant mothers' and fathers' thoughts and feelings in the last trimester of pregnancy as predictors of their adjustment to parenthood and subsequent parenting over the first two years of life. "Despite an increase in fathers' involvement in childcare, the majority of research remains focused on mothers," she says.

Her current research involves, in part, looking at parents' expectations of their roles and division of childcare, and the consequences when these expectations are not met. This is timely in light of recent changes to parental leave in the UK and societal shifts in notions of the involved father, she says.

Sarah's research is part of the ERSC-funded New Fathers and Mothers Study, a longitudinal study of 200 first time parents from Cambridge, and 200 from the Netherlands and New York.

"The children in the study are turning three this year and we're busy seeing how they are getting on at nursery," she explains. "This typically involves me getting down on the floor and testing the children's social understanding and thinking skills through a variety of fun tasks."

She hopes that her research will lead to changes in antenatal education and early parent support that promote discussion of parents' thoughts and feelings about parenthood and their future infant. In November 2017, as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science, she ran a free ante-natal class for new parents that discussed the realities of parenthood, the importance of self-care and simple parenting tips rather than simply focusing on birth plans.

"The journey through parenthood is filled with joy, but also elements of confusion, and sometimes pain. Crucially, parents should not feel alone and I hope that through greater dissemination of my research findings, through classes or perhaps a book or an app, we can support new parents and encourage more 'honest conversations' about parenthood."Scientists from The Australian National University (ANU) have designed tiny optical sensors that open the door to developing a wearable device that allows doctors to medically diagnose peoples health in real time.

Associate Professor Antonio Tricoli said the sensors, which are 50 times thinner than a human hair, promised to one day help doctors detect diseases such as diabetes much earlier than is possible today, and better manage a range of chronic diseases.

These ultra-small sensors could be integrated into a watch to literally provide a window on our health, said Dr Tricoli, leader of the Nanotechnology Research Laboratory at the ANU Research School of Engineering.

This exciting invention shows that we are on the cusp of designing the next generation of wearable devices that will help people to stay well for longer and lead better lives."

Dr Tricoli said the sensors could measure very small concentrations of gases coming through your skin and breath called metabolites, allowing doctors to keep track of peoples health in real time.

You could simply use a pulse of light to track these biomarkers of disease  thered be no need for batteries, wires or large and expensive lab equipment, he said.

A wearable medical diagnostic device using our optical sensors may one day eliminate the need for blood tests and many other invasive procedures.

Zelio Fusco, a PhD scholar in Dr Tricolis lab, said the new sensors had advantages over other types being developed for wearable medical devices because they could detect metabolites in much smaller concentrations and operate at room temperature.

The beauty of our sensors is that they are super versatile and can be integrated into different technologies for applications ranging from medical diagnosis, farming and space exploration, said Mr Fusco.

Our sensors could be developed to detect whether a plant has a particular disease or a fruit is ripe, for example.

Co-researcher Dr Mohsen Rahmani said the sensors combined very small gold nanostructures with semiconductors in a way that created unique properties to enable the detection of gas molecules at very low concentrations.

As the sensors are ultra-small and ultra-light, they could potentially be fitted to micro-satellites or tiny spacecraft that could help in the hunt for life on distant planets, by telling us if there are trace organic molecules of living organisms on distant planets, said Dr Rahmani, an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Research Fellow at the ANU Research School of Physics and Engineering.

New sensors open door to wearable medical diagnostic device Play

New sensors open door to wearable medical diagnostic deviceWaymo might not mean much to consumers in Europe at the moment, but it might not be too long until it becomes almost as familiar as the likes of Uber on that side of the Atlantic. The autonomous driving arm of Alphabet is now looking beyond its American base to expand into Europe to potentially offer some type of driverless mobility service in cooperation with a local partner.

Company CEO John Krafcik, said at the annual Automotive News Europe Congress in Turin that it was possible Waymo might have to adopt a "very different approach" in Europe. And to better understand some of key differences the company will have to consider in areas such as regulatory and policy environments, Waymo has been spending a lot more time in Europe of late.

Krafcik told the audience: "There's an opportunity for us at Waymo to experiment here in Europe, with different product forms, with different products and maybe even with different go-to-market strategies. For the first time, we brought Waymo technology to Europe and demonstrated true Level 4, no-humans-in-the-front-row, fully autonomous, no-safety-net driving right here in Italy."

Although Waymo will shortly be operating mobility services under its own branding in Phoenix, Arizona and the San Francisco Bay area, the company believes it will be better for it to seek out a partner to help establish its services in European markets.

"It's probably fair to say that the Waymo brand wouldn't be as strong as some other existing incumbent brands that are already strong in Europe, so that's one potentially different go to market approach," said Krafcik.

The company already has strategic partnerships in Europe with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Jaguar Land Rover. At the moment FCA provides Waymo with Pacifica minivans and the company has a contract to embed its software in the new fully electric Jaguar i-Pace.

Waymo's focus is on ride-sharing, with the eventual goal of consumers around the world being able to order up a vehicle to take them to their destination in a very similar way to how millions use Uber at the moment. The difference is Waymo vehicles will be autonomous and come without a driver, and the CEO recently confirmed the company has already completed seven million miles of fully autonomous driving logged on public roads.New Delhi: After finding no takers for a stake sale in national carrier Air India, the Centre is set to come up with new guidelines in an attempt to find potential investors.

According to a report by Bloomberg, Prime Minister Narendra Modis administration is ready to re-examine its privatisation process, including the clause requiring a minority state stake in Air India Ltd., said Subhash Chandra Garg, a senior official in the Ministry of Finance.

The government is considering various options and doesnt intend to insist on keeping 24 per cent of the company, he said.

A certain kind of strategy was offered that didnt find many takers, and therefore, something different will have to be done, economic affairs Secretary Garg said in an interview to Bloomberg in New Delhi on Monday.

Theres no fixed objective that government should have 24 percent. It can be re-examined.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation received close to 160 queries from potential buyers of Air India. However, none of them translated into an Expression of Interest (EoI) for the 'Maharaja'.

The reasons were multiple, majorly being that the airline could not be pulled out of the debt gut despite its diversified air-coverage network and long-term loyal employee strength.

Potential bidders were further put off by the Centres decision to retain 24 per cent stake in the company, thus creating confusion over employee retention and hiring policy.

Experts also point to the requirement for buyers to retain the Air India brand for a specified period going against the governments virtual marketing strategy.

Multiple news reports are suggesting that higher costs are resulting in a crunch wherein the domestic carrier has delayed salary payments and is raising tariffs to make ends meet.

Needless to say, higher tariffs will hit load factors or capacity utilisation. In such a backdrop, the last thing on anyones mind would be to make a large acquisition.

Crude oil prices have risen 14% in the last two months, taking the total price increase in the past year to around 50%. With no signs of a correction anytime soon, airline stocks have fallen.

Shares of Jet Airways (India) Ltd, the closest comparable for Air India, have halved this year and have fallen by about a third since the government invited EoIs for Air India. Last year, fuel accounted for 29% of total cost for Jet Airways, a full-service airline and 39% of total costs for IndiGo, a low-cost airline.

Experts estimate that the asset is being valued at over 10 times earnings on an EV/EBITDAR basis, even without ascribing any equity value. This was when other airlines were valued at 7-8 times their FY-17 earnings.

EBITDAR stands for earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and lease rentals. EV, or enterprise value, includes the present value of future rentals, using a capitalization factor of seven times FY-17 rentals.The world watched with bated breath as US President Donald Trump signed a 'mysterious document' with the North Korean Prime Minister Kim Jong Un at the historic US-North Korea summit in Singapore.

However, CNN's senior reporter Jim Acosta had his own plans.

As Trump and Kim walked along the promenade at Singapore's Capella Hotel after leaving the room where they had their 35-minute private meeting, Acosta and other journalists who had been waiting for them jumped the gun with his questions.

First the CNN journalist asked Trump how things were going so far to which Trump replied saying, "very good. Very good."

Then Acosta, along with one other journalist, posed the following question to Kim, "Will you give up your nuclear weapons, sir?"

Trump and Kim had already begun walking away and the queries went unanswered.

CNN's Jim Acosta interrupts a historic signing ceremony with North Korea, shouts questions at President Trump. #TrumpKimSummit pic.twitter.com/6SJPOFvcto  Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) June 12, 2018

While the split- second awkwardness that spilled on Trump's face in that moment is truly priceless, Americans on Twitter are very angry with Acosta's move.

Some called Acosta's behavior as an 'attention-seeking'' gimmick. Becket Adams of the Washington Examiner called him the most annoying person in the White House press corps. Here's a look at some of the other reactions of people on Twitter:

Jim Acostas behavior is a perfect example of the loud, obnoxious American all cultural sensitivity trainings teach us to avoid! What an embarrassment!@realDonaldTrump  Mare Canare (@MareCanare1) June 12, 2018

He will soon be on suicide watch  I am (@Truthissimply) June 12, 2018

Welcome to the Trumps presidency. Where everything you heard from news media saying he can't do this or won't do that is being shown to be false. Haters gonna hate, and most of them just lie. And will somebody get a hold of little Jim Acosta? Hes acting like an entitled child  Gordon Bombay (@GordonBBombay) June 12, 2018

Ya was that his annoying voice rudely interrupting a very historical moment that should have been silent?  Ellie (@Hm56090688) June 12, 2018

@Acosta a petulant child disguised as a journalist  Deplorable Lauren (@LlovesWings) June 12, 2018

Annoying Acosta.. like a toddler asking are we there yet a million times ..  Maye  (@EyamCC147) June 12, 2018

@Acosta you imbecile. Put your god damned ego aside for 2 minutes and spare us all.  Baltic Herring (@baltic_herring) June 12, 2018The world may have been following Trump and King Jong-Uns meeting with close scrutiny and theorizing  but Google Analytics reveal that many are just trying to improve their Geography lessons.

Where is Singapore is a search term that spiked in the last 24 hours after US President Donald Trump visited Singapore for an exclusive summit with reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

The spike may be normal if one would assume people want to find out more about the Summit, like where it is held.

Some are even interested in the height of the leaders. The bizarre questions include-- "How tall is Trump?" "How tall is the President of North Korea?"

A few more related search terms that pop-up when you Google the above questions hint that people are less interested in the outcome of the summit - and more interested in knowing about other things.

And while locating where the summit is held may seem like a fair question  some even have questions like-- Is Singapore its own country? Uh oh!

This, while people on Twitter are speculating on the outcomes:

Do you think this would be happening if Hillary had won? Not a chance. Finally we have a President who keeps his word and acts on it. Historic moment.#TrumpKimSummit  pic.twitter.com/hTPS8IJ163  Josh Gremillion (@joshgremillion) June 12, 2018

Two mentally unstable pathological liars have signed a joint statement that neither of them has any intention of honoring. Take note of the political reporters who are praising this bullshit, and never listen to them again. #TrumpKimSummit Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) June 12, 2018

Well, it's official. Trump gave it up to Kim Jong Un for a promise ring from a vending machine. North Korea will maintain its nuke program. Zero improvements to human rights. Only thing accomplished was to grant prestige to a hostile autocratic regime. What a joke #TrumpKimSummit Aiden Wolfe (@AidenWolfe) June 12, 2018

Google Search tells us how their informed opinions may not be all that informed.New Delhi: The government on Tuesday welcomed the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a "positive development" and hoped that any resolution on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula will address its concerns over Pyongyang's nuclear proliferation linkages.

Soon after Trump and Kim signed a "comprehensive" document promising to end seven decades of hostilities between the two countries, the External Affairs Ministry said India supports all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy.

"We also hope that the resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue will take into account and address our concerns about proliferation linkages extending to India's neighbourhood," it said in a statement, in an apparent reference to North Korea's alleged nuclear proliferation linkages with Pakistan.

India has been pressing for a probe into Kim regime's proliferation linkages so that those responsible for it be held accountable.

Following their summit in Singapore, Trump and Kim pledged to denuclearise the Korean peninsula and work for finding a peaceful resolution to seven decades of hostilities between the two countries.

"India welcomes the US - DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) Summit held in Singapore. This is a positive development. India has always supported all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy," the External Affairs Ministry said.

After the talks, the US president said that the process of denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula will begin "very soon" and the North Korean leader promised to leave the past behind.

"We hope that the outcomes of the US-DPRK Summit will be implemented, thus paving the way for lasting peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula," the ministry said.

Trump said, "We signed a joint statement that is an unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of North Korea."

According to some media reports, Pakistan had secretly supplied North Korea with nuclear enrichment technology when A Q Khan headed the country's nuclear program.

They said Pakistan supplied vital machinery, drawings and technical advice to North Korea, allowing Pyongyang to enrich uranium as early as 2002.

In April, Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in had held a historic summit to bring lasting peace in the Korean Peninsula.Kolkata: More than 700 people, including elected representatives of the Bengal panchayat and their family members, have reportedly fled to the neighbouring Jharkhand fearing for their lives after allegedly being threatened by the ruling Trinamool Congress.

Some BJP workers who took shelter in Bundu and Bokaro in Jharkhand have returned while a significant number of them are unable to muster the courage to return journey in the wake of the looming threats and two BJP workers were found dead.

Some 713 Bengal BJP workers took shelter in Jharkhand fearing that they will be attacked or killed by TMC workers, said Deepak Prakash, general secretary of the Jharkhand unit of BJP.

I will not be able to reveal much about their whereabouts in Jharkhand due to security reasons. All of them are safe and are getting adequate attention, he added.

It was learnt that some of the elected panchayat representatives in Murshidabad, Burdwan, West Midnapore and Birbhum districts of Bengal have taken shelter in Sahibganj, Dumka and Pakur in Jharkhand.

Others, who won from Purulia and Bankura districts, were learnt to be staying with their relatives or BJP workers in Ranchi, Bokaro and Dhanbad.

Senior BJP leader and Ranchi MP, Ramtahal Choudhary told News18 that he had personally met some of these workers in Bundu area.

I have written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh and requested his intervention so that they could return to their respective districts safely, he said.

A BJP worker in Bundu, Kapil Mahato, said, There are a few who returned to Bengal some days ago but there are still many who are in Jharkhand. Most of them are from Balarampur and Bagmundi in Purulia district.

Several opposition parties, including BJP and CPI(M), alleged that Trinamool cadres had unleashed terror after the panchayat poll results revealed that the challengers had managed to win a significant number of seats in the bordering areas, especially in Jangalmahal.

Fearing death threats, they fled and took refuge in neighbouring states, Bengal BJP, general secretary, Sayantan Basu said, adding, It is unfortunate that the ruling party cadre are making a mockery of democracy by threatening the elected members of panchayat.

Recently, the Jangalmahal area in West Bengal witnessed large-scale tension after two BJP workers were found hanging in Purulia. While the district police called them suicides, the BJP alleged they were murdered by cadres of the ruling dispensation.Bhopal: Bhaiyyuji Maharaj aka Uday Singh Deshmukh, who hailed from Shujalpur in Madhya Pradesh, had sizable following in political fraternity in Maharashtra besides having several followers in MP politics as well.

Born in the year 1968 in a family of farmers at Shujalpur in Madhya Pradesh, Bhaiyyuji Maharaj himself counted former BJP president Nitin Gadkari, union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde, state ministers R R Patil, Anil Deshmukh, Harshavardhan Patil, former state Congress chief Ranjit Deshmukh, former union minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Maratha leader Vinayak Mete among his followers.

He was also said to be on good terms with top leaders from other parties, including LK Advani, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Praful Patel and others.

Many politicians have confessed that businessmen and politicians in Maharashtra often flock to him for advice on worldly and spiritual matters.

Besides his social endeavours, which were spread across Madhya Pradesh, the model-turned-godman had worked in Maharashtra to renovate temples, conserve water in villages and introduce modern methods of farming.

The stylish spiritual guru, who operated from a swanky ashram in Indore and moved around in Mercedes, rose to fame in 2011 when he was chosen by the central government to end stalemate with fasting anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare.

The spiritual guru had even helped in drafting of the Lokpal Bill with his suggestions that time.

Maharaj had claimed that he shared cordial relations with Anna for over a decade and had worked closely with his village Ralegaon Siddhi.

A month later he had also appeared at then Gujarat CM Narendra Modis Sadbhavna fast in Ahmedabad. He was even instrumental in securing Shiv Sena support for Pratibha Patils candidature as the President of India.

He even had close ties with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and former RSS ideologue Govindacharya.

In Maharashtra, he created 1,000 fresh water ponds, worked on soil conservation and distributed branded seeds to farmers, especially in debt-ridden Vidharbha.

Dubbed as the only 'Maratha guru' in Maharashtra, Bhaiyyujis success was often credited to his charming looks, impressive oratory skills and ability to read peoples minds.New Delhi: In success for Delhi government's project to curb dropout rate in schools, girls have outnumbered boys in both enrolment and results.

The Aam Aadmi Party government tied up with National Institute of Open Schooling for providing an opportunity to children to complete their school education.

In 2017, students who failed in class 9th or 10th met CM Arvind Kejriwal and Education minister Manish Sisodia requesting they should be given another chance to sit for exams. Many girls, who were part of the group, wanted an opportunity to escape being pushed into marriage and domestic work.

The scheme was aimed at those children who failed to clear class 9 examinations for two years and class 10 in the 2016-17 session. Total 8,244 students sat for the exams, and out of them 4,914 were girls, 3,330 were boys that appeared for the exam. Out of this number 2438 girls, which is 49% and 1110 boys, which is 33.33% cleared the exam. In the NIOS-Delhi government board exam conducted, 43% is the pass percentage.

The girls' participation is quite high in this alternative exam system. They have also got higher pass percentage. Speaking to News18, Atishi Marlena, former advisor to Education Minister Manish Sisodia, said, Girls are more committed than boys because the girls know if exams are not cleared the parents might just get them married off or force them to work at home  that are the only two options available for them.

Echoing Marlenas views is Iqra Khan, daughter of Shah Zaman, chicken meat seller in Lakshmi Nagar. Khan is busy with her class 11th admissions, she said, The Open Schooling exam saved me from a bleak future. In another scenario, I would have been made to learn silai, kadhai, (tailoring) or join a beautician in a parlour. But right now, I am busy with getting admissions in class 11. She scored 67%. She recalled the time she failed for the first time, It was difficult but my family supported me, and I got another opportunity. Now I can study, she said.

Zainab Fareen, who scored 66.8%, and is daughter of Alauddin, a labourer, said, I would have been made to sit at home and help family. I was weak in Science and Mathematics, now with the new arrangement I sat for Hindi, English and painting. I was quite focused this time, and stopped using the phone for amusement.

Taxi driver Devki Nandan Gupta is happy that his daughter Swati Gupta has scored good marks and can study further. Like a daily ritual, he used to daily take her to school from Arya Nagar to RK Puram. She is only in class 10th and I will let her decide for her life and education. I will work hard to educate her, I dont have to worry much about her marriage now, he said.

The students are now busy with seeking admissions in class 11th though some are unhappy with getting vocational stream  despite working hard". But the system works on the cut-off and marks decide the courses you can take. It has nothing to do with the board.

Now my daughter can study as much as she wants. I am not worried about her wedding. We will support her, said Guddee, whose daughter scored 70.4 percent.

How the NIOS exam for Delhi government school came about?

In 2017, students who failed in class 9th or 10th met CM Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia requesting they should be given another chance to sit for exams. The request came after the students performed poorly in Patrachar Vidyalaya Scheme of the Central Board of Secondary Education. This was the prevalent option before the tie up with NIOS. Under the Patrachar scheme, the CBSE offers 10th CBSE correspondence. Students who failed in class 9th could also apply for the class 10th without wasting their one year. The students who have to drop their studies or who are unable to attend the school regularly also can continue their studies through correspondence facility of CBSE.

At the time of announcing NIOS-Delhi government scheme Sisodia had said that students who failed in Class X usually dropped out later and to avoid that he gave another chance through NIOS Board exam, which is simpler, offers exams in three subjects and has credits.

Marlena said, The exam was the result of students' request, who wanted another chance.

Some students who sat for the NIOS board were also part of Delhi government schools another initiative to correct the faulty learning pattern, called Vishwas group, and this included the students who were out of school and had failed twice in the class. But that group didnt much benefit me, said Khan, one of the students from the group.

There were other initiatives to improve learning like, Delhi government schools also started the Chunauti scheme  a project to improve learning levels in the children. The students of Delhi government schools from Classes VI to IX, were divided into groups depending on their reading and writing ability. The ones who can read are Pratibha, the non-readers are Nistha.

Reaching out to the marginalised

For this purpose of curbing the drop-out rate, the government made special arrangements to assist children who enrolled into NIOS program. The admission cum registration fees for all children was borne by the government. There were special study centers provided across the city. The curriculum and exams were by NIOS and classes were conducted with Delhi government providing the infrastructure  buildings and staff.

The former education secretary in Delhi government Punya Srivastava was very eager to make this scheme function. She has now been appointed as Joint Secretary in the Union Home Ministry.

NIOS Chairman CB Sharma said, This is a very good idea to reach out to the marginalised section of the society  some students do not have the family support system hence they lag behind in school performance. They need extra support and with this initiative Delhi government gave them space. He added that it was envisaged as an initiative to reach out to the needy, he said.Bengaluru: A day after KT Naveen Kumars confession statement in the Gauri Lankesh murder case revealed Hindutva outfits alleged connection to the journalists killing, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti on Tuesday dismissed all allegations levelled against it.

Calling the revelation a targeted attack on Hindu outfits, the organisation also questioned the veracity of Naveen Kumars statement. It is a deliberate attempt to destroy Hindu organisations. It is a conspiracy, alleged Sri Ram Sena chief Pramod Muthalik.

Kumar in his statement said that he had been invited to a workshop of Hindu organisations in Goa in 2017. That is where he met Mohan Gowda, the state spokesperson for Hindu Janajagruti Samiti. Gowda then told Kumar that he would put him in touch with like-minded people.

Subsequently, Kumar received a call from Praveen, who is also under arrest and has been accused of being directly involved in Gauri Lankeshs murder.

Speaking to the media, Mohan Gowda admitted that he had known Naveen but claimed he never made the alleged statement.

Naveen is a Hindu Yuva Sena leader from Maddur. I have known him for the last two years. During the workshop in Goa, there were about 250 such workers. It was an interactive session. Naveens claims that I introduced him to Praveen or called him etc. is false. You can check my phone records, said Mohan Gowda.

Gowda, while stating that he had not been questioned so far, also alleged that three others  Suresh, Arun and Deepak  had been illegally detained by the investigating agency.

We dont know if they have been kidnapped. Their families have not been informed about their whereabouts, lawyers are also not allowed to meet them, alleged Gowda.

The organisation also alleged that the statement was not the voluntary confession of the accused.

The statement is not his confession. It is forced. This will not stand in the court of law, said NP Amruthesh, who is representing the accused.

Kumar was arrested in February this year, six months after journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh was shot outside her home in Bengaluru. Based on Kumars leads, the SIT had arrested four others in connection with the case. On Monday, the third additional chief metropolitan magistrate extended his judicial custody until June 25.Lucknow: BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday attacked Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad over the pending appointment of judges and the Centre ignoring recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium.

In a statement issued by BSP on Tuesday, Mayawati said, From time to time, ministers of the central government have been saying that the law ministry is not a Post Office that keeps its eyes shut on the recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium, which is very sad. Due to this attitude of the central government, the nation is dealing with an acute crisis in judiciary today.

Mayawatis attack on Modi government follows Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad's comments that the Modi government respects the Supreme Court Collegium, but that does not mean that it will act as a mere Post Office.

If the law ministry is not a Post Office then it should also not act as the Police Station. Modi government should accept this and stop insulting the judiciary from time to time. The central government boasts of appointing 26 judges but they keep mum on the recommendations of 300 judges made by the Collegium, she added.

Uttarakhand HC Justice Joseph was recommended along with the senior advocate Indu Malhotra on January 10 for their elevation as apex court judges. The government had on April 26 declined to accept the recommendation and asked it to reconsider his name.

Justice KM Joseph, who had headed the bench that had quashed the Narendra Modi government's decision to impose President's rule in the Congress-ruled hill state in 2016, was not considered to be elevated as a Supreme Court judge by the Centre, which said the proposal was not in accordance with the top court's parameters and there was adequate representation of Kerala in the higher judiciary from where he hails.

The BSP supremo said that the current BJP regime is no less than its previous governments as the representation of Dalits, backwards and minorities in central ministries is not up to the mark.

She added that going by this, it will be wrong to expect a positive approach regarding to posting of Dalits, backwards, minorities in the judiciary. The former CM also alleged that BJPs policies and thinking is not at all in the interest of the nation and it only promotes castiesm and communalism.New Delhi: In-flight connectivity is expected to be available within a year, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha said on Tuesday even as a joint meeting of DoT and civil aviation officials to discuss "operational details" is to be held in about 10 days.

Telecom firms, airlines and in-flight connectivity providers are expected to attend the meeting, the date for which is yet to be finalised. In-flight connectivity aims to enable calls and internet services during flights in the Indian airspace.

"There will a meeting with the Secretary Civil Aviation Ministry, me, and the operators. We are fixing the date... maybe in another 10 days or so, we will meet," Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan told reporters here.

Earlier, while speaking at the conference on four years of the government, Sinha said that 'in-flight services' could become operational in one year. "The Telecom Commission has already decided on in-flight connectivity, and in the next one year, we may be in a position to provide in-flight connectivity," he said.

The Telecom Commission  the highest policy-making body of Department of Telecom  had on May 1 cleared a proposal for allowing in-flight connectivity, already available in most of the developed markets.

While giving its nod, the Telecom Commission had agreed with most of the recommendations of the sector regulator on 'in-flight services' except one pertaining to foreign satellites and gateways.

While telecom regulator Trai had recommended permitting use of foreign satellites and foreign gateways for mobile communication on aircraft too, the Telecom Commission went by the view of Committee of Secretaries (CoS) that only Indian Satellites and Indian gateways be allowed.

Sundararajan said that the operational aspects still needed to be discussed in detail and the upcoming meeting will deliberate on the same.

"The discussions on the operational model will entail questions like who will be investing in infrastructure, who will be providing the services. There is no standard model... we will have to see what is suitable in the Indian context," Sundararajan said.

Last week, Trai had stuck to its stance that foreign satellites and gateways should be used to provide such services.

Sundararajan said that since CoS have favoured only Indian Satellites and Indian gateway, any change or review of the decision will have to be taken back to CoS.

"We will have to take a view," she said.

Globally, many airlines are already offering wi-fi for passengers, but they currently have to switch off the facility when they enter the Indian airspace. Availability of wi-fi is also expected to provide local airlines with an additional source of revenues amid stiff competition in the fast-growing Indian aviation market.

AirAsia, Air France, British Airways, Egypt Air, Emirates, Air New Zealand, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways and Virgin Atlantic are among 30 airlines that already allow mobile phone use on aircraft.

A separate category of licensees - in-flight service providers - will be created for offering such services, and licence fee for such niche providers will be pegged at Re 1.Palghar (Maharashtra): India is set to miss a December deadline to acquire land for a Japan-backed $17 billion bullet train project following protests by fruit growers, government officials said, likely delaying one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's most ambitious projects.

Modi's office is now monitoring the project week-to-week, as officials seek to reassure Tokyo that the hurdles can be overcome through intense negotiations with sapota and mango growers in Maharashtra.

Protests, backed by local politicians, have flared up in recent months against attempts to secure sections of a 108-km stretch, which is around one-fifth of the entire bullet train corridor connecting Mumbai with Ahmedabad, the largest commercial city in Modi's home state Gujarat.

"I've worked hard for three decades to develop this plantation, and they are asking me to hand over this land," sapota farmer Dashrat Purav, 62, said as he showed his orchard in the town of Palghar, a three-hour-drive north of Mumbai.

"I haven't worked hard to surrender land for the project. I did that for my children."

Purav said he would sell his land only if at least one of his two unemployed sons was promised a government job.

Protests against land acquisitions are common in India, where tens of millions of farmers till small holdings. A planned $44 billion refinery to be run by a consortium, including Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil producer, is also struggling to secure land in Maharashtra.

"Land acquisition for any project is complex in India," said Dhananjay Kumar, spokesman for the National High Speed Rail Corp Ltd (NHSRCL) that is overseeing the project. "Here also we are facing difficulty because of so much resistance."

Failure to procure the bullet train land by the deadline would delay disbursal of soft-loans by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a government development body, which is reviewing the project next month, said two senior officials with the Indian Railways, declining to be named.

A JICA spokeswoman said that India must create relocation plans for local residents and make them public in order to enter into a loan agreement covering the main part of the bullet train project.

"It is possible that it takes time to sign a contract as India takes proper and careful measures in line with JICA's guidelines for environmental and social considerations," she said.

To assuage Japan's concerns, Indian officials have sought a meeting this month with transport ministry officials in Tokyo, one of the Indian officials said. India wants the project's completion target to be advanced by a year to 2022, the 75th year of Independence.

A Japanese transport ministry official who deals with the bullet train project said that Indian officials had told them that "they can manage" the land acquisition.

"We will continue to work together with the Indian government to bring this project forward with an aim to start operation in 2023," the official said.

"NOT INSURMOUNTABLE"

Japan is majority-funding the train project through a 50-year loan. Japanese companies such as Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Corp, JFE Holdings, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toshiba Corp and Hitachi are likely to supply at least 70 percent of the core components of the rail line, sources told Reuters in January.

Modi has called the project crucial for his pet Make in India campaign aimed at lifting the share of manufacturing in India's $2 trillion economy. The government also hopes to generate hundreds of jobs through the train project, and hence is pushing hard to finish it on time.

To sweeten the terms for people opposed to selling their land, Indian Railways has put its weight behind NHSRCL, pledging funds from its own welfare scheme to build schools and community halls, one of the officials said.

Ashwani Lohani, chairman of the Indian Railway Board, said the issues with farmers were not insurmountable.

The government has offered to buy land at a 25 percent premium to the market value, the two government officials said. Farmers are also being offered resettlement dues of Rs 5,00,000 ($7,409) or 50 percent of the land value, whichever is higher.

However, local political opposition in Palghar, ahead of a general election next year, has fanned the protests. Opponents say the bullet train is wasteful and the money would be better used upgrading the country's rickety rail infrastructure. Farmers have threatened a hunger strike.

Last week, farmers and local activists disrupted a public hearing conducted by NHSRCL, its second attempt to hold such an event in less than a month. The first one last month was also cut short by protests.

"In coming weeks, we will intensify the protests," said Nilam Gorhe, a spokesman for Shiv Sena, the BJPs estranged ally.JAC 10th Result 2018 | The JAC 10th Result 2018, JAC 10th Class Result 2018 declared by the Jharkhand Academic Council today at 4:00 pm. The Jharkhand Class 10th Result is also commonly known as the JAC Secondary Result 2018, Jharkhand 10th Result 2018 hosted on jac.nic.in.

The Jharkhand Academic Council conducted the JAC Class 10th examination for the year 201-18 from March 8-21. This year, around 7,48,103 candidates have appeared for the Jharkhand Board exams in class 10 and 12. Students can check their JAC Matric Result 2018, Jharkhand 10th Result 2018, JAC 10th Result 2018 on these websites as well examresults.net/jharkhand, results.gov.in, jharkhand.indiaresults.com

How to check JAC 10th Result 2018

Step 1: Log on to the official website jac.nic.in

Step 2: Look for a tab which says JAC 10th Result 2018, JAC Matric Result 2018, Jharkhand 10th Result 2018

Step 3: Click on the tab Jharkhand Board 10th Result 2018

Step 4: Enter your roll number

Step 5: Download the Jharkhand 10th Result 2018 and take a printout for future reference

The Jharkhand Board Class 10 Results 2018 are one of the most highly anticipated results in the state as the students will be able to select their choice of streams Arts, Science & Commerce based on JAC Class 10th Result 2018. Around 4,31,734 candidates appeared for the JAC class 10 exams in 954 exam centres this year. In 2017, the Jharkhand Matric Results were declared on 20 June. For the academic year 2015-2016, the Jharkhand 10th Result was declared on 30 May, 2016.Bengaluru: Karnataka polices special investigation team on Tuesday arrested a 26-year-old man who is suspected to have shot dead journalist Gauri Lankesh outside her home in Bengaluru in September last year.

The accused, Parashuram Wagmare, is a member of the right-wing group Sri Rama Sene. He was produced before a magistrate and sent to police custody for 14 days. The SIT also arrested his alleged accomplice Sunil Agasara.

According to police, Wagmare is from a small town, Sindagi, in Vijayapura district in northern Karnataka and used to run a mobile phone shop there. Sunil irons clothes for a living in Sindagi.

Although police refused to confirm, sources said Wagmare was one of the two persons present at the crime scene on September 5, 2017, when Lankesh was shot down in front of her house in a cold-blooded attack.

Going by the descriptions of the features of the shooter in the case - as given by witnesses so far and the CCTV evidence on his height, weight and other characteristics - the SIT suspects that this short stocky man was the one who pulled the trigger on Lankesh.

However, his exact role was not mentioned by the prosecutor while seeking his custody in court. The ten-minute hearing only had the SIT counsel seeking his custody for questioning. The magistrate asked the accused if he wants access to legal aid through the court, but he declined.

On September 5, 2017, two bike-borne men had accosted writer-activist Gauri Lankesh just as she returned home from her office, and shot her four times. One bullet had missed her, three others hit her, the last one proving fatal.

CCTVs in front of her home gave police some leads, but since there were no lights and the duo were both wearing helmets, it was not possible to get exact characteristics of the two attackers.

The murder of writer-activist Gauri Lankesh had led to nationwide outrage. (Photo: PTI)

However, the police used specially-built software and the help of forensic experts to rebuild the sequence of events. Footage also showed that the two persons had conducted a reconnaissance on Lankesh's home at least twice before the killing around 8 pm that night.

They were caught on camera going on the same street around 3 pm and once again around 7 pm. The SIT had analysed footage of cameras around the home besides traffic surveillance cameras on the route from her office to her home to zero in on more leads.

The 26-year-old is the second accused in the murder after KT Naveen Kumar, who was arrested in March on the charges of helping the killers acquire bullets for their country-made gun.

Wagmare, police said, was also accused of hoisting Pakistans flag on the office of Sindagis revenue officer along with six others to foment HinduMuslim tensions in the town in 2012.

The next day, he and his co-activists of the Sri Rama Sene had held protests outside the taluk office against the hoisting of such a flag and even tried to manhandle the district police superintendent.

However, the police had quickly arrested the culprits and foiled their plans. A local court had dismissed the case later.

Wagmares friend Rakesh told News18 that he had nothing to do with the murder and had never even been to Bengaluru in the past.

We cant believe that he is the real killer. Normally he used to be at Sindagi. If the police have any evidence, they should produce it before us, he said. He claimed that Wagmare was actually picked up by the police three days ago. He even requested the Hindu society to rise against the government.

These pictures of Sanathan Sanstha founder Jayant Balaji Athavale and of Lord Vishnu with a Chakra in his hand was found in the homes of all the accused. (Photo: News18)

The accuseds house was locked on Tuesday and his parents were not available for any comment. The other accused, Naveen, had also led police to one Srirangapatna near Mysore, whom Naveen had tried to 'recruit' for the cause of 'safeguarding Hindu dharma'.

Anil has now turned into a police witness, giving details of yet another plot to kill writer-academic Professor Bhagvan of Mysore  a plot that could not be carried out.

Anil has recorded his own confession before a magistrate court under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code  which will be admissible during the final trial against all others in the case as well.

Anil and Naveen have both talked of how they had identified Professor Bhagwan as target for the next hit-job, as they were angry with his anti-Hindu views and insult of Hindu gods.

Ten days back, based on their inputs, the SIT had sought and taken into custody four more persons. Among them are Sujith Kumar alias Praveen, who reportedly informed Naveen about the plot to kill Lankesh 15 days before the murder, as the person who recruited people for the cause of Hindu dharma; Amol Kale, a Pune resident who is said to have been the main planner who identified targets; Amit Degvekar, a Hindutva activist who lived at the Sanatan Sansthas ashram in Ponda in Goa; and Manohar Edave, a resident of Vijayapura in north Karnataka.

The four persons will be in custody for questioning till June 14, while Parashuram will be in custody till the June 25.

Police sources say they are still on the look-out for at least three more co-conspirators in the case, so the investigation is not closed yet.

On Tuesday morning, many Hindu activists, including lawyers who have represented accused in terror cases in Maharashtra, came together to hold a press conference. They alleged that they were being targeted as part of a political conspiracy.

Among those who held the press conference was Mohan Gowda  an activist Naveen said was the one who put him in touch with Sujith Kumar aka Praveen, allegedly one of the main planners of the killing.Bhopal: As the MP government tries to quell the rising anger among farmers, co-operative banks in the state have gone are on a strike for the second day in a row on Tuesday. The banks are tasked with operating the accounts of farmers.

Lakhs of farmers have been turned back from the banks over the last two days.

Upset over the delay from the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in extending the Seventh Pay Commission benefits to the staffers of Central Co-operative banks, around 15,000 employees of 38 banks have stopped working since Monday.

The strike, which affects more than 930 bank branches, has come as a jolt for farmers and government alike. After the Gaon Bandh protest on June 10, the state government planned to woo back farmers by speeding up payments of crop procurements and incentives but the bank strike has come as bolt from the blue.

Farmers, who are due to withdraw their remuneration from crop sales, incentive beneficiaries and Kisan Credit Card users were stumped by the sudden discontinuation of work at private banks.

Not able to withdraw money from the bank for purchase of fertiliser, seeds and diesel, farmers created a ruckus at the SDM office in Berasia, on the Bhopal outskirts, on Monday. The unruly scenes were repeated in Karond area of Bhopal on Tuesday where anguished farmers sat on a dharna.

Co-operative bank employees discharge their duties diligently in all the farmers initiatives and also in Public Distribution System but the state government is yet to extend benefits of Seventh Pay Commission to us despite offering the same to other staffers in MP, Shamiullah Qureshi, general secretary of Bhopal Central Co-operative Employees Federation told News18.

We have had several rounds of discussions with the state government and would have a state-level delegation meet with the authorities on Wednesday, he said.Jalna (Maharashtra): A police sub-inspector has lodged a complaint against BJP MLA Narayan Kuche, accusing the legislator of abusing and threatening him over the phone during investigation of a case, police said on Monday.

The complaint has been filed by sub-inspector Ashok Avchare, attached to the Ambad police station in Jalna district.

Avchare was heading the probe into the disappearance of one Bhausaheb Kisan Rathod, who went missing on June 7. A missing complaint was lodged with the Ambad police station.

During the investigation, Avchare came to know Rathod had borrowed Rs 3 lakh from an agent of a sugar factory and was not repaying the amount, police said. Later, the agent reportedly asked Suresh Chavan, a support of Kuche, to recover the money from Rathod. Chavan had been allegedly harassing Rathod over the pending amount, they said.

Avachare called Chavan for inquiry and told him he will register a complaint against him in connection with the disappearance of Rathod, police said.

Chavan reportedly phoned Kuche and told him about the likely police action.

Kuche phoned Avachare and allegedly threatened and abused him for trying to "implicate" Chavan in the case, they said.

Avachare also made an entry in the police dairy regarding the incident. He yesterday submitted a written complaint against the MLA from Badnapur constituency in the district to in-charge of the Ambad police station.

Additional Superintendent of Police Lata Phad confirmed the filing of complaint against the MLA.

Phad did not provide further details, saying she was still looking into the matter.

Kuche was not available for comment.Mumbai: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday appeared before a court in Thane district in connection with a defamation case filed against him by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker.

Once inside the courtroom, Rahul takes stand and the judge starts reading out charges against the Congress president. The judge asked Rahul if he has received copies of the complaint, to which Rahul says 'yes'.

"Do you plead guilty?" the judge asked. "I plead not guilty," was Rahul's firm answer.

The court had on May 2 asked Gandhi to appear before it to record his plea in the defamation case filed in 2014 by RSS worker Rajesh Kunte.

Kunte had filed the case after watching Rahul Gandhi's speech at an election rally in which he had claimed that the RSS was behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi.

"The RSS people had killed (Mahatma) Gandhi," the Congress president had allegedly said in the rally.

During his two-day visit to Maharashtra, Rahul Gandhi is also expected to address party workers and interact with its corporators in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

On Wednesday, he is scheduled to meet the kin of Dadaji Khobragade, the rural inventor who revolutionised rice farming, at Chandrapur in Vidarbha, before returning to Delhi.

Khobragade, 78, died earlier this month after a prolonged illness.

Contrary to media reports, Rahul Gandhi's itinerary doesn't mention any meeting with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, the leader said.

"Top leaders (of both the parties) can meet any time. But no such meeting is on the agenda today," he said.

"Rahulji will appear before the court in the morning, address party workers in the afternoon and interact with Congress corporators about Mumbai's civic issues," the leader added.New Delhi: Mohan (name changed) handed over Rs 60 lakh and the keys of two flats to his estranged wife. It was supposed to be a settlement for getting an FIR against him quashed. But he got a rude shock when the Delhi High Court refused to quash the FIR even after he paid the money and parted with the flats.

The High Court said that since Mohan has not agreed to give divorce by mutual consent, the FIR should not be quashed.

Almost three years on, the Supreme Court has come to the rescue of Mohan, who was left high and dry after he gave away the money and flats but still faced criminal charges of trespassing and theft.

A bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi recently junked the FIR against Mohan after noting that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) did not require him to also give divorce.

It highlighted that payment of one-time settlement money along with the two houses were the only conditions stipulated in the MoU for quashing of the FIR registered in Delhi and, thus, the High Court erred in adding divorce by mutual consent as an additional condition.

"There is no dispute that Rs 60 lakh and the immovable properties have been parted with. We do not find any term in the MoU which relates to divorce. In these circumstances, as the terms of the MoU have been complied with by the appellant and divorce is not a part thereof, the High Court, according to us, fell into error in refusing to quash the impugned criminal proceedings against the appellant," noted the top court.

It then quashed the FIR registered against Mohan in 2014 at the instance of his estranged wife and left the question of divorce to be decided in appropriate proceedings.TBSE 10th result 2018 : The Tripura Board of Secondary Education (TBSE) announced Tripura class 10 result 2018 or Tripura Board Madhyamik result 2018 Today (June 12) at 9:30 am. Students are asked to keep a sharp eye on tripuraresults.nic.in to check their Tripura class 10 result 2018, TBSE 10th Result 2018, Tripura Class 10th Result 2018. The total number of students appeared were 47,615.

TBSE 10th result 2018 Statistics:

1st Division - 21449

2nd Division - 37

3rd Division - 2472

The Tripura Board of Secondary Education conducted Tripura Madhyamik Pariksha Class 10 final exams 2018 for the New Syllabus & New Pattern began on Tuesday, 06 March, 2018 and ended on 10th April 2018, while the exams for the Old Syllabus & Old Pattern began on Tuesday, 06 March, 2018 and ended on 10th April, 2018. Students can check their TBSE 10th result 2018, Tripura Class 10th Result 2018, Tripura 10th Result 2018, TBSE Madhyamik Result 2018 on these websites as well examresults.net/tripura, tripura.indiaresults.com, results.gov.in

How to check TBSE 10th result 2018 online:

Step 1 :Logon to official website tripuraresults.nic.in

Step 2: Look for the link which says TBSE 10th result 2018, TBSE result 2018 ,

Step 3: Enter all the details to check your Tripura TBSE 10th result 2018

Step 4: Download your Tripura result 2018, students are advised to take out printouts for future use.

Recently the board declared class 12 or Higher Secondary results. The overall pass percentage was 78.62 per cent.New Delhi: Extradition of fugitive businessmen Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya seems to be heading towards a diplomatic logjam as the UK is now putting up conditions to cooperate with the Indian administration.

According to sources, UK authorities have asked the Indian authorities to abide by its side of the bargain of assisting UK in deporting over 75,000 illegal Indian migrants.

MoS Kiren Rijiju had drafted a MoU in January with the UK government on the deportation of illegal migrants, which was supposed to be signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his April visit. PM Modi, however, did not sign the pact.

The issue of the long-pending MoU on illegal immigrants was raised by UK Minister of State for Countering Extremism Baroness Williams during her talks with Rijiju on Monday.

According to sources, Williams has conveyed the message to her Indian counterpart that the UK wouldnt help with the extradition of Mallya and the two others unless India honours its side of the deal.

In the meeting between Rijiju and Williams, the UK side confirmed the presence of Nirav Modi in Britain.

While Rijiju has signed the deal with Britain, it still awaits PM Modis seal of approval.

A government official has said that this was perhaps one of the few instances when India delayed formalising a bilateral agreement despite signing the draft deal.

The range of concerns include fear of mass deportation, a consent clause and possible security breaches.

According to British authorities, who have been pressing consistently on returning illegal immigrants, the largest group of such people in the UK is from India.

Around 5,000 Indians voluntarily returned to India in 2017 and around 700 were deported.Lucknow: Members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) created a ruckus near the Taj Mahal on Tuesday as they staged a protest against a newly installed steel gate, which they said blocked one of the routes to a 400-year-old Siddheshwar temple.

The incident took place barely 350 metres away from the monuments West gate, a high security zone, and caused panic among tourists.

Frames were being fixed for installing the steel gates and Door Frame Metal Detectors (DFMD) at the West Gate of the Taj Mahal by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) when the right-wing activists arrived at the scene, raised slogans and removed one of the gates. They were armed with iron rods and were accompanied by members of the Siddheshwar Mahadev temple committee.

ASI has lodged an FIR against 20-25 people under sections 147 (riots) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of IPC and section 7 of the CLA Act for damaging public property, circle officer of Taj Mahal security, Prabhat Kumar said.

VHP officer bearer, Ravi Dubey, one of the five people named in the FIR, threatened to uproot the gate again if it was reinstalled.

ASI blocked the way to the Mandir, thats why we were protesting. How can anyone block the way to a temple? We had informed ASI officials beforehand but they did not pay heed to our requests. We cannot let this happen at any cost, he told News18.

Additional city magistrate Garima Singh, who also reached the spot, has admitted that the protesters flouted norms and such kind of protests should not have happened in the area.Mumbai/Stockholm: IKEA is set to open its first store in India next month, and the world's biggest furniture retailer is localising its offering  from the food menu to its "do-it-yourself" (DIY) assembly model  to ensure success in the country.

IKEA, which aims to soon open a 400,000 square feet (37,160 square metre) store in Hyderabad, is setting up its first ever in-house assembly team and offering local delicacies such as samosas to woo shoppers, at a time when growth in some of its more established markets is slowing.

"The entry point has been that the identity was going to be the same," said IKEA's finance head Juvencio Maeztu.

"But, for example, Indians like firm mattresses so you need to adapt the mattress offering. And we are developing a mattress that has a coconut layer because it is cooler for the summer," said Maeztu, adding such customisation would be seen in items ranging from cutlery to showroom layouts.

India's furniture market is largely dominated by unorganised retail and local vendors, and consumers are used to enjoying the comfort of made-to-order or fully assembled furniture delivered to their doorsteps.

The "do-it-for-me" culture is very prevalent in India, said Sowmya Adiraju, an analyst at research firm Euromonitor, adding IKEA would have to look into delivery and assembly needs to woo Indians.

While IKEA's popular DIY furniture is well known, it is also sometimes parodied as shoppers are at times overwhelmed by the task of assembling intricate units.

The Swedish retailer is setting up a 150-member team to help assemble furniture and is also partnering with UrbanClap, an app-based service that connects people with everyone from tutors to carpenters.

The IKEA in-house assembly team will be more a little more expensive than UrbanClap's services, said Patrik Antoni, IKEA's deputy head in India.

The companies both declined to reveal pricing details, but currently UrbanClap charges customers about Rs 250 ($3.73) for a 30-minute carpentry job, such as installing IKEA's popular Billy bookcase. In comparison, TaskRabbit, the services platform acquired by IKEA in 2017, charges US shoppers a minimum of $36 for any installation job.

LOCAL TASTES

IKEA has visited more than 800 homes in India to see how people live across the country, said Maeztu, who led IKEA's India team before moving to take on his new global role earlier this year.

While the Hyderabad store will have spacious room designs, its Mumbai store will pack a lot more product into a smaller space to reflect the city's apartment sizes.

"You need to understand what life's about and then the range is presented to give solutions to the needs and frustrations," Maeztu said.

Like many international restaurant chains in India, IKEA is also changing parts of its menu to suit local palates.

To cater to Hindu sensitivities it will not sell its beef meatballs in the country, but serve chicken and veggie balls instead, while also offering shoppers biryani, samosas and veggie hotdogs, said IKEA's Antoni.

One winning formula that IKEA plans to stick with is low price points, by offering 1,000 products priced under 200 rupees ($2.97), said IKEA Group CEO Jesper Brodin, adding it was keen to avoid missteps made in Australia and China, where its initially higher pricing discouraged potential customers.

Although IKEA plans to gradually ramp-up local sourcing, one challenge to keeping prices low will be taxes, said Brodin. "I'd say the biggest challenge for us is (import) duties. That's not something we can do something about."

BIG BET, BIGGER RISKS

The foray into India comes at a time when IKEA's growth has slowed in some of its established markets, pushing it to enter new markets such as Chile and India, while developing its digital offering and smaller city centre store formats.

IKEA Group's company-owned stores in 2017 grew retail sales by 4 percent. In comparison sales in India's homeware and home furnishing stores grew some 9 percent, according to Euromonitor.

Still, IKEA, which has already sunk about $670 million into India, will face stiff competition in the Indian market from a slew of online furniture start-ups such as Pepperfry, UrbanLadder and FabFurnish, so success will come at a price.

IKEA's Antoni said the company, which had initially expected to invest $1.56 billion to set up 25 traditional stores by 2025, was already looking to spend more than originally planned and eyeing experimenting with non-traditional formats too.

CFO Maeztu said some of the initially planned 25 stores would likely be in new formats. The first four would however be the classic giant out-of-town warehouse stores to cement the image.

The company, which has bought land in Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai and Gurugram is also looking to expand into five other markets - Surat, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai and Pune, said Brodin.

"This is our next really big market," said Brodin, while warning it would take years for the company to see major profits from the market.Christian Louboutins battle to protect his trademark red soles was given a lift on Tuesday when the European Unions top court said they did not consist exclusively of a shape, which are usually not protected under EU trade mark law.

The judges at the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) did not follow the advice of the advocate general who said in February that the red colour could not be considered apart from the shape of the sole.

The mark does not relate to a specific shape of sole for high-heeled shoes since the description of that mark explicitly states that the contour of the shoe does not form part of the mark and is intended purely to show the positioning of the red colour covered by the registration, the ECJ said in a statement.Janhvi Kapoor reflected the excitement and nervousness of a Bollywood debutante at the trailer launch of her maiden movie Dhadak here on Monday, but she was emotional as she missed her mother, the late Sridevi's presence at the special occasion.

"I definitely miss her today. The biggest and most helpful tip she has given me is to work hard and to feel every emotion," Janhvi said.

The 21-year-old was accompanied by her father, producer Boney Kapoor, who has been her constant support after the sudden demise of Sridevi earlier this year in Dubai.

"Papa did not give me any acting tips, but love, encouragement and a lot of support. So I think that is more than enough," she said.

Before the trailer launch, her half-brother Arjun Kapoor -- Boney's son with the late Mona Kapoor -- also shared words of encouragement for Janhvi.

The trailer launch of Dhadak was attended by the film's producer Karan Johar, director Shashank Khaitan and lead actor Ishaan Khatter, who too is making his Bollywood debut with the project.

Janhvi said the first day shoot of the film was a lot of fun.

"We were not that nervous because Shashank had already created a very comfortable family environment. We had done a lot of reading and rehearsals before the shot, so things were easy and fun," she said.

Dhadak is releasing on July 20.Mumbai: Actor Varun Dhawan says it is high time that Indians stop looking at the West for heroes as there are a number of legends within their own country.

Varun was speaking on the sidelines of launch of Amish Tripathi's book Suheldev and The Battle of Bahraich. The book is based on story of Raja Suheldev, a legendary but forgotten hero, and an unforgettable battle which kept the Turks at bay for almost 170 years.

"It's the time when we should celebrate our Indian heroes and not look up to the West for heroes. Around 20 to 25 per cent of our population is made up of tribes and castes and that's not really been represented in books or our literature as much or in films for that matter," said Varun in a statement to IANS.

Praising Amish for writing about India's own hero, Varun said: "Amish is doing a great job by actually representing it. When you read the book and when you see the landscape of how he describes the world, your imaginations just run wild."

If Suheldev and The Battle of Bahraich is adapted into a film, Varun says he would want to be a part of it.

"I thought when can a movie be made out of this. Can I be a part of it or will I be very short for it? I was very fascinated with the backdrop of the book. It tells the story of a hero," he said.

Amish's popular novel The Immortals of Meluha is being adapted for the big screen. Filmmaker Karan Johar has obtained the rights for an adaption of the popular book. The English rights of the same have gone to an undisclosed American producer.

Asked whose life would he want to play out in a film if given a chance, Varun said: "Honestly when someone offers me to do a biography, I get scared. I don't want to do it most of the times because I feel all the fictional characters I am playing are like biographies but only to me.

"If I had to do a biography on someone, it would be on my father's life. Sometime in the future I would like to enact his young and old days. Probably till the time he had me," said Varun.

Suheldev and The Battle of Bahraich will release on July 23.Mumbai: The trailer of the forthcoming film Sanju that gives a sneak peek into the tumultuous life of actor Sanjay Dutt has been viewed by millions of people. Its producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra says viewers are amazed by the unbelievable life story of the actor.

The three-minute trailer gives a glance at the various phases of Sanjay -- the man and his many lives -- who battled with drug addiction, served jail term and more.

Since the release of the trailer on May 30, it has been viewed 38 million times on YouTube and 11 million on Facebook.

Thrilled by the response, Chopra said in a statement: "I'm pleasantly surprised by the response pouring in for the trailer of Sanju.

"While the industry turned emotional on watching the trailer, the viewers are amazed by the unbelievable life story of Sanjay Dutt. The overall response has been phenomenal.

"It has exceeded my wildest expectations by people calling it one of the best trailers to have come out of Bollywood."

Actor Ranbir Kapoor, who is playing the role of Sanjay in the film, had said: "When I was a child, I had a poster of Sanju Sir on the wall of my cupboard, and through this film, I am in his shoes. I think in my life, I really want Sanju Sir to like me."

Produced by Vinod Chopra Films and Rajkumar Hirani Films in association with Fox Star Studios, "Sanju" will release on June 29.San Francisco is known as the world's LGBTQ capital for a reasonlots of reasons.

And with all the dystopian hoopla tickering across CNN 24/7, it's nice to find solace in the fact that San Francisco still remains a touchstone for inclusivity in America. And at just the halfway point, 2018 is already turning out to be another landmark year in the city's hella gay history.

Here are this year's biggest pieces of SF LGBTQ newsso far.

A Folsom Street Fairgoer captured side by side in his festival and everyday street looks. (Courtesy of Crave Portrait Project)

We (finally) got an official Leather District.



Your average outsider might be a little surprised to learn that, in May 2018, the San Francisco Board of Supes voted to establish an official Leather Cultural District, in a slice of SoMa between 7th and 11th streets. Come to think of it, if you were really an outsider, you might not even know what that means. But here in SF, this is just the kind of thing we live for. And the vote was actually more than a decade in the making, according to Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, who points to the neighborhood's pivotal influence during the 1980s AIDS epidemic.

"The service of the leather community during the AIDS crisisthe nonprofits they founded, the amount of fundraising they did in the fight against AIDSis something that should not be forgotten," he said. But even before that, the 'hood had been a capital for leather culture since the early 1960s, and an LGBTQ enclave dating back to the '50s.

The Leather District joins the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District and Filipino Cultural Heritage District as a neighborhood historic landmark and, like its neighbors, will enjoy the benefits of an official state certification that allows the neighborhood to market itself as a cultural district; the Leather District will also receive $5,000 in annual stipends that can be used to support the community as well as for rebranding efforts. The designation also makes the 'hood eligible to apply for other city funding and outreach programs.

District landmarks include sites of former bathhouses, leather shops, and bars, and remains home to various local businessesincluding The Stud, The Eagle, Powerhouse, and Oasisas well as, of course, the annual Folsom Street Fair, which dates back to 1984. You'll also find SF Catalyst, the hub for the Leather Alliance. // For more information, go to leatheralliance.org.





A momentous year for the memory of Harvey Milk.



Forty years ago, the "Mayor of Castro Street" Harvey Milk was famously sworn in by the SF Board of Supervisors; eleven months later, in November of 1978, the gay rights champion was assassinated. To mark the anniversary, the late Milk's adopted hometown is doing right by his memory.

Thirty-three years since it was originally dedicated, Harvey Milk Plaza, which sits above the MUNI station at the intersection of Castro and Market Streets and is marked by a massive rainbow flag (it was erected in 1997 to mark the 20th anniversary of Milk's election), is getting a much needed revamp. The plaza, which as has served as a pilgrimage and political gathering spot, is slated for a major makeover thanks to a recent international design competition. The winning firm, New Yorkbased Perkins Eastman, aims to convert the platform into a "soapbox for many," with a tiered amphitheater that can host activism and community events.

The new plaza will also hold a historical exhibit chronicling the life and achievements of Milk, and by night, yellow LED light posts will evoke the candles so often used here for vigils. Instagrammers will delight in the new rainbow lights that will illuminate the plaza's ceiling on MUNI's mezzanine level.

Other homages to Milk have also popped up. In April, the Board of Supes approved the renaming of SFO's Terminal One after the civil rights icon. The plan will include installations devised by the SF Arts Commission.

Also, in May, artist Oz Montania, in partnership with Stoli Vodka and the Harvey Milk Foundation, unveiled a new mural in honor of the late politician outside The Cafe nightclub at the corner of 18th and Castro. Stuart Milk, Harvey Milk's gay nephew and co-chair of the Harvey Milk Foundation, spoke at a special event for the big reveal. "This mural does a wonderful justice to my uncle's vision and dream, that people can live authentically, without a mask," he said.





Another big anniversary.

Fifteen years ago, San Francisco's then-mayor Gavin Newsom made the bold move of issuing the United States' first same-sex marriage licenses, in opposition to President George W. Bush who had clearly declared his stance against marriage equality. The SF unions were famously annulled by a Supreme Court ruling four months later, but the landmark event set the stage for the national fight for marriage equality, now the law of the land.This is an age-old debate, and never fully settled.

The first page of Indira Gandhi's premiership saw this debate climb to its pitch. Should technical ministries be headed by the ever-present IAS, or should they be stewarded by doctors and engineers, as infrastructural development became speedy and multi-faceted?

Some chief ministers did tinker to make bold such appointments, but they were quite few. In the Centre, four famous corporate honchos (V Krishnamurthy, Lovraj Kumar, Mantosh Sindhi and Wadud Yar Khan) were directly made secretaries. While their selection was made then by the direct diktat of the Prime Ministers Office (PMO), it must be conceded that all four distinguished themselves without a turf battle with the UPSC-recruited entrenched bureaucracy.

But nonetheless such direct selections to post of secretaries in the Government of India (from the open market) and in state governments (from technocrats) were never repeated thereafter. Later the Rajiv Gandhi and Narasimha Rao regimes did make open market selections to chairmanships of PSUs (eg ITDC and Air India). But the Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh regimes made no such appointments for 16 years!

Classically, bureaucracies are recruited, nurtured and work under a complex system of rules and regulations balanced by an equally complex weaving of checks and balances. This was conceptualised by Max Weber, whose definitions remained the benchmarks for measuring the neutrality content of any particular bureaucracy. But all this was when the State had three principal objectives: security of the citizen and nation, collection of taxes, and budgeting to then spend the money so collected, all this in the public interest.

But as the State's role became increasingly complex due to speedy technological advances of both capitalistic West as well as Socialist Soviet Union and China et al, as the equally speedy political emancipation of poverty-ridden and backward Afro-Asia, it became painfully clear that a bureaucracy which is thankfully rule-bound yet painfully unaccountable would ultimately behave as if the rules are an end in themselves in such a rigid fashion that they cannot be changed for the better.

In India, both democracy and bureaucracy are not only intertwined but also born out of a Weberian weave of rules. But not only has this woven web at times become rigidly knotted, but the democratic neta manages to break it too, sometimes in the public interest and sometimes in the private interest too. This contradiction leads the bureaucrat to take shelter in a cocoon of rules. A certain lethargy coupled with resistance takes over. "Take no decisions and you will make no mistakes to account for" sometimes does become the work-philosophy.

In principle, thus the experiment to make lateral-entry at Joint Secretary level should be given a fair trial. But it will be a big challenge, full of pitfalls.

Firstly, the selection process must be fair and above board. There must be no room whatsoever for nepotism, which in the Indian context is crucial.

Secondly, the committee itself must be broad-based in all respects, with each member so distinguished in her field that recommendations are readily accepted.

Thirdly, the play field in which these lateral entrants will find themselves must be well-defined so that their accountability is easily measured. Fourthly, successful specialists must be chosen for each post.

Finally, as the duty of the Opposition is to oppose, the issue that they have flagged (that selections should be merit-based and not party-ideologically-inspired) would hopefully guide the selection committee findings.

(Alok Sinha has spent 35 years in the IAS and is now serving as a member of the Supreme Court's Orissa Claims Commission. Views are personal)New Delhi: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is camping at L-G Anil Baijals residence and he has been doing so for the past 24 hours. He, along with his senior Cabinet colleagues, have turned the protest at L-Gs waiting room into a sleepover and spent the night sleeping on couches at the waiting room. The group went to meet Baijal at the Raj Niwas at 5.30 pm on Monday.

People have been saying that Kejriwal has been silent for a year. I think they (Centre) have started to take undue advantage of my silence, Kejriwal had told reporters at his residence on Monday. Later in the day, after a fiery speech in the Assembly, he left to meet the Lieutenant Governor at Raj Niwas with three demands.

One of the issues pertains to the mistrust between the elected government and the bureaucracy, as the AAP government has been claiming that IAS officers are on strike for the last four months. On Monday, Kejriwal accused the L-G, along with the Prime Ministers Office (PMO), of being the architect of a bureaucratic rebellion within the Government of NCT.

For the last four months, bureaucrats in the Delhi government have been on strike. This is the first time in the history of India that there has been such dereliction of duty and open rebellion on part of the bureaucracy. What are their demands? Even they dont know. If you ask them, they will not be able to clearly tell you what their demands are, Kejriwal told reporters at his residence on Monday.

At 5 pm, Kejriwal, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and senior ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai reached Raj Niwas. Kejriwal said their aim was to discuss the end of the strike and get approval from the L-G for the Delhi governments doorstep delivery of ration scheme.

The meeting ended and the L-G did not grant Kejriwal his demands, which prompted him to lead a sit-in at the L-Gs house. He would not leave, he said, until Baijal acquiesced to their demands.

Kejriwal and senior ministers turned the protest into a sleepover on Monday night. (Image via Twitter)

Both the LGs office and the IAS Association have issued a statement. There is no strike by employees of GNCTD and in his continued interactions with officers, it has been informed that the atmosphere of mistrust and fear continues and no sincere attempts to resolve the differences have been made so far. Honble LG continued to advise Honble Chief Minister to build the confidence of the employees at all levels and to work out ways of addressing their genuine concerns, a Raj Niwas statement read.

The IAS Association also issued a denial. AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj hit back and said, The association could cite just two examples of formality works in last four months - Budget and Assembly Questions. This in itself is proof of the fact that the IAS officers have participated in just two activities in past four months.

Soon, a picture of Kejriwal and his three most senior ministers sprawled on sofas at a waiting room in Raj Niwas, ready for a long night, went viral on social media. Around 11 pm, when Kejriwal had settled in, other party leaders, including Atishi Marlena and MLAs Saurabh Bharadwaj and Sanjeev Jha, decided to hold a roadside Iftar party outside the L-Gs house. The day had come to an end but the deadlock continued.

As the sun rose on Tuesday, fresh images of Kejriwal and his ministers in the same room, wearing the same clothes, emerged.

Around 6 am, Kejriwal tweeted, Good morning, my dear Delhiites. The struggle continues. 18 hours into the sit-in, a video message from the CM emerged: Over the last few months, we have met the L-G several times. On February 23, the entire cabinet met him and requested his help in ending the strike. He asked for a week, but did nothing.

He added that they had reached out to the Baijal several times in person and also through letters. We were told by officers that they were being issued threats from the L-G House. This means that the L-G does not want to end the strike. We met him again yesterday (Monday) and said we would not leave till the strike ends.

Soon after Kejriwals video message, he announced that Health Minister Satyendar Jain was going on an indefinite hunger strike. Far from deescalating, the confrontation has worsened.

While the four senior AAP leaders were inside Raj Niwas, AAPs Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh addressed a press conference outside the CMs residence at Flagstaff Road.

For the last four months, work is being stalled in Delhi. Our education, power and health models are being talked about the world over. But Modi government only wants to stall the work. All this is being done at the insistence of Narendra Modi. The L-G is just a pawn. Work is being stalled on Mohalla Clinics, CCTV cameras, doorstep delivery of ration. CBI and ACB have raided the CM, deputy CM, even daughter of health minister but got nothing, he said.

AAP leader Atishi Marlena further listed the work that had suffered due to the bureaucrats strike.

She said, IAS association said they are not on strike, but not working is a strike. In the last 112 days, work has suffered. Signature Bridge has been under construction. But when ministers go on inspection, officials don't go. Ministerial secretaries are just pushing files. The procurement of buses has been stalled because the Transport Commissioner did not file an affidavit in court. Schools had to be whitewashed in summer holidays. But officials are just pushing files. Even a can of paint has not reached the schools. Pollution control work has stopped because officials are not willing to sit together. Development work in unauthorized colonies has not started. The only example of work they (IAS Association) have cited is the Budget. But no funds from the Budget have been spent because of their strike.

Meanwhile, as he continued his sit-in 24 hours on, Arvind Kejriwal tweeted an insinuation that the L-G was receiving his instructions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I am really appalled at L-Gs stubborn refusal to end the IAS strike and his justifications for ongoing strike. Wonder what the PMOs instructions to him are, Kejriwal said.New Delhi: Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of marginalising senior party leaders, Congress president Rahul Gandhi has said he went to meet Atal Bihari Vajpayee at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) despite political differences in the past.

We had contested against Vajpayee ji but when he is ill now I went to meet him on priority because I am a soldier of Congress. Vajpayee Ji had worked for our country and we respect him as he was the Prime Minister. This is our culture, said Rahul.

Former Prime Minister Vajpayee is currently admitted to AIIMS after contracting urinary tract infection. Congress president met him Monday afternoon, triggering a flurry of visits from the ruling party to the premier medical institute in the country.

BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid a visit to the ailing former PM later in the evening.

PM @narendramodi visited former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee at AIIMS today. He was at AIIMS for about 50 minutes.The Prime Minister interacted with family members of Shri Vajpayee. He also spoke to doctors and enquired about the health of Shri Vajpayee. pic.twitter.com/CctZYDJV8o PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 11, 2018

In a statement on Tuesday, the AIIMS said, "His condition is stable. He is responding to treatment and is on injectable antibiotics. All his vital parameters are stable. He will continue to be in hospital till infection is controlled".

Rahul, in his Mumbai speech, also alleged the current BJP leadership has forgotten LK Advani, another party stalwart who is still in active politics.

LK Advani has been the guru of PM Modi, but I have seen in events that PM Modi does not even respect his guru. Today I feel very sad for Advani ji. The Congress party has given him more respect than Modi Ji, said the Congress president.

The senior party leaders like LK Advani and MM Joshi have not been given charge of any important decision making body of the BJP under the current dispensation.

Party president Amit Shah after assuming office has formed a group of senior party leaders called Margdarshak Mandal which has been assigned only advisory role.

The margdarshak mandal has not had a single meeting since its inception.

The BJP has also subscribed to an unwritten rule to deny tickets to leaders over 75 years of age.

However, there have been reports in a section of the media lately that the party leadership may want some of its veteran leaders to contest 2019 elections.New Delhi: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Monday celebrated the 71st birthday of its chief Lalu Prasad Yadav amid the ongoing rift between his sons.

Prasads elder son Tej Pratap Yadav was recently seen in a video accusing Tejashwi of trying to sideline him in the party. However, the brothers later discarded speculations of a split, and claimed it was the work of some anti-social elements.

Using Lalu Yadav's birthday as an opportunity to send out a message that 'all's well' within the party, both Tej Pratap and Tejashwi were seen cutting the mighty 71 pound cake along with their mother Rabri Devi. The party members have made major arrangements for the occasion in Patna.

Rabri Devi, Tejashwi & Tej Pratap Yadav celebrate Lalu Prasad Yadav's 71st birthday in #Patna with RJD workers. pic.twitter.com/Qg3AziiYqc ANI (@ANI) June 11, 2018

The RJD youth wing also organized a blood camp on the eve of Yadavs birthday which was inaugurated by Tejashwi at the Party headquarters in Patna  a practice that has been continuing for three years now.

The party has made a strong comeback after successfully stopping the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in all the recent by-polls conducted in Bihar.

The party has also played a critical role in the formation of mahagathbandhan by bringing Congress and Janata Dal United (JD-U) together, proving the possibility of stopping the Modi juggernaut in the Assembly Elections of 2015.

However, this mahagathbandhan did not last for long, as Nitish Kumar changed sides and formed the government with BJP and became the number one nemesis of RJD. Attacks against the NDA government have not stopped ever since. Lalu Prasads palturam jibe against Nitish Kumar has been the recent and most hilarious one in this battle.

Yadav has been convicted in multiple cases by the Ranchi court in the fodder scam and is currently out on a provisional bail on account of undergoing medical treatment.Beijing: With US President Donald Trump setting the course for normalising ties with North Korea and even saying war games with South Korea would end, China appeared a winner from Tuesday's summit, as Japan tried putting a brave face on the outcome.

Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged on Tuesday to work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, and signed a "comprehensive" document at a landmark summit in Singapore.

In turn, Washington committed to provide security guarantees for North Korea, though the joint statement was light on specifics.

At a post-summit press conference, Trump said Washington would end "very provocative" and costly military exercises with South Korea, a move that would rattle Seoul and Tokyo, which rely on the U.S. military for their own security.

China, North Korea's most important economic and diplomatic supporter, despite its anger at Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests, wasted little time with a reminder that U.N. sanctions could be adjusted if North Korea behaved itself.

"The U.N. Security Council resolutions that have been passed say that if North Korea respects and acts in accordance with the resolutions, then sanction measures can be adjusted, including to pause or remove the relevant sanctions," a Foreign Ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, said at a daily news briefing.

The Global Times, an influential Chinese state-run newspaper, said in an editorial that the time was right to consider "an appropriate reduction of the sanctions".

Brad Glosserman, visiting professor at Japan's Tama University, said China would be pleased with the outcome.

He said that North Korea would be as well.

"Kim  wants a photo op, gets it, got an invitation to the White House," he said. "He has an open door to the weakening of sanctions, no one is going to be putting on the squeeze. Everything North Korea wanted  I see no downside."

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe put a positive spin on the summit, welcoming the fact that Trump told a news conference he had raised the issue of Japanese abductees, though there was no mention of that in the document signed by Kim and Trump.

Yoji Koda, a retired admiral who commanded the Japanese naval fleet, and is a fellow at the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University, said the statement contained nothing new or concrete.

"One of the key points that Trump and his advisers made was that the U.S. will not repeat the mistakes of previous deals," he said. "From reading this document I don't think the U.S. will be successful."

TROOP COMMENTS

South Korea's presidential office said it needs to seek clarity on Trump's intentions after he said Washington will stop joint military exercises.

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in, who has been front and centre in efforts to engage the North and Kim himself, pledged complete cooperation.

"My administration will spare no effort in cooperating with the United States, North Korea and the international community to ensure that the agreement can be implemented in its entirety," Moon said in a statement.

But Koda, the retired Japanese admiral, said ending the exercises would be a "clear mistake" and was "too early".

"Alliances are a key element of U.S. global strategy and exercises are a right of the U.S. to use to protect allied nations," he said. "The U.S. should continue joint exercises, they are a signal toChina too."

China, which has long suggested a "dual suspension" whereby North Korea suspends its weapons tests and the United States and South Korea suspend military drills, could effectively claim that as an outcome despite not being a party to the summit.

"This joint declaration is in line with the three principles of 'no chaos, no war, and peaceful settlement' proposed by the Chinese government," said Liang Yabin, an associate professor at Beijing's Central Party School, which trains rising officials.

Resolving tensions on the Korean peninsula has obvious benefits for China, especially in bolstering the development of its rust-belt and landlocked northeast.

Beijing has also long feared that a collapse of its isolated neighbour could push waves of refugees into northeastern China, or that nuclear war on the Korean peninsula could contaminate swathes of the country.

The emotional ties are deep too. The two countries fought side by side in the 1950-53 Korean War - a son of Mao Zedong died in the conflict - and China has long viewed North Korea as a useful buffer between it and U.S. forces in South Korea.

While China was not a direct party to the summit, it was nonetheless a presence: Kim met with President Xi Jinping twice in the run-up, and even borrowed an Air China 747 to get to Singapore so he didn't have to rely on his own Soviet-era plane.Singapore: After a sudden and welcome turn to diplomacy following last year's threats, insults and fears of war  remember "fire and fury" and "dotard"?  Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un shook hands and headed to sit down face-to-face and ... do what exactly?

Some observers insist that it's the beginning of the complete denuclearization of North Korea. No, no, say others, you need to manage your expectations. This is just an elaborate get-to-know-you session, albeit between the two most famous leaders in the world, and nuclear armed at that.

Actually, says another group, there will indeed be disarmament, a peace treaty ending the Korean War and North Korea's emergence as a contributing member of the international community  but just not right now.

Whatever the results, it will be one of the more unusual summits in recent history as a flamboyant, often erratic US president gets a close-up look at a hereditary socialist despot who sits on a nuclear weapons program.

Here's a look at how Tuesday's first-ever meeting between the leaders of North Korea and the United States might turn out:

WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?

Success in Singapore would see Kim making a bold decision to exchange his nukes for economic support and security assurances, according to Ryan Haas, an Asia expert at the John L. Thornton China Center. Both leaders would offer "clear, specific, unequivocal statements" outlining a dismantlement of North Korean weapons, an inventory and removal of all nuclear fuel and an opening up to UN nuclear inspectors.

Trump has faced intense pressure to win something similar to this.

A group of opposition Democratic lawmakers in the United States said in a statement that if Trump, a Republican, wants approval for a deal that allows an easing of sanctions on North Korea, he needs to get the permanent dismantlement and removal of "every single one of North Korea's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons," end all military nuclear fuel production and missile and nuclear tests, and persuade Pyongyang to "commit to robust compliance inspections including a verification regime for North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs."

This is a very high bar and probably unrealistic after one meeting. Laboriously negotiated past nuclear deals, considered breakthroughs at the time, broke down on North Korea's extreme sensitivity to allowing in outsiders to look at whether they're dismantling their nuclear facilities, many of which are thought to be hidden.

"While a summit between Trump and Kim would be historic, it is unlikely to be decisive. This is not the fault of either Trump or Kim, but rather a reflection that intractable, decades-long strategic challenges rarely-if ever-get resolved in single encounters," Haas writes.

SHOULD WE LOWER OUR EXPECTATIONS?

Probably. In fact, Trump has been doing quite a bit of this lately.

What was initially portrayed by the White House as a summit meant to completely rid the North of its nuclear weapons is now being cast as a chance to "start a dialogue" and for Trump the dealmaker to look into the eyes and take the measure of his nuclear-armed antagonist.

Ferial Saeed, a former State Department official, writes that the summit will be a "getting to know you meeting, 'plus.' That means, lower your expectations, and that the president is likely to lean toward keeping his own counsel and eschew a script. The 'plus' refers to discussions on ending the Korean War."

China, both Koreas and the United States would have to sign off on any legally binding treaty, so it is unlikely Kim and Trump will do more than express an intention to end the war.

Trump, after meeting recently with a North Korean envoy at the White House, said the summit will likely be part of "a process."

"I told them today, take your time. We can go fast, we can go slowly," Trump said.

"That is an extraordinary offer of flexibility, considering (North Korea) poses a direct security threat to the United States," according to Saeed.

In part, these lowered expectations are a reflection of the extreme skepticism among many that the North can be persuaded to give up a nuclear program it has stubbornly built over the decades, often in secrecy and despite intense sanctions, international condemnation and widespread suffering among its people.

"There is no chance to make North Korean leaders ... surrender their nuclear weapons," Andrei Lankov, a Korea expert at Seoul's Kookmin University, wrote recently on a Washington-based Asia newsletter. "They see denuclearization as a collective suicide (and they are probably right). However, now there are good chances to push North Korean nuclear/missile program back, for many years perhaps, and keep it that way for some time."

WHAT IF THE SUMMIT FAILS?

If things fall apart, it could be because "Trump presents Kim with a hard-and-fast binary choice: relinquish nuclear weapons and live in peace and prosperity, or cling to them and risk the impoverishment of your people and the safety of your regime," Haas said.

But a failure Tuesday doesn't necessarily mean a return to the animosity of 2017.

That's in part because of South Korea's diplomatic outreach to the North, which was highlighted by two summits this spring between the rivals' leaders.

If Trump and Kim fail in Singapore, "the result may be to enhance North Korean dependency on Seoul and Beijing as safety valves against the prospect of renewal of U.S.-(North Korea) confrontation," according to Scott Snyder, a Korea expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. "This circumstance in and of itself provides a new buffer against the prospect of military escalation in Korea that was not present at the end of 2017."Singapore: Donald Trump's handshake with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on Tuesday marked a historic moment -- the first meeting ever between a sitting US president and the leader of North Korea.

The US president's often-awkward handshakes with world leaders have sparked ridicule but many hope the one with Kim -- the culmination of months of dramatic diplomacy -- will lead to durable peace on the Korean peninsula.

Here are some other handshakes that shook the world:

The Koreas: Kim-Moon (2018)

On April 27, 2018, as the world held its breath, Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in reached across the Military Demarcation Line that divides the two Koreas and shook hands, the result of a remarkable thaw on the peninsula sparked by the Winter Olympics earlier this year.

Kim then stepped over the border for a summit with the South Korean president, making him the first leader from Pyongyang to set foot in the South since the Korean War ended in an armistice 65 years ago.

The two leaders agreed to pursue permanent peace and the complete denuclearisation of the divided Korean peninsula.

US, Cuba: Obama-Castro (2013)

At a memorial service for Nelson Mandela on December 10, 2013, US President Barack Obama made headlines when he shook hands with Cuba's Raul Castro, the first such public greeting between leaders of the bitter neighbours after decades of enmity.

Within months there was a rapid thaw. Full diplomatic relations were restored in July 2015, followed by once-unthinkable steps to mend ties.

Obama visited Cuba in 2016 -- the first such trip by an American president in 88 years.

Washington also relaxed its decades-long embargo on the communist-ruled island, and US airlines resumed direct flights to Havana in November 2016.

N. Ireland: Elizabeth II-McGuinness (2012)

In a landmark moment in the Northern Ireland peace process, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II met Martin McGuinness, a former top commander in the paramilitary Irish Republican Army during the many years of bloody hostilities with British forces.

The IRA wanted an end to British rule in the province, and for it to be merged with the Republic of Ireland. McGuinness later became one of the figures that helped negotiate an end to the violence.

Then a deputy first minister of Northern Ireland, McGuinness shook hands with the Queen during her June 27, 2012 visit to the province.

It was a gesture towards reconciliation that would once have been unimaginable, with McGuinness' militant past and British security operations still a source of anger for many.

Israel, Palestinians: Arafat-Rabin (1993)

After months of secret negotiations in Norway, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat stood in the South Lawn of the White House on September 13, 1993 to witness the signing of the Oslo Accords.

And then, in one of the most dramatic moments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with US president Bill Clinton's arms stretched around both leaders, Arafat and Rabin shook hands.

The abortive process granted autonomy to the occupied Palestinian territories without creating a separate state.

Rabin was assassinated two years later by a Jewish extremist opposed to the peace process, which faltered in the years that followed.

Egypt, Israel: Sadat-Begin (1977)

In what is widely considered a major turning point in the recent history of the Middle East, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat arrived in Israel on November 19, 1977 on a historic visit -- the first by an Arab head of state to the Jewish nation.

Images of Sadat shaking hands with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin during the visit were transmitted around the world. The visit led to the first Arab-Israel peace treaty and the formal end to the state of war that had existed between the two countries for 30 years.

Sadat paid for it with his life: he was assassinated by Islamists in 1981.Singapore: US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged on Tuesday to work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula while Washington committed to provide security guarantees for its old enemy.

"President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula," said a joint statement issued after their historic summit in Singapore.

DPRK is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the formal name of North Korea.

Trump said he expected the denuclearisation process to start "very, very quickly". U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean officials would hold follow-up negotiations "at the earliest possible date", the statement said.

A satirical take on the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. (Mir Suhail/News18.com)

It however did not give any details on how denuclearisation would be achieved. The document also made no mention of the international sanctions that have crippled North Korea's economy, for pursuing its nuclear weapons programme.

Nor was there any reference to finally signing a peace treaty. The combatants of the 1950-53 Korean War are technically still at war, as the conflict, in which millions of people died, was concluded only with a truce.

But the joint statement did say the two sides had agreed to recovering the remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action and repatriating them.

If the joint statement does lead to a lasting detente, it could fundamentally change the security landscape of Northeast Asia, just as former U.S. President Richard Nixon visit to Beijing in 1972 led to the transformation of China.

The two men  both intent on making history  greeted each other with extended hands in front of a row of US and North Korean flags, a previously unthinkable sight that reflects a new chapter in the two countries' acrimonious relationship.

"We had a really fantastic meeting. A lot of progress," Trump told reporters three hours later after sitting for a series of talks and a working lunch. "Really very positive. I think better than anybody could have expected."

"Top of the line," Trump said. "Really good."

Earlier in the day, Trump predicted an eventual agreement on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons, a gut-level assessment Trump had claimed he would make within the first minutes of the meeting.

"Excellent relationship," he said.

Trump's threats to politely walk out of the meeting if his expectations were unmet did not materialise. Instead, he predicted he could "solve a big problem, a big dilemma" alongside his new partner.

"Working together, we'll get it taken care of," Trump said.

The remarks came amid an improbable series of events that few could have anticipated even three months ago. The unlikely images of US and North Korean counterparts engaging in friendly dialogue lent the day an air of unreality. In a detailed menu, the White House said the men were served Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream for dessert.

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrive for a working lunch at Capella Hotel in Singapore. (AP)

Other developments fuelled that impression. Minutes before the historic handshake, Trump tweeted that his top economic adviser Larry Kudlow had suffered a heart attack.

Our Great Larry Kudlow, who has been working so hard on trade and the economy, has just suffered a heart attack. He is now in Walter Reed Medical Center. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2018

Immediately after the encounter, Dennis Rodman  one of the only Americans to have met Kim  was openly weeping while being interviewed by CNN's Chris Cuomo.

Even Kim seemed to acknowledge the surreality of the day.

"Many people in the world will think of this as a (inaudible) form of fantasy ... from a science fiction movie," his translator was overheard saying as the two leaders walked down a white-columned colonnade.

The day began with Trump patting Kim on the back and placing his hand on the North Korean's shoulder as they walked into their first meeting. Their body language was openly friendly, a striking warmth given Kim's iron grip on power and dismal record on human rights. Trump's move to meet him attracted fierce criticism for normalising a regime routinely called out for its human rights abuses, that over years has built an image of fearsome renegade regime, throwing around threats of nuclear war.

"I feel really great. We'll have a great discussion," Trump said at the beginning of the talks.

Speaking through an interpreter, Kim alluded to the longstanding enmity between his country and the United States.

"It has not been easy to come to this point," Kim said, according to a CNN translation of his remarks. "For us the past has been holding us back, and old practices and prejudices have been covering our eyes and ears, but we have been able to overcome everything to arrive here today."

Trump nodded in agreement.

The meeting comes only months after the two men traded nuclear taunts, ratcheting up tensions and leading to fears of war.

Whether nuclear disarmament is indeed the outcome of Tuesday's summit won't be known for years, if not decades. But the dramatic act of extending his hand to one of America's longtime adversaries will forever illustrate Trump's gut-driven, norm-shattering tenure.

After the men shook hands, they repaired inside for one-on-one talks. In that first meeting they were joined only by translators, a break from standard practice of having at least one aide present for high-stakes huddles.

Later in the day, advisers joined the talks for a larger bilateral session and a working lunch. Trump was joined by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, chief of staff John Kelly, national security adviser John Bolton and the US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, who has lent his Korea expertise to the talks.

When asked if he will invite Kim Jong Un to the White House, President Trump replied "Absolutely I will" https://t.co/2DMLHjhWQN pic.twitter.com/Flt9BPOVwf CNN (@CNN) June 12, 2018

In the lead-up to the summit, US and North Korean officials were convening contentious final-hour negotiations in a Ritz Carlton hotel here in a bid to narrow gaps on key aspects of the meeting. In question is Pyongyang's precise commitment to nuclear disarmament, and the security guarantees the US is willing to offer in return.

One US official said the two sides were working to craft a joint US-North Korea "statement of understanding" that could be released after the talks. The language in that document has been the fraught topic of discussion at the 11th-hour negotiations.

It's not clear what the US side has been able to extract from the North Koreans in terms of their willingness to get rid of their nuclear weapons or allow inspectors into the country to catalogue the scale of their program.

President Trump says that he and Kim Jong Un "have developed a very special bond" after #TrumpKimSummit https://t.co/6rvQCCkDqR pic.twitter.com/VmoKzW85Ra CNN (@CNN) June 12, 2018

That didn't stop Trump from heightening anticipation for the summit, which he views as a landmark event that his predecessors could never have accomplished.

Trump has taken keen interest in the pageantry of the day, insisting the pictures beamed around the world reflect a commanding leader making a decisive, world-altering move. At the same time, he'd admitted he doesn't believe he requires extensive preparation to take stock of Kim.

Instead, he told reporters last weekend he would rely on "my touch, my feel" to assess the young and mercurial leader. He added he would know within minutes whether Kim was serious about negotiating away his nuclear weapons and has threatened to politely walk out if Kim doesn't meet his expectations.

At one point, Trump suggested to reporters the talks could extend to a second or even a third day if they were going well. He was originally scheduled to leave on Wednesday. But on Monday evening, the White House announced Trump would depart for Washington by 8 p.m. Tuesday evening in Singapore, leaving little time for follow-up. Before he leaves he'll sit for an interview with his friend, the Fox host Sean Hannity, and convene a media availability for other reporters.

A US official confirmed to CNN Trump's departure was moved up by more than 12 hours because Kim set his own departure for shortly after the summit. The official cautioned, however, that the schedule could always change if meeting goes well and there is more to discuss.

Tuesday's meeting, convened at a luxury hotel on the island of Sentosa, comes just three months after Trump accepted North Korea's invitation for talks on the spot. It was an extraordinarily compressed timeline for the landmark summit, one that left aides scrambling to initiate communication with the hermit nation.

The sides first spoke through intelligence channels, with US analysts working to determine Kim's true willingness to abandon a nuclear program started by his grandfather and viewed by Pyongyang as a security blanket from outside aggressors.

Pompeo, who led the outreach as CIA director, traveled twice to North Korea for preliminary talks. His sessions with Kim amounted to the most robust contact ever between the United States and the North Korean leader, providing critical information about a man about whom little is known.

A major advancement came in late April when South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with Kim at the Korean Demilitarized Zone, a diplomatic opening that laid the basis for the future engagement with Trump. Moon has pressed for a diplomatic path to east tensions on the peninsula, fearing a more violent alternative.

Talks proceeded at multiple levels, including logistical discussions to allay Kim's fears of being deposed while traveling further afield than he ever has before as the country's leader. The site of the historic talks was a matter of intense speculation before the US President announced on Twitter it would occur here in Singapore, the flashy Southeast Asian city-state that has eagerly accommodated the spectacle.

More than 2,500 journalists have convened here, with each leader's every movement tracked carefully. A day before the summit, Trump mostly remained inside his Shangri-la hotel, emerging only to meet with his Singaporean counterpart at the presidential palace. Later in the day, he met with senior advisers and phoned the leaders of Japan and South Korea.

Kim, meanwhile, was spotted taking a moonlit stroll around the high-end Marina Bay Sands hotel and casino, which is owned by GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson. Kim was cheered by onlookers who caught sight of the dictator, who until earlier this spring was not believed to have ever left North Korea as supreme leader.Singapore: President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un concluded an extraordinary nuclear summit on Tuesday with the US president pledging unspecified "security guarantees" to the North and Kim recommitting to the "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

Meeting with staged ceremony on a Singapore island, Trump and Kim came together for a summit that seemed unthinkable months ago, clasping hands in front of a row of alternating U.S. and North Korean flags, holding a one-on-one meeting, additional talks with advisers and a working lunch.

Both leaders expressed optimism throughout roughly five hours of talks, with Trump thanking Kim afterward "for taking the first bold step toward a bright new future for his people."

Trump added during a news conference that Kim has before him "an opportunity like no other" to bring his country back into the community of nations if he agrees to give up his nuclear program.

President Trump says the US will stop "war games," an apparent reference to joint military exercises with South Korea that North Korea has long rebuked as provocative https://t.co/pW7w70E5HM pic.twitter.com/TBCl3oGpbE  CNN (@CNN) June 12, 2018

Trump announced after the meeting that he will be freezing US military "war games" with its ally South Korea while negotiations between the two countries continue. Trump cast the decision as a cost-saving measure, but North Korea has long objected to the drills as a security threat. Trump sidestepped his public praise for an autocrat whose people have been oppressed for decades. He added Otto Warmbier, an American once detained in North Korea, "did not die in vain" because his death brought about the nuclear talks.

Light on specifics, the document signed by the leaders largely amounted to an agreement to continue discussions as it echoed previous public statements and past commitments. It did not include an agreement to take steps toward ending the technical state of warfare between the US and North Korea.

The pair promised in the document to "build a lasting and stable peace regime" on the Korean Peninsula and to repatriate remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action during the Korean War.

President Trump said he hopes the Korean War will finally end, more than 70 years after it began. The leaders of North and South Korea pledged to bring a formal end to the Korean War at another summit in April https://t.co/A6Ce6MTab4 pic.twitter.com/85dzdvDvLr  CNN (@CNN) June 12, 2018

Language on North Korea's bombs was similar to what the leaders of North and South Korea came up with at their own summit in April. At the time, the Koreans faced criticism for essentially kicking the issue of North Korea's nuclear arsenal down the road to Tuesday's Trump-Kim summit. Trump and Kim even directly referenced the so-called Panmunjom Declaration, which contained a weak commitment to denuclearization and no specifics on how to achieve it. The formal document signing followed a series of meetings at a luxury Singapore resort. After the signing, Trump said he expected to "meet many times" in the future with Kim and, in response to questions, said he "absolutely" would invite Kim to the White House. For his part, Kim hailed the "historic meeting" and said they "decided to leave the past behind." In a moment that would never happen in North Korea, reporters began yelling questions to Trump and Kim after they signed the document, including whether they had discussed the case of Otto Warmbier, the American college student who suffered brain damage while in North Korean custody and died in June 2017, days after he was returned home to Ohio. In the run-up to the meeting, Trump had predicted the two men might strike a nuclear deal or forge a formal end to the Korean War in the course of a single meeting or over several days. But in the hours before the summit, the White House unexpectedly announced Trump would depart Singapore earlier than expected  Tuesday evening  raising questions about whether his aspirations for an ambitious outcome had been scaled back.

President Trump says Kim Jong Un promised to destroy a major missile engine testing site. The commitment was not included in the joint declaration the two men signed, but Trump said: "We agreed to that after the agreement was signed." https://t.co/kXwB4fUypr pic.twitter.com/8OQ8uM3gPw  CNN (@CNN) June 12, 2018

The meeting was the first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.

Aware that the eyes of the world were on a moment many people never expected to see, Kim said many of those watching would think it was a scene from a "science fiction movie.

After meeting privately and with aides, Trump and Kim moved into the luncheon at a long flower-bedecked table. As they entered, Trump injected some levity to the day's extraordinary events, saying: "Getting a good picture everybody? So we look nice and handsome and thin? Perfect."

Then they dined on beef short rib confit along with sweet and sour crispy pork.

And as they emerged from the meal for a brief stroll together, Trump appeared to delight in showing his North Korean counterpart the interior of "The Beast," the famed US presidential limousine known for its high-tech fortifications.

Critics of the summit leapt at the leaders' handshake and the moonlight stroll Kim took Monday night along the glittering Singapore waterfront, saying it was further evidence that Trump was helping legitimize Kim on the world stage. Kim has been accused of horrific rights abuses against his people.

"It's a huge win for Kim Jong Un, who now  if nothing else  has the prestige and propaganda coup of meeting one on one with the president, while armed with a nuclear deterrent," said Michael Kovrig, a northeast Asia specialist at the International Crisis Group in Washington.

Trump responded to such commentary on Twitter, saying: "The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the US, say the haters & losers." But he added "our hostages" are back home and testing, research and launches have stopped.

Giving voice to the anticipation felt around the world as the meeting opened, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday he "hardly slept" before the summit. Moon and other officials watched the live broadcast of the summit before a South Korean Cabinet meeting in his presidential office

The summit capped a dizzying few days of foreign policy activity for Trump, who shocked US allies over the weekend by using a meeting in Canada of the Group of Seven industrialized economies to alienate America's closest friends in the West. Lashing out over trade practices, Trump lobbed insults at his G-7 host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trump left that summit early and, as he flew to Singapore, tweeted that he was yanking the US out of the group's traditional closing statement.

The optimistic summit was a remarkable change in dynamics from less than a year ago, when Trump was threatening "fire and fury" against Kim, who in turn scorned the American president as a "mentally deranged US dotard." Beyond the impact on both leaders' political fortunes, the summit could shape the fate of countless people  the citizens of impoverished North Korea, the tens of millions living in the shadow of the North's nuclear threat, and millions more worldwide.

Alluding to the North's concerns that giving up its nuclear weapons could surrender its primary deterrent to forced regime change, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters that the US was prepared to take action to provide North Korea with "sufficient certainty" that denuclearization "is not something that ends badly for them."

He would not say whether that included the possibility of withdrawing US troops from the Korean Peninsula, but said the US was "prepared to take what will be security assurances that are different, unique, than America's been willing to provide previously."

The North has faced crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions as it has advanced development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Pompeo held firm to Trump's position that sanctions will remain in place until North Korea denuclearizes  and said they would even increase if diplomatic discussions did not progress positively.Singapore: Nearly five hours of unprecedented and surreal talks between US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un culminated on Tuesday with fulsome declarations of a new friendship but just vague pledges of nuclear disarmament.

For Trump, that amounted to a triumphant outcome in his extraordinary gamble with the rogue kingdom's despotic leader. But there were scant details on what new commitments had been secured from Kim, even as Trump announced he would end the regular military exercises the US conducts with South Korea.

Whether nuclear disarmament is indeed the final outcome of Tuesday's summit won't be known for years, if not decades. But the dramatic act of extending his hand to one of America's longtime adversaries will forever illustrate Trump's gut-driven, norm-shattering tenure.

"We both want to do something. We both are going to do something. And we have developed a very special bond," Trump said at the conclusion of the landmark summit. "People are going to be very impressed. People are going to be very happy."

The document he and Kim signed said the North Korean leader "reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." In exchange, Trump agreed to "provide security guarantees" to North Korea.

But there was no mentioning the previous US aim of "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation." And Kim's commitments did not appear to go beyond what he already pledged to do in April when he met South Korean President Moon Jae-in along their countries' border.

Trump insisted during a news conference the agreement went further than many people expected. But he acknowledged the effort to rid North Korea of its nuclear arsenal was in its early stages. "We will do it as fast as it can mechanically and physically be done," he said.

More critical, in Trump's telling, was the development of a personal bond with Kim, a brutal dictator responsible for the deaths not only of his own citizens but of at least one American, Otto Warmbier, who was returned to the US in a coma only to die days later.

"I think our whole relationship with North Korea and the Korean Peninsula is going to be a very much different situation than it has in the past," Trump said during the summit.

Later, during his news conference, Trump said Warmbier's death contributed to the summit taking place. "Without Otto, this would not have happened," Trump said.

Trump and Kim - both intent on making history - greeted each other early in the day with extended hands in front of a row of US and North Korean flags, a previously unthinkable sight that reflects a new chapter in the two countries' acrimonious relationship.

Trump's threats to politely walk out of the meeting if his expectations were unmet did not materialize. Instead he predicted he could "solve a big problem, a big dilemma" alongside his new partner. "Working together, we'll get it taken care of," Trump said.

The remarks came amid an improbable series of events that few could have anticipated even three months ago. The unlikely images of US and North Korean counterparts engaging in friendly dialogue lent the day an air of unreality. In a detailed menu, the White House said the men were served Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Other unforeseen events also surrounded the summit, increasing the drama. Minutes before the historic handshake, Trump tweeted that his top economic adviser Larry Kudlow had suffered a heart attack. Immediately after the encounter, Dennis Rodman - one of the only Americans to have met Kim - was openly weeping while being interviewed by CNN's Chris Cuomo.

Even Kim seemed to acknowledge the surreality of the day. "Many people in the world will think of this as a (inaudible) form of fantasy ... from a science fiction movie," his translator was overheard saying as the two leaders walked down a white-columned colonnade.

At the conclusion of the summit, Trump hailed the talks as a historic, and personal, achievement. "We learned a lot about each other and our countries," Trump said. "I learned he's a very talented man."

When pressed about those comments in light of Kim's brutal tactics, Trump continued praising the North Korean leaders' ability to run a country at a young age. "He is very talented," Trump said, citing Kim's ability to "take over a situation like he did at 26 years of age and run it, and run it tough."

Kim assumed power after his father Kim Jong Il, also a brutal dictator, died in 2011.

Throughout the day, Trump and Kim's body language was openly friendly, a striking warmth given Kim's iron grip on power and dismal record on human rights. Trump's move to meet him attracted fierce criticism for normalizing a regime routinely called out for its human rights abuses, that over years has built an image of fearsome renegade regime, throwing around threats of nuclear war.

The day began with Trump patting Kim on the back and placing his hand on the North Korean's shoulder as they walked into their first meeting. Later they were seen smiling and laughing over lunch.

Trump told reporters he would "absolutely" extend an invitation to the White House to Kim, who also heralded a new era. "Today, we had a historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind," Kim said through a translator. "The world will see a major change."

The meeting came only months after the two men traded nuclear taunts, ratcheting up tensions and leading to fears of war. By contrast, Trump appeared to back off a military footing on Tuesday, declaring the US will stop the "war games," an apparent reference to joint military exercises with South Korea that North Korea has long rebuked as provocative.

Trump also said he hopes to eventually withdraw US forces from South Korea, but said "that's not part of the equation right now."

"I want to get our soldiers out. I want to bring our soldiers back home," Trump said. "But that's not part of the equation right now. I hope it will be eventually."

Tuesday's meeting, convened at a luxury hotel on the island of Sentosa, came just three months after Trump accepted North Korea's invitation for talks on the spot. It was an extraordinarily compressed timeline for the landmark summit, which at one point was called off entirely as communication broke down between Washington and Pyongyang.

The talks were quickly revived, leading to the highly choreographed event that unfolded Tuesday.

After the men shook hands, they repaired inside for one-on-one talks. In that first meeting they were joined only by translators, a break from standard practice of having at least one aide present for high-stakes huddles.

Later in the day, advisers joined the talks for a larger bilateral session and a working lunch.

Trump took keen interest in the pageantry of the day, insisting the pictures beamed around the world reflect a commanding leader making a decisive, world-altering move. At the same time, he'd admitted he didn't believe he required extensive preparation to take stock of Kim.

As part of the advance work, Trump commissioned a highly produced video meant to convince Kim to relinquish his weapons and open his country to outside investment. Trump showed Kim the movie on an iPad during their talks.

Here in futuristic Singapore, however, Kim was able to view the benefits of economic advancement at close range. He was spotted taking a moonlit stroll around the high-end Marina Bay Sands hotel and casino, owned by GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, the type of glitzy development few North Koreans could ever imagine coming to their country.

Kim was cheered by onlookers who caught sight of the dictator, who until earlier this spring was not believed to have ever left North Korea as supreme leader.At 89 years old, one is supposed to retire. But San Franciscobased entrepreneur and philanthropist Maurice Kanbar still has work to do.

The creator of Skyy Vodka in the late '90s (he sold it to Campari in 2002), Kanbar is pouring his love of two thingsthe local community and the perfect vodka martiniinto the launch of his new brand: Blue Angel Vodka, which will donate all of its earning to charitable causes, starting with the Bay Area's LGBTQ community.

"Maurice is not a big drinker, but he likes to have a martini a day," says Blue Angel COO Tsach Gilboa, who tells us the story of how Blue Angelpossibly one of the cleanest vodkas yet to hit the marketcame to be.

When he started to get headaches from drinking vodka, Kanbar did his homework, talking with doctors, bartenders, and industry experts. The headaches, he found, were to do with the congeners (minor chemicals) that result from the fermentation process.

Through trial and error, Kanbar learned that multiple distillations will filter out those impurities. Skyy vodka is distilled four times; the new Blue Angel, six times, for a smoother, neater flavor.

Blue Angel founder and philanthropist Maurice Kanbar. (Pamela Gentile)

"There isn't a day in which Maurice doesn't think about how he can improve or fix something, how he can make things better, and how he can help and support other people's projects," Gilboa says. "The mission of this new company is to give all the proceeds to charity."



Over the past 50 years, Kanbar has proved quite the patron of Bay Area arts and culture, having donated generously to such institutions as the Exploratorium, the SF Symphony, KQED's Image Makers, the SF Girls Chorus, and the SF Film Festival. The launch of Blue Angel Vodka, timed with Pride Month here, will directly support the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus and its world premiere of the new musical, Unbreakable, starring Tony Award winner Andrew Lippa; as well as the post-production of 50 Years of Fabulous, a documentary film about the Imperial Council of San Francisco, the oldest LGBT charity organization in the world.

Blue Angel has fronted the costs of two separate fundraisersone for SFGMC (at the Lookout on June 16th, 6:30-9:30pm) and one for the Imperial Council (at Beaux on June 13, 6-9pm)and hopes to raise $10,000 at each. You can go and drink vodka cocktails knowing that half your drink proceeds will benefit to the respective charities. (Also watch for more Blue Angelhosted fundraisers for arts, education, and healthcare down the road.)

// See 50 Years of Fabulous on Sunday, June 17 (11am) at Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St. (Castro); tickets ($14) are available at frameline.org. Catch Unbreakable June 22-23 at the Nourse Theater, 275 Hayes St. (Civic Center); for info and tickets ($25-$99), go to sfgmc.org. For more information on Blue Angel Vodka ($20/bottle), go to blueangelvodka.com.

(Learn more about 50 Years of Fabulous and Blue Angel Vodka's support of the film in the video above.)



Dhaka: A prominent Bangladeshi writer and publisher was dragged out of a shop and shot dead by unidentified attackers in central Bangladesh, ending a lull in the killings of secular bloggers and activists in the Muslim-majority country.

Shahzahan Bachchu, 60, an outspoken proponent of secular principles and owner of a publishing house 'Bishaka Prokashoni' that specialised in publishing poetry, was gunned down in his ancestral village Kakaldi in Munshiganj district last evening by five assailants.

Bachchu had gone to meet friends at a pharmacy shop near his home before iftar, when the five attackers on two motorcycles came into the area. They blasted a crude bomb outside the pharmacy, creating panic, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

They then dragged Shahzahan out of the shop and shot him, a senior superintendent of police was quoted as saying by the daily.

Although no group has claimed responsibility, police officials from the counter-terrorism department are investigating the murder as a possible targeted attack by Islamist extremists.

Bachchu had previously received threats from extremist groups due to his outspoken support for secularism.

Bachchu was a former district general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh and was known as a free-thinking writer. His publishing house Bishaka is based in Dhaka's Banglabazar area.

Deaths of secular writers, bloggers, online activists and a publisher in attacks by suspected Islamist militants shook Bangladesh for months after the murder of atheist writer and blogger Avijit Roy in Dhaka on February 26, 2015.

Avijit's publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan was also hacked to death on October 31 the same year.

Militant groups claimed responsibility for most of these attacks and the law enforcers arrested many radical Islamists in connection with the attacks.Deathstroke Inc. is NOT ending with issue #7 after all - a DC "typo" to blame according to writer

It's all just a misunderstanding people ... nothing to see hereGamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn moreSorry!

This content is not available in your regionPresident Donald Trump's heightened attacks on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are raising concerns that he might follow through on threats to impose auto tariffs, a move that would devastate the car industry in Canada and lead to higher U.S. prices.

The Trump administration's pledge to consider tariffs on all imported vehicles took on more urgency last weekend after Trump and his advisers accused Trudeau of "bad faith diplomacy" for his trade comments following a meeting of Group of Seven leaders in Quebec.

"I have instructed our U.S. Reps not to endorse the Communique as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the U.S. Market!" Trump tweeted Saturday evening while en route to Singapore aboard Air Force One. "Very dishonest & weak," he said of Trudeau.

Trump has asked the U.S. Commerce Department to review whether vehicle imports threaten national security, which would add to levies already imposed on steel and aluminum. The car tariffs could apply to all countries, including Nafta partners Mexico and Canada, the two biggest exporters of autos to the U.S.

"I think we are all sitting with bated breath hoping that cooler heads prevail, but most of us believe there's an equal chance that they won't," said Dennis DesRosiers, president of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc. in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

The tariffs would have to clear several hurdles before being implemented, including fierce opposition from the industry and Republican lawmakers who tend to favor fewer and lower taxes.

Yet after White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said there's a "special place in hell" for foreign leaders like Trudeau who engage in bad faith with Trump, Canada's auto sector may be more at risk.

Motor vehicles and parts were Canada's biggest export after energy products, representing about 16 percent of the C$7.4 billion ($5.7 billion) in shipments over the first four months of this year. The Canadian auto industry directly employs about 130,000 people and contributes more than C$20 billion annually to gross domestic product, according to the Canadian Vehicles Manufacturers' Association, which represents the Canadian arms of General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.

If the tariffs are implemented, they would shave about 0.6 percent off Canadian economic growth, estimated Brett House, deputy chief economist at Bank of Nova Scotia.

With the economy growing at about 2.2 percent, that's lopping off more than a quarter of growth, he said. "There's no question it would be felt."

Five automakers -- GM, Ford, FCA, Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. -- produced about 2.2 million vehicles in Canada last year. Approximately 85 percent of those vehicles are exported, with the vast majority going to the U.S. The most popular models shipped to the U.S. include the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda Civic, both assembled in Ontario plants.

If the U.S. imposes a 25 percent tariff on those exports, suddenly they don't make much economic sense, said Kristin Dziczek, vice president of industry, labor and economics at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

"It's not an economically feasible prospect to import vehicles to the U.S. market in a 25 percent tariff situation," she said. "It would be very difficult to sustain a Canadian industry without relatively free access to the U.S. market."

The tariffs threaten an ever-shrinking sector in Canada that lost 53,000 jobs between 2001 and 2014. Canada's loss has been Mexico's gain, as production there has soared thanks to Nafta and other trade deals. In 2008, Mexico surpassed Canada for the first time to become the second-largest North American producer of light vehicles, according to the Center for Automotive Research. While total Canadian production may decline by 135,000 units between 2016 and 2020, Mexico's are forecast to rise by 850,000. The threat of tariffs add to the uncertainty in the industry, which faces a potential trade overhaul as a result of Nafta negotiations.

Most analysts agree that the tariffs would also be bad for the U.S. American consumers would have to pay $5,000 to $7,000 more for their vehicles on average, potentially reducing U.S. auto sales by 4 million to 5 million units a year, said DesRosiers, who called it "a nightmare scenario."

"It would potentially bring down the entire economy and push it into a recession," he said.

Jeff Schuster from LMC Automotive estimates the impact would be less severe, cutting new light-vehicle sales by about 1 million.

Trump's statements could be merely "chest thumping," he said, but after moving to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum on the basis of national security, the threat of new taxes must be taken seriously. "The escalation is starting to happen," Schuster said.

Still, the potential U.S. fallout could make the tariffs a difficult sell to Trump's manufacturing base, said Jerry Dias, national president of Unifor, which represents Canadian autoworkers at GM, Ford and FCA.

Canada retaliated when the U.S. imposed duties on imported steel and aluminum last month and would likely do the same on auto tariffs, Dias said. The U.S. exports more vehicles to Canada than anywhere else in the world.

"It'll hurt the U.S. as much as it'll hurt Canada," said Dias, who pointed out that the majority of parts in Canadian-built vehicles come from the U.S. "He's going to have to explain to all those auto-parts workers why his strategy makes sense as they're sitting on the unemployment line."

The problem with auto tariffs is that it takes a long time to shift production, meaning American consumers would pay the price for several years, said Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association, which represents Canada's auto suppliers.

"If your objective is to have the American companies as well as the Japanese set up on the U.S. side of the border, you're asking private companies to absorb billions of dollars of costs," Volpe said, adding that it would make the North American industry less competitive against rising Chinese players. "At a time when the U.S. is targeting China, it is infinitely dumb."

- - -

With assistance from Bloomberg's Erik Hertzberg and Gabrielle Coppola.NORWALK  A couple who had just bought a house on Deepwood Lane a month ago and are expecting a baby are lucky to be alive after a propane explosion heavily damaged their basement and first floor early Tuesday.

Bertrand and Mamata Simon, who is five months pregnant, were asleep on the second floor when propane  apparently leaked from a front yard underground storage tank  ignited just after 5 a.m.

We were sleeping on the second floor when we woke up to a loud boom, Bertrand Simon said, standing in the driveway, wearing shorts and dress shoes with no socks. In his front yard lay mangled window frames. In the street and on neighboring lawns were shards of glass. We grabbed a few necessities and got out.

He said there was fire on the first floor and in the basement when they made their escape.

Firefighters got the call at 5:07 a.m. When they arrived there was heavy smoke and fire coming from the basement and garage area of the 10-year-old house. The fire was brought under control in about 30 minutes.

After high gas readings were found at neighboring properties and storm drains around 9:15 a.m., a few houses in the area were evacuated and the road shut down as officials investigated the cause of the explosion. Police and additional fire crews were dispatched to the neighborhood.

More Information If you think you smell gas: Put out all open flames immediately. Do not operate lights, appliances, telephones or cellphones. Flames or sparks can trigger an explosion or fire. Immediately evacuate everyone from the building or area where you suspect gas is leaking. Shut off the gas supply from an outside tank, if it is safe to do so. Call your local gas company office or fire department immediately from a telephone outside of the building and stay outside. Don't return to the area until the gas company or emergency responders say it's safe to do so. Have the system checked before you reuse it. Information supplied by the Propane Education and Research Council's website, www.propanesafety.com See More Collapse

Deputy Fire Chief Steve Shay said the explosion that happened shortly after 5 a.m. had enough force to blow out all the houses windows and doors. Furniture on the first floor was overturned and scattered about.

There was propane going into the house, and it filled up with gas, Shay said. When there was an ignition source, there was an explosion on the first floor.

Shay said if the couple had been on the first floor, they would have been gone.

He said an open window on the second floor prevented a buildup of gas that could have asphyxiated the two. They were lucky, Shay said.

Bertrand Simon said the flame damage was the worst in the basement, and there was smoke damage throughout.

The two-story building was declared unfit for occupancy. The 2,292-square-foot house has eight rooms and a two-bay basement garage. According to Norwalk property records, the house is appraised at $464,810.

Shay said the house will be boarded up until repairs can be made.

Neighbors were rousted from their beds by the blast.

I heard a big boom and then went outside to see smoke coming out of the house, said Martha Strassberger, who lives a few houses up and across the street.

I heard a big boom, she said. Sometimes its a transformer and then you lose power. I came outside and I saw the smoke coming out of that house.

Strassberger said a police car quickly arrived, then fire engines, then rescue trucks.

They were here fast, she said.

Another neighbor said she thought the sound was a tree falling on a car. I heard a crash and an alarm right away, she said.

If the blast happened earlier this spring, it could have been tragic. Strassberger said the family that just moved out had four kids.

Bertrand Simon stayed at the scene, talking with fire officials through the morning. He said he and his wife bought the home a month ago, and it had a propane tank in the front yard. He said the previous owners used Hocon gas, and that they hadnt yet signed a service contract with another company.

A drone whirred overhead as Eversource workers and first responders took gas readings around the neighborhood.

This is a nice, quiet neighborhood, he said, until the blast at 5 a.m. to wake you up.

Ned Gerard

Tony Carlo has a house a couple of blocks away on Flax Hill Road. He said he was up early watching television in a room with windows facing the Deepwoods neighborhood when the blast occurred.

Carol Kaliff

I saw a flash, he said. I didnt know what it was.

Note: This story was updated to correct the last name of the couple whose house was damaged.GOSHEN  Just six months after a judge in Torrington Superior Court ruled against a request to remove three elephants from the Commerford Zoo in Goshen, the Nonhuman Rights Project has filed a nearly identical lawsuit, this time in Tolland County.

The nonprofit group, based in Florida, considers the elephants to be their clients.

The elephants cant file a lawsuit, said attorney Steven M. Wise, the groups founder. They are suing on their behalf.

The decision to file the suit in Rockville Superior Court, Wise said, was made because the group believes the judges in that district are more versed in the legal action that he seeks.

That legal action is nearly unprecedented in U.S. courts  the filing of a habeas corpus petition to ask a judge to recognize that the elephants have the legal personhood and fundamental right to bodily liberty, as do humans.

Three generations of the Commerford family have operated the zoo. Tim and Darlene Commerford run the business now. They inherited it from Tims father, who began the venture with a petting zoo. Darlene met Bill in high school, and she started working there when she was 15.

Were so tired of fighting this, she said. The elephants are outside playing in the yard right now. They do minimum work when they go to fairs.

Families used to visit the petting zoo, Darlene Comerford said, but its no longer open to the public. Instead, the elephants are occasionally shown at fairs, and the smaller animals, including ponies and goats, visit childrens groups and appear at private parties.

The Nonhuman Rights Project proposes to move the elephants to a sanctuary in California, but Darlene Commerford said their 40 acres is a sanctuary. The three elephants, Beulah, Karen and Minnie, have lived in Goshen since they were four years old. Beulah is now 50 and retired.

Minnie is my favorite, Darlene Comerford said, saying that Minnie came from a family in Pennsylvania who raised her from a baby. Shes so affectionate toward women.

Wise said his organization is a civil rights organization, not an animal rights group. He said if the judge in Tolland County were to refuse to hear the case, they would go to the appellate court.

Thats what we want to do, Wise said.

The way things are going, people wont even be able to pet a goat or a sheep, Darlene Comerford said.

She and Bill have two children who work for the family business, but its not a long-term plan.

The next generation of kids, they wont even get a chance, Darlene Comerford said, because of animal activists.In the Women Entrepreneur series My First Moves, we talk to founders about that pivotal moment when they decided to turn their business idea into a realityand the first steps they took to make it happen.

I wouldnt say Im an accidental entrepreneur, but I definitely didnt start out with a business plan, says Lauren Bush Lauren, the founder and CEO of FEED, the social business that sells productsprimarily bags and accessoriesthat fund the distribution of food to children in need across the world. Like many entrepreneurs, Bush Lauren wanted to solve a problem and realized, somewhat by chance, that starting a business was the best way to create a solution. In 2007, she launched FEED, and its since grown into a household brand and is responsible for having distributed more than 100 million meals around the world. But in its earliest days, the CEO learned primarily through trial and error.

Step 1: Focus your passions and pitch your idea.

Bush Lauren had gotten involved with the UNs World Food Programme (WFP) early in her college career at Princeton, working as a student ambassador to get young people to engage with the organization. Shed traveled to both Central America and Africa with the WFP, and each time returned feeling inspired but frustrated. There are so many amazing programs helping so many children around the world, and it made me feel like the issue of hunger is very solvable -- but at the same time, its very abstract and difficult for people to engage with, she says. It was a shock to see the realities of hunger and poverty, and it was an equal shock to return to America and college life and struggle to engage my peers in conversation on this issue. Her idea for the FEED bag was to create a covetable item that directly related to the issue of hunger; the burlap material mirrors the rations bags that distribute food around the world. A portion of sales would go back to the organization. She took it to the WFP, which was supportive, if not completely convinced of its potential. I think the idea seemed outlandish to them, and for the most part, they didnt quite get it, she says. But it just made me think that theyre so great at what they do, and here is something that I can contribute in a space theyre not focused on. Build a separate social business to tell that story. Today, the WFP is still FEEDs biggest giving partner.

Related: How the Rifle Paper Co. Founders Turned a Side Hustle Into a Thriving Lifestyle Brand

Step 2: Leverage your existing network.

Theres no denying that Bush Lauren is better connected than most budding entrepreneurs. She is, after all, the granddaughter of the 41st president, had a successful modeling career while she was in college and at the time she started working on FEED, was dating her now-husband David Lauren, the son of Ralph Lauren. I had taken design classes, but I didnt necessarily know how to bring something to the market, she says. But I tapped into those resources in my own network, my friends in the fashion industry and asked around. I got help on technical pieces of design that I didnt quite know how to perfect. I got proper production contacts. I asked a ton of questions. She spent eight months working with a potential production partner before her first prototype was perfected. Youd think a tote bag made of burlap and cotton wouldnt be complicated, she says, but we really wanted to make it a billboard for the brand and message. And we still work with that manufacturer today.

Related: How Research, Research, and More Research Led the Co-Founder of Billie to a Successful Launch

Step 3: Fight for your product. Literally.

After Bush Lauren had a sample she was happy with, she started taking orders just from friends and family. Those first sales were pretty grassroots, she says. Id just been talking to people about this bag for so long, they were just like, 'Sign me up for five.' She had placed an order for a couple hundred items and asked the manufacturer to ship them to her at the UN. We got a call from customs at JFK Airport asking where our customs broker was, she recalls. Its someone who signs and vouches for products, but its very nuanced, and its a specific job. But we didnt have that, because I had no clue that was a thing that existed. So she and a team member rented a minivan, drove to JFK and unpacked their shipment in front of a customs official. After four hours of us begging to get our bags out of customs, this poor guy felt so bad for us, he bought one! But Im pretty sure it was a pity purchase, she says, laughing. It was very triumphant.

Related: How the Founders of LOLA Learned to Talk Up the Feminine Hygiene Market

Step 4: Think big, even if your operation is small.

Feeling empowered, the founder starting talking to anyone who would listen, she says. A helpful network of mentors and casual advisors led her to a contact at Amazon, who would prove invaluable to FEED and its future. At this point, it was 2006, the beginning of the green movement and reusable bag movement, so it was very timely, Bush Lauren says. She convinced Amazon to do a small test of her product, and the internet giant placed an order for 500 bags. One of my best friends from college built our first website, and it linked to the product on Amazon, so we never had to fulfill our own orders, Bush Lauren says, adding that some fashion-world press in publications like Marie Claire helped get the word out about FEED and its mission. We sold those bags in two or three months, way faster than either party anticipated. After a year and a half, wed sold 20,000, and they were our exclusive seller.

Related:

How Lauren Bush Lauren Hustled a Customs Agent to Save the First Order of FEED Bags

How the Founders of LOLA Learned to Talk up the Feminine Hygiene Market

How Research, Research and More Research Led the Co-Founder of Billie to a Successful Launch



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reservedSINGAPORE - President Donald Trump shook his hand for 13 long seconds, patted him on the back and led him down a rich red carpet. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may be considered the world's greatest human rights abuser and a totalitarian collector of nuclear weapons, but as they met for the first time here Tuesday, Trump declared himself honored.

"We will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt," the U.S. president said with a smile, settling into an armchair opposite the North Korean leader. American and North Korean flags framed the improbable detente between two men who at the start of the year were hurling insults at one another and appeared on the brink of nuclear war.

The extraordinary tableau was a stark contrast to what had transpired three days earlier and half a world away in Canada, where an embittered Trump sat sternly, his arms crossed and his face impassive, as the leaders of America's oldest Western allies pleaded with him not to rupture the established world order with his retaliatory trade policies.

For Trump, the Group of Seven summit in Quebec was an irritating obligation, but his tete-a-tete with Kim here was a bid for history.

The lush Capella hotel on the resort island of Sentosa may be the most important stage thus far of Trump's presidency. By personally negotiating terms for North Korea abandoning its nuclear weapons with the rogue country's reclusive leader - something previous American presidents did not do - Trump put his brand of transactional, mano-a-mano diplomacy to a test.

Distrustful of tradition and determined to reimagine America's alliances, Trump approached North Korean talks as he had real estate deals when he was a Manhattan developer. He turned a blind eye to differences of principle and history - refusing to directly confront the reality that Kim oversees a vast police state, starves his citizens and assassinates his rivals - in the interest of completing a transaction.

Rather than approach Kim as a pariah, Trump showered him with respect and even flattery, enthused to shake hands with a monstrous figure in part, perhaps, because his monstrosity is his source of power.

By simply jetting here for the summit, Trump effectively threw a coming-out party for Kim and afforded his rogue state the international prestige it has long sought. Crowds of people on the streets of Singapore cheered Kim like a visiting celebrity, and images of his meeting with Trump were broadcast around the globe.

Kim, beaming and visibly proud of his audience with the president, told Trump through an interpreter, "Old prejudices and practices work as obstacles in our way forward, but we overcame all of them and we are here today."

Trump, who turns 72 on Thursday, greeted Kim, 34, with the same firm handshake and familiar clasp of the arm, as well as the take-charge guiding hand on the back, with which he routinely welcomes foreign counterparts to the Oval Office.

The setting on Sentosa was carefully staged to put both leaders on equal footing, projecting a jarring normalcy to the spectacle of a ruthless and reclusive authoritarian strolling at ease in a tropical resort with the leader of the free world. As they stood together on a portico exchanging pleasantries, an interpreter speaking for Kim was overheard telling Trump that "many people will think of this as a form of fantasy . . . a science fiction movie."

Trump began the historic day on a sour note, tweeting in grievance before dawn here about "haters & losers" who question his accomplishment in getting this far.

"We have our hostages, testing research and all missle launches have stopped," Trump wrote at 6:04 a.m., referring to the return of three Americans held captive in North Korea and other developments seen as good will gestures by Kim ahead of the summit.

"[T]hese pundits, who have called me wrong from the beginning, have nothing else they can say! We will be fine!"

The president's anger reflects his view that the old models of diplomacy have failed. He sees no better example than the more than two decades of fruitless U.S. efforts to engage North Korea and strike a deal that would avert a nuclear crisis, only to see Kim grow his arsenal.

Critics, including some Republicans, have said Trump gave away important leverage by agreeing to meet Kim as an equal, without an explicit agreement about nuclear weapons eradication beforehand. Trump dismisses that as old thinking and an unwillingness to give him credit.

North Korea pressed ahead with nuclear development despite two previous agreements involving U.S. presidents, and on Trump's watch has appeared to reach the ability of hitting the mainland United States with a nuclear-tipped missile.

With that leverage, Kim was ready to consider a bargain.

In Kim, Trump sees a singular leader - and one with whom he can broker an accord. As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on the eve of the summit, "In each of those two countries, there are only two people that can make decisions of this magnitude, and those two people are going to be sitting in a room together."

The bonhomie they projected Tuesday masked the gulf that had existed between the United States and North Korea as diplomats struggled in recent weeks to agree to a definition of denuclearization and settle technical details of how and when it can be achieved and verified.

"Trump is focused on the optics of the summit, not the substance," said Kelsey Davenport, director of nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association.

"The summit is shaping up to be a historic meeting with a mediocre outcome. Trump will try to sell a vague commitment to denuclearization as a success," Davenport added, but the test will be in what follows from the two-way summitry.

The direct, leader-to-leader approach won an endorsement from Joel Wit, a former senior State Department official who has negotiated with North Korea during the Clinton administration.

"In this case, the top down approach is the right way to go - particularly in dealing with a country like North Korea, where Kim Jong Un's word is law - as long as the summit sets clear objectives, such a denuclearization, and established talks between the two countries to work out the details," Wit said.

Trump's willingness to meet Kim as an equal recalls his "respect" for Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite Putin's suppression of political opposition, jailing of journalists and his government's alleged poisoning of a former spy on British soil.

"There are a lot of killers. We have a lot of killers," Trump said in an interview on Fox News last year, before the British attack. "Well, you think our country is so innocent?"

Just five months ago, Trump used his biggest domestic stage, the annual "State of the Union" address, to denounce Kim's human rights abuses. Trump invited as his guests the parents of Otto Warmbier, a University of Virginia student who was arrested during a study abroad tour in North Korea, charged with crimes against the state and imprisoned at a labor camp. He was badly injured and passed away just days after his return to the United States in 2017.

In the speech's emotional high point, Trump recognized Warmbier's parents in the gallery of the House chamber and said, "You are wonderful witnesses to a menace that threatens our world, and your strength truly inspires us all."

In a departure from his warnings last year of "fire and fury" - and from their squabbles over the size of their respective nuclear buttons - Trump had warmed to Kim in recent months, praising him as "honorable" and dangling a possible invitation to visit the United States.

Trump was determined to stage a global spectacle here in Singapore, expressing enthusiasm in the run-up to his trip here for what he called the "unknown territory" of his meeting with Kim, even if inking a denuclearization accord takes additional meetings and further negotiations.

By contrast, Trump complained to advisers about having to make the trip to Canada for last week's G-7 summit - the kind of traditional, polite, consensus-driven gathering that Trump instinctively distrusts.

The president arrived at that meeting late and left early. And although he rated his relationships with the leaders of Canada, France, Germany and other traditional allies represented at the meeting "a 10," he broke with them in a petulant Twitter tirade aboard Air Force One en route from Quebec to Singapore. He referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by his first name and called him "dishonest" and "weak" because of a dispute over dairy imports.

By contrast, Trump sounded giddy at the prospect of one-on-one dealings with Kim. When they finally met Tuesday in Singapore, Trump afforded him the respect he denied Trudeau.

"Mr. Chairman," Trump said as he addressed Kim from across a flower-lined wooden table, "it's a great honor to be with you and I know that we will have tremendous success together."

---

The Washington Post's John Hudson in Washington contributed to this report.President Donald Trump expressed a bewilderingly high degree of confidence after meeting with Kim Jong Un that the North Korean leader is personally committed to giving up the nuclear weapons that ensure his grip on power.

"I think he might want to do this as much or maybe even more than me," the president said during a 65-minute news conference on Tuesday, after spending four hours with Kim in Singapore.

"My whole life has been deals," he added later. "I know when somebody wants a deal. . . . I just feel very strongly - my instinct . . . - they want to make a deal."

Eager to cement what he's calling "a very special bond" with Kim, Trump is giving someone the benefit of the doubt who has done little or nothing to earn it.

"I do trust him, yeah," the president told ABC's George Stephanopoulos in an interview that aired on "Good Morning America." "He really wants to do a great job for North Korea. He's de-nuking the whole place, and I think he's going to start very quickly. He really wants to do something I think terrific for their country."

Trump's certitude about Kim's intentions was reminiscent of when George W. Bush proclaimed early in his presidency that he peered into Vladimir Putin's eyes, saw his soul and concluded that the Russian leader was trustworthy.

"This is complete denuclearization," Trump insisted. "I really believe that it's going to go quickly. I really believe it's going to go fast. . . . We will do it as fast as it can mechanically and physically be done."

When a reporter at the news conference asked how he'll ensure Kim follows through, Trump was dismissive: "Can you ensure anything? Can I ensure you are going to be able to sit down properly when you sit down?"

That's a far cry from Ronald Reagan's mantra during arms control talks with the Soviets: "Trust but verify."

-- Instead, Trump attacked with relish the three men who preceded him as commander in chief for their failure to do what he just had.

The president said Kim, without prompting, brought up North Korea's repeated failures to live up to deals with the United States. "He wants to get it done," Trump told his friend Sean Hannity on Fox News. "You know, you hear the whole thing about his father and other administrations or his grandfather. The fact is, and he brings that up, they weren't dealing with me! They were dealing with different people. . . . I talked about (how) we have to de-nuke - his country has to be de-nuked - and he understood that. He fully understood that. He didn't fight it."

During the news conference, on foreign soil, he called out Barack Obama and Bill Clinton by name. "In one case, they took billions of dollars during the Clinton regime . . . and nothing happened. And that was a terrible thing. And he actually brought it up to me," Trump said. "This is a much different time, and this is a much different president."

Asked again why this time is different, Trump said that "maybe it wasn't a priority" for the previous presidents to bring peace to the peninsula. (They'd all very strongly disagree.) "I don't think they honestly could have done it if it was a priority," he said. "I'm not just blaming President Obama. This goes back for 25 years."

Trump does nothing to conceal his belief that he's smarter, tougher and a better negotiator than his predecessors. The same person who declared "I alone can fix it" when accepting the Republican nomination for president in 2016 believes that he alone could make a deal with Kim.

Showing his high regard for himself, Trump noting during his news conference that he will remember everything that transpired during his conversations with Kim. "I don't have to verify because I have one of the great memories of all time," he said.

-- Trump, who turns 72 this week, seemed quite taken with Kim. He really turned on the charm jets during their photo ops. He said it was "a great honor" to be with the 34-year-old, whom he repeatedly referred to as "Mr. Chairman."

"We will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt," Trump said of the ruthless totalitarian leader, who has murdered multiple members of his family.

The president noted during his news conference that Kim took over from his father at 26 years old and was able to maintain control of the regime. "Well, he is very talented," Trump said. "You could take one out of 10,000, and they probably couldn't do it."

Asked about human rights, the president said he briefly broached the subject: "It was discussed relatively briefly compared to denuclearization. . . . I think he wants to do things . . . He wants to do the right thing."

Trump added that University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier, who was arrested while visiting the country and died last year just days after release from a North Korean prison, "did not die in vain."

"I think without Otto this would not have happened," he said. "It was a terrible thing, it was brutal, but a lot of people started to focus on what was going on."

"Absolutely, I will," Trump said when asked if he'll invite Kim to the White House. The president added that he "will" visit Pyongyang "at the appropriate time."

-- Trump referred to the communique that the two leaders signed at the end of their time together as "very comprehensive," but it is not.

During the news conference, Trump said he will order an end to regular "war games" that the United States conducts with South Korea. But he downplayed ending the joint military exercises as a minor concession, describing them as "very provocative" and "inappropriate."

"They're tremendously expensive," he said of the training exercises. "We fly in bombers from Guam. . . . (That's) six and a half hours . . . I know a lot about airplanes. It's very expensive. And I didn't like it."

Trump also floated that the United States might eventually withdraw troops from South Korea. "I want to get our soldiers out," he said. "I want to bring our soldiers back home. Right now, we have 32,000 soldiers in South Korea . . . That's not part of the equation right now."

Asked what consequences North Korea will face if Kim never follows through on his commitments, Trump demurred. "I don't want to be threatening," he said.

---

With Breanne Deppisch and Joanie Greve.

Nickel - Cobalt Opportunity Identified in RAB Data

Perth, June 12, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Cervantes Corporation Limited ( ASX:CVS ) (Cervantes) has assessed Rotary Air Blast geochemical data from the Primrose Project (see Figure 1 in link below) collected by the previous tenement owners, European Lithium Limited. This drilling had been undertaken while that company was divesting the project area to Cervantes and has never been reported.- Shallow RAB drilling identifies significant nickel - cobalt mineralisation- Anomalous zones clearly identified with magnetic contacts suggesting a classic ultramafic basal contact nickel setting- Significant intercepts include (downhole widths):o 16m at 0.37% Ni and 0.032% Co from 24m in hole PFRAB1771o 16m at 0.21% Ni and 0.018% Co from 27m in hole PFRAB1770o 16m at 0.19% Ni and 0.032% Co from 12m in hole PFRAB1775o 16m at 0.23% Ni and 0.017% Co from 4m in hole PFRAB1790o 12m at 0.25% Ni and 0.022% Co from 8m in hole PFRAB1778- An Emily May/Maggie Hay nickel deposit analogue is postulatedA total of 113 holes for 1,404 metres was drilled. Four broad areas were covered, either in a semi random pattern or along lines. The Collar information is presented as Appendix 1 (see link below) and hole locations summarised in Figure 2 (see link below). The holes were predominantly drilled vertically, though a limited number were drilled at an incline.Assay data is given in Appendix 2 (see link below).RAB Geochemistry ResultsNickel assay results from the RAB drilling are shown in Figure 3 (see link below). Significant intercepts (downhole widths) include: (see link below)Significance of results - a primary nickel target is foundThe Paynes Find Greenstone belt is described as primarily an arcuate sequence of ultramafic rocks younging westward to more acid volcanic and volcanoclastic rocks. These have been intruded by later stage east west oriented dykes and numerous thin pegmatites presumably related to post deposition granitic intrusion. The belt is bounded to the east by massive granite and has been folded and faulted.The model for nickel mineralisation is generally divided into three distinct types:1. a layered intrusive sill of ultramafic composition;2. extrusive flows with mineralisation as accumulates within lava flow channels, tubes and tunnels, and3. as lateritic deposit from surficial weathering.The extrusive model has generally been favoured in this area by previous explorers, making the basal contact of the local ultramafic units a clear target for exploration.Extensive, thick laterites are not well developed in the area, though they have not been definitively tested. However, local laterite development is seen. Moreover, it would be expected that nickel and cobalt anomalous laterite development would be seen above primary nickel sulphide mineralisation.The Primrose Project holds a number of mafics that are candidates for extrusive style nickel where nickel accumulates at the base of the flow. The primary exploration method for basal contact nickel mineralisation is aeromagnetic data supported by geochemical testing.Figure 3 (see link below) shows the anomalous nickel RAB geochemistry on an image of the enhanced aeromagnetic data over the project. Target "A" shows the nickel anomalism in hole PFRAB1770 sits on the contact between a magnetic unit to the west (red shades in the image) and a nonmagnetic unit to the east (blue shades). Target "B" shows a similar setting, though the nonmagnetic unit to the east is slightly more magnetic than that seen near target "A" (having green, rather than blue shades in the image.) Both targets display classic characteristics of the extrusive style of nickel mineralisation.Importantly, geological logging of the RAB cuttings indicate that four of the five cited anomalous holes intersected probable mafic lithologies or clays derived from mafic lithologies.Areas tested further north returned no results that are considered significant at this time. Further work may, however, conclude otherwise.An Emily Ann/Maggie Hay analogue?The geological setting of these RAB results is interpreted to be very similar to that seen at the Emily May nickel deposit, west of Norseman, WA. There, "the deposit occurs in a complex geological setting, consisting dominantly of felsic volcaniclastics hosting subordinate discontinuous lenses of mineralised and barren ultramafics, which dip at between 40deg and 60deg to the east in the vicinity of the deposit. The ultramafics and associated nickel-sulphide mineralisation do not extend to the bedrock surface and are therefore totally blind." (Peters and Buck, 2000, The Maggie Hays and Emily Ann nickel deposits, Western Australia: A geophysical case history, Expl Geophys, 31, 210-221). The Emily Ann deposit contained inferred and indicated resources of 2.17 Mt at 3.71% Ni at the time of the cited publication. Figure 4 (see link below) shows the projection of that resource onto an image of the aeromagnetic data over the area, with the similarity to Target A being striking.Going ForwardMr Marcus Flis, Director and Exploration Manager, expressed his delight in the development of this new target on the Primrose Project, commenting, "The nickel potential of the area has always been hinted at by previous explorers. Cervantes have now developed a working geological model to follow-up on what can only be described as noteworthy nickel and cobalt geochemical results. We are now in a position to add another dimension to Cervantes' gold exploration in the area and will be formulating a follow-up programme to realise its potential."About the Primrose ProjectThe Primrose Project covers in excess of 8km of the highly gold mineralised Primrose Shear in the Murchison District of the Eastern Goldfields, Western Australia. Over 37 gold mines, of various sizes, operated in this field from 1911 till 1982. Some 63,000 ounces of gold was mined at an average grade of 25g/t during this period. It is generally accepted that significantly more gold than this was won from alluvial and unreported production.Cervantes now controls 25 mining leases, prospecting licences, and an exploration licence that cover the majority of this historic gold field. A large database of drilling, surface geochemistry, geological, and geophysical data has been assembled to allow the field to be better understood than at any time in its history.To view tables and figures, please visit:About Cervantes Corporation Limited

Cervantes Corporation Limited (ASX:CVS) is an emerging gold explorer and aspiring gold miner. It has built up a portfolio of gold properties in well-known and historically producing gold districts with a strategy to apply novel exploration and development thinking. Cervantes has identified opportunities in those districts that were overlooked by previous explorers. The company is committed to maximizing shareholder value through the development of those opportunities.A series of U.S. and North Korean flags, side by side, lined up across a stage. The two men approach the stage from opposite sides, and then shake hands. They pose for photographs. They walk off again. This is the image, the picture, that both men wanted to project around the world. But why?

For Kim Jong Un, this moment is vindication. The wisdom of his nuclear policy has been confirmed: His tiny, poor, often hungry country, where hundreds of thousands have perished in concentration camps that differ little from those built by Stalin, has been treated as the equal of the United States of America. If Kim hadn't continued the missile program, if he hadn't enhanced his missile delivery capability, President Donald Trump would not be there.

The photographs will also help Kim solve an important problem. All dictators are insecure, and absolute dictators are absolutely more insecure than the rest. Several years ago, Kim staged the elaborate murder of his uncle, forcing the rest of the elite to watch as his rival was ripped apart by antiaircraft machine guns. Fear and terror are one way to transmit messages of power; the inspiration of admiration and awe are another. The flags and the handshake will reinforce Kim's legitimacy and make him harder to depose.

For Trump, this image addresses the somewhat different problem of his personal feelings of insecurity. Legally, his legitimacy is not in doubt. Yet Trump often seems to worry that it is. Elected without a majority, Trump repeatedly claims he has one. With no political, educational or any other qualifications, Trump ascribes to himself almost mystical, intuitive qualities instead. So far, these have failed him. In the complicated, nuanced worlds of economics and security, he has achieved nothing except destruction: of previous agreements, of institutions, even of an anodyne G-7 statement just days ago. But in Singapore, he could achieve something without discussion of complex issues, without any intellectual effort at all: a photograph, a "breakthrough," the image of the intuitive dealmaker who wants "peace."

The images coming out of Singapore are also important to Trump because he has created them. When meeting with allies, Trump does not control the narrative, nor does he decide what people will see.

Indeed, the image that came to symbolize that disastrous, angry G-7 meeting was not his own creation: It was taken by a German photographer, and it showed Chancellor Angela Merkel leaning over a table and talking down to the American president, like a parent to a child. In Singapore, by contrast, Trump controlled the optics, even deliberately giving priority to a Singaporean television station rather than the White House pool. He reveled in that ability. "Are you getting a nice photo," he actually asked the camera operator, "So we look nice and handsome and beautiful and perfect?" As for the substance of the meeting, there wasn't any. The paper signed reiterates previous vague agreements. It promises "denuclearization," just as in the past, but without any substance, as in the past. It implies that there will now be further talks about talks, but there have been U.S.-North Korean talks before. Had any previous American president, Republican or Democrat, emerged from an event like this, in which so much was given away with so little to show for it, he would have been embarrassed and probably vilified.

But Trump and Kim are two men who survive, in politics, by insisting on their own versions of reality. Both have propaganda machines which will trumpet a great success. Both will be loudly applauded by their respective supporters. Both will gain personally, even if their countries don't. In that sense, this was indeed, as Trump said, "a really fantastic meeting."If talks in Singapore between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un conclude with anything short of a collapse, Trump will hail it as a great historical achievement. That's fair enough, and he'd probably get a boost in the polls.

Yet history shows that public-opinion gains for presidential foreign-policy successes usually are short-lived.

In May, 2011, President Barack Obama orchestrated the killing of Osama bin Laden, the architect of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Bin Laden was public enemy No. 1 to most Americans, and had eluded capture for almost a decade.

Obama's approval rating rose by about 6 to 8 percentage points, polls showed. But the effect lasted only for a couple of months.

In 1978, in act of forceful and skillful diplomacy, President Jimmy Carter prevailed on Egypt and Israel to set aside three decades of hostility by signing the Camp David peace accords. The Washington Post showed his approval rating soaring by 11 percentage points right afterward. It soon fell back, and seven weeks later Republicans scored gains in midterm elections over Carter's Democratic Party.

Never was the ephemeral political impact of foreign-policy achievement more evident than the experience of President George H.W. Bush in 1991. He successfully led "Operation Desert Storm," an international military assault that drove Saddam Hussein's Iraq out of Kuwait in 42 days with just 300 coalition casualties. Later that year came the dissolution of the Soviet Union, America's archenemy for almost half a century. Most historians have awarded the Bush administration high marks for managing this delicate situation.

Bush's approval skyrocketed to 89 percent in polls taken immediately after the liberation of Kuwait. The next year, he lost his bid for re-election.

His son, President George W. Bush, fared better in narrowly winning a second term in 2004, a year after leading the invasion of Iraq. Then his popularity, too, began a long, steady fall.

That didn't happen to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who won his third and fourth terms while World War II raged. But that's a special case.

President John F. Kennedy's experience can be thought of as the exception that proves the rule. His approval rating rose after the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, a tense standoff that ended when the Soviets withdrew their nuclear weapons from Cuba. Days later, Kennedy's Democratic Party did not suffer the customary losses in midterm elections, though political historians still debate whether that was due to the Cuban crisis.

Kennedy also enjoyed rising presidential approval after the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba failed to overthrow Fidel Castro. Kennedy won public accolades for candor by forthrightly taking responsibility for the fiasco.

If the Singapore talks end badly, there's little danger of that occurring.

- Hunt is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. He was the executive editor of Bloomberg News, before which he was a reporter, bureau chief and executive Washington editor at the Wall Street Journal.CHICO, Calif.-- Chico Police are looking for information on the early morning vandalism of the the Tea Bar & Fusion Cafe on Vallombrosa Avenue early Monday morning.

Tea Bar opened at the location in 2004, and owner Shelly Blanshei says she is truly shocked; she says nothing this seemingly malicious has happened to her restaurant before.

Blanshei learned about the vandalism Monday morning at about 3:45 a.m. when the hired security company heard the alam go off - but when they arrived on scene, the suspect or suspects were gone.

What was left was three busted in windows and dozens of uprooted plants.

But, it appeared to staff that the person or people responsible were not attempting to take anything, and employees tell us that nothing was missing and the front door was untouched.

"Someone vandalized out window, threw out our plants, but basically we haven;t seen anything like this before ... they didn't try to get in they just broke the window and destroyed the outside," said Karlie Wreaks, Assistant Manager.

Blasnhei said that police were looking into finding any sort of security footage from a neighboring businesses, so *Action News Now* spoke with management at Morning Thunder Cafe right across the street.

While they don't have cameras pointed toward the Tea Bar, they have a very different take on the amount of bizarre, criminal activity that takes place at their business.

"We've had our front door try to be pried open multiple times, we saw someone try to break into Wells Fargo and then come over here ... Some of the them are very aggressive and we've had to intervene or call the cops, there's a bus stop here and it's always trashed, we've had our place trashed, and it's just starting to get a little scary," said Caylen Luna, Manager.

This is something that Chico Police are trying to be pro-active about; In fact, their Street Crimes Unit recently made a sweep of 25 arrests in areas like this - near the park and the downtown - for burglary, drug dealing, bike theft and retail theft.

NEWS APP:

DOWNLOAD OUR NEWS APP FOR LATEST UPDATES: iOS | AndroidIn response to the warm reception from the community, Jollibee announced yesterday its philanthropic partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of West Scarborough as a sign of its commitment to 'spread joy' across the Greater Toronto Area. This is aligned with the brand's mission to bring families, friends and communities together over great tasting food.

"We are truly humbled by the outpouring of support for Jollibee here in Scarborough. It warms our hearts to see that there are so many customers who love the brand so much that they travel miles or stand in line for hours for a taste of their Jollibee favorites. We thank the Boys and Girls Club of West Scarbourough for the opportunity to give back to the community and support their efforts to provide a safe, supportive place for children and the youth," said Ernesto Tanmantiong, Chief Executive Officer of Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), who was in town for the store's formal inauguration on June 11.

The Boys and Girls Club is a national organization with local chapters dedicated to youth development through after-school and daycare programs, group activities, and leadership opportunities. With Jollibee's deeply held values of spreading joy and commitment to families, the Boys and Girls Club was a natural partner for the brand to give back to the local Scarborough community.

"The Boys and Girls Club of West Scarborough provides vital opportunities for hundreds of young people on a daily basis," said Joshua Hood, Divisional Coordinator for the Boys and Girls Club of West Scarborough. "We are excited to enter a partnership with Jollibee that will provide increased opportunities for our members while helping to welcome Jollibee to our community and Scarborough as a whole."

As part of the ongoing partnership, Jollibee will host "Jollibee Days" at the Boys and Girls Club of West Scarborough, providing food and cheer to the children on a regular basis. The first Jollibee Day was held on June 8, 2018 in which the brand shared fan favorites from their menu with the kids and their families in addition to hosting an afternoon of musical activities with a DJ and the Jollibee mascot. The brand also made a donation to the Club's summer camp fund and donated sleeping bags and flashlights for participants.

Jollibee Scarborough is the company's third store in Canada and the 40th store in North America  proof of the brand's commitment to this region as a key growth market.

Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) is currently the largest Asian food service company, operating in 16 markets, with over 4, 200 stores globally, of which 1,289 are Jollibee brand stores. The company's aggressive expansion plan in North America is part of its overarching goal to be among the top five restaurant brands globally.

About Jollibee

Jollibee is the largest fast food chain brand in the Philippines, operating a Philippine network of more than 1000 stores. A dominant market leader in the Philippines, Jollibee has embarked on an aggressive international expansion plan.

Jollibee has more than 200 international branches including in the United States, Canada, Hong jong, Brunei, Vietnam, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Italy.

In North America, the Company opened its first store in 1998 in Daly City, California. Jollibee now operates 40 stores across the North American region, in the states of California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Washington, Virginia of the United States and in Manitoba and Ontario in Canada.

Technomic has consistently cited Jollibee among its Top 500 ranking restaurants in the United States. It was also awarded as Multinational Corporation of the Year by the Asian Business League of Southern California in 2017.

About Jollibee Foods Corporation

Jollibee Foods Corporation is the largest Asian food service company. It operates over 4,200 stores globally with store branches in the United States, Canada, China (including Hong Kong), Brunei, Vietnam, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Indonesia, Korea and Italy. JFC owns the following brands: Jollibee, Greenwich, Chowking, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan. It also has 2 franchised brands  Burger King in the Philippines and Dunkin' Donuts in certain territories in China and has joint ventures with the SuperFoods Group (owner of Highlands Coffee and Pho 24 brands, mostly in Vietnam) and the US-based Smashburger.

Jollibee Foods Corporation has grown brands that bring delightful dining experiences to its customers worldwide, in line with its mission of serving great tasting food and spreading the joy of eating to everyone.

Jollibee Foods Corporation has been named the Philippines' most admired company by the Asian Wall Street Journal for eight years in a row, and was honored as one of the '200 Best Under a Billion Companies in Asia' and one of 'Asia's Fab 50 Companies' by Forbes Asia Magazine.

SOURCE Jollibee

For further information: Francesca Lee, Ogilvy, 312-856-8258, [email protected]A police chase, flying cash, and a collision landed a Buffalo man in custody.

It all started at 2:30 p.m. Monday when a New York State trooper tried to pull over Christopher Matyjakowski on Lincoln Avenue in Lockport after getting a hit on a license plate reader for the 2003 Honda he was driving.

Matyjakowski, 23, of Buffalo, refused to stop and led police on a chase through Lockport. He threw fake $100 bills out his car window and created a "cloud of money" behind him, said police.

After his car crashed and rolled over on Bunker Hill Road, Matyjakowski ran from the scene. Deputies used a drone and a K9 to locate him. The K9 was able to track down Matyjakowski at a home on Bunker Hill Road.

Police took him to Erie County Medical Center for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash.

Matyjakowski has been charged with first-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, third-degree unlawfully fleeing a police officer, along with several other vehicle and traffic violations, according to police.

He was arraigned in Royalton Town Court and remanded to the Niagara County Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond.

Police also found and collected the counterfeit currency on State Road.

Niagara County Sheriff's Office assisted in the incident.SYRACUSE, N.Y. - New York doctors prescribe more opioid drugs if they get payments, free meals and other gifts from prescription painkiller manufacturers, according to a study.

The 3,389 New York doctors who received more than $3.5 million in payments from opioid manufacturers between 2013 and 2015 prescribed a lot more of the drugs than doctors who did not get payments, the study shows.

The study by the New York State Health Foundation looked at how opioid prescribing for Medicare enrollees changed after doctors got gifts and speaking or consulting fees from pharmaceutical companies.

It found that for every $1 doctors get in payments, they prescribe at least $10 more in additional opioids.

"Manufacturers are getting a lot of value from these financial relationships with doctors," said Mark Zezza, the foundation's director of policy and research.

New York and the nation are experiencing an opioid overdose epidemic. Opioids include prescription drugs such as Oxycontin and illicit drugs like heroin.

The study, based on data obtained from Medicare, does not identify New York doctors who got opioid-related payments.

The study found a correlation between the size of payments doctors get and the amount of opioids they prescribe.

Doctors who got $20 or less in payments wrote opioid prescriptions worth $34,000 over the two-year period. Those who received between $20 and $50 prescribed almost $50,000 worth of opioids, while a small group of doctors who got payments of more than $10,000 prescribed more than $1.24 million in opioids.

While the study showed a clear link between payments and increased prescriptions, it could not determine if any of the prescribing was inappropriate, Zezza said.

INSYS Therapeutics made $1.9 million of the opioid-related payments to New York doctors, more than any other drug company. INSYS makes Subsys, a spray form of fentanyl approved by the FDA for use by cancer patients.

New York and other states are accusing the company in lawsuits of marketing the drug for broader use beyond cancer patients and downplaying its risk of addiction.

Purdue Pharma, which makes Oxycontin and other opioids, made more than $591,000 in payments.

It is being sued by Onondaga, Oswego and many other counties across the state that have accused the company of downplaying the risks of its drugs.

"Spending by drug companies may be fueling the epidemic," David Sandman, the foundation's president, said in a prepared statement. "Policymakers and law enforcement should take a hard look at these financial entanglements."

Contact James T. Mulder anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-470-2245China is buying more nuclear reactors and nuclear technology from Russia.

* four more VVER-1200 units at Xudabao and Tianwan

* cooperation in the CFR-600 fast reactor pilot project

* supply of the RITEG (Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator) parts for Chinas lunar exploration programme.

The design of the Tianwan plant is based on Russias AES-91 project with a VVER-1000 reactor.

The State Council gave its approval for the third phase of the Tianwan plant (units 5 and 6)  both featuring Chinese-designed 1080 MWe ACPR1000 reactors  on 16 December 2015. First safety-related concrete was poured for unit 5 later that month and for unit 6 in September 2016. Unit 5 is expected to enter commercial operation in December 2020 and unit 6 in October 2021.

First EPR reactor starting

The Taishan unit 1 nuclear power plant in Chinas Guangdong province has reached a sustained chain reaction for the first time. It will be the first EPR reactor to reach the commissioning milestone. The unit is expected to enter commercial operation later in 2018.

Taishan 1 and 2 are the first two reactors based on the EPR design to be built in China. They form part of an EUR8.0 billion (USD9.5 billion) contract signed by Areva and China General Nuclear (CGN) in November 2007. The Taishan project  140 kilometers west of Hong Kong  is owned by the Guangdong Taishan Nuclear Power Joint Venture Company Limited, a joint venture between EDF (30%) and CGN.BRANFORD  After several months of searching, the town has finally found its new deputy police chief.

Police Chief Kevin Halloran announced that Jonathan Mulhern, who is currently serving as North Havens deputy police chief, accepted a conditional offer of employment at the Board of Police Commissioners meeting Monday, according to a press release.The love-seeking singles of Facebook's new dating service, privacy experts say, may not be prepared for what they'll encounter: sham profiles, expanded data gathering and a new wave of dating fraud.

Facebook - under fire for viral misinformation, fake accounts and breaches of trust - said this week it will soon offer a new dating service designed to help its users find love, giving the world's largest social network a uniquely intimate vantage point on its users' romantic desires and personal lives.

The service will allow people older than 18 to create a dating profile - separate from their main profile and invisible to their friends - that it shows to potential matches based on common interests, dating preferences, location and mutual friends, company officials said.

Using a button - not a swipe, as popularized by popular dating app Tinder - people will then be able to say whether they're "interested" or would rather "pass" on those potential partners, officials said. Matches will be shown the other person's first name, age, current city and photo, though users will also have the option of sharing their work, education and other biographical information. The service will begin testing in a few months.

Privacy watchdogs, advertising experts and industry rivals worry the service could expose users more acutely to the worst of the Web - scams, malicious strangers and other problems Facebook already has its hands full with.

"Facebook already knows a lot about you that you tell it, and it collects a lot of information about you beyond that. . . . Now here's this whole other bucket of really sensitive stuff," said Justin Brookman, director of privacy and technology policy at the advocacy group Consumers Union. "How will Facebook police that? Will they put the resources into safety? . . . Or will their thirst for engagement trump these other concerns?"

The apps and sites of the $3 billion online-dating industry - which will now need to contend with Facebook as a rival - gather personality and courtship data on their users for matching and marketing purposes. But because Facebook's audience is bigger and more widespread, its ad-targeting platform is more sophisticated and its users' profiles are built on years of detailed information, experts worry the new dating service could present a huge target and amplify the potential for abuse.

Many dating services, including Tinder, Hinge, Coffee Meets Bagel, and the League, enable or require people to log in with Facebook and were able to grow by mining Facebook's social network. But they draw a line between their business - selling subscriptions or upgrades like Tinder's "Super Like" - and Facebook's matchmaking service, which they say will morph to appease the social giant's advertiser clientele.

After inviting developers for years to build novel products like dating apps or music services on top of its social platform, Facebook switched gears and restricted developers' access to friends' data in 2014 and 2015, a move that made it harder for many dating apps to acquire new customers. Some of the dating apps now allege that Facebook is copying their apps, encompassing their features into its main market-dominating powerhouse.

Facebook officials said the company wanted to bolster its platform as a user-friendly dating destination, adding that they've been interested in the idea for years and began building the service over the last six months. Many people were already using Facebook for dating, officials said, and they wanted to support that in a safe way.

Facebook officials said they are taking safety and privacy issues seriously and moving cautiously into the dating scene. Even as they were planning for Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg to announce the new dating service on stage Tuesday, officials said they were busy thinking about how it might be abused. For instance, people will only be allowed to send a single message as a conversation starter, and they won't be able to send anything but text, as a way of preventing potentially inappropriate photos and links.

Facebook has long fought with the fake profiles - touting photos of beautiful women and hunky men - that scammers use to spark relationships with users, snatch money and disappear. Some worry the dating service could only make that "catfishing" problem worse.

Still, Kevin Lee, the trust and safety architect of the fraud-detection startup Sift Science and a former Facebook spam manager, said the dating service could subject users to a host of new risks, including financial fraud.

Sift's research, Lee said, has found that about 70 percent of the victims of these frauds are women - often older women in developed countries seen by fraudsters as wealthy and more vulnerable due to a divorce, desire to have children or other life event.

Felicia Cravens, a Texan who runs a Facebook page called Unfakery that helps track down fraud accounts, said catfishing and romance scams are a huge problem on the service - and one that the dating feature could easily make worse.

"Facebook could enter this space and take it over relatively quickly, but should they, when we're seeing as many problems as we do?" Cravens said. "People are scamming people right now on Facebook platforms from Nigeria, Macedonia, the Philippines and everywhere else."

Matchmaking with Facebook's data is older than the site itself: One of Zuckerberg's first projects, FaceMash, scooped up pictures of female Harvard students and let users them rate them by hotness. It was a "prank website that I made when I was a sophomore in college," Zuckerberg explained to a lawmaker last month.

The new dating feature, Zuckerberg said this week, "is for building real long-term relationships, not just hookups," and he said it could be life-changing for the more than 200 million Facebook users who list themselves as single. "If we're focused on helping people build meaningful relationships, this is perhaps the most meaningful of all," he said.

The company has for years collected people's relationship status ("Married," "It's Complicated") and used it to help fuel its vast personal-data machine. In 2013, Facebook and Cornell University researchers pulled data on 1.3 million users to try and predict whether couples would break up within 60 days of Facebook-announcing their relationship. (Couples whose mutual friends were closely connected to each other, the researchers said, were more likely to call it quits.)

But the new dating service could give Facebook an entirely new level of visibility into its users' love lives, and privacy experts said they're concerned users won't understand how much information they'll be handing over. Facebook will log interactions on the dating site, keep a record of everyone a user likes or rejects and gather other data necessary for the service to work, officials said.

"Am I going to get matches based on liking 'The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie' when I was 14?" said one 22-year-old law student in California currently using other online-dating apps. Plus, she added, "many women, including me, have had to deal with complete strangers, usually middle-aged men abroad, sending gross messages when you're not their friends." Having a Facebook dating profile, she guessed, wouldn't help.

Company officials said they won't use dating-service data to inform ad targeting at the outset. But marketing experts said they're skeptical that Facebook's promise will last. The company's business model depends on the sharing of often sensitive personal information, and dating data may prove too valuable to ignore.

Mike Herrick, the senior vice president of product and engineering at the ad-analytics firm Urban Airship, said the dating service will allow Facebook to know not just its users' current paramours, but who they're interested in, what they like and how active they are in seeking a match.

That data, he said, will more than make up for any information Facebook might have surrendered after recently severing some ties to third-party data brokers. It will allow the social network to learn "people's wants and desires around dating directly in a much cleaner way than how they were getting that type of data previously," he said.

That level of data intimacy, he added, could have great value to marketers: If you're an advertiser and "you know somebody's dating, they might also be more likely to purchase new clothes or makeup or other products," he said.

Critics are also questioning Facebook's priorities in launching a side service while its challenges with privacy and fake news abound. Sasja Beslik, the head of sustainable investing at the financial-services group Nordea Asset Management, tweeted Wednesday, "Facebook needs 3 years to fix the data and privacy issues, but just found time to launch a dating feature and take on Tinder."Contributed photo

HAMDEN  A man was arrested Sunday after he was allegedly in possession of a stolen firearm, according to a press release.

James McKnight-Woods, 31, of Frank Street in New Haven, was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit and possession of a stolen firearm, the release said.NEVADA COUNTY, Calif. - New evidence has been found in the murder of a Nevada County Vietnam veteran.

A team from the Human Identification Laboratory at Chico State joined deputies in identifying the new clues.

Deputies say 70 year old Stanley Norman's life ended in a violent attack in the backyard of a Nevada City home. On Friday investigators served a search warrant at the property. They found human teeth, bone fragments, and rings.

Investigators warned that there are a lot of details that are going to come out that don't paint a pretty picture of how Stan Norman's life ended. They said that the puzzle pieces are falling into place due to the amazing team of professionals that are working to figure out what exactly happen to the veteran.

Two men are now under arrest in the murder and torture case. Police arrested Sean Bryant over Memorial Day weekend. Investigators arrested a second suspect, Michael Mccauley, a week ago.

Both will be formally charged this weekWASHINGTON  Dylann Roof killed nine people at a historic black church in Charleston, S.C., using a firearm he never should have had.

That discovery prompted Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., to take legislative action.

But since that 2015 shooting, the number of people able to get a firearm without a complete background check has jumped nationwide  and congressional action is at a standstill.

Blumenthal introduced the No Check, No Sale bill in October to change a provision in federal law that allows a gun sale to be completed after 72 hours, even if the FBI has not finished a background check.

The 72-hour rule was inserted at the behest of gun-rights supporters who worried that bureaucratic fumbling might delay a lawful gun purchase.

No Check, No Sale has withered in Congress over the past eight months despite an uptick in people purchasing firearms without a fully completed background check.

The percentage of people purchasing a gun without a complete background check rose from 2.8 to about 3.6 percent between 2014 and 2017, according to ThinkProgress data released earlier this year. That 3.6 percent translates into more than 300,000 people purchasing a gun in 2017 without the federally licensed firearms dealer finishing a background check because 72 hours had elapsed.

Blumenthal said the numbers are alarming, given a gaping loophole in the FBIs enforcement of background checks which allow individuals to purchase a gun in 28 states if the FBI does not clear them within 72 hours.

No check, no sale must be the rule, Blumenthal said.

Going unnoticed

The bill sprouted from rising gun violence concerns, like the incident in Charleston. Roof, the Charleston shooter, walked into a gun shop in 2015 and purchased a .45-caliber Glock handgun. Since he had been charged with a felony the previous year, he was ineligible under law to buy a gun.

The charge went unflagged during the 72-hour period for the background check because of confusion over which South Carolina jurisdiction was responsible for the prosecution. Once the time expired, Roof was able to buy the gun in April and use it in the church massacre two months later.

The FBI later admitted confusion in Roofs background check, prompting an investigation into their procedures.

The incident illustrated the gaps that exist in the FBIs National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which processed 25.2 million background-check requests in 2017. A gunman was able to get a weapon and kill more than 20 churchgoers in Sutherland Springs, Texas, last year because his domestic violence conviction hadnt been entered into NICS.

The shooter at Virginia Tech who killed 32 people in 2007 had been adjudicated mentally ill, which should have disqualified him from purchasing a gun. But because he was ordered into outpatient treatment rather than committed to a hospital, his name did not appear in NICS when he bought two guns.

While Congress attempts to give states incentives and cash to input relevant records into NICS, the 72-hour rule stands out in the minds of gun-control advocates as something that should be easy to fix.

How long is too long?

Background checks were first mandated under the 1993 Brady Law, which required states to impose a five-day waiting period before someone buys a firearm to allow time for a proper check.

As the fully computerized background-check system came into existence, the five-day wait was no longer a requirement. But in a compromise, Congress agreed to the 72-hour rule in what lawmakers viewed as a balance between a purchasers rights and the public-safety need for a complete background check.

Under federal law, licensed gun dealers must enter a customers information into NICS. The system sorts through its database of state-submitted information for possible disqualifications, which include a felony conviction, a permanent domestic-violence restraining order, adjudication as a mental defective or illegal immigration status.

But in 18 states, including Connecticut, background checks are conducted within each respective jurisdiction and processed through a local database. If a background check is not processed within 72 hours in Connecticut, the process is extended to a 30-day deadline.

In Massachusetts, which has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, the system fell behind on reporting to the federal database because of a staffing shortage and technological slowness, according to The Boston Globe.

Blumenthal and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.,  a co-author of the bill  blame a Republican-controlled Congress for failing to push the No Check, No Sale measure forward.

Its pretty simple  if you cant pass a background check, you shouldnt be able to get a gun, Murphy said of the bill. Its a matter of political power, and Republicans are blocking every effort to change our gun laws.

But Scott Wilson, the president of the Connecticut Citizens Defense League, said there should be more emphasis on improving communication between state and federal agencies with faster technology, rather than extending a 72-hour background check.

In a day and age of computer and instant background checks, I cant see what the hold-up is, he said. They should be faster  I think 72 hours is very generous.

Mark Barden, the founder and managing director of Sandy Hook Promise, said funds should be allocated to the technology and staffing of departments that process background checks because the federal and state system is taking too long.

He said theres room for improvement across the board to improve relations between federal and state database sharing, staffing and methods of ferreting out disqualified gun purchasers.

This is pretty simple, obvious stuff  this shouldnt be a contentious issue, Barden said of the bill. If there are resources to make it better, then we can make it better.

Sarah.roach@chron.comNEW HAVEN  A city man was sentenced Monday to 132 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role in a violent New Haven street gang, according to a federal press release.

Willie Garvin, also known as Tank and Black, 27, was an active member of the Red Side Guerilla Brims, who frequently traveled to Maine and sold crack cocaine and heroin in the Bangor area. He also coordinated the purchase of several firearms, which he transported to New Haven for his use and the use of other RSGB members, the release said.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the New Haven Police Department began Operation Red Side in January 2014 through a series of controlled narcotics purchases and firearms seizures. The investigation revealed members and associates of the RSGB, a sect of the New Haven-based Bloods street gang, were engaged in narcotics trafficking and related acts of violence, including murder, attempted murder, assaults and armed robberies, the release stated.

In addition to distributing crack cocaine and other narcotics in and around New Haven, the investigation indicated members and associates of the RSGB, under the direction of Jeffrey Benton and others, transported the drugs to Bangor, Maine, and sold them in Bangor and its surrounding communities. The RSGB also traded narcotics for firearms and used drug addicts as straw purchasers of firearms. Members then brought the firearms back to New Haven and distributed them to gang members, the release said.

The investigation also revealed that Garvin regularly robbed other drug dealers for cash in the New Haven area. On Dec. 22, 2011, Garvin and an associate shot and seriously wounded an individual during an attempted robbery. On April 26, 2013, Garvin and another individual robbed a marijuana dealer at gunpoint, stealing around $800, a quantity of marijuana and other items, the release said.

On June 8, 2014, Garvin was arrested on state charges after he was found in possession of a loaded .22 caliber firearm, the release said.

A grand jury in Connecticut returned an indictment in December 2014, charging Garvin with robbery and firearm offenses and, in February 2015, a grand jury in Maine returned an indictment charging him with narcotics and firearm offenses, according to the release.

He pleaded guilty in Connecticut to possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon, conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He agreed to have his Maine case transferred to Connecticut and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and conspiracy to violate federal firearms laws, the release said.

He has been detained since his arrest on Dec. 23, 2014.

As a result of this investigation, 21 members and associates of the RSGB were convicted of federal charges in Connecticut and Maine. The investigation has resolved seven murder cases, four attempted murders and four armed robberies that occurred in 2011 and 2012.

Benton pleaded guilty to various offenses stemming from this investigation and admitted that he participated in four gang-related murders and one attempted murder. On Oct. 4, 2017, he was sentenced to 480 months in prison, the release said.NEW HAVEN  Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, widely-known just as Pepes, has launched its own retail tomato line to the market, according to a release.

The restaurant, founded in 1925 by Frank Pepe, is known for its New Haven-style pizza.

Frank Pepe, who immigrated to the United States in 1909 at the age of 16, and fresh tomatoes were always at the center of his life, according to the release.

Sold in 28 oz. cans, Pepes Genuine Italian Tomatoes are hand selected by Frank Pepes family members, who happen to be experts in finding fresh and flavorful tomatoes, according to the release.

Once a year, Frank Pepes grandsons, who now serve as co-owners of the world-renowned pizzeria, come together for a blind taste test of freshly-harvested tomatoes that come right from their familys hometown of Naples, Italy, according to the release.

The two grandsons sample over five different tomatoes, gathering their thoughts on which ones are perfect for crafting Frank Pepes Original Tomato Pie and their other iconic pizzas. Its not just a matter of taste, but of the tomatoes density, texture, and transition of flavor once they are cooked. The team is excited to bring a taste of the pizzeria right to its consumers kitchens, company officials said.

RELATED: Why Pepe's Pizza is the best and why

Our guests come from all over the world to experience the genuine taste and quality of Pepes pizza, which includes the handpicked ingredients we use to thoughtfully craft our pies, said Gary Bimonte, grandson of Frank Pepe and director of quality assurance & training, in the release. Weve always taken the time to find delicious ingredients and we take pride in knowing our customers are able to experience Pepes in the palm of their hands. Were thrilled to bring a special Pepes tradition to homes across the country.

Priced at $3.50 per can, the Genuine Italian Tomatoes are available for purchase at all Pepes restaurants in New Haven, Fairfield, Manchester, Danbury, West Hartford, Waterbury and Uncasville. It will also be available in Warwick, R.I., Yonkers, N.Y., and Chestnut Hill, Mass., according to the release. Three-packs of the cans are available for $10 on www.PepesPizza.com.HAMDEN  Rabbi Herbert Brockman, leader of Mishkan Israel synagogue for 32 years and well known for his work around social justice issues throughout the area, was honored Saturday by approximately 500 people at a party at the synagogue.

Theres a lot uncertain, but Im excited and happy, Brockman said, noting he hopes to stay involved in social justice. Ive never been on my own schedule.

Guests came from as far away as Florida  many came from Allentown where Brockman got his start as a Rabbi  and leaders such as Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, D-New Haven and Mayor Curt Leng were expected to attend as the evening went on.

The synagogue social hall and back patio were transformed into a party hall where Brockman was honored with speeches mixed with music.

Synagogue member Roberta Bobbi Friedman said the positive affect Brockman has had on her is  immeasurable.

I like that he is loving and warm and at the same time he always lets me know there is something more I can do to help my community, embrace diversity, she said. He is the best sermon giver  they have a beginning, a middle and an end. Whether touching on a spiritual or social justice note, theyre spot on.

She said Brockman  leads by example, and makes people want to  push themselves beyond the comfort zone.

Jeff Bindell, close friend of Brockman, who lives in Florida and whom he first met at a synagogue in Allentown, had a lot of quick jokes about Brockman  one wisecrack after the other. Bindell said he loves to pick on Brockman.

But on a serious note, Bindell said youll never find a finer human being.

Aside from the big social justice causes Brockman is immersed in, there are so many every day ways he cares for people.

Its in his DNA. He was designed to take care of people, Bindell said.

Bindell told the story of how years ago, he and his wife and Brockman and his wife went to see the movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and while on line, a disabled boy who wanted to see the movie  but couldnt cope  was crying. While the other 100 people in line did nothing, Brockman went over to the boy, calmed him down and walked him home. Once back at the theater, Brockman told the manager the next time the boy shows to let him in, call his parents and send the synagogue the bill.

Bindell said Brockman makes people feel good.

When youre talking to him, hes talking to you, Bindell said.

Brockman announced in May of 2017 that he would retire this year.

Brockman said in an interview with the Register last year: The legacy that I inherited was a legacy that Judaism didnt just happen within the four walls of the institutionIt doesnt just happen within a ritual, within the four walls of your synagogue. God created the world, not the synagogue.

Brockman, 74, has led the Ridge Road congregation since 1986. He is a seventh generation Rabbi and grew up Orthodox. Congregation Mishkan Israel is a Reform synagogue.

His work has always been based in faith and tradition, whether its leading a group of synagogues, the Jewish Community Alliance for Refugee Resettlement, to sponsor a family from Syria, discussing how to become a sanctuary synagogue for undocumented immigrants or even in growing vegetables for area soup kitchens, called the Peah Project.

Hes an extraordinary human being. His devotion, his commitment to whats right, his desire to help in a positive way any individual who may be having some misfortune, his dedication to teaching children what is right is a role model for all society, Congregation president Mark Sklarz told the Register in May.

Throughout his career, Brockman has worked with leaders of other faiths, especially Christians and Muslims, who all claim Abraham as their common ancestor.

Religion should be a bridge to others, not a barrier, not a wall, he has said.

Brockman, who has always pushed the limits, tested his credibility in 1993, when he invited Riad Mansour of the Palestine Liberation Organization to speak at Mishkan Israel, because the PLO is a sworn enemy of Israel.

He told the Register that the executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven said of his invitation, It just shows that Brockman has enough credibility to do incredibly stupid things. Brockman said he took that as a compliment.

Brockman and his wife, Elin Brockman, arent sure what Act 2 will be.A new study  the largest of its kind  says that women who are diagnosed with the most common type of early-stage breast cancer most likely dont need chemotherapy after theyve had endocrine (hormone) therapy.

The news could lay to rest some anguished conversations between doctors and patients. When a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, all medical muscle goes toward eliminating the cancer and reducing the possibility of a recurrence.

But for many women, chemotherapy can have disastrous results. This study says that if the additional treatment isnt necessaryor has little measurable positive effectmany women can skip it.

The study is not groundbreaking, but its a little bit of additional clarification for patients, said Dr. Lajos Pusztai, Yale Cancer Center professor of medical oncology and director of breast cancer translational research as well as co-director of Yale Cancer Center Genetics, Genomics, and Epigenetics Program. Given the thousands of women cancer affectsbreast cancer is second only to skin cancers as the most common cancer among U.S. womenthe study is important, Pusztai said. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2018 some 266,120 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women, and about 40,920 women will die from the disease.

The study, called the Trial Assigning Individualized Options for Treatment, or TAILORx, is considered a precision medicine trial. Precision medicine looks at individuals down to their genetic makeup and lifestyles when administering health care.

The study was partially funded by the National Cancer Institute with proceeds from the U.S. Postal Services breast cancer stamp, which has raised some $86 million for breast cancer research since it was issued in the late 90s. The study was launched in 2006, and, after looking at 10,273 women with breast cancer, it concluded that some 70 percent of them, or roughly 85,000 women a year, can skip chemo with its often-debilitating side effects that can include nausea, and weight, hair, and memory loss, or worse. For this population, endocrine therapy alone appeared to be every bit as effective as endocrine therapy combined with chemotherapy.

As Pusztai says, women who are at low risk for a recurrencethose who score between zero and 10 based on a test where doctors read a sample of the patients tumor tissuegenerally would not be considered candidates for chemotherapy. Women who score in the high-risk 26 to 100 range generally do submit to the additional treatment.

But the bulk of women who are diagnosed with this kind of breast cancer  hormone-driven, without the protein HER2  fall mid-range on the risk scale, 11-to-25. For them, the decision to go through chemo is fraught with anguish. In the past, after a breast cancer diagnosis, the decision to enroll a patient in chemotherapy was mostly based, Pusztai said, on patient preference, doctors bias, and gut feeling. The study confirms what astute and experienced breast cancer specialists already know, he said, that chemo for a mid-risk patient doesnt have the desired effect, and may place a woman at risk for serious health issues, such as leukemia or heart disease, that can come after chemo. (The study said that women younger than 50 who score in the middle range may benefit at least somewhat from chemotherapy, so doctors may take the patients age into consideration.)

The study reflects the general decline of the use of chemotherapy among early-stage breast cancer patients. According to a December report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, chemo among early-stage patients dropped from 26.6 percent in 2013 to 14.1 percent just two years later.

Its a very exciting finding, said Yonni Wattenmaker, executive director of the Greenwich-based Breast Cancer Alliance, which provides funding for breast cancer research and training, including early-stage research.

But we fund the training of breast surgery fellowshipsthis may affect how hospitals treat patients, but it will likely not impact how they train the specialists overall, she said.

Susan Campbell is a distinguished lecturer at the University of New Haven. She can be reached at slcampbell417@gmail.com. This column was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (www.c-hit.org).SINGAPORE (AP) - President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have signed a joint document in which they commit to working toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The document signed by the leaders at their historic summit Tuesday also says they will join efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

Photo from Associated Press Photo from Associated Press

The White House has yet to release the documents text. But it was photographed by the news media during a signing ceremony.

The document lays out four broad commitments. It says the sides commit to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.

And it says they will commit to recovering the remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action.





 President Donald Trump proclaimed Tuesday that his momentous summit with North Koreas Kim Jong Un had gone better than anybody could have expected and announced that the leaders planned a signing ceremony shortly. He offered no details on what was being signed.

Meeting with staged ceremony on a Singapore island, Trump and Kim concluded a summit that seemed just unthinkable months ago, clasping hands before a row of alternating U.S. and North Korean flags, holding a one-on-one meeting, additional talks with advisers and a working lunch.

After the lunch, Trump announced the signing ceremony but provided no details, saying only: Were going to be announcing that in a couple of minutes.

At a meeting that could chart the course for historic peace or raise the specter of a growing nuclear threat, both leaders expressed optimism. Kim called the sit-down a good prelude for peace and Trump pledged that working together we will get it taken care of.

For all the upbeat talk, it was an open question what, if any, concrete results the sit-down would produce. In advance of their private session, Trump predicted tremendous success while Kim said through an interpreter that we have come here after overcoming obstacles.

Aware that the eyes of the world were on a moment many people never expected to see, Kim said many of those watching would think it was a scene from a science fiction movie.

In the run-up to the meeting, Trump had predicted the two men might strike a nuclear deal or forge a formal end to the Korean War in the course of a single meeting or over several days. But in the hours before the summit, the White House unexpectedly announced Trump would depart Singapore earlier than expected  Tuesday evening  raising questions about whether his aspirations for an ambitious outcome had been scaled back.

Giving voice to the anticipation felt around the world, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday he hardly slept before the summit. Moon and other officials watched the live broadcast of the summit before a South Korean Cabinet meeting in his presidential office

The meeting was the first between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader.

After meeting privately and with aides, Trump and Kim moved into the luncheon at a long flower-bedecked table. As they entered, Trump injected some levity to the days extraordinary events, saying: Getting a good picture everybody? So we look nice and handsome and thin? Perfect.

Then they dined on beef short rib confit along with sweet and sour crispy pork.

And as they emerged from the meal for a brief stroll together, Trump appeared to delight in showing his North Korean counterpart the interior of The Beast, the famed U.S. presidential limousine known for its high-tech fortifications.

Critics of the summit leapt at the leaders handshake and the moonlight stroll Kim took Monday night along the glittering Singapore waterfront, saying it was further evidence that Trump was helping legitimize Kim on the world stage as an equal of the U.S. president. Kim has been accused of horrific rights abuses against his people. During his stroll, crowds yelled out Kims name and jostled to take pictures, and the North Korean leader posed for a selfie with Singapore officials.

Trump responded to such commentary on Twitter, saying: The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the U.S., say the haters & losers. But he added our hostages are back home and testing, research and launches have stopped.

Trump also tweeted: Meetings between staffs and representatives are going well and quickly ... but in the end, that doesnt matter. We will all know soon whether or not a real deal, unlike those of the past, can happen!

The summit capped a dizzying few days of foreign policy activity for Trump, who shocked U.S. allies over the weekend by using a meeting in Canada of the Group of Seven industrialized economies to alienate Americas closest friends in the West. Lashing out over trade practices, Trump lobbed insults at his G-7 host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trump left that summit early and, as he flew to Singapore, tweeted that he was yanking the U.S. out of the groups traditional closing statement.

As for Singapore, the White House said Trump was leaving early because negotiations had moved more quickly than expected but gave no details. The president planned to stop in Guam and Hawaii on the way back to Washington.

The unfolding summit was a remarkable change in dynamics from less than a year ago, when Trump was threatening fire and fury against Kim, who in turn scorned the American president as a mentally deranged U.S. dotard. Beyond the impact on both leaders political fortunes, the summit could shape the fate of countless people  the citizens of impoverished North Korea, the tens of millions living in the shadow of the Norths nuclear threat, and millions more worldwide.

Alluding to the Norths concerns that giving up its nuclear weapons could surrender its primary deterrent to forced regime change, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters that the U.S. was prepared to take action to provide North Korea with sufficient certainty that denuclearization is not something that ends badly for them.

He would not say whether that included the possibility of withdrawing U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula, but said the context of the discussions was radically different than ever before.

I can only say this, Pompeo said. We are prepared to take what will be security assurances that are different, unique, than Americas been willing to provide previously.

The North has faced crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions as it has advanced development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Pompeo held firm to Trumps position that sanctions will remain in place until North Korea denuclearizes  and said they would even increase if diplomatic discussions did not progress positively.

Experts believe the North is close to being able to target the entire U.S. mainland with its nuclear-armed missiles, and while theres deep skepticism that Kim will quickly give up those hard-won nukes, theres also some hope that diplomacy can replace the animosity between the U.S. and the North.The Times-Picayune is marking the tricentennial of New Orleans with its ongoing 300 for 300 project, running through 2018 and highlighting 300 people who have made New Orleans New Orleans, featuring original artwork commissioned by NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune with Where Y'Art gallery. Today: Francisco Idelfonso Mareno, better known as Pere Antoine.

The icon: Pere Antoine.

The legacy: His birth name was Francisco Idelfonso Mareno, but the Capuchin friar who for years served as the rector at St. Louis Cathedral was known by everyone in the city -- and still is -- as Pere Antoine, no other name necessary. Pere Antoine was as devout as he was strong-willed, so much as to be controversial, as with his attempt to import the Spanish Inquisition to Louisiana in 1789, an effort that saw him exiled from the city for a time. He would return, mellowed but devout as ever, and he would end up earning the enduring affection of his flock for his willingness to minister to everyone, be they poor, enslaved or imprisoned. When church officials tried to unseat him a second time in 1805, his congregation had enough, electing him their parish priest -- the people's priest -- and an office he held the rest of his life.

The artist: Alexandra Kilburn.

The quote: "Among the Catholic clergy, Father Antoine, a Capuchin, stands out and highly deserves the esteem in which he is held by the Catholics as well as by the Protestants. He is a true father of the sick, the helpless and the forsaken." -- author and traveler Charles Sidons, in 1827, after visiting New Orleans

Explore more of Alexandra Kilburn's work online at WhereYart.net and in person at the Where Y'Art gallery, 1901 Royal St.

He was born in Sedella, Spain, in 1748. Upon becoming a priest as a young man, he took the religious name Antonio.

Source: The Times-Picayune archives; "New Orleans: The Place and the People," by Grace King; staff research

More on 300 for 300:The Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office has dismissed felony sexual battery and malfeasance in office charges against a former New Orleans police officer who was acquitted last week of unrelated malfeasance and prostitution solicitation charges.

Ananie Mitchell, 37, was found not guilty by Criminal District Judge Paul Bonin after a one-day trial Friday. Mitchell was accused of sending explicit text messages offering to pay a man to perform oral sex on him.

The sexual battery and malfeasance in office charges dismissed Monday (June 11) were not related to that incident.

"The failure of essential witnesses to cooperate made it extremely difficult for us to go forward with the remaining charges as a sustainable case," District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro said of the reason for the dismissal.

Mitchell's attorney, Tanya Faia said those charges stemmed from complaints filed against the officer with the NOPD's Public Integrity Bureau. Mitchell never was disciplined or arrested on those charges, she said.

One of the complaints came from a man Mitchell arrested on a narcotics charge who said he was improperly frisked by Mitchell, Faia said. The man later recanted his complaint when he learned it would not result in a dismissal of his narcotics charge, she said.

The other was a lack of professionalism complaint, Faia said. No physical touching was alleged in that complaint, she said.

The district attorney's office first charged Mitchell with misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution in municipal court in March of 2015. The charge was stemmed from the same incident involving the explicit text messages.

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Assistant District Attorney Michael Danon dismissed the charge seven months later, saying police had failed to turn over reports.

A spokesman for Cannizzaro's office told The New Orleans Advocate at the time that prosecutors intended to reinstitute the charges against Mitchell once they got the police reports.

In December of 2015, court records show Mitchell was charged with single felony counts of soliciting a prostitute and sexual battery, and two counts of malfeasance in office.

A superseding bill of information was filed in November 2016, charging Mitchell with additional counts of sexual battery and malfeasance in office, court records show.

Danon prosecuted Mitchell's felony cases until February of this year when Assistant District Attorney David Pipes took over. Pipes prosecuted Mitchell's trial on Friday, and also oversaw the dismissal of his remaining charges Monday.

Faia said she and Mitchell are relieved the district attorney's office dismissed the remaining felony charges.

"I am very appreciative Mr. Pipes looked at this case in an objective manner," she said.

Mitchell was a member of NOPD's Special Operations Division, assigned to the Street Gang Unit. He was placed on emergency suspension following his arrest in 2015, and was fired when felony charges were filed against him. Mitchell's appeal of his termination is pending.Trina Mercadel's niece was at the hairdresser Saturday (June 10) when another one of her aunts called her.

"She was just screaming and crying. Like she couldn't talk. All she was saying was, 'Trina dead! Trina dead,'" said Kacy Robiho, 18, of her aunt's phone call.

The Orleans Parish Coroner's Office on Monday identified Trina Mercadel, 44, as the woman whose body was found in a burning Chevrolet Suburban in the St. Roch neighborhood shortly before 5:30 a.m. Saturday. Trina Mercadel's preliminary cause of death was listed as gunshot wounds, coroner's spokesman Jason Melancon said in an emailed statement.

The fire at the scene may have contributed to faulty initial information given by authorities who said on Saturday the person found dead in the vehicle was a man -- a mistake Robiho said gave some family members a temporary sense of false hope.

The family's first hint at Mercadel's fate came from a knock on the door of the home of Mercadel's mother, Yvonne Mercadel, Robiho said. It was Yvonne Mercadel's 83rd birthday Saturday when authorities came to her home and told her the Chevrolet Suburban that belonged to her only daughter was found on fire at the edge of St. Roch neighborhood with the body of a gunshot victim inside, Robiho said.

Despite information about a man being found dead, her niece said, relatives weren't able to reach Trina Mercadel. Reality started to set in for family members. Hours later, the coroner's office confirmed their fear.

"The thought seems so unreal. She was just here with us and now she's gone," Robiho said. "She was too good of a person to go out that way."

Domonique Mercadel, 20, one of Trina Mercadel's four children, said her mother bought the maroon Suburban "for her kids and her grandkids."

"When we go, we all go," said Domonique Mercadel, her voice brightening as she talked about her close-knit family. She said her mother is known as "Maw-Maw Trina" or "Mama" to Trina Mercadel's seven grandchildren.

A City of New Orleans truck towed the Suburban from the crime scene in the 3200 block of Deers Street, after Trina Mercadel's body was taken from it Saturday and driven away in a coroner's van. The front half of the vehicle appeared completely burned, its hood and the structure surrounding the front and middle seats a dull, ashen gray. The back half appeared almost untouched by the fire, the rear hatch still shiny maroon.

A woman who lives in the block said she heard two or three gunshots at about 5:25 a.m. and called 911. By the time the dispatcher called her back for more information, the woman said, the vehicle was on fire.

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"My mom was so sweet... She was an awesome mom," Domonique Mercadel said over the phone. She began crying, but continued, "She was loved by a lot of people."

Trina Mercadel is survived by Domonique, one other daughter and two sons, ages 15 to 25; her parents, Yvonne and Raymond Mercadel; and four brothers, Domonique Mercadel said. She also leaves behind many cousins, some of whom thought of Trina Mercadel as a sister, Robiho said.

"Everybody has the same thing to say about her: Trina just has a good heart," Robiho said.

Trina Mercadel's life started in Salina, Kansas, her daughter said. Domonique Mercadel said her grandfather was in the military, so they moved around, but eventually settled back in New Orleans where her grandfather was raised.

As a school girl, Trina Mercadel was a majorette at her Gentilly high school, her daughter said. She worked in retail and loved dogs. Domonique Mercadel said the last dogs her mother owned were a pair of chihuahuas named Maniac and Missy.

"She would call them husband and wife," Domonique Mercadel said.

Dozens of people, including Domonique Mercadel and Robiho, attended a vigil to honor Trina Mercadel's life Sunday night near the scene where she died. Green was one of Trina Mercadel's favorite colors, her daughter said, so they released green and white balloons. Friday's funeral for Trina Mercadel will include a green, silver and white color palette, Domonique Mercadel added.

"It's been comforting knowing that we have a lot of support," Domonique Mercadel said of the outpouring of condolences and good memories others have shared about her mother.

"She didn't deserve what happened to her," she said.

Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to contact NOPD Homicide Detective Michael Poluikis, the lead detective on the case, at 504-658-5300 or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.

New Orleans Murder Map 2018Plaquemines Parish and state officials are in a standstill over the state's most expensive project to restore coastal wetlands, the $1.4 billion Mid-Barataria sediment diversion.

The state requested parish permits to take soil samples near the site of the planned diversion for engineering and design of the project. But Plaquemines Parish President Amos Cormier still hasn't brought the permits before the Parish Council, citing concerns about the project's effects on fisheries.

State officials said delaying the project could lead to added costs in management, engineering and design of up to $400,000 a month. The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority did not respond to a question about when the extra costs would kick in.

As it's currently designed, the Mid-Barataria sediment diversion would allow up to 75,000 cubic feet per second of sediment-laden water to flow through a controlled opening in the West Bank levee near Myrtle Grove, in Plaquemines Parish. The goal of the project is to send sediment from the Mississippi River into the marshes of Barataria Bay in an attempt to reduce land loss rates and sustain wetlands damaged by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report.

Last week, Cormier held a news conference in Belle Chasse to elaborate on his concerns with the coastal restoration project. "I represent the people of Plaquemines Parish and I have a duty to do what's best for Plaquemines Parish," he said.

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Flanked by fishers, Cormier said that the onslaught of freshwater introduced into Barataria Bay by the diversion would be harmful to fisheries in the parish, which supports fin fish, shrimp and oysters. He also voiced concerns about the agricultural pollutants carried by Mississippi River water.

In an email from Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority spokeswoman Anne Hawes, state officials responded to Cormier's assertions by saying that the project will undergo an extensive federal permitting process, which includes evaluating the potential environmental effects and identifying means to address them.

While state officials said that potential socio-economic impacts resulting from the proposed project will be addressed, Cormier said that the hit to Plaquemines Parish businesses should be included in the project cost.

"We cannot be expected to bare all these hidden costs," he said.

Cormier said a 2014 parish ordinance prevents him from bringing any permits to the parish council regarding the construction, development or implementation of sediment diversion projects. The parish ordinance would need to be repealed before the permits for the soil samples could be introduced before the council, he said. A measure to repeal the ordinance has not been introduced to the Parish Council by Cormier or any of the council members.New Orleans restaurants are desperate for staff, and it's getting worseHurricane forecasters on Tuesday morning (June 12) were tracking a system in the Caribbean Sea that they say has a low chance of developing into a tropical depression.

As of 7 a.m., the weather disturbance was producing a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms over the western Caribbean. Little development is expected during the next couple of days as it is forecast to move west over Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula.

However, forecasters with the National Hurricane Center said environmental conditions could become slightly more conducive for some development when the system moves into the southwestern Gulf of Mexico by the end of the week.

Regardless of development, the weather disturbance will likely produce locally heavy rainfall across portions of Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and the Yucatan Peninsula through Thursday.

It has a 10 percent chance (low) of developing into at least a tropical depression within 48 hours and a 20 percent chance (low) of developing within five days. The storm categories, in increasing strength, are tropical depression, tropical storm and hurricane.

--

Carlie Kollath Wells is a morning reporter at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Have an early-bird tip? Send it to her: cwells@nola.com or Twitter @carlie_kollath.The National Hurricane Center Monday evening (June 11) continued to monitor a disturbance in the western Caribbean expected to move into the Gulf of Mexico by the end of the week.

The system has a 20 percent chance of tropical development over the next five days, the Hurricane Center reported in its 7 p.m. update.

A large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms over the western Caribbean was associated with a trough of low pressure. This area was expected to move westward over Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula over the next couple of days, and little development was expected as of mid-week.

Conditions could become more favorable for tropical development late in the week when the system moves into the southwestern Gulf of Mexico.

The disturbance will likely produce locally heavy rainfall across portions of Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, and the Yucatan Peninsula through Thursday, the Hurricane Center said.A six-week-long operation has led to the arrests of 270 people -- including 90 gang members -- in south central Mississippi and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, WLOX reports.

The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss., reported that the operation centered on five areas: Gulfport, Biloxi, Jackson, Meridian, and Hattiesburg. The focus was narcotics and guns investigations, sex offender compliance and gang intelligence, the newspaper said.

Federal authorities said those arrested included people from several gangs, including the Gangster Disciples, Vice Lords, Simon City Royals, Latin Kings, and the Aryan Brotherhood, the Biloxi-based television station reported.

The operation was known as Operation Triple Beam and included several areas in the U.S. Department of Justice's Southern District of Mississippi. Those arrested included 40 people in Gulfport, where Operation Shark Tank took place under the Triple Beam umbrella, the station reported.

"The arrest of more than 270 people - including 90 gang members - throughout the Southern District of Mississippi is the result of collaboration between federal officers and our state and local partners," U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a news release about the operation.It says something about the relationship between Gov. John Bel Edwards and House Republicans that we can legitimately ask whether it is more likely that we get a peace treaty between North and South Korea before we get a tax deal between the governor and his GOP antagonists.

The Republican leadership, led by House Speaker Taylor Barras, Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry and GOP caucus Chairman Lance Harris, has so far thwarted Edwards' efforts to raise taxes for what he calls a fiscal cliff but conservatives say is fiscal irresponsibility.

It started with the governor seeking a little less than $1 billion in a special session in February that many Republicans called premature. When the session cratered without a deal, the GOP turned out to be right as changes in the federal income tax and other economic indicators prompted the Revenue Estimating Conference to recognize an additional $346 million for state spending, reducing the deficit to about $648 million.

Republicans can -- and certainly do -- make the argument that far from "doing nothing" in that first session, they actually saved taxpayers almost $350 million by sticking to their guns.

Hostilities continued through a regular session and a budget veto that dovetailed into a second special session that did produce a spending plan but without a tax boost to fully fund it. As things stand now, a budget for the year that begins July 1 would mean significant cuts to higher education, the TOPS college scholarship program, funds to pay for parish assistant district attorneys, money to reimburse sheriffs for housing state prisoners, the food stamp program and more.

That's where things will stand Monday (June 18) when lawmakers begin an unprecedented third special session in four months with the governor pleading for the $650 million and House Republicans unwilling to yield more than $400 million, if that much.

Game, set and match for the GOP? Not so fast.

Through a twist of legislative processes, political maneuvering and timing, the playing field may have drastically shifted in the governor's favor.

For starters, the governor chose to sign the budget lawmakers approved in the second special session, which means the battle over appropriations and who gets what is essentially over. The budget, as rewritten by an Edwards-friendly Senate, guarantees full funding for health care.

That safely walls off a huge pot of money in a state agency that has been routinely assailed by conservative lawmakers as inefficient and bloated. That argument is over for this year.

The Senate also structured the budget bill so that any new money must be added pro rata, meaning proportionally to all areas where a deficit now exists.

That means that lawmakers will not be able to direct the new money to a popular program like TOPS while giving less or nothing to something like food stamps. Everybody gets fully funded or nobody gets fully funded. Some House members are disputing that interpretation, which could end up being the most important fight of the session.

Many lawmakers who hear a lot from constituents opposing tax increases also hear from those desperate to make sure their children or grandchildren keep that scholarship help. The deficit also hits higher education, which would have to absorb a $97 million reduction beyond the 30 percent loss of TOPS money.

State officials and local sheriffs have already said that 10,000 nonviolent offenders would have to be released early over the next year in order to cope with its budget cuts. The Louisiana Department of Corrections will get about $38 million less than what the Legislature intended unless additional taxes are approved.

Parish sheriffs, meanwhile, would lose about $43 million for holding state prisoners and parole violators, a per diem that already is among the lowest in the nation.

Having your sheriff and district attorney unhappy with you is never good politics in Louisiana.

And it's not as though lawmakers were all that far apart when the special session ended last week. Republicans had offered to keep a third of a penny in temporary sales taxes set to expire June 30. Edwards and the Democrats were pushing for half a penny.

With many differences that defy simple math, one proposal would produce about $400 million, the other about $500 million.

Edwards' call for the session, the rules and guidelines for what lawmakers can and can't consider, is narrowly focused. Legislators are limited to raising the sales tax or removing exemptions. Other revenue measures are off limits.

Add to that the looming July 1 deadline, and Edwards may finally have lawmakers where he wants them. He might not get all he wants, but it will be hard for the GOP to go nuclear.

Tim Morris is an opinions columnist at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. He can be reached at tmorris@nola.com. Follow him on Twitter @tmorris504.Despite a slow down because of Hurricane Ida, eight casinos as of Thursday have applied to offer sports betting in Louisiana, according to the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, the agency that oversees gambling in the state.Global perspectives on responsible investing - Aons survey of 223 institutional investors around the world  including endowments, foundations, public and corporate pensions and defined benefit plans  found that 68 percent consider responsible investing as important to some degree to their organisation. Of these, 40 percent have already developed a Responsible Investment (RI) policy for use in making investment decisions, and another 14 percent are in the process of developing a policy. Of those that have implemented an RI initiative within their organisation:

 39 percent said that they had done so due to a belief that the incorporation of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) data resulted in better investment decisions.

 26 percent said there was a desire to impact certain global issues, such as the carbon footprint, climate change and water issues. Meredith Jones, partner and head of Emerging Manager Research at Aon said: While responsible investing is still relatively nascent in many organisations and geographies, overall interest in these initiatives has skyrocketed over the past few years. Weve gone from clients asking sporadically about responsible investing to full-scale development of policies, implementation of responsible investing initiatives and a veritable sea change in how investors and asset managers incorporate and evaluate responsible investing data into their investment strategies. Jones notes that while Aon expects to see interest in responsible investing continue to grow, more will need to be done before there will be widespread global adoption. This includes clarity about definitions, access to accurate data and measurement, concerns about performance, and regulatory pressure. When asked what would make responsible investing more accessible, the majority of survey respondents cited standardisation and better ROI measures:  Better or more consistent data on ESG factors  53 percent

 Compelling research on return profiles  50 percent

 Industry agreement on terms and definitions  49 percent

 Agreement on key ESG factors (materiality)  49 percent Attitudes towards Responsible Investment vary by region Aons survey found that there is a geographic split when it comes to attitudes towards RI, with noticeably more activity in the UK and Continental Europe than in the US: John Belgrove, senior partner at Aon, said: It was clear from the data that European investors are behind much of the drive towards Responsible Investment. We believe this is due in large part to strong governmental action and regulatory changes that push investors towards a more sustainable investment approach. Tim Manuel, head of Responsible Investment in the UK at Aon, added: We are seeing a willingness to embrace different RI strategies in the UK and across continental Europe. While negative screening is still well used, especially on the Continent, investors are modernising their approach, with ESG integration becoming their more popular way of implementing RI strategies.  47 percent of European investors have an RI policy in place, compared to just 30 percent of US investors.

 Investors in Europe were the most likely to have dedicated RI staff (28 percent) and UK investors were most likely to withdraw from a manager with no RI policy in place (11 percent).

 Survey respondents expect Europe to lead the RI charge going forward but were split on who might come in second. Interestingly, each geography picked itself as the RI runner up.

 The most common type of RI implementation was ESG integration into investment strategies (47 percent). Negative screening, also known as Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), was a distant second at 24 percent. However, the SRI numbers were bolstered by strong uptake in Europe (40 percent). The other three geographies were less likely to use SRI as an RI tool. Impact Investing is used by 7 percent of those polled.

 Investors in Europe are the most likely to be active owners of shareholder engagement (35 percent) while the US was the least likely (15 percent). In the UK, 20 percent of investors use shareholder engagement to express their RI policy, while almost 18 percent of Canadian investors do the same.



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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.Stuart Price, Partner and Actuary at independent financial services consultancy Quantum Advisory, is calling for the 10,000 cap to be scrapped so that all workers from the age of 18 to State Pension Age would be included. Stuart says: When auto enrolment was reviewed at the end of 2017, one of the outcomes was for the net to be widened so that 18-year olds will be included from the mid 2020s. While this is a step in the right direction, I believe the government should have also removed the minimum wage requirement. As well as ensuring many more would be saving for their retirement provision - which would overcome this multiple job issue - it would also make the auto enrolment administration process easier for employers and pension providers. A simplified system could also mean a reduction in the charges passed on to members.But now it is about to become a financial product.

On Wednesday, Goldman Sachs, using Mr. Joness metrics, will introduce a new exchange-traded fund as part of series of social impact efforts by the firm.

The fund is a feel-good selection of Russell 1000 companies, tracking the top 50 percent of those in each industry based on Just Capitals publicly available model, which scores businesses using a complex formula related to workers, customers, products, environment, jobs, communities and management. Only 6 percent of the calculation of the index relates to how well a company provides investor return.

The top five companies in the 2017 rankings all came from the tech sector: Intel was No. 1, followed by Texas Instruments, Nvidia, Microsoft and IBM.

Whether the formula is a winning one for investors is a bit of an open question. The fund would have outperformed the Russell 1000 by 3.47 percent over the past two years. Thats the good news. The bad news is there is no way to test the formula any further back, and each year, the index changes based on shifts in the polling. If Americans become more concerned about job creation and less concerned about worker pay, different companies could be included.

We rank the companies as best we can, said Mr. Jones, who became famous for shorting the stock market before Black Monday in 1987 and went on to found the Robin Hood Foundation, an antipoverty organization. And its our best effort  its not a science. There are many different ways you can debate the decisions that we have had to make, and Im sure it will evolve and were going to get better at it.Last month, the White House released Mr. Trumps financial disclosure, revealing for the first time a repayment of more than $100,000 to his personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, in 2017, raising questions about whether his filing a year earlier had improperly omitted the debt.

One asset that Mr. Kushner did divest before joining the administration was his stake in his family firms flagship property at 666 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Last month, The New York Times reported that the company was in negotiations with Brookfield Asset Management for a significant equity infusion. Brookfields property arm is partly owned by the Qatar government.

Peter Mirijanian, a spokesman for Abbe Lowell, who is Mr. Kushner and Ms. Trumps ethics counsel, said, Since joining the administration, Mr. Kushner and Ms. Trump have complied with the rules and restrictions as set out by the Office of Government Ethics.

Mr. Mirijanian added that they had not been involved in the various transactions that benefited them. As stated on numerous occasions, Mr. Kushner and Ms. Trump removed themselves from their companies operations and investment decisions when they entered government service, he said.

The biggest transactions disclosed Monday involved buying or selling real estate in New Jersey, Indiana and Pittsburgh. In September, a limited liability company called Quail Ridge purchased residential real estate in Plainsboro, N.J., for $5 million to $25 million, according to the report. Mr. Kushner entered into a note transaction with Bank of America for the same value range, holding it with other members of the limited liability company.

The ethics filing also disclosed income generated by Ms. Trump. She earned $3.9 million from her stake in the Trump International Hotel in Washington, which opened in the fall of 2016. That was roughly on pace with what she reported in the previous year, when her filing showed that the hotel had generated $2.4 million in income during its first eight months.

The hotel, just steps from the White House, has prompted concerns from ethics experts, who worried that guests may be trying to curry favor with the president by staying there.Mayor Bill de Blasio and Corey Johnson, the City Council speaker, shook hands Monday on a $89.2 billion city budget that included a major concession by the mayor to provide funding for discounted subway and bus fares for some of the poorest New Yorkers.

The budget continues the sustained rise in spending that has come on Mr. de Blasios watch. It is $4 billion more than the previous budget, including $254 million more for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, called for by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and initially resisted by the mayor.

The budget was the first that Mr. de Blasio had to negotiate with Mr. Johnson, who was selected as the Council speaker in January on a pledge to make the citys legislative body more independent of the mayor. The Council is expected to approve the budget on Thursday.

Mr. Johnson had pushed hard to get the mayor to agree to include funding for subsidized MetroCards, an initiative known as Fair Fares. The program will begin in January, with New Yorkers whose income is below the federal poverty line  about $25,000 a year for a family of four  qualifying for MetroCards at half the regular cost. It is estimated that about 800,000 people could be eligible for the subsidy, although far fewer are expected to enroll in the first year.When Vladimir Putin ordered his hackers to surreptitiously help Donald Trump in the presidential race, he could hardly have anticipated that once in office, Mr. Trump would so outrageously, destructively and thoroughly alienate Americas closest neighbors and allies as he did at the Group of 7 meeting in Canada. The lame explanation from Mr. Trumps courtiers, that he needed to look tough for his meeting with Kim Jong-un, made matters worse by implying that he felt he needed to publicly kick friends aside to impress a murderous dictator.

Nations represented at the meeting  and especially Canada, whose prime minister, Justin Trudeau, was personally insulted in a way defying basic social norms  reacted with horror and dismay. International diplomacy cannot be conducted by fits of anger, said President Emmanuel Macron of France, who Mr. Trump only recently embraced in Washington. In a matter of seconds, you can destroy trust with 280 Twitter characters, said the German foreign minister, Heiko Maas. Editorials were less restrained: When roused, we dont roll over at the request of an insulting bully, no matter how big, hissed Canadas Globe and Mail.

Indeed, the Group of 7 was just the kind of forum a bully like Mr. Trump cannot abide, not out of geopolitical considerations, but because he cannot dominate and preen. He knew he would be on the defensive  over backing out of the Paris environment accord and the Iran nuclear deal, and now over the tariffs he slapped on European and Canadian steel and aluminum  so he made a point of being late, acting petulant, leaving early and lashing out at Mr. Trudeau.Traveling by plane is one of the worst things you can do for the environment. On average, one nonstop round-trip flight from the United States to Europe releases about one metric ton of carbon dioxide per person, or about what a resident of Honduras emits in a year.

Unfortunately, several American start-ups are proposing to make the problem even worse by reviving the bad old idea that the worlds jet-setters need to break the sound barrier to get where theyre going.

The aviation industry, recognizing its impact on the climate, belatedly adopted a global climate plan for commercial aviation in 2016 that is scheduled to take effect in 2021. But returning commercial supersonic transport aircraft, or SSTs, to the skies could upend those efforts.

Supersonics were all the rage when testing began for commercial flights in the 1960s, but the planes ran into problems because of high costs and pollution concerns. Ultimately, only the Concorde, a British-French collaboration, ever saw long-term commercial service after its inaugural flight in 1976. The development of that aircraft was famously expensive, costing about 10 times its initial budget.But what really makes Trumps America feel like a rogue state is the administrations policy of taking children from migrants caught crossing the border unlawfully, even if the parents immediately present themselves to the authorities to make asylum claims. This is as bad as Ive ever seen in 25 years of doing this work, Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the A.C.L.U.s Immigrants Rights Project, told me. The little kids are literally being terrorized.

Family separations began last year  immigrant advocates arent sure exactly when  and have ramped up with the administrations new zero tolerance policy of prosecuting everyone who crosses the border without authorization. Over two weeks in May, more than 650 children were snatched from their parents.

The human consequences have been horrific. Last week, The New York Times described a 5-year-old boy from Honduras who had been separated from his father and cried himself to sleep at night with a stick-figure drawing of his family under his pillow. The Washington Post reported that Marco Antonio Munoz, a 39-year-old who is also from Honduras, killed himself in a padded cell after his 3-year-old was wrenched from his arms.

We will never know what torments besieged Munoz when he took his own life. But Pramila Jayapal, a Democratic congresswoman from Washington State, recently met with migrant women being held in a federal prison, many of whom, she said, were forcibly separated from children as young as 1. Some had their kids physically torn from them. Others were told that they had to go have their photograph taken; when they returned, their children were gone.So Larry Kudlow, the administrations chief economist (actually economist, but thats another story) went on TV to declare that Trudeau stabbed us in the back. Peter Navarro, the administrations chief trade expert (expert) went even further, repeating the stab-in-the-back line and declaring that Trudeau faces a special place in hell.

Remember when people used to imagine that Trump would be restrained by officials who would put some check on his worst impulses? Maybe that happened for a few months, but at this point hes entirely surrounded by sycophants who will tell him whatever he wants to hear.

Still, America isnt a monarchy  not yet, anyway. Congress has the power to check a president who seems to be betraying his oath of office. It can even remove him; but short of impeachment, there are many ways members of Congress could act to constrain Trump and limit the damage hes doing.

But Congress is controlled by Republicans. And their response to a president whose actions are manifestly not just un-American but anti-American has been  a few sad tweets from a handful of senators who are unhappy about Trumps behavior but not willing to do anything real. Most Republicans havent even gone that far: Theyre just silent.

Why are Republican politicians unwilling to discharge their constitutional responsibilities? Relatively few of them, one suspects, actually want a trade war, let alone a breakup of the Western alliance. And many of them, one also suspects, are well aware that a de facto foreign agent sits in the Oval Office. But they are immobilized by a combination of venality and cowardice.

On one side, tax cuts for the rich have become the overriding priority for the modern G.O.P., and Trump is giving them that, so theyre willing to let everything else slide.

On the other side, the partys base really does love Trump, not for his policies, but for the performative cruelty he exhibits toward racial minorities and the way he sticks his thumb in the eyes of elites. So any Republican politician who takes a stand on behalf of what we used to think were fundamental American values is at high risk of losing his or her next primary. And as far as we can tell, there is not a single elected Republican willing to take that risk, no matter what Trump does.

What all this tells us is that the problem facing America runs much deeper than Trumps personal awfulness. One of our two major parties appears to be hopelessly, irredeemably corrupt. And unless that party not only loses this years election but begins losing on a regular basis, America as we know it is finished.DURHAM, N.C.  The worst thing you could say about previous American presidents and their sleepy approach to Canada was that they took their polite northern neighbors for granted.

But as President Trump jetted away from the wreckage of the Group of 7 summit meeting in Quebec this weekend, he plunged American-Canadian relations into a dive so steep it provoked nosebleeds on both sides of the border.

He called the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, dishonest and weak. His advisers accused the Canadians of stabbing Mr. Trump in the back as he winged his way to a meeting with his new best friend, Kim Jong-un of North Korea. And one aide said a special place in hell was reserved for Mr. Trudeau, who had the temerity to say to Mr. Trump what the president likes to say to everyone else: Dont push me around.

Its not every day you see an American president trade a two-century relationship with a reliable neighbor for what could amount to a one-night stand with a ruthless dictator in Singapore. Mr. Trump may well think bullying Canada is cost-free. After all, three-quarters of its exports go to the United States, which makes retaliation risky for Canada. But having limited options does not mean having none. Reversals like these come with a price, although how and when the United States will pay depends on many factors.SAN FRANCISCO  During two days of grilling from Congress in April, Facebooks chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, repeatedly promised to get back to lawmakers on questions he could not answer. On Monday, Congress released the social networks follow-up responses to those queries.

In 454 pages that were made public by the Senate Commerce and Judiciary committees, Facebook provided information to more than 2,000 questions from lawmakers on topics including its policies on user data, privacy and security. Yet much of the information that Facebook included was not new and the social network sidestepped providing detailed answers, in a move that may embolden some of its critics.

In dozens of responses about how Facebook operates and how it deals with its online content, the company referred members of Congress back to its terms of service and community standards. In 224 instances, Facebook simply asked lawmakers to look back at previously answered questions.

See response to Question 2, Facebook wrote in seven answers to questions from Senator Ted Cruz, Republican from Texas, who asked whether the company blocked people from seeing content that came from conservative voices.An American-born man accused of being one of Mexicos most influential and violent drug lords was sentenced on Monday to almost 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to cocaine and money laundering charges, federal prosecutors said.

The man, Edgar Valdez Villarreal  whose doll-like looks earned him the moniker La Barbie  was also ordered in federal court in Atlanta to forfeit $192 million. Prosecutors say he moved thousands of pounds of cocaine from Mexico, Colombia and other countries into cities across the United States during his long drug trafficking career.

Over a span of two decades, Mr. Valdez, 44, rose into the leadership ranks of the Mexico-based Sinaloa and Beltran Leyva drug cartels and in so doing became allied with the infamous drug lord Joaquin Guzman Loera  known as El Chapo  the Justice Department said in a statement. (Mr. Guzman is now himself in jail awaiting trial in Brooklyn.)

Mr. Valdezs battle to control the Beltran Leyva gang led to bloodshed, including the discovery of four decapitated bodies in and near Cuernavaca, Mexico, in 2010. Five years before, law enforcement officials linked Mr. Valdez to a video that appeared to show the interrogation of four battered men who admitted to being hired killers for another cartel; the video ended by showing one of the men shot in the head.When the Obama administration revoked Acicss accrediting powers, the Education Department found that it had racked up nearly two dozen violations. Far from improving, the March report said that the number of violations had nearly tripled.

In April, Ms. DeVos temporarily restored recognition of Acics anyway, after a judge found the Obama administration had violated procedural rules by failing to consider more than 30,000 pages of information submitted by the council before the department revoked its recognition as an accrediting body.

That temporary restoration expires July 30, but Ms. Hill said Ms. DeVos would not consider the draft report as she deliberates Acicss fate because the report was rendered moot by the courts order.

Advocates say that Ms. DeVos is using the court order as a convenient excuse.

They note that the judge did not vacate the 2016 decision, and that Ms. DeVos was not compelled to reinstate Acics. The report provides the most up-to-date evaluation of the organization, which still oversees dozens of colleges. In March, Acics was accused by the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, of accrediting visa mills, used by foreign students to come to the United States with minimal scrutiny.

This report makes clear that Acics is a wholly unfit and unreliable evaluator of higher-education institutions, said Robert Shireman, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation and a former Obama Education Department official. Betsy DeVos may be content with ignoring the overwhelming outside consensus on Acicss performance, but she cannot deny the expert opinions of her own staff.

Among the reports findings was that the accrediting body had failed to provide information showing that it had resolved conflicts of interest and had failed to demonstrate that it had processes in place for evaluating its institutions compliance with federal financial aid laws. Additionally, Education Department staff wrote that Acics did not provide documentation showing that it had ensured that measurements of student achievement rates were rigorous, or that it had a consistent standard for determining when to alert the Education Department to fraud and abuse.

In releasing the report, department officials wrote that the analysis was an incomplete, predecisional document, and that it is typical for a draft staff analysis to include findings or deficiencies that are easily resolved by the agency.GREENBELT, Md.  A federal judge on Monday sharply criticized the Justice Departments argument that President Trumps financial interest in his companys hotel in downtown Washington is constitutional, a fresh sign that the judge may soon rule against the president in a historic case that could head to the Supreme Court.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, the District of Columbia and the state of Maryland, charge that Mr. Trumps profits from the hotel violate anti-corruption clauses of the Constitution that restrict government-bestowed financial benefits, or emoluments, to presidents beyond their official salary. They say the hotel is siphoning business from local convention centers and hotels.

The judge, Peter J. Messitte of the United States District Court in Maryland, promised to decide by the end of July whether to allow the plaintiffs to proceed to the next stage, in which they could demand financial records from the hotel or other evidence from the president. The case takes aim at whether Mr. Trump violated the Constitutions emoluments clauses, which prevent a president from accepting government-bestowed benefits either at home or abroad. Until now, the issue of what constitutes an illegal emolument has never been litigated.

Attorneys general for the District of Columbia and Maryland say that by allowing foreign officials to patronize the five-star Trump International Hotel blocks from the White House, Mr. Trump is violating the Constitutions ban on payments from foreign governments to federal officeholders. They also claim the president is violating a related clause that restricts compensation, other than his salary, from the federal government or from state governments.WASHINGTON  As President Trump and his advisers take aim at some of Americas closest allies amid tense disputes over trade, congressional Republicans largely stood by the president on Monday, insisting they were not worried about a possible deterioration of relations with the West.

A weekend of bellicose remarks by the president and his aides  including unusually personal attacks against the Canadian prime minister  left some Republican commentators fuming that congressional leaders were unwilling to speak out in defense of the world order that has defined American foreign policy for three-quarters of a century.

However, Senate Republican leaders did stand up to Mr. Trump in one respect: They have agreed to amend a defense policy bill by tacking on a bipartisan measure to restore penalties on the Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE. The Trump administration announced a deal last week to ease sanctions on the firm, which American intelligence officials regard as a national security threat.

But a separate, much more sweeping bipartisan measure that would limit Mr. Trumps authority to impose tariffs on allies such as Canada, Mexico and the European Union remained in limbo on Monday, as Senate Republican leaders appeared to be maneuvering to block it. Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the chambers No. 2 Republican, told reporters he did not think the limits were necessary.The Trump administration challenged a state universitys longstanding rules against harassment, bullying and bias on Monday, saying that the rules discouraged students from expressing their views and left students open to the possibility of penalties for engaging in free speech.

The Justice Department made the claims against the University of Michigan, the states prestigious, historically liberal flagship campus in Ann Arbor, in a federal court brief that supported a student group, including students who said they were abused for wearing red Make America Great Again hats and for supporting President Trump.

The student group, Speech First, which formed in February, sued the University of Michigan in May, accusing the school of violating its members constitutional right of free speech.

Instead of protecting free speech, the university imposes a system of arbitrary censorship of, and punishment for, constitutionally protected speech, John M. Gore, an acting assistant attorney general, wrote in the 25-page brief filed in Michigans Eastern District.With the meeting of President Trump and Kim Jong-un of North Korea on Tuesday in Singapore, human rights groups are watching for Mr. Trump to bring up North Koreas widespread crimes against humanity.

Mr. Kim rules with extreme brutality, making his nation among the worst human rights violators in the world.

In North Korea, these crimes entail extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions and other sexual violence, persecution on political, religious, racial and gender grounds, the forcible transfer of populations, the enforced disappearance of persons and the inhumane act of knowingly causing prolonged starvation, concluded a 2014 United Nations report that examined North Korea.

Here are some of the atrocities that have happened there.

A network of prison gulags

Many North Koreans live in fear. That is by design, and it is reinforced by the countrys ruthless police state.Thank you very much. Its fantastic. Were very proud of what took place today. I think our whole relationship with North Korea and the Korean peninsula is, its going to be a very much different situation than it has in the past. Chairman Kim and I just signed a joint statement in which he reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. We also agreed to vigorous negotiations to implement the agreement as soon as possible. Once you start the process, it means its pretty much over. You cant use them. Thats the good news. And thats going to start very, very soon. I believe thats going to start very soon. We will do it as fast as it can mechanically and physically be done, Steve. And the sanctions? The sanctions will come off when we are sure that the nukes are no longer a factor. I think without Otto (Warmbier) this would not have happened. Something happened from that day, it was a terrible thing, it was brutal. But a lot of people started to focus on what was going on, including North Korea. I really think that Otto is someone who did not die in vain  I told this to his parents. Chairman Kim has told me that North Korea is already destroying a major missile engine testing site. Thats not in your signed document. We agreed to that after the agreement was signed. And I also will be inviting Chairman Kim  at the appropriate time  to the White House. I would, I think its really going to be something that will be very important. And he has accepted. We have, right now, 32,000 soldiers in South Korea, and Id like to be able to bring them back home, but thats not part of the equation right now. At some point, I hope it will be, but not right now. We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see that the future negotiation is not going along like it should.OTTAWA  The security fences are coming down. And the world leaders have jetted off.

But for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, the troubles have just begun.

After the disastrous finale of the Group of 7 summit meeting, Mr. Trudeau is now caught in a tight spot between the unpredictable President Trump and the powerful Canadian dairy industry, the current target of Mr. Trumps escalating trade threats. The prime ministers challenge is how to manage both the most important Canadian ally and his own domestic politics.

Trudeau is in a very difficult place because the G-7 summit signals the approach the Trudeau government took to deal with the Trump administration has failed, said Wesley Wark, a professor of public and international affairs at the University of Ottawa. The charm offensive has produced little of what the prime minister hoped.

Even before Mr. Trump came to power, Mr. Trudeau, and his closest aides and cabinet members rushed to connect with the new president and his advisers. And despite Mr. Trumps unpopularity in Canada, Mr. Trudeau scrupulously avoided criticizing the president.Though Giacometti had lived in Paris for 30 years, recognition for his work first came from abroad, and particularly from the U.S., where most of his important collectors were, Ms. Grenier wrote in Alberto Giacometti, her biography of the artist.

The foundations extraordinary collection of Giacomettis work, the worlds largest, includes around 350 mostly plaster sculptures, 90 paintings, more than 2,000 drawings and etchings, about 2,000 photographs, and extensive archives, all of which Giacometti had managed to keep in his studio and in a small storage space nearby.

For the first time, the public will see many fragile or previously damaged pieces, including a painted plaster version of the delicate and stringy Femme Assise (Seated Woman), to be exhibited behind glass.

Many pieces are so fragile that they tremble when you walk by them, Ms. Grenier said. They are too delicate to travel and will remain here in our permanent collection.

The institute will also make its archives available to researchers interested in exploring themes around what Ms. Grenier called the School of Modernities, namely the movements of the early 20th century that made Paris so attractive to foreign artists like Giacometti, who was Swiss, but also Picasso, Modigliani and Brancusi, many of whom lived in the same Montparnasse neighborhood.

We wanted the institute to be in Giacomettis old stomping ground, Ms. Grenier said. He spent most of his life in this area, frequenting local hangouts like Le Dome, Le Select and La Coupole, she said. His friend Simone de Beauvoir lived on this street. She came by the studio often, sometimes to bring hand-me-downs to Annette.NAIROBI, Kenya  The artists who make up the art collective Brush Tu are a convivial bunch, trading jabs and funny anecdotes in the midmorning sun on the back patio of their studios and exhibition space in the neighborhood of Buruburu. But Michael Musyoka, a painter and co-founder of the group, said that being introduced at family weddings as an artist could be a bit tricky.

People will say, Oh that one is a lawyer, and that guy over there is an architect so when it gets to me its, Oh, thats Michael and, well, hes  and they will trail off, he said, laughing. He said that many Kenyans did not see being an artist as a proper job.

When you tell people you are studying fine arts they pause and then ask, finance?  Peteros Ndunde, a video artist, added with a smile.When a retrospective devoted to the work of Bruce Nauman opened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1995, the art critic Robert Hughes wrote in a Time magazine review that no show was ever noisier.

Go in, and you hit a wall of sound, all disagreeable: moanings and groanings; the prolonged squeak of something being dragged over a hard surface, like a knife on a plate; repetitious rock drumming, Mr. Hughes wrote. Still, the critic said, Mr. Nauman was, beyond much dispute, the most influential American artist of his generation.

Nearly a quarter-century later, one of the two masterminds of that retrospective  the curator Kathy Halbreich  has organized another one, which opened in March at the sprawling Schaulager museum in the Basel, Switzerland, suburb of Munchenstein. It travels in October to MoMA and MoMA PS1. Bruce Nauman: Disappearing Acts displays some 170 works in a wide variety of media  from neon to drawings and sculptures to sound installations, videos, holograms and 3D imagery  several coming from the Schaulagers own holdings.Beautiful, anguished, remote, Odette becomes one of the great Romantic symbols of the longing for redemption. Though shes human, shes haunted by swan form. Her arms often move with the powerful shapes of swan wings; her feet flutter like wingtips; now and then, her head and neck preen, swannishly. She opens out into big swan contours, trying to take wing.

Swan imagery in Swan Lake works several ways. Odettes swan condition is what she hopes to leave behind forever  but can she ever shake it off? And does she really want to? For swan form is also the known zone to which she continually retreats for comfort. Shes the most profoundly diffident of heroines.

Yet shes also a monarch; she rises to heroism. When Siegfrieds fellow huntsmen take aim at her swan-maiden companions, she runs in, bravely interposing her body to shield her flock. (If youre too logical, you wonder why the men cant see that these are women, not swans. But Swan Lake allows for both possibilities.) The men refrain. Odette thanks them.

Every ambiguity in this scene multiplies when Odette rejoins Siegfried. At once she gives off conflicting signals. She arrives as if at his call  but then she folds herself at his feet, hiding her face from him: a swan withdrawn as if in the nest.

Throughout the adagio that follows, Siegfried opens her up and out; she keeps withdrawing, fending him off, falling away from him. At times she seems protean, changing shape again and again in his arms as if to elude him. His devotion grows more and more impressive.The philanthropist Helen Goulds reputation is re-emerging from the shadows of her railroad-rich family, thanks to her patronage of the influential designer Louis Comfort Tiffany. She spent part of her multimillion-dollar inheritance commissioning artworks and buildings from Tiffany and his peers, and her efforts have now inspired an exhibition, Becoming Tiffany: From Hudson Valley Painter to Gilded Age Tastemaker. The show, at Lyndhurst, her familys country estate turned museum in Tarrytown, N.Y., runs through Sept. 24.

In the 1860s, Tiffany, a scion of the Manhattan family jewelry business, began training as an artist in New York and Paris. He quickly branched out into other art forms and set up workshops, in collaboration with woodcarvers, glassblowers, metalworkers and weavers. The Lyndhurst show contains stained-glass windows, paintings of New York-area scenery, iridescent lamps and vessels, teak furniture and metallic fabrics by Mr. Tiffany and his circle. The objects either belonged to Miss Gould, who knew the Tiffany family, or closely resemble pieces that she owned and admired. The exhibition also documents publicly accessible roomfuls of Tiffany windows and mosaics that Gould commissioned for the Gould Memorial Library at Bronx Community College as well as for church and library buildings in Roxbury and Irvington, N.Y.After getting a job as a curator in Buffalo at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center with a recommendation from Ms. Sherman (one of its founders), Ms. Gould became close friends with Kiki Smith who was part of an exhibition about the artists collective Colab. Multiple works by Ms. Smith populate the directors office wall, including a self-portrait of Ms. Smith with her cat and birds.

Ms. Gould returned to Artists Space in the 1990s as director. She purchased prints commissioned for fund-raising benefits by artists she exhibited there, including Jim Hodges and Nan Goldin. An Ann Hamilton print was Ms. Goulds goodbye gift when she left to take the helm of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia. She continued the practice of buying benefit prints commissioned from artists such as Maira Kalman, Karen Kilimnik, Barry Le Va and Lisa Yuskavage (Ms. Gould gave Ms. Yuskavage her first solo museum show in 2000).

When she moved to the Jewish Museum six years ago, Ms. Gould was keen to display art in the lobby. During a lunch she had with Mel Bochner, whose word paintings were going to be shown at the museum, he wrote on a slip of lined paper KVETCH KVETCH KVETCH KVETCH multiple times across his sketch of the front desk  a drawing now framed on Ms. Goulds wall. Ultimately, he used BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH for the lobby wall, Ms. Gould explained, because people were going to think everyone complains here.

These are edited excerpts from our conversation.

Do you have any particular favorites on your wall?

I love that Lisa Yuskavage painting, especially the [womans striped] tights. I always wear patterned tights. Lisa gave me that for one of my big birthdays. Also the Sheila Hicks, who had this incredible show at the ICA. It was a change-maker for Sheila, who went from the craft world to the art world. When I first took the job at the Jewish Museum, she dropped by and dumped all this yarn on my couch and said, What colors do you like? I just figured she wanted my ideas. A year later she showed up with this [small weaving]. I think thats the most surprising gift I ever got.

Have you had other unexpected gifts?

The photographer Seton Smith, Kikis sister, one summer stayed in my apartment while I was traveling. When I left that apartment on 11th Street to buy an apartment on 12th Street, she gave me a suite of photographs she had taken from my window on 11th Street.Mr. Shonibare said that the exhibition was a reaction to the resurgence of extreme right-wing politics and xenophobia across the globe and in the spirit of African resistance.

Here are edited extracts from a conversation with the artist at his studio in North London in May.

Youre known as an artist, but this show puts you in the curators chair. How did it come about?

The start of this project was actually based on a show I did at the Royal Academy in 2017. That show coincided with the Black Lives Matter protests in the United States. And I felt very strongly that, despite the various achievements  the civil rights movement, Obama getting into power  that the battle had not actually been won. I was talking to the gallery and they said they really liked what Id done at the R.A., and can I do something along similar lines? They know how I feel about the sheer racism thats re-emerged.

I work in the United States quite a bit. And Im shocked by whats emerging. America, for me is a kind of global, diverse continent; the whole thing was made from migrants, so its very shocking to see. I love America, I really do. So Im alarmed.

I also wanted to globalize the issue. I wanted to raise the fact that Western art owes a hell of a lot to African aesthetics. Where would Picasso be without the encounter with African art? Where would many Modernist European artists be? And, most important, I was also thinking about, when I was young in Nigeria, there was a festival of black arts, Festac  77. It was in 1977.The historian Drew Gilpin Faust has won this years $1 million John W. Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity, an award administered by the Library of Congress that recognizes work in disciplines not covered by the Nobel Prizes.

Dr. Faust, 70, is the author of six books about the Civil War era, including Mothers of Invention: Women of the Slaveholding South in the American Civil War (1996) and This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War (2008). She will retire at the end of the month as president of Harvard University, where she was the first woman to lead the school.

The prize, established in 2003 and given roughly every two years, emphasizes impact beyond the scholarly community. In a statement, Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, praised Dr. Fausts extensive writing on Southern identity, with its exploration of themes of deep relevance to our national conversation on race and gender.

The prize will be formally awarded at a ceremony at the library in September. Previous winners include the philosophers Jurgen Habermas and Charles Taylor; the historians Peter Brown and John Hope Franklin; and Fernando Henrique Cardoso, the sociologist and former president of Brazil.WASHINGTON  Imagine a rainbow that has burst into a million colorful blooms.

Thats the first impression you get upon entering the artist Sam Gilliams studio here in the Petworth neighborhood, filled with a dozen of his signature draped canvases, tall lengths of nylon all hanging from wires and poles, stained in wild hues in varying combinations. The pinks seem pinker and the greens greener than normal.

And you should expect nothing less from Mr. Gilliam, now 84. Hes known as a master of the third wave of Color Field painters. He came to prominence in the 1960s, and in 1972 he represented the United States at the Venice Biennale, the first African-American artist to have the honor.

Much of the success over the decades, including prominent exhibitions at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, stemmed from the moment Mr. Gilliam had the one big idea that every artist hopes for: He took the canvas off the stretcher and hung it up, partly inspired by laundry on clotheslines.Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep  and lets us get paid to watch comedy. If youre interested in hearing from The Times regularly about great TV, sign up for our Watching newsletter and get recommendations straight to your inbox.

Trump and Kim

The late-night shows on Monday were taping just as President Trump met with Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, so they didnt have the chance to comment on the events. But that didnt stop the hosts from offering their takes on the historic meeting.

Stephen Colbert took a moment to put things in perspective.

As we speak, President Trump is meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, a scenario that just a few years ago would have been unthinkable  because it includes the phrase President Trump.  STEPHEN COLBERT

And Jimmy Kimmel offered some caustic optimism about Trumps and Kims compatibility.For four seasons, Viola Davis has starred for ABC in How to Get Away With Murder. Her new series for the network, The Last Defense, might well be called How to Get Convicted of Murder.

The seven-part documentary, starting Tuesday, reargues cases of two prisoners awaiting execution. It begins with Ms. Davis (one of several executive producers) saying in a voice-over that every year an average of five prisoners on death row are exonerated.

The Last Defense may or may not add to that number. But it offers a powerful argument that people can be convicted as much by emotion and prejudice as by evidence.

The first four episodes re-examine the 1997 murder conviction of Darlie Routier, a Texas woman whose two young sons were stabbed to death.As a teenager growing up in the 1970s, the sociologist Arlene Stein learned about homosexuality in a medical textbook she found at the public library. It delayed her process of coming out by at least a decade, she writes in her new book, Unbound: Transgender Men and the Remaking of Identity. She was horrified by those scary pictures of naked people looking plaintively at the camera, arrayed like mug shots.

This story hovers over her book, which delves into the lives of transgender men and other gender dissidents. It feels as if Stein has written this book imagining it might fall into the hands of those who need such a primer  much as she once did  and she wants to give them the fortification she yearned for. She depicts her subjects with warmth and respect, and strains to include as much as she can about the social, emotional, medical and psychological dimensions of transitioning. The result is frantically overstuffed but earnest, diligent and defiantly optimistic.

For a year Stein followed her four subjects  Parker, Lucas, Nadia and Ben  all patients at a Florida clinic world-famous for gender affirmation surgery, specifically chest masculinization. They are all young, affluent enough to afford the expensive surgery (the clinic doesnt accept insurance) but a varied group in other ways. Parker is unabashed in his craving for male privilege. (Yeah, I want to be a white American male property owner. Really, its a dream.) Lucas has huge problems with the idea of passing as a man. Nadia wants top surgery but still identifies as a woman. Ben wants to be out as transgender and for people to know he was assigned female at birth. All report a sense of calm and joy after surgery, but some are uncomfortable with their sudden elevation in status when they present as men. People suddenly remember my name, Lucas reports.

A younger generation of transgender men are prying open many of our assumptions about what it means to be men and women, Stein writes. Old scripts are being discarded, including those about transitioning itself. Some of her subjects explain their desire to transition as a result of having been born in the wrong body, either because it feels accurate or out of necessity  in order for patients to gain access to surgery and hormones, Stein writes, they must still use the language of suffering, pathology and cure. Others express more expansive notions of gender, a desire to bend and break the binary.In Eisenhower vs. Warren, Simon answers three related questions: Why didnt Eisenhower endorse the ruling in Brown? Could Eisenhower have made the South more receptive to desegregation of public schools if he had endorsed Brown? Why did Eisenhower become embittered about his chief justice, one of the courts most influential? His biographer Stephen E. Ambrose wrote that he told friends his biggest mistake was appointing that dumb son of a bitch Earl Warren.

Image

Two days after the Brown decision, Eisenhower said at a news conference, The Supreme Court has spoken and I am sworn to uphold the constitutional processes in this country; and I will obey. Simon writes that Eisenhowers ambivalence about Brown may have been based in part on a residual racism, rooted in his segregated upbringing and his career in the segregated military. But the most plausible explanation for the presidents minimalist response to Brown, he says, was his fear of the consequences of the decision in the Deep South.

Eisenhower didnt criticize Brown publicly. As Simon reports, there is no written evidence that he disapproved of the decision. But the president straddled irreconcilable positions. He believed that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. He also believed in states rights and felt sympathy for Southern whites being asked to make what Simon calls a historic change in both custom and law.

A year after the ruling, the court issued Brown II, which told states how they had to comply with Brown I. The oral argument about compliance included ominous confirmation of Eisenhowers fear. A South Carolina lawyer said the white people of the district where he lived would not send their children to Negro schools. Lawyers for Southern states said it could take up to 90 years for desegregation to happen.

Every justice understood that desegregation would require huge social change. None wanted to trigger massive resistance. In May 1955, Warren issued an even shorter opinion for a unanimous court. It called for desegregation as soon as practicable. It gave school districts responsibility for desegregation and federal district judges authority to supervise them. The court did what Eisenhowers attorney general told the president was almost exactly what he had wanted. Yet the president remained unenthusiastic. Simons answer to the second question is yes: Eisenhower could, and should, have made the South more receptive to Brown.

He writes: When the president refused to openly endorse the courts decision in Brown II to desegregate public schools in the South, he missed a critical opportunity to persuade law-abiding white Southerners that the courts decision was constitutional and its implementation feasible. The presidents approval rating had soared to 79 percent. By then, he had called for or accepted desegregation of institutions under federal control  including the public schools in Washington, D.C., and the schools on military bases.

If Eisenhower had backed the courts judicious order and the Southerners who supported it, Simon contends, he could have reduced the amount of violent resistance to Brown. Instead, he left the Warren court, moderate white Southern leaders and hundreds of thousands of black schoolchildren isolated and vulnerable to the rising storm of resistance from hard-core segregationists.AT&T, one of the worlds largest telecommunications companies, figures prominently in the annals of antitrust law.

Since the late 19th century, under various names and configurations, the entity once known as Ma Bell has often been targeted by regulators trying to rein in its size and keep it from amassing monopoly power.

In AT&Ts latest battle with the Justice Department, a federal judge on Tuesday rejected the governments attempt to block the companys $85.4 billion takeover of Time Warner.Even so, residents of two nearby condominium buildings appealed the approval, arguing that Heartline was blocking their views. A series of revisions to Portlands zoning code, known as the Central City 2035 plan, have been taking effect, and the residents group, Preserve the Pearl, contended that city staff had erred in interpreting the codes language to grant the project additional height.

The zoning is fairly new in Portland allowing for taller buildings, and theyre getting built, Mr. Marasco said. Its really in the forefront of everybodys daily life now.

The City Council voted 5 to 0 to deny the appeal. That decision was then appealed to the states Land Use Board of Appeals, which affirmed it.

Although Heartline does not fall within the 13th Avenue Historic District, honoring the character of the nearby old buildings was important, said Tad Savinar, an urban designer and visual artist who is vice chairman of the Design Commission.

Robert Morris made a piece in the 60s called Box With the Sound of Its Own Making. Its a square wooden box, but it plays a tape of the artist making the box. Its a very hip, conceptual piece, Mr. Savinar said. Those old buildings on 13th remind me of that. You can almost hear the trucks unloading.

Heartlines commercial structure has the material and the bulk of an old building, he added, but its completely contemporary, so its not a slave to that history.A powerful law used by New Yorks top prosecutor to bring fraud charges against Wall Street firms was reined in by the states highest court on Tuesday, a decision that could imperil an $11 billion lawsuit against Credit Suisse and blunt a favored tool for pursuing wrongdoing by banks and their executives.

The 4-to-1 decision by the New York State Court of Appeals said the statute of limitations for bringing claims under the Martin Act, a sweeping state securities law, is three years, not six.

The ruling could scuttle a securities fraud lawsuit filed by the New York attorney generals office against Credit Suisse over its marketing of mortgage-backed bonds. But the decision has potentially bigger ramifications: It will shorten the time frame the office has to use a powerful law when pursuing securities fraud claims.

A spokeswoman for Barbara D. Underwood, the acting New York attorney general, said in a statement that the rulings effects would be limited because most of the offices cases against Wall Street firms are brought in a timely fashion.Shivana Sookdeo was in line at a food festival in Prospect Park several years ago, and turned to see Anthony Bourdain standing near her. Hey kid, you hungry? he asked.

From there, they struck up an easy conversation, she said in an interview, and eventually got to talking about her parents home country, Trinidad.

It wasnt like talking to a celebrity, she said. It was like talking to an old friend.

After Mr. Bourdain was found dead on Friday, at the age of 61, Ms. Sookdeo described what he had meant to her. I felt I could trust him to see what I saw in Trinidad, as if the heart of the country would be safe in his hands as a person and traveler, she wrote on Twitter. You trusted him with Your Heritage.

Her tweets  shared and liked tens of thousands of times  struck a chord. To many people of color and members of marginalized communities, Mr. Bourdain was a rare traveler they trusted to get their cultures right. Through his writing and his television shows, the Travel Channels No Reservations and CNNs Parts Unknown, Mr. Bourdain brought curiosity and empathy to parts of the world that were most likely unfamiliar to much of his audience.June 12, 2018

BANGKOK  It was close to 2 a.m., and Pim Techamuanvivit couldnt sleep. So, like a tenacious detective, she taped huge sheets of white paper to her hotel room wall and covered them in color-coded sticky notes, charting out her clues.

The case at hand: Devising a new menu for Nahm, the internationally acclaimed Thai fine-dining restaurant.

She shuffled dish names into clusters, aiming for a variety of flavors and techniques, imagining the pace at which family-style plates would be set on the table, then cleared. She moved the notes around, again and again, writing new ones in a mixture of Thai and English.

Ms. Techamuanvivit lives in San Francisco and opened her first restaurant, Kin Khao, at the edge of the Tenderloin in 2014. She was recently tapped to lead Nahm by the Singaporean business mogul Christina Ong, and for more than a month she has been living in this suite, 11 stories above the restaurant in the Metropolitan Hotel, in the Sathorn district of Bangkok.Is being fired a particularly harsh punishment? In some cases, yes.

But what about the rumors that some of these men will have a comeback? Sometimes it just doesnt seem as if theyve really taken a hit. It depends on who youre talking about. Were talking in generalities here, because many of the cases are different, but what I do know is you cant come back if you dont get the lesson and you havent acknowledged that you behaved badly.

Throughout the scandal with Rose, youve always said that as difficult as hearing the allegations is, he is a friend of yours. How have you reconciled your feelings over this? I dont feel as if Ive had to reconcile my feelings. I dont believe in turning your back on a friend, even when a friend has done something you adamantly disagree with and youre disappointed in. But I also know that you listen to women, and I dont discount their stories, either.

What was your reaction to seeing how quickly Roseanne Barrs show was canceled after her racist tweet? I was doing the hula in my office when I saw the breaking news! Im all for freedom of speech, but freedom of speech comes with some responsibility.

What do you think of the conversation that people have been having about racism and bigotry over the last year and a half? Do you think that we in the media are covering these issues well? I think we covered the Roseanne story pretty well, but I would like to have a real honest conversation about what is going on with police brutality and black people in this country. And it has to come from white people and black people. Dylann Roof shot and killed nine people in Charleston. James Holmes shot up that theater in Colorado. Hes alive. Nikolas Cruz is alive. And you look at some of the cases involving unarmed black men, and theyre dead. What is wrong with this picture?The American Dream is invoked several times in Superfly. The mentions come from the movies lead character, and from a song on the soundtrack. These days, it seems, the phrase is often used ironically. Its all about the accumulation of wealth and a sybaritic lifestyle. Theres no spiritual dimension, no sense of genuine civic aspiration.

Within those cynically defined contemporary parameters, Youngblood Priest (Trevor Jackson, dressed to the nines and sporting what one character derides as Morris Day hair) is doing well. Hes a major drug supplier in bling-driven Atlanta. He has two live-in girlfriends, the quietly sophisticated Georgia (Lex Scott Davis) and the younger, flintier Cynthia (Andrea Londo). Hes got a beautiful house and a beautiful car, commands respect, and presides over an uneasy peace with Snow Patrol, a competing drug gang that wears all white.

That peace starts fragmenting early in the picture, outside a nightclub, where an indolently truculent Snow Patrol member, Juju (Kaalan Rashad Walker), takes a shot at Priest and instead hits a bystander. Priest plays good guy by handing the victims friends a wad of cash and giving them the name of the best local trauma center.Im not surprised because its old news for us, said Mr. Arena, a retired shipyard worker.

The accusations capped a lengthy investigation into Nycha, the largest housing authority in the country. Prosecutors accused Nycha of covering up its actions, lying to the federal government about lead paint inspections and deceiving federal inspectors. In a consent decree filed with the complaint, Nycha admitted the accusations and the city agreed to spend at least a billion dollars in additional funds to improve conditions.

But for all of the familiarity, the investigations conclusions about the extent of potential lead-paint problems angered some residents in the Williamsburg Houses, where the findings were particularly striking.

At the Williamsburg Houses, a complex built in the 1930s that houses more than 3,000 people, prosecutors said Nycha has found lead paint in 91 percent of all apartments tested, although court papers did not specify how many were tested. However, only 6 percent of workers in charge of 1,800 paint and plaster jobs there in 2016 were properly trained in lead-safe practices, prosecutors said.

Son of a gun, Angela Jones, who has lived in the Williamsburg Houses for about 40 years, said when told about the allegations. Ms. Jones, 60, said she was furious that her four children, all adults now, may have been at risk without her knowing.

Sitting at one of the developments park benches, Sharon Nyamekye, 70, said the findings reinforced her suspicions that the peeling paint in her apartment may have lead and may be endangering the health of her three grandchildren, who visit often.

Its gone downhill here, said Ms. Nyamekye, who has lived in the Williamsburg Houses for 47 years. Everything used to be pristine. Theyre not doing the upkeep like they should.

When asked about lead paint at the Williamsburg Houses, Robin Levine, the housing authoritys chief spokeswoman, said Nycha is reviewing all the allegations in the complaint.TUNIS  Maya Jribi, the first female leader of a political party in Tunisia and a tenacious supporter of democracy under the countrys dictators well before the Arab Spring, died on May 19 at her home in a suburb of Tunis. She was 58.

The cause was colon cancer, her sister Najla Jribi said.

Ms. Jribi was an opposition figure during the long autocratic regimes of both Habib Bourguiba and Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, who was overthrown in early 2011 in an upheaval that began the wave of uprisings across the Middle East known as the Arab Spring.

That same year, after the revolution, she was sent to parliament in the nations first democratic election, which brought to power the once-suppressed Islamist party, Ennahda. There she became a strong secular voice, leading protests against efforts to enshrine Islamic law in the new constitution and took part in the parliamentary debate that led to its adoption in 2014.

The efforts of secular voices were fairly successful: The constitution guarantees freedom of religion and draws a line between politics and civil society.If you had designs on acquiring status in late-1970s New York City, you would have likely been spotted around town toting a Bloomingdales shopping bag identifiable only by the splashy artwork on its side.

A partial profile of a woman with towering cheekbones rendered in red, black and gray, the illustration was the brainchild of Michael Vollbracht, an artist, illustrator and fashion designer whose work came to encapsulate that heady time.

Mr. Vollbrachts runway creations drew crowds and reaped accolades. But its that bag, stowed in the archive at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, and commanding high prices on eBay, that remains etched in many peoples consciousness, a vibrant expression of its creator, who died on Thursday at 70 at his home in Safety Harbor, Fla.

Roberta Greene, his former publicist and a longtime friend, said the cause was esophageal cancer.

In designing for, and capturing on canvas, the images of clients and admirers like Elizabeth Taylor, Paloma Picasso and Diana Vreeland, Mr. Vollbracht came to symbolize the unfettered giddiness, extravagance and glamour of the late 1970s and early 80s.Murray Fromson, a well-traveled print and broadcast reporter who helped found the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press at a time when journalists faced hostility during President Richard M. Nixons administration, died on Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 88.

His son, Derek, said the cause was Alzheimers disease.

Professor Fromson, who also had a long career at the University of Southern California, joining its journalism faculty in 1982 and directing its journalism school from 1994 to 1999, covered many of the biggest news stories of his time: the Korean War, the Vietnam War, civil rights, the famine in Bangladesh and more.

One of those stories was the 1969 trial in Chicago of antiwar leaders on charges related to violence at the Democratic National Convention there in 1968. Mr. Fromson, working for CBS News at the time, became concerned about the aggressive stance being taken by John N. Mitchell, Nixons attorney general, toward reporters and principles of journalistic confidentiality.

Mitchell let it be known that he was contemplating the use of subpoena powers to summon reporters, to determine who and what they knew among the radical groups, and to determine the journalists state of mind, Mr. Fromson wrote in describing the moment for the 35th anniversary of the founding of the Reporters Committee. The Justice Department also talked of gaining access to reporters notes, film outtakes and audiotapes. It was perhaps the most draconian wish list ever conjured up by the federal government.Second in a three-part series about solutions for sexual assault.

High rates of sexual assaults on college campuses get a lot of attention  and rightly so. But do you know what group has higher rates of sexual assault and rape than college women? College-age women who arent in college.

These sexual assaults, unfortunately, dont get a lot of attention. One reason is that while college women gather in a place thats held responsible for their safety, non-college women are scattered. Probably more important, college women and their families tend to have more resources and power than women who didnt stay in school. Resources plus power equal attention.

This problem is global. Around the world, the poorer you are, the more likely you are to be raped. According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, for example, Americans who had a household income of less than $7,500 per year reported being victims of sexual assault at 12 times the rate of people with a household income of $75,000 or more.

There are many reasons. Poor people everywhere are more vulnerable to every kind of exploitation. They are less able to make the law work for them. Drinking and drug abuse, both risk factors for rape, are more common. Poor women are often economically dependent on men. They may live in a neighborhood where, in the absence of jobs and material possessions, a mans status depends on his aggression and toughness. The local culture may treat men as superior to women and therefore sexually entitled.More than three years into its pitiless war, the specter of more death, displacement and hunger is looming over Yemen. More than 600 people have been killed in the past few days as the forces backed by the United Arab Emirates have come within six miles or so of the Red Sea port of Al Hudaydah and the so-named city of 600,000 people, which is held by the Houthi rebels allied with Iran.

An all-out assault by emirates-backed forces on Al Hudaydah, the primary gateway for getting food, medicines and other essential supplies to Yemen, is expected any moment. The attack on the port and the adjacent city is expected to lead to a protracted and bloody confrontation. A military assault on the port and the city could put literally hundreds of thousands of people  into a life-threatening situation, Lise Grande, the United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, told NPR. About 18 million Yemenis dont know where their next meal is coming from.

On Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a telling, brief statement that spoke about the Trump administrations willingness to address the security concerns of the emirates leaders while preserving the free flow of humanitarian aid and life-saving commercial imports. It was a yellow light to the emirates: Proceed but with caution.

Mr. Pompeos statement was a significant departure from earlier American policy of warning that such an attack could result in a humanitarian catastrophe and conveying that it would do little to end the war if the emirates-backed forces took the Al Hudaydah port from the Houthis. Last year, the United Nations Yemen Panel of Experts, on which I served, came to a similar conclusion and submitted our report to the Security Council.To the Editor:

In Aristotles Wrongful Death (column, May 27), Frank Bruni explores the innovative thinking taking place at many colleges and universities, in particular small, private colleges.

While many colleges, including Assumption College, have eliminated majors with minimal, or no, student interest and replaced them with programs demonstrating a sustained demand, Assumption remains committed, through its strong Core Curriculum, to ensuring that the liberal arts remain the foundation of the education students receive.

Regardless of a students major at Assumption, be it data analytics or actuarial science, all are required to fulfill requirements in the Colleges Core. The Core introduces students to essential works, ideas and enduring goals of the liberal arts and sciences.

Emphasizing the humanizing role that disciplines such as philosophy, theology, literature and political science play in the tradition of Catholic higher education, the Core contributes to the formation of thoughtful citizens and students committed to the challenge of lifelong learning.Ten years ago this Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled in Boumediene v. Bush that noncitizen terrorism suspects detained as enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay had a constitutional right to judicial review of their detention. In this landmark ruling, the court also struck down an act of Congress that had largely foreclosed such review.

It was a powerful affirmation of the rule of law. For only the second time in its history, the justices invalidated an act of Congress that sought to limit the power of the federal courts. And for the first time, it held that Congress had violated the Suspension Clause, the constitutional provision protecting habeas corpus, the procedure under which prisoners are brought before a judge to determine if their detentions are lawful. As Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for a 5-4 majority, Within the Constitutions separation-of-powers structure, few exercises of judicial power are as legitimate or as necessary as the responsibility to hear challenges to the authority of the executive to imprison a person.

But for as much as Boumediene has solidified the role of the federal courts at Guantanamo, its legacy is very much in dispute today in another area: the detention of undocumented immigrants within the United States. In cases making their way through the federal courts, the Justice Department has argued that courts have almost no role to play in reviewing claims brought by noncitizens caught shortly after surreptitiously crossing the border  those who are subject to expedited removal under federal immigration law. A 2005 statute bars federal courts from reviewing most claims from these detainees, including claims that they are legally eligible for asylum, and the courts have thus far concluded that the statute is not unconstitutional despite the Boumediene ruling.

Boumedienes legacy has proved as controversial as the decision itself. Critics have argued for years that it either went too far, by extending the Constitutions protection for habeas corpus to noncitizen terrorism suspects outside the United States, or not nearly far enough, by extending habeas corpus only to Guantanamo and by not providing guidance on the procedural, evidentiary and substantive rules to govern these habeas cases. One judge on the Court of Appeals for District of Columbia Circuit went so far as to compare the justices in the majority to the characters in The Great Gatsby  careless people who smashed things up and let other people clean up the mess they had made.At the same time, the Trump partisans and apolitical normies who like the North Korea summit need to recognize that the problems that beset Obamas attempt at offshore balancing could beset Trumps efforts as well. Hegemonys burdens are considerable, but often when the hegemon pulls back the new equilibrium turns ugly enough to pull us right back in.

Thats what happened in the Middle East in Obamas second term, where dealing with Iraq from offshore led to the rise of the Islamic State and the Iranian nuclear deal may have stoked conflict in Yemen and Syria. It could easily happen under Trump in northern Asia as well, depending on how his approach looks from Pyongyang and Beijing.

As Tyler Cowen writes in one of the more optimistic takes on the summit, the wooing of Kim represents a gamble that the North Koreans really want to change their posture, to reap the possible benefits of normalization, even to enter Americas orbit instead of Beijings. (If Kims regime became merely authoritarian rather than totalitarian, imitating the House of Saud instead of Stalin, the last scenario isnt entirely fanciful.)

But we simply dont know whether Kims regime still envisions an endgame in which America retreats and South Korea submits  in which case the idea of permanent detente would be a fantasy. We also dont know how the Chinese (and their potential allies of convenience in Moscow) would react to North Korea swinging into our orbit; there are ways in which peninsular stabilization could lead to regional destabilization. And given that Trump is a longtime huckster whos feeling his way entirely by instinct, there should be a lot of skepticism about how well this is likely to turn out.

That skepticism, though, needs more sophistication than the Can you imagine how the right would react if Obama cozied up to a murderous dictator like this?/Well, the left used to love it when Obama cozied up to murderous dictators! argument thats being carried on by Trumps liberal and conservative critics on Twitter.

The reason that this mirror, mirror argument is possible is that Trump and Obama, for all their differences, are dealing with the same brute facts: American power is limited, Americas grand strategy is outdated or nonexistent, and being a superpower in the 2010s requires making harder choices and more unpleasant bargains than it did circa 1999.

Trumps Korean bargain may be a bad one, or it may evaporate. But what Trump and Obama have in common  a skepticism about received foreign policy wisdom, a recognition that some burdens need to shift and some alliances need to change, an accurate read on what domestic public opinion will bear  is something the statesmen who succeed them need to share.To the Editor:

Re Pope Urges Oil Executives to Act on Climate: There Is No Time to Lose  (news article, June 10): As an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, I am pleased that its president, the Rev. John I. Jenkins, has invited all schools and departments of the university to respond to Francis evocative appeal on behalf of our sister, the Earth.

Other Catholic colleges and universities are doing likewise, including the University of Dayton, which has divested from fossil fuels, and Saint Louis University, which was recently host to a climate summit, with Cardinal Peter Turkson, the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development at the Vatican, as one of its several international speakers.

In addition, Catholic health care systems and hospitals  like Dignity Health in San Francisco and SSM Health in St. Louis  are similarly divesting from fossil fuels and pursuing the greening of their facilities and practices.

One in six patients is cared for each day in a Catholic hospital in the United States. Between Catholic colleges and universities and hospitals, significant changes are underway, providing pressure in addition to the popes that should move oil executives and others to act on climate change.With that being said, its important not to conflate the injustice of Mondays decision with its impact. And I think some discussion of the Ohio case exaggerated its likely effect.

The Ohio law, to be clear, is a bad law. If an Ohioan neglects to vote in a single federal election, the state takes it as evidence that the person has moved and starts the process of canceling his or her voter registration. But the cancellation doesnt take effect unless the person fails to respond to a mailed notice and fails to vote in three consecutive federal elections, spanning six years in all.

The number of people who fall into this category and then attempt to vote  without re-registering  isnt zero, but its not enormous, either. The Brennan Center for Justice, for example, filed a well-argued brief against this Ohio law. Yet Myrna Perez, one of Brennans voting experts, also told me Monday, Reasonable people can disagree on the consequences. There are many other policies  like strict voter-ID laws, restrictive voting hours and long lines at polling-places  that do more damage than the Ohio law.

I dont like the law. I think its irrational and disproportionately affects minorities. I just think its important, especially with all the damage that Trump is doing, to keep bad policies in perspective.

First, they came for the migrants. We still talk about American fascism as a looming threat, something that could happen if were not vigilant, Michelle Goldberg writes. But for undocumented immigrants, its already here.Some of the problems Ms. Klockner describes are real, though one could always argue about the scope. In schools in areas with a high percentage of immigrants, dealing with parents who request that their daughters be exempt from class trips, for example, is a bitter reality for teachers. Forced marriage in Germany is real, too (though probably fairly rare). Some immigrant girls in Germany do not have the same chances and freedoms as their classmates do  and Ms. Klockner is right in saying that feminists should address that problem.

Violence by newly arrived immigrant men is a fact, too. Figures from Bavaria published last September show a 50 percent increase in reported cases of sexual crimes against women in the first six months of 2017. In 18 percent of those cases, the suspect was an immigrant.

Criminologists were quick to caution against a one-sided interpretation of these figures: Immigrants were much more likely to be reported than white men when committing a crime, they argued, and refugees in general in Germany tend to be young men  a group that, independent of their origin, has a higher-than-average probability of committing violent crimes. They also stressed that over all, women were safer in public than they were 20 years ago.

And yet there is no getting around the uncomfortable reality: The increase in violence against women is real. And what Ms. Klockner writes is probably true: Though the threat may be negligible statistically, some women are more afraid than they used to be, especially when they are out alone. Clearly, this is something that should concern German feminists.

Still, some on the left argue that feminists should not attribute patriarchal behavior to certain groups, and that this is its real strength. They argue that if we focus on patriarchy as something coming from the outside, we will overlook it when its homegrown.

Morally, this may be true. There is no violation of womens and girls rights thats more or less wrong.

Politically, however, this position is not very useful. Finding an effective remedy always needs to be preceded by a careful analysis of the causes. Taking into account the background of the perpetrators is a necessity, however uncomfortable.On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 to uphold Ohios program of canceling registrations of infrequent voters  a decision that history shows disproportionately strikes minority and low-income voters from the rolls.

Under Ohios program, which a federal appeals court had struck down as violating the National Voter Registration Act, registered voters who dont cast a ballot in two years are sent a notice asking them to confirm that they still reside at the same address. If they dont respond, and then fail to vote in the next two federal elections, they are assumed to have moved to a different county and are excised from the rolls.

Ohio argued that it needed to clean up its voter rolls to account for people who had moved, and that its approach was a reasonable way to do that. But it is far from reasonable, because while only a small percentage of Americans move each year, far more decline to vote in any given election  meaning that failing to vote is a highly inaccurate way of determining that someone moved.

As Justice Stephen Breyer noted in his dissent, nationally, only about 4 percent of people move from one county to another in any given year. But many more people dont vote. For example, in the 2014 midterm election, about 59 percent of registered voters in Ohio didnt cast a ballot. In just one year, Ohio sent notices to 1.5 million voters under this program, about 20 percent of the states registered voters. Unless residents of Ohio are significantly more mobile than other Americans, there is no reasonable basis for assuming that so many voters there have moved out of their home county and should have their registrations canceled.Mr. Kim arrived early for the summit meeting as a sign of respect for his counterpart, who is more than twice his age. Mr. Trump played the role of the elder host, gently guiding Mr. Kim to the meeting room, showing him his limousine and reporting to the news media about the good-natured flavor of the meetings. Those personal touches in summit diplomacy can create unique opportunities for trust-building that a normal diplomatic demarche cannot.

To be sure, the joint statement that Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim released after their meeting left a lot to be desired. Mr. Kim did not commit to verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of North Koreas nuclear programs. Mr. Trump gave props to a dictator who, according to the United Nations, belongs in a docket before the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. Mr. Trump surprised his South Korean ally by announcing that he would cancel joint United States-South Korea military exercises that help to keep the peace on the Korean Peninsula. The photo opportunity of a face-to-face meeting with the leader of the free world is the ultimate legitimizer for this nuclear rogue state.

Yet, in the case of North Korea, there are never good policy options  there are only choices between the bad and the worse.

Mr. Trumps diplomacy, however unconventional, has pierced the isolation bubble of the North Korean leadership, which no previous president could do. The Singapore meetings will be remembered in North Koreas domestic narrative as Mr. Kims coming-out party as the leader of the worlds newest nuclear-weapons-armed state. But the United States has set the agenda for next steps, with follow-up talks led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. And Mr. Trump has implicitly set the autumn as the first deadline for some deliverables with the promise of an invitation to the White House, presumably on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Mr. Trump now needs to get North Korea to provide a full declaration of its nuclear weapons that will be verified by international inspectors. After verification, Mr. Kim must begin a process of dismantling and removing his weapons at a point in the future. The international community, despite its ambivalence to Mr. Trump, will have to support the American president in holding the North to these obligations.North Korea has arrived as a nuclear power, and there is no going back. Once the reality-show theatrics of the Singapore summit meeting subside, we are left with the reality that North Korea was just recognized as a de facto nuclear weapons power.

President Trump went to the meeting with Kim Jong-un of North Korea to try to take the keys to Mr. Kims nuclear kingdom. Whatever the terms of the statement released at the end of the meeting, Mr. Kim has not committed to anything concrete. He is not surrendering North Koreas nuclear weapons and has walked away the big winner.

North Korea declared its nuclear weapons force technologically complete at the end of 2017, with its third successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Now, less than a year later, North Koreas nuclear power is politically complete, thanks to the legitimacy that comes from a handshake with an American president. Mr. Kim did what neither his father nor grandfather could do before him: sit down and negotiate with a president of the United States. The Singapore summit meeting looks indistinguishable from a meeting between the leaders of two states with normal diplomatic relations. But this is far from where Washington and Pyongyang have ever stood. It was Mr. Kims development of nuclear weapons  and the credible means to deliver them to America  that made the meeting possible.

Didnt he just agree to work towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula? He did. Just like his grandfathers deputies did in 1993. That phrase  denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula  is a term of art that the United States and North Korea can interpret to suit their interests.Third, Kim knows what happened to Gorbachev, whose spectacular fall served as a lesson to dictators everywhere about the folly of attempting to reform a totalitarian system. Kim may pursue a version of perestroika to stave off economic collapse, but there will be no glasnost. The survival of his regime depends domestically on state terror and internationally on his nuclear arsenal. He will abandon neither.

Fourth, the timetables are incompatible. Trump wants a foreign policy achievement by the midterms, and maybe a Nobel Peace Prize sometime before the 2020 election. Kim plans to be ruling North Korea when one of Chelsea Clintons kids is president. Trumps incentive will be to make concessions up front. Kim can renege on his promises much later.

Fifth, Trump is a sucker. Kim is not. Say what you will about the North Korean despot, but consolidating power in his vipers nest regime, fielding a credible nuclear arsenal, improving his economy without easing political controls, playing nuclear brinkmanship with Trump and then, within weeks, getting the prestige of a superpower summit are political achievements of the first order. Machiavelli smiles from the grave.

As for Trump, the supposed success of the summit after the debacle in Quebec appeals to innate love of drama. He is where he loves to be: at the center of a stunned worlds attention.

But he is also in the place where he always gets himself, and everyone else in his orbit, into the worst trouble: panting for the object of his desire. Thats been true whether its the Plaza Hotel, Stormy Daniels and now the ultimate deal with Pyongyang. Oilman T. Boone Pickens had the smartest line on this when on Monday he tweeted: Negotiating advice 101. When you want to make a deal real bad you will make a really bad deal.

Id be happy to be proved wrong. I would be thrilled to learn that Kim is a farsighted reformer masquerading, out of desperate necessity, as a thug and a swindler. It would also be nice to think that Trump is playing geopolitical chess at a level plodding pundits can scarcely conceive. Political commentators should always maintain a capacity for surprise and an ability to admit mistakes.

For now, however, its hard to see what the Singapore summit has achieved other than to betray Americas allies, our belief in human rights, our history of geopolitical sobriety and our reliance on common sense. For what? A photo op with a sinister glutton and his North Korean counterpart?After months of venomous barbs and apocalyptic threats of war, the meeting between President Trump and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, was unquestionably a relief, with its handshakes and effusive politeness.

Mr. Trump deserves credit for setting in motion a process that for the time being will keep the two adversaries talking to each other. But the statement he signed with Mr. Kim was strikingly spare, with little evidence of any substantial progress despite Mr. Trumps claim that it was comprehensive.

For now, all we know is that Mr. Trump has made major concessions, while Mr. Kim made fewer commitments than North Korea has made to past administrations and merely reaffirmed a goal of denuclearization that North Korea first announced in 1992. For his part, Mr. Trump announced he would provide North Korea with security guarantees and suspend joint military exercises with South Korea. As he gushed about the virtues of the North Korean dictator, just a day after he savaged some of Americas closest democratic allies, he even endorsed the North Korean view of such joint exercises as provocative.

Yes, the meeting deserves to be described as historic, and the president clearly reveled in the political theater of doing something none of his predecessors did  meeting a North Korean leader and proclaiming a new era between two countries that have been enemies since the Korean War. He also delighted in once again presenting himself as a deal maker: tackling one of the worlds most intractable security challenges, the threat of North Koreas arsenal of up to 60 nuclear weapons and the missiles on which to deliver them.Noah's Ark and the Assyrian Relief

( Professor Ibrahim Baz/University of Sirnak) A team of archaeologists is searching Turkey's Mount Cudi (also called Judi Dagh) for the resting place of Noah's Ark. While their investigations have not turned up any new evidence of the fabled ship, they have discovered an ancient Assyrian relief, carved into the stone of the mountain.

The figure shows an aged, bearded man standing tall and holding his right hand up in a gesture of reverence, while holding a staff of office in his left. Bible History Daily reports that Alan Millard, Emeritus Rankin Professor of Hebrew and Ancient Semitic Languages at the University of Liverpool, believes this is the image of Shamshi-ilu.

Millard explains that since the figure is not wearing any headdress, as might be expected of an Assyrian king, it is more likely that he represents a powerful prefect, such as Shamshi-ilu, who held sway over much of Northern Syria from c. 780 to 745 B.C. Shamshi-ilu left inscriptions in his own name at Til Barsip (modern Tell Akhmar) on the Euphrates, in which he tells of his victorious campaign against places in southeastern Turkey and the kingdom of Urartu, which would have taken him into the vicinity of Judi Dagh.

Noah's Ark has long been believed to be in one of three mountain ranges: Mt. Ararat, Mt. Cudi, and Mt. Nisir. Mt. Ararat is most commonly believed to hold the remains of the ark, as it was described in Genesis as landing in "the mountains of Ararat." However, Mt. Ararat only received this name in the 2nd century, during the Christianization of Syria.

In 1985 former United States Merchant Marine officer David Fasold teamed with self-proclaimed adventurer Ron Wyatt to investigate The Durupnar Site, a boat-shaped mound located south of Mt. Ararat among several unnamed peaks, one of which the Turkish locals refer to as Cudi Dag.

There were several indicators that this might be the remains of the Ark. According to Wikipedia:

Fasold and the team measured the length of the formation as 538 feet, close to the 300 cubits of the Bible if the Egyptian cubit of 20.6 inches is used. Later measurements by others found it to be 515 feet, exactly 300 Egytpian cubits in length.

Fasold's team also found what he believed to be drogue stones in the surrounding area, large rocks which would have been tied behind the boat to stabilize it. They also believed that they found the fossilized remains of the upper deck, while the original reed substructure had decomposed.

( Professor Ibrahim Baz/University of Sirnak)

During the 1990s Fasold's views of the site began to change. After several expeditions to the site that included drilling and excavation, he said in an interview, "I believe this may be the oldest running hoax in history. I think we have found what the ancients said was the Ark, but this structure is not Noah's Ark." In a 1997 Australian court hearing he repudiated his belief that this was the site of the Ark, commenting that he regarded the claim as "absolute BS."

However, his close friend and biographer June Dawes reported that before his death in 1998, Fasold returned to his belief that the Durupnar Site is most likely authentic:

He [Fasold] kept repeating that no matter what the experts said, there was too much going for the [Durupnar] site for it to be dismissed. He remained convinced it was the fossilized remains of Noah's Ark.

We may never discover the final resting place of the Ark, but as long as there are people searching, then we can look forward to more interesting discoveries, such as this Assyrian relief.On June 24, Turkey will vote to elect a president with immensely increased powers that will replace the countrys parliamentary democracy with a strongman. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan designed the position for himself, relying on the loyalty of the nearly 50 percent of voters who have sided with him in past elections.

The usually fractious opposition has come up with a unified strategy to stop his juggernaut. The governing Justice and Development Party, known as the A.K.P., uses the largely cowed and co-opted media to target new enemies and scapegoats for its failures.

What are the chances for political and social unity in a badly fractured nation? Since the failed coup attempt in July 2016, the government has detained, arrested or dismissed from their positions well over 100,000 people. The charge is usually a vaguely defined accusation of terrorism that can be based on the flimsiest of evidence or anonymous denunciation by a neighbor, co-worker or even family member.

The A.K.P. and many Turks lay the blame for the attempted coup on Hizmet, a far-reaching, secretive Islamic movement following the cleric Fethullah Gulen that administered an educational, media and commercial empire. Graduates of their schools took up positions in state institutions and for many years cooperated with the A.K.P.Background reading:

 In an encounter that seemed unthinkable just months ago, Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim met face-to-face for the first time in Singapore on Tuesday morning. Here are live updates and photographs from the meeting.

 Among the issues on the table were the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War and economic relief for North Korea.

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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You can listen and subscribe to The Daily from any podcast player. If youre reading this from an iPhone or other Apple mobile device, tap this link to listen in Apple Podcasts. If youre on an Android device, tap this link to listen in Stitcher or this link to listen in RadioPublic.If Ms. Hargreaves had been able to figure out a way to affix a second bedroom to the apartment, she would likely be there still (and perhaps hanging on as treasurer). But what with marriage, in 1999, to Renaud Selmes, the birth of a son in 2000 and the attendant acquisition of baby detritus, a move was unavoidable. This point was driven home to Ms. Hargreaves when she found herself using a dearly beloved orange Ligne Roset sideboard as a changing table.

She sold, more than doubling her money (see what happens when you heed your parents?), and used the proceeds to buy a loft in Spanish Harlem. The space was ample, a good thing because the couple had their second child, a daughter, in 2003.

Alas, size isnt everything. By 2007, Ms. Hargreavess son was in school on the Upper East Side and the area around the familys apartment started to feel less safe.

There were shootings in the neighborhood and there was drug activity on our block, Ms. Hargreaves recalled. It never really bothered me and honestly the drug dealers in the store front next door were very nice to me and would help me dig out my car, but I didnt want to be with my kids in the wrong place at the wrong time.Baobabs do not regularly produce tree rings, so the team turned to radiocarbon dating. The scientists compared carbon-14 levels from small samples taken in the oldest parts of the trees to samples from other tree species whose age had been determined by counting their rings.

[Like the Science Times page on Facebook. | Sign up for the Science Times newsletter.]

In 2005, the researchers began collecting samples from more than 60 of the largest African baobabs  those with trunk circumferences of at least 65 feet. The oldest trees, they found, were around 2,500 years old.

The scientists also confirmed that baobabs unique structure  they often have hollow centers  are formed when the trees generate new stems in a ring-shaped pattern. Over time, those stems may fuse together, creating an open or closed circle.

As the study progressed, though, the researchers were shocked to find that a number of their subjects  the largest and oldest trees  began to fall. Eight of the 13 oldest and five of the six largest have died or partly collapsed in the past 13 years.

The trees did not simply succumb to old age, the researchers believe. The fact that these trees just suddenly died in the early part of this century is to me a canary in the mine, Dr. von Reden said.Last May, I walked into a room of impeccably dressed journalists at a media event in Los Angeles. I tugged on my pilly cardigan and patted down my frizzy bangs.

When a waiter presented a tray of sliced cucumbers and prosciutto and asked, Crudite? I resisted the temptation to shove three of them into my mouth and instead smiled and replied, No, thank you. I was focused on the task at hand: pretending not to be a fraud among this crowd of professionals.

Ironically, I was at the event to interview someone about impostor syndrome .

The psychologists Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes coined the term in 1978, describing it as internal experience of intellectual phoniness in people who believe that they are not intelligent, capable or creative despite evidence of high achievement. In other words, its that sinking sense that you are a fraud in your industry, role or position, regardless of your credibility, authority or accomplishments.

This is not a unique feeling, and it hits many of us at some point in our lives. But some researchers believe it hits minority groups harder, as a lack of representation can make minorities feel like outsiders, and discrimination creates even more stress and anxiety when coupled with impostorism, according to Kevin Cokley, a professor of educational psychology and African diaspora studies at the University of Texas at Austin.After the Tony Awards concluded Sunday night, the audience made a beeline for the official after-party at the Plaza Hotel, where D.J.s played disco and there was a buffet with slightly more flavor than dust.

Marginally better fare was found in the basement-level food court, where a number of winners were also camped out.

Tony Kushner, whose play Angels in America won three awards, including best revival of a play, was by the wall, posing for photos and remarking on how nice it was to see a show like The Bands Visit clean up with multiple awards.

Smart subtle stuff usually gets punished, Mr. Kushner said, before adding, have you seen my husband? He was referring to Mark Harris, an author and journalist who is now at work on a biography of Mike Nichols.FLORENCE, Italy  While the wider world may have doubled down on cargo shorts, flip-flops and whatever passes for a male uniform in the world of open-space workplaces, here on the streets of this Renaissance city and throughout the trade pavilions crammed inside the 25-acre walled Fortezza da Basso for the huge Pitti Uomo mens wear fair, its dandy time.

Suddenly, it seems, every cobbled lane (and Instagram feed) is chockablock with men in Homburg hats or straw boaters, suits with nipped jackets and pleated trousers cropped short to reveal two-tone spectator shoes. There are capes and canes and foulards and billowing pocket squares, beards of every imaginable cut and even waxed mustaches. Sometimes, seen walking two or three abreast, the Finnish and Korean and Russian and Chinese and Japanese buyers or vendors seem dressed as if for some arcane form of cosplay. All of it is decorative, anachronistic, highly refined and considered  and more than a bit silly.

And it has all begun to change.

Far too little is said about fashions relation to Newtons third law of motion, the one that posits for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Indications are already visible as Pitti Uomo begins  20,000 visitors and 1,240 brand representatives descending en masse on the tiny Florence airport  that reactive change is coming to mens wear. The dandy is dead. We are entering the age of fugly.Sean Kelly: I think the question is a much bigger one. Im really concerned with the larger ecology of the art world, on a macroeconomic scale. If we dont get that fixed, then we wont have enough galleries to sustain fairs. Where I want to start that conversation is with the collectors. The collectors are not coming to galleries anymore. And I feel very strongly that if we dont sustain galleries, with collectors  and that means getting the collectors to go to the galleries to look at art, and by that I mean the smaller galleries and the midsize galleries because its a bottom-up system  its like watching the Great Barrier Reef die. And I think the fairs are symptomatic of that, but theyre not the only problem.

PC: Auctions. Auctions are a killer. But art is now absolutely a consumer product, and thats the huge difference. Its a whole different world. Where do people fit in who are interested in art and helping young artists and developing careers and lives? Why are the big galleries getting everything?

SK: If you go to the major art fairs, its very clear that there is a hierarchy established over a period of time where certain galleries are given certain precedence and certain positions, and there is no level playing field there. I would like the hierarchy to be less rigidly visible, less rigidly enforced. Because the net result is that the collectors are being herded into the maw of corporation galleries worldwide by fairs.

BD: Thats true.

SK: And a lot of the market is being controlled in that way. Its not collegial . We can sit around and talk about it, but I think we have to do something about it. We have power too. We have to demand changes. And were all guilty. Were all part of this system, and we all have a responsibility to change it.

PC: But its so much more than art fairs. P.R. has become a huge controlling factor. I remember when people didnt have P.R. firms. That would have been disgusting!

BD: To be honest, it still is.

PC: It was the 80s. Mary Boone had recently opened, and she was in every magazine, painting her toenails. P.R. really began then. Its so many things. Its not only art fairs.

BD: Were all being floated by this huge system unless we just opt out.

PC: What concerns me is that there are a few huge galleries. They are huge businesses. They have 200 people working for them. They have galleries all over the world. And it is absolutely just product that theyre dealing with. And they dont understand the art  a lot of it.A Bird spokesman declined to comment. The new fund-raising round was reported earlier by the Financial Times and the $2 billion valuation by Axios. Bloomberg earlier reported the $150 million financing talks.

Many investors in Silicon Valley are eager to put their money into another transportation opportunity after the success of ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft. Electric scooters have burst onto the streets of several American cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles. Bird is at the head of the pack, with rivals, including Spin and LimeBike, also piquing investors interest. Before this latest investment rush, the companies had already raised more than $250 million in venture capital in total.

Consumers can use the Bird app to find and, for a per-minute fee, ride the electric scooters, dropping them wherever their trip ends. A small ecosystem of scooter chargers rove the streets at night to pick up the scooters and recharge them, collecting a bounty per scooter.She was on the verge of burnout two years ago when she abruptly quit. Told that she couldnt take time off to attend rehearsals of Pass Over at the Cherry Lane Theater Mentor Project  the kind of artistic obligation that conservatory programs regularly accommodate  she chose theater over a steady paycheck.

She took an amazing chance on herself, Ms. Taymor said in a separate interview. You see the power of that commitment in the returns.

Such as: Last August, after the Steppenwolf production had closed, Ms. Nwandu was back in Chicago with another play, Tuvalu, when her agents called. The director Spike Lee  whose film Chi-Raq is a riff on Aristophanes Lysistrata, set amid gang warfare in contemporary Chicago  had read Pass Over. He wanted to talk.

As my fiance will tell you, Im not great at getting good news, Ms. Nwandu said. Im always like, Whats the catch? So she was hesitant in her first telephone conversation with Mr. Lee. I was like, A: You didnt see it in the theater. Youre just reading it. And, B: I might not be done with it.

Two hours later, she said, he called again to tell her that he was flying to Chicago so they could talk face to face. Over dinner, he said he wouldnt ask for any of the rights to the stage production, that he didnt care if she changed the play in the future but that he wanted to capture it in its current form on film in Chicago. She was convinced.

So at Steppenwolf in September, with the same cast plus one additional actor, in front of a mostly black invited audience, Mr. Lee secretly shot what is largely Ms. Taymors production, remounted for the film. He used 10 cameras, placing some behind or above the stage.We all dream of flying in first class, glass of prosecco in hand, away from the screaming children and armrest battles. But for most, that doesnt happen very often  if ever. Frequent flier programs can help, landing travelers who spend a lot of time in the air free drinks and snacks, the occasional upgrade, and miles to redeem for flights. But negotiating the world of airline rewards can be onerous. Ever-changing rules, low reward-flight availability, and depreciating or disappearing flight charts can make it tricky to get the most of these programs. Heres a basic rundown of some of the more popular ones, and what you can expect from them.

General Tips

Even if youre not sure youre going to be flying a lot with a particular airline, I recommend signing up for an airline-specific frequent flier program. You never know what future travel may hold, and every mile counts: American Airlines, for example, offers one-way flights within the United States for as few as 7,500 miles  an amount that can be earned within just a couple of trips.

If youre positive you wont be flying with an airline again, shift your focus to airline alliances. Taking a flight on Finnair and not likely to head back to Finland? Consider crediting those miles to another carrier in the Oneworld airline alliance, like American Airlines.

But you ultimately may want to put your focus on just one or two programs. Before you do, consider where you live and where youll be traveling. Alaska Airlines may not be a great fit for East Coasters; JetBlue and Southwest, two beloved low-cost carriers, wont help too much if you frequently travel to Europe.Today and for the rest of my life, I will think of Anthony Bourdain often and fondly.

 PIERCE, Marin County

I shall miss you dearly Anthony. And will travel till I drop and meet all sorts of people and discover our humanity, as you invited us to do. Rest in peace!

 NICHOLAS, Bordeaux

This is beyond sad for me and my boyfriend. We followed Anthony and Andrew Zimmern like a Catholic follows the Pope. We planned our vacations around what, where, and who either of them recommended.

I lived vicariously through Anthony on his travels to Paris, Asia and other parts of the world. He took me there. I learned so much.

 LYNDA ANDERSON, Charlotte, N.C.

I was a fan from his earliest publications and shows and have made some of the strangest dishes thanks to him. He was the epitome of cool and even though he was a bit of the bad boy/part of the boys club, his value and respect for the cultures and peoples of the places he traveled to earned my respect and my regard.

I have traveled extensively myself and have approached the food of the many different places I have been fortunate to visit as a really important part of any adventure, thanks to him. The circumstances of his death make me want to send a message out there to the world just to say: PLEASE!!!! dont do it, we love you, it can be better.

 KIERAN CLIFFORD, Ireland

Bourdain was a man who broke down the walls between high cuisine and the mass culinary world of the everyday. I often would Google and search places he went and ate at before going to a country. He was a large reason why I started really valuing street food as a main highlight of culinary art around the world, rather than fancy restaurants and stars. For that, I will always admire Bourdain.

 LIDIA TUTARINOVA, RomeIt is possible that regulators could devise a new way to calculate the subsidies. But in my conversations with several experts on the law, no one was quite sure how. When Congress considered repealing the Affordable Care Act last year, most of the plans changed rather than eliminated those subsidies. Taking them away altogether would mean millions fewer people would have health insurance, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office.

(Even if regulators found a way to preserve the subsidies, the subsidies would be useful only for Americans healthy enough to qualify for insurance. For the sick, its a Groupon thats expired, said Mark Hall, the director of the health law and policy program at Wake Forest University.)

Community rating is also important for Obamacares online insurance marketplaces. Now, people who want health insurance can go to one website and shop for plans, comparing benefits, deductibles and prices. They can choose a plan and sign up within hours.

But with no guaranteed coverage and no standard premiums, it would be impossible to know whether you could buy any particular plan, or at what price. Customers would need to apply to each plan separately, filling out detailed medical histories  and in some cases submitting blood and urine samples  to find out what they would be allowed to buy. Those steps would make shopping much more difficult. Obamacare currently limits the period during the year when people are allowed to shop for insurance, meaning that customers might have to submit multiple applications at once in order to be able to buy insurance before the shopping period closed.

Theres also reason to think that, in a world where community rating and guaranteed issue disappear but the rest of Obamacare remains, many more people would be turned down for insurance than in the pre-A.C.A. days. Thats because the Trump administration wants to leave other insurance regulations in place that didnt exist before the health law. Obamacare says that all health plans need to cover a standard set of health benefits and cant limit the amount they will pay in a year. In the old days, plans often didnt cover prescription drugs or treatment for mental illness. Those strategies helped weed out customers who had expensive health needs and limited the companies risk.

In a system where the plans would need to cover expensive drugs for H.I.V. or inpatient treatment for schizophrenia, they might be more leery of taking on any customers at risk of needing such services. I would think that insurers would end up being stricter in their exclusions of people because they couldnt limit benefits, said Larry Levitt, a senior vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health research group.

There is no guarantee that the lawsuit will turn out the way the Trump administration wants, of course. And any final answer is probably a long way away, since the case is likely to be appealed once it is decided. A group of Republican states that brought the lawsuit initially argued that the entirety of Obamacare should be invalidated. A decision for those litigants would mean changes not just to the individual market but to Medicare, Medicaid and a broad array of other health programs.

But if the court rules in the way the Justice Department has requested, the result will be a world in which it is much more difficult for individuals and small businesses to buy health insurance. The health law is complicated, with interlocking parts. It will be hard to remove just two rules from the individual market without disrupting many others.In the 1980s, he was based in Albuquerque, where his duties included classified planning and analysis of NATO surveillance systems. He had top-secret clearance, but investigators said there was no indication he had given away classified information.

Captain Hughes, who was unmarried at the time he fled, had been temporarily assigned to the Netherlands on July 18, 1983, to work with NATO officers. He was slated to return to Albuquerque on Aug. 1, but never showed up. On Dec. 9, the Air Force declared him a deserter.

For years, the details of his disappearance remained a mystery. The Albuquerque Journal reported in early 1984 that Captain Hughes had left his car at the airport. Investigators said he was last seen withdrawing $28,500 from 19 bank branches. They raided his home and found to-do lists.

Air Force investigators interviewed friends, associates and co-workers, who said they did not know his whereabouts. Family members wondered if he had been abducted. Attempts by the Air Force to track him down at home and abroad were unsuccessful.

The Cold War was still years from ending and tensions with the Soviet Union were high, which left many wondering if there had been foul play. According to a 1986 article in The Los Angeles Times, intelligence officers believed that Captain Hughes had either defected to the Soviet Union or been captured by Russian agents. Captain Hughes, these officers said, had knowledge of top-secret launch procedures. He is worth his weight in gold to the Russians, one of them was quoted as saying.The latest data suggests that recent measures to crack down on illegal immigration have not deterred migrants, many of whom make the arduous journey over land from Central America to escape gangs and drug cartels, though others come in search of better jobs and education opportunities.

Some immigration experts argue that the asylum system in the United States is being abused by applicants who are seeking to move to the country primarily for economic reasons. But scholars who have examined the system closely say that the flow of asylum seekers from certain regions, especially the northern triangle of Central America, comprised of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, reflects widespread human rights abuses in those countries.

You always have to be careful of fraud, but having some economic motives for requesting asylum shouldnt necessarily be disqualifying, said Jaya Ramji-Nogales, a law professor at Temple University. Widespread violence in some countries contributes to dire economic problems. Most people applying for asylum are fleeing a desperate situation.

The Trump administration in recent months deployed thousands of National Guard troops to the border, and on May 7 introduced a zero-tolerance policy that calls for prosecuting everyone who illegally enters the country.

Those who petition for asylum at official crossings like the one in Nogales are not considered illegal border-crossers, and are not prosecuted under that policy, yet their numbers are also so substantial that the Trump administration is struggling to control the influx.

Under current law, people who claim fear of persecution in their home countries are entitled to what is known as a credible fear interview. If they show a significant possibility of winning their asylum case, they are usually admitted into the United States to await a court hearing before a judge who decides their case.

Their cases join a ballooning backlog in the immigration courts, 700,000 in total, meaning they could take years to be decided, even though the Justice Department recently said it would set completion targets for judges.Wildfires have burned across tens of thousands of acres of parched terrain in Colorado, spurring thousands of evacuations and compelling officials to seal off a national forest from the public on Tuesday.

Six wildfires were still active in the state, which has endured months of dry weather and little snowfall. The largest, in southwest Colorado, is known as the 416 fire because it was the 416th incident to be called in to emergency officials this year. As of Tuesday morning, it had consumed more than 23,000 acres on the edge of San Juan National Forest and was only about 15 percent contained, according to an interagency team. The authorities said they would keep the national forest closed until it receives sufficient moisture to improve conditions.



Detected at the beginning of the month, the fire has prompted evacuations of more than 2,160 residences so far and put residents of 500 other homes on notice for possible evacuation, according to the authorities. No deaths or injuries have been reported, officials said; residents have sought shelter in middle schools, and local officials fear tourists usually drawn to the region for the summer may not come.Illinois is one of 40 states that prohibit concealed weapons on school campuses. That hasnt kept teachers there from turning out in droves for firearms training, spending hours in classrooms and on shooting ranges  receiving lessons, for a change.

Across the state, businesses have begun offering free concealed-carry training sessions to teachers and school staff members, a seemingly uncoordinated response to mass shootings in schools. Many of them are banking on a proposal to allow armed faculty thats currently making the rounds in school board meetings.

In Godfrey, Ill., Mark Maggoss class at Trigger Talent reached capacity just two hours after he posted a notice for it. He has about 40 more people on a waiting list.

Tom Dorsch, director of On Target Range & Tactical Training Center in Crystal Lake, offered his first course on March 24 and now has free, educator-only courses planned throughout the summer. He estimates about 400 educators have signed up.Thats when we decided to start our plans to make entry and try to rescue the rest of the children, Chief Mina said, adding that the episode had a very tragic and sad ending.

Image Gary Lindsey Jr., who the police say shot an officer early Monday, is believed to have killed four children during a hostage standoff, then himself. Credit... Volusia County Corrections

Our hearts go out to the families of those four children, Chief Mina continued.

The episode began about 11:45 p.m. Sunday when Orlando police officers responded to a call at an apartment complex just two miles north of Universal Studios Florida. A woman had contacted officers from elsewhere, telling them that her boyfriend, Mr. Lindsey, had battered her after an argument, the authorities said.

When officers confronted Mr. Lindsey, he opened fire, striking Officer Kevin Valencia, who suffered what Chief Mina called a very serious and significant injury. At least one officer fired back.

As of early Tuesday, Officer Valencia, who has been with the department since 2016 and is in his late 20s, remained in critical condition, Chief Mina said.

Mr. Lindsey then barricaded himself in his apartment along with the four children.

Over the next 21 hours, the authorities urged Mr. Lindsey to release the children. Negotiators spoke with him several times throughout the standoff, and had made contact with him as late as about 8:30 p.m. on Monday, just before SWAT officers entered the apartment.Members of the task force discussed how to stop harassment for some of the countrys most vulnerable, and less visible, employees  including those who might face harassment not just from their co-workers, but also from customers and guests.

Even as thousands of women continue to speak out about their experiences with harassment, Victoria A. Lipnic, the commissions acting chairwoman, said it had not received an increase in sexual harassment reports so far this fiscal year, which began last fall just as harassment accusations against Harvey Weinstein were brought to light. In the 2017 fiscal year, the commission received more than 12,400 reports of sexual harassment.

What I have heard a lot of is internally, employers have seen an uptick within their own internal processes, of people coming to H.R. complaining, that human resources has an uptick in investigations that they are conducting, Ms. Lipnic said.

Though reports to the commission have not increased, there have been signs of increased awareness of the agencys work. According to a commissioner, Chai Feldblum, the rate of online traffic on the agencys website has tripled in the past few months. For Ms. Lipnic and Ms. Feldblum, who both led the original task force, the past nine months have provided the cultural awakening necessary for the commission to insert itself as a crucial player in the conversation happening in the news media and on social media.

In 2016, the commission, which is charged with enforcing federal laws prohibiting workplace discrimination, released a report that found that much of the training done over the last 30 years has not worked as a prevention tool  its been too focused on simply avoiding legal liability.what was said

In one case, they took billions of dollars  during the Clinton regime  took billions of dollars and nothing happened.

 Mr. Trump, speaking to reporters in Singapore on Tuesday.

the facts

This is misleading.

The highly anticipated meeting in Singapore ended with a joint statement in which Mr. Kim committed to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Later, at a news conference, Mr. Trump recounted how Mr. Kim had contrasted the continuing negotiations with a 1994 nuclear deal that was struck with North Korea during the administration of President Bill Clinton.

Under the 1994 deal, North Korea was to be provided with $4 billion in energy aid for heavy oil shipments and two light-water nuclear reactors. In exchange, North Korea agreed to freeze and dismantle its nuclear weapons program.

By the time the deal broke down years later, during the presidency of George W. Bush, the aid the United States had provided amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars  not billions of dollars.

From 1994 to 2003, the United States contributed over $400 million in financial support to the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization, or K.E.D.O., the international consortium tasked with overseeing the project. Most of that money went toward fuel shipments.Asked whether he expected Mr. Kudlow to return to work, Mr. Laffer said he had never considered the possibility that he would not.

I dont think theres a chance hell resign, Mr. Laffer said. This is the culmination of his life. And its that time for Trump, too. He needs Larry.

Mr. Laffer noted that Mr. Kudlow had pushed hard to be appointed to succeed the economic councils previous director, Gary Cohn. He really wants that job, he said. He really loves it.

Mr. Kudlow had complained to colleagues of exhaustion in recent days. Friends said they had begun to worry about his health after he looked uncharacteristically fatigued at a series of events. He did not respond to messages from colleagues on Sunday and he canceled a key meeting on Monday, before being hospitalized and having doctors insert a stent.

Mr. Trump posted a message about Mr. Kudlows hospitalization on Twitter late Monday. A short time later, Ms. Sanders said in a statement that Mr. Kudlow was currently in good condition at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and his doctors expect he will make a full and speedy recovery.

Mr. Kudlow is a former Wall Street economist and a frequent adviser on economic issues to conservative political candidates, including Mr. Trump, whose campaign tax plan Mr. Kudlow helped write. He was also a longtime radio and television host, including more than a decade on CNBC.

Mr. Laffer, whose friendship with Mr. Kudlow has spanned several decades, has spoken at least once a week with Mr. Kudlow since he started working at the White House. He said that Mr. Kudlow had occasionally complained about his health in the past, but had not done so since he began working for Mr. Trump.

I do not think the stress levels at the White House are anything like he had at CNBC, Mr. Laffer said.MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C.  Mark Sanford smiled. He shook hands, posed for photographs and drove himself around his district on Election Day. He ordered a chocolate milkshake.

But all day, after all these years as a governor and a congressman, he seemed to know what might be coming: his first concession speech. So it came to be in a crowded restaurant here on Tuesday night, hours after he had been openly mocked by President Trump, then knocked aside by a rival who vowed a close alliance with the White House. Mr. Sanford, a politician first sent to Washington as an insurgent of one era, was toppled in a different moment by a different kind of renegade.

We are to cower before the people who elected us, and I get their verdict tonight, Mr. Sanford said, reading from scribbled notes on a legal pad, as it became clear he would lose his House race against Katie Arrington in South Carolinas Republican primary.

Even for a politician accustomed to humiliations  his marital infidelity and ill-fated, infamous trip to the Appalachian Trail, which was actually Argentina, still proved ripe for jabs this campaign  Mr. Sanfords political unraveling in South Carolina was a striking comedown that somehow seemed both impossible and inescapable.WASHINGTON  Lawmakers from both parties, deeply mistrustful of a leader who has brutalized his own country, greeted a joint agreement between the United States and North Korea coolly on Tuesday, with top Republicans warning President Trump that any final accord on Kim Jong-uns nuclear program should be submitted to the Senate for ratification.

The presidents allies on Capitol Hill said the talks represented a potential breakthrough that could lead to lasting peace with one of the United States most dangerous enemies. But even they agreed with more skeptical lawmakers that there was much work to be done.

Others, including leading Republican foreign policymakers, said it was unclear what, if anything, had been gained by the United States in exchange for the benefits accrued to Mr. Kim.

While I am glad the president and Kim Jong-un were able to meet, it is difficult to determine what of concrete nature has occurred, Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a notably brief statement.On June 12, 2016, a gunman laid siege to a popular gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., killing 49 and wounding dozens more in a mass shooting that horrified the nation.

The second anniversary of the Pulse nightclub massacre was commemorated on Tuesday with moments of silence but also renewed calls for tougher gun legislation and a die in protest near President Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in South Florida.

That gun control message was underlined by a new presence at the Pulse memorial services in Orlando and in Palm Beach: students and parents from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, the Florida school where 17 people were killed in February.

Here is a look back at the lives that were lost or forever changed in the horror of the Pulse attack.MIDLOTHIAN, Va.  For Democrats in Virginia, the legend of last years general election, when the party romped statewide, has been burnished to a golden glow. If there is a blue wave nationally in the midterms, many will look back to Virginia in 2017 as an early sign.

But the state is going to the polls again for primaries on Tuesday, at a moment when some analysts suggest that the wave could be flattening to a ripple. President Trumps job approval rating has ticked up and the unemployment rate is the lowest in nearly two decades.

Whether Democrats zeal to rebuke Mr. Trump remains strong will be closely scrutinized as Virginians vote in contested primaries for nine of the states 11 congressional seats. The Center for Politics at the University of Virginia calls it the busiest federal Primary Day in the states modern history.

The results will be sifted for hints of what to expect in this state and across the country in November, when Democrats hope to win control of the House of Representatives as a check on what they see as an increasingly reckless White House.In China, as Ms. Trumps tweet made the rounds, many people were baffled, with some calling it a fake proverb. But criticism was more muted, with many people appearing more interested in helpfully trying to guess which actual Chinese idiom she might have intended to use.

On popular social media sites like Weibo, tens of thousands of people discussed genuine Chinese sayings that might convey something similar to Ms. Trumps post.

Some suggested classic idioms like A true gentleman should keep silent while watching a chess game. Others pointed to more informal phrases that are popular in China, such as If you can do it, do it; if you cant, shut up.

Ms. Trump, as first daughter and a senior adviser to her father, has frequently emphasized her connection to China and Chinese culture. She hired a Chinese-speaking nanny to tutor her daughter, Arabella. She has cultivated a loyal following among young Chinese women, many of whom admire her success in starting a fashion brand and see her as a symbol of elegance.

Its not the first time Ms. Trump has incorrectly described a quotation as Chinese. In 2013, for example, she posted on Twitter, Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life, attributing the phrase to Confucius. But experts said the saying was not Chinese.SEOUL, South Korea  For South Koreans who have long felt threatened by nuclear war, seeing President Trump and North Koreas leader shake hands and sign an agreement on improving ties brought relief, if not closure, to the decades-old standoff.

But the optimism was quickly tempered by a shocker.

Hours after the summit meeting with Kim Jong-un in Singapore was over, Mr. Trump said he planned to end annual joint military exercises with South Korea, emphasizing their expense.

Mr. Trump suggested that he was ending the very provocative war games as an incentive for North Korea to denuclearize, granting the North one of its most avidly sought objectives even before the country has begun dismantling its nuclear weapons.

North Korea has long insisted that it would not relinquish its nuclear weapons program unless the United States removed its hostile policies. The North has cited military drills between the United States and South Korea as a prime example of American hostility, calling them rehearsals for invasion. Washington and Seoul have always dismissed such accusations as propaganda.Even the most informed observer might struggle to know what to make of the summit meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-un of North Korea.

Colorful theatrics, such as a four-minute video that Mr. Trump showed Mr. Kim, gave the event an air of surrealism. Expectations ranged wildly, with Mr. Trump promising the deal of the century and many analysts fearing a blowup similar to what happened at last weeks Group of 7 meeting in Canada.

And Mr. Trumps habit of making misleading statements, along with his record of defying norms, can make it difficult to parse which of the summits outcomes matter and which dont, which bring Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim closer to their respective goals and which move them further away.

Here, then, is a simple breakdown of 10 major takeaways from the meeting and why they matter.

What Happened and Didnt

(1) Almost any talks between the United States and North Korea, while those talks are continuing, significantly reduce the risk of an accidental or unintended slide into war, which could kill millions. The simple act of talking changes North Korean and American behaviors and perceptions in ways that make conflict far less likely. Thats a big deal.Seven billion people inhabit planet Earth. When I saw this video, I was reminded of a phrase that Milan Kundera came up with in The Unbearable Lightness of Being, which is totalitarian kitsch. This sort of cartoony, idealized aesthetic using very broad, what you might call corny, images. And you see this in the aesthetics of a lot of authoritarian regimes. Vladimir Putin being photographed shirtless, its a corny, ridiculous image. And yet these corny, ridiculous images are often powerful in strongman regimes. Looking at it objectively, as a piece of film and a video being used in diplomacy, its kind of hilarious. There are so many cornball, cliche images.   to be the future   But in political kitsch, often corniness and cliche is the point. Cliches are images that everybody has seen before. Theyre images that everybody recognize and therefore, theyre images that you can count on to have broad mass appeal, even if its not sophisticated appeal. Their story is well known, but what will be their sequel? One thing this video tells us is the kind of arguments that the Trump administration is making to the North Korean government: Make this deal and you will look good. Youll be the protagonist of the world. You will live like a lottery winner. What I saw, when I look at the trailer, was the Trump administration trying to speak to Kim Jong-un the way the administration speaks to Donald Trump. Be part of that world. Donald Trump is, shall we say, a visual learner. He prefers to get his briefing material in the form of pictures, videos, images, graphics. Preferably the material references his name as much as possible in order to keep his interest. One thing thats a constant in Donald Trumps career is his use of big, broad cartoony symbols to get across big, broad cartoony messages. Bradford, youre fired. How do you make yourself a celebrity as a businessman? How do you create the idea that youre the most successful businessman in the world, whether you are or not? Well, you build a giant skyscraper with your name on it in three-foot-tall, brass golden letters. And thats what made Donald Trump so fitting for reality TV. Reality TV, likewise, communicates in big broad symbols: desert islands, roses. Theres this theme with him of sort of seeing himself as the protagonist of a show that he and other people are watching. It comes down to a choice. So this video is reaching out a hand to Kim Jong-un and saying, Work with me. You can be my co-star in this show that everybody else is watching. Will this leader choose to advance his country and be part of a new world? What you have in this video are a lot of garish symbols of importance. This montage at the beginning, for example, where a big image of the North Korean flag is equated with the Colosseum and the pyramids. Its a way of communicating that, Work with us, and you will be regarded as one of the greats of history.   or more isolation   This seems like the kind of kitschy picture that in a weird way is fitting for a regime like Kims. Its surreal but its no more surreal than the host of The Apprentice negotiating a nuclear deal with the head of North Korea. This is the world we live in now. One moment. One choice.WASHINGTON  President Trumps pledge on Tuesday to cancel military exercises on the Korean Peninsula surprised not only allies in South Korea but also the Pentagon.

Hours after Mr. Trumps announcement in Singapore, American troops in Seoul said they are still moving ahead with a military exercise this fall  Ulchi Freedom Guardian  until they receive guidance otherwise from the chain of command.

Lt. Col. Jennifer Lovett, a United States military spokeswoman in South Korea, said in an email that the American command there has received no updated guidance on execution or cessation of training exercises  to include this falls schedule Ulchi Freedom Guardian.

We will continue with our current military posture until we receive updated guidance from the Department of Defense, she added.In a show of how important the American presence is for Taiwan, the islands president, Ms. Tsai, was joined at the dedication ceremony by her predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou. Many of Taiwans top politicians sat in the audience of about 200.

As we dedicate this building, we also rededicate ourselves to our common sense of purpose, Ms. Tsai said. As free and open democracies, we have an obligation to work with one another to defend our values and protect our joint interests.

When asked by a journalist if he was disappointed that no higher-level representatives were sent from Washington, Mr. Moriarty, the institutes chairman, pointed to the summit meeting in Singapore.

I believe there is a lot going on in the region today, and we need to respect that, he said.

Speaking to a crowd of reporters before the ceremony, the institutes director, Kin Moy, a career diplomat in the State Department, said the new buildings unveiling showed Washingtons unshakable commitment to Taiwan.

After delays since its groundbreaking in 2009, the institutes fortified compound on the northern edge of Taipei, Taiwans capital, will begin operations in September, when some 450 staff members, including several American diplomats, will relocate from their current offices scattered around the city.

The institute performs most of the same functions as an embassy, including issuing visas. It is the largest diplomatic mission  official or unofficial  in Taiwan, making it a symbol of both Taiwans awkward diplomatic limbo and also its quiet but strong ties with the United States.

American support for Taiwan goes back to the end of Chinas civil war in 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek, the World War II ally of the United States, fled to the island with his Republic of China government after being routed by Mao Zedongs Communists.LONDON  Britains prime minister, Theresa May, on Tuesday promised greater control for Parliament over withdrawal from the European Union, after a threatened rebellion by lawmakers forced her into a new and potentially significant retreat in the countrys troubled exit from the bloc.

The day began on an ominous note with the resignation of one of Mrs. Mays ministers over her plans for withdrawal, known as Brexit, and got steadily worse for the prime minister when some of her rebel lawmakers combined with opposition parties, posing the threat of a damaging defeat.

The vote concerned an amendment that had been added by the House of Lords to Mrs. Mays main Brexit legislation. The amendment would have given lawmakers more control over the process by, among other things, avoiding a last-minute, take-it-or-leave-it vote on whatever package the government negotiated with Brussels.

Mrs. May had appealed to lawmakers not to support the amendment, arguing that it would weaken her negotiating hand with the European Union. Ultimately, they were placated by promises of a timely vote and adherence to some of the technical guarantees demanded by a Conservative rebel, Dominic Grieve, about what happens if a Brexit deal proves unacceptable to Parliament.PARIS  Spring in France is strike season  not that strikes dont happen at other times of the year, but who wants to strike in wet, cold weather or in the midst of a hot Parisian summer when everyone (strikers included) wants to be on holiday?

Rene Bodiou, a 75-year-old with a full head of white hair, smiled as he marched with fellow retired union members in the late May sun at a recent protest. I fell in step with him and asked what he thought about this years strike season.

Nowadays, we have people who are too rich, he said. In the United States, you do not care so much about equality, but we care about it.

It does not mean we all have to have the same amount of money, but we all should get the same respect, said Mr. Bodiou, a retired civil engineer.ATHENS  Macedonia agreed to change its name to resolve a decades-old dispute with Greece, the two countries said on Tuesday, and Greece said it would drop its objection to the neighboring countrys entry into the European Union and NATO if the changes are formally adopted.

Greeces prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, said the countrys new name will be Severna Makedonija or Republic of North Macedonia. Greece had long opposed the name Macedonia, saying it implied territorial aspirations over a northern Greek region of the same name.

I am deeply convinced that the agreement is a diplomatic success and a historic opportunity, Mr. Tsipras said. He called it a historic moment for the Balkans and our nations and said it opens a window to solidarity, friendship, cooperation, prosperity and mutual growth.

Greece, which has blocked Macedonia from joining NATO and the European Union, said the deal will pave the neighboring countrys way into the two alliances as long as it follows through and formally adopts the name change.STOCKHOLM  A Swedish prosecutor brought rape charges on Tuesday against Jean-Claude Arnault, the man at the center of a scandal that shook international cultural circles and led to the cancellation of this years Nobel Prize in Literature.

The charges are the first to emerge from a furor that has badly damaged the reputation of the Swedish Academy, the august, 232-year-old body that awards the literature prize, and has prompted power struggles, recriminations and resignations there.

Mr. Arnault, 71, has long been a cultural gatekeeper in Sweden and beyond  a French photographer who ran Forum, a prominent cultural center in Stockholm that received financial support from the Swedish Academy. He is married to one academy member, and is close to others.

A number of women have accused him of using his sway in the arts world, including his connections to the academy, to pressure young women in the arts into sex, and have said that some offenses took place at academy-owned apartments in Stockholm and Paris. Many of the accusations concerned episodes too long ago for prosecution under Swedish law.This is an important time in the China and Australia relationship," said Mr Handley. "It is very encouraging to see open and fruitful dialogue occurring between the Western Australian Government and Chinese investors looking at, or already investing, in Western Australia.

Premier McGowan thanked the law firm, the ACBC, CCCA, and Sinosteel for their support for the important dialogue.

Corrs team advises Peabody on Wotonga South sale

The sale of a coking coal deposit by Peabody Australia has progressed with help from Corrs Chambers Westgarth.

The firms team, led by partner Bruce Adkins and supported by Special Counsel Stuart Clague and Graduate Lawyer Caitlin McPhee, advised Peabody on the AU$30 million sale to Stanmore Coal which also includes a production royalty capped at around $10m.

I am honoured to have acted for Peabody Australia on their M&A transactions over a number of years, and delighted to have assisted them once again, said Adkins.Christianity in Syria is Under Threat From Forces the West is Supporting

St. Mary's Assyrian Church in the northeastern Syrian village of Tel Nasri, destroyed by ISIS. Two thousand years of Christianity in Syria could be wiped out by the very forces Western governments are supporting, an Anglican vicar has claimed. Rev. Andrew Ashdown, who has made ten trips to Syria since 2014 and is studying for a PhD in relations between Christians and Muslims there, also accused Western nations and Western church leaders of "neglecting" Syrian Christians.

Rev. Ashdown travelled to Syria in April with a group that included Anglican Canon Giles Fraser, Baroness Cox, Bishop Michael Langrish and Dr. Erica Hunter, an expert on Middle Eastern Christianity from London University's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). The group was criticised for not cancelling the visit, which took place hours after British, French and American pilots carried out an airstrike on alleged chemical weapons facilities run by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The airstrike, near Homs, was ordered in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack and was backed by EU foreign ministers. Addressing an audience at SOAS, Rev. Ashdown said many Syrians viewed Christians as vital for maintaining the balance in Syria's pluralist society. He quoted a Muslim writer in Damascus, who had told him: "I speak to you as a Muslim. Go back to your country and tell your country not to worry about us Muslims, but tell your country to worry about the Christians, because if your country gets rid of Assad and militants win this conflict, Christians will be destroyed in Syria. And Syria will be destroyed. And next will be Europe." The speakers challenged the stance of Western governments that have wanted Assad to step down as a pre-condition to peace talks, and are backing Sunni rebel groups believed to be moderate and pro-democracy. However their stance against Assad, who is backed by Russia, has softened as the war has dragged on. A spokesperson from the UK Foreign Office told World Watch Monitor on 8 June that the UK is committed to using diplomatic means to "achieve a political settlement that ... provides stability for all Syrians and the wider region", adding: "There needs to be a transition to a new, inclusive, non-sectarian government that can protect the rights of all Syrians and unite the country." "I speak to you as a Muslim. Go back to your country and tell your country not to worry about us Muslims, but tell your country to worry about the Christians, because if your country gets rid of Assad and militants win this conflict, Christians will be destroyed in Syria. And Syria will be destroyed. And next will be Europe." Although Assad's record on human rights has been widely criticised, he is seen as a defender of the country's non-Sunni minorities, including the various Christian communities, who were believed to make up ten per cent of Syria's population before the start of the civil war. However speakers took issue with binary portrayals of the war as pro-democracy Islamists versus pro-Assad minorities, noting that some Sunnis remained committed to their Christian neighbours, while Christians are not unanimous in their support for Assad. Rev. Ashdown cited examples of Muslims defending Christians and showed the audience a slide of him with a group of fighters from Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia group backed by Iran, who had protected a monastery while it was near the frontline with IS. He said they told him: "We will give our lives to protect the Christians in Syria, because without the Christians in this land, Syria will not be Syria." "Many Muslims are appalled by what is done in the name of Islam by extremist groups," he continued. "Our support for the militant extremists has contributed to the length of violence and the extent of the conflict." He showed a slide of a fifth-century church from the town of Maaloula, which had been a seat of Christian learning before the war. He said the church was "smashed and desecrated by the rebels that our government supports". Although the church has been restored, he said its ancient icons have been stolen. Rev. Ashdown later clarified to World Watch Monitor that residents told him the attackers operated together and included the Free Syrian Army, which has received backing from the US, the Al Farouq Brigades, Jabhat al-Nusra, Jaish al-Islam, Ahrar al-Sham, Jabhat Islamiyya, Jathat Tahreer al-Qalamoun, and Ahfad al-Rasoul. Rev. Ashdown described the rebel forces who have held parts of Damascus, including the suburb of Eastern Ghouta, as "extremist militant fighters" who were being supported by the West, and said there had been shelling on both sides. "The Christian quarter has been a particular target, with churches and schools regularly being targeted, and shelling often being timed when schools were coming out and the streets were at their busiest," he said, adding that 11,000 civilians have been killed in central Damascus since the start of the war, and that 2,500 of them were children. Baroness Cox said Syrian support for Assad had increased in the face of religious extremism but summed up the dilemma of Syrians who do not side with the Islamists. She quoted a woman in an internally displaced people (IDP) camp in Latakia who had fled Islamist terrorists. The woman told her that her husband and 25-year-old son were captured and killed as they tried to flee, adding: "We die from shellings on both sides, but on one side we die from shellings, and on the other we die from shellings and beheadings, and we don't want the beheadings." Dr. Nazir-Ali said he deplored "all" the violence -- whether committed by Assad or the groups trying to overthrow him. He called for a transitional administration to arrange for elections under international supervision. He warned that a violent overthrow of the regime by Islamist forces could be disastrous for minorities such as Christians, as occurred in parts of Iraq overrun by Shia and Sunni militias. "The vast majority of Syrians do not want an Islamist regime. A Salafi state ... would put an end to Syria's rich tapestry, which would be as great a tragedy as has happened to its neighbour, Iraq," he warned. Religious-freedom charities Open Doors International and Middle East Concern are campaigning for Christians in Iraq and Syria to be guaranteed equal citizenship, dignified living conditions and a prominent role in reconciling and rebuilding society.An Offaly joiner and an Offaly based technology company are included on Revenue's latest List of Tax Defaulters which covers the period from January 1, 2018 to March 31, 2018.

The two reached settlements with Revenue for a combined total in excess of 550,000 while a farmer had a court imposed fine of more than 70,000 during the same period.

Pentagon Technologies Group, based in Clonmich Hi-Technology Park in Tullamore reached a settlement with the Revenue Commissioners for a total of 349,106. It followed a Revenue Audit Case and the settlement was for underdeclaration of

PAYE, PRSI and USC. The company is an Information Technology and Computer Service Activities Provider. The total figure is made up of 239,912 in tax, 37,221 in interest and 71,973 in penalties.

Colm Brophy, a joiner with and address at Gloster, Brosna, Birr reached a settlement with the Revenue Commissioners for a total of 227,044. It was the result of a Revenue Audit Case and is for underdeclaration of Income Tax and VAT. The total figure is made up of 118,471 in tax, 74,222 in interest and 34,351 in penalties.

Columb Brazil, a farmer with an address at Grange House, Edenderry received a penalty in court of 71,070.40 relating to non-declaration of Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax in the amount of 177,676.

READ ALL TODAY'S OFFALY NEWS HERE

Rvenue states that settlements are published when 'the extensive voluntary disclosure options are not availed of and the default arises as a result of careless or deliberate behaviour'.

A total of 61 cases were published today with total settlements reaching 9,425,562.92 in these cases. Twenty four cases were for amounts exceeding 100,000 and one exceeded 1,000,000.

Revenue states that it 'vigorously pursues collection/enforcement of unpaid settlements'.

In the three month period to March 31, 2018, a total of 1,251 Revenue audit and investigations, together with 19,991 Risk Management Interventions, were settled, resulting in a yield of 115.63 million in tax, interest, and penalties.INS Kavaratti: The silent submarine killer in the seas, to be commissioned into Navy today

'Subhadra Vahini' comes to the rescue of women passengers at Visakhapatnam railway station, AP

Feature

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Hyderabad, June 12: Travelling has never been easy and safe for women, especially those who move alone, in India. Thanks to miscreants preying on gullible passengers, travelling has often proved to be a daunting task for women.

Things are likely to change as a special team of "Subhadra Vahini" has been launched by the railways at Visakhapatnam railway station in Andhra Pradesh on Monday to assist women passengers in times of need.

The all-women team of "Subhadra Vahini" consists of 20-member security personnel who will attend to the needs of women passengers passing through the Visakhapatnam railway station.

Any woman passenger in need of help can dial the toll free number 182 to seek help from the members of "Subhadra Vahini". The initiative is a joint effort of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Commercial Department Waltair Division.

"#Visakhapatnam Railways launched 'Subhadra Vahini', a special team of women security personnel from Railway Protection Force & commercial Dept, with an aim to assist lady passengers subjected to inconveniences, who can now seek assistance by calling toll free no 182. (11.06.18)," tweeted ANI.

#Visakhapatnam Railways launched 'Subhadra Vahini', a special team of women security personnel from Railway Protection Force & commercial Dept, with an aim to assist lady passengers subjected to inconveniences, who can now seek assistance by calling toll free no 182. (11.06.18) pic.twitter.com/tp5ErOfaDt  ANI (@ANI) June 11, 2018

Launching the programme, Divisional Railway Manager MS Mathur said that the initiative has been started to help women passengers, who may be facing trouble as they travel in trains.

Mathur added that the members of the special team were meant for security-related needs of women passengers. The idea of having women providing security to female passengers is to help travellers approach them without any hesitation.

"Harassed women passengers can seek assistance from the special team by calling the toll free no 182. The women security personnel of the RPF and the ticket checking staff will be monitoring the activities of miscreant to better attend to the grievances of the female passengers," an official of the railways told The New Indian Express.

Lauding the effort, Bengaluru-based IT professional Meghna Pai, who often travels in trains alone, said that such teams should be deployed in all railway and bus stations of the country where miscreants roam freely.

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 6:57 [IST]"My Shreya is only three years old. But more than a daughter, she is also my ally. We have been through so much together."

Sushanthi Nayak is a single mother, whose entire world is her daughter. Three months ago, she began noticing that a tiny white spot in Shreya's left eye. At the time, she didn't have the faintest idea of what it meant.

15 days ago, Sushanthi came back from work and was playing with her daughter. She paused, and a chill went down her spine as she noticed that the white spot was visibly larger. She waited no longer; she consulted her local doctor and took her daughter to a hospital in Kolkata, under his recommendation.

It was there that Shreya was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma, or eye cancer.

Sushanthi had always led a life filled with struggle. She lives in the same village she grew up in - Mangalpur in Orissa's Jajpur district. Here, there are barely a handful of opportunities when it comes to education and career, especially for women. However, Sushanthi worked hard for the job she has now, as a private school teacher. She earns about 15,000 per month.

Shreya's doctors in Kolkata said they were unable to treat her and sent them to Apollo Hospital in Chennai. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy. She needs four sessions to eliminate the tumour.

One cycle has been completed, and it was initially costing Sushanthi over Rs 1 lakh.

However, she pleaded with her doctors, saying a single mother couldn't afford such a huge sum. The hospital agreed to charge her only Rs 50,000 for the first cycle, but she would need to pay Rs 70,000 for each of the following three cycles. Including hospital stay, medication and consultation charges, her expenses comes up to Rs 4 lakh.

Sushanthi managed to pay for the first cycle after cleaning out her savings and borrowing from relatives. Now she needs to worry about travel expenses back from Chennai to Mangalpur as well. However, her struggles are far from over.

The challenge of paying for her daughter's treatment all by herself for her child all by herself overwhelms Sushanti. She now needs you to be able to save little Shreya, who is all she ever had.

Even a small contribution from you to her fundraiser will help her keep fighting!Atal Bihari Vajpayee health: Former PM stable, AIIMS says 'he is on injectable antibiotics'

India

oi-Madhuri

A day after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was admitted to AIIMS in New Delhi, the hospital has issued a fresh statement saying that his condition was stable.

"His condition is stable. He is responding to treatment and is on injectible antibiotics. All vital parameters are stable. he will continue to be in hospital till infection is controlled," the statement said.

Vajpayee was admitted to the hospital on Monday and a statement issued on Monday said that the former prime minister had been diagnosed with a urinary infection.

Vajpayee, who has been bed-ridden since 2009, has been suffering from lower respiratory tract infection and kidney- related issues.

Here are the HIghlights:

Newest First Oldest First Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh arrives at All India Institute of Medical Sciences to visit former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. pic.twitter.com/wih6iKu8NC  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018 Former PM Manmohan Singh arrives at AIIMS, Delhi to meet AB Vajpayee. Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's condition is stable. He is responding to treatment and is on injectable antibiotics. All vital parameters are stable. He will continue to be in hospital till infection is controlled, says All India Institute of Medical Sciences Latest health bulletin from AIIMS Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Chandrababu Naidu spoke to officers in Delhi on the ill health of former PM Atal BihariVajpayee ji. Praying the god for the speedy recovery and his returning home with good health Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Twitter,''Sad to hear about former Prime Minister Shri #AtalBihariVajpayee ji being admitted to AIIMS. I pray for his speedy recovery and good health.'' BJP veteran LK Advani, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, party chief Amit Shah, Health Minister JP Nadda, Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan and Congress president Rahul Gandhi were among those who paid a visit to the ailing leader. BJP's Tamil Nadu State President Tamilisai Soundarajan to meet the families of AtalBihari Vajpayee at AIIMS around noon. On Tuesday, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu enquired about Vajpayees health. Gandhi was the first to visit the hospital to check on Vajpayees health. Health Minister J.P. Nadda also visited, followed by Amit Shah and Modi. Modi called on Vajpayee on Monday evening and interacted with his family. He spoke to doctors and enquired about Vajpayees health. Modi was at AIIMS for about 50 minutes. On Monday, the BJP said in a statement: As per the advice of doctors, Vajpayeeji has been admitted in AIIMS for routine check-ups and investigations. Kanpur: BJP workers conducted 'havan' for former PM #AtalBihariVajpayee who is admitted in AIIMS (All India Institutes of Medical Sciences) Delhi. He is undergoing treatment for urinary tract infection at the hospital. pic.twitter.com/o56jwABlbk  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) June 12, 2018 BJP workers conducted 'havan' for former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee who is admitted in AIIMS (All India Institutes of Medical Sciences) Delhi. He is undergoing treatment for urinary tract infection at the hospital. Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) founder and general secretary Vaiko arrived at AIIMS to meet Vajpayee who is undergoing treatment for urinary tract infection. After enquiring about his health with Vajpayee's daughter Namitha, Vaiko said,''nothing to worry about, he is fine.'' In a late night statement, AIIMS said the former PM has been "diagnosed with a urinary tract infection" for which appropriate treatment is being given and a team of doctors are closely monitoring him. Sources in AIIMS described the condition of BJP stalwart as "critical", with his sole kidney and lung performing at their lowest capacity. However, Aarti Vij, chairperson of AIIMS' media and protocol division, said, "The former Prime Minister has been admitted for examination and management. The 93-year-old is under supervision of AIIMS director Randeep Guleria who has been treating him for nearly 15 years. Vajpayee, who is diabetic and has only one functional kidney, suffered a stroke in 2009 which affected his cognitive abilities. Later, he developed dementia. The 93-year-old is under supervision of AIIMS director Randeep Guleria who has been treating him for nearly 15 years. Vajpayee, who is diabetic and has only one functional kidney, suffered a stroke in 2009 which affected his cognitive abilities. Later, he developed dementia. However, Aarti Vij, chairperson of AIIMS' media and protocol division, said, "The former Prime Minister has been admitted for examination and management. In a late night statement, AIIMS said the former PM has been "diagnosed with a urinary tract infection" for which appropriate treatment is being given and a team of doctors are closely monitoring him. Sources in AIIMS described the condition of BJP stalwart as "critical", with his sole kidney and lung performing at their lowest capacity. Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) founder and general secretary Vaiko arrived at AIIMS to meet Vajpayee who is undergoing treatment for urinary tract infection. After enquiring about his health with Vajpayee's daughter Namitha, Vaiko said,''nothing to worry about, he is fine.'' Kanpur: BJP workers conducted 'havan' for former PM #AtalBihariVajpayee who is admitted in AIIMS (All India Institutes of Medical Sciences) Delhi. He is undergoing treatment for urinary tract infection at the hospital. pic.twitter.com/o56jwABlbk  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) June 12, 2018 BJP workers conducted 'havan' for former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee who is admitted in AIIMS (All India Institutes of Medical Sciences) Delhi. He is undergoing treatment for urinary tract infection at the hospital. On Monday, the BJP said in a statement: As per the advice of doctors, Vajpayeeji has been admitted in AIIMS for routine check-ups and investigations. Modi called on Vajpayee on Monday evening and interacted with his family. He spoke to doctors and enquired about Vajpayees health. Modi was at AIIMS for about 50 minutes. Gandhi was the first to visit the hospital to check on Vajpayees health. Health Minister J.P. Nadda also visited, followed by Amit Shah and Modi. On Tuesday, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu enquired about Vajpayees health. BJP's Tamil Nadu State President Tamilisai Soundarajan to meet the families of AtalBihari Vajpayee at AIIMS around noon. BJP veteran LK Advani, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, party chief Amit Shah, Health Minister JP Nadda, Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan and Congress president Rahul Gandhi were among those who paid a visit to the ailing leader. Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Twitter,''Sad to hear about former Prime Minister Shri #AtalBihariVajpayee ji being admitted to AIIMS. I pray for his speedy recovery and good health.'' Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Chandrababu Naidu spoke to officers in Delhi on the ill health of former PM Atal BihariVajpayee ji. Praying the god for the speedy recovery and his returning home with good health Latest health bulletin from AIIMS Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's condition is stable. He is responding to treatment and is on injectable antibiotics. All vital parameters are stable. He will continue to be in hospital till infection is controlled, says All India Institute of Medical Sciences Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh arrives at All India Institute of Medical Sciences to visit former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. pic.twitter.com/wih6iKu8NC  ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018 Former PM Manmohan Singh arrives at AIIMS, Delhi to meet AB Vajpayee.Sonia ji unwell, Rahul Gandhi should take over as Congress chief: Siddaramaiah as party preps up for CWC meet

BJP hits back at Rahul for accusing Modi of insulting Advani

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

The BJP on Tuesday hit back at Rahul Gandhi who had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has insulted veteran leader LK Advani and said that the Congress president should first reflect upon how the grand old party treated former PM PV Narasimha Rao and former president Pranab Mukherjee.

"Rahul Gandhi has been trying to advise BJP on how to respect senior leaders, he should first of all answer on his ill-treatment to their own senior leaders, like PV Narasimha Rao and Pranab Mukherjee," BJP's Anil Baluni told ANI.

The Congress president had earlier criticised the Prime Minister for the way veteran BJP leaders such as LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi were treated after Modi assumed the office.

[Congress has given more respect to LK Advani than Modi: Rahul Gandhi]

Rahul, speaking in Mumbai, alleged that Modi insulted his "mentor" Advani despite Hinduism teaching how a "guru" was the most important person in an individual's life. The Congress leader said he was the first person to pay a visit to former prime minister Vajpayee after his hospitalisation in the national capital yesterday.

"Today I feel very sad for Advani ji. The Congress party has given him more respect than Modi jihas," he said.

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 23:39 [IST]Non-inclusion doesnt reduce my stature: Maneka Gandhi on being dropped from BJP executive committee

BJP attacks Rahul, Priyanka for turning blind eye to atrocities on Dalits in Cong-ruled states

BJP will win absolute majority in Goa Assembly polls and form govt again, says Amit Shah

Body of a man with hands chopped, tied to barricade found at Singhu border; BJP targets Tikait

BJP nominee wins Maharashtra Legislative Council poll

India

oi-PTI

Mumbai, June 12: BJP candidate Suresh Dhas on Tuesday won the Maharashtra Legislative Council election from the Osmanabad-Beed-Latur local bodies seat.

The former Maharashtra minister defeated NCP-backed Ashok Jagdale by a margin of 74 votes, an election official said.

Of the 1003 votes polled, Dhas got 526 votes, while Jagdale polled 452 votes, an official release said. Altogether 25 votes were declared invalid, while a voter opted for the None of the Above (NOTA) option.

Counting of votes was held today for seat, where biennial elections, along with five other Legislative Council seats, were held on May 21.

While the counting of votes for those five seats was held on May 24, the process for Osmanabad-Beed-Latur local bodies seat was deferred due to a court order on the suspension of some local bodies members in Beed district.

In the results declared for the five local body seats on May 24, the BJP and the Shiv Sena had won two seats each, while the NCP retained one.

The ruling BJP and the Shiv Sena had contested the polls in the alliance. The opposition Congress and the NCP had also tied-up for the biennial polls.

The Shiv Sena won the Nashik and Parbhani-Hingoli local bodies seats.

The NCP retained the Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat but lost the Nashik seat to the Sena.

The Congress fared poorly in all the three seats it contested -- Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadhchiroli, Parbhani-Hingoli and Amravati.

With today's result, the BJP's tally in the 78-member Upper House has increased to 19, while the NCP's tally is 21. Congress has 17 and Shiv Sena 11 members in the House.

PTI

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 15:32 [IST]Kannada actor Satyajith passes away at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Bengaluru

Bengaluru to face power cuts today: Full list of areas likely to be affected

More rain in store as IMD puts Bengaluru on yellow alert

BJP worker thrashed in Jayanagar a day before counting

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

A BJP worker from Bengaluru's Jayanagar area was assaulted by unknown persons on Tuesday.

The assaulted individual, Dheeraj, is undergoing treatment Rajashekar hospital, as per the latest report.

This incident comes a day before counting of votes for Jayanagar election is to be held. Jayanagar assembly seat went to polls on June 11 as the election in the assembly segment had to be postponed due to the demise of BJP candidate BN Vijayakumar. The rest of the state, barring RR Nagar seat in Bengaluru, went to polls on May 12.

The voting in RR Nagar seat was held on May 28. the polling in RR Nagar was postponed after over 9,000 voter ID cards were found in an apartment days before May 12.

Karnataka assembly has 224 seats.

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 22:37 [IST]BSNL telephone exchange scam: CBI challenges discharge of Maran brothers

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

The CBI has filed an appeal in the Madras High Court challenging the discharge of the Maran brothers in the BSNL telephone exchange case. The court is yet to fix a date to hear the appeal.

In March special court had discharged the Maran brothers in the BSNL telephone exchange scam. The court held that the prosecution had failed to prove the involvement of Dayanidhi and his brother Kalanithi Maran.

The CBI argued opposing the discharge petitions filed by Dayanidhi, Kalanithi Maran and others, saying there was prima facie material to proceed against them. The Marans, however, contended that they had not caused any loss and were innocent. The allegation by the CBI is that there were 323 telephone lines that were set up.

The lines which were in the name of the BSNL General Manager were connected directly to the Boat House residence of Dayanidhi Maran. Further, it is alleged that Maran's Boat house residence and the Sun TV office were connected with dedicated underground cables and this was done during his tenure as the telecom minister.

The CBI has alleged a gross misuse of power in this case. It is also the case of the CBI that these dedicated telephone lines connecting Maran's residence and the Sun TV office were aimed at high-speed data transfer. The CBI case also stated that these lines which were set up allegedly at the behest of Maran were no ordinary lines. They were extremely expensive ISDN lines which could carry out high-speed data transfer.

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 12:13 [IST]Congress has given more respect to LK Advani than Modi: Rahul Gandhi

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Launching a scathing attack on Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (June 12) said that the Prime Minister has 'only divided the country, spread hatred and deceived the poor'.

Speaking in Mumbai, Gandhi said that the Congress believes in working for all sections of the society and building an inclusive India. He also said that the BJP would be wiped out in the upcoming assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

The Congress president also criticised the Prime Minister for the way veteran BJP leaders such as LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi were treated after Modi assumed the office.

"LK Advani has been the guru of PM Modi, but I have seen in events that PM Modi does not even respect his guru. Today I feel very sad for Advani ji. The Congress party has given him more respect than Modi Ji," he said.

Gandhi also showered praise on BJP veteran and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is in the hospital since yesterday. Vajpayee, who has been bed-ridden since 2009, has been suffering from lower respiratory tract infection and kidney- related issues.

"We had contested against Vajpayee ji but when he is ill now I went to meet him on priority because I am a soldier of Congress. Vajpayee Ji had worked for our country and we respect him as he was the Prime Minister. This is our culture," Gandhi said.

"A senior politician told me that he has been fighting against the Congress for the past 50 years and it is after 50 years that he realised that if there is any party which can keep the country safe it is the Congress. Only Congress can defeat the ideology of BJP and RSS," he added.

He exuded confidence that the Congress and the other opposition parties would defeat the BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"They (BJP) have recently lost in Karnataka and have barely saved themselves in Gujarat, they will be wiped out in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh...PM Modi has only divided the country, spread hatred, deceived the poor. He knows that the people of India understand truth and they don't forget," Rahul said.

Hinting that the BJP government had taken away the freedom of the press, the Congress president said, "I want to remind the media: There was no fear in your hearts when it was Congress govt. You could criticize us without fear. This is what Congress gave you."

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 18:12 [IST]Key CWC meet underway: I am full time and hands on Congress president says Sonia Gandhi

Congress leader blames Madhya Pradesh govt for Bhayyuji Maharaj's death

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

A Congress leader from Madhya Pradesh blamed the Madhya Pradesh government for the alleged suicide of spiritual guru Bhayyuji Maharaj.

Manak Agarwal, Congress media committee chairman, said, "Madhya Pradesh government had put pressure on him to accept privileges and support the government, which he refused to do. He was under a lot of mental pressure. CBI probe should be done."

In a shocking incident, Spiritual leader Bhayyuji Maharaj on Tuesday allegedly shot himself dead at his residence in Madhya Pradesh. He was rushed to the Bombay hospital in Indore, where was declared dead.

He was one of the spiritual leaders who was accorded minister of state status by the Madhya Pradesh government but had refused to accept car and other facilities.

The police have reportedly found a suicide note that indicated that the 50-year-old was "depressed". He was declared dead at the Bombay hospital in Indore.

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 17:57 [IST]ED seizes under construction mall being built by Lalu's family

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday seized an under construction mall which was being built by Lalu Yadav's family in Patna. Reports say that Bihar's biggest mall was supposed to come up there, but the construction was stopped and the land was attached by the Enforcement Directorate.

In April this year, the Income-Tax department had attached a property worth more than Rs 3 crore near Patna, suspected to be a benami asset held by Lalu's family members who are facing investigation in a land-for-hotels scam.

Last year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had attached a three-acre plot in Patna in relation to the railway hotel scam. The land was allegedly transferred to Yadav's family as quid pro quo in 2005, when the RJD chief was railways minister and exchanged favours to award the contract for the upkeep of IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri to Sujata Hotels

Prasad, a former Bihar chief minister, is currently serving sentences in a number of fodder scam cases. Members of his family have been named in cases filed by the Enforcement Directorate and the IT department in connection with the land-for-hotels scam.

[Fodder scam: Lalu Prasad Yadav sentenced to 14 years in prison in fourth case]

The scam relates to transfer of prime land properties to Prasad's family by a hotelier brothers of Patna in return for getting contract for running two Railway hotels in Ranchi and Puri when Prasad was the Railway Minister in UPA-I government. On one such land measuring 3 acre, Bihar's biggest mall is proposed. But the construction was stopped and the land has been attached by the Enforcement Directorate.

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 20:31 [IST]India tells UK not to provide safe haven for India's wanted criminals

India

pti-PTI

The United Kingdom should not be viewed as a safe haven for wanted criminals of other countries, India said today, even as Britain confirmed fugitive Indian diamantaire Nirav Modi's presence on its soil.

India's clear message was conveyed to UK Minister of State for Countering Extremism Baroness Williams by Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Kiren Rijiju at a meeting here.

Raising the issue of fugitives such as Nirav Modi, liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who were wanted by New Delhi for frauds and financial misappropriations, Rijiju said Britain should not be viewed as a safe haven for men wanted by the law of the other country for various offences, a statement issued by the Home Ministry said.

The MoS conveyed to Williams that while India respects the courts and will pursue legal procedures in Britain to bring back wanted men, New Delhi expects the cooperation of the UK government.

Allaying concerns over prison conditions in India, Rijiju said there are absolute safeguards against human rights violations in Indian prisons, the statement said.

Top officials said the UK delegation has confirmed that Nirav Modi, who is at the centre of a money laundering case linked to the over Rs 13,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud, is currently in that country.

"UK authorities have confirmed Nirav Modi's presence in Britain," an official privy to the meeting said.

Williams has also assured Rijiju of Britain's full cooperation in the Government of India's efforts to expedite Nirav Modi, liquor baron Vijay Mallya and others extradition, the official said.

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 PNB 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.

"I had a very useful meeting with UK Minister Baroness Williams. We discussed about India-UK joint efforts to deal with terrorism and extremism. We also agreed to cooperate in the matters of extradition and sharing of information," Rijiju told reporters after the hour-long meeting.

Letter Rogatories (LRs) in the cases lodged against Nirav Modi by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the CBI and the Income Tax Department were sent to the UK Central Authority (UKCA) on March 19, April 14 and April 15 respectively.

The UKCA has forwarded these LRs to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) for execution and conveyed that action would be taken on implementation of the ED LR. The ED and the SFO have entered discussions on the way forward.

Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi are being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate for allegedly cheating PNB, the country's second largest lender, to the tune of more than Rs 13,000 crore.

The duo and others are also being probed by other central agencies after the fraud came to light this year following a complaint by PNB that they allegedly cheated the nationalised bank.

Both Nirav Modi and Choksi were said to have left the country before criminal cases were lodged against them.

India is also pushing for the extradition of liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya, who is on trial for the UK court to rule if he can be extradited to India to face charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crores.

In the case related to Mallya, at a case management conference hearing held at the request of Mallya's lawyers on May 24, the judge has scheduled closing submission by the defence on June 21 and closing submission by India on July 26.

The hearing for final arguments in the case was deferred from July 11 to July 31.

In a separate development, the State Bank of India-led consortium of 13 banks won a case on May 8 wherein the Queen's Bench Division of the commercial court in England's High Court of Justice dismissed his plea to overturn a worldwide order freezing his assets and ruled that Indian banks were entitled to recover their funds from his assets in the UK.

The last date for lodging an appeal against this decision by Mallya in the UK Court of Appeal was May 30. He has appealed on May 29.

PTIMonsoon update: South-west monsoon to pause for a week from Thursday, heavy rainfall in NE

India

oi-Madhuri

Ongoing monsoon will progress normally during the next two days, but then there will be 'pause' for a week from Thursday onwards. It will, however, not affect the normal date of onset of monsoon in Delhi. The IMD has issued a 48-hour warning of 'enhanced rainfall' in the northeastern states during this period.

The IMD's bulletin on Tuesday predicted that the southwest monsoon has further advanced into some more parts of Marathwada, Vidharbha, Chhattisgarh, most parts of northwest Bay of Bengal, some parts of Gangetic West Bengal and some more parts of Assam & Meghalaya. The Northern Limit of Monsoon will pass through Thane (including Mumbai), Ahmednagar, Buldhana, Amraoti, Gondia, Bhavanipatna, Puri,

Kolkata, Sohra and North Lakhimpur.

''Conditions are becoming favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon into some more parts of Odisha, remaining parts of northwest Bay of Bengal and Northeastern States and some parts of West Bengal & Sikkim during next 48 hours. Thereafter no further advance likely during next one week due to the probable weakening of monsoon flow,'' said the IMD.

Meanwhile, the precipitation activity across the state was likely to increase in the coming 48 hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

According to the IMD's prediction on the distribution of rainfall this monsoon, 'heavy rainfall' at a few places with very 'heavy rain' at isolated places were likely over Kerala, 'heavy to very heavy rain' at isolated places over Chhattisgarh, Assam & Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura and Coastal Karnataka and 'heavy rain' at isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal & Sikkim, Vidarbha, south Konkan & Goa and North Coastal Andhra Pradesh.

The IMD also predicted thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds and lightning were likely at isolated places over East Uttar Pradesh, Vidharbha, Madhya Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana, Rayalaseema and North Interior Karnataka.

''Sea condition is likely to be rough to very rough over GoaKarnatakaKerala coasts. Fishermen are advised not to venture into these areas,'' it further added.

Monsoon has already hit Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and North-East, and will move up north from Maharashtra.Covid-19 confusion deepens as 25 per cent of new black fungus patients have no coronavirus record

MP: Spiritual leader Bhayyuji Maharaj kills self, suicide note found

India

oi-Madhuri

In a shocking incident, Spiritual leader Bhayyuji Maharaj on Tuesday allegedly shot himself dead at his residence in Madhya Pradesh. He was rushed to the Bombay hospital in Indore, where was declared dead. He was one of the spiritual leaders who was accorded minister of state status by the Madhya Pradesh government but had refused to accept car and other facilities.

The police have reportedly found a suicide note that indicated that the 50-year-old was "depressed". He was declared dead at the Bombay hospital in Indore.

There was speculations that the former model was under depression. His supporters gathered outside the hospital in large numbers.

Bhayyuji Maharaj had announced retirement from public life in 2016, according to a report in The Times of India.

Bhaiyyuji has a wide base in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra and counts many political bigwigs among his followers.

According to report, Senior police officials reached Bhayyuji Maharaj's house Silver Springs phase one to investigate the crime scene.

Who was Bhayyuji Maharaj?

Bhaiyyu Maharaj, whose real name is Udasingh Deshmukh, was a zamindar's son and a former model known for his opulent lifestyle. Earlier a model, Maharaj was famous for his lifestyle. The neatly dressed spiritual leader used to run a sprawling ashram at Indore. Accompanied by a small group of followers, Maharaj used to travel in a white Mercedes SUV.

According to his website, Yuva Rastra Saint Shri Sadguru Bhaiyyuji Maharaj is mentioned as a spiritual leader, social reformer and motivator, whose sole aim is to bring happiness on the faces of countless poor and downtrodden people, lift them from morass of despair, poverty, social inequality and enable them to live a life of dignity.

The high-profile 'saint' had married an Indore-based medical practitioner, upsetting many of his disciples. Apparently, Maharaj played an important mediator role in persuading Anna Hazare to call off his fast for Lokpal in 2011.Complaint filed against Kamal Haasan for allegedly portraying Jayalalithaa as dictator on Bigg Boss

Mumbai: Bigg Boss 7 contestant Armaan Kohli arrested for assaulting girlfriend

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Bigg Boss 7 contestant and Bollywood actor Armaan Kohli was arrested from Mumbai's Lonavala on Tuesday by Mumbai Police for assaulting live-in partner Neeru Randhawa.

Armaan had been reportedly missing after Neeru filed a complaint of physical assault against him about a week ago at Santacruz police station in Mumbai.

Neeru, 35, had lodged the case against Kohli, 46, at the Santacruz police station last week.

The duo had an argument over some monetary issue at their residence and during the altercation, he allegedly pushed the woman and she fell from the stairs. The accused then pulled her hair and banged her head on the floor, a police officer said citing the complaint.

She suffered head and knee injuries in the incident and was admitted to a hospital by her driver, reports suggest.

Son of filmmaker Rajkumar Kohli, Armaan began his acting career as a child artiste and later went on to do films like Virodhi, Dushman Zamana, Anaam, Koyal, Kohra, Dushmani, Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani etc to name a few as the lead actor.

He made headlines during Bigg Boss 7 over his relationship with co-contestant Tanishaa Mukerji, daughter of veteran actress Tanuja.

Armaan and Tanishaa were in a relationship for a brief period but headed for splits soon.

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 21:19 [IST]PM Modi must make statement in Parliament, clarify whether snooping was done: Chidambaram on Pegasus row

Chidambaram on India giving 2.5 crore Covid jabs: 'Why did we have to wait until the PMs birthday?'

On PM Modis security, here is some advise from Chidambaram

India

oi-Staff

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram questioned the veracity of the letter seized by police on Rajiv Gandhi-like plot to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying it is "unverified", and noted that it was government's duty to provide foolproof protection and security to the prime minister.

He claimed one of the ministers in the government has said that he knows some of the Elgar Parishad' people who have been arrested and linked to the alleged plot and they have nothing to do with the Congress.

"I do not think you should take all these unverified letters as though they are official documents. Such letters will float about," Chidambaram told reporters when asked about the letter found by Pune police which reveals a plot to kill Modi.

"It is the business of the government to offer and provide complete protection to the Prime Minister of India. That is the business of the government. So let the Government take whatever measures it has to take to provide complete foolproof protection and security of the Prime Minister of India. We are all interested in the security of the PM of India," he said.

He was asked about the letter seized from a Moist leader that the Pune police is investigating.

NCP leader Sharad Pawar has termed the issue as an attempt by the BJP to win public sympathy.

On Friday, the police in Maharashtra's Pune told a court that a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a "Rajiv Gandhi-type incident" during one of his roadshows has been revealed in a letter seized from a suspected Maoist.

"The BJP has realised that they are losing the popular support. In order to gain sympathy, the BJP is now playing the threat letter card. However, I am sure that the people will not fall prey to such tactics," Pawar said addressing a rally.

The veteran politician, who is trying to project himself as the pivot to unite opposition parties to take on the BJP in 2019 polls, has intensified his attack on the BJP in last few weeks.

Pawar also raised doubts about the veracity of the threat letter.

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 5:30 [IST]PDP hits out at Farooq Abdullah for reportedly cautioning separatist from entering into dialogue with Centre

India

pti-PTI

Srinagar, Jun 11: Hitting out at NC president Farooq Abdullah over his reported statement cautioning separatists against entering into a dialogue with the Centre, the ruling PDP in Jammu and Kashmir today said it was "an attempt to sabotage" the prospects of peace and stability in the state.

"The politics of the NC has thrived on disruptions and turmoil in Jammu and Kashmir. The party is convinced that it can survive only by being a part of the problem rather than the solution for which post-2002, the entire mainstream has been campaigning in the state," senior PDP leader and Public Works and Culture Minister Naeem Akhtar said in a statement here. The National Conference (NC) leader, in an interview to a local paper, had reportedly cautioned the separatist leadership against going into formal talks with the Centre, unless New Delhi has a "concrete proposal" for the resolution of the Kashmir issue. "Don't fall into the trap. They didn't give us autonomy, which was passed by the state assembly and is within the ambit of the Constitution, what will they offer to you (separatists) ?" Abdullah had said.

Expressing confidence that the stakeholders would take an independent view on the Centre's offer of dialogue, the minister hit out at the NC president for attempting to sabotage the prospects of peace and stability in Jammu and Kashmir. Akhtar said Abdullah's statement has once again sent out a signal that he can use his political position only to "subvert" any process aimed at bringing peace and stability to the state.

"Abdullah will not like a permanent and dignified solution to our problems as his party has always thrived on confusion, somersault, and U-turns which have landed the state into a crisis affecting many generations," he said. The minister alleged that the NC president's latest "hit-and-run statement" on the eve of his departure to London is the continuation of his persistent attempts at "torpedoing" very serious efforts at resolution of problems. "The people of J-K now know fully where the party stands in respect of the prevailing peace discourse in the state," he said.

The minister alleged that going by the statement, masked as a warning to the Hurriyat, Abdullah looks like he is still using the "dead horse of autonomy to subvert" any process of resolving the Kashmir issue. "He brings out the ghost of autonomy every time he is fighting an election to ensure that peace doesn't return to the land that has been a victim of his family politics since 1931," Akhtar said.

"Abdullah is on record having said that his government will make the Hurriyat rot in jails. On different occasions, he has talked about bombarding Pakistan and showering bullets on Kashmiris. "It will be better for J-K if the NC president explains these careless remarks first before warning other about what to do and what not to do," he said. The minister alleged that the NC leadership is "deluded" into believing that the party has a divine right to decide the destiny of Jammu and Kashmir.

PTIPNB fraud case: Special PMLA court issues non bailable warrant against Nirav Modi

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

The special PMLA court in Mumbai issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi in connection with the Punjab National Bank loan default case. Nirav Modi and his family left India in January before the CBI and ED started investigating him and his uncle Mehul Choksi for swindling PNB of more than Rs 13,000 crore through their companies using fraudulent LoUs.

Earlier today, it emerged that Nirav Modi had fled to the United Kingdom and was said to be seeking political asylum. The Financial Times while quoting British and Indian officials said the PNB fraud accused is currently in the UK.

The FT reported that Modi is in London to claim asylum from what he calls as political persecution. The report while citing officials from the Ministry of External Affairs said that they were waiting for the law enforcement agencies to approach them before seeking extradition.

Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has approached the Interpol seeking red corner notices (RCN) against Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi.

[Nirav Modi flees to London, seeks political asylum]

The centre is already seeking extradition of Vijay Mallya who is also in the UK.The police filed charges against several persons in May including Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi. Both have denied any wrongdoing. Last month several executives of the ban were named in the chargesheet. They were charged with misleading the RBI in 2016.

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 19:19 [IST]Pranab Mukherjees RSS address: Kapil Sibal calls it a misstep, but Congress neednt be perturbed

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

New Delhi, June 12: Days after former President and veteran Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee visited the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur, Maharashtra and addressed its cadres last week, the implication of the controversial decision of the 82-year-old leader on the Indian polity is still being discussed.

On Tuesday, former Union minister and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal expressed his view on the whole matter in an opinion piece he wrote for The Indian Express.

While attacking the RSS and its divisive ideology, the former human resource development minister called the visit of Mukherjee to the headquarters of the right-wing group a "misstep". Sibal, however, added that "the Congress need not be unduly perturbed. He did not go there as a representative of the party."

"He went there, I think, to symbolise the forces that represent the mainstream of Indian politics reasserting itself. That he could have done the same without embarrassing mainstream India was a matter of his choice. That choice was a misstep. To have him pay respect to the bhagwa jhanda and refer to Hedgewar as a great son of India will be moments that will be savoured by the RSS: Moments embarrassing for the idea of India," Sibal wrote for The Indian Express.

Starting his column by calling Mukherjee a "consummate politician", Sibal wrote that "politicians falling in that class also trip up", thus making the discomfort of the Congress clear regarding the former President's decision to accept the RSS' invite.

Attacking the RSS and its political wing, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sibal said, "This majoritarian culture muffles free speech of all those opposed to it; celebrates violence with impunity; decides on what we should eat and how we should dress; issues diktats on what we should trade in and how we must trade; derides and punishes if we marry outside the narrow confines of their prejudices; seeks conformist forms of artistic expression and decides on the heroes and villains of history which need not emerge from scholarship; ensures that children's textbooks align with majoritarian thought processes and makes universities laboratories of conflict by demoralising those holding contrarian views."

While most of the Congress leaders have expressed their reservations regarding Mukherjee's trip to the RSS camp, others like P Chidambaram took a more holistic view on the matter giving his former colleague the benefit of the doubt.

Mukherjee spoke on "nation, nationalism and patriotism" at the RSS event, in an attempt to remind all about the glorious history of the country which is tolerant at the same time. Many of his "admirers" criticised the former President for not telling the RSS what exactly was wrong with its ideology.

As the debate over Mukherjee's RSS visit continues, time will only tell if the veteran leader took the right decision or not.

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 10:52 [IST]Cabinet nod to Samagra Shiksha Scheme for school education for another 5 years

Rich Dad Robert Kiyosaki stresses on financial education in chaotic times Kiyosaki blows the audience away

IMTS Institute Is on The Path to Become one of the Topmost 'Distance Learning Institute in Asia

Recognition for Karnataka State Open University on the horizon

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) is likely to get recognition for all the courses by the University Grants Commission (UGC) from current academic year.

According to reports, the UGC in its latest communication to KSOU has asked the university to make ready the necessary documents for granting recognition.

The move comes days after KSOU Vice Chancellor Shivalingaiah urged the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Human Resources Department (HRD) to give recognition to the courses offered by the Open University.

However, the UGC in its recent communication has not said anything about the de-recognised courses .

Posting a news clip on his twitter handle Mysuru-Kodagu Lok Sabha member Pratap Simha has tweeted "KSOU recognition will be reinstated from this academic."

In December, the Karnataka high court had directed the University Grants Commission (UGC) to give recognition to the Mysuru-based Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) for 2017-18 in two weeks. But it had failed to adhere to the HC order.

Citing the parity principle, Justice B V Nagarathna referred to the 106 other universities being given 'ex-post facto' recognition in 2015-16 and issued the direction while allowing a petition filed by KSOU.

The UGC de-recognised courses run by the KSOU saying the varsity had violated the commission's territorial jurisdiction. It had also signed memorandums of understanding with institutions outside Karnataka.

The UGC, in 2015, had issued orders of discontinuing recognition of all the courses offered by the varsity from the year 2012-13.

The recognition was discontinued as the varsity offered professional and technical courses like BE, BTech, MTech, diploma engineering, apart from several medical and paramedical courses without obtaining permission from the UGC.Sanskar Bharati plans to showcase 106-year-old history of Indian cinema at Kumb in Allahabad

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

New Delhi: Sanskar Bharati, one of the affiliate organisation of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), plans to showcase the 106-year-old history of the Indian cinema at the Kumb Mela in Allahabad in January 2019. During the 49-day-long fare, cinema from different Indian languages from Bhojpuri to Marathi will be shown including depiction of the history of Indian cinema.

Joint general secretary of the Sanskar Bharati Amir Chand said that cultural programmes will be organised in the mela for 40 day and for that 35 stages will be erected in the sector 26 of mela. The Kumbh Mela will be divided in as many sectors where pilgrims stay for the entire month. The cultural programme organised in the mela will have 25 thousand artists participating in it.

Amirchand said that around 10 crore pilgrims will visit Kumbh Mela from January 14, 2019 for 49 days. Kumbh mela becomes an international attraction not only for pilgrims from across the world but also for tourists. An entire city is created along both the banks of Ganga close to Sangam.In show of strength, opposition leaders likely to attend meet called by Sonia Gandhi on Aug 20

Top opposition leaders, ex-presidents to attend Rahul's Iftar

India

pti-PTI

Former presidents Pranab Mukherjee and Pratibha Patil, ex-vice president Hamid Ansari and several opposition leaders are likely to attend an Iftar being hosted by Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday.

Gandhi has invited a host of opposition and senior party leaders to the Iftar, the first ever to be hosted by him as Congress chief.

Senior Congress and opposition party leaders are likely to attend the Iftar at a local luxury hotel here, according to sources.

Sources said leaders of all like-minded non-BJP parties, which have been holding parleys on key issues, have been invited for the event.

For Rahul Gandhi this will be the first occasion to host an Iftar after he took charge of the Congress.The party did not hold Iftar, which marks the customary breaking of the day-long fast in the holy month of Ramzan, during the past two years and its last Iftar was in 2015.

The then Congress president Sonia Gandhi had hosted the feast at that time.

The party conventionally invites leaders of all faiths to the event as also top diplomats.

This year's Iftar will be keenly watched for the presence of opposition leaders at a time when the Congress is positioning itself as the centre of opposition unity ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The party's decision to resume Iftar comes days after President Ram Nath Kovind decided to discontinue the feast traditionally held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Sources said Telangana Chief Minister and TRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal have not been invited for the event.

Prior to 2016, the Congress used to host Iftar in one way or the other. When the party was in power, the then prime minister Manmohan Singh used to organise the event.

Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi played hosted Iftar until the party decided to skip the event in 2016 and 2017.

The resumption of Iftar comes at a time when the Congress is seen to be pursuing a policy of soft Hindutva as evidenced in Rahul Gandhi's several recent temple visits.

PTIWhy do all frauds seek refuge in the United Kingdom

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Nirav Modi joined the long list of Indian fugitives to take refuge in the United Kingdom. He now joins an infamous bandwagon comprising, Lalit Modi, Vijay Mallya, music composer Nadeem among others.

Indian agencies agree that the UK has been a safe destination for frauds and criminals as the extradition process is extremely difficult. One of the key reasons cited by these persons while arguing against extraditions is that the jails in India cater to inhuman conditions.

Statistics would reveal that India's success rate when it comes to extraditions from the United Kingdom is nil. This would only mean that the Extradition Treaty that India and the UK signed in 1993 is nothing but a piece of paper.

The likes of Tiger Hanif who was wanted in blasts case At Gujarat, 1993 has not yet been extradited to India. He has exhausted all legal remedies in the UK to avoid extradition.

However he continues to make representations to the Home Secretary in the UK and is now planning on moving the European Court of Human Rights against his extradition.

India has not had a success rate where extraditions from the UK are concerned.

There are 131 extradition requests made by India pending with the UK. In almost all the cases, the accused persons have told the UK authorities that there is either a political vendetta against them or the chances of them being tortured by the Indian police is high.

Courts in the UK which are approached by such persons have not been entirely helpful either.

Even if the government is considering the extradition request, the courts normally come in the way. The courts in the UK often take a lenient view towards the accused petitioners who claim that they would be tortured. Further the courts also consider seriously when the petitioner alleges that cases had been slapped against him or her out of political vendetta.

While these contentions are all matters of debate, the courts often accept the view of the accused petitioner and cite lack of papers or evidence. Many accused have managed to escape extradition due to the intervention by the UK courts.

In the case of Lalit Modi, the government failed to have him extradited. The case was no different where Nadeem who was charged in the murder of Gulshan Kumar. he was later acquitted in that case. Over all there are 131 requests that are pending in the UK and today the government added one more to that list while seeking the extradition of Vijay Mallya.

Will Nirav Modi too dodge the extradition bullet? Only time will tell.

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 14:28 [IST]80-yr-old Singapore Supreme Court table used for Trump-Kim summit

International

pti-PTI

Singapore, June 12: An 80-year-old teak wood table previously used by Singapore's Chief Justices played a part in the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The two leaders and their delegations sat at the historic table during the delegation-level meeting at Capella Singapore hotel in Sentosa Island. Later, Trump and Kim signed a joint statement at the 4.3 m-long table, designed in 1939 by local craftsmen for the Supreme Court.

The table is on loan to the US Embassy for the summit, and is usually on display on the Chief Justices chamber on the third floor of the Singapore National Gallery, The Straits Times reported. The table has witnessed milestones in local history such as the appointment of Singapores first Asian Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin in 1963.

The Chief Justice, the highest post in Singapores judicial system, would use the table in the daily administration of the court from when the court opened in 1939, until it was vacated in 2005 for a new Supreme Court building behind it.

The table is made up of a single piece of teak wood imported from the region, which rests on two bases as support, with ventilation slits on the sides of the bases.

PTIBeing in Asia, Trump did not feel Indo-Pak tension important enough to tweet

After all the hard work, South Korean President Moon prays for summits success

International

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

He played a key role in the peace initiative with North Korea and on the day when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met US President Donald Trump at the Capella Hotel in Singapore, South Korean President Moon Jae-in prayed for the success of the summit, saying he could not sleep anticipating the high-profile meeting, the Korea Herald reported on Tuesday, June 12.

"The North-US summit has started. Perhaps the minds of our people are on Singapore. I too spent a sleepless night," Korea Herald quoted Moon as saying at his government's Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Moon kept a watch on the proceedings in Singapore with his top officials even as the weekly meeting took off in Seoul.

"(I) together with the people (of South Korea) ardently hope for a successful meeting that brings us complete denuclearization and peace, and opens a new era for the South, the North and the US," he was quoted as saying further.

Moon has played a crucial role in the build-up to this summit. He himself met Kim at the historic inter-Korean summit at the border truce village of Punmunjeom on April 27 where the two sides had a fruitful meeting and vowed to end the Korean War which is technically still on and denuclearise the Korean Peninsula.

Moon also showed his selfless side when somebody suggested the Nobel Peace Prize for him for playing a proactive role. He said it was Trump who deserved the prize more.

Moon chipped in again in May end after Trump cancelled the meeting in the face of "tremendous anger" and "open hostility" from the North Korean side, leaving the Korean peace process endangered. He met Kim again on May 26 with a quest for reinstating the summit.

His government did not take a retaliatory stance even after North Korea blasted Seoul for joining the US-led air combat drill in the Korean Peninsula and allowing a North Korean defector in its territory. North's decision to initially disallow South's journalists to visit the official dismantling of its only nuclear testing site also did not spark any reaction from Moon.

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 9:53 [IST]Collapse of Kabul will go down as one of the greatest defeats in American history: Donald Trump

Thousands of terrorists might have been airlifted out of Kabul: Trump slams Biden

Never in history has withdrawal from war been handled so badly: Trump

Kim-Trump summit: Not all analysts are convinced over agreement

International

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a "comprehensive" document at the end of their summit held in Singapore on Tuesday, June 12.

The text of the document was not revealed initially and it was said that Trump will discuss it in details during a press conference later in the day.

However, inquisitive journalists still managed to get zoomed pictures of the document and tried to throw some initial lights on the content aimed at establishing peace in Korean Peninsula. Later, Reuters later had the full text of the agreement which was made public.

There are four main points in the agreement that Trump and Kim signed:

First, the two countries are committed to establish fresh relations honouring the desire of their respective people for the purpose of peace and security.

Secondly, the US and North Korea will carry out a joint effort to give way to lasting peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula region.

Thirdly, North Korea reaffirmed its support for the Punmunjeom Declaration of April 27 to work towards complete denuclearisation of the peninsula.

Not all analysts were impressed by the agreement's content, however. Robert Kelly, a political science professor at South Korea's Pusan University, thought the text was "thinner even than most skeptics anticipated" and said it looked "pretty generic", the Guardian reported.

Others questioned the absence of the missile issue or that of the nuclear-testing site or the way Trump would make "security guarantees" to North Korea, which the text also mentions, credible.

Finally, Washington and Pyongyang commit to recovering POW/MIA remains and immediately repatriate those who have been already identified.

The declaration also said that the US and North Korea commit to follow up under US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a high-level North Korean official at the earliest to implement the outcomes of Tuesday's summit.

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 13:04 [IST]Trump & Kim to meet over one-on-chat, dinner in Hanoi today; events kick off at 5 pm IST

Being in Asia, Trump did not feel Indo-Pak tension important enough to tweet

Trump-Kim working lunch cancelled; joint signing ceremony might be off as well: Reports

On day of summit with Trump, Kim also greets Russian President Putin

International

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

Is North Korea learning the tricks of the trade fast? On the day he met US President Donald Trump at the Capello Hotel in Singapore for a high-stakes summit aimed at normalising situations in the Korean Peninsula and the Far East, North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un sent a greeting message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

The report said the message from Kim was sent to Putin and the people of Russia on the occasion of Russia's National Day which falls on June 12.

"It said that the Russian people have achieved successes in the cause of building powerful Russia under his leadership, braving all challenges and difficulties," the KCNA report said.

In the message, Kim wished the strategic and traditional relations between North Korea and Russia would become stronger and it hoped success for Putin in building a powerful Russia.

Russia though started late in joining the scheme of things but it eventually joined as its foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, went to Pyongyang on May 31 and invited Kim to visit Moscow later this year, Russia's official sources informed.

The Russian ministry also said that Lavrov conveyed Putin's greeting to Kim saying the president wished him luck in the undertakings that have been initiated with an aim of achieving peace in the Korean Peninsula.

Lavrov was the first official to be received by the North Korean leader, reports said.

Putin has praised Kim on more than one occasion on the past. The signals are clear: The moment Kim succeeds in establishing peace with the US and the Korean Peninsula progresses towards denuclearisation, Russia will not fall back from the competition to influence Pyongyang, something that big powers like the US and China are already contemplating.

The coincidence of the Russian National Day falling on the same date as the summit also helped Kim's diplomacy.

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 11:27 [IST]PM Modi at G20 extraordinary summit: Need to ensure Afghan territory not used for terrorism

Pakistani Army Chief Gen. Bajwa in Kabul for official talk with Afghan Pres Ashraf Ghani

International

oi-Madhuri

Pakistan Army Chief Gen Bajwa arrived in Kabul on Tuesday for official talk with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

According to reports, Gen. Bajwa will lead a delegation of high level Pakistani officials and will likely hold talks regarding the recent talks in the framework of Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity.

This comes as the Afghan and Pakistani military officials reportedly met in Pakistan to boost the bilateral cooperation on security level amid ongoing efforts to establish the joint working groups as part of the Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS).

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 13:20 [IST]Collapse of Kabul will go down as one of the greatest defeats in American history: Donald Trump

Thousands of terrorists might have been airlifted out of Kabul: Trump slams Biden

Never in history has withdrawal from war been handled so badly: Trump

Photographers do some magic, make Trump, Kim look nice, handsome, thin

International

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Singapore, June 12: It's truly a historic event when American President Donald Trump met North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in Singapore on Tuesday. Forget about the outcome of the much-talked-about Singapore summit, the very fact that two most controversial world leaders of our times are meeting after overcoming several "obstacles" to pose for shutterbugs is something worth talking about.

The pictures of handshakes, pats and awkward bonhomie between the two leaders have been trending on social media much before the results of the event got unveiled.

One such moment which has left everyone in splits was when Trump was heard asking photographers to take "nice, handsome and thin" pictures of both the dignitaries standing in front of a massive dining table as a visibly nervous-looking Kim struggled to smile.

Trump to photographers: Are you taking good pictures so we look 'nice and handsome and thin?'



Kim Jong-un: ... pic.twitter.com/9SupjgBxie  NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 12, 2018

Of course, Trump was joking when he told photographers to take pictures that made him and North Korean leader look "handsome and thin."

According to pool reports, Trump made the comments to photographers and cameramen from the Singapore government's television channel, Host TV.

"Getting a good picture everybody? So we look nice and handsome and thin? Perfect," he said.

Now, everyone is wondering how to make both of them look "handsome and thin" which even best of Photoshop software will definitely fail to do so. While Kim harbours the grand illusion that he is the most handsome man with the best haircut in the world, Trump with his remark to photographers makes it clear that he is aware of the reality.

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 11:54 [IST]Collapse of Kabul will go down as one of the greatest defeats in American history: Donald Trump

Thousands of terrorists might have been airlifted out of Kabul: Trump slams Biden

Never in history has withdrawal from war been handled so badly: Trump

Trump-Kim Meeting Updates: 'Sanctions will remain until nukes are gone', says Trump

International

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Singapore witnessed a historic event today with US President Donald Trump and North Korean head, Kim Jong Un meeting at the Capella hotel. After the pleasantries the. Two leaders had a one on one meeting after shaking hands for nearly 13 seconds.

The two leaders had a working lunch as well post which several documents were signed. The two leaders committed the US to security guarantees and also the possible denuclearisation of Korea.

Follow the updates LIVE here:

Newest First Oldest First I had a good meeting with G7 but we have been taken advantage of by all the countries of G7. The picture with Angela Merkel, where I am sitting on the chair, we were just talking & waiting for documents, says US President Donald Trump in Singapore Trump said it would be "inappropriate" for the U.S. to perform joint military exercises with South Korea while working out this deal with North Korea, declaring such "war games" to be "provocative." I think this meeting was good for United States as it was for North Korea. Only a person who hates Donald Trump would say that I have agreed to make a big commitment. Yes, it was a big commitment to meet Kim. But, it was good for us, says US President Donald Trump Trump not only claimed he invited Kim to the White House, but claimed Kim has "accepted" that invitation. Trump said sanctions will remain in place until the nukes are gone. The sanctions will go away "once we can be sure the nukes are no longer a factor," he said. Human rights violation by North Korea were discussed. Korean conflict will end soon. Kim Jong Un is very talented Kim told me that we have never gone so far. He said that he never had the confidence in any of the previous Presidents in getting things done. He wanted to do this, even more than me, says Donald Trump Speaking on troops in South Korea, Trump said U.S. won't be reducing anything. But he quickly added that eventually he would like to see fewer Americans in South Korea. We signed a very comprehensive document today and I think when he (Kim Jong Un) lands in North Korea he will start the process soon, says Trump in Singapore. Trump claimed Kim told him North Korea is already destroying a "major" missile testing site. The president claimed that agreement came after the two signed the document. President Trump says Kim agreed to destroy a missile engine testing site after the signing of the joint statement. It is a great day & one of the greatest moments in the history of the world: US President Donald Trump after meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore. We're prepared to start a new history, and we're ready to write a new chapter between our nations, said President Trump Addressing a press conference, US President Donald Trump said Korean conflict will end soon. We are ready to change the world. Want to thank Singapore for hosting the summit Just spoke with FM Kono & FM Kang to provide a brief readout of todays meeting btw @POTUS & Chairman Kim at #singaporesummit pic.twitter.com/YRHgvf0V94  Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) June 12, 2018 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has tweeted an action photo of himself telling Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers Taro Kano and Kang Kyung-wha what Mr Trump and Mr Kim said to each other. According to the document Trump and Kim signed, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a high-level North Korean official will hold "follow-up" negotiations at the earliest possible date, "to implement the outcomes of the U.S.-DPRK summit." President Trump & Chairman Kim Jong-un depart signing ceremony at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island. #History #SingaporeSummit pic.twitter.com/Up9LHobA2j  Dan Scavino Jr. (@Scavino45) June 12, 2018 Dan Scavino, assistant to Trump, tweeted this video of Trump and Kim departing the signing ceremony. According to BBC reports, North Korean state television has started at its usual time of 0600 gmt on 12 June, but it has made no mention yet of leader Kim Jong-uns meeting with US President Donald Trump in Singapore a short while earlier. The signed document between Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump reveals: - New US-North Korea relations - Push for lasting and stable peace - Work towards complete denuclearisation - Recovery of POW/MIA remains The signed document between Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump reveals: - New US-North Korea relations - Push for lasting and stable peace - Work towards complete denuclearisation - Recovery of POW/MIA remains Kim's convoy was left Sentosa Island on Tuesday afternoon after he signed a document with the American president, who stayed behind at the hotel where the two leaders met. Kim Jong has committed to complete denuclearisation of North Korea. Kim Jong has left the Sentosa island after the summit. Both leaders exchanged farewells, this time without the help of interpreters. The document signed by Kim and Trump commits US to security guarantees. We are leaving the past behind, says North Korea's Kim Jong-un after historic summit with US President Donald Trump US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sign comprehensive  document, Kim says world will see a major change: We have decided to let go the past & now the world will see a major change: Kim Jong Un, after signing 'comprehensive document' with US President Donald Trump. 'Absolutely', says US President Donald Trump, when asked if he would invite North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to the White House. US president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim signed documents after a positive bilateral talks. US President Donald Trump says he and North Korea's Kim Jong Un will be signing a document shortly. Trump declined to specify what exactly the leaders would be signing. Trump said after emerging from hours of talks with Kim on Tuesday in Singapore that "we're going right now for a signing." Asked what he'd be signing, Trump said: "We're going to be announcing that in a couple of minutes." Trump also said that the meeting was "going great" and that they had made "a lot of progress." He says he thinks it was "better than anybody could imagine." Officials from the two sides held last-minute talks aimed at laying the groundwork for a meeting that was almost unthinkable just months ago when the two leaders were exchanging insults and threats that raised fears of war. US President Donald Trump said on Monday his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore could work out very nicely as officials from both countries sought to narrow differences on how to end a nuclear stand-off on the Korean peninsula. Kim, one of the worlds most reclusive leaders, made an evening tour of sites on Singapores waterfront, on the eve of the summit that is due to get underway on Tuesday morning at a nearby resort island. Kim Jong has left his hotel in Singapore to attend the summit with Donald Trump. The meeting is scheduled for 6.30 am India time. US president Donald Trump is on his way to the summit. The meeting with Kim Jong will take place soon. The convoys carrying Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump have arrived at the Singapore island hotel. The meeting will begin with a historic handshake and is expected to last for around 45 minutes. At 6.30 am the two leaders will meet. After a handshake, both would head into a room for the summit. President Trump will then address the media. The two leaders have decided to talk one-on-one for 45 minutes during the summit. The talks will be followed by an expanded bilateral meeting and working lunch, reports Singapore's The Straits Times Five cameramen from North Korea besides 10 American lesnmen and five journalists from Singapore are waiting for Trump and Kim to appear for the summit at the Capella Hotel in Sentosa, reports local media. Trump's motorcade has arrived at the Capella The moment: Kim and Trump shake hands and walk into their private meeting. Kim flashed a smile. Trump touched Kim's arm, and Kim touched Trump's. They spoke through translators. pic.twitter.com/RF3bJiMkay  Brian Ries (@moneyries) June 12, 2018 The big moment is here. Trump and Kim Jong have shaken hands are walking together into the room where the meeting will be held. After the hand-shake, both leaders walked into the room together. Trump was seen guiding Kim Jong into the room where the meeting is now being held. Trump, sitting next to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un: We are going to have a great discussion...its my honor...we will have a terrific relationship. pic.twitter.com/E8gfmzvmPc  Brian Ries (@moneyries) June 12, 2018 Trump and Kim have begun one on one talks. They would be speaking for under one hour before the expanded talks will begin. On the agenda are the nuclear capabilities of North Korea. Trump would look to convince Kim to give up the weapons. The body language of both leaders looks positive. The handshake was followed by a pat on the back by Trump. Trump says that he would have a great relationship with North Korea. Trump to address the media at 4 pm local time (1:30 pm IST) Kim said there were a number of "obstacles" to the meeting, but we have overcome all hurdles and here we are today. Kim spoke to reporters after the historic handshake through a translator. Trump on the other hand told reporters,  we will have a terrific relationship ahead. Trump and Kim will also have a working lunch. Trumps press conference following the meet will give us a better understanding of what the two leaders have accomplished post this historic meet. The handshake which was a historic moment was keenly watched by all to understand the body language of the two leaders. Trump briefly grabbed Kims upper arm before the handshake, following which he put his arm around Kims back to guide him to the meeting room. The interpreter with President Trump is Dr. Yun-hyang Lee. She is the division chief of interpreting services at the US state department. The one on one meeting has been completed. Both leaders take a short walk at the Capella hotel. The meeting lasted around 35 minutes. Next on line is the meeting with the advisers. The one on one meeting was a very good one says Donald Trump. We have an excellent relationship, the US president also said. Kim and Trump have begun their second series of talks after the one on one meeting concluded. Both are leaders are flanked by their respective advisers and interpreters. On the issue pertaining to North Koreas nuclear capabilities, Donald Trump says by working together, it will be taken care of. The dollar jumped to a 3-week top on Tuesday while Asian shares started cautiously as investors were hopeful of a positive outcome from a highly anticipated US-Korea summit, which could set the stage for ending a nuclear stand-off on the Korean peninsula. Japan's Nikkei climbed 0.8 percent to the highest in three weeks and South Korean shares added 0.1 percent. Australia's benchmark index was a tad firmer while New Zealand eased 0.3 percent. That left MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan a touch softer at 573.31. Trump's translator, according to a U.S. State Department official, is Yun-hyang Lee, Division Chief of Interpreting Services at the State Department. Translators in a situation like this one, whether neither Trump nor Kim is fluent in the other's language and where the stakes are this high, are key. Hollywood celebrity Dennis Rodman gets emotional on CNN while sharing his joy at seeing his "friend" Kim Jong-un meeting. Dennis Rodman, who is in Singapore says, "Many thought this day was never possible. President Trump made it happen under two years."Trump-Kim summit: Interpreters have massive role to play in talks like these

International

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

Samuel P Huntington had spoken about "clash of civilisations" but at the Capella Hotel in Singapore on Tuesday, June 12, it was almost like a "meeting of civilisations".

US President Donald Trump shook hands with yet another world leader and this time, it was Kim Jong-un, the dictator of the hermit kingdom of North Korea ahead of their historic summit at the neutral venue.

Such a meeting was unthinkable even six months ago when the two leaders found themselves in the middle of a verbal confrontation over North Korea's nuclear programme. The two met over a one-on-one meeting after shaking hands and they were accompanied by their interpreters.

Inclusion of interpreters in such high-profile summits is not something new but for a summit between a US president and a North Korean leader, they assume utmost significance because the chances of misinterpretation and misunderstanding are too high.

Generally, meetings between top leaderships of countries that have been too incompatible with each other are preceded by comprehensive confidence-building measures. In case of the US and North Korea, it didn't happen as extensively as one would expect for North Korea is too isolated a country yet to engage in all-out diplomatic parleys. This makes the scope for misinterpretation even higher.

Kim Jong-un's initial words after meeting Trump were appreciated by the latter which proved that the interpreters did it correctly and the world would hope that they do their duties best throughout the all important day, i.e., June 12.Trump & Kim to meet over one-on-chat, dinner in Hanoi today; events kick off at 5 pm IST

Being in Asia, Trump did not feel Indo-Pak tension important enough to tweet

Trump-Kim working lunch cancelled; joint signing ceremony might be off as well: Reports

Trump-Kim summit: Leaders sign 'comprehensive' document after talks

International

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

US President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday, June 12, signed a "comprehensive" document at the conclusion of their summit in Singapore.

Kim aired optimism at the end of the talks saying "the world will see a major change". He admitted during the summit that there are challenges but nevertheless vowed to work with Trump - an individual he had a sour relation even six months ago.

Trump, on the other hand, said after signing the joint document that the denuclearisation process will start soon, China's People's Daily reported.

Though the content of the document was not known immediately, Trump said he would discuss it in details in a press conference.

The two leaders held the signed documents in their hands on the steps of the Capello Hotel where the summit took place. They had another round of handshake with Trump praising Kim as a "very talented man" and saying that they would hold meetings "many times".

Earlier, Trump and Kim seemed to have grown a rapport as they went to a post-lunch stroll around the hotel. Trump told the media that his meeting with Kim went great and it was "better than anybody could've expected".

At the extended bilateral meeting on Tuesday morning which took place soon after the two leaders' one-on-one meeting, Kim said the summit served as a "prelude to peace" to which the American president concurred.Being in Asia, Trump did not feel Indo-Pak tension important enough to tweet

Trumps views on Kim: From rocket man to madman to very talented man

International

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

So much changes in international relations in a short time. In September 2017, US President Donald Trump had referred to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as "Rocket man" in a Twitter post and it was understandably in reference to the latter's insatiable hunger for more nuclear power. Trump also ripped North Korea apart in an aggressive speech that he delivered at the UN General Assembly the same month.

Kim responded a few days thereafter questioning Trump's mental health and even called him a "mentally deranged dotard" although the term 'dotard' left North Korea's official press under a lot of hardship to find the exact translation of the term.

Trump was unfazed, however. He called Kim "little rocket man" again at a rally in Alabama and even questioned the justification of Kim calling him "old" as an insult.

"Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me 'old' when I would NEVER call him 'short and fat?' Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen!" the American president had once tweeted.

Trump had also questioned Kim's mental health calling him as a "madman" who never stopped short of killing and starving his own people.

By November, the verbal confrontation multiplied as Kim proceeded further on the path to procure a fresh kind of intercontinental ballistic missile that would put the US within Pyongyang's striking range. Trump hit back, saying he would unleash "fire and fury" if North Korea continued to threaten the US.

They even threatened each other earlier this year with the "nuclear button" that both claimed to have closer to their fingers.

Things, however, started changing from March when Trump readily accepted an offer for direct talks from Kim via a South Korean official. And finally when Trump met Kim at the Capello Hotel in Singapore and had a number of rounds of meeting with him, he felt the latter is a "very talented man" who "loves his country very much".

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 12:37 [IST]UN scrambles to avert 'fierce bloody battle' for Yemen port

International

pti-PTI

United Nations, June 12: The United Nations on Tuesday mobilised to avert a "fierce, bloody battle" for a key port in Yemen that provides a lifeline for food, medicine and other vital supplies.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with Yemen's foreign minister at UN headquarters in New York amid warnings that an attack on rebel-held Hodeida was imminent.

Guterres said his envoy Martin Griffiths was locked in "intense negotiations" with Yemen's rebel Huthis, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to find a "way to avoid the military confrontation in Hodeida.

" During his meeting with Yemen's new Foreign Minister Khaled Alyemany, Guterres stressed that "everyone should redouble efforts to find a political solution and avoid a fierce, bloody battle for Hodeida," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The United Nations pulled all of its international staff out of Hodeida early today. For the past two weeks, Yemen government troops backed by the coalition have been closing in on Hodeida, which they claim is being used by Huthi rebels to smuggle weapons.

The Security Council met behind closed doors at Britain's request after London told aid agencies on the ground that it had received a warning from the United Arab Emirates of an imminent attack. The United Nations has warned that up to 250,000 people were at risk if the coalition moves ahead with an all-out offensive to take the Red Sea port.

UN aid chief Mark Lowcock said an attack on Hodeida would be "catastrophic" and that aid agencies were hoping to "stay and deliver" in Yemen, which the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Yemen relies on imports for 90 per cent of its food, and 70 percent of the imports transit through Hodeida, Lowcock told reporters after briefing the council. Griffiths, who briefed the council by video conference from Amman, has revived a year-old plan to turn over Hodeida port to a neutral party, diplomats said.

Following the closed-door council meeting, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, who is council president this month, called for de-escalation and said the top UN body would be "closely" following developments. "We are hoping for the efforts of the special envoy to bring a positive resolution. We left it in his hands for the time being," Nebenzia told reporters.

The council did not specifically call on the coalition to refrain from attacking Hodeida and diplomats said there had been much discussion over the president's statement to the press.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had spoken with Emirati leaders and urged them to work with the United Nations but his statement fell short of warning the coalition against launching an all-out offensive.

"I have spoken with Emirati leaders and made clear our desire to address their security concerns while preserving the free flow of humanitarian aid and life-saving commercial imports," he said.

Griffiths is set to present on June 18 a new peace plan for Yemen, but he has warned that military action could derail that effort.

Eleven humanitarian aid agencies, including Oxfam and Save the Children, separately urged British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to threaten to cut off British support to the coalition if it attacks Hodeida.

PTICollapse of Kabul will go down as one of the greatest defeats in American history: Donald Trump

Thousands of terrorists might have been airlifted out of Kabul: Trump slams Biden

Never in history has withdrawal from war been handled so badly: Trump

When #TwoDictators, Trump and Kim, meet, take a deep breath and dont miss the insanity

International

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Singapore, June 12: In a post-truth world, this is not a piece of fake news. Finally, American President Donald Trump met North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in "neutral" Singapore on Tuesday and it is all about bromance between the two most powerful men in the world.

Yes, they are not at each other's throats, as they were a few weeks ago, threatening to wipe out the entire world with their nukes. Rather they were seen warmly shaking each other's hands, exchanging pats and smiles, enough to melt the heart of a brute too.

Tuesday brought to our television screens the most "bizarre" episode of reality--an American President meeting a North Korean dictator in an attempt to end the seven-decade-long hostility between the two nations in the backdrop of intense nuclear hostility.

While a host of journalists from across the world flew down to Singapore, the two men held a quick close-door meeting after posing for shutterbugs as television anchors were busy reading the body language of Trump and Kim. Kim was definitely little nervous, and Trump as usual was overconfident.

As the meeting between Trump-Kim generated unprecedented amount of positivity and negativity at the same time, we can't blame when an American television anchor ended up making the ultimate gaffe--"two dictators".

After Fox News host Abby Huntsman mistakenly used the term to describe both President Trump and North Korean leader Kim as "two dictators", the hashtag #TwoDictators trended on Twitter.

Later, Huntsman did apologise but the damage was already done to the utter delight of many Trump critics who find the American President nothing less than a "f**k" like Hollywood veteran Robert De Niro who in his 'gusty' speech at Tony awards on Sunday in New York said what many always want to say.

There is definitely a lot at stake for America, North Korea and world at large as both Trump and Kim overcame several "obstacles" to sit and talk together in the grand Capella resort.

"At stake in the meeting is the American goal of ridding North Korea of its nuclear arsenal, Mr. Kim's desire to remove American weapons from the Korean Peninsula and to be recognized as a player on the world stage, and the international desire to ease the North's provocations, poverty and extreme isolation," wrote The New York Times.

If the meeting yields any immediate result, it could also officially end the war between North Korea and South Korea with a "peace treaty".

While experts are busy analysing what could be the final outcome of the high-profile meeting--"a peace treaty ending the Korean War, complete denuclearisation of North Korea or will it be just an elaborate get-to-know-you session"--social media is where one can get a glimpse of a cross-section of views.

From #TrumpKimSummit, US President Donald Trump, Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, Twitter has turned into 'Trump, Kim PlayStation', where Democrat, Republican, right winger, left winger, liberal and anybody and everybody is having a fun-filled time.

Here are a few tweets that reflect the mood of the world as Trump and Kim get busy solving the problems of the world:

If you believe Kim Jong-Un starved his people for YEARS to build a nuclear arsenal that put him in the driver's seat, JUST to relinquish them to a DOTARD...



...then you've been drinking too much covfefe, my friend. North Korea has already won #TrumpKimSummit pic.twitter.com/OTqF8qnFth  BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) June 12, 2018

Trump admires dictatorship and resents Democratic institutions. Why else would he feel compelled to say to Kim Jong Un  a dictator  it is my honor to meet you? There is a special place in hell for people like that  or wait was that Trudeau?  pic.twitter.com/URPsjjVJP7  Ahmed Shihab-Eldin (@ASE) June 12, 2018

Conservatives actually think Kim Jong Un spent years abusing and starving his own people to create a powerful nuclear arsenal just for a narcissistic Buffoon who thinks himself a Monarch to convince him to destroy it? Kim got what he wanted, documented legitimacy. #TrumpKimSummit  Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) June 12, 2018

The worst president in US history shakes hands with the most repressive dictator in Korean history.

This is the most disgraceful act--giving America's sanction to a brutal killer. #TrumpKimSummit pic.twitter.com/zFunjpIB5m  Victoria Brownworth (@VABVOX) June 12, 2018

Im adamantly against Trump but hopeful for peace. The world is so unconventional but if it takes two ruthless dictators and a Dennis Rodman for everyone to get along, Id take that over a devastating nuclear war. #TrumpKimSummit  Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) June 12, 2018

A historic night!



Our Commander of Cheese, President Chump just met Kim Jong Un for the world's longest handshake before the 2 men prepared to argue over hand size, nuke size and whether the title "Supreme Leader" automatically makes Jong Un the better dictator#TrumpKimSummit  Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) June 12, 2018

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Story first published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 9:21 [IST]Logistics firm Kuehne + Nagel is to join Budapest Airports cargo community on 1 July, having leased warehouse and office space at the Hungarian gateway.

Rene Droese, director property and cargo at the airport, said: I look at forwarder companies as our closest strategic partners in developing our cargo route network. Jointly, we can bring the right cargo airlines with the right capacity and flight frequency to Budapest.

The new North American services that will soon provide belly capacity between Budapest and New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Toronto, for instance, illustrate the citys growing connectivity.

Laszlo Szabo, national air freight manager for Kuehne + Nagel Hungary, referred to these flights as one of the factors in the forwarders decision to partner with Budapest Airport, saying: We believe that keeping our fingers on the pulse of our customers business helps us to react rapidly and meet all of their expectations.

This summer will see the start of construction of a new dedicated freight centre, Cargo City, as part of Budapest Airports 160m BUD: 2020 Development Programme. The facility is scheduled for handover in the second quarter of 2019, and will expand the hubs cargo handling capacity to 250,000 tonnes per year.

Cargo City will handle freighters operated by carriers including Cargolux, Turkish Cargo, and Qatar Airways Cargo, as well as belly cargo from other airlines.

Budapest Airport also opened two major integrator facilities last summer.

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Switzerland Approves Online Gambling Bill, but Not Everyone is Happy

Published June 12, 2018 by Lee R

Switzerland has approved an online gambling bill that freezes out foreign operators.

Online gambling in Switzerland is in, foreign operators are not.

Foreign Gaming Blocked

By an overwhelming and sweeping vote, Swiss voters supported an already approved Parliamentary measure to legalize iGaming by certifying Swiss online casinos, with the caveat that internet access providers block all foreign betting sites.

The Winning Tally

The final support toll for the new Gambling Act was 72.9% of voters, which heftily overrode the primary opposition argument that the law amounts to online censorship.

Tough Stance Nonetheless

The opening of iGaming in Switzerland in 2019 is actually considered one of Europes stiffer regulation stances.

The reason for the key qualifier according to the government is the drive towards tackling problem gambling and addiction.

Staying Faithful to Initiatives

Swiss Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga explained the bans as necessary to ensure compliance national gambling laws, which are focussed on a mandate to block known addicts.

Sommaruga further voiced his concern over Swiss gamblers to this point sending some 250 million francs ($254 million) to foreign gambling sites outside Swiss jurisdiction who do not contribute taxes to Swiss government funded and mandated anti-gambling programs.

Arguments Against

Opposing arguments called for the government to offer incentives to companies who agree to be taxed, and finding further fault with the law for ultimately draining away revenues by raising the threshold for taxable winnings from 1000 francs currently to over one million as reported by AFP. Finally, opponents called the majority of support backed by large casinos, or those interests who stand to benefit the most from blocking out foreign operators.

The Opponents

This opposition tallied out to a referendum of over 50,000 signatures gathered to overturn the Gambling Act.

The campaigners against were comprised primarily of youth wings of political parties from both the right and left who argued that the law would pave the way for state censorship of the internet.

Holding the Course

However, politicians were not perturbed in their pursuit of protective gambling laws, with proponent Karl Vogler of the Christian Democrats ultimately calling approval of the law a "pragmatic decision by Swiss voters who want to continue funding civil society projects with revenue of the casinos and lotteries.

Time Will Tell

Vast amounts of money currently being spent in the existing 21 licensed Swiss casinos, lotteries, and commercial betting services. If the largest spoils go to the largest backers, consider it a win for Big Business. If the statistics on problem gambling go down and investment in social programming from taxation revenue in Switzerland goes up, consider it a triumph of the system.Bailey McCann, Opalesque New York:

A global poll of 418 fund managers representing over $30trn in AUM reveals research unbundling is expanding to the US and Asia. The trend is mostly seen as positive for end investors, although bad for brokers, while smaller companies are expected to be more negatively affected.

The survey, released by RSRCHXchange reveals a consensus view that unbundling is going global. 83% of respondents in the US think unbundling will take effect within the next four years and 53% of respondents in Asia expect it to take effect within two years. The smallest firms believe that change will come through regulation, whereas those in the largest firms believe it will be global compliance policies that will be the root cause of the global proliferation.

Attitudes to unbundling in Europe are generally negative but most respondents believe that it is positive for end investors, although negative for research providers and mixed for asset managers themselves. 78% of respondents within Europe thought unbundling was bad for brokers where as 53% felt it was a good thing for investors.

So far, research is being offered at a low price as any added fee related to investing now comes under almost immediate pressure from investors. However, investors note that the quality of research could suffer as a result and further 75% of respondents agree that the current low prices for research are not sustainable.

The impact of research unbundling is being f......................

To view our full article Click hereOpalesque Industry Update - Sustainability continues to be a hot topic issue. From the Paris Climate Accord, to the sourcing of food or the treatment of the individuals involved in the production of goods, sustainability has become an increasingly prominent issue in global news and can directly impact consumers' perception of individual companies and, ultimately, a company's bottom line. As social media continues to highlight the extent of damage that can be done when a company's pollution of the environment or unethical treatment of employees or animals is placed under the microscope, investors are stepping up the importance they ascribe to sustainability reporting. Though sustainability reporting is still in its early stages for most firms, heightened attention to the topic and efforts to enhance the consistency and quality of sustainability reports make it clear that the focus on sustainability isn't going away anytime soon. Given this reality, The New York Alternative Investment Roundtable recently sponsored the third day-long Sustainability Investment Leadership Conference (SILC), where attendees were surveyed about the topic. "Regulation requires companies to report on some sustainability matters that they otherwise might not have reported on but once companies start to focus on a sustainability matter, they tend to go well beyond the minimum compliance requirements," said Michael Littenberg, a partner at global law firm Ropes & Gray. Noting that regulation is not the only catalyst driving companies to enhance sustainability disclosure, however, he added: "pressure is coming from many areas, including from NGOs, peers, competitors, customers and even internal stakeholders." One particular area of concern relates to sustainability reporting. This SILC event highlighted some of the risks related to the supply chain and the importance of companies being aware of and transparent about such risks. "In the past, you could have a problem somewhere in a factory or in the supply chain that wouldn't be brought to the public's attention, but today everything is immediate through social media and mainstream media. You can no longer just hide and hope it goes away," said Christian Frutiger, global head of public affairs for Nestle S.A., commenting on the importance of companies being aware of any risks they are exposed to in their supply chains and actively managing such risks and sharing this information with investors. "Social media is a reality and it's here to stay," he said, noting that a lot of damage that can be done to a company's brand through social media controversies. Nonetheless, he believes the speed of social media provides a great opportunity to bring a brand's story to consumers, such as the positive impacts of sustainable sourcing on farming communities. Roundtable members believe that sustainability reporting is becoming increasingly important for companies across the board, regardless of size or industry. 73% of respondents to this year's survey said that they believe sustainability reporting is equally important for all companies, compared with 70% of respondents in 2017, 65% of respondents in 2016 and 41% in 2015; while only 27% of respondents believe sustainability reporting is more important for large, international companies, compared with 30% in 2017, 35% in 2016 and 59% in 2015. "As issues related to sustainability are increasingly highlighted by the media and become a regular part of the conversation, the importance of sustainability reporting has moved to the forefront of investors' minds," said Adam Weinstein, President of the New York Alternative Investment Roundtable and a managing director at an alternative asset management firm. "Given the rising importance of sustainability to companies' bottom lines, The New York Alternative Investment Roundtable will maintain its dedication to examining the topic and promoting best practices in this area." New York Alternative Investment Roundtable members had the opportunity to weigh in on this topic both at the SILC event, as well as through an online electronic poll. *Of the respondents to this survey, 29% were fund managers; 17% were allocators; 23% were risk management or trading; 22% were service providers; and 9% were other industry participants. Following are some of the key findings to this year's survey, compared with answers to the same questions in recent years: Asked whether their firms consider whether or not companies practice sustainability reporting when choosing where to invest, 68% of respondents said they do, while 32% do not. Comparatively, when asked the same question in 2017, 51% of respondents said it is a factor in determining the companies they invest in, while 49% said it is not; and in 2016 54% of respondents said it is a factor, while 46% said it wasn't.

When asked whether sustainability reporting is worth the added costs and the additional time needed to produce such reports, 61% of respondents think it is, compared with 65% of respondents in 2017, 60% of respondents in 2016 and 46% of respondents in 2015; 35% of respondents said that they believe it is still too early to know whether investors will eventually hold it against companies that don't report on their sustainability efforts, compared with 32% of respondents in 2017, 31% of respondents in 2016 and 49% in 2015; and 4% think the focus on sustainability will be short lived and isn't worth the effort, compared with 3% in 2017, 9% in 2016 and 5% in 2015.

73% of respondents said they believe sustainability reporting is equally important for all companies, compared with 70% of respondents in 2017, 65% of respondents in 2016 and 41% in 2015; while 27% believe it is far more important for large, international companies, compared with 30% in 2017, 35% in 2016 and 59% in 2015.

Asked if they believe sustainability reporting could ever become a common practice among companies without regulatory involvement, 40% of respondents think that companies may voluntarily produce reports, but that regulatory involvement will be necessary to ensure high quality reports and consistency, compared with 48% of respondents in 2017, 26% of respondents in 2016 and 30% of respondents in 2015; 22% think that sustainability can have a big enough impact on a company's ultimate profitability that companies have started to realize it is in their best interest to focus on the issue and produce reports, compared with 44% in 2017, 49% of respondents in 2016 and 46% in 2015; and 38% think that regulatory requirements are the only thing that could ever bring about market-wide reporting, compared with 8% in 2017, 25% of respondents in 2016 and 24% in 2015.

When asked if sustainability reporting is likely to become more or less important within the next decade, 48% of respondents said that investors are starting to put enough emphasis on such reports that companies that fail to generate sustainability reports risk the loss of investor support, compared with 51% of respondents in 2017, 43% of respondents in 2016 and 61% in 2015; % think there is still enough investor uncertainty about how such reports can translate to stronger long term performance for companies that it is still too early to know, compared with 22% of respondents in 2017, 20% of respondents in 2016 and 21% in 2015; 17% think sustainability reports will need to become more uniform and concise before they can become a critical factor in the companies that investors choose, compared with 22% in 2017, 33% of respondents in 2016 and 15% in 2015; and 9% think sustainability reporting is only a fad and won't gain long-term traction, compared with 5% of respondents in 2017, 4% of respondents in 2016 and 3% in 2015.

Asked whether their acceptance of sustainability would change if it focused more on things like building a company's reputation, health community involvement and good employee relations, versus environmental issues such as global warning, 39%% said there would be no change in their attitude toward sustainability, compared with 51% of respondents in 2017 and 46% of respondents in 2016; 48% said they would be more likely to embrace the concept, compared with 42% of respondents in 2017 and 45% of respondents in 2016; and 13% said they would be less likely to accept sustainability, compared with 7% in 2017 and 9% in 2016.Opalesque Industry Update - Nuveen, a leading global investment manager, appointed Rune Sanbeck as Head of International Advisory Services for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. In this newly created role, Sanbeck will lead Nuveen's strategy to deliver the firm's asset management expertise and solutions to clients across the EMEA region. He reports to John Panagakis, Nuveen's global head of International Advisory Services, and is based in the firm's London offices. "Nuveen has built a strong foundation with institutional investors in the EMEA region through its distinctive expertise in real estate, real assets and fixed income," said Panagakis. "Rune and his colleagues will build on that success and deepen our relationships by delivering all of our insights and solutions to help clients meet their investing goals." Nuveen collectively serves approximately 400 institutional clients in the EMEA region across a wide range of insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, pension systems and other major investors. The firm offers a wide range of separate accounts, commingled fund and UCITS strategies to investors covering five major asset classes-U.S. equity, global equity, fixed income, real assets and alternative strategies. Sanbeck joins Nuveen from Dimensional Fund Advisors, where he was Head of Institutional Sales and Marketing EMEA. Previously, Sanbeck was with BlackRock where he was Head of the Nordic region for the Institutional Business, iShares, and Retail, and was also a member of the European Leadership Group. Sanbeck started his career with McKinsey & Co., where he worked with financial institutions in Northern Europe and South Africa. His background also includes experience with SEB Asset Management, Danske Capital, and Barclays Global Investors (which eventually became BlackRock). He holds an MSc in economics from the University of Copenhagen, EDP from Wharton Business School and is a Chartered Financial Analyst designation holder.Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

From Robert Reich Blog



President Trump fought with some of America's closest allies during the G7 meeting in Canada.

(Image by YouTube, Channel: RT America) Details DMCA



Please do not lose faith in the United States. For over 70 years our beliefs and values have made us staunch allies. Nothing and no one can change that.

Most Americans continue to value your loyalty and friendship, and look forward to many more years collaborating in the causes of democracy, equal opportunity, science, the environment, balanced growth, and human rights. And against totalitarianism, xenophobia, ignorance, climate change, nuclear Armageddon, and global poverty.

The current occupant of the White House does not represent the views of the majority of Americans. We are doing everything we can to ensure that he will not be president beyond his current term, which ends in January, 2021. It is possible he will be removed from office before then.

In the meantime, you can help.

You can maintain a united front against his nativism and xenophobia.

You can join together to resist his demand that you reduce exports to the United States.

You can maintain the Paris climate accord despite the (hopefully temporary) absence of the United States.

You can countervail any harm to your businesses should they fail to go along with renewed U.S. sanctions against Iran.

You can jointly refuse to allow Russia to rejoin the G-7 alliance until Russia terminates its annexation of Crimea, ends its aggression in Ukraine, and stops its efforts to undermine democracies around the world.

You can continue to stand against tyranny and stand for democracy and basic human rights.

You will be more powerful in these efforts if you join together than you can be separately. Together, you can better help constrain our current president than you can separately.

Until the United States is able to resume its postwar role of world leadership on these and other matters, the responsibility must fall to you. We urge you to unite in pursuit of them.

Respectfully,

The majority of the citizens of the United StatesWould you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

From Gush Shalom

IT'S FRIGHTENING. Unprincipled psychologists, in the service of a malignant regime, use sophisticated techniques in order to control the mind of a person from afar.

The term "brainwashing" was born in 1950. It is a Chinese word ("xinao," literally wash brain). Originally it served to describe a technique used -- so it was claimed -- by Chinese masterminds to manipulate the minds of American prisoners in the Korean War. They changed their unconscious mental processes and turned them into agents of sinister forces.

Many books and movies purported to show how this works. For example, the classic film "The Manchurian Candidate" shows how the communists take an American prisoner-of-war in the Korean war, an officer, manipulate his mind and give him an order to kill the US presidential candidate. The American officer does not know that he has been turned unconsciously into a communist agent. He does not remember the order given him under hypnosis and does not know that he acts accordingly.

THIS PLOT is ridiculous, like most of the pseudo-scientific descriptions. In practice, it is much easier to manipulate the minds of people, individuals and collectives.

For example, the Nazi "propaganda." It was invented by Adolf Hitler himself. In his book, "Mein Kampf," he describes how, as a soldier on the Western front in WWI, he witnessed the extremely successful British propaganda. The British dropped leaflets over the German trenches and shattered the soldiers' confidence in their leadership.

When Hitler came to power in Germany, he entrusted one of his faithful henchmen, Joseph Goebbels, with the creation of a Ministry of Propaganda. Goebbels turned propaganda into an art form. Among other means he turned all the German media -- newspapers and the radio -- into government agencies. In German that was called "Gleichschaltung" -- connecting all components to one electric line. Thanks to this, Nazi Germany continued fighting long after it was clear that it had lost WWII.

One of the means was the disconnection of the German public from any other source of information. The official propaganda was blared from every medium. Listening to a foreign broadcast was a major crime, punished severely.

Thus it happened that the Germans still believed in their final victory -- the Endsieg -- even after the Soviets in the East and the Anglo-Saxons in the West had already crossed the borders into Germany.

DOES IT take a dictatorial regime -- Nazi or Communist -- to turn the media into a brainwashing machine? Common sense says that this is impossible in a democracy. Common sense is wrong.

It will be remembered that Hitler attained power by democratic means. Even now, fanatical nationalists are winning democratic elections in many countries. All their leaders are busy destroying the courts, stuffing the parliaments with useful idiots and -- especially -- turning the media into brainwashing instruments. In our country, too.

How is this done? It's quite simple, really: one has to suppress all other voices. One has to make sure that the citizen hears only one voice. One that repeats a few messages over and over, endlessly. This way the lie becomes truth.

In such a situation, the ordinary citizen becomes convinced that the official line is really their own personal opinion. This is an unconscious process. When one tells a citizen that they are brainwashed, they are deeply insulted.

This has been happening in Israel over the last few years. The citizen is not conscious that it is happening. He or she absorbs diverse newspapers, TV programs and radio broadcasts, and sees that all these media are freely arguing with each other and even quarreling with each other. The citizen is not conscious of the fact that on the one critical subject of our life -- war and peace -- all the media are "connected" to one singular line of brainwashing.

DURING THE last few weeks we have been seeing a perfect example of this mechanism. The events on the Gaza Strip border have activated a mechanism of brainwashing that dictatorial regimes in the world can only envy.

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RT @PaladinCornelia: There is now clear evidence of Russia-#BREXIT-Trump campaign collusion. 1. The Brits deserve to have a #BREXIT re-vo at

RT @TheDailyEdge: The three people in this picture with Donald Trump have now confessed to colluding with Russia to rig the #Brexit vote. h at

RT @VICE: Everything you need to know about the bombshell report linking Russia to Brexit. https://t.co/kkWONdGPHn at https://t.co/kkWONdGPHn

RT @kelly2277: HOLY SHIT BREAKING NEWS The spy that was kicked out of UK after Skripal poisoning was the SAME spy that connected Brexit Bo at

Sorry to interrupt the wall-to-wall hamburger and dictator coverage, but this a BFD. The billionaire who funded Brexit (Arron Banks) literally just told Nigel Farage in a live interview that "low level" Russian collusion maybe kinda sorta happened in the Brexit campaign. https://t.co/FXSKxz80hd

Aaron Banks, the billionaire who reportedly gave Donald Trump's team phone number to the Russian ambassador, is alleged to have been involved in collusion with Russia to rig the Brexit vote.

Rob Kall is an award winning journalist, inventor, software architect, connector and visionary. His work and his writing have been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, ABC, the HuffingtonPost, Success, Discover and other media.

Check out his platform at RobKall.com

He is the author of The Bottom-up Revolution; Mastering the Emerging World of Connectivity

He's given talks and workshops to Fortune 500 execs and national medical and psychological organizations, and pioneered first-of-their-kind conferences in Positive Psychology, Brain Science and Story. He hosts some of the world's smartest, most interesting and powerful people on his Bottom Up Radio Show, and founded and publishes one of the top Google- ranked progressive news and opinion sites, OpEdNews.com

more detailed bio:

Rob Kall has spent his adult life as an awakener and empowerer-- first in the field of biofeedback, inventing products, developing software and a music recording label, MuPsych, within the company he founded in 1978-- Futurehealth, and founding, organizing and running 3 conferences: Winter Brain, on Neurofeedback and consciousness, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology (a pioneer in the field of Positive Psychology, first presenting workshops on it in 1985) and Storycon Summit Meeting on the Art Science and Application of Story-- each the first of their kind. Then, when he found the process of raising people's consciousness and empowering them to take more control of their lives one person at a time was too slow, he founded Opednews.com-- which has been the top search result on Google for the terms liberal news and progressive opinion for several years. Rob began his Bottom-up Radio show, broadcast on WNJC 1360 AM to Metro Philly, also available on iTunes, covering the transition of our culture, business and world from predominantly Top-down (hierarchical, centralized, authoritarian, patriarchal, big) to bottom-up (egalitarian, local, interdependent, grassroots, archetypal feminine and small.) Recent long-term projects include a book, Bottom-up-- The Connection Revolution, debillionairizing the planet and the Psychopathy Defense and Optimization (more...)

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.

Reprinted from cpj.org

In 1993, WILK radio host Frederick Vopper broadcast a conversation intercepted by an illegal wiretap and sent anonymously to the Pennsylvania radio station, in which two teachers union officials discussed violent negotiating tactics. The officials sued Vopper, arguing that he should be liable for the illegal wiretap that captured their comments. But the Supreme Court disagreed. As Justice John Paul Stevens wrote in the Bartnicki v. Vopper decision, "A stranger's illegal conduct does not suffice to remove the First Amendment shield from speech about a matter of public concern."

In April, the Democratic National Committee, the governing body of the Democratic Party, announced that it was suing WikiLeaks and Julian Assange--along with a number of other defendants, including the Trump campaign and Russian operatives--for their alleged involvement in the theft and dissemination of DNC computer files during the 2016 election. On its surface, the DNC's argument seems to fly in the face of the Supreme Court's precedent in Bartnicki v. Vopper that publishers are not responsible for the illegal acts of their sources. It also goes against press freedom precedents going back to the Pentagon Papers and contains arguments that could make it more difficult for reporters to do their jobs or that foreign governments could use against U.S. journalists working abroad, First Amendment experts told CPJ.

"I'm unhappy that there's even an allegation that you could be held liable for publishing leaked information that you didn't have anything to do with obtaining," said George Freeman, a former lawyer for The New York Times and executive director of the independent advisory group, Media Law Resource Center. James Goodale, the First Amendment lawyer who defended The New York Times in the 1971 Pentagon Papers case, said that the suit appeared to be the first time WikiLeaks has been sued for a journalistic function. Goodale, a senior adviser to CPJ and former board chair, added that the DNC had "paid zero attention to the First Amendment ramifications of their suit."

The DNC argues that WikiLeaks was involved in a conspiracy, rendering the normally protected act of publicizing documents tantamount to the criminal act of hacking the servers. Its suit contends that WikiLeaks and Assange violated laws that ban disseminating trade secrets and forbid wiretapping. To tie WikiLeaks and Assange to the underlying illegal act of hacking, the DNC cited the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a law originally intended to tie street-level criminals to gang leaders.

President Trump has denied that his campaign was involved in such a conspiracy, and Russian President Vladimir Putin denied the hackers acted on behalf of his government.

The case raises a number of important press freedom questions: Where should courts draw the line between source-building and "conspiring"? What activities could implicate a journalist in a source's illegal behavior? Would putting a SecureDrop link soliciting leaks count as illegal conspiracy? And if a reporter asked for documents on an individual while indicating that they think the person deserves to be exposed, would that count as shared motive, or is the only truly protected activity passively receiving leaks, like radio host Vopper?

"There is a spectrum that run on one side from someone dropping a plain manila envelope, to the other extreme where you actually steal the documents yourself," said David McCraw, deputy general counsel for The New York Times. "The line in the middle is still being determined by the courts."

David Bralow, an attorney with The Intercept, added, "It's hard to see many of WikiLeaks' activities as being different than other news organizations' actions when it receives important information, talks to sources and decides what to publish. The First Amendment protects all speakers, not simply a special class of speaker."

The DNC lawsuit claims that Assange harbored animosity toward Clinton, was in touch with the Trump campaign, and timed the release of his documents to harm the Clinton campaign. But as McCraw said, a publisher "having a point of view," doesn't mean they aren't engaged in "journalistic activity." And coordinating publication time doesn't necessarily establish an "agent-principal" relationship between the hackers who broke the law and the publishers.

Xochitl Hinojosa, a DNC spokesperson, told CPJ, "This lawsuit is about an illegal foreign intelligence operation against the United States by a hostile adversary that found active and willing partners in the Trump campaign, as well as WikiLeaks, which acted at the behest of the Russians." Hinojosa added, "We will present these arguments further in court."

WikiLeaks did not respond to CPJ's emailed request for comment.

Marcy Wheeler, an independent national security reporter who has reviewed the DNC complaint, said the legal theory behind it could be applied to other leaks such as the Panama Papers and the Paradise Papers--internal documents that were likely obtained illegally from law firms and financial institutions, and then passed to the press. Similar legal cases have already been brought in Europe. One of the law firms named in the Paradise Papers case sued the BBC and the Guardian, the BBC reported.

The DNC's argument, Wheeler said, could be replicated by the Department of Justice to target an outlet like The Intercept. "If this precedent is out there, the government would happily describe The Intercept as a co-conspirator," in the Winners or Albury leaks, she told CPJ, referring to former military contractor Reality Winners, and former FBI agent Terry Albury, whom several news outlets speculated were the sources for major leak investigations revealed by The Intercept.

The Department of Justice has also previously tried to implicate reporters in leak instigations, including in 2010, when it named Fox News reporter James Rosen in a search warrant as a "co-conspirator" and surveilled him.

This is why CPJ has long maintained that WikiLeaks and Assange should not be prosecuted under the Espionage Act for publishing classified documents procured by someone else. WikiLeaks, however, has not always been a responsible steward of its materials. In 2011, the organization released unredacted diplomatic cables that endangered the life of the Ethiopian reporter Argaw Ashine. And in general, WikiLeak's practice of publicizing large data dumps without probing the context or motivations of leakers can render it vulnerable to manipulation, as CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon has written. Still, as CPJ wrote in a letter to the Obama administration in 2010, arresting Assange would set dangerous precedent for publishers everywhere.

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From Our Future

Diehard science-fiction fans will remember the mystical mantra at the heart of the 21st-century "Battlestar Galactica" reboot: "All this has happened before and will happen again." Democratic Party leaders and members of the mainstream media should keep that sentence in mind during the 2018 and 2020 elections.

Given the events of the past few years, how can a reporter for the Washington Post write a sentence like this after the June 6 primary?

"Democrats increased their odds of picking up three House seats in New Jersey, as candidates favored by the DCCC beat back more liberal alternatives."

Let's rephrase that:

"Three candidates who were backed by an organization that lost control of Congress, and who espouse policies that voters have rejected across the country, beat back more liberal alternatives. As a result, their party is more likely to win in November."

Does this sound right to you?

Democrats rode to victory in 2008 on a wave of anti-Republican sentiment, only to lose power at all levels in the 10 years that followed. Will it happen again? Or will progressive insurgents remake the party in a more effective image?

Bush Fever

First, a reminder: George W. Bush was a terrible president. Bush left office with record levels of public disapproval. Now, according to recent polling, a majority of Democrats remember him favorably. They are apparently so absorbed in Donald Trump's story, and the idea of "Trump exceptionalism," that they fail to see how Republicans of previous years paved the way for both his politics and his dictatorial style.

Like Trump, Bush pandered to evangelicals with oppressive social policies -- although unlike Trump, he may have shared their theology. Like Trump, he gave a huge tax cut to the wealthy and corporations.

Bush tried to privatize Social Security, a wildly unpopular move that contributed to Republican Congressional losses. The financial crisis of 2008 also happened on Bush's watch, offering conclusive proof that the conservative and neoliberal ideology of privatization was a disaster for working Americans.

Bush also did something Trump hasn't done, at least not yet. Using the most audacious lies in modern American governance, he deceived the country into a disastrous war in Iraq. That war has resulted in well over 4,000 American deaths, along with the deaths of hundreds of thousands -- perhaps more than a million -- Iraqis. That war cost trillions of dollars and destabilized the entire region, giving rise to ISIS and triggering ongoing conflict in Syria, Libya, and Yemen.

Why bring up George W. Bush? Because it was his unpopularity, mendacity, and incompetence that led to the Democratic victories of 10 years ago -- much as Trump might do this year, if Democrats' hopes come true.

National Amnesia

People mourn the loss of "norms" under Donald Trump, and it's true that Trump is extremely... ah... abnormal. But Vice President Dick Cheney was also abusive toward his enemies during the Bush presidency. Cheney lied shamelessly. Diplomats, intelligence officers, and other government professionals were bent to the administration's will under Cheney's totalitarian hand.

Bush lied to the American people, waged war recklessly, governed theocratically, and pursued fiscal policies that enriched his friends, family, and himself.

The national amnesia surrounding Bush got plenty of help from the mainstream media. Bush's crimes and missteps, as well as his violations of political norms, have been buried in a flurry of feel-good stories about his amateur paintings and his friendship with the Clintons and Obamas.

Nostalgic reporters and pundits have felt free to re-imagine Bush's presidency as a civil and moderate time, although it was neither. Many establishment Democrats have been eager to share that narrative, perhaps because they hope it helps them against Trump.

Obama, Too

Our national amnesia also extends to the history of the Obama years. When Obama was elected in 2008, Democrats controlled the House of Representatives and had a filibuster-proof, 60-vote majority in the Senate.

But Obama and the Democrats in Congress adopted a "centrist," corporate-friendly line, both rhetorically and economically. By the time Obama's presidency ended, Democrats had lost both houses of Congress, two-thirds of governorships, and approximately 1,000 seats in state legislatures.

The message should have been clear: Democratic "centrism" -- an economic ideology that is further right than public opinion on many key issues -- is not the way to win or keep political power. But that lesson was apparently forgotten, along with the lessons of the Bush presidency.

Here are a couple more occurrences our media and political classes appear to have forgotten. Bernie Sanders nearly won the Democratic nomination, despite a tilted playing field in the primaries. It turns out that a lot of current Democrats -- and potential new ones -- were tired of their party's establishment, a fact that has been confirmed by recent polling. And Donald Trump's election was the product of many forces, one of which was the failure of the establishment message to drive turnout or persuade enough working-class voters of all races to vote for its candidate.

The Reporter Says the Horse Can Do

Washington Post political reporter Derek Hawkins, the author of the sentence quoted in the beginning of this piece, also wrote in his post-primary analysis that "the national Democratic establishment got the last laugh."

That's certainly what the "establishment" wants you to think. Is it true? Writing for The Intercept, David Dayen and Ryan Grim disagree. They write that the primary which offered the clearest ideological matchup between the establishment agenda and the left was in California's 45th District, where progressive favorite Katie Porter defeated David Min.

Porter, who is supported by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and progressive groups, supports Medicare For All and other left ideas.

Min, a former Chuck Schumer staffer and Center for American Progress fellow, had the support of the New Democrats. As Dayen and Grim note, that organization "supplied 27 of the 33 House Democratic votes in favor of the recent bank deregulation bill."

A New Democrat-backed candidate also lost in San Diego, where progressive Ammar Campa-Najjar defeated Josh Butner. And progressive Deb Haaland defeated a former prosecutor and a less progressive woman in New Mexico's 1st District, where she is now poised to become the first Native American woman in Congress. Progressives also unseated establishment Dems in several New Mexico races.

Nevertheless, many media outlets were eager to characterize June 6's results as a return to form for the Democratic establishment. That partly stems from the "horse race" aspect of election coverage, which leads them to promote dramatic announcements that a new horse has taken the lead.

But, as Hawkins' coverage for the Washington Post illustrates, many writers for the mainstream media share the dubious belief that "centrist" Democrats are more likely to win general elections. No amount of empirical evidence seems to shake them from this belief.

History Doesn't Always Repeat Itself

A kind of short-term thinking is at play here, too. Some of these pundits interpreted a recent WaPo analysis of the Democratic left's performance as more vindication of the establishment, since "only" 10 of 21 candidates backed by Sanders have won in this election cycle, along with 46 of the 111 backed by the Sanders-affiliated group Our Revolution.

When viewed from a longer-term perspective, that's a stunning outcome. The Sanders movement had no power in the Democratic Party three years ago. It's fighting a party establishment that controls networks of political power and millions of dollars. Nevertheless, it's already won between 40 and 50 percent of its races.

Revolutions, whether political or military, take years to win. There are always losses along the way. How would the political press of today covered George Washington's struggles in the Battle of Long Island or Valley Forge?

Millions are being spent to defeat the progressive movement. Despite that, the left is experiencing an extraordinary ascendance. Will it rise quickly enough to change the party's trajectory in 2018? That remains to be seen.

But one thing is clear: each establishment victory is potentially Pyrrhic, carrying with it the seeds of its own destruction. If there are more such victories and they embolden corporate Democrats, it could discourage base turnout and convince voters that the party stands for nothing. The result could be victory in November for Trump's Republicans.

That isn't inevitable, even if the establishment prevails. The party base seems to be energized by hatred of Trump and his Republicans this year, just as it was energized by hatred of Bush and his Republicans in 2008. That could be enough to give Democrats the House, or even the Senate, even with bland establishment Democrats on the ballot.

But if they govern the way they did in the decade after 2008, there are likely to be more disasters to come. Even if they take back the presidency in 2020 -- which is hardly a given -- the Democratic establishment's ideas will once again fail to meet the great challenges of our time, politically or as policy. Voters are likely to reject them, allowing the Republicans to return to power.Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

From Paul Craig Roberts Website

Nowhere in the Western world is truth respected. Even universities are imposing censorship and speech control. Governments are shutting down, and will eventually criminalize, all explanations that differ from official ones. The Western world no longer has a print and TV media. In its place there is a propaganda ministry for the ruling elite.

Whistleblowers are prosecuted and imprisoned despite their protection by federal statue. The US Department of Justice is a Department of Injustice. It has been a long time since any justice flowed from the DOJ.

The total corruption of the print and TV media led to the rise of Internet media such as Wikileaks, led by Julian Assange, a prisoner since 2012. Assange is an Australian and Ecuadorian citizen. He is not an American citizen. Yet US politicians and media claim that he is guilty of treason because he published official documents leaked to Wikileaks that prove the duplicity and criminality of the US government.

It is strictly impossible for a non-citizen to be guilty of treason. It is strictly impossible under the US Constitution for the reporting of facts to be spying. The function of the media is to expose and to hold accountable the government. This function is no longer performed by the Western print and TV media.

Washington wants revenge and is determined to get it. If Assange were as corrupt at the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, National Public Radio, MSNBC, etc., he would have reported the leaker to Washington, not published the information, and retired as a multi-millionaire with Washington's thanks. However, unfortunately for Assange, he had integrity.

Integrity today in the Western world has no value. You cannot find integrity in the government, in the global corporations, in the universities and schools, and most certainly not in the media.

After leaving Assange, an Australian citizen, to Washington's mercy since 2012, belated pro-Assange protests in Australia forced the US vassal state to come to Assange's aid before the new corrupt president of Ecuador sells him to Washington for multi-millions of dollars by revoking his asylum.

When the story was printed in the Sydney Morning Herald, the incompetent or brainwashed, or bought-and-paid-for journalist, Nick Miller, wrote:

"Assange entered the embassy on June 19, 2012, after he had exhausted his appeals against an extradition order to go to Sweden to face rape and sexual assault allegations. Swedish authorities have since closed their investigation, saying it couldn't continue without Assange's presence in their country."

Nick Miller has committed libel, whether from his ignorance or from pay.

There was no extradition order from Sweden for Assange to be returned to Sweden "to face rape and sexual assault allegations." No such charges were issued by the Swedish prosecutorial office, and no such charges were made by the women involved.

The case had already been closed by the Swedish prosecutorial office, and the two women who willingly shared their beds with Assange did not press any charges. The Swedish female prosecutor, who many suspect reopened the closed case at the urging of Washington, wrote in the extradition request that she only wanted Assange for questioning.

Normally, extraditions are not granted for questioning. There has to be actual criminal charges, and there were no such charges against Assange. However, under pressure from Washington, a corrupt UK court granted, perhaps for the first time in history, extradition for questioning.

Assange's attorneys understood that if Assange left his embassy refuge and travelled to Sweden to be questioned, there was nothing to prevent Sweden from turning him over to Washington to be tortured, as Washington does, into confession of some crime.

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From Reader Supported News

By *Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

The US Supreme Court (by the usual 5-4) has certified Ohio's Jim Crow stripping of more than a million mostly black and Hispanic citizens from the 2018 voter registration rolls. Unless the Democrats effectively respond, a GOP victory in the 2018 midterm election may be a done deal.

The decision approves Ohio's race-based assault on the right to vote. Secretary of State Jon Husted has been stripping citizens who don't vote in consecutive federal elections. His office mailed some 1.5 million queries to registered voters. He got back fewer than 300,000 responses -- and then stripped some 1.2 million voters from the computer files.

Husted (now running for lieutenant governor) says he's sent voters a notice after they skip a single federal election. If they don't vote or respond in the next four years, they lose their ballot.

Court documents confirm that those eliminated are mostly urban blacks and Hispanics in mostly Democratic districts. Voters in rural Republican districts are often not queried, and their registration rolls are not stripped.

The usual five GOP Justices have ruled that this is fine with them. Secretaries of state throughout the US can now do the same thing.

The decision overturned a lower court decision. It joins a nationwide GOP campaign to disenfranchise suspected Democrats -- mostly of color -- by demanding photo ID, eliminating early and Sunday voting, closing neighborhood precincts, stopping same-day registration and more.

GOP officials in Ohio, Alabama, and elsewhere have fought easily re-counted paper balloting by letting local election boards turn off the simple function on some machines that produce a ballot image that can be reliably verified.

The GOP is also defending gerrymandered districts that give them control of the US House and many state legislatures. With votes split evenly between the two major parties, Ohio has 12 GOP US representatives versus four Democrats. Both houses of the state legislature have overwhelming Republican majorities, as in North Carolina, Wisconsin, and elsewhere.

The Democratic response has been weak. Unless the party mounts a massive voter registration drive, checks the rolls before election day, shepherds people to the polls, fights off gerrymandering, watches the electronic voting machines and much more, it stands no chance to shift the balance of power away from the GOP this coming fall.

We've seen it all before.

In Florida 2000, Governor Jeb Bush used a ChoicePoint computer program to disenfranchise more than 90,000 alleged felons (virtually none actually were) in an election decided for his brother by 537 votes. Corporate Democrats still blame Ralph Nader for a rigged Al Gore loss on which he had no real impact.

In Ohio 2004, Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell stripped more than 300,000 mostly urban Democrats from voter rolls in an election decided by 118,775. Blackwell chaired the Committee to Re-Elect Bush and Cheney while running the election. Kerry had been thoroughly briefed but never said a public word. Some 90,000 ballots remain uncounted from Ohio 2004. When a federal judge ordered a recount, 56 of Ohio's 88 election board claimed the ballots had been (illegally) destroyed.

From 2005 to 2008, some 1.25 million Ohio voters were stripped from the registration rolls, about a quarter of the state's voters. Some 1.1 million more were removed between 2009 and 2012. In 2016, another million-plus were removed, allowing Donald Trump to win the state.

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From The National

The backlash against Israeli propaganda, including a growing international boycott movement, has driven the country's right wing into even greater defiance.





For most of the seven decades after its establishment, Israel went to extraordinary lengths to craft an image of itself as a "light unto the nations."

It claimed to have "made the desert bloom" by planting forests over the razed houses of 750,000 Palestinians it exiled in 1948. Soldiers in the "most moral army in the world" reputedly cried as they were compelled to shoot Palestinian "infiltrators" trying to return home. And all this occurred in what Israelis claimed was the Middle East's "only democracy."

An industry known as hasbara -- a euphemism for propaganda -- recruited Jews in Israel and abroad to a campaign to persuade the world that the Palestinians' dispossession was for the good of mankind. Israel's achievements in science, agriculture and medicine were extolled.

But in a more interconnected world, that propaganda campaign is swiftly unravelling. Phone cameras now record "moral" soldiers executing unarmed Palestinians in Gaza or beating up children in Hebron.

The backlash, including a growing international boycott movement, has driven Israel's right wing into even greater defiance and self-righteousness. It no longer conceals its goal to aggressively realize a longed-for "Greater Israel."

A parallel process is overtaking Israel's traditional left but has been far less noticeable. It too is stubbornly committed to its ideological legacy -- the creation of a supposed "Jewish and democratic state" after 1948.

And just as the immorality of Israel's belligerent rule in the occupied territories is under ever greater scrutiny, so too is its claim to be a democracy conferring equal rights on all citizens.

Israel includes a large minority of 1.8 million Palestinian citizens, the remnants of those who survived the expulsions required for its creation. Although Palestinian citizens have the vote, it was an easy generosity after Israel gerrymandered the electoral constituency in 1948 to ensure Palestinians remained a permanent and decisive minority.

In a system of residential apartheid, Palestinian citizens have been confined to ghettos on a tiny fraction of land while Israel has "nationalized" 93 percent of its territory for Jews around the world.

But after decades of repression, including an initial 20 years living under military rule, the Palestinian minority has gradually grown more confident in highlighting Israel's political deficiencies.

In recent days, Palestinian legislators have submitted three legislative measures before parliament to explode the illusion that Israel is a western-style liberal democracy.

None stood the faintest chance of being passed in a system rigged to keep Palestinian lawmakers out of any of Israel's complex but entirely Zionist coalition governments.

The first measure sought to revoke the quasi-governmental status of major international Zionist organizations like the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and the Jewish Agency.

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The Supreme Court

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Further to my Quicklink on this morning's SCOTUS decision re Husted v A. Philip Randolph Institute, which keeps in place SoS Husted's state-level prerogative to erase voters' names from the rolls if they've skipped three federal elections in a row.

The originator of the suit, Larry Harmon, a software engineer and Navy veteran, skipped three federal elections between 2010 and 2014 but wanted to vote in favor of legalizing marijuana in 2015. But he had been removed from the voter lists for his trio of absences. He had been turned off by the presidential choices in election 2012 and so stayed home from the polls.

Is this an argument for an option suggested before: to include "none of the above" on ballots offering candidate choices? A complex issue I can't solve in a few sentences.

A further origin of this case was the Trump takeover of the DoJ in 2016. Prior to that, the DoJ had opposed Husted's purges. Now it supports them. In addition, since 2016 Trump has had the opportunity to appoint one SCOTUS Justice to carry on Justice Scalia's originalist policies.

Of, for, and by which people do the various governments proclaim themselves? Today's ruling will add to the hundreds of thousands of Ohioans already eliminated from voting by this law, the marginalized percentages: those of color, poverty, college/university students, senior citizenry, along with military veterans and people with disabilities, targeting the majority and begging for proliferation throughout the country. Today's decision took us one step closer to that vision.

A thin, nondescript postcard sent to a mailing address they may have left to join the military or due to foreclosure, informs Ohioans that they're targeted for removal from the voter lists if they skip two more federal elections. This sort of postcard is easily lost among junk mail or thrown away unnoticed. Why spend more taxpayer dollars?

A patch of blue shone down on us next-door to the Buckeye State. In Indiana, another voter purge law has received a preliminary injunction in voters' favor. The infamous Kobach Interstate Crosscheck program may not be leveled against underprivileged voters unfortunate enough to have common names--often marginalized for other discriminatory motivations.

There is an abundance of further information. I was lucky enough to catch a conference call among leading activists today from DEMOS, the ACLU, and other organizations They said that the SCOTUS decision was already in Congress for consideration. They did not contradict me when I suggested that if Congress becomes blue enough in November it may act against this ruling.

They said that Husted's purging is an option permitted by Ohio state law and that different states have different relevant laws in place. Moreover, the "5" dismissed the dissent by the "4" as only discussions. The NVRA doesn't expressly forbid Husted's particular brand of disenfranchisement.

According to Reuters by way of a DLCC Voting Rights Alert: "[In Ohio,] [v]oters have been struck from the rolls in Democratic-leaning neighborhoods at roughly twice the rate as in Republican neighborhoods,"

But will this morning's decision go viral across the country?

There are many ways to fight it--at the state level most effectively. Use social media to the fullest. Pummel your legislators at both levels against it. Advocate. Organize. Emphasize positive steps that have worked in favor of voters. Urge your state government to adhere to the NVRA, which allows nonvoting.

Clearly my emotions are ragged. I am attaching several links that will further inform you about this morning's contagious tragedy. And remember, another relevant decision will be announced this month: Maryland's gerrymandering case, Whitford v Gill. Perhaps, politically motivated and because the culprits are Democrats, SCOTUS will rule against the Old Line State. Here the focus is one oversized district chock full of a bright blue population.

Another case to be taken up next season concerns gerrymandering in North Carolina. SCOTUS had considered bundling all of these voting-related cases together to be ruled on later, but the November federal election comes first, so why not paint Ohio even redder, the decider state?

Here are some superb links and an open file (I couldn't include it as a link) sent out this morning by Allyn Brooks-LaSure, Vice President for Communications, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (hat tip, Caitlyn Cobb):

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From Inequality

The American economy rests ultimately on trust, a mutual understanding between employers and employees that each side, in the end, will behave honorably. A fair day's wage, as the classic formulation puts it, for a fair day's work.

This covenant gets broken, of course, on a regular basis. The most damaging betrayals? They come when employees put in that fair day's work and don't get paid a full fair day's pay. Labor market analysts today have come to call these betrayals "wage theft," and this thievery is thriving.

The employer culprits include the predictable fly-by-night operators we would expect. But the culprits also include, as an alarming new report details, veritable pillars of Corporate America, billion-dollar companies that can clearly afford to honor their side of our core employer-employee bargain.

These corporate pillars are committing their thievery on many fronts. They're not paying employees for work performed "off the clock." They're stiffing workers on overtime and violating minimum wage laws. They're requiring employees to buy particular work clothes and not compensating them for their outlays.

How widespread has this corporate wage theft become? Grand Theft Paycheck, a landmark new report from Good Jobs First and the Jobs with Justice Education Fund, has catalogued over 1,200 lawsuits since the year 2000 won by groups of workers who took their employer to court "to recover the pay they were wrongly denied." Employers in these cases paid out $8.8 billion in penalties.

Adding in actions against large employers that regulatory agencies at the federal and state level have taken brings that penalty total up over $18 billion.

And that total just hints at how widespread wage theft has become. Only eight states, Grand Theft Paycheck points out, enforce wage theft and provide data. Many wage theft settlements also remain confidential, and the numbers in the new Grand Theft Paycheck report do not cover wage theft in the temp and employee leasing agencies that so many large corporations now rely on.

The obvious question all these realities raise: What's driving our massive wage thievery? The giant U.S. corporations involved in this theft -- retailers like Walmart, telecoms like AT&T, banks like JPMorgan Chase, insurers like State Farm -- can all easily afford, as Grand Theft Paycheck puts it, "to pay their workers properly." So why aren't they? Why are they behaving so outrageously?

In Grand Theft Paycheck, researchers explore the various reasons why. With a declining union presence in America's workplaces, workers have become more vulnerable. Attacks on "regulation" have left government watchdog agencies woefully underfunded, and America's legal system hasn't kept up with new and often abusive business trends like outsourcing and franchising.

But the biggest reason major corporations are cheating their workers remains more basic: The outrageously generous rewards that have become so commonplace in Corporate America give the executives who run our top corporations an ongoing -- and almost irresistible -- incentive to behave outrageously.

To hit the corporate jackpot, to pocket double-digit millions and more, these execs will do most anything. They'll cook their corporate books. They'll shortchange R&D. They'll outsource and downsize. They'll take reckless risks. And, as Grand Theft Paycheck documents, they'll steal from their employees. They'll even build that theft into their business models.

And all this outrageous behavior pays phenomenally well. Among the dozen companies most penalized for wage theft, four compensated their CEOs last year at over $20 million, and only two shelled out under $8 million. Actually realized gains from stock awards, Grand Theft Paycheck adds, often send total CEO compensation many millions of dollars higher than standard executive pay disclosures reveal.

Against these colossal millions, the threat of penalty fines for wage theft hasn't had much of a deterrent effect. Would larger fines make a difference? Would more systematic regulatory oversight reduce levels of wage theft? Would a stronger union presence discourage corporate thievery? Undoubtedly yes, for all of these moves.

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In the joint Qingdao Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, India was the only member in the eight-nation bloc to refuse to endorse China's One Belt, One Road (OBOR) project, according to Indian Express.

India claims that OBOR or the Silk Road project a threat to its sovereignty over concerns on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which goes through Pakistan-ruled Kashmir.

The 3,000-kilometre CPEC is aimed at connecting China and Pakistan with rail, road, pipelines and optical fibre-cable networks.

India and Pakistan were accepted as full members of the SCO last year. Qindao SCO summit was the first gathering that both countries attended. India was represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan was represented by President Mamnoon Hussain.

One Belt, One Road (OBOR) is Chinese President Xi Jinping's landmark scheme to build infrastructure to connect China to the rest of Asia and beyond, a giant reworking of its old Silk Road.

The Qingdao summit declaration said the Member States note the new quality and dynamics that have emerged in various fields of cooperation since the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan's accession to the SCO. They intend, based on strict observance of international treaties and SCO documents, to jointly promote the further expansion of the Organization's potential in all areas of its activities.

On the forthcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the declaration said "the Member States advocate the settlement of the situation on the Korean Peninsula solely through a political and diplomatic approach based on dialogue and consultations. They support the peace initiatives of the international community, including those of Russia and China, aimed at the normalization of the situation, including the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and securing long-term peace in Northeast Asia."

In this context, the Member States note the resumption of the intra-Korean dialogue, as well as the contact between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the United States, and urge all involved parties to support the negotiating process, the Qingdao summit declaration added.

On the current war in Syria, the SCO summit called for the implementation of an inclusive political process, under the direction of the Syrian people and by the Syrian people themselves, which must be conducted in accordance with the provisions of UNSC Resolution 2254 and proceed from the need for Syrian sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity; this is the only alternative to settling the Syrian crisis.

"The Member States support the peace talks in Geneva under the auspices of the UN, note the efficiency of the Astana process, and call for all the parties to the conflict to take practical steps to implement the Memorandum on establishing the de-escalation areas to create favourable conditions for a political settlement of the situation in Syria. In this connection, the Member States welcomed the results of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress that took place on 30 January 2018 in Sochi as an important contribution to the promotion of the political process in Syria," the SCO said.

On the Trump-abandoned Iranian nuclear deal, the SCO summit said it is important to consistently implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program, and call for participants to strictly observe their obligations with a view to ensuring its full and efficient implementation and promoting peace and stability in the region and globally.

On Ukraine, the SCO Member States affirmed the need for a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis based on the prompt and full implementation of the Minsk Agreements of 12 February 2015. At a summit in Minsk on February 11, 2015, the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany agreed to a package of measures to alleviate the ongoing war in the Donbass region of Ukraine. The new package of measures is intended to revive the Protocol, which had been agreed to on September 5, 2014.

On Afghanistan, the SCO summit argued that a military solution was not possible in the war-torn country. "The member states emphasize that there is no alternative to settling the situation in Afghanistan beyond political dialogue and an inclusive peace process by the Afghan people themselves and under their guidance, and call for boosting cooperation under a central coordinating role of the UN for ensuring stability and development of the country," the SCO declaration said, adding:

"The Member States noted the results of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group meetings that took place on 11 October 2017 in Moscow and on 28 May 2018 in Beijing, and spoke in favor of activating the mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation on an Afghanistan settlement, including consultations in the Moscow format."





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As drug legalization spreads, banks are often reluctant to process payments for marijuana companies. The main reason is that so long as drugs are illegal under the federal government of the US, major payment processors such as Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, among others, will not process those transactions. Marijuana vendors are then forced to either credit unions or local banks that do not do business across state lines. But they are compelled to accept payments in cash. This is risky in case the business is robbed, and also customers often don't feel comfortable or the need to carry cash in the digital age.

Blockchain presents the perfect solution. Marijuana vendors and the vendors of legal drugs can accept bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. Many vendors of legal drugs already do (depending on the nation marijuana may be legal, coca leaves may be legal, khat leaves may be legal, among others). Many of these vendors already accept cryptocurrencies as safe ways to make large volumes of sales without having to handle cash. As the regular banking industry still shuns the legal drug market, blockchain technology is becoming the de facto payment method for marijuana and other legal drugs. As customers get used to using cryptocurrencies in this sector, it will eventually spread to other sectors. Though Amazon does not yet accept bitcoin payments, Amazon Web Services is heavily investing in blockchain technology. Goldman Sachs is now trading bitcoin futures, and will trade bitcoins themselves in the future. As large institutions become more heavily involved it bitcoins, corporate use will become more mainstream for both investment and for use as active currency.

As legalization spreads, Canada is due to make marijuana legal nationwide this year. By 2020, pot sales are projected to surpass weed sales. Cryptocurrencies will likely heavily be involved in this, and will grow considerably along with the marijuana market in Canada. As businesses complain about the cost of payment processors, cryptocurrencies can offer an alternative to companies such as PayPal that offer high fees for business transactions. Cryptocurrencies have the potential to bring competition to the market in terms of payment transaction, and that's likely a huge factor in why blockchain and cryptocurrencies are now getting huge institutional investment.Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

From Smirking Chimp

"Nobody is above the law," Donald Trump declared during the 2016 campaign. But as special counsel Robert Mueller zeroes in on him, the president is carving out an exemption for himself. Trump and his attorneys are claiming absolute power for the president.

Trump's attorney and mouthpiece Rudy Giuliani told HuffPost that Trump could not be indicted even if he "shot" former FBI director James Comey in the Oval Office.

A confidential January 29, 2018, memo written by Trump lawyers John Dowd and Jay Sekulow contends that Trump essentially is above the law. As the French King Louis XIV said, "L'etat c'est moi" (I am the state). All political power resides in the king. Trump's attorneys are arguing that the president is immunized against legal consequences for his actions.

"Unitary Executive" Theory of Presidential Power

Another Trump attorney, Marc Kasowitz, also wrote a confidential memo to Mueller, on June 23, 2017. It advocates the "unitary executive" doctrine, a radical rightwing theory of extensive presidential powers. "As a constitutional matter," Kasowitz wrote, "the President also possesses the indisputable authority to direct that any executive branch investigation be open or closed because the Constitution provides for a unitary executive with all executive power resting with the President."

Trump is not the first president to make sweeping claims of executive power.

In 2000, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito told the conservative Federalist Society that the Constitution "makes the president the head of the executive branch, but it does more than that. The president has not just some executive powers, but the executive power -- the whole thing."

Shortly after 9/11, legal mercenary John Yoo saw to it that George W. Bush included "unitary executive" in several of his signing statements, purporting to limit the parameters of statutes Congress had enacted. Yoo also made the astounding claim that a president could legally crush the testicles of the child of a person being interrogated. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas used the phrase "unitary executive" in his dissent in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, a case in which the high court upheld due process rights for US citizens held as enemy combatants.

The Dowd-Sekulow memo makes a series of assertions of unbridled executive power. It says that a president should not have to submit to an interview by the special counsel; he cannot be compelled to testify in court; he can't commit the crime of obstruction of justice, and even if he could, he can't be criminally charged; he has the power to fire the special counsel; and he can grant himself a presidential pardon for any conceivable crimes.

That memo is a desperate attempt to avoid subjecting Trump to Mueller's questioning or a grand jury subpoena. His lawyers know it would be a legal minefield as the president has a compulsive habit of contradicting himself.

Must the President Submit to a Mueller Interview?

Trump's legal eagles argue that the president is protected by executive privilege against being compelled to talk to Mueller. Moreover, they contend the documents he has provided and witnesses he has made available for depositions cover everything Mueller would ask about, so there's no need for the president to personally converse with the special counsel.

The hole in their argument is that in order to establish whether Trump engaged in obstruction of justice, Mueller has to determine whether the president had the intent to obstruct the FBI investigation. That decision can best be made by speaking directly to Trump.

On June 3, Giuliani revealed the real reason Team Trump fears a Mueller interview of the president. "This is the reason you don't let this president testify in the special counsel's Russia investigation," Giuliani told George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week," adding, "Our recollection keeps changing, or we're not even asked a question and somebody makes an assumption."

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Less than a year ago, President Donald Trump was threatening North Korea with "fire and fury."

Today such threats are completely absent from his remarks and tweets.

Today Trump said, "We will be stopping the war games . . . I think it's very provocative." This move has been a central proposal in the People's Peace Treaty and other petitions and actions that Korean and American and global peace activists have advanced -- and precisely for the reason that practice bombing flights are extremely provocative. It was their suspension during the Olympic truce that advanced peace, and their resumption more recently that -- together with threatening comments from the likes of John Bolton -- impeded progress and temporarily canceled the just-held summit.

But we should not forget the earlier necessary focus on halting the verbal threats coming from Trump himself. That we have moved away from those is the big news.

Yes it's embarrassing and annoying to watch Trump brag and praise himself falsely and present a false history of the world and of his own recent actions, all of which he did in Singapore following the screening of a ridiculous propaganda video that his team had produced and shown to the North Koreans as well as to the press. But these things are not more embarrassing or annoying than watching humanity actually end in "fire and fury."

The important thing to notice about Tuesday's Singapore press conference is that every question from the U.S. media pushed for greater hawkishness, while Trump alone suggested anything in the direction of peace. Last week seven Democratic senators insisted in a letter to Trump that sanctions relief for North Korea await total North Korean disarmament and inspections. Tuesday Trump spoke of sanctions relief as part of the process ahead.

If the U.S. government is going to get out of the way of the peace process that Koreans from the North and South are pursuing, the U.S. public is going to have to actively demand it. The corporate media will not help. The Democratic and Republican "leaders" will not help. Trump will trip over his own ego and willful ignorance if not guided in a useful direction. That such a thing is possible, that the Korean War may finally end, that the U.S. military presence in Korea may actually end -- Nobody can doubt these things any longer. And that makes it our responsibility to work for them.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.

Introduction : This is the fourth in an occasional series that of columns that I previously published both on OpEdNews and other sites, that bear relevance to current events.

The original version of this column was published in this space last December, at: https://www.opednews.com/articles/LGBT-Rights-and-Religious-by-Steven-Jonas-Abortion_Bible_Freedom-Of-Association_Freedom-Of-Religion-171206-729.html, the day after Supreme Court heard the arguments in the "Baker's Refusal" case. The day after the handing down of the Court's decision in that case I republished it on Reader Supported News/Writing for Godot (see below). This is indeed, a landmark, retrograde case, of which the Gorsuch/Roberts Court is providing the nation with many.



40.StopGorsuch.USSC.WDC.31Janu ary2017. Indeed he is, and will be for a very long time.

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Writing for the majority, Justice Kennedy tried to make it clear that the decision in favor of allowing discrimination against a certain identity group in a public business was not to be taken as establishing a precedent. The decision, he took pains to tell us, really revolved around what he and his six colleagues saw as the impoliteness towards the practice of religious authoritarianism/exclusion on the part of one member of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. Oh dear! One person's impoliteness, is another's "political correctness," but that is a matter for another time.

However, to the surprise of no one the Religious Right is taking this decision as a sanction for discriminating, and they will do it to a fare-thee-well. As a practical matter, as I put it in a tweet: "thepoliticaljunkies" @tpjmagazine 14m14 minutes ago:

https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/06/04/supreme-court-hands-narrow-win-to-baker-over-gay-couple-dispute/23450400/The " Supreme Court has legalized homophobia and discrimination in public places, based on "religious belief" (sic). Next on the docket? Discrimination against persons of color, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, and etc., for the same reason. Religious War, here we come."

And then, as if on cue, came this item: " Texas Church Will Hold Lecture On 'Dangerous' Judaism" (as well as on "dangerous Islam) . (See below for the link.)

And now, on to the original column.

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Today, December 5, 2017, the Supreme Court heard the arguments in the "Baker' Refusal" case. In simple terms, the case is about the challenge of a (can we say it?) homophobic (few others do, but I will) baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple. This led to his being charged with a violation of an anti-discrimination law in the state of Colorado. The baker maintains that his "religious beliefs" (really his homophobia, but nobody wants to talk about that) about the sinfulness of homosexuality and in particular the practice, now legal throughout the land, of same-sex marriage. He argues that because the institution of same-sex marriage (now established as the law-of-the-land) violates his religious beliefs, he should not be subject to the Colorado anti-discrimination statute.

The baker lost before the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the courts in Colorado, and the Federal Courts through the Court of Appeals level. A basically right-wing Supreme Court, with a new far-right member, will for the indefinite future now decide a case that will set the standards for possible public discrimination, not only against the LGBT community, but any other one to which some "religious" person might find some "religious" objection. And of course, the homophobic Trump Administration and its "Justice" department are supporting the baker.

Now the standard way for approaching this case for the pro-LGBT rights forces is that the prohibition of discrimination, in the public marketplace, based on various identifying features of various persons, is prohibited by the state law in Colorado and that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission has the power to enforce the law, which stands against such discrimination, in matters covered by the law. In other words, for LGBT side, it is simply a matter of prohibiting exceptions to a civil discrimination law, based on equality before the law. The baker and his supporters claim that their religious beliefs, and their behaviors based on those religious beliefs, are in control here, as matters of "free speech" and "religious freedom."

In essence, their argument is that their religious beliefs are controlling ( click here ) for them for certain of their behaviors, and thus over-ride any interest of the State of Colorado in outlawing discrimination in the public square. Thus, they contend that their "religious freedom," couched in terms of "free speech," permits them to openly discriminate in the public square, against any persons they choose to discriminate against, based, I suppose, on any characteristic of those persons they decide offends their "religious sensibilities."

In my view, the issue here goes well beyond the validity of a state anti-discrimination law and whether a given person, operating in the public square, can choose to disobey it based "free speech" and "religious freedom."

As I wrote some weeks ago (modified here to deal with the LGBT-rights issue), in dealing with the abortion-rights issue and "freedom of religion: "The position of the anti-LGBT-rights forces is based exclusively on the religious concept of "what is 'normal' sexual identity and behavior." And it is a religious concept (just like "life begins at the moment of conception" is a religious concept). In fact, to support it, the anti-LGBT rights movement most often cites the "inerrant word of God" as found in the Bible. They make no bones about the religious source of their position. There were certainly plenty of gay people around in Biblical times. Otherwise the homophobes who were around then too would not have felt the urge to put their proscriptions into the Biblical text.



First Edition of The King James Bible. Obviously handed down directly from the God's hand (in the printing style of the time, of course).

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An Egyptian Kangaroo Court has preliminary sentenced to death another seven members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood to death.

According to Al Ahram Online, Egypt's Zagazig Criminal Court has referred the case of seven members of the Muslim Brotherhood organization to the country's grand mufti for his non-binding opinion on sentencing them to death over the killing of a police conscript in the Nile Delta Governorate of Sharqiya in 2015.

The court set the sentencing of the defendants for 12 July.

Egyptian Kangaroo courts are on death sentences spree since the overthrow of Mohammad Morsi, the first democratically election president of Egypt by US client General Abdel Fattah el-Sissi who has since assumed the title of Field Marshall.

On 28 April 2014, in the aftermath of a coup d'e'tat against President Mohammad Morsi, an Egyptian Kangaroo Court sentenced 683 alleged Muslim Brotherhood supporters to death, including the group's supreme guide, Mohamed Badie, and confirmed the death sentences of 37 of 529 alleged supporters previously condemned.

Kangaroo Court Judge Saeed Youssef first attracted international condemnation and prompted an outcry from human-rights groups after he handed down the initial sentence for the 528 defendants on March 24, 2014 following a brief trial marked by irregularities. Later he reversed 492 of those 529 death sentences, commuting most of them to life in prison.

On January 2, 2018, Egyptian authorities executed five alleged members of the Muslim Brotherhood group. The defendants were convicted of what prosecution claimed "executing a terrorist attack in Kafr al-Sheikh governorate in April of 2015."

Lawyer of the defendants filed an appeal against the tentative death penalty that was released previously. However, the appeal was rejected by a high military court.

The trial of Kafr al-Sheikh incident was full of shortcomings and corruption, according to the Egyptian Coordination of Rights and Freedoms (ECRF). The rights organization stated in one of its reports that the lawyers of defendants filed several proofs --official reports and documents-- that they were forcibly disappeared 70 days prior to the attack.

ECRF further added the National Security is aware of their disappearance, claiming that the defendants were subject to torture in order to admit their involvement in the incident. Additionally, the report claimed that security cameras in the attack's place weren't examined despite the demands of the lawyers.

Egyptian Kangaroo court places 169 Muslim Brotherhood members on terror list

Not surprisingly, an Egyptian kangaroo court last month placed 169 members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood group on the country's terror list.

The defendants are facing charges of conspiring to infiltrate state institutions with the aim of overthrowing the regime by force and spreading chaos in the country.

The court's decision is based on state security investigations, which claimed that the defendants attempted to revive the group's activities by recruiting new members to its armed wings, spread rumors and provided financial and logistical assistance to the Brotherhood, which was designated a terrorist group in 2013.

Under the country's anti-terrorism law, any person placed on the terror list is subject to a travel ban and having their assets frozen.

Egypt's terror list contains over 1,500 names, including top Brotherhood leaders.

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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.

Controlled media frames what Canadians think, hear, say, and do. An important component of controlling the message is omission. Major media outlets, for example, were conspicuously absent from yesterday's (June 9, 2018) Al-Quds rally in Toronto, ON.

Consequently, the evidence-based truth was largely buried as soon as it emerged.

Investigative reporter Eva Bartlett -- one of many outstanding speakers at the event -- lived in Palestine for about three years, where she was active in peaceful resistance movements against Israel's criminal oppression of native Palestinians. Her testimony resonates with evidence-based truth, in stark contrast to monochromatic mainstream media messaging, which is wrapped around permanent state, largely unspoken, imperial policies.

She connects the dots between malevolent Zionist oppression of Palestinians and imperialist projects connected to Israel. Israel and its allies (including Canada), for example, support al Qaeda (and ISIS) in Syria. This largely unspoken, very uncomfortable, fundamental truth, needs to echo widely, for the sake of Peace and Justice.



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Demonization of Assad and His Government. Syrians living in Syria know that President Assad is not a "Monster"

Voices of Peace, Truth, and Justice were piercing the fog of War Lies yesterday.

Eva Bartlett speaking at Toronto's Al-Quds Day Rally, June 9, 2018

*

Mark Taliano is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG) and the author of Voices from Syria, Global Research Publishers, 2017.





(Article changed on June 12, 2018 at 15:43)This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here.

We know her name but not, as the courageous Israeli journalist Amira Hass has pointed out, the name of the Israeli sniper who shot her down in cold blood during an unarmed demonstration at the blockaded Gazan border as she ran to aid a man struck in the head by a tear gas shell. She was 21-year-old Razan al-Najjar, a volunteer emergency medical worker, who, reported the New York Times, wanted to prove in an increasingly conservative Gaza Strip that "being a medic is not only a job for a man." Wearing a white coat clearly identifying her as medical personnel, she was shot through the chest and died in a Gazan hospital later that day. (Two other medics were wounded in the same set of incidents.) She was the second medic to die (while a reported 29 or more medical personnel were wounded by live fire) during the weeks of Palestinian protest called the Great Return March that just ended. The other was 36-year-old Mousa Jaber Abu Hassanein, wearing a white medic's vest.

In its "investigation" of the killing of Razan, the Israeli army claimed that "no shots were deliberately or directly aimed towards" her, but given the number of medical personnel who have been shot by snipers in recent weeks, such a claim rings hollow indeed as the desperation and determination of a Gazan population locked into what can only be thought of as a vast open-air prison becomes ever more apparent globally. Today, Fadi Abu Shammalah and TomDispatch regular Jen Marlowe provide an on-the-spot look at what propelled Razan and so many other women, young and old, toward that border wall with Israel and possible death and the ways in which women like her, in doing so, were also changing the nature of Gazan society. Tom

The Great Return March and the Women of Gaza

Why Palestine's Feminists are Fighting on Two Fronts

By Fadi Abu Shammalah and Jen Marlowe

"I am here because I heard my town call me, and ask me to maintain my honor." Fifty-seven-year-old Um Khalid Abu Mosa spoke in a strong, gravelly voice as she sat on the desert sand, a white tent protecting her from the blazing sun. "The land," she says with determination, "is honor and dignity."

She was near the southern Gaza Strip town of Khuza'a, the heavily fortified barrier with Israel in plain sight and well-armed Israeli soldiers just a few hundred meters away. Abu Mosa's left arm was wrapped in a sling fashioned from a black-and-white-checkered kuffiyeh, or scarf, and a Palestinian flag. Israeli soldiers had shot her in the shoulder with live ammunition on March 30th as she approached the barrier to plant a Palestinian flag in a mound of earth. The bullet is still lodged in her collarbone. Three weeks later, however, she's back at the Great Return March, a series of protests organized around five encampments stretching along a unilaterally imposed Israeli buffer zone on the 37-mile barrier between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

The Return March, which has just ended, was unique in recent history in Gaza for a number of reasons. Palestinians there are known for engaging in militant resistance against the Israeli occupation and also for the internal political split in their ranks between two dominant factions, Fatah and Hamas. Yet, in these weeks, the March has been characterized by a popular, predominantly nonviolent mobilization during which Gaza's fractured political parties have demonstrated a surprising degree of unity. And perhaps most noteworthy of all, women activists have played a visibly crucial role in the protests on a scale not seen for decades, possibly indicating what the future may look like when it comes to activism in the Gaza Strip.

The Return March began on March 30th, or Land Day, commemorating the 1976 killings of six Palestinians inside Israel who had been protesting land confiscations. The March was slated to end on May 15th, the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, Arabic for "catastrophe." The term is used to refer to the 1948 war that led to the creation of Israel and the displacement of approximately 750,000 Palestinians, as well as the depopulation of more than 450 Palestinian towns and villages. Seventy percent of Gaza's blockaded population is made up of those who fled or were expelled from their lands and villages during the Nakba or their descendants. The vast majority of those participating in the Great Return March, including Abu Mosa, know those native villages only through family lore, yet their yearning to return is visceral.

During the March, 125 Palestinians were killed and a staggering 13,000 wounded. Abu Mosa saw many fellow protesters wounded or killed, especially on May 14th, the day the Trump administration opened its new embassy in Jerusalem when the protests escalated and some participants attempted to break through the barrier.

On that day alone, Israeli forces killed 62 Palestinians and injured 2,700 more. "Don't ask me if someone close to me has been injured or killed," Abu Mosa says. "All the protesters are my relatives and friends. We became one family." After the carnage of May 14th, the grassroots committee organizing the March decided that the protests had to continue. The killings continued as well. On June 1st, a 21-year old woman volunteer paramedic was, for instance, shot in the chest and killed.

For Abu Mosa, a schoolteacher and mother of six, the March centers entirely on her dream of returning to her native town of Beer Sheva. And in its wake, she insists that she will go back, "and on my way, I will plant mint and flowers."

Much like Abu Mosa, 20-year-old Siwar Alza'anen, an activist in an organization called the Palestinian Students Labor Front, is motivated by a deep desire to return to her native village. She is also marching "to send a message to the international community that we are suffering a lot, we are living under pressure, siege, pain, poverty."

The Great Return March and the First Intifada

A small Palestinian flag flutters on the edge of Samira Abdelalim's desk in Rafah, the southernmost town in the Gaza Strip. Forty-four-year-old Abdelalim serves as the director of the women's department at the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions. Her steely eyes are framed with a simple navy-blue headscarf. Abdelalim hopes the Great March of Return will peacefully achieve the right of return to her people's villages, self-determination, and the possibility of living "in peace and freedom" -- but she's realistic, too. "I know that the occupation will not end in one day," she says, "but by cumulative work."

Iktimal Hamad is on the Supreme National Commission of the Return March, the only woman among the March's 15 lead organizers. Sitting in her Gaza City office, her light brown hair pulled into a tight bun, she speaks about her own double agenda -- to end the Israeli occupation, but also to promote equality for women in Gaza. "Women can play a prominent role in the liberation of Palestine, because they are integral to the Palestinian community," she tells us.

Abdelalim leads the March's women's committee in Rafah, one of five with 15 members for each of the encampments. With her fellow committee members, she organizes the women in the March, arranges logistics such as water and buses, and plans youth empowerment and cultural activities.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.



Taiwan Civil Government congratulated Donald Trump's election

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The political fraud arrests last month in Taiwan of Roger and Julian Lin and others has pushed the issue of Taiwan's longstanding unresolved sovereignty from the back of the stove to a hot burner. The Lins headed Taiwan Civil Government, an advocacy group that urges the United States to expel the exiled Republic of China from Taiwan. TCG wants the United States to install an interim military government until a free referendum can be held to determine nationality.

Taiwan Civil Government has been spending money in Washington over the past few years to buy influence with policy-makers. The group has also brought federal litigation to advance its goals. The pro-American slant of TCG, complete with noisy flag waving, is no doubt welcome in Washington where the group's money is very welcome.

Roger Lin, founder of TCG, saw an opportunity with the election of Donald Trump to go to the head of the line to discuss Taiwan's future. The campaign to get inside the Trump White House began with TCG sponsorship of Congressional Quarterly's Roll Call Live 2016 Election Forum. Later, a congratulatory message to Trump was posted by TCG on its website asking for a chance to tell their story. Portraits of Trump also went up on TCG office walls.

Tickets to Trump's inauguration brought a TCG delegation to Washington led by Julian Lin. While in Washington the group bankrolled POLITICO's Inauguration Hub, a "networking lounge" at a swanky hotel. Lin also attended an invitation-only women's breakfast featuring Kellyanne Conway, Trump's campaign manager. The event, sponsored by RightNOW, was Julian's introduction to the Trump world.

Lin and Conway got together for some face time at POLITICO's 2017 Powerlist reception, sponsored by TCG. Lin spoke from the podium urging a new policy for Taiwan from the new president and also complained about the name Chinese Taipei being imposed on Taiwan by the People's Republic of China. After Lin spoke, Conway and Lin found a private corner and talked together before posing for a TCG photographer.

Julian Lin would have had a lot to tell Conway, including details of her then pending lawsuit against the United States, Roger & Julian Lin vs. USA & ROC. Conway's new job, Counselor to the President, gives her close access to Trump and she advises him on a wide variety of issues. Lin cannot answer questions about the conversation as she is now locked down in solitary confinement, without bail, and incommunicado without visitors.

As TCG spending and credibility increased, the group raised its sights and sponsored Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross at a Heritage Foundation event since the fraud arrests. Although Ross skipped out minutes before the start of the program, the reach of TCG to the Trump Cabinet and partnership with Heritage Foundation demonstrate growing political influence.

The revelation that Julian Lin has a White House connection takes a lot of wind from the sails of ROC prosecutors who claim TCG had no possibility of success. If Conway has been talking to Trump about Taiwan in the context of the North Korean summit meeting, the fog of strategic ambiguity may lift.

In another TCG lawsuit, Roger Lin vs. United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia declared Taiwan residents to be trapped in "political purgatory" and urged President Barack Obama to act "expeditiously" to resolve Taiwan's status. Obama did not follow the Lin court recommendation, leaving Trump an opportunity to both make history and stabilize Asian foreign relations.Dental Electrosurgical Units Market: Key Drivers & On-going Trends 2018 - 2026

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Dental Electrosurgical Units Market: OverviewElectrosurgery involves passing high-frequency waveforms through the soft tissues of the body to achieve controllable clinical effects. Passage of radio frequency energy through dental tissues converts the electromagnetic energy generated in the cells to thermal energy which achieves tissue cutting or coagulation. An electrosurgical unit is a device that comprises various electrodes and other accessories to generate electric current. It is most commonly used in periodontal therapy. Electrosurgical units are routinely used by dentists and are preferred over traditional laser therapy for tissue cutting owing to speed and efficiency. The waveforms produce remarkable tissue separation in the dental area, with little or no hemostasis.Low cost of dental electrosurgical units as compared to lasers, rapid mode of action, and availability of various electrodes and waveforms for a number of oral surgical procedures are projected to propel the growth of the global dental electrosurgical units market from 2018 to 2026. However, loss of implant osseointegration occurring in patients with dental implants and possibility of overcutting of tissues are projected to restrain the global dental electrosurgical units market during the forecast period.Get PDF Brochure of Report:The global dental electrosurgical units market can be segmented based on technology, product type, waveform type, end-user, and application. In terms of technology, the global market can be bifurcated into unipolar and bipolar systems. The bipolar systems segment accounted for the largest market share in terms of revenue in 2017. This is attributed to the lower voltage and lesser energy required for bipolar systems, and reduced risk of patient burns associated with its use. However, effectiveness and versatility of unipolar electrosurgical instruments are expected to propel the segment at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. Based on waveform type, the global dental electrosurgical units market can be categorized into fully rectified waveform, partially rectified waveform, fulguration waveform, lateral heat, and others. In terms of product type, the global market can be classified into current generator unit, electrodes, and accessories. The electrodes segment can be divided into active electrodes and passive electrodes. Various active electrodes are available in the market including single-wired electrodes, loop electrodes, and heavy (bulky) electrodes. In terms of revenue, the electrodes segment held the largest market share in 2017, owing to the emergence of local & regional manufacturers of electrodes. The active electrodes sub-segment dominated the electrodes segment in 2017, and is expected to continue its dominance in terms of revenue during the forecast period. In terms of end-user, the global market can be categorized into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and specialized (dental) clinics. The hospitals segment accounted for the largest market share in terms of revenue in 2017, attributed to the availability of well-qualified dental professionals in multispecialty hospitals and improved reimbursement policies. However, rise in surgical procedures for dental soft tissue owing to rise in prevalence of periodontal diseases across the globe is likely to boost the growth of the clinics segment from 2018 to 2026. Applications of dental electrosurgical units are tissue cutting, tissue coagulation, and others. The tissue cutting segment is expected to dominate the market from 2018 to 2026, due to painless therapy and introduction of electrodes with modified tips for precise and narrow cuts.Get TOC of The Report:Geographically, the global dental electrosurgical units market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America accounted for the largest market share in 2017, attributed to rise in adoption of technological advancements in dental care and strategic presence of key manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada. Europe is anticipated to be the second largest market in terms of revenue by 2026. However, improved distribution of dental electrosurgical units in the developing countries in Asia Pacific and rise in preference for cost-effective electrosurgical procedures over laser surgeries by price-sensitive population in India and China are expected to fuel the growth of the market in the region during the forecast period.Key players operating in the global dental electrosurgical units market are Dentalaire International, Parkell, Inc., ALSA apparecchi medicali s.r.l., BonART Ltd., Stryker, BMS Dental, COLTENE Group, Ellman International, Inc., and Henry Schein, Inc., among others.Get Discount 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:Ophthalmic Equipment Market: Outlook, Global Opportunity & Growth Analysis 2018 - 2026

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Ophthalmic Equipment Market: OverviewOphthalmology is a branch of science that deals with the anatomical and physiological study of eyes. Ophthalmic equipment are used to monitor, diagnose, and prevent ophthalmic disorders such as cataract and glaucoma. These also include devices used to improve vision such as spectacles and contact lenses.The global ophthalmic equipment market is primarily driven by increasing geriatric population. Aging increases the prevalence of cataract, glaucoma, diabetes, and ophthalmic complications associated with diabetes. Age-related macular degenerations (AMD), technological advancements, government initiatives for old visually impaired patients such as free of cost camps for eye check-up and cataract problems, and rise in adoption of contact lenses and spectacles also propel the market. However, high cost of ophthalmic contact lenses and ophthalmic devices, increase in adoption of refurbished ophthalmic devices, less access to eye care products for low income group, lack of skilled ophthalmologists, and poor reimbursement policies for ophthalmic devices act as restraints of the global ophthalmic equipment devices market.Get PDF Brochure of Report:The global ophthalmic equipment market can be segmented based on product type, end-user, and region. In terms of product type, the market can be classified into vision care products, ophthalmic surgical devices, and diagnostic & monitoring devices. The vision care products segment can be bifurcated into spectacles and contact lenses. The contact lenses sub-segment can be categorized into soft contact lenses, rigid gas permeable lenses, and hybrid contact lenses. The ophthalmic surgical devices segment can be divided into cataract surgical devices, vitreoretinal surgical devices, refractive surgical devices, glaucoma surgical devices, ophthalmic microscopes, and ophthalmic accessories. The cataract surgical devices sub-segment can be classified into intraocular lenses, ophthalmic viscoelastic devices, phacoemulsification devices, cataract surgical devices, and IOL injectors. The vitreoretinal surgical devices sub-segment can be categorized into vitreoretinal devices, vitrectomy machines, photocoagulation lasers, illumination devices, and vitrectomy probes. The refractive surgical devices sub-segment can be divided into femtosecond lasers, excimer lasers, and other refractive surgical lasers. The glaucoma surgical devices sub-segment can be bifurcated into glaucoma drainage devices and microinvasive glaucoma surgical devices.The ophthalmic accessories sub-segment can be classified into surgical instruments & kits, ophthalmic forceps, ophthalmic spatulas, ophthalmic tips & handles, ophthalmic scissors, macular lenses, ophthalmic cannulas, and others. The diagnostic & monitoring devices segment can be categorized into optical coherence tomography scanners, fundus cameras, perimeters or visual analyzers, autorefractors & keratometers, ophthalmic ultrasound imaging systems, tonometers, slit lamps, phoropters, wavefront aberrometers, optical biometry systems, ophthalmoscopes, and others. The ophthalmic ultrasound imaging systems segment can be divided into ophthalmic A-scan ultrasound, ophthalmic B-scam ultrasound, ophthalmic ultrasound biomicroscopes, and ophthalmic pachymeters. In terms of end-user, the global ophthalmic equipment market can be classified into consumers, hospitals, specialty clinics, and ambulatory surgical centers.Get TOC of The Report:In terms of region, the global ophthalmic equipment can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America and Europe dominated the global ophthalmic equipment devices due to increase in awareness about early diagnosis of ophthalmic complications such as cataract and glaucoma, technological advancements, and strong reimbursement policies. Asia Pacific is a potential market for ophthalmic equipment due to rise in number of cataract cases and skilled health care professionals. Latin America and Middle East & Africa are emerging markets due to increase in government investment in health care and rise in presence of key players.Major players in the global ophthalmic equipment market are Essilor, Alcon, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Bausch + Lomb, Haag-Streit, Topcon Corporation, Carl Zeiss AG, NIDEK, STAAR Surgical, HOYA, and Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems, among others.Get Discount 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:Animal Health Market 2018 by Global Analysis, products (Feed Additives, Pharmaceuticals and Vaccines), By Animal Type (production animal and companion animal) to 2025- Elanco, Virbac, Nutreco N.V

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ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the Global Animal Health Market Size Status and Forecast 2025, The report classifies the global Animal Health Market in a precise manner to offer detailed insights about the aspects responsible for augmenting as well as restraining market growth.In terms of products, the market is categorized as Feed Additives, Pharmaceuticals and Vaccines. Advancements in the field of feed additives in terms of metabolic modifiers, enzymes, minerals, and probiotics helped this segment to capture large share of the market. Pharmaceuticals is considered to be the second largest market and is anticipated to grow with highest CAGR.Animal types segment is divided into production animal and companion animal. Production animal held largest market share, i.e. USD 26.8 billion in 2017 and is projected to dominate the market share during the forecast period. Animal health products is required to grand a marketing authorization before commercialization (referred as "registration"). It is required to ensure safety, efficacy and quality of the animal products through a regulatory review. Strict guidelines for this regulatory review is expected to hamper the market growth to some extent.Complete report is available@Developed regions such as North America and Europe contributed largest share, representing 65.8% of its global counterpart. Increasing government and non-government initiatives in favor of animal health related products drives the market in developed regions. For example, IFAH (International Federation for Animal Health) Europe is the organization primarily engaged in research, development and manufacturing of animal medicines, vaccines and health related products. Presence of these types of organizations in Europe supports the growth of regional market to great extent..SCOPE OF THE REPORTThe scope of this report covers the market by its major segments, which include as follows:MARKET,BY PRODUCTSFeed AdditivesPharmaceuticalsVaccinesMARKET, BY ANIMAL TYPESProductionCompanionMARKET,BY REGIONNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificRest of the WorldMARKET,BY COUNTRYFurther Breakdown of The North America MarketU.S.CanadaFurther Breakdown of The Europe MarketGermanyFranceRest of EuropeFurther Breakdown of The APAC MarketIndiaChinaRest of APACFurther Breakdown of The Rest of the World MarketMiddle East and AfricaLatin AmericaInquire before Buying@Competitive Landscape:ElancoVirbacNutreco N.V.Ceva Sante AnimaleBayer AGMerck & Co. AGAbout ReportsWeb:ReportsWeb.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 queriesPune:505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028Satellite Transponders Market 2018 Emerging Technologies and Forecast to 2025

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ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the Global Satellite Transponders Market Research Report 2018 report detailed insights about the aspects responsible for augmenting as well as restraining market growth and analyses the market potential for each geographical region based on the growth rate, macroeconomic parameters, consumer buying patterns, and market demand and supply scenarios.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Satellite Transponders in these regions, from 2018 to 2025 (forecast), coveringUnited States, EU, China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.Global Satellite Transponders market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingTelesatBSSJSATSatmexIntelsatTIBoeing CompanySingtel SatelliteAsiaSatMDACASCHwacreateGet sample @On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoC-BandKu-BandKA-BandK-BandOthersOn 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 CommunicationsGovernment CommunicationsNAvigationRemote SensingOthersBrowse complete report @The study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global Satellite Transponderscapacity, production, value, consumption, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025) ;Focuses on the key Satellite Transpondersmanufacturers, 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.Ask for Discount on Report @Table of ContentGlobal Satellite Transponders Market Research Report 20181 Satellite Transponders Market Overview2 Global Satellite Transponders Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Satellite Transponders Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)4 Global Satellite Transponders Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2018)5 Global Satellite Transponders Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type6 Global Satellite Transponders Market Analysis by Application7 Global Satellite Transponders Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Telesat7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Satellite Transponders Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Telesat Satellite Transponders Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 BSS7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Satellite Transponders Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 BSS Satellite Transponders Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 JSAT7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Satellite Transponders Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 JSAT Satellite Transponders Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview8 Satellite Transponders Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Satellite Transponders Market Forecast (2018-2025)Place Direct Purchase order For Complete report @ReportsWeb.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.Contact Info:Name: Sameer JoshiOrganization: ReportsWebEmail: sales@reportsweb.comPhone: +1-646-491-9876505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028CAD CAM Milling Machine Market 2018 Emerging Technologies ,Size, Status, Growth Analysis and Forecast

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ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the Global CAD CAM Milling Machine Market Professional Survey Report 2018 report detailed insights about the aspects responsible for augmenting as well as restraining market growth and analyses the market potential for each geographical region based on the growth rate, macroeconomic parameters, consumer buying patterns, and market demand and supply scenarios.This report studies the global CAD CAM Milling Machine market status and forecast, categorizes the global CAD CAM Milling Machine market size (value & volume) by manufacturers, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top manufacturers in North America, Europe, Japan, China, India, Southeast Asia and other regions (Central & South America, and Middle East & Africa).This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringSironaDentsplyDatronAmann GirrbachWielandBien AirZirkonzahnRenishawKaVoImes-icoreYenadentRodersGet sample of report @On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into5-Axis4-AxisOthersBy Application, the market can be split intoDental ClinicHospitalsDental LabsOthersBrowse Complete Report @The study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global CAD CAM Milling Machine capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025) ;Focuses on the key CAD CAM Milling Machine 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.Ask for Discount on Report @Table of ContentGlobal CAD CAM Milling Machine Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of CAD CAM Milling Machine2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of CAD CAM Milling Machine3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of CAD CAM Milling Machine4 Global CAD CAM Milling Machine Overall Market Overview5 CAD CAM Milling Machine Regional Market Analysis6 Global 2012-2017E CAD CAM Milling Machine Segment Market Analysis (by Type)7 Global 2012-2017E CAD CAM Milling Machine Segment Market Analysis (by Application)8 Major Manufacturers Analysis of CAD CAM Milling Machine8.1 Sirona8.1.1 Company Profile8.1.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.1.2.1 Product A8.1.2.2 Product B8.1.3 Sirona 2017 CAD CAM Milling Machine Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.1.4 Sirona 2017 CAD CAM Milling Machine Business Region Distribution Analysis8.2 Dentsply8.2.1 Company Profile8.2.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.2.2.1 Product A8.2.2.2 Product B8.2.3 Dentsply 2017 CAD CAM Milling Machine Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.2.4 Dentsply 2017 CAD CAM Milling Machine Business Region Distribution Analysis8.3 Datron8.3.1 Company Profile8.3.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.3.2.1 Product A8.3.2.2 Product B8.3.3 Datron 2017 CAD CAM Milling Machine Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.3.4 Datron 2017 CAD CAM Milling Machine Business Region Distribution Analysis9 Development Trend of Analysis of CAD CAM Milling Machine Market10 CAD CAM Milling Machine Marketing Type Analysis11 Consumers Analysis of CAD CAM Milling MachinePlace Direct Purchase order For Complete report @ReportsWeb.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.Contact Info:Name: Sameer JoshiOrganization: ReportsWebEmail: sales@reportsweb.comPhone: +1-646-491-9876505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028North America CBCT Dental Imaging Market Research Trembling Revenue, World Legend Industry Overview, Analysis and Forecast 2018 To 2027

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Market Scenario:Over the past few years in the field of dentistry, radiographic imaging has evolved from a conventional two-dimensional technique to a three-dimensional modality. CBCT has been referred to as the gold standard and standard of care for diagnostic maxillofacial imaging. There has been increasing references in the dental literature towards the utility of cone beam computerized tomography (CBCT) in clinical dental practice.The North America CBCT dental imaging market is expected to reach USD 360.44 million in the year 2023 from USD 172.31 million in 2016. The market is expected to grow at CAGR of 11.1% for the forecasted period. With these drivers, there are few factors hampering the growth of the market such as the risk of ionizing radiations for children and teens.Get Exclusive Sample Report @Segmentation:The North Americas CBCT dental imaging market is segmented on the basis of patient positioning, detector type, application and by the end user.On the basis of patient positioning, the market is segmented into standing, sitting, and supine.Based on the detector type, the market is segmented into flat panel detector and image intensifierOn the basis of application, the market is segmented into implantology, orthodontics, endodontics, and othersOn the basis of the end user, it is segmented into hospitals & clinics, research centers, and others.Intended Audience:Medical Device ManufacturersMedical Device DistributorsHospitals & Dental clinicsResearch and Development (R&D) CompaniesPotential InvestorsKey Players in the North Americas CBCT dental imaging Market:Some of the major players in this market are Carestream Health (U.S.), Dentsply Sirona (U.S.), FONA Dental, S.R.O. (Slovak Republic), Gendex (U.S.), Imaging Sciences International, LLC (U.S.), J. Morita MFG.CORP. (Japan), KaVo Dental GmbH (Germany), NewTom (Italy), Planmeca OY (Finland), Prexion (U.S.), Sinclair Dental/Dentaire (Canada), SOREDEX (Finland), Vatech Networks (Republic of Korea), Cefla North America (U.S.), Owandy Radiology (France), Villa Radiology Systems (Italy) Danaher Corporation (U.S.), Hitachi Medical Systems (Japan), and othersKey Findings:Standing CBCT dental imaging system dominates the market with nearly 56.9% share of the North Americas CBCT dental imaging marketNorth Americas CBCT dental imaging market was estimated to be USD 172.31 million in 2016Implantology segment by application is expected to be the largest market, which is expected to reach USD 285.40 million by 2023Regional Analysis:The North American CBCT dental imaging market is growing at a steady pace. Globally North America contributed the largest share to the CBCT dental imaging market owing to continuously increasing demand for the medical devices, increasing a number of dental organization, the presence of major manufacturers and the presence of huge patient population.Risk of ionizing radiations for children, old people and sensitive individuals is the major factor restraining the market growth in North America. Day by day advancements in technology and demand for safe products may raise the question on the current technology and lead to more advanced and friendly technique which can act as a threat to the market.Key Players:Some of key the players in the market are Boston Scientific Corporation, Cochlear ltd, Medtronic plc, St Jude Medical, Inc., Cyberonics, Inc., Aleva Neurotherapeutics SA, NeuroPace, Inc, and others.Get Your Customized Report @Table of Content:1 REPORT PROLOGUE1.1 Introduction 111.1.1 North America CBCT Dental Imaging Market, By Patient Positioning 121.1.2 North America CBCT Dental Imaging Market, By Type Of Detectors 121.1.3 North America CBCT Dental Imaging Market, By Application 131.1.4 North America CBCT Dental Imaging Market, By End User 141.1.5 North America CBCT Dental Imaging Market, By Country 152 INTRODUCTION2.1 Definition 162.2 Scope Of Study 162.3 Research Objective 162.4 Assumptions & Limitations 172.4.1 Assumptions 172.4.2 Limitations 172.5 Market Structure 173 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY3.1.1 Primary Research Methodology 193.1.2 Secondary Research Methodology 203.1.3 Market Share Analysis 203.1.4 Market Pricing Approach 20TOC Continued!Get Discount @About US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comCyclomethicone Market to Exhibit Impressive Growth During 2015 - 2025

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Cyclomethicone also known as decamethylcyclopentasiloxane is a clear, odorless, alcohol free and colorless silicone liquid. It is soluble with numerous oil based products. It has a cyclical structure rather than linear structure of dimethyl silicone. Cyclomethicones are commonly used as base solvents to blend fragrance oils, perfumes and other cosmetic formulations. They evaporate quickly and they are miscible with a variety of cosmetics oils, waxes, hydrocarbons and silicone oils. This property of cyclomethicones makes them a key ingredient in cosmetics as base solvents. Cyclomethicones are insoluble in water. Additionally, they are low surface tension fluids, which allow them to easily spread on the surface they are applied to.Request For Report Sample@The key driver for the market of cyclomethicone is the growing cosmetics market. The emergence and widespread usage of new age cosmetics such as hair conditioners, shampoos, leave- in conditioners, eye make-up products and body lotions have cyclomethicone as the base solvent. When used in skin care products, cyclomethicone, leaves the skin feeling smooth and lubricated instead of sticky or oily. Another driver for this market is the growing pharmaceuticals market. The increased awareness towards health and increase in the aging population is a driver for this market. Cyclomethicone is used in ointment and gels formulations. Medicated toothpastes, ointments and pain alleviating gels have cyclomethicone as a key base solvent; it helps in the easy spreading of the cream. Excessive exposure to cyclomethicone results in irritation of the skin in humans. In case of highly sensitive skin, there might be skin irritation due to its use. In such cases a milder emulsifier should be used. Cyclomethicone does not contribute to ozone-depletion and is therefore being used as an alternative for non-VOC (volatile organic compound) compliant petroleum-based solvents, as both carrying agent and cleaning solvent. The growing demand for non-VOC solvents is expected to open new opportunities for the growth of the market in the near future.Based on region wise segmentation, China is the largest producer of cyclomethicone. It is also the largest consumer of cyclomethicone, followed by United States, Western Europe and Japan. These countries are the major manufacturers of cosmetics. China and the Indian sub continent produce a variety of generic drugs, which is another major area of application for cyclomethicone.The segmentation of cyclomethicone based on end use is cosmetics industry, pharmaceuticals industry and other industries such as lubricants, paints and varnishes and printing inks. The molecules of cyclomethicone are too large to enter the skin but function as carriers and evaporate after spreading on the skin, thus acting as vehicle for the formulation without getting absorbed in the skin. They however allow the active ingredients of the formulation to enter the skin, thus facilitate healing of the skin. Cyclomethicones help in easy application of make-up and are used in hair care products because they increase the hair's manageability while imparting a clean and healthy appearance. Additionally, they improve the appearance of scars and reduce discomfort. They are hypoallergenic and well tolerated by the skin. Cyclomethicone improves scratch resistance, acts as a flow leveling agent and prevents floating of pigments and matting agents, due to these properties, they are making gradual in roads into paints and varnishes market, however, this market is nascent as of now.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):The major players in this market are Dow Corning, Wacker Chemie, Wuhan Jiehong International Trading Co., Ltd., Cray Valley India Private Limited, Baoying Chemical Adjuvant Factory Of Jiangsu Province, Hong Ye Jie Technology Co. Limited and Guangzhou Yinghui Trading Co. Limited among others. This research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data and statistically-supported and industry-validated market data and projections with a suitable set of assumptions and methodology. It provides analysis and information by categories such as market segments, regions, product types and distribution channels.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:Global Demand for Cytokinins Market to Incur Considerable Upsurge During 2015 - 2025

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Cytokinins is a plant growth hormone which promotes cell division in plant shoots and roots. Types of cytokinins include adenine- type and phenyl urea type. The applications of cytokinins include biomedicine, pharmaceutical, agriculture and others.Increasing demand from organic food industry and textile industry is expected to drive the market. Cotton is used in textile industry as basic raw material and cytokinins are being used to increase the cotton production. Growing population and inclination towards organic food is anticipated to drive the organic food industry. Demand for herbal products in medicines and cosmetics is driving the growth of herbs and medicinal plants industry which is expected to drive the cytokinins market. However, use of fertilizers and cost of the cytokinins based product are expected to hamper the market growth. Developing cost effective products and eco-friendly synthesis of the cytokinins is expected to provide immense opportunities in the near future.Request For Report Sample@Europe was the largest consumer of cytokinins owing to demand from organic food chemistry and government policies to use eco-friendly agrochemicals. Various national governments are enforcing farmers to use eco-friendly plant growth enhancers than using chemicals based fertilizers. Asia Pacific region is expected to grow at higher rate owing to demand from emerging economies such as China and India. Growing population and demand from cotton based textile industry is expected to drive the market in this region. To provide food to population and cotton to textile industry, cytokinins are being used to increase the production. North America followed Asia Pacific region and is expected to grow with moderate rate owing to demand from organic food and medicinal plants industry.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Key players in this market include BASF SE, Crop Care Australasia Pvt Ltd., Du Pont, Redox Industries, Xinyi Industrial Co. Ltd., Bayer CropScience, Sichuan Guoguang Agrochemical Co. Ltd, Sigma Aldrich, NuFarm Ltd., and amongst others. This research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data and statistically-supported and industry-validated market data and projections with a suitable set of assumptions and methodology. It provides analysis and information by categories such as market segments, regions, product types and distribution channels.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:Baby Food Market: 2018 Business Overview, New Project Investment Review, Product Specification, Growth, Development Trends and Forecasts to 2023

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The Baby Food Market report offers a comprehensive valuation of the market. It does so via in-depth comprehensions, appreciative market growth by following past developments, and analysing the present situation and future forecasts based on progressive and likely states. Each research report assists as a depository of analysis and data for every side of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, types, applications, technology developments and the competitive landscape.The target consumers of commercially-available baby food range from infants (babies aged 6 to 12 months) to toddlers (children up to three years old). Baby food is available in various flavors and in both solid and liquid form. Modern-day time constraints have reduced the use of homemade baby food in both developed as well as developing nations. While U.S. and Europe hold a major share of the global baby food market, emerging economies such as China, India, Brazil, Russia, and Romania also represent a high growth rate. The major segments in the baby food product market are baby cereals, bottled baby foods, frozen baby foods, baby snacks and soups. Companies are focusing mainly on developing easily digestible and competitively priced fortified baby food. Evolving food technologies are enabling the market players to offer quality products with enhanced benefits like optimum nutrients content for babies. The growth in the baby food market is primarily due to the increasing demand from the Asian countries.Get Free Sample Copy of Report atBaby Food market size will grow from USD 44.25 Billion in 2017 to USD 60.32 Billion by 2023, at an estimated CAGR of 5.3%. The base year considered for the study is 2017, and the market size is projected from 2018 to 2023.Market Segments:- By Market Players: ABBOTT NUTRITION, BABYNAT, BEECH NUT, BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB, DANONE DUMEX, DUTCH LADY, EARTHS BEST, ELLA'S KITCHEN, FASSKA, H.J. HEINZ CO, HALAL BABY FOOD, HEALTHY SPROUTS FOODS INC, HERO, HIPP ORGANIC BABY FOOD, LITTLE DISH, PLASMON, PLUM MUMS, PLUM ORGANIC, SMA NUTRITION, STAGESFOOD- By PRODUCTS: Bottled baby food, Baby food cereals, Baby food snacks, Baby Food Soup, Frozen baby food- By HEALTH BENEFITS: Immune system, Brain and eye development, Muscular growth, Bones and teeth development, Blood enhancementBrowse Complete Report atTable of ContentChapter 1 Industry OverviewChapter 2 Production Market AnalysisChapter 3 Sales Market AnalysisChapter 4 Consumption Market AnalysisChapter 5 Production, Sales and Consumption Market Comparison AnalysisChapter 6 Major Manufacturers Production and Sales Market Comparison AnalysisChapter 7 Major PRODUCTS AnalysisChapter 8 Major HEALTH BENEFITSAnalysisChapter 9 Industry Chain AnalysisChapter 10 Global and Regional Market ForecastChapter 11 Major Manufacturers AnalysisChapter 12 New Project Investment Feasibility AnalysisPlace Direct Purchase Order of Baby Food Market atNote: If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Contact Info:Name: Research For MarketsEmail: alan.naidu@researchformarkets.comPhone: +44 8000-4182-37Research For Markets indulge in detailed and diligent research on different markets, trends and emerging opportunities in the successive direction to cater to your business needs. We have established the pillars of our flourishing institute on the grounds of Credibility and Reliability. RFM delve into the markets across Asia Pacific, North America, South America, Europe, Middle East And Africa.Level 21, Dashwood House69 Old Broad StreetLondon EC2M 1QS, United KingdomKey Insights of Future Prospects of Deicing Fluid Market During 2015 - 2025

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Deicing fluid is the process of removing ice, snow from a surface. Deicing fluids lower the freezing point of water and typically comprise of salts, glycols and alcohols. Other methods of deicing include mechanical methods such as scrapping and pushing or by applying heat. Deicing fluid is sprayed on the surface using hoses or spray guns. Deicing is used in several application segments namely transportation, aviation and for consumer needs.Request For Report Sample@Demand for deicing fluid typically depends on the climatic conditions of a region. Demand for deicing fluid is primarily driven by growth in population and tourism in cold regions. Aviation segment dominates the global demand for deicing fluid and has been among the major drivers for market growth. Several deicing fluid cause rusting and degradation of applied surfaces which has been a major restraint for market growth. Availability of cheap substitute such as mechanical methods of scrapping, heating has also restrained deicing fluid market growth. Increasing research and development activities to increase the application scope of deicing fluids is expected to offer huge growth opportunity for the market.North America dominates the demand for deicing fluid and the trend is expected to continue in the near future. Europe accounts for the second largest market for deicing fluids. The regions have several countries with suitable climatic conditions. Emerging economies in the Eurasia region is expected to offer huge growth opportunity for the market. Increasing awareness in the various developing regions of Eastern Europe and Antarctica is expected to drive the market during the forecast period.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Major players in the deicing fluid market include The Dow Chemical Company, Kilfrost, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Henan Allrich Chemical Co., Ltd., Cre Chem Qingdao Limited, and Weifang Qiangyuan Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. among others. This research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data and statistically-supported and industry-validated market data and projections with a suitable set of assumptions and methodology. It provides analysis and information by categories such as market segments, regions, product types and distribution channels.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:Valuable Foresights on How Castor Oil Derivatives Market will Grow During 2015 - 2025

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Castor oil is one of the most multipurpose plant oils, obtained by pressing the seed of the castor oil plant (Ricinus communis).It is well known source of a monounsaturated, ricinoleic and 18-carbon fatty acid. Owing to its unique chemical structure and rich properties, castor oil and its derivatives find uses in many industries such as cosmetics, food, lubricants, paints, agriculture, electronics & telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, perfumeries, plastics and rubber, inks & adhesives and textile chemicals. After plant oils, castor oil is considered to be the most required oil. However, growing concerns pertaining to biofuels specially biodiesel and biopolymer across the globe is pushingcastor oil to play a much larger role in the world economy.Castor Oil Derivatives: Drivers & RestraintsGrowth of major end-use industries (includes lubricants, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals) and increasing demand for sustainable products & biodegradable, on account of reducing dependence on petrochemicals is anticipated to fuel the demand for castor oil derivatives market. Also regulatory support and rising prices of alternative renewable chemicals is expected to drive the global castor oil derivatives market. However, factors influencing its manufacturing cost includes raw material availability, weather uncertainties, shortage of working capital, techniques & methods used for extraction and availability of substitute oil are resulting in restraints for the castor oil derivative market.Request For Report Sample@Castor Oil Derivatives: SegmentationOn the basis of product type, the global castor oil derivatives market is segmented into Undecylenic Acid, Sebacic Acid (largest consumed castor oil derivatives), Castor Wax or Hydrogenated castor oil (HCO), Dehydrated Castor Oil (DCO) and others. On the basis of application, global castor oil derivatives market is segmented into Lubricants, Cosmetics & Pharmaceuticals (largest application segment), Biodiesel, Plastics & Resins and Others.Castor Oil Derivatives: Region-wise OutlookThe global castor oil derivatives market is expected to register a double digit CAGR for the forecast period, 2015?2025. Asia-Pacific is expected to continue its dominance on the global castor oil derivatives market. India accounts for largest production of castor oil derivatives worldwide, followed by China and Brazil. Higher demand from the US, Europe and China has resulted in the higher prices for castor as well as increase in demand for castor oil derivatives. The major castor producing countries are India, China, Brazil, Paraguay, Ethiopia, Philippines, Russia and Thailand.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Castor Oil Derivatives: Key PlayersSome of players in global castor oil derivatives market are Thai Castor Oil Industries Co. Ltd., Jayant Agro Organics, Hokoku Corporation, ITOH Oil Chemicals Co. Ltd., Gokul Overseas, Bom Brazil, Liaoyang Huaxing Chemical Co., Ltd., Kanak Castor Products Pvt. Ltd., and others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT: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:Genetic Testing Market 2018; Flourishes Relentlessly at a CAGR of 9.8% | Paramount Growth Seen in Healthcare Sector by 2023

Genetic Testing Market

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Genetic Testing Market Report include on MarketReseacrhFuture.com with exhaustive Study. The report aims to provide an overview of Genetic Testing Market Report. The report provides key statistics on the market status. Global Forecast till 2023.Genetic Testing Market - Global InsightsThe Global Genetic Testing Market is growing with the rapid pace. According to a recent study report published by the Market Research Future, the Global Genetic Testing Market is booming and expected to gain prominence over the forecast period and is projected to grow a sound pace. The market is projected to demonstrate a sound growth by 2023, surpassing its previous growth records in terms of value with a sound CAGR during the anticipated period (2017-2023).Get Premium Sample copy @Genetic testing involves various medical test that help us identify changes in chromosomes, genes, or proteins. The genetic tests can confirm or rule out a suspected genetic condition and it can help determine a persons probability of developing a genetic disorder or passing on the same to next generation. Currently there are more than 1,000 genetic tests in use, and more are being developed. Rising awareness about the benefits of genetic testing, rising prevalence of the genetic disorders, changing trend in the industry from service driven to product driven industry are some of the factors that drives the market growth during the forecast period. However, limitations in the genetic testing and inaccuracy of tests, stringent regulation from the Insurance companies, and high cost of the tests are the major restraining factor for the market growth during the forecast period.Top Vendors of Genetic Testing Market Research Report:Some of the key players in this market are: Abbott Laboratories (US), Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (US), Illumina Inc. (US), Myriad Genetics (US), PerkinElmer Inc. (US), QIAGEN N.V. (Germany), and Quest Diagnostics (US).Genetic Testing Market - Segmentation:Global genetic testing market has been segmented on the basis of type which prescribed genetic testing, and direct to consumer (DTC) genetic testing. Prescribed Genetic Testing accounted for the largest market share in 2016. On the basis of method, it is segmented into Molecular Genetic Test/ DNA Test, Chromosomal Genetic Test, Biochemical Genetic Test. Molecular Genetic tests/DNA was holding largest market share in 2016. On the basis of type of test, the market is segmented into Diagnostic Test, Predictive Test, Family DNA Test, and others. Diagnostic test accounted for the largest market share in 2016. On the basis of indication it is segmented into Cancer Testing, Neurogenetic Disorder Testing, Autoimmune Disorder Testing, Muscular dystrophies, and others. Cancer Testing accounted for the largest market share in 2016.Get Prime Discount @Regional Analysis of Global Genetic Testing Market:Considering the global scenario of the market, due to continuous innovation, high awareness about the genetic testing and rapid adoption of new technology, Americas is largest market and was holding 46.3% market share of global Genetic testing in 2016. US is holding largest market share in North America region. European genetic testing market is expected to reach USD 2,553.10 million by 2023. On the other hand, due to increasing aging population and advances in the medical fields, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) is fastest growing market for Genetic testing and expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.1% during the forecast period. Middle East and Africa (ME&A) is likely to have a limited growth in the market due to less awareness and lack of required infrastructure.Global Genetic Testing Market - competitive analysisCharacterized by the presence of several well-established and small players, the global market of genetic testing appears to be highly competitive and fragmented. International players are increasingly expanding their footprint in the developing economy, making it difficult for regional vendors to compete with them, especially in terms of features such as product differentiation, product portfolios, quality, and pricing. The market is witnessing intensified competition which is expected to get more intensified further during the forecast period. The intense competition prevalent in the market dictates the consolidation among marketers.Well established players incorporate acquisition, collaboration, partnership, expansion, and product launch in order to gain competitive advantage in this market and to maintain their market position.Major TOC of Genetic Testing Market Research Report - Global Forecast to 2023:1 REPORT PROLOGUE2 INTRODUCTION3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY4 MARKET DYNAMICS5 MARKET FACTOR ANALYSIS6 GLOBAL GENETIC TESTING MARKET BY TYPE7 GLOBAL GENETIC TESTING MARKET BY METHOD8 GLOBAL GENETIC TESTING MARKET BY TYPE OF TEST9 GLOBAL GENETIC TESTING MARKET BY INDICATION10 GLOBAL GENETIC TESTING MARKET BY REGION11 COMPANY PROFILEKey Topics Covered In Genetic Testing Market Research Report:What will the market size 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?Get Customized Report with niche Segments, exhaustive Overview and Vital Players @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune  411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comMarket Overview: Global Industrial Smart Motors Market to grow at a CAGR of 6.22% Forecast 2017-2021

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Motors with additional features such as a built-in microprocessor, quadrature encoder, and current monitor are industrial smart motors. Industrial smart motors can cater to complex operations in machineries and perform highly precise and multifaceted functions with IIoT integration. They can perform cautiously and with high-efficiency. They also do not render adverse effects in the environment. The growth of industrial automation has led to a significant rise in demand for industrial smart motors.The global industrial smart motors market to grow at a CAGR of 6.22% during the period 2017-2021. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global industrial smart motors market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers a detailed picture of the market by way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:- Americas- APAC- EMEAClick to get Sample PDF:Technavio's report, Global Industrial Smart Motors 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- HSD- Lenze- Moog- Servotronix Motion Control- TECHNOSOFTOther prominent vendors- Bosch Rexroth- Delta Electronics- Festo Group- Fuji Electric- General Electric- MISUMI- MOONS'- Motion Control Products- NIDEC MOTORS & ACTUATORS- Olympus Controls- Rockwell Automation- Sastra Robotics- Schneider Electric- SMART ELECTRIC- SmartMotorDevices O- Sonceboz- StriatechView Complete TOC with Tables and Figures at:Key questions answered in this report- What will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?- What are the key market trends?- What is driving this market?- What are the challenges to market growth?- Who are the key vendors in this market space?ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Mr. NachiketAlbany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usGlobal Cable TV Boxes Market 2018 - Magnavox, Motorola, Pace, Samsung

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Apex Market Reports, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the Cable TV Boxes Market across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of Cable TV Boxes Market from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global PP Pipe industry, and estimates the future trend of Cable TV Boxes on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares Cable TV Boxes performance both in terms of volume and revenue.The market research report explores the Cable TV Boxes Market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of Cable TV Boxes Market. The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Cable TV Boxes Market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Cable TV Boxes. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Cable TV Boxes Market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportCiscoGeneral InstrumentsMagnavoxMotorolaPaceSamsungScientific AtlantaUnbranded/GenericThe competitive landscape of the global market for Cable TV Boxes is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Cable TV Boxes Markets production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Cable TV Boxes Market globally.Inquire Before Buying @The Global Cable TV Boxes Market 2018 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Cable TV Boxes production volume, data pertaining to demand and Cable TV Boxes supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Cable TV Boxes along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Cable TV Boxes across the world.About UsApex Market Reports offers elevating market research globally. We have collection of various syndicated reports of different categories. Apex Market Reports provides you to best services, weather youre searching for new trends in market or competitive scenario in emerging market.Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezCorporate Sales Specialist155 North Wacker Drive, Suite 4250Chicago, IL 60606Phone: +17739042683Email id - sales@apexmarketreports.comWebsite -2018-2025 Heat Treatment Temperature Control Equipment Report on Global and United States Market

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This report studies the Heat Treatment Temperature Control Equipment 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 Heat Treatment Temperature Control Equipment market by product type and application/end industries.Request Sample Copy of Report@The global Heat Treatment Temperature Control Equipment market is valued at XX million USD in 2017 and is expected to reach XX million USD by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2017 and 2025.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 Heat Treatment Temperature Control Equipment.Ask for Discount on Research Report@United States plays an important role in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2017 and will be xx million USD in 2025, with a CAGR of XX.About Us:QY Research established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, data base and seminar services. The company owned a large basic data base (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), experts resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc.Contact USQY Research, INC.17890 Castleton,Suite 218,City of industry, CA  91748 ?USA: +1 626 295 2442Email ? enquiry@qyrsearch.comWeb ?For other region, contact number given below+86 108 294 5717 Beijing+86 208 665 5165 Guangzhou+86 215 160 1757 Shanghai+852 3062 8839 HK+1 613 366 5094 Canada+81 903 800 9273 Japan+49 176 813 78371Germany+44 203 734 8135 UK+33 172 813 308 France+55 613 181 0478 Brazil+91 114 046 9822 IndiaGlobal Moisture Barrier Coatings Market History and Forecast 2013-2025, Breakdown Data by Manufacturers & Application

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Moisture Barrier Coatings Market Report,History and Forecast 2013-2025,Breakdown Data by Manufacturers,Key Regions,Types and Application" to its huge collection of research reports.The global Moisture Barrier Coatings market is carefully analyzed in the report with key focus on how certain factors could bode well in the near future. Researchers authoring the report have also shed light on factors that could restrain the growth of the market. Continuing further, the report offers a broad account of trends and opportunities that players could cash in on if they are to improve their shares of the market. Each trend or opportunity could be significant for the rise of the market and for players to overcome market challenges. The overview section gives a rough idea of the market and its scope for the said forecast period.Order a Free Copy of Sample Report @This report studies the Moisture Barrier Coatings market size (value and volume) by players, regions, product types and end industries, history data 2013-2017 and forecast data 2018-2025; This report also studies the global market competition landscape, market drivers and trends, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key regions, with sales, revenue, market share and growth Rate of Moisture Barrier Coatings in these regions, from 2013 to 2025, coveringNorth America (United States, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia and Turkey etc.)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam)South America (Brazil etc.)Middle East and Africa (Egypt and GCC Countries)The various contributors involved in the value chain of the product include manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, intermediaries, and customers. The key manufacturers in this market include3MHenryBonaBostik SAEpoxy PlusKey StakeholdersRaw material suppliersDistributors/traders/wholesalers/suppliersRegulatory bodies, including government agencies and NGOCommercial research & development (R&D) institutionsImporters and exportersGovernment organizations, research organizations, and consulting firmsTrade associations and industry bodiesEnd-use industriesRegional analysis provided in the report takes into account all key regions of the global Moisture Barrier Coatings market. It brings to light significant factors that could propel the growth of leading regional markets in the near future. Moreover, it provides accurate data and market projections for all of the regional segments studied in the report in order to give a clear picture of their current growth and that for the coming years. The researchers have also segmented the market based on other categories such as product and application. Each segment has been comprehensively analyzed based on various aspects.The competitive landscape of the global Moisture Barrier Coatings market is analyzed in great detail for readers to gain sound understanding of the nature of competition and other vital aspects. Each player studied in the report is profiled based on its recent developments, market share, and other important factors.Obtain Table of Content @Table of Contents1 Moisture Barrier Coatings Market Overview1.1 Moisture Barrier Coatings Product Overview1.2 Moisture Barrier Coatings Market Segment by Type1.3 Global Moisture Barrier Coatings Market Size by Type1.3.1 Global Moisture Barrier Coatings Sales and Growth by Type1.3.2 Global Moisture Barrier Coatings Sales and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)1.3.3 Global Moisture Barrier Coatings Revenue and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)1.3.4 Global Moisture Barrier Coatings Price by Type (2013-2018)2 Global Moisture Barrier Coatings Market Competition by Company2.1 Global Moisture Barrier Coatings Sales and Market Share by Company (2013-2018)2.2 Global Moisture Barrier Coatings Revenue and Share by Company (2013-2018)2.3 Global Moisture Barrier Coatings Price by Company (2013-2018)2.4 Global Top Players Moisture Barrier Coatings Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area, Product Types2.5 Moisture Barrier Coatings Market Competitive Situation and TrendsList of Tables and FiguresFigure Moisture Barrier Coatings Product PictureFigure Global Moisture Barrier Coatings Revenue (Million USD) Status and Outlook (2013-2025)Figure Global Moisture Barrier Coatings Sales (K MT) Status and Outlook (2013-2025)Table Global Moisture Barrier Coatings Sales (K MT) by Type (2013-2018)Table Global Moisture Barrier Coatings Sales Share (%) by Type (2013-2018)Figure Global Moisture Barrier Coatings Sales Market Share (%) by Type (2013-2018)Figure Global Moisture Barrier Coatings Sales Market Share (%) by Type in 2017Table Global Moisture Barrier Coatings Revenue (Million USD) by Type (2013-2018)About Us:QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us:1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Global Stretch Wrap Market Growth 2018-2023 Bonset, Scientex, DUO PLAST

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A market study "Global Stretch Wrap Market" examines the performance of the Stretch Wrap market 2018. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Stretch Wrap market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Stretch Wrap market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Stretch Wrap Market 2018 report includes Stretch Wrap market Revenue, market Share, Stretch Wrap industry volume, market Trends, Stretch Wrap Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report. It shows manufacturing capacity, Stretch Wrap Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Stretch Wrap Market 2018 :1. Manuli2. Sigma Plastics Group3. Scientex4. AEP Industries5. Inteplast Group6. Bemis Company7. Integrated Packaging Group8. Thong Guan Industries9. Mima Film10. Berry Plastics Corporation11. Bonset12. Bollore13. Paragon Films14. Efekt Plus15. M.J. Maillis16. I.M. Group17. Eurofilms Extrusion18. DUO PLAST19. Huatong United (Nantong)Stretch Wrap Market : By ApplicationAgricultureFood & BeveragesStorage & DistributionHealthcareOthersStretch Wrap Market : By TypeMannual Stretch WrapMachine Stretch WrapFirstly, the report covers the top Stretch Wrap manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Stretch Wrap report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Stretch Wrap industry, Stretch Wrap industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Stretch Wrap Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Stretch Wrap 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 Stretch Wrap market revenue worldwide.Finally, Stretch Wrap 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:India Coronary Stent Market Expected to Grow at CAGR of 14% Through 2016 - 2026

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India coronary stents market, valued at US$ 481 Mn in 2015, is expected to reach US$ 531 Mn in revenues by 2016-end, according to a new research report by Future Market Insights. The report titled, Coronary Stents Market: India Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2016-2026 projects the market to increase at 14% CAGR through 2026 and surpass US$ 1.8 Bn in revenues.Demand for coronary stents is expected to be driven by government initiatives to offer better healthcare amenities. Capping of coronary stents prices, increase in geriatric population, and increasing number of PCI procedure to treat CHD are other key factors anticipated to fuel demand for coronary stents during the forecast period.Easing of norms such as exemptions in direct taxes, while allowing 100 percent FDI in medical devices segment under the automatic route is expected to encourage entry of foreign players in the healthcare sector in the near future.Increasing prevalence of diabetes is high among the ageing population in the country. In 2014, 43.2% of the sampled population in the country was aware about diabetes and related treatment options. Over the last few years, number of PCI procedures have increased in India due to increase in prevalence of CHD.Request to Sample Report -India coronary stents market is segmented on the basis of product type, raw material and end-use.On the basis of product type, the market has been segmented into Drug Eluting Stent (DES), Bare Metal Stent (BMS) and Bioresorbable Vascular Stent (BVS). Drug Eluting Stent segment is expected to register impressive CAGR of 14.0% during the forecast period.On the basis of raw material, the market is segmented into cobalt-chromium, stainless steel, platinum-chromium, nickel-titanium and polymer. Currently, demand for cobalt-chromium is the highest, followed by platinum-chromium.On the basis of end use, India coronary stents market is segmented into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centres and cardiac catheterization laboratories. By end use, hospitals segment is expected to witness fastest growth during the forecast period.The key players profiled in FMIs report include Abbott Laboratories, Medtronic, Inc., Biosensors Inc., and Boston Scientific Inc. The report also identifies company-specific strategies related to product development, market consolidation initiatives and analysis of their specific strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.Request Report TOC @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 :Chocolate Flavoring Compounds Market to Exhibit Impressive Growth During 2018 - 2028

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A chocolate flavoring compound is a mixture of various ingredients such as vegetable fats, sugars, cocoa powder and other flavors which are used to impart chocolaty flavor to the desired food product. Chocolate flavoring compounds are the base ingredients used to manufacture commercially consumed confectionery chocolates. Despite the growing health trends, the chocolate flavoring compounds market is expected to witness growth due to modifications in the traditionally consumed chocolate flavoring compounds such as reduction of sugar and protein fortification. Basically, according to the standards set by the FDA, chocolate flavoring compounds are more flexible than chocolate standards and hence can be developed into a wide range of varieties with respect to flavor, color and performance.The growth in the confectionery vertical is also likely to support the growth of the chocolate flavoring compounds market. Nowadays, the finished product suppliers are also exhibiting interest in confectionery coatings, which is likely to boost the growth of the chocolate flavoring compounds market. However, the high cocoa bean prices may tamper with the growth of the chocolate flavoring compounds market. This has led to difficulty in passing on the price rise to consumers and consequently, the profit margins are squeezed. Other factors such as legislation and strict regulations circulating around the negative shift of the fat and sugar in the chocolate flavoring compounds have led to declining exports in Europe and stagnating demand. On the positive side, personalization is a trend observed in the chocolate flavoring compounds market, such as the emergence of retail stores which enable the consumers to design and shape their own chocolate bars, are becoming increasingly common. In addition, marketing the chocolate flavoring compounds which can be paired with vegetables and other protein-rich foods are also enabling the manufacturers to expand their consumer base by targeting the health conscious demo graph.Request For Report Sample@The chocolate flavoring compounds market is segmented on the basis of product type, product form and end use. On the basis of product type, the chocolate flavoring compounds market is segmented as- Dark,Regular. On the basis of product form, the chocolate flavoring compounds market is segmented as- Solid,Paste. On the basis of end use, the chocolate flavoring compounds market is segmented as-Variegates,chocolate beverages,Bakery,Frozen desserts,Confectionery,Dairy,Snacks,Sauces & spreads,Convenience food,Others.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Some of the key players operating in the global chocolate flavoring compounds market are Clover Hill Food Ingredients Ltd, Cargill, Incorporated, ADM WILD Europe GmbH & Co.KG, Nestle, Wilmar International Limited, PURATOS, Shellz Overseas Pvt. Ltd., INFORUM Group, Buhler AG,Barry Callebaut, Unigra S.r.l., Blommer Chocolate Company, CEMOI and HERZA Schokolade GmbH & Co. KG.Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:Global Advanced Combat Helmets Market 2018 by Industry Leading Players : ArmorSource, BAE, Gentex, Honeywell

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Advanced Combat Helmets Market Professional Survey Report 2018" to its huge collection of research reports.This report studies the global Advanced Combat Helmets market status and forecast, categorizes the global Advanced Combat Helmets market size (value & volume) by manufacturers, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top manufacturers in North America, Europe, Japan, China, India, Southeast Asia and other regions (Central & South America, and Middle East & Africa).The international market for Advanced Combat Helmets has been thoroughly studied with every available detail in the said study with increased focus 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.Request a Free Sample Report of this research to evaluate more:The major manufacturers covered in this reportArmorSourceBAEGentexHoneywellArmorWorks EnterprisesCeradyneEagle IndustriesMorgan Advanced MaterialsGeographically, 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 AmericaEuropeChinaJapanIndiaSoutheast AsiaOther regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)Key StakeholdersAdvanced Combat Helmets ManufacturersAdvanced Combat Helmets Distributors/Traders/WholesalersAdvanced Combat Helmets Subcomponent ManufacturersIndustry AssociationDownstream VendorsThe study of market segmentations that has been offered with the publication that explores some of the most significant categories of the world Advanced Combat Helmets market is deemed significant for the growth of industry participants. Segments that have been analyzed in the publication could be related to product, end use, application, and geography.A group of experienced analysts who have prepared the said report delves deep into the various factors that hinder or fuel the world market for Advanced Combat Helmets. It also discovers and mentions the important trends that are emerging in the said market. Cashing in on all of these market data and statistics that have been garnered so far, it has come up with the best course of action for all the stake holders of the market.Read Complete Table of Content @Table of Contents1 Industry Overview of Advanced Combat Helmets1.1 Definition and Specifications of Advanced Combat Helmets1.1.1 Definition of Advanced Combat Helmets1.1.2 Specifications of Advanced Combat Helmets1.2 Classification of Advanced Combat Helmets1.3 Applications of Advanced Combat Helmets1.4 Market Segment by Regions2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Advanced Combat Helmets2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Advanced Combat Helmets2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Advanced Combat Helmets2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Advanced Combat Helmets3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Advanced Combat Helmets3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Advanced Combat Helmets Major Manufacturers in 20173.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Advanced Combat Helmets Major Manufacturers in 20173.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Advanced Combat Helmets Major Manufacturers in 20173.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Advanced Combat Helmets Major Manufacturers in 2017List of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of Advanced Combat HelmetsTable Product Specifications of Advanced Combat HelmetsTable Classification of Advanced Combat HelmetsFigure Global Production Market Share of Advanced Combat Helmets by Type in 2017Figure North America Advanced Combat Helmets Market Size (Million USD) (2013-2025)Figure Europe Advanced Combat Helmets Market Size (Million USD) (2013-2025)Figure China Advanced Combat Helmets Market Size (Million USD) (2013-2025)Figure Japan Advanced Combat Helmets Market Size (Million USD) (2013-2025)About Us:QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us:1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Asia-Pacific Chocolate Syrup Market Report 2018

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In this report, the Asia-Pacific Chocolate Syrup market is valued at USD XX million in 2017 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2017 and 2025.Geographically, this report split Asia-Pacific into several key Regions, with sales (K MT), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Chocolate Syrup for these regions, from 2013 to 2025 (forecast), includingChinaJapanSouth KoreaTaiwanIndiaSoutheast AsiaAustraliaRequest Sample Copy of Report@Asia-Pacific Chocolate Syrup market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Chocolate Syrup sales volume, price, revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingHershey'sNesquik (Nestle)Santa Cruz OrganicToraniSmucker'sAHLASKAHebFox SyrupsBoscoWalden FarmsOn the basis of product, this report displays the sales volum, revenue, product price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoConventional Chocolate SyrupOrganic Chocolate SyrupOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate for each application, includingCoffeeIce-creamCakesOthersAsk for Discount on Research Report@About Us:QY Research established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, data base and seminar services. The company owned a large basic data base (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), experts resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc.Contact USQY Research, INC.17890 Castleton,Suite 218,City of industry, CA  91748 ?USA: +1 626 295 2442Email ? enquiry@qyrsearch.comWeb ?For other region, contact number given below+86 108 294 5717 Beijing+86 208 665 5165 Guangzhou+86 215 160 1757 Shanghai+852 3062 8839 HK+1 613 366 5094 Canada+81 903 800 9273 Japan+49 176 813 78371Germany+44 203 734 8135 UK+33 172 813 308 France+55 613 181 0478 Brazil+91 114 046 9822 IndiaArtificial Intelligence as a Service: Market Emerging Technology, Industry analysis by leading Key Players with its application and types 2018-2025

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Worldwide Artificial Intelligence as a Service Market Analysis to 2025 is a specialized and in-depth study of the Artificial Intelligence as a Service industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global Artificial Intelligence as a Service market with detailed market segmentation by product/application and geography. The global Artificial Intelligence as a Service market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Artificial Intelligence as a Service players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.Artificial Intelligence as a Service Market Players: IBM Google Amazon Web Services Microsoft Salesforce FICO SAS Institute Intel SAP IRIS AI Bigml H2o.AI Absolutdata Fuzzy.AI Vital AI Rainbird Technologies Craft.AI Sift Science Mighty.AI Cognitive Scale Centurysoft Yottamine Analytics Datarobot Meya.AIRequest a Sample Report atMarket segment by Type, the product can be split into Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning Natural Language Processing (NLP)Market segment by Application, Artificial Intelligence as a Service can be split into BFSI Healthcare and Life Sciences Retail Telecommunications Government and defense Manufacturing Energy OthersMajor 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 Artificial Intelligence as a Service market based on product and application. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall Artificial Intelligence as a Service 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 atAlso, key Artificial Intelligence as a Service 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 Artificial Intelligence as a Service 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 atContact 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.Growth of Public Safety LTE Device Market in Global Industry : Analysis and Status 2018| Harrison Corporation, Motorola solutions And Nokia

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Albany, NY, 12th June : Recent research and the current scenario as well as future market potential of "Global Public Safety LTE Device Market Professional Survey Report 2018" globally.This report studies Public Safety LTE Device 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.Get PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringGeneral Dynamics Mission SystemsHarrison CorporationMotorola solutionsNokiaAirbusAirspan NetworksCisco SystemsEricssonHuawei TechnologiesRaytheonZTEOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoHandheld DevicesRouter and ModuleseNBBy Application, the market can be split intoPublic SectorPrivate SectorView Complete TOC with tables & Figures @By Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaTable of Contents1 Industry Overview of Public Safety LTE Device1.1 Definition and Specifications of Public Safety LTE Device1.1.1 Definition of Public Safety LTE Device1.1.2 Specifications of Public Safety LTE Device1.2 Classification of Public Safety LTE Device1.2.1 Handheld Devices1.2.2 Router and Modules1.2.3 eNB1.3 Applications of Public Safety LTE Device1.3.1 Public Sector1.3.2 Private Sector1.3.3 Application 31.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Public Safety LTE Device2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Public Safety LTE Device2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Public Safety LTE Device2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Public Safety LTE DeviceBrowse Report @3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Public Safety LTE Device3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Public Safety LTE Device Major Manufacturers in 20173.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Public Safety LTE Device Major Manufacturers in 20173.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Public Safety LTE Device Major Manufacturers in 20173.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Public Safety LTE Device Major Manufacturers in 2017ResearchMoz 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 :Strategic Analysis of Quartz Fiber Market

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Quartz is a mineral found in the earths surface. It is the second most abandoned material present in the Earths continental crust. Quartz fiber is low-density, high-strength fiber, which possesses qualities such as high temperature resistance, high elongation, high dielectric strength, and almost zero coefficient of expansion (CTE). These qualities make it a preferred choice of material for applications where high temperatures are involved and durability is the priority. These fibers are made by extruding pure silica through a stream of hot air. Quartz fibers are used in aircraft radomes, electromagnetic windows, fireproof cables, blankets for firewalls, and aircraft fuselage fire barriers.Increase in demand for quartz fibers in the aerospace & defense industry and extensive use of these fibers in making filters for air purifiers are factors expected to boost the quartz fiber market in the near future. This is prompting companies to increase the production of quartz fiber. Additionally, easy availability of raw materials is anticipated to augment the demand for quartz fiber in the next few years.Read report overview at:The global quartz fiber market is witnessing technological advancements. Companies are constantly striving to develop new and better quartz fibers. Development of new manufacturing process of quartz fiber and applications is estimated to propel the quartz fiber market. However, implementation of stringent environmental regulations and volatility in prices of raw materials are projected to adversely affect market growth.Based on product, the quartz fiber market can be classified into yarns, rovings, felts, sewing thread, and others. Yarns is the commonly used product; it is extensively employed in manufacture of aircraft radomes.Quartz fiber is used in a wide range of applications due to its excellent physical & chemical properties. Based on application, the market can be segmented into textile, aerospace & defense, electronic & semiconductors, chemicals, healthcare, and others. The aerospace & defense segment accounted for significant share of the quartz fiber in 2016 owing to the high demand for these fibers in civil aircraft radomes across the globe.Request to view Sample Report:In terms of geography, the quartz fiber market can be divided into North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Middle East & Africa. North America is anticipated to constitute key share of the market during the forecast period. Asia Pacific is estimated to be a rapidly growing region of the quartz fiber market, owing to the increase in demand from the automotive industry in the region. Middle East & Africa is also likely to be an attractive region of the quartz fiber market during the forecast period due to the rise in demand from the packaging industry in the region.Prominent players operating in the global quartz fiber market include Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics, Inc., JPS Industries Inc., Hong Kong Datang Industrial Trade Co., Ltd, and Hubei Feilihua Quartz Glass Co., Ltd.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Size and Share of Push to Talk (PTT) Market in Global Industry : Insights, Development, Research and Forecast 2018| Verizon, Sprint Corporation And Ericsson

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Albany, NY, 12th June : Recent research and the current scenario as well as future market potential of "Global Push to Talk (PTT) Market Research Report 2018" globally.This report studies the global Push to Talk (PTT) market status and forecast, categorizes the global Push to Talk (PTT) market size (value & volume) by manufacturers, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top manufacturers in United States, Europe, China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan and other regions.Get PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @The global Push to Talk (PTT) market is valued at xx million US$ in 2017 and is expected to reach xx million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of xx.x % between 2018 and 2025.The major manufacturers covered in this reportVerizonAT&TSprint CorporationEricssonIridiumChina TelecomChina Mobile Communications CorporationC SpireGRID Communications Pte LtdKPNMaxisHipVoiceSmart CommunicationsCCM Systems Company LimitedGeographically, this report studies the top producers and consumers, focuses on product capacity, production, value, consumption, market share and growth opportunity in these key regions, coveringUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanSouth KoreaTaiwanOther RegionsThe 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 & AfricaView Complete TOC with tables & Figures @On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into3G4GWi-FiOn 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, includingPublic SafetyTransportGovernmentBusiness & CommercePAMR (Operator)OtherThe study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global Push to Talk (PTT) capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025);Focuses on the key Push to Talk (PTT) 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 Push to Talk (PTT) 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 StakeholdersPush to Talk (PTT) ManufacturersPush to Talk (PTT) Distributors/Traders/WholesalersPush to Talk (PTT) Subcomponent ManufacturersIndustry AssociationDownstream VendorsBrowse Report @Available 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 Push to Talk (PTT) market, by end-use.Detailed analysis and profiles of additional market players.ResearchMoz 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 :University Healthcare Security Systems Market with Leading Merchant ADT LLC dba ADT Security Services, Siemens AG, Schneider Electric, Nedap etc. Future 2024

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Global Healthcare Security Systems Market Research Report By product (access control system, smart cards, readers, biometric systems, chipper locks, wireless locks, Fire alarms) By Type ( System Integration, Maintains and support service)- Forecast to 2024Global Healthcare security systems market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.5% during forecast period 2017 to 2023.KEY MARKET DRIVER FOR HEALTHCARE SECURITY SYSTEMS MARKETADT LLC dba ADT Security Services (U.S.), Avigilon (Canada), STANLEY Healthcare (France), Seico Security (U.S.), Cisco Systems, Inc. (U.S.), Atos SE (Germany), Johnson Controls (U.S), Allied Telesis, Inc. (U.S.) others are some of the prominent players and some major vendors includes Siemens AG, Bosch Security Systems, Tyco Integrated Security, Honeywell International, Inc., Schneider Electric, NedapGet Sample Report @MARKET OVERVIEW FOR HEALTHCARE SECURITY SYSTEMProtection and safety of patients is an important goal for every hospital small or big. Healthcare resources are scarce and are needed to be protected from robbery. These resources are vital for the patients as well as the healthcare provider. Hence, security system play an important role in healthcare sector. There are number of devices for security of patients and resources in healthcare like camera, radiofrequency identifiers, alarms, and many other types of security devices. Demand of security system in increasing with an increasing emphasis on patients security & wellness, improving quality of care provided in the hospital, growing patient pool, need for security of infants in hospitals, as well as availability of wide of surety systems. Radiofrequency identifier is one of the most widely used security devices across the globe. Restrains for this market are high cost of security devices and system failure at the time of emergency as well as unavailability of backup in hospitals.Further as cyber-attack become a gradually common event, healthcare professionals must push security to the front. As of now, the state of healthcare security has opportunity for development in both the hospital and medical device setting in the healthcare industry. Healthcare organizations spend an average of 4% to 6% of IT budget on security, a much lower percentage when associated to the 12 to 15 percent investment of the financial industry. The low capital by healthcare organization may explain why 94 percent of medical institutions have experienced a cyber-attack. Regrettably, the security of medical devices is also abandoned because most vendors are stuck trying to find skilled developers and build security awareness.Get Discount @SEGMENTATION FOR HEALTHCARE SECURITY SYSTEMSHealthcare security systems applications by type are System Integration, Maintains and support service, system design and installations, by product access control system, smart cards, readers, biometric systems, chipper locks, wireless locks, fire safety system, radio frequency identification system, infant security system and video surveillance system. Healthcare security services By end users Clinic and public health laboratories, standard developed organizations, pharmaceuticals vendors, EHR (electronic health record) and PHR (Personal Health Record) vendors, healthcare IT vendors, clinical decision support system vendors, lab vendors, HIS Vendor and Health care institutions (Hospitals, long term care, Home care, Mental health).REGIONAL ANALYSIS FOR HEALTHCARE SECURITY SYSTEM MARKETThe security risks in the healthcare industry is growing rapidly. These security risks have put pressure, the major reason for this pressure is due to hospitals which are being targeted frequently as they are the have most easily accessible premises. Thus these institutions and facilities are facing problems in providing treatment and services to their customers and patients with the fear of security. Thus all the healthcare institutes have made it essential to install security systems in their organizations.With players like BOSH securities systems and STANLEY securities in US the market is already in the growth stage and soon heading towards maturity. Security playing major role in the healthcare industry the healthcare security system market will have huge demand and the growth of this market will be phenomenal.With increasing crime and prisoners in Europe Hospitals, healthcare organizations and institutions are taken major steps in protecting their patients, customers and employees by prioritizing healthcare security systems in their Organizations and institutions. Increase In the healthcare security systems will lead to increase in the prices of healthcare services, but Europe has a growing GDP and Economy, hence pricing will not be an issue in the European healthcare industry as long as good security and services are provided.GET BRIEF TOC FOR HEALTHCARE SECURITY SYSTEM MARKET @About Us:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research Future, Office No. 528,Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar, Pune - 411028 Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comGlobal 1,3-Butylene Glycol Market 2018 - Eastman Chemical, Showa Denko, Lonza Group, Ashok Alco

Global 1,3-Butylene Glycol Market

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Apex Market Reports, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the 1,3-Butylene Glycol Market across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of 1,3-Butylene Glycol Market from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global PP Pipe industry, and estimates the future trend of 1,3-Butylene Glycol on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares 1,3-Butylene Glycol performance both in terms of volume and revenue.The market research report explores the 1,3-Butylene Glycol Market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of 1,3-Butylene Glycol Market. The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the 1,3-Butylene Glycol Market based on major product types, application and end users industries of 1,3-Butylene Glycol. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for 1,3-Butylene Glycol Market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportCelaneseEastman ChemicalShowa DenkoLonza GroupAshok AlcoThe competitive landscape of the global market for 1,3-Butylene Glycol is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, 1,3-Butylene Glycol Markets production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the 1,3-Butylene Glycol Market globally.Inquire Before Buying @The Global 1,3-Butylene Glycol Market 2018 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, 1,3-Butylene Glycol production volume, data pertaining to demand and 1,3-Butylene Glycol supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of 1,3-Butylene Glycol along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for 1,3-Butylene Glycol across the world.About UsApex Market Reports offers elevating market research globally. We have collection of various syndicated reports of different categories. Apex Market Reports provides you to best services, weather youre searching for new trends in market or competitive scenario in emerging market.Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezCorporate Sales Specialist155 North Wacker Drive, Suite 4250Chicago, IL 60606Phone: +17739042683Email id - sales@apexmarketreports.comWebsite -Publishing Market 2018 Global Share,Trend,Segmentation and Forecast to 2022

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WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On  Publishing Market 2018 Global Share,Trend,Segmentation and Forecast to 2022.The analysts forecast the global publishing market will register a revenue of about USD 356 billion by 2022.Publishing involves writing, editing, and distributing content through print and digital media.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 publishing market for 2018-2022. To calculate the market size, the report presents a detailed picture of the market by way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography: Americas APAC EMEAThe report, Global Publishing Market 2018-2022, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors Amazon China South Publishing & Media Group Hachette Book Group Holtzbrinck Publishing Group News Corp Pearson RELX Thomson ReutersMarket driver Growing impact of e-books For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge Low revenue from newspapers and traditional book publishing For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend Growing popularity of POD For a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this report What will the market size be in 2022 and what will the growth rate be? What are the key market trends? What is driving this market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in this market space?Complete Report Details @Table Of Contents  Major Key PointsPART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARYPART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORTPART 03: RESEARCH METHODOLOGYPART 04: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysisPART 05: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2017 Market size and forecast 2017-2022PART 06: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market conditionPART 07: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY PLATFORM Segmentation by platform Comparison by platform Traditional  Market size and forecast 2017-2022 Digital  Market size and forecast 2017-2022 Market opportunity by platformPART 08: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPEPART 09: REGIONAL LANDSCAPE Geographical segmentation Regional comparison Americas  Market size and forecast 2017-2022 EMEA  Market size and forecast 2017-2022 APAC  Market size and forecast 2017-2022 Market opportunityPART 10: DECISION FRAMEWORKPART 11: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challengesPART 12: MARKET TRENDS Rise in number of indie and self-published authors Growing popularity of POD Gradual shift in media landscapePART 13: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption Competitive scenarioPART 14: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Amazon China South Publishing & Media Group Hachette Book Group Holtzbrinck Publishing Group News Corp Pearson RELX Thomson ReutersContinued..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.Vinyl Flooring Market Major Key Player; Mohawk Industries, Gerflor Group, Armstrong Flooring Inc., Mannington Mills Inc., Shaw Industries Group Inc., Tarkett Group, TOLI Floor Corporation, Interface, Inc., Polyflor Ltd.

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Market research future published a raw research report on Global Vinyl flooring that contains the information from 2014 to 2022. Global Vinyl flooring is expected to grow with the CAGR of approximately from 2016 to 2022, and with this it is predictable to cross USD Billion by 2022.Inexpensive, easy to install, and able to replicate the look of marble, wood and stone, Vinyl Flooring is referred as one of the most popular building materials. It is also known as resilient flooring, and earned its reputation as the venerable flooring system. Asia pacific is dominating the market whereas Europe is likely to be driven by the rising replacement to resilient flooring from hardwood flooring.Receive Sample Copy @The report has analyzed the market based on the two segments: product, and application in the regions of North America, Europe, APAC and rest of the world. On the basis of product it includes Vinyl sheet, luxury vinyl tiles, printed Vinyl, carpets and other. Vinyl sheet has the largest share by value and volume. The share is attributed to the increased demand in residential segment and its long lasting nature. Moreover, On the basis of application it includes Residential, non-residential. Non-residential segment shows largest market share due to factors such as easy to maintain and fix. The scope of the market has widened over many years owing to the flourishing markets of Asia pacific. The global Vinyl flooring is expected to cross USD Billion at the end of the forecasted period and is expected to grow at CAGR of approximately from 2016 to 2022.Ask for your specific company profile and country level customization on reports. Mohawk Industries Gerflor Group Armstrong Flooring Inc. Mannington Mills Inc. Shaw Industries Group Inc. Tarkett Group TOLI Floor Corporation Interface, Inc. Polyflor Ltd.Asia pacific will be the largest marketRise in the number of building construction activities and increase in commercialization in emerging economies such as China and India have been the primary growth factors for the flooring market in Asia Pacific. Furthermore, demand for flooring was the highest in the region due to infrastructural development in commercial, industrial, and healthcare sectors. The growing demand for flooring for installing in commercial complexes is further expected to the fuel the growth of the vinyl flooring market in the future.This research report has provides the insights, on various levels of analyses such industry analysis, market share analysis leading market players and their profiles. This report also helps in studying the target segments by providing views on emerging & high-growth segments and market conclusion. Together the market data comprise and discuss with the basic assessments on the competitive scenarios & strategies, of the global vinyl flooring, including the high-growth regions, countries and their political, economic and technological environments. Furthermore the project report also provides the views over the historical market values as well as, pricing and cost analysis of the same.Access for More Detail@About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comNatural Language Processing (NLP) Market to Witness Huge Growth by 2022: Key Players (Apple Incorporation, Dolbey Systems, Google)

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HTF MI recently introduced Global Natural Language Processing (NLP) Market study with in-depth overview, describing about the Product / Industry Scope and elaborates market outlook and status to 2022. At present, the market is developing its presence and some of the key players from the complete study are Apple Incorporation, Dolbey Systems, Google, Microsoft Corporation, Verint Systems, 3M, IBM Incorporation, NetBase Solutions, SAS Institute Inc, HP & Baidu etc. The market Study is segmented by key regions which is accelerating the marketization.Request Sample of Global Natural Language Processing (NLP) Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022 @:This report studies the Global Natural Language Processing (NLP) market size, industry status and forecast, competition landscape and growth opportunity. This research report categorizes the Global Natural Language Processing (NLP) market by companies, region, type and end-use industry.Browse 100+ market data Tables and Figures spread through Pages and in-depth TOC on " Natural Language Processing (NLP) Market by Type (Rule-Based, Statistical & Hybrid), by End-Users/Application (Web Search, Language Translation & Customer Service), Organization Size, Industry, and Region - Forecast to 2023". Early buyers will receive 10% customization on comprehensive study.In order to get a deeper view of Market Size, competitive landscape is provided i.e. Revenue (Million USD) by Players (2013-2018), Revenue Market Share (%) by Players (2013-2018) and further a qualitative analysis is made towards market concentration rate, product/service differences, new entrants and the technological trends in future.Enquire for customization in Report @Competitive Analysis:The key players are highly focusing innovation in production technologies to improve efficiency and shelf life. The best long-term growth opportunities for this sector can be captured by ensuring ongoing process improvements and financial flexibility to invest in the optimal strategies. Company profile section of players such as Apple Incorporation, Dolbey Systems, Google, Microsoft Corporation, Verint Systems, 3M, IBM Incorporation, NetBase Solutions, SAS Institute Inc, HP & Baidu includes its basic information like legal name, website, headquarters, its market position, historical background and top 5 closest competitors by Market capitalization / revenue along with contact information. Each player/ manufacturer revenue figures, growth rate and gross profit margin is provided in easy to understand tabular format for past 5 years and a separate section on recent development like mergers, acquisition or any new product/service launch etc.Market Segments:The Global Natural Language Processing (NLP) Market has been divided into type, application, and region.On The Basis Of Type: Rule-Based, Statistical & Hybrid.On The Basis Of Application: Web Search, Language Translation & Customer ServiceOn The Basis Of Region, this report is segmented into following key geographies, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share, growth rate of Natural Language Processing (NLP) in these regions, from 2013 to 2023 (forecast), covering North America (U.S. & Canada) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Latin America (Brazil, Mexico & Rest of Latin America) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Europe (The U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden & RoE) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Rest of Asia) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Middle East & Africa (GCC, South Africa, North Africa, RoMEA) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Rest of World {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Opportunity Analysis}Buy Single User License of Global Natural Language Processing (NLP) Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022 @Have a look at some extracts from Table of ContentIntroduction about Global Natural Language Processing (NLP)Global Natural Language Processing (NLP) Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 2017Natural Language Processing (NLP) Market by Application/End UsersGlobal Natural Language Processing (NLP) Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Applications(2013-2023) table defined for each application/end-users like [Web Search, Language Translation & Customer Service]Global Natural Language Processing (NLP) Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2023)Natural Language Processing (NLP) Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and ApplicationNatural Language Processing (NLP) (Volume, Value and Sales Price) table defined for each geographic region defined.Global Natural Language Processing (NLP) Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales DataAdditionally Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors list is being provided for each listed manufacturersMarket Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018) table for each product type which include Rule-Based, Statistical & HybridNatural Language Processing (NLP) Manufacturing Cost AnalysisNatural Language Processing (NLP) Key Raw Materials AnalysisNatural Language Processing (NLP) Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers, Industrial Chain AnalysisMarket Forecast (2018-2023)........and more in complete table of ContentsBrowse for Full Report at:Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.About Author:HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact US :Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager)HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218sales@htfmarketreport.comConnect with us atEndoscopy Visualization System Components Market Research, Technology, Analysis, Industry Demand and Forecast 2018-2025

Endoscopy Visualization System Components

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The Global Endoscopy Visualization System Components Market Research Report provided by QY Research Groups is the most detailed study about Endoscopy Visualization System Components that is estimated to grow at a tremendous rate over the forecast period 2018-2025. This report contains precise and updated insights in respect with the leading market players and prevailing regions of the business.Global Endoscopy Visualization System Components Market tracks the major market procedures including Market Overview, Business Revenue, Introduction, Gross profit & business strategies opted by key market players. The report also focuses on market size, volume and value, shipment, price, interview record and business distribution. These data help the consumer know about the competitors better. 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Braun Karl Storz Arthrex Hoya Depuy Synthes Biomet Zeiss Richard WolfGeographically, this report studies the key regions, focuses on product sales, value, market share and growth opportunity in these regions, covering North America Europe China Japan Southeast Asia IndiaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into Light Source Camera Head Video Processor Monitor OthersOn 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, including Gastrointestinal Endoscopy System Arthroscopy System Industrial Endoscopy System OthersThe study objectives of this report are: To analyze and study the global Endoscopy Visualization System Components sales, value, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025). Focuses on the key Endoscopy Visualization System Components 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 market To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.Get the best Discount in the market here @This market is segmented by Product and Applications. It provides a profound study of the leading players in the market and the prevailing regions in the business, thereby benefiting new entries in the business by proving the most updated insights of the market.Scope of the Report:The report gives the clear picture of current Endoscopy Visualization System Components Market scenario and the predicted future of the industry. QY Research groups can be relied upon for the most updated and in depth information of the title Global Endoscopy Visualization System Components Market this is estimated by experts to develop at the most elevated CAGR amid the estimate time frame 2018-2025.About Us:QY Research Groups is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. Our unique colossal technology has been developed to offer refined search capabilities designed to exploit the long tail of free market research whilst eliminating irrelevant results. QY Research Groups is the collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on Global industries, companies, products, and trends.Contact us:Email- sales@qyresearchgroups.comWeb-Room B1510, Shiji Kemao Building,No.66 Zhongguancun East Road,Haidian District, Beijing,100190, China.Global Feed Probiotics Market 2018 by Key Manufacturers : DSM, General Mills, Nestle, Arla Foods, Du Pont

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Feed Probiotics Market Professional Survey Report 2018" to its huge collection of research reports.The concentrated report here collects the different points of view to be considered with regards to the global Feed Probiotics market which verbalizes the present-day information and future conjectures with reference to the dynamic forces at play. The prime purpose for the examination is to offer the peruser with a broad plan and make open the required materials and records. The quantifiable and testing illuminations behind the examination, other than clarifying information on factors, for instance, drivers, confinements, and projections to gage the aggregate eventual outcome of the global Feed Probiotics market over the predetermined period in the report. The report in addition gives a brief and all around examination of the predefined promote, which merges some present events of the business at work which are liable to trigger an alteration in the market or may cause any negative impact.Get Free Research Summary of the Report:This report studies Feed Probiotics 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, coveringNebraska CulturesYakult HonshaDSMGeneral MillsLallemend HealthNestleEpicore BioNEtworksAquabio Environmental TechnologiesOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoLactobacilli ProbioticsBifidobacteria ProbioticsStreptococcus Thermaphiles ProbioticsOtherBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaThis report looks at the global Feed Probiotics market by impelling the past market examples and occasions. This is required to comprehend the current forceful scene and how it is slanted to change. The examination of the report is done in a couple of layers starting with fundamental research parameters, trailed by helper inquire about. Each piece and sub-segment of the market is thoroughly inspected and examined. Distinctive market affecting variable at both close-by and overall levels are considered. The report in this manner divides the global Feed Probiotics market in perspective of geology, its type, and by end-use.The report uses two or three showed industry examination contraptions. They empower the examination to gather a concise appraisal of the global Feed Probiotics market and help the peruser and market players to be facilitated concerning theory and business judgments. The far reaching extent of the market gives this report a specific edge. It aggregates basic and discretionary research structures along these lines. Arranged specialists have made a note of the recorded experiences and got from it a way to deal with change envision and to design a structure for the global Feed Probiotics market in the years ahead.Get more information from Table of Content:Table of Contents1 Industry Overview of Feed Probiotics1.1 Definition and Specifications of Feed Probiotics1.1.1 Definition of Feed Probiotics1.1.2 Specifications of Feed Probiotics1.2 Classification of Feed Probiotics1.3 Applications of Feed Probiotics1.4 Market Segment by Regions2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Feed Probiotics2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Feed Probiotics2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Feed Probiotics2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Feed Probiotics3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Feed Probiotics3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Feed Probiotics Major Manufacturers in 20173.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Feed Probiotics Major Manufacturers in 20173.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Feed Probiotics Major Manufacturers in 20173.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Feed Probiotics Major Manufacturers in 2017List of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of Feed ProbioticsTable Product Specifications of Feed ProbioticsTable Classification of Feed ProbioticsFigure Global Production Market Share of Feed Probiotics by Type in 2017Figure North America Feed Probiotics Market Size (Million USD) (2013-2025)Figure China Feed Probiotics Market Size (Million USD) (2013-2025)Figure Europe Feed Probiotics Market Size (Million USD) (2013-2025)Figure Southeast Asia Feed Probiotics Market Size (Million USD) (2013-2025)About Us:QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us:1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Global Cross-Linked Polyethylene Market 2018 Key Players : Borealis AG, Solvay SA, Hyundai EP, Silon S.R.O.

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Cross-Linked Polyethylene Market Research Report 2018" to its huge collection of research reports.In this report, the global Cross-Linked Polyethylene 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.The research report on the global market for Cross-Linked Polyethylene is a comprehensive outlook at the factors determining its future. Researchers have used primary and secondary research methodologies to collate a report that includes historical achievements of the market and its present-day scenario to help the readers understand the path it is likely to take. Additionally, it also includes interviews with top market leaders, who offer a never-seen-before perspective on the matter. The research report segments the global Cross-Linked Polyethylene market in order to evaluate the market in a microscopic manner.Get Complimentary Research Summary of the Report:Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Cross-Linked Polyethylene in these regions, from 2013 to 2025 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Cross-Linked Polyethylene market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingDOW Chemical CompanyAkzo Noble N.V.Arkema GroupBorealis AGLyondellbasell Industries N.V.Exxonmobil Chemical Company, IncOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoHigh Density Polyethylene (HDPE)Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)On the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingPlumbingWires & CablesAutomotiveThe publication includes an executive summary, scope of the market, definition, and market figures. It also provides a detailed explanation of the competitive landscape present in the global Cross-Linked Polyethylene market. With the help of Porters five forces analysis the report determines threat to new entrants, opportunities for the existing players, and the bargaining power of suppliers and buyers. Research and development activities, business and marketing strategies, and mergers and acquisition plans of leading players have been discussed in detail in this research report. The objective outlook of the global Cross-Linked Polyethylene market allows the readers to make well-thought out opinions about what should be the next move for the investors.Browse Table of Content of this Research Report:Table of Contents1 Cross-Linked Polyethylene Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Cross-Linked Polyethylene1.2 Cross-Linked Polyethylene Segment by Type (Product Category)1.3 Global Cross-Linked Polyethylene Segment by Application1.4 Global Cross-Linked Polyethylene Market by Region (2013-2025)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Cross-Linked Polyethylene (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Cross-Linked Polyethylene Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Cross-Linked Polyethylene Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025)2 Global Cross-Linked Polyethylene Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Cross-Linked Polyethylene Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Cross-Linked Polyethylene Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.3 Global Cross-Linked Polyethylene Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.4 Manufacturers Cross-Linked Polyethylene Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Cross-Linked Polyethylene Market Competitive Situation and TrendsList of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of Cross-Linked PolyethyleneFigure Global Cross-Linked Polyethylene Production (K MT) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Types (Product Category) (2013-2025)Figure Global Cross-Linked Polyethylene Production Market Share by Types (Product Category) in 2017Figure North America Cross-Linked Polyethylene Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2025)Figure Europe Cross-Linked Polyethylene Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2025)Figure China Cross-Linked Polyethylene Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2025)Figure Japan Cross-Linked Polyethylene Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2025)About Us:QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us:1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Global Computer Speakers Market Analysis 2018 Forecasts To 2023 : Philips, Samsung,Creative, Polk, Audioengine

Global Computer Speakers Market

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Global Computer Speakers MarketDescription:-Wiseguyreports.Com Adds Global Computer Speakers Market 2018: Global Analysis, Industry Size, Share, Trends, Application Analysis and Growth Opportunities Forecast to 2023 To Its Research DatabaseThe global Computer Speakers market will reach xxx Million USD in 2018 and CAGR xx% 2018-2023. The report begins from overview of Industry Chain structure, and describes industry environment, then analyses market size and forecast of Computer Speakers by product, region and application, in addition, this report introduces market competition situation among the vendors and company profile, besides, market price analysis and value chain features are covered in this report.Product Type Coverage (Market Size & Forecast, Major Company of Product Type etc.):WiredWirelessCompany Coverage (Sales Revenue, Price, Gross Margin, Main Products etc.):PhilipsSamsungCreativeEdifier ExclaimPolkBoseSonyHarmanAudioengineJamoSansuiJBLPioneerDenonKEFTannoyCurrysHiViEdifierAvlightRequest a sample copy @Application Coverage (Market Size & Forecast, Different Demand Market by Region, Main Consumer Profile etc.):PCMacNotebookOthersRegion Coverage (Regional Production, Demand & Forecast by Countries etc.):North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico)Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Italy, Russia, Spain etc.)Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, Southeast Asia etc.)South America (Brazil, Argentina etc.)Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, South Africa etc.)Table of Content1 Industry Overview1.1 Computer Speakers Industry1.1.1 Overview1.1.2 Development of Computer Speakers1.2 Market Segment1.2.1 Upstream1.2.2 Downstream1.3 Cost Analysis2 Industry Environment2.1 Policy2.2 Economics2.3 Sociology2.4 Technology3 Computer Speakers Market by Type3.1 By Type3.1.1 Wired3.1.2 Wireless3.2 Market Size3.3 Market Forecast4 Major Companies List4.1 Philips (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.2 Samsung (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.3 Creative (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.4 Edifier Exclaim (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.5 Polk (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.6 Bose (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.7 Sony (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.8 Harman (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.9 Audioengine (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.10 Jamo (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.11 Sansui (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.12 JBL (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.13 Pioneer (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.14 Denon (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.15 KEF (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.16 Tannoy (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.17 Currys (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.18 HiVi (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.19 Edifier (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.20 Avlight (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5 Market Competition5.1 Company Competition5.2 Regional Market by Company6 Market Demand6.1 Demand Situation6.1.1 Demand in PC6.1.2 Demand in Mac6.1.3 Demand in Notebook6.1.4 Demand in Others6.2 Regional Demand Comparison6.3 Demand Forecast7 Region Operation7.1 Regional Production7.2 Regional Market7.3 by Region7.3.1 North America7.3.1.1 Overview7.3.1.2 by Country (U.S., Canada, Mexico)7.3.2 Europe7.3.2.1 Overview7.3.2.2 by Country (Germany, U.K., France, Italy, Russia, Spain etc.)7.3.3 Asia-Pacific7.3.3.1 Overview7.3.3.2 by Country (China, India, Japan, Southeast Asia etc.)7.3.4 South America7.3.4.1 Overview7.3.4.2 by Country (Brazil, Argentina etc.)7.3.5 Middle East & Africa7.3.5.1 Overview7.3.5.2 by Country (Saudi Arabia, South Africa etc.)7.4 Regional Import & Export7.5 Regional Forecast8 Marketing & Price8.1 Price and Margin8.1.1 Price Trends8.1.2 Factors of Price Change8.1.3 Manufacturers Gross Margin Analysis8.2 Marketing Channel9 Research Conclusion Table Upstream Segment of Computer SpeakersBrowse full 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.Contact Us:Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt Ltdsales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Maharashtra, Pune  411028Worldwide E Cigarette & Vaporizer Market 2018 Industry Size, Analysis, Trend, Outlook, Growth Factors, Key Opportunities, Segmentation, New Technology and Forecast till 2027

E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market, E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market size, E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market share, E-Cigarette & Vapor

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Global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market by product types (disposable e-cigarette, rechargeable e-cigarette, ego and tanks, personal vaporizers and mods and others): forecast to 2027E-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.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:-The key players present in the Global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market Include 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:Americas- North America (US, Canada)- Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Rest of LATAM)Europe- Western Europe (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, U.K, Rest of Western Europe)- Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)Asia  Pacific- Asia (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Rest of Asia)- Pacific Countries (Australia, New Zealand)Middle East & Africa- Middle East (Saudi, Qatar, UAE)- Rest of Middle East (Africa, South Africa, Rest of Africa)Complete report on E Cigarette & Vaporizer Market spread across 125 pages, profiling 15 companies and supported with tables and figures available @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Global Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Market 2018 Key Players : AXT, Sumitomo Electric, IQE Corporation

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Market Research Report 2018" to its huge collection of research reports.Involved in market research from many decades, QY research is the recognized as one of the leading providers of Market Intel. The expert analysis of the company I know exactly what will help businesses and organizations to further their growth and expand their markets. While a huge amount of data is available on the internet today, it is impossible to collate important facts without leaving behind any aspect which can be deemed as influential in either positive or negative manner for the growth of any industry. The expert analysis from this company makes use of primary and secondary research resources and presents a report in such a manner that it is comprehensive and easily understandable even by new entrance.Have Any Query? Ask Our Expert @This report studies the Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer market status and outlook of global and major regions, from angles of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top manufacturers in global and major regions and splits the Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer market by product type and applications/end industries.The major players in global Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer market includeFreiberger Compound MaterialsAXTSumitomo ElectricChina Crystal TechnologiesShenzhou Crystal TechnologyTianjin Jingming Electronic MaterialsYunnan GermaniumGeographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate of Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer in these regions, from 2013 to 2024 (forecast), coveringEuropeUSAChinaJapanTaiwanOn the basis of product, the Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer market is primarily split intoLEC Grown GaAsVGF Grown GaAsOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report coversWireless CommunicationOptoelectronic DevicesThe report on Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer market is detailed and comprises various sections such as brief overview, competitive landscape, important segments, Trends and opportunities, and Market drivers and restraints. The report not only discusses the past the present and the future of the global Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer market but also takes into account Trends and opportunities that are currently in Vogue and are likely to shape the future of this market. Factors that are anticipated to help the market to grow as well as those that are likely to hinder the growth of this Market are discussed in great detail. The report makes use of tables, statistics, graphs, maps, and infographics for depicting the data in an easy-to-understand manner. The report is beneficial for both well established players as well as potential investors looking to invest their money in the attractive Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer market. It helps potential investors and existing players to make informed and smart decisions pertaining to Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer market.To Browse a Complete Report with TOC Visit @Table of Contents1 Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Market Overview11.1 Product Overview and Scope of Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer11.2 Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Segment by Types21.3 Global Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Segment by Applications51.4 Global Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Market by Regions91.5 Global Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Market Size (2013-2024)141.5.1 Global Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2024)141.5.2 Global Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2024)152 Global Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Market Competition by Manufacturers172.1 Global Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)172.2 Global Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Revenue by Manufacturers (2013-2018)212.3 Global Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018)232.4 Manufacturers Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Manufacturing Base Distribution262.5 Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Market Competitive Situation and Trends26List of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of Gallium Arsenide Wafer and Ingot2Table Classification of Gallium Arsenide2Table Global Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Production (K Square Inches) and Growth Rate Comparison by Types (2013-2024)3Figure Global Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Production Market Share by Types in 20173Figure USA Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2024)10Figure China Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2024)11Figure Europe Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2024)12Figure Taiwan Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Wafer Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2024)13About Us:QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us:1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Luxury Goods Market In Sweden Growth, Share, Trends, Segmentation, Demand & Industry Analysis

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Description :Luxury goods in Sweden saw more moderate growth in 2017, as the economy saw a worse performance than in the review period. Several categories were also more mature, which further constrained growth, such as luxury timepieces, which saw strong growth during the review period. The market is expected to display slower growth in the forecast period than in the review period, as several categories are projected to become more mature, whilst the Swedish central bank has forecast slower GDP growth forEuromonitor Internationals Luxury Goods in Sweden report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the Luxury Goods market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market and their effects on Luxury Goods retailing along with the development of consumers shopping patterns. Forecasts to 2022 illustrate how the market is set to changeRequest For sample Report @Product coverage: Designer Apparel and Footwear (Ready-to-Wear), Fine Wines/Champagne and Spirits, Luxury Cars, Luxury Eyewear, Luxury Hotels (5-star plus), Luxury Jewellery, Luxury Leather Goods, Luxury Portable Consumer Electronics, Luxury Timepieces, Luxury Writing Instruments and Stationery, Super Premium Beauty and Personal Care.Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data.Why buy this report?* Get a detailed picture of the Luxury Goods market;* Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;* Understand the competitive environment, the markets major players and leading brands;* Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.Euromonitor International has over 40 years experience of publishing market research reports, business reference books and online information systems. With offices in London, Chicago, Singapore, Shanghai, Vilnius, Dubai, Cape Town, Santiago, Sydney, Tokyo and Bangalore and a network of over 800 analysts worldwide, Euromonitor International has a unique capability to develop reliable information resources to help drive informed strategic planning.Complete Report Details @Table Of Content :Luxury Goods in Sweden Displays Moderate Growth in 2017Stronger Growth in Specific CategoriesFragmentation, With A High Proportion of International BrandsInternet Retailing Grows, But Mainly for Affordable Luxury BrandsUncertainty Over the Development of Luxury Goods in the Forecast PeriodMarket IndicatorTable 1 Number of High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI): 2012-2017Market DataTable 2 Sales of Luxury Goods by Category: Value 2012-2017Table 3 Sales of Luxury Goods by Category: % Value Growth 2012-2017Table 4 Inbound Receipts for Luxury Goods by Country of Origin: Value 2013-2017Table 5 NBO Company Shares of Luxury Goods: % Value 2012-2016Table 6 LBN Brand Shares of Luxury Goods: % Value 2013-2016Table 7 Distribution of Luxury Goods by Format and Category: % Value 2017Table 8 Forecast Sales of Luxury Goods by Category: Value 2017-2022Table 9 Forecast Sales of Luxury Goods by Category: % Value Growth 2017-2022SourcesSummary 1 Research SourcesHeadlinesProspectsSwedes Changing Preferencesthe Rise of Internet Retailing and Increased Imports From the USGrowing Interest in ChildrenswearCompetitive LandscapeDesigner Apparel and Footwear Mainly Comprises Multinational and Domestic Affordable Luxury BrandsSeveral Luxury Retailers Open Stores Or Expand Their Presence in SwedenNiche Is Expected To Grow in ImportanceCategory DataTable 10 Sales of Designer Apparel and Footwear (Ready-to-Wear) by Category: Value 2012-2017Table 11 Sales of Designer Apparel and Footwear (Ready-to-Wear) by Category: % Value Growth 2012-2017Table 12 NBO Company Shares of Designer Apparel and Footwear (Ready-to-Wear): % Value 2012-2016Table 13 LBN Brand Shares of Designer Apparel and Footwear (Ready-to-Wear): % Value 2013-2016Table 14 Distribution of Designer Apparel and Footwear (Ready-to-Wear) by Format: % Value 2012-2017Table 15 Forecast Sales of Designer Apparel and Footwear (Ready-to-Wear) by Category: Value 2017-2022Table 16 Forecast Sales of Designer Apparel and Footwear (Ready-to-Wear) by Category: % Value Growth 2017-2022HeadlinesProspectsGrowing Consumer Awareness Drives Sales of Fine Wines/champagne and SpiritsMixed Results Within Fine Wines and Luxury Spirits During 2017Continued Strong Demand for Luxury Rum and GinCompetitive LandscapeFine Champagne Brands Lead in SwedenChampagne Brands Display Great Variation in Sales Across the CountrySwedish Brands on the RiseCategory DataContinued.CONTACT US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028.Global Microalgae estimated to exceed US$ 75 Mn in revenues by 2026-end

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Microalgae has emerged as new promising source of nutrients that comprise high-value compounds such as anti-oxidants, pigments, and fatty acids. Despite challenges such as climatic conditions coupled with low consumer demand and complexities in regulations, demand outlook for microalgae is expected to be positive, driven by the scientific and technological innovations and dominance of microalgae in agri-food markets worldwide. Persistence Market Research presents an all-inclusive report titled, Microalgae Market: Global Industry Analysis (2012-2016) & Forecast (2017-2026). The report encompasses all major trends playing a fundamental role in growth of the global microalgae market, and highlights opportunities restraints and drivers that are likely to leave a significant effect on the market through the forecast period. The report imparts an exhaustive perspective on the global market for microalgae in terms of revenues (US$).Request Free Sample Report @Report StructureThe report initiates with an executive summary that provides a complete picture of the global microalgae market, including the region-wise outlook coupled with relevant market numbers. The executive summary also offers forecast on other microalgae market segments in terms of market share, revenues, and CAGRs. A chapter on overview, which trails the executive summary, provides a concise market introduction which includes a market taxonomy table and a formal definition of microalgae. The overview chapter elucidates key nodes of the global microalgae market such as supply chain, cost structure, service provider list, raw material sourcing strategies, and pricing analysis. This chapter also issues a succinct study on the overall market approach of key players partaking in the global microalgae market, displaying their presence on an intensity map.Competition LandscapeA chapter provided in the report, which is dedicated to the global microalgae markets competition landscape, issues analysis on key players underpinning the market expansion. Imperative information on these market players along with novel strategies adopted by them for staying at the markets forefront has been delivered in this chapter. Companies included in the report are profiled individually by the report in terms of their product overview, company overview, key financials, and key developments. A SWOT analysis has been offered on each company, providing detailed intelligence on their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats dealt. The chapter on competition landscape is priceless for readers of the report, owing to the provision of a deep understanding of the market players. This concluding chapter of the report is also valuable for new market entrants for better understanding their competitors.To know the latest trends and insights prevalent in this market, click the link below:Research MethodologyAnalysts of Persistence Market Research adhere to a robust research methodology for analyzing the overall market size through historical data, public domain data, and primary responses. Revenues from companies supporting expansion of the global microalgae market have been benchmarked for ascertaining the market size. Macroeconomic factors such as the industry growth and GDP of regional segments have been considered for envisaging the market size during the forecast period. Historical expansion of end-use industries, performance of the market players and current macroeconomic outlook are also considered for estimating the market trend forecast. Data obtained is then been validated using effective tools by PMRs analysts for garnering qualitative and quantitative insights on the global microalgae market.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  12207(United State)United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559(toll free no)Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Gasket and Seals Market to Observe Strong Development by 2023

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Gasket and seals are primarily used to fill the empty spaces between the coupling surfaces to avoid leakage and wastage of fluids and gas. In addition, gaskets also help in maintaining pressure and avoid contamination from the external environmental condition. Gaskets and seals are specifically designed depending upon the end-use surface and the type of coupling. These products have the property of withstanding high compressive loads. In order to check the strength of gaskets and seals certain tests are undertaken. Silicone and rubber are the most preferred material used for manufacturing gaskets and seals owing to their superior characteristics including high reliability, better strength, high flexibility, and resistance to high heat and pressure.View Report Preview:The market for gaskets and seals is segmented on the basis of materials used, types, end-use verticals, and geography. On the basis of types, the gaskets and seals market is segmented into gasket; which are further categorized into metallic gaskets, rubber gasket, cork gasket, non-asbestos gasket, ring joints, and spiral wound gaskets. The types of seals considered includeO-ring seal, lip seal, mechanical seal, rotary seal and others. Based on end use, material required for gasket and seal manufacturing is decided. Based on type of material used to manufacture gaskets and seals, the market is segmented into fiber, graphite, PTFE, rubber gasket, silicone gasket and others. Based on end-use, the market for gasket and seal is segmented into power and energy, industrial and manufacturing, oil and gas, automotive and chemical and petrochemicals among others. Based on geographical regions, the market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Over the forecast period, Asia Pacific is expected to witness maximum growth on account of growing industrial sector in the region.With increase in industrialization and urbanization globally, there has been considerable rise in the number of manufacturing plants, machineries, automobiles, and various other mechanical instruments which use gasket and seals. This has had positive impact on the market growth. Gaskets and seals are major peripheral required in plumbing systems. With economies recovering post economic recession, construction industry is expected to regain its growth level, thereby supporting the demand for plumbing systems and hence, gasket and seals.In automobiles, gaskets and seals are widely used for shunting to avoid leakage or wastage of expensive fluids or gas. Owing to their property to sustain extreme pressure conditions, compressive loads, and heat, gasket and seals have significant scope across different industry verticals. However there are certain restraints too, which are curbing the market growth of gasket and seals. Due to price volatility of raw materials like rubber, silicone, graphite etc. the overall price of gaskets and seals is also expected to rise to some extent. With increase in electrification/industrial automation, the use of gaskets and seals has been on a decline.Request to view Sample Report:Some of the key players manufacturing gaskets and seals include Dana Holding Corporation, Flowserve Corporation, Smiths Group PLC, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies Gmbh & Co. Kg, Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation, Datwyler Holding Inc. andVictor Gaskets India Limited among others.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:Before he was an award-winning journalist, ABC News anchor Byron Pitts was an illiterate child raised by a single mother in east Baltimore.

Now, Pitts has covered three wars, interviewed the last six U.S. presidents and traveled to 58 countries during his 37 years as a journalist.

Pitts spoke to more than 60 people, including student leaders from UF, University of Central Florida, Florida Atlantic University and Santa Fe College, in the UF Reitz Union Rion East Ballroom at 8 p.m. Friday. The event was hosted by Accent Speakers Bureau, GatorNights and the Reitz Programming Board.

Pitts worked as the chief national correspondent at ABC before he became the co-anchor of Nightline in 2014. But as a child, Pitts had a poor vocabulary and couldnt read until he was 12.

After failing his first-year English class, he planned to drop out of Ohio Wesleyan University. A professor saw him crying in the hallway and encouraged him to persevere.

She not only changed my life, Pitts said, She saved my life.

His freshman-year roommate Peter Holthe taught him a word from the dictionary every day for four years to expand his vocabulary.

I was just his roommate, but he invested in me and cared enough to help me, he said. He really made a difference in my life.

Pitts opened the floor to questions when a young man in a bright red T-shirt rose from his back row seat and walked toward the stage. He asked Pitts to pray for him.

James Walker, a senator in Santa Fes Student Government, asked for the prayer because he has been struggling to pay for school.

Pitts and about 30 students gathered to pray for Walker after the event.

It meant everything, Walker, 27, said. This has been something I have been praying about for a long time.

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Pitts encourages students to consider helping others as a measure of success.

Everyone has a place in the world to help people they dont know, he said.

Byron Pitts, 57, and about 30 people form a circle around Santa Fe College student Walker, 27, and pray.Smart Grid Communication Node Market to Undertake Strapping Growth by the End 2023

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Smart grid is a modern concept encompassing integration of electricity grid with renewable and non-renewable energy resource, automated control and communication networks. Smart grid aim to improve the efficiency, safety and reliability of the electrical grid. Communication is vital in smart grid infrastructure as most of the operations in smart grid are carried out in real time. Communication nodes in smart grids are the redistribution points for communication within the smart grid network. Smart grid communications systems are directly dependent on smart grid networks. For the development of better smart grid infrastructures, a strongand robust communication system is needed. The type and technology for smart grid communication needs to be carefully studied for optimal performance output. Primarily, communication in terms of data, numbers and voice takes place in a smart grid. Communication nodes are installed in smart home appliances, sensors, smart meters, and utility data centers.View Report Preview:The adoption of smart grid communication nodes is increasing rapidly worldwide.The market for smart grid communication nodes has expanded colossally since its inception. North America and Europe have matured smart grid communication nodes markets. Asia Pacific has a huge potential market for smart grid communication nodes and is growing significantly.The global smart grid communication nodes market is commonly segmented on the basis of technology and geography. There are primarily two main modes of smart grid communication nodes including wireless and wired (fixed) communication nodes. Wireless communication nodes are more practical and feasible over wired communication nodes. Wired communication nodes needs more infrastructure and thus cover a smaller area as compared to wireless communication nodes. Europe and North America are the matured markets of the smart grid communication nodes. Countries such as the U.S, U.K, Germany and France have the major chunk of the global market share. Asia Pacific is likely to pose one of the lucrative markets for smart grid communication nodes. Japan, South Korea and China are some of the major players in Asia Pacific. Countries such as China and India are likely to witness substantial demand in the foreseeable years and are expanding constantly.The rising demand for uninterrupted power supply and streamlining communications between power suppliers and consumers have equally bolstered the demand for smart grid communication nodes.Smart grid communication nodes assist in the reduction of technical and commercial losses. They also abet in the real-time monitoring of systems and communicating the feedback. All these factors have attributed to the overall demand of the smart grid communication nodes market. Operational errors are also reduced due to the usage of communication nodes.However, high installation costs could impede the growth of smart grid communication nodes market. New technological advancements such as RF mesh, point-to-multipoint,Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), and LTE will further boost the smart grid communication nodes market. Long term profits will also bring new opportunities to the smart grid communication nodes market.Request to view Sample Report:Some of the key players in the global smart fault detection system for electricity transmission market include ABB Ltd.,ETap Inc., Metrycom Communication Ltd., Osisoft LLC, Southern States LLC, Sensus, Viola Systems, Tropos Networks Inc. and Trilliant Inc.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:Adaptive Front Light in Automotive Market 2018-2023 Global Prominent Key Players: Saicheng Autoparts, Hella, Koito Manufacturing, Magneti Marelli, Stanley Electric, North American Lighting, Varroc, OSRAM, Valeo

Automotive Adaptive Front Light Market

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Automotive Adaptive Front Light Market Research Report 2018 published by Market Research Future, Automotive Adaptive Front Light Market, to register high growth rate during the forecast period of 2023. Automotive Headliner Market is segmented by Material Type (Foam backed cloth, Suede foam backed cloth, Cotton nap based cloth, Perforated Vinyl, Synthetic based cloth and Composite), Vehicle Type (Passenger and Commercial), and Regions.Market ScenarioThe Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS) is a part of the active safety system of a middle-high end passenger car that provides an optimized vision to the driver during night time other poor-sight conditions of the road. This is done by adapting the headlight angle or intensity, and judging the speed of the car, the steering wheel angle, the weather condition. Adaptive Front-lighting System in vehicles optimize distribution of light from the headlights, according to driving circumstances. Depending on vehicle speed and steering input, the system points the low-beams headlights in the direction the driver intends to travel. The market for adaptive front light has registered high growth rate, mainly due to the booming automotive industry and growing awareness among individuals. Favorable government policies combined with increasing demand for safety features in vehicles has also push the sales in the automotive adaptive front light system market.Get Sample Report of Automotive Adaptive Front Light Market@Automotive Headliner Market Key Players Analyzed in This Research:Saicheng Autoparts (China), Hella (Germany), Koito Manufacturing (Japan), Magneti Marelli (Italy), Stanley Electric (Japan), North American Lighting (U.S.), Varroc (U.S.), OSRAM (Germany), Valeo (France), Neolite (China).Market Segmentation:The Global Automotive Adaptive Lighting Market is segmented in to 4 key dynamics for the convenience of the report and enhanced understanding;Segmentation by Technology : Comprises Halogen, Led, Xenon and Other.Segmentation by Vehicle Type : Comprises Passenger Vehicle and Commercial VehicleSegmentation by End Market : Comprises OEM and AftermarketSegmentation by Regions : Comprises Geographical regions - North America, Europe, APAC and Rest of the World.Regional Analysis:Automotive Adaptive Front Light market is currently booming in the Asia Pacific region. Rapidly rising vehicle production in this region, is one of the primary driving factors. Improving infrastructure in this region, combined with improving living standards have, positively, impacted the automotive industry as a whole. Increasing incidences of vehicle electrification in the Asia Pacific region is also expected to, positively, impact the automotive adaptive front light market. Availability of cheap labor in this region, has also been a key factor in the automotive adaptive front light market.North America and Europe are the other two leading regions, mainly due to the established automotive industry. Existence of major manufacturers in this region, is also a key driver for the Automotive Adaptive Front Light industry. Heavy investment in research and development enable manufacturers in this region to develop new techniques and products to tap into the future market trends.The automotive industry is at a nascent stage in the Middle East and the South America. The market for Automotive Adaptive Front Light is expected to register a steady growth during the forecast period. These regions are expected to have opportunities in the future, with many automotive manufacturers pumping investments to capitalize on the abundant demand in these regions.Scope of the ReportAsia Pacific is the leading market for the automotive adaptive front light market, while North America and Europe are the other two leading regions, mainly due to the established automotive industry. Existence of major manufacturers in this region is also a key driver for the automotive adaptive front light market. Heavy investment in research and development enable manufacturers in this region to develop new techniques and products to tap into the future market trends.Get Details Information of Automotive Adaptive Front Light Market@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.CONTACT US:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312sales@marketresearchfuture.comSubsea Switchgear Market to Perceive Substantial Growth by the End 2023

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Increasing investment in offshore reserves by exploration and production companies to meet energy demand has resulted in increasing offshore production activities. There are various methods to produce oil and gas from offshore reserves including FPSO (floating production storage and offloading) vessels and subsea production. The subsea switchgear market is driven by the growth of the subsea installations market. Subsea production units are expected to be more favorable due to its various advantages over other offshore production systems. Subsea systems are capable of operating in harsh environmental conditions such as the Arctic. These systems will eliminate the need of an offshore production facility and will also provide cost benefits when compared with a huge production platform which results in huge operating cost. This also eliminates the need of long power lines ultimately results in less expenditure. The first ever subsea power distribution system to go into operation was the Ormen Lange pilot in Egersund Norway.View Report Preview:Subsea units will use high voltage distribution equipment to operate the subsea systems. The earlier subsea facility was powered from the surface making it reliable but very costly. In order to reduce the operational cost, companies started to place the electricity distribution system on the seabed. This resulted in cost reduction but the reliability was not hampered. Thus the electrical equipment are now located near the electricity generation facility which is a common practice in onshore facilities. Improved and reliable technology is required to overcome the subsea installation constraints such as high pressure and presence of salt water. System aspects plays an important role in selecting the individual devices in order to be sure that the devices are fit for all operating conditions. The switchgear is an important component for subsea power grid.The subsea switchgear market can be segmented on the basis of voltage into extreme high voltage (EHV), ultra high voltage (UHV), high voltage (HV), medium voltage (MV) and low voltage (LV). Subsea high and low voltage switchgear is a key enabling component for subsea processing units. The majority of connections between different equipments are made by using the low voltage switchgear cubicles. In order to reduce the length of HV busbar and its support system, the HV equipment are placed together. The transformers are installed between HV circuit breakers and LV cubicles making it a symmetrical installation.Rising oil prices are boosting the confidence of oil companies to invest such amount in deepwater drilling and production facilities. This investment is expected to increase in the near future with the increasing energy demand and depleting onshore oil reserves. Increasing deep and ultra deep water drilling activity is increasing the demand of subsea production facilities which ultimately drive the subsea switchgear market. An enormous opportunity lies with the vast number of unexplored deep and ultra deep reserves across the globe which will require subsea installation. The Golden Triangle constituting of GOM (the gulf of Mexico), Brazil and West Africa is expected to be the most attractive region for offshore oil and gas production during the forecast period.Request to view Sample Report:Some of the key players in subsea switchgear market include ABB Limited, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas, Inc., Siemens AG, Schneider Electric, Aker Solutions, Pelamis Wave Power Ltd., Cameron International Corporation, General Electric Company and FMC Technologies, Inc. among others.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:Oil and Gas Hydraulic Equipments Market to Witness Comprehensive Growth by 2023

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Increasing demand for energy has made the oil and gas exploration and production companies to search for new oil and gas reservoirs. These companies are willing to invest in drilling technologies to locate new offshore and onshore oil and gas reserves. As a result of such activities market for hydraulic equipments used in oil and gas application can see significant growth. Hydraulic equipments are used in jackup vessels, jackup platforms, floating production storage and offshore facilities (FPSO), catenary anchor leg mooring systems and pipelaying vessels. Moreover, the advancement in underwater technologies has enabled the companies to perform operations at greater depth that require the use of specialized hydraulic equipments. Owing to the advancement in technologies the companies are now able to perform drilling operations in deep and ultra-deep waters.View Report Preview:The segmentation of the oil and gas hydraulic equipments market can be done by application area, type of application provided and geography. Hydraulic equipments used in the oil and gas application can be used to carry out both offshore and onshore oil and gas operations. However, offshore applications require greater investments due to the use of specialized hydraulic equipments. These equipments can be used for turret connect systems, turret mooring systems, buoy locking and buoy pulling systems, hawser reeling and hose reeling systems, jackup vessels, jackup platforms, floating production storage and offshore facilities (FPSO), catenary anchor leg mooring systems and pipe-laying vessels. Hydraulic systems can also be used for stinger shock absorption systems, stinger handling systems, cantilever skidding systems and special handling systems.The regional segmentation of the oil and gas hydraulic equipments market can be done by identifying the countries with major offshore and onshore oil and gas reserves. Major onshore areas include the United States, Canada and Mexico in North America; Russia in Europe, India., Indonesia, Australia and China in Asia Pacific; Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Angola, Libya and Nigeria in Middle East and Africa. The Rest of the World (RoW) segment includes the Latin American countries such as Venezuela and Brazil. Major offshore areas include offshore regions of Mexico and the United States in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM); offshore areas of the United Kingdom and the Norway in the North Sea and offshore deep water areas in West Africa and Brazil. Shale gas boom in the United States has lead to the increase in the demand for the hydraulic equipments in North America.The increase in the oil and exploration and production activities, advancement in underwater exploration activities and shale gas discovery in the United States are the major drivers for the oil and gas hydraulic equipments market. Moreover, increasing investment by the exploration and production companies after the end of economic slowdown is another factor driving oil and gas hydraulic equipments market. The stringent government regulations and the capital intensive nature of the market are the major restraints to the market for hydraulic equipments used in oil and gas application. The expected oil and gas discoveries in West Africa and expected shale gas boom in Argentina can act as the opportunities for the oil and gas hydraulic equipments market.Request to view Sample Report:Some of the key players in oil and gas hydraulic equipments market include companies such as HMS Group, Denley Hydraulics Limited, Aberdeen Dynamics, Inc., Allison Hydraulics Ltd and Accelerated Production Systems.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:New Research Examined on Global Power Generator Rental Market Expected to Grow at a CAGR 6.27% by 2025 end

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An insightful study, titled Power Generator Rental Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025 has been freshly broadcasted to the vast research repository of Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE). This 205 page 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.Request Free Sample Report @Power generator rental market refers to the service market in which generator are available on rental basis for power generation purposes. This is an emerging market for developing and underdeveloped countries where power shortages is a major issue, and are slowly gaining popularity in these countries and regions. Power is an essential component for the enhancement of any country or economy and plays a vital role in development of the society. Generator rental is a relatively viable option for power generation in cases of power outages or in case of excessive demand for power. All the sectors of society at some point depend on these rental generators for their power requirements. These generators cater wide range of power demands whether from a single house or society or from a major event or from a power intensive industry.The major driving factor behind the growth of power generator rental market is the rising electricity demand along with increased power outages which is a common problem especially in developed and under-developed countries. In the emerging markets the void between the demand for power and the pace of investment in new power generation capacities and in replacement of existing power infrastructure has resulted in the frequent outages and power cuts. This delay in the installation of new capacities mainly due to the capital constraints in these regions along with ageing infrastructures has become a key factor for this market.Power Generators Market to Witness High Demand from End Users such as Oil & Gas & Mining SectorsPower generator rental market are classified on the basis of generator rating as up to 100 KVA generator rating which are majorly used in residential and smaller commercial applications, 101- 500 KVA generator rating which found application in large commercial complexes, large-scale events, and smaller industrial sector, 501- 1000 KVA generator rating which is primarily used for medium to large scale industrial applications, and above 1000 KVA generator rating which are used in utilities and large scale industrial applications. The power generator rental can be classified based upon the fuel type as diesel and natural gas generators. The power generator rental market can also be segregated based upon end-user segment as: utilities, oil & gas, mining, construction, events, others.Browse Full Report with TOC @Rising Demand from Middle East & Africa to Create Lucrative Prospects for GrowthRegionally, the global power generator rental market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Among these nations, the market is likely to witness lucrative prospects in Asia Pacific and the Middle East and Africa. The existing gap between power demand and generation has escalated the demand for power generator rentals in both markets. Among the two regions, the Middle East and Africa is likely to hold dominance in the global market in terms of growth potential. The rising demand for power from developing economies in Africa, which depend upon rental power generators to meet their power requirements. Meanwhile, the markets in Europe and North America have reached maturity. TMR expects North America and Europe to grow at a slow pace in the forthcoming years.The power generator rental market is very fragmented market. The market has only few global players, while the presence of regional and local players is high in this market. Major players in the power generator rental market include Aggreko PLC, APR Energy, Caterpillar Inc., Cummins Inc., Atlas Copco AB., and United Rentals, Inc.Enquire about this Report @About Market Research Reports Search EngineMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.State Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY  12207(United State)United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559(toll free no)Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Battery Alloys Market to Partake Significant Development by 2023

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The global battery market worth is worth USD 100 billion and is growing at a rapid pace owing to increasing application of batteries in various industries. Alloy used in batteries are one of the most important components, which sustain the battery functionality. Different kinds of battery require different varieties of battery alloy as per the requirement of the respective applications. Batteries can be broadly classified into primary batteries and secondary batteries. The most common types of battery alloys contain metals such as lead, selenium, calcium, antimony and tin. Alloys are generally used in the battery anodes.View Report Preview:The battery alloys market has been propelled by the growth of battery market across the world. New applications of battery are developed every other day and the technological advancement and reach among the masses have augured well for the battery market and subsequently the battery alloy market. Battery alloys find most of its demand from the automotive industry. The growth of automotive market in Asia Pacific and the reviving market in North America has fuelled the growth of battery alloy market. Moreover the gradual transformation of petroleum driven car into battery operated vehicles and hybrid vehicles have boosted the battery alloy market. Industrial usage of batteries is the second largest market for battery alloys. Manufacturing industries require extensive battery service for power backup and storage. The grids in these high power batteries are made of alloys such as lead antimony, lead calcium and lead selenium. The high growth of manufacturing sector and the growth of transportation infrastructure are the leading causes for the growth of battery alloy market.There is very little threat to the battery alloy market since it is indispensible to the batteries. However some alloys are preferred over the others owing to environmental concerns as well as functionality. Although lead alloys display extremely good characteristics, the use of lead in battery alloys are increasingly discouraged. Lead calcium battery alloy is again preferred over lead antimony due to its higher longevity and performance dynamics.The major opportunity of the battery alloy market lies in the electric vehicles application. Matured economies of North America and Europe have shifted focus towards electric vehicles in a bid to achieve a sustainable future free of petroleum requirements. According to research about 40% of all cars on road in 2035 will be electrically powered in North America which is one of the largest market for automotives. Asia Pacific region has also initiated the process of promoting hybrid vehicles which is expected to provide tremendous stimulus to the battery alloy market.The battery alloy market is dominated by Asia Pacific region. More than 90 % of the market for battery alloys is derived from this region as Asia Pacific acts as the battery supplier to the world. Japan and South Korea used to be the main countries manufacturing batteries. However China has surged ahead in recent times and is the highest growing country in the world in terms of demand and production of battery alloys. North America and Europe account for high demand of batteries which are mostly imported from Asia. The battery alloy market is expected to be dominated by Asia Pacific in the near future as well.Request to view Sample Report:Som of the major companies operating in this market are Mitsubishi Corporation and Furukawa Co.Ltd among many others.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:Global Bread and Baked Food Market 2018 Key Players: Grupo Bimbo, Britannia Industries, Nestle Chile, Premier Foods, Interstate Brands Corporation.

Bread and Baked Food Market

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Bread and Baked Food Market:WiseGuyReports.com adds Bread and Baked Food Market 2018 Global Analysis, Growth, Trends and Opportunities Research Report Forecasting to 2025reports to its database.Executive SummaryThis report studies the global Bread and Baked Food market status and forecast, categorizes the global Bread and Baked Food 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 global Bread and Baked Food market is valued at million US$ in 2017 and will reach million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of during 2018-2025.The major manufacturers covered in this reportGrupo BimboBritannia IndustriesNestle ChilePremier FoodsInterstate Brands CorporationGeorge WestonSara Lee Bakery GroupFlowers FoodLewis BrothersHostess BrandsDelta Agri-Foods IncDeliFranceGeographically, this report studies the key regions, focuses on product sales, value, market share and growth opportunity in these regions, coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoSconesPastriesCookiesBiscuitsOtherOn 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, includingRestaurantsHomeOtherRequest Sample Report @The study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global Bread and Baked Food sales, value, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025).Focuses on the key Bread and Baked Food 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 Bread and Baked Food 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 StakeholdersBread and Baked Food ManufacturersBread and Baked Food Distributors/Traders/WholesalersBread and Baked Food 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 Bread and Baked Food market, by end-use.Detailed analysis and profiles of additional market players.Table of ContentsGlobal Bread and Baked Food Market Research Report 20181 Bread and Baked Food Market Overview2 Global Bread and Baked Food Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Bread and Baked Food Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)4 Global Bread and Baked Food Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2018)5 Global Bread and Baked Food Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type6 Global Bread and Baked Food Market Analysis by Application7 Global Bread and Baked Food Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis8 Bread and Baked Food Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Bread and Baked Food Market Forecast (2018-2025)13 Research Findings and Conclusion14 AppendixContinuousFor further information on this report, visit Contact Us:Norah Trentsales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US); +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone :+91 841 198 5042Influenza Vaccination Market Global Professional Survey and In-depth Analysis Research Report Forecast to 2023

Influenza Vaccination Market

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Market Research Future published a half-cooked research report on Global Influenza Vaccination Market.Influenza (flu) is a contagious respiratory disease caused by influenza viruses that infect the respiratory tract (nose, throat, and lungs) in humans. The symptoms and complications of flu are more severe than common cold. The symptoms associated with influenza may include fever, headache, malaise, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, and body aches. Influenza vaccine can prevent illness and death caused by the influenza virus. Influenza vaccine can be administrated to both young and old patients. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2017, 67.2% of all the geriatric population within the U.S. suffered from influenza in 2016. Moreover, it was estimated that the disease caused 4,605 deaths in 2014. Such trends in the prevalence of influenza are the major driver for the market growth during the forecast period. Moreover, the immune-compromised growing geriatric population, increasing per capita healthcare expenditure and rising awareness of the disease will fuel the market growth. According to the National Institutes of Health, the people who age 80 or more are expected to grow from 126.5 million in 2015 to 446.6 million by 2050. However, stringent regulatory framework along with the low accessibility of the product in the developing countries may restrain the market growth.The Global Influenza Vaccination Market is expected to grow at an approximate CAGR of 8.2% during the forecast period.Get 110 Pages Influenza Vaccination Market Sample Copy Which covers 5Regions and 8 Companies Strategy with 33 Tables and 33 Figures in Supported is Now Available atSegmentationThe Global Influenza Vaccination Market is segmented on the basis of type of influenza, manufacturing technology, vaccines, and others.On the basis of the type of influenza, the market is segmented into seasonal, pandemic, zoonotic, and others.On the basis of the manufacturing technology, the market is segmented into egg based, cell culture based, recombination based technology, and others.On the basis of the vaccines, the market is segmented into fluzone, flumist, fluvax, fluvirin, and others.On the basis of the end users, the market is segmented into hospital & clinics, research organization, academic institutes, and others.Key players for global influenza vaccination marketGlobal Influenza Vaccination Market are Abbott (U.S.), AstraZeneca (Europe), BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (U.S.), Novartis AG (Europe), DAIICHI SANKYO COMPANY, LIMITED. (Asia Pacific), GlaxoSmithKline plc. (Europe). Hualan Biological Engineering Inc (Asia Pacific), Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (Asia Pacific), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Europe), Sanofi (Europe), and others.Regional AnalysisThe Americas dominate the Global Influenza Vaccination Market owing to the increasing prevalence of influenza and the high per capita healthcare expenditure. Moreover, the presence of the developed economies like the U.S. and Canada within the region boosts the growth of the market. Additionally, growing geriatric population within the regional boundaries of the Americas fuels the market growth. According to the National Institutes of Health, the Americas geriatric population is expected to reach 88 million by 2050.Europe is the second largest market for influenza vaccination, which is followed by Asia Pacific. Availability of funds for research, a well-developed healthcare infrastructure, and a huge patient population drives the market growth within the region. Moreover, rising healthcare expenditure along with the government support for research & development boosts the market in Europe. Additionally, the presence of the global players like F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and Novartis AG within the region fuels the regional market.Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region for the market due to the presence of developing economies like India and China. Moreover, favorable government policies and growing geriatric population will boost the market growth within the region.The Middle East & Africa has the least share in the global influenza vaccination market due to the presence of poor economies, especially in the African region. Majority of the market of the Middle & Africa region is held by the Middle East owing to the presence of developed economies like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar within the region.Table of ContentChapter 1. Report PrologueChapter 2. Market Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope Of The Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 LimitationsChapter 3. Research Methodology3.1 Introduction3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size EstimationChapter 4. Market Dynamics4.1 Drivers4.2 Restrains4.3 Opportunities4.4 Challenges4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators4.6 Technology Trends & AssessmentChapter 5. Market Factor AnalysisToc ContinuedApply for Discount atAbout US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comMRFR has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to 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 answer your most important questions.Our Research Analysts are eager to share their knowledge and assist you in refining market research parameters, choosing right market studies, and evaluating both the market scope and the research methodologies of varied segments.We bridge the gap between our clients and their clients by identifying and decoding just the target group, while generating leads with the highest accuracy.Years of research into diverse fields of work has ingrained within us, a proficiency so distinguished that our industry-specific specialists identify with your business ideas and feel the pulse of your challenges and opportunities. This enables us for providing assistance, through our consulting and strategic consulting services, in informed managerial decision making. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industries, WantStats Research and Media often conducts industrial visits for its research analysts. Relevant inputs from various established market participants, help our clients make significant contribution in respective markets are a huge motivation for all of us to endlessly furnish quality. We depend greatly on profound insights into complex realms of our study.Pune, IndiaGlobal Healthcare API Market Size, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013-2017 and Forecast 2018-2024

Healthcare API Market

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Global Healthcare API Market: By Service (Medical Device, Payment, Remote Patient Monitoring, Appointments, and Electronic Health Record Access), By Deployment Model (Cloud-based, On-premise), By End User (Vendors, Patients, Healthcare Providers), and Geography - Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013-2017 and Forecast 2018-2024Global healthcare API market was valued at US$ XX Mn in 2017 and expected to grow at significant Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) from 2018 to 2024Market Outline: Healthcare API MarketHealthcare application programming interfaces (APIs) provide the means for one software to access the service of another. The rising number of the healthcare providers in the healthcare industry is finding the uses for the web in order to deliver the information to the patients. Application programming interfaces (APIs) allow working more intelligently with partner providers, patient support service, government agencies, and insurance companies.Market Dynamics: Healthcare API MarketTechnological advancements are the key factors attributing the growth of the healthcare API market. The growing demand from healthcare sector and adoption of the API-integrated electronic health records (EHRs) is adding fuel for the growth of the healthcare API market. The ease of the data accessibility with the use of application programming interfaces (APIs) is boosting the growth of the market. However, the lack of access to effective tools for designing, testing, and monitoring the information is limiting the growth of the healthcare API market.Free sample of this report is available upon request @Market Scope: Healthcare API MarketHealthcare API market is segmented based on the service, deployment model and end userBased on the service, the market is segmented into the following: Medical deviceo Wearable Payment Remote Patient Monitoring Appointments Electronic Health Record AccessBased on the deployment model, the market is segmented into the following: Cloud-based On-premiseBased on the end user, the market is segmented into the following: Vendors Patients Healthcare providersFree TOC of this report is available upon request @Regional Analysis: Healthcare API MarketGeographically, global healthcare API market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. North America healthcare API market is the dominant market owing to its well-built healthcare infrastructure. The high demand for the improvement in the healthcare service is driving the growth of the healthcare API market in the region. Europe healthcare API market falls next to North America. The Asia Pacific healthcare API market is a huge market that is projected to grow at a fast pace owing to the growing economies. The growth of the healthcare API market is expected to be significant over the forecast period due to growing government initiatives towards the development of the healthcare sector.Ask Analyst about this report @Competition Assessment: Healthcare API MarketSome of the players in the global healthcare API market include: General Electric Company (U.S) Greenway Health, LLC (U.S) eClinicalWorks LLC (U.S) Practice Fusion, Inc. (U.S) Apple, Inc. (U.S) MuleSoft, Inc. (U.S) Practo Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (India) Epic Systems Corporation (U.S) Microsoft Corporation (U.S) Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc. (U.S)Notable Market Developments: Healthcare API Market In January 2017, Oracle has acquired API development startup ApiaryGet 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 2NXContact Person: Rajesh BabuRole: Marketing LeadEmail: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.comToll Free (US):+1-866-598-1553Website @Wind Turbine Alternator Market to Record Ascending Growth by 2023

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Wind energy is playing a critical role in establishment of an environmentally sustainable low carbon economy. The wind turbine alternator is an essential part of a fuel efficient wind power generation system. With developments in technology, turbine component manufacturing companies are producing fuel efficient and low maintenance wind turbine alternators. Permanent magnet series hybrid alternators have been developed which are far more efficient than conventional induction alternators. Wind turbine manufacturers are presented with several challenges which include increasing power output, reducing the weight of components, ease of manufacturing and increasing component reliability. Companies manufacturing wind turbine alternators are thus focused towards developing a more effective solution to meet the requirement of wind turbine manufacturers. The market for wind turbine alternator is anticipated to grow at a substantial rate owing to increasing requirement of fuel efficient systems in the wind power generation market.View Report Preview:The market for wind turbine alternators is directly influenced by the installation trend of wind turbines. The growing awareness towards renewable energy resources and increasing adoption of wind as a viable form of energy is encouraging investment in wind turbine alternator market. Energy security measures and focus towards energy portfolio diversification are acting as primary drivers for adoption of wind technology. There is a huge potential for power generation from wind energy, as wind is available everywhere in the world. There are no fuel costs, no supply import dependency and no geopolitical risk. Another factor favoring the use of wind energy is that it can be installed much faster than other energy source technologies. In many parts of the world, for large scale deployment of wind power, considerable advancements of grid infrastructure will be required. Lack of substantial grid infrastructure acts as a restraint in further development of wind technology. However, increasing wind installations in offshore locations will provide a major boost to the wind turbine alternators market in the future.The market for wind turbine alternator can be segmented into two major categories on the basis of type and rated power. On the basis of type the market can be segmented as permanent magnet series alternators and induction alternators. The market for permanent magnet series alternators is anticipated to grow at a considerable rate when compared to conventional induction alternators. On the basis of power rating the market can be segmented as 300 W- 700 W, 700 W-1500 W and 1500 W-3000 W.Nations vastly employing wind power generation are likely to be attractive markets for wind turbine alternator. USA, Germany, France, Spain, UK, China and India are the major markets for wind energy in the world at present. Currently, the US is the largest wind turbine alternator market in the world, but there is an expectation that China will surpass it to become the leader in wind services expenditure. Asia is the region where most of the expansion is taking place at present. European countries such as Germany, France and UK have intensively invested in wind technology thus these nations also account for a significant portion of the overall market share of global wind turbine alternator market.Request to view Sample Report:Some of the major players investing in the wind turbine alternator are Moog Inc., Emerging Energies Pvt. Ltd., GE Energy, Alxion STK, Aeolos Wind Energy Ltd, and Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologica.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:Law enforcement arrested a man and woman from Ruskin, Florida, who are accused of robbing a Wells Fargo bank, located at 6301 W. Newberry Road, on Saturday afternoon.

Deionte Swinton, 22, and Elizabeth Vagnier, 24, were charged with unarmed robbery and child neglect.

On Saturday around 12:57 p.m., Swinton allegedly entered the bank wearing a surgical mask, according a Gainesville Police Department media release.

He passed a note to the teller saying he was robbing the bank and then directed the victim to put the money from her drawer into a bag, according to the arrest report. Once the teller complied and gave him the money, Swinton left the bank and got into a car allegedly being driven by Vagnier.

A GPS device, hidden in the money, was activated as Swinton allegedly left the bank. When activated, the device sent an alert to a tracking system, according to the media release. The Alachua County Combined Communications Center and other GPD officers received the alert and location of the device.

The device was traveling north on Interstate 75, outside of Gainesville city limits. On-duty officers and Alachua County Sheriffs Office deputies began searching for Swinton.

An officer was able to stop Swintons car near Northwest 218th Avenue and County Road 235A because of information found in the investigation and from a helicopter holding officers from multiple law enforcement agencies, according to the release.

Swinton was taken into custody and the money, clothes, a gun and other evidence of the robbery were in the car, according to the arrest report. His two children were also in the car at the time.

Swinton also had a warrant for a similar bank robbery from Hillsborough County, according to the report.

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After reading them their Miranda Rights, Swinton confessed to robbing the bank and having a gun but not using it, according to the report.

Vagnier said she was aware of Swintons plans and helped him find the bank using her phone. She also said she drove Swinton away from the robbery in Hillsborough with children in the car.

Swinton and Vagnier remained in the Alachua County Jail on Saturday and Sunday in lieu of a $400,000 bail.

Follow Devoun Cetoute on Twitter @devoun_cetoute and contact him at dcetoute@alligator.org.Carbon Disulfide Market trends estimates high demand by 2024

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Global Carbon Disulfide Market: OverviewCarbon disulfide is a volatile colorless compound with molecular formula CS2. It smells akin to ether and is generally used in the liquid state. Carbon disulfide occurs naturally in small amounts in volcanic eruptions. Earlier, carbon disulfide was manufactured by mixing coke and sulfur at a high temperature. Currently, the production process is carried out at a much lower temperature, using natural gas as carbon source and combining it with sulfur and either silica gel or aluminum acting as a catalyst. Carbon disulfide is used as a fumigant, insecticide, non-polar solvent, and optical dispersant in spectroscopes. It is also employed as building block in the production of various chemicals. Furthermore, carbon disulfide is used in the production of chemicals such as agricultural chemicals, rubber chemicals, cellophane, rayon, and carbon tetrachloride.View Report Preview:Global Carbon Disulfide Market: Trends and OpportunitiesProduction of new chemicals such as cellophane, rayon, and carbon tetrachloride accounts for significant share of the carbon disulfide market. Carbon disulfide acts as building block in the production of these chemicals. High demand in end-use industries such as food packaging, textile, and refrigeration is expected to boost the demand for chemicals such as cellophane, rayon, and carbon tetrachloride. This, in turn, is anticipated drive the carbon disulfide market. Usage of carbon disulfide as non-polar solvent is another major application. Carbon disulfide is used as a solvent for phosphorus, sulfur, bromine, selenium, iodine, asphalt, rubber, resin, and fats. Therefore, it is used in cleaning carbon nanotubes. Rising demand for nanomaterials, especially carbon nanotubes, is anticipated to propel the demand for carbon disulfide as bipolar cleaning solvent. This, in turn, is estimated to augment the carbon disulfide market. Increasing demand for carbon disulfide in the agriculture end-use industry is projected to drive other niche applications such as insecticide and fumigant, thereby boosting the carbon disulfide market.Global Carbon Disulfide Market: Geographical and Competitive DynamicsAsia Pacific was the largest market for carbon disulfide in 2014. The region accounted for significant share of the carbon disulfide market in the year. This trend is likely to continue during the next few years owing to growth in end-use industries in emerging economies such as China and India. Application of carbon disulfide in the production of various chemicals is expected to be the major market driver in the region due to expansion in end-use industries such as textile, food packaging, refrigeration, and agriculture in countries such as China and India. China held the largest share of the global carbon disulfide market in 2014. This trend is anticipated to continue during the forecast period. Europe is estimated to witness a similar trend, led by presence of the well-established food packaging industry in the region. Premium clothing and rayon textile industries are projected to further augment the carbon disulfide market in Europe owing to high disposable income of consumers in the region. The food packaging industry is likely to drive the carbon disulfide market in North America due to stringent food packaging norms in the region. The carbon nanotubes industry is expected to be a highly attractive market for carbon disulfide owing to increase in research activities related to nanomaterials in the region. The carbon disulfide market in Latin America is anticipated to witness steady growth rate during the next few years owing to expansion in textile and agriculture industries in economies such as Brazil. Middle East & Africa is projected to be a highly lucrative market for carbon disulfide due to expansion of textile and packaging industries in GCC and growth in the agricultural industry in South Africa during the forecast period.Major players in the carbon disulfide market include Shanghai Baijin Chemical Group Co., Ltd., Akzo Nobel N.V., Arkema Group, PPG Industries, Inc., Alfa Aesar, and Univar Inc.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:Global Baby Food Market Size, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013-2017 and Forecast 2018-2024

Baby Food Market

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Global Baby Food Market: By Type (Baby Food and Infant Formula), By Product Type (Prepared Food, Dried Food, and Others), By Distribution Channel (Hospital Pharmacies, Retail Pharmacies, Online Pharmacies, Super Markets, and Others), and Geography - Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2012-2016 and Forecast 2017-2023Global baby food market was valued at US$ XX Mn in 2017 and expected to grow at 7.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) from 2018 to 2024Market Outline: Baby Food MarketBaby food is soft and easily consumed food other than the breast milk and infant formula, which is given to the babies during the few nascent years of infant lives. It is generally given to the infants ageing four to six months and two years old. The baby foods are currently available in the prepared form, dried form and as infant formulas. The infant formulas are the replacements of the mothers milk with the nutritional attributes of the mothers milk. The baby food are soft mashed products which are easy to consume.Market Dynamics: Baby Food MarketIncreasing infant population and the growing concerns among parents about the health of their new born babies are the major factors driving the growth of the baby food market. The rising number of working women and adoption of the optimal health nutrition products are positively affecting the growth of the baby food market. The global baby food market is experiencing a significant growth majorly due to rising awareness among the parents about the nutrition and the strict safety standards in the manufacturing of the baby food. The parents are adopting the packaged baby food and infant formulas to ensure the welfare of their infant. The increasing concerns about the nutritional values in the baby food has propelled the manufacturers to come up with various kinds of organic food. Owing to the ease and the convenience, the baby food pouches are expected to be the fastest growing products. However, the practice of feeding home cooked food is likely to hamper the growth of the market.Free sample of this report is available upon request @Market Scope: Baby Food MarketBaby food market is segmented based on the type, product type, and distribution channelBased on the type, the market is segmented into the following: Baby foodo Cereal based foodo Vegetable and Fruit Pureeso Frozen foodso Others Infant formulao Cow Milk Basedo Soy Basedo OthersBased on the product type, the market is segmented into the following: Prepared food Dried food OthersBased on the distribution channel, the market is segmented into the following: Hospital Pharmacies Retail Pharmacies Online Pharmacies Super markets OthersFree TOC of this report is available upon request @Regional Analysis: Baby Food MarketGeographically, global baby food market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. Asia pacific baby food market growth driven by increasing population owing to the larger consumer base. Following Asia Pacific are the regions of Europe and North America. The growing awareness of the various types of baby foods that are available in the market is attracting the consumers to adopt the baby food product. The availability of the baby foods in the modern retail formants is also likely to enhance the growth of the market in all the regions. The uninterrupted introduction of new products by the manufacturers is also enriching the growth of the market, which is in turn is helping vendors to expand their market in the various regions all over the globe.Need more information about this report @Competition Assessment: Baby Food MarketSome of the players in the global baby food market include: Abbott Laboratories (U.S) Danone (France) Mead Johnson (U.S) Campbell soups (U.S) Bellamy Organics (Australia) Hero-Group (Switzerland) Hain Celestial Group (U.S) Perrigo Company (U.S) Bristol-Myers Squibb (U.S) Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation (U.S)Notable Market Developments: Baby Food Market In August 2016, Nestle launches kids cereal Ceregrow in India.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 2NXContact Person: Rajesh BabuRole: Marketing LeadEmail: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.comToll Free (US):+1-866-598-1553Website @Embedded Displays Market Will Generate New Growth Opportunities By 2025

Embedded Displays market growth to 2025

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A new research study from HTF MI with title Global Embedded Displays Market Professional Survey Report 2018 provides an in-depth assessment of the Embedded Displays including key market trends, upcoming technologies, industry drivers, challenges, regulatory policies, key players company profiles and strategies. The research study provides forecasts for Embedded Displays investments till 2022.Access Sample Copy @:If you are involved in the Embedded Displays industry or intend to be, then this study will provide you comprehensive outlook. Its vital you keep your market knowledge up to date segmented by Automotive, Construction Equipment, Medical Equipment, Fitness Equipment, Home Appliances & Others, LCD, LED, OLED & Others and major players. If you have a different set of players/manufacturers according to geography or needs regional or country segmented reports we can provide customization according to your requirement.This report studies the global Embedded Displays market status and forecast, categorizes the global Embedded Displays market size (value & volume) by manufacturers, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top manufacturers in North America, Europe, Japan, China, India, Southeast Asia and other regions (Central & South America, and Middle East & Africa).Buy this research report @The Study is segmented by following Product Type: LCD, LED, OLED & OthersMajor applications/end-users industry are as follows: Automotive, Construction Equipment, Medical Equipment, Fitness Equipment, Home Appliances & OthersGeographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions such as North America, United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia-Pacific, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Rest of Asia-Pacific, Europe, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Russia, Rest of Europe, Central & South America, Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America, Middle East & Africa, Saudi Arabia, Turkey & Rest of Middle East & Africa, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of Global Embedded Displays in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast)Early buyers will receive 10% customization on reports. Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @Major companies covered in the report: Avnet, AndersDX, Multitouch, Esterel Technologies, Planar Systems, Altia, ENEA AB, Green Hills software, Intel & MicrosoftThis study also contains company profiling, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information of various international, regional, and local vendors of Global Embedded Displays Market. 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.Some of the key questions answered in this report:- Detailed Overview of Global Embedded Displays market helps deliver clients and businesses making strategies.- Influential factors that are thriving demand and constraints in the market.- What is the market concentration? Is it fragmented or highly concentrated?- What trends, challenges and barriers will impact the development and sizing of Embedded Displays market?- SWOT Analysis of each key players mentioned along with its company profile with the help of Porters five forces tool mechanism to compliment the same.- What growth momentum or acceleration market carries during the forecast period?- Which region is going to tap highest market share in future?- What Application/end-user category or Product Type may see incremental growth prospects?- What would be the market share of key countries like United States, France, UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, Australia, Japan, China or Brazil etc.?- What focused approach and constraints are holding the market tight?Make inquiry before purchase @Check for discount @There are 15 Chapters to display the Global Embedded Displays market.Chapter 1, About Executive Summary to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Embedded Displays market, Applications [Automotive, Construction Equipment, Medical Equipment, Fitness Equipment, Home Appliances & Others], Market Segment by Regions;Chapter 2, to analyze objective of the study.Chapter 3, to display Research methodology and techniques.Chapter 4 and 5 , to show the Overall Market Analysis, segmentation analysis, characteristics;Chapter 6 and 7, to show the Market size, share and forecast; Five forces analysis (bargaining Power of buyers/suppliers), Threats to new entrants and market condition;Chapter 8 and 9, to show analysis by regional segmentation[North America, United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia-Pacific, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Rest of Asia-Pacific, Europe, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Russia, Rest of Europe, Central & South America, Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America, Middle East & Africa, Saudi Arabia, Turkey & Rest of Middle East & Africa ], comparison, leading countries and opportunities; Regional Marketing Type Analysis, Supply Chain AnalysisChapter 10, focus on identifying the key industry influencers, overview of decision framework accumulated through Industry experts and strategic decision makers;Chapter 11 and 12, Market Trend Analysis, Drivers, Challenges by consumer behavior, Marketing Channels and demand & supply.Chapter 13 and 14, describe about the vendor landscape (classification and Market Positioning)Chapter 15, deals with Global Embedded Displays Market sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road, Edison, NJ USA - 08837sales@htfmarketreport.comPh: +1 (206) 317 1218Rapid Growth of U.S. Acrylic Acid Market | Top Key Players (BASF, DOW, Nippon Shokubai, Akema, Formosa, LG, Mitsubishi, Toagosei, Sasol, Hexion, Idemitsu Kosan, HUAYI) | Forecasts till 2025

Acrylic Acid Market

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United States Acrylic Acid Market Report 2018 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.United States Acrylic Acid Market Overview:The report spread across 124 pages is an overview of the United States Acrylic Acid Market Report 2018. The United States Acrylic Acid 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 United States Acrylic Acid Market is growing continuously and expected to grow healthy CAGR by Forecast year 2025. Acrylic Acid is an organic compound having characteristic tart or acrid smell. A large portion of this compound is used as a feedstock for obtaining acrylate esters. Acrylate esters have a broad spectrum of application in paper treatment, plastic additives, textiles, sealants, adhesives and surface coatings.Industries are developing and commercializing processes for producing it from petrochemicals. Due to the rising price of oil, manufacturers are using bio-based techniques to produce this unsaturated carboxylic acid and acrylates from renewable resources such as glycerol, sugar, etc. Renewable feedstock shows cost competitive outcomes as compared to petrochemical routes. Applications in Detergents, Adult Incontinence and Personal Care Products have contributed to the increased demand for Acrylic Acid.The factors that are driving the growth are soaring demand for superabsorbent polymers, widespread adoption of acrylic-based products in emerging economies and growing industries such as adhesives and sealants.Purchase this report online with 124 Pages, List of Tables & Figures and in-depth Table of Contents on United States Acrylic Acid Market Report 2018 @A complete analysis of the competitive landscape of the United States Acrylic Acid Market is provided in the report. This section includes company profiles of market key players. The profiles include contact information, gross, capacity, product details of each firm, price, and cost. This report investigates new project feasibility with a purpose of enlightening new entrants about the possibilities in this market. In this report, thorough SWOT analysis & investment analysis is provided which forecasts imminent opportunities for the Acrylic Acid Market players.Major Key Players:1 BASF2 DOW3 Nippon Shokubai4 Akema5 Formosa6 LG Chem7 Mitsubishi Chem8 Toagosei9 Sasol10 Hexion11 Idemitsu Kosan12 Jiangsu Jurong and More.On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into -1 Acrylic Acid 100%2 Acrylic Acid 80%3 Acrylic Acid/TolueneGeographically, this report splits the United States market into seven regions: The West, Southwest, The Middle Atlantic, New England, The South and The Midwest with sales (volume), revenue (value), market share and growth rate of Acrylic Acid in these regions, from 2013 to 2025 (forecast).Grab Your Report at an Impressive Discount @This study answers to the below key questions:1 What will the market size be in 2025 and what will the growth rate be?2 What are the key market trends?3 What is driving this market?4 What are the challenges to market growth?5 Who are the key vendors in this market space?6 What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?7 What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?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 Acrylic Acid Market.Major Points in Table of Contents:United States Acrylic Acid Market Report 20181 Acrylic Acid Overview2 United States Acrylic Acid Market Competition by Players/Suppliers3 United States Acrylic Acid Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)4 United States Acrylic Acid Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Type (Product Category) (2013-2018)5 United States Acrylic Acid Sales (Volume) by Application (2013-2018)6 United States Acrylic Acid Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data7 Acrylic Acid Manufacturing Cost Analysis8 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers9 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders10 Market Effect Factors Analysis11 United States Acrylic Acid Market Size (Value and Volume) Forecast (2018-2025)12 Research Findings and Conclusion13 AppendixAbout usBusinessindustryReports.com is digital database of comprehensive market reports for United States 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United States Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) Market Till 2025 | Top Key Companys (Cambrios, TDK, 3M, Nuovo Film, Blue nanao, NANOGAP, Mogreat, Coldstones, FujiFilm, Gunze, JTOUCH)

Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) Market

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United States Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) Market Report 2018 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.United States Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) Market Overview:The report spread across 114 pages is an overview of the United States Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) Market Report 2018. The United States Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) 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 United States Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) Market is growing continuously and expected to grow healthy CAGR by Forecast year 2025. Declining cost of smartphones, rising adoption of touch UI interface devices, low power consumption, minimal reflection, thinness and flexibility & robustness are the key drivers of this market. Lack of one-size-fits-all solution and multiplicity of options for a specific application are the two key factors deterring the market growth. Displays and photovoltaic applications are offering huge potential for the application of TCF in the coming years. Moreover, rising demand for tablet PCs and notebooks would also give a thrust to the market during the forecast period.The United States Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) Market is segmented on the basis of Technology, Application and Geography. Key technologies implemented in manufacturing of TCF include ITO on PET, ITO on Glass, Non ITO oxides, Silver Nanowires, Graphene, Carbon Nanotube, Metal Mesh, Micro fine Wire, and PEDOT. The application industries included in this report include smartphones, tablets and tablet PCs, notebooks, all-in-one PCs, monitors, TV displays, OLED lighting, and OPV & DSSC.Purchase this report online with 114 Pages, List of Tables & Figures and in-depth Table of Contents on United States Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) Market Report 2018 @Major Key Players:1 Cambrios2 TDK3 3M4 Nuovo Film5 Blue nanao6 NANOGAP7 Mogreat8 Coldstones9 FujiFilm10 Gunze11 JTOUCHOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into -1 Silver Nanowires TCF2 Metal Mesh TCF3 Other Metal Nanowires TCFGeographically, this report splits the United States market into seven regions: The West, Southwest, The Middle Atlantic, New England, The South and The Midwest with sales (volume), revenue (value), market share and growth rate of Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) in these regions, from 2013 to 2025 (forecast).Grab Your Report at an Impressive Discount @This study answers to the below key questions:1 What will the market size be in 2025 and what will the growth rate be?2 What are the key market trends?3 What are the challenges to market growth?4 Who are the key players in this market?5 What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key players?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 Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) Market.Major Points in Table of Contents:United States Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) Market Report 20181 Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) Overview2 United States Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) Market Competition by Players/Suppliers3 United States Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)4 United States Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Type (Product Category) (2013-2018)5 United States Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) Sales (Volume) by Application (2013-2018)6 United States Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data7 Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) Manufacturing Cost Analysis8 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers9 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders10 Market Effect Factors Analysis11 United States Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) Market Size (Value and Volume) Forecast (2018-2025)12 Research Findings and Conclusion13 AppendixAbout usBusinessindustryReports.com is digital database of comprehensive market reports for United States 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Fibromuscular Dysplasia Market 2018 Key Country Analysis: Alkermes Pharma Ireland Limited, ALVOGEN, Aspen Surgical Products, Inc., AstraZeneca, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Becton

Fibromuscular Dysplasia Market

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Market Scenario:Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is a disease that causes abnormal cell development in the artery wall, which results in narrowing, i.e., stenosis, and enlargement, i.e., aneurysm of the medium-sized arteries in the body.According to a study published in the Insights into Imaging in 2015, it is found that the prevalence of fibromuscular dysplasia is estimated to be 4%-6% in the renal arteries and 0.3%-3 % in the cervico-encephalic arteries. Fibromuscular dysplasia is most frequently revealed in the kidneys of young patients associated with resistant hypertension secondary to fibrodysplastic renal artery stenosis. It is also reported that fibromuscular dysplasia is found in around 1% of the hypertensive patients, and is the second leading cause of renovascular hypertension after atherosclerotic disease.View Reports Sample @Notably, rising prevalence of fibromuscular dysplasia and increasing R&D expenditure are the key factors driving the fibromuscular dysplasia market. In the year 2016, the R&D expenditure in the pharmaceutical Industry was USD 43,047.9 million, suggested by European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Association.Various other factors such as increasing government assistance, rising healthcare expenditures, improving regulatory framework, and rising funding and reimbursement policies are continuously contributing to the growth of the global fibromuscular dysplasia market. According to the Eurostat data, it is observed that among the European Union Member States, the highest value of healthcare expenditure was recorded in Germany, i.e. EUR 321 billion, which is further followed by France with EUR 237 billion, and the United Kingdom with EUR 223 billion, in 2014.Despite these driving factors, there are some challenges with fibromuscular dysplasia market. Side-effects of treatment, expiration of patented drugs, the presence of misbranded drugs, and poor healthcare system in low and middle-income countries may hamper the growth of the market to a great extent over the review period 2017-2023.It is estimated that the fibromuscular dysplasia market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period of 2017-2023.Intended Audience Pharmaceutical Companies Research and Development (R&D) Companies Medical Device Companies Diagnostic Laboratories Government Research Institute Academic Institutes and UniversitiesSegmentationThe global fibromuscular dysplasia market is segmented on the basis of type, diagnosis, treatment, and end-user.On the basis of the type, the market is classified as multifocal fibromuscular dysplasia, and focal fibromuscular dysplasia.On the basis of the diagnosis, the market is classified as physical examination, blood test, catheter-based angiography, doppler ultrasound, computerized tomography (CT) angiogram, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and othersOn the basis of the treatment, the market is classified as surgery, medication, and others. The surgery segment is further sub-segmented into percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), and surgical revascularization. The medication segment is further sub-segmented into angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, diuretics, calcium channel blockers, and beta blockers.On the basis of the end-user, the market is segmented into hospitals & clinics, diagnostic centers, drug stores, pharmacies, and others.Report with Discount Available @Regional AnalysisThe Americas dominate the global fibromuscular dysplasia market owing to the rising prevalence of fibromuscular dysplasia and high healthcare expenditure. In 2015, the total health expenditure in the U.S. was reported to be USD 3.2 trillion, and hospital care accounted for a share of 32.3%, suggested by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Europe holds the second position in the fibromuscular dysplasia market. It is found that the rising research & development expenditure, and amendments in the reimbursement policies in the healthcare are likely to drive the European market.The Asia Pacific region is the fastest growing fibromuscular dysplasia market owing to the developing healthcare technology, and huge patient pool. Healthcare expenditure of various Asia Pacific countries is also growing steadily. As per the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in the years 2015-2016, the total healthcare expenditure in Australia was recorded to be USD 170.4 billion, which was around 3.6% higher than the expenditure of 2014-2015.The Middle East & Africa holds the least market share due to lack of technical knowledge and poor medical facilities.Request Full Report @Key PlayersSome of the key players in the global fibromuscular dysplasia market are Alkermes Pharma Ireland Limited, ALVOGEN, Aspen Surgical Products, Inc., AstraZeneca, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Becton, Dickinson and Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd, Ethicon, Inc., Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, Smith & Nephew plc; Medtronic, Stryker Corporation, and Watson Pharma Private Limited.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Asia Pacific Platelet Rich Plasma Market to Expand at a CAGR of 15.4% Between 2015 and 2023

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The market for platelet rich plasma in Asia Pacific encompasses a large host of established players who compete for a greater market share. Since plasmas are an intricate domain of analysis, the market players are expected to engage in core research and analysis to provide fool-proof products to the customers. Moreover, the success of the market players is predicted to rely on the strength of their product portfolio. Several medical processes involve the use of platelet-rich plasma, which makes it integral for market players to synthesize plasmas that align with every medical procedure.Request Sample for more Comprehensive Analysis @The market players with strongholds in the Asia Pacific market are anticipated to develop better performing plasmas in order to reemphasize their expertise in the domain. Moreover, the advent of advanced devices in the healthcare industry has placed an onus upon the market players to align their efforts with the rapid developments. Key market players within the Asia Pacific market for platelet rich plasma (PRP) include Stryker Corporation, Cesca Therapeutics, Inc., Rmedica Co. Ltd.,DePuy Synthes, Zimmer Biomet, Exactech, Inc., AdiStem Ltd., Arthrex, Inc., and Harvest Technology.Transparency Market Research (TMR), in one of its reports, prognosticates a trajectory of growth for the global market over the period from 2015 to 2023. The market is expected to inflate at a robust CAGR of 15.40% over the forecast period, which points to bright opportunities for market players. The market was valued at US$30 mn in 2014, and is expected to elevate to a value of US$110.0 mn by the end of 2023. Amongst the various regional segments, the market in China is projected to grow at a handsome pace over the period from 2015 to 2023. The prominence of the regional market can be attributed to the rising awareness about PHP technologies and a solid healthcare infrastructure in China. The Chinese market is foreseen to settle at a CAGR of 17.0% over the forecast period.Enquire for Discount @Instances of skeleton injuries and deformities have risen in recent times, which has magnified the need for better orthopedic treatments. This has given a significant push to demand within the market for platelet rich plasmas. Moreover, the prevalence of neurological disorders, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases has underhandedly contributed to the growth of the Asia Pacific market. It is anticipated that the nascent cosmetic treatments would provide an impetus to the market, and result in greater adoption of PRP technologies in the Asia Pacific region. Advanced PRP devices have surfaced in the market, which is already contributing to the growth of the market.Medical tourism has emerged as an integral trend in the Asia Pacific region. Development of healthcare infrastructure coupled with affordable pricing of medical treatments has attracted huge chunks of foreign nationals to Asia Pacific for medical treatments. The region is particularly popular for cosmetic treatments and surgeries, majorly due to the low-cost factor. Due to the aforementioned factors, the Asia Pacific market for platelet rich plasmas is expected to tread along an escalating growth path over the coming years.Request TOC of the Report for Complete Review @In recent times, cosmetic surgeries and treatments have become an avenue of commercialization more than a medical course of action. This has led to exponentially high costs for cosmetic treatments, thus, placing a negative toll on the market for platelet rich plasmas. Besides this, the ill-effects associated with the use of PRP also act as a threat to the market. Nevertheless, the wide array of application of platelet based plasmas is foreseen to continue soaring the demand within 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:Global 3D Printing of Metals Market 2018 by Top Key Players, Product Type, End-user Applications, Region and Forecast to 2022

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The report, titled Global 3D Printing of Metals Market, is an expert effort for a savoir-faire of the growth of the market in the future next. This report emphases on the global market and answers many of the critical questions, which an involved or potential shareholder of this market may have. Questions like, which regions in the world will face a major challenge and regions contributing the maximum to the global market. Information concerning the present size of each of the regional markets along with their predicted size by the end of the estimated period is also given.One of the major drivers for the global 3D Printing of Metals market is the increasing adoption of data analytics. Most of the benefits associated with data analytics results from its ability to recognize patterns and to make predictions based on experiences. Grounded by these criteria, organizations are adopting data analytics to understand consumption patterns, customer acquisition, and other factors to increase revenue, save costs, and maintain customer loyalty.Key Players:EOS, Concept Laster, SLM, 3D Systems, Arcam AB, ReaLizer, Renishaw, Exone, Wuhan Binhu, Bright Laser Technologies, Huake 3D, SyndayaFor Sample Copy of this report:The 3D Printing of Metals market follows the growth status of the physical product growth cycle and thus enable clients to check the performance and outcome of the process. Dealing with all the outline records for the market among suppliers and distributors is one of the significant restrictions confronted by the market.Get Discount on this Report:The Global 3D Printing of Metals Market is gaining pace and businesses have started understanding the benefits of analytics in the present day highly dynamic business environment. The market has witnessed several important developments over the past few years, with mounting volumes of business data and the shift from traditional data analysis platforms to self-service business analytics being some of the most prominent ones.Enquiry Before Buying:Key Points of this report:This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamicsIt provides a forward-looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growthIt helps in understanding the key product segments and their futureIt provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitorsIt helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segmentsTable of Contents:Global 3D Printing of Metals Market Research Report 2018-2022Chapter 1 3D Printing of Metals Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic ImpactChapter 3 Competition by ManufacturersChapter 4 Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2018-2022)Chapter 5 Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2018-2022)Chapter 6 Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 Analysis by ApplicationChapter 8 Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter 11 Market Effect Factors AnalysisChapter 12 Market Forecast (2018-2022)Chapter 13 AppendixOur research will change the way you think about problems. We provide global consulting that can transform businesses and give you an experience of innovative solutions and outcomes.Research N Reports helps clients harness the power of innovation to thrive on change. We have successfully guided businesses throughout the world with our market research reports. We are uniquely positioned to lead digital transformations, thus creating greater value for clients by presenting growth opportunities in the global market.Our profound experience provides a clear and confident vision to help clients navigate the future. Research N Reports techniques encompasses both qualitative and quantitative modes to provide customized and highly flexible tailored research studies so that you get information that is just the best-fit to make informed strategic organizational decisions. Research N Reports helps clients decode the future to be more successful and innovative.sunny denis10916, Gold Point, Dr,Houston, TX - 77064sales@researchnreports.com+1 888-631-6977Phenoxyethanol Market Key Players and Production Information analysis 2025

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Presence of numerous small and large phenoxyethanol manufacturers all over the world, makes its market highly competitive, finds a report Transparency Market Research. It also finds that the vendor landscape is highly concentrated in China. In order to succeed in such a cutthroat environment, companies need to go the extra mile by undertaking scientific research to prove the safety and efficiency of their products and communicate the same to their customers, observes the report.Request Sample Report @Some of the companies that have rose to prominence using the above strategies in the global phenoxyethanol market are The Dow Chemical Company, Lonza, Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G), Galaxy Surfactants Ltd., BASF SE, Clariant, Penta Manufacturing Company, LLC., Ashland Inc., Finetech Industry Limited, and Akema Fine Chemicals.Our report predicts that the global phenoxyethanol market will likely rise at a lackluster 4.9% CAGR over the course of the forecast period starting from 2017 and ending in 2025. Expnading at this pace, the market which was worth US$170.3 mn in 2016, is predicted to attain a value of US$260.3 mn by 2025.Phenoxyethanol finds application in making paint additives, home care and personal care products, architectural and industrial coatings, pharmaceuticals, and inks and dyes, among others. Among them, the home care accounts for most of its demand since phenoxyethanol is used in formulation of home-cleaning fluids and detergents. The homecare segment held more than 18.0% share in the market in 2017 and going forward is expected to expand it further.Geographically, Asia Pacific holds a sway over the global market for phenoxyethanol, mainly because of China which is not just at the forefront of production but also consumption on account of its massive population, and rapid development of its economy. Overall, most of the demand for phenoxyethanol in Asia Pacific is generated by home care applications. Paints, inks and dyes, and pharmaceuticals are also serving to push up demand.Read Report Overview @Flourishing Personal Care Industry Fillips Demand for PhenoxyethanolBiggest fillip to the global market for phenoxyethanol is being provided by the by rising spends on discretionary items, namely eye makeup, compact powder, color cosmetics, and gloss. This is in turn because of the growing disposable incomes of people all over the world. Phenoxyethanol is fast supplanting formaldehyde donor preservatives as safe and efficient preservatives in personal care products. Phenoxyethanol is renowned for its antimicrobial efficacy against a variety of microorganisms and is used as a preservative in both leave-on and rinse-off personal care products. Currently, its use has increased on account of its low sensitization potential and approval worldwide. There is a natural form of phenoxyethanol, found in green tea, which is used in natural personal care products.Phenoxyethanol also finds application as a solvent for cosmetic ingredients such as fragrances that have low solubility in water, elaborates the lead analyst of the TMR report.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.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:Latest Updates on SMis 13th Annual Industry Leading Cold Chain Distribution Conference

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For the 13th successful year running, SMi are expanding the scope of the conference to cover all aspects related to cold chain distribution, including how best to maintain GDP compliance in the industry, as well as the optimisation of operating in emerging markets. The cold chain market was valued at USD 189.92 Billion in 2017 and is projected to reach USD 293.27 Billion by 2023. (MarketsandMarkets).Cold Chain Distribution will address the impact of the overwhelming digitalisation in the industry and how companies from biotechs to pharma, need to adapt. The event also explores the crucial challenges of supply chain visibility and data integrity within the growing dynamic industry.- Event Updates -Latest Speakers:This year, SMi are thrilled to announce our best speaker line-up to date, which will feature pharma companies who are the backbone of this industry. Hear from the latest confirmed speakers IATA, MSD SeerPharma (UK), GSK, Sanofi Genzyme Europe, MSF and more!Industry News: Pharma & Healthcare HandlingTransporting healthcare products by air demands a rigorous logistical approach. If mishandled, the intactness of these products can be compromised by temperature changes during transportation.With the pharmaceutical industry moving over one trillion dollars worth of cargo every year, upholding a shipments quality requires specific equipment, storage facilities, harmonized handling procedures and, above all, strong cooperation among the cold chain partners. (IATA)Speaker Highlights:IATA: How the Air Cargo Industry is Improving the Handling of Pharmaceutical ShipmentsHere from the IATA as they discuss the updates on their pharmaceutical handling certification programme 'CEIV'. The programme is a concentrated effort to improve the level of competency, as well as operational and technical preparedness which is urgently required to stop the alarming decline of air cargos market share of global pharmaceutical product transport. A global industry standard and a concerted effort to improve the level of competency, operational and technical preparedness for temperature-sensitive air freight shipments.Find out more about the IATA CEIV pharma certification program, including how to approach the issue of the pharmaceutical cargo community collaboration and the present global status, plus what the organisation does, how and why.Presented to you by: Francisco Rizzuto, Cargo Specialist, Manager for Europe, IATAFor those looking to attend, there is currently a 400 early-bird saving, ending June 29th.To register or download the brochure, please visit the website at:SMi presents the 13th annual industry leading conference:Cold Chain Distribution 2018Date: 10th  11th December 2018Location: Copthorne Tara Hotel, London UKWebsite:---end---Contact Information:For all media inquiries contact Pavan Solanki on Tel: +44 (0)20 7827 6048 / Email: psolanki@smi-online.co.ukAbout 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 world's 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 atWestminster Bridge RoadCitizens have called the Alachua County Sheriffs Office reporting they were contacted to take part in a scam asking for money on behalf of the sheriffs office.

A perpetrator claiming to be Col. David Huckstep, the chief deputy at ACSO, demands money from the caller, according to an ACSO media release.

The scam is well put together and is presented professionally, ACSO spokesperson Brett Rhodenizer said.

The scam is so thorough the perpetrator has spoofed the non-emergency number to ACSOs Combined Communications Center, according to the release.

By spoofing the phone number, it can appear on a victims caller ID as an administrative number from ACSO starting with 352-955 or 352-367, Rhodenizer said.

Reports from citizens started coming in Friday and some have already become victims of the scam, ACSO spokesperson Art Forgey said.

We see this from time to time, scams like this and other ones, Forgey said. We tell people that if you get a call from someone saying they are from the Alachua County Sheriff's Office and they are threatening arrest, that is not how we do things and they should hang up immediately.

The scammers are not targeting anyone specifically and there have not been any leads, Forgey said.

If there are any questions, the sheriffs office can be reached at 352-955-1818.

Follow Devoun Cetoute on Twitter @devoun_cetoute and contact him at dcetoute@alligator.org.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe NowGeriatric Care Services Market to Reach US$850 bn by the end of 2019

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Transparency Market Research has published a new research report that offers a holistic view of the global geriatric care services market. According to the research report, titled Geriatric Care Services Market  Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013  2019, the market shows a positive growth trend due to several reasons. Research analysts have studied this market using SWOT analysis to highlight the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing the market. Additionally, the research report uses Porters five forces analysis to shed light on the threat of new entrants, the threat of substitute products or services, the bargaining power of customers (buyers), the bargaining power of suppliers, and the intensity of competitive rivalry.Browse the full Geriatric Care Services Market (Home Care, Adult Day Care, and Institutional Care)  Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013  2019 report atAccording to the research report, the global geriatric care services market is expected to surge at a CAGR of 5.90% from 2013 to 2019 to reach a figure of US$850 bn by the end of 2019. The global geriatric care services market is expected to grow due to the convenience they offer and the cost-efficient solutions they come with. Furthermore, the lack of nursing home options in developing countries will also fuel the home care services segment in the coming years.Get PDF Brochure of Report:The global geriatric care services market is segmented on the basis of type and geography. The types of geriatric care services in the global market are home care, adult day care, and institutional care. The home care segment is further divided into health care and non-medical care. The health care is inclusive of medical care, telehealth, physiotherapy services, palliative care, and hospice care, whereas the non-medical home care sub-segment includes personal care, meals and grocery, home making, rehabilitation, and others. The adult day care segment is composed of non-medical care and health care. The institutional care segment is sub-segmented into nursing homes, hospital-based, assisted living, and independent senior living. The nursing home sub-segment includes hospice care and palliative care.Geographically, this market is segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Rest of the World. Of all the regions, North America is expected to dominate the global geriatric care services market in the coming years. This regions success will be closely followed by Europe.Get Sample of Report:The research report on the global geriatric care services market offers a complete analysis of the competitive landscape of the market. It profiles some of the key players in this market such as GGNSC Holdings LLC, Amedisys Inc., Brookdale Senior Living Inc., Genesis HealthCare LLC, Home Instead Senior Care Inc., Gentiva Health Services Inc., Senior Care Centers of America, Sunrise Senior Living LLC, Kindred Healthcare Inc., Extendicare Health Services Inc., and Skilled Healthcare Group Inc. The research also shares a comprehensive overview of the global geriatric care services market by sharing details pertaining to the financial overview, research and development activities, business and marketing strategies, and investment outlook of the key companies for the near future.Request to View Discount The global geriatric care services market is segmented into:By TypeHome CareHealth CareMedical CarePhysiotherapy servicesTelehealthPalliative CareHospice CareNon-Medical Home CarePersonal careHome makingMeals and GroceryRehabilitationOthersAdult Day CareHealth CareNon-Medical CareInstitutional CareNursing HomesPalliative CareHospice CareHospital BasedAssisted LivingIndependent Senior LivingBy RegionNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeU.K.FranceGermanySpainItalyRest of EuropeAsia-PacificIndiaChinaJapanAustraliaRest of Asia-PacificRest of the World (RoW)Latin AmericaMiddle EastAfricaRest of RoWBrowse : Our new press releasesAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY  12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Global Fall Detection System Market Report: Analysis By Key Growth Factors, On going Trends, Market Objectivity And Forecast Till 2025

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The Global Fall Detection System Market 2018 Market Research Report is an expert and top to bottom examination estimate, share, development, development, standpoint and figure to 2025 on the momentum condition of the Fall Detection System industry. The report gives an essential review of the business including definitions, orders, applications and industry chain structure.Global Fall Detection System Market is expected to reach USD 479.55 Million by 2025 from USD 341.17 Million in 2017, growing at a CAGR of 4.5% in the forecast period 2018 to 2025. The new market report contains data for historic years 2016, the base year of calculation is 2017 and the forecast period is 2018 to 2025.For In depth Information Get Free Sample Copy of this Report@Global Fall Detection System Market, By Product Type (Automatic Fall Detection System, Manual Fall Detection System), By Algorithm (Simple Threshold, Machine Learning), By Component (Accelerometers & Gyroscopes, Unimodal/Bimodal Sensors, Multimodal Sensors), By System (Wearable Systems {Watches, Clip-On, Necklace}, Non-Wearable Systems {Camera, Wall Sensors, Floor Sensors}, In-Home Landline System, In-Home Cellular Systems), End-User (Home Care Settings, Hospitals and Senior Assisted Living Facilities, Lone Workers, Others), By Geography (North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa)- Industry Trends and Forecast to 2025Complete report on Global Fall Detection System Market Research Report 2017-2024 spread across 350 Pages, profiling Top companies and supports with tables and figuresMarket Definition: Global fall Detection System MarketFall detection system is the system used in alerting emergence in the incident of fall. Fall detection system such as automatic fall detection system and manual fall detection system are used in such detection. Such devices have the potential to diminish some of the adverse consequences of a fall. It has its application in hospitals, nursing, senior assisted living facilities, lone workers, and others. Increased demand for multimodal technology is the major driver for the growth of fall detection system market. On the other side low practicality of the technology among elders somewhere hinders the market.Key Questions Answered in Global Fall Detection System Market Report:-Our Report offers:- What will the market growth rate, Overview and Analysis by Type of Global Fall Detection System Market in 2025? What are the key factors driving, Analysis by Applications and Countries Global Fall Detection System Market? What are Dynamics, This Overview Includes Analysis of Scope, and price analysis of top Vendors Profiles of Global Fall Detection System Market? Who are Opportunities, Risk and Driving Force of Global Fall Detection System Market? Who are the opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in Global Fall Detection System Market? Business Overview by Type, Applications, Gross Margin and Market Share What are the Global Fall Detection System Market opportunities, market risk and market overview of the Market?Request for Detailed TOC:Major Market Drivers and Restraints: Regulatory changes in the US with the implementation of PPACA Pressure to reduce rising healthcare costs Shift to ICD-10 coding standards and upcoming ICD-11 Loss of revenue due to billing errors Consolidation increasing in the healthcare industry Rising need for structured processes and documentations Hidden costs of outsourcing Fear of losing visibility and control over the business processTop Key Players: Medical Guardian LLP LifeFone Koninklijke Philips N.V. Intel Corporation VitalConnect Blue Willow Systems LifeCall Williamson Corporation Life Assure Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd Semtech Corporation Connect America Tunstall Bay Alarm Medical MobileHelp Mytrex, Inc. AlertOne Services, LLC MariCare among others.Key Drivers: Global Fall Detection System Market Low acceptance of technology among elder population is the factor which may hinder the growth of this market. Rising geriatric population and implementation of machine learning approach to detect fall are some of the factors which will drive the market in future.Inquire Before Buying @Customize report of "Global Fall Detection System Market" as per customers requirement also available.Company Share Analysis: Global Fall Detection System MarketThe report for global fall detection system market include detailed vendor level analysis for market shares in 2016 for Global, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and South America specifically. Also impact and development analysis of key vendors is registered in the market and factored on the basis of Vendor Positioning Grid Analysis which measures the vendors strengths and opportunities against present market challenges, measure providers ability to identify or satisfy present market needs, map providers market vision to current and upcoming market dynamics among others. The report also measures technology life line curve and market time line to analyze and do more affective investments.Key Factors: Global Fall Detection System Market Some of the key factors driving the market for global fall detection system are ability to assist in case of fall, growth in enhanced medical alert services. Increased demand of wearable technology based fall detection system and growth in demand of smart phones are the other factor which will drive the demand of global fall detection system market. The major factors driving the growth of market are ability to assist in case of fall, growth in enhanced medical alert services, increased demand of wearable technology based fall detection system and growth in demand of smart phones. On the other hand, low acceptance of technology among elder population may hinder the growth of the market.Market Segmentations:Global Fall Detection System Market is segmented on the basis of Product Type Algorithm Component System End User GeographyMarket Segmentations in Details:On the basis of Product Type into two notable segments; automatic fall detection system and manual fall detection system.On the basis of Algorithm into two notable segments; machine learning and simple threshold.on the basis of Component into three notable segments; accelerometers and gyroscope, multimodal sensor and unimodal or bimodal sensor.on the basis of System, the global fall detection system market is segmented into four notable segments; wearable, non-wearable, in-home cellular system and in-home landline system.on the basis of End User into four notable segments; home care setting, hospital and senior assisted living facilities, lone worker and others.On the basis of Geography, North America South America Europe Asia-Pacific Middle East & AfricaKey Points: Global Fall Detection System Market Accelerometers and Gyroscope market is growing with the highest CAGR Automatic fall detection system is driving the market with highest market share. Wearable segment is dominating the fall detection system marketSpeak to Author of the report @Other ReportGlobal Innovation Management Market  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Global Innovation Management Market, By Geography; Type (Software, Services); Organization Size (Large Enterprises, Small & Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)); Deployment Model (On-premises, Cloud); Application (Product Research & Development Platforms, Marketing, Design, Idea Platforms, Collective Intelligence & Prediction Platforms, Human Resource & Freelancers Platforms); Vertical (Banking, Financial Services, Insurance, IT, Media & Communication Technology, Aerospace & Defense, Public Sector & Education, Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Retail & Consumer Goods, Automotive & Manufacturing, Transportation & Logistics)  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Report Access:About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Data Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.comLED Retrofit Market is expected to Reach USD 4,983.9 Million by 2026

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The global LED retrofit market was valued at US$ 2,046.7 Mn in 2016 and is projected to register cumulative annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 9.25% from 2018 to 2026, according to a new report published by Transparency Market Research (TMR) titled LED retrofit Market  Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 20182026. The LED retrofit market is expected to grow significantly due to increased cost efficiency and long life duration. The report suggests that the prominent adoption of LED lighting is expected to boost the LED retrofit market at the global level for the forecast period of 2018-2026. Additionally, LED based solutions are gaining popularity in residential and commercial applications, which holds a significant share in the market. Furthermore, multiple states of the U.S. have adopted LEDs due to these large number of benefits. For instance, in April 2017, General Electric, a leading lighting solutions company, published a report stating that multiple states have adopted LEDs on a significant scale namely- Seattle, Washington- 35.5% and Minneapolis, Minnesota 32.9% leading the way. Such initiatives are expected to have a positive impact on the global LED retrofit market.Temperature issues with LED to hinder growth of the global LED retrofit marketRequest PDF Brochure:LED retrofit lights can suffer a significant drop in performance or even face mechanical failure, due to the temperature issues associated with LEDs, as growth of LED retrofit is directly dependent on the growth of LEDs. In 2016, the American Medical Association (AMA) in the U.S. adopted an official policy statement about street lighting: Cool it and Dim it. Within the statement, AMA discussed issues related to LEDs such as the high color temperature owing to the blue light content in LED. Alternatively, they suggested using LEDs with appropriate blue light content to boost the adoption of LED in the U.S.Prominent adoption of linear LED retrofits in street lighting and residential sectorOn the basis of application, the LED retrofit market is segmented into residential, commercial, industrial, and others. Additionally, on the basis of type, the global LED retrofit market is divided into indoor and outdoor. The outdoor segment is predicted to expand at a significant CAGR over the forecast period. Increasing adoption of LED in street lighting applications across the globe is a primary factor for the growth of the outdoor LED retrofit market. For instance, Norway has adopted smart street lights that dim to 20%in the absence of cars nearby. The market in the industrial sector is expected to grow at the highest CAGR over the forecast period from 2018 to 2026. However, the residential sector holds a prominent share for the year 2026, as adoption of linear LED retrofit lights in households around the globe is continuously increasing.Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region for the LED retrofit marketIn terms of growth, Asia Pacific is expected to witness highest CAGR growth over the forecast period. The factors contributing to the growth in Asia Pacific is the rising adoption of LED across the region due to continuous increasing population. The rising adoption level of LED is expected to fuel the growth of the linear LED retrofit market in the region. Furthermore, multiple initiatives taken by government bodies in the region are anticipated to boost the LED retrofit market during the forecast period 2018-2026. For instance, in 2017, as per the Street Light National Programme of the Indian government, 2,100 thousand LEDs were installed across India. Furthermore, the growing adoption of smart cities in developed countries like Japan is having a prominent impact on the LED retrofit market.Report TOC:About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.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 TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Mid-infrared Lasers Market Expected to Reach US$ 1,763.0 Mn by 2026

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According to a new market report on mid-infrared lasers market, published by Transparency Market Research. The global mid-infrared lasers market is expected to reach US$ 1,763.0 Mn by 2026, expanding at a CAGR of 11.4% from 2018 to 2026. According to the report, the global market will continue to be influenced by applications in defense and security in the form of explosive detection and nuclear and narcotic material detection, among others. Asia Pacific will continue to be at the forefront of global demand, with the market in the region expanding at a CAGR of 12.9% through 2026.Increased Demand from Health Care, Environment Monitoring, and Communication Sectors is driving the Global mid-infrared Lasers Market:The penetration of mid-infrared lasers has risen over the past few years in applications ranging from free space communication to medical diagnostic, as mid-IR spectrum offers very high optical transmission with low scattering. Furthermore, in developing economies such as India and China, the impact of these factors is expected to be high owing to increased spending across the health care, IT, and communication industries.Mid-infrared Lasers Market: Scope of the ReportRequest PDF Brochure:The global mid-infrared lasers market can be segmented bybased on wavelength type, type, application, end-use industry, and region. byIn terms of wavelength type, the mid-infrared lasers market can be classified into tunable, fixed, and broadband. The tunable segment dominated the mid-infrared laser market in 2017 due to increased usage of tunable mid- IR lasers for various end-use applications in defense, and health care among others. byBased on type, the mid-infrared lasers market can be segmented into non-linear frequency, solid state, semiconductor, gas, free electron- based, and others. The gas laser segment accounted for a share of 30.3% in 2017 of the global mid-infrared laser market. The segment is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 11.1% in terms of value. byIn terms of application, the market can be segmented into spectroscopy, remote sensing, free space communication, laser scalpels, and non-invasive medical diagnostics. The spectroscopy segment accounts for a dominant market share owing to the rise in demand for laser-spectroscopic systems in laboratories for various applications, ranging from environmental and industrial to medical and forensic fields. Further, the segment is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 11.7% during the forecast period from 2018 to 2026.In terms of end-use industry, the market can be divided into defense & aerospace, health care, chemical, research, and others. The aerospace & defense segment is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 9.7% during the forecast period from 2018 to 2026. The segment is expected to account for a prominent market share owing to wide use of mid- IR lasers in explosive detection and countermeasures against heat sinking missiles.Asia Pacific dominated the global mid-infrared lasers market in 2017 with China contributing majority share of 40.9%. Asia Pacific is one of the major hubs for industrial and manufacturing industries. However, these industries emits a large amount of hazardous pollutants. Mid-infrared lasers are used in applications such as air quality monitoring, emission monitoring, and leak detectors among others. This factor is also expected to offer lucrative expansion opportunities for the mid-infrared laser market across different parts of Asia Pacific. Apart from China, countries including India and Japan are also expected to contribute significantly to the mid-infrared lasers market in Asia Pacific. The market in China is expected to expand at a rapid CAGR of 14.1% during the forecast period. The market in North America and Europe collectively constituted 58.7% share of the global market in 2017.Report TOC:About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.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 TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:C4ISR Market is projected to reach US$ 132.26 Billion by 2026

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According to a new market report pertaining to theC4ISRmarket, published by Transparency Market Research, the global C4ISR market is expected to reach US$ 132.26 Billionby 2026, expanding at a CAGR of 3.8% from 2018 to 2026. According to the report, the global market will continue to be influenced by a range of macroeconomic and industry-specific factors. North America will continue to be at the forefront of global demand, with the market in the region growing at above 4.0% through 2026. In Europe, the U.K., Germany, and Russia are expected to be the major contributors for the growth of the C4ISR market over the forecast period.Rising demand for modern electronic warfare driving the global C4ISR marketIncreasing demand for technologically advanced electronic warfare along with rising investment by various government initiatives to build advanced electronic warfare in order to cope with the rising threat of terrorists is one of the most significant factors driving the command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) market. Across the globe, demand for C4ISR is foreseen to gain strong momentum due to rising application in different platforms which includes airborne, naval, and land.Request PDF Brochure:C4ISR Market: Scope of the ReportThe global command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) market is broadly segmented by platform, components, and geography. By platform, the airborne segment is the major revenue generator in the C4ISR market holds the largest market share. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.4% during the forecast period. Moreover, in order to fulfill global demand, various C4ISR manufacturers are now focusing on research and development activities on a regular basis in order to meet their global demand from customers on a regular basis.By components, the surveillance & reconnaissance segment held the second highest market share in 2017, contributing the highest revenue to the market and is expected to expand at a high CAGR of 4.5% over the forecast period. On the other hand, the tactical communication segment is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.1% over the forecast period. Tactical communication systems are increasingly being installed to support numerous missions which include target acquirement, border security missions and it is also used in area surveillance in the battleground. Additionally, the tactical communication segment held the second largest market share of theglobal C4ISR market in 2017. Rising investment to upgrade naval infrastructure in the near future is expected to impact the growth of the market positively.As per TMR analysis, North America accounted for maximum market share in 2017 of more than 35% in terms of value. In addition, increased need for communication systems for short mission cycle time is another factor boosting demand in the North America C4ISR market. The C4ISR market is expected to witness further revision, innovation, and development in the coming years, since there are a number of leading manufacturing companies investing in the market. Rise in situational awareness to help the military in times of combat situations is expected to be one of the major factors driving the global C4ISR market during the forecast period 2018  2026.Report TOC:About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.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 TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Hollow Core Insulator Market Expected to Reach US$ 4,959.2Mn by 2026

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According to a new market report pertaining to the hollow core insulator market, published by Transparency Market Research, the global hollow core insulator market is expected to reach US$ 4,959.2 Mnby2026, expanding at a CAGR of 4.9% from 2018 to 2026. According to the report, the global market will continue to be influenced by a range of macroeconomic and industry-specific factors. Asia Pacific will continue to be at the forefront of global demand, with the market in the region growing at a CAGR of 5.8% through 2026.Significant growth in the power transmission sector across the world is driving the global hollow core insulator marketGlobal transmission investment continues to be strongdriven by the replacement of aging infrastructure, reliability improvements, and growth in renewable energy as well asnew natural gas power. Countries across the world are also incorporating advanced monitoring systems, thereby aiding the energy grid flexibility and resiliency, further adding to the overall cost of power transmission investment. This, in turn is anticipated to directly facilitate the growth ofhigh-quality insulator products in the power sector including hollow core insulators.Hollow Core InsulatorMarket: Scope of the ReportRequest PDF Brochure:The global hollow core insulator market is broadly segmented by material, voltage rating,and application. By material, ceramichollow core insulatorscomprised the highest market share in 2017. However, the composite type is expected to register highest growth over the forecast period. High performance under contamination with reduced creepage distances,low maintenance requirement, and favoring safety considerations are the major factors responsible for its increasing adoption. By voltage rating, above 230 kV segment is expected to be the most lucrative owing to increasing government spending on development of ultra-high voltage transmission lines particularly in Asia Pacific and Europe among other regions. Furthermore, based on application, the current & voltage transformer, and cable termination & bushing are collectively expected to comprise approximately 50% of the global hollow core insulator market by 2026.Asia Pacific dominated the hollow core insulatormarket in 2017with China contributing majority share of revenue. The dominance of the regionis attributed to the high presence of hollow core insulator manufacturers,increasing industrialization and urbanization, growth in transmission and distribution networks, increased renewable energy production, andsupportive government initiatives for expansion or upgrade of existing transmission systems. Analyzing the Asia Pacific hollow core insulator market at a country level, it is anticipated that China would dominate the APAC market in terms of revenue and volume owing to increasing number of transmission grids for bulk power transmission lines to connect south to north and east to west provinces of the country and strengthening the mid voltage distribution lines to reduce transmission losses. Also, India and Japan are anticipated to contribute a combined revenue share of ~45% in terms of revenue by 2026 by expanding at a significant CAGR of 5.9% and 6.2% respectively during the forecast period.Europe and North Americacollectively represented ~50% revenue share in 2017 and are further expected to expand at a considerable CAGR owing to increasing replacement of ceramic hollow core insulators with composite typesas also increasing investment on grid transmission quality improvement initiatives in the region.Report TOC:About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.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.About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.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.Home Wi-Fi Router and Extender Market Expected to Reach US$ 12,956.9 Mn by 2026

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According to a new market report on home Wi-Fi router and extender, published by Transparency Market Research the global home Wi-Fi router and extender market is expected to reach US$ 12,956.9 Mn by 2026, expanding at a CAGR of 6.6% from 2018 to 2026. According to the report, the global market will continue to be influenced by a range of macroeconomic and industry-specific factors. Asia Pacific will continue to be at the forefront of global demand, with the market in the region growing at a CAGR of 8.0% through 2026.Increasing penetration of connected devices and Internet driving the global home Wi-Fi router and extender marketThe demand for home Wi-Fi router and extender is directly reliant on the growth of telecommunications, residential & commercial sector, and industrial development. Exponentially growing urbanization and rising global population have increased the demand for internet, thereby offering multiple opportunities to the global Wi-Fi router and extender market.Request PDF Brochure:Home Wi-Fi Router and Extender Market: Scope of the ReportThe global home Wi-Fi router and extender market is broadly segmented by device and region. By device, the market is segmented into Wi-Fi router and Wi-Fi extender. Wi-Fi router is expected to have the highest market share between 2018 and 2026. The increase in the population and the penetration of internet access results in the growth of telecommunication equipment as well as home networking devices which are the major factors contributing to the high share of Wi-Fi router. Also, due to the rapid growth and improvement in technology for smartphones and consumer gadgets such as tablets, demand for Wi-Fi router with extender is rising at a CAGR of 7.1%.Wi-Fi router is further divided into uplink port and normal port. Uplink port had the highest share in 2018 and is further expected to lead the home Wi-Fi router and extender market during the forecast period. Routers use the uplink port to connect to other routers to increase the maximum number of devices connected to the network. Uplink ports eliminate the need for crossover cables. In terms of revenue, the uplink port segment is expected to have the highest market share in 2018. It is anticipated to maintain its position during the forecast period and witness a CAGR of 6.6% throughout the forecast period. By using uplink port, a user can add more ports to connect more devices to the network and expand the Wi-Fi range. Rapid urbanization especially in the developing countries of Asia Pacific and the Middle East is aiding the growth of home Wi-Fi router and extenders in the residential sector.Asia Pacific dominated the home Wi-Fi router and extender market in 2017 with Hong Kong contributing majority share of 23.7%. The dominance of the region in the market is attributed to its large population base, increasing industrialization and urbanization, growth in home networking, increased penetration of connected devices, and internet access. Analyzing the Asia Pacific home Wi-Fi router and extender market at country level, it is anticipated that Hong Kong would lead the global home Wi-Fi router and extender market consistently throughout the forecast period. This is mainly due to increase in the internet and mobile internet penetration rate as well as improved connectivity and speed of internet. Apart from Hong Kong, countries such as India, China, Vietnam, and Japan are also expected to contribute significantly to the Asia Pacific home Wi-Fi router and extender market. However, the home Wi-Fi router and extender market in India is expected to expand at a CAGR of 8.6%. In India it is expected to slightly increase till 2026 due to smaller cities, towns, and villages getting connected to Internet which offers a big market for routers. North America and Europe collectively contributed 50.2% of the global share in 2018.Report TOC:About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.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 TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:What is the key market trends behind Bovine Vaccines market growth? Stay Tuned with Key Industry Developments & Opportunities

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The report thoroughly analyzes the most crucial details of the Global Bovine Vaccines Market with the help of an in-depth and professional analysis. Described in a ground-up manner, the report presents an all-inclusive overview of the market based on the factors that are expected to have a substantial and measurable impact on the markets developmental prospects over the forecast period.Get Sample copy of this report :Key Players: Bayer HealthCare AG (Germany),Biogenesis-Bago (Argentina),Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH (Germany),Ceva Sante Animale (France),Heska Corporation (US),Indian Immunologicals Ltd (India),Lohmann Animal Health (US),Merck Animal Health (US),Merial Ltd. (US)Competitors in this market are thrashing to tart up the safety of the Global Bovine Vaccines Market. Investments are made on examination and enlargement by leading contenders so as to persist in competition as well as bring about enhancements in the information and communication industry. Leading competitors are safeguarding the use of worthy resources and acquiring raw resources from well-known businesses. This is serving them to improve Global Bovine Vaccines Market that is in effect, robust, and harmless.Avail Discount on this report :Geographically, the global Bovine Vaccines market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. Each regional market is analyzed on the basis of market share, consumption, production, revenue, and growth rate. Due to increasing construction activities and hot climate in most of the parts, countries such as China and India are expected to rise at a brisk pace during the prognosis period.For more information on this report:All the way through this report, the core dynamic factors of the Bovine Vaccines market were acknowledged and the commercial partners, end users were also worked out. The business segment organization, business configurations and encounters of this market internationally are also a part of this widespread analysis. Abundant interviews and talks were conducted with the protuberant leaders of the industry to gain dependable and reorganized information relevant to the market.Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently, we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Sunny Denis(Sales Manager),(Research N Reports)10916, Gold Point Dr,Houston, TX, Pin  77064,+1-8886316977,sales@researchnreports.com,Rapid Medical Diagnostic Kits Market | North America is leading the global market

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Transparency Market Research has published a new report on the rapid medical diagnostics kits market that discusses its stance in the global setting. The research report, titled Rapid Medical Diagnostic Kits Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019, offers an evaluation of the market in a political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental context. The report has also used a SWOT analysis and Porters five forces analysis to determine the factors governing the trajectory of this market in the near future.According to the research report, the global rapid medical diagnostic kits market was valued at US$17.65 bn in 2012. The market is expected to register a CAGR of 5.5% through the forecast period to reach a value of US$25.76 bn by the end of 2019.Request to View Sample of Report -The market is expected to show exceptional progress as the demand for precautionary management of communicable conditions multiplies. Ever since these kits have hit market selves, they have achieved an important status in the medical diagnostics sector, with a potential for phenomenal growth in the coming years. Moreover, the easy functionalities of these kits and quick turnaround time has been the unique selling point of these kits, especially for testing pregnancy at home.The global rapid medical diagnostic kits market is segmented on the basis of application, technology, and geography. On the basis application, the market is divided into clinical testing, home-use, and veterinary. The clinical testing and home-use segments are further sub-segmented into infectious disease testing, cholesterol monitoring, substance abuse testing, fertility and pregnancy testing, and blood glucose testing. The technologies used in this market are lateral flow, flow-through, solid-phase, and agglutination assays.Request to View Brochure of Report -Geographically, this market is segmented into Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. In terms of regions, North America is leading the global rapid medical diagnostics kits market, whose success is closely followed by Europe. In the near future, North America is expected to continue this dominance. Meanwhile, Asia Pacific is expected witness a robust growth rate in the rapid medical diagnostic testing kits market due to the high prevalence of infectious diseases, increasing awareness about these kits, and rising disposable income of the overall population. Furthermore, the high rate of infectious disease in the African countries is also expected to fuel the rapid medical diagnostic kits market.Some of the important companies profiled in the global rapid medical diagnostic kits market are Trinity Biotech Plc, Alere, Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Abaxis, Inc., Danaher Corporation, BioRad Laboratories, F. Hoffmann La Roche, Becton Dickinson & Company, MegaCor Diagnostik GmbH, MegaCor, and Zoetis, Inc. The research report also explains the competitive landscape in this market by evaluating the financial overview, business and marketing strategies, research and development activities, and investment outlook for the near future.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:3D Map System Market For Automotive is Expected To Reach $6.1 Billion By 2026 Growing At a CAGR Of 19.4%

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Market Overview:According to Market Prognosis, the Global 3D Map System for Automotive market is accounted for $1.24 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $6.1 billion by 2026 growing at a CAGR of 19.4%. Growing adoption of smartphones, rapid urbanization in emerging nations, and increasing technological advancements are some of the factors propelling the market growth. In addition, rise in tourism, growing consumer spending levels on acquiring luxurious vehicles also favoring the market growth over the forecast period. On the other hand, high initial investment cost is limiting the market growth.In-dash navigation is most preferred navigation type compared to handheld navigation. The In-dash segment is projected to register largest market revenue during the forecast period. Passenger vehicles utilize 3D map systems in a large proportion due to increasing consumer spending to get convenient travel experience. North America is expected to register lucrative growth rate due to rapid adoption of technologies by consumers, higher rate of commercial vehicles in this region is fuelling the region growth. DetailedSample Copy of Updated Analysis @Top Industry Players:Some of the key players in 3D Map System for Automotive market include Aptiv, Axestrack, BAE Systems Plc., Civil Maps, Continental AG, DENSO CORPORATION, Dynamic Map Platform Co., Ltd., Elektrobit, Harman International, HERE Technologies, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Nippon Seiki Co., Ltd., NVIDIA Corporation, Robert Bosch GmbH, and TomTom International BV.What our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 9 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsRequest Discount on this repots @Market Segments:Systems Covered: Software & Services HardwareNavigation Types Covered: Handheld Navigation In-dash navigationSales Channels Covered: Aftermarket OEMVehicle Types Covered: Commercial Vehicle Passenger VehicleEnquiry before Buying @About Market PrognosisWe at Market Prognosis believe in giving a crystal clear view of market dynamics for achieving success in todays complex and competitive marketplace through our quantitative & qualitative research methods.We help our clients identify the best market insights and analysis required for their business thus enabling them to take strategic and intelligent decision.We believe in delivering actionable insights for your business growth and success.Contact us:Market Prognosis435, Sadanand Chs,B-Cabin Road,Ambernath(E). 421501Contact No: +1 973 241 5193Email: sales@marketprognosis.comMembers of the Alachua County Labor Coalition have advocated for living wages for a number of years, but theyve been putting in overtime after recent issues.

Hurricane Irma and Richard Spencers UF visit brought to light the problems of having no paid time off for the OPS workers.

A board meeting was held Thursday afternoon in Emerson Alumni Hall to discuss granting benefits to OPS employees.

OPS, or other personnel services, employees are people like medical residents and secretaries whose jobs are designated to last less than a year. However, over 25 percent of OPS employees have worked at UF for almost five years, according to a packet of statistics and testimonies the ACLC created.

Despite this, OPS employees are considered temporary, part-time employees. They do not receive benefits, such as sick leave and paid time off. On Wednesday, UF announced that the base wage would be raised from $12 an hour to $13 an hour, but the change did not apply to OPS employees.

Both UF Faculty Senate and UF Student Senate have passed resolutions calling for UF to move long-term hourly OPS employees into classifications that include benefits, but the decision rests with the UF Board of Trustees.

Five people were given time to speak to the board on issues at the university. Among them was Jason Fults, co-chair of the ACLC.

Fults recounted his time as a UF employee and the strain it had placed on his health and finances.

I received no paid time off, meaning that I sometimes came to work sick, Fults said. I often worked alone in our office during university breaks because I couldnt afford the unpaid time off.

Over 20 percent of the visits to the on-campus food pantry are from UF employees, Fults said.

Alachua County Commissioner Ken Cornell talked about the benefits the community receives when employees are given a living wage and benefits. He said these benefits were seen when Alachua County raised its wages three years ago.

We found that our employees were more productive, we found that our employee turnover was much less (and) we found that our hiring cost was much less, Cornell said.

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By raising wages, Alachua County was able to stimulate the local economy and create more jobs, Cornell said.

What you do today is good for the employee, is good for UF and its good for our community, he said.

Sheila Payne, ACLC member and resident, said employees are also required to pay into the alternate Federal Insurance Contributions Act system  an act that taxes employees payrolls to fund Social Security and Medicare  without any contribution to their Social Security.

The employees have to pay in (to FICA), but the employer doesnt, she said. Ive never heard of such a thing at any other institution.

Payne said Alachua County has the greatest income inequality in Florida.

UF and UF Health are the primary employers for the county and the eight neighboring counties, Cornell said. One in five people work for either UF or UF Health.

For more information about the Alachua County Labor Coalition, visit its website at laborcoalition.org or its Facebook page at facebook.com/laborcoalition.Weather-Resistant Boxes Market: Worldwide Industry Analysis and New Market Opportunities Explored

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Global Weather-Resistant Boxes Market: IntroductionThe inclination towards weather-resistant boxes is increasing due to the increased awareness among the consumers about the negative effect of subpar packaging. Products worth millions of dollars are spilled, damaged or rendered useless due to below par packaging every year. Rough weather conditions like harsh rains, extreme heat and moisture filled environments cause the packaged boxes to wither and expose their contents to environmental containments during transit.Due to such problems during shipping, weather-resistant boxes have picked up traction. One of the features of weather-resistant boxes that differentiates them from conventional boxes is that they remain sturdy even in high humidity and wet conditions. Another feature of weather resistant boxes which sets them apart from traditional boxes is that they have a specialized weather-resistant adhesive which ensure that such boxes are not damaged by rough weather conditions. While these boxes have found a large user base in military, they are also fit to cater to other end-users too.Obtain Report DetailsIn addition to that, weather-resistant boxes are extremely lightweight which makes them very easy to handle. In case of perishables, such boxes can also be modified to include small holes to ensure ample ventilation. Furthermore, such boxes can also have printed letters or characters on their sides which help with the identification of the contents in the boxes. Moreover, these boxes can be delivered flat to the customers who can assemble them in a little time.A lot of R&D is being done in the process and material of these boxes is expected to increase their crush strength in the near future. Different makers of such weather-resistant boxes offer them in a wide range of sizes and for different applications. The developments in the market are expected to entice the sale of such boxes and offer a positive outlook for the market in the years to come.Brochure for Latest Advancements and Research InsightsGlobal Weather-Resistant Boxes market: DynamicsThe global weather-resistant boxes market is expected to be driven by the increasing population and trade worldwide. The growth in world-wide shipping is expected to be one of the major drivers of growth. The growing innovation relating to material and process is also anticipated to propel the market in the next ten years, and beyond. Moreover, the presence of strong and developed logistics channels is further projected to to emerge as a major driver for the global weather-resistant boxes market.Despite the optimistic outlook for growth, there are many factors, which might restrain the growth of the global weather-resistant boxes market during the forecast period. Growing uncertainty and political volatility in some of the countries which provide raw materials for weather-resistant boxes is expected to be a major restraint of the market. Furthermore, these boxes are not very suitable to endure high stress environment, thus making them impractical for fragile objects. Under extreme pressure on stacking, these boxes may show signs of deforming.Download TOCThe North America region is expected to retain the leading position during the forecast period. This is attributed to a large sea trade exchanges in the region. The Western Europe region is also expected to follow North America in terms of market size. The region is anticipated to be driven by large sized shipping industry. Asia Pacific excluding Japan is expected to expand at a rapid pace owing to the development of manufacturing sites in China and India. Other regions are expected to hold a fragment of the market share.Global Weather-Resistant Boxes market: Key Market ParticipantsThe major players in the weather-resistant boxes market are Larsen Packaging Products, Inc., Goodwin Robbins Packaging Company Inc., Florida A&M Tape & Packaging, Inc., among others.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 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Active Implantable Medical Devices Market is anticipated to surpass US$ 43.25 Bn by 2026

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Market Overview:According to Market Prognosis, the Global Active Implantable Medical Devices market is accounted for $19.40 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $43.25 billion by 2026 growing at a CAGR of 9.3% during the forecast period. Some of the factors like increasing demand for technological advanced products, growing demand for neurostimulators are the factors that are fuelling the market growth. In addition, growing number of patients with cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders is also one of the favouring factor for the market growth. However, failure of device, high cost of implants and infection at surgical site are hindering the market.Active Implantable Medical Devices are the devices which are partially or totally introduced into human body either surgically or medically. On the basis of product, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) held the largest market share and expected to remain the same during the forecast period by surpassing other products and also due to increasing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. In terms of end users, hospital sector is the bench topper among all due to the infrastructural development and increasing demand of medical devices.By Geography, North America dominates other regions due to the growing demand of novel active implantable devices and expected to retain its position over the next few years followed by Asia pacific and Europe.Detailed Sample Copy of Updated Analysis @Top Industry Players:Some of the key players in Active Implantable Medical Devices market include William Demant Holding A/S, Nurotron Biotechnology Co. Ltd, MED-EL Medical Electronics, Medtronic Plc, LivaNova PLC , Sonova Holding AG, Cochlear Ltd, Boston Scientific Corporation, BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG, and Abbott Laboratories.What our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 9 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsRequest Discount on this repots @Market Segments:Products Covered: Cardiac Pacemaker Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD) Neuro stimulators Implantable Hearing Devices Insertable Cardiac Monitor (Implantable Monitoring Devices) Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD) Implantable Heart Monitors/Insertable Loop RecordersProcedures Covered: Cardiovascular Implants Hearing Implants Neurological Implants Other ProceduresEnd-Users Covered: Ambulatory Surgery Centers Hospitals Specialty ClinicsEnquiry Before Buying @About Market PrognosisWe at Market Prognosis believe in giving a crystal clear view of market dynamics for achieving success in todays complex and competitive marketplace through our quantitative & qualitative research methods.We help our clients identify the best market insights and analysis required for their business thus enabling them to take strategic and intelligent decision.We believe in delivering actionable insights for your business growth and success.Contact us:Market Prognosis435, Sadanand Chs,B-Cabin Road,Ambernath(E). 421501Contact No: +1 973 241 5193Email: sales@marketprognosis.comFloor POP Display Market by material type, application, packaging format and region

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About Floor POP Display marketFact.MR Report examines the floor POP Display market for the forecast period 20172027. The prime purpose of the report is to find opportunities and trends in the market and provide insights pertaining to segments of the global Floor POP Display market.Get Sample copy of this Report @To understand the opportunities and trends in this market, the report is categorically divided into four sections namely on the basis of material type, application, packaging format, and region. The report analyzes global floor POP display in terms of value (US$).Floor POP Display are different material display boards used for marketing or advertisement of food & beverages, cosmetics & personal care, pharmaceuticals, printing & stationary, electronics, automotive and for other commercial purpose. Various types of material types are used in floor POP display industry such as corrugated board, foam board, plastic sheet, glass and metal.Global floor POP display market is anticipated to witness significant revenue growth over the forecast period. Rapid changes in advertisement industry has led to shift in consumer preference from hyper- market to other retail formats. As a result, domestic and international companies are making major investments in advertisements and marketing. Sales of floor pop display is expected to increase at a rapid pace owing to high expenditure on advertisement and related items. However, high cost price of floor pop display is a prime challenge for advertisement operators, as these account for major share of total capital cost for new floor pop display. Floor pop display need to be tailored according to requirements and available space in different application sectors. This in turn, significantly increases costs associated with floor pop display.Report starts with market overview and provides market definition and analysis about drivers, restraints, and key trends. The section that follows includes analysis of global floor POP display market by material type, application, packaging format and region. The four sections evaluate the global floor POP display market on the basis of various factors covering present scenario and future prospectus. The report also provides region-wise data of local and international companies, new install base of Floor POP display.On the basis of Material type the market is segmented into the following:Corrugated BoardFoam BoardPlastic SheetGlassMetalCorrugated board accounts for one-third of total among the material type of floor POP display market. However, Foam board market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.0% over the forecast period.On the basis of application, the market is segmented as follows:Hyper-marketSupermarketDepartmental storeSpecialty StoreConvenience StoreOther Retail FormatsHyper markets are expected to dominate floor pop display market over the forecast period. However, rapidly growing number of supermarkets are creating high growth opportunities for floor pop display market.On the basis of packaging format, the market is segmented as follows:Food & BeveragesCosmetics & Personal CarePharmaceuticalsPrintingElectronicsAutomotiveOthersFood & Beverages packaging formats are expected to dominate floor pop display market over the forecast period. However, rapidly growing cosmetics and personal care packaging formats are creating high growth opportunities for floor pop display market.Regions covered in the report are as follows:Asia Pacific excluding JapanNorth AmericaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle East & AfricaJapanSonoco Products Company, DS Smith Plc, Smurfit Kappa Group PLC, Georgia-Pacific LLC, WestRock Company, FFR Merchandising Company, U.S. Corrugated, Inc., Marketing Alliance Group, Creative Displays Now and Pratt Industries Inc. are some of the key players competing in the global floor pop display marketplace.Get Discount of this Report @Table of ContentsChapter 1 Global Economic Outlook1.1 Global Packaging OutlookChapter 2 Global Floor POP Display Market - Executive SummaryChapter 3 Global Floor POP Display Market Overview3.1 Introduction3.1.1 Global Floor POP Display Market Taxonomy3.1.2 Global Floor POP Display Market Definition3.2 Global Floor POP Display Market Size (US$ Mn) and Volume (Units) Forecast, 2012-20263.2.1 Global Floor POP Display Market Y-o-Y Growth3.3 Global Floor POP Display Market Dynamics3.4 Retail Industry- Top 250 Players Quick Statistics3.5 Top 10 Retailers (2016)3.6 Geographic Analysis- Retail Industry Analysis3.7 Retail revenue growth and profitability by region/country, FY20163.8 Product Sector Analysis3.9 Retail revenue growth and profitability by primary product sector, FY20163.10 Top 10 Upcoming Retail Outlets3.11 Global Retail Development Index 20163.12 Supply Chain of Floor POP Display Market3.13 Cost Structure of Floor POP Display Market3.14 Porters Five Forces analysis3.15 Product Life Cycle of Pallet Display Market3.16 Consumer Survey3.17 Key Participants Market Presence (Intensity Map) By RegionView Report @About usFact.MR is focused on offering transformative intelligence that inspires breakthroughs and innovation. We believe that the right decisions at the opportune time are integral to achieve extraordinary success. We are here to help you with your strategic decision making. And, how do we that? By tapping into the vast labyrinth of data to bring you intelligence that inspires.ContactMr. Rohit Bhisey11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852Tel: +353-1-6111-593Website:E: sales@factmr.comEmulsifier and Co-emulsifiers Market to bring in US$ 2,421.3 million revenue by 2026 end

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About Emulsifier MarketAn emulsifier is a molecule with one water-friendly and one oil-friendly end. Food emulsifiers are also known as emulgents. An egg is the oldest and commonly used emulsifier. There has been an increase in the use of both synthetic and natural emulsifiers as it helps in providing lower fat content while keeping texture and flavor of the food. However, the ongoing trend of clean label food is expected to boost the use of a natural emulsifier in food products.Get Sample copy of this Report @Meanwhile, a lot of key market players are increasingly investing in the research and development activities to develop products that can fight against fat content in the foods. However, a number of food emulsifiers are still under approval process by regulatory bodies in various countries. While some emulsifiers are banned to be used in food products.global emulsifier and co emulsifiers marketAccording to the report by Fact.MR, the global market for emulsifiers and co-emulsifiers is likely to see significant growth. The global market for emulsifier and co-emulsifiers is also estimated to bring in US$ 2,421.3 million revenue by 2026 end. While, towards 2026 end, the global market for emulsifiers and co-emulsifiers likely to reach 2,178000 tons in terms of volume.(Additional information, including cross-sectional data and country-wise analysis & forecast is available in the report)Mono, Di - Glycerides & Derivatives- Top-Selling Product in the Global Market for Emulsifiers and Co-emulsifiersAmong various product types, Mono, Di - Glycerides & Derivatives is likely to emerge as the top-selling product throughout the forecast period. Towards the end of the forecast period, Mono, Di - Glycerides & Derivatives is estimated to surpass US$ 2,000 million revenue. Mono, Di - Glycerides & Derivatives are glycerin-based that helps in proper homogenization and stabilization of processed food. It is used on a large scale in bakery and dairy items such as bread, ice creams, cakes, etc.Emulsifiers and Co-emulsifiers to be largely used in the Food and Beverages IndustryEmulsifiers and Co-emulsifiers are likely to find the largest application in the food and beverages Industry between 2017 and 2026. The food and beverages industry is estimated to generate revenue over US$ 1,200 million by 2026 end. Increasing demand for gluten-free bakery products with long shelf-life is resulting in the increased use of emulsifiers and co-emulsifiers. Furthermore, demand for fiber-rich and nutritious biscuits is also likely to upsurge the consumption of emulsifiers in the coming years.Regional InsightsEurope is likely to emerge as the largest region in terms of both value and volume in the global market for emulsifiers and co-emulsifiers. France, Germany and countries in Eastern Europe are anticipated to influence the market growth between 2017 and 2026. Moreover, increasing foreign investment in Russia for alcoholic beverages manufacturing is also likely to offer lucrative opportunities for emulsifiers and co-emulsifiers producers.Get Discount of this Report @Competition TrackingThe report also profiles companies that are expected to remain active in the expansion of global emulsifier and co-emulsifiers market through 2026, which include Spartan Chemical Company, Inc., CSM N.V., Lubrizol Corporation, Solvay S.A., Archer Daniels Midland Company, Adani Wilmar Ltd., BASF SE, Beldem, Palsgaard A/S, Danisco A/S, Cargill, Inc., Lonza Group, and other players.Note: The insights mentioned here are of the respective analysts, and do not reflect the position of Fact.MTable of Contents1. Global Economic Outlook2. Global Emulsifiers and Co-emulsifiers Market - Executive Summary3. Global Emulsifiers and Co-emulsifiers Market Overview3.1. Introduction3.1.1. Global Emulsifiers and Co-emulsifiers Market Taxonomy3.1.2. Global Emulsifiers and Co-emulsifiers Market Definition3.2. Global Emulsifiers and Co-emulsifiers Market Size (US$ Mn), Volume (000 Tonnes) and Forecast, 2012-20263.2.1. Global Emulsifiers and Co-emulsifiers Market Y-o-Y Growth3.3. Global Emulsifiers and Co-emulsifiers Market Dynamics3.4. Supply Chain3.5. Cost Structure3.6. Pricing Analysis3.7. Raw Material Sourcing Strategy and Analysis3.8. List of Distributors3.9. Key Participants Market Presence (Intensity Map) By RegionView Report @About usFact.MR is focused on offering transformative intelligence that inspires breakthroughs and innovation. We believe that the right decisions at the opportune time are integral to achieve extraordinary success. We are here to help you with your strategic decision making. And, how do we that? By tapping into the vast labyrinth of data to bring you intelligence that inspires.ContactMr. Rohit Bhisey11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852Tel: +353-1-6111-593Website:E: sales@factmr.comMDM BPO Market help enterprises in making informed business decisions

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About MDM BPO marketMaster data management (MDM) engulfs processes, tools, standards, policies and governance, which consistently manage and define critical data generated by an organization for providing single point of reference. An MDM BPO provides services for collecting, aggregating, matching, quality-assuring, and consolidating this data for ensuring consistency & control in ongoing maintenance and application.Get Sample copy of this Report @Demand for MDM Increasing with Growing IoT ProliferationOver the past few years, master data management has witnessed substantial advancement, with the emergence of internet of things (IoT) accelerating penetration of information technology into a wide range of industries. Organizations are ramping up their investment in the IoT technology, as it offers various advantages in the sectors of global networks, big data analytics, and cloud computing. Number of startups across the globe have been surging, along with significant growth in businesses being conducted over the web. Considering direct proportionality of IoT proliferation to the requirement for data management, demand for master data management will witness an upsurge in the near future. Master data management enables organizations in deriving actionable insights from IoT data generated.global mdm bpo marketThe need to invest in master data management has therefore become imperative for an organizations success. Businesses today find it crucial for making effective business decisions in a short period of time. Organizations are continuously striving to acquire better productivity on the back of unstructured information and poor data quality, which in turn leads toward poor decision making and impacts business processes. In a bid to over these challenges, organizations rely on BPOs for management of their data. MDM BPOs accomplish customer expectations through provision of comprehensive solutions, which combine power data, technology and analytics. MDM BPOs help enterprises in making informed business decisions, and improving their ROI by excellently connecting right people with the right products.According to Fact.MRs recently published report, the global MDM BPO market will register a spectacular rise over the forecast period (2017-2026). Revenues from the market are estimated to surpass US$ 10,000 Mn by 2026-end.Others( Education, Government)(Additional information, including cross-sectional data and country-wise analysis & forecast is available in the report)North America and Europe to Remain Most Profitable Regions for the Market GrowthWith rapid growth in technological advancements and high adoption of IoT across various organizations in developed regions such as North America and Europe, huge amount of data is generated. This further calls for effective MDM creating demand for MDM BPOs in these regions. North America and Europe are expected to remain the most profitable regions for growth of the MDM BPO market. Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) has become a key region for outsourcing various processes and operations. APEJ will also account for a major portion of the market revenue share by 2026-end.Customer centric MDM is anticipated to remain the leading data type segment, with revenues projected to account for approximately half share of the market by 2026-end. Following customer centric MDM will be enterprise centric MDM, with revenues poised to hold over one-third share of the market during the forecast period.Key Research Findings from Fact.MRs ReportHR and finance & accounting will remain leading functions of MDM BPOManufacturing and BFSI are expected to remain most lucrative industries in the global MDM BPO marketSmall & medium enterprises will become the most lucrative enterprise type segment in the market by 2026-endCompetition TrackingKey players actively contributing to growth of the global MDM BPO market include TCS, Orchestra Networks, Talend, Riversand Technologies, Inc., Magnitude Software, Infosys Limited, Cap Gemini, Genpact, SAP, TIBCO Software, IBM Corporation, Oracle Corporation, and Informatica.Note: The insights mentioned here are of the respective analysts, and do not reflect the position of Fact.MRGet Discount of this Report @Table of Contents1. Global Economic Outlook2. Global MDM BPO Market - Executive Summary3. Global MDM BPO Market Overview3.1. Introduction3.1.1. Global MDM BPO Market Taxonomy3.1.2. Global MDM BPO Market Definition3.2. Global MDM BPO Market Size (US$ Mn) and Forecast, 2012-20263.2.1. Global MDM BPO Market Y-o-Y Growth3.3. Global MDM BPO Market Dynamics3.4. Vendor Share Analysis3.5. Key Participants Market Presence (Intensity Map) By Region3.6. Value Chain Analysis3.7. Top Vendor Offerings3.8. MDM BPO Framework3.9. PESTLE Analysis3.10. Forecast FactorsView Report @About usFact.MR is focused on offering transformative intelligence that inspires breakthroughs and innovation. We believe that the right decisions at the opportune time are integral to achieve extraordinary success. We are here to help you with your strategic decision making. And, how do we that? By tapping into the vast labyrinth of data to bring you intelligence that inspires.ContactMr. Rohit Bhisey11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852Tel: +353-1-6111-593Website:E: sales@factmr.comAutomotive Pumps Market to surge at a CAGR of 5.1% during the forecast period 2017 to 2026

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About Automotive Pump marketAutomotive pump is a crucial component found in all types of vehicles, but advances in automotive technology has continued to influence its design and application prospects. Fact.MR projects that the global automotive pumps market will surpass US$ 75,200 Mn by the year 2026. As global sales of vehicles continue to grow, it also ushers the demand for various automotive components and parts including automotive pumps. OICA (Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles) statistics suggest that more than 94,976,500 vehicles were produced globally in 2016. In the same year, Selectusa a website managed by The International Trade Administration (ITA), U.S. Department of Commerce revealed that U.S. light vehicle production reached nearly 12 million passenger vehicles. A steady growth has been observed by the automotive sector in recent years, which has reflected favourably on several other sub-sectors associated with the industry.Get Sample copy of this Report @global automotive pumps marketThe industry remains focused on developing more efficient automotive technologies to reduce fuel consumption as well as to abide with international emissions-control laws. Government and policymakers across the globe increase their efforts to put cleaner transport system on road. Stricter emission laws have been imposed on the auto sector in several countries. As such, automakers are bound to increase their efforts towards electric mobility. The aforementioned factors are playing an important role in driving innovation in automotive pumps. Manufacturers are introducing low-friction pumps that not only facilitate lower fuel consumption, but are also budget-friendly and meet the required quality standards. Fuel injection in a major application of automotive pumps and hence manufacturers continue invest on further technological advancements in this category. Also, increased automation of vehicles is prompting manufacturers to develop automotive components pertinent with next-gen automotive technology. As a result, collaborations and partnerships between players are emerging as a major trend where technology companies are also recognizing growth opportunities. The changing technology landscape in the sector is expected to shape the future prospects of the global automotive pump market.APEJ will remain the Largest Market for Automotive Pumps Over 2026Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) is expected to dominate the global automotive pumps market in terms of revenue in 2017, and the trend is likely to continue in the year to follow. APEJ automotiv pumps market is set to surge at a CAGR of 5.1% during the forecast period. Economic boom and growth of the manufacturing industry have been the two major forces behind the growth of automotive sector in the region. As such that China now ranks among the largest automotive manufacturers in the world.Fuel Supply Pumps to Represent a Leading SegmentDemand for fuel supply pump is expected to remain strong throughout the assessment period. In terms of revenue, global sales of fuel pumps currently account for more than 43% share of the market. By the end of 2026, over US$ 30,700 Mn worth fuel pumps are expected to be sold worldwide.Electronic Automotive Pumps Will continue to Outsell Mechanical PumpsPreference for electronic automotive pumps is expected to remain significantly higher as compared to mechanical pumps. Currently, global sales of electronic automotive pumps accounts for more than two-third share of the market. Increasing automation and popularity of electric powered automotive technology is supporting the adoption of electric automotive pumps.Competition TrackingFact.MR in its report has profiled leading market players operating in the global automotive pumps market, which include Aisin Seiki Co. Ltd., Delphi Automotive, Denso Corporation, Robert Bosch Gmbh, Johnson Electric, KSPG AG-A, Mikuni Corporation, Magna International, TRW Automotive, SHW AG, Continental AG, Davies Craig, and Mahle Group.Get Discount of this Report @Table of Contents1. Global Economic Outlook2. Global Automotive Pumps Market - Executive Summary3. Global Automotive Pumps Market Overview3.1. Introduction3.1.1. Global Automotive Pumps Market Taxonomy3.1.2. Global Automotive Pumps Market Definition3.2. Global Automotive Pumps Market Size (US$ Mn) and Forecast, 2012-20263.2.1. Global Automotive Pumps Market Y-o-Y Growth3.3. Global Automotive Pumps Market Dynamics3.4. Supply Chain3.5. PESTLE Analysis3.6. Porter's Five Forces3.7. Pricing Analysis3.8. Product Life Cycle3.9. Key Participants Market Presence (Intensity Map by Region)View Report @About usFact.MR is focused on offering transformative intelligence that inspires breakthroughs and innovation. We believe that the right decisions at the opportune time are integral to achieve extraordinary success. We are here to help you with your strategic decision making. And, how do we that? By tapping into the vast labyrinth of data to bring you intelligence that inspires.ContactMr. Rohit Bhisey11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852Tel: +353-1-6111-593Website:E: sales@factmr.comRide-on Power Trowel Market APEJ is estimated to remain the dominant market for ride-on power trowels

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About Ride-on Power Trowels marketRide-on power trowels are construction equipment employed for trowelling concrete surfaces through floating and finishing operations. Operated by a human riding over the machine, ride-on power trowels provide smooth finishes to concrete surfaces. The power trowel situated at the bottom of the equipment is controlled by the riding operator based on the requirement.Get Sample copy of this Report @Burgeoning Growth of Construction Sector driving Need for Ride-on Power TrowelsGrowing need for mechanized concrete finishing in areas with large surfaces is the primary factor stoking demand for ride-on power trowels. Consumer expectations associated with smoothness and flatness of concrete surfaces in industrial, commercial, and residential buildings has been increasing, which in turn has bolstered demand for advanced ride-on power trowels for catering heavy load requirements. The construction industry is witnessing a burgeoning expansion, with emerging economies focusing more on their infrastructure development. Moreover, the once low-cost labor is demanding for higher wages in these economies, which in turn has driven the need for effective construction equipment such as ride-on power trowels. Operations related to construction activities in airports and huge warehouses involve heavy loads, which in turn make adoption of technologically advanced trowelling technologies that are well-suited for smooth finishing of high-tolerance concrete floors.global ride on power trowel marketIntensifying demand for high production and superior floating & finishing jobs has been simulating technology improvements. Non-overlapping ride-on power trowels are in high demand among contractors on the back of their superior floating provision and cost-effectiveness. However, lack of operator comfort, and need for regular maintenance of this sophisticated equipment, coupled with the high operation costs are key factors expected to stymie adoption of ride-on power trowels, particularly among small contractors. According to a recent research study compiled by Fact.MR, global ride-on power trowel market will exhibit an average growth throughout the forecast period, 2017 to 2026. Over 33,000 units of ride-on power trowels are estimated to be sold globally by 2026-end.(Additional information, including cross-sectional data and country-wise analysis & forecast is available in the report)APEJ to Remain Dominant Market for Ride-on power trowelBurgeoning infrastructural development in countries such as India and China, along with rising gross household disposable income of the population will stoke demand for ride-on power trowels in Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ). In terms of revenues as well as sales expansion, APEJ is estimated to remain the dominant market for ride-on power trowels, trailed by Europe and North America. Middle East & Africa (MEA), on the other hand, is expected to be the least lucrative market for ride-on power trowels through the forecast period.Facilitated use and relatively lower cost of mechanical ride-on power trowels have made them preferred product for finishing of concrete surfaces in various construction sites. Revenues from mechanical ride-on power trowel sales will account for nearly three-fourth market share by 2026-end.Get Discount of this Report @Ride-on power trowels with 36 inch and 48/9 inch trowelling diameter are anticipated to remain financially rewarding in the global market. In contrast, 59/60 inch diameter ride-on power trowels will remain less lucrative through the forecast period.Competition TrackingMany prominent players are focusing on engineering products, which enable more convenience in operations for extended durations. Emerging players are making significant investments in research & development activities for eating into shares of the market. Opportunities exist for market players with regard to development of advanced ride-on power trowels providing user-friendly controls, optimum operational requirements, and easy maneuverability.Fact.MRs report profiles key players supporting expansion of the global ride-on power trowel market, which include Multiquip, Allen Engineering, Wacker Neuson, Atlas Copco, Parchem Construction, Dragon, Bartell, MBW, Shenhua, Dynamic, Masterpac, and Roadway.Note: The insights mentioned here are of the respective analysts, and do not reflect the position of Fact.MRTable of Contents1. Global Economic Outlook2. Global Ride-On Power Trowel Market - Executive Summary3. Global Ride-On Power Trowel Market Overview3.1. Introduction3.1.1. Global Ride-On Power Trowel Market Taxonomy3.1.2. Global Ride-On Power Trowel Market Definition3.2. Global Ride-On Power Trowel Market Size (Units) and Forecast, 2012-20263.2.1. Global Ride-On Power Trowel Market Y-o-Y Growth3.3. Global Ride-On Power Trowel Market Dynamics3.4. Supply Chain3.5. Cost Structure3.6. Pricing Analysis3.7. Raw Material Sourcing Strategy and Analysis3.8. Service Provider List3.9. Key Participants Market Presence (Intensity Map) By RegionView Report @About usFact.MR is focused on offering transformative intelligence that inspires breakthroughs and innovation. We believe that the right decisions at the opportune time are integral to achieve extraordinary success. We are here to help you with your strategic decision making. And, how do we that? By tapping into the vast labyrinth of data to bring you intelligence that inspires.ContactMr. Rohit Bhisey11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852Tel: +353-1-6111-593Website:E: sales@factmr.comCompact Excavator Market to expand at a 2.7% CAGR in terms of volume during the forecast period, 2017-2026

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About Compact Excavators marketWith uncontrolled population growth, physical spaces have become more confined, and carrying out the digging operations is becoming difficult. Compact excavators have emerged as a key automotive vehicle that can help in excavation of soil and other earthen materials in cramped up spaces. With the trend of miniaturization influencing the global automotive sector, companies are actively partaking in the production of compact excavators. While the conventional excavators have been struggling to reach the narrowed spots between buildings and tight spaces, compact excavators are being predominantly used in such digging purposes.Get Sample copy of this Report @global compact excavator marketManufacturers of compact excavators are witnessing a considerable rise in demand from individuals as well as local construction companies. New compact excavators entering the market are being designed to meet the earth-moving requirements of the future. The comfort of operating compact excavators is further driving the working professionals in the construction industry towards them. Moreover, the function of changing the attachments on the compact excavators is enabling the process of high-level excavations. Large construction companies are replacing the conventional heavy duty excavators with compact excavators to reap high profit margins from low fuel consumption and lesser carbon emission. Better maneuverability, reduced noise emission, and operational ease are a few other factors driving the demand for compact excavators in the global construction industry.According to a recently published report by Fact.MR, the global market for compact excavators is likely to expand at a 2.7% CAGR in terms of volume during the forecast period, 2017-2026. The report further projects that by the end of 2026, over 173.6 Bn units of compact excavators will be sold across the globe. The report further reveals that the Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region will represent the largest market for compact excavators through 2026.(Additional information, including cross-sectional data and country-wise analysis & forecast is available in the report)Construction to Represent Largest End-use Vertical for Compact ExcavatorsThe report has analyzed the global compact excavators market on the basis of their end-use across industrial verticals. The findings reveal that nearly three-fourth share of compact excavators sold in the global market will be used in construction sector. The demand for compact excavators in mining sector is also expected to gain traction towards the latter half of the forecast period. With respect to the operating weights, higher end-use in construction sector will be driving the demand for compact excavators with 4000-10000 lbs. capacity. By the end of 2026, over 80 Bn compact excavators with 4000-10000 lbs. operating weight capacity are expected to be sold globally.Demand for Electric Compact Excavators to Gain Traction by 2026-endThe report has also projected that tail swing compact excavators will be a top-selling product in the global market throughout the forecast period. On the other hand, zero tail swing compact excavators are expected to register a relatively high CAGR of 2.8% in terms of volume. On the basis of motor-type analysis, the demand for compact excavators with electric motors will surge in the latter half of the forecast period. Diesel compact excavators are expected to register largest revenue share of nearly 90% in the global compact excavators market through 2026.Competition TrackingThe report has profiled leading players in the global compact excavators market. Companies namely, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Caterpillar, Deere & Company, Volvo Construction Equip., Komatsu, Yanmar Holdings Co. Ltd., Doosan Bobcat, Inc., Kubota Corp., JCB, Inc., Nagano Industry Co., Ltd., Case Construction Equipment, KATO Works, Kobelco Construction Machinery U.S.A Inc., Cukurova Ziraat, Bharat Earth Movers, Sany Group, guangxi LiuGong Machinery, Terex, Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science and Technology, and XCMG are observed as the leading manufacturers of compact excavators in the global market. Over the forecast period, most of these players are expected to expand their businesses on the back of product development by integrating advanced excavation technologies and equipment in the vehicles.Note: The insights mentioned here are of the respective analysts, and do not reflect the position of Fact.MRGet Discount of this Report @Table of Contents1. Global Economic Outlook2. Global Compact Excavators Market - Executive Summary3. Global Compact Excavators Market Overview3.1. Introduction3.1.1. Global Compact Excavators Market Taxonomy3.1.2. Global Compact Excavators Market Definition3.2. Global Compact Excavators Market Size (US$ Mn) & (Units) and Forecast, 2012-20263.2.1. Global Compact Excavators Market Y-o-Y Growth3.3. Global Compact Excavators Market Dynamics3.4. Supply Chain3.5. Cost Structure3.6. Pricing Analysis3.7. Raw Material Sourcing Strategy and Analysis3.8. Service Provider List3.9. Key Participants Market Presence (Intensity Map) By RegionView Report @About usFact.MR is focused on offering transformative intelligence that inspires breakthroughs and innovation. We believe that the right decisions at the opportune time are integral to achieve extraordinary success. We are here to help you with your strategic decision making. And, how do we that? By tapping into the vast labyrinth of data to bring you intelligence that inspires.ContactMr. Rohit Bhisey11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852Tel: +353-1-6111-593Website:E: sales@factmr.comWorldwide Aircraft Pumps Market with Top Prognosticated Parker Hannifin, Crane Aerospace, Woodward, Cascon, Crissair, Aero Space Controls Corporation Outlook 2026

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Market Overview:According to Market Prognosis, the Global Aircraft Pumps Market is accounted for $3.08 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $6.2 billion by 2026 growing at a CAGR of 8.0% during the forecast period. Increasing aircraft orders, shorter replacement cycles of aircraft pumps and rise in air passenger traffic are some of the key driving factors for the market growth. However, existing backlogs in aircraft deliveries and increasing trend towards electrification in all non-propulsive systems are restraining the expansion of the aircraft pumps market. Moreover, increasing acceptance of UAVS in military applications would create innovative opportunities for players in this market.By pressure, the 3000 PSI segment is expected to drive the growth of the market through the forecasted period due to the expansion of commercial aircraft orders and rising maintenance, repairs, operations (MRO) services in Asia Pacific region. By technology, the engine driven segment is expected to lead the aircraft pumps market during the forecast period, as each airplane needs a chief oil pump for liquid release for usual liquid pumping operations and it also need to be replaced at normal intervals of time.By geography, Asia Pacific region is the fastest growing market owing to the rise in the number of flight hours and air passenger traffic. North American region accounted for the largest share of the aircraft pumps market and is likely to have growing military and commercial aircraft deliveries.Detailed Sample Copy of Updated Analysis @Top Industry Players:Some of the key players profiled in the Aircraft Pumps Market include Parker Hannifin, Crane Aerospace, Woodward, Cascon, Crissair, Aero Space Controls Corporation, Tempest Plus, Aerocontrolex, Weldon, Zodiac Aerospace, Triumph Group, Eaton and Honeywell International.What our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 9 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsRequest Discount on this repots @Market Segments:Types Covered: Fuel Pumps Hydraulic Pumps Air Conditioning and Cooling Pumps Lubrication Pumps Water and Waste System PumpsPressures Covered: 10 PSI to 500 PSI 500 PSI to 3000 PSI 3000 PSI to 5000 PSI 5000 PSI to 6500 PSITechnologies Covered: Air Driven Pumps Engine Driven Pumps Electric Motor Driven Pumps Rat Driven PumpsApplications Covered: Military Aviation Commercial Aviation Business and General AviationEnd Users Covered: Aftermarket Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)Enquiry Before Buying @About Market PrognosisWe at Market Prognosis believe in giving a crystal clear view of market dynamics for achieving success in todays complex and competitive marketplace through our quantitative & qualitative research methods.We help our clients identify the best market insights and analysis required for their business thus enabling them to take strategic and intelligent decision.We believe in delivering actionable insights for your business growth and success.Contact us:Market Prognosis435, Sadanand Chs,B-Cabin Road,Ambernath(E). 421501Contact No: +1 973 241 5193Email: sales@marketprognosis.comCyclopentane Market Forecast, Trend Analysis & Competition Tracking - 2017 to 2026

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About cyclopentane marketProduction of freezers and refrigerators has led to surge in demand for the insulating materials. As the need for insulating materials for manufacturing range of refrigerating products remain high, manufacturers are increasingly opting for foam-blowing agents such as cyclopentane. Manufacturers mainly prefer opting for cyclopentane attributed to low ozone depletion features. In addition, application of cyclopentane leads to reduced emission of carbon dioxide. Growing preference for environment friendly insulation materials has led to surge in demand for cyclopentane globally.Get Sample copy of this Report @global cyclopentane marketAccording to Fact.MR, the global cyclopentane market is expected to account for over 244,400 units by the end of 2026.Production of Refrigeration Products to Boost DemandDemand for cyclopentane is mainly derived from increasing production of various refrigerating products. Surge in demand for freezers and refrigeration products in the residential, automotive, food and beverage, and construction industry has led manufacturers to develop effective insulating foams. In addition, production of epoxy resins for composite materials, carbon fiber and fiberglass reinforcements is further expected to contribute towards growth of the global cyclopentane market during the forecast period.Demand for Environment Friendly Products to Impact Global Market GrowthAttributed to comparatively low potential of global warming and ozone depletion, manufacturers are increasingly looking for options that have low environmental impact. As cyclopentane possesses comparatively low ozone depletion features, manufacturers are increasingly witnessing demand for cyclopentane for production of the perfumes and adhesives. With the growing need for manufacturing range of paints, coatings, pharmaceutical and food products, demand for cyclopentane is expected to remain high in the global market. Increasing production of heaters, refrigerators and other chemical solvents will continue to impact growth of the global market of cyclopentane during the forecast period.However, various factors are expected to impact growth of the global cyclopentane market negatively. Ingesting cyclopentane during the production process can lead to vomiting and nausea due to irritation in the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, exposure to cyclopentane leads to incoordination, loss of consciousness, dizziness, lightheadedness and excitement. Moreover, severe exposure to cyclopentane can result in fatality due to respiratory failure. These factors are expected to inhibit growth of the global cyclopentane market significantly throughout the forecast period.Insulating Construction Material to Represent a Leading SegmentAs the need for insulators in the refrigerator products continue to increase, demand for the foam-blowing agents is expected to remain high. On the basis of product type, the foam-blowing agents segment is expected to represent significant growth in terms of volume, accounting for over 99,200 units by the end of 2026. In addition, the foam-blowing agents product type segment is expected to register a significant CAGR throughout the forecast period.Based on application, the insulating construction material segment is expected to represent the highest growth in terms of volume, recording over 18,300 units in terms of volume by the end of 2017. On the other hand, the residential refrigerators application segment is expected to register a robust CAGR throughout the forecast period.Competition TrackingLeading market players operating in the global cyclopentane market include Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC, Dymatic Chemicals, Inc., Beijing Eastern Acrylic Chemical Technology Co., Ltd., LG Chem, Ltd., Yeochun NCC Co. Ltd., Trecora Resources, INEOS Group Ltd., Merck & Co. Ltd, Maruzen Petrochemical Co., Ltd., Haldia Petrochemicals Limited, ZEON Corporation, Exxon Mobil Corporation, and HCS Group GmbH.Get Discount of this Report @Table of Contents1. Global Economic Outlook2. Global Cyclopentane Market - Executive Summary3. Global Cyclopentane Market Overview3.1. Introduction3.1.1. Global Cyclopentane Market Taxonomy3.1.2. Global Cyclopentane Market Definition3.2. Global Cyclopentane Market Size (US$ Mn) and Forecast, 2012-20263.2.1. Global Cyclopentane Market Y-o-Y Growth3.3. Global Cyclopentane Market Dynamics3.4. Supply Chain3.5. Cost Structure3.6. Pricing Analysis3.7. PESTLE Analysis3.8. List of Distributors3.9. Key Participants Market Presence (Intensity Map) By RegionView Report @About usFact.MR is focused on offering transformative intelligence that inspires breakthroughs and innovation. We believe that the right decisions at the opportune time are integral to achieve extraordinary success. We are here to help you with your strategic decision making. And, how do we that? By tapping into the vast labyrinth of data to bring you intelligence that inspires.ContactMr. Rohit Bhisey11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852Tel: +353-1-6111-593Website:E: sales@factmr.comWorldwide Allantoin 2018 Topmost Key Merchant Ashland Inc., Clariant, Rita Corporation, Akema Fine Chemicals Insight 2026

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Market Overview:According to Market Prognosis, the Global Allantoin Market is accounted for $440.0 million in 2017 and is expected to reach $887.0 million by 2026 growing at a CAGR of 8.1% from 2017 to 2026. Rising product demand for the manufacturing of different personal care products, growing demand for anti-aging product, mounting scope of applications of allantoin in the pharmaceutical products, such as eye drops and skin care creams, are some of the factors fueling the market growth. However, allantoin causes liver damage which is restricting the market growth.Allantoin is a white powder formed by oxidation of uric acid and major excretory product of purine degradation in many vertebrates. It is present in allantoic fluid, amniotic fluid and fetal urine. It is used medicinally to promote tissue growth. It is present in botanical extracts of the comfrey plant and in the urine of various mammals. Different kinds of allantoin salts can be used in the personal care and cosmetics industries such as allantoin salts of vitamin C, allantoin ascorbate, and allantoin salts of vitamin B7. Allantoin that is used in cosmetics and personal care products is processed from urea and glyoxylic acid.Amongst application, Oral hygiene segment accounted for significant shares in the global market. It is one of the important factors for everyday life irrespective of an individual's age. Allantoin is used in the preparation of toothpaste and mouthwash which reduces cavity and mouth ulcers. There are many social responsibility activities ongoing in developing countries and the results also showing a positive impact in sale of Oral hygiene products like mouthwashes and toothpastes. The Asia Pacific dominated the market due to rapid growth for the cosmetics industry in this region on account of rising consumer disposable income and changing lifestyle.Detailed Sample Copy of Updated Analysis @Top Industry Players:Some of the key players in Allantoin market include Ashland Inc., Clariant, Rita Corporation, Akema Fine Chemicals, Huanghua Suntime Chemical Industry Co. Ltd., Zhanhua Jinyuan Lide Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Luotian Guanghui Chemical Co. Ltd., Allan Chemical Corporation, EMD Performance Materials Corporation, Lubon Industry Co. Ltd., BIOSYNTH, Lisbon industry, AN PharmaTech, Sunwell chemicals and Tokyo Chemical Industry.What our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 9 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsRequest Discount on this repots @Market Segments:Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report covers United States EU Japan China India Southeast AsiaApplications covered: Oral Hygeine Cosmetics Pharmaceuticals Other ApplicationsEnquiry Before Buying @About Market PrognosisWe at Market Prognosis believe in giving a crystal clear view of market dynamics for achieving success in todays complex and competitive marketplace through our quantitative & qualitative research methods.We help our clients identify the best market insights and analysis required for their business thus enabling them to take strategic and intelligent decision.We believe in delivering actionable insights for your business growth and success.Contact us:Market Prognosis435, Sadanand Chs,B-Cabin Road,Ambernath(E). 421501Contact No: +1 973 241 5193Email: sales@marketprognosis.comPervasive Computing Market: Industry Analysis And Detailed Profiles Of Top Industry Players

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Pervasive computing or ubiquitous computing means embedding microprocessors in mobile devices such as smartphones, wearable computing devices, tablets, sensors. The underlying technologies such as wireless communications, internet capabilities, advanced middleware, sensors, I/O and user interfaces, networking, mobile protocols, embedded systems, artificial intelligence, location and positioning, voice recognition support pervasive computing. Nowadays, pervasive computing is also known as Internet-of-things (IoT) which means connecting everyday objects to networks and devices.Pervasive computing market is anticipated to exhibit high growth potential over the next few years due to surge in demand for smart devices and internet penetration. The pervasive computing market can be divided by end-use industry into communications, defense, automotives, healthcare, consumer appliances and E-commerce. Pervasive computing products consist of Bluetooth handset, PDA, mobile phones, web server, camera, wearable input/output, watch phone, watch camera, brainwaves. Some currently available platforms for ubiquitous computing include Spitre, PerLa which is a data language for pervasive systems, and Microsoft Researchs HomeOS which is home automation operating system. The International Journal of Pervasive Computing and Communications (IJPCC) address challenges and deliver the research on all aspects of pervasive computing and communications.Get PDF Sample of This Report @The pervasive computing market is estimated to witness increased demand though it is not entirely secure. Broken connections, limited host bandwidths and location-dependent data can impede the security of pervasive computing as they result in multiple system vulnerability. The pervasive computing market faces several technological challenges such as flaws in human machine interfaces, users intent, energy management issues, cyber forage, and context awareness along with user privacy concerns. From the viewpoint of big data, the challenge for pervasive computing is to integrate data from many disparate sources.Widespread sensors and actuators connect smart object with physical world through the Internet in homes, schools, workplaces, hospitals, transportation, public spaces for automating the environment. One of the examples of ubiquitous computing is Smart homes, wherein pervasive computing is used so that lighting and heating is adjusted based on the body temperature of the occupants and the level of light outside.Machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, decreased costs for data communications, decreasing production costs and size of the transistors are the factors driving microprocessors thereby supporting pervasive computing market. Innovation and Technological advancements are expected to be the key forces driving ubiquitous computing market growth. For instance, in 2014 Google announced a contact lens which uses a glucose sensor embedded in the lens to monitor a persons glucose levels by testing the persons tears. Pervasive commerce which is paradigm shift in the way we buy and sell products is the future of pervasive computing. Growing consumer industries, such as automotives, healthcare and logistics are likely to boost demand for the pervasive computing market. Emerging countries in Asia Pacific, especially India and China are anticipated to fuel demand for pervasive computing due to rising smart phone users, expansion in automotive industry and rising internet subscribers.View Our Report @Some of the key participants in the pervasive computing market include Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto Research center Incorporated (PARC), IBM Corporation, Tata Consultancy Services Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories of America, Inc, AT&T Inc. and E-Tron CO., Ltd.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Depending where you live on this smoldering, doomed planet that spins us dumbly and irreversibly towards sunset, Donald Trump met with Kim Jong-un in Singapore either yesterday or today. And if you listen to what Trump says about that meeting, the results were just as confusing and contradictory as humankinds necessary but insufficient approximation of the structure of time. At the end of the long day, the two leaders  or as Fox & Friends put it, the two dictators  signed what Trump called a historic and terrific and very strong agreement in which North Korea gave us almost nothing. But Trump gave them the farm.

The final document is limited, but Trumps follow-up press conference and exclusive interview with ABCs George Stephanopoulos offered insight into a wider spoken agreement both wide-ranging and insane. It seems the president, all too eager to strike a historic deal, doesnt have a firm grasp of what just happened. True, the meeting was historic. The document, however, was merely history.

Before I launch into my critique, though, I think its important to make clear what a lot of Trump critics either forget to mention (myself included) or dont even think about: Peace is wonderful, and we should first and foremost support our president in his quest to effect peace in Korea. Please, please read Shane Ryans sober and refreshing take to remind yourself of that.

Still, Im going to write from the other side, because we cant ignore the fact that Trump is dangerously dumb and fascistic simply because were afraid of coming off as partisan. While diplomacy, and a meeting of heads of state, is a great and necessary first step, its also ridiculous, and not reflexively anti-Trump, to assume that a corrupt and willfully uninformed rageaholic can capably guide this delicate process. In the end North and South Korea will likely achieve some sort of peace, but that project will carry lots of long-term risk for the U.S. that pundits on both sides dont bother to discuss. Especially important: How this will help China, and how quickly, and how, many years downstream, that will affect things in the U.S. such as prices, jobs, and the possibility of facing down a much, much bigger nuclear threat. Those are some other stakes here.

In other words, even though peace is a good thing, peace under Trumps leadership might lead in the long term to other types of bad things for the United States. North Koreas denuclearization would be fucking fantastic, and if North Korea opens to trade, and if the world welcomes it, it would change the lives of millions of impoverished people. But in the process Trump might do other damage. You might accept this tradeoff, and, considering millions of people might now live livable lives, and that China will step into our shoes at some point anyway, I honestly would accept it. But though its not clear whether any president could strike a favorable deal with North Korea, considering they have all the bargaining power, Trump does pose unique risks, and he made this clear to the world almost immediately. Peace can still be dangerous.

Lets break it down. Some of this is tongue-in-cheek. Most isnt.

Trump and Kim agreed to four points in the agreement itself:

1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.

2. The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

3. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

4. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

To break that down, its actually three points. Points one and two are the same. And of all those points, the only new one here is

None of them.

North Korea has promised to work towards peace with the U.S.-led alliance several times in the past. As number three says itself, Pyongyang committed to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula back in April, when Kim Jong-un met not with an American representative, but with South Korean president Moon Jae-in. And the U.S. and North Korea have worked together on the fourth point, which is a critical promise for American veterans. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says that 7,702 members of American armed services from the Korean War are still missing. Between 1990 and 2005, U.S. and North Korean search teams, working together, recovered 229 sets of remains before President George W. Bush canceled the searches over worries about the safety of American participants.

As for what Trump has incompletely called the complete denuclearization of North Korea, the agreement calls for denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. This includes all American nuclear capability in and around North and South Korea.

So we got nothing. Whatd we give?

First, we gave them international legitimacy: The U.S. and North Korean flags flew beside each other, equally handsome and prominent. We gave Kim, a ruthless dictator and murderer who is guilty of crimes against humanity, the prestige of meeting with the President of the United States, who said it was his honor to meet him. Related: We ignored the issue of human rights, telegraphing that if a dictator kills enough people and starves his country in defiant pursuit of the most dangerous weapons on the planet, we will still reward him. And we praised them for agreeing to literally nothing new.

Again: No promises to dismantle or reduce the nuclear arsenal. No language about how denuclearization would happen, or how disarmament would be verified, or a timetable, or even a general starting point.

But news of the biggest concessions came afterwards, in Trumps press conference and interview. Here are those points.

Trump told Stephanopoulos that he promised Kim we would end joint military exercises with South Korea, calling them provocative.

...Im doing something that Ive wanted to do from the beginning. We stopped playing those war games that cost us a fortune. You know, were spending a fortune, every couple of months were doing war games with South Korea, and I said, Whats this costing? Were flying planes in from Guam, were bombing empty mountains for practice. I said I want to stop that and I will stop that, and I think its very provocative 

Again: Trump said hes wanted to end those war games from the beginning. But a year ago he ordered more military ships to the Korean peninsula. They spent a few days traveling the wrong direction. He also threatened North with Korea nuclear war several times.

Trump apparently didnt run his new platform by South Korea, whose government issued a statement saying we need to figure out President Trumps accurate meaning about halting the war games.

He apparently didnt run it by his own military, either. A spokeswoman for the U.S. military forces in Korea said in an email that they hadnt been notified of this plan: In coordination with our [South Korean] partners, we will continue with our current military posture until we receive updated guidance from the Department of Defense  and/or Indo-Pacific Command.

In a press conference, Trump added that he wants to bring our soldiers home from South Korea, adding, thats not part of the equation right now.

The U.S. military stations around 30,000 troops in South Korea, and we maintain an Air Force base for fighter planes. Until now the military insisted our regular joint exercises with South Korea are purely defensive in nature, as part of our commitment to protect our ally from the threat of a North Korea invasion or attack. Trumps new promise runs a high risk of damaging our relationships with both of our allies in the region, South Korea and Japan, who might not trust our commitment to their safety.

We have to run those exercises in order to practice and develop new responses to the ever-changing conditions in the region as Kims nuclear program advances.

Trump also said he wanted to stop U.S. Air Force bombing run practice from Guam, citing the cost.

I think theyre very, very expensive. To do it, we have to fly planes in from Guam  thats six and a half hours away. Big bombers and everything else, I said, Whos paying for this? I mean, who pays, in order to practice.

At the press conference he added, I know a lot about planes.



Though this came from the press conference and not the interview, its impossible to leave out:

Trump Tower Pyongyang is the Bastille of resorts made with peasant blood and balsa wood.

When Stephanopoulos pressed Trump about whether hed gotten any further assurances from Kim that North Korea would in fact denuclearize, Trump revealed that Kim had actually made a lot of major promises. Those promises, however, werent included in the signed document, if they were made at all.

Theyre going to get rid of certain ballistic missile sites and various other things. Were gonna put that out later. But we have the framework of getting ready to denuclearize North Korea.

No framework was in the document. And if they were gonna put that out later, Trump kind of just tipped the hand.

Trump also said North Korea will destroy more missile sites and stop both new missile launches and nuclear research. Theyre getting rid of things that havent been mentioned in the document. Theyre getting rid of certain missile areas and theyre not going to be sending missiles up. Theyre not doing research



Stephanopoulos sensibly asked Trump if Kim actually said this stuff. Trump said not only did Kim say it, but that North Korea would make announcements about these promises soon:

G: Did he tell you that?

T: Yeah, hes de-nuking, I mean hes de-nuking the whole place. Its going to start very quickly. I think hes going to start now. Theyll be announcing things over the next few days talking about other missile sites because they were, as you know, they were sending out a lot of missiles.

G: The North Koreans are going to announce these additional steps as well?

T: Yeah theyre going to be announcing them shortly, they might have announced them already but after we signed we agreed to that also.

They might have announced them already. Who knows!

North Korea hasnt announced any of this, but thats not to say, yet, that they wont.

Its not clear whether Trump doesnt fully understand what denuclearization of the Korean peninsula means, doesnt want to admit to himself that it doesnt mean what he knows it means, or is fully aware of what it means and has such a low opinion of anyone other than himself that he believes he can convince people it doesnt mean what it means.

Denuclearization of the peninsula means just that: The whole peninsula. In other words, this includes U.S. nukes. The document itself doesnt single out North Korea, but Trump sort of ignores that. He also told Stephanopoulos Kim did mean just North Korea.

G: Does that mean that the nuclear umbrella that we have over South Korea is on the table for negotiation?

T: No. That means that theyre going to get rid of their nuclear weapons. We never even discussed the other. Theyre going to get rid of their nuclear weapons, George, and I think they want to do it relatively quickly. Now, were going to see. I mean, theyre going to start working on it immediately. Were going to work with South Korea. Were going to work with Japan. Were going to work with China. But it really has been an incredible exercise.

Just because they didnt discuss the other doesnt mean its not a condition for Kim. What Kim gave Trump in writing is vastly different from what Trump gave us in his fleeting verbal contradictions. Time, of course, will tell the truth better than Trump.

Or so he says. This was a secret, and should be kind of a shock.

G: So we saw you sign the agreement right in this room. You also said you developed a special bond with Kim. Describe that bond.

T: Well, its been a very intense day, and as you know, we discussed things over the last few months.

G: You did? Youve spoken with him before?

T: Yeah, I have spoken, yes, I have spoken to him, I have spoken to a lot of his people, his, as you know, his, I would say very top person was at the White House last week.

Of course, with all those qualifications at the end, this does seem like classic Trump bullshittery.

The president, unprompted, said this about Kim:

G: What other kinds of security guarantees did you offer, did you put on the table?

T: Well, weve given him, I dont wanna talk about it specifically, but weve given him, hes going to be happy. His country does love him. His people, you see the fervor. They have a great fervor. Theyre gonna put it together, and I think theyre going to end up with a very strong country, and a country which has people  that theyre so hard working, so industrious.

Its unclear where Trump gleaned this understanding of North Korean work ethic, but perhaps its because an estimated 200,000 of them perform forced work in prison camps, and another 20 million toil to eke our a day-to-day existence in imposed poverty. Kims tapped into the genius economic incentive of starvation. And the fervor his people exert is born of decades of mainlining state propaganda, and under penalty of imprisonment.

Kim also tortures his citizens, imprisons untold thousands unjustly, executes people without trial and often cruelly, such as via anti-aircraft cannon. He murdered his half-brother outside the country with chemical weapons and executed his own uncle.

His people might indeed harbor a fervor, but its not the kind Trump means.

And Stephanopoulos, to his credit, didnt let this slide (emphasis mine):

G: You say his people love him. Just a few months ago you accused him of starving his people. And listen, heres the rub. Kim is a brutal dictator. He runs a police state, forced starvation, labor camps. Hes assassinated members of his own family. How do you trust a killer like that?

T: George, Im given what Im given, okay? I mean, this is what we have, and this is where we are, and I can only tell you from my experience, and I met him, Ive spoken with him, and Ive met him. And this was, as you know, started very early and its been very intense. I think that he really wants to do a great job for North Korea. I think he wants to denuke, its very important. Without that, theres nothing to discuss. That was on the table at the beginning, and you see a total denuclearization of North Korea, so important. And, he wants to do the right thing. Now, with all of that being said, I cant talk about  it doesnt matter. Were starting from scratch. Were starting right now, and we have to get rid of those nuclear weapons.

That I cant talk about part the Trump slipped in there is the answer to the question. He cant talk about human rights because it was off the table to begin with.

Trump went even further in his press conference. He said Kim loves his people and was a talented leader. Trump even both-sidesed the human rights issue: Its rough in a lot of places, not just there.

Trump has previously and on several occasions Kims regime brutal. He also called Kim little rocket man, a madman who doesnt mind starving or killing his people, and short and fat.

Trump also took a quick detour into some of the finer details of the G7 conference. Of note, he doesnt seem to know the name of Italys new Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, whom Trump just met a few days ago at the G7 conference: I have great relationship with the new man who I like a lot as you know from Italy.

Conte, who like Trump is a populist with authoritarian tendencies, was the only person Trump would say he had a great relationship with at the gathering of our allies. Oh, and Merkel, too, who, judging by this viral photo doesnt seem to reciprocate.

In the interview, Trump also took the opportunity to repeat the same lies about our trade deficit with the EU and Canada.

Well know if Trump is telling the truth about North Korea soon enough, and well have a better idea of how these insane policy proposals will play out once Trump comes home and gets put through the wringer of the U.S. national security apparatus.

All these policies are all great news for China, by the way, who will probably use the opportunity to begin pushing us out of the region in the next few months. Its worth noting that Kim Jong-un flew into Singapore on an Air China jet. Not exactly subtle.

The other takeaways: Hes a fascist who loves fascists, and hes a complete idiot. But thats nothing new.

Also, regardless of what happens with North Korea, we wont be fine. Our president is incompetent, corrupt, and easily confused, and the American republic is in slow-mo collapse. But if from out of this abyss we can manage to toss peace on the Korean peninsula, itd be the best way to go.Last month marked the one-year anniversary of special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. To mark the fact that President Trump hasnt shut down the investigation like he so badly wants to, John Oliver is here to tell us not to count our chickens before they hatch.

In the latest segment about Stupid Watergate on Last Week Tonight, a series that Oliver defines as covering a scandal potentially on the scale of Watergate, but where everyone involved is dumb and terrible and bad at everything, he calls out Trump and his Fox News friends for actively undermining Muellers investigation. The host also suggests that conservative pundits are doing their best to cast any and all doubt on the probe into the Trump administration.

Oliver opens the segment with the troubling news that only about half (54 percent) of Americans support continuing the investigation. The number is down from 62 percent in the earlier days of the investigation, despite the progress the investigation has made, leading to numerous indictments and guilty pleas. As Olivers puts it, if this is a witch hunt, then witches definitely exist.

Oliver suggests that the conservative media has played a big role in the aforementioned decrease and outlines three tactics that he believes the media outlets are using to convince the jury (i.e., the public) that Muellers probe should be suspended: redefining the investigation, whataboutism and building a counternarrative. The biggest takeaways from these categories are as follows.

First: Mueller was never actually tasked with finding collusion and its nonsensical for conservative commentators to call for the end of the investigation if there is no evidence of collusion. Saying the investigation has to shut down if there is no collusion is like saying that a game of Scrabble has to end because you fit all the letters in your mouth, Oliver jokes. Well, congratulations, but those arent really the rules that we agreed to.

Second: Pointing out that someone else did something shitty doesnt make what ones own shitty actions any less shitty.

And finally: that Donald Trump is going full OJ, and its working. Because if weve learned anything from the OJ trial, its that if you create a conspiracy theory that undermines at least one thing in the system, then people likely wont believe anything else. Oliver includes a clip of one of OJs lawyers saying, If they manufactured evidence on the sock, how can you trust anything? for proof. Well, there you have iteverything is a simulation.

But in all seriousness, Oliver warns that public opinion of the investigation will likely dictate whether Congress decides to take action against Trump and that diminishing support means theyll be less likely to. The tactics he outlines are depressingly effective when you consider that the only way Trump can be held accountable is through impeachment, since you cant indict a sitting president.

Hear Sean Hannity refer to Watergate as a Snickers bar in Sundays Last Week Tonight below.Let me start off by saying that I dont expect much to come from the Singapore Summit, in which Donald Trump made history by meeting face-to-face with Kim Jong-Un, shaking his hand, and calling him a beautiful man with a tremendous heart and the worlds best country, probably. (Note: He didnt say this, but the real thing, which included phrases like very special bond, wasnt that different.)

The whole idea here is to establish relations which eventually result in the nuclear disarmament of North Korea, but the Kim family has been playing this cat-and-mouse game for decades. They hint at peace, they put nukes on the table, and then they withdraw them and conduct war games that scare the hell out of everyone or shoot a missile over Japan. In the end, though, nothing really happenstheyre not going to give up their only source of power, but theyre also not going to invite their own destruction by daring to use them, and were not going to attack them pre-emptively because, as Steve Bannon noted in one of his few moments of lucidity, theyll torch Seoul and maybe Tokyo too before we can finish the job. (Also? China.)

As for the declaration they signed at the end, it was nothing much. It looked, in fact, like an equally toothless declaration signed in 1993, and the essential trade-off is that America will stop holding war games on the peninsula in exchange for a commitment to denuclearization on North Koreas partboth of which either side can renege on at a moments notice. Also, its not even clear that the U.S. is actually stopping its war exercises.

All that said, this sort of meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-Un has a very limited downside. If the situation returns to the status quo, as I suspect it will, there is nothing lost and nothing gained. But if this starts us on the path to peace? Well, then, hurray. If nothing else, surely the precedent of dialogue is a good thing. Somehow, I believe that Trump has bumbled his way into a diplomatic event that is not overtly negative. It may even be positiveprobably not, but maybe.

However, if you spent any time among the #RESISTANCE last night, you saw a million tweets like this:

Trump on Kim: "A talented man who loves his country very much. An honor to meet him."



For the record of history, never before has a U.S. President spoken this way of a dictator accused of crimes against his own people.  David Jolly (@DavidJollyFL) June 12, 2018

Looking more prescient than ever. Please note that Trump demanded that our democratic neighbor eliminate massive tariffs it doesn't have, while he demanded that a brutal dictator do  nothing, in exchange for real US concessions https://t.co/rCsfTc5HiL  Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) June 12, 2018

Trump and US media are legitimizing a dictator from a totalitarian regime that starved its own people to fund its pursuit of nuclear weapons.



Kim gained power by having his half-brother murdered and his own uncle and the uncle's extended family executed.pic.twitter.com/7aBeruC1Sq  Leah McElrath (@leahmcelrath) June 12, 2018

Trump said he was honored to shake Kim Jong Un's hand at the #TrumpKimSummit



Wrong, Mr. President. It is not an honor to shake a murderous dictator's hand.



It's an honor to sake the hands of people like Trudeau and Macron (even though it looks like it hurt you a bit).  Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) June 12, 2018

Trump: North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un loves his country very much.



Human Rights Watch: North Korea restricts all basic civil & political liberties for its citizens. Kim Jong-un uses arbitrary arrest,torture in custody,forced labor & executions to maintain fear & control.  Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) June 12, 2018

Sickened by how Trump doubled-down on how talented Kim Jong-un is because he could run it tough. Toughness in this context means throwing people who speak their mind into gulags, torturing dissidents, widespread rape, enslavement, forced abortion, forced labor & starvation.  Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) June 12, 2018

A few things here.

1. Yes, the North Korean regime is awful. We could have a long debate about the history that led to the current situation, but suffice it to say that none of it could justify the suppressive actions taken by the Kim family over the years. It would be idiotic to argue otherwise, and as far as I can tell, nobody except actual tankies are even attempting a legitimate defense. (And for what it's worth, the broader assertion that Trump sucks is also correct, as is the contention that the summit is contradictory to his conduct with Iran.)

2. The idea that Trump is legitimizing Kim or his actions is ludicrous and meaningless. Legitimizing how? Making it easier for Kim to commit his atrocities? Fooling any of us into thinking the Kims are good people? Changing anything in any discernible way? Of course not. It's an accusation without merit. (It's also extremely aggravating to see people still take Trump's hyperbolic logorrhea at face value, like each word should be examined for exact meaning as one would study a hieroglyph.)

3. If you follow this logic to its end point, where does it lead? Easyno American leader should ever negotiate with someone like Kim Jong-Un, we should always treat them like irredeemable enemies, and the dangerous status quo should last forever.

Which leads to an obvious question: How does anything ever change? War? Is that the only answer here? Either we exist in a state of permanent tension or we blow them off the face of the map and probably sacrifice hundreds of thousands of innocent lives in the process?

Anyone with an inkling of diplomatic sense should realize that removing negotiation from the list of acceptable actions, just because we don't like our negotiating partner, is capital-s Stupid. It's tantamount to believing that the way to reform North Korea, and to help its starving and benighted masses, is to threaten their leadership until, somehow, it leads to peace.

It also shows one of the core brain deficiencies of the current American center. A certain type of establishment mind, right or left (let's be honest, there's very little difference and they're all going to be in the same political part within a decade), seems to espouse a worldview that divides us into good vs. evil. History, nuance, and gray area are not interesting to them, because if they started to engage with those subtleties, they may have to one take a cold, hard look at America. And not just Trump's AmericaObama's America, Clinton's America, etc.

I for one am disgusted and embarrassed to see the US flag flying side by side with the flag of a repressive authoritarian regime and serial human rights violator, as our president happily shakes hands with an unelected leader who routinely throws political opponents in prison pic.twitter.com/ROZPrQo6gL  qerek qavison (@dwdavison9318) June 12, 2018

That would be hard sledding for people who have, to this point, lived in the warm embrace of generalities, and it would introduce a potentially disruptive cognitive dissonance that might end upgod forbidfreeing their minds from the allure of false dichotomy. That's a bit of a bear, in all honesty, and so they retreat to their comfortable, symbolic method of thinking. Which is why I feel entirely safe and certain in believing that if Obama had met with Kim Jong-Un, the left-center contingent would have hailed it as a breathtaking step toward unprecedented peaceeven if it was just as meaningful, which is to say not meaningful at all, as what Trump accomplished in Singapore.

And just for the record, Obama said before he was president that he'd do the same exact thing that Trump's doing:

If you have any doubt that these centrists are prone to a Manichean worldview that relies on symbols, look how many people from the center-left and the never-Trump center-right brigade (who, again, are fundamentally the same people) freaked out about the damn flags:

No single Republican or Trump supporter is EVER allowed to complain about disrespect towards the American flag again EVER! pic.twitter.com/lFc4C8uZhY  TO? ?O?E T?AViS (@TopRopeTravis) June 12, 2018

Fox News made sure to feature NK flag in Trump interview..just wow. pic.twitter.com/Fxvh0nJ650  Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) June 12, 2018

Imagine the Nazi flag in place of the North Korean flag. Kim is the closest thing to Hitler on the planet today. We put our flag alongside his, and Trump praised him fulsomely. That better reap some dividends. (/2)  Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 12, 2018

He makes a propaganda video for North Korea, he stops our joint military exercises with South Korea, he puts the North Korean Flag up there right next to ours, and he says Kim Jong Un is a great man who loves his own people.



UhTrump is a tough guy?



No wonder Kim is smiling.  Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) June 12, 2018

The American flag is side by side with the North Korean flag as though we are equals.



Donald Trump just legitimized North Korea before they've made any assurances to denuclearize. #TrumpKimSummitpic.twitter.com/FDDaqcuow1  Ryan Knight (@ProudResister) June 12, 2018

Can't recall ever seeing arrangement of US and NK flags side by side like this. pic.twitter.com/nprugGR3rC  Mark Knoller (@markknoller) June 12, 2018

No matter what you think, history has been made.



The President of the United States of America, standing in front of our flag spooning north Korea's flag, shook hands with a murderous dictator who has killed his own family members  andy lassner (@andylassner) June 12, 2018

The two flags, the American and DPRK's, side by side are a stunning propaganda victory for Kim. https://t.co/olzM0sZ2Eq  Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) June 12, 2018

This is actually deeply embarrassing. Again, a simple question: How does peace happen? How does a lifting of economic sanctions on North Korea to end mass starvation happen? How does denuclearization happen?

It sure as hell doesn't happen by a collection of short-sighted hysterics scoring cheap points by getting mad at the placement of some flags.

If we're ever going to progress as a country, we need to transcend the brutally polarized and frankly tribal modes of thinking that demonize or idealize certain people and certain symbols, and let political belief follow in glib procession from there.

Take it from a man called @fart:

if u disapprove of the possibility of peace in korea just bc donald trump is on the clock during it u are a really truly dumb fucker "and thats a fact jack"  jon hendren (@fart) June 12, 2018

And some who aren't called @fart:

No it isn't. That's ridiculous. It's what happens when two countries try to make the peace. Nothing less, nothing more. https://t.co/YBrUJExxCK  Tim Shorrock (@TimothyS) June 12, 2018

The US never brings up human rights in its meetings with Saudi Arabia and Israel either, as they massacre Yemenis and Palestinians, and the media doesn't care



It's amazing seeing the corporate media basically campaign against a peace deal with North Koreahttps://t.co/RH1Ih78OLS  Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) June 12, 2018

7. People on the left and right and center who are criticizing this summit on principle need to explain what they would've preferred, because six months ago we were on a path to war and this seems a lot better than that.  qerek qavison (@dwdavison9318) June 12, 2018

And 50 million South Koreans and 25 million North Koreans can know look forward to a true peace. Why does every US critic of this agreement completely forget about KOREANS? It's their country we're talking about. We don't own it. https://t.co/biNQjsQWLy  Tim Shorrock (@TimothyS) June 12, 2018

on the question of human rights the issue is one of good faith and the remotest consistency of application. The reason why so manyesp outside the USfind the moral grandstanding tedious is these concerns only come up when doing so advances war or continued US military presence  Adam H. Johnson (@adamjohnsonNYC) June 12, 2018

Its unclear what exactly the summit will accomplish, and Ill repeat that my best guess is not much. But to shriek about the optics, and to forestall any chance of peace in Korea because youre afraid Trump might look good, is the height of hypocrisythere are real live at stakes here.Fathers Day is just around the corner, and theres no better way to celebrate the best man in your life than with a gift thats both functional and stylish. No, were not talking about another paisley tie or Hawaiian shirt. Right now, Googles acclaimed Pixelbook is $749, down from $999, good for 25 percent off and the perfect gift for the tech-connected dad.

The Pixelbook works because its more like a mobile device than any other Chromebook. Its fast (with a 7th gen Intel Core processor), thin (0.4 inches), and light (2.4 pounds), and it also supports all of your Android apps as well as the excellent Google Assistant. Plus its rated for 10 hours of battery, so dad will be able to keep using those features all day long. And with a touch screen and Pen support, its more versatile than a multi-tool.

We gave the Google Pixelbook 4.5 stars out of 5praising its speed, size, 24001600 display, and battery life. And while it may be six months old, Google generally waits a year or two between updates to its flagship Chromebook, so you shouldnt have to worry about it being outdated anytime soon.

[Todays deal: Google Pixelbook for $750.]Health official: 'It is sobering even one child has been directly impacted by COVID-19'

localBC Bike Race is proud to release their third feature film, THE JOURNEY. Follow the international field of racers from the moment they affix their race plates to their bars to the tears of joy and exhaustion as they cross the final finish line seven days later. Travel along the route with the racers as they cross the Salish Sea to Vancouver Island before visiting the Sunshine Coast and finally returning to the Sea-to-Sky corridor.THE JOURNEY explores the transition that can happen between that anxiety fueled first night at basecamp before the race begins through to the trials and tribulations that come with stage racing. Along the way, individual stories of the event are told through interviews with experienced - and some less experienced - participants.Director Max Berkowitz and his film team dig deep to capture both the suffering and pure joy that exists in riding 300 kilometres of handcrafted singletrack in the picturesque landscape that British Columbia has to offer. Through humour - an emerging rivalry between our champion Geoff Kabush and a team of South African racers - viewers can experience just a taste of the basecamp culture that ebbs and flows each year as unique characters bring a new flavour to the event.THE JOURNEY is the third BC Bike Race feature movie to be released following SEVEN and TEN. Each tells the story of this intricately executed and evolving event from different aspects. Whether you've already raced the event or hope to do it one day, these films will let you dream of rugged West Coast riding and the warm communities who have created it.This year's race brings racers from 40 countries - a record for BC Bike Race, and perhaps one of the biggest international fields ever assembled in mountain biking racing. With less than a month until the race begins, the BC Bike Race crew can hardly wait to welcome another 600 racers to their backyard.Presneted by Velosolutions and in partnership with Norco Bicycles

MENTIONS:

As a kid the backyard was a playground for Loron and his friends, it has continued to evolve alongside his riding to this day. An expression of personal creativity, a training ground and a tribute to Velosolutions quality, it embodies the same passion for building and riding now as it did two decades ago.Home to his dream dirt jumps and Velosolutions pump track - this is the story of how you can build your ride."When I was a kid I used to spend hours building tracks for my toys in the sand. To this day I am still doing the same, We just use bigger tools"Featuring:Adrien LoronThomas GenonToma LemoineSantiago SayaPhoto Credit: Marc GenonCatch Adrien at Crankworx this week Innsbruck as he looks to retain his 'King Of Crankworx' Title.Are You A High School Dancer? YoungArts Applications Are Now OpenAnd This Is Why You Should Apply

If you are a dancer in high school, listen up! The National YoungArts Foundation has announced that now, through October 12, it is accepting applications to become a 2019 YoungArts winner. Every year the foundation identifies talented teenage artists across multiple disciplines, providing monetary awards up to $10,000, mentorship opportunities (with renowned professionals like Mikhail Baryshnikov), and a chance to participate in regional workshops in New York, Los Angeles and Miami. To qualify, dancers need to be between the ages of 1518 or in high school grades 1012, as well as a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

Selected winners are chosen through a blind adjudication process and recognized at the merit, honorable mention and finalist level. Finalists are further invited to National YoungArts Week in Miami, an all-expenses-paid week of master classes, workshops and performances. Thats also where nominations for U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts are madeone of the highest honors a high school senior can receive.

Last years ballet finalists include Margarita Armas, Chloe Misseldine, Jordan Coutts and Luke Westerman. Theyre in good companypast YoungArts finalists have gone on to become principal dancers, including The Royal Ballets Sarah Lamb, American Ballet Theatres Jeffrey Cirio and Pennsylvania Ballets Lillian DiPiazza. For more information on how to apply, go to youngarts.org.By Karen Freifeld

NEW YORK (Reuters)  Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to President Donald Trump and his son-in-law, has had his security clearance restored, allowing him access to classified information after losing the privilege in the fallout over a fired White House aide, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

When he joined the White House staff in January 2017, Kushner gained access to sensitive information through a temporary security clearance while the FBI conducted a background check to see if he qualified for a permanent clearance.

His temporary clearance was suspended by White House Chief of Staff John Kelly in February along with other officials operating under temporary clearances as part of measures to tighten procedures after White House staff secretary Rob Porter was fired when his two ex-wives raised charges of domestic abuse.

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. Having completed these processes, Mr. Kushner is looking forward to continuing the work the president has asked him to do, said Kushner attorney Abbe Lowell.

Kushner is leading a Trump effort to resurrect the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and has been a Trump conduit to Mexico, among other activities.

It took an unusually long time for Kushners background check to be completed, raising questions about whether he might be in trouble in U.S. Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Kushner, who is married to Trumps daughter Ivanka Trump, attended a meeting at Trump Tower in June 2016 with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, Donald Trump Jr., and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

Lowell, in a statement, said Kushner has cooperated fully with the investigation, including sitting for two interviews with the special counsels office.

In each occasion, he answered all questions asked and did whatever he could to expedite the conclusion of all the investigations, Lowell said.

According to a person familiar with the situation, Kushner was interviewed for a second time by the Mueller team in the second week of April. It lasted more than six hours.

The questions covered issues related to whether there was collusion between Russian figures and the Trump campaign, and any contacts during the Trump post-election transition period to the presidency, among other issues, the source said.

According to the person, Muellers team did not ask questions about Kushners business or finances, including his familys real estate company.

(Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Tom Brown)2.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

Ivanka Trump was caught meeting with the Russian who was trying to set up the get-together Trump and Putin on Trumps Moscow project.

Buzzfeed reported, There is no evidence that Ivanka Trumps contact with the athlete  the former Olympic weightlifter Dmitry Klokov  was illegal or that it had anything to do with the election. Nor is it clear that Klokov could even have introduced Trump to the Russian president. But congressional investigators have reviewed emails and questioned witnesses about the interaction, according to two of the sources, and so has special counsel Robert Muellers team, according to the other two. The contacts reveal that even as her father was campaigning to become president of the United States, Ivanka Trump connected Michael Cohen with a Russian who offered to arrange a meeting with one of the USs adversaries  in order to help close a business deal that could have made the Trump family millions.

Why the report of the meeting is bad for the Trumps is not based on legality or even the 2016 election. The meeting is important because Donald Trump has claimed that has or never had any business in Russia. It is clear that the Trumps did have business in Russia and were looking to build a Trump Moscow. For the Special Counsel to potentially argue that the Trump campaign illegally conspired with Russia, he has to demonstrate that there was a relationship between the two parties.

Ivanka Trumps meeting is a direct indication of that relationship. The Russians were not only involved with members of the Trump campaign, but also the Trump family themselves. If Ivanka and Don Jr. were talking to Russians during the presidential campaign, it is impossible to believe that Trump wasnt doing the same.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.1.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

MSNBCs Rachel Maddow and Nicolle Wallace crushed the rights hypocrisy for praising Trump for kissing up to N. Korea after they called Obama weak.

Video:

Wallace said, This is about  this is about looking like a strong leader. This is about projecting strength to a domestic audience. This is not about what keeps you awake at night. This is not about the job you used to have. We are projecting onto him normal things. Theres nothing normal about what were watching. Were not watching an American president conduct the most grave and serious -But he was excited to go for that reason. That picture right here. For this that were all sitting here  I heard from two people hes excited because he thinks that makes him look like a strong leader and thats the image he wants to project for his own re-election campaign and in the mid-terms.

Maddow added, In the 2008 election Barack Obama was criticized for saying that if he were president he would absolutely consider meeting and talking with the North Koreans. He said he would talk with Cuba. He said he would talk with North Korea. He said he would talk with Iran. He said he would talk with our enemies. And that was cause for the American right to decide that Barack Obama was not just a Democrat, he was a foreigner who was sent on some nefarious mission to destroy the United States from within.

Wallace responded, And he was weak. That was 

Maddow continued, As being naive and it was seen as dangerous. The relationship between American politics in this moment is almost as hard to get your head around as these pictures are.

The North Korea summit has made Trump look pathetic and weak

Obama never met with Kim Jong-un for a very good reason. Meeting with the regime elevates them. North Korea is already using this meeting as propaganda to proclaim that they are on equal footing with the United States, and the next step in that argument is that if they are on equal footing with the US, they do not need to give up their nuclear weapons. Trump supporters are proclaiming that the weak caving of a pathetic know-nothing president who thinks that he can survive in the White House by cozying up to a ruthless and backward regime as strength when in reality real strength was not rewarding threats as was the policy of Obama.

The summit in Singapore is a sad diminishing of the presidency and the hypocrites who are calling it a victory got a reality check from Nicolle Wallace and Rachel Maddow.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.Just hours before Donald Trump isA set to meet with Kim Jong Un and hours afterA he crashed and burned at the G7 summit in Canada, its clear that North Korea has already won.

Not only couldnt the North Koreans have asked for a greater gift than a U.S. president elevating their brutal regime on the world stage, but Trump has given them this gift while simultaneously degrading Americas image abroad.

North Koreas rising legitimacy, thanks to Trump,A was demonstrated in Kim Jong UnsA nighttime stroll in Singapore, where cameras followed Kim and his entourage around town like he was Taylor Swift. The North Korean leader even stopped to poseA for a selfie with the city-states foreign minister.

Sure, selfies should never be overstated, but its just the latest example of how the U.S. presidents approach toward North Korea has essentially transformed Kim Jong Un from brutal, murderous dictator to superstar on the world stage.

Trump has done this while at the same time shredding whatever credibility the United States has left under his watch. Nowhere was that more clear than the presidents stunning dumpster fire at the G7 summit, when he showed up late, trashed American allies and left early.

And if you thought Trump was done embarrassing the country ahead of the Singapore summit, youd be wrong.

Just a short time ago  hours before hes set to meet Kim Jong Un  he took to Twitter to lash out at pundits and slam the haters & losers who dare to criticize him.

The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the U.S., say the haters & losers. We have our hostages, testing, research and all missle launches have stoped, and these pundits, who have called me wrong from the beginning, have nothing else they can say! We will be fine!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 11, 2018

Trump is playing right into North Koreas hands

Ultimately, this perfect Trump storm of giving legitimacy to Kim Jong Un while simultaneously tearing American credibility to pieces  and then whining on Twitter hours before a high-stakes summit  likely has the North Koreans laughing all the way to Singapore.

No matter what happens in the highly anticipated meeting between Trump and Kim, North Korea has already won. This president has given them something that decades of American leaders have refused to give the regime: legitimacy.

Only a buffoon like Donald Trump could make a tyrant like Kim Jong Un look like a credible player on the world stage.351 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

Just ahead of a high-stakes summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, two high-profile Republican senators are sniping at one another over how to deal with North Korea.

Sen. Lindseys Grahams proposal to give Trump the power to wage war against the regime was quickly shot down by his Republican colleague, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.

Sen. Paul said Graham is a danger to the country for making such a proposal.

Video:

Senator Rand Paul says Lindsey Graham is a danger to the country by even proposing ideas like authorizing war with Korea, my goodness. He adds that serious people shouldnt even be discussing that. https://t.co/Vzv6e1JQ8o pic.twitter.com/ACjRvkSbe5  The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) June 11, 2018

The Kentucky senator said:

Lindsey Graham is a danger to the country by even proposing ideas like authorizing war with North Korea, my goodness. So that should be something that is seen as naAve and seen as something that really serious people shouldnt even be discussing. If youve watched over time, I think what youve seen from Lindsey Graham is basically a naive worldview where he believes war is always the answer and that also means that expenditures for war are always the answer. I think thats bankrupting us as a country, but its also gotten us involved in dozens and dozens of wars where its not really clear what the American interest is in those wars.

Trump cant even responsibly handle disputes with American allies

Rand Pauls tough pushback comes after Graham  never shy about his love of war  said that if the Singapore summit crashes and burns, Congress should give Trump the power to take military action instead.

If you want to convince North Korea and China that things are different with Trump, then Congress has to have his back, the South Carolina senator said.

But Trump cant even handle minor disputes with American allies without metaphorically going nuclear on them. The idea that he can be trusted with blanket authority to wage war against North Korea is nonsense.

As Sen. Paul said, its a danger to the United States.

At a time when Trump has demonstrated how reckless and unstable he is, the last thing Congress should be doing is giving him the authorization to wage a potential nuclear war in the Korean Peninsula.1.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

In a photo-op likely to be seen all over the world, Donald Trump shook hands with brutal dictator Kim Jong Un and gave the North Koreans what decades of American presidents refused to give them: legitimacy.

Standing before the startling sight of American and North Korean flags side-by-side, the two leaders shook hands.

In that moment, Kim Jong Un went from a murderous tyrant isolated by the international community to a player on the world stage  courtesy of Trumps ego-driven foreign policy.

See the moment here:

Trump just gave legitimacy to a murderous tyrant

During the brief photo-op, Trump said it was his honor to meet with Kim Jong Un  words that will likely be paraded around North Korea as proof that their leader is a power player now.

For decades, presidents of both parties refused to give this legitimacy toA North Korea  and for good reason.

Kim Jong Un, and the North Korean leaders that came before him, were brutal not just to their people, but to their own family members.

As Human Rights Watch pointed out last week, The (North Korean) government routinely uses arbitrary arrest and punishment of crimes, torture in custody, forced labor, and executions to maintain fear and control.

But in one photo-op, this tyrannical North Korean regime is now on the same level as the United States of America. Thats a cat that cannot be put back in the bag.

While tearing Americas credibility to shreds, Trump just elevated one of the most brutal regimes on the planet.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

Conservative MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace laid out how the stakes for Donald Trumps summit with Kim Jong Un couldnt be any higher, saying that if the meeting fails, the Trump presidency is toast.

This is all hes got, Wallace said. This is his midterm strategy.A This is his get out of sittingA down with Bob Mueller strategy. 

If it fails, as the MSNBC host said, Trump has nothing left to lean on heading into the midterm elections and his re-election bid.

Video:

Wallace said:

Lets not sugarcoat the factA that were all doing thisA because Donald Trump wants us to.A Donald Trump is there because heA knew wed be here.A This is it.A This is all hes got this. This is his midterm strategy.A This is his get out of sittingA down with Bob Mueller strategy.A Two sources texted me, IA just looked at my phone, on MayA 25th and May 26th when it was being widely reported that talks wereA off.A Talks were never off. There was aA meeting in the DMZ with the North Koreans and theA Americans on May 26.A The whole thing was TrumpianA head fake. So the idea that wereA beingA played is something that we have to bake into the cake a little bit tonight.  It is also in every way imaginable a political exercise for Donald Trump.A A

This isnt about world peace. Its about Trump scoring political points.

Trump, who knows little to nothing about the complexities of foreign policy, doesnt care about the possibility of a nuclear-free Korean peninsula. He likely cant even locate either of the Koreas on a map.

Instead, this stunt, which made Kim Jong Un a player on the world stage, is all about boosting his own image and distracting from the damning scandals he faces on the domestic front.

If Donald Trump was serious about achieving lasting peace in the region, he wouldnt have desperately rushed to agree to a summit with Kim Jong Un without any conditions or preparations.

Instead, he hastily jumped into it because he knows its all hes got. If it fails, it would deliver a devastating blow to his presidency.370 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

By Mica Rosenberg

WASHINGTON (Reuters)  Nearly 1,800 immigrant families were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border from October 2016 through February of this year, according to a senior government official, as President Donald Trump implemented stricter border enforcement policies.A

The numbers are the first comprehensive disclosure by the administration of how many families have been affected by the policies. Previously, the only numbers provided by federal officials on family separations covered a single two-week period in May.

The government official, who agreed to speak only on condition of anonymity, said he could not provide up-to-date statistics, but acknowledged the number of separations had risen sharply in recent weeks, largely because of new administration policies.

In May, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a zero tolerance policy in which all those apprehended entering the United States illegally would be criminally charged, which generally leads to children being separated from their parents.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official testified last month to Congress that between May 6 and May 19, 658 children were separated from 638 parents because of the stepped-up prosecutions. That brings the total of officially acknowledged separations to more than 2,400, though that does not include recent weeks or the period from March 1 to May 6.

Immigration and child advocates, Democratic lawmakers and the United Nations have all condemned the practice of separating families at the border, but the administration has defended its actions saying it is protecting children and making clear that illegal border crossers will be prosecuted regardless of their family circumstances.

A A A In most of the 1,768 cases of families separated by border agents between October 2016 and February, children were removed from parents for medical reasons or because of security concerns, the official said, citing examples such as parents needing hospitalization or officials discovering the parent had a criminal record either in the United States or in their home country.

In 237 cases, the official said, children were removed because border agents suspected adults were falsely posing as the parents of minors in their charge.

The period for which statistics were provided included the final three months of the Obama administration in 2016, but the official could not say whether any of the separations occurred then.

PUBLIC INTEREST

A A A A The practice of separating families has not been systematically tracked until now, the official said,A and the figures given to Reuters had to be compiled manually.A A

A A A Why werent we pulling these statistics before? Because it wasnt a big enough phenomenon that had public interest, the official said. Now its increasing and its of public interest.

A A A A The bulk of the separations involved Central Americans, who make up the majority of families crossing the southwest border. Some were apprehended trying to cross the border illegally, while others crossed illegally and then presented themselves to border patrol agents asking for asylum because they feared returning home.

A A A A Immigrants can also go to an official port of entry to request asylum before crossing the border. The official said separations in such circumstances are rare, but that the numbers are not tracked separately.

A A A A The official noted that the number of separations from October 2016 to February this year represented less than 2 percent of the 106,700 family units arrested along the southwest border during that same period.

A A A A THE MOST DRACONIAN THING

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing the government on behalf of a Congolese asylum seeker who turned herself in to border guards in California only to have her 7-year-old daughter taken from her and housed in government custody more than 2,000 miles away in Chicago for months.

A A A A The government said in legal papers that it took the child into custody because it could not corroborate the two were related. The ACLU argued the question could have been quickly resolved by a DNA test, which was only done much later.

A A A A Lee Gelernt, the ACLU attorney representing the woman and other parents in similar situations, said the Trump administration is using allegations of fraud and security concerns to justify a policy that is actually aimed not at protecting children but at deterring future border crossers.

A A A A Taking a child away from their parent and interfering with the basic constitutional right to family unity, thats about the most draconian thing you can do and it needs the most compelling reason possible, Gelernt said. Deterrence is a policy measure that uses these children as pawns and violates the basic fundamental notion of whats in the childs best interest.

The official said some families were separated because human smugglers had tried to game the system by placing children with unrelated adults, hoping the adults would fare better if caught.

A Only a few immigration detention centers have the capacity to house parents and children together, so families caught at the border have often been freed to await court hearings while living in the United States.

On Friday, Senator Dianne Feinstein, the senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with 26 other Democrats and two independents introduced a bill that would put new limits on federal law enforcements ability to separate immigrant children from their families unless a court decides that would be best for the child.

The bill specifically states that a minor cannot be removed from a parent or legal guardian solely for the policy goal of deterring individuals from migrating to the United States.

(Reporting by Mica Rosenberg in Washington; Additional reporting Richard Cowan in Washington; Editing by Sue Horton and James Dalgleish)By Joey Roulette

ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters)  Hundreds of protesters, including survivors from two of Floridas deadliest modern mass shootings, staged a rally in Orlando on Monday to call for tougher firearms restrictions two years after a gunman killed 49 people at the Pulse nightclub.

The demonstration, held on the eve of the shooting anniversary, preceded a day of events planned in Orlando commemorating the bloody rampage by a South Florida security guard who professed allegiance to Islamic State militants.

The assailant, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, a U.S. citizen of Afghan descent, was killed when police stormed the Pulse, a popular gay nightclub in Orlando, three hours after the gunman opened fire in the venue with an AR-15-style assault rifle and a pistol.

The death toll from the siege ranks as the second-most lethal mass shooting in the United States, surpassed only by the 59 lives lost when a gunman opened fire in October 2017 on an outdoor country music festival from a high-rise hotel window in Las Vegas and then killed himself.

While authorities branded the Pulse shooting an act of Islamic extremism, civil rights activists asserted that the massacre was also hate crime that largely targeted gay men and Latinos frequenting the club.

Advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community have accused Florida Governor Rick Scott and other Republican politicians of contributing to anti-LGBT hostility by refusing to back measures prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

We asked the governor to protect us, and sign an executive order, saying that we would not be discriminated against in our workplace. We were met with excuses, Orlando shooting survivor Brandon Wolf said at Mondays rally, addressing the crowd of outside Orlando City Hall.

He and others urged supporters to express their views at the ballot box by voting against politicians who refuse to back stronger gun control measures or accept campaign financing from the gun lobby.

Wolf was not the only Florida mass shooting survivor to address the rally.

Not even four months ago, I found myself on the floor huddled with my classmates not knowing if we were going to die, said Aly Sheehy, a recent graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

She was one of scores of students who cowered in terror as a 19-year-old former classmate who had been expelled the year before for disciplinary problems sprayed gunfire from an assault rifle he had legally purchased as an 18-year-old.

Fourteen students and three faculty members were killed in the Feb. 14 Parkland assault, which stands as the second-deadliest modern public school shooting in the United States.

The Parkland shooting sparked an unprecedented lobbying campaign by student survivors and victims parents that led to swift enactment of gun-safety measures signed into law by Scott, long regarded as a strong National Rifle Association ally.

The package raised the legal minimum age for buying rifles and imposed a three-day waiting period on all gun sales, but it also authorized a controversial program to allow the arming of some school employees.

(Writing by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Michael Perry)GOP Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina expressed the views of many of his Senate colleagues on Tuesday when he said that any deals made between the U.S. and North Korea at President Trumps summit with Kim Jong Un must go through Congress for approval.A

Speaking onA NBCs Today Show Graham said:

Not only do I want to see the details, I want to vote on them. So heres what I would tell President Trump: I stand with youbut anything you negotiate with North Korea will have to come to the Congress for our approval. But Im hopeful.

Senator Graham also said that he had many doubts about the actual details that would come out of the reported denuclearization agreement Trump supposedly achieved with the North Korean dictator.

I think he has convinced Kim Jong Un that hes better off giving up his nuclear weapons than he is keeping them, and thats the goal, Graham continued. And if he has failed to do that then were going to have a military conflict.

Trump and Kim, after their summit concluded, signed an agreement which apparently committed the United States to security guarantees but the details of these guarantees have not been released.A The guarantees were given in exchange for Kims promise to denuclearize North Korea, but the details of that promise are vague also.

I think both sides are going to be impressed with the result, Trump said at a news conference. Were going to take care of a very big and very dangerous problem for the world.

Trump also announced the U.S. would call off military exercises with South Korea while negotiations continue with the North.

Graham had previously written an authorization for the U.S. to use military force, and he has alsoA expressed support for military use in North Korea as a last resort.A He said that eliminating military would not be a bad thing if it leads to North Korea getting rid of its nuclear weapons.

The one thing that I would violently disagree with is removing our troops, Graham said. I cant imagine I would vote for any agreement that requires us to withdraw our forces because that would destabilize Asia. Thats what China wants. That doesnt make the world more peaceful, it makes it more dangerous.

Last week Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer of New York saidA that any deal with North Korea, especially one eliminating economic sanctions, would have to be approved by the Senate.A He also had warned Trump before the summitA to avoid any quick bad deals with North Korea.

On Tuesday House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi made scathing remarks about Trumps deals made with Kim Jong Un.A A In his haste to reach an agreement, President Trump elevated North Korea to the level of the United StatesA while preserving the regimes status quo, Pelosi said, expressing the views of many people inside Washington and around the country.285 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

WASHINGTON (Reuters)  White House trade adviser Peter Navarro apologized on Tuesday for his sharp comments directed at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after last weeks Group of Seven summit, according to the Wall Street Journal.

At an event hosted by the Journal, Navarro said he had made a mistake, according to the newspaper.

My mission was to send a strong signal of strength, Navarro said at the event, the Journal reported. The problem is that in conveying that message I used language that was inappropriate.

Navarro, in a Fox News interview on Sunday, condemned Trudeau after the Canadian leaders post-summit news conference following the summit with U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders from the Group of Seven.

There is a special place in hell for any leader that engages in bad-faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door and thats what bad-faith Justin Trudeau did with that stunt press conference. Thats what weak, dishonest Justin Trudeau did, Navarro said on the Fox News Sunday program.

A day before, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow also lashed out at Trudeau.

Both aides accused Trudeau of betraying Trump when he gave a news conference after the U.S. president had departed. At the event, Trudeau said Canada would take retaliatory steps in response to Trumps steel and aluminum tariffs imposed on Canada and other allies.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Jeffrey Benkoe)"Beloved indie pop guru" (Paper) Ariana and the Rose's galactic immersive music party "light + space" has become a celebrated Brooklyn staple over the past few months with Time Out NY calling it one of their "amazing things to do in NYC" and LadyGunn praising Ariana as a "walking piece of art, poised yet whimsical."

And in celebration of PRIDE month, Ariana has partnered with NYC Pride for the final event in the "light + space" event trilogy, taking place June 14th at House of Yes (2 Wyckoff Ave, Brooklyn).



It is sure to be an exciting, inclusive, and unforgettable night, co-hosted by NYC nightlife legends Amanda Lepore, Paul Iacono and Nicky Ottav, and featuring a live set by Ariana and the Rose herself, DJ sets by Bright Light Bright Light, Lauren Flax, and Seth Kirby, as well as a special performance by RuPaul's Drag Race star Phi Phi O'Hara.

The "light + space" crew will also be raffling a vintage jacket with one of a kind galactic star man embellishments by sustainable Brooklyn based designer Zero Waste Daniel, proceeds will be donated to the Ali Forney Center.

"light + space" mainstay activations like a glitter makeup bar (to get you cosmic-ready!), interactive characters, a VR and Subpac experience, and a celestial boomerang photobooth will also all return.

For more info visit: http://bit.ly/2xO1jwg | For tickets: http://bit.ly/2Jn7rg0Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 85F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low near 55F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.Picking the party nominees comes down to today  unless there's a runoff.

South Carolina primary voters head to the polls to vote in the primaries after months of campaign mailers, political ads and heated debates.

Now, it's up to Democrats, Republicans and independents to decide who they think is right for the job. Here's what you need to know about voting today:

When can I vote?

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Voters standing in line when the polls close will still be able to cast a ballot.

Where do I vote?

It depends on where you live. Your voting precinct and polling place are determined by your address, and should be listed on your voter registration card. To check your voting location, visit the State Election Commission website at scvotes.org. On the homepage, click the tab that says "Voters." Then, click "Check your voter registration." You can also contact your county voter registration office.

What should I bring?

To vote in the election, you will need one of the following forms of photo ID:

S.C. driver's license

U.S. passport

Federal military ID

S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles ID card

S.C. voter registration card with photo

If you do not have proper photo ID but are registered to vote, you can cast a provisional ballot.

Do I have to be a member of a political party to vote in the primary?

No. The statewide primaries are open to all registered voters in South Carolina. You will, however, have to decide whether you want to vote in the Republican primary or the Democratic primary when you get to the polls.

Can I vote in both primaries?

No. State law prohibits it.

Which races am I voting for?

Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email

Sign Up!

Every South Carolina voter will be able to vote in the governor's race, where Republicans and Democrats are vying to become their respective party's nominee. Five candidates are duking it out on the Republican side, while three Democrats are angling for their shot. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary, there will be a runoff on June 26 between the two top vote-getters.

Aside from the governor's race, there are more elections going on depending on your district and your ballot. You can check your sample ballot by checking your voter registration at scvotes.org. Click the "Voters" tab and select "Check your voter information." Once you have entered your information, click "View Sample Ballot." You can view the Republican and Democratic ballots.

The winning nominees will face off for good Nov. 6.

What else is on the ballot?

Voters will get to answer a pair of advisory questions. The answer to these questions will not change any sort of policy but will likely be used in the coming year by Republicans and Democrats alike when citing support or disapproval of said measures.

Democrats are asking voters these two questions:

Do you support passing a state law allowing doctors to prescribe medical marijuana to patients?

Do you support passing a state law requiring the governor of South Carolina to accept all federal revenues offered to support Medicaid and Medicaid expansion efforts in the state?

Republicans are asking voters these two questions:

Do you believe that voters should have the option to choose to affiliate with a political party when they register to vote or change their voter registration in South Carolina?

Do you believe that South Carolina's tax code should be brought into conformity with the new Trump tax cuts in the federal code for maximum simplification and to lower the overall tax burden on South Carolina taxpayers and businesses?

What can I expect at the polling place?

Most polling places are familiar gathering hubs such as schools and churches. On Election Day, these locations will be surrounded by a slew of campaign signs for different political races. As you near your polling place, you may find yourself shaking hands with a candidate or talking to campaign staffers. They are allowed to do that but only within 200 feet of the entrance to a polling place.

Inside the polling place, no campaigning is allowed. Candidates must remove any campaign stickers or buttons they are wearing once they enter a polling place.

When you leave, you may be asked to participate in an exit poll. It's your decision whether to participate.

No one is allowed to intimidate voters or interfere with the election process. If this happens, alert a poll manager immediately.

When will we know who won?

That depends on how quickly election officials can tabulate the results. The Post and Courier will be covering the races all day and night. Check postandcourier.com for results and analysis.COLUMBIA  The time has come for some South Carolina governor candidates to go home.

Voters will eliminate at least half of the eight-candidate field in Tuesday's primary, as runoffs are likely in both the Republican and Democratic races for the state's top job as no hopeful is expected to break the 50 percent of the vote threshold.

Here's who stands the best chances of staying in the election, listed in their predicted order of finish:

Republicans

Results to watch: Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson counties  the Upstate GOP strongholds where winning candidates need to do well. Horry County, home to Myrtle Beach and the state's hub of Republican retirees.

Henry McMaster: What a difference a bus tour makes. The governor from Columbia was talking runoff before he took a four-day, 15-stop trip last week, but now he's confident he could win outright. Hang on tight, governor. Even with Donald Trump's backing  "A special guy," the president tweeted Saturday  there's too much support for his rivals to get him past the 50 percent-plus one mark on Tuesday. But if he can get beyond 40 percent, a June 26 runoff looks less daunting.

John Warren: Surging in the polls like a Beyonce single, the Greenville businessman was polling at 1 percent just two months ago. Warren checks a lot of boxes: business owner, Marine veteran and political outsider. He brought in pollsters and strategists who worked with Trump's 2016 campaign with $3 million of his cash to develop a slick, tight message that's reaching GOP voters. Did Warren enter the race too late (near Valentine's Day) to win? Perhaps. But it's an impressive debut.

Catherine Templeton: The Mount Pleasant attorney was the "outsider" of choice until Warren's arrival. Still, Templeton has built a solid base of support in 18 months of campaigning, including from many Nikki Haley backers. Her longer time on the trail has given voters more chances to see her successes  and fumbles. And the ads from the former two-time state agency chief have been the election's conversation starters: shooting the snake. The race for the second runoff spot should be a close call.

Kevin Bryant: Political observers have wondered how the witty, experienced lieutenant governor could have made a difference in the GOP race if he had the kind of money as the top three. But the Anderson pharmacist didn't. Bryant does not have the support outside the Upstate to challenge on Tuesday.

Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email

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Yancey McGill: The first candidate in the race (he joined in March 2016) is expected to finish last. No money for ads and a long history as a Democrat doom the race's nice guy.

Democrats

Results to watch: Richland and Charleston counties, the party's election bellwether spots. Orangeburg County, a signal of interest among the state's black voters.

James Smith: Somehow, this should have been more simple for a two-decade state lawmaker and combat veteran with an endorsement from former Vice President Joe Biden running against two relative unknowns. But if there's a lesson from the primary, Smith needs to get known better, too. He has a shot of winning outright, but a runoff would not be an utter shock. If his team can get his voters to polls, Smith might be able to rest for two weeks.

Marguerite Willis: The year of the woman is helping the Florence attorney. She is making the race interesting with her pledges to fight for equal pay and against sexual harassment. And her blunt anti-Trump talk  he's a racist and sexist, she says  is winning over some progressives. But Willis has little else politically going for her. Even if she gets into a runoff, she lacks the support or operation to have a huge chance of beating Smith.

Phil Noble: The Charleston tech consultant appeals to African-Americans with his background as the son of a Civil Rights preacher. Noble also is talking tough against Smith on everything from guns to the Statehouse corruption probe. Like Willis, though, he has little in the way of major endorsements (outside of Alabama Sen. Doug Jones). And Noble suffers from a lack of cash to spread his message during a potential runoff.PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-12 20:30:17

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Bird River Resources Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Winnipeg, Manitoba (FSCWire) - Bird River Resources Inc. (CSE:BDR). has issued a press release with the following headline:Bird River Resources Announces Strategic Alliance for Its Drilling ProgramTo 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 Bird River Resources Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Bird River Resources Inc.Source: Bird River Resources Inc. (CSE: BDR)Date: June 12, 2018Time: 2:30 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Bird River Resources Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2018 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)Before the Niagara river plunges along the CanadaUnited States border to create the mesmerizing Niagara Falls, it cuts a 11 km long gorge through the hard dolomite rocks of the Niagara Escarpment. This gorge has been a popular scene for sightseers ever since Niagara welcomed its first tourists more than a hundred years ago. Back then, the gorge was home to another attractiona narrow-gauge railroad running along the shoreline at the bottom of the gorge.

The Niagara Gorge Railroad was the dream of Civil War veteran Captain John M. Brinker, who was one of Buffalo's foremost citizens. It was Captain Brinkers idea to build an electric rail road through the Niagara Gorge. His proposal was at first met with incredulity, but his earnestness compelled attention. It was, however, not an original idea. Prior to Captain Brinker, the Niagara Falls and Whirlpool Company made a half hearted attempt to construct a railroad within the Niagara gorge, but legal obstacles prevented the company from executing the plan. Some sources say that the Niagara Falls and Whirlpool Company went bankrupt soon after.

Trolley car of the Niagara Gorge Railroad. Photo credit: Library of Congress

Learning from the mistakes made by the previous company, Captain Brinker devised a new plan to connect the city of Niagara Falls to the city of Lewiston, both in New York, through the gorge. Brinker hoped riding along the gorge on an electric train would be a novelty that would draw large crowds. So the Niagara Falls and Lewiston Railroad Company was founded, which was later renamed to the Niagara Gorge Railway Company, and work commenced on the line in early 1895. It was a tremendous feat to build the gorge railroad. A gradual descent from the city of Niagara Falls into the gorge had to be excavated through the rock, and rock excavation was necessary at many points along the route in order to lay the tracks at or near the foot of the cliffs along the river. The line proceeded along past the Whirlpool and Devil's Hole to Lewiston, where it again returned to the top of the gorge. When the railroad opened later that year, it became an instant marvel of engineering technology, and an attraction rivaling that of the Falls itself.

The Niagara Falls and Lewiston Railroad provided the public with a remarkable view of the mighty Niagara River including the colossal waves of the raging Whirlpool Rapids, and the majestic Niagara Falls. In summer, open sided trolley cars were used with seats running completely across the width of the trolley. The railroad became so popular that a second track was laid the very next year. This allowed the railroad company to operate cars in both directions at the same time with greater frequency.

A similar double track line, connecting Chippawa to Queenston, was built on the Canadian side of the border on the top of the gorge. This line opened in 1893, two years before the American gorge railroad opened. Both of these linesthe Queenston-Chippawa railroad and the Niagara Gorge railroadcontinued to be popular attractions until 1902, when the two trolley lines were purchased by the International Railway Company and combined into the "Great Gorge Route." Fiver years later, the Great Gorge Route was running trolley cars through the gorge in fifteen minute interval, from seven in the morning to midnight, seven days a week.

The Great Gorge Route closed seasonally between March and April because of spring thaw, which was when most rock falls occurred. Erosion of walls of the Niagara Gorge and rock falls became the biggest enemy of the railroad. Numerous mishaps happened during the railroads forty-year lifespan, and they were not without casualties. In 1907, an avalanche of ice just north of the Whirlpool Bridge killed a conductor and eight passengers. In 1915, a trolley carrying a Sunday School group from Toronto left the rails, killing thirteen people. In 1917, a trolley derailed and plunged into the Niagara River killing twelve. In 1930, a small rock slide crashed down on the rail bed carrying it and a number of power poles into the river. These regular disruption from rock and landslides began to eat into the profits, and in 1932, the Canadian portion of the Great Gorge Route was terminated. The American side continued until 1935, when five thousand tons of rock fell and buried more than 200 feet of track and rail bed, forcing the Great Gorge Route to close for business.

Today, the nature trail along the former rail bed at the base of the Niagara Gorge along the American shoreline are all that remains of the Great Gorge Route.

Related: The Stopping of Niagara Falls in 1969

Niagara River Rapids before the Whirlpool, viewed from the Spanish AeroCar, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Photo credit: Diego Torres Silvestre/FlickrCable car & ropeways market report categorizes global market by product type (Aerial Tramways, Funicular Ropeways, Chairlifts, Gondola, Surface Lift, Material Ropeways, and Inclined Lifts

Cable Car and Ropeways Market

PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-12 13:31:56

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Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702CEO+1-206-701-6702

Cable transportation systems includes cables, to travel from one end to another, especially at high altitudes places. Ropeways are generally used as a public transportation systems for carrying goods & passengers in cities as well as in mountain areas. Global cable car & ropeway market is expected to witness moderate growth during the forecast period. This market growth is attributed to increasing adoption of cable cars & ropeways in tourism industry to attract more customer base, introduction of cable cars in public transport, steady growth of material handling industry where ropeways & cable cars are used for transit, and introduction of technologically advanced products by key market players. For instance, in 2016, Government of India launched an initiative to develop cable cars at four locations in Karnataka, to promote tourism activities. However, high costs associated with these airlifts and stringent safety & security norms such as EU cableway directive 2000/9/EC, which relates to installations designed to carry a person, may hamper the market growth.Request For Sample Copy of this Research Report :Constant technological advancements is one of the major factors for growth of cable cars and ropeways market. For instance, The Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group offers tricable gondola detachable (TGD) ropeways that combines the advantages of reversible aerial tramway and gondola lift. Furthermore, detachable installations have gained significant traction across end users, owing to its ability to detach the vehicle in the station from rope, which enables higher speed on the line and lower speed at station. This makes boarding and de-boarding of passengers convenient, comfortable, and safer.Innovation in cable cars & ropeway technology and designs is expected to boost the market growthKey market players in the global cable car & ropeway industry are focusing on upgrading the technology and designs of their products. The primary factor for this continuous innovation is complete satisfaction of customers in terms of safety, comfort, and security of the transit. For instance, SigmaCabins, a France-based company and provider of carriers for ropeway transport, offers a variety of designs, shapes, and curves on cable cars that adapts to the surrounding environment and are comfortable for the travelers. Furthermore, LEITNER, a global provider of cable cars & ropeways, launched new 8-seater 'Jufen' chairlift in January 2018, which incorporates latest generation ropeway technology to provide greater transport capacity and comfort.Airlifts as a mode of public transitCable cars or airlifts can be alternative solution for growing traffic congestions across cities, worldwide. Rising population and growing per capita spending on automotive industry has led to excessive traffic congestions and increasing pollution levels. Therefore, cableways of transit can offer effective alternative solution to reduce traffic congestion and also aid in reducing pollution. Furthermore, it can offer benefits such as cost-effective transportation.However, implementation of this is a challenge, owing to a variety of geographical economic constraints. Cable cars have been implemented as a public transit mode in several countries such as Colombia, Bolivia, Hong Kong, and Turkey; however, is still not widely accepted. Also, factors such as high costs of cable cars & related services and safety & security concerns are major challenging factors for growth of the market.Cable car & ropeway market in material handlingRopeway conveyors is a type of gondola lift, which is specifically designed to transport goods through containers. These type of gondola lifts are majorly used in mining industry, where materials are transferred over long distance. The adoption of such conveyors have increased in the recent past in material handling industry, owing to their benefits over conventional conveyors such as reduced downtime and minimized recurring failures. Furthermore, availability of variety of ropeways such as monocable, bicable/tricable, & others from local as well as international vendors has increased the adoption of ropeway conveyors at a considerable rate.Some of the key players operating in the global cable car & ropeway industry include Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group, Leitner S.p.A., POMA Group, Bartholet Maschinenbau AG (BMF), Nippon Cable Co., Ltd., Damodar Ropeways & Infra Ltd., Bullwheel International Cable Car Corp., Vergokan, Dubrovnik cable cars, and Kreischberg: Cableways.For More Information @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/market-insight/cable-car-and-ropeways-market-1476PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-13 00:03:01

The subcutaneous (SC) formulation of CT-P13 was comparable in terms of efficacy and safety with intravenous (IV) formulation for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis up to week 30 indicating that CT-P13 SC could be a future alternative infliximab treatment

CT-P13 SC would provide patients with the opportunity to self-inject, saving time and giving them more autonomy

Celltrion Healthcare Showcases Promising Preliminary Results for New Subcutaneous Formulation of CT-P13 (biosimilar infliximab) in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Hanover Communications

Suru Douglas

sdouglas@hanovercomms.com

+44 203 817 6586

or

Georgia Featherston

gfeatherston@hanovercomms.com

+44 203 817 6718

New data presented at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2018) show that the subcutaneous (SC) formulation of CT-P13 is comparable in terms of efficacy and safety with the intravenous (IV) formulation of CT-P13 for the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) up to week 30. The results indicate that CT-P13 SC could be a future alternative infliximab treatment.1

The objective of the randomised, controlled phase I/III study was to evaluate efficacy, pharmacokinetic (PK) properties and the safety profile of CT-P13 SC over the first 30 weeks of treatment and to find the optimal dose of CT-P13 SC.

In the study, patients were randomly assigned into four cohorts; one group receiving CT-P13 IV and the other three receiving different doses of CT-P13 SC (90mg/120mg/180mg) bi-weekly. The initial 30-week results from the study showed comparable efficacy of CT-P13 SC to CT-P13 IV regardless of the route of administration or dosage with similar DAS28 and ACR20 scores - standardised disease improvement measurements for rheumatoid arthritis used to measure disease activity and disease improvement respectively. The safety profiles in CT-P13 SC cohorts were comparable to CT-P13 IV.1

Professor Rene Westhovens, Rheumatologist at the University Hospitals KU Leuven, Belgium said: These preliminary results are encouraging as they show that CT-P13 SC is safe and has comparable efficacy to the well-established intravenous version. This new injection formulation of infliximab would give patients the opportunity to self-inject, saving their time and giving them more autonomy.

Mr Hyoung-Ki Kim, Vice Chairman at Celltrion Healthcare said, At Celltrion Healthcare, our aim is to provide the best possible treatment options for patients and physicians. While the treatment of intravenous CT-P13, an infliximab biosimilar, is effective and well-tolerated, a new SC formulation would provide added patient convenience. Subsequently, based on the positive week 30 results presented today, we are planning to launch CT-P13 SC next year if approved as part of our twin-track strategy to create more choice and synergy across the healthcare system.

--- Ends---

Notes to editors:

About rheumatoid arthritis

In Europe, more than 2.9 million people have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), many of whom are of working age. On average, every third person with RA becomes work disabled and up to 40 per cent leave work completely within 5 years of diagnosis.2 Although there is no cure for RA, there are many treatments that can reduce inflammation and ease pain. As with all rheumatic diseases early diagnosis and intervention is key.

About CT-P13 (biosimilar infliximab)

CT-P13 is developed and manufactured by Celltrion, Inc. and was the worlds first monoclonal antibody biosimilar approved by the European Commission (EC). It is indicated for the treatment of eight autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and IBD. It was approved by the EC under the trade name Remsima in September 2013 and launched in major EU countries in early 2015. The US FDA approved CT-P13 in April 2016 under the trade name Inflectra. CT-P13 is approved in more than 87 countries (as of May 2018) including the US, Canada, Japan and throughout Europe.

About Celltrion Healthcare

Celltrion Healthcare is committed to delivering innovative and affordable medications to promote patients access to advanced therapies. Its products are manufactured at state-of-the-art mammalian cell culture facilities, designed and built to comply with the US FDA cGMP and the EU GMP guidelines. Celltrion Healthcare endeavors to offer high-quality cost-effective solutions through an extensive global network that spans more than 120 different countries. For more information please visit: http://www.celltrionhealthcare.com/

1 Westhovens et al. Novel formulation of CT-P13 for subcutaneous administration in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: Initial results from a phase I/III randomized controlled trial. Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR). 2018. THU0191

2 NRAS, European Fit for Work Report. Available at www.nras.org.uk/european-fit-for-work-report.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180612005PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-12 10:04:01

New research from leading payments company Verifone shows that UK SMEs are moving to a digital-first approach with customers

Increase in consumers mobile device use is a significant contributor to the shift as the UK moves towards a cashless society

Digital Britain - More Than a Quarter of UK Small Businesses Now Accept Payment Apps at the Checkout

FleishmanHillard

Tracey Nugent, +44 (0) 208 618 2930

Tracey.nugent@fhflondon.co.uk

New research commissioned by Verifone (NYSE: PAY), a leader in payment and commerce solutions, shows how United Kingdom (UK) small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are modernising their businesses to deal with the huge demand from a digitally-savvy society.

The independent report, conducted by Verve Partners Research and commissioned by Verifone for MoneyConf, shows that more than a quarter (29 percent) of UK small and medium businesses now give their customers the option to pay using an app in store - an increasingly popular payment method for consumers, fueled by the popularity of mobile payments apps such as Google Pay and Apple Pay.

In addition, almost a fifth (17 percent) of micro-businesses are also tapping into the trend and accepting payment apps to ensure a seamless, easy experience for their customers at the checkout.

The Digital Demand

With UK consumers becoming more and more digitally demanding, and more than 81 percent of [..], the new Verifone research shows that the countrys SMEs are eager to meet their needs by leaving traditional processes behind. More than a third (38 percent) of small and micro businesses, and 44 percent of medium sized businesses, now conduct payments with tablets and other digital devices.

Nathan Gill, VP and Head of Solutions at Verifone, commented: Society has become familiar with the seamless use of apps and social media. Today, consumers expect to pay with the same speed and convenience as with these other aspects of their lives, but they also want other options at the checkout that extend beyond a traditional transaction  the ability to donate to charity or delay the debit from their account, for example. This demand from consumers is making retailers re-think their approach to payments, and its encouraging to see that businesses in the UK are now adjusting their technology to meet this demand.

With the UK high-street currently undergoing a difficult period amid tightened consumer spending, the research also showed that UK businesses believe cost was a vital factor when exploring new payments technology  45 percent of small and micro businesses, and 35 percent of medium sized businesses, say that transaction cost is a key factor when exploring payment solutions.

Beccy Stamp, Director  Research & Consulting at Verve, added: The cost of payment solutions and speed of receiving funds is certainly key. Its encouraging to see from this research that UK small businesses are also looking towards the future, calling for payment solutions that offer the flexibility to adapt to the changing needs of the retail environment and are able to provide customers with digital solutions that are both seamless and secure.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for VeriFone Systems, Inc.

This press release includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management's current expectations or beliefs and on currently available competitive, financial and economic data and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements herein due to changes in economic, business, competitive, technological and/or regulatory factors, and other risks and uncertainties affecting the operation of the business of VeriFone Systems, Inc., including many factors beyond our control. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those associated with: new Verve research commissioned by Verifone, execution of our strategic plan and business initiatives and whether the expected benefits of our plan and initiatives are achieved, short product cycles and rapidly changing technologies, our ability to maintain competitive leadership position with respect to our payment solution offerings, our assumptions, judgments and estimates regarding the impact on our business of the continued uncertainty in the global economic environment and financial markets, our ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses into our business and operations, our ability to protect against fraud, the status of our relationship with and condition of third parties such as our contract manufacturers, distributors and key suppliers upon whom we rely in the conduct of our business, our dependence on a limited number of customers, the conduct of our business and operations internationally, our ability to effectively hedge our exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, and our dependence on a limited number of key employees. For a further list and description of the risks and uncertainties affecting the operations of our business, see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual report on Form 10-K and our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date such statements are made. Verifone is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise.

About Verifone

Verifone is transforming every day transactions into new and engaging opportunities for merchants and consumers at the last inch of payments and commerce. Powered by a growing footprint of more than 30 million devices in more than 150 countries, our people are trusted experts working with the worlds best-known retail brands, financial institutions, and payment providers. Verifone is connecting more products to an integrated solutions platform to better meet the evolving needs of our clients and partners. Built on a 35-year history of uncompromised security, we are committed to consistently solving the most complex payment challenges. Verifone.com | (NYSE: PAY) | @verifone.

For further information, or to arrange an interview with Nathan, please contact:

Tracey Nugent

Tracey.nugent@fhflondon.co.uk

+44 (0) 208 618 2930

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180612005PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-12 15:52:02

EUR 15 mio financing round closed to support growth

Digital Insurance Group Signs Multi-Year Collaboration Agreement with Zurich Insurance Group

Digital Insurance Group B.V.

Ingo Weber

Group CEO

Email: Ingo@digitalinsurance.io

or

Karin Broetzner

Communications Manager

Email: media@digitalinsurance.io

Phone: +31 20 233 82 30

Web: http://www.digitalinsurance.io

Digital Insurance Group (DIG) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a multi-year collaboration agreement with Zurich Insurance Group, adding another blue chip name to its customer list. DIG will use its cutting-edge technology stack to support Zurich Insurance in developing innovative mobile solutions that are continually optimized using deep customer data analytics. The commercial agreement is complemented by a EUR 15 million funding round co-lead by Zurich Insurance and Finch Capital to further drive the global growth of the company.

Digital Insurance Group is a next generation technology partner to insurers, banks and brokers. Its data-driven insurance platform enables its customers to roll out fully customized mobile-first insurance experiences at record speed.

DIG also works with global banks and other companies that want to offer innovative insurance solutions to their customer base. The company is currently working with clients in multiple countries in Europe and Latin America.

Theo Bouts, CEO of Zurich Insurance Mobile Solution (ZIMS) said: We are excited about this collaboration with DIG, a leading insurtech innovator, to support our digital strategy and capabilities and to ensure we shape the future of insurance.

Ingo Weber, CEO and co-founder of DIG said: We are thrilled to support Zurich Insurance on a global scale and to bring new digital solutions to Zurich and its customers in a fast way.

Radboud Vlaar, Partner at Finch Capital said: We are proud to support the incredible team at DIG as they continue to build on their success providing leading digital insurance solutions to their banking, insurance and broker clients in Europe and since 2018 also outside Europe.

About

Digital Insurance Group (DIG) is a leading insurtech innovator and a next generation technology partner to insurers and banks. Its data-driven insurance platform enables insurers, banks and other companies to offer fully integrated insurance solutions to their customers at record speed. DIG was created in 2017 through the merger of two European insurtechs and is currently active in multiple countries in Europe and Latin America. The company is backed by top US and European VC investors as well as a leading global insurance group.

Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) is a leading multi-line insurer that serves its customers in global and local markets. With about 53,000 employees, it provides a wide range of property and casualty, and life insurance products and services in more than 210 countries and territories. Zurich's customers include individuals, small businesses, and mid-sized and large companies, as well as multinational corporations. The Group is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, where it was founded in 1872. The holding company, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd (ZURN), is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and has a level I American Depositary Receipt (ZURVY) program, which is traded over-the-counter on OTCQX. Further information about Zurich is available at www.zurich.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180612005PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-12 10:00:16

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ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Doubleview Capital Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Doubleview Capital Corp. (TSX Venture:DBV). has issued a press release with the following headline:Doubleview to Resume Exploration at the Hat Gold-Copper-Cobalt-Silver ProjectTo 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 Doubleview Capital Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Doubleview Capital Corp.Source: Doubleview Capital Corp. (TSX Venture: DBV, OTC Pink: DBLVF, FWB: 1D4, WKN: A1W038)Date: June 12, 2018Time: 4:00 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Doubleview Capital Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2018 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)Facial Rejuvenation Market: Market Growth, Size, Share, Trends, Key Players, Competitive Intelligence 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024

Facial Rejuvenation Market

PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-12 14:12:13

Press Information

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# 724 Words

Kemp House,152  160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXLead Marketing+1-866-598-1553

Facial Rejuvenation Market report offers Market Size, Dynamics, Regional Market Share, Top Key Players, Latest trends, Growth factors, Industry Stats, Historic Market, Business Intelligence, Business Research Reports, Competitive Intelligence 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024The global Facial Rejuvenation market is expected to grow at a significant CAGR due to increase in the global population. Rise in the disposable income levels, lifestyle changes, early onset of aging, and increasing adoption of minimally invasive or non-invasive surgical rejuvenation procedures expected fuel the facial rejuvenation market. Furthermore, simple procedures for the treatments, rise in the affordability, availability of beauty products in the market, and shorter treatment duration by patients also boost the facial rejuvenation market over the forecast period. However, lack of properly trained professionals, limited documented evidence of clinical effectiveness, and the implementation of international regulatory mandates for the standardization of cosmetic procedures are the major bottle necks for the growth of facial rejuvenation market over the forecast period.A sample of this report is available upon request @Facial rejuvenation market is segmented based on the product type, and end-userBased on product type, the facial rejuvenation market is segmented into the following: Topical Rejuvenation Productso Keratolyticso Moisturizerso Retinoidso Sunscreenso Hair Removals Botulinum Products Dermal Fillerso Absorbableo Non absorbable Chemical peels Micro abrasion equipment Equipmento Laser based equipment Ultrasound based equipmentBased on the end-user, facial rejuvenation market is segmented into the following: Hospitals Dermatology clinics OthersTo view TOC of this report is available upon request @Market players are adopting various key strategies that include acquisitions and mergers, collaborations, agreements, product approvals, and launching of new products to increase share in the facial rejuvenation market. For instance, in June 2009, Anika Therapeutics, signed an exclusive U.S. distribution agreement with Palo Alto, Coapt Systems, Inc. for its aesthetic dermatology franchise. Coapt Systems suite of bioabsorbable implants for use in facial aesthetic and rejuvenation procedures is highly complementary to Anikas injectable filler that corrects lines and wrinkles on the face. In addition, in July 2008, Johnson & Johnson received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance to market Evolence, an injectable collagen for treating facial wrinkles. Moreover, in April 2016, Merz Pharma made a strategic venture investment in Cytrellis Biosystems, for developing a new class of non-surgical products to combat sagging skin associated with aging.Need more information about this report @Geographically, the facial rejuvenation market has been segmented into following regions Viz. North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America dominates the facial rejuvenation market. Owing to change in the lifestyle, increase in the healthcare expenditure and skilled professionals the region for minimally invasive surgeries. Europe facial rejuvenation market holds a dominant share attributed to increase in the aging population, technological developments in the facial rejuvenation procedures such as minimally invasive or non-surgical procedures might fuel the market in European region over the forecast period. Asia-Pacific accounts for the significant share due to increase in the population companies setting up manufacturing facilities in the region. In addition, rising awareness about skin problems is also supporting the growth of facial rejuvenation market in Asia-Pacific region over the forecast period.Some of the players in facial rejuvenation market are Biopolymer GmbH & Co KG (Germany), Merz GmbH & Co. KGaA (Germany), Lumenis (U.S.), Revance Therapeutics, Inc. (U.S,), Speciality European Pharma (U.K.), Mentor Worldwide LLC (U.K.), Anika Therapeutics, Inc. (U.S.), Contura International A/S (Denmark), Cynosure, Inc. (U.S.), Fibrocell Science Inc. (U.S,), and Galderma S/A (Switzerland) to name a few.Get access to full summary @About Precision Business InsightsPrecision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.Contact to Precision Business Insights,Kemp House,152  160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXEmail: sales@ precisionbusinessinsights.com Toll Free (US): +1-866-598-1553Website @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.comPR-Inside.com: 2018-06-12 17:15:28

Press Information

Cece Feinberg Public Relations

4040 NE 2nd Ave



sweet 411



Sara Gaggia



3055323467

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# 707 Words

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Miami  June 6, 2018  Beth Sobol, with more than 30 years of experience in the fashion industry, founder of the original Miami Fashion Week, and Global Brand Ambassador for .FASHION domains has launched the Fashion Business Association of America (FBAA).The FBAA strategic partners are a group of top experts within the global fashion and business industries that have joined forces in providing information and resources on relevant, current and correct best business practices for todays ever changing American market.We are very excited with our new branding as it reflects exactly our association represents; we are THE fashion business association for the American market. Building a professional platform to provide designers of all levels access to true industry experts that will educate and guide them through todays changing retail and business landscapes is essential in achieving commercial success in todays American market says Sobol.The first of its kind for the fashion industry, the FBAA is a one-stop shop for designers seeking advice and guidance in positioning their businesses for growth in a complex domestic and international fashion market. Among the many benefits, FBAA members will have access to the industries top experts to help them navigate through the critical stages and challenges facing designers and to help them sustain in todays digital and disruptive market.Entering the U.S. market is challenging and costly if you dont get the dynamics right, says Sonia Garcia, founder of Fashion Market Entry, a division of KREA Global and strategic partner of the FBAA.Membership in the FBAA is open to apparel, accessories, textiles and home decor designers and brands around the world in womens wear, mens wear, lingerie, swimwear, athleisure, jewelry, shoes, and handbags, as well as textiles, and home accessories and decor, fashion retailers, international trade offices, empowerment foundations, fashion councils and related industry professionals.Designers joining in June and July will receive a special summer discount of 10% off the annual membership fee to be part of this exciting platform. Further special consideration is given to groups of 20+ designers joining together. All memberships include a virtual showroom with our partners at Bamboo Rose and access to our team of unrivaled fashion business experts.The FBAA, together with Bamboo Rose, provider of the product innovation platform that connects retail communities, have collaborated to create the Bamboo Rose House of Fashion a virtual showroom providing FBAA members with access to global buyers and resources never before possible for an emerging brand.Designers and brands today are under more pressure to innovate and reach wider markets than ever before. The traditional approach to developing products and reaching buyers doesnt cut it, said Sue Welch, CEO of Bamboo Rose. Designers, retailers and brands need new ways to reach international buyers and quickly receive feedback on their product for their particular markets. The Bamboo Rose House of Fashion provides a unique online community that connects FBAA designers with international retail buyers to ultimately give consumers a more appealing, high quality product. FBAA members will have access to a dream team of experts and resources in many phases of retail strategies, fashion law, factoring and finance, brand development & buyers outreach, digital marketing strategies and much more. Beth has spent the last 2  years working diligently to assemble her team of advisers for this much-needed service said Aaron Perry, Beth's former business partner with Miami Fashion Week and a shareholder in the FBAA.Todays designers need to be smarter and more aware of the changing consumer shopping habits than ever before. These monumental changes have precipitated a need for different methods of financing businesses. E-commerce plays a greater and greater role in brand building and it thereby requires a different approach to capital needs and allocations. Wholesale channels of distribution are also morphing daily. The more informed small business owners are, the better prepared they will be to find a path to growth and profitability in this new environment. I look forward to providing insights and financing opportunities through the FBAA to its membership, said Gary A. Wassner, CEO, Principal, Hilldun Corporation, and shareholder in the FBAA.To learn more about the Fashion Business Association of America (FBAA) please visit www.FBAA.fashion WELCOME TO YOUR FUTURE!PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-12 11:03:02

Ocutrx(TM) AR Glasses Garners First Medical Patent for Restoring Functional Sight to Patients with Visual Field Deficits

IRVINE, Calif., June 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ocutrx Vision Technologies, LLC, a California based Augmented Reality (AR) Glasses developer today announced that the company's core AR medical application technology has been issued its first patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The company's Augmented Reality headset, called Oculenz(TM) boasts the widest field-of-vision in the industry, with a 110-degree high-resolution heads-up display, in a wirelessly connected, untethered, micro-weight headset. The patent also teaches how the Oculenz ARwear(TM) can work in conjunction with smart contact lenses as the display and eye-tracking.

"This first patent award validates our core technology for using our AR platform innovations for medical applications," stated Michael H. Freeman, CEO/CTO and Founder of Ocutrx. "This is a real milestone for creating value for Ocutrx's patent portfolio and an incredible step forward in securing patent rights around the world," Freeman said. "We immediately filed a Continuation Patent to focus on the previously filed specification elements incorporating eye-tracking with an AR head mounted display for the larger AR market."

The company plans to also market their Oculenz to other sectors including gaming, commercial, industrial, HAZMAT, e-commerce, aerospace, drones and defense. "While many AR companies built a platform first, and are now looking to find a market," said Scott Evans, M.B.A., Ocutrx COO, "we strategically designed our first ARwear for the medical industry, where there are many highly-motivated buyers, then we intent to expand into the AR market-at-large."

Ocutrx was founded in 2015 by Michael H. Freeman, an Emmy Award-winning designer of streaming mobile video technology which became the basis for the IEEE 802.11(n) MIMO standard. Freeman created the first streaming smart-phone video product which was licensed by virtually all of the cell companies which existed in the 1990's. The streaming video technology and patents were later sold to Samsung Electronics.

"The Oculenz is the first ground-breaking technology to offer a solution for advanced central visual defects in patients with retinal disease," said Dr. Thomas Finley, M.D. a Vitreoretinal surgeon and member of the Ocutrx International Medical Advisory Board (IMAB). "This innovative AR device brings a new hope to regain functional vision previously considered impossible. The impact on the individual's quality of life and retained or regained ability to productively function at home and in the workplace will be immeasurable."

The USPTO determined that Ocutrx's first patent application was allowable covering a diagnostic phase where the patients can wear the Oculenz to map their own retinal defects, alone or with the help of their physicians, and a second corresponding display phase where the video is buffered according to the retinal map and displayed over the patient's real-world vision. The Oculenz's buffered display shows all the real-world video image, but none is shown on the exact area of the patient's eye defect. Instead, it is directed to the patient's existing good areas of the macula or near adjacent peripheral retina.

"The Oculenz technology works somewhat like how we all have a natural blind spot in our vision that we do not realize on a day to day basis," said Dr. Lars Freisberg, M.D., an international Retinal Specialist surgeon, licensed in the U.S., Norway and Germany, and member of the Ocutrx IMAB. "However, you never really see this hole," explained Dr. Freisberg, "because the brain fills it in with other gathered visual information."

"With the Oculenz the idea is that the patient senses the entire image and learns to disregard the defect area through 'neural adaptation' due to the 'plasticity of the brain,'" said Dr. R. Wade Crow, M.D., Neural Ophthalmologist and Assistant Professor of Neuro-Ophthalmology at the University of California-Irvine and member of the Ocutrx IMAB. "Working with visual input, the brain can train itself to not see redundant or unnecessary things."

About Ocutr x

With corporate headquarters in the OC at Irvine, California, and a research and R&D lab in the Midwest, located in Oklahoma, Ocutrx is a new breed of AR manufacturing company focusing on the lightest weight headset with the largest field-of-vision in the market. At a time when worldwide applications for easy-to-wear and easy-to-use AR solutions are being touted as the "next big thing after the smartphone" Ocutrx is creating impactful, revolutionary "AR glasses for the masses"(TM).

To learn more about Ocutrx, please visit the company website at www.ocutrxarwear.com.

Media Contact:

Karen Clarke

Media Representative

Ocutrx Vision Technologies, LLC

karen.clarke@ocutrxarwear.com

(949) 623-8408

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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: Ocutrx Vision Technologies, LLC via Globenewswire

PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-12 19:05:15

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for FogChain Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, Canada and San Carlos, CA (FSCWire) - FogChain Corp. (CSE:FOG). has issued a press release with the following headline:FogChains RadJav Platform Provides Full Linux SupportTo 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 FogChain Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/FogChain Corp.Source: FogChain Corp. (CSE: FOG)Date: June 12, 2018Time: 1:04 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of FogChain Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2018 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)Through its online security studies degree programs, Angelo State reaches military and civilian students in countries around the world. Dr. Randy Mullis of the security studies faculty reaches even more of them in person.

Dr. Randy Mullis Director of ASUs Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Security Studies since August 2017, Mullis is also a volunteer instructor for the Defense Education Enhancement Program (DEEP), a joint initiative of NATO and the Partnership for Peace Consortium. This year alone, he has made several trips to Macedonia and Ukraine to provide faculty and curriculum development workshops for administrators and instructors at various military academies.

The workshops include adult education and learning methodologies and assessment and evaluation techniques to improve their delivery of curriculum and their ability to assess how effective they are in producing military officers, Mullis said. Its primarily all based on Defense Institution for Reform principles to provide critical thinking and reasoning opportunities to help prepare states like Macedonia for membership in NATO and the European Union.

Since he began volunteering with DEEP in 2015, Mullis has made 14 trips to Eastern Europe and Central Asia that also included stops in Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Croatia. This summer, he is heading to Madagascar through the related African Military Education Program, and then to another DEEP program in Croatia.

World-Class Experience









Its very rewarding because, at the end of the workshops, the military faculty are generally appreciative of what we present, Mullis said. There is also a lot of networking and collegiality. I have Croatian, German and Ukrainian colleagues, and weve worked on other projects together. Ive learned a lot from them, and I hope to apply some of it here at ASU, so there is also a tangible benefit to our university.

It is also not lost on Mullis that he is volunteering for a NATO-sponsored program while directing ASUs Center for Security Studies that is named for Kay Bailey Hutchison  the current U.S. Ambassador to NATO.

I definitely mention that when I do these NATO workshops, Mullis said. I see it as a larger contribution from ASUs perspective and mine as the chair of the Center for Security Studies  that education is a means to enhance international security. To have those things come together for me professionally is amazing.

I really like the people here, and its a true family effort. I enjoy the Ram Fam atmosphere because were really a community here on campus. Dr. Randy Mullis

Also a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, Mullis spent 23 years on active duty, split almost evenly between serving as an intelligence officer and teaching at various institutions, including the U.S. Air Force Academy, Air Command and Staff College, and Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC), among others. He came to ASU after nearly a decade at CGSC.

It was an opportunity to complete a personal journey of professional development and teach at a civilian university, Mullis said. As the chair, I can influence the future of the department and hopefully make it an even better place with an even better reputation, as well as enhance our students learning.

In addition to being department chair, Mullis is a professor of security studies and teaches online courses in the graduate program. But he is looking forward to some classroom teaching when he offers his ASU Signature Course for freshmen, American Indian Wars: Culture and Conflict.

Its the face-to-face time, Mullis said. Its the ability to sit down with students, go into more detail, and get both verbal and non-verbal feedback. Theyre from a different generation, and one of the things we emphasize is that we need to adapt to their way of learning. Engaging with freshmen is going to give me the opportunity to do that.

Ive been teaching at the university level for 30 years, but I believe in lifelong learning, he added. So this will be another opportunity for me to learn along with the freshmen.

Dr. Mullis teaching on his most recent trip to the Macedonian Military Academy in Skopje. As he nears completion of his first academic year on campus, Mullis is happy that he chose Angelo State.

There have been some ups and downs, and I dont think one year is enough time to master this job because there are so many things I still need to learn about ASU, he said. But I really like the people here, and its a true family effort. I enjoy the Ram Fam atmosphere because were really a community here on campus.Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Market

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Global 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,Contact Person: Rajesh BabuRole: Marketing LeadEmail: sales@ precisionbusinessinsights.com Toll Free (US):+1-866-598-1553Website @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.comPR-Inside.com: 2018-06-12 15:00:16

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Kings Bay Resources Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver BC. (FSCWire) - Kings Bay Resources Corp. (TSX Venture:KBG). has issued a press release with the following headline:Kings Bay Announces Closing of Over-Subscribed Private PlacementTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Kings Bay Resources Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Kings Bay Resources Corp.Source: Kings Bay Resources Corp. (TSX Venture: KBG, FWB: KGB1, WKN: A2DWBR, ISIN: CA49579X1050)Date: June 12, 2018Time: 9:00 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Kings Bay Resources Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2018 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-12 11:36:45

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A Japanese university that suffered from atomic devastation will help pave the way towards a world without nuclear weapons.Nagasaki, Japan, June 5, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - The inaugural issue of the Journal for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament (J-PAND) was published in May by Nagasaki University's Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (RECNA).The English-language journal aims to provide a forum for proposing policies and other ideas that could contribute to nuclear disarmament. To encourage public debate, J-PAND is provided on an open access basis by its publisher Taylor & Francis.In the first edition, readers can find new ideas and perspectives on the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty and no-first-use of nuclear weapons."As is demonstrated in North Korea's nuclear programme and the latest US Nuclear Posture Review under the Trump administration, nobody can evade this issue. By launching J-PAND, we wish to provide an academic platform for promoting nuclear disarmament," says Fumihiko Yoshida, who serves as Editor-in-Chief of the journal.Seventy-three years ago, an atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Located close to the hypocentre, Nagasaki Medical College was totally destroyed. Nearly 900 faculty members, students, and medical workers were killed.The reconstruction of the college appeared to be an impossible mission. But from the ashes of the atomic wasteland rose the renewed Nagasaki University, which has developed into a world research centre on atomic radiation.Determined to eliminate nuclear weapons, Nagasaki University established the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition in 2012. It was apparent that former US President Barack Obama's landmark speech in Prague in April 2009 was a source of inspiration.The second edition of J-PAND will be published at the end of 2018 and is expected to feature issues such as diversifying nuclear strategies and nuclear risks.Contacts:Dr. Hibiki YamaguchiManaging EditorJournal for Peace and Nuclear DisarmamentNagasaki UniversityEmail: jpnd@ ml.nagasaki-u.ac.jp Journal informationJournal for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament, Vol.1, Issue 1.Press release distributed by ResearchSEA.Topic: Press release summarySectors: Aerospace/DefenceFrom the Asia Corporate News NetworkCopyright  2018 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Asia Corporate News Network.PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-12 10:03:01

New Research from Wolters Kluwer and The Banker Reveals Banks Planning Further Integration of Regulatory Data

Wolters Kluwer - Governance, Risk & Compliance

Paul Lyon

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The vast majority of global banks are planning to integrate their regulatory workflow data. But keeping up to date with the fast pace of regulatory change, as well as staying compliant with changing regulations and adhering to respective regulatory deadlines, is hindering that move. Thats according to a new survey from [..], which asked more than 100 senior level executives in risk, finance and compliance functions in banks across the world for their views on the data challenges they face.

Almost all (95.6%) respondents plan to integrate data across their regulatory workflows in the long term. When asked how integrated their regulatory workflow data currently is, a significant majority of respondents  almost eight in ten  revealed they had partially integrated this aspect of regulatory compliance, with plans in place for further integration. However, only 6% of respondents - the majority based in the Americas - have completely integrated regulatory workflow data. Just one respondent said its organization had not integrated and did not intend to integrate its regulatory workflow data.

Three-quarters of respondents also reported that creating an integrated and consistent view of data across the business was a major technological challenge. Just under half (46.0%) also pointed to integrating and merging technology as a significant challenge.

Legacy systems are a somewhat inconvenient fact for financial institutions  they have invested significant resources in these systems and are reluctant to abandon them. Their integration with new technologies is a concern, but so too are other issues such as inflexible technology support (cited by 56.6% of respondents) and the multiplicity of legacy products (54.9%). Working with legacy systems by applying a central finance, risk and regulatory reporting data warehouse could make an integrated regulatory workflow a reality, as discussed in previous studies by Wolters Kluwer.

The survey also found that the top concern for banks is keeping up to date with the pace of regulatory change (55.8%), followed closely by keeping compliant with changing regulations and adhering to regulatory deadlines (54.0%). The same percentage of respondents cited data validation and reconciliation of regulatory data with risk and/or financial underlying data as a challenge. Worryingly, 41.6% said they found interpreting regulations a challenge, which could suggest that some firms are struggling to source the appropriate expertise.

Nearly 70% of respondents cited the integration of existing and new technologies as their primary technology challenge. The increasing focus on granularity by regulators means existing systems are no longer fit for purpose and financial firms must integrate new systems that can cater to these needs.

Integration should help firms to develop regulatory compliance and reporting solutions that answer the need for increased data granularity and transparent data lineage. This new survey shows just how important regulatory data integration is for the worlds banks, comments Rajat Somany, Vice President, Global Product & Platform Management for Wolters Kluwers Finance, Risk & Reporting business. Creating and maintaining such solutions requires a focus on data structure and management that permits each piece of information to be understood in the context of others  as a detail when its necessary to consider it on its own, but also as a piece of a much bigger puzzle.

Regulators focus on data has put pressure on financial firms practices across a wide range of factors including availability, consistency, quality, reconciliation and data lineage. As with many of the issues surveyed, no single factor stood out  financial firms are grappling with a multitude of challenges. Nearly 62% of respondents cited achieving the required data quality as a challenge. The next biggest challenge is ensuring data consistency (53.1%), followed by data availability and the sourcing of critical attributes (49.6%).

Data quality is clearly the biggest challenge financial firms face in complying with regulations, as evidenced by almost six out of 10 (58.4%) admitting they were not very confident in the quality of their firms data, Somany adds. This was mainly due to data management and data governance processes not having been clearly defined, but the lack of relevant technology and resources also play a role for some.

About Wolters Kluwer Governance, Risk & Compliance

Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) is a division of Wolters Kluwer, which provides legal and banking professionals with solutions to ensure compliance with ever-changing regulatory and legal obligations, manage risk, increase efficiency, and produce better business outcomes. GRC offers a portfolio of technology-enabled expert services and solutions focused on legal entity compliance, legal operations management, banking product compliance, and banking regulatory compliance.

Wolters Kluwer N.V. (AEX: WKL) is a global leader in information services and solutions for professionals in the health, tax and accounting, risk and compliance, finance and legal sectors. Wolters Kluwer reported 2017 annual revenues of 4.4 billion. The company, headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands, serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries and employs 19,000 people worldwide.

About The Banker

The Banker has been the trusted source of banking information since 1926 and has navigated its way through 92 years of banking coverage from the Wall Street Crash of 1929 to the financial crisis of 2008 with the same reputation for accuracy, authority and integrity. It combines in-depth regional and country coverage reporting on capital markets, structured finance, risk management, working capital management and securities services, environmental finance, trade and project finance, trading, technology and management and governance issues.

The Bankers unique database of more than 5000 banks maps their financial strength and soundness via Tier 1 capital, their profitability and their performance versus their peers. The Banker is the key source of data and analysis for the industry.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180612005PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-12 14:37:02

Reference is made to the maximum SEK 2,000 million bond loan with ISIN SE0009723075 issued on March 24, 2017 by Bayport Management Ltd (the SEK Bonds). In accordance with the terms and conditions for the SEK Bonds, and at the request of the company, the agent of the bondholders has today summoned to a bondholders meeting by way of procedure in writing, with the purpose of approving certain amendments to the terms and conditions for the SEK Bonds.

The outcome of the procedure in writing will be announced through a press release on or about July 3, 2018. The last day for replies is July 2, 2018 and the voting record date is June 18, 2018.

A notice of the procedure in writing, including complete proposal for resolutions and voting instructions, is sent by the agent to directly registered owners and registered authorised nominees (Sw. forvaltare) of the SEK Bonds as of June 11, 2018 in the debt ledger produced by Euroclear Sweden.

Further information relating to the procedure in writing, the companys bonds or the company can be found on the companys website, www.bayportfinance.com.

For additional information, please contact David Rajak, Capital Markets Executive (investor@bayportfinance.com / +27 11 236 7300).

The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, on June 12, 2018 at 14:30 CEST.

This notice is issued pursuant to Listing Rule 11.3 and 11.5 of the Stock Exchange of Mauritius Ltd. The Board of Directors of Bayport Management Ltd accepts full responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained in this Communique.

AttachmentOvarian Cancer Treatment Market: Market Growth, Size, Share, Trends, Key Players, Competitive Intelligence 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024

Ovarian Cancer Treatment Market

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Ovarian Cancer Treatment Market report offers Market Size, Dynamics, Regional Market Share, Top Key Players, Latest trends, Growth factors, Industry Stats, Historic Market, Business Intelligence, Business Research Reports, Competitive Intelligence 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024Increase in incidence of ovarian cancer worldwide is driving the ovarian cancer treatment market. According to WHO, an estimated 238,700 woman are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012. The increase in older woman population, rising government funding and raising health care awareness able to grow ovarian cancer treatment market over the forecast period. According to ovarian cancer research fund alliance, the rate of prevalence of ovarian cancer is higher in woman between 55 to 66 years, many of the cancer foundations are funding to educate patients and healthcare professionals regarding symptoms and treatment options for ovarian cancer which may impact ovarian cancer market revenue growth positively over a forecast period. However, availability of generic drugs, lack of accurate diagnosis of ovarian cancer, and patient expiry of the key patented drugs like gemzar, taxol and paraplatin are expected to hamper the ovarian cancer treatment market.A sample of this report is available upon request @Ovarian cancer treatment market segmented on the basis of type of cancer, drug class, and stageBased on type of cancer, ovarian cancer treatment market is segmented into Epithelial Ovarian Tumor Ovarian Germ Cell Tumor Ovarian Stomatal Tumor Primary Peritoneal CarcinomaBased on drug class, ovarian cancer treatment market is segmented into Chemotherapeutic Agents Targeted Therapy Drugs Immune System Modulators HormonesBased on distribution channel, ovarian cancer treatment market is segmented into Hospital Pharmacies Retail Pharmacies OthersTo view TOC of this report is available upon request @Companies operating in ovarian cancer market investing in developing new drug therapies and finding newer molecular targets to treat ovarian cancer. For instance, Vintafolide an investigational targeted cancer therapeutic currently under development by Endocyte and Merck & Co. and faltetuzumab a monoclonal antibody being investigated for the treatment of ovarian cancer this was developed by Morphotek, Inc. The introduction of new drug therapies like gene therapy, radiation therapy and targeted drug therapy are projected to improve ovarian cancer market revenue growth over forecast period. Global ovarian cancer market currently dominated by generic drugs and development of more effective drugs is challenging for market players. Some of the new drugs like avastin, lynparza and yondelis are approved in recent years to treat cancer and these drugs are slowly capturing market share.Need more information about this report @Geographically ovarian cancer treatment market has been segmented into following regions viz. North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America dominates the ovarian cancer treatment market due to rising number of ageing population. According to American cancer society, in U.S. about 22,440 women will receive a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer and about 14,080 women will die from ovarian cancer in 2017. Europe is largest market as the incidence rates of ovarian cancer is increased in the region.Some of the players in ovarian cancer treatment market include Eli Lilly and Company (U.S.), Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. (U.S.), Novogen Limited (Australia) , Aeterna Zentaris Inc. (U.S)., GlaxoSmithKline plc (UK), Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH (Germany) and F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Switzerland) to name a few.Get access to full summary @About Precision Business InsightsPrecision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.Precision Business Insights mission is to provide high-quality market research reports and generate key insights to our clients. PBIs approachable strategies are to help clients to make key decisions for business growth.Precision Business Insights vision is to become most valued partner to fortune 500 companies by providing agile, accurate, and actionable market insightsContact 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Plasma Fractionation Market: Market Growth, Size, Share, Trends, Key Players, Competitive Intelligence 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024

Plasma Fractionation Market

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Plasma Fractionation Market report offers Market Size, Dynamics, Regional Market Share, Top Key Players, Latest trends, Growth factors, Industry Stats, Historic Market, Business Intelligence, Business Research Reports, Competitive Intelligence 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024Plasma fractionation refers to the process of separation, extraction, and purification of plasma. Human plasma contains the large variety of proteins, however, only a few of these proteins are help in producing therapeutic plasma products. Plasma is used in prevention and treatment of various life threatening diseases caused by trauma, immunologic disorders, and infections. Plasma fractionation process is majorly used in treating protein deficiency condition in healthcare applications. The proteins extracted from the plasma are majorly categorized into three main classes: immunoglobulins which are useful in treatment of autoimmune disorders and increasing the immune response of the body, clotting factors which are help in treatment of blood disorders such as haemophilia, and the albumins which are useful in conditions of decreased albumin levels or during fluid loss. Plasma fractionation process is carried by different criteria such as solubility of the products, and their physical and chemical conditions such as ionic strengths, pH levels, and temperature, etc. The removal or inactivation of viruses and prions is an important function of plasma fractionation, and it can be carried by various mechanical and physical treatments for virus inactivation such as nano filtration, detergent/solvent treatment, heat treatment, chromatography centrifugation, ultrafiltration, and sterile filtration in order to achieve homogeneity of plasma, and reduce the risks of viral transmissions.Plasma fractionation market expected to grow at significant rate over the forecast period due to rise in the incidence of immune and bleeding disorders, increase in the use of alpha-1 antitrypsin and immunoglobulin, rise in prevalence of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD), emphysema, and haemophilia. In addition, development in plasma techniques and plasma utilization are the key factors expected to boost the plasma fractionation market. However, high cost for the plasma products, adverse effects associated with the plasma fractionation products, lack of reimbursement policies, stringent regulatory policies, and increase in the recombinant coagulation factors might hinder the growth of plasma fractionation market over the forecast timeframe.A sample of this report is available upon request @Global plasma fractionation market segmented based on the product type, application, and end userBased on product type, global plasma fractionation market segmented into the following: Albumin Immunoglobulino Intravenous immunoglobulino Subcutaneous immunoglobulino Others Coagulation factor concentrateso Factor viiio Factor ixo Factor xiiio Prothrombin complex concentrateso Von Willebrand factor (VWF) Protease inhibitors Other plasma fractionation productsBased on application, global plasma fractionation market segmented into the following: Neurology Haematology Immunology Rheumatology Haemato-oncology Critical Care Pulmonology OthersBased on end-user, global plasma fractionation market segmented into the following: Hospitals Clinics Academic Institutes Clinical Research LaboratoriesTo view TOC of this report is available upon request @Several international players are actively involved in the development of global plasma fractionation products. In 2015, immunoglobulins commanded for the largest share of the global plasma fractionation market due to rise in prevalence and incidence autoimmune disorders (according to International Journal of Celiac Disease, 2015 the world prevalence and incidence of Autoimmune Diseases are increasing, the global net percent increased per year prevalence and incidence of autoimmune disorders were 12.57.9 and 19.143.1 respectively). However, the protease inhibitors are expected to highest growth in the forecasting period, due to increasing use of proteases for respiratory diseases and growing application in various diseases. Partnerships, agreements, new products launch, collaborations, acquisitions and mergers, joint ventures, are being adopted by various key players in the global plasma fractionation market. For instance, in 2003, Probitas Pharma acquired Alpha Therapeutic from Mitsubishi Pharma, similarly, Octapharma acquired Mexican fractionator Probifasa S.A. de C.V. for developing the plasma products.Need more information about this report @Geographically, global plasma fractionation market has been segmented into following regions Viz. North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America dominates the global plasma fractionation market followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific. The largest share of North-America in global plasma fractionation market is due to increasing use of immunoglobulins in neurological diseases and increasing use of prophylaxis treatments for chronic diseases in this region (According to Centres of Disease Control (CDC), in 2012, chronic diseases were one of the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S., with an estimated 117 Mn adults suffering from some form of chronic disease). Europe is the second largest region for global plasma fractionation market due to the rise in aging population and increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to register significant growth rate over the forecast owing to the increasing aging population, growing using of albumin and immunoglobulin, and an increasing focus on better diagnosis, prophylactic treatments, medical research, and organ transplantations in Asia-Pacific regions.Some of the players in plasma fractionation market are Grifols S.A (Spain), CSL Ltd. (Australia), Shire (Ireland), Octapharma AG (Switzerland), Kedrion S.p.A (Italy), China Biologic Products, Inc. (China), Biotest AG (OGEL GmbH) (Germany), LFB S.A (France), and Sanquin (Netherlands) to name a few.Get access to full summary @About Precision Business InsightsPrecision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.Precision Business Insights mission is to provide high-quality market research reports and generate key insights to our clients. PBIs approachable strategies are to help clients to make key decisions for business growth.Precision Business Insights vision is to become most valued partner to fortune 500 companies by providing agile, accurate, and actionable market insightsContact 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Point-of-Care Middleware Market

PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-12 13:25:32

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Global 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,Contact Person: Rajesh BabuRole: Marketing LeadEmail: sales@ precisionbusinessinsights.com Toll Free (US):+1-866-598-1553Website @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.comPR-Inside.com: 2018-06-12 07:33:02



's-Hertogenbosch, 12 June 2018

In the period from 5 June 2018 until 11 June 2018 Van Lanschot Kempen has repurchased 36,144 of its own shares (depositary receipts for Class A ordinary shares). The shares were repurchased at an average price of 24.63 per share for a total amount of 890,244.

These repurchases are part of the share buy-back programme for at most 400,000 of own shares, which was announced on 22 February 2018. The total number of shares repurchased to date is 265,688.

More information, including a detailed overview of the repurchase transactions under this programme, is available on www.vanlanschotkempen.com/sharebuyback.

Media Relations: +31 20 354 45 85; mediarelations@vanlanschotkempen.com

Investor Relations: +31 20 354 45 90; investorrelations@vanlanschotkempen.com

About Van Lanschot Kempen

Van Lanschot Kempen, a wealth manager operating under the Van Lanschot, Evi and Kempen brand names, is active in Private Banking, Asset Management and Merchant Banking, with the aim of preserving and creating wealth for its clients. Van Lanschot Kempen, listed at Euronext Amsterdam, is the Netherlands' oldest independent financial services company with a history dating back to 1737.

vanlanschotkempen.com

Disclaimer

This document does not constitute an offer or solicitation for the sale, purchase or acquisition in any other way of or subscription to any financial instrument and is not an opinion or a recommendation to perform or refrain from performing any action.

This document is a translation of the Dutch original and is provided as a courtesy only. In the event of any disparities, the Dutch version will prevail.

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: Van Lanschot Kempen via Globenewswire

Pakistans Supreme Court is to examine the case of Shah Hussain, who was released from prison following an appeal against his conviction for a brutal attack on fellow student Khadija Siddiqi. His defence was that his actions were justified by her behaviour. The Revd Evelyn R Bhajan, a deacon in the Church of Pakistan, assesses what the case means for women in the country and the Churchs role in combating gender discrimination.

Zanjeer torr! Machao shor! Break the shackles and make your voice heard  raising our voice for Khadija Siddiqi

A recent conversation with a friend sparked a debate on the role of the church and its presence in the public square. However, there appears to be a dichotomy between the other worldly view of the church and the one which insists on the primacy of social justice. I sometimes wonder, is this dualism necessary?

This discussion seems pertinent in the case of Khadija Siddiqi v Shah Hussain. On 3 May 2016, Siddiqi, a Muslim law student from Lahore, Pakistan was stabbed 23 times by her class fellow in broad daylight on a busy road while she waited to pick up her six-year-old sister from school. After a prolonged and traumatic struggle, involving threats and character assassination, the attacker, Hussain, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment. It felt that justice had been served.

Yet Siddiqis fight for justice was far from over. The decision was challenged in a sessions court and reduced to five years. It was again challenged in the Lahore High Court and her attacker, the son of a well-known lawyer, was acquitted a few days ago. The decision which has triggered widespread shock and dissatisfaction, not only demonstrates that the law protects the influential who can get away with their crimes, but also that life for women is still insecure.

In such circumstances one is forced to ask will justice ever be served to Siddiqi? This question is pertinent for all the women in Pakistan, a country where women constitute half the population. Despite adopting a number of key international commitments to gender equality and womens human rights, Pakistans ranking for gender equality remains one of the lowest. This is not to deny that systemic gender subordination varies across class, region and rural/urban divide.

There are a considerable number of women who enjoy a better status and more opportunities. However, Pakistani women in general, are vulnerable. They usually remain silent or are reluctant in seeking justice due to personal and physical onslaught and defamation involved in the litigation processes.

Pakistan is a strong state and Pakistani women are stronger still. It is encouraging to see several strong and multi-talented Pakistani women making progress in so many fields. On the other hand, women and girls like Mukhtara Mai, Malala Yousafzai and Khadija Siddiqi who fell victims to crimes of honour and abuse, have in their own ways taken up the task of challenging the powerful. Their struggles go on to show that life may be momentarily shattered by the brutality of tribal, feudal and patriarchal stereotypes and a male chauvinist mindset, but it doesnt need to end there.

Life can begin afresh when women and girls transcend and overcome obstacles. However, transformation will only occur when all members of society make concerted efforts. In the pursuit of justice, no stone should be left unturned.

According to the Sustainable Development Goals global index 2017, Pakistan scored 55.6. If the country is to achieve the fifth sustainable development goal  to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls  the church as part of the civic society has a crucial role to play. Empowering women would in its simplest form essentially mean creating and fostering an environment where women can protest against injustice, emphasise their equality, utilise their capabilities to the utmost and where they can make responsible decisions. In other words, a safe space where their human dignity is affirmed.

For the church to be meaningful to the world, it cannot afford withdrawal from the society and its issues. Therefore, by developing strategies to combat gender discrimination, as well as cooperating with NGOs and agencies working towards women empowerment, the church can propel Pakistan towards accomplishing the SGDs.

Khadija Siddiqi is undoubtedly a survivor! She has already called on the Chief Justice of Pakistan to look into her case and decided to appeal to the Supreme Court. Her courage is a beacon of hope for all Pakistani women. She hasnt given up and neither should we.

We stand with you Khadija, let us all break the shackles and make our voice heard! Zanjeer torr! Machao shor.PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-12 14:33:01

SAN FRANCISCO, June 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vet Online Supply, Inc. (OTC PINK:VTNL) ("Vet Online Supply" or the "Company"), the rapidly growing CBD Pet product company, today announced that the company is hiring 100 manufacturer representatives for the domestic United States and 100 international manufacturer representatives for Europe and Canada.

Vet Online Supply has established $9M in purchase orders and revenues for the CBD dispensary markets on the West Coast. The company is now positioned to hire 200 manufacturer representatives to cover domestic and international sales of their brand pet products.

Daniel Rushford, CEO and Chairman, stated, "We are hiring employees to take our brand national and international. Overall employment of wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives is projected to grow 5 percent from 2016 to 2026, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Employment growth for sales representatives is expected to follow employment growth of the economy as a whole. Our employees will operate on a fee basis and represent all of our products. Our products are the highest quality and lab certified and tested. Our geographic coverage will be the United States, Canada and Europe, with projected sales of $265M in the next 5 years. Each manufacturer representative will be given a geographic territory worth $1M in sales over 5 years. This will include veterinary hospitals, pet retail stores, dispensaries and pet supply chains."

www.vetonlinesupplies.com

ABOUT VET ONLINE SUPPLY:

Vet Online Supply Inc., the company, manufactures its own brand of holistic pet products to promote health and well being. The goal of "Vet Online Supply" is to provide the $38B industry with value priced and superior quality holistic pet products.



Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements: This news release includes forward-looking statements. While these statements are made to convey to the public the company's progress, business opportunities and growth prospects, readers are cautioned that such forward-looking statements represent management's opinion. Whereas management believes such representations to be true and accurate based on information and data available to the company at this time, actual results may differ materially from those described. The Company's operations and business prospects are always subject to risk and uncertainties. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ are and will be set forth in the company's periodic filings with the SEC.

Contact:

Meridian Consulting

323-364-3793

Source: Vet Online Supply, Inc.

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: Vet Online Supply, Inc. via Globenewswire

The minister of agriculture and rural development, Audu Ogbeh, and his Moroccan counterpart, Aziz Akhannouch, have signed a cooperation agreement on vocational training and technical support, which will enhance capacity for agricultural management in Nigeria.

The two countries signed three agreements on agricultural cooperation, a gas pipeline and a basic chemicals platform. Further discussions will focus on strengthening existing agreements on the fertiliser industry, education cooperation, the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project and establishing a basic chemical platform to harness Nigerias vast natural gas resources and support Moroccos diammonium phosphate industry.

Nigeria and Morocco had, in December 2016, signed a collaboration agreement to revive the abandoned Nigerian fertiliser blending plants. Following the signing of the agreement, 14 fertiliser plants have been revitalised so far under the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative with a capacity of 2.3 million metric tonnes of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (K)  NPK fertiliser.

The minister is on the entourage of President Muhammadu Buhari on his 2-day official visit to Morocco at the invitation of His Majesty, King Mohammed VI.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigerias strongest selling point remains an intellectually aggressive and economically ambitious populace that always seeks self-improvement and self-actualization in any part of the world, president Muhammadu Buhari said Monday in Rabat, Morocco.

In an audience with the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Morocco, Saadeddine Othmani, at the Royal Guest Palace, President Buhari said Nigerias visionary and resilient population works hard to always position the country for more growth.

He said the population is fueled by a largely youthful group that continually wants to contribute to development.

Nigerians are intellectually aggressive and economically ambitious. I received some of our students here yesterday and I am really impressed with the zeal and fearlessness they exuded.

In Nigeria we have a very young and aggressive population and we are working very hard to create the enabling and inclusive environment for their contributions to be better appreciated, the president told the Prime Minister.

President Buhari said his government is harnessing the human and material resources available in the country, especially in the educational and agricultural sectors, while seeking partnerships with countries that can explore the huge potential in Nigeria.

The president noted that Nigeria was already on the verge of an agricultural revolution as the importation of rice had been cut down by 90 per cent in 18 months.

We need to do more to improve our statistics on food production and graciously, the weather has been auspicious in the last couple of years for agricultural growth. We are happy that through partnership with you and hard work, the price of fertilizer is already down by 50 per cent, he said.

On the three agreements signed during his visit, namely, Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project, vocational training in agriculture and building of a chemical plant in Nigeria, the president assured the Prime Minister that they will receive appropriate attention.

We have a huge gas reserve in Nigeria, and we should be known more for gas exploration than for crude oil. So, we are happy with the new partnership with Morocco, he added.

The Prime Minister said his country had always been impressed by Nigerias intellectual zeal and strength, noting that many Moroccans appreciate the intellectual contribution of Nigerians, especially in literary works.

Your visit to our country is historic and we are looking forward to more partnerships, especially among our universities, which would further consolidate our relationship, Mr Othman said.

President Buhari also met with the head of the Moroccan legislature, Habib El Malki, and the president of the advisers on commerce, Ben Chemmas.

The Nigerian leader ended his two-day visit to the Kingdom of Morocco with a visit to the mausoleum where he laid wreaths on the tombs of past kings.President Edgar Lungu of Zambia on Tuesday declared three days of national mourning for the late Gender Minister, Victoria Kalima.

The gender minister died on Monday evening at a hospital in Lusaka, the countrys capital after an illness.

Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Patrick Kangwa, said the Zambian leader had accorded a state funeral for the late gender minister and that the national mourning period will run from June 14 to June 16.

Davies Mwila, Secretary-General of the Governing Patriotic Front (PF), said the party regrets the death of the former gender minister.

He said the former gender minister was a fighter and dedicated to her duties.

He added that as gender minister, she worked tirelessly to champion for the rights of women, especially the fight against child marriages.

Kalima, 46, who was also a lawmaker for the ruling party in one of the constituencies in the eastern part of the country, was appointed gender minister when Mr Lungu was re-elected after the 2016 general elections.

(Xinhua/NAN)A sitting American president and a North Korean leader had a one-on-one interaction at a historic summit in Singapore Tuesday.

President Donald Trump shook hands with North Koreas Kim Jong-Un at the Capella Hotel on the resort island of Sentosa around 9:04 a.m. local time (2:04 a.m. in Nigeria.)

The historic handshake was in front of alternating U.S. and North Korean flags which were specifically arranged for the moment.

The two leaders then took a stroll to an exchange with reporters.

We will have a terrific relationship, Mr Trump said, adding that he had high hopes that the meeting would be a success.

The way to get here was not easy, his North Korean counterpart responded. But we overcame all the obstacles to get here.

The two leaders shook hands again for more than 10 seconds before ending the press briefing.

They will go into a private meeting which would have only them and their translators present.

Later on, an expanded bilateral meeting and a working lunch will be held.

Although several analysts said it was difficult to predict how the talks would go because neither side was fully prepared for its specifics, they are expected to focus on denuclearisation, security and economic assurances for North Korea, and ways to improve bilateral relations.

North Korea has been a secluded country for decades, but its attempt to join the world stage, now demonstrated with Mr Jong-Uns trip to Singapore, could end its isolation and bring prosperity to its people.

The country is seen as one of the most repressive in the world, with its people living very poor and hundreds of thousands imprisoned for their political views.

Todays meeting comes largely as a surprise to most people across the world. This time in 2017, North Korea was testing ballistic missiles, and Mr Trump and Mr Jong-Un were trading threats and insults.

Now, both sides are talking peace, based on the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

Mr Trump first announced plans for a summit with Mr Jong-Un on March 8 after South Korean diplomats relayed an invitation from North Korea.

Mr Trump said he accepted the invitation in a major surprise to Americans. After initial silence from North Korea, it was later acknowledged that the summit may hold in early April.

American and North Korean diplomats commenced relentless consultations in preparation for the historic meeting.

The U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, made two trips to Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, where he personally met with Mr Jong-Un in secret.

As part of their improved relations, North Korea released three Americans who were held in custody in May, a move largely seen as a gesture of goodwill.

Mr Jong-Un also agreed to destroy the Punggye-ri nuclear test site and followed through before a battery of Western reporters in May, although most of the reporters said they were unsure of what they actually witnessed as they are not nuclear technology experts.

For a moment on May 24, the bilateral exchanges hit a roadblock when Mr Trump wrote to Mr Jong-Un to cancel the summit. The letter followed a sharp criticism of American officials by North Koreas foreign ministry, especially the one against Vice President Mike Pence, and John Bolton, the U.S. national security adviser.

Mr Bolton said North Korea would be given the same treatment as Libya which was compelled to give up its nuclear enrichment without much in return.

North Korea, however, responded to Mr Trumps anger with calm, insisting that it remained committed to talks.

A few days later, Mr Trump announced that the preparations were back on and the meeting will still hold in Singapore on June 12.

Kim Yong Chol, a right-hand man of Mr Jong-Un delivered a hand-written letter from the North Korean leader to Mr Trump at the White House, earlier this month to guarantee that the summit will hold.

Both sides then intensified efforts to reach a consensus on key issues of discussion.

Mr Trump and Mr Jong-Un both arrived Singapore on June 10 for the meeting.

There is still much doubt and speculation about what the summit would achieve. Analysts believe Mr Trump cannot demand for too much because he has little knowledge about nuclear capabilities of North Korea.

Mr Trump is still expected to address the media to provide insight into what transpired between him and Mr Jong-Un at their private talks, which is expected to last two hours.

But no matter the outcome of the meeting, most commentators agree that a historic milestone was already achieved in in world diplomacy.President Muhammadu Buhari will Tuesday morning, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, confer Nigerias highest honour to the acclaimed winner of June 12, 1993 election, late Moshood Abiola.

While Mr Abiola will be given a posthumous award of the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR), his then running mate, Babagana Kingibe, will be awarded the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).

Also, late human rights activist and senior lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi, will be awarded the GCON.

Mr Buhari had last week announced that henceforth, Democracy Day in Nigeria will be celebrated on June 12 and not May 29 each year.

Already, several individuals and groups who played prominent roles pushing for the actualisation of June 12 and its proclamation as Nigerias Democracy Day have been invited to witness the event, which will hold inside the conference centre of State House Villa, Abuja.

PREMIUM TIMES will bring you live updates of the event.

Already at Banqueth hall. Tinubu, Akande, governors of Kogi, Kano, Kebbi, Kwara, Benue, Nasarawa, Jigawa and several Ministers, SGF

Front Page of Abiolas Concord Newspaper on the day of the historic June 12, 1993 election. Photo: Mike Awoyinfa

Wole Soyinka arrives the venue

Babagana Kingibe arrives for the program

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha is currently given the opening remarks and welcoming all personalities present.

Amongst those here are President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Bola Tinubu, Bisi Akande, Wole Soyinka and several states governors.

Mr Mustapha says the conferment of honours on Mr Abiola and others was to further establish the fundamental principles of the Buhari administration.

Nation building requires the sacrifice of all citizens, we must therefore imbibe the moral rectitude to embrace our past, he said.

We must, therefore, recognise the heroes of our democracy, he added.

June 12, more than any other events in Nigerias history symbolises strong democratic principles and experience, Mr Mustapha says.

He adds that the president has placed history in the right perspective by recognising declaring June 12 as a Democracy Day and recognising its key figures.

He thanks groups and individuals who have played roles in entrenching Nigerias democratic experience for the past 20 years of uninterrupted republic.

Mr Mustapha says an announcement is underway for the list of individuals who have played critical roles in furthering the cause of democracy.

Kola Abiola, first son of M.K.O., and Abba Kyari, the chief of staff to the president, are amongst those present taking seats at the front row.

President Muhammadu Buhari has been called to the stage.

Ganiyat Fawehinmi, wife of the late rights activist, will be receiving the national honours on behalf of the family, coming nearly nine years after his death.

In 2008, Mr Fawehinmi denied national honours when announced for him by former President Umar YarAdua. He died in September 2009 and his family rejected a similar honour during Nigerias centenary celebrations in 2014.

The family said last week the latest award appropriately honoured the memory of Mr Fawehinmi and, therefore, accepted it from Mr Buhari.

BREAKING: Buhari confers posthumous award on Gani Fawehinmi

Mr Buhari has now given the posthumous award of the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger on Mr Fawhinmi as received by his wife.

The next person on the stage now is Mr Kingibe, who is present to receive the award in person. Mr Kingibe was the running mate of Mr Abiola in the botched 1993 elections.

A career diplomat, Mr Kingibe has been in politics since the second republic, 1979-1983.

BREAKING: Buhari confers GCON award on Babagana Kingibe

Mr Kingibe has now received his award from Mr Buhari.<

Kola Abiola is now on the podium standing beside Mr Buhari to receive the posthumous award of the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, Nigerias highest honour, on behalf of the family.

The late M.K.O. had a rich background in business, establishing several banks in his lifetime. He was also the publisher of the defunct National Concord, which held sway as Nigerias topmost newspaper in the 1980s and 1990s.

He joined active politics since the second republic, but became prominent under the military administration of Ibrahim Babangida, 1985-93.

BREAKING: Buhari confers Nigeras national honours on M.K.O. Abiola.

Kola Abiola has now received the award on behalf of the family.

Mr Buhari now delivering his speech.

This event is not to open old wounds, but to put light on the nation.

The government (of Ibrahim Babangida) inexplicably cancelled the (June 12, 1993) election when it was clear who was the winner.

We cannot right the past but we can at least assuage our feelings.

Nigerians will no longer tolerate such perversion of justice.

Our decision to honour June 12 is in national interest, the president says.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is not at the event. His spokesperson, Kehinde Akinyemi, tells PREMIUM TIMES the former president is currently not in the country.

But the spokesperson could not say whether or not Mr Obasanjo would have attended the event if he were to be in town.

Mr Babangida could not make it, either. The former military leader has been battling health crisis in recent years, and made several trips to Germany and Switzerland for treatments.

June 12, 1993 was the day Nigerians chose the path to national unity, rather than ethnic eyes.

We redefined Nigeria through the ballot box, Mr Kingibe says. It is possible to revive the spirit of June 12 if we could imbibe democratic principles.

Mr Kingibe is very close to Mr Buhari, and he is amongst his closest alies at the State House. He says the decision to honour Mr Abiola and recognise June 12 came naturally to the president.

Frank Kokori, a frontline labour leader who was amongst the advocates of June 12, says Mr Buhari was the least person expected to honour Mr Abiolas memory, saying it was a confirmation that the president has a great soul.

If this is coming 25 years later, it means one day your your country will remember you because some of us felt when we came out of Abachas gulag and we were not recognised,

I just felt what sort of country is this. Like my personal experience as one of the most famous prisoner of conscience in the world, I saw that my country did not even appreciate the four years I spent in one of the worst cells in the world. And we did all these for our country and the country did not recognise us, Mr Kokori tells reporters on the sidelines of the event.

So, now we are happy and we are very grateful to our President, the least president we expected who should have done this, Muhammadu Buhari. We thought people like Obasanjo should have done that for us long time ago. There was so much pressure not Muhammadu Buhari, we least expected it, so in doing it for us, he has a great soul and we appreciate it, he added.

Mohammed Fawehinmi, my father would have accepted it.

Mr Fawehinmis eldest son, Mohammed, says his late father would have accepted the award because June 12 was actualised.

The late Mr Fawehinmi was amongst the biggest voices for the realisation of Mr Abiolas mandate.

I feel very elated, I feel very proud, my family feels very honored that all the suffering was not in vain and that the Nigerian people have a chance of better governance in future, Mohammed Fawehinmi says to reporterss.

I know he would have taken it, I know my father more than anybody. There are two reasons why he would have taken it, Mr Fawehinmi says in response to those insinuating that his father would have rejected the award in principle.

One, because June 12 was actualised. Two, because M.K.O. Abiola was recognised as president-elect. And you can see from the suggestion at the Senate that they are going to eventually declare the election result and he is going to be given all his benefits after 25 years which he has lost.

So, for that reason that is victory for him because he went through hell and high waters to make sure that June 12 was actualised, he says.

Ganiyat Fawehinmi: Thank God in alive to witness this

Ganiyat Fawehinmi, the later activists wife who accepted the honour on behalf of the family, recalled the past ordeal of the family that now makes today a remarkable one.

I was a bit disturbed. Every time the security will come, turn our house upside down, even his office was broken into, they took away many files during Mr Babangidas regime and they were not returned till date.

President Muhammadu Buhari presenting a Post-Humus GCON Award to Mrs Bukola Fawehinmi, wife of late civil rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, during a Special National Honours Investiture at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday (12/6/18) 03139/12/6/2018/Callistus Ewelike/BJO/NAN

So I just thanked God that I am alive to witness today and I know that my husband will turn in the grave for this June 12 that is being actualised because he really fought and died for it.

I believe God has a purpose for it, I believe that is how God wants it because you cant run a race ahead of God. So, God has a purpose of actualising it today which is exactly 25 years after Hole 93 when Abiola wanted to be the President, Mrs Fawehinmi tells reporters outside the event hall.

Segun Osoba: Buhari is courageous

Former governor of Ogun State, Segun Osoba, says Mr Buhari demonstrated courage by honouring Mr Abiola and others.

I was just telling Chief Kokori that the fact that the two of us our alive to witness the event of today is a thing of joy. Because, Kokori became the last man standing when everybody was taken And I was wrongly accused which is not true. So I am happy that we are all alive today.

The significance of what we are doing today is that the president has the courage to do what others failed to do.

Secondly, he has shown tremendous courage in recognising Abiola as late president of this country because I hate the language the presumed winner of the annulled June 12 election, with this declaration of honour of GCFR, which is reserved for President and GCON for Vice President and other eminent Nigerians, shows that the president has answered our appeals over the years and I thank God I am still alive, Mr Osoba says to reporters.

Mr Abiola is the second Nigerians to be honoured with the award of GCFR despite having not been president. Obafemi Awolowo, premier of the defunct Western Nigeria, was awarded GCFR by former President Shehu Shagari in 1982.

Mr Buhari has not declared Mr Abiola a former president, but activists are still demanding that this must be done to complete the process of honouring his memory.

Mr Kingibe, in his acceptance speech, describes M.K.O. as the messiah Nigerians never had.

Kola Abiola yielded the acceptance speech to his sister, Hafsat Abilla-Costello.

President Muhammadu Buhari presenting a Post-Humus GCFR Award to Mr Kola Abiola, son of the acclaimed winner of June 12 1993 Presidential Election, Chief MKO Abiola during a Special National Honours Investiture at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday (12/6/18) 03138/12/6/2018/Callistus Ewelike/BJO/NAN

Mrs Abiola-Costello, says Mr Buhari was amonst the least expected person to honour Mr Abiola because of their unsavoury history.

She accepts the honour on behalf of the family and says it is worth it, especially for a family which gave a lot.

Her mother, Kudirat Abiola, was amonst those who died struggling to reclaim the mandate given to Mr Abiola in the 1993 election. She was killed in a suspected assassination in Lagos in 1996.

Ayo Obe, a rights campaigner, also takes the stage to announce the names of those who died in the civil society struggle.

Alfred Rewane, a nationalist, was also assassinated during the struggle by suspected elements of the state under Sani Abacha.

Bayo Onanuga, who speaks for the medias aspect of the June 12 struggle, says it is never too late to right the wrong of history.

He says Mr Buhari did well by recognising Mr Buhari and the spirit of June 12, saying he should ignore detractors, most of whom were never a part of the struggle to begin with.

Mr Onanuga, who worked at TheNews Magazine during the June 12 struggle, is now the head of News Agency of Nigeria, appointed by Mr Buhari.

He says the June 12 that is currently being celebrated brought Nigerians together was grossly violated and, therefore, set Nigeria back decades.

He says Mr Buharis final recognition of June 12 shows that the struggle can not be buried.

Amongst the royal fathers at the event are Alaafin of Oyo, Lamidi Adeyemi, and Alake of Egbaland, Aremu Gbadebo.

Frank Kokori, a labour leader, says the resistance that followed the annulment of June 12 was pivotal.

He cites examples of freedom fighters in Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa where

You do not remove a ruthless dictator by carrying placards. You dont do that at the Elysee Palace, they will listen to you. You do that at the Buckingham Palace, they will listen to you. You do that at the White House, they will listen to you, he says.

Mr Kokori says his labour comrades did a lot of work as the arrowhead of the struggle against military dictator in the 1990s.

Mr Kokori drops a bombshell, saying he was appointed by Mr Buhari to head the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund nine months ago, but has not been sworn into office.

I was treated with such ignominy, he says.

Femi Falana says he was detained at Kuje Prisons during the June 12 struggle.

He calls Mr Babangida a criminal and appreciates Mr Buhari for the historic decision.

We had seven presidents that pretended the June 12 did not exist, the rights activist says.

I urge you to direct all security of all security forces in Nigeria, including the police, to respect the fundamental rights ot Nigerians in the spirit of June 12, Mr Falana adds.

He also demands an end to the senseless killings across Nigeria.

His comments come against the backdrop of recent violent attacks in central Nigeria and other parts of the country, as well as the attacks on everyday citizens linked to police Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS.

Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, in his comments, slams Mr Buhari for his recent praise of Sani Abacha.

You cannot honour Abiola in one breath and admire his tormentor in another breath, Mr Soyinka says.

Someone who if alive would be standing trial at the International Criminal Court, he says.

Mr Soyinka proposes a hall-of-shame for past Nigerian leaders who were infamous for their brutality to sound as a warning note to would-be bad leaders.

Mr Soyinka says all the unsung heroes of the June 12.

Amongst them was a man he described amongst the instigators of physcal confrontations against dictators, Comrade Ola Oni.

Mr Soyinka says he was knocked out of my throat by the apology rendered by Mr Buhari for the June 12 atrocities of Nigerian past dictators who were responsible.

He says he was on his way to Brazil when he was literally yanked off the plane and dragged to the event at the State House, Abuja, today.

Mr Osoba takes the stage.

I was at the forefront and active participant in the politics of the era, he says of his first election as Ogun State governor in the early 1990s.

He hails the decision of the president to halt the deceit and repair the damage of the past by taken this symbolic step of recognising the politics of June 12 and the politics of Mr Abiola through this conferment of national honour.

It is never too late to correct the wrong, he says.

He urges Mr Buhari to do more by building on the larger implications of the June 12 elections by implementing sustainable development.

As a member of the party, I could always reach the president with suggestions, he adds. We are ready to match behind you on any further legacies you may want to construct on the solid June 12 foundation.

Mr Osoba thanks Mr Osinbajo for his role as the prosecutor of those who attempted to kill him during the dark days of the military.

He prosecuted Rogers twice for attempts to kill me, he says of Mr Osinbajo who stood as a prosecutor against Barnabas Jabila, a.k.a.: Sergeant Rogers, who was said to be one of Mr Abachas hit men.

Your apology is the greatest joker, it is the masterstroke beyond June 12, Mr Osoba ends with the political lifeline the honouring of Mr Abiola and June 12 memory would accord Mr Buhari.

Bola Tinubu is now speaking.

If a man with military background and a professor of law put heads together to set the record straight and create that hope that Nigeria can truly be committed to democracy and justice shows that you are a great leader, he says of Mr Buhari and Osinbajo.

Mr Tinubu extols the virtues of Abu Ibrahim, a serving senator from Katsina State, who was released from custody during the June 12 struggle but refused to go home until all his colleagues gain equal freedom.

Analysts are going to come up with all sort of reasons why you decided to do this, but you did it, the former Lagos governor tells Buhari

I know a president who would have looked at me and through me out of the helicopter down in the jungle for mentioning June 12, he adds without naming names.

A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Agunwa Anekwe, recalls how Nigerias third republic was truncated in 1993.

He says the struggle led to the carting away of the mace at the National Assembly by him and other lawmakers at the time.

Mr President, you have honoured not just M.K.O. Abiola, but every one who died in the struggle for June 12, he says.

He says a major lesson that must be learnt is that if the people like a candidate, no matter the machinations, the individual will emerge victorious.

Iyorchia Ayu, a former Senate President, says Mr Buharis singular action might have erased the wrongdoing of his predecessors, especially the dictators responsible for the June 12 infamy.

We played important roles in forming June 12. Unfortunately, that victory was nullified, Mr Ayu says.

He says the decision to recognise Mr Abiola is simply symbolic. But the decision was actually a recognition of the the collective values of Nigerians.

 Iappeal to you to respect the democratic tenets, the rule of law, the freedom of expression.

He asks Mr Buhari to please have a heart to know that the opposition is not an enemy in a democracy.

He says his father was a soldier and he understood the instinct of persons with military background.

Within you in the military, the opposition is an enemy you shoot. In a democratic process, the opposition is not an enemy, the former top lawmaker says.

Mr President, people have the notion that you are not forgiving, that you are intolerant of opposition, but I do not always believe this, I believe you have a large heart.

Extend this large heart to accommodate the opposition, Mr Ayu says.

Your worse enemies are people who are around you who turn every Nigerian against you, but the people are actually your friends, Mr Ayu says as he bounces out.

Ogun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun, is giving a vote of thanks on behalf of the state and the Abiolas, who are from Gbagura clan in Abeokuta, the state capital.

Words alone are not enough to express our gratitude for your thoughtfulness to confer this award on Mr Abiola, he says.

President Muhammadu Buhari; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (1st left); Son of Late MKO Abiola, Kola Abiola (1st right); Amb. Babagana Kingibe (2nd left); Wife of Late Ganiyu Fawehinmi, Ganiyat Fawehinmi (2nd right); Sen. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu (3rd right); Sec. to the Govt. of the Federation, Boss Mustapha (3rd left); Prof. Wole Soyinka (4th left).

We are not unmindful of the fact that the GCFR is reserved for only those who have served our nation at the highest level.

Today, M.K.O. is a symbol of democracy personified. He was an accomplished man whose footprints remain indelible on different sectors of the country, the governor says.

Mr Abiolas candidature raised hopes and Nigerians voted for him overwhelming and the June 12 remains the freest and fairest ever in the history of our country, the governor says.

Only those who are not conversant with political history will debate whether the M.K.O. deserves the award or not. A fitting tribute for June 12 is for all of us to embrace democracy in a peaceful and orderly manner, Mr Amosun adds.Few weeks after a former Taraba governor, Jolly Nyame, was jailed 14 years for fraud, the Federal Capital Territory High Court has found former Plateau State governor, Joshua Dariye, guilty of fraud.

Mr Dariye was charged for allegedly diverting about N1.2 billion while he served as governor of the North-central state.

He was brought to court on a 23-count charge for the alleged offence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2007.

Although Mr Dariyes lawyer, Kanu Agabi, questioned the authenticity of the evidence presented against his client, the court said the evidences clearly indicate a case of diversion.

The judge, Adebukola Banjoko, found him guilty of diverting funds to the Peoples Democratic Party in the state among other groups.

Mrs Banjoko who was still reading the judgement at the time of this report found Mr Dariye guilty of counts 1, 2, 4, and 7.

The counts relate to the diversion of N80 million to the PDP, N100 million to a company, Marine Flow and other sums through the All States Trust Bank.

The same judge jailed Mr Nyame.

More details of the conviction will be reported later.

BACKGROUND

Mr Dariye, a serving senator, was first elected governor of the state in 1999 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

He was re-elected in 2003, but was later impeached by the states House of Assembly in November 2006.

Former Governor of Plateau state, Joshua Dariye.

Following judgements of the Appeal and Supreme Courts nullifying his impeachment however, Mr Dariye was ordered to complete his tenure in 2007.

The EFCC arraigned him on a 21-count charge for the alleged offence shortly after the expiration of his tenure in May 2007.

According to the anti-graft agency, Mr Dariye used his office to siphon money out of the country through various accounts.

Mr Dariye fought a seemingly endless battle to prevent his trial, from the lower court to the Supreme Court.

Ahead of his arraignment in 2007, Mr Dariye challenged the competence of the charges against him, but failed at the trial court.

Subsequently the ex-governor approached the Court of Appeal where he also failed in his attempt to stop the trial.

Mr Dariye, who had secured an order for the suspension of his trial at the lower court, also proceeded to the Supreme Court with his appeal. He also failed, and was, in 2015, compelled to return to trial, after stalling the case for over seven years.

The former governor controversially employed the services of a former Attorney General of the federation, Kanu Agabi, who headed Nigerias justice ministry when the EFCC was created.

Joshua Dariye speaking to his lawyer in s seaming attempt to back journalists

He is currently a senator on the platform of Nigerias ruling party, APC, to which he decamped in 2016. He was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The judge, Olasumbo Banjoko, had fixed Tuesday for judgement after entertaining the final address of counsel.President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja offered unreserved apology on behalf of the federal government to the family of Moshood Abiola, over the annulment of June 12 1993 poll, presumably won by late Abiola.

The president apologised at the Special National Honours Investiture and award presentation to heroes of June 12, 1993 poll which was annulled by the defunct Ibrahim Babangida regime.

He said the decision to hold the event was not to open old wounds but to bury negative sides of June 12 and it ill-feelings, hates, frustration and agony.

He, therefore, called on all Nigerians across national divides to accept the annulment of the June 12, 1993 poll in good faith.

I honestly invite all Nigerians across all our national divides to accept it in good faith. Our action today is to bury the negative sides of June 12, the side of ill feelings, hates, frustration and agony.

What we are doing is celebrating and appreciating the positive sides of June 12.

The June 12 which reinstates democracy and freedom, the June 12 that overcome our various divides and the June that produces unity and national cohesion.

This is the June 12 we are celebrating today and we will nurture it to our next generation

Accordingly, on behalf of the Federal Government, I tender the nation apology to the family of late MKO Abiola who got the highest votes and to those that lost their loved ones in the course of June 12 struggle, he said.

President Buhari asked for minute silence in honour of late Mr Abiola and those that lost lives in the struggle for actualization of June 12

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that former President Olusegun Obasanjo tendered an apology for not being present at the event because of his involvement in a book launch outside the country.

Former President Ibrahim Babangida equally tendered similar apology for his absence because of some prevailing issues touching on his health conditions.

(NAN)The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for honouring late Moshood Abiola, the presumed winner of the 1993 presidential polls and for also declaring June 12 as the new democracy day.

The partys National Secretary, Shehu Gabam, made this known on Monday while addressing journalists in Abuja.

He said the decision was a welcome development and a relief as the old SDP was the platform on which the late Mr Abiola won the election in 1993.

The then SDP was formed by the Peoples Front of Nigeria, Peoples Solidarity Party and the Nigerian Labour Party.

Although the current SDP has some members of the old SDP as members, it is a separate entity.

Mr Abiola won the primary election in March 1993, and contested the presidential election which was later annulled

The president recently announced June 12 as Nigerias new democracy day in honour of the late businessman and also conferred on him the highest national honour in Nigeria, the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR).

SDP commends President Buhari for taking the bold step of acknowledging the wishes of Nigerians who voted in 1993 to have Abiola as their president. In the June 12, 1993 election Nigerians were united in electing him as their leader, the party said.

The opposition party questioned the timing of the decision.

However, we would like to make the following observations: why did it take three years for Buhari to acknowledge the sacrifice that Abiola made for democracy to be established in the country? All the intelligence reports and other information necessary for government to have taken this decision had been available to the presidency in the last three years.

This right decision should have been taken earlier than now and that would have given this administration the opportunity to mark June 12 as Democracy Day, it said.

The party apart from querying the timing of the honour, also disagreed with the conferment of the award of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on Babagana Kingibe, who was the running mate of the late Abiola

It said this recognition of Mr Kingibe was misplaced and self-serving because he (Kingibe) renounced the election

The conferment of the award of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, who was the running mate of Chief MKO Abiola, is glaringly misplaced and self-serving.

Ambassador Kingibe renounced the June 12 mandate as quickly as the military gave him a pot of porridge. He accepted ministerial appointments, first as Foreign Minister and later as Minister of Interior under the draconian administration of Abacha. Kingibe did not participate in the struggle hence he does not deserve this national honour.

The party congratulated the family members of the late Abiola and all labour leaders, lawyers, journalists, civil rights activists and politicians who either lost their lives or suffered one persecution or the other during the struggle to enthrone democracy.

It called on the government to best honour them by ensuring that the 2019 general election is as free and fair as the June 12 election.

It also called on Nigerians to oppose any manipulation in the electioneering process in 2019.

It asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to learn from the June 12, 1993 presidential elections and conduct its affairs in line with the spirit and letter of the Constitution, Electoral Act and other laws that guide the electoral process.Hafsat Abiola-Costello, the daughter of late Moshood Abiola, presumed winner of the 1993 presidential polls on Tuesday described how her father had planned his inauguration speech, while awaiting the results of the general election.

Election data from the election showed Mr Abiola won the polls but he was never formally declared winner or sworn into office by the military government of Ibrahim Babangida, which annulled the polls widely acclaimed as free and fair.

Mr Abiola was later imprisoned by the Sani Abachas military regime as he struggled to actualise his mandate. He died in prison in 1998.

Successive governments have brushed aside calls for Mr Abiola to be honoured and for the federal government to recognise June 12 as democracy day.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday morning, conferred Mr Abiola with the nations highest honour, the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, (GCFR)  a honour usually conferred only on presidents and former presidents.

Mr Abiola, and late Obafemi Awolowo are the only two persons who have been honoured with GCFR without being sworn in as Nigerian president.

While Mr Abiola was given a posthumous award GCFR, his then running mate, Babagana Kingibe, was awarded the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).

Also, late human rights activist and senior lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi, was awarded the GCON.

A t the event to honour Mr Abiola and others over June 12, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Mrs Abiola-Costello spoke on behalf of the Abiola family.

She was was invited to speak on the familys behalf by her elder brother and late Abiolas first son, Kola.

She said Mr Buhari was amongst the least expected persons to honour her father because of their (both men) unsavoury history.

She said it is difficult to try to stand in for one of the greatest human beings (Abiola) that the world ever had.

Even for Chief MKO Abiola, it was difficult to imagine how he would speak to Nigerians in his inauguration speech.

My mum told me how he would stand in front of the mirror, preparing the speech because the results were coming in and he thought he would surely deliver the speech.

You know he was a stammerer and he would start  fellow Nigerians, and he never really got past fellow Nigerians. He would say a few words and then reply, not like that, and he would start again, she explained.

She said her fathers love for Nigeria was unparalleled, which led him to die for Nigeria instead of compromising the integrity and sovereignty of the nation.

Although he was Yoruba, he loved Hausas, Kanuris, Efiks, Igbos and all, you just needed to be a Nigerian, she said.

Mrs Abiola-Costello said her fathers recognition by the president is worth it especially for a family which gave a lot.

Her mother, Kudirat Abiola, died while struggling to reclaim the mandate, given to her husband by Nigerians, from an antagonistic and brutal military government.

She was killed in an assassination in Lagos in 1996 by suspected agents of the then military government.The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described a comment in Morocco in praise of Nigerian youth by President Muhammadu Buhari as a poorly packaged deception.

Mr Buhari made the statement on Monday when he was hosted by Moroccan Prime Minister, Saadeddine Othman, during his two-day visit to the North-African country.

In a statement on Tuesday by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP said Mr Buhari only uttered the praise to sugarcoat his deep-seated disdain for Nigerian youth.

It said the sudden praise-singing was not borne out of genuine regard for the youth but was only a desperate afterthought aimed to reverse the public opprobrium he earned himself for his lazy youths and lovers of freebies comment.

Mr Buhari earlier this year at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London said some Nigerian youth are lazy.

The comment provoked a backlash as many Nigerian youth trolled the president for days, with some going as far as sharing pictures and videos showing several efforts being made by youth in the country to earn decent living.

Reacting to the latest comment in Morocco in which he portrayed the youth in a positive light, PDP said the Nigerian youth now know better and can no longer fall for Mr Buharis tricks.

Every Nigerian is aware of President Buharis disdain for our citizens and sees his reported comments in Morocco as inconsistent with his known beliefs and dispositions, the party said.

It also recalled the presidents light-hearted comment after signing the Not Too Young To Run bill when he told the youth to feel free to contest for any position but should not run for president in 2019.

Perhaps, the presidents handlers in an effort to get the president the support of the youth, they heavily edited his statement on the Morocco visit, PDP said.

It urged Mr Buhari to note that the comment in Morocco cannot wash away the disgraceful invectives he openly poured on the energetic and vivacious Nigerian youths. He would need another CHOGM in London to remove his lazy and lover of freebies stamp on our youths.

President Buhari should therefore end his gimmicks and let go of straws.

The party said the president should realise the only expectation Nigerians require of him is to tender a direct apology for his abysmal performance and be prepared to leave for a more innovative, and people-oriented president which Nigerians will elect on the platform of the PDP in 2019.Posted on: June 12, 2018 1:55 PM

[ACNS, by Kenyi Dube] The retired South Sudanese Anglican bishop who leads the faith based group in the ongoing peace talks, Enock Tombe, says he is pessimistic about a proposed face to face meeting between President Salva Kiir and his rival Dr Riek Machar. The meeting was proposed by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) during talks at the Council of Ministers extra-ordinary session in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, last week.

The two leaders have showed interest to meet each other for the sake of peace in the country, which was welcomed by most Western countries. However, Bishop Enock, the retired Bishop of Rejaf, believes that this meeting will not work. In principle, it is a good idea, he said. But of course the question is, who is the convener? And how is it going to be done?

When you talk about relation-building or trust-building, Im not sure if it is a political process. It is more spiritual, more psychological  more to do with a culture. And I think what comes to mind is the Wunlit Conference of 1999. That process was successful because people were allowed to speak their minds, for days.

Named after the village where it was held in 1999 in what is now the South Sudanese state of Tonj, the Wunlit Peace Conference is said to be the most comprehensively documented case of a people-to-people peace process in the region. It brought about an immediate cessation of hostilities between Dinka and Nuer communities. Cattle raiding, the abduction of women and children, and killings came to an end after the conference.

South Sudans current rivals have not met since Dr Machar fled the renewed conflict in 2016. Since then, he has been under house arrest in South Africa.

If it is done at political level, Im not sure if it will succeed, Bishop Enock said. It should be done more like the Wunlit. Let people talk and express their views freely.Armed separatists in Cameroons Anglophone regions have stabbed to death and shot military personnel, burned down schools and attacked teachers, while security forces have tortured people, fired on crowds and destroyed villages, in a spiral of violence that keeps getting more deadly, Amnesty International said Tuesday.

In a new report on Cameroons Anglophone crisis, A turn for the worse: Violence and human rights violations in Anglophone Cameroon, which is based on in-depth interviews with over 150 victims and eye-witnesses, and material evidence including satellite images, the organisation documents how general population is paying the highest price as violence escalates in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon.

People in Cameroons Anglophone regions are in the grip of a deadly cycle of violence. Security forces have indiscriminately killed, arrested and tortured people during military operations which have also displaced thousands of civilians. Their heavy-handed response will do nothing to calm the violence  in fact it is likely to further alienate Anglophone communities and fuel further unrest, said Samira Daoud, Amnesty International Deputy Director for West and Central Africa.

For their part, armed separatists have killed dozens of members of the security forces. They also carried out attacks designed to strike fear amongst the population, going as far as burning down schools and targeting teachers who did not enforce the boycott.

The Anglophone regions of the Cameroon  the South-West and North-West  make up approximately 20 per cent of the countrys population. Many of their grievances date back to the early 1960s, when these regions were included in the newly established, mostly French-speaking, Republic of Cameroon.

Violence and unrest escalated in late 2016 after a series of strikes and protests against what teachers, lawyers and students viewed as further discrimination against Anglophones. Between 22 September and 1 October 2017, large-scale protests were organised across the Anglophone regions to symbolically proclaim the independence of a new state of Ambazonia.

Torture, Killings By Military

Cameroons military has responded to these protests with arbitrary arrests, torture, unlawful killings and destruction of property. In one striking incident, satellite images and other photographic evidence obtained by Amnesty International show the complete destruction of the village of Kwakwa, which was burned to the ground by Cameroonian security forces following an operation conducted in December 2017 in connection with the killing of two gendarmes by suspected armed separatists.

In some cases, following these security operations, people were arbitrarily arrested and tortured while detained in illegal detention facilities and in secret. For instance, at least 23 people, including minors, were arrested by the security forces in the village of Dadi on 13 December 2017 and spent three days in incommunicado detention. They told Amnesty International that during this time security forces tortured them to extract confessions, to force them to admit having supported the separatists.

Victims described being blindfolded and severely beaten with various objects including sticks, ropes, wires and guns, as well as being electrocuted and burnt with hot water. Some were beaten until they lost consciousness, and Amnesty International documented that at least one person has died in custody.

One man who was arrested on December 13, 2017 in Dadi gave a harrowing account of the torture he suffered:

 They tied our hands behind our backs, gagged us and tied our faces with our towels and shorts, which they tore. They, then made us lie in the water, face down for about 45 minutes During three days, they beat us with shovels, hammers, planks, and cables, kicked us with their boots and poured hot water on us when I tried to move and shouted, one of them used the cigarette he was smoking to burn me.

Amnesty International also received information about numerous instances of deaths in custody. In one case, on February 3, 2018, the bodies of four men, who had been arrested in the town of Belo by the security forces the day before, were found at the Bamenda Regional Hospital mortuary, bloodied and with signs of torture.

Amnesty International has also documented unlawful killings, including during three security operations conducted by the army in the villages of Dadi, Kajifu and Bodam (South-West) in December 2017.

Attacks On Schools, Teachers By Separatists

The report also documents how teachers and students have been targeted by separatists for not participating in a boycott of schools perceived by many as a symbol of how the English language and cultures in the Anglophone regions have been marginalised by the authorities. At least 42 schools were attacked by armed separatists between February 2017 and May 2018.

Amnesty International has documented various attacks on students and teachers. On January 30, 2018, a masked gunman, suspected to be a member of an armed separatist group, stormed the Government Primary School in Ntungfe (North-West region). Armed with a locally-made gun, he shot one teacher in the legs, and set fire to a motorbike before escaping.

The wounded teacher told Amnesty International:

The assailant [] told me that I was still coming to school in defiance of calls for a schools boycott. [] He then asked me to raise my hands, but before I could do so, he shot me. I fell to the ground

Between September 2017 and May 2018, at least 44 members of the security forces were killed in attacks at checkpoints, in the streets, or on their duty stations in both the North-West and South-West regions.

In one attack, on February 1, 2018, in the locality of Mbingo, North-West region, two gendarmes manning a checkpoint were stabbed to death by a group of young separatists armed with knives and machetes.

Amnesty International has also documented five attacks on traditional chiefs, who separatists accuse of sympathizing with the government.

The armed separatists repeated targeting of the general population demonstrates a total disregard for human life, and is another example of the threat faced by people in the Anglophone regions, said Samira Daoud.

Authorities must ensure accountability for crimes committed by the security forces as well as by the armed separatists. They must immediately end the use of unlawful, unnecessary and excessive force and ensure that people are protected.Muhammed Fawehinmi, the eldest son of late human rights activist and lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi, has explained why his father would have accepted the national honours given to him by the Federal Government.

He said this while receiving the posthumous award of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on behalf of his father  nearly nine years after his death.

I know he would have taken it, I know my father more than anybody. There are two reasons why he would have taken it, Mr Fawehinmi said in response to those insinuating that his father would have rejected the award in principle.

One, because June 12 was actualised. Two, because M.K.O. Abiola was recognised as president-elect. And you can see from the suggestion at the Senate that they are going to eventually declare the election results and he is going to be given all his benefits after 25 years which he has lost.

So, for that reason that is victory for him because he went through hell and high waters to make sure that June 12 was actualised, he said.

In 2008, Mr Fawehinmi rejected national honours given to him by former President Umar YarAdua saying the government was not doing enough to fight graft. His family also rejected a similar honour during Nigerias centenary celebrations in 2014. He died earlier in September 2009.

The family said last week the latest award appropriately honoured the memory of Mr Fawehinmi and, therefore, accepted it from President Muhammadu Buhari.

The late Mr Fawehinmi was amongst those who fought for the realisation of the mandate of Moshood Abiola, the winner of the 1993 presidential polls annulled by military dictator, Ibrahim Babangida.

Mr Buhari also conferred late MKO Abiola with the nations highest honour, the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, (GCFR) and his then running mate, Babagana Kingibe, with the award of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).

The late legal luminarys son also described Mr Buhari as the first sensitive and reasonable head of state.

He said Mr Buhari is the first to listen to the cry of Nigerians and act accordingly.

President Buhari bends down to assist Mrs Ganiyat Fawehinmi with an item that fell off her during the Special National Honours Investiture in celebration of June 12. [Photo: @bayoomoboriowo]

While appreciating the president for the honour, Mr Muhammed expressed satisfaction at Mr Buharis victory at the 2015 general election and the fact that he was allowed to govern.

He also called on all Nigerians to support the president and stop bickering and trivialities, religion and ethnic background.

If you lose, take it that way. We are experiencing problems in Nigeria now because of hatred of values but I know with Oga at the helms of affairs things will be better for Nigeria, he said.

He said he felt very proud that all the suffering of his father was not in vain.

Ganiyat Fawehinmi, the late activists wife who accepted the honour on behalf of the family, recalled the past ordeal of the family.

I was a bit disturbed. Every time the security (officials) will come, turn our house upside down, even his office was broken into, they took away many files during Mr Babangidas regime and they were not returned till date.

So I just thank God that I am alive to witness today and I know that my husband will turn in the grave for this June 12 that is being actualised because he really fought and died for it.

I believe God has a purpose for it. I believe that is how God wants it because you cant run a race ahead of God. So, God has a purpose of actualising it today which is exactly 25 years after Hope 93 when Abiola wanted to be the President, Mrs Fawehinmi told reporters outside the event hall.State governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have again announced their endorsement of former Edo State governor Adams Oshiomhole, for election as national chairman of the party.

The governors who trooped into the former governors campaign office on Tuesday said they were there to show support and solidarity to the man they said they deemed fit for the job.

Kebbi State governor, Abubakar Bagudu, while addressing journalists, said all the governors elected on the platform of the party were in support of Mr Oshiomholes bid.

All of us. Our party is looking forward to the chairmanship of Adams Oshiomole, the governor said.

He has experience in various aspects of national life and we are all confident that party is a structure that is necessary for the continuous evolution and maintenance of democracy and his collective experience in the recent past as executive governor of Edo State, one of the most successful leaders of trade unions, and a democratic activist all his life.

These qualities will be brought to bear in achieving the ideals of the APC. So we believe he will be a leader, he will be the embodiment of the spirit of the party and the experience will help him to make contribution to governance.

Asked if there were other candidates aside Mr Oshiomhole the governors are supporting, he said I am not the chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum, but I can tell you that Adams Oshiomhole is my candidate as a governor and all the governors I know, he is their candidate for chairmanship.

As a message to other contenders in the race, he said since the party had found someone fit for the job, they should all come together.

We believe that we have identified someone who can do the job and will be able to start and in that spirit to demonstrate by coming together. We believe he is the best fit for the job.

Party leader, Bola Tinubu, who also showed up at the campaign said his presence was a show of support and solidarity.

The Ondo State governor, Ibikunle Amosun, told journalists about Mr Oshiomhole: He is one of us, that is why we had to come and identify with him here and you know what that means. You know he is running for the office of the chairman of the party, so we have to come and identify with him.

Asked if identifying with Mr Oshiomhole meant he had been adopted by the governors, he said: Well, I am not the chairman of the governors forum so I should not be speaking for the governors. But lets just say I know for me and for us in Ogun State, we are supporting him.

Kano state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, was also there to show his support likewise Ondo state governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

You know Kano State has the largest number of delegates to the national convention and by seeing me here, it means all the votes from Kano State will go to the former governor of Edo State . In fact, it seems numerically, he is winning the election before the election, Mr Ganduje said.

Speaking for Ondo State, its so clear even to a blind person to know that we dont rarely have a contest for the office of the chairman. Be that as it is, I believe that when we come in in full force, you will see where our votes are, that is if there is ever any contest. But I am sure that we are here to savour the office of the incoming chairman of our party, Mr Akeredolu said.

Other governors who appeared at the office on Tuesday were the Yahaya Bello of Kogi, Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa, and Plateau state governor Simon Lalong.

A contestant for the position of chairman, Emokpaire Ibrahim, who announced his withdrawal from the race on Tuesday was also there to show his support for Mr Oshiomhole.Abdul-Azeez Nyako, a senator representing Adamawa Central Senatorial District, said he is preparing with the teeming supporters of his father, former governor Murtala Nyako to quit Nigerias ruling APC due to marginaliation.

Mr Nyako made the declaration while addressing his supporters in Yola.

Mr Nyako said they were completely marginalised in the just concluded ward, local government and state congresses held in Adamawa State. He said even his father, Murtala Nyako lost control of his ward in Mayo-Belwa local government.

He said reconciliatory talks between the APC leadership and aggrieved members of the New PDP a faction within the APC, was just a ruse.

We have no option than to go, but we are still discussing the party to move to with our entire structure. I have spoken with Prof. Jerry Gana in SDP. I also spoke with Attahiru Bafarawa and fixed an appointment for him with Admiral Nyako. Bafarawa wants us to return to PDP.

On Thursday, I went to Abeokuta and sat (down) with (former president) Obasanjo about ADC. He directed me to see Col. Oyinlola who assured us that we will be absorbed with our structures if we join the party. I also spoke with Kwankwaso (former Kano governor) before the congresses.

Mr Nyako said that Mr Kwankwaso spoke about a new party coming up.

I was given the partys constitution about a month ago, its a new party expected to be approved soon with four others by INEC, Mr Nyako said.

He said that he was happy they were leaving APC before its too late.

We have done this before, when we left PDP to form APC and this time around by the grace of God, our movement will not be in vain, Mr Nyako said.

The older Nyako, the former governor, is one of the leaders of the New PDP, a faction in the APC which has complained of marginalisation.

The New PDP recently terminated further discussions with the presidency on its grievances, saying it has lost confidence in President Buhari and the APC leadership.

The members of the New PDP all joined the APC from the PDP in the build up to the 2015 elections. The members include Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker Yakubu Dogara and Mr Kwankwaso.The Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service (KADIRS) said on Tuesday that it would prosecute owners of 56 properties in the state over unpaid ground rent.

Executive Chairman of the service, Mukhtar Ahmed, made the disclosure in Kaduna at the launch of a digital application that integrates all the 63 revenue generating agencies in the state.

He said that a task force set up by the service a month ago uncovered the properties owing from N20 million and above.

We will start our enforcement with them to show the seriousness of the state government in ensuring that every property owner in the state pay his or her ground rent as at when due, the chairman said.

According to him, under the Land Use Act, all property owners are expected to pay their ground rent in the first week of January each year.

But we are magnanimous enough to serve the affected property owners with demand notices; we have sent the first one as well as the final notices; the next step is to take the defaulters to court.

The states tax law has provided that after 30 days of notice and no response, we can take the defaulters to court to retrieve what is due to the government as ground rent, Mr Ahmed said.

The revenue service boss noted that Kaduna as an old city has some property records dating to as far back as 1914, with some passing through 50 owners but without proper documentation.

It is a bit of challenge for us to get the real owners of such properties, but we have decided to begin with whoever lives in such property to lead us to the owner, so we would collect what is due to the state government.

On the digital platform called Cashworx, Mr Ahmed said it was to bring all tax payers on one platform and link them up with the banks for easy payments.

He said that property and business owners in the state are not paying their due tax because of the absence of a comprehensive record that detailed their profile and properties owned.

But with this digital interface, KDIRS will be able to profile and get the actual properties of individuals in the state and relate it with the tax they are paying to determine the gap.

An individual will own 20 properties in Kaduna, but will declare one property and pay a meager amount, when in reality he has more than 20 houses.

This information sharing interface, using the Tax Identification Number as common identifier, will profile and show us that Mr X is doing business with KADGIS, Motor Licence Office and Ministry of Commerce, and the Mr X has 20 houses, 10 cars and two businesses as the case may be.

It will aggregate all the income of tax payer and asked him or her to pay the appropriate tax due to the state government, the chairman explained.

According to him, the development will improve revenue generation and collection in the state.

He said that the platform was inaugurated, with Kaduna Geographic Information System, the first to be integrated onto the platform.

Agencies that do not have the capacity, the state revenue service will deploy the needed application for them to come on board, he added.

Also speaking, the Head of Geographic Information Service, Anis Halabi described the initiative as a milestone, adding that it would enhance revenue generation in the state.

(NAN)The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has extolled the leadership virtues of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, describing him as an established leader who is being celebrated widely because of his closeness to the people and effective delivery of dividends of democracy in spite of the nations economic challenges.

Mr Dogara, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), added that Mr Ugwuanyi is a very nice man to a fault, who wants to please everybody, saying that he has done exceptionally well in office that members of the National Assembly in particular and the people of Enugu State are exceedingly proud of what you have achieved.

The speaker, who spoke during the grand reception for Mr Ugwuanyi by members of the Enugu State National Assembly Caucus, said he was delighted at the governors popularity and humility when I went to Enugu and I saw market women, I saw so many indigenes of that state coming to the Government House, dancing and singing.

He disclosed that the people he saw were not rented crowds but those who were speaking from the bottom of their hearts, applauding Mr Ugwuanyi for investing in people.

According to him, Gov. Ugwuanyi is such a person that you will never meet in mansions when you go to Enugu. You will meet him among his people and that is where his heart is. And that is where the heart of a leader should be.

Speaking on Mr Ugwuanyis unprecedented achievements in spite of the states lean resources, Mr Dogara while recalling the governors firm belief in the miracle of five loaves and two fish stated that our brother (Ugwuanyi) who is a true leader is performing beyond expectation with the very little resources that he has.

Your Excellency, now that you have done exceptionally well, all the Enugu people are happy and they have decided to endorse you for a second term. When the people of Enugu State say that we are celebrating you, we are appreciating you; it means they are applying for more. So I wish you well. I know that you will continue to distinguish yourself creditably and define leadership in Enugu State, the speaker added.

In his remark, the Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate, Bala Naallah, who represented the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, also eulogised Gov. Ugwuanyi for his outstanding leadership qualities, saying that he is one of the most decent and honest person I have worked closely with.

He said: I was with him in the Committee on Marine Transport and then he was with me when I chaired the Committee on Judiciary in the House of Representatives and then we developed a concept on how to deliver on our responsibilities transparently and efficiently.

So I am not surprised when I hear the positive comments being showered on him in his duty as Governor of Enugu State. It is very rare and lucky to have someone like Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi superintending over the affairs of men more especially in this present day Nigeria.

So, it is not for nothing that God gave you Ugwuanyi. Your responsibility is to ensure that you continue to sustain the 100 percent support that you have been giving him, Mr Naallah noted.

At the event, the Enugu NASS caucus unanimously endorsed Mr Ugwuanyi for a second term in office for his effective leadership and entrenchment of peace and good governance in the state.

The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, on behalf of all the federal lawmakers from Enugu State, said the endorsement was predicated on the governors development strides and his leadership style characterized by justice, equity, and peace.

He said: Governor Ugwuanyi has connected with the people of Enugu State in a very peculiar way. Today, communities have their Liaison Officers, and they execute projects. Everybody is part and parcel of government.

Since 1999, we usually had crisis, troubles, and major misunderstandings any year preceding general elections. At times, we wondered if we would survive it. It happened in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, and it happened in 2014. But today, we are in 2018, and Enugu has been adjudged the most peaceful state.

If you look around here, there are people from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu, and those from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). That is how we live in Enugu State. There is no discrimination, no division. We have 17 Local Government Areas in Enugu State. None of them is complaining of marginalization.

There is also freedom in Enugu State. Governor Ugwuanyi does not take offence when people have cause to criticize him. He learns from the criticisms and he dialogues a lot. The judiciary is free and independent, working without fear or favour. That is what democracy is all about.

Therefore, I have the mandate of the members of the Enugu State caucus at the National Assembly, and I also believe all our people who live in Abuja, to say that on account of the peace you have brought and all the work you have done for the last three years, we have no hesitation whatsoever in endorsing you for one more term in 2019.

Responding, Mr Ugwuanyi, who appreciated the Enugu caucus of the National Assembly for their show of love and support, noted that the prevailing peace and cooperation between the federal lawmakers and his administration have resulted in numerous constituency projects and Federal Government interventions in the State.

He assured that the years of dichotomy now belonged to the past.

We have become one people united by the determination to develop our State and we will continue to remain one family. With your support and prayers, I will continue to lead an Enugu State where peace, justice, and equitable development remain the watchword. We will continue to work together to build that same united, prosperous, and great Enugu State envisioned by our fathers, he added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.



CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- XcooBee, a privacy-focused data exchange network, announced today the beta launch of its new platform to the general public. XcooBee was formed with the mission to protect the digital rights and privacy of consumers and businesses alike.

Experiencing a loss of control over his data himself, XcooBee founder, Bilal Soylu, thought it was time to change the status quo: "I was tired of always having to choose between signing away my privacy or using advanced encryption software in order to do anything online," he explains. "I knew there was a need for a data network that would not only let me get services without having to give away my rights, but also democratize encryption and data management processes to make them easier to understand."

Privacy is the new battlefield in security. With the prevalence of cyber attacks and the multiplication of massive data breaches, such as the Equifax Data Breach and the Cambridge Analytica Facebook scandal, data privacy is becoming a crucial need in our society.

Until now, companies put more value in finding insights from data than trying to protect it. This mindset is now shifting, but ways for users to assert their rights remain limited. Users are often giving away rights over their data in exchange for a service. Even when users still own their data, protecting it involves complex and expensive software.

The XcooBee platform provides a collection of tools to address many privacy issues from file sharing, to privacy data management, to social media posting. Users of XcooBee are empowered to control their privacy. For example, they can control what data, for what purpose and how long a business can use.

By the same token, implementing XcooBee on the business side translates into operational compliance with GDPR regulations while minimizing existing system changes. This is a massive simplification from current solutions that rely on rewriting of legacy systems.

The business models that are powered by people giving away their privacy are being rightfully questioned. XcooBee is pioneering a new era in privacy and also provides peace of mind to businesses looking to comply with new privacy rules, such as GDPR in Europe. As more countries adopt laws to protect their citizens' privacy, using products like XcooBee will become a competitive advantage. To learn more about XcooBee's Bee paradigm, its data exchange network visit www.xcoobee.com.

Contact:

Andrea Smith

678-809-1698

[email protected]

SOURCE XcooBee LLC

Related Links

http://www.xcoobee.com

CHICAGO, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As Chicago's real estate market continues to slump to 20-month lows, Chicago Home Inspectors have revealed that unethical "quick flippers" are building on the city's housing issues with a far more dangerous problem: dangerous, so-called renovations.

The Chicago Tribune has already warned of a bubble in the city's house flipping "frenzy." According to Real Estate Daily, the effect on the market has been severe, preventing would-be home buyers from purchasing homes while they are renovated and turned around for a quick buck. However, there is a dark side to this marketplace.

For prospective buyers already squeezed by a lack of housing, the prospect of finding a dream home for their family is now laced with the fear of finding a house of horrors, ready to hit their health  and their wallet.

Chicagoland Home Inspectors found one such home when inspecting a recently-renovated property for realtor Denise Reed Burbon of Charles Rutenberg Realty, who commented that buying such property was akin to purchasing a car which caught a flat tire with each corner turn.

"Denise and I were amazed at the state this house was in  these unethical flippers are little more than con-men trying to make a quick buck at the expense of Chicagoans looking for a home," said Charles Bellefontaine of Chicagoland Home Inspectors, who conducted the inspection.

"Make no mistake about it: These homes are dangerous. Sooner or later, the effect of 'quick flipping' is going to result in tragedy. This is a ticking time bomb that is coming about purely because of greed with no concern for consequences. As home inspectors, we are vigilant against this threat and condemn this unethical behavior. Who wants to buy a potential death trap?"

The flipped property, an elegant townhouse located in the historic Bronzeville neighborhood, was inspected on May 5th. Out of 74 items checked, over 23 were listed as a safety hazard with a further 43 recommendations made for improvements to pass.

"It's hard to buy, renovate, and sell a home in Chicago for $300,000 and turn a profit in Chicago. People looking for homes should not be trusting  and take every effort to protect themselves and their investment," said Karla Thomas, Founder and Managing Broker at Urb & Burb.

CONTACT: Charles Bellefontaine, 1-312-759-7045, [email protected]

SOURCE Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.ChicagolandHomeInspectors.net

BIRMINGHAM, Mich., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Schechter Managing Director Aaron Hodari, CFP, CIMA, is one of 60+ key industry influencers invited to speak at the Private Placement Life Insurance & Variable Annuities Forum at the Hyatt Centric Magnificent Mile in Chicago, IL on June 13-14, 2018.

The event will focus on new developments in Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI) and Variable Annuities (PPVA) space, tailoring these products and services to diversify a client base, innovative case studies, and more.

Hodari, joined by a panel, will provide analysis on the fundamentals of PPLI.

The forum promises the entire Private Placement value chain under one roof; including, insurance carriers, insurance producers and agents, investment funds, tax and estate planning attorneys, family offices, registered investment advisers, and consultants.

"This is a [valuable] product that people get excited about owning and tell their friends about," Hodari recently told Bloomberg, speaking on PPLI as a growing institutional trend. "It's an alternative investment that allows you to invest in hedge funds and defer or eliminate taxes."

It's estimated that clients put $3 billion into Private Placement products last year alone, with Lombard International, a Luxembourg and Philadelphia-based wealth manager bought by Blackstone LP in 2014, attracting most of that business; but they aren't the only players. Wealth managers like Lombard rely on firms with complex insurance expertise  such as Schechter  to handle the structure of the life insurance strategy.

Hodari estimates investors have put upwards of $18 billion into similar funds along with other insurance products for the wealthy like Private Placement annuity contracts.

More on Aaron Hodari, CFP, CIMA:

Aaron Hodari, CFP, CIMA, is Managing Director of Schechter. Aaron works with high net worth individuals, families, business owners, and their advisors to bring them institutional quality investment management and advanced financial planning solutions. Aaron heads the firm's branch of Private Capital, including deal sourcing, due diligence, deal structuring, and market opportunity identification. He's also instrumental in the development of correlated and non-correlated investment alternatives, helping identify investment allocations, and manager selection. Aaron is a member of the CAIS Advisory Council.

About Schechter:

Schechter is a boutique, third-generation wealth advisory and financial services firm. For 79 years, we have quietly advised wealthy families on financial matters including: Institutional-quality investment advisory services, private capital and alternative investments, advanced life insurance planning, income and estate taxes, business succession and charitable planning. Our multi-disciplined team consists of JDs, CPAs, LLMs, CLUs, PFSs, CAPs, MBAs, CFA charterholders, CFP practitioners and CIMA consultants.

SOURCE Schechter"As organizations with shared values of diversity and inclusivity, we are proud to align with Pandora to support the LGBTQ community and our employees," said Gabrielle Martinez, agencyEA co-founder and managing partner. "We believe there's a common thread through the uniting power of music and events, which inspired our partnership. We look forward to playing a joint role in the Chicago Pride Parade."

Chicago is the birthplace of pride parades, with the first march occurring on June 27, 1970. The event, which serves to honor and celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex community of Chicago, attracts over one million attendees each year.

"AgencyEA's creative, design and production expertise, coupled with Pandora's music streaming and personalized music recommendation internet radio service, enables us to deliver a unique and memorable activation at the Chicago Pride Parade," said Nathan Savory, Sales Executive and Pandora Pride co-chair at Pandora. "As like-minded companies that support and prioritize diversity in all its forms, we're proud to collaborate with EA for this special occasion."

The Pandora / agencyEA float can be seen in the parade occurring at 12 p.m., with the route beginning in Uptown and ending in North Lincoln Park. A map of the four-mile route can be found here.

About agencyEA

AgencyEA is a leading brand experience agency, specializing in event and experiential marketing. EA connects brands with their target audiences through experiential, digital and traditional engagement. Founded in 1999 as Event Architects, agencyEA has partnered with esteemed clients such as Hilton, General Electric, Intuit, CLIF Bar, Google, MillerCoors, Target, Boeing, and the Obama Administration.

About Pandora

Pandora is the world's most powerful music discovery platform  a place where artists find their fans and listeners find music they love. We are driven by a single purpose: unleashing the infinite power of music by connecting artists and fans, whether through earbuds, car speakers, live on stage or anywhere fans want to experience it. Our team of highly trained musicologists analyze hundreds of attributes for each recording which powers our proprietary Music Genome Project, delivering billions of hours of personalized music tailored to the tastes of each music listener, full of discovery, making artist/fan connections at unprecedented scale. Founded by musicians, Pandora empowers artists with valuable data and tools to help grow their careers and connect with their fans.

Media Contact:

Claire Holland

agencyEA

[email protected]

312-879-0186 ext. 27

SOURCE agencyEA

Related Links

http://www.agencyea.com

DETROIT, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Stratview Research announces the launch of a new market research report on Aircraft Engine Seals Market by Aircraft Type (Commercial Aircraft, Regional Aircraft, Helicopter, Military Aircraft, and General Aviation), by Application Type (Nacelle, Oil & Fuel system, Fan Blade, Combustion, and Exhaust Section), by Material Type (Polymer Seals, Metal Seals, and Composite Seals), by Motion Type (Static Seals and Dynamic Seals), by Function Type (Fire Seals, Conductive & Insulative Seals, Air & Fluid Handling Seals, and Others), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World), Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2018-2023.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660595/Stratview_Research_Logo.jpg )



This market report, from Stratview Research, studies the aircraft engine seals market over the trend period of 2012 to 2017 and forecast period of 2018 to 2023. The research report provides detailed insights on the market dynamics to enable informed business decision making and growth strategy formulation based on the opportunities present in the market.

Aircraft Engine Seals Market: Highlights

Most of the innovations happening in aircraft engines are primarily targeting three areas: more power, more durability, and more efficiency. Almost all the engine systems and their components have had a disruptive journey with significant changes in design, technology, and materials. Seals are also not untouched with such market dynamics and have experienced significant changes in design and material over the period. For instance, development of high-thrust engine favors those seals that can withstand harsh environmental conditions. Furthermore, use of extremely stable oils and lubricants in engine demand seals that do not degrade or deteriorate themselves and protect related components in such hostile circumstances.

As per an indepth study conducted by Stratview Research, the global aircraft engine seals market is projected to grow at a healthy growth over the next five years to reach US$ 391.9 million in 2023. Engine is the most dominant application area of seals in an aircraft and accounts for more than 35% of the total aircraft seals market. Increasing production rates of key aircraft programs, such as B737, B787, A320, and A350XWB; increasing demand for lightweight aircraft engine seals; growing need for reducing engine maintenance requirements, an increased demand for improving fuel efficiency; and rising global aircraft fleet size are the major factors that are burgeoning the demand for seals in the aircraft engine market.

The research's findings suggest that commercial aircraft is expected to remain the growth engine of the global aircraft engine seals market during the forecast period of 2018 to 2023. Increasing commercial aircraft deliveries to support the rising passenger traffic, introduction of fuel-efficient next-generation aircraft, advancement in turboprop engines and propulsion systems, and rising commercial aircraft fleet size across regions are the key factors propelling the demand for engine seals in the segment.

Seals are used in a wide spectrum of engine applications including fan blade, pylon seals, thrust reverser, fan cowls, heat exchanger, bleed air seals, fire seals, air inlet seals, vane grommets elastomeric gaskets, shaft seals, metering units, valves, and filters. Nacelle is expected to remain the most dominant application segment of the aircraft engine seals market during the forecast period.

Register Here and Ask for a Free Sample on the Report

Based on the material type, polymer seal is likely to remain the largest segment of the market during the forecast period, whereas composite seal is expected to witness the highest growth in the same period. Metals seals, another considerable segment, are being increasingly replaced with polymer and composite seals.

As per the study, North America is expected to remain the largest market for aircraft engine seals during the forecast period, whereas Asia-Pacific is expected to experience the highest growth during the same period. Higher growth of aircraft engine seals market in Asia-Pacific is mainly attributable to the increasing aircraft fleet to support the rising passenger traffic; opening of assembly plants of Boeing and Airbus for B737, A320, and A330 aircraft programs; increasing procurement of military aircraft, owing to rising defense budget; and upcoming indigenous commercial and regional aircraft (C919 and MRJ).

Major seal manufacturers for aircraft engines are Hutchinson SA, Trelleborg AB, Meggitt Plc, Esterline Technologies Corporation, and Freudenberg Group. Development of optimized aircraft engine seals, regional expansion, and formation of mergers & acquisitions are the key strategies adopted by the major players to gain a competitive edge in the market.

Report Features

This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights on the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report:

Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis.

Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis.

Market trend and forecast analysis.

Market segment trend and forecast.

Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc.

Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities.

Emerging trends.

Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players.

Key success factors

This report studies the engine seals market in the global aircraft industry and has segmented the market in six ways, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders across the value chain. Following are the six ways in which the market is segmented:

Aircraft Engine Seals Market, By Aircraft Type

Commercial Aircraft (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Regional Aircraft (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Helicopter (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Military Aircraft (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

General Aviation (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Aircraft Engine Seals Market, By Application Type

Nacelle (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Oil and Fuel System (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Fan Blades (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Combustion and Exhaust Section (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Others (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Aircraft Engine Seals Market, By Motion Type

Dynamic Seals (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Static Seals (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Aircraft Engine Seals Market, By Function Type

Fire Seals (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Conductive and Insulative Seals (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Air and Fluid Handling Seals (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Others (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Aircraft Engine Seals Market, By Material Type

Polymer Seals (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Metal Seals (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Composite Seals (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Aircraft Engine Seals Market, By Region

North America (Country Analysis: The USA , Canada , and Mexico )

Europe (Country Analysis: Germany , France , The UK, Russia , and Rest of Europe )

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SOURCE Stratview ResearchJERUSALEM, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At a meeting between the American Jewish Committee's Jewish Religious Equality Coalition (J-REC) and members of Israel's Knesset, J-REC representatives expressed concern over the growing rift between Diaspora Jews and Israel, especially about younger Jews distancing from Israel.

The meeting took place during the AJC Global Forum, which is convening for the first time in Jerusalem.

MK Avraham Neguise (Likud), chairman of the Knesset's Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs, opened the meeting by acknowledging the importance of Diaspora Jewry to Israel. "The Diaspora is a strategic asset for Israel. Every Jew in the Diaspora should see Israel as his homeland and should feel free to come here. We are all one family."

Neguise, who is himself an Ethiopian immigrant, also mentioned that Diaspora Jewry has had a special role in absorbing new immigrants.

"As a former immigrant I know the role of Diaspora Jewry in the ingathering of exiles to Israel. You played, are playing and will play a critical role in this for Ethiopians, the Russian Jewish community and all over the world," he said.

AJC President John Shapiro raised the key issue that bothers many J-REC representatives. "I worry about the next generation. When the Chief Rabbi says we're worse than Holocaust deniers we (the older generation) get annoyed, but others back off," he said.

Shapiro went on to recount his own personal experience. His son was active in countering anti-Israel propaganda on campus but after a decision to freeze development of the Western Wall's pluralistic prayer area he called his father, and said, "Why are we even doing this, they're pushing us away."

Shapiro warned the MKs, "You are losing the next generation."

Dov Zakheim, chair of J-REC, said Israel faces battles on three fronts  the Palestinian front, the Iranian front and the Diaspora front, which he called the Western front.

"All is not quiet on the Western Front," said Zakheim. "It's not just that the Rabbinate has reneged on the Kotel deal. It proposes now to centralize, to control entirely marriages, divorces, conversions, Jewish life in the Diaspora."

Zakheim was referring to two points of contention between Israel's religious establishment and diaspora Jewry. The first is a plan, approved by the Israeli government in January 2016, and opposed by some religious parties along with the Chief Rabbinate, to upgrade the southern extension of the Wall to allow for egalitarian services, a single point of access and entry, and a joint authority including representatives from each of the religious movements to supervise what takes place at the southern extension. The second refers to attempts by Israel's religious establishment to extend their authority abroad.

Zakheim noted the dangers these controversies pose. "First of all, it divides us. We are one people. Second, it divides us into classes, we have first class Jews that the Chief Rabbinate recognizes and then there is everyone else who are second class (Jews)."

Marvin Israelow, chair of AJC's Israel Office, spoke in a similar vein about how Reform rabbinical students spend their first year of studies at their Israel campus. But, after the way they are treated. "They have to undergo a reeducation process when they go back to the United States to change the negative attitude they come back with," said Israelow. "These rabbis are our chief educators in the United States."

J-REC representative Shonni Silverberg observed, "Many young Jews are not assimilating, but what's happening, and I despair about this, is that their definition of Jewishness does not include Israel."

MK Rachel Azaria (Kulanu) assured the J-REC representatives they were not alone. "Most Israeli Jews don't want the Rabbinate, 80% (want to end the Rabbinate's monopoly)."

But she acknowledged that Israeli and American Jews may not be working with the same timetable for change. "We want change, but with the politics we can't (do it right away). It will take 10 to 15 years, but our tipping point is different from your tipping point."

Neguise ended the meeting by noting that he "comes from a community that had to struggle for recognition. Last year I boycotted the government when they wouldn't bring over Ethiopians whose father was Jewish (but the mother was not) and now they are here."

The Jewish Religious Equality Coalition (J-REC), created and spearheaded by AJC in 2014, is a broad-based coalition of Modern Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, and secular American Jews dedicated to the realization of full religious equality in the Jewish state, and is mobilizing support for the creation of alternatives to the Chief Rabbinate on personal status issues.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org

NEW YORK, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ALM Intelligence  Consulting division, previously known as Kennedy Consulting, has released its 2018 ratings of Transactions - Acquisitions consulting providers. Six firms were identified as leaders in the consulting industry: Alvarez & Marsal, Bain & Company, Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC.

"There's a lot of dry powder in the private equity sector and so far in 2018, there has been no shortage of M&A activity," said Tomek Jankowski, Senior Research Analyst at ALM Intelligence. "Still, there are challenges. Providers in the Transactions - Acquisitions space are feeling the heat from an increasingly crowded market and other factors that are both driving up their costs while putting pressure on fees."

Providers that attained challenger status include: Boston Consulting Group, Crowe, FTI Consulting, Houlihan Lokey, L.E.K., McKinsey, North Highland, Stax, and West Monroe Partners. Other firms that were rated include: A.T. Kearney, AlixPartners, Aprio, Baker Tilly, Grant Thornton, hu Consultancy, Navigant Consulting, Oliver Wyman, Protiviti, RSM International, Roland Berger, Smyth Advisory, Stout, and Valley Bigg Technology M&A.

ALM's Vanguard research series assesses firms in terms of their relative ability to create impact for their clients. In addition to its overall rating assessments of consulting providers' depth and breadth of capabilities and best-in-class provider designations, this series includes detailed capability evaluations for each covered provider as well as a qualitative analysis of their consulting organization, approach, and service delivery model.

For more information or to obtain the full version of The ALM Vanguard: Transactions - Acquisitions Consulting, visit the ALM Intelligence website: www.alm.com/intelligence/consulting-industry

About ALM Intelligence

ALM Intelligence, a division of ALM Media LLC, supports legal, consulting, and benefits decision-makers seeking guidance on critical business challenges. Our proprietary market reports and analysis, rating guides, prospecting tools, surveys, and rankings, inform and empower business leaders to meet business challenges with confidence. Please visit www.alm.com/intelligence for more information.

Contact Information:

Rachael Wolensky

[email protected]

SOURCE ALM Intelligence

Related Links

http://alm.com

OAKLAND, Calif., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Amazing Care Network and Jahnke Consulting are proud to announce a partnership on Long Term Care Insurance. This partnership will allow Amazing Care Network members to purchase Long Term Care insurance offered by Jahnke Consulting, at a discount. This partnership was developed with the intent of helping more families afford health care and end of life care.

Jahnke Consulting, led by Linda Jahnke, has been committed to helping clients and their families navigate end of life care and finances for over thirty years. Amazing Care Network is a membership community that fosters both emotional and financial wellness for those aging and approaching the end of life.

To learn more about how you can become a member of Amazing Care Network, and access this special pricing, please click here http://www.amazingcarenetwork.com/enrollmentoptions/.

About Amazing Care Network

Amazing Care Network (ACN) is an offering for those caring for the aging or the ill. It creates a community network for those caring for loved ones, and fosters financial wellness, to help offset expected and unexpected expenses. ACN facilitates networking and fosters the spread of knowledge about the aging process and the healthcare industry. ACN is part of Sterling Administration, a healthcare administrator based in Oakland, California. To learn more visit www.amazingcarenetwork.com.

About Jahnke Consulting

Jahnke Consulting designs long term care product solutions to help families select and direct extended care services. Seventy percent of Jahnke Consulting's business consists of patient advocacy for long term care claims. Most often the need for care will be at home, but our clients can choose to live in assisted living or continuing care communities. The value of planning ensures individuals will have the financial means to maintain their independence while continuing to be a vital part in their family and community. Jahnke Consulting is based in San Diego, California. To learn more visit http://jcltca.com/.

CONTACT: Ann Basco, Director of Marketing, 1-800-617-4729 X255

SOURCE Amazing Care Network

Related Links

http://www.amazingcarenetwork.com

DEL MAR, Calif., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- American Diversified Holdings Corporation (OTC: ADHC) announced today that the company has completed the acquisition of Houston Texas based Brazos Biomedical, LLC (Brazos). ADHC has acquired all the assets of Brazos Biomedical and the AURACIS TENS Migraine therapy system including all the patents and patent applications in the US and abroad, patent license agreement, technical engineering schematics, FDA plans, patient study information and other related assets.

Brazos has an international patent portfolio covering the AURACIS system. This includes issued patents in the US and patent applications pending in foreign countries. Recognizing that a robust patent portfolio is imperative to the success of the development of the AURACIS system, ADHC has undergone a comprehensive review of these files. Moreover, Brazos has obtained proposals from multiple leading OEM device and development firms as they prepare to advance the AURACIS system towards the market.

The terms and conditions of the Brazos Biomedical, LLC acquisition (BRAZOS), were not disclosed pending completion of standard due diligence.

ADHC management has undertaken a financial reorganization that has resulted in the reduction of $1.2 mm in debt on the balance sheet. In addition to the debt reduction approximately 95 million shares have cancelled and reduced from the total shares outstanding. Third quarter financials ending on April 30, 2018 have been filed and can be reviewed at www.OTCMARKETS.com

ADHC management believes this debt reduction and share cancellation will further enhance the Company's financial picture. Allowing for a broader based appeal to the shareholder community in anticipation of filing the Form Ten and the pending application to the OTC-QB.

In additional news, recent comments by the current US administration appears to be soften the US stance on federal Cannabis regulation. Current legislation is pending in congress that will federally legalize cannabis. Should this legislation pass and become law ADHC will revisit previous negotiations in the cannabis sector. Additionally, ADHC is seeking additional acquisitions in the Bio-device sector specifically in the non-opioid pain management arena.

ADHC will keep shareholders informed as events progress.

ADHC is a holding company that provides executive management, corporate governance, administrative support, financial advice, and introductions to capital sources to various micro-cap private and public companies that have proven revenues and business models.

BRAZOS BIOMEDICAL LLC is a bio device company utilizing electro stimulation for pain management to improve patient outcomes through creative innovation with a core competency in the migraine and headache pain space.

For more information: www.brazosbio.com

This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include risks and uncertainties that may cause the Company's plans to change and are in no way intended to guarantee that the Company will be successful in executing its plans. common stock currently trades on the over-the-counter under the symbol ADHC. This press release in no way constitutes any recommendation regarding the securities of ADHC or its affiliates. Any person reading this press release is advised that this release should be considered in the light of all facts and circumstances regarding the business and financial condition and prospects of ADHC, and no reference has been made that this release contains all information.

Contact:

[email protected]

Tel: 858-259-4534

SOURCE American Diversified Holdings Corporation

Related Links

http://www.brazosbio.com

STAMFORD, Conn., June 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Americares, in partnership with the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA), has presented its annual Power of Partnership Award to Mylan, in recognition of its outstanding commitment to increasing access to health care around the world. Mylan is among Americares most dedicated and longstanding supporters, providing pharmaceutical products for the organization's health programs for people affected by poverty or disaster.

Americares President and CEO Michael J. Nyenhuis presented the award today at HDA's Business and Leadership Conference in Colorado Springs. Americares and HDA created the Power of Partnership Award in 2005 to recognize HDA-member pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution organizations that have shown exceptional dedication to expanding access to health care for disadvantaged populations.

"Mylan is one of our most reliable and committed supporters, providing monthly product donations that improve health and save lives all over the world," Nyenhuis said. "Whether we are providing medicine to disaster survivors or bringing quality health care to remote areas around the world, Mylan is always there."

Mylan has supported Americares for nearly 30 years, providing more than $670 million worth of medicine for patients in need. Americares delivers Mylan products to a network of 4,000 health centers worldwide, as well as health facilities treating disaster survivors. In recent years, Mylan supported Americares responses to the 2015 Nepal earthquake as well as the 2017 hurricanes. For Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria alone, Mylan donated $5 million in quality medicine.

"Supporting our communities by providing access to much-needed medicine when disasters strike is a critical way for Mylan to help ensure that the health and wellbeing of families are addressed during times of crisis," said Mylan CEO Heather Bresch. "We are extremely proud of our long-standing partnership with Americares and the work we've been able to achieve together to give back to communities around the world over the past three decades. We are humbled and honored to receive this year's Power of Partnership Award and look forward to partnering with Americares for decades to come."

"Power of Partnership honorees display an extraordinary commitment to providing access to medicines in the most critical situations," said HDA President and CEO John M. Gray. "HDA, together with Americares, congratulates Mylan for their generosity and dedication in ensuring vulnerable populations receive the care they need, when they need it."

About Americares

Americares is a health-focused relief and development organization that saves lives and improves health for people affected by poverty or disaster. Each year, Americares reaches an average of 90 countries and all 50 U.S. states with life-changing health programs, medicine and medical supplies. Americares is the world's leading nonprofit provider of donated medicine and medical supplies. For more information, visit americares.org.

About the Healthcare Distribution Alliance

The Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) represents primary pharmaceutical distributors  the vital link between the nation's pharmaceutical manufacturers and more than 200,000 pharmacies, hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics and others nationwide. Since 1876, HDA has helped members navigate regulations and innovations to get the right medicines to the right patients at the right time, safely and efficiently. The HDA Research Foundation, HDA's non-profit charitable foundation, serves the healthcare industry by providing research and education focused on priority healthcare supply chain issues. For more information, visit www.hda.org.

About Mylan

Mylan is a global pharmaceutical company committed to setting new standards in healthcare. Working together around the world to provide 7 billion people access to high quality medicine, we innovate to satisfy unmet needs; make reliability and service excellence a habit; do what's right, not what's easy; and impact the future through passionate global leadership. We offer a growing portfolio of more than 7,500 marketed products around the world, including antiretroviral therapies on which more than 40% of people being treated for HIV/AIDS globally depend. We market our products in more than 165 countries and territories. We are one of the world's largest producers of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Every member of our approximately 35,000-strong workforce is dedicated to creating better health for a better world, one person at a time. Learn more at Mylan.com. We routinely post information that may be important to investors on our website at investor.mylan.com.

SOURCE Mylan N.V.; Americares

Related Links

http://www.americares.org

FORT COLLINS, Colo., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Accomplished composer and showman Gustav Hoyer, an active contributor to the live music and events scene in Colorado, is announcing the launch of a new concert series, new album and brand that will bring an unexpected approach to experiencing classical music. By focusing on creating dynamic, memorable experiences to complement and convey the music, Hoyer hopes to highlight the art form's relevance to modern audiences.

Gustav Hoyer conducts a performance of Holst's piece, The Planets Gustav Hoyer, Composer

"Classical music can be intimidating and remote. It's often shuttered away in stuffy music halls or sparsely attended academic settings. I want to give people a chance to experience this great art form in untraditional ways - to break down the barrier between performer and audience. That is rarely done in this field of music."

Hoyer has been writing modern music in the classical vocabulary for most of his life. His compositions have been recorded and heard in concerts around the world, but his passion is for something more transcendent: leading audiences to encounters of unexpected beauty in an age of overstimulation.

"Our world is so noisy and crowded, and this style of music asks us to slow down and listen in a way that fills our mind and takes us on an emotional journey," Hoyer says. "Moments decorated by music, or vibrant sights and rich smells - any time where the senses are engaged on a deeper level stand out in the human memory. My hope is that classical music will be a vehicle for these experiences of 'decorated time,' and that the audience will take away a lasting impression of something truly memorable."

Hoyer's unique approach to immersive, multi-faceted musical encounters began in Los Angeles almost a decade ago with The Orchestra Unleashed; since his relocation to Northern Colorado, new audiences have enjoyed numerous opportunities to become acquainted with Hoyer's performances. His recent collaboration with Fort Collins-based Classical Revolution packed a reduced orchestra inside a planetarium for an interstellar musical journey. Anachronism, a special one-night event, featured a string orchestra and an interactive, steampunk-themed set. A collaboration with Canyon Concert Ballet and Prost Brewery produced Ballet, Bach & Beer performed in an art gallery.

Hoyer cites a lack of accessibility as a key reason curious listeners might shy away from the genre. "I never would have discovered classical music on my own without someone else welcoming me into it," he comments. "No matter how people are coming through the door to these performances - a long-time student of the genre or an inquisitive newcomer - I hope this music can be the gateway to an outstanding moment in time."

Later in the summer, Hoyer will debut The Salon Sessions, a highly curated series of house concerts featuring original music, craft cocktails, and thematic art installations. The event series will mark the release of Hoyer's new album, Witness. Hosted by local Colorado residents, each concert promises to be an intimate experience harkening back to the way classical music was originally presented.

Homeowners interested in hosting a Salon can contact Hoyer directly.

Contact:

Gustav Hoyer

Composer

818.939.9518

[email protected]

http://gustavhoyer.com

SOURCE Gustav Hoyer

Related Links

http://gustavhoyer.com

LUXEMBOURG, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Implementation of blockchain solutions not only lead to a reduction in bureaucracy, replace legacy systems and optimize organizational processes for business or government, but the technology behind blockchain guarantees data integrity for transactions. Moreover, the addition of smart contracts to blockchain-based technology provides for the automation of myriad day-to-day actions.

Apla Tech Company

However, what happens when there is an error in smart contract code or a hacker illegally takes advantage of vulnerabilities found in smart contracts? The problem is, on most blockchains, there is no way to reverse or correct errors, so the transaction data can be easily lost forever. Being implemented in e-government, for instance, blockchain solution may become a weakness in IT infrastructure and in some conditions may cause a loss of public funds.

Smart laws overcome this and so is a solution, which enhances the feasibility of blockchain for any organisation.

What are Smart Laws?

Smart laws are smart contracts that contain conditions and restrictions in accordance with normative regulations. They provide a mechanism to verify or negate whether the implementation of a smart contract contradicts the laws of the country or policies of the enterprise. In fact, they fulfill the role of legislation within blockchain ecosystems.

Smart Laws are able to function in conjunction with existing regulation and allow persons with authority to correct transactions. This mechanism means mistakes can be easily corrected and stolen data can be returned to their rightful owners. Smart Laws regulate contract execution, exist within a democratic system and there is no need to fork from the chain, whilst they also introduce human logic to code.

Smart Laws vs. Smart Contracts

Unlike smart contracts, Smart Laws allow humans to evaluate and rectify errors where there are program contradictions or flaws in the algorithm. Smart Laws submit to a higher level of control, coming into force where an unforeseen situation (in the code) takes place, providing a system in which a person may intervene and alter the code.

If a party takes advantage of an error in a contract for their own personal gain, the law will come into effect, thereby revoking the negative consequences of the unauthorized action, not by deleting a part of the register to travel back in time but to execute a series of new transactions. This solution means that the integrity of the register is not compromised since changes will take place in accordance with a contract-law, which already exists in the network at launch.

The application of Smart Laws doesn't contradict the immutable nature of the register, nor its autonomy or its decentralised attributes since none of the previous entries have been altered. By bringing a system of law to code and creating Smart Laws built on top of smart contracts, a regulatory system is created where judicial recourse can be taken and wrongs can be put right.

"Smart Laws add a new level of reliability and security to blockchain solutions. They operate above the level of protocols in blockchain, allowing to verify the existence of any licenses, permits and any other conditions necessary that were not taken into account when writing the smart contract. As such we increase the opportunities to use smart contracts for any transaction," explained Oleg Strelenko, Apla's CEO.

About Apla

Apla is a full-service blockchain technology company that enables governments and enterprises to work faster, safer and with greater impact. With more than 80 employees and in offices across Dubai, Luxembourg and Moscow, Apla has successfully executed projects in the UAE, India, Netherlands Antilles and Russia, with many more in the pipeline.

This is a short list of proven use cases of the Apla blockchain solution: voting systems, land registries, financial services, medical records, IP rights distribution, donation and other social good marketplaces.

For more information, contact Alina Nuzhnenko, Apla PR manager: [email protected], +79689794229 or visit https://apla.io.



Related Images

smart-law-illegal-transaction.png

Smart Law: Illegal Transaction Reversal

smart-laws.png

Smart Laws

SOURCE Apla Tech Company

Related Links

https://apla.io

BOSTON, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Facebook released information during media interviews yesterday that it had issued a formal apology to Natasha Lamb, managing partner at Arjuna Capital, for the conduct of a senior executive following its annual shareholder meeting on Thursday, May 31st. Lamb is a senior principal of a wealth management firm, Facebook investor, and shareholder rights advocate, who has been trying to engage the company on closing its gender pay gap since 2016, and on disclosing information about online content management since 2017. Facebook issued the apology yesterday in anticipation of an opinion editorial in the Financial Times, detailing the incident at its annual meeting, in which Facebook VP of Communications & Public Policy Elliot Schrage made a disparaging comment as an excuse for repeatedly ignored Arjuna Capital's shareholder proposals.

The full text of Natasha Lamb's response to Facebook's apology is copied below:

Dear Mr. Schrage,

Thank you for your apology regarding your comments to me at the Facebook shareholder meeting, as well as your honest acknowledgement that they were correctly interpreted as insulting and offensive. As a female investor speaking on behalf of Facebook's shareholders, I was stunned by a tactic that was so clearly patronizing.

We are engaging with the company because we believe there is a path forward that benefits both the company and its investors. Yet, our interactions have been limited and management's responses have been dismissive of our concerns.

In 2016, before our first shareholder proposal on gender pay equity went to a vote, I spoke once with a company representative, and I was assured that there was no gender pay gap at the company. Yet this assurance was made in the absence of metrics like those being published by Facebook's peers. We did not withdraw our proposal for that reason, and have refiled it for two years since. Facebook saying it pays men and women equally does not address our concerns in the absence of data. In 2017, there was no dialogue on the issue and this year, in 2018, Facebook's staff waited until just before the meeting to even reach out on gender pay equity, yet committed to no additional action.

In 2017, we filed a shareholder proposal expressing concerns that fake news propagated over the platform was having an impact on our democracy. Yet, the company waited until after that proposal went to a vote to speak to us. When we did speak, the company assured us that there was not an issue and ignored our recommendations for better reporting. Six months later, Facebook testified before Congress about the 126 million Americans who may have viewed Russian propaganda on Facebook in the lead up to the 2016 US presidential election.

In 2018, we filed a related proposal on "content governance," that is, the fake news, hate speech, and sexual harassment propagated over the platform that is in direct violation of the company's own terms of service. Along with our co-filers the New York State Common Retirement Fund and Illinois State Treasurer, we requested a dialog, but were dismissed completely. We have yet to discuss our concerns regarding content governance with Facebook.

At the annual meeting, I simply asked why. Why are you not engaging with your investors? And more specifically, why are you not engaging with us in a meaningful way?

I look forward to a more productive dialog and meaningful engagement.

The Facebook response letter from Natasha Lamb of Arjuna Capital is available for download at: https://arjuna-capital.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Response-to-FB-apology_2018.pdf.

Natasha Lamb, managing partner, Arjuna Capital said: "My published comments in Financial Times are a truthful account of the shareholder meeting. Today, I have responded to Mr. Schrage's apology and now consider this matter closed. As I noted in my op-ed, however, Facebook has been unresponsive on publishing the median gender pay data we seek. In addition, despite their refusal to admit it, Facebook did not engage with me or our pension fund partners on our 2018 proposal on content governance, which covered fake news, election interference, hate speech and sexual harassment propagated over the platform that stands in violation of the company's own terms of service. We do not consider these matters closed, and continue to seek a formal engagement with Facebook on these important issues."

Arjuna Capital is an investment firm focused on sustainable and impact investing. Lamb and Arjuna Capital have been recognized for using shareholder resolutions to promote gender pay equity in the tech, banking, and retail sectors. Natasha Lamb was named to the "Bloomberg 50" list of influencers who defined global business in 2017. For more information, visit www.Arjuna-Capital.com.

SOURCE Arjuna Capital

Related Links

http://www.arjuna-capital.com/

LONDON, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

While the global chatter around bricks and mortar retail sounds bleak, AS Watson is cementing its reputation as not just the world's largest health and beauty retailer but the most forward-thinking with continued investment into store openings, customer service and digital transformation.

For the third year in a row, AS Watson announces its plan to open over 1,300 new stores; that's one new store opened every seven hours. This bold growth plan shows the optimistic view AS Watson has in the global opportunity offered in retail. The business currently has over 14,300 stores in its 24 markets.

While AS Watson may be a name which is only known by industry insiders and analysts, their list of 12 retail brands is a roll call of some of the world's most trusted brands including Kruidvat (1,000 stores in Netherlands and Belgium), Superdrug (800 stores in UK and Ireland) and ParknShop (340 supermarkets in Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China). The largest retail brand in the group is Watsons which operates 6,600 stores in 12 Asian and European countries and has this week opened its first store in Russia.

The business's digital transformation began in 2010, with the launch of the first AS Watson customer strategy. This pivotal document recognised that the digital evolution was changing customer behaviour - not only the way they sought inspiration, but how they communicated to brands and their expectations to be listened to. The customer strategy showed the business's determination to become a more customer centric organisation, through the use of analytics, surveys, digital analysis and social listening to stay close to customers and put into action their views and feedback.

Eight years after the launch of the first customer strategy the business now has over 130 million members in their loyalty programme globally, and with a recorded revenue increase of six per cent in its core health and beauty business, the plan is showing dividends.

"Digital transformation in organisations so often focuses on technology investment and new digital applications, and ignores the human touch," said Malina Ngai, Group Chief Operating Officer.

"When 70 per cent of your colleagues are Generation Y and Z it's vital to talk to them in the right way, to enable them to service today's customers."

The business has changed the way it recruits and communicates with colleagues across the business, including using mobile APPs for training to replace traditional learning. Across the territories you'll find each business's social media platforms run and managed by young colleagues, talking to their peers in a relatable way.

"Growth in terms of store numbers is just part of the picture, we are well aware that offering the best customer service and ensuring customer satisfaction is key to our continued success.

"The way that our customers shop is continually changing and we know how important it is to keep at the forefront of changing trends and innovation by the effective use of big data."

The company last year announced its investment of US $70m in building big data capabilities to enhance its customers' experiences as well as business efficiencies. The roll out is in partnership with Toronto-based Rubikloud a company that specialises in software platforms for retailers.

AS Watson continues to invest in technology, to allow it to build on customer insights and create innovative digital platforms. This investment is backed by a programme of collaborations with suppliers who are pioneering technology expertise in their fields. This close collaboration is helping AS Watson ensure their customers are being served with cutting edge store systems, artificial intelligence and eCommerce.

About A.S. Watson Group

Established in Hong Kong in 1841, A.S. Watson Group is the world's largest international health and beauty retailer with over 14,300 stores in 24 markets. Each year, over four billion customers and members shop with our 12 retail brands, both in stores and online.

in 1841, A.S. Watson Group is the world's largest international health and beauty retailer with over 14,300 stores in 24 markets. Each year, over four billion customers and members shop with our 12 retail brands, both in stores and online. In Hong Kong , we operate more than 600 stores under four retail brands - Watsons, PARKnSHOP, FORTRESS, and Watson's Wine. In addition, we manufacture and distribute high quality drinking water brand Watsons Water, as well as the famous juice drinks Mr Juicy and Sunkist.

, we operate more than 600 stores under four retail brands - Watsons, PARKnSHOP, FORTRESS, and Wine. In addition, we manufacture and distribute high quality drinking water brand Watsons Water, as well as the famous juice drinks Mr Juicy and Sunkist. For the fiscal year 2017, A.S. Watson Group recorded revenue of HKD156.2 billion . We have over 140,000 employees worldwide, including 12,900 in Hong Kong .

. We have over 140,000 employees worldwide, including 12,900 in . A.S. Watson Group is also a member of the world-renowned multinational conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings Limited, which has five core businesses  ports and related services, retail, infrastructure, energy and telecommunications in over 50 countries.

Please visit www.aswatson.com for more in-depth information about A.S.Watson Group and its brands. You may also stay in touch with us via our digital presence (eCommerce, social media, mobile app & more) ; more details are at http://www.aswatson.com/our-customers/digitalasw/

SOURCE A.S. Watson GroupLAS VEGAS, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Asia Broadband Inc. (OTC : AABB), through its wholly owned subsidiary Asia Metals Inc., recently added Mr. Zhang Wei to the newly created position of Business Development & Relationships Manager. Mr. Wei will be working together with Jirong Luo, who is currently the Company's Senior Advisor Asian Markets & Business Development. Mr. Wei and Mr. Luo have several years experience working together in previously held corporate positions in China and are currently combining their efforts in the on-going joint venture partner negotiations that the Company recently announced.

Mr. Wei has gained diverse industry and corporate knowledge in over 16 years of business development experience through positions he previously held in both the private and public sectors within China and Taiwan. He brings a strong track record of expanding commercial contact networks with an emphasis on in-person business engagements to build stronger rapport with current and prospective clients. Mr. Wei is a communications specialist that employs a mutual alignment of corporate goals strategy in negotiations and sales and supply contracts.

Asia Broadband Inc. (OTC : AABB), through its wholly owned subsidiary Asia Metals Inc., is a resource company focused on the production, supply and sale of precious and base metals, primarily to Asian markets. The Company utilizes its specific geographic expertise, experience and extensive industry contacts to facilitate its innovative distribution process from the production and supply of precious and base metals in Guerrero, Mexico, to our client sales networks in Asia. This vertical integration approach to sales transactions is the unique strength of Asia Broadband and differentiates the Company to its shareholders.

Contact the Company at:

Email: [email protected] Website: www.asiametalsinc.com Phone: 702-866-9054 Rebecca Whitmore

Investor Relations



Forward-Looking Statements are contained in this press release within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on the Asia Broadband Inc.'s (the "Company") expected current beliefs about the Company's business, which are subject to uncertainty and change. The operations and results of the Company could materially differ from what is expressed or implied by the statements made above when industry, regulatory, market and competitive circumstances change. Further information about these risks can be found in the annual and quarterly disclosures the Company has published on the OTC Markets website. The Company is under no obligation to update or alter its forward-looking statements as future circumstances, events and information may change.

SOURCE Asia Broadband Inc.

Related Links

http://www.asiabroadbandinc.com

This AsiaSecWest marks the first time that a CanSecWest meeting is held in Hong Kong. With joint efforts from Tencent Security, AsiaSecWest now has become a brand new platform for technology communication. However, like CanSecWest, it also selects topics from open global submissions.

From what's already known, the topics for this conference are forward-looking and highly valuable. Besides, cutting-edge research findings about the security of Internet, computer, communication and information processing were discussed here, and many were presented for the very first time.

There are 13 global cyber security related topics at this AsiaSecWest such as availability of Box-In-The-Middle(BITM) and its latent risks, the evolution of skills in security and incomplete patches of the Android system to name but a few. Some of the speakers that touch upon these subjects are: professor Duan Haixin from the Institute for Network Sciences and Cyberspace at Tsinghua University, security researchers Song Kai and Qin Ce from Tencent Security Xuanwu Lab, Peleus Uhley, chief security strategist of Adobe and Karsten Nohl, chief scientist of SR Labs.

Through discussions and conversations among these top hackers, AsiaSecWest is designed to create a communication platform for information security professionals. In support of this endeavor, a hacker 1.0.1 vision is put forward by Yu Yang, the head of Tencent Security Xuanwu Lab and Dragos Ruiu, the founder of CanSecWest and a famous figure in the hacker community.

In this vision, the first "1" means one communication platform for security technology; "0" signifies zero-distance communication while the last "1" stands for first-rate technology from Tencent Security through academic researches and capability improvement.

Tencent Security is the first advocator of new cyber security ecology in China. For starters, it has established the first domestic joint security laboratory for Internet security technology researches and security defense system building. Besides, it pooled its capability to launch the Tencent Guardian Project, China Cyber Security Summit (CSS) and Tencent Capture The Flag (TCTF), supported and entered the GeekPwn Contest. Moreover, Tencent Security has established a security industry alliance matrix combining anti-telecom-fraud, cyber security professional training and information security contest platform, in an effort to provide all-around prevention and protection to users.

SOURCE AsiaSecWestSAN MATEO, Calif., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- AtScale, the first company to provide enterprises with a Modern Data Lake Intelligence platform, announced today the general availability of "AtScale Cloud." By providing a 'one-click' solution for running otherwise extremely complex Big Data workloads on the Cloud, AtScale simplifies the process of provisioning an end-to-end analytics environment that lets users work with data at unlimited scale and top performance. With AtScale Cloud, enterprises can run Big Data Analytics on one cloud, multiple clouds or in hybrid mode (on-premises + multi-clouds).

AtScale Cloud is available today on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Marketplace as well as Microsoft and Google Cloud marketplaces. It is the industry's only enterprise-grade solution to enable enterprises to run high-performance analytics workloads on Big Data regardless of where or how their Big Data is stored.

For more information, simply go to www.atscale.com/cloud

Modern Data Lake Intelligence for Any Cloud

Companies around the world have already taken advantage of AtScale Cloud. Some use the company's solution to provide a best-in-class analytics experience while continuing to save on IT infrastructure costs in the Cloud. Others see in AtScale Cloud the opportunity to modernize their approach by migrating from Hadoop to the Cloud:

"When we decided to adopt new Business Intelligence tooling, one of our top priorities was to have the ability to run rapid-fire multi-dimensional analytics at large scale, directly from the tools our users preferred," says Maurice Lacroix, Business Intelligence Leader at bol.com, one of Europe's largest online retailers. "With AtScale, users can run live queries, straight to Google BigQuery at great speeds. This is something that we saw no other intelligence platform able to deliver."

AtScale's native integration with leading Business Intelligence tools and its low-touch deployment model bring agility and versatility to any enterprise modernizing its data environment. "AtScale models are built once and can run anywhere - from any BI tool, to any data platform," says Matt Baird, co-founder and CTO at AtScale. "These benefits can't be understated, particularly for organizations that are suffering from aging data architectures."

"Having our business adopt analytics requires sanctioned data at speed," says John Ackerman, Sr. Director Enterprise Architecture and Innovation at TRAC Intermodal, North America's leading provider of intermodal marine equipment. "Before AtScale, our ability to report on location and usage patterns could take days. Now, it takes seconds. What's more: our analysts are no longer constrained to a rigid data warehouse. They can self-serve to our Microsoft Azure data lake in direct mode, without having to wait for data to be moved for them or to perform extreme heroics to get the answers they need."

In addition to working with any cloud, AtScale continues to innovate in its support of all Business Intelligence tools, from Tableau to Excel. AtScale is the industry's only platform that supports SQL, MDX and custom APIs natively. The company just received two additional patents for its virtual multi-dimensional model, as well as its dynamic data access and security functions.

The De-Facto Standard for Big Data Analytics, On-Premises and on the Cloud

"In our work with some of the largest global brands, we saw firsthand the need to accelerate and simplify cloud migration across complex multi-faceted environments," says Dave Mariani, CEO and co-founder of AtScale. "It was important to us to enable our customers to make the most of their data, be it on-premises, on the cloud, or both."

"When enterprises like AllState, JPMorgan Chase, Voya or Wells Fargo look for Data Lake Intelligence solutions, they need an enterprise-grade solution that works, regardless of their deployment mode," says Mariani. "AtScale has all the functionality required to manage all Big Data, everywhere."

With AtScale Cloud customers get:

Data Lake Intelligence capabilities they can deploy in minutes and on any cloud: on AWS, Microsoft and Google.

on AWS, Microsoft and Google. Blazing-Fast BI for Big Data: AtScale Adaptive Cache TM , the company's AI powered query acceleration technology, analyzes query patterns in real-time to provide sub-second analytical query performance, regardless the size of the data queried.

AtScale Adaptive Cache , the company's AI powered query acceleration technology, analyzes query patterns in real-time to provide sub-second analytical query performance, regardless the size of the data queried. Best-In-Class Experience: AtScale's patented Hybrid Query Service TM is the industry's only solution that lets any BI tool run on Big Data directly, using SQL or MDX, and without any data movement or ETL.

AtScale's patented Hybrid Query Service is the industry's only solution that lets any BI tool run on Big Data directly, using SQL or MDX, and without any data movement or ETL. An enterprise-grade intelligence platform that enables untethered data access while adhering to enterprises' corporate security and governance requirements.

With AtScale, enterprise IT can now support any analytics needs, from simple to sophisticated, for any BI tools, on any data, on-premises, in the cloud, and both.

To find out more about AtScale, simply go to www.atscale.com/cloud

About AtScale

AtScale is the only company to provide enterprises with a universal semantic platform for BI on the Data Lake. With AtScale, business users get interactive and multi-dimensional analysis capabilities, directly on Big Data, at maximum speed, using the tools they already know, own and love  from Microsoft Excel to Tableau Software to QlikView. Built by Big Data veterans from Yahoo!, Google and Oracle, AtScale is already enabling the BI on Big Data revolution at major corporations, including Toyota, AllState, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, GlaxoSmithKline and many more. To see how AtScale can help your company, go to www.atscale.com/try

SOURCE AtScale

Related Links

http://www.atscale.com

JERUSALEM, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Austrian Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz declared at the 2018 AJC Global Forum that the Austrian government viewed both the fight against anti-Semitism and the security of the state of Israel as part of the country's Staatsrason, or national interest.

Kurz also noted his government's support for Israel as a Jewish state, announced plans for Holocaust education, and urged his audience to draw hope from post-World War Europe for a vision of regional peace.

AJC CEO David Harris, who spontaneously joined Kurz on the stage immediately after he spoke, recalled that it was not until 1991 that Austria acknowledged its own central role in the Holocaust and its historic responsibility to fight anti-Semitism.

"But I always knew there was another piece to the puzzle. The Federal Republic of Germany, after the war, understood that it had an obligation to both the Jewish people and the Jewish state," said Harris, the son of a survivor from Vienna. "For the first time in 73 years, you have heard an Austrian Chancellor accept the responsibility of Austria to the state of Israel and its security as a matter of Staatsrason for Austria. History has just been made at the AJC Global Forum. Again, this was the first time the word Staatsrason was ever used by an Austrian leader to describe the country's relationship to Israel."

Kurz opened his speech paying homage to the great strides Israel has made in its 70-year history. "70 years ago, Israel was built on the devastation that was left behind by the Second World War. Today, it is a stronghold of democracy and liberty in the Middle East," he said. "70 years ago, Jews from around the world started to build up their country from nothing. Today, Israel is a world leader in innovation and technology."

Kurz emphasized that "our newly-formed government has a proactive agenda when it comes to supporting the state of Israel. And for the first time, there is a clear and formal commitment in the coalition program to Israel as a Jewish state."

The Chancellor also made clear his commitment to supporting Israel's security needs. "The security of Israel is not negotiable to us," he proclaimed.

"We understand the serious security threats Israel is facing. We, therefore, fully condemn all acts of violence, inside Israel, at its borders and beyond," he said. "The security situation of Israel is not comparable to any other country because we all know: When it comes to war, other countries may lose one or more battles, but can still survive. With Israel, it's different. Israel is a strong but small country. It cannot afford to lose even one single battle, as this would determine its end."

Much of his speech addressed Holocaust accountability head-on. "We are not only responsible for what we do, but also for what we do not do," said the 31-year-old Austrian leader, as he described his own personal encounters with survivors, starting when he was a high-school student. "Because my generation is one of the very last to be able to have such conversations, we have an important responsibility to listen carefully to what happened, and to take these lessons to heart."

"As the representative of Austria, I have to admit that there were many people in Austria who did nothing to fight the Nazi regime. Far too many actively supported these horrors and even were perpetrators," he said. "At that time, many Austrians supported a system which murdered more than six million Jews from all over Europe and beyond, among them more than 60,000 fellow Austrian Jewish citizens."

Kurz also made clear his commitment to Holocaust education, announcing that his government will implement a new program bringing Austrian school children to the Mauthausen concentration camp, construct a new Holocaust memorial in Vienna  including the names of all 60,000 Holocaust victims  and establish the Shoah Heritage Collection Center, with one million Euros, at Yad Vashem.

"It is our duty and obligation to ensure that the Shoah will never happen again, and that my generation and succeeding generations will never forget these horrible crimes," he said. "Austrian legislation," he added, "forbids neo-Nazi activity and Holocaust denial."

"The most important lesson from the past is that we must actively protect our rule of law, our democracy, and fight each and every kind of extremism and intolerance," said Kurz, adding that "Austria bears a special historic responsibility to support Jewish life in our country and to protect it against all forms of anti-Semitism."

Ending on a more optimistic note, Kurz pointed out that Europeans today take the continent's unification for granted, but, in reality, they had to undergo a healing process after World War II.

"Today, my generation takes it for granted to be able to study in France or to work in Belgium. Today, my generation takes it for granted that Austrian companies are invested in Poland or Hungary. Today, we take it for granted that tourists from all over Europe come to visit Vienna or ski in the Alps. But it was not always like this."

However, he noted, this healing process takes dedication from all sides. "As in Europe after the war, however, this takes commitment and patience. And for sure Israel cannot achieve this alone. Commitment to a peaceful future is needed from all sides. Austria will keep on reminding its counterparts in this region that Israel is here to stay, and that it is their duty to find a way to accommodate themselves with this fact."

The AJC Global Forum is the premier global Jewish advocacy organization's signature annual event. More than 2,400 people, from 56 countries on six continents, are attending the conference in Jerusalem, the first time it has been held outside the United States in AJC's 112-year history.

Chancellor Kurz's address to the AJC Global Forum at: https://www.ajc.org/news/austrian-chancellor-sebastian-kurz-addresses-ajc-global-forum

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org

DETROIT, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Stratview Research announces the launch of a new research report on Automotive Charge Air Cooler (CAC) Market by Vehicle Type (Passenger Car, LCV, and M&HCV), by Product Type (Air-Cooled Charge Air Cooler and Liquid-Cooled Charge Air Cooler), by Position Type (Standalone CAC and Integrated CAC), by Fuel Type (Gasoline and Diesel), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of World), Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2018-2023.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660595/Stratview_Research_Logo.jpg )



This market report, from Stratview Research, studies the global automotive charge air cooler market over the trend and forecast period of 2012 to 2017 and 2018 to 2023, respectively. The report provides detailed insights on the market dynamics to enable informed business decision making and growth strategy formulation based on the opportunities present in the market.

Automotive Charge Air Cooler (CAC) Market: Research Highlights

The global automotive industry is undergoing the most potentially disruptive decade where stringent government regulations regarding carbon emission reductions and fuel efficiency enhancements are generating an enormous pressure on automakers. Automakers are unraveling it by finding distinct ways. Engine downsizing is one of the prime approaches for achieving such industry needs. Engine downsizing makes engine hotter but makes the engine more powerful and efficient and gives an impetuous growth to the demand for turbochargers in vehicles. This creates a need for effective cooling of charged air through charge air cooler (CAC) (also known as an intercooler).

As per Stratview Research, the global automotive charge air cooler market is projected to offer an impressive growth opportunity and is likely to reach US$ 3,110.8 million in 2023. Organic growth in automobile production owing to increasing disposable income and growing urbanization; strict government regulations regarding carbon emission reductions and fuel efficiency enhancements, such as CAFE Standards; and increasing penetration of turbochargers are some of the major growth drivers of charge air coolers in the automotive industry.

The author of the report cited that passenger car is expected to remain the growth engine of the global automotive charge air cooler market during the forecast period. Higher production of cars coupled with an increased adoption of charge air cooler in gasoline engines is driving the segment.

Based on the product type, air-cooled charge air cooler is expected to remain the most dominant product type in the market during the forecast period, whereas liquid-cooled charge air cooler is likely to grow at a faster rate during the same period. Smaller packaging space with reduced duct length, reduction in pressure loss, improvement in power and torque delivery, and enhanced efficiency are some of the key whys and wherefores for faster growth of liquid-cooled charge air cooler as compared to air-cooled charge air cooler.

Register here for a free sample of the detailed report

As per the study, diesel engine is expected to remain the dominant segment of the automotive charge air cooler market during the forecast period, whereas gasoline engine is expected to witness a higher growth during the same period.

In terms of region, Europe is expected to remain the largest automotive charge air cooler market during the forecast period, owing to higher penetration of diesel engine vehicles coupled with a greater penetration of turbochargers to address the strict emission norms of European Commission. North America, another considerable region, is also likely to generate a healthy demand for charge air cooler in the coming years, primarily propelled by the USA and Mexico. Whereas, Asia-Pacific is likely to experience the highest growth in the same period. China and India are the growth engines of Asia-Pacific's market for charge air coolers. Both countries together accounted for more than 60% of the Asia-Pacific's market and are likely to grow at an impressive double-digit growth rate during the forecast period as well.

Major automotive charge air cooler manufacturers are Calsonic Kansei Corporation, Denso Corporation, Dana Incorporated, Hanon Systems, Mahle GmbH, T.RAD Co., Ltd., and Valeo Group. Development of integrated charge air coolers and formation of strategic alliances with OEMs and turbocharger suppliers are the key strategies adopted by the major players to gain a competitive edge in the market.

Report Features

This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights on the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report:

Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis

Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis

Market trend and forecast analysis

Market segment trend and forecast

Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc.

Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities

Emerging trends

Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players

Key success factors

This report studies the global automotive charge air cooler market and has segmented the market in five ways, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders across the value chain. Following are the five ways in which the market is segmented:

Automotive Charge Air Cooler (CAC) Market, By Vehicle Type

Passenger Car (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Light Commercial Vehicle (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Medium- & Heavy-Duty Commercial Vehicle (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Automotive Charge Air Cooler (CAC) Market, By Product Type

Air-Cooled Charge Air Cooler (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

, , , and RoW) Liquid-Cooled Charge Air Cooler (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Automotive Charge Air Cooler (CAC) Market, By Position Type

Standalone CAC (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

, , , and RoW) Integrated CAC (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Automotive Charge Air Cooler (CAC) Market, By Fuel Type

Gasoline Vehicles (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Diesel Vehicles (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Automotive Charge Air Cooler (CAC) Market, By Region

North America (Country Analysis: The USA , Canada , and Mexico )

Europe (Country Analysis: Germany , France , The UK, Italy , Russia , and Rest of Europe )

Asia-Pacific (Country Analysis: China , Japan , India , and Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Rest of the World (Country Analysis: Brazil , Argentina , and Others)

Stratview Research has several high value market reports in the global automotive industry. Please refer to the following link to browse through our reports:

Click Here for Other Reports from Stratview Research in the Automotive Industry

Some of our other premium reports in the automotive industry:

Global Automotive Engine Cover Market by Vehicle Type, by Material Type, by Manufacturing Process Type, and by Region, Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2017-2022

Global Automotive Cylinder Head Market by Vehicle Type, by Material Type, by Source Type, and by Region, Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2017-2022

About Stratview Research

Stratview Research is a global market intelligence firm providing wide range of services including syndicated market reports, custom research and sourcing intelligence across industries, such as Advanced Materials, Aerospace & Defense, Automotive & Mass Transportation, Consumer Goods, Construction & Equipment, Electronics and Semiconductors, Energy & Utility, Healthcare & Life Sciences, and Oil & Gas.

We have a strong team of industry veterans and analysts with an extensive experience in executing custom research projects for mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies, in the areas of Market Assessment, Opportunity Screening, Competitive Intelligence, Due Diligence, Target Screening, Market Entry Strategy, Go to Market Strategy, and Voice of Customer studies.

Stratview Research is a trusted brand globally, providing high quality research and strategic insights that help companies worldwide in effective decision making.

For Enquiries Contact:

Stratview Research

E-mail: [email protected]

Direct: +1-313-307-4176



SOURCE Stratview ResearchSEATTLE, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Avanade, the leading digital innovator and provider of intelligent automation solutions across the Microsoft ecosystem, today announced that it has become the first authorized training partner for Blue Prism. Clients will benefit from Avanade's SI experience and its expertise in the RPA technology platform.

Blue Prism is a market leader in robotic process automation (RPA), delivering an elastic, multi-faceted and multi-talented digital workforce, helping organizations automate and scale business processes via artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, intelligent automation and sentiment analysis.

"At Avanade, we're helping our clients drive forward their digital workplace transformations which includes a huge focus on the employees and the culture of the organization," said Craig Wood, Avanade Executive for Intelligent Automation. "As an authorized training partner, we're now able to bring the best of both worlds  implementing innovative client solutions for their virtual workforce and delivering support and training on Blue Prism RPA solutions."

"RPA is a key catalyst for driving enterprise-wide digital transformation," said Neil Wright, Chief Customer Officer at Blue Prism. "As the adoption of our RPA software continues to skyrocket globally, it's imperative that customers have access to quality training. Having Avanade as an authorized training partner will help make Blue Prism more widely accessible to enterprises across a variety of industries."

Supported by an industrialized automation factory and the Microsoft Azure cloud, Avanade possesses the expertise and knowledge that helps its clients optimize the potential of RPA for their business. To date, Avanade has delivered more than 6,000 automated processes for 350+ clients around the world across a range of industries.

The training Avanade can provide at highly scalable automation factories in its Global Advanced Technology Centers is a blend of standard Blue Prism training courses, as well as Avanade-developed training courses. Avanade holds more than 24,000 certifications in Microsoft technology, 5,000+ Azure cloud certifications and more than 3,500 automation experts, including 300 cognitive experts and 1,200 RPA experts.

About Avanade

Avanade is the leading provider of innovative digital and cloud services, business solutions and design-led experiences delivered through the power of people and the Microsoft ecosystem. Our professionals bring bold, fresh thinking combined with technology, business and industry expertise to help fuel transformation and growth for our clients and their customers. Avanade has 30,000 digitally connected people across 23 countries, bringing clients the best thinking through a collaborative culture that honors diversity and reflects the communities in which we operate. Majority owned by Accenture, Avanade was founded in 2000 by Accenture LLP and Microsoft Corporation. Learn more at http://www.avanade.com

About Blue Prism

As the pioneer, innovator and market leader in Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Blue Prism delivers the world's most successful Digital Workforce. The company's Digital Workers (software robots) provide business leaders with new operational capacity and intelligent skills to automate repetitive administrative tasks, while meeting the requirements of the most demanding IT environments, where security, compliance and scalability are paramount.

Blue Prism provides a scalable and robust execution platform for best-of-breed AI and cognitive technologies and has emerged as the trusted and secure RPA platform of choice for the Fortune 500. Billions of transactions and hundreds of millions of hours of work are executed on Blue Prism robots from renowned companies including Aegon, BNY Mellon, Coca-Cola, Commerzbank, IBM, ING, Maersk, Nokia, Nordea, Procter & Gamble, Raiffeisen Bank, Siemens, Westpac and Zurich. For more information about Blue Prism, visit www.blueprism.com and follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter.

SOURCE Avanade

Related Links

http://www.blueprism.com

CHICAGO, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Barchart, a leading provider of financial market data and technology, is pleased to announce complete streaming coverage of Canadian-listed equity securities with the addition of CSE and Aequitas NEO to its data inventory. Barchart also now covers trading on Aequitas Lit which is a second venue managed by Aequitas. With the addition of these exchanges, Barchart now provides streaming data coverage for all primary listing venues in Canada.

The data, which is made available in real-time, delayed, or end-of-day can be delivered to users via Barchart OnDemand APIs or through a high-performance streaming data feed. Historical data is also available.

In addition to these new data products, firms can now integrate CSE and NEO data into one of Barchart's Managed Services easily and affordably. For customers looking to integrate the data into their applications, websites, or workflows, Barchart offers a completely responsive and powerful Digital Solutions suite of services, which transform financial information into interactive and engaging user experiences. Barchart can also save firms time and money through Data Management Solutions that leverage Barchart's ability to aggregate, streamline, and maintain disparate datasets for customers - allowing firms to focus on their core business.

"Barchart is excited to add both CSE and Aequitas NEO to our data offering; giving us superior coverage for the entire Canadian marketplace," says Mark Haraburda, CEO of Barchart. "As we continue to serve more clients across many different markets and regions, we will continue to grow our data inventory and the solutions we make available to our users," added Haraburda.

In July of 2017, Barchart announced a new partnership with The Globe and Mail, Canada's premier news and media organization, providing them with a completely custom Digital Solution replatforming all of its financial content, charting and portfolio management tools. To learn more about Barchart's data offering or Managed Services, please visit www.barchart.com/solutions.

About Barchart

Barchart is a leading provider of market data and services to the global financial, media, and commodity industries. Our diversified client base trusts Barchart's innovative Solutions across data, software, and technology to power their operation from front to back office, while our Media brands enable financial and commodity professionals to make decisions through web content, news, and publications. For more information, please visit www.barchart.com/solutions and www.barchart.com.

SOURCE Barchart

Related Links

http://www.barchart.com

WILMINGTON, Del., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Barclays today announced it has appointed Shane Holdaway as Chief Executive Officer of Cards & Payments US. Mr. Holdaway will be based in Wilmington, Delaware, and will report to Barry Rodrigues, CEO, Cards and Payments, and Richard Haworth, CEO, Americas.

Mr. Holdaway joins Barclays following 15 years at Capital One where for the past five years he was the President of Capital One's Canadian division. During his tenure with Capital One, Shane has held a variety of senior leadership roles spanning new business initiatives, internet acquisitions and Partnership Finance. He played a leading role in Capital One becoming the exclusive credit card issuer for Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd and overseeing the mass affluent and affluent segments for branded products. Prior to his role at Capital One, Shane worked at McKinsey and Company.

Barry Rodrigues commented: "Over the past decade, we have built a very successful consumer offering in the US across credit cards, online savings and loans. Shane is a talented and innovative professional who is positioned well to lead Cards & Payments US into the future as we continue to leverage our global capabilities and deepen our presence in the market."

Richard Haworth added: "Shane brings an impressive track record of driving results through customer-centric strategies and industry expertise. We are delighted to welcome him to our US franchise and to Barclays overall."

Shane Holdaway said: "I'm pleased to be joining Barclays at this exciting time and look forward to serving our US customers with innovative card, digital banking and payments solutions. I'm eager to begin working with the team to build on their past successes and deliver growth into the future."

Barclays Cards & Payments US is one of the fastest growing top 10 card issuers in the United States, with a leading co-branded cards business and growing digital consumer offering. The business is a key part of the international Cards & Payments arm of Barclays. Cards & Payments houses leading payments businesses spanning the UK, US and Germany. Barclays has a history of innovation and a proud track record of firsts in the payments industry. The business serves millions of consumers globally and works with a wide range of clients, from household names to small and medium sized enterprises. It provides branded and co-branded consumer credit cards, lending and retail deposit services to consumers, and business-to-business solutions to clients. It processed more than 320bn in payments in 2017 and has performed strongly across all business areas over the last five years. Cards & Payments is a key component of Barclays' transatlantic consumer and wholesale bank, with ambitious plans for further growth.

Mr. Holdaway holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. He will be joining Barclays at the start of July.

About Barclays

Barclays is a transatlantic consumer and wholesale bank offering products and services across personal, corporate and investment banking, credit cards and wealth management, with a strong presence in our two home markets of the UK and the US.

With over 325 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 40 countries and employs approximately 80,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide.

For further information about Barclays, please visit our website www.home.barclays.

SOURCE BarclaysMILWAUKEE, June 11, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Beer Institute awarded Tim Scully, Vice President of Government Affairs at MillerCoors, with the 2018 Jeff Becker Beer Industry Service Award for his leadership and dedication in the beer industry and America's beer drinkers.

The award was presented at the Beer Institute's Annual Membership Meeting, which was held in Milwaukee.

"Tim has dedicated his life and career to the beer industry, having served it for decades," said Jim McGreevy, President and CEO of the Beer Institute. "Tim's contributions to the beer industry will be fondly remembered for years to come, but as one of his favorite musicians, Bob Dylan, says, 'Time is all I have to give. You can have it if you choose. With me you can live. Never say goodbye.' The Beer Institute and its members will never truly say goodbye to Tim Scully."

MillerCoors CEO and Beer Institute Vice Chairman Gavin Hattersley added, "Tim is recognized for his effectiveness on beer issues across the industry and within our company, but more importantly he is an acknowledged leader in Washington DC. We all owe him a great deal for his commitment to the beer industry over his successful career."

"Thank you to my good friend, Tim Scully for all that he has done to keep me hydrated over the last few decades," said U.S. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). "Tim has been a great friend to so many of our members and he's been a phenomenal advocate for the beer industry. As you know, this award recognizes the contributions of industry leaders, who have gone above and beyond their service to the beer industry and this year's recipient certainly has accomplished so much over his lengthy career. Tim, it is a well-deserved honor  congratulations and I wish you all the best as you head off into retirement."

Tim Scully has served as Vice-President, Government Affairs of Miller Brewing Company since July of 2002. Prior to that, he held the position of Vice President, Government Affairs-Beer for Philip Morris Management Corp. since January of 1997. He joined Philip Morris in April of 1993. During that time, he served on the Beer Institute's Management Committee for nearly 20 years.

The Beer Institute is a national trade association for the American brewing industry, representing brewers of all sizes, as well as beer importers and industry suppliers. First founded in 1862 as the U.S. Brewers Association, the Beer Institute is committed today to the development of sound public policy and to the values of civic duty and personal responsibility. For additional updates from the Beer Institute, visit our website, follow @BeerInstitute on Twitter, like the Beer Institute on Facebook, and follow the Beer Institute on Instagram.

SOURCE Beer Institute

Related Links

http://www.beerinstitute.org

NEW YORK, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bronx and Westchester residents are more satisfied with their primary care visits, and are waiting less time to see their doctors than ever before. The accolades are tied to a new designation from the National Committee on Quality Assurance, which has certified Montefiore Medical Group practices as level 3 patient centered medical homes. This is one of the nation's highest designations for primary care quality, patient satisfaction and convenience.

"Too often, primary care is seen as an episodic medical visit, meaning a patient will only come in when he or she is sick, but we have a different approach," said Sybil Hodgson, M.D., regional director, Montefiore Medical Group. "Our goal is to provide full health and wellness resources to our patients. This includes building relationships and getting a sense of barriers that could impede access to consistent healthcare."

Montefiore's quest to surpass national care standards begins with teams of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and administrative staff working together to identify gaps in patient flow and areas for improvement. They review "real-time" data to see how staff can be most productive, and bring in patient advisors so all perspectives are reflected in improvements.

"They take each patient's care personally," said Paula Gonzalez, Bronx resident and founder of Miss Gunday's Foundation, a local nonprofit organization. Gonzalez, who goes to Montefiore for her care, and for the care of her five children says, "You go in, you get undivided attention and you truly feel taken care of."

Gonzalez emphasizes that the care is outstanding, but providers are also focused on improving experiences in the waiting area as well. Over time, Gonzalez was delighted to see a new waiting room for children, like her son, who is autistic, and is sensitive to noise. While speaking with a nurse, she observed that the seats are even more comfortable. But most important of all, there is an average 10 percent reduction in arrival to departure from appointments. In some centers that is a savings of 40 minutes.

The population Montefiore Medical Group serves is one of the most diverse and socioeconomically vulnerable in the country. In 2017, there were approximately 900,000 patient visits.

"We're addressing challenges unique to our community in new ways," said Namita Azad, MPH, MS, transformation manager, Montefiore. "We have onsite psychologists to see kids during their regular pediatric visits, and social workers are available for our adult patients, making access to the right care team easier. This strategy creates care teams that can manage associated stigmas and enables us to diagnose and treat conditions like depression and anxiety earlier, so we are improving the quality of care we provide."

Montefiore also screens for social determinants of health, like housing, access to healthy food, and employment. Looking at the "whole patient" helps doctors establish thorough care plans, and adds insights into patients' medical records.

"Last year, we began to screen our patients for stress from inconsistent access to food and housing, said Asif Ansari, M.D., regional director, Montefiore Medical Group. "Now, if we know if a patient with diabetes does not have regular access to a refrigerator, we'll talk more about different medication and storage options, rather than just prescribing insulin, which needs to be kept cool. It is about caring for each person and knowing what's going on in their life. That requires more than just access to a healthcare provider."

This attention to detail, has led to significant improvements in vaccination rates, including a 21 percent improvement in HPV vaccinations and a 9 percent increase in vaccines that can help prevent pneumonia.

Montefiore Medical Group primary and specialty care sites which celebrated 50 years of primary care transformation in 2017, are located throughout the Bronx and Westchester. Each offers onsite laboratory services and extended business hours.

The National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA) is a national driver in improving healthcare in our country. More than 12,000 practices have a level of recognition by the NCQA, with only a select group achieving PCMH level 3 designations.

About Montefiore Health System

Montefiore Health System is one of New York's premier academic health systems and is a recognized leader in providing exceptional quality and personalized, accountable care to approximately three million people in communities across the Bronx, Westchester and the Hudson Valley. It is comprised of 11 hospitals, including the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and close to 200 outpatient care sites. The advanced clinical and translational research at its medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, directly informs patient care and improves outcomes. From the Montefiore-Einstein Centers of Excellence in cancer, cardiology and vascular care, pediatrics, and transplantation, to its preeminent school-based health program, Montefiore is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system providing coordinated, comprehensive care to patients and their families. For more information please visit www.montefiore.org. Follow us on Twitter and view us on Facebook and YouTube.

SOURCE Montefiore Medical Center

Related Links

http://www.montefiore.org/

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Blinded American Veterans Foundation (BAVF), at its 33rd annual Congressional Awards Ceremony on Thursday, June 14, 2018, will present its George "Buck" Gillispie Award for Meritorious Service to U.S. Representatives Jodey Arrington (R-TX) and Charlie Crist (D-FL). The ceremony will take place at 11:30 a.m. in Room 334 (Veterans Affairs Committee Room) of the Cannon House Office Building.

"We're honored to recognize Representatives Arrington and Crist for their steadfast support of veterans' rights and services," said BAVF President John Fales of Silver Spring, MD. "These national leaders continually stand up for millions of women and men who have served or are now serving our country, and for their families. The entire veterans' community joins us in applauding these heroes for their friendship, trust, and constant devotion to veteran's issues."

The BAVF will also present its Carlton Sherwood Media Award to Stuart Nelson, communications manager for the Blinded Veterans Foundation, and Bob Vincent, president of Reel Heroes Media. The Foundation's George W. Alexander Memorial Volunteer Award will be presented to Danique Masingill, president and founder of Leashes of Valor, and The Black Dagger Military Hunt Club (Dave Winters, president). The Foundation's Corporate Award will be presented to eSight. Master of Ceremonies is motivational speaker and author Michael Jernigan.

The annual awards ceremony is followed by the Foundation's annual Flag Day Picnic on June 14. This patriotic gala attracts political figures, area civic leaders, veterans' service organization representatives, and the BAVF "family" of disabled and visually impaired veterans. Flags that were flown over the U.S. Capitol will be presented to many guests. As always, the picnic's famous hot dogs will be prepared and served by the gregarious Chef Lakis, a longtime Washington, D.C. fixture who has retired from his cart at the corner of 18th and K Streets, N.W.

Both events are part of the Foundation's annual Flag Week activities.

The Blinded American Veterans Foundation assists blinded and sensory-disabled veterans in attaining their full potential through research, rehabilitation, and re-employment. It offers employment networking and rehabilitation and resource counseling, and provides funding for rehabilitation centers. Other programs include a speaker's bureau, placement services, and a compilation of related statistics. It also conducts research, educational, and charitable programs. This valuable service is performed strictly with volunteers and no paid staff.

SOURCE Blinded American Veterans Foundation

Related Links

http://www.bavf.org

BOCA RATON, Fla., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Campus Management has been named the 2018 Microsoft Global Partner of the Year Award Winner for Education. The company was honored among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology.

"The real beneficiaries of our partnership with Microsoft are the colleges and universities who transform their operations and drive better outcomes for their students by leveraging Campus Management's solutions, which are built on Microsoft technology," said Jim Milton, Chief Executive Officer at Campus Management. "Campus Management is honored to be selected for this prestigious award and for the incredible partnership we have established with Microsoft."

Campus Management's solutions enable higher education institutions to leverage the security and flexibility of Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Dynamics365. Campus Management has a 30-year history of providing institutions all over the world with scalable, robust solutions designed to better engage students, operate with greater efficiencies and empower innovation.

"Our ecosystem of partners is crucial to delivering transformative solutions, and this year's winners have proven to be some of the finest among their peers," said Gavriella Schuster, Corporate Vice President, One Commercial Partner, Microsoft Corp. "We are pleased to recognize Campus Management for being selected as the winner of the 2018 Microsoft Global Partner of the Year Award for Education."

Awards were presented in several categories, with winners chosen from a set of more than 2,600 entrants from 115 countries worldwide. Campus Management was recognized for providing outstanding solutions and services in education.

The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered exceptional Microsoft-based solutions during the past year.

About Campus Management Corp.

Campus Management is a leading provider of cloud-based SIS, CRM and ERP solutions and services that transform higher education institutions. Today, more than 1,100 institutions in over 30 countries partner with Campus Management to transform academic delivery, student success and operational efficiency.

Media Contact:

Ashley Prince

Campus Management

Media Relations

954-249-1124

[email protected]

SOURCE Campus Management Corporation

Related Links

http://www.campusmgmt.com

Drawing on their combined corporate, government, and legal experience in the international tax fraud arena, the Caplin team worked closely with Ms. Plazibat and Mr. Lonza to develop policies and procedures in order to enhance the functioning of the Croatian Independent Anti-Fraud Unit. " Our attorneys have assisted other countries in the development of their tax enforcement systems over the past thirty years, and we were delighted to volunteer our time and experience to work with Tina and Paulino ," said Mr. Michel. Caplin assisted the Unit in achieving two goals:

Enabling the State Attorney's Office of the Republic of Croatia to have faster access to processed and analyzed information on the perpetrators of offenses related to economic, financial, and tax crimes. Creating efficient, analytical support to the Tax Administration, Customs Authority, and law enforcement bodies in order to detect high-risk taxpayers at the national level.

IJET Program Director, Jessie Tannenbaum, said "The success of this particular initiative hinged heavily on the Caplin team's substantial commitment of time, effort, and experience." Over the span of 12 months, the Caplin team mentored Croatian officials on the organization and implementation of various tax enforcement initiatives in Croatia. Part of their IJET mentorship included the Croatian officials visiting the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Justice, as well as spending time with Caplin attorneys in the firm's Washington, D.C., office. Additionally, Caplin's team visited Zagreb, Croatia to meet with Croatia's Tax Administration Service and International Cooperation Service on information exchange issues; Tax Administration Managers to discuss the country's unit investigating complicated international transactions; officials in the Ministry of Finance unit who combat irregularities and fraud; lawyers in the Croatian State Attorney's Office who fight tax fraud and other financial fraud; Croatian customs officials and investigators from a special Interior Ministry unit fighting corruption; and members of the Croatian Bar Association to address cooperation with the private bar.

For more information on the IJET Program, please visit the ABA's website.

For more information on Caplin & Drysdale, please contact Sheryl Miller at [email protected] or visit our website at www.caplindrysdale.com. The links below offer additional coverage.

About the ABA ROLI IJET Program

The ABA ROLI's IJET Program empowers judges, prosecutors, criminal defense attorneys, and other justice sector professionals selected as IJET Fellows to effect sustainable, long-term change within their institutions and their home country's justice systems. The IJET Program is supported by a grant from the United States Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Office of Criminal Justice Assistance and Partnership (INL/CAP). For more information, please visit the ABA's website.

About Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered

Celebrating our 50th Anniversary in 2014, Caplin & Drysdale continues to be a leading provider of tax, tax controversy, and litigation legal services to corporations, individuals, and nonprofits throughout the United States and around the world. We are also privileged to serve as legal advisors to accounting firms, financial institutions, law firms, and other professional services organizations. The firm's reputation over the years has earned us the trust and respect of clients, industry peers, and government agencies. Our lawyers' strong tactical and problem-solving skillscombined with substantial experience handling a variety of complex, high stakes, matters in a boutique environmentmake us one the nation's most distinctive law firms. Please visit us at www.caplindrysdale.com for more information.

Disclaimer

This communication neither provides legal advice, nor creates an attorney-client relationship with you or any other reader. If you require legal guidance in any specific situation, you should engage a qualified lawyer for that purpose. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Attorney Advertising

It is possible that under the laws, rules, or regulations of certain jurisdictions, this may be construed as an advertisement or solicitation.

 2018 Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered

All Rights Reserved

SOURCE Caplin & Drysdale

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NEWARK, Ohio, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Chem-Dry, the world's largest carpet and upholstery cleaning franchise system, has announced plans to add 10 new locations throughout Ohio. With seven existing locations in the market, the leading healthy home brand is focused on identifying ambitious entrepreneurs and franchise partners to accelerate its growth and open the new locations over the next year.

The key impetus behind these aggressive growth plans is the increasing customer demand for Chem-Dry's services and the untapped potential the category's leading brand has across the state's four metro areas. Kickstarting these developments are new franchisees Jordan and Tyler Tucci, who recently opened their Chem-Dry business in Licking County earlier this spring. Further fueling the company's growth in the state and around the country are trends toward increased consumer spending on home services and the rising popularity of environmentally-friendly businesses. Cities being targeted for growth include Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton and Cincinnati.

"Chem-Dry is a low-cost franchise that is capitalizing on the growing consumer demand for environmentally-friendly home maintenance and home improvement services, which has fueled the continued success of our franchisees in their local communities," said Dan Tarantin, President and CEO of Harris Research, Inc., parent company of Chem-Dry. "We look forward to expanding our presence throughout Ohio as we welcome community-minded entrepreneurs and franchise partners to our system."

Chem-Dry uses a green-certified solution and proprietary Hot Carbonating Extraction (HCE) process to provide a deeper, longer lasting clean, and create healthier homes and workplaces. In a study by an independent lab, Chem-Dry's HCE cleaning method was found to remove an average of 98 percent of common household allergens from carpets and upholstery and an average of 89 percent of airborne bacteria when a sanitizer was added. As part of the brand's focus on ensuring overall home health, it now offers over 50 Green Certified products.

With a network of 3,000 franchise units across more than 55 countries serving 11,000 homes and businesses a day worldwide, Chem-Dry plans to accelerate the growth of its franchise network in 2018 with the opening of over 110 new locations throughout the United States and Canada. Nearly 40 percent of Chem-Dry's new units are coming from existing franchisees expanding their business  a true testament to the strength of the business model. At the same time, the company is also looking for new individuals who are anxious to pursue their dreams of establishing and running their own business, and who want to partner with an industry-leading brand in a large and growing category with world-class training and support.

For more information about Chem-Dry, including franchise opportunities http://chemdryfranchise.com.

About Chem-Dry

Founded in 1977, Chem-Dry is the world's leading carpet and upholstery cleaning service with a network spanning 55 countries and serving over 11,000 homes and business a day worldwide. Its green-certified solution and proprietary Hot Carbonating Extraction cleaning process provide a deeper clean, allow surfaces to dry faster, and leave homes and workplaces healthier. In addition to being ranked the number one carpet cleaning franchise by Entrepreneur magazine for 30 consecutive years and ranked among the top 10 concepts in the magazine's list of Top Home-Based Franchises for 19 consecutive years, Chem-Dry has been ranked as the world's Best House & Office Franchise in the 2018 Global Franchise Awards. For more information about Chem-Dry and to find a local operator, visit www.chemdry.com, or for more information on franchise opportunities, visit www.chemdryfranchise.com. Chem-Dry is owned by Harris Research, Inc., which is also the founder and owner of the fast-growing N-Hance Wood Refinishing franchise and the owner of Delta Disaster Services, an award-winning property restoration franchise.

Media Contact: Kelly McNamara, Fishman Public Relations, [email protected], 847-945-1300

SOURCE Chem-Dry

Related Links

https://www.chemdry.com

The award was presented on Tuesday, June 12, 2018, at ILTA's International Operating Conference & Trade Show in Houston, Texas. Thousands of terminal industry professionals meet in Houston each year to network, share best practices, discuss challenges and learn about the latest equipment and technology.

"CITGO is thrilled to once again receive this prestigious recognition," said CITGO President and CEO Asdrubal Chavez. "We have immense respect for ILTA and its advocacy on behalf of our industry. The organization's recognition today validates the focus and commitment of our employees to a safe workplace and to CITGO leadership in the terminals business. We will continue to raise the bar when it comes to safety."

Applicants for the Platinum Safety Award answer questions about their approach to safety, including programs, procedures and performance data. The applications are peer-reviewed by subject matter experts with the company names redacted. Each year's recipient is ineligible to apply again the following year.

The CITGO network is one of the largest in the country. It includes 48 petroleum product terminals, three fully-owned pipelines and six jointly-owned pipelines.

ILTA represents companies and partnerships that operate bulk liquid storage terminals worldwide. ILTA members handle products including crude oil, refined petroleum products, chemicals, renewable fuels, fertilizers, vegetable oils and other food grade materials.

About CITGO

CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information, visit www.CITGO.com.

About ILTA

The International Liquid Terminals Association is the only trade association that focuses exclusively on the liquid terminal industry. Our membership includes 82 companies that operate liquid terminal facilities in all 50 states and in 43 countries. These terminals are a critical link in the transportation system for liquid commodities, such as petroleum products, chemicals and foods that are essential for a healthy, growing economy. ILTA also has more than 400 supplier members that provide goods and services to the bulk liquid terminal industry. For more information about ILTA, visit www.ilta.org.

SOURCE CITGO

Related Links

http://www.citgo.com

SEATTLE, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- JND Class Action Administration

A Los Angeles court has preliminarily approved a $16.6 million class action settlement for refunds of telephone taxes collected by the City of Long Beach, California from August 11, 2005 through December 19, 2008.

All individuals and businesses that paid for landline telephone service with a service address in the City of Long Beach, or mobile service where the billing address was in the City of Long Beach, and who paid telephone tax on services utilized between August 11, 2005 through December 19, 2008 are eligible to claim a refund. THE DEADLINE TO FILE A REFUND CLAIM IS SEPTEMBER 15, 2018. Claims for telephone tax refunds can be submitted online, at www.LBTaxRefund.com, or through the mail. A notice and claim form will also be mailed to current addresses in the City of Long Beach.

Eligible class members have several options to file a claim, which include: (1) claim standard amounts of $27.50 for residential landline telephone service, $46.00 for business landline service, and/or $46.00 for mobile telephone service, with no documentary evidence required; (2) submit samples of bills reflecting the telephone utility users' taxes ("UUT") paid during the class period to receive a refund of the actual UUT paid; or (3) if bills from the class period are not available, submit a sample of recent phone bills reflecting the UUT paid to the City to receive a refund based on recent UUT amounts. In addition, class members who were customers of Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile during the August 11, 2005 to December 19, 2008 time period can provide consent for those carriers to search for UUT payment records. Class members may claim refunds for both landline and mobile telephone taxes.

The City of Long Beach has agreed to pay up to a maximum of $16.6 million. Undistributed funds, after attorneys' fees and costs, plaintiff's incentive award, and notice and administration expenses are paid, will revert back to the City of Long Beach. For additional information, claim forms and detailed instructions on how to make a claim, go to www.LBTaxRefund.com or call (833) 380-5573.

The lawsuit, McWilliams v. City of Long Beach, was brought on behalf of Long Beach, CA taxpayers by the law offices of Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP, Chimicles & Tikellis LLP, Cuneo Gilbert & Laduca, LLP, and Tostrud Law Group, PC. The City of Long Beach disputes the claims made in the lawsuit, but believes it is in the best interest of its residents to settle the matter rather than incur further litigation expenses.

SOURCE JND Class Action AdministrationAUSTIN, Texas, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Civitas Learning today announced its acquisition of ClearScholar, the developer of a student engagement app for higher education. Building on the existing partnership and close mission alignment between Civitas Learning and ClearScholar, the acquisition provides institutions with a tool that enables more timely and personalized support to guide students along their journey and remove barriers that can knock them off-course.

With this addition, Civitas Learning will be offering its higher education partners a student mobile experience that delivers a dynamic user experience that feels similar to the consumer and social applications students use daily. Powered by Civitas Learning's intelligence, the mobile application will enable institutions to recommend resources and activities specific to student interests and unique needs, supporting their achievement of critical milestones from admission to graduation.

With students citing time management, dealing with anxiety, and study skills as the most significant challenges to completing their degree, the need for differentiated student support is clear. Although institutions provide resources to mitigate these challenges, they often struggle to get students connected and engaged with the resources that would help them most. An estimated 86% of college students regularly use a smartphone, making mobile devices an increasingly compelling channel to connect students with the support tools they need yet may not even know exist.

"At Civitas, we are obsessed with helping our institutional partners use intelligence to effectively personalize support for their students, and that obsession manifests across the tools we provide today for students, advisors, faculty, and administrators," said Civitas Learning Founder and CEO, Charles Thornburgh. "In ClearScholar, we have found a mobile productand teamthat shares our passion for personalizing student support and uses that focus to drive the highest student engagement rates in higher education"

The addition of ClearScholar contributes to the growing ecosystem of student, faculty, and advisor-facing tools powered by Civitas Learning's platform. In its early deployment with select colleges and universities, the student mobile app has achieved daily and monthly usage metrics nearly quadruple the industry average. The app can be deployed to students in as few as eight weeks. On average, institutions who have adopted the company's tools have seen improvements in persistence between 3 and 12 percentage points.

"We are thrilled to join Civitas Learning, an organization that shares our mission of advancing student success through innovation and is the market leader in driving student outcomes," said Jason Konesco, CEO of ClearScholar. "We look forward to continuing to deliver technology that students and educators love and use on a daily basis."

"Giving students the information they need, and just when they need it, helps them to be more active participants in campus life and positions them for success in and out of the classroom," said Barbara A. Bichelmeyer, Ph.D., Interim Chancellor and Provost, University of Missouri - Kansas City. "We chose this mobile application because it allows us to create a more personalized learning experience for UMKC students. Its key functionality provides students with on-going academic guidance that will be further enhanced with intelligence from the Civitas Learning platform."

About Civitas Learning

Civitas Learning partners with universities and colleges dedicated to helping more students learn well and finish strong. We provide tools and services for educators that bring together and make the most of their diverse and disconnected data streams; personalize information and support for their students; and deepen understanding of the impact of their student-success initiatives. Through our work together, our partners are empowering leaders, advisors, faculty, & studentsand measurably improving enrollment, persistence, and graduation outcomes.



Today, Civitas Learning is a strategic partner to more than 350 colleges and universities, serving nearly 8 million students. Together with our growing community of partners, Civitas Learning is making the most of the world's learning data to graduate a million more students per year by 2025. For more information, visit: www.civitaslearning.com.

SOURCE Civitas Learning

Related Links

http://www.civitaslearning.com

BRANFORD, Conn., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- IsoPlexis Corporation (IsoPlexis) today announced the publication of clinical data demonstrating a significant association between the functionality of anti-CD19 CAR-T cell product before treatment, as defined by IsoPlexis' Polyfunctional Strength Index (PSI), and the objective response in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The results highlight the potential to predict whether cancer patients will respond to CAR-T cell therapy before treatment, as well as to improve both pre-infusion product potency testing and guide cell product optimization.

These findings have been published in Blood and are the result of a collaboration between IsoPlexis and Kite, a Gilead Company.

Researchers used the IsoCode, IsoPlexis' single-cell precision engineering platform, to analyze CAR-T cell therapy products from 20 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Using IsoCode, researchers captured data to determine the PSI of each product. This PSI metric was associated with complete or partial patient response to the anti-CD19 CAR-T cell product. Other pre-infusion metrics tested in this study were not predictive.

"We were excited to collaborate on this groundbreaking research," said IsoPlexis Chief Executive Officer Sean Mackay. "Using our single-cell predictive profiling platform, leading oncology and immunotherapy researchers and clinicians were able to collect this data, which demonstrates a potential to be able to apply the right therapies to the right patients and continue to personalize cancer immunotherapies, as these therapies continue to provide significant benefits to patients worldwide."

Adrian Bot, M.D., Kite's Vice President, Translational Sciences, said, "Through this research, we were able to highlight the important role a functionally versatile subpopulation of CAR-T cells may play in the fight against cancer. This could lead to new methods to optimize T-cell products."

The IsoCode Chip provides an integrated solution for detecting functional cellular responses with single-cell resolution. The system can capture a previously unseen 42 different secreted functional proteins per cell, with known immune activities, across thousands of single cells simultaneously. IsoPlexis' IsoSpeak informatics software enables researchers to generate a precise, functional patient profile from this data to better understand and predict complex patient response to cancer immunotherapies.

The publication is available online at https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2018-01-828343.

ABOUT ISOPLEXIS:

IsoPlexis, a privately held life sciences company, is developing novel technologies at the forefront of the revolution in immunity-based treatments of cancer. Using a next-generation diagnostic and therapeutic platform to identify patient responses at the single cell level, IsoPlexis' original scientific leaders from Yale, Caltech, UCLA, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have advanced understandings of personalized therapies against various cancers. IsoPlexis is venture funded by Spring Mountain Capital, North Sound Ventures and Connecticut Innovations, as well as supported through grant funding from the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health. For additional information on IsoPlexis, visit http://www.isoplexis.com or email [email protected].

SOURCE IsoPlexisCHICAGO, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Corboy & Demetrio has filed a negligence lawsuit on behalf of Robert Powell, Joellen Powell, and their daughter Claire Powell, 19, of Highland Park in the collapse of their second-story porch at the apartment they were renting. On May 26, 2018, while all three were on the porch, a portion - about 8 x 10 - pancaked to the first floor. All three suffered various fractures of the skull, torso or ankle.

"A preliminary inspection by private, government and insurance experts concluded the porch collapsed because support members were rotted through and through," said Corboy & Demetrio Partner Francis Patrick Murphy. "Proper and timely inspections by a professional would have easily prevented this event. This was a tragedy waiting to happen," Murphy added.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages in excess of $50,000.00 against the property owner, Alex Tenuta of Highland Park. The apartment is part of the converted housing at the old Fort Sheridan. The porches were built in 1999.

Murphy and his firm represented 14 families and individuals injured in the deadly 2003 Lincoln Park porch collapse, along with numerous victims in other porch cases.

Case info: Robert Powell, Joellen Powell and Claire Powell v. Alex Tenuta, filed in Lake County Circuit Court on June 11, 2018.

About Corboy & Demetrio

Corboy & Demetrio is one of the nation's premier law firms. It represents individuals and their families in serious personal injury and wrongful death cases and is renowned for its achievements in the courtroom and for its contributions to the community. The rights and concerns of its clients are at the core of Corboy & Demetrio's practice. That commitment, dedication, compassion and relentless drive has resulted in exceptional service and exceptional results for its clients. The firm has acquired more than $4 billion in settlements and verdicts and has attained over 600 settlements and verdicts in excess of $1 million. To contact Francis Patrick Murphy, call 312-346-3191 or toll free at 800-356-3191. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Media Contact: Helen Lucaitis, Esq., 312-346-3191 or 312-550-2077 (cell); [email protected]

SOURCE Corboy & Demetrio

Related Links

https://www.corboydemetrio.com

DALLAS, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cotton Patch Cafe launches its new online ordering this month at cottonpatch.com, making it easier than ever for guests to enjoy the restaurant's homestyle favorites.

With its cotton mill-inspired design, the restaurant is known for its warm hospitality and dishes made from scratch using fresh ingredients. The menu features Southern favorites, including chicken fried steak, chicken tenders, crispy fried catfish, delicious aged steaks, premium salads and decadent desserts like Cotton Patch Cafe's signature Dr Pepper cake.

Guests who join the e-club and use the new service will receive exclusive offers and discounts. Pickup is quick and convenient, with many new or remodeled Cotton Patch locations featuring a dedicated ToGo counter, plus a separate ToGo entrance. Other Cotton Patch restaurants offer quick and easy ToGo pickup at the bar or hostess stand.

"We've been testing online ordering for several months, and our guests who've tried it have told us they love how convenient and easy it is to get their Southern homestyle favorites to go," said Cotton Patch Director of Marketing Liz Phillips. "While online ordering is becoming the norm among restaurants, we wanted to be sure and get it right before we rolled it out system-wide."

The Cotton Patch Cafe menu varies by location, so online ordering is location-based. Complete menus and location information are available at www.cottonpatch.com.

About Cotton Patch Cafe

Founded in Nacogdoches, Texas, in 1989, Dallas-based Cotton Patch Cafe is a Texas-inspired, homestyle restaurant serving Southern classics in more than 50 locations across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and New Mexico. Cotton Patch is deeply committed to being a community partner in each town it calls home, and gives to many local organizations and charities in addition to being a major donor to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Recently, Cotton Patch was named among the industry's most significant brands as part of NRN's Top 200 Chains. For more information, visit cottonpatch.com or follow Cotton Patch on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

MEDIA CONTACT

Sara Hundley

Lindsey Smith

817-329-3257

[email protected]

[email protected]

SOURCE Cotton Patch Cafe

Related Links

http://www.cottonpatch.com

As founding sponsor, Cruzan Rum has committed to donate $1 from every case of rum sold to the Island Spirit Fund, meaning each Cruzan Rum bottle purchased will provide aid to communities in need. This commitment alone is expected to generate nearly $1 million for the Island Spirit Fund this year. Coupled with generous case-matching donation commitments from several distributor partners and anticipated public fundraising, Cruzan Rum aims to raise $2 million for the Fund by the end of 2018.

"Last year, our home island of St. Croix faced many challenges in the devastating wake of Hurricane Maria, but the resiliency of the Crucian people and our sense of community never wavered," said Gary Nelthropp, Cruzan Rum's Master Distiller. "That's what we like to call our 'island spirit,' and I'm honored to help extend this spirit to others in a sustainable and ongoing way through the Fund, ensuring that no community, near or far, weathers a storm alone."

Established in partnership with Global Giving, a nonprofit organization that connects donors with grassroots projects around the world, the Island Spirit Fund provides disaster relief by issuing grants to local organizations with boots on the ground and lasting relationships in affected areas. The Fund prioritizes both short-term recovery and long-term stability projects, including: environmental rebuilding, community planning, and workforce development and job creation. By listening directly to affected communities' needs, the Island Spirit Fund takes a customized approach to providing relief including, but not limited to, nourishment, supplies and volunteer support. In the immediate future, the Fund is focused on the areas still recovering from Hurricane Maria's devastation and is also prepared to respond to future storms.

"We're proud to support our Cruzan family and neighbors in the USVI and beyond with the launch of the Island Spirit Fund, and we're incredibly humbled by the way our distributor partners have stepped up to further our efforts," said Rashidi Hodari, VP Marketing, Cruzan Rum. "Our roots in the Caribbean run deep, and by joining together, we're able to provide much needed physical and emotional support beyond the initial days, weeks and months following disaster. We look forward to awakening the 'island spirit' both now and in the years to come."

Individuals interested in making their own contributions to the Fund can do so by purchasing any of Cruzan's quality rum products or by making a direct donation via IslandSpiritFund.org. In addition to the brand's case-matching donation program, Cruzan will also absorb the cost of all transactional fees associated with all donations to the Island Spirit Fund, so that 100% of donors' generosity goes directly to communities in need.

The establishment of the Island Spirit Fund is the most recent effort by Cruzan and its parent company, Beam Suntory, to provide aid to those in need. In 2017, Beam Suntory and its parent company provided more than $2 million in cash and in-kind support for disaster relief in the U.S., U.S. Virgin Islands and Mexico, which also included a $500,000 donation to the Fund for the Virgin Islands late last year.

For more information about the Island Spirit Fund and Cruzan's award-winning portfolio of rums, please visit www.islandspiritfund.org or CruzanRum.com, or engage with us on social media via www.facebook.com/CruzanRum or Instagram @CruzanRum.

About Cruzan Rum Distillery

Named for the people of St. Croix (Crucians), Cruzan Rum Distillery is a quality spirit, crafted for consumers to embrace all of life's flavors surrounded by quality people. Cruzan Rum, distilled by the Nelthropp family, who has called the island home for eight generations, is a better tasting rum due to its ingredients and a unique five-column distillation process. Cruzan touts one of the cleanest-tasting rums in the industry  a characteristic derived from crafting a spirit with low levels of fusel oils, a by-product of the distillation process which, if not removed, can taint the smell and taste of the rum.

The Cruzan portfolio of rums includes Cruzan Aged Dark Rum, Cruzan Aged Light Rum, Cruzan Single Barrel Rum, Cruzan Estate Diamond Aged Dark Rum, Cruzan Estate Diamond Aged Light Rum, Cruzan Black Strap Rum, and 16 flavored rums infused with natural flavors, such as coconut, mango, black cherry and pineapple. Cruzan Single Barrel Rum and Cruzan Aged Dark Rum were most recently recognized with gold medals in the 2017 Rum Masters awards, a prestigious blind taste-testing competition that chooses the best among rums worldwide in the light, dark, extra-aged, super-premium, and flavor categories.

About Beam Suntory Inc.

As the world's third largest premium spirits company, Beam Suntory is Crafting the Spirits Brands that Stir the World. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company's brands, including the iconic Jim Beam and Maker's Mark bourbon brands and Suntory whisky Kakubin, as well as world renowned premium brands including Knob Creek bourbon, Yamazaki, Hakushu and Hibiki Japanese whiskies, Teacher's, Laphroaig, and Bowmore Scotch whiskies, Canadian Club whisky, Courvoisier cognac, Hornitos and Sauza tequila, EFFEN and Pinnacle vodka, Sipsmith gin, and Midori liqueur.

Beam Suntory was created in 2014 by combining the world leader in bourbon and the pioneer in Japanese whisky to form a new company with a deep heritage, passion for quality, innovative spirit and commitment to Growing for Good. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamsuntory.com and www.drinksmart.com.

Cruzan Rum Distillery, 21%-75.5% Alc./Vol. 2018 CRUZAN International, Chicago, IL USA

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Cruzan RumMINNEAPOLIS, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- WaterStreet Research Partners, LLC announces today the launch of Crypto PowerRanks.

Crypto PowerRanks enables its members to research, plan, and develop a dynamic investment strategy that can help navigate the volatile waters of the cryptocurrency market.

WaterStreet Research Partners, LLC

WaterStreet Research Partners, a Minneapolis-based investment research firm, has launched a first-of-its-kind membership program called Crypto PowerRanks. This comprehensive service gives cryptocurrency investors access to proven, institution-level analytics and portfolio construction strategies to enable them to develop their own cryptocurrency investment plan.

The cryptocurrency market is still in its infancy. Investors are experiencing a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs and twists and turns that have left many of them wondering where to turn for help. It has been almost impossible to find a place that combines the robust research tools and market intelligence that investors need to make wise decisions.

The founders of WaterStreet, Thomas Fox and Jonathan Held, saw this need and decided to use their years of experience in institutional investment management to build a solution.

"More and more investors are entering the crypto market and have expressed a clear need for more insight, intelligence, and tools so they can make better informed decisions," says Jonathan Held, managing partner. "Crypto investors are tired of biased and emotional opinions found across many blogs and video channels. They want clear, objective insights to help them understand the evolving market and make investment choices with confidence."

One of the most unique aspects of Crypto PowerRanks is the introduction of 32 cryptocurrency indices, including 12 that use quantitative factor models known as smart beta. These index strategies have been proven effective through decades of use by top fund managers and institutions, but they have never been applied to the cryptocurrency market until now.

Crypto PowerRanks also provides its members with continually updated, easy-to-use tools, indicators, and reports, including index action reports. By applying these tools to the different indices, members are able to research a single coin or take a look at the broader market. They can discover how the different crypto assets are behaving, see the performance and volatility of a variety of crypto market segments, and understand which coins to choose to create a diversified portfolio.

Monthly membership in Crypto PowerRanks is $39.95, but WaterStreet is introducing this service with an initial trial membership of just $19.95 for the first month. For complete membership details, and to see the indices, the reports, and the tools in action, visit their website at www.cryptopowerranks.com.

WaterStreet Research Partners, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a leader in asset allocation and smart beta investment management research. They are dedicated to delivering unbiased market intelligence to help individual investors make wise, informed decisions. The founders, Thomas Fox and Jonathan Held, together have more than 50 years experience and have managed billions of dollars in assets for some of the largest investment firms in the U.S. Through Crypto PowerRanks, WaterStreet utilizes its in-depth experience to deliver a broad and comprehensive suite of cutting edge research and valuable tools to individual investors in the cryptocurrency market.

Media Contact

Jonathan Held

Phone: 612-605-7580

Email: [email protected]

Related Links

Crypto Asset Classification Framework

WaterStreet Research Partners

SOURCE WaterStreet Research Partners, LLCSEATTLE, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Seattle Children's, with participating members Children's National Health System, BC Children's Hospital and Children's Hospital Los Angeles, has launched CureWorks, an international collaborative of leading academic children's hospitals determined to accelerate the development of immunotherapy treatments for childhood cancer. CureWorks focuses on expanding immunotherapy trials and patient access around the world, as well as sharing data and collective expertise to advance novel cell therapies.

CureWorks was founded on the idea that in order to revolutionize treatment for pediatric cancer, academic institutions must work together to achieve better treatments and outcomes for children. As the founding member, Seattle Children's is seeing promising results in its chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy trials, and has one of the largest pipelines of open clinical trials aimed at treating pediatric blood and solid tumor cancers that do not respond to standard therapy by harnessing the immune system.

Seattle Children's strongly believes there is an opportunity to combine the strengths of multiple hospital researchers into this collaborative effort to expand the reach of pediatric immunotherapy cancer trials. CureWorks will not only increase the number of immunotherapy trial sites around the globe, it will also aim to quicken the pace of pediatric cancer discovery by diversifying and expanding the amount of data available to researchers through its scientific network.

"We believe a unified effort among leading children's hospitals is the best way to drive the discovery of new therapies for pediatric cancer," said Dr. Mike Jensen, executive director of CureWorks and director of the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research at Seattle Children's Research Institute. "Our hope is that through this collaboration, we'll be able to more quickly develop treatments with fewer side effects, better remission rates and, ultimately, enable more kids with cancer to grow up and realize their full potential."

Member hospitals will have the option to participate in clinical trials offered through CureWorks, allowing their patients access to groundbreaking cancer immunotherapies in their own community. Once these trials are open at a CureWorks member hospital site, immune cells will be collected from the patient and sent to Seattle Children's Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility. There, the T cells will be reprogrammed to express the CAR protein, enabling them to recognize and fight cancer. The newly engineered, cancer-fighting T cells will then be shipped back to the patient's health care team for infusion. In addition to facilitating production of immunotherapy treatments, CureWorks will also streamline the clinical trial enrollment and coordination process for members.

"We are thrilled to be a part of this joint effort to fight childhood cancers with the latest research and cutting-edge cellular therapies," said Dr. Catherine Bollard, MBChB, director of the Center for Cancer and Immunology Research at Children's National Health System. "By expanding cancer immunotherapies developed at CureWorks institutions including Children's National, we hope to increase patient access to life-saving novel therapies across the United States, while also accelerating the pace of pediatric cancer research."

"The next advance for childhood cancer treatment is new immune therapies," said Dr. Kirk Schultz, oncologist and director of the Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Research Program at BC Children's Hospital and professor, Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia. "CureWorks will give children in British Columbia access to cutting edge CAR T-cell therapy for leukemia and other childhood cancers."

"CAR T-cell therapy has been called the single greatest therapeutic advance in childhood leukemia in a generation," said Dr. Alan S. Wayne, director of the Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. "Through CHLA's partnership with CureWorks, we expect to speed the development of this important new therapy to provide more effective treatment for children and young adults afflicted with many types of cancer in the U.S. and around the globe."

CureWorks members will also have access to new technology shared across the collaborative, and the ability to launch clinical trials at multiple clinical sites with support from Seattle Children's GMP facility.

In recognizing that a larger network of hospitals will help fuel discovery, CureWorks is looking for other institutions to join in the commitment to expand access to these promising cures for children.

To learn more about becoming a participating institution, please visit the join us webpage.

To see the clinical trials being offered through CureWorks, please visit the clinical trial pipeline webpage.

About Seattle Children's

Seattle Children's mission is to provide hope, care and cures to help every child live the healthiest and most fulfilling life possible. Together, Seattle Children's Hospital, Research Institute and Foundation deliver superior patient care, identify new discoveries and treatments through pediatric research, and raise funds to create better futures for patients.

Ranked as one of the top children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Seattle Children's serves as the pediatric and adolescent academic medical center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho  the largest region of any children's hospital in the country. As one of the nation's top five pediatric research centers, Seattle Children's Research Institute is internationally recognized for its work in neurosciences, immunology, cancer, infectious disease, injury prevention and much more. Seattle Children's Hospital and Research Foundation works with the Seattle Children's Guild Association, the largest all-volunteer fundraising network for any hospital in the country, to gather community support and raise funds for uncompensated care and research. Join Seattle Children's bold initiative  It Starts With Yes: The Campaign for Seattle Children's  to transform children's health for generations to come. For more information, visit seattlechildrens.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or on our On the Pulse blog.

About Children's National Health System

Children's National Health System, based in Washington, D.C., has been serving the nation's children since 1870. Children's National is #1 for babies and ranked in every specialty evaluated by U.S. News & World Report and has been designated two times as a Magnet hospital, a designation given to hospitals that demonstrate the highest standards of nursing and patient care delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers expert care through a convenient, community-based primary care network and specialty outpatient centers in the D.C. Metropolitan area including the Maryland suburbs and Northern Virginia. Home to the Children's Research Institute and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children's National is one of the nation's top NIH-funded pediatric institutions. Children's National is recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as a strong voice for children through advocacy at the local, regional and national levels.

For more information, visit ChildrensNational.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About BC Children's Hospital Research Institute

BC Children's Hospital Research Institute conducts discovery, translational and clinical research to benefit the health of children and their families. We are supported by BC Children's Hospital Foundation; are part of BC Children's Hospital and the Provincial Health Services Authority; and work in close partnership with the University of British Columbia. For more information, visit www.bcchr.ca or follow us on Twitter @BCCHResearch.

About Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Founded in 1901, Children's Hospital Los Angeles is ranked the top children's hospital in California and sixth in the nation for clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. CHLA also is designated a Magnet institution for clinical and nursing excellence, an honor held by only 8% of U.S. hospitals. Clinical care is led by physicians who are faculty members of the Keck School of Medicine of USC through an affiliation dating from 1932. CHLA is home to The Saban Research Institute, one of the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States.

For more information, visit CHLA.org. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram, and visit our child health blog (CHLA.org/blog) and our research blog (ResearCHLABlog.org).

Media Contacts:

Seattle Children's: Alyse Bernal, PR Manager

[email protected], 206-987-5213

Children's National: Debbie Asrate, PR Manager

[email protected], 301-244-6728 or 202-476-4500

BC Children's: Stephanie Dunn, Research Communications Manager

[email protected], 604-875-2401

Children's Hospital Los Angeles: Ellin Kavanagh, Research Communications Director

[email protected], 323-361-8505

SOURCE Seattle Childrens

Related Links

http://www.seattlechildrens.org/

SAN DIEGO, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Artemis Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCQB: ATMS), ("Artemis" or the "Company"), a pharmaceutical company developing new therapies for the treatment of infectious diseases, including cytomegalovirus and malaria, today announced that new data on its lead product candidate, Artemisone, shows it is a potent inhibitor of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) replication in preclinical assays, including a human placental tissue model. The company's chief medical officer, Dana Wolf, M.D., Ph.D., will share the data in an oral presentation on June 14 during the 31st annual International Conference for Antiviral Research (ICAR) June 11-14 in Porto, Portugal.

"To have these new data accepted at two important international conferences within a short time underscores the interest in and urgent need for improved therapies for CMV and reflects positively on the potential of our drug candidate. The results we've seen in preclinical studies to date are encouraging, and we intend to advance Artemisone into the clinic for HCMV next year," said Brian Culley, CEO of Artemis. "We are grateful to Dr. Wolf for ensuring these data are shared with multiple international audiences and look forward to reporting additional results soon."

Dr. Wolf's presentation will provide data that show Artemisone more effectively inhibits HCMV infection than ganciclovir in an ex vivo model of human placental tissues maintained in organ culture to mirror the maternal-fetal spread of virus in vivo. Artemisone recently has been reported to effectively inhibit laboratory-adapted and low-passage clinical strains of HCMV as well as drug-resistant HCMV strains. Further, its antiviral efficacy is not only comparable to ganciclovir, but also approximately 10-fold greater than artesunate in all cell lines studied. The data indicates Artemisone is a reversible HCMV inhibitor, targeting an earlier phase of the viral replication cycle than does ganciclovir, suggesting a novel mechanism of action.

The ICAR conference series aims to be a key forum for the presentation, exchange, and dissemination of information and experiences on anti-microbial strategies. It covers topics on antimicrobial resistance, detection, enhancement of innate defenses against pathogens, as well as various methods and techniques. The 31st annual congress will be held at the Alfandega Congress Centre in Porto, Portugal.

About Artemisone

Artemis' lead product candidate, Artemisone (ar-tem-iss-ohn), is being developed as a best-in-class treatment for malaria and first-in-class treatment for CMV. Artemisone is a semi-synthetic 10-alpha-amino derivative of artemisinin, the discovery of which shared one-half of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Artemisone was selected as a therapeutic product candidate based on properties that distinguish it from other artemisinin derivatives, including greater potency, lower predicted neurotoxicity, better stability, half-life, and solubility. Notably, Artemisone relies on a non-DHA metabolic pathway, which distinguishes it from currently used artemisinins. This feature may provide important clinical advantages in terms of fighting resistance, blocking disease transmission, or treating severe and/or cerebral malaria. Additionally, recent laboratory research has shown that the antiviral potency of Artemisone against human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is as robust as the current FDA-approved agent, ganciclovir, and approximately ten times greater than that of a related compound, artesunate. Further in vitro studies with Artemisone have demonstrated efficacy against drug-resistant strains of CMV with evidence for a novel mechanism of action.

About Artemis Therapeutics

Artemis Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of new therapies for the treatment and prevention of severe and life-threatening infectious diseases. The Company's lead product candidate, Artemisone, is a semi-synthetic artemisinin derivative with potent antiviral and antiparasitic properties. The Company currently is evaluating Artemisone for the treatment of P. falciparum malaria and human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections, including stem cell transplant CMV, solid organ transplant CMV, and congenital CMV. Artemis also plans to evaluate Artemisone for the treatment of additional viral and parasitic diseases. More information is available on the Company's website: www.artemis-therapeutics.com and Twitter: @ArtemisThera.

Forward Looking Statements:

This press release contains certain 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 and Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, as amended, including those relating to the Company's product development, clinical and regulatory timelines, market opportunity, competitive position, possible or assumed future results of operations, business strategies, potential growth opportunities and other statement that are predictive in nature. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the industry and markets in which we operate and management's current beliefs and assumptions.

These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking expressions, including, but not limited to, "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "estimate," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "would" and similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. These statements relate to future events or our financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include those set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact:

Investor Relations

([email protected])

Media

Jules Abraham

JQA Partners, Inc.

[email protected]

917-885-7378

SOURCE Artemis Therapeutics, Inc.

Related Links

http://artemis-therapeutics.com

HOLMDEL, N.J., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Dave Pearson, Chief Financial Officer of Vonage (NYSE: VG), a business cloud communications leader, has been honored as CFO of the Year by the New Jersey Tech Council, a private, nonprofit membership organization which supports the tech, innovation, and entrepreneurial ecosystems across the state and region.

The CFO Awards are an annual event recognizing the accomplishments of financial executives from the state's diverse tech and life sciences communities. At the event, the Council honors and celebrates the outstanding contributions of leading CFOs and investors in the industry.

Since joining the Company in 2013, Mr. Pearson has been a visionary and critical leader of Vonage's overall business strategy, helping to put the Company on a path to rapid growth. Instrumental in developing an innovative strategy for the growth of the Company, Mr. Pearson changed the way Vonage operates its business, and was an integral driver of Vonage's successful pivot from residential communications provider to leading cloud communications provider for business.

Under his guidance, 2017 proved to be a transformational year as Vonage Business revenues exceeded consumer revenues for the first time in Q3 2017, and increased full year revenues by 33% to $499 million. With Mr. Pearson's leadership, the company as a whole delivered strong results in 2017, growing consolidated revenues to $1.0 billion.

"It's an honor to be recognized by the New Jersey Tech Council, and my peers in this industry," said Mr. Pearson. "I'm particularly proud of the work that my team has done to support Vonage as we redefine business communications, and embrace technology to not only transform how businesses communicate, but how they operate, using cloud communications to drive better business outcomes."

CFO Award winners were honored during a June 8 awards ceremony in Princeton, NJ. Honorees were nominated by third-party submissions, and selected for their distinguished leadership and contributions not only to their companies, but to the New Jersey tech community as a whole.

About Vonage

Vonage (NYSE:VG) is redefining business communications. True to our roots as a technology disruptor, we've embraced technology to transform how companies communicate to create better business outcomes. Our unique cloud communications platform brings together a robust unified communications solution with the agility of embedded, contextual communications APIs. This powerful combination enables businesses to collaborate more productively and engage their customers more effectively across messaging, chat, social media, video and voice.

The Company also provides a robust suite of feature-rich residential communication solutions.

Vonage Holdings Corp. is headquartered in Holmdel, New Jersey, with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Israel. Vonage is a registered trademark of Vonage Marketing LLC, owned by Vonage America Inc.

(vg-a)

SOURCE Vonage

Related Links

http://www.vonage.com

Chief Conservation Officer for Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC), Mittermeier will receive the Lilly Medal and $250,000  the largest international monetary award given exclusively for the successful conservation of endangered or threatened species.

"Russ Mittermeier is a consummate scientist, a visionary leader, a deft policy advocate and an inspiring mentor to many. Perhaps most important, he is a consistent winner in the battles for species and ecosystem survival," said Michael I. Crowther, chief executive officer of the Indianapolis Zoological Society, Inc. "Russ is considered the world's preeminent primate conservationist and has observed more primate species in the wild than anyone else  ever. In part because of his efforts, primates remain the only larger group of mammals to have not lost a single species or subspecies to extinction in the last 100 years."

Mittermeier is the seventh Winner of the biennial Indianapolis Prize, awarded by the Indianapolis Zoological Society, Inc.

"The Finalists for the Indianapolis Prize are all amazing colleagues and good friends of mine, and to be considered for this award in their company is humbling," said Mittermeier. "I am honored to be the 2018 Winner and applaud the Indianapolis Prize for giving a larger platform to conservationists doing important, significant work. It's my hope that more people will be inspired by their heroic stories and moved to take actions that save species around the world."

Mittermeier has been responsible for protecting hundreds of species and millions of acres of critical habitat around the world. He is best known for his leadership in championing the concept of Biodiversity Hotspots  critical areas known for their biological diversity, endemic species and severe level of threat.

By promoting these hotspots, Mittermeier helped give the global conservation community a new framework to make more targeted, strategic investments in the places that sustain the majority of all life on earth. Today, Biodiversity Hotspots remain one of the most important conservation developments of the last quarter century.

In addition to leading the development of Biodiversity Hotspots, Mittermeier also coined the concepts of Megadiversity Countries, which prioritizes the 18 out of roughly 200 nations on Earth that are responsible for two-thirds of all global biodiversity, and High Biodiversity Wilderness Areas, which signifies biologically rich areas of the world  such as the tropical forests of Amazonia and the Congo  that, fortunately, still have much of their habitat largely intact.

"There is no accurate method or metrics to quantify the more than 45 years of contributions and impact Russ Mittermeier has made in the name of biodiversity conservation," said wildlife conservationist Rick Barongi. "Russ' scope and depth of achievements would rival any conservationist, living or dead. Except for Dr. E.O. Wilson, no other person has done more to promote biodiversity conservation on a global level. The Indianapolis Prize is a fitting tribute to a man who makes everyone around him a better conservationist."

Mittermeier's resume also boasts impressive accomplishments for single species and groups of species, too. Through his more than 40 years of leadership as chair of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission's Primate Specialist Group, primates have become a priority group for conservation worldwide.

In addition to primates, Mittermeier has a lifetime love of reptiles, particularly tortoises and freshwater turtles. That's why nearly 40 years ago, he was instrumental in the creation of another IUCN specialist group focused on this group.

He has been involved in the description of more than 20 species new to science  including three turtles, seven lemurs, four tarsiers and seven monkeys  and he even has eight species named after him by colleagues (three frogs, one lizard, two lemurs, a saki monkey and an ant).

"While other environmental challenges are large and growing, Russ' laser focus on biodiversity reminds us that every species we can save stems the tide of irreversible changes to this planet," said Chief Scientist and Chief Executive Officer for Global Wildlife Conservation Dr. Wes Sechrest. "Saving species is saving the environment, and Russ is a powerful messenger for the importance of saving species not only to prevent extinction, but also to conserve the fabric of life and the wildlife that sets apart our singular planet."

Mittermeier readily adapts to a range of environments  from the tropical rainforest to the red carpet to the board room. In his 45-year career in executive leadership positions at major global organizations including Conservation International and World Wildlife Fund  US, he has inspired people of all walks of life  foreign dignitaries, celebrities, donors, fellow scientists, students, indigenous peoples and more  to take actions that contribute to the conservation of Earth's biodiversity.

"Russ' fingerprints are on conservation worldwide, both in terms of projects and careers he has inspired and fostered," said Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy, a senior fellow at the United Nations Foundation and professor of environmental science and policy at George Mason University. "Global conservation is measurably better, stronger and more vibrant because of Russ Mittermeier."

The Indianapolis Prize was created in 2006 to recognize practical conservation solutions, bring innovative ideas to scale, and reward the conservation heroes who have been the most successful in saving threatened or endangered species from extinction. The Indianapolis Prize also strives to elevate public understanding of conservationists as heroes. A 2018 survey commissioned by the Indianapolis Prize found that 91 percent of Americans believe the survival of endangered animals is important to society at large. What's more, when given the definition of an animal conservationist, 83 percent said animal conservationists qualify as heroes.

Mittermeier was selected by a jury comprised of distinguished scientists and conservation leaders from a pool of six esteemed Finalists, each of whom will receive $10,000. The Finalists are Dr. Joel Berger (Colorado State University and Wildlife Conservation Society); Dr. P. Dee Boersma (University of Washington and Center for Ecosystem Sentinels); Dr. Sylvia Earle (Mission Blue and Deep Ocean Exploration and Research); Dr. Rodney Jackson (Snow Leopard Conservancy); and Dr. Carl Safina (The Safina Center at Stony Brook University). The 2018 Indianapolis Prize Winner and Finalists will be formally honored at the Indianapolis Prize Gala presented by Cummins Inc. on Sept. 29, 2018 in Indianapolis.

The Indianapolis Prize was first awarded in 2006 to Dr. George Archibald, the co-founder of the International Crane Foundation. The 2008 Winner was George Schaller, Ph.D., known as one of the founding fathers of wildlife conservation, and both vice president for Panthera and a senior conservationist for the Wildlife Conservation Society. In 2010, Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Ph.D., founder of Save the Elephants, received the Prize for his pioneering research in elephant social behavior and for leading the way in the fight against the poaching of African elephants. Steven Amstrup, Ph.D., chief scientist for Polar Bears International, received the 2012 Prize for his work protecting vital habitat for the world's largest land carnivore. In 2014, Dr. Patricia C. Wright, founder of Centre ValBio, became the first woman awarded the Indianapolis Prize for her dedication to saving Madagascar's famed lemurs from extinction. Dr. Carl Jones received the 2016 Indianapolis Prize for his species recovery success on the island of Mauritius, including the echo parakeet, pink pigeon and Mauritius kestrel.

ABOUT THE INDIANAPOLIS PRIZE:

The Indianapolis Prize recognizes and rewards conservationists who have achieved major victories in advancing the sustainability of an animal species or group of species. The Indianapolis Prize has received support from the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation since its inception.

ABOUT GLOBAL WILDLIFE CONSERVATION:

Global Wildlife Conservation conserves the diversity of life on Earth by safeguarding wildlands, protecting wildlife and supporting guardians. We maximize our impact through scientific research, biodiversity exploration, habitat conservation, protected area management, wildlife crime prevention, endangered species recovery, and conservation leadership cultivation.

MEDIA NOTE

Images that accompany this story are available for download on the Indianapolis Prize website here. Connect with the Prize on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Indianapolis PrizeNEW YORK, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Encore Jets, a leading full-service private aviation company, announced today it is launching SummerJet, a trans-Mediterranean private jet shuttle this summer, offering single-seat private travel between Ibiza and Mykonos from Thursday, July 12th.

For the first time in aviation history, travellers seeking a seamless, luxury, non-stop flight across the Mediterranean between these two summer hotspots now can reserve seats on scheduled flights.

Encore Jets Launches SummerJet: The First Ever Private Jet Shuttle Flights Between Ibiza and Mykonos

The news is sure to boost local tourism, as commercial airlines have never offered nonstop flights between Mykonos and Ibiza. The shortest route is currently two legs and just under six hours, with many having to endure ten hours of travel time or more. SummerJet is timed at just under three hours each way, and tickets are priced at 2,150 one-way. Helicopter transfers to Athens and Santorini from Mykonos will also be available for an additional charge.

All flights will be on a Mid-Size Citation XLS or a Large Cabin Challenger 604, depending on the calendar date. The first flight will fly out from Ibiza to Mykonos on Thursday, July 12th.

Reservations for the SummerJet private jet shuttle service can be made through the mobile landing page, http://www.encorejets.com/summerjet

Skip the numerous layovers and delays of commercial flights, and island hop in luxury this summer by flying this summer's best experience, Encore Jets' SummerJet.

About Encore Jets:

Encore Jets was born out of a vision to provide private jet fliers with a better solution for their flying needs.

In a world of unreliable service, rigid fractional ownership models and over-promising jet cards, fliers were wanting more from the private jet industry- more reliability, more flexibility and more transparency. It was these needs that inspired Encore Jets to orchestrate a solution that no other jet provider was willing to offer.

Powered by cutting-edge technology, the most luxurious private jet experience ever offered is now available. With 100% attention to detail and complete flexibility for every trip, a 24/7 dedicated account manager and access to over 5000 aircraft in our approved charter fleet, Encore Jets is like no other jet provider.

Welcome to the new frontier in private aviation: luxury, excellence, and flexibility. Ask more from your private jet provider.

www.encorejets.com

Media Contact:

Josh Mathew

[email protected]

646-357-3136

SOURCE Encore Jets

Related Links

http://www.encorejets.com

For two days from June 14 to 15 during the Travel Expo, the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism will have a briefing session about Templestay and meet with local travel agencies of Hong Kong to discuss ways to promote Templestay.

Between June 16 and 17, the general public will be able to enjoy various activities such as drawing fan paintings, making traditional patterned coasters, and making lotus lanterns. In addition, gifts will be given to those who join an online promotional event during the Travel Expo.

Templestay is a unique cultural program which lets visitors experience the life of Buddhist practitioners at traditional temples which are preserving the 1,700 years old history of Korean Buddhism.

Templestay offers diverse cultural programs such as "Yebul"(Buddhist ceremony), "108 bae"(108 prostrations), "Chamseon"(Seon meditation), "Conversation with a monk over tea", "Barugongyang"(formal monastic meal), making a lotus lantern, and other programs. Depending on the participants' schedules and preferences, one-day Templestay, experiential Templestay and recuperation Templestay will be offered.

Ven. Wonkyeong, the Director of the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism, said, "Through the Templestay program, Koreans and international people alike can exchange their cultures and learn Korean culture."

Separately, the Korean Buddhist Culture Experience Week will be held at the Korea Cultural Center in Hong Kong until June 13. Visitors will have a chance to learn about Templestay and Temple food through exhibitions, hands-on programs and lectures during the Week. Anyone who wants to participate may make a reservation in advance. The programs and lectures will run free of charge.

Inquiries about the Hong Kong International Travel Expo:

Korea Tourism Organization's Hong Kong office

852-2523-8065 / http://big5chinese.visitkorea.or.kr/cht/MA/MA_CH_9_1_2_1.jsp

Inquiries about the Korean Buddhist Culture Experience Week and for application:

Korea Cultural Center in Hong Kong

852-2270-3500 / http://hk.korean-culture.org/hk/welcome

SOURCE Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism

Related Links

http://hk.korean-culture.org/hk/welcome

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ensono today announced it has won the 2018 Microsoft Datacenter Transformation Partner of the Year Award. The company was honored among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology.

"Ensono's work with many of its clients started decades ago in helping them manage applications on mainframes. Today, we're leading these same companies in their cloud transformations," said Jeff VonDeylen, CEO of Ensono. "It's truly an honor to be recognized by Microsoft for our work in helping businesses prepare for the future as we transition and manage clients' Azure environments, no matter where they are starting in their digital transformation journeys."

Awards were presented in several categories, with winners chosen from a set of more than 2,600 entrants from 115 countries worldwide. Ensono was recognized for providing outstanding solutions and services in datacenter transformations.

The Datacenter Transformation Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner that has designed, developed, and deployed Azure Apps for their Enterprise customers. Ensono's nomination demonstrates its excellence in helping clients with the adoption of Azure by migrating, deploying and managing Azure applications.

"Our ecosystem of partners is crucial to delivering transformative solutions, and this year's winners have proven to be some of the finest among their peers," said Gavriella Schuster corporate vice president, One Commercial Partner, Microsoft Corp. "We are pleased to recognize Ensono for being selected as winner of the 2018 Microsoft Datacenter Transformation Partner of the Year award."

The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered exceptional Microsoft-based solutions during the past year.

About Ensono

For business leaders managing lots of complexity or disrupting the status quo, Ensono delivers complete Hybrid IT services, from mainframe to cloud, tailored to each client's journey. Whether you're leveraging the power of the cloud or modernizing legacy technologies, you'll be on track to operate for today and optimize for tomorrow. Named a Top 15 Sourcing Service Provider by ISG, some of the world's most successful companies rely on us to help them be great at what they do. Ensono has over 1,000 associates globally and is ranked in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For. Our offices are headquartered in greater Chicago. Visit us at www.ensono.com.

For additional information:

Beth Burghgraef

312-648-6017

[email protected]

Product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Ensono

Related Links

http://www.ensono.com

NEW ORLEANS, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) will host its 2018 Analyst Day in New York City on Thursday, June 21, 2018. The event will feature presentations by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Leo Denault and members of Entergy's executive management team.

The business session will take place from 12:30 p.m. to approximately 4:00 p.m. ET. A live webcast of the meeting can be accessed on the Investor Relations section of Entergy's corporate website at www.entergy.com. Presentation slides will be made available on the Investor Relations section of Entergy's website and the Entergy Investor Relations mobile web app at iretr.com after market close on Wednesday, June 20, 2018. Please note that printed materials will not be provided at the event. A replay of the webcast will also be available on the website.

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 9,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of approximately $11 billion and more than 13,000 employees.

Additional investor information can be accessed at www.entergy.com/investor_relations

SOURCE Entergy Corporation

Related Links

http://www.entergy.com

SAN FRANCISCO, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants announced today that risk management and insurance brokerage veteran Michael McNulty has rejoined the firm as Managing Principal and Wine & Beverage Practice Leader. McNulty will be based in San Francisco and report to Curt Perata, EPIC's Pacific North Region President.

McNulty's primary responsibilities will include leading a group of risk management and insurance brokerage service professionals who specialize in the unique exposures and needs of wine growers and producers, as well as other beverage producers and distributers, including the craft brewing industry. In addition, he will be responsible for further growing and building the practice through industry specific mergers & acquisitions and the addition of specialized wine & beverage broker/producers and their teams.

Across a career of more than 30 years, McNulty has held a wide range of consulting, leadership, and risk advisory positions at major insurance brokerage firms, including Bay Area-based specialty broker Metro/Risk, which was acquired by EPIC in 2009. McNulty then spent the next 6 years as a Principal at EPIC, before leaving to become the San Francisco Area Managing Director of broker Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in 2015.

"We are excited to have Mike back to further expand and enhance EPIC's service to the wine & beverage industry," said Curt Perata. "Mike is highly respected for his strong relationships, professional knowledge, and client service excellence, and we are delighted to have him return to EPIC to lead and grow this important segment of our business."

McNulty attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History.

Mike McNulty can be reached at [email protected] or 415-356-3909.

About EPIC:

EPIC is a unique and innovative retail property & casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm. EPIC has created a values-based, client-focused culture that attracts and retains top talent, fosters employee satisfaction and loyalty and sustains a high level of customer service excellence.

EPIC team members have consistently recognized their company as a "Best Place to Work" in multiple regions and as a "Best Place to Work in the Insurance Industry" nationally.

EPIC now has more than 1,400 team members operating from 50 offices across the U.S., providing Property & Casualty, Employee Benefits, Specialty Programs and Private Client solutions to more than 20,000 clients.

With run rate revenues greater than $400 million, EPIC ranks among the top 20 retail insurance brokers in the United States. Backed by Oak Hill Capital Partners, the company continues to expand organically and through strategic acquisitions across the country. For additional information, please visit https://www.epicbrokers.com/.

*LOGO Link for media: Send2Press.com/300dpi/16-0308-epic-insurance-300dpi.jpg

This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com

SOURCE EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants

Related Links

http://www.epicbrokers.com

NEW YORK and PROVIDENCE, R.I., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- EpiVax Oncology, Inc., a precision cancer immunotherapy company, today announced the closing of a $1.2M Bridge Financing. The investors include NextWaveBio, Morningside Venture Investments, Accelerate NY Seed Fund and Horatio Ventures NYC.

EpiVax Oncology, Inc. (EO) is developing precision cancer immunotherapies based on Neo-Epitopes selected using Ancer, its proprietary and validated, in silico, predictive algorithm. Using genetic Next Generation Sequencing of the tumors and the normal cells of each patient, followed by mutanome analysis, EO's personalized therapeutic vaccines are customized and specifically designed for each individual patient. EO's Ancer Neo-Epitope selection platform is unique, as it is 100% in silico and integrates predictive algorithms that prioritize both Class I and Class II, CD4 and CD8 T cell Neo-Epitopes; selects out Treg- like epitopes that can potentially lead to immune suppression and immune-related adverse events; and is integrated in an end-to-end, GMP-ready, commercial-grade platform; thus, leading to potentially more potent and safer therapeutic cancer vaccines.

"We are very excited to close our first external financing round with such knowledgeable, distinguished biotech and high-tech investors," said EpiVax Oncology CEO and Co-Founder, Gad Berdugo, MSc Eng., MBA. "Securing this funding is an important milestone because it ensures our continued advancement, and preparation for our Phase 1b clinical trial in bladder cancer and serves as a bridge to our planned Series A financing. We are laser focused on our lead development program and anticipate an IND submission at the end of 2018."

Anne De Groot, MD, Scientific Founder of EpiVax Oncology, added "I am incredibly excited to leverage our computational immunology platform to support EpiVax Oncology's work to design and deliver personalized therapeutic solutions for cancer patients."

The Managing Partners of NextWaveBio, Manon Cox PhD, formerly CEO of Protein Sciences and Dan Adams JD, formerly Chairman of Protein Sciences and first CEO & Co-Founder of Biogen, will be joining EpiVax Oncology as Board Advisors. Manon Cox added, "We are delighted to be joining EpiVax Oncology as advisors as they work to make personalized cancer treatment available at an affordable cost."

EpiVax Oncology, Inc. is preparing to enter into a Phase 1b clinical trial in bladder cancer using formulated synthetic long peptides based on Ancer derived Neo-Epitopes.

About EpiVax Oncology and Ancer

EpiVax Oncology, Inc. is a privately-held biotechnology company focusing on developing precision cancer immunotherapies based in Providence, RI and New York City. Incorporated in 2017, EO is a spin-out of EpiVax Inc, and is leveraging EpiVax's 20-year history of world class excellence in computational-immunology, genomics and vaccine design to advance its personalized cancer vaccine development program. The company uses its Ancer proprietary Neo-Epitope predictive algorithm, including tools such as EpiMatrix and JanusMatrix, which were exclusively licensed to EpiVax Oncology Inc. by EpiVax Inc. Please visit our website https://epivaxoncology.com

NOTICE: The information contained in this document is dated as of June 12, 2018. EpiVax Oncology, Inc. (the Company) disclaims any obligation to update such information after such date. This document contains forwardlooking statements reflecting the Company's current expectations that necessarily involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from those contained in such forward-looking statements due to a number of factors and the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the issuance of this press release.

Media Contact:

EpiVax Oncology, Inc

Gad Berdugo, CEO

[email protected]

646 912 2525

SOURCE EpiVax Oncology

Related Links

https://www.epivaxoncology.com

UMe honors EPMD's contributions to the art of hip-hop with new two-LP vinyl reissues of the duo's first two seminal albums, 1988's Strictly Business and 1989's Unfinished Business . These classic albums have been unavailable on vinyl for decades, and these reissues mark their long-awaited return to the format in which fans first came to know them. Both albums have also been released in colored-vinyl editions that are available exclusively from the online retailer Urban Legends .

Strictly Business stood out from most of the competition with its funk-flavored, sample-heavy sound, which instantly established EPMD as an influential force in the genre. For instance, the album's title track made prominent use of samples from Eric Clapton's "I Shot the Sheriff," while the classic hit "You Gots to Chill" was one of the first of many to use '80s funk combo Zapp's "More Bounce to the Ounce," which soon became an enduring hip-hop sample source. "You're A Customer" combines pieces of Steve Miller's "Fly Like an Eagle," Kool and the Gang's "Jungle Boogie" and the bass line from ZZ Top's "Cheap Sunglasses." The humorous "Jane," about an ill-fated romantic rendezvous, would inspire no less than five sequels on subsequent albums.

Unfinished Business finds EPMD (short for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars") honing its grooves while sharpening its lyrical attack on such standout tracks as "So Wat Cha Sayin'," "Total Kaos," "Get the Bozack," "the cautionary "You Had Too Much to Drink" and the self-explanatory "Please Listen to My Demo."

Erick and Parrish would continue to expand their creative horizons on future albums, firmly establishing EPMD as one of hip-hop's most reliable creative forces. To many fans, though, these early albums represent the duo's finest work, and retain their freshness three decades after their creation.

Strictly Business (2LP) Unfinished Business (2LP) A1 - Strictly Business A1 So Wat Cha Sayin' A2  Because I'm Housin' A2 Total Kaos A3 - So Let The Funk Flow A3 Get The Bozack B1 - You Gots To Chill B1 Jane II B2 - It's My Thing B2 Please Listen To My Demo C1 - You're A Customer B3 It's Time 2 Party C2 - The Steve Martin B4 Who's Booty D1 - Get Off The Bandwagon C1 The Big Payback D2 - D.J. K La Boss C2 Strictly Snappin' Necks D3 - Jane C3 Knick Knack Patty Wack

D1 You Had Too Much To Drink

D2 It Wasn't Me, It Was The Fame

To order the colored vinyl of Strictly Business and Unfinished Business go here: https://UrbanLegends.lnk.to/EPMDStrictlyBusiness2LP

ABOUT UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP'S "URBAN LEGENDS"

Urban Legends is a multi-platform website that honors the past 30 years of Universal Music Group's (UMG) urban catalog. The label imprint and platform, which came to fruition in late 2017, celebrates the artists and music at the heart and soul of hip-hop, with commentary by noted music writers and the artists themselves.

Nobody forgets the album that changed their lifethat one song that defined the moment. Urban Legends remembers and reimagines what it means to be a fan, helping music lovers fall in love with their favorites all over again. We celebrate our icons, our culture, our style, our legacy, our musicand why it matters.

Visit http://www.urbanlegends.com/ or find them at:

https://www.facebook.com/UrbanLegends/

https://www.instagram.com/urbanxlegends/

https://twitter.com/urbanxlegends

SOURCE UMeRIDE TV Inks Deal with TELUS

FORT WORTH, Texas and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ride Television Network, Inc., (RIDE TV) is pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement with TELUS to distribute RIDE TV to their customers. RIDE TV is the first of its kind network to be distributed in Canada and is now available to all TELUS Optik TV customers in Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia.

"TELUS has been a champion of RIDE TV since the beginning, and sponsored our network for our Canadian license," said Mike Clark, Executive Vice President of RIDE TV. "This is an excellent opportunity for us to showcase the equestrian lifestyle to a whole new group of potential fans and participants."

RIDE TV is the only TV network devoted exclusively to the horse and rural living lifestyle and is available in high definition. RIDE TV produces over 90% of its content and offers a wide variety of programming including documentaries, reality shows, event coverage and other great content for the equestrian and rural lifestyle markets. RIDE TV will be available June 12th on TELUS Optik TV, channel 970.

About Ride Television Network, Inc.

Ride Television Network, Inc. is a privately held corporation based in Fort Worth, Texas USA. The company was formed in 2011 for the purpose of launching a 24-hour, high definition, television network. RIDE TV launched on October 1, 2014, in the United States and is available internationally including Asia and Latin America.

Contact: Ella Ahmed, 1-817-984-3500 x7015, [email protected]

SOURCE Ride Television Network, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.ridetv.com

EMPORIA, Kan., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the passage of the bill recognizing the Memorial to Fallen Educators as a national site, Emporia State University and the National Teachers Hall of Fame will host a rededication ceremony on June 21, 2018. At the ceremony, fallen teachers and staff members from the past year will be added to the memorial. Names include those of teachers and staff members from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, victims of recent school shootings.

The National Memorial to Fallen Educators honors teachers, administrators and staff members who lost their lives while working for our nation's schools and was created in 2013, following the tragedy at the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, where six educators lost their lives. The rededication ceremony comes after President Donald Trump signed a bill to nationally recognize the site on ESU's campus.

"We are ecstatic about the national memorial designation and are making big plans for the rededication ceremony," said Carol Strickland, executive director of the National Teachers Hall of Fame, sponsor of the memorial.

The ceremony, which begins at 2 p.m., will consist of tributes for each of the 10 fallen educators and placing a white rose at the base of the memorial for each. In addition, the members of the Class of 2018 National Teachers Hall of Fame Inductees will place the class wreath and plant two redbud trees as their gift to the memorial site.

Dr. Anthony Salvatore, an administrator from Newtown, Connecticut, will also announce that the NTHF Museum will become the permanent home of a dream catcher, designed and created in 1999 by a Native American tribe in Minnesota to be presented to the students at Columbine High School after the tragic shooting. It has since moved to Minnesota, Connecticut and now resides in Parkland, Florida, after tragic school shootings in those states.

To learn more about the fallen educator memorial and the event including fundraising for a new tablet, names to be added to the memorial and dignitaries expected to attend check out http://bit.ly/2MgOiyl.

About the National Memorial to Fallen Educators

Dedicated in June 2014, the Memorial to Fallen Educators was created by the National Teachers Hall of Fame to honor U.S. educators and support professionals who literally "gave their all" for their profession. Located on the Emporia State University campus in Emporia, Kansas, the earliest name on the wall is Enoch Brown, who was killed in a 1764 Native American attack on a Pennsylvania school during Pontiac's War. Other reasons for inclusion include school fires, bus crashes and school violence. In the future, the memorial will be expanded to include names of those in higher education who have fallen in the line of duty. The memorial received national status in April 2018. For more information: https://nthfmemorial.org/.

About Emporia State University

Emporia State University offers over 200 academic programs in the School of Business, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, School of Library and Information Management and The Teachers College. ESU is the only public university in Kansas to have earned national recognition as a College of Distinction, an honor for universities that demonstrate innovative application of high-impact education. In addition, in the Best Colleges 2018 guidebook by U.S. News and World Report, ESU is ranked No. 2 in lowest student debt of all Midwest regional universities. U.S. News also cited ESU's School of Business as a best value for both in-state and out-of-state students and ranked the online graduate education and non-MBA online programs in the Top 100 programs in the nation.

SOURCE Emporia State UniversityHoward joined Farmers  in 1987 as a claims representative in St. Louis, Missouri, relocating to Southern California in 2000 when he was appointed to be the Auto Property Damage (APD) technical manager for the California Zone. He moved through a number of Claims leadership positions before joining the Farmers Claims senior leadership team as Head of Claims Compliance in 2009. In 2012, he became the Head of Property Field Claims and in 2014, he was promoted to Head of Claims Shared Services.

"Rob has a deep knowledge of Claims, driving positive results for the company throughout his decades of service with Farmers, which is why I'm pleased to announce, on behalf of our Board of Governors, his appointment as Chief Claims Officer," said Jeff Dailey, CEO of Farmers Group, Inc. "I am certain he will continue to lead the Claims organization and its focus on customer experience through quality claims outcomes and innovation."

As Head of Claims Shared Services, Howard oversaw a number of business units that provide services to the Claims organization and its customers, including the Claims Contact Centers, Claims Support Services, the National Document Center, Special Investigations Unit, Strategic Initiatives, Subrogation and the Claims training component of the University of Farmers.

"I'm honored to lead the Claims organization as the new Chief Claims Officer," said Howard. "It's a privilege to work with such a hardworking and innovative group of employees and leaders as we continue to serve our customers and agents."

About Farmers Insurance

"Farmers Insurance" and "Farmers" are tradenames for a group of affiliated insurers providing insurance for automobiles, homes and small businesses and a wide range of other insurance and financial services and products. Farmers Insurance is proud to serve more than 10 million households with over 19 million individual policies nationally, through the efforts of more than 48,000 exclusive and independent agents and approximately 21,000 employees. Farmers Insurance Exchange, the largest of the three primary insurance insurers that make up Farmers Insurance, is recognized as one of the largest U.S. companies on the 2018 Fortune 500 list. For more information about Farmers Insurance, visit Farmers.com, Twitter and Instagram, @WeAreFarmers, or Facebook.com/FarmersInsurance.

Contact: Media Relations

Farmers Insurance

818-965-0007

[email protected]

SOURCE Farmers Insurance

Related Links

http://www.farmersinsurance.com

HARTFORD, Conn., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Eight hundred Hartford families in need will receive enough food to supplement meals for a week plus daily essentials, thanks to a partnership between PepsiCo and Feed the Children. The event kicks off at 11:00 a.m. ET at Xfinity Theatre, 61 Savitt Way, Hartford, Ct.

This is the eighth year PepsiCo and Feed the Children have partnered to help feed families in Hartford, where more than 35 percent of the population lives below the poverty line1. This distribution event is part of a larger initiative between the two organizations to help feed communities in cities throughout the United States.

The receiving families have been identified and preselected by Community Renewal Team, a Hartford-based not-for-profit organization that helps individuals and families access resources that will help meet immediate and longer-term needs, improve job skills, maintain or increase their independence, stabilize living situations, and achieve educational goals.

"We love the Hartford community and are grateful for the opportunity to not only donate, but also meet these families, volunteer and spend a day giving back," said Victoria South, account manager, northeast region, PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division. "At Frito-Lay and PepsiCo, we believe in engaging our associates in community projects and initiatives that make a positive difference in places where we live and work."

"We recognize hunger can't be fought alone, but by working together, we can provide food and essentials to millions of children and families who live in poverty," said Travis Arnold, President and CEO of Feed the Children. "The work Feed the Children does would be impossible without the support of our corporate partners."

Each qualifying recipient at today's event will be given:

One 25-pound box of nonperishable food items

One 15-pound box of personal-care items

One box of AVON products

products Variety of Frito-Lay products

PepsiCo beverages

Life Original Cereal

Stacy's Pita Chips & Crisps

Quaker Oatmeal

Quaker Chewy Granola Bars

Fresh produce and shelf-stable foods from Price Rite

Volunteers from PepsiCo, Price Rite, Community Renewal Team and Feed the Children will be onsite serving families and assisting with distribution during today's event.

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.

About Feed the Children

Established in 1979, Feed the Children exists to defeat hunger. It is one of the largest U.S.-based charities and serves those in need in the U.S. and in 10 countries around the world. It provides food, education, essentials and disaster response. Domestically, it operates 5 distribution centers (located in Oklahoma, Indiana, California, Tennessee and Pennsylvania).

In fiscal year 2017, through its domestic and international programs, Feed the Children distributed 91.7 million pounds of food and essentials worldwide with a total value of $373 million, working with partner agencies to benefit 6.4 million children and families globally. It is accredited by GuideStar Exchange and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.Visit www.feedthechildren.org for more information.

1 http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Hartford-Connecticut.html





SOURCE PepsiCo

Related Links

http://www.pepsico.com

Terry Bauer, CEO of pioneering Concierge Medicine transition firm Specialdocs , provides answers in a wide-ranging discussion for the DocPreneur Podcast series, the audio touchpoint of trade publication Concierge Medicine Today . A long-time believer in the power of concierge medicine to help repair a broken healthcare system, Bauer discusses the industry with Michael Tetreault, DocPreneur Podcast Host and Editor-in-Chief of Concierge Medicine Today (CMT).

"After years of shrinking reimbursements, truncated office visits and mounting regulations, physicians have been left with few satisfying choices to pursue their calling," says Bauer. "The sheer impossibility of being able to offer quality care in a volume-driven environment is why increasing numbers of physicians view concierge medicine as a career- and life-saving measure."

He explains: "I've witnessed firsthand how a membership practice provides a path for physicians to thrive and benefits their patients with more in-depth care."

However, Bauer cautions, it's not the right model for everyone. Before electing to work with a physician, Specialdocs conducts a thorough evaluation, considering factors such as years practicing in the community and professional reputation. Most important is the response to the question "why do you want to make this change?"

"If the answer is about making more money, that's a red flag for us," Bauer reveals to Tetreault. "The primary motivation voiced by our successful clients is the ability to provide the best medicine possible. The physician most likely to succeed is the one who says 'I'm seeing 30 patients a day, what worries me most is that if I had more time, asked more questions, could I have learned something that would help me make a better diagnosis?'"

The misperception that concierge medicine is driven by physicians focused on increased revenues by treating only the super wealthy has unjustly dogged the industry for years, says Bauer.

"Concierge doctors charging fees of $20,000 a year make headlines, but it's more affordable than commonly reported. The average annual fee is $2,000 - equivalent to most people's cable bill," says Bauer.

For more, including 'lightbulb' moments, why insurers are getting on board, and a bold prediction for the future, listen here.

"We created our DocPreneur series to highlight the wisdom of innovative thought leaders," says Tetreault. "In this interview with Terry, he reveals what it takes to be successful in Concierge Medicine. Physicians who have been curious about this concept and wondering what their next move is should lean in and listen to what Terry and his colleagues have to say."

Specialdocs Consultants has provided expert guidance and counsel to physicians across the country since 2002, helping them transform their practices and their lives with concierge medicine.and staying with them long after.

CONTACT: Mindy Kolof, [email protected]

SOURCE Specialdocs Consultants

Related Links

https://www.specialdocs.com

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The foundation's gift financed renovations to the outdoor promenade and creates an endowed fund for the university's business plan competition.

The Finker Frenkel Legacy Foundation is pleased to announce that in November 2017, the foundation provided a major gift to the University of Miami. The gift financed renovations for the university's outdoor promenade, which was named in honor of the foundation on Nov. 14. The promenade serves as an outdoor study and gathering space that offers an oversized screen, patio furniture, tables and chairs. The screen will carry live feeds from Storer Auditorium and is one of the largest outdoor screens at a school in the U.S.

"With our strong focus on educational initiatives, the partnership with the University of Miami was the perfect fit for our funding," says Dr. Finker, philanthropist and director of the Finker Frenkel Legacy Foundation. "The renovations to the promenade now offer a great outdoor space for students and a spillover area for the auditorium. People can now sit outside and still watch what's happening without missing anything."

The Finker Frenkel Legacy Foundation's gift also established the University of Miami's Business Plan Competition Endowed Fund, which helps to finance the competition now in its 16th year. The competition is open to all University of Miami undergraduate and graduate students as well as alumni that meet the prerequisites.

The foundation's endowed fund gift was announced during the promenade dedication. Family members who established the foundation as well as university officials and business school students, faculty and staff were in attendance.

"The competition helps to foster a sense of entrepreneurship coupled with strong business practices. It helps students and alumni to launch or grow startup ventures, and we are pleased to support this initiative," adds Dr. Finker.

The Finker Frenkel Legacy Foundation aims to connect like-minded philanthropists to support initiatives that impact the lives of others in the areas of medical research, education, religious development, and children's welfare. For more information about the foundation and its work, visit Legacyf.com.

About Finker Frenkel Foundation

The Finker Frenkel Foundation is a family-run foundation created with the express purpose of continuing to fund world-changing initiatives both at home and abroad. The organization's founders, Dr. Lazar Finker and his wife Dr. Raissa Frenkel, value the importance of giving back and act upon this core principle every day. For more information, visit Legacyf.com.

Media Contact:

Aaron Newman

Phone: 954-809-6363

Email: [email protected]

Related Images

image1.jpg

image2.jpg

Related Links

University of Miami Promenade

SOURCE The Finker Frenkel Legacy Foundation

Related Links

http://legacyf.com

AUSTIN, Texas, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- There's now an alternative to the large prenatal vitamin pills that have made pregnant women miserable.

Today eauLife North America LLC, an Austin, Texas based women's healthcare startup company, announced the launch of gle, 3oz liquid prenatal vitamin shots, designed for women who are trying to conceive, are pregnant, or are nursing and want to avoid swallowing large prenatal multi-vitamin pills.

Company founders, Cortney and Jeremy Caudill, are both former pharmaceutical industry executives who were inspired to develop the unique product when Cortney became pregnant with their first child. The couple spent three years of perfecting the flavor, texture, and effectiveness of gle, in conjunction with FDA-certified laboratories.

"Prenatal vitamin pills are not easy to swallow, especially when you are nauseous from morning sickness," eauLife Co-Founder Cortney Caudill said. "Because of the increased vitamin and mineral requirements during pregnancy, the extremely large pills can cause problems with your digestion. Motherhood is a beautiful experience and we wanted to develop a product that enhances that experience by helping women avoid the pain of taking these pills."

"During our early research, we spoke with moms, Ob-Gyns, nutritionists, and industry veterans who all agreed that we were onto something," Co-Founder Jeremy Caudill said. "The current market alternatives to pills such as gummy vitamins or powdered vitamin drink mixes either had fewer vitamins and minerals, were loaded with sugar, or were just too inconvenient."

gle is quickly gaining acceptance in the medical community, which has long been searching for a complete prenatal vitamin solution that increases patient compliance.

"I am incredibly excited about the launch of gle," acclaimed Ob-Gyn and Reproductive Endocrinologist Dr. Stephanie Marshall Thompson said. "Finally my patients have an option for excellent prenatal vitamins in a liquid formulation that tastes great. gle is another great addition to products that make the long ten months of pregnancy a little easier."

The company is celebrating by giving away a ten month supply of gle to the 500th customer purchasing at www.gleprenatal.com.

Contest rules.

About eauLife

eauLife North America LLC is an Austin, Texas based startup company focused on the development of unique products that solve challenges in women's healthcare. Cortney and Jeremy founded the company in 2015. The company's first product is gle, a 3oz liquid prenatal multivitamin taken once daily.

Contact:

Bryan Harris

Advisor, Marketing

212-470-6605

SOURCE eauLife

Related Links

http://gleprenatal.com

AKRON, Ohio, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy's (NYSE: FE) electric utilities are leading the industry with the use of aerial drones to inspect the nests of protected birds of prey. The drones offer a fast and safe way to survey locations where the birds have started nesting on utility poles and other electric equipment, without disrupting the birds by having a line worker inspect the nest.

Birds of prey like ospreys and eagles often seek out tall structures, including electric transmission towers and poles to build their nests, which can measure up to three feet in width. These nesting habits often place the birds near energized electrical equipment  jeopardizing their well-being and potentially causing power outages. A typical bird nest inspection requires a line crew to go out to each nesting site to inspect the nest. This method is not only unsettling to the birds, but time consuming for the crews.

"We were initially concerned the drone would startle the birds, but they were more frightened by the people on the ground and didn't seem to notice the drone in the sky," said FirstEnergy's Amy Ruszala, an environmental scientist who was recently on-site for the first nest inspections. "I am excited we are among the first in the utility industry to use drones for nest inspections, and confident other utility companies will use our positive feedback and follow suit."

Because birds of prey are very territorial, FirstEnergy's FAA-licensed drone pilot maintained a 330-foot buffer between the drone and nests. The drone was able to capture high-resolution images inside of the nests, and the company's environmental support staff worked with line workers to determine the appropriate course of action based on the footage. FirstEnergy's drone pilots have completed seven osprey and eagle nest inspections and expect that number to increase significantly over the next year.

By using a drone, each nest inspection was completed within 15 minutes. If the drone observed a nest without eggs on a utility pole, a line worker in an aerial bucket truck confirmed it was empty and removed the nest. Specialized equipment was also installed to divert and discourage ospreys from nesting on the poles in the future. Disturbing or removing the nests can be a complicated task due to environmental regulations. In most cases, an active nest containing eggs cannot be disturbed.

"If a nest with eggs is situated on our equipment and poses a serious threat to the birds' safety and our service reliability, we will work with state wildlife officials to install a special nesting box to provide a safer home for the ospreys and eagles," Ruszala said.

Environmental scientists and utility leaders at FirstEnergy plan to team up with wildlife officials this fall and use the drone footage to identify and build new nesting platforms for the birds, far away from electrical equipment.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate more than 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Visit FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and follow FirstEnergy and its operating companies on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp, @OhioEdison, @ToledoEdison , @IlluminatingCo, @W_Penn_Power, @Penn_Power, @Penelec, @Met_Ed, @JCP_L, @PotomacEdison, @MonPowerWV.

Editor's Note: Photos of FirstEnergy's bird nest inspections using a drone are available for download on Flickr. A video featuring Ruszala and footage from the drone inspection can be found at http://bit.ly/FEbirdnest.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.

Related Links

http://www.firstenergycorp.com

FORT WORTH, Texas, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Top Tarrant County veterinary hospital and pet emergency center Hulen Hills Animal Hospital (Hulen Hills) announced today plans to expand in size and care offerings  rebranding as The PARC this fall. The new facility, which will be located off Interstate 30 at the Hulen exit, is less than a mile from the current location and has been specially designed to enhance the powerful relationship between people and their pets. The PARC stands for: People, Animals, Revolutionary Care.

Dr. Steve Hotchkiss, owner of Hulen Hills, Metro West Emergency Veterinary Center and The Grand Pet Resort & Salon, announced that all three entities will unite under The PARC brand name. The PARC will offer all the same services currently offered at Hulen Hills and Metro West, including wellness checkups and vaccinations, surgery, 24-hour emergency care and boarding for dogs. The expanded space, which features an expansive patio, will also allow The PARC team to host social and educational events, such as "Yappy Hour" and pet parent classes. The PARC Grand Resort will remain in its current location and continue to offer luxury boarding for dogs and cats, daily PARC PlayCare and salon and spa services.

The PARC name comes from Hotchkiss and his trailblazing pursuit of a new type of animal care: one that focuses on the special relationship between people and pets  something he calls "the space between." At the heart of The PARC are three main motivators:

People first. Hotchkiss, each veterinarian and all staff understand the great impact that a pet can have on a person and his or her life. The PARC will be designed to support and reassure pet parents, with an open atmosphere and mostly-glass walls, so that it is easy to understand the treatment and care of your pet in a real-time, transparent environment.

Hotchkiss, each veterinarian and all staff understand the great impact that a pet can have on a person and his or her life. The PARC will be designed to support and reassure pet parents, with an open atmosphere and mostly-glass walls, so that it is easy to understand the treatment and care of your pet in a real-time, transparent environment. Animals at the heart of it. Not only will The PARC team offer veterinary expertise, the latest technology and fast on-site testing, the staff is trained to customize care to each pet's unique needs. For example, vets can perform outdoor exams for pets who are stressed by the indoors.

Not only will The PARC team offer veterinary expertise, the latest technology and fast on-site testing, the staff is trained to customize care to each pet's unique needs. For example, vets can perform outdoor exams for pets who are stressed by the indoors. Revolutionary Care throughout. The focus on the person, not just the animal, is revolutionary in the veterinary care business. Open 24 hours a day, The PARC seeks to meet immediate and long-term needs with the utmost care and attention, so that pets and their people can feel better, play more and love longer.

While changes to the name and building are on the horizon, Hotchkiss and the team are committed to the same quality of care that patients and their owners have come to expect  without raising prices. In fact, The PARC will be more of an expansion of current offerings  including the only boarding facility in town offering 24-hour pickups and drop-offs, at twice the size of current boarding offerings.

"Years ago, when I started practicing veterinary medicine, my focus was on fixing dogs and cats. But I found out that when I helped a pet feel better, I also helped their person," said Dr. Steve Hotchkiss. "And that's part of what we've been doing in Fort Worth for more than 24 years  helping each pet and owner feel better, play more and love longer. We're planning lots of things in our newer, larger space  but our commitment to pets and their people stays the same. The PARC has been a dream of mine for a long time  and I can't wait for Tarrant County pets and their families to experience what revolutionary veterinary care is all about."

The PARC will open at 4801 W. Freeway in fall 2018. A Grand Opening announcement will be made later in the year. For more information about The PARC and to sign up to receive updates, visit ThePARCvet.com.

About Hulen Hills

Under the direction of Dr. Steve Hotchkiss since 1994, Hulen Hills Animal Hospital has long served the residents of Fort Worth and Tarrant County, Texas, with quality veterinary care, 24-hour emergency services, boarding and grooming. With 10 veterinarians and more than 60 support staff, Hulen Hills has steadily come to be known as one of the city's top pet medical caregivers, with pet health and comfort taking priority. To learn more about Hulen Hills, and complementary companies Metro West Emergency Veterinary Center and The Grand Pet Resort & Salon, visit HulenHills.com.

SOURCE Hulen Hills Animal Hospital

Related Links

http://www.hulenhills.com

NEW YORK, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Generali Global Assistance ("the Company"), a leader in the assistance industry since its founding in 1963 and part of the global Generali Group, today announced that it has been awarded three Stevie Awards, two Gold and one Silver, at the 16th Annual American Business Awards. The winners were announced on May 15th and presented their Stevie Awards trophies last evening at the ABA's gala banquet in New York City.

Chris Carnicelli, CEO of Generali Global Assistance North America, commented on today's news, "We are honored to be receive awards across two of our business lines with Identity and Digital Protection Services and Travel Insurance. The recognition exemplifies our commitment to innovation and customer service. We are extremely proud of these awards and grateful for our sixth consecutive year of recognition from the Stevie Awards committee."

Generali Global Assistance's Identity and Digital Protection Services Global Unit, the developer of a proprietary and innovative identity protection platform, has received a Gold Stevie Award in the Customer Service Team of the Year category for their "Identity Protection Customer Service Team Keeps People First" submission, as well as a Silver Stevie Award in the Marketing Team of the Year category for "Identity Protection Marketing Team Continues to Deliver Stellar Results" Submission. As one of the first providers of identity protection services in the United States, the Company's industry-leading resolution services are spearheaded by a world-class team of identity theft experts, who provide around-the-clock, white glove services to protect customers' identities and to restore their critical assets should theft occur.

Paige Schaffer, President and COO of Generali Global Assistance's Identity and Digital Protection Services Global Unit, commented on today's news, "I would like to thank our identity protection team for their dedication and hard-work  we simply would not have been able to perform at such a high-level without their expertise. I am proud of these awards, and I'm even prouder of what we have achieved for our customers  our best-in-class performance comprehensively protects our customers from fraud and identity theft."

Generali Global Assistance's Travel Insurance division has also received a Gold Stevie Award for their launch of a "New Brand with a New Online Customer Experience" in the Insurance category. As a leading provider of travel insurance, the Company rebranded from CSA Travel Protection and launched its new, consumer-facing website, which led to enhanced customer service and satisfaction. Throughout the design process and since launch, the Company has proactively solicited and responded to user feedback to improve the customer experience. Customer reviews are also integrated into the new website, accentuating the user in user experience.

Brad Rutta, Chief Digital Transformation Officer of Generali Global Assistance, concluded, "I would like to congratulate and thank our travel insurance e-commerce team for their tireless efforts in creating one of the leading direct-to-consumer travel insurance websites that delivers unprecedented user experience and provides unmatched customer support. Generali Global Assistance has long been committed to improving our customer service, and we are honored to be recognized with a Gold Stevie Award this year."

Details about The American Business Awards, the list of People's Choice Stevie Award winners, and the complete list of Stevie winners in this year's ABAs are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

About Generali Global Assistance

Generali Global Assistance has been a leading provider of travel insurance and other assistance services for more than 25 years. The Company offers a full suite of innovative, vertically integrated travel insurance and emergency services, identity protection solutions, and beneficiary companion services. Generali Global Assistance is part of the multinational Generali Group, which for over 185 years has created a presence in 60 countries with over 76,000 employees. Our success has been built on the foundation of trust that clients have placed in our ability to provide assistance in the most difficult of circumstances.

Generali Global Assistance Media Contact

Jesse Tron

M Group Strategic Communications (for Generali Global Assistance North America)

+1 646-417-8516

[email protected]

SOURCE Generali Global AssistanceLOS ANGELES, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Gentera Center for Regenerative Medicine is excited to celebrate the Grand Opening of their first Southern California location in West Valley on June 21st from 6 PM - 9 PM. Festivities will commence with a live DJ, complimentary cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, FREE vitamin shots, giveaways, and more.

"We are thrilled to have Gentera Center for Regenerative Medicine in West Valley. We are excited to have the community come to our grand opening, meet our amazing medical team and tour our newest facility. I'm confident West Valley will share our excitement and will leave feeling enlightened, once they learn about personalized medicine, right in their own neighborhood," stated Sharlene Arriola, Director of Operations for Gentera.

To RSVP for Gentera's Grand Opening Celebration visit https://bit.ly/2JEZBSw.

Originating from Miami Beach, Florida, Gentera is at the forefront of advances in regenerative medicine, offering their patients natural relief from chronic pain and degenerative joint diseases and injuries.

Gentera specializes in a variety of services including Cell Therapy such as Stem Cell and PRP, Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy and IV Drip Therapy. These treatments help accelerate your body's natural healing mechanisms to enhance and revitalize your health, energy, youth, beauty and longevity.

Gentera is located at 22235 Sherman Way #100, Canoga Park, CA 91303. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Thursday from 9am - 5pm, Fridays and Saturdays from 9am - 3pm, and closed on Sundays and Mondays.

About Gentera Center for Regenerative Medicine - You are unique. At Gentera, we are dedicated to providing healthcare tailored to your individual needs. We provide treatments that combine lifestyle changes with today's modern technology in regenerative medicine, to help you feel like the best possible you.

For more information on Gentera, please visit www.gentera-med.com or follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at @genteramed.

SOURCE Gentera

Related Links

https://www.gentera-med.com

ATLANTA, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- During the 2018 legislative session, the Georgia Center for Opportunity stood with parents across the state and fervently advocated for the expansion of the tax credit tuition scholarship program. In response to a leaked audio recording involving Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, GCO's president and CEO released the following statement.

"Thousands of parents and educators in Georgia have fought long and hard so children can have access to education that fits their needs. And they are more than used to the frustration of backroom politics coming before students," said Randy Hicks, President and CEO of the Georgia Center for Opportunity. "Here's what we know about this bill: it improves the future of thousands of kids from lower-income families. That's good policy. Because of how the bill is structured, it has the effect of increasing per-pupil dollars available in the public schools. That's good policy. Finally, studies show that school choice improves student-teacher ratios as well as the academic performance of both the kids who leave and the kids who stay in the public schools. That's good policy. Put it all together, you've got excellent policy."

We are certainly prepared to remind Mr. Cagle and any other candidate that policies that improve the future for thousands of kids is exactly what good legislation looks like."

Education scholars are available to speak to members of the media who have further questions regarding Georgia's tax credit tuition scholarship program.

Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) is independent, non-partisan, and solutions-focused. Our team is dedicated to creating opportunities for a quality education, fulfilling work, and a healthy family life for all Georgians. To achieve our mission, we research ways to help remove barriers to opportunity in each of these pathways, promote our solutions to policymakers and the public, and help effective and innovative social enterprises deliver results in their communities

SOURCE Georgia Center for Opportunity

Related Links

https://georgiaopportunity.org/

NEW YORK, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Grayscale Investments, LLC, a global leader in digital currency asset management, today launched an online resource library for institutional and individual investors. The new website, called Insights, will showcase Grayscale's content and analysis to help investors make more informed digital asset investing decisions.

"There is tremendous appetite in the investor community for better information and clarity around digital currency investing," said Michael Sonnenshein, Managing Director of Grayscale. "We are trying to demystify this market by offering clear-eyed analysis that demonstrates how digital currencies, when sized appropriately, may fit into a traditional investment portfolio."

In conjunction with the launch of Insights, Grayscale published "A New Frontier: How Digital Assets are Reshaping Asset Allocation." This paper demonstrates that digital currencies may enhance strategic asset allocation and help investors build diversified portfolios with higher risk-adjusted returns. As a new, uncorrelated asset class with unique properties, digital currencies may present attractive reward-to-risk profiles for certain investors' portfolios.

Insights will also feature Grayscale's investment theses regarding Bitcoin, Ethereum Classic, and Zcash.

Grayscale provides investors access to the digital currency asset class through its family of investment products, including the first two publicly-quoted digital currency investment vehicles: Bitcoin Investment Trust (OTCQX: GBTC) and Ethereum Classic Investment Trust (OTCQX: ETCG). Grayscale has launched seven single-asset investment vehicles that provide exposure to Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Ethereum Classic (ETC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Ripple (XRP), and Zcash (ZEC). In 2018, Grayscale introduced its first diversified investment vehicle, Digital Large Cap Fund, an offering that provides exposure to the largest digital currencies by market cap.

Grayscale is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Digital Currency Group. DCG sits at the epicenter of the bitcoin and blockchain industry, building and investing in companies in more than 30 countries around the world. In addition to Grayscale, DCG is the parent company of Genesis Global Trading, a registered broker-dealer that specializes in digital currency trading, and CoinDesk, a leading media and events company in the industry.

About Grayscale Investments, LLC

Established in 2013 by Digital Currency Group, Grayscale Investments, LLC is a trusted authority on digital currency investing. Grayscale provides secure access to the digital currency asset class through its single-asset and diversified investment products, including Bitcoin Investment Trust (OTCQX: GBTC), Ethereum Classic Investment Trust (OTCQX: ETCG) and Digital Large Cap Fund. As of May 31, 2018, the firm managed $1.5 billion in assets. For more information on Grayscale, please visit www.grayscale.co.

SOURCE Grayscale Investments, LLC

Related Links

http://www.grayscale.co

MIDDLETOWN, Conn., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Greenskies Renewable Energy LLC ("Greenskies"), a Clean Focus Company, completed the installation of a solar array in Lowville, New York comprised of 7,939 solar photovoltaic panels. This project will provide clean, renewable energy for Lewis County.

The completed solar array, located on 10 acres of land owned by Lewis County, New York, went on-line May 7, 2018.

The power produced from the solar array will power Lewis County under a 20-year PPA, benefiting Lewis County buildings with clean, renewable energy and lower energy bills. Greenskies Renewable Energy LLC ("Greenskies") will maintain the solar array, and Clean Focus Yield Limited will operate the system as part of its large portfolio of commercial, industrial, small utility, and community solar projects.

"Lewis County is the North Country region's only NYSERDA Certified Clean Energy Community," explained Ryan Piche, Lewis County Manager. "We understand the value of investing in clean energy, and we are excited to begin reaping the benefits of our partnership with Greenskies. The solar array in Lewis County is expected to save the taxpayers of our community $3 million in energy expenses over the 20-year life of the project."

The ground-mounted solar array is expected to produce 3,113,985 kWh of clean energy annually, which could power 250 homes or offset the environmental impact of 260,772 gallons of gasoline or nearly 496 cars each year.

"Greenskies is pleased to work with Lewis County to achieve its sustainability goals," stated Stanley Chin, President and CEO of Greenskies and Clean Focus group. "The solar array in Lowville complements our large portfolio of municipal and small-utility solar projects. We look forward to a long relationship with Lewis County over the lifetime of the project."

Greenskies Renewable Energy LLC, a Clean Focus company develops, constructs, and maintains clean, renewable-energy projects in the United States. Greenskies ensures that its customized solar solutions operate at peak performance and deliver maximum savings to its clients.

www.greenskies.com

The Clean Focus group of companies originates, develops, finances, constructs, owns, and operates renewable-energy projects in the United States, Taiwan, and China. Clean Focus Yield owns and operates clean, renewable-energy projects in commercial, industrial, small-utility, and community solar. Our projects pass strict technical and credit criteria to ensure steady cash flows and attractive dividends for our investors.

www.cleanfocus.com

SOURCE Greenskies Renewable Energy LLC

Related Links

http://www.greenskies.com

BROOKLYN, N.Y., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), Airbus and Hawaiian Airlines yesterday celebrated delivery of the first A320neo Family aircraft produced at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama. The aircraft, an A321neo powered by Geared Turbofan (GTF) engines, will join three other A321neo aircraft currently operating in Hawaiian's fleet. A special ceremony took place at the facility on June 11 to officially mark the delivery.

"Hawaiian Airlines is honored to receive the first U.S. produced A320neo Family aircraft," said Jon Snook, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Hawaiian Airlines. "We look forward to expanding our fleet with this fuel-efficient, quiet and environmentally-friendly GTF-powered aircraft, which have been performing exceptionally well for our operations between the U.S. West Coast and Hawaii."

Pratt & Whitney GTF engines will power 18 firm A321neo aircraft for Hawaiian Airlines, which plans to operate the fleet on routes like Portland-Maui, Oakland-Kauai and Los Angeles-Kona.

"We take great pride that the first A320neo Family aircraft delivered from the Airbus Mobile facility is powered by GTF engines," said Tom Pelland, senior vice president, Commercial Engine Programs at Pratt & Whitney. "This facility puts Airbus closer to their U.S.-based customers, such as Hawaiian, and is a great accomplishment for Airbus and the entire Mobile based team."

The majority of the design, manufacturing and assembly of GTF engines is done in the U.S. with the support of suppliers. Pratt & Whitney is investing more than $1.3 billion in 21st century manufacturing technology to transform its U.S. and global footprint.

Since entering into service in early 2016, the GTF engine has demonstrated its promised ability to reduce fuel burn by 16 percent, to reduce NOx emissions by 50 percent to the regulatory standard and to lower the noise footprint by 75 percent.

About Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries. To learn more about UTC, visit its website at www.utc.com, or follow the company on Twitter: @UTC.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning future business opportunities. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes in levels of demand in the aerospace industry, in levels of air travel, and in the number of aircraft to be built; challenges in the design, development, production support, performance and realization of the anticipated benefits of advanced technologies; as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in United Technologies Corp.'s Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Pratt & Whitney

+1 (860) 565-9600

[email protected]

SOURCE Pratt & Whitney

Related Links

http://www.pratt-whitney.com

JERUSALEM, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --Today, Yissum, the Technology Transfer Company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, announced a strategic collaboration with GRAIL, Inc., a healthcare company whose mission is to detect cancer early, when it can be cured. Under the agreement, GRAIL will sponsor a research program led by Professor Yuval Dor of The Hebrew University's Faculty of Medicine.

Professor Dor, working with Dr. Ruth Shemer, Dr. Tommy Kaplan, and Professor Benjamin Glaser from Hadassah Medical Center, is creating a method to determine the tissue origins of circulating DNA, using epigenetic "identity marks" from the DNA that are typical to each cell type, termed DNA methylation.

In the new partnership, GRAIL and the Hebrew University team will collaborate to generate methylation data from multiple cell types to understand how to interpret the source of blood-based signals.

Dr. Yaron Daniely, CEO and President of Yissum, welcomed the agreement. "We are excited to enter this collaboration with GRAIL, which underscores the promise of Professor Dor's research at Hebrew University and supports our vision of bettering the lives of people around the world through collaborations between industry and academic organizations."

About Yissum

Yissum is the technology transfer company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Founded in 1964, it is the third company of its kind to be established and serves as a bridge between cutting-edge academic research and a global community of entrepreneurs, investors, and industry. Yissum's mission is to benefit society by converting extraordinary innovations and transformational technologies into commercial solutions that address our most urgent global challenges. Yissum has registered over 10,000 patents covering 2,800 inventions; licensed over 900 technologies and has spun out more than 130 companies. Yissum's business partners span the globe and include companies such as Boston Scientific, Google, ICL, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Microsoft, Novartis and many more. For further information please visit www.yissum.co.il

Contact:

Estee Yaari

Yissum

[email protected]

+972-50-200-7072

SOURCE YissumWASHINGTON, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa today addressed the 1,100 delegates at the United Auto Workers (UAW) 37th Constitutional Convention at the Cobo Center in Detroit.

"There is no greater solidarity than that between the Teamsters and the UAW," Hoffa said. "Next year is a pivotal moment for the UAW as you head into negotiations with the Big 3. I am here to tell you that the 1.4 million members of the Teamsters Union will be there to stand shoulder to shoulder with you."

Hoffa also invoked the role the Teamsters and the UAW had with civil rights leaders and promoting the civil rights movement in light of the recent events surrounding the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Dr. King understood that civil rights and labor rights are the same," Hoffa said. "He knew that you couldn't have one without the other. That is why he was in Memphis standing with the striking sanitation workers."

Hoffa praised the actions of UAW President Walter Reuther and Teamsters General President James R. Hoffa in providing financial support to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the NAACP, the Poor People's Campaign and other organizations.

"They understood that we could never achieve labor rights without civil rights," Hoffa said.

Hoffa praised UAW President Dennis Williams who is retiring later this week after 40 years with the union, the last four as its leader.

"Dennis has been a tremendous partner in the fight for fair trade and worker rights and he is a good friend," Hoffa said. "He grew the UAW's membership and balanced the budget. He has dedicated his life to his union brothers and sisters and will be missed."



Williams is expected to be succeeded by Gary Jones.

"I look forward to continuing our relationship with your new leadership," Hoffa said. "I know that Gary and I will work closely together in the continued fight for working families."

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, including over 200,000 public employees. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact:

Ted Gotsch, (202) 624-6911

[email protected]

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Related Links

http://www.teamster.org

ROCKVILLE, Md., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will host health care officials from six nations  Canada, Brazil, India, Rwanda, Finland and the United Kingdom  as well as thought leaders from across the U.S. government and academia on June 19-21 for a three-day conference on maternal mortality. The HRSA Maternal Mortality Summit will examine challenges and seek innovative solutions to reduce maternal mortality in the United States and globally. Attendance is by invitation only. HRSA will provide a free, live webcast of the Summit's plenary sessions for the press and the public.

WHAT: HRSA Maternal Mortality Summit.

WHO: Experts from Brazil, Canada, Finland, India, Rwanda, United Kingdom, and the United States will participate. Scheduled speakers include Doris Chou from the World Health Organization and U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams.

WHEN: Tuesday, June 19 to Thursday, June 21, 2018. Plenary sessions will be available via webcast. To learn more about the summit, see the latest plenary session agenda. To watch the Summit via the webcast, please visit: http://services.choruscall.com/links/hrsa180619.html.

To learn more about HRSA's efforts on maternal mortality, please visit: https://www.hrsa.gov/maternal-mortality/index.html.

Health Resources and Services Administration

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

301-443-3376

[email protected]

www.hrsa.gov/about/news

@HRSAgov

SOURCE Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Related Links

http://www.hrsa.gov

The Symposium is sponsored by the China Electronic Standardization Institute (CESI), an HSA Foundation promoter member, and the HSA Foundation China Regional Committee (CRC). China Standards Group for Heterogeneous System Architecture (CSH), Nanjing IC Industry Service Center, Huaxia General Processor Technologies (Huaxia GPT), Nanjing University of Technology are serving as co-organizers.

HSA is a standardized platform design that unlocks the performance and power efficiency of the parallel computing engines found in most modern electronic devices. It allows developers to easily and ef f iciently apply the hardware resourcesincluding CPUs, GPUs, DSPs, FPGAs, fabrics and fixed function acceleratorsin today's complex systems-on-chip (SoCs).

Previously, on May 29, the HSA Foundation CRC and CSH Technical Symposium  Hunan Session was successfully held at the Hunan Institute of Technology. More than 50 experts and scholars from member organizations of the HSA Foundation, the CRC, the CSH, relevant universities, research institutes, and companies attended the Symposium.

The Symposium focused on the latest developments in China's heterogeneous computing standards research. During the Symposium participants discussed heterogeneous computing in artificial intelligence, robotics, ADAS/autonomous driving, IoT, software-defined communications and other applications. Technical discussions and proposals provided key insights to help support product development, R&D, ecosystem formation, and conformance tests in related industries.

The Symposium proposed the first version of standards and reviewed a number of additional standards proposals with all working groups providing input on the overall framework, key content, and new features. At the meeting, Dr. Xiaodong Zhang, the Chair of the CRC and CSH, introduced the working groups' goals, progress, and plans for 2018. Afterwards, standard proposals and deliberations were conducted in areas such as standard application evaluation, instruction set architectures, system architecture, security protection, and network interconnection. Members attending included State Grid, Huaxia GPT, Fudan University, Jiangsu Research Center of Software Defined Radio, HME, NationZ Technologies, and Sun Yat-Sen University, etc.

About the HSA Foundation

The HSA (Heterogeneous System Architecture) Foundation is a non-profit consortium of SoC IP vendors, OEMs, Academia, SoC vendors, OSVs and ISVs, whose goal is making programming for parallel computing easy and pervasive. HSA members are building a heterogeneous computing ecosystem, rooted in industry standards, which combines scalar processing on the CPU with parallel processing on the GPU, while enabling high bandwidth access to memory and high application performance with low power consumption. HSA defines interfaces for parallel computation using CPU, GPU and other programmable and fixed function devices, while supporting a diverse set of high-level programming languages, and creating the foundation for next-generation, general-purpose computing.

Follow the HSA Foundation on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

SOURCE HSA FoundationF-wheel CEO Li Wei and the DYU co-founder Li Xiaojian, attended the Operation Center opening ceremony. CEO Li Wei delivered a speech to express that F-wheel will take the opportunity of the establishment to help DYU ebike to expand in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries. DYU will continue to increase the investment of R & D core technologies for intelligent electric vehicles, keep cultivating the international market and base itself on China's great manufacturing ability to grow the global market share.

Singapore ipassion Group Pte Ltd CEO Ryan and F-wheel & DYU founder signed the collaboration agreement, announcing the establishment of Singapore operation center. DYU ebike leads the Singapore private short trip tool market already before the establishment, therefore, over 100 DYU bike fans come and join the ceremony.

The DYU bike is the high-end brand of F-wheel. Its goal is to create an electric bike for the users to ride easily and freely, and enjoy riding. It has not only a super cool appearance, but also an optional baby seat. The weight is only 12KG, and the girl can lift it with one hand. The light body only needs to be folded at one time. It can be put into the trunk of the car so that it saves the space. It can be brought into the subway and elevator, meeting all the needs of a user's commuting, and providing a perfect choice for the user's daily trip.

CEO Li Wei said, "Singapore Operation Center of both companies in China and Singapore will promote the DYU brand better in Singapore to boost its international popularity."

To celebrate the foundation of the center, a DYU club ride was held, and over 100 electric vehicle enthusiasts were invited. Many of them are local riding enthusiasts came for the curiosity of the new smart electric bike, getting the trials of the convenient DYU technology. Some parents brought their children to have their parent-children ride, and they praised the DYU is safe and practical for traveling with the baby.

SOURCE F-wheelROHNERT PARK, Calif., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Student loan repayment can be easy, difficult, or downright impossible depending on many different factors. Loan balance, income, household expenses, emergencies, and many other things can affect repayment. However, many borrowers find that enrollment in a federal income-driven repayment plan (IDR) can help them afford their monthly payments and stay current on their loans. Ameritech Financial is a document preparation company that helps federal student loan borrowers understand and apply for IDRs that can potentially improve their financial situation.

Credit: Wayhome Studio/Bigstock

"IDRs have the potential to really help borrowers, but they can feel burdensome for borrowers who feel that they don't have the time or energy to understand all the requirements," said Tom Knickerbocker, Executive Vice President of Ameritech Financial. "It can be much easier and faster to get into forbearance, but that's not always a great solution."

Income-driven repayment plans calculate payments on a borrower's income and family size rather than a set payoff period, such as the standard 10 years. The application to enroll in an IDR requires documentation showing annual income and family size to help servicers calculate the new monthly payment. Such documentation may include pay stubs or statements of income or family size.

However, because income and family size can change, the Department of Education requires IDR enrollees to recertify their information each year to remain in the program. Borrowers who miss that deadline may see their loans switched back to the Standard Repayment plan and their payments increased dramatically.

Ameritech Financial urges borrowers who are in an IDR to be diligent about submitting their recertification early to give their servicer enough time to process the paperwork. The company helps borrowers with the initial application as well as the annual recertification and knows what types of documents servicers look for.

"Just knowing how to fill out the paperwork and what proof to include can be tricky, but our goal is to take the guesswork out of it," said Knickerbocker. "At Ameritech Financial, we help our clients apply for IDRs and submit the yearly paperwork to remain enrolled if they choose to do so. We hope that our clients feel that the required paperwork is not a burden thanks to our expertise."

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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Understanding Student Loan Repayment

Credit: Wayhome Studio/Bigstock

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Related Links

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Related Video

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SOURCE Ameritech FinancialVALLEY COTTAGE, New York, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The energy conservation emergency has led to a rise in the dependency on industrial energy management system. These systems are responsible for efficiently managing various industries and their consumption of energy by industrial applications. The complexities of an industrial application are handled by energy management systems as they optimize the energy balance, reduce energy consumption, increase productivity, and reduce the coal gas discharge. Several governments across the globe are also encouraging adoption of industrial energy management systems by industries, creating a favorable scenario for market growth.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/677274/Future_Market_Insights_Logo.jpg )



The global industrial energy management system market, as indicated by Future Market Insights, is projected to reach a market value of over US$ 50,300 Mn by the end of 2028. The sky-rocketing growth of market is also predicted to register a CAGR of 9.6% during the forecast period, 2018-2028.

Request a Sample Report with Table of Contents and Figures: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1653

Businesses Embracing Cloud Computing for Increased Efficiency & Scalability

Demand for energy efficient solutions can never lower down. Energy is used in every sector, either in the form of conventional or non-conventional sources. However, the rising needs of electricity has inclined the industries more towards the use of electricity in every way possible, to meet the demand for highly advanced technologies. This creates scope for energy efficient systems that are necessary for the effective utilization of energy as well as to reduce costs and improve profitability, adhering to environmental regulations. Green initiatives proposed by various governments have introduced new policies for energy conservation and reduced carbon footprint. The real-time monitoring of energy consumption patterns is expected to play an important role in market growth over the forecast period.

Furthermore, as the technology and systems advances, cloud computing also marks its presence in the global industrial energy management systems market. Its offers benefits like updating and upgrading software in real time, facilitating users to utilize the data more efficiently. In the energy management space, industries are increasingly adopting cloud-based software to gain significant benefits such as scalability, robustness, user-friendly access, low cost, reduced complexity, and a granular level of visibility of energy consumption information. Adoption of cloud computing is anticipated to be on the rise among businesses, to improve overall efficiency.

Preview Industrial Energy Management System Market Segmentation By Component - Technology (Energy Platform, Distributed Control Systems, Meter Data Management, Peak Load Control Systems, Programmable Logic Controls, Energy Analytics, Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition, & Energy Management Information Systems) & Hardware (Communication Network Hardware & Industrial Hardware); & End User Industry: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/industrial-energy-management-system-market

Adoption of Smart Meters Will be the Key to Reduced Energy Consumption

The new advanced metering technology has eased the process of gathering detailed electricity consumption data, analytical power of facility energy management systems. It is intended to simplify the complex issues encountered by industrial energy users, and can identify energy waste in a number of categories. This technology addresses basic errors in control system programming, and errors in maintenance and servicing procedures, thereby fueling the growth of industrial energy management systems market.

Intense competition among the participants in the global industrial energy management systems market will continue to compel companies to offer a wide range of competitive services, to sustain and strengthen their market share.

Our advisory services are aimed at helping you with specific, customized insights that are relevant to your specific challenges. Let us know about your challenges and our trusted advisors will connect with you: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-1653

More from FMI's Electronics, Semiconductors, and ICT:

Energy Management System Market Taxonomy By Deployment - Cloud Based, On Premise; By Software - Utility Energy Management, Industrial Energy Management, Enterprise Carbon And Energy Management, Residential Energy Management; By Vertical - Automotive, Building Automation, Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical, Power And Energy, Others (F&B, Government Etc.): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/energy-management-system-market

Taxonomy By Deployment - Cloud Based, On Premise; By Software - Utility Energy Management, Industrial Energy Management, Enterprise Carbon And Energy Management, Residential Energy Management; By Vertical - Automotive, Building Automation, Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical, Power And Energy, Others (F&B, Government Etc.): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/energy-management-system-market Smart Home Devices Market segmentation by Devices- Lighting Control Devices: Dimmers, Switches, Sensors, Others; Security and Control Devices: Video Surveillance, Access Control, Fire and Smoke Detectors; Entertainment Devices, Healthcare Devices, Kitchen and Home Appliances, Energy Management Devices, HVAC; Services- Professional Services, Managed Services; Application- Building Energy Management, Security and Surveillance, Lighting, HVAC, Others: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/smart-home-devices-market

segmentation by Devices- Lighting Control Devices: Dimmers, Switches, Sensors, Others; Security and Control Devices: Video Surveillance, Access Control, Fire and Smoke Detectors; Entertainment Devices, Healthcare Devices, Kitchen and Home Appliances, Energy Management Devices, HVAC; Services- Professional Services, Managed Services; Application- Building Energy Management, Security and Surveillance, Lighting, HVAC, Others: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/smart-home-devices-market Digital Power Conversion Market Segmentation By Product Type - AC/DC Thermal Energy, Isolated DC/DC, Sequencers, DC/AC, Power Conditioning / Active Power Filtering, Hot Swap; By Application - Industrial, Automotive, Enterprise & Cloud Computing, Communication Infrastructure: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/digital-power-conversion-market

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SOURCE Future Market InsightsBenefits of the Airweave Advanced

Personalize Your Comfort: The Advanced comes with three airfiber blocks: two regular firmness, and one DUAL MODE. Airweave's DUAL MODE technology allows users to select their firmness level simply by flipping to the regular or firm side. Use the optional pillow top layer for added softness. The components are secured with an inner and outer cover.

Easier To Move, Easier To Clean: Carry and clean with ease thanks to the Advanced's lightweight and modular design. A great feature for frequent movers and a nod to the traditional Japanese futon which is designed to be easily stored when not in use.

Longer Lasting & Sustainable: Enjoy Airweave for a lifetime by easily replacing parts rather than having to buy (or throw out) your entire mattress. A win for customer's wallet and the environment.

A Better Mattress In A Box: Airweave's unique airfiber material cannot be compressed like the typical bed in a box. But by dividing the mattress into customizable parts, we now can offer a better sleep experience AND fast & easy shipping. Assemble within minutes, and it's ready to sleep on. No wait time for the mattress to fully expand and no off-gassing period.

About Airweave

Airweave was born from a desire to do things differently when, Founder & CEO, Motokuni Takaoka took over his uncle's fishing line company. A graduate of the Stanford School of Engineering, Takaoka experimented with different applications of the resin fiber used to create fishing line, and discovered that the material was perfectly suited for a newer and better purpose: to revolutionize the way we sleep. Since the first mattress topper shipped in 2007, Airweave has expanded to a range of lifestyle, travel, and technology sleep products in Japan, and has been adopted by elite athletes and organizations worldwide. Airweave launched their first full size mattress in 2016 in the United States and aims to be recognized as a global sleep solution brand.

SOURCE Airweave

Related Links

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PITTSBURGH, June 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- "My father died one week before he could move into the house he was building for himself and my mother," said an inventor from Middletown, Ohio. "With some of the oak used for the trim work in the house that my dad made himself that was his design, I built this miniature casket replica to hold my father's cremated remains. So many people saw it and liked it that I have made several more miniature caskets in different sizes and styles."

He created a prototype for the (CREMATIONS CREATIONS) BY SHADE TREE to provide a touching way to store the cremains of a deceased loved one. The alternative urn features an ornamental design that adds a decorative element to the area. It can be opened to view the cremains or sealed shut. The accessory serves as a keepsake for friends and family. Additionally, the invention is producible in different sizes, styles and designs.

The original design was submitted to the Cincinnati office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 17-CCT-4134, 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

OMAHA, Neb., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Jet Linx, currently the third largest aircraft management company (FAA Part 135) in the United States, reinforced its unwavering commitment to developing, implementing and furthering the private aviation industry's most rigorous standards during its annual Jet Linx Safety Summit. In order to focus solely on best safety practices and standards of excellence that exceed governmental regulations and guidelines, Jet Linx suspended all retail flight operations from 8:00AM to 5:00PM (Central Time) to enable and empower all of its employees to collaborate together to further its core operating tenant, safety.

The daylong Summit is the culmination of a weeklong series of rigorous assessment exercises, preparedness practices, roundtables and training programs that Jet Linx conducted with all of its executives, employees, pilots, client services and partners in order to evaluate and advance all safety and related procedures and protocols, standards and practices. The Summit was developed and conducted by the Company's executive leadership, as well as external industry experts and specialists, at its National Operations Center in Omaha, Nebraska and 14 local Base locations.

"Our commitment to assurance and safety has been a cornerstone since our inception in 1999. Governmental and regulatory standards are essential, imperative and mandatory, but we consider these standards to be merely a baseline, as we hold ourselves accountable to far more aggressive, exacting and meticulous safety principles," said Jamie Walker, President & CEO of Jet Linx. "One can either adhere to and comply with established standards or continually strive to create new principles and tenets that transcend the norm, and that is both our credo and our mandate at Jet Linx. It is for this reason that we invest substantial efforts, energies and financial resources on a continuous and ongoing basis to provide our aircraft owners and members with the assurance and peace of mind that they are flying with the finest team that develops, implements and upholds the leading standards in the private aviation industry."

For example, the number of days off per quarter for pilots is nearly twice the amount required by the Federal Aviation Administration. Jet Linx also offers additional computer-based training to complement ground training, which exceeds required hours by 50% when combined with classroom instruction. In addition, the company manages and maintains a standalone certification and training program for its pilots, mechanics and flight coordinators. Jet Linx also provides training for Airline Transport Pilot certificates for co-pilots, which surpasses the FAA requirements for commercial certificates. Jet Linx pilots do not self-dispatch like many other FAA Part 135 operators; instead, the company maintains a release process for all flights to ensure operational control and risk mitigation for each flight. This process is conducted through the use of Flight Coordinators, Maintenance Control and a computer algorithm checklist program incorporated into a proprietary, industry-leading, FlightRisk assessment system that Jet Linx co-developed to ensure optimal safety through predictive analytics.

"While there are only a couple of private aviation operators the size of Jet Linx, we all have a singular goal, which is to provide the safest flight experience for all concerned," said Mr. Walker. "I hope that all of the other operators, regardless of their size and resources, will join us in taking a day each year to ground their fleets and empower their employees to come together to develop, implement and advance the world's finest and most rigorous safety standards for the private aviation industry. It's an absolute necessity, and Jet Linx will be pleased to support this effort so we can share best practices with our peers as well as learn from them."

About Jet Linx Aviation

Jet Linx Aviation is a locally-focused private jet company founded in 1999 as a more personalized approach to national private jet companies. Jet Linx offers two different ways to experience private aviation  a guaranteed Jet Card and an Aircraft Management program  providing its clients with an all-encompassing, local solution to all of their private jet travel needs. Jet Linx is an IS-BAO Stage 3, ARGUS Platinum and Wyvern Wingman safety rated operator, an accomplishment earned by less than one percent of all aircraft operators in the world. It is headquartered in Omaha, Neb. and has bases in Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Denver, San Antonio, Scottsdale, St Louis, Tulsa, Nashville and Washington D.C. For additional information, please visit Jet Linx (www.jetlinx.com).

SOURCE Jet LinxIn response to the warm reception from the community, Jollibee announced yesterday its philanthropic partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of West Scarborough as a sign of its commitment to 'spread joy' across the Greater Toronto Area. This is aligned with the brand's mission to bring families, friends and communities together over great tasting food.

"We are truly humbled by the outpouring of support for Jollibee here in Scarborough. It warms our hearts to see that there are so many customers who love the brand so much that they travel miles or stand in line for hours for a taste of their Jollibee favorites. We thank the Boys and Girls Club of West Scarbourough for the opportunity to give back to the community and support their efforts to provide a safe, supportive place for children and the youth," said Ernesto Tanmantiong, Chief Executive Officer of Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), who was in town for the store's formal inauguration on June 11.

The Boys and Girls Club is a national organization with local chapters dedicated to youth development through after-school and daycare programs, group activities, and leadership opportunities. With Jollibee's deeply held values of spreading joy and commitment to families, the Boys and Girls Club was a natural partner for the brand to give back to the local Scarborough community.

"The Boys and Girls Club of West Scarborough provides vital opportunities for hundreds of young people on a daily basis," said Joshua Hood, Divisional Coordinator for the Boys and Girls Club of West Scarborough. "We are excited to enter a partnership with Jollibee that will provide increased opportunities for our members while helping to welcome Jollibee to our community and Scarborough as a whole."

As part of the ongoing partnership, Jollibee will host "Jollibee Days" at the Boys and Girls Club of West Scarborough, providing food and cheer to the children on a regular basis. The first Jollibee Day was held on June 8, 2018 in which the brand shared fan favorites from their menu with the kids and their families in addition to hosting an afternoon of musical activities with a DJ and the Jollibee mascot. The brand also made a donation to the Club's summer camp fund and donated sleeping bags and flashlights for participants.

Jollibee Scarborough is the company's third store in Canada and the 40th store in North America  proof of the brand's commitment to this region as a key growth market.

Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) is currently the largest Asian food service company, operating in 16 markets, with over 4, 200 stores globally, of which 1,289 are Jollibee brand stores. The company's aggressive expansion plan in North America is part of its overarching goal to be among the top five restaurant brands globally.

About Jollibee

Jollibee is the largest fast food chain brand in the Philippines, operating a Philippine network of more than 1000 stores. A dominant market leader in the Philippines, Jollibee has embarked on an aggressive international expansion plan.

Jollibee has more than 200 international branches including in the United States, Canada, Hong jong, Brunei, Vietnam, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Italy.

In North America, the Company opened its first store in 1998 in Daly City, California. Jollibee now operates 40 stores across the North American region, in the states of California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Washington, Virginia of the United States and in Manitoba and Ontario in Canada.

Technomic has consistently cited Jollibee among its Top 500 ranking restaurants in the United States. It was also awarded as Multinational Corporation of the Year by the Asian Business League of Southern California in 2017.

About Jollibee Foods Corporation

Jollibee Foods Corporation is the largest Asian food service company. It operates over 4,200 stores globally with store branches in the United States, Canada, China (including Hong Kong), Brunei, Vietnam, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Indonesia, Korea and Italy. JFC owns the following brands: Jollibee, Greenwich, Chowking, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan. It also has 2 franchised brands  Burger King in the Philippines and Dunkin' Donuts in certain territories in China and has joint ventures with the SuperFoods Group (owner of Highlands Coffee and Pho 24 brands, mostly in Vietnam) and the US-based Smashburger.

Jollibee Foods Corporation has grown brands that bring delightful dining experiences to its customers worldwide, in line with its mission of serving great tasting food and spreading the joy of eating to everyone.

Jollibee Foods Corporation has been named the Philippines' most admired company by the Asian Wall Street Journal for eight years in a row, and was honored as one of the '200 Best Under a Billion Companies in Asia' and one of 'Asia's Fab 50 Companies' by Forbes Asia Magazine.

SOURCE JollibeeLONDON, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

New Kao Data London One facility meets infrastructure requirements for companies looking to harness benefits of Open Compute Project (OCP) equipment

Kao Data is first in Europe and one of only two global colocation data centres working with OCP on pilot programme for validation

Kao Data, the home of innovation and UK's leading entrant to the wholesale colocation market, has been working together with the OCP Foundation in a pilot programme to make its Kao Data London One facility OCP-Ready. OCP is working with two data centres - one US, and one European (Kao Data) - to this end.

The recently completed Kao Data London One 8.8MW facility has completed the first two steps of the programme, joining the Data Centre Facility (DCF) Project within OCP and becoming the first data centre to self-audit against Open Compute's checklist for compliance with its engineering principles. The process will be complete when Kao Data presents its results during the OCP Regional Summit, Amsterdam, October 1-2.

Steve Helvie, VP of Channel at Open Compute Project said, "Kao Data has been through the self-audit and guidelines laid out by the Data Centre Facility Project, and has been working with the OCP Foundation to achieve recognition as an OCP approved facility. We're really excited to have Kao Data working with OCP as one of only two colocation data centre providers in this pilot programme. It's a first for Europe."

The OCP Data Centre Facility project was developed to maximize the mechanical performance and thermal and electrical efficiency of Open Compute Project servers. The project comprises electrical and mechanical components, and focusses its efforts on five functional areas of the data centre including power, cooling, IT space layout and design, facility management and control, and facility operations.

Jan Daan Luycks, CEO, Kao Data stated, "This is an immense achievement for Kao Data.

As an OCP Member, we strongly believe that the values of openness and collaboration espoused by the OCP Foundation provide an independent spur to innovation in the data centre sector. Kao Data London One was developed to offer a leading-edge approach to data centre flexibility and scalability, while maintaining class leading resilience and efficiency in a modern and highly competitively priced facility."

John Laban, a well-known data centre consultant and ambassador for the OCP Foundation said, "Kao Data has embraced ideas found only elsewhere in hyperscale data centres to deliver a high efficiency, highly flexible facility which is the first to be audited to meet the demands of the OCP user community. It's a great achievement and we look forward to completing the process."

Kao Data London One was designed and constructed to deliver power efficiency and resilience, low cost of operations as a result of reduced electrical and mechanical engineering complexity, standardisation, and fast deployment capability. The facility utilises Indirect Evaporative Cooling with no mechanical refrigeration to meet ASHRAE TC 9.9 environmental standards and deliver an ultra-low PUE <1.2 even at partial load.

After extensive on-site assessments of the data centre, which has been in operation since January 2018, Kao Data London One has been self-audited as structurally, technically and operationally capable of providing organisations deploying Open Compute Project designed solutions and equipment with an infrastructure platform which meets the central design concepts laid out in the OCP Data Centre Facility project.

To maintain its adherence to the quality requirements of the site's design, Kao Data partnered with JCA Engineering as the main contractor to ensure a precise technical, but highly flexible building was delivered, on time and within budget.

The OCP Foundation continues to validate the adoption of OCP equipment in the data centre industry at a time when the capacity demands on the modern data centre continues to expand and energy consumption is thoroughly scrutinised. The market for OCP equipment in 2017 reached $1.2 billion from non-board member companies, and it is predicted to surpass $6 billion by 2022.

For more details concerning Kao London One, or the Kao Data Campus, please telephone +44(0)1279-937400 or visit http://www.kaodata.com

About Kao Data

Situated in the London-Stansted-Cambridge technology corridor, the 200m Kao Data Campus provides around 150,000 sq. ft technical space and 35MW power for IT equipment. The completed site will comprise four 8.8MW data centres, each divided into four 2.2MW Technology Suites.

Served by a dedicated and redundant 43,5MVA power supply, the quality of the design, construction and systems installation has helped Kao Data achieve BREEAM excellent certification. The technical capability, hyper-connectivity strategy and secure data resilience of the Kao Data Campus makes it ideally placed to support both cloud and hybrid-cloud solutions for a range of enterprise businesses, including financial services, life sciences, defence and the health sector.

For more details, please visit http://www.kaodata.com

About OCP

The Open Compute Project Foundation is a 501(c)(6) organization which was founded in 2011 by Facebook, Intel and Rackspace. The mission is to apply the benefits of open source to hardware and rapidly increase the pace of innovation in, near and around the data center and beyond.

Related resources:

Hashtags: #KaoData #hyperscale #Datacentre #Colocation #OCP #OpenComputeProject

SOURCE Kao DataCARLSBAD, Calif., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Krishen Iyer is the founder of Managed Benefits Services, a Fresno-based company primarily specializing in the verticals of health insurance and dental insurance marketing and leads and consulting. It is now also based in Southern California and still focusing on lead management and consulting. Iyer, a graduate of San Diego State University, is known for his entrepreneurial acumen as well as his extensive experience and expertise in technical development, digital marketing, and client relations. The longtime California resident is also an avid reader and frequent traveler who enjoys devoting his free time in service of local community beautification projects. Iyer, who is also the owner of Iyer Real Estate Co., contributes in philanthropic efforts as well as his privately held companies.

What are your favorite books?

Not sure about books in general but I like a lot of things about space and space travel. I am also a dedicated reader on financial topics. Warren Buffet, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and more.

What's your favorite type of food?

Not really a foodie, so this is a little boring but I do like Indian food and fresh healthy food. I am going to try and go vegetarian again soon, so it could get even more boring.

What can you look forward to in the future?

We recently developed a new multi-layer platform for Managed Benefits Services, so we are very much looking forward to seeing just how well the new platform performs. We put a lot of time and effort into the developmental process, and we really believe that the platform will be absolutely transformative in the results it delivers to our clients. It's an exciting time, and we are all looking forward to a future in which Managed Benefits Services continues to grow with an eye on maximizing and ultimately realizing our full potential. However, recently I have used my knowledge to help others break in to the insurance space by way of consulting. This isn't new to the insurance space but it adds a new dimension to our company and helps other companies, which is a win-win. The space is so big there is plenty of room for all.

What's your biggest accomplishment to date?

Since I have set such lofty goals for my business, I'm always hesitant to cite a specific accomplishment as the biggest to date. If I had to choose a single accomplishment as the biggest thus far, I'd point to the decision to vigorously pursue such a unique entrepreneurial endeavor while remaining committed to improving upon any element of the business the moment an opportunity to do so arises. On a side note, my children are high up on that list.

What motivates you every day?

As the founder of my own company, I'm motivated to achieve the goals I've set for the business while continuing to look for new and innovative methods that will improve our ability to meet the demands of a growing client base. Since I'm responsible for developing the concept behind our company's core mission, I feel like I have a unique understanding of the company's short- and long-term potential. This understanding motivates me to create and implement strategies designed to ensure the company lives up to its full potential and never risks falling short. Lead traffic, management and consulting can sound boring but to me its thrilling and rewarding.

Managed Benefits Services is a Health, life and dental Insurance lead management and consultation company. This company consults others on how best to structure contracts and marketing verticals to best monetize their prospects and opportunities. Managed benefits also designs specific lead traffic for the market and contracts publishers to work in the same manner.

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE Krishen Iyer

Related Links

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

SmartOwner, Asia's leading marketplace for property investors, has announced the launch of a series of exclusive international hospitality portfolios. Tapping into the fast-growing short-term-rental sector, this series allows discerning investors to own a stake in a global, diversified portfolio of luxury properties situated in the world's tourist hotspots. The first portfolio, STR-APX-ONE, is focused on the high-growth Asia-Pacific region, and will launch in Dubai, the world's #1 tourist destination in terms of dollars spent.

The short-term rental market has transformed the hospitality industry, with online marketplaces like Airbnb creating a fluid, transparent market where travelers can choose from a vast array of options when choosing where to stay.

* $31 Billion: Valuation of Airbnb (30% higher than Hilton)

* 112%: Growth of Airbnb (compared to Marriot 8%)

* 6 Million+: STR listings globally in over 65,000 cities

STR offers qualified investors an effortless opportunity to add this rapidly expanding sector to their portfolios. Participants in STR will enjoy superior quarterly returns based on rental yields and will be able to resell their appreciated stake in the portfolio through SmartOwner's convenient platform. Returns will be maximized through professional property management, best-in-class services, and algorithmic revenue optimization. STR-APX-ONE is an extremely limited offering and is expected to sell out rapidly.

For more information on SmartOwner, visit www.smartowner.com.

About SmartOwner:

SmartOwner is Asia's leading marketplace for real estate investors, offering opportunities not available on the general market. The firm was ranked by the Financial Times as the fastest growing FinTech firm in South Asia, and among the top 100 fastest-growing companies in Asia-Pacific.

Founded by Silicon Valley veterans, SmartOwner specializes in giving the savvy investor access to high-value opportunities, which are normally the domain of large financial institutions.

Media Contact:

Christabel Singh-Samuel

[email protected]

+91-80-4667-9500

SmartOwner Services India Pvt Ltd



SOURCE SmartOwner Services India Pvt. LtdVIENNA and RIJSWIJK, Netherlands, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Lexogen, a transcriptomics and next-generation sequencing company and Bluebee, a global bioinformatics platform, have announced today the implementation of QuantSeq Unique Molecular Identifiers (UMI) data analysis pipeline on the Bluebee genomics analysis platform. This collaboration offers QuantSeq users utilizing UMIs the opportunity to analyze samples in a convenient and rapid manner without the need for prior bioinformatics experience.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/704612/Lexogen_Bluebee_Logo.jpg )



QuantSeq is a 3' mRNA-Seq library prep protocol, which is the method of choice for RNA-Seq gene expression analysis due to the simplicity, cost effectiveness, and data quality offered by this technology. The QuantSeq protocol has been recently complemented with the launch of dual indexing barcodes (total 192 unique barcodes) and UMIs. Dual indexing helps detect and identify index hopping, which is an issue recently reported for sequencing instruments with patterned flow cells. Dual indexing barcodes also help avoid cross-contamination and minimize index mis assignment. UMIs are used to eliminate possible PCR duplicates in sequencing datasets and therefore facilitate unbiased gene expression profiling. The basic principle behind the UMI deduplication step is to collapse reads with identical mapping coordinates and UMI sequences. This step helps increase the accuracy of sequencing read counts for downstream analysis of gene expression levels.

The analysis and interpretation of QuantSeq data with UMIs requires specialized bioinformatics tools. Lexogen has implemented the QuantSeq-UMI data analysis pipeline on the Bluebee platform, providing kit users with a simple, streamlined tool for data analysis through actionable report and data management. Similarly to the previously integrated QuantSeq data analysis pipeline, access to the UMI data analysis will be offered with a complimentary software activation code included in each QuantSeq-UMI kit. The integration of Bluebee data analysis automation in the Quantseq pipeline promises faster, more convenient, and centralized data analysis for all users.

This is in continued efforts by the strategic partners, Lexogen and Bluebee, to streamline and expedite genomic data analysis and implementation. Bluebee driven data analysis automation has already been successfully integrated into Lexogen's Quantseq and SLAMseq kits, where SLAMseq is a new approach for analyzing time-resolved gene expression (published in Nature Methods and Science) using QuantSeq library generation.

"We are delighted to progress our relationship with Bluebee in providing our next integrated data analysis pipeline, including tools to measure PCR bias revealed by the addition of UMIs as part of the QuantSeq product family. All QuantSeq data analysis pipelines are transparent, streamlined, optimized for the particular protocol and run on a secure platform. We expect similarly integrated data analyses to expand to other Lexogen kit families," stated Dalia Daujotyte, Head of Business Development at Lexogen.

About Lexogen

Lexogen is a transcriptomics and next-generation sequencing company, focusing on the development of technologies for complete transcriptome sequencing. Their portfolio includes innovative molecular biology kits, software, and services for RNA-Seq.

To learn more, visit www.lexogen.com and follow @lexogen.

About Bluebee

Bluebee offers a secure global bioinformatics platform to process, analyze, share, and store genomics data. Through a private cloud service, Bluebee supports users in clinical diagnostics, therapeutics, and research with advanced analytics for genomic data driven medicine. Bluebee offers its partners - diagnostic and translational research assay kit providers, fit-for-purpose data solutions that accelerate end-to-end assay completion and offer a seamless user experience, adding value for both the end user and assay provider. Bluebee solutions and services are available across all major European countries and the United States, as well as in Canada and Asia Pacific.

To learn more, visit www.bluebee.com and follow @bluebeegenomics.

SOURCE Bluebee CorporationLINCOLN PARK, N.J., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Lincoln 1st Bank is pleased to announce that Erik J. Terpstra has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President.

Prior to his appointment, Terpstra served in public accounting, most recently a member within the financial institution industry group for BDO USA, LLP.

"We are extremely excited about the addition of Erik J. Terpstra to our executive team at Lincoln 1st Bank," said Philip B. Vaz, COO and Executive Vice President of Lincoln 1st Bank. "Erik is a highly qualified financial executive who will bring strong leadership and sound financial experience to our institution."

"As a community bank, Lincoln 1st Bank strives to provide individuals, professionals, and businesses with the means to achieve their financial goals. Erik's addition to the Bank's executive team will further support the Bank's mission and competitive edge."

About Lincoln Park Bancorp

Established in 1923 and headquartered in Lincoln Park, N.J., Lincoln Park Bancorp (OTC Bulletin Board: LPBC) through its wholly owned subsidiary Lincoln 1st Bank operates 2 branch banking locations in Lincoln Park and Montville, New Jersey. The Bank provides business and individuals a wide range of loans, deposit products, along with retail and commercial banking services. For more information, please visit www.mylincoln1st.com.

Contact: David Baker

President and Chief Executive Officer

(973) 694-8694

SOURCE Lincoln Park Bancorp

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http://www.lincolnparksavings.com

PETALUMA, Calif., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Running a business in and of itself is usually meant to be a long term investment. But with how things constantly may be updating in a business and the world around it, it may feel like more instant ideas and plans needed to be used. Brandon Frere, CEO of Frere enterprises and successful entrepreneur, advises small business owners to keep in mind their bigger picture while using quick tactics to reach that goal.

"As with all things, a CEO or small business owner has to keep in mind a balancing act for what is going on. Any number of things could happen without proper planning. Lean too far one way, and things may get left behind. Lean too far the other way, and there may be too many projects to handle properly," says Frere.

Instant gratification such as posting online and receiving likes or comments right away is something that people who use social media will be familiar with. That mind set, for those who frequent social media sites, may slide over into people's work routines. They may want visible results right away, since that is what they're used to. Not to say that in this day of constant rotation from one subject to another that that kind of tool isn't to be utilized, it should be, but it needs to be balanced with more long tern tactics as well. Investing in the proper tools for each business that vary for different focuses will be vital for a company that is to continue long term. That may mean working on a set of more quick paced projects that all tie into a larger one as a sort of ongoing campaign of one form or another. "What may seem long and drawn out in one aspect of a business, may be quicker when compared to the grand picture. It's all about keeping an eye on a goal, and using different tools to achieve that goal," says Frere.

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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SOURCE Frere EnterprisesMUNICH and HANNOVER, Germany, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the global leader in CRM, has announced new customers, including Deutsche Bahn, Siemens and Villeroy & Boch, and expansion plans in Germany to further support the company's rapidly growing base of customers in the region. The announcement was made at CEBIT where Salesforce is the premium event partner and largest exhibitor at the show, hosting a Trailblazer community of more than 100 customers and partners exhibiting in the Salesforce Hall and Salesforce Park.

Salesforce is experiencing rapid growth in Germany and has increased its real estate footprint with the opening of its new German headquarters in Munich last year. The company also plans to expand its data centre capacity by 100% in Germany in 2019. The increased office space and data centre capacity will further support the company's rapidly growing base of customers in the region.

"Germany is home to some of the most digitally advanced businesses in the world today," said Joachim Schreiner, Country Leader, Germany, Salesforce. "Many of our customers are the global market leaders of their industry and at the forefront of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, working with new technologies such as cloud, social, Internet of Things and artificial intelligence to transform how they connect with their customers. We are delighted to host our Trailblazer community at CEBIT - a meeting place for innovators and pioneers."

New German customers include Deutsche Bahn, Siemens and Villeroy & Boch

Salesforce is growing its customer base in Germany as businesses look for a strategic partner to support their future digital transformation programs. Today, 85% of the DAX30 companies are Salesforce customers and recent new customers include Deutsche Bahn, Siemens, Hapag-Lloyd and Villeroy & Boch.

Deutsche Bahn selected Salesforce to meet increasing expectations for customer service and customer experience in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. DB Systel GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of DB AG and digital partner for all Group companies, will implement a wide range of digital projects for the companies of DB AG all powered by Salesforce. Christa Koenen , CEO of DB Systel and Group CIO Deutsche Bahn, will discuss the challenges facing Transportation in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Deutsche Bahn's digital transformation strategy in a fireside chat hosted by Salesforce on Friday, June 15, 2018 at 1pm on d!talk stage in Hall 9.

selected Salesforce to meet increasing expectations for customer service and customer experience in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. DB Systel GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of DB AG and digital partner for all Group companies, will implement a wide range of digital projects for the companies of DB AG all powered by Salesforce. , CEO of DB Systel and Group CIO Deutsche Bahn, will discuss the challenges facing Transportation in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Deutsche Bahn's digital transformation strategy in a fireside chat hosted by Salesforce on at on d!talk stage in Hall 9. Siemens is driving forward its transformation with Salesforce. A key element is a corporate cloud architecture system for digital collaboration across different services, products and solutions underpinned by innovative technologies including AI.

is driving forward its transformation with Salesforce. A key element is a corporate cloud architecture system for digital collaboration across different services, products and solutions underpinned by innovative technologies including AI. Hapaq-Lloyd has decided to use Salesforce to provide a compelling customer experience at each commercial touchpoint of the entire logistics process. Hapag-Lloyd aims to enable its employees to react better and faster in order to increase customer loyalty and improve overall productivity.

has decided to use Salesforce to provide a compelling customer experience at each commercial touchpoint of the entire logistics process. Hapag-Lloyd aims to enable its employees to react better and faster in order to increase customer loyalty and improve overall productivity. Villeroy & Boch is an example of how the mittelstand is embracing technology to transform their business. Villeroy & Boch wants to increase customer loyalty and to win new customers through a personalised shopping experience. For that, Villeroy & Boch chose Salesforce with the goal to get a more holistic customer view and to make optimum use of the potential of existing data from across the business through intelligent analysis.

Trailblazers of the Fourth Industrial Revolution gather at CEBIT

Salesforce will host a week-long program at CEBIT dedicated to innovation, fun, learning and giving back. The Salesforce hall will host the largest keynote theatre of the trade fair with 14 keynotes as part of the d!talk programme - the platform for showcases dedicated to the digitization of business and society.

The Salesforce Hall and the Salesforce Park will bring together a community of more than 100 partners and customer trailblazers, such as Canyon Bicycles, KONE and REWE digital, all demonstrating practical examples of how successful companies are leveraging new technologies to advance the digital transformation of their business.

Canyon Bicycles the bicycle manufacturer and digital pioneer has chosen Salesforce as its strategic platform to connect with its customers, partners and employees in a whole new way. In the Salesforce Park at CEBIT, Canyon Bicycles invites visitors to watch demo bikers riding on a pump track and try the latest bikes. Inside hall 9 visitors can use virtual reality glasses to explore the future of biking.

the bicycle manufacturer and digital pioneer has chosen Salesforce as its strategic platform to connect with its customers, partners and employees in a whole new way. In the Salesforce Park at CEBIT, Canyon Bicycles invites visitors to watch demo bikers riding on a pump track and try the latest bikes. Inside hall 9 visitors can use virtual reality glasses to explore the future of biking. KONE demonstrates how it is leveraging AI technologies, Salesforce Einstein and IBM Watson IoT to deliver intelligent customer service. With a virtual elevator experience, the Finland -based manufacturer illustrates how Salesforce provides its field service technicians with better and more timely information, enabling them to be more proactive in the way they service their elevator and escalator equipment.

Additional Information

Like Salesforce on Facebook: http://facebook.com/salesforce

Follow @salesforce on Twitter: http://twitter.com/salesforce

Read the Salesforce blog: https://www.salesforce.com/uk/blog

About Salesforce

Salesforce, the global CRM leader, empowers companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com.

Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who purchase Salesforce applications should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. Salesforce has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CRM." For more information please visit https://www.salesforce.com, or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE.

SOURCE Salesforce

Related Links

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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Marken announced today the relocation of its Chicago logistics hub into a new, larger facility with close proximity to Chicago's O'Hare (ORD) Airport. The new full-service facility is equipped with state-of-the-art cold chain technology including: a walk-in freezer, a walk-in cold room, ultra-low temperature freezers and conditioning areas for special cold chain packaging. The new facility offers temperature ranges of: +2 to +8C, -15 to -25C, +15 to +25C and -30 to -60C. A liquid nitrogen service station is planned for later this year in order to support Marken's growing cell & gene transportation services.

The new facility is fully GDP-compliant to support regulated shipments of clinical trial materials throughout the Midwestern United States. The Chicago O'Hare International Gateway provides improved processing times and regulatory clearance for import into and export out of the Midwest. Marken's North America Region operates from seven logistics hubs in the United States, including: New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Chicago. These regional hubs ensure Marken customers receive high-touch services and expedited local coverage within the U.S. market, combined with numerous efficient connections to other locations in Marken's expanding global network.

Wes Wheeler, Marken's CEO, commented, "We expanded our Chicago presence as a direct response to increased demand from our sponsor pharmaceutical clients and the growing presence of contract manufacturing providers in the area. We also appreciate the benefits of operating at the Chicago O'Hare Airport, which is an excellent international gateway for our preferred air carriers. We are able to improve our transit times by using this airport and we are able to expand our hybrid services, which leverages the UPS air network for certain lanes. We are continually searching for new locations and better routing solutions in a direct response to the demands of our customers."

About Marken

Marken is a wholly owned subsidiary of UPS. Marken is the only patient-centric supply chain organization 100% dedicated to the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries. Marken maintains the leading position for Direct to Patient services and biological sample shipments and offers a state-of-the-art GMP-compliant depot network and logistic hubs in 48 locations worldwide for clinical trial material storage and distribution. Marken's more than 860 staff members manage 50,000 drug and biological shipments every month at all temperature ranges in more than 150 countries. Additional services such as biological kit production, ancillary material sourcing, storage and distribution, shipment lane verification and qualifications, as well as GDP, regulatory and compliance consultancy add to Marken's unique position in the pharma and logistics industry.

SOURCE Marken

Related Links

http://www.marken.com

Since 2015 Clarke has been Chief Marketing & Customer Officer. In this role he has led Mars' marketing and sales capabilities, including the development of an integrated strategy that leverages Mars' powerful brands while building strong relationships with our global customers. He joined Mars in the U.K. in 2000 as Category Leadership Director for Mars Chocolate and since then has built leadership experience and responsibility through a wide range of general management roles spanning across the Chocolate, Petcare and Food segments. He has led geographic operations at country level in the U.K. and Ireland and was Regional President for Petcare in Latin America from 2011 to 2014.

Clarke replaces Martin Radvan, who is retiring after a 32-year career with Mars that extended across multiple functions, business segments and countries. Radvan has led the integration of the Mars Chocolate and Wrigley segments into Mars Wrigley Confectionery, the world's leading manufacturer of chocolate, chewing gum, mints, and fruity confections.

"Andrew is the right person to lead Mars Wrigley Confectionery into its next chapter. His track record for driving ambitious change while delivering results is the fuel our business needs to thrive in an ever changing consumer and retail landscape," said Grant F. Reid, CEO of Mars, Incorporated. "Andrew brings great global perspective, combined with a principled approach to leadership and passion for engaging and inspiring teams."

About his new role, Clarke said: "I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead this iconic business with some of the world's most loved brands and to drive growth with our talented associates, customers and partners."

About Mars, Incorporated

Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With over $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world's best-loved brands: M&M's, SNICKERS, TWIX, MILKY WAY, DOVE, PEDIGREE, ROYAL CANIN, WHISKAS, EXTRA, ORBIT, 5, SKITTLES, UNCLE BEN'S, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD Pet Hospitals, Blue Pearl, VCA and Pet Partners. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles  Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom  inspire its more than 100,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day.

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

SOURCE Mars, Incorporated

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The Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize is presented annually to a living US poet whose lifetime accomplishments warrant singular recognition. It is one of the most prestigious awards given to American poets and, with a prize of $100,000, one of the nation's largest literary prizes. The award is sponsored and administered by the Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine.

"Martin Espada's work and life tell the real and lived story of America, in which the importance of poems and legal rights go hand in hand," said Don Share, editor of Poetry magazine. "A tenants' rights attorney before he became a celebrated and cherished poet, Espada's passions are as compelling and apt as his precisionsboth now more timely than ever."

Espada was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1957. He earned a BA in history at the University of WisconsinMadison and a JD from Northeastern University. As an attorney, he served as supervisor of Su Clinica Legal, a legal services program for low-income, Spanish-speaking tenants in Chelsea, Massachusetts, outside Boston. As a poet, an essayist, an editor, and a translator, he has dedicated himself to the pursuit of social justice, fighting for the rights of Latinx communities and reclaiming the historical record from oblivion. His greatest influence is his father, Frank Espada, a community organizer, civil rights activist, and documentary photographer who created the Puerto Rican Diaspora Documentary Project.

"To receive a lifetime achievement award in the form of the Ruth Lilly Prize is a great honor that causes me to reflect: on my father, as artist and activist, who died four years ago; on Jack Agueros, the first poet I ever met; on the days I sat outside the courtroom, scribbling poems on legal pads; on the people in the poems I write, Whitman's 'numberless unknown heroes equal to the greatest heroes known.'"

Espada's latest collection of poems from Norton is Vivas to Those Who Have Failed (2016). Other books of poems include The Trouble Ball (2011), The Republic of Poetry (2006), Alabanza (2003), A Mayan Astronomer in Hell's Kitchen (2000), Imagine the Angels of Bread (1996), and Rebellion is the Circle of a Lover's Hands (1990). He has received a Shelley Memorial Award, a Robert Creeley Award, a National Hispanic Cultural Center Literary Award, a PEN/Revson Fellowship, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. The Republic of Poetry was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The title poem of his collection Alabanza, about 9/11, has been widely anthologized and performed. Collections of Espada's poems have been published in Puerto Rico, Spain, Chile, France, Germany, England, and Turkey. His book of essays, Zapata's Disciple (1998), was banned in Tucson as part of a Mexican American studies program outlawed by the state of Arizona and has been issued in a new edition by Northwestern University Press. Espada is a professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Examples of Espada's poetry are available on the Poetry Foundation's website.

Also honored at the event was acclaimed author Liesl Olson who was named the 2018 Criticism Award winner for her most recent book, Chicago Renaissance: Literature and Art in the Midwest Metropolis (Yale, 2017).

Olson is director of Chicago Studies at the Newberry Library and author of Modernism and the Ordinary (Oxford University Press, 2009). She has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and from the Newberry Library, where she also directed the Scholl Center for American History and Culture. She is currently on a fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies and is a scholar-in-residence at the Newberry Library. From 20042009, she taught at the University of Chicago as a Harper-Schmidt Fellow in the Humanities Division. She earned a BA from Stanford University and a PhD from Columbia University.

VIEW THIS RELEASE ONLINE

About the Poetry Foundation

The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in American culture. It exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience. The Poetry Foundation seeks to be a leader in shaping a receptive climate for poetry by developing new audiences, creating new avenues for delivery, and encouraging new kinds of poetry through innovative literary prizes and programs. For more information, please visit poetryfoundation.org.

SOURCE Poetry Foundation

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"I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Pogue as President MDA Government. Chris is a dynamic, transformational leader with multi-disciplinary experience and a proven track record of effective leadership, and driving significant business growth while consistently increasing profitability," said Mike Greenley, Group President of MDA. "We expect that Chris will help drive rapid growth and address diverse mission requirements for government customers by leveraging MDA's unique capabilities and collaborating with Maxar's other leading space technology companies, SSL, DigitalGlobe and Radiant Solutions to accelerate innovation for the new space economy."

Most recently, Mr. Pogue served as Vice President, Mission Systems International and Vice President Public Safety and Security Solutions at General Dynamics Mission Systems where he has worked for 8 years. Prior to General Dynamics, Chris was President of CAE Defence and Professional Services. Prior to joining the private sector, Chris had a very successful 18 year career in the Canadian Air Force. Chris has a B.Sc in Physics and an M.Sc in Physics & Oceanography from Royal Roads Military College in British Columbia, followed by executive education at the universities of York, Liverpool, and Harvard Business School.



"This is an exciting time to join the MDA team as part of the industry-leading Maxar family, and it's my honor to lead MDA Government. I know first-hand the importance of the critical mission support we deliver to the Canadian government and our international allies. MDA has pioneered some of the most impactful technology innovations in Canada's history," said Chris Pogue. "I'm confident we will continue to lead innovation in Canada, serve our government customers flawlessly and profitably grow MDA's business globally."



In conjunction with this change, to better align with market and customer needs, MDA also announced the establishment of the MDA Commercial division which will manage the following lines of business; Commercial Space Robotics, Commercial or Industrial Products, Antennae's & Electronics, Payloads, Non-Space Products. MDA is pursuing the appointment of the President for the MDA Commercial division and plans to optimize around the new structure by the end of 2018.

Together, MDA Government and MDA Commercial divisions position MDA for growth by optimizing our internal structure to best meet the needs of our customers in this exciting growth industry. This structure allows for different approaches to business development and sales, engineering and delivery specific to the needs of the markets they serve and ultimately drive growth and operational excellence for the organization.

About MDA



MDA is an internationally recognized leader in space robotics, satellite antennas and subsystems, surveillance and intelligence systems, defence and maritime systems, and geospatial radar imagery. MDA's extensive space expertise and heritage translates into mission-critical defence and commercial applications that include multi-platform command, control and surveillance systems, aeronautical information systems, land administration systems and terrestrial robotics. MDA is also a leading supplier of actionable mission-critical information and insights derived from multiple data sources. Founded in 1969, MDA is recognized as one of Canada's most successful technology ventures with locations in Richmond, Ottawa, Brampton, Montreal and Halifax. MDA is a Maxar Technologies company (TSX: MAXR;NYSE: MAXR). For more information, visit www.mdacorporation.com.

About Maxar Technologies

As a global leader of advanced space technology solutions, Maxar Technologies (formerly MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates) is at the nexus of the new space economy, developing and sustaining the infrastructure and delivering the information, services, systems that unlock the promise of space for commercial and government markets. As a trusted partner, Maxar Technologies provides vertically-integrated capabilities and expertise including satellites, Earth imagery, robotics, geospatial data and analytics to help customers anticipate and address their most complex mission-critical challenges with confidence. With more than 6,500 employees in over 30 global locations, the Maxar Technologies portfolio of commercial space brands includes MDA, SSL, DigitalGlobe and Radiant Solutions. Every day, billions of people rely on Maxar to communicate, share information and data, and deliver insights that Build a Better World. Maxar trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange as MAXR. For more information, visit www.maxar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements and information, which reflect the current view of Maxar Technologies Ltd. (the "Company") with respect to future events, performance and operational capabilities. The forward-looking statements in this regard include statements as to management's expectations with respect to future growth and operational capabilities of the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Any such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed in this release.

For additional information with respect to certain of these risks or factors, plus additional risks or factors, reference should be made to the Company's continuous disclosure materials filed from time to time with Canadian and U.S. securities regulatory authorities, which are available online under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, under the Company's EDGAR profile at www.sec.gov or on the Company's website at www.maxar.com.

Contact

Wendy Keyzer | MDA Media Contact | 1-604-231-2743 | [email protected]

Marissa Poratto | MDA Investor Relations | 1-604-331-2044 | [email protected]

SOURCE Maxar Technologies Ltd.

Related Links

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WASHINGTON, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) within the Department of Commerce launched a search for innovative ideas to benefit minority-owned businesses, from projects that increase access to capital to resources that increase disaster preparedness and relief. MBDA's Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is designed to solicit proposals that will positively impact minority-owned businesses and the communities they serve.

MBDA expects to award up to $11.65 million in grants to fund and implement innovative projects across the country.

"Under the Trump Administration, the economy has seen unparalleled expansion while unemployment has fallen to the lowest level in nearly 50 years," said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. "Minority business enterprises play a key role in our expanding economy as they not only provide over seven million jobs in the United States but also contribute billions to the national GDP."

The BAA is open to for-profit entities (including but not limited to sole-proprietorships, partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations), non-profit organizations, institutions of higher education, commercial organizations, state and local government entities, quasi-government entities, Indian Tribal governments, Tribal entities, and Native Hawaiian entities.

"We are excited to begin this year's application process and look forward to receiving the proposals," said Acting National Director Edith McCloud. "Minority-owned businesses contribute greatly to our economy, and through the BAA, we can work to meet the needs of this community with the ultimate goals of continued expansion, growth and job creation."

The focal points of the BAAs are aligned with the Agency's key priorities in support of minority-owned businesses. Priorities include:

Access to Capital

American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian Entities and/or Initiatives

Native, Native Hawaiian Entities and/or Initiatives Aquaculture

Disaster Readiness

Disaster Recovery

Entrepreneurship Education Program for Formerly Incarcerated Persons

Global Minority Women Economic Empowerment Initiative

Historically Black Colleges & Universities Initiative

Inclusive Infrastructure Initiative

Research

Space Commerce

Sustainable Business Model

Technology Transfer and Commercialization

Virtual Business Centers

New this year, MBDA included BAA categories for formerly incarcerated persons and research projects to quantify and address the needs and challenges of minority-owned businesses. Recognizing the critical role of entrepreneurship in reducing recidivism and unemployment for released prisoners, the Agency saw an opportunity to support the Department of Commerce's efforts to reduce crime, enhance public safety and improve the lives of all Americans through educational entrepreneurship programs.

Two pre-application teleconferences to educate potential applicants about the federal funding opportunity announcement are scheduled for June 18 and 21, 2018, from 2:00  3:00 pm Eastern Time. MBDA encourages applicants to attend at least one of the pre-application teleconferences.

The deadline to submit completed applications for the broad agency announcement is 11:59 pm Eastern Time on July 11, 2018. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications as soon as possible to receive funding for Fiscal Year 2018. For more information and to register for a pre-application teleconference visit https://www.mbda.gov/page/2018-mbda-broad-agency-announcement or https://www.mbda.gov/.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) published on June 11, 2018 is the official competition document. The information in this press release is not intended to conflict with or supersede the NOFO in any way.

About the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)

MBDA, www.mbda.gov, is the only Federal agency dedicated to the growth and global competitiveness of U.S. minority-owned businesses. Our programs and services better equip minority-owned firms to create jobs, build scale and capacity, increase revenues and expand regionally, nationally and internationally. Services are provided through a network of MBDA Business Centers. After 45 years of service, MBDA continues to be a dedicated strategic partner to all U.S. minority-owned businesses, committed to providing programs and services that build size, scale and capacity through access to capital, contracts and markets. Follow us on Twitter @usmbda.

Contact: Velicia D. Woods

Phone: 202-482-6272

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.mbda.gov

Fax: (202) 482-5117

SOURCE Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)

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http://www.mbda.gov

Acquisition of Quebec-based medical supply distributor continues Medline's investment in Canada

NORTHFIELD, Ill., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Medline today announced the acquisition of Dufort et Lavigne Ltee, a Montreal-based medical supplies distributor. The addition of Dufort et Lavigne extends Medline's presence in Canada into Quebec and continues Medline's investment in the Canadian market while extending its distribution infrastructure from coast to coast.

"Dufort et Lavigne lets us expand in Quebec with a local company that shares a similar history as a privately-held business that values integrity and flexibility for the customer," said Ernie Philip, president of Medline Canada. "It's a strategic fit with our plans to service more of the Canadian healthcare market, reaching more customers and offering more Medline products and solutions. We are pleased to move ahead with a company that can continue to be a part of the local community, and we anticipate many growth opportunities for the business and its employees."

Medline is a healthcare business that is the largest family-owned manufacturer and distributor of high quality medical supplies and solutions in the U.S. The company has global operations in 90 countries, annual sales of more than $10 billion US and more than 18,000 employees worldwide. At close, Dufort et Lavigne will continue to be led by Yves Dufort, president, who will report to Philip. Nicole St.-Germain, head of Sales for Dufort et Lavigne, also will continue in that role.

With its distribution center in Montreal, Dufort er Lavigne serves customers with a broad portfolio of medical, paramedical, dental, ambulatory and other specialty supplies. All of its 76 employees are based in Quebec.

"We have worked in partnership with Medline for more than a decade, and this is a natural next step for our customer needs and employee opportunities," said Dufort. "Medline brings a broader portfolio of products and solutions along with dedicated investment in our market. It is a great outcome for healthcare providers in Quebec."

Medline completed the share purchase agreement on June 6, 2018.

About Medline

Medline is a global manufacturer and distributor serving the healthcare industry with medical supplies and clinical solutions that help customers achieve both clinical and financial success. Headquartered in Northfield, Ill., the company offers 550,000+ medical devices and support services through more than 1,600 direct sales representatives who are dedicated points of contact for customers across the continuum of care. For more information on Medline, go to www.medline.com or http://www.medline.com/social-media to connect with Medline on its social media channels.

SOURCE Medline

Related Links

http://www.medline.com

NEW YORK, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Melt Shop, the pioneers of the melted sandwich movement, announced today the opening of its newest corporate-owned restaurant in The Westchester, a Simon Mall in downtown White Plains, New York. Located in the SAVOR Food Hall Level 4, the new restaurant marks Melt Shop's 11th location, seventh in New York.

Melt Shop began as a walk-up counter in Midtown Manhattan in 2011 and quickly grew throughout New York City. Since its inception, the brand has continued to identify the Northeast region as a prime market for development and currently has four additional locations slated to open in New York and New Jersey before the end of 2018.

"While we are looking to grow our footprint through franchising, we also feel it's important to continuously invest our capital into new corporate restaurants. It's part of our commitment to maintaining the authenticity of our brand, as well as the commitment we've made to our franchise partners that we're in this with them," said Spencer Rubin, Founder & CEO of Melt Shop. "New York is home to us, where Melt Shop began, and we're grateful to be able to bring more Melt Shop restaurants to the people that gave us a shot."

Melt Shop Westchester will feature the same menu as all of Melt Shop's U.S. restaurants, including Chicken Melts, Burger Melts and Signature Melts like French Onion Steak and Roasted Veggies. Additionally, Melt Shop Westchester will offer the brand's newest limited-time offer, the Vegan Burger Melt, which features a veggie burger made from quinoa, beets, black beans and brown rice, topped with tomato-cayenne vegan cheese, roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions and arugula on multigrain. It's available for $8.95 at all U.S. restaurants until June 30, 2018.

Since the announcement of the company's franchise program in late 2017, Melt Shop has signed agreements to develop 28 restaurants worldwide in key Northeast and Mid-Atlantic markets, as well as the Middle East. The company debuted in Kuwait in January and has opened two of seven planned franchise locations in the market. To continue driving its rapid growth, Melt Shop is seeking multi-unit franchisees looking to diversify their portfolios and those excited to be part of the company's growth.

In addition to the Northeast, Melt Shop currently has opportunities domestically in the Midwest and Florida, and in most international markets, including the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Japan, China, India, Mexico, South America, Canada, Western Europe and Australia. Melt Shop is poised for excellent ROI with an estimated initial investment range of $368,240  $698,800 for the first location, including a franchise fee of $35,000 and a sales range of $1,016,984  $1,640,406 (sales range based on Melt Shops' six corporate restaurants open over 12 months as of end of 2016, as referenced in Item 19 of the 2017 FDD).

Melt Shop's focus is simple: melted sandwiches made with high-quality ingredients. The product and processes have been meticulously refined for more than seven years. But Melt Shop does more than create melted sandwich masterpieces  it creates a culinary experience unmatched in the fast-casual space. The food unlocks the feelings, memories and moments that bring people joy. It's a reminder of the good, simple, carefree things in life.

To learn more about ownership opportunities with Melt Shop, contact Josh Morgan, COO of Melt Shop, at [email protected] or visit www.meltshopfranchise.com. Follow Melt Shop on Instagram for the latest news.

Melt Shop is a part of Aurify Brands, a company equal parts hospitality group and restaurant incubator. Aurify Brands was founded by Andy Stern and John Rigos, who are Five Guys Burgers and Fries multi-unit franchisees, and former franchisees of Subway, Dunkin' Donuts, and Baskin-Robbins. Aurify Brands believes that one quality, more than any other, determines the success of a concept: the strength of the brand and its connection to guests. Melt Shop was built upon that premise. Aurify Brands also owns and operates The Little Beet, The Little Beet Table, Fields Good Chicken, and MAKE Sandwich.

About Melt Shop

Founded in 2011 in New York City, Melt Shop is a melted sandwich restaurant that uses only the best ingredients. As the pioneers of the melted sandwich movement, the company offers a variety of melted sandwiches, tots, salads, and shakes. Today, Melt Shop has grown to nine domestic locations in and around New York City, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota, and two international locations in Kuwait. Melt Shop does more than create melted sandwich masterpieces; it creates a culinary experience unmatched in the fast-casual space. For more information about Melt Shop, visit www.meltshop.com and www.meltshopfranchise.com.

About Aurify Brands

Aurify Brands originally began as Five Points Partners ("FPP"), founded in 2003, with a singular focus: to build or acquire multi-unit national franchise networks. FPP started with one Subway restaurant in Walton, NY and grew to 18 Dunkin' Donuts, 10 Baskin-Robbins, and in 2006, acquired the right to develop up to 30 Five Guys Burgers locations. Aurify Brands was formed in 2010 to identify unmet market needs that can be filled with original concepts developed, acquire existing companies with high, yet unrealized, brand potential, and to continue developing multi-unit franchise concepts with stand-out brand characteristics.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Caitlin Willard

Fish Consulting

[email protected]

954-893-9150

SOURCE Melt Shop

Related Links

http://www.meltshop.com

Holzman served as managing director at Bain Capital Ventures, where he co-built the enterprise software practice. As vice president of sales operations at Iron Mountain, Holzman co-led the redesign of the company's go-to-market approach while building sales operations. He served as co-CEO and CFO at ObserveIT, where he brought the business to cash break-even and refocused on growth. At Rapid7, Holzman led the original funding and recruited the team, and he has been the company's longest-serving outside board member at ten years.

As COO of MX, Holzman is tasked with helping accelerate the MX mission to empower the world to be financially strong and using the industry's best financial data to improve the lives of individuals everywhere.

"In the last year alone, our customer base has grown from 1,100 to 1,800 financial institutions and fintechs, and with that kind of accelerated growth comes the need for a COO who knows how to rapidly scale an organization," said Ryan Caldwell, CEO of MX. "Ben Holzman is perfect for this role. He has built and guided fast-growing enterprise software practices and sales teams at some of the world's most respected organizations. He will help fine-tune our operational approach as we move MX into the future."

"The proper use of big data is rapidly reshaping most industries on this planet - including banking and fintech," said Holzman. "The impact that aggregated, clean data will have on this industry is almost mind-boggling. MX is both an established and a fast-growing leader in this space and playing a significant role in its future. The more I've followed the MX team over the last couple years, the more excited I've become to be part of this rare opportunity of empowering people and financial institutions through data."

Holzman received a BSE in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering from Duke University, and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

About MX

MX, the leader in actionable financial data, enables financial institutions and fintech providers to grow faster, reduce costs, and deliver exceptional customer experience. In doing so, MX is empowering the world to become financially strong. Founded in 2010, MX is one of the fastest-growing fintech providers, partnering with more than 1,800 financial institutions and 43 of the top 50 digital banking providers. For more information, visit www.mx.com.

Contact:

Steve Jensen

801-669-5532

[email protected]

SOURCE MX

Related Links

http://www.mx.com

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA will host a media teleconference at 1:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday, June 13, to discuss a massive Martian dust storm affecting operations of the agency's Opportunity rover and what scientists can learn from the various missions studying this unprecedented event.

The storm is one of the most intense ever observed on the Red Planet. As of June 10, it covered more than 15.8 million square miles (41 million square kilometers)  about the area of North America and Russia combined. It has blocked out so much sunlight, it has effectively turned day into night for Opportunity, which is located near the center of the storm, inside Mars' Perseverance Valley.

Participants in the teleconference will include:

John Callas , Opportunity project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Rich Zurek , Mars Program Office chief scientist at JPL

Jim Watzin , director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters

Dave Lavery , program executive at NASA Headquarters for the Opportunity and Curiosity rovers

To participate, media must email their name and affiliation to Elena Mejia at [email protected] or call 818-393-5467 / 354-5011.

Visuals accompanying the teleconference will be posted at the start of the event at:

https://www.nasa.gov/marsduststormtelecon

Audio of the teleconference will be streamed live at:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

The teleconference and visuals will be carried live and archived on:

https://youtube.com/nasajpl/live

To ask questions via social media during the televised event, use the hashtag #askNASA

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov

TIMONIUM, Md. and NEW YORK, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA) today announced the promotions of two senior leaders of the firm's administrative team, Tim Schaller and Louis Citron, and welcomed Crystal Huang as a Principal on the firm's technology investing team. Schaller, who has served as Chief Financial Officer since 2008, has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. He is responsible for the firm's global operations, financial management and helps lead portfolio management. Louis Citron, an 18-year veteran of the firm, has been named Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Legal Officer. In addition to overseeing all legal issues pertaining to NEA's investments, partnerships, operations and regulatory compliance, Louis is responsible for executing new strategic initiatives within the firm.

"These promotions recognize the outstanding leadership Tim and Louis have demonstrated for many years, and the integral role each plays in firm management," said Scott Sandell, Managing General Partner, NEA. "The depth of professional expertise driving our operations and administrative functions is a hallmark of NEAit is this robust organizational infrastructure that enables us to execute a diversified, global investing strategy. I'm very pleased to acknowledge the many contributions Tim, Louis and their teams have made to our partnership."

Schaller leads NEA and its funds' global operations, financial management and reporting and is a member of the portfolio management leadership team. He joined NEA in 2008 as the Chief Financial Officer. Schaller began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (C&L), where he was a Manager specializing in mutual funds, venture capital and broker dealers. Following that he joined the Securities and Exchange Commission Corporate Finance division. Prior to joining NEA, he had been a CFO of both tech and med firms, as well as working in corporate finance for Marriott International and Black and Decker. Schaller earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from Loyola University and his master's degree concentrating in financial management from Johns Hopkins University.

Citron joined NEA in 2001 and is responsible for day-to-day legal issues as they pertain to NEA's investments, partnerships, operations and regulatory compliance in the U.S. and abroad. He is also responsible for structuring and implementing new strategic initiatives for the firm. Prior to joining NEA, Citron was a Senior Vice President and General Counsel of ING Group N.V.'s United States mutual fund operations, which he joined at its inception and helped grow to over 20 fund offerings with more than $1.5 billion under management. Citron started his career in the financial services practice of the law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel in New York City, specializing in venture capital operating companies, domestic and off-shore hedge funds, mutual funds, closed-end funds, investment advisers and broker-dealers. Citron served on the Board of Directors of Deutsche Bank's Topiary Funds as well as the Conflicts Advisory Board of the off-shore hedge funds managed by Deutsche Asset Management's Absolute Return Strategies Group. He earned an AB in Economics from Duke University (magna cum laude), a JD from Duke University School of Law, and an LLM in taxation from New York University School of Law.

Huang, most recently a Principal at GGV Capital, will focus on investments in SaaS, security, infrastructure and fintech. She will be based in the firm's New York office.

"Crystal is a talented investor with expertise across some of our core areas of focus, from security to fintech," said Tony Florence, General Partner and head of NEA's technology investing practice. "She will be a valuable addition to our New York-based team, and we're excited to welcome her to the firm."

While at GGV Capital, she worked closely with many of the firm's portfolio companies, including OpenDoor, Slack, Wish, BigCommerce, Tile, HashiCorp, Unravel Data, BrightWheel, NS1 and Wish, and led or sourced the firm's investments in Bitsight, Headspin and Aptible, among others. Prior to GGV, Huang worked in technology investment banking at Blackstone and sales and trading at Goldman Sachs. She was named to Forbes 30 under 30 list for venture capital in 2016 and holds a bachelor's degree from Harvard University.

About NEA

New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA) is a global venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors and geographies. With more than $20 billion in cumulative committed capital since the firm's founding in 1977, NEA invests in technology and healthcare companies at all stages in a company's lifecycle, from seed stage through IPO. The firm's long track record of successful investing includes more than 220 portfolio company IPOs and more than 370 acquisitions. www.nea.com.

SOURCE NEA

Related Links

http://www.nea.com

CHERRY HILL, N.J., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Founded on the principal that every client deserves to receive exceptional, high-powered legal representation, Weitz & Luxenberg has served the residents of New Jersey for over thirty years. Striving to make the litigation process as easy as possible, the team at Weitz is dedicated to providing their clients the quality legal services they deserve. Lending a compassionate approach to their clients, the law firm prides themselves on their high sustaining track record of success in the recovery of over $17 billion dollars in settlements. On call 24/7 to meet the ever growing demands of their clients, the firm is adept in handling legal matters with regards to defective drugs, personal injury including car accidents, workplace accidents, mesothelioma, drugs and devices and more.



With over ten years of experience in the field of Law, Neidra Wilson has established herself as an illustrious professional in the field. Having joined Weitz & Luxenberg in 2012, Wilson acts as an associate attorney in the Mesothelioma and Asbestos Litigation department. Throughout her career, Wilson has obtained extensive expertise in the areas of mesothelioma, lung cancer, and cases involved with non-malignant lung growths as a result of exposure to asbestos.



Early in her career, Wilson attained her Juris Doctor Degree from Rutgers University, School of Law, in 2008. In her previous years, Wilson obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from The College of William & Mary in 2005.



To further advance her professional development, Wilson is an esteemed member of several organizations including the New Jersey Association for Justice, and American Association for Justice.



In recognition of her professional accolades, Wilson was inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars in 2002. Wilson has been recognized by Lawyers of Distinction among the top 10 percent of civil litigators nationwide.



For more information, please visit https://www.weitzlux.com/

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com

NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new research study titled "Ready Efficacy: Research on Ready Program Impact" demonstrates that Curriculum Associates' Ready Mathematics and Ready Reading instruction for Grades 38 meets the federal funding requirements for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Given this research, Ready qualifies as a Level 3 program demonstrating "Promising Evidence," and schools nationwide can use Title I or school improvement funding to implement the curriculum as an evidence-based program as defined by ESSA. Most importantly, research confirms that students who have access to Ready instruction outperform their peers on state summative English language arts and mathematics assessments.

"Ready has long been a leader in introducing rigor and quality materials into classrooms," said Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates. "As a company, we strive to help the millions of students using our programs to reach grade-level proficiency, and this study underscores our strong progress in fulfilling that goal."

Curriculum Associates' study examined the performance of thousands of New York schools on the 20162017 state assessments and found that scores on the New York State Grades 38 Test were substantially higher for those schools with access to Ready than for schools without access to Ready.

Ready is a rigorous classroom instruction and practice program that fully prepares students for the demands of today's mathematics and reading standards in a highly interactive way, while providing teachers with step-by-step, point-of-use support to teach most effectively. Ready Mathematics helps students develop mathematical reasoning, engage in discourse, and build strong mathematical habits. Ready Reading engages students in opportunities to practice close reading strategies with authentic text, and its scaffolded instructional design builds students' confidence in reading over time.

In 2017, Ready materials were used by more than 3.5 million students nationwide across all 50 states. To learn more about Ready, visit ReadyCommonCore.com.

To read the complete research study, visit https://www.curriculumassociates.com/readyessa.

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.

SOURCE Curriculum Associates

Related Links

https://www.curriculumassociates.com

RALEIGH, N.C., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Arrevus Inc. (www.arrevus.com), a biotechnology company developing solutions to treat infections in immune-compromised patients, received a $300,000 STTR grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for research on multi-drug resistant bacterial (MDR) urinary tract infections (UTI). UTIs create a significant burden on the healthcare system due in part to:

Most common hospital-acquired infection

UTI complications can result in kidney damage and sepsis

High morbidity and mortality among cases with MDR bacterial pathogens

About ARV-1502

Arrevus is exploiting a unique approach to the prevention and management of bacterial drug resistance utilizing the Insect Derived Anti-Infectives (IDEA) platform of which ARV-1502 is the lead compound. The IDEA platform leverages millions of years of natural selection to identify and isolate fast acting, effective immune responses from insects-related peptides. ARV-1502 is an engineered peptide derived from these insect templates and is active against the most challenging pathogens, gram-negative antibiotic resistant bacteria, using a novel mechanism of action.

CEO Carl N. Kraus, M.D., to speak at IMAP 2018, Edinburgh, UK

The 8th International Meeting on Antimicrobial Peptides (IMAP), a satellite conference of the 35th European Peptide Symposium, will host a variety of international experts on the subject of Antimicrobial Peptides (AMP) and Host Defense Peptides (HDP). Specialized topics include:

Synthesis and mode of action

Role of AMPs and HDPs in fertility and reproduction

Susceptibility testing of AMPs

IMAP takes place from September 2nd  4th in Edinburgh, UK.

About Arrevus

Arrevus is applying evolutionary templates to develop first-in-class proprietary anti-infectives known as Designer Proline-rich Antimicrobial Peptide Chaperone Protein Inhibitors (DPCs). Arrevus is headquartered in Raleigh, NC. For more information about Arrevus Inc., visit www.arrevus.com or email [email protected].

SOURCE Arrevus

Related Links

http://www.arrevus.com

LUBBOCK, Texas, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- NTS Communications, Inc. ("NTS"), a leading provider of fiber-based communications solutions, announced that five high school seniors will each receive $1,000 in tuition scholarships.

Don Pittman, Executive Vice President & CFO of NTS, stated, "NTS is a local, West Texas company. Giving back to the communities that we serve is very important to us so we are pleased to award these scholarships to these five deserving students. These students are our future and it's gratifying to be able to support them in such a direct way."

The NTS Scholarship Program was designed to provide financial assistance to students who have a desire to further their education so that they can acquire the knowledge and skills to better prepare for the future. The winners of the 2018 NTS Scholarship Program are Gillian Jonas from O'Donnell High School, Jentry Wall from Ropesville High School, Kaci Ferris from Colorado City High School, Kristen Cox from Brownfield High School and Madelim Jaquez from Morton High School. All the students are seniors from High Schools which are within the NTS' rural service areas.

The next scholarship deadline for graduating seniors who wish to apply will be in March 2019. For more information about the NTS Scholarship Program and to download the application packet, please visit www.ntscom.com/scholarship.

ABOUT NTS COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

NTS Communications provides managed telecommunications cloud services and is the leading provider of fiber-based communications solutions for both residential and business customers across Texas and Louisiana. NTS delivers one of the fastest Internet connections available over a true fiber to the premise network. For the Company's website, please visit: www.ntscom.com.

CONTACT:

Kelley Harber

NTS Communications, Inc.

806-776-4195

[email protected]

SOURCE NTS Communications, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.ntscom.com

SYDNEY and BLUE BELL, Pa., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- New research from Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) into Australia's banking industry reveals that almost a third of Australians are willing to support data sharing in an open banking environment, but only if privacy and security concerns are addressed. The research also found Australian consumers are less willing than those in other Asia Pacific countries to embrace new bank services based on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning  but younger generations are driving change.

Unisys APAC Banking Insights  Banking on the CX Factor is a study about the attitudes of banking customers in Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan. This year's report explores how consumers feel about banks using AI to assess eligibility for credit cards and home loans, as well as sentiment toward banks sharing data with non-bank entities to offer new services - known as Open Banking.

Readiness for Open Banking

Open Banking is a growing initiative in the financial services sector that allows banks to share data with other organizations to offer new services to customers and new revenue streams for the banks. The Australian Government will phase in Open Banking by 1 July 2019.

Thirty-one percent of Australians support their bank sharing their personal data with other companies to access financial products. However, 34 percent don't support it, citing concerns about privacy and security. Of those who do not support data sharing, 67 percent say it is because they want to protect their privacy, 45 percent are concerned about the other company's security measures, compared to only 35 percent being concerned about the bank's security measures. Australia recorded the highest proportion of people, 35 percent, who could not say if they supported this type of data sharing or not.

"For Open Banking to take off in Australia, banks must address customer concerns about how they protect their customer data  not just in the bank, but across all of the departments, partners and agencies in the value chain. The results also indicate that many Australians are unaware of Open Banking and how it impacts them so effective communication by the banks will be key to consumers embracing this initiative," says Richard Parker, vice president financial services, Unisys Asia Pacific.

Balancing Artificial Intelligence with the Human Touch

The survey reveals that while Australian bank customers are the least comfortable overall with their bank using software algorithms to access eligibility for credit cards and home loans, younger generations are much more willing than those aged over 50 years. The type of transaction also impacts willingness: forty-two percent of Australians are comfortable with their bank using software and algorithms to assess online credit card applications, whereas only 29 percent are willing to use this for home loans.

"Younger consumers are driving the demand for better online bank services in Australia  this generational pull is stronger here than in the other countries surveyed. As a result, traditional banks are facing increasing competition from online fintech lenders. There is a great opportunity for banks to embrace the fintech approach and use smart software to lead decision making for commodity products such as credit cards," said Parker.

Unisys is helping banks to address these concerns with Elevate, an end-to-end, digital banking software platform and suite of applications designed to help financial institutions deliver an instantly secure, omnichannel banking experience to their customers. Importantly, this means customers can pay their bills on the go, transfer funds and apply for loans and mortgages anytime, anywhere  regardless of whether they are doing so on a mobile device or tablet, via an internet browser or inside a branch.

Elevate incorporates a high-level of security, as built-in adaptive biometric and data analytics securely identify customers, authenticate access and validate transactions. The platform is secured with Unisys Stealth, an identity-based microsegmentation security software that allows banks to microsegment and conceal critical assets and establish encrypted channels for secure user, application and system communication.

More than 500 financial institutions worldwide rely on Unisys solutions. For more information on Unisys' financial services capabilities, please visit http://www.unisys.com/industries/financial-services.

Download the full Asia Pacific Banking Insights survey results and infographics here.



Research Methodology

Research firm OmniPoll conducted the online survey in November 2017, polling nationally representative samples of at least 1,000 people aged 18+ years in each of: Hong Kong, Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan.

About Unisys

Unisys is a global information technology company that builds high-performance, security-centric solutions for the most digitally demanding businesses and governments on Earth. Unisys offerings include security software and services; digital transformation and workplace services; industry applications and services; and innovative software operating environments for high-intensity enterprise computing. For more information on how Unisys builds better outcomes securely for its clients across the Government, Financial Services and Commercial markets, visit www.unisys.com.

Follow Unisys on Twitter and LinkedIn.

RELEASE NO.: 0612/9595

Unisys and other Unisys products and services mentioned herein, as well as their respective logos, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Unisys Corporation. Any other brand or product referenced herein is acknowledged to be a trademark or registered trademark of its respective holder.

UIS-C

SOURCE Unisys Corporation

Related Links

http://www.unisys.com

OXFORD, United Kingdom, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Zegami, a visual data exploration platform company, today announces that Ormskirk School has implemented Zegami to enhance their data analysis and gain a better understanding of their students.

Zegami Ltd

Teachers are increasingly expected to record and analyse student data, to identify meaningful trends and provide evidence that support's classroom practice and progress intervention. But many teachers lack the time, skills and experience to do this effectively and worry that individual students are buried beneath the deluge of data, reducing individuals to nothing more than cold, quantifiable statistics.

Ormskirk School needed a solution that enabled their teachers to spend less time scrutinising numbers and more time doing the work that actually makes an impact. They recognised that Zegami is a tool that helps schools to control and engage with the range of data they hold in a completely different, intuitive and student-focused way.

"Zegami enriches data-led discussions by ensuring a focus on students, not statistics. With Zegami, teachers and school leaders engage with student data in a completely different way, allowing rapid and intuitive identification of issues and provoking powerful discussion" says Alex Wood, Senior Assistant Headteacher at Ormskirk School.

Sam Conway, CEO of Zegami added, "Schools, like any workplace, are suffering from data overload. Head Teachers and teachers need to make sense of their information in a way that's simple and intuitive. Using Zegami, insights gained from data presents an opportunity for schools to make more informed decisions that can enhance student performance. Zegami puts every student front and centre in the data and makes analysis simple, insightful and enjoyable."

Zegami is a Visual Data Exploration platform that enables you to quickly recognize patterns, analyse information and find hidden insights by allowing users to search, sort, filter, group and analyse large collections of images and data in a simple and intuitive way.

For more information on Ormskirk school visit http://www.ormskirk.lancs.sch.uk.

About Zegami

Zegami makes information more visual and accessible, enabling intuitive exploration, search, and discovery. Zegami's data exploration platform combines the power of machine learning and human intuition to reveal hidden insights and new perspectives. Visit www.zegami.com/schools for more information and follow us on Twitter @getzegami.

Media Contact:

Oliver Abadeer

Phone: +44 7500 104 133

Email: [email protected]

Related Links

Ofsted School Register

Key Stage 3 Collection Demo

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK_7pLjlwws

SOURCE Zegami LtdISLANDIA, N.Y., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pharmapacks, a leading e-commerce company with a proprietary technology platform that empowers brands to reach millions of consumers with a complete and cost-effective logistics, fulfillment, marketing and sales solution, today announced it has raised $32.5 million by selling a minority stake at an undisclosed valuation. The strategic round was led by multinational CPG company RB (LSE: RB) with additional investments from McKesson Ventures, Sealed Air (NYSE:SEE) and The Emerson Group.

Pharmapacks sells both direct-to-consumer through leading online marketplaces including Amazon, Walmart.com, and eBay among others, as well as on Pharmapacks.com. In addition to selling well-known everyday consumer goods, Pharmapacks serves as a "launch pad" for emerging brands by giving carefully selected new Millennial and Generation Z brands access to the Pharmapacks e-commerce platform and consumer base. This enables brands to focus on product research and development, while Pharmapacks strategically sets competitive price points and builds a connection between the consumer and the brand.

"We are excited to see Pharmapacks growing at a rapid pace, especially in an ecosystem monopolized by big e-commerce players," said Andrew Vagenas, CEO of Pharmapacks. "The fundraising, together with the associated partnerships, will enable us to scale operations both domestically and internationally as well as serve our customers in an even more efficient and cost-effective manner, while expanding the number of brands we can support with our unique logistics / e-distribution capabilities."

Pharmapacks will use the funding to grow its 350 person team by 20 percent and scale its current 140,000 square foot warehouse in Islandia, New York. Additionally, the funding will enable Pharmapacks to drive its profitability by advancing its automated technology and to expand its inventory levels and delivery reach from the U.S. and Canada to Europe, Asia and beyond.

"With ecommerce becoming a leading driver of growth for our brands like Enfamil, Lysol, Mucinex and Airborne, we are excited to partner and invest with Pharmapacks," said Nitish Kapoor, EVP, North America, RB. "We believe that this partnership will help both companies serve our online shoppers better and grow at an even faster pace."

Unlike many third-party retailers, Pharmapacks has an in-house technology team dedicated to building automated assistance tools, which are an integral part of the company's streamlined process and scaling success. Pharmapacks also has a partnership with Sealed Air, whose I-Pack system uses laser technology to measure the contents of a package then custom fits each box to that size, removing excess air and wasted space. This drastically cuts down on shipping expenses and has enabled Pharmapacks to expand throughput, giving consumers a less than 24-hour turnaround time for order deployment.

"In addition to enhancing the consumer experience upon delivery, Sealed Air and Pharmapacks are having a positive impact on the environment by eliminating excess packaging waste, and nearly eliminating the risk of damage during transit," said Ken Chrisman, President of Sealed Air's Product Care division. "Pharmapacks shares our commitment to use technology and data to solve fulfillment complexities. Through the upcoming expansion, we will continue to work with Pharmapacks to provide reliable and sustainable packaging solutions that address today's social and environmental challenges."

"Pharmapacks is optimizing the direct-to-consumer channel on behalf of health care brands making the buying process more convenient and price effective for both the consumer and their supplier partners," said Tom Rodgers, SVP and Managing Director of McKesson Ventures. "With this infusion of cash, we are excited to see the operations scale what is already an industry leading marketplace, and continue to build out a competitive platform that complements a brand's omnichannel strategy."

"The Emerson Group is pleased to partner with Pharmapacks. With a shared commitment to excellence in providing our clients industry-leading capabilities and cutting-edge logistics technology, we can deliver the efficiency that is so vital to success in these challenging retail times," said Scott Emerson, CEO of The Emerson Group. "Our alignment with Pharmapacks will help us deliver increased consumer exposure to our client brands resulting in the brand growth which is the core of our corporate mission."

Pharmapacks was founded seven years ago in a Bronx, NY based mom-and-pop retail pharmacy. After opening its first warehouse in Queens, Managing Members Andrew Vagenas, Adam Berkowitz, Brad Tramunti, James Mastronardi and Jonathan Webb enhanced the businesses by building e-commerce, logistics and fulfillment software meant to be easily integrated into partners' existing sales platforms including Amazon, Walmart.com and eBay. Now the company's catalog consists of 28,000 unique items and processes and ships over 30,000 orders per day to all 50 states in the U.S. and Canada.

About Pharmapacks

Pharmapacks is a leading e-commerce tech company that empowers brands with a complete and cost-effective logistics, fulfillment, marketing and sales solution. It offers a robust catalog of health, beauty, personal care and household products sold across top online marketplaces as well as directly to consumers on pharmapacks.com. In addition to being one of Amazon's largest third-party retailers, it maintains a 100 percent customer satisfaction rating. For more information, visit www.pharmapacks.com.

About RB

RB is the global leading consumer health, hygiene and home company. Driven by a purpose to build healthier lives and happier homes, RB has operations in over 60 countries. From the foundations of wellness and infant nutrition, to the fundamentals of a hygienic home, our global brands help people live healthier, happier lives. RB has world leading Powerbrands which include household names such as Enfamil, Nutramigen, Mucinex, Durex, Clearasil, Lysol, Finish, Woolite and Air Wick. RB's unique culture is at the heart of its success. Its drive to achieve, passion to outperform and commitment to quality and scientific excellence are manifested in the work of over 40,000 RB employees worldwide. Visit www.rb.com to learn more.

About McKesson Ventures

McKesson Ventures is the venture capital arm of McKesson Corporation (NYSE: MCK) specializing in early and growth stage companies. McKesson Ventures targets companies that both catalyze and benefit from the key changes taking place in the U.S. health care landscape. McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 6th on the FORTUNE 500, is a health care services and information technology company dedicated to making the business of health care run better. We work with payers, hospitals, physician offices, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies, and others across the spectrum of care to build healthier organizations that help deliver better care to patients in every setting. Visit www.mckessonventures.com to learn more.

About Sealed Air

Sealed Air Corporation is a knowledge-based company focused on packaging solutions that help our customers achieve their sustainability goals in the face of today's biggest social and environmental challenges. Our portfolio of widely recognized brands, including Cryovac brand food packaging solutions and Bubble Wrap brand cushioning, enable a safer and less wasteful food supply chain and protect valuable goods shipped around the world. Sealed Air generated $4.5 billion in sales in 2017 and has approximately 15,000 employees who serve customers in 122 countries. To learn more, visit www.sealedair.com.

About The Emerson Group

The Emerson Group has been facilitating transition to the changing consumer retail economy for over 20 years. With a field sales infrastructure of 10 regional offices, Emerson manages CPG brands in excess of $3.8 billion, and holds equity positions with small and medium-size brands. It also operates internationally, providing partners in the European, South American and Asian Pacific regions with the expertise and infrastructure necessary to successfully operate in the U.S. market. The company offers clients unparalleled retail relationships, advanced turnkey logistics, comprehensive marketplace analytics, and access to equity markets. Emerson Logistics, the #5 HBC supplier to the trade, is an efficient turnkey logistics solution, delivering on-time and complete shipments, single purchase orders for multiple products, single point of contact for multiple vendors, and reduced processing costs. Emerson Marketing partners with industry-leading experts to leverage data and shopper insights for clients, with up-to-the-minute category and brand information. The Emerson organization's resources and expertise has been expanded into Canada with our recent merger with McCaughey Consumer Products Management, Inc., a leading Canadian sales organization offering national account management, brand management, inventory management, accounts receivable and quality control. To learn more visit www.emersongroup.com.

SOURCE Pharmapacks

Related Links

http://www.pharmapacks.com

DARIEN, Conn., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Phil Kraft was honored after a lifetime of service on behalf of U.S. military veterans.

Kraft, who currently serves as executive director of the veterans' assistance organization HonorBound Foundation in Darien, was honored recently when Darien First Selectman Jayme Stevenson presented Kraft with a proclamation that declared May 5th as Phil Kraft Day in Darien.

Stevenson presented Kraft with the award at a party celebrating Kraft's 29 years with HonorBound, a nonprofit that provides veterans with case-managed social care, financial relief, advocacy and help with housing and services.

"Phil has made it his mission to see that no veteran is ever forgotten," Stevenson said.

Kraft will soon relocate to Arizona to be closer to family members but will continue to serve as HonorBound's executive director.

Kraft, who served in Vietnam, has volunteered tirelessly on behalf of veterans and related causes for decades in the local community.

He has served in a variety of roles for the Veterans of Foreign Wars for more than 20 years, including 15 years as commander of Darien VFW Post 6933. He's been a fixture at the town's annual Memorial Day Parade, Flag Day, Veterans Day and 9/11 celebrations for years as master of ceremonies. He was a volunteer member of the town's Monuments & Ceremonies Commission for 22 years and its chairman for 12 years, and he was instrumental in bringing Wreaths Across America to the community's veterans cemetery.

Kraft's service stretches beyond the Darien area as well. He recently was tasked by U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy to be a founding member of a statewide Veterans Advisory Council, a group that will address issues affecting veterans in Connecticut. He's also served for Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Congressman Jim Himes, and in 2011 was inducted into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame.

"HonorBound, which was rebranded from the National Veterans Service Fund last year, has assisted more than 2,300 veterans nationwide in 2017 and will continue its mission to serve veterans who struggle with life's basic needs," Kraft said.

"Recent examples of HonorBound's mission are the help the organization provided veterans in Stratford and Hartford," Kraft said.

In Stratford, a veteran and his wife had been living without heat in their home for more than six years until HonorBound paid to repair the couple's heating system. In Hartford, a 94-year-old veteran was facing eviction until HonorBound stepped in to help him re-locate to a new home.

"HonorBound will help any veteran who can prove they served honorably for a minimum of one year," Kraft said. "It's part of HonorBound's commitment to help veterans before they reach a point of crisis."

If you would like more information on HonorBound Foundation please visit our website at www.honorboundfoundation.org or email us at [email protected].

SOURCE HonorBound Foundation

Related Links

https://www.honorboundfoundation.org

HAMPTON, N.H., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE: PLNT), one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the U.S., announced the appointment of Ray Miolla as chief development officer. Mr. Miolla will be responsible for driving strategic initiatives to fuel Planet Fitness' overall system-wide growth, overseeing market analysis, planning and development, real estate, construction and design, and franchise sales.

Mr. Miolla joins Planet Fitness with over 20 years of real estate and development experience in domestic and international franchising from global brands like Gap, Burger King and Jamba Juice. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President, Global Real Estate, Store Development and Franchise Services at Gap, Inc. responsible for all brands including Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta and outlet stores. While at Gap, Inc. Mr. Miolla opened over 150 new stores annually worldwide and grew the franchise business from the ground up to more than 400 locations in over 40 countries. A lawyer by trade, he also served as Deputy General Counsel for Gap, Inc. for several years, overseeing franchise services.

"Ray is a proven leader and brand builder, with a strong track record of delivering exceptional results for global brands that spans over two decades," said Chris Rondeau, chief executive officer of Planet Fitness, Inc. "We are excited to have someone with Ray's deep development and franchise experience on board, to further enhance our management team and support our continued growth and momentum."

Previously, Mr. Miolla served as Vice President, Real Estate, Franchise and Business Development for Jamba Juice where he led the Real Estate and Franchise Divisions and helped to take the company public. Additionally, he spent nearly a decade with Burger King overseeing more than 1,700 franchise locations and staff in all major operating areas including field marketing, operations, field training, and real estate.

Mr. Miolla received a B.A. from Middlebury College and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law. A member of the Planet Fitness Executive Leadership Team, he will report to Dorvin Lively, President and Chief Financial Officer.

About Planet Fitness

Founded in 1992 in Dover, NH, Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the United States by number of members and locations. As of March 31, 2018, Planet Fitness had approximately 11.8 million members and 1,565 stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, the Dominican Republic and Panama. The Company's mission is to enhance people's lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment, which we call the Judgement Free Zone. More than 95% of Planet Fitness stores are owned and operated by independent business men and women.

SOURCE Planet Fitness, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.planetfitness.com

BROOKLYN, N.Y., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), today announced a Growth Option 2.0 upgrade for the F135 engine, which powers the fifth generation F-35 Lighting II aircraft, that can provide increased power and thermal management system (PTMS) capacity. The Growth Option 2.0 upgrade can be configured based on customer requirements to offer a range of PTMS improvements, an area which is emerging as a critical enabling capability for future block upgrades to the F-35 aircraft. The near-term iteration of this upgrade can provide a significant improvement in PTMS capacity.

"As the F-35 program moves forward with the Continuous Capability Development and Delivery (C2D2) strategy, we strive to stay in front of propulsion advances needed to enable F-35 modernization," said Matthew Bromberg, president, Pratt & Whitney Military Engines. "We're continuously assessing customer needs and responding with technology options to keep them ahead of evolving threats."

Growth Option 2.0 incorporates the same suite of compressor and turbine technologies offered in the previously announced Growth Option 1.0, and also brings scaled advances in PTMS capacity while maintaining the same fuel burn (5-6 percent) and thrust improvements (6-10 percent) across the F-35 flight envelope. By selecting from the engine's full suite of available technologies, F-35 customers can chose the magnitude of PTMS improvements that the mission requires.

Increases in PTMS can enable the F-35 to utilize an enhanced spectrum of offensive and defensive weapon system technologies. Growth Option 2.0 can provide a significant improvement in PTMS capacity in the near-term by utilizing several low-risk technologies ready for Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) today. Pratt & Whitney is also maturing additional technologies that are projected to provide even greater PTMS capability.

Growth Option 2.0 represents the next iteration of Pratt & Whitney's Future Adaptive Spiral Technology approach, which enables the timely insertion of next-generation propulsion technologies into current and future platforms. The foundation of this approach is a suite of adaptive engine technologies Pratt & Whitney is developing to meet the demands of range, persistence, survivability, maintainability and advanced weapon systems for the missions of tomorrow. These advanced technologies can be spiraled in as they become available and provide a full range of options for customers, enabling them to maintain the operational edge now and into the future.

"Our spiral approach allows Pratt & Whitney to offer rapid, iterative upgrades such as Growth Option 1.0 and Growth Option 2.0 that put next generation propulsion technologies into the hands of the warfighter as fast as possible," added Bromberg. "These upgrades are aligned with the F-35 C2D2 strategy and provide a range of options to meet future weapons system requirements for the F135 engine."

About Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries. To learn more about UTC, visit its website at www.utc.com, or follow the company on Twitter: @UTC.

For more information about Pratt & Whitney, visit http://www.pratt-whitney.com

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning future business opportunities. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes in government procurement priorities and practices, budget plans and availability of funding, and in the number of aircraft to be built; challenges in the design, development, production and support of advanced technologies, and the realization of the anticipated benefits associated with those advanced technologies; as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in United Technologies Corp.'s Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Media Contact:

+1 (860) 565-9600

[email protected]

SOURCE Pratt & Whitney

Related Links

http://www.pratt-whitney.com

"Qing" means green in Chinese, indicating Qingdao has an agreeable climate and evergreen vegetation. The coastal city also has an inclusive culture, just as the Chinese idiom says, "The vast ocean admits hundreds of rivers." The ancient Greek-, Gothic- and Renaissance-styled architecture can be seen along the city's old streets, attesting to its multicultural heritage and continued efforts in international exchanges today. Now, Qingdao has 70 friendship cities from around the world.

The city has been a window for China to trade with the world since ancient times. In 623 AD, the Tang government set up Banqiao Town in Qingdao, which became the origin of the northern route of the Maritime Silk Road. At that time, cargo ships loaded with silk, porcelain and tea would set sail to the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Since then, openness has been deeply rooted in Qingdao's DNA. Qingdao's close relationship with other SCO member states is one of the reasons the city was selected to host this year's summit. In 2017, the total value of its imports and exports with SCO countries reached US$6 billion.

The sea not only brings uniqueness to the city's culture and trade, but also opportunities for its scientific development and marine industry. A third of China's R&D platforms and elite talents in the marine industry are located in Qingdao. The city's experts and infrastructures have contributed greatly to scientific undertakings like the deep-sea exploration of combustible ice and the Jiaolong submersible expeditions. In 2017, Qingdao's gross ocean product reached almost US$47 billion, accounting for 26.4 percent of the city's gross domestic product. Last year, the world's first semisubmersible intelligent offshore ocean farming facilities, manufactured in Qingdao, were delivered to Norway to help upgrade the country's salmon farming capabilities. China is also a major destination for Norway's salmon exports.

Qingdao thrives due to the golden opportunities brought by the ocean, allowing the city to develop its transportation, equipment manufacturing, supercomputing for marine research, marine biomedicine, marine education, marine tourism and sailing, and even the Qingdao Beer Festival. The city has also been doing its utmost to protect the blue waters. Qingdao is one of the first cities to implement the "bay-chief" system, under which the mayor is held accountable for water pollution around Qingdao's Jiaozhou Bay.

The city attaches equal importance to marine development and protection, while stressing both bold innovations and scientific development. Getting a boost from the hosting of the SCO Summit, Qingdao is embarking on voyages to become a distinguished international coastal city.

China Mosaic

http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm



Qingdao: A thriving coastal city

http://www.china.org.cn/video/2018-06/12/content_52051828.htm

About China.org.cn

Founded in 2000, China Internet Information Center (China.org.cn/China.com.cn) is a key state news website under the auspices of the State Council Information Office, and is managed by China International Publishing Group. We provide round-the-clock news service in ten languages. With users from more than 200 countries and regions, we have become China's leading multi-lingual news outlet introducing the country to the outside world.

We are one of the country's authoritative outlets for government press releases and are authorized to cover various major events. "Live Webcast" is our online webcasting service to present State Council Information Office press conferences in both Chinese and English languages. We are reputed for timely and accurate delivery of news and information, and wide interactions with audiences. In addition, we are authorized to publish and live broadcast major events and press conferences of ministries, local government agencies and institutions as well as enterprises.

In the era of mobile internet, we endeavor to create an array of products for mobile devices headed by the multilingual WAP platform and the mobile APP. We also use Chinese and international social media to publish information for different user groups.

In the future, CIIC will continue to offer authoritative information about China, tell China's stories, voice China's opinions, and introduce a vivid, panoramic and multicultural China to the world through multi-language, multi-media and multi-platforms.

SOURCE China.org.cnBoth perceptions of home values and the appraisal values themselves are improving. Quicken Loans' National Home Value Index (HVI) reported 0.71 percent growth in May. Appraisal values rose even more on an annual basis, jumping 6.56 percent year-over-year.

Home Price Perception Index (HPPI)

In the heart of the spring real estate season, homeowners are increasingly understanding their home values. Nationally, appraisal values are an average of 0.34 percent higher than owners expected, according to the HPPI. A slight tick up from April's level, but a minuscule difference overall. While home value perceptions vary from city to city, more metro areas are experiencing appraisals that are actually higher than expected. This is the case in three quarters of the cities studied in the HPPI. Homeowners in San Jose, for example, are receiving appraisals that are an average of 2.82 percent higher than they expected. Homeowners in The Windy City, on the other hand, are receiving appraisals an average of 1.69 percent lower than what they estimated.

"Real estate is incredibly local, from style preferences to the direction of the market and everything in between," said Bill Banfield, Quicken Loans Executive Vice President of Capital Markets. "Our hope is that this report can help homeowners realize that national headlines don't always apply in their community. It's important homeowners talk to real estate or mortgage experts who have experience analyzing their community when they're thinking of selling, or utilizing their home's equity."

Home Value Index (HVI)

Home appraisal values rose 0.71 percent in May, according to the Quicken Loans HVI - the only measurement of home value changes based solely on appraisal data. Annually, home values posted healthy growth, increasing 6.56 percent year-over-year. The West was the only region to buck the trend of monthly gains  posting a 1.41 percent decline in value from April to May. All four regions analyzed show annual growth ranging from a 5.91 percent increase in the Midwest to an 8.42 percent jump in the Northeast.

"As we hit peak real estate season, the number of eager buyers continued to outpace the number of homes that were available, which has led to surges in appraisal values across the country and especially in the Northeast," Banfield said. "The only remedy is to accelerate the pace of construction to fill this need."



HVI May 2018 January 2005 =

100 HVI May 2018 vs. April 2018 % Change HVI May 2018 vs. May 2017 % Change HPPI May 2018 Appraiser Value

vs. Homeowner

Perception of

Value* HPPI May 2017 Appraiser Value

vs. Homeowner

Perception of

Value* National

Composite 108.86 +0.71% +6.56% -0.34% -1.93%

*A positive value represents appraiser opinions that are higher than homeowner perceptions. A negative value represents appraiser opinions that are lower than homeowner perceptions.

Geographic Regions HVI May 2018 January 2005 =

100 HVI May 2018 vs. April 2018 % Change HVI May 2018 vs. May 2017 % Change HPPI May 2018 Appraiser Value

vs. Homeowner

Perception of

Value* HPPI May 2017 Appraiser Value

vs. Homeowner

Perception of

Value* West 131.68 -1.41% +6.30% -0.13% -1.63% South 111.02 +1.05% +6.42% -0.37% -1.90% Midwest 89.96 +1.09% +5.91% -0.41% -1.97% Northeast 103.74 +4.33% +8.42% -0.49% -2.12%

*A positive value represents appraiser opinions that are higher than homeowner perceptions. A negative value represents appraiser opinions that are lower than homeowner perceptions.





Metropolitan Areas HPPI May 2018 Appraiser Value

vs. Homeowner

Perception of

Value* HPPI April 2018 Appraiser Value

vs. Homeowner

Perception of

Value* HPPI May 2017 Appraiser Value

vs. Homeowner

Perception of

Value* San Jose, CA +2.82% +2.75% +1.16% Boston, MA +2.41% +2.23% +0.64% Dallas, TX +2.35% +2.40% +2.48% Denver, CO +2.35% +2.22% +2.58% San Francisco, CA +2.25% +2.06% +1.21% Minneapolis, MN +1.91% +1.83% +0.36% Seattle, WA +1.88% +2.02% +1.38% Charlotte, NC +1.35% +1.22% +0.64% San Diego, CA +1.35% +1.40% +0.67% Kansas City, MO +1.20% +1.05% -0.12% Portland, OR +0.95% +0.81% +1.14% Sacramento, CA +0.95% +0.73% +0.45% Riverside, CA +0.93% +0.96% -0.18% Las Vegas, NV +0.92% +0.79% -0.20% Detroit, MI +0.82% +0.93% -0.99% Los Angeles, CA +0.78% +0.76% +0.90% New York, NY +0.77% +0.66% -1.88% Washington, D.C. +0.59% +0.52% -1.29% Miami, FL +0.44% +0.65% +0.62% Phoenix, AZ +0.32% +0.41% -0.13% Atlanta, GA +0.10% +0.07% -1.22% Tampa, FL -0.06% +0.31% -1.24% Houston, TX -1.08% -1.16% +0.40% Philadelphia, PA -1.28% -1.37% -3.32% Baltimore, MD -1.33% -1.17% -3.10% Cleveland, OH -1.49% -1.59% -2.46% Chicago, IL -1.69% -1.68% -2.62%

*A positive value represents appraiser opinions that are higher than homeowner perceptions. A negative value represents appraiser opinions that are lower than homeowner perceptions.

About the HPPI & HVI

The Quicken Loans HPPI represents the difference between appraisers' and homeowners' opinions of home values. The index compares the estimate that the homeowner supplies on a refinance mortgage application to the appraisal that is performed later in the mortgage process. This is an unprecedented report that gives a never-before-seen analysis of how homeowners are viewing the housing market. The HPPI national composite is determined by analyzing appraisal and homeowner estimates throughout the entire country, including data points from both inside and outside the metro areas specifically called out in the above report.

The Quicken Loans HVI is the only view of home value trends based solely on appraisal data from home purchases and mortgage refinances. This produces a wide data set and is focused on appraisals, one of the most important pieces of information to the mortgage process.

The HPPI and HVI are released on the second Tuesday of every month. Both of the reports are created with Quicken Loans' propriety mortgage data from the 50-state lenders' mortgage activity across all 3,000+ counties. The indexes are examined nationally, in four geographic regions and the HPPI is reported for 27 major metropolitan areas. All indexes, along with downloadable tables and graphs can be found at QuickenLoans.com/Indexes.

About Quicken Loans

Detroit-based Quicken Loans Inc. is the nation's largest home mortgage lender. The company closed more than $400 billion of mortgage volume across all 50 states from 2013 through 2017. Quicken Loans moved its headquarters to downtown Detroit in 2010. Today, Quicken Loans and its Family of Companies employ more than 17,000 full-time team members in Detroit's urban core. The company generates loan production from web centers located in Detroit, Cleveland and Phoenix. Quicken Loans also operates a centralized loan processing facility in Detroit, as well as its San Diego-based One Reverse Mortgage unit. Quicken Loans ranked highest in the country for customer satisfaction for primary mortgage origination by J.D. Power for the past eight consecutive years, 2010  2017, and also ranked highest in the country for customer satisfaction among all mortgage servicers the past four consecutive years, 2014  2017.

Quicken Loans was once again named to FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list in 2018 and has been included in the magazine's top 1/3rd of companies named to the list for the past 15 consecutive years. The company was also named the #1 place to work in technology in 2017 by Computerworld magazine's "100 Best Places to Work in IT," a recognition it has received 8 times in the past 12 years. In addition, Essence Magazine named Quicken Loans "#1 Place to Work in the Country for African Americans."

For more information and company news visit QuickenLoans.com/press-room.

SOURCE Quicken LoansALPHARETTA, Ga., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Join current and emerging agtech business leaders and investors at the AgTech Conference of the South, a premiere conference dedicated to the innovation, entrepreneurship and investment that is shaping the future of agriculture, taking place July 23-25, 2018. The inaugural event will feature 36 thought leaders from companies driving the industry's technological revolution, including Monsanto, Syngenta, Microsoft, Climate Corp, AGCO, Oracle, Cultura Technologies and many more.

Download the official AgTech Conference of the South app.

Attendees can take advantage of advance ticket pricing through June 30, 2018. The three-day conference will offer organic farm tours, three keynote speakers  Paul Bonnett, Digital Agriculture at Syngenta; Naveen Singla, Data Science Center of Excellence Lead at Monsanto; and Gary Black, Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture  panel discussions, breakout sessions, networking and a startup Pitch Off competition. To maximize the time at the conference, registered attendees are encouraged to download the conference app, available on iTunes and Google Play, to view the agenda, build their schedule, map out meeting locations and more.

Conference Quick Links

Program At-A-Glance: https://agtechsouth.com/schedule/



https://agtechsouth.com/schedule/ Online Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/agtech-conference-of-the-south-registration-36226240661



https://www.eventbrite.com/e/agtech-conference-of-the-south-registration-36226240661 Questions: https://agtechsouth.com/contact-us



https://agtechsouth.com/contact-us Location: The Hotel at Avalon; https://agtechsouth.com/hotel-travel/

The AgTech Conference of the South is brought to you by Tech Alpharetta, in partnership with the City of Alpharetta. Agtech business executives and leaders, investors, enterprise farmers, agtech startups, university faculty, government and other agtech enthusiasts will not want to miss this first-time conference and can register here. For information relating to sponsorship opportunities, visit www.agtechsouth.com.

About AgTech Conference of the South

The AgTech Conference of the South, Georgia's first event dedicated to the entrepreneurship, innovation and investment that is shaping the future of agriculture, will be held in Alpharetta, Georgia  the region's epicenter of technology-fueled entrepreneurship and investment. The conference is taking place July 23-25, 2018, at the new Alpharetta Conference Center. Led by Tech Alpharetta, with the support of the City of Alpharetta, the conference exemplifies Alpharetta's ongoing commitment to building a strong, vibrant and resilient economy throughout the region.

About Tech Alpharetta

Tech Alpharetta (previously the Alpharetta Technology Commission), the first organization of its kind in Georgia, was established in 2012 by the City of Alpharetta and is an independent, 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization today. The organization includes a strategic advisory board of Alpharetta's leading technology companies, a technology events pillar and the Tech Alpharetta Innovation Center, a flourishing incubator that is home to more than 45 local tech startups.

MEDIA CONTACT

Colleen Murphy

Trevelino/Keller

(404) 214-0722 Ext. 109

[email protected]

SOURCE AgTech Conference of the SouthNEW YORK and ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Renowned leadership expert, podcast host and author Dr. James Kelley, today announced the launch of his inaugural book, "The Crucible's Gift."

Written by Dr. James Kelley, an internationally recognized expert on the topic of leadership and host of the successful 'Executives After Hours' podcast, "The Crucible's Gift" helps aspiring leaders, established leaders, and everyday people who are in constant search of self-improvement navigate through adversity and uncertain times.

As part of his research process for "The Crucible's Gift," Dr. Kelley interviewed more than 140 executives and renowned business leaders, from Fortune 500 companies to entrepreneurs. Stories and vignettes in the book are told through the lens of 37 leaders who have thrived in adversity, and the key lessons learned from each story.

Addressing everything from how to become your best self, authenticity in leadership, personal and professional growth, eliminating excuses, and much more, "The Crucible's Gift" is a must-read for all aspiring leaders, professionals and everyday people who are simply trying to become the best version of themselves.

Dr. Kelley, who previously authored several recognized written works on the topic of leadership, is on a journey to help leaders turn their moments of adversity into opportunities for personal growth and improvement.

"The majority of us spend our working lives not being our best selves," said Dr. James Kelley, author of "The Crucible's Gift." "My inaugural book helps show that you can accomplish what is seemingly impossible by simply bringing a level of authenticity into your leadership journey. Today's worst situation may be tomorrow's greatest opportunity, and that is at the heart of 'The Crucible's Gift.'"

"The Crucible's Gift" is now available on Amazon and supporting materials are available at Dr. Kelley's official website www.DrJamesKelley.com. Dr. Kelley's website features a variety of content and multimedia all catered toward aspiring leaders and professionals, including blog content, an Authentic Leader's Hub, and archived interviews of Dr. Kelley's renowned leadership podcast 'Executives After Hours.'

Dr. Kelley has also announced plans to launch a summer book tour in the United States and Canada. It is a 49-day, 6,500-mile journey where, readers and fans are welcome to meet Dr. Kelley. They can follow the journey at www.drjameskelley.com\book-tour. Confirmed dates and locations for the summer book tour are as follows:

June 27 th : Narbeth Book Store , Philadelphia, PA

: , June 28 th : iHeart Radio Interview (Broadcast Details to Follow)

: iHeart Radio Interview (Broadcast Details to Follow) June 28 th: Head House Book Shop, Philadelphia, PA

Additionally, several locations from across the United States and Canada will be added in the coming days.

For more information on Dr. James Kelley, please visit www.DrJamesKelley.com

ABOUT DR. JAMES KELLEY

Who is Dr. James Kelley? He is a person that believes that life is short and being the best version of yourself is essential. Dr. Kelley discusses his thoughts on what the 'best self' looks like in his inaugural book: The Crucible's Gift: Five Lessons from Authentic Leaders Who Thrive in Adversity. The book is based on interviews from 140+ executives, from Fortune Two companies to entrepreneurs and everything in between. The book unpacks the journey a leader takes to become a more authentic leader, starting with their crucible moments as the springboard.

Dr. Kelley completed his Ph.D. in International Marketing at the University of Western Australia in Perth, Australia and ascended to higher education to work in Philadelphia. Dr. Kelley has spent time living in Japan, New York City, San Jose, Portland, and Chicago. At each stop Dr. Kelley added work, life, and failure in his bag of experiences.

Today, Dr. Kelley, his wife Mary, and their four kids live just outside of Dubai where he teaches, writes, and produces his bi-weekly podcast Executives After Hours. The podcast is predicated on interviewing executives about their personal journey. The show's motto, "I care about who you are, not what you do, because what you do defines who you are." In addition, Dr. Kelley is a professor of marketing at The United Arab Emirates University.

Media Contact: North 6th Agency, Inc. (N6A)

212.334.9753

[email protected]

SOURCE Dr. James Kelley

Related Links

https://www.drjameskelley.com

SPRINGVILLE, Utah, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Richmond American Homes of Utah, Inc., a subsidiary of M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MDC), is pleased to announce the opening of Miner's Grove in Springville, a new community featuring inspired floor plans at amazing prices from the popular Seasons Collection.

GRAND OPENING DETAILS:

Real estate agents and prospective homebuyers are invited to a Grand Opening event on June 23, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.featuring complimentary lunch and a tour of the community's brand-new model home.

ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY INFORMATION:

New homes from the low $300 ,000s

,000s Large homesites with ranch and two-story floor plans

3 to 6 bedrooms and up to approximately 2,660 square feet

Center-meet sliding patio doors included

Hundreds of personalization options at the Richmond American Home Gallery

No HOA (at this time)

MINER'S GROVE SALES CENTER:

749 West 1150 South, Springville, UT 84663  801.545.3429

About M.D.C. Holdings, Inc.

Operating under the name Richmond American Homes, MDC's homebuilding subsidiaries have built more than 195,000 homes since 1977. Among the nation's largest homebuilders, MDC's subsidiary companies have operations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Virginia and Washington. Mortgage lending, plus insurance and title services are offered by the following MDC subsidiaries, respectively: HomeAmerican Mortgage Corporation, American Home Insurance Agency, Inc. and American Home Title and Escrow Company. M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "MDC." For more information, visit MDCHoldings.com.

SOURCE M.D.C. Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

http://MDCHoldings.com

STAMFORD, Conn., June 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Rizing LLC, a privately held international company fully committed to providing leading SAP functional and technical services to its customers, announced today the acquisition of Aasonn LLC, an SAP SuccessFactors Professional Services Firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Aasonn joins /N SPRO, a leading SAP Human Capital Management (HCM), SAP SuccessFactors and SAP Retail services firm under the Rizing HCM business portfolio.

Mike Maiolo, CEO of Rizing, stated, "The acquisition of Aasonn begins our journey on an aggressive growth strategy both organically and through acquisitions with our new investment partner, One Equity Partners. Our objective is to grow service offerings to support SAP's initiatives around S/4HANA, Leonardo and Cloud solutions globally."

The completion of this acquisition further strengthens Rizing's global position in the SAP HCM and SAP SuccessFactors market. The combined entity of /N SPRO and Aasonn now has more Professionally Certified SAP SuccessFactors consultants worldwide than any other SAP SuccessFactors services firm, allowing increased delivery and greater expertise to customers.

Bill Carroll, CEO of Aasonn, said, "The acquisition directly brings increased delivery capability as well as strong skillsets in complimentary SAP services and offerings that each company independently did not provide. Combining /N SPRO and Aasonn provides significant value to our customers."

Luc Hedou, president of /N SPRO HCM, added, "By having a specialized partner with scale and a unique focus on SAP's HCM products, we provide more options to SAP and our customers. Our combined skills and specialized industry offerings make us the partner of choice to drive value for our customers."

Aasonn and /N SPRO are market leaders in North America with a focus on strong SAP SuccessFactors Certified Professionals as well as a robust and rapidly growing international business with broad offshoring capabilities in India. Aasonn will continue to operate under its current name and go to market as "Aasonn, a Rizing Company."

About Rizing LLC

Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, Rizing is a privately held international company that provides leading SAP functional and technical consulting services to its customers. Rizing is the parent company of Vesta Partners, a leading SAP EAM services firm (www.vestapartners.com); /N SPRO, a top SAP HCM, SAP SuccessFactors and SAP for Retail services firm (www.n-spro.com); and Aasonn, a prominent SAP SuccessFactors Services Firm (www.aasonn.com). The Rizing businesses provide leading specialty SAP consulting services through deep industry experience and a proprietary approach to service delivery and use of IP tools.

For more information, please visit www.Rizing.com or contact Rizing LLC at +1 (203) 517-0400, [email protected].

About One Equity Partners

OEP is a middle-market private equity firm with approximately $7 billion of assets under management focused on the industrial, healthcare and technology sectors in North America and Europe. The firm builds market-leading companies by identifying and executing transformative business combinations. OEP is a trusted partner with a differentiated investment process, a broad and senior team, and an established track record generating long-term value for its partners. Since 2001, the firm has completed more than 170 transactions worldwide. OEP, founded in 2001, spun out of JP Morgan in 2015. The firm has offices in New York, Chicago and Frankfurt. For more information, please visit www.oneequity.com.

Related Links

Rizing website

SOURCE Rizing LLC

Related Links

http://www.Rizing.com

Roaring Springs will allow guests of all ages to discover a hidden part of Florida full of unexpected adventure and thrills. Explorers will board a boat and gently drift along a crystal-clear spring surrounded by native landscape and wildlife. The journey takes a sudden turn when the elevation drops. Guests will feel a rush of adrenaline as they experience a 3-story splashdown. The less adventurous can also revel in a rip-roaring splash on Lookout Landing, the bridge overseeing the attraction.

The journey continues as guests get back to nature and see a hidden part of Florida that remains untouched - a Florida that requires no filter. The area will combine old Florida charm with a nod to the original Florida way of life. Explorers will catch a glimpse of black bears, alligators, panthers, Key deer and other native species as they trek along the winding Florida Trail.

Roaring Springs is a welcome and refreshing escape for the entire family from the Florida heat. The attraction is also the Zoo's largest expansion in ten years.

"Part of our mission is to create exceptional, personalized experiences that connect people with wildlife and each other in fun, immersive ways," said the Zoo's CEO, Joe Couceiro. "Roaring Springs will provide thrills for guests while the continued transformation of the Florida Region improves the Zoo's capacity to rescue threatened native wildlife throughout the state. With these enhancements, the evolution of the Zoo continues and gives our guests reasons to keep coming back."

The water adventure is set within the town of Roaring Springs featuring a traditional Country Store with Florida souvenirs and local novelties. Joe's Diner serves classic Florida favorites, including adult beverages and food options - from conch fritters to fish tacos to frozen rum drinks. Adults can indulge in these treats while kids enjoy the town's new play area.

The Zoo's family membership continues to provide Tampa's best values for the whole family for an entire year including previewing Roaring Springs, unlimited admission to the zoo, and all seasonal events for 12 full months from the date of purchase.

Guests who purchase memberships or admissions to the Zoo are helping support the Zoo's mission to protect and preserve wildlife. For more information on ticket pricing and benefits visit the website at zootampa.org/tickets.

Roaring Springs is made possible thanks to Pinch A Penny, Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners and FDOT.

Photos and video: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kal3k4jujhochs6/AAAej-iXdSdgDrCPUboeXbpia?dl=0

CONTACT: ZooTampa at Lowry Park

Andrea Alava, [email protected]

SOURCE ZooTampa at Lowry ParkBASEL, Switzerland and NEW YORK, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Roivant Sciences today announced that it will host its first annual Pipeline Day on Tuesday, July 10, 2018 in New York City. The event will feature presentations, fireside chats, and Q&A sessions from executives across the Roivant family of companies.

The event is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. ET and will continue until approximately 5:30 p.m. ET. Due to limited capacity, attendance is by invitation only but a live webcast will be available to interested parties. To request access to the webcast or to learn more about the event, please email [email protected].

About Roivant

Roivant Sciences is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on reducing the time and cost of the drug development process to improve the lives of patients and their families. Roivant partners with innovative companies and academic institutions to ensure that important medicines are rapidly developed and delivered to patients upon approval.

The Roivant family of companies includes Myovant (women's health), Axovant (neurology), Urovant (urology), Enzyvant (rare diseases), Dermavant (dermatology), Genevant (RNA therapeutics), Metavant (cardiometabolic diseases), Datavant (healthcare data), and Arbutus (hepatitis B).

Today there are 25 investigational drugs in 11 therapeutic areas being tested in over 50 clinical trials across the Roivant family of companies.

For more information, please visit www.roivant.com.

Related Links

www.roivant.com

SOURCE Roivant Sciences

Related Links

http://www.roivant.com

NEW YORK, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- E-commerce martech company, Rokt has released new research today revealing the best opportunity for engaging and appealing to consumers online is when they are already in the buying mindset. In a survey of over 4,000 consumers worldwide, 81% of US respondents said they are happiest online when shopping.

For years, brands have leveraged the concept of retail therapy, and now it has been proven that this concept converts to an even more powerful opportunity online  an opportunity to target consumers during a buying mindset coined The Transaction Moment  where both the mind and wallet are open.

The Happiest Place in Digital report, commissioned by Rokt, explores consumers' emotions when taking part in various digital activities, including shopping, social media, and search activity. Research results showed that US consumers are four times as likely to be at their happiest when completing a purchase than watching funny videos or connecting with friends on social platforms. In addition to being the happiest, consumers are by far their most engaged online when making a purchase. Consumers are 28% less likely to be multi-screening or multitasking when completing a purchase compared to when they are using social media.

Geoff Smith, CMO at Rokt, comments: "Actual consumer behavior on the Rokt platform supports that users are most engaged and receptive during the transaction - across more than a billion transactions, more than a third opted into an offer from another brand. The engagement, focus and sentiment, providing an ideal opportunity to setup the next transaction or introduce them to a complementary third-party brand."

Significant findings from the report include:

Happy (64%), excited (45%), and productive (44%) are the most common emotions linked with making a purchase online, and three times as many US consumers feel productive when making a purchase (44%) than on social media (15%). Conversely, more than four times as many people feel frustrated when using social media (13%) than shopping (3%), and 50% more people cite anxiety as a common feeling when on social platforms (18%) than completing a purchase (12%)

Attention spans are affected when thinking about multitasking and multi-screening, 71% undertake other activities like watching TV or socializing with friends while on social media, decreasing to 62% when researching online purchases, and down to 51% when completing a purchase

Almost twice as many people were happy to see their transaction was confirmed (43%) than when they research products (24%), suggesting more satisfaction is generated the further a consumer is through the purchase journey

After completing a transaction, 27% of users are open to offers from the same brand, 22% want to receive offers from new and undiscovered brands, and 20% express interest in signing up to loyalty programs showcasing the untapped opportunity to further engage with shoppers

Smith continued: "The opportunity that presents itself for brands to engage with consumers is significantly greater when they are in a buying state of mind, than search or social-based campaigns. This has been proven by our analytics, and confirmed by this research. We feel the Transaction Moment is the best opportunity in digital for brands to be introduced to and convert happy and engaged consumers."

The full global report can be found here

About Rokt:

Rokt sits at the intersection of digital marketing and e-commerce, and connects brands with the right consumers when they are in a buying state of mind. Using data-driven insights to reach potential customers at the crucial Transaction Moment, Rokt's pioneering technology and groundbreaking algorithms empower action-led marketing. This allows brands to start lifelong relationships with engaged, receptive consumers and delivers smarter monetization opportunities for e-commerce sites.

Rokt's premium marketplace of e-commerce partners includes major global brands such as eBay and Ticketmaster, offering brands access to 140 million transactions per month.

About the Happiest Moment in Digital report:

The overall aim of the Happiest Moment in Digital report was to investigate the emotions and engagement consumers experience when buying online, along with other digital activities. Specifically, the study set out to establish whether the Transaction Moment surpasses other key interactions as the happiest place in digital, and if so, what this means for marketers.

Methodology:

The Happiest Place in Digital Marketing study was conducted in May 2018 using an online survey. To ensure accurate national representation, the survey was completed by a sample of 4,198 UK, US, German, and Australian adult consumers aged over 18, weighted by age, gender, and region. After collating and analyzing resulting data, global averages were taken to identify wider trends and enable comparison with regional findings.

SOURCE Rokt

Related Links

https://rokt.com

Rose Palhares is the fashion designer in charge of the only space dedicated to fashion at the major event of international television. Set to take place in Monaco on June 15-19, the 58th edition of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival is at the forefront in showcasing the highly talented actors and actresses associated with many of the most successful programs and series of global television channels.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/704358/Rose_Palhares.jpg )



Originally created by Prince Rainier III of Monaco, and now under the Honorary Presidency of Prince Albert II of Monaco, the Festival has, for more than half a century, presented the very best of television from around the world. Celebrities, producers, directors, writers and heads of studios, networks and digital platforms gather in June every year to attend series launches, premier screenings, conferences, press activities, public events, VIP meetings and signing sessions.

Attending for the first time, Rose Palhares will present, at the 58th Monte-Carlo Television Festival, a collection of dresses for global female actresses of television networks who are nominees in each category.

Rose Palhares, General-Director and founder of the brand with her name, highlights: "The collection I have designed sees the independent, elegant, sophisticated and resistant Woman. Consequently, my garments must highlight such identity coherence through the lace, fabric print, organza and African fabrics."

Born in Angola and also holding the Portuguese nationality, Rose Palhares has a degree in fashion design from a university in Brazil, and has received many awards: Creator of the year at Moda Luanda (2017 and 2013), described by Vogue Italy (2016) as Most Interesting Designer. She was distinguished as Fashion Diva of Angola (2017), International Designer of the Year at the Angola Fashion Week 2015, Woman of Merit by the GMA-Grupo das Mulheres Africanas (African Woman Group) and "one of five designers to follow closely in the years ahead" by Elle South Africa (2016).

Present in Portugal (Lisbon) and Angola (Luanda), the brand Rose Palhares features tailor-made fashion and ready-made clothing.

More information

http://www.rosepalhares.com | https://www.facebook.com/RosePalhares/ |http://www.instagram.com/rosepalhares/?hl=pt

SOURCE Rose Palhares Unipessoal, Lda"I have admired Sabra's trajectory and am eager to work with this talented team to grow a category with massive potential," said Mr. Harpaz. "Hummus first captured the attention of U.S. consumers approximately 10 years ago with Sabra ushering its introduction. Today, many U.S. consumers have already discovered hummus as a dip, and that has been the driving force behind the success of the category to date."

"Now, we are witnessing the emergence of the next wave of hummus in the U.S.," continued Mr. Harpaz. "At its origin, hummus is more than a dip and can be the base for a delicious meal. Hummus is gaining momentum globally as a delicious feel good-food, one that delivers on taste and empowers you to feel great about having made a good choice. Chefs in some of the food scene's trendiest spots are embracing plant-based hummus, placing it on the menu as starter or entree and at home, consumers are beginning to adopt new behaviors as well. We recognize and welcome the emergence of the next groundswell of hummus consumption in the U.S. and, as the category leader, we are eager to propel it further."

According to IRI, the U.S. fresh dips category is estimated at $2.15 billion, excluding food service and some club stores. Hummus represents more than 37 percent of the fresh dips category. Sabra, which operates as a joint venture between PepsiCo and Strauss Group in North America, maintains an approximate 60 percent market share in the U.S. and offers more than a dozen varieties of hummus and on-the-go offerings nationally.

For the past four years, Mr. Harpaz, who has a visionary and entrepreneurial approach to management, served as CEO of Strauss Coffee (one of the largest coffee companies in the world). Under his leadership, Strauss Coffee delivered record-high historical performance in growth and profit while introducing significant global acquisitions, innovations and sustainability initiatives. Mr. Harpaz will oversee both Sabra and Obela, another joint venture between PepsiCo and the Strauss Group that sells fresh-tasting dips and spreads outside North America.

Prior to joining Strauss Coffee in 2010, Mr. Harpaz, served as a member of Strauss Group's management team and as EVP Strategy, Business Development and Technology. There, he established The Kitchen FoodTech Hub and Alpha Strauss, food and tech incubator think tanks. Previously, Mr. Harpaz served as CEO of the management consulting firm P.O.C., specializing in developing growth strategies across range of industries. He has also been CEO of ARA Minerals and was Co-founder and Chairman of Re:bar Ltd, an innovative fresh healthy drink chain. He holds an LL.B. from the University of East Anglia and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Hull.

Mr. Harpaz replaces Shali Shalit-Shoval who recently returned home to family overseas after five years with the company.

About Sabra Dipping Company, LLC

Sabra makes America's best-selling hummus. We believe in the power of deliciously nourishing food to help you feel good at home, on-the-go and with those you love. Sabra hummus is a simple feel-good food that starts with fresh chickpeas, tahini, a touch of garlic and all the flavor of plant-based ingredients. Sabra hummus is made with chickpeas grown by family farmers in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. With more than a dozen varieties of hummus to make mindful eating as simple as it is flavorful, Sabra's range includes items that are non-GMO, vegetarian, organic, gluten-free, kosher and vegan and can be found nationwide in club stores, supermarkets, specialty retailers, through food service and at online retailers.

Sabra proudly dedicates time, energy and resources to the communities in which it operates and in 2016 introduced Plants with a Purpose, an initiative aimed at reducing the impact of food deserts through improved education and access to fresh produce in underserved neighborhoods. Sabra, headquartered in NY, has gained recognition for its commitment to the environment. Sabra's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chesterfield County, VA has earned Gold certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED certification program. Sabra is a joint venture between PepsiCo and Strauss Group that sells dips and spreads in North America.

Find Sabra at www.sabra.com, www.youtube.com/sabra, www.facebook.com/sabra, www.instagram.com/sabra, www.twitter.com/sabra and www.pinterest.com/sabradips.

About Obela

Obela is a global brand of dips and spreads that is owned by a joint venture between PepsiCo and Strauss Group. Obela is sold outside North America.

SOURCE Sabra Dipping Company, LLC

Related Links

http://www.sabra.com

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cedar Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: CDR) announced today that the Company's Board of Directors has elected Sabrina L. Kanner as an independent director. Ms. Kanner's election to the Board will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Senator Paul G. Kirk, Jr. from the Board effective as of the Company's annual meeting on May 2, 2018. The Company's Board of Directors has determined that Ms. Kanner is independent under all applicable federal and stock exchange standards and has appointed Ms. Kanner to serve as a member of the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee and the Compensation Committee. Ms. Kanner's term will run until the 2019 annual meeting of stockholders of the Company and until her successor is duly elected and qualified.

Ms. Kanner is the current Executive Vice President, Design & Construction of Brookfield Properties (USA II) LLC and has responsibility for design and construction activities in Brookfield's U.S. properties and development sites. Ms. Kanner has held various positions at Brookfield Properties and its predecessor company over the past 36 years, and has most recently grown the company's design and construction platform to support the company's expansion into multi-family development and headed the design and construction of major development and redevelopment projects in the U.S. Ms. Kanner also currently serves on the board of Opus Holding LLC, a privately held company that provides development, design and construction services across asset classes to clients with operations in the Midwest and Southwest. Ms. Kanner is a cum laude graduate of Union College with a B.A. in English.

"We are honored to welcome Sabrina Kanner to our Board of Directors," commented Bruce Schanzer, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We believe Cedar will greatly benefit from her expertise in large-scale urban redevelopment projects and specialized industry knowledge. Ms. Kanner's appointment will complement and enhance our Board's breadth of experience and we feel truly fortunate to welcome her into our ranks."

About Cedar Realty Trust

Cedar Realty Trust, Inc. is a fully-integrated real estate investment trust which focuses on the ownership, operation and redevelopment of grocery-anchored shopping centers in high-density urban markets from Washington, D.C. to Boston. The Company's portfolio (excluding properties treated as "held for sale") comprises 59 properties, with approximately 8.7 million square feet of gross leasable area.

For additional financial and descriptive information on the Company, its operations and its portfolio, please refer to the Company's website at www.cedarrealtytrust.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements made in this press release that are not strictly historical are "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 statements include, among other things, the Company's expectations regarding the appointment of Ms. Kanner as a member of the Company's Board of Directors, Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee and the Compensation Committee. These statements are made as of the date hereof, are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, many of which are out of the Company's and its management's control and difficult to forecast, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these risks are described under the headings "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" as included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 and its other periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are accessible on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no, and hereby disclaims any, obligation to update any of the foregoing or any other forward-looking statements as a result of new information or new or future developments, except as otherwise required by law.

SOURCE Cedar Realty Trust, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.cedarrealtytrust.com

LONDON, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the global leader in CRM, plans to invest more than $2.5 billion over the next five years to fuel the growth of its UK business. The company is making the announcement ahead of participating in Prime Minister May's Tech Investment Roundtable hosted at 10 Downing Street.

Salesforce is experiencing rapid growth in the UK. Salesforce is the #1 Customer Experience and Customer Relationship Management market share leader worldwide and the #1 Customer Experience and Customer Relationship Management in the UK based on 2017 total software revenue, according to Gartner1. As part of this investment, Salesforce plans to increase headcount, data centre capacity and office space to support its rapidly growing customer base in the country.

"The UK is Salesforce's largest market in Europe and our commitment to driving growth, innovation and customer success in the region has never been stronger," said Marc Benioff, Chairman and CEO, Salesforce. "With this significant investment, we are well positioned to pursue the incredible opportunity for Salesforce, our customers and partners in the British market."

Prime Minister Theresa May said: "Salesforce offers a wonderful example of the benefits a successful technology company can bring to the UK economy, and I welcome their continued investment which will create interesting and high-skilled jobs for our workforce. The UK is already home to some of the world's most innovative technology companies, and we will continue to drive investment in the sector through our modern Industrial Strategy."

A Trusted Partner for British Businesses

In addition to being the #1 Customer Experience and Customer Relationship Management provider in the UK, Salesforce is also the fastest growing among the three largest enterprise software vendors2 in the region according to Gartner Inc.'s May 2018 Market Share: Enterprise Application Software, Worldwide, 2017 market share report, based on 2017 total software revenue.

Leading British companies of all sizes including Addison Lee, Aston Martin, British Airways, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Funding Circle, The Nottingham and Rated People use Salesforce to power their digital transformations and connect with their customers in a whole new way across sales, service, marketing, commerce and more.

"Salesforce has been a trusted partner for the digital transformation of our Contact Centre, which helped accelerate productivity and engagement across our teams," said Tony Ackroyd, Director of Operations & Customer Services, DVLA. "With Salesforce, we are able to deliver a leading experience to millions of drivers and vehicle owners across the UK and drive ongoing innovation across our customer service teams."

Growing UK Presence

Today's news follows other recent Salesforce UK investment announcements. Last month the company opened its first European Salesforce Innovation Centre in Salesforce Tower London. The Salesforce Innovation Centre offers an immersive environment where companies can understand how to drive the digital transformation required to connect with customers in new and intelligent ways by leveraging cloud, social, mobile, AI and connected products with IoT.

With the opening of the new space, Salesforce is now operating across nine floors in Salesforce Tower London, with plans to open a new 'Ohana Floor' by the end of 2019. The Ohana Floor will offer a unique hospitality and networking space for employees and customers to foster collaboration and will be available to nonprofits on weeknights and weekends to host their own community events.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "London is a global leader for technology innovation. Salesforce's continued investment and growth in London demonstrates the strength of our city's tech sector and its attractiveness to major international tech businesses. It also shows that London is very much open to international talent and investment."

Salesforce also recently announced plans to expand its data centre capacity with a second UK data centre in 2019. The company's increased office space and infrastructure capacity will further support the company's rapidly growing base of customers in the region.

In April, Salesforce was named the #3 Great Place to Work in the UK, the company's fourth year on the list. Salesforce has also been named one of the best places to work by Glassdoor UK in 2018, highlighting the company's focus on its employees, values and culture.

Salesforce Ecosystem Fuelling UK Economic Growth

Salesforce continues to foster British innovation through Salesforce Ventures' $100 million EMEA Fund. In the UK, Salesforce Ventures has invested in several companies driving technology innovation including Onfido, DigitalGenius, Qubit and NewVoiceMedia. Salesforce Accelerate - a four-month accelerator programme designed to provide learning and support for startups and accelerate their time-to-market with the Salesforce AppExchange - is also taking place this summer, coming to EMEA for the first time.

Salesforce and its ecosystem of customers and partners in the UK is expected to generate more than $65 billion of net new business revenues by 2022. It's also expected to create more than 329,000 direct and indirect jobs in the same timeframe, according to research by IDC3.

Additionally, Salesforce Trailblazers in the UK have earned more than 250,000 badges on Trailhead - the company's free, gamified online learning platform - acquiring the skills needed to succeed in today's technology-driven economy and be a part of Salesforce's flourishing ecosystem.

Salesforce's Commitment to Giving Back in the UK

Salesforce.org leverages Salesforce's technology, people and resources to give back to communities around the world. In the UK, Salesforce employees are committing to volunteer 50,000 hours in their local communities in 2018. To date, UK employees have volunteered more than 166,000 hours working on local projects, including STEMettes, School 21 and Apps for Good. More than 2,900 British nonprofits, including Homeless Link, Great Ormond Street Hospital and Unseen, use Salesforce for free or at a discounted rate.

Salesforce.org has also donated more than $1.5 million in grants to the UK community, with a focus on workforce development and STEM education programmes, including Apps for Good, STEMettes and School 21. Most recently, Salesforce.org has supported The Duke of York Inspiring Digital Enterprise Awards (iDEA) with strategic grants to develop and expand its digital learning platform, helping young people of all ages with free online learning that is designed to boost current and future employability. Since launching in 2017, the platform has had more than 60,000 learners who have completed around 360,000 digital badges across 40 countries, including the UK.

Additional Information

Like Salesforce on Facebook: http://facebook.com/salesforce

Follow @salesforce on Twitter: http://twitter.com/salesforce

Read the Salesforce blog: https://www.salesforce.com/uk/blog

About Salesforce

Salesforce, the global CRM leader, empowers companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com.

About Salesforce.org

Salesforce.org was founded on the idea that the business of business is improving the state of the world. Founded on the 1-1-1 model, Salesforce.org is now both a non-profit and a social enterprise that gives back to the community to invest in education to make sure youth are future ready.

Everyone who wants to change the world should have the tools and technology to do so. Technology is the most powerful equalizer of our time, providing access to data, knowledge, and--above all--connections. Salesforce.org gets our technology in the hands of nonprofits, education institutions and philanthropic organizations so they can connect with others and do more good. As a social enterprise, the more missions our technology supports, the more we invest back into technology and communities, creating an endless circle of good. We're here to help; visit us at Salesforce.org.









1 Source: Gartner, Market Share: Enterprise Application Software, Worldwide, 2017, 5.30.18 2 Source: Gartner, Market Share: Enterprise Application Software, Worldwide, 2017, 5.30.18 3 Source: IDC White Paper sponsored by Salesforce, "The Salesforce Economy Forecast: 3.3 Million New Jobs and $859 Billion New Business Revenues to Be Created from 2016 to 2022," IDC #US43158917, October 2017.

SOURCE Salesforce

Related Links

https://www.salesforce.com

SAN FRANCISCO, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP) Project, which delivers a unified platform for end-to-end, closed-loop network automation, today announced the availability of ONAP Beijing, its second software release. The Beijing release accelerates ease of ONAP deployment for modern network operators and comes as more leading global service providers commit to enhancing open source networking. LFNetworking a Linux Foundation entity that brings together six top networking projects (including ONAP) to increase harmonization across platforms, communities and ecosystems now enables more than 65 percent of the world's mobile subscribers, as well as major global enterprises and cloud providers serving hundreds of millions of customers.

"We are delighted to announce the availability of ONAP's second release, Beijing, which advances the architecture, seven dimensions of deployability, and new automation functionality," said Arpit Joshipura, General Manager of Networking, The Linux Foundation. "As a community, we celebrate the progress the Beijing release brings to the ecosystem and look forward to additional deployments of the platform."

With ONAP's Beijing release, the developer community has focused closely on new platform and process enhancements to ensure scalability, security, stability and performance in support of real-world deployments. The release also evolves the platform toward container-based implementations, and provides robust documentation and training for Virtual Network Functions (VNF) developers, service designers, and operations managers. Leading developers from solution providers, vendors and system integrators globally have laid the foundations of a robust commercial ecosystem.

"The Beijing release ushers in the next phase of ONAP," said Mazin Gilbert, ONAP Technical Steering Committee (TSC) Chair, and Vice President, Advanced Technology, AT&T Labs. "The technical enhancements in this release focus on enhancing the stability and deployability of the platform. In addition, the community has focused on supporting users in their adoption journey with the delivery of several new GettingStarted guides as well as online and in-person introductory training options. Together with the community, we are further establishing ONAP as the defacto standard for automation."

Specific platform and feature enhancements of the Beijing release include:

Architecture:

ONAP Operations Manager supports the migration to microservices-based deployments on Kubernetes



ONAP has collaborated with MEF and TMForum on external APIs, ensuring those frameworks and APIs can communicate seamlessly with the ONAP platform.

Deployability:

Starting with the Beijing release, the ONAP development process measures improvements in seven key operational parameters (Usability, Security, Manageability, Stability, Scalability, Performance and Resiliency) for each platform module.

release, the ONAP development process measures improvements in seven key operational parameters (Usability, Security, Manageability, Stability, Scalability, Performance and Resiliency) for each platform module.

The Beijing release brings advanced platform stability and resiliency based on deployment of of the ONAP OperationsManager (OOM) and the Multi-Site State Coordination Service (MUSIC) projects.

release brings advanced platform stability and resiliency based on deployment of of the ONAP OperationsManager (OOM) and the Multi-Site State Coordination Service (MUSIC) projects.

ONAP OOM enables ONAP modules to be run on Kubernetes, contributing to availability, resilience, scalability and more for ONAP deployments and sets the stage for full implementation of a microservices architecture, expected with the third release, Casablanca .

.



MUSIC is an optional new solution for state management of ONAP components across geographically distributed sites, ensuring federated active-active operation without degrading performance, reliability and availability.



As security is a key element of the CI framework, the Project has adopted CII (Core Infrastructure Initiative) badging as part of its release requirements. CII is a project managed by The Linux Foundation that collaboratively works to improve the security and resilience of critical open source projects.

Functional Enhancements - Blueprint Enrichment

The residential vCPE blueprint has been enriched with change management and policy-driven workload placement features that include hardware platform awareness (HPA).



Network service scaling to meet traffic needs is a fundamental NFV value proposition. VNF Manual Scaleout is also supported on vLB via APPC and Policy with LCM based Manual Scale Out.

Ecosystem Expansion:

The open source community is rapidly organizing to ensure the technology, tools and services are in place to support rapid adoption.

VNF integration: With the Beijing release, the ONAP community worked closely with the OPNFV Verified Program (OVP), which simplifies adoption in commercial NFV products and establishes an industry threshold based on OPNFV capabilities and test cases, to coordinate integrations via the ONAP VNFSDK and ONAP VNF Validation Program (VVP) components.

With the release, the ONAP community worked closely with the OPNFV Verified Program (OVP), which simplifies adoption in commercial NFV products and establishes an industry threshold based on OPNFV capabilities and test cases, to coordinate integrations via the ONAP VNFSDK and ONAP VNF Validation Program (VVP) components. Documentation and training:

New startup and operations guides for users



Design guides and API and SDK documentation for service designers and VNF developers



Online training: Free introductory courses on Open Source Networking Technologies and ONAP as well as more in-depth, paid ONAP Fundamentals training



Community-led best-practices webinars

Real-World Use

Organizations spanning every aspect of the ecosystem (vendors, telecommunication providers, cable and cloud operators, NFV vendors and solution providers) continue to leverage ONAP for commercial products and services. The Beijing release code is being integrated into new and existing proofs of concept and production deployment plans for large global carriers like AT&T, Bell Canada , China Mobile, China Telecom, Orange, Reliance Jio, Verizon, Vodafone, Turk Telecom, among others. And major leading vendors are building products and solutions on the ONAP platform.

Fore more details on the ONAP Beijing release, please visit https://onap.readthedocs.io/en/latest/release/index.html.

ONAP Developer Forum

The ONAP project is hosting a developer forum in preparation of the third release, Casablanca (coming this summer), which will take place in Beijing, China, June 19-22, 2018. Additional details and registration details can be found here.

About the Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is the organization of choice for the world's top developers and companies to build ecosystems that accelerate open technology development and commercial adoption. Together with the worldwide open source community, it is solving the hardest technology problems by creating the largest shared technology investment in history. Founded in 2000, The Linux Foundation today provides tools, training and events to scale any open source project, which together deliver an economic impact not achievable by any one company. More information can be found at www.linuxfoundation.org.

The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see our trademark usage page: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Additional Resources

Download ONAP Beijing

Architecture Overview

Getting Started Guide

OOM Solution Brief

VoLTE Solution Brief

vCPE Solution Brief

Related videos

ONAP Blog

Join as a Member

Media Contact

Jill Lovato

The Linux Foundation

[email protected]

Comments From Organizations Deploying ONAP

"As one of the founding creators of and leading code contributors to ONAP, we're thrilled to see this strong and growing developer ecosystem continue to advance the platform," said Chris Rice, LF Networking Board Chairman and Senior Vice President of Domain 2.0 Architecture and Design at AT&T. "All service providers and network operators will benefit from the second software release, Beijing, which is focused closely on enhancing the platform to ensure scalability, security, stability and performance in support of real world deployments. As the 5G era approaches, software-centric network automation will be key to meeting customer expectations and driving new capabilities into the network."

"China Mobile is committed to implementing network transformation technology innovation based on the ONAP open source community. We are very pleased to see that after the basic functional verification of the Amsterdam version of the core network virtualization business scenario, the community version of Beijing has been enhanced with respect to stability, reliability, and security," said Yachen Wang, Deputy General Manager, AI and Intelligent Operation R&D Center, Network and IT Technology Department, China Mobile. "We will select core modules based on the Beijing version to conduct customized product R&D for key CMCC application scenarios. At the same time, we will continue to invest resources in supporting community work. In particular, the jointly-developed SDN and NFV-enabled cloud network collaborative orchestration business scenarios to enhance functionality and verification, contributing to the widespread deployment of ONAP."

"As a platinum member, China Telecom has witnessed and participated in the successful deployment of ONAP's Amsterdam release. Thanks to member collaboration, the Beijing release is now available and includes progress in Security, Stability, Scalability and Performance," said Dr. Sun Qiong, SDN Technology R&D Center Director of China Telecom Beijing Research Inst., and LFN Board member, China Telecom. "Based on the ONAP Architectural Principles, Beijing will accelerate the policy-driven orchestration and automation of physical and virtual network functions, and expand the platform's maturity. China Telecom has endeavored and will continuously work hard together with other LFN members to to develop the top global automation platform in a software-defined, virtualized era."

"The ONAP Beijing release brings the maturity of the platform to a new stage, providing a very good reference for carrier network transformation and service automation," said Dr. Xiongyan Tang, chief scientist, China Unicom Network Technology Research Institute. "As an innovative leader in China's telecommunications industry, China Unicom has always been committed to uniting industry partners, accelerating network innovation, enabling business development and prospering the whole industry ecosystem. We will continue to participate in developer activities within the LFN community and within our network, to help enable growth across the industry."

Mats Karlsson, Head of solution area OSS at Ericsson says "Ericsson is one of the leading promoters of open source ecosystem, accelerating the adoption and industry alignment in key technology areas including ONAP and ETSI  NFV alignment to benefit customers and partners. As part of Ericsson's collaboration and deep involvement in many open source projects, we see automation with orchestration playing a vital role in the evolution of 5G networks. ONAP is a key enabler of 5G evolution bringing automation based on analytics, policy and orchestration across legacy & hybrid cloud environments. The Beijing release takes substantial step forward in platform security, scalability, stability, enhanced exposure capabilities, and deployable on both virtual machine and container/kubernetes infrastructures. This release also demonstrated Virtual CPE and Virtual VoLTE use cases."

"The ONAP Beijing Release focuses on increasing the stability, reliability, security and performance of the platform, it is a key milestone for ONAP's commercial deployment," said Bill Ren, vice president, Network & Industry Ecosystem Development, Huawei. "With 5G and network cloudification, automation and intelligence are more important to the telecommunications industry than ever before. Because of its advanced architecture and concepts, Huawei believes that ONAP is an industry platform more suitable for global operator network automation, but ONAP's maturity requires more consensus and collaboration in the upstream and downstream in the industries. Huawei will work with its carrier partners to conduct a joint POC of the 2B service scenario based on the Beijing Release, and promote ONAP to commercial deployment as soon as possible."

"Netsia is fully committed to ONAP and actively participating in the OSAM project for the Casablanca release," said Bora Eliacik, VP of Engineering, Netsia. "We intend to take this into production at a leading service provider in Turkey."

Marc Rouanne, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, says: "As top 10 contributor to the Beijing release, Nokia is an active member in the ONAP community and we continue to collaborate with community members to advance standard interfaces and system modularity in support of our customers' varying needs. Integration with external controllers represents a significant step forward for an open and expandable automation platform, and is a key result of this collaboration. Nokia also supports recent ONAP directions towards virtual and physical network and service operations automation. Comprehensive automation strategies are critical for fast moving, hybrid network, digital services environments."

"Designed using best-in-class micro-service architecture and following the best practice criteria for open source software, the ONAP Beijing Release provides a reliable and operable platform. It includes a set of powerful VNF packaging and validation tools that provides a common framework, easing VNF on-boarding and reducing the integration load," said Emmanuel Lugagne Delpon, Senior Vice President of Orange Labs Networks. "Aligned with the internal network transformation program towards network softwaritisation, Orange is very active in the community with 20+ contributors for the Beijing Release. Orange developed 3 APIs aligned with TMF to facilitate integration within existing IT and BSS applications: External API/NorthBound Interface for service order, catalogue and inventory. To promote ONAP usage and to provide more testing capabilities, Orange proposes an Openlab platform used by 70+ users (from operators, vendors and academic) to demonstrate the full ONAP framework capabilities and to share results with the community."

"We are excited to see the growing ONAP developer community and the strong interest from leading Communication Service Providers (CSPs) across the globe," said Arunmozhi Balasubramanian, Senior VP, Network Services  Solutions & Strategy, Tech Mahindra. "Tech Mahindra is among the top five contributors of ONAP. Tech Mahindra is executing a number of ONAP PoCs (Proof of Concepts) with leading CSPs across Americas, Europe and ANZ (Australia and New Zealand). The Beijing release provides support for PNFs (Physical Network Functions) which paves the way for easier migration to next- gen service management. ONAP enables CSPs to realize the much needed Service Agility and Hyper Automation for their networks."

SOURCE ONAP

Related Links

https://www.onap.org

BOSTON, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Seniorlink, Inc., a leading tech-enabled health services company, is thrilled to announce that its public service announcement video My Wish  An Alzheimer's Story, won the 2018 New England Emmy for Outstanding Community/Public Service (PSAS) Single Spot.

In November 2017, in honor of National Family Caregivers Month, Seniorlink, launched its second annual Thank You Caregiver Nation campaign, an initiative to acknowledge and honor the commitment of the 15 million family caregivers in the U.S. who are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's Disease or a related dementia. The campaign focused specifically on caregivers supporting family members suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias. Through the efforts of these family caregivers, loved ones can remain in the community instead of living in an institution.

To help raise awareness of this important issue, Seniorlink worked with Parallax Productions and Mechanica to share the story of Pam Montana, a woman diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's, and Bob, her husband and caregiver, in the My Wish video (youtu.be/FhzczzyN1T8). Since her diagnosis, Pam has dedicated herself to supporting efforts to find a cure for Alzheimer's through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for the millions of individuals who are afflicted with the disease; and to try to find ways to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. As part of her efforts, Pam serves on the Board of Directors of the National Alzheimer's Association.

Seniorlink also supports Alzheimer's and dementia caregivers through a Facebook group (www.caregivernation.org). The private group, with more than 3,000 members, invites caregivers to connect with fellow caregivers, share experiences and challenges, and motivate each other through the challenges of caregiving.

"The work of family caregivers can be unrelenting, and particularly stressful, when caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's Disease or dementia. Thank You Caregiver Nation is our small way of recognizing and supporting family caregivers for the work that they do every day," said Seniorlink President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Riley. "We are honored that our My Wish video received an Emmy, and hope that this recognition will help raise more awareness for Alzheimer's and dementia diseases, as well as for family caregivers nationwide."

The New England Emmys were held on June 2, 2018 and are awarded by the Boston/New England chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

More information about Seniorlink can be found at www.seniorlink.com. More information about the New England Emmys can be found at newenglandemmy.org.

About Seniorlink

Seniorlink is a tech-enabled health services company that transforms care management at home through care collaboration solutions. The company serves patients and caregivers by partnering with risk-bearing provider and payer organizations to augment existing care management capabilities through solutions that leverage human touch and technology. Seniorlink's team of compassionate, experienced professionals uses a proprietary platform, Vela, to encourage real-time collaboration among the extended care team that results in better outcomes at a lower cost. Backed by nearly two decades of care expertise, Seniorlink leads the way on delivering high quality care. Seniorlink's Caregiver Homes Network is the first Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) provider in the U.S. to receive National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Case Management Accreditation with Long Term Services and Support Distinction. More information about Seniorlink can be found at www.seniorlink.com.

SOURCE Seniorlink

Related Links

http://www.seniorlink.com

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Solar FlexRack, a division of Northern States Metals and an innovative leader in photovoltaic mounting and solar tracker solutions, has completed shipments of its G3-X fixed tilt racking system to Brantley solar farm, a large-scale solar project in North Carolina. The 71 MWdc project, which is about 30 miles east of Raleigh, was developed and is currently being built by Cypress Creek Renewables, a leading national solar developer, builder and operator.

Brantley Solar Project in North Carolina is being installed with high-quality Solar FlexRack G3-X racking. The solar plant will generate enough electricity to power over 8,000 homes.

Steve Daniel, Executive Vice President of Solar FlexRack said, "We are extremely pleased to have been selected to supply this project. Cypress Creek Renewables has been instrumental in supporting the growth of the solar industry in North Carolina, generating jobs for communities, and providing passive income opportunities for landowners. As long-term solar project owners and operators, they care about the quality of the systems they install which resonates with our values as a quality-driven organization."

Solar FlexRack's solar tracking and racking facilities located in Youngstown, Ohio employ hundreds of people. More than 5,200 tons of North American sourced steel went into the racking technology manufactured for Cypress Creek's Brantley solar farm.

"The Solar FlexRack team brings a deep level of solar expertise, ensuring projects are constructed without issues," said Matthew McGovern, CEO of Cypress Creek Renewables. "We are pleased to be working with Solar FlexRack to supply our Brantley project with American-made components widely recognized across the industry for their quality."

Solar FlexRack offers solar tracking and racking solutions for crystalline and thin film modules. The selection and quality of their products provide a wider choice for solar project engineers to design optimal performance in their solar systems. Learn more at http://solarflexrack.com/expanding-solar-tracker-mounting-solutions-to-boost-project-energy-yields/.

About Solar FlexRack

Solar FlexRack, a division of Northern States Metals, is an integrated solar company that offers custom-designed, fixed tilt ground mount and single-axis solar tracker systems in the commercial and utility scale solar mounting industry. Solar FlexRack also offers full turnkey packages, including engineering, geotechnical, pullout testing, field, layout, and installation services, to address the actual site conditions of an installation, providing a full scope of services from design to delivery and installation. Solar FlexRack has completed 1.8 GW of solar racking installations in 40 states across America and five countries globally. For more information, go to www.solarflexrack.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About Cypress Creek Renewables

Cypress Creek Renewables believes solar energy makes the world safer, cleaner and better. Our team solves problems to successfully develop, build and operate solar facilities across the United States. With more than 2.3gigawatts solar energy deployed in more than a dozen states, Cypress Creek Renewables is one of the country's leading solar companies. To learn more visit ccrenew.com.

Solar FlexRack media inquiries, please contact:

Staci Lombardo

[email protected]

330-799-1855

SOURCE Solar FlexRack

Related Links

http://solarflexrack.com

CHICAGO, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Shingles vaccination is now nearly twice as effective as the previous protocol and available to patients 10 years younger than before, enabling largescale prevention of a painful, common condition. Adoption of the new standard of care could vastly reduce the one million annual cases of the disease, according to osteopathic physicians.

Almost one in three Americans will be afflicted with shingles in their lifetime.i Shingles is a painful potentially debilitating illness that is only preventable through vaccination according to the CDC. In 2016, researchers found only 33 percent of eligible patients were vaccinated, pointing to the limited efficacy of the previous vaccine, a lack of awareness that the illness can be prevented and cost concerns.ii

A new survey commissioned by the American Osteopathic Association finds less than two-thirds of Americans (62%) are aware that there is a shingles vaccine. The online survey was conducted by The Harris Poll in June 2018 on behalf of the AOA.

"This is an unprecedented opportunity to nearly eliminate shingles among our patient population, as well as the possibility of chronic pain or even blindness that can accompany the condition," says Judith Lightfoot, DO, an infectious disease specialist at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine. "It's a prevention conversation I'm having with nearly every patient over fifty."

The new vaccine, marketed as Shingrix, is shown to be 97 percent effective in adults ages 50-69,iii and more than 90 percent effective in those 70 to well past 80. The earlier vaccine, Zostavax, prevented just over half (51%) of recipients from developing the painful disease and was recommended for patients 60 and older, due to waning immunity over time.

Prevention is simple and safe

Shingles occurs when the herpes zoster virusthe same virus that causes chickenpoxreactivates years or decades later. Patients may not recall if they've had chicken pox in the past or received a previous vaccination, but Dr. Lightfoot notes that if patients are unable to verify which vaccines they have received, there is little to no harm in receiving the new vaccinein fact, it's recommended.

Benefits of the new vaccine include:

Immunity at a younger age. Vaccination is now recommended for adults over 50 rather than 60, a result of extended effectiveness.

May be offered to some patients who have a compromised immune system, including cancer patients who are prone to developing the disease.

Even after an outbreak, the new vaccination can prevent a recurrence.

"Vaccinations prime the immune system for attack, so you are ready to repel an infection or flare-up," says Dr. Lightfoot, "The physical and emotional comfort of knowing you are immune to the disease far outweighs the limited discomfort related the two recommended shots."

Potential side effects include injection site redness and swelling, muscle pain, and immune system responses such as headache, shivering, fever and upset stomach.

Blistering skin eruption, searing pain

The pain associated with herpes-zoster can be intense and debilitating. For about 10 to 13 percent of people, shingles leaves them with deep, searing nerve pain  a condition called post-herpetic neuralgia, or PHN  that can last for months or years and has no treatment or cure. More than half the cases of PHN affect people over 60. Other possible complications of shingles include pneumonia, hearing problems, blindness, encephalitis and very rarely death.

Shingles gets its name from both Latin and French words for belt, or girdle, because of the girdle-like skin eruptions that occur on the mid-section of the body. For most people, symptoms emerge as a painful rash that develops on one side of the face or body followed by blisters that typically scab over in seven to 10 days. The rash usually clears up within two to four weeks.

People often experience pain, itching, or tingling in the area before the rash develops, which may happen anywhere from one to five days before the rash appears.

About the AOA

The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) represents more than 137,000 osteopathic physicians (DOs) and osteopathic medical students; promotes public health; encourages scientific research; serves as the primary certifying body for DOs; and is the accrediting agency for osteopathic medical schools.

To learn more about DOs and the osteopathic philosophy of medicine, visit www.DoctorsThatDo.org.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of AOA from June 1-5, 2018 among 2,041 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Jessica Bardoulas.

i https://www.vaccines.gov/diseases/shingles/index.html

ii https://www.cdc.gov/shingles/surveillance.html

iii https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1603800#t=article

SOURCE American Osteopathic Association

Related Links

http://www.DoctorsThatDo.org

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- SXWorks, a subsidiary of SoundExchange, today announced that it has developed two new services to expand upon NOI LOOKUP, the innovative new tool launched in January to help music publishers and songwriters search the more than 70 million address unknown Notice of Intention to Use (NOI) filings made with the U.S. Copyright Office.



NOI Premium Services, available beginning today from SXWorks, will give publishers and songwriters more opportunities to claim unpaid mechanical royalties from digital service providers (DSPs) and facilitate communication for creators with DSPs and the Copyright Office.



"Development of NOI Premium Services is a direct result of interest in our NOI LOOKUP service and the demand for more services from the publishers who use NOI LOOKUP," said Michael Huppe, Chairman of the Board of SXWorks. "Since the introduction of NOI LOOKUP, songwriters and publishers have asked us to advance our efforts to help them get paid fairly and accurately."



The new NOI Premium Services unveiled today are Works Claiming and Recordation.



Works Claiming helps publishers submit ownership claims and works shares to a digital service provider (DSP) for its use of a musical work. NOI Premium Services customers upload their works claims to SXWorks. SXWorks then sorts, formats and aggregates the uploaded file and forwards the rights owner's claim and information to the proper contact at the DSPs identified by the publisher that filed NOIs for the musical work in question. A flat fee of $100 covers the cost of submitting up to three Works Claiming spreadsheets during a one-year period, each with up to 500 titles listed.



Recordation services take the Works Claiming tool a step further. If a songwriter or publisher requests the Recordation service, SXWorks will facilitate submission of the proper information and documents to the Copyright Office so the Office's records are current and DSPs can locate a publisher's contact information and ownership data. The recordation fee is $75 per submission plus fees charged by the Copyright Office.



"These new services represent the next step in the evolution of NOI LOOKUP. We know that giving publishers more control by creating new tools will help us chip away at the problem surrounding NOIs and unpaid royalties," Huppe said. "It's also important to note that NOI LOOKUP and NOI Premium Services represent the latest innovation  following our International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) Search and our new Music Data Exchange (MDX) program launched last month  to help publishers and songwriters by bringing transparency and efficiency to the music industry."

To learn more about the new Works Claiming and Recordation services, read our FAQs here.



About SXWorks

SXWorks provides global services to music publishers to support multiple licensing configurations. SXWorks, a subsidiary of SoundExchange, is governed by a board consisting of leading music publishers and SoundExchange executives. SXWorks was created in conjunction with the 2017 acquisition of the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd. (CMRRA). CMRRA represents the mechanical rights of music publishers and administers the majority of songs recorded, sold and broadcast in Canada. For more information, visit www.SoundExchange.com or http://sx-works.com

SOURCE SXWorks

Related Links

http://sx-works.com/

REYKJAVIK, Iceland and ASPEN, Colo., June 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In an unexpected move, Oliver Luckett, former Head of Innovation at The Walt Disney Company and Founder and CEO of theAudience, a social media management company backed by WME-IMG, has turned his attention to sustainably sourced seafood. The tech mogul and branding expert has launched NICELAND SEAFOOD with famed Icelandic political entrepreneur Heida Helgadottir as CEO and Founding Partner. Together they started EFNI in 2015, a holding company devoted to sharing the values and magic of Iceland with the world. EFNI is currently incubating HausMart, Reykjavik Greens, Arctic Beauty and TraceabiliT.

Mr. Luckett explains, "After selling theAudience and writing [best-selling book] 'The Social Organism' I needed a break from celebrity culture, tech culture, and to re-energize creatively. Having visited Iceland in the past, I knew that the people there valued humanism, culture, environmental sustainability and community. It's the most peaceful country in the world; they literally do not have an army. So I relocated there and after a few months of reflection I was inspired to launch a new group of companies, all oriented around these Icelandic core values so many of my generation and younger find appealing."

Iceland is a global leader when it comes to sustainable fishing, issuing annual catch limitation quotas that prevent overfishing and keep marine life healthy and balanced. Furthermore, high-tech processing machinery deployed around the country ensure up to 98% of the catch is put to use. It is one of the most sustainable fishing industries worldwide.

Still, the route from the North Atlantic Ocean to the American consumer's plate is long and laborious. By using technology to streamline a process that has for decades relied on facsimiles, notes jotted down by hand and phone calls and capitalizing on a hugely expanded aerial transportation infrastructure to Iceland, NICELAND SEAFOOD has created a unique consumer experience.

Termed "Sea-to-Pan" traceability, we allow consumers to follow a time-lined journey of their fish from the exact spot in the North Atlantic Ocean where it was caught, to the boat that pulled it in, to the processing plant, to the flight from Reykjavik to Denver, and to the truck that delivers it to the restaurant or grocery store where it's purchased. This timeline is available via a QR code at the seafood counter, consumer packaging or restaurant menu, that can now be read with any native camera app on an Android and iPhone OS 11 device without any third party apps. Just open the camera and point at the code! Voila!

"You can call it a supply chain, but every boat and every fishing village in Iceland is a community, and every community has a story to tell. These stories have deep roots in our culture and we want to share them with the world. Through centuries of going out to sea we've learned how to utilize our natural resources in a sustainable way and now we want to share that knowledge and our history. We want to make it clear that there are people behind every single filet of fish. They're men and women feeding their kids; they're making a living. And once you bring your fish home and you know that story, you become a part of it yourself and hopefully value your meal more as a result," explains Ms. Helgadottir.

NICELAND SEAFOOD will have its inaugural US launch at ASPEN FOOD & WINE CLASSIC this June. Backed by EYRIR INVEST, NICELAND is set to be headquartered in Denver, CO nearby its US partner, the 100-year old SEATTLE FISH COMPANY. After the Aspen debut, NICELAND SEAFOOD will be available to consumers in select restaurants and at major retailers as well.

"Seattle Fish Company is thrilled to partner with fellow industry thought leader and innovator, Niceland Seafood," says Derek Figueroa, Seattle Fish Company President, "We share the common values of sustainability and quality, and know that transparency drives customer connection and engagement. Niceland's integrated technology allows the consumer to see the full "sea to pan" process, and provides a level of transparency we don't see enough of in our industry yet. We look forward to continue working with Niceland to bring more information to consumers and increasing the consumption of sustainable seafood.

To see Niceland Seafood traceability in action click here: http://www.nlsf.is/demo

About Niceland Seafood

Niceland Seafood is the first turn-key provider of fresh Icelandic fish to offer full traceability from "sea to plate".

About Seattle Fish

Since 1918, Seattle Fish Co. has supplied the highest-quality seafood available in the world to restaurants, hotels, caterers and grocers throughout Denver and the Rocky Mountain area and are the region's largest supplier of fresh fish.

Efni.is

Efni connects the dots between culture and commerce, heritage and media, and the local and global. By employing technology and online mediums and s-shares the magic of Iceland with the world.

SOURCE EFNI

Related Links

https://www.efni.is

MEDFIELD, Mass., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Beverly Flaxington, founder and president of The Collaborative, a Massachusetts-based sales and marketing consultancy dedicated to the financial services industry, has been accepted into the Forbes Boston Business Council, an invitation-only community for Greater Boston business owners and leaders.

Beverly joins other Forbes Boston Business Council members, who are hand-selected, to become part of a curated network of successful peers and get access to a variety of exclusive benefits and resources, including the opportunity to submit thought leadership articles and short tips on industry-related topics for publishing on Forbes.com.

Forbes Councils combines an innovative, high-touch approach to community management perfected by the team behind Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) with the extensive resources and global reach of Forbes. As a result, Forbes Council members get access to the people, benefits and expertise they need to grow their businesses  and a dedicated member concierge who acts as an extension of their own team, providing personalized one-on-one support.

After hearing about her acceptance, Beverly responded, "It's an honor and privilege to be associated with Forbes and the Boston Business Council. Giving back to the community and sharing the behavior-based approach to sales, training, and personal development I've developed across my career have always been priorities for me. I'm looking forward to working with the Council and extending my reach into the local business community."

Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, says, "We are honored to welcome Beverly into the community. Our mission with Forbes Councils is to curate successful professionals from every industry, creating a vetted, social capital-driven network that helps every member make an even greater impact on the business world."

Beverly has been a contributor to PsychologyToday.com and to Advisor Perspectives in her "Ask Bev" column for many years. She has authored eight books, three of which are best sellers. She is an experienced c-suite level executive, a thought leader and college professor who has been offering insights and information for over two decades.

Beverly may be contacted at 508-359-8216 or [email protected] . You can learn more about The Collaborative at www.the-collaborative.com.

SOURCE The Collaborative

Related Links

http://www.the-collaborative.com

LONDON, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Rigid Packaging Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Material (Plastic, Metal, Paper, Glass, Bioplastic), By Application (Food & Beverage, Pharmaceuticals, Personal Care), And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5399400



The global rigid packaging market size is projected to reach USD 848.71 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., exhibiting a CAGR of 6.7% during the forecast period. Increasing demand for sustainable packaging is expected to augment the market over the forecast period.



Packaging is a process of protecting and enclosing goods for storage, distribution, and sale.Rigid packaging is a type of packing which is characterized by high stiffness, impact strength, and barrier properties.



It is offered in several forms, including jars, containers, bottles, and cans.



Raw materials required for manufacturing of rigid packing include metals, paper & paperboard, glass, and plastic.Suppliers of these materials are present worldwide, making the market fragmented.



Rio Tinto and Alcoa are some of the key suppliers of metals such as aluminum, while ArcelorMittal is the largest steel manufacturer in the world.



Final products are sold by distributors, retailers, and wholesalers. Major players in this stage include Packaging Supplies Ltd., Packing Suppliers of America, Paper Mart, and Packaging Centre. Some of the manufacturers have adopted integration wherein they sell the products through exclusive outlets.



Rigid packaging accounted for over 80.0% of the total packing industry in 2016. However, flexible packing offers more advantages as compared to rigid ones such as lightweight, energy savings, small pack size, ease of transportation & storage, and convenient disposal. Hence, the flexible packing market is expected to make inroads in the rigid packaging market in the coming years.



Further Key Findings from the Report Suggest:

 In terms of materials, plastics dominated the market in 2015 and it is anticipated to witness a CAGR of 6.4% in terms of volume over the forecast period

 Paper & paperboard is expected to register a CAGR of 7.1% in terms of revenue during the same period. Recyclability of the material has made it the most commonly used product in the industry

 The personal care application segment is anticipated to rise at a CAGR of 6.3% in terms of revenue over the coming year due to increasing demand for personal care products

 Asia Pacific is estimated to post a CAGR of 7.6% in terms of revenue from 2016 to 2025 due to increasing demand from China and India

 In August 2016, Berry Plastics Group, Inc. acquired AEO Industries Inc. in the U.S. This acquisition strengthened the company's position in the North America market.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5399400



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +1 (718) 213 4904

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

http://www.reportbuyer.com

(ANSA) - Paris, June 12 - Industry and Labour Minister and Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio commented on French President Emmanuel Macron's criticism of Italy's new harder line on migration by saying "they can talk...". Macron said Italy had been cynical and irresponsible in not accepting migrant ship Aquarius. His En Marche movement called Italy's new migrant policy "sickening". France regularly pushes back migrants at its southern border with Italy and has recently dismantled migrant camps. Di Maio is head of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), the partner in government of the anti-migrant Euroskeptic League party. League leader and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, the other deputy premier, refused docking privileges to the Aquarius and said Malta should take it in, spurring a two stand-off that ended when Spain accepted the ship.

"The position of France and Macron on immigration is sickening, not that of minister Salvini," said the League.

Sull'immigrazione vomitevole e la posizione della Francia di Macron, non quella del ministro Salvini. Il portavoce di 'En Marche' pensi al suo Governo e si sciacqui la bocca prima di parlare dell'Italia e di Salvini".

Spanish Justice Minister Dolores Delgado told Spain's Cadena Ser radio on Tuesday that Italy risks penal responsibilities for the migrants on board NGO rescue ship Aquarius. "It's not a question of being a bleeding-heart liberal or of generosity, but of humanitarian law," she said.

"There may be international penal responsibilities because of the violation of treaties on human rights".

Salvini, leader of the anti-migrant League party, refused to take the Aquarius' 629 migrants saying Malta should take them, spurring a stand-off that ended when Spain said they could land in Valencia.TokenMarket 2018: 'Insights into the Token Economy' summit will address a number of issues, such as new and emerging regulatory frameworks within the blockchain industry. TokenMarket 2018 is proud to announce it will be joined by the Minister of Commerce for HM Government of Gibraltar, Albert Isola. He will be joined by some of the most prominent legislative experts in the industry including: Anthony Provasoli (Hassans International Law Firm), Joey Garcia (Isolas LLP) and Peter Howitt (Ramparts European Law Firm). Gibraltar's legislator and Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC) regulator are currently initiating legislative regulations on the promotion, sale and distribution of digital tokens.

The Hon Albert Isola MP is Gibraltar's Minister for Commerce with the primary responsibility of raising Gibraltar's profile as an established onshore, mainstream, well-regulated financial services centre and its important online gaming sector. An experienced speaker, Mr. Isola has delivered keynote addresses at major financial services seminars and conferences in various countries. He is responsible for financial services policy, product development, and responding to international initiatives such as international tax compliance. He also constituted the Cryptocurrency working group in 2014 which has led to the DLT Regulations which came into effect in 2018.

HM Government of Gibraltar, Ministry for Commerce

"I very much look forward to opening the summit and welcoming distinguished visitors to Gibraltar. Events such as this provide a wonderful opportunity for us to update delegates on the work we are doing in this new and exciting sector, supporting firms and providing regulatory certainty". - Albert Isola, Gibraltar's Minister for Commerce

Anthony Provasoli, partner at Hassans' law firm, is an established expert in his firms FinTech team where he specialises in corporate, commercial and financial law. Provasoli's interest in blockchain and cryptocurrency, as well as his expertise in FinTech regulation, has led to him to hold an advisory position at Modex to becoming a leading practitioner within the industry.

Joey Garcia, partner at ISOLAS and former Chairman of the Gibraltar Funds & Investment Association, will be giving his opinions on how to best regulate blockchain. Considered an expert in the crypto space, Garcia's experience in the developments of digital currency, blockchain and distributed ledger technology in Gibraltar is paramount to his attendance. Post-Gnosis ICO, ISOLAS have pathed the way to set regulatory standards for ICO's across the European ecosystem. Currently Garcia also co-chairs the Gibraltar Government think tank on digital currencies. As a specialist in the FinTech industry, Garcia's experience is unparalleled, giving attendees new innovative approaches on how financial services can adopt blockchain.

Peter Howitt, founder of Ramparts European Law, has established his career and founded his firm around traditional and Fintech law. Howitt's contribution to the world of e-commerce and payment systems will feature a discussion around how blockchain technology will encompass and disrupt the traditional payments industry.

About TokenMarket 2018

The TokenMarket 2018: 'Insights into the Economy' summit will cover a wide variety of blockchain and ICO topics, during which we'll hear from leading VCs, RegTech, Innovators and Legislators. Its speakers will examine the ever changing industry landscape, and we invite you to join us for our informative discussion.

For more information regarding TokenMarket 2018: Insights into the Token Economy here: https://tokenmarket.net/conference-2018/home

For more information about TokenMarket here: https://tokenmarket.net

Media Contact:

Lawrence Chiu

[email protected]

SOURCE TokenMarketGLEN BURNIE, Md., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Travel Advantage Network (TAN) recently donated over 4,000 insulated bags to the Maryland Foodbank. The organization will use the bags to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to families across Maryland as part of the SNAP Produce Drop program.

"These insulated bags are being used throughout the state, six days a week," said George "Butch" Langenfelder, Maryland Food Bank Food Sourcing Manager. "In most cases these families are walking to our sites, so having these insulted bags is perfect."

The program provides fresh produce to Marylanders who might otherwise not have access to many fruits and vegetables. Because the bags are reusable, the Maryland Food Bank will be able to distribute food to many thousands of Marylanders.

"Giving back is a key part of our corporate mission," said Scott Fasano, TAN president. "We're excited to have the opportunity to support the Maryland Food Bank and hungry Marylanders."

To learn more about the Maryland Food Bank and its programs, visit mdfoodbank.org. For more information on TAN, visit planwithtan.com or call 800-223-0088.

About Travel Advantage Network

Established in 1992, this vacation accommodations program provides week-long wholesale vacations to approximately 75,000 families. Travel Advantage Network is fueled by two independent sales companies, Sundance Vacations and SmarTravel. The Travel Advocates at Travel Advantage Network keep their finger on the pulse of travel trends, traveler requests and historic travel patterns to provide quality inventory in desirable locations for reasonable rates.

About the Maryland Food Bank

The Maryland Food Bank is a nonprofit hunger-relief organization, leading the movement to end hunger throughout Maryland. For nearly 40 years, the Maryland Food Bank has partnered with communities across the state to distribute food to individuals and families in need. Through carefully-crafted programs, the food bank aims to meet the immediate needs of Marylanders while simultaneously working to find long term ways to reduce hunger statewide. Currently distributing more than 102,000 meals per day  nearly 37 million meals annually  the Maryland Food Bank will continue to expand its efforts until hunger ends. To learn more about the Maryland Food Bank, visit www.mdfoodbank.org.

MEDIA CONTACT

Maxine Minar

[email protected]

443.577.0303 x 2163

SOURCE Travel Advantage Network

Related Links

http://www.planwithtan.com

CHICAGO, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Truss, an award-winning platform for commercial real estate, announced it will expand its AI-enabled technology to industrial real estate, being the first to show price transparency. Truss will launch industrial real estate space in Chicago and Dallas with more than 45 million square feet of industrial space, bringing Truss' square footage to 200 million.

Initial interest in Truss' space include customers who are looking for commercial kitchen space and ecommerce storage. Business owners in both Chicago and Dallas found the ability to find, tour and lease through the platform convenient.

"Our company is looking to open a new branch in Chicago for our industrial equipment distribution. Being located abroad, it was critical to get a full service with a single point of entry," said Alexander Bogdanov, international sales & engineering manager for Doga."We quickly found that Truss' platform proposed the best functionality for industrial space search, shortlisting and tour planning, while being accompanied by a personal broker representing our interests. After touring selected spaces, we continued working online through the platform to review proposals, leave comments and finally to identify the best offer."

In today's market, industrial vacancies are at an all-time low of 5 percent, largely due to an increased demand in ecommerce with a need for instant access from smaller businesses.

"It's been long discussed that technology will transform the industrial real estate industry and we're now at that point," said Bobby Goodman, co-founder of Truss. "We're the first to offer price transparency for industrial, and in turn, we're seeing increased efficiency and opportunities for both tenants and landlords."

Similar to office space and retail, business owners can now find, tour and lease industrial space through Truss platform, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to review and compare their options in the market.

More about Truss

Truss helps small and medium businesses, find, lease and tour office, industrial and retail space with more than 200 million square feet available. The business owner can search for the space from their own computers or mobile devices. The AI-enabled technology enables business owners to find the right space in a convenient and easy manner. Truss also offers dedicated brokers who act as the point person throughout the seamless process. To learn more about Truss, visit www.truss.co or follow them on social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

SOURCE Truss

Related Links

http://www.truss.co

Turo Go hardware will empower car owners to remotely lock and unlock their cars, automatically track mileage and geolocate the car. In addition to making the experience of owning a car smarter, and the experience of sharing it safer, Turo looks to use Turo Go's connectivity applications to improve their customer experience  both for busy Turo hosts and for guests craving instant mobility.

"Inspired by our community and their calls for a remote access feature, we're confident that Turo Go will help accelerate Turo's mission of putting the world's one billion cars to better use," said Turo CEO Andre Haddad. He notes that many of the business' most valuable offerings, like car delivery and instantly bookable cars, were galvanized organically by the Turo community before they became an official part of the product.

In the future, in addition to supplying hosts with this connected car technology that can be installed in any car, Turo envisions working directly with automakers to integrate the Turo app with connected vehicles coming off the line. "We're talking with a number of forward-thinking auto manufacturers, including Mercedes-Benz, about solutions to further integrate instant mobility into our service. We see a future where new, connected vehicles leave the manufacturing line 'Turo-ready'," added Haddad.

"We're thrilled to be working with Turo on a remote access solution to support owners of Mercedes-Benz vehicles to easily share their cars," said Joerg Lamparter, Head of Mobility Services at Daimler Financial Services.

With over six million users and 4.5 million completed trip days, Turo is the world's largest peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace and the platform best positioned to innovate in the $80 billion car rental industry. Turo is available in over 5,500 cities in 56+ countries. The company recently raised a $104 million Series D funding round led by Daimler and Korean conglomerate SK Holdings, with participation by Founders Circle, Liberty Mutual, American Express Ventures and Sumitomo.

"Forging community and creating a thriving car sharing ecosystem is in our DNA, and we're incredibly excited to augment the car sharing experience with connected car technology," continued Haddad. "Investing in connectivity and instant mobility access today will pave the way for the autonomous vehicle future of tomorrow. We envision a world where you can easily access a car any time, anywhere  an endlessly mobile world effortlessly fueled by our vibrant and intrepid community of trusted Turo hosts."

Discover Turo Go on the Turo blog and at turo.com/turo-go.

About Turo

Turo is a peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace where you can book any car you want, wherever you want it, from a vibrant community of local hosts across the US, Canada, the UK, and Germany. Guests choose from a totally unique selection of nearby cars, while hosts earn extra money to offset the costs of car ownership.

A pioneer of the sharing economy and travel industry, Turo is a safe, supportive community over six million strong with more than 250,000 vehicles listed and over 850 unique makes and models available. Whether it's a truck to help out on moving day, a Tesla for an exciting new experience, or a classic VW bus for a picture-perfect road trip, Turo lets you find the perfect vehicle for your next adventure.

Discover Turo at turo.com. Join our mission, work at Turo, turo.com/jobs.

SOURCE TuroIRVINE, Calif., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 22, we welcomed Aaron Andrews from the office of California State Senator Joel Anderson (38th district) to UEI College in San Marcos, California. His visit was in preparation for Senator Anderson's participation in our graduation ceremonies on Wednesday, May 30, where he presented graduates with a certificate of achievement.

Mr. Andrews' visit included a meeting with our interim executive director, Renee Guerrero.

International Education Corporation UEI College  San Marcos interim executive director Renee Guerrero and district representative for the office of California State Senator Joel Anderson, Aaron Andrews.

"Mr. Andrews will be a great resource to provide additional resources to our students," Ms. Guerrero said. Some of those resources include partnership with Senator Anderson's office to attend job fairs and events, and introductions to the Escondido and San Marcos chambers of commerce, the San Marcos Boys & Girls Club, San Marcos mayor Jim Desmond, and vice mayor Rebecca Jones. "We are looking forward to developing a long-term partnership with the San Marcos office," said Guerrero.

During his visit, Mr. Andrews was given a review of the UEI College programs, including the dental assistant program and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) program's labs. He also got an opportunity to experience the criminal justice program's 911 dispatch system. In addition to its Dental Assistant; Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning; and Criminal Justice programs, UEI College  San Marcos offers programs in Business Office Administration, Medical Assistant, Medical Office Specialist, and Pharmacy Technician. "We provide hands-on training and support to our students to help them become successful in the career of their choice," said Guerrero. "There is no better feeling than being able to see our students become successful."

UEI College  San Marcos is part of the International Education Corporation (IEC) family of colleges and is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuous Education and Training (ACCET).

For more information about programs offered at UEI College or to enroll call 1-866-566-9295 or visit www.uei.edu

About UEI College: Founded in 1982 in Los Angeles County, California, UEI College offers short-term programs to provide hands-on training to prepare graduates for careers in the fields of business, healthcare, information technology, criminal justice, trades, and automotive. There are currently 14 UEI campuses across California, Arizona, and Georgia.

CONTACT:

Cori Blas

International Education Corporation

949-812-7710

[email protected]

SOURCE International Education Corporation

Related Links

http://www.uei.edu

The first female to claim the title in the US, Laura Newman impressed the judges with her creative showmanship, thoughtful presentations, and keen interest in providing the best hospitality for the customer and as a result earned herself the title of representing the US in the global finals in Berlin.

"It's truly an honor to be named the US Best Bartender of the Year and I can't wait to continue on this journey and represent my country at the Global Finals in Berlin. This was my third year competing in USBG World Class, and as someone who was once told that I wouldn't make it in craft cocktails as a female, I want every female bartender out there to take this accomplishment and know that they can do it too," commented Laura Newman.

The seventh year of the USBG World Class competition saw thousands of applicants, which led to a series of rigourous regional competitions that proved that the skill and desire to grow in the bartending community is at an impressive all-time high. From there, fifteen bartenders advanced to the national competition hosted at Stitzel-Weller Distillery from June 5th to 6th, to impress judges by drawing unique inspiration from their experience behind the bar paired with the local flavor of their respective hometowns. The bartenders demonstrated their knowledge, skill and creativity by crafting cocktails featuring a selection of the Diageo Reserve brands including Bulleit Bourbon, CIROC Vodka, Johnnie Walker Blended Scotch Whisky, Ketel One Vodka, Tanqueray No. TEN, Tequila Don Julio and Zacapa Rum. The finals are judged by a selection of globally acclaimed bar-industry leaders including the 2017 Global winner Kaitlyn Stewart, 2014 Global winner Charles Joly, past US winners Jeff Bell, Chris Cardone, and acclaimed bartenders and educators including Dale Degroff, Jackson Cannon, and Julie Reiner.

The 2018 USBG World Class program allowed each competitor to showcase their incredible depth of knowledge along impeccable and ever-important hospitality. Day one kicked off with 'Spirited Storytelling' where competitors were assigned a spirit at random for which they had to create a full presentation based on the spirit's history, raw ingredients, production process and tasting notes; followed by the 'Eco-Challenge' where two cocktails were crafted with Ketel One Vodka that provided waste-free solutions to some of today's biggest environmental challenges for bars; followed by 'Always a World Class Host' where the mixologists needed to get to know their guests in order to perfectly tailor their serves. Day two started off with a futuristic cocktail that would be created as the next iconic Bulleit Frontier Whiskey serve in the 'Bulleit, The Next Frontier' challenge as an homage to the home of this year's competition. Lastly, competitors crafted ten well-balanced cocktails in just ten minutes or less in 'Need for Speed'.

"The evolution of the USBG World Class program here in the US has been amazing to witness, and now that we're in our seventh year here, the competition is bigger than ever. The growing excitement and passion in the bartending community is empowering and we are so proud of the support that this program provides to all involved," comments Aaron Gregory Smith, Executive Director of the USBG.

Taylor Blades, Director of On Premise for Diageo North America further shares, "The level of skill and dedication that we see during this competition is unparalleled, and it's not only about their bartending skills, because World Class goes far beyond just the challenges that we see. Everyone involved in this program walks away with new confidence and a stronger sense of community that inspire them to be the very best they can in their field."

Cocktails featured throughout the competition have been captured on Twitter and Instagram @WorldClassUS for creation and inspiration. When showcasing your own mixology creations or savoring award-winning cocktails crafted by your favorite local bartender, USBG World Class reminds you to drink responsibly.

Wondering what it takes to be crowned the US Best Bartender of the Year? See below for a sampling of Laura's favorite cocktail recipes created during the competition that helped to take her to the top.

Brand-New Sour

Created by 2018 U.S. Bartender of the Year Laura Newman

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz Bulleit Bourbon

1/2 oz Bitter Digestivo Liqueur

1/2 oz Honey Syrup (1:1)

1/2 oz Citrus Stock Blend (60% lemon juice : 40% broiled lemon husks)

1 small pinch of salt

2 dashes Teapot Bitters

Dehydrated Lemon Wheel for Garnish

Preparation:

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir thoroughly. Strain into a chilled Double Rocks Glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with a dehydrated lemon wheel.

Ideal Serve:

Double Rocks Glass

A Night at the Movies

Created by 2018 U.S. Bartender of the Year Laura Newman

Ingredients:

1 oz Tequila Don Julio Blanco

1/4 oz Tanqueray No. TEN

1 barspoon Bitter Italian Digestivo

4 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters

1 squeezed Lime Wedge

Cola to top

Lime Wheel for Garnish

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a highball glass and add ice. Top with cola and garnish with a lime wheel.

Ideal Serve:

Highball Glass

For additional information about the program and for detail on the upcoming global competition, follow @WorldClassUS on Twitter and Instagram, use the hashtag #WorldClassUS and visit www.facebook.com/WorldClassUS.

About USBG

Founded in 1948, the United States Bartenders' Guild is a non-profit professional society of bartenders and other hospitality professionals uniting the hospitality community to advance professional bartending. The USBG believes that every US bartender achieves greater personal and professional success by connecting to diverse local and national hospitality communities. Through our network of over 40 communities nationwide, the USBG connects members with peer-to-peer learning, expert instruction, community service projects, and skills-based competition.

About Diageo:

Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, JB, Buchanan's and Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff, Ciroc and Ketel One vodkas, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people and its brands, visit www.diageo.com. For Diageo's global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit www.DRINKiQ.com.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

SOURCE Diageo

Related Links

http://www.diageo.com

BROOMFIELD, Colo., June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) announced that Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rob Katz has exercised stock appreciation rights (SARs) that were expiring over the next two years and will be donating 100 percent of the shares and proceeds received to his family charitable foundation and donor advised charitable fund. Based on the market price on the date of exercise of $275.25 per share, the donation is equal to approximately $31 million.

After withholding taxes, Katz received approximately 113,000 shares of Vail Resorts stock from the SARs exercise. Of those shares, Katz donated 67,800 shares and sold 45,200 shares, and will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from that sale.

Last year, Katz announced a similar exercise and the donation of approximately $58 million to a new donor advised fund that will initially focus on helping to address mental and behavioral health and alcohol and drug abuse in the mountain resort communities in which Vail Resorts operates. Just a few months later, Katz and his wife, Elana Amsterdam, also announced the donation of over $650,000 in grants to local community non-profits that focus on these issues, as well their plan to engage philanthropic advisors to help ensure the greatest impact from the new fund. That process of research and community engagement is now well underway, and Katz and Amsterdam expect to make another round of grants to non-profits in the Company's mountain communities before the end of the year.

In addition to helping local communities address mental and behavior health, Katz and Amsterdam also made a $750,000 donation in March, 2018 to Operation Homefront, a nonprofit organization that supports military families. The personal donation was in honor of the Company's founders, who were members of the Armed Forces, and in celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Epic Pass that the Company celebrated this spring.

As part of their continued giving, Katz and Amsterdam announced the following grants today:

$150,000 - The Other Side Academy (Denver)

The Other Side Academy (TOSA) is a non-profit, self-sustaining social enterprise modeled after the Delancey Street Foundation in San Francisco. TOSA functions as a school where students learn vocational, pro-social and life skills so they can succeed "on the other side" of addiction and criminal behavior. This grant will go toward building TOSA's first facility in Denver.

$150,000  Environmental Defense Fund

Guided by science and economics, EDF looks to tackle urgent environmental threats with practical solutions. This grant will be used to support EDF's work promoting innovation and advocacy for clean, efficient and modern energy system that will better protect our health and climate, while boosting the economy.

$150,000  Fund for a Safer Future

Fund for a Safer Future is a non-profit donor collaborative that invests in targeted, practical strategies to reduce gun injuries and deaths. FSF invests in organizations, research institutes and advocates to strengthen policies that reduce the toll of gun violence by supporting rational, evidence-based policies at the local, state and federal level.

About Vail Resorts, Inc.

Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain resort operator. Vail Resorts' subsidiaries operate 11 world-class mountain resorts and three urban ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada; Perisher in Australia; Stowe in Vermont; Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan. Vail Resorts owns and/or manages a collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning and development subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.

SOURCE Vail Resorts, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.vailresorts.com

TOKYO, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Varroc Lighting Systems, a leading global exterior vehicle lighting supplier, along with its parent company, Varroc Group, is expanding its footprint with the opening of an office in Tokyo. The customer and business development center increases the company's presence in Japan; bringing innovative, high-quality, and cost-competitive exterior lighting solutions to the growing two- and four-wheeled vehicle market worldwide. The new office also strengthens Varroc Lighting's local engineering support of Japanese original equipment manufacturer (OEM) customers.

"Varroc Lighting's ambitious global expansion involves growing our business with Japanese OEMs globally," said Varroc Lighting Systems President and CEO, Stephane Vedie. "With our Japan office, we can now offer proximity to Japanese OEMs for project management and engineering, while leveraging our global low-cost manufacturing footprint for lighting and electronics."

The new location has office and meeting space for up to 14 engineers and expands the company's global footprint to 12 countries on five continents. In addition to Japan, Varroc Lighting recently announced plans to open new plants and development centers in other high-potential vehicle growth and manufacturing markets, such as Brazil and Morocco.

A high-resolution image of the office opening ceremony is available for download at: http://bit.ly/VarrocLightingJapanOfficeOpening.

About Varroc Lighting Systems

Varroc Lighting Systems is a leading global supplier of innovative automobile and two-wheeler lighting solutions. Focused on safety, mobility and style, Varroc Lighting Systems brings leading-edge technology to the mainstream automotive market with high-quality and cost-competitive solutions. Headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan, U.S., the company has more than 7,200 employees worldwide with operations in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Varroc Lighting Systems is a key member of the Varroc Group family of automotive-components business.

Visit www.varroclighting.com for more information.

About Varroc Group

Founded in 1988, Varroc group is a global tier-1 automotive component manufacturer and supplier of exterior lighting systems, plastic and polymer components, electricals-electronics components, and precision metallic components to passenger car, commercial vehicle, two-wheeler, three-wheeler and off highway vehicle ("OHV") OEMs directly worldwide. With 36 world-class manufacturing facilities and 16 R&D centers in 10 countries, Varroc is the 2nd largest Indian automotive component supplier. Varroc offers best design solutions that give customers a competitive edge in their markets.

SOURCE Varroc Lighting Systems

Related Links

http://www.varroclighting.com

PARIS and NEW YORK, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- WeHealth by Servier, the e-health department of the Servier group, and the Peter Sheehan Diabetes Care Foundation (PSDC Foundation) have today announced a new partnership to strengthen their efforts in the fight against diabetes and its complications within communities that otherwise face significant gaps in health. This partnership is within a unique initiative to create a continuum for innovative artificial intelligence (AI) based solutions to impact community health and address important genomic, cultural, and environmental factors.

The partnership between WeHealth by Servier and PSDC Foundation will advance the Global Care Initiative and take the form of two forward-thinking projects. The first involves the creation of CarePorts1: one-stop digital health clinics for the community-based prevention of diabetes and its complications. The second project is the creation of CareLabs: a digital health accelerator collaborating with international innovation hubs focused on the development of AI technologies for applications in chronic disease preemption.

Each CarePort will offer a menu of connected diagnostic solutions operated by a staff of dedicated and qualified community health workers, all trained by PSDC Foundation. The staff will be certified in cultural-competency and in the use of AI solutions, which will facilitate productive engagement and relationships between patients and health systems. The first CarePorts will be launched as part of a demonstration project this fall, ahead of a global roll-out scheduled for 2020.

CareLabs will work with startups to tailor their solutions for CarePort adoption in diverse communities. WeHealth by Servier will help PSDC Foundation to develop its CareLabs network by supporting the funding, co-development, and go-to-market of innovative AI-ready solutions. A call for applications will be launched in early July 2018, followed by pitch sessions in October alongside the Prix Galien2 in New York City. The aim is for the first startups to join the CareLabs acceleration program by the end of the year.

"We are proud to be able to make our e-health expertise and our understanding and knowledge of startup ecosystems available to this ambitious and innovative program," says Dr. David Guez, Director of WeHealth by Servier. "This partnership will also give us the opportunity to consolidate our shared commitment with PSDC Foundation to combating diabetes, which is one of the five major therapeutic areas of the Servier group. This approach also illustrates our desire to make health accessible to the greatest number of patients."

"We are excited to partner with an innovative group committed to accelerating the next generation of healthcare solutions to transform the patient journey," says Patrick Sheehan, Co-Founder & Executive Director of PSDC Foundation. "WeHealth by Servier is a key player in the field of e-health that is shaping the industry for the betterment of global health. This partnership is a big step for us in achieving our mission to redesign how communities engage with healthcare to prevent diabetes and its complications."

This new alliance comes as part of the Servier Group's policy of open innovation and dynamic partnerships. Servier is joining forces with some of the world's leading public and private scientific organizations, with the aim of accelerating research and making available the most suitable therapeutic solutions to meet the patients' needs.

About Servier

Servier is an international pharmaceutical company governed by a non-profit foundation, with its headquarters in France (Suresnes). With a strong international presence in 148 countries and a turnover of 4.152 billion euros in 2017, Servier employs 21,600 people worldwide. Entirely independent, the Group reinvests 25% of its turnover (excluding generic drugs) in research and development and uses all its profits for development. Corporate growth is driven by Servier's constant search for innovation in five areas of excellence: cardiovascular, immune-inflammatory and neuropsychiatric diseases, cancer and diabetes, as well as by its activities in high-quality generic drugs. Servier also offers eHealth solutions beyond drug development.

More information: www.servier.com

Follow us on Social Media:

https://fr.linkedin.com/company/servier

https://fr-fr.facebook.com/Servier/

https://twitter.com/servier?lang=fr

About WeHealth by Servier

Launched in November 2016, WeHealth by Servier, the eHealth department of the Servier Group aims to improve the daily life of patients and health professionals alike using digital means. WeHealth by Servier proposes innovative digital and connected solutions and services by making the most of collected data, to ensure better individual monitoring of the patient and to better prevent and predict the evolution of disease. In an open innovative approach, WeHealth by Servier identifies the most promising start-ups in e-health, in France and internationally, to co-develop solutions. In this way, WeHealth by Servier contributes to the creation of an ecosystem of partners to facilitate and accelerate the development, industrialization and distribution of innovations and to render them accessible to the greatest number.

For further information: www.wehealthbyservier.com

Follow WeHealth by Servier on social media:

https://fr.linkedin.com/company/wehealth-by-servier

https://twitter.com/WeHealth

About Peter Sheehan Diabetes Care Foundation

The Peter Sheehan Diabetes Care Foundation (PSDC Foundation) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization created in 2015 to honor Dr. Peter Sheehan's legacy and his mission to tackle the global diabetes epidemic with a comprehensive, data-driven, and community-based approach to care. PSDC Foundation unites research organizations, health systems, and industry companies to empower communities with the necessary tools to preempt diabetes and its related chronic conditions, spur the development of solutions that improve the prevention and management of the disease, and convene scientific leaders to advance research and innovation for the benefit of global diabetes care.

For further information: http://www.psdcfoundation.org/

Follow PSDC Foundation on social media:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/peter-sheehan-diabetes-care-foundation/

https://www.facebook.com/psdcfoundation

https://twitter.com/PSDCFoundation

Press contacts

Servier:

Sonia MARQUES : [email protected]  Tel. +33 (0)1 55 72 40 21 / + 33 (0) 7 84 28 76 13

Karine BOUSSEAU : [email protected]  Tel. +33 (0)1 55 72 60 37

Peter Sheehan Diabetes Care Foundation Press contacts:

Patrick SHEEHAN : [email protected]  Tel. +1 (917) 376-4383

1 Community-based health infrastructure

2 The Prix Galien awards outstanding, recent, and publicly-available innovative healthcare solutions (across all treatment areas) as well as significant advances in research work.

SOURCE Peter Sheehan Diabetes Care Foundation(ANSA) - Rome, June 11 - Italy's 149,154 bars have an overall turnover of approximately 18 billion euros a year, according to the latest figures presented by the Italian federation of bars and catering (FIPE) on Monday. Hot drinks account for 36% of revenue, with a coffee costing 1 euro on average and a cappuccino 1.30 euros. The northern region of Lombardy has the biggest share of bars, at 16.9%, followed by Lazio (10.4%), Campania (9.6%), Veneto (8.4%) and Piedmont (7.2%). Some 5.4 million Italians have breakfast at a bar, spending on average 2.40 euros.

Instead 1.3 million eat lunch there, spending on average 7.50 euros. Alcoholic drinks and aperitifs account for 13.3% of revenue, brioches for 12.6%, snacks and ice creams for 10.8%, soft drinks for 10.4%, mineral water for 8.8% and sandwiches or dishes for 7.5%. Last year the sector employed 9,900 bar staff, of whom 58% were women and 21% were foreign. In 2017 6,335 new bars opened and 11,979 closed, resulting in a negative balance of 5.644.

PHOENIX, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- West USA Realty, Inc., the 14th largest production brokerage in the nation has announced the opening of a new Pinetop-Lakeside branch office to accommodate their expanding agent base in the White Mountains of AZ.

West USA Realty is leasing the space previously occupied by C21 High Desert Realty located at 2482 E White Mountain Blvd, Pinetop, AZ 85935.

West USA Realty has been focusing on increasing its market share in the White Mountain real estate market by hiring respected, competent and productive licensees, while becoming more involved in local activities and the community.

"Our goal is to provide our White Mountain REALTORS with facilities and environments conducive to high-production. With the addition of this Pinetop office, following the recent launch of our Show Low office, we believe this continues to validate our commitment to our current and future agent family, and our continued presence on the mountain," said Todd C. Menard, COO.

ABOUT West USA Realty

West USA Realty, Inc. is a private family-owned brokerage founded in Phoenix, AZ in 1986. For the last 30 years it has specialized in the 100% model disrupting the industry myth by providing the top administrative, educational, technological and Broker support services. In the last 12 months, West USA Realty closed over 20,000 properties and has sales volume in excess of $3.4 billion. West USA Realty has over 2000 agents who specialize in residential new and resale homes, luxury homes, property management, commercial, business brokers, and land. For more information visit www.westusa.com. For career opportunities visit www.westusaflex.com or call (602) 942-4200.

(Source: Real Trends, Inc. and RisMedia)

CONTACT:

Nick Weitekamp

602-942-4200

[email protected]

SOURCE West USA Realty

Related Links

http://www.westusa.com

SAN FRANCISCO, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Genesys (www.genesys.com), the global leader in omnichannel customer experience and contact center solutions, is hosting a free 60-minute global webinar on June 20 to discuss the limitations and risks associated with outdated contact center platforms. Art Schoeller, vice president and principal analyst with Forrester Research, will share how to avoid pitfalls when considering upgrading an existing system, migration to a new customer experience platform or potential transition to the cloud.

What: Choosing the Best Path for Transforming a Legacy Contact Center

Outdated contact center technology can become a liability to the business, a hindrance to employees and a potential crisis-in-the-making if it's approaching end of life or was not designed for today's customer service needs. Join this webinar to learn how to rethink your customer engagement model, mitigate risk and choose the best modernization strategy to stay on top of technology trends and consumer's ever-evolving preferences for service. Attendees will also explore the benefits of choosing a customer experience solution that allows an organization to modernize at its own pace and budget.

Who: Participants in the webinar include:

Art Schoeller , vice president and principal analyst, Forrester

, vice president and principal analyst, Forrester Fernando Egea , vice president of strategic solutions, Genesys

Why: Join this webinar to learn:

How legacy technology platforms can expose businesses to security vulnerabilities as well as four less obvious hazards

How to accurately assess business value and risks associated with contact center modernization

Six considerations to help businesses decide the best path forward

When: Wednesday, June 20  60 minutes

North America: 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET

Latin America: 1 p.m. CDT / 3 p.m. BRT

Europe, Middle East & Africa: 2 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. CEST

Asia-Pacific: 11 a.m. SGT / 1 p.m. AEST

How: Register now to attend this live webinar and/or receive a post-event recording.

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.

Contacts:

Rachel Faulkner

Director, PR

Genesys

[email protected]

+1 317-715-8109

Lisa Hawes

Sterling Communications

[email protected]

+1 408-395-5500

SOURCE Genesys

Related Links

http://www.genesys.com

"Continuing a company's fast growth while maintaining a culture of agility, transparency, and innovation is undoubtedly a team effort, and it could never be achieved without team leaders who set themselves as an example to motivate, inspire, and encourage the team's daily work," said Zohar Dayan, CEO and Co-founder at Wibbitz. "Our leadership and management teams are truly the cornerstones of the successes we have been able to achieve in our journey thus far. I'm very proud and confident that with their dedication and hard work, Wibbitz will be able to empower more professionals by providing a supportive and inspiring place for them to develop in their careers as we continue to grow our teams."

"Effective leadership is one of the main drivers for a company's long-term success and Wibbitz has clearly cultivated a positive and inclusive workplace environment," said Jason Nazar, CEO of Comparably. "The organization's leadership and management teams, led by CEO Zohar Dayan, have set a great example of motivating all their employees to have a real impact on the company's overall growth. We hope to see more companies follow their lead."

In addition to the recognition of Wibbitz leadership and management teams, the company has also been ranked in Comparably's top five percent of similar sized companies (51-200 employees) for employee happiness, office culture, retention, work culture, and compensation. In 2018, the company was named among the Top 50 Most Promising Israeli Startups by Calcalist, and the Wibbitz video creation platform was awarded with the Global Biggies Awards, Excellence in Use of Artificial Intelligence.

Founded in 2011, Wibbitz now has offices in New York City, Tel Aviv, and Paris and is quickly growing its teams across each region with plans to open additional offices this year. Visit the Wibbitz website for open career opportunities: https://www.wibbitz.com/jobs/.

About Wibbitz

Wibbitz is an automated video creation platform that empowers professional storytellers to tell great stories. The platform leverages patented AI technology to simplify the experience of video storytelling, helping content creators quickly produce beautiful video for every platform and channel. Creators have access to personalized video templates, intuitive editing tools, a team of in-house experts, and millions of licensed photos, videos, and soundtracks to ensure that each video captures their unique brand voice. Wibbitz supports video creation for over 400 partners, including Bloomberg, CBSi, Reuters, The Vitamin Shoppe, and TripAdvisor. Wibbitz was founded in 2011 and has offices in New York City, Tel Aviv, and Paris. For more information visit www.wibbitz.com and follow @wibbitz.

Media Contact:

Hilary Kay

Wibbitz

[email protected]

925-518-9297

SOURCE Wibbitz

Related Links

http://www.wibbitz.com

BEIJING, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- This year, Yi+ was chosen as one of the "25 Hottest Artificial Intelligence Companies in APAC" by leading IT consultancy and media agency, CIO Advisor. Yi+ received this acclamation due to its outstanding technical capabilities and unique commercial applications. CIO Advisor believes that artificial intelligence will undoubtedly possess "incalculable" value and will continue to disrupt industries in 2018, bringing about tremendous changes in the economy and society.

Technology as the Power of Social Change: Yi+'s AI Solutions Found Applications in Millions of Households

For Zhang Mo, founder and CEO of Yi+, embracing innovation and change has always been her personal philosophy in life. Since Yi+'s establishment in 2014, the company's innovative capabilities have been widely acknowledged and praised in the industry. As a first, AI was used in China's e-commerce industry to realize large-scale buying and watching application. Every frame of image and video could be transformed into searchable content such as objects, scenes, faces, and brands, thus empowering both consumers and content providers with new insights alike. The company went further to develop a large-screen AI Assistant that provides highly personalized, expanded and well-defined content via image recognition.

With the advent of terminal-type products built for customers such as CITIC, Hisense, and Alibaba, Yi+'s innovative applications have been enjoyed and experienced by millions of households. As one of the key enablers of AI, Yi+ takes the intelligent transformation of its consumers' lifestyles into consideration. Mainly, it considers how to enhance user experience and how to promote changes in lifestyle supportively.

In today's digital age, more and more consumers opt for over-the-top (OTT) services rather than traditional cable or satellite TV. Computer vision technology steps in to enable television and computers the ability to "see": When a user is watching a video content, he can actively initiate an interaction at any time to obtain relevant information, such as product information, availability of stock, related endorsements, pricing and recommendations. As such, users get to enjoy better experiences that are more fun, non-intrusive, and easier to accept whereas advertisers attain better conversion rates.

Currently, Yi+AI is actively exploring more possibilities brought about by artificial intelligence. In the near future, it hopes to turn these possibilities into a reality so that more people could enjoy the benefits and convenience of computer vision.

SOURCE Beijing Yi+ Technology Co., Ltd.Washington, June 12 : US President Donald Trump has renewed his attacks on America's closest allies following the divisive G7 summit in Canada at the weekend.

In a string of angry tweets, Trump said the US paid "close to the entire cost of Nato" to help protect countries that "rip us off on trade".

The US actually contributes about a fifth of Nato's direct funding under a formula based on national income.

G7 allies criticised Trump's decision to reject a joint communique, the BBC reported on Monday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel described his change of heart as "sobering and a little depressing". The French presidency had earlier condemned "fits of anger".

After Trump had left the summit in Quebec he rounded on Justin Trudeau personally, suggesting the Canadian Prime Minister was "very dishonest and weak" and "acts hurt when called out".

During a news conference, Trudeau had reasserted his opposition to US tariffs on steel and aluminium, and vowed to press ahead with retaliatory moves on July 1.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs on Monday that she wanted to pay "a particular tribute" to Mr Trudeau for his leadership and skilful chairing.

She said it had been "a difficult summit with, at times, some very candid discussions" and that the UK would honour its commitments in the joint communique.

Trump's latest twitter tirade came after he arrived in Singapore for his summit with North Korea's Kim Jong-un.

"Fair trade is now to be called fool trade," he added in response to the threat of the retaliatory tariffs against the US.

The President tweeted on Monday that America was paying disproportionately more towards the costs of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) than fellow members.

"They pay only a fraction of the cost - and laugh," he wrote, adding that the EU needed to pay "much more" to help fund the international military alliance, which comprises 28 members including the UK, US, Germany, Canada and Turkey. Not all EU members are Nato members.

Trump went on to say that the US gets "unfairly clobbered" on trade despite "protecting Europe at great financial loss".

"Change is coming!" he warned.

Trump has consistently said that countries that have a trade surplus with the US - meaning they export more to the US than they import - are "taking advantage" of the US.Kiev, June 12 : Some 555,000 Ukrainians travelled without a visa to the European Union (EU) since the introduction of the visa-free mechanism on June 11 last year, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) of Ukraine said on Monday.

About 64 percent of Ukrainians used ground transport for their visa-free trips to the EU, while the rest travelled by air, the SBGS said in a statement.

According to the SBGS's spokesman Oleg Slobodyan, over the past year, Ukrainians visited the EU member states 20 million times, up 13 percent from a year ago.

The visa-free mechanism allows Ukrainian biometric passport holders to stay in the EU for 90 days without a visa in any 180-day period, Xinhua reported.

The mechanism applies to all EU countries, except Ireland and the UK. Ukrainians can also enter the non-EU countries -- Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland without a visa.Singapore, June 12 : US President Donald Trump left his hotel on Tuesday for the historic summit with top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un.

A motorcade carrying Trump was seen departing the Shangri-La Hotel for the Capella Hotel on Singapore's Sentosa Island, where Trump and Kim are to hold the monumental first-ever DPRK-U.S. summit, Xinhua reported.

The two leaders planned to meet one-on-one for up to an hour with only their translators at their sides, before an extended meeting and a working lunch attended by their entourages.Moscow, June 12 : Militants of the so-called "Free Syrian Army" with the assistance of U.S. military special operations forces are mulling a fake chemical attack in Syria, the Russian military said.

The intelligence was confirmed by three independent channels in Syria, said Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov in a statement on Monday.

A Xinhua report quoted Igor as saying that the Free Syrian Army militants have brought chlorine cylinders to a settlement in the Syrian province of Deir al-Zour to fake a chemical attack by the Syrian government troops against civilians.

A video of the staged attack, after it is disseminated in the western media, will serve as a new pretext for the US-led coalition to strike Syrian targets and justify an offensive by militants against Syrian government forces on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, he said.

The ministry said it is intolerable to use such a provocation to destabilize Syria, Konashenkov said.

The United States, along with Britain and France, launched joint airstrikes on military targets in Syria on April 14, in response to what they said was the Syrian military's use of chemical weapons in Douma, a then rebel-held town in Eastern Ghouta near the Syrian capital of Damascus on April 7.

However, Russia said that no traces of the chemical attack had been found and that the event was staged.Singapore, June 12 : US President Donald Trump on Tuesday morning began a summit meeting with Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un.

The summit is being held at the Capella Hotel on Singapore's Sentosa Island.

The two leaders plan to meet one-on-one for up to an hour with only their translators at their sides, before an extended meeting and a working lunch attended by their entourages, Xinhua reported.Singapore, June 12 : United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met at the Capella Hotel on Singapore's Sentosa Island on Tuesday morning and began a first-ever summit in history between the sitting leaders of the two countries.

The summit began at 9 a.m. local time (6.30 IST) with a handshake greeting before the cameras.

Trump and Kim then began around 45-minute meeting behind closed door before having a working meeting with their respective delegations and a lunch, Efe reported.

Trump arrived at the Capella Hotel at 8.14a.m. in the morning, after a journey of less than 15 minutes from Shangri-la Hotel, where he stays. Kim left a little later from his hotel, St. Regis, and arrived shortly after 8.30am at the meeting place.

The initial handshake took place in a courtyard of the British colonial-style hotel, amid US and North Korean flags that flank the red carpet.

Tuesday's summit in Singapore, which aims to address the possible denuclearisation of North Korea, is the first between the two countries' sitting leaders after nearly 70 years of confrontation in the wake of the Korean War (1950-1953), and 25 years of failed negotiations and tensions over the North Korean nuclear programme.Jordan meeting for EU, Arab leaders to discuss UNRWA funding Findings will be presented to international donors

(ANSAmed) - AMMAN, JUNE 12 - Officials from several EU countries are scheduled to meet in Amman with representatives of Arab government to discuss financial problems of the Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, organizers said on Teusday.



The meeting will be held in the Jordanian capital on June 18 as representatives of a total of 25 governments will convene to study means of providing a clear view about need of UNRWA and prepare comprehensive understanding of the crucial needs in several sectors. The findings will be presented to international donors during an upcoming meeting later this month, UNRW source told ANSA.



Palestinian and Jordanian officials are concerned about future of UNRWA, which provides services in health, education and social sectors to several millions in the kingdom, the West Bank and Gaza.



Earlier this year, international donors pledged some support to help UNRWA continue operation in Jordan and the Palestinian territories, but the funds remain well bellow needed amounts, amid talk of a wobbling $174 deficit, according to UNRWA officials.



UNRWA has been contemplating the idea of suspending some of the services, scaling down operation in certain sectors or seeking alternative funding resources.



Sources in the organization said several countries have stopped providing funding, putting at risk the future of the organization as it provides education, health and social services to nearly 20 refugee camps in the region.



The US administration has reportedly stopped its annual funding of nearly $130 million to UNRWA as of the beginning of this year, putting at risk entire operation due to the fact that the US represents the major donor since the UN body was established in 1948. (ANSAmed)Washington, June 12 : The US has imposed sanctions against six men for their involvement in human trafficking and smuggling of migrants in Libya in a case first exposed by a CNN undercover investigation.

The US Treasury on Monday announced financial restrictions placed on the six men as a result of the CNN probe that documented how the men profited from the smuggling and exploitation of migrants and refugees in a network that spanned Africa.

The US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said the images seen in the report of people being sold as slaves in Libya "shocked our conscience".

Monday's sanctions, which include blocking their assets, come not long after the UN Security Council slapped sanctions on the group on June 7 as part of a Dutch-led initiative, which was also supported by the US, UK, France and Germany.

The men are accused of leading criminal networks that traffic vast numbers of vulnerable migrants through Libya to Europe.

One of them is a commander with the Libyan Coast Guard. He is accused of using firearms to deliberately sink boats carrying migrants.

Another is accused of having longstanding links with the Islamic State (IS), according to UN documents obtained by CNN.

Others in the group are accused of selling migrants as "sex slaves" and being responsible for some of the worst migrant boat accidents in the Mediterranean.

The sanctions imposed will freeze the six men's financial assets including personal bank accounts and the revenue from their global business activities.

They will also be subject to strict travel bans.

Each year, tens of thousands of people pour into Libya -- the final transit stop before a short but dangerous sea voyage across the Mediterranean to Europe.

For those involved in the smuggling and trafficking networks, it has been a lucrative and exploitative business with revenues in the billions, according to the European Migrant Smuggling Centre (EMSC).

In 2015, migrant smuggling networks made between $5-7 billion trafficking people bound for Europe, according to a 2017 EMSC report.San Francisco, June 12 : Samsung has filed a motion with the US District Court in San Jose, California, to appeal a verdict that asked the South Korean giant to pay Apple $539 million for copying patented iPhone designs - a legal battle that dates back to 2011.

Samsung thinks the verdict is wrong and wants a refund of some damages already paid, CNET reported on Monday.

It asked a court last week to either dismiss the judgment or retry the case in which the damages were decided, the report said.

Samsung was given the $539 million penalty last month as it was found infringing on five patents with Android phones it sold in 2010 and 2011.

The legal dispute between the two tech giants dates to 2011 when Apple sued Samsung. This led the South Korean tech giant to countersue the Cupertino, California-headquartered Apple in the same year, according to a report in The Korea Herald in May.

Samsung lost the case in 2012. It was ordered to pay the US tech giant more than $1 billion for infringing on three of Apple's design patents related to mobile devices -- the quick links to phone numbers, the slide-to-unlock feature and the auto-correct function.

Under the US patent law, infringement of a design patent can result in a plaintiff receiving total profits made through the product.

Samsung's lawyers appealed the case, bringing down the compensation of $1 billion to $400 million in 2015 at the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

In an attempt to limit the compensation to profits attributable to a specific component patent in question, Samsung then appealed the lower court's ruling to the Supreme Court.

The South Korean tech behemoth argued that component design could be just a small part of a smartphone whose technologies involve more than 200,000 patents.

In late 2016, the US Supreme Court agreed with Samsung and ordered the two tech giants to negotiate a date for a retrial to settle the award money for Apple, the The Korea Herald report said.

The new appeal against the $539 million verdict suggests that the seven-year-old legal battle between the two tech giants is far from over.Taipei, June 12 : This is a city which has grown upwards. There are plenty of skyscrapers around. But the builders have also dug deep under the city to set up a labyrinth of shops. There are several underground malls and markets like the one under the Taipei City Station -- which is part of the network of buses, metro and high speed trains.

If you are not a frequent visitor to the Taiwanese capital, you can easily get lost in the underground space, unless you ask for directions from the locals. The shops here sell clothes, footwear, cosmetics, toys, watches, video games, a few electronic items and other tit-bits.

This market is relatively cheaper than most city malls. But there's a catch -- you must know Mandarin, the major language of discourse. On the first day, I had to return from the market frustrated. The language barrier had thwarted my hopes of striking a deal.

Two days later, young Sunny Che, who was facilitating things for the visiting media group on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan, accompanied me to the high-speed train station for a visit to the Biomedical Development Board in Hsinchu town, about 85 km to the west. We had an hour before the arrival of the train.

I requested Sunny to help me buy a few things at the underground market. She was a little amazed when I started haggling, even managing to get some deals. "Do you always haggle when you go shopping in your country?" she asked with a mix of surprise and curiosity. "Well, yes," I replied. "Don't you do that?"

She told me that they did not haggle over prices. "We look for a different kind of bargain, such as something free along with our purchase. But surely we don't bargain," she said.

Shopping had taken up most of the hour and we rushed to the platform. The bullet train arrived exactly two minutes before its departure time. We would have missed the ride had we not run all the way from the market, and had the people riding the escalators not stood by one side to allow those in a hurry to rush by.

That is true everywhere in Taiwan. Commuters always stand on one side of the escalator, be it in a station, a mall or a tourist attraction. Nobody jumps a queue, either -- a politeness which is almost a second nature to the Taiwanese.

We took the 300 km-an-hour train to Hsinchu, and after finishing our work boarded another bullet train to Taichung -- further south. Our destination was the Qingjing Farm in the Ren'ai hills. A bus from the station took us to the guest house for an overnight stay in the hills.

The next morning we reached the farm which was established in 1961 to settle demobilised soldiers, but is now a tourist destination. For a small country, Taiwan has many attractions to offer, from beaches to hills and from skyscrapers to sprawling farmlands.

The country is gradually, and steadily, appearing on the global travellers' map. I realised this after landing at the Taipei airport. A large board there displays the "Welcome" sign in more than a dozen languages, including Urdu. "Khush Aamdeed" in Persian script held promise of many good things to come.

Taiwan is also welcoming immigrants. An assistance policy in place since 2013 provides living and medical assistance, health insurance and language training to those who legally land here, although the largest chunk of immigrants -- 66.61 per cent between 1987 and February 2018 -- has been from the People's Republic of China, or "Mainland China" in local parlance.

It is followed by Vietnam (19 per cent), Indonesia (5.54 per cent) Hong Kong and Macau (3 per cent), Thailand (1.64 per cent) and Japan (0.9 per cent). There are only 95 Indians living in Taiwan at present.

The high migration from China can be interpreted as mainland Chinese seeing greener pastures in the island across the East China Sea or a bid to effect a demographic change.

Back from the hills the next day, we visited the Shilin night market, one of the most famous in Taipei. The market starts after 7 pm and shops and stalls remain open till well past midnight. You can find delicious roadside food, clothes, bags, shoes, phone accessories and electronic items. The young throng the night market more for fun and food than for any serious shopping.

Any touristic visit to the country includes the mandatory trip to Taipei 101 -- the skyscraper which was the world's tallest building from 2004 to 2010, when it was superseded by Dubai's Burj Khalifa. You are whisked to the observatory on the 89th floor in just 37 seconds, which is a vertical speed of 60 km per hour.

One can view the entire city from the observatory and buy food, drinks and gift items -- at the usual "elevated" prices. Owned by Taipei Financial Center Corporation, the building stands as a symbol of the country's economic development.

(Asim Khan was in the country at the invitation of Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He can be contacted atmohd.a@ians.in)Agartala, June 12 : The burning issue of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam is gradually spreading in Tripura as well, with tribal-based parties agitating to for an NRC updation exercise in the state with 1951 as the cut-off year.

Tripura's three tribal-based parties -- Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT), Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) and National Conference of Tripura (NCT) -- have started holding rallies and demonstrations to press their demand that the NRC be updated.

"We would again organise a five-hour sit-in demonstration on June 28 in Agartala to press for our demands. A similar demonstration would be held in New Delhi in September," INPT President Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl told IANS.

He said: "If the other parties want to hold the agitation jointly, we are ready to do so. Earlier, in support of our demands, we have organised agitations, including a shutdown along with IPFT and NCT."

The INPT, IPFT and NCT have also been demanding withdrawal of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, which is currently under review by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).

These parties are also demanding introduction of an innerline permit to protect indigenous tribals, giving more power to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), restoration of alienated tribal lands and inclusion of tribals' Kokborok language in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.

IPFT Vice President Ananta Debbarma said last month-end that they had organised big rallies in tribal areas, including at the TTAADC headquarters in Khumulwng, in support of the NRC and some other demands.

"We would soon hold a meeting of our party and decide our next course of action on NRC, Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 and other demands," Debbarma told IANS.

The IPFT is the junior ally in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance government in Tripura, while the INPT is one of the oldest tribal parties in the state. It was formed in 2002 by merging three Tripura parties, including the Tripura Upajati Juba Samity (TUJS) and Tripura National Volunteers (TNV).

The TUJS was formed in 1967, while the erstwhile militant outfit TNV became a political party in 1988 following a tripartite agreement with the central and state governments.

The INPT, IPFT and the NCT in February last year formed the All Tripura Indigenous Regional Parties Forum (ATIRPF) and spearheaded various agitations across the state in support of their demands.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, introduced in the Lok Sabha in 2016, seeks to enable Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, who have fled to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh without valid travel documents or those whose valid documents expired in recent years, to acquire Indian citizenship through the process of naturalisation.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front, the Congress and the Trinamool Congress are also opposed to the Centre's citizenship Bill.

"The CPI-M is also opposed to the Bill and supports the Indira-Mujib pact which determined March 24, 1971, as the cut-off date to detect illegal infiltration into India from Bangladesh," CPI-M's Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha and senior tribal leader Jitendra Chaudhury told IANS.

"We have not yet discussed about the NRC in Tripura. However, people, particularly the minorities, are being harassed in Assam while conducting hearings on NRC," said Chaudhury, who is also National Coordinator of the CPI-M-backed Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch and President of the Tripura Rajya Upajati Ganamukti Parishad -- a frontal body of the CPI-M.

The second draft of the Supreme Court-monitored NRC in neighbouring Assam would be published on June 30, while the first NRC draft was made available to the people on December 31, after inclusion of names of 1.9 crore people of the total 3.29 crore applicants in the BJP-ruled state.

The NRC Assam, the register containing names of Indian citizens in the state, was prepared in 1951 as a non-statutory process by recording particulars of all the persons enumerated during the 1951 census.

The Assam agitation (1979-85) against the illegal foreigners led to the signing of Assam Accord on August 15, 1985, between the Centre, the state government, the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and the All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP), which stipulated March 24, 1971, as the cut-off date for identification and deportation of illegal migrants from East Pakistan (Bangladesh).

Accordingly, the Citizenship Act, 1955, was amended by inserting Section 6A as a special provision for Assam.

In a tripartite meeting between the Centre, the state government and AASU, chaired by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in May 2005, it was agreed to update the NRC of 1951. The modalities were approved by the government of India in consultation with the government of Assam.

After the Supreme Court's directive, the exercise of NRC updation in Assam commenced in December 2013, to be completed over a period of three years. The apex court is closely supervising the progress of NRC update and has given various directions from time to time.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be reached at sujit.c@ians.in)Mumbai, June 12 : Actor Varun Dhawan says that it is high time Indians stop looking at the West for heroes as we there are a number of legends within their own country.

Varun was here at the launch of author Amish's book "Suheldev and The Battle of Bahraich", based on story of Raja Suheldev, a legendary but forgotten hero and an unforgettable battle which kept the Turks at bay for almost 170 years.

"It's the time when we should celebrate our Indian heroes and not look at the West to look up to heroes. Around 20 to 25 per cent of our population is made up of tribes and castes and that's not really been represented in books or our literature as much or in films for that matter," said Varun in a statement to IANS.

"Amish is doing a great job by actually representing it. He is doing a better job than politicians by writing about a hero. When you read the book and when you see the landscape of how he describes the world, your imaginations just run wild," added the "Main Tera Hero" actor.

Amish's popular novel "The Immortals of Meluha" is being adapted for the big screen. Filmmaker Karan Johar has obtained the rights for an adaption of the popular book. The English rights of the same have gone to an undisclosed American producer.

If "Suheldev and The Battle of Bahraich" is adapted into a film, Varun says he would want to be a part of it.

"I thought when can a movie be made out of this. Can I be a part of it or will I be very short for it? I was very fascinated with the backdrop of the book. It tells the story of a hero," he said.

Asked whose life would he want to play out in a film if given a chance, Varun said: "Honestly when someone offers me to do a biography, I get scared. I don't want to do it most of the times because I feel all the fictional characters I am playing are like biographies but only to me.

"If I had to do a biography on someone, it would be on my father's life. Sometime in the future I would like to enact his young and old days. Probably till the time he had me," said Varun.

"Suheldev and The Battle of Bahraich" will release on July 23.New Delhi, June 12 : Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, undergoing treatment for urinary tract infection at the AIIMS here, is responding well and his vital parameters are stable, hospital officials said on Tuesday.

Vajpayee was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Monday.

"His condition is stable. He is responding to treatment and is on injectable antibiotics. All vital parameters are stable. He will continue to be in hospital till the infection is controlled," AIIMS media and protocol division chairperson Aarti Vij said.

Vajpayee's hospitalisation triggered VIP visits including that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah and Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday, followed by Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and MDMK leader Vaiko on Tuesday.

A team of senior doctors under the supervision of Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS, is conducting the tests on Vajpayee, who is bed-ridden for many years. Guleria, a pulmonologist, has been a personal physician to Vajpayee for long.

The BJP on Monday said Vajpayee was admitted on the advice of doctors for routine check-ups and investigations.

Modi called on Vajpayee on Monday evening and interacted with his family. He spoke to doctors and enquired about the former Prime Minister's health. Modi was at AIIMS for about 50 minutes.

Rahul Gandhi was the first to visit the hospital to check on Vajpayee's health. Health Minister J.P. Nadda also visited, followed by Amit Shah and Modi.

Vajpayee, 93, who was Prime Minister briefly in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004, retreated from active politics over the last decade due to failing health.Tokyo, June 12 : Japan on Tuesday launched a surveillance satellite to monitor North Korea's military installations and take pictures of areas affected by natural disasters.

According to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the radar satellite was launched using an H-2A rocket from the space centre in Tanegashima, Kagoshima prefecture, reports Efe news.

The agency confirmed that the rocket flew as planned and the data collection satellite separated correctly.

Radar satellites capture radio waves reflected from the ground and are capable of taking images even at night and without being affected by extreme weather conditions.

The Japanese government now has four of this kind in orbit as well as two optical reconnaissance satellites.Kolkata, June 12 : India's tea exports grew by about 6.5 per cent to 79.72 million kg during the January-April period of 2018 as compared to 74.89 million kg exported in the corresponding period last year.

According to data from the Tea Board of India, in April tea export was up marginally to 14.5 million kg as against 14.33 million kg exported in the year-ago month and in value terms, export during the month was stagnant at Rs 277.6 crore as compared to Rs 277.71 crore in April 2017.

In value terms, tea exports for the first four months of the current calendar year, stood at Rs 1,524.92 crore, up by about 5.3 per cent from Rs 1,447.74 crore in the year-ago period.

In volume, tea exports to CIS countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and others, were at 20.46 million kg in the January-April period of 2018, down from 22.28 million kg in the same period of last year.

Exports to the UK also fell to 3.03 million kg in the period under review, as against 3.73 million kg in the year-ago period while exports at 2.95 million kg to Germany during the period were also down from 3.3 million kg exported in the corresponding months of 2017.

However, tea exports to Iran went up to 8.94 million kg in the period under review, from 7.18 million kg in the year-ago period.

As much as 4.89 million kg of tea was shipped out to Egypt during the first four months of current year, up from 2.94 million kg in the year-ago period.

Tea exports to Pakistan stood at 5.03 million kg in the period, as against 3.31 million kg exported in the corresponding months of 2017.

India's tea exports to China during the period were up at 3.04 million kg.Mumbai, June 12 : Actor Vinit Kakar has wrapped up shooting for "Mahakali - Anth Hi Aarambh Hai". He will soon meet his family in Canada.

"My character Madhu has been killed. I have wrapped up shooting for the show. It was fun being a part of the mythological show," Vinit said in a statement.

He will soon travel to Canada to meet his family after eight years.

"I'm really excited," he said.

Vinit has also featured in shows "Vighnaharta Ganesh" and "Sankatmochan Mahabali Hanumaan".

'Ishqbaaaz' actor wants to play a hero

Actor Hiten Meghrajani, who essayed the role of Rehaan in the show "Ishqbaaaz", now wishes to play a hero.

"Rehaan will be one of my most special roles. It was a character with grey shades but people loved me and appreciated me. The show has given me a platform to explore my acting skills and earn my fandom," Hiten said in a statement.

"But now I wish to play a hero in a show," added the actor, known for shows like "Love By Chance" and "Fear Files".

My role in 'Naagin 3' very challenging: Puneett

Actor Puneett Chouksey says his role in the new show "Naagin 3" is a challenging one.

"My role in 'Naagin 3' is really challenging and special to me. I am open to playing more challenging roles. They can be positive or negative," Puneett, who has acted in shows "Saath Nibhana Saathiya" and "Nagarjuna-Ek Yoddha", said in a statement.

"The character of Adi (in 'Naagin 3') is totally different from what I'm off-screen. But I enjoy playing Adi as it's very interesting. He has different shades and moods," he added.Lucknow, June 12 : With former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee admitted to the AIIMS in Delhi, his admirers and BJP activists on Tuesday held prayers at different places in Uttar Pradesh.

While a special 'havan' was conducted in Kanpur by party workers for his speedy recovery, BJP and Vishwa Hindu Mahasangh members took part in a 'Deerghayu Yagya' at Gonda.

Special pujas were organised at Balrampur, from where he started his political career, said a well-wisher.

Vajpayee, 93, who was Prime Minister briefly in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004, is battling a urinary tract infection and respiratory disorders for which he is admitted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. His condition is said to be stable.

Vajpayee was elected to the Lok Sabha from Lucknow five times.TUNIS - Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui and his Libyan counterpart, Mohammed Taher Sayala, have met in Tripoli for talks focusing on the search for a global political solution to the Libyan crisis and economic and commercial relations between the two countries, Tunisia's foreign ministry said in a statement.



The meeting comes ahead of a meeting of the joint Tunisia-Libya Committee to be held in Tunis on July 5, which will be followed by a meeting between the two prime ministers in the coming months.



Jhinaoui's visit to Libya provided ''an opportunity to improve the strategic nature of relations'' between the two countries, said the statement, ''and to discuss means to start President Essebsi's regional initiative, to discuss the outcome of the meeting of foreign ministers of Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia last May 21 and the meeting on May 28, 2018, in Paris to assist all Libyan parties in Libya in talks aimed at a global political solution to the Libyan crisis''.



Jhinaoui also discussed perspectives for the political process in Libya with the president of the High Council of State, Khaled Al-Mashri, who expressed the appreciation of Libya for the support provided by Libya and President Beji Caid Essebsi, the statement said.



On the sidelines of the visit, the Tunisian foreign minister met with members of the Tunisian community at the Tunisian consulate general, announcing in the coming future that national air carrier Tunisair will resume flights to Libya. (ANSAmed)Indore, June 12 : Bhaiyyuji Maharaj, a Madhya Pradesh-based spiritual guru, shot himself on Tuesday and was admitted to a private hospital here in critical condition, police said. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said he was dead.

"Bhaiyyuji Maharaj has shot himself at his residence at Khandwa Road here," Indore's Deputy Inspector General Harinarayanachari Mishra said.

The reason behind the attempted suicide was not known, he said.

Mishra said Maharaj had been admitted at the Bombay Hospital here. "His condition is critical. Doctors are monitoring the situation," the officer said.

Although police did not say if he was dead, Union Minister Gadkari paid his tribute to Maharaj.

"Got to know about the sad demise of religious guru Bhaiyyuji Maharaj. I was having personal relations with him. I am saddened by his sudden demise. My tributes," he tweeted.Chandigarh, June 12 : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said there was no move to bring AAP Member of Parliament (MP) Bhagwant Mann into the party.

Clarifying on Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu's suggestion of bringing Mann into the Punjab Congress, Singh urged all party leaders to refrain from making such public statements.

It was the prerogative of the party high command to take any decision on the induction of leaders from other parties into the Congress fold, said the Chief Minister, adding that no party MP or MLA or other leaders should come out with public statements in this regard.

"If they have any opinion on any such matter, they should share their suggestions in party forums," said Singh in a statement.

He said the party platform was the right place for discussing opinions related to party issues.

Expressing surprise at Bittu's reported media statement that AAP's Sangrur MP Mann should be inducted into the Congress ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Singh said the Ludhiana MP should have come with his views either to the party general secretary or the state president or to him.

As a democratic organisation, the Congress could have discussed Bittu's opinion internally, with the final decision resting with the high command, said the Chief Minister.

Bittu is a senior Congress leader and well aware of the systems and processes that need to be followed in such cases, he added.Agartala, June 12 : Former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar's security has been increased as the "BJP workers continued to obstruct" his tour to tribal dominated areas in Dhalai district since Monday, police said on Tuesday.

Sarkar, now the Leader of Opposition in Tripura, accompanied by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Chief Whip in the assembly and former minister Tapan Chakraborty and party legislator Pravat Chowdhury, went to the tribal dominated areas in Dhalai district on Monday to see the crisis of food, rural jobs and other scarcities there.

"We have deployed huge additional security forces for Sarkar and other leaders' visit to Gandachara and nearby areas. Like Monday, some people were shouting slogans against Sarkar on Tuesday also," Dhalai district police chief Sudipta Das told IANS.

A CPI-M leader, accompanying Sarkar, said that the ruling BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and IPFT (Indigenous People's Front of Tripura) workers continued the protest on Tuesday against the former Chief Minister's visit to the tribal inhabited areas.

"CPI-M Chief Whip in Lok Sabha on Monday talked to Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb over phone on the issue and after that yesterday's (Monday) obstruction by BJP-IPFT workers was withdrawn," a CPI-M statement said here on Monday night.

It said: "BJP-IPFT workers undemocratically creating blockade against the opposition leader and other CPI-M legislators' visit to the interior areas to prevent the exposure of huge crisis of food and other basics in the tribal populated areas."

"Already, two tribals died due to starvation related diseases in Dhalai district. Hundreds of people are going to neighbouring Bangladesh for their survival. Rural jobs under the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) are almost stopped. The BJP government remained mute spectator," the CPI-M statement said.

The BJP, however, denied that any of its workers was involved in blockading Sarkar's tour.

"During the regime of CPI-M-led Left Front, people did not see the faces of Left leaders in the interior areas. Now the common people are agitating against their politics. No BJP worker is involved in the obstruction to Sarkar's visit to different areas of Dhalai district," BJP spokesman Mrinal Kanti Deb told the media.Beijing, June 12 : China on Tuesday said that sanctions against Pyongyang could be eased if it complies with the UN resolution, after US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un pledged to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea is reeling under the crippling UN economic sanctions for firing off ballistic missiles and conducting nuclear tests. Pyongyang's defiance last year had frustrated its sole ally Beijing, which gave a go-ahead to the punishing sanctions against the reclusive state.

"The Security Council's resolutions also have relevant stipulations. It is said that in accordance with the compliance of the DPRK side and the development of the situation, the Security Council will consider relieving or lifting sanctions on the DPRK," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shunag said.

"Sanctions are not an end. The Security Council should support the current efforts and contribute to the political settlement of the Koran Peninsula issue," Geng added.

He said Beijing had implemented the sanctions adopted by the Security Council "comprehensively, accurately and strictly".

Earlier in the day, Trump and Kim had a historic meeting in Singapore during which they pledged for the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

The animosity between North Korea and the US dates back to 1950 when Pyongyang invaded the South, prompting Washington to fight by the side of Seoul.

The North was backed by China and Russia in the Korean War until an armistice was put in place in 1953.

North Korea said it built up its arsenal because it feared invasion by Washington and Seoul. China has been Pyongyang's ally since then.

Beijing has a strategic interest in keeping the Peninsula calm as it fears that war between Pyongyang and Washington would trigger an influx of North Korean refugees into its border.Chennai, June 12 : The Madras High Court's Madurai bench on Tuesday ordered the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) to probe allegations of amassing wealth disproportionate to income against Tamil Nadu Milk and Dairy Development Minister K.T. Rajenthra Bhalaji.

Hearing a case filed by Mahendran, the court ordered the probe to be conducted by a police official of the rank of Superindentent of Police (SP) on the allegation of disproportionate assets against Bhalaji from 1996 onwards.

The court also ordered the DVAC to submit its first report on August 3 and posted the case's next hearing for August 6.Brussels, June 12 : The European Union's top diplomat on Tuesday hailed the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore as a crucial step towards a diplomatic solution to de-escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Federica Mogherini, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, said the meeting between Trump and Kim demonstrated that diplomacy paved the way forward to peace in the region, Efe news reported.

"The ultimate goal, shared by the entire international community and as expressed by the United Nations Security Council, remains the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula," according to the press statement released by Mogherini's office.

"The joint statement signed by the US and North Korea) leaders today gives a clear signal that this goal can be achieved," it added, thanking South Korean President Moon Jae-in for his leadership in laying the groundwork that led to the summit.

Following the landmark summit in Singapore, Trump announced that the US would end its practice of staging war games on the Korean Peninsula in exchange the complete denuclearisation of North Korea, which Kim has said he would fulfil.

"Chairman Kim has before him an opportunity like no other to be remembered as the leader who ushered in a glorious new era of prosperity for his people," Trump told reporters.

Tuesday's summit in Singapore, aimed at addressing the possible denuclearisation of North Korea, is the first between the two countries' heads of state after nearly 70 years of confrontation in the wake of the Korean War (1950-1953), and 25 years of failed negotiations and tensions over the North Korea's nuclear programme.London, June 12 : World-famous designer Christian Louboutin has won a legal battle to protect his brand's distinctive red soles.

In 2012, Louboutin sued rival firm Van Haren for selling high-heeled shoes with scarlet soles, reports bbc.com.

Under EU law, companies cannot trademark common shapes of products such as the soles of shoes and Van Haren argued that applying red to a shoe sole came under the law and, as a result, Louboutin did not have trademark protection.

However, the European Court of Justice said shape trademarks do not apply to Louboutin's red sole, reports bbc.com.

Louboutin first designed his trademark shoe in 1993, using an assistant's red nail polish.

The luxury brand said it "warmly welcomes" the judgement.

"For 26 years, the red sole has enabled the public to attribute the origin of the shoe to its creator, Christian Louboutin. This case will now be referred back to The Hague Court which is expected to confirm the validity of the red sole trademark," said a statement from the company.Los Angeles, June 12 : Actor John Krasinski's series "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" will go live on August 31.

A new first look shows Krasinski transitioning from desk job to world class spy.

In the trailer, Krasinski's character is ripped out of the CIA job and sent into the field for the first time, protesting, "I can't go to Yemen, I'm an analyst. I don't interrogate people, I write reports".

Quickly, he faces bombs, armed attackers, and international threats, while also promising to protect civilians from danger.

Based on Tom Clancy's novels, Krasinski is just the latest actor to take on the Jack Ryan character, following in the footsteps of Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Chris Pine and Ben Affleck. The show also stars Abbie Cornish, Wendell Pierce and Ali Suliman, reports variety.com.

The Amazon Prime Original recently renewed for a second season ahead of its premiere, which commences production this summer in Europe, South America, and the US.

After following Ryan's foray into field work in Season 1, the spy confronts the forces in power in a dangerous, declining democratic regime in South America in season two. The creators of the series, executive producers Carlton Cuse and Graham Roland, will continue to serve as co-showrunners for season two.

Both seasons will comprise of eight episodes, with the first season debuting on August 31.Thiruvananthapuram, June 12 : When congress leader V M Sudheeran stepped down as party state unit president, he had stated health concerns as the reason for his relinquishing the post.

However, with the congress at a crossroads in the state, Sudheeran on Tuesday opened up on the real reason behind his decision to step down as party president.

Exposing the deep-rooted fault lines within the party, he told reporters that he was forced to quit as KPCC president owing to the ill-treatment meted out to him by group managers in the party.

Launching into a tirade against factionalism in the party, he said that leaders of the different groups in the party were a major impediment to the smooth conduct of organisational affairs.

Blaming the drubbing the party received in the recent Chengannur by-election on factionalism, he ripped into the group leaders, charging them with putting their respective factions above the party.

He also lamented that his efforts to strengthen the party at the grassroots level during his time as party president were undermined by factionalism.

He was speaking to reporters after emerging from a meeting of the KPCC, where he reportedly came under scathing criticism.

Media reports suggest that Sudheeran came under fire at the meeting. A KPCC general secretary reportedly launched a scathing attack on him, saying that the tough positions he took as KPCC president, which put the party and the then UDF government on the defensive, were ultimately responsible for the chastening defeat the UDF suffered in the 2016 assembly polls.

Earlier, in the wake of the Chengannur by-election debacle, Sudheeran had called for an end to factionalism in the party.

Meanwhile, the KPCC has reportedly clamped down on leaders publicly trading charges over the congress relinquishing the sole rajya sabha seat it can win to the KC(M).Kolkata, June 12 : Three foreign nationals residing in Noida have been arrested for allegedly extorting almost Rs 8 lakh from a Bengal girl on the false promise of marriage, police said on Tuesday.

"We have caught three Nigerians connected with the case. They were arrested in Noida on Sunday and produced in court there, then we got the transit remand and today (Monday) they reached Kolkata. They were produced in the local court here on Tuesday," said a senior police official .

The team of Chandannagar Police Commissionerate managed to trace the accused's whereabouts with the help of Noida police after a week-long effort.

According to police, Sharmistha Mukherjee, 22, a resident of Uttarpara in Hooghly district, met her prospective groom on a well-known matrimonial site. The man, pretending to be an NRI, allured the girl after meeting on the site and speaking over the phone.

"Somebody had pretended that he would be coming from the US to meet the girl for marriage purpose. He told the girl that he is stuck at the New Delhi airport and needs some money for the clearance and the girl agreed," said the police.

She sent almost Rs 8 lakh rupees to help him.

But the man snapped all contact after she had transferred the money to his account.

The girl had lodged a complaint at the Uttarpara Police Station in mid-April.

The Nigerians were caught on the basis of CCTV footage at an ATM in Noida as they had withdrawn the amount from the account where the money was transferred through repeated transactions.New Delhi, June 12 : President Ram Nath Kovind will embark on an eight-day, three-nation tour from June 16 that will see him going to Greece, Suriname and Cuba, it was announced on Tuesday.

Briefing the media here, Subrata Bhattacharjee, Joint Secretary, Central Europe, in the External Affairs Ministry, said that Kovind will reach Greece on June 16 at the invitation of Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulus.

He will hold a meeting with Pavlopoulus as well as with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Leader of the Opposition Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Kovind will also meet Indian and Greek CEOs and deliver a speech on "India and Europe in a Changing World" at the Hellenic Foundation for Europe and Foreign Policy, a leading Greek think tank.

According to Bhattacharjee, India-Greece bilateral trade stands at $530 million and some Indian companies are also present in the infrastructure, pharmaceutical and steel sectors in that central European nation.

With Greece being home to a 12,000-strong Indian diaspora, Kovind will also interact with members of the community.

From Greece, Kovind will leave for Suriname on June 19 in what will be the first ever visit by an Indian head of state to the South American nation.

Partha Satpathy, Joint Secretary (Latin America and Caribbean), said that Kovind's visits to Suriname and Cuba are a reflection of New Delhi giving more importance from this year to ties with Latin America.

Last month, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu visited Guatemala, Panama and Peru.

While in Suriname at the invitation of President Desi Bouterse, following official talks, some agreements are expected to be signed, including on health and information technology. India will offer some lines of credit as part of development assistance.

With 37 per cent of Suriname's population being people of Indian origin, Kovind will also lay the foundation of a Vivekananda Cultural Centre.

Most of these Indian-origin people are descendants of indentured labour brought to work in sugarcane plantations, the first batch of whom arrived in 1873.

On June 21, Kovind will participate in activities as part of the International Yoga Day.

From Suriname, he and his delegation will leave for Cuba which again will be the first ever presidential visit from India to the Caribbean island country.

Satpathy said that both India and Cuba are important partners in the global South-South cooperation.

He said that Kovind will interact with Cuba's new leadership under President Miguel Diaz-Canel.

Four agreements are expected to be signed, including in the areas of biotechnology and traditional and alternative systems of medicine.

Kovind will conclude his visit on June 23.

According to Press Secretary to the President Ashok Malik, this will be Kovind's fourth and last foreign visit in the first year of his presidency. In all, he will have visited 10 countries.

During the visit, the President will be accompanied by Minister of State for Steel Vishnu Deo Sai, two members of the Lok Sabha, Dinesh Kashyap and Nityanand Rai, and senior officials.New Delhi, June 12 : Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was on Tuesday responding well to his treatment for urinary tract infection at the AIIMS, which is seeing a beeline of leaders from various political parties wanting to enquire about his health.

"His condition is stable. He is responding to treatment and is on injectable antibiotics. All vital parameters are stable. He will continue to be in hospital till the infection is controlled," AIIMS media and protocol division Chairperson Aarti Vij said on Tuesday.

Vajpayee was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Monday. His hospitalisation triggered VIP visits including that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah and Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday.

The news of Vajpayee's condition being stable did little to slow the flow of prominent leaders to the hospital. Former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and H.D. Deve Gowda, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat visited him on Tuesday.

Among other leaders who made a visit to the hospital are Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M. Thambidurai, veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, MDMK leader Vaiko and Union Ministers Ashwini Choubey, Vijay Goel and Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti.

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu enquired about Vajpayee's health. Health Minister J.P. Nadda, who visited AIIMS on Monday, was again at the hospital on Tuesday. Another BJP stalwart L.K. Advani also visited the hospital on Monday.

A team of senior doctors under the supervision of AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria is conducting the tests on Vajpayee, who is bed-ridden for many years. Guleria, a pulmonologist, has been a personal physician to Vajpayee for long.

Modi called on Vajpayee on Monday evening and interacted with his family. He spoke to doctors and enquired about the former Prime Minister's health. Modi was at AIIMS for about 50 minutes.

Several leaders across the country wished Vajpayee a speedy recovery.

"Prayers for a speedy and complete recovery of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. A gentle and a fine person that he is, he continues to motivate us through his timeless speeches and poems," Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav said: "I prayed for the fast recovery of Vajpayeeji. May God keep him healthy and give him a long life." Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu also prayed for his good health.

Union Minister Arun Jaitley tweeted: "We pray for speedy recovery of Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji, he has been a guiding light for the whole country."

Vajpayees' admirers and BJP activists held prayers at different places in Uttar Pradesh. A special 'havan' was conducted in Kanpur by party workers. BJP and Vishwa Hindu Mahasangh members took part in a 'Deerghayu Yagya' at Gonda.

Vajpayee, 93, who was Prime Minister briefly in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004, retreated from active politics over the last decade due to failing health.New Delhi, June 12 : The BJP on Tuesday attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over his overnight stay at the Lt. Governor's office as a planned trick to divert people's attention from the real issues like the poor condition of government hospitals and acute water shortage in the city.

It also said that the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs and MLAs would go to the Chief Minister's residence demanding a solution to the water and electricity crises in Delhi.

Addressing the media here, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said: "Kejriwal and his ministers (Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, PWD and Health Minister Satyendar Jain and Labour Minister Gopal Rai) are sitting in an air-conditioned room with their feet on the table."

"Is it called a protest?" Tiwari asked.

Tiwari's remarks came after the four Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders went to the LG's office on Monday evening at 5.30 p.m to press for their three demands, including a direction to IAS officers to end their "strike", and continue to be there "until the demands are met".

The Chief Minister also demanded approval of his government's proposal to deliver ration to the poor at their doorsteps.

In a statement late on Monday, Raj Niwas had called the sit-in a "protest without reason".

Hitting out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, Tiwari said: "At a time when the people of Delhi are facing acute water shortage, when people are dying in Mohalla Clinics and complaining about poor services at government hospitals, Kejriwal and his ministers are under a planned conspiracy seeking full statehood to Delhi."

"It is Kejriwal who needs to ensure proper water supply as he is the incharge of the Water Ministry of the Delhi government.

"Kejriwal has no interest in the problems of the people of Delhi," he said.

Slamming Kejriwal, the BJP MP from northeast Delhi said: "He had done a similar dharna in 2014 to stall the Republic Day parade. With his threat to stop the Republic Day celebrations, it became clear that he has no faith in the Constitution of the country."

Firing salvos at Kejriwal, the BJP leader asked: "Did Kejriwal implement Lokpal in Delhi? He will not implement it, as he fears that they would be its first victim."

"We shall protest against Kejriwal at his residence on Wednesday morning over the water crisis and poor health services in Delhi," Tiwari said.

Earlier in the day, Tiwari in a tweet said: "Making mockery of Democracy, No Work only Drama."Jaipur, June 12 : Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, along with a dozen BJP leaders from Rajasthan, will be in Delhi to attend a meeting called by party President Amit Shah on Wednesday, said BJP state incharge and national vice president Avinash Rai Khanna.

Speaking to IANS, he confirmed on Tuesday that crucial issues related to the assembly elections would be discussed in the meeting.

When asked about the pending issue of appointment of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s state president, he said there were fair chances of getting a new state unit chief in this meeting.

Everything related to the party, its working and the challenges facing it would be discussed in this meeting to be chaired by Shah, he added.

Both the central and state party leaderships have been unable to build a consensus on any name to head the party in the state after Ashok Parnami resigned from the post on April 16.

The names proposed by the central BJP leadership were reportedly not approved by Vasundhara Raje and her team, while those suggested by her have not been accepted by the central leadership.

Party sources confirmed that besides Vasundhara, veteran leaders including Arjun Meghwal, Om Mathur, Bhupendra Yadav, state Home Minister Gulabchand Kataria and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Arun Chaturvedi, among others, are likely to attend the meeting.New Delhi, June 12 : A 19-year-old youth, who snatched a woman's bag containing money, her phone and other valuables was arrested within 12 hours of the crime, police said on Tuesday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, North, Jatin Narwal said accused Harsh Verma snatched the bag from a 30-year-old woman at FK Block, Shastri Nagar on Sunday around 6 p.m. and was arrested on Monday morning. "The bag was recovered after his arrest."

He said that the team collected CCTV footage of the surroundings, whose close monitoring gave clues about the vehicle the snatcher was on and this was found at the accused's residence in Shastri Nagar, enabling police to apprehend him.Lucknow, June 12 : The proposed two-day tour of Congress President Rahul Gandhi to his parliamentary constituency Amethi from Thursday has been cancelled, a party official said on Tuesday.

The visit has been put off due to lack of security ahead of the coming festival of Eid, the state government has told Congress leaders.

Chandrakant Dubey, representative of Gandhi in Amethi, said police had said that June 14 could be the last Friday of Ramadan with the 'alvida namaaz' and there after Saturday is likely to be Eid for which major security would be required.

Gandhi had last visited his constituency in April, spending three days there.New Delhi, June 12 : Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Urjit Patel was on Tuesday grilled by parliamentarians over challenges being faced by the banking sector, including the huge number and size of bad loans and frauds like the one in Punjab National Bank even as he said that the situation has improved and the central bank has taken some measures to strengthen the banking system.

Patel, who was called by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance for questioning in relation to these issues, answered questions for over three hours.

He appeared along with the Deputy Governors and deposed under the topic "Banking Sector in India issues, Challenges and the Way Forward including Non-Performing Assets in banks and financial institutions"

The meeting was chaired by Congress leader Veerappa Moily and attended among others by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Some members of the committee also sought to know about the reasons for recent instances of ATMs running out of cash and NPA crisis and bank frauds (Nirav Modi).

Sources present in the meeting told IANS that Patel briefed about the current situation and said it has improved with regard to the issue of the Non Performing Assets (bad loans). The RBI has taken some measures to strengthen the banking system, he said but pointed out that the RBI did not have sufficient powers to discipline Chairmen of banks or change members of their Boards.

Patel had earlier given a written submission about what are the corrective measures that have been taken.

Sources said that Patel informed that measures adopted by the RBI to tackle the crisis include prompt corrective action (PCA) framework, implementation of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and a new resolution framework.

An MP said that Patel did not give any reply to some questions on demonetisation.

Citing reports of experts on the notes in circulation, which was earlier stated to be around Rs. 17 lakh crore, has now increased to Rs 18.5 lakh crore, a member sought to know from Patel that cash supply getting reduced, it was going up contradicting the purpose of the demonetisation.

Patel claimed the IMF and World Bank have praised its regulatory role.

About the latest situation on the notes in circulation, Patel is reported to have said said that the RBI would give the answer later.

Another member said people have lost trust in the banking system and everybody is withdrawing cash while ATMs are depleted. "People are putting the money somewhere else which is going to be a run on the bank," he is believed to have said.

Responding to the query, the RBI Governor said, "everything is fine".

He was also asked about Punjab National Bank and he was told that LoUs were going from "Nirav Modi to Nirav Modi" which the banks are supposed to inspect.

One another member told the Governor that RBI was not fulfilling its obligations to the people to which Patel said he will reply to these questions later on.

The next meeting of the committee will be held on June 19.New Delhi, June 12 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a video message released on Tuesday told Delhiites that he is protesting for them as he and three of his Ministers prepared to continue their sit-in in the Raj Niwas drawing room for another night.

"The protest is for you all, for the people of Delhi, so that you can get roads, schools, hospitals, Mohalla Clinics, water and electricity," Kejriwal said in the video that was put out in the social media and also circulated on various WhatsApp groups.

Kejriwal claimed the IAS officers were "only working on important files" and "not responding to Ministers' calls and messages, and not attending our meetings".

"People of Delhi are suffering, the work planned for Delhi by the government is suffering," he said, adding: "He (LG) asked us to seek permission from the Centre. We all know what does it mean. The file will go and will remain there for five years."

Kejriwal, along with his three senior Ministers -- Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai -- has been camping in the Raj Niwas, the official accommodation-cum-office of Lt. Governor Anil Baijal, since Monday evening.

The Delhi Chief Minister said he and his colleagues would not leave Baijal's office until their demands were met. Jain also started an indefinite hunger strike since Tuesday morning.

The Raj Niwas called it a "protest without reason".

The demands include a direction to IAS officers working in the Delhi administration to end their "strike", action against officers who have struck work for "four months" and approval to his government's proposal for doorstep delivery of ration to the poor.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s national secretary Pankaj Gupta said that on Wednesday all party MLAs would gather at the Chief Minister's residence at 4 p.m and march to LG's house and protest there.

The AAP leaders also exhorted the common people of Delhi through a video message to join the protest march.

The police have already beefed up security outside Raj Niwas, with paramilitary and police personnel deployed in a 2-kilometre radius of the LG's office.

"Kejriwal was forced to take the step as the Lt. Governor was not listening to the Delhi government's demand," Gupta told the media.

He also said that there had been no communication from the Lt. Governor's office till Tuesday evening and hence Kejriwal and others would stay put there.

According to party sources, no food was served to the Ministers from the Lt. Governor's office, though party supporters and the Chief Minister's residence was supplying them food.

AAP leaders also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with many of them alleging that the Lt. Governor and the IAS officers were just "puppets in the hands of PMO (Prime Minister's Office)" and that the officers' "strike: was being patronised by none other than the PMO.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday hit back at Kejriwal and termed the protest as "a planned trick to divert people's attention from the real issues of poor health system in government hospitals and acute water shortage in the city".

Addressing a press conference here, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said: "Kejriwal and his Ministers are sitting in an air-conditioned room with their feet on the table. Is it called a protest?"

He said that the Delhi BJP MPs and MLAs would go and protest outside the Chief Minister's residence over water and electricity crises in Delhi.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju dubbed Kejriwal's protest as "drama" and wondered how long this would go on.

The Congress, too, called the AAP protest a ploy to cover up its failures.

"The AAP and the BJP, which is in power at the municipal bodies and at the Centre, are holding dharnas against each other to cover up their failures," Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken said.

"The AAP government and the BJP are diverting people's attention from the sealing drive, spread of garbage all over Delhi and the all-pervading corruption in the municipal corporations," he added.Ghaziabad, June 12 : A criminal carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head was arrested following an encounter conducted jointly by Uttar Pradesh Police and Delhi Police on Tuesday, according to police.

At around 5.30 p.m on Tuesday, the Noida police and the Delhi Police surrounded dreaded criminal Krishna Pal in Greater Noida area and challenged him.

After a brief exchange of fire, as the criminal received bullet injuries, the police teams pounced on him and arrested him, said a police officer.

Besides Pal, two of the police personnel also sustained bullet injuries.

The encounter took place under Bisrakh Police Station area of Greater Noida.

The injured policemen and the criminal were rushed to a local hospital where they were declared out of danger.

Pal was involved in over 20 heinous crimes in Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh districts, according to the police.Kolkata, June 12 : A man from Jharkhand was arrested from West Bengal's Burdwan railway station for molesting a French woman in a train, police said on Tuesday.

The incident took place on the Jamalpur-Howrah Express late on Sunday.

"Arshad Hussain, a resident of Jharkhand, was arrested on Monday for molesting a French national on the Jamalpur-Howrah Express. He has been sent to police custody till Thursday," a Government Railway Police (GRP) officer told IANS.

According to the GRP, the woman, travelling with a fellow French national from Bihar's Jamalpur to West Bengal's Howrah with unreserved general tickets, was molested after she went to take the seat offered by Hussain, who was about to de-board.

"The two French nationals were sitting in the corridor of a sleeper compartment as they did not have reservations. Hussain, who was about to get down at Pakur station in Jharkhand, offered the woman his seat but molested her taking advantage of darkness," he said.

However, the officer refused to confirm whether Hussain is a railway employee.

According to police, fellow passengers caught Hussain following the incident and handed him over to the Railway Protection Force personnel in the train. He was handed over to the GRP in Burdwan station later.Lucknow, June 12 : Information sought under the RTI Act about the allotment of land to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for it's new headquarters at 6, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg in New Delhi has been denied by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, an activist said on Tuesday.

City based activist Nutan Thakur had in February this year sought a copy of the file related to the land allotment, to which the ministry's CPIO Rajanish Kumar Jha said that the information sought was by third party and has not provided any stake in the property, hence it cannot be provided.

The activist, in a statement to the media, however claims that allotment of government land was not third party information and should have been provided.

The 70-room new office space, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February this year was a modern, multi-storeyed building with three blocks, spread over a sprawling two acres equipped with latest state-of-the-art gadgets.New Delhi, June 12 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that humiliating his gurus - former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, veteran leader L.K. Advani and Jaswant Singh - is his way of protecting Indian culture.

He also attacked BJP, a party in which they "cut down their own Gurus".

Referring to a character from the Mahabharata, Gandhi tweeted: "Ekalavya cut off his right thumb because his Guru demanded it. In the BJP, they cut down their own Gurus."

"Humiliating Vajpayeeji, Advaniji, Jaswant Singhji and their families is the Prime Minister's way of protecting Indian culture," he said, attaching a video where Modi purportedly humiliated Advani.Panaji, June 12 : Identifying differences in behavioural patterns of foreign and domestic tourists, the need for politeness while addressing erring sea bathers and taking special care of women beachgoers are some of the takeaways from a training module booklet developed for Goa's lifeguards.

The training module has been developed as part of the skill development programme for the beach sentinels.

The programme was launched on Tuesday by Goa Tourism Development Corporation chairman Nilesh Cabral and officials from Nestle, India and Drishti Marine, a private beach management agency, which is in-charge of deploying lifeguards on popular beaches in the coastal state.

Making a distinction between dealing with foreign and domestic tourists, the module says there is an inherent difference while dealing with domestic and foreign tourists vis-a-vis "behavioural, convincing powers", etc.

The training booklet also says there was a need to understand the culture of the domestic tourists while dealing with them.

Lifeguards in Goa have in the past often had to deal with unruly tourists, both domestic and foreign, over inebriated behaviour and defiance of swimming norms on beaches, which includes wading into no-swim zones.

The training booklet which is also expected to help develop lifeguards' soft skills, also asks lifeguards to speak to women with "respect and decency" while approaching them.

Speaking to the media at the launch of the training module, Cabral said: "Goa attracts a large number of tourists annually. It is due to such large volumes of tourists, that upgrading the skills of those who manage the beaches becomes even more important. We are happy that Nestle India and Drishti are taking this initiative to help improve tourist experiences on our beaches".

Goa attracts more than six million visitors every year, half a million of whom are foreign nationals.New Delhi, June 12 : Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday condoled the death of Madhya Pradesh-based spiritual guru Bhaiyyuji Maharaj, who committed suicide by shooting himself at his residence in Indore.

"The untimely and unfortunate death of Bhaiyyuji Maharaj is a tragic moment for us. His death is a great loss for the society. We pray for peace to the departed soul and strength for his family and us to bear the grief," Bhagwat said in a statement released by RSS.

The 50-year-old guru, who had prominent followers from different political parties and was recently given the status of a Minister of State by the state government in a controversial decision which he had declined, died after he was admitted to a hospital in a critical condition.Moscow, June 13 : The Russian Foreign Ministry has said that the historic meeting of the leaders of North Korea and the United States is a step further toward an all-round political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issues.

Earlier on Tuesday, North Korea's top leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump held an unprecedented summit in Singapore and signed a joint statement after their meeting.

Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, while Kim reaffirmed his commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"We believe that the normalization of U.S.-DPRK relations, the pursuit of which is reflected in the final joint statement of the parties, is an integral part of a comprehensive settlement of the Korean Peninsula issues, including nuclear," the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

It also welcomed Trump's statement following the meeting about the inappropriateness of conducting military exercises during negotiations, as the cessation of provocative actions is a necessary step toward reducing tensions and building trust, according to the statement reported by Xinhua.

For its part, Russia will continue to make active efforts to safeguard the political and diplomatic process around the Korean Peninsula, particularly exploring possibilities of multilateral consultations, the ultimate aim of restoring a peace and security mechanism that addresses concerns of all interested parties, the statement said.A Brisbane warehouse offering in Fortitude Valley has been sold for $2.7 million.

Listed as a trophy home blank canvas, it is set over three expansive open plan levels with approvals for a fourth level.

There is 377 square metres of internal floor area per level.

Access is via two street frontages, Wickham and Little streets.

The brick walls have that wear and tear too them that only time can render, Belle listing agent Ivo Kornel said.

"Build your dream New York Loft, walk out the front door and enjoy the buzzing nightlife," he suggests.

But likely options potentially include a night club, hotel and or a place for work.

It last sold at $1,825,000 in 2014.The Sydney office market is experiencing increased demand for non-traditional and traditional office space, according to the latest report from Herron Todd White (HTW).

The office market in Sydney has grown over the last 12 months as a result of increased demand for good investment assets, growth in rental income, stock reduction and generally lower vacancy rate, said the report.

The valuation firms suggests large amounts of office stock have been removed either temporarily or permanently from the market.

The main reasons being residential conversions and redevelopment in the inner city.

Office stock withdrawals are set to outweigh new supply over the next 24 months, it forecast.

There has been an accompanying uplift in prices, an increase in rentals and a tightening of yields over the past 18 months in the North Western office markets, such as Chatswood, Macquarie Park and Norwest as well as other key office locations such as North Sydney (above) and Parramatta.

Demand remains strong for good quality office space in the North Western office markets.

There is new development is centred around Parramatta, Norwest and Macquarie Park with improvements in infrastructure and continued growth of demand driving the market.

These areas have substantial new office developments underway or in the planning stages meaning more offices will be on the market from next year onwards.

Opportunities in emerging office markets also exist in other areas of Sydney.

The commercial centre of Liverpool is thought to be benefiting from the continued residential development in the southwest, proposed construction of the Badgerys Creek Airport and the extension of the Sydney Metro.

Areas that remain in demand and popular with owner occupiers and tenants are the inner city and city fringe areas such as Surry Hills, Alexandria, Woolloomooloo and Pyrmont.

The update concluded the outlook for Sydneys office market looked "positive" for 2018 as demand continues to drive the market for both traditional type offices and more non-traditional options.The former Today show host Matt Lauer can keep his New Zealand ranch.

The NZ authorities concluded last week there wasn't enough evidence he'd breached a "good character" condition after sexual misconduct accusations saw him depart the broadcaster NBC last November.

His termination triggered an investigation by New Zealand authorities, who require foreign buyers of important assets to be of good character.

The provision is broad and includes criminal convictions as well as anything else that authorities decide reflects poorly on an owner's integrity.

Lauer last year purchased a lease for the Hunter Valley Station, a 10,750 hectare farm with lakeside ranch near Queenstown

The property runs 13,000 cattle and merino sheep.

It runs alongside a river that's filled with trout and salmon.

New Zealand's Overseas Investment Office (OIO) said that as part of its investigation, it had taken sworn statements from Lauer and had been in touch with NBC.

"Mr. Lauer has not been charged with any offence, nor convicted, and the evidence available to the OIO at this time does not establish that Mr. Lauer is unfit to continue to hold the asset," said Lisa Barrett, an official at Land Information New Zealand, in a statement. "However, in reaching this position, we do not condone the inappropriate way that Mr. Lauer has behaved."

Last year, Lauer and wife Annette Roque said in a statement they'd be visiting New Zealand for several years, and "every time we visit, we feel lucky to be in a place of such endless beauty, inspiration and adventure."The Dover Financial Group is set to close leaving the $4 billion dollars of investor funds from around 30,000 clients in the lurch.

It follows news that Dover Financial Group's founder, Terry McMaster has entered the final stages of its agreement with the corporate regulator, Australian Securities and Investments Commission following his recent royal commission appearance that ended in him requiring hospitalisation.

The regulator intends stripping the firm of its operating licence.

The ABC reported McMaster's email announcement to his staff on Friday, where Mr McMaster stated that ASIC, required the firm to "cancel its AFSL [Australian Financial Services Licence] by 6 July 2018" and "terminate the appointment of its authorised representatives".

Advisers have to cease giving new advice immediately and stop servicing the clients completely by the first week of July.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has confirmed that its inquiries into the firm were ongoing.

Fairfax Media reported McMaster had sought until the end of the year to wind down his business but that ASIC had told him that his time was up.

The 400 advisers will need to find another licence-holder to work under.

In the period to 1 April 2018 Dover incorporated a document known as the Dover Client Protection Policy into its financial services guides and its statements of advice.

On 22 March 2018 Dover was notified by ASIC that it had reviewed the Dover Client Protection Policy and believed it contained certain provisions which were unlawful and void.

The Dover website noted it does not know of any client adversely effected by those provisions.

"In good faith Dover cooperated with ASIC and immediately withdrew the Dover Client Protection Policy and replaced it with the Dover Client Information Policy, with retrospective effect, and undertook to not rely on the relevant provisions.

"Dover also wrote to each client potentially affected by those provisions."Belize's Great Blue Hole is actually a giant underwater cave more people are discovering a whole new world below Belizes surface

With Belizes vast network of caves attracting more travellers and media attention recently, The Lodge at Chaa Creek has launched a series of new Belize Caving Adventure Vacations to introduce visitors to the little countrys immense underground attractions.

Chaa Creek marketing administrator Roberto Harrison said that profiles such as a May 31, 2018 article in Forbes magazines Lifestyles section, The 8 Most Amazing Underwater caves In The World, featuring The Great Blue Hole on Belizes Barrier reef, encouraged Chaa Creek to combine various cave tours into one all-inclusive Belize vacation package.

We continue to offer day trip excursions and tours to the most popular cave sites, and with interest growing in Belizes phenomenal cave network we recently decided to offer three, four, or five night all-inclusive Belize vacation packages dedicated to exploring Belizes subterranean attractions, Mr Harrison explained.

We also offer several ways to visit the Great Blue Hole, either as part of a stay at Chaa Creek, The Macal River Camp, with Chaa Creeks Belize Expeditions, or with our Unique Hotels of Belize partner resort on Ambergris Caye.

Whether a guests interest is Scuba diving, snorkelling, sightseeing from a boat or the sky as part of a helicopter tour over the Belize Barrier Reef, we can make it happen, he added.

While the Forbes article focussed on underwater caves, Mr Harrison explained that the Great Blue Hole it featured is just one part of Belizes massive network of caves and sinkholes.

The Great Blue Hole may be the most famous, even grabbing the attention of astronauts up in the International Space Station, but Belizes other caves can be equally fascinating.

Mr Harrison said not many people are aware that the Great Blue Hole, an enormous underwater sinkhole off the Belize Barrier Reef, is actually a huge cave sitting on its side. Examination of the stalactites inside the Great Blue Hole showed that the cave was dry when they formed over 150,000 years ago when local sea levels were much lower.

As water levels rose, the huge cave was flooded in four successive stages, creating ledges and other features divers find fascinating today.

Jacques Cousteaus research aboard the Calypso at The Great Blue Hole in 1971 spurred global interest in what is now considered one of the worlds great natural wonders, and thats led to interest in Belizes other underground attractions, Mr Harrison said.

And, he added, you dont need to be Scuba certified to explore Belizes other caves and sinkholes.

One of the caves on our itinerary is Actun Loch Tunich, or The Mother of all Caves to the ancient Maya. Also known as The Black Hole Drop its the inland equivalent of the Great Blue Hole; a massive sinkhole that, instead of diving, you rappel into, sliding down ropes some 200 feet (approx. 61 metres) to the forest canopy deep inside, and then another 100 feet to the bottom. Its quite an experience, Mr Harrison said.

Also on Chaa Creeks caves adventure itinerary is the fascinating Actun Tunichil Muknal, or ATM, an ancient Maya underground ceremonial centre where pottery, artefacts including jade axe heads and implements from sacred rites such as royal bloodletting, and the skeletons of human sacrificial victims -including the famous Crystal Maiden, can still be seen.

The ancient Maya considered caves to be the entryway to Xibalba, an underworld ruled by fearsome deities who affected day-to-day life. During times of drought, poor harvests and hunting, ill health or other misfortunes, shamans and members of the ruling class would perform sacred rites and ritual sacrifices to try to appease the gods. Some Mayanists have linked activity at Actun Tunichil Muknal to a long drought that contributed to the collapse of the ancient Maya Civilisation.

Other Chaa Creek caving expeditions include a mile long canoe paddle though Barton Creek, another ancient Maya ceremonial cave known for the natural beauty of cathedral-like chambers and passageways.

Another flow-through caving adventure, Caves Branch is also popular for inner tube floats, and close to Chaa Creek is Che Chem Ha, which was discovered by a neighbours hunting dog and is filled with ancient pottery and other artefacts.

Rio Frio Cave, up on the airy Mountain Pine Ridge, is a pleasant day trip when combined with a picnic swim at the beautiful Rio On pools and a refreshing, chilly dip in the aptly named Rio Frio, Mr Harrison said.

Chaa Creeks caving adventures are available as individual day trips, in combination, or as an all-inclusive Belize vacation package in which everything; accommodation, all meals, access to the amenities within Chaa Creeks 400-acre private nature reserve including a farm-to-table restaurant, infinity pool, Hilltop Spa, Natural History Museum, butterfly farm, and more, is included.

Belize has become popular for its Caribbean attractions, jungle experiences, ancient Maya culture, and wealth of outdoor activities, and now more people are discovering a whole new world below the surface. And the best part is, its a surface weve barely begun to scratch, Mr Harrison said.

The Lodge at Chaa Creek is a multi-award winning eco resort set within a 400-acre private nature reserve along the banks of the Macal River in Belize. It was recognised by National Geographic with first place honours at the 2017 World Legacy Awards held in Berlin.This years total of $5,181 included proceeds from sales during the week leading up to Memorial Day and the holiday weekend. As a Missouri-based company, donating to the USO of Missouri was an easy decision.

For the second year in a row, Missouri-based Propper International teamed up with the USO of Missouri to donate a portion of online sales in honor of Memorial Day and to further the USOs mission to strengthen America's military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation.

This years total of $5,181 included proceeds from sales during the week leading up to Memorial Day and the holiday weekend.

As a Missouri-based company, donating to the USO of Missouri was an easy decision, said John Negrau, VP, Marketing & eCommerce for Propper. For over half a century, Propper has proudly supported our fighting men and women. It made sense to support current active duty personnel by donating in honor of the fallen.

Each states USO branches operate independently and rely solely upon local support.

Proppers support and generosity is very much appreciated. Without support such as theirs, we wouldnt be able to continue to serve the over 270,000 military and their families that we do, said Christine Trotter, Development Director for USO of Missouri.

About Propper

Propper has made tactical gear with a purpose for over 50 years, since their first U.S. Navy contract in 1967. Today, they design and manufacture professional level tactical apparel and gear for military, law enforcement and public safety professionals, and civilians, whether in the service, on the job, or off for the weekend.

About USO of Missouri

The USO strengthens Americas military service members by keeping them connected to family, home, and country, throughout their service to the nation. For more information, visit https://www.usomissouri.org/ or one of the three locations: St. Louis - Lambert Airport, Mobile USO, and Ft. Leonard Wood.

For more information, press only:

David Workman

636-685-1062

davidw@propper.com

For more information on Propper:

http://www.propper.com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.Back in 2016, friends and fellow YA authors Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows teamed up to write My Lady Jane, a playful retelling of the history of Lady Jane Grey and King Edward VI. This summer, the trio is back with another satirical novel about a famous Janethis time, Charlotte Brontes heroine Jane Eyre. We asked the three authors to interview each other about the origins of their series, and the joys of collaborating with close friends.

Jodi Meadows: Lets begin at the beginning and talk about how we met.

Cynthia Hand: Texas. Aw, it seems like such a long time ago. Our publishers sent us to Texas together on a book tour back in 2012, since we all had books coming out at the same time. And we just instantly hit it off.

Brodi Ashton: I was intimidated meeting Cynthia because this was her second book, and she was sort of a rock star. But we quickly bonded in the bathroom when we discovered that both of us couldnt hold our pee like we could before we had kids. And then Jodi gave us each hand-knitted mitts.

Meadows: You make it sound like I followed you into the bathroom to a) listen to you talk about bodily functions and b) give you fingerless mitts. Hi! I like you and your weird bonding! Have some mitts. Please wash your hands first.

Ashton: Im sure you had other reasons, too! Kidding. Jodi walked up to us in a room that was very much not a bathroom and handed us mitts. I liked them both pretty immediately. Jodi joined me on my crusade to find a flat iron, and seemed very empathetic to my plight.

Meadows: I liked both Brodi and Cynthia already because Id read their books. I was a little terrified and didnt feel nearly cool enough to be part of the group, but then they told me their pregnancy stories so I figured I was in.

Hand: Either that or we were trying to terrorize you into never having kids.

Meadows: Im terrified. Good job. So, whose idea was this co-writing thing anyway?

Ashton: It was all Cynthias idea. She started it.

Hand: I did. Blame me. Id always wanted to write a novel about Lady Jane Grey, who was a strong-willed, bookish teenage girl in 16th-century England who had the misfortune to become queen ... but only for nine days, and then she had her head chopped off. I always loved studying Jane Greys story in history, except for the ending. I hated that this awesome person had such a tragic end. So I thought, Hey, Im a writer. I can give her a different ending! I could even turn her tragedy into a comedy! But I didnt feel like I really knew how to write a comedy. And then I thought about my dear friend, Brodi Ashton, who wrote comedy so beautiful. So tell me, Brodi, what did you think when I first brought up the idea of us writing a book together?

Ashton: I thought you are very hard to say no to. Even though when you pitched the idea to me, you basically said, Lets retell the story of Lady Jane Grey, who was queen for nine days, and then beheaded, and... lets make it funny!

Hand: I am not the best at pitching.

Meadows: Youre getting better. Sort of.

Ashton: Jodi is already editing these lines as I write them, which points to the fact that we each have our strengths. Jodi is excellent at editing. Cynthia is a master plotter. I bring the tomatoes.

Hand (laughs): You are very good at bringing tomatoes. But you are also such a great comic writer. I dont think our books would be funny at all if you werent writing with us.

Meadows: They wouldnt be our books without all three of us. Tomatoes included.

Hand: Theres just something about the three of us. We have an insanely good chemistry. And we naturally work well together and balance out one anothers strengths and weaknesses. I dont think I could write books like this with any of my other friends. Were this magical combination.

Meadows: Anyway, it took about six months after Cynthia pitched Brodi for them to even talk about it again. When they brought it up, we were all just traveling together and hanging out, and Cynthia announced they were writing a book together. I was instantly jealous. Then Cynthia asked if I wanted to write the book with them, and I was so happy to be included I didnt bother to ask what the book was about until Id already told my agent and a whole hour had passed. Thats when I heard about the beheading.

Ashton: The funny beheading.

Meadows: Right. Funny. Then we managed not to talk about it again for another six months until Cynthia had us trapped in the car in L.A. traffic, and we could either stay in the car and talk about the book, or we could try to escape and get run over. We chose the book.

Hand: And arent you so glad you did?!

Ashton: And then there was the time we were going to take Jodi to Disneyland for her first time ever, and we changed our minds and went to Pepperdine and wrote the beginning chapters to My Lady Jane.

Hand: And the rest, as they say, is history. (Snerk.) Or rewritten history, anyway.

Meadows: Lets talk about our writing process really fast. One of the questions we get most often is how do three people write a book together, and in the same-ish voice.

Hand: Pretty quickly after we started writing, we figured out a system that works for us. Namely, we each write a separate characters point of view (well let you guess who wrote what) and we write together. At the same time. In the same room. Around the same table. Sometimes that table is at Brodis familys condominium in Utah, sometimes its at my house in Idaho, and sometimes its in Virginia, which is where Jodi lives. But we do it together. Brodi, do you want to talk about what our typical writing day might look like?

Ashton: We wake up, me last, and make breakfast

Meadows: Cynthia makes breakfast, and I grate the cheese.

Hand: You are an excellent cheese grater. The best Ive ever worked with.

Ashton: And, as previously discussed, I cut the tomatoes.

Meadows: We all contribute.

Ashton: At least to the eating. Anyway, then we make Jodi lots of coffee, and then we sit around a table, open our laptops, and write all day long. Usually a chapter each. Then we eat whatever Cynthias made for us, usually the best chili ever, and then we read our chapters out loud, and, hopefully, laugh a lot. Rinse. Repeat.

Meadows: Writing a chapter a day (I mean, three chapters, technically) takes a lot of planning, so we always come armed with a detailed outline. We have a limited amount of time together, and we dont want to waste any of it with backtracking or trying to figure out what happens next.

Hand: And we do a lot of talking and laughing and coordinating our chapters as we go. And after a week, we usually have about half a book. (This still amazes me, how fast we churn it out.)

Meadows: Right! It definitely helps to have two other brains just devoted to getting the story on paper. When Im writing my solo books, I do a lot of staring at the wall while I try to think of the right word. But writing with Brodi and Cynthia, I can just ask.

Hand: So we plan to do about two separate trips at different times to write an entire first draft. And then we take turns revising the book, initially. I think this is part of why it feels like were writing in one voice. Because, even though we write each point of view separately, we also each do a lot of writing and revising of one anothers chapters. So what feels like one voice is actually a compilation of all three voices in each chapter.

Ashton: So what do you gals think is the best part of writing with besties? And then the worst part?

Meadows: The best part is getting to spend tax-deductible time with the two of you! Who doesnt want to get paid to hang out with their best friends and make up funny stories all day? Worst part ... I dont think there is one.

Ashton: Well, there was that one time when two of us (I wont name names) got in an epic battle over feminism in the back of a hired car, and scared the driver...

Meadows: That poor driver. He didnt deserve that. But later, we all adopted stuffed unicorns, so that was pretty great.

Ashton: And we scared our next driver by pretending our unicorns were real to us.

Meadows: Driving us should probably come with a warning, come to think of it.

Hand: Writing with you two is such a joyful processheated arguments over the merits of Mr. Rochester aside. Its almost wrecked me for writing my solo books. Writing by myself now is so lonesome and non-hilarious.

Meadows: Agreed. I know so many writers who wish the story fairy would come in and fix their books while theyre sleeping. And writing with friends... sometimes that actually happens!

Hand: Oh God, I love when that happens.

Ashton: Lets talk about why we picked Janes.

Hand: It was kind of an accident. I had that idea that featured a main character whose name was Jane. And we had so much fun writing that book, we wanted to write others. And then we thought, wouldnt it be cool to write about other Janes in history who were in some way screwed over by the patriarchy? And thats how it got to be a thing.

Meadows: And of course we have more ideas, like writing about Calamity Jane, and even some that involve people not named Jane. There are lots of women who deserve funnier stories than the ones they were given by history.

Ashton: Which reminds me, do we have a new book coming out soon or what?

Hand: Oh, yeah. We do have a new book coming out. A new Jane. My Plain Jane. I like to think of this book as Jane Eyre meets Ghostbusters.

Meadows: Its pretty widely believed that Jane Eyre wasnt a real person in history, but weIm just going to say ithave a different tale to tell. The truth is that the events in Jane Eyre really happened, but not in the way theyre shown in the book. Charlotte (Bronte, that is) and Jane were actually pre-Victorian BFFs, and the whole book of Jane Eyre was just a cover-up for the ghost business. Weve decided that the world deserves to know what actually happened.

Hand: So My Plain Jane is a companion novel to My Lady Jane, in that it was written by the three of us in a similar comic/fantasy/rewriting history vein, but its an entirely separate story with totally different characters and a different set of rules. So you dont have to read My Lady Jane first in order to enjoy My Plain Jane. And you dont have to read Jane Eyre or watch Ghostbusters, eitheralthough if you do, youll get some of our sneakier jokes.

Meadows: My Plain Jane comes out June 26 and we think everyone should read it.

Hand: Yes, please read it! So I think were done here.

Meadows: Well, Brodi is already gone. So yeah.

Hand: Okay, bye.

My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. HarperTeen, $17.99 June 26 ISBN 978-0-06-265277-5Australian YA Novel Racks Up International Sales

The YA novel, It Sounded Better In My Head by Nina Kenwood, which Text Australia will publish in mid 2019, has sold to publishers in Italy, France and Spain. Text controls all rights to the book, which opens when the heroine's parents announce their separation and her two best friends reveal they're getting together. The book won the Text Prize for Young Adult and Childrens Writing, which gives the winner a publishing contract with Text and a $10,000 advance against royalties.

Spanish Women's Fiction Debut Heats Up

Paulina Hoffmann's Last Gift, by Carmen Romero Dorr, has recently sold in Poland (to Rebis) and in France (to Les Escales). Planeta originally published the novel in January, and SalmaiaLit controls all rights to the title. The book follows the life of the titular character who escaped to Madrid from Berlin during WWII. The book picks up with the story of her granddaughter, Alicia, in the present, who, after Paulina's death, travels to Berlin to learn more about her grandmother's past. The author's grandparents were German and moved to Spain during WWII, giving the author the inspiration for this story.

Dutch Book on Rembrandt Moves to the States

Norton has acquired U.S. rights to The Young Rembrandt:The Leiden Years, by Onno Blom, from De Bezige Bij, The Dutch publisher controls world rights to the book, which is scheduled for publication in the Netherlands in October 2019. The title looks at the origins of Rembrandt's genius by examining his time in early 17th century Leiden. The sale was made on proposal.

Finlandia Prize Winner Sells in Spain

The 2015 Finlandia Prize winner, Oneiron by Laura Lindstedt, has now sold to Armaenia Editorial for world Spanish rights. The book is about several women who meet in the afterlife after their deaths, and is now being published in 14 territories (Teos being the original Finnish publisher). Elina Ahlback Literary controls all rights to the title.WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Following the recall of pre-cut melon products sold in eight states - including Indiana - due to possible Salmonella contamination, Scott Monroe, Purdue Extension food safety educator, is reassuring consumers about the safety of the states melon crop.

The recalled melons were grown elsewhere, Monroe said. The 2018 Indiana cantaloupe and watermelon crops are planted and growing in the southwestern part of the state, but are not yet ready for harvest.

Indiana producers take food safety very seriously, he added.

There are a variety of practices that reduce the risk of contamination at the farm level, Monroe said. Among these are testing irrigation water, use of sanitizers in wash water, and employee training programs.

Amanda Deering, clinical assistant professor in Purdues Department of Food Science, noted that most Indiana watermelons and cantaloupes are produced on farms where food safety practices are monitored by third-party audits.

Growers are audited annually to ensure that they are implementing and maintaining aggressive food safety programs on their farms, she said. In most cases, the requirements of the third-party audits are more stringent than current Food and Drug Administration guidelines.

Monroe said Hoosier melon producers were looking forward to safe, bountiful crop.

Our Indiana growers are doing everything they can to reduce the risk of on-farm contamination by a foodborne pathogen to the lowest possible level, he said. In spite of the recent recall, watermelon and cantaloupe lovers across the state will be able to purchase and enjoy Indiana melons with confidence once the 2018 crop is ready for harvest.

Writer: Darrin Pack, 765-494-2722, dpack@purdue.edu

Sources: Scott Monroe, 812-886-0198, jsmonroe@purdue.edu

Amanda Deering, 765-494-0512, adeering@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-8415;

Darrin Pack, Manager/Media Relations and Public Information, dpack@purdue.edu

Agriculture News PageOn June 12, 1898, the Philippines declared its independence from Spain after 350 years of colonial subservience to Madrids worldwide empire in decline. The United States was officially at war with Spain at the time of the Filipino declaration, and unofficially allied with Filipino rebel factions. When the rebels declared independence from Spain, though, the United States joined with the Bourbons in refusing to recognize this independence.

How two enemies, Spain and the United States, fighting an officially declared war could join together and denounce the actions of a third party - the liberationists of the Philippines - is a great way to use history to gain a better understanding of the American experiment with formal imperialism, as well as contemporary events around the world.

Two years prior to the Filipino declaration of independence, in 1896, a rebellion broke out in the Philippines, and - like the American Revolution and many others - it was instigated by Filipinos who had close intellectual and commercial ties to Spains elite classes. The revolutionaries wanted the Spanish colony of the Philippines to be a sovereign polity in the burgeoning world of nation-states that were just coming into being. However, not all Filipinos wanted a rebellion. Many Filipinos benefitted from Spanish rule. Many others did not want to be a part of a large nation-state like the Philippines; they wanted instead their own territory to be sovereign and a member of the worlds nation-states.

This socio-political backdrop - of numerous factions supporting numerous causes - mirrors not only the American Revolution (loyalists, regionalists, and republicans), but all other revolutions and secessions in human history.

When the rebellion broke out in 1896, however, Filipinos largely rallied around independence when Spain resorted to violence. (Sound familiar?) Unlike in the United States, though, Filipino factions could not cease hostilities against each other and the Spanish were able to exploit the cracks in the resistance just enough to gain an uneasy peace with rebels in 1897. Exile to the British colony of Hong Kong was the fate of many rebel leaders, though from there these revolutionaries made continuous overtures to London, Tokyo, and Washington for future help against Spain.

The problem these Filipino revolutionaries faced was that the British, Japanese, and Americans were not interested in liberating the Philippines for the sake of Filipinos; they were interested in acquiring territory for their global imperiums. The rebel leadership knew this, but it also knew that its revolution could not succeed without help from one of Spains rival empires.

Thus, when the United States declared war on Spain in April of 1898, the rebellion-minded Filipinos leapt into action and cooperated with American military units whenever possible. Together, the Americans and the Filipinos made short work of Spanish military units in the Pacific, but trouble began brewing after the Philippines Declaration of Independence went public. For the Americans, the Philippines were to be the crown jewel of their Pacific empire. For the Philippines, ousting Spain after 350 years of colonial rule meant independence.

In Manila, the capital of the Philippines, American troops and Filipino rebel units patrolled the streets side-by-side as partners (albeit unofficially) while the U.S. fought Spain elsewhere in the world, but once the Spanish-American War came to an end, the alliance between the United States and the Filipino guerillas ended. The two sides turned their guns on each other, but adding to the chaos was another faction with military strength: pro-Spanish partisans with deep commercial ties to Spains worldwide empire. When Madrid officially surrendered to the United States, the Americans in the Philippines had to begin fighting two very different groups. The fact that the two rebel groups were ideologically opposed to each other meant that the Americans would ultimately wear down the guerilla groups, but the last of these rebels didnt surrender until 1913.

The pro-Spanish rebels were essentially eliminated from existence after the guerilla war against the U.S., but the idea of an independent Philippines eventually came to fruition in 1946 after the Japanese invaded the archipelago and temporarily dislodged the Americans from their imperial possession (the Japanese also built a number of prison camps throughout the country).

The narrative in American textbooks often overlooks the complexity of the situation in the Philippines during the late 19th century, often to the detriment of Filipino agency, and instead focuses on American factions dedicated to (or advocating against) war and empire-building in the Pacific. This is a shame, because it ignores the hows and the whys of federation, empire, secession, rebellion, and independence. Better to follow in James Madisons footsteps, and focus on factions when pondering history, instead of the latest fads in intellectual circles.In 2016 Chinese smartphone maker Huawei Technologies shipped 140 million smartphones. More specifically, in 2016 Huawei Technologies shipped 140 million supercomputers that will enable global connectivity for more and more people. Theyre called smartphones for a reason. What we have in our pockets amounts to computing power that would have put all desktop models to shame not too long ago.

Huawei is rapidly expanding its share of an exploding market for smartphones. Will it eclipse Apple and Samsung? Its hard to say. But at the very least it should be said that Huawei could beat Apple, and it could beat Samsung. For those who might dismiss either scenario, keep in mind that Apple and Steve Jobs were ridiculed ahead of the iPhones rollout. The assumption was that dominant brands like Blackberry would continue to dominate. Until they didnt.

So while Apple could surely remain on top, we in the U.S. will not be hurt one iota if Huawei out-innovates Apple on the way to dominance in the smartphone space. To presume otherwise is to presume that China is presently being harmed because Apple gets 20% of its iPhone sales in China.

Which brings us to Googles business relationship with Huawei. When we remember the quantity of supercomputers being shipped by Huawei, its only logical that Google would have a relationship with the Chinese company. To not have one would be self-defeating. At the same time, it doesnt really matter why Google has dealings with Huawei. As a profit-seeking corporation it should be able to do as it wishes subject to shareholder approval. The problem is certain politicians. Republican or Democrat, some dont care about shareholder rights when they see an opportunity to demagogue an issue. And so theyre harassing Google. In shameful fashion. "China" is now a "serious" issue for politicians who aren't serious.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) recently asserted that Googles relationship with Huawei raises serious national security concerns. The previous charge is, according to reporting in the Washington Post, based on Huaweis alleged ties to the government in Beijing such that the China-based corporation may have exposed smartphone users text messages and other data to privacy and security threats. What a laugh.

For one, that Huawei may or may not have ties to the government in Beijing is a nothing story. Figure that some of the U.S.s most established businesses have rather public ties to Washington. Sadly they do. But the fact that they do doesnt necessarily render their actions nefarious, criminal, or imperil the national security of the countries whose companies have business ties to them. No doubt its unfortunate that businesses have found it necessary to cozy up to governments, no doubt its a barrier to the growth of many of those businesses, but its hardly something unique to China.

As for Google having allegedly exposed user data to Huawei and others, a spokesman for the Mountain View, CA-based company told the Post that its data-sharing agreements with companies like Huawei include privacy and security protections for user data. But even if there were no protections, so what? Internet users dont pay Google to use its indispensable search engine, which means they should expect Google to profit from their accession of the search function so that they can access it for free. It should be added that theyre also not forced to use Googles other products and services, free and unfree. Its all voluntary.

Furthermore, all successful businesses, whether they be grocery stores, carmakers, or technology behemoths, regularly try to learn as much as they can about their customers. Thats how they succeed  sometimes  in meeting customer needs. Applied to Google and Huawei, is it any wonder that a maker of supercomputers would have ties to a company whose search engine is used by so many owners of those computers? Each business is prosperous for a reason. That they strive to understand their users and buyers looms large in their success. If not, they wouldnt share or sell information to one another.

So while in a normal world the U.S. would be led by politicians who dont concern themselves with the doings of for-profit companies that they cant possibly understand, the world is sadly imperfect. So is the U.S. Its people and its companies thrive despite the comical (if it werent so sad) ineptitude of its political class. The members of the latter like to meddle, particularly with larger corporations. In thinking about the harassment of Google, one can only assume that far-fetched as it may sound in the near term, at least one factor is fear that Huawei could eventually overtake Apple. In that case, why not sully its name now? Why not create the illogical perception that the smartphone maker is an agent of evil Chinese officials as a way of keeping it from competing in the U.S.? How sad if so.

Assuming Huawei does win, as in if it does beat Apple, the American consumer once again gains. Figure that Apple has 123,000 full-time employees, but there are 330 million Americans. Traveling back in time, who among us would be losing sleep today if Finland-based Nokia had reinvented the smartphone, as opposed to Apple? At one time Nokia phones were as ubiquitous on U.S. streets as iPhones are today. The U.S. economy was booming then. It generally does in countries eager to divide up work with the whole world.

None of this matters to politicians looking to grandstand. And so they do just that. Sen. Tom Cotton (R  Ar.) described Googles dealings with Huawei as it doing business with a virtual arm of the Chinese Communist Party, which borders on ridiculous. Lest we forget, Huawei ships hundreds of millions of smartphones. Has Cotton, or any other reasonably sane politician ever heard of a business attached to government that has so many voluntary customers? Cotton and Warner should hang their politicized heads in shame.

As for Google, it should stride confidently. And tell the political class to watch it. While it insults Google to compare it to the ankle-biters in Congress, Google is exponentially more popular than they are. This should be remembered by politicians eager for a fight. Up against Google theyll lose, and lose big. Few of us could happily live without Google, which is something that can't be said for Congress.The unlikely meeting between President Donald J. Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has ended amid handshakes, expressions of goodwill, and hopes -- but no proof -- that something good has begun.

Thirty-one years ago today, a momentous speech in another part of the world lit another flame of possibility. The setting was Berlins Brandenburg Gate, the very symbol of Europes Cold War division between the West and the Soviet-controlled satellite states.

As is true regarding Trumps Korean gambit, those in the U.S. foreign policy establishment were skeptical of President Reagans intentions on his 1987 trip to Germany. At a delicate point in the long dance between the two superpowers, they didnt want Reagan antagonizing Soviet leaders with bellicose language. Infighting broke out among White House aides. But the boss wasnt dissuaded by the experts. The boys at State are going to kill me for this, Reagan told deputy White House chief of staff Kenneth Duberstein, but its the right thing to do.

* * *

When Ronald Reagan arrived in Berlin on June 12, 1987, relations between Washington and Moscow had progressed far past the evil empire rhetoric of Reagans first term. Although he received little credit for it either in the U.S. or abroad, Reagan had long been fixated on reducing the worlds nuclear arsenals. Kremlin leaders were receptive to this idea, but the sticking point had always been their aversion to allowing inspectors inside the Soviet Union to verify implementation of arms reduction agreements.

This reluctance convinced many Americans, Reagan included, that the Russians stated intentions were not to be taken at face value. Then, in 1986, Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev abruptly altered the calculation. After the foreign ministers of NATO allies called for elimination of intermediate and short-range nuclear missiles on a global and effectively verifiable basis, Gorbachev forced the hand of the Western alliance by publicly embracing the concept. He announced that his government would destroy all such missiles -- if the U.S. would do the same.

The Soviet leader had skillfully thrown the trust issue back onto the Americans laps. Although U.S. intelligence services warned that mutual verification might work to the Soviets advantage, this was the opening Reagan was looking for, and he instructed Secretary of State George Shultz to try and negotiate a deal.

For Reagan, though, the arms race and the insane accompanying doctrine of mutually assured destruction was only half the equation. The other half was the Soviet Unions virtual enslavement of its own people and those of Eastern Europe.

So on his visit to Germany 31 years ago today, it was Reagans turn to see if Gorbachev was bluffing. At the Brandenburg Gate speech, before a huge crowd, an American president praised the sounds of reform and openness emanating from Moscow, but said that the real question was whether they signaled profound changes or token gestures.

There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace, Reagan added. Secretary General Gorbachev, if you seek peace -- if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe -- if you seek liberalization: come here, to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

It was a dramatic gesture, which the aging thespian well knew. [At] the Brandenburg Gate tens of thousands of people -- stretching as far as the eye could see, Reagan wrote in his diary. I got a tremendous reception -- interrupted 28 times by cheers.

How much did this speech change things? Scholars are still arguing about that, as many of the players in this great drama did for years. We were really not impressed, Gorbachev said later. We knew that Mr. Reagans original profession was actor.

Fine, but in this case, Mr. Reagan was apparently a Method actor. He would tell his best biographer that he could hear the anger in his own voice as he spoke the famous lines in his speech. The president was enraged because he learned just before delivering his words that East German police had forced thousands of people on the other side of the wall away from loudspeakers so they couldnt hear his remarks.

Anyway, acting -- or, at least, public communication -- is part of the job description of being president, and not only for purposes of showmanship. What the Great Communicator was doing was setting the stage for something hed talked about evocatively since the 1976 Republican National Convention: nuclear arms reductions.

Before becoming president, Ronald Reagan articulated his vision for the end of the Cold War with startling clarity to an aide: We win, they lose, he told Richard Allen. Reagan never envisioned this happening in a direct military confrontation with the Russians, however, and as president he told his aides that believed he could do business with Gorbachev. First, though, the Soviets needed to be reminded they were dealing with a strong negotiating partner. They, in turn, required some political cover. Both requirements were nudged along by Reagans address at the Berlin Wall.

It was an anti-Communist speech that helped preserve support for a conservative president seeking to upgrade American relations with the Soviet Union, New York Times correspondent James Mann observed in a piece on the 20th anniversary of the event. In political terms, it was the prerequisite for the presidents subsequent negotiations. These efforts, in turn, created the vastly more relaxed climate in which the Soviets sat on their hands when the wall came down.

The more immediate upshot would be an invitation from Reagan to visit Washington, D.C. There, in Americas capital city, Reagans Russian counterpart would receive a reaction so unexpected it resulted in the incongruous phrase Gorby Fever.

Is it hard to imagine something similar happening today with a leader from a small but troublesome Asian country? The answer, for now, is that Kim Fever seems highly unlikely. Yet, sometimes we must dare to hope for the best. Ronald Wilson Reagan always did. This was a man who, upon learning he had Alzheimers disease, responded by penning a love letter to the American people.

I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life, he wrote. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.Got some scoop for our reporters or editors? Click on the link below to send us your information.

Send your newsFew people are able to reinvent themselves as a resident in their own town, but Brian Hitselberger is doing just that. Hitselberger is packing up his art supplies and moving into the open studio at the Lyndon House Art Center to explore a side of printmaking he has been waiting to delve into.Las Rosas nearing the end of their North American tour with their second album, Shadows by Your Side. Whereas the band took their time making their first album, they made a conscious decision to hit the ground running with their second.What began as the dream of one woman and a rented booth at AthFest in 2001 soon evolved into the Athens Institute for Contemporary Art, or ATHICA, and has since served the community as an open, uncensored space for artists who merge contemporary topics with creativity. However, after more than 16 years, the non-profit gallery will bid a bittersweet goodbye to their current location on Tracy Street as they transition to their new location at the Leathers Building on Pulaski Street.After an April bust for underage drinking during a Thirsty Thursday on its South Norwalk premises, Johnny Utahs will not reopen, according to the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.

Located at 80 Washington St. and billing itself as a country western bar with a mechanical riding bull, Johnny Utahs SoNo location has been closed under a 90-day liquor license suspension, which was schedule to have lifted on July 18.

Johnny Utahs owners have paid a $20,000 fine for serving minors and will reimburse the Norwalk Police Department nearly $4,000, as well as an unspecified amount to Fairfield University which bused students home under school security supervision after a raid in the overnight hours on April 19-20.

Daniel Velasquez is listed as the holder of Johnny Utahs cafe liquor permit with the state of Connecticut, with a manager named John Sullivan signing the agreement with the state. In a statement at the time of the bust, Norwalk Police Chief Thomas Kulhawik said liquor permittees need to demonstrate they have an understanding of their responsibilities.

While liquor permit suspensions are not rare  in the past year there have been more than 90 in Connecticut  the vast majority of those timeouts last just one to two days.

Its pretty rare for an establishment to close permanently after violations. Usually they agree to a suspension or a fine, in particular when the violation is smaller, stated Lora Rae Anderson, a spokeswoman for the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, in an email response to a Hearst Connecticut Media query. In rare situations where an establishment does agree (to) close or cancel their permit, its typically tied to violence, or cases like this where a large number of underage patrons are at an establishment. This is a rare situation, but also a very serious alleged violation.

In April, Fairfield University students had told Hearst Connecticut Media that Johnny Utahs marketed itself to students on social media, with more than 100 underage people having been at the bar during the raid, many of them university freshmen and sophomores.

Johnny Utahs opened in SoNo in May 2014, in space that previously had housed the Black Bear Saloon. In 2016, it gave up a portion of its space to accommodate the debut of Killer B with a menu pegged to burgers, beer, bacon and bourbon.

A Manhattan bar with the Johnny Utahs name operates at Rockefeller Center.

Even as the Johnny Utahs space becomes available in South Norwalk, SoNo Bar is preparing to open across Washington Street from the proprietors of Blackstones Steakhouse with locations in Norwalk, Greenwich and Fairfield; while SKAL Restaurant Group is readying Evaritos Mexican Kitchen and Bar around the corner on North Main Street. Steps away on South Main Street, the Stamford-based developer F.D. Rich is building the SoNo Residence Inn by Marriott, promising an ongoing influx of fresh visitors in addition to SoNo residents and regulars.

SoNo restaurant sales, by and large, have been on an upward trajectory since the Ironworks and Pearl (apartments) were completed and with the addition of almost 700 rental apartments at the Waypointe area, said F.D. Rich CEO Tom Rich.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulmanHARTFORD  A U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding Ohios speedy removal of people from voter rolls is drawing hand wringing in Connecticut and across the country.

"Simply not voting is not  and should not  be a reason to prevent otherwise eligible voters from exercising their right to vote in the future," said Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill.

"[This] decision is a blow to efforts to remove barriers to voting and will make it easier for states to remove eligible voters from their voter rolls," Merrill said.

The court on Monday affirmed an Ohio rule that allows election officials to purge people who do not vote during a single federal election cycle, which is two years. Ohio voters receive a notice in the mail and if they dont respond  and dont vote for two more years  they are taken off the voter rolls.

The increasingly conservative Supreme Court voted 5 to 4 to affirm the Ohio rule, rejecting arguments that the state was violating federal law designed to increase the number of registered voters.

In Connecticut, a voter can skip two federal election cycles  or four years  before receiving a notice that their name may be taken off the voter rolls.

Voting in a local race or signing a petition to place a candidate on a ballot is enough to stop the purge process.

Anthony Romero, the ACLUs director, said the ruling "rubber stamped" voter suppression tactics.

"I'm furious, but I'm more driven than ever to defend our most fundamental right," Romero said.

"This decision is a gutting reminder that the Trump administration is determined to turn back the clock on our voting rights, Romero said. "For decades, the Justice Department maintained this type of voter purge was illegal, but under the Trump administration and Attorney General Sessions, the department switched sides and supported Ohio's unnecessary restrictions on the right to vote."

Romero said the state wrongly assumes that voters who don't cast a ballot in two years have changed addresses, invalidating their current registrations. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Ohioans have been stripped of their right to vote, and many only find out when they arrive at the voting booth."

Merrill said Ohio is known for vote suppression and has removed millions of voters from its rolls.

"In Ohio, as throughout American history, the burden of being removed from the voter rolls fell more heavily on people of color, the poor and those with disabilities," Merrill said.

"As Justice (Sonia) Sotomayor said in her dissent, Our democracy rests on the ability of all individuals, regardless of race, income, or status, to exercise their right to vote,  Merrill said.

Ohios efforts to purge voters from their rolls, 2 million voters since 2011  more than any other state  flies directly in the face of that bedrock democratic principle," Merrill added.

The Democratic Association of Secretaries of State also slammed the courts decision.

"The conservative majority on the Supreme Court just delivered a massive blow to voting rights by giving the green light for states to purge eligible voters if they happen to sit out a single election cycle," the association said.

"We need to accelerate our efforts to fight back against voter suppression before the November elections," the association noted.

bcummings@ctpost.comNEW HAVEN  They called it a debate, but there was little dissent among the four Republican candidates for governor who took the stage in New Haven Monday Night.

The candidates agreed across the board: Connecticut has a serious financial problem starting with pensions and ending with income taxes, immigration is OK as long as its legal so watch out sanctuary cities, tolls are bad, President Donald Trump is welcome in Connecticut (though none would say if they want him to campaign for them), the state needs pension reform and everyone hates Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

I would welcome Donald Trump to come here anytime he wants, said Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, the party-endorsed candidate for governor. The fact of the matter is, this is a Connecticut problem caused by Democrats. We need focus on the most hated politician in the state of Connecticut and thats Gov. Malloy.

The Democrats want to make this about Washington because they dont want to talk about their failure, echoed former Trumbull First Selectman Tim Herbst.

So what distinguished Westport tech entrepreneur Steve Obsitnik from Greenwich hedge fund mogul David Stemerman, and the businessmen from Boughton and Herbst?

Obsitnik was the only one who didnt wear a tie, Stemerman  the only candidate whos never run a campaign before  seemed the most uncomfortable on the debate stage and Herbst attempted to take the toughest tone. Boughton and Herbst were more conservative in their support of a casino in Bridgeport, while the businessmen said theyd gladly support private sector growth and negotiate with the states tribes.

"I dont think we need government sitting there telling us more of what we should do, Obsitnik said, in response to Boughtons claim that running a business is very different than running a government, one of the only semi-subtle jabs between candidates in the hour-long debate.

Its good to look at things and ask questions when business brings an opportunity to you but I think we need to unleash the private sector, entrepreneurship and what businesses have done in this state for generations ... Under my administration we are open for business, Obsitnik said.

Stemerman, who received a late invitation to the debate, turned the casino issue back to Connecticuts ailing infrastructure  he doesnt think it should be an excuse for not bringing a casino to Bridgeport  citing an economic plan he released last month and alluding to comprehensive ideas for infrastructure improvements. He even floated the idea of a high-speed ferry to Manhattan.

Connecticut has a wonderful location between New York and Boston, Stemerman said. What we need is outside-the-box thinking to solve these problems. The debate in Hartford is all about yes or no to tolls and we need fresh thinking.

The debate was organized by the Connecticut Realtors Association and WTNH. Boughton is the endorsed GOP candidate for governor, Herbst and Obsitnik both qualified for the ballot at the state Republican convention last month, and Stemerman, the only candidate who hasnt officially qualified for the ballot, submitted 20,000 signatures to registrars of voters this week, more than double the requisite 9,000.

Petitioning candidates Bob Stefanowski, a businessman from Madison, and Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti also received last-minute invitations, but declined to attend the debate in order to focus on the last hours of their petition drives before signatures are due Tuesday.

kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasseltHun Sen bodyguards Chhay Sarith (L), Mao Hoeun (C) and Sot Vanny (R), who served only one year of their four-year sentences for the October 2015 beating of Cambodian opposition politicians, are shown on their way to Phnom Penh Municipal Court, May 10, 2016.

The United States on Tuesday imposed financial sanctions on the head of Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sens bodyguard unit for its role in multiple attacks on unarmed Cambodians over the span of many years, blocking the generals assets and preventing U.S. nationals from doing business with him.

General Hing Bun Hieng commanded a Cambodian unit that engaged in a series of human rights abuses, and was personally implicated in attacks against a number of individuals, including a U.S. citizen, said Sigal Mandelker, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, in a U.S. Treasury Department statement announcing the measure.

Hing Bun Hieng is the commander of Cambodias Prime Minister Bodyguard Unit (PMBU), a unit in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces that has engaged in serious acts of human rights abuse against the people of Cambodia. The PMBU has been implicated in multiple attacks on unarmed Cambodians over the span of many years, including in 2013 at Wat Phnom and in 2015 in front of the National Assembly, the statement said.

Bun Hieng and the PMBU have been connected to incidents where military force was used to menace gatherings of protesters and the political opposition going back at least to 1997, including an incident where a U.S. citizen received shrapnel wounds, added the statement.

In the October 2015 National Assembly incident, opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) lawmakers Kong Saphea and Nhay Chamroeun were dragged from their vehicles and savagely beaten after the two men attended a morning meeting of the legislature

The brazen attack, which took place in broad daylight while video cameras filmed it, was condemned by the United States, the European Union and the United Nations. Human rights groups characterized the assault as part of a wider campaign Hun Sen and his allies were waging against the CNRP.

The attack occurred as more than 1,000 supporters of the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) surrounded the parliament building, calling for CNRP deputy president Kem Sokha to step down as first vice president of the National Assembly.

Hun Sen went on to have Kem Sokha arrested in September 2017 and in November banned the CNRP, effectively turning national elections slated for July into a one-party affair that is not expected to be free or fair.

In the 2015 incident, only three members of the PMBU were sent to jail after they confessed to participating in an attack on opposition lawmakers, and were promoted upon their release, Treasury noted.

The Magnitsky Act, passed by Congress in 2012, was initially intended to punish Russian officials responsible for the death of Russian tax accountant Sergei Magnitsky in a Moscow prison in 2009 by prohibiting their entrance to the U.S. and their use of its banking system, but the scope of the act was expanded in 2016 to allow sanctions for foreign government officials implicated in human rights abuses throughout the globe.

The United States will continue to use Global Magnitsky and our other authorities to ensure that corrupt actors and human rights violators cannot use our financial system to enable and support their abhorrent activities and exploit the innocent.

Tuesdays sanctioning of Hing Bun Hieng, along with Dominican Republic Senator Felix Ramon Bautista Rosario for corruption. Brings to the 59 individuals and entities to have been punished under the new provision to the Magnitsky Act., Treasury said.US President Donald Trump (2nd from R) and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (2nd from left L) look at each other before signing documents acknowledging the progress of their talks and pledging to keep the momentum going after a summit on Sentosa Island in Singapore, June 12, 2018. Standing beside them are Kim Yo Jong (L), sister of Kim Jong Un, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R).

China on Tuesday called for an easing of sanctions against North Korea in the wake of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that resulted in a broad-brush statement on denuclearization.

Analysts meanwhile said China's presence was very clearly felt at the summit as North Korea's closest ally, and that Kim's negotiating strategy had likely been hammered out with Beijing's blessing.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said China hoped for a peace deal between the isolated Stalinist state and Washington.

"We hope that the two countries highest leaders can dispel interference, establish mutual trust, overcome difficulties, and reach a basic consensus on promoting and achieving the denuclearization of the peninsula and promoting and establishing a peace mechanism for the peninsula, Wang told reporters.

He said China views the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue as a security issue, and would welcome a peace agreement, adding: "I think nobody can doubt the extremely unique and important role China has played. And this role will continue."

Hong Kong journalist and political commentator Lawrence Ho said Kim had paid two visits to China earlier this year, and its negotiating stance had only emerged after secret talks with President Xi Jinping.

"Following those secret talks, Kim Jong Un put forward his key demands for the summit with Trump, which included separating the agreement into phases with certain benefits at each stage from the United States and South Korea," Ho said. "These principles were only firmed up after the meeting between Kim and Xi in Dalian."

He said China had also allowed Kim to fly from Pyongyang to Singapore on an Air China aircraft, sending a very public message about its involvement.

"Some Hong Kong media were saying that actually Xi Jinping is in the background of all of this, because Kim became more emboldened after his meeting with Xi," Ho said.

"So, while the positions of Beijing and Pyongyang aren't entirely the same, we know that China would definitely be happy to see the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula ... because that would be in Beijing's interests," he said.

Stalemate situation

Xia Ming, a political science professor at the City University of New York, said there are also political risks to China from a growing rapprochement between North Korea and the U.S. and its allies, however.

"I think up until now, China has benefited from the stalemate situation," Xia said. "From its point of view it doesn't really want to see a result from bilateral talks [between the U.S. and North Korea]."

But he said China didn't want talks to collapse, either.

"The worst case scenario would be the total collapse of negotiations, which would bring untold tensions, possibly even war, to the Korean peninsula," Xia said.

"Neither does the Chinese government want to see a best-case scenario in which the U.S., Japan, and South Korea start to give economic rewards for North Korea's agreement to a denuclearization program, which could send North Korea in a more liberal direction without dealing with the issue of U.S. troops on the Korean peninsula," he said.

Xia said a more liberal and pluralistic North Korea would likely eventually result in the reunification of the two Koreas, too.

"China doesn't want that to happen," he said. "I think from China's point of view, its best-case scenario would be that the Singapore communique was just a piece of paper, there for show, and yielding nothing of substance," he said.

Ho agreed that China doesn't want tensions to go back to previous levels.

"I don't think China wants to see a sudden breakdown in bilateral talks between North Korea and the U.S., which would bring us back to square one," he said.

"But even if that happens, Kim Jong Un has now repaired the bilateral relationship with China, and now he enjoys behind-the-scenes support from two major heads of state, Xi Jinping and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin."

Official peace treaty

Sources have indicated that there is some uncertainty over which parties would sign any official peace treaty ending the Korean War (1950-1953), a pledge made by Kim and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in at their historic meeting at the 38th Parallel in April.

The armistice agreement was signed by the United Nations, which represented the U.S. and numerous allies, North Korea's Korean People's Army, and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

While Xia said Beijing likely fears being sidelined in any new peace process, Ho said the signatories to any peace treaty would likely include the original parties to the armistice.

"The armistice was signed by the U.N., the KPA, and the PVA; the South Koreans refused to take part," Ho said. "So China is now saying that any peace treaty would involve either three or four parties. A three-party treaty would involve China, North Korea and the U.S., while a four-party treaty would [include] South Korea."

Xia said, however, that the status of the PVA was in doubt, as it was a voluntary force sent by the Chinese Communist Party to help the war effort, rather than a formal army of a sovereign state.

Reported by Lin Ping and Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Wen Yuqing for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.Authorities in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangxi and the central province of Hunan have detained three people for subversion after a fly-posting campaign in at least two cities calling for a reappraisal of the bloody crackdown on the 1989 student-led movement on Tiananmen Square.



The clandestine notices took the form of pasted posters and spray-painted messages on walls and notice-boards in Jiangxi's Nanchang city and in Hunan province, according to social media posts.



Photos of the posters showed various slogans, including a call to "Reappraise June 4, 1989, end the one-party dictatorship," and "Officials should make public their assets."



The posters appeared around the 29th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s crackdown on unarmed civilians on June 4, 1989, and were all signed with three characters, the Xinghua Club, or "the Prosperous China Society."



Nanchang police last week detained activists Zeng Guofan and his wife, while authorities in the central province of Hunan detained fellow activist Wang Yifei.



All three are being held on suspicion of "incitement to subvert state power" after materials linking them to the Xinghua Club were found on their computers, sources told RFA.



"I think he and his wife were detained because of [the Xinghua Club]," a close associate of Zeng's said on Tuesday. "This guy tends to do things on impulse, but I'm not sure that he was directly involved in [posting the messages] on this occasion."



"Copies of the detention notification circulating online ... don't specifically name Zeng Guofan," he said. "But Zeng Guofan is a very close friend of Wang Yifei's, so we are guessing that he has been implicated in that case."



Zeng was previously detained for one month during the April 2014 trial of New Citizens' Movement activist Ding Jiaxi in Beijing.



Nebulous network



His associate said the Xinghua Club may not exist as any sort of formal entity.



"My feeling is that there is likely no such organization," the source said. "It could be that the people who posted these messages wish there was."



He said the ruling Chinese Communist Party greatly fears any form of nationwide organization.



"I think maybe the authorities wouldn't be taking this so seriously if they hadn't put [Xinghua Club] on the posters," he said.



An employee who answered the phone at the Weiquanwang human rights website, which first broke the story of the "Xinghua Club" activists' detentions, declined to comment when contacted by RFA on Tuesday over reports that Wang Yifei had worked for the site.



"I don't actually know whether Wang Yifei is a volunteer for Weiquanwang," the employee said. "I have seen these reports online, but perhaps that is inaccurate information."



Decreasing tolerance



Beijing-based political commentator Zha Jianguo said that President Xi Jinping has shown ever decreasing tolerance for all forms of public dissent since taking power in 2012.



"As far as the authorities are concerned, any kind of disguised, loose-knit organization is crossing a red line," Zha said. "Also, you're not allowed to call for a reappraisal of June 4, 1989, nor to call on officials to publish details of their assets."



"You're also not allowed to take to the streets; stability trumps everything," he said.



The Xinghua Club appears to be a nascent network that largely operates online to inspire low-level forms of public protest. It has also been linked to posters and graffiti calling for direct elections to China's People's Congresses.



Reported by Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Ng Yik-tung and Lam Kwok-lap for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.A North Korean guard post on the bank of the Yalu river near the North Korean town of Sinuiju opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong in China's northeast Liaoning province, Jan. 9, 2018.

North Korea has called on China to set up an emergency alert along the two countries border during the much-anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and the Norths leader Kim Jong Un, sources inside the isolated nation said.

Armed soldiers from both countries have been patrolling the North Korea-China border since June 8 after Pyongyang asked Beijing to step up security measures in the area, they said.

Border guards and the State Security Department have been on joint emergency alert at the border area since [June 8],said a source from North Pyongyang who declined to be named, adding that the alert will operate for 10 days.

Its related to the North Korea-U.S. summit, so if anyone tries to go near the Yalu River, he or she will be accused of anti-regime crimes, the source said, referring to the waterway on the border between the North and China that is a popular route with defectors mainly during winter when it freezes.

Trump will meet with Kim on June 12 in Singapore to discuss Pyongyangs relinquishment of its nuclear arsenal in exchange for security assurances and economic relief, though some U.S. lawmakers have been pushing for him raise human rights issues as well.

Joint armed forces of from the Chinese police and the Peoples Liberation Army have enforced tight security in the border area of Dandong in northeastern Chinas Liaoning province, that lies across from North Pyongan province, the source told RFAs Korean Service.

The armed Chinese soldiers who are guarding the border area are specially trained soldiers dispatched from Beijing, he said.

I dont know if the highest-level dignitary is heading to Singapore via China, but security along the North Korea-China border has been a lot tighter since June 8, he said, referring to Kim Jong Un. Kim flew to Singapore.

A North Korean trader from the city of Dalian in Chinas Liaoning province told RFA that every important issue regarding Kims travel was discussed with China during the preparation period for the summit with Trump.

The Central Committee [of the ruling Workers Party of Korea] called on China to tighten security along the North Korea-China border during the summit to prevent any possible disorder inside North Korea, said the trader who declined to give his name.

Cross-border trade and customs operations are continuing during the summit so those who conduct lawful trading can continue their business as usual, he said.

A trade representative from Pyongyang issued an order on June 9 that there should be no attempts to smuggle goods between China and North Korea, and that officials had to report traders locations every hour during this period, the source said.

What we need to pay attention to here is that China is stricter about guarding the border, the trader said.

China might have wanted to prevent Chinese smugglers from entering North Korea, so they cracked down on smuggling organizations in the border area few days ago and arrested number of smugglers, he said.

Reported by Hyemin Son for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L) at the start of their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore, June 12, 2018.

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shook hands and smiled to open their summit in Singapore on Tuesday, historic talks among old foes aimed at resolving a long-running nuclear standoff on the Korean peninsula.

"I feel really great," said Trump, the first sitting president to meet with a North Korean leader. "It's gonna be a great discussion and I think tremendous success. I think it's gonna be really successful and I think we will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt."



Speaking through a translator, Kim replied: "Well, it was not easy to get here. The past has ... placed many obstacles in our way but we overcame all of them and we are here today."

The one-on-one between Trump and Kim at the Capella hotel on Singapore's resort island of Sentosa was to be followed by a wider meeting that includes officials from the two countries.

Expectations of a major breakthrough on the vexed issue of North Koreas nuclear weapons program were low, but the meeting itself marked a sharp contrast from recent months in which Trump and North Korea exchanged insults and war threats.

Trump officials expressed optimism ahead of the meeting, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who made two recent trips to Pyongyang to meet Kim, saying that "North Korea has previously confirmed to us its willingness to denuclearize and we are eager to see if those words prove sincere."

Pompeo, however, said that U.S. economic sanctions would be tightened if North Korea refused to move toward complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization.

A major obstacle to reaching and implementing any nuclear deal is that the U.S. and North Korea have differing definitions of denuclearization on the Korean peninsula. North Korea wants the extended nuclear deterrence the United States offers South Korea included in any deal, while Washington sees the issue as the dismantling and removal of North Koreas nuclear weapons and facilities.

For Kim, who came to power in 2011 and has spent much of the past few years ramping up North Koreas nuclear and missile tests, the meeting in Singapore helps him dispel his image as an international pariah who had his uncle and half brother killed to take on an unlikely role as global statesman.

Aiding Kim in his rehabilitation is Trumps apparent disinclination in Singapore to raise the question of human rights in North Korea, a totalitarian country with 120,000 people in gulag-style political prison camps.

North Korea is one of the most repressive nations in the world, severely curtailing basic liberties, prohibiting political opposition and a free media, and meting out harsh punishments, including torture, rape, forced labor, and executions, for those who commit minor offenses or try to defect.

A 2014 U.N. Commission of Inquiry found that the government engages in widespread rights abuses that also include enslavement, murder, forced abortions, and other forms of sexual violence.

Last week more than 300 nongovernmental groups in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America, wrote a letter to Kim, urging him to end forced labor and the abuse of prisoners, take action on the human rights recommendations of the United Nations, and provide monitoring of international humanitarian aid to ensure it reaches those who need it.

Rights experts argue that failing to address the nature of North Koreas regime would make any nuclear deal difficult to verify without transparency and good faith cooperation with the international community.

"You can't really have a verifiable nuclear deal with an authoritarian closed government," John Sifton, a researcher with Human Rights Watch, one of the signatories of the NGO letter to Kim, was quoted by NBC News as saying. "You have to have some transparency, otherwise you won't be able to verify."

Beyond the practical aspects of verification is a concern that the pomp and pageantry of the Singapore summit will normalize North Korea and its leader, or that any nuclear agreement will guarantee the safety of his regime.

Tomorrow, the entire world will be treating Kim Jong Un as a global leader, on stage with the leader of the most powerful country in the world, Michael McFaul, a former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, said in a tweet Monday.

Human rights, assassinations abroad, etc. will unlikely be mentioned. That is a tremendous achievement for North Korean diplomacy.United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (R) greets Christine Schraner Burgener, the U.N.'s new special envoy on Myanmar, at U.N. headquarters in New York, May 22, 2018.

As the new United Nations envoy to Myanmar began her first visit to the Southeast Asian nation and neighboring Bangladesh on Tuesday, Myanmar politicians and lawmakers cautioned that the diplomat should refrain from a one-sided approach to the crisis in Rakhine state.

Christine Schraner Burgener, a former Swiss ambassador to Germany and Thailand, who was appointed to her new role by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on April 26, will speak with Myanmar authorities, ethnic armed organizations, civil society organizations, religious leaders, and diplomats primarily about troubled Rakhine state, Myanmars peace process and democratization, and human rights issues.

Burgener will also meet with State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and military commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, said Monywa Aung Shin, secretary of the Central Information Committee of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) government.

I hope they can talk openly, he said. I think we will have a good result from her visit. The previous U.N. envoys did their work with a one-sided perspective, so I hope this one can begin her work by drawing lessons from the previous envoys experiences.

Myanmar has accused U.N. officials of being biased in their assessments of a crackdown by security forces that targeted Rohingya Muslims in northern Rakhine state following deadly attacks on police outposts by a Muslim militant group in August 2017.

The U.N. and the United States have said that the violent campaign that left thousands dead and forced nearly 700,000 Rohingya to flee to safety in Bangladesh amounted to ethnic cleansing. The Myanmar government has denied that soldiers committed most of the violence and defended the operation as a counterinsurgency against terrorists.

The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution in December asking Guterres to appoint an envoy and calling on the Myanmar government to allow access for aid workers, ensure the return of all refugees, and grant full citizenship to the stateless Rohingya, whom Myanmar considers illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Change in attitude

Khin Maung Swe, chairman of the National Democracy Force, a political party formed in 2010 as a breakaway faction of the NLD, noted a change in attitude by the government, which previously refused to allow a U.N.-mandated commission into the country to investigate the situation in Rakhine.

The government also barred Yanghee Lee, the U.N.s human rights rapporteur for Myanmar, from visiting the country because of her criticism of its handling of the crackdown, which she said bore the hallmarks of genocide.

A group of U.N. Security Council diplomats who visited northern Rakhine state in late April to assess the situation on the ground amid a program to begin repatriating Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh called for a proper investigation into atrocities committed during the crackdown.

Just six days ago, Myanmar signed an agreement with the U.N.'s refugee and development agencies to assist with the repatriation of some of the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya living in overcrowded displacement camps in Bangladesh.

The same day, the government announced that it was setting up a three-person independent inquiry commission, including one international expert, to examine human rights violations in Rakhine state.

It means Myanmar is working together with U.N. agencies and that the U.N. agencies should change their perspective on Myanmar because they are working together, Khin Maung Swe said.

They have seen Myanmar as a country that violates human rights and discriminates against Bengali Muslims, and they should change this one-sided point of view, he said, using a derogatory term for the Rohingya.

Khin Maung Swe went on to say that the U.N. agencies have pressured only Myanmar, but not Bangladesh, where more than one million Rohingya refugees live in sprawling settlement camps.

If they do something like apply this one-sided pressure, no matter which organization or whoever comes from the U.N., we wont have fair and impartial results, he said. If they observe what both countries are doing and treat them equally, they will find a correct way [to resolve the Rakhine crisis].

Bangladesh, in contrast to Myanmar, has not been accused of committing atrocities against the Rohingya and has been praised for taking in and caring for hundreds of thousands of refugees for months despite being a densely populated and poor country.

Pe Than, a lower house lawmaker from the Arakan National Party (ANP) who represents Rakhine states Myebon township constituency, said that Burgener should keep an open mind when evaluating the situation.

Many international organizations, including U.N. agencies, have visited Myanmar, and most of their visits are about the Bengali issue, he said. We have almost no international organization that stands up for Myanmar.

We are even threatened about being sent to the ICC and having R2P [Responsibility to Protect] provisions implemented, he said.

Rights groups and U.N. human rights officials have recommended that those who have committed atrocities against the Rohingya be prosecuted for crimes by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands.

They also have called on the international community to establish mechanisms to respond to ethnic cleansing and potential genocide in Myanmar under the R2P guidelines that address atrocity crimes.

We welcome her [Burgener], but we hope she wont also say something that hurts our countrys image just like other U.N. officials did, he said.

We will reject it

Nandar Hla Myint, spokesman of the opposition Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), said the Rakhine crisis is a domestic problem that many want the Myanmar government to resolve by appointing domestic experts and applying domestic laws.

If this problem is solved as an international issue by having a one-sided point of view by the international community, our countrys sovereignty will be compromised, he said. We will lose our territory and our peoples rights.

We will not accept this, and we will reject it if her [Burgeners] visit puts more pressure on Myanmars government, he said.

But Myanmar political analyst Yan Myo Thein said Burgeners visit is important for the country, especially as it faces many challenges and pressure from the international community.

He recommended that Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and the speakers of parliament speak extensively and wisely with Burgener and present concrete documents to her.

The government should also permit her to travel freely wherever she wants, especially in Rakhine state given the strong concerns of the international community about the violence-wracked region, Yan Myo Thein said.

It is very important to have the support of Western countries, including that of the U.S., for our countrys democratic transition and for the challenges and crisis we now have, he said. We must resolve this problem and crisis through discussions, negotiations, and collaboration with others.

Reported by Khin Khin Ei for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.Myanmar on Monday jailed a Rohingya woman for a year for trying to travel to the commercial capital Yangon from her internally displaced persons camp in the western state of Rakhine without proper documents, officials and her sister said.

Myanmar denies the Muslim Rohingya citizenship, and also prevents them from traveling freely outside internal refugee camps without permission and denies them access to education, employment, and health care.

Ma Hla Phyu, 26, was arrested on May 23 in Rakhine state after attempting to travel from the Kyauktalone internally displaced persons (IDP) camp, where she had lived since 2012, to Yangon.

She doesnt have a National Registration Card (NRC), she has only a National Verification Card (NVC). NVC holders can travel after completing application form No. 4 at the township immigration office, and getting approval from immigration authorities, said Shwe Hla Aung, the administrator of Kyaukphyu township, where the Kyauktalone IDP camp is located.

She traveled without any approval. She didnt even fill out application form No. 4, the official told RFAs Myanmar service.

She was sentenced to a year in prison, as she has been found guilty under Section 6(3) of the 1949 Residents of Burma Registration Act. She is in Thandwe Jail now and she is OK, said Phyu Che, camp leader at Kyauktalone IDP Camp.

She applied to travel at Kyautphyu Immigration Office twice, in 2017 and 2018, but she hasnt had any response. Thats why she traveled without permission, added Phyu Che.

Haji Kyaw Khin, general secretary of the Myanmar Muslim National Federation said holders of NVCs need state-level permission if they want to travel outside of their state.

If they travel without getting permission, it means they break the law and they will be arrested, he told RFA.

Ma Hla Phyu had been living with her family at the Kyauktalone IDP camp since an outburst of anti-Muslim communal violence in 2012 that left more than 200 dead and displaced tens of thousands.

We have been living here in this camp for six years. We cant work here and we have only income that is my sisters teacher salary. We cant go home and cant travel anywhere, said Ma Hla Hla Phyu, the 19-year-old sister of Ma Hla Phyu.

We want to go to Yangon because it is very difficult to survive here in this camp. We have only rice, beans and cooking oil, said the sister.

We have two younger brothers who are in school. We dont have enough money to survive and to support our brothers education. Thats why we want to go to Yangon for working, but we are not allowed, added Ma Hla Hla Phyu.

If I can go, I still want to go to Yangon because I dont want to live in this camp, she said.

The government says the Rohingya, an ethnicity not officially recognized in Myanmar, must undergo a verification process under a 1982 Citizenship Law and accept NVCs as a first step to becoming citizens.

Rohingya living in IDP camps in Myanmar or as refugees in Bangladesh see the NVCs as unnecessary and instead have demanded full citizenship because they claim their forefathers were Myanmar nationals.

A military crackdown on Rohingya in the northern part of Rakhine state that began in late August following deadly attacks by a Muslim militant group left thousands dead and drove nearly 700,000 across the border to Bangladesh, where they live in squalor in sprawling refugee camps.

In April, Myanmar announced it had lifted travel restrictions on Rohingya Muslims who possess National NVCs, adding that cardholders could get on a path to full citizenship within five months.

Rakhine is home to more than 1.1 million stateless Rohingya Muslims whom many Burmese call Bengalis because they consider them illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh. The Buddhist majority has long subjected the Rohingya to persecution and attacks and denied them basic rights, including citizenship.

Reported by Khet Mar for RFA's Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Paul Eckert.

Vietnams National Assembly has approved new legislation aimed at further restricting citizens use of the internet, voting on Tuesday to require providers to delete posts considered threatening to national security and to store users personal information inside the country.



The cybersecurity bill, which was opposed by only 15 of the 466 lawmakers present for the vote, will become law on Jan. 1, 2019, news reports from the region said.



Rights group Amnesty International immediately slammed Tuesdays vote, saying the decision has potentially devastating consequences for freedom of expression in Vietnam.



In the countrys deeply repressive climate, the online space was a relative refuge where people could go to share ideas and opinions with less fear of censure by the authorities, said Clare Algar, Amnestys director of global operations.



Noting that the new law can work only if foreign-based companies like Facebook and Google agree to demands by Vietnam to hand over private data, Algar urged tech firms to push back against requests for cooperation.



These companies must not be party to human rights abuses, she said.



Duy Hoang, spokesman for Viet Tan, an unsanctioned Vietnamese pro-democracy party, said the so-called cybersecurity law does nothing to protect internet users.



Its a blatant effort by the Vietnamese government to crackdown on online expression by enlisting the help of Western technology companies such as Facebook and Google, he said in a statement, which called on those U.S. tech firms to avoid abetting Vietnams censorship.



It would be a tremendous business mistake and reputational catastrophe for any internet company to house it servers and data inside Vietnam, warned Hoang.



Many already jailed



Meanwhile, journalists in Vietnam said that many are already being jailed under laws now on the books in the one-party communist state.



Nothing is going to change, freelance writer Pham Chi Dung told RFAs Vietnamese Service on Tuesday. We are dissidents and are used to suppression and harassment.



Before this new law was passed, they were already using Articles 88 and 258 of the penal code, which punish activities described as conducting propaganda against the state or abusing democratic freedoms, the writer said.



They are prosecuting a lot of dissidents even without this [new] law, he said.



Also speaking to RFA, freelance journalist Vo Van Tao said that though intellectuals are very worried about this new law, authorities still routinely arrest and jail those critical of the government under other laws.



Writing online, writing newspaper articles, writing books, or even talking to each other are all considered propaganda, he said.



Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Viet Ha. Written in English by Richard Finney.Eleven people were killed when a barge and a crowded catamaran collided in Russia's Volga River, pitching people off the sailboat and into the water.

Emergency Situations Ministry officials said rescue operations ended on June 12 when searchers found the body of the 11th victim, a woman.

The officials said five people were rescued after the collision late on June 11 near the city of Volgograd, of whom three were hospitalized.

Investigators said that according to the preliminary investigation, the owner of the catamaran, who was also at the helm during the incident, was to blame.

The owner "completely neglected both light and sound warning signals from the barge" and was "under the influence of alcohol," the Investigative Committee said in a statement, citing preliminary information from forensic experts.

The investigation also determined that 16 people were aboard the catamaran while its maximum capacity was 12, and the sailboat was not registered.

State-run news agency TASS earlier quoted the Russian Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport as saying the catamaran did not have the required documents and identification lights.

Based on reporting by dpa, Interfax, and TASSGermany and France are voicing cautious optimism that Russia and Ukraine will take steps to revive the long-stalled cease-fire in eastern Ukraine, but said no agreement was reached on deploying a UN peacekeeping mission there.

That assessment came from the foreign ministers of France and Germany after a meeting with their Ukrainian and Russian counterparts in Berlin on June 11 in their first attempt at reviving peace talks in over a year.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said at a joint news conference with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, that the talks were "open and constructive" and he hoped they would lead to fewer violations of the two countries' cease-fire agreement.

"All sides once more voiced support for a lasting cease-fire, including the withdrawal of heavy weapons, the disengagement of troops and demining, and the protection and granting of access" to observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, he said.

But while Moscow and Kyiv agreed in principle on deploying a United Nations peacekeeping mission in eastern Ukraine, their ideas about how to implement it were still "very much apart," Maas said.

Germany, France, and Ukraine want UN troops to be deployed in all areas controlled by Russia-backed separatists, including on the Ukraine-Russia border. Russia opposes this and has advocated a narrower role for peacekeepers.

"Regarding the parameters of a possible UN mission for eastern Ukraine, we agreed to instruct our political directors to continue negotiations, not about if but how such a mission could happen, and discuss this in the coming weeks," Maas said.

The focus of the Berlin meeting was trying to get both sides to honor a peace agreement reached in the Belarusian capital of Minsk in 2015 -- a detailed peace plan that has largely gone unheeded, with violations of the cease-fire occurring regularly this year.

"We know that there was a lack of will to implement these commitments in the past," Maas said.

But he said all sides agreed at the meeting to try to carry out at least the cease-fire provisions of the accord, which include the removal of heavy weaponry from combat zones and a further exchange of prisoners.

"I am firmly convinced that the political negotiations today are also exerting pressure on the ground," Maas said.

Le Drian also said he saw "a positive dynamic for what I hope will be a peaceful solution," adding that "we are ready to work on the parameters of a possible United Nations mission for eastern Ukraine when the implementation of the Minsk agreements will allow it."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after the meeting that "of course we have not been able to solve all the problems related to the implementation of the Minsk agreements to settle the internal Ukrainian crisis, but I believe that this meeting was very useful."

Lavrov said the ministers discussed a "road map" for a prisoner exchange of people being held by Kyiv and Moscow, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

In a rare phone call on June 9 ahead of the meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko discussed a possible "exchange of people being held" by both sides.

It was the first meeting of the so-called "Normandy four" foreign ministers since February 2017, though lower-level officials have met regularly to try to resolve the conflict that has killed more than 10,300 people since it started in 2014.

The conflict has also internally displaced within Ukraine an estimated 1.6 million people  the largest uprooted population in Europe and among the 10 largest in the world.

With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and APMacedonia and Greece say they have reached a deal to resolve their 27-year dispute over the former Yugoslav republic's name.

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said on June 12 that Athens and Skopje agreed on the name Republic of North Macedonia, or Severna Makedonija in Macedonian, to end the row that has hampered Macedonia's ambitions to join both the European Union and NATO.

"There is no way back," he told a news conference after a telephone conversation with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

Zaev said the deal preserved the Macedonian ethnic and cultural identity, while Tsipras said in a televised statement that the accord will allow a clear distinction between Greece's province of Macedonia and the country.

"Maybe what has the most historic gravity and value for Greece [is that] according to this accord...our northern neighbors don't have, and cannot assert, any link to the ancient Greek culture of Macedonia," Tsipras said in a televised address.

The Greek prime minister also said that Macedonia's name change would be reflected both domestically and internationally.

"We have a deal. I'm happy because we have a good deal which covers all the preconditions set by the Greek side," Tsipras said.

Under the deal, the country's language will be Macedonian and its citizens known as Macedonians or citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia, according to Zaev.

And as part of the agreement, it is made clear that their language is part of the Slavic family, unrelated to ancient Greek heritage, the BBC reported.

The text is expected to be signed by the end of the week before being sent to the Macedonian parliament for ratification. The proposed name will also go to a referendum in Macedonia later this year.

Skopje also needs to revise its constitution, Tsipras said, before Greek lawmakers ratify the accord.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the "historic agreement" and called on the two sides to finalize it.

"This will set Skopje on its path to NATO membership. And it will help to consolidate peace and stability across the wider Western Balkans," Stoltenberg said in a statement.

The European Union congratulated Tsipras and Zaev for their "determination and leadership in reaching this historic agreement."

"We now look forward to the [European] Council endorsing our recommendation of 17 April to open accession negotiations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in June," EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini and EU Enlargement Negotiations Commissioner Johannes Hahn said in a joint statement.

Officials in Albania, which also hopes to launch full membership negotiations with the EU, hailed the agreement between Greece and Macedonia as good for the whole Western Balkans region.

Prime Minister Edi Rama called his Macedonian and Greek counterparts "two progressive leaders." "Balkans are today a better place thnx to you both," he tweeted.

Skopje and Athens have recently stepped up United Nations-brokered negotiations to resolve their name dispute, which dates back to 1991 when Macedonia peacefully broke away from Yugoslavia, declaring its independence under the name Republic of Macedonia.

Athens objected to its neighbor's new name, saying it implied a territorial claim over Greece's province of the same name, which borders the Balkan country.

Because of Greek objections, Macedonia was admitted to the UN under a provisional name, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Greece, an EU and NATO member, has also cited the dispute to veto Macedonia's bid to join the two organizations.

On June 6, thousands of people protested in major cities across Greece against the compromise, while, four days earlier, like numbers of supporters of Macedonia's right-wing opposition VMRO-DPMNE party took to the streets of the capital, Skopje, to protest against a deal.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and the BBCForuzan Faghiri was 3 years old when her family fled war in Afghanistan for neighboring Iran.

The Faghiris found shelter and education while at the same time coping with the discrimination and restrictions that Afghan refugees routinely face in Iran.

Yet Faghiri persevered, becoming a conspicuous success among Afghan immigrants to Iran.

The 29-year-old physicist's work was recently highlighted in the government daily Iran, which suggested that the young woman's creativity and technological prowess could help Tehran combat its stubborn pollution problem.

There are an estimated 3 million Afghans living in Iran: 1 million of them registered and around 2 million of them undocumented refugees living in legal limbo.

They frequently face discrimination and resentment among other Iranians who blame them for joblessness and other social ills, and are thought to have been recruited by the hundreds for combat duty in nearby Syria, where Tehran ally President Bashar al-Assad has been waging a 7-year battle for survival.

"It wasn't just a few," Faghiri says of the problems she encountered growing up as an Afghan in Iranian society.

'Starting In Minus'

At one point, Faghiri said, she was expelled from middle school over her nationality. Her parents managed to get her enrolled again two months later, she added.

He parents "did all they could to distance us from the problems so we could achieve the main goal, which was to study," she said. "Yet I still have some vague memories from those times and the problems."

She said she learned to put problems "behind the door" and focus on her work.

It has left her with the feeling that she has had to far outwork her fellow Iranians to succeed.

"I have always told myself that there are problems and I have to find a way to cope with them," Faghiri said. "For us, life didn't start at zero, it started in minus, so we've had to work harder to make things normal."

She said she eventually found her calling in physics, which she first saw as an "unreachable" subject.

"Since I always like to conquer difficult things, I started to study physics," she said, adding that she came to understand and love the field.

But even recently, she said, colleagues at Azad University, where she has an office and conducts research, reacted with hostility at the prospect of an Afghan success story.

"Some friends who learned of [my achievements] from the news even stopped answering my calls," she told RFE/RL in June.

Faghiri has been hailed for her design for a pollution monitor that she says is cheaper and more sensitive than similar, foreign-manufactured devices.

"It's a small device; its sensors are designed based on the weather in the Middle East," she said. "It's highly sensitive, and it's portable, and it's the size of two [tissue packets]. And to make it easier to use, I've designed an application for mobile phones."

The Iran daily reported that the device was being considered for use in Tehran's Tohid Tunnel, which stretches under the capital for around 3 kilometers.

Sense Of A Homeland

Faghiri is hopeful that it will find widespread use in Tehran, a city of 8 million that often suffers choking levels of pollution that close schools and leave residents hospitalized.

"Anyone can have one of these at home, [or] it can be used at hospitals, for elderly people, children, and those suffering from heart and respiratory problems," she said. "It can help people decide whether they should stay home or not."

But Faghiri, who is considering pursuing a doctorate, recently spent three weeks in Afghanistan that left her in love with her country of birth.

Her work was praised at a seminar attended by senior Afghan officials including Afghan Minister for Higher Education Najibullah Khajeh Omri and Kabul University Dean Hamidullah Faroughi.

She said she witnessed the "destruction" and suggested women face more restrictions in Afghanistan than in Iran.

Yet Faghiri felt "home" for the first time in years.

"I would meet someone I didn't know in the street and feel he's my brother. People were so kind -- it was different from here," she recalled.

She said she sees her future there despite living most of her life in Iran.

"I had always missed the sense of a homeland, there was a vacuum, but I found it in Afghanistan," Faghiri told RFE/RL in June. "I will definitely return to my country and work there."

Iranian authorities say they have detained 27 members of a "terrorist network" suspected of planning attacks to coincide with the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.

The group plotted to carry out "terrorist operations" in Tehran and other major cities in the country, the Intelligence Ministry said in a statement posted on its website on June 11.

The statement said the suspects "published pictures in cyberspace threatening the honorable nation of Iran with revenge and murder."

It added that the attacks were due to take place last week during the Ramadan celebration of Al-Qadr and on Jerusalem Day, marked each year to show support for Palestinians and opposition against Israel.

A large number of weapons and ammunition were confiscated, the ministry also said.

The announcement came a day after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said they had fought off three attempts by "terrorist groups" to infiltrate from neighboring Iraq in recent days, leaving 13 attackers dead.

Iran has been targeted by Sunni extremists who see the country's Shi'ite majority as apostates. Iran has also been directly involved in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) extremist group and Al-Qaeda in both Iraq and Syria.

In June 2017, terrorist attacks claimed by the IS group killed 18 people at the parliament building in Tehran and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's mausoleum south of the capital.

With reporting by AP and AFPJapan has lodged a protest against Russia's plan to lay fiber-optic cables to disputed islands that lay between the two countries, calling the construction work illegal and "extremely deplorable."

"It is extremely deplorable that such a project is being carried out under the Russian occupation that has no legal basis," government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said on June 11, speaking of the four islands known in Russia as the Kurile Islands and in Japan as the Northern Territories.

Ties between Japan and Russia have been strained for decades by the dispute over the islands, which were occupied by the Soviet Union in the closing days of World War II but are claimed by Tokyo.

Suga said Tokyo has lodged protests with both Russia and China over the fiber-optic project, which is being carried out by the Chinese communications giant Huawei Technologies.

Japanese media reported over the weekend that Russia plans to lay the cables between the disputed islands and Russia's Pacific island of Sakhalin. Media said Moscow had notified Tokyo of the project.

The dispute over the islands has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty to formally end wartime hostilities. When Russia took control over the islands, 17,000 Japanese residents were forced to move to the nearby Japanese island of Hokkaido.

A visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Russia last month yielded no movement on the issue. Suga said that Japan will continue to "patiently negotiate with Russia" over the matter.

Strategically, control of the islands ensures Russia has year-round access to the Pacific Ocean for its Pacific Fleet of warships and submarines based in Vladivostok, through a strait that does not freeze over in winter.

Based on reporting by dpa and AFP

BISHKEK -- The Kyrgyz Prosecutor-General's Office has rejected a request for a retrial of opposition leader Omurbek Tekebaev, who was sentenced in 2017 to eight years in prison on corruption charges that he denies.

Tekebaev's lawyer, Taalaikul Toktakunova, told RFE/RL on June 12 that the Prosecutor-General's Office said it saw no grounds for a new trial.

Attorneys representing Tekebaev said earlier that they found discrepancies in the case materials justified a retrial.

Tekebaev and his co-defendant, former Emergency Situations Minister Duishonkul Chotonov, were convicted of bribe-taking and sentenced to eight years in prison each in August 2017.

Both denied any wrongdoing.

Tekebaev is the leader of the opposition Ata-Meken (Fatherland) party, which said the trial was a politically motivated effort to keep him out of the Central Asian country's October 2017 presidential election.Pakistan and India have fought four bloody wars since their creation in 1947, and continue to engage in daily clashes in the divided Himalayan region of Kashmir.

So for the former intelligence chiefs of the two nuclear-armed foes to co-author a book that sheds light on their efforts to outmaneuver each other would appear almost unthinkable.

Yet that is exactly what retired General Asad Durrani, head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) between 1990 and 1992, and his counterpart A.S. Dulat, who led India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) from 1999 to 2000, did.

Their book, Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI, And The Illusion of Peace, is based on secret discussions held between the two former spy chiefs in hotels across Asia. Indian journalist Aditya Sinha organized and oversaw the effort, and put the results to paper.

In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, Dulat says "these are the perceptions of two people from opposite sides. Every word is as true as we know it to be."

The unprecedented book makes head-turning revelations about the conflict in Kashmir, Pakistan's covert role in the war in Afghanistan, and the U.S. raid that killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

In India, the book has received a mostly positive reception, and Dulat has given televised interviews. But in Pakistan, Durrani's claims -- often in conflict with the official line -- have been widely criticized. He has been summoned by the military to explain himself. He has also been forbidden from leaving the country.

Below are the book's most eyebrow-raising revelations:

Pakistan's Complicity In Bin Laden Raid

In 2011, a team of American Navy SEALs flew into Pakistani territory from Afghanistan and killed bin Laden inside the secret compound in the northern Pakistani city of Abbottabad where he had hid for nearly a decade. Pakistan insisted it only knew of the U.S. operation after the team that carried out the raid had left the country.

"At some stage the ISI probably learnt about it [the compound] and he was handed over to the U.S. according to a mutually agreed process," Durrani suggested in the book, a scenario that would contradict Islamabad's official line.

"Perhaps we are the ones who told the Americanswe are going to feign ignorance," added Durrani, going on to speculate why the government denied prior knowledge of the raid. "If we denied any role, it may have been to avoid political fallout. Cooperating with the U.S. to eliminate a person regarded by many in Pakistan as a 'hero' could have embarrassed the government."

"For Pakistan, being blamed for incompetence was more acceptable than complicity," he wrote. "How could it not know [about] the U.S. helicopters ingressing 150 kilometers inside the country?"

Following the raid, Islamabad accused Pakistani doctor Shakil Afridi of running a fake vaccination campaign that he used to collect DNA samples from bin Laden family members to help the CIA track him down. Afridi has not been charged over those allegations.

But Durrani wrote that Afridi was not the only person to have discovered bin Laden's whereabouts.

"I have no doubt that a retired Pakistani officer who was in intelligence walked in and told the Americans," wrote Durrani, suggesting that the officer received part, if not all, of the United States' $25 million reward for information leading to bin Laden's capture or death.

Dulat wrote in the book that India's assessment "is the same. That he [bin Laden] was handed over by Pakistan."

In an interview with RFE/RL this month, Dulat expounds on his comments, alleging that "Pakistan was harboring Osama and the Pakistanis knew where he was and I think the Americans somehow got wind of this and they told the Pakistanis that 'look, we know where he is,' and then [said] to 'stay out of it.' Maybe there was a CIA mole in Pakistan, and General Durrani has also hinted at that."

Pakistani Support For Afghan Taliban

Afghanistan, the United States, and India have long accused Pakistan of providing safe havens to the Afghan Taliban on Pakistani territory, and of failing to go after the militants, claims Islamabad has consistently rejected.

Yet in 2016, Sartaj Aziz, a top foreign affairs adviser for Pakistan's government, admitted publicly for the first time that Islamabad has considerable influence over the Taliban because its "leadership is in Pakistan."

In 2015, former military dictator Pervez Musharraf revealed that there were Pakistani-backed militant "proxies" in Afghanistan.

In the book, Durrani added more weight to the widely held belief that Islamabad turns a blind eye to the Afghan Taliban's presence in Pakistan.

"[By] going against them, we would not only turn some more of our own people against us, but also these groups who have never harmed us," he wrote.

Durrani wrote that, after the U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban regime in 2001, "Pakistan did try to help with whatever was possible despite the pressure" from the international community to cut ties with the militant group, which Islamabad had recognized and supported during the group's rule from 1996 to 2001. "To lose that capital would be something from which you may not recover," he wrote.

India has been a key ally of the Afghan government and spent billions in infrastructure projects. Pakistan has also accused New Delhi of trying to encircle it by expanding its activities and influence in Kabul.

Speaking to RFE/RL, Dulat says New Delhi understands that "Pakistan has more stakes in Afghanistan" but that "India cannot be wished away from Afghanistan."

Dulat also says New Delhi has "banked too much on the Americans" in Afghanistan and should play a bigger role in the peace process. "I don't know if [India] is talking to the Taliban but I am very clear we should be talking to the Taliban. If we are engaged with the Taliban, very good. If we are not, I think it is high time that we did engage."

Pakistan's Support For Kashmiri Rebels

India and Pakistan have fought two wars over the divided Himalayan region of Kashmir, which both countries claim.

Rebels in the majority-Muslim region have been fighting Indian rule since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training anti-India rebels. Pakistan denies this, saying it offers only moral and diplomatic support to the militants and to Kashmiris who oppose Indian rule.

Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.

"When the Kashmir uprising happened we did not know how far it would go," Durrani wrote. "We didn't want it to go out of control, which would lead to a war that neither side wanted. ISI's leverage on the Kashmir insurgency turned out less than successful."

Durrani also suggested that Pakistan created the All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, the main alliance of separatists in Indian-controlled Kashmir, to peddle its agenda in the region.

"Going back to the evolution of the Kashmir uprising of the 1990s, I think the formation of the Hurriyat to provide a political direction to the resistance was a good idea," he wrote. "Giving up handle on the movement -- letting the factions do what they bloody well wanted to -- was not."

Most Kashmiris support the rebel cause while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control. New Delhi has been accused of ruthlessly cracking down on the demonstrators.

"Sometimes [the situation in Kashmir] gets so bad that there comes a state of hopelessness," Dulat tells RFE/RL. "Engagement is the key to the Kashmir solution. But we have not engaged them sufficiently."

South-Asian Union?

Perhaps Durrani's most eyebrow-raising suggestion for peace is the reunification of the subcontinent into a confederation like the European Union.

Pakistan and India were carved out from British India that was partitioned in 1947, creating a Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India.

"We can consider moving to a confederation, and then to a united India," wrote Durrani, in remarks that have riled hard-line conservatives on each side of the divide.

"Right now it's impossible to create a coalition or a union like the European Union, whose relevance is itself in doubt, but at some stage we can think of a common currency, or laws applicable to when we develop the new South Asian Union: a Confederation of South Asia," he wrote. "Delhi as the capital of a Union. Armed forces integrated. Reduction of forces numbers by ratio."

Police in Russia's Far Eastern city of Vladivostok have disrupted the founding gathering of a regional branch of a civil society group established by exiled Kremlin foe Mikhail Khodorkovsky and detained several activists, the organization says.

In a Facebook post on June 12, Open Russia said police used force and detained activists Andrei Pivovarov, Natalya Gryaznyevich, Andrei Yarotsky, and Maria Zinchenko, as well as the coordinator of opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's office in Vladivostok, Vladimir Dubovsky.

It is not clear what charges the activists may face.

In April 2017, the Russian Prosecutor-General's Office declared Open Russia "undesirable under a controversial law signed by President Vladimir Putin in 2015 and accused the nongovernmental organization of conducting antigovernment activities.

Once Russia's wealthiest tycoon and the head of its biggest oil company, the now defunct Yukos, Khodorkovsky served 10 years in Russian prisons after being convicted of tax evasion and other charges widely seen as politically motivated.

He and supporters say he was the victim of a Kremlin-orchestrated campaign to punish him for challenges to Putin and to increase state control over the oil revenues.Russia's Foreign Ministry has angrily reacted to the latest round of U.S. sanctions targeting Russian individuals and entities, calling it another "fruitless" attempt to impose pressure on the country.

"Those in Washington cannot calm down and continue to impose sanctions on our citizens and organizations," the ministry said in a June 12 statement.

"The results will be zero, as usual," the statement said, adding that the sanctions against Russia will not succeed in forcing the country to "change its independent course on the international arena."

The ministry also accused the United States of "creating an enemy in places where they do not exist, instead of seriously fighting against terrorism and other actual threats."

The statement ends with a warning that Russia won't forget that Washington imposed its latest round of sanctions on the eve of the June 12 Russia Day, a major holiday in the country.

The angry comments come after U.S. authorities hit three Russians and five companies with new sanctions, targeting a cyberresearch company and one that specializes in providing underwater diving equipment to Russia's lead security agency, the FSB.

The move, announced by the U.S. Treasury Department on June 11, is the latest effort by Washington to use financial restrictions to target Russians for hacking, human rights violations, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine's east, and other actions.

The three entities "have directly contributed to improving Russia's cyber and underwater capabilities through their work with the FSB and therefore jeopardize the safety and security of the United States and our allies," a statement quoted Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as saying.

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia used cyberactivity as part of an effort to meddle in the 2016 presidential election, and the United States has accused Russia of conducting other destructive activity using cybercapabilities.The European court has ruled that Russia wrongly revoked the residence permit of American human rights activist Jennifer Gaspar in 2014.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on June 12 said that Russian authorities violated Gaspar's right to respect for family life, as it had compelled her to leave Russia, where her husband and minor child were living.

In its ruling, the court in Strasbourg ordered the Russian state to pay Gaspar 14,142 euros ($16,680) in compensation.

"I want to celebrate justice and an end to a long slog through court proceedings that has weighed upon me," Gaspar wrote on Facebook after the court decision.

Russian immigration authorities informed Gaspar in July 2014 that her residence permit was revoked, after the country's Federal Security Service (FSB) issued a report stating that she posed a national security threat.

Later in 2014, two St. Petersburg courts upheld her expulsion from Russia.

Gaspar has since been living in the German capital, Berlin, with her child.

She had lived in Russia since 2004, working with civil society and nongovernmental organizations. She married a prominent Russian lawyer and activist, Ivan Pavlov.U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a document after talks in Singapore. Trump said the process of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula would now start "very quickly" while Kim said it was a "historic meeting" where the two leaders decided "to leave the past behind."Seven prominent ethnic Uzbeks who fled Kyrgyzstan in the wake of violent clashes have called on new Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov to revisit the investigations and consequences of the fighting that erupted in southern Kyrgyzstan in June 2010.

The clashes -- between ethnic Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbeks -- are now referred to euphemistically by most in Kyrgyzstan as the "June events."

They are a deep wound that has never healed, in part because people in Kyrgyzstan seem to avoid talking about them. Even Jeenbekov, who at the time was the acting governor of Osh Province, an epicenter of the violence, might prefer other topics.

But many unresolved issues remain, and this call from people who were once leaders in their communities is a reminder that the past cannot be left behind indefinitely.

The businessmen say a fresh review of the events of eight years ago, notably the case of ethnic Uzbek journalist and rights activist Azimjon Askarov, has also been called for by several international organizations (including the Committee To Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch (HRW), and Amnesty International) and the UN Human Rights Committee.

The group asked that a "competent structure" be created, comprising representatives from various communities in Kyrgyzstan and the international community to revisit legal decisions made in the months that followed the June violence.

Kadyrjan Batyrov was one of the authors of the appeal. Batyrov was an entrepreneur from Jalal-Abad Province. He was the founder and owner of the Peoples Friendship University in Jalal-Abad city. The university was heavily damaged during the violence. Authorities accused Batyrov of orchestrating the violence, which he denies. He fled the country. Authorities in Kyrgyzstan have issued an international warrant for his arrest.

It will be interesting to see if the Kyrgyz president responds to the plea.

His predecessor, Almazbek Atambaev, largely rejected international calls for new investigations. Some of the constitutional changes approved in Kyrgyzstans December 2016 referendum hinted at a right to disregard decisions of organizations such as the United Nations.

Atambaev, who was elected president in 2011, did not appear to want to reopen the wounds of June 2010.

There is probably no topic in Kyrgyzstan as polarizing as the June Events. Some feel justice has already been done; others feel they were and still are victims.

Many people have written about the causes and the consequences of the June Events, myself included.

The Uzbek community leaders timed the release of their appeal to coincide with the anniversary of the outbreak of the violence on June 10.

Jeenbekov was at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China at the time, but the call from the Uzbek group will not have escaped his notice.

Its an important issue and one that is likely to hang over every Kyrgyz president until it is brought into the open.

The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RLLarge package of drugs found on Cancun public beach

Cancun, Q.R.  A package containing several kilos of marijuana was found on a public beach in the Cancun Hotel Zone.

The State Secretariat for Public Safety reported that through the Neptuno operation, elements of the State Police together with the Gendarmerie secured a package of marijuana in the vicinity of Playa Marlin.

According to their report, police were performing on-foot surveillance in the area of Playa Delfines when they were alerted to a package in the seaweed of Playa Marlin.

When they arrived, police discovered a package containing 11.2 kilos of marijuana. The package was placed at the disposition of the Attorney Generals Office (PGR).

Over the past several months, the discovery of packages of drugs along the Cancun, Riviera Maya coastline has become more common.

On Friday, a woman was arrested at the Playa del Carmen ferry terminal after being found carrying two suitcases containing 43 kilos of marijuana.PRI candidate for Isla Mujeres dies from weekend shooting

Cancun, Q.R.  A political candidate who was shot during a meeting Saturday has died.

Rosely Danilu Magana Martinez was the victim of a shooting Saturday during a political meeting at a private residence. She was a PRI candidate for the municipality of Isla Mujeres.

Rosely Danilu Magana Martinez along with PRI activist, Lizbeth Noemi Pasos Sarabia, were shot Saturday afternoon when they were at a political meeting in the colony San Antonio in the mainland municipality of Isla Mujeres, a few meters from the limits with the municipality of Benito Juarez.

The shooting took place around 7:00 pm Saturday at a home on Gaston Alegre Avenue where a political meeting was being held. Reports say two men arrived on board a Cross-style motorcycle where they shot the women.

After the attack, both women were admitted to hospital, however Magana Martinez died from her injuries at the Galenia Hospital Monday at 11:45 p.m. Lizbeth received a gun shot wound to her thigh and was voluntarily discharged.

According to the witnesses, four shots were heard. The attackers apparently fled to the municipality of Cancun.US-Mexico drug trafficker, La Barbie, sentenced to 50 years

American drug trafficker Edgar Valdez Villarreal, also known as La Barbie, has been handed a 50-year prison sentence by an Atlanta judge.

The capo, accused of drug trafficking and money laundering, was accused of bringing trucks filled with cocaine to the eastern United States and sending millions of dollars back to Mexico.

Valdez Villarreal was arrested in Mexico in 2010 and was among the 13 people extradited to the United States in September 2015 to face charges.

Along with his prison sentence, Valdez Villareal will also have to pay a fine of $192 million USD.

Valdez, 44, who was born in Laredo, Texas, was tried in Atlanta, Georgia after being extradited to the US in September 2015. In January of 2016, he was found guilty of the numerous charges against him.

In a statement, US prosecutor Byung J. Pak said, Valdez Villarreal imported tons of cocaine to the US while working tirelessly in the ranks of one of the most powerful cartels in Mexico, leaving in his wake countless lives destroyed by drugs and violence.

Valdez Villareal was arrested in 2010, near Mexico City, while fighting for the leadership of the then powerful Beltran Leyva cartel after his boss, Arturo Beltran Leyva, fell. After several years of being imprisoned, he was extradited to the United States in 2015 along with 12 other drug traffickers.

In October of that year, he appeared for the first time before a US court, where he declared himself not guilty.

For several years, La Barbie was on the most wanted list by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. The anti-drug agency DEA pointed out that he was feared for his brutality, after unleashing a bloody struggle for control of cartel territories.

In Mexico, Valdez is accused of committing dozens of murders while working for the Beltran Leyva and before, for Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, currently detained in a maximum security prison in New York.

Because of the seriousness of his crimes, it was speculated that La Barbie would receive a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without parole.Emirates will reinstate two weekly flights between Luanda and Dubai, increasing capacity to five flights per week between the two cities, starting from 1 July 2018.

Customers can look forward to a daily service starting from the winter schedule.

These additional flights will give passengers more travel choices and address the growing demand for connectivity on Emirates global network, especially to destinations in Asia, USA and Europe. The flights will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER with eight seats in First Class, 42 in Business Class and 310 in Economy Class, with 360 seats on offer in a three-class configuration.

"As a country rich in resources, Angola has a lot to offer global trade and we have recognised a need to enhance our capacity to enable greater connectivity between our network and Luanda. We remain committed to serving our customers in Angola with not only advanced aircraft, but also more innovative product and service options, said Orhan Abbas, Emirates Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations for Africa. Reinstating these flights and growing our service to a daily operation, will benefit trade links, boost investment and will contribute to the economy by promoting business and supporting Angolas supply chain," added Abbas.Effective 28 October 2018, Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, will introduce a 299-seat next-generation Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on its daily mid-morning EY653 / EY654 schedule from Abu Dhabi to Cairo.

Etihad Airways will operate four daily services, the most frequent number of flights operated by any UAE airline to the Egyptian capital, offering greater choice and optimised timings to benefit business and leisure customers travelling point-to-point between the two cities.

The convenient schedules also provide seamless East-bound connections through Abu Dhabi onto the airlines network to the Gulf, Indian Subcontinent, North and Southeast Asia and Australia.

Mohammad Al Bulooki, Etihad Airways Executive Vice President Commercial, said: Etihad Airways has been serving Cairo since 2004 and today it is one of the largest point-to-point markets on our global network, bolstered by the hugely important historic, economic, and cultural ties existing between the UAE and Egypt, and by the large Egyptian community in the emirates, which numbers over 750,000.

In 2017 Etihad carried almost half a million guests on our multiple daily flights to and from Cairo. The introduction of the state-of-the-art 787 Dreamliner on the popular morning service from Abu Dhabi will provide guests with the latest innovation and technology, award-winning cabins, genuine hospitality and greater choice.

In April 2018, Etihad Airways and EgyptAir expanded their codeshare partnership from Abu Dhabi and Cairo to include several African destinations served by the Egyptian flag-carrier from its Cairo hub, including Ndjamena in Chad, Khartoum in Sudan, Entebbe in Uganda, and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and subject to government approvals, Abuja and Kano in Nigeria, and Asmara in Eritrea.European tourists have returned to Egypts Sharm El-Sheikh, bringing much-needed revenue to the citys population. Yet UK airlines are still barred from flying there. Alan Dron tries to find out why

Mystery surrounds the continued refusal of the UK Government to allow the countrys airlines to fly into Sharm El-Sheikh, more than two years after they imposed a ban following the destruction of a Russian airliner near the Red Sea resort.

The Metrojet Airbus A321 crashed shortly after take-off from Sharm El-Sheikh, killing all 224 passengers and crew.

The aircrafts destruction is widely believed to have been caused by an explosive device planted while the aircraft was on the ground, although the sabotage theory has never been officially confirmed.

The incident led to the immediate suspension of flights to Red Sea airports by many European governments. However, while most countries  including Russia  have restored all services to Egypt, the UK has yet to allow the resumption of flights to Sharm El-Sheikh.

British tourists were the largest single national group to fly into Sharm El-Sheikh, particularly in the winter season, and their absence has left many hotels, dive schools and shops near-deserted.

Egyptian officials have become increasingly frustrated at the refusal to permit resumption of services. At last Novembers World Travel Market (WTM)  the worlds largest tourism exhibition  in London, Egypts ambassador to the UK, Nasser Kamel, said his country had spent $30 to $50 million on upgrading the airport.

Speaking at a WTM press conference, reported in the travel industry publication Travel Weekly, he added: As far as the Egyptian Government is concerned, we have implemented a joint action project and upgraded security at Sharm el-Sheikh [airport].

The project has been so successful that the whole world, except Britain, has resumed flights.

Travel Weekly reported that, although UK visitor numbers to Egypt as a whole rose slightly in 2017 (230,000 visited in the first nine months against 170,000 in 2016), numbers were still well below the peak of more than one million in 2009-10 and 750,000 as recently as 2014.

By contrast, Germany, which initially cancelled flights to Sharm El-Sheikh but then restored them, sent more than 800,000 tourists to Egypt in the year up to the end of September 2017.

The ban has also affected some UK airlines, most notably veteran tourist carrier Monarch Airlines, which collapsed in autumn 2017 after Egypt and Tunisia  two of its most popular destinations  were hit by terrorist attacks that prompted the UK Government to officially advise its citizens against going to either country.

Tunisia has now been removed from the blacklist  another factor that irritates Egypt.

The matter has been raised several times in the UK Parliament. One member of the ruling Conservative Party, Jonathan Lord, noted in December 2017 that, following an inspection from the UKs Department for Transport, a 25-point plan was drawn up and implemented to ensure the safety of the airport.

I understand that security experts in the UK and Egypt now agree that Sharm El-Sheikh has one of the worlds most secure airports. Egypt has spent more than 20 million on improving security at the airport, replaced outdated equipment, trained 7,000 staff using the UK aviation security firm, Restrata, run rigorous background checks on current staff, laid off more than 40% of the original staff and introduced a new biometric ID system for all airport employees.

Stephen Timms, a member of the opposition Labour Party, added that the refusal to allow UK airlines back to Sharm El-Sheikh is characterised by many in Egypt as the UK giving in to terrorism. It is hard to understand why the ban is being kept.

Replying, Transport Minister John Hays said: It has been acknowledged that the level of security at the airport has improved from where it was before.

However, he added, there was a wider range of security-related reasons involved that he could not talk about publicly. This is thought to be a reference to terrorist activity further north in the Sinai Peninsula.

In a statement, the UK Department for Transport said: We continue to work closely with the Egyptian authorities on security arrangements at the airport. We keep aviation security under constant review and will resume flights as soon as we can.

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a Vancouver-based Chartered Professional Accountant with illegally trading in the securities of a Canadian oil and gas company, using non-public information he obtained while working for a member of the company's board of directors.

The SEC's complaint alleges that in May 2016, while working as an accountant and personal assistant for a director of InterOil Corporation, Kurt J. Bordian received e-mail messages indicating that the company was entering into a merger agreement in which its stock would be acquired at a significant premium. The complaint alleges that, shortly before the merger announcement, Bordian purchased out-of-the-money InterOil call options with near-term expiration dates, which meant that Bordian stood to profit only if InterOil's stock price rose significantly shortly after he acquired the options. As alleged in the complaint, following the merger announcement, InterOil's stock price increased over 37% percent, and Bordian sold the InterOil options contracts, making illicit profits of $220,500.

The SEC's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, charges Bordian with violating Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. Without admitting or denying the allegations in the SEC's complaint, Bordian consented to the entry of a final judgment that permanently enjoins him from future violations, prohibits him from acting as an officer or director of a public company, and orders him to pay disgorgement of $220,500, prejudgment interest of $14,358, and a civil penalty of $220,500. Bordian also consented to a Commission order suspending him from appearing or practicing before the Commission as an accountant.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by Brian T. Fitzsimons and supervised by Brian O. Quinn. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the British Columbia Securities Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.Freshly dug from their pit, the roasted pinas looked like the husks of ancient beasts. A ripe pina, the heart of the agave plant, can weigh 200 pounds, and after sweating it out underground for a week over smoldering stones, the interlocking wounds where the leaves were cut away had caramelized into brown scales.

One of the mezcaleros whacked a machete into a heart, flicked his wrist, and dug out a steaming chunk of agave for me to taste. "Youll understand mezcal a lot better after you try this," said Francisco Terrazas, my guide to the Mezcal Vago palenque (distillery) in rural Oaxaca.

Fresh-roasted agave tastes like grilled corn and singed tropical fruit, mingled with the desert breeze. But more than that, it tastes distinctly of Mexico, specifically the vast arid plains and sun-soaked hills of places like rural Oaxaca. Sampling agave this way, it becomes clear these tastes couldnt emerge anywhere else. You are acutely aware that its the product of this land and the people that live there.

A chunk of freshly roasted agave. Max Falkowitz

Mezcal is a class of handmade agave spirits from Mexico thats suddenly the apple of everyones eye. If youve set foot in a cocktail bar in the past 10 years, youve probably sipped the spirit in some elaborate mixed drink, or overheard a bartender holding court on the stuff as a seductive, smoky elixir.

And it is, but if you really want to understand why this once-obscure spirit poured for Cancun revelers on dares is all the rage these days, you have to understand it on its home turf. All drinks come from somewhere, and reflect the values of those that make them. But nothing captures a place and a people like mezcal, a spirit that Mexicans have been making the same way for hundreds of years. That is, with Herculean labor guided by intuition and hard-won experience.

This tradition is what drew me to Oaxaca. Ive spent years winding down the rabbit hole of agave-based spirits, and Vago makes some of the best mezcal Ive tasted. Plus, I never turn down the chance to ride in the back of a strangers pickup truck to taste something new and wonderful in the wilderness.

Here are some lessons from the agave road to help you understand what exactly makes mezcal mezcal, why some crystal-clear bottles will run you three digits at the liquor store, and how to navigate the spirits mysteries along the way.

What Is Mezcal?

Emily Dryden

The world of agave spirits is so vast, it doesnt have a name. Mezcal is one class of those spirits. Tequila is actually a kind of mezcal, in the same way that Cognac is a type of brandy. And there are lots of spirits that are made from agave in a nearly identical manner to mezcal, but for various reasons dont meet the government classifications, such as raicilla, sotol, and bacanora. Some of these distinctions come down to regional differences and nomenclature, or, just as likely, the Byzantine regulations of the Consejo Regulador del Mezcal, the government body that inspects and regulates mezcal production in the nine states in which it is sanctioned. But thanks to mezcals growing global popularity, you can find many of them in liquor stores these days right beside the mezcal and tequila.

How Is Mezcal Made?

Agave plants in Oaxaca, Mexico. Max Falkowitz

All tequila comes from a single variety of agave: the mild-mannered blue weber. Mezcal, on the other hand, can be made from dozens of agave varieties, and each has its own character, which may express itself completely differently depending on how the mezcal is produced and where the plants are grown. The Mexican states of Durango, Guerrero, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas are permitted to call their agave spirits mezcal, and as climate, elevation, and soil composition vary, so too does the resulting spirit. As far as tasting terroir goes, mezcal is as pure an expression of place as a spirit can be.

Depending on the variety, an agave takes anywhere from eight to 30 years to mature. Once its readya farmer and distillers judgment call as much as any biological markerthe hulking plant is harvested by hand. Agave is fully ripe right before it blooms, but by the time the flower stalk shoots up 10 or 15 feet into the air, the heart is spoiled and unsuitable for distilling. Try again in a decade or three!

Before agave can be harvested, its woody leaves must be hacked away with a machete to reach the heart of the plant, or pina, so named for its resemblance to a pineapple. But unlike the leaves of the aloe plant, which agave resembles but is in no way related to, the sap from agave leaves can irritate your skin. So mezcaleros wield their machetes with caution, and once the pile of mildly poisonous greenery is cleared away, they use their blades as makeshift shovels to dig the chubby pina out of the earth.

Once it's excavated, they repeat the process againand again, and again, over a hundred times, just to gather enough pinas for a single batch of mezcal.

In modern tequila production, distillers convert agave starches into simple fermentable sugars by steam-roasting the pinas in fast, efficient ovens. To make mezcal, they dig a big pit. The principle is the same as a pig roast or clam bake: Light a large fire, heat rocks over it, then layer a hundred or more pinas over the rocks and cover it all with soil. This earthen oven slowly roasts the agave anywhere from a couple days to a week, and is the crucial step that gives mezcal its famous smoky flavor. Every mezcalero has their own roasting technique, and if they screw up the roast and burn the agave, thats the end of that batch.

Chunks of roasted agave heart are pulverized by a tahona. Max Falkowitz

Assuming the agave isnt scorched, the next step is to mash the pinas so they can ferment. The mezcalero starts by hacking the hearts into palm-size chunks with their machetea size small enough to be crushed under a tahona, a big stone wheel pulled in a circle by an ox, bull, or burro. This is actually the high-tech approach for handmade mezcal; theres also a method that involves sandwiching a pina between two pieces of wood and beating the hell out of it with a sledgehammer until the juice runs free. Its up to the mezcalero to decide which method is best for any given batch of mezcal.

From there, the mashed agave pulp gets shoveled into open-air wooden barrels to ferment for four to 10 days, with the exact time determined by the weather, the agave variety, the intensity of the roast, and the mezcaleros judgment. Again, theres no rulebook here; you just have to sniff the wind and know.

Agave ferments in an open-air barrel. Max Falkowitz

During my visit, the batch in the barrels was fermenting in two stages: a "dry" ferment of just the pulp and its juices, followed by a "wet" ferment with added water. If the fermentation process was stopped there, youd have a lovely beer-strength drink called pulque, which tastes delightfully refreshing on the palenque but, by the time it makes its way to the city, continues fermenting into something downright funky.

Before distillers had access to metalsmithing technology, they used clay jugs. Some still do today (look for "en barro" or "distilled in clay" on the label), and though the method is hardly efficient, it adds a smooth, mineral, tongue-drying quality thats quite complementary to some mezcals. Other mezcaleros use copper stills instead. If a mezcal brand is truly proud of the product in their bottles, theyll usually tell you which method they used on the label.

Lopez distills most of his mezcals twice, though some palenques opt for three distillations. Like everything else in mezcal, each step is an opportunity for a mezcalero to leave their mark on the product. One of Vagos most popular bottles is Lopezs Elote, for which he takes the unusual step of adding toasted corn to the ferment during the second distillation to infuse the spirit with a nutty caramel character.

Mezcal drips from a still. Max Falkowitz

Finally, you have mezcal. That is, assuming its acid, methanol, and aldehyde levels fall within the numbers dictated by the Consejo Regulador, and theyve approved the methods of production. And one more thing: Unlike most whiskies and brandies, which are diluted with water after distillation to a uniform 40% alcohol by volume, the best handmade mezcals are bottled at full strength to preserve the integrity of the agave flavor, which is good news for us drinkers, but another cost mezcal distillers must swallow to make their product right.

This is how Lopez does it, and as a point of pride, most premium mezcal brands include details about the production process right on the label. But its far from the only way mezcal is made. Regional differences in agave cultivation and processing abound, and as the mezcal industry gains (profitable) traction across the world, some of the industrial technologies that have come to define tequila production are creeping their way onto palenques, such as mechanical shredders to crush the pinas into pulp and steam-pressure autoclaves to cook them. Generally speaking, fully handmade mezcal remains the best mezcal on the market; there are just too many variables in mezcal production to preserve its finer nuances on an industrial scale.

Which isnt to say that handmade, traditional mezcal is the only mezcal worth drinking. If you havent figured it out by now, making mezcal by hand is literally backbreaking work, and if developing technologies make life easier for the people who make these tasty spirits, youd have to be heartless to deny them that option. As of now, most industrialization in the mezcal business benefits larger companies rather than small producers, since thats where the bulk of investments tend to go. But as global demand for mezcal balloons, these technologies offer the little guys an opportunity to add scale to their business while improving their quality of life.

Some Mezcal Terms to Know

Emily Dryden

Im not going to list a bunch of agave varieties or production regions to seek out; theres just too much variation between bottles for it to be useful. Instead, here are a few key terms to know and look for on a bottle.

Espadin

The vast majority of mezcal comes from just one type of agavethe friendly, easygoing espadin. It has a short growing periodjust eight years or soand a relatively high yield per plant. Unlike most agave varieties, it can actually be cultivated by farmers. And, critically for the booming mezcal business, its the most sustainable choice for making mezcal. Once you uproot a pina, thats itthe plants done, with no chance to reproduceand growing demand for mezcal has stripped Mexicos wild agave stock to dangerously low levels. In many ways, the future of mezcal will be written by the efficiency of espadin cultivation.

That said, using espadin comes with a trade-off: Compared with mezcal made from wild agaves, espadin can taste a little...basic. Which is okayits a clean canvas for a mezcalero to show off all their skills, plus it works nicely in cocktails. As mezcal nut Noah Arenstein, director of operations and head barman at Madre Mezcaleria in Brooklyn, puts it, "A lot of people pooh-pooh espadin, but its popular for a reason. It makes really good mezcal with a balanced sweetness and often a pronounced herbal note. In the right hands, these are some of my favorite mezcals around."

Wild Agave

These varieties have proven resistant to cultivation, which makes for more expensive mezcal, but they also lend amazing flavors and textures to a distillate. Im talking mouthwatering feta, stinky blue cheese, ripe peaches, buttered popcorn, horseradish, white pepper...you get the idea. Some common wild agaves to try: cuish, madrecuixe, tobala, mexicano, tepeztate, and, my personal favorite, jabali.

Ensemble

Like Scotch whisky, mezcal comes blended and unblended; unlike Scotch, one isnt necessarily better than the other. Single-variety mezcals are just that: made from one type of agave. If you want to get a sense of how different varieties express themselves in the bottle, go for this. Ensembles are blends, combining the attributes of various agaves for a more complex bottle. This is particularly nifty for cutting a primarily espadin distillate with a small amount of wild agave, which can make for a tastier spirit at lower cost than purely wild bottles.

Joven, Reposado, and Anejo

These terms refer to whether or not a mezcal was aged in oak after distilling. Joven, or "young," mezcal, is clear and unaged, like an eau de vie. Reposado is "rested" in oak for more than two months but less than a year. Anejo is aged for one to three years, and extra-anejo ages for longer than that.

This is a gross simplification, but...stick to joven. As Arenstein puts it, "The joy of agave spirits is tasting the agave itself," and the best mezcals on the market never see a wood barrel. Theres just too much going on in a quality mezcal to sully it with the muting qualities of oak.

Our Favorite Bottles of Mezcal

A selection of tequilas at Madre Mezcaleria. Emily Dryden

Of course, theres more to mezcal than one wee guide can contain, but the best way to learn about the spirit is to taste as much as you can. Ive picked up some favorites over the years, included on the list below, but in the name of journalism, I headed to Arensteins bar for a tasting session of 30 mezcals. This is a small fraction of the 200 or so agave spirits hes acquired, many of which arent even distributed in the US.

Arensteins first lesson is a big one: The true test of a mezcal is how it tastes neat. Agave spirits dont "bloom" with water the way whiskey does, and in Mexico, mezcal is meant to be sipped from small clay cups or glasses, not shot or mixed.

He also cautions against expecting consistency. Since mezcal is about as artisanal as spirits come, flavors and quality can vary wildly from batch to batch. A brands espadin bottling one year could come from a totally different producer the next. To make things even more complicated, "The bottles themselves will sometimes drink differently day to day, though in a way thats hard to quantify scientifically," Arenstein says, and he goes on to describe some of the experiments hes running on how different mezcals develop in a bottle over time. "Its hard to say with any certaintywe just dont know enough yetbut something definitely happens."

All of which is to say: Any given mezcal is ephemeral. Accept that your favorite bottles will eventually disappear, and enjoy them while they last.

Del Amigo espadin: This is Arensteins well mezcal, and it packs a lot of quality into a digestible price tag. Its fresh and easy-drinking, with a bright twang, bold smoke, and base salinity that make it great for mixing.

El Silencio espadin: Another affordable bottle, though not on Madre Mezcalerias menu. Mild smoke, sweet fruit flavors up front, and a fatty body that transitions to a clean finish. Eminently mixable, and a solid introduction to the category.

Cruz de Fuego Tepextate: A 100% wild-agave mezcal that doesnt break the bank. Its exceptionally fragrant, with notes of pine, white pepper, green chili, and other fresh vegetables. The smoke is delicatea great reminder that mezcal is about a lot more than smokeand the body is light and refreshing.

Vago Elote: A unique espadin with toasted corn infused into the mezcal during the second distillation, made at the palenque you see in the photos above. You dont notice corn so much as a savory, nutty richness that brilliantly complements the roasted agave.

Derrumbes San Luis Potosi: Little mezcal makes its way beyond the borders of San Luis Potosi, and this one is especially unusual. For environmental reasons (namely, not much firewood), the state is exempted from the government requirement to roast mezcal-bound agave in wood-fired pits. The pinas in this bottle were roasted in an above-ground oven, and consequently have no smoky flavor whatsoever. Instead, an extra-long ferment yields an impressively tangy spirit that suggests a lemony, feta-strewn Greek salad more than a typical mezcal. If you want to see just how unique and varied agave spirits can be, try this.

Vago Ensemble en Barro (2017 bottling): A small batch, so get it before its gone (look for the red label, not tan). This ensemble cuts espadin with small amounts of three wild varieties, all distilled in clay for a bracing mineral taste and soft, round texture. Gorgeously complex, with a strong core, but never overpowering.

Rey Campero Jabali: Everything from Rey Campero is excellent, but this bottle is especially remarkable. Jabali is a pain to grow and a bigger one to distill, so its rare to see a pure jabali bottle on the market. Every time I taste this, I pick up on something newhints of orange rind or cacao nibs or fresh flowers. Its real standout quality is how those flavors hit you in waves, with an engaging acidity and resounding body that leaves you tasting it long after its gone.

El Jolgorio Barril (Gonzalo Hernandez bottling): Another producer to keep an eye on (look for the modern-art label designs). Before sipping this, a drinking buddy looked around to see where the buttered popcorn came from; thats how strong and distinct the aromatics are in this wild-agave mezcal. At around $130 a bottle, its a super-premium pick for special occasions, but that buttered-popcorn aroma develops into an astonishingly complex sipper. Drink it slowly, and let it take you where it wants to go.Sonoma Countys Board of Supervisors approved plans Monday for a restructuring of emergency operations after an internal report concluded that emergency workers were unprepared for the October fires, which burned 5,143 homes and killed 23 people in and around Santa Rosa.

The restructuring includes a new, improved wireless alert system that will cause residents cell phones to vibrate or sound an alarm in an emergency.

County officials drew criticism after they decided last year not to send out potentially life-saving alerts as devastating wildfires rolled through local neighborhoods. The lack of warning meant numerous residents awoke to flames licking up against their homes, forcing them to flee for their lives with no time to spare.

It was frustrating. It was over-frustrating, said Supervisor Shirlee Zane, who urged the county to pay special attention to seniors and people with disabilities and include Spanish-language alerts in developing the new communications system. The people who died in this fire were seniors and disabled.

The report, prepared by county staff, analyzed everything from the operations center to training. It said county emergency workers were overwhelmed, understaffed and not adequately trained to handle logistics in such an emergency. It largely mirrors a California Office of Emergency Services report issued in February.

The wind-whipped Tubbs Fire was the worst of several fires that raged through Sonoma. It raced 12 miles into Santa Rosa, destroyed the Fountaingrove neighborhood, jumped Highway 101 and burned down the neighborhood of Coffey Park.

The number of fires and the inability to communicate effectively and consistently with public safety agencies on the ground created confusion and uncertainty as to how large the fires were and how quickly they were spreading, said the report, which focused only on the civilian divisions of county government. The inability to fully understand current conditions negatively impacted response efforts.

As the fires continued, workers became overworked, power struggles erupted between county workers, and no liaison officer was assigned among the 200 workers in the county Emergency Operations Center to communicate with elected officials, according to the report.

We were orphaned in the process, said Supervisor Susan Gorin, who was especially upset by the lack of communication with cities, community organizations and special districts. Every request for information we sent to the EOC was met with silence. We couldnt get any information.

The overhaul will put in place a countywide emergency warning system, including sirens and wireless emergency alerts, or WEAs. Sonoma County officials said they did not send such an alert as the fires raged late on the night of Oct. 8 because it would have hit phones across the entire county, possibly causing panic and traffic jams that would have blocked people from getting in and out of the area.

After The Chronicle reported on Sonomas decision not to send a wireless alert, Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris wrote to the Federal Communications Commission to complain. The federal government now requires wireless carriers to more specifically target areas with wireless alerts.

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.

Christopher Godley, the interim emergency manager for Sonoma County, said the report should not be taken as an indictment of emergency workers. He said an analysis like this is, by its very nature, critical.

The county did relatively well in responding to this event, Godley said. The county did not roll over, fall apart. ... I cannot think of another county in California that would have been prepared.

The supervisors also approved recommendations to strengthen county training requirements, clarify roles and hire more emergency staff.

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimriteFederal health officials are investigating an April data breach that affected 55,947 patients of Dignity Health, a major health system headquartered in San Francisco that operates 39 hospitals and 400 care centers in California, Nevada and Arizona.

The breach occurred April 24 and was reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on May 31. It was the third-largest data breach, by number of affected patients, reported to the federal health agency that month. The incident is being reviewed by the departments Office for Civil Rights, which investigates breaches of protected health information that affect at least 500 people. The office did not return a request for comment Tuesday.

Dignity said the problem originated from an email list formatted by one of its vendors, the online appointment scheduling site Healthgrades, which contained a sorting error. The error resulted in Dignity inadvertently sending misaddressed emails to patients which contained the wrong patients name and, in some cases, the patients doctors name. Each misaddressed email was sent to one person.

The emails did not include financial, insurance or medical information, according to Dignity. Dignity and Healthgrades have notified the affected patients, the companies said. The error has been corrected and the companies are taking steps to prevent it from happening again, they said.

All of us at Dignity Health and Healthgrades take our responsibility to protect patients personal and medical information very seriously, Dignity said in a statement. We sincerely regret that this error happened and any concern or confusion it may have caused.

A spokeswoman for Healthgrades, based in Denver, did not immediately return a request for comment. On its website, the company says it helps millions of consumers find and schedule appointments, and it partners with more than 500 hospitals across the United States. It is unclear whether the same email error has affected patients at providers other than Dignity.

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Dignity patients with concerns or questions can call 877-802-1959.

In a separate incident disclosed to the Department of Health and Human Services on May 10, three Dignity hospitals in Nevada reported a breach affecting a combined 6,036 patients. In that incident, Dignity mistakenly continued to share private medical information about patients with a third-party contractor after it had terminated its contract with the company.

Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_HoEditor s note: Here are five Bay Area startups worth watching this week.

OneLogin, a startup that helps enterprise companies secure cloud applications, recently failed to protect its own data against a breach that potentially compromised its 2,000-plus clients.

The San Francisco company manages the online identities of customers employees, so they can conveniently access work applications with one master password  rather than having to remember a lot of separate log-ins.

But this convenience came at a price: An attacker was able to access a OneLogin database that contains information about users, apps and various types of digital keys, CEO Thomas Pedersen said.

We dont know exactly how much data was affected, but we assume the worst, he said. This is something we wish would not have happened, but its also an opportunity to take a look at how we do things and how we handle these things internally.

The security company has been around for seven years, and has raised $53 million in funding. Its unclear how its clients  which are spread across 50 countries  were affected by the breach. Some of its Bay Area clients include Pinterest, Airbnb, Yelp and Pandora. Yelp declined to comment on the incident, while the others could not be reached.

Mason Trinca/Special to The Chronicle

The May 31 breach, which the company announced in a blog post a few hours after the attack was detected, was the primary reason the company drew extra attention from searchers on the Crunchbase startup database. The attack underscores the risks businesses take by storing sensitive information in the cloud, experts say.

Enterprises need to take more ownership for how they implement these services, and they cant rely on the service provider, said Avivah Litan, a cybersecurity and fraud analyst with research firm Gartner Inc. Mistakes happen.

The company experienced a less serious breach in August. In this most recent attack, the company said, it could not rule out the possibility that the hacker accessed private, sensitive customer data.

The company said it is working with law enforcement and third-party security experts to investigate the breach. Customers received a guide on how to mitigate the danger of losing control over data stored in employees online accounts.

Pederson said OneLogin has about 180 full-time employees, of whom nine are focused on security infrastructure. He said that size is pretty standard, though he is looking to hire more security support staff since the recent breach.

We have interviewed several people ... but havent made any hires yet, he said. We need to do something here, obviously, so we are working with third parties to review our processes.

Litan said enterprise companies too often rely on single-factor authentication  for example, requiring just a password  and should instead use multifactor authentication, like asking employees to enter a code sent in an email or text message. Log-in notifications are another way of alerting employees to unauthorized access.

But, she added, companies often dont do that for the sake of convenience.

I dont think (OneLogin) is any more guilty than their competitors, she said. It will tarnish their reputation for sure. ... Its unfortunate, and a little unfair, because everyone is equally as guilty  they just havent been breached yet.

Also trending:

Clara Labs

What it does: An artificial intelligence personal assistant bot named Clara that schedules meetings, calls or lunches over email. It will even specify the time and place.

What happened: It is unclear why this company is trending this week. The Clara bot set up a phone interview between CEO Maran Nelson and a reporter Thursday. But when Nelson blew off the meeting, neither Nelson  nor Clara  rescheduled, despite several requests from the reporter to do so.

Why it matters: Clara Labs is one of countless personal assistants powered by artificial intelligence trying to automate basic tasks.

Headquarters: San Francisco

Funding: $5 million

Employees: 11-50

Embroker

What it does: An automated broker that finds business insurance, like commercial property and general liability policies, for companies.

What happened: CEO Matt Miller said insurance tech is hot right now and that his company is preparing to make some announcements.

Why it matters: Finding the right insurance provider is a hassle. Embroker attempts to streamline this process by using artificial intelligence to match policies to businesses.

Headquarters: San Francisco

Funding: $14 million

Employees: 60

Rumble

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

What it does: Builds original, free-to-play video games that people can access on multiple devices. It makes money though in-game purchases.

What happened: A game released in February is still getting a lot of attention, according to CEO Mark Spenner. The company is also talking to investors about raising funds to spend more on luring new users, he said.

Why it matters: Gaming is a timeless industry. The challenge is setting yourself apart in such a crowded market.

Headquarters: San Mateo

Funding: $45.5 million

Employees: 30

UserVoice

What it does: Provides companies with a tool to gather and analyze customer feedback.

What happened: Anne Harris, a product marketing manager, said new features that the company rolled out may be drawing attention.

Why it matters: This company helps businesses make data-driven product decisions  a trend that many startups have glommed onto.

Headquarters: San Francisco

Funding: $1.8 million

Employees: 50

Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadadni

How we pick the companies

Every week, The Chronicle and Crunchbase, a San Francisco firm that tracks key businesses in technology, analyze private Bay Area companies based on their financial backing, employees and activity on Crunchbase. We feature five that are moving up in the ranks. For more information on the companies: www.crunchbase.comCharitable giving rose 5.2 percent to a record $410 billion last year, thanks to the booming economy, soaring stock market, giving to hurricane and wildfire relief, and several mega-gifts from tech billionaires, according to Giving USA, the largest and longest-running annual report on U.S. philanthropy.

Last years increase surpassed a 3.6 percent increase in 2016. The report, published Tuesday, includes giving by individuals, corporations, bequests and foundations.

The largest gifts last year included $4.6 billion from Bill and Melinda Gates, $1.9 billion from Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, and $1 billion from Michael and Susan Dell. All three gifts went to the donors respective foundations.

Tech donors are making waves not just for the size of their donations, but also for the ways they are said to be changing philanthropy.

People love to say tech has a new approach. They are more data-driven, want to see results in their lifetimes, said Daniel Lurie, founder of the Tipping Point Community, a San Francisco grant-making organization. But traditional donors want that too, he said, before participating in a panel discussion on Bay Area philanthropy at the Commonwealth Club on Tuesday. The event was timed to coincide with the report.

At the event, several speakers said donors from the tech industry are motivated more by having an impact than on personal recognition. But Zuckerberg and Chan got their names on San Francisco General Hospital after a $75 million donation. And this week, City University of New York said it would rename its graduate school of journalism after Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, who bestowed a $20 million gift.

More Information See More Collapse

For fundraisers, recognition can be a useful tool to help you frame your request, said Rick Happy, a managing director at consulting firm CCS Fundraising. It can be the tipping point for some donors to make a final decision.

Lurie said that nonprofits seeking money from tech companies should go grassroots and engage employees, who can be a strong motivating force for change. He said Googles decision to pull out of an artificial intelligence project for the Pentagon came at the urging of employees.

One of the biggest innovations coming from Silicon Valley: Laurene Powell Jobs and Zuckerberg and Chan have set up limited liability companies to carry out some of their charitable endeavors. These companies  the Emerson Collective and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative  are not charitable organizations themselves, but they can make donations to nonprofits, fund political campaigns and invest in for-profit companies.

The Washington Post described the Emerson Collective as equal parts think tank, foundation, venture capital fund, media baron, arts patron and activist hive. Certainly, it was an original creation  and potentially a powerful one.

The boundaries are blurring, said Heather McLeod Grant, co-founder of Open Impact, which consults with large donors on giving strategies.

The nonprofit sector should not be jealous of private capital that wants to fund a systemic problem, said Charles Collins, chief executive of the YMCA of San Francisco.

Although the Bay Area economy is booming, the gap between rich and poor here is growing wider, Collins said in an interview. The notion of trickle down doesnt work, he said.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

McLeod Grant agreed. Many of our nonprofits are really struggling, she said. They are facing rising rents and other costs and increased demand as the people they serve face the same pressures. At the same time, theyre having to compete for employees with high-paying tech companies. This is less of a problem for large hospitals and private colleges than it is for smaller nonprofits that cant afford marketing campaigns and fundraising professionals.

Its unclear how the federal tax law signed Dec. 22 affected last years giving or will change it going forward. The tax law lowered corporate tax rates starting this year, which could have spurred a robust 8 percent increase in U.S. corporate giving in 2017, according to Giving USA. Corporate giving includes cash and in-kind contributions of products and services.

For individuals, the tax law retained the itemized deduction for charitable contributions, but nearly doubled the standard deduction starting this year. The percentage of tax returns taking itemized deductions  and therefore qualifying for the charitable deduction  is expected to drop to about 10 percent from about 30 percent. That change will mainly affect middle- and upper-middle-income households.

Giving USA is funded by a consortium of fundraising and other consulting firms and produced by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpenderBill Hutchinson / The Chronicle

Residents of a duplex in Half Moon Bay came home to a surprise last week when they discovered a vehicle had lost control and crashed through the front of their home to rearrange the living room before fleeing the scene, authorities said Monday.

The incident occurred about 10:30 p.m. Thursday when a dark BMW M coupe traveling eastbound on Magellan Avenue, just west of Highway 1, drove off the roadways northern edge, said Officer Art Montiel, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol. The vehicle skidded through four tall folding front doors of the home, he said.DALY CITY  Neighbors knew him as Tim, a quiet man who kept to himself but was always pleasant and never left home without his San Francisco Giants cap on.

Then his picture appeared on the news and TV satellite trucks showed up Monday on their quiet, tree-lined street in Daly City, and it became clear their neighbor was not who they had thought.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations said in a news release they had apprehended the man, identified as Capt. William Howard Hughes Jr., who had top security clearance when he disappeared in New Mexico 35 years ago.

Hughes was charged with desertion and is being held at Travis Air Force Base. He could face up to five years of confinement, forfeiture of all pay and dishonorable discharge from the Air Force.

Authorities say they arrested Hughes last week at his residence, where he was living under the name Barry OBeirne.

Official records show that OBeirne used Timothy as a middle name.

Everyone knew him as Tim. He was very pleasant, said neighbor June Dayao, 60, a retired teacher who recognized her neighbors face in a photograph released by the Air Force. Thats him but he always had his Giants hat on.

Dayao and her husband had talked about going to a Giants game with him and his partner, a woman already living in the house when Hughes moved in several years ago.

Neighbor Lorenzo Laurel, 62, said Hughes was an ideal neighbor.

I would only see him when he leaves or throws out the garbage, he was very private, said Laurel, who never knew his neighbors occupation and assumed he was retired.

Hughes was apprehended after a passport fraud investigation, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations said in a statement.

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.

He told authorities after his capture Wednesday that he was depressed about being in the Air Force and decided to leave, saying he created a fake identity and lived in California since he vanished in 1983, according to the statement.

Hughes was involved in classified planning and analysis of NATOs control, command and communications surveillance systems during the Cold War. He specialized in radar surveillance.

A captain at Kirtland Air Force Base, Hughes was 33 and single when he vanished, according to news reports from the time of his disappearance.

Jocelyn Gecker is an Associated Press writer.Rafe Swan/Getty Image

A Berkeley man is in custody after breaking into a senior mans Glendale La Loma neighborhood home while he was away, taking a shower and decking himself out in semi-formal dress attire Friday night, authorities said.

When the resident reportedly returned to his home around 6 p.m. to find an empty bag of Doritos and a used drinking glass in his kitchen, he knew something was awry.Quietly, one of the Food Networks brightest (and best dressed) stars, Geoffrey Zakarian, has joined the Bay Area restaurant scene. The celebrity chef/television host is playing a pivotal role in the sprawling, nearly $20 million redesign of one of Wine Countrys most historic properties  the MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa.

As with most large-scale restaurant projects still in early-stage construction, details like opening dates and menu components remain relatively fluid. For now, if all goes as planned, Zakarian will coordinate the opening of three separate concepts at MacArthur Place by 2019: an upscale Mediterranean restaurant called Layla serving breakfast, lunch and dinner; the Bar at MacArthur, which will have a lounge vibe with cocktails, beers and a simple all-day menu; and a coffee bar and marketplace called the Porch (think coffees, pastries, agua frescas, local honeys and fresh ice cream).

My whole career has basically been spent renovating old hotels and bringing them into a modern life. This particular property is very special, Zakarian told Inside Scoop.

For the unfamiliar, MacArthur Place has roots in Sonoma stretching back to the 1850s when the property was owned by Missouri farmer David Burris, and subsequently by his family. It was sold a few times over the following decades before becoming a glamorous country inn in 1997.

In October, the hotel was sold to IMH Financial Corporation, a hospitality investment company out of Arizona that previously managed resorts like LAuberge de Sedona and Orchards Inn, both in Sedona.

At the time of the transaction, said Justin Bain, the director of marketing at IMH, the states historic Wine Country wildfires had just begun. Suffice to say the process did not have an auspicious start.

You can imagine our sense of anxiety at the time. We had to evacuate the property on Oct. 10 so it was really scary for us, Bain said. Had anything happened to this property, it would have been a huge blow to the community.

Outside of an early evacuation, the property made it through the fires unscathed, Bain said.

With Zakarian taking a deep dive into the Bay Area food scene, its worth pointing out how its become somewhat commonplace over the last few years to see talented chefs choosing to work at hotel/spa businesses instead of opening traditional restaurants, especially in San Francisco.

Former Hog & Rocks and Chronicle Rising star chef Robin Song is running the kitchen at the Tenderloins Hotel Bijou, for example. Then theres fine-dining chef Jason Franey who was recently the opening chef at Mid-Markets Proper Hotel. Leo Batoyon of Als Place was at the helm on opening night of Hotel VIA in South Beach, too.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Zakarian said the career path is unique and presents its own challenges and benefits when compared to traditional restaurant job opportunities. After more than 25 years in this category of business, Zakarian said hes come to understand what chefs enjoy about working in spa and resort settings. Its the same thing that pulled him toward the MacArthur Place project in Sonoma.

I remember people used to say things like hotel food sucks, and that if I went into that, my career would be over. It turns out I was onto something because these days, no hotels run their food and beverage programs, he said. Its a more exciting situation for a chef. Sometimes its harder, but I think its more exciting. You can basically do whatever you want to do.

Stay tuned for more details on the MacArthur Place project.

MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa: 29 E. MacArthur St., Sonoma; The property remains open during the renovation, which is scheduled to be completed early 2019. www.macarthurplace.com

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillipsA man shot by officers in San Franciscos North Beach neighborhood early Saturday was previously shot by police in 2012 after he allegedly pulled a Tec-9 assault pistol on plainclothes officers in the citys Mission District, sources with knowledge of the investigation said Monday.

Police officials did not identify the man or release details of Saturdays shooting other than saying the man was shot around 12:15 a.m. on the 1300 block of Grant Avenue while being chased by two uniformed officers.

But two sources with knowledge of the investigation told The Chronicle on Monday that the man is Oliver Barcenas, a suspect who was shot in 2012 by current Assistant Chief Toney Chaplin.

Police said a firearm was recovered at the scene Saturday but did not elaborate on who owned the gun. But a source with knowledge of the investigation said the suspect had a gun with an extended magazine.

The suspect remains in San Francisco General Hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said. A hospital spokesman said he could not provide a report on Barcenas condition, citing it as a police matter.

Barcenas is well-known to law enforcement and is a documented Norteno gang member with a previous criminal history.

On Sept. 20, 2012, Chaplin, then a sergeant with the citys Gang Task Force, was working undercover with another plainclothes officer when they recognized Barcenas on 14th Street near Natoma Street, police said. Barcenas, then 22, was on parole for a gang-related shooting that injured a 15-year-old bystander, police said at the time.

Barcenas, police said, took off running down 14th Street and officers ran after him. During the chase, the suspect allegedly pulled out an illegal Tec-9 assault pistol loaded with 25 rounds and turned toward the officers with the gun in hand.

Chaplin shot Barcenas, who was treated at the hospital for two gunshot wounds.

Investigators said Barcenas had been on his way to avenge a killing that occurred four days earlier when police encountered him in the Mission.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The officers were not injured in the encounter and Chaplin went on to earn the Medal of Valor for the incident.

The 2012 shooting, though, prompted outrage in San Franciscos Mission District, with dozens of people turning out to protest.

In a 2016 interview with The Chronicles editorial board, while serving as acting chief after former Chief Greg Suhr resigned, Chaplin described the ordeal and its aftermath.

Your life is never the same again, he said.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffskyGov. Jerry Brown has struck a deal with the Democratic leaders of the state Legislature on the final budget of his long political career.

The deal honors one of Browns top priorities  it sets aside enough reserves for California to face a moderate downturn without having to make severe budget cuts.

But it leaves several important political questions for the next governor to answer.

First, the good news.

After taking office during a historic downturn, Brown is leaving the state of California with shipshape finances. Its hard to believe, but the state was facing a $27 billion budget deficit in 2011.

What a difference a few years makes.

California was fortunate to experience a long-running economic expansion after the Great Recession. It also had prudent leadership, especially in Gov. Brown, who insisted on spending cautiously and socking away as much money as possible for the states rainy-day reserve.

Now, Sacramentos $200 billion budget for the 2018-19 budget year will be on time and on balance, and will include new and generous investments in critical priorities.

Theres $500 million in grants for cities and counties to address homelessness.

Legislators had been pushing Brown to add more permanent funding to the K-12 educational systems local control funding formula, and he agreed, adding an additional $407 million. (Thats about half of what lawmakers were seeking.)

The California State University and University of California systems will get hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funding to tackle deferred maintenance and other one-time expenses.

There are new and major funding increases for child care and welfare programs, in an effort to combat Californias high poverty rate.

Finally, theres also $5 million for a task force to study universal health care.

In most of these categories, the Legislature and Brown met in the middle on the final figures. This fits the pattern of Browns final two terms in office.

Looking to please constituents, state legislators tend to ask for higher budgets with more spending on social programs. Brown, always aware of the fact that downturns are just around the corner in our economically volatile state, pushes for more savings instead.

Even with this years increased spending, there are areas where Brown pushed back. He refused to make major increases to preschool funding, for example, and after-school programs.

Earlier this year, Democratic legislators wanted to offer Medi-Cal coverage to undocumented young adults and seniors. This policy wouldve carried a price tag of more than $1 billion. It did not find its way into the budget compromise. Nor did a proposal to expand the states Earned Income Tax Credit to low-income undocumented residents.

Instead, Californias rainy-day reserve will receive a major cash infusion. Itll have nearly $14 billion, which is about 10 percent of general- fund spending. The deal also puts $2.2 billion into other contingency funds and creates two new reserve accounts for future budget flexibility.

The states fiscal stability has been well served by the past eight years of budget compromise. But future fault lines are visible  especially in the creation of a $5 million task force to study universal health care.

As a presidential candidate in 1992, Brown embraced a universal health care program; as governor, hes long insisted that its unaffordable for the state to do on its own.

Brown is certainly right that universal health care programs are far more efficient when done on the national level, like Medicare. Hes also right that the math isnt currently there for California.

But health care is a major issue in this years governors race, and the question of how California can fund a universal program for all of its residents isnt going away.

This is a wise and worthy budget compromise. But the next governor will face new questions, and perhaps a less forgiving economic environment in which to answer them.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.As the world watches the dramatic developments between the United States and North Korea unfolding, it is tempting to tune out the 24/7 news coverage of the upcoming Trump-Kim summit in Singapore as nothing more than an abstraction. As a Korean American and longtime resident of San Francisco, I want to bring this issue closer to home.

Like many of the 1.7 million Korean Americans who live in the United States, I trace my heritage to Korea. Both of my parents were born in the northern part of Korea back when the country was one. My mother fled to South Korea during the Korean War, guided by my eldest uncle, who was in the South Korean army. My father left North Korea before the war and joined the South Korean army, leaving behind his parents and siblings.

He briefly saw his father in Pyongyang during the war when his army division advanced north after U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthurs amphibious landing in Incheon. My father thought the war would soon be over, and that he would reunite with his family. The Chinese intervention squashed that dream, dividing my fathers family forever.

To this day, Korean Americans like myself do not have any way of contacting our family members who still live in North Korea, due to the lack of diplomatic recognition between Washington and Pyongyang. As board chair of Council of Korean Americans, I have been proud of our educational and advocacy work over the years to raise awareness about this and other tragic humanitarian issues that linger as a result of U.S. and North Koreas policy of nonengagement.

When I reflect on my parents unlikely journey from war-torn Korea to San Francisco, I am filled with emotions. I think about Koreans who are still struggling to cope with the human cost of war that tore families apart and took the lives in staggering proportion  36,000 Americans, more than 200,000 South Koreans and 400,000 North Koreans, not to mention the casualties of 15 other countries that sent troops, the wounded, and POW/MIAs. Many Koreans lives are still affected by this bloody war that eviscerated their lands, their life savings and their human potential.

That is why loose talk of war with North Korea is so alarming, especially for those of Korean origin like me, for the 67,500 brave military men and women who are stationed in South Korea and Japan, and for the 200,000 Americans living in South Korea. And here in California, we have even more at stake beyond the human cost, which is terrifying enough. War with North Korea would also have an immediate effect on our economy.

In my congressional district, represented by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, we export $204 million worth of goods and services annually to South Korea, linked to more than 1,000 jobs. Korean visitors spend $87 million a year in our district. Nearly 10 percent of international students are from South Korea. At a national level, U.S.-South Koreas economic ties run deep. We invest $35 billion a year in South Korea, and South Korean investment in the United States reached $24 billion in 2012. Should a war break out on the Korean Peninsula, the impact on trade, foreign direct investments and tourism across the Pacific would not only damage San Franciscos economy but also harm the U.S. economy.

According to the Pentagon, the only way to remove all of North Koreas nuclear weapons would be through a ground invasion. The last U.S. ground invasion to North Korea changed the course of my familys life and the lives of millions of other Koreans forever. As Americans, we must be clear-eyed about what war with North Korea looks like and applaud those who are pursuing dialogue to resolve North Koreas nuclear issue.

The Trump-Kim summit is the latest leg of a long journey that has connected the United States and the Korean Peninsula. This is a moment that was built not by a single phone call or leader, but etched in the histor of all Korean Americans. Peace is often hard-won. Steady leadership by President Trump will be needed to navigate the successes and challneges that will come.

Like many Korean Americans, I still have relatives in both Koreas. For 1.7 million Korean Americans, North Korea is not an abstract idea or a distant problem. It is a problem that is here and now. We must do our part as citizens to speak up and ensure that our elected representatives know our stories, lest we repeat our history.

June Lee is chief operating officer and chief development officer at MyoKardia and the board chair of Council of Korean Americans, a national, nonpartisan nonprofit organization of successful Korean American leaders. The views expressed here are her own.When you lose a statewide primary by 44 percent to 12 percent, its hard to believe things can get worse. But Democratic state Sen. Kevin de Leon is finding out that yes, they can.

Despite being shellacked last week by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, de Leon managed to hang on to second place and a spot on the November ballot. Speaking before the election, Jon Underland, the former state Senate presidents campaign spokesman, said all de Leon was looking for was a runner-up finish because after the primary, everything changes.

But that doesnt mean theyll change for the better.

On Monday, for example, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon came out with a full-throated endorsement of Feinstein, picking her over de Leon, his fellow Los Angeles County lawmaker and legislative leader.

Senator Feinstein is the strongest candidate to stand up to Donald Trump and is a tireless champion for our state and our progressive values, Rendon, D-Paramount, said in a statement. In this time of instability, California needs Senator Feinsteins leadership in Washington now more than ever.

Despite their years of working together, Rendon went out of his way to take a hard shot at de Leon when he called Feinstein a champion of our progressive values. De Leons whole argument for his longshot campaign against Feinstein has been that the former San Francisco mayor is just too moderate and Republican-friendly to represent Californias liberal leanings.

And then there are the election results. While theres nothing wrong with losing in an election where the top two finishers both advance to the fall campaign, its another thing entirely to get slaughtered.

Not only did Feinstein win the state with 44 percent of the vote, she trounced de Leon in his home county, 49 percent to 15 percent. And to cap off the state senators disaster, the unofficial results show Feinstein with a 40 percent to 31 percent lead in de Leons own 24th State Senate District.

As for de Leons appeal to the states growing number of Latino voters: Imperial County, which is more than 80 percent Latino, went for Feinstein by nearly 2-1.

Like de Leon, Rendon is Latino. But that didnt matter when it came time for an endorsement.

On election night, de Leon told supporters that its clear that weve done what we needed to do. A majority of Californians want new leadership in Washington.

But between now and Nov. 6, what de Leon has to do is show those voters that the new leadership should be him. Looking at the election results, its not at all clear theyre willing to be convinced.

John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuthHollywood has its name stamped into the hillside, and so does South San Francisco. The city itself, however, has gotten by without a mark of delineation  until now, with the installation of the word DREAM in shimmering capital letters on the east-facing slope of Bernal Hill.

The public art, to be officially unveiled in a ceremony Friday, Sept. 22, is by Ana Teresa Fernandez, but the concept is not original. For years Fernandez has driven by DREAM in repeated graffiti on a building at the bottom of a hill near the Alemany freeway merge. That piece is derivative from the tagging of the late Oakland graffiti artist Mike Dream Francisco, who was shot and killed during a robbery in 2000.You cant spell Big Doh without IHOb

Try to contain your excitement: IHOP, which teased a name change to IHOb this month, said Monday that the b is to promote its new burger menu. The company would not give an end date for IHOb but referred to the tongue-in-cheek name change and said it was tied to the summer burger promotion. Maybe the best response was a tweet from Wendys: Cant wait to try a burger from the place that decided pancakes were too hard.

Number of the day

$20 million

Thats how much Craigslist founder Craig Newmark is donating to the City University of New Yorks Graduate School of Journalism. Newmark says its important to build a sustainable future for trustworthy journalism. Craigslist put a dent in newspaper classified ads and is often blamed, in part, for the industrys revenue decline, but Newmark says newspapers started losing circulation and revenue long before Craigslist.

Call it an IP-no

If you were thinking about buying shares in Palo Altos Adaptive Insights after it went public this week, invest your money elsewhere. The Wall Street Journal reported that Workday , a Pleasanton company, agreed to buy Adaptive for about $1.55 billion as it pushes to strengthen its financial planning products. The deal is expected to close by the end of October.

Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com. Twitter: @techchronicleAre you a frequent flyer whos been thinking about shifting your loyalty to another airline? If Southwest is on your radar, now is a great time to do it. Elite benefits definitely come in handy during peak summer travel season!

Southwest is currently offering an elite status promotion, providing A-List status in its Rapid Rewards program to elite members of other airlines loyalty programs.

To take advantage of the promotion, you have to provide Southwest with your name, Rapid Rewards number, and proof of elite status at another airline by attaching a screen shot from your account at that airline.

Details and a link to register are here, or you can register by email.

If youre not a Rapid Rewards member, you have to join. If youre already a member, look for a targeted email inviting you to participate.

There is one catch  the promotional A-List status, once you receive it, is good for just 90 days (very helpful during the summer travel crush!) To have it extended for 12 months, participants will have to rack up three roundtrips or six one-way flights on Southwest within 90 days of enrollment.

A-List status in Rapid Rewards entitles members to priority boarding, priority check-in and security lane access, a dedicated customer phone line, free same-day standby, and a 25 percent points earning bonus.

Normally, Rapid Rewards A-List status requires a member to take 25 one-way flights or earn 35,000 tier-qualifying points in a calendar year.

Frequent flyers are likely familiar with other airline status match offers. For example, Delta SkyMiles has an option called the Medallion Status Match Challenge for those with elite status in another airline's program: Delta offers elite status for three months to give you a taste of the benefits  and then extends your status beyond that point if you fly a certain amount. Alaska Airlines has a similar offer.

Hotel chains are in on the act, too-- one that is nearly always available it Best Western's "Status Match No Catch" promotion.

Are you an A-List member or want to be? Why? Please leave your thoughts in the comments.

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.DALY CITY  Neighbors knew him as Tim, a quiet man who kept to himself but was always pleasant and never left home without his San Francisco Giants cap on.

Then his picture appeared on the news and TV satellite trucks showed up Monday on their quiet, tree-lined street in Daly City, and it became clear their neighbor was not who they had thought.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations said in a news release they had apprehended the man, identified as Capt. William Howard Hughes Jr., who had top security clearance when he disappeared in New Mexico 35 years ago.

Hughes was charged with desertion and is being held at Travis Air Force Base. He could face up to five years of confinement, forfeiture of all pay and dishonorable discharge from the Air Force.

Authorities say they arrested Hughes last week at his residence, where he was living under the name Barry OBeirne.

Official records show that OBeirne used Timothy as a middle name.

Everyone knew him as Tim. He was very pleasant, said neighbor June Dayao, 60, a retired teacher who recognized her neighbors face in a photograph released by the Air Force. Thats him but he always had his Giants hat on.

Dayao and her husband had talked about going to a Giants game with him and his partner, a woman already living in the house when Hughes moved in several years ago.

Neighbor Lorenzo Laurel, 62, said Hughes was an ideal neighbor.

I would only see him when he leaves or throws out the garbage, he was very private, said Laurel, who never knew his neighbors occupation and assumed he was retired.

Hughes was apprehended after a passport fraud investigation, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations said in a statement.

He told authorities after his capture Wednesday that he was depressed about being in the Air Force and decided to leave, saying he created a fake identity and lived in California since he vanished in 1983, according to the statement.

Hughes was involved in classified planning and analysis of NATOs control, command and communications surveillance systems during the Cold War. He specialized in radar surveillance.

A captain at Kirtland Air Force Base, Hughes was 33 and single when he vanished, according to news reports from the time of his disappearance.

Jocelyn Gecker is an Associated Press writer.A harbinger of the absurdly high cost of housing in the San Francisco Bay Area may be visible in the region's maternity wings.

San Francisco is a city of few children. You're more likely to see a French bulldog roaming Alamo Square Park than packs of kids frolicking among the Victorians. The lack of youngsters is indicative of a larger issue in the city: the absurdly high cost of housing.

According to a new study, when housing prices go up, the birth rate goes down.

It's a trend economists noticed during the 2008 recession  the number of babies being born in the U.S. plummeted after millions of people lost their homes and savings. Researchers expected the birth rate to bounce back in the recovery years, but that didn't happen. Instead, it continued to fall.

Of course there are multiple factors that contribute to a falling birth rate, including societal trends and the availability of birth control. But the unattainability of home ownership may also play into one's decision to have children, the Zillow researchers say. They calculated their data using the Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), and age-specific fertility rates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.

"If rising home values contributed to fewer babies being born, we would expect to see that birth rates fell more in places where home values rose more," the study explains. "Birth records from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics show that this is, in fact, what happened: There was a strong negative relationship between home value growth and birth rate change across large counties in the U.S. for 25- to 29-year-old women, from 2010 to 2016."

Bay Area counties showed some of the strongest correlation between dropping birth rates and increasing home prices. In San Francisco County, the number of babies born to mothers age 25 to 29 fell by 21.7 percent between 2010 and 2016. Meanwhile, home values rose by 61.2 percent over the same period. According to a 2017 New York Times report, San Francisco has the lowest percentage of kids in any major U.S. city. It also has arguably the highest cost of living.

It's not just San Francisco. In Alameda County, the birth rate dropped 24.1 percent, and home costs increased by 59.5 percent. In San Mateo, births decreased by 24.2 percent, and the median home value rose by 54.9 percent.

The study authors acknowledge an important caveat in their work: "The correlation observed here is by no means proof that home value growth causes fertility declines. One alternative explanation could be the possibility that there is clustering into certain counties of people with careers that pay well enough for expensive homes but make it difficult to have children before 30; this could cause both trends observed in the chart above."

Exodus is a trend the Bay Area has been particularly aware of in the last few years. In April I spoke with Issi Romem, an economist at BuildZoom, who said he was starting to see a new class of San Franciscans: transients. The so-called "transient class" move to coastal metros for career opportunities when young and single, Romem said, then leave when the region proves incompatible with raising a family.

"When young, people tend to make do with less in order to 'survive' the housing crisis," Romem said. Survival in Silicon Valley often means living with multiple roommates and making do with less space. Such substandard living conditions may suffice when you're young and hungry, but then "people hit that point in life" when they want to "set roots down," the economist said.

"Is it as bad as being homeless? As people starving in parts of the world? No," Romem said. "It's a first-world problem. But it affects people's lives in a real way."

As the Zillow study notes, the "big question" around post-recession birth rates is whether Millennials are delaying childbirth or deliberately reducing the number of children they birth over their lifetimes.If money were no object, and you could conjure a reservation on a whim, where in San Francisco would you dine?

It's a difficult bucket list to curate in a town full of foodie experiences. You could look to the critics or the Yelp reviews, the Instagrams or the influencers. Or you could stalk the celebrities.WASHINGTON  Congress faced a startling public health and political problem throughout 2016 as the number of people dying from opioid addiction climbed. The number of Americans succumbing to drug overdoses more than tripled between 1999 and 2015, affecting a whiter and more geographically diverse population than previous drug crises. Lawmakers ultimately approved some modest policies aimed at curbing prescription drug abuse and provided $1 billion to support state efforts.

Two years later, the situation is more dire and the political imperative to act even more intense. Drug overdose deaths rose another 12 percent from October 2016 to October 2017, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

The 2018 debate mirrors the earlier effort in many ways. Both chambers of Congress will likely soon pass dozens of proposals to help combat the opioid epidemic in ways that most experts agree is an improvement over the 2016 effort. But they also suffer from the same shortcoming: They largely focus on how the problem began, not on how its evolved.

Experts say the piecemeal approach falls short of the systemic changes needed to address the scourge of addiction and prepare the United States for future needs.

We still havent built a functioning addiction treatment system, said Corey Waller, who chairs the legislative advocacy committee of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Because as soon as opioids are done, its marijuana, and it will always be alcohol, then now we have methamphetamine coming up.

He and other experts say Congress needs to give Americas health care infrastructure a wholesale overhaul to prop up addiction treatment as a sustainable medical specialty. While one of the most promising ideas frames addiction in the same way that Congress successfully handled the HIV/AIDS epidemic, it has almost no chance of passing.

Theyre just not getting that next step, Waller said.

The 2018 appropriations omnibus spending law provided about $4 billion to combat the epidemic, the largest amount to date. But some lawmakers argue its not enough.

The Senate is writing an opioids bill that includes more than 40 proposals, ranging from advancing research to finding a nonaddictive painkiller to detailing ways to dispose of unused medication.

The House is pursuing dozens of similar separate bills.

Sandhya Raman is an Tribune News Service writer.DALLAS  The Southern Baptist Convention opened its annual national meeting Tuesday in an anxious mood as the denominations all-male leadership grapples with the fallout of multiple sexual misconduct cases.

One order of business is a draft resolution co-signed by dozens of SBC leaders calling on the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. to repudiate any rhetoric or behavior that dishonors women. The resolution denounces those who commit or cover up such actions, and urges congregations and ministers to abide by all laws mandating the reporting of sexual abuse and assault.

In a late program update, the SBC announced that Vice President Mike Pence would address the meeting Wednesday. In Tuesdays opening session, a delegate from Virginia, Garrett Kell, introduced a motion to cancel Pences address and replace it with a time of prayer, but the motion was defeated.

Not on the agenda in Dallas is any reconsideration of the SBCs doctrine of complementarianism, which espouses male leadership in the home and in the church and says a wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband.

However, numerous SBC leaders are saying the doctrine needs to be observed in a way thats respectful of women and encourages them to play an active role in church affairs.

In a recent video posted on Facebook, the Rev. J.D. Greear, one of two candidates to become the SBCs next president, said the church has hurt itself by excluding women from top leadership posts.

Complementarianism is biblical and we need to honor that ... but at the same time recognize that God has gifted women with spiritual gifts, he said. We need to be as committed to raising them up in leadership and ministries as we are to our sons.

Greear, 45, a megachurch pastor from North Carolina who sometimes preaches in jeans and shirts with no sport coat, faces pastor and former seminary president Ken Hemphill, 70, in the presidential election.

Greear narrowly lost the election for president in 2016, and has been viewed by many Southern Baptists as the inevitable winner this time.

David Crary and Ryan Tarinelli are Associated Press writers.WASHINGTON  Larry Kudlow, President Trumps senior economic adviser, suffered a heart attack Monday evening and was hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center, Trump said in a tweet.

Kudlow, 70, who has referred to himself as a happy warrior in counseling Trump on trade and economic policy, joined Trumps team in March as the director of the National Economic Council.

Our Great Larry Kudlow, who has been working so hard on trade and the economy, has just suffered a heart attack. He is now in Walter Reed Medical Center, Trump tweeted, just before a meeting in Singapore with North Koreas leader, Kim Jong Un.

The White House issued a statement late Monday evening saying that Kudlow experienced a very mild heart attack.

Larry is currently in good condition at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and his doctors expect he will make a full and speedy recovery, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said in the statement.

A former CNBC commentator and Wall Street economist who has long championed free trade, Kudlow has increasingly defended Trumps approach to trade policy, including his threat of tariffs. He did so most recently on Sunday news shows, where he defended Trumps war of words with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada after this weekends fractious meeting of the Group of 7 industrialized nations.

Colleagues said they had grown worried about Kudlow in recent days, particularly after a White House briefing last week in which Kudlow appeared visibly tired and uncharacteristically frail.

Kudlow dove into the job with gusto, taking on a wide portfolio that included the presidents roller-coaster trade agenda  including on-again-off-again tariff threats against China, Mexico, Canada, the European Union and others  and negotiations with North Korea.

Jim Tankersley and Maggie Hagerman are New York Times writers.The Trump administration asked a San Francisco federal judge Monday to dismiss a lawsuit challenging its withdrawal of protections from deportation for more than 200,000 people from four countries, saying courts have no authority to review the decision even if  as the suit alleges  it was motivated by racism.

The Department of Homeland Security has ordered the removal of Temporary Protected Status for people from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan. Federal law grants that status to people who have fled catastrophic conditions in their home countries, allowing them to live and work in the United States under permits that need to be renewed every 18 months.

Salvadorans were granted protection after a series of earthquakes in 2001, Haitians after an earthquake in 2010, Nicaraguans after a hurricane in 1999, and Sudanese after fleeing a civil war in 1997. Past administrations have renewed their status and those of residents of six other nations, but the Trump administration said last year that the protections for the four countries would be withdrawn, and their residents deported, because the original disasters and related problems have ended.

The suit was filed in March on behalf of nine adults from the four nations and five U.S.-born children, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. They argued that the revocation unlawfully required the children to choose between leaving their native country and losing one or both parents, arbitrarily changed past government practices without explanation, and was unconstitutionally based on racial discrimination.

The suit cited President Trumps vulgar slur against African nations and Haiti in January and his evidence-free assertion last year that Haitian immigrants all have AIDS. It is one of several lawsuits in different states challenging the revocations.

In Mondays filing, Justice Department lawyers did not refer to Trumps statements and instead said his Homeland Security secretaries, who announced the revocations in a series of decisions, each had a legitimate, facially bona fide reason  a determination that conditions had improved  that was free of personal animus against the prospective deportees. They said courts have considered such decisions to be immune from judicial second-guessing.

But the lawyers also said Congress, when it established Temporary Protected Status, had barred judicial review of the governments decision to grant or revoke it for any country. That immunity applies to all claims challenging TPS determinations, including claimed violations of the constitutional guarantee of equal protection, the Justice Department said.

The solution to (the plaintiffs) concern lies in Congress, not this court, government lawyers said.

U.S. District Judge Edward Chen has scheduled a hearing June 22 to decide whether to dismiss the suit.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ride for Bikes, a public charity, is proud to announce that the 2018 No Sweat! Just Wet! Wet n Wild fun run was a fun success.

More than 200 adults and children came out to enjoy the family fun event put on right here in Artesia by Ride for Bikes. The money raised benefits the Ride to Meet the Challenge scholarship program. The No Sweat! Just Wet! Fun Run is a four-mile course that participants can walk, run or bike through. But first, they must make it past the soaker teams that bring along a water event designed to get you wet.

Participants were greeted by Directors of Events Curt Pittam and Sarah Long. They welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming out. Pittam then explained what was going to happen and that there were more events this year, more sprayers, more slides, and a surprise by the Border Patrol. They also reminded everybody that after the fun run, they were to vote on their favorite soaker team, the team they liked the best, and that this team would win the Super Soaker Team trophy. Participants voted by dropping a poker chip into a bucket that represented that team.

Michele Brito, director of scholarships for Ride for Bikes, explained how the fun run funds the scholarship program. She then introduced this years winners: Kiersten Hernandez from Artesia and Nayeli Romero from Lovington. Brito then went on to introduce and congratulate the 2015 winner, Alfredo Gomez, who has graduated this year as a certified welder.

To prepare for the fun run, a physical warmup was led by Liz Saiz, with music equipment provided by Richard Orosco. Then, the national anthem was sung by Alana Orosco.

The race started when Eddy County Sheriffs Office Sgt. Jason Decker and crew blocked 13th Street for the safety of the participants. Assisting them was Ruben Delarosa and the Eddy County road crews. These Eddy County folks have supported the fun run every year and are to be commended and thanked for making the event safe.

Walkers started off and were immediately surprised by a water blast from an Artesia Fire Department truck hiding just a few hundred feet down 13th Street. It was, however, a cool and refreshing relief.

The next mile was uneventful until the aid station sponsored by Austin Construction. They supported three such stations, which provided cold water to drink and first aid service as needed. Water was supplied by HollyFrontier.

Next up was the Artesia Lanes team with their Strike It theme. Les Bowden has enjoyed doing the event for several years now, and the bowling alley people have fun putting it on.

The last team on Tumbleweed was the Cottonwood Volunteer Fire Department and Fingers of Death 6. In 2013, this team won the coveted Super Soaker Team trophy and have been a reliable team since.

Turning south on 26th Street introduced newcomer Santo Petroleum and their super waterslide. Native Artesian Peyton Yates as a participant had been coming out for many years, having fun along with the best of them. This year, he sponsored a soaker team. Lots of laughter could be heard as people rolled down this yellow monster slide. But more was to come.

Next came everybodys favorites, the foam teams. These two teams compete fiercely for the Super Soaker Team trophy every year. First up was the Elks Lodges Boot Camp Bubble Bath. This team has won three team trophies, and kids really love getting down and crawling through a soap-filled tub covered in camouflage netting. Perhaps mothers should take notice of how to get their children to take a bath.

The next team has been here since the fun run started and, as said, they always bring their A game. The Artesia Fire Department and their Dome of Foam always delights everyone that goes through literally a dome full of foam. Comments ranged from, Its so relaxing to Its scary cause you cant see. This one is one to experience.

A newcomer was on the corner of 26th and Fairgrounds Road leading into the home stretch. EOG Resources had an extremely fast waterslide. Children at the end of the fun run talked about the fast blue slide.

Mack Energy came out again this year, hoping to repeat their upset win from last year with not one but two slides. The tall slide with the dolphin on top was by far the favorite. There was a little mischief going, too, as this team seemed to catch a lot of folks with a surprise water spray near the end.

Next was the Navajo Refining Fire Department and Loudon Electric, and their Surfs Up water sprayer, complete with hula girls dancing and handing out flowered leis. This water station is always fun, as it is different, in that there is music, dancing girls, and the sprayer really got people wet because it sprays water from the top and both sides. We also suspect their water cannon was active.

Last on the course was newcomer the U.S. Border Patrol. The agents showed up in full military garb and were readily soaking down participants with their super soaker water guns. Lots of people came in talking about this team, and they seemed to have as much fun as the walkers. We are looking forward to their participation next year.

The whole Wet n Wild fun run would not be possible without the water truck teams. The fun run course is out on county roads where there is no source of water. So, these water truck teams are essential to the success of the event. Hocker and Sons was a huge help this year and deserves a big round of thanks. Not only did Rocky Hocker help coordinate the water trucks, they cosponsored two water stations with Santo Petroleum and EOG Resources.

M&R Trucking also supplied a water truck. This team was a great help, as we pulled them around the course to support various teams. This effort really helped the whole thing to go smoothly. They performed admirably.

Bullseye Trucking supported Mack Energys double slide event and got in a few ambush shots to unsuspecting walkers.

So, the big question  who was voted best Super Soaker Team 2018? It was a close race for a while. Last years winner, Mack Energy, took an early lead, perennial winner the Elks Lodge with Boot Camp was giving them a hard time. But in the end, one team pulled way out ahead, and that team was, the Artesia Fire Department. When told they had won, team leader David Watson replied, What, we finally won? How cool is that? Congratulations to the 2018 Super Soaker Team winners, Artesia Fire Department.

Participants came from Roswell, Carlsbad, Las Cruces, Lovington, Midland, Texas, and Baton Rouge, La., and of course, Artesia. HollyFrontier was the biggest team sponsor.

Judging by the smiles and laughter from the people finishing the course, it was family fun event.

Ride for Bikes would like to thank everyone who came out to walk, run or bike the course. Thanks to the teams that manned the soaker teams and to the water trucks and sponsors.

For more information on the charity Ride for Bikes, visit www.rideforbikes.com.SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



A man who died in a late morning shooting in San Francisco's Bayview District last week has been identified by the city's medical examiner as 26-year-old Jevon Cael.



Cael, a San Francisco resident, was found by officers suffering from a gunshot wound around 11:10 a.m. on June 4.



Officers had responded to the area for a report of a gunshot victim, according to police.



Cael was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.



Police have not announced any arrests in the case and further details were not immediately available.





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)



A 33-year-old hospital patient whose unexpected death last week is being investigated by officials at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital has been identified as Laverne Criner, according to the city's medical examiner's office.



Criner died at the hospital around 6:20 a.m. on June 4.



Little information about the circumstances surrounding Criner's death has been released.



Last week, the medical examiner's office completed an autopsy on Criner and preliminary findings ruled out the possibility of a homicide. The cause of her death is pending additional studies and a report will be completed in the coming weeks, officials with the city's Department of Public Health said.



Criner was the second person to be found dead on the hospital's campus within a span of five days.



On May 31, an employee discovered the body of Ruby Andersen, 75, in the stairway of a power plant facility on the hospital's campus around 1 p.m.



Andersen, a San Francisco resident, was not a patient at the hospital, although she was reported missing from the hospital on May 20.



The medical examiner's office has also ruled out homicide in Andersen's case and is continuing to determine exactly how she died.



The California Department of Public Health, which licenses the hospital, is conducting an investigation into the power plant building where Andersen was found dead.



The California Department of Social Services' Community Care Licensing Division, which licenses a residential care facility for the elderly and the adult residential facility located at the Behavioral Health Center on the hospital's campus, is also conducting an investigation.



Additionally, the city's health department and the sheriff's department, which provide security for the hospital, are conducting their own investigations.



Sheriff's officials have said that the power plant facility was not regularly patrolled by deputies and was left open for most of the day. They've said that since the incident, they have put in place new security measures, including badge-only access 24 hours a day and the installation of additional alarm and camera systems at the power plant building.



In 2013, Lynne Spalding, 57, was found dead in a hospital stairwell after she had been reported missing the previous month.



Spalding, a British woman, went missing after being admitted to the hospital only two days earlier.



A subsequent report by the medical examiner's office found that Spalding had been dead for some days before being discovered. Her death was ruled accidental, due to an electrolyte imbalance, a condition that can be caused by dehydration.



Several new security protocols were put in place by hospital staff and deputies in the wake of her death. Additionally, the city settled a lawsuit with her family for nearly $3 million.





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.Sonoma County has settled a lawsuit by county jail inmates who claimed they were beaten in their cells by corrections officers during "yard counseling" in 2015.



Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano disclosed the $1.7 million settlement Monday in a video on Facebook.



"Some of the things we did were unacceptable," Giordano said.



The 14-page federal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco alleged that at least 20 inmates in the Main Adult Detention Facility in Santa Rosa were beaten over five hours in May 2015. Seven inmates were named as plaintiffs in the suit.



The inmates' attorney Izaak Schwaiger said this morning the inmates were beaten after they protested the beating of one inmate. Inmates and their families then pooled their money so another inmate, Marquis Martinez, who was being held for a domestic violence incident, could post bail.



"He got out and he told the world," Schwaiger said.



Jail staff videotaped a large portion of the beatings, Schwaiger said when the suit was filed in October 2015.



"This is like a horror movie, and we have reason to believe this is not an isolated incident," Schwaiger said in October 2015.



In his Facebook video, Giordano says the "behavior counseling" was in response to some inmates' extreme behavior and was intended to separate those inmates from others and inform them alone and privately of the behavior that is expected of them.



"In this case some things we did were unacceptable. I watched the video (of the beatings) and I'm not happy with it."



"The good news is no inmates or staff were injured," Giordano said. "But it's still not acceptable for us not to do the best we can to treat everybody with dignity and respect," Giordano said.



"We made some mistakes three years ago, we settled the case today and we made changes to make it right for this community," he said.



Since the beatings, jail staff has been retrained, and corrections officers will be getting body-worn cameras. Cameras also are being installed in common areas of the jail, according to Giordano.



"It's about damn time," Schwaiger said this morning.



"Does the government have an obligation to do the right thing? Why does it take three years to say we shouldn't have done it? It's not really acknowledging wrongdoing."



"The sheriff's office is not giving $1.7 million to inmates because they got yelled at. It's on film. First acknowledge the wrongdoing. They found everything that occurred was within their policy. It's disingenuous gamesmanship with human rights," Schwaiger 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 judge today ordered four young men to stand trial on multiple felony charges for allegedly sexually assaulting two juvenile girls at an apartment in Berkeley in March.



Alameda County Superior Court Judge Thomas Rogers issued his ruling at the end of an intense two-day preliminary hearing for Marquis Joyce, 25, of Oakland, Chad Williams, 20, of Berkeley, Drevon Clemon, 23, of Mather in Sacramento County and Jakari Williams-Compton, 20, of Oakland.



Shortly before Rogers made his ruling, he ejected from his courtroom Mark Fisher, a community pastor with Seek and Save, an urban ministry for at-risk youths, who has counseled the two alleged victims.



Objecting to defense lawyers' harsh and explicit questioning of the alleged victims, Fisher stood up and asked, "Is there any decency, any shame, any honor?"



In ordering the four defendants to stand trial, Rogers disregarded allegations by their attorneys that the alleged victims aren't credible.



Williams' lawyer Chris Lamiero said, "The credibility of the witnesses is non-existent and their lies are apparent."



Lamiero alleged that prosecutors failed to produce anywhere near enough evidence to meet the minimal standard of probable cause for having them stand trial.



Joyce's attorney Darryl Stallworth said he thinks the alleged victims "were not entirely truthful" and jurors won't find them believable enough to convict the four defendants.



Among the charges for which the four young men will stand trial are oral copulation by acting in concert with force, attempted oral copulation by acting in concert with force and forcible sexual penetration of a minor.



Berkeley police said five girls between the ages of 14 and 16 were involved in the incident in the 1800 block of Shattuck Avenue, at Delaware Street, late on the night of March 18 and in the early morning hours of March 19 but the Alameda County District Attorney's Office only filed charges involving two of the girls.



Berkeley police Officer Darren Kacalek wrote in a probable cause statement that Joyce had his male friends over for "a get-together" at the apartment on Shattuck Avenue.



Kacalek said the five female juveniles participated and the group drank alcohol that was provided by Joyce and his friends and also smoked marijuana and listened to music.



Kacalek said that at some point Joyce produced a semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine and told the girls that they had to give up their cellphones and that they weren't free to leave.



He said the four defendants and a fifth man, Maureece Simpkins, 19 of Berkeley, then engaged in sexual acts with four of the minors.



Kacalek said two of the girls eventually were able to leave and called police and early on March 19 officers responded to the apartment and arrested the four defendants and Simpkins.



Kacalek said officers recovered a loaded Colt 1911 semi-automatic handgun that was reported stolen out of Rocklin, bedding, clothing and four cellphones.



The District Attorney's office didn't charge Simpkins with any sexual assault crimes but he was charged with assault with a semi-automatic firearm and first-degree residential robbery for allegedly shooting a victim in the back while stealing a laptop computer, cellphone and video game console in the Oakland hills on April 19, 2017.



Kacalek wrote that Simpkins told police that the gathering in Berkeley in March "was basically a party to drink, smoke and have sex."



Simpkins said his expectation for the girls who came to the party was that they shouldn't come into the apartment unless they were going to have sex, according to Kacalek.



The four defendants are scheduled to return to court on June 25 to have their trial date set.



Simpkins is scheduled to return to court on July 3 for a pretrial hearing in his case.





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.EMERYVILLE (BCN)



A suspect in a kidnapping in San Francisco on Sunday who died in a collision in Emeryville a short time later was identified by the Alameda County coroner's bureau today as 40-year-old Daphne Bailey, who had addresses in Antioch and Oakland.



San Francisco police said Bailey and a male suspect who hasn't yet been identified assaulted a woman at Leavenworth and Turk streets shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday and forced her into the trunk of their vehicle.



The female victim was able to activate the emergency release lever and escape the car in the area of Van Ness Avenue, according to San Francisco police Capt. Carl Fabbri.



The victim was taken to a hospital, where she was in fair condition as of Sunday, police said.



Fabbri said the male suspect and Bailey drove onto the Bay Bridge toward Oakland and eventually collided with another vehicle at the intersection of West MacArthur Boulevard and Peralta Street in Emeryville at 3:19 p.m. Sunday.



Authorities said the suspects' car caught fire and Bailey died at the scene.



The male suspect who was driving the car suffered major injuries and was taken to a hospital to be treated for his injuries, police said.



The driver of the car that was struck by the suspects' vehicle suffered only minor injuries and didn't have to be hospitalized, Emeryville police Capt. Oliver Collins 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.DUBLIN (BCN)



A suspect was arraigned today on two counts of assault on a peace officer for allegedly attacking two police officers with a metal breaker bar when they responded to a fight between the suspect and his roommate last month, prompting an officer to shoot him.



Israel Donaterico, 29, who also is charged with exhibiting a deadly weapon to resist arrest, is scheduled to return to Alameda County Superior Court on Wednesday to be assigned an attorney and possibly enter a plea.



Hayward police said one of the officers who was involved in the incident in the 100 block of Hewitt Place at about 7 p.m. on May 21 shot and injured Donaterico because he was uncooperative and struck the officer with a large metal bar.



The female officer and Donaterico were both taken to a hospital to be treated for their injuries but the officer was treated and released shortly after the confrontation, police said.



Donaterico underwent surgery and was in critical condition for some time, but finally was released from the hospital on Sunday and was booked into Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, where he's being held in lieu of $250,000 bail, according to police.



Officers responded to the 100 block of Hewitt Place on May 21 after a person reported that they were fighting with their roommate and that the roommate had their car keys and wouldn't give them back, police said.



The caller also said the roommate, later identified as Donaterico, could be under the influence of an illegal drug, according to police.



Responding officers tried to talk with Donaterico but he was uncooperative and would not follow any directions and "aggressively pulled away" when officers tried to detain him, Hayward police said in a statement shortly after the incident.



Officers used a Taser stun gun on Donaterico but it had no effect, according to police.



Donaterico then suddenly grabbed a large metal bar off the ground and lunged at a female officer, striking her in the arm "with significant force," police said.



The officer then fired her service weapon and struck Donaterico, according to police.



Hayward police said the officer who shot Donaterico is a 15-year veteran of their department.





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 woman killed when a tree fell onto northbound Interstate Highway 680 Monday in Danville has been identified as Lyudmila Beyzer, a doctor of 15 years at John Muir Health.



Beyzer, 58, was driving a silver Mercedes-Benz sedan northbound on the highway north of the El Cerro Boulevard off-ramp around 8:55 a.m. when a 50- to 60-foot tree fell either on top of or directly in front of her car, California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Brandon Correia said.



Beyzer was pronounced dead at the scene. John Muir Health officials released a statement Monday expressing their grief at her passing.



"We are deeply saddened to hear about the sudden and tragic passing of Dr. Lyudmila Beyzer. She was a member of the John Muir Health Physician Network for 15 years and will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, patients, colleagues and staff at this very difficult time," officials wrote.



The tree blocked all but the far left lane on the highway. All lanes reopened by about 12:30 p.m. after crews removed the tree and vehicle from the roadway, according to the CHP.



Investigators do not yet know why the tree fell, Correia said.











A man was shot to death in Salinas early Monday morning and police are asking the public for help in finding the killer.



Officers were alerted by the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system of a shooting in the area of Center Street at 12:48 a.m. When the officers got to the scene, they found a man in his 40s suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, police said.



The man was taken to Natividad Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to police. His name hasn't yet been released.



The killing doesn't seem to be gang-related and the motive is under investigation, according to police. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Alberto Duran at (831) 758-7130 or albertod@ci.salinas.ca.us. To remain anonymous, people can call (831) 775-4222.







San Francisco Board of Supervisors President London Breed's lead over former state Sen. Mark Leno ticked up just a tad in the San Francisco mayoral race Monday.



According to numbers released Monday afternoon, Breed's lead went up by 21 votes. She now has 106,536 votes, 50.38 percent, over Leno's 104,935 votes, 49.62 percent.



Monday's report includes about 9,000 votes that were tallied since Sunday's report. The Elections Department is still processing more than 17,000 ballots.



Election officials will release another report Tuesday at 4 p.m.



The winner of the race will serve the remainder of the late Mayor Ed Lee's term, which runs through January 2020. Lee died unexpectedly in December.







A man who barricaded himself in his El Sobrante home for about six hours surrendered without a struggle Sunday night, a Contra Costa County sheriff's spokesman said.



Alex Studer, 51, of El Sobrante, was arrested and booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on suspicion of making criminal threats, exhibiting a firearm and obstruction, according to sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee. He is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail.



The case began when the sheriff's office got a call around 4:20 p.m. about a person in the 3800 block of La Colina Road allegedly standing on the balcony with a rifle aimed at a neighbor's home, threatening the neighbor, Lee said.



Deputies went to Studer's house and tried to communicate with him, but although he initially came out on the balcony, he then retreated into the residence, according to Lee.



Members of the sheriff's office's hostage negotiation team tried to communicate with the suspect, who would only speak briefly and then hang up the phone, Lee said. As a precaution, deputies evacuated nearby residents.



At 10:53 p.m., the negotiation team convinced Studer to surrender, and he did so without a struggle, according to Lee.







A 24-year-old man on trial for robbery in San Mateo County now faces jury tampering charges after he allegedly went to the homes of two jurors in Burlingame and Redwood City, prosecutors said Monday.



Rommel Narvaez, a San Francisco resident, was on trial for two counts of armed robbery from 2013, and last Tuesday allegedly contacted an alternate juror and one who had been excused, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.



The teenage daughter of one of the jurors found him peeking in the window of their home after she had gotten out of the shower. He also allegedly left a written note at the other juror's home, prosecutors said.



"He said he was seeking to meet and talk about what she thought of the case," District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.



Judge John Grandsaert then declared a mistrial in the 2013 robbery case and prosecutors filed new charges of jury tampering, violating a court order and prowling.



Narvaez made his initial appearance on the new charges Friday and will return to court Wednesday to possibly enter a plea, then will come back Thursday to set a new trial date in the robbery case, prosecutors said. He remains in custody on no bail-status.



Wagstaffe said he is aware of only a few jury tampering cases in San Mateo County during the four decades he's been with the district attorney's office.



Narvaez was initially charged with robbery for cases in April 2013 in which he allegedly lured victims to locations in Daly City by posting phony Craigslist ads and then robbed victims at gunpoint, prosecutors said.



While out on bail on the robbery charges, Narvaez in October 2013 was shot by San Francisco police after allegedly hiding in a bush and brandishing a gun following an attack in the city's Marina District, San Francisco police 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.DANVILLE (BCN)



A woman killed when a tree fell onto northbound Interstate Highway 680 today in Danville has been identified as Lyudmila Beyzer, a doctor of 15 years at John Muir Health.



Beyzer, 58, was driving a silver Mercedes-Benz sedan northbound on the highway north of the El Cerro Boulevard off-ramp around 8:55 a.m. when a 50- to 60-foot tree fell either on top of or directly in front of her car, California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Brandon Correia said.



Beyzer was pronounced dead at the scene. John Muir Health officials released a statement today expressing their grief at her passing.



"We are deeply saddened to hear about the sudden and tragic passing of Dr. Lyudmila Beyzer. She was a member of the John Muir Health Physician Network for 15 years and will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, patients, colleagues and staff at this very difficult time," officials wrote.



The tree blocked all but the far left lane on the highway. All lanes reopened by about 12:30 p.m. after crews removed the tree and vehicle from the roadway, according to the CHP.



Investigators do not yet know why the tree fell, Correia 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.It goes without saying that the United States has no better friend or ally than Canada. We have one of the longest, most peaceful and mutually beneficial relationships of any two countries in the world. We share similar values and have fought side-by-side time and again to defend them.

Canada is also the United States biggest customer  by far. In fact, the U.S. sells more to Canada than to China, Japan and the United Kingdom combined. In California, over 1.2 million jobs depend on trade and investment with Canada. California exported more than $26.2 billion worth of goods and services to Canada in 2017.

Trade and investment between Canada and the United States strengthen both economies. Our integrated supply chains underpin the competitive economic backbone of North America. In other words, we dont just sell things to each other; we produce things together for the global market  from autos and aircraft to agricultural products, as well as a range of services and investment products.

Given these ties, the recent U.S. decision to impose tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum shipments for national security reasons is totally unacceptable. It is entirely inappropriate, indeed insulting, to view any trade with Canada as a national security threat to the United States. These U.S. tariffs will unravel North Americas integrated economy and jeopardize millions of American jobs.

The U.S. and Canadian steel and aluminum industries are a deeply integrated sector with significant cross-border operations. Many American firms rely on Canadian iron, steel and aluminum imports as raw materials or components of finished products in the automotive, manufacturing, construction, energy, aerospace, defense and agri-food sectors. Most U.S. and Canadian steel and aluminum workers share the same union.

Canada is challenging these illegal and counterproductive measures under NAFTA and at the WTO, and will take retaliatory measures on July 1. For California, these countermeasures would affect over $676 million in trade across sectors ranging from steel and aluminum to agriculture and agri-food products. The countermeasures will remain in effect until the U.S. removes its tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been clear: Americans remain our partners, friends and allies. Canadian actions in response to the unilateral, unjustified and nonsensical decision to impose tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum are not about the American people. The ties of commerce, friendship and, in many cases, family between Americans and Canadians are undiminished  indeed, they have never been stronger.

I ask you to consider this  Canada is not a national security threat to the U.S. Reach out to your elected officials to stress this point and insist that Canada be permanently exempted from any tariffs and restrictions on steel and aluminium. These tariffs do not make sense, and they are harmful to Americans and Canadians alike.

Rana Sarkar is the consul general of Canada in San Francisco/Silicon Valley and a member of Canadas NAFTA Advisory Council.Robert Atanasovski / AFP / Getty Images

ATHENS  The prime minister of Greece said Tuesday his country had reached an agreement with the countrys northern neighbor to end a 27-year dispute over Macedonias name that has kept the former Yugoslav republic out of NATO.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in remarks broadcast by state television that a deal had been reached with Macedonias Zoran Zaev that would give Macedonia a different name that would be used both domestically and internationally.DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  War profiteers, terror financiers and drug traffickers sanctioned by the U.S. in recent years have used Dubais real-estate market as a haven for their assets, a new report released Tuesday alleges.

The report by the Washington-based Center for Advanced Defense Studies, relying on leaked property data from the city-state, offers evidence to support the long-whispered rumors about Dubais real-estate boom. It identifies some $100 million in suspicious purchases of apartments and villas across the city of skyscrapers in the United Arab Emirates, where foreign ownership fuels construction that now outpaces local demand.

The government-run Dubai Media Office said it could not comment on the report.

For its part, the center known by the acronym C4ADS said Dubai has a high-end luxury real estate market and lax regulatory environment prizing secrecy and anonymity above all else. That comes as the U.S. already warns that Dubais economic free zones and trade in gold and diamonds poses a risk.

The permissive nature of this environment has global security implications far beyond the sands of the UAE, the center said in its report. In an interconnected global economy with low barriers impeding the movement of funds, a single point of weakness in the regulatory system can empower and enable a range of global illicit actors.

The properties in question include million-dollar villas on the fronds of the man-made Palm Jumeirah archipelago to an apartment in the Burj Khalifa, the worlds tallest building. Others appear to be one-bedroom apartments in more-affordable neighborhoods in Dubai, the UAEs biggest city.

Among the highest-profile individuals named in the report is Rami Makhlouf, a cousin of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad and one of that countrys wealthiest businessmen. The U.S. has sanctioned Makhlouf, who owns the largest mobile phone carrier Syriatel, for using intimidation and his close ties to the Assad regime to obtain improper financial advantages at the expense of ordinary Syrians.

The UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms led from oil-rich Abu Dhabi, has opposed Assad in his countrys years-long war.

The UAE also opposes Hezbollah, the Lebanese political party and militia group backed by Iran. However, C4ADS report identified at least one property directly linked to Lebanese businessmen Kamel and Issam Amhaz, who the U.S. sanctioned in 2014 for helping Hezbollah covertly purchase sophisticated electronics for military drones.

Separately, the report identified some $21 million in real estate still held by individuals associated with the Altaf Khanani money laundering organization, a Pakistani ring that aided drug traffickers and Islamic extremists like al Qaeda through its currency exchange houses.

Dubai, an Arabian Peninsula entrepot, long has been a favorite port of call for those skirting the law. Gold smuggling into India served as one of the emirates most lucrative trades for the decades after the pearling industry collapsed. Guns, drugs and other illicit cargo also moved through the city-state.

Jon Gambrell is an Associated Press writer.India and China on Saturday made some fairly big announcements, including Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India, as he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.



The two leaders, who met a second time in just over a month after their informal summit in Wuhan, had a "substantive" meeting in which they took stock of the developments in the Sino-Indian ties after their ice-breaking meeting in late April.



Both countries decided to set a trade target of $100 billion and Beijing showed its readiness to open its market to Indian pharmaceutical as well as agriculture products.



"One of the outcomes of the meeting is that the Chinese side conveyed they have accepted the Prime Minister's invitation to Xi Jinping to have a Wuhan-like informal summit in India in 2019," India's Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said.



"It was a longish meeting which went close to one hour. It was a very substantive meeting.



"Both also agreed to, as they had decided in Wuhan, maintaining strategic communications between them through various channels ... through telephone calls and frequent meetings on the sidelines of multilateral events."



Gokhale said that Modi and Xi would again meet on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in South Africa.



He said Chinese Defence Minister, as well as the Minister of Public Security, would also visit India this year.



Some discussion on trade and the investment-related issue also came up, according to Gokhale.



Xi told Modi that the two countries should set a trade target of 100 billion dollars by 2020.



Xi said China was looking to enhance imports of agriculture products from India including non-Basmati rice and sugar.



The Chinese side said it would also encourage high-quality Indian pharmaceuticals products in the Chinese market.



India has been pushing for pharmaceutical exports to China.



Gokhale said Modi conveyed to Xi India's readiness to permit Bank of China to establish its branch in Mumbai.



The two leaders also signed deals about Beijing sharing Brahmaputra river data with New Delhi and India's export of rice to China.

Read more news:

China hopes G7 shoulders responsibilities for peace, development

G7 rift reflects current unpredictability: Finnish PMSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A shooting on Stanley Avenue in New Brighton left one 24-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the left wrist, according to a spokesman for the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

According to the police spokesman, the perpetrator fled the scene following the shooting, and there is currently no information regarding a suspect.

Multiple individuals at the scene reported that they heard multiple gunshots past Ely Street towards Stanley Avenue at approximately 4:30 p.m.

The injured male was transported from Ely Street to Richmond University Medical Center at approximately 4:42 p.m., according to an FDNY spokesman.

It is currently unclear how the injured male made it to Ely Street following the incident at Stanley Avenue.

While under investigation by NYPD, Ely street was cordoned off on both sides at approximately 4:40 p.m.

According to an NYPD spokesman, the victim is currently in stable condition.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police are asking for the public's help identifying a car that is sought in connection with a West Brighton hit-and-run accident on May 30.

It was reported to police that, at around 3:10 p.m., a 43-year-old construction worker directing traffic was hit by a silver pickup truck towing a yellow trailer at the intersection of Post Avenue and Driprock Street, according to a written statement from the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

The construction worker, Chris Morales, suffered serious injuries, including a shattered right leg.

Police are searching for a pickup truck involved in a West Brighton hit-and-run accident. (Courtesy: NYPD)

"A gray Chevy Silverado blew past me and clipped me with a trailer that he was pulling," according to Morales.

Hit from the back, Morales said, "I went down and all I remember was the truck going over my leg."

Co-workers were among the people who rushed to aid him and tried to alert the driver.

"I heard everybody screaming for him to stop, but he never stopped," Morales said of the driver.

Police released surveillance footage of the vehicle sought in connection of the incident, taken from cameras on the 800 block of Post Avenue.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577.

All calls are strictly confidential.